Sunday's Best MLB Bets
Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants (-123, 6.5)
The Giants got edged by Los Angeles on Friday, but they have still won six of eight in the head-to-head series this season as of Saturday evening. When anyone other Clayton Kershaw takes the mound for the Dodgers, San Francisco is 6-0.
San Fran should have a good chance of improving on that mark with Madison Bumgarner on tap for a Sunday start. The southpaw owns a modest 10-12 record but he boasts a solid 3.37 ERA.
"He's so mature beyond his years," manager Bruce Bochy told the San Francisco Chronicle after Bumgarner's latest outing. "Going back to last year, pitching in the World Series, he's really grown up as a pitcher. He's not getting rattled anymore, or unraveled, when things go bad."
To say things have not gone bad of late would be an understatement. Bumgarner has turned in quality starts in six of his last seven appearances, including three in a row. In his last three has compiled 24 2-3 innings of work while allowing only 14 hits and three runs to go along with 26 strikeouts.
Pick: Giants
Cleveland Indians at Chicago White Sox (-123, 8.5)
Zach Stewart had underwhelmed since going over to Chicago from Toronto at the trade deadline, but that all changed on Monday. Stewart was perfect through seven innings at Minnesota and finished with a one-hitter, striking out nine in a 4-0 shutout.
"He didn't really have stuff that was overpowering," said Danny Valencia, the only Minnesota hitter to find any luck against Stewart. "He was just locating really well. He had all his pitches going, and he was throwing everything for a strike."
Speaking of throwing strikes, Cleveland starter Ubaldo Jiminez is finally starting to find the zone. Jiminez was inconsistent at best over his first four outings as an Indian this summer but he has delivered three straight quality starts. However, in a start at Chicago on August 16, he lasted just 4 2-3 innings and allowed five runs on eight hits.
The White Sox, meanwhile, have showed signs of emerging from a slumping by winning four of their last six games as of Saturday evening. Cleveland, on the other hand, has dropped four of five.
Pick: White Sox
Sunday's Streaking and Slumping Starting Pitchers
Streaking
Doug Fister, Detroit Tigers (7-13, 3.17 ERA)
The Tigers’ righty is 3-0 with a 0.91 ERA in his last four trips to the bump, most recently giving up only one run on four hits in eight innings of work versus the Indians. Fister recorded 13 strikeouts in a 4-2 win and has 31 Ks over his last four outings.
Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox (15-6, 2.93 ERA)
Lester is 4-0 in his last five starts, allowing one run or fewer in each of those outings. In his most recent appearance, the BoSox’s southpaw gave up only three hits over seven innings in a 14-0 blowout against Toronto. He’s 10-4 with a career 3.65 ERA versus Tampa Bay.
Slumping
Wade LeBlanc, San Diego Padres (2-5, 5.33 ERA)
LeBlanc is 0-3 with a 7.20 ERA in his last three starts for the Padres. The left-hander gave up four runs on eight hits in just five innings of work during a 6-4 loss to San Francisco his last time on the mound. He’s 1-3 with an ERA just under 6.00 on the road and posts similar career numbers versus Arizona, going 1-2 with a 5.76 ERA against the Diamondbacks.
Esmil Rogers, Colorado Rockies (6-5, 6.26 ERA)
Rogers has lost three straight outings and is 0-4 in his last five starts. The Rockies’ righty was beat up bad in his most recent appearance, getting knocked around for six earned runs on eight hits – including two home runs – in only 5 1-3 innings.
St. Louis Cardinals Host Hudson, Atlanta Braves
By: Adam Markowitz
Two teams that are trying to make it to the postseason in the National League will duke it out on Sunday at Busch Stadium, as the St. Louis Cardinals face off with the Atlanta Braves.
MLB betting festivities get started at 2:10 p.m. (ET) in the Gateway to the West, and there will be live television coverage on FOX Sports Midwest and FOX Sports South.
It wasn't that long ago that the Cards probably thought they were out of the postseason, but with a little over two weeks to play, perhaps they aren't out of it quite yet. St. Louis was six games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the loss column in the NL Central entering Saturday, and the same distance back in the loss column of the Braves for the NL Wild Card.
Meanwhile, Atlanta's once very, very comfortable lead in the NL Wild Card has dwindled just a bit; getting swept in this series would be devastating and would make things a lot less comfortable down the stretch.
The Braves' Tim Hudson looks like he could be running out of gas. In his last three starts, he has thrown 18 1/3-innings and allowed nine runs on 22 hits.
The good news is that his splits are still fantastic for the season. Hudson is 14-9 with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. Batters are only hitting .231 against him.
Hudson hasn't pitched well against St. Louis is his career, allowing 35 runs in 60 innings of work. His 3-3 record in 10 starts is also nothing to write home about.
The Cardinals have won three straight and eight out of 11 with Saturday's matchup still pending, and that's what has gotten them back into the postseason picture. In this stretch, they have only allowed more than four runs once, and are scoring 4.73 runs per game.
Jake Westbrook hasn't pitched very well since being traded to St. Louis from the Cleveland Indians at the deadline last year. However, over the course of his last four starts, he has been the pitcher that the Cardinals thought they were getting.
Westbrook has allowed just 10 earned runs in his last four starts, averaging six innings of work in those outings.
He has only started against the Braves three times in his career, going 0-1 with a 4.24 ERA. He allowed two runs in six frames against Atlanta in his one start this year in April.
The Cardinals have won four of the last five and nine of the last 12 in this series coming into the weekend. The Braves have scored three runs of fewer in four of the last five.
In respect to the total, the 'over' is 7-2 in the last nine clashes, and 6-2-2 in Hudson's 10 starts against the Cardinals.
Showers are in the forecast in St. Louis, as there is a 40 percent chance of rain. Temperatures should be in the low-to-mid 80s with relatively light winds.
Matt Garza, Chicago Cubs At New York Mets
By: Willie Bee
There are certainly more compelling matchups on Sunday's MLB schedule, such as the Red Sox at the Rays or the Phillies in Milwaukee. But ESPN is going to squeeze every bit of drama it can out of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks with the Chicago Cubs in New York to take on the Mets.
The prime-time telecast begins at 8:00 p.m. (ET) and features a starting pitching matchup between Matt Garza and Miguel Batista.
Assuming the 30 percent chance of rain in the forecast for Queens doesn't get in the way, Sunday's contest will bring the season series between the clubs to a close. The Mets knotted things up 2-2 Friday night thanks to Justin Turner's walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth to give New York a 5-4 win laying -140 on the MLB money line.
Game 2 of the set was still in progress at press, with the Mets -130 and an 8½-run total in a battle between Chris Capuano and Cubs right-hander Randy Wells.
It's been one of those seasons for Garza (12-15, 3.52) who will be making his first career start against the Mets. A lack of run support has been a huge part of his disappointing season with Chicago averaging 3.81 runs per game when Garza takes the mound. A closer look reveals that 33 of those runs came in just three of his 27 starts, and the Cubs have plated two runs or less in 11 others.
Life on the road has been another stumbling block for the former Fresno State star. Garza's 4.84 ERA away from Wrigley Field is more than two runs higher than his mark at the friendly confines. Chicago is 4-8 in his dozen assignments outside of the ivy-covered walls.
There has been marked improvement since the end of July for Garza who has a 2.23 ERA his last seven outings. The Cubs are 5-2 in those games, including 3-0 on the road.
The fact that Batista (3-0, 2.25) is part of the Mets' rotation should tell you how thin their mound corps is. Released in June by St. Louis, New York signed the 40-year-old journeyman and stuck him at Triple-A Buffalo for a couple of months before calling him up to take the spot that opened when Jon Niese Intercostal strain) went to the disabled list.
Batista worked almost exclusively out of the 'pen for the Cardinals, his lone start simply to bide some time that rainy evening in St. Louis for Kyle McClellan. Batista walked the only Reds batter he saw in the top of the first before a rain delay halted things for a while.
It's hard to argue with results, however. The Cardinals won that game and the Mets have won both of Batista's starts since he joined their rotation on Sept. 1. He's allowed 18 baserunners in his 12 innings so far, all against the Marlins, but was able to work out of jams with only three runs scoring.
Batista has also dominated the hitters in this Cubs lineup with the exception of Carlos Peña (4-for-13, 2 doubles).
Sunday's man behind the plate should be Paul Schreiber whose games are on a bit of an 'over' kick after beginning the season on the low side of the betting totals. A closer look at the stats reveals he worked several games with 9-run or higher totals early on while most of his recent games have been 8½ or less. Schreiber is 10-9-1 'over' when you add it all up.
New York remains at home to begin a series with the Nationals on Monday while the Cubs head west to Cincinnati to meet the Reds.