National League
Diamondbacks @ Phillies
Miller is 0-3, 6.61 in his last three starts; four of his last five went over. .
Hellickson is 0-4, 5.23 in his last five starts; his last three starts went over.
Arizona won six of last eight games; six e of their last seven x games stayed under total. Phillies are 1-10 in last 11 games; eight of last eleven Philly home games went over.
Giants @ Pirates
Bumgarner is 4-0, 1.06 in his last seven starts; five of his last six starts stayed under.
Locke allowed 18 runs in 8.2 IP in his last two starts; his last nine starts went over.
Giants are 18-6 in last 24 road games, 7-4 in road series openers. Under is 13-7 in last 20 Giant road games. Pittsburgh lost 10 of last 11 games; over is 10-3 in their last 13 home games. Pirates are 6-5 in home series openers.
Rockies @ Marlins
de la Rosa is 1-3, 10.38 in his last four starts (over 6-1).
Clemens is making first '16 start; he is 4-8, 5.51 in 48 big league games (five starts for '13 Astros); he is 6-4, 4.30 in 14 AAA starts this season.
Rockies won lost their last three games; seven of their last nine t road games stayed under the total. Miami won five of last six games; under is 6-3 in their last nine games at home.
Cardinals @ Cubs
Garcia is 1-4, 6.23 in his last six starts; under is 7-4-1 in his last 12 starts.
Lackey is 3-0, 1.59 in his last six starts; five of his last seven stayed under.
Cardinals lost their last five games; over is 8-4 in their last 12 road games. St Louis is 4-6 in road openers. Chicago is 11-2 in its last 13 home games (under 8-2 in last 10).
Nationals @ Dodgers
Strasburg is 5-0, 3.07 in his last seven starts; his last eleven starts went over. .
Kershaw is 8-0, 1.10 in his last nine starts; under is 6-0-1 in his last seven.
Washington won 10 of last 14 games; 10 of their last 11 road games went over the total. Dodgers won 11 of last 14 at home; under is 8-3 in their last 11 at home.
American League
Mariners @ Tigers
Karns is 0-1, 6.75 in his last three starts; over is 4-2-1 in his last seven.
Pelfrey is 1-3, 5.04 in his last five starts; three of his last four starts stayed under.
Mariners lost seven of last nine road games; over is 7-4 in their last 11 road games. Seattle is 7-5 in road series openers. Detroit lost five of its last seven games; they are 5-5 in home series openers. Five of last seven Tiger games went over the total.
Rays @ Indians
Smyly is 0-3, 7.07 in his last five starts; sevne of his last eight starts went over.
Tomlin is 1-0, 1.83 in his last three starts; over is 7-2-1 in his last ten.
Rays lost their last four games; they're 5-6 in road series openers. Over is 16-3-1 in last 20 Tampa Bay road games. Cleveland won its last eight home games; did anyone in Cleveland get any sleep last night? Indians are 7-4 in home series openers. In last six Cleveland home games, under is 4-1-1.
White Sox @ Red Sox
Gonzalez is 1-2, 4.72 in his last five starts (over 5-3). .
Wright is 5-0, 3.03 in his last five starts (over 3-1-1).
Boston is 4-6 in last ten home games, 6-6 in home series openers; five of its last seven home games stayed under. Chicago lost 13 of last 16 road games; they're 6-5 in road series openers. Three of their last four road games stayed under.
Angels @ Astros
Chacin is 1-1, 7.05 in his last three starts (over 2-0-1).
Fister is 6-0, 2.67 in his last nine starts; under is 7-3-1 in his last 11 starts.
Angels won four of last five games; they're 6-5 in road series openers. Last three Angel games stayed under total. Houston won nine of last 11 home games; they're 6-5 in home series openers. Under is 10-1 in Astros' last eleven games.
Orioles @ Rangers
Gausman is 0-3, 6.49 in his last five starts; five of his last six stayed under.
Holland is 2-3, 5.77 in his last six starts; three of his last four went over.
Orioles won four of last six games; they're 6-4 in road series openers. Over is 7-3 in last ten Baltimore road games. Rangers are 22-6 in their last 28 games; ten of their last 14 road gameilts went over. Texas is 7-4 in home series openers.
Teams won-lost records when this pitcher starts:
Az-Phil-- Miller 3-7; Hellickson 6-8
SF-Pitt-- Bumgarner 11-3; Locke 5-8
Col-Mia-- De la Rosa 3-4; Clemens 0-0
StL-Chi-- Garcia 6-7; Lackey 9-4
Wsh-LA-- Strasburg 13-1; Kershaw 13-1
Sea-Det-- Karns 8-5; Pelfrey 4-9
TB-Clev-- Smyly 6-7; Tomlin 10-2
Chi-Bos-- Gonzalez 4-4; Wright 8-5
LA-Hst-- Chacin 4-3/2-3; Fister 10-3
Balt-Tex-- Gausman 4-7; Holland 7-6
Starting pitchers allowing 1+ runs in first inning:
Az-Phil-- Miller 3-10; Hellickson 5-14
SF-Pitt-- Bumgarner 2-14; Locke 4-13
Col-Mia-- De la Rosa 2-7; Clemens 0-0
StL-Chi-- Garcia 4-13; Lackey 3-13
Wsh-LA-- Strasburg 4-14; Kershaw 2-14
Sea-Det-- Karns 3-13; Pelfrey 8-13
TB-Clev-- Smyly 3-13; Tomlin 6-12
Chi-Bos-- Gonzalez 5-8; Wright 5-13
LA-Hst-- Chacin 3-12; Fister 3-13
Balt-Tex-- Gausman 4-11; Holland 2-13
Armadillosports.com
MLB: Streak, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Seattle Mariners at Detroit Tigers
When Tigers and Mariners get it on at Comerica Park Monday night they'll look to continue a solid trend for 'Over' gamblers. In the past 16 meetings between Tigers and Mariners in Detroit, the teams have hit 11 'Over', 4 'Under', 1 'Push'.
Matching that, when the Tigers have started a new series during a homestand, the 'Over' is 6-1. Mariners have also made a habit of going 'Over' the number in a road series opener going 6-1-1 'Over' the past eight. Another positive for 'Over' gamblers, Tigers Pelfrey is 4-2 'Over' at home, Mariners Karns is 5-1-1 'Over' last seven on the hill.
Baltimore Orioles at Texas Rangers
One team comes home and the other hits the road as the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles meet in a make up game at Globe Life Park in Arlington.
Lefthander Derek Holland toes the rubber for Texas, entering the game with a 5-5 record, 5.14 ERA. In his last outing, he allowed five runs in 3 2/3 inninings in a no-decision at Oakland. In his five starts at home for the Rangers, the southpaw is 3-1 with a 3.13 ERA. Holland also carries to the mound a 5-1 teams start record vs Orioles including a 9.0 inning 3 hit, no-run, 12 K gem in his last home start vs Baltimore.
Holland will be matching pitches with Baltimore’s righthander Kevin Gausman, who has had a disasterous start posting a 0-4 record, 4.14 ERA in eleven trips to the mound. Gausman also heads to the hill saddled with a 0-9 record his last fifteen starts in an opposing park with Orioles 4-11 in those games.
Rangers one of the hottest teams recently at 16-4 heading into Sunday play, including 7-1 in front of the home audience are 6-1 last seven hosting Baltimore.
Monday's MLB Game of the Day: Nationals at Dodgers
By Covers.com
Washington Nationals at Los Angeles Dodgers (A: +157, H: -180, Total: 5.5)
Two of the top starting pitchers in the major leagues square off in Los Angeles on Monday as the Washington Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg faces Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in the opener of a three-game series. Washington has won 10 of its last 14 contests and leads the National League East by 5 1/2 games over Miami, while the Dodgers are 6 1/2 behind streaking San Francisco in the NL West.
Monday’s series opener is expected to mark the return of Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig, who was batting .237 before landing on the disabled list June 3 with a strained left hamstring. Trayce Thompson has reached base safely in 14 of his last 18 games and figures to receive most of the starts in left field when Puig returns to his spot in right. The Dodgers have won three straight but will be tested by Strasburg and the Nationals, who dropped the final two contests of their four-game series in San Diego over the weekend. Michael Taylor went 4-for-4 with two home runs in Sunday’s 6-3 loss and could receive another start in center field over Ben Revere on Monday against the left-handed Kershaw.
INJURY REPORT:
Nationals - RP J. Papelbon (15-Day DL, ribs).
Dodgers - RF Y. Puig (Probable Monday, hamstring), RP C. Tsao (15-Day DL, tricep).
WEATHER REPORT: It's Los Angeles. What did you expect the weather report to look like? I hope you didn't come to this section of the preview for a shocking forecast that will help tilt your wager. Sunny, clear, temperatures in the 90's, low humidity, and barely a whisper of wind. Perfect.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals RH Stephen Strasburg (10-0, 2.90 ERA) vs. Dodgers LH Clayton Kershaw (10-1, 1.58)
Strasburg settled for his fourth no-decision of the season on Wednesday but continued to impress by holding the Chicago Cubs to one run and six hits while walking one and striking out eight over seven frames. The San Diego native is riding a 13-game winning streak dating back to last year, and the Nationals are 17-1 in his last 18 starts. Chase Utley is 4-for-27 with seven strikeouts against Strasburg, who is 1-0 with a 1.71 ERA in four career starts versus the Dodgers.
Kershaw won his eighth straight decision after yielding two runs and recording 11 strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings in Wednesday’s 3-2 victory over Arizona. The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner leads the majors in ERA (1.58), WHIP (0.66), strikeouts (133) and innings pitched (108.0). Bryce Harper is 1-for-12 with a home run and seven strikeouts against Kershaw, who is 9-2 with a 2.09 ERA in 12 career starts against Washington - including 7-0 with a 0.82 ERA over his last seven outings.
TRENDS:
* Nationals are 9-2 in their last 11 road games vs. a left-handed starter.
* Nationals are 8-1 in Strasburgs last 9 road starts.
* Dodgers are 5-1 in their last 6 overall.
* Dodgers are 7-0 in Kershaws last 7 starts vs. Nationals.
* Over is 9-1-1 in Nationals last 11 road games.
* Under is 7-1 in Kershaws last 8 home starts vs. a team with a winning record.
CONSENSUS: Kershaw and the Dodgers are picking up 61 percent of the wagers early on Monday morning - I think bettors are just thrilled to be able to get Kershaw at such a low price. Over 5.5 is leading the way in totals picks with 60 percent of the action.
MLB Betting Cheat Sheet
By Power Sports
Covers.com
Strasburg vs. Kershaw
The biggest series of the week takes place at Chavez Ravine with the Dodgers hosting the Nationals and on Monday we have the pitching matchup of the year (so far). That would be Stephen Strasburg vs. Clayton Kershaw, both of whom are sporting identical 13-1 team start records. Strasburg may have the edge in net units (+11.2 to +9.9), but Kershaw owns the edge in all personal statistics. In fact, the reigning Cy Young winner leads all of MLB in ERA (1.58), strikeouts (133) and opponents' batting average (.170). He also has issued a preposterously low seven walks, easily the fewest among starters. Washington did not score in 16 innings against Kershaw last year. But this will be the first time Kershaw has ever been opposed by Strasburg. Interestingly, Strasburg’s last 11 starts have all gone Over the total. The Under is 8-0-1 in Kershaw’s last nine, so something will have to give in that department.
Polar Opposites
The Giants and Pirates played in the Wild Card Game a couple years ago, but right now only one appears playoff ready. That would be NL West-leading San Francisco, winners of eight straight and 27 of their last 35. That’s the franchise’s best 35-game stretch since the 1954 World Series winning team, by the way. Trending in the opposite direction would be the Pirates, who have lost 10 of their last 11 with six of those losses coming by five runs or greater, Sunday night included. Monday night is not a good spot for the Bucs, even at home, as they have to face Madison Bumgarner (more on him in a moment) while relying on Jeff Locke (12.06 ERA, 1.978 WHIP L3 starts). Since winning that Wild Card Game in 2014 (with Bumgarner as the starter), the Giants are just 1-6 vs. the Pirates (one win was in a Bumgarner start as well!), so revenge is in play.
Rangers The AL’s Best?
I recently read an article declaring Texas to be the team to beat in the American League. I’m not so sure I would agree with that. Sure, the club currently enjoys an 8.5 game cushion in the AL West (largest division lead besides the Cubs). But in terms of run differential, they are just fourth in the A.L, trailing Boston, Cleveland and Seattle. They start the week by hosting another team I’d tab as an overachiever, that being Baltimore. I’ll again point to the fact that the Orioles might be 26-12 at Camden Yards this season (most home wins in MLB entering Monday), but they are also below .500 on the road. Despite finding themselves in first place in the AL East, the O’s are actually third in the division in terms of run differential.
Pitcher Notes
You should not need me to tell you that Madison Bumgarner is really good. However, what we’ve seen so far from the Giants’ big old lefty is truly special. The Giants have won his last 10 starts with him turning in a 1.27 ERA. He’s allowed 2 ER or less in nine of those 10 starts. His last three starts have seen him post a 0.738 WHIP due to allowing just 12 hits in 20+ innings pitched.
Another hot pitcher, albeit a lesser known one, is Houston’s Doug Fister. He has a 9-0 team start record his last nine starts. He has a 1.40 ERA his last three. His stretch has actually been remarkable to Bumgarner’s as Fister has allowed 3 ER or less in all nine starts. Fister starts Monday against the Angels in a battle of division rivals coming off shutout wins Sunday. Houston, rather quietly, has won 17 of its last 25 games.
Hitter Notes
Do you know who the best hitter in baseball is this year? That would be Washington’s Daniel Murphy, who is batting .358 for the year, while ranking second in MLB in OPS (.995) and second in the N.L. in slugging (.595).
Monitor the injury situation with Cubs’ leadoff man Dexter Fowler. Not only is Fowler a .290 hitter with 115 total bases, 19 doubles and 35 walks, but his .398 OBP is second on the team as well. Right now, the club is determining whether or not to place Fowler on the disabled list due to a sore right hamstring.
Totals Trend
The Under has gone 24-11 this year at Dodger Stadium. That’s because the home team is averaging only 3.8 runs per game with a .224 batting average. Fortunate for them, they have been able to hold opponents to 3.1 runs per game with a .219 batting average.
Dodgers, Nationals hook up
By Sportsbook.ag
WASHINGTON NATIONALS (43-27) at LOS ANGELES DODGERS (38-33)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Washington +170, Los Angeles -180, Total: 8.0
The Dodgers will be looking to win their fourth straight game when they host the Nationals on Monday.
The Nationals are struggling a bit coming into this game on Monday, as they have now lost two straight games. Washington has scored just three runs in each of those games and gave up a miserable 13 as well. The team will need to find a way to hit better or it will need some lights out pitching against Los Angeles.
The Dodgers are hot coming into this game, winning three straight and five of their past six as well. They’ll be feeling really good about their chances on Monday, as LHP Clayton Kershaw (10-1, 1.58 ERA, 133 K) will be on the mound. He’ll be going up against one of the best the Nationals have to offer in RHP Stephen Strasburg (10-0, 2.90 ERA, 118 K).
Washington is an impressive 13-1 against the money line with Strasburg on the mound this season, but the team is 16-38 against the money line as an underdog of +100 or higher over the past two seasons.
RHP Jonathan Papelbon (Side) remains out for the Nationals in this game and OF Yasiel Puig (Hamstring) is questionable for the Dodgers.
Stephen Strasburg has not yet lost a start this season and he’ll be taking the mound on Monday to face Clayton Kershaw. He should be feeling confident as he heads into this one as he is coming off of one of his best starts of the year. Strasburg most recently faced the Cubs and allowed just one earned run in seven innings of work. He struck out eight batters in that one and walked just one. He’ll be hoping to carry in that type of efficient pitching into Monday’s outing against the Dodgers.
Offensively, two guys to keep an eye on in this game are OF Jayson Werth (.250, 10 HR, 37 RBI) and 1B Ryan Zimmerman (.230, 10 HR, 32 RBI). Both guys have had some success against Kershaw in their careers, as Werth is 9-for-29 with two homers and two RBI against the ace and Zimmerman is 7-for-19 with a double and an RBI. The Nationals can use some production from both of them on Monday.
The Dodgers are hot as of late and they’ll now have Clayton Kershaw on the mound on Monday. Kershaw is off to a ridiculous start to the season and has now struck out 24 batters over the past two games. He has, however, allowed 10 hits and four earned runs in those contests. He had allowed just three earned runs in his previous five starts before that, so he will be hoping to get back to his more dominant ways.
Offensively, the Dodgers are going to need somebody to step up against a very good pitcher and 1B Adrian Gonzalez (.274, 6 HR, 32 RBI) will likely need to be that guy. He is 4-for-9 with a double and an RBI against Strasburg in his career and will need that to carry over into this game.
SS Corey Seager (.280, 15 HR, 36 RBI) is another guy to keep an eye on. He is Los Angeles’ best hitter and while he may not have any experience against Strasburg, he’ll be counted on to produce on Monday.