National League
Pirates @ Cubs
Liriano is 0-3, 5.87 in his last three starts; under is 5-3 in his last eight. .
Arrieta is 1-1, 2.37 in his last three starts (over 11-2).
Pirates lost 12 of their last 16 games; six of their last eight games went over. Pittsburgh is 8-4 in road series openers. Chicago won eight of last ten home games; they're 9-1 in home series openers. Six of last seven Wrigley games stayed under.
Diamondbacks @ Phillies
Ray is 1-3, 4.94 in his last five starts; over is 5-1-1 in his last seven starts.
Morgan is 0-5, 7.52 in his last six starts, five of which went over.
Arizona lost six of last eight road games; they're 6-4 in road series openers. Phillies are 1-7 in last eight games; they're 2-9 in home series openers. Seven of last eight Philly home games went over the total.
Rockies @ Marlins
Gray is 3-0, 3.29 in his last four starts; over is 4-0-1 in his last five.
Conley is 0-2, 5.60 in his last five starts; three of his last four stayed under.
Rockies won six of last seven games; they're 7-4 in road series openers. Five of their last six road games stayed under. Miami is 5-7 in its last 12 games, 5-6 in road series openers. Over is 9-3 in their last 12 games.
Braves @ Mets
Gant allowed three runs in 4.1 IP (88 PT) in his first MLB start.
Harvey is 1-1, 0.90 in his last three starts; seven of his last nine stayed under.
Braves lost six of last seven road games; they're 2-8 in road series openers. Six of last eight Atlanta road games stayed under. New York is 5-3 in its last eight games, 8-2 in home series openers; under is 7-4 in their last 11 games.
Nationals @ Padres
Ross is 2-0, 3.60 in his last four starts (under 8-3-1). .
Friedrich is 3-0, 2.55 in his last four starts; four of his last five went over.
Padres lost six of their last eight games; four of their last six home games went under total. Washington won nine of last 11 games; seven of their last eight road games went over the total.
Brewers @ Dodgers
Davies is 4-0, 2.70 in his last four starts; all three of his road starts went over.
Urias is 0-2, 6.35 in four starts this year (over 2-2).
Milwaukee lost five of last seven road games; six of its last seven road games went over the total. Dodgers won eight of last 11 at home; six of their last eight home games went under the total.
American League
Blue Jays @ Orioles
Sanchez is 3-0, 3.78 in his last five starts (under 9-4).
Wright is 1-1, 6.57 in his last five starts; seven of his last eight went over.
Toronto won seven of last nine games; they're 8-3 in road series openers. Six of their last eight games went over. Orioles won seven of last eight home games; they're 7-4 in home series openers. Over is 9-6 in their last fifteen games.
White Sox @ Indians
Quintana is 0-6, 4.15 in his last six starta; his last 12 starts all stayed under the total. White Sox scored total of 19 runs in his last 17 losses.
Bauer is 1-0, 2.78 in his last three starts; five of his last seven stayed under.
White Sox lost nine of last 11 road games; they're 6-4 in road series openers. Over is 17-5 in their last 22 road games. Cleveland just got swept in KC but they've won last five home games. Royals are 6-4 in home series openers. Under is 8-3-2 in their last thirteen games.
Mariners @ Red Sox
Iwakuma is 4-1, 4.24 in his last five starts; five of his last six went over.
Former Mariner Elias is 15-20, 4.04 in 49 MLB starts; this is his first '16 start. He is 4-3, 3.54 in nine AAA starts this year.
Mariners lost five of last six road games; they're 6-5 in road series openers. Over is 6-2 in their last eight road games. Boston lost five of last seven home games; they're 6-5 in home series openers. Over is 14-6 in their last 20 home games.
Tigers @ Royals
Fulmer is 5-0, 0.25 in his last five starts; three of his last four stayed under. He has a 28.1 inning scoreless streak right now.
Ventura is 1-2, 5.64 in his last five starts; six of his last eight starts went over. .
Tigers won eight of their last 12 games; nine of its last 12 road games stayed under. Royals won nine of last ten home games; under is 7-4-1 in KC's last 12 games.
Bronx @ Twins
Tanaka is 0-2, 4.19 in his last three starts; his last five starts stayed under. .
Dean is 0-1, 6.32 in his last three starts; three of his last four went over.
New York lost seven of last ten road games; four of their last six road games went over the total. Minnesota lost six of its last eight games; over is 11-3 in their last 14 home games.
Angels @ A's
Shoemaker is 1-2, 1.88 in his last five starts, four of which stayed under. .
Graveman is 1-5, 6.70 in his last nine starts; four of his last six stayed under.
A's lost 11 of last 13 games; over is 3-1 in their last four home games. Oakland is 4-6 in home series openers. Angels lost seven of last nine road games; they're 6-4 in openers of a road series. Over is 10-2-1 in their last thirteen games.
Interleague
Giants @ Rays
Samardzija is 0-2, 7.98 in his last three starts; his last four starts went over.
Archer is 1-4, 6.16 in his last five starts; five of his last seven starts went over.
Giants won their last five games; they're 6-4 in road series openers. Six of last nine SF road games went over. Tampa Bay won nine of last 12 games; they're 4-7 in 11 home openers. Under is 21-9 in Rays' last 30 home games.
Reds @ Astros
Lamb is 1-4, 7.03 in his last six starts (under 4-3-1).
McCullers is 3-1, 3.91 in his last four starts; four of his last five stayed under.
Cincinnati is 10-7 in its last 17 games, 2-8 in road series openers. Over is 9-2 in their last 11 road games. Astros won three of last four games; they're 6-4 in home series openers. Last eight Houston games stayed under the total.
Rangers @ Cardinals
Hamels is 1-0, 2.57 in his last three starts; six of his last seven went over.
Wacha is 1-5, 8.25 in his last eight starts; his last seven starts went over.
Rangers are 19-6 in their last 25 games; nine of their last 11 road tilts went over. Texas is 5-5 in road series openers. Cardinals lost five of last seven home games; they're 4-7 in home series openers. Over is 7-4-1 in their last twelve home games.
Teams won-lost records when this pitcher starts:
Pitt-Chi-- Liriano 6-6; Arrieta 11-2
Az-Phil-- Ray 4-9; Morgan 2-7
Col-Mia-- Gray 5-5; Conley 6-7
Atl-NY-- Gant 0-1; Harvey 5-8
Mil-LA-- Davies 6-5; Urias 1-3
Wsh-SD-- Ross 8-4; Friedrich 4-2
Tor-Balt-- Sanchez 8-5; Wright 7-4
Chi-Clev-- Quintana 6-7 (0-6 last 6); Bauer 4-5
Sea-Bos-- Iwakuma 7-6; Elias 0-0
NY-Min-- Tanaka 8-5; Dean 4-1
Det-KC-- Fulmer 8-1; Ventura 8-5
LA-A's-- Shoemaker 4-8; Graveman 3-9
SF-TB-- Samardzija 8-5; Archer 5-9
Cin-Hst-- Lamb 2-6; McCullers 4-2
Tex-StL-- Hamels 9-4; Wacha 6-7
Starting pitchers allowing 1+ runs in first inning:
Pitt-Chi-- Liriano 3-12; Arrieta 1-13
Az-Phil-- Ray 1-13; Morgan 4-9 (4 of last 4)
Col-Mia-- Gray 4-10; Conley 5-13
Atl-NY-- Gant 1-1; Harvey 3-13
Mil-LA-- Davies 3-11; Urias 1-4
Wsh-SD-- Ross 2-12; Friedrich 3-6
Tor-Balt-- Sanchez 2-13; Wright 2-11
Chi-Clev-- Quintana 1-13; Bauer 3-9
Sea-Bos-- Iwakuma 2-13; Elias 0-0
NY-Min-- Tanaka 2-13; Dean 2-5
Det-KC-- Fulmer 2-9; Ventura 4-13
LA-A's-- Shoemaker 3-12; Graveman 3-12
SF-TB-- Samardzija 2-13; Archer 6-14
Cin-Hst-- Lamb 4-8; McCullers 3-6 (3 of last 3)
Tex-StL-- Hamels 3-13; Wacha 4-13
Armadillosports.com
MLB: Streak, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Toronto Blue Jays at Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore and Toronto play a crucial three-game series at Camden Yards this weekend with top spot in the East at stake. The bettings odds at Sports Interaction have Blue Jays -$1.40 road favorites with the total set at 9 runs.
A.L. East leading Orioles looking to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the division open the set with Mike Wright on the hill. In his last start, Wright, tagged with a no-decision in Orioles 11-6 loss vs. Toronto allowed four earned run on six hits while walking five in five-plus innings. Orioles are now 0-4 vs Blue Jays handing the ball to Wright.
The Blue Jays two games back hoping to inch closer will counter with Aaron Sanchez who struggled his last time out against the O's allowing six runs, four home runs, but he was picked up by the Blue Jays' offense in a 10-9 victory. Jays are 2-2 in Sanchez's four career starts vs O's.
Division games are always tough, taking the road team can be risky. However, Blue Jays finding their stroke winning six of seven, platting 56 runs behind 83 hits, 18 long-ball are worth a look. Keep in mind, Jays have enjoyed success lately vs the division with Sanchez (5-0), the Orioles not so much with Wright (2-6). Additionally, Jays are in the midst of a hot 16-6 spurt, 12-3 streak against the A.L. East, 7-2 stretch handing Sanchez starting duties.
Friday's Diamond Notes
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Hottest team: Rockies (8-2 last 10)
Colorado has pulled with one game of the .500 mark following a successful 5-1 homestand. The Rockies swept the Yankees in a two-game series at Coors Field, while plating 19 runs in the two victories. Colorado embarks on a six-game road trip to Miami and New York looking for its second five-game winning streak of the season. However, the Rockies have slumped to a 4-8 mark in its previous 12 opportunities as a road underdog, while dropping three of four visits to Marlins Park last season.
Coldest team: Athletics (2-10 last 12)
Since sweeping the Twins at home to begin June, Oakland has fallen apart recently. The A’s were swept at Houston and Milwaukee, while salvaging the final game at Cincinnati to avoid an 0-8 road swing. Following a blowout of Texas in its first contest back from the road trip, the A’s lost three consecutive games to the Rangers, including squandering a 5-0 lead in Wednesday’s 7-5 setback. The A’s host the Angels for a weekend series, as Los Angeles swept Oakland back in April with the A’s scoring one run in two of the losses.
Hottest pitcher: Michael Fulmer, Tigers (7-1, 2.52 ERA)
Past Jordan Zimmermann and Justin Verlander, Detroit has found a right-hander that is nearly an automatic win every time he hits the mound. Fulmer hasn’t allowed a run in his last four starts, while giving up a total of nine hits in this span. Detroit is 8-1 in Fulmer’s nine starts this season, including a 6-1 mark away from Comerica Park. Each of Fulmer’s past three road starts have finished ‘under’ the total, while four of the six away wins with him on the mound have come by three runs or more.
Coldest pitcher: Jose Quintana, White Sox (5-7, 2.66 ERA)
Chicago won six of Quintana’s first seven starts this season, but the Sox are winless in the southpaw’s last six trips to the mound. Quintana has put together four quality starts during this 0-6 run, while the Sox offense has scored two runs or less in five of those defeats. The Sox are riding an incredible 12-0 run to the ‘under’ in Quintana’s last 12 starts, which includes a 4-3 loss to Cleveland on May 25 on a 7 ½ total. Last season, Quintana dominated the Indians at Progressive Field with a 2-0 mark which included a shutout of the Tribe on July 24.
Biggest UNDER run: Astros (8-0 last eight)
Houston’s pitching stepped up in a two-game road sweep of red-hot St. Louis by allowing just three runs. The Astros cashed the ‘under’ in the final eight contests of their nine-game road swing, including a trio of ‘unders’ with totals of 7 ½ at Tampa Bay. Right-hander Lance McCullers continues to hit the ‘under’ for the Astros, as four of his past five starts have finished below the post total. Houston is currently on a 7-4 run to the ‘under’ in the last 11 games at Minute Maid Park.
Biggest OVER run: Rangers (5-2 last seven)
Texas came within three outs of a no-hitter on Thursday at Oakland, cashing the first ‘under’ of its four-game series against the Athletics. The Rangers have eclipsed the ‘over’ in nine of the past 11 games played away from Arlington, as Texas begins a three-game series at St. Louis. In six of seven contests on their current road swing, the Rangers have scored at least five runs. Texas finished ‘under’ the total in six of its first seven road series openers this season, but the ‘over’ has hit in three consecutive away Game 1’s.
Matchup to watch: Blue Jays vs. Orioles
These two AL East rivals are meeting up for the second time in a week as Toronto grabbed three of four matchups at home last weekend. The Blue Jays are heating up at the right time by winning six of the past seven games, coming off a 3-1 series against the reeling Phillies. The Orioles managed a series victory at Boston to sit in first place of the AL East all by themselves, capping things off with a 5-1 triumph on Thursday. Orioles’ right-hander Mike Wright picked up a no-decision the last time he faced the Blue Jays by allowing four earned runs in five innings of an 11-6 setback. Baltimore has won four of Wright’s last five home outings, while the O’s are 7-1 in the past eight contests at Camden Yards.
Betcha didn’t know: The Mariners head to Fenway Park to face the Red Sox for the first time this season. When these teams hooked up in Boston last August, they combined for 16, 32, and 18 runs in a three-game set. The Red Sox plated 15 and 22 runs in their two victories, as the last six meetings in Boston have sailed ‘over’ the total.
Biggest public favorite: Mets (-260) vs. Braves
Biggest public underdog: Giants (+105) at Rays
Biggest line move: Angels (-115 to -135) at Athletics
Rangers, Cardinals clash
By SSportsbook.ag
TEXAS RANGERS (42-25) at ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (35-30)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Texas -107, St. Louis -103, Total: 8
The Rangers head into St. Louis for the start of a three-game series with the Cardinals on Friday.
The Rangers bring their three-game winning streak to St. Louis where they close out a ten-game road trip. Texas has been on a tear this season, owning the best record in the American League.
The Rangers are coming off a game where their Colby Lewis (6-0, 2.81 ERA, 58 KO) took a no-hitter into the ninth inning, but it was broken up on the first batter he faced. The Rangers did, however, win the series. Texas has been winning series with ease recently; the team hasn’t lost a series since May 18th.
St. Louis, on the other hand, come into the series on a two-game losing streak. Its not all bad for the Cardinals because before they went on the two-game skid, they won five straight games.
Because of the nature that this is an interleague game, the two teams have not played each other since 2013 and Texas swept the three-game series and before that the two teams squared off in the 2011 World Series, when St. Louis won in seven games.
Tonight, Texas puts LHP Cole Hamels (6-1, 3.14 ERA, 81 K) on the mound against St. Louis’ RHP Michael Wacha (2-6, 4.91 ERA, 63 K).
When you look into the Rangers’ numbers this year, it is no surprise that they are one of the best teams in the league. They have one of the league’s best offenses, ranking sixth in runs scored for the season. Texas has also been pitching well, owning the 10th ranked pitching staff in ERA (3.99).
The offensive production has not slowed down recently, as Texas has been hitting .371 in June and has five players hitting .300 or better during the month. OF Ryan Rua (.295, 6 HR, 18 RBI) is having a great month hitting .325 with four HR and ten RBI.
The team’s offense has been sparked by OF Ian Desmond (.314, 10 HR, 44 RBI) and 2B Rougned Odor (.269, 12 HR, 33 RBI) this year. Tonight will be a new experience for most of the Rangers’ lineup because only two Rangers hitters have ever faced Wacha.
Tonight’s starter, Cole Hamels has been having a great year in his first full year as a Ranger. Over his last three starts, he is 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA and the team won two out of the three games. His last start was in Seattle where he threw seven innings and only gave up one run in a win.
Hamels has had some history against St. Louis because he pitched in the National League with the Phillies for most of his career. He is 4-4 with a 2.84 against the Cardinals.
It is worth noting that Hamels has been pitching great on the road this season going 4-0 with a 1.94 ERA way from Texas.
St. Louis has been one of the best hitting teams in the league (2nd in runs scored), but has struggled as of late and is only ranked 18th in runs scored in June. The Cardinals will have to turn it around tonight if they want to beat one of the league’s best teams.
St. Louis will look to OF Matt Holiday (.258, 11 HR, 36 RBI) to step up after going hitless in the last two games because he has hit Hamels well in his career (.308 BA). 3B Jhonny Peralta (.313, 1HR, 7 RBI) has also hit Hammels well in his career (.364 BA).
St. Louis’ starter tonight, Michael Wacha has not pitched well this year. In his last three games, he is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA. He hasn’t had good outings at home this season, going 1-3 with a 5.54 ERA. Wacha will have to navigate unchartered territories tonight because he has never faced the Rangers in his career.