Wednesday's MLB National League Betting Cheat Sheet
By Covers.com
Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals (-107, 7)
Hot pitching stat: Nationals right-hander Ross Ohlendorf is 3-0 with a 2.86 ERA in four starts and four relief appearances at home this season.
Hot/Cold batting stat: Atlanta 3B Chris Johnson is 1-for-11 with four strikeouts in his career against Ohlendorf.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-60s under clear skies. Wind will blow out to left field at 4 mph.
Key betting note: Washington has won Ohlendorf's last six starts.
Miami Marlins at Philadelphia Phillies (OFF, OFF)
Cold pitching stat: Marlins right-hander Nathan Eovaldi has been dreadful against Philadelphia in his career, going 0-4 with a 5.85 ERA in four starts.
Hot batting stat: Philadelphia C Carlos Ruiz and OF Domonic Brown are a combined 8-for-14 with three RBIs against Eovaldi.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-60s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out to center field at 4 mph.
Key betting note: The road team is 9-2 in umpire Angel Hernandez's last 11 games behind home plate.
San Diego Padres at Pittsburgh Pirates (-159, 7.5)
Hot pitching stat: Pirates right-hander Charlie Morton has won both career starts against San Diego, allowing two runs over 12 1/3 innings in that span.
Cold batting stat: Members of the Pittsburgh roster are hitting a collective .242 in 33 at-bats against Padres starter Tyson Ross.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-60s under partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow in from right-center field at 4 mph.
Key betting note: San Diego is 2-10 in its previous 12 Wednesday games.
San Francisco Giants at New York Mets (+121, 7.5)
Cold pitching stat: Mets right-hander Aaron Harang is 0-4 in his last seven starts, allowing seven runs three times over that stretch.
Cold batting stat: Giants 3B Pablo Sandoval hasn't solved Harang, going just 4-for-23 lifetime against him.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-60s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out to center field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: San Francisco is 1-4 in righty Matt Cain's last five outings following a quality start in his previous appearance.
Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers (-129, 8)
Hot pitching stat: Cubs left-hander Chris Rusin pitched well in defeat last time out, charged with two runs on four hits over seven innings of a 3-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Hot batting stat: Brewers OF Norichika Aoki has punished lefties in 2013, hitting .342 in 161 at-bats against them.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s with a 50 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Wind will blow from right to left field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: The over is 5-1-1 in umpire Chad Fairchild's last seven Wednesday games behind home plate.
St. Louis Cardinals at Colorado Rockies (+133, 8.5)
Hot pitching stat: Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright has dominated Colorado in his career, going 5-1 with a 1.17 ERA in six starts and four relief appearances against them.
Cold batting stat: Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki has just one hit in 11 career at-bats versus Wainwright.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow in from left field at 5 mph.
Key betting note: St. Louis is 7-1 in Wainwright's last eight road starts against teams with winning records.
Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks (-118, 9.5)
Hot pitching stat: Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon McCarthy is 2-1 with a 2.10 ERA over his last four starts.
Hot batting stat: Dodgers 3B Michael Young is a career .308 hitter with a homer and five RBIs in 26 at-bats against McCarthy.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-90s with clear skies. Wind will blow from left to right field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: The under is 5-1 in McCarthy's last six home starts.
Wednesday's MLB American League Betting Cheat Sheet
By Covers.com
Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox (-132, 8.5)
Cold pitching stat: Twins left-hander Scott Diamond is 0-5 in eight starts since beating the White Sox back on June 20.
Hot batting stat: White Sox slugger Adam Dunn has two home runs and four RBIs in 14 career at-bats against diamond.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s with a 30 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Wind will blow from right to left field at 11 mph.
Key betting note: The White Sox are 2-9 in right-hander John Danks' last 11 starts.
Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics (-157, 8)
Hot pitching stat: Athletics right-hander A.J. Griffin was won four consecutive starts, racking up 28 strikeouts over 32 innings in that span.
Hot batting stat: Los Angeles OF Josh Hamilton is 5-for-10 lifetime against Griffin.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s with sunny skies. Wind will blow from left to right field at 7 mph.
Key betting note: The over is 7-1 in umpire Paul Emmel's last eight games behind home plate against Oakland.
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays (-116, 9.5)
Cold pitching stat: Yankees right-hander Phil Hughes has gone 12 appearances without a victory, a stretch that includes a 5-2 loss to Toronto on Aug. 26.
Cold batting stat: Blue Jays C J.P. Arencibia has just one hit in 14 at-bats and has struck out seven times against Hughes.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-60s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out to center field at 5 mph.
Key betting note: New York is just 1-11 in Hughes' last 12 Wednesday starts.
Seattle Mariners at Detroit Tigers (-177, 7.5)
Hot pitching stat: Mariners right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma is 7-3 with a 2.65 ERA in 15 road starts this season.
Cold batting stat: Seattle OF Raul Ibanez is 3-for-29 with two RBIs in his career against Tigers ace Justin Verlander.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-60s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow in from center field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: The over is 9-2-2 in Iwakuma's last 13 starts against teams with winning records.
Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox (-154, 8.5)
Hot pitching stat: Red Sox right-hander Jake Peavy is 3-1 with a 3.66 ERA in eight starts since joining Boston in a trade with the Chicago White Six.
Cold batting stat: Orioles SS J.J. Hardy has just one hit and four strikeouts in 14 career at-bats against Peavy.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-60s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out to center field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: Boston is 10-1 in its last 11 games against a left-handed starter.
Texas Rangers at Tampa Bay Rays (-141, 7.5)
Hot pitching stat: Rays right-hander Chris Archer is coming off one of his best outings of the season, throwing six shutout innings with seven strikeouts in a 3-0 victory over Minnesota.
Hot batting stat: Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria has been red-hot when facing Texas starter Derek Holland, going 9-for-24 with three home runs and eight RBIs against him.
Weather: Dome.
Key betting note: The under is 9-2 in Archer's last 11 starts against teams with winning records.
Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals (-133, 8)
Hot pitching stat: Royals left-hander Bruce Chen stymied the Indians in their last encounter July 12, limiting them to one hit over six scoreless innings but settling for a no-decision in a 3-0 loss.
Hot batting stat: Indians OF Michael Brantley is hitting a sizzling .529 in 17 at-bats against Chen, including a 2-for-4 performance back on April 28.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-80s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow out to left-center field at 11 mph.
Key betting note: The under is 6-1-1 in Chen's last eight home starts.
Interleague
Cincinnati Reds at Houston Astros (+134, 9)
Hot pitching stat: Astros righty Brad Peacock has won back-to-back starts, surrendering just three runs while striking out 13 over 13 innings in that span.
Hot batting stat: Entering Tuesday, Reds OF Jay Bruce needs one home run to reach 30 for the third season in a row and is four RBIs shy of matching his career high of 99 set last season.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-80s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow out to left field at 7 mph.
Key betting note: Cincinnati is 9-1 in its last 10 games with umpire Tim McClelland behind home plate.
MLB Odds and Picks – Nationals go for sweep of Braves
By: The Linemakers
Sportingnews.com
LAS VEGAS -- The last time the Washington Nationals swept the Atlanta Braves at home was in 2008, but there are a lot of things in their favor saying they should accomplish the feat tonight, beginning with momentum. The Nationals trail Cincinnati for the final NL wild-card spot by 4.5 games, but by winning 21 of their last 27 games, they have made things very interesting down the stretch.
One of the big reasons the Nationals have become an elite club during September has been the re-emergence of third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who has hit 10 homers with an obscene .783 slugging percentage this month. Zimmerman’s slow start and a mental breakdown in making simple throws to first base was a big reason for Washington’s slow start, but his play of late has shown what a game changer he can be. He is currently playing above the high expectations placed upon him before the season started.
Meanwhile, Atlanta has dropped nine of its last 13 and will have to wait a couple more days before clinching its first division title since 2005. The lull over the final few weeks for the Braves became even more glaring in the first game of yesterday’s doubleheader, when All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel blew a save, snapping a string of 37 consecutive converted save opportunities.
Taking the mound for Washington tonight will be Ross Ohlendorf (4-0. 3.15 ERA), who made a spot start for Stephen Strasburg on Friday. He went five innings and allowed only one run in the Nats’ 6-1 win over the Phillies. The Nats have won his past four starts dating back to Aug. 21.
The Braves will counter with rookie Alex Wood (3-3, 3.45 ERA), who was pushed back in the rotation and had his last start skipped to give him some rest after two rough outings. His last start was Sept. 7 at Philadelphia and lasted only 4 2/3 innings, as he gave up four runs off of three walks and nine hits, a game the Braves lost, 6-5. On Sept. 1 at home against Miami, he lasted only 2 1/3 innings while giving up seven runs off eight hits and two walks in the Marlins’ 7-0 win.
Between the Braves’ recent woes, the Nationals momentum, Zimmerman seeming to knock one out of the park nightly and the Braves' rookie starter having issues, this looks like a nice spot for the Nationals to win, which would be their 11th in 12 games.
Wednesday selections:
Nationals (Ohlendorf) -101 vs. Braves
Dodgers/D-backs OVER 9 (-120)
Second-half record: 93-93 (+685)