Saturday's National League Betting Notes and Tips
By Covers.com
New York Mets at Washington Nationals (-145, 8.5)
Cold pitching stat: Nats starter Dan Haren has lost his previous eight decisions and the Nats have lost his last 11 starts in a row.
Hot batting stat: Mets OF Marlon Byrd is 10-for-18 (.556) in his career versus Haren. That includes a pair of homers, a pair of doubles and a triple.
Weather: There is a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms in the forecast for gametime. Temperatures will be in the high-80s and wind will blow out to left field at 12 mph.
Key betting note: The over is 13-3 in Mets SP Dillon Gee's last 16 road starts versus a team with a losing record.
St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves (-123, 8.5)
Cold pitching stat: Braves starter Julio Teheran has given up the most homers (15) of anyone in the teams' starting rotation.
Hot batting stat: Yadier Molina, the NL's leading hitter at .335, is a career .315 hitter in Atlanta's Turner Field.
Weather: There is a 30 percent chance of rain in the forecast. Temperatures will be in the mid-80s and wind will blow out to right field at 5 mph.
Key betting note: The over is 19-7-1 in the last 27 meetings in Atlanta.
Pittsburgh Pirates at Miami Marlins (+131, 7.5)
Hot pitching stat: Marlins starter Tom Koehler struckout seven and surrendered just one earned run in his last start against the Colorado Rockies. The Marlins won 3-1.
Cold batting stat: Following Friday's 1-for-4 performance in Pittsburgh's 2-0 loss, Pirates OF Andrew McCutchen has just four hits in his last 25 at-bats.
Weather: The roof could be closed in Miami due to a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms.
Key betting note: The Pirates are 5-1 in SP Charlie Morton's last six starts.
San Diego Padres at Arizona Diamondbacks (-128, 8.5)
Hot pitching stat: Padres SP Andrew Cashner was steady in his left effort in Arizona on May 25. He gave up four ER in six innings but the Pads were victorious by a score of 10-4.
Cold batting stat: The Padres are the only NL West rival which Arizona slugger Paul Goldschmidt has not homered against this season. Prior to Friday, he is hitting .231 (6-for-26) versus San Diego.
Weather: Temperatures in the mid-100s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow from left field to right field at 4 mph.
Key betting note: The Diamondbacks are 1-6 in SP Tyler Skaggs' last seven starts versus the the National League West.
Milwaukee Brewers at Colorado Rockies (-122, 10)
Cold pitching stat: Brewers starter Tom Gorzelanny has taken the loss in his last four starts despite not surrendering an earned run in two of those outings.
Hot batting stat: Rockies OF Dexter Fowler is 4-for-11 (.364) with a home run in his career versus Gorzelanny.
Weather: There is a 30 percent chance of rain in the forecast. Temperatures will be in the high-70s and wind will blow from right field to left field at 7 mph.
Key betting note: The under is 4-0 in Gorzelanny's last four starts overall.
Chicago Cubs at San Francisco Giants (-220, 7)
Hot pitching stat: Giants starter Madison Bumgarner has gone exactly 7 innings in his previous seven starts. He is 5-2 with an ERA of 1.84 in that stretch.
Hot batting stat: Cubs SS Starlin Castro is 8-for-21 (.381) lifetime versus Bumgarner.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-50s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out to center field at 11 mph.
Key betting note: The Giants are 16-5 in Bumgarner's last 21 home starts versus a team with a losing record.
Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Dodgers (-133, 7.5)
Cold pitching stat: Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu has allowed 11 ER in three July starts (17 innings) and has a 5.82 ERA in the month. He is 2-0 despite the lackluster pitching performance.
Cold batting stat: Dodgers 1B Adrian Gonzalez is 4-for-29 (.138) lifetime versus Reds starter Bronson Arroyo.
Weather: Temperatures in the low-70s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out to right field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: The Dodgers are 7-1 in Ryu's last eight home starts.
Saturday's American League Betting Notes and Tips
By Covers.com
Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees (-106, 8.5)
Hot pitching stat: Rays starter Chris Archer is 3-0 with an ERA of 0.41 in his last three starts.
Cold batting stat: Rays 2B Ben Zobrist is 3-for-21 (.143) in his career versus Yankees starter Ivan Nova.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-80s with mostly cloudy skies. Winds will blow from right field to left field at 10 mph.
Key betting note: The Rays are 9-1 in their last 10 games versus a right-handed starter.
Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays (-205, 9.5)
Cold pitching stat: Jays starter Josh Johnson gave up five earned runs on seven hits in just two innings of work in his last outing. The Jays lost that game to the Los Angeles Dodgers by a score of 14-5.
Jays batting stat: Following a fantastic 4-for-5 display in Friday's win, Jays OF Colby Rasmus is batting .382 in the month of July.
Weather: With a 60 percent chance of thunderstorms in the forecast, the roof will likely be closed at Toronto's Rogers Center.
Key betting note: The Blue Jays are 0-5 in Johnson's last five starts.
Los Angeles Angels at Oakland A's (-134, 8.5)
Cold pitching stat: A's starter Tommy Milone has given up eight ER in 12 innings of work over his two starts versus the Angels this season.
Hot batting stat: The Angels roster hits a collective .330 versus Milone.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-60s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out to right field at 11 mph.
Key betting note: The Athletics are 7-3 in Milone's last 10 home starts.
Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners (-137, 8.5)
Hot pitching stat: Mariners starter Aaron Harang scattered four hits over seven innings of solid work en route to the 2-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians in his last start.
Hot batting stat: Twins OF Ryan Doumit has 11 hits in 34 career at-bats versus Harang. He has belted three homers and three doubles and knocked in four runs against the veteran hurler.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s with sunny skies. Wind will blow from left field to right field at 5 mph.
Key betting note: The Twins are 6-1 in SP Samuel Deduno's last seven starts versus a team with a losing record.
Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles (-123, 9.5)
Hot pitching stat: Sox starter Ryan Dempster has given up three ER in 12 2/3 innings of work (2.13 ERA) in two starts versus the Orioles this season.
Cold batting stat: O's SS J.J. Hardy is a career .067 hitter (2-for-30) against Dempster.
Weather: There is a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms in the forecast for gametime. Temperatures will be in the mid-80s with wind blowing out to left field at 11 mph.
Key betting note: The over is 4-1 in Dempster's last five starts overall.
Texas Rangers at Cleveland Indians (+111, 7.5)
Hot pitching stat: Indians SP Justin Masterson allowed just one hit over seven innings of work in a 7-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins in his last start.
Hot batting stat: The Rangers roster knock Masterson around to the tune of a collective .347 batting average. Rangers C A.J. Pierzynski is 14-for-33 (.424) versus Masterson.
Weather: There is a 60 percent chance of thunderstorms in the forecast. Temperatures will be in the high-60s and wind will blow out to right field at 10 mph.
Key betting note: The under is 6-1-1 in Rangers' SP Yu Darvish's last eight starts overall.
Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox (-162, 7.5)
Hot pitching stat: In his two previous starts versus Kansas City this season, Sox SP Chris Sale has allowed just one ER in 15 innings of work. His ERA is 0.60 in those starts versus the Royals.
Cold batting stat: Sox OF Alex Rios has just one hit in 19 career at-bats (.053) versus Royals starter Wade Davis.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-60s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow out to center field at 11 mph.
Key betting note: The Royals are 7-1 in their last eight during Game 2 of a series.
Interleague
Philadelphia Phillies at Detroit Tigers (-145, Off)
Hot pitching stat: Tigers starter Max Scherzer bounced back from suffering his first loss of the season in fine fashion. The righty gave up two runs on four hits over eight innings as he got back in the win column against the Chicago White Sox in his last outing.
Cold batting stat: .The Phillies were just 4-for-32 in Friday's 2-1 loss to open the series.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow from right field to left field at 11 mph.
Key betting note: The Phillies are 2-9 in their last 11 interleague road games..
MLB: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Texas Rangers at Cleveland Indians
The opener of this series was a 19 run slugfest but when Rangers and Indians play the second of this three game set in Cleveland runs will be at a premium. Yu Darvish starts for Rangers, bringing a 9-4 record, 2.86 ERA, 7-11-1 O/U mark to the Progressive Field mound. Darvish came off the disabled list on Monday and pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a victory over the Yankees posting a 7th 'Under' the past ten starts (2-7-1 O/U). For Cleveland, Justin Masterson toes the rubber with an 11-7 mark, 3.60 ERA, 7-13-1 O/U record. Masterson took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of last Sunday's win over Minnesota recording his 6th 'Under' in eight trips to the mound (2-6 O/U). Thanks to the presence of these pitchers and the above O/U betting numbers 'Under' is a compelling play. Here are other betting nuggets gleaned from our research that suggest 'Under' is the way to go. The teams have made a habit of keeping the score down when playing in Cleveland posting a 3-6 O/U mark the past nine encounters, the Rangers are 2-8-2 O/U last 12 on the diamond, 3-13 O/U last 16 as a favorite of -110 to -150, Tribe are 3-8 O/U the past eleven games, 1-5-1 O/U last seven as a home underdog w/Masterson.
Saturday's FOX Tip Sheet
By Chris David
VegasInsider.com
St. Louis at Atlanta
Betting Notes
Atlanta beat St. Louis on Friday 4-1, which was the first meeting between the teams this season. In 2012, the Braves won five of seven against the Cardinals, including two of three at home.
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Cardinals.
St. Louis will send Joe Kelly to the hill, who has started three games this season. The team has gone 2-1 with him on the mound.
The Braves counter with Julio Teheran and they haven’t won back-to-back games with him on the mound since May 9. Based on that trend and knowing the Braves won on Monday with Teheran starting, you would assume the Cards are the look.
Atlanta has lost Teheran’s last two starts at home but it is still 6-3 overall. The ‘under’ has gone 7-2 in Teheran’s home starts.
Atlanta is 17-16 in afternoon games, while St. Louis boasts a NL-best record of 21-11 in the daytime.
N.Y. Mets at Washington
Betting Notes
The two teams split a double-header yesterday with the Mets taking Game 1 (11-0) and the Nationals stealing Game 2 (2-1). The ‘under’ should’ve cashed in both games but New York exploded for six runs in the top of the ninth in its afternoon victory.
Including Friday’s outcomes, the two teams have split their 10 games this season. The ‘over’ has gone 6-4.
New York has gone 5-4 since the All-Star break. Washington has produced a 2-7 record since the break, which started with six straight losses, all at home too. The offense has been held to two runs or less in seven of the nine games.
The Mets have gone 10-10 overall with Dillon Gee on the mound and 1-1 since the All-Star break, with the ‘under’ cashing in both games. However, Gee is 3-0 versus the Nationals this season in three starts compiling a 0.96 ERA.
Washington hasn’t had any success with Dan Haren, going 4-14 in 18 starts and that includes a streak of 11 straight setbacks. During this 11-game skid, the Nationals have been held to three runs or less eight times. Haren has gone 2-2 in afternoon battles this season.
Even though the pitching matchup looks like a mismatch, the Nationals are listed as home favorites (-145) in this game.
L.A. Angels at Oakland
Betting Notes
Los Angeles took the opener in this series on Thursday with an 8-4 win while Oakland rebounded with a 6-4 win last night. Since the Athletics won the first four meetings of the season in April, the Angels have captured four of the last six. The ‘over’ has gone 7-3 in the 10 encounters.
L.A. and Oakland have both gone 4-4 since the All-Star break. The Angels are 11 games behind Oakland and tied for fourth place with Seattle in the American League West.
Oakland will start lefthander Tom Milone, who has struggled in daytime (1-4) games this season. Also, MIlone has gone 1-2 with a 7.80 ERA in his last three starts versus the Angels.
Los Angeles is 10-14 against southpaws this season.
The Angels are handing the ball to Garrett Richards today, who hasn’t stared since April. Richards was tagged by Oakland for eight hits and seven runs in a 10-6 loss at home on Apr. 30.
The Angels (18-12) have been better in the daytime than the Athletics (20-19) this season.
MLB Odds and Picks -- Red Sox try to solve O's
By: The Linemakers
Sportingnews.com
The Red Sox will try to avoid their seventh consecutive series loss to the Orioles tonight behind Ryan Dempster. Boston lost 13 of 18 games last season to Baltimore and have been tripped up in six of eight meetings this season. Dempster will be looking for his first win in five starts, but he's been very good against the Orioles over his career, going 1-1 with a 1.73 ERA in four starts.
The main reason to like Boston today is Orioles starter Scott Feldman. He's making his fifth start for the Orioles and has compiled a 2-1 record -- both wins coming in his last two starts -- with a 4.73 ERA. The Feldman we expect to see tonight is the one from July 8 against Texas where he gave up seven runs in 5 1/3 innings. He should be good for at least a five-spot against the highest scoring team in baseball as Boston looks to avoid a three-game losing streak, which would tie for its worst streak of the season.
Rays strong pitching to continue today
Pitching has been the name of the game for the Rays over their 20-3 run that has vaulted them to the top of the AL East. Over that 23-game span, their starting pitchers have an astounding 2.13 ERA and have held opponents to a measly .208 average. One of those pitchers, rookie Chris Archer, has been a major contributor over the Rays surge, and he takes the mound today at Yankee Stadium.
We like the Archer and the Rays as a short -110 favorite today against Ivan Nova, and it's not so much just because of the Rays incredible run, but more about Archer himself. He's gone 4-0 with a 1.62 ERA over his past six starts. Over his last three, he's been even better with a 0.41 ERA. And even though Yankee Stadium can be an intimidating place for a rookie starter, we like that he went six strong innings and beat the Yankees 3-1 there on June 23.
Soriano's impact on Yankees
Alfonso Soriano went 0-5 in his debut return to the Yankees last night after being traded from Cubs to provide some punch in the lineup, and he surely won't hurt the team. Soriano's eight home runs in July are one more than the entire Yankees squad has for the month.
The Yankees are 30-to-1 to win the World Series with just over two months to go, and despite not looking as good we have seen the Yankees be for almost the past two decades, they still are only seven games out of first. Derek Jeter is set to return in a few days, and we can probably expect GM Brian Cashman to make one more deal to go for a final push to make the playoffs.
Catching Boston or Tampa seems like a long shot, but there have been wilder stories in baseball history than the Yankees catching the leaders in the standings. If CC Sabathia can figure out what his issues are -- allowing at least seven runs in his past three starts -- this brand of overachieving Yankees could make some noise.
Hudson effect on Braves chances
Losing Tim Hudson for the season is a huge deal for the Braves -- not so much because of his performance, but more because of his presence on the field every fifth day. The Braves odds to win the World Series remained untouched at 8-to-1 after Hudson went down with an ankle injury, and most of that is because Hudson has been beatable this season. He's only 8-7 in 21 starts with a 3.97 ERA, which is fourth best among Braves starters. If it had been Mike Minor who got injured, then we might have seen some adjustments, but the Braves appear to be in good shape with an 8.5-game lead over the Nationals in the NL East.
It's hard to imagine, but the Braves could turn out to be in better shape if either Brandon Beachy comes back strong or they trade for another starter like Jake Peavy. The Braves have made it known that they are looking to make a deal for a starter and a middle reliever.
Grilli effect on Pirates
Part of the reason why the Pirates are in the wild-card drivers seat at 60-41 has been because of their ability to close out games in the ninth inning. That might change now that Jason Grilli who has saved 30 games this season will be out for at least 4-8 weeks because of a flexor strain in his right elbow.
No movement has been made on the Pirates 14-to-1 odds to win the World Series, but this is a much more impactful injury to the team than Hudson's is for the Braves. This changes their entire bullpen rotation -- their strength of the team -- and forces All-Star setup man Mark Melancon into the closer role. Because of the injury, the Pirates could put themselves in the sweepstakes bidding for Seattle's Oliver Perez, a former Pirate who has been mowing down batters this season. More than anything, losing their MVP could be a psychological blow to a team that is trying to overcome past failures in August that everyone keeps reminding them about.
Saturday selections:
Red Sox (Dempster) +113 at Orioles
Rays (Archer) -110 at Yankees
Mets (Gee) +135 at Nationals
Second-half record: 20-12 (+921)