MLB betting trends, odds and predictions for Monday, June 26th, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
MLB Knowledge
National League
Phillies @ Diamondbacks
Pivetta is 0-1, 3.50 in his last three starts; over is 4-2 in his last six. Phillies’ 1st 5-inning record with him: 2-4-2
Greinke is 2-2, 5.76 in his last five starts; under is 6-2-1 in his last nine. Arizona is 7-1 in his home starts- their 1st 5-inning record with him: 8-5-2
Phillies lost 14 of last 17 games; under is 6-3 in their last nine road games. Arizona won 14 of its last 17 games; over is 7-3 in their last ten home games.
Cubs @ Nationals
Butler is 0-1, 4.91 in his last three starts (under 4-3-1). Cubs’ 1st 5-inning record with him: 5-3
Gonzalez is 4-0, 3.06 in his last five starts; his last four home starts stayed under. Washington lost his last three home starts- their 1st 5-inning record with him: 11-2-2
Cubs are 5-13 in last 18 road games, 5-7 in road series openers. Under is 8-1 in their last nine games. Washington is 3-4 in its last seven games, 9-4 in home series openers. Over is 5-1 in their last six home games.
Reds @ Cardinals
Finnegan is making his first start since April 15; he is 1-0, 2.70 in three starts this year (over 1-1-1). Reds’ 1st 5-inning record with him: 1-0-2
Wacha is 1-2, 9.59 in his last six starts; over is 9-1 in his last ten. St Louis is 3-5 in his home starts- their 1st 5-inning record with him: 5-6-2
Reds lost 13 of last 15 games; they’re 6-7 in road series openers. Over is 12-4 in their last 16 road games. St Louis lost five of last six home games; they’re 5-8 in home series openers. Over is 9-2-1 in their last dozen games.
Rockies @ Giants
Marquez is 1-0, 2.57 in his last three starts; under is 7-3 in his last ten. Colorado is 4-2 in his road starts- their 1st 5-inning record with him: 6-3-2
Samardzija is 0-2, 6.63 in his last three starts; under is 10-4 in his last 14. Giants are 2-5 in his home starts- their 1st 5-inning record with him: 1-9-5
Rockies lost their last five games; they’re 8-5 in road series openers. Under is 4-1 in their last five road games. Giants lost 12 of last 13 games, are 4-7 in home series openers. Over is 5-1 in their last six home games.
American League
Rangers @ Indians
Hamels is making his first start since April 26; he is 2-0, 2.45 in his last two starts. Texas’ 1st 5-inning record with him: 4-0-1
Carrasco is 3-0, 1.53 in his last three starts; under is 4-1 in his last five. Indians are 4-2 in his home starts- their 1st 5-inning record with him: 10-3-1
Rangers are 8-2 in last ten road games, 5-7 in road series openers. Under is 9-2 in their last 11 road games. Cleveland lost last three games, are 4-8 in home series openers. Last five Indian games stayed under the total.
Twins @ Red Sox
Berrios is 4-0, 2.63 in his last four starts (under 7-0-1). Twins are 4-0 in his home starts- their 1st 5-inning record with him: 6-2
Sale is 5-1, 4.32 in his last six starts (over 5-1). Boston is 6-1 in his home starts- their 1st 5-inning record with him: 7-2-6
Twins won five of last six games; they’re 9-2 in road series openers. Under is 11-5-1 in their last 17 games. Red Sox lost three of last four games; they’re 9-4 in home series openers. Under is 3-1 in their last four home games.
New York @ White Sox
Montgomery is 3-0, 2.96 in his last four starts; his last three starts went over. New York is 2-4 in his road starts- their 1st 5-inning record with him: 6-6-1
Holmberg is 1-1, 4.87 in five starts this year; his last three starts stayed under. Chicago’s 1st 5-inning record with him: 3-1-1
New York lost 10 of last 12 games; they’re 6-6 in road series openers. Over is 7-4 in their last 11 games. Chicago lost six of last seven games; they’re 4-6 in home series openers. Four of their last five games stayed under the total.
Interleague
Tigers @ Padres
Nolasco is 0-7, 6.52 in his last seven starts; under is 8-4 in his last 12. Angels are 1-7 in his road starts- their 1st 5-inning record with him: 4-8-3
Hill is 2-1, 6.00 in his last four starts, all of which went over. Dodgers are 3-2 in his home starts- their 1st 5-inning record with him: 4-5
Angels won their last four road series (8-4); they’re 6-7 in road series openers. Over is 7-3 in their last ten road games. Dodgers won their last 10 games; they’re 10-3 in home series openers. Over is 8-2 in their last ten home games.
Record with this pitcher starting
National League
Phil-Az: Pivetta 2-6; Greinke 10-5
Chi-Wash: Butler 4-4; Gonzalez 9-6
Cin-StL: Finnegan 3-0; Wacha 5-8
Col-SF: Marquez 10-5; Samardzija 5-10
American League
Tex-Clev: Hamels 2-3; Carrasco 11-3
Min-Bos: Berrios 7-1; Sale 11-4
NY-Chi: Montgomery 6-7; Holmberg 3-2
Interleague
LAA-LA: Nolasco 3-12; Hill 5-4
Pitchers allowing a run in first inning:
National League
Phil-Az: Pivetta 2-8; Greinke 1-15
Chi-Wash: Butler 3-8; Gonzalez 3-15
Cin-StL: Finnegan 1-3; Wacha 2-13
Col-SF: Marquez 6-15; Samardzija 6-15
American League
Tex-Clev: Hamels 2-5; Carrasco 2-14
Min-Bos: Berrios 2-8; Sale 1-15
NY-Chi: Montgomery 4-13; Holmberg 1-5
Interleague
LAA-LA: Nolasco 4-15; Hill 3-9
Interleague play
NL @ AL– 40-22 AL, favorites +$18
AL @ NL– 38-37 AL, favorites -$784
Total: 78-58 AL, favorites -$766
Totals in interleague games
NL @ AL: Over 40-26-1
AL @ NL: Over 43-27-2
Total: Over 83-53-3
Armadillosports.com
Monday's Diamond Notes
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com
Hottest team: Dodgers (10-0 past nine games, 16-1 past 17 overall)
The Dodgers rolled past the Rockies over the weekend in a three-game sweep, putting a little distance between themselves, the Arizona Diamondbacks (2 1/2 games back) and the Rockies (4 1/2 games back). L.A.'s offense continues to post huge totals, averaging 8.4 runs per game over the past nine outings. The Dodgers have the best home record in the majors at 32-10, and they also lead MLB in run differential with a mark of plus-138. Now, the Dodgers will host the Angels in the Freeway Series, looking to keep the Halos down. The Angels have a minuscule plus-3 run differential, they're just one game over .500 and they're 1-5 in their past six trips to Dodger Stadium.
Coldest team: Giants (0-5 past four games, 1-12 past 13 overall)
The Giants were dumped 8-2 by the Mets in Sunday's series finale, capping off an awful three-game set where they were outscored by a 24-8 margin. San Francisco's pitching has been horrendous, allowing an average of 7.7 runs per game over the past 14 outings. The Rockies visit the Giants, and that isn't likely to be the elixir to cure their ills. Colorado completed a four-game sweep of San Francisco June 15-18 in Denver, outscoring the Giants 32-23. The Rockies are just 1-6 over their past seven road games, and they have dropped five in a row. But San Francisco is just 1-5 over Jeff Samardzija's past six starts overall, and the Giants are 1-10 in their past 11 home games.
Hottest pitcher: Gio Gonzalez, Nationals (7-1, 2.96 ERA)
The Nationals give the ball to Gonzalez for the series opener against the defending champion Cubs in D.C. While the Cubs have won four in a row agaisnt a left-handed starter, they're a dismal 5-13 over their past 18 road games and 2-6 in their past eight against teams with an overall winning mark. Washington has won four in a row at home against a team with a winning record, 4-1 in their past five starts with Gonzalez on the hill and 6-1 in his past seven outings against a team with a winning overall mark. The Nationals are just 2-7 in their past nine tries against the Cubs, however.
Coldest pitcher: Ricky Nolasco, Angels (2-9, 5.23 ERA)
Nolasco hasn't been fooling anybody with his stuff this season, as he is tied for the major league lead with 23 homers allowing, including seven homers over 24 innings across four June outings. He has dropped seven consecutive starts, and he hasn't posted a victory since April 27. The Angels have kept afloat despite playing a good chunk of the season without All-Star OF Mike Trout, but they're 0-6 in Nolasco's past six road outings and 7-19 in his past 26 starts overall. They're also a terrible 3-8 over his past 11 outings against teams with a winning overall record.
Biggest UNDER run: Padres (5-1 past six games)
The 'under' has connected in five of the past six for the Padres, and the under is 8-2-1 in their past 11 in the third game of a series. They're also 5-1 in Clayton Richard's past six starts on a Sunday, while going 3-0-1 over his past four against a team with a losing record. The over has been hitting for Detroit lately, going 3-1-1 in their past five road games. However, the under is 5-2-1 in Detroit's past eight interleague road outings and 3-1-1 in Jordan Zimmermann's past five road starts. The over hit in Saturday's game, but the under easily cashed in Friday's interleague series opener.
Biggest OVER run: Dodgers (13-3 past 16 games overall)
The Dodgers offense continues to shine, and bettors are lining up at the window to hit those 'over' results. The over has connected in 13 of the past 16 meetings overall, while going 10-2 over the past 12 vs. RHP. The over is also 4-0 in Rich Hill's past four assignment, and 6-2 in the past eight meetings of the Freeway Series. The over has also cashed in eight of the past 10 home games for L.A. For the Angels, the over is 4-1 in their past five interleague road outings, but the under is 10-2 in Nolasco's past 12 road starts and 9-1-1 over his past 11 starts against a team with a winning record.
Matchup to watch: White Sox vs. Yankees
The Yankees kick off a four-game set at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago as they look to get back on track. While they can be pleased they're still tied for first in the American League East Division, they have dropped 10 of the past 12 to back into a tie with the rival Boston Red Sox. They'll turn to Jordan Montgomery to stem the tide of losing. He is 3-0 over his past four outings, including a win last time out against the Angels. He is a high-strikeout pitcher, posting 71 whiffs over 74 2/3 innings. He earned his first-career win in his second MLB start back on April 17 against the Pale Hose, spinning six innings while allowing three earned runs.
Betcha didn’t know: The White Sox turn to David Holmberg, as he tries to continue pitching well. He is 1-1 with a respectable 3.98 ERA in five starts this season, but this will be his first career outings against the Bronx Bombers. New York has managed just one win over the past six tries against a left-handed starting pitcher, while going 1-10 in their past 11 against teams with a losing overall mark. New York is also 0-for-6 in their past six tries on the road. Chicago isn't much better, though, going 4-14 over their past 18 against teams with a winning overall mark, although they're an impressive 20-8 over their past 28 vs. LHP.
Biggest public favorite: Diamondbacks (-225) vs. Phillies
Biggest public underdog: Rockies (+135) at Giants
Biggest line move: Giants (-115 to -135) vs. Rockies
MLB Picks of the Day
By Zabo Jones
Bangthebook.com
MLB Favorite of the day: San Francisco -136
Jeff Samardzija of the Giants is going to be starting at AT&T Park against German Marquez of the Rockies. The odds look pretty good for the Rockies to make the playoffs this season, and their young starting pitching staff is a large part of the reason. But Jeff Samardzija is having a career season with almost nobody realizing it.
To start, Jeff Samardzija does not have an especially great ERA, of 4.70. There are a lot of reasons for this, but most notably is the 18% homerun to flyball ratio, and the .326 BABIP. His career BABIP is at .296, and his batted ball profile is about the same as it has been in the past, so I think that’s likely to trend towards his career average. His homerun to flyball ratio makes sense to go up a bit, as most pitchers are seeing this ratio rise, but a 7% rise is quite extreme. Outside of that, he is striking out over 10 batters per nine innings, while walking only 1 per nine innings. He is on pace to throw 200 innings, and given the failures of the Giants’ bullpen, I think it’s likely that he will be kept in the game as long as possible.
German Marquez is going to be starting for the Rockies, and he has been one of their better pitchers. In general, the Rockies starting rotation has been very underrated this season, but I haven’t heard much of anything about Marques from even non mainstream sports outlets. Marquez has an ERA of 3.92, and a FIP of 3.98. The xFIP is a bit concerning, at 4.60, but it’s worth noting that his hard hit ratio isn’t too high, so it makes some sense that his homerun to flyball ratio would be lower. However, I think the public is generally overrating the Rockies, and I’ve been looking to fade them a little bit. Samardzija is a great pitcher, even if he’s not recognized as such, so I feel pretty good at -136.
MLB Over/Under of the day: Arizona / Philadelphia Over 9
I don’t have any underdog picks today, but I do have a totals pick. I want to start by saying that Zack Greinke is one of my favorite pitchers in the MLB. I think Arizona being his destination in free agency is still a very strange, and confusing outcome, but he’s certainly helping their playoff run this season. Against Greinke is going to be Nick Pivetta.
Zack Greinke going to Arizona was strange for more than a couple reasons. To start, of course Arizona is not generally a big spender in free agency. But what made it even stranger is that Greinke has been something of a flyball pitcher throughout his career. This worked fine when he was in Kansas City and Los Angeles which are not especially hitter friendly parks, but that is not the case for Chase Field. Outside of Coors field, there aren’t really any more hitter friendly parks in the MLB. This season, Greinke has been great in spite of this problem, with a 3.10 xFIP, but last season showed the risk that Arizona was taking when they signed him. For clarity, I still like Greinke a lot, but when he’s at Chase Field, I always get a little bit concerned for him.
Nick Pivetta is one of the pitchers the Phillies are trying out before they ever become any good. He’s only pitched 42 innings so far, but it’s not easy to get a great read on him so far. He has an ERA of 4.46, and an xFIP of 4.25. But much like Greinke, he is a flyball pitcher. Chase Field is going to allow a lot of homeruns, and Arizona’s offense has been terrific all season. I like the over quite a bit in this game.
Nationals host struggling Cubs
By: StatFox.com
The Nationals will be hoping to get this series against the Cubs started off with a home victory on Monday.
The Cubs have not yet gotten themselves going this season, and at a certain point they are going to really have to wonder whether or not that will happen. With 75 games played on the year, the sample size is no longer small for Chicago. If the team can’t put together a long winning streak, or at least just rattle off a bunch of wins, then it’s likely there will be some moves at the trade deadline. The Nationals, meanwhile, are currently sitting atop the NL East standings. They have won three of their past five, and they’d be thrilled to have a second half like the first half of the year. The starters in this Monday night matchup are set to be RHP Eddie Butler (3-2, 4.19 ERA, 25 K) for Chicago and LHP Gio Gonzalez (7-1, 2.96 ERA, 87 K) for Washington. Part of the reason the Cubs have struggled this season is because they have needed more from guys like Butler this season. Injuries in the rotation have made things rough on Chicago, but that hasn’t been the case for the Nats. They’ll be thrilled to have Gonzalez on the mound, as the lefty has been excellent this season. One trend that favors the Cubs in this game is that the Nationals are 9-12 against the money line in home games after two or more consecutive home games this season. The Nationals are, however, 31-11 against the money line when playing at night this season.
The Cubs can really use a win on Monday, but they’re going to need Eddie Butler to do a little more than what he has recently. Butler allowed just one earned run in his most recent start, but he pitched just four innings in that loss to the Padres. Butler has pitched less than six innings in seven straight starts, and the team really needs him to find a way to work deeper into this one. He’ll also need to find a way to throw more strikes, as he walked three batters last game and also threw an absurd 92 pitches in his four innings of work. That is not a recipe for success against a potent Nationals lineup. Offensively, it’s pretty clear that the Cubs are going to need a lot more from 3B Kris Bryant (.263 BA, 16 HR, 31 RBI) moving forward. As of right now, Bryant is on pace to end the season with only 67 RBI. That would be a major letdown after he drove in 102 runs in his NL MVP winning season a year ago. Chicago needs him to start raking, and he is far too good of a player for that to not happen.
The Nationals are sending Gio Gonzalez to the hill on Monday and the lefty has been outstanding this season. Gonzalez has looked like a legitimate ace for Washington, and he is in good form entering this one as well. Gonzalez has allowed three or fewer earned runs in six straight games for the Nationals. He has also pitched at least six innings in all but one of those starts. Gonzalez’s stuff has been on point, as he has struck out eight or more batters in three of his past six outings. Offensively, the Nationals are getting a lot from superstar OF Bryce Harper (.315 BA, 18 HR, 56 RBI) this season. Harper is on pace to drive in 121 runs, and it wouldn’t be shocking if he ended up with more than that. He is seeing the ball extremely well, and is coming off of a 3-for-3 performance against the Reds on Sunday. Look for him to make a big impact at the plate in this one. Also, expect a nice performance from 2B Daniel Murphy (.342 BA, 13 HR, 54 RBI) here. Murphy is on a nine-game hitting streak heading into this game, and he has eight RBI in the past five games.
Monday MLB Betting Preview
By Sportsbook.ag
Texas vs. Cleveland
Sportsbook.ag Odds: Texas (+153), Cleveland (-168); Total set at 9
It was a rough return home for the Cleveland Indians on the weekend as they were swept by Minnesota and outscored 13-2 in the process. Getting shutout in two of the three games is not something anyone expected from the reigning AL champs, especially after a highly successful road trip that began with a four-game sweep of that same Twins team and a 7-1 SU record overall.
The games over the weekend enabled Minnesota to jump ahead of the Indians by a half-game in the AL Central standings for first place, but I wouldn't expect Cleveland to sit in that position for very long.
Texas has a much better weekend as they took two of three from New York and were a blown save away from sweeping the series. Closer Matt Bush gave up a 9th inning HR to Brett Gardner in the opener after the Rangers had opened the scoring in the top of the inning. It had been a tremendous pitching duel between Darvish and Tanaka up until that point, but the Rangers couldn't find a way to get the job done.
Instead, it was great for Texas fans to see their team bounce back from that defeat in a big way over the course of the rest of the weekend, as Texas outscored New York 15-7 in the final two games to head into Cleveland with a bit of momentum. The Rangers also get to welcome back Cole Hamels from the DL tonight and it will be interesting to see just how sharp the veteran lefty is coming off his oblique injury.
Welcoming back a guy with Hamels pedigree is always a boost for an MLB team, but that first start back after a DL stint can tend to bring some issues. There is no doubt that the Rangers coaches have some trepidations about just how far Hamels will be able to go tonight, and with an Indians team desperate to get their offense rolling, you know they'll try to make life as tough as possible for Hamels tonight. Cleveland is on a 5-1 SU run in their last six vs southpaws, so getting their offense back on track tonight shouldn't be a huge problem.
Cleveland's starter Carlos Carrasco has had a great year so far, and more recently he's seemed to fix those early innings struggles that plagued him at the beginning of the year. He does already own a victory over these Rangers this year, but that was back during the first week of the season and the Rangers have been playing much better baseball since then.
The 15 runs they put up against New York on Saturday and Sunday have to be concerning for Carrasco tonight, especially when you consider that he's on a 17-4 O/U run in home games played at night. With the wind expected to blow straight out to right field and numerous Rangers batters having solid career numbers against him, Carrasco is going to need his own offense to wake up to have a chance at winning this contest.
Thankfully in that regard, Cleveland hasn't had too many problems as they've scored 4.8 runs/game in Carrasco's starts this year and bumped that up to 5.7/game over his last three outings. Cleveland has multiple guys in their lineup that have hit Hamels hard as well, and while their bats may be cold at the moment, this opponent and situation sets up rather well for them to snap out of that funk. With tonight's total seeing about a 50/50 split in bet percentage numbers on VegasInsider.com, and the number actually going up from it's opening number of 8.5, I'm siding with the move here, figuring at worst we get a push on the 'over' 9.
Best Bet: Texas/Cleveland Over 9
MLB Daily Line Drive
Covers.com
Double-Play Picks
Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants (-130, 7.5)
As the Rockies open a three-game series in San Francisco against the Giants we must admit...we're a little bit stumped by the moneyline for this one. Why in the hell are the Giants favored over the Rockies tonight?
The Rockies are a terrific road bet in 2017 at 25-16. Sure, they are coming off getting swept in their three-game series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, but there is no shame in getting swept by a very good Dodgers team and that should be more motivation for them to come out on fire against the pathetic Giants.
The Giants are a mess right now. They were just swept at home by the New York Mets, they've lost 12 of their last 13 games overall, they've lost 10 of their last 11 games at AT&T Park, and they are sending Jeff Samardzija to the mound tonight.
The Giants have lost five of Samardzija's last six starts and they have already lost three of his starts against the Rockies this season. In his previous three starts against Colorado in 2017, Samardzija owns an ERA of 9.33 and a WHIP of 1.64.
Rockies' starting pitcher German Marquez certainly isn't the reason for the strange line. The Rockies have won seven of his last eight starts and over his last three outings he owns a team win/loss record of 3-0, a 1.93 ERA, and a WHIP of 1.14.
Oh yeah - the Rockies have won nine consecutive meetings with the Giants.
Pick: Rockies +120
Los Angeles Angels at Los Angeles Dodgers (-225, 9)
The "Battle of Los Angeles" opens Monday night with the Dodgers hosting the Angels for the first of two games at Dodger Stadium, before the series shifts to Anaheim for two games.
Rich Hill gets the ball for the home team tonight and he's been his usual self thus far in 2017 at 4-3, team win/loss record of 5-4, 4.72 ERA (4.09 at home), and a few too many walks. With blister issues being a big problem for Hill, you can pretty much pencil him in for five innings and around two earned runs. With the National League's best bullpen backing him up, his short outings are not a concern.
Ricky Nolasco will get the ball for the Angels tonight and he's the fun one to talk about in this matchup.
Ricky...Ricky...Ricky...what are we going to do with you? Fading definitely seems like the best course of action.
Nolasco owns a team win/loss of 3-12 this season, including team losses in 10 consecutive starts! He is 0-3 in his last three starts with an ERA of 5.89, WHIP of 1.75, and an opponent's on base percentage of .398.
Note: The Dodgers are 42-13 when Cody Bellinger is in the starting lineup. They should probably just keep him in the starting lineup, he'll probably hit a couple of home runs.
Second Note: The Dodgers have won 16 of their last 17 games overall. They have won 10 in a row and have covered -1.5 in nine of those wins.
Pick: Dodgers -1.5 (-110)
Yesterday's Picks: 0-2
Season To Date: 74-62-7
Streaking and Slumping Starting Pitchers
Streaking: Carlos Carrasco, Cleveland Indians (8-3, 2.99, $518)
Dropping Carlos Carrasco into our Streaking Starting Pitchers section is an automatic at this point every time he's scheduled to start.
The Indians have won eight of his last nine outings and over his last three he's 3-0, 1.53 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and he has 21 strikeouts to go along with only four walks.
Carrasco and the Indians are -170 at home against returning Cole Hamels and the Texas Rangers.
Slumping: Ricky Nolasco, Los Angeles Angels (2-9, 5.23, $-912)
We don't usually like to feature a starting pitcher in the Streaking and Slumping Starting Pitchers section if they've already been discussed in the above Double-Play Picks section. However, when you've been as bad as Ricky Nolasco you certainly deserve a double shot.
As stated above, Nolasco is 0-3 in his last three starts with an ERA of 5.89, WHIP of 1.75, and an opponent's on base percentage of .398. The Angels have lost his last 10 outings and for the season he ranks third from the bottom (253rd overall) in Starting Pitcher Betting Money Earnings at $-912.
Nolasco and the Angels are in tough against the Dodgers and can be had at +180.
Monday's Top Trends
* The St. Louis Cardinals are 10-1 in Michael Wacha's last 11 starts vs. Cincinnati. -155 today vs. Reds.
* Under is 8-1 in the Chicago Cubs' last 9 overall. Cubs/Nationals Total: 9.5.
* Under is 10-1-1 in Jose Berrios' last 12 starts overall. Twins/Red Sox Total: 8.5.
* The Los Angeles Dodgers are 16-1 in their last 17 games overall. -225 today vs. Angels.
Weather To Keep An Eye On
The only precipitation to worry about in Monday's MLB forecast is in Cleveland where the Indians are schedule to host the Texas Rangers. There is a 35-50 percent chance of rain throughout the evening and there could be some thunderstorms involved in the equation.
There are notable hitter's winds in the forecast for four games today:
* Rangers at Indians (Total: 9) - 13-16 mile per hour wind blowing out to right field.
* Twins at Red Sox (Total: 8.5) - 10 mile per hour wind blowing out to right field.
* Yankees at White Sox (Total: 10.5) - 10-15 mile per hour wind blowing out to right field.
* Rockies at Giants (Total: 7.5) - 14-17 mile per hour wind blowing out to center field.