The Royals limp home after a 3-8 road trip thru Tampa Bay, Chicago and Texas. Kansas City gets to host equally putrid Cleveland who finished off a 2-6 homestand against the Tigers, Twins and Blue Jays. Jake Westbrook goes for the Tribe. He's 0-2 with a 5.74 ERA in six outings. Westbrook has given up 11 runs in 14.7 innings his last three starts. The righthander wasn't around long in his last start going only 3.7 innings against Toronto. Westbrook hasn't seen the Royals since 2007 when he had two no-decisions against the Royals. David DeJesus (7-23), Yuniesky Betancourt (3-9), Willie Bloomquist (3-6) and Billy Butler (1-2) all have good numbers vs. Westbrook whose health remains a concern as he has been dealing with back tightness. The Royals are averaging 4.9 runs per game against teams in their division hitting .314 in the process.

Brian Bannister had a blip in the radar last time out giving up seven runs to the White Sox, but he should bounce back with a strong showing tonight as he had given up just three runs in 13.3 innings pitched in his two prior starts versus the Rays and Twins. Bannister is 1-0 with a 2.19 ERA in two starts at home this season. In his career, Bannister is 4-1 with a 2.34 ERA against the Tribe. Jhonny Peralta (2-17), Asdrubal Cabrera (3-12), Shin-Soo Choo (1-10), Mike Redmond (1-6), Russell Branyan (1-5), Andy Marte (0-5) and Luis Valbuena (1-5) all have poor numbers against the starter. Cleveland is 5-10 on the road averaging just 3.4 runs per game away from Jacobs Field this season with a .246 team batting average.

Play ROYALS (-) (action).

The Braves bounced back nicely after nearly being no-hit by Jamie Moyer. Atlanta defeated the Brewers 8-2 and now Milwaukee may be without Ryan Braun on Tuesday as he is listed as doubtful with an elbow injury. Tim Hudson goes for Atlanta and he's 2-1 with a 2.82 ERA. Hudson has given up just six runs in his last three starts. The righty is 2-2 with a 3.18 ERA against the Brewers but he hasn't faced them since 2008. Prince Fielder (4-17) and Rickie Weeks (0-12) have the worst numbers against Hudson. Ironically Braun is one of the better hitters against Hudson, but he will probably not be available tonight. Milwaukee is a weak 4-9 at home this season where they hit just .249 as a team.

Dave Bush gets the start for Milwaukee and he is 0-1 with an awful 9.64 ERA in two home starts this season. This is not a surprise as the righthander hasn't pitched well at home during his entire career. He does have good numbers against Atlanta, but he hasn't seen the Braves since 2008. Nate McLouth (8-20), Chipper Jones (1-3), Matt Diaz (1-3) and Eric Hinske (1-2) have had the most success against Bush.

Atlanta presents solid value tonight as a small favorite with the much stronger pitcher against a Milwaukee lineup that will probably not have Ryan Braun available.

Play BRAVES (-) (action).

San Diego is another team that Houston starter Roy Oswalt has dominated over his career going 10-2 with a 2.68 ERA. The righty is 2-4 this season, but he has pitched well with a miniscule 2.47 ERA. He

San Francisco

The Rangers can sweep the White Sox and get to .500 with a victory on Thursday afternoon. Texas will get to see Gavin Floyd who is having a horrible season so far. He's 0-2 with an 8.38 ERA on the year. He

Todd Wellemeyer could be just what the struggling Philadelphia offense needs to break out of their slump. Wellemeyer is 0-3 with an 8.16 ERA this season, and for some reason, he still has a rotation spot. He only lasted four innings in a start against the Padres last week giving up two runs and three hits. The Phillies smacked Wellemeyer around last season getting seven runs and 11 hits off of him in 5.7 innings of work. In 2008, they managed to get eight runs and eight hits in 3.3 innings in a 20-2 victory. Philadelphia hitters crush Wellemeyer with Chase Utley (7-11), Placido Polanco (4-10), Ryan Howard (4-7), Shane Victorino (3-6), Ross Gload (2-4) and Carlos Ruiz (1-3) all having the most success.

Philadelphia

The Houston Astros have turned their season around after starting out 0-8. Over their last ten ballgames, the Astros have gone 8-2 and their hot streak should continue tonight against Cincinnati. Bud Norris will make his first career start against the Reds, but the right hander has had two solid outings in a row giving up just five runs and seven hits in 10 innings of work. He'll be facing a struggling Reds team that is heading in the opposite direction of Houston as they

Sunday night baseball features a pair of NL East rivals as the Mets look for the sweep of the Braves in New York. Tommy Hanson has continued his hot pitching starting out 1-1 with a 2.81 ERA in three starts for Atlanta. Hanson shut the Mets out last September while giving up just three hits in seven innings of work. He struck out eight and walked three in that solid performance. Hanson held David Wright (0-3), Jeff Francoeur (0-3), Luis Castillo (0-2) and Angel Pagan (0-1) hitless last season. The Mets are just 5-7 in night games as they hit only .241 in those games. As a team, New York is sporting a weak .232 batting average so far this season.

New York

Kyle Kendrick comes into this afternoon

St. Louis wraps up a six game West Coast road trip on Sunday afternoon against the Giants in San Francisco. They'll send Brad Penny to the mound where he's 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA. The right hander is 5-3 with a 3.49 ERA in 19 career starts against San Francisco. Giants hitters are batting .293 against Penny with Mark DeRosa (9-29), Edgar Renteria (10-26) and Bengie Molina (9-22) having the most success. The Giants are hitting .280 in day games, averaging 5.6 runs per game while posting a 5-2 record in those seven day games.

San Francisco

The Yankees continue their West Coast swing with a trip to Anaheim on Friday night. New York sends A.J. Burnett to the hill with a 2-0 record and a 2.37 ERA. He's struck out 13 while walking only six in 19 innings pitched. Burnett is 2-2 with a 4.75 ERA in eight starts against the Angels. Torii Hunter (2-23), Maicer Izturis (4-16), Hideki Matsui (3-14), Juan Rivera (2-8), Kendry Morales (1-6), Brandon Wood (1-6), Erick Aybar (1-5) all have poor numbers against Burnett. The Angels offense is averaging only 3.5 runs per game and hitting just .244 at home this season.

Ervin Santana has already been tagged by the Yankees once this year giving up five runs and eight hits in 5.7 innings of work. Santana has a 5.50 ERA against the Yankees over his career, and in his last three starts against New York, Santana has gone 18 innings giving up 16 runs and 25 hits. Derek Jeter (12-27), Robinson Cano (7-23), Jorge Posada (3-11), Nick Johnson (2-4) and Randy Winn (1-2) all have hit the ball well against Santana. The Yankees offense is smacking right-handed pitching this year to the tune of .288 and 5.8 runs per game, and with their previous success against Santana, we expect more of the same tonight.

Play YANKEES (-) (action).

Los Angeles goes from Cincinnati to Washington where they will take on the Nationals who will be without their best player, Ryan Zimmerman. The Dodgers will start Charlie Haeger (0-1) who is off a bad outing in San Francisco. Haeger should bounce back strong tonight as he is a talented pitcher who showed his skills when he struck out 12 Marlins in his first start of the season. Haeger is a knuckleballer, and that will present challenges for Washington who will be without one of their better hitters. Washington

Tampa Bay beat up on the White Sox on Wednesday night and they can take the series with a win over Chicago on Thursday. Tampa turns to James Shields who is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA. Shields is coming off consecutive outings against the Red Sox and Yankees so he

Cincinnati beat Los Angeles 11-9 on Tuesday night, but things will be much tougher tonight with Hiroki Kuroda on the mound for the Dodgers. Kuroda is 1-0 with a 1.20 ERA in two starts this season. He has 14 strikeouts while walking only one batter so far. The righty has faced the Reds once in his career getting a 5-2 victory in Los Angeles back in May of 2008. In that game, Kuroda gave up two runs and five hits in eight innings of work. Before last night's outburst, the Reds had scored only 15 runs in their previous five games, and we don

The Phillies bullpen blew a victory on Tuesday night, but they are unlikely to play much of a factor in tonight

The Kansas City offense continues to crank out runs after scoring 10 on Sunday afternoon in Minnesota. Now they head to Toronto to take on a Blue Jays team that was just swept by the Angels and has lost four of their last five home games. A main reason for that has been their terrible pitching this season. Brandon Morrow is 0-1 with a 12.00 ERA in two starts getting shelled by the White Sox and Orioles. Morrow has started once against Kansas City giving up six runs and eight hits in four innings in a 6-3 loss. In 17 at-bats, the Royals are hitting .412 against Morrow with David DeJesus (3-7), Alberto Callaspo (2-3) and Scott Podsednik (1-2) sporting the best numbers. The Royals have scored 40 runs so far on their six game roadtrip, and for the season, they have eight hits or more in 11 of their 12 games.

The Royals are also getting good starting pitching. Brian Bannister may not have a decision to show for it, but he's pitched great in two games. Bannister has given up just three runs in 12.3 innings of work against the Tigers in his two starts this year. He's 1-1 against the Blue Jays in two starts, but the win came last season where he gave up one hit and one run in seven innings. Bannister has held Toronto to a .190 (4-21) batting average against him with Vernon Wells (0-5) and Travis Snider (0-3) still looking for their first hits against him. Toronto

Washington is above .500 for the first time in two seasons and can sweep the Brewers with a win on Sunday afternoon. The Nationals offense is red-hot right now scoring 27 runs in their last four games. Washington will face light tossing Doug Davis for Milwaukee who is 0-1 with a 12.28 ERA this season. Davis has gone 7.3 innings combined in his two starts giving up 13 hits and 10 runs. He's just 1-5 in eight starts against the Nationals over his career, and he

James Shields gets the start for Tampa Bay tonight and he's not very good against the Red Sox going 3-9 with a 5.01 ERA in his career. Shields lost two straight in Fenway Park last season giving up eight runs and 16 hits in 12 innings of work. The Red Sox hit .280 against Shields with Mike Lowell (9-25), J.D. Drew (10-24), David Ortiz (9-23), Dustin Pedroia (10-22), Jeremy Hermida (5-17) and Victor Martinez (4-12) doing the most damage. Shields is backed by a shaky Rays

Arizona and San Diego renew acquaintances as two pitchers who took 6-3 losses in their last series face off in San Diego. The Padres look to Jon Garland who is 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA. Garland took the loss on opening day as Arizona beat San Diego 6-3. Garland sports a 6.67 ERA in five starts against the Diamondbacks. Stephen Drew (5-9), Mark Reynolds (3-7) and Geraldo Parra (1-3) have the best numbers against the right hander. Arizona as a team is hitting nearly .280 this season and is averaging around 6.5 runs per game. San Diego is a team that struggles to score runs, and they are at a disadvantage when facing a strong offensive team like Arizona.

Edwin Jackson didn

Minnesota broke in their new field by taking two of three from the Boston Red Sox. Now the lowly Kansas City Royals come to town with Zack Greinke getting the start tonight. Greinke is 2-4 with a 3.89 ERA against the Twins in 11 starts. The right hander has struggled against the Twins lineup with Jason Kubel (5-17), Delmon Young (4-11) and Brendan Harris (1-2) all hitting the ball well against him. It should be noted that Greinke hasn't been able to get out of the 7th inning which means the bullpen will play a role. Kansas City

Los Angeles wraps up their first home series of the season Thursday night when they host Arizona. The Dodgers send Hiroki Kuroda to the mound for his second start of the season and he should build upon his first start in which he gave up just five hits in eight innings in Florida. Kuroda has been able to do some good work against the Diamondbacks giving up just 6 runs and 10 hits in 15 innings. Arizona hits just .205 against Kuroda with Chris Young (2-13), Mark Reynolds (1-13), Kelly Johnson (1-6) and Adam LaRoche (0-3) doing the worst.

The Dodgers offense keeps rolling along as they average nearly six runs per game and have a .300 average as a team so far this season. Tonight, they'll face Danny Haren who is coming off a terrible outing against the Pirates where he gave up six runs and nine hits in 6.7 innings of work. Haren is only 4-4 with a 3.48 ERA against the Dodgers in 10 outings over his career. Los Angeles is hitting .294 against Haren with Casey Blake (11-32), Andre Ethier (10-27), Manny Ramirez (15-26), and Matt Kemp (6-19) all hitting the ball well against him.

Play DODGERS (-) (action).

Cleveland started their season 2-1 but they

Toronto has been a pleasant surprise so far in the American League this season. Tonight, the Blue Jays host the White Sox who will send Gavin Floyd to the mound. Floyd has faced the Blue Jays three times in his career and he

Gil Meche makes his first start after coming off the DL for the Royals on Sunday afternoon against the Red Sox. It is not expected that he will throw more than 90 pitches after dealing with some ailments during spring training. Meche is 5-3 with a 4.26 ERA against Boston but his last outing against them was abysmal going just 3.2 innings while giving up eight runs and six hits in a 15-9 loss. David Ortiz (9-24), Marco Scutaro (7-24), Kevin Youkilis (7-13), Dustin Pedroia (6-11) and JD Drew (3-10) all have good numbers against Meche.

Clay Buchholz will make his first start of the 2010 campaign. At one point last year, Buchholz was 6-0 with a 2.44 ERA in eight starts from August to September. He beat the Royals in Kansas City in September giving up just five hits in 6.2 innings of work while striking out eight and walking none. In limited at-bats, Billy Butler (1-4), Mike Aviles (1-4), David DeJesus (0-3), Alberto Callaspo (0-3) and Yuniesky Betancourt (0-2) have done the worst against Buchholz.

Play RED SOX (-) (action).

James Shields is not a fan of facing the Yankees. The Rays ace is 1-7 with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP against the Bronx Bombers. Last year, he managed to get away lucky facing New York only once while giving up five runs and nine hits in 5.1 innings of work in an 11-4 home loss. The Yankees hit .286 against Shields with Derek Jeter (12-30), Robinson Cano (11-23), Nick Johnson (2-5) and Marcus Thames (2-5) leading the way.

A.J. Burnett is on the other end of the spectrum. He loves facing the Rays as he went 4-0 with a 1.97 ERA in five starts against them last season. In his last three starts against Tampa Bay, Burnett has gone 18 innings giving up just two earned runs while striking out 16 and only walking six. Pat Burrell (9-44), BJ Upton (6-29), Carlos Pena (3-27), Dioner Navarro (5-25), Jason Bartlett (5-21), Ben Zobrist (3-14) and Willy Aybar (0-6) all have poor numbers against Burnett.

Play YANKEES (+) (action).

It will be a battle of aces in Kansas City as Zack Greinke and Josh Beckett take the hill. Beckett is 5-0 with a 2.03 ERA and a WHIP of 0.99 against the Royals. Last year, he faced them twice getting two victories, 9-2 in Kansas City and 6-0 in Boston. Beckett has held the Royals to a .258 batting average against him with Jose Guillen (6-24), David DeJesus (4-21), Jason Kendall (2-16), Billy Butler (2-11), Alberto Callaspo (1-9) and Brayan Pena (1-5). The Royals are not hitting too well so far this season, especially against right-handers as they have just a .235 batting average early on.

Zack Greinke needs to go deeper in ballgames if he wants to make sure he gets wins. The righty threw good enough to win in Detroit, but the bullpen coughed up the lead and Kansas City ended up losing the game. Greinke is just 1-2 with a 2.70 ERA against the Red Sox in his three career starts against them. Boston hits .282 against Greinke with Victor Martinez (14-41), Marco Scutaro (6-16), JD Drew (3-8), Dustin Pedroia (2-5) and Mike Lowell (3-4) hitting him the best. Before Friday night

Cincinnati welcomes Chicago to town on Friday night as they begin a 3-game weekend series. Homer Bailey hopes to continue his hot pitching from the end of the 2009 campaign when he went 6-1 with a 1.70 ERA over his final nine starts. Bailey is 1-1 against the Cubs while holding Jeff Baker (0-3), Kosuke Fukudome (0-3), Chad Tracy (0-2) and Geovany Soto (0-1) hitless.

Carlos Silva makes his first start as a Cub and his first start against the Reds in his long career. Last year, Silva went 1-3 with an 8.60 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP. Orlando Cabrera (13-31), Scott Rolen (2-6), and Brandon Phillips (1-3) all have good batting numbers against the righty who is 60-64 in his career with an ERA of 4.72.

Play REDS (-) (action).

Baltimore gets their home opener on Friday afternoon as they host Toronto. Bradley Bergesen makes his first start of the season at home where he was 7-1 last season. The righty faced Toronto twice going 1-0 with a 3.55 ERA including a 4-2 home. Bergesen has held Aaron Hill (0-6), Lyle Overbay (1-5), Adam Lind (1-4) and Jose Buck (0-3) in check in his young career. The Orioles have gone 26-18 over the last three seasons as a small home favorite like they are today.

Brandon Morrow comes over from Seattle, and gets his first start for the Blue Jays. Morrow went 2-4 with a 4.39 ERA in 26 games last season, and he

The Cardinals can go for the early sweep of the Reds on Thursday afternoon. Brad Penny will make his first start as a Cardinal, and he has a good history going 7-2 with a 3.36 ERA all time against Cincinnati. Six hitters have a history against Penny with Orlando Cabrera (7-53), Ramon Hernandez (1-5) and Joey Votto (0-5) doing the worst.

The Reds will send Bronson Arroyo to the mound. He's 6-8 with a 4.44 ERA against the Cardinals all-time with the Reds going 7-13 in those starts overall. Two of his last three starts against St. Louis saw him give up 10 runs in 10.3 innings of work last season. St. Louis hits .306 against Arroyo with Albert Pujols (16-49), Felipe Lopez (13-29), Yadier Molina (7-24), Brendan Ryan (5-12), and Colby Rasmus (4-9) all smacking him around.

Play CARDINALS (-) (action).

Detroit defeated the Royals on Monday afternoon because of the poor Kansas City bullpen. On Wednesday, the Tigers send new acquisition Max Scherzer to the mound for the first time this season. The righty defeated KC last year as a member of Arizona during interleague play 12-5. He went six innings giving up nine hits and only two earned runs. David DeJesus (0-4), Jason Kendall (0-3), Alberto Callaspo (0-2) are each looking for their first hits against Scherzer.

Luke Hochevar's numbers against the Tigers don't inspire us much. He's 1-2 with a 7.80 ERA and a WHIP of 1.87. Last season he gave up six runs and 12 hits in 4 innings in his lone outing against the Tigers. Carlos Guillen (4-10), Miguel Cabrera (8-9), Magglio Ordonez (1-3), Ramon Santiago (2-3) and Alex Avila (1-2) all enjoy success against the Kansas City

Seattle begins their 2010 campaign in Oakland against the Athletics. The Mariners send Felix Hernandez to the mound; he had a stunning spring giving up just one earned run in 12.2 innings pitched. King Felix will be facing an Athletics team whom he went 7-2 against with a 2.66 ERA over the past three seasons. Oakland, as a team, hits .247 against the righty with Jack Cust (5-23), Travis Buck (4-19), Eric Chavez (3-17), Ryan Sweeney (2-17), Coco Crisp (2-13), Cliff Pennington (1-8) and Rajai Davis (0-3) all failing the most.

Ben Sheets will be making his first regular season start since 2008 after missing all of last year following elbow surgery. Sheets struggled mightily during the spring sporting an 11.20 ERA in six starts. In 13 2/3 innings, Sheets gave up 23 hits and 20 runs while walking 10 with only 10 strikeouts. Sheets will be making his first all-time start against the Mariners but he

San Francisco

The 2010 MLB season begins with the AL East rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox. These two figure to be atop the standings in the division with the Rays nipping at their heels. The Yankees were busy in the off-season adding pieces to their lineup with the addition of Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson. Meanwhile, Boston went for under the radar additions by picking up Marco Scutaro, Mike Cameron and Adrian Beltre.

CC Sabathia struggled a bit in spring training going 1-1 with a 7.23 ERA, but the burly left hander went 3-1 with a 2.22 ERA in four starts vs. Boston last season. Boston hits .221 against Sabathia with Jason Varitek (2-16), Dustin Pedroia (1-15), Adrian Beltre (1-13), Victor Martinez (2-11), J.D. Drew (2-10), Jacoby Ellsbury (1-10) and Bill Hall (1-6) all struggling the most.

Josh Beckett has been up and down against New York giving up eight runs in his last outing against the Bronx Bombers in Boston after going two outings (13 innings) without giving up a run against them. The Yankees have had some success against the righty with Derek Jeter (16-51), Robinson Cano (15-44), Jorge Posada (10-31) and Nick Johnson (3-9) all doing the best.

The Yankees have the edge in the bullpen as well as having Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera shortens the game to seven innings which Sabathia is more then capable of handling.

Play YANKEES.

The Phillies will play their last home game of the 2009 season as they host the Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series tonight. Cliff Lee threw a complete game six hitter in Game 1 of the World Series, striking out 10 Yankees while walking no one. Lee hasn

The scene changes to Philadelphia for Game 3 of the World Series tonight. The Phillies

The Yankees can close out the Angels and get to the World Series with a win in Anaheim on Thursday night. New York turns to AJ Burnett who has been solid in the postseason so far. In 12.3 innings of work, Burnett has given up three runs and only six hits, including a 4-3 no-decision win over the Angels in Game Two. Burnett is 2-2 with a 4.21 ERA all-time against the Angels. He struck out 11 in 5.7 innings of work the last time he pitched in Anaheim on September 23rd of this season. The team hits .258 against him with Vlad Guerrero (9-42), Torii Hunter (2-23), Maicer Izturis (4-16), Gary Matthews Jr. (2-13), Juan Rivera (2-8), Kendry Morales (1-6), and Erick Aybar (1-5) hitting poorly against Burnett. The Angels as a team are hitting just .223 in the postseason, averaging only 3.7 runs per game.

John Lackey took the loss in Game One against the Yankees in New York. In that game he gave up four runs and nine hits in 5.7 innings of work. Lackey is 5-8 with a 4.45 ERA and a WHIP of 1.559 all-time against the Yankees. New York is hitting .289 against the righty with Mark Teixeira (19-49), Johnny Damon (16-48), Derek Jeter (15-44), Jorge Posada (12-29), Melky Cabrera (9-25), and Jerry Hairston Jr (3-9) all hitting Lackey the best. Overall, the Yankees are batting just .258 in the playoffs, but they are averaging a solid 5.3 runs per game as they possess more offensive power than the Angels.

Play YANKEES (+) (action).

Anaheim is looking for some home cooking when they return to the West Coast for game three of the ALCS. Jered Weaver goes for LAA and he's 9-3 with a 2.90 ERA. Weaver is 4-2 with a 5.88 ERA and a WHIP of 1.428 all time against the Yankees. The righthander has done his best work against Nick Swisher (5-22), Johnny Damon (3-19), Derek Jeter (2-17), Jorge Posada (2-14), Melky Cabrera (1-12) and Hideki Matsui (2-10). The Yankees are just 4-11 SU in Anaheim over the last three seasons.

Andy Pettitte goes for the Yankees and he's 15-8 with a 4.07 ERA this season. Pettitte is 8-9 with a 5.26 all-time against the Angels, including a 0-2 record with a 7.88 ERA in three starts against them this season. LAA hits .307 against the lefty with Gary Matthews Jr. (9-26), Vlad Guerrero (9-23), Robb Quinlan (6-18), Erick Aybar (7-16), Jeff Mathis (3-9) and Mike Napoli (5-9) all having the most success. The Angels are 51-32 at home this season and 38-18 against left handed starters. Another stat in their favor is being 36-15 in daytime games, hitting .286 and averaging 5.8 runs per game.

Play ANGELS (-) (action).

Philadelphia

The Phillies and Rockies begin Game One of their NLDS series on Wednesday. Philadelphia turns to Cliff Lee for the first start of their 2009 playoff campaign. Lee is 14-13 with a 3.22 ERA this season. Lee has faced the Rockies once this season giving up six hits and one run in seven innings of work. He struck out nine and walked only one. Garrett Atkins (0-3), Clint Barmes (0-3), Chris Ianetta (0-3), Todd Helton (0-2) and Paul Phillips (0-2) are all looking for their first hits against the lefthander. Colorado's problem this season has been on the road where they are only hitting .235 as a team. The Rockies lost two of three in Philadelphia earlier this season in August.

Ubaldo Jimenez has pitched well this season for Colorado as he is 15-12 with a 3.47 ERA, but on the road he's only 7-7 with a 3.58 ERA. Jimenez has not faced Philadelphia this season, but overall he has a poor history against the Phillies. In his last outing against them in 2008 he gave up seven runs and 10 hits in just four innings of work at Citizens Bank Park. Jimmy Rollins (2-6), Chase Utley (2-5), Shane Victorino (3-5), Ryan Howard (2-5) and Pedro Feliz (3-4) all have good numbers against Jimenez. Philadelphia is 45-36 at home where they are pounding out 5.0 runs per game. The Phillies are even better in day games with a 29-16 record and a .267 batting average with 5.8 runs scored per game.

Play PHILLIES (-) (action).

The Yankees will get a postseason tune-up start from AJ Burnett on Sunday as they wrap up the regular season against Tampa Bay. AJ has been rolling going 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA and three Unders in his last three starts, however his innings might be limited today and New York is expected to rest some players as they have already clinched home field advantage for the playoffs.

Wade Davis will make the Rays

The Rays host the Yankees tonight and Tampa Bay continues to play solid baseball this week as they enter on a 5-1 run including last night

San Diego continues to play well as they just took two straight from the Dodgers and now wrap up their season at home with a Giants squad that has nothing to play for after making a hard fought push for the playoffs during the past couple of months. The Padres have won five of seven and eight of their last 11 and send Kevin Correia to the mound who is 2-0 with a 0.81 ERA in his last three starts giving up two runs in 22.3 innings pitched. In three games, Correia is 1-0 with a 3.50 ERA versus the Giants. Randy Winn (2-9), Rich Aurilia (1-5), Travis Ishikawa (0-4), Kevin Frandsden (0-2) and Fred Lewis (0-1) all have poor numbers against the righty. San Diego is 6-0 against the Giants in San Diego and 16-8 over the past three seasons in the series. The Padres have been a solid home team this season with a 41-37 record, compared to their 33-48 mark on the road.

Barry Zito has struggled in his last three starts going 1-1 with a 5.28 ERA and a 1.696 WHIP. Zito has given up 10 runs in 15.3 innings of work. Zito is 0-4 with a 5.72 ERA versus San Diego, giving up 18 runs in 28.1 innings. Adrian Gonzalez (10-36), Chase Headley (6-20), Luis Rodriguez (4-12), Nick Hundley (3-11), Will Venable (4-8), Everth Cabrera (2-5) and Henry Blanco (1-2) all have good numbers against the aging lefty. San Francisco has been a much weaker team on the road this season, going just 34-44 compared to 52-29 at home, and the Giants average only 3.7 runs per game on the road with a weak .248 team batting average.

Play PADRES (-) (action).

The Phillies can get closer to clinching the NL East title and eliminate Florida on Sunday with a win and a Marlins

The Tigers four game win streak ended on Friday night. They'll look to start a new one on Saturday hoping that Nate Robertson can build off his last start. The lefty is 2-2 with a 5.13 ERA on the season. He's 6-6 with a 5.16 ERA all time against the White Sox in his career. Chicago is hitting .310 against him with Jermaine Dye (14-42), AJ Pierzynski (11-29), Carlos Quentin (4-12), Alexei Ramirez (7-7) and Josh Fields (3-6) all doing the best. The White Sox are 42-37 at home and 25-23 versus lefties. The record may not be sterling, but they average 4.7 runs per game and a .266 average against left handed starters this year.

Freddy Garcia has been a nice find for the White Sox as he's 1-1 with a 3.15 ERA in his last three starts, giving up just seven runs in 20 innings of work. Garcia is 15-5 with a 3.63 ERA all time versus Detroit, but he hasn

San Francisco has fallen in their first two games as they host the Cubs for game three in an afternoon affair. Chicago is sending Tom Gorzelanny who is 3-1 with a 4.56 ERA in five starts. The lefthander is 2-1 with a 5.31 ERA on the road. Gorzelanny hasn't faced the Giants since 2007, so few Giants have swings against him. Both Edgar Renteria (2-3) and Aaron Rowand (1-3) have good numbers versus Gorzelanny. Despite a loss last night, the Giants still have one of the strongest home field advantages in the league and they stand 48-28 at home this season.

San Francisco

The Blue Jays and Orioles wrap up their series on Wednesday night in Toronto. The Blue Jays will be looking for a better effort from Scott Richmond who is 6-9 with a 5.38 ERA as a starter this season, but Richmond has not lost in two starts against the Orioles going 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA. This year he gave up three runs, five hits in seven innings of work. Current Orioles are hitting just .189 against Richmond with Brian Roberts (1-7), Luke Scott (1-5), Chad Moeller (0-3) and Cesar Izturis (0-2) all doing the worst. Baltimore is a miserable 24-49 on the road this season where they hit just .250 as a team and average only 4.2 runs per game. They enter in terrible current form tonight as the Orioles have now lost six straight games and eight of their last 10 overall.

Baltimore's Jeremy Guthrie is 10-15 with a 5.05 ERA on the year. On the road Guthrie is 5-7 with a 5.40 ERA. The last time the righthander pitched in Toronto he gave up four runs and six hits in eight innings of work. He's lost two of his last three decisions against the Jays and Toronto is hitting .270 against him. Lyle Overbay (7-20), Vernon Wells (7-16), Rod Barajas (4-14) and Joe Inglett (2-7) all hit Guthrie the hardest. Toronto is 7-1 against Baltimore in their own building and the Jays

Home has been kind to the Rays who are fresh off a three game sweep of the Blue Jays at the Trop. Next up is a two game series with the Mariners who stand just 35-40 on the road this season. Ryan Rowland-Smith is 1-1 with a 4.88 ERA away from home this year and the lefty is 1-0 with a 4.38 ERA in two starts against the Rays. Carl Crawford (3-7), Dioner Navarro (2-5), Willy Aybar (2-5), Pat Burrell (1-3), Gabe Gross (2-3) and Evan Longoria (1-3) have all hit well versus Rowland-Smith in limited at-bats. The Rays continue to possess one of the strongest home field advantages in the league as they are 46-26 at home where they average 5.4 runs per game and hit .275 as a team. They also appear to be breaking out of their slump from earlier this month as Tampa Bay has now won four straight games and stand 5-2 SU in their past seven with a .310 team batting average.

Tampa

The Athletics can win their seventh straight game on Sunday when they finish up a four game set with the Indians in Oakland. The Indians are heading in the other direction as they've lost seven straight. Fausto Carmona goes for Cleveland and he's 0-2 with a 9.49 ERA in his last three starts giving up 13 runs and 19 hits in 12.1 innings of work. He's facing an Oakland team that is hitting .351 against him with Bobby Crosby (2-6), Jack Cust (2-5), Daric Barton (2-4), Travis Buck (2-4), Kurt Suzuki (2-4) leading the way.

In their last ten games, Oakland is hitting nearly .300 while throwing an ERA of 2.44. Making his return to the rotation is Dana Eveland. He's faced the Tribe once in his career giving up just one run and six hits in seven innings. That appearance came in April of 2008. Jhonny Peralta (0-3) and Kelly Shoppach (0-3) are looking for their first hits against the lefty. Cleveland is barely hitting .230 in their last 10 games and is sporting an ERA over 5.00 during that span.

Play ATHLETICS (-) (action).

Texas gets one last crack at a playoff push as they host the Angels for three games. Both teams come into this game struggling a bit as LAA has lost four straight, while the Rangers were on the losing end of four straight as well. Scott Kazmir takes the mound for the Angels and he's been great since coming over from Tampa Bay. In fact, in his last three starts he's 0-1 with a 1.86 ERA giving up four runs in 19.3 innings of work. Kazmir is 5-1 with a 2.28 ERA and a WHIP of 1.066 vs. Texas. In two starts this season, Kazmir went 1-1. Texas is hitting .175 against the lefty with Ian Kinsler (2-19), Pudge Rodriguez (2-16), Hank Blalock (1-11), Nelson Cruz (1-7), Jarrod Saltalamacchia (0-7), Andruw Jones (1-6) and David Murphy (1-6) all hitting below .200 against him. Texas has managed only 11 runs in their last six games, including just one run in their last four games.

Texas sends Tommy Hunter to the hill where he's 8-3 with a 3.23 ERA. In his last three starts he has given up 11 runs in 21.3 innings of work. The Angels have yet to see Hunter, but they are hitting well as a whole. Despite not scoring runs, the team is hitting around .290 over the past week. They are hitting .286 as a team this season scoring 5.5 runs per game.

Play ANGELS (-) (action).

Clearly the Rays have mailed it in this season as evidenced by their recent losing streak which was 11 straight and 12 of their last 13 games. Tampa Bay is going thru a terrible stretch offensively where they averaged 2 runs per game in their past seven and a .203 average. The Rays took a big lead on the O's last night and couldn't hold on as Matt Wieters led Baltimore to victory. They'll face Chris Tillman for the second time this season as the rookie looks to improve from his first outing against Tampa when he gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings of work. Tillman is 1-1 in four home starts and is coming off a victory versus the Yankees in Yankee Stadium.

Tampa

Solid line value with Seattle at home tonight at a Pick

Houston and Atlanta look for the series victory as they take the field on Thursday night. The Astros got a late comeback victory on Wednesday and send Roy Oswalt to the hill where he's 8-5 with a 3.77 ERA. Oswalt is 1-1 with a 3.26 ERA in his last three starts, giving up seven runs in 19.3 innings pitched. Oswalt made a brief appearance against the Braves in May striking out two and walking one in one inning of work. Overall, the righthander is 2-2 versus Atlanta, but hadn't seen them since 2005 before that one inning this year. Chipper Jones (3-13), Ryan Church (1-6), David Ross (1-4) and Yunel Escobar (0-1) have all struggled in limited at-bats against the righty. Atlanta's offense has managed only 10 runs in their last six games and is hitting below .200 during that span.

The Astros offense will have to face Derek Lowe. The righthander is only 7-6 with a 4.87 ERA on the road. Lowe has a 1.451 WHIP on the road and a 1.528 WHIP in his last three starts. He is 3-3 with a 3.10 ERA all time against the Astros, but many of their players have good numbers against him including Carlos Lee (13-33), Darin Erstad (9-29), Lance Berkman (7-24), Kaz Matsui (6-15) and Michael Bourn (3-7). Houston has won five of their last six games and they are 40-31 at home this season.

Play ASTROS (-) (action).

NOTE: Check back for an additional nighttime report after 3 pm ET.

Texas can complete a three game sweep of the Indians on Wednesday afternoon and the Rangers send one of the best road pitchers in the league to the mound. Scott Feldman is 11-1 with a 2.63 ERA in 13 starts for the Rangers with one of those wins already coming against the Indians in Cleveland last month. In that game he gave up one run and seven hits in six innings of work. Feldman has a 0.47 ERA in his last three outings going 3-0 on the road against Baltimore, Minnesota and Tampa Bay. Trevor Crowe (0-5), Travis Hafner (0-3), Andy Marte (0-3), Shin-Soo Choo (0-3) and Chris Gimenez (0-2) all are hitless against the righthander. The Indians are 30-38 at home and have lost three of four and seven of their last nine overall.

Cleveland's Fausto Carmona is 3-9 with a 6.08 ERA on the season. He's 1-5 with a 4.36 ERA at home having given up 9 runs in his last 11 innings of work. Carmona has lost to the Rangers twice this season giving up eight runs in 11 innings of work. Overall, he is 2-5 against Texas in his career. Jarrod Saltalamacchia (3-8), Nelson Cruz (3-6), David Murphy (4-6), Chris Davis (2-6), Elvis Andrus (1-3) and Julio Borbon (1-2) have had great at-bats against Carmona. Texas has won six of their last eight games and they continue to make a push towards Boston for the American League wild-card birth.

Play RANGERS (-) (action).

The Twins limp into Toronto to begin a four game series after having lost two of three to the Indians in Cleveland. Minnesota will turn to Jeff Manship who is 0-0 with a 3.75 ERA and a mediocre 1.500 WHIP in six appearances this season. He's made one start in which he gave up one run and four hits in five innings to the White Sox. Manship has allowed righties to hit .318 with an OPS of .839. He is also sporting a 10.13 ERA in two road appearances this season out of the bullpen. He'll be facing a Toronto offense that just scored 14 runs yesterday and has averaged 6.9 runs during their past eight games.

Toronto

The Twins can take their series in Cleveland with a win on Sunday afternoon. Minnesota will send Nick Blackburn to the hill where he has figured things out lately giving up just 8 runs in 19.7 innings pitched. He's 1-1 with a 3.20 ERA in his last three games. Blackburn enjoys facing the Indians in Jacobs Field where he has a 2.05 ERA. Jhonny Peralta (2-14), Shin Soo Choo (2-14), Travis Hafner (3-12) and Andy Marte (1-5) don't hit the righty well and Cleveland has lost five of their last six games and they are 4-4 at home against the Twins this season.

Cleveland sends lefty David Huff to the mound where he's 8-7 with a 6.57 ERA. The lefthander is 2-4 with a 6.69 ERA at home in eight starts overall. He's got a 2.024 WHIP in his last three starts giving up 22 hits in 14.3 innings of work. Huff is 1-2 with a 7.98 ERA and a WHIP of 2.181 against Minnesota with his worst outing being at home against them, giving up seven runs and 11 hits in 4.7 innings of work. They hit .392 against him with Orlando Cabrera (4-9), Joe Mauer (6-9), Justin Morneau (4-8), Denard Span (3-8), Delmon Young (3-7) and Jason Kubel (2-6) hitting the best. Minnesota is 30-22 in the daytime averaging 5.8 runs and a .288 average this season.

Play TWINS (-) (action).

The Rockies continue their series with the Diamondbacks on Saturday and it will be the first start for Jose Contreras in a Colorado uniform. He

The Joba Rules figure to continue on Friday night as the Yankees continue their series in Toronto with the Blue Jays. Chamberlain is 0-2 with a 9.75 ERA in his last three outings. His last start was cut short at three innings after giving up two runs and four hits. The Yankees are trying to limit his innings and figure to continue to do so. Joba is 0-1 with a 5.30 ERA and a 1.553 WHIP against Toronto in his career giving up 12 runs in 9.7 innings of work in two outings this season. Lyle Overbay (4-10), Adam Lind (5-10), Aaron Hill (3-9), Randy Ruiz (1-3) and Raul Chavez (2-2) hit the righty well. The Yankees bullpen has also been much weaker on the road this season with a 4.96 ERA.

It's been a rough stretch lately for Roy Halladay who has seen the Rays and Red Sox in his last three starts. Still, he sports a 13-8 record and a 3.13 ERA overall this season. Halladay is 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA in three starts against New York including two complete games. The Bronx Bombers hit .255 against him with Derek Jeter (20-87), Hideki Matsui (13-54), Robinson Cano (9-42), Melky Cabrera (8-36), Eric Hinske (6-27), Jerry Hairston Jr. (2-19), Jose Molina (1-14), Nick Swisher (2-14), Brett Gardner (3-14) all hitting poorly against Halladay.

Play BLUE JAYS (-) (action).

Both Tampa Bay and Boston have exhibited extreme home/road dichotomies during the past two seasons and it is once again evident this year as the Red Sox are just 32-33 on the road, compared to 45-21 at home, while Tampa Bay is 42-22 at home, compared to just 29-38 away.

The Rays should bounce back after a rare home loss last night as Matt Garza has dominated the Red Sox during his career with a 2.66 ERA and 1.076 WHIP in twelve career starts with a 10-2 team record. This includes four strong outings this season in which Garza has allowed just six runs in 28.7 innings of work with a 1.88 ERA and 0.802 WHIP with a 27/8 strikeout/walk ratio. Garza has completely shut down some of Boston

The Nationals continue to struggle on the road and enter with an awful 19-47 record away from home this season where they are -19 units versus the moneyline. They have now dropped four straight and five of their past six on this current road trip, scoring just one run in each of their past two games. Washington will likely struggle again tonight against San Diego

Kansas City wraps up their four game set with the Mariners in Seattle on Sunday. The Royals will most likely face a short-handed Seattle lineup as both Ichiro and Russell Branyan are listed as doubtful with injuries. That'll make Zack Greinke's time a little easier and he remains one of the best pitchers in the league with a 2.43 ERA and 1.120 WHIP in 26 games this season with a powerful 197/39 strikeout/walk ratio. Greinke enters in excellent current form with a 2.45 ERA and 0.909 WHIP in his past three starts with a 30/6 K/BB ratio, including a fantastic outing versus Cleveland last Tuesday when he allowed just five hits in eight innings with 15 strikeouts. Greinke is 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA against Seattle, having given up just one run in the last 16 innings of work against the Mariners. Jose Lopez (1-11), Franklin Gutierrez (1-11), Adrian Beltre (2-8), Josh Wilson (0-2) all struggle against the righty.

Seattle sends Ryan Rowland-Smith to the hill. He's 2-1 with a 4.05 ERA in eight starts, but hasn't won in his last three outings. Rowland-Smith has faced the Royals once giving up five runs and six hits in just four innings. David DeJesus (2-5), Billy Butler (3-5), Alex Gordon (2-4), Mike Jacobs (1-3), Miguel Olivo (1-2) and Yuniesky Betancourt (1-2) have all performed well versus Rowland-Smith.

Play ROYALS (-) (action).

The Indians took game one of their series in Baltimore with the Orioles behind a 9th inning comeback. They have now won three of four in their 10 game road trip so far and six of their last eight overall. Cleveland's offense actually averages 5.6 runs per game away from home and has averaged almost 6 runs a game their last 7 overall. They'll face Jason Berken who is 3-11 with a 6.49 ERA on the season. Berken has made nine home starts going 1-6 with a 5.48 ERA there. In his last 16.3 innings of work Berken has given up 12 runs and 24 hits. He has yet to face the Indians this season.

Fausto Carmona's August has gone well with him bringing a 2.63 ERA in four starts. Carmona is coming off a stellar effort out dueling Felix Hernandez, giving up just one run and five hits in seven innings of work. Carmona is 2-2 with a 6.40 ERA against the Orioles in his career, but current Baltimore hitters have only a .214 average with Brian Roberts (4-17), Nick Markakis (1-14), Adam Jones (1-4) and Lou Montanez (0-3) struggling the most. The Orioles have lost three of their last four and four straight home games overall.

Play INDIANS (-) (action).

This line might appear high, but it is actually not high enough as my power ratings make the Mariners a -185 home favorite tonight. Seattle remains underrated this season with a surprising 66-61 record, including 35-27 at home, while the Royals are easily the worst team in the American League with a miserable 48-78 record. Kansas City is actually worse than that .381 win percentage indicates as the Royals started the season a surprising 18-11, but have since gone just 30-67 in their past 97 games with a miserable .309 win percentage which would translate into an average favorite line of -225 for the opposing team.

Seattle

The Giants host the Diamondbacks for game two of their series on Wednesday night. Jonathan Sanchez looks to continue his home mastery going 4-2 with a 3.78 ERA in nine starts in San Francisco this season. Sanchez is 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA in his last three outings, including two straight strong road starts. The lefty has seen Arizona twice this season and in 12.4 innings of work he's given up just 1 run and only 5 hits total. He beat the D-Backs 2-0 at home and fell 2-1 at Arizona. Mark Reynolds (3-16), Ryan Roberts (0-2) and Alex Romero (0-1) have had the least success against Sanchez. Arizona has been a weak offensive team on the road this season, averaging just 4.1 runs with a .237 team batting average.

Doug Davis goes for Arizona and he brings a 7-11 record with a 3.77 ERA into the game. Davis is 3-5 on the road and is coming off a poor outing in which he gave up six runs in five innings against the Phillies. Davis has seen San Francisco three times and is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA against them, giving up 10 runs in just 18 innings of work. The Giants hit .366 off the soft tossing lefty with Randy Winn (14-44), Bengie Molina (17-44), Freddy Sanchez (17-37), Aaron Rowand (7-23), Edgar Renteria (8-16), Kevin Frandsen (5-10), Fred Lewis (4-9), Emmanuel Burriss (3-9) and Eugenio Velez (2-3) all topping the .300 mark against Davis. The Giants have been much stronger home team this season with a fantastic 40-20 record, compared to their 28-38 mark on the road.

Play GIANTS (-) (action).

After each team took a turn pounding each other into submission so far in the series, runs should be coming at a premium in Sunday night as two of the best pitchers in the game square off with New York

NOTE: Check back after 1 pm ET for an additional Sunday night (NYY/BOS) selection.

The Pirates had an easy 12-2 win last night and they will look to do the same Sunday afternoon as they go for their sixth straight win and a sweep of the Cincinnati Reds. Pittsburgh sends Kevin Hart to the hill where he's 4-2 with a 4.00 ERA. Hart's numbers get better at home where he's 3-1 with a 3.72 ERA. Hart has already beaten the Reds this season, giving up just one run and five hits in six innings of work on July 25th. Chris Dickerson (1-4), Jonny Gomes (0-2), and Craig Tatum (0-2) all struggled against Hart. The Reds remain the worst offensive squad in the league and as a team they have scored just 21 total runs in their last eight games during which they've won only one time.

Pittsburgh will get their first ever look at Homer Bailey who is 2-4 with a terrible 7.53 ERA in 11 starts this year. On the road, Bailey has made five starts going 1-2 with an 8.24 ERA. In his last 11.7 innings pitched, Bailey has given up 13 runs and 19 hits, picking up a 0-1 record in his last three starts. Two Pittsburgh hitters have faced Bailey with Ronny Cedeno going 1-for-3 and Lastings Milledge a solid 1-for-1. The Pirates have scored 34 runs so far in this homestand with a perfect 5-0 record. Pittsburgh remains a much stronger team at home where they stand 33-27 while averaging 4.6 runs per game and a .275 batting average, compared to just 18-43 on the road where they average just 3.6 runs per game and a .233 average.

Play PIRATES (-) (action).

Pittsburgh has come alive during their current homestand with four straight victories. They'll try for number five behind Zach Duke who has pitched well this season despite the 9-11 record. Duke's had issues getting run support as Pittsburgh has scored 4 runs total in his last four starts. Duke is 6-5 with a 3.31 ERA at home. Duke has seen the Reds once this year giving up one run and six hits in seven innings of work. He got the loss in a 4-0 game. The Reds may be without Brandon Phillips once again. The Reds have lost six of their last seven scoring just 19 runs in that span.

Cincinnati turns to Justin Lehr who is 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA in four starts. He's made one start away from home giving up 11 hits and one run to the St. Louis Cardinals. Lehr gave up 3 runs to the Nationals in his last outing and will face a Pirates team whose offense is markedly better at home. Pittsburgh hits .276 in their own stadium with that average going up to .284 against righties.

Play PIRATES (-) (action).

It's time for the best rivalry in baseball as the Yankees travel to Fenway to take on the Boston Red Sox. Boston is entering the game on a three game win streak and will have Brad Penny starting the game. He's 5-2 with a 4.70 ERA at home while his team is 8-4 in 12 home starts. Penny's numbers may not be great, but he's been backed by a strong offense. The burly righthander is 3-0 with a 2.31 against the Yankees, having gone six innings of scoreless pitching against them in June. Boston won that game 4-3. The Yanks are hitting .228 against him with Mark Teixeira (0-9), Jerry Hairston Jr. (1-6), Johnny Damon (0-5), and A-Rod (0-4) doing the worst. The Red Sox are 6-0 at home against the Yankees this season.

Andy Pettitte brings a 9-6 record and a 4.09 ERA into this game against his arch nemesis. The lefty is 17-9 with a 3.96 ERA against Boston, but he lost his last start at Fenway giving up four runs and six hits in six innings. Pettitte did shut the Sox down in New York, but Fenway hasn

New York can take their series with the Athletics with a win on Wednesday night. Chad Gaudin will make his first start as a Yankee. So far this season, he's 4-10 with a 5.23 ERA on the year. Since joining the Yankees Gaudin has gone 3.1 innings giving up two runs in bullpen work. The righty has yet to face the Athletics as a starter, but current A's batters are just 2-for-11 against him with Bobby Crosby getting both of those hits. Nomar Garciaparra has done the worst going 0-for-6 against Gaudin. The A's are 28-31 at home and 37-42 against right handed pitchers.

Oakland

The White Sox can get the sweep of the Athletics with a win on Sunday. They'll send their best pitcher to do it in John Danks. He's 10-8 with a 4.04 ERA on the season. Overall he's 6-3 with a 3.86 ERA on the road and is coming off a solid one run and seven hit performance against the White Sox. Danks is 4-0 against the A's with a 1.38 ERA and a WHIP of 1.269. In his last three outings against them, he's given up just three runs. Oakland is hitting .212 against the lefty with Mark Ellis (0-9), Bobby Crosby (2-9), Jack Cust (1-7), Rajai Davis (1-5), Travis Buck (1-4), Kurt Suzuki (1-4) doing the worst in limited at-bats. The A's are 15-23 against left handed pitchers and hit just .242 against them. Despite having a sensational second half, Oakland has only faced two lefties so far this month and went 1-1 against them.

Oakland sends the inconsistent Trevor Cahill to the hill. He's 6-12 with a 5.06 ERA and is only 5-7 with a 4.68 ERA at home in 14 starts. In his last three starts, Cahill brings a 6.87 ERA and has given up 14 runs in 18.3 innings of work. Cahill has already faced the White Sox once this season getting a no-decision in a 6-2 loss in Chicago. In that one, he gave up 2 runs and three hits in 5.7 innings of work. The White Sox have won three of their last five on the road and are 2-0 this season in Oakland.

Play WHITE SOX (-) (action).

NOTE: Check back at 4 pm ET for additional nighttime games.

This is a rare opportunity to take the best pitcher in the league during the past few seasons, Johan Santana, at a small favorite price. The Mets have struggled offensively this season due to injuries, but they still have better overall numbers than San Francisco

The Brewers are starting to heat up offensively as they have scored at least 5+ runs with 10+ hits in four of their past five games. They should have continued success tonight against Houston

NOTE: Check back for an additional NFL preseason report at 5 pm ET tonight.

Home has helped revive the slumping Red Sox who go for a series win on Thursday afternoon against the Tigers. Boston is now 38-17 at home this season, compared to just 27-31 on the road. Clay Buchholz takes the mound and he just had a solid effort at Yankee Stadium last Saturday, giving up only 2 runs in six innings of work. In limited at-bats Buchholz has shut down Curtis Granderson (0-3), Adam Everett (0-2) and Miguel Cabrera (0-2) who is day to day with an injured hand. Buchholz will face a Tiger team averaging only 4.1 runs per game on the road and batting just .245 as a team this season. Detroit has also exhibited a strong home/road dichotomy with a 23-36 road record, compared to a 36-18 home mark.

Justin Verlander goes for the Tigers and he is 12-6 with a 3.45 ERA, but he is only 5-5 with a 4.68 ERA on the road. In his last three starts, the right hander has gone 1-1 with a 5.57 ERA, giving up 14 runs and 22 hits in 21 innings of work. Verlander is 1-2 with a 5.49 ERA all time against the Red Sox. Last season he lost to them 5-1 in Detroit, giving up all five runs and nine hits in just six innings. Boston hits a fantastic .350 against him with David Ortiz (3-7), Mike Lowell (3-7), JD Drew (2-6), Casey Kotchman (3-6), Jacoby Ellsbury (1-3) and Jason Varitek (1-2) doing the best.

Play RED SOX (action).

Colorado wraps up a four game set with the Chicago Cubs on Monday and they send Jorge De La Rosa to the hill. He is 9-8 with a 4.90 ERA as a starter and he

Boston has lost three straight to the Yankees, but the Sox have an excellent chance of avoiding the sweep with Jon Lester on the mound tonight. Lester started slowly this season and only has a 9-7 record with a 3.79 ERA to the mound, but he has been much stronger during the past couple of months and has a 3.32 ERA in his past three starts while striking out 21 batters in just 19 innings. Lester is 3-0 against the Yankees with a 3.43 ERA in six career starts and he has two good outings against New York this season, giving up just five runs in 13 innings while striking out 17. Robinson Cano (3-17), A-Rod (1-11), Nick Swisher (2-11), Mark Teixeira (2-9), Jorge Posada (2-8), and Hideki Matsui (0-3) have all struggled against the lefty.

Andy Pettitte will start for the Yankees and he enters with a 9-6 record and a mediocre 4.35 ERA and 1.437 WHIP in his 22 starts. He has been even weaker at home with a 4-4 record and a 5.28 ERA with a 1.560 WHIP, giving up 90 hits in just 75 innings of work. Pettitte is 17-9 all time against the Red Sox, but he lost his only outing against them this season giving up four runs and six hits in six innings. The Red Sox as a team hit .339 against Pettitte with Jason Varitek (17-52), David Ortiz (17-46), JD Drew (10-29), Mike Lowell (8-23), Kevin Youkilis (9-22), Victor Martinez (3-10), and Jacoby Ellsbury (5-10) all doing well. Pettitte has given up 13 of his 16 home runs at home this season and the Red Sox have been a much stronger offensive team on the road versus left handed pitchers, averaging 5.8 runs per nine innings and batting .275 versus LHP, compared to just 3.9 runs and .242 versus RHP.

Play RED SOX (action).

The Royals

The Mets remain extremely short-handed on offense as they are already without Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, and Jose Reyes, plus they might also be without Gary Sheffield and Luis Castillo tonight due to injuries. Castillo is second on the team in hitting (.297) behind David Wright and is questionable with an ankle injury.

The Mets have averaged just 3.9 runs per game on the road versus left handed pitchers this season and they will now be facing Clayton Richard for the first time. Richard was just acquired from the White Sox last week and he pitched well in his San Diego debut, allowing just one run and only two hits in 5.7 innings pitched last Saturday. Pitchers often perform well when being acquired by a new team late in the season and Richard enters in excellent current form tonight with a 1.25 ERA and 0.831 WHIP in his past three starts.

Play PADRES (-) (action).

The Angels

NOTE: Check back for an additional nighttime report at 3 pm ET.

San Francisco took out their frustrations on the Astros Tuesday night, pounding Houston

The Padres lost yesterday, but they are still in solid current form with a 5-1 SU record in their past six games and their offense has improved, averaging 5.5 runs during that span. They are hitting the ball well with 65 hits during their past six games (10.8 per game) which is well above their season average of just 3.7 runs and 7.9 hits per game.

San Diego should have continued offensive success tonight against Atlanta

The Braves can collect a series win at home when they wrap up a three game set with the Dodgers on Sunday night. They'll send Jair Jurrjens to the mound who remains one of the best pitchers in the league this season with a 2.69 ERA and 1.201 WHIP in 22 starts. He is in excellent current form, going 2-0 with a 1.37 ERA and 0.813 WHIP in his past three starts, giving up just three runs in 19.7 innings pitched. Jurrjens beat the Dodgers twice last season, giving up just two runs in 13 innings, while striking out 14 batters and walking only 6 for a 1.38 ERA and 1.077 WHIP. Jurrjens has dominated Casey Blake (0-6), James Loney (1-6), Orlando Hudson (1-4), Rafael Furcal (0-3) and Matt Kemp (0-3) in minimal at-bats. The Dodgers have lost four of six on this current road trip and they stand just 8-8 SU since the All-Star break.

Los Angeles will counter with Chad Billingsley who enters in terrible current form with a 1-2 record and a 9.45 ERA and 2.024 WHIP in his last three starts, giving up 14 runs in just 13.3 innings pitched, including allowing six runs versus St. Louis in a 10-0 loss last Tuesday. Billingsley has taken the loss in both career starts against the Braves, giving up 10 runs in just 10.3 innings pitched last season with a 7.84 ERA and 2.033 WHIP. Atlanta hitters with the most success include David Ross (3-5), Garret Anderson (2-4), and Adam LaRoche (2-4).

Play BRAVES (-) (action).

The Pirates can take the first three games of this four-game series against the Nationals with a win on Sunday afternoon. Pittsburgh will start lefty Paul Maholm who is 6-5 with a 4.70 ERA, but he has been better at home going 3-1 with a 3.39 ERA and 1.217 WHIP. This will be his second meeting with the Nats as he got a no-decision in Washington in a 2-1 Pirates win on May 20th. In that game, Maholm went six innings, giving up just four hits and one earned run. The Nationals are hitting just .238 against Maholm with Adam Dunn (3-28), Josh Willingham (1-14), Ryan Zimmerman (3-13), Josh Bard (1-6), and Will Nieves (0-3) all struggling. After starting their road trip with two wins in Milwaukee, the Nationals have lost four straight games and they remain the worst team in the league with a miserable 32-72 (.308) record this season.

Washington

The Padres were ice cold for most of July, but it appears they are starting to heat up after three straight underdog wins in Cincinnati this week. The key has been San Diego

Solid value with the Giants as a home underdog tonight as they are a fantastic 34-15 SU at home this season (+18 units) and coming off a nice three-game sweep of the Pirates. They will now face a Philadelphia squad that sends their worst starting pitcher, Rodrigo Lopez, to the mound who has only made four starts in the major leagues during the past two years. Lopez has pitched decently this month, but his overall numbers in the minors this season were not strong and he is likely to struggle tonight in his first road start. Lopez had a 3.91 ERA and a 1.346 WHIP in his 13 starts at AAA Lehigh Valley this year and opposing batters hit .292 versus Lopez. He was awful last year with a 16.20 ERA and 3.000 WHIP in the minors.

Meanwhile, San Francisco