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Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Brewers take win streak into game against the Phillies
Milwaukee Brewers (30-28, third in the NL Central) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (36-21, first in the NL East) Philadelphia; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Brewers: Chad Patrick (2-4, 2.97 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 51 strikeouts); Phillies: Jesus Luzardo (5-0, 2.15 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 77 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Phillies -192, Brewers +159; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Milwaukee Brewers will attempt to keep their five-game win streak alive when they visit the Philadelphia Phillies. Philadelphia is 36-21 overall and 19-10 at home. Phillies hitters are batting a collective .257, which ranks fourth in the NL. Milwaukee has a 12-18 record on the road and a 30-28 record overall. The Brewers have the ninth-ranked team ERA in the NL at 3.97. Saturday's game is the second time these teams square off this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Schwarber has seven doubles, a triple, 19 home runs and 42 RBIs for the Phillies. Trea Turner is 12 for 41 with a double, three home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games. Sal Frelick has five doubles, three triples and three home runs for the Brewers. Christian Yelich is 13 for 43 with a double and five home runs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Phillies: 7-3, .245 batting average, 3.96 ERA, outscored opponents by five runs Brewers: 7-3, .248 batting average, 3.19 ERA, outscored opponents by 11 runs INJURIES: Phillies: Bryce Harper: day-to-day (elbow), Aaron Nola: 15-Day IL (ankle) Brewers: Connor Thomas: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jose Quintana: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Blake Perkins: 60-Day IL (shin), Garrett Mitchell: 10-Day IL (oblique), Nestor Cortes: 60-Day IL (elbow), Brandon Woodruff: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Robert Gasser: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs meet in game 2 of series
Cincinnati Reds (29-29, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Chicago Cubs (35-22, first in the NL Central) Chicago; Saturday, 2:20 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Nick Lodolo (4-4, 3.39 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 55 strikeouts); Cubs: Drew Pomeranz (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, 14 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cubs -160, Reds +135; over/under is 7 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds face the Chicago Cubs with a 1-0 series lead. Chicago is 18-11 at home and 35-22 overall. Cubs hitters have a collective .448 slugging percentage to rank third in the majors. Cincinnati is 15-15 in road games and 29-29 overall. The Reds have the seventh-ranked team on-base percentage in the NL at .324. Saturday's game is the fifth time these teams square off this season. The season series is tied 2-2. TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Tucker has nine doubles, four triples and 12 home runs for the Cubs. Seiya Suzuki is 16 for 40 with seven doubles and three home runs over the last 10 games. Gavin Lux has 14 doubles, a triple, a home run and 22 RBIs for the Reds. Elly De La Cruz is 12 for 40 with four doubles and three home runs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 7-3, .290 batting average, 3.89 ERA, outscored opponents by 21 runs Reds: 5-5, .280 batting average, 4.55 ERA, outscored opponents by six runs INJURIES: Cubs: Miguel Amaya: 10-Day IL (oblique), Porter Hodge: 15-Day IL (oblique), Tyson Miller: 60-Day IL (hip), Eli Morgan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Shota Imanaga: 15-Day IL (leg), Javier Assad: 60-Day IL (oblique), Justin Steele: 60-Day IL (elbow) Reds: Austin Hays: 10-Day IL (foot), Carson Spiers: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Tyler Callihan: 60-Day IL (forearm), Noelvi Marte: 10-Day IL (side), Jeimer Candelario: 10-Day IL (back), Christian Encarnacion-Strand: 10-Day IL (back), Brandon Williamson: 60-Day IL (elbow), Rhett Lowder: 15-Day IL (forearm), Julian Aguiar: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Semien leads Rangers against the Cardinals following 4-hit performance
St. Louis Cardinals (32-25, second in the NL Central) vs. Texas Rangers (28-30, third in the AL West) Arlington, Texas; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Cardinals: Sonny Gray (5-1, 4.06 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 66 strikeouts); Rangers: Patrick Corbin (3-3, 3.75 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 38 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cardinals -128, Rangers +109; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Texas Rangers play the St. Louis Cardinals after Marcus Semien's four-hit game on Friday. Texas has a 19-12 record at home and a 28-30 record overall. The Rangers have a 13-3 record in games when they hit at least two home runs. St. Louis is 32-25 overall and 13-17 on the road. Cardinals hitters have a collective .331 on-base percentage, the sixth-best percentage in the majors. Saturday's game is the second meeting between these teams this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Josh Jung leads the Rangers with a .283 batting average, and has seven doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 11 walks and 23 RBIs. Sam Haggerty is 10 for 40 with a home run and four RBIs over the past 10 games. Brendan Donovan has a .333 batting average to lead the Cardinals, and has 18 doubles and four home runs. Masyn Winn is 12 for 39 with a home run and five RBIs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Rangers: 3-7, .203 batting average, 2.75 ERA, outscored by three runs Cardinals: 6-4, .255 batting average, 4.40 ERA, outscored by three runs INJURIES: Rangers: Nathan Eovaldi: day-to-day (tricep), Joc Pederson: 10-Day IL (hand), Evan Carter: 10-Day IL (quadricep), Chris Martin: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Kumar Rocker: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Cody Bradford: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jon Gray: 60-Day IL (wrist), Josh Sborz: 60-Day IL (shoulder) Cardinals: Zack Thompson: 60-Day IL (lat) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Hamilton Spectator
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Cubs going with an opener to help Ben Brown with first-inning trouble
CHICAGO (AP) — Ben Brown has struggled in the first inning so far this season. While he works on a solution, the Chicago Cubs are going to try a different approach. Manager Craig Counsell is going to use Drew Pomeranz as an opener on Saturday for Brown's regular turn in the rotation. The NL Central leaders announced their plans after a 6-2 loss to the Reds in the series opener on Friday. Brown was hit hard in his last two starts, allowing 14 runs and 14 hits over nine innings in no-decisions at Miami and Cincinnati. The 6-foot-6 right-hander has a 9.90 ERA in the first inning this year. 'I'm getting so excited, so pumped up to pitch I'm losing kind of sight of what I do best,' Brown said. 'And it's like a mental (thing) not being able to throw strikes. There's a real dynamic to the first inning of baseball games that is different than other innings. 'So I have been working a lot with coaches and trainers, just trying to navigate throughout the process to make it a little bit easier for me.' Brown, 25, relies heavily on his four-seam fastball and a knuckle curveball. He has been working on adding a changeup to his repertoire, and he said he has been encouraged by the results so far. 'I think the changeup will be something I continue to use more and more,' he said. 'I mean in my bullpens, it's so comfortable. ... I think that's going to be real important.' Brown was acquired in an August 2022 trade with Philadelphia. He made his major league debut last year, going 1-3 with a 3.58 ERA in eight starts and seven relief appearances with Chicago. In his most recent start Sunday against the Reds, Brown walked his first two batters on nine pitches. He ended up surrendering four runs in the first after he was staked to a 2-0 lead. 'I think there's things Ben can do better,' Counsell said before Friday's game. 'I think when you use an opener for a starter you're trying to get a better solution in the first inning and then you're trying to probably get a better solution kind of as you get to the back end of the appearance, with hitters 19 to 25 or something like that.' Counsell had another left-hander in his bullpen for the matchup with Cincinnati after Chicago signed Génesis Cabrera on Thursday's off day. Right-hander Brooks Kriske was designated for assignment. Cabrera, 28, had no record and a 3.52 ERA in six appearances for the New York Mets before he was designated for assignment last weekend. He pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings against Cincinnati, striking out three. 'I think we're continuing to try to just add depth and incrementally upgrade,' Counsell said. 'I think we're going through a stretch of the season right now where I think left-handers are going to help.' Cabrera, who is from the Dominican Republic, is 17-14 with a 3.86 ERA in seven major league seasons, also playing for St. Louis and Toronto. 'I like to compete,' Cabrera said through a translator. 'I can actually go in in any situation. ... High-leverage or any inning, anything like that. I'm a competitor.' ___ AP MLB:
20 hours ago
- Sport
Abbott pitches 7 crisp innings as the Reds hold off the Cubs for a 6-2 win
CHICAGO -- Andrew Abbott pitched seven shutout innings in his third consecutive win, helping the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 6-2 on Friday. TJ Friedl, Tyler Stephenson and Jake Fraley homered for Cincinnati, which improved to 3-1 on a six-game trip. Will Benson had two hits and scored twice. The Reds played without outfielder Austin Hays, one of their best hitters. Hays was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left foot contusion. Abbott (5-0) allowed one hit, struck out eight and walked one. The left-hander improved to 3-0 with a sparkling 0.55 ERA in six May starts. Emilio Pagán got two outs for his 14th save, working out of a jam in the ninth. Chicago had won four in a row and seven of eight overall. The NL Central leaders took two of three against the Reds in Cincinnati last weekend. Cubs right-hander Colin Rea (3-2) was tagged for six runs and a season-high 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings. Friedl drove Rea's third pitch of the game deep to right-center for his fourth homer of the season. Friedl also singled in the third for his seventh consecutive game with multiple hits. Stephenson connected for a two-run shot in the fourth, a 435-foot drive to center for his fourth homer. Fraley added another two-run shot in the sixth in his first game back after being sidelined by left calf tenderness. Chicago scored its two runs in the eighth. Michael Busch hit an RBI triple and scored on Matt Shaw's single to right. The Cubs had runners on first and second when Graham Ashcraft replaced Tony Santillan on the mound in the eighth. Ashcraft got Kyle Tucker to bounce into a 3-6-1 double play, ending the inning. Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong struck out swinging in his first three at-bats before reaching on a bloop double in the ninth. He flung his bat off to the side in frustration after striking out for the final out in the fourth. Left-hander Nick Lodolo (4-4, 3.39 ERA) starts on Saturday for the Reds. The Cubs were contemplating going with an opener, depending on Friday's game.
