Brad Diamond
Rockies vs. Padres
Play: Over 8½
I believe the line should be 9-9-1/2 considering the inconsistency of the aforementioned hurlers. Hoffman has a misleading 2-0 (2.39) mark as one of his victories was over struggling Philadelphia, after he was bombed in the proceeding outing. Cosart of San Diego is a youngster thought to have great promise but, has struggled throughout his career. He is 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA against the Rockies. The series has gone OVER L4-of-5 with Hoffman and Cosart projecting strong OVER trends of late.
Jack Brayman
Let's make some money with the Cincinnati Reds, as they're my free play against the Atlanta Braves.
Cincinnati will take advantage of a defeated Braves team that has lost seven of 10 after finally snapping a three-game slide. But this is the same weary team that watched their 2-0, ninth-leading lead dissolve into a 3-2, 10th-inning loss in Friday night's series opener.
The Braves are now eight games into a nine-game road trip, and will be playing their 23rd game in 24 nights. That's a long haul, considering that string of games has included trips to South Beach, Toronto, back home to Atlanta, San Francisco, Los Angeles and now Cincy.
Atlanta is a tired team, and it will show in this one.
Play the Reds.
1* REDS
Eric Schroeder
My free play is on the New York Mets, over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
And in this game I want you listing scheduled starting pitchers Trevor Williams and Tyler Pill.
Let's start with the Bucs' Williams, who is in after earning his first quality start of the season in his last start, against the D-backs. And while I realize he limited one of the best offenses in baseball to just one run on four hits in six innings, he has never faced the Mets in his career, and Citi Field is not an easy place to pitch. He is actually 0-1 with a 3.78 ERA over his last three starts, and I think he will struggle today.
The Mets, meanwhile, need at least one more start from Pill, while Steven Matz and Seth Lugo continue working to return from elbow injuries. The rookie right-hander stranded seven runners in his first start, and took a no-decision despite allowing just one run over 5.1 innings.
The Pirates will find out Pill is hard to swallow. Take the Mets and list both.
3* N.Y. METS
Chris Jordan
We have had an interesting weekend set in San Diego, as the National League West-leading Colorado Rockies were in town to visit the last-place Padres. Friday night my free play was on the Padres, and won. Last night I was right back with the Friars, and I lost.
San Diego has won four of five, not to mention eight of their last 12.
The Padres and Rockies came into this series having split their first six games of the season, and now they've split the first two of this series. We've seen there is enough confidence on San Diego's part to pull off a win in the series-opener. Now the Pads can win the series win with a victory here.
I'm taking a shot with this comp winner, as the Pads get it done over Colorado.
4* PADRES
Will Rogers
Twins at Angels
Pick: Twins
The set-up: Albert Pujols made his 600th HR an even more memorable one when he launched a grand slam in the fourth inning last night to become the ninth player in major-league history to reach the milestone. The 7-2 victory evened LA's record at 3-3 on its current seven-game homestand. The Tiwns had won the first two games of the four-game series and while Minnesota has had trouble at home (just 12-18), last night's loss leaves them at an impressive 16-6 on the road and still in first-place in the AL Central at 28-24, overall. The Angels wrap their hoemstand today and look to reach .500 (29-30). LA may be in second-place in the AL West but Houston owns MLB's best record at 40-16, leaving the Angels a distant 12 1/2 games out.
The pitching matchup: Jose Berrios (3-1 & 2.70 ERA) takes the mound for the Twins Ricky Nolasco (2-5 & 5.07 ERA) for the Angels. Berrios didn't make his 2017 debut until May 13th but won each of his first three starts, However, his streak was broken Tuesday, when he allowed four runs on five hits and four walks in five innings against Houston, as the Twins fell 7-2. Berrios will be facing the Angels for the first time. Nolasco has struggled all season and his win-less streak reached six starts Monday, as he lost his third consecutive start. He surrendered six runs on seven hits in only 2 2/3 innings against Atlanta (Braves won 6-3), making it the shortest outing of the year for the 34-year-old. Nolasco went 15-22 in 58 outings over 2 1/2 seasons with Minnesota before being traded to Los Angeles but has made just one career start against the Twins, allowing three runs (two earned) over five innings in a victory at Minnesota on April 23, 2013 while with Miami.
The pick: Berrios was not sharp against Houston in his last outing (few pitchers have been in 2017) but note that he had given up just four runs and four walks in total over his first three outings of 2017, winning all three with a 1.71 ERA and a 22-4 KW ratio. Meanwhile, the Angels have lost all games in Nolasco's six-start win-less streak with teh veteran posting a 6.19 ERA,
Larry Ness
Twins at Angels
Pick: Twins
Edinson Volquez pitched MLB's first no-hitter of 2017 last night (last was Jake Arrieta's in April of 2016) but he was upstaged by Albert Pujols' 600th career HR (just ninth to reach that milestone), a grand slam in the fourth which gave LA a 7-2 win over Minnesota. The Angels will cap their current seven-game homestand (3-3) with chance to get back to .500 on the season. The Angels are currently 29-30 and in second-place in the AL West but stuck in the same division as the 40-16 Astros, LA is already 12 1/2 games back. The Twins began a 10-game road trip Thursday in Anaheim and have thrived on the road in 2017, as last night's loss still leaves them at 16-6 away from home this season.
The pitching matchup for Sunday's final of the series will feature Jose Berrios (3-1, 2.70 ERA) for Minnesota and ex-Twin Ricky Nolasco (2-5, 5.07 ERA) for the Angels. Berrios made 14 starts for Minnesota in 2016, going 3-7 with an 8.02 ERA (Twins were 3-11 in his starts). He didn't make his 2017 debut until May 13th but won each of his first three starts, with a 1.71 ERA and a 22-4 KW ratio. However, his streak was broken Tuesday, when he allowed four runs on five hits and four walks in five innings against Houston, as the Twins fell 7-2. Berrios will be facing the Angels for the first time.
Nolasco has struggled all season and his win-less streak reached six starts Monday, as he lost his third consecutive start. He surrendered six runs on seven hits in only 2.2 innings against Atlanta in a 6-3 loss. Nolasco went 15-22 in 58 outings over 2 1/2 seasons with Minnesota before being traded to Los Angeles but has made just one career start against the Twins, allowing three runs (two earned) over five innings in a victory at Minnesota on April 23, 2013 while with Miami.
Nolasco has been dreadful for more than a month, with the veteran posting a 6.19 ERA while the Angels have lost each of his last six starts. Berrios has seemingly put 2016's awful season behind him and will pitch in front of a team which is 16-6 on the road, outscoring opponents on average, 5.00-to-3.95 RPG,
Power Sports
Colorado vs. San Diego
Pick: Colorado
Padres' win streaks are not something you should expect to last, so I was hardly surprised to see them fall yday at home to the Rockies. They had previously won five in a row, all of the wins coming against the Nats, Cubs and Rockies. That's somewhat impressive, but the bottom line is this club has a MLB-worst -92 run differential due to an offense that is again near the bottom of the league in all key categories. I look for Colorado to win today and take the series.
Pitching has long been the issue for the Colorado franchise, but this year has been different, both w/ the starting rotation and bullpen. I like what I've seen in two starts from today's starter, Jeff Hoffman, who has a 2.92 ERA and 0.892 WHIP. Remember that Petco is a pitcher-friendly park and that effect is certainly being felt by today's hosts, who are 28th in runs scored, 29th in slugging and dead last (30th) in both team batting average and on base percentage. The Padres scored only one run in yday's loss.
Meanwhile, the Rockies scored 10 times Saturday, improving to 20-10 on the road this year. I can see them "teeing off" on Jarred Cosart here as the SD starter hasn't lasted long in any of his five starts this year (< 4 IP four times) and last time out he issued five walks. Cosart has more walks than strikeouts this year, an awful sign, as the most K's he's had in any start is three. The Padres are the worst team in baseball.
SPORTS WAGERS
N.Y. Yankees +108 over TORONTO
Marcus Stroman has been hit hard by the Yankees (.771 OPS) in the past. New York has exhibited an improving road offense of late and the Yankees get this contest in the Blue Jays’ friendly scoring environs. New York’s .818 OPS vs. RHPs is second only to the lofty .824 figure owned by the Astros. Stroman has been solid lately, but he makes this home start on five days’ rest. In 65-plus MLB starts, he has shown a significant preference for a four-day interval.
Luis Severino has a poor pitcher v batter line against Toronto and the Blue Jays head into this matchup having piled up some nice offensive numbers over the last couple weeks. However, strikeout and groundball indicators for Severino are strong and he owns a 2.82 xERA over his last five games started. Severino is a different pitcher this year and it’s all to the good. His devastating slider cuts into a major Toronto deficiency. Also give a significant edge to the Yanks pen.
Mike Lundin
Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers
Play: Houston Astros -124
The Houston Astros are eyeing a 10th straight win when they visit the Texas Rangers Sunday afternoon. Left-hander Martin Perez (2-5, 4.19 ERA) takes the ball for the home team. He's 5-3 with a 2.49 ERA in nine career starts versus the Astros, but he was tagged with five runs on nine hits in five innings against Tampa Bay his last time out. Texas has won just three of his 11 starts this season and the Astros are 4-1 in their last five road games vs. a left-handed starter.
The Astros hand the ball to Brad Peacock (2-0, 2.13 ERA) who will make his third start of the season. He's struck out 16 batters through nine innings as a starter and he's also been very effective working out of the bullpen.
The Rangers are 2-9 in their last 11 overall and I don't think they can stop the red hot Astros.
Jack Jones
Red Sox -1.5 -115
I'll back the Boston Red Sox to win by multiple runs today against the Baltimore Orioles. They have the clear edge on the mound in this one with Chris Sale over Chris Tillman.
Sale is 6-2 with a 2.77 ERA and 0.910 WHIP in 11 starts this season. The left-hander is 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA in six career starts against Baltimore, including 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA in his last three starts against the Orioles, allowing just 3 earned runs in 21 innings while striking out 29.
Tillman hasn't had much success since returning from injury this season. He has gone 1-2 with a 5.87 ERA and 1.870 WHIP in five starts, including 0-2 with a 7.90 ERA and 1.975 WHIP in his last three.
The Red Sox are 5-1 in Sale's last six starts. Boston is 7-2 in its last nine vs. a team with a winning record. The Orioles are 0-7 in their last seven games vs. a starter with a WHIP less than 1.15.
Doc's Sports
Rockies vs. Padres
Play: Padres +120
The Colorado Rockies head to Petco Park on Sunday, June 4, 2017 to take on the San Diego Padres. The expected starting pitchers are Tyler Anderson for the Rockies and Jarred Cosart for the Padres.
The odds for this matchup have Colorado at -128 and San Diego at +118. The Rockies have a 25-29-3 over/under mark and a 32-25-0 run line record. The Padres are 27-29-0 against the run line and have a 27-26-3 over/under record.
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Rockies have a 34-23 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Tyler Anderson has a 3-5 record with an earned run average of 5.85 and a WHIP of 1.48. He has 59 strikeouts over his 60 innings pitched and he's given up 69 hits. He allows 10.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.99. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.06 and they have given up 171 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .239 against the bullpen and they've struck out 197 hitters and walked 69 batters. As a team, Colorado allows 8.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 8 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.2. The Rockies pitchers collectively have given up 470 base hits and 235 earned runs. They have allowed 59 home runs this season, ranking them 21st in the league. Colorado as a pitching staff has walked 194 batters and struck out 445. They have walked 3.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.32 and their FIP as a unit is 4.06.
Hitting Statistics
As a team Colorado is hitting .264, good for 6th in the league. The Rockies hold a .439 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322, which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 9th in MLB with 9.0 hits per game. Charlie Blackmon is hitting .320 with an on-base percentage of .355. He has 73 hits this season in 228 at bats with 47 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .610 and an OPS+ of 135. Nolan Arenado is hitting .276 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .336. He has totaled 59 hits and he has driven in 35 men in 214 at bats. His OPS+ is 116 while his slugging percentage is at .547. The Rockies have 503 hits, including 97 doubles and 71 home runs. Colorado has walked 153 times so far this season and they have struck out 471 times as a unit. They have left 341 men on base and have a team OPS of .761. They score 5.04 runs per contest and have scored a total of 282 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
San Diego has a 23-33 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.50, Jarred Cosart has a 0-1 record and a 1.80 WHIP. He has 10 strikeouts over the 20 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 20 hits. He allows 9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.74. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.37 and they have given up 166 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .225 against the Padres bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 204 batters and walked 91 opposing hitters. As a team, San Diego allows 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine innings. They are 25th in the league in team earned run average at 4.6. The Padres pitchers as a team have surrendered 473 base knocks and 248 earned runs this season. They have given up 69 home runs this year, which ranks 10th in Major League Baseball. San Diego as a staff has walked 193 hitters and struck out 445 batters. They give up a walk 3.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.37 while their FIP as a staff is 4.41.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .221, good for 30th in the league. The Padres hold a .369 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .288, which is good for 29th in baseball. They rank 30th in MLB with 7.3 hits per contest. Yangervis Solarte comes into this matchup batting .251 with an OBP of .335. He has 48 hits this year along with 25 RBI in 191 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .346 with an OPS+ of 85. Wil Myers is hitting .265 this season and he has an OBP of .317. He has collected 56 hits in 211 at bats while driving in 30 runs. He has an OPS+ of 114 and a slugging percentage of .493. The Padres as a unit have 399 base hits, including 65 doubles and 62 homers. San Diego has walked 161 times this year and they have struck out on 496 occasions. They have had 345 men left on base and have an OPS of .657. They have scored 3.45 runs per game and totaled 190 runs this season.
Harry Bondi
KANSAS CITY (+130) over Cleveland
The Kansas City Royals have been an abomination this year but have had no problem trouble beating Cleveland. We think the Royals will sweep the Indians today behind rookie phenom Eric Skoglund who pitched 6+ innings of scoreless baseball in beating Detroit on Tuesday in hi smajor league debut. Take the big dog!
Bob Balfe
Cavs/Warriors Under 220
The Warriors made the Cavs look silly in the first game as they scored at will in the paint. Cleveland is going to have to slow down this place and use muscle to win this series. The Cavs don’t have the ability this season to go fast pace up and down the court with this team. Look for a lower scoring game tonight.
Giants/Phillies Under 9.5
The Phillies are one of the worst in the league against left handed pitchers and the Giants one of the worst against right handed pitching. It’s not typical to see either team to put together big innings on the scoreboard. I think tonight both teams really struggle to get on base.
Bruce Marshall
Houston at Texas
Pick: Houston
The Astros continue to win and now sit at 40-16 this season...40-13 if excluding games vs. the Indians. Brad Peacock is not their top-line starting pitcher and it is likely a bullpen game today for AJ Hinch, but Peacock has been adept at providing 4 or so decent innings in his recent outings. Texas is reeling and has lost in seven of the nine starts made by Martin Perez.
Dave Price
Twins vs. Angels
Play: Twins -111
The Los Angeles Angels had an emotional game yesterday as Albert Pujols hit his 600th home run. But now they are in for a letdown here against the Twins, and I still like the fact that they are without the best player in baseball in Mike Trout. And the Twins have the decisive advantage on the mound with Jose Berrios over Ricky Nolasco. Berrios is 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 0.79 WHIP in 4 starts this year, while Nolasco is 2-5 with a 4.47 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 11 starts. The Twins are 19-7 in their last 26 road games, including 12-2 in their last 14 road games vs. a right-handed starter. Minnesota is 4-1 in Berrios' last 5 starts. The Angels are 0-6 in Nolasco's last 6 starts.