Mel Antonen

Defending World Series champion Astros remain favorites in AL West

Defending World Series champion Astros remain favorites in AL West
Who says rebuilding lasts forever? It only seems to be the case. The Astros, who had 100-loss seasons each year from 2011 to 2013, won their first World Series last season. This season, they are the favorite to win the American League West. And they could be the first team since the 1999-2000 New York Yankees to win consecutive World Series. In the rest of the AL West, the stories are the same. The Mariners, Angels, Athletics and Rangers have potent lineups, but rotation questions. The...
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Mel Antonen

Taking a look at the bizarre AL wild card race

Taking a look at the bizarre AL wild card race
The American League wild card race is bizarre, flawed or mediocre - whatever you choose to call it. In most seasons, teams struggling to stay above .500 would be long gone out of the race. Not this year. Here is what makes the AL wild card race so wild: * The Twins, who lost 103 games in 2016, are contenders even with a rotation that includes Bartolo Colon, Aaron Slegers, Dillion Gee and Tim Melville. Colon is 44 and looks like a sportswriter. Slegers has made one big league start, Gee 23 in...
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Steve Melewski

Kevin Gausman with a gem as the O's blank Texas (quotes added)

Kevin Gausman with a gem as the O's blank Texas (quotes added)
ARLINGTON, Texas - Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman produced a third straight strong outing tonight. The Orioles backed him with early offense and they beat Texas 4-0 at Globe Life Park. Gausman came within one out of the Orioles' first complete-game shutout since Miguel Gonzalez against Cincinnati on Sept. 3, 2014. After Manny Machado turned a nifty double play to deny Adrian Beltre his 3,000th hit in the ninth, Gausman issued a walk and gave up a bloop single. With his pitch count at 118,...
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Steve Melewski

Chris Davis on Adrian Beltre (O's blank Rangers 4-0)

Chris Davis on Adrian Beltre (O's blank Rangers 4-0)
ARLINGTON, Texas - It has become very apparent in two days during this series at Globe Life Park that Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre has a room full of admirers in the visiting clubhouse. Beltre enters tonight's game two hits shy of becoming the 31st player in the Major League history to reach 3,000 hits. He had two hits last night and is at 2998 to start this game. Beltre has gone 9-for-14 with a homers, two doubles, 5 RBIs and 2 walks during this Rangers homestand to raise his season...
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Steve Melewski

O's game blog: Kevin Gausman faces Texas in Game 2

O's game blog: Kevin Gausman faces Texas in Game 2
ARLINGTON, Texas - This Orioles road trip began well. Right-hander Kevin Gausman pitched six scoreless innings on Monday in a 5-0 shutout of Tampa Bay, but the Orioles have lost three straight since then by a combined score of 18-7. They lost the series opener at Texas 8-2 last night and are 48-54 heading into tonight's second game of the series. A loss would drop them to a season-high tying seven games under .500, a mark they hit when they were 42-49. Right-hander Chris Tillman gave up nine...
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Steve Melewski

Adam Jones on three wins: "Shuts up all the trade rumors"

Adam Jones on three wins: "Shuts up all the trade rumors"
Orioles outfielder Adam Jones went 3-for-5 with two RBIs tonight as the Orioles won their third in a row, beating Texas 10-2. Despite these wins, the Orioles (45-49) would need four more consecutive wins just to get back to .500. But Jones made his feelings clear when asked tonight what three straight wins does for the Orioles. "Shuts up all the trade rumors, I know that," Jones said. "We feel that we're still in this race. Long way to go. We're not just going to give up. No, I don't take...
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Steve Melewski

Gausman bounces back, offense blows it open in rout of Texas

Gausman bounces back, offense blows it open in rout of Texas
So this series has been very different. The Orioles pitching staff got bounced around over the weekend by the Chicago Cubs, but they have turned the tables against Texas. For the second night in a row, the offense joined in the act. Right-hander Kevin Gausman produced the third straight quality start for the Orioles tonight as they beat Texas 10-2 at Oriole Park. They have taken the first three in this four-game series and broke this game open late with a seven-run seventh inning. Gausman's...
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Steve Melewski

O's game blog: Kevin Gausman faces the Rangers

O's game blog: Kevin Gausman faces the Rangers
The Orioles have taken the first two games of their four-game series against Texas by scores of 3-1 and 12-1. They host the Rangers the next two nights to conclude this series. In three weekend games versus the Cubs, the O's pitching staff allowed 27 runs on 41 hits. In the last two games against Texas, they have allowed two runs on nine hits. With Chris Tillman and Dylan Bundy, they recorded two straight quality starts for the first time since June 1-2. Right-hander Kevin Gausman (5-7, 6.39...
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Josh Land

Opposite dugout: Rangers no longer winning one-run games

Opposite dugout: Rangers no longer winning one-run games
Manager: Jeff Banister (3rd season) Record: 45-46 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: SS Elvis Andrus (.295/.339/.462 with 11 HR, 50 RBIs), 3B/DH Adrian Beltre (.275/.374/.522 with 8 HR, 30 RBIs), 3B Joey Gallo (21 HR, 41 RBIs), LHP Cole Hamels (7-4, 3.05 ERA), LHP Alex Claudio (2.59 ERA, 1.05 WHIP) Season series vs. Orioles: First meeting (4-3 in 2016) Pitching probables: July 17: RHP Andrew Cashner vs. RHP Chris Tillman, 7:05 p.m., MASNJuly 18: RHP Tyson Ross vs. RHP Dylan Bundy, 7:05 p.m.,...
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Byron Kerr

Scherzer's 2,000th strikeout spoiled by late Rangers rally

Scherzer's 2,000th strikeout spoiled by late Rangers rally
Right-hander Max Scherzer did his job again, pitching into the eighth inning and keeping the Nationals in their series finale against the Rangers. But a sloppy eighth inning, in which the Rangers scored four runs on just one hit, blew open a tie game and led Texas to a 5-1 win and series sweep over the Nationals. It was the first series sweep of the Nationals at home this season. In the game-changing eighth, Texas benefited from a fielding error by Anthony Rendon and a Matt Wieters passed ball,...
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Byron Kerr

Goodwin's big blast gives Nats early lead (Rangers win 5-1)

Goodwin's big blast gives Nats early lead (Rangers win 5-1)
The Nationals gave Max Scherzer an early lead, thanks to the power stroke of Brian Goodwin. Leading off the bottom of the first, Goodwin crushed an 0-1 pitch from right-hander Austin Bibens-Dirkx over the right field wall to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead. Goodwin's second homer of the season was also the first leadoff homer of his career. Scherzer allowed a leadoff single by Shin-Soo Choo, but then became very Scherzer-like with a pair of strikeouts sandwiched around a flyout to left field by...
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Byron Kerr

Glover back to disabled list, Blanton reinstated

Glover back to disabled list, Blanton reinstated
The Nationals have reinstated right-hander Joe Blanton from the 10-day disabled list and placed right-hander Koda Glover on the 10-day disabled list with lower back stiffness. Blanton has been on the disabled list since May 17 with right shoulder inflammation. Blanton started for Double-A Harrisburg against Altoona on June 8 and threw one scoreless, hitless inning with no walks and two strikeouts. Glover allowed two runs on three hits and recorded two outs in the ninth inning Saturday as the...
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Pete Kerzel

Game 61 lineups: Nats vs. Rangers

Game 61 lineups: Nats vs. Rangers
If the Nationals want to square their weekend interleague series with the Rangers - and give themselves a chance to win the three-game set after dropping Friday night's opener - they'll need left-hander Gio Gonzalez to do the heavy lifting. Gonzalez (5-1, 3.03 ERA) is enjoying a renaissance season, but he's fallen off a bit after a stellar April that saw him work at least six innings in all five of his starts and post a 3-0 record with a 1.62 ERA. When the calendar flipped to April, Gonzalez...
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Doug Miller

Opposite dugout: Closer crashing, but Rangers still have the horses to make a run

Opposite dugout: Closer crashing, but Rangers still have the horses to make a run
Manager: Jeff Banister (3rd year) Record: 27-32 Last 10 games: 3-7 Who to watch: SS Elvis Andrus (.302/.345/.466, 15 doubles, 14 stolen bases), RF Nomar Mazara (.288/.352/.462, 38 RBIs), 3B Joey Gallo (.200/.300/.516, 17 home runs), LF Delino DeShields (.289/.352/.352, 10 stolen bases), RHP Matt Bush (2.49 ERA, six saves) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (1-2 in 2014) Pitching probables: June 9: RHP Andrew Cashner vs. RHP Tanner Roark, 7:05 p.m., MASN2June 10: LHP Martín Pérez...
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Mel Antonen

Looking at closer issues around baseball

Looking at closer issues around baseball
The Nationals lead the National League East despite a bullpen that brings daily turbulence. This week at Nationals Park they will see first-hand that they aren't the only team with late-inning issues. The Nationals' bullpen ERA (5.40) is 29th in baseball. Seattle's bullpen has the highest ERA in the majors at 5.44, while San Diego is 27th at 5.04. The Mariners and Padres play in D.C. this week. Edwin Díaz, and his blazing fastball, was the Mariners closer at the season's start, but he...
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Mel Antonen

Astros and Rangers hope they have enough pitching to remain top of AL West

Astros and Rangers hope they have enough pitching to remain top of AL West
Spring training is gearing up, and in the American League West, the Astros and Rangers are expected to be the top two teams. But do the Astros have enough pitching? The same question goes for the Rangers. Seattle expects to contend as well, and Oakland, with a healthy rotation and deep bullpen, could be a surprise team. Here's a look at the pitching in the AL West: Houston: The Astros might have the best lineup in the American League, but the rotation appears thin. ... The X-factor is...
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Mel Antonen

Notes after the non-waiver trade deadline

Notes after the non-waiver trade deadline
The Cleveland Indians acquired a game-changing lefty, Andrew Miller, for their bullpen and an outfielder with a dependable bat, Brandon Guyer. The Texas Rangers picked up Jeremy Jeffress, Carlos Beltran and Jonathan Lucroy. So as the non-waiver trade deadline rumors end and the dust settles, the Rangers and Indians are the most improved teams in baseball. A couple of months after the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA championship, the Indians are set to make a...
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Pete Kerzel

Opposite dugout: Fortified Rangers on top in AL West, will present a tough challenge

Opposite dugout: Fortified Rangers on top in AL West, will present a tough challenge
Manager: Jeff Banister (2nd season) Record: 62-44 Last 10 games: 7-3 Who to watch: CF Ian Desmond (.303 with 20 HR, 63 RBIs, 17 SB), RF Nomar Mazara (13 HR, 43 RBIs), 3B Adrian Beltre (16 HR, 65 RBIs), 2B Rougned Odor (21 HR, 54 RBIs, 10 SB), RF/DH Carlos Beltrain (.304/.344/.546 with 22 homers, 64 RBIs), LHP Cole Hamels (12-2, 2.84 ERA), RHP Yu Darvish (2-2, 3.09 ERA), RHP Sam Dyson (2.42 ERA, 22 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: 3-1 Pitching probables: Aug. 2: RHP Yu Darvish vs. RHP Dylan...
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Josh Land

Opposite dugout: Cubs are hot, but Rangers are scorching

Opposite dugout: Cubs are hot, but Rangers are scorching
Manager: Jeff Banister (2nd season) Record: 45-25 Last 10 games: 8-2 Who to watch: CF Ian Desmond (.309 average, 85 hits); 2B Rougend Odor (13 HR, 34 RBIs); RF Nomar Mazara (.293 average, 11 HR); SP Cole Hamels (7-1, 2.88 ERA); SP Colby Lewis (6-0, 2.81 ERA); SP Derek Holland (5-5, 1.35 WHIP) Season series vs. Orioles: 2-1 Pitching probable: RHP Kevin Gausman vs. LHP Derek Holland, 8:05 p.m., MASN Inside the Rangers: It's easy for teams to think about the benefits of a game that gets rained...
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Pete Kerzel

Opposite dugout: Rangers look to duplicate success against O's from last season

Opposite dugout: Rangers look to duplicate success against O's from last season
Manager: Jeff Banister (2nd season) Record: 5-5 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: RF Nomar Mazara (.375), 3B Adrian Beltre (.308, 2 HR, 9 RBIs), DH Prince Fielder (10 RBIs), LHP Cole Hamels (2-0, 2.08 ERA), LHP Derek Holland (1-0, 3.00 ERA), RHP Shawn Tolleson (2 saves, 22.50 ERA) Season series vs. Orioles: First meeting (6-1 in 2015) Pitching probables: April 14: RHP Chris Tillman vs. LHP Cole Hamels, 8:05 p.m., MASN2 April 15: RHP Vance Worley vs. LHP Martin Perez, 8:05 p.m., MASN2 April 16:...
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