National League
Cardinals @ Cubs
Leake is 1-2, 9.41 in his last four starts; four of his last five went over. Cardinals are 6-4 in his road starts.
Lackey is 2-0, 2.14 in his last three starts; four of his last five stayed under. Cubs are 7-5 in his home starts.
Cardinals lost nine of last 14 games; over is 10-4-2 in their last 15 games. Chicago won 11 of last 12 games; seven of their last 11 stayed under.
Braves @ Nationals
Jenkins is 2-0, 1.50 in his last three starts (under 4-1-1). Braves split his four road starts.
Roark is 3-0, 1.77 in his last three starts; under is 7-2 in his last nine. Washington won five of his last six home starts.
Braves won seven of last 11 road games; last three Atlanta games went over. Washington won seven of last ten games; their last three games went over.
Rockies @ Phillies
Chatwood is 2-1, 2.55 in his last four starts; Rockies are 8-1 in his road starts. Under is 3-0-2 in his last five starts.
Morgan is 0-7, 8.68 in his last nine starts, last of which was July 7; his last seven starts went over. Phillies lost his last five home starts.
Colorado lost eight of last nine games; over is 5-1-1 in their last six road games. Phillies are 9-6 in last 15 games, over is 9-1-1 in their last 11 games.
Padres @ Mets
Richard is making first ’16 start; he is 50-50, 4.34 in 132 starts. His three starts for the Cubs LY are his only starts since 2013. He is 0-1, 2.13 in four minor league starts this year.
Matz is 1-5, 3.56 in his last seven starts; under is 7-3-2 in his last 12. Mets lost his last four home starts.
San Diego lost 13 of last 18 road games; six of Padres’ last nine games went over. Mets are 5-12 in last 17 games; seven of last nine games at Citi Field went over.
Reds @ Brewers
Reed is 0-6, 7.91 in nine starts this year (over 6-0-3).
Peralta is 1-3, 6.20 in his last four starts; over is 8-3 in his last 11. Brewers are 3-4 in his home starts.
Reds won three of last four games; over is 4-1-1 in their last six. Milwaukee is 8-5 in last 13 home games; six of last eight games at Miller Park stayed under.
Pirates @ Dodgers
Kuhl is 2-0, 3.91 in five starts this year (over 2-2-1).
Injury-plagued Anderson is making his first ’16 start; he is 37-41, 3.12 in 112 big league starts. He is 0-1, 2.25 in three minor league starts this year. He was 10-9, 3.69 in 31 starts for the Dodgers LY.
Pittsburgh lost nine of last 11 road games; under is 8-5 in their last 13 games. Dodgers won five of last six games; over is 6-1-1 in last eight Dodger home games.
American League
Rays @ New York
Odorizzi is 3-0, 1.69 in his last five starts; four of his last six stayed under. Rays lost his last four road starts.
Severino is 0-7, 8.01 in eight starts this year; three of his last four stayed under. New York lost all eight of his starts.
Rays are 2-8 in last ten road games; seven of their last eight games went over. New York won five of last six games; three of their last four games went over.
Astros @ Blue Jays
Fiers is 2-1, 3.70 in his last four starts; four of his last six went over. Houston is 3-6 in his road starts.
Stroman is 0-1, 3.86 in his last three starts; under is 5-3 in his last eight. Toronto won three of his last four home starts.
Astros won four of last five games; under is 9-3-1 in their last 13 games. Toronto is 8-4 in last 12 home games; over is 6-3-1 in last ten games at Sky Dome.
Angels @ Indians
Weaver is 0-2, 6.97 in his last four starts; over is 8-3-1 in his last 12. Angels are 4-6 in his road starts.
Bauer is 1-2, 7.86 in his last four starts (under 3-1). Indians are 5-4 in his home starts.
Angels lost 14 of last 16 road games; three of their last five games stayed under. Cleveland is 7-3 in its last ten home games; their last six home games went over total.
Royals @ Twins
Volquez is 0-2, 9.53 in his last three starts; four of his last five went over. Royals are 3-6 in his road starts.
Santiago is 0-2, 7.84 in two starts for the Twins (over 2-0).
Royals won five of last seven games; under is 8-3 in Royals’ last 11 road games. Minnesota lost four of last five games; six of Twins’ last eight home games went over.
Tigers @ Rangers
Fulmer is 0-1, 3.76 in his last four starts; four of his last five stayed under. Detroit is 10-3 in his road starts.
Griffin is 2-0, 4.71 in his last four starts (over 8-5-2). Texas won four of his five home starts.
Tigers lost five of last six games; four of last six Detroit games stayed under. Texas won six of last eight home games; under is 10-2-2 in last 14 Ranger games.
Mariners @ A’s
LeBlanc is 0-0, 6.33 in his last four starts (over 3-1).
Neal is 1-1, 7.71 in two starts this year (over 1-1).
Mariners won seven of last eight games; over is 6-3 in Seattle’s last nine road games. Oakland won four of last six games; six of last nine Oakland games stayed under.
Interleague
White Sox @ Marlins
Sale is 0-2, 2.17 in his last four starts; six of his last nine stayed under. White Sox are 8-3 in his road starts.
Koehler is 3-0, 1.33 in his last four starts; over is 6-3 in his last nine. Miami won his last three home starts.
White Sox are 6-10 in their last 16 games; three of their last four games stayed under. Miami lost eight of last 11 games; seven of Marlins’ last ten home games went over.
Diamondbacks @ Red Sox
Greinke is 5-0, 2.01 in his last seven starts (under 5-2). Arizona won all six of his road starts.
Porcello is 7-1, 2.84 in his last eight starts; five of his last six stayed under. Boston is 12-0 when Porcello starts at home.
Diamondbacks won four of last six games; six of their last nine road games went over. Boston lost seven of last 11 home games; under is 12-5 in their last 17 games.
Orioles @ Giants
Miley is 0-2, 4.91 in two starts for Baltimore (under 2-0).
Cueto is 1-2, 5.34 in his last five starts; over is 7-3 in his last ten. Giants are 7-2 in his home starts.
Orioles are 6-12 in last 18 road games; under is 13-6-1 in their last 20 road games. Giants are 9-17 in last 26 games; under is 6-2-1 in their last nine games.
Teams’ record when this pitcher starts
StL-Chi– Leake 10-13; Lackey 13-10
Atl-Wsh– Jenkins 4-2; Roark 14-9 (11-2 last 13)
Col-Phil– Chatwood 12-9; Morgan 2-10
SD-NY– Richard Matz 10-11 (1-6 last 7)
Cin-Mil– Reed 0-9; Peralta 5-9
Pitt-LA– Kuhl 5-0; Anderson 0-0
TB-NY– Odorizzi 11-13; Severino 0-8
Hst-Tor– Fiers 12-9; Stroman 11-12
LA-Cle– Weaver 9-13; Bauer 9-9
Det-Tex– Fulmer 15-3; Griffin 11-4
KC-Min– Volquez 12-12 (0-4 last 4); Santiago 0-2/16-6
Sea-A’s– LeBlanc 5-1; Neal 1-1
CWS-Mia– Sale 15-7; Koehler 10-13
Az-Bos– Greinke 13-5; Porcello 17-6
Balt-SF– Miley 0-2/10-9; Cueto 18-5
Starting pitchers allowing 1+ runs in first inning
StL-Chi– Leake 7-23; Lackey 9-23 (4 of last 4)
Atl-Wsh– Jenkins 2-6; Roark 4-23
Col-Phil– Chatwood 7-21; Morgan 6-12
SD-NY– Richard Matz 6-21
Cin-Mil– Reed 5-9; Peralta 6-14
Pitt-LA– Kuhl 2-5; Anderson 0-0
TB-NY– Odorizzi 5-24; Severino 3-8
Hst-Tor– Fiers 4-21; Stroman 6-23
LA-Cle– Weaver 7-22; Bauer 5-18
Det-Tex– Fulmer 4-18; Griffin 2-15
KC-Min– Volquez 8-24; Santiago 11-24
Sea-A’s– LeBlanc 4-6; Neal 0-2
CWS-Mia– Sale 8-22; Koehler 7-23
Az-Bos– Greinke 6-18; Porcello 7-23
Balt-SF– Miley 7-21; Cueto 6-23
Umpires
StL-Chi– Over is 6-3-1 in last ten Bellino games.
Atl-Wsh– Under is 13-5 in last 18 Hoberg games.
Col-Phil– Six of last eight Johnson games went over.
SD-NY– Four of last five Gibson games stayed under.
Cin-Mil– Under is 10-4-1 in last 15 Blakney games.
Pitt-LA– Under is 10-5-1 in last 16 Fairchild games.
TB-NY– Underdogs won 10 of last 13 Hirschbeck games.
Hst-Tor– Four of last five Diaz games stayed under.
LA-Cle– Underdog split last 12 Fagan games.
Det-Tex– Over is 13-2-1 in last sixteen Knight games.
KC-Min– Underdogs are 9-6 in last fifteen Nauert games.
Sea-A’s– Over is 16-3 in last nineteen Wegner games.
CWS-Mia– Under is 6-0-1 in last seven TGibson games.
Az-Bos– Underdogs won five of last six Barksdale games.
Balt-SF– Under is 7-4 in last eleven Kellogg games.
Armadillosports.com
MLB: Streak, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Houston at Toronto
The up coming conclusion of a three-game series between Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros should grab the attention of 'Under' gamblers. Blue Jays the leagues top 'Under' team at 45-67-5 O/U have been unable to find a consistent stroke at the plate the past thirteen and have played 'Under' in 11 of those contests. Astros have certainly following in that same vein going 49-61-7 O/U on the year and have played 'Under' in 9 of their last 13 contests. With Saturday's 4-2 Jay victory the series has now played 'Under' in six straight meetings this season.
Arizona at Boston
The eyes of most baseball fans as well as those with a penchant for sports gaming with be on what looks to be a pitcher's duel when the Boston Red Sox and Arizona D-Backs conclude a three game series at Fenway Park Sunday afternoon.
The duel in question will be between the BoSox hurler Rick Porcello and the D-Backs' Zack Greinke. To say, there’s No Place Like Home for Porcello would be an understatement. The righthander is 12-0 in his home park this season allowing three or fewer runs in eight of the thirteen starts. On the other mound, we have Greinke (11-3, 3.67 ERA) who has one blemish his last sixteen starts and heads to the hill a sparkling 6-0 the past eight starts in an opposing park allowing two or fewer runs in six of those contest.
Tough picken's but the lean is Boston. The Red Sox not only bring Porcello to the table, the club has enjoyed success hosting the Senior Circuit. In the past 19 such games in front of the home audience the result has been 15 wins, 4 losses including 7-2 this campaign. Additionally, the fact this contest is a day game favors Boston as Red Sox are 14-6 in daylight hours at Fenway.
Sunday's Diamond Notes
By Tony Mejia
VegasInsider.com
Hottest team: Cubs (11-1 last 12, 14-2 last 16)
Chicago finally tasted defeat in August, losing their 11-game win streak when its bullpen faded in allowing a five-run eighth that was punctuated by a Randal Grichuk grand slam. Rival St. Louis won 8-4, scoring its largest output since July 29, but is working short-handed since it had to put Matt Adams on the disabled list entering this series and then lost Matt Holliday to a broken hand in the series opener. Aledmys Diaz is also still out, and the Cards have had trouble manufacturing runs without him. They’ll face former teammate John Lackey (9-7, 3.56 ERA), who has allowed a home run in nine of his last 10 starts but has pitched in three straight wins, surrendering just five runs over the last 21 innings. He’s got a 6-4 record and 2.67 ERA at Wrigley Field. Chicago closer Aroldis Chapman hasn’t pitched the last two nights, so he’ll be fresh. MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch reports that Chapman has converted 41 consecutive save opportunities against NL Central teams. Key setup man Pedro Strop also went on the DL Thursday after suffering a knee injury, but Hector Rondon may be ready to return from a triceps injury. Mike Leake (8-9, 4.79) will pitch the Sunday-nighter for St. Louis and has been rocked recently, giving up at least six runs in three of the last four outings. He’s 0-1 against the Cubs this season, which explains why Chicago (-186) is sizeable chalk.
Coldest team: Angels (0-9 last nine)
This is it. Either the Angels find a way to prevail Sunday, or they’ll suffer through a winless road trip, going 0-9. They’ve been outscored by 32-8 through the first three losses of this series against the Indians, but did give Albert Pujols the night off Saturday and played Mike Trout at DH, increasing the likelihood that both will be in the lineup as they try to avoid a sweep in Cleveland. L.A. played both the Mariners and Cubs tough through the first five games of this trek, but have seen the bottom fall out in rainy Northeast Ohio. Although last night’s game was the closest of this series with the Tribe, it offered perhaps the harshest indignity since a pitcher they gave up on, Mike Clevinger, combined with four relievers on a one-hitter. The Angels had never lost nine straight under Mike Scioscia until last night and are in danger of falling 19 games under .500 for the first time under his watch. Jered Weaver (8-9, 5.19) got hit hard by the Cubs in his last start, while Hollywood native and former UCLA Bruin Trevor Bauer (8-5, 3.88) is 2-0 with a 2.38 ERA in his career against the Angels. Cleveland (-180) is heavily favored.
Hottest pitcher: Rick Porcello (15-3, 3.40 ERA)
Porcello hadn’t dropped a decision since May 17 until he began this month by losing a 3-1 pitcher’s duel against Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma, giving up three homers over eight innings. He rebounded in his last start with eight more quality frames in a 5-3 win over the Yankees and has now worked 25 of a possible 27 innings over his last three outings. Porcello is definitely in the AL Cy Young mix and is unbeaten at Fenway Park (11-0, 3.12) this season, so it’s not a surprise that his Red Sox are a heavy favorite (-155) despite running up against Arizona ace Zack Greinke (11-3, 3.67). Greinke returned from being out nearly six weeks with an oblique injury an beat the Mets, allowing three runs over six innings, throwing 93 pitches. He’s 8-0 with a 2.47 ERA over his last 10 starts, but he’s hasn’t won in two career starts at Fenway Park. Porcello has only faced Michael Bourn (2-for-12) and Paul Goldschmidt (0-for-3) among players available to be in the Diamondbacks lineup.
Coldest pitcher: Cody Reed (0-6, 6.36 ERA)
Coming off his best outing as a pro, it’s a shame Reed is stuck in this category. The 23-year-old lefty shut out the Cardinals over six innings and had to be horrified watching his bullpen blow a 4-0 ninth-inning lead. His first major league win went up in smoke as a result, but he’s got to be encouraged by his progress and will face a Brewers lineup he should be able to handle since this will only be the third sub-.500 team he’s come up against. The Reds are looking for their first road sweep of 2016 and haven’t broken out the brooms against any opponent since tripping up the Phillies in the season’s first three games. Milwaukee is slightly favored (-115) and will go with Wily Peralta (4-8, 6.38), who is fighting to stay with the organization and tossed six solid innings of two-run ball against Atlanta in his first start since June 11.
Biggest UNDER run: Orioles (9-4, last 13, 25-6 last 31)
The Orioles were shut out for eight innings last night by Madison Bumgarner and friends before Ryan Flaherty's two-out, two-run single in the ninth prevented a shutout and delivered a rare 'over' in a 6-2 loss. Winning kept the Giants one game up on the Dodgers in the NL West, while Baltimore remained a half-game back of Toronto in the AL East. The Birds have to be glad to see a righty considering how helpless they looked against MadBum, even if it happens to be Johnny Cueto (13-3, 2.93). The Giants' top offseason acquisition won 13 of his first 14 decisions, but hasn't tasted a win since before the All-Star break. He's allowed four or more runs in five of his last eight starts, but has a 2.63 ERA at AT&T Park, where he's only allowed two home runs. Lefty Wade Miley (7-10, 4.98) has yet to win since being acquired by the O's, but lost 2-1 at Oakland primarily because his new teammates are slumping. The under is 19-8-1 in Giants games over the last 28. San Francisco (-155) is favored. The total is at 7.5.
Biggest OVER run: Phillies (8-0 last eight, 10-1 last 11)
The Phillies have have seen only one 'under' come in this entire month and will be looking to sweep a team for the first time since July 4-6. Aaron Altherr has two homers and 11 RBIs this month and has gotten plenty of help from a lineup that has finally begun stringing together hits. Lefty Adam Morgan (1-7, 6.65) returns from being demoted, taking struggling Zack Eflin's place in the rotation. He went 5-0 in Triple-A Lehigh Valley since being sent down, flirting with a perfct game in his last start while striking out 11. We'll see if he can keep it up against major league hitters, facing a Colorado line up that has averaged 6.2 runs over the last 15 games. Rockies rookie David Dahl has hit safely in 18 of his 19 games and is batting .342, but Nolan Arenado is 0-for-9 against Philadelphia after coming in on an 8-for-15 tear with three homers and 10 RBI. Tyler Chatwood (10-7, 3.58) was roughed up by the Phillies on July 10, allowing eight hits and four runs in five innings of a 10-3 loss. Oddsmakers have set today's total at 9.
Matchup to watch: Tigers at Rangers
Detroit snapped a five-game losing streak on Saturday night with a 2-0 win in Texas, picking up its first win on a road trip that started when it was swept in Seattle. Lefty Matt Boyd allowed just two hits over seven innings and relievers Shane Greene and Francisco Rodriguez overcame bringing the tying run to the as the Rangers were shut out for just the third time in Arlington this season. The Tigers also improved to 1-4 against the Rangers this season, putting them in position to close this roadie with some momentum before they head back to Comerica Park for 13 of the next 16. They’ll turn to rookie Michael Fulmer (9-3, 2.43), who will qualify for the ERA title if he works six innings against the Rangers, took his first loss since June 17 last time out despite another quality start, getting no run support in a 3-0 loss to the Mariners. This will be Fulmer’s first look at Texas, although he has faced Carlos Beltran, who went 0-for-3 against him while with New York. The Rangers, who own the AL’s best record, and welcome the A’s into town on Monday, counter with A.J. Griffin (5-1, 4.38). He’s given up a homer in nine straight starts and surrendered three runs on four hits in 2.2 innings when he pitched in a 10-5 win at Detroit on May 7. The books are calling this a pick’em.
Betcha didn’t know: With a win over Tampa Bay, the Yankees will be five games over .500 for the first time all season. They would also sweep an opponent for the first time since breaking out the brooms against the Angels June 6-9. Considering all the turmoil and roster turnover, that's amazing, as is the fact they're still only 3.5 games off the pace for the AL's second wild card. You're probably already aware that New York rookies Tyler Austin and Aaron Judge became the first teammates in major league history to hit back-to-back home runs in their first career at-bats, which comes on the heels of a fire sale before the trade deadline and cutting ties with Alex Rodriguez after Friday's win. As a result, this unlikely playoff push will feature the kids, with Gary Sanchez, Austin, Judge and Sunday's starter, 22-year-old Luis Severino (1-7, 6.42), are all expected to get extensive on-the-job training in order to gain experience for next season. Jake Odorizzi (6-5, 3.69) will pitch for the Rays and is 1-1 with a 1.32 ERA against the Yanks this season, though this will be his first outing in the Bronx, where he's 1-3 with an career ERA of 6.00.
Biggest public favorite: Rockies (-135) at Phillies
Biggest public underdog: Royals (+105) at Twins
Biggest line move: Royals (+120 to +105) at Twins