Division leads, Harper’s free passes in spotlight
USA TODAY Sports Weekly’s baseball correspondents weigh in on the top series over the next week in Major League Baseball:
ORIOLES AT BLUE JAYS (June 9-12)
These two teams played three taut games when they met in mid-April at Camden Yards — all three games were decided by one run, and in the finale, the Orioles won on a walk-off passed ball for the first time in their 63-year history to take the series, two games to one. This time they meet in a four-game set, and the Orioles will be trying to improve on their 3-6 record at Rogers Centre last year. Toronto’s and Baltimore’s
both had two hits in all three games of the April series.
DODGERS AT GIANTS (June 10-12)
The Dodgers will be trying to reverse their recent results at AT&T Park. They are 3-11 at San Francisco over the last two seasons and lost three of four there during the first week of 2016, even though they led by at least two runs in all three games they lost. At least they won’t have to face Giants right fielder
who tore a hamstring tendon last week and is out until at least August. He had a .433 on-base percentage with six RBI in the teams’ first seven meetings this year.
RANGERS AT MARINERS (June 10-12)
Since taking two of three games in the season-opening series in Arlington, Texas, the Mariners have lost of five of their last six against the Rangers, including a three-game sweep last weekend after the teams began the series tied for the American League West lead. One of the weekend losses came against right-hander
If Darvish is indeed back after missing a full season and parts of two others because of Tommy John elbow surgery, that’s a significant obstacle to the Mariners’ hopes of winning the division for the first time since they won 116 games in 2001.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon has some interesting history with the Nationals. In a 2012 series in Washington when Maddon was managing the Tampa Bay Rays, Nationals manager Davey Johnson had Rays pitcher Joel Peralta checked for pine tar. Maddon called it a cowardly move, and Johnson responded by calling Maddon a “weird wuss.”
More recently, Maddon’s Cubs walked Nationals star
13 times in a four-game series (and six times in one game) last month at Wrigley Field. The Nationals and their fans certainly remember all the walks — and the four consecutive Cubs wins during that Wrigley Field series.
INDIANS AT ROYALS (June 13-15)
The Indians swept a series from the Royals for the first time since 2006 when they took four games over the weekend in Cleveland to move past Kansas City into first place in the AL Central. The Indians are 6-1 against the Royals this season. Rookie center fielder has hit all three of his home runs against Kansas City while going 6-for-11 (.545) with four walks; shortstop
is 14-for-27 (.519) with two doubles, one triple and two homers; and first baseman is 8-for-24 (.333) with three home runs.
PIRATES AT METS (June 14-16)
The teams have midweek series each of the next two weeks, and the Mets will be eager to turn things around. The Pirates swept the season series 6-0 in 2015 and are 15-5 against the Mets over the last three years. Pirates center fielder hit .339 against the Mets during those three seasons with five doubles, three home runs and 19 walks in 19 games.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Mets right fielder
went 2-for-50 (.040) against the Pirates during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.