NATIONAL LEAGUE
L.A. Dodgers (62-36) at St. Louis (53-48)
The Dodgers take baseball’s best record on the road for the first time in the second half as they send lefty Randy Wolf (5-4, 3.45 ERA) to the mound to face Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter (8-3, 2.26) in the first of four at Busch Stadium.
Los Angeles has won six of its last eight but fell to the Marlins on Sunday, 8-6. The Dodgers are on positive runs of 5-0 against the N.L. Central, 5-1 on Mondays, 7-2 in series openers, 5-2 on the road and 35-17 against right-handed starters.
The Cardinals lost two of three in Philly over the weekend, falling 14-6 on Saturday and 9-2 on Sunday. They are just 3-8 in their last 11 against southpaws. However they are 6-1 in their last seven series openers and 4-1 against N.L. West squads. Also, St. Louis has owned Los Angeles in recent years, going 41-20 in the last 61 meetings overall and 24-8 in the last 32 at Busch Stadium.
Wolf has allowed three earned runs or fewer in five straight starts, including Tuesday when he held the Reds to two runs in 7 1/3 innings of a 12-3 win in Los Angeles. The veteran lefty is a solid 4-2 with a 2.90 ERA on the road and gave up just two runs in 6 1/3 innings last time out on the highway, an 11-2 win over the Mets. With Wolf on the hill, the Dodgers are on runs of 10-4 overall, 7-2 in series openers, 8-2 against the N.L. Central and 4-0 on the road against winning teams.
Carpenter has been outstanding in his last four starts, going 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA as he’s allowed a total of six runs in 29 innings, including eight innings of shutout baseball against the Diamondbacks in his most recent home start. Including that victory, Carpenter is 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA in five outings at Busch Stadium. With Carpenter pitching, St. Louis is on positive streaks of 82-35 overall, 43-14 at home, 31-9 in series openers, 20-6 against the N.L. West and 4-0 lifetime against L.A.
Wolf is 3-4 with a 3.70 ERA in nine career starts versus the Redbirds, while Carpenter is 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA against the Dodgers, including a no-decision last year when he scattered three hits in five scoreless innings, with St. Louis winning 6-4 in 11 innings.
The Dodgers are on “over” runs of 9-2 on the road, 11-5 against right-handed starters and 5-3 with Wolf working on the highway. With Carpenter on the hill, St. Louis is on “under” tears of 38-18-1 at home and 8-3-1 in series openers, while as a team, the Cardinals are on “under” streaks of 8-3 overall, 8-2 against southpaws, 4-0 in series openers, 5-0 at home and 5-0 against the N.L. West. Finally, the under has been the play in six of the last nine meetings in this rivalry.
ATS ADVANTAGE: NONE
AMERICAN LEAGUE
N.Y. Yankees (60-38) at Tampa Bay (54-45)
The streaking Yankees head to Florida to open a three-game set against the Rays with right-hander A.J. Burnett (9-4, 3.74 ERA) on the mound opposite Tampa Bay righty James Shields (6-6, 3.70) at Tropicana Field.
New York capped a 9-1 homestand with Sunday’s 7-5 victory over the A’s. The Yankees have catapulted themselves into first place in the A.L. East by winning 45 of their last 66 overall. They are also on runs of 8-3 on the road, 14-2 against right-handed starters, 7-1 in series openers, 6-1 against A.L. East foes and 15-5 against teams with winning records.
Tampa took two of three in Toronto over the weekend, but lost Sunday 5-1. Despite that setback, the Rays carry several positive streaks into this series, including 88-35 at home, 5-1 against the A.L. East, 4-1 in series openers, 65-20 at home against right-handers and 19-7 at home against opponents with a winning road record.
These rivals have split eight meetings so far this year, with the road team winning five of the last seven.
Burnett is 2-0 with a 3.26 ERA in his last three starts. He hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any of his last 10 outings, and he’s turned in at least six innings in 14 of his last 15 trips to the hill. The Yankees have won five straight and eight of 10 behind Burnett, and the veteran right-hander is 5-3 with a 3.81 ERA in his nine road starts.
Burnett is 8-4 with a 3.01 ERA in 18 career starts against Tampa Bay, including 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA in two contests this year. However, the Rays are 6-2 the last eight times they’ve seen Burnett going back to his days with Toronto.
Shields pitched well in Chicago on Wednesday, giving up two runs in 6 2/3 innings, but his bullpen couldn’t protect a 3-1 lead and Tampa Bay fell 4-3 to the White Sox. Still the Rays are on streaks behind Shields of 27-9 at home, 4-1 in series openers, 4-1 on Monday and 8-2 when pitching after a Rays loss.
The Rays are just 1-7 in Shields’ last eight starts against the Yankees, but the win came in September last season when the right-hander blanked them on five hits over eight innings in a 7-1 road victory. Prior to that triumph, Shields had been 1-5 with a 6.86 ERA in his first seven career starts versus New York.
With Burnett on the hill, the Yankees are on “under” runs of 6-0 overall, 6-1 in series openers, 5-0 against the A.L. East and 4-0 against teams with a winning record. As a team, New York has topped the total in four straight on the road, but stayed under the number in eight of 12 against the A.L. East and four straight against right-handed starters.
With Shields pitching, the Rays have stayed low in eight of 11 overall, six of his last eight at home and eight of his last 10 against the A.L. East. As a team, Tampa is on “under” runs of 8-1 overall, 6-1 in series openers, 9-2 against the A.L. East and 24-6-1 against right-handed starters.
Finally, in this rivalry, the over has been the play in five of the last six clashes at Tropicana Field.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
Gametimepicks.com
Monday Madness
By Kevin Rogers
The next few days in baseball will feature fantastic series in each league involving playoff teams. Whether it's for the division lead, or trying to get that extra step on the team ahead of you in the Wild Card race, Monday's slate is a great one for the gambler. The AL East-leading Yankees head south to battle the reigning AL Champion Rays, which will highlight this edition of Monday Madness.
Yankees at Rays (7:10 PM EST)
The scorching-hot Bronx Bombers are slowly taking control of the AL East, winning 22 of their last 28 games, heading into Tropicana Field. The Yankees lead the Red Sox by 2 ½ games, and the Rays by 6 ½ games inside the division heading into Monday's action . The Rays have endured plenty of cardiac finishes since the All-Star Break, going 6-4. Tampa Bay rallied in all three wins at Kansas City, while forging comebacks at Chicago and Toronto in the final innings. The only black eye on the road trip was the perfect game tossed by Mark Buehrle on Thursday, 6-0.
James Shields (6-6, 3.70 ERA) takes the mound for the Rays, as his numbers have been less than stellar against the Yankees. Tampa Bay is 1-7 in Shields' eight career starts versus the Bombers, but just to limit the numbers to when the Rays were finally relevant (last year), the Rays are 1-2. In 2008, Shields went eight scoreless innings in a 7-1 pounding of the Yanks in the Bronx, while compiling a pair of starts in which he allowed four earned runs, but lost.
Shields has always been known as nothing less than dominant at home, but the Rays are 7-4 in his 11 starts at the Trop this season, compared to a 14-3 mark in '08.
A.J. Burnett (9-4, 3.74 ERA) has been on fire recently, going 4-0 in his last five decisions. Each of those outings were quality ones, and all five of them finished 'under' the total. In fact, Burnett's last five road starts have all gone 'under' the total, dating back to the middle of May. Burnett's numbers against Tampa Bay aren't spectacular, going 3-6 dating back to the start of 2007 as a member of the Blue Jays. The right-hander did strike out at least eight batters in seven of those starts, but lost by one run on four occasions.
The two teams have split the eight meetings this season, but the road team has won five times.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants has listed the Yankees as a short road favorite at $1.15, with the total set at 8 ½.
Dodgers at Cardinals (7:10 PM EST)
Two of the National League's best meet up for the first time in 2009, as the Cardinals continue to run the gauntlet, after dropping two of three at Philadelphia. The Dodgers, meanwhile, are on cruise control inside the NL West, while owning the best record in baseball. Busch Stadium should be an electric atmosphere, not only showcasing Albert Pujols and Manny Ramirez, but also the home debut of recently acquired Matt Holliday.
Chris Carpenter (8-3, 2.26 ERA) looks to rebound after the Cardinals bullpen blew a chance at his ninth win of the season. St. Louis squandered a 3-2 lead at Houston, only to allow the Astros to score two runs in the final inning to pull off a three-game sweep. Carpenter's home numbers are fantastic, compiling a 4-1 mark, with an ERA of 1.85, allowing one run or less in four starts. Due to Carpenter's dominance at Busch, the 'under' has cashed in four of five home outings.
Randy Wolf (5-4, 3.45 ERA) is the perfect pitcher to try and slow down this Cardinals attack. St. Louis ranks second-to-last in the league against left-handed pitching, batting just .229. The Dodgers southpaw owns a solid 4-2 road mark, and is fresh off five straight quality starts. There has been a bit of inconsistency lately with Wolf, as the Dodgers have alternated wins and losses in his last seven starts, coming off a victory over the Reds his last time out.
The Cardinals are 8-2 the last ten meetings at Busch Stadium, and 14-5 the last 19 overall against the Dodgers.
The Cards are a $1.55 home favorite according to LVSC, with the total listed at 7 ½.
Astros at Cubs (8:05 PM EST)
The Cubs are slowly coming alive at the right time, winning eight of ten games since the All-Star Break, to move into first place inside the NL Central. The Astros, meanwhile, were looking good after sweeping the Cardinals, but then dropped two of three to the woeful Mets at home.
Lou Piniella gives the ball to the man that no-hit the Astros last season, Carlos Zambrano. The Cubs fiery right-hander (7-4, 3.48 ERA) has won his last three starts, including a victory over the Phillies last Thursday. Zambrano picked up a no-decision in a 2-1 loss in his previous outing against the Astros in Houston on June 10, scattering three hits and one run in eight innings of work.
The hurler on the opposite side of that pitcher's duel in mid-June takes the mound Monday, Wandy Rodriguez. The Astros southpaw (10-6, 2.72 ERA), who has been known to struggle on the road throughout his career, is 5-4 away from Houston this season. Rodriguez has decent career numbers against the Cubs, but two horrible outings at Wrigley Field have derailed a nice run. Rodriguez's July is nothing short of spectacular, winning all four starts, while allowing two earned runs.
The Cubs have captured six of ten meetings this season, despite only two of those games being played at Wrigley Field. LVSC has installed the Cubs as a $1.40 home 'chalk.'
Tigers at Rangers (8:05 PM EST)
Detroit looks to continue its winning ways, as they head south to Arlington, to take on the Rangers. Texas is coming off a series victory at Kansas City, despite losing starter Kevin Millwood to flu-like symptoms in Sunday's win.
The Tigers will send out disappointing right-hander Armando Galarraga (5-8, 4.82 ERA) to the mound. Galarraga was fantastic last season, putting together a 13-7 campaign, with an ERA of 3.73. This season has been a much different story, with the Tigers winning eight of his 19 starts. Nighttime is the worst time to back Galarraga, as Detroit is just 2-11 when the righty gets the ball after the sun goes down. Galarraga is 2-0 in his career against the Rangers, with the Tigers averaging 13 runs/start.
Tommy Hunter (2-1, 2.17 ERA) has turned into a nice addition to the Texas rotation. The Rangers righty is coming off a solid start against the Red Sox, beating Boston by allowing four hits and one run in six innings of work. Hunter has struck out only 15 batters in five starts, but has allowed just seven earned runs in this stretch.
The 'under' has hit consistently with each of these pitchers. Galarraga has nailed the 'under' in seven of eight road starts, while Hunter has finished 'under' in all five of his starts.
The Rangers are a $1.30 favorites, with the total set at 10, according to LVSC.
vegasinsider.com
Late Night Wagers
By Judd Hall
Monday’s busy slate in baseball winds up with three late games. Two of those tilts have something to do with playoff implications as the pennant chases start to heat up. San Francisco looks to keep relevant in the race for the National League Wild Card. Meanwhile, the Angels will try to cushion their lead in the American League West.
Indians at Angels – 10:05 p.m. EDT
Things haven’t gone the way that the Indians thought they might this season. Not to say that any team really expects to be in last place…well, any team not named the Pirates. Despite the lackluster campaign, Cleveland has won four of its last five games this season.
The Tribe are going to see if Carl Pavano (8-8, 5.48 ERA) can let the good times roll. Pavano hasn’t had a good run in his last seven starts, winning on just two of those occasions. This slump has effectively eliminated any thoughts of backing the former Marlins’ because of the value you get on him as a road underdog.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants has opened the line for this contest with the Angels as $1.65 home favorites (risk $165 to win $100) with a total of 9 ½.
Where Pavano hasn’t been a winner for bettors, Joe Saunders (8-6, 4.94 ERA) has kept people cashing in at the window. The Halos’ southpaw hasn’t picked up a winning decision since June 24, but the club is 6-2 in his last eight starts.
Gamblers would certainly be within their right to back the Indians here as they’re 8-6 against left-handed pitching on the road. That logic holds up until you realize that Los Angeles is 6-2 on the first day of the work week; Cleveland has a case of the “Mondays” with a 3-6 mark.
Total wise, you can count on the ‘over’ here as it is 31-17 for the Tribe on the road this season. That number makes a lot of sense as Cleveland is hitting .247 at Progressive Field for the year, but .271 on the road.
Pirates at Giants – 10:15 p.m. EDT
Consistency has been a problem for the Pirates recently as they’ve dropped five of their last eight games. I guess that is a good run considering the Wal-Mart mentality of their front office.
Luckily for the Pittsburgh, that hasn’t been the case with Paul Maholm (6-4, 4.63 ERA) toeing the slab. The Bucs boast a 4-1 mark in Maholm’s last five starts this season. Bettors have enjoyed backing Maholm when he’s starting away from PNC Park as he’s 5-2 in his last seven road starts this season.
San Francisco is only one game behind the Rockies for the NL Wild Card. However, they should consider themselves lucky that they’re that close after dropping seven of its last 10 tests this year.
You would like to believe that things change with defending NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum (10-3, 2.45 ERA) taking the mound, but that’s not the case. Lincecum has lost his last two starts this season, giving up four earned runs last Wednesday at Atlanta.
It’s good for the Giants that their ace is pitching at home for this battle. That’s because Lincecum is 5-1with a 2.44 earned run average in his nine starts at AT&T Park in 2009. The good feelings must be tempered by the fact that he is 0-1 with a 4.85 ERA in two career starts against the Pirates.
Despite so-so numbers against the Bucs with Lincecum on the bump, San Francisco is still listed as a heavy $2.20 home “chalk” with a minuscule total of seven by most betting shops.
The public might wonder why San Fran is such a huge favorite when the Pirates are 16-5 in the last 21 head-to-head meetings. But the trends give the edge to the Giants for the first game of this series.
Pittsburgh is 13-23 against right-handers on the road this season. The Giants, on the other hand, are 7-2 against southpaws at home this season…winning all five night games against lefties as well.
vegasinsider.com
Monday's streaking and slumping starting pitchers
By Covers.com
Streaking
Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
The oft-injured Carpenter (8-3, 2.26 ERA) looks as though he might finally be returning to top form, which couldn’t come at a better time for the reeling Cardinals. St. Louis pitchers were battered by the Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend, yielding 23 runs while dropping both games in embarrassing fashion.
Carpenter, a 21-game winner and the National League Cy Young award winner in 2005, has missed most of the past two seasons with injuries. His career was speculated to be in jeopardy after he struggled to recover from Tommy John surgery, and he spent part of this season on the disabled list as well.
However, he has rebounded to give the St. Louis rotation some needed stability. Carpenter, 34, is 3-0 with one no decision in his past four starts, striking out 23 while walking just six in this span. He has given up more than three earned runs just once in last 10 starts.
Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
Seattle’s ace right-hander quietly has put together one of the more impressive seasons for starters in the American League. Moreover, he has almost single-handedly kept the Mariners in contention in the American League West.
The 23-year-old Hernandez (11-3, 2.45 ERA) has won his last six decisions, and has four more no decisions to go along with them in his past 10 starts, nine of which resulted in Seattle victories.
He has been a model of consistency in this span, throwing more than 100 pitches each time out, and has gone seven innings or longer nine times. Hernandez takes the mound Monday on the heels of back-to-back road wins against the Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays.
Slumping
Jason Berken, Baltimore Orioles
At what point does a “slump” officially turn into a season of misery? Ask Baltimore’s Jason Berken (1-8, 6.55 ERA). On second thought, it might be best to let the numbers speak for themselves.
After winning his first start of the season, the 25-year-old rightly has reeled off a forgettable run of eight losses and two no decisions in his past 10 starts. He has given up four or more earned runs six times during this span, including a nine-spot against the light-hitting Oakland A’s.
He yielded 11 earned runs over 10-plus innings in his past two starts, losses to the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees.
Jon Garland, Arizona Diamondbacks
The erstwhile reliable Garland has struggled in his first year with the Diamondbacks, suffering from some control problems and a lack of run support.
The 29-year-old Garland (5-9, 4.41 ERA) needs to pick up some wins fast in order to make it eight straight seasons with double-figure wins, a streak that includes back-to-back 18-win campaigns for the White Sox.
Garland has slumped to a mark of 1-2 with two no decisions in his past five starts, and has walked at least two batters in five of his past 10 outings. He gave up three earned runs against the Colorado Rockies in his last start, which resulted in a no decision.
Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
Monday, July 27
Los Angeles at St. Louis (7:05 p.m. EDT). Randy Wolf (5-4) starts for the Dodgers, who have the National League's best record, against Chris Carpenter (8-3) and the Cardinals, who are a half-game behind the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.
STARS
Sunday
-Justin Morneau, Twins, hit two homers to help Minnesota end the Los Angeles Angels' eight-game winning streak with a 10-1 victory.
-Nick Markakis, Orioles, homered and drove in three runs as the Orioles snapped an 11-game losing streak at Fenway Park with a 6-2 win over Boston.
-Rich Harden, Cubs, pitched six stellar innings to win a day game at Wrigley Field for the first time since last August and Chicago moved into first place with a 5-2 victory over the Reds.
-Scott Rolen, Blue Jays, hit a three-run homer and the Blue Jays handed Rays rookie Jeff Niemann his first loss in his last six decisions with a 5-1 win over Tampa Bay.
-Livan Hernandez, Mets, struck out a season-high seven after a rough start, and New York beat the Astros 8-3.
-Austin Kearns, Nationals, inserted as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning, drove in the winning run with a two-out single in the 10th and Washington beat the Padres 3-2.
-Max Scherzer, Diamondbacks, gave up five singles in seven innings, struck out eight and didn't walk a batter for only the second time in his 26 career starts as Arizona routed Pittsburgh 9-0.
-Aaron Cook, Rockies, pitched seven sharp innings to win his seventh straight decision as Colorado topped San Francisco 4-2.
HIGHEST HONOR
Rickey Henderson, baseball's leading base stealer, former Boston slugger Jim Rice and the late Joe Gordon were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. Henderson holds the records for steals (1,406), runs scored (2,295), unintentional walks (2,129), and homers leading off a game (81). Rice batted .298 with 382 home runs and 1,451 RBIs from 1974-89. Gordon won the 1942 AL MVP, beating out Triple Crown winner Ted Williams, and was an All-Star nine times in 11 seasons.
STATS & STREAKS
The Baltimore Orioles broke an 11-game losing streak at Fenway Park with a 6-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. It was the Orioles' first win at Boston since July 11, 2008. ... Cleveland is scheduled to face its ninth straight lefty starter Monday in the Los Angeles Angels' Joe Saunders. According to STATS, it'll be the first time in Indians history that has happened since at least 1919. ... New York Yankees reliever Phil Hughes has a scoreless streak of 23 1-3 innings. He hasn't allowed a run in his past 16 appearances. ... Colorado has 42 sacrifice flies this season, the most in the majors.
MILESTONE
San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez entered the Padres' 3-2 loss to Washington in 10 innings Sunday as a defensive substitute at first base in the seventh, extending the majors' longest active consecutive games streak to 306. Gonzalez also broke the Padres' consecutive-games record he shared with Steve Garvey.
HOME SWEET HOME
Derek Jeter hit a go-ahead single, Mariano Rivera earned a four-out save and the New York Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics 7-5 on Sunday to complete a 9-1 homestand. Seven of New York's nine wins on the homestand were by two runs or fewer. It was the most wins for the Yankees on a homestand since going 10-2 in June 2004. New York's .900 winning percentage was also its best this decade on a homestand of at least nine games.
WALKING THE BLANK
The Pittsburgh Pirates were shut out for the second straight game, falling 9-0 at Arizona on Sunday. The Pirates, whose 11 shutouts lead the majors, did not score in the final 19 innings of the series. They have been shut out on consecutive days twice this season, the first time in interleague play at the Chicago White Sox on May 22-23.
STELLAR IN RELIEF
Dustin Nippert replaced Kevin Millwood when the starter left after two innings with tightness in his left gluteus. Nippert gave up a run in the seventh on Alex Gordon's single, the only hit he allowed in 4 2-3 innings. Nippert made a start Wednesday, giving up one run in 5 2-3 innings in a victory over Boston while filling in for Vicente Padilla, who was diagnosed with swine flu.
POWER SURGES
Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Raul Ibanez all hit two-run homers to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 9-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. ... Grady Sizemore hit the 20th leadoff homer of his career, Jhonny Peralta hit his second career grand slam and the Indians had four long balls in a 12-3 win over the Mariners to complete a three-game sweep.
SWINGS
The New York Mets had at least 12 hits for the third straight game, getting 13 in an 8-3 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday. New York scored 18 runs in two games after scoring fewer than five in 15 of its previous 20. ... Florida's Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 4 in an 8-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers and improved to .427 with runners in scoring position - second in the majors - after hitting just .239 in that department last season. ... Rick Porcello gave up five runs and five hits over 5 1-3 innings in Toronto's 5-1 loss to Detroit. The rookie has allowed 19 earned runs in his last four starts after giving up 16 earned runs in the previous 10 outings.
BACK IN BUSINESS
Kelly Johnson hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning of Atlanta's 10-2 victory over Milwaukee on Sunday in his first start since coming off the disabled list Thursday. He went on the disabled list July 3 with right wrist tendinitis.
RAINY REHAB
Pedro Martinez's first minor league rehab start in preparation for a comeback with the Philadelphia Phillies was cut short by rain Sunday. The 37-year-old right-hander worked 1 1-3 innings for Class A Clearwater before the Florida State League game against St. Lucie was stopped because of a downpour. Martinez, who signed a $1 million, one-year contract this month after sitting out the first half of the season, hit a batter and allowed one hit during a 20-pitch first inning that was delayed more than 30 minutes by an early afternoon storm.
DAYDREAM BELIEVER
Rich Harden may have finally solved his daytime pitching problems at Wrigley Field. The Cubs starter gave up just one hit in six stellar innings of Chicago's 5-2 win over the Reds. Harden, whose previous Wrigley Field day victory had been Aug. 24, 2008, snapped two inexplicable trends: Going into Sunday, he had a 1-5 record and 7.38 ERA in day games (vs. 5-1, 2.23 at night) and a 2-5 record and 7.59 ERA at home (vs. 4-1, 2.03 on the road).
SCOUTING
Right-hander Drew Storen, taken by Washington out of Stanford with the 10th pick in the first round of the June draft, has yet to walk a hitter in 18 innings split between Class-A Potomac and Class-A Hagerstown. He has allowed one hit and struck out 20 in his last seven appearances.
SPEAKING
"I'd walk away from the game right now if I didn't think I could do what I can do. There's no thought in my head of that right now.'' - Boston's John Smoltz, who has allowed at least five runs in four of his six starts in his first year with the Red Sox following offseason shoulder surgery and 20 years with Atlanta.
---
"My dream was to play football for the Oakland Raiders. But my mother thought I would get hurt playing football, so she chose baseball for me. I guess moms do know best.'' - Rickey Henderson, baseball's all-time stolen base leader, during his induction speech for the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.
Crowded N.L. Central!!
By SportsPic
Two teams in the thick of the crowded N.L. Central play a four-game set at Wrigley Field when Chicago Cubs host visiting Houston Astros. Cubbies a solid 15-7 (+$706) this month including 9-5 (+$306) at home start the week tied atop the division while Stros 14-8 (+$564) in July along with a 5-4 (+$186) mark on the highway find themselves 2 games behind the division leaders. Cubbies 6-4 this season in head-head play open the series hooking Carlos Zambrano (7-4, 3.48) vs. Wandy Rodriguez (10-6, 2.72). Big Z ridding a three game win streak has faced Houston twice this season picking up a W opening day followed by a ND in a 2-1 loss in June. Rodriguez off a seven inning 1 run gem vs Cardinals has won five of his last six trips to the mound with Stros 6-0 over the span. Rodriguez facing Chicago twice this season has a 1.38 ERA in thirteen innings vs Cubbies but received tough-luck no-decisions in both Houston victories. The southpaw enters with a 5-1 Team Start Record last six vs Chicago including 2-0 hooked up against Big Z. For those considering a total play, the 'Under' is 5-1 in Rodriguez's L6 vs. Cubs, 8-3 'Under' his last eleven opening a series and Big Z has seen the 'Under' in 9-of-12 starts vs Stros at home.
New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
By SportsPic
A collision between two tough AL East teams will take place at Tropicana Field when Tampa Bay Rays host the New York Yankees in the first of a three-game set.
Rays off a 6-4 road swing and winners of 10-of-16 overall rely on James Shields (6-6, 3.70) to keep them in the win column. The last time Shields touched toe to rubber he allowed 2 runs over 6.2 innings of work but the bullpen couldn't hang on and the righty was saddled with a ND in a 4-3 loss to the White Sox. Shields faces Yankees for the first time this season but it is well to note he is 1-6 life-time vs New York with Rays 1-7 over the eight career starts.
Yankees completing an 9-1 home stand have now won 22-of-28 on the diamond and will counter with A.J. Burnett (9-4, 3.74). Burnett off another impressive outing allowing 2 runs over seven in a 6-4 victory over Baltimore has guided Yankees to five straight victories. The right-hander 1-0 in two starts vs Rays this season is 8-4 life-time vs the rival with his teams (NYY, TOR, FLA) 9-9 over the eighteen game span. Sportsbooks leaning to a Yankee win have New York -$1.15 favorites with the total set at 9 runs.
Pitchers’ Duel in St. Louis
By Brobury Sports
St. Louis vs. Los Angeles (ESPN, 7:10 p.m.)
The St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers send two hot pitchers to the mound tonight.
First pitch is at 7:15 pm ET and the ‘Worldwide Leader’ ESPN will be broadcasting nationally. St. Louis has opened up as -170 favorites at BroburySports despite facing off against arguably the NL’s best team. The Over/Under is just 7.5 runs.
Los Angeles (62-36) is 6-4 since the All-Star break and all 10 of those games came at home. They are 4-0 in Game 1 of their last four road series and they’re 28-19 overall away, the second best mark in MLB behind Philadelphia.
However, St. Louis has been a very tough place for L.A. to play in prior years, going 8-24 in their last 32.
St. Louis (53-48) is anxious to return home after a seven-game road trip that included a make-up game against Washington. The Cards went 2-5 during the trip and fell a half game out of first place in the NL Central behind the Chicago Cubs.
Tonight marks the home debut of Matt Holliday, who was acquired from Oakland to give slugger Albert Pujols some protection in the lineup. Holliday has started out strong for his new team, batting .671 with three RBI’s in three games, but they still lost two of those to the red-hot Phillies.
Chris Carpenter (8-3, 2.26 ERA) vs. Randy Wolf (5-4, 3.45 ERA)
St. Louis needs a pitcher to turn their fortunes around and they certainly have the right one on the mound in Carpenter.
The Cards did lose the last time Carpenter started, a 4-3 defeat to Houston and Roy Oswalt, but it certainly wasn’t his fault as he gave up just two runs in eight innings.
Bettors need to be aware that Carpenter’s ERA is just 1.85 at home, although he has strangely made just five of his 15 starts there.
St. Louis is 43-14 in Carpenter’s last 57 home starts and the Under has gone 38-18-1 in that span. That’s a huge reason the spread is -170 and the Over/Under just 7.5.
Wolf is one of the most unsung pitchers in the NL. He’s 5-4 due to a lack of run support, but he has a 2.80 ERA in his last four starts. He’s also 4-1 on the road overall with a 2.90 ERA, which gives L.A. a chance to win almost every time out.
Note the Dodgers are 8-1 in Wolf’s last nine starts against a team with a winning record and St. Louis is just 3-8 in their last 11 against a lefty, although that could be helped by the addition of the righty bat Holliday.