Video´s von unseren Gassirunden » Reds: RHP Tyler Mahle (6-6) is

OAKLAND http://www.eaglescheapauthenticstore.com/shareef-miller-jersey-cheap , Calif. — Two pitchers who figure to have big rooting audiences are scheduled to go head-to-head Wednesday night when the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics continue their three-game series.

The Astros got the jump on the A’s in the series opener Tuesday, winning 6-3 on the strength of Evan Gattis‘ career-best five RBIs and Lance McCullers Jr.’s strong seven-inning outing.

In an attempt to beat the A’s for the seventh time in eight meetings this season, the Astros will send right-hander Gerrit Cole (7-1, 2.16 ERA) to face Oakland righty Paul Blackburn (1-0, 1.50).

Cole, a native of Newport Beach, Calif., near Los Angeles, has pitched brilliantly in his home state in his major league career. The UCLA product, who spent his first five seasons pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates before getting dealt to the Astros over the winter, has gone 9-2 when pitching in San Diego Zach Brown Jersey , Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland.

He’s 14-6 overall against the five California teams.

The 27-year-old joined the San Francisco Bay Area family on Nov. 12, 2016, when he married Amy Crawford, the sister of Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford. Both Amy and Brandon attended Amador Valley High in Pleasanton, Calif., an Oakland suburb.

Cole didn’t disappoint his new fans when he pitched six strong innings, allowing one run and four hits, in a 4-1 win at Oakland on May 9. It improved his career record to 1-1 with a 2.75 ERA in three starts against the A’s.

Cole once again will have to deal with A’s outfielder Stephen Piscotty, who attended Amador Valley at the same time as the Crawfords. Piscotty has gone 6-for-21 with two doubles in his career against Cole.

Blackburn, meanwhile Devin Bush Jersey , starred at Heritage High in Brentwood, Calif., which is about 40 miles northeast of Oakland.

Blackburn, acquired from the Seattle Mariners last season, has made six starts for the A’s in Oakland, including one this season.

He pitched brilliantly in that lone 2018 Oakland start Thursday after being promoted from Triple-A, limiting the Kansas City Royals to one run and three hits in six innings in a 4-1 victory.

Blackburn has never lost a home start for the A’s, going 2-0 in his six outings.

He has never faced the Astros.

The 24-year-old admitted the season debut coupled with his family and friends in attendance nearly got the better of him in his last start.

“I’m not usually like that,” he insisted. “I have nerves coming into every start, but not like this was. I think it was excitement.”

Blackburn will have to deal with another A’s opponent who still commands a favorable reception in Oakland when he goes against Astros outfielder Josh Reddick.

Reddick, one of the A’s clubhouse leaders during his five seasons in Oakland http://www.steelerscheapauthenticstore.com/diontae-johnson-jersey-cheap , was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers in August 2016 in a deal that brought impressive young right-hander Frankie Montas to the A’s.

Reddick had two hits and scored twice Tuesday and is 4-for-11 versus the A’s in Oakland this season.

Once pitcher Mike Lorenzen homered, the Cincinnati Reds got rolling again.

Lorenzen connected for a pinch-hit shot to begin Cincinnati’s comeback, Jesse Winker added a pinch-hit, three-run homer in a big seventh, and the Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 8-6 Sunday for their seventh straight win.

Lorenzen’s homer was the third of his career and second in two games by a Reds pitcher. Anthony DeSclafani hit a grand slam on Saturday, the first by a Reds pitcher since 1959.

”In a game like today we feel like we’re not meant to lose,” Lorenzen said.

The last-place Reds completed a four-game sweep of the Cubs for the first time since 1983 at Riverfront Stadium. Their winning streak is their longest since a 10-game surge in July 2012.

”We know what we can do,” Winker said. ”It is cool coming to the field and expecting to win. We’re in June right now. We are taking care of June. To win a game, it takes a group effort. There’s plenty of season left. We’re going to keep grinding good at bats. It’s been a lot of fun.”

After Chicago scored five times in the fifth, Lorenzen homered in the bottom half.

The Reds trailed 6-1 going into the seventh. Winker went opposite field on Pedro Strop’s first pitch after relieving Mike Montgomery to cut Chicago’s lead to 6-5.

Joey Votto delivered the go-ahead double as the next four batters reached against Strop (3-1), who retired just two of the nine batters he faced in his first appearance since Tuesday.

”Strop had plenty of rest – maybe too much Justin Layne Jersey ,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. ”I felt like he was the right guy. It just didn’t work. They got two pinch-hit homers, one by a pitcher. They had some great at-bats.”

Said Strop: ”It’s always good to be fresh.”

”I’m not blaming that. I didn’t feel like I had command of my fastball. I think that was the key. I was getting behind hitters, and I was a little bit too fine when I got ahead,” he said.

Jose Peraza drove in two runs and Tucker Barnhart had the game-tying RBI as the Reds set a season high for runs.

”We’ve never quit,” manager Jim Riggleman said. ”We’ve always battled. It’s Major League Baseball. You better keep playing for nine innings. We had that stretch where we were down three or four runs in the early innings. We were competitive and came back in some of them. As of late, we haven’t had to do that. The starters have done a good job.”

Seven runs are the most allowed in one inning this season by the Cubs, who have lost six of their last eight.

”You don’t change things,” Maddon said. ”You still eat. You still sleep. You still pet your puppy.”

The Reds overcame a fifth-inning two-run homer by slumping Anthony Rizzo, who went 1-for-14 in the series, and a solo shot by Albert Almora Jr. off Jackson Stephens (1-0), which gave Chicago a 6-1 lead in the seventh.

Amir Garrett had three strikeouts in the eighth before Raisel Iglesias picked up his 13th save.

Montgomery started in place of Tyler Chatwood http://www.steelerscheapauthenticstore.com/benny-snell-jr.-jersey-cheap , who left for Chicago early Sunday morning when his wife went into labor. The left-hander kept the Reds scoreless until Lorenzen’s homer with two outs in the fifth inning.

START OVER

Reds 3B Eugenio Suarez went 0 for 3 before leaving in a double switch, snapping his hitting streak at a career-high 13 games, the longest active streak in the major leagues.

BIG STEP

Cubs RHP Yu Darvish is expected to throw 75 pitches or four to five innings of his first rehab start on Monday with Single-A South Bend. Darvish has been out since May 20 with right triceps tendinitis.

QUICK RETURN

The Reds activated OF Scott Schebler from the bereavement list before Sunday’s after missing three games, the minimum amount of time he could spend on the list. OF Phillip Ervin was optioned to Triple-A Louisville. Schebler went 1 for 3 with two walks.

WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR

Sunday’s game was the Cubs’ last in Cincinnati this season. The remaining 10 games between the two teams will be played in Chicago.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: 3B Kris Bryant missed his second straight start and is day-to-day with a sore left shoulder.

Reds: RHP Homer Bailey, out since June 2 with right knee inflammation, threw 86 pitches in six innings of a rehab start with Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Cubs: RHP Duane Underwood will be recalled from Triple-A Iowa to make his major league debut as Chicago tries to keep its starters on regular rest.

Reds: RHP Tyler Mahle (6-6) is 3-0 with a 1.61 ERA in four June starts.

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