National League
Mets @ Brewers
Colon is 1-0, 2.50 in his last three starts; over is 3-0-1 in his last four.
Nelson is 2-1, 1.82 in his last four home starts (under 3-1-1 last five overall).
Mets are 6-8 in last 14 road games; three of their last four games stayed under total. Milwaukee won five of its last seven games; over is 5-2 in its last seven home games.
Cardinals @ Reds
Wainwright is 2-1, 3.04 in his last four starts, three of which stayed under.
Finnegan is 1-2, 3.86 in his last five starts (over 7-3-1 in his last 11).
St Louis won three of last four games; eight of their last eleven games went over total. Reds won six of last nine games; 11 of their last 12 games went over.
Pirates @ Rockies
Locke is 4-0, 2.76 in his last four starts; his last seven starts all went over.
Bettis is 0-3, 11.48 in his last three starts; four of his last six starts went over.
Colorado won three of its last four games (under 5-1 in last six). Pittsburgh lost five of last six road games (under 5-1).
American League
Angels @ New York
Chacin is 1-0, 2.86 in his last two starts (over 3-2).
Nova is 1-2, 6.27 in his last three starts (over 3-3).
Bronx won four of last five games; over is 8-4-1 in their last 13 home games. Angels lost four of last five games, over is 5-1-1 in their last seven
Orioles @ Blue Jays
Wilson is 0-4, 6.75 in his last four starts (over 4-2-2).
Stroman is 0-1, 10.64 in his last two starts; four of his last five went over.
Toronto won 10 of last 14 games; under is 7-2-1 in their last ten. Baltimore won seven of its last eight games (under 3-1in last four).
Astros @ Rangers
McHugh is 1-1, 4.10 in his last four starts (over 5-3 in his last eight).
Perez is 3-0, 2.50 in his last three starts; six of his last nine starts stayed under.
Astros are 12-4 in last 16 games, but lost 12 of last 13 in Arlington; seven of their last 11 games went over. Texas is 14-4 in its last 18 games, six of their last nine games went over the total.
Indians @ Mariners
Tomlin is 2-0, 2.30 in his last two road starts; over is 7-0-1 in his last eight overall.
Karns is 1-1, 6.89 in his last three starts (over 4-0-1 in last five).
Indians won six of last eight games; over is 7-4-2 in their last 13 games. Seattle won four of last five home games- over is 11-3-1 in its last 15 games.
Interleague
Nationals @ White Sox
GGonzalez is 0-3, 10.34 in his last three starts; over is 5-0-1 in his last six starts.
MGonzalez is 0-1, 4.09 in six starts this season (over 4-2). .
Washington won ten of last 13 road games; nine of its last 11 games went over the total. White Sox lost 20 of last 26 games; over is 7-3 in their last ten games.
Marlins @ Twins
Koehler is 1-3, 4.32 in his last four starts (over 5-5-1).
Santana is 0-3, 7.56 in his last three starts; over is 5-2 in his last seven.
Marlins lost four of last five games; over is 13-6-1 in their last 20 road games. Twins lost six of last nine games; eight of their last nine home games went over.
Teams won-lost records when this pitcher starts:
StL-Cin-- Wainwright 8-4; Finnegan 3-9
NY-Mil-- Colon 6-5; Nelson 7-5
Pitt-Col-- Locke 5-6; Bettis 5-7
LA-NY-- Chacin 3-2/2-3; Nova 4-5
Balt-Tor-- Wilson 3-5; Stroman 7-5
Hst-Tex-- McHugh 7-5; Perez 5-7
Cle-Sea-- Tomlin 9-1; Karns 8-3
Wsh-Chi-- GGonzalez 5-6; MGonzalez 3-3
Mia-Minn-- Koehler 3-8; Santana 1-9
Starting pitchers allowing 1+ runs in first inning:
StL-Cin-- Wainwright 3-12; Finnegan 3-12
NY-Mil-- Colon 4-11; Nelson 3-12
Pitt-Col-- Locke 2-11; Bettis 4-12
LA-NY-- Chacin 3-10; Nova 0-9
Balt-Tor-- Wilson 3-8; Stroman 4-12
Hst-Tex-- McHugh 7-12; Perez 4-12
Cle-Sea-- Tomlin 5-10; Karns 3-11
Wsh-Chi-- GGonzalez 0-11; MGonzalez 4-6
Mia-Minn-- Koehler 4-11; Santana 3-10
Armadillosports.com
MLB: Streak, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Baltimore Orioles at Toronto Blue Jays
One team comes home and the other hits the road as the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles meet in a crucial four-game series at Rogers Center. Jays returning from a 3-3 road swing are 4 1/2 games back of A.L. East leading Orioles entering off a 7-3 home stand.
Marcus Stroman toes the rubber for Toronto carrying a 5-2 record, 4.82 ERA. In his last outing, he allowed six runs in 5 2/3 innings in a loss at Boston and has now allowed six or more in three of his last four trips to the mound. Tyler Wilson who has also fallen on hard times gets the start for Baltimore. Wilson with a 2-5 record, 4.39 ERA has lost four straight giving up 4 long-ball 16 runs.
Backing a shaky starter is always a risky proposition, though in this case, the amount of supporting data in favor of Toronto with Stroman makes it much less risky.
Stroman has shown he can step up in front of the friendly crowd and keep his team in a game after a loss. In his previous four home starts following a loss the Jays are 3-1. Additionally, yesterday's 7-2 win for the Blue Jays bodes well for the team's chances, since the team is 8-2 at home with Stroman when coming off a victory the previous day. Finally, Toronto has been successful with Stroman throwing before the home audience. Jays have compiled a 12-5 mark in Stroman's last 17 home starts. Matching that, Toronto is 12-4 in Stroman's 16 starts vs a division opponent.
Thursday's Diamond Notes
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Hottest team: Nationals (7-2 last nine)
Washington’s offense has blown up in the Midwest the last few days, as the Nationals plated at least 10 runs for the third straight game on Wednesday. The Nationals knocked around James Shields and the White Sox in an 11-4 blowout at U.S. Cellular Field, moving their run total to 31 in the past three games. Washington closes out its nine-game road swing tonight looking for its seventh victory, as the Nats own a 5-1 record in the last six series finales. Gio Gonzalez takes the mound for Washington tonight, as the southpaw is winless in his last three starts, allowing 25 hits and 18 earned runs.
Coldest team: Angels (2-5 last seven)
It’s been a rough series for Los Angeles at Yankee Stadium, dropping the first three games by an average of four runs a game. The Yankees pulled away in a 12-6 triumph on Wednesday to improve to 7-2 in the past nine matchups with the Halos. The Angels have lost four of their past five series finales, as right-hander Jhoulys Chacin looks to stop the bleeding for Los Angeles tonight. Chacin has won once in five starts for the Angels since getting acquired from the Braves in early May, while allowing three earned runs in five innings of an 8-7 loss at Pittsburgh his last time out.
Hottest pitcher: Josh Tomlin, Indians (8-1, 3.54 ERA)
Cleveland attempts to pull off a series split at Seattle following consecutive losses, as Tomlin has been nearly unbeatable this season. The Indians own a sterling 9-1 record in Tomlin’s 10 starts, including a 4-0 mark away from Progressive Field. Tomlin bounced back from his first loss of the season to shut down the Royals in a 7-1 victory in his past start, delivering his sixth quality outing of 2016. The last time Tomlin faced the Mariners came back in 2014, as the right-hander tossed a gem by allowing one hit and striking out 11 in a complete game shutout.
Coldest pitcher: Tom Koehler, Marlins (3-6, 4.50 ERA)
Miami tries to avoid a sweep at Minnesota after losing a pair of high-scoring games the last two nights. Koehler has won once in his past seven trips to the mound with the only victory coming at Atlanta in late May. The Marlins right-hander has walked five batters in four of his last five starts, while owning a 1.80 WHIP away from South Florida. In Koehler’s last 15 starts on the highway since 2015, the Marlins have won only five times.
Biggest UNDER run: Indians (5-0-1 last six)
Cleveland’s offense has dried up since heading to the Pacific Northwest as the Indians have scored only four runs in the first three games against the Mariners, resulting in three ‘unders.’ The Tribe’s pitching staff went through a solid stretch prior to blowing up the last two games as Cleveland allowed three runs over a four-game stretch that ended Monday. Cleveland has cashed the ‘under’ in five of the last six games away from Progressive Field, but Josh Tomlin heads to the mound tonight as the right-hander is 7-0-1 to the ‘over’ in his past eight starts.
Biggest OVER run: Twins (12-3 last 15)
Minnesota seeks its third sweep of the season as the Twins close out their series with the Marlins. The Twins’ lineup has exploded recently by scoring 13 runs in the first two wins over Miami, but the pitching has imploded by allowing at least four runs in eight consecutive games. Is another ‘over’ in store for the Twins tonight? Ervin Santana heads to the mound for Minnesota as the right-hander owns a 5.46 ERA at Target Field this season, while the ‘over’ has cashed in three of his last four home outings.
Matchup to watch: Orioles vs. Blue Jays
These two AL East rivals are hooking up for the first time since April as all three games were decided by one run apiece. Baltimore grabbed two of three from Toronto in that series, as the Orioles have won seven of their last eight games overall. Toronto returns home from a 3-3 road swing as the Jays avoided a sweep at Detroit with a 7-2 blowout of the Tigers on Wednesday. The Jays are starting to recapture that Rogers Center magic by winning five of their last six home games, including a pair of series victories over the Red Sox and Yankees to close out May. Marcus Stroman looks to get on track for Toronto as the right-hander has given up at least six earned runs in three of his past four starts.
Betcha didn’t know: The Pirates travel to Colorado for a make-up game this afternoon at Coors Field. Pittsburgh has captured five of six matchups from Colorado this season, but this is a difficult scheduling spot for the Bucs. After completing a six-game homestand topped off by an extra-innings loss to the Mets last night, the Pirates head to Denver for today’s contest, as they have to come back to Pittsburgh afterwards for a key three-game series with the Cardinals this weekend.
Biggest public favorite: Cardinals (-165) at Reds
Biggest public underdog: Rangers (+105) vs. Astros
Biggest line move: Rockies (+105 to -110) vs. Pirates
Thursday's MLB Game of the Day: Indians at Mariners
By Covers.com
Cleveland Indians at Seattle Mariners (A: +110, H: -130, Total: 8.0)
Josh Tomlin strives to continue his unforeseen torrid start when the Cleveland Indians close a four-game series against the host Seattle Mariners on Thursday. Tomlin has compiled eight wins — tied for second in the American League — while already posting the second-highest victory total in his seven-year career.
Tomlin was named the No. 5 starter out of spring training but his strong season has him in the running for an American League All-Star team spot. He missed most of the 2015 season due to April shoulder surgery but returned in mid-August and finished strong by going 7-2 with a 3.02 ERA in 10 starts. Seattle has won the past two games after dropping the series opener and catcher Chris Iannetta hit two homers and drove in four runs in Wednesday's 5-0 victory to improve to 7-for-12 over his past four games. "I wasn't getting results for a while," Iannetta said in a postgame interview after his second career multi-homer game, the other coming in 2011 with the Colorado Rockies. "I was just missing balls. It is part of the game. It's tough to go through."
INJURY REPORT:
Indians - C Y. Gomes (Questionable Thursday, groin), LF M. Brantley (15-Day DL, shoulder).
Mariners - CF L. Martin (Out Thursday, hamstring), RP T. Zych (15-Day DL, shoulder), RP C. Furbush (15-Day DL, shoulder).
WEATHER REPORT: There is a 50 percent chance of rain this evening in Seattle where the Mariners will host the Cleveland Indians - good thing Safeco Field has a roof. It'll be a perfect evening for baseball underneath the giant steel rain-blocker.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Josh Tomlin (8-1, 3.54 ERA) vs. Mariners RH Nathan Karns (5-2, 4.23)
Tomlin knocked off the Kansas City Royals in his last outing when he gave up one run and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. His impeccable control has been on display with seven walks in 61 innings and has helped him allow two or fewer runs in six of his 10 starts. Tomlin is 4-1 with a 3.41 ERA in five career starts against the Mariners but has struggled to retire Kyle Seager (5-for-9, four doubles) and Robinson Cano (5-for-14, one homer).
Karns is coming off his worst start of the season as he was pounded for seven runs and eight hits in four innings while losing to Texas on Saturday. The rough outing also included a season-worst five walks as his five-game winning streak reached an end. Karns is 1-1 with a 3.78 ERA in three career starts against Cleveland with the loss occurring April 21 when he gave up five runs (four earned) and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.
TRENDS:
* Indians are 4-1 in their last 5 games vs. a right-handed starter.
* Indians are 17-4 in Tomlins last 21 starts.
* Mariners are 5-1 in their last 6 games vs. a starter with a WHIP less than 1.15.
* Mariners are 8-2 in Karns' last 10 starts.
* Under is 5-0-1 in Indians last 6 overall.
* Under is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings.
CONSENSUS: Early Consensus for this matchup are showing a 50/50 split on moneyline wagers and 52 percent of the picks on the total are on the Under.
Orioles visit Blue Jays
By Sportsbook.ag
BALTIMORE ORIOLES (35-23) at TORONTO BLUE JAYS (32-29)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Baltimore +145, Toronto -155, Total: 9
The Orioles will be looking to win their fifth straight game when they face the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Baltimore is scorching hot right now and the team has now won four straight games. The team is coming off of a sweep over Kansas City and allowed just two earned runs in the entire three-game set. It’s also worth noting that three of the Orioles’ past four games have gone UNDER the total, but that has a lot to do with the way the team is pitching.
The Jays, meanwhile, have now lost three of their past five games. They are, however, coming off of a 7-2 victory in the final contest of a three-game set versus the Tigers. The Orioles and Blue Jays have met three times this season and the Orioles were victorious in two of those games. They are, however, just 8-10 against the Blue Jays in Toronto over the past three seasons.
On the mound for Baltimore in this one will be RHP Tyler Wilson (2-5, 4.39 ERA, 27 K) and he’ll be going up against RHP Marcus Stroman (5-2, 4.82 ERA, 55 K) for Toronto. One thing worth pointing out is that the Orioles are 12-3 against the money line after two straight games where the bullpen gave up no runs this season. They do, however, face a Toronto team that is 9-2 against the money line with an on base percentage of .285 or worse over the past five games this season.
The Orioles are playing very well right now, but they will need a good start from Tyler Wilson in order to keep their winning streak going on Thursday. Wilson has really struggled his past few times out, allowing three or more earned runs in four consecutive outings. In his most recent appearance, Wilson allowed five earned runs on seven hits in just four innings of work. Baltimore needs him to start working deeper into games and he needs to do a better job of keeping the ball out of play.
Offensively, one guy that will be looking forward to this one is OF Adam Jones (.239, 9 HR, 32 RBI). Jones has really had an awful season for Baltimore, but he is 3-for-6 with an RBI against Stroman in his career. He has had his number in their limited action against one another and it’d be big if he can produce at the plate on Thursday.
Another guy that needs to be monitored is OF Mark Trumbo (.294, 20 HR, 48 RBI), as he has been incredible for the Orioles this season. Trumbo has five homers over the past seven games and is always a threat to go yard. It’d be big if he can provide some power for Baltimore in this one.
The Blue Jays were excited to have a healthy Marcus Stroman back this season, but he has been awful for them lately. Over his past two starts, Stroman has allowed 13 earned runs on 20 hits in just 11 innings of work. He has walked six batters over the past two games and will need to get his control back moving forward. One thing that does bode well for Stroman is that he pitched well against the Orioles in his last meeting with them. Stroman faced Baltimore on Apr. 19 and allowed just three earned runs in seven innings of work. Toronto would certainly sign up for another performance like that in this one.
Offensively, the Blue Jays will be counting on 3B Josh Donaldson (.255, 14 HR, 33 RBI) to provide a spark. Donaldson has underperformed this season, but he is coming off of a big game against the Tigers. He went 3-for-4 with a single, a triple and a homer on Wednesday and should be feeling very confident coming into this one.
DH Edwin Encarnacion (.237, 12 HR, 46 RBI) is somebody to keep an eye on this one. He is 0-for-10 over the past three games, but he is far too good of a hitter to keep playing so poorly. He should be able to get back on track in this one and it’d be bad news for Baltimore if he does.