Saturday's streaking and slumping starting pitchers
By Covers.com
Streaking
Josh Outman, Oakland A’s, (4-0, 3.17 ERA)
Outman has perhaps the best name for a pitcher in major league history and so far this season, he’s lived up to it. The lefty hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his seven starts and that has helped under bettors win in six of those outings.
He’ll get his first taste of the Bay Area rivalry this weekend when the A’s take on the Giants. Outman picked up a win in his only other interleague start this year, a 6-2 victory over the Diamondbacks.
Erik Bedard, Seattle Mariners, (5-2, 2.47 ERA)
Nothing inspires outstanding efforts like a contract year. Seattle Mariners lefty Erik Bedard is singing for his supper in recent starts, going 3-1 in his last six starts with an ERA of 2.33.
Bedard hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any of his 11 outings this year but has only gone past the sixth inning in six of those appearances. In his most recent start, he had trouble with his control and allowed four walks before leaving the game in the fifth.
However, he’s done a good job limiting the damage from those mistakes and is posting a strikeout-to-walk count of 65-to-22 on the season. This will be Bedard’s first-career start in Coors Field, which ranks first in the majors in runs and hits.
Slumping
Anthony Swarzak, Minnesota Twins, (1-2, 5.23 ERA)
You can forgive Swarzak for slumping recently. He is a rookie after all. And like many big league rookies, you can have some success for a little while but once the opposition has had a chance to see a bit of what you’ve got, things can unravel.
He started the year with a pair of quality starts going 1-1. The Twins lost his last two starts though and Swarzak failed to make it past the fourth inning in either one. He also threw more than 80 pitches in each game.
It’s going to take this 24-year-old righty a little long to learn how to get outs in the bigs and until then, you might want to fade him.
Game of the day: Twins at Cubs
By Alex Smart
Minnesota Twins at Chicago Cubs (-162)
Setting the table
Interleague play strikes up again sending the Minnesota Twins south for a weekend within the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.
For Minnesota, this is the second set of three games against the National League Central. The Twins swept the Milwaukee Brewers back in mid-May, outscoring the Brew Crew 23-8. For the Cubbies, this will be their first action against the American League this season.
After Minnesota leaves town, the Cubs will continue their nine-game interleague home stand, welcoming the cross-town rival White Sox followed by another AL Central foe in the Cleveland Indians.
Minnesota Masterpiece
Outside of the Milwaukee sweep at the Metrodome, the Twins are 4-1 in their last five interleague contests. Minnesota also swept the Cubs the last time these clubs met in June 2006. The Twins are 21-6 over the last 27 games played against the NL Central.
The Twins have just shown dominance across the National League and, despite a losing record, they still hold second place in their own division. When playing on the road against the NL, Minnesota's 20-8 over the last 28 games.
Pitching has played a big part in those victories, as the under was 4-1 over their last five against the NL Central. Oddly enough, right-hander Anthony Swarzak became the only Twins pitcher to toss seven scoreless innings in his major league debut for a 6-2 win over Milwaukee on May 23. It was Swarzak's only win to date.
In front of the second-largest crowd since opening day at the Metrodome, the 23-year-old starter calmed the Brewers’ bats while receiving help from Joe Mauer and Joe Crede. Since that first win, Swarzak has failed to last more than six innings and hasn’t held an opponent to under three earned runs in an outing. Minnesota is also 1-5 in its last six meetings in Chicago.
Cubbie Blues
The Cubs bullpen is struggling heading into the third month of the season. Whether it is closer Kevin Gregg, the inconsistency of Carlos Marmol or the recent collapse of Jose Ascanio, the Cubs pen has faulted on the mound.,
They’re almost as bad as the Cubs bats. During its recent eight-game road trip, Chicago finished 4-4 and is now hitting just .248 BA as a team. Adding insult to injury, the Cubs suffered back-to-back walk-off extra-inning defeats at the hands of the Houston Astros their past two games - both thanks to Geoff Blum.
With Swarzak slated to start for Minnesota, Chicago's 6-1 at Wrigley Field when facing a right-handed starter. Conversely, the Cubs are also 1-4 in their last five interleague games when facing a right-handed starter. Having not played an interleague contest this year heading into this series, the Cubs are 0-4 in their last four games against the American League.
With Rich Harden scheduled to make his first start since being put on the 15-day DL (May 18, back strain), more hope will fill the stands on the North Side. The Cubs are 5-1 in Harden's last six starts, as well as 8-2 in Harden's last 10 starts at Wrigley.
Three strikes
Strike 1: Under is 4-1 in Twins last five vs. National League Central.
Strike 2: Under is 5-1 in Cubs last six home games.
Strike 3: Over is 5-0 in Cubs last five interleague games vs. a right-handed starter.
INTERLEAGUE
Boston (37-24) at Philadelphia (35-24)
The Red Sox will try to run their winning streak to five when they send Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-4, 7.33 ERA) to the mound at Citizens Bank Park against the Phillies and young left-hander Antonio Bastardo (2-0, 2.45).
Boston overcame a blown save in the ninth inning and beat the Phillies 6-3 in 13 innings on Friday night in the series opener. The Red Sox have now won three straight over Philadelphia and 12 of the last 14 against the Phillies dating back to 2004.
The Red Sox are 9-2 in their last 11 games overall and they have now won five straight on the highway. They’ve also dominated interleague play, currently on runs of 54-18 overall, 25-9 on the road and 36-17 against N.L. East foes. The Phillies are on several hot streaks as well, including 10-4 overall, 4-2 at home, 5-2 in interleague play, 40-18 against winning teams, 15-6 on Saturdays and 6-1 against right-handed pitching.
Matsuzaka is just 1-2 in his last three outings with a 5.17 ERA and he’s got a 7.36 ERA this season on the highway. The Rangers knocked him around Sunday, scoring five runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings of a 6-3 win at Fenway Park. The right-hander has allowed three runs or more in five of his six starts this season. Still, with Matsuzaka on the hill, the Sox are on runs of 32-12 overall, 5-1 on Saturdays, 4-1 as an underdog, 5-2 in interleague action and 12-5 in the second game of a series.
Bastardo has been fantastic in his first two career starts, holding the Padres to one run on four hits in six innings in a 10-5 win on June 2 and then limiting the Dodgers to two runs in five innings of a 7-2 win on Sunday, both on the road. He’s got nine strikeouts and just two walks in his 11 innings.
The Red Sox are on several “under” runs, including 22-6-2 overall, 8-2-1 in interleague action, 8-2 on the road, 4-0 on Saturdays and 36-15-4 as in interleague underdog, and with Matsuzaka pitching, they are on “under” streaks of 4-0 overall, 6-2 in interleague games and 11-5-2 in the second game of a series. Philadelphia has topped the total in seven on its last 10 Saturday games, but it is on “under” runs of 14-5-1 overall, 6-1 at home, 5-0 against the A.L. East, 14-3-1 in interleague action and 8-3 against teams with a winning record. Finally, the over is 4-2 in the last six series clashes in Philadelphia and 6-3 in the last nine overall.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
N.Y. Mets (31-28) at N.Y. Yankees (35-26)
After an unbelievable loss in Game 1 of this edition of the Subway Series, the Mets send recently recalled Fernando Nieve (0-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound for his first start of the season opposite Yankees veteran southpaw Andy Pettitte (6-2, 4.22).
The Mets took the lead Friday night in the eighth inning off Mariano Rivera and appeared to have the game won when closer Francisco Rodriguez got Yankees’ slugger Alex Rodriguez to pop up with two outs and two on. But Mets’ second baseman Luis Castillo dropped the pop up in short right field, allowing both runners to score and the Yankees to escape with a 9-8 victory.
The Mets have now lost seven of their last 10 and six of their last eight on the highway. Jerry Manuel’s club is 4-2 in its last six games in American League parks and 7-3 in its last 10 Saturday contests, but the Mets are just 1-4 in their last five against lefties and they’ve dropped four straight in the second game of a series.
The Yankees are now on upticks of 13-4 at home, 20-9 overall and 56-22 when hosting National League squads, 9-2 against right-handed pitching, 19-9 in Game 2 of a series, 19-9 on Saturdays but just 2-4 in their last six interleague games.
The Yankees have now won three of four in the Subway Series, and they are 8-2 in Pettitte’s last 10 starts against the Mets and 4-1 when he faces them in Yankee Stadium.
Nieve hasn’t started a game since 2006 when he was with the Astros and his only action this season came a week ago when he pitched two scoreless innings out of the bullpen against the Nationals. He went 3-0 with a 3.70 ERA in four starts at Triple-A Buffalo.
Pettitte is 3-1 at home and the Yankees have won five of his last six outings overall, including Monday when he held the Rays to three runs (two earned) on five hits in six innings of a 5-3 victory. He faced the Mets twice last season and gave up a combined five runs in 12 innings as the teams split the two games. The Yankees are 73-34 in Pettitte’s last 107 home starts, 76-34 when he’s a home favorite, 16-5 when he faces N.L. East teams and 4-0 in his last four Saturday starts.
The Mets have topped the total in each of their last five as a ‘dog, and gone over in six straight interleague road games against southpaws and seven of 11 as an interleague ‘dog. Meanwhile the Yankees are on a plethora of “under” runs, including 4-1-1 overall and 7-1 in interleague play, and with Pettitte on the hill, they are on “under” streaks of 20-9-1 at home, 41-17-1 overall, 10-1-1 in interleague games and 8-1 against N.L. East teams.
Finally, with last night’s high-scoring affair, the over has now hit in six straight Subway Series battles at Yankee Stadium, but the under is 5-1 in Pettitte’s last six starts against the Mets.
ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. YANKEES
Gametimepicks.com
MLB Weekend Interleague Cheat Sheet
By Marc Lawrence
Round 2 in Interleague play resumes this weekend as the American League looks to improve on its domination this weekend. American League certainly holds a 724-591 record against its National League cousins over the last five-plus years (including 22-20 overall this season).
In this week’s edition of the Cheat Sheet, a guide designed to help you isolate a few key best bets, we focus on two rivalry series. In addition, we’ve updated the records of the best and worst performers in the history of Interleague play. Keep in mind that all pitcher records are team stats unless noted otherwise.
Boston Red Sox at Philadelphia Phillies
Most recent series result: Red Sox 13-3 last sixteen games vs. Phillies
Most recent series result at the site: Red Sox 8-2 last 10 games away vs. Phillies
Key day/month stat: Phillies 20-4 on Sundays; Red Sox 1-4 away in Sundays
Best arm in the series: Josh Beckett 12-4 3.79 lifetime vs. Phillies (4-0 last four)
Worst arm in the series: Joe Blanton 1-3 3.24 ERA home lifetime vs. Red Sox
New York Mets at New York Yankees
Most recent series result: Mets 4-2 last six games vs. Yankees
Most recent series result at the site: Mets 3-0 last three away vs. Yankees
Key day/month stat: Yankees 16-3 home on Sundays; Mets 1-4 away on Sundays
Best arm in the series: Johan Santana 5-1 1.67 ERA away lifetime vs. Yankees; Yankees’ Andy Pettite 6-1 3.33 ERA home lifetime vs. Mets
Worst arm in the series: John Maine 0-2 16.50 ERA lifetime vs. Yankees; Mets’ Livan Hernandez 0-2 6.55 ERA away lifetime vs. Yankees
Best all-time interleague teams
1. New York Yankees 124-89 .582
2. Minnesota Twins 123-90 .578
3. Oakland Athletics 124-91 .577
4. Chicago White Sox 118-96 .551
5. Boston Red Sox 117-97 .547
Worst all-time interleague teams
1. Pittsburgh Pirates 64-105 .379
2. Baltimore Orioles 92-122 .430
3. San Diego Padres 83-111 .428
4. Tampa Bay Rays 88-111 .442
5. Cincinnati Reds 79-96 .457
Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
Saturday, June 13
Los Angeles Dodgers at Texas (8:05 p.m.). The Rangers go for their third consecutive home shutout, after getting back-to-back ones for the first time since 1981.
STARS
Friday
-Joe Mauer, Twins, homered and drove in three runs to lead Minnesota to a 7-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
-Tim Lincecum, Giants, pitched a seven-hitter for his third career complete game and first this season, helping San Francisco win 3-0 against the Oakland Athletics.
-Brian McCann, Braves, tied a career high with four hits to help Atlanta win 7-2 at the Baltimore Orioles.
-Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox, hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the 13th inning and Boston beat the Phillies 5-2 in Philadelphia.
-Rick Porcello, Tigers, threw seven crisp innings and had a pair of RBI singles for his first major league hits, leading Detroit to a 3-1 victory at the Pittsburgh Pirates.
-Luke Hochevar, Royals, tossed a three-hitter in his first career complete game, needing just 80 pitches to complete Kansas City's 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
-Torii Hunter and Kendry Morales, Angels, homered to help Los Angeles beat the San Diego Padres 11-6.
-Corey Hart, Brewers, drove in three runs and saved two more with a diving catch in Milwaukee's 7-2 win against the Chicago White Sox.
-Shin-Soo Choo, Indians, had three RBIs in Cleveland's 7-3 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals.
-Cody Ross, Marlins, hit a tiebreaking grand slam in Florida's 7-3 win at the Toronto Blue Jays.
-Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies, pitched his second career complete game and had an RBI single, leading Colorado to a 6-4 win over the Seattle Mariners.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
Mets second baseman Luis Castillo dropped Alex Rodriguez's lazy popup with two outs in the ninth inning as two runs scored, helping the Yankees escape with a wild 9-8 victory over the Mets on Friday night. Castillo allowed the ball to pop out of his glove as he tried for a one-handed catch on the right field grass. The Yankees ran onto the field as Derek Jeter scored from second and Mark Teixeira from first.
LONG TIME COMING
Vicente Padilla worked five effective innings and the Texas Rangers blanked the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-0 to record shutouts on consecutive nights at home for the first time in 29 seasons. Texas, which beat Toronto 1-0 on Thursday night, had never posted shutout victories on back-to-back nights at home since Rangers Ballpark opened in 1994. The last time the Rangers held visitors scoreless on consecutive days was April 1981, when they had four in a row.
THIS PITCHER CAN HIT
Rick Porcello threw seven crisp innings and had a pair of RBI singles for his first major league hits, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 3-1 victory at Pittsburgh. Porcello became the first Tigers pitcher with a multihit game since Jeff Weaver had two hits on June 23, 2002, against Florida. He also was the first Detroit pitcher to collect more than one RBI in a game since Joe Coleman drove in three on Sept. 21, 1972, at Boston, the season before the designated hitter was adopted by the AL.
GO THE DISTANCE
Tim Lincecum, Luke Hochevar, Ubaldo Jimenez and Dan Haren each threw a complete game. Lincecum pitched a seven-hitter to lead San Francisco to a 3-0 victory over Oakland. Hochevar needed just 80 pitches to finish a three-hitter, picking up his first career complete game in Kansas City's 4-1 win over Cincinnati. Jimenez pitched his second career complete game to help Colorado beat the Seattle Mariners 6-4 in Denver. Haren tossed a two-hitter to lead Arizona to an 8-1 victory over Houston.
HURTING ACES
Toronto right-hander Roy Halladay left his start against the Florida Marlins with a sore groin. Halladay, who leads the majors with 10 wins and 103 innings, has won seven straight decisions and entered having thrown back-to-back complete games, but left two pitches into the fourth. He tried one warmup pitch before heading to the dugout. ... San Diego right-hander Jake Peavy is expected to miss at least a month because of his injured ankle. He was scratched from Saturday's start against the Los Angeles Angels after an MRI revealed a torn tendon behind his right ankle.
REJUVENATED
Milwaukee snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Chicago White Sox 7-2 Friday, one night after four starters sat out due to hitting slumps. The Brewers came in batting .195 with runners in scoring position in the previous 10. Corey Hart, one of the four starters benched, sparked a rally in the sixth after his diving catch of Chris Getz's liner ended the top half. Hart drove in three runs on a double and a triple.
NO GULLS ALLOWED
A day after a gull may have helped decide a game in Cleveland, the Indians responded by setting off fireworks every half inning to keep the flocks at bay. Thursday night, Shin-Soo Choo's single in the 10th inning struck one, allowing the winning run to score without a throw in a victory against the Kansas City Royals. On Friday night, the seabirds were largely absent. A few flew around the ballpark's upper deck, but none landed on the field.
SPEAKING
"We hear that everywhere because he's a rock star, a teen idol, the package,'' Twins manager Ron Gardenhire on catcher Joe Mauer, who was greeted with "M-V-P!'' chants in Minnesota's 7-4 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
"As soon as I slid in, I hugged Jete and I said, `What just happened?' because I couldn't believe it,'' - Mark Teixeira after scoring the winning run from first when Mets second baseman Luis Castillo dropped a popup with two outs in the ninth to give the Yankees a 9-8 win Friday night.
Blade
Gives the Group In the Section
MLB Trends
To Look at different views on Team Production
Placed Friday in MLB Trend Section
MLB Trends
Friday's List
Worst all-time Inter League Teams
1. Pittsburgh Pirates 64-105 .379
2. Baltimore Orioles 92-122 .430
3. San Diego Padres 83-111 .428
4. Tampa Bay Rays 88-111 .442
5. Cincinnati Reds 79-96 .457
Worst all-time Inter League Teams
1. Pittsburgh Pirates Lost
2. Baltimore Orioles Lost
3. San Diego Padres Lost
4. Tampa Bay Rays ( Won by 1 Run Vs Nationals )
5. Cincinnati Reds Lost
___________________
Best all-time Inter League Teams
1. New York Yankees 124-89 .582
2. Minnesota Twins 123-90 .578
3. Oakland Athletics 124-91 .577
4. Chicago White Sox 118-96 .551
5. Boston Red Sox 117-97 .547
Best all-time Inter League Teams
1. New York Yankees Won
2. Minnesota Twins Won ( Underdog )
3. Oakland Athletics Lost Underdog
4. Chicago White Sox Lost Underdog
5. Boston Red Sox Won
Friday Night
Service Trends
Services To Watch
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David Banks 5-1
Street Rosenthal 2-0 (3-1 the night before)
Indian Cowboy 1-0 (6-0-1 for the week)
Chris James 1-0(7-0 for the week)
Seabass 4-1
Randall the Handle ( 3 - 0 )
Matt Rivers ( INTERLEAGUE GAME OF THE YEAR )
Ted Covers ( 2 - 0 )
The Consensus Group Guaranteed Selection ( 1 - 0 )
Services to Avoid
_________________
Smooth 44 0-4
Watch his Punck & Kick Plays ( 38 % Winners )
List him as Death to Smoochy
_______________
KBHoops ( 0 - 4 )
igz1 sports 0-3
Consensus picks 0-2
Steve Budin 0-1(25 dimer)
Al Demarco 0-1 (5 dimer)
Destroy the books 2-3 (lost a -200 Unit Play )
Vegas Runner (lost total of the week)
Allen Eastman ( Game of the Month )
John Morrison 0-1
PowerPlayWins 0 - 1
Marc Lawrence 0 - 1
Ron Raymond 0 - 1
Matt Fargo 0 - 1
Doc Sports Hockey 0-1
Triple Crown 0 - 1
Wayne Root 1-2
Kosmo 1-2
Robert Ferringo 3-7
Has 250 & 300 plays per month
who can track that ???
Sorry I Forgot
BioTrends Lost Over 9 Runs on the Pirates
Sorry !!!