Baseball Information
National League
Braves @ Phillies
Perez is making first start since June 26 (foot); he is 2-0, 3.24 in his last three starts- three of his last four stayed under. .
Buchanan is 1-0, 3.18 in two starts since coming back from AAA; over is 5-2-1 in his last eight starts.
Braves won four of last six series games; over is 1-3 in last four. Braves lost seven of last eight games overalll (under 7-1). Phillies won ten of their last 12 games- four of their last six stayed under.
Nationals @ Mets
Gonzalez is 4-0, 2.03 in his last five starts; over is 4-2-1 in his last seven.
Harvey is 2-2, 4.15 in his last four starts (over 3-1).
Washington won four of last five games with the Mets; over is 2-0-1 in last three. Nationals are 3-2 in last five games; three of last four stayed under the total. Mets are 3-5 in last eight games; over is 4-2 in their last six.
Pirates @ Reds
Locke is 0-2, 5.71 in his last three starts; four of his last five went under.
Lorenzen is 0-3, 8.83 in his last five starts; five of his last seven went under.
Pittsburgh lost eight of last ten games with Cincinnati; last five series games went over total. Pirates won five of last seven games (over 6-1). Reds won last three games, allowing five runs (under 3-1 in last four).
Padres @ Marlins
Kennedy is 2-0, 2.25 in his last two starts; his last eight stayed under.
Phelps is 0-3, 3.06 in his last three starts; his last four stayed under. Marlins scored two runs in his last three starts.
San Diego won six of last seven games with Miami; last four series tilts went under the total. Padres won five of last six games; five of their last seven went under total. Marlins lost five of last six games (under 8-2 in last ten).
Rockies @ Cardinals
Kendrick is 0-2, 5.00 in his last three road starts; three of his last four starts overall stayed under.
Wacha is 1-1, 6.88 in his last three starts; four of his last six went over.
Colorado lost six of last eight games with St Louis; three of last five stayed under total. Rockies are 3-5 in last nine games; four of their last five went over total. Cardinals lost three of last five games; under is 7-1-1 in their last nine.
Cubs @ Brewers
Hammel is 0-3, 6.10 in his last five starts; his last three went over.
Jungmann is 3-1, 1.50 in his last four starts; under is 4-1-1 in his last six.
Cubs lost four of last six games with Milwaukee; under is 6-2-1 in last nine in series. Chicago lost four of last seven games; over is 3-1-1 in their last five. Brewers lost seven of last nine games; under is 5-0-2 in last seven.
American League
Tigers @ Orioles
Farmer is making first start since June 24; he is 0-2, 10.45 in his two starts (over 2-0).
Chen is 1-2, 3.37 in his last four starts; under is 9-0-1 in his last ten.
Detroit lost 11 of its last 17 games; five of its last eight games stayed under total. Tigers lost five of last seven games with Baltimore; over is 6-2 last eight series games. Orioles won five of last six; under is 4-2-1 in last seven.
Rays @ Red Sox
Ramirez is 2-1, 3.00 in his last four starts; his last three stayed under.
Rodriguez is 2-1, 1.96 in his last three home starts; six of his last eight starts overall went over.
Red Sox lost 11 of last 14 games overall-- over is 9-3 in their last 12. Boston is 3-5 in last eight games with Tampa Bay- six of last seven series games stayed under total. Rays are 4-6 in last 10 games; under is 3-1-2 in their last six.
Royals @ Blue Jays
Cueto is making first start for Royals; he was 3-1, 2.12 in his last five starts for Cincinnati; four of his last six starts stayed under.
Hutchison is 1-1, 8.69 in his last four starts (over 3-1)..
Royals won eight of last 13 games overall (under 7-2-1 last ten); KC is 2-4 in its last six games with Toronto (under 3-1-1 in last five). Blue Jays are 6-4 in last ten games; four of their last six games went over.
Bronx @ White Sox
Eovaldi is 5-0, 2.83 in his last seven starts; four of his last six went under.
Rodon is 0-2, 11.00 in his last two home starts.
Bronx won ten of last 14 games (six of last eight went over); they won eight of last ten games with Chicago. White Sox won seven of last eight games; five of their last six games went over.
Mariners @ Twins
Walker is 0-1, 9.28 in his last four starts (over 4-0).
Milone is 0-1, 11.42 in his last two starts; over is 3-1-2 in his last six.
Seattle lost six of last seven games with Minnesota; five of last eight in series stayed under total. Mariners lost last four games, allowing 29 runs; over is 5-1-1 in their last seven. Twins lost four of last five games,, allowing 38 runs; their last six games all went over the total.
Indians @ A's
Salazar is 1-2, 2.53 in his last three starts; four of his last six went over.
Graveman is 0-3, 10.22 in his last three starts (under 3-1 in last four).
Indians lost six of last eight games but won last two; seven of their last 11 games went over. Tribe lost five of last seven games with Oakland; five of last seven in series went over total. Oakland lost six of last seven games (four of last five stayed under).
Interleague
Giants @ Rangers
Bumgarner is 3-0, 2.04 in his last three starts (under 5-3 in last eight).
Martinez is 0-4, 8.78 in his last five starts; three of his last four went over.
Giants are 7-3 in last ten games with Texas (under 8-2); SF won seven of its last eight games (under 4-0-1 in last five). Rangers won six of last nine games; four of their last six went over the total.
Diamondbacks @ Astros
de la Rosa is 2-0, 0.60 in his last two starts (under is 5-3 in last eight).
Feldman is 1-1, 2.79 in his last three starts; under is 5-3 in his last eight.
Arizona lost three of last four games with Houston (under 3-1); D'backs won last five games, allowing nine runs- over is 2-0-1 in last three. Astros traded for Gomez yesterday, just swept AL West rival Angels- they've won eight of last ten games, with four of last six staying under.
Angels @ Dodgers
Santiago is 3-0, 1.95 in his last six starts; his last four starts went over.
Kershaw is 3-0, 0.00 in his last three starts (26 IP); his last six stayed under.
Angels lost last three games with the Dodgers; six of last seven games went under total. Halos lost six of last seven games- four of their last five stayed under total. Dodgers lost three of their last four games; they've acquired a bunch of new players the last few days.
Win-loss records this year for team with this starting pitcher:
Atl-Phil-- Perez 5-3; Buchanan 1-6
Wsh-NY-- Gonzalez 12-6; Harvey 11-8
Pitt-Cin-- Locke 10-9; Lorenzen 6-8
SD-Mia-- Kennedy 8-10; Phelps 5-11
Chi-Mil-- Hammel 8-11; Jungmann 6-3
Col-StL-- Kendrick 6-14; Wacha 14-5
KC-Tor-- Cueto 11-8 (with Cin); Hutchison 13-7
Det-Balt-- Farmer 0-2; Chen 11-8
TB-Bos-- Ramirez 11-4; Rodriguez 7-4
NY-Chi-- Eovaldi 13-7; Rodon 8-5
Sea-Minn-- Walker 11-9; Milone 7-6
Clev-A's-- Salazar 11-7; Graveman 8-8
SF-Tex-- Bumgarner 12-8; Martinez 9-9
Az-Hst-- de la Rosa 11-9; Feldman 5-7
LA-LA-- Santiago 11-8; Kershaw 11-9
Times this starting pitcher allowed a run in first inning:
Atl-Phil-- Perez 3-8; Buchanan 2-7
Wsh-NY-- Gonzalez 2-18; Harvey 6-19
Pitt-Cin-- Locke 4-19; Lorenzen 7-14 (7 of last 8)
SD-Mia-- Kennedy 6-18; Phelps 6-16
Chi-Mil-- Hammel 7-19; Jungmann 1-9
Col-StL-- Kendrick 10-20; Wacha 4-19
KC-Tor-- Cueto 5-19; Hutchison 8-20
Det-Balt-- Farmer 1-2; Chen 5-19
TB-Bos-- Ramirez 3-15; Rodriguez 1-11
NY-Chi-- Eovaldi 7-20; Rodon 4-13
Sea-Minn-- Walker 5-20; Milone 2-13
Clev-A's-- Salazar 6-18; Graveman 5-16
SF-Tex-- Bumgarner 4-20; Martinez 5-18
Az-Hst-- de la Rosa 5-20; Feldman 5-12
LA-LA-- Santiago 5-19; Kershaw 4-20
Armadillosports.com
Friday Scouting Edge
By Coach Fletcher
Detroit Tigers at Baltimore Orioles
It appears that the Tigers have thrown in the towel for this season. Trading David Price is a pretty good indication that they are done this season. Buck Farmer will get the start today after Detroit moved Shane Greene from the starting rotation to the bullpen. That was necessitated because Detroit traded Joakim Soria to the Pirates. Buck Farmer has made 3 appearances for the Tigers – 2 starts and 1 relief appearance. Things haven’t gone well. Farmer has tossed a total of 13 2/3 innings and has a record of 0-2. Farmer’s been torched for 22 hits and 14 runs . Thus Farmer’s bloated era of 9.22. But that’s not the worst of it. Farmer made 1 appearance for Detroit in 2014 and the results were strikingly similar. In 9.1 innings in 2014 Farmer went 12 innings and allowed 12 hits and 12 runs. That puts him 0-3 with a 10.22 era. There is one plus when it comes to Farmer and it must be the reason he is still in the bigs. In the 23 innings he has pitched in the majors, Farmer has 23 strikeouts. But that hardly makes up for the fact that in those 23 innings he has allowed 34 hits, 6 round trippers, and 26 runs. Hitters are batting .347 against him lifetime.
San Diego Padres at Miami Marlins
Ian Kennedy has long been thought of as a starter with a big upside. But other than one seasons, 2011, Kennedy has failed to live up to his promise. In 2011 Kennedy was 21-4 with a 2.88 era for the D-backs. Kennedy was 4th in the Cy Young voting that year and many felt that he could have won it. Kennedy may have turned the corner as he has been very effective of late, much better than his record and era would indicate. Kennedy is 6-9 with a 4.58 era, but in his last 7 games Kennedy is 3-4 with a 2.75 era. He beat Miami on July 25 allowing only 1 run and 7 hits in 6 innings. Kennedy walked 1 and fanned 7. Prior to that start Kennedy went 6 against the Giants giving up 2 runs on 6 hits while walking 1 and fanning 6. He’s 2-2 in July with a 3.53 era.
Arizona Diamondbacks at Houston Astros
Rubby De La Rosa has had an up and down season. The last two starts have definitely been on the upside but his history against the Astros suggests he may be headed down. De La Rosa is 8-5 with a 4.52 erea for the D-backs. His last 2 starts have been nearly flawless. On July 20 vs. Miami, Rubby went 7 innings and gave up just 5 hits and 1 run. He came right back and on July 25 against the Brewers, De La Rosa went 8 innings without giving up a run and only surrendering 4 hits. In his last 7 starts Rubby has gone 3-2 with a 3.12 era. However, before getting too carried away, we need to see what he has done versus the Astros. It’s a painful sight. In 4 appearances, 2 starts and 2 relief appearances, De La Rosa sports a hefty era of 9.28 against Houston. On the other side of the coin, Houston is 4-13 against Arizona in their last 17 contests.
Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers
Things haven’t gone real well for the Cubs or Jason Hammel lately. In his last start, Hammel (5-5, 3.20) was tagged for 6 runs in 3 2/3 innings. He hasn’t won a game in his last 8 starts despite giving up more than 2 runs just twice. The Cubs have lost 4 of their last 6 going into Thursday night’s game. That has virtually knocked them from contender to pretender. The Brewers’ Taylor Jungman is going to try to slam the coffin shut. He has the tools to do it. He is a very much under the radar 5-2 with a superb 2.14 era this season. He hasn’t faced the Cubs previously but in 3 home starts he has recorded an eras of 1.58. He’s 4-1 with a 2.11 era in his last 7 starts.
Los Angeles Angels at Losa Angeles Dodgers
Clayton Kershaw was scratched from his Wednesday start due to a “sore hip.” I’m guessing it was more of a sore feeling the Dodgers have had lately due to their inability to score runs. Kershaw’s 29 inning scoreless streak may make the concept of scoring runs painless for the Dodgers. Kershaw is 8-5 with a 2.51 era and has tossed 2 straight shut outs. He’s 3-3 with a 1.36 era in his last 7 starts. On Wednesday, with Kershaw on the pine, the Dodgers exploded for 10 runs versus the A’s. Prior to that start LA had scored 3 runs or less in 6 of their last 7. Not counting the double digit bombing, the Dodgers had only averaged 2.3 runs per game in that 7 game set. Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, and Shane Victorino are the only Angels who are hitting above .300 versus Kershaw.
MLB: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds
Pittsburgh and Cincinnati get ready to duel again after the Reds took Pittsburgh behind the woodshed last night spanking Pirates 15-5. Lefthander Jeff Locke toes the rubber for Pittsburgh, entering the game with a 5-6 record, 4.15 ERA. In his last outing, he allowed four runs over five innings getting tagged with a no-decision in a Pirate home win vs Nationals. The Pirates will be facing righthander Michael Lorenzen, who has a 3-5 record 4.58 ERA in 14 starts, 2 relief appearances. Lorenzen will be coming off of the worst start of his big league career a 2 1/3 innings effort with eight earned runs, seven hits, including two yard-ball in a 17-7 Cincinnati loss at Colorado. When handicapping this contest a few telling betting stats worth considering. The Pirates will be seeking to improve on a 2-10 skid vs Reds, 0-6 slide at Great American Ball Park along with a 1-5 slump in enemy territory with Locke. Oddsmakers have Pirates -$1.20 road favorites with the total set a 8.5 runs.
Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers
Jason Hammel will be looking to end an eight game winless streak that has seen Cubbies post a 2-6 record over the span. The numbers say avoid Cubbies as they're 3-12 in Hammel's starts vs a team with a losing record. Adding to those number, Hammel has a 3-14 team start skid in July and enters 5-12 in his last 17 starts road starts.
Friday's Tip Sheet
By Matt Zylbert
VegasInsider.com
Kansas City Royals at Toronto Blue Jays
After coming up just one game short of a World Series title a year ago, the Royals are hoping their recent big-time acquisition of Johnny Cueto (7-6, 2.62 ERA) will be the move that puts them over the top. Cueto is having another fabulous year in 2015, after finishing as the runner-up to Clayton Kershaw's inhuman campaign last season for the NL Cy Young award, and has enjoyed similar success this season, also owning a 0.93 WHIP and 120/29 K/BB ratio. He's also been a reliable friend for 'under' bettors, with a 10-6-3 record towards the 'under' this season. Cueto's presence gives the Royals a true ace they have lacked since losing James Shields this past offseason, and his team debut will undoubtedly be one of the top storylines amongst baseball's Friday slate.
The Blue Jays already made a huge splash leading up to the trade deadline when they acquired superstar shortstop Troy Tulowitzki from the Rockies earlier this week, but then they took it one step further just yesterday in trading for former AL Cy Young winner David Price. Being one game over .500, we'll see if these moves are enough to spark a run towards the playoffs, a destination Toronto has not reached since 1993. They sport a lot of ammo to get it done, and tonight's starting pitcher Drew Hutchison (9-2, 5.42 ERA) has certainly been a big beneficiary of that based on his undeserved win-loss record. At the same time, he contributes just enough to give his club a chance to win whenever he takes the mound, and as a result, Toronto is 13-7 when Hutchison makes a start. Despite this, Cueto is the -120 favorite this evening, and the over/under is expectedly 8.
Washington Nationals at New York Mets
Those not getting Johnny Cueto's Royals debut on MLB Network tonight will be getting this game, the series opener in a huge clash between the Nationals and Mets, who are separated by three games for first-place in the NL East. It was only a one-game deficit just a couple of days ago, before the embarrassing scuffling of the failed Carlos Gomez trade launched the Mets into their current two-game losing streak, including yesterday afternoon's nightmarish collapse in blowing a 7-1 lead to the Padres at home. The Mets will seek to get back on track right away, and fortunately for them, they have a rejuvenated Matt Harvey (9-7, 3.16 ERA) to lean on. If there's a pitcher capable of rescuing a team from a losing streak as well as anyone, it's Harvey, who admittedly loves to pitch in these types of spots and thrives in them. As a result, the linesmakers have him instilled as a -120 favorite.
On the opposite side of the equation, the Nats have their own reliable arm to lead them tonight, that being veteran left-hander Gio Gonzalez (8-4, 3.83 ERA). The 29-year-old has contributed his best work of the season as of late, even seeing his ERA drop a full run over the past month-and-change, as he's allowed two earned runs or less in five consecutive starts. This current run also includes an impressive six-inning outing versus the Mets, when he held them to two runs and struck out four en route to a win. In fact, Gonzalez has been excellent opposing the Mets this year, being 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA and 13 punch-outs in 13 innings pitched. The over/under opened up at 6.5 and has understandably stayed there thus far.
Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers
If the Cubs are to secure a Wild Card berth and reach the postseason for the first time since 2008, they're going to have to not falter and win games like these. Chicago began this critical four-game series with the division rival Brewers in a positive way last night, beating them in the opener behind the immensely talented Jake Arrieta. Now for the second affair, they'll look to lean on another constant from their rotation this season, that being veteran Jason Hammel (5-5, 3.20 ERA). Although he's coming off a start that saw him give up a season-high six runs, Hammel has been nothing short of outstanding this season, owning a marvelous 112/22 K/BB ratio in 112.1 innings, as opponents are hitting just .223 against the 10-year veteran.
It won't be easy, though, as the Cubs must contend with emerging Brewers rookie Taylor Jungmann (5-2, 2.14 ERA), who has been as impressive as any freshman this year since making his debut in the first half of June. The former 2011 first-round pick hasn't let up one bit, as he's gone at least five innings in all nine of his starts, while remarkably allowing two runs or less in eight of them. In fact, the one time he didn't was his assignment at Coors Field. He's also now starting to rack up the strikeouts, having seven or more punch-outs in two of his past three outings. The linesmakers are certainly starting to notice Jungmann, as they interestingly opened him up as the favorite in this matchup despite Milwaukee's current residence in the NL Central cellar. It's since shifted the other way, however, and Jungmann is now a +100 home 'dog in most places.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Los Angeles Dodgers
Apparently, when teammate Zack Greinke strung together his incredible scoreless streak spanning 45.2 innings, the incredible Clayton Kershaw (8-6, 2.51 ERA) seemingly took it as a personal challenge. In any event, Kershaw has looked like a man on a mission as of late, with a scoreless streak that stands at 29 consecutive innings entering tonight's assignment, after flirting with perfection his last time out against the Mets at Citi Field last week. Even despite a relatively slow start to his season, Kershaw has been enjoying another dominant campaign, even leading baseball in strikeouts with 185 -- in only 140 innings pitched. He's on a Chris Sale-type run in that department, too, with three consecutive games logging 10 K's or more. As is always the case for a Kershaw start at home, he's laying some heavy chalk, being a -200 favorite.
Usually, Kershaw is a bigger favorite when working from Chavez Ravine but those odds have been deflated a bit due to his counterpart this evening, that being American League All-Star pitcher Hector Santiago (7-4, 2.43 ERA), who has been a big reason for the Angels' success this season. The left-hander has impressively allowed three earned runs or less in all but one of his 19 starts, and is also striking out almost a batter per inning, with 112 strikeouts in 118.1 total innings pitched. In his last assignment, however, he surrendered three runs for the first time in over a month, so Anaheim is hoping the 27-year-old southpaw can get back in his usual rhythm after just recently getting swept in Houston this week. The over/under predictably is a miniscule 6.