Sunday's Tip Sheet
By Brad Young
The brief three-game interleague matchups conclude Sunday, but will begin again in mid-June. Teams will return to their respective leagues as division races start to take shape. Here’s a closer look at four of Sunday’s key contests.
**Rangers (McCarthy) at Astros (Hampton)**
-Las Vegas Sports Consultants installed Houston as a $1.10 home ‘chalk’ over Texas, with the total listed at 10 ‘over’ (minus $1.20). This interleague matchup is slated to start at 2:05 p.m. ET.
-Texas hurler Brandon McCarthy (3-2, 5.60 ERA) dropped to 0-2 his last three starts after Tuesday’s setback to Detroit as a $1.25 road favorite, 4-0. The right-hander went seven innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
-The four runs never seriously threatened the 11-run closing total, ending a string of seven straight ‘over’ outings for the 25-year-old.
-McCarthy, a five-year veteran, has not started against the Astros the previous few years.
-Houston southpaw Mike Hampton (2-3, 5.23 ERA) is off Tuesday’s no decision against Milwaukee. The 5-foot-10 hurler was reached for two runs on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts over four innings.
-The Astros ended up dropping that affair as a $1.15 home underdog, 4-2, while the combined six runs went ‘under’ the 9 ½-run closing total. The ‘over’ had gone 3-0-1 his previous four outings.
-Hampton, pitching in the league since 1993, has not started against the Rangers the last few seasons.
**Royals (Bannister) at Cardinals (Pineiro)**
-LVSC opened St. Louis as a $1.37 home favorite over Kansas City, with the total listed at nine ‘under’ (minus $1.20). This game is scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m. ET.
-Kansas City’s Brian Bannister (3-1, 2.75 ERA) finagled a no-decision in Tuesday’s matchup with Cleveland, getting tagged for five runs on nine hits (one home run) with a walk and four strikeouts over six innings.
-The Royals eventually won that matchup as a $1.20 home underdog, 6-5, while the combined 11 runs eclipsed the 8 ½-run closing total. The ‘over’ has gone 3-1 his last four starts.
-Bannister went 1-1 against the Cardinals last year in two starts, going a combined 11 2/3 innings while surrendering nine runs on 18 hits (one home run) with four walks and two strikeouts. The Royals prevailed as a $1.15 road underdog, 3-2, while losing as a $1.17 home favorite, 9-6.
-St. Louis right-hander Joel Pineiro (5-3, 3.48 ERA) ended a personal three-game losing streak with his complete-game effort over Chicago Tuesday as a $1.13 home underdog, 3-0. The Puerto Rico native was tagged for just three hits with no walks and five strikeouts.
-The three runs never seriously threatened the nine-run closing total, enabling the ‘under’ to go 5-1 his last six outings.
-Pineiro went 0-1 against the Royals last year in two starts, going a combined 14 2/3 innings while yielding eight runs on 17 hits (one home run) with two walks and six strikeouts. The Cardinals fell as a $1.35 home ‘chalk,’ 2-1, and as a $1.15 road ‘dog, 7-2.
**Angels (Palmer) at Dodgers (Billingsley)**
-LVSC lists the Dodgers as a $1.77 home ‘chalk’ over the Angels, with the total set at eight ‘over’ (minus $1.15). This contest is scheduled to begin at 4:10 p.m. ET.
-Los Angeles Angels pitcher Matt Palmer (5-0, 4.26 ERA) continued his winning ways by upending Seattle Tuesday in a subpar effort as a $1.45 road underdog, 6-5. The Southwest Missouri State product was reached for five runs on seven hits (two home runs) with three walks and two strikeouts over five innings.
-The combined 11 runs toppled the 7 ½-run closing total, helping the ‘over’ go 4-1 his five starts.
-Palmer, a two-year veteran, has never started against the Dodgers in his brief career.
-The Dodgers’ Chad Billingsley (6-1, 2.51 ERA) toppled New York Tuesday as a $1.40 home ‘chalk,’ 5-3. The four-year veteran tossed 6 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits with five walks and seven strikeouts.
-The combined eight runs landed directly on the closing total for the second consecutive contest.
-Billingsley beat the Angels last year as a $1.20 home favorite, 1-0, tossing seven innings of scoreless ball on three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. The lone run failed to eclipse the 7 ½-run closing total.
**Brewers (Bush) at Twins (Baker)**
-LVSC opened Minnesota as a $1.15 home favorite over Milwaukee, with the total listed at 9 ½ ‘under’ (minus $1.25). This game is slated to start at 8:05 p.m. ET.
-Milwaukee’s David Bush (3-0, 3.46 ERA) is off Tuesday’s victory over Houston as a $1.25 road ‘chalk,’ 4-2. The Wake Forest product tossed six innings, yielding both runs on seven hits (one home run) with a walk and two strikeouts.
-The combined six runs failed to topple the 9 ½-run closing total, enabling the ‘under’ to go 5-1-1 his last seven starts.
-Bush fell to the Twins last season as a $1.35 home favorite, 10-2, going six innings while allowing four runs (three earned) on 10 hits with a walk and three strikeouts. The combined 12 runs failed to eclipse the 9 ½-run closing total.
-Minnesota pitcher Scott Baker (1-5, 6.98 ERA) dropped Tuesday’s matchup with Chicago as a $1.08 road underdog, 6-2. The 27-year-old went five innings, surrendering four runs on five hits (two home runs) with four walks and four strikeouts.
-The combined eight runs failed to eclipse the 8 ½-run closing total, ending a string of three straight ‘over’ outings for the right-hander.
-Baker fell to the Brewers last year as a $1.15 road underdog, 4-2, allowing three runs on seven hits (one home run) with two walks and nine strikeouts over six innings. The combined six runs went ‘under’ the nine-run closing total.
vegasinsider.com
Game of the day: Angels at Dodgers
By Marc Lawrence
Los Angeles Angels at Los Angeles Dodgers (-184, 8)
It’s a short drive from Anaheim to Chavez Ravine where the cross town rival Angels and Dodgers will battle when Matt Palmer (5-0, 4.26 ERA) takes on Chad Billingsley (6-1, 2.51 ERA)
Man oh Manny
It’s a fact. Seven of the Top-10 home run hitters since 1980 have been linked with steroids. The newest member in the club is Manny Ramirez, currently sitting out a 50-game suspension for taking HGC, a fertility drug used to cause ovulation.
On May 6, Ramirez batted in the middle of their order as the Dodgers won a record-setting 13th consecutive home game to start the season. On May 7, Ramirez began a 50-game suspension for violating baseball's anti-drug program.
The feeling in the clubhouse was disbelief. "Sick and saddened," was the way general manager Ned Colletti described it. "Somber atmosphere," outfielder Andre Ethier said. "Disappointment. A little shock."
It’s been almost three weeks since the stunning news. The Dodgers were 21-8 with a 6.5-game lead on the second-place Giants at the time. Surprisingly, heading into the weekend series with the Angels, they had actually increased their lead to 8.5 games with Manny on his cycle.
Vlad to have you back
Last year at this time, the Angels were tied with the Oakland A's atop the American League West before pulling away en route to the franchise's first 100-win season.
The Halos started slow this year before being dealt a cruel blow in April when pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed in a tragic car accident. Following that tragedy, the Halos lost seven pitchers and top slugger Vladimir Guerrero to the DL.
Thanks to outstanding play from outfielder Torri Hunter and rock-solid efforts from their pitching staff, the Angels are back in the pennant race. Hunter leads the club in both home runs and RBIs and is playing Gold-Glove defense.
The best news is the return of Guerrero. His numbers with the Halos have been super. Vlad has hit .300 or better with 27 or more home runs in every season in Los Angeles.
Don’t be surprised if this isn’t a preview of the 2009 World Series.
Work horses
Chad Billingsley has become the ace of the Dodgers staff. He is second in the National League with 61 innings pitched and leads the majors in pitches thrown with 991. As a result, he's also thrown the most pitches per start, averaging just over 110 pitches per appearance.
Matt Palmer is the best surprise starter in the big leagues this season. The 30-year-old rookie is unbeaten, including a 9-inning complete-game victory against the Red Sox on May 13. Palmer lasted only five innings in his last start, a 6-5 win over the Mariners Tuesday.
History says
Prior to the start of this series, the Angels have defeated the Dodgers in 10 of the last 14 meetings in this series but were only 3-7 their last 10 games at Chavez Ravine.
The Dodgers enjoy home cooking on Sundays, where they are 8-2 the last 10 games.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Philadelphia (23-18) at N.Y. Yankees (25-18)
After another walk-off victory on Saturday, the Yankees send southpaw C.C. Sabathia (4-3, 3.43 ERA) to the hill looking to take the rubber game against the Phillies and lefty Cole Hamels (2-2, 4.95) as these two wrap up their weekend interleague series at new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
New York got a two-run homer from Alex Rodriguez to tie the game in the ninth inning on Saturday and Melky Cabrera delivered the game-ending RBI single to give the Yankees a 5-4 victory, their fourth walk-off victory on this 10-game homestand. New York has won 10 of its last 11 and is 8-1 on the homestand and has cashed in nine of its last 10 as a favorite. The Yankees are also on positive runs of 38-19 at home, 55-21 when hosting N.L. opponents, 11-4 against lefty starters, 55-21 at home versus left-handers and 35-16 on Sundays.
Philadelphia is 7-2 on its 10-game road trip that wraps up today, and is 15-6 on the highway this season. The defending champs are on additional streaks of 24-10 on the road dating back to 2008, 19-8 against left-handed starters, 6-2 on the road against southpaws, 5-2 against the A.L. East, 8-4 as a road ‘dog, 39-17 against teams with a winning record and 61-30 on Sundays, but they have dropped 19 of their last 27 interleague games on the highway.
New York has won five of the last seven clashes with the Phillies.
Hamels seems to be rounding into form after battling injuries to start the season. He’s 2-0 in his last three starts with a 2.84 ERA and on Tuesday he gave up three runs on five hits in six innings of a 4-3 road win in Cincinnati. Hamels has one career start against the Yankees and gave up two runs on six hits in seven innings of a 5-0 loss back in 2006. Philadelphia has won four of his last five road starts, but they’ve dropped his last four games when he’s gone off as the ‘dog.
Sabathia has looked like the ace the Yankees need lately, going 3-0 in his last three outings with a 1.12 ERA. On Tuesday he allowed one run on three hits over seven innings of a 9-1 victory over the Orioles. The big lefty faced the Phillies once last season as a member of the Brewers and allowed five runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings of a 5-2 loss.
The under is 4-1 in Hamels’ last five road starts and 10-3-1 in his last 14 starts overall, including 6-2-1 in his last nine against teams with winning records. For Sabathia, the over is 4-0 in his last four outings in front of the home fans.
For the Phillies, the over is 15-5-1 in their last 21 road games and 10-4 in their last 14 as an underdog, but the under is on streaks of 6-1 in interleague play against southpaws and 5-1-1 against the A.L. East. The Yankees are on several “under” streaks, including 10-4-2 against left-handers, 5-1 against teams with winning records, 4-0 on Sundays, 6-0 in interleague games and 6-1 in interleague home games. Finally, the under is 6-1 in the last seven Phillies Yankees contests.
ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. YANKEES and UNDER
N.Y. Mets (23-19) at Boston (25-18)
The Mets will try to make it a three-game sweep at Fenway Park in Boston when they send Tim Redding (0-0, 3.00 ERA) to the mound to face the Red Sox and veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (5-2, 3.59).
New York scored two runs in the top of the ninth and held on to beat the Red Sox 3-2 on Saturday after scoring a 5-3 win Friday night. The Mets opened this current 10-game road trip with three straight wins in San Francisco, then proceeded to drop four in a row before winning the last two nights.
The Red Sox had just swept the Blue Jays at Fenway before the Mets arrived, allowing just five runs in three games to A.L. East-leading Toronto. Even with the two losses to New York, the Boston pitching staff has given up three runs or fewer in six of its last seven games overall and seven of its last nine at home.
Going back to 1999, the home team in this interleague rivalry has won nine of the last 13 with Boston winning four of the last six played at Fenway.
The Mets are on upticks of 14-6 in interleague contests, 9-3 against interleague teams with winning records and 7-1 in interleague roadies. Meanwhile, Boston is riding positive runs of 22-12 overall, 80-35 at Fenway park, 52-18 in interleague play, 43-14 when hosting N.L. squads and 26-7 against N.L. East teams.
Redding made his first start as a Met on Monday in Los Angeles and gave up two runs on two hits in six innings but New York fell 3-2 to the Dodgers. Last time he faced the Red Sox was July 2005 when he was a starter for the Yankes and allowed six runs on four hits in just one inning of a 17-1 loss at Fenway.
Wakefield pitched a gem his last outing, giving up one run on five hits in eight innings of a 2-1 win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday. The Red Sox have won each of his three home starts this season and he hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of the three. The veteran knuckleballer hasn’t faced the Mets since 2001 when he allowed three runs on five hits in six innings of a 4-2 loss in New York. Boston is 36-15 when Wakefield is a home favorite and 9-2 when he faces N.L. squads.
New York is on several “under” runs, including 5-0-1 overall, 5-0 in interleague play and 5-1-1 against right-handed starters, but the under is 18-6-2 in the Mets’ last 26 interleague road games. Boston is on a plethora of “under” streaks that include 7-1-1 overall, 5-0-1 in interleague home games, 6-1 as a favorite, 17-5-3 on Sundays and 6-1 as a favorite, but the over is 8-2-1 in Wakefield’s last 11 starts and 16-6-1 when he starts as a home favorite. Finally, in this series the under is 10-2-2 in the last 14 clashes.
ATS ADVANTAGE: BOSTON
GAMETIMEPICKS.COM
Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
By Covers.com
Streaking
CC Sabathia, New York Yankees
The last time CC Sabathia faced the Philadelphia Phillies, that outing in the playoffs turned out to be his last before he joined the New York Yankees. This time, he'll be facing a pitcher who was simply outstanding in last year's postseason.
Two of the top left-handers in baseball square off Sunday when Sabathia and the Yankees take on Cole Hamels and the Phillies.
Sabathia (4-3, 3.43 ERA) was heroic down the stretch last year for Milwaukee, winning on three days' rest in his final two outings to get the Brewers into the postseason.
He took the mound on three days' rest again when he faced Philadelphia in Game 2 of the NL division series, but the result was a disaster. Sabathia gave up five runs in the second inning and was chased in the fourth as Milwaukee fell 5-2 and went on to lose the series in four games.
"I know CC well," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel told his team's official Web site. "He'll want to prove he can beat us. He'll give us everything he's got. At the same time, we'll give him everything we've got."
Sabathia joined New York (25-18) on a $161 million, seven-year contract in the offseason and has been stellar after a slow start.
He improved to 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA in his last three outings after beating Baltimore 9-1 on Tuesday. Sabathia gave up one run and three hits while striking out seven.
Josh Outman, Oakland Athletics
The A's have lost of seven of their last nine and will turn to rookie Josh Outman (1-0, 3.31), who is looking for a third consecutive quality start in his first game against Arizona.
The left-hander, acquired in the deal that sent Joe Blanton to Philadelphia in July, allowed three hits with six strikeouts in six scoreless innings Tuesday, but Oakland lost 4-1 in 11 innings at Tampa Bay. That came six days after getting his first win of the season in a 7-2 victory over Kansas City by yielding one run and three hits in six innings.
Slumping
Scott Baker, Minnesota Twins
Struggling Scott Baker (1-5, 6.98) will go for Minnesota. After throwing seven scoreless innings against Seattle on May 8, Baker has allowed nine runs over 11 innings in his last two starts. He gave up four in five innings against the White Sox on Tuesday in a 6-2 loss.
The right-hander is 2-2 with a 5.63 ERA in four starts against the Brewers.
Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
Hernandez (4-3, 4.13) has lost three of his last four starts, giving up six runs in each of the defeats - including his last outing. He was reached for a season-high 11 hits in 5 2-3 innings as Seattle lost 6-5 to the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.
Fernandez won his only start against the Giants, surrendering four runs and six hits in six innings as the Mariners won 5-4 on June 16, 2006.
Like Zito, Fernandez may have trouble getting many runs to work with. Seattle has managed to win two of its last four games despite scoring a combined four runs over that stretch.