Afternoon Action
By Brad Young
There are four afternoon baseball games on Thursday’s schedule, but the marquee event without a doubt is the opening of the new Yankee Stadium. What better way to open a sports mecca than to have two quality southpaws going head-to-head?
In fact, Cleveland’s Cliff Lee and New York’s CC Sabathia were teammates this time last year before Sabathia was shipped off to Milwaukee in a midseason trade. Lee went on to capture the American League Cy Young Award, while Sabathia was the driving force behind the Brewers’ postseason run that resulted in a wild-card slot.
Besides the Yankees home opener, there are two intriguing National League divisional matchups. Florida wraps up a three-game set at Atlanta between the top two teams in the NL East. The teams are a combined 11-3 heading into Wednesday’s affair.
St. Louis and Chicago are the top two teams in the NL Central, and they are beginning a four-game set at Wrigley Field. Now, let’s take a closer look at these three Thursday afternoon matchups.
**Marlins (Sanchez) at Braves (Kawakami)**
-Las Vegas Sports Consultants installed Atlanta as a $1.35 home ‘chalk’ over Florida, with the total set at nine ‘over’ (minus $1.20). This National League East matchup is scheduled to start at 12:10 p.m. ET.
-Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones is listed as ‘doubtful’ due to a thumb injury.
-Florida right-hander Anibal Sanchez (0-0, 0.00) is still winless on the young season despite tossing five solid innings Friday against New York. The four-year veteran didn’t allow a run on four hits with three walks and five strikeouts.
-The Marlins eventually won that affair as a home ‘pick,’ 5-4, while the combined nine runs slithered ‘under’ the 9 ½-run closing total.
-Sanchez went 0-1 against the Braves last season in two starts, going a combined eight innings while surrendering 10 runs on 13 hits (three home runs) with six walks and six strikeouts. The Marlins lost as a $1.20 road favorite, 4-2, and as a $1.45 home ‘chalk,’ 16-14.
-Atlanta’s Kenshin Kawakami (0-0, 4.50 ERA) is still searching for his first major league victory. The rookie right-hander went six innings against Washington Saturday, yielding three runs on four hits with four walks and eight strikeouts.
-The Braves won that matchup as a $1.55 home favorite, 5-3, while the combined eight runs went ‘under’ the nine-run closing total.
-This marks Kawakami’s second major league start.
**Cardinals (Wainwright) at Cubs (Marshall)**
-LVSC opened Chicago as a $1.25 home favorite over St. Louis. Wrigley Field totals are not released until game day due to the unpredictable wind patterns.
-St. Louis gives the starting nod to right-hander Adam Wainwright (1-0, 1.74 ERA), hoping he can continue his winning ways. The 6-foot-7 hurler knocked off Houston Saturday as a $1.25 home ‘chalk,’ 11-2, while the combined 13 runs toppled the 7 ½-run closing total.
-The 27-year-old tossed five innings of scoreless ball on four hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
-Wainwright started the season by picking up a no-decision against Pittsburgh, surrendering two runs on four hits with five walks and seven strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. Both of his starts this season have gone ‘over’ the total.
-The five-year veteran went 1-0 against the Cubs last season in two starts, going a combined 11 1/3 innings while being reached for three runs on eight hits with four walks and 10 strikeouts. The Cardinals prevailed as a $1.12 home favorite, 5-3, and as a $1.60 road underdog, 12-6.
-Chicago southpaw Sean Marshall (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will be making his third appearance this season, but his first start. The Virginia Commonwealth product has faced Milwaukee twice this season (Friday and Sunday), going a combined one inning while walking one.
-The four-year veteran beat the Cardinals last year as a $1.12 road underdog, 7-1, allowing the lone run on six hits (one home run) with a walk and four strikeouts over six innings. The combined eight runs slithered ‘under’ the 8 ½-run closing total.
**Indians (Lee) at Yankees (Sabathia)**
-LVSC lists New York as a decided $2.10 home ‘chalk’ over Cleveland, with the total set at 8 ½ ‘over’ (minus $1.20). This American League tilt is slated to start at 1:05 p.m. ET.
-Cleveland’s Cliff Lee (0-2, 9.90 ERA) has struggled his first two starts, dropping his latest effort to Toronto Saturday as a home ‘pick,’ 5-4. The combined nine runs went ‘over’ the 7 ½-run closing total.
-The reigning AL Cy Young recipient went five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits with four walks and five strikeouts.
-The left-hander beat the Yankees in his lone start against them last season as a $1.25 road underdog, 3-0. The 30-year-old tossed seven scoreless innings on six hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. The three runs never seriously threatened the eight-run closing total.
-New York southpaw CC Sabathia (1-1, 4.50 ERA) is coming off his first victory with the Yankees after knocking off Kansas City Saturday as a $2.20 road ‘chalk,’ 6-1. The nine-year veteran went 7 2/3 innings, yielding no runs on six hits with no walks and six strikeouts. The combined seven runs went ‘under’ the nine-run closing total.
-Sabathia was a member of the Indians a year ago before a midseason trade to Milwaukee. The California native has never started against his former club.
vegasinsider.com
Indians at Yankees
By Matt Fargo
The Betting Numbers
The Yankees opened as -200 favorites with an over/under of 9.
Recent Series History
This is the first meeting this year between the Indians and Yankees. Cleveland took four of the seven meetings last season and going back further, it has won seven of the last 11 following New York’s eight-game series winning streak at the end of 2006 and the start of 2007. The Indians won two of the three meetings at Yankee Stadium last season.
The Teams
This is the home opener for the Yankees who played their first nine games on the road to start the season. This is also the christening of the brand new Yankee Stadium so there will be a lot of energy and more than likely a lot of beer flowing in the early afternoon hours. New York is off to its typical slow start as it dropped its first series in Baltimore before coming back to win the next series in Kansas City and then taking two of three in Tampa Bay.
Neither the offense nor the pitching have looked sharp early on so the record payroll the front office is dishing out has yet to pay off. New York is hitting .269 on the season but that improves to .322 against left-handed pitching and that is what it will encounter on Thursday afternoon in facing reigning Cy Young Winner Cliff Lee.
The pitching has been hit or miss. Free agent signings C.C. Sabathia, who will square off against Lee, and A.J. Burnett were extremely solid in their most recent outings. Most of the problem has been with Chien-Ming Wang who has allowed 15 earned runs in only 4.2 innings of work. Taking out his numbers and the team ERA drops significantly from 5.16 to 3.41.
While the Yankees start has been slow, the Indians start has been even worse. They lost their first five games of the season before salvaging the series finale against Toronto in their lone home series so far this year. Cleveland was supposed to contend in the American League Central last season but it was a miserable year as its wins dropped by 15 games from 2007 and it was only that little of a difference thanks to a 31-17 finish in its final 48 games to end the season right at .500. The Indians were hoping that momentum would carry over into 2009 but so far it has not.
The bats have been ice cold as Cleveland is hitting just .246 on the season which is third worst in the American League. The Indians have averaged 4.8 rpg which isn’t that bad actually (18th in baseball) but when the pitching is giving up 8.0 rpg, there won’t be many wins taking place.
The staff has a team ERA of 8.46 which is easily the worst in baseball and worst in the American League by close to two runs. The starters have an ERA of 10.12 while the bullpen has posted an ERA of 6.37 which is tied for 27th in the league. Until this improves, it will be another long early season for Cleveland.
Pitching Matchup
Sabathia will be facing his former team for the first time ever and what better venue than in the first game at the new Yankee Stadium. His first season in New York started rough as he was hit hard by the Orioles, allowing six runs on eight hits and five walks and no strikeouts in just 4.1 innings.
His second start could not have been more the opposite as he rebounded with 7.2 shutout innings against the Royals, allowing six hits while issuing no walks and striking out six. Sabathia never liked the old Yankee Stadium as he went 1-4 with an 8.61 ERA in five starts. He won’t be facing the Yankees this time however.
Lee is looking like the pitcher he was in 2007 and not the 22-3 pitcher from a year ago. He got clobbered by the Rangers on opening day, allowing seven runs on 10 hits in just five innings. His next start was better but it was far from good as he gave up four runs on seven hits in five innings against Toronto.
In his lone start against the Yankees last season, Lee was impressive as he shut New York out for seven innings while allowing just six hits and no walks. Prior to that however, he was 2-3 with a 6.82 ERA in six starts including a 1-2 record and an 8.79 ERA in New York.
Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
Thursday, April 16
Philadelphia at Washington (7:05 p.m. EDT). The World Series champions visit the Nationals (0-7), the majors’ only winless team.
STARS
Wednesday
— Ian Kinsler, Rangers, became the fourth player in team history to hit for the cycle, and was 6-for-6 in Texas’ 19-6 win over Baltimore.
— Ken Griffey Jr., Mariners, hit his 613th career home run and 400th with Seattle in a 11-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels.
— Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners, tied the record for most career hits by a Japanese player with his first grand slam in six years, his second hit of his season debut following his first career trip to the disabled list.
— Tim Wakefield, Red Sox, took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before finishing with a four-hitter in Boston’s 8-2 victory over Oakland.
— Andres Galarraga, Tigers, threw 6 1-3 scoreless innings to lead Detroit past the White Sox 9-0, ending Chicago’s three-game winning streak.
— Ryan Ludwick, Cardinals, homered and drove in three runs to help St. Louis beat Arizona 12-7.
— Mike Cameron, Brewers, hit a pair of home runs to spoil the pitching debut of Micah Owings and help Milwaukee beat Cincinnati 9-3.
HONORING A LEGEND
As part of baseball’s annual tribute to Jackie Robinson, several players wore special Nike cleats that featured an image of Robinson sliding into home plate as well as his No. 42 stitched on each heel. Ken Griffey Jr., Jimmy Rollins, Torii Hunter, Carl Crawford and David Wright were among the stars set to wear the unique shoes.
STRONG START
The Marlins are a major league-best 7-1—all against NL East opponents— for their best start since opening 8-1 in 1997, when they won the first of their two World Series titles.
TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM
James Loney drew his second bases-loaded walk of the game with one out in the ninth to lift the Dodgers over the Giants. He also walked with the bags juiced in the first inning.
STELLAR COMPANY
Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw became the youngest Dodgers pitcher to strike out 13 or more batters in a game since Sandy Koufax did it on Aug. 27, 1955 at age 19.
SCORING FINALLY
Houston snapped an 18-inning scoreless streak with two runs in the first against Pittsburgh en route to a 4-1 victory. The Astros began the game with a major-league worst 16 runs scored this season.
SIDELINED
Mike Pelfrey has tendinitis in his pitching forearm that could cause the New York Mets right-hander to miss his next scheduled start. After struggling through his first two outings this season, Pelfrey had an MRI exam Tuesday. … Atlanta 3B Chipper Jones expects to miss at least two games after aggravating his bruised left thumb for the second time in a week. Jones jammed the thumb in his last at-bat in the Braves’ 5-1 loss to Florida on Tuesday night. … Boston right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka went on the 15-day disabled list with a mild right shoulder strain after his second straight poor start to open the season.
WELCOME HOME
Mets ace Johan Santana and his wife, Yasmile Garcia, had their third child on Tuesday, Johan Jr. The pitcher left the team this week to join his wife in Florida for the birth.
ROAD TO REPAIR
Boston pitcher John Smoltz is headed to Florida in another step in his recovery from surgery to his right shoulder. The 41-year-old right-hander is expected to throw to live hitters for the first time Saturday in Fort Myers. He hopes to be back with the Red Sox by early June.
CYCLING
Orlando Hudson, who on Monday joined Wes Parker (1970) as the only L.A. Dodgers to hit for the cycle, smiled broadly while presenting his 4-year-old son Orlando and 7-year-old daughter Kamari with bicycles at home plate before the game. They were gifts from his new club.
SPEAKING
“I feel encouraged. It’s not a huge leap, but it’s a step forward. I think we have to feel encouraged, not only feel encouraged but feel inspired by progress so that we can not only sustain what we have, but work harder to see that we get that number up in future reports.”—Rachel Robinson, the widow of Jackie Robinson after hearing that black players accounted for 10.2 percent of major leaguers last year, the most since the 1995 season.
FLORIDA vs. ATLANTA
Florida is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Florida is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
Atlanta is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
Atlanta is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Florida
HOUSTON vs. PITTSBURGH
Houston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Houston is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Houston
Pittsburgh is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing Houston
CLEVELAND vs. NY YANKEES
Cleveland is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Cleveland is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Yankees's last 5 games when playing Cleveland
NY Yankees are 19-6 SU in their last 25 games when playing at home against Cleveland
ST. LOUIS vs. CHI CUBS
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
Chi Cubs are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games
Chi Cubs are 5-10 SU in their last 15 games at home
PHILADELPHIA vs. WASHINGTON
Philadelphia is 7-2-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Washington
Philadelphia is 18-6-1 SU in its last 25 games
Washington is 1-7-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
Washington is 0-4-1 SU in its last 5 games
CHI WHITE SOX vs. TAMPA BAY
Chi White Sox are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games on the road
Chi White Sox are 2-8 SU in their last 10 games when playing Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Chi White Sox
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Tampa Bay's last 8 games when playing at home against Chi White Sox
SAN DIEGO vs. NY METS
San Diego is 8-2-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing NY Mets
San Diego is 4-9-1 SU in its last 14 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
NY Mets are 1-3-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
NY Mets are 1-4-1 SU in its last 6 games
TORONTO vs. MINNESOTA
Toronto is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games when playing Minnesota
Toronto is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Minnesota is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Toronto
LA ANGELS vs. SEATTLE
LA Angels are 7-2-1 SU in their last 10 games when playing on the road against Seattle
LA Angels are 8-3-1 SU in their last 12 games on the road
Seattle is 2-7-1 SU in their last 10 games when playing LA Angels
Seattle is 2-7-1 SU in their last 10 games when playing at home against LA Angels
SAN FRANCISCO vs. LA DODGERS
San Francisco is 2-5 SU in their last 7 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
San Francisco is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
LA Dodgers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
LA Dodgers are 14-5 SU in their last 19 games at home
Hot Pitchers
-- Kawakami won his first big league start, allowing four hits in six IP in a 5-3 win over Washington. Sanchez has 3.06 RA in his last three starts.
-- Wainwright is 1-0, 1.74 in two starts this season.
-- Danks is 2-0, 1.31 in his last three starts.
-- Halladay is 2-0, 3.86 in two starts this season.
-- Saunders is 1-1, 2.63 in two starts this season.
Cold Pitchers
-- Russ Ortiz has made 253 career starts, but this is his first since 2007, when he started eight games for the Giants (2-3, 5.51). Karstens is 0-6, 7.93 in his last seven starts.
-- Marshall was 1-4, 4.05 in seven starts LY.
-- Blanton was 1-0, 7.20 in three starts vs Washington LY. Martis has a 6.75 RA in five big league starts.
-- Maine is 2-3, 5.19 in his last ten starts. Peavy is 2-2, 4.82 in his last four outings.
-- Stults is 2-3, 3.79 in his last seven starts. Zito is 1-1, 5.18 in his last four starts.
-- Lee is 0-2, 9.90 in two starts this season. Sabathia is 1-1, 4.50 in his two starts this season.
-- Niemann allowed six runs in 5.1 IP in his first big league start.
-- Liriano is 0-2, 6.94 so far this season.
-- Hernandez had a 5.40 RA in four starts against the Angels LY.
Hot Teams
-- Marlins won seven of their first eight games.
-- Pirates are 3-0 in game following a loss.
-- Cubs won four of their last six games. Cardinals won six of their last seven games.
-- Phillies won last three games, scoring 24 runs.
-- Padres won five of their last six games.
-- Dodgers won last four games by combined total of 30-8.
-- Bronx won five of its last seven games.
-- White Sox won three of their last four games.
-- Seattle won six in row, seven of first nine games.
-- Blue Jays won seven of their first ten games; they've won 11 of their last 12 games against Minnesota. .
Cold Teams
-- Braves lost last two games, outscored 15-5.
-- Astros lost five of their last six games.
-- Nationals are only winless team in majors (0-7).
-- Mets lost four of their last six games.
-- Giants lost last five games, outscored 35-12. .
-- Indians lost seven of their first nine games.
-- Rays lost four of their last six games.
-- Twins lost four of their last five games.
-- Angels lost five of their last seven games.
Totals
-- Over is 5-3 in Florida games this season.
-- Six of eight Houston games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 6-4 in St Louis games, 2-1 on the road.
-- All four Philly road games went over the total.
-- Four of last five San Diego games went over the total.
-- Four of last five Dodger games went over the total.
-- Seven of nine Cleveland games went over the total.
-- Six of first eight White Sox games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Toronto games went over the total.
-- Over is 4-1-2 in Angels' last seven games.
FLORIDA (7 - 1) at ATLANTA (5 - 3)
ANIBAL SANCHEZ (R) vs. KENSHIN KAWAKAMI (R)
Top Trends for this game.
FLORIDA is 42-36 (+18.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 91-78 (+26.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 60-37 (+31.8 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 41-41 (+12.8 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 25-13 (+21.1 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 22-12 (+14.6 Units) against the money line in April games over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 47-32 (+24.0 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 90-76 (+27.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 64-59 (+12.9 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 65-57 (+15.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 77-93 (-23.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 76-91 (-22.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 113-121 (-26.3 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
FLORIDA is 2-0 (+3.2 Units) against ATLANTA this season
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.2 Units)
ANIBAL SANCHEZ vs. ATLANTA since 1997
SANCHEZ is 1-2 when starting against ATLANTA with an ERA of 5.09 and a WHIP of 1.522.
His team's record is 1-3 (-2.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-3. (-2.4 units)
KENSHIN KAWAKAMI vs. FLORIDA since 1997
No recent starts.
HOUSTON (2 - 6) at PITTSBURGH (4 - 4)
RUSS ORTIZ (R) vs. JEFF KARSTENS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 49-37 (+18.1 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 88-81 (+17.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 86-80 (+15.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 1-1 (+0.0 Units) against PITTSBURGH this season
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+2.0 Units)
RUSS ORTIZ vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
ORTIZ is 8-1 when starting against PITTSBURGH with an ERA of 3.28 and a WHIP of 1.556.
His team's record is 10-3 (+6.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 5-8. (-3.7 units)
JEFF KARSTENS vs. HOUSTON since 1997
No recent starts.
ST LOUIS (7 - 3) at CHICAGO CUBS (5 - 3)
ADAM WAINWRIGHT (R) vs. SEAN MARSHALL (L)
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO CUBS are 14-4 (+9.5 Units) against the money line at home with a money line of -100 to -125 over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 93-79 (+12.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 93-79 (+12.2 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
WAINWRIGHT is 35-19 (+13.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
WAINWRIGHT is 35-19 (+13.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
WAINWRIGHT is 13-0 (+13.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
CHICAGO CUBS are 514-471 (-111.7 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 377-347 (-76.4 Units) against the money line in home games in day games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 905-928 (-162.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 377-346 (-74.2 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 962-1012 (-185.2 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997.
MARSHALL is 4-17 (-15.7 Units) against the money line in day games since 1997. (Team's Record)
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
ADAM WAINWRIGHT vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
WAINWRIGHT is 1-3 when starting against CHICAGO CUBS with an ERA of 6.55 and a WHIP of 1.637.
His team's record is 3-3 (+0.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-2. (-0.2 units)
SEAN MARSHALL vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
MARSHALL is 2-1 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 4.07 and a WHIP of 1.439.
His team's record is 4-1 (+4.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-3. (-2.2 units)
PHILADELPHIA (4 - 3) at WASHINGTON (0 - 7)
JOE BLANTON (R) vs. SHAIRON MARTIS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 45-28 (+17.2 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 33-75 (-33.0 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 14-37 (-19.7 Units) against the money line after 3 or more consecutive losses over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 24-57 (-25.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 59-109 (-31.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 59-106 (-28.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 40-77 (-25.0 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 1-0 (+1.0 Units) against WASHINGTON this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)
JOE BLANTON vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
BLANTON is 1-1 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 5.57 and a WHIP of 1.619.
His team's record is 2-2 (-0.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-1. (+0.8 units)
SHAIRON MARTIS vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
No recent starts.
SAN DIEGO (6 - 3) at NY METS (4 - 4)
JAKE PEAVY (R) vs. JOHN MAINE (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN DIEGO is 69-101 (-31.2 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 69-101 (-31.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 47-75 (-27.1 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 20-7 (+12.3 Units) against the money line at home with a money line of -100 to -125 over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
SAN DIEGO is 1-1 (+1.0 Units) against NY METS this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)
JAKE PEAVY vs. NY METS since 1997
PEAVY is 4-2 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 3.32 and a WHIP of 1.246.
His team's record is 5-4 (+0.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-4. (+0.7 units)
JOHN MAINE vs. SAN DIEGO since 1997
MAINE is 0-0 when starting against SAN DIEGO with an ERA of 5.40 and a WHIP of 1.628.
His team's record is 1-1 (-0.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-2. (-2.3 units)
SAN FRANCISCO (2 - 6) at LA DODGERS (6 - 3)
BARRY ZITO (L) vs. ERIC STULTS (L)
Top Trends for this game.
ZITO is 16-28 (-20.2 Units) against the money line in April games since 1997. (Team's Record)
SAN FRANCISCO is 659-559 (+75.6 Units) against the money line in night games since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
LA DODGERS is 2-0 (+2.0 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
2 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+2.1 Units)
BARRY ZITO vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
ZITO is 5-4 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 4.27 and a WHIP of 1.194.
His team's record is 5-5 (-0.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-6. (-3.3 units)
ERIC STULTS vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
STULTS is 0-1 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 6.23 and a WHIP of 2.154.
His team's record is 2-1 (+1.8 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-1. (+0.9 units)
CLEVELAND (2 - 7) at NY YANKEES (5 - 4)
CLIFF LEE (L) vs. C.C. SABATHIA (L)
Top Trends for this game.
CLEVELAND is 23-34 (-15.4 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 14-22 (-13.6 Units) against the money line in April games over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 20-32 (-17.1 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons.
LEE is 24-9 (+13.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
LEE is 50-33 (+20.4 Units) against the money line in road games since 1997. (Team's Record)
LEE is 22-11 (+14.3 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 9 to 9.5 since 1997. (Team's Record)
LEE is 17-5 (+13.8 Units) against the money line when playing on Thursday since 1997. (Team's Record)
LEE is 42-25 (+19.0 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field since 1997. (Team's Record)
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
CLIFF LEE vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
LEE is 3-3 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 5.62 and a WHIP of 1.475.
His team's record is 3-4 (+0.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-4. (-1.1 units)
C.C. SABATHIA vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
No recent starts.
CHI WHITE SOX (4 - 4) at TAMPA BAY (4 - 5)
JOHN DANKS (L) vs. JEFF NIEMANN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CHI WHITE SOX are 4-18 (-14.0 Units) against the money line in games played on artificial turf over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 63-29 (+27.4 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 63-30 (+26.1 Units) against the money line in games played in a dome over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 67-35 (+25.4 Units) against the money line in games played on artificial turf over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 109-78 (+27.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CHI WHITE SOX are 54-36 (+22.1 Units) against the money line after getting shut out since 1997.
CHI WHITE SOX are 52-29 (+19.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
JOHN DANKS vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
DANKS is 4-1 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 3.19 and a WHIP of 1.194.
His team's record is 4-1 (+2.6 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-4. (-3.3 units)
JEFF NIEMANN vs. CHI WHITE SOX since 1997
NIEMANN is 0-1 when starting against CHI WHITE SOX with an ERA of 13.51 and a WHIP of 2.703.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-1. (-1.3 units)
TORONTO (7 - 3) at MINNESOTA (4 - 6)
ROY HALLADAY (R) vs. FRANCISCO LIRIANO (L)
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 53-67 (-37.8 Units) against the money line as a road favorite of -125 to -150 since 1997.
MINNESOTA is 23-10 (+12.1 Units) against the money line in home games after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 26-10 (+15.4 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 56-32 (+16.0 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 58-34 (+16.5 Units) against the money line in games played in a dome over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 65-52 (+11.9 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 56-32 (+16.0 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on artificial turf over the last 2 seasons.
HALLADAY is 103-45 (+36.7 Units) against the money line in games played on artificial turf since 1997. (Team's Record)
Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 2-1 (+1.6 Units) against MINNESOTA this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.9 Units)
ROY HALLADAY vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
HALLADAY is 7-0 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 2.71 and a WHIP of 0.935.
His team's record is 8-1 (+7.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-4. (-0.4 units)
FRANCISCO LIRIANO vs. TORONTO since 1997
No recent starts.
LA ANGELS (3 - 5) at SEATTLE (7 - 2)
JOE SAUNDERS (L) vs. CHRIS JAKUBAUSKAS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
LA ANGELS are 104-70 (+18.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 51-34 (+17.8 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 98-63 (+19.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 38-26 (+12.5 Units) against the money line in road games in night games over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 146-100 (+25.0 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 44-24 (+16.9 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 85-60 (+20.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
SAUNDERS is 25-9 (+13.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAUNDERS is 12-4 (+8.7 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAUNDERS is 24-8 (+13.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAUNDERS is 34-13 (+18.8 Units) against the money line in night games since 1997. (Team's Record)
SAUNDERS is 18-5 (+12.3 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAUNDERS is 13-4 (+9.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SEATTLE is 68-103 (-31.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 28-45 (-20.0 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 61-94 (-30.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 43-71 (-26.5 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
SEATTLE is 2-0 (+2.3 Units) against LA ANGELS this season
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.0 Units)
JOE SAUNDERS vs. SEATTLE since 1997
SAUNDERS is 4-1 when starting against SEATTLE with an ERA of 4.61 and a WHIP of 1.390.
His team's record is 5-2 (+2.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-2. (+2.0 units)
CHRIS JAKUBAUSKAS vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
No recent starts.
National League
FLORIDA at ATLANTA
SANCHEZ: FLA 15-6 when playing with a day of rest
KAWAKAMI: ATL 57-28 in the first half of the season
HOUSTON at PITTSBURGH
ORTIZ: 16-4 OVER AWAY in April
KARSTENS: PIT 22-12 OVER in April
ST LOUIS at CHICAGO CUBS
WAINWRIGHT: 10-2 TSR when the money line is +125 to -125
MARSHALL: 4-17 TSR in day games
PHILADELPHIA at WASHINGTON
BLANTON: PHI 13-2 after 3+ consecutive overs
MARTIS: WAS 40-77 in night games
SAN DIEGO at NY METS
PEAVY: SD 46-69 when the total is 7 to 8.5
MAINE: NYM 20-7 at home with a money line of -100 to -125
SAN FRANCISCO at LA DODGERS
ZITO: SF 15-8 after 3+ consecutive overs
STULTS: LAD 34-21 OVER as a home favorite of -150 or more
American League
CLEVELAND at NY YANKEES
LEE: 17-5 TSR when playing on Thursday
SABATHIA: 14-4 UNDER after a win
CHI WHITE SOX at TAMPA BAY
DANKS: CHW 4-18 in games played on artificial turf
NIEMANN: TB 43-22 at home when the total is 8.5 to 10
TORONTO at MINNESOTA
HALLADAY: TOR 31-15 against AL Central
LIRIANO: 0-5 TSR in April games
LA ANGELS at SEATTLE
SAUNDERS: 12-4 TSR in road games
ROWLAND-SMITH: SEA 4-13 at home off 4 straight division wins
American League Research
By Indiancowboy
Indians vs. Yankees
(Lee vs. Sabathia)
Lee looks to bounce-back after a couple of losses as he is 0-2 with a 9.9era. The Cy Young winner from last year is really struggling along with the rest of the Indians who are just 1-7. A note on the side is CC faces his old Indians squad for the first time, Yankee stadium is opening and CC is headlining the game, and the Crowd should be revved up and ready to go for certain. The question to this game is how do the Indians fare against their old pitcher and frankly, how CC comes off a strong performance, or does he have a let down? I can see the total either way, but just staying away.
Whitesox vs. Tampa Bay
The Whitesox are thrilled to see Danks take the mound after getting blanked 0-9 by Gallaraga of the Tigers yesterday. Danks is 0-0 with a 0era as his first start was solid but he did not pick up a win. He faces a TB team who sends Niemman who got roughed up in his first start by the Os for a 10.13 outing. Nothing against Niemann, as I'm sure he is likely to bounce-back today as the Sox lineup is questionable, but Danks still seeking that first win and the Sox come off getting blanked yesterday, Danks was 2-1 with a 1.89 era against TB last year, lean on the road Sox here. Niemann was 0-1 with a 10+ era against the Sox in his one start against them last year. If there is an "honorable" mention for a Pod this was it, as I decided to go with a total instead in the Jays/Twins game.
Angels vs. Mariners
Big Joe pitched well in his last outing against the Redsox but picked up the loss, he is 1-1 with a 2.63 era, he is laying the wood as the road favorite here today though as a -153 favorite, of course, he is facing the Mariners and Chris Jakubauskas, but Chris was strong in spring training having a 1.99era, the Mariners are a surprise currently as they lead the AL West as they are 7-2, and even crushed the Angels 11-3 yesterday, the Angels are on a bounce-back along with Saunders so they look strong today, just too much juice, and I hate the idea of a RL in an Angels/M's game.