MLB: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Detroit Tigers at Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto enjoying home cookin` of late notching seven wins in eight attempts at the Rogers Center will find things a little tough Wednesday night as Blue Jay batters face Max Scherzer. The hurler looking to extend a 16-game undefeated streak with a sixth straight victory has allowed more than two earned runs only once during his current run and the Tigers have scored five runs or more in four of the last five wins. Scherzer will be opposed by Josh Johnson. The right hander yet to produce as expected for his new club winning just 1 of 9 starts heads to the hill off his second worst start of the campaign tossing 3 1/3 innings of 8 hit, 5 run-ball. Well to note, in Johnson's worst start of the season, he gave up six earned runs in just 1.1 innings of work against Detroit. Toronto using up the relief staff in yesterday's loss does not bode well for the club, Jays are 1-6 after the pen tosses => 6 innings the previous night. Expect Detroit to continue to be spoiled by their hurler's success, Tigers are 13-3 over Scherzer 16 starts, 4-1 vs Jays in his five career starts against Toronto. Detroit platting 6.3 runs/game when Scherzer's starts maintain the average plus some swinging away at Josh Johnson offerings and a used up bull-pen.
Yankees at Twins: Preview & Pick
Sportspic.com
The Minnesota Twins host the New York Yankees in the third of a four-game series this evening, with baseball handicapping mavens giving the road team a healthy price for more than a few reasons.
In baseball betting parlance, the Yankees are a public team, which means the general public likes to bet on them, which inevitably drives up the betting odds in the baseball handicapping world.
According to the current betting odds at Bovada, the Yankees are -150 road favorites with a run total of 8.5. In baseball handicapping, there’s always hesitation when going with a road favorite at that price, so the total becomes a more inviting wager.
The main reason for such a high price on New York is the still-formidable presence of lefthander C.C. Sabathia. The portsider brings an 8-6 record and 4.11 ERA to the hill, and has struggled not only in his last two road starts, but in many of his contests away from Yankee Stadium this season, with just a 2-4 mark and 4.99 ERA.
Such problems are the reason that since the start of last season, the southpaw has gone over the number 17 of 25 times, one of those ending in a push.
The Twins will counter with righthander P.J. Walters, who is just 2-4 with a 6.03 ERA after being called up five weeks ago. Walters and Target Field seem to be a good baseball betting connection if the thought is to take the Over. Such a philosophy has been the right call in six of his last eight home games.
In his last two starts at home, Walters has reinforced baseball handicapping thinking by compiling an 0-2 record with an eye-popping ERA of 10.80.
Since Target opened in 2010, Sabathia has made three starts at the facility, and in each of those cases, the game has gone Over the total. That end result has also been the case in four of his last five starts overall.
Sabathia is coming off a loss in Baltimore, and in his four-plus seasons with the Yankees, the team usually responds with some offense in his next start. During that span, the Over is 17-10-2 in his next start.
With tonight’s total at 8.5, some baseball handicapping research also uncovers the fact that the Over has cashed in nine of Sabathia’s 14 starts when the run total is 8 or above.
Minnesota also tends to find its offensive stroke when facing a lefty under the lights at Target. Since the beginning of the 2012 campaign, the Over has a 15-7-1 mark under such circumstances.
Given the vagaries of major league baseball, Sabathia may very well revert to form and shut down the Twins, but then part of baseball handicapping is based on looking at all aspects of a game. Thus, the best MLB pick to make is:
Play Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees Over 8.5
MLB Odds and Picks – Puig, Dodgers look to keep rolling
By: The Linemakers
Sportingnews.com
The Dodgers have won three games in a row and nine of their 10 as they take on the Rockies at Coors Field for the second of their three-game set. Mired in last place since May 6, their current run has pulled them from the depths of the NL West -- half a game better than the Giants -- into a third-place tie with the reeling Padres.
During the Dodgers' recent surge, everything has been clicking that was missing from the first 11 weeks of the season. Their pitching and defense have been solid, but the biggest component has been their bats coming to life. They’ve piled up 14 hits in each of their last two wins.
Obviously Yasiel Puig has been a big part of the resurgence, and his play has rubbed off on everyone else. In 27 games since his June 3 debut, the Dodgers are 16-11. He has batted .443 with eight homers and 17 RBIs, and, more importantly, he’s reminded a team that was just going through the motions that this game of baseball is fun.
Perhaps the biggest benefactor in the Puig era has been Hanley Ramirez, who is currently on a 13-game hitting streak, hitting .469 in that span. Adrian Gonzalez, the one player who has been consistent since the season started, has maintained his game throughout, and we’ve even seen Matt Kemp show a little more zip in his step, although he's been waiting for his third homer of the season since May 20.
Despite the power struggles, Kemp’s body language and attitude have been a pleasant change from what we saw in April and May. He no longer is pouting and frowning, and the fans are no longer booing him. The change in the clubhouse and the stands can be directly attributed to Puig -- and the Dodgers winning.
Zack Greinke takes the mound for the Dodgers on Wednesday, and since coming back from a broken collarbone on May 15, Los Angeles has won six of his nine starts. Greinke will be going for his third straight win tonight. He has a 3.18 ERA in two career starts at Coors Field.
The Rockies will counter with right-hander Tyler Chatwood, who hasn’t given up more than two earned runs in any of his last eight starts. He beat the Dodgers 12-2 on April 29 -- the start of his eight-game run -- going six innings and allowing no runs. Despite his great pitching performances, the Rockies are only 1-4 in his last five starts.
Beyond Puig being hot, a couple of Dodgers have been on a nice tear against the Rockies. Ramirez has hit .393 in his last 16 games against Colorado, while Gonzalez has an 11-game hitting streak against them, batting .357.
Even after struggling for the first two months, the Dodgers could pull into a tie with the Rockies for second place in the NL West with a win tonight. Within two more days, they could be in first place as Arizona has lost five straight coming into tonight. The Dodgers are currently 25-to-1 to win the World Series.
There is still a lot of baseball to be played before discussing October, but for tonight we like the Dodgers to get the win and keep on rolling.
Wednesday selections:
Dodgers (Greinke) -110 at Rockies
Angels (Jerome Williams) -105 vs. Cardinals
Season to date record: 153-151-2 (+530)