MLB Betting News and Notes Friday, April 14th, 2017

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National League

Pirates @ Cubs
Cole is 0-1, 6.55 in his first two starts (under 1-1).

Hendricks allowed four runs in six IP (93 PT) in his first ’17 start an 11-6 win in Milwaukee.

Pirates lost their last four games, scoring eight runs (under 3-1). Chicago won four of its last five games, last three of which stayed under the total.

Mets @ Marlins
Syndergaard is 1-0, 1.38 in his first two starts this season (under 1-0-1).

16-inning game last night forces Miami to switch pitchers. Volquez is 0-1, 4.09 in his first two starts (under 1-0-1).

Mets won their last five games, scoring 28 runs in last three; over is 6-1-1 in their last eight. Miami lost three of last four games; over is 5-0-1 in their last six games.

Phillies @ Nationals
Nola allowed three runs in six IP (89 PT) in winning his first ’17 start, 17-3 over Washington.

Strasburg is 1-0, 3.21 in his first two starts (under 2-0).

Phillies lost their last three games; over is 5-2 in their last seven games. Washington won four of six home games; over is 4-2 in their last six games overall.

Padres @ Braves
Chacin is 1-1, 8.10 in his first two starts (over 1-1).

Teheran is 0-0, 1.38 in his first two starts (over 1-1).

This is first-ever game in Atlanta’s new stadium; Atlanta is off to a 2-6 start; their last six games went over the total. Padres are 3-4 in first seven road games, with five of last six staying under.

Brewers @ Reds
Milone is allowed four runs in four IP (89 PT) in his first ’17 start, an 11-6 loss to Chicago.

Feldman is 1-1, 2.53 in his first two starts (under 1-0-1).

Brewers won their last three games, allowing total of four runs. Under is 6-2 in their last eight games. Cincinnati won seven of its last nine games; three of their last four stayed under.

Diamondbacks @ Dodgers
Greinke 1-0, 2.31 in his first two starts (over 2-0); Arizona scored 17 runs in the two games.

Kershaw is 1-1, 4.15 in his first two starts (over 1-1).

Arizona won six of its last eight games; their last four stayed under the total. Dodgers are 3-1 at home; under is 7-2 in their last nine games.

Rockies @ Giants
Anderson is 1-1, 8.44 in his first two starts (over 2-0).

Cueto is 2-0, 4.50 in his first two starts (over 2-0). Giants scored 13 runs in the two games.

Colorado won four of its five road games; under is 8-1 in their last nine games. Giants lost six of last nine games; their last four games stayed under.

American League

Tigers @ Indians
Norris allowed two runs in 6.1 IP in his first ’17 start, a 7-5 loss to Boston.

Bauer allowed four runs in 5.2 IP in his first ’17 start, an 11-2 loss in Arizona.

Detroit won five of its last seven games; under is 4-2 in its last six games. Cleveland lost five of its last six games; three of its last four games stayed under.

Orioles @ Blue Jays
Miley threw five shutout innings (100 PT) in his first ’17 start, a 7-3 loss to New York.

Sanchez allowed one run in seven IP (101 PT) in his first ’17 start, a 3-2 loss in Tampa.

Orioles won six of its first eight games; over is 4-1-1 in their last six games. Toronto is off to an awful 1-8 start (under 7-2).

Rays @ Red Sox
Archer is 1-0, 2.45 in his first two starts (over 1-1).

Porcello is 1-0, 5.11 in his first two starts (over 1-1).

Tampa Bay lost its last three games, scoring seven runs; three of their last four games went over. Boston is 3-4 in its last seven games; under is 5-3-1 in all their games this season.

White Sox @ Twins
Covey was 2-1, 1.84 in six AA starts in the Texas League LY; thats as high as he’s pitched. This is his bi league debut.

Mejia allowed three runs in 1.2 IP in his first ’17 start (51 PT), a 6-2 loss in Chicago.

Chicago split is first eight games; five of its last six games stayed under. Minnesota won of six of its first nine games; five of is las six stayed under.

Angels @ Royals
Ramirez is making his first MLB start after 111 relief appearances (131.2 IP); he’s thrown five innings in three relief stints this year.

Duffy is 1-0, 1.93 in his first two starts this season (over 1-0-1).

Angels are 6-4 in their first ten games; their last five games went over total. Kansas City lost three of its last four games; over is 4-3-2 in their games this season.

Astros @ A’s
Keuchel is 1-0, 0.64 in his first two starts this year (over 1-1).

Graveman is 2-0, 1.93 in his first two starts this season (under 2-0).

Astros won three of last four games; four of their last five games went over. Oakland split its first ten games (under 7-3).

Rangers @ Mariners
Perez is 1-1, 2.38 in his first two starts (under 2-0).

Hernandez is 0-1, 4.09 in his first two starts, both on road (over 1-1).

Texas won three of its last four games; their last three games went over. Seattle lost eight of its first ten games; four of its last five went over the total.

Interleague

Wacha allowed one run in six IP (83 PT) in his first ’17 start, a 10-4 win over the Reds.

Tanaka is 0-2, 11.74 in his first two starts (over 2-0).

Cardinals lost three of last four games; over is 3-1-1 in their last five. Bronx won its last four games; over is 5-1 in their last six games.

Record with this pitcher starting

National League
Pitt-Chi: Cole 1-1; Hendricks 1-0
NY-Mia: Syndergaard 2-0; Volquez 0-2
Phil-Wash: Nola 1-0; Strasburg 1-1
SD-Atl: Chacin 1-1; Teheran 0-2
Mil-Cin: Milone 0-1; Feldman 1-1
Az-LA: Greinke 2-0; Kershaw 1-1
Colo-SF: Anderson 1-1; Cueto 2-0

American League
Det-Clev: Norris 0-1; Bauer 0-1
Balt-Tor: Miley 0-1; Sanchez 0-1
TB-Bos: Archer 2-0; Porcello 2-0
Chi-Minn: Covey 0-0; Mejia 0-1
LAA-KC: Ramirez 0-0; Duffy 1-1
Hst-A’s: Keuchel 1-1; Graveman 2-0
Tex-Sea: Perez 1-1; Hernandez 0-2

Interleague
StL-NYY: Wacha 1-0; Tanaka 0-2

Armadillosports.com

Friday's Diamond Notes
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com

Hottest team: Yankees (4-0 last four) vs. Cardinals

New York pulled off its first sweep of the season by rallying past Tampa Bay on Thursday, 3-2. The Yankees’ offense scored fewer than four runs for the first time in six games, while their five-game OVER streak came to an end. The Yankees host the Cardinals on Friday as the Bronx Bombers look to improve on an 11-2 mark in home series openers since last July.

Coldest team: Blue Jays (0-6 last six) vs. Orioles

Toronto’s offense has been downright dismal by scoring 23 runs in the first eight games. The Blue Jays plated only one run in Thursday’s 2-1 defeat to the Orioles, the third loss to Baltimore this season. Unfortunately, Toronto’s pitching has kept them hanging around during this cold stretch by giving up three runs or fewer six times, but the Jays own a 1-5 mark in the favorite role this season.

The Orioles have scored just eight runs in three games against the Blue Jays this season, but Baltimore sits atop the AL East with a 6-2 record. Right-hander Aaron Sanchez posted a terrific 15-2 record last season with an ERA of 3.00 for Toronto, but he picked up a no-decision in his first start of the season at Tampa Bay in a 3-2 defeat.

Hottest pitcher: Kendall Graveman, Athletics (2-0, 2.08 ERA)

The A’s return home following a 3-3 road trip, which included a series victory at Kansas City. Graveman has been fantastic through two starts by scattering eights and three earned runs in 13 innings of work against the Angels and Rangers. The Oakland right-hander faces another AL West foe as the Astros head to the Coliseum as Graveman cashed in six of his eight starts in the home underdog role. The A’s split four starts made by Graveman last season against the Astros, but tossed seven innings in his lone home start last July in a 7-4 triumph.

Coldest pitcher: Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees (0-1, 11.74 ERA)

Tanaka is the ace of the Yankees’ staff, but has struggled out of the gate by giving up 14 hits and 10 earned runs in 7.2 innings of work against the Rays and Orioles. Both of those starts came away from the Bronx, as Tanaka simply dominated at home in 2016 with the Yankees posting a 13-2 record in his 15 outings. The Yankees have won all three home starts made by Tanaka against National League opponents as he is facing the Cardinals for the first time in his career.

Best OVER run: Braves (6-0 last six)

Atlanta opens up SunTrust Park following its first eight games on the highway. The Braves’ pitching staff has allowed at least four runs in seven of eight contests, but Atlanta has scored four runs or more in five consecutive games. In the last 13 home series openers at Turner Field in 2016, the Braves cashed the OVER 11 times, while scoring 24 runs in a three-game home sweep of the Padres last August. Atlanta starter Julio Teheran cashed the OVER in seven of his final nine home starts last season.

Best UNDER run: Brewers (6-2 last eight)

Milwaukee wasn’t expected to do much coming into this season, but the Brewers have split their first 10 games. The Brew Crew won its third straight contest on Thursday at Cincinnati, while allowing a total of four runs during this brief hot streak. Milwaukee’s pitching has been up and down through the opening two weeks, but the Brewers have received three straight quality outings from their starters.

Matchup to watch: Diamondbacks at Dodgers

A pair of former teammates and Cy Young winners take the mound at Chavez Ravine as Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw square off in the series opener. Arizona sits atop the NL West at 7-3 despite dropping two of three at San Francisco, while Los Angeles returns home from a 2-4 road trip looking to bust above the .500 mark.

Greinke picked up a no-decision in his first start against the Giants, 6-5 walk-off win as a +135 home underdog. However, the Arizona ace silenced Cleveland in his last outing by scattering five hits and allowing one earned run and striking out six in 6.2 innings of an 11-2 blowout last Saturday. In 2016, the D-backs posted an incredible 12-3 mark away from Chase Field when Greinke took the mound, but one of those losses came at Dodger Stadium in a 10-2 drubbing last September.

Kershaw dominated the Padres in the season opener, but the southpaw was taken deep three times in last Saturday’s 4-2 defeat at Colorado as a -200 road favorite. The Dodgers have won 11 of Kershaw’s previous 12 home outings since the start of last season, while striking out 11 Diamondbacks in a 3-2 triumph last June in his only outing against Arizona in 2016.

Betcha don’t know: Since June 2015, the Indians own a stellar 10-3 home record against the Tigers. In fact, Cleveland captured all six series openers against Detroit last season as the two division rivals hook up at Progressive Field. The Tigers have won six of their last seven road openers since last August with the only defeat coming at Cleveland.

Biggest public favorite: Nationals (-200) vs. Phillies

Biggest public underdog: Rays (+115) at Red Sox

Biggest line move: Astros (-130 to -145) at Athletics

Weekend Outlook
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Milwaukee (5-5) at Cincinnati (7-3)

Scheduled rotation: Milone vs. Feldman, Davies vs. Finnegan, Peralta vs. TBA

Cincinnati has started the season winning seven of its first 10 games aided by a vastly improved pitching staff featuring a rookie phenom and most of all the club is believing in themselves. They were expected by Las Vegas sports books to win only 69.5 games, but here they are in first-place at home against the Brewers this weekend.

Will it last? Probably not, but I hope it does. These are the type of stories that every baseball fan yearns for. The story of the underdog with Joey Votto and a bunch of no-names staying ahead of the World Champion Cubs within the NL Central.

The Reds have done the impossible so far with its pitching which is ranked No. 3 with a 2.73 ERA. Rookie lefthander Amir Garrett has won both of his starts allowing two runs over 12.2 innings and his +300 return on investment leads baseball so far. The bullpen, which had a laughable 5.09 ERA last season currently has a 1.13 ERA and is holding opponents to a .163 batting average, both of which rank second in baseball.

Thursday night they lost to the Brewers, 5-1, to kick off a four game series after winning five of six on a road trip ending with a sweep at Pittsburgh. Bookmakers haven't done much of a ratings adjustment on the Reds yet as they opened the series a pick 'em before Thursday, which is basically calling the Brewers a favorite because they're the road team. The Westgate SuperBook isn't believing in miracles, either, with odds placed at 300-to-1 to win the World Series. .

Regardless of what may eventually happens, the Reds are still one of the most compelling stories of April so far.

Here's a look at a few of the series this week that will have my full attention:

Pittsburgh (3-6) at Chicago Cubs (6-3)

Scheduled rotation: Cole vs. Hendricks (-180), Glasnow vs. Arrieta, Taillon vs. Lester

The Pirates have lost four straight and will be playing in their third city in three days after losing a make-up game at Boston Thursday. It's sure not going to get any easier at Wrigley Field this weekend against a Cubs squad that has won four of its last five. The good news for the Pirates to kick off the series is that Gerrit Cole won his last start -- the Pirates last win -- and he's gone 8-3 with a 3.28 ERA in 12 career starts against the Cubs.

However, the bad news is that Friday he's facing Kyle Hendricks who won all three starts against Pittsburgh last season allowing one run over 19 innings. On Sunday, the Bucs will try to solve their lefty problem against Jon Lester. On the season they've lost all three games against lefthanders.

Arizona (7-3) at Los Angeles Dodgers (5-5)

Scheduled rotation: Greinke vs. Kershaw (-225), Corbin vs. Maeda, Walker vs TBA, Ray vs. McCarthy

Friday night features my first can't miss TV pitching match-up of the year between Zack Greinke and the first-place Diamondbacks visiting the Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw. Last season through 10 games, Arizona was 3-7 with Greinke contributing mightily to the sluggish start in his first season after leaving the Dodgers. This season they're 7-3, but come off losing two of three at San Francisco in their first road trip.

They'll play four games through Monday. Last season the Dodgers won 12 of 19 games and beat Arizona in two of three that Greinke started. Even though Arizona's bats have cooled off on the road trip, they lead baseball with 55 runs scored and are second with a .283 batting average.

Detroit (6-3) at Cleveland (4-5)

Scheduled rotation: Norris vs. Bauer (-140), Verlander vs. Kluber, Boyd vs. Carrasco

The first-place Tigers will see if they can solve the Cleveland problem which is essentially why they missed the playoffs last season. The Indians went 14-4 last season against Detroit. But the scheduled has the Tigers set up nicely here as The Tribe comes in losing five of its last six, which included getting swept at Arizona last weekend. On Saturday the marquee match-up in baseball will be Justin Verlander vs. Corey Kluber. Verlander has been sensational with a 1.35 ERA in two starts -- both Detroit wins, but the Indians won all four Kluber starts against Detroit last season.

Los Angeles Angels (6-4) at Kansas City (3-6)

Scheduled rotation: Ramirez vs. Duffy (-150), Shoemaker vs. Karns, Skaggs vs. Kennedy

The cardiac Angels have dropped their last two games and are now tied for first-place in the A.L. West with Houston. Kansas City is dead last in the A.L. Central and have averaged only three rusn a game while batting .205 -- only Toronto's .190 is worse. The Royals halted a three-game skid on Thursday beating Oakland, 3-1. The bullpen was once the driving force for Kansas City success, but it's posted a 7.81 ERA through nine games so far. The Angels have been crushing the ball this season and have four regulars batting .316 or higher and three players with an on-base percentage over .405.

St. Louis (3-6) at New York Yankees (5-4)

Scheduled rotation: Wacha vs. Tanaka (-145), Martinez vs. Sabathia, Wainwright vs. Pineda

The Cardinals are sitting dead last in the NL Central with Pittsburgh and their bullpen is dead last in baseball with a 7.86 ERA and are the only team in baseball without a save. The Yankees come with their top three starters and will miss the Cardinals best starter so far, Mike Leake (0.60). Michael Wacha was impressive in his first start allowing one run over six innings in a Saturday win over Cincinnati. The Yankees started 1-4, but have won four straight and are now 3-0 at home.

They've also gone 'over' the total in five of their last six games. The starter to pick on in this series is Adam Wainwright on Sunday who has lost both of his starts allowing seven runs in nine innings of work.

Friday's MLB Game of the Day: Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers
Covers.com

Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers (A: +232, H: -255, Total: 6)

Zack Greinke faces his former team Friday as the surprising Arizona Diamondbacks take a 7-3 record into the opener of a three-game series against the host Los Angeles Dodgers. Greinke, who joined Arizona last year after three stellar seasons with the Dodgers, recorded his first victory on Saturday but will need an even better outing to outduel Clayton Kershaw.

Jake Lamb is hitting .342 with two homers and 10 RBIs for Arizona, which opened by winning six of its first seven games but dropped two of three in San Francisco and has scored four runs or fewer in four consecutive contests. Several players are looking to get untracked after struggling against the Giants, including A.J. Pollock, Paul Goldschmidt and Brandon Drury, who were a combined 4-for-36 in the three-game series. The Dodgers also are hoping to jump-start their offense after losing two of three to the Chicago Cubs while going 1-for-24 with runners in scoring position during the series. Logan Forsythe, who was acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay in January, saw his average fall to .229 after going 0-for-4 from the leadoff spot in Thursday’s 4-0 loss to the Cubs.

LINE HISTORY: The Los Angeles Dodgers opened as -210 home chalk against their division rival Diamondbacks and by Friday afternoon that number has been bet up to -255. The total hit the betting board a 6 and has yet to move off the opening number. View complete line history here.

INJURY REPORT:

Diamondbacks - RP Steve Hathaway (Out Indefinitely, shoulder), RP Jake Barrett (Late April, shoulder), CF Socrates Brito (Out Indefinitely, finger)

Dodgers - SP Rich Hill (Questionable, finger), RP Pedro Baez (Probable, thumb), LF Franklin Gutierrez (Out Indefinitely, hamstring), SP Scott Kazmir (Out Indefinitely, hip), RF Andre Ethier (Out Indefinitely, back), RP Josh Ravin (Early May, groin), RP Brock Stewart (Out Indefinitely, shoulder), RP Yimi Garcia (Out For Season, elbow)

WEATHER REPORT: The forecast for Friday night in Los Angeles is calling for clear skies and temperatures in the mid 60’s for first pitch. As for the wind, there is expected to be a slight breeze to out to center of 3 mph at game time which will die down over the course of the game.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks RH Zack Greinke (1-0, 2.31 ERA) vs. Dodgers LH Clayton Kershaw (1-1, 3.46)

Greinke allowed one run without issuing a walk over 6 2/3 innings on Saturday against Cleveland and drew raves from Indians manager Terry Francona. “His changeup was really good,” Francona told reporters. “And I know people make a big deal about his velocity, but he's still 93-94 (mph) and he locates really well. His feel to pitch is tremendous.” Corey Seager is 5-for-8 with two home runs versus Greinke, who is 3-2 with a 3.80 ERA in seven career starts against the Dodgers.

Kershaw surrendered back-to-back homers for the first time in his career on Saturday and took the loss after yielding four runs over six innings against Colorado. The three-time National League Cy Young Award winner owns a 12-8 record and 2.75 ERA in 24 career starts against Arizona while holding Chris Owings to two hits in 13 at-bats. Goldschmidt is 10-for-39 with two blasts versus Kershaw, who has registered 168 strikeouts against 48 walks in 147 1/3 frames against the Diamondbacks.

TRENDS:

* Diamondbacks are 1-5 in their last 6 road games vs. a left-handed starter.

* Dodgers are 4-1 in their last 5 games vs. a right-handed starter.

* Under is 5-1-1 in Greinkes last 7 starts when their opponent scores 2 runs or less in their previous game.

* Under is 9-2 in Kershaws last 11 home starts vs. a team with a winning record.

* Diamondbacks are 5-22 in the last 27 meetings in Los Angeles.

WALK-OFFS:

1. Dodgers LHP Rich Hill (blister) threw a 35-pitch bullpen session on Thursday and could be activated from the disabled list to start Sunday’s game.

2. Lamb has hit safely in eight straight games, going 11-for-35 with two homers and seven RBIs.

3. Los Angeles RHP Pedro Baez (right thumb) is expected to return from the disabled list at some point this weekend.

CONSENSUS: Early consensus on this NL West matchup has 61 percent of the wagers on the home chalk Dodgers and Over is picking up 56 percent of the totals selections.

Friday's Picks, Betting Odds and Analysis
By Andrew Caley
Covers.com

The baseball schedule can be tough to navigate for even a seasoned baseball bettor. We break down all the betting angles for you including picks, trends, weather and analysis to help you handicap the MLB like a pro.

Double-play Picks

New York Mets at Miami Marlins (+125, 7)

The Mets are one of the hottest teams in baseball thanks to a lineup that seems to be able to hurt you one-through-nine. New York has won five games in a row, scoring an average of 7.4 runs per game during the steak, thanks to everyone’s favorite stat, the long ball.

The Mets have all of a sudden become a power hitting team and lead the majors with 20 home runs through their first 10 games. Leading the way for the Mets in that category is Yeonis Cespedes who leads the MLB in homers with six.

New York visits the Marlins Saturday and will take on Miami right-hander Edinson Volquez , who is 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA and has already given up two home runs this year. Volquez gave up 23 homers in 34 starts in 2016 for Kansas City, with half those starts coming in Kaufman Stadium, where fly balls go to die.

It gets tougher for the Marlins, as they get to face Noah Syndergaard on Saturday. “Thor” has been on fire to start the season, going 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA, 16 strikeouts and zero walks in two starts. Syndergaard is also 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA and a crazy 38 K’s to just 2 walks in four career starts versus the Marlins.

Pick: Mets -145

Baltimore Orioles at Toronto Blue Jays (-145, 8 )

Toronto Blue Jays fans couldn’t get much bluer these days. The Blue Birds haven’t just stumbled out of the gates, they’ve fallen flat on their faces starting the season 1-8.

The problem for the Jays has been their bats. They are about as cold as they come. They are dead last in the majors in team batting average, runs scored and home runs.

What makes it all worse is how good the Jays have been pitching. They are tied for second in the majors with six quality starts in their first nine games. They send future ace Aaron Sanchez to the hill to take on the Orioles and while the Jays are 0-3 against Baltimore scoring just five runs, they’ve only allowed eight.

The Under is also 11-0 in the last 11 games between the Orioles and Jays and these are not the bashing Blue Birds of old.

Pick: Under 8

Streaking and Slumping Starting Pitchers

Streaking: Julio Teheran, Atlanta Braves (0-0, 0.00 ERA, -$200)

I know, I know, those numbers listed above don’t really scream streaking, but you cannot blame Teheran for the Braves’ losses in his two starts this season.

Teheran pitched six shutout innings against a powerful Mets team in the season opener allowing just four hits, before the bullpen blew the game late. He followed that up with seven shutout innings against the Pirates. Terehan makes his home debut today versus a surprising San Diego Pardres team.

Slumping: Masahiro Tanaka (0-1, 11.74 ERA, -$214)

It has been a rough start to the season for Tanaka. The Yankees have lost both of his starts early in the season as the Japanese right-hander has had real trouble keeping runners off the bases.

Tanaka has a huge 2.61 WHIP heading into Saturday’s start against the Cardinals and has just two more strikeouts than walks this season.

Friday's Top Trends

* The Pittsburgh Pirates have lost six straight games at the Chicago Cubs. Pirates +150
* The Tampa Bay Rays are 1-11 in Chris Archer’s last 12 starts vs. the Boston Red Sox. Rays +120
* The Over is 9-0 in Trevor Bauer’s last nine starts vs. the Detroit Tigers. O/U: 8.5
* The Houston Astors are 9-0 in their last nine games vs. the Oakland A’s. Astros -133

Weather To Keep An Eye On

There is a chance of thunderstorms in the area when the Minnesota Twins host the Chicago White Sox. Temperatures will hover around 60 degrees and there is a 60 percent chance of precipitation around first pitch. There will also be a strong pitchers wind gusting in from right field at 15 miles per hour. The total for the game is currently 9.0.

UMP Of The Day

Lance Barksdale: The Under is 5-0-2 in Barksdale's last seven games when calling balls and strikes, including 2-0 in 2017. In 2016 Barksdale was one of the better Under umpires with an 11-19 O/U mark and a strike rate of 63.1 percent. Home teams went 17-15 with Barksdale behind the plate in 2016 and that's where he'll be in Miami, where the Marlins at +145 faves with a total of 7 for their matchup with the Mets.