Saturday Service Plays

THE SPORTS ADVISORS

SATURDAY, JUNE 27
NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Francisco (39-33) at Milwaukee (39-34)
The Brewers will try to make it two in a row over the Giants when they send Seth McClung (3-1, 3.24 ERA) to the mound opposite southpaw Barry Zito (4-7, 4.54) at Miller Park in Milwaukee for the second game of this three-game set.Milwaukee won Friday night’s opener 5-1 behind the four-hit pitching of Yovani Gallardo. These two teams have split four games this season, but the Brewers have won eight of the last 10 overall and 15 of the last 18 played in Milwaukee.The Brewers are still in slumps of 2-5 in their last seven and 6-11 in their last 17. They are also on slides of 3-7 at Miller Park and 2-5 against the N.L. West, but they have won 18 of 26 against opponents with a winning record and 13 of 16 at home against teams with a winning mark. San Francisco is on slides of 13-31 on the road against teams with a winning home record and 11-27 against the N.L. Central, however the Giants have won five of their last seven overall.Zito is 2-1 in his last three games, but his ERA is a whopping 7.47. He was solid in his last outing, giving up two runs on two hits over seven innings of a 3-2 win against the Rangers at home. The Giants have won three of his last four outings, including his last road start in Arizona when he allowed four runs on seven hits in five innings of a 6-4 win. The Giants are just 1-15 in his last 16 starts against N.L. Central teams.Zito has struggled against the Brewers, losing three of his four career outings, including all three in Milwaukee. He’s allowed 21 runs in 14 1/3 innings of work at Miller Park since 2007.McClung hasn’t made a start since September of last year. The reliever last pitched on Tuesday, throwing one inning and allowing one hit against the Twins. He started 12 games in 2008, going 6-6 with a 4.02 ERA.With Zito on the hill, the Giants have stayed under the total in eight of his last nine Saturday starts, and overall, they are on “under” streaks of 9-3-1 on the road, 5-1 overall and 6-2-2 on Saturdays. With McClung on the mound for Milwaukee, the Brewers are on “under” runs of 5-1 at home, 9-2-1 overall and 5-0 as a favorite. As a team, Milwaukee is on “over” streaks of 4-0 against left-handed starters and 8-3 overall. Finally, in this rivalry, the over is on streaks of 10-3-2 in Milwaukee and 21-8-2 in the last 31 meetings overall.

ATS ADVANTAGE: MILWAUKEE

INTERLEAGUE
N.Y. Yankees (41-32) at N.Y. Mets (37-35)
The Yankees are looking for their fourth straight win today as they send A.J. Burnett (5-4, 4.24 ERA) to the mound to face Mets’ starter Tim Redding (1-2, 6.08) in Game 2 of this version of the Subway Series from Citi Field.The Yankees pounded the Mets in Friday’s opener, winning 9-1, and getting homers from Alex Rodriguez and Brett Gardner to go along with three-hit pitching from C.C. Sabathia. The Yankees have taken three of four from their crosstown rivals this season and outscored the Mets 24-1 in the last two games and 35-15 in the four contests.The Yankees are 24-11 in their last 35 as a favorite, but they are on slides of 3-7 on Saturdays, 2-7 on the road against right-handed starters and 2-4 on the highway against teams with winning records. The Mets are just 1-5 in their last six against the American League and 2-6 against A.L. squads with winning records, but they are 11-6 in their last 17 at home against right-handed starters.Burnett comes in having lost two of his last three decisions but sporting a solid 2.25 ERA in those three games. He’s given up just two runs on nine hits over 13 1/3 innings in his last two starts. On the highway he’s allowed just seven runs in his last three outings, covering 15 innings. He faced the Mets on June 14 and was outstanding, holding them scoreless on four hits over seven innings of a 15-0 shellacking. The Yankees are 4-1 in Burnett’s last five starts as a favorite but just 1-4 in his last five on the highway.Redding is 1-0 in his last three starts with a 5.12 ERA. He gave up four runs on five hits in seven innings of a 6-4 win over the Cardinals on Monday. However, the Mets are just 2-5 in his seven starts this season and just 1-4 in his last five starts as an underdog.With Burnett on the hill, the Yankees have stayed under the total in six of his last nine. As a team, the Yankees are on several “under” runs, including 14-6 in interleague action, 7-4-1 on the highway and 13-6 against the N.L. East. The Mets are on “under runs of 4-1 on Saturday, 5-2 in interleague home games and 5-1-1 in the second game of a series. In this rivalry, the under is 4-1 in the last five meetings on the Mets’ home field.

ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. YANKEES and UNDER