|
MLB - (associated press) C.C. Sabathia made a strong return after injuring himself on opening night and Travis Hafner drove in four runs to lead the Cleveland Indians over the Chicago White Sox 7-1 on a rainy Tuesday.
Activated from the disabled list before the game, Sabathia helped stop Chicago's winning streak at four. The White Sox had won eight in a row at Jacobs Field. Sabathia (1-0) allowed one run in five innings and got out of a bases-loaded jam in his first appearance since leaving the April 2 opener against Chicago with a strained oblique muscle.
MLB- (associated press) Russ Swan, a left-handed pitcher who spent parts of six seasons with three major league teams, has died following a fall in which he hit his head, a family member said. He was 42.
Swan, who played for the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians, died Wednesday at University Medical Center in Las Vegas, said his sister, Michelle Swan. Russ Swan was taken to the hospital April 17 after being found unconscious at the bottom of a stairwell in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. He had been doing better, Michelle told the Tri-City Herald. She said tests showed on April 23 showed his condition was improving, but that he died Wednesday from what doctors believed was a blood clot.
Swan signed with the Giants after being drafted in 1986. He made his major league debut with San Francisco in August 1989 and was traded to the Mariners the following spring. His best season was with Seattle in 1991, when he was 6-2 in 63 appearances with a 3.43 ERA.
Swan's playing career ended in 1994 when he was released by the Indians after compiling a career 14-22 record in 168 appearances. He later became a pitching coach at Washington State University and in the Colorado Rockies organization.
Survivors include wife Mellissa, daughter Erin and son Kelly.
MLB- (associated press) Jermaine Dye (RF) and Dustin Hermanson (RP) (Chicago White Sox) - Jermaine Dye suffered a calf injury on April 30 and is listed as day-to-day. Dustin Hermanson is out of action with back pain and is expected back sometime this month. The White Sox play Cleveland today as -105 favorites. AP News Jason Michaels (LF) and C.C. Sabathia (SP) (Cleveland Indians) - Jason Michaels was a late scratch for the Indians April 30 against Texas and is day-to-day with the flu. Starter C.C. Sabathia is expected to start today after rehabbing a strained right oblique muscle at Triple-A Buffalo. The Tribe are +115 dogs for today`s game against the White Sox. AP News Milton Bradley (RF) and Huston Street (RP) (Oakland Athletics) - Bradley jammed his right knee when he slid back to first base on a pickoff attempt on April 26 against Texas. He is day-to-day. Closer Huston Street has been cleared to play after experiencing a slight muscle strain in his chest. Oakland plays the Angels as +146 underdogs. Tonight`s total is set at 8 1/2. AP News Javy Lopez (C) (Baltimore Orioles) - Experiencing back spasms, Javy Lopez is listed as day-to-day. The Orioles host Toronto as -129 favorites. AP News Gary Sheffield (RF) (New York Yankees) - Gary Sheffield did not play Monday due to an injured left wrist, but Joe Torre seems hopeful that the outfielder will avoid the disabled list. He is not expected in the lineup tonight when the Yankees play Boston as +113 underdogs.
The New York Daily News National League injuries Scott Rolen (3B) (St. Louis Cardinals) - Scott Rolen is feeling under the weather and will need several days to regain his strength. He shouldn`t start today against the Cincinnati Reds. St. Louis are -132 favorites for Tuesday`s game. St. Louis Post-Dispatch Ken Griffey Jr. (CF) (Cincinnati Reds) - CF Ken Griffey Jr. (knee) ran the bases and fielded fly balls in the outfield prior to Monday`s game. Griffey is traveling with the Reds to Denver on Tuesday, but he may not play until Friday when the team plays indoors against Arizona. The Reds are +124 underdogs for Tuesday`s game against the Cardinals. Cincinnati Enquirer Moises Alou (RF) (San Francisco Giants) - Moises Alou was out of the starting lineup on Monday night with a sore hip, but he said he expects to play Tuesday against the Padres. The Giants are -124 favorites for the contest. Rotoworld.com Ryan Zimmerman (3B) (Washington Nationals) - Ryan Zimmerman missed Monday`s game against the Mets attending his grandmother`s funeral. Zimmerman is expected to return to the team for Tuesday`s game. The Nationals are +131 underdogs for their tilt against the Mets. Washington Post Ryan Church (CF) (Washington Nationals) - OF Ryan Church could be available off the bench beginning on Tuesday. Church hasn`t played since leaving Friday`s game with the flu. The Nationals head into Shea Stadium tonight as +131 dogs against the Mets. Washington Post
MLB - (associated press) Returning home couldn`t fix the woes of the Minnesota Twins. They now hope Johan Santana can. The Twins, losers of four straight games and 11 of 14, send their ace to the hill Tuesday to wrap up their two-game series with the Seattle Mariners. Oddsmakers have the Twins listed as -156 favorites. The total is set at 7 runs. Minnesota (9-16) allowed five runs in the sixth inning en route to an 8-2 defeat in Monday`s series opener. The Twins have been outscored 41-3 during their four-game losing skid, and have allowed six or more runs in 15 of 25 games this season. Guys are trying. Guys are out there playing. You`ve also got to score some runs, too, said manager Ron Gardenhire, whose team went 2-7 on a road trip before losing at home Monday. Our starters haven`t been getting it done. Our offense has to pick them up. Starter Scott Baker allowed five runs in 5 1-3 innings Monday, continuing a miserable season for the Minnesota rotation. Twins starters have a major league-high 7.25 ERA and are allowing opponents to bat .328 against them. The Twins look to Santana (1-3, 4.45 ERA) to turn the tide just as he seems to be rounding into form. The 2004 AL Cy Young Award winner earned his first win of the season Thursday at Kansas City, limiting the Royals to three runs and seven hits in eight innings while striking out a season-high 10 in Minnesota`s last victory. I felt pretty good,`` said Santana, who had never opened a season 0-3 before. I was throwing the fastball in and out of the plate and I was able to throw my changeup. It was a nice day.`` Santana has won all four of his career starts against the Mariners, posting a 2.08 ERA in those outings. Seattle left fielder Raul Ibanez has enjoyed success against Santana, going 7-for-17 (.412) with a homer. Ibanez also went 2-for-5 with a double Monday in his second consecutive multihit game. Mariners left-hander Jarrod Washburn (2-3, 3.51) gets the start on a mound where he`s pitched some of his best ball. Washburn is 4-0 with a 2.20 ERA in five starts at the Metrodome. Among pitchers with at least five starts at the venue, only Jimmy Key (2.06) posted a lower ERA. Washburn snapped a personal three-game losing streak with a win over the Chicago White Sox last Wednesday, when he held the defending World Series champions to one run and four hits in 6 2-3 innings. The Mariners (12-15) have seen their offense bust out during their current three-game winning streak, with 20 runs and 41 hits over that span. Seattle had scored five runs or fewer in each of its eight previous contests. The meat of our order hasn`t really done anything, said first baseman Richie Sexson, who is batting just .214 but homered Monday for his 1,000th career hit. We`re still winning games and floating around .500, so that`s good. As soon as we start clicking and doing some things that we can do, we`ll start winning more consistently.
MLB- Top MLB MONEY TEAMS (covers.com) 1) Cincinnati Reds The Reds have been a good choice for bettors this year. Cincinnati is 7-3 at home, but they are a better team on the road (9-4 away from home). The total has gone over in 14 of their first 23 games and they are 14-9 on the runline. The Reds have been hitting the ball well through the first month of the season. They are tied for the lead in home runs and second in runs per game. 2) New York Mets It doesn’t matter where the Mets play, they are equally as good at home as they are on the road. They may be a good moneyline pick, but they have played in a lot of close finishes, which has hurt them on the runline (11-11). The Mets pitching staff has done a good job and ranks first in ERA and strikeouts. Pedro Martinez has looked great this year winning his first five starts. 3) Detroit Tigers The Tigers have been a tremendous pick away from home, going 11-4, compared to only 3-5 at their own park. The way to win money on the Tigers is to take the under. 15 of Detroit’s first 23 games have gone under, including 11 away from home. Despite their over/under record, the Tigers know how to hit the ball and they are tied for the most homers in baseball. Their pitching hasn’t been to bad either. Detroit has the best WHIP and the second best ERA in the majors. 4) Houston Astros The Astros haven’t played many games on the road (3-3 record) but they have won 12 of their first 16 games at Minute Maid Park. Having played most of their games at home, the Astros have struggled on the runline going 9-13. Houston ranks in the top 10 in four major batting categories, including fifth in homers. 5) Chicago White Sox The White Sox have an identical ATS and runline record at 15-7. The defending champions have a slightly better home record then they do on the road. Their pitchers haven`t been overpowering this year, ranking 29th in the majors in strikeouts, but the offense have made up for it with enough quality hits to rank the top 5 in four offensive categories.
MLB- (associated press) The Oakland Athletics placed struggling right-hander Esteban Loaiza on the 15-day disabled list on Monday because of a strained muscle on his left side and recalled outfielder Bobby Kielty from Triple-A Sacramento. Loaiza is 0-3 with an 8.35 ERA. The two-time All-Star`s ERA would have been as high as 10.24, but his start on Saturday night at Kansas City was called by rain after he surrendered five runs and six walks in an inning-plus. ``We`ve been trying to treat him in between his starts and get him out there so he can pitch, and with limited success,`` trainer Larry Davis said. ``It affects his throwing because you need to use your front side in order to help your arm come through. And we just can`t get it loose enough to where that can happen normally.`` Kielty, who was optioned to Sacramento on Apr. 21, replaced Loaiza on the roster instead of another pitcher because outfielders Milton Bradley and Mark Kotsay have been unavailable. Bradley missed his fifth straight game Monday because of a right knee strain and a sore right hip. Kotsay was hit by on the right hamstring by a pitch in the leg in Saturday`s game, causing heavy bruising. Brad Halsey, who has a 1.42 ERA in nine relief appearances, will start Tuesday against the Angels in place of Rich Harden - who was placed on the DL Saturday and is out for three to six weeks with a lower back strain. AL Rookie of the Year Huston Street was physically cleared to pitch on Monday after missing 11 games with a strained right pectoral muscle. Oakland takes on Los Angeles today where the Angels are -154 favorites. The total is set at 8 1/2.
MLB- blue jay's @ orioles recap: Something about hitting in Baltimore seems to bring out the best in Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Troy Glaus. One night after snapping out of a slump, Glaus tries to lead the Blue Jays (13-11) to a two-game sweep of the Orioles (13-14) Tuesday at Camden Yards. Oddsmakers have the Orioles as -120 favorites with the total set at 9 1/2. Glaus has 12 home runs in 104 career at-bats at Camden Yards. The ratio of one homer for every 8.7 at-bats is the best all time for any hitter with at least 100 plate appearances at the park. In Monday`s series opener, Glaus homered twice - a solo shot in the second inning followed by a three-run homer in the seventh - to lead Toronto to a 9-7 victory. Glaus added two doubles to go 4-for-5 with four RBIs and four runs scored, ending a 6-for-39 skid that dropped his batting average to .259. He`s just a threat when he stands in the box. That`s what we brought him over for, said Toronto manager John Gibbons, referring to the December trade that sent Glaus to Toronto from Arizona. The Blue Jays appear to need all the offense they can get. Toronto is 13-2 this season when scoring six runs or more, and 0-9 when scoring five or fewer. The Jays have plated at least seven runs in each of their last 11 victories. Toronto held on for the win Monday night despite allowing four ninth-inning runs. The Blue Jays` bullpen is struggling, having allowed 18 runs - 16 earned - in 12 2-3 innings in the first four contests of the team`s seven-game road trip.
Casey Janssen (0-1, 4.50 ERA) will look to take some pressure off the relievers as he makes his second major league start. The 24-year-old right-hander appeared to have some jitters in his debut Thursday against the Orioles at Rogers Centre. Janssen suffered the loss, allowing three runs - two earned - and three hits in four innings while walking three and hitting two batters. He gave up all three runs in the first two innings. I never really got comfortable where I could air it out, Janssen said. I was just gripping it and not trying to throw it to the backstop at times.`` Janssen lost to Orioles right-hander Kris Benson (3-2, 3.45), and the pitchers will match up again on Tuesday. Benson, acquired from the New York Mets in a January trade, is pitching well in his first season in Baltimore, having won three of his last four starts. He`s allowed more than three earned runs just once in five outings. Benson limited the Blue Jays to two runs and three hits over seven innings in Thursday`s 7-5 win. He has also had success against Glaus, who is 0-for-5 against him. The Orioles have dropped three straight games and seven of nine as they deal with a spate of injuries. Second baseman Brian Roberts is on the DL with a strained groin, catcher Javy Lopez is day-to-day with back spasms and shortstop Miguel Tejada has served as designated hitter the last two games due to a hyperextended left knee. Baltimore will shuffle its roster before Tuesday`s game. Pitchers Kurt Birkins and Julio Manon will be called up from Triple-A Ottawa. Reliever Eddy Rodriguez will be optioned to the minors, while the Orioles will designate Jim Brower, who owns a 13.86 ERA, for assignment. We gave him plenty of chances. We really wanted him to be the guy, Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo said of Brower. But with few exceptions, he didn`t pitch how we saw him in the spring. His command wasn`t there and he left his pitches up.``
MLB Free Picks - (associated press) The Chicago Cubs have found themselves a new phenom. Make that an old phenom. Three weeks removed from his 40th birthday, Greg Maddux is pitching like the ace of old. He`s 5-0 for the first time in his illustrious career, and his miserly 1.35 ERA is second best in the majors. Better yet, he`s carrying a Chicago team that is above .500 despite injuries to starters Kerry Wood and Mark Prior and a rough start by Carlos Zambrano. ``Without his 5-0, we wouldn`t be close to where we are,`` Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. ``He`s not gloating or reveling over what he`s done, he just continues to do what he`s doing.`` The right-hander has been a model of quiet consistency his entire career. More crafty than overpowering, he`s more likely to trip hitters up with darting pitches that paint the corners than a 98 mph fastball. He studies hitters with the intensity of a research scientist, and uses that knowledge to pick apart their weaknesses. In 20-plus seasons, he`s won 323 games, struck out 3,076 and has a career ERA of 3.00. He won four straight Cy Young awards, and went 17 years without a losing record. ``He just has a passion for the game,`` said Henry Blanco, who was Maddux`s personal catcher for two years in Atlanta and now is in his second season with the Cubs. ``He knows hitters as well as anybody else, and I think that`s what makes him so good,`` Blanco said. ``He knows what it takes to go out there and win a ballgame. He`s going to give you 100 percent every time he`s on the mound.`` Last year, though, he wasn`t very Maddux-like. His 13-15 record and 4.24 ERA were his worst since 1987, his first full season in the majors. And he looked, well, like a guy easing toward middle age. Though he`s never been a workout fiend like Roger Clemens, Maddux always has been fit. But he was starting to look a little flabby, and he didn`t seem to have the same unshakable command. ``There`s good years and there`s bad years,`` Baker said. ``There`s great years and there`s good years. There`s fair years and poor years. ... He only had 15 (great years) in a row. Maybe it was time.`` Maddux is highly competitive, and mediocrity didn`t sit well with him. Though he refuses to give details, he worked with a personal trainer in the offseason. According to the Chicago Tribune, Maddux did three or four 90-minute workouts a week with noted physical therapist Keith Kleven that focused on his core, leg strength and flexibility. Kleven told the Tribune that before Maddux left for spring training he had tripled the strength in his lower body, doubled it in his upper body and cut his body fat by 3.5 points to 15.3 percent. I think Greg had come to the conclusion that he needed to do more than he usually did in the winter to keep pitching at a high level,`` Kleven told the Tribune. ``So he really committed to it.`` It showed. In his first four starts, Maddux gave up three earned runs and only 15 hits. He had an ERA of 0.99. He wasn`t quite as sharp in his last start, allowing two earned runs and eight hits in six innings last Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers. He got in two bases-loaded jams, escaping one unscathed but allowing a pair of runs in the other. Maddux did shut Prince Fielder down, striking him out twice. And he kept Milwaukee in check enough to give the Cubs a 6-2 victory. I don`t see anything different with him now than in his heyday when he was at his best,`` said Milwaukee manager Ned Yost, who coached in Atlanta when Maddux was with the Braves. Added Geoff Jenkins, ``He`s pitching as good as he ever has.`` Not to hear Maddux tell it. Though he`s a prankster and one of the most well-liked people in the clubhouse, Maddux loathes talking about himself. Ask him about his resurgence this year, and he`ll either credit his teammates or play it down. Sometimes, like after Friday`s start, he`ll do both. Runs make you look real good, know what I mean? The guys have scored and they`ve played good defense,`` he said. ``Maybe sometimes the pitcher gets a little too much credit for that. It`s pitching and doing what you do to make pitches. The outcome of the game is something that, as a starting pitcher, is very hard to control, he added. ``So you just worry about making pitches, leave it at that and move on. Maddux doesn`t like other people talking about him, either. When closer Ryan Dempster started praising Maddux during a televised pre-game interview last week, Maddux grimaced and walked away from the TV he`d been watching. Those closest to him have taken an oath of silence that would make Tony Soprano proud. Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild only answers general questions about him. Kleven now refuses to comment about working with him. You guys are asking me stuff that he`s not even answering, Baker said, laughing. But Maddux is happy to share his secrets with his teammates. When outfielder Matt Murton was riding the bench last year, he used the time to pick Maddux`s brain about defense, hitting strategies and just being a professional. This year, Maddux is often seen talking with rookie Sean Marshall - who is putting the counsel to good use with a 2-0 record and a 3.45 ERA. There`s pitching coaches that can straighten you out and tell you some things, but most pitching coaches haven`t pitched 20 years in the major leagues, Marshall said. ``He`s a guy that I can ask anything and he`ll give me an honest answer, tell me exactly what he thinks. He`s an awesome resource to have.`` And if he keeps pitching this way, the Cubs might have access to that resource for a few more years. Maddux is signed through the end of this year, but there`s already rumblings about an extension. I think he`s showing everybody he still can do it. Everybody knows his age, but I don`t think it means anything, Blanco said. All I can tell you is, he`s still smart. He`s as smart as when he was 20, and that`s what it takes. He doesn`t throw hard, he doesn`t overpower hitters, he just does what he`s capable of doing.
MLB Free Picks- yankees @ red sox ats preview (vegasinsider.com)
Las Vegas installed Boston as a $1.25 home ‘chalk’ over New York, with the total set at 10 ‘under’ (minus $1.20). This American League East affair is scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m. ET. –New York’s Shawn Chacon (3-1, 4.13 ERA) recorded his third consecutive victory Thursday by beating Tampa Bay as a decided $2.70 home favorite, 4-1. The 6-foot-3 hurler went 6 1/3 innings, surrendering the lone run on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts. –The combined five runs never seriously threatened the 10 1/2-run closing total, helping the ‘under’ improve to 3-1 when he’s pitching. –Chacon fell to the Red Sox last year as a $1.32 home ‘chalk,’ 9-2, allowing five runs on six hits (two home runs) with three walks and a strikeout over just three innings. The combined 11 runs slithered ‘over’ the 10 1/2-run closing total. –Boston hurler Josh Beckett (3-1, 4.50 ERA) has been sterling at Fenway Park with a 2-0 ledger and microscopic 1.29 ERA in two outings. –The hard-throwing right-hander is off his first setback with the Red Sox however after Thursday’s loss to Cleveland as a $1.47 road favorite, 15-3. The 25-year-old lasted just 3 2/3 innings, yielding nine runs (eight earned) on six hits (three home runs) with five walks and six strikeouts. –The combined 18 runs soared ‘over’ the nine-run closing total, helping the ‘over’ occur his second straight start. The ‘under’ had cashed his first three starts of the year. –Beckett, a Florida Marlin the last few years, has not started against the Yankees the last few years. **Mariners (Washburn) at Twins (Santana)** –LVSC has Minnesota as a $1.70 home favorite over Seattle, with the total listed at 7 ½ ‘over’ (minus $1.25). This contest is scheduled to start at 8:10 p.m. ET. –Seattle gives the starting assignment to Jarrod Washburn (2-3, 3.51 ERA), hoping the left-hander can follow up Wednesday’s victory over Chicago as a $1.35 home underdog, 5-1. The 31-year-old tossed 6 2/3 innings, allowing the lone run on four hits with a walk and four strikeouts. –The combined six runs went ‘under’ the 7 1/2-run closing total, helping the ‘under’ cash his third consecutive start. –Washburn beat the Twins last year as a member of the Los Angeles Angels, yielding two runs on six hits with a walk and four strikeouts. The Angels won that affair as a $1.22 road favorite, 3-2, while the combined five runs went ‘under’ the nine-run closing total. –Minnesota pitcher Johan Santana (1-3, 4.45 ERA) picked up his first victory of the season versus Kansas City Thursday as a $2.00 road ‘chalk,’ 7-3. The southpaw was reached for three runs on seven hits (one home run) with a walk and 10 strikeouts over eight innings. –The combined 10 runs eclipsed the eight-run closing total, helping the ‘over’ improve to 4-1 his five outings. –Santana beat the Mariners last season as a $1.60 road favorite, 8-4, surrendering four runs on five hits with a walk and six strikeouts over five innings. The combined 12 runs went ‘over’ the eight-run closing total.
Free Picks |
