MLB News and Notes August 19

Slumping Baltimore Orioles shake up rotation
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

BALTIMORE (AP) -The Baltimore Orioles shook up their rotation Monday, sending slumping starters Garrett Olson and Dennis Sarfate to the bullpen.

Olson lasted only 1 1-3 innings in Sunday's 16-8 victory over the Detroit Tigers, allowing four hits and five runs. Olson's eight victories are tied for second-most on the Baltimore staff, but the rookie left-hander's 6.38 ERA was the highest among the starters.

''I think I had to do something to be fair to the team and to be fair to Olson,'' Trembley said. ''Olson needs to get some success and be put in a situation that's not as stressful and pressure-packed as it would appear it's been for him his last three starts.''

Olson took the demotion in stride, noting Trembley was showing confidence in him by sending him to the bullpen instead of the minors. Olson was 4-1 in his first seven starts, but failed to pitch into the sixth inning in eight of 15 starts since May 31.

''It has been in the back of my mind, that I haven't been doing my job,'' Olson said. ''I tried to make adjustments; it's just being consistent has been hard this year. I've showed brief blips of it, but I need to have it more, especially to help the team out.''

Sarfate, 4-3 with a 5.35 ERA in 49 appearances, was moved from the bullpen to the rotation July 30 after Radhames Liz was sent to Triple-A Norfolk. Sarfate made four starts, going 0-2 with 10.34 ERA.

Because of an off day Thursday, there's no immediate need to select a replacement for Sarfate. Olson's turn would come up Friday, and Trembley declined to identify his starter for that day.

Money Arms: Week of Aug. 18
By DAVID CHAN

This column has produced a 25-11 record over the past eight weeks, proving that a little homework can go a long way when it comes to building baseball bankrolls.

It’s the start of another busy week on the diamond and here are four starters that could earn you some extra loot over the next four days.

Kevin Slowey, Minnesota Twins, Tuesday vs. Oakland

I really like what Slowey has to offer. He has recorded 79 strikeouts while walking only 17 this season. He brings excellent form to this start, having given up only 10 hits and two earned runs over 11 2/3 innings. A lack of confidence certainly shouldn’t be an issue after he earned the Twins a 4-2 win over the Yankees last time out. The Twins have won nine of his last 11 starts. This will be his second career start against Oakland after giving up only one run in six innings against them last year.

James Shields, Tampa Bay Rays, Tuesday vs. Los Angeles

After a couple of rough outings against the Mariners and A’s on the road, look for Shields to bounce back against another A.L. West foe on Tuesday. Despite Shields not having his best stuff, the Rays were still able to win his last two starts, and that should give him a boost of confidence on the mound. Tampa Bay is 9-2 in his last 11 starts overall, and has won eight in a row when he pitches at Tropicana Field. His home ERA currently sits at 2.21 and he has struck out 76 while walking just 16.

Gil Meche, Kansas City Royals, Wednesday at Cleveland

I’m not sure what Meche has to do to earn the respect of oddsmakers, but obviously winning games isn’t enough. The Royals have won each of his last eight starts, and he’s suffered just one defeat since June 15th. Walks have been an issue lately, but he’s made up for it by striking out 31 batters over his last four starts. The Indians got the better of him in both starts in Kansas City this season, but in his only start in Cleveland, Meche tossed seven shutout innings back in early May.

Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins, Thursday at San Francisco

All Josh Johnson has done is win games during his comeback from Tommy John surgery. The Marlins are 6-1 in his seven starts since being re-inserted into the rotation just before the All-Star break. He has given up three earned runs or less in six of those seven starts. The Giants have one of the weakest lineups in the entire league, one that can certainly be taken care of by Johnson. He is undefeated in four road starts this season, leading the Marlins to wins over the likes of the Dodgers, Cubs, Phillies, and Mets.

Paul Byrd, Boston Red Sox, Friday at Toronto

Paul Byrd’s Boston debut wasn’t a successful one, as he suffered a 4-1 loss against these same Blue Jays. There won’t be nearly as much pressure in his first road start with the new team. Oddly enough, this will be his third consecutive start against the Jays. Back on August 9th, Byrd was masterful in a complete game win at Rogers Center in Toronto. That was when he was a member of the Cleveland Indians. The Indians had won four straight games with Byrd on the mound before he was dealt to Boston.

Tuesday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards

Gamblers have a stacked slate to navigate on Tuesday. The Angels and Rays will collide in the marquee matchup (assuming Hurricane Fay is cooperative), while the Marlins will try to keep up in the NL East when they play at San Francisco. Let's take a look at these two games before taking on a few other topics.

**Angels at Rays**

--Tampa Bay (76-48, +2,336) won a 7-4 decision Sunday at Texas for its 75th victory of the year, allowing backers of its season win total (74.5) to cash tickets at this extremely early date. With the Rangers trailing 7-3 with two outs in the ninth inning and the bases loaded and slugger Josh Hamilton at the plate, Rays skipper Joe Maddon ordered Hamilton to be walked intentionally. I LOVED the move by Maddon and it worked perfectly, as the Rays got the next batter out for the victory. The last time we saw a batter walked on purpose with the bases loaded was when former Arizona manager Buck Showalter implemented a similar strategy against Barry Bonds.

--Tampa Bay won the series opener last night by a 6-4 count. Bettors taking the Rays on the run line (minus 1 1/2 runs) earned a huge payout of plus 180.

--Los Angeles (76-47, +2,093) is running away with the American League West, taking a 15 ½-game lead over Texas into this spot.

--Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Tampa Bay as a minus 118 favorite with a total of eight ‘over’ (minus 125). Bettors can pick up a monster payout in the plus 175 range by backing the Rays on the run line.

--Tampa Bay RHP James Shields (10-7, 3.75 ERA) has a 3-2 record and 3.40 ERA in six career starts against the Angels. Shields has been especially effective at home, compiling a 7-1 record and 2.21 ERA in 13 assignments.

--L.A. RHP Ervin Santana (13-5, 3.49) is 3-3 with a 6.21 ERA in seven lifetime starts against the Rays. Santana has been nasty on the road, posting a 9-2 record and 3.45 ERA this year.

--The Rays own an AL-best 46-17 home record, while the Angels are a majors-best 39-24 on the road.

--The ‘under’ is 70-51 overall for the Rays, 36-26 in their home games. As for the Angels, they have watched the ‘under’ go 67-51 overall, 36-26 in their road outings.

--Angels reliever Francisco Rodriguez has 47 saves this season, leaving him 10 shy of the Bobby Thigpen’s MLB-record 57 saves in 1990.

**Marlins at Giants**

--LVSC opened Florida (64-61, +1,461) as a minus 127 ‘chalk’ with a total of 8 ½ ‘over’ (minus 115). The Marlins are plus 130 on the run line (risk $100 to win $130).

--Florida RHP Ricky Nolasco (11-7, 3.88) has a 6-3 record and 3.92 in 13 road starts this year. The righty will be facing the Giants for the first time in his career.

--Kevin Correia (2-6, 5.12) is 0-1 with a 7.65 ERA in a pair of career starts against the Fish. The right-hander is 1-2 with a 4.58 ERA in seven home outings this year.

--Florida is starting to slip in the NL East, facing a four-game deficit going into tonight's play. Do you think the Marlins are wishing they had closed the deal to acquire Manny Ramirez? All Manny has done in 16 games with the Dodgers is belt six homers for 21 RBIs.

--Florida is 29-30 on the road, while the Giants are an atocious 24-36 at home.

--The ‘over’ is an MLB-best 70-50 overall for the Marlins, 36-20 in their road games.

--The ‘over’ is 33-23 for the Giants at home.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--Baltimore RHP Daniel Cabrera has an abysmal 2-10 record and 6.81 career ERA against the Red Sox.

--Gamblers can back the majors’ best money pitcher Tuesday at an inexpensive price. The Rangers opened as minus 110 home favorites against Detroit with Vicente Padilla set to toe the rubber. Texas has a 17-6 record in Padilla’s 23 starts, producing a money total of plus 1,500.

--Toronto RHP A.J. Burnett will take a career-high 15 wins into Tuesday’s game against the Yankees. I find it absolutely astounding that Burnett had never won more than 12 games in a season before this year. The 30-year-old righty has a 5-2 record and 2.85 ERA in eight career starts against the Yankees.

--By most accounts early this morning, the Dodgers appeared to be on the cusp of acquiring San Diego's Greg Maddux, who is 6-9 with a 3.99 ERA this season. The move likely indicates that L.A. isn't expecting to get Brad Penny back at 100 percent anytime this year.

--The Braves are absolutely in the toilet with seven losses in their last eight games. They take on the Mets tonight at Shea Stadium as heavy underdogs. Atlanta slugger Chipper Jones is hitting .389 in 18 career at-bats against New York LHP Oliver Perez.

--The ‘under’ is on an 11-2 run for the Pirates.

--The 'over' has cashed in eight consecutive Seattle games.

vegasinsider.com.

Braves, Mets in division clash

Despite a terrible bullpen that has really been missing closer Billy Wagner, the New York Mets somehow entered the week on a six-game winning streak and in first place in the National League East.

New York hosts the fourth-place Braves starting on Tuesday, but that's not necessarily a good thing for the Mets. In nine games against the Braves this season the Mets are a lousy 2-7, which includes losing their last four games.

In Tuesday's series opener Jo-Jo Reyes (3-9, 5.33) gets the start for Atlanta, while Oliver Perez (9-7, 3.91) will be on the hill for the Mets. Reyes has been in the minors since late July, but is getting called up to replace the injured Tom Glavine in the Braves' rotation. When he was sent down Reyes was really struggling, with an 0-5 record in his last seven appearances. Perez earned a win over Washington in his last start after allowing three runs in 6 2-3 innings while striking out eight. This will be Perez's first start of the season against Atlanta.

On Wednesday Jair Jurrjens (11-8, 3.15) is scheduled to start for Atlanta and Mike Pelfry (11-8, 3.91) will get the ball for New York. Jurrjens allowed only two runs in seven innings against San Francisco in his last start, but still took the loss. Jurrjens has owned the Mets this season with a 2-0 record and a 2.77 ERA in two starts against them. Pelfry pitched seven shutout innings in a win over Pittsburgh in his last outing. Pelfry has been blasted by the Braves in two starts this season with an 0-2 record and a high 10.61 ERA.

A pair of veterans will face off in Thursday's game, as Mike Hampton (2-1, 6.92) is set to start for Atlanta and Pedro Martinez (4-3, 4.96) gets the ball for the Mets. Hampton made only his fifth start of the season last time out and picked up the win after allowing two runs in six innings against the Giants. Martinez looked like his old self at times in his last start against the Pirates after allowing one run in seven innings.

Baseball Today

SCOREBOARD

Tuesday, Aug. 19

New York at Toronto (7:05 p.m. EDT). Darrell Rasner (5-9, 5.18 ERA) needs to step it up if the Yankees want to contend in the AL wild card race. He'll face A.J. Burnett (15-9, 4.67), who has won five straight starts for the Blue Jays.

STARS

- Jason Bay, Red Sox, went 3-for-5 with two homers and four RBIs in a 6-3 victory over Baltimore.

- Barry Zito, Giants, allowed five hits in seven innings of a 5-0 win over the Braves.

- CC Sabathia, Brewers, improved his perfect record with Milwaukee, pitching another complete game in a 9-3 victory over Houston.

- Gary Sheffield, Tigers, went 3-for-5 with his 13th home run in an 8-7 win over the Rangers.

- Alexei Ramirez, White Sox, homered and drove in four runs in Chicago's 13-5 win over Seattle.

TRADED

Greg Maddux is headed back to the Dodgers. San Diego and Los Angeles agreed to a trade that puts the 353-game winner in a pennant race again, according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. It was unclear what the last-place Padres would receive in return for the 42-year-old Maddux, who will join a Dodgers team tied with Arizona atop the NL West. The right-hander is 6-9 with a 3.99 ERA in 26 starts for San Diego this year.

SLAMMING

Nick Swisher, Orlando Cabrera, Alexei Ramirez and Carlos Quentin hit home runs to help the White Sox beat the Mariners 13-5. Quentin's was hit major league-leading 35th homer, and Ramirez, a rookie, had a three-run shot a night after hitting a grand slam. Chicago, which leads the majors with 182 homers, hit four homers for the second straight game.

BAY WATCH

Jason Bay hit two homers and drove in four runs, helping the Red Sox beat the Orioles 6-3. Since coming over from Pittsburgh on July 31 in the three-team trade that sent Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bay is batting .348 with three homers and 16 RBIs in 16 games.

CG FOR CC

CC Sabathia improved his perfect record with Milwaukee, pitching another complete game in a 9-3 victory over Houston. Sabathia also hit a two-run single in a five-run fourth inning. He is 8-0 with a 1.60 ERA and five complete games in nine starts for the Brewers since they acquired him from Cleveland in a July 7 trade. Last year's AL Cy Young Award winner has won 11 straight decisions overall.

BASERUNNING GAFFE

B.J. Upton, who has been benched three times in the past two weeks for not hustling, made another baserunning gaffe in the Rays' 6-4 win over the Angels. Upton hit a fourth-inning drive to left off Jon Garland and broke into a trot out of the batter's box, apparently thinking it would be a home run. Instead, the ball hit the fence on a hop. Upton casually rounded first and jogged toward second with Angels first baseman Mark Teixeira following up the line to meet left fielder Juan Rivera's throw to an uncovered base. Teixeira fielded the ball on a bounce and made the tag just before a surprised Upton touched the bag. But unlike last Friday in Texas, Upton wasn't removed from the game by manager Joe Maddon.

AILING

Rangers All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sports hernia, and could be headed for season-ending surgery. Kinsler, who was leading the majors with 165 hits and 102 runs, had an MRI on Monday that revealed the problem on the left side of his groin. He will be examined by a specialist in Dallas, probably on Tuesday. ... Athletics ace Justin Duchscherer left the game against the Twins in the third inning with right hip pain. Duchscherer had season-ending surgery on the same hip halfway through last season and said he began to have some discomfort during his last start against Tampa Bay. He'll fly back to Oakland on Tuesday for more tests. ... Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew was out of the lineup against the Orioles because of lingering soreness in his lower back.

SCHILLING DONE?

Curt Schilling said he's leaning "very heavily'' toward retirement and is waiting until spring training approaches to see if he wants to try to pitch again. The Boston Red Sox right-hander, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery on June 23, said in his most recent blog entry that his shoulder "is getting better fast'' and "I've still got a rather lengthy amount of time before I decide anything.''

RAYS VS. FAY

The Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Angels were holding out hope that their game scheduled for Tuesday night at Tropicana Field will not be postponed because of Tropical Storm Fay. Team officials met Monday to pore over weather forecasts and discuss contingency plans that could include not playing the game and rescheduling it as part of a Wednesday doubleheader in the domed stadium.

SPEAKING

"I'll tell you one thing about tonight, he's hurting. He's hurting bad.'' - Rays designated hitter Cliff Floyd about teammate B.J. Upton after Upton's latest baserunning gaffe overshadowed a big Tampa Bay victory.

MLB Research
Indiancowboy

KC vs. Cleveland

Bit irritated with the Rangers loss at home to the to the Tigers yesterday, especially considering they were up and they had one bad inning overall, as per this game, Hochevar is 0-4 over his last 5 starts, he beat Cleveland on the road earlier this year giving up just 3 hits in 6 inns, he has a 2-6 record with a 6.17era on the road, Reyes has pitched well for the Indians this year in his 2 starts, he won his first start on the road against Toronto 5-2, he lost to Baltimore at home despite having a 3 era, the Indians nor the Royals played yesterday, Cleveland does have a bit of revenge against Hochevar for their previous loss this year and the Royals have yet to face Reyes, having said that, I don't favor the run-line but that is my only lean here.

Boston vs. Baltimore

Dice K comes off a 10-0 win over the Rangers at home as he went 7 strong innings and gave up just 6 hits in the process, he is a remarkable 6-0 on the road with a 2.04 era, an overall 14-2 on the year, he is 5-1 over his last 7 starts, he beat Baltimore 2-1 earlier this year going 6 innings and giving up just 4 hits, Cabrera and Dice-K faced off last time and Boston won 2-1 although Cabrera pitched brilliantly, he is 3-1 in quality starts against Boston this year, the Orioles come off a loss yesterday to the Red Sox 3-6 despite Guthrie pitching, over 70% is riding Boston here, I wouldn't be surprised to see Cabrera get his revenge as frankly, Dice-K is likely to have a 4 era by the time this game is through, who knows he might even pick up a no-decision here and an Orioles could win in the late innings.

Yankees vs. Bluejays

Not very often you see the Bluejays -127 against the Yankees even if they are at home, Rasner has not lost back to back games in quite some time, he had a 3.60 era in his last ballgame but picked up a no-decision, he had a 5.4 era against Toronto earlier this year on the road, but Burnett has been on a role, he has won his last 5 ballgames, his era's have been interesting during that stretch: 1.80, 0.00 era, 6.36, 6era and 6 era. The winning scores have been 5-1, 3-1, 6-4, 6-4 and 6-4. He has been rock solid against the Yankees this year winning 5-2 and 4-1 and in the last 14+ innings he has given up just 3 earned runs during that time, he helped beat the Yankees twice last year to so he is 4-0 against the Yankees in his last 4 starts, I've always believed it is tough for a pitcher to beat a team 3 times in a row, but Burnett shows up time and time again to play the Yankees, I lean on the Bluejays yet again here, but at some point the Yankee bats have to show up against Burnett but Rasner is no saving grace either.

Angels vs. Devil Rays

The Drays won 6-4 yesterday and they pretty much had control of the game, when you look at both of these teams record you can't help but be startled, one is 76-47 (Angels) while the Drays are 76-48. Angels are on a bounce-back today, as is Santana, but he struggled in his last start having a 7.95 era on the road, Santana is 22-8 on the season and he is 15-3 record with 3.41, Shields is 1-1 in quality starts against the Angels this year, he did well the first start he had back on 5/9, but then the Angels roughed him up the 2nd time around on 6/10 despite him going 8 innings and giving up 10 hits but he still lost 1-6, I think Shields is likely to bounce-back in this start as he usually does with teams he struggled the game before, he is at home where he is 10-2 with a 2.13 era, Santana struggled against TB last time around as well, I hate taking an under at 7.5 on top of all that despite that being my lean, a lean here on Shields but the Angels are on a bounce-back, I might just stay away completely.

Detroit vs. Texas

Gallaraga is 12-3 with a 2.28 era and the young kid has won 18 games this season as he is 18-6 on the year which is one of the biggest surprises in the league this year, he has yet to face Texas this year and he has had 2 great sparkling performances in his last 2 ballgames but he typically struggles to put forth 3 in a row, I know the Rangers have never faced him but they are peeved at their loss yesterday, Padilla had a 21 era last time he faced the Tigers on the road, he has a 3.71 era at home, comes off a 13 era performance, but heck, he is 22-9 on the year, he pitched 6 inns on the road at Detroit last year and gave up just 3 hits in shutout ball, lean on the Rangers here.

Oakland vs. Minny

Gallagher is 0-1 in his last 5 starts but his team has lost all 5 of those starts, he hasn't had a quality performance in his last 3 starts, he has yet to face the Twins this year, the A's behind Duch beat the Twins 3-2 yesterday, Slowey has pitched back to back quality performances with a 1.59 era on the orad against the Royals, and a 1.5 era at home against the Yankees, Twins are on the bounce-back, the line is well over -200 and over 70% are favoring the Twins here, Gallagher note is 0-8 on the road this year with a 5.07 era, he is 7-1 at home if I am not mistaken as he is 7-8 on the year , lean here on the Twins RL, but I just hate taking the RL in general.

Mariners vs. Whitesox

Felix is just 7-7 on the year as he has picked up an unbelievable amount of no-decisions given that his offense never scores, he is 1-1 over his last 7 starts for example, he has yet to face the Whitesox this year who put up 13 runs yesterday as their bats can simply roll when they get it going, Clayton Richard has pitched the over in his last 3 ballgames as he has had era's of 9, 9.66 and 12.47, Seattle has clearly the better pitcher here, but note that the Whitesox have the better offense but Seattle is on a bounce-back from a beating yesterday, lean on Seattle here as Hernandez comes off a 5.14 era in his last start.

MLB Picks and Predictions For Tuesday August 19

It’s getting down to crunch time in Major League Baseball. Our team of writers and handicappers gathered three of their top picks for Tuesday’s MLB action.

Los Angeles Angels (76-47) at Tampa Bay Rays (76-48)

The Tampa Bay Rays don't usually have to worry about weather once a game is under way at Tropicana Field, but a tropical storm could postpone their next game before it starts.

The Rays would prefer for nothing to interrupt their momentum inside the dome.

Weather permitting, Tampa Bay will look to improve upon baseball's best home record on Tuesday when it continues its three-game set with the Los Angeles Angels, with the winner claiming the top spot in the AL.

The Rays (76-48) are a stunning 46-17 at home, a win total that's already five more than the previous high in the 10-year history of the franchise. But as Tampa Bay prepares for a shot to overtake the West-leading Angels (76-47) for the AL's best record, there are greater concerns in the state of Florida.

The Rays improved to 5-2 against Los Angeles this season, including 4-0 at Tropicana Field. They began their season series on May 9 as Tampa Bay's James Shields - Tuesday's scheduled starter - pitched a one-hitter in a 2-0 win.

Shields (10-7, 3.75 ERA) had a tough outing Thursday at Oakland, giving up four runs, five hits and five walks over five innings. He didn't factor in the decision as the Rays won 7-6 in 12 innings.

Pick: Tampa Bay

Detroit Tigers (61-64) at Texas Rangers (62-64)

The Texas Rangers showed signs of breaking out of their surprising offensive slump in their latest game, but suffered yet another defeat.

Losing for the 10th time in 12 games, though, was hardly the worst thing to happen to the Rangers on Monday.

Texas will try to move on without leading hitter Ian Kinsler, who may miss the rest of the season with a sports hernia, as it continues its three-game home set Tuesday with the Detroit Tigers.

Already at a disadvantage without Kinsler, things won't get any easier for the Rangers as Armando Galarraga (11-4, 3.11 ERA) will be on the mound looking to win his fifth consecutive decision for the Tigers.

Detroit's pitching has been a disappointment, but Galarraga has been good by any standards. The rookie right-hander made his major league debut with the Rangers in September, but was dealt to the Tigers in February in exchange for minor leaguer Michael Hernandez, who has since been released by Texas.

Pick: Texas

Oakland Athletics (57-67) at Minnesota Twins (70-54)

While a rare off-night at the plate dropped the Minnesota Twins into second place in the AL Central, manager Ron Gardenhire isn't concerned about his team falling apart.

The Twins look to avoid back-to-back home losses for the first time since May when they continue a three-game series with the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday.

Minnesota (70-54) had its four-game losing streak snapped Monday after losing 3-2 to the Athletics (57-67). The Twins had averaged 7.8 runs during the winning streak, but were held scoreless until Joe Mauer hit an RBI triple in the eighth.

Sean Gallagher (1-1, 4.60 ERA) takes the mound for Oakland on Tuesday. Gallagher is winless in his last five starts - all of which the A's have lost. On Thursday against Tampa Bay, he allowed three runs and four hits over four innings of a 7-6, 12-inning loss.

Kevin Slowey (9-8, 3.94) counters for Minnesota, looking to win his third straight start. After allowing one run over 5 2-3 innings in a victory over Kansas City on Aug. 8, Slowey held the Yankees to one run and three hits in six innings of a 4-2 win on Wednesday. He would have likely returned for the seventh, but was pulled because of two injury delays that resulted in the top half of the inning taking nearly 30 minutes.

Pick: Minnesota