Baseball Information
National League
Braves @ Cubs
Braves scored total of 15 runs in losing 10 of last 11 Miller starts; he is 0-1, 2.37 in his last three starts- -seven of his last eight stayed under
Hendricks is 2-1, 6.07 in his last five starts (over 4-1).
Braves lost eight of last ten games overall. Cubs lost three of their last four games-- five of their last seven games went over. Atlanta lost last three games with the Cubs, with last four going under- they scored two runs total in last three series games.
Giants @ Pirates
Bumgarner is 3-0, 0.71 in his last three starts; under is 4-0-2 in his last six.
Locke is 0-1, 5.06 in his last three starts; over is 3-0-2 in his last five..
Pittsburgh won eight of last ten games with the Giants; over is 3-1-2 in last six series games. Pirates won 11 of last 13 games (over 8-4-2). SF lost three of last four games; under is 8-2-1 in its last eleven.
Brewers @ Nationals
Nelson is 2-0, 1.83 in his last five starts (under 3-1-1).
Gonzalez is 3-1, 4.02 in his last six starts (over 5-1).
Milwaukee lost four of last six games with Washington (over 5-1); Brewers won four of last six games overall; over is 2-0-1 in last three. Nationals lost seven of last nine games (under 6-3).
Diamondbacks @ Reds
de la Rosa is 4-0, 2.54 in his last six starts; three of his last four went over.
Holmberg is 0-2, 7.24 in his last three starts (under 4-3).
Arizona won four of last five games with Cincinnati; eight of last nine games in series stayed under the total. D'backs lost five of last eight games; four of last five stayed under. Reds lost nine of last eleven games; their last four all stayed under the total.
Phillies @ Marlins
Eickhoff is making MLB debut; he was acquired in Hamels trade, is 11-5, 4.01 in 20 AAA starts this year..
Flores is making first MLB start; he is 3-2, 2.61 in ten AAA starts this year, has allowed three runs in 7.2 IP in six big league relief stints.
Philly won three of last five games with Miami (over 4-1); Phils lost seven of last nine games (over 7-3 in last ten). Marlins scored 37 runs in winning four of last five games; over is 7-1-1 in their last nine.
Mets @ Rockies
Colon is 1-1, 2.49 in his last four starts; three of last four went over.
Gray is 0-0, 3.00 in his three starts (over 2-1).
Mets won their last eight games with Colorado; home side won nine of last 10 in series; seven of last eight stayed under- they lost four of last five games overall; their last four games went over. Rockies lost eight of last ten games; three of their last four games stayed under the total.
Cardinals @ Padres
Lackey is 3-2, 2.55 in his last six starts; over is 4-2-1 in his last seven.
Cashner is 0-2, 6.35 in his last four starts (over 3-1).
St Louis won six of last nine games with San Diego; last three series games stayed under total. Cardinals won six of last nine games (under 2-0-1 in last three). Padres won seven of last nine games; six of last eight went over.
American League
Indians @ Bronx
Carrasco is 1-1, 1.36 in his last four starts (under 3-1).
Tanaka is 2-1, 2.57 in his last three starts (under 5-2 in last seven).
Bronx lost five of last six games with Cleveland (over 6-4 in last ten), but they won six of last eight games overall; six of their last nine stayed under total. Indians lost four of last six games (three of last four went over).
Rangers @ Tigers
Lewis is 5-1, 3.95 in his last six starts (over 6-3 in last nine).
Verlander is 1-2, 2.25 in his last five starts (under 4-1).
Texas lost its last four games with Detroit; six of last eight series games got over the total. Rangers won six of last eight games overall; under is 5-1-1 in their last seven. Tigers won four of last five games, scoring 29 runs the last three nights- three of their last four games went over.
Twins @ Orioles
Milone is 1-2, 7.32 in his last four starts; under is 5-3-2 in his last ten.
Chen is 2-0, 2.03 in his last two starts; three of his last four went over.
Minnesota won its last five games with Baltimore; over is 4-1-1 in last six in series. Twins lost five of last eight games; four of last seven stayed under. Orioles won five of last seven games; four of their last five went over the total.
Royals @ Red Sox
Cueto is 2-0, 0.53 in two starts for KC; four of his last six road starts stayed under the total.
Owens is 1-1, 6.19 in his three stats; all three went over.
Royals lost nine of last 11 games with Boston; five of last six series games went over the total. KC won five of its last six games, allowing 16 runs (under 5-1). Red Sox won five of last seven games; 10 of their last 11 games went over.
Rays @ A's
Smyly is 0-2, 4.35 in his last four starts; nine of his last ten stayed under.
Bassitt is 1-0, 1.66 in his last three starts; four of his last five stayed under.
Tampa Bay lost five of last seven games; under is 4-1 in last five games; Rays are 4-6 in last ten games with Oakland (under 6-2-2). A's won their last five home games.
Blue Jays @ Angels
Price is 2-0, 1.61 in three Toronto starts; six of his last seven stayed under.
Santiago is 0-2, 5.40 in his last five starts; his last three stayed under.
Blue Jays are 13-3 in their last 16 games; seven of last ten stayed under total. Angels are 6-4 in last ten games with Toronto. Halos won three of last four games overall; under is 6-4 in their last ten games.
White Sox @ Mariners
Sale is 2-0, 1.26 in his last two starts; four of his last five went over.
Hernandez is 2-2, 9.13 in his last four starts; four of his last five went over. He has allowed 41 hits in his last 22.2 IP.
White Sox lost five of last six games; over is 2-3 in its last five games. ChiSox lost three of last four games with Seattle; five of last six series games went under the total. Mariners lost four of last six games (under 2-0-1 in last three).
Interleague
Dodgers @ Astros
Anderson is 3-0, 2.38 in his last four road starts (under 2-1-1).
Fiers is 0-0, 2.25 in two Houston starts; five of his last seven starts went over.
Dodgers won eight of last ten games with Houston (under 6-3-1). LA lost eight of its last ten road games- four of its last six games overall went over. Astros won five of last eight games; their last three games stayed under total.
Win-loss records this year for team with this starting pitcher:
SF-Pitt-- Bumgarner 15-9; Locke 13-10 (4-1 last 5)
Az-Cin-- de la Rosa 14-10 (5-1 last 6); Holmberg 1-3
Mil-Wsh-- Nelson 12-12 (5-1 last 6); Gonzalez 13-9
Phil-Mia-- Eickhoff 0-0; Flores 0-0
Atl-Chi-- Miller 10-14 (1-10 last 11); Hendricks 14-10 (4-0 last 4)
NY-Col-- Colon 10-13 (1-9 last 10); Gray 0-3
StL-SD-- Lackey 13-11; Cashner 9-14
Clev-NY-- Carrasco 14-10; Tanaka 12-5
Tex-Det-- Lewis 12-12; Verlander 2-9
Min-Balt-- Milone 8-7; Chen 15-8 (5-0 last 5)
KC-Bos-- Cueto 13-10/2-2; Owens 1-2
TB-A's-- Smyly 2-2; Bassitt 3-5
Tor-LAA-- Price 17-8/2-1; Santiago 12-11 (1-4 last 5)
Chi-Sea-- Sale 14-9; Hernandez 16-8
LA-Hst-- Anderson 12-11; Fiers 12-11/1-1
Times this starting pitcher allowed a run in first inning:
SF-Pitt-- Bumgarner 4-24; Locke 5-23
Az-Cin-- de la Rosa 6-24; Holmberg 0-4
Mil-Wsh-- Nelson 8-24; Gonzalez 2-22
Phil-Mia-- Eickhoff 0-0; Flores 0-0
Atl-Chi-- Miller 4-24; Hendricks 4-24
NY-Col-- Colon 7-23; Gray 2-3
StL-SD-- Lackey 5-24; Cashner 10-23 (4 of last 5)
Clev-NY-- Carrasco 11-24; Tanaka 4-17
Tex-Det-- Lewis 5-24; Verlander 3-11
Min-Balt-- Milone 2-15; Chen 6-23
KC-Bos-- Cueto 5-23; Owens 2-3
TB-A's-- Smyly 1-4; Bassitt 1-8
Tor-LAA-- Price 4-24; Santiago 7-23
Chi-Sea-- Sale 8-23; Hernandez 7-24
LA-Hst-- Anderson 9-23; Fiers 2-23
Armadillosports.com
MLB Cheat Sheets: Aug 21-24
By Jesse Schule
Covers.com
Home Sweet Home
The Washington Nationals return home to host the Brewers in a three game series starting Friday, coming off a brutal road trip losing six of nine. Despite the fact that they've lost 12 of 18 games in August, the Nats are still only 3.5 games back of the Mets for first place in the AL East. The Brewers have lost seven of their last eight on the road, and Game 1 appears to be a particularly tough spot for Milwaukee. Gio Gonzalez will go for the Nats, and he's won four straight versus the Brewers, and he's 5-1 with a 2.60 ERA at home in 2015.
Sleeper In The AL East
While the Blue Jays and Yankees are getting all the headlines in the AL East, the Orioles are only five games back. Baltimore has won 10 of it's last 14 home games, and it will host the Minnesota Twins this weekend. The Twins took the opener in a blowout by a score of 15-2, but they had lost nine of their previous 10 on the road, and they are a pathetic 22-37 away from home this season. Baltimore could make up some ground over the weekend.
Here Come The Tigers
On Monday I mentioned that Miguel Cabrera was back for Detroit, and that they would likely be getting great value as an underdog in Chicago. Well they've since won three straight, including back to back games at Wrigley as a 2-1 dog. Cabrera is hitting .400 in six games since coming off the DL, and Detroit is a far better team with the slugger in the lineup. They host the Rangers over the weekend, and we could see fireworks in the Motor City, as six of the last eight in this series have gone over the total. The Tigers don't play many low scoring games, as they've gone over the number at a rate of 36-16-3 in their last 55 overall.
Hitting Notes
Travis Shaw is hardly a household name, but the rookie first baseman is making the most of his opportunities in Boston. He's played 15 games so far in August, batting .420, with six home runs and 11 RBIs.
The Detroit Tigers are batting a major league best .284 versus left-handed pitching, and they will face southpaw Cole Hamels on Sunday. Miguel Cabrera is 6-for-8 lifetime versus Hamels.
Pitching Notes
Gerrit Cole has been stuck on 14 wins since July, and that has allowed Jake Arrieta to take over the major league lead with his 15th win on Thursday night at Wrigley. Cole will get a chance to draw level as he starts at home against the Giants this Saturday. Cole is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA versus the Giants this year, and he's won all three of his career starts against San Francisco.
Luis Severino is still in search of his first win, despite the fact that the Yankees rookie right-hander has pitched quite well in his first three starts. He gave up three runs on five hits, but struck out nine over six innings in a 3-1 loss to Toronto his last time out. His next start comes on Saturday at home versus Cleveland, and he did look good striking out seven in five innings in a loss to the Red Sox in his only prior start in the Bronx.
Totals Steak
The Milwaukee Brewers are trending under on the road, only managing to go over the total once in their last nine away from Miller Park. They are in Washington this weekend, and the Nats have been really struggling to score runs. Washington is batting a major league worst .226 since the All Star break. We could see a low scoring series here in the nation's Capital.
Injury Notes
The injury bug has really hit the St. Louis Cardinals, with Randal Grichuk and Jason Heyward both joining Matt Holliday on the DL this week. That's going to leave the Cardinals with a pretty thin lineup as they visit San Diego over the weekend.
Yasiel Puig suffered a hamstring injury on August 18, and his availability is questionable heading into this weekend's series at Houston.
Steve's Screen Shot
By Steve Merril
Dodgers @ Astros -- Houston’s Michael Fiers will be facing the Dodgers for a second time this season; he faced them while a member of the Brewers. The righty gave up 5 runs and five hits to LA in Milwaukee back on May 5th. Brett Anderson gets the start for the Dodgers. He will face a Houston team that is only hitting .236 versus left-handed starters this season. LA is a concern on the road because of their bullpen which has a 5.23 ERA and 16 losses away from home. But at +105, the value is on the Dodgers in this game.
White Sox @ Mariners -- It’s a battle of aces in Seattle as the Mariners host the White Sox on Friday night. Felix Hernandez must be glad to be home after allowing 14 runs and 23 hits in his last two road outings. King Felix is 9-4 with a 3.00 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 13 home starts this season. The Under is 8-4-1 in those games. Chris Sale has won two straight starts, and he owns a 3.32 ERA in 23 starts overall. Sale will be facing a Seattle offense that has scored just 8 total runs in their last three games. Under 6 -105 in this game for me.
Blue Jays @ Angels -- David Price’s last three starts against the Angels have all been in Los Angeles. The southpaw gave up 4 runs and eight hits to the Angels back on May 31st; that resulted in a 4-2 loss for Toronto. Overall, Price has allowed 16 runs and 30 hits in his last three outings versus the Angels. Mike Trout (3-13) and Albert Pujols (3-15) have struggled with Price. The Angels are only hitting .230 against left-handed starters. Early money has come in on the Blue Jays, pushing the line up from -140 to -155.
Twins @ Orioles -- Baltimore’s Wei-Yin Chen is only 7-6 on the year, but he has a solid 3.20 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. The Under is 15-6-2 in Chen’s 23 starts this season, including 10-4 to the Under in 14 home starts. Chen gave up just 2 runs and four hits in seven innings pitched in Minnesota back on July 6th. There are a couple of sports books that have a 9 posted on the total, and at that number, I lean to the Under in this game.
Phillies @ Marlins -- Jerad Eickhoff will make his first Major League start for Philadelphia after coming over from Texas. The righty went 12-5 with a 3.85 ERA in 22 starts for three minor league teams this season. Eickhoff has 126 strikeouts to just 39 walks in 133.1 innings of work. He’ll be opposed by Kendry Flores who is making his first start of the season for Miami. Flores has come out of the bullpen to make six appearances for the Marlins. He was 6-5 with a 2.34 ERA in 19 starts in the minors this year.
Friday Scouting Edge
By Coach Fletcher
Atlanta Braves at Chicago Cubs
Shelby Miller is obviously a good pitcher. His 2.43 era surely attests to that. But playing for the weak hitting Atlanta Braves, Miller’s record is a salty 5-9. Tomorrow he’ll be facing the Cubs who go with Kyle Hendricks. Hendricks is 6-5 with a 3.97 era. In Miller’s last start he went into the 8th with a no-hitter against the D-backs. And as so often happens, Miller ended up with a no decision while giving up 1 run and fanning 10. In his last 15 starts, Miller is 0-8 with a 3.03 era. That almost defies logic. The Cubs opened up as a -230 favorite. Hendricks, in case you are interested, gave up 5 runs in 3 1/3 innings in his start last Friday.
Cleveland Indians at New York Yankees
Carlos Carrasco hasn’t received many kudos for the good season he’s having. Maybe because he plays for the Cleveland Indians. Carrasco is 11-9 on the year with a 3.63 era. But he’s been especially strong since the All-Star break. Not only has Carrasco had a 2.51 era since the break, opponents are hitting just .163 against him in that span. Only 1 Yankee, Steven Drew, is hitting over .300 against Carrasco lifetime. Carlos Beltran is hitting .200; Jacoby Ellsbury, .091; Brett Gardner, .273 ; Brian McCann, .200 ; Mark Teixeira, 0.91 and Alex Rodriguez is hitting .222. The Yankees opened at -155.
Milwaukee Brewers at Washington Nationals
Maybe today’s theme should be “Underrated Pitchers.” Of course, one thing they have in common is that they all toss for sub-par teams, and that’s being kind. The Brewers are 52-70 on the year. But Nelson has held his own and is 9-9 with a 3.67 era. He’s a respectable 5-6 on the road with a 3.95 era. In his last 3 starts, he’s gone 1-0 with a 2.65 era. Compare that to Gio Gonzalez’s last 3 where he is at 4.59. One sizeable difference between the 2 is that in Nelson’s June 13 start against the Nats, he was torched for 7 runs, 10 hits, and 2 round trippers – all in just 5 innings. Of course, in Gio’s last start against the Brew Crew, he lasted just 3 1/3 innings giving up 3 runs and 4 hits and walking 3. But overall, Gonzalez is 2-0 against the Brewers with a 2.82 era. The Nats opened at -163.
San Francisco Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates
Madison Bumgarner has his work cut out for him today at PNC Park. Not only will he have to deal with a team that has one of the best home records in MLB, he’ll be without the help of Panik, Pence and Pagan in all likelihood. Luckily for the Giants, Bumgarner is the guy who can handle it if anyone can. Bumgarner had a rough July where he went 3-2 with an era of 4.85 But he has apparently solved any issues he may have had and has come back in August to go 3-0 with a miniscule 0.71 era. He may have to improve on his road era, which sits at a lofty 4.16, but Madison is 7-4 on the road. He’s also boosted his strike out totals significantly fanning 9, 12, and 14 respectively in his last 3 starts. He’ll face Jeff Locke who is 6-7 with a 4.31 era. At PNC Park he is 3-3 with a 3.13 era in 13 home starts. The oddsmakers are going with Bumgarner making him the -139 opening favorite.
Texas Rangers at Detroit Tigers
Don’t let that 1-5 record and 4.11 era fool you. I’m not here to say that Justin Verlander is back to his old form. That’s not likely to ever happen . But in his last 36 innings over 5 starts, Verlander has recorded a very Verlander-like 1.75 era. In fact, in his last 7 starts Justin is 1-3 with a 2.85 era. In his last 2 starts he’s gone 13 innings against the Red Sox and Astros and given up 0 runs, 7 hits and struck out 14. These recent numbers exceed Verlander’s career totals where he is 153-94 with a 3.55 era. Detroit opened as a -125 favorite.
Philadelphia Phillies at Miami Marlins
Jerad Eickhoff goes for the Phillies in his 1st major league start. The 25 year old Eickhoff is a big boy at 6’4” and 240 lbs. In 5 minor league seasons, Eickhoff has gone 44-27 with a 4.14 era. At Triple-A this year he went 9-4 at round Rock with a 4,25 era and 2-1 at Lehigh Valley with a 2.49 era. The Marlins will send out newbie Kendry Flores. Flores is 6’2” tall and weighs 175. The 22 year old from the Dominican Republic was up for a second last season and made 6 relief appearances. He went 1-1 with a 2.35 era in that span. Flores spent 2015 at Double-A and Triple –A before his call up and was effective. He went 3-3 in Double-A with a 2.06 era as a starter and 3-2 with a 2.61 era as a starter in Triple-A. The oddsmakers seem to be on top of this one making Flores and the Fish -135 at opening.
Dave's Friday MLB
By Dave Essler
Pirates-Giants: The Giants bats (headed to Thursday night) have gone cold, and now no Hunter Pence. Pirates are 41-19 at home and BOTH teams fare well against LHP's. Bumgarner's stock might never have been higher this year after two GCSO's - but that's four straight big pitch-count games and the last time he did that this season he was crushed at Washington. My biggest concern with Locke is that in five straight games he hasn't made it through the 6th inning. Aoki back for SF - the Giants have only seen Locke once, early last season, and hit him pretty hard. Tough not to take the Pirates as a home underdog.
Washington-Milwaukee: For as much as the Brewers have been a disappointment to themselves and my bankroll this season, this could be a tough spot for the Nationals. Flying back late from Colorado and losing two hours while the Brewers probably took in the Lincoln Memorial. Nelson is very tough on right handed hitters and not-so-much against LHH's - Washington's lineup is predominately right handed - save Harper. (there's you DFS guy) For all of Gio's issues the one thing he does do is keep the ball in the park - only five bombs allowed all season, and rested from the very short outing last week. Since the Brewers seem to have trouble stringing hits together, if the Scherzer keeps Washington's pen rested then this game should stay under, but being the first game back from a long West Coast trip, I reluctantly have to like Milwaukee.
Dodgers-Astros: Los Angeles is coming in rested and obviously get a DH playing in an AL park. Anderson is a ground ball pitcher extraordinaire who comes in off (for him) a high pitch count game and the Astros won't be rested, facing Archer Thursday. The downside for making an Astros case might be that LA has seen Fiers with the Brewers, but not nearly as much as I'd expected. The downside for making a case for the Dodgers is that they're bullpen is horrible - hence simply not something I can back on the road. All things being equal - having the "Dodgers" come to Houston might be the factor that gets the 'Stros even more motivated - so Houston it is, barring a Thursday night "something" that changes things.
Other games:
If we are going to back Arizona it's typically against a LHP. De La Rosa's been much better keeping the ball down of late and the Reds haven't seen him - D-Backs.
It seems cheap to take the Cardinals at only -125 in San Diego. I know it's Lackey who's struggled a bit lately, AND off a very high pitch count game - but it IS the Padres who have nothing to play for and the Cardinals who do. I have faded Cashner every chance I get - and this may be no exception. However, that total sitting at 6.5 is inviting. Most of the Cardinals saw Cashner for the first time back in early July when he beat them -
MLB: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Toronto Blue Jays at Los Angeles Angels
The eyes of baseball fans as well as those with a penchant for sports gaming will be on the Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays series in Anaheim this weekend. Both are battling to keep pace with the top team within respective divisions and both are looking to improve wild-card positions. Halos open the series handing the ball to Hector Santiago carrying a 7-6 record,2.86 ERA. The righthander hitting a rough spot is winless last five (1-4 TSR) giving up 26 hits, 6 long-ball 17 runs. The Angel hurler is 1-0 life-time vs Jays tossing 7 innings of 2 run ball this past May up in Toronto.
David Price toes the rubber for John Gibbons crew. The lefthander 11-4 with a 2.41 ERA on the year is 2-0 with a 1.61 ERA in three starts since his arrival from Detroit. Price heads to the hill on a 0-3 skid facing Halos tagged for 16 runs over 23 2/3 innings of work.
When handicapping this contest a few betting nuggets to consider. Halos are on an 8-1 home stretch vs a southpaw starter, 5-1 streak opening a home series and 7-3 L10 at home vs a team with a winning record. Jays are 13-17 on the road vs a team with a winning record, 5-14 last 19 meetings, 2-7 last 9 trips into Anaheim. On a positive note for Toronto backers, Jays are 22-12 following a loss, 4-2 away as faves in the -$1.30 to -$1.50 range.
Friday's Tip Sheet
By Matt Zylbert
VegasInsider.com
San Francisco Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates
Before going on their latest march to a World Series title a year ago, the Giants had to get by the dangerous Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Wild Card Game -- on their home field in beautiful PNC Park, no less. They would accomplish this feat surprisingly with ease, thanks to an absolutely brilliant performance from eventual postseason hero Madison Bumgarner (14-6, 2.98 ERA), not to mention a grand slam off the bat of Brandon Crawford. Bumgarner returns to the very scene where he foreshadowed his magical playoff run, as these two NL contenders hook up for game two of this very important four-game series. The Pirates took the opener last night, but will be tasked this evening with taking on one of the league’s best pitchers, and while he’s in a real groove. Bumgarner has been enjoying one of his best seasons to date, but has taken it a notch even further since the All-Star break, having yielded one run or less in five of his six starts over that span. Bettors might be tempted to go for his friendly -130 chalk, given his current streak.
While the Giants are the defending champions, it is the Pirates who are in the much more comfortable position, currently being instilled into the top Wild Card berth by a wide margin, while also sitting 4.5 games back of the MLB-best Cardinals for first-place in the NL Central. Ultimately, that’s where you want to end up to avoid having to get through the Wild Card Game, and the Pirates will turn to left-hander Jeff Locke (6-7, 4.31 ERA) to continue that cause. The 27-year-old southpaw has been, as usual, inconsistent this season for the Buccos, but is coming off his best start in over a month in which he pitched into the sixth inning and limited the Mets to just one run, while going toe-to-toe with Matt Harvey on a nationally-televised Sunday affair. Locke has been decisively better at home this season, owning a 3.16 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 13 starts at PNC Park, and that’s where he finds himself in this assignment. The over/under is 7.
Texas Rangers at Detroit Tigers
In case you haven’t been paying attention, Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (1-5, 4.11 ERA) is somewhat sort of starting to resemble the dominant pitcher he used to be -- the one that reigned over Major League Baseball in 2011 and 2012. While his overall numbers on the year leave a little to be desired, let’s not forget that the former AL MVP and Cy Young award winner only made his debut in mid-June after being out with an injury, and recently, he apparently seems to have retained his old form. In five of his last seven starts, Verlander has allowed one earned run or less, and in three of his last four, has registered seven or more strikeouts. In the process, he’s also gone seven-plus innings in five of his previous seven outings as well. Interestingly, however, Detroit is just 2-9 when Verlander toes the rubber. Tonight, they’re -130 favorites nonetheless.
The AL Wild Card-contending Rangers have their own streaking pitcher going for them this evening, as Colby Lewis (13-5, 4.49 ERA) makes his 25th start of the season. Surprisingly, the veteran of ten big league seasons -- eight of which coming in Texas – has served as one of the most dependable cogs in the Rangers’ pitching rotation, while being one of the underrated reasons why the club is in the current position that it’s in, being just 1.5 games out of an AL Wild Card spot and 4 games back of first-place Houston in the AL West. Lewis has certainly been at his best since the beginning of June, in which he’s logged 12 quality starts in 14 tries. The Rangers are 9-5 in his starts over that span as well. The over/under here is 8.5.
Los Angeles Dodgers at Houston Astros
On MLB Network tonight, viewers will get either the Mets-Rockies tilt or this series-opening Interleague matchup between the Dodgers and Astros, two of baseball’s six first-place teams at the moment, who actually both coincidentally own a 2.5-game lead for division supremacy. The Astros are a bit more concerning here, considering they’re coming off a game last night in which they were one-hit by Chris Archer, and in their four-game split with the Rays this week, managed just a total of eight runs. Thus, they’ll look for a lift here from new rotation resident Mike Fiers (5-9, 3.87 ERA), who, despite his unimpressive record, is actually quite the underrated pitcher. He possesses a, well, impressive strikeout ratio, with 136 punch-outs in 135 total innings of work, while having logged 16 out of 23 starts in which he’s surrendered two earned runs or less. In his two starts with his new club, he’s given up just a mere run in 12 combined innings. The linesmakers have Fiers as a -125 home favorite.
If it weren’t for Brett Anderson (7-7, 3.48 ERA) -- a top sleeper pick of mine coming into the 2015 season, remember -- there’s no telling where the Dodgers would be right now in the standings. That’s because the club has struggled mightily in trying to find pitching depth behind their league-best 1-2 punch of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, and it’s a weakness that has plagued LA all season long. In fact, many arms have tried and most (Mike Bolsinger, Carlos Frias, Brandon Beachy, Scott Baker, Mat Latos) have ultimately failed. The one constant behind the club’s two stud aces has indeed been Anderson, who has finally managed to stay healthy en route to registering his highest number of starts in a season (23) since his rookie campaign of 2009. And he’s actually been tremendously consistent for the Dodgers, having allowed three earned runs or less in 20 of his outings. As a result, the over/under for this one is 8.
Chicago White Sox at Seattle Mariners
Baseball games that draw an over/under line of 6 (or even 5.5, in very rare cases) will always feature a prominent pitching matchup, and that’s exactly what’s on tap for this series opener between the White Sox and Mariners tonight. Both clubs have arguably been the two most disappointing in the American League this season, yet still find their playoff chances on life support with about six weeks to go in the campaign, which could make this somewhat of an elimination series if one team is swept this weekend. Luckily for the White Sox, they’ll kick things off with their outstanding ace Chris Sale (11-7, 3.32 ERA), who, after running into a rare rough match a few weeks ago, has bounced back in classic form, going 2-0 in his last two starts while picking up 22 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings, including a season-high 15 K’s in his last assignment. Even so, he’s a +110 road ’dog, which is a very unfamiliar proposition for the dominant left-hander.
Based on how his last start went, you might figure that Mariners ace Felix Hernandez (14-7, 3.65 ERA) would be the underdog entering this one. That’s because the former AL Cy Young award winner was hammered for a season-high 10 runs in only 2 1/3 innings at Fenway Park last Saturday. Shockingly, that’s now the fourth time this year that King Felix has been tattooed for seven or more runs in a start, all of which coming since June 1, and his latest instance inflated his ERA by more than a half-run. At the end of the day, though, Hernandez is still one of the best pitchers in the game, and for those enticed into betting Seattle, it’s worth noting that the 29-year-old has been much better at home this season, being 9-4 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and .213 BAA in 13 starts from the pitcher-friendly confines of Safeco Field. With the over/under as low as 6, The King will have no room for error in this one, however.