PDS Sports Blog and Sports Picks | Sporting Events

The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Kansas City Royals will both be gunning for a victory on Friday when they meet at Kauffman Stadium.

Joe Saunders will be the starting pitcher for the Diamondbacks on this day. Lefthander Saunders is 2-3 this season with a 3.43 ERA.

It’ll be Luis Mendoza toeing the rubber for the Royals in this contest. Righthander Mendoza is 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA so far this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Diamondbacks listed as 110-moneyline favorites versus the Royals, while the game’s total is sitting at 8½.

In their last action, Arizona was a 9-7 winner on the road against the Rockies. Bettors on Arizona at +115 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (16) sent OVER bettors home happy as well.

Kansas City lost its last outing, a 5-3 result against the Orioles on May 17. Bettors who backed the Orioles at +112 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (8) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window.

My baseball software predicts that Arizona will win as the small underdog.

Current streak:
Kansas City has lost 2 straight games.

Team records:
Arizona: 17-22 SU
Kansas City: 15-22 SU

Arizona most recently:
When playing on Friday are 3-7
Before playing Kansas City are 5-5
After playing Colorado are 7-3
After a win are 3-7

Kansas City most recently:
When playing on Friday are 1-9
Before playing Arizona are 5-5
After playing Baltimore are 4-6
After a loss are 5-5

A few trends to consider:
Arizona is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Kansas City
Arizona is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona’s last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Arizona’s last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kansas City’s last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Kansas City’s last 10 games at home
Kansas City is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Kansas City is 4-16 SU in its last 20 games at home

Stats courtesy of Chalk

(Sports Network) - Journeyman right-hander Luis Mendoza makes his first career start against the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight when the Kansas City Royals host their weekend foes for the first of three interleague games at Kauffman Stadium.

Mendoza, who signed with Boston as an undrafted free agent in 2000, spent minor-league time with the Red Sox and San Diego Padres before heading to Texas in a July 2006 trade.

He made 32 appearances for the Rangers over three seasons and won four of 12 decisions, then headed to Kansas City for a player to be named later in a late spring training deal on April 2, 2010.

He won two of three decisions in six appearances in 2010 and 2011 before becoming a full-time member of the Royals’ rotation this spring. He was 0-2 with a no-decision in his initial three starts, but has since won two of three outings while lowering his earned run average from 6.92 to 4.76.

In his last start, on May 13 at Chicago, Mendoza gave up a run on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings of a 9-1 victory – the eighth of his career.

Arizona goes with former first-round draft pick Joe Saunders – 12th overall, 2002 – who faces the Royals for the seventh time in his 169th major-league start.

The 30-year-old Virginia native, who pitched in the American League with the Los Angeles Angels from 2005-2010, is 4-0 in six previous starts against Kansas City while allowing 12 runs on 43 hits in 42 innings.

He’s held Royals batters to a .267 average in those six games, which is four points better than the .263 average he’s allowed through his initial seven starts of 2012 – which have yielded two wins and a 3.43 ERA.

He was 2-1 after four starts but has gone winless in three straight, including a 7-3 shellacking by San Francisco in which he allowed 10 hits and six runs in five innings.

Saunders is 1-0 in three road starts this season.

On Thursday in Colorado, Justin Upton’s two-run homer in the ninth inning lifted the Diamondbacks over the Rockies, 9-7, in the final game of a two-game series at Coors Field.

Upton, who was 0-for-6 with five strikeouts against Rafael Betancourt prior to his home run, fell behind 1-2 with two outs. But Betancourt’s cutter caught just enough of the plate and Upton drove the ball deep into the seats in right-center.

Gerrardo Parra reached two hitters earlier with a double.

J.J. Putz loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the ninth, but was able to strike out Alex White before getting Ramon Hernandez to ground into a game-ending double play.

Brad Ziegler (2-1) earned the win after recording the final out of the eighth.

In Kansas City, J.J. Hardy’s two-run single in the seventh inning lifted the Baltimore Orioles over the Royals, 5-3, in the finale of a two-game series.

Humberto Quintero knocked in two runs and scored once for the Royals, who came into the series riding a four-game winning streak.

Johnny Giavotella had an RBI.

Luke Hochevar (3-4) allowed four runs on seven hits over six-plus frames. The right-hander struck out six and walked one.

The Royals are 7-11 in 18 interleague meetings with Arizona, including a 3-9 mark at Kauffman Stadium.

(Sports Network) - 05/18 10:53:27 ET

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The San Diego Padres and the Washington Nationals will both be trying to pick up a win on Tuesday when they battle at Nationals Park.

Anthony Bass will be the starting pitcher for the Padres on this day. Righthander Bass is 1-3 this season with a 3.34 ERA.

Meanwhile, it’ll be Stephen Strasburg who starts for the Nationals. Righthander Strasburg is 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA so far this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Nationals listed as 230-moneyline favorites versus the Padres, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.

Last time out for San Diego, they were an 8-5 loser as they battled the Nationals on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Nationals at -148 were rewarded, while the 13 combined runs moved the game OVER for totals bettors.

Current streak: San Diego has lost 2 straight games.

My baseball handicapping software predicts that Washington will win, and the game total will go OVER 6 runs.

Team records:
San Diego: 12-24 SU
Washington: 22-13 SU

San Diego most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 4-6
Before playing LA Dodgers are 2-8
After playing Washington are 6-4
After a loss are 4-6

Washington most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 6-4
Before playing Pittsburgh are 4-6
After playing San Diego are 5-5
After a win are 7-3

A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Diego’s last 7 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Diego’s last 7 games when playing on the road against Washington
San Diego is 17-7 SU in its last 24 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Diego’s last 6 games on the road
Washington is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing San Diego
Washington is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington’s last 6 games at home
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

Stats courtesy of Chalk

(Sports Network) - The Washington Nationals are back in first place in the National League East and look to remain there when they wrap up a two-game series today with the San Diego Padres.

Washington took the opener of this set with Monday’s 8-5 victory behind homers from rookie phenom Bryce Harper, Xavier Nady and Chad Tracy. Ian Desmond had three hits, two RBI and two runs scored, as the Nationals recorded their fourth win in five tries and improved to 8-4 in the past 12 contests.

Harper went deep for the first time in his young career.

“I was trying to go up there and get a knock. That’s all I was worried about. I was trying to get something I could drive and go out of the ballpark,” said Harper, who became the youngest player at 19 years, 211 days to hit a home run since Adrian Beltre circled the bases at 19 years, 171 days on Sept. 25, 1998.

Craig Stammen earned the win with two scoreless innings in relief of starter Ross Detwiler, while Sean Burnett got struggling closer Henry Rodriguez out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to record his first save of the year. Detwiler gave up five runs — four earned — in five innings.

The Nationals are one-half game ahead of Atlanta in the NL East and opened a seven-game homestand last night in winning fashion.

Washington pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg aims to stay unbeaten on the season when he makes his eighth start today. The hard-throwing right-hander last toed the rubber in Thursday’s 4-2 win at Pittsburgh and held the hosts to two runs — one earned — on five hits and three walks in six innings.

Strasburg struck out a season-high 13 batters to improve to 3-0 in seven starts and lowered his ERA to 1.64. He has lasted at least six innings in every start this season and owns a 1-0 mark in three starts at National Park. Strasburg has never faced the Padres in his career.

San Diego lost for the seventh time in 10 tries last night. Tim Stauffer made his first start of the season and did not record a decision after he gave up four runs — three earned — and seven hits in five innings. Miles Mikolas was saddled with the loss for surrendering a pair of runs in the sixth.

“Unfortunately, I put us in a little bit of a hole,” Stauffer said. “It was a battle from the get-go. Obviously, there are some pitches I’d like to have back.”

Orlando Hudson had two runs batted in, Yonder Alonso ended 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and Chase Headley posted two hits, an RBI and a run scored for the Padres, who lost two of three in Philadelphia over the weekend. The Padres will return to Petco Park for a five-game homestand following Tuesday’s game.

Anthony Bass gets the pitching call for the Padres Tuesday and has lost two of his last three appearances. In last Wednesday’s 6-2 loss to Colorado, Bass allowed five runs — one earned — and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings. The righty fell to 1-4 in eight games (6 starts) this season with a 3.23 ERA.

Bass has never faced Washington and is 0-2 in two road starts in 2012.

San Diego lost two of three meetings to Washington at home from April 24-26 and has dropped six of the past seven matchups in this series. It could get worse for the Padres since the Nationals are 13-4 in D.C. this season.

(Sports Network) - 05/15 11:29:03 ET

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A winning streak will be on the line for the Kansas City Royals on Monday when they battle the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark.

The Royals will give the ball to starter Bruce Chen in this one. Lefthander Chen is 1-4 this season with a 4.83 ERA.

It’ll be Scott Feldman toeing the rubber for the Rangers in this contest. Righthander Feldman is 0-0 with a 5.41 ERA so far this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Rangers listed as 200-moneyline favorites versus the Royals, while the game’s total is sitting at 10.

Kansas City won its last outing, a 9-1 result against the White Sox on May 13. Bettors who backed the Royals at +106 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (10) sent OVER bettors to the payout window.

The Rangers were a 13-6 winner in their most recent outing at home against the Angels. That made winners of bettors who got Texas at -129 on the moneyline, while the total score (19) was good news for OVER bettors.

Current streak:
Kansas City has won 2 straight games.

Team records:
Kansas City: 13-20 SU
Texas: 23-12 SU

Kansas City most recently:
When playing on Monday are 5-5
Before playing Texas are 3-7
After playing Chi White Sox are 7-3
After a win are 5-5

Texas most recently:
When playing on Monday are 6-4
Before playing Kansas City are 6-4
After playing LA Angels are 6-4
After a win are 3-7

A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Kansas City’s last 7 games when playing on the road against Texas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kansas City’s last 6 games when playing Texas
Kansas City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Kansas City is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Texas is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Kansas City
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Texas’s last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Texas’s last 7 games when playing at home against Kansas City
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Texas’s last 6 games when playing Kansas City

Stats courtesy of Chalk

My baseball handicapping software predicts that Texas will win, and the game total will go UNDER ten (10) runs.

(Sports Network) - It was a week to remember for Rangers’ outfielder Josh Hamilton.

Baseball’s hottest slugger next takes his swings at the Royals and starter Bruce Chen as Texas and Kansas City open a two-game series in Arlington.

Hamilton hit .467 in seven games last week with nine homers and 18 runs batted in, a span that included a four-homer, eight-RBI game on Tuesday. The former MVP has hit in 13 straight games overall and leads the majors with a .402 average, 18 homers and 44 RBI.

Hamilton drove in another three runs in Sunday night’s 13-6 statement victory over the Angels, with Nelson Cruz adding a grand slam as part of a four-hit night. Cruz finished a triple shy of the cycle, while Adrian Beltre also drove in two runs.

“Every night someone steps up … or a lot of us (do), which is a good thing to be able to say as a team,” said Hamilton.

Neftali Feliz allowed two runs on four hits over six innings to earn the win, Texas’ fifth in seven games.

Hamilton is a career .221 hitter with three homers and 18 RBI in 24 games versus the Royals and has just one career at-bat against Chen, who is looking to build off his first victory of the season.

The 34-year-old lefty had lost four straight starts, giving up 12 runs in his previous two outings, before beating Boston on Wednesday. He pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits without a walk. Chen also struck out five in the 4-3 win.

“You could tell from the first inning on that he was on his game,” said Kansas City manager Ned Yost. “He was executing, his stuff was good, you could tell it was gonna be a good game.”

Chen is 1-4 with a 4.83 earned run average in seven starts, with the Royals going just 1-6 in his outings.

Chen is just 1-2 with a 10.58 ERA in eight career games against the Rangers, including four starts, and hasn’t beaten them since 2005 while with the Orioles.

Kansas City hopes Chen can find the win column again tonight, which would give the club its third straight win after taking the final two meetings over the weekend with the White Sox.

The Royals bounced back from Friday’s shutout loss with a 5-0 victory on Saturday, then won the following day by a 9-1 margin. Johnny Giavotella hit a go-ahead, two-run double in the seventh inning and Jeff Francoeur homered in Kansas City’s fourth win in five games.

Billy Butler, Eric Hosmer, Irving Falu and Alcides Escobar picked up an RBI each in a six-run ninth for the Royals, who got 5 2/3 innings of one-run relief from Luis Mendoza after starter Danny Duffy left after recording two outs due to elbow tightness.

“I just went out there and threw … I have to build that confidence,” said Mendoza. “My last three appearances were good and helped built it up.”

Third baseman Mike Moustakas did not play for a second straight game because of a sore left hamstring, but is expected to be in the lineup for this game against Rangers’ spot starter Scott Feldman.

Texas is giving the right-hander his second start of the season, and first since April 25, due to last Thursday’s doubleheader. Feldman faced the Yankees in his only other start this season, giving up two runs on six hits over 3 1/3 frames.

Feldman, 29, has posted a 4.35 ERA in six total appearances this year without a decision and is 2-1 with a 3.63 ERA in 11 meetings (4 starts) with the Royals.

The Rangers have won 13 of their past 17 versus the Royals, going 9-1 at home in that span.

(Sports Network) - 05/14 11:09:02 ET

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If familiarity breeds contempt, there should be animosity aplenty on Saturday when the New York Mets and the Miami Marlins meet at Marlins Park.

The Mets will pin their hopes on the pitching of righthander R.A. Dickey in this game. Dickey has a 4-1 record and a 3.76 ERA this season.

Dickey’s opponent in this one will be Ricky Nolasco. The Marlins righthander has a 2.72 ERA to go along with a 4-0 record this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Marlins listed as 145-moneyline favorites versus the Mets, while the game’s total is sitting at 7½.

In their last action, New York was a 6-5 loser on the road against the Marlins. Bettors on Miami at -137 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (11) sent OVER bettors home happy as well.

My baseball handicapping software predicts that Forida will win.

Current streak:
Miami has won 2 straight games.

Team records:
New York: 18-14 SU
Miami: 17-15 SU

New York most recently:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
Before playing Miami are 7-3
After playing Miami are 7-3
After a loss are 4-6

Miami most recently:
When playing on Saturday are 4-6
Before playing NY Mets are 4-6
After playing NY Mets are 2-8
After a win are 7-3

A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Mets’s last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 10 of NY Mets’s last 11 games when playing on the road against Miami
NY Mets are 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
NY Mets are 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Miami
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Miami’s last 11 games when playing at home against NY Mets
Miami is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Miami’s last 5 games when playing NY Mets
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Miami’s last 19 games

Stats courtesy of Chalk

(Sports Network) - Two teams with 20 wins apiece get together again tonight in the Gateway City, as the St. Louis Cardinals entertain the Atlanta Braves in the second installment of a three-game series from Busch Stadium.

The NL Central-leading Cardinals suffered a 9-7 loss in 12 innings last night when Jason Heyward cracked a two-run homer in the top of the inning and Braves closer Craig Kimbrel closed the door in the bottom half. Kyle McClellan served up the home run to Heyward and was saddled with the loss, while starter Jaime Garcia fared no better, allowing five runs — four earned — and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Carlos Beltran continued to tear it up with four hits, including two homers and a triple, and drove in four runs. Allen Craig and Matt Carpenter both went deep for St. Louis, which had won four in a row and still sits 3 1/2 games in front of Cincinnati for the NL Central lead. Beltran extended his hitting streak to six games. He has five homers and 13 RBI in that time.

“It was certainly a tough one but the guys fought hard to get us back in that game. We had some opportunities to finish it off but we just couldn’t make it happen,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.

Former Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who won two World Series titles with the club, had his No. 10 jersey retired in a pre-game ceremony. It was the 12th number to be retired by the Cardinals organization.

St. Louis will resume its five-game homestand tonight and is 8-5 at Busch Stadium this season. The Chicago Cubs are scheduled to visit the Cardinals for two games early next week.

Adam Wainwright seems to have righted himself and will take the mound for St. Louis tonight in hopes of nailing down his third straight win. Wainwright was 0-3 with a 7.32 ERA in his first four starts before recording consecutive victories over Pittsburgh and Houston.

Wainwright recently held the Astros to a run on seven hits and a walk over seven innings of work and fanned a season high-tying seven batters. He improved to 2-3 in six starts on the season and lowered his ERA to 5.61. He is 1-2 in three home starts this season and has yet to lose in his career against the Braves, going 6-0 with a 2.25 ERA in six starts.

The righty has pitched at least six innings in each of his last three starts.

Atlanta improved to 5-2 on its nine-game road trip with Friday’s heroics and is one-half game behind Washington for the NL East lead.

Heyward had the big blast in the 12th inning and Dan Uggla also homered for the Braves, who got three hits and a run scored from Michael Bourn. Mike Minor started for Atlanta and was banged around for six runs on eight hits over 4 2/3 innings. Veteran Livan Hernandez earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief and Kimbrel registered his 11th save with two K’s in the 12th.

“We did a great job as a team picking everybody up. This was a total team win tonight and those are fun,” said Uggla.

Taking the ball for the Braves tonight will be Brandon Beachy, who is 3-0 in his last five starts and will make his seven appearance of the season. Beachy has allowed two runs in each of his previous three starts and no more than two in any outing this season.

Beachy lasted 6 1/3 innings and allowed a pair of runs in Sunday’s 7-2 win at Colorado, as he scattered four hits, struck out five and tied a season high with three walks. The right-hander is 3-1 with one of the top ERA’s in the game at 1.62. He did not record a decision in his only start against St. Louis back on April 30 last season in a 3-2 loss. He held the Cardinals to two runs in seven innings that day and fanned five batters.

Atlanta and St. Louis are meeting for the first time since the Cardinals took five of six encounters a year ago. St. Louis is 11-4 in the past 15 matchups between the two ballclubs. The Braves snapped a seven-game slide at Busch Stadium with last night’s win.

(Sports Network) - 05/12 11:11:59 ET

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The Toronto Blue Jays and the Minnesota Twins will both be gunning for a victory on Thursday when they meet at Target Field.

The Blue Jays will pin their hopes on the pitching of righthander Henderson Alvarez in this game. Alvarez has a 2-2 record and a 2.83 ERA this season.

Alvarez’s opponent in this one will be Jason Marquis. The Twins righthander has a 5.40 ERA to go along with a 2-1 record this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Blue Jays listed as 150-moneyline favorites versus the Twins, while the game’s total is sitting at 8½.

Toronto won its last outing, a 5-2 result against the Athletics on May 9. Bettors who backed the Blue Jays at -158 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (7) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window.

Last time out for Minnesota, they were a 6-2 loser as they battled the Angels at home. Moneyline bettors who got the Angels at -148 were rewarded, while the 8 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.

My baseball software predicts that Toronto will win.

Team records:
Toronto: 17-14 SU
Minnesota: 8-22 SU

Toronto most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
Before playing Minnesota are 9-1
After playing Oakland are 4-6
After a win are 7-3

Minnesota most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 3-7
Before playing Toronto are 2-8
After playing LA Angels are 4-6
After a loss are 3-7

A few trends to consider:
Toronto is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Toronto is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Toronto’s last 10 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Toronto’s last 9 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Minnesota’s last 9 games when playing at home against Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota’s last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Minnesota’s last 15 games when playing Toronto
Minnesota is 3-13 SU in its last 16 games

Stats courtesy of Chalk

(Sports Network) - Despite being just 22 years old and only owning a handful of major league starts, Henderson Alvarez pitched like a seasoned veteran last time out for the Blue Jays.

The youngster will hope to build off his first major league shutout this evening and pitch Toronto to a fifth straight victory in Minnesota in the opener of four-game series versus the Twins.

Alvarez went winless in his first four starts of the season (0-2), but has since won consecutive starts for the first time in his young career and tossed a six-hit shutout at the Angels last Friday. The right-hander needed only 97 pitches to complete the gem, walking one and fanning three.

Alvarez credited his sinkerball following his 11th quality start in 16 career outings, including five in six this season.

“My sinker was working with me tonight. The defense did a great job and we’re always in the right position,” Alvarez said. “This is the best game I have ever pitched.”

Alvarez faces the Twins for the first time and goes up against a true veteran in 33-year-old Jason Marquis, who picked up his first loss of the season last time out.

Marquis went 2-0 over his first three starts of 2012 despite a 6.23 earned run average, but lost at Seattle on Saturday even though he gave up a season-low two runs. The right-hander had to limit damage after giving up four hits and six walks, but dropped a 7-0 decision to Felix Hernandez and the Mariners.

Marquis is 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA in four career meetings with Toronto, including a pair of starts.

The Blue Jays continue their 10-game road trip in a city where they have had a lot of recent success. Toronto recorded a three-game sweep in its lone trip to Minnesota last season and has won 12 of the past 14 as the visitor in this series.

Toronto has split the first six contests of its swing after wrapping up a quick two-game series against Oakland on Wednesday with a 5-2 win. Brandon Morrow struck out 10 over six innings of one-run ball, while Casey Janssen worked a perfect ninth to nail down his first save of the season after taking over the closer role from the struggling Francisco Cordero.

“I tried to treat it like any other inning,” Janssen told Toronto’s official website. “My heart was going, but that’s a good thing, and that’s pretty normal. I know we had a little bit of a cushion there and I just wanted to attack the zone … If they were going to get on base it was going to be because of a hit.”

Adam Lind, Edwin Encarnacion and J.P. Arencibia all hit significant homers to help the Blue Jays snap a three-game slide. Lind’s two-run shot came after he was dropped to eighth in the batting order, while Encarnacion snapped an 0- for-21 skid with his solo homer.

Arencibia’s solo blast is part of a 16-game surge in which he is hitting .346 with a pair of homers and 11 RBI.

The Twins come into this series in a 2-7 funk and are an MLB-worst 8-22 on the season. They dropped the rubber match of a three-game series on Wednesday with the Angels by a 6-2 margin.

Carl Pavano lasted just four-plus innings for the Twins, getting touched for five runs — four earned — on 10 hits in his shortest outing of the season.

“I wasn’t able to [execute] consistently and they got to me,” Pavano said.

Minnesota scored in the fifth on Danny Valencia’s RBI groundout and again in the sixth on Josh Willingham’s solo homer.

Valencia was optioned to Triple-A Rochester following the game and lefty Matt Maloney was designated for assignment. The trio of Alexi Casilla, Jamey Carroll and Trevor Plouffe will split duties at third in place of Valencia.

P.J. Walters, meanwhile, will have his contract purchased and start on Saturday, with Francisco Liriano shifting to the bullpen.

(Sports Network) - 05/10 10:36:32 ET

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If familiarity breeds contempt, there should be animosity aplenty on Wednesday when the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers meet at Dodger Stadium.

The Giants will pin their hopes on the pitching of righthander Tim Lincecum in this game. Lincecum has a 2-2 record and a 5.69 ERA this season.

Lincecum’s opponent in this one will be Chad Billingsley. The Dodgers righthander has a 3.19 ERA to go along with a 2-2 record this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Dodgers listed as 135-moneyline favorites versus the Giants, while the game’s total is sitting at 6½.

In their last action, San Francisco was a 2-1 winner on the road against the Dodgers. Bettors on San Francisco at +183 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (3) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well.

My baseball software predicts that the LA Dodgers will win.

Team records:
San Francisco: 15-15 SU
Los Angeles: 19-11 SU

San Francisco most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 6-4
Before playing Arizona are 2-8
After playing LA Dodgers are 5-5
After a win are 5-5

Los Angeles most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 6-4
Before playing Colorado are 8-2
After playing San Francisco are 4-6
After a loss are 7-3

A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco’s last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco’s last 6 games when playing LA Dodgers
The total has gone OVER in 6 of San Francisco’s last 9 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
San Francisco is 3-6 SU in their last 9 games when playing LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Dodgers’s last 7 games at home
LA Dodgers are 6-3 SU in their last 9 games when playing San Francisco
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Dodgers’s last 6 games when playing San Francisco

Stats courtesy of Chalk

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The San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers will both be trying to pick up a win on Tuesday when they battle at Dodger Stadium.

The Giants will give the ball to starter Ryan Vogelsong in this one. Righthander Vogelsong is 0-2 this season with a 3.42 ERA.

The Dodgers will counter Vogelsong with Clayton Kershaw. Lefthander Kershaw has a 2.63 ERA to go along with a 2-0 record this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Dodgers listed as 180-moneyline favorites versus the Giants, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.

In their last action, San Francisco was a 9-1 loser on the road against the Dodgers. Bettors on Los Angeles at -156 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (10) sent OVER bettors home happy as well.

My baseball handicapping software predicts that LA will win, and the game total will go over 6 runs.

Team records:
San Francisco: 14-15 SU
Los Angeles: 19-10 SU

San Francisco most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 4-6
Before playing LA Dodgers are 6-4
After playing LA Dodgers are 5-5
After a loss are 5-5

Los Angeles most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 6-4
Before playing San Francisco are 5-5
After playing San Francisco are 5-5
After a win are 4-6

A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco’s last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco’s last 5 games when playing LA Dodgers
The total has gone OVER in 6 of San Francisco’s last 8 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
San Francisco is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games on the road
LA Dodgers are 12-2 SU in their last 14 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Dodgers’s last 5 games when playing San Francisco
LA Dodgers are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games when playing San Francisco
The total has gone OVER in 6 of LA Dodgers’s last 8 games when playing at home against San Francisco

Stats courtesy of Chalk

(Sports Network) - Clayton Kershaw did something last time out that he has never done before, but even when he struggles he finds a way to stay out of the loss column.

Kershaw will try to extend his 15-start unbeaten streak and career-long domination of the Giants this evening when the Los Angeles Dodgers continue a three-game series with rival San Francisco.

The 2011 National League Cy Young Award winner, Kershaw gave up three home runs in a single game for the first time in his career last Wednesday at Colorado. In all, the left-hander was touched for a season-high five runs on seven hits over 7 1/3 innings, but escaped with a no-decision in his team’s 8-5 loss.

“The team kept battling back, I kept giving up leads,” Kershaw told the Dodgers’ website. “That makes it hurt a little bit worse, for sure.”

The 24-year-old was coming off back-to-back winning starts, but is still unbeaten since Aug. 7, going 10-0 over that 15-start span.

It seems likely that Kershaw will extend his personal winning streak given his history with the Giants. He went 5-0 with a 1.07 earned run average in six starts against them last year, with San Francisco hitting just .191 off him.

In his career, Kershaw is 6-1 with a 1.25 ERA when facing the Giants.

Kershaw will also try to improve the Dodgers’ 11-2 record at home this season after the club opened up this three-game series with a 9-1 victory. It was Los Angeles’ first home game under its new ownership, a group that includes legendary Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.

Andre Ethier and Juan Rivera both drove in two runs, while Matt Kemp went 3- for-3 with a run scored to up his major-league leading average to .406.

Kemp noticed the inspired fanbase as the Dodgers bounced back after losing three of four.

“Forty-plus thousand people on a Monday game … it’s good to see that back in here in LA,” said Kemp.

Ted Lilly gave up just one run on four hits and two walks while striking out six in six innings to earn the win, helping the Dodgers open up a five-game lead over the Giants for first place in the NL West.

Joaquin Arias went 3-for-4 and knocked in the only run for the Giants, who have lost five of their last seven. Angel Pagan went 0-for-5 to halt his 20- game hitting streak.

Barry Zito yielded three runs on eight hits and four walks over six innings while fanning three in defeat.

Though the Giants activated Aubrey Huff from the 15-day disabled list, he had been out after getting diagnosed with anxiety disorder, their bullpen took another hit when Guillermo Mota was hit with a 100-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. He has previously received a 50-game ban on Nov. 1, 2006.

San Francisco is already without closer Brian Wilson for the season due to right elbow surgery.

The Giants will look for some innings tonight out of Ryan Vogelsong, who is 0-2 with a 3.42 earned run average through four starts but has gone at least six innings in each outing.

The 34-year-old righty and 2011 All-Star turned in a solid outing on Thursday versus the Marlins, allowing two runs — one earned — despite eight hits and four walks over seven frames. However, he lost a 3-2 decision.

“We just made some mistakes,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. “Vogelsong pitched a pretty good game, but we hurt ourselves with little things. When you play a close game, these things come back to get you and that’s what happened today.”

Vogelsong faced the Dodgers three times last season, going 2-1 with a 3.20 ERA.

The Giants and Dodgers split 18 meetings last season.

(Sports Network) - 05/08 10:52:53 ET

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The division rival Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers are set to renew hostilities on Monday when they meet at Miller Park.

Righthander Bronson Arroyo will take the mound for the Reds to start this game. Arroyo is 1-1 this season with a 3.03 ERA.

Starting this game for the Brewers will be Yovani Gallardo. The righthander has a 5.79 ERA to go along with a 1-3 record this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Brewers listed as 130-moneyline favorites versus the Reds, while the game’s total is sitting at 8.

In their last action, Cincinnati was a 5-0 winner on the road against the Pirates. Bettors on Cincinnati at -136 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (5) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well.

Milwaukee lost its last outing, a 4-3 result against the Giants on May 6. Bettors who backed the Giants at -138 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (7) sent OVER bettors to the payout window.

My baseball software predicts that Cincinnati will win as the underdog.

Current streak:
Milwaukee has lost 2 straight games.

Team records:
Cincinnati: 14-13 SU
Milwaukee: 12-16 SU

Cincinnati most recently:
When playing on Monday are 4-6
Before playing Milwaukee are 4-6
After playing Pittsburgh are 6-4
After a win are 5-5

Milwaukee most recently:
When playing on Monday are 8-2
Before playing Cincinnati are 7-3
After playing San Francisco are 3-7
After a loss are 5-5

A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati’s last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cincinnati’s last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cincinnati’s last 5 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
Cincinnati is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Milwaukee is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Cincinnati
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee’s last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee’s last 5 games when playing at home against Cincinnati
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Milwaukee’s last 12 games

Stats courtesy of Chalk

(Sports Network) - Right-hander Yovani Gallardo tries to snap a four-start drought tonight when the skidding Milwaukee Brewers host the streaking Cincinnati Reds in the first of three games between National League Central Division rivals at Miller Park.

A 17-game winner last season for the division-champion Brewers, Gallardo split his initial two decisions of 2012, but has not won since scoring a 2-1 victory over the Cubs in Chicago on April 11. He’s pitched 22 innings, allowed 28 hits and 14 runs since while going 0-2 with a pair of no-decisions.

Milwaukee has been outscored in the four appearances, 26-7, and is 2-4 overall in the six games in which Gallardo has pitched.

The 26-year-old is 3-3 in 11 career starts against Cincinnati.

The Reds reply with 35-year-old Bronson Arroyo, who’s regained his workhorse status this season after a season-long slump in 2011.

The Key West native won a career-best 17 games in 2010 before falling to only nine wins in 32 starts last year.

He opened this spring with a four-start unbeaten streak and fell for the first time in his most recent outing, allowing three runs on nine hits in six innings of a 3-1 loss to the Cubs.

In 32 2/3 innings, he’s surrendered 11 earned runs on 36 hits.

Arroyo is 11-8 in 24 career meetings with the Brewers.

On Sunday in Pittsburgh, Drew Stubbs belted a two-run homer, Mat Latos overcame a sluggish start to pitch six strong innings and the Reds blanked the Pirates, 5-0, in the rubber match of a three-game series at PNC Park.

Stubbs finished 3-for-4 and scored three runs for the Reds, who have won five of seven.

Latos (2-2) limited the Pirates to two singles and struck out a career-high 11 batters. Three relievers combined to complete the three-hit shutout.

In San Francisco, Hector Sanchez knocked in the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning and the Giants edged the Brewers, 4-3, in the finale of a three-game set at AT&T Park.

Facing Tim Dillard (0-1), Buster Posey started the frame with a single up the middle before Angel Pagan dropped down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move pinch- runner Emmanuel Burriss to second.

Brandon Belt was intentionally walked and Ryan Theriot also walked to load the bases. Sanchez got ahead in the count 3-0 before slicing a 3-2 sinker into left to plate Burriss.

Aramis Ramirez drove home two runs and Travis Ishikawa added an RBI double for the Brewers, who have lost four of five.

The Reds and Brewers split 16 meetings a season ago, with Milwaukee winning the final four encounters.

(Sports Network) - 05/07 10:55:25 ET

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The Milwaukee Brewers and the San Francisco Giants will both be gunning for a victory on Saturday when they meet at AT&T Park.

The Brewers will pin their hopes on the pitching of lefthander Randy Wolf in this game. Wolf has a 2-2 record and a 6.84 ERA this season.

Wolf’s opponent in this one will be Madison Bumgarner. The Giants lefthander has a 2.53 ERA to go along with a 4-1 record this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Giants listed as 150-moneyline favorites versus the Brewers, while the game’s total is sitting at 7.

Last time out for Milwaukee, they were a 6-4 winner as they battled the Giants on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Brewers at +100 were rewarded, while the 10 combined runs moved the game OVER for totals bettors.

My baseball handicapping software predicts that the SF Giants will win.

Current streak:
San Francisco has lost 4 straight games.

Team records:
Milwaukee: 12-14 SU
San Francisco: 12-14 SU

Milwaukee most recently:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing San Francisco are 6-4
After playing San Francisco are 5-5
After a win are 5-5

San Francisco most recently:
When playing on Saturday are 4-6
Before playing Milwaukee are 3-7
After playing Milwaukee are 5-5
After a loss are 5-5

A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee’s last 6 games when playing San Francisco
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee’s last 7 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Milwaukee’s last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Milwaukee’s last 15 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Francisco’s last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Francisco’s last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Francisco’s last 6 games when playing Milwaukee
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Francisco’s last 7 games when playing at home against Milwaukee

Stats courtesy of Chalk

(Sports Network) - Madison Bumgarner eyes his fifth straight win this afternoon when the San Francisco Giants continue a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at AT&T Park.

After getting hit hard in a loss to Arizona to start his season, Bumgarner has reeled off four straight wins, surrendering two runs just once in that span, while allowing one in the other three.

Bumgarner was again brilliant against San Diego on Sunday, as he gave up a run and six hit sin 7 2/3 innings to run his record to 4-1 to go along with a 2.53 ERA.

“He’s a hard worker, a tireless worker,” catcher Buster Posey said. “He’s constantly looking for ways to get better. I think that’s what’s so exciting about him.”

He’s faced the Brewers three times and is 2-1 with a 1.27 ERA in those contests.

Milwaukee will counter with veteran left-hander Randy Wolf, who is 2-2 with a 6.84 ERA. Wolf won his second straight start on Monday in San Diego, as he allowed three runs and nine hits in five innings. He also walked three and has issued 12 free passes in 26 1/3 innings this season.

Wolf is 9-6 lifetime against the Giants with a 2.85 ERA in 20 starts.

The Brewers drew first blood in this series on Friday, as Aramis Ramirez ripped a go-ahead two-run single in the top of the seventh inning to help lift Milwaukee to a 6-4 win.

Jonathan Lucroy clubbed a two-run single and Travis Ishikawa added an RBI on a sacrifice bunt for the Brewers, who snapped a brief two-game skid.

“He had a pretty good arm out there he had to face and he put a good swing on it and hit the ball hard somewhere,” Lucroy said about Ramirez.

Kameron Loe (2-0) got the final two outs in the sixth inning in relief of starter Zack Greinke to earn the win, and John Axford tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to nail down his sixth save of the season.

Melky Cabrera ripped an RBI triple, while Posey and Joaquin Arias added RBIs for the Giants, who have dropped four in a row.

Clay Hensley (1-3) was saddled with the loss after giving up Ramirez’s hit in the seventh. Giants starter Tim Lincecum gave up three runs in the first inning, but settled down after that, pitching four scoreless innings.

“I’m happy with the way I was able to come out of it. But giving up three at the beginning of the game in the first inning, that’s not the way to put your team in a position to win,” said Lincecum.

On the injury front, Milwaukee may once again be without reigning NL MVP Ryan Braun, who missed Friday’s contest with a sore Achilles.

“It’s still just tight in the Achilles, and we’ll try to give it another day,” manager Ron Roenicke said.

Milwaukee split its six meetings with the Giants last season, but has lost three of its last five in San Francisco.

(Sports Network) - 05/05 11:08:35 ET

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My baseball software predicts that Washington will beat Philadelphia.

A winning streak will be on the line for the Washington Nationals on Friday when they battle the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park.

The Phillies will give the ball to starter Kyle Kendrick in this one. Righthander Kendrick is 0-2 this season with a 9.00 ERA.

The Nationals will counter Kendrick with Stephen Strasburg. Righthander Strasburg has a 1.13 ERA to go along with a 2-0 record this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Nationals listed as 205-moneyline favorites versus the Phillies, while the game’s total is sitting at 6½.

Philadelphia won its last outing, a 4-0 result against the Braves on May 3. Bettors who backed the Phillies at +113 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (4) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window.

The Nationals were a 2-1 winner in their most recent outing at home against the Diamondbacks. That made winners of bettors who got Washington at +100 on the moneyline, while the total score (3) was good news for UNDER bettors.

Current streak:
Washington has won 2 straight games.

Team records:
Philadelphia: 13-13 SU
Washington: 16-9 SU

Philadelphia most recently:
When playing on Friday are 7-3
Before playing Washington are 3-7
After playing Atlanta are 9-1
After a win are 4-6

Washington most recently:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Philadelphia are 8-2
After playing Arizona are 3-7
After a win are 7-3

A few trends to consider:
Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Philadelphia’s last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 18 of Philadelphia’s last 25 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia’s last 7 games
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington’s last 5 games at home
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

Stats courtesy of Chalk

(Sports Network) - Washington Nationals young phenom Stephen Strasburg will make his sixth start of the season tonight when his ballclub opens a key three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies in D.C.

Strasburg hasn’t recorded a decision in each of his last two starts and last pitched in Saturday’s 4-3 loss at Los Angeles in which he surrendered just a run and five hits over seven innings. He struck out nine batters and has fanned at least five in each of his five outings this season.

The hard-throwing right-hander is 2-0 with a stingy 1.12 ERA this season and faced the Phillies during his rookie season. In an 8-1 win in south Philly back on Aug. 21, 2010, Strasburg did not factor in the outcome with 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball and posted six strikeouts.

Washington just took two of three meetings with Arizona following a season- high five-game losing streak and squeezed out a 21- win on Thursday. Nationals young talent Bryce Harper delivered the go-ahead run with an RBI double in the sixth inning to lead the way.

“I just try to get a pitch I can drive every at-bat,” said Harper. “Try to stay as calm as I can no matter what the count is and hope for a pitch up in the zone that I can drive.”

Nats starter Ross Detwiler allowed a run on three hits and three walks over 6 1/3 innings for the win. Tyler Clippard had a 1-2-3 eighth frame, while Henry Rodriguez registered his sixth save of the year after retiring the side in order in the ninth.

Washington leads the National League East with a strong 16-9 record and is 10-3 in the nation’s capital this season.

Philadelphia won two of three games in Atlanta and received a brilliant outing from starter Joe Blanton in Thursday’s 4-0 win at Turner Field. Blanton went the distance and tossed a three-hit shutout with six strikeouts and no walks for the Phils, who were coming off a long night on Wednesday in a 15-13 loss in 11 innings.

“Honestly, I just tried to use last night’s game to my advantage a little bit,” Blanton said. “Hopefully maybe they’re coming out a touch lethargic. I don’t know if that was the case or not. I had some great plays behind me.”

Shane Victorino and Laynce Nix both homered, as the Phillies won for the sixth time in nine tries.

Still searching for his first win of the season, Phillies right-hander Kyle Kendrick gets the nod Friday. Pitching in place of injured lefty Cliff Lee, Kendrick is 0-2 with a 6.59 earned run average in six games (2 starts) this season and has dropped back-to-back trips to the mound. In a 5-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, Kendrick allowed three runs, two of which were earned, in six innings with a career high-tying seven K’s.

Kendrick, who was roughed up for seven runs and 11 hits in three innings of a 9-5 loss at Arizona on April 23, is 0-1 in four games — one start — as the guest this season. Kendrick has made 13 career appearances (12 starts) against the Nationals, going 2-3 with a 5.46 ERA.

Washington went 10-8 against the Phillies last season.

(Sports Network) - 05/04 11:04:21 ET

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