Primetime Action
By Judd Hall
The All-Star Game is nothing but a distant memory now as everyone in Major League Baseball gears up for the second half of the 2009 campaign. Friday night has all 30 clubs taking to the field, giving us plenty of chances to pick some winners. Here are a few tilts that feature teams with playoff aspirations.
Tigers at Yankees – 7:05 p.m. EDT
It’s been said that to make the playoffs in baseball, you have to beat the teams you are supposed to beat and try to break even against the better clubs in the league. The Yankees have adhered to the first part of that adage, but not so much on the second.
New York has posted an 8-19 record against teams that either lead their division in the American League or are within 3 ½ games of them in the Wild Card standings. That number includes a three-game sweep at the hands of the Angels out on the West Coast.
The Yanks will look to get back on track with A.J. Burnet (8-4, 3.77 ERA) getting the starting nod. Burnett has been on top of his game as of late, winning six of his last eight starts. He’s gone into the seventh inning of four of those starts and at least six innings in Burnett’s last eight appearances.
One thing that Burnett hasn’t had to worry about is getting run support during this stretch. The Bronx Bombers are crossing the plate an average of 6.25 times in Burnett’s last eight starts. That would certainly lend itself to seeing the Yankees continue their ‘over’ run, which is currently 9-2 in their last 11 tilts.
Detroit was rolling along with four wins in its final five games before reaching the All-Star Break. The Tigers will try to keep that momentum going with rookie southpaw Luke French (1-0, 1.93 ERA). The young hurler has actually done quite well in his two starts for the Motor City Kitties, logging five strikeouts with an earned run average of 2.45.
New York has already taken two of three games they’ve played against the Tigers in Comerica Park this season. For folks wanting to back Detroit on the road may want to think twice. The Bengals swept their last three-game set in the Bronx. Yet, the Yanks have won 21 of the last 30 head-to-head meetings on their home turf.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants has made the Yankees heavy $2.00 home favorites with the total coming in at 10.
Phillies at Marlins – 7:10 p.m. EDT
For most of the season, the Phillies have been garbage at home and damn near unbeatable on the road. That seemingly has changed over the last month for Philadelphia as they closed out the first half of the year with a 9-1 record at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils’ road mark has taken a tumble as they’re 3-6 in their last nine road tests.
Philly sends Cole Hamels (5-5, 4.87 ERA) out to start the second game of this series. The Phillies’ ace has helped gamblers recently as they’ve won his last two starts. However, there is something off about his outings for the most part. Before this mini-streak, Hamels had lost three straight decisions. Two of those outings were on the road and he didn’t get out of the fourth inning.
Some folks would say the Marlins are playing over their heads right now as they sit in second place behind Philadelphia. But you can almost say this series is now or never for the Fish. If they split the series, nothing is lost or gained. If they win the four-game set, Florida could be considered a legitimate contender.
Florida will put its faith in Ricky Nolasco (6-7, 5.76 ERA) to help claim Game 2 of this matchup. Nolasco is coming off of a sour nine-hit, seven earned run performance where the Marlins last 8-0 in Arizona on July 10. Florida’s right-handed starter has been solid at Landshark Stadium as of late, winning his last three starts there with an astoundingly low ERA of 0.78.
Most everyone will think that the Phils are the play here. Philadelphia has won five of its six games in South Florida, which certainly lends credence to its backers. However, Nolasco has been tough against the Phillies recently in posting a 3-1 record with a 2.96 ERA in his last four starts.
Philadelphia has been installed as a $1.25 road “chalk” with the totals being posted at eight.
Twins at Rangers – 8:05 p.m. EDT
The Twins are still getting love to win the American League Central division. I can’t say that I blame people for that since they’re only four games out of first place. And they just won two of three against the second-place White Sox to close out the first half of the year.
Minnesota’s bats came alive in that series against the Pale Hose. The Twins combined to hit .314 against Chicago over that series while averaging just over eight runs per game.
Glen Perkins (4-5, 4.71 ERA) hopes that the Twinkies’ offense keeps it up for his start on Friday. He shouldn’t worry too much as they’ve scored an average of five runs in his last three appearances. Perkins got roughed up for five earned runs in 4.1 innings of work against the White Sox on July 11. Before that, however, he went 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA in the four starts prior to his first half finale.
Texas should consider itself lucky to be only 1 ½ games out of first place to the Angels in the AL West right now. They lost of three of four against the Mariners, which basically cancelled out an impressive series win against the Halos.
The Rangers will look to Vicente Padilla (7-4, 4.53 ERA) to help stop the bleeding in this spot. Not a bad choice for gamblers as Texas is 4-2 in his last six starts this season. The ‘under’ has been practically automatic when Padilla takes the ball, going 8-1 in his last nine starts.
The head-to-head matchups have been even with each side winning five of the last 10 games. But a slight nod should go towards Texas as they’re 4-1 in the last five games that Padilla has started for them against the Twins.
The good folks at LVSC have made the Rangers $1.20 home favorites with a total of 10 ½.
vegasinsider.com
California Dreamin
By Kevin Rogers
As baseball gets back in full swing for the stretch run, the night does not end with the early action. Three games in the Golden State take center stage on the late Friday night card, highlighted by a fantastic pitching matchup at Chavez Ravine.
Astros at Dodgers (10:10 PM EST)
A pair of reliable right-handers take the mound at Dodger Stadium, as Roy Oswalt and Chad Billingsley toe the rubber. Oswalt has been terrific lately, as the Astros have won his last three starts, while compiling an ERA of 1.96 in that span. Houston is 3-0 in Oswalt's previous three outings against the Dodgers dating back to 2007, including a 6-5 win earlier this season.
Billingsley started the season on fire at 5-0, but has been searching for his tenth win of the season for over a month. The Dodgers ace picked up his ninth victory on June 14 at Texas, but Billingsley is 0-1 in his last five decisions with an ERA of 5.34. The 'over' has been a profitable play in this stretch, hitting in four of five games. Billingsley's home mark is solid at 6-3, as he shut down the Astros back in April, 2-0.
The Dodgers have finished 'under' the total in their last five home games, while the 'under' has hit for the Astros in 13 of their last 20 against right-handed starting pitchers.
LVSC has listed the Dodgers as $1.50 home favorites, with the total listed at 7 ½.
Angels at Athletics (10:10 PM EST)
The top and bottom clubs in the AL West play the second game of their four-game series at McAfee Coliseum. The A's are one of six teams in baseball that owns a below .500 record at home (Nationals, Phillies, Indians, Royals, and D-Backs are the others). L.A.'s offense has been on fire recently, scoring 64 runs in the last eight games.
Lefty Joe Saunders takes the mound for the Halos, coming off three less than stellar starts. Saunders allowed seven homers and 18 earned runs in his last three trips to the mound, but the Angels won the last two thanks to great outbursts by the offense. Saunders has had moderate success against Oakland, with the Halos winning five of his last six starts dating back to the beginning of last season.
Trevor Cahill showed promise to begin the season in a young A's rotation. Recently, the Oakland right-hander has been on the losing side of his last three decisions, while racking up a bloated ERA of 11.37. Cahill's home numbers (34 K's, 13 BB) are significantly stronger than his road numbers (13 K's, 28 BB), but the long ball has been a problem, allowing 18 home runs. Cahill was on the winning side of an ugly stat line at L.A. in early April, walking five and striking out one in a 6-4 victory.
The A's are listed as a $1.10 home 'chalk,' with the total set at 8 ½ according to LVSC.
Rockies at Padres (10:10 PM EST)
Colorado begins the second-half as a viable contender for the lone Wild Card spot in the National League, sitting two games behind San Francisco to begin Friday's action. The Padres, meanwhile, sit in the basement of the NL West thanks to a myriad of injuries to its pitching staff (Jake Peavy and Chris Young) and offense (Brian Giles and Nick Hundley).
Ubaldo Jimenez continues to have bad luck despite some solid outings his last few trips to the mound. The Rockies righty hasn't won since June 18 against Tampa Bay, as his offense has provided Jimenez just nine runs his last four starts, all Colorado losses. Jimenez has drilled the 'under' in seven of ten road starts, including four of the last five. The Rockies are 6-12 in Jimenez's 18 starts this season, but four of those losses have come against the Dodgers.
Joshua Geer is doing an admirable job at the end of the San Diego rotation, compiling four quality starts in his last five outings. Geer was at a tremendous disadvantage his last time out, facing reigning Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum as a $2.70 underdog. The Padres lost 9-3, as Geer allowed three home runs in less than five innings of work. Geer did silence the Rockies bats at Petco Park back in May, outdueling Aaron Cook in a 2-1 win.
The Padres have been unsuccessful on Fridays as of late, losing their last seven on this day. The Rockies are 7-3 the last ten meetings against San Diego, but are just 2-5 the last seven matchups at Petco.
LVSC has installed the Rockies as a $1.30 road favorite with the total listed at 7 ½.
vegasinsider.com
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia (49-38) at Florida (46-35)
The streaking Phillies hand the ball to ace Cole Hamels (5-5, 4.87 ERA) for the second game of a four-game series at Land Shark Stadium against the Marlins, who will counter with right-hander Ricky Nolasco (6-7, 5.76).
Jamie Moyer and two Philadelphia relievers combined on a one-hit, 4-0 victory in Thursday’s series opener, giving the Phillies their sixth consecutive win and their 10th triumph in their last 11 contests, a surge that comes after a 4-14 plunge. Philly continues to sport baseball’s top road record at 27-15, and the defending champs are 14-6 in their last 20 divisional contests. However, the Phils have still dropped six of their last nine on the highway and are 1-5 in their last six against righty starters.
Despite Thursday’s shutout loss, Florida has still ripped off wins in 10 of its last 12 home games and is on further upswings of 4-2 inside the N.L. East and 12-6 against lefty starters.
Philadelphia is now on a 7-2 roll against the Marlins (5-2 this year), including winning six straight games in Florida. In fact, the visitor has taken 10 of the last 12 in this rivalry. However, the Marlins have won five in a row against Hamels and are on a 4-0 run at home against the left-hander.
After losing four in a row behind Hamels, Philly prevailed in his last two starts, including a 22-1 blitzing of Cincinnati on July 6, with Hamels yielding just the one run on three hits and no walks while striking out six in seven innings. In his most recent outing Saturday, though, Hamels gave up five runs on seven hits (three homers) in six innings, getting a no-decision as Philadelphia rallied for an 8-7 home win over Pittsburgh.
Hamels is 2-3 with an inflated 6.34 ERA in seven road starts this season, and he’s 2-4 with a 4.15 ERA in eight career starts against Florida, whom he hasn’t faced this year. Overall, the Phillies are 7-3 in Hamels’ last 10 road outings, but 1-4 in his last five Friday starts.
Florida has won five of its last six backing Nolasco, with the 26-year-old going 4-1 with a solid 2.69 ERA. However, the loss came a week ago tonight in Arizona, with Nolasco getting crushed for seven runs on nine hits and a walk in six innings of an 8-0 loss. Nolasco is 4-3 with a 4.40 ERA in seven home starts this season, though he’s won his last three in South Beach, yielding just two earned runs in 23 innings for a minuscule 0.78 ERA.
Nolaso, who hasn’t faced Philly this year, is 4-3 with a 4.25 ERA in nine career appearances (six starts) against the Phillies. Also, the Marlins are 4-1 in Nolasco’s last five division starts and 15-7 in his last 22 outings as an underdog.
Philadelphia carries “under” streaks of 9-3 overall, 8-0 on Friday, 5-0 in the N.L. East, 7-3 behind Hamels on the road and 5-1-1 with Hamels facing the Marlins. Likewise, the under for Florida is on runs of 6-0-1 against lefties, 4-1 behind Nolasco and 4-0 with the righty starting at home. However, the over is 5-2 in Hamels’ last seven outings overall, and even though Thursday’s game stayed well under the total, the over is still 53-24-3 in the last 80 Phillies-Marlins battles in Miami.
ATS ADVANTAGE: NONE
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit (48-39) at N.Y. Yankees (51-37)
In a battle of division leaders, the Yankees return from the All-Star break with right-hander A.J. Burnett (8-4, 3.77) pitted against first-year left-hander Luke French (1-0, 1.93) and the Tigers in the opener of a three-game weekend set at Yankee Stadium.
New York was on a 13-2 tear before getting swept by the Angels in Anaheim last weekend to wrap up the first half of the season. The Yankees ended the series with Sunday’s 5-4 loss, but over the course of the three-game set, the Pinstripes were outscored 29-18. Despite that, the Yankees remain on runs of 4-1 in series openers, 22-6 against the A.L. Central, 14-6 against lefty starters and 15-7 coming off a loss.
Detroit won four out of five going into the break, all on its home field. The Tigers took two of three from Cleveland over the weekend, capped by a 10-1 blowout Sunday. Detroit is 7-2 in its last nine outings against winning teams, but the Tigers are on skids of 4-10 on the highway, 16-35 in roadies against winning teams and 2-7 against the A.L. East.
In the lone series this season between these rivals, New York took two of three at Detroit during the last week of April, outscoring the Tigers by a combined 21-10. The Yankees are also 21-9 in their last 30 home starts against Detroit.
Burnett finished the first half strong, going 4-1 with a sparkling 1.33 ERA in his last five starts, including wins in his last three outings. On July 8 at Minnesota, he allowed two runs on seven hits and four walks in 6 1/3 innings of a 4-3 victory, and he’s now surrendered just five earned runs in his last 33 2/3 innings.
Burnett is 3-1 with a 3.74 ERA in eight home starts this season, and he’s 3-1 in five career starts against Detroit, despite a bloated 8.03 ERA. He won both his starts last year against the Tigers, posting a 5.73 ERA. Finally, with Burnett hurling, the Yanks are on upticks of 4-1 at home and 4-0 against winning teams.
French has just four appearances this year, with Detroit winning all four games, including a 3-1 home victory over the Royals on July 8 in just the second start of the left-hander’s major-league career. In that contest, the 23-year-old allowed one run (on a solo homer) on six hits and a walk in 6 1/3 innings. French has one road appearance this year, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings of a July 3 start at Minnesota, with the Tigers winning 11-9. This will be French’s first appearance against the Yankees.
The over for New York is on rolls of 4-0 overall, 4-0 against southpaws and 4-1 at home, and in this rivalry, the over is on a 5-2 stretch. But with Burnett taking the ball, the under is on runs of 4-0 overall, 5-1 in series openers, 8-2-1 on grass and 4-1 against winning teams. Furthermore, Detroit is on “under” tears of 11-3 overall, 7-1 on the road and 9-2 on grass.
ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. YANKEES and UNDER
Gametimepicks.com
Friday's streaking and slumping starters
By Covers.com
Streaking
Felix Hernandez (Seattle Mariners)
It’s tough to find negatives about King Felix.
The 23-year-old right-hander ranks in the top 10 in the AL in wins, strikeouts, ERA, innings pitched and WHIP (walks + hits per innings pitched). He has lasted at least 6 1-3 innings in each start since May 19 and has allowed more than two earned runs only once during that span.
In his most recent outing, a 3-1 win over Texas, Hernandez yielded only one earned run on three hits in eight innings while striking out eight. If Hernandez (9-3, 2.53 ERA) can improve his command – he averages two walks per start – he will be a legit Cy Young candidate.
“Just the way he's been taking the mound, I can't say enough about him,” Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu told the Associated Press. “He's at the top of his game right now, and probably as good as anybody in the game."
A.J. Burnett (New York Yankees)
CC may still be the big initials in the Yankees staff, but fans who follow the Bombers know it's Burnett who has emerged as the team’s ace.
Burnett (8-4, 3.77 ERA) has yielded two or fewer runs in each of his past five starts, going at least six innings each time out. In his most recent start, a 4-3 win over Minnesota, he allowed just two earned runs on seven hits in 6 1-3 innings.
Burnett’s biggest flaw is his control – he leads the AL with 53 walks. If he ever gets his location under control, his strikeout total of 101 Ks would soar.
"When you're clicking, everything just flows," Burnett told reporters. "When you're clicking on pitches, you don't even think about anything. You know, it's just all confidence out there."
Slumping
Tomo Ohka (Cleveland Indians)
It shouldn’t take Ohka long to find his way back to the bullpen.
After getting obliterated in two starts in late June – a 7-3 loss to the Reds and a 6-5 defeat at the hands of the Cubs – Ohka was demoted to the bullpen before getting pushed back into the rotation last week.
But that decision already seems questionable after Ohka (0-3, 6.40) picked up a 10-1 loss against the Tigers right before the All-Star break. Ohka lasted just 3 2-3 innings while giving up five earned runs on five hits, including a pair of gopher balls.
"My fastball was up," Ohka said. "I felt OK, but I kept making bad pitches."
Debuting
Clay Buchholz (Boston Red Sox)
The 24-year-old hurler has spent the entire season in Triple-A after a disasterous 2008 that saw the right-hander finish 2-9 with a 6.75 ERA.
Buchholz will make his season debut on Friday in part to a hole in the team's rotation and also because of the phenomenal numbers he put up in Pawtucket. He figures to have a hard time breaking into the team’s rotation, however if he has a solid outing against one of the better hitting teams in the majors, Buchholz could find himself with an extended stay at Fenway Park.
“I want him to live up to some of the things that he’s capable of doing,” Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett told the Boston Herald. “I don’t want him to have to go through injuries and stuff like that to learn. I know I had to do that. Anytime you can catch things before they happen, that’s good.”
Comfort of Home!!
BY SportsPic
The Toronto Blue Jays off a horrendous 2-8 run on the highway moving the mark to 44-46 (-$511) on the season return to Rogers Center for a nine game home stand with A.L. leading Red Sox the first visitors. Jays 25-18 (+$222) in front of the home crowd have not had success vs Red Sox this season dropping 4-of-6 encounters. However Blue Birds are in good shape handing the ball to Ricky Romero (7-3, 8-5 TSR). The rookie left-hander has been in a groove the past six trips to the mound posting a 5-1 TSR (+$511) allowing 11 runs while compiling 37 K's against 16 walks over 43.1 innings of work. Romero with superb 2.31 SWR, 1.16 WHIP, 10.44 ABRA, 2.30 ARA, 23.26 BOR over the six game span keeps Red Sox off the base paths. Starters who get guys out (Batter-Out-Rating) naturally leads to less men on base (Avg-Base-Runners-Allowed) making it tougher for the opposition to score runs (Avg-Runs-Allowed). Consider Jays knowing league wise home teams with starters putting up a high BOR (>15), low ABRA (<12) win at a 71.9% clip (373-146) outscoring visitors by two runs/game. Red Sox counter with Clay Buchholz making his first start of the season. It is well to note Buchholz is 0-2 career vs Jays and that Red Sox are 1-10 on the highway w/Buchholz.
Phillies, Marlins continue series
By Brobury Sports
The Florida Marlins are in a desperate situation Friday night as they host the Philadelphia Phillies.
Philadelphia Phillies (-130) at Florida Marlins
First pitch is 7:10 pm ET from sunny Florida.
Florida (46-45) finds themselves in second place in the NL East but a full five games back of the Phils. The Marlins offense was humbled last night as they suffered a one-hit shutout to 46 year-old Jamie Moyer and the Philly bullpen.
Philadelphia (49-38) got all the offense they would need in their first few innings with two home runs from Raul Ibanez and another from slugger Ryan Howard. The Phillies have now won 10 out of their last 11 games.
Backers for Florida tonight will note they are 21-12 against left-handed starters this year even after losing to Moyer. They face lefty Cole Hamels tonight. The Marlins have also played well at home lately, 10-2 overall after last night.
The Fish desperately need a win to stay close in the division race.
Cole Hamels (5-5, 4.87 ERA) vs. Ricky Nolasco (8-6, 5.76 ERA)
Hamels comes into this game with one extra day of rest, and he needed it as the team is worried about fatigue. The World Series hero isn’t coming close to duplicating his 14 win, 3.09 ERA regular season from a year ago.
The 25 year-old is having big trouble with consistency as evidenced by giving up three homers and five runs last time out against lowly Pittsburgh. The Phillies won that game with five runs in the 9th, but they need Hamels to be a consistent ace if they hope to repeat as champs.
Hamels’ stats on the road cause some worry with a 6.34 ERA as opposed to 3.92 at home at Citizens Bank Park.
Florida’s Nolasco is the type of talented pitcher you want on the mound to face Hamels. The Opening Day starter had an April and May to forget with a combined ERA of 9.07 that earned him a trip to the minors.
Since being recalled on June 7th though, he’s been a different man. He went 4-1 in his next six starts with a minuscule 1.53 ERA.
There was a hiccup in his last start against Arizona, giving up seven earned in six innings, but he still struck out eight batters and walked just one, giving reason to believe he can rebound nicely on Friday night.
Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
Friday, July 17
Houston at L.A. Dodgers (10:10 p.m. EDT). Chad Billingsley (9-4) goes for his 10th win as the Dodgers host the Astros, who send ace Roy Oswalt (5-4) to the mound.
STARS
Thursday
-Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez, Phillies. Howard hit his 200th career home run and Ibanez homered twice in Philadelphia's 4-0 win at Florida.
-Chipper Jones, Braves, hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh inning of a 5-3 victory over the New York Mets.
-Prince Fielder, Brewers, hit a three-run homer to lead Milwaukee to a 9-6 victory at Cincinnati.
-Derrek Lee, Cubs, had three hits, including a homer, in Chicago's 6-2 win at Washington.
-Clint Barmes and Seth Smith, Rockies. Barmes hit a three-run homer and Smith added a two-run shot to lead Colorado to a 10-1 victory over San Diego.
WELCOME BACK TO MANNYWOOD
Slugger Manny Ramirez played at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night for the first time since the end of his 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy. Ramirez arrived about five hours before the team opened a 10-game homestand against Houston. He finished 1 for 4 in the Dodgers' 3-0 loss.
SLUGGING 200
Ryan Howard hit his 200th career home run, reaching the milestone in fewer games than any player in major league history. The Phillies' slugger achieved the feat in his 658th game, hitting his 23rd homer of the season in the sixth inning of Philadelphia's 4-0 win at Florida. Ralph Kiner was previously the fastest player to reach 200 home runs. He did it in 706 games.
STRONG STARTS
The Phillies' Jamie Moyer allowed one hit in seven innings of a 4-0 win at Florida. The veteran left-hander walked one and struck out four to improve to 13-2 in his career against the Marlins. ... The Indians' Cliff Lee pitched a nine-hitter in a 4-1 victory over Seattle for his second complete game of the season. The left-hander hadn't won since a three-hit shutout against St. Louis on June 14, a game in which he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning.
ROGER WHO?
Former Houston-area gym owner Kelly Blair says he never supplied Roger Clemens with performance-enhancing drugs and is looking forward to meeting with a grand jury investigating whether Clemens lied to Congress. Blair said Thursday night that he's never met Clemens, any members of the Clemens' family or anyone representing the former pitcher. Blair, who received a subpoena on Tuesday and will testify before a grand jury in Washington on Aug. 4, is the former owner of 1-on-1 Elite Personal Fitness in Pasadena.
A'S BEATER
The Angels' Ervin Santana ended a three-start losing streak with a 6-2 win over the Athletics and improved his record to 10-1 with a 1.34 ERA against Oakland.
SIGNING
The Cubs signed former Toronto closer B.J. Ryan to a minor league deal. Released by the Blue Jays earlier this month, the 33-year-old Ryan will first report to the Cubs' spring training complex in Mesa, Ariz. If all goes well, he'll join Triple-A Iowa.
ON THE MEND
Padres right-hander Jake Peavy had a protective boot removed from his right ankle and will begin a rehabilitation program. Peavy, who has been on the 15-day disabled list since June 13 with a strained tendon in the ankle, threw for the first time since going on the DL and said that he feels well.
MOVING
The Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies plan to move their spring training operations to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community near Phoenix in 2011. Under terms of an agreement announced Thursday, the tribe has agreed to build an 11,000-seat ballpark and a complex that includes 12 practice fields, training facilities and offices. It is believed to be the first major league spring training facility on tribal land. The deal is for 25 years with options to extend the pact.
TAKING ANOTHER LOOK
Brewers right-hander Dave Bush was sent for another medical exam after a poor showing in his latest rehabilitation start. Bush has been on the disabled list since June 23 with a small tear in his right triceps. He made his second medical rehab start on Wednesday for Double-A Huntsville and gave up six hits and five runs in only three innings, struggling to throw strikes. The Brewers decided on Thursday to have him checked again.
SEEING GEORGE
New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner spent three hours in his office at the team's spring training complex in Tampa, Fla., and said he was feeling well. Steinbrenner, who celebrated his 79th birthday on July 4, has kept a low profile since turning over the daily operations of the Yankees to his sons, Hank and Hal, almost two years ago.
BATTER UP IN THE HOLY LAND?
Israeli baseball authorities say they've reached a deal giving a group of American businessmen a two-year option to operate a pro league in Israel. The group is headed by Marvin Goldklang, a minority owner of the New York Yankees, and Jeff Rosen, an American businessman who owns the Haifa Heat in Israel's pro basketball league. Israeli baseball official Nathan Pomerantz says the Americans are conducting "due diligence'' on the venture. He hopes the league will be ready for play in 2010 or 2011. The announcement comes two years after a separate group of Americans tried to bring professional baseball to Israel. The Israel Baseball League folded after one season.
SPEAKING
"There's positives to take out of it but at the end of the day we're not here to just get positives. They're paying us stinking boatloads of money to go out there and win baseball games and we've got to be better. We're not going to make this ship right in three hours.'' - Nationals catcher Josh Bard after Washington lost its first game under Jim Riggleman, 6-2 to the Cubs.
Bettors like the Yanks at home
By SBGGlobal.com
Detroit Tigers (48-39) at New York Yankees (51-37)
Friday, 7:05 pm Eastern
SBG Global Opening Line: Yankees - 210, Total 9.5
Two teams that could be headed for the playoffs meet for the first game of a three-game set on Friday as the New York Yankees host the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers are leading a weak American League Central while the Yankees are in prime position in the American League East behind Boston. A.J. Burnett gets the call for New York on Friday while Lucas French starts for Detroit.
SBG Global reports that early MLB Betting has the public taking the Yankees at Home.
French is 1-0 on the year with a 1.93 ERA for Detroit while Burnett is 8-4 with a 3.77 ERA for New York. French got his first Major League win against Kansas City in his last start giving up just one run in 6 1/3 innings.
Burnett has made five quality starts in a row for New York. He goes first in New York’s rotation after the break to give Sabathia an extra day of rest. Burnett got two wins against Detroit last year but had a 5.73 ERA and in his career he has an 8.03 ERA against the Tigers.
The Yankees are beginning a 10-game homestand on Friday. The homestand incudes the Old-Timer’s Day on Sunday and it includes a makeup game against the Oakland A’s from a game that was rained out back in April.
Here are the MLB Betting stats for Friday’s game. The Tigers are 4-1 in their last five overall. The Tigers are 10-4 in their last 14 games vs. a right-handed starter. The Tigers are 4-10 in their last 14 road games. The Tigers are 9-21 in the last 30 meetings in New York.
SBG Global Current Line: Yankees - 230, Total 10 Over - 115
The Yankees are 22-6 in their last 28 vs. the American League Central. The Yankees are 5-2 in their last seven home games. The Yankees are 14-6 in their last 20 games vs. a left-handed starter. The Yankees are 4-1 in Burnett’s last five starts as a home favorite.
The Under is 7-1 in the Tigers last eight road games. The Under is 9-3 in the Tigers last 12 road games vs. a right-handed starter. The Over is 4-0 in the Yankees last four games vs. a left-handed starter. The Under is 6-2-1 in Burnett’s last nine starts as a favorite. The Over is 5-2 in the last seven meetings between the two teams.