Trend sheet 6/3

[cisco]

Hot Pitchers
-- Pelfrey is 0-1, 2.28 in his last four starts.
-- Johnson is 1-0, 1.59 in his last two starts; he goes for win #300 here.
-- West has a 2.25 RA in his first two big league starts. Brewers are 7-1 with Looper if they score 3+ runs.
-- Lowe is 5-2, 3.97 in his last seven starts.
-- Marquis is 3-0, 1.52 in his last three starts. Astros won three of last four Moehler starts (2-1, 3.81).
-- Lohse is 1-0, 2.57 in his last three starts, but has been injury-plagued the last couple weeks.
-- Happ is 1-0, 4.09 in his first two '09 starts. Young is 2-1, 2.84 in his last three starts; he has 2.53 RA in five starts at spacious Petco Park.

-- Beckett is 3-0, 2.94 in his last five starts.
-- Bronx won last four Pettitte starts, scoring 23 runs. Texas won last five Feldman starts (4-0, 2.32).
-- Weaver is 2-1, 1.70 in his last five starts.
-- Rays won three of last four Niemann starts (2-1, 3.27).
-- Lee has 2.15 RA in his last eight starts, but Indians are 1-7 in them. Swarzak is 1-1, 2.07 in his first two '09 starts.
-- Outman is 2-0, 2.05 in his last four starts. Richard is 2-0, 1.80 in his last three starts.
-- Vargas is 1-0, 2.28 in four starts this season.


Cold Pitchers
-- Ohlendorf is 2-3, 5.76 in his last five starts.
-- Zimmerman is 0-2, 7.27 in his last six starts.
-- Lilly has a 6.14 RA in five road starts.
-- Cueto is 0-2, 4.29 in his last three starts.
-- Garland is 1-3, 10.31 in his last four starts. Billingsley is 1-3, 3.78 in his last five starts.

-- Galarraga is 0-5, 8.49 in his last six starts.
-- Janssen is 1-1, 4.15 in two starts this season.
-- Bannister is 1-2, 6.35 in his last four starts.
-- Orioles are 0-3 in Bergesen road starts (0-1, 5.50).

Hot Teams
-- Pirates won three of their last four games.
-- Marlins won three of their last four games.
-- Braves won three of their last four games.
-- Astros won four of their last five games.
-- Cardinals won six of their last eight home games.
-- Phillies won ten of their last twelve road games.
-- Arizona won seven of its last ten road games.


-- Tigers are 10-4 in their last fourteen home games.
-- Bronx won nine of their last eleven home games. Rangers won seven of their last eleven games overall.
-- Blue Jays won seven of their last nine home games.
-- Rays won eight of their last eleven home games.
-- Twins won nine of their last eleven home games.
-- White Sox won nine of their last thirteen games.
-- Orioles won seven of their last eleven games. Mariners won three of their last four games.


Cold Teams
-- Mets lost seven of their last nine road games.
-- Nationals lost six of their last seven games. Giants lost six of their last seven games on foreign soil.
-- Brewers lost their last five road games.
-- Rockies lost their last three games, scoring total of five runs.
-- Cubs lost nine of their last ten road games.
-- Cincinnati lost seven of its last eight road games.
-- Padres lost four of their last five games.
-- Dodgers are 6-6 in last 12 home games after a 13-0 start.

-- Red Sox lost eight of last thirteen road games.
-- Angels lost five of their last seven games.
-- Royals lost their last five games, allowing 37 runs.
-- Indians lost four of their last five games.
-- Oakland lost nine of its last thirteen road games.


Totals
-- Under is 6-2-1 in Mets' last nine road games.
-- Seven of last ten San Francisco road games stayed under the total.
-- Six of last eight Chicago road games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 8-1-1 in Florida's last ten home games.
-- Last five Colorado road games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Cincinnati games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 5-2-1 in Phillies' last eight road games.
-- Six of last nine Arizona games went over the total.

-- Six of last seven Boston road games stayed under the total.
-- Eight of last ten Texas road games stayed under the total.
-- Angels' last three road games all went over the total.
-- Seven of last nine Kansas City road games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Cleveland games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 10-2 in White Sox' last twelve home games.
-- Five of last six Seattle home games stayed under the total.

Umpires
-- NY-Pitt-- Over is 7-1-1 in last nine McClelland games.
-- SF-Wsh-- Favorites won six of last seven Timmons games.
-- Mil-Fla-- Three of last four Meals games stayed under the total.
-- Chi-Atl-- Under is 5-0-1 in last six Culbreth games.
-- Col-Hst-- Under is 9-1-1 in last eleven Hoye games; underdog is 9-3 in his games this season.
-- Cin-StL-- Over is 5-1-1 in last seven Cousins games.
-- Phil-SD-- Favorite won seven of nine Emmel games this season.
-- Az-LA-- Under is 5-3 in Campos' games this season.

-- Bos-Det-- Visitor won six of last seven Davidson games.
-- Tex-NY-- Underdog won three of last five Wendelstedt games.
-- LAA-Tex-- Favorite won last six Hernandez games behind plate.
-- KC-TB-- Home side won last five Vanover games, with last three all staying under the total.
-- Clev-Min-- Six of last seven Fairchild games stayed under the total.
-- A's-Chi-- Over is 7-2-1 in Crawford games this season.
-- Blt-Sea-- Favorite won five of last six Randazzo games.


Log on every day, enjoy the baseball season-- good luck!!!!

 

[cisco]

BOSTON vs. DETROIT
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Detroit
Detroit is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Boston
Detroit is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games at home

NY METS vs. PITTSBURGH
NY Mets are 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Pittsburgh
NY Mets are 2-7 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing NY Mets
Pittsburgh is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home

SAN FRANCISCO vs. WASHINGTON
San Francisco is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
San Francisco is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing Washington
Washington is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games at home
Washington is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games

TEXAS vs. NY YANKEES
Texas is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games
Texas is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing NY Yankees
NY Yankees are 11-5 SU in their last 16 games when playing at home against Texas
NY Yankees are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games

LA ANGELS vs. TORONTO
LA Angels are 4-10 SU in their last 14 games when playing on the road against Toronto
LA Angels are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games
Toronto is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games
Toronto is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home

KANSAS CITY vs. TAMPA BAY
Kansas City is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Kansas City is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Tampa Bay is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games

CHI CUBS vs. ATLANTA
Chi Cubs are 6-3 SU in their last 9 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Chi Cubs are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing Atlanta
Atlanta is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
Atlanta is 1-6 SU in their last 7 games when playing Chi Cubs

MILWAUKEE vs. FLORIDA
Milwaukee is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Florida
Milwaukee is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Florida
Florida is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Florida is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games at home

COLORADO vs. HOUSTON
Colorado is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games on the road
Colorado is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Houston
Houston is 14-4 SU in its last 18 games when playing at home against Colorado
Houston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home

CLEVELAND vs. MINNESOTA
Cleveland is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Cleveland is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
Minnesota is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games
Minnesota is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games at home

OAKLAND vs. CHI WHITE SOX
Oakland is 6-16 SU in its last 22 games on the road
Oakland is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Chi White Sox are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
Chi White Sox are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing Oakland

CINCINNATI vs. ST. LOUIS
Cincinnati is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Cincinnati is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Cincinnati
St. Louis is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Cincinnati

PHILADELPHIA vs. SAN DIEGO
Philadelphia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Philadelphia is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Diego
San Diego is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
San Diego is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Philadelphia

ARIZONA vs. LA DODGERS
Arizona is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Arizona is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers are 8-1 SU in their last 9 games when playing at home against Arizona
LA Dodgers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing Arizona

BALTIMORE vs. SEATTLE
Baltimore is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Baltimore is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
Seattle is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Seattle is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Baltimore

 

[cisco]

Wednesday's Tip Sheet
By Judd Hall

Could we see the last 300-game winner ever on Wednesday night? That?s a distinct possibility as San Francisco?s Randy Johnson takes the mound on the road against the Nationals.

The Big Unit?s history making start is just one of 13 games on baseball?s slate for hump day. Let?s check out a couple of games tonight and try to get some winners.

Red Sox at Tigers ? 7:05 p.m. EDT on ESPN

Every team is going to have a slump at one point or another during the season. Boston (29-22, +190) looks like it?s going through its slump right now by losing four of its last six games. The Red Sox now find themselves in spot that they?re not accustomed to anymore, sitting a game behind the Yanks in the American League East.

Perhaps the BoSox should consider themselves lucky for only being a game out of first place. After all, they?re in the middle of the pack in runs per game (5.2) and home runs (61). And Boston has scored just 27 runs during its first seven matches of this 10-game road trip.

The Red Sox will turn the ball over to Josh Beckett (5-2, 4.60 ERA) in Game 2 of their series with the Tigers. Boston tends to perform better when Beckett is on the mound, as evidenced by a 7-3 record during the 2009 campaign.

Detroit (28-21, +592) finds itself sitting atop the AL Central thanks in large part to some fantastic starting pitching. They currently lead the league with an earned run average of 3.84 and only two other rotations in the Junior Circuit have more strikeouts than the 240 the Tigers have registered this year. That?s not bad when you consider that they?re without Jeremy Bonderman, who can?t evade the injury bug.

Armando Galarraga (3-5, 5.50 ERA) gets the starting nod from the Tigers for Wednesday. Redemption is no doubt on his mind as Galarraga is 0-5 in his last six starts and the team itself has gone 1-5. Things do appear to be looking up for Detroit?s No. 2 pitcher as he allowed three earned runs on ten hits in seven innings of work in a 5-1 road loss to the Orioles on May 28.

Las Vegas Sports Consultants have installed the Red Sox as $1.55 road favorites (risk $155 to win $100) with a total of 9 ?.

If you?d rather play totals in this game, then look at the ?under? before making a wager. Galarraga has seen the ?under? go 7-3 in his starts. And Beckett?s last four starts have all went ?under? the total.

Giants at Nationals ? 7:05 p.m. EDT

LVSC has made Washington a $1.20 home ?chalk? with a total of nine flat.

San Francisco (25-24, +54) sits just above .500 as they ride a 4-1 record in its last five games, with two of the four wins coming at home against the Cardinals. Now the Giants find themselves embarking on the first of their three 10-game road trips this season.

Things haven?t always gone smoothly for the Giants when travelling away from AT&T Park in 2009 as they?re just 7-15 for the year. After this series they?ll head to Miami for a four-game set with the Marlins and travel back west for a three-gamer against the D-Backs.

It?s hard to think that a team is already resigned to their fate by the start of June, but that appears to be the case with the Nationals. Washington (13-36, -2,146) owns the worst record in Major League Baseball and fading them has turned them into a virtual ATM machine for the betting public. They?ve lost six consecutive contests and 15 of its last 17 games.

Like I mentioned earlier, Randy Johnson (4-4, 5.71 ERA) gets the starting nod with 299 career wins. He?s lost an MPH or three on his fastball, but Johnson has performed admirably as the Giants? No. 2 starter. He hasn?t done well on the road this year as evidenced by a 0-2 record and bloated earned run average of 8.50.

The Nats are putting their faith in Jordan Zimmerman (2-2, 6.07 ERA) to help turn around their fortunes. That faith might be a tad misplaced since Washington is 1-5 in his last six starts. Zimmerman himself is 0-2 with a 7.37 ERA for the month of May.

As bad as his numbers might look for the last month, Zimmerman was the victim of some poor fielding behind him. He did rather well when just focusing on the batter as evidenced by a strikeout-to-walk ratio that is nearly at 4:1.

For the year the Nationals have seen the ?over? go 25-21-3 for the season and 12-10-1 at home. However, Washington has seen ?under? cash in at an 8-3 clip over its past 11 matches.

San Francisco has also watched the ?over? go 25-21-3 during the 2009 campaign. That includes a 5-2 run in its last seven games. But the Giants saw the ?under? post a 5-1 mark in their last road trip.

Royals at Rays ? 7:08 p.m. EDT

Most betting shops have made the Rays $1.50 home favorites for this matchup with the total rolling in at 9 ?.

If you were to have asked Tampa Bay (25-28, -772) where it would be at this point of the year, fourth place in the AL East would not have been its answer. Yet that is exactly where the Rays find themselves six games behind the Yankees in baseball?s toughest division.

The Rays are mired in a 2-6 slump which includes a horrid four-game sweep to Cleveland. While much has been made of the problems of Tampa Bay?s bullpen, its starting rotation has been a total disappointment by ranking 11th in the AL with 5.00 ERA.

Kansas City (23-27, -380) was supposed to be this year?s version of the Rays and it looked that way as they jumped out to an 18-11 start. Since then, the Royals have stumbled to a 5-16 mark, including a recent four-game skid.

The Royals are heading out on a nine-game trek that will see them heading out to Toronto and Cleveland after this three-game set in Tropicana Field. Kansas City needs to make something happen on this road trip as they?re 5 ? games behind the Tigers in the AL Central. It?s easier said than done when you consider that KC is 8-12 on the road in 2009.

If there is anything that Kansas City can rely on it?s the inconsistency of the Rays. They have not hit as well as they thought after adding Pat Burrell (.250, 1 HR, 17 RBI) to the lineup to go along with the aforementioned pitching issues. Those problems have taken their toll at what was once a formidable fortress, The Trop. Tampa Bay had the best home record in baseball at 57-24 en route to the 2008 AL Pennant. This year, the Rays are just 13-11 at Tropicana Field.

The Royals give the starting nod to Brian Bannister (4-2, 3.64 ERA) for this showdown. It isn?t a stretch to think that KC will come out on top here as they?re 6-2 for the season when Bannister pitches.

While Bannister has given Kansas City some solid efforts this year, the scores have stayed high recently. The ?over? is on a 4-2 run when Bannister takes the mound.

Tampa Bay will entrust Jeff Niemann (4-4, 4.44 ERA) with the starting duties. Niemann pitched only three innings in his last start on May 28 in Cleveland thanks to a sizeable rain delay. While he gave up just one earned run on five hits, he still took the ?L? in the 2-1 decision.

Outside of that rain delay game that he just tossed in, Niemann has been a best friend to ?over? bettors. Totals have been eclipsed in six of his last eight starts.

It?s going to be interesting to see how the Royals handle Niemann as they?re dead last in the AL with a .247 batting average against right-handed pitching.

This has been a series that?s been dominated by the home team going 12-8 dating back to 2006.

The ?under? has been a solid wager as it cashed tickets in five of the last seven head-to-head meetings.

 

[cisco]

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Cincinnati (27-24) at St. Louis (30-22)

Johnny Cueto (4-3, 2.53 ERA) tries for his first victory in more than three weeks when he guides the Reds against Kyle Lohse (4-3, 3.98) and the Cardinals as these N.L. Central rivals continue a four-game series at Busch Stadium.

St. Louis bounced back from Monday?s 5-3 loss and evened this series with a 5-2 victory Tuesday to end a two-game slide and improve to 9-5 in its last 14 contests. The Redbirds are on surges of 24-10 at Busch Stadium (6-2 last eight), 6-2 against N.L. Central foes, 8-2 against teams with a winning record and 6-1 on Wednesday.

The Reds have lost four of five overall, seven of their last eight on the road (all against right-handed starters) and five of six against winning teams, but they?re 5-1 in their last six Wednesday outings.

Cincinnati still leads the season series 3-2 against the Cardinals, but the host has won nine of the last 12 clashes dating to last summer. Additionally, the Red are still just 16-37 in their last 53 games in St. Louis.

Cueto has been a workhorse for Cincinnati, pitching exactly seven innings in five consecutive starts and seven of his last eight, while going eight innings in the other outing. He?s also surrendered three earned runs or less in seven of those eight starts, but he hasn?t earned a victory since a 10-3 win at Arizona on May 13. Over his past three starts, Cueto is 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA, including a tough-luck 3-2 loss at Milwaukee on Friday in which the right-hander yielded all three runs on three hits and four walks in seven innings.

Cueto is 3-1 with a 1.87 ERA in five road starts, four of which Cincinnati has won. He also beat the Cardinals 6-4 at home on May 8, allowing one run on five hits in seven innings. As a rookie last season, though, Cueto went 0-2 with a 16.20 ERA in two starts versus St. Louis, including a 7-2 loss at Busch Stadium in which he got tagged for all seven runs (six earned) in 1 2/3 innings.

Lohse has been sidelined with a forearm injury since May 23, when he tossed a complete-game, four-hit shutout against the Royals, winning 5-0 at home. That sterling performance came after a three-start slump in which Lohse went 0-3 with a 10.67 ERA. The veteran right-hander is 4-2 with a 3.13 ERA at Busch Stadium this season, but St. Louis is 2-5 in his last seven starts overall (2-2 at home). Also, he?s 1-3 with a 6.26 ERA in five starts under the lights, compared with 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA in four daytime outings.

Lohse got rocked in Cincinnati on May 9, giving up a season-high seven runs on nine hits in six innings of an 8-3 setback. He?s now 1-2 with a 5.84 ERA in four career starts against the Reds.

The under is 19-7-1 in Cueto?s last 27 starts overall, 13-3-1 in his last 17 on the highway and 5-1 in his last six against Central Division foes. However, with Lohse pitching, the over is on streaks of 7-4 overall and 4-1 versus the N.L. Central.

St. Louis carries ?under? streaks of 11-3 overall, 8-0 at home, 7-1 versus divisional rivals, 5-0-1 on Wednesday and 8-1 against right-handed starters. Meanwhile, the under is 16-6-1 in the Reds? last 23 road games, 5-1 in their last six against divisional foes. Finally, the first two games in this series have stayed low, ending a seven-game ?over? streak in this rivalry.

ATS ADVANTAGE: ST. LOUIS and UNDER


AMERICAN LEAGUE

Boston (30-22) at Detroit (28-22)

Josh Beckett (5-2, 4.60) looks to continue his resurgence when he leads the Red Sox against the Tigers and Armando Galarraga (3-5, 5.50) in the middle game of a three-game series at Comerica Park.

Boston scored a 5-1 victory in Tuesday?s series opener, the team?s second consecutive win as it improved to 4-4 on a current 10-game road trip. Still, the Red Sox have been average at best lately, going 5-6 in their last 11 contests and 4-7 in their past 11 against right-handed starters. On the bright side, Terry Francona?s squad enjoys positive runs of 15-6 against winning teams, 25-11 when playing on grass and 48-20 against the A.L. Central.

The Tigers are struggling offensively, producing four runs or fewer in nine of their last 12 games. Still, Detroit is on surges of 11-6 overall, 10-4 at Comerica Park, 5-1 against teams with a winning record, 14-6 on grass and 5-2 on Wednesday.

The Red Sox are 6-2 against Detroit since the beginning of last season, taking four of the last five meetings at Comerica Park. Still, the home team 10-6 in the last 16 head-to-head clashes.

Becket has delivered five consecutive quality starts (2.38 ERA), with Boston winning four of those five contests. In Thursday?s 3-1 victory at Minnesota, Beckett went seven innings and gave up the one run (a solo homer) on three hits and four walks while striking out eight. The veteran right-hander is 3-2 with a 4.99 ERA in five road starts, but 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA in his last three as a visitor. The Red Sox are 25-12 in Beckett?s last 37 on the highway and 7-1 in his last eight when facing A.L. Central opponents.

Galarraga ended a string of five consecutive poor starts (0-4, 9.93 ERA) with a decent effort on Thursday at Baltimore, as he gave up three runs on 10 hits over seven innings. However, it wasn?t enough to keep Galarraga from losing his fifth straight game, as Detroit fell 5-1. In five starts at Comerica this season, the right-hander is 2-2 with a 5.55 ERA.

Beckett has faced Detroit just twice in his career, going 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA. Meanwhile, Galarraga got blasted in his only career start against the Red Sox last May, surrendering five runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings, but his offense bailed him out in a 10-9 home win.

The under is on an 11-4-2 roll in this rivalry. Additionally, Boston carries ?under? streaks of 12-4 overall (6-1 last seven, all on the road, 5-0 when facing right-handed starters, 10-3-1 when playing on grass and 4-0 behind Beckett. Finally, the ?under? for the Tigers is on runs of 11-3 overall, 7-0 at home, 10-3 against righty starters, 8-3 versus the A.L. East and 4-1 with Galarraga on the hill.

ATS ADVANTAGE: BOSTON and UNDER

 

[cisco]

Wednesday's streaking and slumping starting pitchers
*************
Streaking

Josh Beckett (Boston Red Sox)

Terry Francona has had an easier time adding wins to his resume with Josh Beckett finally settling down for the Boston Red Sox.

After earning his 500th victory with Boston, Francona sends Beckett to the mound against the struggling Detroit Tigers in the middle game of their series Wednesday night.

Beckett is 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA in his last three starts after posting a 7.22 ERA through his first five outings.

The right-hander gave up one run and three hits while striking out eight in seven innings to earn the decision in a 3-1 win over Minnesota on Thursday.

Beckett is 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA in two career starts against the AL Central-leading Tigers (28-22), who have scored three runs or fewer in four of their last five games. Detroit didn't get a hit Tuesday from the fourth inning until they started the ninth with three straight singles off closer Jonathan Papelbon.

Boston, meanwhile, has scored a combined 13 runs in its last two games after averaging 2.6 in its previous five contests, losing four.

Michael Pelfrey (New York Mets)

Pelfrey (4-1, 3.88 ERA) has become accustomed to getting little help of late. Over his last four starts, the right-hander has gone 0-1 with a 2.28 ERA and has received only four runs to work with.

On Friday, he yielded one run and five hits with struck out six in 7 2-3 innings of a 2-1, 11-inning win over the Marlins.

"My command was good but it wasn't as down as I'd like," Pelfrey said. "I know if I can pound the strike zone I can go deep into games and not walk guys."

Pelfrey, who hasn't won since beating Philadelphia 7-5 on May 7, has put together a stretch of five quality starts. He's also given up three runs or less in his last seven, going 3-1 with a 2.96 ERA.

He won his only career start against the Pirates on Aug. 15, scattering seven hits in seven scoreless innings of a 2-1 win at PNC Park.

Scott Feldman (Texas Rangers)

Scott Feldman (4-0, 3.91) is 4-0 with a 2.59 ERA in seven starts after being used out of the bullpen for the first two weeks of the season.

The right-hander earned a win in his last outing, allowing two runs and five hits in six innings during Texas' 5-2 victory over Oakland on Friday night in the second game of a doubleheader.

Feldman is 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA in two starts and one relief appearance against the Yankees.

Slumping

Jordan Zimmermann (Washington Nationals)

Rookie Jordan Zimmermann (2-2, 6.07) will match up against Johnson on Wednesday. The 23-year-old right-hander, the club's top pitching prospect, gave up five runs in six innings of Washington's loss at San Francisco on May 12.

"I hope I'm not part of history tomorrow," Zimmermann said Tuesday. "I have to go out there and pitch my game and not think about history in the making, I guess."

Brian Bannister (Kansas City Royals)

Though the Royals have not announced an official starter for this contest, Brian Bannister (4-2, 3.64) could get the nod while trying to bounce back from his worst start of the season.

The right-hander allowed six earned runs and nine hits in five innings of an 11-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Friday. He is 1-2 with a 4.42 ERA against Tampa Bay.

Returning

Kyle Lohse (St. Louis Cardinals)

It's been an up-and-down opening two months of the season for St. Louis' Kyle Lohse, who returns to the mound after a recent arm injury hoping to build off his last start.

Lohse and the Cardinals continue their four-game series with Cincinnati on Wednesday, trying to extend their home dominance over the Reds.

Lohse (4-3, 3.98 ERA) recorded a career-high 15 victories for St. Louis (30-22) in 2008 and he opened this season by winning his first three decisions. The right-hander injured his knee while covering first base at the end of April, however, and struggled in his first three starts in May, going 0-3 with a 10.67 ERA.

Lohse appeared to bounce back in his last outing, scattering four hits through eight innings in a 5-0 win over Kansas City on May 23. That performance was soured, however, when he was hit in the arm by a pitch, forcing him to miss his next start.

"I don't know exactly what was going on inside there," he told the Cardinals' official Web site, "but I can tell you what I was feeling was a lot of burning and kind of a cramping sensation when I tried to throw hard. ... You can throw through a lot of things, but not that."

This will be Lohse's second start this season against the Reds (27-24), who reached him for seven runs and nine hits over six innings in an 8-3 victory on May 9.

 

[cisco]

Kansas City Royals at Tampa Bay Rays (-145, 9.5)

On Wednesday night, the Rays look to hand the Royals a sixth straight loss in the continuation of a three-game set at Tropicana Field.

Tampa Bay (26-28) won 6-2 on Tuesday to improve to 3-1 on a six-game homestand that followed five straight losses to conclude a 2-5 road trip.

Though the defending AL champions have been plagued by injuries, they are 14-11 at home where they've won eight of the last 11.

Kansas City (23-28), meanwhile, has been outscored 37-14 during its five-game losing streak. The Royals, who were coming off a 1-5 homestand, lost a season-high six in a row May 8-14.

On May 7, the Royals held a three-game lead in the AL Central, but are 5-17 since then.

The Rays could be without third baseman Evan Longoria after he left Tuesday's contest with tightness in his left hamstring.

"It's probably just a day-to-day thing," said Longoria, the leading AL vote getter for this year's All-Star game. "I think the telltale thing's going to be (Wednesday)."

Losing Longoria for any length of time would be a big blow to the Rays, who are already without shortstop Jason Bartlett (ankle), outfielder Pat Burrell (neck) and second baseman Akinori Iwamura (season-ending knee injury) - all currently on the disabled list.

Though the Royals have not announced a starter for this contest, Brian Bannister (4-2, 3.64) could get the nod while trying to bounce back from his worst start of the season.

The right-hander allowed six earned runs and nine hits in five innings of an 11-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Friday. He is 1-2 with a 4.42 ERA against Tampa Bay.

Pick: Under


Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers (-200, 8)

After a strong start to the season for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chad Billingsley has hit a bit of a snag.

The right-hander looks to avoid a third straight loss Wednesday night in the finale of a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.

Billingsley (6-3, 2.80 ERA) won five of his first six starts, but is 1-3 with a 3.51 ERA in his last five. Though he's pitched into the sixth inning each time, he'll try to help the NL-leading Dodgers (36-18) avoid losing their second straight home series.

One night after falling 3-2 to the Diamondbacks, Los Angeles rallied with five runs in the eighth for a 6-5 win on Tuesday.

"It's frustrating to lose this way," said Arizona manager A.J. Hinch, whose team has alternated wins and losses in its last eight contests.

He is 5-4 with a 3.53 ERA in 10 starts against the Diamondbacks, and has allowed two runs while striking out 15 in 13 1-3 innings to win his last two outings versus them.

On Tuesday, James Loney hit a tying three-run double in the eighth and Casey Blake followed with an RBI single for the Dodgers, who had lost three of four.

Andre Ethier hit a solo shot to snap a homerless drought of 24 games and 89 at-bats.Juan Pierre, who's hitting .379 while starting in place of the suspended Manny Ramirez, added a single. Pierre is 4 for 9 in the series after going 1 for 13 in his previous three contests.

He is 3 for 6 with a double against Jon Garland (4-4, 5.75), who also looks to avoid a third straight loss after giving up eight earned runs and nine hits while walking three in 2 2-3 innings of a 10-6 loss to Atlanta on Friday.

The right-hander, from nearby Valencia, Calif., has allowed at least seven earned runs four times in 12 starts dating to last season.

"It's flat-out terrible," Garland said. "But what do you do? Get back up there in five days and give the boys a chance."

Pick: Dodgers on the runline