NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia (59-42) at San Francisco (56-47)
Joe Blanton (7-4, 4.11 ERA) looks to continue his stellar pitching as he leads the Phillies against Tim Lincecum (11-3, 2.30) and the Giants as these squads continue their four-game series at AT&T Park.
Cliff Lee threw a gem in his first start with his new team Friday, guiding the Phillies to a 5-1 victory over San Francisco. The win snapped Philadelphia’s modest two-game losing skid – its first such slide since dropping three in a row from June 30-July 2. Since that skid, the Phillies are 20-5 overall, including 6-2 on the road. The defending champs still own baseball’s best road record (32-17), and they’re on additional positive runs of 22-10 against the N.L. West, 13-3 versus right-handed starters and 4-0 on Saturday, but they have lost five of their last seven as an underdog.
San Francisco four-game winning streak came to halt with last night’s loss. However, the Giants are still on upticks of 36-16 at home and 47-21 as a favorite.
The host has won seven of the last 11 meetings in this rivalry, and Philadelphia has lost five of its last eight games at AT&T Park.
Blanton was spectacular in July, going 3-0 with a 1.21 ERA in four starts, with the Phillies winning all four games at home, including Sunday’s 9-2 rout of the Cardinals with the burly right-hander giving up the two runs in eight innings. Blanton, who surrendered just four runs in his four July starts while pitching at least seven innings in each contest, has yielded three runs or fewer in six straight starts and 10 of his last 11.
Blanton is 3-2 with a 4.21 ERA on the road and 1-2 with a 5.74 ERA in five career starts against the Giants (all in interleague play when he was with Oakland). Also, while the Phillies have won four straight games behind Blanton, they’re 0-3 in his last three on the highway and 0-4 in his last four as an underdog.
Lincecum bounced back from a 4-2 loss at Atlanta with Monday’s dominating 4-2 complete-game home win over Pittsburgh, allowing two unearned runs on four hits while striking out a career-high 15. The reigning Cy Young winner has given up three earned runs or fewer in 18 of his 21 starts. With Lincecum on the bump, San Francisco is on tears of 5-2 overall, 5-1 at home and 5-2 on Saturday.
Lincecum is now 6-1 with a 2.13 ERA in 10 home starts and 1-0 with a 4.68 ERA in four career starts against Philadelphia. However, in two outings last year versus the Phillies, Lincecum yielded six runs (only two earned) in 14 innings (1.29 ERA).
The under is 4-1-1 in Blanton’s last six starts overall, 4-0 in his last four on Saturday, 7-3 in Lincecum’s last 10 starts overall and 6-2 in his last eight against the N.L. East.
Philadelphia carries team “under” streaks of 5-1 on the road and 10-3 against the N.L. West, while the Giants are on “under” runs of 5-1 overall, 6-2 at home, 10-4-1 versus the N.L. East, 6-1 against right-handed starters and 13-3 in the third game of a series. Conversely, four of the last six meetings in this rivalry have gone over the total, as have five of the last seven clashes in San Francisco, and the “over” is 4-0 in Lincecum’s four career starts against the Phils.
ATS ADVANTAGE: SAN FRANCISCO and UNDER
AMERICAN LEAGUE
N.Y. Yankees (62-41) at Chicago White Sox (53-51)
The Yankees send red-hot right-hander A.J. Burnett (10-4, 3.53 ERA) to the mound opposite White Sox southpaw John Danks (8-7, 3.89) in the continuation of a four-game series at U.S. Cellular Field.
Chicago followed up Thursday’s 3-2, walk-off victory with a 10-5 blowout win on Friday, quickly overcoming a 3-0 first-inning deficit. Despite winning the first two games of this series, the White Sox have still dropped six of their last nine overall, six of their last nine as an underdog and four of six versus righty starters, but the Pale Hose are on positive runs of 5-1 at home, 5-1 as a home pup, 5-1 against the A.L. East and 8-2 on Saturday.
The Yankees have lost consecutive games for the first time in three weeks, but remain on lengthy upticks of 47-24 overall, 35-17 against the A.L. Central, 18-8 against lefty starters and 41-20 as a favorite. However, they’ve lost six of their last eight on the road and six straight as a road chalk.
New York is still 10-5 in the last 15 meetings in this rivalry (5-3 in Chicago).
Burnett has been dominant over his last six starts, going 5-0 with a 2.00 ERA, and the Yankees won all six games by a combined score of 35-16, including Monday’s 11-4 win at Tampa Bay with Burnett giving up just one unearned run and two hits in seven innings. Additionally, Burnett is 6-1 with a 1.68 ERA in his last eight starts, including 3-1 with a 1.01 ERA in four games on the road. For the season, the veteran hurler is 6-3 with a 3.38 ERA as a visitor.
Not only have the Yankees won six straight games with Burnett on the mound, but they’re 12-2 in his last 14 starts as a favorite and 4-0 in his last four against the A.L. Central. In five career starts against the ChiSox, he’s 2-2 with a 2.78 ERA.
Danks suffered a 4-3 loss at Minnesota on Monday, allowing all four runs (two earned) in seven innings. It was the seventh time in his last eight starts that Danks gave up three earned runs or fewer. He’s just 3-4 on his home turf despite a solid 3.52 ERA, and he’s 2-0 with a 1.78 ERA in four daytime outings.
With Danks pitching, Chicago sports trends of 4-0 on Saturday and 4-1 against the A.L. East, but 2-5 as a home underdog. The lefty has faced the Yankees just twice – both in 2007 – going 0-1 with a 6.10 ERA.
The under is 6-1 in Burnett’s last seven starts overall, 5-1-1 in his last seven on the road, 4-0 in his last four against the A.L. Central, 7-2 in Danks’ last nine outings overall, 4-1 in his last five at home and 6-2 in his last eight on Saturday.
For New York, the “under” is on runs of 10-4-1 overall, 5-2 on Saturday, 9-3-1 as a favorite and 4-1 against the A.L. Central. Similarly, Chicago carries “under” streaks of 35-18-2 overall, 38-17 at The Cell, 23-9-2 as an underdog, 7-1 against right-handed starters and 5-1 versus the A.L. East. Lastly, the under is 4-2 in the last six clashes between these teams, but five of the last six battles in the Windy City have gone over the total.
ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. YANKEES and UNDER
Gametimepicks.com
Saturday at the Park
By Kevin Rogers
The first Saturday afternoon card of August features a trio of games that involve five of six teams in playoff contention (sorry, Royals). The two clubs with the best records in baseball, the Dodgers and Yankees are highlighted in this edition of Saturday Tips.
Yankees at White Sox (4:05 PM EST)
A pair of teams with playoff aspirations hook up for the third game of a four-game set at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox were on a tremendous 'under' streak, nailing it in nine straight games until Friday's 'over.' In seven of Chicago's last ten games, the Sox have scored three runs or less. The Yankees, meanwhile, are on an 11-5 run since the All-Star Break.
A.J. Burnett (10-4, 3.53 ERA) is one of the hotter pitchers in baseball, going 5-0 his last six starts (Yanks have won all six games). The 'under' is on a nice run in Burnett's starts, hitting in six of the last seven. Burnett's day numbers are fantastic this season, compiling a 4-0 mark under the sun, to go along with a 3.86 ERA.
John Danks (8-7, 3.89 ERA) has been inconsistent all season long, as the Sox are 10-9 in his 19 starts. The Sox southpaw produced consecutive scoreless outings against the Cubs and Royals, but then allowed seven earned runs in his next two starts. Similarly to Burnett, Danks has done well during the day, going 2-0 with an ERA of 1.78 under the sun this season.
The White Sox have hit the 'under' in 11 of 15 home day games against right-handed starters, and seven of eight overall against righties.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants has listed the Yankees as a $1.35 road favorites, with the total set at 8 ½.
Dodgers at Braves (4:05 PM EST)
Los Angeles continues its road trip after stumbling in St. Louis, dropping two of three to the Cardinals. The Braves, meanwhile, are still in the thick of the NL Wild Card race, sitting four games behind the Giants following a 5-0 loss Friday.
Former Dodger Derek Lowe (10-7, 4.20 ERA) sees his old 'mates for the first time since last season. Lowe has won four consecutive starts, tossing six innings in each outing. Lowe's home numbers are decent, with a 4-2 mark and ERA of 3.88.
Randy Wolf (5-5, 3.43 ERA) has made 22 starts this season, but figured in the decision only ten times. The Dodgers southpaw has compiled quality starts in seven of his last eight starts, but is coming off a loss his last trip to the mound, a 6-1 defeat at St. Louis. Interestingly, the Dodgers have alternated wins and losses in Wolf's last eight outings. As a member of the Padres last season, Wolf put up pedestrian numbers against Atlanta. The lefty allowed 11 earned runs in 11 innings of work, going 0-2.
The Braves are a $1.40 home 'chalk,' with the total set at 8 ½, according to LVSC.
Royals at Rays (4:05 PM EST)
The Rays have owned the Royals this season, winning all seven meetings. Tampa Bay earned every victory in their last series in Kansas City. The Rays rallied for a win in all three games, sweeping the series. Joe Maddon's team has stumbled since then, going 5-6, including series losses to the White Sox and Yankees.
The Royals are 4-16 their last 20 games, competing with the Indians for last place in the AL Central. Kansas City sends out journeyman left-hander Bruce Chen (0-5, 6.39 ERA), who is seeking his first win since 2005, which coincidentally came at Tropicana Field against the Rays. Chen's numbers are obviously less than impressive, but the one consistency with the southpaw is five 'unders' in his seven starts.
Jeff Niemann (9-5, 3.81 ERA) looks to rebound following a shaky start at Toronto his last time out. The Rays righty had won his last five decisions prior to the loss to the Blue Jays. Niemann receives plenty of run support, as the Rays are averaging 6.4 runs/game in his 19 starts.
LVSC has listed the Rays as a heavy $2.30 favorite, with the total listed at 10.
vegasinsider.com
Saturday under the lights
By Judd Hall
The mad dash for to improve themselves at the trade deadline is now just a distant memory. Now everyone can hit the pennant chase at full force. We’ve got two in the National League that have piqued my interest. Let’s take a look at them.
Cubs at Marlins – 7:10 p.m. EDT
A lot of people wrote the Marlins off after getting swept by Philadelphia at Landshark Stadium in the middle of July. Yet Florida is still standing strong, six games behind the Phils in the NL East and two games out for the Wild Card lead.
The Cubs are currently see-sawing with St. Louis for first place in the NL Central. But you have to think that Chicago is poised to put a little distance between themselves and second place as they’re 11-4 since the All-Star break.
Chicago is sending Carlos Zambrano (7-4, 3.36 ERA) out to the hill to start the second game of this series. He’s been an ATM machine for bettors recently as the Cubbies are 5-1 in his last five starts this year. Zambrano has been a force at the plate as well, hitting .220 with three homers and seven runs batted in.
Florida hands the ball over to Burke Bradenhop (5-4, 3.46 ERA) for this battle. This is Bradenhop’s second start of the year. He fared well in that spot back on May 27, giving up one earned run on five hits in five innings of work at home against the Phils.
While Bradenhop doesn’t have a lot of starts under his belt, he know he has the full support of the Marlin’s offense in this spot. The Fish are hitting .281 and scoring an average of five runs in their last four games. They are striking out a lot though, as evidenced by a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3:1 in that spread.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants have installed the Cubbies as $1.55 road favorites (risk $155 to win $100) with a total of 8 ½.
Gamblers should have no problem putting faith in Chicago’s hurler for this matchup. Zambrano is 5-1 with a 3.09 earned run average in 10 career starts against the Marlins. It also helps to know that Florida is 11-15 at home against right-handers under the lights.
Bettors can also take a look at the ‘over’ for this game. The Marlins have seen the ‘over’ go 28-21 for the season at Landshark Stadium, 22-17 in night matches.
Phillies at Giants – 9:05 p.m. EDT
Well, the Phillies got to try out their latest new toy in Cliff Lee on Friday, but now they get back to the regular guys in the rotation. Philadelphia will send Joe Blanton (7-4, 4.11 ERA) out to the hill to start on Saturday night.
Blanton has bounced back from that nasty stretch where the Phils dropped five straight of his starts with a four-game win streak. During this recent run he has lasted at least seven innings and has an ERA of 1.23. Philadelphia is 4-4 in Blanton’s eight road starts in 2009. However, they have dropped his last three outings away from Citizens Bank Park.
San Francisco is doing a fine job of weathering the storm as they’re now back on top of the ladder in the NL Wild Card race as they’ve won six of its last eight matches. The Giants should feel plenty confident in taking Game 3 of this series with Tim Lincecum (11-3, 2.30 ERA) toeing the slab.
The Giants have fared well when their ace is on the mound by winning five of his last seven starts. It is troubling for Lincecum that he’s not getting any support at the plate as the offense has scored just seven runs combined over his last three appearances. The positive for gamblers is that the ‘under’ has cashed in those three tilts.
Most betting shops have made San Francisco a $1.40 home “chalk” with the total coming in at seven.
Something will have to budge here between these clubs as they’re both tremendously strong against right-handed pitching: Philly is 16-9 against righties in primetime road tilts, while San Fran is 18-7 against right-handers in home matches at night.
Saturday’s haven’t been profitable for San Francisco backers this year, as evidenced by a 6-10 record on the first day of the weekend. Philadelphia is the exact opposite with a 10-6 mark on the last day of the week.
The total is deadlocked at 17-17 for the Phillies nighttime road affairs in 2009. The Giants have seen the same thing happen as the total is 15-15 in primetime tilts at AT&T Park this year.
gasinsider.com
Surging!!
By SportsPic
Cubbies off a 6-1 (+$498) home-stand part of it's 18-8 (+$904) July surge look to stay atop the Central Division when they visit Florida Marlins. Cubbies have taken 3-of-4 meetings this season but it is well to note those games were at Wrigley and that Cubs enter the weekend a dismal 7-13 last twenty meetings including a horrid 2-7 as visitor in the series. Cubs not exactly the best on the highway at 21-27 (+$-859) and just 2-14 as road favorites will be tested. However, when all said done Cubs should grab a series victory. Opening with Rich Harden who comes in allowing just 3 runs his last three on the bump puts Cubbies in good hands, Fish are 3-14 at home scoring three or less runs. Saturday Big Z toes rubber with a perfect 7-0 TSR vs Marlins wearing a Chicago uniform. Sunday could be dicey when Ryan Dempster is hooked up with Ricky Nolasco. Cubs have not has success with Dempster of late going 1-6 in his last seven starts where-as Marlins have won 7 of their last 9 with Nolasco touching toe to rubber. Key trends, Cubs are 8-3 last eleven as road favorites, Marlins are 8-14 vs the Central this season.
Saturday's streaking and slumping starting pitchers
By Covers.com
Streaking
Joe Blanton (Philadelphia Phillies)
Has the 28-year-old emerged as the team’s ace? With Cole Hamels struggling to pitch consistently and Cliff Lee just recently acquired, Blanton has submitted a July that says he deserves the ball when his team needs a win.
The right-hander is 3-0 this month with a 1.21 ERA. In his most recent outing, Blanton (7-4, 4.11 ERA) allowed just two runs on seven hits over eight innings of a 9-2 win over the Cardinals. In that game, he also struck out six against only one walk. Blanton has allowed more than three earned runs only once since May 21 and has won six of his past seven decisions.
"He's surprised me from the time I saw him in Oakland to coming over here," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel told the Associated Press.
A.J. Burnett (New York Yankees)
If only Burnett put a season together like this in Toronto. The 32-year-old has won five straight decisions as he's emerged as a contender for the AL Cy Young award.
Burnett (10-4, 3.53 ERA) needs to cut down his walks – an AL-leading, 63 – but has been dominant otherwise, not allowing more than three earned runs in a start since May 22. In his most recent outing, Burnett gave up just two hits and an unearned run over seven innings in an 11-4 blowout of Tampa Bay.
Overall, the Yankees have won in each of his past six starts.
Slumping
Oliver Perez (New York Mets)
Reliable is the least-likely word Mets fans would use to describe Perez.
His erratic play has been a huge issue this season for New York, as Perez is 2-3 with a 7.42 ERA. Since coming off the disabled list in early July, he has failed to last more than six innings in any of his starts and walked at least four batters in each of them. Perez’s 2.02 WHIP (walks + hits over innings pitched) is easily one of the worst marks by a starter in either league.
"I'm really concerned about him,” Mets manager Jerry Manuel told the Associated Press earlier this year. “I don't know what we should do.”
Bruce Chen (Kansas City Royals)
The day the Royals decided to buy Chen’s Triple-A contract in late June, he wasn’t just penciled into a starting spot – he was penciled in as a regular in our “Slumping” section.
Chen (0-5, 6.39 ERA) has allowed seven home runs in six starts this season, but that shouldn’t be surprising. He's recorded 78 outs via fly balls, compared to just 25 groundouts. Also, He hasn’t lasted past the sixth inning this month and the team has won only one of his starts.
In his two most recent outings, he has yielded six runs on 15 hits over 10 innings.
Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
Saturday, Aug. 1
Houston at St. Louis (7:10 p.m. EDT). The Astros send 10-game winner Wandy Rodriguez up against Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter (9-3) in a matchup of NL Central rivals.
STARS
Friday
-Cliff Lee, Phillies, pitched a four-hitter, carrying a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and even added two hits with the bat, and Philadelphia beat San Francisco 5-1.
-Matt Holliday, Cardinals, had four hits for the second time in his eight games with St. Louis in a 4-3 victory over Houston.
-David Price, Rays, allowed one run over seven innings to help Tampa Bay beat Kansas City 8-2.
-Carlos Quentin, White Sox, homered and had a go-ahead RBI double as Chicago beat the New York Yankees 10-5.
-Jason Schmidt, Dodgers, gave up one hit in six innings for his longest start in more than two years as Los Angeles beat Atlanta 5-0.
-Steve Pearce and Lastings Milledge, Pirates, Peace hit his first homer of the season and Milledge had two RBI singles in his Pittsburgh debut as the Pirates snapped a five-game losing streak with a 5-4 win over the Nationals.
SENT PACKING
Jake Peavy said yes to the Chicago White Sox, and Victor Martinez will take aim at the Green Monster. Roy Halladay, however, stayed put in Toronto. Highlighting a flurry of deals finished just before the trade deadline, Peavy was shipped out of San Diego on Friday while Martinez went from the rebuilding Cleveland Indians to a contender in Boston. Scott Rolen, Jarrod Washburn, Orlando Cabrera and Nick Johnson were other notable players on the move as teams stocked up for the stretch drive during a busy day that featured 11 trades.
SUPER START
Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday was 4 for 4 and had an RBI single in the fourth, duplicating his four-hit game in Philadelphia a week ago in his St. Louis debut. He is batting .586 (17 for 29) with a homer and eight RBIs since joining the Cardinals in a trade from Oakland. He is the first Cardinal to hit in his first eight games with the team since Roger Maris in 1967, and he is the first Cardinal since 1954 to reach base safely two or more times in his first eight games.
SETBACK
David Ortiz homered for the second straight game after he it was reported Thursday that he and former teammate Manny Ramirez were among the 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs six years ago. Ortiz hit a two-run shot in the Red Sox 6-5 victory over Baltimore.
REHABBING
Pedro Martinez allowed five runs - four earned - and three hits in five innings of a rehab start for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Philadelphia Phillies' top minor league affiliate. Using a fastball that reached 93 mph on the stadium radar gun and an effective changeup, Martinez breezed through four innings against the Columbus Clippers, allowing only one run. He then gave up four more in a 35-pitch fifth.
STRONG SCHIMDT
Jason Schmidt, making only his third start of the season, gave up just one run in six innings in his longest start in more than two years. His ERA dropped from 7.88 to 4.50 with the strong start against the Braves, who the Dodgers beat 5-0. Schmidt walked five and struck out three. The right-hander missed 2008 after surgery on June 20, 2007 repaired a torn labrum and a frayed biceps tendon in his right shoulder.
RALLY MONKEY RETURN
The Los Angeles Angels recorded their major league-leading 34th comeback victory, 11-5 over the Minnesota Twins. The Angels, who have come from behind in 13 of their past 18 victories, had six hits and two walks against three Minnesota relievers before making an out in the 11th. As a result, the Angels improved to 12-3 since the All-Star break and they completed July with a 19-7 record, averaging 7.1 runs per game.
RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY
The Rangers and Mariners sat thru a rain delay of 2 hours, 18 minutes in the seventh inning. The whole game itself took less to complete in actual playing time finishing eight minutes quicker than the stoppage.
SPEAKING
"It's tough because I'm leaving my house. This was my house. It's really tough.''- Indians catcher Victor Martinez on learning he'd been traded to Boston. The 30-year old Martinez spent his entire career with Cleveland after being signed by the Indians when he was 17.