Saturday's Streaking and Slumping Starting Pitchers
Streaking
Kevin Slowey, Minnesota Twins (11-5, 4.22 ERA)
Slowey was pulled after seven innings of a no-hit bid in his last outing to protect his arm. The tendinitis may show up on the MRI, but not on his ERA. In his last three starts he is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA. He will likely be on a pitch count again today.
Kevin Correia, San Diego Padres (10-7, 4.63 ERA)
Correia has turned it on since the All-Star break, going 5-1 with a 3.00 ERA in his six starts since the Midsummer Classic. The righty has been particularly impressive in his last three starts, going 3-0 with two scoreless outings and striking out 12 batters to only three walks.
Slumping
Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants (11-7, 3.62 ERA)
"The Freak" has lived up to his nickname for all the wrong reasons in his last three starts, going 0-3 with a freakish 9.00 ERA during that spell. He's lasted four innings or less in his last two home outings, allowing 11 earned runs in just 7 2/3 innings. On the bright side, the Giants are 9-3 in his last 12 road starts so maybe a change of venue will do him good.
Freddy Garcia, Chicago White Sox (10-5, 5.07 ERA)
Garcia got knocked around for five earned runs in five innings of work in his last start against the Tigers, extending his cold streak since the All-Star break. The righty's ERA has ballooned to 8.84 over his last five starts.
Saturday's FOX Notes
By Chris David
Saturday’s FOX pro baseball slate features three playoff contenders on the diamond, with the Braves, Rangers and Twins looking to continue their postseason push. Even though these clubs have serious shots to go dancing, it doesn’t mean they’re automatic locks at the betting counter. Let’s take a closer look at their matchups this afternoon. The first pitch for each contest is slated for 4:10 p.m. EDT.
Atlanta at Chicago Cubs
The Braves still hold a three-game lead over the Phillies in the National League East but that gap has shrunk in the second-half of the season. After notching a 5-2 mark in its recent homstand, Atlanta stayed hot on Friday by rallying past the Cubs for a 5-3 victory. The loss for Chicago was its eighth straight at home, which is its longest skid in four years, and also was the fifth consecutive overall. Lou Piniella’s squad is now 4-19 in their last 23 games and Friday’s afternoon choke job defined the disappointing season at Wrigley Field.
Most of Atlanta’s success has come at home (44-17) this season, but winning on the road (28-33) has been a different story. While they’ve been inconsistent, the Cubs have been consistently bad at home (27-37) and on the road (23-36).
The Braves’ Tommy Hanson (8-8, 3.41 ERA) will look to hand the Cubs another home loss on Saturday and he’s got a nice chance to do so. Hanson has had three straight no decisions but the Braves have won two of the battles. In those starts, he’s only allowed 10 hits and two earned runs over 21 innings. Hanson has only faced the Cubs once in his career, and he came up on the wrong side (0-2), which occurred on Apr. 8 earlier this season. Hanson and the Braves have been installed as a medium favorites (-155) for the afternoon tilt.
Countering Atlanta will be the Cubs’ Tom Gorzelanny (6-7, 3.85 ERA). The left-hander has been off his game lately and Chicago has dropped all of his last four starts. During this stretch, he’s been tattooed for 30 hits and 17 earned runs, despite going 25 2/3 innings. Atlanta has fared decent against southpaws (22-20) this season, but its only 2-6 in afternoon road games versus lefties.
Including yesterday’s win, Atlanta has gone 3-1 in its four meetings with Chicago this season. The ‘under’ has posted a 3-1 mark as well.
Texas at Baltimore
The Rangers and Orioles continue their four-game set on Saturday from Camden Yards and the visitor is laying some serious wood (-240) at most betting shops. Before we delve into the pitching matchups, the home underdog appears to present value especially when you look at the head-to-head matchups this season. Texas beat Baltimore (4-3, 13-7) in mid-May at home but the Orioles bounced back with an eye opening four-game road sweep just before the All-Star break.
Baltimore also took the opener in this set on Thursday with a 4-0 shutout but not before Texas bounced back with a 2-0 victory on Friday. The win for the Rangers snapped a four-game losing streak but make a note that the team is still 4-7 in their last 11 games. Despite the late-season slump, they still hold a comfortable eight-game lead over the L.A. Angels in the American League West.
Texas has a good opportunity to show its muscle again this afternoon when its ace Cliff Lee (10-6, 2.77 ERA) takes the hill. Even though Lee is arguably the best pitcher in baseball, the Rangers have only gone 3-5 in his eight starts with the club and that includes back-to-back losses to the Yankees (6-7) and Rays (4-6) in his last two. To his defense, Lee was in control in both contests but he faltered late and the bullpen couldn’t hold leads. Against Baltimore, Lee has gone 4-1 with a 3.14 ERA and the one loss occurred in his Rangers’ debut on July 10. The Orioles have had trouble versus lefties this season, averaging 3.3 runs per game, which has translated into a 12-26 record.
Baltimore’s Brad Bergesen (4-9, 5.80 ERA) gets a chance to outshine Lee and the club should have confidence behind the hurler. The Orioles have won all of his last three appearances albeit against weaker lineups in the White Sox (2-1), Indians (3-1) and Mariners (5-4). Bergesen has started once against Texas in his career and was lit up for 10 hits and five earned runs in just four innings.
Total players should make a note that Rangers have watched the ‘under’ go 6-2 in Lee’s eight appearances, but his last two games went ‘over.’ Most sportsbooks have the total hovering at either 7 ½ or 8 runs for today.
L.A. Angels at Minnesota
The Twins appear to be finding their postseason form at the right time and you can tell by looking at the latest standings. Minnesota holds a 4 1/2-game lead over the White Sox in the AL Central and it’s due to their second-half surge. Ron Gardenhire’s team has gone 25-9 since the All-Star break and that includes a 13-5 record at Target Field.
Last night, Minnesota showed why some pundits are calling the club a “Sleeping Giant.” They dominated the Angels behind a sound hitting offense, plus they got a great performance from Brian Duensing.
On Saturday, Kyle Slowey (11-5, 4.22 ERA) will look to keep the Twins rolling along and he’s been in good form. He’s gone 3-0 in his last four starts, which includes a no-hit performance through seven innings on Sunday against the Athletics. Despite flirting with history, Slowey’s pitch count was high and he’s had elbow tendinitis issues. Helping Slowey’s confidence during this stretch has been an offense that has posted 26 runs over the four games. The right-hander has been listed as a $1.90 favorite at most shops for this afternoon, while the total is hovering around 9 1/2 runs.
The Angels will counter with Trevor Bell (1-3, 5.40 ERA) this afternoon, who pitched three innings in relief Tuesday. Los Angeles has had trouble with its rotation all season, which is why he’s getting the not as the fifth starter against Minnesota. In three starts this season, Bell is 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA.
After Friday’s win, Minnesota now owns a 4-1 record against Los Angeles this season.
vegasinsider.com
MLB RoundUp For 8/21
By Dan Bebe
National League
Mets (-121) @ Pirates with a total of 8
Considering how awful the Pirates are, it's a wonder this line is so low. The number is so damn strong in favor of Pittsburgh, I just don't know if I can touch this one. One of the fishiest lines on the board already, and it's coming down off the opening number. I would back the Mets, but something weird is going on.
Nationals (-110) @ Phillies with a total of 8
I happen to actually believe that, despite Washington's issues with the road and Strasburg's crummy first start off the DL, that Washington isn't a bad price here. Kendrick has been awful against the Nats in his career, and Strasburg hasn't faced the Phils. Admittedly, Philly can hit, and they'll test the young phenom, but I think he bounces back from that last start with a little better showing today.
Astros @ Marlins (-130) with a total of 8.5
Volstad is still a guy I look to fade right off the bat. Yes, when he faces the Nationals, he finds ways to get wins, but the Astros aren't from the Nation's capital. In fact, while Volstad is 1-0 against Houston, his ERA is near 5. Wandy, meanwhile, has a very strong 3-1, 2.76 lifetime mark against the Marlins, and he's been pitching his butt off in the season's second half. Off yesterday's drubbing, the Astros should be looking to punch back, even if it's an open-handed slap. They're a live dog, if nothing else.
Padres (-125) @ Brewers with a total of 9
I'm not sure this game should have made the cut for interesting match-up to do a writeup for on the weekend, but hey, whatever. Correia is coming off a decent start, and he's usually good to at least keep the Padres in the game. Narveson, to me, is one of the worst starters in the NL, and while, perhaps, the future isn't all that dim, the present has been. Padres or nothing, here.
Giants @ Cardinals (-156) with a total of 7
Tim Lincecum is getting an absolute ton of bad publicity lately. What does that mean? That's right, back him. This is when his value has peaked. He's 5-0 with a microscopic 1.54 ERA lifetime against the Cardinals, and even though he's struggled a tad, this is the perfect time to jump back on, before the rest of the globe does. It's a little scary with Carpenter on the other side, and such a tempting line on Lincecum, so I might, in fact, just watch, but mark my words, his value is not going to get much higher.
Reds @ Dodgers (-118) with a total of 7.5
There's very little reason to think the Dodgers score more than 2 runs in this one. Do the Reds score 3? Billingsley has had a very nice second half, and he's from Ohio, so there might be a little extra motivation to pitch well against one of the teams he knew growing up. Still, Cincinnati is a team on a mission, and the Dodgers are a team that's looking to go on vacation.
American League
Blue Jays @ Red Sox (-133) with a total of 8.5
It almost feels too easy to back the Red Sox, doesn't it? I wonder, though, if Ricky Romero is truly that good, that he can draw money at this price despite his struggles against the Red Sox. Matsuzaka isn't necessarily a beast against the Jays, and we should definitely see some runs here. Hell, if Toronto winning 16-2 in yesterday's series opener wasn't an indicator of the fun to come, I don't know what is.
Rays (-125) @ Athletics with a total of 6.5
This is a hell of a pitchers' duel, and to the A's credit, they're playing good ball, at home. I can't help but think that with yesterday's game getting to 9 runs, and this total so low, we might sneak to 7 runs in this one. I don't much care for the side, since both pitchers could be amazing, and a bloop and a blast could potentially decide the game, but those same bloop/blast combos should push this thing to 7 runs.