MLB News and Notes Sunday 7/19

Sunday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards

Bettors have games galore to wager on Sunday, including a prime-time affair between the Rangers and Twins. Let’s take an in-depth look at that contest before touching on several other games in Bonus Nuggets.

**Twins at Rangers**

--Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Minnesota as a minus-117 favorite with a total of 10 ½ ‘under’ (minus-115).

--Minnesota won Friday night’s series opener by a 5-3 count, hooking up its backers with a plus-110 payout as the short underdog. Joe Nathan collected his 24th save of the season as the Twins’ bullpen worked four scoreless innings to help Glen Perkins capture his fifth victory. Jason Kubel belted the go-ahead homer in the third inning for a 5-2 Minnesota lead. His 15th dinger was a three-run shot that plated Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer.

--Texas slugger Josh Hamilton yanked his seventh homer of the season to give the Rangers a short-lived 2-0 lead in the first inning Friday. It was Hamilton’s first HR since coming off the disabled list on July 6.

--Texas has been a steady profit producer at home, cashing tickets at a 28-18 clip. On the other hand, Minnesota has limped to an 18-24 mark on the road.

--The ‘under’ is 47-38 overall for the Twins, 29-10 in their road assignments. However, the ‘over’ had hit in four consecutive Minnesota games before Friday’s 5-3 win saw the ‘under’ cash tickets.

--The ‘under’ is an MLB-best 53-33 overall for the Rangers, 28-16 in their road games.

--Although those aforementioned numbers related to totals might have gamblers thinking ‘under,’ a closer look at the pitching matchup for this spot might reverse that thinking.

--Ron Gardenhire will give the starting nod to Francisco Liriano (4-9, 5.47 ERA), who has a 3-4 record and 5.83 ERA in 10 road starts this year. Liriano is 1-0 with a 0.82 career ERA against the Rangers. In 11 lifetime innings, the lefty has fanned 13 Texas batters.

--Derek Holland (3-5, 5.97) owns a 2-4 record and 8.38 ERA in eight appearances (four starts, four in relief) at home this year. The southpaw has never faced the Twins.

--Before Saturday night’s showdown between these clubs, the Rangers were in second place in the American League West, two games back of division-leading Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the Twins were in third place in the AL Central, 2 ½ games off the pace being set by loop-leading Detroit.

--With a pair of southpaws on the mound, we should mention that the Rangers have fared better versus lefties in 2009. They are 18-14 against southpaws, while the Twins are just 14-17 in such situations.

--ESPN will have television coverage at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--Los Angeles RHP John Lackey owns a 14-4 record and 2.80 career ERA against Oakland.

--Tampa Bay RHP Matt Garza is still looking for his first win against the Royals. Garza is 0-4 with a 4.02 career ERA against Kansas City.

--If the White Sox are going to keep up with Detroit and Minnesota in the AL Central, they need Jose Contreras to pitch well. After a wretched start to the year, Contreras has done just that in his last three outings, posting a 2-1 record and 2.91 ERA. Before Saturday’s games were final, Chicago trailed the Tigers by two games and led the Twins by one-half game.

--Baltimore slugger Nick Markakis has feasted on Contreras, going 8-for-16 against the right-hander with a pair of doubles. Worthless Factoid: In my first job out of college covering high school sports for the Marietta Daily Journal in 1998, I was the beat writer for the Woodstock Wolverines. They had a stud right fielder who was a sophomore at the time. His name was Nick Markakis.

--Toronto RHP Roy Halladay (10-3, 2.85) will get the ball Sunday vs. Boston. Halladay, who is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in his last three outings, is 12-12 with a 4.46 lifetime ERA against the Red Sox.

--Boston slugger David Ortiz has a .273 average and five homers in 88 career at-bats against Halladay. Justin Pedroia (.161) has had less success against the righty with just one dinger in 31 career ABs. Ditto for Jason Varitek, who has a .222 average and just two homers in 72 at-bats against Halladay.

--Atlanta RHP Javier Vazquez (6-7, 2.95) will come off the DL Sunday to make his first start since July 7. The veteran righty is enjoying an outstanding year and is 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA in his last three outings. Vazquez strained a lower abdominal muscle in his last start at Chicago, but he only missed one turn in the rotation thanks to the All-Star break.

--A pair of young left-handers will oppose each other in South Florida on Sunday. Philadelphia’s J.A. Happ (6-0, 2.90) will try to stay unbeaten, while Andrew Miller will look to garner his first career win against the Phillies. Miller is 0-2 with a 4.05 lifetime ERA in 26-plus innings of work against Philadelphia. Both squads have feasted on southpaws this year. The Marlins are 21-13 vs. lefties, while the Phillies are 20-11 against southpaws.

--Colorado RHP Jason Marquis will be gunning for his 12th win of the season Sunday. Marquis has been nearly untouchable recently, compiling a 2-1 record and 1.17 ERA.

--If there’s a fade pitcher (beyond who goes for the Nats) throwing Sunday, it’s probably Arizona RHP Yusmeiro Petit, who is 0-3 with a 7.91 ERA this year. Petit will get the call for a 2:15 p.m. Eastern start at St. Louis.

vegasinsider.com

Late Night for the NL
By Judd Hall

Saturday has been loaded with baseball action from the early afternoon. Now the betting day concludes with a pair of games out in California. The Dodgers hope to take down Houston, while the Padres will try to drop the juggernaut known as Colorado.

Rockies at Padres – 10:05 p.m. EDT

The Dodgers are in control of the National League West and the Giants are holding onto the Wild Card. But you just can’t forget about the Rockies. Colorado has won seven of its last nine games…that shouldn’t be surprising since they’re 30-9 since June 4.

The Rockies don’t look like they’ll be slowing down with Jason Hammel (5-4, 4.43 ERA) taking the mound on Saturday night. Hammel started the year with losses in seven of his first eight games in 2009. Then it all turned around after May 24. Since then Rox have gone 9-1 in his last 10 starts, with Hammel posting a 5-1 record and an earned run average of 4.34.

San Diego is just hoping to get through a game without someone getting carted off the field. That might be a little strong, but the Padres haven’t had hurlers like Jake Peavy for the entire season. And they lost Chris Young for their rotation midway through June.

The Pads will take their chances with Kevin Correia (6-7, 4.50 ERA) toeing the slab. Correia isn’t a bad option for Bud Black’s club here as he’s won three of his last five starts. His most recent outing was a 5.2 inning effort where he allowed three earned runs on eight hits at San Francisco on July 12. Not a long start, but good enough for Correia to claim a win in the Padres’ 10-4 road triumph.

Las Vegas Sports Consultants has made this game too close to call right now with both teams at minus-105 (risk $105 to win $100). The total is coming in at eight.

It’s a little surprising that the oddsmakers have this tilt as close as they do. Everything in my mind points to the Rockies coming out on top. Colorado is 9-3 in the last 12 head-to-head meetings. The Padres are 1-9 in their past nine tests against National League West opponents. And San Diego has lost five of its previous five matches in Petco Park.

Astros at Dodgers – 10:10 p.m. EDT

The Dodgers were hoping that Clayton Kershaw (7-5, 3.16 ERA) would have a breakout season in 2009. And while his personal record doesn’t show it, Los Angeles has played well with Kershaw on the mound. A 10-4 record for Dem Bums in his last 14 starts this year.

Los Angeles is also happy to get Manny Ramirez’s services back this month. He’s not fairing too bad since getting back from his suspension, hitting .364 with nine runs batted in. However, Ramirez has failed to push through a run in his last four games. That’s kind of surprising when you realize that ManRam four hits over that time frame, two of which were doubles.

I’m guessing not too many people realize it, but the Astros are playing some winning ball right now. Houston has posted a proper 8-2 record in its last 10 games this season. Unfortunately for the ‘Stros, they’re sending out a natural “cooler” for Game 3 of this series by the name of Mike Hampton (5-6, 4.52 ERA). I remember a time when Hampton was a great hurler for Houston...just not in this millennium.

Houston hasn’t fared that great when Hampton starts for them, as evidenced by a 3-5 mark in his last eight starts. Plus, he lasted just 3.2 innings and allowed five runs on nine hits to the Nationals on July 11. I know the Nats have some decent bats in their lineup, but they’re still the worst team in baseball.

LVSC understands this and has installed the Dodgers as heavy $1.75 home favorites with a total of eight.

One thing that the Dodgers love is playing on Saturday…they’re 15-5 over their last 20 games on the final day of the week. However, it is awful tough to ignore that the Astros are 5-0 at Chavez Ravine over the last two seasons.

vegasinsider.com

Sunday Night Baseball: Mets at Braves
By Marc Lawrence

New York Mets at Atlanta Braves (-250, 8)

Sunday night baseball resumes after the All-Star break when the Braves host the Mets in the finale of a four-game series at Turner Field in Atlanta.

Hard-luck Javier Vazquez (6-7 2.95 ERA) toes the rubber for the Braves against former Houston Astro Fernando Nieve (3-3 3.03 ERA) in a matchup of right-handers.

Trading places

Looking to add some spark into listless lineups, the Mets and Braves swapped outfielders Ryan Church and Jeff Francoeur on July 10. Both players were stunned upon hearing the news.

“It's definitely disappointing. I never wanted it to happen this way. You can imagine getting traded, but you never imagine getting traded to your biggest rival," Francoeur told the media.

Church was not in the starting lineup Thursday for his first home game as a Brave. Atlanta manager Bobby Cox used the right-handed hitting of OF Matt Diaz against Mets LHP Oliver Perez. Cox assured left-hand hitting Church that he would get the starts against right-handed pitchers.

OMG

Both teams entered this series looking like an over packed MASH unit.

On the DL for the Mets: closer Billy Wagner (elbow – Tommy John surgery, out until at least August) along fellow relief pitchers J.J. Putz (elbow – out 10-12 weeks) and Fernando Martinez (knee – out until September) join starting pitcher John Maine (shoulder) on a crowded Mets DL. Adding to their woes has been the loss of All-Star performers 1B Carlos Delgado (hip – out until mid-August), CF Carlos Beltran (knee) and SS Jose Reyes (calf).

Simply put, these are not the same Mets that were heavily favored to win a National League pennant prior to the start of the 2009 season.

Thanks to the loss of Tim Hudson and Jorge Campillo, the Braves have had to forge a new starting rotation.

Hudson pitched real batting practice Thursday. It was his final step before beginning a six-game rehab assignment before being activated. He began at Class-A Myrtle Beach this weekend. If he has no setbacks he could be activated in mid-August, more than a year after he had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

Campillo (right shoulder tendinitis) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 29, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL in June.

It’s been said that a team can never have too much pitching. But we’re not sure how the Braves will fit Hudson into the rotation when he's ready. But these things do have a way of working themselves out.

As former Atlanta Hawks coach Lenny Wilkens used to say when asked about roster moves more than a day away, "Someone could get hit by a truck."

In arms way

Nieve is a middle relief pitcher turned starter for the Mets. He began the season 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA. He has since dropped each of his last three starts while compiling a 5.40 ERA in those efforts. In addition, Nieve is winless, 0-2 with a 4.65 ERA, in the month of July for his career.

Vazquez missed his last scheduled start Sunday with a strained lower-abdominal muscle. He is having a terrific season in 2009 with a 2.95 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, but owns a losing record because of the Braves’ poor offense. His walk-to-strikeout ratio (23-to-136 in 18 starts) this season is among the best in the big leagues.

The All-Star break should have given Vazquez some much-needed time off and the Braves will benefit as a result.

Karnac says

As poorly as both clubs have performed in 2009, Atlanta's record at the All-Star break this season was 43-45. The Braves were five games under the .500 mark at the break last year.

With the anticipated return of Hudson to the starting staff and a reversal of fortune possibly in store for Vazquez, look for Atlanta to make a move the second half of the season.

Entering Saturday night’s game, New York had dropped 11 of its previous 14 games at Turner Field. The Mets are also just 4-12 on Sundays, including 1-6 their last seven away.

With Vazquez owning a sharp 3.18 ERA in nine career starts against the Mets, along with a 9-to-72 walk-to-strikeout ratio in those games, it would be no surprise for the Braves to improve to 14-6 at home on Sundays.

Sunday's streaking and slumping starting pitchers
By Covers.com

Streaking

Javier Vasquez (Atlanta Braves)

The right-hander has done more than enough to overcome a nagging abdominal strain in his past four starts.

Vasquez (6-7, 2.95 ERA) has allowed two runs or less in each of those outings and has lasted at least 5 1-3 innings each time out. The key for Vasquez has been his ability to keep the ball in the yard. The Braves have lost five of the six starts in which he has given up a gopher ball this season.

In Vasquez’s most recent start, a 2-1 win over the Cubs in Chicago, he allowed only one run on five hits over seven innings as he struck out six.

"He just pitched like he's been pitching all year,” Braves catcher Brian McCann told the Associated Press. “We were making a joke about it, one [run] should be enough for him. That's basically what he's been getting this year.”

Jason Marquis (Colorado Rockies)

The National League leader in wins continues to do what he does best: rack up the victories.

Marquis (11-6, 3.65 ERA) has been fantastic in his past three starts, allowing just three earned runs over a combined 23 innings. The ground ball pitcher has done a fantastic job at keeping the ball down and forcing teams to hit into an athletic defense.

In his most recent start, a 4-3 loss to the Braves, Marquis allowed just three runs and struck out four batters over six innings. But don’t expect the Padres to even get that much. In his only other start against San Diego this season, he threw eight shutout innings.

"Sometimes you have to tip your hat to the other guy,” San Diego pitcher Chris Young told the Associated Press. “You have to tip your hat to Marquis.”

Slumping

Yovani Gallardo (Milwaukee Brewers)

The 23 year old entered the season as a dark horse to win the Cy Young award. But in his past two outings, the right-hander has looked more like a donkey.

Gallardo (8-7, 3.22 ERA) hasn’t made it past the fifth inning in either of his past two starts, combing to allow nine earned run on 12 hits with nine walks in just 10 innings. Milwaukee’s ace is fourth in the league with 123 strikeouts, but has issued far too many free passes (53).

"Something mechanically is a little off,” Gallardo told the Associated Press. "Mistakes that I left up in the zone, they put a bat on it."

Derek Holland (Texas Rangers)

The 22 year old may have been the only one happy to hear he was getting reinserted into the starting lineup after the All-Star break.

Holland (3-5, 5.97) was a train wreck as a starter last month, giving up 19 runs over a five-start stretch extending to July 4. After that, he was demoted to the bullpen, where apparently giving up two runs on six hits in five innings was enough to get him his starting job back.

"I have to have more than just a fastball," Holland told the Associated Press. "When you fall behind, you need your off-speed pitch as well."

Top Hurlers!!
By Sportspic

A couple of top notch starters go at it north of the border when Jon Lester (8-6, 3.87) and Roy Halladay (10-3, 2.85) take to respective mounds on Sunday. Southpaw Lester in a groove has allowed three or less runs in all but one of his last eight trips to the bump surrendering one or less in five of those outings helping Red Sox notch seven W's over the span. Lester 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA vs Jays this season has guided Red Sox to a 4-3 record over Toronto in seven career starts. Meanwhile, Doc with the very real possibility of wearing a new uniform within the next couple of weeks is in search of his first win in five tries. Doc 6-2 (6-3 TSR) at Rogers Center this season, 16-6 (16-8 TSR) the past two years faces Boston for the first time this year looking to improve his 12-12 record in 34 life-time starts vs Red Sox. It is well to note Jays are 6-2 last eight at home vs. Red Sox with Halladay, 10-2 L3Y's closing a series at home with DOC touching toe to rubber. For those considering a total play, Jays are 4-2-1 'Over' home vs Boston with Halladay, 10-3 'Over' last thirteen at Rogers Center with Doc, Red Sox are 4-1 'Over' in Toronto with Lester taking the ball.

Mets, Braves headline ESPN
By AllStar.com

New York Mets (42-47) At Atlanta Braves (45-45)

Date: Sunday July 19th
Time: 6:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN
Line: Braves -240 / Mets +220
Total: 8 Over -120 / Under +100
Mets Road Record: 17-27
Braves Home Record: 23-21
Mets Last 10: 3-7
Braves Last 10: 6-4
Pitchers:
Fernando Nieve (NY) 3-3 / 3.03 ERA / 23 K’s / 1.51 WHIP
Javier Vazquez (ATL) 6-7 / 2.95 ERA / 136 K’s / 1.08 WHIP

ESPN Sunday Night Baseball heads to “Hotlanta” for an NL East showdown between the Braves and the Mets. The Braves have won the first two games of the four game series against the Mets 5-3 and 11-0 as the Mets continue to fall out of playoff contention in the N.L. East.

The Mets' long-running transformation from bad team to official laughingstock became complete here last night, courtesy of an 11-0 thrashing by the Braves at Turner Field.

The Mets suffered their most lopsided loss since the Yankees pounded Johan Santana in a 15-0 debacle in the Bronx on June 14. Friday night's defeat dropped the Mets five games under .500, matching their season-worst.

It was the Mets' eighth loss in 11 games, dropping them back to a season-high five games under .500 (42-47), and fell to a season-high 8½ games behind the Phillies.

Injuries have been the story of a lackluster first half for the New York Mets (42-47). The losses of Carlos Beltran (bruised right knee), Jose Reyes (right calf tendonitis), Carlos Delgado (right hip surgery), starting pitcher John Maine (right shoulder fatigue) and set-up man J.J. Putz (right elbow surgery) are some big reasons why fourth-place New York (42-47) is 8 1/2 games behind NL East-leading Philadelphia. Gary Sheffield pulled up lame in the 5th inning with what appears to be a Leg Injury, expect Sheff to join the other big name Mets on The D.L.

The Braves looking to avoid their third losing season in four years, have tried to improve their fortunes by making trades to bolster their lineup, starting with a four-player deal with Pittsburgh on June 3 for outfielder Nate McLouth. Atlanta (43-45) also swapped struggling outfielders with the Mets on Friday, acquiring Ryan Church for Jeff Francoeur. While Francoeur has recorded a pair of two-hit performances with his new team, Church has gone 1 for 9 in his first two starts.

The Braves have quietly assembled one of the best pitching staffs in the N.L. now with the mid season trades the Braves have a decent line-up to throw out as well. Since 2000, the Braves are 9-1 in their first game back from the All-Star break, so don't let Thursday's 5-3 win over the New York Mets lure you into thinking they are off and running to the NL East division lead. How they finish still depends on stringing hits together, moving runners along, hitting with runners in scoring position, and there is no evidence that this team can do that in consecutive games, never mind on a consistent basis.

The Mets’ answered the Braves prayers last week by taking Francouer off of there hands and giving them Ryan Church who like the rest of the Braves Line-up is a high average, OBP, type of player. The Braves are 4th in the N.L. in over all team batting. The Braves are hitting .263 with 72 HR’s, 372, RBI’s, .333 OBP and a .402 SLG . Those are very solid numbers for a line up with no true power hitter.

Fernando Nieve (3-3) is pitching to save his spot in the rotation. Nieve, who rebounded somewhat Friday after two sub par outings, will remain in the rotation providing he can improve upon his average against of .326 by opponents in July with 8 BB, 2 HR’s and allowing a hit per innings in July. Nieve has lost 3 games in a row for the . Nieve will need to pitch well to keep his spot as Jonathon Niese is making a big bid for a promotion

Javier Vasquez is 6-7 with a 2.95 era with a 1.05 whip and has been dealing with an abdomen issue of late but Vazquez threw a bullpen session before Thursday's game and said he would be ready to pitch Sunday. He was able to effectively battle through the injury the last month of the first half, but pay close attention to his next couple of starts.

After going 1-8 in Atlanta last season, the Mets swept a two-game series at Turner Field from May 4-5.

With his two-hit performance tonight, Martin Prado is now hitting .400 (24-for-60) in July. ...

Casey Kotchman extended his hitting streak to a career-high nine games. ... The Braves set a new season high with nine extra-base hits, and tied season highs for doubles (seven) and hits in an inning (six). ... The 11-run victory was the Braves' largest margin of victory of the season.

Mets slugger David Wright continues to struggle with his power output, in his last 10 games he has 0 Hr’s , 2 RBI’s, and 0 Sb’s, but is still hitting .337.

Betting Trends
Mets are 8-20 in their last 28 road games
Mets are 3-8 in their last 11 games
Braves are 6-0 in their last 6 home games
The UNDER is 4-1 in the Mets last 5 road games
The UNDER is 8-3 in the Braves last 11 games

Baseball Today

SCOREBOARD

Sunday, July 19

Detroit at New York Yankees (2:05 p.m. EDT). All-Star right-hander Edwin Jackson gets the ball for Detroit as the Tigers face New York on Old Timers' Day at the new Yankee Stadium. Joba Chamberlain is scheduled to start for the Yankees.

STARS

Saturday

-CC Sabathia, Yankees, tossed seven shutout innings and New York beat the Tigers 2-1.

-Willy Aybar, Rays, was 4 for 4, including an RBI double for the go-ahead run in the eighth, and Tampa Bay beat the Royals 4-2.

-Johan Santana, Mets, threw seven scoreless innings and New York beat the Braves 5-1.

-Mark Buehrle, White Sox, allowed one run while pitching into the eighth inning and Chicago beat the Orioles 4-3.

-Erick Aybar, Angels, drove in a career-high four runs in Los Angeles' 11-6 victory over Oakland.

- Scott Baker, Twins, allowed a run in eight innings and Minnesota handed Texas its fourth straight loss, 4-1.

-Alfonso Soriano, Cubs, hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth and Chicago held on for a 6-5 victory over the Nationals.

-Charlie Morton, Pittsburgh, allowed three hits over seven innings, and the Pirates beat the Giants 2-0.

-Miguel Montero, Diamondbacks, homered and had four hits, and Arizona beat St. Louis 4-2.

-Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers, allowed two hits over seven scoreless innings to win his fifth straight decision and Los Angeles beat Houston 5-2.

SCARY INJURY

San Diego's Edgar Gonzalez was hit in the head with a pitch and carted off the field of the Padres' 3-1 win over Colorado. Gonzalez left the game after he was beaned by a fastball from Jason Hammel in the sixth inning. Gonzalez was hit near the left ear hole on his batting helmet and immediately fell to the ground clutching his head. After several minutes, he was helped to a cart and driven off the field. Edgar's brother, All-Star Adrian Gonzalez, was pulled from the game when the inning ended to go to the hospital where Edgar was being treated.

FIRST

Making his third career start, Toronto's Marc Rzepczynski (1-1) allowed one run and four hits in six innings for his first career win, a 6-2 decision over Boston. He walked four, struck out four and lowered his ERA to 2.50. He is 1-1.

THE A-ROD AFFECT

The Yankees beat Detroit 2-1 and are 40-22 since Rodriguez came off the disabled list on May 8 - the best record in the majors.

HOMER

The White Sox's Mark Buehrle improved to 14-1 with a 2.47 ERA in 20 home starts dating back to 2008 All-Star break. He allowed eight hits over 7 1-3 innings without issuing a walk, reaching double-digit victories for the ninth straight year, in a 4-3 win over the Orioles.

COST EFFECTIVE?

Boosted by stadium renovations costing more than $250 million, the Royals have had 15 crowds of 30,000 or more, seven more than the entire 2008 season.

STATS

The Twins beat Texas 4-1 and have won 12 of 17 on the road after starting 7-19. ... Alfonso Soriano hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning of the Cubs' 6-5 win. It was his first homer since June 7, a span of 121 at-bats. ... The Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw is 5-0 with a 0.63 ERA over his last seven starts, and has not allowed a run in five of those outings.

PALTRY PRODUCTION

The Mets scored two runs in the sixth inning of their 5-1 win over Atlanta to snap a streak of 19 consecutive scoreless innings. It's only the seventh time in the last 23 games that the Mets have scored more than four runs.

RAISE THAT ROOF

Only hours after the Florida Marlins held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new ballpark that will include a retractable roof, their game against the Philadelphia Phillies was rained out. The new ballpark is scheduled to open for the 2012 season.

SPEAKING

"I told him, 'I'm going to make you a star.' It seems like every time I pitch, he makes an awesome play.'' - Seattle's Jarrod Washburn on Franklin Gutierrez, who slammed into the center-field fence in the first inning to make a leaping catch and help the Mariners beat the Indians 3-1.