Tuesday’s Streaking and Slumping Starting Pitchers
Streaking
Zack Greinke (14-8, 2.14 ERA), Kansas City Royals
Greinke is returning to his super-human self. He’s given up just earned one run over his last four starts while striking out 42 against just six walks.
The Royals have won four of his last five starts and the under is 5-1-1 in his last seven outings.
He got hit by a line drive in his upper arm in his last start but it wasn’t serious enough to keep him from starting Tuesday.
Jair Jurrjens (12-10, 2.75), Atlanta Braves
You can count on a solid pitching performance each time this young hurler takes the bump. He’s delivered quality starts in seven straight appearances with the under cashing in five of those games.
Jurrjens would have at least three or four more wins if it weren’t for a lack of run production from his Atlanta teammates.
“He keeps us in every ballgame and he’s just been dominant all year,” catcher Brian McCann said following eight shutout innings against the Cards earlier this month.
Jorge De La Rosa (15-9, 4.17), Colorado Rockies
De La Rosa has been a huge cash earner for baseball bettors. If you won a bet on the Rockies, there’s a good chance he was on the mound. The Rockies have won 15 of his last 17 starts.
He is 3-0 with a 1.04 ERA in his four September outings, including holding the Giants scoreless over eight innings in his last start.
“On the biggest stage of his career, in the biggest game of his career, he pitched the best game of his career,” Colorado manager Jim Tracy told reporters after the 4-3 win. “That’s exactly what took place tonight. That was as good a game as he has pitched I’ll guarantee you in his career.”
Slumping
Edwin Jackson (12-7, 3.37), Detroit Tigers
The front end of that Tiger starting rotation doesn’t look so intimidating any more, not with the wind out of the sails of this flame-throwing righty.
Jackson has given his club a quality performance just once in his last four outings. The Tigers dropped both his last two starts with the total cashing each time too.
Philadelphia (87-61) at Florida (80-70)
With time running out on their wild-card chances, the Marlins open a key three-game, two-day series against the division-leading Phillies with a double-header at Land Shark Stadium. Philadelphia’s Joe Blanton (10-7, 3.97 ERA) is scheduled to oppose Marlins ace Josh Johnson (15-4, 3.01) in the opener, with Jamie Moyer (12-9, 5.05) slated to start the nightcap for Philadelphia against Anibal Sanchez (2-7, 4.50).
The Phillies, who lead the N.L. East by five games over both the Braves and Marlins, roll into South Beach having won 10 of their last 13 games, including seven of the last eight, all against division rivals, going 4-2 on the road during this stretch. The defending champs have been getting tremendous pitching, allowing two runs or fewer in five of their last seven contests. Philadelphia enters this series on runs of 23-9 in divisional play, 5-1 after a victory, 4-0 in series openers, 21-6 in opening game of a double header, 11-4 versus winning teams, 42-20 on Tuesday and 27-11 after an off day.
Florida, which like the Phillies was idle on Monday, comes off a seven-game road trip in which it went 4-3, ending with Sunday’s 8-1 blowout loss at Cincinnati. The Marlins, who trail Colorado by five games in the wild-card race, have played just three of their last 16 games in South Beach, and they lost two of those three to the lowly Nationals. Florida has lost six of its last 10 at home, but is otherwise on positive runs of 8-3 against N.L. East rivals, 5-1 after a loss, 5-1 on Tuesday and 4-0 following a day off.
The road team has dominated this rivalry in 2009, winning 11 of the first 12 meetings. Also, going back to the final series of 2008, Philadelphia is on an 8-0 run playing in Florida.
Blanton scattered six hits and four walks in six scoreless innings in Wednesday’s 6-1 victory over the Nationals. He’s now pitched at least six innings while allowing three runs or fewer in 12 of his last 13 starts and 17 of his last 20 outings dating to May 26. Behind Blanton, Philly is on upticks of 14-6 against the N.L. East, 9-4 in series openers and 13-6 against winning teams, but the squad is just 8-10 in his last 18 efforts overall and 1-7 in his last eight road starts. For the season, Blanton is 3-4 with a 4.52 ERA in 13 starts as a visitor.
Johnson is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his last three starts, and he’s now yielded four runs or fewer in 29 of 30 starts this season, allowing three runs or less 27 times. The Marlins are 38-18 in the right-hander’s last 56 trips to the mound, including 17-5 in his last 22 at home and 27-9 in his last 36 against N.L. East foes. This year, Johnson is 7-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 15 starts at Land Shark Stadium.
Moyer was banished to the bullpen in favor of Pedro Martinez in early August, but he has made two starts this month, allowing a combined seven runs on 10 hits in 13 innings (4.85 ERA), with the Phillies losing 4-3 at Houston on Sept. 7 and 10-9 to the Mets at home 10 days ago. Philadelphia has come up empty in Moyer’s last four starts in a row, though they’re 5-1 in his last six on the highway and 36-15 in his last 51 starts against the N.L. East. He’s 6-2 with a 3.76 ERA on the road this season.
Sanchez has given up three earned runs or fewer in eight consecutive starts, but he’s pitched past the fifth inning just twice during this stretch, never going longer than six innings. On Thursday in Cincinnati, he lasted five innings, surrendering three runs in a 3-2 loss. The Marlins have taken 13 of Sanchez’s last 19 home starts – where he’s 0-3 with a 4.00 ERA in six games this season – but they’re 1-4 in his last five trips to the hill overall and 1-4 in his last five Tuesday outings.
Blanton is 3-1 with a 3.42 ERA in four career starts against Florida (1-1, 1.98 ERA in two games this year), while Moyer is an astounding 13-3 with a 2.87 ERA in 16 career starts against the Marlins (2-2, 2.63 ERA in four games this year), including 8-0 with a 1.37 ERA in eight starts in Florida.
Johnson is 4-1 with a 1.41 ERA all-time against the Phillies (nine appearances, including seven starts), going 1-0 with a microscopic 0.69 ERA in two games this year (one run allowed in 13 innings). Meanwhile, Sanchez is 0-4 with an 8.72 ERA in five lifetime starts versus Philadelphia, with the Marlins losing all five.
For Philadelphia, the under is on runs of 6-2 overall, 10-2 in series openers, 4-0 after a day off, 5-1 on Tuesday,10-3 against winning teams, 6-1-1 when Blanton pitches against divisional opponents and 4-0 when Moyer starts on the road. However, as a team, the over is 4-1 in the Phillies’ last five as a visitor.
Florida carries team “under” trends of 5-0-1 overall, 5-0 on Tuesday, 10-3-1 overall behind Sanchez and 7-2-1 when Sanchez faces divisional rivals, but otherwise the over for the Marlins is on streaks of 19-7 at home, 4-1 in the first game of a doubleheader, 20-8-1 when Johnson faces the N.L. East, 5-1-2 when he starts on Tuesday and 13-4-2 when he opens a series.
Finally, the over is 54-25-3 in the last 82 Phillies-Marlins meetings in Miami and 4-0 in Johnson’s last four starts against Philadelphia, but the under is 4-1 in Moyer’s last five games in Florida.
ATS ADVANTAGE GAME 1): FLORIDA and OVER
ATS ADVANTAGE (GAME 2): PHILADELPHIA and UNDER
N.Y. Yankees (95-56) at L.A. Angels (90-60)
American League division leaders that are destined for the playoffs continue a three-game series at Angel Stadium, with Ervin Santana (7-8, 5.43 ERA) slated to toe the slab for the hosts opposite the Yankees’ Chad Gaudin (5-10, 4.81 ERA overall; 1-0, 3.68 with New York).
The Yankees dropped to 1-3 on their current West Coast road swing with last night’s 5-2 loss in Anaheim. Still, they’re on impressive streaks of 57-24 overall, 16-8 on the road, 38-18 in the second game of a series, 8-3 on Tuesday and 36-15 when facing right-handed starters. Also, New York has come up victorious in each of Gaudin’s four starts with the club.
The Angels have won four of their last five and are 7-1 in their last eight at home. However, despite Monday’s win, they’ve lost four of their last six to A.L. East foes.
Los Angeles holds a slim 5-3 lead in the season series with New York, and the home team is 7-1 this year and 14-2 in the last 16 meetings.
Gaudin has surrendered 0, 3, 1 and 3 runs in his first four starts since coming over in a trade from San Diego, and while the Yankees won all four games – including Wednesday’s 5-4 home win over Toronto – three were one-run victories. Also, Gaudin hasn’t pitched past the sixth inning in any of his last six starts going back to his time with the Padres. Combined, the right-hander is 3-4 with a 4.46 ERA in 14 road appearances (13 starts) this year (0-0, 4.82 ERA in two on the road with the Yankees).
Santana has delivered a quality start seven times in his last eight trips to the mound, including on Thursday in Boston, when the right-hander allowed three runs in seven innings. He failed to get a decision, though the Angels eventually scored a 4-3 win, ending a four-game losing skid with Santana pitching. Los Angeles is just 1-5 in Santana’s last six at home – where he’s 1-5 with a 7.24 ERA in nine games this season – but they’re unbeaten in his last four starts against the A.L. East (including Thursday’s win in Boston).
With the Padres, Gaudin faced the Angels in Anaheim during interleague play on July 12 and got destroyed, allowing eight runs on 10 hits in three innings of an 11-6 loss. He’s 3-3 with a 5.33 ERA in 18 career appearances (eight starts) versus L.A. Meanwhile, Santana is 5-2 with a 5.09 ERA in seven lifetime starts against the Bronx Bombers.
The over is 9-5 in New York’s last 14 road games and 5-1-1 in its last seven on Tuesday, but the under is 5-1 in the Yanks’ last five against the A.L. West. Meanwhile, L.A. carries nothing but “under” trends, including 20-6-1 overall, 6-0-1 at home, 6-0-1 on Tuesday, 16-5-1 versus right-handed starters, 5-0 with Santana on the mound, 4-1-1 when Santana starts at home and 4-1 when he hurls on Tuesday.
Finally, the over is 21-9 in the last 30 Yankees-Angels battles overall, with 13 of the last 17 in Anaheim topping the posted total. Also, going back to his days with Oakland, Gaudin has topped the total in five of his last six starts against New York.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OVER
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Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
Tuesday, Sept. 22
Boston at Kansas City (8:10 p.m. EDT). Zack Greinke tries to strengthen his Cy Young Award credentials - the Royals' ace has allowed more than 2 runs just once in his last seven starts.
STARS
Monday
-Joe Saunders, Angels, pitched into the ninth inning and Los Angeles beat the Yankees 5-2 in a matchup of AL division leaders, preventing New York from clinching a playoff spot.
-Chipper Jones, Braves, homered and drove in four runs, leading Atlanta to an 11-3 rout of the New York Mets.
-Nick Blackburn, Twins, pitched seven sharp innings and Minnesota beat the fading Chicago White Sox 7-0 for its seventh victory in eight games. The Twins moved within 2 1/2 games of first-place Detroit in the AL Central.
-Mark DeRosa, Cardinals, homered twice and hit a two-run double to help St. Louis beat Houston 7-3, reducing its magic number to three for clinching the NL Central title.
-Chase Headley, Padres, homered and had a career-high five hits, including a go-ahead double in the 11th inning of San Diego's 11-6 win at Pittsburgh.
-Derrek Lee, Cubs, homered and drove in four runs in Chicago's 10-2 victory at Milwaukee.
CHANGE AT THE TOP
Houston fired manager Cecil Cooper with 13 games left in another disappointing season. Third-base coach Dave Clark was named interim manager and things didn't change much Monday night as the Astros lost their eighth straight, 7-3 to the St. Louis Cardinals, to drop to 70-80. General manager Ed Wade said more moves could be coming for a franchise just four years removed from its only World Series appearance. Houston went 171-170 under Cooper, hired on Aug. 27, 2007, to replace Phil Garner. Cooper became the fourth manager to get fired this season, all in the National League. Arizona dismissed Bob Melvin on May 7, Colorado replaced Clint Hurdle on May 29 and Washington fired Manny Acta on July 13.
MONEY MAN
Texas pitcher Kevin Millwood completed enough innings to earn himself a $12 million contract next season. The right-hander did not allow an earned run in seven innings of a 10-3 victory at Oakland. He needed to go 4 1-3 innings to reach 180 for the season and guarantee the fifth and final year of his contract.
ARM RACE
Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman, who defected in July, has established provisional residency in Andorra. In a statement, Chapman's agent said the pitcher "has been granted provisional passive residency'' in the country pending completion of the process. He has sent his residency materials to Major League Baseball so he can be declared a free agent, the statement said. The next step is for the commissioner's office to review Chapman's papers. If he is declared a free agent, all 30 big league teams would be notified that Chapman is available for bidding. Chapman pitched twice for Cuba in this year's World Baseball Classic. The 21-year-old left-hander has a 100 mph fastball and is considered by scouts to be one of the top pitching prospects in the world.
EMPTY SEATS
David Purcey (1-2) allowed one run and four hits in a season-high 7 2-3 innings, pitching Toronto to a 9-2 victory over Baltimore. It was Purcey's first win since pitching eight shutout innings on Sept. 7, 2008, against Tampa Bay. Not many fans were there to see it, though. Attendance was 11,598, the third straight game the Blue Jays have drawn fewer than 12,000 fans. Toronto's all-time low is 10,074, set April 17, 1979, against the Chicago White Sox.
BUSTING LOOSE
Kansas City rallied for six runs in the sixth inning to beat the Boston Red Sox 12-9, the most runs the Royals have scored in an inning since Sept. 24, 2008. It was the 11th win in 14 games for the Royals, who had lost nine of 11 to Boston.
GROUNDED
Toronto shortstop Marco Scutaro will likely miss the rest of the season after an MRI revealed a tear in his right heel. Scutaro left Sunday's game at Tampa Bay after he felt something pop in his sore heel while charging a grounder. The 33-year-old Scutaro has been bothered by heel pain since late July.
GIANT INJURY
San Francisco second baseman Freddy Sanchez left a game against Arizona in the first inning with a twisted left knee. Sanchez was injured when he went up to catch a high throw back to the infield from Aaron Rowand after Justin Upton flied out to center. Sanchez stayed in until Mark Reynolds, the next batter, homered, then had to be helped off the field. There was no immediate word on how long Sanchez could be sidelined. He was acquired by the Giants in a trade with Pittsburgh on July 30.
SERIOUS TROUBLE
A top prospect for the San Francisco Giants was charged with murder in the death of a 25-year-old man last weekend at a bar in the Dominican Republic. Angel Villalona, who received a club-record $2.1 million bonus when he was signed by the Giants in 2006, wore a bulletproof vest to his hearing at a court in the city of La Romana. He pleaded innocent to the murder charge. The 19-year-old Villalona could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty in the Saturday night shooting death of Mario Felix de Jesus Velete. The first baseman played in 74 games with Class-A San Jose this season, batting .267 with nine home runs and 42 RBIs. Baseball America chose him as the Giants' top prospect before the 2008 season and he was selected for the Futures Game during All-Star festivities that year.
SPEAKING
"I expected to win, but it's been a pretty hectic day. This is bittersweet, but I enjoyed what I was doing and I look forward to the last 12 days.'' - Interim manager Dave Clark after Houston lost its eighth straight in his debut, 7-3 to the St. Louis Cardinals. Clark was named the Astros' interim manager for the final two weeks of the season when Cecil Cooper was fired Monday. Clark was Cooper's third-base coach.
Padres vs Rockies
By SportsPic
Off a disappointing 4-5 road swing including a 1-2 stint at San Diego the Colorado Rockies hope to regroup at Coors Field where the club owns a solid 45-27 (+$772) mark in front of the home crowd. It'll be Jorge De La Rosa (15-9, 4.17) toeing the rubber in the opener. The southpaw off an eight inning three hit no run gem in a 4-3 win over Giants has been phenomenal since June 1st entering with a money making 16-3 TSR over the span stuffing +$1376 into betting accounts. Meanwhile, basement dwelling Padres a horrendous 29-45 on the highway counter with Edward Mujica (3-4, 3.36). The righty is making his third start of the season tossing less than five innings in the first two with Padres winning 6-5 vs D'Backs in his last but losing 4-1 to Rockies in the first. Rockies with the edge in series play taking 9-of-15 this season and with their ace on the mound have been pegged a whopping -$2.30 favorites. A dangerous number, De La Rosa is 0-2 (2-3 TSR) in five life time starts vs Padres.
Aces on the hot-seat
By Brobury Sports
Three of the best pitchers in baseball go tonight with playoff berths hanging in the balance.
Edwin Jackson (Detroit) -140 at Cleveland Indians – 7:05 pm ET
This is the opening game of the series. Detroit has a 2.5 game lead over Minnesota in the AL Central after losing two of three to them over the weekend.
Jackson (12-7, 3.37 ERA) has struggled in September with a 6.12 ERA. The Tigers have lost his last two starts. Detroit needs him to turn it around tonight and they’re also counting on his early-season form if they make the playoffs.
Cleveland’s Aaron Laffey (7-6, 4.09 ERA) has lost his last three starts and got bombed in the last two (11.57 ERA). The lefthander has pitched better at home overall (2.94 ERA) than on the road (4.98 ERA).
Jorge De La Rosa (Colorado) -230 vs. San Diego – 8:40 pm ET
This is the opening game of the series. San Diego is 2-4 at Colorado this season.
De La Rosa (15-9, 4.17 ERA) wasn’t considered an ace before the season began, but he is red-hot now. His ERA is 1.04 in four September starts. Colorado is 7-1 in his last eight starts and 10-2 in his last 12 home starts.
San Diego’s Edward Mujica (3-4, 3.36 ERA) is making just his 3rd start of the year after making 63 relief appearances. The 25 year-old has a 2.08 ERA in two starts, but has yet to last five innings. This is a tough road start for Mujica.
Matt Cain (San Francisco) -120 at Arizona Diamondbacks – 9:40 pm ET
San Francisco won the first game of the series 5-4. The Giants trail Colorado by four games in the NL Wild Card and every game is a must-win.
Cain (13-6, 2.71 ERA) has an ERA over 5.00 in his last four starts. The Giants have lost his last two starts and are only 3-5 in his last eight. They were an incredible 16-5 in his first three months of action.
Arizona’s Doug Davis (7-13, 4.01 ERA) hasn’t gotten a win in over a month and the team has lost five of his last six starts. He is 1-2 with a 4.12 ERA against San Francisco this season.