Baseball Information
National League
Rockies @ Mets
de la Rosa is 1-1, 6.91 in his last five starts (over 4-0 in last four).
deGrom is 2-0, 1.59 in his last five starts; under is 5-3 in his last eight.
Colorado lost last six games with the Mets; home side won 11 of last 12 in series, with last six staying under. Rockies lost three of last four overall; three of those four stayed under total. Mets won ten of last 12 games, with six of last nine going over.
Brewers @ Cubs
Garza is 2-2, 2.55 in his last four starts; six of his last nine went over.
Hammel is 1-1, 6.08 in his last three starts; four of his last five went over.
Milwaukee lost last five games with the Cubs (under 4-1-1 in last six); they lost three of last four games (over 4-2 in last six). Chicago won 11 of its last 12 games; five of last six went over the total.
Pirates @ Cardinals
Cole is 2-2, 3.27 in his last five starts (under 3-1 in last four).
Wacha is 2-1, 1.35 in his last three starts (under 3-0).
Pirates won five of last seven games with St Louis; over is 5-2-1 in last eight eries games. Pittsburgh won four of last five game (over 4-0-1). Cards won five of last six games; under is 6-1-1 in their last eight.
Phillies @ Diamondbacks
Nola is 2-1, 3.65 in his four starts; his last three all went over.
Anderson is 2-1, 4.03 in his last five home starts; three of his last four starts overall stayed under.
Phillies lost last two nights by combined 26-4, after coming into series on a 16-5 runs; five of their last six went over the total. Arizona is 6-3 in last nine games; three of last five stayed under. Phils won six of last nine in series; home side won last six, with three of last four going over the total.
Nationals @ Dodgers
Zimmerman is 0-2, 4.25 in his last five sarts; over is 4-1-1 in his last six.
Kershaw is 4-0, 0.96 in his last six starts; under is 7-1 in his last eight.
Washington is 5-4 in last nine games with the Dodgers (over 6-6 in last 12); Nationals lost eight of last 12 games (over 8-2 in last ten). Dodgers lost four of last five games; five of their last six games went over.
Reds @ Padres
Iglesias is 1-2, 3.33 in his last four starts; his last three stayed under. Reds scored nine runs in his last four starts.
Shields is 0-1, 3.66 in his last three starts; three of his last four went over the total. San Diego lost 12 of his last 14 starts.
Cincinnati lost eight of last nine games with San Diego; under is 8-4 in last 12 series games. Reds lost six of last seven games; nine of last ten stayed under the total. Padres lost six of last eight games, but won last two nights; over is 10-3 in their last 13.
American League
A's @ Blue Jays
Brooks is 1-0, 1.26 in his two starts (under 1-1)
Dickey is 3-0, 1.48 in his last four starts; five of his last six stayed under.
Blue Jays won last nine games, outscoring foes 46-17; last four went under the total. Oakland won five of last eight games with Toronto; under is 9-1-1 in last 11 series games- home team won nine of the eleven. A's won three of last four games, allowing ten runs.
Bronx @ Indians
Former Indian Sabathia is 0-0, 4.76 in his last four starts; six of his last nine starts went over the total.
Salazar is 2-2, 2.04 in his last five starts (under 4-1).
Bronx lost four of last five games with Cleveland, five of last seven series tilts went over. New York lost five of last six games, scoring eight runs (five of six stayed under). Indians are 4-2 in last six games; three of last four went over.
Tigers @ Royals
Norris is 1-1, 3.05 in his last four starts (under is 5-0-1 in his last six).
Volquez is 3-1, 2.36 in his last four starts (under 4-1 in last five).
Royals won last five games; six of their last nine stayed under- they've won five of last seven games with the Tigers (under 5-2). Detroit is 4-7 in its last 11 games (under 5-3-1 in last nine).
Angels @ White Sox
Heaney is 5-1, 2.45 in his last eight starts; five of his last six went over.
Danks is 1-0, 0.50 in his last three home starts; under is 4-2 in his last six starts at home.
Angels lost last three games with the White Sox (over 7-3 in last ten); Halos lost three of last four overall (under 4-3 in last seven). Chicago lost six of last nine games; 11 of their last 13 went over the total.
Rangers @ Twins
Martinez is 2-0, 2.38 in his last two starts; under is 5-3-1 in his last nine.
Pelfrey is 0-3, 7.12 in his last seven starts; under is 3-1-1 in his last five home starts.
Texas won six of last nine games vs Minnesota; six of last seven went under the total. Rangers won five of their last eight games. Twins lost seven of last nine games; five of their last six went over the total.
Orioles @ Mariners
Gausman is 1-3, 6.00 in his last five starts; under is 4-2-1 in his last seven.
Iwakuma is 1-0, 2.30 in his last two starts; four of his last six stayed under.
Orioles won six of last nine games with Seattle; eight of last twelve in series stayed under total. Mariners won six of last nine games; over is 6-3 in their last nine. Baltimore is 5-0 in games following its last five losses; over is 4-2 in its last six games.
Interleague
Braves @ Rays
Wisler is 0-1, 10.80 in his last two starts; three of his last four went over.
Odorizzi is 1-0, 2.41 in his last three starts; three of his last four went over.
Atlanta won five of last eight games with Tampa Bay (under 6-2); Braves are 3-2 in last five games overall (over 7-2-2 in last 11). Rays are 6-2 in last eight games; eight of their last ten went over.
Red Sox @ Marlins
Rodriguez is 1-1, 2.84 in his last three starts; three of his last four went over.
Conley allowed two runs in five IP (74 PT) in his first MLB start July 11.
Boston won seven of last eight games with Miami; over is 4-1-2 in last seven. Red Sox are 3-5 in last eight games overall; over is 3-0-1 in last four. Marlins lost six of last eight games; nine of their last eleven went over.
Astros @ Giants
Feldman is 0-0, 2.84 in his last three starts; five of his last seven went over.
Heston didn't finish 5th inning in either of his last two starts (0-1, 8.31); three of his last four starts went over the total.
Houston lost seven of last eight games; five of last seven stayed under total. Astros lost eight of last nine games with the Giants; three of last five went over. San Francisco lost four of last five; over is 5-2-1 in their last eight.
Win-loss records this year for team with this starting pitcher:
Col-NY-- de la Rosa 10-9; deGrom 14-7 (5-0 last 5)
Mil-Chi-- Garza 8-12; Hammel 10-11
Pitt-StL-- Cole 16-6; Wacha 16-5
Phil-Az-- Nola 3-1; Anderson 8-11
Wsh-LA-- Zimmerman 13-10; Kershaw 12-10
Cin-SD-- Iglesias 3-6; Shields 11-13 (2-10 last 12)
A's-Tor-- Brooks 1-1; Dickey 11-12 (4-0 last 4)
NY-Clev-- Sabathia 10-11; Salazar 12-8
Det-KC-- Norris 3-4, 1-1; Volquez 16-7
LA-Chi-- Heaney 7-1; Danks 10-11
Tex-Min-- Martinez 11-9; Pelfrey 11-10
Balt-Sea-- Gausman 3-4; Iwakuma 5-5
Atl-TB-- Wisler 6-3; Odorizzi 9-9
Bos-Mia-- Rodriguez 8-5; Conley 1-0
Hst-SF-- Feldman 6-8; Heston 14-8
Times this starting pitcher allowed a run in first inning:
Col-NY-- de la Rosa 7-19; deGrom 6-21
Mil-Chi-- Garza 6-20; Hammel 8-21
Pitt-StL-- Cole 7-22; Wacha 4-21
Phil-Az-- Nola 2-4; Anderson 7-19
Wsh-LA-- Zimmerman 7-23; Kershaw 5-22
Cin-SD-- Iglesias 2-9; Shields 6-24
A's-Tor-- Brooks 1-2; Dickey 4-23
NY-Clev-- Sabathia 7-21; Salazar 6-20
Det-KC-- Norris 4-7; Volquez 4-23
LA-Chi-- Heaney 0-8; Danks 7-21
Tex-Min-- Martinez 6-20; Pelfrey 3-21
Balt-Sea-- Gausman 3-7; Iwakuma 4-10
Atl-TB-- Wisler 5-9; Odorizzi 4-18
Bos-Mia-- Rodriguez 2-13; Conley 0-1
Hst-SF-- Feldman 4-14; Heston 3-22
Umpires
Col-NY-- Under is 7-2-1 in last ten May games.
Phil-Az-- Home side won nine of last ten Wolf games.
Mil-Chi-- Over is 7-3-1 in last eleven HGibson games.
Wsh-LA-- Five of last seven Iassogna games went over.
Pitt-StL-- Under is 4-2-1 in last seven Kulpa games.
Cin-SD-- Underdogs are 8-5 in last thirteen Davis games.
Det-KC-- Four of last five Fagan games stayed under.
LA-Chi-- Four of last five Culbreth games went over.
Balt-Sea-- Home side won 12 of last 15 Nelson games.
A's-Tor-- Seven of last ten Kellogg games went over.
NY-Cev-- Over is 4-1-1 in last six Rackley games.
Tex-Min-- Under is 5-0-1 in last six Segal games.
Hst-SF-- Six of last eight Estabrook games went over.
Bos-Mia-- Favorites won six of last seven Meals games.
Atl-TB-- Home side won six of last eight Wolcott games.
Armadillosports.com
Wednesday Scouting Edge
By Coach Fletcher
Philadelphia Phillies at Arizona Diamondbacks
Aaron Nola was a name on the tongue of most Philly fans who couldn’t wait until he arrived in the big leagues. He has arrived and has made a good account of himself. Nola is 2-1 with a 3.65 era and a 1.05 whip for the 45-68 Phillies. He has won 2 of his last 3 starts and the Phils have amazingly won all 3 of his last 3 starts. Nola has tossed 24 2/3 innings and allowed 10 runs on 21 hits. He has fanned 21 and walked 5. He has also given up 4 round trippers. The 22 year old Nola spent 2014 in Double-A ball where he was 8-6 with an era under 3. Before being called up this season he was 7-3 with a 1.88 era for Reading in Double-A and 3-1 with a 3.58 era in Lehigh Valley, a Triple-A franchise. He’ll have his work cut out for him tomorrow facing the D-backs Chase Anderson who returned from a stay on the DL and went 7 scoreless against the Reds in his return. The D-backs opened at -165.
Baltimore Orioles at Seattle Mariners
Kevin Gausman is one of the key pieces of the rotation if the Orioles hope to make the playoffs. Right now they are sitting in 3rd place in the AL East . They now trail the NYY and the Blue Jays. Last week Gausman took a one run lead into the 6th inning when things unraveled. He ended up stuck with 6 earned runs and the loss in an 8-4 contest. He is 1-3 with a 4.57 era since added to the rotation and the road is his enemy. Gausman has a stellar 1.50 era at home but he is 1-3 with a 7.06 era on the road. Being on the road will be a challenge for Gausman, but the day game won’t be. His 2.89 era in day games is his best number. In 1 start last year at Seattle he held the M’s to 1 run in 6 innings. The Mariners opened as a -130 favorite.
Oakland Athletics at Toronto Blue Jays
Aaron Brooks made his major league debut May 31 of 2014. It wasn’t pretty. Facing the same Blue Jay team he goes against today, Brooks was lit up for 7 runs on 5 hits in 2/3 of an inning. He also walked 3. His era was a mere 94.03. He’s no doubt hoping to improve on that first start against the Jays today at Rogers Centre. And it looks like he will. Both of his starts this season have been excellent. Brooks’ performance in August has been outstanding. He’s gone against Cleveland and Houston and given up 2 earned runs in 14 1/3 innings. He has yielded 9 hits, walked 1 and struck out 12. The Blue Jays should open at about -200 in this one. There is a question as to whether R.A. Dickey or Mark Buehrle will start for the Jays.
Boston Red Sox at Miami Marlins
The Marlins Adam Conley began his major league career with appearances from the bullpen. But once the Marlins’ Jose Urena went on the DL, Conley joined the starting rotation. In his first start he was a winner with a 5 inning, 2 run, 5 hit performance. In 3 relief appearances with the Fish, Conley gave up 4 earned runs in 7 1/3 frames. He’ll make his second start today against Eduardo Rodriguez of the Red Sox. Rodriguez has had a busy rookie year. This will be Rodriguez’s 14th start of the season. Rodriguez has had his ups and downs like most rookies, but he has settled in with his last 3 starts. Rodriguez, 6-4, 4.17 era, has allowed just 6 runs in his past 3 starts over 19 innings. In fact, he’s had just one huge blemish in his last 7 starts. On July 20, the 22 year old was torched for 7 earned runs in 1 2/3 innings. The Bosox opened as -120 favorites.
Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins
Mike Pelfrey is 5-7 with a 4.06 era. Going into his last start it looked like he had rounded into prime condition. But disaster struck and Big Mike was roughed up for 7 runs and 10 hits in only 3 2/3 innings. In his previous 2 starts he had gone 13 and 1/3 allowing only 9 hits and 2 runs. So why would the Rangers be looking forward to Pelfrey? Pelfrey is 0-2 versus the Rangers with an era of 7.02 and a whip of 1.8000. In his last start against the Rangers, June 13, they clobbered him for 8 runs and 11 hits in just 3 2/3 innings. 6 Rangers are hitting over .333 against Pelfrey and Prince Fielder has 3 home runs and 11 rbi’s vs Pelfrey in 24 at bats. Adrian Beltre and Mitch Moreland have also taken him deep. Elvis Andrus is hitting .600 and Delino DeShields checks in at .667 against Mike. The Twins opened at -115.
MLB: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Houston Astros at San Francisco Giants
To say Astros are 'Home Sick' would be an understatement. Astros have dropped seven of eight on this current road swing (-$735) and are now 23-35 away from the comfort of Minute Maid Park costing backers a whopping -$1178 at the betting window. Houston will start Scott Feldman in today's afternoon finale at AT&T park, which does not spell good things. Stros are 5-15 in Feldman's last 20 road starts, 3-13 in the hurler's starts vs a team with a winning record. Adding to the problem, Houston as a team has struggle in road daylight games of late with 7 straight losses.
Game of the Day: Nationals at Dodgers
By Covers.com
Washington Nationals at Los Angeles Dodgers (-215, 6)
All eyes will be on Washington’s lineup card Wednesday when the Nationals face the host Los Angeles Dodgers in the rubber match of a three-game series. Star right fielder Bryce Harper was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup with left knee soreness, but Nationals manager Matt Williams said he could return for Wednesday’s series finale.
With Harper sidelined, the Nationals went quietly Tuesday in a 5-0 loss that dropped them 2 1/2 games back of the first-place Mets in the NL East. Williams has been encouraged by the improved play of first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and shortstop Ian Desmond, but the Nationals’ key offensive figure might be left fielder Jayson Werth, who is 8-for-50 in 14 games since returning from the disabled list. The Dodgers maintained their 2 1/2 game lead in the NL West over second-place San Francisco on Tuesday as right fielder Yasiel Puig homered and drove in all five runs. Los Angeles won despite another rough showing by rookie center fielder Joc Pederson, who was hitless in two at-bats and is 3-for-35 over his last 12 games.
LINE HISTORY: Books opened the Dodgers in the -200 range but that has moved to around -215. The total has opened at 6 at most offshores.
INJURY REPORT: Nationals - LF Bryce Harper (Questionable, knee).
WEATHER WATCH: Temperatures expected to be in the mid-70s under clear skies and wind blowing out to right field at around 6 mph.
WHAT CAPPERS SAY: "Things are looking up as Werth, Zimmerman, and Rendon have all returned from the DL and the Nats now have a proven, reliable closer in Jonathan Papelbon. OF Joc Pederson, who set SoCal on fire in the first half of the season, is about as cold as a block of dry ice in an igloo right now. The Dodgers were unable to get out of Pittsburgh with a win, and now continue a tough stretch which includes eight games against the Nats, A's, and Stros." Covers Expert Big Al McMordie.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals RH Jordan Zimmermann (8-7, 3.44 ERA) vs. Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw (9-6, 2.51)
Zimmermann is 1-2 with a 4.67 ERA over his past six outings, but is coming off a solid effort against Colorado on Friday. The 29-year-old retired 18 of the first 20 batters he faced and exited after yielding one run on four hits with no walks in 6 2/3 innings. Carl Crawford is 5-for-13 and Adrian Gonzalez is 5-for-18 with a home run against Zimmermann, who is 2-1 with a 5.00 ERA in seven career starts against the Dodgers.
Kershaw saw his 37-inning scoreless string came to an end Friday against Pittsburgh as he allowed four runs over six innings, including a leadoff homer to Gregory Polanco on his first pitch of the game. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is three strikeouts away from recording his sixth straight season with at least 200. Kershaw improved to 8-2 with a 2.31 ERA in 12 games (11 starts) against Washington after striking out 14 over eight shutout innings on July 18.
TRENDS:
* Dodgers are 6-0 in Kershaw's last six starts vs. Nationals.
* Nationals are 7-21 in the last 28 meetings in Los Angeles.
* Nationals are 1-6 in their last seven games as an underdog.
* Dodgers are 24-3 in Kershaw's last 27 starts vs. National League East.
CONSENSUS: Sixty-four percent of users are backing the Dodgers.
MLB Betting News and Notes
By Steve Merril
Red Sox @ Marlins -- For the second consecutive night, Boston will face a young left-handed pitcher. Adam Conley will be making his second start of the season for Miami. Conley beat the Reds back on July 11th after giving up 2 runs and five hits in five innings of work. Overall, this will be Conley’s sixth appearance this season; he has come out of the bullpen as well. Boston will also start a young lefty in Eddy Rodriguez. The Marlins are hitting .275 against left-handed starters, but missing Giancarlo Stanton is a huge blow for Miami’s lineup. I favor the Red Sox (-120) in this matchup of lefties.
Astros @ Giants -- Chris Heston gets his second look at the Astros this season. He won in Houston after giving up 1 run and two hits in a complete game 8-1 victory. Heston had a 10/0 K/BB ratio in this game. The righty has been terrific at home where he owns a 2.57 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. Heston will be opposed by Scott Feldman who has allowed 6 runs and 16 hits in his last three starts. While not in the worst of current form, Feldman has been dreadful against the Giants. He has lost all three career starts against San Francisco while posting a terrible 5.17 ERA and an ugly 1.53 WHIP in those games. Early money has come in on Houston, but I disagree and lean to the Giants (-125) in this game.
Rangers @ Twins -- Nick Martinez is on my fade list. Martinez is 3-4 with a 4.20 ERA in 11 road starts this season with seven of those games going Over the total. Mike Pelfrey’s last outing against the Rangers this season was a rough one. Pelfrey gave up 8 runs and 11 hits in just over three innings of work. He has pitched much better at home this season where he owns a 2.05 ERA with the Under going 7-2-1 in those ten starts. However, the opponent’s success trumps the pitcher’s numbers in this game, so I like Over 9 in this game.
A’s @ Blue Jays -- Aaron Brooks has been a good for Oakland so far this season. In two starts, Brooks has held both the Astros and Indians to just 1 earned run each over 14.1 innings combined. The righty had an excellent 12/1 K/BB ratio in those outings. But Brooks returns to Toronto where he had an awful outing against the Blue Jays last season. The Oakland pitcher didn’t even make it out of the first inning after giving up 7 runs and five hits. No line currently posted, but with Toronto on a 9-game winning streak, the Blue Jays will most likely be heavily favored regardless if Dickey and Buehrle swap starts as expected.
Cards, Pirates square off
By Sportsbook.ag
PITTSBURGH PIRATES (65-45) at ST LOUIS CARDINALS (72-40)
Sportsbook.ag Line: St. Louis -120, Pittsburgh +110, Total: 6.5
The Pittsburgh Pirates look to stay in the NL Central race as they take on the St. Louis Cardinals in the second of three games on Wednesday night.
The Pirates have continued to find success as they keep their top young talent around and over the past 16 games have gone 11-5. They defeated some solid competition in that time, earning six wins in seven opportunities against the likes of the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers. The team was unable to get things done in the first game of this series, though, and despite knocking out nine hits against the always tough St. Louis pitching, was a mere 2-for-9 with RISP in the 4-3 contest. OF Andrew McCutchen (.297) went hitless in the game, but over his last six is 9-for-20 (.450) with two doubles, two homers, eight RBIs and seven runs.
On the other side of the diamond it is business as usual for the Cardinals and they currently own the top record in all of baseball and have kept it up after the All-Star break with a mark of 16-7. They are just coming off of a six-game road trip in which they were able to grab 4-of-6 games, including three shutouts in a row, against both Cincinnati and Milwaukee. They kept things going on Tuesday with a 4-3 victory behind a solid effort (8 IP, 3 ER, 9 H, 8 K) from starter Carlos Martinez and at least one hit from each of the top-four batters in the lineup. OF Stephen Piscotty (.355) continued his hot hitting at home with a 3-for-4 night and overall on the year is 15-for-31 (.484) with four doubles and six RBIs in front of the hometown crowd.
A couple of young “aces” will take the mound in this one as 24-year-old RHP Gerrit Cole (14-5, 2.39 ERA) of Pittsburgh takes on 24-year-old RHP Michael Wacha (13-4, 2.92 ERA) for the host group. The Pirates have not done too well (26-27) when playing on the road in 2015, and will have a very tough task ahead against this St. Louis group which is an otherworldly 41-16 at home. The series between these two teams has certainly tightened over the past few years and since the start of 2013, the Cardinals hold a slight 29-25 edge over Pittsburgh, but have dominated at Busch Stadium to the tune of a 20-6 record in that time.
This year they have already met on 11 occasions with St. Louis having a 6-5 advantage as they are again excelling (4-0) at home. Trends show that the Pirates are 53-36 (.596) against right-handed pitching this year as the Cardinals are 19-2 (.905) in home games after six consecutive contests versus division rivals in the last two seasons. The injury report has plenty of depth missing for Pittsburgh with 3B Josh Harrison (Thumb) being the only significant omission from the lineup as St. Louis continues to play without 1B Matt Adams (Quad), OF Matt Holliday (Quad) and OF Jon Jay (Wrist).
Cole has developed into the No. 1 starter that the team hoped he would become when they drafted him as the first overall pick in the 2011 amateur draft. Despite pitching in 22 or fewer games in his first two years, he was still able to get double-digit wins, and now that he is putting together a full season with no injuries, he has already matched his career-high in starts (22) and has added another 14 victories in 2015. His numbers have remained consistent over the last three seasons in the big leagues and he is currently mowing down a batter per inning with great control (2.0 BB/9) and minimal homers (0.50 HR/9). His groundball percentage (50.8%) continues to rise as batters are hitting a mere .236 against him.
Since his All-Star Game appearance, Cole has continued to pitch well, going 26 innings over four outings with 10 runs allowed (9 ER) on 23 hits and has a K/BB ratio of 27:4. He’s always done well against the Cardinals, going 3-3 (4-3 team record) with a 3.05 ERA (1.06 WHIP) and earned a win in his one start (7 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 3 K) earlier this year. Infielders 3B Matt Carpenter (4-for-13, 2 HR, 4 RBIs) and SS Jhonny Peralta (4-for-14, 2 doubles) haven’t had too many issues off of the youngster, but, C Yadier Molina may have a rough night as he is 1-for-12 in the matchup.
Pittsburgh has compiled quite an impressive bullpen and they have gone 20-13 with a 2.75 ERA (1.24 WHIP) and a mark of 38-for-49 (78%) in save chances. Mark Melancon (1.56 ERA, 35 saves) has blown just one save on the year and has allowed just 42 hits in 52 frames despite striking out just 6.4 batters per nine innings as he has left 86.5% of runners on base and forced the opposition to hit it on the ground 61.7% of the time.
Wacha burst onto the scene in 2013 and figures to be a fixture in this rotation for years to come as he has been able to improve over his 19 starts last year with a sub-3.00 ERA over 21 outings in 2015. He does not blow anyone away via the strikeout (7.6 K/9), but will keep the ball around the plate (2.2 B/9) and has benefitted from the opposition hitting a meager .264 BABIP.
Wacha is able to limit the amount of balls leaving the park (0.68 HR/9) with batters hitting it on the ground a career-high 46.9% of the time against him as they are swinging at 35.1% of the balls he throws outside of the strike zone. He comes into this matchup on the heels of consecutive shutout starts, tallying 14 total innings in that time with eight hits allowed and 13 strikeouts (3 walks) against the Rockies and Reds.
The righty has also been huge against the Pittsburgh crew in his career, going 3-0 (4-1 team record) with a 1.69 ERA (0.88 WHIP) and saw his team win in both his attempts this year in which he totaled 12.2 innings with three runs (2 ER) allowed on 11 hits and just three strikeouts (2 walks). Despite Wacha’s solid play against them, OF Andrew McCutchen (5-for-12, 1 double) has still done well in the matchup, but the likes of 3B Pedro Alvarez and 2B Neil Walker have combined to go 2-for-19 (.105) with five strikeouts.
The Cardinals have put together what is arguably the best bullpen in baseball and it has gone 20-14 with a 2.26 ERA (1.23 WHIP) and saved 46-of-58 (79%) games. Trevor Rosenthal (1.54 ERA, 34 saves) is once again mowing down double-digit batters per nine (10.3 K/9) as he is leaving 87.5% of runners on base and has given up a single homer in 52.2 innings of work (0.17 HR/9).
Wednesday's Tip Sheet
By Matt Zylbert
VegasInsider.com
Colorado Rockies at New York Mets
With a 1.60 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 11 starts at Citi Field this season, Jacob deGrom (10-6, 2.13 ERA) has been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball when pitching from home. As one might expect with such dominant numbers, he’s also been one of the most consistent, yielding two runs or less in nine of those 11 home assignments. In the end, no matter where he’s pitching, deGrom has looked like a bonafide NL Cy Young candidate, and appears to be in a groove once again, entering this affair with five straight quality starts. The surging Mets have won all five of those contests, and due to deGrom’s prowess at home, the linesmakers have been gradually increasing his odds. At the moment, he’s a -200 home favorite in most shops.
The Rockies will counter with Jorge De La Rosa (7-4, 4.85 ERA) in effort of trying to pick up their first win in this four-game series. The veteran left-hander hasn’t necessarily been good this year for Colorado -- in fact, if he finishes out the slate with his current ERA, it would be his highest mark since his very first year with the Rockies back in 2008 (aside from his three-start cameo in 2012 after coming back from Tommy John surgery). At the same time, De La Rosa has actually been respectable when pitching away from Coors Field, as he’s 5-2 with a solid 3.19 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and .223 BAA. As a result, that might make him a fine dance partner along with deGrom for those thinking about the under; the linesmakers have set the over/under for this contest at 6.5.
New York Yankees at Cleveland Indians
It almost seemed like a foregone conclusion that after breaking away from the rest of the pack in the AL East, the Yankees had the division locked up. Then the trade deadline happened, in which the rival Blue Jays made a couple of significantly momentous deals, and now things have completely changed, as New York’s first-place lead has been reduced to a mere half-game entering play Wednesday. A reason for that also has to do with their current four-game losing streak, and the club will turn to C.C. Sabathia (4-8, 5.34 ERA) in trying to put a stop to it. Sabathia has struggled mightily again this season, posting the fourth-highest ERA in the American League, but if there’s one positive about this assignment, it’s that he does enjoy pitching in his old stomping grounds. Sabathia enjoyed great success in his eight years with the Indians, and has been tremendous over his past three starts facing them, being 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA in those outings. Even so, the linesmakers have him as a +110 road ’dog.
It won’t be an easy task for the Yankees, however, as they must contend with the electric Danny Salazar (9-6, 3.38 ERA), who has been enjoying a fine breakout campaign for the Tribe in 2015. In fact, he’s already recorded a career-high for wins (9), starts (20), and strikeouts (143), while his current WHIP (1.07) and BAA (.214) would also be career-best marks if he can sustain them. This is the Danny Salazar that Cleveland was hoping they could lean on regularly when he first emerged in 2013, and based on how this season has gone, it looks like he’s finally rounded out into that exact form. His high ceiling with any given start is perhaps why the linesmakers have set the over/under for this one at 7.5.
Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals
There’s an enticing pitcher’s duel on tap tonight for this week’s edition of ESPN Wednesday Night Baseball, when the two hottest teams over the past couple of months, the Cardinals and Pirates, collide in the middle contest of their three-game series. Gerrit Cole (14-5, 2.39 ERA) takes the ball for the Pirates, looking to grab the Major League-lead in wins with a victory here. Another win would also place him amongst selective company within recent team history, as Cole can join A.J. Burnett (2012) and Francisco Liriano (2013) as the only 15-game winners for the Pirates in the last 16 seasons. He’s registered five quality starts in his last six outings so he’ll be entering tonight in a nice groove.
Going for the Cardinals, meanwhile, will be fellow All-Star pitcher Michael Wacha (13-4, 2.92 ERA), who also comes into this affair mired in a hot streak. In fact, Wacha hasn’t allowed a run over his last 14 innings, spanning two starts, en route to a couple of victories. Like his counterpart tonight, Wacha really has been as reliable as anyone, going five innings or more in all 21 of his starts in 2015, and he’s been even stingier at home, where he holds a 2.51 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in his nine starts at Busch Stadium, while opponents have hit just .203 in those outings. In addition, he’s enjoyed success against the Pirates this year, being 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in two starts opposite the Bucs. As a result, he’s a -120 favorite versus Cole.
Washington Nationals at Los Angeles Dodgers
Without question, one of the most dependable constants in all of baseball annually is Clayton Kershaw (9-6, 2.51 ERA) pitching at home, and that’s exactly what the Dodgers will have going for them in this rubber match when they close out a three-game series with the fellow-contending Nationals tonight. In his MVP and Cy Young campaign a year ago, Kershaw was 10-2 in 14 home starts with a 1.70 ERA and microscopic 0.76 WHIP, as opposing lineups managed just a .180 batting average off the elite left-hander in those outings. This year, it’s been more of the same as the dominant 27-year-old is 6-2 in 10 starts in front of Dodgers faithful at Chavez Ravine, while possessing a 1.66 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and .188 batting-average-against. Thus, he’s a heavy -220 favorite this evening, even against an upper echelon club who will be trotting out a very solid pitcher.
That hurler, of course, is Jordan Zimmermann (8-7, 3.44 ERA), who has actually been uncharacteristically bad when pitching away from home. In fact, he’s 4-4 in 10 road starts with an undesirable 4.95 ERA and 1.49 WHIP, while opposing offenses have registered a cool .320 batting average off the right-hander in those assignments. Zimmermann is coming off one of his best recent performances, however, after holding the Rockies to one run on four hits in 6 2/3 innings last Friday. The over/under for this affair, as is typically the case for a Kershaw start at Chavez Ravine, has settled on 6.