Wednesday’s Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
Streaking
Scott Feldman (15-4, 3.62 ERA), Texas Rangers
Feldman has been on a great run this season, particularly on the road. Only four of his 15 wins have come in white uniforms and his home ERA is almost two full runs higher than his away.
Feldman had no answers for his road success after his latest win.
“There is really nothing to it,” Feldman told the Associated Press following the 5-1 win over the Orioles last week. “Just being the benefactor of playing on a good team. I do everything the same.”
The Rangers have won six of his last seven starts and the hurler has given up just one run in his last three outings. Keep in mind too, that 12 of the Rangers’ 32 wins have come with Feldman on the bump.
Bronson Arroyo (12-12, 4.23), Cincinnati Reds
You can get an upset stomach trying to follow this streaky hurler. His career has been filled with more up and down results than a kid on ritalin in a bouncy castle.
But over his last seven starts he owes a 1.89 ERA, he’s pitched at least seven innings each time out and the under is 4-2-1.
He might be worth a small play on the road against the Rockies on Wednesday.
Slumping
Kevin Hart (4-5, 4.67), Pittsburgh Pirates
We really didn’t want to pick on the Pirates – MLB teams do that enough as is. But with some many hot starters going today (Wandy Rodriguez, Jon Garland and Ian Snell to name a few that didn’t make the cut), we were left with few hurlers in dire times.
Hart fits the bill perfectly. He’s given up 24 runs (21 earned) in his last 28 innings and the Bucs have won just won of his last five starts.
Hart was disappointed following his last start - a 14-7 setback to the Cards.
“It’s one of those things where when we score six in the bottom of the inning, you’ve got to go out there and have a shutdown inning,” he told reporters. “These guys picked me up tonight, and I didn’t do the same.”
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay (72-67) at N.Y. Yankees (90-50)
The Yankees go for a four-game sweep of the Rays and look to move another step closer to wrapping up the A.L. East title when they send Joba Chamberlain (8-5, 4.41 ERA) to the mound against Tampa Bay rookie Jeff Niemann (12-5, 3.67).
After sweeping a day-night doubleheader from Tampa Bay on Monday by a combined score of 15-2, New York used some final-bat heroics on Tuesday, getting a walk-off home run from Nick Swisher in the bottom of the ninth to win 3-2. In addition to taking the first three games of this series, the Yankees have won 11 of their last 13, allowing three runs or fewer in eight of those contests.
New York is on additional surges of 52-18 overall, 42-13 at home, 26-6 against divisional foes, 14-4 against teams with a winning record, 39-13 on Wednesday, 37-18 against right-handed starters and 43-17 as a favorite. Joe Girardi’s club is the first to 90 wins and now leads the A.L. East by nine games.
The Rays have now dropped a season-high seven in a row, tallying three runs or less five times, and they’re just 3-12 in their last 15 contests, a slump that has all but ended their hopes of a return trip to the postseason. Tampa Bay is also in ruts of 0-6 against right-handed starters and 1-6 versus the A.L. East.
New York has won seven of the last eight meetings against Tampa Bay this year and is 58-24 in the last 82 series clashes in the Bronx.
Niemann was outstanding in his last two starts, both against the Tigers, giving up just three runs over a combined 14 2/3 innings, but his bullpen imploded in both games, with the Rays losing both by a 4-3 score. Still, Tampa Bay is on runs behind Niemann of 14-6 overall, 5-1 on Wednesday and 5-1 versus the A.L. East, but they’ve lost four of his last five on the highway, where the big right-hander is 7-3 with a 4.47 ERA in 16 starts.
Neimann’s lone start against the Yankees came in the Bronx on May 7, giving up two runs on three hits and four walks in just 3 1/3 innings, but Tampa Bay pulled out an 8-6 victory.
Chamberlain has lasted just three innings in his last two starts and hasn’t gone longer than five in his last four outings. The right-hander gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks on Thursday at Toronto, losing 6-0. Chamberlain has gone six straight starts without a quality outing going back to the end of July, and he’s 1-3 with a 7.96 ERA during this stretch.
Despite Chamberlain’s recent struggles, with the 23-year-old on the hill, New York is still on runs of 15-6 overall, 17-4 at home, 23-9 as a chalk, 7-1 against division rivals and 5-0 on Wednesday. For the season, he’s 3-3 with a 5.38 ERA in 15 home starts, and he’s 1-0 with a 1.21 ERA in nine career appearances (two starts, both this season) against Tampa Bay.
For Tampa Bay, the “under” is on runs of 6-2 on the road, 10-4 as an underdog, 36-17-4 against right-handed starters, 18-8 against right-handed starters and 7-3 with Niemann starting. Meanwhile, New York is on “over” stretches of 6-3 overall, 9-4 against the A.L. East, 7-3 against winning teams, 5-1 behind Chamberlain overall, 5-0 when he starts at home and 18-6-1 when he pitches as a favorite. However, the under is 17-8-1 in the Yankees’ last 26 games in the Bronx.
Finally, the under is 6-2 in the last seven battles between these rivals and 11-5 in the last 16 clashes in New York.
ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. YANKEES and UNDER
Seattle (72-67) at L.A. Angels (82-55)
The Mariners continue a 10-game, three-city A.L. West road trip at Angel Stadium, with Ian Snell (4-1, 4.89 ERA) slated to matchup against Los Angeles ace Jered Weaver (14-5, 3.74.
The Angels got a run in the bottom of the 10th inning to take Tuesday’s series opener 3-2. Los Angeles has won six of its last nine, giving up a total of just 18 runs in the process. However, the Angels’ once-red-hot offense has been held to three runs or fewer in six of its last seven games. Mike Scioscia’s club is on runs of 54-25 overall, 11-3 in the second game of a series and 5-2 on Wednesday.
Seattle has lost three in a row following a four-game winning streak and it is now 19-41 in its last 60 games as an underdog. On the bright side, the Mariners are on upticks of 7-4 against A.L. West foes, 5-1 versus right-handed starters, 13-3 on Wednesday and 4-0 in Game 2 of a series.
The Mariners still hold a 9-8 edge in the season series, but they’re just 9-21 in their last 30s games at Angel Stadium.
After getting blown out in Snell’s first three starts with the club by a combined score of 25-7, the Mariners have won four straight behind the right-hander, including Thursday’s 7-4 victory at Oakland. Snell has allowed a total of seven runs (six earned) over 21 2/3 innings in his last four trips to the mound (2.49 ERA).
Since being dealt to the Mariners at the end of July, Snell is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA in three road outings. His only previous start against the Angels came in an interleague game when he was with Pittsburgh in 2007, and he got rocked, allowing five runs on 10 hits in six innings of a 10-1 road defeat.
Weaver has been tremendous in his last two outings, allowing just one run over 13 innings, getting a no-decision in a 4-3 home loss to Oakland, then earning a 2-1 win at Kansas City on Friday. The Angels are 15-5 in Weaver’s last 20 starts overall and 36-16 in his last 52 at home, where he’s 8-2 with a 2.89 ERA in 15 outings in 2009.
Weaver is 7-3 with a 4.75 ERA in 13 career starts versus the Mariners, including 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in two contests this season (both in April). The Halos have won five straight home games against Seattle with Weaver on the bump.
The under is 20-7 in Seattle’s last 27 games versus the A.L. West and 15-2 in its last 17 on Wednesday, but the over is 7-4-1 in the M’s last 12 roadies. Meanwhile, the Angels have stayed under the number in six straight games overall and four of five on Wednesday, but the over is 20-9 in their last 29 at home and 35-18-3 in their last 55 when favored. Also, with Weaver pitching, the “over” is on runs of 11-3 overall, 6-2 at home, 9-3 as a favorite and 10-1 when he faces Seattle.
Lastly, the under is 7-2 in the last nine Mariners-Angels battles.
ATS ADVANTAGE: L.A. ANGELS
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SCOREBOARD
Wednesday, September 9
Detroit at Kansas City (8:10 p.m. EDT). The Tigers' Justin Verlander (16-7, 3.29 ERA) tries to become the American League's first 17-game winner.
STARS
Tuesday
-Matt Holliday, Cardinals, hit a two-run homer off Trevor Hoffman in the top of the ninth to lift St. Louis to a 4-3 win at Milwaukee.
-Javier Vazquez, Braves, struck out nine in seven shutout innings and Atlanta beat Houston 2-1.
- Erick Aybar, Angels, hit a two-out single in the 10th inning to give Los Angeles a 3-2 victory over Seattle
-Jack Cust, Athletics, hit a three-run homer to help Oakland on its way to an 11-3 win at the Chicago White Sox.
-John McDonald, Blue Jays, hit a three-run homer to key Toronto's six-run sixth inning in a 6-3 win over Minnesota.
-Marlon Byrd, Rangers, had seven hits in Texas' doubleheader sweep of Cleveland. The Rangers won the first game 11-9 and the second 10-5.
HOMER-HAPPY
The Phillies beat the Nationals 5-3 on the strength of five solo homers - and became the 12th team in big-league history with four 30-homer players. ... The Red Sox hit a season-high six home runs on Tuesday night, and David Ortiz hit his record-tying 269th homer as a designated hitter to lead Boston to a 10-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. ... The Yankees' Nick Swisher hit his second home run of the game to give New York a 3-2 win over the Rays. The switch-hitting Swisher connected from both sides of the plate, winning it with a left-handed shot off Dan Wheeler.
ALTITUDE
Colorado beat Cincinnati 3-1 Tuesday night, giving the Rockies their fifth straight win and moving the NL wild-card leaders 19 games above .500 (79-60) for the first time in franchise history.
FLYING FISH
Thanks to two-run homers from Ramirez and Maybin, the Marlins kept up their surprising playoff push Tuesday night with a 4-2 victory over the New York Mets. The Marlins, who opened the season with a major league-low $37 million payroll, are 5 1/2 games behind Colorado for the NL wild card.
DRAWKCAB
After taking consecutive series from the Yankees and Angels earlier this summer, the White Sox promptly lost two of three to Cleveland. They are 15-17 against the league's three last-place teams - Oakland, Baltimore and Kansas City - after falling to the Athletics 11-3 Tuesday night.
ALL BETTER
The Texas Rangers' offense limped into a doubleheader against Cleveland having gone scoreless in 15 straight innings - then scored 21 runs to beat the Indians 11-9 and 10-5.
CRAZY EIGHT
Chicago tied a major league record with eight consecutive hits to start a game in a 9-4 victory over the Pirates. The most recent team to do it was the New York Yankees, on Sept. 25, 1990, against Baltimore.
SPEAKING
"I don't think we've quit at all. I still see effort, I still see energy. Guys get depressed a little bit when you've lost as many games as we've lost, but for me - without overstating it - it takes a heck of lot of character to continue to come back against a first-place club.'' - Royals manager Trey Hillman after his team ended Detroit's six-game win streak with a 7-5 victory.
Spoilers
Eliminated (again) the Toronto Blue Birds with nothing left except play spoiler should hand Twins another blow when the teams meet in the third of this four game set at Rogers Center. Toronto has had great success vs Minnesota taking 13-of-15 meetings overall and enter a near perfect 10-2 the past twelve hosting Twins. If that were not enough, Jays have their ace Roy Halladay (14-8, 2.98) schedule to take the ball. The righty off his sixth complete game of the season in a 6-0 home victory against Bronx Bombers looks primed for an encore. Doc 20-9 at Rogers Center the past three seasons compiling a 5.02 SWR, 1.02 WHIP, 20.99 Batter-Out-Rating/9 in front of the home crowd won't need to dig very deep into his medicine bag to find a cure for Twinkies. Doc is a perfect 8-0 with a 2.77 ERA in ten life-time starts (9-1 TSR) vs Minnesota.