Brewers at Cubs Game Preview

Tonight at 7:10 CST on Fox Sports Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Brewers (43-61) visit Wrigley Field to take on the Chicago Cubs (48-55). Milwaukee enters the four game series in Chicago after dropping two of three in Colorado over the weekend. The Brewers were defeated 6-5 yesterday. They led 5-4 heading into the bottom of the 8th, but gave up two in the frame and were unable to come back. Donovan Hand was the starting pitcher for the Crew. He pitched 6 innings and gave up 8 hits and 3 runs, all earned. John Axford took the loss to drop his record to 4-4. Norichika Aoki belted his 100 career home run (Japan and MLB), and Yuniesky homered as well. Kyle Lohse will be the starter for the Brewers tonight. He has a record of 7-7 with an ERA of 3.37. Lohse picked up the win Wednesday in his last start at home against the Padres. Shortstop Jean Segura leads the team in batting average at .315. He will be back in the lineup tonight after missing yesterday's game. He swung at a pitch that hit his right forearm on Saturday night, causing him tightness and to miss the series finale. Outfielder Carlos Gomez is the club leader in home runs with 17. Catcher Jonathan Lucroy has 56 RBI to lead the team. Chicago comes into this series on a four game winning streak. They swept the Giants in San Francisco over the weekend. Starting pitcher Kerry Wood hit his third home run of the year, and Wellington Castillo belted one as well to lead them to victory. Jeff Smardzija will take the mound for the Cubs tonight. The former star wide receiver at Notre Dame has a record of 6-9 with an ERA of 3.94. Outfielder Junior Lake leads the team in batting average at .349. First baseman Anthony Rizzo is the club leader in home runs with 14. He also leads the RBI column with 58. Outfielder Alfonso Soriano led the team with 17 home runs, but this past week he was traded to the New York Yankees. This should be an exciting game, but look for the offense of Gomez, Segura, and Lucroy as well as the pitching of Lohse to carry the Brewers to a win tonight.

Reds at Dodgers Game Preview

Today at 3:10 CST, the Cincinnati Reds (59-46) visit Dodger Stadium to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers (55-48). Cincinnati enters the final game of this four game set on a two game losing streak after winning the series opener. The Reds were defeated 4-1 yesterday. They were held to just two hits, one of them to pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu, who was the winning pitcher for the Dodgers. Bronson Arroyo took the loss for the Reds. He scattered 8 hits over 5 1/3 innings. Kenley Jansen picked up his 14th save of the season. Tony Cingrani will be on the hill for Cincinnati today. He has a record 4-1 with an ERA of 3.18. First baseman Joey Votto leads position players with a batting average of .317. Pitcher Manny Parra has an average of .500, but he has only had two at bats. Right fielder Jay Bruce leads the team with 26 home runs, and second baseman Brandon Phillips has a team high 81 RBI. Since the All-Star break, the Dodgers have a record of 8-1. The Dodgers' record of 25-6 the last 31 games is tied for the best start in the team's history. That feat was accomplished in 1962, 1976, and 1977. Source: Elias Sports Bureau. Chris Capuano will be on the hill for Los Angeles today. He has a record of 3-6 with an ERA of 5.03. The Dodgers are fifth in the Majors with a team ERA of 3.57. The starters are fourth in MLB with an ERA of 3.43. Shortstop Hanley Ramirez leads position in batting average at .383. Pitchers Ricky Nolasco and Zack Greinke have averages of .667 and .394, respectively, but Nolasco only has three at bats and Greinke only has 33 at bats. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez leads the club with 15 home runs as well as 65 RBI. This should be a great series finale between two powerhouse franchises and clubs, but look for the power in the Los Angeles lineup to wear down Cingrani. I expect the Dodgers to continue their hot streak and pick up the win today.

Brewers at Rockies Game Preview

Tonight at 7:40 CST on Fox Sports Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Brewers (42-59) visit Coors Field to take on the Colorado Rockies (49-54). Milwaukee enters this three game series after losing three out of four games at home against the San Diego Padres. The Brewers lost 10-8 yesterday. They scored five runs in the 7th inning to make it 10-8, but they were unable to finish the comeback attempt. Yovani Gallardo took the loss after allowing six runs over 3 2/3 innings. Wily Peralta will make the start for the Brewers tonight. He has a record of 7-9 with an ERA of 4.30. Milwaukee is trying to cope with the season-ending suspension of Ryan Braun. According to MLB.com, he came clean about "violating Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program." Shortstop Jean Segura leads the team in batting average at .313. Centerfielder Carlos Gomez leads the team with 16 home runs, Jonathan Lucroy is the team leader in RBI with 55. Colorado enters the final series of their 10 game homestand on a one game losing streak. The Rockies dropped a 5-3 decision to the Miami Marlins yesterday. The Rox scored three runs in the bottom of the 9th but they couldn't finish complete the rally to earn a four game split in the series. Tyler Chatwood will be on the hill for the Rox tonight. He enters this game with a record of 6-3 and an ERA of 2.48.  This is the first and only time the Rockies will host the Brewers this season. Milwaukee hosted Colorado for the first series of the season. Milwaukee won Opening Day on a walkoff sacrifice fly by Jonathan Lucroy, but Colorado won the final two games to earn a series win. Michael Cuddyer, a participant in the MLB Home Run Derby last week, leads the team with a .331 batting average. Carlos Gonzalez is the team leader with 26 home runs, and he also leads the team with 67 RBI. This should be a great game, but look for the pitching of Chatwood and the home field of Colorado to get the job done tonight.

Indiana at 7 Florida State NCAA Super Regional Game 2 Preview

Today at Noon on ESPNU, the Indiana Hoosiers (46-14, 17-7 Big Ten) take on the 7 seeded Florida State Seminoles (47-15, 20-10 ACC) in Game 2 of the Tallahassee Super Regional. This is a best-of-3 series, and Indiana leads 1-0. With a Hoosier win, Indiana would advance to their first College World Series in school history. Indiana beat Florida State yesterday 10-9. They had a 10-6 lead going into the bottom of the 8th, and held on for the win. Kyle Schwarber led the Hoosiers going 2-4 with two runs, a walk, and four RBI's. Aaron Slegers will be on the hill for Indiana today. He comes into this game with a record of 9-1 and an ERA of 1.94. Schwarber leads the team in home runs with 17. Scott Donley leads the team with 56 RBI's.Florida State is looking to come back after a defeat yesterday in which they held a 5-4 lead going into the 6th inning. Giovanny Alfonzo led the Seminoles going 4-5 with three hits, a walk, and two RBI's. Scott Sitz will be on the mound for Florida State today. He enters this one with a record of 10-1 and an ERA of 1.59. Sitz has been named a finalist for the Gregg Olson Award, given to college baseball's breakout player.This should be a great game, but look for Florida State to come into the game with a sense of urgency and force a deciding game 3 with a win today.

Oklahoma at 4 LSU NCAA Super Regional Game 1 Preview

Tonight at 6pm on ESPN, the Oklahoma Sooners (43-19, 13-11 Big 12) take on the 4 seeded LSU Tigers (55-9, 23-7 SEC) in an NCAA Super Regional at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This is a best-of-3 series for a trip to Omaha, Nebraska for the NCAA College World Series. Game 1 will be tonight, Game 2 tomorrow night, and, if necessary, Game 3 on Monday night. Oklahoma punched their ticket to their third Super Regional appearance in four years by winning the Blacksburg Regional last weekend at Virginia Tech. The Sooners defeated Coastal Carolina, Connecticut, and Virginia Tech to claim the title. Junior Jonathan Gray will take the hill for the Sooners in this one. He has a record of 10-2 with an ERA of 1.59. He ranks second in the country with 138 strikeouts, and is one of 10 finalists for the National Pitcher of the Year. First baseman Matt Oberste is the team's top hitter with a batting average of .376. He also leads the team in home runs with 11 and RBI's with 60. LSU earned the right to advance to the Supers by winning their regional which was at Alex Box Stadium. They beat Jackson State, Sam Houston State, and Louisiana Lafayette to capture the regional championship. Aaron Nola, the ace for the Tigers, will be on the mound for LSU tonight. He has a perfect record of 11-0 and a team-leading ERA of 1.82. Alex Bregman is the team-leader in batting average, batting at a .385 clip. Mason Katz, the main power source for the Tigers, has 15 home runs, best on the team. He also leads the team with 68 RBI's. This should be a great game, but look for the Tigers at home to pull one step closer to Omaha with a win in Game 1.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets Western Conference First Round Game 3 Game Preview

Tonight at 8:30pm on ESPN, the Oklahoma City Thunder (60-22) take on the Houston Rockets (45-37) in a Western Conference First Round Game 3 matchup in Houston. OKC enters Game 3 on a two game winning streak after beating Houston 105-102 on Wednesday. Houston went on a 21-2 run only to be answered by a 12-3 run in the final three minutes to give the Thunder a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook each had 29 points. Westbrook was fouled by Patrick Beverley in the second quarter, tearing his lateral meniscus in his right knee. It will require surgery and he will miss the remainder of the postseason. Durant was the runner-up in the scoring title race, ending his three year reign atop the catigory. Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks won his first scoring title. Durant led the team in scoring at 28.1 points per game. Houston enters their first home playoff game on a four game losing streak dating back to the regular season. In Game 2, James Harden had a pair of postseason career-highs with 36 points and 11 rebounds. He was fifth in the NBA in scoring this season with 25.9 points per game. He played for the Thunder for his first three seasons in the league. This should be a classic postseason game in the Western Conference. Look for the Rockets to get back into this series and take advantage of the Westbrook injury with a big win tonight.

Pacers at Hawks Eastern Conference First Round Game 3 Game Preview

Tonight at 6pm on ESPN, the Indiana Pacers (49-32) take on the Atlanta Hawks (44-37) in an Eastern Conference First Round Game 3. The Pacers hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 game series. Indiana comes into this game after defeating the Hawks at home on Wednesday night 113-98. The Pacers shot 47 percent from the field and outrebounded the Hawks 47-41 to go along with just 10 turnovers. Paul George was named the KIA NBA Most Improved Player this past week and is also the leading scorer for the Pacers at 17.4 points per game in the regular season. He had a triple-double in Game 1 and followed that up with a 27 point performance in Game 2. Atlanta enters their playoff home opener after losing their last four games of the regular season and playoffs. Devin Harris had a team-high 17 points in the Game 2 loss. Josh Smith led the Hawks in points per game this season with 17.5. These teams met four times during the regular season, with each team winning two at home. Look for the homecourt advantage of the Hawks to get them their first win of the postseason and put them right back into this series.