Tuesday's MLB National League Betting Cheat Sheet
By Covers.com
Check out our quick-hitting betting notes for Tuesday's National League games:
Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres (138, 6.5)
Hot pitching stat: Dodgers hurler Zack Greinke was 2-0 with a 1.44 ERA in four starts against the Padres last season.
Cold batting stat: Padres outfielder Will Venable is 1-for-13 with seven strikeouts lifetime against Greinke.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-60s with partly cloudy skies and wind blowing from left to right field at 8 mph.
Key betting note: Dodgers are 9-1 in Greinke's last 10 games against the National League West.
Colorado Rockies at Miami Marlins (-110, 7.5)
Cold pitching stat: Marlins starter Nathan Eovaldi was 2-4 with a 4.01 ERA at home in 2013 compared to 2-2, 2.80 on the road.
Hot batting stat: Rockies veteran Michael Cuddyer hit 9-for-28 and posted a .464 OBP versus Miami last season.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s under clear skies with wind blowing from right to left field at 8 mph.
Key betting note: Under is 8-1-2 in the last 11 meetings.
Atlanta Braves at Milwaukee Brewers (185, 8)
Hot pitching stat: Brewers righty Kyle Lohse threw a complete-game two-hit shutout in his only meeting with Atlanta last season.
Cold batting stat: Braves outfielder Justin Upton is 2-for-17 in his career against Lohse.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-40s with clear skies and wind blowing out to left-center field at 9 mph.
Key betting note: Over is 6-0 in Atlanta's last six games.
San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks (-102, 8)
Cold pitching stat: Giants right-hander Matt Cain surrendered a career-high 23 home runs last season.
Cold batting stat: Arizona catcher Miguel Montero is a .208 hitter with 15 strikeouts in 53 at-bats against Cain.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s under partly cloudy skies with wind blowing out to right field at 12 mph.
Key betting note: Under is 9-1-1 in the last 11 meetings.
Tuesday's MLB American League Betting Cheat Sheet
By Covers.com
Check out our quick-hitting betting notes for Tuesday's American League games:
New York Yankees at Houston Astros (158, 8)
Cold pitching stat: Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia is 24-16 with a 4.05 ERA in March and April - his second-highest ERA of any month.
Hot batting stat: New York outfielder Alfonso Soriano had 17 home runs and 50 RBIs in 58 games with the Yankees in 2013.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s with partly cloudy skies and wind blowing out to left-center field at 12 mph.
Key betting note: New York is 27-6 in Sabathia's last 33 starts versus the American League West.
Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays (-149, 7.5)
Hot pitching stat: Rays starter Alex Cobb is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA in two career starts versus the Blue Jays.
Hot/Cold batting stat: Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista has 19 home runs in 83 games against the Rays - tied for his second-most against any team.
Weather: N/A
Key betting note: Under is 5-1 in the last six meetings in Tampa Bay.
Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels (-164, 7.5)
Hot pitching stat: Left-handers hit just .169 with two home runs in 201 plate appearances in 2013 against Angels southpaw C.J. Wilson.
Cold batting stat: Los Angeles outfielder Josh Hamilton had a .289 OBP in 294 plate appearances at home lat season.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-50s with a 57 percent chance of rain and wind blowing out to left-center field at 11 mph.
Key betting note: Mariners are 2-8 in their last 10 games against divisional foes.
Cleveland Indians at Oakland Athletics (-136, 7.5)
Hot pitching stat: Indians left-hander Scott Kazmir posted a 1.62 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings in spring training.
Hot batting stat: Oakland scored a major league-best 158 runs in April last season.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-40s with an 81 percent chance of thundershowers and wind blowing out to centre field at 7 mph.
Key betting note: Indians are 13-3 in Corey Kluber's last 16 starts.
Interleague
Philadelphia Phillies at Texas Rangers (-131, 8.5)
Cold pitching stat: Phillies right-hander A.J. Burnett was 5-7 with a 4.22 ERA in 16 road starts in 2013.
Cold batting stat: Philadelphia finished third-last in the National League in runs scored and second-last in walks.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s under mostly cloudy skies with wind blowing in from right-venter field at 14 mph.
Key betting note: Phillies are 2-11 in their last 13 interleague road games.
Baseball Betting: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
San Francisco at Arizona
When the San Francisco Giants and Matt Cain take on Arizona Diamondbacks and lefty Wade Miley in the second of this three game set look for a solid betting trend to continue. In the Giants and D-Backs last eleven meetings the 'Under' is a sparkling 9-1-1. Giants were 8-17-1 'Under' on the road vs a left-handed starter last season, D-Backs are 10-4-2 'Under' in Miley's last sixteen starts.
Cleveland Indians vs. Oakland Athletics
In the second of this three game set at O.co Coliseum the Oakland A's send former Indian hurler Scott Kazmir to the mound and will face Corey Kluber. Stick with A's and Kazmir knowing the hurler had a 5-3 TSR vs Cleveland chucking for Halos and Rays and that Tribe were 23-33 last year as a road dog of $1.10 to $1.40. Besides, despite the win last night Tribe remain 2-6 last eight, 7-13 last twenty in Oakland and hit the field 0-2 vs Oakland with Kluber touching toe to rubber.
MLB Odds and Picks
By: The Linemakers
Sportingnews.com
LAS VEGAS - Atlanta's 2-0 opening day loss at Milwaukee Monday was the perfect microcosm for everything that Braves fans had to fear in 2014: Who is going to hit? Last April, Justin Upton caught fire right away and carried the Braves to a 12-1 start and they would never relinquish first-place atop the NL East. While their pitching was stellar, their hitting was another story as they led the NL in strikeouts and posted a paltry .249 team batting average, which eventually caught up with them in their 3-1 loss to the Dodgers in the NLDS.
In Monday's loss, the Braves only struck out seven times, but also had just five hits and were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. So when looking at today's match-up between Alex Wood and Kyle Lohse, there isn't as much excitement as there was for this game a week ago when we identified Wood as a pitcher to take a shot on in April because of an outstanding spring.
In five spring starts Wood went 2-0, allowing only 17 hits and one earned run in 20 innings of work. Even before this spring, Wood gave indication last season that he could be a very effective starter in the majors. During five August starts in 2013, he went 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA. There's plenty of reason to back Wood today, but the bats supporting him are a lingering problem, one that might be an issue all season.
Another problem with supporting Atlanta today is that Kyle Lohse has had recent success against the Braves, posting a 3.21 ERA against them since 2011. He also tossed a gem in Atlanta on Sept. 25 of last season, a two-hit, complete-game shutout.
Lohse is a -114 favorite with the total sitting at 8 (UN -115), and while the Braves side is now just a small lean, the better overall play might be the UNDER.
Mariners have some value tonight
When Mike Trout hit a two-run homer in his first at-bat of the season on Monday, it appeared to be a great sign that this 2014 version of the Angels might be in store for better things than 2013, which was only their second losing season in 10 years. But then Seattle took a 4-3 lead in the seventh off Jered Weaver and posted six more in the ninth off the Angels' weak bullpen en route to a 10-3 win. If the Angels lose tonight it will be their worst start in 13 years.
C.J. Wilson takes the mound for the Angels tonight and is a -170 favorite against Erasmo Ramirez, a number that might be too high despite Wilson's 8-2 record and 2.14 ERA against Seattle over his career. The main reason for suggesting this line is too high is because of the way Ramirez pitched during spring. He only allowed three earned runs in 23.2 innings of work.
It's a small sample size with Ramirez, and almost a leap of faith that his spring numbers will translate into early-April success. Aside from that spring sample though, all we have to look at is the Mariners losing his final five starts of September, one of which was a 3-2 loss at Anaheim where he didn't allow an earned run and got a no-decision. But if the scouts and manager Lloyd McClendon were impressed -- and they were -- then that's good enough to take a shot at +155 against a team searching for some kind of positive identity for themselves.
Keep an eye on CC tonight
CC Sabathia is a -151 favorite tonight at Houston, and while the number is too pricey to pay, there is an eagerness to see how he performs after posting a career-high 4.78 ERA in 2013. The built-in anticipation comes directly from him having one of his best springs, allowing only three earned runs in 21 innings. Supporting him in his next start Sunday at Toronto at a cheaper price will be a play if he looks good tonight.
Tuesday selections:
Braves/Brewers UNDER 8 (-115)
Mariners (Ramirez) +155 at Angels
Small lean:
Braves (Wood) +104 at Brewers