Saturday's MLB National League Betting Cheat Sheet
By Covers.com
Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs (+126, 7.5)
Hot pitching stat: Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee has thrown four straight quality starts, but is just 1-1 with two no-decisions over that stretch.
Cold batting stat: Cubs veterans Donnie Murphy and Dioner Navarro are a combined 2-for-31 with eight strikeouts against Lee.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s under partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow in from center field at 11 mph.
Key betting note: Philadelphia is 2-14 in its last 16 outings during the second game of a series.
New York Mets at Washington Nationals (-150, 7.5)
Hot pitching stat: Nationals right-hander Dan Haren is 4-1 with a 2.74 ERA in seven starts since the All-Star break.
Hot batting stat: Members of the Washington roster are hitting a combined .357 with two home runs against Mets starter Zack Wheeler.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s with a 30 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Wind will blow out to center field at 5 mph.
Key betting note: The under is 6-1-1 in Haren's last eight starts against teams with losing records.
St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates (-128, 7.5)
Cold pitching stat: Cardinals right-hander Lance Lynn is 1-3 with a 4.64 ERA in five August starts.
Cold batting stat: Pittsburgh OF Andrew McCutchen is just 4-for-23 with eight strikeouts lifetime against Lynn.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s with a 60 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Wind will blow out to left field at 4 mph.
Key betting note: The over is 6-1 in Lynn's last seven starts against the Pirates.
Miami Marlins at Atlanta Braves (-220, 7)
Hot pitching stat: Braves right-hander Mike Minor allowed just one run on six hits over seven innings in his last outing, a 5-2 win over St. Louis.
Cold batting stat: Marlins OF Giancarlo Stanton has just two hits in 14 career at-bats versus Minor, but both are solo homers.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-80s with a 45 percent chance of thunderstorms. Wind will be calm.
Key betting note: Atlanta is 8-1 in Minor's last nine Saturday starts.
Cincinnati Reds at Colorado Rockies (OFF, OFF)
Hot pitching stat: Rockies right-hander Juan Nicasio tossed six innings of four-hit ball and did not give up a run in last start. The Rockies prevailed 6-1 over the San Francisco Giants on August 26.
Cold batting stat: Reds OF Ryan Ludwick is 4-for-18 with seven strikeouts in his career against De La Rosa.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-80s with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Wind will blow in from left-center field at 5 mph.
Key betting note: The over is 7-1-1 in Nicasio's last nine outings following a quality start in his previous appearance.
San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks (-139, 8.5)
Hot pitching stat: Giants right-hander Ryan Vogelsong is coming off his best start of the season, limiting Pittsburgh to two hits over eight shutout innings in a 4-0 triumph.
Hot batting stat: Diamondbacks 2B Aaron Hill is 6-for-12 with a homer against Vogelsong.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-90s with a 25 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Wind will blow from left to right field at 10 mph.
Key betting note: San Francisco is 21-5 in Vogelsong's previous 26 appearances following a quality start in his last outing.
San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers (-152, 7.5)
Hot pitching stat: Padres right-hander Andrew Cashner limited Chicago to two hits in seven scoreless innings but settled for a no-decision in his last outing.
Cold batting stat: San Diego SS Ronny Cedeno is 5-for-26 lifetime against Dodgers starter Chris Capuano.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow out to center field at 5 mph.
Key betting note: The under is 8-0 in the Dodgers' last eight Saturday games.
Interleague
Los Angeles Angels at Milwaukee Brewers (-138, 8.5)
Hot pitching stat: Brewers right-hander Marco Estrada is 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA in four second-half starts.
Hot batting stat: Entering Friday, Angels OF Mike Trout has a .510 on-base percentage in 76 August at-bats.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s under sunny skies. Wind will blow in from left field at 5 mph.
Key betting note: The over is 15-3 in Estrada's last 18 starts against teams with losing records.
Saturday's MLB American League Betting Cheat Sheet
By Covers.com
Check out our quick-hitting betting notes on Saturday's American League games:
Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees (-127, 9)
Hot pitching stat: Orioles right-hander Scott Feldman has allowed just four earned runs over his last 17 innings, going 2-0 in that span.
Hot batting stat: Yankees OF Curtis Granderson is 5-for-11 with three home runs and seven RBIs in his career against Feldman.
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 11 mph.
Key betting note: New York is 10-2 in starter Ivan Nova's last 12 appearances on five days' rest.
Kansas City Royals at Toronto Blue Jays (-128, 8.5)
Hot pitching stat: Blue Jays knuckleballer R.A. Dickey's 3.67 ERA since the All-Star break is more than a run lower than his first-half mark (4.69).
Cold batting stat: Royals INF Emilio Bonifacio - who was traded from Toronto earlier this month - is 2-for-15 lifetime versus Dickey.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s with a 20 percent chance of showers. Wind will blow in from left field at 8 mph.
Key betting note: The under is 5-0 in Kansas City starter Jeremy Guthrie's last five road starts.
Cleveland Indians at Detroit Tigers (-168, 8.5)
Hot pitching stat: Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez is 7-2 with a 2.27 ERA and two home runs allowed over 75 1/3 home innings.
Hot batting stat: Detroit DH Victor Martinez is 9-for-18 with three doubles and a homer against Cleveland starter Scott Kazmir.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s under partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow out to right field at 4 mph.
Key betting note: The Indians are 3-8 in Kazmir's last 11 road starts.
Chicago White Sox at Boston Red Sox (-210, 8.5)
Hot pitching stat: Red Sox right-hander Jake Peavy is 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA in five starts since joining Boston in a trade with the White Sox.
Cold batting stat: Boston's Mike Napoli has just four hits in 24 career at-bats against Chicago starter John Danks.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s with a 35 percent chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Wind will blow out to center field at 10 mph.
Key betting note: Chicago is 2-8 in Danks' last 10 starts against the American League East.
Seattle Mariners at Houston Astros (-102, 9)
Cold pitching stat: Mariners left-hander Joe Saunders was shelled for seven runs over seven innings in his last start, an 8-3 loss to Texas.
Hot/Cold batting stat: Astros OF Brandon Barnes is 4-for-6 with a homer against Saunders.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-80s under partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow out to center field at 8 mph.
Key betting note: The over is 5-0 in Houston's last five Saturday games.
Minnesota Twins at Texas Rangers (-230, 9)
Cold pitching stat: Twins right-hander Mike Pelfrey has a 16:15 walk-to-strikeout ratio over his last five starts, going 1-1 over that stretch.
Cold batting stat: Entering Friday, Texas OF Alex Rios has just one home run in 69 at-bats since joining the Rangers in a trade with the White Sox.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-90s under partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow in from right field at 7 mph.
Key betting note: Texas has won Garza's last four home starts.
Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland A's (-124, 7)
Hot pitching stat: Rays right-hander Alex Cobb has surrendered two or fewer runs in eight of his last nine starts.
Hot/Cold batting stat: Athletics INF Alberto Callaspo is hitless in 10 at-bats versus Cobb.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-60s under partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow out to right field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: Tampa Bay has won Cobb's last seven starts against the American League West.
MLB Odds and Picks - Can streaky Rays get back on the winning track?
By: The Linemakers
Sportingnews.com
With the A's 4-3 home win last night over the Rays, they passed Tampa Bay for the top wild card slot by a half-game and pulled within two games of AL West-leading Texas. The Rays fell 3.5 games behind AL East-leading Boston with the loss, which was their fifth in six games. Amazingly, four of the losses came against four different teams due to a make-up game Monday with the Royals.
With a win tonight, the Rays can pass the A's in the wild card standings. Their hopes rest with Alex Cobb (8-2, 2.87 ERA), who has been very good since returning from a two month absence due to taking a line drive off the head on June 15. He's 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA in three starts since coming back. In his last start on Sunday, he went 5.2 against the Yankees giving up only two runs, but the Rays eventually lost the game, 3-2, which started their losing run.
These Rays are a hard bunch to figure out. They're full of streaks, good and bad, and before the losing stretch they're on now, they had won eight of 10 games from Aug. 14 - 24. But just prior to that, beginning with a west coast trip in Arizona on Aug. 6, they went on a six-game skid. They kind of give the impression they don't like long travels since they are now 0-6 playing on the west coast. The Rays better figure something out because they play eight more games on this swing that includes this weekend at Oakland, three in Anaheim and three more in Seattle.
On the other side, we have the A's pulling another fine young pitcher form their farm system who is making quality contributions down the stretch. Where do they keep getting theses guys from? Rookie Sonny Gray (1-2, 3.18 ERA) will make his fifth career start, but comes off the worst outing of his short major-league career at Baltimore. After giving up only six runs in his first three quality starts, the Orioles tagged him for six in 3.1 innings on Sunday in a 10-3 loss.
However, in two home starts, Gray has given up only two runs in 15 innings. The question today is whether the home field edge is legit, or whether the rookie luck has worn off as he's been better scouted.
In this instance we have one team struggling -- the Rays -- and one team playing well, and in most cases the sharp bettor will always side with the hot team. But we're not so sure that Gray should be a -122 favorite. In fact, the game should probably be closer to a pick 'em.
We also think Cobb is on the upswing and better things -- including more innings pitched -- are in store. Cobb's command has been a little shaky since coming back, but he's battled through most of his troubles with little damage incurred. Cobb is also on a run of beating the A's three straight times while compiling a 1.54 ERA.
Saturday's selections:
Mets (Wheeler) +150 at Nationals
Pirates (Burnett) -123 vs. Cardinals
Padres/Dodgers OVER 7.5 (-105)
Rays (Cobb) +112 at A's
Second-half record: 74-68 (+1,064)