Posts
VENUE: Chase Field
| Probable Starters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Josh Tomlin, RHP |
|  Daniel Hudson, RHP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arizona's Daniel Hudson and Cleveland's Josh Tomlin are big reasons their respective teams are contending for division titles.
One of the right-handers could become the majors' latest 10-game winner when the Indians and Diamondbacks continue their series Tuesday night at Chase Field.
Since posting a 5.92 ERA while losing his first four starts of 2011, Hudson (9-5, 3.58 ERA) is 9-1 with a 2.90 ERA in his last 12 outings. He's 6-0 over his last eight, and has allowed five runs in 22 innings to win his last three starts.
Hudson gave up three runs in seven innings of a 5-3 victory at Kansas City on Thursday.
"I'm sure he'll (Hudson) tell you he wasn't real happy," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said.
Gibson knows the 24-year-old pretty well.
"I probably had my worst command of the year," said Hudson, who nonetheless only walked one batter. "Just pushed through it, tried to battle through it.
"(It's) just more of a fact of getting into a rhythm and trying to throw the ball over the plate more."
Hudson hopes to find a rhythm in his first appearance against Tomlin (9-4, 3.95) and the Indians, who won Monday's series opener 5-4.
Tomlin has allowed four runs over 13 innings while winning his last two starts after giving up six runs in each of his previous three outings. He yielded three runs off two homers in 6 1-3 innings of a 4-3 victory over Colorado on Wednesday.
Tomlin has pitched at least five innings in 27 consecutive starts, and will tie Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka for the longest such streak to begin a career if he can last that long Tuesday.
"With Tomlin, I know what I'm going to get. ... I've never had to go out there and get him before the fifth," manager Manny Acta told the Indians' official website. "He makes our job easier."
Orlando Cabrera made life slightly easier for the Indians (41-36) after his tiebreaking solo homer in the ninth inning Monday helped them snap a three-game skid. Cleveland remained one game behind first-place Detroit in the AL Central.
Asdrubal Cabrera added a two-run homer and prized third base prospect Lonnie Chisenhall went 2 for 4 with an RBI in his major league debut.
Chisenhall, who batted .265 with seven homers and 44 RBIs in 65 games for Triple-A Columbus, was brought up to add a spark to a Cleveland offense that totaled four runs and 13 hits while being swept in San Francisco over the weekend.
"He has the ability to be a very good hitter at this level," Acta said. "I mean, a good player overall. You don't get picked in the first round just by having a cool name."
| TV Schedule | |||
| Away: STO Network | Home: FOX Sports Arizona | ||
| Standings | |||||||||
| Team | Standings | W | L | Pct. | GB | L 10 | Strk | ||
| Cleveland | 2nd AL Central | 41 | 36 | .532 | 1 | 5-5 | W 1 | ||
| Arizona | 2nd NL West | 43 | 37 | .538 | 2 | 5-5 | L 3 | ||
Kelly Johnson had a game-tying triple in the eighth Monday for the Diamondbacks (43-37), who dropped their third in a row to fall two games behind the first-place Giants in the NL West. Johnson represented the potential go-ahead run on third base with no outs after his triple, but did not score. The Diamondbacks are 4 for 24 with runners in scoring position over their last three games.
"We have been struggling with runners in scoring position recently," Gibson said. "It stings, but (the Indians) are a good ball club."
Justin Upton, who had a hit and an RBI for the Diamondbacks, is batting .425 with 17 RBIs in his last 28 games.
Cleveland has won four in a row over Arizona.
0 comments:
Post a Comment