Baseball Information
National League
Pirates @ Mets
Happ is 0-2, 9.30 in his last five starts; six of his last nine went over.
Colon is 1-5, 5.60 in his last six starts; four of his last five went over.
Pittsburgh won five of last seven games (over 5-1-1). Mets won 12 of last 14 games; three of last four stayed under. Pirates won six of last seven games vs New York; six of last nine series games stayed under.
Diamondbacks @ Braves
Ray is 0-3, 5.56 in his last four starts; under is 5-2-1 in his last eight.
Teheran is 1-2, 4.63 in his last five starts (over 2-0-1 in last three).
Arizona won three of last four games with Atlanta; over is 3-1-1 in last five in series. D'backs won three of last four games, with last three going over total. Braves lost last three games; over is 6-2-1 in their last nine.
Phillies @ Brewers
Morgan is 2-1, 4.24 in his last three starts; his last four on road went under.
Peralta is 0-2, 7.84 in his last two starts; over is 4-2-1 in his last seven.
Road team won last ten Philly-Milwaukee games, with Brewers winning last four; over is 4-0-1 in last five series games. Phillies are 17-7 in last 24 games; six of their last seven went over. Brewers lost five of their last six games.
Marlins @ Cardinals
Koehler is 0-3, 8.27 in his last three starts, all of which went over.
Garcia is 3-3, 1.36 in his last eight starts, seven of which stayed under.
Miami lost its last four games with St Louis; under is 3-1-1 in last five series games. Marlins won last three games, scoring 23 runs; eight of their last ten went over total. Cardinals won six of last eight games; under is 7-2-1 in their last ten.
Padres @ Rockies
Ross is 2-1, 3.50 in his last three starts; four of his last six on road went over.
Flande is 1-0, 3.68 in his three starts (over 2-1).
San Diego won its last five games with Colorado, scoring 35 runs; Padres are 2-7 in last nine games overall-- six of their last eight went over. Rockies lost five of their last six games (under 4-2).
Reds @ Dodgers
Lamb is making MLB debut; he was 10-2, 2.67 in 20 AAA starts this year. .
Wood is 1-2, 4.94 in his last five starts; under is 5-3-2 in his last ten.
Cincinnati is 7-4 in its last 11 games with the Dodgers; four of last six went under the total. Reds lost six of last nine games; nine of last 12 stayed under total. Dodgers lost five of last seven games; six of their last eight games went over the total.
Nationals @ Giants
Scherzer is 1-0, 3.32 in his last three starts; three of his last four went over.
Cain is 0-2, 7.80 in his last three starts; over is 4-0-1 in his last five.
Washington won four of last six games with the Giants; seven of last eight in series stayed under total. Nationals lost four of last five games, and scored one run in last two games- their last three stayed under. San Francisco lost five of last seven games; their last four stayed under.
American League
A's @ Orioles
Mills is making first '15 start; he is 4-4, 8.15 in 13 MLB starts, spread out over six different seasons. He is 4-11, 4.45 in 22 AAA starts this year.
Jimenez is 2-1, 3.66 in his last thee starts.
Oakland lost last three games, scorng seven runs- four of their last six games stayed under. A's split last ten games with Baltimore- eight of last ten went over total. Orioles lost three of their last four games overall.
Bronx @ Blue Jays
Nova is 3-1, 3.63 in his last four starts; four of his last five stayed under.
Price is 2-0, 0.60 in two starts for Toronto; five of his last six stayed under.
Bronx lost six of last eight games; six of eight stayed under. Toronto won its last 11 games; four of last five stayed under- they've won five of their last six games with New York, with last four staying under the total.
Mariners @ Red Sox
Montgomery is 0-2, 6.82 in his last six starts (over 3-2-1).
Kelly is 2-2, 7.48 in his last six starts; Boston scored 26 runs in his last three- over is 3-1-1 in his last five. He failed to finish 6th inning in his last six starts.
Seattle won five of last seven games with Boston; last four games in series stayed under total. Mariners won three of last four games overall (under 3-1). Red Sox lost three of their last four games (over 4-0).
Rays @ Rangers
Karns is 3-0, 2.95 in his last four starts; over is 3-1-1 in his last five.
Perez is 1-0, 2.51 in his last two starts; three of his last four went over.
Tampa Bay won four of last six games with Texas (over 4-1-1); Rays are 7-2 in last nine games- seven of last eight went over. Rangers lost three of last four games; four of their last six went over the total.
Indians @ Twins
Kluber is 2-1, 2.66 in his last three starts; four of his last five went over.
May is 0-4, 4.94 in his last five starts; five of his last six stayed under.
Cleveland won three of last four games with Minnesota; last seven series tilts went over the total. Indians won four of last five games; five of their last six went over. Twins lost eight of last 11 games; over is 7-1 in their last eight.
Angels @ Royals
Weaver is 0-4, 6.39 in his last five starts; four of his last six went over.
Duffy is 1-1, 4.96 in his last three starts; seven of his last eight stayed under.
Royals won seven of last eight games with the Angels; four of last five went over the total. KC won five of its last seven games overall; four of last six got over the total. Halos lost four of last six overall (under 5-4 in last nine).
Tigers @ Astros
Simon is 3-3, 8.68 in his last nine starts; eight of his last ten went over.
Keuchel is 1-2, 4.43 in his last three starts; under is 5-3 in his last eight.
Tigers are 3-5 in last eight games with Houston; over is 3-1-1 in last five in series. Detroit lost three of last four games; over is 4-2-1 in their last seven. Astros lost seven of last nine games; four of last five stayed under.
Interleague
Cubs @ White Sox
Hendricks is 2-0, 2.92 in his last two starts; three of his last four went over.
Former Cub Samardzija is 1-2, 10.38 in his last three starts; his last four starts all went over the total.
Cubs lost five of last seven games with the White Sox (under 4-2-1) but they won 12 of its last 13 games overall; six of last eight went over total. Pale Hose won last three games, allowing four runs; over is 7-3 in their last ten.
Win-loss records this year for team with this starting pitcher:
Pitt-NY-- Happ 7-14, 0-1; Colon 10-12 (1-8 last 9)
Az-Atl-- Ray 4-9; Teheran 13-10
Phil-Mil-- Morgan 5-3; Peralta 4-8
Mia-StL-- Koehler 10-11 (1-5 last 6); Garcia 5-5
SD-Colo- Ross 12-12; Flande 2-1
Cin-LA-- Lamb 0-0; Wood 8-15, 0-2
Wsh-SF-- Scherzer 13-10; Cain 3-4
A's-Balt-- Mills 0-0; Jimenez 11-11
NY-Tor-- Nova 4-4; Price 17-6, 2-0
Sea-Bos-- Montgomery 4-9 (0-6 last 6); Kelly 7-11
TB-Tex-- Karns 11-11 (4-0 last 4); Perez 3-2
Clev-Minn-- Kluber 8-16; May 6-9 (0-5 last 5)
LA-KC-- Weaver 7-9; Duffy 11-6
Det-Hst-- Simon 13-8; Keuchel 15-8
Chi-Chi-- Hendricks 12-10; Samardzija 11-12
Times this starting pitcher allowed a run in first inning:
Pitt-NY-- Happ 9-21; Colon 6-22
Az-Atl-- Ray 2-13; Teheran 8-23
Phil-Mil-- Morgan 1-8; Peralta 4-12
Mia-StL-- Koehler 5-21; Garcia 2-10
SD-Colo-- Ross 7-24; Flande 1-3
Cin-LA-- Lamb 0-0; Wood 6-23
Wsh-SF-- Scherzer 4-23; Cain 3-7
A's-Balt-- Mills 0-0; Jimenez 6-22
NY-Tor-- Nova 1-8; Price 4-23
Sea-Bos-- Montgomery 2-13; Kelly 8-18
TB-Tex-- Karns 9-22; Perez 0-5
Clev-Minn-- Kluber 10-24; May 5-15
LA-KC-- Weaver 5-16; Duffy 3-17
Det-Hst-- Simon 3-21; Keuchel 4-23
Chi-Chi-- Hendricks 4-22; Samardzija 11-23
Armadillosports.com
Steve's Screen Shot
By Steve Merril
Diamondbacks @ Braves -- The Braves are one of the worst hitting teams in baseball against southpaws. Atlanta has an 8-13 record against left-handed starters while hitting just .214 against them this season. Lefty Robbie Ray has a 2.18 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in seven road starts for Arizona. Only A.J. Pierzynski has faced Ray before, and he struck out in his lone at-bat. Atlanta’s unfamiliarity with Ray gives him a nice advantage in this game. Julio Teheran has lost just once at home in 11 starts for the Braves, so he should have a solid outing as well. I’ll lean Under 7.5 (-130 or less) in this game.
Phillies @ Brewers -- The Phillies continue to be sizable underdogs despite being the hottest team in baseball in the second half. But Adam Morgan is still on my fade list even though he has won his last two road starts in San Diego and in Toronto. However, the Brewers are only 12-12 in games versus left-handed starters this season, and they just got swept in Chicago. Plus Wily Peralta has lost two straight home games to the Cardinals and Padres. The price is not right, and Peralta and the Brewers are not the right combination to back in fading Morgan.
Reds @ Dodgers -- John Lamb makes his Major League debut for the Reds in Los Angeles on Friday night. Lamb was 10-2 with a 2.67 ERA in 20 starts for two Triple-A teams. The southpaw had an impressive 117/36 K/BB ratio in those outings. He gave up 94 hits in 111.1 innings of work. The Dodgers are only hitting .239 against left-handed starters while scoring 3.5 runs per game against them. LA starter Alex Wood has allowed 7 runs and 13 hits in his last two starts. No line posted as of yet, but Cincinnati looks like a live underdog in this game.
Cubs @ White Sox -- Jeff Samardzija faces off against his former team (Cubs) on Friday afternoon. He enters this game in awful current form, having allowed 20 runs over his last three starts. Overall, Samardzija is 8-7 with a 4.62 ERA in 23 starts for the White Sox. Kyle Hendricks has won two straight starts for the Cubs. He held the White Sox to five hits in seven innings pitched at home back on July 10th. I lean to the Cubs (-110) in this game.
MLB Betting News
By Dave Essler
Pirates-Mets: Well, not likely many would fade the Mets even with Colon pitching at this point - and people will see -120 and probably Happ all over it. Not sure either of these two can hold the other team in check - and it might matter if Marte is back - or not - because he hasn't hit Colon at all. The Mets are hitting everyone, and interesting that they're on 8-16 to the over against LHP's. Or at least I found it interesting. We'll see what happens with the Pirates and their bullpen in St. Louis, and then late-night travel for them.
Arizona-Atlanta: We don't typically like the Braves against left handed pitching and don't typically like the D-Backs against right handed pitching, but someone will win this game. Teheran is much, much better at home. Ray's been giving up the long ball lately but is much better on the road, so in this big park we might not see many runs.
Phillies-Brewers: Milwaukee gets their ass handed to them in Chicago on Thursday afternoon while the Phillies rest after being in San Diego and Arizona. They (the Phillies) gave up 15 or more hits in all three games to the D-Backs (which may make Arizona over priced in Atlanta) and have cooled off at the plate. They've been a great over team - either killing someone or getting killed, and that's probably what'll happen here. They're 3-0 in Nola's games on the road - but not because Nola pitched well, they just scored a sh*tload. I certainly cannot get behind Peralta and the Brewers with their schedule - a even less of a chance at -160.
Fish-Cardinals: I guess you could make the argument that the Cardinals might be weary after the series against the Pirates, perhaps. After all, Miami did have a day off. But, Ozuna is out and Yelich is questionable, so not likely - and Koehler on the road is not as good as Koehler at home.
Padres-D-Backs: If there ever was a game this early in August that BOTH teams fell so far short of expectations and probably didn't want to play, this could be it. I'd simply have to take the Padres and Ross against a left handed pitcher (that's the arm Flande throws with) since that's been their best chance this season. For as bad as the Padres pen has been, it's typically better than the Rockies.
Nats-Giants: Clearly a game that hinges in what happens between these two Thursday. With Vogelsong pitching it's possible that the Giants pen might be needed a fair bit, and with Matt Cain's ability to walk the bases loaded on a moments' notice - it'd be hard for me to back San Francisco even as a nice home dog and perhaps not even on the RL.
Seattl-Boston: Immediately there is zero chance of taking Joe Kelly. Yes, he can show flashes of brilliance, but Hanley is questionable, Bostons' bullpen has been worse than horrible, they're under .500 at Fenway, and wore against LHP's. Cruz is questionable, and Montgomery doesn't usually pitch deep and Seattle's bullpen is pushing the Red Sox pen for futility. o, all signs point to runs here (meaning 3-2 Boston).
Rays-Rangers: Very interesting game, because I do like Karns a fair bit and had every intention of betting on Tampa Bay. Especially given the Rangers' road game Thursday - but the Rangers still (finally) appear to want to win. I hate the spot for Texas - but if it were all just about spots we'd never lose. I suppose the wild card is Perez. I wonder if we get the one that shut down the Giants or the "other" one - the line will probably dictate that, again.
Cleveland-Minnesota: I'll wait and see how the Indians, who have started hitting, fare against the Yankees on Thursday. The Twins blew an early 4-0 lead at home (yes, we bet on Minnesota) so they can't be an overly positive team right now. I just have a tough time laying -160 or whatever it is, on the road, with a team like the Indians who can go old at the plate in a moments notice. Hughes has been getting torched lately - so this may well be an Indians RL or something. I can't take the Twins against RHP anymore.
Angels-Royals: Much of this is dependent on Thursday's game - my instincts tell me over - Duffy's been excellent save his implosion at Toronto, and Weaver in his second game back against a team that's killed right handed pitching. If we can get even a mediocre Duffy, I am inclined to take Kansas City here unless something drastic happens in the Thursday game.
Houston-Detroit: I am not paying -230 for Kuechel against a team that COULD hit him. He's been somewhat more vulnerable of late and the Astros have lost 7 of 9 - perhaps pressure catching up with youth there. I don't even have to look at the Tigers, their bullpen, or Simon - to think that this could well be the public disaster of the day. It won't be mine.
Friday Scouting Edge
By Coach Fletcher
Pittsburgh Pirates at New York Mets
The first place Mets tangle with the 2nd place Pirates at Citi Field in what could turn out to be an important series for both teams. Oddly enough, in the first game, we are not seeing either team’s top pitchers. What we have are baseball’s Grandpa Moses, aka Bartolo Colon vs J.A. Happ. Colon is 10-11 with a 4.76 era and Happ is 4-7 with a 4.82 era. Not exactly the pitchers you would expect in such a crucial series. Happ at least comes into the contest on 9 days rest, but that may not be enough. In his Pirates debut the recently acquired Happ lasted 4 1/3 innings and gave up 4 runs and 8 hits. Colon started the season at 6-2 but has a 5.31 era in his last 14 starts. Happ is even worse. He had a 3.31 era after his first 11 for the Mariners but in 10 starts since his era has been 6.80. These teams met earlier in the year and the Bucs swept the Mets outscoring them 21-4. But the Mets are the hot team now going 14-4 since July 25. The Mets opened -115 with a surprisingly low total of 7.5.
Arizona Diamondbacks at Atlanta Braves
Arizona still has an outside, very outside, shot at making the playoffs. They need to take care of Atlanta and at least even up their 56-57 record in this series. Even though the pitchers tonight appear mediocre at first glance, they both have surprising skills that could render this a tight one. Arizona sends Robbie Ray, 3-7, 3.13 era, to the mound. Ray started his season well but has had some problems of late. In his last 3 games his era is 4.50. But his road era is 2.18. Atlanta goes with Julio Teheran who is 7-6 with a 4.57 era. Teheran has also struggled in his past 3 starts with a 5.09 era. But Teheran’s home mark is just 2.52. Atlanta opened as a small favorite but bettors jumped on Arizona. Arizona is about -122 and the total is 7.5.
Tampa Bay Rays at Texas Rangers
Martin Perez goes to the bump for the Rangers in a game where both teams are holding out hopes for a possible wild card berth. Perez is making just his 6th start after being on the shelf for quite a while undergoing Tommy John surgery and rehab for the same. Whether we call it a success or not, Perez is seemingly coming around after a rough start. Perez is 1-2 with a 5.81 era. But his last 2 starts have been sharp. In that pair Perez is 1-0 with a crisp 1.88 era. The lefty had a .10.50 era after his first 2 starts but has seemingly settled into some rhythm. In his last start Perez went 6 innings against Seattle allowing 7 hits and 2 runs. In his prior start Perez humbled the Giants giving up only 2 hits and 1 run in 8 1/3 innings. He walked no one and fanned 6. Texas opened at -110 with a total of 9.
Philadelphia Phillies at Milwaukee Brewers
Despite an offense that has come on a little in the second half the Phillies still hold the worst record in the major leagues, just below the Miami Marlins. The Brewers are battling the Rockies for the 3rd worst spot in MLB. Currently it is the Brew Crew. In what looks to be a pretty even match-up, the Phils send out Adam Morgan, 3-3 with a 4.06 era. Considering the Phillies are 46-69, Morgan has obviously outperformed. Morgan is 2-2 on the road with a 3.91 era. He has improved of late with a 3.71 era and a 2-1 record in his last 3 starts. Morgan has walked 14 and struck out 25 in 44 1/3 innings pitched. Morgan has never faced the Brewers. But Brewer pitcher Wily Peralta has and the results are not encouraging. In 3 starts against the Phillies in 2013 and 2014, Peralta is 1-2 with an 8.82 era. Milwaukee opened as a -160 favorite with the total at 8.5.
Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Dodgers
John Lamb takes the mound for the Reds against the 1st place Dodgers. Lamb is just the latest in a long line of rookies that the Reds are using at this time. The Reds are using a rotation of 5 rookies. So what do we know about Lamb? Lambert is a 6’4” tall lefty who weighs in at a slim 205. Lamb is a southpaw and he was drafted in the 5th round by the KC Royals out of high school. Lamb is 25 years old. He has spent 7 years in the minor leagues going from rookie ball to Triple-A with all the steps in between. Career wise he is 39-38 with a 3.67 era. He has spent most of the past 3 seasons in Triple-A with Omaha and Louisville. In Triple –A his record is 10-14 with a 3.59 era. His so/walk ration is about 3:1. His era for 2015 in Triple-A has been under 3.00 all season. The Dodgers opened as -172 favorites with a total of 7. At this time it is possible that Lamb will be replaced by DeSclafani. If so, file away these notes on Lamb because he will get a start soon if not today.
MLB: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Pittsburgh at New York
Pittsburgh will start J.A. Happ when they visit Mets Friday, which does not spell good things for Pirates. The lefty did not get off to a good start with the Pirates taking a loss and has now posted a 1-11 team start record the past twelve on the hill. Going back to days with Toronto Happ sports a dreadful 5-14 TSR on the road.
New York at Toronto
The eyes of baseball fans as well as those with a penchant for sports gaming will be on the Toronto-New York series at the Rogers Center. Blue Jays on a roll winning 11 straight and 17-of-22 since the mid-summer classic open the crucial series handing the ball to David Price. The lefthander has allowed just one run on six hits, five walks over 15 innings since joining the Blue Jays which includes a sparklig 7 innings of shutout ball in Toronto's 6-0 victory in the Bronx last weekend. Price has a 1-1 Team Start Record vs Yankees this season and heads to the hill with a 6-3 TSR the past nine vs Bronx Bombers.
Price is expected to match pitches with Ivan Nova who took the loss last weekend hooked up against the Jays' lefty. Despite the loss, Yankees remain a solid 6-4 in Nova's ten career starts vs Toronto. However they're just 1-3 with the hurler when meeting north of the border.
That, along with the fact Toronto is on an amazing roll, have a 7-2 stretch vs Yankees this year, 13-5 opening a series before the home audience oddsmakers have opened Jays a whopping -$2.20 favorite. Although, the numbers add up well enough to conclude Jays are a solid choice, the best strategy is to take them on the run line (-1.5, -$1.10) instead of the money line.
Friday's Tip Sheet
By Matt Zylbert
VegasInsider.com
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Another nationally televised game, another affair involving the New York Yankees; MLB Network is going with this clash its Friday Night showcase game tonight, and in this instance, it’s a game that certainly deserves top-billing with the Blue Jays seeking to continue their monumental 11-game winning streak that has vaulted them into first-place in the AL East.
Toronto couldn’t have a better starter on the mound to kick off this series, as they will be going with one of their prized trade deadline acquisitions, David Price (11-4, 2.35 ERA). The former AL Cy Young award winner has made two starts now as a member of the Blue Jays, and basically has been flawless. He’s surrendered a combined on run over his couple of outings, spanning 15 innings, while racking up 18 strikeouts compared to just five walks, and most important of all, he was victorious both times. One of those assignments under his belt includes an excellent seven-shutout-inning performance over these same Yankees, which came only six days ago at Yankee Stadium.
Ivan Nova (4-4, 3.52 ERA) was the opposing hurler that day and will be looking for a different result in this rematch. He’s been fairly solid since making his return from Tommy John surgery in the latter portion of June, having made eight starts, five of which he allowed two runs or less, and none have seen him yield more than four. With the Blue Jays being so hot, the linesmakers have set them as a whopping -250 favorite.
Tampa Bay Rays at Texas Rangers
The AL Wild Card race this year really is as interesting as it’s ever been, with the majority of the league still realistically in contention for both spots. That includes these two teams slated to begin a series in Arlington tonight, as the Rays and Rangers sit 2 and 3.5 games back of the second Wild Card berth, respectively. Tampa Bay has been the hotter team as of late, carrying a four-game win streak into this three-game set, and will lean on impressive rookie Nathan Karns (7-5, 3.52 ERA) to keep it going.
While Karns is coming off a couple of so-so outings, the fact remains that he’s been incredibly consistent this season, having registered an outstanding 16 starts in which he’s given up two runs or less. That actually ranks him amongst the league-leaders, putting him in the same class as David Price and Felix Hernandez, making him an intriguing +105 road ’dog.
For the Rangers, it’s youngster Martin Perez (1-2, 5.81 ERA) scheduled to take the mound, as he continues his progress after returning from Tommy John surgery less than a month ago. While his numbers overall aren’t exactly desirable, Perez has actually pitched much better than that, as his current ERA is mostly the product of a one-inning, eight-run performance at the hands of the Yankees a few weeks ago -- the game where Texas took an absolute 21-5 shellacking in the Bronx. If you take that start out of the equation, Perez has been solid in his four other outings, allowing no more than three runs in any of them, while three of those assignments clocked in as official quality starts. He’s been especially good in the last two, surrendering just three runs over 14 1/3 combined innings of work, while accumulating a cool 11/1 K/BB ratio. The over/under is 9.
Cleveland Indians at Minnesota Twins
The last time Corey Kluber (7-12, 3.46 ERA) toed the rubber, it was against these same Minnesota Twins last Sunday, and the result was arguably the best performance of the year for the reigning AL Cy Young award winner. Kluber was absolutely magnificent, spinning a complete game three-hitter, while yielding one run, one walk, and striking out ten. Now, his task will be containing the Twins on their turf at Target Field, which he did earlier in the year when he held them to two runs on three hits over eight sparkling innings. The linesmakers are obviously aware of this and have him set as a pretty chalky -150 road favorite.
Part of the reasoning for those heavy odds also has to do with Kluber’s counterpart tonight, Trevor May (8-7, 4.09 ERA), who is making just his first start since July 1. That was when May was banished to the Minnesota bullpen, but now with Phil Hughes landing on the disabled list, the 25-year-old right-hander will get another crack at starting.
And he probably deserves the opportunity, as May has flashed some potential at times throughout his first full season in the big leagues, like from mid-May to mid-June, when the Twins youngster registered five quality starts in seven tries. Furthermore, he owns a respectable 85/20 K/BB ratio in 94 2/3 total innings. The over/under for this matchup opened up at 7, but has since gone up to 7.5 in some shops.
Washington Nationals at San Francisco Giants
It’s been a real rough time as of late for the once-mighty Nationals, who were heavy favorites to win the NL East coming into the season. They backed that up by leading the division for the majority of the year, but are really scuffling right now, having lost 10 of 14, enabling the Mets to gain 7.5 games on them in the standings since July 30, and thus take over first-place. Fortunately for the Nats, they have their ace Max Scherzer (11-8, 2.44 ERA) on the hill tonight to try and turn things back in the other direction, although surprisingly, the former AL Cy Young winner actually has been quite human since the All-Star break. In fact, in his five outings following the Midsummer Classic, Scherzer has put together a very average 3.90 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. If there’s one trend that can get him back on track, though, it’s his road dominance. In 12 starts away from home this season, Scherzer is 7-3 with an exceptional 1.87 ERA and 0.82 WHIP to show for his efforts. In addition, offenses are hitting a miniscule .187 off the right-hander in those assignments. The linesmakers have him as a -155 road favorite as a result.
While Scherzer has been incredibly stingy on the road, he’ll be squaring off with a pitcher who’s been at his best in his home starts this season, that being Matt Cain (2-3, 5.59 ERA), albeit in a much smaller sample size. Cain only made his season debut on July 2 after a lengthy stint on the disabled list, and has made six starts since then. His numbers on the year don’t look pretty, but when it comes to making an assignment at AT&T Park, it’s almost like it’s the Matt Cain of old. He’s 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and .227 BAA in those outings, which looks much more pleasant than the 6.84 ERA, 1.88 WHIP, and .343 BAA he’s posted on the road. In any event, the over/under for this is ranging from 6.5 to 7, but don’t expect it to remain as high 7 much longer.
Yankees, Jays square off
By Sportsbook.ag
NEW YORK YANKEES (62-51) at TORONTO BLUE JAYS (64-52)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Toronto -225, New York +205, Total: 8.5
The New York Yankees look to retake the AL East lead with a win over David Price and the Toronto Blue Jays this Friday night.
The Yankees were scorching hot for most of this season, building a nice lead in the AL East during the middle parts of the summer, but have seen that lead evaporate and go away in just a few weeks since the All-Star break. They now sit half of a game behind their opponent in this one thanks to losses in five of their last six contests.
The biggest blow came in a sweep at the hands of Toronto in which they were outscored 10-1 and they followed that with a series loss in Cleveland; nearly taking another sweep besides Thursday’s 8-6 victory in which they were 4-for-15 with RISP. One bat that has really cooled off is that of 3B Alex Rodriguez (.268) who is 6-for-38 (.158) with no homers and 10 strikeouts in his last 10 outings.
On the other side of the diamond, the Blue Jays made plenty of big trade deadline moves and are 14-1 in their last 15; including coming away with a victory in each of their last 11. During the current winning streak they have outscored opponents 59-22 and held them to two or fewer runs eight times.
After sweeping New York, they hosted the Athletics and took all three games, capping it off with a 4-2 win on Thursday as starter Mark Buehrle (7 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 2 K) earned his 13th win of the year and 212th in his career. With all of the big offense in this lineup, it has been OF Chris Colabello (.324) hitting in the cleanup spot recently and he is 12-for-29 (.414) with two homers and seven RBIs in his last 10 games.
Taking the mound for the Yanks will be RHP Ivan Nova (4-4, 3.52 ERA) as he takes on the tough task of outpitching LHP David Price (11-4, 2.35 ERA) of Toronto.
New York is just under .500 (29-30) when away from home in 2015 as the Blue Jays are an impressive 38-21 (.644) when play at Rogers Centre. These clubs have seen each other plenty since the start of the 2013 season and it is the Yankees who hold a 27-20 edge overall while Toronto is 12-9 during that period at home.
This year has been a different story, though, and the Blue Jays have taken 7-of-9 meetings; outscoring their opponent 36-17.
Trends show that New York is 38-25 (.603) in road games after having lost four or five of their last six games in the past three years as Price’s clubs are a perfect 12-0 this year when going against divisional opponents during his outings.
The injury report will have the Yankees missing some depth in OF Mason Williams (Shoulder) and 2B Dustin Ackley (Back) while 3B Edwin Encarnacion (Finger) is questionable for the Jays who also have 2B Devon Travis (Shoulder) out.
Nova made the tough trek back from elbow surgery and will be an important piece for the Yankees if they hope on getting back to the postseason. He is not striking out (6.1 K.9) the number of batters he was before the injury, and has seen his control take a hit (3.1 BB/9), but has been able to keep the ball on the ground 52.9% of the time. Unfortunately, many of the times that the ball isn’t on the ground, it is leaving the park, which has happened 0.98 times per nine innings.
Nova’s ERA still remains low thanks to batters hitting a poor .266 BABIP and he is in line for some regression as his FIP (fielder independent pitching) sits at 4.34. He has failed to go longer than 6.2 innings in any of his starts thus far, and when he saw Toronto in his last outing went 5.1 frames with four runs allowed on four hits as he struck out six in a loss.
Overall in his career against them he is 4-2 (6-4 team record) with a 4.83 ERA (1.41 WHIP) and he has given up four earned runs in four of his last five times against them. Both 3B Edwin Encarnacion (8-for-24, 1 HR, 6 RBI) and OF Jose Bautista (5-for-15, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 6 BB) have done well in their time against Nova, but the duo of SS Troy Tulowitzki and OF Kevin Pillar are a combined 0-for-11 with two strikeouts.
The Yankees bullpen has been impressive, going 19-12 with a 3.23 ERA (1.16 WHIP) and is 35-for-44 (80%) in its save opportunities. Andrew Miller (2.03 ERA, 25 saves) has just one blown save on the year and sports a strikeout rate of 13.3 K/9 while allowing just 21 hits in 40 innings of work.
Price was a huge acquisition by the Jays at the deadline as the “ace” returns to the AL East after spending parts of two seasons with the Detroit Tigers. He is in the midst of a career year as his ERA (2.35) is lower than any other season in which he had at least 20 games started. His strikeouts (8.7 K/9) are not at the usual rate, but his control (1.9 BB/9) remains elite as he is leaving 79.9% of runners on base.
He has been nearly unhittable since joining his new club, winning each of his two starts while totaling 15 innings and giving up one run on six hits with 18 strikeouts (5 walks). In his career against the Yanks, Price is 11-7 (17-10 team record) with a 4.31 ERA (1.35 WHIP) and shut them out (7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 7 K) when they met last week. The trio of C Brian McCann, OF Jacoby Ellsbury and 3B Chase Headley are a collective 31-for-82 (.378) with four homers and 13 RBIs in this matchup. On the other hand, 2B Stephen Drew (0-for-10, 5 K) and OF Chris Young (1-for-11, 3 K) have really struggled against the lefty.
The Blue Jays ‘pen has gone 14-20 with a 3.18 ERA (1.07 WHIP) and has been successful in 24-of-41 (59%) games. Roberto Osuna (2.05 ERA, 12 saves) is 12-for-13 (92%) in his save chances and has 56 strikeouts with a mere 35 hits allowed in 52.2 frames.