Preview: White Sox at Mariners
Gracenote
Jul 22, 2018
The race for the second wild-card spot in the American League is taking shape between the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics, two teams looking to end lengthy postseason droughts. Oakland is quickly closing in on the slumping Mariners, who host the Chicago White Sox on Sunday for the rubber match of their three-game series.
Dylan Covey allowed two hits in 8 1/3 innings and Avisail Garcia blasted a three-run homer in a 5-0 victory on Saturday as the White Sox won for the fourth time in five games. Garcia, who returned after missing six games with a strained right hamstring, has belted nine home runs over his last 14 overall contests and recorded a total of 10 RBIs in 10 career games at Safeco Field. Seattle has lost nine of its last 13 and had its lead over Oakland for the second wild card reduced to three games. Dee Gordon went 4-for-4 in the series opener and notched one of the team’s two hits on Saturday, but Kyle Seager has registered just one hit in 14 at-bats over his last four contests.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), ROOT Northwest (Seattle)
PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox RH Reynaldo Lopez (4-7, 3.91 ERA) vs. Mariners LH Marco Gonzales (10-5, 3.41)
Lopez took the loss against Kansas City on July 14 after giving up five runs and nine hits over 7 2/3 innings. The 24-year-old Dominican has issued 47 walks in 112 2/3 frames, including 13 in his last five outings. “Right now, I’m good with where he’s at,” Chicago pitching coach Don Cooper told reporters. “I think he’s doing fine. But we’ve got about 12 or 13 more starts this season to continue the learning curve.”
Gonzales won his third straight start on July 11, allowing two hits without issuing a walk over seven innings in a 3-0 road victory against the Los Angeles Angels. The 26-year-old has worked six-plus frames in 13 of his last 15 starts, going 9-3 with a 2.70 ERA, 79 strikeouts and 19 walks over that stretch. Gonzales tossed six scoreless innings and registered eight strikeouts in a 1-0 road victory over the White Sox on April 24.
WALK-OFFS
1. Mariners LHP James Paxton (back) is expected to be activated from the disabled list in time to start Tuesday’s game against San Francisco.
2. White Sox C Omar Narvaez has gone 12-for-23 during his seven-game hitting streak.
3. Seattle optioned OF John Andreoli to Triple-A Tacoma to make room on the roster for RHP Felix Hernandez (back), who was activated from the 10-day disabled list and allowed four runs over five innings en route to the loss on Saturday.
PREDICTION: Mariners 7, White Sox 4
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Preview: Rockies at Diamondbacks
Gracenote
Jul 22, 2018
Once considered possible sellers at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, the Colorado Rockies quickly have turned into serious buyers. The surging Rockies look to complete a sweep of their three-game series against the host Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday after winning each of the first two contests by one run.
Colorado extended its winning streak to seven games and moved past Arizona for second place in the National League West with Saturday’s 6-5 victory. Tom Murphy delivered a pinch-hit solo homer in the eighth inning and Ian Desmond extended his hitting streak to eight games as the Rockies pulled within one game of the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers. Colorado rookie Garrett Hampson was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque before the game and started at second base in place of DJ LeMahieu, who will miss the next several weeks with a left oblique strain. Arizona fell to 6-10 this month and dropped one half-game behind Colorado despite a strong performance by Steven Souza Jr., who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Colorado), FS Arizona
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Antonio Senzatela (3-2, 5.34 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks RH Zack Greinke (10-5, 3.18)
Senzatela was placed on the disabled list with a blister on his right middle finger on July 13 but was cleared to return following a successful bullpen session on Thursday. The 23-year-old Venezuelan has posted a 7.20 ERA in seven games (one start) on the road this season compared to a 3.52 mark in five appearances (one start) at home. Senzatela owns a 9.00 ERA in five career games (one start) against Arizona, including a 3.00 mark in four relief appearances at Chase Field.
Greinke entered the All-Star break pitching as well as anyone in the majors, going 4-0 with a 1.14 ERA in his last five starts. The 34-year-old Floridian earned his fifth All-Star invitation after posting a stellar 124-to-23 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 121 2/3 innings. Trevor Story is 9-for-29 with five homers against Greinke, who is 10-5 with a 3.88 ERA in 27 career games (26 starts) versus Colorado - including a 2-0 record and 2.84 ERA in his last four meetings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Colorado has won six consecutive series for the first time since 2014.
2. Arizona 2B Ketel Marte is batting .372 with four homers and 18 RBIs over his last 24 home games.
3. The Rockies designated INF Daniel Castro for assignment to make room for Hampson.
PREDICTION: Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 2
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Preview: Padres at Phillies (Game 2)
Gracenote
Jul 21, 2018
The Philadelphia Phillies finished the first half of the season as the National League's best home team, and that success at Citizens Bank Park has played a critical role in allowing them to position themselves atop their division. Following Saturday's rainout, the Phillies look to keep it rolling at home on Sunday when they wrap up their three-game set with the split doubleheader against the San Diego Padres.
Philadelphia won for the seventh time in eight contests at Citizens Bank Park and improved to 31-16 at the venue following Friday's 11-5 triumph over the Padres, rallying from a four-run first-inning deficit to maintain its one-half game edge over Atlanta in the NL East. Carlos Santana did the bulk of the damage with a three-run homer during the Phillies' six-run second inning as the first four hitters in the lineup accounted for five runs and nine RBIs. San Diego fell to 1-7 during its 10-game run against each of the division leaders in the NL, dropping three of four to the Los Angeles Dodgers before getting swept by the Chicago Cubs leading into the All-Star break. Freddy Galvis tallied three hits in his first game against the team that traded him in the offseason, including a pair of run-scoring singles.
TV: 6:05 p.m. ET, FS San Diego, NBCS Philadelphia
PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Luis Perdomo (1-4, 7.55 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Vince Velasquez (5-8, 4.39)
Perdomo fell to 0-4 with an 11.29 ERA in four home starts following last Saturday's loss to the Cubs, surrendering five runs on seven hits - including a pair of homers - over 4 1/3 innings. The 25-year-old has been mostly on point in three road turns, however, going 1-0 with a 2.13 ERA while not yielding a home run in 12 2/3 frames. Perdomo is allowing opponents to bat .351 against him overall as he enters his first career start versus Philadelphia.
Since giving up 10 runs on nine hits across 3 2/3 innings in a loss to Milwaukee on June 8, Velasquez has permitted a total of nine runs and 13 hits over his last five starts combined. The 2010 second-round pick turned in his best outing over that stretch in a no-decision versus the New York Mets on July 11, giving up only two hits in six scoreless frames. Velasquez has faced San Diego only once, yielding three hits while striking out a career-high 16 to record his only career shutout in 2016.
WALK-OFFS
1. Phillies OF Odubel Herrera went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the opener and is batting .354 with 11 RBIs in 18 career games versus San Diego.
2. Padres CF Manuel Margot left in the eighth Friday after suffering an apparent left wrist injury. His status for Sunday is unknown.
3. Philadelphia is 62-31 against San Diego since 2004 - the club's best winning percentage (.667) versus any opponent over that span.
PREDICTION: Padres 3, Phillies 2
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Preview: Mets at Yankees
Gracenote
Jul 21, 2018
The New York Yankees have accumulated 26 hits through their first two games of the second half, but they have just one win to show for it and now must face New York Mets' ace Jacob deGrom in the series finale at Yankee Stadium on Sunday night. The Yankees stranded 14 runners in a series-opening loss but got enough big hits in Saturday's 7-6 win, surviving a meltdown by closer Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning.
Didi Gregorius' RBI triple opened the scoring in a four-run fourth and Aaron Judge added his 26th home run in the seventh for the Bronx Bombers, who are aiming to extend their series unbeaten streak against the Mets to nine straight (6-0-2). Yoenis Cespedes was given Saturday off for the Mets after homering in his return from the disabled list Friday night. Michael Conforto tried to carry the load with a solo shot along with two runs scored, and the 25-year-old outfielder has seven RBIs with six runs scored over his last five games. DeGrom is 1-4 with a 3.67 ERA in his career against the Yankees and has given up 11 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings at Yankee Stadium.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, ESPN
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Jacob deGrom (5-4, 1.68 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Masahiro Tanaka (7-2, 4.54)
DeGrom leads the majors in ERA by a comfortable margin and is coming off another scoreless outing. The 30-year-old did not get a decision despite holding Philadelphia to five hits and one walk while fanning seven in eight frames of a 3-0 win July 11 - the fourth time in his last seven appearances that he's thrown eight innings. One of those eight-inning starts came against the Yankees on June 8, when deGrom allowed three runs (two earned) in a 4-1 loss.
Tanaka was knocked out after 4 1/3 innings in his return from the disabled list July 10 at Baltimore, but recovered in solid effort at Cleveland five days later. He held the Indians to two runs over 6 1/3 innings and received a no-decision, extending his unbeaten streak to 11 straight starts. The one-time All-Star left his start at the Mets last month with hamstring injuries after five strong innings and has a 3.08 ERA in four career matchups.
WALK-OFFS
1. Judge is 6-for-9 with two runs scored and no strikeouts in the series.
2. The Mets dealt RHP Jeurys Familia to Oakland Saturday for minor leaguers RHP Bobby Wahl and 3B William Toffey, along with international pool money.
3. The Yankees recalled IF/OF Brandon Drury from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and he went 1-for-4 on Saturday.
PREDICTION: Yankees 3, Mets 2
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