National League
Dodgers @ Pirates
Tepesch is making his first '16 start; he is 9-17, 4.56 in 39 big league starts, 7-2, 3.66 in 14 AAA starts this season.
Taillon is 1-1, 3.50 in his first three MLB starts (over 2-1).
Pirates lost 13 of last 15 games, are 7-5 in home series openers; over is 12-5 in their last 17 home games. Dodgers won eight of last nine games, are 3-9 in road series openers. Under is 17-6 in Dodgers' last 23 games.
Padres @ Reds
Rea is 0-2, 7.18 in his last six starts; six of his last eight starts went over.
Reed allowed four runs in seven IP (92 PT) in his MLB debut.
Padres won four of last five games; over is 7-3-1 in their last 11 road games. Cincinnati lost six of last eight games; six of its last eight games went over the total.
Cubs @ Marlins
Hendricks is 3-2, 2.70 in his last five starts; five of his last seven stayed under.
Koehler is 3-0, 2.00 in his last three starts; under is 5-3-1 in his last nine. .
Cubs lost their last four games; seven of their last ten games stayed under. Miami won seven of its last ten games; under is 10-3 in their last 13 home games.
Mets @ Braves
Matz is 0-2, 4.76 in his last four starts; six of his last seven stayed under.
Blair is 0-1, 6.84 in his last five starts; three of his last four stayed under.
Mets are 4-7 in their last 11 games; under is 9-3-1 in their last 13 games. Braves won seven of their last eight games; Five of last seven Atlanta home games went over total.
Nationals @ Brewers
Scherzer is 3-0, 1.29 in his last four starts; five of his last six went over.
Davies is 3-0, 1.29 in his last four starts (under 3-0-1).
Nationals lost their last five games, are 8-5 in road series openers. Last three Washington games stayed under. Milwaukee lost seven of its last nine games, is 5-7 in home series openers. Five of last seven Milwaukee home games stayed under.
Diamondbacks @ Rockies
Bradley is 1-3, 4.43 in his last four starts (over 5-2).
Anderson is 0-1, 2.25 in his first two MLB starts (under 2-0).
Diamondbacks won six of last seven games; nine of their last 11 road games stayed under the total. Colorado won five of last seven home games; three of last five Coors Field games went under.
Phillies @ Giants
Eflin is 0-2, 11.88 in his first two starts (over 1-1).
Peavy is 3-1, 1.88 in his last four starts; four of his last five stayed under.
Phillies are 3-11 in their last 14 road games, 4-8 in road series openers. Seven of their last nine road games went over. San Francisco won 11 of its last 12 games; they're 5-6 in home series openers. Under is 7-4-1 in their last 12 home games.
American League
Rays @ Orioles
Moore is 1-0, 1.38 in his last two starts; over is 6-2-1 in his last nine.
Gallardo is 2-1, 6.26 in five starts this year (under 3-2).
Rays lost their last seven games; they're 5-7 in road series openers. Under is 8-4 in their last 12 games. Baltimore is 10-3 in its last 13 home games, 7-6 in home series openers. Over is 6-1-1 in their last eight home series openers.
Twins @ Bronx
Milone is making first start since April 25; he is 0-1, 6.30 in four starts (over 2-2).
Tanaka is 3-2, 2.40 in his last six starts, five of which stayed under.
Twins won three of last four games, are 3-8 in road series openers. Over is 15-2 in last 17 Minnesota games. New York lost three of last four home games, is 6-5 in home series openers. Last five New York games went over the total.
Indians @ Tigers
Salazar is 4-0, 2.05 in his last four starts; over is 5-2-1 in his last eight. .
Zimmerman is 4-1, 6.16 in his last six starts (over 4-1-1). Detroit is 8-0 in Zimmerman starts if they score 3+ runs for him. .
Indians won their last six games, are 6-6 in road series openers. Under is 6-3 in last nine Cleveland games. Detroit won nine of last 10 home games; they're 6-5 in home series openers. Four of last five Tiger games stayed under the total.
Red Sox @ Rangers
Price is 1-3, 2.61 in his last four starts; his last five outings all stayed under.
Martinez allowed three runs in 4.1 IP (70 PT) in his first '16 start.
Red Sox are 4-7 in last 11 games, 7-4 in road series openers. Over is 4-2-1 in their last seven road games. Texas is 26-8 in its last 34 home games, 8-4 in home series openers. Five of last six Texas home games stayed under the total.
Blue Jays @ White Sox
Sanchez is 3-0, 3.51 in his last four starts (under 9-5).
Rodon is 0-2, 3.93 in his last three starts (under 8-5).
Blue Jays lost three of last four games; they're 9-3 in road series openers. Over is 6-3-1 in their last ten road games. Chicago won three of last four games; they're 6-5 in home series openers. Under is 7-5 in their last twelve games.
Astros @ Royals
Keuchel is 0-3, 4.97 in his last four starts; four of his last five stayed under.
Volquez is 2-2, 5.04 in his last five starts; three of his last four stayed under.
Astros won seven of last eight games, are 4-8 in road series openers. Under is 12-2 in last 14 Houston games. Kansas City is 16-3 in its last 19 home games, 10-1 in the first game of a home series. Over is 9-3-1 in Royals' last thirteen home games.
A's @ Angels
Surkamp is 0-4, 9.74 in his last five starts; three of his last four went over.
Weaver is 2-2, 4.79 in his last four starts, three of which went over.
Angels are 5-12 in their last 17 games; five of last seven LA games stayed under total. Oakland is 7-20 in its last 27 road games; under is 5-1-1 in last seven Oakland games.
Interleague
Cardinals @ Mariners
Martinez is 3-0, 1.29 in his last four starts, three of which stayed under.
LeBlanc is making his first start for Seattle, his first MLB start since 2014. His career big league record is 21-33, 4.47 in 71 starts. He is 7-2, 1.71 in 14 AAA starts this year.
Cardinals won their last eight road games; they're 5-6 in road series openers. Six of last eight St Louis games stayed under. Seattle lost its last six games; they're 5-6 in home series openers. Five of last six Mariner games stayed under the total. .
Teams won-lost records when this pitcher starts:
LA-Pitt-- Tepesch 0-0; Taillon 1-2
SD-Cin-- Rea 7-6; Reed 0-1
Chi-Mia-- Hendricks 6-7; Koehler 6-8
NY-Atl-- Matz 7-5; Blair 2-8
Wsh-Mil-- Scherzer 9-6; Davies 6-6
Az-Col-- Bradley 4-3; Anderson 1-1
Phil-SF-- Eflin 0-2; Peavy 7-7
TB-Balt-- Moore 5-9; Gallardo 3-2
Min-NY-- Milone 2-2; Tanaka 9-5
Clev-Det-- Salazar 8-5; Zimmerman 9-4
Bos-Tex-- Price 9-6; Martinez 1-0
Tor-Chi-- Sanchez 9-5; Rodon 3-10
Hst-KC-- Keuchel 5-10; Volquez 9-6
A's-LA-- Surkamp 3-5; Weaver 6-8
StL-Sea-- Martinez 7-6; LeBlanc 0-0
Starting pitchers allowing 1+ runs in first inning:
LA-Pitt-- Tepesch 0-0; Taillon 1-3
SD-Cin-- Rea 8-13; Reed 1-1
Chi-Mia-- Hendricks 3-13; Koehler 4-14
NY-Atl-- Matz 2-12; Blair 5-10
Wsh-Mil-- Scherzer 6-15; Davies 4-12
Az-Col-- Bradley 2-7; Anderson 0-2
Phil-SF-- Eflin 1-2; Peavy 4-14
TB-Balt-- Moore 3-14; Gallardo 3-5
Min-NY-- Milone 0-4; Tanaka 2-13
Clev-Det-- Salazar 1-13; Zimmerman 3-13
Bos-Tex-- Price 5-15; Martinez 0-1
Tor-Chi-- Sanchez 3-14; Rodon 5-13
Hst-KC-- Keuchel 4-15; Volquez 3-15
A's-LA-- Surkamp 3-8; Weaver 5-14
StL-Sea-- Martinez 1-13; LeBlanc 0-0
Armadillosports.com
MLB: Streak, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Minnesota at New York
Minnesota Twins have a tough road ahead when they visit the New York Yankees Friday. Twins 8-24 in an opposing park are 1-10 in their last 11 road games vs. on team with a losing record. Additionally, Twins have lost 8 of their last 9 vs Yankees, 12 of the past 16 meetings including 0-3 when Yankees hand the ball to Masahiro Tanaka.
Boston at Texas Series Preview
Sportspic.com
The Rangers and Red Sox square off in a three game series at Globe Life Park in Arlington this weekend. This will be the first meeting of the season between these clubs. Texas held the edge vs Boston last season winning 5 of the 7 matchups, and that includes 3-1 at this venue.
As a team, Texas heads into the weekend one of the hottest teams in baseball. The Rangers reeling off an 8-1 streak have won 16 of their 21 games in June stuffing a whopping +$1182 into betting accounts. Meanwhile, John Farrell's inconsistent troops head into the series a disappointing 7-12 this month costing faithfull backers -$977 at the betting window.
Nick Martinez gets the opening call for Texas. The righthander making his second start of the season is off a no-decision last Saturday at St. Louis allowing 6 hits, 3 runs over 4 1/3 innings. Last season, Rangers lost 5-1 to Red Sox in Martinez's only career start vs Boston with the righty tossing 7 innings of 2 run ball.
Martinez trades pitches with David Price carrying an 8-4 record, 4.24 ERA to the hill. The hard-luck southpaw turning in four consecutive quality starts has only 1 win, 3 losses for his efforts thanks in large part to Red Sox providing just 7 total runs of support over those four games. Price facing Rangers for the first time since joining Boston is 3-8 life-time vs Texas in 15 starts for Toronto/Tampa Bay.
In Game 2 on Saturday, the pitching matchup features A.J. Griffin for the Rangers, Steven Wright for Red Sox. Griffin returning off the disabled list is 3-0 with a 2.94 in six starts this season and carries a 3-1 team start recors vs Red Sox earned while with the A’s. Wright off a 9 inning, 1 run gem tagged with a no-decision in a Red Sox loss remains undefeated in six starts allowing 2 or fewer runs in five of those starts. Wright lost his only career start in Texas last year giving up three hits, three runs, two homers over 5 2/3 innings.
And in Sunday’s finale, it's Martin Perez matching pitches with Clay Buchholz. In his last outing, Perez recorded a no-decision snapping a five game win streak but Rangers prevailed marking six straight wins handing the ball to their lefty. Perez is 1-1 in three career starts vs Boston (1-2 TSR) but hasn't faced Red Sox since 2014. Buchholz returning to the rotation Tuesday suffered his third straight loss as a starter. Red Sox have lost 5 of Buchholz's last 6 vs Rangers.
Friday's Diamond Notes
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Hottest team: Astros (8-2 last 10)
Houston is catching fire at the right time, as the Astros pulled above the .500 mark after sweeping the Angels at home. The Astros have won five straight games, while winning three of their past four contests away from Minute Maid Park. Houston heads to Kansas City for an ALDS rematch with the Royals, as Dallas Keuchel takes the mound in the series opener. Last season’s Cy Young winner has stumbled to a 2-6 record on the highway to go along with a 5.91 ERA, while losing at Kauffman Stadium in a 5-1 defeat last July.
Coldest team: Mariners (2-9 last 11)
Seattle returns home following a dreadful road trip, capped off by a three-game sweep at the hands of Detroit. The Mariners limped to a 2-8 record on its trip through Tampa Bay, Boston, and Detroit, while its pitching staff is in ruins due to numerous injuries. Seattle has dropped 15 of its past 20 games overall, including a 1-3 mark in its previous four home contests as the M’s head back to Safeco Field for an interleague series with the streaking Cardinals.
Hottest pitcher: Danny Salazar, Indians (8-3, 2.23 ERA)
Cleveland has owned Detroit this season by winning each of the first six matchups with its division rival. Salazar has yet to face the Tigers this season, but the Cleveland right-hander is riding a four-game winning streak. In his last four victories, the Tribe’s offense has scored 38 runs as three of those wins came at home. The road has been a different story for Salazar, as the Indians are 1-4 in his past five away outings, while not lasting past the fifth inning in three of those starts.
Coldest pitcher: Matt Moore, Rays (3-4, 4.90 ERA)
Tampa Bay has fallen apart of late by dropping seven straight games, including getting swept by San Francisco and Cleveland. Moore has won just two of his past 10 starts for Tampa Bay, in spite of tossing at least six innings in each of his last three appearances. Tampa Bay owns an 0-5 mark in Moore’s last five starts away from Tropicana Field, while the southpaw makes his first start at Camden Yards since 2013 when the Rays travel to Baltimore on Friday.
Biggest UNDER run: Braves (6-0 last six)
Atlanta continued its dominance of New York by rallying past the Mets on Thursday, 4-3. Not only did the Braves beat the Mets for the fourth time in eight days, but Atlanta also cashed its sixth consecutive ‘under.’ Atlanta’s pitching staff has been stellar recently by allowing three runs or less in seven straight games, while posting an impressive 7-1 record in the past eight contests overall. Aaron Blair has cashed the ‘under’ in three of his four June starts for Atlanta, which includes a 4-3 victory at Citi Field last Saturday.
Biggest OVER run: Yankees (5-0 last five)
The Twins have racked up the second-most ‘overs’ in baseball as they travel to New York to begin a three-game set with the Yankees. New York is riding a five-game ‘over’ streak after a pair of high-scoring contests with Colorado, which included a 9-8 walk-off victory on Wednesday. The Yankees and Twins played to three ‘overs’ in their four-game set at Target Field last weekend, while New York has allowed at least six runs in each of its past four contests overall.
Matchup to watch: Red Sox vs. Rangers
Boston avoided a four-game sweep by Chicago with an extra-innings triumph on Thursday as the Red Sox venture to the Lone Star State to face the Rangers. Texas has won 10 of its past 12 games to remain atop the AL West standings, while coming off a home split against Cincinnati. David Price takes the mound in the series opener for Boston, as the southpaw snapped a three-start losing streak by tossing eight innings in a 2-1 victory against Seattle in his past outing. Price hasn’t received much run support recently, as the Red Sox scored two runs or less in each of his past four starts, while cashing the ‘under’ in each of those appearances. Texas won three of four home meetings from Boston last season, as Nick Martinez makes his second start of the season for the Rangers.
Betcha didn’t know: The Nationals and Brewers begin a weekend series at Miller Park as Max Scherzer takes the ball for Washington. Scherzer struck out 16 and allowed one hit in a complete-game shutout of the Brewers the last time he faced them last June. The Nationals lost Scherzer’s last start at San Diego in spite of him striking out 10 batters in six innings, as Washington has won four straight starts by the former Cy Young winner after they dropped his last outing.
Biggest public favorite: Yankees (-225) vs. Twins
Biggest public underdog: Padres (+110) at Reds
Biggest line move: Orioles (-125 to -135) vs. Blue Jays
Friday's MLB Game of the Day: Indians at Tigers
By Covers.com
Cleveland Indians at Detroit Tigers (A: -117, H: -104, Total: 8.0)
The red-hot Cleveland Indians hold a three-game lead atop the American League Central but face a division rival that is also heating up when they visit the Detroit Tigers on Friday night in the opener of a three-game set. The Indians are riding a six-game winning streak while the Tigers are coming off a four-game sweep of visiting Seattle.
Cleveland owns the AL's second-best run differential at plus-67 after outscoring the Rays 19-5 during the three-game sweep, which was capped by consecutive complete-game three-hitters from Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer. "Guys are having fun," Bauer said. "Guys are playing well, which contributes to the fun. Hopefully we can keep it going." The Tigers have lost all six meetings between the clubs in a two-week span this season, getting outscored 38-12, but they are four games behind Cleveland following the sweep of the Mariners that included a pair of extra-inning victories. Detroit sends Jordan Zimmermann to the mound Friday to face Danny Salazar, who owns the second-lowest ERA in the AL.
INJURY REPORT:
Indians - LF M. Brantley (15-Day DL, bicep).
Tigers - RF J. Martinez (15-Day DL, elbow).
WEATHER REPORT: The forecast for Friday evening in Detroit looks absolutely perfect. Clear skies, warm temps (mid-80's), low humidity, only a 1 percent chance of rain, and a 2-3 mph breeze blowing in from left field.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Danny Salazar (8-3, 2.23 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Jordan Zimmermann (9-3, 3.24)
Salazar won his fourth consecutive start by holding the Chicago White Sox to two runs and five hits while striking out seven over 6 2/3 innings on Saturday. While Salazar has allowed six runs during the four-game winning streak, his teammates are giving him little reason to sweat by amassing 38 runs in that span. Miguel Cabrera is 9-for-26 with two homers and 10 strikeouts versus Salazar, who owns a 2-4 record and 4.55 ERA in 10 starts against Detroit.
Zimmermann turned in his best effort in weeks, limiting Kansas City to one run on four hits over a season high-tying eight innings last time out, although he did not factor in the decision. It was a strong bounce-back effort for Zimmermann, who was shelled for 13 runs and 21 hits over his previous two turns. Zimmermann is 5-2 with a 4.43 ERA in seven starts at Comerica Park this season and won his only appearance versus Cleveland in 2013 despite giving up six runs.
TRENDS:
* Indians are 6-0 in their last 6 overall.
* Indians are 11-1 in Salazar's last 12 Friday starts.
* Tigers are 8-1 in their last 9 home games vs. a team with a winning record.
* Tigers are 5-1 in Zimmermann's last 6 starts vs. American League Central.
* Under is 8-1-2 in Salazars last 11 road starts.
* Indians are 6-0 in the last 6 meetings.
CONSENSUS: Early wagering is on the home team as the Tigers are picking up 52 percent of the wagers. The public is really torn on the total as well, with 51 percent of the picks on the Over.
Friday's Top Action
By Sportsbook.ag
NEW YORK METS (38-33) at ATLANTA BRAVES (25-47)
Sportsbook.ag Line: New York -160, Miami +150, Total: 8.0
The Braves will be looking to win their eighth game in their past nine contests when they host the Mets on Friday.
The Mets have really struggled recently, losing four of their past six games and seven of their past 12 as well. This team just has not had much success offensively, scoring three or less runs in eight of those 12 contests.
They will need to start doing a better job of putting runs on the board or they might just miss out on the playoffs this year. The Braves, meanwhile, are extremely hot at the moment.
They are coming off of a 4-3 victory over the Mets on Thursday and have now won seven of their past eight games. Atlanta has gotten some excellent pitching from its staff lately, allowing three or less runs in seven straight games.
This one should be another low scoring one, as both teams clearly have trouble driving in runs. The starters on Friday are set to be LHP Steven Matz (7-3, 2.74 ERA, 73 K) for the Mets and RHP Aaron Blair (0-4, 7.19 ERA, 27 K) for the Braves.
New York is a remarkable 17-2 against the money line after scoring and allowing four runs or less in its past three games over the last two seasons.
Atlanta, meanwhile, is an impressive 22-12 against the money line off an upset win over a division rival over the past two seasons.
OF Yoenis Cespedes (Wrist) is expected to miss this game for the Mets and OF Michael Conforto (Knee) is questionable for the team as well.
Steven Matz got off to a hot start this season, but he has struggled a bit lately, with the Mets losing his past four starts and him allowing nine runs in his last 22.2 innings as well.
Prior to those outings, Matz had allowed just six earned runs in his previous six games and he’ll be hoping to recapture that magic on Friday. He has been solid against the Braves this season, allowing just two earned runs in each of his three starts against the team.
He has also struck out a total of 23 batters in those appearances against Atlanta, so it’s likely that he’ll be missing some bats in this one.
Offensively, people should keep an eye on 3B Wilmer Flores (.226, 3 HR, 10 RBI) and SS Asdrubal Cabrera (.268, 8 HR, 24 RBI) in this one. Flores homered the last time he faced Blair and it’d be huge for the Mets if he can do it again.
Cabrera, meanwhile, is 3-for-6 against Blair in his career and New York could use some production from him in this one. This team has struggled hitting the ball lately and needs all the base runners it can get on Friday.
The Braves are scorching hot as of late, but it’s going to be tough for them to earn a victory with Aaron Blair on the mound.
Blair had a 4.05 ERA back on May 12, but that has now risen to a 7.19. He has not pitched more than six innings in a start all season and he has allowed at least two earned runs in each of his past eight starts.
That might not seem bad, but he pitched less than six innings in each of the games in which he allowed only two earned runs. Atlanta needs him to find a way to work deeper into this game. The only thing working in his favor is that the Mets are banged up and struggling offensively.
The guys to look out for in Atlanta’s lineup are OF Jeff Francoeur (.268, 3 HR, 18 RBI) and 1B Freddie Freeman (.275, 12 HR, 26 RBI). The two of them are a combined 6-for-19 with a homer and two RBI against Matz in their careers.
Freeman also happens to be hitting very well coming into this one and has seen his average rise from .250 to .275 over the past 10 games. The Braves could use a big performance from him on Friday.
HOUSTON ASTROS (37-36) at KANSAS CITY ROYALS (38-33)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Houston -115, Kansas City +105, Total: 8
Houston comes to Kansas City to start a three-game series with the Astros on Friday.
The Astros come into the series on a hot streak, winning eight of the last ten games. They have won five straight, but still remain 10 games back of the division lead. Houston has not been a good road team, going 15-21 when away from home.
Kansas City, meanwhile, is coming into the series on a two-game losing streak. Despite the two game skid, the Royals have won seven of the last ten games. They remain three games back of the division lead, but they own the best home record in the league (25-8.).
The Royals are leading the season series against Houston 3-1 after winning the four-game season opening series in Houston. The two teams squared off in the ALDS last season, when the Royals won the series in five games and then went on to win the World Series.
The pitching matchup tonight features Houston’s LHP Dallas Keuchel (3-9, 5.32 ERA, 87 K) against Kansas City’s RHP Edinson Volquez (7-6, 4.12 ERA, 73 K). The two pitchers squared off in Game 3 of the ALDS last year, when Keuchel won the game for the Astros by throwing seven innings and only gave up one run.
The reigning AL Cy Young award winner, Dallas Keuchel, is not pitching like a player deserving of the award this season. In fact, he has been one of the worst starters in the league because he has the second most losses (9) in baseball. His last three games have not gone well. He has an 0-2 record with a 4.66 ERA over the three games. The month of June will be one he will want to forget because he has not been able to win a game all month.
The one positive for Keuchel in this game is that he is 3-1 with a 3.15 ERA against Kansas City, but two of those wins came last season when he was a very different pitcher.
The Astros will look to some of their hot hitters to score some runs and take the pressure off Keuchel. 2B Jose Altuve (.343, 12 HR, 41 RBI) has been hot all season and he has hit Kansas City well this season, batting .471 with two homers and four RBI in four games. Altuve has also hit Volquez well in his career, hitting .429 at the plate.
SS Carlos Correa (.262, 11 HR, 40 RBI) is getting hot right now, hitting .318 with three homers and eight RBI in the last seven days. Look for OF Colby Rasmus (.233, 9 HR, 37 RBI) to have a big night because he has hit .357 with one homer and six RBIs against Volquez.
Edinson Volquez has been one of Kansas City’s best starters this season and he leads the team in wins (7). He has pitched well at home all season, going 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA. The team is 7-2 at home when he starts. His last start did not go well against Detroit when he gave up five runs in 6.1 innings, but the team provided him with 16 runs which allowed him to get the win.
Volquez has thrown great games in his career against Houston. He has a 6-1 record with a 2.89 ERA when facing the Astros. Volquez will hope for the same run support that he got from his hitters in his last outing.
1B Eric Hosmer (.305, 12 HR, 44 RBI) is leading the team in BA, HR, RBI, and OBP. He will be looking for a big game tonight because he has hit .667 against Keuchel in his career. DH Kendrys Morales (.225, 8 HR, 32 RBI) is hitting .583 with one HR and eight RBIs over the last seven days. Keep an eye out for OF Lorenzo Cain (.283, 8 HR, 37 RBI) as well because he is a