Jeff Benton
Your Friday freebie is the Dodgers to hand the Diamondbacks another loss.
Arizona got dumped in last night's series opener and have now lost their last six games, and are on a 2-8 overall run their last ten contests.
The D-Backs are also just 3-7 dating back to last year in games played against their division-rival. One of those losses came back in the middle of May when tonight's starter Clayton Kershaw worked 7 scoreless innings against Arizona.
Kershaw toes the rubber again tonight, and the southpaw is 1-1 with a slender 1.71 ERA his last three starts.
The Dodgers are enjoying a 4-1 upswing that has seen them regain first place in the West thanks to a pitching staff that has allowed just 3 runs total in their last 3 games - all wins!
Josh Collmenter is making only his third start of the season, and even though the Dodgers lineup has been ravaged y injuries, Los Angeles is finding ways to win as we head to the break.
Look for L.A. to find another way to win tonight behind ace Clayton Kershaw.
3♦ L.A. DODGERS
Dom Chambers
For my free selection, let’s take a look at the New York Yankees to beat the Boston Red Sox.
The Red Sox are having their problems. They have lost four of their last five games and and cannot find that groove to get a streak going.
The Yankees did hit a bump in the road against the Rays, but have won eight of their last 12 games.
Going into Boston will get the Yankees’ attention.
Josh Beckett starts for the Red Sox, but he has had his own problems. He is 4-7 with a 4.06 ERA. In his last three starts, his ERA is 3.43, but he is 0-2 and the Red Sox are 0-3 in those starts. It’s a lack of run support that’s the problem here.
For the Yankees, Hiroki Kuroda starts for the Yankees. He has been decent, with a 3.17 ERA. In his last three starts, he is 2-1 with a 2.14 ERA. In his last 21 innings, he has allowed five earned runs.
The pitching is close in this match up, but the Red Sox have not score more than two runs in their last five games. Kuroda is in a groove and the Red Sox should not light it up.
That means Beckett has to throw a near shutout for the Red Sox to win.
Yankees have more clutch hitting and have the edge here.
Take the Yankees.
2♦ YANKEES
Scott Delaney
How do you not lay the money with the Oakland Athletics tonight? It's my free play tonight, as I'm laying the chalk against the Seattle Mariners, a team that continues to slide and has the worst record in the American League, and second-worst in the bigs.
The streaking A's come in on a four-game win spree, including a sweep of the recently visiting Boston Red Sox, and had last night off. Now they welcome the Mariners in division rivalry, and while it might sound a little crazy, the A's could be looking at making a run at the second-place Angels.
Five games separate the two teams, but that doesn't mean a three-game sweep of the M's to close the first half isn't out of the question. It would put the A's on a seven-game run heading into the second half, and with a wealth of momentum before some pretty big home series in mid-July.
Oakland opens the second half in Minnesota, against the Twins, but then returns to Oaktown for dates with the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees. So, momentum is key for the A's right now. Look for them to keep it going with a solid win tonight.
1♦ OAKLAND
Chris Jordan
For the second straight night I'm going to take a shot with the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Los Angeles Dodgers. I won't list the pitchers, cause quite obviously I wouldn't mind if the Dodgers were to scratch Clayton Kershaw, who just helped snap the Dodgers' seven-game losing streak on Sunday, when he allowed three runs (one earned) over seven innings against the Mets, striking out nine.
He's deadly, I admit that.
But I like the Snakes to get the best of him tonight.
And I think Josh Collmenter just might have a chance here against the Dodgers' fledgling lineup. Arizona's starting right-hander is in after tossing six innings of one-run ball against the Brewers on Sunday, but he didn't even factor in the decision.
Not the way he wanted that to turn out, and make note, I have a feeling this will likely be his last start for the foreseeable future, as Joe Saunders returns to the rotation after the All-Star break.
Thus, we're going to see some of Collmenter's best stuff. He's been pitching well enough to win, as he has a 1.29 ERA over his last three starts but is 0-0 in those outings.
Look for him to exit the rotation on a winning note, as he silences L.A.'s lineup and earns a win.
1♦ ARIZONA