Wednesday's MLB National League Betting Cheat Sheet
By Covers.com
New York Mets at Atlanta Braves (-160, 8)
Hot pitching stat: Mets right-hander Dillon Gee limited the Braves to two hits over seven shutout innings in their last encounter back on July 22.
Cold batting stat: Braves 2B Dan Uggla has struggled against Gee over his career, recording just four hits while striking out five times in 26 at-bats.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow in from center field at 3 mph.
Key betting note: The over is 14-6 in New York's last 20 Wednesday games.
Miami Marlins at Chicago Cubs (-165, OFF)
Cold pitching stat: Cubs right-hander Jeff Samardzija is 3-5 with a 4.70 ERA in 15 home starts.
Cold batting stat: Marlins OF Giancarlo Stanton is hitless in seven at-bats against Samardzija.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s under sunny skies. Wind will blow from left to right field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: The over is 11-2 in Samardzija's last 13 home starts.
San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres (-102, 7)
Hot pitching stat: Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum has dominated the Padres historically, going 12-6 with a 2.21 ERA and 192 strikeouts over 166 2/3 career innings.
Hot batting stat: Members of the San Francisco roster are hitting a combined .322 in 146 at-bats against Padres left-hander Eric Stults.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-80s with sunny skies. Wind will blow in from left field at 7 mph.
Key betting note: The Giants are 3-13 in their last 16 Wednesday games.
Washington Nationals at Philadelphia Phillies (+119, 8)
Cold pitching stat: Nationals right-hander Jordan Zimmermann is just 2-5 with a 4.37 ERA in eight career starts against the Phillies.
Hot batting stat: Washington OF Bryce Harper has three hits, including a triple, in six career at-bats against Philadelphia right-hander Roy Halladay.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s with sunny skies. Wind will blow from left to right field at 4 mph.
Key betting note: Washington is 20-7 in Zimmermann's last 27 starts against teams with losing records.
St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds (-118, 8)
Cold pitching stat: Cardinals rookie right-hander Shelby Miller is 5-6 in 13 starts away from Busch Stadium, with a 4.43 ERA and 10 home runs allowed over 69 innings.
Hot batting stat: Reds 2B Brandon Phillips has already surpassed his previous career high in RBIs (98) set in 2009.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out to right field at 4 mph.
Key betting note: The road team is 8-1 in umpire Tim Timmons' last nine games behind home plate.
Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers (+140, 7.5)
Hot pitching stat: Pirates left-hander Francisco Liriano silenced the St. Louis Cardinals in his last outing, holding them to two hits over eight shutout innings in a 5-0 victory.
Hot batting stat: Brewers OF Carlos Gomez has had Liriano's number, going 7-for-14 with a pair of homers lifetime against him.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-60s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow from left to right field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: Pittsburgh is 10-2 in Liriano's last 12 starts against teams with losing records.
Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies (-115, 10)
Hot pitching stat: Rockies left-hander Jorge De La Rosa has won his last five starts while allowing three or fewer runs in all of them.
Hot batting stat: Colorado C Wilin Rosario is 5-for-11 with a homer and seven RBIs against Dodgers starter Edinson Volquez this season.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-80s under cloudy skies. Wind will blow from right to left field at 3 mph.
Key betting note: The Rockies are 1-10 in De La Rosa's last 11 starts against Los Angeles.
Toronto Blue Jays at Arizona Diamondbacks (-130, 8)
Hot pitching stat: Blue Jays left-hander Mark Buehrle is 6-1 with a 2.14 ERA in nine starts since the All-Star break.
Cold batting stat: Diamondbacks 2B Aaron Hill has just four hits in 24 career at-bats versus Buehrle.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-100s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow from right to left field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: Arizona has won 13 of its last 16 interleague games against a left-handed starter.
Wednesday's MLB American League Betting Cheat Sheet
By Covers.com
Minnesota Twins at Houston Astros (-110, 8.5)
Cold pitching stat: Astros right-hander Jordan Lyles has surrendered five home runs over his last two starts.
Hot batting stat: Houston 2B Jose Altuve had as many hits in his first two games in September (seven) than he had in his final 11 games in August.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-90s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow in from right field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: The Twins are just 8-25 in their last 33 Wednesday games.
Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics (+111, 7)
Hot pitching stat: Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish is 4-2 with a 2.11 ERA and a league-leading 79 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings since the All-Star break.
Cold batting stat: Athletics 3B Josh Donaldson hasn't been able to solve Darvish, going 1-for-8 with six strikeouts against him.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out to right field at 12 mph.
Key betting note: The under is 13-3-1 in Darvish's last 17 starts.
Baltimore Orioles at Cleveland Indians (OFF, OFF)
Cold pitching stat: Indians right-hander Zach McAllister was shelled in his previous outing against Detroit, surrendering five runs on six hits over 3 2/3 innings of a 7-2 loss.
Hot batting stat: Orioles SS J.J. Hardy has three hits, including a double and a homer, in six at-bats lifetime against McAllister.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-60s under sunny skies. Wind will blow out to right field at 11 mph.
Key betting note: Cleveland is 1-5 in its last six games against a left-handed starter.
Chicago White Sox at New York Yankees (-182, 8.5)
Hot pitching stat: Yankees left-hander C.C. Sabathia is 28-16 lifetime in September, while his 2.83 ERA is the lowest of any month.
Cold batting stat: White Sox DH Adam Dunn is just 5-for-32 with 12 strikeouts against Sabathia.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s under sunny skies. Wind will blow out to left-center field at 7 mph.
Key betting note: New York is 8-2 in its last 10 games with umpire Bruce Dreckman behind home plate.
Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox (-129, 10)
Cold pitching stat: Red Sox right-hander Ryan Dempster has struggled at Fenway Park in 2013, going 5-7 with a 4.93 ERA in 17 starts there.
Hot batting stat: Members of the Boston roster are hitting a sizzling .370 with two homers in 46 career at-bats against Detroit starter Rick Porcello.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s under sunny skies. Wind will blow from left to right field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: Detroit is 8-2 in Porcello's last 10 starts.
Seattle Mariners at Kansas City Royals (-168, 8.5)
Cold pitching stat: Royals right-hander Ervin Santana is 0-2 in his last five starts while surrendering five home runs over that stretch.
Cold batting stat: Mariners 3B Kyle Seager is 3-for-19 against Santana.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out to left field at 4 mph.
Key betting note: The over is 7-0 in Seattle's last seven Wednesday games.
Tampa Bay Rays at Los Angeles Angels (-133, 7.5)
Hot pitching stat: Rays right-hander Jeremy Hellickson is 2-1 with a 2.29 ERA in three starts and one relief appearance against the Angels.
Hot batting stat: Tampa Bay sluggers Evan Longoria, Ben Zobrist and James Loney are all hitting better than .330 lifetime against Los Angeles starter Jered Weaver.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-80s under clear skies, Wind will blow out to right field at 4 mph.
Key betting note: The under is 12-2-2 in Hellickson's last 16 starts against the American League West.
MLB: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies
Rockies and Dodgers complete a three game set at Coors Field with Colorado sending southpaw Jorge De La Rosa to the mound with a 15-6 record, 3.33 ERA and on a perfect 5-0 stretch. The port-side hurler's best numbers have come at Coors Field. That success is evident by his 23-5 team start record at home the past four years including a sparkling 11-2 TSR this season. Dodgers' counter with Volquez who was recently acquired from Padres. The right-hander making his first start as a Dodger brings a 9-10 record, 5.97 ERA to the hill. De La Rosa obviously has better numbers on his side but what will catch sports bettors attention is that Rockies are 1-10 in De La Rosa's 11 career starts vs the Dodgers including 1-4 at Coors Field. That said, those betting jitters will soon dissipate knowing Volquez has an 0-6 TSR skid vs Colorado, a 3-9 life-time TSR vs Rockies including a 1-6 at Coors Field. Add in Volquez's 2-7 TSR in September, De La Rosa's perfect 12-0 TSR after a team loss the previous night the best call here is Colorado.
MLB Odds and Picks – Expect some runs in the Bronx
By: The Linemakers
Sportingnews.com
LAS VEGAS -- The Yankees are only 2.5 games out in the AL wild-card chase, and their Tuesday night come-from-behind win against the White Sox’s best pitcher had the same look of many of those Yankees playoff teams from the past. They put five runs on the board in the eighth inning – three of Chicago's best pitcher, Chris Sale – to improve their hopes of making the playoffs for the 18th time in 20 seasons.
An untimely skid by the Rays, losers in eight of their last 10, has opened the door for New York, which has won four of its last five. The LVH SuperBook currently has the Yankees 30-to-1 to win the World Series, and those long odds somehow seem attractive.
Tonight they’ll send CC Sabathia to the mound to face the White Sox, and he’ll be a key figure for the Yankees down the stretch. He has a 7.38 ERA since the All-Star break, the worst in baseball among pitchers with at least seven starts, but has been able to pick up wins in three of his last four starts. And September has typically been his best month over his career.
If the Yankees can get their first home sweep over the White Sox since 2009, as they should, then they can set their sights on the meat of their remaining schedule, which will ultimately determine their fate for the season.
They start a four-game series at home against Boston on Thursday, go to Baltimore for four, and then to Fenway Park for their final three games of the season against the Red Sox. That’s a murderous stretch, but if they can come away 7-4 over that it, that may be all they need to carry some momentum through weaker scheduling to close out the year and gain the final wild-card spot.
In between series against the Blue Jays and Giants and closing the season at Houston, the Yanks have a chance to make something happen against the Rays Sept. 24-26. If they can come out of the Rays series at least tied for the final wild card, you have to like their chances at Houston for the final three games while the Rays play at Toronto.
While we like the Yankees to win tonight, we would never suggest laying -190. But we should see a lot of runs scored with Sabathia on the hill for New York and a pitcher making his first MLB start for Chicago.
Erik Johnson makes his big-league debut tonight in the Stadium. He is considered one of the Sox’s top pitching prospects and recorded a 12-3 record with a 1.96 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A this season.
The anemic White Sox offense, meanwhile, has been one of the best UNDER plays in baseball this season, but they are currently on a run of four straight OVERs.
Wednesday selections:
White Sox/Yankees OVER 8.5 (-115)
Dodgers/Rockies OVER 10 (-115)
Second-half record: 78-78 (+484)