Monday's National League Betting Cheat Sheet
By Covers.com
Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals (-110, 8)
Cold pitching stat: Reds right-hander Mike Leake is 2-4 with a 5.77 ERA in seven starts and one relief appearance against St. Louis.
Cold batting stat: Cardinals OF Carlos Beltran is just 2-for-18 in his career versus Leake.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-80s under partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow from right to left field at 5 mph.
Key betting note: Cincinnati is 13-3 in its last 16 Monday games.
Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets (+114, 7)
Hot pitching stat: Mets right-hander Zack Wheeler has surrendered five runs over his last three starts, a span of 19 innings.
Hot batting stat: New York OF Marlon Byrd is a .357 career hitter in 28 at-bats against Phillies starter Cliff Lee.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s with a 45 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Wind will blow out to right field at 7 mph.
Key betting note: The under is 13-3 in Lee's last 16 starts against the National League East.
San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies (-158, 10.5)
Hot pitching stat: Giants left-hander Barry Zito has enjoyed plenty of success in his career against the Rockies, going 8-4 with a 2.98 ERA in 22 starts and two relief appearances.
Cold batting stat: Members of the San Francisco roster are hitting a collective .246 with zero home runs in 61 at-bats against Rockies starter Juan Nicasio.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s with a 30 percent chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Wind will be calm.
Key betting note: The over is 7-1 in Nicasio's last eight home starts against a team with a losing record.
San Diego Padres at Arizona Diamondbacks (-110, 8)
Cold pitching stat: Arizona right-hander Brandon McCarthy has dropped five straight starts and has been particularly bad in his last two turns, allowing 11 runs over eight innings in that span.
Hot batting stat: Diamondbacks OF A.J. Pollock broke out of a prolonged slump Sunday against Philadelphia, going 3-for-4 with a three-run homer.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-90s with a 35 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Wind will be calm.
Key betting note: Arizona has lost seven of its last nine games against division foes.
Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers (-110, 8)
Hot pitching stat: Dodgers right-hander Zack Greinke is 4-0 with a 1.29 ERA over his last five starts.
Hot batting stat: Cubs SS Starlin Castro is 4-for-12 with three walks in his career against Greinke.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s under cloudy skies. Wind will blow out to center field at 3 mph.
Key betting note: The Dodgers have won seven straight meetings.
Monday's American League Betting Cheat Sheet
By Covers.com
Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals (+110, 8.5)
Cold pitching stat: Rays right-hander Jeremy Hellickson is 0-4 in his last five starts and surrendered eight runs over 5 2/3 innings in his last encounter with the Royals.
Hot batting stat: Tampa Bay OF Matt Joyce is 11-for-30 with two home runs and seven RBIs against Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-90s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out toward center field at 11 mph.
Key betting note: Kansas City is 12-1 in Guthrie's last 13 home starts against a team with a winning record.
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays (-107, 9)
Cold pitching stat: Yankees right-hander Phil Hughes is 0-5 in his last eight starts, including a no-decision in his last meeting with Toronto six days ago.
Hot batting stat: New York OF Alfonso Soriano has homered twice in nine career at-bats against Toronto knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s with a 30 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Wind will blow out to right field at 7 mph.
Key betting note: The under is 10-2 in Toronto's last 12 games against the American League East.
Oakland Athletics at Detroit Tigers (-165, 8)
Hot pitching stat: Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez has allowed just one home run in 70 1/3 innings at Comerica Park.
Hot batting stat: Miguel Cabrera has a double and a homer in his only two at-bats against Athletics righty A.J. Griffin.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-80s with a 35 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Wind will blow from right to left field at 9 mph.
Key betting note: The under is 10-1 in Griffin's last 11 starts against teams with winning records.
Houston Astros at Chicago White Sox (-150, 8.5)
Hot pitching stat: Astros left-hander Brett Oberholtzer has recorded four straight quality starts since entering the rotation July 31.
Cold batting stat: Houston OF Chris Carter is 2-for-20 with 14 strikeouts over his last six games.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-80s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow from right to left field at 9 mph.
Key betting note: Chicago is 2-8 in its last 10 games against opponents who scored two or fewer runs in their previous game.
Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners (+117, 8)
Cold pitching stat: Mariners left-hander Joe Saunders is 4-9 with a 6.17 ERA in 15 career starts against the Rangers.
Hot batting stat: Texas 2B Ian Kinsler is 11-for-33 with four home runs against Saunders.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-60s with a 40 percent chance of rain. Wind will blow out to right field at 8 mph.
Key betting note: The over is 11-0 in Seattle's last 11 games as a home underdog.
MLB: Streaks, Trends, Notes
Sportspic.com
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
A battle of AL East bottom feeders takes place Monday when Blue Jays and Yankees open a three game set north of the border. Jays off a dismal 2-8 road swing including 0-4 vs Yankees in the Big Apple are hoping their search for answers can be found on home turf. Dickey will toe the rubber for Toronto. The right-hander who brings a 9-12 record, 4.49 ERA to the mound has one win in nine starts (3-6 TSR) and has a career 2-4 TSR vs Yankees including 0-2 wearing a Blue Jay uniform. On the other side, Phil Hughes with a 4-12 mark, 4.88 ERA gets to match pitches with Dickey. The Yankees did win Hughes' last start but the hurler picked up a no-decision against the Blue Jays marking an eight consecutive outing without a win (3-5 TSR). On a positive note, Hughes now has a 13-5 TSR vs Toronto. Some negative betting numbers against Toronto will certainly discourage many faithful backers. The Jays have won just one of thirteen encounters with New York. Taking a team that is in the midst of a 4-11 slump might not sound like good baseball betting option. However, it becomes easier to make a case knowing Jays have a solid 7-2 stretch in first home game off a road swing, a smart 4-1 record at home opening a series w/Dickey while Yankees come in 2-8 following a win w/Hughes, 0-2 as road dogs in August w/Hughes, 3-7 the past ten on the road, 5-12 as road dogs opening a series away from the Stadium.
Monday's Diamond Action
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Reds at Cardinals
Probables: M. Leake (11-5, 3.12 ERA) vs. T. Lyons (2-4, 5.09 ERA)
Previous series recap: The Reds dropped two of three to the Brewers at home, including a 3-1 defeat on Sunday as $1.50 favorites. Cincinnati remained 2 ½ games behind both St. Louis and Pittsburgh in the NL Central after all three teams lost on Sunday. The Cardinals couldn't pull off the home sweep of the Braves, but St. Louis did grab three of four from Atlanta to avenge a sweep at Turner Field last month.
Current trends: St. Louis has taken eight of 12 meetings from Cincinnati this season, including two of three at the Great American Ballpark earlier this month. The Reds have won four of their past five road series openers, while the Cardinals are 10-4 the last 14 contests following a four-game skid in early August.
Yankees at Blue Jays
Probables: P. Hughes (4-12, 4.88 ERA) vs. R.A. Dickey (9-12, 4.49 ERA)
Previous series recap: Both these teams avoided a sweep on the road on Sunday, as the Yankees edged the Rays in extra innings, 3-2 to cash as $1.40 underdogs. The Blue Jays snapped a seven-game skid by scoring two runs in the top of the ninth to edge the Astros, 2-1 as $1.40 road favorites.
Current trends: New York has owned Toronto this season by beating the Blue Jays 12 times in 13 tries, including 10 straight times (all in the Bronx). The Yankees have struggled in road series openers recently with a 1-6 mark since the All-Star break. Toronto has lost six of its last seven games in the favorite role, while posting four straight 'unders' at home.
Athletics at Tigers
Probables: A.J. Griffin (10-9, 3.84 ERA) vs. A. Sanchez (11-7, 2.45 ERA)
Previous series recap: Oakland dropped two of three games at Baltimore, with the lone victory coming on Saturday in a 2-1 triumph. The A's begin tonight's action 2 ½ games behind the Rangers in the AL West, while holding onto a 1 ½ game edge on Cleveland for the second Wild Card spot in the AL. The Tigers return home after sweeping the Mets, as Detroit's pitching limited New York to just four runs this past weekend.
Current trends: Oakland has dropped four of its past five away series openers, while owning a 4-7 record against AL Central opponents on the highway. Since winning its first nine home games after the All-Star break, Detroit is just 3-4 in its last seven contests at Comerica Park, which includes three losses as a $1.90 favorite or higher.
Giants at Rockies
Probables: B. Zito (4-9, 5.63 ERA) vs. J. Nicasio (7-6, 4.79 ERA)
Previous series recap: San Francisco rebounded from a pair of defeats to Pittsburgh to salvage a series split with the Pirates. The Giants won the final two games as a home underdog, including Sunday's 4-0 triumph to wrap up their homestand at 3-4. Colorado returns to Coors Field following a 4-6 road swing, but the Rockies did win their three-game series at Miami.
Current trends: The Giants have lost all nine road starts made by Barry Zito this season, including two defeats in Denver. The Rockies have performed better at home recently with wins in six of their last seven home contests, while beating the Giants five of seven times at Coors Field this season.
Rangers at Mariners
Probables: T. Blackley (1-1, 4.85 ERA) vs. J. Saunders (10-12, 4.91 ERA)
Previous series recap: Texas grabbed the series opener at Chicago, but the White Sox won the final two games by holding the Rangers to just four runs. The Mariners put together an ugly weekend after getting swept by the struggling Angels, as Seattle's offense plated only four runs.
Current trends: Seattle has held its own with Texas by winning five of the last seven meetings, including four of those victories in Arlington. Despite the two losses at Chicago, the Rangers are 9-2 the last 11 road contests, while taking four of seven visits at Safeco Field. The M's have stumbled at home of late by losing nine of their last 12 in the Pacific Northwest.
Cubs at Dodgers
Probables: J. Arrieta (1-0, 3.71 ERA) vs. Z. Greinke (12-3, 3.91 ERA)
Previous series recap: The Cubs lost two of three at San Diego, including a 15-inning defeat on Sunday. The Dodgers also lost their series at home to the Red Sox, the first series defeat for Los Angeles since mid-June at Pittsburgh.
Current trends: Los Angeles swept Chicago at Wrigley Field earlier this month, which included shutouts in the final two victories. The Dodgers have won 11 of 15 games at Chavez Ravine since the All-Star break, while Los Angeles is 11-1 in Zack Greinke's last 12 starts. In spite of Chicago's struggles this season, the Cubs are riding a 6-0 run on the road off a road loss.
MLB Odds and Picks – Cardinals kick off killer 13-game stretch against division foes
By: The Linemakers
Sportingnews.com
The St. Louis Cardinals start a brutal 13-game stretch tonight where they will play home and away series against both the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds. We'd like to say that this stretch will ultimately determine who will win the division and who will be playing in the dreaded one-game wild card playoff, but the Cardinals have such a huge scheduling advantage after these 13 games -- their final six series will be against teams at .500 or below. If the Cardinals can come away with at least a 6-7 record over the next 13 games, they should be in good position to cruise away with the division in the final three weeks.
With a win over the Reds tonight at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals have the opportunity to be all alone atop the NL Central for the first time since July 29. St. Louis blew their chance yesterday when the Braves avoided a sweep with a 5-2 win on the same night that the co-division leading Pirates suffered a second straight loss. Meanwhile, the Reds have won 13 of their last 19 games but blew a golden opportunity over the weekend to move up in the standings by losing two of three to a sad Brewers club. They remain 2.5 games behind the Cardinals and Pirates.
In the 12 games St. Louis and Cincinnati have battled already this season, the Cardinals have won eight of them. Tonight's game puts a couple of struggling pitchers on the mound, which has us leaning less toward a side, and more to the total -- as in lots of runs should be expected.
Mike Leake (11-5, 3.12 ERA) gets the nod for Cincinnati while St. Louis inserts Tyler Lyons (2-4, 5.09 ERA) back into the rotation for an ailing Jake Westbrook. Leake is 1-1 with a 6.26 ERA in four starts this month, including a home game against the Cardinals where he gave up a season high seven runs over five innings in a 15-2 loss. Lyons hasn't been much better, going 0-4 in his last five starts. On June 8, Lyons gave up four runs over 5.1 innings in a 4-2 loss at Cincinnati.
Tonight's total is set at 8.5 runs and it wouldn't be surprising to see one of these teams get over the total themselves. The Cardinals lead the NL in runs scored (631) and batting average (.272) while the Reds are fourth in the NL in runs scored (563) and third in on-base percentage (.325).
This should be a fun series. Even though Tony La Russa isn't around any more, Dusty Baker will find a way for his team to pick a fight and take this rivalry to the next level with so much at stake. The Reds only get six more cracks at St. Louis after tonight and they can help create their own destiny by making these games count.
Monday selections:
Cardinals/Reds OVER 8.5 (-110)
Rangers (Blackley) -130 at Mariners
Second-half record: 67-59 (+1,170)