@
Mets [10-7, 7-3 Away] / Phillies [10-6, 6-3 Home]
Wed, Apr 17 • 1:05 PM EDT
At Citizens Bank Park
Capacity: 43,647
TV: NBCSP, SNY, MLBN (out-of-market only)

Scott Kingery will look to continue his torrid hitting when the host Philadelphia Phillies attempt to win the three-game series against the New York Mets on Wednesday.

Since starting the season 0-for-4, Kingery is now a scorching 11-for-17.

In Tuesday's 14-3 win, Kingery had three hits, a three-run home run and a career-high five RBI. The 14 runs scored by the Phillies were a season high.

"I think just knowing a routine every day for me, I'm coming into the game with a lot of confidence," Kingery told NBC Sports Philadelphia. "Seeing these pitchers at least one time last year gives me confidence."

Kingery, who can play numerous positions, may receive even more playing time since shortstop Jean Segura left Tuesday's game with a strained left hamstring.

Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said that Segura will be re-evaluated Wednesday.

Kingery, in just his second season, continues to prove his mettle.

"His bat is flying through the zone," Kapler said of Kingery. "He's got a lot of confidence."

Jake Arrieta will start for the Phillies as he looks to stay sharp. Arrieta, who's 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts, won his 100th career game last Friday at Miami after allowing just five hits and one run in seven innings.

"Accomplishing something like I did tonight makes you appreciate everything you go through -- a lot of ups and downs and figuring some things out, forgetting some things, relearning them," Arrieta told reporters after the win over Miami. "This game is very humbling and I'll never forget that."

Arrieta is 2/3 with a 2.34 ERA in 10 career outings against the Mets.

The Mets will turn to starter Zack Wheeler, who owns a 1-1 record and 7.47 ERA in three starts this season. In Wheeler's last start, he gave up six hits and two runs in a 6-2 victory at Atlanta.

"I was actually watching a video of last year and watching myself," Wheeler told reporters after his last start. "I noticed I was a lot slower out of the windup. I got a stopwatch and tried it. I was way faster so I slowed myself down and was more consistent."

Wheeler is 3-0 with a 3.96 ERA lifetime in Philadelphia and 4-1 with a 3.36 ERA in 10 total starts against the Phillies.

Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo left Tuesday's game in the first inning with what the team called a stiff neck. Nimmo told reporters after the game that his neck "locked up" and he expected to be held out of the lineup on Wednesday.

Another concern for the Mets has to be the taxed bullpen, which actually did a solid job after starter Steven Matz faced eight batters and failed to record one out in Tuesday's loss.

Drew Gagnon pitched 5 1/3 innings and Paul Sewald threw 2 2/3 innings in relief. Gagnon threw 97 pitches and became the first Mets pitcher to throw more than five innings of relief since Shaun Marcum pitched the 13th through the 20th innings in Miami in 2013.

"Drew Gagnon and Paul Sewald should be commended," Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. "They did their best, and saved us, and probably helped us win a game in the next few days. It was unbelievable."

Zack Wheeler, RHP, 1-1, 7.47 ERA, 17 SO
Wheeler made a mechanical tweak in his last start, slowing down his windup. He believes it resulted in better command, allowing him to deliver his first quality start of the year. Lifetime at Citizens Bank Park, Wheeler is 3-0 with a 3.96 ERA.

Jake Arrieta, RHP, 2-1, 2.25 ERA, 15 SO
Arrieta earned his 100th career win Friday against the Marlins. He also got a career-high six swings and misses using his changeup. He is throwing the pitch a lot more than in the past, which makes it worth watching moving forward.

@
Red Sox [6-12, 3-9 Away] / Yankees [7-9, 3-6 Home]
Wed, Apr 17 • 6:35 PM EDT
At Yankee Stadium
Capacity: 47,422
TV: NESN, ESPN, YES

The Yankees and Boston Red Sox stumbled into their first meeting of the season with ugly records, but New York can emerge with some momentum if it can complete a two-game sweep Wednesday in the Bronx.

In the first of 19 meetings on the season, the Yankees cruised to an 8-0 win Tuesday.

The Yankees entered the series with a 6-9 record and losses in five of their previous six games before rolling behind 12 strikeouts in eight innings from James Paxton along with homers by Clint Frazier, Mike Tauchman and Gleyber Torres.

"We're trying to get ourselves in order right now," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after his team produced its second shutout of the season and posted its highest run total in a home game. "Even though ... we lost four out of five or whatever it was, we had leads in all the games. There's a level of feeling like we've been close. We just haven't played that complete game."

The Yankees will hope to turn in another complete game as they continue to play with an extensive injured list. New York opened the series after putting first baseman Greg Bird on the injured list due to a left plantar facia tear.

Boston's 6-12 start is its worst through 18 games since the 1996 edition opened 3-15 before eventually finishing 85-77. The Red Sox not take their 12th loss until May 11 in their 38th game last year en route to winning the World Series.

The Red Sox have mustered a total of seven hits and one run in their past two games, and they are 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position in the past three games.

Boston also heads into Wednesday with Mookie Betts in a slump. The reigning American League MVP has three hits in his past 28 at-bats to lower his batting average to .212.

"We just got to play better regardless of it we're hurt or healthy," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said before Tuesday's loss. "We've been inconsistent in every aspect of the game, pitching, offense, defense, baserunning. It's on us to clean that up, and when we do that, we're one of the best teams in the big leagues, if not the best."

After Paxton dominated, the Yankees will hope J.A. Happ can jump-start his season Wednesday.

Happ (0-2) owns an 8.76 ERA after allowing six runs on nine hits in four-plus innings Friday against the Chicago White Sox.

The left-hander is 8-4 with a 2.98 ERA in 21 regular-season games (20 starts) against Boston. He last faced the Red Sox in Game 1 of the 2018 AL Division Series when he allowed five runs on four hits in two innings.

After Boston lefty Chris Sale said he was embarrassed about dropping to 0-4 with an 8.50 ERA on Tuesday, another struggling starter takes the mound for the Red Sox.

Nathan Eovaldi (0-0) has allowed 14 runs in his first three starts, each lasting five innings. He saw his ERA climb to 8.40 after allowing five runs on six hits on Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Eovaldi pitched for the Yankees in 2015 and 2016. He has faced New York only four times in his career, all last season, and went 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA, a .173 opponents' average (14-for-81) and a 0.77 WHIP. Eovaldi also held the Yankees to one run in seven innings in Boston's 16-1 win in Game 3 of the 2018 ALDS.

Nathan Eovaldi, RHP, 0-0, 8.40 ERA, 10 SO
The hard-throwing righty has struggled in his first three starts, but the Yankees could be just the right opponent for him. After joining the Red Sox last July, Eovaldi went 2-1 with a 1.78 ERA against New York, including the postseason.

J.A. Happ, LHP, 0-2, 8.76 ERA, 13 SO
Happ will attempt to correct his issues with fastball command against the Red Sox. Happ had a 1.99 ERA in four regular-season starts vs. Boston last year, but lost his Game 2 start to them in the American League Division Series.

@
Giants [8-10, 2-5 Away] / Nationals [7-8, 3-5 Home]
Wed, Apr 17 • 7:05 PM EDT
At Nationals Park
Capacity: 41,506
TV: NBCS BA, MASN

The pitching numbers overwhelmingly favor Washington when the Nationals host the San Francisco Giants in the second game of the series Wednesday night.

Giants starter Jeff Samardzija (1-0, 1.62) is 0-6 with a 7.39 ERA in his last six starts against the Nationals, and he has not beaten them since 2013. Overall, he is 2-8 with a 4.63 ERA in 17 games, with 10 starts, in his career against Washington.

He will face another veteran right-hander in Jeremy Hellickson (1-0, 2.25), who will make his second start of the season. Hellickson is 2-2, 3.29 in five starts against San Francisco and has not lost to the Giants since 2015.

Washington third baseman Anthony Rendon, who has been on a tear, is 3-for-13 against Samardzija.

"He has been pretty locked in most of the time," Samardzija said. "Maybe we will try something new. He is just a professional hitter; he has a great plan up there. Hitters like that, every at-bat is its own individual at-bat. You have to be on your toes against them."

The former Notre Dame football standout said he benefitted from watching fellow right-hander Dereck Rodriguez face the Nationals. The young hurler got the win Tuesday, going five innings as the Giants won 7-3 with three homers off Stephen Strasburg.

"It is a little bit of a different lineup (with Bryce Harper)," Samardzija said before Tuesday's game. "I will get a good idea there because Derek is a great pitcher and he knows how to pitch. I will go back and look at the video."

Hellickson is the fifth starter for the Nationals and ace Max Scherzer made three starts this year before Washington needed Hellickson. The Iowa native made his first start on April 10 in Philadelphia and pitched six scoreless innings.

He has also made one outing from the bullpen for manager Dave Martinez.

While the Nationals have the edge in starters, the Giants bullpen has been far superior to Washington so far this season.

The San Francisco bullpen had an ERA of 1.77 and allowed one homer in 60 innings in games through Tuesday, while the Washington relievers had a 7.75 ERA with seven homers allowed in 40 2/3 innings.

Martinez was encouraged with outings on Tuesday from relievers Trevor Rosenthal and Tony Sipp.

Rosenthal hit the upper 90s on the stadium radar gun while retiring three batters and giving up one run. Sipp pitched in his ninth game Tuesday and allowed no runs on one hit in one inning.

"If we get those guys going in the bullpen, we will be in good shape," Martinez said. "We are definitely headed in the right direction with those guys."

The Nationals signed veteran lefty Sipp late in the spring training, and he is still trying to adjust.

"There's always work to be done for me because I've been playing catch-up," Sipp told reporters Tuesday. "Anything that I can do to make myself a little bit more ready and try to play catch up because it's a little tougher than what I thought, going out there (at) game speed right away. But it's definitely manageable. It's something that you have to work on every day, even when you are not in the game."

Jeff Samardzija, RHP, 1-0, 1.62 ERA, 13 SO
Samardzija is coming off his best start in over a year, as he struck out seven over seven shutout innings against the Rockies on Thursday. He is 2-8 with a 4.63 ERA in 17 career appearances against Washington.

Jeremy Hellickson, RHP, 1-0, 2.25 ERA, 6 SO
Hellickson’s first start of the season could not have gone any smoother. He tossed six shutout innings on Wednesday night in Philadelphia with six strikeouts and four walks. The Nats went 4-1 in Hellickson's home starts last year.

@
Orioles [7-11, 6-5 Away] / Rays [13-4, 5-2 Home]
Wed, Apr 17 • 7:10 PM EDT
At Tropicana Field
Capacity: 34,078
TV: Fox Sports Sun, MASN 2

Tampa Bay has used a mix of good pitching and timely hitting to jump off to a good start this season. The Rays are hoping for more of the same Wednesday in the second game of their series with the visiting Baltimore Orioles.

In the series opener Tuesday, Tyler Glasnow gave up two runs in seven innings and improved to 4-0 this season. His ERA went up to 1.13, but the best part of his work was that the right-hander kept the Rays in the game after the Orioles took an early 2-0 lead and then kept Tampa Bay ahead after it took the lead.

Avisail Garcia hit a two-run homer in the fourth that gave the Rays the lead for good and later added an RBI single in the eighth as Tampa Bay scored a 4-2 victory over the Orioles.

The Rays improved to 13-4 this season, the best record in baseball.

At this point last year, Tampa Bay had gotten off to a 4-13 start. Now, the Rays have a big lead in the American League East and are the only team in the division over .500.

Their worst news of the day came when Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell had to be put on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to Sunday, when he broke a toe on his right foot due to an incident where something fell on his foot at home.

"I'm pushing to be back as soon as possible, but I've never broken a bone in my body, so this is a first," Snell said on the team's web site. "We'll see what happens. I think (I should miss) one start. That's my goal, at least."

The team recalled Emilio Pagan from Triple-A Durham to replace Snell.

Tampa Bay, which now has won seven of its last eight, will use an opener in this game, Ryne Stanek (0-0, 2.16 ERA). Baltimore will go with David Hess (1-2, 3.32) as its starter.

Hess threw 6 1/3 no-hit innings against the Blue Jays in his first start but lost his last two (to the Yankees and Red Sox) despite pitching well. The right-hander has a career record of 2-1 with a 2.96 ERA against Tampa Bay.

The Orioles got some good news about starter Alex Cobb, who is on the injured list with a lumbar problem. MLB.com reported that the right-hander is expected to start Friday night in Baltimore against the Minnesota Twins.

Cobb has been out since April 9, and this was his second time on the injured list already this year (groin). He was scheduled to start on Opening Day, but the groin injury sidelined him.

First baseman Chris Davis was supposed to start in the series opener, but he was a late scratch due to an illness that apparently cropped up during batting practice.

The offense did well in the early part of Tuesday's game, scoring twice off of Glasnow but did not get a hit after the fourth. Renato Nunez extended his hitting streak to seven games with his RBI double in the fourth inning.

Manager Brandon Hyde said his team will have to be ready to face different pitchers as the Rays are using the opener.

"They've got a lot of really good arms," Hyde said on MASN.com. "We're just going to do the best we can."

David Hess, RHP, 1-2, 3.32 ERA, 15 SO
Hess takes the mound after throwing 5 2/3 innings with three strikeouts, six hits and three runs in a loss to the Red Sox on Friday. He had a 2.96 ERA in five games (four starts) against the Rays last season.

Ryne Stanek, RHP, 0-0, 2.16 ERA, 10 SO
This marks Stanek's fourth start of the season. He has a 2.16 ERA in seven appearances and has not allowed a run in his three starts.

@
Diamondbacks [8-9, 3-4 Away] / Braves [9-7, 7-3 Home]
Wed, Apr 17 • 7:20 PM EDT
At SunTrust Park
Capacity: 41,149
TV: FSSE, FS-A

The Arizona Diamondbacks are hopeful that right-hander Zack Godley will continue to be a road warrior when he takes the mound for the second game of a three-game set against the Atlanta Braves.

The visiting Diamondbacks will start Godley (1-1, 7.41) against Atlanta right-hander Kevin Gausman (1-1, 2.84).

The Diamondbacks won the first game 9-6 on Tuesday when first baseman Christian Walker hit the go-ahead homer in the ninth inning. Arizona has won two straight after losing four in a row.

A year ago, Godley was 9-6 with a 5.46 ERA in 18 starts away from home. He went 7-3 in the final 12 road starts with a 5.13 ERA. In his career, Godley is 18-15 with a 4.54 ERA.

Godley was roughed up in his most recent outing, a 7-6 loss to the San Diego Padres on April 11. Godley allowed six runs in six innings on six hits and three walks. He struck out eight, a season high. He gave up two homers for the second time this season and has allowed four in 17 innings.

Godley has made three career starts against Atlanta, going 1-1 with a 7.41 ERA. He faced the Braves once last year and beat them 2-1 in Atlanta on July 13. In that outing, Godley allowed one run over six innings.

The Diamondbacks are hopeful all of their starters will be dialed in during their current 10-game trip that includes stops in Atlanta, Chicago and Pittsburgh.

"It could be a little bit of a challenge because of the teams we're playing and we know that," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "But I don't want these guys to look past today."

Gausman lost to the New York Mets on April 11. He pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed four runs on four hits and three walks. Gausman threw seven shutout innings against the Miami Marlins in his first start on April 5. He began the season on the injured list because of right shoulder inflammation.

Gausman has made only one career start against Arizona, that coming last summer after he was traded to the Braves from Baltimore. He lost to the Diamondbacks on Sept. 7 in Phoenix, when he lasted only 4 2/3 innings and allowed four runs.

Arizona will send T.J. McFarland to Triple-A Reno to make a rehab appearance on Wednesday against Albuquerque. He threw a simulated game on Saturday, throwing 17 pitches in a 2 1/3 inning outing. He has been on the injured list all season with left shoulder inflammation.

Atlanta placed left-handed reliever Jonny Venters on the 10-day injured list on Monday with a right calf strain. The Braves recalled right-hander Shane Carle from Triple-A Gwinnett. Carle opened the season with Atlanta, but was shipped out after he allowed five runs and two homers in 3 2/3 innings.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said catcher Brian McCann would be activated from the injured list on Wednesday, less than two weeks after straining his right calf while running the bases on April 6.

"We're going to get him in there (Wednesday)," Snitker said. "He's done all the drills and all the hitting. He says he feels really good."


Zack Godley, RHP, 1-1, 7.41 ERA, 16 SO
Godley allowed just one run over his first five innings last time out against the Padres. In the sixth, though, things changed quickly as the Padres posted five runs, including a three-run homer by Austin Hedges.

Kevin Gausman, RHP, 1-1, 2.84 ERA, 12 SO
Gausman has battled early command issues in both of his first two starts, but he has worked into the sixth inning of both. The right-hander's willingness to pitch up in the zone more frequently has enhanced the value of his splitter.

@
Jays [7-11, 1-5 Away] / Twins [8-6, 4-1 Home]
Wed, Apr 17 • 7:40 PM EDT
At Target Field
Capacity: 39,500
TV: SNET-1, FSNO

Twins looking to top Toronto, halt first losing streak

First-year Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli will try to put an end to the first losing streak of his managing career on Wednesday night when the Twins host Toronto at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Jake Odorizzi (0-2, 6.35 ERA), who pitched six one-hit innings with 11 strikeouts in his only previous start at Target Field on March 30 against the Cleveland Indians, will take the mound for Minnesota against rookie Trent Thornton (0-1, 4.61).

Odorizzi is 5-3 in his career against the Blue Jays with a 3.21 ERA over 89 2/3 innings, all coming in 15 starts.

Toronto needs to win just one of the final two games of the series which concludes on Thursday afternoon to claim its first series victory of the season. And the Blue Jays can thank left fielder Teoscar Hernandez for being in that position.

It was Hernandez's three-run homer in the eighth inning that rallied Toronto to a 5-3 victory in Monday night's opener. He followed that up with a two-run single in the seventh inning on Tuesday night to break a 4-4 tie in an eventual 6-5 win on Tuesday night that ended with Hernandez helping throw out the tying run at the plate for the game's final out.

Marwin Gonzalez opened the bottom of the ninth with a long home run to dead center off closer Ken Giles to bring the Twins to within a run. Nelson Cruz walked but was replaced at first base by C.J. Cron on a fielder's choice.

After Giles struck out Mitch Garver, Byron Buxton lined a double into the corner in left where Hernandez retrieved the ball and threw it to cutoff man Freddy Galvis. Galvis then threw the ball to catcher Danny Jansen who tagged a sliding Cron at the plate to end the game.

"It was a perfect relay," Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo told MLB.com. "Of course, everybody is thinking about Galvis making that throw, but to me, the big one was Teoscar getting the ball quick and making a perfect throw to Galvis. When Galvis throws the ball, everybody expects it to be right there. But to me, the main guy was Teoscar getting the ball quick and making a great throw to Galvis."

"We've been practicing that relay since spring," Jansen said. "That's the first time we've kind of had one at home plate like that. And Teoscar made a really nice throw to Freddy and Freddy then threw it right to my chest. Gave (Cron) the plate and then took it away."

Baldelli said he agreed with the decision to send Cron even through the ball arrived at home plate in plenty of time for Jansen to make the tag.

"I thought it was a really good send by (third base coach Tony Diaz)," Baldelli said. "We're going to take that chance every time. Cron was hauling and gave us an opportunity to send him and they made a good relay and ultimately a good throw to the plate and got us. It was a well-executed play and I think the right move on our part too."

The Blue Jays will now try for their first three-game winning streak of the season on Wednesday night.

"We're kind of a gritty team right now, and we're battling and trying to grind out games," Jansen said. "And that's what we're going to keep doing."


Trent Thornton, RHP, 0-1, 4.61 ERA, 18 SO
Thornton was nearly flawless in the first two starts of his career but the third outing was a much different story. He wasn't as aggressive with his fastball and gave up a lot of hard contact, including two homers to Austin Meadows.


Jake Odorizzi, RHP, 0-2, 6.35 ERA, 15 SO
Odorizzi took a no-hitter into the fifth inning on Wednesday against the Mets but allowed a single and three walks before getting pulled. It was the second in a pair of ineffective outings since his six-inning, 11-strikeout season debut on March 30.

@
Angels [8-9, 2-8 Away] / Rangers [9-7, 5-3 Home]
Wed, Apr 17 • 8:05 PM EDT
At Globe Life Park in Arlington
Capacity: 49,170
TV: FSSW+, FS-W

Los Angeles Angels right-hander Matt Harvey got an extra day's rest after his scheduled start Tuesday was moved to the Wednesday series finale against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas.

Harvey (0-1) hopes to instill some confidence in manager Brad Ausmus after an underwhelming start to the season. He can do that by pitching well enough to salvage the series finale. Texas has pounded Los Angeles for 17 runs and 23 hits in the first two games, including a 5-0 win Tuesday.

A former New York Mets ace, Harvey hasn't put together a winning season since 2015, and he enters his fourth start of 2019 carrying a disappointing 10.05 ERA. Since an encouraging performance in his season debut with his latest team, Harvey has struggled mightily.

Harvey has managed to go just 14 1/3 innings combined in his three starts, giving up 21 hits, including four home runs, and seven walks. He was handed an early 6-0 lead on April 9, but he quickly blew it Los Angeles' eventual 11-8 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Harvey lasted only 4 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

"I just have to do a better job of locating pitches," Harvey told reporters following the rough outing. "Just frustrated the offense came up to play and I was lagging behind."

The Rangers also did plenty to frustrate Harvey when they faced him April 4 in Anaheim. Texas tagged him for eight runs on 10 hits and two walks in four-plus innings.

Harvey, who was slowed during spring training by a glute strain, will make just his second career start against Texas.

The Angels signed Harvey, 30, in the offseason to a one-year, $11 million deal that includes $3 million in incentives. The Mets traded him to Cincinnati last season believing his best days were behind him considering Harvey pitched to a 5.93 ERA over his last 2 1/2 seasons in New York.

Harvey goes up against another one of Texas' newcomers in the rotation, right-hander Lance Lynn (1-1, 4.82 ERA). He provided his new club with some optimism in his most recent start, April 10 against the Diamondbacks, keeping the Rangers in the game until the Texas bats woke up for a 5-2 win that snapped a four-game losing skid.

Lynn, who spent six seasons in the National League with the St. Louis Cardinals before playing for the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees last season, got his first Texas win in the game vs. Arizona. He allowed just one run on four hits and two walks while striking out nine over six innings.

It was one of just two victories by a Rangers starter this season until Mike Minor made it three Tuesday night with a complete-game shutout.

"We did a lot of things well, got a lot of solid at-bats in big spots, good baserunning," Rangers manager Chris Woodward said after the victory over the Diamondbacks last week. "Obviously, Lance had himself a great performance, just a gritty, gritty game."

The Rangers have two hitters in good slugging form heading into the series finale. Joey Gallo and Asdrubal Cabrera each hit a homer and knocked in two runs on both Monday and Tuesday.


Matt Harvey, RHP, 0-1, 10.05 ERA, 11 SO
Harvey is coming off a disappointing start vs. Milwaukee where he allowed six runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. The right-hander has given up 14 runs in his last 8 1/3 innings.


Lance Lynn, RHP, 1-1, 4.82 ERA, 19 SO
Lynn is 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA in his last two starts. In 13 innings, he walked three and struck out 14. He allowed two runs in seven innings in a 3-1 loss to the Angels on April 5 and is 0-2 with a 4.56 ERA in four career starts against them.