Diamond Preview
By Matt Fargo
Monday, June 30th
Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays 7:10 PM ET
Interleague play is done and we can turn our attention to some big league games this week starting with a great series getting underway Monday. Boston heads to Tampa Bay as the two meet for the first time since June 5th and that infamous brawl. James Shields started that game and was tossed after just one inning and he will get a crack at the Red Sox once again. He shut them out at home earlier this season on just two hits and the home team is now 9-0 in the nine meetings played thus far this season.
Tuesday, July 1st
Oakland A’s at Los Angeles Angels 10:05 PM ET
Another great A.L. series continues Tuesday as the A’s look to keep pace out west with the Angels. They enter the week four and a half games back and send one of the hottest pitchers in baseball to the hill in this one. Rich Harden has tossed seven quality starts in his last eight games and it would be 8-8 but he was a third of an inning short in one of those. Harden has yet to lose this season. Not to be outdone, Ervin Santana is 9-3 with a 3.32 ERA on the year and he is 8-1 with a 1.38 ERA in 11 career starts against Oakland.
Wednesday, July 2nd
Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins 1:10 PM ET
The three-game set between the Tigers and Twins concludes on Wednesday afternoon. This is a big series for the visitors as Detroit has somehow gotten itself back into the American League Central race. Entering the week, the Tigers are on a five-game winning streak and are 17-4 over their last 21 games. The Twins are hot as well as they have won 10 of their last 11 games heading into this series. Minnesota has won five of the last six meetings including a sweep at the Metrodome back in early May.
Thursday, July 3rd
Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees 7:05 PM ET
It really wouldn’t be 4th of July without the Red Sox and Yankees squaring off. Game One of this four-game series is Thursday and with the Yankees starting to show some life, this series is going to be a big one. Andy Pettitte takes the hill for New York and he is 15-6 with a 3.45 ERA in 27 career starts against Boston. Meanwhile Jon Lester counters for the Red Sox and he has faced the Yankees only once. Last season, he was shelled for seven runs in just 3.2 innings.
Friday, July 4th
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals 8:15 PM ET
The holiday is filled with action day and night and one of the best matchups takes place Friday night with the Cubs taking on the Cardinals in the first game of this weekend series. St. Louis is the closest pursuer in the National League Central as it came into the new week trailing Chicago by just 2.5 games. This is just the second series between these two rivals as the Cardinals took two of three in the first set back in early May. Chicago has been nearly unbeatable at home but is struggling on the road with six straight losses.
VegasInsider.com
Chan's money arms: Week of June 30th
By DAVID CHAN
This column has produced a 10-3 record over the past three weeks, proving that a little homework can go a long way when it comes to building baseball bankrolls.
It’s the start of another busy week on the diamond and here are five starters that could earn you some extra loot over the next four days.
Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals, Monday at Baltimore
Greinke has been something of an enigma throughout his career, but I believe this is a good time to back him. In his last three starts, Greinke has worked 20 innings, and has given up only 14 hits and four earned runs. His command has definitely been there. In his last two starts he has struck out 17 while walking only one. That’s quite a turnaround considering he issued seven walks three starts ago. The Royals are coming off a weekend sweep at the hands of the suddenly surging Cardinals. That means they should bring the proper focus to the table on Monday.
Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners, Tuesday vs. Toronto
King Felix has done well to sustain a winning record despite pitching for a Mariners team that sits almost 20 games under .500. The M’s have actually won his last four starts, and he owns a personal 4-0 record over that stretch. In four career starts against the Blue Jays, Hernandez is 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA. For the first time in a long time, the Mariners should have some confidence entering this series. They swept the Padres in San Diego over the weekend, thanks in large part to their starting pitching. Felix keeps the momentum building on Tuesday.
Scott Baker, Minnesota Twins, Tuesday vs. Detroit
Would I be wrong in saying that Scott Baker is one of the most consistent starting pitchers in all of baseball? The guy gives his team six solid innings just about every time he takes the mound, and that’s certainly more than I can say about a lot of millionaire hurlers. He has won back-to-back starts to improve to 4-2 on the season. The Metrodome has been kind to the 26-year old, as he is 2-0 with a 2.28 ERA on this mound. The Tigers are playing much better these days, but Baker steals the show on Tuesday.
Scott Kazmir, Tampa Bay Rays, Wednesday vs. Boston
Coming off four consecutive subpar outings, now is the time to buy low with Scott Kazmir. Who better to right the ship against than the Red Sox. In 18 career starts against the defending world champs, Kazmir has recorded a 2.82 ERA and held them to a paltry .224 batting average. He owns a 1.24 ERA at Tropicana Field this season, but was a 3-2 loser against Houston in his last start here. The Red Sox have excelled against left-handed pitching this year, but that should only serve to give us added value in this situation.
Garrett Olson, Baltimore Orioles, Thursday vs. Kansas City
Garrett Olson has experienced quite a few ups and downs in his first full big league season. I’m predicting a positive start form the left-hander on Thursday. This will be his second go-round against the Royals this season. He helped the O’s earn a 6-5 win in Kansas City in early May. Olson is 3-0 with a 3.49 ERA at Camden Yards in 2008. He’ll be trying to string together back-to-back solid starts after giving up just a single run in five innings in his last effort. The Orioles are 7-5 in his 12 starts this season. It helps our case that the hometown bats will have a chance to tee off on Kyle Davies.
Covers.com