Memorial Day Recap
-Detroit has struggled to hit left-handers this year, batting 40 points lower against southpaws
-Atlanta is on its worst skid since losing nine in a row from April 21-29, 2010
-The Braves have given up seven runs or more in four straight games for the first time since five in a row from July 26-30, 2008
-Braves catcher Brian McCann was 0-for-4 in his first start since May 21 (illness)
-Miami moved to 19-8 since May 1, the best mark in the majors
-Cincinnati had just one extra-base hit, coming after a seven-game homestand that saw the team hit 17 HRs
-Minnesota Twins lead the majors in both double plays turned and grounded into
-Chicago Cubs ended a 12-game losing streak, which was its worst skid since 1997
-White Sox 1B Paul Konerko is batting .395 on the season and has a 14-game hitting streak
-Cleveland was without its ailing 3-4-5 hitters, but managed to collect 14 hits in snapping a three-game losing streak
-Royals OF Jeff Francoeur is 16 for 32 in his past 19 games
-The Indians drew two walks and lead the majors with 197 overall, 14 more than the Tampa Bay Rays
-Diamondbacks OF Justin Upton has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games
-Baltimore Orioles have lost three straight and six of eight, but remain tied with the Tampa Bay Rays atop the AL East division
-Los Angeles Dodgers’ 32-16 record remains the best in the majors despite having six players on the DL (four starters)
-Colorado Rockies were 6-18 in May before sweeping a doubleheader against the Houston Astros
Early Tuesday Items
Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox
-Detroit has posted a 29-19 record on the road dating back to Aug. 11, 2011, as it gets set to play its 22nd game of a 24-game stretch away from the Motor City
-The Tigers are 6-4 against AL East opponents
-Boston is 0-5 in games that would give it a chance to get above .500 this season
-Tigers SP Justin Verlander is 2-1 with a 3.19 ERA in five starts at Fenway Park
-The Red Sox are 20-10 against the Tigers since the start of the 2008 season
-The Red Sox are expected to be without second baseman Dustin Pedroia
St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves
-The Braves have averaged 2.5 runs and hit .178 during their current losing streak
-After ranking fourth in the majors with a 3.48 ERA last year, the Braves are in the bottom third at 4.23
-St. Louis has won back-to-back games, scoring eight runs in each
-The Cardinals have lost three straight times with Jake Westbrook on the mound, with opponents hitting .371 against him in that span
-Braves OF Michael Bourn is hitting .182 over his last eight games
-Cardinals OF Matt Holliday is a .366 career hitter in 20 games in Atlanta
Washington Nationals at Miami Marlins
-The Marlins are 5-9 against NL East foes, while the Nationals are 11-4 in that situation
-Miami SP Anibal Sanchez is 7-0 with a 2.18 ERA in 18 starts against the Nationals
-The Nationals had averaged 5.6 runs in their previous seven games before Monday’s 5-3 loss
-The Marlins offense has scored three runs or fewer in eight of Sanchez’s nine outings
-The Nationals are 0-5 in Edwin Jackson’s five road starts this year, while he’s 1-3 with a 7.17 ERA in five career appearances against the Marlins
Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates
-Pittsburgh’s current four-game win streak is its longest since last June 21-25
-Reds SP Homer Bailey is 5-0 with a 1.94 ERA in seven lifetime starts against the Pirates
-Pirates SP Charlie Morton went 3-0 with a 0.93 ERA and two complete games in four outings versus the Reds in 2011
-Pirates bullpen is second in the NL (2.54) behind the Reds (2.41)
Oakland Athletics at Minnesota Twins
-Oakland has been outscored 30-10 during its current six-game losing streak
-The Athletics rank last in the majors with a .211 batting average, while going 1 for 9 with RISP on Monday
-Twins catcher Joe Mauer is hitting .452 in his last eight games, and .415 in his last 12 contests against the Athletics