Tuesday's Short Hops
By Brian Edwards
With the NBA and NHL Playoffs over and horse racing’s triple crown in the books, bettors have to concentrate on bases right now if they want to produce profits. With this in mind, let’s stroll through Tuesday’s card with short hops from all over the diamond in both leagues.
Boston RHP John Smoltz (0-1, 9.00 ERA) will make his second start since leaving Atlanta to join the Red Sox when they play Tuesday at Baltimore. The future Hall of Famer, who is coming off elbow surgery, made his first MLB start in any other uniform since spending 20 seasons with the Braves last week. The result was a 9-3 loss at Washington after Smoltz labored through a 34-pitch first inning in which he gave up four runs. However, he settled down to retire the side in order in the second, fourth and fifth innings. Smoltz gave up one run in the third and five runs total in five innings, but he walked just one batter and fanned five. Mike Lowell is “out” for the BoSox. Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Terry Francona’s team as a minus-130 ‘chalk’ with a total of 10 ‘over’ (minus-120).
After an off day Monday, the Yankees are back at home Tuesday to host Seattle. Joba Chamberlain (4-2, 3.81) will get the starting nod for Joe Girardi’s club. The hard-throwing righty garnered the victory in an 8-4 win Wednesday at Atlanta, working 6 1/3 innings and giving up just a pair of earned runs. Most spots have installed the Yankees as ‘chalky’ favorites with a price tag north of minus-200.
The Braves will host the Phillies in a series opener Tuesday at Turner Field. Philadelphia is atop the National League East standings, leading the Mets by 2 ½ games (going into Monday’s action). Atlanta is in fourth place but just five games off the pace. LVSC opened Bobby Cox’s squad as a minus-135 home favorite with a total of 8 ½ ‘over’ (minus-120). Charlie Manuel’s team is an MLB-best 26-12 on the road. The Braves ended a four-game losing streak Sunday by dodging a sweep in a 2-1 win over Boston. Derek Lowe (7-6, 4.53) will take the ball for Atlanta. The right-hander was rocked for 11 hits and eight runs in a loss to the Yankees in his last outing.
Philadelphia shortstop Jimmy Rollins (.211, 6 HR’s and 27 RBI’s) is expected to return to the lineup Tuesday after a four-game absence to clear his head and work on his hitting stroke amid a deep slump.
Colorado RHP Jason Marquis (9-5, 4.22) has enjoyed plenty of success against the Dodgers, compiling a 4-1 record and 2.19 career ERA against L.A. Marquis is the fifth-best money pitcher in the majors this year, as his team has a plus-635 money total and 10-5 ledger when he toes the rubber. The Rockies remain extremely hot with a 20-3 record in their last 23 games (prior to Monday’s late-night tilt at L.A.).
Mets’ LHP Johan Santana (9-5, 3.08) will go against Milwaukee on Tuesday. The lefty is 4-2 with a 3.13 career ERA against the Brew Crew. The Brewers are 12-8 against southpaws.
San Francisco LHP Randy Johnson will toe the slab for the Giants on Tuesday against St. Louis. Hitting the 300-win mark has not slowed down the Big Unit, who is 2-0 with a 3.20 ERA in his last three outings. Most books are listing the Cards as minus-200 home favorites with Chris Carpenter (5-2, 1.78) scheduled to throw. Carpenter is 3-0 with a 3.03 ERA in five lifetime starts versus San Francisco.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
Going into Monday’s play, St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols was leading the majors in homers with 28. Sportsbook.com had him installed as the minus-500 ‘chalk’ to finish the regular season with the most diners. The next-shortest odds at the offshore website belonged to New York’s Mark Teixeira (+400), Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard (+500) and Carlos Pena (+500).
Going into Monday’s games, Sportsbook.com’s updated future odds had the Red Sox and the Dodgers as the plus-400 co-favorites to win the World Series (risk $100 to win $400). The Yankees have plus-500 odds, while the Angels’ number is plus-800. The Phillies have plus-1200 odds (risk $100 to win $1,200).
Going into Monday’s action, the NL Central was clearly wide open with Milwaukee and St. Louis sharing the lead. The Reds and Cubs were in third and fourth place, 2 ½ and 3 ½ games behind, respectively. Houston is four games off the pace and the Pirates are five games back. The Cardinals are the plus-140 favorites at Sportsbook.com (risk $100 to win $140), while the Cubs have plus-150 odds. Milwaukee is plus-300, while the longshots are as follows: Reds (10/1), Houston (15/1) and Pittsburgh (50/1).
Boston’s bullpen continues to be the best in baseball with a 2.92 ERA.
vegasinsider.com
Tuesday's streaking and slumping starting pitchers
By Covers.com
Streaking
Dan Haren (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Haren will try to help the Diamondbacks end a season-high five-game slide after they fell 12-8 to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. They last dropped six in a row Sept. 5-10.
The NL's ERA leader didn't get much help in his last trip to the mound Wednesday, allowing two runs and four hits with eight strikeouts in seven innings of a 2-1 loss to Texas. Haren had gone 3-0 with a 1.66 ERA in his previous five starts.
"I know it's a broken record, but I go out to give the team the best chance to win. I go out with a plan, and I work hard in between starts, and I go out and execute that plan," Haren told the Diamondbacks' official Web site. "Wins and losses, I put that aside. I'm very proud of the way I have pitched my first 15 starts, and if I can have another 20 or 18 starts like that, I'd be very happy at the end of the year."
Haren gave up three runs and six hits, including a homer to Phillips, in seven innings of a 3-1 loss to the Reds on May 12. The right-hander fell to 1-2 with a 5.06 ERA in five games - four starts - against them.
Chris Carpenter (St. Louis Cardinals)
The Cardinals will have ace Chris Carpenter on the mound Tuesday night at Busch Stadium, where he'll square off with Randy Johnson and the Giants in a matchup of former Cy Young Award winners as the teams continue their four-game set.
Carpenter (5-2, 1.78 ERA), who won the NL Cy Young Award in 2005, will have to hope for a better fate than he experienced in his most recent start. Matched up against two-time winner Johan Santana, Carpenter gave up three runs and four hits over seven innings and suffered a 3-2 loss.
"The guy's no slouch,'' Carpenter said. "He knows how to pitch.''
Slumping
Derek Lowe (Atlanta Braves)
Derek Lowe (7-6, 4.53) will try to pick up where Hanson left off as he attempts to end a personal three-game losing streak, during which he's posted a 12.34 ERA.
The right-hander lasted only three innings Thursday, surrendering eight runs and 11 hits in an 11-7 loss to the New York Yankees.
"Terrible," Lowe said. "Three in a row. Obviously, (Thursday) was a disaster."
Lowe, though, is 5-0 with a 2.14 ERA in his last seven starts against the Phillies. He was outstanding against them April 5, yielding two hits in eight scoreless innings of a 4-1 win.
Rich Hill (Baltimore Orioles)
Baltimore gives the ball to left-hander Rich Hill (3-2, 6.03), who looks for his first win at home in 2009. In his last start, Hill yielded six runs and a season-high eight hits over 4 1-3 innings in Thursday's 11-3 loss at Florida. Hill gave up two homers after surrendering only one in his first seven starts.
Hill, who has pitched 4 1-3 innings or fewer in four of eight starts, has no record and a 12.27 ERA in two starts at Camden Yards. This is his first appearance against Boston.
The Orioles' last win over the Red Sox was 11-6 at home on Aug. 20, 2008.
Clayton Richard (Chicago White Sox)
The White Sox starters have posted a 2.73 ERA their last 14 games, and they look to left-hander Clayton Richard (2-1, 4.33) to continue that trend.
Richard, however, has not made it through six innings since earning a win May 29 in Kansas City, and is 0-1 with a 6.04 ERA in his last five starts. He lasted 4 1-3 innings Thursday against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers and was pulled after allowing four runs and hitting three batters.
Richard made it only 3 1-3 innings May 12 in Cleveland and is 0-1 with a 8.59 ERA in two starts against Cleveland - both at Progressive Field.
Tampa Bay (43-35) at Toronto (41-37)
The surging Rays send right-hander Matt Garza (5-5, 3.61 ERA) to the mound at Rogers Centre for the second game of their series with the division rival Blue Jays, who will counter with righty Scott Richmond (6-4, 3.68).
Tampa Bay posted a 4-1 victory in Monday night’s opener, with Carl Crawford welcoming Toronto starter Roy Halladay back from the DL with a two-run homer in the third inning. The Rays have won eight of their last nine games, including the last six in a row, and are on a 20-8 run overall. However, Tampa is still just 5-10 in its last 15 road games.
Toronto is on a 16-8 run at home against teams with a losing road record, but the Jays have won just two of their last 12 division contests.
This is the first series of the year between these rivals. Last year, Tampa Bay went 11-7 against Toronto, though the Jays earned a three-game home sweep in their final meeting in early September.
Tampa has lost four of its last six with Garza on the hill, but the 25-year-old was sharp last Wednesday against the World Series champion Phillies in a 7-1 home victory. Garza allowed just one run on three hits and three walks, with seven strikeouts, in eight innings. Garza is 3-3 with a solid 1.99 ERA in six career starts against Toronto, but he’s 1-3 with a 4.29 ERA in six road starts this season, and the Rays have lost in his last five outings on the highway.
Toronto has won eight of 12 games this year with Richmond starting, and the 29-year-old is coming off a good effort at home against Cincinnati last Wednesday. Richmond allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in seven innings of an 8-2 victory. Richmond is 3-2 with a 3.92 ERA in eight appearances (six starts) at home this year, and he is 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA in his lone career appearance against Tampa, allowing all three runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings of a 3-2 home loss last July.
The under for Tampa Bay is on rolls of 5-1 on the road, 14-5-1 against right-handers, 6-0 overall with Garza starting and 6-0 in Garza’s last six starts on the highway. Likewise, the under for Toronto is on streaks of 7-2-1 against winning teams, 11-4 in division play, 8-2 behind Richmond at Rogers Centre and 4-1 with Richmond facing A.L. East foes.
Finally, in this rivalry, the under has hit in 24 of the last 34 clashes and is on further runs of 15-6 in Toronto and 4-1 with Garza starting against the Jays.
ATS ADVANTAGE: TORONTO and UNDER
L.A. Angels (42-32) at Texas (40-35)
The Angels look to strengthen their grip on first place in the A.L. West when they trot out left-hander Joe Saunders (8-4, 3.66 ERA) to face right-hander Scott Feldman (5-2, 4.06) and the rival Rangers in Game 2 of their series at the Ballpark in Arlington.
Los Angeles earned a 5-2 win Monday in the series opener, on the strength of a four-run sixth inning and a solid six innings from rookie starter Sean O’Sullivan, who allowed two runs (both on solo homers) on six hits and two walks, with five strikeouts. The Halos have won six in row and 13 of their last 16 games, and they are on a 7-0 run on the road.
Texas is 3-8 in its last 11 outings, which helped Los Angeles overtake the Rangers for the division lead. Texas is in an 0-6 rut against winning teams, but the Rangers carry positive streaks of 17-5 in division contests and 8-3 at home against southpaws.
The Rangers are still on a 5-2 run in this rivalry, including a three-game sweep at home in mid-May in the only other series this year between the two teams. The Angels have lost in Saunders’ last four road starts against Texas.
Los Angeles has won three in a row behind Saunders, after dropping his previous three starts. Last Wednesday in an 11-3 home win over Colorado, he allowed just one run (a solo homer) on four hits and a walk in six innings, with six strikeouts. Saunders is 4-2 with a 4.57 ERA in seven road starts this year, with one of those losses coming at Texas, where he got shelled for seven runs on eight hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings of a 10-8 loss on May 15.
Saunders is 3-4 with a 5.48 ERA in eight career starts against the Rangers. On the positive side, with Saunders starting, L.A. is on runs of 54-24 overall, 7-1 in division play, 8-3 on the road and 23-10 against winning teams.
Texas had lost three in row backing Feldman before coming up with a 9-8 win at Arizona last Thursday, with the righty allowing three runs on four hits and a walk in six innings. Feldman is 1-1 with a 3.83 ERA in eight appearances (six starts) at home this year, and he’s 1-3 with a 5.35 ERA in 14 appearances (five starts) against Los Angeles. On May 17, he threw six shutout innings in a 3-0 home win over the Angels but got a no-decision.
The Rangers are 8-3 in Feldman’s last 11 starts, but they are on slides behind Feldman of 4-12 at home and 3-8 against winning teams.
The over for Los Angeles is on streaks of 11-6-1 overall, 5-0 with Saunders taking the ball and 6-2 with Saunders facing the Rangers. On the flip side, the under for Texas is on rolls of 44-17-1 overall, 5-0 at home against lefties, 6-1 in the A.L. West, 24-6-1 at home, 27-11 with Feldman starting and 7-0 behind Feldman in Arlington.
Finally, in this rivalry, the under has hit in five of the last six meetings in Texas.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
Gametimepicks.com
Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
Tuesday, June 30
Los Angeles Angels at Texas (8:05 p.m. EDT). The Angels' Joe Saunders (8-4, 3.66 ERA) gave up seven runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings in his last start in Arlington on May 15 in the Rangers' 10-8 win. He will be opposed by Texas' Scott Feldman (5-2, 4.06).
STARS
Monday
- Tim Lincecum, Giants, threw a two-hitter for his third complete game of the season and lowered his ERA to 2.37 in San Francisco's 10-0 win over St. Louis.
- Andre Ethier, Dodgers, hit a two-run homer in the 13th inning to give Los Angeles a 4-2 victory over Colorado.
- Roy Oswalt, Astros, pitched a two-hitter and retired his final 18 batters for his second complete game in three outings, leading Houston to a 3-1 win at San Diego. Oswalt also helped himself with two hits at the plate.
- Casey McGehee, Brewers, hit his first career grand slam to make up for an earlier fielding gaffe in Milwaukee's 10-6 win over the New York Mets.
- Miguel Olivo, Royals, went 3 for 4 with a homer, a triple and two RBIs in Kansas City's 4-2 victory over Minnesota.
- Gavin Floyd, White Sox, shut out Cleveland on five singles over 7 2-3 innings and Chicago held on to win 6-3.
SEE YOU SOON
Ready or not, Manny Ramirez is headed back to the big leagues. The suspended slugger played what is expected to be his final minor league rehab game for Class-A Inland Empire, going 1 for 3 with two strikeouts. He is eligible to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night in San Diego after serving a 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy.
BIRD MEN
Boston starter Jon Lester continued his dominance of the Orioles with a 4-0 victory. Lester is 8-0 with a 2.18 ERA against Baltimore in 10 career starts. The only other pitcher to win his first eight decisions against the Orioles was Todd Stottlemyre (1988-93). Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon also has been masterful against Baltimore, going 20 for 20 on save chances with a 0.39 ERA. He got the final out with two on to earn his 132nd career save, tying Bob Stanley for the most in Red Sox history.
WELCOME BACK
Carl Crawford hit a two-run homer and Tampa Bay ruined Roy Halladay's return with its sixth straight victory, 4-1 over Toronto. Halladay (10-2) came in having won his past seven decisions, the longest streak in the majors, but lost for the first time since April 21. He was starting for the first time since June 12, when he left his start against Florida with a sore groin that landed him on the disabled list. Halladay allowed two runs and five hits in six innings against the Rays, walking two and striking out seven.
WILD WEST
Juan Rivera and Kendry Morales hit consecutive homers that put Los Angeles ahead and the AL West-leading Angels beat Texas 5-2 for their sixth straight victory. The Rangers have lost eight of 11, a slide that cost them the division lead they had held since May 5 - by 5 1/2 games four weeks ago. Los Angeles, which has won 13 of 16 overall, took over first place Saturday and now leads by 2 1/2 games.
BACK IN THE SWING
Mark Ellis hit a two-run homer in his second game back from a two-month injury absence, and Ryan Sweeney homered and drove in two runs for Oakland in a 7-1 victory over Detroit. The last-place Athletics snapped a five-game skid with a rare 11-hit effort from a club that's last in the AL in batting average, hits, total bases and homers.
ON THE MEND
Ervin Santana could be back in the rotation for the Los Angeles Angels by the weekend. Angels manager Mike Scioscia said the right-hander had no problems during a 45-pitch rehab assignment Sunday night in the Arizona Summer League. An All-Star last season, Santana is 1-3 with a 7.47 ERA in six starts this year. He missed the first six weeks of the season with a sprained ligament in his right elbow and has been out since June 12 due to an inflamed right triceps.
SIDELINED
Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell had fluid drained from his ailing right hip Monday in Boston, and received an injection that might relieve inflammation in his surgically repaired joint. The Red Sox will wait at least a couple of days to determine whether the treatment was successful or whether Lowell needs to be placed on the disabled list, manager Terry Francona said before Monday night's 4-0 loss to the Orioles.
STATS
Andre Ethier leads the Dodgers with 15 home runs this season, 14 at home. He also has four walk-off hits. ... The Rockies are the only team in the majors without an extra-inning victory (0-4). ... Giants ace Tim Lincecum leads the majors with 132 strikeouts, in 114 innings. Over his past eight starts, the 2008 NL Cy Young Award winner is 5-1 with a 1.27 ERA. ... Roy Oswalt improved to 10-2 with a 2.68 ERA against the Padres in 15 career appearances, including 13 starts. His .833 winning percentage is the highest among active pitchers with at least 10 decisions against San Diego. ... The Cubs have won 20 of their last 25 games in Pittsburgh. ... Ricky Nolasco retired his final 13 batters and won his third straight start for Florida, which is 7-0 against Washington.
SO LONG
Houston placed pitcher Brandon Backe on waivers. The 31-year-old right-hander, who is 0-0 with a 10.38 ERA in 13 innings for the Astros this season, rejected an assignment to Triple-A Round Rock. He will likely become a free agent and receive all of his $1.5 million salary after three days. Backe was a regular member of Houston's postseason rotation in 2004 and '05, pitching well in October both years and helping the Astros reach the 2005 World Series. He tossed seven shutout innings in Game 4 of that Series against the Chicago White Sox.
SPEAKING
"We're a below-average team. Period.'' - New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel after his injury-depleted club fell under .500 (37-38) for the first time since May 5 with a 10-6 loss in Milwaukee.
Seattle Mariners - NY Yankees Preview
By SportsPic
New York Yankees closing out Interleague sweeping cross-town rival Mets try to extend a five-game win streak when they host Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. Yankees 43-32 on the season including a decent 21-14 in their new digs will also aim to extend an eight-game home winning streak vs Mariners. Toeing the rubber for Bronx Bombers in the opener will be Joba Chamberlain (4-2, 3.81 ERA) who earned a 'W' in his last outing, giving up three runs on seven hits over 6.1 innings of work. Chamberlain making his first start against the Mariners enters 0-2 (5-2 TSR) in seven home starts this season with the righty sporting a 1.71 SWR, 1.61 WHIP, 14.53 Avg-Base-Runner-Allw/9, 11.40 Batter-Out-Rating at home. Mariners taking 2-of-3 at Dodgers Stadium over the weekend bringing their mark to 39-36 overall, 18-21 on the highway counter with Brandon Morrow (0-3, 5.64) making his fourth straight start after 16 relief appearances. Yielding 8 hits, 3 runs, 5 walks while sitting down 10 batters in two road starts Morrow brings to the hump a 2.0 SWR, 1.85 WHIP, 16.71 ABRA, 9.0 BOR when traveling. The righty has one career start vs Yankees and an impressive one at that limiting New York to one hit, one run in 7.2 innings of a 3-1 victory at home last September. Yankees have the edge however laying an expected -$2.50 could be suicide, consider an 'Over' (10). - Your usually looking at 'Over' with starting pitchers who have high WHIP's and can't keep guys off base (ABRA - a pitcher’s version of “on-base percentage” ). League wise the 'Over' has hit at a 74.9% clip (140-37-10) with starters such as Chamberlain, Morrow sporting WHIP's >1.50, ABRA's >13.0. The average combined score 13.1. Keep in mind the 'Over is 5-2 last seven meetings, 4-0 last four encounters in New York.
Tuesday's Pitching Matchups
By Brobury Sports
Joe Saunders (L.A. Angels) vs. Scott Feldman (Texas)
Los Angeles is a -105 slim underdog at Texas with a start time of 8:05 pm ET. The Angels took the first game of the series 5-2 and now have a six game winning streak and a 2.5 game lead over the Rangers in the AL West.
Feldman (5-2, 4.06 ERA) didn’t even begin the season as a starter, but he has pitched much better in that role (3.30 ERA) than in the pen (12.15 ERA). However, Feldman only has one win this month and he has given up an alarming five home runs in his last four starts.
The left-handed Saunders is 8-4 on the season with a 3.66 ERA. That builds off his fine 2008 season when he went 17-7 (3.41 ERA). Saunders’ durability has also really helped this banged up staff and he has something to prove after getting lit up at Texas in a May defeat.
Randy Johnson (San Francisco) vs. Chris Carpenter (St. Louis)
San Francisco is a +175 underdog at St. Louis with a start time of 8:15 pm ET. San Francisco won the opening game of the series, 10-0 behind a two-hitter from their ace Tim Lincecum.
Johnson (7-5, 4.68 ERA) got the monkey off his back when he got his 300th win at Washington back on June 4th. In fact, he has found the fountain of youth in his last seven starts overall with a 3-1 record and a 2.57 ERA.
Carpenter (5-2, 1.78 ERA) has been a great story after making just four starts in the last two years due to injury. He has kept the Cardinals in all 10 games he’s started this year, although he’s been more hittable in June (2.70 ERA) than in April-May combined (ERA well under 1.00).
Jason Marquis (Colorado) vs. Chad Billingsley (L.A. Dodgers)
Los Angeles is a -175 home favorite with a start time of 10:10 pm ET. The Dodgers won the first game of the series last night 4-2.
Marquis (9-5, 4.22 ERA) is leading the team in wins with nine and that is certainly unexpected as he had just 11 last year with the Cubs. Marquis did falter in his last start, giving up seven earned runs in just over three innings at the Angels. He needs to fare much better this time around in Los Angeles.
Billingsley (9-3, 3.10 ERA) is the ace of this Dodgers team that has been the class of the NL even without Manny Ramirez. L.A. won 11 of the first 14 games Billingsley was on the mound, but they lost the last two with Billingsley getting a no-decision each time.