Category: Baseball

One of baseball’s most electric young pitchers will match up against one of the sport’s most venerable competitors when the Cincinnati Reds face the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

Hunter Greene, 23, will start for the Reds and Adam Wainwright, 41, will take the mound for the Cardinals in the finale of a three-game series at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

The Cardinals won 7-4 in the opener Friday and the Reds answered with an 8-4 victory Saturday.

The hard-throwing Greene (1-4, 3.92 ERA) allowed just one run on two hits in 12 innings combined in his past two starts. He struck out 19 batters and walked five in those games while clicking with catcher Curt Casali.

“Definitely going on the right track,” Greene said. “Just continuing to stay locked in, stay present in the moment and never get satisfied. So I feel like I’ve done a good job with that. Players have been good behind me, I’ve loved throwing to Curt the last couple. It’s been good chemistry going back and forth.”

Casali has enjoyed sharing in Greene’s development.

“He’s a super impressive guy,” Casali said. “For being 23 years old and kind of getting jousted into the face-of-the-franchise type position. That’s a lot to handle for some people and I think he’s done a really nice job of that.”

Greene was in line to start on Monday, but he went through right hip stiffness that prompted the Reds to push his start back to this game. He is 0-2 with a 3.72 ERA in four career starts against the Cardinals.

Wainwright (2-1, 5.97) allowed three runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings in his most recent start on Monday, which the Cardinals ultimately lost 4-3 to the Texas Rangers.

“I’m just fitting in perfectly with this team right now, everyone is frustrated,” Wainwright said after that game. “I was frustrated out there on the mound and not executing like I wanted to. I tried to add a little something too and I just missed location big time. Every time I try to add, I lose balls up thigh (high) across the middle. I just dialed back a little bit and started trying to pitch.”

In each of his six starts, Wainwright has failed to complete six innings. After allowing four or more runs in his first four starts, he has allowed three in each of his past two.

Opponents are hitting .326 with an .898 on-base plus slugging percentage against him this season.

Wainwright won his earlier start against the Reds this season, but he allowed five runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings on May 23 at Cincinnati. He is 11-17 with a 5.53 ERA in 40 career games against the Reds, including 35 starts.

The Reds got outfielder T.J. Friedl back from a hamstring strain Saturday after he missed 10 games. “Especially after coming off IL, playing for [a] week, and then having to go back on it, this time around I’m get excited to get back out there,” Friedl said. “Everybody is playing well, having fun together.”

The Reds made room for him on the roster by putting outfielder Jake Fraley on the 10-day injured list with a right wrist contusion.

–Field Level Media

If his most recent outing is any indication of things to come, Chicago White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito could be starting to find his groove.

Giolito worked six innings without allowing a hit in his last start. He will look to build off that performance on Sunday when the White Sox host the Miami Marlins in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Giolito (5-4, 3.75 ERA) didn’t go the distance in that outing, getting pulled after six innings of Tuesday’s 3-2 victory over the New York Yankees. He walked three and struck out seven while improving to 3-1 over his past four starts.

“My stuff felt really good,” Giolito said. “Fastball felt very lively. Too many balls … they were working 2-2, 3-2 counts.

“They had a good, patient approach, which I unfortunately kind of played into a little bit. One takeaway from that is be more efficient, be more in the zone, attack the zone.”

A no-hit bid might be a tougher to come by on Sunday. Giolito, after all, will have to go against Miami second baseman Luis Arraez, who leads the majors with a .402 batting average.

Arraez is hitting an eye-popping .522 (24-for-46) with 10 RBIs and nine runs in his last 12 games.

Giolito has never faced the Marlins, who appeared to be headed for a second consecutive loss on Saturday before putting together a five-run rally in the ninth inning.

Chicago was three outs away from taking the first two games of the series, but Miami loaded the bases before recording an out in the ninth en route to a 5-1 win.

Despite escaping with the victory, the Marlins still were abysmal with runners in scoring position, going 1-for-16.

“I think it was a pretty frustrating day the first eight innings,” Miami manager Skip Schumaker said. “Sandy (Alcantara) was throwing the ball so well, really good defense behind him.

“We had guys on base; we just couldn’t get that one big hit, and finally broke through in the ninth inning.”

Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett (2-2, 4.47) will hope the offense doesn’t wait until the final inning to break through when he makes his 13th appearance (12th start) of the season on Sunday.

Garrett was roughed up in his last outing, surrendering four runs on six hits in five innings against the Kansas City Royals on Monday. He still earned the win, though, striking out six without issuing a walk.

Now in his fourth major league season, Garrett has yet to face the White Sox.

Chicago outfielder Luis Robert Jr. has been seeing the ball well over his last six games, going 8-for-23 (.348) with a homer and two RBIs.

Garrett and the Miami bullpen will attempt to limit Robert, and the bullpen got a boost last week when left-hander A.J. Puk was activated from the 15-day injured list.

In two appearances since coming back, Puk has struck out five over two scoreless innings.

–Field Level Media

The Oakland Athletics are in a rare position in their dreadful season.

They have only 16 wins, the fewest in the majors, but they are riding a four-game winning streak, and a victory Sunday over the host Milwaukee Brewers would give Oakland its first series sweep of the season.

After beating the Brewers 5-2 in the opener on Friday, the Athletics got a game-winning RBI single from Aledmys Diaz in a 2-1 victory in 10 innings on Saturday.

Oakland will send left-hander JP Sears (0-3, 4.20 ERA) to the mound in the finale against veteran right-hander Freddy Peralta (5-5, 4.55).

The Athletics’ last sweep was the final series of last season, vs. the Los Angeles Angels. Oakland finished 60-102.

But you have to go back to April 2021, when the A’s had a 13-game winning streak with nearly an entirely different roster, to match the feeling the 2023 club has now.

At least Oakland will ride a hot pitcher on Sunday.

Sears, one of the key prospects in the August 2022 trade that sent Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino to the New York Yankees, has allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of his last five starts.

Unfortunately, Oakland has lost four of those, going back to May 14 when he allowed two earned runs to the Texas Rangers in a game the Athletics lost 11-3.

“This has been a great stretch,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay told reporters Saturday. “If you’ve been watching this club from April, it wasn’t great at all in any aspect of the game, whether it was pitching, defense, hitting, whatever.

“It’s nice to see these results happening for this group. We’ve worked really hard. Now you can kind of see the group coming together collectively. They believe in each other and form a culture that’s reflective of the performances of late.”

The A’s have won three of their last four series after winning just one of their first 17.

The Brewers’ big problem remains getting the bats going. Milwaukee is ranked in the bottom five in slugging, on-base percentage and OPS.

In 10 games this month, the Brewers have scored more than five runs in a game just twice.

“We haven’t been getting enough offense, and that’s going to get you beat,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said after Saturday’s game. “You’ve got to be able to deliver on it when you get your pitch.”

Rowdy Tellez leads the Brewers with 12 home runs, and the only other player in double digits in homers is Willy Adames with 10. Christian Yelich leads the Brewers in stolen bases with 16.

Peralta is 1-3 with a 6.57 ERA in his last five starts, but in the one no-decision in that bunch, he struck out nine over five innings in a 4-3 Brewers win over the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday.

Peralta has faced the Athletics only once in his career, and it came in relief. On July 30, 2019, he gave up a go-ahead home run to Khris Davis in a 3-2 Brewers’ loss in Oakland.

–Field Level Media

The two winningest teams in the majors will have a rubber match on Sunday.

The Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers have split the first two games of their three-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla.

It will be a battle of top-tier left-handers, with Tampa Bay sending Shane McClanahan (9-1, 2.02 ERA) to the mound opposite Texas’ Martin Perez (6-1, 3.97).

The Rangers are carrying momentum after an 8-4 victory Saturday. Corey Seager led the way with a career day by going 5-for-5 with four RBIs, on a two-run home run and two-run double.

“He’s pretty good,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said in his postgame interview. “He has good at-bats against righties, lefties, fastballs, breaking balls … it doesn’t matter. He got us. He had a good day today.”

The Rangers also had multi-hit days from Marcus Semien and Ezequiel Duran. The bullpen delivered 2 2/3 scoreless innings, highlighted by Josh Sborz striking out the side in the eighth.

In his last five outings, Sborz has 13 strikeouts to two walks over 7 1/3 innings. He spoke to the Rangers’ radio network after Saturday’s game, emphasizing the trust everyone in the clubhouse has in each other.

“It’s a long season. It’s really early to start getting tense,” Sborz said. “Keep winning, keep our nose down and attack.”

Perez enters unbeaten in his last 10 starts. He was impressive on Monday by allowing just one unearned run on three hits with one walk and five strikeouts over seven innings in a no-decision effort vs. St. Louis.

In his career vs. Tampa Bay, Perez is 4-6 with a 5.46 ERA in 18 games, including 15 starts. He is 3-4 with a 7.78 ERA in eight games, including seven starts, at Tropicana Field.

But Perez won both of his starts vs. the Rays last season. He threw seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts in a 3-0 home victory on May 31, and then allowed three runs on nine hits with three strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings in a 4-3 road victory on Sept. 16.

McClanahan ranks among the early AL Cy Young favorites as he leads the league in ERA and is tied for the lead in wins with Nathan Eovaldi of the Rangers. McClanahan allowed one run on five hits with five strikeouts over six innings in a 4-1 victory at Boston on Monday.

Cash summed up McClanahan’s season to date following his last start.

“He’s just really good,” Cash said. “He’s been a good run.”

McClanahan will make his first career start vs. the Rangers. In 37 career starts at Tropicana Field, he is 20-8 with a 2.74 ERA.

Offensively, Josh Lowe had a two-hit game Saturday for his 18th multi-hit game of the season.

Also, Tampa Bay, which had a seven-game winning streak snapped Saturday, has lost just one series at home this season. The Astros took two of three April 24-26.

–Field Level Media

The visiting Minnesota Twins regained their hitting touch Saturday, and they hope it continues Sunday afternoon when they go for a three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays.

After struggling at the plate recently, the Twins scored all of their runs in the final three innings of their 9-4 win over the Blue Jays on Saturday. They had scored a total of 10 runs over their previous seven contests.

The Twins, who dropped two of three to the Blue Jays May 26-28 in Minneapolis, have won 12 of their past 15 games in Toronto.

Carlos Correa hit a grand slam and Max Kepler added a three-run blast when the Twins erupted for seven runs in the eighth inning on Saturday. The Blue Jays took a 3-0 lead into seventh when Minnesota’s Trevor Larnach hit a solo shot, an omen of things to come.

In 10 career games in Toronto, Correa is hitting .366 (15-for-41) with two doubles, four home runs, and 16 RBIs.

The home run on Saturday was his eighth of the season and his second career grand slam.

“We needed that (big inning) as a team,” Correa said. “We needed to put great at- bats together like that. We’ve been waiting for that for the past week. It came at the right time.”

The seven-run eighth started with Michael A. Taylor’s bunt hit followed by two more singles that loaded the bases with none out. Correa’s decisive home run came with one out against Toronto reliever Adam Cimber.

“It’s a bunt single and a broken-bat single, and things unraveled from there,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.

“That felt really good,” Correa said. “I’m not going to lie. Bases loaded, we’re down. To just turn the game upside down like that, it was a great one.”

The Twins are scheduled to start right-hander Louie Varland (3-2, 4.40 ERA) in the series finale. In his only career appearance against Toronto, he took the loss May 26 when he allowed three runs on seven hits and no walks in six innings. He had three strikeouts in the Twins’ 3-1 defeat.

The Blue Jays’ scheduled starter is right-hander Kevin Gausman (5-3, 2.63).

Gausman was the winning pitcher on May 26, allowing one run on four hits and five walks in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out eight. In 10 career starts against Minnesota, he is 1-4 with a 5.88 ERA.

Before the game Saturday, Minnesota placed infielder Jorge Polanco (left hamstring strain.) on the injured list. He had been reinstated from the IL on June 1 after missing 12 games with a hamstring issue.

Minnesota recalled infielder Edouard Julien from Triple-A St. Paul. Julien had a double, a single and a walk on Saturday. The native of Quebec City was playing his first career game in Toronto.

Toronto center fielder Kevin Kiermaier (wrist) did not start for the second straight game on Saturday.

Toronto designated hitter Brandon Belt (left hamstring tightness) left the game after scoring a run in the third inning Saturday. Nathan Lukes batted for him in the fifth and hit a sacrifice fly.

–Field Level Media

The pitching for the Baltimore Orioles has been spot-on for much of the season, and this weekend’s opponent hasn’t put up much of a fight.

The Orioles, who are riding their first three-game winning streak in nearly a month, are hoping to complete a sweep of the visiting Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon.

“They have a really good pitching staff,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said. “There’s a reason they’re winning a lot of games.”

The Orioles have reached the 40-win mark for the season, getting there nearly a month earlier than last year.

“We have to stay together,” outfielder Anthony Santander said. “It’s a long season. We have to keep doing what we’re doing.”

The pitching part tends to be crucial for the Orioles. They won’t want to let up against light-hitting Kansas City.

The Royals have lost five consecutive games. They’ve scored more than two runs in only two of their last nine games.

“We got eight or nine hits, one run, so we didn’t capitalize and drive guys in when we had them on base,” Quatraro said of Saturday’s 6-1 result, when the Royals had eight hits. “Overall, the guys put some good swings on the ball. They play good defense. They catch the ball. That’s a big reason in the difference in their winning.”

The Royals stranded nine runners and were just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

“It has been a handful of days now where we’ve struggled to score,” Quatraro said. “Nobody is going to be happy with that. When they’re not getting the results, it’s frustrating.”

The Orioles have received notable recent production from Austin Hays and Gunnar Henderson. Santander had been in a slump, but he posted three hits, including two doubles, on Saturday.

“Just stay positive, the right mentality,” Santander said. “Be on time on the fastball is the main thing.”

The Orioles will try to keep the streak going with right-hander Kyle Gibson (7-3, 3.87 ERA) heading to the mound. Gibson has lasted at least five innings in all but one of his 13 starts this season.

He racked up wins in three straight starts prior to Tuesday’s no-decision at Milwaukee. Yet his seven strikeouts in five innings marked his second-highest total of the season.

Gibson has a 10-6 record and 3.99 ERA all-time in 27 games, including 25 starts, against the Royals. A victory Sunday would match his 11 wins against Detroit for the most against any team in his career. Already, his 149 innings against the Royals are his most against any opponent.

Right-hander Carlos Hernandez (0-3, 4.31 ERA) will make a spot start for Kansas City. It will be his 27th appearance of the season, but just his fourth start. It will be a short stint, as he hasn’t worked more than 2 1/3 innings this season.

In three of his five outings against Baltimore, Hernandez has been a starter. He’s 1-2 with a 4.32 ERA across 16 2/3 innings in the five outings against the Orioles.

Kansas City first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, who’s batting .247 with nine home runs, went on the injured list Saturday with a shoulder injury sustained Friday night. He played in 61 of the team’s first 63 games.

“We’re not going to know the severity until we get back home,” Quatraro said. “It’s the same shoulder he had an issue with last year.”

To replace Pasquantino, the Royals reinstated Edward Olivares from the restricted list and he provided three hits, including two doubles, on Saturday.

–Field Level Media

The Los Angeles Dodgers look to secure their second series victory of the season over the Phillies on Sunday afternoon when the teams play the rubber match of their three-game set in Philadelphia.

The Dodgers erupted for 36 runs during a three-game sweep of the Phillies in Los Angeles early last month. Philadelphia exacted a measure of revenge with a 5-4 victory in the series opener on Friday, but the Dodgers ended the Phillies’ season-high six-game winning streak on Saturday with a 9-0 romp.

J.D. Martinez belted a three-run homer to cap a six-run uprising in the seventh inning on Saturday. Martinez has gone deep in seven of his last 12 games.

David Peralta also homered among his two hits for Los Angeles. Both of his came with two outs.

“We never give up with any at-bats … that’s what we do,” Peralta told SportsNet Los Angeles of the team’s recent success with two outs. “We’ve been playing really well. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, but it’s part of the game. So, we win today and we come with the same mentality and same approach and win the series tomorrow.”

To do that, the Dodgers will need to get the better of Taijuan Walker (5-3, 5.04 ERA) on Sunday.

Walker, 30, scattered two hits and struck out eight in seven innings of a 1-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday.

“In the past, when I’m feeling good, my body’s feeling good, I’m able to use my lower half more and drive down the slope (of the mound), and that’s where the velo comes from,” Walker said, per the Philadelphia Inquirer. “This year, I just really haven’t been able to get in my lower half. But we found something in the last bullpen (session).

“He was great,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “Just trying to get more rhythm in his delivery, and they found something. And he’s excited about it, too. He was really happy after that bullpen.”

Walker, however, wasn’t too happy after his last outing against Los Angeles.

He permitted eight runs on as many hits — including three homers — in 3 1/3 innings in a 13-4 setback on May 1. He is 3-4 with a 5.25 ERA in 12 career starts versus the Dodgers.

Bryson Stott answered an 0-for-4 performance in the series opener with three of the Phillies’ six hits on Saturday.

Philadelphia possibly could see a boost to its lineup in the form of Alec Bohm, who could be activated from the 10-day injured list on Sunday. Bohm has been sidelined since May 31 with a left hamstring strain.

Bohm leads the Phillies with 37 RBIs. He went 2-for-10 with two RBIs and a run in the previous series against Los Angeles.

The Dodgers have yet to announce their starting pitcher for Sunday’s contest. They were expected to dip into the bullpen to start the game.

–Field Level Media

The Seattle Mariners got four hits from J.P. Crawford, three apiece from Eugenio Suarez and Julio Rodriguez and rolled to a 6-2 victory over the Angels on Saturday night in Anaheim, Calif., ending Los Angeles’ five-game winning streak.

The Mariners tallied 16 hits in all, also getting two hits from AJ Pollock.

Seattle starter Bryan Woo, making his second major league start after getting hit hard his first time out, put together a strong outing on Saturday. Woo, who replaced the injured Marco Gonzales in the rotation, gave up six runs in two innings in his first start.

Against the Angels, Woo allowed two runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings, walking one and striking out seven.

Four Mariners relievers combined to shut out the Angels over the final 4 1/3 innings to secure the victory, allowing only two hits. Gabe Speier (2-1) retired the only batter he faced and got the win.

Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run homer for the Angels’ only runs of the game.

The Mariners broke through in the third inning with three runs against Angels starter Patrick Sandoval (3-6). Crawford singled with one out and scored on a two-run homer by Rodriguez.

Seattle added its third run of the inning when Ty France doubled and scored on a single by Teoscar Hernandez.

The Angels got two runs back in the bottom of the third thanks to Ohtani’s two-run blast. It was Ohtani’s team-leading 18th homer of the season.

The Mariners added to their lead in the fourth inning with two more runs against Sandoval. Tom Murphy drove in the first run with an RBI single and Crawford followed with an RBI single of his own for a 5-2 Mariners advantage.

Sandoval was finished after five innings, allowing the five runs on a season-high 10 hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out eight.

The Mariners increased their lead to 6-2 in the seventh inning, getting a run-scoring single from Suarez.

–Field Level Media

It’s a little difficult to say which team has the momentum as the Pittsburgh Pirates and visiting New York Mets go into the deciding game of their three-game series Sunday.

The Mets won 5-1 on Saturday, limiting Pittsburgh to three hits, all singles. But the win didn’t necessarily give New York much to brag about, seeing as how it ended a season-long seven-game losing streak.

In addition, the Pirates gave the Mets a 14-7 bruising in the series opener, a game that was even more of a laugher before New York scored five times in the ninth.

“It’s definitely nice to put (the losing streak) to bed,” said the Mets’ Mark Canha, who had two doubles and three RBIs Saturday. “We still have a lot of work to do, and that’s important to remember.”

The Mets have made five errors this series. One of their three Saturday contributed to Pittsburgh’s lone run.

Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton pointed not to any specific shortcoming from his club in dropping the middle game of the series. Instead, he credited the performance of Mets starter Kodai Senga and his specialty pitch.

“The forkball is elite, and he had it (going well),” Shelton said of Senga, who allowed just two hits and one unearned run in seven innings.

One bit of drama surrounds Pittsburgh designated hitter Andrew McCutchen, who is chasing his 2,000th career hit with his team’s homestand ending Sunday.

He reached 1,999 career hits on Friday but was 0-for-3 with a walk on Sunday.

Shelton, asked if McCutchen might be rested because of the day game Sunday, laughed.

“No, he’ll be in the lineup,” he said.

In the series finale, New York right-hander Carlos Carrasco (2-2, 5.94 ERA) is scheduled to oppose Pittsburgh right-hander Mitch Keller (7-2, 3.60 ERA).

Carrasco looked as if he might help the Mets end their losing streak at three in New York’s game Tuesday at Atlanta when his teammates staked him to a 4-1 lead.

But things blew up for him in the sixth, and he ended up giving up three runs without getting an out.

“We had two or three 0-2 situations where he didn’t put some guys away,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “He got away with it early and didn’t in that inning.”

“I can’t fault Carlos. In a tough environment, I thought he gave us a quality start to give us a chance to win.”

Carrasco is 2-0 with a 2.78 ERA in four career starts against the Pirates.

Keller has emerged as the Pirates’ ace, but he is coming off one of his toughest outings.

On the heels of a four-game winning streak, he gave up five runs in 5 1/3 innings, with four walks and one strikeout Tuesday in a loss against Oakland.

“I just didn’t execute,” Keller said. “It just comes down to execution. I left too many pitches over the middle, and they took advantage.”

Even given the winning streak, Keller is in a rough patch. He has given up 15 earned runs in 17 1/3 innings over his past three starts. At the beginning of that stretch, he had a 2.44 ERA.

Keller is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in two career starts against the Mets.

–Field Level Media

With Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez sidelined due to a right oblique injury, the team is looking for other players to step up. It hasn’t taken long for first baseman Jose Abreu to answer the call.

Abreu is heating up at the right time for the Astros, who face the host Cleveland Guardians in the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday.

Abreu had just one home run this season before hitting a three-run shot in the Astros’ 14-inning, 10-9 loss in Friday’s series opener. He followed that up with a two-run blast and an RBI single in Saturday’s 6-4 victory.

The Astros are hoping Abreu has turned a corner after beginning the weekend hitting .213 with one homer and 23 RBIs.

“I really can’t tell you yet if I feel fully better at the plate now than before,” Abreu said. “(Friday), I felt a lot better. I’m going to go out there and try to battle every single game.”

Houston, which snapped a season-long four-game losing streak on Saturday, will send right-hander Brandon Bielak (3-2, 3.35 ERA) to the mound in the series finale. He won his second straight start last Monday, allowing three runs on 10 hits over 6 2/3 innings in an 11-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Bielak, 27, has emerged as a reliable starter following injuries to Luis Garcia and Jose Urquidy. He has allowed three runs or fewer in six of his first seven games this season.

“This has kind of been my main goal since being with the Astros, cracking the rotation,” Bielak said. “I’m still kind of taking it and doing the best I can to just run with it.”

Right-hander Shane Bieber (4-3, 3.57) will get the nod for Cleveland. He allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Boston Red Sox last Tuesday.

Bieber, 28, was not overly pleased with the outing despite improving on his previous start, when he gave up seven runs over four innings against the Baltimore Orioles.

“I guess I bounced back all right,” Bieber said. “Could have and should have been better and not as tight of a game going into the later innings, but it is what it is.”

Abreu is 13-for-45 (.289) with three homers against Bieber, who is 0-1 with a 3.46 ERA in two career starts versus Houston.

The Guardians had their three-game winning streak snapped on Saturday but received another strong effort from Josh Naylor. The first baseman extended his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games with two hits and three RBIs, giving him 29 RBIs in his last 23 games.

Houston ran wild on Saturday with six stolen bases against Cleveland catcher Mike Zunino, but Guardians manager Terry Francona said part of the blame lies with the pitchers.

“They were getting some pretty healthy jumps,” said Francona. “He was trying to rush and trying to be too quick.”

Sunday’s series finale has been moved up to 11:40 a.m. local time due to expected rain later in the day. The contest will mark the end of Houston’s stretch of 17 games in 17 consecutive days.

–Field Level Media