National League
Rockies @ Pirates
Lyles is 1-1, 9.17 in four starts (over 3-1), last of which was April 24.
Vogelsong allowed one run in five IP (66 PT) in his only '16 start.
Pirates won five of their last seven games (over 11-6-1 in last 18). Rockies won six of last nine games; ten of their last 13 games stayed under.
Mets @ Nationals
Colon is 0-2, 7.45 in his last two starts (over 3-1 in his road starts). .
Gonzalez is 3-0, 3.13 in his last four starts (over 2-0-1 in his last three starts).
Mets won last three games but lost four in row on road; under is 8-2 in their last ten road games. Washington won four of its last five games; under is 3-1-1 in its last five home games.
Cubs @ Cardinals
Lackey is 1-1, 1.71 in his last three starts (over 5-3).
Wainwright is 4-0, 5.22 in his last five starts (over 4-1); Cardinals scored 46 runs in those five games.
Cubs are 4-7 in their last 11 games; over is 9-3-2 in their last 14 road games. St Louis is 4-5 in its last nine games; over is 5-2-1 in their last eight home games.
Reds @ Dodgers
Finnegan is 0-2, 6.68 in his last six starts; six of his last eight starts went over.
Kershaw is 4-0, 0.82 in his last four starts (under 3-1).
Cincinnati lost its last seven games; they're 3-14 on road. Over is 6-1-1 in their last eight games. Dodgers lost four of their last five games; over is 7-3 in their last ten.
Padres @ Giants
Pomeranz is 2-2, 1.13 in his last four starts, which all stayed under the total. .
Cueto is 3-0, 2.11 in his last five starts, four of which stayed under.
Giants won ten of their last 11 games; under is 12-3 in their last 15. San Diego lost five of its last seven games; under is 8-3 in ther last 11 games.
American League
Angels @ Rangers
Tropeano is 1-1, 3.12 in his last three starts (under 4-2-2). .
Holland is 0-2, 14.73 in his last three starts (over 2-0-1 in his home starts). .
Angels won seven of their last ten games; over is 8-3 in their last 11. Texas is 11-4 in its last 15 games; six of its last seven home games went over. .
Indians @ White Sox
Clevinger allowed four runs in 5.1 IP (91 PT) in his first MLB start. Anderson is 0-3, 8.29 in six starts (over 5-1).
Latos is 1-1, 7.84 in his last four starts (over 3-1). Johnson allowed four runs in five IP (108 PT) in hsi only '16 start.
Indians won five of last seven games; over is 11-5-1 in their last 17 games. White Sox lost eight of last 11 games; their last five games stayed under.
Royals @ Twins
Kennedy is 2-1, 3.75 in his last four starts (under 6-1-1).
Nolasco is 0-2, 7.45 in his last five starts (over 7-0 in his last seven).
Royals won five of their last seven games- under is 7-1-1 in their last nine. Twins are 1-9 in their last ten home games; over is 7-3-1 in their last 11 games overall. .
A's @ Mariners
Hill is 3-0, 2.55 in his last three starts, which all went over.
Walker is 0-3, 7.13 in his last four starts (under 6-2).
Oakland is 6-14 in its last 20 games; ten of their last 14 games went over. Seattle won five of last six games; over is 6-3-2 in their last eleven games.
Interleague
Phillies @ Tigers
Velasquez is 3-0, 3.41 in his last five starts (under 4-3-1).
Pelfrey is 0-4, 6.59 in eight starts this year; over is 3-0-1 in his last four. .
Phillies are 9-5 in their last 14 games; four of their last five games stayed under total. Detroit won six of its last seven games; over is 12-3 in its last 15 home games.
Rays @ Marlins
Moore is 0-3, 6.51 in his last five starts (over 3-1-1).
Chen is 3-1, 4.11 in his last five starts (under 4-2 in his last six starts).
Tampa Bay is 8-5 in its last 13 road games, last seven of which went over the total. Miami lost four of its last five games; under is 7-3-1 in its last 11 games.
Teams won-lost records when this pitcher starts:
Col-Pitt-- Lyles 2-2; Vogelsong 0-1
NY-Wsh-- Colon 4-4; Gonzalez 5-3
Chi-StL-- Lackey 5-3; Wainwright 6-3
Cin-LA-- Finnegan 2-7; Kershaw 8-1
SD-SF-- Pomeranz 4-4; Cueto 8-1
LAA-Tex-- Tropeano 4-4; Holland 4-4
Cle-Chi-- Clevinger 1-0 Anderson 1-5; Latos 6-2 Johnson 0-1
KC-Minn-- Kennedy 5-3; Nolasco 3-5
A's-Sea-- Hill 6-3; Walker 4-4
Phil-Det-- Velasquez 6-2; Pelfrey 2-6
TB-Mia-- Moore 3-5; Chen 4-4
Starting pitchers allowing 1+ runs in first inning:
Col-Pitt-- Lyles 0-4; Vogelsong 0-1
NY-Wsh-- Colon 2-8; Gonzalez 0-8
Chi-StL-- Lackey 3-8; Wainwright 3-9
Cin-LA-- Finnegan 2-9; Kershaw 1-9
SD-SF-- Pomeranz 0-8; Cueto 3-9
LAA-Tex-- Tropeano 2-8; Holland 2-8
Cle-Chi-- Clevinger 0-1 Anderson 4-6; Latos 3-8 Johnson 1-1
KC-Minn-- Kennedy 2-8; Nolasco 4-8
A's-Sea-- Hill 3-9; Walker 1-8
Phil-Det-- Velasquez 2-8; Pelfrey 5-8
TB-Mia-- Moore 1-8; Chen 3-8
Armadillosports.com
Monday's Diamond Notes
By Tony Mejia
VegasInsider.com
Hottest team: Mariners (9-1 last 10)
After taking apart the Reds, Seattle has climbed atop the AL West, bringing a one-game edge on the Rangers into the week. Although Robinson Cano failed to bring the ‘over’ in yesterday after striking out with a runner on 3rd base, he’s gotten a hit in seven of the last 10 games and drove in a pair of runs in yesterday’s win. For the season, he’s batting .288 with 12 homers and 39 RBI. The Mariners are an incredible 18-7 on the road, so being home may actually be detrimental if they can’t get it going. This is the beginning of an eight-game homestand facing the A’s, Twins and Padres.
Coldest team: Twins (6-21 last 27)
The Twins have lost every series they’ve played not including the Indians since April 17. Paul Molitor doesn’t appear to be on the hot seat, but has been talked to by management all weekend as his team dropped three of four against Toronto to open a seven-game homestand that continues against the defending champs here. Closer Glen Perkins remains out and says he currently feels knife-stabbing pain in his shoulder when he throws.
Hottest pitcher: Clayton Kershaw (6-1, 1.67 ERA)
Clayton Kershaw has only pitched in one game that resulted in a Dodgers loss this season, falling at hme against Miami in his roughest outing of the season. Despite his struggles in that game, L.A. has still played well at Chavez Ravine and has only surrendered three runs in 33 innings in May, striking out 48 while only walking one. That’s not a misprint.
Coldest pitcher: Mike Pelfrey (0-4, 5.49 ERA)
The Tigers have lost in six of eight games he’s taken the mound, but did win his last outing, where Pelfrey worked 5.1 and allowed just two earned runs on solo homers. He’s allowed a couple of runs in each of the last two games after surrendering five runs in three straight.
Biggest UNDER run: Rockies (10-3 last 13)
Starting pitching has been an area of strength for Colorado, continuing on the road after a strong showin at Coors Field. They'll look to continue that trend with Jordan Lyles facing off against Ryan Vogelsong.
Biggest OVER run: Indians (9-1-1 last 11)
The Tribe has overcome Michael Brantley's most recent injury since everyone has gotten into the act. We'll see how a double-header affects them.
Matchup to watch: Mets at Nationals
These teams are separated by just one game in the NL East and face each other for the secoond occasion in a week's time. Bryce Harper finally broke his 0-for streak against Matt Harvey, who will take his next turn in the rotation, and will have Gio Gonzalez in front of him on the mound against Bartolo Colon.
Betcha didn’t know: Not only are the White Sox and Indians playing a double-header, we're also getting a make-up game at noon since the Rockies have hung around town to face Pittsburgh.
Biggest public favorite: Royals (-135) at Twins
Biggest public underdog: Cardinals (+108) vs. Cubs
Biggest line move: Royals (+101 to -135) at Cardinals
MLB Betting Cheat Sheet
Covers.com
0 for 6
Six times division rivals San Diego and San Francisco have met this year. All six times the latter has won. The most recent series was in San Diego and saw the Padres score just one run in all three games. This week, the teams meet at AT&T Park in San Francisco. The Giants had to play Sunday Night, but the Padres went 17 innings against the Dodgers (and lost), so gone is any advantage there for the road team. Plus, the Giants are a hot team right now as they’ve won 10 of their last 11. At least the Padres will avoid Madison Bumgarner in this series (he pitched Sunday night).
No Home Field Advantage Here
Six times division rivals Oakland and Seattle have played this year. All six times the home team has lost. Ironically, the A’s were just swept at home by the Yankees over the weekend while the Mariners swept a series in Cincinnati. Thus, I suppose you could say then that the M’s are unfortunate hosts to start the week. They are just 8-10 at Safeco Field for the season and hitting .218 here as a team. But aside from the sweep earlier this season, the Athletics are by no means a dominant road team. They’re being outscored by 1.5 runs per game overall despite a .500 record. One break for the A’s this week is they won’t have to face Felix Hernandez.
AL Least?
For most of this season, the Yankees have occupied the basement in the American League East. But after five straight wins, the last four coming in Oakland, they now find themselves in third. Toronto, even though they won Sunday, has fallen into last. But they still have the better run differential (+2 compared to -19) compared to their Pinstriped rivals and they’re another team where the road has been kinder than home. So, I would not be the least bit surprised if they end up winning this series in the Bronx this week. They did take two of three from New York earlier this year at home.
Hitting Notes
It’s a tough break for Tampa Bay losing Kevin Kiermaier from their lineup. Not only was the Gold Glove outfielder batting .313 over a nine-game stretch before breaking two bones in his left hand Saturday, he’s also a career .424 hitter against this week’s opponent, Miami.
The White Sox cooled off considerably over the past week, losing six of eight games. Part of that is owed to some terrible hitting with runners in scoring position (1 for 23 against the Royals). However, there is at least one hitter in the lineup poised to possibly break out this week against Cleveland. That would be Jose Abreu, who has hit .440 his last seven games against the Indians.
Pitching Notes
Washington just took two of three from the Mets last week, on the road. Now they get to host their main rival, trotting out Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg for the first two games. Gonzalez always seems to excel against division opponents (1.38 ERA last 15 starts) and has done quite well for himself overall this season (allowed 1 ER or less in six of eight starts). He’ll be a sizable favorite Monday over Bartolo Colon.
If you’ve been following this column the last couple of weeks, then you know I’m at a loss for words over the Phillies’ surprising start. But I will certainly give a nod to starter Vince Velasquez, who is striking out nearly 11 batters per nine innings. In fact, in half of his eight starts, the 23-year old hasn’t given any runs. He’ll be a slight favorite, on the road, against Detroit Monday night as the Tigers will counter with the winless Mike Pelfrey (6.37 ERA, 1.829 WHIP).
Totals Trend
The Under was a perfect 3-0 in the first Kansas City-Minnesota series of 2016 and that’s the way the total has generally gone in this AL Central rivalry. Since the start of last season, the Under is 15-4-3 in all Royals-Twins games. The two play a three-game set in the Twin Cities this week. All three games in the Royals’ previous series (against Chicago) also went Under by the way.
Angels visit Rangers
By Sportsbook.ag
LOS ANGELES ANGELS (20-24) at TEXAS RANGERS (25-19)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Los Angeles -105, Texas -105, Total: 9.5
The Rangers will be looking to win their fourth straight game when they host the Angels Monday night.
The Angels are coming off of a losing series against the Orioles, but they did win the final game of that one 10-2 on Sunday. Los Angeles has won seven of its past 10 games and the reason the club has been winning is because of its offense. The Angels have racked up double digits in hits in seven of their past 11 games and they’ll be looking to keep the bats hot on Monday.
The Rangers, meanwhile, are coming off of a sweep over the Astros last series. They won the final game of that set 9-2 and racked up 13 hits in the contest. Texas has been pitching extremely well as of late, allowing two or fewer runs in each of the three victories over Houston. The Rangers will be hoping to slow down the Angels’ offense on Monday.
Taking the mound for Los Angeles in this game will be RHP Nick Tropeano (2-2, 3.30 ERA, 43 K) and he’ll be going up against LHP Derek Holland (3-3, 5.62 ERA, 21 K) for Texas.
One trend worth noting is that the Angels are 41-20 against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the past three seasons. The Rangers, however, are an absurd 9-0 against the money line with an on base percentage of .285 or worse over their past five games this season. They’re also 17-5 against the money line after two straight games where they stranded five or less runners on base over the past two seasons.
Nike Tropeano will be taking the mound for the Angels on Monday and he has been pitching very well for the team lately. Over his past two starts, Tropeano has allowed just three earned runs in 12.0 innings of work. He should be feeling extremely confident coming into this matchup and a quality start would put his team in good position to win this game with the way the Angels have been hitting lately.
One guy to watch out for is C Carlos Perez (.205 BA, 2 HR, 13 RBI), who is coming off of a big game for Los Angeles. Perez went 3-for-4 with a homer and five RBI against the Orioles on Sunday. He is now 8-for-21 with two homers and nine RBI over the past six games and will be looking to stay hot on Monday.
Other guys that definitely need to be noted are OF Mike Trout (.321 BA, 10 HR, 31 RBI) and DH Albert Pujols (.228, 8 HR, 28 RBI). Trout is 11-for-38 with two homers and nine RBI against Holland in his career and Pujols is 8-for-28 with three homers and four RBI against the Rangers’ starter. The two of them will be looking to display their power in this matchup on Monday.
Derek Holland will be looking to slow down the red-hot Angels on Monday and should be confident in his ability to do just that. The last time he faced Los Angeles was Apr. 30 and he pitched incredibly well in that one. Holland went 6.0 innings in that game and allowed zero earned runs on just four hits. It’s hard to imagine the Rangers losing if he is able to replicate those numbers on Monday.
Texas does need 3B Adrian Beltre (.263 BA, 7 HR, 29 RBI) to get it going with the bat. Over the past four games, Beltre is just 2-for-16 with no homers and two RBI. He is the best hitter in this lineup and needs to start producing soon.
One guy who has been swinging a hot bat for the Rangers is OF Nomar Mazara (.304 BA, 6 HR, 16 RBI). Mazara has had five multi hit games in the past 10 contests and has also hit two homers in the past four games. If he can continue to add an offensive spark to this team then they should be able to keep up their hot streak.