Thursday's MLB National League Betting Cheat Sheet
Covers.com
Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs (+125, 8)
Hot pitching stat: Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu is coming off a great outing versus Cincinnati. The lefty scattered two hits over seven innings of work en route to the 4-1 victory.
Hot batting stat: Dodgers SS Hanley Ramirez is 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles in his career versus Cubs starter Travis Wood.
Weather: There is a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms in the forecast for gametime. Temperatures will be in the high-70s and wind will blow out to center field at 12 mph.
Key betting note: The Cubs are 2-8 in Wood's last 10 starts.
Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies (+139, 8.5)
Cold pitching stat: Braves starter Kris Medlen was roughed up in his last outing against the Phils on July 7. He gave up seven runs (six earned) on eight hits as Philadelphia won 7-3.
Hot batting stat: Phillies C Carlos Ruiz is 6-for-9 (.667) with three RBIs in his career versus Medlen.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-80s with partly cloudy skies and a 10 percent chance of rain. Wind will blow out to right field at 8 mph.
Key betting note: The Braves are 18-4 in Medlen's last 22 starts versus the National League East.
Colorado Rockies at Pittsburgh Pirates (-147, 7.5)
Cold pitching stat: Pirates starter Gerrit Cole is 1-4 in his last five starts.
Hot batting stat: Pirates 1B Garrett Jones is 5-for-9 (.556) in his career versus Rockies starter Jhoulys Chacin. Two of those hits are home runs.
Weather: There is currently a 20 percent chance of rain in the forecast. Temperatures will be in the mid-70s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow out to left field at 7 mph.
Key betting note: The Rockies are 7-2 in Chacin's last nine starts.
St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds (-112, 8)
Cold pitching stat: The Reds are 0-3 in SP Bronson Arroyo's starts versus St. Louis this season.
Hot batting stat: Cards CF Jon Jay is 13-for-32 (.406) with two doubles, one triple and one homer in his career versus Arroyo.
Weather: There is a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms in the forecast for gametime. Temperatures will be in the high-70s with wind blowing from right field to left field at 7 mph.
Key betting note: The under is 5-1 in Cards starter Shelby Miller's last six starts versus the National League Central.
Washington Nationals at Milwaukee Brewers (+121, 8)
Cold pitching stat: Nats starter Jordan Zimmermann gave up a pair of homers, six hits and five earned runs in an 11-0 loss to the New York Mets in his last outing. He has taken the loss in his last three starts.
Hot batting stat: Nats 3B Ryan Zimmerman is 3-for-6 lifetime versus Brewers starter Tom Gorzelanny.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow out to center field at 7 mph.
Key betting note: The over is 12-3-1 in the last 16 meetings in Milwaukee.
Interleague
Cleveland Indians at Miami Marlins (-118, 7)
Hot pitching stat: Marlins' rookie phenom Jose Fernandez went 3-1 with a 2.06 ERA in his five July starts.
Hot batting stat: Indians C Carlos Santana went 3-for-4 in Thursday's 6-1 victory over the White Sox. He went 6-for-16 in the four-game series.
Weather: Due to a 40 percent of thundestorms by gametime, the roof could be closed in Miami.
Key betting note: The Indians have won eight games in a row heading into Friday's matchup.
Kansas City Royals at New York Mets (-112, 8)
Hot pitching stat: After posting four-straight losses, Royals starter Wade Davis had one of his finest outings of the season in his last trip to the mound. He gave up just four hits through 7 1/3 innings in a 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Hot batting stat: Royals LF Alex Gordon went 6-for-14 in the Royals' three-game series versus the Minnesota Twins. Two of those hits went for triples.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out to right field at 12 mph.
Key betting note: The Royals are currently riding a nine-game winning streak after a 7-2 victory over the Twins Thursday.
New York Yankees at San Diego Padres (-102, 7)
Cold pitching stat: Yanks lefty C.C. Sabathia is 0-3 in his last four outings. His previous start, he gave up seven earned runs on nine hits and lasted just five innings in a 10-6 loss to Tampa Bay.
Cold batting stat: Padres slugger Carlos Quentin is 4-for-22 (.182) with one homer and two RBIs lifetime versus Sabathia.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-60s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow from left field to right field at 2 mph.
Key betting note: The Yankees are 13-3 in Sabathia's last 16 interleague starts.
Click here for our American League cheat sheet.
Thursday's MLB American League Betting Cheat Sheet
Covers.com
Seattle Mariners at Baltimore Orioles (-165, 9)
Hot pitching stat: Mariners starter Aaron Harang is 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA in his last two starts.
Cold batting stat: O's LF Nate McLouth is 3-for-30 in his career versus Harang. McLouth has fanned 11 times in those 30 at-bats.
Weather: Temperatures in the mid-80s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow out to right field at 9 mph. There will be a slight, 10 percent chance of rain.
Key betting note: The Mariners are 2-9 in the last 11 meetings.
Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers (-225, 8)
Hot pitching stat: Detroit starter Doug Fister is 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA in his last three starts.
Cold batting stat: Detroit OF Austin Jackson is 1-for-8 with four strikeouts in his career versus Sox starter Hector Santiago.
Weather: There is a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms in the forecast for gametime. Temperatures will be in the low-70s and wind will blow from right field to left field at 10 mph.
Key betting note: The under is 9-3 in Fister's last 12 starts overall.
Houston Astros at Minnesota Twins (OFF, OFF)
Hot pitching stat: Astros starter Jarred Cosart has been very good through his first three career starts. The youngster has given up just two earned runs over his first 21 innings of work (0.86 ERA). He is 1-0 in those starts.
Hot batting stat: Twins star Joe Mauer hit .360 and had on on-base percentage of .437 in the month of July.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow out to right field at 5 mph.
Key betting note: The Twins are 8-3 in starter Samuel Deduno's last 11 home starts.
Toronto Blue Jays at Los Angeles Angels (-115, 8.5)
Cold pitching stat: Angels starter Tommy Hanson was shelled in his last outing. The righty gave up five earned runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings of work in a 10-6 loss to the Oakland A's.
Hot batting stat: Jays SS Jose Reyes is 8-for-21 (.381) with five doubles and three RBIs in his career versus Hanson.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s with mostly sunny skies. Wind will blow out to right field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: The over is 9-1-1 in Hanson's last 11 starts overall.
Texas Rangers at Oakland A's (-135, 7.5)
Cold pitching stat: A's hurler Tommy Milone surrendered eight hits and six earned runs while striking out one in a 9-4 loss to Texas on June 19.
Hot batting stat: Rangers 3B Adrian Beltre is 5-for-12 (.417) with two homers in his career versus Milone.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-60s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out to right field at 10 mph.
Key betting note: The under is 10-1-2 in Rangers SP Alexi Ogando's last 13 starts overall.
Interleague
Arizona Diamondbacks at Boston Red Sox (-172, 9)
Hot pitching stat: Sox lefty Jon Lester was in fine form in his last start. Lester lasted seven shutout innings and gave up just four hits in a 5-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles on July 28.
Cold batting stat: Longtime Blue Jay and current DBacks 2B Aaron Hill has two hits in 32 career at-bats (.063) against Lester. Lester has fanned Hill nine times in those ABs.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow out to right field at 10 mph.
Key betting note: The Red Sox are 8-0 in Lester's last eight home starts.
San Francisco Giants at Tampa Bay Rays (-131, 7)
Hot pitching stat: It's hard to not mention Rays starter Chris Archer when discussing hot pitchers. The 24-year-old had a 4-0 record and 0.73 ERA in his five July starts.
Cold batting stat: Giants 3B Pablo Sandoval finished July with just one homer in 92 at-bats.
Weather: Dome.
Key betting note: The under is 4-0 in Giants' SP Madison Bumgarner's last four road starts.
Friday's Interleague Action
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Indians at Marlins
Probables: U. Jimenez (8-5, 4.17 ERA) vs. J. Fernandez (7-5, 2.71 ERA)
Previous series recap: Cleveland remains on fire after completing its second straight home sweep by beating Chicago four straight times. The Indians beat the White Sox twice on walk-off homers and twice in blowout fashion, while starting Friday's action two games back of the Tigers in the AL Central. The Marlins salvaged a home split with the Mets with victories in the final two contests of the four-game set.
Current streaks: The Indians are riding a seven-game winning streak, but own a 3-6 record the last nine road series openers. Miami has cashed the 'under' in 14 of the last 16 games overall, including seven of the past nine at Marlins Park. The Marlins have hit the 'under' in seven straight starts made by Fernandez, while the Fish have won six consecutive home outings by the righty.
Diamondbacks at Red Sox
Probables: R. Delgado (3-3, 2.85 ERA) vs. J. Lester (10-6, 4.27 ERA)
Previous series recap: Boston pulled off a three-game sweep of Seattle, including an incredible rally on Thursday. The Sox overcome a 7-2 deficit heading into the ninth inning, while posting consecutive walk-off victories over the Mariners. Arizona split a mini two-game set at Tampa Bay as the D-Backs blanked the Rays on Wednesday, 7-0. The D-Backs were blown out at Texas last night in a make-up contest, 7-1, the fourth straight 'under' for Arizona.
Current streaks: Arizona has split each of its last eight road contests, while posting a 2-5 record the previous seven interleague games. The Red Sox have won all eight starts made by Lester at Fenway Park, but Boston is 1-3 in his last four home outings against NL opponents since 2011.
Giants at Rays
Probables: M. Bumgarner (10-6, 2.76 ERA) vs. C. Archer (6-3, 2.39 ERA)
Previous series recap: After getting drilled in the series opener at Philadelphia, the Giants came back to win the final two games, including scoring two runs in the ninth inning in last night's 2-1 victory. The Rays lost for only the second time at Tropicana Field since the start of July in Wednesday's 7-0 defeat to Arizona. Tampa Bay split the two-game set, as the Rays face the Giants for the first time since 2002.
Current streaks: The Rays have won 10 of their past 12 games at home, but all 12 contests came against teams sitting below .500. Tampa Bay is riding a 15-3 'under' stretch the past 18 games, including eight straight at Tropicana Field. The Giants are only 3-8 the last 11 overall, while hitting the 'under' in each of Bumgarner's last eight starts.
Royals at Mets
Probables: W. Davis (5-9, 5.50 ERA) vs. D. Gee (7-8, 4.13 ERA)
Previous series recap: Kansas City remains on fire after winning its ninth straight game on Thursday by sweeping Minnesota at Target Field. The Royals are riding a season-high six-game road winning streak, while allowing two runs or less seven times in the past nine contests. The Mets split a four-game set at Miami, but lost the final two contests after winning the first two in the underdog role.
Current streaks: The Royals have won nine in a row in the favorite role, including five straight as road 'chalk.' The Mets have put together a 6-1 record the last seven games at Citi Field off a loss, while winning eight of 10 matchups against American League foes this season.
Yankees at Padres
Probables: C.C. Sabathia (9-9, 4.65 ERA) vs. A. Cashner (7-5, 3.88 ERA)
Previous series recap: The Yankees blanked the Dodgers on Wednesday to salvage a split of a two-game set in Los Angeles, as New York has gone the 3-3 the past six road contests. The Padres grabbed two of three from the Reds at home, as San Diego has won seven of their past 10 games overall.
Current streaks: New York has lost four straight starts made by Sabathia, while the Yankees are 0-5 their past five games off a victory. The Padres are just 6-9 against American League squads, but seven of those losses have come away from Petco Park. Cashner has lost three of his last four home outings, but the Padres own a 6-3 record in his past nine starts in the underdog role.
MLB: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
San Francisco Giants at Tampa Bay Rays
Cruising through our trusted baseball betting database gives a strong hint that runs will be at a premium in this interleague clash between Tampa Bay and San Francisco. Tampa Bay will have Chris Archer start, bringing a 6-3 record with a 2.39 ERA. The right-hander is 5-0 with a 7-0 team start record in his last seven including two complete game shutouts his last three for a miniscule 0.36 ERA. Giants will send out southpaw Madison Bumgarner taking a 10-6, 2.76 ERA to the mound. The left-hander 1-1 last three w/1.23 ERA has tossed 15 innings of one-run ball the past two with nothing to show for it due to lack of run support. Given Archer has posted a 1-10 O/U on the campaign, Bumgarner a 5-16 O/U overall with 8 straight 'Under' of late expect 'Under' bettors to be a happy bunch when all-said-done.
Cardinals at Reds: Preview & Pick
Bovada.lv
An important National League Central matchup is focus of this baseball betting play, as the Cincinnati Reds return home following a lengthy road trip to host the St. Louis Cardinals in the Queen City.
The Reds are currently listed as -120 home favorites, according to the current betting odds at Bovada, with a run total of 8. The team is currently situated in third place, 5.5 games behind the division-leading Pirates and four games behind the Cards.
Cincinnati will have Bronson Arroyo starting this opening clash, with the righthander sporting a 9-8 record and 3.26 ERA. Those numbers may seem average, but his 6-2 record at Great American Ballpark this year show his effectiveness at home.
The Cardinals will send fellow righty Shelby Miller to the bump, who has a 10-7 season mark and 2.79 ERA. Miller has struggled away from Busch Stadium, with a 4-5 record and ERA of 3.98, more than double his numbers at home.
Arroyo’s success at home is no recent phenomenon: the Reds are 18-8 since the start of last season when he starts at home. This year, the Reds are 5-1 when he opens up a home series, and are also 5-1 when the team lost in Arroyo’s previous start.
That latter baseball betting fact is not exclusive to Arroyo: the Reds are 15-6 at home this season when it lost any Cincinnati starter’s previous effort. The team is also 20-10 in home night games in 2013, and 25-13 since last September.
In addition, opening up a series with any Reds pitcher has pretty much been a success this year, with wins in 12 of 16 contests.
The Cardinals come out of Pittsburgh having salvaged the last of a five-game series, tumbling out of first place in the process. In its last 10 road games coming off a win, Mike Matheny’s team has won just once, while in its last seven as a road dog, it has also won just once.
Those recent struggles can also be seen in the start of an away series: each of the last five kickoffs to a road series have ended in the same fashion: a Cardinal loss.
In short, you have a Cincinnati team that needs to get back in the divisional race, and is facing a St. Louis team that hasn’t been clicking on all cylinders for a while. Throw in a reasonable price as a home favorite, and today’s free MLB Pick is
Play Cincinnati -120