Saturday’s streaking and slumping pitchers
By JUSTIN BANKS
Streaking
Brett Myers, Philadelphia Phillies (7-10, 4.49)
Myers is 2-1 and has a 1.17 ERA in his last three starts. He has not relinquished more than three earned runs in any of those starts.
Myers, who had just two wins in his first 11, is 4-1 in his last six and has relinquished two homers in that period. He has 35 strikeouts against eight walks in his last six overall.
He is also 6-3 and has a solid 2.63 career- ERA against the Chicago Cubs.
The Phillies are 8-3 in their last 11 games on grass and are 8-3 in their last 11 overall.
Mike Pelfrey, New York Mets (13-8, 3.70)
Pelfrey, who has seven wins in his last 10, is 3-0 and has a 1.44 ERA in his last three overall.
In his last road start, a victory against the Florida Marlins, he surrendered no earned runs in seven IP. He is 5-1 in his last seven road starts and has relinquished more than four ERs just three times in that stretch.
The Mets are 7-2 in their last nine road outings and are 13-4 in their last 17 in Florida.
Slumping
Jason Bergmann, Washington Nationals (2-10, 4.56)
Bergmann has one win in his last 10 and has a 7.47 ERA in his past three. He has relinquished 13 earned runs and three homers in his last 15 IP.
Bergmann is winless at home and has a 5.30 ERA. In his last home contest, a setback at the hands of the Chicago Cubs, he relinquished four earned runs on four hits in four IP. He also has a lofty 11.25 season-ERA against the Atlanta Braves.
The Nationals are 1-8 in their last nine against the NL East and are 16-35 in their last 51 overall.
Weekend Outlook
By Josh Jacobs
What would the playoffs be like for baseball if both the Yankees and Red Sox where ousted from extended play? That scenario might not be far from the truth as New York remains six games out of the wild card spot and Boston is hanging by their finger tips with Minnesota only 2 ½-games behind.
Whichever teams will eventually be sealed up for October the fact remains that the regular season isn’t over just yet. Here’s what the weekend has in store for some money making ventures.
Saturday
White Sox (Buehrle) at Boston (Pauley) – 7:05 p.m. EDT
Latest news in has Red Sox starter Josh Beckett on the 15-day DL with a strained right elbow.
The deck of cards representing pitchers will get a shuffle this weekend with Boston’s starting pitcher, Josh Beckett making a visit to Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama sometime on Friday. This is surely not good news for a Red Sox team looking to add more then 2 ½-games of distance between itself and the Twins in the wild card.
In Beckett’s place, or more like in the reshuffle of pitchers because of Beckett, Boston will place newly called up slinger, David Pauley (0-0, 10.38 ERA) on the hill. The right-hander made his last start for Boston all the way back on Apr. 22 in a 4.1 inning pounding versus the Angels. Pauley was tagged for five runs on seven hits, tossing a total of 89 pitches. Proving ineffective in that start, Boston’s brass decided to send its youthful arm back to the minors on Aug. 13 only to be called up again last Saturday. In four career games pitched since 2006, Pauley has seen 20.1 innings of action, surrendering an off the charts 38 hits and 19 earned runs equating to a debilitating 8.41 ERA.
The White Sox, who have gone 7-3 in its last 10 and hold a slight lead over Minnesota for first place honors in the AL Central, will counter with southpaw veteran Mark Buehrle (11-10, 3.86). Getting paid 14 million big ones (that's $14 million to be clear) this season, Buehrle hasn’t necessarily set the world on fire with his left arm. On the road, Buehrle has been tattooed by opposing bats for a .323 BAA (a big difference to his .238 BAA at home).
And the numbers get worse the more we look between the lines.
Chicago is a pitiful 3-10 when Buehrle takes the mound on the road. Even with the club supporting its starter with five runs of production per start, the lefty has found ways to squander contests. At least a 5-2 record in his last eight might signal better days to come even if his last two starts have witnessed Buehrle giving up a combined 10 runs on 17 hits (both home contests).
Boston is 50-19 in its last 69 home games, while the White Sox are 2-9 in their last 11 head-to-head meetings with the Red Sox.
Chicago has been a monster on the run line this season with profits now netting a +1536 return.
Most books have opened Boston as a slight, $1.10 home favorite with a high total sitting at 11 runs.
L.A. Dodgers (Billingsley) at Arizona (Haren) – 8:10 p.m. EDT
It was only in the beginning of August that we praised the Dodgers for brining in Manny Ramirez for offensive support, while taking nine wins out of 14 games. How the pendulum can swing in such a short amount of time.
Dumping seven straight and 10 of its last 12, L.A. is in desperation mode. L.A. will meet up with Arizona four more times this season, while a schedule consisting of meetings against San Diego, Colorado, Pittsburgh and San Francisco should work in the club’s favor.
Some facts which might make you cringe as a backer: the Dodgers are 3-13 in their last 16 road games, the club’s 4-9 record on the road when starter Chad Billingsley (12-10, 3.15) takes pitching duties and the team’s 2.1 runs scored per game versus giving up 5.8 runs per game in the last 10.
Then again we’re dealing with an Arizona clubhouse swinging a bat with one large hole in the barrel. The Diamondbacks have made contact for a .210 BA in the last 10 outings, going 4-6 in the record books. The D-Backs have been stomped at the plate against righty pitchers for a .208 BA, and a bullpen (which this team relies on, heavily) tossing a 6.95 ERA only adds insult to injury.
If you’re planning on taking Arizona in this contest, attention must focus on strikeout artist Dan Haren (14-6, 3.10). The 14-game winning starter out of Pepperdine is 6-1 in his last seven starts, has whiffed out an average of 6.8 bats per start in his last 10 and is giving his club great chances at ‘Ws’ by holding opponents to scoring just 2.6 runs per game in the same 10 outings.
Arizona is 7-2 in Haren’s last nine starts and the club has supplied the starter with an unexpected five runs of support per start this season. The ‘under’ is 4-2 in the last six head-to-head matchups.
Bodog.com has opened the Diamondbacks as $1.40 home favorites, with a total of 7 ½ installed. The ‘over’ is 3-1 when a total of 7 ½-runs has been set in the last three head-to-head contests dating back to 2007.
Sunday
Philadelphia (Moyer) at Cubs (Zambrano) – 2:20 p.m. EDT
Not to rush the weekend, but taking a peak at Sunday’s anticipated throw down between Philadelphia and the Chicago Cubs should have bettors scrambling to take a side. So far this year both teams have racked up two wins apiece in the season series. Whenever either team has grabbed a victory, the bats have come alive over superior pitching.
For the Cubs, an 8-2 performance with a .284 BA and a starting pitching staff logging in a 3.05 ERA in the last 10 has worked wonders. While the race in the central is far from over, you can bet that Chicago is thankful for a 6 ½-game lead (Milwaukee is that second place squad).
Some players excelling in the month of August for the Cubs include starter Carlos Zambrano (five hits in 11 at bats, five RBIs with two homeruns), Mark DeRosa (.378 BA/24 RBIs/7 HRs) and Aramis Ramirez (.325/26/6).
Speaking of Zambrano (13-5, 3.53), gamblers prepare because the dominant right-handed slinger will be making his 27th start of the season. The seven-year vet has been shaky in three of his last four starts, giving up an average of 5.3 runs and six long balls (in those four outings). Four of those six homers came in a shellacking by St. Louis on Aug. 9 in which the Cubs dropped that contest by the final score of 12-3.
Coming back to Wrigley Field will be Phillies starter, Jamie Moyer (11-7, 3.81), who was drafted in the sixth round by the Cubs all the way back in 1984. In his career, the crafty lefty has faced Chicago for a grand total of five times, notching a 2-0 record with an ERA of 4.34 and a BAA of .292. Moyer has been exceptional on the road this season with a 7-3 record, a 2.79 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP.
With this being the fourth and final game of the series and the last time these two clubs meet in the regular season, Chicago has been red hot with a 5-1 record in these Game 4 situations.
The Cubs have gone ‘over’ nine times in the last 11 games played versus the NL East. Philadelphia is 2-6 in its last eight road games but is 13-7 in the last 20 meetings against Chicago.
L.A. Dodgers (Lowe) at Arizona (Webb) – 8:05 p.m. EDT
The final game to end the weekend (although Monday is Labor Day, so hope that weekend is extended for most of you reading) will, again pair the NL West leading clubs together in the desert.
Since you know a little about both clubs from the earlier preview in this piece let’s just cut right to the pitching duel.
The Dodgers’ starting hurler Derek Lowe (10-11, 3.81) has started in 15 games versus Arizona over the course of 11 years in the league. Those 15 games haven’t necessarily seen the righty excel against L.A.’s divisional rival. A 4-7 record with a 4.31 ERA and a .300 BAA have been the result of pairing up with Arizona and Lowe is hoping .317 BAA on the road this season will improve in Sunday’s contest. In 13 starts away from home, the Michigan native has been the victim of a 2-6 record with a 5.47 ERA.
For lights out starter Brandon Webb (19-5, 2.96) six straight wins in six starts were interrupted on Aug. 26 in a loss against San Diego (9-2). Webb surrendered more then two runs in that contest since last July, posting 4.2 innings of work, while giving up nine hits, six runs and one screamer over the fence.
Arizona’s Webb has seen opposite results then Lowe when pitching against each other’s clubs. In a total of 16 starts versus L.A., Webb has generated a 10-3 record accompanied by an effective 1.15 WHIP. In his last start against the Dodgers on Jul. 20, the six-foot-two starter was once again impressive, tossing eight innings and holding his opponent to just six hits with one run. But Arizona emerged the loser in that contest as a -135 favorite. The Dodgers piled on five runs in the ninth to take that July meeting by the final of 6-5.
vegasinsider.com.
Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
Saturday, Aug. 30
New York Mets at Florida, 7:10 p.m. A pair of pleasant surprises take the hill when Mike Pelfrey (13-8, 3.70 ERA) and the Mets take on Ricky Nolasco (13-7, 3.62) and the Marlins in a key NL East matchup.
STARS
Friday
- Daisuke Matsuzaka, Red Sox, allowed two hits in eight innings to lead Boston over the White Sox 8-0.
- Ben Zobrist and Cliff Floyd, Rays. Zobrist hit a grand slam, and Floyd drove in five runs and Tampa Bay guaranteed its first winning season with a 14-3 rout of Baltimore.
- Chris Dickerson, Reds, went 3-for-5 with a home run, four RBIs and a stolen base to help Cincinnati beat San Francisco 11-7.
- Carlos Beltran, Mets, hit a ninth-inning grand slam and New York rallied to beat Florida 5-4.
- Garret Anderson and Torii Hunter, Angels. Anderson hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning, center fielder Hunter robbed Marlon Byrd of a two-run shot in the seventh, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Rangers 3-1.
- Garrett Atkins, Rockies, hit two home runs and drove in five runs in Colorado's 9-4 win at San Diego.
- Joe Mauer, Twins, matched his career high with five hits and had four RBIs in Minnesota's 12-2 win over Oakland.
WINNERS
Ben Zobrist hit a grand slam, Cliff Floyd drove in five runs and the AL East-leading Rays guaranteed their first winning season with a 14-3 rout of Baltimore. Tampa Bay (82-51), an AL-best 50-19 at home, had never won more than 70 games in a season before this year.
OUT
Josh Beckett was put on the 15-day disabled list because of an inflamed right elbow and manager Terry Francona hopes the Boston Red Sox ace can return to the rotation next Friday in Texas. Beckett was examined by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola., Fla., on Friday.
PERFECT 10
With Scott Kazmir's 14-3 win over Baltimore, Tampa Bay joined the 1968 Oakland Athletics as the only teams to have five pitchers 26 years old or younger with 20 starts and 10 wins in the same season. Kazmir is 10-6.
COSTLY
Even seats behind the outfield fence will be costly at the new Yankee Stadium. The front part of the area behind the outfield in right and left will cost $100 and $75 per game next year as part of season-ticket plans at the $1.3 billion ballpark. Nine sections of bleachers, however, are priced at $12, the same as the cost this season in the final year of the 85-year-old ballpark.
VENERABLE DEBUT
San Diego's Will Venable, making his major league debut, tripled to right-center field in his first at-bat in the Padres' 9-4 loss to the Rockies. He scored a few pitches later on Aaron Cook's wild pitch for a 1-0 lead in the second. Venable is the son of former major leaguer Max Venable, who was his son's hitting coach at Triple-A Portland.
SLUMPING
The Dodgers lost 9-3 to the Diamondbacks, their eight straight defeat - all on a 10-game road trip that mercifully ends this weekend. Los Angeles fell 4 1/2 games behind Arizona in the NL West. The Dodgers arrived in the desert early Friday morning from Washington, where they were swept in a three-game series by the Nationals, the worst team in the majors. The Dodgers had mustered 12 runs in the first seven games of their road trip.
FEELING OK, FINALLY
Carl Pavano drew a smattering of applause from a sellout crowd when he stepped to the mound for just his 21st start with the Yankees since signing a four-year contract worth nearly $40 million before the 2005 season. The oft-injured pitcher, in his second start since Tommy John surgery, gave up only three hits and a run over six innings in a 2-1 win over Toronto.
STATS
Yankees closer Mariano Rivera got the final five outs for his 32nd save, a 2-1 win over Toronto. It was the first time Rivera has pitched more than an inning on back-to-back days this season. He went 1 1-3 innings Thursday for the win against the Boston Red Sox. ... Daisuke Matsuzaka (16-2) tied Hideo Nomo's single-season record for the most wins by a native of Japan with Boston's 8-0 win over Chicago.
INSTANT REPLAY
The Philadelphia Phillies may have benefited from an instant replay in the seventh inning. Too bad the rule only is in effect for home run calls. Ryan Howard was called out on a close play at first, thwarting a rally that helped the Cubs beat the Phillies 3-2 for their seventh straight win. Since the new system put in place this week deals only with boundary calls on home runs, there was no way to review the pivotal play. TV replays showed that Howard beat the throw to the bag with two outs in a tie game in the seventh inning and Jimmy Rollins at third. But Howard was called out, the game remained tied and Alfonso Soriano homered in the bottom half for the surging Cubs.
BRAUN-Y
Ryan Braun continued his success against left-hander Tom Gorzelanny, hitting a three-run home run to help the Brewers hand the Pirates their eighth straight loss, 3-1. Braun, who went 2-for-4, is 8-for-17 with three home runs and nine RBIs in his career against Gorzelanny. He also homered last Saturday against the pitcher in a 6-3 win at Milwaukee. "It's just lefties in general,'' Braun said. "I normally see the ball well. He's a good pitcher. Hopefully, I can keep that up. We'll see what happens.''
'PEN PROBLEMS
The Marlins were one strike away from a win, but closer Kevin Gregg couldn't get the job done. Gregg gave up a grand slam to Carlos Beltran in the Mets' 5-4 win. It was Gregg's ninth blown save of the season. In his past seven outings he's 0-4 with an ERA of 16.20. The Mets have had bullpen woes of their own, and Luis Ayala earned his third save despite giving up four hits in the ninth. Pinch-hitter Mike Jacobs singled in one run, and Jorge Cantu doubled home another before Wes Helms grounded out with runners at second and third to end the game.
AILING
Nationals right-hander Shaun Hill will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his pitching elbow. Hill, on the 15-day disabled list since June 25, has "bony buildup'' behind his elbow ligament, according to team doctor Ben Shaffer. Hill was 1-5 with a 5.83 ERA in 12 starts this season. ... The Padres placed outfielder Scott Hairston on the 15-day disabled list because of a torn ligament in his left thumb.
SPEAKING
"I was pretty sure I was safe. ... It's definitely frustrating. It changes the outcome of the game. It changes the momentum. Instead of being down 3-2, they get out of the inning, Soriano comes up and hits a home run, now they're up 3-2.'' - Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard after he was called out at first on a close play in a 3-2 loss to the Cubs.