Matchups

One of the most accomplished hitters in baseball is back on the shelf, but it didn't hurt the Cincinnati Reds' offensive production Monday. The Reds look to continue where they left off in a 9-3 victory over the visiting Chicago Cubs when the teams play a day-night doubleheader Tuesday. Cincinnati scored eight runs during its final four at-bats in the opener of a five-game series despite playing without first baseman Joey Votto.

Chris Davis had a breakout season a year ago, leading the majors with 53 homers, but his struggles this season have made 2013 a distant memory. Davis snapped out of a 2-for-38 funk by belting a tiebreaking homer in the 11th inning to send the Baltimore Orioles on their way to an 8-2 victory over the host Washington Nationals on Monday. Winners of seven of eight, the Orioles look to sweep the front end of the four-game, home-and-home interleague series on Tuesday.

Ichiro Suzuki is churning out hits like the glory days of his career as the New York Yankees head into Tuesday’s game against the host Cleveland Indians. The 40-year-old Suzuki recorded his second straight three-hit outing as New York produced a 5-3 victory in the opener of the four-game set and has gone 9-for-20 over the last five contests. Brett Gardner and Brian McCann also had three hits as the Yankees won for the fourth time in five games.

The Detroit Tigers look to snap a three-game losing streak Tuesday when they host the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first of two interleague matchups between the first-place teams. The streaky Tigers had won 12 of 14 games before dropping the final three contests of a series with Tampa Bay over the holiday weekend by a combined 20-8 margin. Detroit continues to go day-to-day with All-Star designated hitter Victor Martinez, who has missed the last two games with back issues.

Chicago White Sox left-hander John Danks has a tough act to follow — well, four tough acts, actually. It's up to Danks to continue the recent dominance by Chicago's starting pitchers when the visiting White Sox aim to beat the Boston Red Sox for the second straight night. White Sox starting pitchers have allowed one earned run in their last 30 innings following 6 2/3 innings of one-hit ball from Scott Carroll in Monday's 4-0 victory.

Julio Teheran has pitched like an All-Star most of the season and the Atlanta Braves right-hander will find himself in Minneapolis for baseball’s Midsummer Classic next week. Teheran takes the mound Tuesday as the Braves play the second of four games at the New York Mets looking to defeat New York for the second consecutive start. The Mets bring plenty of momentum into the contest after Monday’s wild 4-3, series-opening victory.

One of the most accomplished hitters in baseball is back on the shelf, but it didn't hurt the Cincinnati Reds' offensive production Monday. The Reds look to continue where they left off in a 9-3 victory over the visiting Chicago Cubs when the teams play a day-night doubleheader Tuesday. Cincinnati scored eight runs during its final four at-bats in the opener of a five-game series despite playing without first baseman Joey Votto.

Alex Gordon went a long way to breaking out of a stifling 3-for-40 slump Monday, 24 hours after being named to the American League All-Star team. Gordon looks to build off his three-hit, two-RBI effort when his Kansas City Royals visit the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday for the middle contest of a three-game series. Gordon contributed to 14-hit attack in the series-opening 6-0 victory over the Rays and Omar Infante extended his hitting streak with six games, going 11-for-25 in that span.

The Houston Astros have absorbed beatings on a regular basis against the Texas Rangers but are starting to turn the tables on their in-state rival. The Astros, who lost the last 11 meetings and finished 2-17 against the Rangers in 2013, took a 4-3 lead in this year's season series by routing the host Rangers in Monday's opener of a three-game series. Houston snapped a seven-game losing streak overall and can pull within a game of Texas with a victory in Tuesday's matchup.

The Milwaukee Brewers have supplied Wily Peralta with plenty of support lately, although another outburst seems unlikely given their recent efforts. The Brewers attempt to break out of their offensive doldrums on Tuesday when they continue their four-game home set against the Philadelphia Phillies. Peralta has given up at least four runs four times over his last six starts, but is 5-0 over that stretch as Milwaukee has scored 40 runs in those outings.

The Pittsburgh Pirates will try to bounce back from a difficult loss when they continue a big four-game series at St. Louis on Tuesday night. The Pirates outhit the Cardinals 8-3 in Monday's series opener, but stranded 12 men on base and lost 2-0 on Matt Adams' walk-off homer. The offensive futility wasted a dominant effort by surging right-hander Charlie Morton, who limited the Cardinals to a hit in seven scoreless innings.

Tyson Ross is headed to his first All-Star game and receives the opportunity to justify his selection to the National League team when the San Diego Padres visit the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday in the second contest of a three-game set. Ross owns a 7-8 record and was a surprise choice to the squad with San Diego closer Huston Street viewed as the club’s probable selection. Colorado lost for the 18th time in 21 games and fell into last place in the National League West with Monday’s 6-1 loss.

Vidal Nuno will make his first start since being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks when they host the Miami Marlins in the second of three games Tuesday night. Nuno was shipped to Arizona from the New York Yankees on Saturday, as Arizona continues to look toward 2015 and beyond. The Diamondbacks are 15 games below .500 but have won two in a row following a 1-5 stretch after taking the series opener 9-1 on Monday.

The Los Angeles Angels can match a franchise record when they go for their 12th consecutive home victory against the reeling Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night. The Angels ran their overall winning streak to five games and improved to 14-3 over their last 17 games with Monday's 5-2 victory, moving them a season-high 16 games above .500. Howie Kendrick is 14-for-26 over his last seven games, recording five multi-hit games and driving in eight runs in that span.

The Oakland Athletics have rolled to the best record in baseball thanks largely to their offense, although their recent success can be attributed mostly to their pitching staff. The Athletics look to match their longest winning streak of the season Tuesday when they complete their half of a home-and-home series with the San Francisco Giants. Oakland (56-33) has scored a league-high 444 runs, but has won five straight in large part because it has allowed a total of four runs in that span.

The Seattle Mariners have found a rhythm at home and have won eight of their past 10 games at Safeco Park entering Tuesday’s contest against the visiting Minnesota Twins. Seattle blanked the Twins 2-0 in Monday’s opener of a four-game set and has won 13 of its last 19 home games against Minnesota. The Twins have collapsed of late with 11 losses in 14 games, dropping to a season-worst 10 games below .500.