Wednesday's MLB National League Betting Cheat Sheet
By Covers.com
Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals (-151, 8)
Hot pitching stat: Cincinnati is 6-0 in starter Mike Leake's last six Wednesday outings.
Cold batting stat: Reds shortstop Zack Cozart is 1-for-7 with three strikeouts against St. Louis starter Shelby Miller.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-60s with sunny skies and wind blowing out to right-center field at 7 mph.
Key betting note: Cardinals are 8-0 in Miller's last eight starts versus teams with losing records.
Miami Marlins at Washington Nationals (-177, 7.5)
Cold pitching stat: Marlins right-hander Jacob Turner was tagged for five runs over six innings in his 2014 debut.
Hot batting stat: Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is 4-for-9 with a pair of homers versus Turner.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-50s with clear skies and wind blowing in from left field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: Nationals are 39-17 in their last 56 Wednesday games.
Milwaukee Brewers at Philadelphia Phillies (110, 8)
Hot pitching stat: Brewers right-hander Matt Garza threw eight innings of two-hit ball in his first start of the season.
Cold batting stat: Philadelphia shortstop Jimmy Rollins has just three hits in 18 career at-bats against Garza.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-50s under sunny skies with wind blowing in from left field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: Under is 4-0 in Milwaukee's last four Wednesday games.
New York Mets at Atlanta Braves (-144, 7.5)
Hot pitching stat: New York is 6-1 in right-hander Zack Wheeler's last seven road starts.
Hot batting stat: Braves first baseman is 4-for-6 with a homer and three walks versus Wheeler.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-60s with clear skies and wind blowing in from left field at 8 mph.
Key betting note: Over is 4-1 in Wheeler's previous five outings.
Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs (114, OFF)
Hot pitching stat: Pirates lefty Wandy Rodriguez went 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA in two starts against the Cubs in 2013.
Cold batting stat: Chicago shortstop Starlin Castro is a career .179 hitter in 28 at-bats against Rodriguez.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-50s with clear skies and wind blowing out to center field at 15 mph.
Key betting note: Pirates are 8-1 in Rodriguez's last nine starts against teams with losing records.
Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants (-148, 7)
Hot pitching stat: Diamondbacks right-hander Bronson Arroyo allowed one run in 15 innings against the Giants in 2013.
Hot batting stat: Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is a .522 hitter with six homers in 23 at-bats against San Francisco starter Tim Lincecum.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-50s with sunny skies and wind blowing out to center field at 7 mph.
Key betting note: Giants are 16-5 in Lincecum's last 21 starts against the National League West.
Interleague
Chicago White Sox at Colorado Rockies (-165, 10.5)
Hot pitching stat: Rockies righty Juan Nicasio allowed a run on four hits over seven innings to win his first start of the year.
Cold pitching stat: White Sox right-hander Erik Johnson was tagged for seven runs over 4 2/3 frames in his season debut.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-60s with clear skies and wind blowing from left to right field at 12 mph.
Key betting note: Rockies are 5-21 in their last 26 interleague games versus a right-handed starter.
Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Dodgers (OFF)
Hot pitching stat: Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez posted a 2.20 ERA and 43 strikeouts in five interleague starts last season.
Cold batting stat: Members of the Los Angeles roster are hitting just .206 against Sanchez.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s with partly cloudy skies.
Key betting note: Detroit is 6-1 in Sanchez's last seven road starts.
Wednesday's MLB American League Betting Cheat Sheet
By Covers.com
Oakland Athletics at Minnesota Twins (116, 8.5)
Cold pitching stat: Twins right-hander Phil Hughes was 1-10 with a 6.32 ERA in 16 home starts a season ago.
Hot batting stat: Athletics outfielder Josh Reddick is 2-for-11 with three strikeouts lifetime versus Hughes.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-60s with clear skies and wind blowing from right to left field at 13 mph.
Key betting note: Over is 9-2 in Oakland's last 11 games versus teams with losing records.
Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals (106, 8.5)
Cold pitching stat: Royals lefty Jeremy Guthrie threw just 68 of his 111 pitches for strikes in his first start of the year.
Hot batting stat: Rays outfielder Matt Joyce is a career .406 hitter with two home runs in 32 at-bats against Guthrie.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-60s under sunny skies with wind blowing out to left-center field at 14 mph.
Key betting note: Kansas City is 19-7 in Guthrie's last 26 home starts.
Texas Rangers at Boston Red Sox (-145, 9)
Hot pitching stat: Red Sox right-hander Jake Peavy posted a 7-0 record with a 2.73 ERA in nine home starts in 2013.
Hot batting stat: Boston slugger David Ortiz has 29 homers and 95 RBIs in 113 career games against Texas.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-50s with sunny skies and wind blowing from left to right field at 12 mph.
Key betting note: Red Sox are 13-3 in their last 16 games against a left-handed starter.
Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays (-185, 9)
Cold pitching stat: Blue Jays right-hander Brandon Morrow surrendered eight home runs in 33 1/3 home innings last season.
Hot/Cold batting stat: Members of the Toronto roster are a combined 12-for-24 against Houston starter Lucas Harrell.
Weather: N/A
Key betting note: Over is 8-0 in Morrow's last eight starts.
Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees (-171. 8.5)
Hot pitching stat: Yankees hurler Masahiro Tanaka struck out eight over seven strong innings to win his major-league debut.
Hot batting stat: New York outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is 3-for-6 against Baltimore right-hander Miguel Gonzalez.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-50s with clear skies and wind blowing from left to right field at 9 mph.
Key betting note: Orioles are 0-6 in Gonzalez's last six starts versus teams with winning records.
Los Angeles Angels at Seattle Mariners (OFF)
Hot pitching stat: Angels righty Garrett Richards surrendered just two homers in 238 at-bats against right-handed hitters in 2013.
Hot batting stat: Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager is 6-for-13 in his career against Richards.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-50s with partly cloudy skies and wind blowing in from right-center field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: Over is 4-1 in Richards' last five starts against the American League West.
Interleague
San Diego Padres at Cleveland Indians, Game 1 (-140, 8)
Hot pitching stat: Cleveland is 7-0 righty Zach McAllister's last seven home starts against teams with losing records.
Hot batting stat: Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis posted a .308 average in 198 at-bats against left-handed pitchers last season.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-40s with partly cloudy skies and wind blowing from left to right field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: Padres are 1-4 in their last five interleague road games.
San Diego Padres at Cleveland Indians, Game 2 (-130, 8.5)
Hot pitching stat: San Diego is 4-1 in starter Robbie Erlin's last five outings.
Hot batting stat: Cleveland slugger Nick Swisher had a team-high 10 home runs versus lefties in 2013.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-40s with partly cloudy skies and wind blowing from left to right field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: Indians are 5-1 in the last six doubleheader finales.
MLB : Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Oakland A's at Minnesota Twins
There's an 'Over'-Whelming chance the A's and Twins bust 'Over' posted totals Wednesday afternoon when they play the second of this three game set at Target Field. Twins have been pretty solid in the run production category crossing an average 5.86 in the early stages. But, Twins are also one of the worst at giving up runs as it's pitching staff has surrendered 6.6 per contest making them a profitable 'Over' bet at 7-0. A's doing their share with the lumber (4.0) no need bucking the series 'Over' trend that stands at 15-5-2 last 22 meetings, 6-1 last 7 encounters in Minnesota. Other 'Over' trends of interest. Twins are 11-1 'Over' vs the AL West, Oakland is 19-7-1 'Over in road games.
Wednesday's Late Tips
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Favorites have been rolling in baseball over the last few days, posting a 16-5 mark since Monday. On Tuesday, the ‘chalk’ compiled a 9-5 record with the Nationals and Blue Jays each being the highest favorites on the board (both won). The biggest underdog to cash on Tuesday was the White Sox (+140), who blew out the Rockies as road underdogs, 15-3. Tonight’s action features another full card, including three late-night contests.
Tigers at Dodgers
Detroit: 4-2
Los Angeles: 6-3
Since starting the season at 4-0, the Tigers have dropped consecutive games, including last night’s 3-2 defeat to the Dodgers in 10 innings. Max Scherzer and Dan Haren each put together terrific outings, but Carl Crawford’s RBI double in the 10th inning gave the Dodgers their second straight win since consecutive losses to the Giants. Detroit’s offense was limited to five hits, while Miguel Cabrera went 0-for-4.
Josh Beckett makes his first start of the season for the Dodgers, as the righty struggled last season with Los Angeles losing seven of his eight outings. In five starts at Dodger Stadium last season, the Dodgers went ‘over’ the total each time, while Beckett has won just twice in 15 starts since getting traded to Los Angeles in 2013.
Anibal Sanchez (0-0, 4.50 ERA) counters for the Tigers, as the righty lasted only four innings in his season debut against the Orioles. Detroit beat Baltimore, 10-4 as -160 home favorites, as Sanchez scattered two hits and allowed two earned runs in four innings of work. Since the All-Star break last season, the Tigers have won six of Sanchez’s eight road starts, while Sanchez didn’t allow a run four times in that stretch.
Angels at Mariners
Los Angeles: 3-5
Seattle: 5-2
The Mariners came into the season with raised expectations following the signing of Robinson Cano to a mega-deal and Seattle hasn’t disappointed. Out of five victories this season, the M’s have beaten the Angels four times already, including Tuesday’s 5-3 triumph as -120 home favorites. Seattle erased an early 3-0 deficit to hold Los Angeles scoreless over the final eight innings, as the Mariners have gone ‘over’ the total in all four games against the Angels.
Garrett Richards (1-0, 1.80 ERA) is responsible for the Angels’ first win of the season, tossing five scoreless innings and allowing one earned run in an 11-1 blowout of the Astros. The last time the Los Angeles right-hander faced the Mariners at Safeco Field last August, Richards was masterful in a 2-0 victory as a +160 underdog, limiting the M’s to four hits in seven scoreless innings.
Roenis Elias (0-0, 1.80 ERA) makes his second career start for the Mariners, as the southpaw picked up a no-decision in his debut at Oakland in a 3-2 defeat. Elias limited the A’s to just two hits and one earned run in five innings of work, but Oakland rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Seattle in 12 innings. The Angels are hitting just .221 against left-handed pitching this season, but have hit the ‘over’ seven times in eight games.
Diamondbacks at Giants
Arizona: 2-8
San Francisco: 6-2
Arizona has dug itself a deep hole through 10 games, winning just twice, which includes a rally from a four-run deficit against San Francisco at home last week. The Diamondbacks were tripped up by the Giants on Tuesday at AT&T Park, 7-3 as Tim Hudson shut down Arizona for the second time in less than a week. The Giants have beaten the D-Backs four times this season in five tries, as San Francisco sends out a former Cy Young Award winner to the mound.
Tim Lincecum (0-0, 6.00 ERA) received a no-decision in his season debut at Arizona last Thursday, but the Giants rallied for five runs in the eighth inning to stun the D-Backs, 8-5 as +110 underdogs. Lincecum gave up four earned runs and eight hits in six innings, including home runs to Paul Goldschmidt and Mark Trumbo. Since last August, the Giants have won four of Lincecum’s last five starts at AT&T Park, while San Francisco is 3-0 in his past three outings against Arizona.
Bronson Arroyo (0-0, 4.20 ERA) shut down the Giants’ bats for nearly five innings against Lincecum and the Giants last Thursday, but the veteran didn’t figure in the decision in his Arizona debut. Arroyo was pulled after recording one out in the fourth inning, while giving up five hits and two earned runs. Arroyo beat the Giants twice last season as a member of the Reds, including a complete-game shutout at AT&T Park last August, 11-0 as a +115 underdog.
MLB Odds and Picks
By: Micah Roberts
Sportingnews.com
LAS VEGAS -- So what did we miss with Josh Beckett's recovery that warrants him to be nearly a pick ‘em at home tonight against Anibal Sanchez and the Tigers? Are the Dodgers not telling us about the installation of a bionic right arm, or did he have secret sessions where no one could hit him that the sports books got informed of?
From everything we’ve seen, he’s still the Josh Beckett at the end of a great career, who has struggled since coming to the Dodgers. He went 0-5 with a 5.19 ERA in eight starts last year before his season ended on May 13, and then had a rib removed to alleviate a nerve problem and finger numbness.
When Beckett got to spring training, he had two good outings sandwiched around a really bad one, when the Mariners tagged him for five runs off of three home runs in three innings. Then he found himself on the DL again after getting his thumb slammed in a door. And when he made a rehab start at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga Friday night, he sprained his ankle fielding a bunt, which put tonight’s expected return to the rotation in jeopardy.
In that Class-A game, he gave up three first-inning runs off of two homers until settling down for three scoreless innings.
He comes back tonight with a betting line suggesting none of that matters and that he‘s closer to being the pitcher who had a 2.89 ERA with Boston in 2011, rather than an aging player trying to come back from an injury.
But let’s just say Beckett has found the fountain of youth and is fully recovered. How has he done in recent starts against Detroit? He’s 0-3 with a 6.20 ERA in his past four starts against them.
Sanchez pitched only four innings in his first start of the season, Friday against Baltimore, but because of shoulder inflammation during spring training, manager Brad Ausmus didn’t put him back in after a rain delay. He allowed two runs in four innings in the Tigers’ 10-4 win.
Maybe .10 cents can be added to the Dodgers’ line for home field – but that‘s a big maybe for an April game. The Tigers have also lost two straight, while the Dodgers have won two in a row, but Sanchez should still be at least a -125 favorite, which means there is great value with Detroit tonight at the listed price of -107. He may not be in the same form he was during September and October of last season, but he surely doesn’t have as many uncertainties attached to him as Beckett does.
Wednesday selections:
Tigers (Sanchez) -107 at Dodgers
Pirates (Rodriguez) -120 at Cubs