7월19일 MLB

Milwaukee Brewers at Pittsburgh Pirates (105, 9.5)

Some teams just seem to have other squad's number. For the Brewers that number is 42, as in the number of times they have beaten the Bucs in their last 57 meetings. Or, more recently, 11, the number of wins they have in their last 14 meetings.

That includes a three-game sweep just before the All-Star break. Outfielder Corey Hart hit a walk-off homer against the Bucs, then drilled 13 homers in the Home Run Derby's first round and has been equally hot in a split with the Braves to open the second half.

"They told me he was a streaky guy," Brewers manager Ken Macha said of Hart, who has been the subject of trade rumors. "This has been a long streak, so maybe it's a trend and not a streak."

The same is true of the Brew Crew's mastery of the Pirates. Milwaukee has averaged eight runs per game against Pittsburgh this season while the Bucs have managed just over three per outing against the Brewers.

Pick: Brewers

Boston Red Sox at Oakland A's (100, 8.5)

After suffering their eighth loss in their last 11 outings on Sunday, the banged-up Red Sox boarded a cross-country flight to face the suddenly hot Athletics.

The A's have won five in a row, scoring 40 runs during that span. But the real reason for the A's winning ways has been pitching and defense.

"We're all on the same page that way - playing good defense and throwing strikes - it's a great formula." Oakland pitching coach Curt Young told mlb.com.

The opposite of the case for the Garnet Garters, whose starting pitchers are carrying a 6.00 ERA in their last 10 starts and the offense is batting just .228 against righties during that span.

Not to mention a disabled list long enough to fill out an AL starting lineup. With the Yankees and the Rays pulling away in the AL East, this is a bad time for the BoSox to be making a West Coast road swing.

Pick: A's

Streaking

Johnny Cueto (8-2, 3.42 ERA), Cincinnati Reds

The Reds are just 2-3 in Cueto’s last five starts but you can’t blame that on the righty. The Cincy ace owns a tidy 0.82 ERA since June 18 and the under is 4-1 in his last five outings.

Brett Cecil (8-5, 3.97 ERA), Toronto Blue Jays

It looks as though Cecil’s slide was just a minor blip on an otherwise impressive season. The young southpaw has allowed just two runs in his last two starts after surrendering 16 in previous three outings.

"It was just a matter of going out there and repeating my delivery, figuring out how to get the ball down after it's been up so long," Cecil told AP reporters after holding the Twins to one run over seven innings. "The ball was just flat. I didn't have downward tilt on it. Now I feel like I'm back where I need to be."

Slumping

Carlos Silva (9-3, 3.45 ERA), Chicago Cubs

You have to wonder if the lack of run support finally got to Chicago’s best hurler. Despite five quality outings from Silva, the Cubs were 1-4 in the big righthander’s last five starts before he took the mound against the Dodgers last week.

Los Angeles tagged him for six runs before he was ejected in the second inning.

"He wasn't driving off his back leg very well," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said after the game. "He should be much better his next time out, about eight or nine days from now."

Silva would certainly appreciate a little help from the bats. The Cubs are averaging just 2.8 runs per game in Silva’s last six trips to the bump.

Mike Pelfrey (10-4, 3.58 ERA), New York Mets

Pelfrey was originally scheduled to start on Saturday but was pushed back to Monday because of a stiff neck. Mets backers can relate: The big righty’s performance lately has been a pain in the neck for them.

The Kansas native has allowed four or more runs in four of his last five starts and he hasn’t pitched a more than 4 2/3 innings in any of his last three outings.

His last appearance might have been his worst of the campaign. He allowed 15 of 25 Braves hitters to reach base.