Baseball Information
National League
Diamondbacks @ Pirates
Ray is 0-4, 5.67 in his last five starts; his last three stayed under.
Happ is 0-2, 8.31 in his last three starts; both his Pirate starts stayed under.
Pittsburgh won nine of last 12 games (over 8-3-1). Pirates won six of last eight games with Arizona; under is 4-1-1 in last six. D'backs lost four of last six games; five of their last eight went over.
Marlins @ Brewers
Koehler is 0-4, 6.56 in his last four starts (over 3-1).
Peralta is 1-1, 1.93 in his last two starts; over is 4-3-1 in his last eight.
Marlins won six of last eight games; over is 8-2-1 in their last 11- they won four of last six games with Milwaukee (over 3-2-1 in last six). Brewers won three of last five games-- under is 4-2-1 in their last seven.
Giants @ Cardinals
Cain is 0-2, 8.24 in his last four starts; over is 5-0-1 in his last six.
Garcia is 2-0, 0.89 in his last three starts; eight of his last nine stayed under.
Giants won five of last seven games with St Louis; five of last eight in series went over total. SF won five of last six games overall; seven of last nine games stayed under. Cardinals won nine of their last 13 games.
Nationals @ Rockies
Strasburg is 3-1, 1.57 in his last five starts; five of his last six went under.
de la Rosa is 0-0, 4.76 in his last three home starts; four of his last five starts overall went over the total.
Washington lost six of last seven games, allowing 42 runs; over is 5-2-1 in their last eight games; Nationals lost three of last five with Colorado; over is 4-1-1 in last six series games. Rockies lost seven of last eight games; four of their last five games went over the total.
Braves @ Padres
Teheran is 2-0, 2.75 in his last three starts; over is 3-0-1 in his last four starts on foreign soil.
Ross is 2-2, 4.71 in his last five starts; three of his last four went over.
Atlanta lost six of last eight games; over is 8-4-1 in their last 13. Braves lost seven of last nine games with San Diego- six of last seven went over total. Padres won six of last eight games overall-- ten of their last 13 went over.
American League
Twins @ Bronx
Santana is 0-3, 10.80 in his last four starts (over 3-1).
Eovaldi is 3-0, 3.55 in his last four starts (over 3-1).
Minnesota lost seven of last nine games with Bronx; nine of last ten in series went over. Twins lost four of last six games overall, over is 6-4 in their last ten overall. Bronx won five of last six games; four of their last seven went under.
Indians @ Red Sox
Kluber is 2-0, 1.00 in his last two starts; three of his last four went over.
Kelly is 3-0, 4.41 in his last three starts (Boston scored 33 runs in the three games); over is 3-0-1 in his last four starts.
Red Sox won six of last nine home games, scoring 85 runs; their last nine games overall went over. Cleveland lost four of last six games; over is 6-4 in their last ten. Tribe won six of last nine vs Boston; five of those nine games stayed under the total.
Mariners @ Rangers
Seattle lost last seven Montgomery starts (0-2, 9.97 in last five, all five stayed over the total).
Holland threw nine pitches in his only '15 start April 10, before his shoulder gave out; he returns here. He is 2-1, 1.78 in his last six starts overall; five of those six stayed under.
Rangers lost eight of last nine games with Seattle; under is 9-3 in last twelve series games. Texas won five of last six games overall; six of their last seven at home stayed under. Mariners lost three of last five games; four of their last seven games went over the total
Rays @ Astros
Karns is 3-0, 312 in his last five starts; under is 4-2 in his last six on road.
Keuchel is 2-1, 2.61 in his last three starts; three of his last four went under.
Tampa Bay lost four of last five games; over is 9-4 in their last 13 games. Astros won four of last six games; seven of their last ten stayed under total. Rays won eight of their last ten games with Houston (under 7-2-1).
White Sox @ Angels
Samardzija is 0-3, 12.91 in his last three starts; his last five went over.
Weaver is 0-5, 6.08 in his last six starts; his last three at home went over.
White Sox won four of last six games with the Angels; home side won ten of last 12 series games. Chicago lost four of last five games; over is 8-5 in its last 13 games. Angels lost six of their last nine games; five of their last eight went under the total.
Interleague
Blue Jays @ Phillies
Buehrle is 4-0, 3.32 in his last six starts; four of his last five went over.
Morgan is 1-2, 4.76 in his last three starts (under 3-0-1 in last four).
Toronto won ten of last 11 games with Philly; five of last six went over the total. Blue Jays won 13 of last 15 games overall; eight of their last ten went under the total. Philly lost six of last seven (under 3-1 in last four).
Mets @ Orioles
Syndergaard is 3-1, 3.33 in his last four starts, last three of which went over.
Jimenez is 1-1, 5.09 in his last three starts; four of his last six went over.
Orioles won six of last eight home games, but lost last nine games with the Mets; eight of last ten series games stayed under. New York lost three of last four games, scoring total of 11 runs- four of their last five went over
Royals @ Reds
Guthrie is 1-2, 7.13 in his last four starts; five of his last six went over.
Sampson is 2-1, 3.38 in his three starts (under 2-1).
Royals won eight of last nine games against the Reds; four of last six in series went over total. KC won nine of its last 11 games; four of its last five on road stayed under. Cincinnati lost seven of its last nine games; five of last seven went over the total
Tigers @ Cubs
Norris is 1-1, 5.29 in three starts for Detroit; under is 5-1-1 in his last seven.
Lester is 3-0, 2.57 in his last three starts; under is 7-2-1 in his last ten.
Cubs won 13 of their last 16 games overall, but lost nine of last 11 with the Tigers; over is 8-3 in last 11 series games. Detroit lost five of its last eight games, with four of last seven staying under
Dodgers @ A's
Wood is 1-1, 5.09 in his last three starts (over 2-0-1).
Chavez is 1-3, 6.57 in his last five starts; over is 7-3 in his last ten.
Oakland lost seven of last eight games overall but won five of last six games with the Dodgers- five of last seven series games stayed under. LA won five of last seven games; four of last five went over the total.
Win-loss records this year for team with this starting pitcher:
Az-Pitt-- Ray 4-10; Happ 8-14/1-1
Mia-Mil-- Koehler 10-12 (1-6 last 7); Peralta 5-8
SF-StL-- Cain 4-4; Garcia 6-5
Wsh-Col-- Strasburg 7-8 (4-1 last 5); de la Rosa 11-9
Atl-SD-- Teheran 14-10; Ross 13-12
Min-NY-- Santana 3-5 (0-4 last 4); Eovaldi 15-8
Cle-Bos-- Kluber 9-16; Kelly 8-11 (3-0 last 3)
Sea-Tex-- Montgomery 4-10 (0-7 last 7); Holland 0-1
TB-Hst-- Karns 11-12; Keuchel 16-8
Chi-LA-- Samardzija 11-13; Weaver 7-10
Tor-Phil-- Buehrle 14-9; Morgan 5-4
NY-Balt-- Syndergaard 9-8; Jimenez 12-11
KC-Cin-- Guthrie 13-9; Sampson 2-1
Det-Chi-- Norris 4-4; Lester 13-10
LA-A's-- Wood 9-15/1-2; Chavez 6-15
Times this starting pitcher allowed a run in first inning:
Az-Pitt-- Ray 2-14; Happ 9-22
Mia-Mil-- Koehler 5-22; Peralta 4-13
SF-StL-- Cain 4-8; Garcia 2-11
Wsh-Col-- Strasburg 4-15; de la Rosa 7-20
Atl-SD-- Teheran 8-24; Ross 8-25 (3 of last 3)
Min-NY-- Santana 1-8; Eovaldi 8-23
Cle-Bos-- Kluber 10-25; Kelly 9-19
Sea-Tex-- Montgomery 3-14; Holland 1-1
TB-Hst-- Karns 10-23; Keuchel 4-24
Chi-LA-- Samardzija 12-24; Weaver 5-17
Tor-Phil-- Buehrle 12-23; Morgan 1-9
NY-Balt-- Syndergaard 5-17 (3 of last 3); Jimenez 6-23
KC-Cin-- Guthrie 4-22; Sampson 1-3
Det-Chi-- Norris 4-8; Lester 7-24
LA-A's-- Wood 7-24; Chavez 6-21
Umpires
Az-Pitt-- Home side won nine of last 11 Gonzalez games.
Mia-Mil-- Under is 9-2-1 in last twelve May games.
SF-StL-- Last three Everitt games went over the total.
Wsh-Col-- Home side won nine of last 11 Wolf games.
Atl-SD-- Six of last eight Blaser games went over total.
Min-NY-- Six of last eight TBarrett games stayed under.
Cle-Bos-- Favorites won five of last six Wegner games.
Sea-Tex-- Three of last four Hirschbeck games went over.
TB-Hst-- Last five Drake games stayed under the total.
Chi-LA-- Over is 11-4 in last fifteen Demuth games.
LA-A's-- Favorites won last seven Timmons games.
NY-Balt-- Five of last six Woodring games went over.
Tor-Phil-- Under is 9-4-1 in last fourteen Hamari games.
KC-Cin-- Three of last four Conroy games stayed under.
Det-Chi-- Under is 7-4-1 in lst twelve Randazzo games.
Armadillosports.com
MLB: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Arizona Diamondbacks at Pittsburgh Pirates
It's been a rough ride for Happ. The veteran lefty tagged with a no-decision tossing 5 1/3 innings of 1 run ball against Mets last effort remains at one win dating back to May 31st with his teams (Pit, Sea) 2-11 over the span. Happ gets another shot at a rare victory when Pirates take on D-Backs and southpaw Robbie Ray ridding a three game skid. Sportsbooks have Pirates -$1.50 favorite in their own backyard.
Tampa Bay Rays at Houston Astros
To say Houston Astros ace Dallas Keuchel has been dominant at Minute Maid Park this season would be an understatement. In 13 starts in front of his hometown fans, Keuchel is a perfect 11-0 with a miniscule 1.26 ERA. The Houston southpaw has allowed 14 runs over 92.2 innings with a strike-to-walk ratio of 98-21 with Stros 11-2 over the thirteen games. Due to those impressive numbers, it's no surprise to see Houston pegged as hefty -$1.80 moneyline favorites at some locales.
Going against Keuchel at home might be considered sacrilege by some in MLB handicapping. But, for those with a penchant for contrarian plays this one just might fit the bill. Keuchel lost his start vs Rays back in July moving the career team start record to 0-4 against Tampa Bay. Additionally, Rays have made a habit of knocking off Stros of late winning 6 of 7 and 11 of the past 14 encounters.
Steve's Screen Shot
By Steve Merril
Wednesday, Aug. 19
Royals @ Reds -- Keyvius Sampson will be making his fourth start of the season for Cincinnati. He has allowed just 6 runs and 12 hits in 16 innings pitched as starter. Kansas City’s Jeremy Guthrie is 4-4 with a horrendous 7.67 ERA and 1.82 WHIP in 10 road starts. Guthrie has just six strikeouts while walking five in his last 17 innings of work. Reds (-105) for me in this game.
Mets @ Orioles -- I don’t trust either pitcher in this game. Noah Syndergaard is 0-5 with a 5.44 ERA in eight starts away from New York this season. He has allowed 10 runs and 19 hits in his last three starts with two of those outings coming at home. Baltimore’s Ubaldo Jimenez has allowed 10 runs and 15 hits in his last two home outings against the Tigers and A’s. Jimenez also lost to the Mets in NY back in May after giving up 3 runs and six hits in four innings of work. I lean Over 7.5 (-115) in this game.
White Sox @ Angels -- Jeff Samardzija comes into this game in terrible current form. He has allowed 22 runs and 23 hits in his last three starts which span just 15.1 innings of work. Samardzija also gave up 5 HRs in those games to go along with an awful 9/6 K/BB ratio. The righty did have two good outings against the Angels last year, giving up 1 earned run and nine hits in 15 innings of work. However, his current form trumps that, so it’s the Angels (-140) or pass in this game.
Indians @ Red Sox -- Cleveland’s Corey Kluber comes into this game off two straight complete game wins. Kluber held the Twins to 2 runs and four hits with an impressive 17/2 K/BB ratio in those two outings. However, Kluber has not won in his last three starts against the Red Sox. Overall, the righty has a terrible 5.40 ERA in four career starts against Boston. Joe Kelly on the mound doesn’t inspire much confidence, but with Kluber set to regress while having poor numbers against Boston, the Red Sox (+125) have the look of a live home underdog in this game.
Mariners @ Rangers -- Derek Holland returns to the mound for Texas for the first time since Opening Day. The southpaw has struggled a bit in his minor league rehab starts, giving up 9 runs and 16 hits in 12 innings pitched over two levels. Holland is 8-2 with a 2.90 ERA in 14 career starts against the Mariners, but how effective will he be in this game? Rookie Mike Montgomery has allowed 12 runs and 15 hits in his last two starts for Seattle. The Mariners have played in just ten games this season with a road total of 9 to 9.5 and seven of those games went Over the total.
Wednesday Scouting Edge
By Coach Fletcher
Minnesota Twins at New York Yankees
It’s not every day that you see a pitcher go 12-2 with a 4.26 era. But that’s what has happened for the NYY Nathan Eovaldi this season. Eovaldi has been good at home. He’s gone 4-0 at Yankee Stadium with a 3.41 era. In his last 3 starts, one at home, Eovaldi is 2-0 with a 4.15 era. Nathan is 1-0 versus the Twins. On July 26 in Minnesota, Eovaldi went 8 innings and allowed 2 runs on 8 hits. The Yanks opened at -160.
Seattle Mariners at Texas Rangers
The Rangers are in the thick of it for an AL Wild Card spot and can’t even be counted out for the AL West pennant. But they need some pitching help and they are hoping to get it from Derek Holland. The Rangers placed Holland on the DL with a shoulder injury after 1 unsuccessful start on April 10. Holland’s rehab numbers are not good. He went 12 innings and had a 6.00 era at Double-A and Triple-A affiliates of the Rangers. Holland says he feels ready and his velocity is good. On August 5 he threw 55 pitches and allowed 3 hits and walked 3 in just over 2 innings of work. On August 9 pitching for Double-A Frisco, Holland allowed 3 runs on 7 hits and 1 walk in 3 1/3 innings throwing 63 pitches. Last Friday for Triple-A Round Rock, Holland threw 89 pitches and another 10 in the bullpen. He worked 5 innings and allowed two runs while fanning 8 and only walking 1. 60 of his 89 pitches were strikes. Texas opened at -126.
L.A. Dodgers at Oakland Athletics
Mat Latos said he is going to use his breaking ball less and focus on his fast ball in an effort to regain his form. Latos is 4-9 this year with a 4.81 era. In his last start against the familiar Cincinnati Reds, Latos was pounded for 5 runs, 4 earned, and 7 hits in just 4 2/3 innings. He did fan 7. In his previous start against the Pirates he was tagged for 6 runs and 7 hits in 4 innings and failed to strikeout a batter. That puts him at a 6.75 era for his last 3 starts. He has been far better on the road this year with a 3.29 era in 9 starts as the visitor. Latos and the LAD opened at -128.
Arizona D-Backs at Pittsburgh Pirates
Perhaps J.A. Happ earned another start last week when he held the Mets to just 1 run while striking out 7 in 5 1/3 innings. But 1 thing remained the same. Happ has only recorded 1 win in 17 starts since May. Happ is 4-7 with a 4.64 era and was acquired from Seattle by the Bucs. In starts at home, Happ has been better going 2-3 with a 3.54 era. Most of those starts, in fact 9 of his 10, came at Seattle. In 1 home start for Pittsburgh, Happ gave up 8 hits and 4 runs to the Cubs in 4 1/3 innings. In his last 3 starts, 1 for Seattle and 2 for the Bucs, Happ has gone just 13 innings and allowed 11 earned runs on 24 hits, including 4 that left the park. He has good numbers vs Arizona, but keep in mind those are from 2009-2011. The Pirates opened at -145.
Toronto Blue Jays at Philadelphia Phillies
Mark Buehrle, 36 years old, threw his first pitch in the major leagues at 21 years of age in 2000. Buehrle will start for the Jays against Adam Morgan of the Phils. Morgan is 25 and threw his first big league pitch June 21 of this year. Buehrle is having an excellent year going 13-5 for the contending Jays with a 3.31 era. Since June 1, Buehrle has an era of 2.17 over 13 starts. He’s gone at least 7 innings in 10 of his last 11 starts. Morgan is 3-4 for the Phillies, not bad considering that they are 46-72 on the year. He’s 1-1 with a 4.22 era at home, 4.24 in his last 3. 3 of his last 4 starts were deemed quality starts. Buehrle and the Jays opened at -200.
Cleveland Indians at Boston Red Sox
Corey Kluber won the Cy Young award last year but hasn’t looked like it too often this year. However, if his last 2 starts are any indication, the former Cy Young winner may have regained his form. Kluber has suffered through an up and down year where he is 8-12 with a 3.34 era and a 1.04 whip. This will be his 21st start of the year and he hopes his recent form continues. Kluber just finished raking the Twins over the coals in two straight appearances. He went the full 9 in each of his starts, one at home and one away. For both games, Coery allowed the Twins just 4 hits and 2 runs while striking out 17 batters. The Indians have won 6 of his last 9 starts. Actually Kluber has allowed 2 runs or less in 10 of his 20 starts. His era for the last 3 is 2.66. The Tribe opened as -135 favorites.
Wednesday's Tip Sheet
By Matt Zylbert
VegasInsider.com
New York Mets at Baltimore Orioles
The Mets picked up a big win last night in the opener of this rare two-game set, thus putting a halt to their three-game losing streak and sustaining their 4.5-game lead over the Nationals for first-place in the NL East. They’ll look to Noah Syndergaard (7-6, 3.07 ERA) this evening to put the finishing touches on this series, although that might be a bit more difficult than his excellent numbers would indicate. Syndergaard has been absolutely fantastic since making his Major League debut in the first half of May, owning an outstanding 111/24 K/BB ratio in his 105 2/3 total innings to go along with his shiny record and ERA. On the contrary, The Mighty Thor has posted some underwhelming numbers on the road, as he’s 0-5 in eight starts away from Citi Field with a 5.01 ERA and 1.55 WHIP.
In the process of last night’s defeat, the Orioles saw their four-game winning streak snapped, while also falling out of the second American League Wild Card spot, coinciding with the Angels’ victory later in the night. Baltimore will look to salvage a split here behind the mercurial Ubaldo Jimenez (9-7, 3.92 ERA), who has certainly lived up to his reputation for inconsistency as of late. The former Colorado Rockies hurler was enjoying an All-Star caliber season as recently as early July, before entering his current six-game stretch that has seen the right-hander surrender six runs or more in half those starts, thus ballooning up his ERA more than a full run. Two starts ago, Jimenez thought he escaped his rut with an eight-shutout-inning performance in Anaheim, but proceeded to give up four runs in five innings in his last assignment. He draws even ML odds with Syndergaard nonetheless, while the over/under is 7.5.
San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals
If the pitching matchup that’s slated to take place tonight at Busch Stadium were to happen five years ago, it would be quite the premier matchup. But it’s 2015, and not 2010, and here we are with two veterans who have endured their fair share of injuries in recent years, still trying to get back to where they once were. That’s certainly the case with Matt Cain (2-3, 6.05 ERA) this season, as he’s been nothing but woeful since returning in the beginning of July. In fact, in eight starts, Cain has yielded four runs or more six times, including in each of his past four outings. Furthermore, in his last two starts, the 30-year-old has failed to even reach five innings. Unsurprisingly, the over is 6-2 when Cain makes a starting assignment, yet the over/under here is only 7.
Starting for St. Louis tonight, Jaime Garcia (5-4, 1.57 ERA) has also made a return from an extensive stint on the disabled list this year, but unlike Cain, the 29-year-old left-hander has actually flourished in churning out a renaissance season. Garcia has been so impressive, in fact, that he’s contributed a quality start in 10 of his 11 outings, while going five innings or more in every start. He’s coming off arguably his finest performance of the season, when he allowed just an unearned run in 8 1/3 brilliant innings opposite the Marlins, striking out six compared to just one walk. Thus, he’s a -175 home favorite tonight against the downtrodden Cain.
Detroit Tigers at Chicago Cubs
Despite entering tonight’s contest having lost two in a row, the Cubs are still one of the hottest teams in all of baseball, being 12-3 in the month of August to help maintain their grasp on the National League’s second Wild Card berth. Opening Day starter Jon Lester (8-8, 3.21 ERA) will try and get the club back into the win column in this week’s ESPN Wednesday Night Baseball affair, and it’s appropriate he would, as his mighty improvement since May is one of the reasons for the Cubs’ strong surge throughout the summer. The 31-year-old has been especially good as of late, having recorded five straight quality starts, while going at least seven innings in seven of his last eight. He’s a pretty heavy -215 favorite as a result.
The Tigers used to have their own dominant left-hander at the top of the rotation in the form of David Price, but dealt him at this year’s trade deadline to the Blue Jays. One of the main prizes they lured back in their haul was their starter for this evening, Daniel Norris (2-2, 4.24 ERA), who has had mixed results thus far into his tenure with Detroit. It’s been three starts, and while Norris has registered two quality ones in that span, he also had an outing where he got rocked for five runs on nine hits in less than four innings of work. At the same time, Norris has already flashed some excellence, such as in his Tigers debut when he held the Orioles to just one run in seven-plus innings. The over/under just recently came out this morning and the linesmakers have set it at 9, partly due to the considerable winds that will be blowing out of Wrigley.
Tampa Bay Rays at Houston Astros
With the high-caliber starting pitching matchup on tap for this evening from Minute Maid Park, there very well could be the makings of a pitcher’s duel in the second game of this series. First, there is this year’s American League All-Star starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel (14-6, 2.36 ERA) set to toe the rubber for the AL West-leading Astros, and the club couldn’t trot him out in a more comfortable setting if they tried. That’s because Keuchel has arguably been the Major League’s best pitcher from home this season, as he’s an outstanding 11-0 in 13 home outings with a 1.26 ERA and microscopic 0.88 WHIP. Furthermore, opponents have only been able to muster a .182 batting average off the southpaw when he’s pitching at Minute Maid. Thus, it’s no surprise to see Keuchel, a frontrunner for the AL Cy Young award, is a -185 favorite at the moment.
While no one has been able to defeat Keuchel at home in 2015, perhaps Nathan Karns (7-5, 3.53 ERA) will become the first. It’s certainly possible given his remarkable consistency this season that should give him consideration as one of the most underrated starters in the American League this season. In fact, Karns has registered a whopping 17 starts in which he’s given up two earned runs or less, placing him amongst the league-leaders in that category. And that’s only in 23 total starts. However, Karns hasn’t been as sharp as late, as he currently owns a 4.80 ERA in August, his highest of any month this season. Either way, the over/under opened up at 7.5 and has predictably dropped to 7 in many shops.
Tigers, Cubs clash at Wrigley
By Sportsbook.ag
DETROIT TIGERS (57-61) at CHICAGO CUBS (67-50)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Detroit +180, Chicago -190, Total: 9
The Cubs will be looking to prevent a three-game losing streak when they host the Tigers on Wednesday.
Detroit still has a small chance of grabbing a wild card spot in the American League, but the team must get hot in a hurry. The Tigers did take a step in the right direction on Tuesday, though, defeating the Cubs 10-8 behind 19 hits.
They’ll now go for a two-game sweep and starting for them will be LHP Daniel Norris (2-2, 4.24 ERA, 28 K), as he goes up against LHP Jon Lester (8-8, 3.21 ERA, 149 K) for Chicago. These teams have met just three times this season and Detroit has won two of those three games, with two of the contests also going Over the total.
The Tigers are 13-4 against the money line after a game where they had 17 or more hits over the past two seasons. They are also 22-8 against the money line after scoring nine runs or more in that time. The Cubs, however, are 28-17 against the money line in August games over the past two seasons. Jon Lester’s teams are also an incredible 24-5 against the money line when he’s on the mound as a favorite of -150 or more over the past three seasons.
Both of these teams will be entering this game at relatively full strength, so it should be a good one.
Since being traded to the Tigers, Norris has pitched very well when starting on the road. In his only home appearance for Detroit, Norris allowed five earned runs on nine hits in just 3.1 innings of work. In two road starts, however, he has allowed just four earned runs in 13.2 innings.
This game could be a different story for him, as this Cubs team is very good offensively. He’ll need to be at his best or Chicago will likely light him up and come away with a victory on Wednesday.
One guy who can do some serious damage for the Tigers in this one is 1B Miguel Cabrera (.349, 16 HRs, 57 RBIs), who is 14-for-25 with a homer, four RBIs and eight walks against Lester in his career. Cabrera will be extremely confident going up against a pitcher he has dominated in the past and will need to get it going in this game.
CF Rajai Davis (.245, 3 HRs, 17 RBIs), DH Victor Martinez (.243, 9 HRs, 51 RBIs) and 2B Ian Kinsler (.304, 7 HRs, 55 RBIs) have also had success against Lester, combining to go 30-for-98 with four homers and 15 RBIs against the Cubs’ ace that spent a majority of his career in the American League. This lineup has given Lester issues in the past and there’s no reason it won’t be able to on Wednesday.
Lester has had his struggles this season, but he has recently started to pitch extremely well. Over his past five starts, the Cubs’ ace is 4-0 and has allowed just eight earned runs total. He’s racked up two double-digit strikeout games in that span and will now look to pick up a win against a Tigers lineup that he has had some issues with in the past. Working in his favor is the fact that his team has been hot at the plate lately.
Chicago’s offense has put up six or more runs in four of the past five games. C Kyle Schwarber (.310, 9 HRs, 30 RBIs) has racked up three homers and nine RBIs over the past five games. He’s been a huge spark since being called up for Chicago and will need to keep it up moving forward.
3B Kris Bryant (.252, 16 HRs, 66 RBIs) has gone hitless over the past two games and will need to turn things around fast. Chicago is still fighting for position and it will need Bryant to be at his best in the box. 1B Anthony Rizzo (.295, 23 HRs, 70 RBIs) continues to be one of the most consistent hitters for this team. He’s been hot in August, batting .346 this month and will be trying to keep that up the rest of the way.
Game of the Day: Tigers at Cubs
By Covers.com
Detroit Tigers at Chicago Cubs (-206, 9)
Coming off their first home loss in three weeks, the Chicago Cubs hope to salvage a split of their two-game interleague series with the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday. The Tigers outlasted the Cubs for a 10-8 victory in the rain-delayed opener, snapping Chicago’s eight-game home winning streak.
The Cubs’ lead for the National League’s second wild card is down to three games over San Francisco, but Chicago still has six more home games before beginning a six-game road trip with three against the Giants. The Tigers smacked around Cubs left-hander Jon Lester on June 9 in Detroit, tagging the ace for five runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. Miguel Cabrera (14-for-25, HR) and Victor Martinez (8-for-19, HR) have enjoyed particular success against Lester. Detroit, which ranks fifth in the American League with 68 stolen bases, might try to get the running game going against Lester, who has given up a major league-high 35 thefts.
LINE HISTORY: The Cubs opened at -190 but that has moved to -206. The total is presently off the board.
INJURY REPORT: Cubs - RP Rafael Soriano (15-day DL, shoulder)
WEATHER: Temperatures will be in the low-70s with wind blowing out to centerfield at around 17 mph.
WHAT CAPPERS SAY: "The last time the Tigers finished in last place in their division was 2003 (with one of the worst records in history) but they're threatening to do it again as they are currently just two games out of the cellar. On the plus side, 1B Miguel Cabrera came back over the weekend in Houston. The Cubs have shuffled their lineup yet again with Starlin Castro moving to the bench (and seeing time at 2B when he plays) and Kyle Schwarber slotting into a regular OF/C role. All the shuffling seems to be paying off as the Cubs have gone 8-2 in their last 10 and are closing in on the Pirates." Covers Expert Big Al McMordie.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers LH Daniel Norris (2-2, 4.24 ERA) vs. Cubs LH Jon Lester (8-8, 3.21)
Norris is 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA in three starts since being acquired from Toronto in the David Price deal. The 22-year-old was excellent in his Tigers debut at Baltimore but has surrendered nine runs (eight earned) in 9 2/3 innings over his last two outings. Norris is making his Wrigley Field debut, but he pitched a scoreless inning in relief against the Cubs last season.
Lester has posted five straight quality starts, going 4-0 with a 2.04 ERA over that span. The 31-year-old has hit double-digits in strikeouts twice during that stretch, including 10 in a six-inning stint against Milwaukee his last time out. Lester is 2-5 with a 5.25 ERA in 10 career starts against the Tigers and has been on the losing end of each of the last three meetings.
TRENDS:
* Tigers are 11-2 in the last 13 meetings.
* Tigers are 3-13 in their last 16 games following a win.
* Cubs are 8-1 in their last nine home games.
* Over is 4-0 in Cubs last four games as a favorite.
CONSENSUS: Sixty-five percent of Covers users are backing the Cubs.