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A look at what’s happening around the majors Tuesday:

VERLANDER DAY

Houston tries for its 13th straight win with AL ERA leader Justin Verlander on the mound against Tampa Bay. The Astros‘ ace is 9-2 with a 1.61 ERA [url=http://www.officialpredators.com/authentic-adidas-viktor-arvidsson-jersey]Viktor Arvidsson Jersey[/url] , though he’s posted a 3.79 ERA over his past three starts and matched a season high with two homers allowed last time out in a 7-3 win over Oakland. Rays lefty Blake Snell (8-4, 2.5 will try to slow down Houston after the Astros beat Tampa Bay 5-4 on Alex Bregman’s game-ending two-run double Monday.

ON THE MEND

The defending NL champions are beginning to get healthier. Rich Hill comes off the DL to start for the Dodgers in the nightcap of a doubleheader against the Cubs in a rematch of last year’s NL Championship Series. Hill (1-2, 6.20 ERA) went on the disabled list May 20 with a blister on his left middle finger, a recurring problem for the veteran left-hander. He will be opposed by fellow lefty Mike Montgomery (2-2, 3.31), who is 2-1 with a 1.14 ERA in four starts since moving into the rotation after Yu Darvish was sidelined by right triceps tendinitis.

Hill’s return comes one day after Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw threw a three-inning simulated game at Wrigley Field, taking another step forward in his recovery from a strained lower back. The three-time Cy Young Award winner said he felt really good and plans to pitch somewhere in four or five days, either in a minor league rehab start or for the Dodgers. Veteran second baseman Chase Utley, sidelined by sprained left thumb, is expected to come off the DL with Hill. And rookie right-hander Walker Buehler [url=http://www.officialsharks.com/authentic-adidas-justin-braun-jersey]Justin Braun Jersey Kids[/url] , one of baseball’s top pitching prospects, is scheduled for a bullpen session Saturday in New York, continuing his comeback from a right rib microfracture.

MEASURING STICK

One of baseball’s biggest surprises, the Seattle Mariners (46-26) embark on a 10-game road trip to the East Coast that should serve as a tough test. They open with three games against the New York Yankees followed by three in Boston – the top two teams in the majors. Marco Gonzales (7-3, 3.42 ERA) attempts to win his fifth straight decision when he pitches against Yankees rookie Domingo German (1-4, 5.23), who is coming off his first major league win.

TIME TRAVELER

Juan Soto’s feats are piling up. The latest from the 19-year-old rookie sensation: homering in a game played before he made his major league debut. Soto hit a tiebreaking, pinch-hit, two-run shot in the sixth inning of a game that began and was suspended because of rain last month, five days before Soto was called up from the minors for the first time. Soto’s sixth homer in 24 games lifted the Nationals over the Yankees 5-3. Washington is set to open a home series against Baltimore. The team will be joined this week by reliever Kelvin Herrera [url=http://www.officialsharks.com/authentic-adidas-kevin-labanc-jersey]Youth Kevin Labanc Jersey[/url] , who was acquired from Kansas City for three minor leaguers Monday.

BAEZ BACK?

Javier Baez may return to the Cubs’ starting lineup two days after being hit on the left elbow by a pitch. Baez was out of the lineup before Monday’s game against the Dodgers was postponed and said the elbow was still swollen, but the team decided no X-rays were needed. Baez leads Chicago with 14 home runs. The teams will play a day-night doubleheader at Wrigley after Monday’s game was delayed due to rain and a limited power outage.

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NEW YORK — If there is a common theme for the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees through two games at sweltering Yankee Stadium, it is a matter of inches for fly balls hit to right field and right-center field.

Heading into Wednesday afternoon’s series finale, the teams have combined to hit nine homers with both teams capitalizing on dimensions to right and right-center.

On Monday, Aaron Judge made a half-swing and golfed a first-inning homer off Anibal Sanchez down the right-field line, where it is 314 feet, but the Braves wound up getting a 5-3 victory by also capitalizing on the dimensions. Rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a two-run homer in the 11th off David Robertson over Judge’s leaping attempt and into the front row of the right-center field seats.

A night later, both teams capitalized again as the Yankees evened the series with an 8-5 victory.

Aaron Hicks homered down the right-field line in the first inning off left-hander Sean Newcomb and Giancarlo Stanton homered just inside the right-field foul pole in the eighth off Evan Phillips.

“Balls get kind of sucked up out there so that’s just frustrating,” Newcomb said after pitching a season-low 2 1/3 innings.

Stanton was also involved in two straight plays in right-center in the seventh. First, he appeared shaken up after crashing into the wall in an attempt to catch Nick Markakis’ 364-foot two-run homer off Adam Warren but he stayed in to make a leaping catch on Kurt Suzuki’s 360-foot fly ball.

“You just never know here with fly balls that are homers [url=http://www.officialsharks.com/authentic-adidas-logan-couture-jersey]http://www.officialsharks.com/authentic-adidas-logan-couture-jersey[/url] ,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said.

Still, with both teams benefiting and getting burned by the dimensions, the first two games have been tight ballgames decided in the late innings. The teams have combined for 21 runs and 38 hits in a combined seven hours, 39 minutes while playing in humid conditions.

“We’re obviously capable of those nights where we have a big night and can run away from a team, but we’ve seen time and time again that we can scratch and claw our way,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I think the one thing about this club that they’ve shown through the first 80-plus games is that we’ve shown an ability to win games in a lot of different ways.”

After neither team received a lengthy start and Atlanta will hope for some distance from Julio Teheran while New York is seeking the same from CC Sabathia.

Regardless of how long their starters go, both teams will have different situations with their closers.

Atlanta’s Arodys Vizcaino is expected to be available for a save situation after being activated off the disabled list Tuesday. He experienced shoulder discomfort after pitching four times in a span of five days from June 13-17, resulting in two weeks on the DL.

New York’s Aroldis Chapman has pitched three straight days for the first time all season. While he has thrown 48 pitches in those outings, it would seem unlikely the Yankees would use him for a save situation Wednesday.

Sabathia will continue his climb up various leaderboards. Sabathia is getting his first chance to tie Hall of Famer Juan Marichal for 55th place on the all-time wins list with at 243.

Sabathia is 5-3 with a 3.02 ERA and is the 12th pitcher to get at least 125 wins with the Yankees. Sabathia also has 1,519 strikeouts for the Yankees and is seven away from tying Red Ruffing for fourth on the team’s all-time list.

Sabathia last pitched Friday in an 8-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox when he allowed one run and six hits in seven innings.

Sabathia is 3-1 with a 3.31 ERA in four career starts against Atlanta.

Sabathia’s start will take place before the Yankees focus on events in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre [url=http://www.officialsharks.com/authentic-adidas-martin-jones-jersey]Martin Jones Jersey[/url] , where Masahiro Tanaka will make a rehab start. Tanaka has been out since injuring both hamstrings running the bases June 8 against the Mets but said Monday he feels better and could have started in the majors Wednesday.

Teheran (6-5, 4.21 ERA) is making his 17th and seeking consecutive wins for the first time in nearly two months.

Teheran was 4-0 with a 2.06 ERA in six starts from April 16-May 14. He is 2-4 with a 5.12 ERA in seven outings since.

Teheran’s last two wins have been scoreless outings. He fanned 11 in six scoreless innings June 17 against San Diego but then gave up seven runs in 4 2/3 innings June 23 against Baltimore before pitching six scoreless innings Friday at St. Louis.

Teheran is making his fourth start since a brief absence because of a thumb contusion that impacted his velocity. In his last start, he walked the first two hitters but settled down and retired 15 of the next 16 hitters.

“Velocity is better,” Snitker said. “With the exception on an inning here, he’s been really, really good. His stuff has picked up.”

Teheran will be making his second career start against the Yankees. In a 20-6 loss in Atlanta on Aug. 30, 2015, he allowed eight runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings but the only Yankees he faced still on the team are Brett Gardner, Greg Bird and Didi Gregorius.
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