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 Time 2008-05-12 22:15:00 |
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I pick "
(911) HOU Astros
".
While Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt is beginning to settle down after a poor start, there's no telling how long San Francisco Giants disappointment Barry Zito's problems will last.
Oswalt looks to win his fourth straight decision for the surging Astros as they face Zito and the Giants on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series.
Oswalt (3-3, 5.33 ERA) and Zito (0-7, 6.95) have been two of the major league's elite pitchers this decade, but both have struggled this season.
After losing his first three starts, Oswalt has gone 3-0 with a 3.55 ERA in his last five outings. He gave up three runs and six hits while striking a season-high nine in seven innings against Washington on Wednesday night, but did not receive a decision as Houston (21-17) won 4-3.
The right-hander, though, has surrendered four home runs in his last two starts and has given up 11 overall after allowing just 14 in all of 2007.
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Time 2008-05-12 20:05:00 |
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I pick "
(516) CLE Cavaliers
".
Boston, which went a league-best 31-10 in away games during the regular season, has dropped all four of its road games so far in this postseason, a potentially disturbing trend for a team aiming to win it all. A perfect 6-0 inside noisy TD Banknorth Garden so far in these playoffs, the Celtics dropped to 0-4 on the road Saturday night with a 108-84 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who trimmed Boston's lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
Game 4 is Monday night, and unless the green-and-white can cure their home sickness, their commanding lead will be gone.
Of course, holding the home-court advantage trump card throughout the playoffs gives the Celtics a safety net. They can continue to lose on the road as long as they win all their home games. But one little misstep on their parquet floor could lead to an early slide into summer.
A slower-than-slow start doomed the Celtics in Game 3. They fell behind by 19 points after the first quarter, were down by an eye-popping 43-17 in the second and never mounted a serious threat after halftime as the Cavaliers destroyed a team with a collective 72-20 record this season.
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Time 2008-05-12 19:10:00 |
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I pick "
(917) NY Yankees
".
The Rays hope Matt Garza can extend the team's recent success as he is coming off his best performance of the season.
Garza (1-1, 4.91 ERA) limited the Blue Jays to one run and six hits over 6 2-3 innings, despite suffering a 6-2 loss in Toronto on Wednesday.
The right-hander is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in two career appearances against the Yankees. In his lone start against them, he gave up five runs and seven hits over 4 2-3 innings of a 10-1 loss on Sept. 3, 2006 in New York, while pitching for Minnesota.
The Yankees are coming off a weather-shortened series in Detroit as Sunday's finale was postponed by rain. They earned a 5-2 win on Saturday, getting six strong innings from starter Darrell Rasner.
Mariano Rivera worked a scoreless ninth for this 10th save for New York, which has won two of three to move back to .500.
"That's what we need from these young guys," Rivera told the Yankees' official Web site. "He stepped up big for us."
New York hopes Andy Pettitte can do the same after his start was moved to Monday.
Pettitte (3-3, 3.77) is 0-2 with a 5.71 ERA in his last three starts, but turned in a solid effort in his last outing, despite not receiving a decision. The veteran left-hander limited Cleveland to just two runs and five hits over 6 1-3 innings of a 5-3 home loss on Tuesday.
Pettitte's next victory will tie him with Bob Shawkey for fifth on the franchise list (168).
He is 14-3 with a 3.62 ERA in 23 career appearances versus the Rays, going 8-1 with a 3.30 ERA in 11 starts in Tampa Bay.
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Time 2008-05-12 19:10:00 |
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I pick "
(904) NY Mets
".
Nelson Figueroa (2-2, 4.81 ERA)is 2-0 with a 3.32 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 21 2-3 innings over four games - three starts - at home. He hasn't been effective on the road, going 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA while fanning six in 12 innings of four games - two starts.
Figueroa is also coming off one of his worst performances of the season, allowing five runs and eight hits in five innings of a 5-4 loss at the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.
The Nationals, losers of five of their last six, are coming off a three-game sweep to Florida, capped by a 5-4 defeat on Sunday.
Washington hopes Odalis Perez (0-3, 3.43) can help them snap the skid when he gets a ninth chance to win his first game of the season.
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Time 2008-05-12 19:05:00 |
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I pick "
(916) CLE Indians
".
Toronto has scored only one run in losing the first two games of this series, falling 12-0 on Saturday and 6-1 on Friday. That sputtering offense may be in for more lean times against scheduled Indians starters and Cliff Lee (6-0, 0.81).
Toronto will start Shawn Marcum (4-2, 2.59), who fell one out shy of a shutout and complete game in a 6-2 victory over Tampa Bay on Wednesday night. The right-hander limited the Rays to four hits, striking out nine in his second straight win.
Marcum last won three straight starts during a five-game run from July 23-Aug. 15.
He could have trouble pursuing that mark as he is just 0-2 with a 6.48 ERA in five career appearances versus Cleveland.
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Time 2008-05-12 19:05:00 |
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I pick "
(914) MIN Twins
".
The AL Central-leading Twins (19-17) won with a rare display of power. Minnesota hit three homers - including two from Craig Monroe - in its first game with more than one this season.
The Twins finished the night with one more homer (20) than Kansas City, which ranks last in the majors.
Minnesota will hope to give similar support to Livan Hernandez (5-1, 3.83 ERA), who is coming off perhaps his strongest performance of the season. The Cuban right-hander took a shutout into the ninth inning and allowed only Jermaine Dye's homer in a complete-game, 13-1 win over the Chicago White Sox.
The complete game was Hernandez's first of the season and the 44th of his career, ranking him eighth among active players.
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Time 2008-05-11 20:05:00 |
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I pick "
(514) SAN Spurs
".
In Game 3, Ginobili and Parker - who often sticks his tongue out of the side of his mouth as he drives to the basket - got to the rim consistently. Paul said the Hornets don't want to let that happen again.
'They shot a lot of layups. Him and Manu had 62 points, probably more than half of them was layups,' Paul said. 'So we just got to control the paint like we did in the first two games and we'll be fine.'
Paul had the shot of the night Thursday. In the third quarter he spun around, his back to the basket, then he flipped up the ball, sinking the shot and getting fouled in the process.
Controlling Paul has been a challenge for the Spurs, who acknowledge that the third-year star will probably score no matter what they try on him. In Game 3, the Spurs switched top defender Bruce Bowen from Paul to Stojakovic, who was largely shut down and scored only eight points.
'We're going to try to still take care of the role players' in Game 4, Ginobili said. 'But at the same time try to bring Paul and (David) West a little down, too.'
Whether the Spurs can stop Paul is anybody's guess. But Parker isn't planning to change his game Sunday.
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Time 2008-05-11 15:30:00 |
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I pick "
(512) UTH Jazz
".
The Jazz will be hosting a Sunday afternoon game for the first time since 2001. It's their first Sunday playoff game since 2000.
EnergySolutions Arena is just blocks away from the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the state's predominant religion. Sundays are generally off-limits to anything but church and family activities.
Team owner Larry Miller is even putting his Mormon faith ahead of his team and will continue his practice of not attending Sunday games.
But there are still plenty of non-Mormons in the state, as well as some members of the church who will be spending Sunday afternoon at the arena instead of their local church. The available tickets for Sunday's game sold out in less than 15 minutes.
Utah is 40-5 at home this season. Game 5 is Wednesday in Los Angeles and the Jazz don't want to be down 3-1 and in an elimination game on the road
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Time 2008-05-10 22:10:00 |
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I pick "
(929) CHI White Sox
".
The Mariners have lost nine of 10 overall, scoring two runs or fewer in eight of those games. They are averaging just 1.8 runs in nine games so far in May, and have managed just three total runs in their last four games.
Chicago, which scored only nine total runs during an 0-6 road trip last week, can relate. Now, though, the White Sox (17-17) have won three of four to move within a game of Minnesota for first place in the AL Central.
Friday's 4-2 win over the Mariners also snapped their six-game road losing streak - a good sign at the start of a 10-game West Coast trip. The White Sox had lost five straight to the Mariners and six in a row at Safeco Field entering this series.
Seattle (14-23) is in far worse shape, now possessing the AL's worst record. The Mariners were shut out in their final two games against Texas this week - part of their longest scoreless streak in 20 years - and their two runs in Friday's loss provided little consolation.
White Sox starter Javier Vazquez (3-3, 3.30) will try to keep Seattle slumping while seeking his first win in four starts. Vazquez has been impressive in his last two outings, allowing just two runs and 12 hits in 15 2-3 innings while striking out 16. He is 0-1 over that span, though, after receiving only two runs of support.
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Time 2008-05-10 22:10:00 |
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I pick "
(916) LA Dodgers
".
Chad Billingsley (2-4, 4.54 ERA) gets the start for Los Angeles. The right-hander lost his first four starts after moving to the rotation, but has bounced back with victories in each of his last two outings. He has held opponents to two total runs and eight hits spanning 13 innings in those games, including a 5-1 win over the New York Mets on Monday in which he allowed one run in six innings.
Billingsley went 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in his first two career starts against the Astros last season.
While Billingsley has put together his best outings lately, the opposite has been the case for Houston starter Chris Sampson (1-3, 7.96). The right-hander has been reached for 10 runs in 7 2-3 innings spanning his last two starts. He gave up five runs and nine hits in 3 1-3 innings on Sunday, but Houston rallied for an 8-6, 12-inning victory over Milwaukee.
Sampson gave up four runs in five innings of his only previous start against the Dodgers - a 10-2 defeat on July 23.
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