Sunday's Streaking and Slumping Starting Pitchers
By Covers.com
Streaking
Gavin Floyd, Chicago White Sox (6-7, 4.80 ERA)
Floyd hasn’t allowed an earned run in consecutive starts, putting in 13 1/3 innings of solid pitching after a long rocky stretch. Before his recent hot streak, the big righty had allowed at least four runs in six straight starts. He tied a season-high with nine strikeouts in his latest turn, earning a 3-2 victory over the Twins.
Gio Gonzalez, Washington Nationals (10-3, 2.78 ERA)
Gonzalez wasn’t at his best in his last start, but still battled well enough to earn his 10th win of the season. He gave up two homers and four runs over six innings with seven strikeouts to help the Nats down the Rockies 12-5. He now has 108 strikeouts in only 90 2/3 innings pitched.
Slumping
Brian Matusz, Baltimore Orioles (5-9, 5.24 ERA)
Matusz has lost each of his last four starts and was absolutely terrible in his last trip to the hill. He allowed five runs, two homers, and a whopping 13 hits in just five innings during a 7-3 loss to the Angels Tuesday. Matusz owns an 8.31 ERA during the slump
Erik Bedard, Pittsburgh Pirates (4-8, 4.27 ERA)
The Pirates have lost four of Bedard’s last five starts. He is coming off a 5-4 loss to Philadelphia that saw him go six innings, allowing four runs. The lefty has also had a tough time on the road. He has lost four straight road starts.
Sunday Night Baseball: Mets at Dodgers
By Steve Merril
Covers.com
New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers (-145, 6.5)
East Coast versus West Coast on Sunday night baseball as the Mets finish their four-game series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
The Weakest Link
The Mets have been successful this season by using a four-man pitching rotation of R.A. Dickey, Johan Santana, Jonathon Niese, and Dillon Gee. However, of those four starters, Gee has been by far the weakest link. The other three pitchers each have an ERA of 3.55 or better with a WHIP of 1.27 or better, while Gee has struggled with a 4.42 ERA and 1.29 WHIP.
Gee is coming off one of his worst starts of the season last Tuesday when he allowed four runs and nine hits in just five innings against the Cubs in Chicago. Overall, Gee has a 4.23 ERA and 1.36 WHIP on the road this season.
Mr. Consistency
Los Angeles starter Clayton Kershaw has been the most consistent starter in the league the past four seasons. He struggled in his rookie season in 2008 with a 4.26 ERA and only 100 strikeouts, but he has dominated ever since with a 2.79 ERA and 185 strikeouts in 2009, 2.91 ERA and 212 strikeouts in 2010, and 2.28 ERA and 248 strikeouts in 2011 which led to the Cy Young award.
Kershaw is once again having a fantastic season this year with a 2.74 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 16 starts with a 103/27 strikeout/walk ratio.
Offensive Injuries
The Dodgers have suffered a major blow to their offensive power this season as their top two power hitters, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, are currently out of the lineup.
Ethier strained his left oblique on Wednesday and is out indefinitely, while Kemp has been out since he re-aggravated his hamstring injury on May 30th. The two players have combined for 22 home runs this season, while the rest of the team had combined for just 23 home runs all year entering Saturday's game.
Ethier and Kemp have also combined for 83 RBI as they rank first and second on the team.
Hitters vs. Starters
Matt Kemp's injury is good news for Dillon Gee as Kemp was 2-for-5 (.400) in his career versus the right-hander. Tony Gwynn is 2-for-3 (.667) versus Gee, while the rest of the Dodgers' lineup is just 2-for-10 (.200) if you remove the injured Andre Ethier (0-for-4).
The Mets' current players have struggled against Kershaw, going a combined 15-for-77 (.195). The three hitters with the most career at-bats versus Kershaw have mixed results as David Wright is just 1-for-9 (.111) and Andres Torres is only 2-for-19 (.105), while Scott Hairston is surprisingly 7-for-17 (.412) versus Kershaw.
Trends to Watch
Dodgers are 20-6 in Kershaw's last 26 home starts.
Mets are 1-5 in Gee's last 6 starts.
Mets are 19-6-1 Over last 26 road games vs. LH starter.
Kershaw is 13-4-1 Under in his last 18 home starts.
MLB: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Washington at Atlanta
The finale featuring Gio Gonzalez (10-3, 278 ERA) and Tim Hudson (6-3, 3.58 ERA) will be a pitcher duel and one Braves could steal. Little doubt Gonzalez has shown his worth since joining Washington. However, the lefty hit hard last time out giving up 2 yard-ball 5 runs over 6.0 innings may be suspect and could fall to 1-2 vs Braves. On the other mound, Hudson has completed at least eight innings in two of his past four starts posting a 3-1 mark and will enter with a sparkling 14-4 record vs Washington with Braves 16-8 over his 24 life-time starts. Expect Braves to take the rubber match as they move to 22-8 as a home favorite of -110 to -150 w/Tim Hudson and Nationals fall to 2-8 on road after splitting the first two of a three game set.
Los Angeles at Toronto
The Toronto Blue Jays winning two of the first three in this series including an 11-2 victory Saturday pin their hopes on Aaron Laffey when they complete the four game set against Halos. Last time out, the left-hander was superb in his first start in nearly two years, blanking Boston on three hits in six scoreless innings, but was tagged with a no-decision as Red Sox scored five against Toronto's bullpen downing Jays 5-1. Meanwhile, Halos look to even things up with lefty C.J. Wilson (9-4, 2.36 ERA) who is 5-0 over his last seven starts (7-0 TSR). Tough going against LAA with Wilson but with Jay bats heating up smacking 6 yard-ball, 25 runs so far in the series were sticking with the underdog home boys on Sunday. Jays are on a 7-1 streak following a win by =>9 runs, 6-3 stretch at home swinging away at a left-handed starter and we find C.J. Wilson's teams (LAA/Tex) 1-3 vs Toronto.
Hot pitchers
-- Nolasco is 2-2, 1.98 in his last four home starts.
-- Phillies won Blanton's last four starts (3-0, 4.25), scoring 30 runs.
-- Hudson is 3-1, 2.25 in his last four starts.
-- GGonzalez is 3-1, 4.44 in his last four outings.
-- Wood has a 2.27 RA in his last five starts.
-- Cardinals won last three Westbrook starts (2-0, 2.57).
-- Vogelsong is 3-1, 1.90 in his last six starts.
-- Niese is 2-0, 2.03 in his last couple starts.
-- Kershaw has a 1.93 RA in his last two starts.
-- Masterson is 2-2, 1.86 in his last four starts.
-- Floyd is 2-0, 0.00 (13.1 IP) in his last couple starts.
-- Hughes is 4-1, 2.67 in his last five starts.
-- BChen is 2-0, 2.13 in his last couple starts.
-- Liriano is 1-0, 2.29 in his last three starts.
-- Wilson is 5-0, 1.68 in his last seven starts.
-- Laffey blanked Boston for six innings in his first '12 start, at Fenway.
-- Blackley is 1-0, 2.14 in his last three starts.
-- Darvish is 3-0, 3.13 in his last three starts.
Cold pitchers
-- Collmenter is 0-2, 8.87 in five starts this season.
-- Gallardo is 2-2, 4.26 in his last five starts.
-- Bedard is 0-2, 7.05 in his last three starts.
-- WRodriguez has a 7.46 RA in his last six starts.
-- Pomeranz is 0-2, 5.09 in five starts this season.
-- KWells allowed five runs in five IP in his first '12 start.
-- Arroyo is 1-3, 5.66 in his last six starts.
-- Matusz is 0-4, 8.83 in his last four starts.
-- Cobb is 1-4, 5.88 in his last five starts.
-- Smyly is 0-2, 7.78 in his last four starts.
-- Vargas is 0-3, 7.56 in his last four starts.
-- Doubrant is 2-2, 7.43 in his last four starts.
Hot Teams
-- Marlins won their last three games, allowing seven runs.
-- Cubs won four of their last five games.
-- Pirates won ten of their last fourteen games.
-- Padres are 7-5 in their last dozen road games.
-- Mets won their last four games, allowing three runs.
-- Reds won first two games of San Francisco series, 5-1/2-1.
-- Toronto won five of its last six home games.
-- Angels won nine of their last thirteen games, but lost last two.
-- Bronx Bombers won 16 of their last 21 games,
-- White Sox won six of their last eight games.
-- Rangers won 13 of their last 15 games.
-- Red Sox won 12 of their last 17 games.
Cold Teams
-- Houston was outscored 30-10 in losing its last five road games.
-- Phillies lost eight of their last ten away games.
-- Cardinals lost last three games, allowing 26 runs.
-- Atlanta lost eight of its last eleven home games.
-- This is last game of road trip for Washington (4-5 on trip so far).
-- Colorado lost 17 of its last 23 games.
-- Arizona lost five of its last seven away games.
-- Brewers lost five of their last seven games overall.
-- Dodgers lost 12 of last 14 games, scoring two runs in last six games.
-- Giants lost their last two games, scoring two runs.
-- Indians lost nine of their last 12 road games.
-- Baltimore lost five of its last seven games.
-- Tampa Bay lost eight of its last eleven games.
-- Tigers lost three of five.
-- Royals are 5-7 in their last dozen road games.
-- Minnesota lost seven of its last 11 home games, but won last two.
-- Oakland lost four of its last five games.
-- Mariners lost 13 of their last 20 games; they're 3-3 this week, despite scoring eight runs in those six games.
Totals
-- 12 of last 15 Houston road games went over the total.
-- Over is 26-9 in Philly's last 35 games.
-- Six of last seven Atlanta games went over the total.
-- Over is 8-2-1 in last eleven games at Coors Field.
-- Under is 11-6-1 in last eighteen Arizona road games.
-- 14 of last 16 Pittsburgh road games went over the total.
-- Under is 9-3-1 in Dodgers' last thirteen games.
-- Ten of last eleven Cincinnati games stayed under total.
-- Over is 8-2-1 in last eleven Angel games.
-- Under is 9-4-2 in last fifteen Cleveland road games.
-- Eight of last eleven White Sox games stayed under the total.
-- Nine of last eleven Detroit games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 9-3-1 in last thirteen Oakland games.
-- Eight of last ten Kansas City road games stayed under.
-- Last eight Seattle games stayed under the total.
Umpires
-- Pitt-StL-- Four of last five Wolf games went over the total.
-- Wsh-Atl-- Seven of last ten McClelland games went over.
-- Cin-SF-- Under is 8-2-1 in last eleven Iassogna games.
-- Hst-Chi-- Seven of last nine Everitt games stayed under.
-- Phil-Mia-- Favorites won last six Demuth games.
-- NY-LA-- Over is 6-3-1 in last ten Randazzo games. 5:00 local time start; shadows could be a factor.
-- Az-Mil-- Four of last five Hickox games stayed under the total.
-- SD-Col-- Six of last eight Carapazza games stayed under total.
-- LA-Tor-- Favorites won six of last seven Hoye games.
-- Chi-NY-- Five of last seven Cooper games went over the total.
-- Clev-Blt-- 12 of last 15 Drake games went over the total.
-- KC-Min-- 14 of 15 Emmel games went over total; they played twinbill Saturday; check late to make sure Emmel is behind plate here.
-- A's-Tex-- Visiting team won six of last nine Gonzalez games.
-- Bos-Sea-- 11 of last 15 Culbreth games went over total.
-- Det-TB-- Under is 6-1-1 in last eight Muchlinski games.
Armadillosports.com
PHILADELPHIA vs. MIAMI
Philadelphia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Philadelphia is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Miami
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Miami's last 7 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
Miami is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
CLEVELAND vs. BALTIMORE
Cleveland is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Cleveland's last 7 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baltimore's last 5 games at home
Baltimore is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
WASHINGTON vs. ATLANTA
Washington is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Atlanta
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
Atlanta is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
DETROIT vs. TAMPA BAY
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Detroit is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games
CHI WHITE SOX vs. NY YANKEES
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi White Sox's last 7 games on the road
Chi White Sox are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
NY Yankees are 12-5 SU in their last 17 games at home
NY Yankees are 16-5 SU in their last 21 games
ARIZONA vs. MILWAUKEE
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona's last 5 games on the road
Arizona is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 5 games at home
Milwaukee is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games at home
KANSAS CITY vs. MINNESOTA
Kansas City is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City's last 6 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Minnesota is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing Kansas City
PITTSBURGH vs. ST. LOUIS
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games
St. Louis is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 5 of St. Louis's last 5 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
HOUSTON vs. CHI CUBS
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
Houston is 1-7 SU in their last 8 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chi Cubs's last 7 games when playing Houston
Chi Cubs are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing Houston
LA ANGELS vs. TORONTO
LA Angels are 14-3 SU in their last 17 games on the road
LA Angels are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto's last 6 games when playing at home against LA Angels
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 7 games
SAN DIEGO vs. COLORADO
The total has gone OVER in 12 of San Diego's last 18 games when playing on the road against Colorado
San Diego is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games when playing Colorado
Colorado is 6-17 SU in its last 23 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Colorado's last 6 games when playing San Diego
CINCINNATI vs. SAN FRANCISCO
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cincinnati's last 5 games when playing San Francisco
Cincinnati is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Francisco's last 5 games at home
San Francisco is 16-7 SU in its last 23 games at home
BOSTON vs. SEATTLE
Boston is 1-3-1 SU in its last 5 games ,when playing on the road against Seattle
Boston10-3-1 SU in its last 14 games
Seattle is 3-5-1 SU in its last 9 games ,when playing at home against Boston
Seattle is 5-13-1 SU in its last 19 games ,at home
OAKLAND vs. TEXAS
Oakland is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Texas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oakland's last 6 games when playing on the road against Texas
Texas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Texas is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Oakland
NY METS vs. LA DODGERS
NY Mets are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of NY Mets's last 9 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of LA Dodgers's last 9 games at home
National League
Philadelphia at Miami
Blanton: Philadelphia 2-11 SU off a loss by 1 run
Nolasco: Miami 20-8 SU off BB games allowing 2 runs or less
Washington at Atlanta
Gonzalez: 12-3 TSR in all starts this season
Hudson: Atlanta 21-9 Under at home off 5+ home games
Arizona at Milwaukee
Collmenter: Arizona 25-13 SU on Sundays
Gallardo: Milwaukee 2-13 SU off a win by 4+ runs
Pittsburgh at St. Louis
Bedard: Pittsburgh 11-5 SU off 5+ road games
Westbrook: 3-9 TSR as a home favorite of -125 to -175
Houston at Chicago Cubs
Rodriguez: Houston 10-33 SU away in the second half of the season
Wood: 5-1 TSR at home with a line of -125 to +125
San Diego at Colorado
Wells: San Diego 3-16 SU after winning 2 of their last 3 games
Pomeranz: Colorado 22-6 SU at home off 5+ Overs
Cincinnati at San Francisco
Arroyo: Cincinnati 10-25 SU away after allowing 2 runs or less
Vogelsong: 6-0 TSR after allowing 1 or 0 ER's last start
NY Mets at LA Dodgers
Gee: 7-1 TSR as a road undedog of +125 to +150
Kershaw: Dodgers 0-8 SU after hitting .225 or worse over 15+ games
American League
Cleveland at Baltimore
Masterson: Cleveland 12-3 SU off a win by 6+ runs
Matusz: Baltimore 17-41 SU off a loss by 4+ runs
Detroit at Tampa Bay
Smyly: Detroit 6-14 SU off 7+ road games
Cobb: Tampa Bay 26-12 SU on Sundays
Chicago White Sox at NY Yankees
Floyd: White Sox 7-0 SU away with a total of 10+ runs
Hughes: Yankees 2-7 SU at home with a total of 10+ runs
Kansas City at Minnesota
Chen: Kansas City 17-32 SU off BB games scoring 3 runs or less
Liriano: Minnesota 37-14 SU as a home favorite of -125 to -150
LA Angels at Toronto
Wilson: 20-4 TSR as a favorite of -125 to -175
Laffey: Toronto 38-22 Over vs. left-handed starters
Boston at Seattle
Doubront: Boston 33-14 Over as a favorite of -150 or less
Vargas: Seattle 10-23 SU at home vs. left-handed starters
Oakland at Texas
Blackley: Oakland 17-7 Over in July
Darvish: Texas 20-6 SU after winning 6 or 7 of their last 8 games
Diamond Trends - Sunday
By Vince Akins
VegasInsider.com
SU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Brewers are 15-0 since April 10, 2011 as a home 140+ favorite when they are off a win in which they never trailed and it is not the first game of a series for a net profit of $1500.
OU TREND OF THE DAY:
The Angels are 0-19-4 OU since April 12, 2011 as a favorite after a loss in which they had a higher team-left-on-base than their opponent for a net profit of $1900 when playing the under.
STARTER TREND OF THE DAY:
The Giants are 0-13 OU since May 08, 2011 when Ryan Vogelsong starts at home after his team won the last time he started for a net profit of $1300 when playing the under.
MLB BIBLE TREND OF THE DAY:
The Dodgers are 11-0 (2.3 rpg) since April 18, 2010 at home after a 5+ run loss and it is the last game of a series.
TODAY’S TRENDS:
The Giants are 0-5 since August 08, 2011 when Ryan Vogelsong starts as a home 140+ favorite for a net profit of $770 when playing against.
The Dodgers are 6-0 since May 08, 2011 when Clayton Kershaw starts after the team lost their last three games for a net profit of $615
Sunday's MLB Notes
By Chris David
VegasInsider.com
As the first-half of the pro baseball season comes to a close, clubs are hoping to enter the All-Star break on a high note. Unfortunately, others will end on a high note. On Sunday, five teams will hope to avoid sweeps and two of the squads will be at home. With some help from our VegasInsider.com handicappers, let’s take a look at all five matchups, starting with the primetime showdown on ESPN.
Mets at Dodgers
New York will be looking for a four-game sweep over Los Angeles when the pair square off at Chavez Ravine tonight. Looking at the pitchers, the early lean goes to Clayton Kershaw (5-4, 2.74 ERA) and the Dodgers over Dillon Gee (5-6, 4.42 ERA). Los Angeles has gone 10-6 with Kershaw on the mound this season, which includes a 6-3 mark at home. However, the team has dropped two straight and four of his last seven appearances. The issue hasn’t exactly been Kershaw, rather an offense that’s been awful and we’re being nice. Los Angeles has dropped seven straight and 11 of its last 12 games.
During this skid, the offense has put up a total of 15 runs and been blanked five times, including shutout losses to the Mets on Friday (0-9) and Saturday (0-5). New York did send out R.A. Dickey and Johan Santana the last two days and Gee isn’t in that class, which gives L.A. supporters a little hope. However, without Andre Ethier (oblique) and Matt Kemp (hamstring) in the lineup, can you really trust Los Angeles to wake up?
Kershaw has faced the Mets five times in his career and the southpaw has gone 4-0 with a 1.39 ERA. The Mets have gone 14-17 against lefthanders this season despite averaging 4.7 runs per game. The Mets are 1-5 in the last six starts with Gee on the mound, four of the losses by two runs or more. Against the Dodgers, Gee is 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA in two career appearances.
The total on tonight’s matchup can be played at 6 or 6 ½ runs, depending where you shop. Kershaw has seen the ‘under’ go 8-7 in his 15 starts, which includes a 5-3 mark at Dodger Stadium. The Mets have been a great ‘over’ bet on the road this season, connecting at a 69% (25-11) clip. Gee has certainly helped the cause, watching the ‘over’ go 11-3 in his 14 starts, 4-2 on the road.
Tonight’s home plate umpire is Tony Randazzo, who has produced leans toward the home team (10-6) and the ‘over’ (9-7) this season.
Marlins vs. Phillies
After a rough June for Miami (7-18), the Marlins closed the month strong with three wins, including two in a row over Philadelphia. The Phillies will send Joe Blanton (7-6, 4.87 ERA) up against the Marlins’ Ricky Nolasco (6-6, 4.78 ERA) this afternoon. VI Expert Ed Meyer believes the Phillies will avoid the road sweep in South Florida. He explains his analysis below:
Nolasco beat the Phillies 5-4 as a 140 dog in Philadelphia on June 2. Here is a home favorite and he has not pitched well in this spot. The Marlins are 0-5 as a home favorite with Nolasco as a home favorite over a team they beat as a non-favorite in Nolasco’s last start against them. His last two starts in this spot have been complete disasters. He allowed nine runs on eight hits and four walks in three innings vs. the Diamondbacks as a 135 home favorite and topped that by allowing nine runs on nine hits and two walks in one and a third innings vs. the Padres as a 155 home favorite. In Nolasco’s last start, he allowed only one run in six-and-two-thirds, but the bullpen allowed 7 and the Fish lost 8-7. This is no reason to invest in him here, as the Marlins are 1-9 as a home favorite with Nolasco when they suffered a non-shutout loss in his last start. As a team the Marlins have adopted a defeatist attitude in this situation, as they are 2-18 at home when they blew a lead in their starter's last start and lost, as long as that starter allowed fewer than five runs in that loss. More importantly, Florida is 0-7 in this spot THIS season, and they were favored in six of the seven – four times they were more than a 160 favorite. The Phillies have won Blanton’s last four starts and he has personal revenge for a loss against Miami they last time he faced them. Philadelphia is a nice 27-13 with Blanton with they lost the last time he started vs. this opponent. After struggling against Buehrle and Johnson, the Phillies should be able to avoid the sweep versus Nolasco.
Pirates at Cardinals
Pittsburgh has been a tough team to figure out but the club is one-game behind Cincinnati for first place in the National League Central. The Cardinals hope to cool off the Pirates after getting blasted 14-5 and 7-3 in the first two games of this series. Handicapper Tom Freese believes St. Louis will avoid the home sweep and finally cash as a healthy favorite based on pitching. His analysis below:
The 40-38 Cardinals are at home for Game 3 of their series with the 42-35 Pirates on Sunday. Bedard (4-8) gets the call for Pittsburgh while Westbrook (6-6) gets the nod for St Louis. Bedard tosses his first pitch with an ERA of 4.27 giving up 37 earned runs in 78 innings of work while allowing 34 walks with 72 K's. The Pirates are 1-4 in Bedards last 5 starts and 0-4 in his last 4 starts as an Underdog. Also, 0-4 in his last 4 road starts. Bedard is 0-2 with a 7.05 ERA in his last 3 starts! On the flip side of the coin, Westbrook starts off with an ERA of 3.77 giving up 39 earned runs in 93 innings pitched allowing 25 walks with 59 K's. The Cardinals are 5-1 in their last 6 games when Westbrook starts with the total set at 9.0 to 10.5. Westbrook is 2-0 with an ERA of 2.14 in his last 3 starts! The Pirates struggle with Bedard on the Hill while the Cards with Westbrook have done pretty well as of late. Westbrook and the Cards win this game easily!
Cubs vs. Astros
Don’t look now but the Cubs have won four of five and are looking to sweep the Astros on Sunday. You should be surprised since Chicago has only swept one team, San Diego, all season. During its recent roll, Chicago has won three of four by two or more runs and Bruce Marshall feels that will continue this afternoon. His analysis below:
We pick our spots carefully with the Chicago Cubs. Not careful enough, perhaps, on Saturday, but we try it again on the Run Line vs. the Astros on Sunday at Wrigley Field. Cubs starter Travis Wood has been lights-out in his last two starts, allowing just one run on nine hits over 13 IP in wins over the Mets and White Sox. Now he faces a Houston team that is 9-27 on the road this season and has to hope starter Wandy Rodriguez reverses his recent shaky form (6.17 ERA in last six outings). Play Cubs on Run Line
Rangers vs. Athletics
Texas has been installed as a heavy favorite over Oakland as it looks to complete the four-game sweep. The Rangers’ Yu Darvish (10-4, 3.57 ERA) will counter the A’s lefthander Travis Blackley (1-2, 3.05 ERA). Texas has gone 16-9 against lefthanders this season, nine of the wins coming at home. Including the three wins this week, the home team has won seven of the nine encounters this season. The Rangers own the best record on Sunday this season, producing a 10-2 mark.