Bruce Marshall
Arizona at Colorado
Pick: Over
Zack Greinke is on quite a roll for the D-backs but he has never pitched well at Coors Field,,where he has a 5.17 ERA since 2013. he's been even worse this season vs. the Rockies, who have hit him hard twice, as Greinke has a 7.36 ERA and .354 OBA vs. the Rocks (both games at Phoenix) this season. Meanwhile, the Arizona bats ought to do some business vs. shaky Colorado starter Eddie Butler and his 6.26 ERA.
Harry Bondi
SAN DIEGO +105 over Cincinnati
Two of the worst teams in baseball square off and we think we have an edge with the Padres in a game that matches up two southpaw starters. San Diego's overall record this year is a dismal 13 games below .500, but the team is actually 11-10 (+3.7 UNITS) when facing a left-handed starter. Overall, San Diego averages just 4.2 runs per game, but when facing a southpaw it increases to 5.6 rpg. Meanwhile, the Reds are simply impotent against starters of any kind, and come in with 6-10 record vs. lefties, averaging 3.8 runs per game. We like the plus-price here.
Bob Balfe
Arizona / Colorado Over 11
The Rockies hit the ball well at home, but their pitching is brutal. Eddie Butler does not have big league stuff this season and I will be shocked if he makes it past 5 innings. The Rockies have been hitting huge home runs the last couple of nights and I expect them to do so again with the wind blowing out tonight. Look for a lot of runs.
OSKEIM SPORTS
Oakland Athletics at Los Angeles Angels
Play: Los Angeles Angels -133
Major League teams were curious to see how right-hander Tim Lincecum responded to off-season hip surgery, and the Angels ultimately signed the 32-year-old on May 20. Reports from his minor league rehabilitation starts were positive as Lincecum's off-speed repertoire looked solid and his velocity ranged from 87-91 mph. Let's not forget that Lincecum's fastball averaged 91.3 mph in 2010 when he went 15-10 with a 3.53 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 3.19 FIP, 3.10 xFIP and a 3.20 SIERA.
Moreover, the crafty veteran has always induced a high rate of swing and misses despite a declining set of pitches. In three Triple-A starts this season, Lincecum posted a 2.65 ERA and 2.70 FIP, together with a 28.8% K% and 19.7% K-BB%. Some scouts suggest that his left hip surgery was restorative and has allowed Lincecum to become more consistent, both mechanically and with his command.
In his first Major League outing in 2016, Lincecum limited the Athletics to one run on four hits in 6 innings of work. His fastball registered between 88 and 90 mph and he looked more and more comfortable as the game progressed. "I feel like I get better as the game goes on because I get a knack for my mechanics and the game speed," Lincecum said.
Los Angeles also possesses a serviceable bullpen that owns a 3.10 ERA and 1.11 WHIP at home this season. In contrast, Oakland relievers enter tonight's game with a 4.41 ERA and 1.23 WHIP on the road, a 4.63 ERA and 1.36 WHIP versus division foes, a 4.42 ERA and 1.24 WHIP at night and a 5.56 ERA and 1.58 WHIP over the last seven games.
The Athletics' anemic lineup has only been able to garner 3.9 runs per game on the road (.258 AVG.; .298 OBP; .677 OPS), 3.3 runs per game versus right-handed starters (.236 AVG.; .287 OBP; .646 OPS) and 2.4 runs over the last seven contests (.201 AVG.; .251 OBP; .564 OPS). Oakland starter Kendall Graveman induces a lot of groundballs (50.9% GB%), but lacks strikeout stuff (6.72 K/9). The 25-year-old has also been susceptible to the long ball (1.58 HR/9) and has struggled with his command in 2016 (3.42 BB/9).
Graveman is 2-6 with a 4.87 ERA and 1.53 WHIP this season, including 1-3 with a 7.03 ERA and 1.87 WHIP on the road and 1-4 with a 4.11 ERA and 1.45 WHIP at night. The right-hander's peripherals also provide little optimism: 5.19 FIP, 4.43 xFIP, 4.55 SIERA, 19.0% HR/FB and an 8.2% K-BB%. Graveman also owns a 7.28 FIP on the road, together with 4.22 BB/9 and 2.91 HR/9 rates. Oakland is averaging just 3.16 runs of support for Graveman this season, which is fourth lowest in the American League among pitchers with at least 60 innings of work.
From a technical standpoint, Oakland is a money-burning 8-27 in its last 35 games versus right-handed starters, 6-20 in its last 26 road games, 22-50 in its last 72 games off a loss, 2-10 in its last 12 games versus division foes and 4-13 in its last 17 games overall. The Athletics are also a woeful 5-16 in Graveman's last 21 starts, including 1-5 in his last six road outings and 2-6 in his last 8 starts in game 1 of a series. With Los Angeles standing at 13-5 at home in this series and 5-1 in the last six meetings with Oakland overall, take the Angels and invest with confidence.
BUSTER SPORTS
New York Mets at Atlanta Braves
Play: Atlanta Braves +155
The starting pitchers for tonight's game are for the Mets RH Matt Harvey (4-9, 4.76 ERA) and he goes up Braves RH Matt Wisler (3-7, 4.23) We are going to play the big underdog Atlanta Braves. Harvey is starting to turn it around after having a dreadful May having a 5.91 ERA and a WHIP of 1.56. On the road however Harvey is still having his trouble as he has a 2-5 record with a 4.69 ERA and a WHIP of 1.348. As for Matt Wisler he also has had his ups and downs this year but he has been very good against the Mets. In his career, Wisler is 3-1 with a 1.55 ERA and a WHIP of 0.862. Mets all-star Yoenis Cespedes left last game with a wrist injury and will probably not play tonight. With the Braves playing much better baseball of late and winning 6