Weekend Matchups: TitBits

[Hesnotmypres]

Here are some TitBits on some series

1st: Nats/Braves

Nats biggest offensive performance came in the final two games of a series in Atlanta from April 27-29. The Nationals lost the opener 8-4 for their sixth straight defeat overall before totaling 13 runs and 15 hits in each of the next two games, sparking the club's current 7-2 stretch.
Harper went 3 for 8 with two doubles and four walks in those two victories after going hitless in the first game, including 0 for 2 with a walk off left-hander Eric Stults - Atlanta's starter Friday. Harper is 4 for 22 versus southpaws this season.
That's the only win for the 35-year-old Stults (1-2, 4.91 ERA), who allowed two runs and four hits over 6 1-3 innings. He didn't serve up a homer that day but has allowed five in as many outings this season after surrendering 26 in 2014, tied for fifth-most in the majors. Stults gave up two homers, 11 hits and six runs over seven innings in Saturday's 8-4 loss to Cincinnati.
Danny Espinosa is 5 for 9 with a homer against Stults, including a single and a double last month as he went 7 for 11 in the series.
Atlanta (14-14) is opening a nine-game road trip after totaling 16 runs in its last two games to beat Philadelphia in both. Andrelton Simmons and Freddie Freeman each had three hits in Wednesday's 7-5 win, capping a 5-5 homestand.
Simmons has heated up this month, going 10 for 21 while hitting safely in all six games. Freeman is 9 for 16 with seven RBIs in his last four and was 8 for 13 against the Nationals last month.
"Going into Washington, you wanted to feel good with a couple wins back-to-back," said Freeman, who hit .475 in 10 games in D.C. last year.
Gio Gonzalez (2-2, 3.86) hasn't enjoyed such success in this matchup, going 0-7 with a 5.32 ERA in his last eight starts against the Braves. However, he hasn't faced them since August and is coming off his second scoreless outing in three starts, striking out nine over seven innings in Saturday's 1-0 win over the New York Mets.
Simmons has gone 5 for 14 with two homers against Gonzalez since the start of 2013.

 

[Hesnotmypres]

Mets/Phillies:


Matt Harvey's bid to be the first pitcher in the majors to six victories is coming not only against a team he's historically dominated, but also one that's been among the worst in baseball offensively.
Extending his season-opening winning streak Friday night in Philadelphia would give him a 6-0 record against the Phillies, as well as make him the first New York Mets pitcher to win his first six starts in a season since 1990.
Harvey (5-0, 2.41 ERA) matched Pedro Martinez's 5-0 mark from 2006 with last Friday's 4-0 home victory over Washington. He limited the Nationals to five hits and struck out only three, but his strikeout-to-walk ratio of 8.50 remains among the best in the majors.
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He can equal Frank Viola (1990), Dwight Gooden (1988) and Dick Selma (1968) as the only pitchers in team history to win their first six starts of a season. Selma's streak had relief appearances mixed in, and only Viola won his first seven starts.
Harvey received 26 runs of support through his first four starts, but he made one run enough against Washington.
"That's what the definition of an ace is," outfielder Michael Cuddyer said.
The Phillies had three runs in six innings of a 6-5 Mets victory April 14, giving Harvey a 1.60 ERA in six starts in the series. Ryan Howard (1 for 10 with seven strikeouts), Ben Revere (1 for 7) and Carlos Ruiz (0 for 5) highlight the struggles against him.
Chase Utley figures to be back in the Philadelphia lineup after sitting out the last two games. The second baseman, batting .103 in 87 at_bats, is 6 for 15 with no strikeouts against Harvey. He homered along with Cody Asche in the April matchup against the right-hander, and Utley later went deep off reliever Sean Gilmartin.
Cole Hamels (1-3, 4.14), the only Philadelphia starting pitcher to deny Harvey a win, has had highs and lows through six starts. He allowed six runs and 10 hits in six innings of Saturday's 7-0 loss in Miami, an outing that followed two in which he allowed one earned run over 13 innings.
The left-hander is issuing 4.62 walks per nine innings.
"When I don't locate I think I get hammered," Hamels said.
Early season struggles are nothing new. Hamels' first seven starts last season resulted in a 1-3 record and 4.43 ERA before he went 8-6 with a 1.91 over the 23 that followed. His first 2014 start against the Mets was forgettable, but he was 1-0 with a 0.93 ERA in the four that followed.
Cuddyer (1 for 15) and Lucas Duda (2 for 16) have struggled against Hamels, but Curtis Granderson (5 for 11) and Juan Lagares (11 for 25) have thrived.
Granderson homered along with Dilson Herrera in Wednesday's 5-1 win over Baltimore. New York (18-10) took both games from the Orioles after dropping seven of 10. It's batting .220 in its 5-7 stretch, but Herrera's 3-for-3 day could give the banged-up club some hope after the 21-year-old went 1 for 13 in his first four games.
The Mets swept the three-game series in New York from April 13-15, giving them four straight wins over the Phillies and victories in 20 of 26. They've also gone 21-7 in Philadelphia over the previous three seasons.
The Phillies (10-19) fell 7-5 in Atlanta on Wednesday, dropping two of three in the series, though they're showing some life offensively with a .271 average in four games after hitting an MLB-worst .219 until that point. Revere was 4 for 5 with three doubles Wednesday and is 9 for 19 in four games.

 

[Hesnotmypres]

Cards/Pirates

St. Louis already has a 6 1/2-game lead - the largest of any in the majors - on the strength of its 16-5 record versus NL Central opponents. The Cardinals have won six straight series against their division rivals after splitting a rain-shortened set at Wrigley Field to open the season.
"I saw a toughness in some big situations that you don't necessarily see," manager Mike Matheny said. "Sometimes you're waiting around to August to see that group that grinds. It's nice to see it early. That's the bar. That's what it should look like."
Michael Wacha (4-0, 1.93 ERA) has been among those setting that bar and gets his second crack at Pittsburgh in five days. Though he was denied a win Sunday, he scattered five hits and two walks in 6 2-3 scoreless innings and has a 2-0 record and 0.90 ERA in three starts against NL Central rivals this year.
Wacha is 1-0 with a 1.31 ERA in four appearances versus Pittsburgh, with the win coming in the September 2013 sweep.
Pittsburgh's hangover from its lost weekend in the Gateway City finally ended Thursday with a 7-2 win over Cincinnati that stopped a season-worst five-game skid. A.J. Burnett pitched seven solid innings and Andrew McCutchen went 3 for 4 with an RBI for the Pirates, who were 5 for 15 with runners in scoring position after going 2 for 36 during the losing streak.
'It's what we're capable of doing on a daily basis,' McCutchen said. 'We have the team capable to do it. We're just going to keep going out there. We're not right where we need to be yet and that's the great thing.'
If there are silver linings for Pittsburgh having a quick turnaround to face St. Louis, it's having won 13 of 19 at PNC Park between the teams the last two years and turning to Francisco Liriano (1-1, 1.95).
He's 3-1 with a 1.76 ERA in his last eight starts versus the Cardinals and pitched well against them Saturday, giving up one run and three hits in eight innings of a 2-1, 11-inning loss.

 

[Hesnotmypres]

Dodgers/Rockies

Colorado has lost 13 of 17, a stretch that began with a three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium. The Rockies batted .170 while getting outscored 20-6 by Los Angeles, which batted .333. The Dodgers have won six straight and 14 of 17 over Colorado.
Tulowitzki and the Rockies can turn things around Friday against former teammate Brett Anderson (1-1, 4.21 ERA). Anderson was with Colorado in 2014, but a broken finger and back surgery limited the left-hander to eight starts and 43 1-3 innings.
He was effective enough in that stint - 2.91 ERA - to warrant a one-year deal with Los Angeles, and Anderson further proved his worth Sunday with his best outing of the season. He allowed five hits in six innings, throwing only 86 pitches in a 1-0, 13-inning win over Arizona.
"I was able to be efficient with groundballs, got some strikeouts," Anderson said. "It's a good stepping stone, hopefully, for starts to come."
Anderson, who has never pitched against the Rockies, is 1-2 with a 3.54 ERA at Coors Field with one home run allowed in 20 1-3 innings.
He'll take on Eddie Butler (2-2, 3.81), who has faced Los Angeles in three of his eight career outings. He's gone 0-2 with a 7.80 ERA in those matchups but didn't pitch badly in the only one this year, allowing two runs in five innings of a 7-0 defeat April 19.
The right-hander, though, has since given up nine runs and 13 hits in 10 innings against San Francisco and San Diego.
Butler will be tasked with trying to provide Colorado's first quality start in 11 tries. The Rockies' starting staff has allowed 37 runs in its last 32 1-3 innings, and opponents are hitting .331 in that span.
"There's no magic pill. We need to show up and compete," manager Walt Weiss said. "We need to pitch better, we need to take better at_bats - we need to play better."
Howie Kendrick headlined Los Angeles' success in its previous series with Colorado, going 6 for 12 with two home runs, three doubles and five RBIs. He's 6 for 13 in three career games at Coors Field.
Los Angeles' Adrian Gonzalez has 17 home runs and 71 RBIs in 69 games at Colorado.

 

[Hesnotmypres]

Tigers/Royals


These teams split a four-game series at Kauffman Stadium last week as Detroit took the first two before Price tossed a five-hitter in a 2-1 victory Saturday. He gave up four singles prior to surrendering Lorenzo Cain's two-out home run in the ninth inning. Price (3-1, 2.93 ERA) struck out three, walked none and recorded 16 of his outs on three pitches or fewer.

Tigers return home after salvaging a split of their 10-game trip with Thursday's 4-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Kyle Lobstein pitched into the eighth inning and Miguel Cabrera scored twice and drove in a run to help Detroit avoid the sweep.
"You don't want to get swept by anyone and we have Kansas City coming when we get home," third baseman Nick Castellanos said. "So to go back home on a positive note is big."
While the Tigers still rank among the league leaders with a .275 batting average, most of that damage came early in the season. They batted .303 with 14 home runs during an 11-2 start compared to hitting at a .250 clip with 11 homers during a 7-9 stretch.
Detroit's hitters aren't too familiar with Yordano Ventura (2-2, 4.94), who makes his first start since serving a seven-game suspension for his role in a brawl with the White Sox. The right-hander last appeared April 29, allowing five runs and four walks over 5 1-3 innings in a 7-5 loss at Cleveland.
Ventura won his only start against the Tigers on June 17, yielding three runs in seven innings of an 11-4 victory at Comerica Park.
Kansas City also has cooled following a fast start, going 11-10 after winning its first seven games, but it's coming off a 7-4 victory over Cleveland on Thursday. Eric Hosmer hit a three-run homer in the first inning and Mike Moustakas had three hits and two runs.
Hosmer is batting .366 with four homers and 13 RBIs in the last 10 games and is 23 for 53 (.434) over his past 14 against Detroit.
The Royals are 9-0 in series openers, tying the 1983 team mark to start a season.
Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias is unlikely to play Friday after aggravating a groin injury Wednesday.

 

[Hesnotmypres]

Yanks/O's


The Orioles may get well against the unheralded Warren (2-1, 4.78 ERA), who has an 8.18 ERA in 10 appearances versus them for his worst mark against any team he has faced at least five times.
Manny Machado is 3 for 4 against him, J.J. Hardy is 3 for 5, Davis is 2 for 4 and Jones is 3 for 6, though the Orioles have not homered versus the right-hander.
Warren has yet to pitch through the sixth inning, allowing four runs over 5 2-3 in Sunday's 8-5 win at Boston. He has a 1.64 home ERA compared to 7.04 on the road.
He'll hope to get support from Alex Rodriguez, who hit his 661st homer Thursday to pass Willie Mays for sole possession of fourth place on the all-time list. Rodriguez also singled and is 38 hits shy of 3,000.
'All of this is pretty crazy,' Rodriguez said. 'A year ago today I never thought I would ever get a curtain call or be hitting in the middle of the lineup for the Yankees, helping our team win.'
His effort in the No. 3 spot in the lineup came on a night when the top four hitters went 8 for 13 with all four RBIs and runs scored.
"The top guys, the four guys at the top had an awesome night," manager Joe Girardi said.
New York (18-11) will now try to fare better against Miguel Gonzalez (3-1, 2.59) than it did April 14 when he allowed one run over seven innings with a career-high 10 strikeouts in a 4-3 home victory. Gonzalez went 0-3 with a 4.22 ERA in his previous eight starts against the Yankees.
Rodriguez has a double in five at_bats against the right-hander and Mark Teixeira (1 for 12) and Brian McCann (2 for 11) have also fared poorly. Carlos Beltran, whose .227 on-base percentage is one of baseball's worst marks, is 4 for 6 with a homer and two doubles versus Gonzalez.
Gonzalez won his third straight decision Saturday with 7 2-3 innings in a 4-0 victory at Tampa Bay.
Orioles second baseman Ryan Flaherty is eligible to return from the disabled list after being out with a right groin strain. He was hitting .300 with two home runs in nine games before the injury.

 

[Schrute]

Thanks for posting...good information

Also love the term "Titbits"

 

[Play2win]

Good stuff Pres