Friday's MLB National League Betting Cheat Sheet
By Covers.com
Check out our quick-hitting betting notes for Friday's National League games:
Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals
Hot pitching stat: Braves right-hander David Hale allowed one run over 11 innings with 14 strikeouts in a two-start audition last season.
Cold batting stat: Atlanta outfielder B.J. Upton batted .143 in 91 April at-bats last year.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-60s with a 44 percent chance of rain and wind blowing from right to left field at 8 mph.
Key betting note: Braves are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings in Washington.
Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs
Hot pitching stat: Cubs lefty Travis Wood threw 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball in his only encounter with the Phillies in 2013.
Cold batting stat: Philadelphia shortstop Jimmy Rollins is 2-for-10 lifetime versus Wood.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-40s with a 42 percent chance of showers and winds gusting out to right-center field at 23 mph.
Key betting note: Under is 8-2-3 in Wood's last 13 home starts.
San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers
Hot pitching stat: Dodgers right-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu has yet to allow an earned run in 12 innings so far this season.
Hot batting stat: Los Angeles infielder Juan Uribe is 5-for-12 in his career versus Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-60s with partly cloudy skies and wind blowing out to right field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: Dodgers are 24-6 in their last 30 series openers.
Arizona Diamondbacks at Colorado Rockies
Cold pitching stat: Rockies righty Juan Nicasio allowed right-handers to hit .302 in 338 at-bats against him.
Cold batting stat: Arizona utility player Martin Prado has just one hit in 11 career at-bats versus Nicasio.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-50s under partly cloudy skies with wind blowing out to center field at 5 mph.
Key betting note: Over is 8-2 in Nicasio's last 10 home starts.
St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates
Cold pitching stat: Cardinals right-hander Shelby Miller went 0-4 with a 5.32 ERA in four starts versus the Pirates last year.
Cold batting stat: Pittsburgh slugger Pedro Alvarez batted .184 with 23 strikeouts in 76 at-bats against the Cardinals in 2013.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-60s with steady rain in the forecast and wind blowing from right to left field at 12 mph.
Key betting note: Over is 4-1 in Miller's last five road starts.
San Diego Padres at Miami Marlins
Cold pitching stat: Padres left-hander Eric Stults was 5-9 with a 4.77 ERA in 18 road starts last year.
Hot batting stat: Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton hit .278 versus lefties last year, with nine homers in 108 at-bats.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s under clear skies with wind blowing out to left field at 7 mph.
Key betting note: Padres are 8-2 in Stults' last 10 starts against the National League East.
CIncinnati Reds at New York Mets
Hot pitching stat: Reds hurler Mike Leake was sensational away from Cincinnati last season, going 8-2 with a 2.81 ERA in 16 starts.
Cold batting stat: Mets third baseman David Wright is 3-for-15 with five strikeouts lifetime versus Leake.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-40s with rain in the forecast and wind blowing from right to left field at 9 mph.
Key betting note: Over is 4-0 in Leake's last four road starts.
Friday's MLB American League Betting Cheat Sheet
By Covers.com
Check out our quick-hitting betting notes for Friday's American League games:
Baltimore Orioles at Detroit Tigers
Cold pitching stat: Tigers right-hander Rick Porcello went 1-2 with an 8.84 ERA in four starts and one relief appearance last April.
Hot batting stat: Detroit third baseman Miguel Cabrera is 2-for-6 with a homer in his career against Orioles righty Miguel Gonzalez.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-50s with partly cloudy skies and wind blowing from right to left field at 18 mph.
Key betting note: Tigers are 6-1 in Porcello's last seven home starts.
Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Indians
Hot pitching stat: Indians right Danny Salazar struck out 65 in just 52 innings in his rookie 2013 campaign.
Cold batting stat: Members of the Cleveland roster are hitting a collective .194 with zero homers in 98 at-bats versus Twins starter Mike Pelfrey.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-60s with a 90 percent chance of thunderstorms and wind blowing out to center field at 16 mph.
Key betting note: Twins are 1-6 in Pelfrey's last seven road starts.
Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals
Cold pitching stat: Left-handed hitters batted .331 with 20 home runs in 472 at-bats versus Royals righty Jeremy Guthrie.
Cold batting stat: White Sox infielder Alexei Ramirez is a .158 hitter lifetime against Guthrie.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-40s with partly cloudy skies and wind blowing from left to right field at 14 mph.
Key betting note: Under is 8-1 in Guthrie's last nine starts versus the White Sox.
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Hot pitching stat: Blue Jays right-hander Dustin McGowan held opposing hitters to a .190 average as a reliever in 2013.
Hot batting stat: Yankees second baseman Brian Roberts is 6-for-13 with a home run against McGowan.
Weather: N/A
Key betting note: Under is 7-1-1 in the last nine meetings.
Texas Rangers at Tampa Bay Rays
Cold pitching stat: Right-handed batters torched Rangers lefty Joe Saunders for a .337 average and 22 homers in 584 at-bats last season.
Cold batting stat: Adrian Beltre batted just 6-for-30 with zero home runs against the Rays in 2013.
Weather: N/A
Key betting note: Over is 3-1-1 in the last five meetings.
Los Angeles Angels at Houston Astros
Hot pitching stat: Astros right-hander Lucas Harrell posted a 1.53 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings against the Angels last year.
Hot batting stat: Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton has homered twice in eight at-bats versus Harrell.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s with mostly cloudy skies and wind blowing in from right field at 7 mph.
Key betting note: Angels are 6-1 in the last seven meetings in Houston.
Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics
Cold pitching stat: Athletics right-hander Dan Straily was 0-1 with an 8.64 ERA in 8 1/3 innings versus the Mariners in 2013.
Hot/Cold batting stat: Oakland third baseman Nick Punto is 3-for-6 lifetime against Mariners right-hander Chris Young.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-50s with partly cloudy skies and wind blowing out to right field at 8 mph.
Key betting note: Under is 8-2-1 in Straily's last 11 home starts.
Interleague
Milwaukee Brewers at Boston Red Sox
Hot pitching stat: Red Sox righty Jake Peavy was perfect at home last season, going 7-0 with a 2.73 ERA in nine starts.
Cold batting stat: Brewers first baseman Mark Reynolds is 3-for-20 with 11 strikeouts in his career against Peavy.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-40s with a 49 percent chance of rain and wind blowing from right to left field at 11 mph.
Key betting note: Over is 4-1 in the last five meetings in Boston.
MLB: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals
Nationals sweeping a three game set at NY Mets return to Washington for their home opener. A key to baseball handicapping is the ability to unearth favorable baseball betting conditions among a sea of baseball betting stats. To that end, Washington has thrived when in this situation. The Nationals winning the past two season home openers are on a 18-9 stretch opening a series, 8-3 streak at home in game-one off a road swing, 21-13 at home off a solid hitting performance (=>10 hits) the previous game, 16-3 last nineteen against a division opponent.
MLB Odds and Picks
By: Micah Roberts
Sportingnews.com
LAS VEGAS -- The St. Louis Cardinals' reward for winning the NL Central last season was getting the first nine games of their 2014 schedule against division foes that also made the playoffs. They took two out of three at Cincinnati, now they go to Pittsburgh for a three-game weekend set and then they go home for three more against the Reds. Fortunately for St. Louis, they at least get to take a deep breath against the Cubs for three games next weekend.
The last time we saw the Pirates and Cardinals meet, it was in the NLDS, where St. Louis came back from a 2-1 deficit to win the series in five games. The two teams met 24 times last season, winning 12 games each, but the Bucs had an 8-4 edge at PNC Park.
Gerrit Cole is a -115 favorite over Shelby Miller with a total set at 7 (UNDER -120). Both starters had outstanding rookie campaigns in 2013, but it was Cole who got to show his stuff in the playoffs, winning Game 2 of the NLDS and then losing the clinching Game 5 to Adam Wainwright.
Miller, on the other hand, was put out to pasture. He made one postseason appearance among 17 Cardinals games, an eighth-inning relief appearance against the Bucs in Game 2, when the one hit he allowed was a solo home run to Starling Marte.
While neither pitcher had a terrific spring, the Bucs handled Miller rather easily last season, winning all four starts against him – two in April and two in August – by a combined score of 24-1. Cole didn’t face the Cardinals in the regular season, but in 11 innings over two starts in the playoffs, he allowed only five hits and three earned runs.
The Pirates are coming off a loss, but took two of three from Cubs in the series opener. However, they didn’t do much hitting and have an MLB-worst .175 batting average. The Cardinals, who hit .269 as a team last season, aren’t hitting much better than Pittsburgh with a .194 average thus far.
We’re going to ride with Cole tonight in the series opener, and we also recommend taking the Pirates with the series price at -115. Francisco Liriano, the Cardinal-killer who went 3-0 against them last season, faces Joe Kelly Saturday, and Edinson Volquez makes his Bucs debut against Wainwright Sunday. Look for Pittsburgh to take the first two games.
Welcome to the Big Leagues, Mr. Tanaka
Everyone has some reservations about Masahiro Tanaka, but anyone that can go 24-0 with 1.27 ERA in any league, like Tanaka did in Japan last season, should be given the benefit of the doubt. That’s 24-0! During spring, Tanaka looked every bit as good as advertised, going 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA through 21 innings in five games, striking out 26 while walking only three. It’s only spring, but most of the batters he faced were MLB hitters.
While Tanaka is almost out of our price range at -138, another reason to support him is because the Blue Jays are sending Dustin McGowan to the mound to make his first start since 2011. He’s kind of a default starter with J.A. Happ losing the No. 5 spot in the rotation due to a poor spring. McGowan didn’t even get any starts during the spring, pitching in only seven innings during four games and allowing three runs.
The Yankees lost two of three at Houston to open the season, scoring only seven runs combined. Jacoby Ellsbury and Alfonso Soriano are still looking for their first hits, but it’s a good bet that McGowan will give them and the rest of the New York lineup some softballs to tee up. So while Tanaka should be counted on to pitch well, the real reason for feeling comfortable laying -138 tonight is McGowan.
Vogelsong inspires runs
The Giants’ hitters have been tearing the cover off the ball, scoring 24 wins while taking three of four at Arizona. They’ll have their work cut out for them today against Hyun-Jin Ryu, though, who is making his third regular-season start and has yet to allow a run in 12 innings.
The sole reason for suggesting this day game goes OVER the total is because Ryan Vogelsong is pitching and his woes from 2013 haven’t been fixed. During spring, he allowed 22 runs in 19 innings of work. Look for the Dodgers to unload on him in their home opener, and Ryu might even give up a couple himself.
Angels repeat?
Last season, the Astros won only 51 games, but 10 of them came against the Angels. Houston was 10-9 against the Angels last season, one of three teams they actually had a winning record against. We’re not bold enough to side with Houston at +138 over the winless Angels in this spot, but it’s something to seriously think about.
Friday selections:
Pirates (Cole) -115 vs. Cardinals
Yankees (Tanaka) -138 at Blue Jays
Giants/Dodgers OVER 7.5 (+105)
Marlins (Koehler) +103 vs. Padres
NL Central Showdown
By Sportsbook.ag
St. Louis Cardinals (2-1) at Pittsburgh Pirates (2-1)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Pittsburgh -115, St. Louis +105, Total: 7
The top two teams from the NL Central last season, the Cardinals and Pirates, meet up for the first time this year when they begin a three-game series on Friday night at PNC Park.
Reigning National League champion St. Louis was able to win its first series of the 2014 season by taking 2-of-3 games in Cincinnati, with each contest being decided by just one run. After splitting a pair of 1-0 decisions, the bats came alive in Thursday's rubber match as the Redbirds offense pounded out 11 hits, including five for extra bases. Pittsburgh also won 2-of-3 games to open its season against the Cubs, with each of those contests also being decided by just one run. The Pirates gave their fans some exciting baseball with a consecutive walk-off wins in extra innings to start the 2014 campaign before falling 3-2 on Thursday night.
Two talented 23-year-olds will get the call for this game as RHP Shelby Miller (15-9, 3.06 ERA in 2013) gets the start for St. Louis and RHP Gerrit Cole (10-7, 3.22 ERA in 2013) will take the mound for Pittsburgh. Even though the Cardinals have been the much better team over the previous two seasons, the Pirates have a slight 20-19 edge in this matchup over that time, and are even stronger when playing at home (11-7). Bettors should take notice that St. Louis is 85-46 (65%) facing a right-handed starter over the past two seasons, while Pittsburgh is an impressive 52-30 (63%) in the first half of the season since the start of 2013.
Shelby Miller is yet another player to come out of the Cardinals farm system and make an immediate impact with the team. In his first full season with the club in 2013, he was able to pitch 173.1 innings, striking out 169 batters (8.8 K/9) and winning 15 games in 31 starts. He did not look as great in 13.2 Spring Training innings though, pitching to a 5.93 ERA and allowing three homers, but he still struck out 13 batters. Miller has also pitched very poorly in this divisional matchup, going up against the Pirates four times, and coming away with a loss in each game. He’s compiled a 5.32 ERA (1.73 WHIP) over those starts and has allowed two home runs in each of the past three outings. Two of those long balls have come off the bat of C Russell Martin (3-for-7, 2 RBI) while both OF Andrew McCutchen (3-for-9) and OF Starling Marte (3-for-10, 2 XBH) have had success as well.
Big-bopper 3B Pedro Alvarez has gone only 1-for-10 against Miller, but the one hit left the park. St. Louis’ bullpen pitched 7.2 innings in its first series, allowing four runs (4.70 ERA) and striking out seven batters. Closer Trevor Rosenthal (0.00 ERA, 2 saves) has pitched two perfect innings for his first two saves of the season while striking out three batters.
Gerrit Cole figures to be a fixture in the Pirates’ rotation for plenty of years to come and started 19 games in his rookie campaign after a midseason call-up last year. He has impeccable control for a young pitcher, giving up just 2.2 walks per nine innings while allowing only 0.54 HR/9 in his 117.1 IP last season. Although the Cardinals were the top team in the NL last season, Cole had no trouble when facing them over two playoff games, going 1-1 in two starts with a 2.45 ERA (0.64 WHIP) and 10 strikeouts in 11 innings.
C Yadier Molina (2-for-6, 1 HR, 2 walks) did well against Cole in his limited at-bats while 2B Matt Carpenter (0-for-7) was completely fooled by the young righty. Pittsburgh has already had to use its bullpen heavily, throwing 17 innings over the first three games while allowing just three runs (1.59 ERA). Veteran Jason Grilli saved 33-of-35 games last season (94.3%), but he has already blown his one save opportunity this season. Grilli gave up three hits and a run with a one-run lead on Wednesday night, a game which was not settled until the 16th inning.