Wednesday's Streaking and Slumping Starting Pitchers
Streaking
Tim Lincecum (13-4, 2.33 ERA), San Francisco Giants
It’s kind of hard to believe this kid was almost traded for Alex Rios. The Giants were looking for a good young bat and Rios, then with the Blue Jays, was coming off an All-Star season.
San Francisco fans should let out a huge sign of relief that the trade never materialized.
Lincecum’s stuff is – to borrow a line from Chicago Bulls radio man Chuck Swirsky – sick, wicked and nasty.
He pitched eight scoreless innings in a 2-0 win over the Rockies his last time to the bump. The Giants won just once over his last four road starts, but the price is nice.
If you don’t like want to back the away team, think about the under. Seven of the last nine times Lincecum took the bump, the game has finished below the total.
Ted Lilly (9-8, 3.35), Chicago Cubs
This lefty has pitched great over his last three starts, but his slumping teammates have given him little support. Lilly has allowed just four earned runs and 3 in his last 19 1-3 innings. The under has cashed in each of those three outings
September has proved to be a good time to back the 33-year-old California native. Lilly went 4-1 with a 3.30 ERA last September and 2-1 with a 3.48 ERA the year before.
Slumping
Brian Bannister (7-11, 4.60), Kansas City Royals
You’re rolling the dice anytime you decide to back this streaky starter. Of course with the way he’s pitching and the way his team’s playing right now, the odds are stacked against Bannister bettors.
The righty hurler saw his ERA grow after a forgettable August. The Royals went 1-5 in his five starts and 2-4 on the runline.
He’s delivered quality starts in only two of his last nine trips to the mound. The over is 3-0 in his last three starts as well.
David Bush (3-5, 5.88), Milwaukee Brewers
Bush looked good in his first start since coming off a two-month stint on the DL last week. But he lost control of the game in the fifth inning when it looked like he ran out of gas.
“It’s frustrating, disappointing, whatever you want to say,” the righty said after getting charged with five runs in the 8-5 loss.
If you like the price of the Brewers today against Carpenter-led Cardinals, you might want to play the first five innings instead. Bush doesn’t look like his stamina is up to par yet after the long layoff
NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Francisco (72-60) at Philadelphia (76-53)
Brad Penny (7-8, 5.61 ERA with Boston) is slated to make his Giants debut at Citizens Bank Park against the Phillies, who counter with lefty J.A. Happ (10-3, 2.63) in the middle contest of a three-game series between playoff contenders.
Philadelphia ace Cole Hamels held the Giants to a season-low two hits in a complete-game 1-0 victory on Tuesday. The Phillies are on hot streaks of 37-16 overall, 22-8 at home, 6-0 against the N.L. West, 5-0 on Wednesday and 8-2 versus teams with a winning record.
San Francisco arrived in Philly on a 5-1 run, but it has now dropped four in a row and five of its last six on the highway, and the Giants are now 11 games under .500 as a visitor this season (28-39). Bruce Bochy’s bunch has also lost 18 of its last 26 on the road to lefty starters, but it has won five straight on Wednesday.
The Giants are still on a 5-2 roll against Philadelphia, but six of those seven games were in San Francisco. The Giants are now just 3-11 in their last 14 visits to Citizens Bank Park.
Penny was released from the Red Sox a week ago, not long after allowing eight runs on 10 hits in four inning of a 20-11 loss to the Yankees at Fenway Park on Aug. 21. The veteran right-hander had just one win since mid-June, and he’s 1-5 with a 7.82 ERA since the All-Star break after going 6-3 with a 4.71 ERA in 17 starters before the break.
Penny, who began his career pitching in the N.L. East for the Marlins before spending four years with the Dodgers, is 8-4 with a 3.72 ERA in 20 career starts against the Phillies, including 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA in two games at Citizens Bank.
Happ delivered his sixth consecutive quality start at Pittsburgh on Thursday, allowing three runs in eight innings, but he got little offensive support and took the 3-2 loss, ending the Phillies’ string of four straight victories behind the young southpaw . Happ is 7-3 with a 2.52 ERA in 16 starts since the beginning of June; he’s 4-1 with a 3.77 ERA in 14 appearances (seven starts) at home; and he’s yet to face the Giants in his brief career.
The under is 18-3-1 in Happ’s last 22 starts overall, 4-0 in his last four at home and 5-0 in his last five on Wednesday. Conversely, four of Penny’s last five starts with the Red Sox hurdled the total.
As a team, Philadelphia is on “under” stretches of 5-1 overall, 7-1 against winning teams, 37-17-2 after a victory and 15-7 on Wednesday. Similarly, the Giants carry “under” trends of 19-8 on the road against southpaw starters and 7-1 on Wednesday.
ATS ADVANTAGE: PHILADELPHIA and UNDER
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Boston (77-54) at Tampa Bay (71-60)
Red Sox ace Josh Beckett (14-5, 3.80 ERA) looks to put a horrific month of August behind him when he leads the Red Sox against Matt Garza (7-9, 3.95) and the Rays at Tropicana Field.
Boston cruised to an 8-4 victory on Tuesday and has now won four in a row, seven of its last eight and 11 of their last 14 to open up a three-game lead over Texas in the wild-card race. Terry Francona’s squad is on additional positive runs of 8-0 against right-handed starter, 5-1 versus the A.L. East and 9-3 on Wednesday. However, the Red Sox have still lost 17 of their last 26 to teams with a winning record, going 2-12 in the last 14 on the road versus winning clubs.
The Rays, who now trail Boston by six games, are 10-6 in their last 16 games overall and they’ve won 11 of last 16 at home. Going back further, Tampa is on a 37-15 roll at Tropicana Field, and is on additional streaks of 6-3 in A.L. East action, 48-16 in the second game of a series and 69-29 when hosting opponents with a losing road mark.
The Rays are still 8-5 in the 13 clashes with Boston this season and they’ve taken 16 of the last 22 meetings at Tropicana Field, including last year’s American League Championship Series, which Tampa Bay won in seven games.
Over his last three starts, Beckett has surrendered 20 runs on 23 hits – including 10 home runs – over 18 1/3 innings, good for a 9.82 ERA, yet the Red Sox still managed to win two of those contests, including a 6-5, rain-delayed victory over Toronto at home on Friday. With Beckett pitching, the Red Sox are still on positive streaks of 20-7 overall, 11-3 in divisional play, 8-3 on the road and 7-2 on Wednesday. He’s 6-4 with a 4.10 ERA in 13 road starts in 2009.
On the other hand, the Sox have lost eight of Beckett’s last 11 outings on field turf, four of his last five versus winning teams and four of his last five at Tropicana Field. Including two playoff starts last October, Beckett is 7-4 with a 4.23 ERA in 15 games against the Rays (1-1 with a 5.60 ERA in three starts this year).
Garza got rocked for six runs in five innings in Friday’s 6-2 loss at Detroit, just the second time in his last nine outings that he’s given up more than three runs in a game. Garza is 4-4 with a 3.26 ERA in 14 home starts this season, and the Rays are 9-3 in the right-hander’s last 12 efforts at The Trop.
Additionally, with Garza on the hill, the Rays are on runs of 4-1 against A.L. East rivals, 7-1 against Boston (playoffs included) and 6-0 the last six times he’s faced the Sox in Tampa. For his career, Garza is 7-1 with a 2.66 ERA in 12 starts versus Boston, including a pair of dominating playoff victories in last year’s ALCS. He’s faced the Sox four times this season, going 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA.
Behind Beckett, the Red Sox are on “over” runs of 4-0 overall and 5-1 on Wednesday, but the under is 6-2 in his last eight outings against Tampa Bay. Meanwhile, Garza carries nothing but “under” trends, including 38-17-3 in his last 58 starts overall, 6-1-1 at home, 7-0 against the A.L. East, 8-1-1 when facing winning opponents and 4-1 when he battles the BoSox. Finally, as a team, the Rays are on “under” stretches of 4-2 overall, 5-2-1 at home, 17-9 against A.L. East foes and 7-3 on Wednesday.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
Gametimepicks.com
Wednesday's Afternoon Action
VegasInsider.com
Most pundits thought the American League Central was the toughest division to predict at the beginning of the season and with less than a month to play, it appears we have a two-horse race. Detroit still holds a 3½-game lead over Minnesota but the two clubs still have to meet six times before the season ends. And right now the Twins are one of the hottest teams in the majors.
Ron Gardenhire’s club has gone 11-3 in the last 14 games and will look to sweep the White Sox at the Metrodome this afternoon. Last night, Minnesota escaped with a 4-3 triumph when Joe Morales hit a walkoff single in the ninth inning. The setback was the White Sox’s sixth straight at Minnesota and seventh of the season. Chicago has dropped eight of nine on its current 11-game road trek and it seems like the white flag is up, even though manager Ozzie Guillen has denied that notion. Chicago recently traded Jim Thome to the Dodgers and Jose Contreras to the Rockies on Monday.
The White Sox will have Mark Buehrle (11-7, 3.89 ERA) on the hill today, but unfortunately he hasn’t been good since his perfect game against the Rays on July 23. Since then, he’s 0-4 with a 5.77 ERA in seven starts, and that includes giving up five runs to the Twins five days after the monumental feat. He does own a 23-15 lifetime mark against Minnesota, but is just 0-2 at the Metrodome in 2009. The Twins own an amazing 16-9 (64%) record against southpaws at home this year, however only two of those wins were in the daytime.
Minnesota will lean to rookie Brian Duensing (2-1, 4.37 ERA), who is 2-0 as a starter this year. Duensing is coming off an impressive performance against the Rangers, where he pitched seven innings and give up three hits and one run.
After this game, the Twins have a favorable schedule on deck. The next 13 games are Cleveland (6), Toronto (4) and Oakland (3). Is it time to hop on the boat or get off?
Gamblers have four other games on tap this afternoon and while none of the matchups are worth attending or probably even watching, you can bet on them and that’s probably the reason you’re reading this.
Let’s break ‘em down!
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati (12:35 p.m.) – Break up the Reds! Cincinnati is another club finishing strong despite its position and gamblers have been catching great value. Dusty Baker’s squad will try to complete a four-game sweep against the Pirates on Thursday. Including last night’s win, Cincy has won eight of its last 10 and the two losses came to the NL’s best, Los Angeles. Homer Bailey (4-4, 6.04 ERA) will try to be the broom master today for the Reds, who are hoping he has a repeat performance of his last start when he tossed eight scoreless innings against the aforementioned Dodgers last Friday. He’s now won two in a row and his only daytime start this year produced a win. The Pirates’ Zach Duke will try to cool off the Reds, but lately he hasn’t had any luck. The Bucs are 2-8 in his last 10 starts and the only two victories came when the team posted 10 and 12 runs. In the other eight, the team combined for 18. He does own a 3-3 record and 3.32 ERA in seven career starts against Cincinnati. Plus, the Reds are just 6-13 at home versus lefties this year.
Houston at Chicago (2:20 p.m.) – Another NL Central battle on the diamond today happens from Wrigley Field, where the Cubs’ Ted Lilly (9-8, 3.35 ERA) looks to stay hot at home against Houston. Chicago has won nine of his 10 starts at home this season and his ERA is an eye-opening 1.92. Did we mention that he owns a 6-1 career mark (2.84 ERA) against the Astros with three of the wins coming this year? Lilly is half the reason Chicago is a healthy favorite, the other half is Felipe Paulino (2-6, 6.96 ERA). He was just recalled from the minors in mid-August and his seen nothing but bullpen work in his return. In his last start on Aug. 4, Paulino gave up five runs and nine hits in 4 1-3 innings during an 8-1 loss to the Giants. The Cubs have seen him earlier in the year and they ripped him for four runs and five hits in less than an inning. Total players should note that the ‘under’ has gone 8-2 in Lilly’s 10 starts at Wrigley Field.
Kansas City at Oakland (3:35 p.m.) – My colleague and VI handicapper Kevin Rogers pointed out a great late-season trend on the Royals to me and it fits this afternoon. Kansas City is 1-13 in its last 14 games after it wins, with the last set of back-to-back victories coming on July 27-28. In case you don’t know, KC edged Oakland 4-3 last night and now faces the daunting task of winning again. Will they or won’t they? The A’s toss Trevor Cahill on the mound and he’s been nasty of late, giving up just four runs and 13 hits in the last 20 innings. The club is 3-0 during this stretch. He has been roughed at home (5-7) a tad and his afternoon record (2-4) is nothing to brag about either, but he has beaten the Royals in his only career start. KC hands the pill to Brian Bannister, who has been given up four runs or more in each of his last five. The Royals have dropped five in a row with him on the mound and eight of 10. Even though the ‘under’ cashed in Tuesday’s affair, the previous six encounters between the two teams went ‘over’ the number.
Washington at San Diego (3:35 p.m.) – If you follow the Nationals this year, then you know how up and down the offense is. Right now, it’s down and near the bottom too. San Diego held Washington in check for the second straight night, claiming a 4-1 home victory. The Nats have scored nine runs in the last five games, which has resulted in a 0-5 record. The Padres still sit in the cellar of the NL West but the club has won six of eight and after last night’s win, and they secured their third straight series win too. John Lannan will try to help the team avoid the sweep this afternoon. It’s tough to label Lannan the as the Nats’ ace, but he’s been the best on a club with just 46 wins. Unfortunately, he’s been tattooed on the road (3-8, 5.57 ERA) this season. The Padres are only 20-24 versus southpaws this year, yet they have gone 4-2 (67%) in home day games against lefties. San Diego will counter with Kevin Correia, who has helped the club to a 4-1 mark in his last five starts although he’s been helped with an average of 5 runs per game durig his run. Correia hasn’t fared well in afternoon games, evidenced by his 2-3 record and 4.93 ERA. The ‘under’ has gone 4-1 in the five battles between the Nats and Padres this year.
vegasinsider.com
Halo Debut
By SportsPic
Scott Kazmir making his first start since coming over in a trade from the Rays will try to move the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim another step closer to an American League West division title when he takes the mound vs Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field. The southpaw has had a disappointing season with Rays going 8-7 with a whopping 5.92 ERA but his last three on the bump have been quality efforts. Compiling a 3.5 SWR, 1.04 WHIP, 9.38 ABRA/9 and 19.53 BOR/9 over those three starts Kazmir 3-1 with a 3.21 ERA in six career starts vs Seattle should keep Mariners honest. Meanwhile, Seattle counters with their ace Felix Hernandez (13-5, 2.77) saddled with a ND in his only start against Angels this year. It is well to note Mariners are 1-3 last four overall vs Halos with their righty and 1-3 last four as host in the series with Hernandez touching toe to rubber. Might wish to consider underdog Halos, they're 10-4 last fourteen as road underdogs stuffing +$878 into betting accounts outscoring the host teams 7.3 to 5.1. Road underdogs with a left-handed starter like Kazmir who can get guys out (Batter-Out-Ratio >15) making it harder for the opposition to score runs have been decent bets winning at a 64.3% clip (27-15).
Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
Wednesday, Sept. 2
Los Angeles at Seattle (6:40 p.m. EDT). Scott Kazmir will make his first start for the Angels after being acquired from Tampa Bay on Friday. He will face Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, who has 13 wins and a 2.77 ERA.
STARS
Tuesday
-Cole Hamels, Phillies, pitched a two-hitter with nine strikeouts for his fourth career shutout in a 1-0 victory over San Francisco. The left-hander extended his scoreless innings streak to 19, tying a career best, and won for the first time since July 28.
-Josh Hamilton, Rangers, snapped out of his extended power drought with two home runs, leading Texas past Toronto 5-2 for a doubleheader sweep. The Rangers won the opener 5-2.
-Jorge Posada, Yankees, homered twice and New York beat Baltimore 9-6.
-Tim Hudson, Braves, returned to the majors and pitched Atlanta to a 4-3 victory at Florida after a rain delay of 2 hours, 50 minutes. Hudson gave up two runs in 5 1-3 innings in his first big league start since having elbow ligament replacement surgery almost 13 months ago.
-Jose Morales, Twins, had a pinch-hit single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to give Minnesota a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
-Placido Polanco and Carlos Guillen, Tigers, homered on successive pitches, lifting Detroit to an 8-5 win over Cleveland.
SIDELINED
Mariners outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. had an MRI that showed inflammation in his balky left knee but no structural damage. Griffey had arthroscopic knee surgery in October. He had the knee drained earlier this season. Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu said Griffey likely will not play until Thursday.
WELCOME BACK
All-Star third baseman David Wright was activated from the disabled list and played his first game for the Mets since getting hit in the head by a fastball from San Francisco's Matt Cain on Aug. 15. Wearing his bulky, new protective batting helmet, Wright went 1 for 3 with a single and scored a run during New York's 8-3 loss at Colorado. ... The Cardinals activated third baseman Troy Glaus, sidelined all season following shoulder surgery in January, from the 60-day disabled list although manager Tony La Russa couldn't promise him regular playing time.
BAD TIMING
A pair of All-Stars got injured in the thick of the pennant race. Texas third baseman Michael Young strained his left hamstring while running out a grounder in the second game of a doubleheader against Toronto. An MRI was scheduled Wednesday for Young, the longest-tenured Rangers player. He's in his ninth full season and has never reached the playoffs. Down in Florida, shortstop Hanley Ramirez left the Marlins' 4-3 loss to Atlanta with a tight left hamstring. The team said he is day to day. Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez said the "cramp'' likely had a lot to do with a long rain delay, and doesn't think the injury will sideline his star slugger.
CLOSE IT OUT
Jonathan Papelbon bailed Boston out of an eighth-inning jam to help the Red Sox beat the Rays 8-4. Papelbon entered with two runs in and the bases loaded with no outs and shut down the AL champions with help from a diving catch by center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury. Papelbon, who struck out B.J. Upton for the first out, got Carl Crawford to foul out to end the inning. The right-hander pitched a perfect ninth for his 33rd save.
TOP BIRDS
Matt Holliday's three-run homer snapped a seventh-inning tie, lifting Joel Pineiro (14-9) to his eighth straight win as St. Louis beat Milwaukee 7-6. Albert Pujols added his major league-leading 42nd homer for the Cardinals, a major league-best 26-9 since acquiring Holliday in a July 24 trade with Oakland. They are 30-4 since July 1 in starts by their big three - Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter and Pineiro.
BRAVE HEART
Aaron Boone returned to the major leagues, rejoining the Houston Astros five months after having open-heart surgery. The 36-year-old third baseman was activated off the disabled list. "It's good to be in this position and back here after all that has gone through in my life this year. I'm excited about it,'' he said. Boone was not in the lineup against the Chicago Cubs, but will play soon, manager Cecil Cooper said.
INAUSPICIOUS START
Cleveland's Carlos Carrasco, making his major league debut, gave up six runs and nine hits in three innings, walking three and striking out three in an 8-5 loss to Detroit. Carrasco, obtained from Philadelphia in the Cliff Lee deal, allowed three homers after being recalled from Triple-A Columbus.
MONEY MEN
Hours after signing a two-year contract extension, Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin wrapped up a 7-6 victory over Milwaukee for his NL-leading 37th save in 39 chances. Franklin's new deal runs through 2011 and is worth $6.5 million plus incentives. The 36-year-old right-hander was selected to his first All-Star team in July. St. Louis also signed left-handed specialist Trever Miller to a new two-year deal for this year and 2010 worth $2 million in base salary per season. His old contract for this year, signed as a free agent last November, had been worth $500,000.
POWER ON
Texas' Josh Hamilton had gone 23 games and 99 at-bats since his previous homer Aug. 7 until a 435-foot drive over the Rangers' bullpen in right-center on the first pitch of the fourth inning in the second game of a doubleheader sweep of Toronto. An inning later, Hamilton pulled a two-run shot down the right-field line.
ON A ROLL
The Yankees beat Baltimore 9-6 to move 36 games over .500 (84-48) for the first time since finishing the 2004 season 101-61. It was New York's 22nd win in 28 games.
MEAGER OFFENSE
The Mariners beat the Angels 2-1. It was the 43rd time in 133 games the AL's lowest-scoring team managed two runs or fewer. Yet Seattle improved to 29-16 in one-run games, the most such decisions and wins in baseball.
THREE BAGGER
Billy Butler hit the Royals' major league-best 43rd triple in a 4-3 win over Oakland. It was his first since Aug. 30, 2007, against Detroit in Kansas City - a span of 1,030 at-bats and 278 games.
STREAKS AND STATS
Matt Kemp homered for the fourth consecutive game in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 4-3 victory over Arizona. ... Randy Wells (10-7) allowed an unearned run and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings of a 4-1 victory over Houston, becoming the first Cubs rookie to reach 10 wins since Kerry Wood in 1998. ... With a 4-1 victory, San Diego beat the Nationals for the 30th time in 39 games. Washington has lost five straight and 12 of 15 overall.
SPEAKING
"I was hoping I remembered how to jog around the bases. ... There was a sense of relief. I was glad I proved myself, that I've still got game pop instead of just batting practice pop.'' - Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton, who homered twice in a 5-2 win over Toronto to cap a doubleheader sweep. Hamilton had gone 23 games and 99 at-bats without a long ball.
Wednesday's Pitching Report
By: Freddy Willis
A look at the hot and cold pitchers going today. The information you need to know whether it is for fantasy baseball or wagering contests. There are many notables here on Wednesday. We have six hot pitchers and six cold pitchers going on Wednesday. There are a couple of studs on the cold list and a couple of duds on the hot starter list so make sure you read below so you know what to do here on Wednesday for your sports betting advice.
Probable Hot Starting Pitchers:
J.A. Happ (Phillies)
J.A. Happ will go up against Brad Penny who was acquired by the Giants yesterday, hence the large sports betting line over -200. Which in reality should not be that high considering the success Penny has had vs. the Phillies as Phillie hitters are batting just .210 without a single starter over .300. Happ will start and he owns a 1.67 ERA in his last 5 starts with 4 of them coming on the road. He'll head home where he has a 3.77 ERA at home and a 4-1 record.
The Giants have never faced Happ which is bad news for them as they struggle against lefties and are hitting just .236 on the road and scoring just 3.63 runs per 9 innings vs. LHP on the road this season. Giants are 3-10 in their last 13 here in Philly and are just 8-18 in their last 26 road games vs. LH starter. The best free sports pick I can offer on this game would have to be the under as it looks like both pitchers are primed for a solid performance.
Notables - Last 5 Starts! • Chris Carpenter (4-0, 1.03 WHIP, 2.50 ERA) • Ubaldo Jimenez (4-1, 1.12 WHIP, 1.67 ERA) • Felix Hernandez (1-1, 1.27 WHIP, 2.73 ERA) • Aaron Laffey (3-0, 1.32 WHIP, 2.20 ERA) • C.C. Sabathia (4-0, 0.86 WHIP, 1.93 ERA)
Most likely to sustain and win:
John Lester
Probable Cold Starting Pitchers:
Brian Bannister (Royals)
Oh here is the Bannister I have learned to love. I think I have won every game playing against and with Bannister this year. Would have to really go back, but I have picked my spots fading this guy and following him. I would recommend fading him at this point as he has an 8.80 ERA in his last 5 starts and it's not like he got shelled in two or three starts. He was shelled in all 5 starts which is nothing new to Bannister.
Actually one of those 5 starts came against the A's where he went 4 innings and gave up 7 ER. So for me I would fade him again here, because even if he pitches a quality start 6 innings 2 or 3 ER he will be leaving the game to the bullpen that has a 6.58 ERA in their last 10 games. This season was promising early for the Royals but it really has been dreadful after some key prospects got injured early.
Here are some trends: - Royals are 2-9 in Bannisters last 11 starts as an underdog. - Royals are 1-5 in Bannisters last 6 road starts vs. a team with a losing record. - Royals are 1-7 in Bannisters last 8 starts vs. a team with a losing record. - Royals are 7-19 in Bannisters last 26 starts following a team loss in their previous game
Notables - Last 5 Starts! • John Lannan (1-1, 1.73 WHIP, 6.92 ERA) • Dave Bush (0-4, 1.82 WHIP, 10.23 ERA) • Max Scherzer (2-2, 1.50 WHIP, 6.11 ERA) • Josh Beckett (1-1, 1.21 WHIP, 6.12 ERA)
Most likely to rebound:
Josh Beckett
MLB Double Dip
By Brobury Sports
There are several great games on the Wednesday MLB docket and BroburySports is highlighting two that have playoff implications.
Besides these two contests, don’t forget about Scott Kazmir making his L.A. Angels debut against Seattle and ‘The King’, Felix Hernandez. The Angels are slight +105 underdogs.
Boston (-110 Even odds) at Tampa Bay – 7 pm ET
Pitching matchup: Josh Beckett (Boston) vs. Matt Garza (Tampa Bay)
This is a 7 pm ET game on ESPN. Boston won the opener last night 8-4, and that improved them to 2-4 in Tampa this year. The Red Sox were just 1-8 in Tampa last season.
Boston is the leader in the AL Wild Card with a 3.5 game cushion over Texas and six games over Tampa.
Beckett (14-5, 3.80 ERA) has gone south the last three games with a 9.82 ERA. The quality stuff is still there so he may be tipping his pitches. Beckett is 1-1 with a 5.36 ERA versus the Rays this year and got rocked in his only start in Tampa back in April.
Matt Garza (7-9, 3.95 ERA) has a 5.27 ERA in August but that was marred by two bad road outings. The team has won his three home starts this month (2.84 ERA). Garza also pitches well against Boston, going 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA in four starts this year.
San Francisco (+175) at Philadelphia – 7:05 pm ET
Pitching matchup: Brad Penny (San Francisco) vs. J.A. Happ (Philadelphia)
This is the second game in a three game set. San Francisco lost the opener 1-0 last night as Cole Hamels threw a complete game two-hitter.
The Giants are now one game back of Colorado in the Wild Card race, while Philly leads the NL East by 7.5 games over Atlanta.
Penny (7-8, 5.61 ERA) is making his first start for San Francisco. It was originally scheduled to be ace Tim Lincecum. Penny made 24 starts with Boston before asking for his release. His still throws very hard and could make an impact in the NL where he had success before. The Giants are an interesting +175 dog.
Happ (10-3, 2.63 ERA) is an impressive rookie lefthander who is not showing any signs of fatigue. He made his last four starts on the road, and he’s actually struggled more at home (3.88 ERA) this year.
His last home start though was a complete game shutout against Colorado on August 5th.