Southpaw report
By Judd Hall
It’s just a fact of life in baseball that you’re going to have a job if you’re a left-handed pitcher and have a faint heartbeat. How else can you explain Mike Hampton finding job after job after job? But southpaws give that edge against certain clubs that just can’t figure out how to hit, let alone win, against them.
There are a few games on Thursday’s slate that puts the left-handers front and center.
Pirates (Z. Duke – L) at Twins (N. Blackburn) – 1:05 p.m. EDT
Zach Duke (7-4, 3.10 ERA) looked like he was doomed to be the latest in a long line of pitchers in the Pirates’ organization to flame out. His 2005 rookie campaign was a solid one he boasted an 8-2 mark and an earned run average of 1.81. From 2006 through 2008, Duke went 18-37 with a bulbous 4.83 ERA.
In 2009, however, Duke appears to have regained his form. The young southpaw has gone 2-1 with an ERA of 4.29 this month, which is definitely a better mark than how he did in May (2-3, 2.99 ERA). He’s coming off of an eight inning, six hit performance that saw his Pirates win 9-3 as $1.15 home faves against Detroit on June 13.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened installed Minnesota as a $1.45 home “chalk” (risk $145 to win $100) with a total of eight.
Things certainly look good for Duke and the Pirates to walk away a winner on Thursday as $1.35 road pups. Minnesota is within striking distance for the lead in the American League Central and they are eighth in the big leagues against lefties with a .281 average. Yet the Twins are just 11-14 against southpaws this season.
Making matters worse for the Twinkies in this matchup is Denard Span looks to be sitting out with a right ear infection. Span has been one of Minnesota’s better hitters against lefties, batting .342 with eight runs batted in.
Marlins (Nolasco) at Red Sox (Lester – L) – 7:10 p.m. EDT
The Red Sox have been rolling right along, winning six of their last seven games en route to taking the lead in the AL East. Now they’re going to put one of their better hurlers on the mound on Thursday in Jon Lester (5-5, 4.76 ERA).
Lester has been a workhorse for Boston this year, tossing 81.1 innings in 13 starts. Even more impressive is that he’s allowed just one earned run in each of his last three starts…all wins for the BoSox.
Those stats certainly play a big part in LVSC opening the Red Sox as heavy $2.30 home faves with the total rolling in at 9 ½.
While the numbers have looked good for Boston’s southpaw, he’s had a few issues against teams that throw out a right-handed batting order. Lester is allowing right-handers hit .260 against him this season with an ERA of 6.56. The Marlins are hitting .252 against lefties this season with a more than respectable 15-7 record.
Despite Florida’s good luck against left-handed pitching this year, they’re playing in a hostile territory. The Marlins have won just three of their last 10 games in Boston since 1999. And Lester is 19-4 with a 3.43 ERA for his career in Fenway Park.
Athletics (Mazzaro) at Dodgers (Wolf – L) – 10:10 p.m. EDT
Things haven’t gone too well for the Athletics this season. They’re dead last in the AL West and have dropped six of their last seven matches. Even worse is that Oakland is hitting .190 during that stretch as a team.
The A’s will attempt to get their act together on Thursday in Los Angeles as $1.35 road ‘dogs against leftie Randy Wolf (3-2, 3.41 ERA). While hope springs eternal, bettors shouldn’t be so optimistic.
Oakland is the worst hitting team against southpaws this season as evidenced by a .204 batting average. That offense has led to the Athletics ranking dead last in the junior circuit versus left-handed pitching at 8-15.
Wolf has started just once against the Athletics during his career, but he made the most of that chance. He gave up three earned runs on four hits in seven innings of work in an 8-3 vs. Oakland on June 8, 2003 when he was with the Phillies.
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Thursday's streaking and slumping starters
By Covers.com
Streaking
Ricky Nolasco (Florida Marlins)
Last month, the 26-year-old righty struggled to get anybody out.
But after being recalled from Triple-A on June 7, Nolasco has won both of his starts by keeping the ball inside the park and throwing his pitches for strikes. Since returning to the majors, he hasn’t allowed a home run, something he did in six of his nine previous starts. In his first game back, Nolasco went seven innings, giving up just two earned runs and striking out four against three walks. Last week in Toronto, he went six innings, yielding two runs and striking out nine with just one walk.
Nolasco’s stats for the season, however, still are a bit scary to look at. He’s 2-6 with a 7.62 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP (walks + hits per inning).
Dan Haren (Arizona Diamondbacks)
The sixth-year right-hander out of Pepperdine has been great the first eight weeks of the season, but he’s been close to unhittable in June.
In his first start of June against the Dodgers, he went seven innings, allowing one run while striking out seven and issuing just one free pass. He again went seven innings and yielded only a run as he struck out five and allowed one walk. His best performance of the season came against Houston last week. He pitched a complete game and gave up just two hits while fanning seven batters.
Haren’s eye-catching stats (2.20 ERA, 0.73 WHIP) should translate into a better record than his 5-4 mark, but his bullpen and a lack of run support have cost him multiple wins.
Slumping
Brandon Backe (Houston Astros)
All you have to know about Backe is that he is owned by 0.1 percent of ESPN Fantasy Baseball players.
Backe has been a punching bag in the Astros bullpen since coming off the disabled list to start his season on May 30. In just nine innings, he has allowed 12 earned runs, 17 hits and three home runs. His ERA is 12.00 and his WHIP is 2.44. Still, Houston manager Cecil Cooper promised Backe at least two starts. Good luck with that.
“I just hope I can do what I can do as much as possible,” Backe told the Houston Chronicle. “Obviously, it’s a crucial situation for me to go in and try and eat up as many innings as I can on Thursday. My job is to try to do my job as best I can.”
Not exactly the killer instinct you look for in a starting pitcher.
Josh Geer (San Diego Padres)
Here’s how poorly the 26-year-old hurler pitched in May – an inning of work on June 2 against the Phillies where he allowed two runs, two walks and a home run was enough to earn him his starting job back.
Not that it mattered.
In his next start on June 7, Geer was tagged for four runs in just five innings in a 9-6 loss to Arizona. Last week, he tried to make up for his poor performances by reconnecting with the fans to give them some free souvenirs. Unfortunately for Geer, these came in the form of four home runs he gave as he yielded seven runs in just 5 2-3 innings in a 9-1 loss to the Angels.
“Josh is a guy who understands pitching,” Padres manager Bud Black told reporters. “He doesn't walk people. Because of that, the ball is put in play. Because of his style of pitching, there will be baserunners through hits. Guys who give up hits, must keep the ball down.”
Geer’s 1-2 record isn’t awful, but his 6.14 ERA, 14 home runs allowed and 1.33 WHIP are that bad.
Florida (32-35) at Boston (40-25)
The streaking Red Sox send left-hander Jon Lester (5-5, 4.76 ERA) to the hill at Fenway Park to wrap up a three-game interleague series with the Marlins, who are scheduled to counter with right-hander Ricky Nolasco (2-6, 7.62).
Boston has taken the first two games of this series by scores of 8-2 and 6-1 and has now won seven of its last eight overall and five straight at home to surge into first place in the American League East. The Red Sox, who now have the best record in the A.L., are on additional runs of 12-3 overall, 57-19 in interleague play, 40-12 in interleague home contests, 41-14 on Thursday and a lengthy 88-37 at Fenway.
The Marlins, who had won three in a row entering this series, are now just 8-19 in their last 27 games as an underdog. They have fared well against southpaws, with current streaks of 6-1 overall and 14-5 on the road.
The Red Sox have now won five of the last six in this interleague rivalry and five of the last six in Boston.
With Lester on the hill, Boston has won three in a row and eight of 11, including a 5-2 victory at Philadelphia on Friday night in which the lefty allowed just two hits, two walks and one run while striking out 11 in seven innings. That effort followed a complete-game, 8-1 home win over Texas. Lester, who has given up exactly one run in three straight starts and four of his last five, is 3-2 with 4.06 ERA in six home starts this season.
The Sox are on further runs behind Lester of 6-0 against the National League East, 8-1 in interleague play and 24-5 at home. In Lester’s lone career start against Florida in 2006, he surrendered two runs on seven hits in five innings, getting a no-decision in Boston’s 4-3 victory in South Beach.
Florida is 2-4 in Nolasco’s last six starts, with the righty going 1-4 and getting pounded for 28 earned runs in 31 2/3 innings (7.95 ERA). However, since returning from a brief demotion to Triple-A, Nolasco has been much more effective, allowing just four earned runs in 13 innings in two starts. On Friday at Toronto, he gave up two runs on five hits and a walk, striking out nine over six innings in a 7-3 victory.
Despite the strong outing in Toronto, Nolasco is still only 1-3 with a 7.12 ERA in seven road starts this year, and this is his first career meeting with Boston. With Nolasco throwing, the Marlins are on slides of 1-5 overall against winning teams and 1-4 on the road against winning teams.
The under for Boston is on tears of 21-7-3 overall, 6-0-2 at home, 4-1 with Lester starting, 6-0-1 with Lester going on five days’ rest and 5-1 behind the lefty in interleague action. On the flip side, the over for Miami is on rolls of 5-1-1 overall, 21-6-5 in interleague action, 7-1-2 in interleague roadies, 9-2 behind Nolasco this season and 6-0 with the righty throwing on the road.
Finally, in this rivalry, the over is on upticks of 5-3-1 overall and 4-1-1 in Boston.
ATS ADVANTAGE: BOSTON
Detroit (34-31) at St. Louis (36-30)
The Tigers wrap up an 11-game road trip by trotting out upstart rookie right-hander Rick Porcello (7-4, 3.71 ERA) as they try to avoid getting swept by the Cardinals, who will hand the ball to fellow righty Joel Pineiro (5-7, 3.99).
Detroit got pounded 11-2 Tuesday in the series opener, then came back Wednesday and fell 4-3. The Tigers have dropped four in a row and are now 4-6 on their current road trip, scoring a total of 19 runs in their last seven games. Despite the recent struggles, Detroit remains on hot streaks of 45-21 in interleague play, 13-8 in interleague road games and 23-13 against the N.L. Central.
Prior to taking the first two games of this series, the Redbirds had lost seven of nine overall and four straight at home. They’re now 11-3 in their last 14 games against teams with a winning record, and they’ve won 11 consecutive Thursday contests.
Going back to the start of the 2006 season, the home team has won 14 of the last 16 head-to-head clashes in this rivalry, including the World Series.
Detroit has won seven of Porcello’s last eight starts, including a 3-1 victory Friday at Pittsburgh in which the 20-year-old allowed one run on six hits and a walk in seven innings. Porcello has gone 6-1 with a 2.52 ERA in those eight games, throwing 46 1/3 innings. He is 4-2 with a 3.25 ERA in six road starts this season, and the Tigers have won four of his last five on the highway.
The Cardinals have lost four in a row behind Pineiro, mostly due to poor run support, with St. Louis scoring just nine total runs in that span. On Friday at Cleveland, the 30-year-old yielded three runs on seven hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings of a 7-3 loss. Pineiro is 3-2 with a 2.52 ERA in five home starts this year, and he’s a solid 6-1 with a 2.82 ERA in 10 career appearances (eight starts) against the Tigers.
St. Louis is 5-2 in Pineiro’s last seven outings at Busch, but it has also come up empty in the rigthy’s last five interleague starts.
The Tigers are on a bundle of “under” streaks, including 21-8 overall, 5-2 on the road, 12-4-1 in interleague road games and 22-7 against right-handed starters. Also, St. Louis is on “under” tears of 11-5 at home, 15-7-1 against right-handed starters, 6-1-1 against the American League and 7-1 in interleague home games. Finally, the under is 5-2 in the last seven Tigers-Cardinals meetings at Busch Stadium.
ATS ADVANTAGE: DETROIT and UNDER
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Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
Thursday, June 18
Detroit at St. Louis (8:15 p.m. EDT). Tigers 20-year-old rookie Rick Porcello (7-4) faces MLB home run leader Albert Pujols and St. Louis Cardinals.
STARS
Wednesday
-Mark Reynolds, Diamondbacks, homered off Zack Greinke to help Arizona beat Kansas City 12-5.
-Matt Wieters, Orioles, hit his first home run to help Baltimore beat the New York Mets 6-4.
-John Lannan, Nationals, pitched into the ninth inning and Washington hung on for a 3-2 win over the New York Yankees.
-Scott Richmond, Blue Jays, struck out a career-high 11 in eight innings to help Toronto beat Philadelphia 7-1.
-John Danks, White Sox, pitched seven scoreless innings to lead the Chicago White Sox over the cross-town rival Cubs 4-1.
SULTAN OF SQUAT
Ivan Rodriguez caught the 2,227th game of his career, breaking Carlton Fisk's record on Wednesday night. But the longtime Rangers backstop couldn't celebrate another Texas win, as his Houston Astros lost 5-4 in 10 innings.
FOURTH TIME'S THE CHARM
After striking out his first three times up, Mark Reynolds homered off Zack Greinke to get him out of the game and the Diamondbacks put up six more runs against the bullpen to beat the Royals 12-5 on Wednesday night.
OH MY, OMAR
Omar Vizquel matched Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio for the most hits by a player from Venezuela, getting No. 2,677 in the Rangers' 5-4 win in 10 innings Wednesday night against the Houston Astros. It was the 2,706th career game for the 41-year-old Vizquel, who is in his 21st major league season.
COMEBACK TRAIL
Eight-time All-Star John Smoltz is scheduled to start next Thursday for Boston at Washington. In his final scheduled tuneup, he pitched four innings for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox on Wednesday night, giving up one run on Keith Ginter's leadoff homer for the Charlotte Knights in the third. After undergoing major shoulder surgery, he had gone nearly 12 months without pitching in a game before six rehab starts.
HURTIN' HURLERS
Toronto ace Roy Halladay, Seattle's Erik Bedard and Houston's Mike Hampton were all placed on the disabled list Wednesday. The Blue Jays plan to put Halladay, who strained his right groin last Friday, on the DL on Thursday. The 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner, Halladay is 10-1 with a 2.53 ERA this season. Bedard was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday with shoulder inflammation and Hampton will sit due to a left groin strain
BROTHER ACT
Jeff Weaver will start Saturday against younger brother Jered when the Dodgers face the Angels in Anaheim, Calif., across from the brothers' childhood hometown of Simi Valley. It will be the 21st time in major league history that siblings will start against each other and the first time since Sept. 6, 2002, when the Cardinals' Andy Benes handed the Cubs and younger brother Alan an 11-2 defeat at St. Louis.
Ks, Ks AND MORE Ks
Brewers reliever Mitch Stetter struck out two with two runners on to earn his first career save, preserving Milwaukee's 9-8 victory over Cleveland in 11 innings. The last 11 outs recorded by the left-hander have been strikeouts.
GETTING SNAPPY
A day after the Tampa Bay Rays ended the longest winning streak in the majors, the Colorado Rockies returned the favor, snapping the Rays' six-game winning streak with a 5-3 win Wednesday night.
ALL-STAR DUGOUT
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa will join Dodgers manager Joe Torre as an NL coach for the July 14 All-Star game in St. Louis. Torre said last month he had been selected by Philadelphia's Charlie Manuel, the NL manager. AL manager Joe Maddon of Tampa Bay picked Kansas City's Trey Hillman and Seattle's Don Wakamatsu as his coaches, the commissioner's office said Wednesday.
SWEET SNELL OF SUCCESS
Pittsburgh's Ian Snell won for the first time in two months, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks in six innings against Minnesota, helping the Pirates to an 8-2 win Wednesday night.
IT'S ALL GOOD
Trevor Hoffman, baseball's career saves leader with 570, squandered an 8-4 lead in the ninth, but the NL Central leaders earned their eighth straight interleague win over Cleveland, winning 9-8 in the 11th. Milwaukee also swept three in 2006 and won the final two of a three-game set in 2001.
HUNDREDS
Boston's Brad Penny lasted five innings to get his 100th career win, beating the Florida Marlins 6-1 on Wednesday night in front of the 500th straight sellout at Fenway Park.
SPEAKING
"It's like, 'What do you want for dinner? You want linguine with red clam sauce, or white clam?' They're both good.'' - Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who was able to use Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero as pinch hitters to spark a three-run rally that beat the San Francisco Giants 4-3 Wednesday.