CapperTek - Access Picks for Today Sunday, May 19, 2019

GAME PREVIEW

May 18, 2019TORONTO -- The ball is in the Toronto Raptors' court.The Milwaukee Bucks held service at home and won the first two games of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals, so now the Raptors must reciprocate starting in Game 3 on Sunday night.The two games in Milwaukee were different. The Bucks, showing rust after a week off, needed a fourth-quarter surge to win Game 1 108-100 on Wednesday. In Game 2 on Friday, they dominated from the tip in a 125-103 victory to take a 2-0 series lead."Game 3 is going to be way tougher than Game 1 and Game 2," said Giannis Antetokounmpo, who led the Bucks with 30 points and 17 rebounds Friday. "We're playing at their home now, but I think we're going to be prepared. We're going to make sure we go (Saturday), watch some clips, try to get better. But at the end of the day, it's all about us. If we do our job defensively, move the ball offensively and just do our job, generally we're going to be fine. But definitely they're going to come out, try to set the tone, try to play hard, try to protect home." The Raptors are 5-2 at home this postseason and were 32-9 during the regular season."Now we've got a chance to go home and protect home court and do what we're supposed to do," said Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, who scored 15 points on Friday.Led by two opening dunks and a blocked shot on Marc Gasol by Antetokounmpo, the Bucks scored the first nine points Friday and never looked back. A key for the Bucks was playing improved defense."I thought we got better in Game 1 toward the end," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "The fourth quarter, our defense got better. And I think some of that carried over into the first half (Friday). You get a little bit of a rhythm. Our guards on the ball, taking individual pride doing what we need them to do. And then the activity from the bigs. Just all that kind of working in concert. Making every shot they take tough, whether it's a 3, a 2, in the paint. No matter where it is, we want them taking tough shots." The bench was again a big factor for the Bucks on Friday, contributing 54 points -- only 10 fewer than Toronto's starters in significantly less playing time.The Raptors, after trailing by 28 points Friday, made a push to draw to within 13 in the third quarter. Raptors coach Nick Nurse feels that surge offers encouragement for Game 3."Well, yeah, I think, again, going back to some keys to our series, we've got to continue to work the offense for shots," Nurse said. "And again, I sound like a broken record, but we had our share of wide-open shots that could have at least stymied a little bit of the breakout in the score. But we've got to make sure we continue to work for them."We just weren't quite physical enough. We weren't getting our screens set good enough. We weren't getting them off their screens good enough as well. We're going to have to be better or they're just going to look bigger and stronger than we are, and I don't necessarily think that's the case. We've got to play a little tougher." --By Larry Millson, Field Level Media

Game Preview from The Associated Press (AP).

MLB

5/19/2019

FOUND 15 GAMES

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1:05 PM EST

5/19/2019 1:05 PM EST (TODAY)

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TOTAL

Colorado Rockies

+115

+1.5 (-167)

Over 10 (-102)

Philadelphia Phillies

-124

-1.5 (+151)

Under 10 (-108)

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Phillies looking for third straight win vs. Rockies The Philadelphia Phillies will be looking for their third straight win and a series sweep over the visiting Colorado Rockies on Sunday.The Phillies took a hard-fought 2-1 victory on Saturday when Bryce Harper reached base three times with a solo home run, double and a walk.On Sunday, the Phillies will hand the ball to right-hander Jerad Eickhoff, who has a 2-2 record and a 2.65 earned run average. Eickhoff struggled in his last start, giving up five runs in four innings Tuesday in a 6-1 defeat against the Milwaukee Brewers.Eickhoff had only surrendered five runs in his first 30 innings before this start."Eick just didn't have his best curveball or his best command," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. "He battled, gave us everything he had, but just wasn't there for him. Turn the page and move on to his next start." Eickhoff allowed a pair of home runs against the Brewers."Everything wasn't as crisp as I would have liked," he told reporters. "The homers didn't bother me as much. Looking back at them, they were actually pretty good pitches." Eickhoff is 1-3 with 7.50 ERA in five games (four starts) against the Rockies. Earlier this season at Colorado, he took the loss in a 4-1 defeat when he allowed seven hits and four runs in six innings, with four walks and eight strikeouts.The Phillies began this series against the Rockies with a 24-19 record. With a series sweep on Sunday, the Phillies would be eight games above .500.Harper has keyed the surge with four extra base hits in his last 15 at-bats. He blasted a 466-foot homer on Saturday, his eighth of the season to go along with 28 RBIs."I think he's beginning to feel it," Kapler said.Cesar Hernandez added a pair of hits Saturday and his average moved to .301.The Rockies will be attempting to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat when they give the ball to Kyle Freeland.Freeland has hardly looked like the pitcher who finished fourth in the National League Cy Young voting last season. Through nine starts this season, Freeland is 2-5 with a 5.68 ERA. Last season, he was 17-7 with a miniscule 2.85 ERA.In two games against the Phillies, Freeland is 1-0 with a 0.0 ERA. That win came April 18 when he allowed just two hits in six innings in the Rockies' 6-2 win at home. He struck out seven with no runs and no walks.In Freeland's last start, he lasted six innings in a 5-4 win at Boston. On Freeland's 26th birthday, he gave up five hits and three runs while striking out seven and walking three. He also surrendered three solo homers."His pitches have been hung," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "He's got to get the ball down. There's a groundball component to his game that he's not taking advantage of because the ball's elevated." The Rockies will have a decision to make at second base with prized prospect Brendan Rodgers called up. Rodgers was 1 for 4 with three strikeouts on Saturday as he started ahead of Ryan McMahon.In that 2-1 loss, McMahon hit a pinch-hit RBI double to account for the Rockies' lone run."It's been tough," McMahon told reporters. "I'm just trying to stay positive. I'm trying to focus on who I am as a person. You can't always be a great baseball player, but you can always be a great person. You just focus on the little victories, that's the key. And not getting discouraged." --Field Level Media

Game Preview from The Associated Press (AP).

COMING UP
1:05 PM EST

5/19/2019 1:05 PM EST (TODAY)

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TOTAL

Houston Astros

+146

+1.5 (-137)

Over 9 (-101)

Boston Red Sox

-159

-1.5 (+124)

Under 9 (-110)

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Astros aiming for series sweep vs. Red Sox If the Astros took anything from their victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday at Fenway Park beyond their series-clinching win, it was the standout performance of right-hander Josh James.James, who labored to a 7.90 ERA over his first 10 appearances this season, worked three hitless innings in the Astros' 7-3 victory and recorded the most crucial outs of the contest by retiring Xander Bogaerts (strikeout) and Rafael Devers (groundout) with the bases loaded in the fifth.James returned to the mound and worked a perfect sixth and seventh to extend his streak of scoreless appearances to six while lowering his ERA to 4.56. During that stretch, James has allowed just three hits and four walks while amassing 14 strikeouts over 10 innings.What the Astros have established is a dominant back end of their bullpen. If James can maintain this form, he only deepens their relief corps."That's exactly the kind of guy that we need to bridge these games and we're winning, and the other side is looking at 98, 99 (miles per hour on the fastball) plus the secondary pitches," Astros manager A. J. Hinch said. "Under control and kind of emotionless, which is good. He's just playing the game. Very impressed." Left-hander Wade Miley (4-2, 3.51 ERA) gets the start for Houston in the series finale. He had his streak of 24 consecutive starts allowing three earned runs or fewer snapped on May 14 at Detroit when he surrendered four runs on seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts over six innings in an 11-4 win.Miley is 2-2 with a 7.13 ERA over four career starts against the Red Sox, for whom he finished 11-11 with a 4.46 ERA over 32 starts in 2015. Miley last faced Boston in 2017 while with the Baltimore Orioles, going 2-1 with a 4.41 ERA over three starts that season.Ace left-hander Chris Sale (1-5, 4.24 ERA) will get the ball Sunday seeking to help Boston avert a series sweep. Sale has reclaimed his dominating form this month, going 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three starts while recording 41 strikeouts against just one walk over 21 innings. He is 5-2 with a 1.83 ERA over seven career starts against the Astros.Even with left-hander David Price slated to return to the rotation Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays, right-hander Hector Velazquez had an opportunity to keep his spot in the rotation Saturday against the Astros. With right-hander Nathan Eovaldi at least two weeks out from his return following elbow surgery, Boston remains a starter short even with Price back in the fold.Velazquez imploded in what was his seventh start on the season, allowing five runs on three hits and two walks while recording just one out. He pitched the Red Sox into a five-run hole from which they never escaped, and jeopardized his chance to avoid bullpen duty with his showing,"We'll wait and see," Boston manager Alex Cora said on the immediate future for Velazquez. "That spot (in the rotation) doesn't come up again until the last day in Toronto (next Thursday), so we'll talk about it the next few days. Just a bad one. He could have thrown a good one." --Field Level Media

Game Preview from The Associated Press (AP).

COMING UP
1:05 PM EST

5/19/2019 1:05 PM EST (TODAY)

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TOTAL

Tampa Bay Rays

-135

-1.5 (+118)

Over 9 (+102)

New York Yankees

+125

+1.5 (-130)

Under 9 (-112)

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Morton, Rays aim for rare series win at Yankees The Tampa Bay Rays are hoping another strong start from Charlie Morton can lead to a rare series win at the New York Yankees.Morton puts a career-high 16-game unbeaten streak on the line Sunday as Tampa Bay visits Yankee Stadium in the rubber game of a three-game series.When the Rays took of two of three in New York from Aug. 14-16, it was their first series win in the Bronx since June 30-July 2, 2014. It ended a stretch of 12 consecutive series losses, the longest stretch by any opponent since the current Yankee Stadium opened in 2009.Since his last loss on Aug. 11, Morton is 7-0 with a 3.04 ERA. He surpassed the 14-game run he put together by going 10-0 from Sept. 15, 2017 to May 29, 2018.His current streak is the second-longest active streak in the majors behind Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who is 9-0 in his past 18 starts.Morton also owns the Rays' record for the longest unbeaten streak to start his career with the team (excluding openers). On Tuesday at the Miami Marlins, he kept the streak alive by allowing three hits, retiring the final 10 hitters and pitching six innings for his third scoreless start of the season.Morton will try to get the Rays a second straight win in New York after Austin Meadows homered in the 11th inning in a 2-1 win Saturday. The Rays allowed three runs in the ninth inning of a 4-3 loss Friday."To be able to bounce back, the guys, they showed each other something today," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said.Morton is 2-1 with a 4.10 ERA in four regular-season starts against the Yankees.The Yankees are 9-3 in their last 12 games after striking out 15 times Saturday against Blake Snell and five relievers. Gary Sanchez was 0 for 5 with four strikeouts but will be back in the lineup Sunday."Tampa can do that to you," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "You're facing Snell, it's a challenge. Obviously, a tough day for him (Sanchez) and I look forward to him getting back in there tomorrow behind the plate and getting back after it." Chad Green (0-2, 13.97) will start for the Yankees in what likely will be an opener role. Green has made two appearances since returning from the minors last week and allowed two runs in the eighth inning Friday.--Field Level Media

Game Preview from The Associated Press (AP).

5/19/2019 1:10 PM EST (TODAY)

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TOTAL

Los Angeles Dodgers

-166

-1.5 (-103)

Over 9 (-117)

Cincinnati Reds

+153

+1.5 (-107)

Under 9 (+106)

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Dodgers P Ryu to put shutout streak on line vs. Reds Seven of the past 10 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers have involved a shutout, one way or another, and left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu has played a big role in the run.Ryu hasn't allowed a run in his past two starts and has pitched 24 straight scoreless innings overall. He'll try to continue his stretch of dominant pitching when the Dodgers visit the Cincinnati Reds in the finale of their three-game series on Sunday afternoon.Ryu (5-1, 1.72 ERA) comes in with the second lowest ERA in the majors behind Zach Davies of the Milwaukee Brewers (1.54)."He's off to a tremendous start," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.He carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning of his last start, a 6-0 victory against the visiting Washington Nationals. Before that, he threw a 93-pitch complete game in a 9-0 victory against the visiting Atlanta Braves.Ryu's dominance hasn't been limited to his recent outings either. He hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his eight starts this season."This is just a continuance of what we saw last year," Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said. "Hyun-Jin does his homework, he prepares extremely well. He knows the areas he's going to each at-bat. He never tries to do too much of the same thing to the same guy. He has so many weapons to keep them off guard." The Dodgers shut out the Reds 6-0 in the series opener on Friday night, their second straight shutout, but it was the Reds who were putting up the zeros on Saturday, limiting Los Angeles to four hits in a 4-0 victory.Tanner Roark (3-2, 3.50 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Reds in the rubber game of the series. He last faced the Dodgers exactly one year ago Sunday when he was with the Nationals, allowing three runs in seven innings of a 4-1 defeat.Cincinnati manager David Bell said the Dodgers present a challenge for his pitching staff, particularly the right-handers like Roark."We definitely have to find ways to get out their left-handed hitters," Bell said. "Not only are they left-handed, but they're good left-handed hitters. We believe in our starters' ability to be able to do that." The most dangerous left-handed bat in the Los Angeles lineup has been right fielder Cody Bellinger. He went 2-for-3 on Saturday to raise his batting average to a major-league leading .409.Fellow lefty bats Corey Seager, Joc Pederson, Alex Verdugo and Max Muncy also batted in the top five of the lineup for the Dodgers on Saturday and will likely occupy those spots against Roark.Jose Peraza is expected back in the Reds lineup after he rested on Saturday. The right-handed hitting second baseman is hitting just .203 after hitting .288 in 157 games last season. He's 4-for-7 in his career off Ryu.Reds first baseman Joey Votto has had similar success off Ryu. He is 4-for-11 with a home run.Los Angeles third baseman Justin Turner did not start Saturday after fouling a pitch off his shin Friday night, but he pinch hit in the ninth and grounded out to end the game.--Field Level Media

Game Preview from The Associated Press (AP).

5/19/2019 1:10 PM EST (TODAY)

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SPREAD

TOTAL

New York Mets

-193

-1.5 (-110)

Over 7 (-120)

Miami Marlins

+177

+1.5 (+100)

Under 7 (+109)

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Mets face Marlins as cloud hangs over manager Callaway The Miami Marlins will be looking for their first sweep of the season and their first three-game winning streak of the year when they play host to the New York Mets on Sunday.New York, meanwhile, may be playing for manager Mickey Callaway's job.Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, who is new to the team this year, inherited Callaway as his manager and speculation is rampant that Van Wagenen could replace him if the team's four-game skid were to continue.Van Wagenen came to town confidently stating that the Mets were the team to beat in the National League East, but offseason deals for Robinson Cano, Jeurys Familia, Jed Lowrie, Justin Wilson and Keon Broxton have failed to produce. His failure to bring in Gio Gonzalez and his decision to return Travis d'Arnaud to the roster, only to cut him a month later, look dubious.Yet, Callaway is the one on the hot seat, and Van Wagenen did little to release the pressure when asked about his manager this weekend."Mickey has been accountable for what we all want," the GM said. "We have played well at times. I think Mickey knows what's in front of us." What's in front of the Mets on Sunday is that they will be desperate for a strong performance from veteran right-hander Noah Syndergaard (3-3, 4.74), who has great stuff but is having his most inconsistent season and has produced the highest ERA of his career.Syndergaard threw a complete-game shutout to beat the Cincinnati Reds 1-0 on May 2. He also beat the Washington Nationals in his most recent start, earning a 6-2 win on May 14 by allowing just two runs in eight innings.However, Syndergaard has not thrown consecutive quality starts this season. In fact, he has allowed at least four earned runs in six of his nine starts.This will be his first matchup against Miami this year, but in eight career starts against the Marlins, he is 6-0 with a 1.64 ERA and 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings.Syndergaard, who has reached 100 mph on the radar gun, will match up on Sunday against Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara, who throws just as hard.Alcantara (1-4, 5.11 ERA) will be making his 15th career major-league start. He has pitched reasonably well in four career starts against the Mets - 1-2, 2.92 ERA. This year, though, he is 0-1 with a 6.35 ERA against the Mets. He faced New York last Saturday, allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings.One concern for Alcantara is that he seems to be regressing. In six starts last year, he went 2-3 with a 3.44 ERA. This year, in his three most recent starts, he has a 6.19 ERA.Alcantara will likely be without his starting catcher, Jorge Alfaro, who had three RBIs, two hits and one homer in Friday's 8-6 win over the Mets but left Saturday's game due to a strained left calf. The Marlins would miss his power bat and strong arm if he is put on the injured list.Even so, Friday's win "relaxed" the Marlins, according to Jon Berti, who homered and then walked and scored Miami's second run in Saturday's 2-0 win."It helped loosen us up," Berti said on Saturday. "Guys were pressing, myself included. With a win like that, it eased tensions." --Field Level Media

Game Preview from The Associated Press (AP).

5/19/2019 1:10 PM EST (TODAY)

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SPREAD

TOTAL

Oakland Athletics

-185

-1.5 (-118)

Over 10 (-105)

Detroit Tigers

+170

+1.5 (+107)

Under 10 (-105)

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Athletics go for 16th straight win against Tigers The Detroit Tigers have transformed from a decent team to a complete mess in the span of a week.Detroit lost its sixth consecutive game on its homestand -- 4-1 on Saturday -- and fell to the Oakland Athletics for the 15th straight time overall.In the six losses, the opposition has wrecked the Tigers, outscoring them 52-12.The club continues its 10-game homestand at Comerica Park on Sunday, concluding the four-game series with the A's against right-hander Mike Fiers (3-3, 5.12 ERA).Once the A's leave Michigan, the Tigers will have an off day Monday then host the MLB-worst Miami Marlins for three games beginning Tuesday.Nothing appears to be going well for Detroit, who hasn't pitched at all, hit much or played smart baseball this week.With the rotation currently in shambles and short-staffed, Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire will go to Gregory Soto (0-2, 13.50) on Sunday. A strong outing by the left-hander would be just what the Tigers need heading into an off day. It will be the rookie's first time facing Oakland.A myriad of injuries has beset the Tigers' rotation, reducing it to essentially a four-man starting staff.Ace Michael Fulmer had Tommy John surgery in the spring and top lefty Matt Moore was lost for the season due to knee surgery after just two starts.The diagnoses on Tyson Ross and Jordan Zimmermann are less critical but still hamper the staff.Ross' elbow issue means he won't throw for another 7-10 days, and no timeline exists for his immediate return. Zimmermann (elbow UCL sprain/muscle strain) is likely a month away from returning.The pressure now falls on ace Matthew Boyd, Daniel Norris, Spencer Turnbull and Soto to eat up the early innings of games, and Soto has been disappointing in his two starts.Gardenhire made a plea to the fans after an embarrassing 17-3 loss to Oakland on Thursday in the series opener, saying the home losing streak wasn't typical of the play this season."Let's not put it down to the last few games here where our pitching has been beat up and everything. Let's think about the body up to this point. We've actually really competed and played pretty well," Gardenhire said.Oakland manager Bob Melvin will look for Fiers to follow up the strong performances by Chris Bassitt, Frankie Montas and Daniel Mengden, who were exceptional in earning victories.Bassitt threw eight innings of shutout ball in Thursday's two-touchdown rout, Montas nearly tossed his first career complete game on Friday and Mengden notched his first win this season with seven stout innings on Saturday.If the A's want to make it 16 straight over Detroit, Fiers will have to be better than the 6.85 ERA he has sported on the road. He is 1-0 against the Tigers in five games (five starts) with a 2.93 ERA.Melvin said a strong showing from Fiers is possible because good pitching appears to spawn more good pitching."The starters seem to be following each other with really good outings," Melvin told reporters after Mengden's showing Saturday. "It seems to be contagious with starters. We didn't blow anyone out (today), but it was a pretty clean game." --Field Level Media

Game Preview from The Associated Press (AP).

5/19/2019 1:10 PM EST (TODAY)

MONEYLINE

SPREAD

TOTAL

Baltimore Orioles

+231

+1.5 (+113)

Over 9.5 (-113)

Cleveland Indians

-254

-1.5 (-125)

Under 9.5 (+102)

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Indians to face Orioles with a revived offense Jordan Luplow has provided considerable pop to a lineup that has struggled mightily at the plate through much of the season.Luplow looks to continue his sterling stretch on Sunday afternoon, as the host Cleveland Indians aim to secure a series victory in the finale of the four-game set against the Baltimore Orioles.The 25-year-old Luplow belted a two-run shot in Saturday's 4-1 win to improve to 12-for-44 with five homers, eight RBIs and 10 runs scored since being recalled from Triple-A Columbus on April 28."He's got more confidence (since returning from the minors)," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said of Luplow. "He was kind of walking on egg shells (before he was optioned on April 13)."I know he didn't want to go down. He was mad, but I don't think the at-bats hurt him one bit. Since he got those consistent at-bats, he's been a different hitter." Jason Kipnis is riding hit and on-base streaks of four and 13, respectively, for the Indians, who improved to 13-4 against the Orioles in their last 17 meetings since the beginning of the 2017 season.Slugger Carlos Santana is making his hits count this month, as he went deep for the third time in May with a homer to lead off the eighth inning. The 33-year-old Santana, however is just 13-for-58 this month."He's so strong that when he stays through the middle of the field, he covers more pitches," Francona said of Santana. "It's exciting." While Cleveland has struggled with its offense throughout much of 2019, Baltimore was limited to just one hit -- Trey Mancini's team-leading 10th homer -- on Saturday as it fell for the eighth time in 10 contests.Mancini has notched an extra-base hit in three straight games. He has 24 this season."When he's letting the ball travel and he's swinging at his pitch, he uses the whole field and he's so strong he can get the ball out of any part of the ballpark," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said of Mancini.Mancini will test his mettle against Cleveland's Shane Bieber (2-2, 3.81 ERA), who will get the nod on Sunday after being pushed back a day in favor of fellow right-hander Adam Plutko.Bieber is bidding to rebound after allowing a career-high four homers and matching a season-high five earned runs over 6 1/3 innings in Monday's 5-2 setback to the Chicago White Sox.The 23-year-old will be making his 30th career appearance (28th start) and first versus Baltimore. He has not faced anyone on the Orioles' active roster.Baltimore right-hander Yefry Ramirez (0-1, 5.14) is slated to make his first start of the season after working out of the bullpen on four occasions.Ramirez last pitched for the Orioles on May 8, allowing a solo homer in one inning of work in a 2-1 setback versus Boston.In his lone career start against Cleveland, the 25-year-old yielded seven runs on as many hits and walked five batters in three innings of an 8-0 loss on Aug. 19, 2018.--Field Level Media

Game Preview from The Associated Press (AP).

COMING UP
1:20 PM EST

5/19/2019 1:20 PM EST (TODAY)

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SPREAD

TOTAL

Milwaukee Brewers

-127

-1.5 (+129)

Over 9.5 (+108)

Atlanta Braves

+117

+1.5 (-142)

Under 9.5 (-119)

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Freeman, Braves look to stay hot, revive Foltynewicz If Atlanta's struggling Mike Foltynewicz hopes to get his season on track, he'll have to do it against one of the top pitchers in the National League on Sunday.Foltynewicz (0-3, 8.02 ERA) will oppose Milwaukee's Brandon Woodruff (6-1, 3.72) in the finale of the three-game series at Atlanta's SunTrust Park.The Braves have won the first two games of the series, including a 4-3 victory on Saturday courtesy of Freddie Freeman's 10th inning walk-off homer. Atlanta has won four straight.Foltynewicz was an All-Star last year and expected to be the team's No. 1 starter. After being sidelined by a bone spur in spring training, the right-hander has not been able to find his footing. Foltynewicz has struggled in his first four starts and last week he allowed three home runs and eight runs in 4 2/3 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals."It's tough when you had success like that last year and then you come out of the gates and your first four aren't pretty," Foltynewicz told reporters. "It's something you've got to change quick." Foltynewicz lost his only start to the Brewers in 2018, getting battered for five runs in six innings despite seven strikeouts. That poor effort was not typical for Foltynewicz. In six career appearances against Milwaukee, five of them starts, he is 2-2 with a 2.90 ERA.Woodruff has had no such problems for the Brewers, particularly in his four most recent starts. Since April 27, Woodruff is 4-0 and has not allowed more than one run in any game. His ERA over that stretch is 1.23.In his last start, Woodruff worked six scoreless innings and limited the Philadelphia Phillies to one hit and worked around five walks. The Brewers gave Woodruff some early run support and he never eased up."The lead always makes it easier to just get yourself into attack mode," Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. "That's really what he did. He dropped in some first-pitch strikes with some breaking balls, got free strikes, then attacked. Getting a lead for him does that or you. You can pitch like that." Woodruff will be making his first career appearance against Atlanta."He's just now continued pitching well, taking another step and is really on the attack with hitters," Counsell said. "The fastball is really overpowering at times, it feels like. He's using it well, he's throwing his off-speed for strikes. It's a good recipe for success." Woodruff will try to slow down Atlanta rookie Austin Riley. In four games since getting called up from Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, Riley is batting .533 with two home runs. He is the sixth player in franchise history to have eight hits in his first four games.Freeman, who has homered in three straight games, needs one home run to reach 200 and three doubles to reach 300. If he reaches those milestones, he will become the sixth Braves player to do so, joining Hank Aaron, Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, Eddie Mathews and Dale Murphy.The Braves made a roster move on Saturday. They recalled left-hander Jerry Blevins from Triple-A Gwinnett and released veteran southpaw Jonny Venters.The Brewers had to make a move in order to activate Chase Anderson in time to start Saturday's game and sent Jacob Barnes to Triple-A San Antonio.--Field Level Media

Game Preview from The Associated Press (AP).

COMING UP
2:10 PM EST

5/19/2019 2:10 PM EST (TODAY)

MONEYLINE

SPREAD

TOTAL

Toronto Blue Jays

+106

+1.5 (-177)

Over 9.5 (-105)

Chicago White Sox

-115

-1.5 (+159)

Under 9.5 (-105)

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Jays, ChiSox hope against rain in series finale The Chicago White Sox and the visiting Toronto Blue Jays hope the weather is better Sunday afternoon when they complete their four-game series.Rain limited their game Saturday to 4 1/2 innings, with the White Sox prevailing 4-1 after a three-hour delay.After winning two of three games in a set in Toronto last weekend, the White Sox have clinched the season series. The best the Blue Jays can do is split this series to earn a split of their six-game road trip.Saturday, the White Sox out-hit the Blue Jays 7-3. On Friday, the Blue Jays had a rare offensive breakout with 15 hits in a 10-2 victory. They had only two hits Thursday in losing the series opener 4-2."Honestly I didn't see this team struggling this much," Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo told reporters before the game Friday. "The hitters that we've got, they're better than what we've hitting." The Blue Jays wanted to keep Friday's hitting momentum going, and had hoped that Saturday's game could be resumed.The White Sox are scheduled to start right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (3-4, 5.58 ERA), and the Blue Jays will go with righty Trent Thornton (1-4, 4.81).Lopez will be making his 10th start this season, seventh at home and first against the Blue Jays. He will be trying to win consecutive starts for the first time this season.In his past four starts, he has a 3.65 ERA and 28 strikeouts over 24 2/3 innings. He earned the win on May 13 over the Cleveland Indians after allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits while striking out six in a season-high 7 2/3 innings.López is 0-1 with a 7.84 ERA in two career starts against Toronto. He took the loss in his last outing on July 27, 2018, in Chicago when he allowed eight runs in 4 1/3 innings.Thornton is scheduled to make his 10th major league start of the season and of his career. He earned his first major league win Tuesday against the Giants in San Francisco, allowing two runs on 3 hits and five walks while striking out seven in 5 2/3 innings.The Blue Jays have done a good job so far in the series of containing a hot White Sox hitter, catcher James McCann.McCann, who was signed as a free agent by Chicago in the offseason after the Detroit Tigers let him go, was 6-for-9 with an RBI in two games against the Blue Jays in Toronto May 11-12.He was 0-for-3 Friday and 0-for-2 Saturday. Yet, he is still batting .347 with a .941 OPS. He entered the game batting .397 (25-for-63) since April 22, the best average in the majors during that span."I opened up my stance a little more than where I was when I first dipped into the league," McCann said. "And the big thing for me was getting my body out of the way. I think that's part of what the open stance has done, has allowed me to see the ball and allowed me to keep my body out of my swing and allowed my hands to work." McCann said that he still keeps his focus on his work behind the plate."Game planning, and going over scouting reports and watching video and helping my pitchers get through each inning and going through the lineup," he said."He works very, very hard on all aspects of his game," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "I think this is probably one of the better starts he's had offensively in his career." --Field Level Media

Game Preview from The Associated Press (AP).

COMING UP
3:05 PM EST

5/19/2019 3:05 PM EST (TODAY)

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TOTAL

St. Louis Cardinals

-149

-1.5 (-105)

Over 11 (-105)

Texas Rangers

+137

+1.5 (-105)

Under 11 (-105)

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COMING UP
4:07 PM EST

5/19/2019 4:07 PM EST (TODAY)

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TOTAL

Kansas City Royals

+146

+1.5 (-130)

Over 9.5 (+105)

LAA Angels

-159

-1.5 (+118)

Under 9.5 (-115)

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COMING UP
4:10 PM EST

5/19/2019 4:10 PM EST (TODAY)

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TOTAL

San Francisco Giants

+151

+1.5 (-137)

Over 8.5 (+100)

Arizona Diamondbacks

-164

-1.5 (+124)

Under 8.5 (-111)

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Ray brings history of success to D-backs' matchup vs. Giants Arizona left-hander Robbie Ray will bring a history of success into his start against San Francisco on Sunday when the teams conclude a three-game series at Chase Field in Phoenix.Ray was 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA in seven starts against the Giants in 2017-18 and is 4-1 with a 2.89 ERA against them in 11 career starts, with 83 strikeouts in 62 1/3 innings.San Francisco will counter with left-hander Drew Pomeranz (1-4, 5.93 ERA), who will make his first start since landing on the injured list with a left lat strain following a May 6 outing in Cincinnati, when he gave up seven runs in 1 2/3 innings of a 12-4 loss.The Giants evened the series at one game apiece when Steven Duggar, Buster Posey and Brandon Belt had two hits apiece and Pablo Sandoval and Belt homered to back Madison Bumgarner, who gave up four runs in 6 1/3 innings in an 8-5 victory on Saturday."This is as good as I've felt," said Bumgarner, who improved to 3-4. "I'm throwing the ball as good as I ever have. The results not being there to match up is frustrating, but when our offense is putting up eight then it's easier to deal with. But it's about winning and that's it." Ray, 3-1 with a 3.14 ERA, has won his last three decisions and has given up six earned runs in his last five starts, a 1.98 ERA. He has 35 strikeouts and 10 walks in 27 1/3 innings in that span."He's in a really good spot right now," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "He's pounding the zone with his fastball. He's finishing off hitters more efficiently rather than getting some foul balls or maybe some seven-pitch walks where the batter is grinding him down. Then he is landing his breaking balls. He is changing shapes on a couple of different breaking balls. The curveball-slider combination has been very, very good." Ray's current stretch is similar to a 10-game run he had in 2017, when he was 7-1 with a 1.89 ERA en route to a career-high 15 wins and a career-low 2.89 ERA in 28 starts."He has that look of a very confident pitcher," Lovullo said. "Every time he takes the mound you can tell he's ready to go. Pounding the zone with every single pitch. It's very reminiscent of what we saw in '17." Arizona played without outfielders David Peralta (right trapezius) and Jarrod Dyson (bruised hand) on Saturday, but neither injury is considered serious, according to Lovullo, who added that Zack Greinke will make his next scheduled start Tuesday. Greinke left his last start with an abdominal muscle strain, but an MRI was negative and his bullpen session Saturday went smoothly.Pomeranz threw four innings in a simulated game Tuesday and will not be on a pitch limit, manager Bruce Bochy said.In his first season with San Francisco, Pomeranz has one quality start among seven and has thrown more than 90 pitches once. He is 0-3 with an 8.51 ERA in eight appearances against the Diamondbacks, five starts, but has not faced them since 2016.Bochy was encouraged by right-hander Johnny Cueto's 40-pitch bullpen session Saturday afternoon as he works to return from Tommy John surgery last August. Bochy said he will not be surprised if Cueto pitches in September."Right now, the arm is telling me he wants to pitch," Cueto said. "Whatever decision they make, I'm good with it." --Field Level Media

Game Preview from The Associated Press (AP).

COMING UP
4:10 PM EST

5/19/2019 4:10 PM EST (TODAY)

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TOTAL

Pittsburgh Pirates

+101

+1.5 (-213)

Over 7.5 (-110)

San Diego Padres

-109

-1.5 (+191)

Under 7.5 (-101)

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Padres turn to Quantrill to cure pitching ills Now it's the Padres facing a pitching conundrum.On Saturday night, the Pirates searched high and low for a starter before opting, successfully, for Montana DuRapau to make his first major league start as an "opener" in Pittsburgh's 7-2 win at Petco Park in San Diego.On Sunday, Cal Quantrill is scheduled to make his third spot start as the de facto sixth starter in the San Diego rotation. But might Quantrill, the eighth overall pick in the 2016 draft and the Padres' 10th-ranked prospect by MLB.com, actually be replacing rookie left-hander Nick Margevicius in the rotation?Quantrill (0-1, 3.60 ERA) will oppose Pittsburgh's Joe Musgrove (2-4, 3.59 ERA) on Sunday as the suddenly struggling Padres hope to gain a split of the four-game series.But this could be an opportunity for Quantrill to replace Margevicius, who had a third straight poor outing Saturday night, in the Padres' rotation."Quantrill should look it as a great opportunity," Padres manager Andy Green told reporters before Saturday night's game while specifically discussing Quantrill's Sunday start and not the overall picture. "There's guys throughout the game who live that life every year and have to do the up-and-down thing. It's up to him to perform and as he performs in that role, he will get more and more opportunity."Up to this point in time, we like the bulldog mentality we've seen in him. We like his ability to make pitches in pivotal situations." Then Margevicius went out and gave six runs on four home runs in four-plus innings, casting his immediate future into doubt. In his last three starts, Margevicius has given up 14 runs on 23 hits -- including seven homers -- in 14 2/3 innings as his ERA has shot up from 3.23 to 4.96.In his first two outings this season, Quantrill has allowed four runs on 13 hits and three walks with eight strikeouts in 10 innings. The Padres have used a spot starter four times -- in conjunction with scheduled days off -- as a way to give the regular members of their rotation an extra day's rest between starts. Quantrill's previous starts came on May 1 and May 7.Musgrove will be returning home as the fourth native of San Diego County to appear in the series representing Pittsburgh -- following shortstop Kevin Newman and pitchers Steve Brault and Trevor Williams. Musgrove and Brault were teammates at Grossmont High just east of San Diego.The 46th overall pick in the 2011 draft, the 6-foot-5 Musgrove will be facing the Padres for the second time in his career and the second time at Petco Park. In his first visit to the ballpark he visited as a youth, Musgrove shut out the Padres on seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts in seven innings."The adrenaline was flowing," Musgrove told the media of the start last on June 29. "I also got a hit." Musgrove will be making his ninth start of the season on what could be a wet Sunday afternoon in San Diego. He has allowed 25 runs (19 earned) on 37 hits and 16 walks with 40 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings for a .209 opponents' batting average and a 1.112 WHIP. He has worked at least six innings in six of his eight starts.Prior to pitching seven shutout innings in his last start, Musgrove had given up 15 runs (13 earned) over 5 2/3 innings in his two previous outings.--Field Level Media

Game Preview from The Associated Press (AP).

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4:10 PM EST

5/19/2019 4:10 PM EST (TODAY)

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TOTAL

Minnesota Twins

-111

-1.5 (+142)

Over 8.5 (-113)

Seattle Mariners

+103

+1.5 (-157)

Under 8.5 (+103)

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Mariners' Kikuchi gets next shot at cooling Twins' bats Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi will try to find a way to cool down the red-hot bats of the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon and help the host Seattle Mariners avoid a four-game sweep by the American League Central Division leaders.The 27-year-old Kikuchi (2-1, 3.64 ERA) hasn't faced the Twins in his career and comes in off a no-decision in his last start against Oakland, a 6-5 win by the Mariners on Monday during which he allowed three runs on five hits over six innings. That came after an impressive 10-1 victory in New York where he held the Yankees to just one run and three hits over 7 2/3 innings.Kikuchi will have his hands full against a Minnesota team that has won five in a row, including an 18-4 victory on Saturday night that saw the Twins bash six home runs, becoming the first team in major league history with five games of five or more homers in their first 45 games of a season.C. J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop both hit two homers and Byron Buxton hit a grand slam in the 19-hit eruption. Miguel Sano also homered for the Twins, who have outscored the Mariners 36-11 in the first three games while hitting 11 home runs."Very, very special night for our offense," first-year Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told the media Saturday. "Obviously we hit some homers again. Stating the obvious here, but I haven't seen too many nights like that. Just a very special night." "They pounded us," Seattle manager Scott Servais countered. "What else you going to say? They hit the tar out of the ball tonight. We made a lot of mistakes. Our pitching is going through a tough spell right now. They are on everything. I'd like to say it's baseball, but we've got to make some adjustments."Our pitching has struggled in this series. The Twins can hit. They're swinging it really good. They've got power, and we haven't gotten them off anything. Tomorrow is another ballgame, but the last three nights have been rough on our pitching." Baldelli was unaware of his team making major league history with its fifth five-home run game before June 1."Well, I didn't know that, but watching it from where we are it's not surprising," Baldelli said. "It's been impressive. We sit here -- we're the staff and working with these guys every day and watching them every day -- even from the angle we are at it's very impressive." Minnesota, which has homered in 13 straight games, is 21-8 in its last 29 games and has won six consecutive road games. Kyle Gibson (4-1, 4.26), who is 4-2 with a 3.38 ERA in nine career starts against the Mariners and 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in four starts in Seattle, will start for the Twins."We're struggling," Servais said. "That's just the name of the game. We've got to step up. Kikuchi goes tomorrow. He's been very competitive. If he can give us a good outing and we can get into a ballgame and go from there and win it." --Field Level Media

Game Preview from The Associated Press (AP).

COMING UP
7:05 PM EST

5/19/2019 7:05 PM EST (TODAY)

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TOTAL

Chicago Cubs

-131

-1.5 (+118)

Over 9.5 (-113)

Washington Nationals

+121

+1.5 (-130)

Under 9.5 (+102)

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Nats, struggling Hellickson meets Cubs in series finale The Nationals will make their first appearance of the season on Sunday Night Baseball, facing a familiar prime-time team in the Chicago Cubs in the finale of a three-game set in D. C.Washington, with struggles from the back end of the rotation, will hope to get some length from starter Jeremy Hellickson (2-2, 6.00 ERA). The veteran right-hander will make his fourth career start against Chicago, while the Cubs will counter with veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks (3-4, 2.86).The Nationals are hesitant to let Hellickson face opposing batters the third time through the order.This year he is averaging less than five innings per outing in seven starts. Hellickson has also made one appearance out of the bullpen.In his only start against the Cubs last year, he did not allow a hit in the first 5 2/3 innings, but he was lifted anyway after he allowed four walks and two runs. The only time Hellickson beat the Cubs was in 2015.Cubs hitters are 9-for-41 (.220) with three homers off Hellickson. That includes Javier Baez, one of the top hitters in the league, who is 2-for-4 with a homer in his career against Hellickson.Hendricks is 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA in seven career starts against Washington, and last beat the Nationals in 2016.He allowed just a solo homer in eight innings Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds, the only run he has allowed while going 2-0 in his last three starts. Hendricks is the first pitcher since 2014 to throw at least eight innings and fewer than 100 pitches in three straight starts, one of which was an 81-pitch complete game shutout of St. Louis on May 3.Nationals batters are 22-for-103 (.214) against Hendricks, with two of three homers allowed coming by Adam Eaton, normally not a power hitter. Eaton is 4-for-13 (.308) against Hendricks, though he has struck out five times.In the first game of the series Friday, the Cubs scored 10 runs in the last three innings off the Washington bullpen and won 14-6 as Kris Bryant hit three homers -- all in the last three innings.The series got some drama Saturday when Cubs manager Joe Maddon played the game under protest with one out in the ninth. Maddon complained to the umpires twice about the delivery of Nats closer Sean Doolittle, who got the last three outs in the 5-2 win.Earlier this year, Cubs pitcher Carl Edwards Jr. had to go back to the minors to work on his delivery. Maddon said after Saturday's game he wouldn't be "a good parent" if he didn't complain to the umpires about what he feels is a similar delivery by Doolittle."If he taps the ground (with his foot), it is an illegal pitch," said Maddon, sitting in his office. "So we protested the game." Before Saturday's game, the Nationals called up right-hander Tanner Rainey from Triple-A Fresno. He took the spot of reliever Justin Miller, who went on the injured list. Rainey was acquired in the deal with the Reds for Tanner Roark in December."He's got a live fastball," Nationals manager Dave Martinez told reporters of Rainey. "His slider towards the end of spring training was really, really good. He continued to progress into (regular-season) play this year and has been pitching well." --Field Level Media

Game Preview from The Associated Press (AP).

NHL

5/19/2019

FOUND 1 GAME

COMING UP
3:10 PM EST

5/19/2019 3:10 PM EST (TODAY)

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SPREAD

TOTAL

St Louis Blues

+116

+1.5 (-235)

Over 5.5 (-102)

San Jose Sharks

-128

-1.5 (+210)

Under 5.5 (-109)

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