National League
Dodgers @ Pirates
Kershaw is 9-0, 1.15 in his last 10 starts; under is 7-0-1 in his last eight.
Kuhl is making MLB debut; he was 6-2, 2.58 in 14 AAA starts this year. .
Pirates lost 13 of last 17 games; over is 13-6 in their last 19 home games. Dodgers won eight of last 11 games; under is 18-7 in Dodgers' last 25 games.
Padres @ Reds
Perdomo is 1-1, 8.82 in four starts, which all went over the total. .
DeSclafani is 1-0, 4.02 in three starts (over 2-1).
Padres won six of last seven games; over is 8-4-1 in their last 13 road games. Cincinnati lost eight of last ten games; seven of its last ten games went over the total.
Cubs @ Marlins
Hammel is 0-2, 3.93 in his last three starts; four of his last five stayed under.
Fernandez is 6-1, 1.17 in his last eight starts; seven of his last nine stayed under.
Cubs lost five of last six games; three of last four road games went over. Miami won eight of its last 12 games; under is 10-5 in their last 15 home games.
Mets @ Braves
Colon is 3-0, 218 in his last six starts; over is 4-2-1 in his last seven.
Norris is 1-0, 3.12 in his last three starts; three of his last four stayed under.
Mets are 6-7 in their last 13 games; under is 10-4-1 in their last 15 games. Braves won seven of their last ten games; six of last nine Atlanta home games went over total.
Nationals @ Brewers
Roark is 2-1, 3.10 in his last three starts; three of his last four went over.
Nelson is 0-3, 8.50 in his last four starts; under is 4-2-2 in his last eight.
Nationals lost their last seven games; over is 12-4 in last 16 Washington away games. Milwaukee lost eight of its last 11 games; three of last four Milwaukee home games went over the total.
Diamondbacks @ Rockies
Corbin is 2-1, 3.81 in his last four starts, three of which stayed under.
Bettis is 2-3, 9.21 in his last six starts; six of his last nine went over.
Diamondbacks won seven of last nine games; nine of their last 13 road games stayed under the total. Colorado lost three of last four games; its last five games went over.
Phillies @ Giants
Nola is 0-3, 18.62 in his last three starts; six of his last seven went over.
Cueto is 7-0, 1.34 in his last nine starts (under 6-3).
Phillies are 4-12 in their last 15 road games; eight of their last 11 road games went over. San Francisco won 12 of its last 14 games; three of its last five games went over.
American League
Rays @ Orioles
Smyly is 0-3, 6.69 in his last six starts; eight of his last nine went over.
Wilson is 1-0, 1.93 in his last two starts; three of his last four went over.
Rays lost their last ten games; under is 10-5 in their last 15 games. Baltimore is 13-3 in its last 16 home games; four of their last six games stayed under.
Twins @ Bronx
Duffey is 0-3, 10.57 in his last five starts; six of his last seven went over.
Eovaldi is 0-2, 9.00 in his last four starts, which all went over.
Twins lost seven of last eight road games; over is 15-4 in last 19 Minnesota games. New York won its last three games; five of their last seven games went over.
Indians @ Tigers
Tomlin is 1-0, 2.70 in his last four starts; over is 8-2-1 in last 11.
Verlander is 3-0, 2.93 in his last four starts; five of his last six stayed under. .
Indians won their last eight games; under is 7-4 in last 11 Cleveland games. Detroit won nine of last 12 home games; five of last seven Tiger games stayed under the total.
Red Sox @ Rangers
Buchholz is 0-3, 7.36 in his last four starts (over 6-5).
Perez is 5-0, 3.72 in his last six starts; three of his last four went over.
Red Sox are 5-8 in last 13 games; over is 6-2-1 in their last nine road games. Rangers are 27-9 in its last 36 home games; last three Texas games went over the total.
Blue Jays @ White Sox
Stroman is 1-2, 8.67 in his last five starts; seven of his last eight went over.
Sale is 3-0, 4.05 in his last three starts; eight of his last nine went over.
Blue Jays lost four of last six games; over is 7-4-1 in their last 12 road games. Chicago won four of last six games; under is 8-6 in their last 14 games. White Sox hit seven HRs but lost Saturday, only third team to do that. Ever.
Astros @ Royals
Fister is 4-0, 1.71 in his last four starts; six of his last seven road starts stayed under.
Kennedy is 1-3, 7.25 in his last four starts; over is 3-1-2 in his last six.
Astros won nine of last ten games; under is 12-4 in last 16 Houston games. Kansas City lost its last four games; over is 11-3-1 in Royals' last 15 home games.
A's @ Angels
Gray is 0-1, 3.65 in four starts since coming off DL; over is 8-2-1 in his last 11 starts. .
Santiago is 1-0, 1.46 in his last two starts; six of his last seven went over.
Angels are 5-14 in their last 19 games; eight of their last nine home games went over. Oakland won four of last five games; under is 5-3-1 in their last nine games.
Interleague
Cardinals @ Mariners
Garcia is 3-0, 1.24 in his last five starts, four of which stayed under.
Paxton is 1-3, 5.46 in his five starts (under 3-2).
Cardinals lost seven of last ten games; seven of last ten St Louis games stayed under. Seattle lost six of last eight games; six of last eight Mariner games stayed under.
Teams won-lost records when this pitcher starts:
LA-Pitt-- Kershaw 14-1; Kuhl 0-0
SD-Cin-- Perdomo 3-1; DeSclafani 2-1
Chi-Mia-- Hammel 9-5 (0-3 last 3); Fernandez 10-4
NY-Atl-- Colon 9-5 (4-0 last 4); Norris 4-5
Wsh-Mil-- Roark 7-8; Nelson 7-8 (0-4 last 4)
Az-Col-- Corbin 6-9; Bettis 8-7
Phil-SF-- Nola 7-8; Cueto 13-2
TB-Balt-- Smyly 6-8; Wilson 5-6
Min-NY-- Duffey 3-8; Eovaldi 8-6
Clev-Det-- Tomlin 11-2; Verlander 9-6 (4-0 last 4)
Bos-Tex-- Buchholz 3-8; Perez 8-7 (6-0 last 6)
Tor-Chi-- Stroman 8-7; Sale 12-3
Hst-KC-- Fister 11-3; Kennedy 8-6
A's-LA-- Gray 5-8; Santiago 9-6
StL-Sea-- Garcia 7-7; Paxton 1-4
Starting pitchers allowing 1+ runs in first inning:
LA-Pitt-- Kershaw 2-15; Kuhl 0-0
SD-Cin-- Perdomo 3-4; DeSclafani 1-3
Chi-Mia-- Hammel 3-14; Fernandez 3-14
NY-Atl-- Colon 4-13; Norris 2-9
Wsh-Mil-- Roark 3-15; Nelson 4-15
Az-Col-- Corbin 7-15; Bettis 6-15
Phil-SF-- Nola 7-15; Cueto 4-15
TB-Balt-- Smyly 3-14; Wilson 5-11
Min-NY-- Duffey 3-11; Eovaldi 3-14
Clev-Det-- Tomlin 7-13; Verlander 6-15
Bos-Tex-- Buchholz 5-11; Perez 5-15
Tor-Chi-- Stroman 4-15; Sale 4-15
Hst-KC-- Fister 3-14; Kennedy 4-14
A's-LA-- Gray 2-13; Santiago 8-15
StL-Sea-- Garcia 4-14; Paxton 1-5
Umpires
LA-Pitt-- Seven of last nine Conroy games went over.
SD-Cin-- Last three Cuzzi games stayed under the total.
Chi-Mia-- Underdogs won six of last seven Hirschbeck games.
NY-Atl-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six Everitt games.
Wsh-Mil-- Six of last eight Estabrook games stayed under.
Az-Col-- Last five Kellogg games stayed under total.
Phil-SF-- Underdogs won three of last five Eddings games.
TB-Balt-- Over is 7-3-1 in last eleven Diaz games.
Min-NY-- Over is 5-1-1 in last seven Vanover games.
Clev-Det-- Three of last four Reynolds games stayed under.
Bos-Tex-- Favorites won seven of last eight Cederstrom games.
Tor-Chi-- Four of last five Barksdale games stayed under.
Hst-KC-- Over is 8-3-1 in last twelve Danley games.
A's-LA-- Over is 7-0-1 in last eight Wolcott games.
StL-Sea-- Underdogs are 6-5 in last 11 Torres games.
Armadillosports.com
MLB: Streak, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Chicago Cubs at Miami Marlins
Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins complete a four game series at Marlins Park. Cubbies look to Jason Hammel in the finale while Marlins counter with Jose Fernandez - The openings odds have Miami -$1.35 to $1.45 home favorites depending on locale.
Hammel hitting a rough patch is 0-2 his last three allowing 19 hits, 4 yard-ball 8 runs with Cubbies 0-3 over the span. On the campaign, Hammel carries to the hill a 7-3 record, 2.55 ERA. Hammel is 1-1 in four starts vs Miami tossing for Cubbies (3-1 TSR). On the other mound, Fernandez (9-3, 2.36 ERA) is off a tough luck no-decision going 7 strong innings of 1 hit, no-run ball with 7 K's in Marlins 3-2 loss against Atlanta. Fernandez has never faced the Cubs.
Fernandez doing Miami's bidding bodes well for Marlins' chances. History shows Jose Fernandez loves pitching in front of the friendly crowd at Marlins Park. In the righthanders 34 starts at Marlins Park, he's 23-1 with Miami 29-5 in those games, 24-4 as home chalk. Additionally, as a team, Marlins have thrived at home handing the ball to Fernandez facing a team with a winning record. In the last eighteen situations the result has been 16 wins, 2 losses.
Sunday's Diamond Notes
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Hottest team: Giants (9-2 last 11)
San Francisco begins its Bay Bridge Series with area rival Oakland on Monday, but the Giants first have to finish off their series with the Phillies on Sunday. Johnny Cueto goes for his 12th victory on the season when he takes the mound, as the San Francisco right-hander has won eight straight decisions. The Giants have won 12 of their past 14 games but were tripped up by the Phillies last night, 3-2. San Francisco owns a solid 7-1 record in its past eight home series finales, while beating Philadelphia in six of the last seven tries at home.
Coldest team: Angels (0-6 last six)
Los Angeles took two of three at Oakland last weekend, but the Angels have gone backwards since that series victory. The Halos were swept at Houston, which included a pair of one-run losses, then dropped the first three games of their home series with the A’s. Hector Santiago continues to have an up-and-down campaign for the Angels, as Los Angeles has gone 5-5 in his last 10 trips to the mound. The Angels are 4-0 in Santiago’s previous four home starts against Oakland since the start of last season, while A’s right-hander is 0-3 in his last three starts against Los Angeles.
Hottest pitcher: Doug Fister, Astros (8-3, 3.21 ERA)
Houston goes for the sweep of Kansas City on Sunday, as Fister is unbeaten in his last 10 starts. The right-hander has delivered five consecutive quality starts, allowing six earned runs in this stretch, which includes road underdog victories against the Angels, Rangers, and Cardinals. Fister lost earlier this season to the Royals at home, giving up six earned runs, the most he has allowed this season. The Astros own a 6-2 record in eight starts away from Minute Maid Park, while tossing at least six innings in each of the past seven road outings.
Coldest pitcher: Drew Smyly, Rays (2-7, 4.78 ERA)
Tampa Bay has been one of the coldest teams in baseball recently, while Smyly is winless in his past six trips to the mound. The Rays’ southpaw has allowed at least four earned runs in four of his last five starts, while the ‘over’ has hit four times in this span. Smyly beat the Orioles twice last season, but hasn’t faced them yet this season. Baltimore has won three straight home games against left-handed starting pitchers, while the Orioles have won 12 of their past 15 games overall at Camden Yards.
Biggest UNDER run: Mariners (6-2 last eight)
Seattle’s offense has hit the skids recently, scoring four runs or less in six of the past seven games. The Mariners posted one run through eight innings in Friday’s contest against the Cardinals, but Adam Lind’s three-run walk-off blast provided Seattle a 4-3 victory even though the game finished ‘under’ the total of 8. The M’s are 5-3 to the ‘under’ in the previous eight contests at Safeco Field, while two of James Paxton’s past three starts overall have finished ‘under’ the total as he takes the mound in Sunday’s finale against St. Louis.
Biggest OVER run: Rockies (5-0 last five)
Colorado has played three high-scoring games with Arizona at Coors Field, capped off by an 11-6 victory on Saturday. The two NL West rivals have combined for 13, 19, and 17 runs in this series, while five of the six meetings at Coors Field this season have finished ‘over’ the total. The Rockies are 3-1 to the ‘over’ in the last four home starts made by Chad Bettis, while two of his three starts made against Arizona this season have gone ‘over’ the total.
Matchup to watch: Dodgers vs. Pirates
Pittsburgh put together a series to forget against San Francisco earlier this week, losing three of four games. However, the Pirates have bounced back against the Dodgers by winning each of the first two matchups at PNC Park to creep within three games of the .500 mark. Beating the Dodgers for a third straight time won’t be easy as the Pirates have to get through Cy Young favorite Clayton Kershaw on Sunday night. Kershaw is unbeaten in his last 10 trips to the mound, while the Dodgers own a perfect 7-0 record in his seven starts away from Los Angeles. However, Kershaw was winless in a pair of starts against the Pirates last season.
Betcha didn’t know: The Cubs look to avoid their second straight series defeat after dropping two of the first three meetings with the Marlins. Jose Fernandez had his six-game home winning streak snapped in a no-decision against the Braves his last time out, an extra innings loss as a -265 favorite. The Marlins are 27-3 in Fernandez’s past 30 starts at Marlins Park since June 2013, but the right-hander is facing the Cubs for the first time in his career.
Biggest public favorite: Giants (-250) vs. Phillies
Biggest public underdog: Royals (+115) vs. Astros
Biggest line move: Twins (+200 to +190) at Yankees
Sunday Night Baseball Betting Preview
By Covers.com
Los Angeles Dodgers at Pittsburgh Pirates (A: -270, H: +230, Total: 6.5)
Clayton Kershaw is making it look too easy, even by his lofty standards - so much so that the three-time National League Cy Young Award winner could be well within his right to make room on his trophy case for some additional hardware. The owner of a 9-0 record over his last 10 outings, Kershaw looks to bolster his case as the league's best pitcher on Sunday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers continue their four-game series versus the host Pittsburgh Pirates.
While Kershaw's lone blemish of the season came exactly two months ago to Miami, Los Angeles has dropped two in a row to begin this series after posting six straight victories. The mercurial Yasiel Puig registered his third straight two-hit performance in Saturday's 6-1 setback against Pittsburgh, which has shown some pop at the plate in this set after losing 13 of its previous 15 games. Andrew McCutchen, who recorded his 11th career multi-homer effort and drove in four runs on Saturday, is 9-for-24 with a blast and four RBIs versus Kershaw. Jordy Mercer also went deep on Saturday to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.
INJURY REPORT:
Dodgers - RF A. Ethier (15-Day DL, shin).
Pirates - RF G. Polanco (Questionable Sunday, leg), C F. Cervelli (15-Day DL, hand).
WEATHER REPORT: Partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the mid-80's will be on the menu for Sunday evening in Pittsburgh. There may be some weather moving in later in the game as the probability of precipitation increases from 5 percent early in the evening to 40 percent by 11:00 PM. There will be a 5-10 mph breeze blowing in from right field, so there likely won't be any balls splashing into the Allegheny River tonight.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers LH Clayton Kershaw (11-1, 1.57 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Chad Kuhl (NR)
Originally slated to pitch against fellow superstar Stephen Strasburg, Kershaw posted his fourth victory in as many starts on Monday as he allowed one run and six hits while striking out eight in a 4-1 win over Washington. The 28-year-old's dominant performance, during which he did not walk a batter for the eighth time in 15 starts, lowered his minuscule ERA by just 0.01. For all of his success, Kershaw has split four career decisions versus Pittsburgh - including a three-run effort in seven innings to take the loss in his most recent encounter.
With struggling right-hander Juan Nicasio demoted to the bullpen, Kuhl is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis to make his major-league debut. The 23-year-old, who joined the team on Friday, has posted a 6-2 mark with a 2.58 ERA in 14 starts with the Indians and has struck out 59 batters over 76 2/3 innings. The University of Delaware star, who was selected in the ninth round of the 2013 amateur draft, has compiled a 33-16 record and 2.79 ERA in 81 starts over four seasons in the minors.
TRENDS:
* Dodgers are 6-1 in their last 7 games vs. a right-handed starter.
* Dodgers are 14-1 in Kershaw's 15 starts this season.
* Pirates are 0-8 in their last 8 during game 3 of a series.
* Under is 5-0-1 in Kershaw's last 6 road starts.
* Under is 5-1 in Pirates last 6 games vs. a left-handed starter.
* Dodgers are 3-13 in the last 16 meetings.
CONSENSUS: The public is eating the chalk and backing Kershaw and the Dodgers at a rate of 73 percent for tonight's game. The Over 6.5 is also picking up plenty of action with 63 percent of the totals wagers.