MLB News and Notes Sunday 8/1

Sunday Night Baseball: Dodgers at Giants
By Marc Lawrence

National League West rivals square off Sunday night when the second place Giants and the third place Dodgers meet in the finale of their three-game series at AT&T Park.

Where has all the offense gone?

Entering this series, in the 14 games after the All-Star break, the Dodgers have been shut out once, scored one run four times, two runs five times, three runs once, four runs twice, and five runs once. That's an average of 2.1 runs a game.

In an effort to spark the offense, newly acquired OF Scott Podsednik was inserted into the leadoff spot in the lineup with SS Rafael Furcal moving to No. 2 in the order.

"I'm excited about the opportunity," Podsednik said. "We're right in the middle of it. It's a lot more fun being in the middle of a race and contending, rather than where we were with the Royals.

Podsednik was with the Chicago White Sox when they won the 2005 World Series. He was hitting .310 and stole 30 bases for Kansas City this season.

"We all play the game to get to the World Series and ultimately win one.” Podsednik went on to say. “It makes the games more intense and more fun when you know you're really close and can come together as a team to accomplish something. Hopefully, that will give a pep in my step.

The Dodgers needed help because outfielders Reed Johnson and Manny Ramirez are on the disabled list. Ramirez, strained right calf, is expected to return mid-August.

Near pitcher perfect

With the Dodger bats on hiatus, the starting pitching has delivered above and beyond the call of duty.

Tuesday’s 2-0 win at San Diego marked the fourth shutout in a six-game stretch for the Los Angeles staff. During that span Dodger starting pitchers allowed just one earned run in 43 innings.

Entering this series, and since the All-Star break, the Dodgers had surrendered 53 runs in 14 contests, allowing an average 3.8 runs per game.

Ghost Buster

Memories of legendary San Francisco hitting performances subsided when Giants’ C Buster Posey's hit streak ended at 21 games with a 0-for-3 performance against Florida Marlins Anibal Sanchez Thursday afternoon.

During the streak, Posey hit .440 with six homers and 23 RBIs. It was the longest in the N.L. this season and the longest streak by a Giant since Robby Thompson's 21-game streak in 1993.

In addition to his hitting prowess, Posey owns a cannon for a throwing arm. It has eased the strain of the opposition's running game on the pitching staff.

Perhaps most impressively for someone so young, he struck out only 23 times and drawn 12 free passes in 207 plate appearances.

All aboard

After acquiring Podsednik on Wednesday, the Dodgers beat the trade deadline Saturday when they acquired LHP Ted Lilly and 2B Ryan Theroit from the Chubs in exchange for IF Blake DeWitt and a pair of minor league pitching prospects.

Theroit figures to become the regular second baseman while Lilly, who pitched for Torre with the Yankees, joins the starting rotation on Tuesday.

"Hopefully it makes us better," Los Angeles manager Joe Torre said after the acquistions.. "That's all you can do. I just talked to (Ryan) Theriot and he's excited. Hopefully Ted Lilly will give us a little more stability in our rotation. I had Teddy before and I'll tell you one thing, he's a competitor."

Most Valuable Giant

As vital a cog as Posey has been to the Giants, and as important as 2B Juan Uribe has been, it would be difficult separating candidates Aubrey Huff and Andes Torres as the team’s Most Valuable Players this season.

1B Huff is a career .284 hitter, with 34 home runs being his season best in 2003. His versatility has found him playing in the outfield and in the infield.

Batting third in the lineup, Huff entered the weekend hitting .310 with 19 HRs and 62 RBIs.

Most surprising, though, has been the play of unsung, minor league journeyman RF Torres.

Torres was drafted in 1997 by the Florida Marlins, but was unsigned. He was re-drafted again in 1998 by the Detroit Tigers.

Torres’ major league career with the Tigers was brief and relatively nondescript. He played a total of 81 games in three years in the Big Leagues with the Tigers, his highest batting average being .220.

From the Tigers it was on to the Rangers and then on to the Cubs before he arrived in San Francisco.

Hitting .283 with 10 HRs and 42 RBIs this season, Torres is well on his way to career highs – at either the minor or major league level.

By the numbers

Entering the series the Dodgers had won seven of the previous nine games at AT&T Park, including a three-game sweep in their last visit a month ago.

L.A. is 13-8 this season behind left-hander Clayton Kershaw.

The southpaw is 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA in three career team starts against San Francisco. Kershaw is also 4-8 in his career road team starts during August.

San Francisco has split in right-hander Matt Cain’s 16 starts this campaign.

Cain is 11-4 in his 15 career home team starts during August.

The Giants are 6-1 in their last seven games against lefties.

MLB RoundUp For 8/1
By Dan Bebe

National League

Braves (-120) @ Reds with a total of 9
Tommy Hanson had his worst start of 2010 against these Reds; of course, that game involved one of the most absurd late comebacks of the season, maybe of the decade. Point is, Hanson is going to want to rebound strong. Can he? Well, he certainly can't do any worse than that previous start, but perhaps, given Volquez's need to build up arm strength, the Over might be better than backing Hanson against a team that hits him plenty hard. Because, really, even if he pitches better, he's probably only going 6 innings, max, and will likely give up a couple runs to a Reds team that, when healthy, can hit.

D'backs @ Mets (-165) with a total of 9
I will admit, I'm a little afraid of backing the Mets against Arizona -- the D'backs don't beat many teams in this League, and even fewer on the road, but they seem to have New York's number, even if the pitching match-up strongly favors the Mets. Not only that, Dan Hudson will make his first start for his new team, in a new League, and we've seen how starters tend to perform when they make the leap. This one is a little different, I guess, since Hudson had only made a handful of starts in the AL, so it's not like he's "used to" a particular strike zone or level of competition, but I sure as heck wouldn't back the Mets at this price.

Phillies (-165) @ Nationals with a total of 8.5
I will admit, a great deal of my handicapping of this game is going to come once we see how the Phillies deal with that first loss in a long while they suffered on Friday. So, let's wait and see. Will Blanton right the ship, or will the Phils take that customary "equilibrating" second loss off a long win streak? In any event, Hamels is 9-3 with a 2.58 ERA against the Nats, so this isn't exactly a team he fears. Lannan, meanwhile, is 0-7 with a 6.32 ERA against Philadelphia. On paper, this looks like one of the most lopsided pitching match-ups of the year, but we know how often things go according to how they look on paper. Still, I can't argue my way out of it - the Over or the road RL are both on the board.

Brewers (-140) @ Astros with a total of 9
That's a pretty steep price to pay for a road lefty with a 5.07 ERA on the season. Still, he went 7 shutout against the Astros once this year, already, and Randy is coming off a strong outing against the Reds, so his confidence should be back up. Wesley Wright is 0-1 with a 3.09 ERA against the Brewers, but he's really still just getting his feet wet as a starter, this year, and hasn't yet gone deeper than 5 innings. I'd be tempted to lay the road chalk, except that the Astros just shipped off Berkman, and I wonder how the young guys respond to losing a team leader. Hopefully, Saturday will give us some indications that we can use on this one.

Pirates @ Cardinals (-325) with a total of 7.5
Out of price, out of mind. That is, unless you can get Pirates +2.5 at a good price, hah!

Cubs @ Rockies (-145) with a total of 9.5
Somewhat under the radar, De La Rosa seems to be rounding back into pre-injury form. It took a couple starts, that's for sure, but his last two outings have been strong enough to win, and the 8 strikeouts in each tells you his stuff is coming back. Silva squeaked his way through 5 innings against the Astros, and has been much more Silva-like over the last month or so. He did go 6 innings and allow 2 runs to the Rockies earlier this year, so there's some success, there, but pitching at Coors is a totally different bird, and De La Rosa is 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA lifetime against the Cubbies. I happen to think the line for De La Rosa might be high for a reason, here.

Marlins (-130) @ Padres with a total of 6.5
Both of these starters have tremendous numbers against the other team, which brings to mind a couple questions. First, Johnson has gone 17 innings in two starts against the Padres, beating Mat Latos way back in April, and losing a 2-1 nailbiter to Garland, in Florida, at the end of June. So, to some degree, this is a Rematch Game. Still, with them battling to a 3-run total, wouldn't you think that this line might have even come out at 6? I suppose Garland is never going to drive the total that low, but he is 4-1 with a 2.01 ERA against the Marlins, and could very well pitch solidly against them, again. This game has all the makings of a pitchers' duel, and potentially a slow one.

Dodgers @ Giants (-125) with a total of 7
Will Matt Cain ever beat the Dodgers? 0-8 now, in his career, but the ERA of 4.32 really isn't so awful. Kershaw has no record against the Giants, but an ERA of just 1.71. He got run in his last start against the Giants, and the Dodgers pen let him down, but you can bet the kid is ready to come back and dominate in a rather pitcher-friendly park in San Francisco. This should be a very fun one, since the Giants are definitely hitting better and trying to acquire some bats at the trade deadline. Buster Posey has completely revitalized that offense, so Kershaw will have his hands full, but I don't know if we'll ever see the youngster more focused than this ESPN rivalry game on Sunday Night. That total of 7 almost looks high, doesn't it?

American League

Indians @ Blue Jays (-175) with a total of 9
Jesse Litsch should never be a -175 favorite. That's all I have to say about that.

Tigers @ Red Sox (-150) with a total of 8
Clay Buchholz was a fade candidate the day he came off the DL, but it only took 1 start for him to get his act together, and now, coming off a 7-inning, 1-run effort, it's probably not a great time to back the Tigers. They got their road win thanks to an offensive jolt provided by the newest Tiger, Jhonny Peralta, but given Verlander's propensity to give up a few runs here and there, and given that Youkilis is one of a handful of current Sox that have given him trouble, this is not the place where I'd want to take a shot with Detroit on the road.

Yankees (-145) @ Rays with a total of 8.5
Shields has never really shown me he can handle the Yankees, the way that many of his teammates have. He's 2-7 with a 5.45 ERA against the Bombers, and when you put that with C.C.'s 8-3 mark against the Rays, this one looks like a scary spot for Tampa. To Shields' credit, he's been serviceable against New York this year, more than in year's past, I'd say, but it hasn't been enough. C.C. doesn't mind pitching in Tampa, and this price is, in my opinion, high for a reason, once again. Considering C.C. was a -170 favorite at home, this adjustment is quite small, which makes me think oddsmakers believe the public is going to go extra strong on the Yankees. We need to be careful here, but I probably wouldn't back Shields.

Athletics @ White Sox (-150) with a total of 8
Here's the jinx effort of the century -- Gavin Floyd hasn't allowed a homer since June 2, a span of 10 straigh starts. Gonzalez has been pretty good on that account, too, though not quite as impressive. Also disconcerting, Gonzalez is 0-2 with a 12.96 ERA against the White Sox, while Floyd is 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA against the A's. Floyd, too, has continued to dominate into late July, which is a nice change of pace for him, and I wonder how that carries over into August, if indeed it does. As we've talked about, it's easier to ride waves, though, and we know Gonzalez is a much better pitcher at home, and we also know that the pitching histories line up nicely for Floyd, who will have to take his game up a tiny bit since he won't be facing Seattle for the first time in a while, but he can certainly handle the upgrade in competition.

Orioles @ Royals (-145) with a total of 9.5
Who would have thought the day would come when Bruce Chen would be a -145 favorite over Kevin Millwood? This is a sad time, indeed. Still, I can't help but think that Millwood's greatest weakness, the fly ball that leaves the yard, doesn't really match up with a Royals' strength. Maybe that's why Millwood was able to last 8 innings against KC and give up 3 runs in a win over them this season. Of course, his 2-10 record is giving plenty of value on that side, and Chen's 5-5 mark is duping people into thinking that he's a serviceable starter. Chen has been on the very precipitous decline this month, and I have little reason to think that he somehow stems the tide.

Mariners @ Twins (-325) with a total of 8.5
Quarter-unit on the dog? Sure, why not.

Rangers (-145) @ Angels with a total of 7
Rematch alert! This could be a fun one, as Cliff Lee went 8.1 strong innings in a 3-2 win over Weaver and the Angels. The Texas pen doesn't figure to get a ton of work, here, so that always makes handicapping a little easier. On the Angels side, Weaver is much better against the Rangers at home, so this might actually be a spot where the Angels would be considered a live dog. My concern comes from the line adjustment, as Lee was a -175 home favorite when these cats faced off, so this move is pretty small. That could either be the result of the expectation of huge public money on Lee, or because the Angels need to be a little more enticing, and the books are expecting decent public and sharp money (combined) on the Texas side. Either way, it's inflated, and we need to figure out why.

Sunday's Tip Sheet
By Chris David

Gamblers have 15 betting opportunities on the diamond today, including three games on the West Coast. Let’s break ‘em down.

Texas at L.A. Angels

The Rangers haven’t made the playoffs since the 1999 season but that drought could likely end this year. Texas has a 9-game lead over the Angels in the AL West and that could grow this afternoon.

Texas has won seven of the first 11 meetings but the games have been very tight, with seven decided by one run and three others by exactly two runs. The total has gone 5-5-1 and the home team has held serve with an 8-3 mark.

The club from Arlington has always been known as an offensive juggernaut but the recent addition of lefthander Cliff Lee (9-4, 2.40 ERA) has put a serious emphasis on the rotation. Since he joined the club just before the All-Star break, Texas has gone 2-2 in his four starts but they have won the last two. And unfortunately for Lee, the aforementioned juggernaut has only posted a combined nine runs in his appearances. Lee has owned the Angels over his career (7-3, 3.07 ERA) and that includes two victories this season. Not surprisingly, most books have the lefty listed as a road favorite (-135) for the finale. L.A. has gone 15-18 against southpaws, but that includes a 1-4 mark at home in day games.

Jered Weaver (9-7, 3.19 ERA) will look to knock Lee and the Rangers off their perch and he’s got a great shot to do so, especially in Anaheim. Weaver is 4-2 with a 1.88 ERA at home this season but the Angels are just 6-4 in his starts, due to an inconsistent offense. In the 10 home spots, the attack has been stifled to four runs or less seven times. Total bettors have watched the ‘under’ produce an eye opening 9-0-1 record in the 10 spots. The ‘over/under’ for this afternoon is listed at 7, with the ‘over’ shaded slightly (-120). Also, keep in mind that Weaver is 1-2 versus the Rangers this year, with the one victory (2-1) coming in Anaheim.

The nine-game road trip against AL West foes continues Tuesday for the Rangers when they head to Seattle and then close up over the weekend in Oakland. Meanwhile, L.A. has an opportunity to make up some ground in the next week with six straight road contests against Baltimore and a banged-up Detroit club.

Florida at San Diego

The first game on the West Coast should be a tough one to gauge, considering how well the Marlins (12-4) and Padres (11-5) have played on Sundays this season. Despite those quality numbers, the books have made Florida a road favorite (-130), largely due to the pitching matchup and the Fish are heating up. The Marlins have won 11 of 15, including the first two games in this series (4-3, 6-3). The club trails the Braves by 6 ½ games in the NL East.

Breaking out the broom will be tough at Petco Park, considering San Diego has only been swept once this season. However, Florida is tossing its ace and arguably the best pitcher in baseball to the diamond today. The Marlins’ Josh Johnson (10-3, 1.72 ERA) earned his second straight no decision on Tuesday even though his team lost at San Francisco, 4-6. Johnson gave up eight hits and three earned runs and continues to get no help from his bullpen on the road.

The Marlins have gone 3-5 in his eight road starts and what’s really amazing is that the three victories were all shutout wins. Despite going 1-1 against them this season, JJ has stifled the Padres to eight hits and three earned runs over 17 innings.

Countering the Cy Young contender will be San Diego’s Jon Garland (9-7, 3.56 ERA). The veteran has been better at home (5-2, 2.53 ERA) this season and he owns an impressive career mark (4-1, 2.01 ERA) versus the Marlins, which includes a 2-1 win on June 26 at Florida and against Johnson.

Johnson has watched the ‘under’ go 4-2 in day games this season, but total players should make a note that Garland has watched the ‘over’ cash in six of his last eight starts.

This affair will be ninth and final meeting between the two teams this season and gamblers might want to be aware that San Diego has gone 5-3 but all of the wins came in South Florida. The ‘under’ has gone 5-3. The total on today’s matchup is sitting at 6 ½ (under -120) at most outfits.

The Marlins catch tomorrow off and they’ll need it since they face back-to-back home series against the Phillies and Cardinals. The Padres will be tested again too, with a four-game set against the Dodgers that begins on Monday from Los Angeles.

L.A. Dodgers at San Francisco

Some pundits believe the AL East is the toughest division in baseball but four clubs from the NL West will argue for themselves. Two of those squads, Los Angeles and San Francisco, will wrap up Sunday’s festivities in the primetime battle on ESPN. Three weeks ago, we talked about the dominance by the home team (12-3) in finale on Sunday through the first half of the season. Since then, the host has gone 1-1 but the loss was another extra-inning setback (St. Louis 4 – Chicago 3). After factoring those numbers, the home team has gone 13-4 on ESPN and the four losses were by a combined six runs. Can the Dodgers steal one on the road in this spot or will the Giants keep the trend rolling?

Not only will L.A. look to buck that trend, it will try to avoid a three-game sweep by the Giants. San Francisco nipped the Dodgers 6-5 on Friday and 2-1 yesterday afternoon, which helped push its record to 8-2 over the last 10 games. Bruce Bochy’s team now trails San Diego by 1 1/2 games in the NL West, while L.A. trails first place by 6 ½ games.

The Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (10-5, 2.96 ERA) returns from a suspension tonight. The hurler has no record in four career starts against the Giants, but does boast a 1.71 ERA. L.A. has produced a 5-4 record in the lefthander’s nine road starts this season, which includes a 3-0 ledger against NL West foes. The Giants own a pedestrian 15-13 record against lefties this season but during night games from AT&T Park, the team has connected at a 70 percent (7-3) clip.

Right hander Matt Cain (8-8, 3.14 ERA) will get the honors of completing the sweep for the Giants and he’s been lights out in the second half. In three starts, he’s gone 22 innings and given up 10 hits and five earned runs. San Francisco has gone 3-0 during this hot run and it comes after it lost Cain’s five previous appearances.

Despite the two losses this weekend, the Dodgers have still won six of 11 against the Giants this season. The ‘under’ has gone 6-5.

After this series concludes, the two clubs will continue to battle NL West foes as the Dodgers host the Padres and the Giants head to Colorado for a quick two-game set.

vegasinsider.com

Tips and Trends

Atlanta Braves at Cincinnati Reds

Braves (-120, O/U 9): Atlanta is in the midst of a rare losing stretch, as they've lost 6 of their last 10 games. Despite the recent woes, Atlanta is still leading the National League East division by 3.5 games. The Braves are 59-44 SU this year, including 25-31 SU on the road. Atlanta is +8.83 and +11.51 units both SU and on the RL respectively this year. P Tommy Hanson will take the mound today, as he is 8-7 with an ERA of 3.99 and a WHIP of 1.35 this season. The Braves are 5-1 in their last 6 road games against a team with a winning record. Atlanta is 21-6 in their last 27 games as a favorite of -110 to -150. The Braves are 36-16 in their last 52 games against a right-handed starter. Atlanta is 1-4 in their last 5 games during game 3 of a series. The Braves are 1-4 in their last 5 games against a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30. Atlanta is 4-0 in Hanson's last 4 road starts against a team with a winning record. The Braves are 8-2 in Hanson's last 10 starts against a team with a winning record. The Braves are 2-5 in Hanson's last 7 starts on grass. Atlanta is 1-4 in Hanson's last 5 starts during game 3 of a series.

Braves are 22-8 last 30 games against the National League Central.
Over is 8-3 last 11 games as a favorite.

Key Injuries - SS Alex Gonzalez (illness) is probable.

PROJECTED SCORE: 5 (Side of the Day)

Reds: Cincinnati continues to prove their worth in the National League Central, as they only trail St. Louis by 0.5 games. The Reds are 58-47 SU this season, including 32-23 SU at home. The Reds are +8.45 and +10.17 units both SU and on the RL overall this year. P Edinson Volquez is 1-1 this year with an ERA of 8.25 and a WHIP of 2.00. The Reds are 2-6 in their last 8 games against a team with a winning record. Cincinnati is 2-7 in their last 9 games against the National League East. The Reds are 1-4 in their last 5 games during game 3 of a series. Cincinnati is 1-6 in their last 7 Sunday games overall. The Reds are 4-0 in Volquez's last 4 starts as a home underdog. Cincinnati is 14-2 in Volquez's last 16 starts as an underdog. The Reds are 15-6 in Volquez's last 21 starts against a team with a winning record. The Reds are 1-4 in Volquez's last 5 starts against the National League East.

Reds are 1-5 last 6 games as a home underdog.
Under is 7-3 last 10 games against a team with a winning record.

Key Injuries - LF Chris Dickerson (wrist) is out.

PROJECTED SCORE: 3

Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants

Dodgers: Los Angeles has lost their past 4 games, as they slip further and further away in the National League West division. The Dodgers made news yesterday, for the acquisition of P Ted Lilly for the stretch run. The Dodgers still believe they are a playoff team, so they are looking o finish the season quite strong. The Dodgers are 54-50 SU this year, including 22-29 SU on the road. Los Angeles is -3.50 and -7.87 units both SU and on the RL this year. P Clayton Kershaw will make the biggest start of his season tonight, as he is 10-5 with an ERA of 2.96 and a WHIP of 1.22 this season. The Dodgers are 20-8 in their last 28 games against the National League West. Los Angeles is 1-5 in their last 6 road games against a right-handed starter. The Dodgers are 1-7 in their last 8 road games against a team with a winning record. Los Angeles is 8-1 in Kershaw's last 9 starts against the National League West. The Dodgers are 4-1 in Kershaw's last 5 starts during game 3 of a series. Los Angeles is 8-2 in Kershaw's last 10 Sunday starts. The Dodgers are 5-2 in Kershaw's last 7 starts following a Quality Start in his last appearance.

Dodgers are 0-7 last 7 games as an underdog.
Under is 4-0 in their last 4 during game 3 of a series.

Key Injuries - RF Andre Ethier (rest) is questionable.

PROJECTED SCORE: 2

Giants (-125, O/U 7): San Francisco is within 1.5 games of the San Diego Padres in the National League West division. The Giants are playing their best baseball of the season right now, as they are getting the absolute most out of their elite pitching staff. San Francisco is 60-45 SU this year, including 32-20 SU at home. The Giants are +8.65 and +0.65 units both SU and on the Rl respectively this season. P Matt Cain will take the mound at home tonight, as he is 8-8 with an ERA of 3.14 and a WHIP of 1.15 this season. The Giants are 5-0 in their last 5 games against the National League West. San Francisco is 6-1 in their last 7 games against a left-handed starter. The Giants are 6-1 in their last 7 games during game 3 of a series. The Giants are 10-2 in Cain's last 12 starts as a home favorite of -110 to -150. San Francisco is 4-1 in Cain's last 5 starts during game 3 of a series. The Giants are 4-1 in Cain's last 5 starts as a favorite of -110 to -150.
San Francisco is 4-9 in Cain's last 13 starts against the National League West.

Giants are 27-13 last 40 home games against a team with a losing road record.
Over is 11-3-1 last 15 during game 3 of a series.

Key Injuries - 3B Juan Uribe (leg) is questionable.

PROJECTED SCORE: 3 (UNDER - Total of the Day)