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ACCESS
PICKS FOR TODAY WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 |
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MLB |
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9/20/2017 |
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FOUND
15
GAMES |
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FINAL |
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9/20/2017 1:05 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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+268
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+1.5 (+131)
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Over 8.5 (-119)
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-305
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-1.5 (-151)
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Under 8.5 (+100)
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GAME PREVIEW
Yankees turn to Severino to sweep Twins 7h ago• 3 min read NEW YORK -- Thanks to a late change in pitching plans, Yankees right-hander Luis Severino will start Wednesday afternoon against the Minnesota Twins.The move also lines him up to start New York's regular-season finale.Severino was originally slated to get only two starts the rest of the regular season, but the change will get him a third start.The first of the three will come in the Yankees' attempt to complete a sweep of the Twins.The right-hander found out Monday and the Yankees announced their change of plans Tuesday before getting a 5-2 victory and moving six games ahead of the Twins in the race for the first American League wild card."We discussed it, we had been preparing him for it," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Tuesday afternoon. "It allows him to start three more times if needed." Severino (13-6, 2.93 ERA) is set to face an opponent who has only seen him on video and in advanced scouting reports. None of Minnesota's hitters have faced him in the major leagues, and only Jorge Polanco (1-for-6 with Triple-A Rochester 2016, 0-for-3 with Double-A New Britain 2014) has ever faced him at the minor league level.By pushing up Severino from his previously scheduled Friday turn, the Yankees showed that they still hold aspirations of winning the AL East. With 11 games remaining, they are three games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox."Our goal is still to win the division," Girardi said. "We have clinched nothing at this point. We still have a lot to work to do in front of us." "We've been playing really good baseball, and we just need to continue to do that and keep the pressure on them, make them keep winning," Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner said after the team won for the 14th time in 19 games.Severino has been a key reason why the Yankees seem likely to at least host the AL wild-card game Oct. 3.Since the All-Star break, he is 8-2 with a 2.09 ERA in 12 starts. During those outings, Severino allowed one earned run or fewer nine times, and he has turned it on even more this month.In three starts this month, he is 2-0 with an 0.86 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 21 innings. During those starts, opponents are 6-for-72 (.083).On Friday, he tied a career high by pitching eight innings when he allowed two earned runs on three hits in an 8-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles."I think whether it's a guy that you've seen do this before it or not, it's just been impressive what he's done, the way he's pitched all year long for us," Girardi said after Severino dominated the Orioles. "We really believed that he was always a starter." Severino will be starting Wednesday on the regular four days' rest, which is his preference."If I had to choose, I'd choose tomorrow," Severino said Tuesday. "I like to pitch on five days. When I rest a lot, my arm feels very good and I can't control my fastball, I overthrow." His opponent will be veteran Bartolo Colon, who is making his 13th start for the Twins. They are 1 1/2 games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels for the second wild-card spot and have lost the first two games in the Bronx despite holding the Yankees to three hits in 28 at-bats with runners in scoring position."To score three runs the first couple of games, usually it's not going to be enough against this team," Molitor said. "To drop a couple of games here and have to come back to face a guy like Severino, it's going to be a tall order, and we'll make a quick turnaround." Colon is 4-5 with a 4.80 ERA for Minnesota after going 2-8 with an 8.14 ERA for the Atlanta Braves.Colon last pitched Friday during a 4-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. He allowed four runs and five hits in six innings. In his past three starts -- all defeats -- Colon owns a 7.53 ERA after going 4-1 with a 3.40 ERA in six August starts.The 44-year-old is 6-8 with a 5.81 ERA in 20 games (19 starts) against the Yankees, whom he pitched for in 2011. He made his debut for the Twins in a 6-4 loss to New York on July 18, when he allowed four runs and eight hits in four innings.New York's current roster holds a combined .324 average off him. Matt Holliday, who did not start the last two games, is 7-for-21 off Colon, while Jacoby Ellsbury is 6-for-18.
 Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
GAME RECAP
Judge hits 45th HR, young girl hit by foul, Yanks top Twins 1h ago• 3 min read NEW YORK Aaron Judge hit his AL-leading 45th home run and topped 100 RBIs, Didi Gregorius surpassed Derek Jeter for the most home runs by a Yankees shortstop and New York beat the Minnesota Twins 11-3 Wednesday for a three-game sweep.The game was briefly halted in the fifth inning when a foul ball down the third-base line off the bat of Todd Frazier struck a young girl, who was carried out of the stands, given first aid and taken to a hospital. The protective netting at Yankee Stadium ends at the home plate side of each dugout, and the team said in July it is ''seriously exploring'' extending the netting for 2018.Frazier knelt down and covered his head, and many other Yankees and Twins watched in stunned silence as the fan was helped. The Yankees said they weren't allowed to provide more information on her condition.The Yankees, who have won 10 of 12, began the day three games behind AL East-leading Boston. They opened a seven-game advantage over the Twins for the top AL wild card with 10 games remaining.Minnesota started 1 1/2 games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels for the league's last playoff berth. The Twins have lost five of six and were outscored 18-6 in the three-game series.Judge hit his eighth home run of September, a two-run drive that began the comeback from a 3-0 deficit. He added a sacrifice fly for his 101st RBI, joining Joe DiMaggio, Tony Lazzeri and Hideki Matsui as the only Yankees rookies to reach the century mark.Judge's opposite-field drive down the right-field line came on an 0-2 pitch from Bartolo Colon. Gary Sanchez followed with a shot into Monument Park, his 32nd, to go back-to-back with Judge for the second time in the homestand.Greg Bird's RBI double in a six-run fourth chased Colon (4-6 in the AL and 6-14 overall), and Brett Gardner and Sanchez followed with run-scoring singles against Tyler Duffey for a 6-3 lead.Gregorius' three-run drive into the second deck in right was his 25th, surpassing Jeter's total in 1999.Minnesota built its lead in a 46-pitch third inning against Luis Severino. Joe Mauer had an RBI single that capped a 13-pitch at-bat, the longest of his big league career, and Jorge Polanco hit a two-run single.Colon, 44, signed his first big league contract in 1993, about eight months before Severino was born. Colon gave up six runs and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings, raising his overall ERA to 6.63.Moved up two days in the rotation but pitching on normal four days' rest, Severino allowed three runs and five hits in three innings, just his second poor start since the All-Star break. Chasen Shreve (4-1) pitched three hitless innings.BIG NUMBERSJudge also struck out for the 199th time this season and walked for the 116th. DiMaggio had 125 RBIs as a rookie in 1936, Lazzeri 114 in 1926 and Matsui 106 in 2003 after leaving the Yomiuri Giants to sign with the Yankees.NEARLY CYCLEJacoby Ellsbury singled, doubled and tripled. He hit a fly to right-center in his last at-bat.THUMBS DOWNThe Yankees posed in their new thumbs-down T-shirts, nine days after a Mets fan responded with the gesture following Frazier's home run against Tampa Bay at Citi Field.SMALL BALLMinnesota has 26 sacrifices, tied for second in the AL behind the Chicago White Sox (32). The Twins had a pair of singles in loading the bases during CC Sabathia's first four pitches Tuesday night.''If you've got a better chance to get a hit by bunting that you do of swinging the bat, I think that they're times to still to that,'' manager Paul Molitor said. The bunt had been part of the game forever. It's a proven commodity.'' TRAINER'S ROOMYankees: OF Aaron Hicks (oblique strain) will start batting practice Thursday in Tampa, Florida, and is to play in a game Monday at New York's minor league complex. ... RHP Adam Warren (back spasm) was to throw a bullpen session Wednesday and advance to a simulated game by Sunday or early next week.UP NEXTTwins: LHP Adalberto Mejia (4-6) is to open a four-game series at Detroit on Thursday.Yankees: RHP Masahiro Tanaka (12-11) is to start Friday's series opener of a three-game series at Toronto, New York's final road games.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
Game
Recap from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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FINAL |
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9/20/2017 1:10 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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+159
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+1.5 (-131)
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Over 9 (-110)
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-177
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-1.5 (+111)
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Under 9 (-110)
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GAME PREVIEW
Marlins aim for sweep of Mets 37m ago• 3 min read MIAMI -- The Miami Marlins, who entered this week's series against the Mets having lost 17 of 20 games, are suddenly one win away from sweeping New York."It's been a rough month," Marlins catcher J. T. Realmuto said after his walk-off, 10th-inning homer helped Miami rally past the Mets 5-4 on Tuesday. "To be able to come back tonight was huge for us." Miami (71-80) will send Jose Urena to the mound on Wednesday afternoon to face the Mets (65-86) and Rafael Montero in a battle of 26-year-old right-handers.Urena (13-6, 3.62 ERA) has made a stunning transformation this year. After compiling a cumulative 5-14 record in his first two years in the majors, Urena ranks in the top 25 in the National League in wins and ERA this season.In four games against the Mets this year, including two starts, Urena is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA, striking out nine and walking just one in 16 innings.Montero (5-10, 5.08 ERA) had made 12 starts in the past three years. This year, with injuries decimating New York's rotation, Montero will be making his career-high 17th start of the season on Wednesday.So far, Montero has been unimpressive, averaging 10.3 hits per nine innings and 5.0 walks.In six games against the Marlins this year, including two starts, Montero is 1-0 with a 5.02 ERA.Here, though, is what the Mets -- desperate for hope -- are pointing toward in regards to Montero: He has been better lately. In his past seven starts, he is 4-2 with a 3.10 ERA.Offensively, there are at least two Mets to watch on Wednesday: shortstop Jose Reyes and catcher Travis d'Arnaud.Reyes, who set a season high with four hits on Tuesday, is batting .356 with four homers over his past 24 games.After a painfully slow start, Reyes, 34, has been much better in the second half of the season. He hit .174 in April, .216 in May and .213 in June. But then he woke up and hit .302 in July, .269 in August and .281 so far in September. His .932 on-base-plus-slugging percentage this month is his season high."I see it every night," Mets manager Terry Collins said when asked about Reyes. "He brings energy. He loves to play, gets big hits. He plays hard, and he's had a tremendous second half of the season. I'm really happy for him." Because Wednesday features a day game after a night game, the Mets may opt to rest d'Arnaud. But perhaps the Mets should rest the catcher later, and here's why: In his career, d'Arnaud is batting .325 against the Marlins.This year, he is hitting .364 with three homers and nine RBIs vs. Miami. That includes his 13th homer of the season on Tuesday, a two-run shot that snapped a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning.D'Arnaud finished the game 2-for-5. He tied his career high in homers and also set his personal best in RBIs (47).As for Miami's hitters, the Mets on Tuesday issued four walks to Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who leads the majors with 55 homers.If New York continues to be that careful with Stanton, look for Miami hitters such as Realmuto, first baseman Justin Bour and center fielder Christian Yelich to do some damage.As with d'Arnaud and New York, Miami may opt to rest Realmuto on Wednesday. If not, it is worth noting that both of his career walk-off hits have come against the Mets.Realmuto also hit his 29th double of the season on Tuesday. His career high of 31 doubles was set last year.Bour is hitting .450 in his past five games and has set his career high with four consecutive multi-hit performances.Yelich hit his 18th homer of the season on Tuesday and is three long balls short of his career high, which was set last year."Hopefully we can carry this momentum into the next couple of series," Realmuto said. "Hopefully we can finish the season strong."
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
GAME RECAP
Stanton hits 56th homer, Marlins beat Mets 9-2 for sweep 1h ago• 1 min read MIAMI Giancarlo Stanton hit his major league-leading 56th homer and drove in three runs as the Miami Marlins completed a three-game sweep of the New York Mets by winning 9-2 Wednesday.Stanton connected in the eighth inning for his 30th home run since the All-Star break. The Marlins have 10 games left.Stanton also hit a run-scoring single and has 120 RBIs. He made a fine catch, too, against the right field fence to rob Asdrubal Cabrera.A. J. Ellis and Miguel Rojas hit back-to-back homers off Mets reliever Erik Goeddel to start the eighth. With one out, Stanton pulled a 1-1 breaking pitch over the left field fence for a two-run homer.Jose Urena (14-6) allowed two runs in eight innings. The Marlins finished the season 12-7 against the Mets and swept their NL East rivals for the first time since May 2014.Justin Bour hit a two-run homer, his 23rd. Marcell Ozuna had a pair of two-out run-scoring singles, increasing his RBI total to 115.Brandon Nimmo hit his fourth homer for the Mets. Pinch-hitter Travis d'Arnaud had an RBI single.Rafael Montero (5-11) allowed five runs in four innings. He leads the Mets in losses.Announced attendance was 16,033, but the actual turnout was perhaps one-third of that total.STRONG STARTUrena allowed seven hits and walked none. The 26-year-old right-hander came into the season with a career record of 5-14 and has been one of the few bright spots in Miami's disappointing season.He departed after throwing 107 pitches and still has no complete games in 47 career starts. The Marlins' only complete game this season was thrown by Edinson Volquez when he pitched the lone no-hitter in the majors this year.TRAINER'S ROOMMets: SS Amed Rosario (stomach ailment) felt better and may return to the lineup Friday. ... OF Juan Lagares (sore left thumb) sat out.UP NEXTRHP Jacob de Grom (15-9, 3.55) is scheduled to pitch Friday when the Mets begin their final homestand against Washington.LHP Adam Conley (7-7, 5.20) is scheduled to start for the Marlins when they begin their final trip at Arizona on Friday.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
Game
Recap from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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FINAL |
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9/20/2017 1:10 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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-123
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+1.5 (-240)
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Over 10.5 (+104)
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+112
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-1.5 (+199)
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Under 10.5 (-126)
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GAME PREVIEW
Athletics' Mengden looks to maintain momentum vs. Tigers 1h ago• 2 min read DETROIT -- Daniel Mengden just hoped to get back in action this season while recovering from his second major injury this year.The Oakland Athletics right-hander did much more than that in his most recent outing.He tossed a complete-game shutout against the Philadelphia Phillies, strengthening his case to become a long-term member of the rotation. Mengden will try to duplicate, or at least come close, to that performance on Wednesday afternoon when he faces the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park."It felt really great," Mengden said on Tuesday, referring to his Friday outing at Philadelphia. "Doing that is a great feat in your career, and hopefully, I'll have many more of those." Mengden's season got off to a late start after he underwent foot surgery last winter. He missed spring training, then made four appearances for Triple-A Nashville. Mengden pitched for the A's on May 29 and June 3 before he was sidelined by a rib injury. He didn't return to the majors until this month."I was just hoping to get back in August and September, get some innings and be able to play," he said.He showed enough in the minors to receive a September call-up. Mengden then held the Houston Astros to two runs in six innings prior to the two-hit whitewash of the Phillies, in which he struck out seven. He became the 14th pitcher in club history to allow two hits or fewer in a shutout and not walk a batter."I'm just trying to show I belong," he said. "I want to be here and have a chance to fight for a spot in spring training. I didn't get the opportunity this year, but I'm hungry and I want to be here." Mengden (1-1, 4.30 ERA) has never faced the Tigers in his young career. His biggest challenge could come from Detroit's new cleanup hitter, Nicholas Castellanos, who extended his career-best hitting streak to 16 games on Tuesday during Oakland's 9-8 comeback victory.Castellanos was moved this month from third base to right field to open a spot for one of the organization's top prospects, Jeimer Candelario."He enjoys being one of the guys to drive in runs," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "Maybe the defensive move took a little bit off his plate. Maybe's he's more comfortable out there." Castellanos leads the current members of Detroit's roster with 24 homers and 94 RBIs. Justin Upton had 28 homers and 94 RBIs before he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels last month."I think he's proving to be a run-producer but you have to do it over a number of years before you really have a track record," Ausmus said of Castellanos. "He's improving every year, and he certainly doesn't shy away from the big at-bat with runners in scoring position." Mengden will be opposed by Anibal Sanchez, who is coming off his best outing of the season. Sanchez (3-4, 7.03 ERA) held the Chicago White Sox to one run on six hits while recording a season-high 11 strikeouts in six innings on Friday. He has a 2-2 record and 3.74 ERA in seven career starts against the A's.Sanchez will try to cool down A's first baseman Matt Olson, who homered for the fifth consecutive game on Tuesday.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
GAME RECAP
Mengden throws 7 scoreless, A's sweep Tigers with 3-2 win 34m ago• 2 min read DETROIT Daniel Mengden pitched seven scoreless innings, and Marcus Semien homered and drove in three runs, leading the Oakland Athletics to a 3-2 win and three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.Mengden (2-1) allowed seven hits and struck out four, extending his scoreless streak to 16 1/3 innings and helping the A's to their fourth consecutive win. The 24-year-old right-hander missed the first two months of the season after undergoing offseason foot surgery and was making his fifth major league start this year.Liam Hendriks got the final two outs in the ninth to earn his first save.Anibal Sanchez (3-5) pitched well in a losing effort, allowing three hits and one run in six innings. He struck out eight and walked three.Semien's double in the third inning brought home Bruce Maxwell, who led off with a double. His two-run homer in the seventh put the A's up 3-0.Mengden worked out of a few jams. He got Nick Castellanos to fly out to deep right center with two out and runners on the corners in the third.In the fifth, after allowing two-out singles to Alex Presley and Jeimer Candelario, Mengden induced another deep flyout from Miguel Cabrera.Castellanos led off the sixth with a single and advanced on a wild pitch. Mengden got a strikeout and two popouts to leave him stranded.The Tigers threatened in the ninth off Ryan Dull, who allowed a one-out, two-run single to Andrew Romine. Hendriks relieved Dull and got Jose Iglesias to ground into a fielder's choice before striking out Presley.TRAINER'S ROOMAthletics: C Bruce Maxwell left in the ninth after taking a foul ball to the mask from Iglesias. Maxwell stayed down for a few minutes and was replaced by Josh Phegley.STREAKINGCastellanos extended his career-best hitting streak to 17 games with his single in the sixth. ... Oakland 1B Matt Olson went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and a walk. He had homered in five straight games entering Wednesday, setting an A's rookie record.UP NEXTAthletics: RHP Kendall Graveman (5-4, 4.39 ERA) faces Texas on Friday. The Rangers have not announced their starter.Tigers: RHP Jordan Zimmermann (8-12, 6.18) takes on Minnesota LHP Adalberto Mejia (4-6, 4.62) on Thursday in Detroit.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
Game
Recap from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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FINAL |
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9/20/2017 3:45 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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-129
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-1.5 (+130)
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Over 8.5 (-103)
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+116
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+1.5 (-150)
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Under 8.5 (-117)
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GAME PREVIEW
Rockies need to bounce back vs. Giants 1h ago• 2 min read SAN FRANCISCO -- The Colorado Rockies' hold on the National League's second wild-card spot will be on the line Wednesday afternoon when they conclude a two-game road series against the San Francisco Giants.Colorado's 4-3 loss to the Giants on Tuesday night, coupled with a 1-0 win by Milwaukee over the Pittsburgh Pirates, narrowed the Rockies' lead over the Brewers to one game.The St. Louis Cardinals also gained a game on the Rockies with a 9-8 win at Cincinnati.Only 3 1/2 games separate the Rockies (82-69), Brewers (81-70) and Cardinals (78-72) with 12 days left in the regular season."You can't cry about losing games," Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez said after the Tuesday defeat. "Keep moving forward. We'd be in playoff position if the season ended today. We're in the driver's seat." Right-hander Tyler Chatwood (8-12, 4.57 ERA) will seek to continue his winning ways against the Giants when he pitches Wednesday for the Rockies. He will be opposed by San Francisco left-hander Matt Moore (5-14, 5.39).Chatwood has faced the Giants four times this season, and the Rockies have won all four times. He went 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in those outings, highlighted by a two-hit shutout in his most recent visit to AT&T Park on April 15.He is 7-3 with a 2.73 ERA in 16 career games, including 15 starts, against the Giants.Chatwood will have to deal with a team that, despite long ago having been eliminated from the playoff race, has stalled the postseason paths of the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Rockies in its past two games.Pablo Sandoval, who hit a key home run Sunday in San Francisco's 7-2 win over the Diamondbacks, contributed three hits to Tuesday in the triumph over the Rockies."I think it's extremely important to keep that passion, all of us," Giants right fielder Hunter Pence said of the final two weeks of a postseason-less season.Pence hit a two-run homer and a walk-off sacrifice fly on Tuesday."It's not just about the standings," Pence said. "We love competing and getting out here and playing. (It's) what we love to do." The walk-off was the 12th of Pence's career and the eighth of the Giants' season.Moore hasn't had much success against the Rockies, going 1-3 with a 9.64 ERA against them in six career starts.Moore will seek to avoid becoming the NL's first 15-game loser. The Giants have lost 20 of his 29 starts. Even so, the Giants (59-93) picked up his $9 million option for 2018 last weekend."Understanding there's now a vision with me being a part of turning the ship around and getting off to a better start next year, that gives me a lot of confidence heading into not only the last two weeks of the season but into the wintertime," Moore told the San Jose Mercury News on Saturday.Among the threats to Moore on Wednesday will be Rockies shortstop Trevor Story, who extended his hitting streak to 10 games on Tuesday.Story is one of five Rockies who have hit homers against Moore, joining Gonzalez, Charlie Blackmon, Nolan Arenado and Mark Reynolds in that distinction.Also, second baseman DJ LeMahieu is 8-for-14 (.571) against Moore in their career head-to-heads. LeMahieu will enter the last meeting of the season between the two teams with 29 hits this year against the Giants.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
GAME RECAP
Still in thick of wild-card race, Rockies lose third in row 18m ago• 4 min read SAN FRANCISCO Jonathan Lucroy is confident the Colorado Rockies will find their swagger again, and fast. Their playoff hopes depend on it.If the rookies dressing up in Denver Broncos jerseys for a flight to Southern California does the trick to loosen up this group, the catcher is all for it.Colorado starter Tyler Chatwood dug himself an early hole against the Giants and now the Rockies' lead for the second NL wild card is in jeopardy after a 4-0 loss to last-place San Francisco on Wednesday, the club's third straight defeat.''It's natural for younger players and guys that have never been there before to press when you get close to crunch time,'' Lucroy said. ''We're going to take a step back and have some fun today on the flight with our football team we have. Hopefully it will loosen some guys up and try to get back after the Padres. All we can control is our effort and our work. ... This is the most talented lineup I've ever been a part of. This lineup's too good to be held down like that. It was going to come down the wire anyway, we knew that.'' Joe Panik hit a one-out triple in the first off Chatwood (8-13) and immediately scored on Denard Span's sacrifice fly, then Panik doubled in the third and came home on Buster Posey's sacrifice fly.The Rockies' wild-card advantage had been trimmed to one game by the Brewers to begin the day. Milwaukee was playing a night game at Pittsburgh.Brandon Crawford hit a solo homer in the third to back Matt Moore (6-14), who earned his first win against Colorado after going 0-2 over his first three outings of the year.After two straight 4-3, walkoff setbacks, the Rockies lost for the fifth time in seven games overall following a six-game winning streak. Colorado dropped a fifth straight at AT&T Park for its longest skid at the waterfront ballpark since losing nine in a row from Aug. 11, 2012-April 10, 2013.''This time of year, it's natural for all of us to magnify things, because it's coming down to the end,'' Rockies manager Bud Black said. ''And that's great, which is what we want. That's what players want, that's what we want as an organization, to be in this situation.'' Moore struck out six and walked two over six innings, allowing six hits. He was chased in the seventh after back-to-back singles, and Steven Okert entered to face pinch-hitter Pat Valaika. Colorado couldn't capitalize.Panik added an RBI single in the seventh, missing hitting for the cycle by a home run. Pablo Sandoval hit two doubles.''With that team having a lot to play for right now and for us to pick up these last two, especially last night, it feels good,'' Moore said.The Rockies will wrap up their road schedule with four games at San Diego beginning Thursday, two victories from tying the 2009 club for most road wins in franchise history (41-40) - the only time the team has finished above .500 away from Coors Field.Colorado finished 12-7 against the Giants this season but 3-6 at AT&T Park after being swept in a three-game series June 26-28 and again in this quick two-game set. The Rockies missed matching a franchise record of 13 wins against one opponent in a season, having won 13 against Arizona in 2004.HIT PARADEDJ LeMahieu's first-inning single gave him 30 hits in 2017 against Giants, most hits by a Rockies player in one season vs. San Francisco in franchise history. Juan Pierre is the only other Colorado player to have 30 hits against one opponent in a season: against Arizona in 2002 and `01 vs. the Dodgers.TRAINER'S ROOMRockies: RF Carlos Gonzalez had a planned day off to rest. ... Chad Bettis will start Saturday at San Diego, the right-hander's eighth start this season after returning from his treatment with testicular cancer.Giants: 1B Brandon Belt, transferred to the 60-day disabled list with a concussion as the Giants claimed RHP Pierce Johnson from the Cubs, did agility work on the field and continues to feel better. ''I should be good in a couple weeks,'' he said. ''I turned a corner last week, just started feeling good.'' UP NEXTRockies: LHP Tyler Anderson (5-5, 5.28) faces the Padres for his second straight start after earning the win in a 16-0 victory Saturday at Coors Field. He is 2-0 over 10 scoreless innings since returning from the 60-day DL on Sept. 10.Giants: After Thursday's day off, RHP Jeff Samardzija (9-14, 4.42) - named the local baseball writers' chapter ''Good Guy'' for his thoughtful cooperation with the media - pitches Friday at Dodger Stadium having allowed one earned run over eight innings with 11 strikeouts and no walks in his only other matchup with Los Angeles this season back on May 3.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
Game
Recap from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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FINAL |
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9/20/2017 7:05 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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-285
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-1.5 (-175)
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Over 9.5 (-117)
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+251
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+1.5 (+152)
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Under 9.5 (-103)
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GAME PREVIEW
Phillies not making it easy for Dodgers 1h ago• 2 min read PHILADELPHIA -- A series between the team with the best record in baseball and one with the second-worst certainly hasn't gone the way one might expect.Just a few games away from clinching their fifth division title in a row, the Los Angeles Dodgers have run into a surprisingly difficult Philadelphia Phillies squad in the City of Brotherly Love.The Phillies (60-91) took the first two of a four-game series between the clubs, beating two Dodgers aces along the way. First, an Aaron Altherr grand slam beat Clayton Kershaw 4-3 on Monday night. Then, Rhys Hoskins' three-run double in the seventh inning lifted the Phillies to a 5-2 win on Tuesday night in a game that Yu Darvish started."It was nice to beat the Dodgers with Kershaw and Darvish pitching," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "We're playing well right now. Good to beat the Dodgers." Despite the defeats, the Dodgers (96-55) have their magic number to clinch the National League West down to two. The second-place Arizona Diamondbacks, 9 1/2 games back in the division race, have lost three straight.If the Dodgers want to wrap up the division at Citizens Bank Park, they will have to get through a Phillies team that is 17-14 over its past 31 games."Teams that have nothing to play for but are trying to establish themselves, those are dangerous teams," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "They're gutty and they play hard." Roberts will hand the ball Wednesday to yet another impressive starting pitcher, left-hander Alex Wood.Wood (15-3, 2.69 ERA) is coming off throwing six shutout innings against the Washington Nationals on Friday, the eighth time this year he kept the opposition off the scoreboard in one of his starts. He went at least five innings each of those outings, and he has thrown six or more shutout innings six times.Though shoulder issues sent him to the DL in late August, Wood feels as if he is back to where he needs to be to help the Dodgers go for their first World Series since 1988."I'm pretty close, still a little bit to go," Wood said after the win over Washington. "I've been working really hard to solidify my mechanics and get back to where I need to be for the playoffs." In 13 career appearances (eight starts) against the Phillies, Wood is 3-3 with a 3.40 ERA. He has not faced Philadelphia this season.Phillies starter Jake Thompson will make his 10th start of the season on Wednesday night as he faces the Dodgers for the first time this year.Thompson (2-2, 4.46 ERA) is coming off a strong outing against the Miami Marlins last Thursday. He gave up six hits and four walks in 5 1/3 innings, but he struck out six to help keep him from allowing any runs. It was Thompson's first win since July 28, a span of five starts.He faced the Dodgers once as a rookie in 2016, giving up five earned runs in five innings during a 7-2 loss.
Game
Preview from The Associated
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GAME RECAP
Aaron Altherr leads Phillies past slumping Dodgers 7-5 37m ago• 2 min read PHILADELPHIA Aaron Altherr hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the eighth after launching a tying, two-run homer an inning earlier and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers 7-5 Wednesday night.The Dodgers have lost four straight and 20 of 25. Their magic number to clinch a fifth straight NL West title remained at two, pending Arizona's game at San Diego.Regardless of that result, the Dodgers will have to wait to wrap up the crown. Los Angeles could have done it Wednesday with a win and a Diamondbacks loss.The Phillies have won eight of 10 and are 32-33 since the All-Star break, climbing out of last place in the majors.Luis Avilan (2-3) walked Cesar Hernandez to start the bottom of the eighth. Freddy Galvis bunted and catcher Austin Barnes made a wild throw to second base for an error that allowed the runners to reach second and third. Odubel Herrera struck out and Rhys Hoskins was intentionally walked. Brandon Morrow entered and Altherr ripped a hit off the right-field fence.Earlier in the series, Altherr became the first major leaguer to hit a grand slam off Clayton Kershaw.Luis Garcia (2-4) got the win despite allowing a run in the eighth. Hector Neris finished for his 23rd save in 26 chances. Herrera made a leaping catch in center field to end it, robbing Yasiel Puig.After Cody Bellinger ripped a two-run double to give the Dodgers a 4-2 lead in the top of the seventh, the Phillies answered against reliever Ross Stripling.Hoskins led off with a walk and Altherr followed with a two-run homer to deep left. One out later, Tommy Joseph connected for a 5-4 lead. But Los Angeles tied it at 5 on a walk, wild pitch, passed ball and fielder's choice grounder.The Phillies jumped ahead 2-0 in the second. Altherr lined a single and scored when Joseph ripped a double down the left-field line. Andrew Knapp followed with an RBI single.Chris Taylor cut it to 2-1 when he hit his 21st homer the opposite way to right in the third.CHASING PRECIATIONChase Utley, among the most beloved players in Phillies history, got another standing ovation when he came to the plate as a pinch-hitter for the Dodgers leading off the seventh. Fans cheered after he lined a triple to center off Victor Arano. Utley also hit the grounder that scored the tying run in the eighth.STARTING TIMEDodgers: Alex Wood gave up two runs and three hits, striking out six in six innings.Phillies: Jake Thompson allowed one run and three hits in five innings.UP NEXTRHP Kenta Maeda (12-6, 4.21 ERA) takes the mound for the Dodgers while RHP Mark Leiter Jr. (3-6, 4.93) goes for the Phillies in the series finale Thursday. Maeda is 3-0 with 21 strikeouts in three career starts vs. Philadelphia. Leiter tossed one scoreless inning the only time he faced Los Angeles.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
Game
Recap from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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FINAL |
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9/20/2017 7:05 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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-258
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-1.5 (-150)
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Over 8.5 (-110)
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+229
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+1.5 (+130)
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Under 8.5 (-110)
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GAME PREVIEW
Orioles to get one more crack at Red Sox's Sale 1h ago• 3 min read BALTIMORE -- Not many teams have found success against Boston Red Xox left-hander Chris Sale this season.The Baltimore Orioles will get another chance Wednesday in the finale of their three-game series with the Red Sox.Sale (16-7, 2.86 ERA), one of baseball's top pitchers, will try to help Boston sweep the series. Thanks to a second straight 11-inning victory over the Orioles on Tuesday night, the first-place Red Sox (87-64) maintained their three-game lead in the American League East over the New York Yankees.Baltimore (73-79) counters with Wade Miley (8-13, 5.32 ERA).Sale is looking for his 17th victory, which would match his career high. He is also 13 strikeouts away from 300 for the season as he bids to become the first AL pitcher to reach that number since Pedro Martinez did it for Boston in 1999.This season, Sale is 2-0 with a 3.21 ERA in two starts against the Orioles, holding them to a .176 average. He is 4-2 with a 3.35 ERA in 13 career games (seven starts) vs. Baltimore.Miley has struggled most of this season, often battling to get into the sixth inning because of high pitch counts.He pitched well in August, going 3-1, but dropped his past three starts, including his most recent outing. The left-hander lasted just 19 pitches and allowed six runs in one-third of an inning in a 13-5 loss to the Yankees on Thursday."You can't go out there and lay an egg like that," Miley said after that game. "You have to go out there, and I have to give us a chance, and I didn't. It just hurts more. Every game right now that we're not in the win column hurts. First-inning six spot doesn't help." For the Red Sox, second baseman Dustin Pedroia did not start Tuesday after a foul ball he hit Monday bounced back up and hit him in the nose. He was diagnosed with a nasal contusion.Manager John Farrell said no new medical imaging was taken Tuesday but the club hopes to have Pedroia back in the starting lineup Wednesday. Pedroia pinch-hit late in Boston's 1-0 victory on Tuesday, grounding into a double play."He's sore, there's no question," Farrell said. "I would expect him to be back in the lineup (Wednesday)." As for Hanley Ramirez (sore arm/biceps), he apparent felt fine after pinch-hitting Monday. He did not play Tuesday, and Farrell wants to see him back in the lineup Wednesday against Miley.The Orioles are healthier now, but the September call-ups have given outfielder Austin Hays a chance to get noticed.Hays never played above Double-A before coming to the Orioles earlier this month from the Bowie Baysox, but he made his sixth start -- and fifth in a row -- Tuesday. He doubled and stretched his hitting streak to four games. Hays has a .304 average.He has shown some good defensive skills in center and right field, including a solid throwing arm. Plus, Hays isn't afraid to take a chance on the basepaths -- in a good way."That's the part of it I really like, that he's anticipating taking an extra base," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "It's not a reckless aggressiveness so far." Showalter also said the team took precautionary X-rays on Adam Jones' right hand after the center fielder was hit by a Craig Kimbrel pitch in the ninth Tuesday. Jones finished the game."He looks fine," Showalter said, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Game
Preview from The Associated
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GAME RECAP
Sale reaches 300 Ks as Red Sox beat Orioles 9-0 for sweep 1h ago• 3 min read BALTIMORE Chris Sale struck out 13 to become the first AL pitcher in 18 years to reach the 300 mark, and the Boston Red Sox moved to the brink of clinching a playoff berth by beating the Baltimore Orioles 9-0 on Wednesday night.Sale (17-7) reached the milestone on his last pitch, a called third strike against Ryan Flaherty to end the eighth inning. The last AL pitcher to fan 300 batters in a season was Boston's Pedro Martinez in 1999, when he set a club record with 313.Mookie Betts and Deven Marrero homered for the Red Sox, who reduced their magic number for reaching the postseason to one. If the Angels lost to Cleveland later Wednesday night, Boston would be assured no worse than a wild-card spot in the AL playoffs.The Red Sox, of course, would prefer to enter as AL East champions. They hold a three-game lead over the second-place Yankees with 10 games left.After winning two straight 11-inning games over the skidding Orioles, Boston jumped to a 6-0 lead in the fifth and coasted to its 11th win in 14 games.Betts and Marrero hit two-run homers in the fourth against Wade Miley (8-14) and Hanley Ramirez added a two-run double in the fifth.Sale allowed four hits and walked none in matching his career high for wins.The left-hander reached double figures in strikeouts for the 18th time this season. Sale is the 14th pitcher in the so-called Live Ball Era (1920-present) to ring up 300 strikeouts in a season.It was his 10th scoreless outing of the season, tying the team record held by Babe Ruth (1916) and Martinez (2000 and 2002).Sale faced a Baltimore lineup that was lacking two of its better hitters. Manny Machado was held out with an illness that manager Buck Showalter said the third baseman had been dealing with for nearly two weeks, and shortstop Tim Beckham was unavailable after having a wisdom tooth removed.In a streak that began in the sixth inning Monday night, Baltimore has gone 26 straight innings without scoring. The Orioles (73-80) were in the playoff hunt before losing 12 of their last 14 games.SLUMP BUSTERBoston's Dustin Pedroia doubled in two runs in the eighth inning to snap an 0-for-18 skid. He missed Tuesday night's game with a bruised nose.PRICE CLOSING?The Red Sox have plenty of pitchers in the bullpen, perhaps none more accomplished than former Cy Young Award winner David Price.Price has been pitching in relief since returning from the DL on Sept. 14.''He is available for multiple innings of relief tonight,'' manager John Farrell said before the game. ''I wouldn't be surprised if he were closing the game out.'' TRAINER'S ROOMRed Sox: INF Eduardo Nunez (knee sprain) fielded grounders and did some running but still has a way to go before returning to the lineup. ''While the hitting and fielding portion has improved, we find that the running portion is going to take longer than we first anticipated,'' Farrell said.Orioles: Closer Zach Britton had an MRI on his left knee as part of the team's exit physicals. The result was not immediately available, but Showalter said surgery will not be necessary.UP NEXTRed Sox: After a day off Thursday, Boston sends 17-game loser Rick Porcello to the mound in the opener of a three-game interleague series at Cincinnati.Orioles: Gabriel Ynoa (1-2, 4.18 ERA) helps Baltimore launch a four-game series Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Rays, who - like the Orioles - remain only mathematically alive in the playoff chase.----More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
Game
Recap from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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FINAL |
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9/20/2017 7:05 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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-120
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-1.5 (+135)
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Over 9 (-113)
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+110
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+1.5 (-155)
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Under 9 (-107)
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GAME PREVIEW
Brewers throw Wilkerson into fire vs. Pirates 7h ago• 3 min read PITTSBURGH -- Right-hander Aaron Wilkerson will become the 13th pitcher to start a game for the Milwaukee Brewers this season when he opposed the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.He might be the least likely.Wilkerson will be making his first major league start after his big-league debut came in relief last week. But he wasn't on many radars when it came to starting pitching options for the Brewers for much of the season, which he spent with Double-A Biloxi.His numbers in Biloxi were fine, if not eye-catching. He posted an 11-4 record with a 3.14 ERA. He struck out 143 and walked 36 in 142 1/3 innings. However, at 28, he was significantly more experienced than his competition.Not many players get called up from Double-A to the majors at the end of the season, but not many take the path Wilkerson took to get there, either.Undrafted out of Cumberland University, Wilkerson spent a year and a half bouncing around independent leagues. By the time he signed with the Boston Red Sox's organization in 2014, he was already as older than many major league rookies."He's got a different path, for sure," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday. "And one that tested, certainly, his love for the game. It could have been easy for him to kind of certainly go a different direction multiple times. But he's stuck to it, and he's a good pitcher. And that's why he's getting this shot." Not to put any more pressure on Wilkerson than already exists, but it is not exactly a throw-away September game. The Brewers have one more shot to add on against the struggling Pirates, whom they shut out on back-to-back nights to start the three-game series, before facing the first-place Chicago Cubs in a division showdown this weekend.Milwaukee, which trails the Colorado Rockies by one game for the second National League wild-card spot, is 3 1/2 behind Chicago in the NL Central."It's a big spot," Counsell said, "but we will feel like he has been pitching in a way that we think he can have success up here. So I am looking forward to it, and we will see where it gets us." Across the diamond, the Pirates are trying something different, too.After the rosters expanded in September, the Pirates called up left-hander Steven Brault and righty Tyler Glasnow from Triple-A Indianapolis. Brault and Glasnow were pitching in the rotation in the minors, and the Pirates wanted to see them perform in that role in the majors.However, Pittsburgh already had five starters, and none seemed eager to yield any playing time. The Pirates skipped some starts and pushed some starts back to try make it work, but Wednesday, they are going to try something else.Brault and Glasnow will both pitch, with Brault getting the start and Glasnow coming in midway through. Glasnow has pitched in relief before -- a few games at the end of the 2016 season -- but this will be something new to him and the Pirates. Even so, he is approaching it just like any other start."I'm just doing the same stuff," he said. "I'm not going to have a starter routine (before the game). I'll warm up in the 'pen. I obviously won't have all of my normal stretches and stuff, but it's the same game." Brault (1-0, 4.38 ERA) has faced the Brewers four times in his career and is 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA. Glasnow (2-7, 7.89) is 0-2 with an 8.00 ERA against Milwaukee in his career.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
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GAME RECAP
Frazier's walk-off homer lifts Pirates by Brewers 6-4 42m ago• 2 min read PITTSBURGH Adam Frazier hit a two-run homer off Milwaukee closer Corey Knebel with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 6-4 victory on Wednesday night.The Pirates tied it in the eighth on a throwing error by Knebel then ended a seven-game losing streak when Frazier homered into the first row of seats in the right-field stands.Jesus Aguilar and Domingo Santana homered for the Brewers but Milwaukee missed a chance to pull into a tie with Colorado for the second wild-card spot in the National League.Knebel (1-2) had converted 21 straight save opportunities. Milwaukee lost for just the third time in its last 12 games.Felipe Rivero (5-2) earned the victory in relief. Frazier finished 2 for 5 with four RBIs. Starling Marte added two hits for the Pirates.The Brewers are trying to lock up the franchise's third playoff berth since 1982. The bullpen has keyed Milwaukee's persistent chase of the first-place Cubs and manager Craig Counsell didn't hesitate when rookie starter Aaron Wilkerson ran into trouble in the third inning.The Pirates ended a 21-inning scoreless drought when Frazier drilled a two-run triple and Marte followed with an RBI single to put them up 3-2, their first lead in nine days. It didn't last. Jacob Barnes came on for Wilkerson, a 28-year-old making his first major league start, and Pittsburgh's bats immediately went quiet.The Brewers used eight pitchers in all and moved in front in the seventh thanks to another erratic performance by Tyler Glasnow.Glasnow started the season in the rotation but was sent back to Triple-A Indianapolis due to control issues. Though he was dominant again at Triple-A, the command problems resurfaced again. He walked four of the six batters he faced, and Eric Thames' RBI double tied the game. The Brewers reclaimed the lead when Pittsburgh reliever A. J. Schugel walked in the go-ahead run.Knebel came on for a four-out save with tying run at second in the bottom of the eighth. Knebel got David Freese to hit a grounder, but Knebel's throw to first sailed wide, allowing Andrew McCutchen to race home from second.An inning later, Milwaukee's chance to pull even with Colorado was gone.TRAINER'S ROOMBrewers: RHP Jimmy Nelson is expected to miss a significant portion of the 2018 season while recovering from a partially torn labrum. Nelson suffered the injury after dislocating his shoulder while sliding back into first base against the Cubs earlier this month. ''When you get something taken from you on something that's bad luck frankly, it's tough to swallow,'' Counsell said. Nelson went 12-6 with a 3.49 ERA this season.Pirates: 2B Josh Harrison's surgically repaired left thumb will remain in a splint for the next 2-3 weeks but should be healed in time to go through his typical offseason workout program, trainer Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday. The same goes for C Francisco Cervelli, who is recovering from a sore left quadriceps.UP NEXTBrewers: Begin a pivotal four-game series at home against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. Zach Davies (17-9, 3.89 ERA) starts the opener for the Brewers, who are 8-7 this season against the World Series champions.Pirates: Are off Thursday before welcoming St. Louis to PNC Park for a three-game set starting Friday. Ivan Nova (11-14, 4.20 ERA) faces Michael Wacha (12-8, 4.02).---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
Game
Recap from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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FINAL |
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9/20/2017 7:07 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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+110
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+1.5 (-180)
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Over 9 (+100)
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-121
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-1.5 (+155)
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Under 9 (-120)
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GAME PREVIEW
Royals, Blue Jays may make more history 2h ago• 3 min read TORONTO -- The Kansas City Royals and the Toronto Blue Jays do not figure to be providing any thrills for their fans in October.That does not mean that they cannot provide a little history in September.They did just that Tuesday night in the Blue Jays' 5-2 victory.When Royals left fielder Alex Gordon hit his eighth homer of the season in the eighth inning Tuesday against reliever Ryan Tepera, it was the 5,694th home run hit in the majors in 2017, surpassing the previous record set for a season in 2000."A pretty cool thing to be a part of," Gordon said. "I didn't hit many this year, but I guess I made one count. It's good to be in the Hall of Fame, I guess. ... . I'm going to give (the ball) to Cooperstown. I figured they'd probably have much more reason to have it than I do." There could be more history from both teams as the three-game series continues Wednesday with the second game at the Rogers Centre.The Royals will start right-hander Jakob Junis (7-2, 4.15 ERA) against Toronto left-hander Brett Anderson (3-3, 5.73 ERA overall).Toronto right fielder Jose Bautista struck out twice Tuesday and is one whiff away from setting a single-season club record. He is tied at 159 with Jose Canseco (1998) and Kelly Johnson (2012).Kansas City third baseman Mike Moustakas is one home run away from setting a franchise record. He has 36, matching the mark set in 1985 by Steve Balboni. Moustakas has hit only one homer over his past 28 games, however. He has not hit one since Sept. 1, and the 15-game drought is his longest since July 23-Aug. 10, 2015."It's amazing," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We've seen our share of home runs. Moose is on the verge of breaking our franchise home run record. I don't know what to make of it. Guys are bigger and guys are stronger, but so are the pitchers. There sure are a lot of home runs being hit."You're always looking to elevate. You're not going to make a whole lot of money hitting the ball on the ground in this league because the defenders are so quick and athletic. You've got to get the ball in the air, I think, if you're going to be successful." Toronto's Josh Donaldson did not hit a home run Tuesday, but he has hit 21 since the All-Star break, which leads the American League for that span. He has 30 home runs this season despite being on the disabled list for 38 games with a calf injury April 14-May 25. He has missed 48 games overall."There is a ton of home runs being hit, more than normal," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "It really looks like the ball is flying. Why, who knows? ..."Fans love it. When you're hitting them, we love it. When they're hitting them, you don't like it so much. l see a lot more opposite-field home runs that you wouldn't normally see on certain type swings." Anderson left his start Thursday at Minnesota after 4 1/3 innings because a blister was developing on his left index finger, but barring a setback, he is on target to make the start Wednesday. He allowed two runs, five hits and four walks and did not factor in the decision Thursday in a 3-2 win by the Twins.He will be making his fifth start for the Blue Jays, who signed him after he was released by the Chicago Cubs. He is 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA in four starts with the Blue Jays and is 3-3. Anderson is 2-0 with a 3.46 ERA in two career starts against the Royals.Junis will be trying to win his sixth straight decision Wednesday.His five consecutive winning decisions are the most by a Royals rookie since Luke Hochevar won five in a row June 4-25, 2008. He has allowed four walks in his past 169 batters as a starter, recording 36 strikeouts in that span.Junis did not factor in the decision in the Royals' 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians on Thursday when he allowed seven hits, one walk and one run with one strikeout in 5 2/3 innings.He had a no-decision in his only start against the Blue Jays this season June 23, when he allowed two runs, six hits and two walks while striking out four in 6 1/3 innings.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
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GAME RECAP
Moustakas breaks Royals' HR record in 15-5 rout of Jays 30m ago• 2 min read TORONTO Mike Moustakas hit his 37th home run of the season, breaking Steve Balboni's Royals record, Salvador Perez and Whit Merrifield also connected and Kansas City routed the Toronto Blue Jays 15-5 on Wednesday night.Rookie right-hander Jakob Junis (8-2) allowed four runs, two earned, in 6 1/3 innings, improving to 5-0 with a 2.42 ERA over his past eight starts.Moustakas went 3 for 4 and came within a triple of hitting for the cycle. He eclipsed Balboni's 1985 record with a solo blast to right off Carlos Ramirez in the sixth.Merrifield also had three hits and drove in a pair of runs as the Royals snapped a three-game losing streak and won for the second time in their past seven.Kansas City came within a run of matching its season high. The Royals scored 16 against Detroit twice within a seven-day span in late July.Leading 1-0, the Royals exploded for eight runs and seven hits in the second, chasing Blue Jays left-hander Brett Anderson and sending 12 batters to the plate. Alcides Escobar had a two-run single, Merrifield hit an RBI single, Eric Hosmer ended Anderson's night with a two-run double, and Perez greeted reliever Luis Santos with his 26th home run, a two-run drive to left.Anderson (3-4) left his previous start at Minnesota in the fifth after being bothered by a blister on his index finger. Against the Royals, he allowed eight runs and seven hits in 1 1/3 innings. Anderson was caught by TV cameras ripping his cap apart as he sat in the dugout after coming out of the game.Kansas City added four more against Ramirez in the sixth, snapping the rookie's streak of 47 2/3 scoreless innings in the minors and majors. He had pitched 10 shutout innings to begin his big league career.Merrifield ended the streak with a leadoff homer, his 18th, Cabrera hit an RBI double, Perez drove in a run with a groundout and Moustakas added a two-out homer.Raffy Lopez homered in the ninth for the Blue Jays.TRAINER'S ROOMRoyals: Perez took a foul ball off his left elbow in the bottom of the seventh. Perez finished the inning but was replaced by pinch hitter Drew Butera in the eighth.UP NEXTRoyals: LHP Jason Vargas (16-10, 4.19) pitched five innings to beat the Indians in his previous start as Kansas City snapped Cleveland's 22-game winning streak.Blue Jays: LHP J. A. Happ (9-10, 3.76) is 3-0 with a 2.50 ERA in three September starts.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
Game
Recap from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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FINAL |
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9/20/2017 7:10 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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-195
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-1.5 (-140)
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Over 9.5 (-116)
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+175
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+1.5 (+120)
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Under 9.5 (-103)
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GAME PREVIEW
Cardinals visit Reds in another crucial game 1h ago• 2 min read CINCINNATI -- The St. Louis Cardinals are looking for leadership in their effort to climb back into the National League playoff picture. Time is running out.On Tuesday, the Cardinals welcomed back one of their field generals when veteran right-hander Adam Wainwright was reinstated from the disabled list. Wainwright will be used in relief for the remainder of the season."We need his presence and his leadership," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "We get in the middle of this thing, we have to do whatever we can." St. Louis (78-72) plays the second of three games against the Cincinnati Reds (66-85) on Wednesday night at Great American Ball Park. The Cardinals are 3 1/2 games behind Colorado for the second NL wild-card spot.Matt Carpenter is another one of the veteran players the Cardinals are counting on down the stretch. He was given a day off for the series opener but is expected back in the lineup Wednesday. Carpenter is 3-for-13 on the current road trip."We have a group of guys that have been kind of our go-to guys in big situations, not just to go through it, but talk about what success should look like this time of year," Matheny said. "You want that current success to match up to the message that you're giving." Right-hander Luke Weaver (6-1, 1.89 ERA) will start for St. Louis on Wednesday. The 24-year-old beat Cincinnati last week, allowing one unearned run on two hits with six strikeouts over six innings of a 5-2 victory at Busch Stadium.He allowed five runs and four hits in two-thirds of inning in relief against the Reds last season in his only other appearance against them.Weaver also has a personal six-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the major leagues. It is tied with Wainwright for the longest streak by a Cardinals pitcher this season. Over his past five starts, Weaver is 5-0 with a 1.15 ERA, having walked four and struck out 42.Cincinnati counters with right-hander Rookie Davis, a 24-year-old rookie who rejoined the rotation after Triple-A Louisville's season ended. Davis was on the Reds' Opening Day roster and is making his first start since returning to the major leagues. He gave up two runs in two innings in a relief outing at St. Louis on Sept. 12.Davis is 1-2 with a 7.58 ERA in five starts. He has 13 walks in 19 innings as a starter. He spent 14 days on the disabled list in April due to a bruised right forearm.Cincinnati is hoping to get center fielder Billy Hamilton into a game during this series, if only as a pinch runner. He is on the disabled list with a fractured left thumb but has resumed baseball activity."He hasn't done any live hitting yet," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "We could use him as a pinch runner. It's more or a probability than a possibility. I don't think the first time you see him will be as our starting center fielder." The Reds will be looking to reach the 1,000-win mark against St. Louis during this series. Cincinnati currently has 998 wins over the Cardinals since 1900. At 9-8 this season against them, including 5-3 at Great American Ball Park, the Reds are looking for their first season series win over St. Louis since 2011.Cincinnati is 3-3-2 against the Cardinals in the past seven completed series of more than one game.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
GAME RECAP
Cards power Weaver with 3 homers in 9-2 win over Reds 42m ago• 2 min read CINCINNATI Dexter Fowler homered for the third straight game while Matt Carpenter and Paul DeJong also homered as the St. Louis Cardinals gained ground in their National League playoff push with a 9-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.Tommy Pham finished with two doubles, a single and two RBIs and Yadier Molina added a two-run double as the third-place Cardinals (79-72) gained a game on Colorado in the wild-card race to move within 2 1/2 games. St. Louis sits five games behind the Cubs in the NL Central chase.Rookie right-hander Luke Weaver retired 10 straight batters in one stretch on the way to his seventh straight winning start, the major leagues' longest active streak and the longest by a Cardinals pitcher this season. The 24-year-old allowed five hits and two runs with seven strikeouts in five innings.Weaver (7-1) has fanned seven or more batters in each of his last seven starts. Relievers Zach Duke, Seung Hwan Oh, Sandy Alcantara and Sam Tuivailala teamed up to retire 12 of the final 13 Reds batters.Carpenter led off the game with his 21st homer. Fowler followed Pham's RBI double in the third with a two-run shot into the right field seats. It was his career-high 18th homer of the season. DeJong added his team-high 24th, the Cardinals' second set of back-to-back homers in two nights.The Reds broke up Weaver's shutout bid with a two-run fifth. Patrick Kivlehan's drove in Jose Peraza from first with a double and scored on Jesse Winker's single.Rookie Davis (1-3) gave up all three homers and five runs on five hits with three strikeouts in three innings.TRAINER'S ROOMCardinals: Carpenter returned to the starting lineup on Wednesday after not starting Tuesday because of bursitis in his right shoulder that has plagued him for much of the season.Reds: CF Billy Hamilton was activated from the 10-day disabled list (fractured left thumb), but he most likely will be limited to pinch-running and defense for at least a couple of days until he proves he can handle a bat without aggravating the injury.UP NEXTCardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez, who turns 26 on Thursday, is 0-2 with a 7.15 ERA in two starts against the Reds this season, including a 4-2 loss in Cincinnati on June 5 when he allowed four hits and four runs with two walks and eight strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.Reds: RHP Homer Bailey (5-8) set a single-game career high by allowing 10 earned runs in 3 1/3 innings of his last start against the Cardinals, a 13-4 loss at St. Louis on August
Game
Recap from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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FINAL |
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9/20/2017 7:10 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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|
|
|
-113
|
-1.5 (+140)
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Over 8 (-116)
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|
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+103
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+1.5 (-160)
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Under 8 (-104)
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GAME PREVIEW
Cubs try to keep momentum going against Rays 1h ago• 2 min read ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Chicago Cubs got a warm welcome in manager Joe Maddon's return to Tropicana Field on Tuesday, and they will try to get out of town with a two-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays when the series concludes Wednesday.The first-place Cubs (84-66) have won seven straight, but the Milwaukee Brewers matched them Tuesday night with a win to stay 3 1/2 games back in the National League Central. Chicago is gearing up for a four-game series at Miller Park this weekend."I feel like we're playing really good baseball right now," said Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber, who hit a solo home run as a designated hitter Tuesday, a role he could pick up again if the Cubs return to the World Series. "The way that our guys are just going out there and competing, it's really good to see, especially this time of year. It's getting to crunch time." Unlike some of the NL's other leading teams, the Cubs are peaking in September, on the mound and at the plate. Momentum is an important thing in the final two weeks of the regular season as well."We just have to keep this same pace we're going at and not worry about however many games we've won or whatever it is," Schwarber said after Chicago's 2-1 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday. "Just take it a day at a time and keep that same focus every day, like we've been doing. Good things are going to happen." On Wednesday, those efforts will start with Cubs pitcher Jon Lester. The left-hander was to pitch Tuesday but had that start bumped back a day, which means he won't pitch against the Brewers on Sunday. Lester (11-7, 4.30 ERA) and took the loss against the Rays on July 4, giving up six runs on five innings.The Rays know Lester well from his Boston Red Sox days -- he is 13-10 in his career against Tampa Bay with a 4.22 ERA, and the 10 losses are the most he has against any major league team. By comparison, he is 15-4 against the Baltimore Orioles, 13-6 against the New York Yankees and 15-9 against the Toronto Blue Jays.Tampa Bay, struggling to stay mathematically alive for the second American League wild card, will counter with lefty Blake Snell (3-6, 4.25 ERA). Snell hasn't lost in his past nine starts, the longest stretch of its kind by a Rays starter this season, after going without a win for much of the season.Snell pitched well against the Cubs in July at Wrigley Field, allowing no runs in five innings. He was in line for the win until the Rays bullpen took a loss.Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash, trying to stay optimistic despite his team dropping eight of 11 games, focused on the pitching and defense coming off a tough loss Tuesday in which the Rays were held to one hit."Our bullpen came in in some high-leverage situations to keep it right there and give the opportunity to the offense to get right back in there or tie it up," he said. "They did everything they could."
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
GAME RECAP
Rays, Snell end Cubs' 7-game winning streak 1h ago• 1 min read ST. PETRSBURG, Fla. Blake Snell gave up two hits in seven shutout innings and the Tampa Bay Rays ended the Chicago Cubs' season-best seven-game winning streak 8-1 on Wednesday night.The Cubs, who had not lost since being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in a three-game series in Chicago on Sept. 8-10, are scheduled to open a four-game series in Milwaukee on Thursday night. They held a 3 1/2-game lead over the Brewers entering Wednesday.Steven Souza Jr. hit his 30th home run in the first inning and the Rays added three more runs in the second off Jon Lester.Wilson Ramos, who had three of Tampa Bay's 10 hits, made it 7-0 with a two-run single in the fifth that knocked Lester (11-8) out of the game.Lester, who had won three starts since coming off the disabled list on Sept. 2, gave up seven runs and eight hits with three walks in 4 1/3 innings. He had no strikeouts.Snell (4-6) gave up singles to John Jay in the third and Addison Russell in the fifth. He walked three and struck out five in seven innings. Snell is 4-0 in 10 starts since July 24.Jay drove in the Cubs' run with a single in the eighth off reliever Ryne Stanek.BERNIE WILLIAMS PERFORMS FOR IPFFormer New York Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams performed ''Take Me Out to the Ballgame'' on an acoustic guitar during the seventh-inning stretch as part of the Breathless IPF campaign. It raises awareness of the lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which afflicted Williams' father.TRAINER'S ROOMCubs: RHP Jake Arrieta, who has missed two starts due to a strained right hamstring, will pitch Thursday at Milwaukee. ... RHP Hector Rondon (right elbow inflammation) threw a bullpen session.Rays: LHP Xavier Cedeno (left forearm tightness) will be activated from the 60-day disabled list. Cedeno last pitched on April 16.UP NEXTCubs: A four-game series in Milwaukee starts Thursday night. The Brewers stayed in the race with a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field two weeks ago.Rays: RHP Matt Andriese (5-3) will pitch Thursday night's opener of a four-game series in Baltimore.
Game
Recap from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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FINAL |
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9/20/2017 7:35 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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-161
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-1.5 (-107)
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Over 9.5 (-115)
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+144
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+1.5 (-113)
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Under 9.5 (-105)
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GAME PREVIEW
Braves' Sims continues audition vs. Nationals 1h ago• 2 min read ATLANTA -- One of the questions the Atlanta Braves brass must answer during the offseason is whether right-handed pitching prospect Lucas Sims belongs in the rotation or the bullpen.Sims (2-5, 5.52 ERA) will make another start Wednesday against the Washington Nationals, who send veteran left-hander Gio Gonzalez (14-7, 2.68) to oppose him in the second contest of a three-game series at SunTrust Park.The Nationals won the series opener 4-2 on Tuesday to take a 9-8 lead in the season series. The loss guaranteed Atlanta (67-82) would have a losing record for the fourth consecutive season.Sims, a rookie who was the team's first-round draft choice in 2012, has made 11 appearances (seven starts). He has made it clear that he prefers to be a starting pitcher.The Braves moved Sims to the bullpen after his Sept. 2 start against the Chicago Cubs, when he allowed seven runs in three innings. Because he was stretched out, Sims had the ability to throw multiple innings out of the 'pen, which he did in two of his subsequent four relief appearances.However, on Sunday, the Braves announced Sims as the starter for the Wednesday game and moved left-hander Max Fried to the bullpen. Fried is another rookie who will be under consideration to join the rotation in 2018."The kid never quits," Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Sims. "He keeps pitching. He competes." In seven starts, Sims has averaged 5 1/3 innings per outing. In 44 innings overall, he has recorded 31 strikeouts and 15 walks.Sims has made only one appearance against Washington, that a perfect one-inning stint on Sept. 13.Gonzalez, like teammate Max Scherzer, is a candidate for the National League Cy Young Award. The southpaw is coming off a poor showing against Atlanta on Sept. 12, when he allowed five runs in five innings despite eight strikeouts."You get the strikeouts and then all of a sudden, the hits came in," Gonzalez said. "It was just one of those games. You take it for what it was, sweep it up the rug and get ready for tomorrow. It was one of those games you can't really understand what happened, just pick up where you can and go from there." The Braves have fared well against Gonzalez. In 20 career starts against Atlanta, he is 4-11 with a 5.27 ERA. This season, Gonzalez is 0-2 with a 6.48 ERA in three starts vs. the Braves.Atlanta has had trouble scoring runs of late. Over the past five games, the Braves managed only 11 runs.The Braves likely will be without catalyst Ender Inciarte on Wednesday. The center fielder left the game early Tuesday with right thumb soreness. Snitker said there was no structural damage and that Inciarte needs a day of rest."We just have to back off," Snitker said. "It's just sore." Inciarte doesn't like to take a day off under normal circumstances, must less when he is chasing 200 hits. He was 0-for-2 on Tuesday, leaving him with 190 hits. He is trying to become the first Atlanta player to reach the milestone since Marquis Grissom in 1996.Washington is close to getting its injured players back.Outfielder Bryce Harper (hyperextended left knee) and infielder Stephen Drew (left abdominal strain) ran before the Tuesday game. Both are eligible to come off the disabled list whenever they are deemed healthy.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
GAME RECAP
Nationals rally for 6 runs in 8th to beat Braves 1h ago• 1 min read ATLANTA Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino issued three bases-loaded walks in the six-run eighth, Gio Gonzalez pitched seven strong innings and the Washington Nationals beat Atlanta 7-3 on Wednesday night.Gonzalez (15-7) allowed two runs, three hits and one walk to enjoy some rare good luck in the series. The left-hander, who struck out eight, began the night 4-11 with a 5.27 ERA in 20 career starts against the Braves.The NL East champion Nationals rallied from a 2-1 deficit for their third straight win.Pinch-hitter Wilmer Difo singled, Trea Turner doubled and Jayson Werth walked in the eighth against Jose Ramirez (2-3). Braves manager Brian Snitker brought in Vizcaino, and the move quickly backfired.Daniel Murphy, Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon walked, and Vizcaino left without a retiring a batter. Rex Brothers then gave up Adam Lind's two-run single and Michael Taylor's RBI single to make it 7-2.
Game
Recap from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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FINAL |
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9/20/2017 8:10 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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|
|
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+321
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+1.5 (+163)
|
Over 9 (-118)
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-370
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-1.5 (-190)
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Under 9 (-102)
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GAME PREVIEW
Astros host White Sox, continue pursuit of AL's best record 40m ago• 2 min read HOUSTON -- Astros manager A. J. Hinch was quick to joke that his team appreciated the scheduled off day it enjoyed Monday, one that came on the heels of Houston claiming the American League West title on Sunday, allowing the revelry to linger a bit longer.On Tuesday, it was back to business for the Astros, with Hinch making clear his intention to pursue the best record in the AL (and home-field advantage in the postseason) by penciling in his primary lineup for the opener of a three-game series with the Chicago White Sox.Houston won 3-1 on Tuesday, and the clubs meet again Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park.Some teams might ease up while heading into the postseason with their spot guaranteed. The Astros (92-58) have opted to dash full speed through the finish line of the 162-game regular season. They are 1 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Indians for the AL's top record."We're built on routine; we play every day," Hinch said. "And so, when you start to disrupt that artificially, you get lax mentally. There are so many ways we can still get better over the next couple of weeks. It's hard to just turn the switch when October starts."There are habit-forming things we're trying to do. These guys are built to play every day; they train to play every day. Mentally there's no reason for us to try to coast through these games and not try to win." Right-hander Brad Peacock (11-2, 2.98 ERA) takes the ball for the Astros in the middle game of the series. Peacock has faced the White Sox twice previously in his career, allowing three runs on 12 hits and five walks with 10 strikeouts over 13 innings. In a no-decision on Aug. 10, he allowed one run on seven hits with five strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.Right-hander James Shields (4-6, 5.43 ERA) pitches for the White Sox (60-90) on Wednesday. It will mark his sixth career start against Houston. Shields is 2-1 with a 1.70 ERA vs. the Astros, including a complete game on June 24, 2011, while with the Tampa Bay Rays when he allowed one run on three hits and one walk with nine strikeouts.While the Astros spent Monday recuperating from their celebration, White Sox manager Rick Renteria rested on his day off. He returned Tuesday ready for the final 13 games invigorated by the fact that his rebuilding squad has tackled the chore of competition with enthusiasm.Renteria opened the series with five rookies in his starting offense, another, Lucas Giolito, on the mound, and two more on the bench.Rookie right-hander Carson Fulmer will start the series finale Thursday. This is the course the White Sox have taken, and Renteria is pleased to steer this ship."After every game, I think they gain something they're going to be able to use moving forward," Renteria said. "At the end of the day, it's just experience, it's just time. They have certain skill sets that they're trying to develop and use, and we're scratching at the surface of what's going to be moving forward."Like many organizations have done, we're trying to do the same thing."
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
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GAME RECAP
Peacock, Gurriel lead Astros over White Sox 4-3 1h ago• 2 min read HOUSTON Yuli Gurriel had three hits, including a two-run double, Brad Peacock threw six solid innings and the Houston Astros extended their winning streak to six games with a 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.Peacock (12-2) allowed two runs on one hit with six strikeouts. The right-hander continues to throw well, allowing two runs or fewer in each of his last five starts.After Yoan Moncada put the White Sox up 2-1 in the top of the fourth with a two-run homer, Gurriel answered with his two-run hit in the bottom half of the inning.Jose Altuve upped Houston's lead to 4-2 with an RBI single in the seventh, but Yolmer Sanchez cut the lead to one with an RBI double in the eighth.Joe Musgrove struck out Moncada with the tying run on second to end the eighth and struck out Omar Narvaez with the tying run on second to end the game for his second save.James Shields (4-7) allowed three runs on six hits with four walks and five strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. Shields has given up at least three runs in five of his last six starts.TRAINING ROOMAstros: RHP Lance McCullers (arm fatigue) threw a bullpen session Wednesday.White Sox: OF Avisail Garcia left the game in the third with stomach discomfort. He was replaced by Alen Hanson.CORREA WAITING FOR WORDAstros SS Carlos Correa was awaiting word from his family in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria made landfall on the island Wednesday morning as a category four storm. Correa was especially concerned about his grandmother, who he had not talked to since Wednesday morning.''You get worried because you know it's really bad and you hear it from the news and from people how bad it's getting,'' Correa said. ''My grandma's house is really close to the river and most likely will get flooded. It's just waiting to hear from word from her and how she's doing.'' On a day where his thoughts were on his homeland, Correa wore shoes with the Puerto Rican flag on them and he wrote ''Pray for Mexico'' and ''Pray for Puerto Rico'' on his cap.ANDERSON EXTENDS STREAKWhite Sox SS Tim Anderson extended his hit streak to 11 games with a single in the eighth. Anderson hit a liner off Astros RHP Luke Gregerson's glove hand and beat out the throw to first.UP NEXTWhite Sox: RHP Carson Fulmer (2-1) will make his fourth start of the season Thursday in the series finale. Fulmer earned his first career win as a starter in his last outing, allowing one run in six innings Sept. 10 against the Giants.Astros: LHP Dallas Keuchel (13-4) will look to continue his strong season Thursday. Keuchel allowed one run in six innings in his last start, a win over Seattle Saturday.
Game
Recap from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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GAME PREVIEW
Padres go for three-game sweep of Diamondbacks 1h ago• 3 min read SAN DIEGO -- The Padres face a simple task as they square off against the Arizona Diamondbacks' Robbie Ray on Wednesday night, going for a three-game sweep."Put the ball in play," San Diego manager Andy Green said.Sounds so elementary. However, the Padres have faced Ray three times this season, and in each case, there hasn't been much solid contact.Make that any contact."We have to lay off his fastball at the top of zone," Green said. "You are not going to hit him up there. You have to force him to throw it down." Ray (14-5, 2.74 ERA) has been sensational against the Padres, going 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA. Then again, he has been lights-out against a lot of teams this season.At Phoenix on Sept. 10, Ray spun six innings of two-run ball with 12 strikeouts against San Diego. The time before that, he racked up 11 strikeouts when allowing one run in 6 2/3 innings. In a May encounter, the Padres waved the white flag after getting but two hits and striking out six times as Ray tossed 7 2/3 scoreless innings."This isn't rocket science," Green said. "You have to force his pitches down." Even so, Ray, who is 4-4 lifetime against San Diego, is on the rise against everybody in a breakout season."I don't think it is necessarily just been against the Padres; he has had a really good year all the way around," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. "It's because of his aggressive fastball, which he is just pressing into the zone. He's attacking hitters and making them feel uncomfortable with that." There is more to Ray's resurgence than a heater. Ray is riding a streak of four games with at least 10 strikeouts. Since exiting the disabled list on Aug. 14 after recovering from a concussion, he is 5-0 with a 1.39 ERA in five starts."It's just quality secondary stuff," Lovullo said. "He's getting a ton of swing-and-misses with his breaking ball in the zone. A ton of swing-and-misses on breaking balls out of the zone. He has command of three pitches, and it's been consistent since he returned from his injury." Ray's season hit pause on July 28 when he was struck in the head by a 108 mph line drive hit by the St. Louis Cardinals' Luke Volt. Ray missed a couple rotation turns and picked up where he left off."That is what stands out the most to me," Lovullo said. "He had a pretty significant injury, a scary injury that some pitchers don't come back from. But he worked hard. He stayed with it, and he shared how he was feeling and he came out the other side. He's been pretty impressive since his return." Maybe even better as his arm took a breather."If you ask him, he might have a different answer, but I think the rest did him some good," Lovullo said. "I feel like he used it as a couple of turns off, and he didn't get too far away from it mentally. Physically, he just stepped right back into it, and fundamentally, he was exactly the same." Dinelson Lamet (7-7, 4.15 ERA) opposes Ray with the Padres hoping his ERA continues to go into reverse. The rookie right-hander has shaved it in four consecutive starts.However, Lamet was amiss when facing the Diamondbacks earlier this year. He absorbed the loss in his only career outing against them on June 6 in Phoenix. He walked five batters and gave up five hits and nine runs (seven earned) in three innings."He really struggled with his command of the fastball," Green said. "That might have been his roughest outing of the year. His stuff will play against them; it will play against anybody. But he has to command his fastball." Despite the defeat Tuesday, the Diamondbacks (87-65) didn't lose ground in the National League wild-card race. They still lead the Colorado Rockies by 4 1/2 games for the first wild card.San Diego (68-83) owns a three-game winning streak.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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GAME PREVIEW
Angels' Nolasco looks for first career win vs. Indians 15m ago• 3 min read ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Ricky Nolasco will take the mound for the Los Angeles Angels against the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night, his name among those in various "American League leaders" categories.However, they are not in the categories in which Nolasco or the Angels would like to see him included.His 14 losses are surpassed by only Boston's Rick Porcello (17). His 34 home runs allowed are surpassed only by Porcello (35) and Seattle's Ariel Miranda (35). He is seventh in hits allowed (186) and sixth in earned runs allowed (94).After nearly every start, Nolasco seems to sing the same tune."It's baseball," he told MLB.com. "At the end of the day, I just do what I can do: Eat up innings and give us a chance to win, just keep grinding." Nolasco finally seemed to at least give his team a chance in his most recent game. He threw a quality start (two runs in six innings) against the Houston Astros on Thursday, though Nolasco and the Angels eventually lost the game.It ended a streak of seven consecutive starts in which Nolasco failed to give the Angels a quality start going back to Aug. 1.Nolasco (6-14, 5.11 ERA) pitched fairly well in his only start against the Indians this season, giving up three runs in 6 2/3 innings of what became a 10-4 loss on July 26. For his career, he is 0-3 with a 5.32 ERA in eight appearances (seven starts) against Cleveland.Jason Kipnis (5-for-15, two homers, six RBIs) and Jose Ramirez (4-for-12, one homer, three RBIs) have hit Nolasco well.Nolasco will be matched up against Indians starter Josh Tomlin, who has had trouble pitching deep into games lately. He failed to go six innings in each of his past four starts. However, he has held the opposition to two runs or fewer in each of those four starts. He has never pitched against the Angels.Tomlin (9-9, 5.04 ERA) has been trying to get his legs back under him after missing all of August with a strained left hamstring.Though the Indians have already clinched the American League Central title, thanks in large part to their 22-game winning streak, they certainly want to stay on a roll as they can going into the postseason. Cleveland made another step in the right direction Tuesday, beating the Angels 6-3 in the series opener for their third win a row since the streak-ending defeat.Shortstop Francisco Lindor has been as hot as any Indians hitter. He set an Indians record with at least one extra-base hit in 10 consecutive games, the streak ending Sunday. During the streak, Lindor batted .463 with four homers, six doubles and two triples."He's using the whole field," Francona said. "And he's strong enough, and he's got probably 1,500 at-bats under his belt (in his career), He knows the league and he understands situations more. That comes with experience. So he's still every bit as dangerous. He just also is finding his hits, spraying the ball around." Lindor, still only 23, has 30 homers, 40 doubles and four triples this season."He's got a ton of tools, which everybody sees," Francona said. "And he's a really hard worker, and he's a smart kid. That's kind of why a couple years ago, we were so excited about him getting here. He's one of the better players around. So many different ways he can impact a game." Lindor has hit the Angels well in his career, batting .355 (22-for-62) in 17 career games despite going 0-for-4 on Tuesday.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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GAME PREVIEW
Mariners hope Felix is King against Rangers 1h ago• 2 min read SEATTLE -- With the season running down and each game becoming increasingly more important, Seattle Mariners ace right-hander Felix Hernandez will make the next step in his return from a shoulder injury.Hernandez, who was sidelined for the month of August with bursitis in his pitching shoulder, will take the mound Wednesday night as the Mariners face the Texas Rangers.With the playoff hopes of the Mariners and Rangers on tenuous ground -- the Rangers are 3 1/2 games back of the Minnesota Twins in the chase for the second American League wild card, and the Mariners four back with less than two weeks to play -- it is a big moment for the former AL Cy Young Award winner.And with Seattle in the midst of a four-game losing streak, King Felix needs to get back to his best in a hurry."I wish we were a little closer to the head of the pack, where Minnesota and the Angels are right now," Seattle manager Scott Servais said. "But we are where we are. Every game is, 'Win tonight.' I said it last homestand, and I'm really saying it this homestand, too. That's the only thing you can concern yourself with." Rangers manager Jeff Banister made it clear Tuesday that he had the wild card in his sights. He is not yet looking to give his younger players an extended trial."We've got 13 games to go," he said before Texas' 3-1 win over the Mariners on Tuesday. "It's about winning baseball games and closing games out, whoever goes out there." Hernandez made his return to action against the Rangers on Thursday, allowing one run and three hits in 3 2/3 innings of the Mariners' 10-4 victory.Servais said his ace probably would get a longer leash Wednesday, somewhere in the 70-80 pitch range."No real hard pitch count," Servais said. "We'll see where he's at. I can't imagine he'll go 100 pitches." For the season, Hernandez is 5-4 with a 4.19 ERA in 77 1/3 innings. He has had some success against several Rangers regulars, notably Rougned Odor (.167 in 30 career at-bats) and former Mariner Shin-Soo Choo (.222 in 54 career at-bats). Elvis Andrus has held his own however, hitting .290 in 100 career at-bats.The best sign for Seattle: The Mariners have won all three of Hernandez's starts against Texas this season, and he went 1-0 with a 3.31 ERA in those games. Hernandez is 19-23 with a 3.92 ERA in 53 career starts versus the Rangers.He will be facing Andrew Cashner (9-10, 3.40), who was tagged with the loss Thursday, when he gave up five runs in 4 1/3 innings.Banister said the right-hander has been one of the Texas rotation's go-to guys this season."At times, he was the guy we looked toward to go out and put together the better starts for us," the manager said. "A little bit of a slow start because of injuries coming out of spring training, but we've seen the fastball beginning to creep back up to what we've seen in the past." Kyle Seager has hit Cashner well, batting .333 in 18 at-bats with two home runs in his career as the only current Mariner to have taken him deep. Nelson Cruz is 5-for-11 against Cashner, who is 1-2 with a 4.15 ERA in four starts against Seattle this season and 1-4, 3.98 in eight career games (seven starts) vs. the Mariners.
Game
Preview from The Associated
Press (AP).
Copyright
© 2017 The Associated
Press, All Rights Reserved.
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NHL |
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9/20/2017 |
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FOUND
1
GAME |
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POSTPONED |
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9/20/2017 7:08 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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OFF
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-2 (+113)
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Over 3 (+160)
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OFF
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+1 (-133)
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Under 3 (-188)
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NO PICKS AVAILABLE |
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SOCCER |
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9/20/2017 |
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FOUND
16
MATCHES |
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FINAL |
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9/20/2017 12:30 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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+154
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OFF
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Over 2 (-101)
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+201
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OFF
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Under 2 (-111)
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VIEW ALL PICKS |
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FINAL |
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9/20/2017 12:30 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
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-315
|
-1.5 (-113)
|
Over 3 (-117)
|
|
|
+925
|
+1.5 (+101)
|
Under 3 (+104)
|
|
|
|
|
|
VIEW ALL PICKS |
|
|
|
FINAL |
|
9/20/2017 2:30 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+131
|
OFF
|
Over 2.5 (+101)
|
|
|
+219
|
OFF
|
Under 2.5 (-113)
|
|
|
|
|
|
VIEW ALL PICKS |
|
|
|
FINAL |
|
9/20/2017 2:30 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+152
|
OFF
|
Over 2.5 (-119)
|
|
|
+204
|
OFF
|
Under 2.5 (+106)
|
|
|
|
|
|
NO PICKS AVAILABLE |
|
|
|
FINAL |
|
9/20/2017 2:30 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
-263
|
-1.5 (-101)
|
Over 3 (+102)
|
|
|
+759
|
+1.5 (-111)
|
Under 3 (-114)
|
|
|
|
|
|
NO PICKS AVAILABLE |
|
|
|
FINAL |
|
9/20/2017 2:30 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+183
|
OFF
|
Over 2 (-119)
|
|
|
+155
|
OFF
|
Under 2 (+105)
|
|
|
|
|
|
VIEW ALL PICKS |
|
|
|
FINAL |
|
9/20/2017 2:45 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+1,213
|
OFF
|
Over 3 (-117)
|
|
|
-400
|
OFF
|
Under 3 (+104)
|
|
|
|
|
|
NO PICKS AVAILABLE |
|
|
|
FINAL |
|
9/20/2017 2:45 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+242
|
OFF
|
Over 2.5 (-111)
|
|
|
+122
|
OFF
|
Under 2.5 (-102)
|
|
|
|
|
|
VIEW ALL PICKS |
|
|
|
FINAL |
|
9/20/2017 2:45 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+113
|
OFF
|
Over 2.5 (-109)
|
|
|
+266
|
OFF
|
Under 2.5 (-103)
|
|
|
|
|
|
VIEW ALL PICKS |
|
|
|
FINAL |
|
9/20/2017 2:45 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+957
|
+1.5 (-120)
|
Over 2.5 (-111)
|
|
|
-285
|
-1.5 (+107)
|
Under 2.5 (-101)
|
|
|
|
|
|
VIEW ALL PICKS |
|
|
|
FINAL |
|
9/20/2017 2:45 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+116
|
OFF
|
Over 3 (-113)
|
|
|
+240
|
OFF
|
Under 3 (+101)
|
|
|
|
|
|
VIEW ALL PICKS |
|
|
|
FINAL |
|
9/20/2017 2:45 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+249
|
OFF
|
Over 2 (-107)
|
|
|
+127
|
OFF
|
Under 2 (-105)
|
|
|
|
|
|
VIEW ALL PICKS |
|
|
|
FINAL |
|
9/20/2017 2:45 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+129
|
OFF
|
Over 2 (-108)
|
|
|
+214
|
OFF
|
Under 2 (-104)
|
|
|
|
|
|
VIEW ALL PICKS |
|
|
|
FINAL |
|
9/20/2017 2:45 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+776
|
OFF
|
Over 2 (-102)
|
|
|
-250
|
OFF
|
Under 2 (-111)
|
|
|
|
|
|
VIEW ALL PICKS |
|
|
|
IN PROGRESS |
|
9/20/2017 7:00 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+710
|
+1.5 (-113)
|
Over 3.5 (-109)
|
|
|
-275
|
-1.5 (-107)
|
Under 3.5 (-111)
|
|
|
|
|
|
VIEW ALL PICKS |
|
|
|
IN PROGRESS |
|
9/20/2017 7:30 PM EST (TODAY) |
MONEYLINE |
SPREAD |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
+525
|
OFF
|
Over 3 (-103)
|
|
|
-190
|
OFF
|
Under 3 (-117)
|
|
|
|
|
|
VIEW ALL PICKS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TENNIS |
|
| 9/20/2017 |
|
FOUND 2 PICKS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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