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Euro 2016 semifinals betting cheat sheet and odds

The two semifinals of Euro 2016 couldn't be more different. One match features two perennial world powers (Germany and France) while the other features an upstart Wales squad against Portugal who is lucky to be in this position.

Portugal Working Overtime

Nothing has come easy for Portugal (+115), which has failed to win a game in regular time so far in the European Championships. But extra-time and penalty shootout triumphs has the Portuguese side in the semifinals for the fourth time in six tournament appearances, and it can advance to the final Wednesday with a win over upstart Wales (+290) at Stade des Lumieres in Lyon. The Welsh side is in the final four at a Euro for the first time in history, advancing to the semis with a 3-1 triumph over world power Belgium.

Lucky Seven for Germany?

A stubborn German side (+180) seeks its seven European Championship finals appearance as it tangles with host France (+175) in semifinal action Thursday at Stade Velodrome in Marseille. Germany eked past Italy in a lengthy penalty showdown in the quarterfinals, after the teams played to a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes. The French come in with big-time momentum after rolling past Iceland 5-2 in the quarterfinals. Germany has won the Euro title three times, while France is looking for its third Euro championship all-time.

News and Notes

* Wales will be missing a pair of key players due to second yellow cards picked up in the quarterfinal victory over Belgium. Star midfielder Aaron Ramsey and veteran defender Ben Davies will both sit out Wednesday’s game, but will be eligible to return for the final.

* At least one player’s family has changed plans ahead of the Belgium-Wales clash. Welsh defender Chris Gunter’s parents will be at his semifinal match in Lyon rather than attending his brother’s wedding in Mexico.

Injury Updates

* Portugal fullback Raphael Guerrero is doubtful for Wednesday’s semifinal matchup as he deals with an undisclosed muscle injury. Midfielder Andre Gomes also has a muscle ailment, and is listed as doubtful.

* Germany will be short-handed for its Thursday tilt with France. Sami Khedira is out after being substituted in the first half against Italy, while Bastian Schweinsteiger and Jerome Boateng are also banged up.

Weather Watch

* Clear skies are expected for Wednesday’s Portugal-Wales clash, with a zero percent chance of rain and temperatures in the low-70s.

* Germany-France will see scattered clouds at kickoff, but no rain expected and temperatures sitting in the high-70s for game time.

Props of the Day

* Wales/Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale to Both Score: Yes (+500): Two of the top goal-scorers will square off in Lyon, with both players a threat to convert at any time. Look for this one to be a wide-open affair, which plays to both strikers’ strengths.

* Germany/France, Half Time/Full Time: France/France (+335): With the home side still buzzing over its five-goal outburst against Iceland and the Germans possibly short four key players, this one has tilted heavily in France’s favour. Expect a dominant showing by the hosts.

Key Trends and Stats

* Wales is the first Euro debut team to reach the semifinals since 1992, when Sweden fell to Germany.

* Portugal and Wales last meet in a 2000 friendly, with the Portuguese side cruising to a 3-0 victory.

* Germany and France have split four all-time World Cup meetings, with France winning the two most recent encounters; they have never met at the European Championships.

* France has won its last two major tournaments as the host country, prevailing at the 1998 World Cup and the 1984 European Championships.

WNBA Betting Recap - 6/27-7/3
By Joe Williams

League Betting Notes (Monday, June 27 through Sunday, July 3)

-- Favorites went 10-5 straight up (SU)
-- Underdogs went 10-5 against the spread (ATS)
-- Home teams posted a 8-7 SU record
-- Road teams posted a 12-3 ATS record
-- The 'over' went 8-6-1

Team Betting Notes

-- Dallas (8-9) was on a 12-1 'over' run heading into last week, but the 'under cashed in each of their games. The Wings also failed to cover in their third straight game at home.

-- Indiana (7-10) split a pair of games in the past week, and they also went 1-1 ATS. One constant for the Fever lately has been the totals -- as the 'over' has hit in three straight outings, tying a season high.

-- San Antonio (4-13) continues to struggle, going 1-2 SU/ATS this week. They had entered on a 4-0 ATS run. A loss against Minnesota (14-3) in the game Saturday was their first non-cover as double-digit 'dog in the past three. As a 10-point underdog or more, the Stars are a solid 4-3 ATS.

-- The Lynx opener with a WNBA record 13-game win streak to start the season, but then they went on to lose three in a row. They stemmed the tide with a win and cover against the lowly Stars, but they're just 5-6 ATS as a favorite 7 1/2 points or more.

-- Atlanta (8-9) have inexplicably dropped six in a row after an 8-3 SU start to the season as they fell to Phoenix (8-10) in Sunday's contest. The Mercury have come alive after an 0-4 SU/ATS start, going 8-6 SU/ATS over the past 14 outings.

-- The 'over' has been the play lately for the Mercury, going 6-1 over their past seven games, and 11-3 over the past 14 outings.

-- Washington (9-9) have been the play lately against the number, going 9-1 ATS over the past 10 games. After opening the season with 12 straight 'over' plays, the 'under has hit in four of their past six heading into their game Wednesday in San Antonio.

-- Connecticut (4-13) picked up a win against Dallas Saturday, snapping a three-game losing streak. The Sun picked up their third consecutive cover, a season-high, and the 'under' is also 3-0 during the span.

Preview: Storm (6-10) at Dream (8-9)

Date: July 05, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Atlanta, the early surprise in the WNBA, has stumbled, losing six straight games to fall below .500, after maintaining first place in the Eastern Conference for over a month.

The Dream will try to take advantage of a rebounding edge to turn things around Tuesday, when the up-and-down Seattle Storm visit Philips Arena.

The Dream (8-9) haven't won since an overtime victory against Chicago on June 17. They're averaging just 76.0 point during the losing streak. Their ball movement has slowed, and they're now last in the WNBA in assists.

Atlanta squandered a seven-point fourth-quarter lead in a home loss to Phoenix on Sunday. The Mercury, led by a triple-double from Brittney Griner, closed out the Dream with a 23-6 run in the final seven minutes of the game.

"We have to play more disciplined in the end," Dream forward Tiffany Hayes told reporters after the loss to Phoenix. "I think in the third quarter we lost our focus. We just have to put together four complete quarters."

The Dream have remained among the league's top rebounding teams, though, and are second in the WNBA at 36.6 boards per game, something that could pay dividends against the Storm.

Seattle (6-10) is last in the WNBA in rebounding, but was able to overcome a disadvantage on the boards in an 84-81 win over the Dream last week. Seattle star Sue Bird scored a career-high 38 points, including a clutch off-balance jumper with 8.2 seconds in the win.

The Storm were unable to build off that win, though, and followed it up with a 83-78 home loss to Dallas on June 30. Seattle didn't score in the final 2:15 in the loss to the Wings.

Atlanta's Angel McCoughtry is third in the WNBA in scoring, averaging 19.6 points per game. Seattle rookie Breanna Stewart leads the Storm, averaging 18.8 points per game.

The trip to Atlanta tips off a three-game road trip for Seattle. The Storm are 2-5 on the road this season.

The two teams split last season's meetings, each winning on their home floor.

Preview: Sky (7-9) at Lynx (14-3)

Date: July 05, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

After a record start to the season, the Minnesota Lynx have cooled off and enter Tuesday's home game against the up-and-down Chicago Sky having lost three of four.

The Lynx (14-3) got off to the best start in WNBA history, winning their first 13 games, including a convincing 97-80 win over the Sky in their second game of the season. But Minnesota dropped three straight games following their record start, including a back-to-back blowout defeats to the Los Angeles Sparks and Washington Mystics.

They recovered with 91-68 rout of San Antonio on Saturday, but have fallen two games behind the first-place Sparks in the race for the best record in the league.

The Lynx got a big lift from their bench in the win over San Antonio. Reserve forward Natasha Howard came off the bench to score a game-high 21 points, and backup guard Jia Perkins added 14 points. Minnesota shot 52.3 percent from the floor and made 21 of 24 free throws.

The Sky (7-9) have lost four of six, but are coming off an overtime win over the Mystics on Friday.

Reigning MVP Elena Delle Donne had 28 points and 11 rebounds, and Courtney Vandersloot hit a shot with 4.6 seconds left in overtime to help Chicago end a two-game slide.

Minnesota forward Sylvia Fowles dominated the first meeting against the Sky, scoring 24 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in her first game against her former team. Fowles spent seven seasons in Chicago, before signing with Lynx late last season. She went on to be named WNBA Finals MVP, as the Lynx defeated the Indiana Fever to earn last season's championship.

Tuesday's game will feature a battle of two of the premier players in the league in Minnesota's Maya Moore and Delle Donne, who has scored 20-plus points in five straight outings. She is second in the league in scoring, averaging 20.3 points per game. Moore is averaging 18.5 points. 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists for the Lynx.

Chicago is 1-5 in its last six meetings with Minnesota. The Sky's lone win came last July, 90-83, at home.

Preview: Mercury (8-10) at Wings (8-10)

Date: July 05, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

Coming off her triple-double in a win at Atlanta, Phoenix's Brittney Griner leads the Mercury into Dallas to take on the Wings on Tuesday in a battle of the two highest-scoring teams in the WNBA at College Park Arena.

Griner poured 27 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked 10 shots against Atlanta, leading the Mercury to their third win in their last four games. It was only the sixth triple-double in WNBA history and first since the 2014 season. Phoenix (8-10) outscored Atlanta 23-6 in the final seven minutes of Sunday's win.

Led by Griner and Diana Taurasi, the Mercury are averaging 88.2 points, tops in the league. Taurasi is fourth in the league in scoring at 19.0 per game. Griner is averaging 14.3 points and leads the league in blocks at 2.7 per game.

But while the Mercury are putting up big offensive numbers, they're struggling on the defensive end of the floor. Phoenix is last in points allowed, surrendering 88.6 points per game, and is 10th in rebounding at 31.8 per game.

The Wings (8-10) hung 117 points on the Mercury, albeit in a triple-overtime road win June 18. Dallas followed that win up two days later with a 100-90 home victory over the Mercury.

The Wings are averaging 86.2 points per game, but, like Phoenix, have struggled defensively. They're allowing 87.6 points per game, the second most in the league, behind the Mercury.

Odyssey Sims paces six Dallas players averaging in double figures. Sims is averaging 15.1 points per game, followed by Karima Christmas (14.1), Skylar Diggins (13.3), Glory Johnson (12.1) and Plenette Pierson (10.4) and Aerial Powers (10.0).

The Mercury and Stars are in a group of Western Conference teams trying to narrow the gap on league powers Minnesota and Los Angeles. The top eight teams, regardless of conference, make the playoffs this season. Phoenix and Dallas are in a tie for seventh in the overall league standings.

The two teams met seven times last season, including in the Western Conference playoffs, with the Mercury winning five of seven meetings.

Mohawk: Tuesday 7/5 Analysis
By Garnet Barnsdale

DRF HARNESS

Race 1 - $30,000 Guaranteed Pick Five Pool

Race 4 - $50,000 Guaranteed Pick Four Pool


PICK 5: 8/8/1,2,3,7/1,2,3,6/5,9 = $6.40

EARLY PICK 4: 1,2,3,6/5,9/3/1,2,3,6 = $32

LATE PICK 4: 1,2,3,6/1,3,4,6,7/2,3,4/4 = $60

MEET STATS: 183 - 542 / $976.90 BEST BETS: 32 - 51 / $106.70

SPOT PLAYS: 10 - 50 / $53.30

Best Bet: CANDLELIGHT DINNER (2nd)

Spot Play: OLE JACK MAGIC (3rd)


Race 1

(8) WARAWEE PROTON faces much easier here and it would be surprising if he didn't dominate this group. (7) JUSTALITTLEFASTER was a decent third to the choice on June 21st and looks logical to close late and complete the exacta here. (2) BLUSH AND CRUSH fits this class well if she can stay trotting the entire mile. (6) GIRL DRAMA - with 8 slices in 13 starts this year - seems destined for another small share here.

Race 2

(8) CANDLELIGHT DINNER - a $110K Lexington purchase - is a full-sister to $1 million earner Romantic Moment and $487K earner Band of Angels. She has been outstanding in her qualifiers and will be tough to beat at a short price here. (3) FRANSCHOEK raced tough first up in her debut and should take a big piece of this purse. (4) OHELLO BLUE CHIP was a scratch last week now debuts with Lasix. She should make the ticket based on the speed she showed on June 17th. (1) A ROYAL HANOVER is related to seven that have raced and all have won. There could be more than meets the eye with this filly based on her qualifying lines.

Race 3

(2) OLE JACK MAGIC wired a similar group when last in this class six starts back. A repeat of that winning mile is very possible here. (7) WIZARD OF OSNEY returns to the WEG circuit with some decent form at Hoosier and looks like the main danger. (3) DEWEYKEEPUMNWHY is capable of a rapid late burst but is rarely close enough at the 3/4 to make full use of that kick. (1) A ROD HALL is another that can pass horses quickly down the lane and his form is on the improve; consider for multi-race wagers.

Race 4

(1) OFFICER BLUE CHIP - an $82K Lexington sale buy - looks well-prepped by trainer Coleman who has been sending everything ready at this meet; top call. (2) SOME ATTITUDE is the first foal to race from a $1 million-earning dam who took a mark of 1:53 3/5 in her 2nd start; using. (6) CAM CARDASHIAN is a 1/2-brother to 2015 North America Cup champ Wakizashi Hanover. There is likely more to this colt than what was shown in his two qualifiers. (3) DEADLY ACTION - a $37K Harrisburg buy - looks ready to make some noise early and is another to consider for multi-race bets.

Race 5

(5) BAGS FOR ALL and (9) ALACRITY both won at this level the last time they raced in it. Slight nod to the former based on her better tactical speed but one of these two is the likely winner here. (7) JUSTASMALLTOWNGIRL also fits this class well but is often closing too late. (6) UTOPIA continues to race well despite enduring some long trips. Toss him on Tri and Super wagers.

Race 6

(3) SOUTHWIND SAVAGE hung a bit late in his debut and was nailed right on the line but that may have been partially due to the long trip that he went. He can go forward off that experience and break his maiden here. (8) THREE RIVERS DELL is hard to love on top, but he is consistently in the top three and should be right there again. (2) BIG YELLOW can close belatedly for a share here, similar to last week's trip. (4) SWELLENDAM needs to find more late speed and is likely to finish on the fringes here.

Race 7

(1) CHEER FOR THE CATS - switching to top trainer Moreau - looks as good as any in a field that is a combined 1 for 70; slight nod. (2) POINTE SHOES raced well at big odds first time for Auciello/Drury and is likely the one to beat here. (3) MOONSTAR MISSION will likely be right there vs. these if he can stay flat but that part of the equation is the big question mark for him. (6) ROSE RUN RUDI at least is sure-gaited and will likely benefit from several of his rivals breaking here.

Race 8

(4) SOUTHWIND ION is a 1/2-sister to two that have raced and both won in their second starts. This $40K Lexington buy also looks ready to win early. (3) SIR NATIVE showed speed both early and late in his debut and the one that beat him doubled up last Friday. He is a must-use here. (1) SPORTS LEADER closed a bit into an accelerating late pace and she isn't out of this. (6) KLOOF STREET set a pedestrian pace and was nailed right on the wire in her debut. She is another that could improve on her debut.

Race 9

(2) ACTION MAJESTY was held up in traffic tracking a very slow pace in her debut, then flew home to win once she had racing room. This field is likely tougher, but she could double up off that impressive score. (4) ANDERSON SEELSTER is a 1/2 to two that have raced from the dam and they have combined for 24 victories. Toss this $35k Forest City Sale buy on your late Pick 4 tickets. (3) WINDY SPORT - a $40K Harrisburg buy - looks sharp for her debut as is typical with this barn. (5) ST LADS HOTCAKES was a narrow loser in a game effort last time and should take a good share here.

Race 10

(4) LADY JEN made a power move down the backside last week then easily held her foes at bay. Facing many of the same rivals, she should double up here. (8) WARAWEE ROCKET drops back into a claimer and should improve sharply, possibly at a good price. (10) TARAHUMARA couldn't go with the choice last time now draws the 10-hole here. She should hit the ticket but that is likely her ceiling here. (2) BIG TSUNAMI often closes from far back for a smaller share and that scenario will probably play out here. (3) SOPHIE BLUE is another that is best used on the bottom of Tris, Supers and High-5's.

Yonkers: Tuesday 7/5 Analysis
By Matt Rose

DRF HARNESS

MEET STATS: 213 - 629 / $1149.00 BEST BETS: 30 - 53 / $105.70

Best Bet: PERFECTLY ENOUGH S (10th)

Spot Play: LORENZO DREAM (7th)


Race 1

(4) CHUCARO ACERO BC returns locally and switches to Zeron in the hopes of awakening. (2) SOMEWHERE WITH YOU moves to the Allard barn and must be respected. (1) BULLSEYE has speed to protect position and will be close up throughout.

Race 2

(5) BAHAMA MAMA AS raced well at the added distance to be second best upon arrival and can better that placing today. (4) GLOBAL REVOLUTION can fire from the gate to sit a live trip. (2) TELL THE JUDGE has been trotting evenly for Ray Baynes and he should be able to land a piece with a smooth trip.

Race 3

(1) IN COMMANDO gets needed post relief and he seems better than his 0 for 17 record would indicate; Ford veteran faces a suspect group and is worth a look. (4) ART OF ILLUSION returns locally and he's had his moments here in the past. (3) JUSTA CAMILION gets class relief but has been rather flat recently.

Race 4

(4) TIME TO TALK was shaken off last week after an uncovered bid but the Burke trainee can have more late with a smoother trip. (1) JUST FOR TODAY has stakes experience and was second best recently in the EBC final at Vernon. (2) KEYSTONE BODACIOUS returns to Yonkers after a failed try out of town and he's got speed with a good post.

Race 5

(3) MAJOR TRICK returns locally off a series of improved efforts; he meets a classy yet questionable field and should be a decent price. (5) NATIONAL DEBT has been a real disappointment but he's more than capable on his best day. (1) FLEM N EM N caved in on the front end last out but he draws best and returns to Bartlett.

Race 6

(1) LINDYLICIOUS gets much-needed post relief today and she beat a NYSS field five back from the rail. (7) MADHATTER BLUECHIP has tired badly in his last two; he's a must-use hailing from the Svanstedt barn but use caution. (4) SHE'S UNCORKED should land a share with Sears on the return drive.

Race 7

(6) LORENZO DREAM has loads of speed and back class; his last two were good from off the pace but I expect him to be leaving the gate today. (1) RAISE THE CURTAIN picks up a nice driver change to Bartlett. (5) FLEET BUMBLEBEE lands a good midpack post and looks for three straight.

Race 8

(1) HIDDEN IDENTITY makes his second start with the hobbles added and just missed last week. (7) FOREVER ROYAL powered home from too far back last out but the versatile gelding should be leaving for position today. (6) JAILHOUSE JESSICA beat lesser last week upon arrival and should be sharp enough to land a share. (10) GWALLY returns locally to face tougher but can add value underneath.

Race 9

(4) KARETS shook free too late but finished with plenty of trot in his local return; Dube drives now and a smoother trip can get it done. (5) MASSIVE TALENT hails from the Allard/Sears tandem and appears the one to beat. (6) LILY'S SWAN POND is not a prolific winner but he fits with this type and should land a share.

Race 10

(3) PERFECTLY ENOUGH S gets a huge driver change to Bartlett after sitting in and having no chance last week. (9) BRICKYARD CLASSIC held ok for a minor share last out and can be a closing threat with the right setup. (7) MOVEMENT seems to have found a home at this level.

Race 11

(4) ALMAFI COAST just missed last week in a good try and he's done well at the added distance in the past. (1) CARNEGIE rarely wins but he can usually be counted on for a share. (3) EXPLOSION OF LIGHT picks up Sears and has won here in the past.

Race 12

(3) KIWI IDEAL N has been much better in his last two and he should have no problem with the class hike. (2) FOUR BOYS debuts for Banca and clearly fits with this type. (4) COACH CAL should never be too far back and he can land a share.

SPOT PLAYS

For Tuesday


TRACK (RACE) HORSE, MORNING LINE


Finger Lakes (1st) Tharyic, 7-2
(6th) Adonvdo, 10-1


Fort Erie (3rd) Pas Fini, 4-1
(8th) Grandys Got Gold, 8-1


Indiana Grand (4th) Low Tire, 4-1
(7th) Arcelor, 8-1


Mountaineer (1st) Pirate's Grip, 4-1
(7th) Barbed Wire Tatt, 7-2


Parx Racing (2nd) Warm Springs, 6-1
(9th) Our Luck, 8-1


Presque Isle Downs (1st) Rusted Through, 7-2
(2nd) Excelisberg, 9-2

July Pitchers Report
By Marc Lawrence

Fireworks and the MLB All-Star game go hand-in-hand during the month of July. It also denotes the start of the 2nd half of the MLB campaign. And as we’ve come to learn the key to each and every team’s fortune lies on the pitching staff.

Can they sustain or will they unravel like Jose Canseco going back on a fly ball? Stay tuned. What we do know is that certain pitchers love hurling this time of the season while others tend to get lit up like a roman candle on the 4thof July.

Listed below are hurlers that have enjoyed a two-to-one or better success ratio in team-starts over the course of the last three seasons during the month of July.

On the flip side, we've also listed pitchers that struggle in July, winning 33% percent or less of their team-start efforts. To qualify pitchers must have made a minimum of 10 starts, with at least one start each July over the last three years.

And for your convenience alongside each record we break down each pitcher’s greatest success or greatest failure rate either home (H) or away (A) within his good or bad month.

Note: * designates a categorical repeat appearance by this pitcher, maintaining status quo from last season’s July list.

GOOD MONTH PITCHERS:

*Chen, Wei-Yin - 9-4 (5-1 H)

The Miami left-hander has not been terribly effective with an ERA hovering around 5. If Chen can develop more command, he's shown again this year he's tough when in challenging situations, allowing .186 batting average and .271 on-base percentage with runners in scoring position.

Garza, Matt - 9-3 (5-1 H)

Since coming back from spring training injury on June 14th, the Milwaukee right-hander has been a mix of good and bad, but come through when it counted. Opposing hitters are batting over .300 against Garza, but he's held those runners in check and induced a heavy dose of ground balls that have led to outs. If he continues, this Brewers starter might be effective.

Greinke, Zack - 11-4 (6-2 H)

Though Arizona is falling short of preseason expectations, the Diamondbacks ace is not and, other than Clayton Kershaw, has arguably been as effective as any pitcher since the end of April with batters hitting around .200 against him. Once again his array of pitches are finding the right spots and fastball is cooking!

Kazmir, Scott - 10-5 (6-2 H)

When Kazmir misses on location for fastball, the other team's lineup begins to look for off-speed stuff, which has caused his inconsistency this season. When he's working the corners on the knees early in the count, this sets up secondary pitches. In the past he's done so in July, let's see what he comes up with this time.

*Kershaw, Clayton - 12-3 (8-0 A)

When either Kershaw loses or has a less than stellar performance, which is infrequent, it is home page news on most sports websites. With opponents batting just .185 against him, baseball's best pitcher has close to as many home runs surrendered (6) as walks (9) to start the month over 121 innings. It’s no wonder his name is whispered in the same company as Sandy Koufax.

Kluber, Corey - 13-4 (9-2 H)

Since winning the Cy Young award in 2014, Kluber has not been able to match that magical season, but is part of a very good Cleveland rotation. Looking ahead, if the Indians righty can do a better job than permitting .281 batting averages with runners in scoring position, all his numbers will drop and his victories will go up. Note: Kluber’s numbers above also reflect his career team mark during July.

*Liriano, Francisco - 12-2 (7-0 H)

After several fine seasons with Pittsburgh, Liriano has not been effective in 2016. Walks and home runs have done him in and in order to reflect past results of July, he's going to have to stop leaving pitches in the heart of the plate.

Peralta, Wily - 8-4 (5-1 H)

Peralta has been thoroughly ineffective all season (6.68 ERA) and was sent to minors after June 11th start. His return this month or this season depends on his Triple-A results. Note: Peralta’s numbers above also reflect his career team mark during July.

Price, David - 11-5 (7-1 A)

To date, the Boston lefty could be described as a mild disappointment, with an ERA north of 4.5 most of the season. No longer owning an upper 90's heater, Price does not blow away as many hitters as before and the fastball lacks some of the previous movement of the past. The slider has not had the usual bite from start to start. Red Sox need this ace to be one.

Ross, Tyson - 10-4 (4-1 H)

Ross has not pitched since he hit the DL with right shoulder inflammation after first start in April. San Diego Union reports a return even this month appears optimistic.
Note: Ross’ numbers above also reflect his career team mark during July.

Santana, Ervin - 11-4 (8-1 H)

Like his teammates, Santana is not having a good year, as opposing hitters are clocking him for nearly .300 average, compared to .256 over his 11-year career. Little reason to believe this month will match the past even if he improves with this Twins club.

*Volquez, Edinson - 10-5 (6-1 A)

Never a frontline hurler, Volquez numbers this campaign have matched the Royals, being very ordinary to date. The Dominican Republic native has done the job against right-handed batters, who have been knocking him around for nearly .300 average.

BAD MONTH PITCHERS:

Wood, Alex - 4-8 (0-6 A)

Wood – the only pitcher to appear on the July Bad Month list this season - was initially expected to be shut down for four weeks after landing on the 15-day disabled list at the end of May with a posterior impingement in his throwing elbow. Currently, the timetable is for mid-July return, but the oft-injured pitcher can hardly be counted on as record shows. Note: Wood’’s numbers above reflect his career team mark during July.

How run differential can be the key to cashing MLB runline bets
By JOE FORTENBAUGH

Behind yet another incendiary performance from a member of their starting rotation, the white-hot Cleveland Indians matched a franchise record in Thursday night’s 4-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays by winning their 13th consecutive game.

The Tribe’s current winning streak is the longest by any team in Major League Baseball this season as well as the longest run of success the club has strung together since winning 13 straight in 1951.

Thursday’s accolades belonged to 29-year-old righty Carlos Carrasco, who is now 1-0 with a 1.14 ERA, 27 strikeouts and just seven walks in three starts during Cleveland’s 13-game rampage through professional baseball. A rampage, mind you, that has featured the Indians outscoring the opposition 80-26 (+54 run differential), which is good for a winning margin of 4.15 runs per game.

Predictably, gambling twitter immediately responded with some variation of the following data: If you had bet to win $100 on every game Cleveland was listed as a favorite during the team’s current 13-game winning streak and risked $100 on Cleveland when the Indians assumed the underdog position during said streak, you would currently be up $1,337.

That’s a respectable chunk of change for less than two week’s worth of work. But with Cleveland’s moneyline prices beginning to surge due to the team’s recent onslaught against all comers, could you have found a way to turn a similar profit without assuming as much risk?

The answer, of course, is yes. And all you would have had to do was replace your moneyline bets with run line wagers.

For the uninitiated, a run line bet is essentially Major League Baseball’s version of the NFL point spread, with one team listed as a 1.5-run favorite, the other listed as a 1.5-run underdog and corresponding odds attached to both spreads. For example, the Indians were listed as -120 favorites for Thursday night’s game against the Blue Jays (+110) on the moneyline, but were posted at the more appealing price of +130 if you were willing to lay 1.5 runs against Toronto (-150). The benefit is the opportunity to back the better team with less financial risk, while the downside is the fact that Cleveland had to win by two or more runs to cash the run line bet as opposed to simply winning the game by any margin to cash the moneyline ticket.

Since the Indians launched their 13-game tirade against the rest of Major League Baseball back on June 17 in Cleveland against the White Sox, the Tribe have been listed as a moneyline favorite 11 times and run line favorite four times. And if you were to bet to win $100 every time Cleveland was a favorite and risk $100 in each instance the Indians were listed as an underdog, here’s how your portfolio would break down:

13 moneyline bets: 13-0 record, $1,884 risked, $1,337 won

13 run line bets: 11-2 record, $1,468 risked, $1,129 won

By simply substituting run line bets for moneyline bets during Cleveland’s 13-game winning streak, your profits would have dropped by 15.5 percent, but your overall risk assumed would have plummeted by 22.1 percent. That’s not a bad tradeoff when you need to win by two or more runs with a pitching staff that has limited the opposition to just 2.0 runs per game during its 13-game stretch of nothing but victory celebrations.

But here’s the tricky part: It’s easy to come swooping in after a team has won 13 straight matchups and exclaim, “Hey, you should have been betting the run line instead of the moneyline!” After all, hindsight is 20/20. What we need to identify is a way of determining which teams offer the best chance for success when betting the run line.

Thankfully, we have those rankings for you, as well as something else you should be taking into consideration.

Below you will find Major League Baseball’s 30 member organizations ranked by run line winning percentage entering Thursday night’s slate of action. In addition, you’ll notice a number in parenthesis next to each team’s record. That number represents the run differential ranking for each club entering Thursday night as well. For example, when you see a (6) next to the Texas Rangers, you’ll know that Texas ranks sixth in MLB in run differential.

1. Texas Rangers: 52-28 (6)
2. Baltimore Orioles: 46-31 (7)
3. San Diego Padres: 46-33 (25)
4. Detroit Tigers: 45-34 (15)
5. Chicago Cubs: 44-34 (1)
6. Kansas City Royals: 44-34 (18)
7. Cleveland Indians: 43-35 (2)
8. Colorado Rockies: 42-36 (16)
9. Oakland A’s: 42-36 (23)
10. St. Louis Cardinals: 41-37 (4)
11. Washington Nationals: 42-38 (3)
12. Milwaukee Brewers: 40-38 (26)
13. Toronto Blue Jays: 41-40 (11)
14. Boston Red Sox: 39-39 (5)
15. Miami Marlins: 39-39 (14)
16. San Francisco Giants: 39-41 (8)
17. Philadelphia Phillies: 39-41 (27)
18. Cincinnati Reds: 39-41 (30)
19. Chicago White Sox: 38-41 (17)
20. Seattle Mariners: 37-41 (10)
21. Houston Astros: 37-42 (12)
22. Los Angeles Dodgers: 37-44 (9)
23. Arizona Diamondbacks: 37-44 (21)
24. Pittsburgh Pirates: 36-43 (19)
25. Minnesota Twins: 35-43 (29)
26. Atlanta Braves: 34-44 (28)
27. New York Yankees: 34-44 (20)
28. Tampa Bay Rays: 32-46 (22)
29. Los Angels Angels: 32-47 (24)
30. New York Mets: 30-48 (13)

The first question you may be asking yourself is, “Why run differential?” That’s an excellent inquiry. Essentially, we want to look at each team’s run differential to give us an idea of which squads have the firepower to consistently cover 1.5 runs while also examining which clubs get blown out on a regular basis. As you’ll notice in the rankings above, five of the top ten run line clubs (Rangers, Orioles, Cubs, Indians and Cardinals) also rank within the top ten in run differential, while five of the bottom ten run line clubs (Angels, Rays, Braves, Twins and Diamondbacks) also rank within the bottom ten in run differential. So based on this simple correlation alone, we’ve discovered that a third of the league’s run line record matches up with its run differential ranking.

One team to keep an eye on moving forward in regards to run line wagering is the Philadelphia Phillies, who have lost 28 of their last 39 games after commencing the season with a 24-17 record. What’s intriguing about Philadelphia is that despite winning just 43.8 percent of their contests this season, the 2008 World Champions are a shocking 18-9 (.666) in one-run games in 2016. That type of performance in one-run affairs is extremely difficult to sustain over the course of a 162-game season, so don’t be surprised if the Phillies exhibit a regression in that department in the very near future.

As for the Indians, who knows when Cleveland’s starting rotation will hit a rough patch and regress to the mean. After all, this club hasn’t lost since the Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

'Interleague Over Gamblers Cashing'

Three month's worth of baseball in the books 'Over' gamblers are cashing at a healthy 57.4% clip when American League clubs take on National League teams. The 'Over' has been the correct choice in 200 games vs 130 'Under', 18 'Push'.

In the Junior Circuit, the Detroit Tigers (12-2 O/U), Los Angeles Angels (11-3-1), Minnesota (11-1-1) lead the way. In the Senior Circuit it's San Diego Padres (9-2 O/U), Pittsburgh Pirates (11-4), Colorado Rockies (8-2) cashing consistently for 'Over' gamblers.

This week, Baltimore Orioles-Los Angeles Dodgers will be trying to keep 'Over' bettors happy.

MLB roundup: Blue Jays trump Royals in ALCS rematch
By The Sports Xchange

TORONTO --Aaron Sanchez pitched eight one-run innings, Darwin Barney and Josh Donaldson hit two-run singles in a five-run seventh inning and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-2 on Monday night.
Sanchez has not lost since April 11 held the Royals to three hits, including a home run by Kendrys Morales, one walk and struck out three as the Blue Jays (46-39) won their third straight game..
Edinson Volquez allowed four hits, three walks and four runs in six-plus innings as the Royals (43-39) lost their second game in a row and dropped to 16-28 on the road. The right-hander struck out five and hit a batter.

Cubs 10, Reds 4
CHICAGO -- Kyle Hendricks scattered four hits and did not allow an earned run over 5 1/3 innings while Chicago teammate backed him with three home runs to snap a four-game losing streak in a victory over Cincinnati.
Hendricks collected his third win in his last four starts while allowing four hits and one unearned run, walking one and striking out a pair.
Addison Russell went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs, Willson Contreras was 2-for-4 with two runs scored while Jason Heyward went 2-or-4 with two RBIs.

Brewers 1, Nationals 0
WASHINGTON -- Junior Guerra allowed just two hits in 7 1/3 innings and Martin Maldonado hit a solo homer as Milwaukee beat Washington.
Will Smith retired two batters in the eighth for the Brewers and closer Jeremy Jeffress, a Virginia native, pitched the ninth for his 22nd save as a light rain fell.
The Brewers snapped a four-game losing streak while first-place Washington lost for just the second time in nine games.

Athletics 3, Twins 1
MINNEAPOLIS -- Oakland scored three runs in the seventh inning in a come-from-behind win over Minnesota.
After being held scoreless through six innings, Oakland third baseman Danny Valencia opened the seventh with a double into the right-center field gap, advanced to third on a fielder's choice and scored on a single by Stephen Vogt.
A broken bat blooper to shallow left by Billy Butler loaded the bases and two batters later, Coco Crisp singled to center, scoring a pair of runs for a 3-1 lead.

Rays 4, Angels 2
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Tampa Bay hasn't won often in the last three weeks, but they have had a surprisingly good chance when Matt Moore is pitching.
Moore held Los Angeles to two runs in 6 2/3 innings, as the Rays won for just the third time in 19 games. The Angels have now lost 12 of 14 games.
The Rays' bullpen, which had allowed runs in 17 of the last 18 games, got the final seven outs. Ryan Garton struck out Mike Trout and got C.J. Cron to pop out foul in the ninth, stranding two runners for his first career save.

Astros 2, Mariners 1
HOUSTON -- Lance McCullers delivered a masterful performance coming off a missed turn in the rotation while George Springer supplied the offense in Houston's win.
McCullers produced his best start of the season, working seven dominant innings in his first start since June 22. He allowed one run on five hits and one walk while matching his season high of 10 strikeouts.
He retired 14 consecutive Mariners during the middle stretch of his outing and also danced around trouble in the first and seventh innings.

White Sox 8, Yankees 2
CHICAGO -- Tim Anderson and Dioner Navarro each hit two-run home runs, and Chicago pulled away for the win.
Anderson finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Todd Frazier went 3-for-3 with two doubles, two walks, two runs scored and an RBI as Chicago won its third consecutive game.
White Sox right-hander James Shields limited the Yankees to two runs in six innings to win his second straight decision. Shields allowed five hits, walked two and struck out three.

Red Sox 12, Rangers 5
BOSTON -- Rick Porcello and Boston spotted heavy-hitting Texas four runs in the first inning and then came roaring back to drub the team with the best record in the American League.
Porcello, who became Boston's first 10-game winner, shut down Texas for the rest of his six-inning outing. For the second straight day, all nine Red Sox starters had at least one hit as Boston collected a season-high 21 hits.
Sandy Leon ripped four hits, Brock Holt, Dustin Pedroia, Travis Shaw and Mookie Betts homered, Xander Bogaerts and Pedroia had three hits apiece and Hanley Ramirez and David Ortiz both stroked two doubles in the victory. The Red Sox have recorded 22 runs on 37 hits in two games.

Phillies 8, Braves 2
PHILADELPHIA -- What was the coldest offense in the majors through the first two months of the year has suddenly become one of the hottest as Philadelphia's deluge continued at the expense of Atlanta rookie Joel De La Cruz.
Jerad Eickhoff picked up a win for the fourth time in his last five decisions. It was one of the strongest outings of the season for the 26-year-old, who gave up just two runs on five hits while striking out eight in 7 2/3 innings.
The Braves (28-55), who lost for the eighth time in the last 11 games, have the second-worst record in the majors, ahead of only Minnesota (27-55).

Pirates 4, Cardinals 2
ST. LOUIS -- Gregory Polanco accomplished a first and Pittsburgh is back over .500.
Belting two homers in a game for the first time in his major league career, Polanco led Pittsburgh to its fifth straight win.
With the Pirates trailing 1-0 in the top of the sixth, Polanco drilled a 2-1 pitch from starter Carlos Martinez 392 feet over the right-field wall. Polanco capped the scoring in the eighth by greeting reliever Seth Maness with his 12th homer of the year, a line drive that sliced inside the left-field foul pole.

Giants 3, Rockies 1
SAN FRANCISCO -- Jake Peavy recorded a win on July 4 for the first time in his 15-year career, limiting Colorado to one run over 6 2/3 innings.
Buster Posey and Angel Pagan hit home runs off Rockies' Tyler Anderson.
The loss was the Rockies' sixth in a row.

Mets 8, Marlins 6
NEW YORK -- Yoenis Cespedes' two-run double with two outs in the eighth inning snapped a tie as New York overcame a six-run deficit to beat Miami at Citi Field.
The Mets (45-37) trailed 6-0 in the fourth inning before storming back to earn their fifth straight win. The Marlins (43-40) have lost five of seven.
Jerry Blevins earned the win by stranding a runner at third for the final out of the eighth. Right-hander Jeurys Familia notched his 29th save despite allowing a hit and walk in the ninth.

Indians 5, Tigers 3
CLEVELAND -- Mike Napoli's two-run home run in the seventh inning broke a 3-3 tie and lifted Cleveland to a victory over Detroit at Progressive Field.
With the win, Cleveland is 10-0 vs. Detroit this season. The American League Central Division-leading Indians extended their lead over the second-place Tigers to 6 1/2 games. The loss snaps Detroit's six-game winning streak.
Reliever Jeff Manship (1-1) pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings to get the win and Cody Allen pitched the ninth to earn his 18th save.

Padres 8, Diamondbacks 4
PHOENIX -- Derek Norris homered, doubled and drove in three runs to help lead San Diego past Arizona.
Yangervis Solarte also homered, Matt Kemp doubled home a run and Ryan Schimpf added a pair of doubles for the Padres, who have won three of four.
Norris left the game in the bottom of the eighth after he was hit on Brandon Drury's backswing.
Luis Perdomo (3-3), allowed three earned runs -- the fourth straight start in which he's given up three or more -- over six-plus innings but earned his first win since June 15.

Dodgers 7, Orioles 5
LOS ANGELES -- Chase Utley registered three hits and drove in two runs as Los Angeles rallied for a win over Baltimore at Dodger Stadium.
Yasiel Puig and Yasmani Grandal each hit solo home runs, and Kenley Jansen got his 25th save as the Dodgers used their fifth consecutive victory to remain five games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West.
Corey Seager went 2-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 17 games, a career high and the National League's longest this year.

Toronto vs Kansas City Series! July 4-6

Toronto and Kansas City square off in a three game series at Rogers Center north of the border. This will be the first meeting of the season between these clubs since since Jays fell short in the American League Championship Series last October. With that October setback, got to think Jays are going to show up and give it their best. Looking at probables for the series and the fact Royals are a brutal 13-25 on the road a series sweep for Jays is not out of the question.

Aaron Sanchez gets the nod for the Blue Jays in the opener. Sanchez off a fantastic outing tossing eight innings of one run ball has won his last seven decisions and will carry an 8-1 record, 3.08 ERA to the hill. Sanchez trades pitches with Edinson Volquez (7-7, 4.80 ERA) who is also off a strong 6 2/3 inning start of shutout ball. Jays ridding a 4-0, 6-2 home streak with Sanchez have the edge over Royals who are 3-4 in an opposing park with Volquez and have lost his last two starts in Toronto.

The second pitching matchup features knuckelballer Dickey vs Chris Young. Toronto handing the ball to Dickey does serve as an alarm, since the Blue Jays are 0-8 in Dickey's home starts this season, 1-10 his last eleven in front of the home audience. Then again, Young hasn't been a peg to hang your hopes on in road games going 0-5 over six starts with Royals 1-5 over those games. Young tagged for a long-ball in twelve of his fourteen starts, 22 total for the campaign Jays should give their fans something to cheer about while providing hard-luck Dickey a rare team win at home.

In the finale, Marcus Stroman gets the call for Toronto after spinning one of his finest outings of the season last time out pitching 6 2/3 innings allowing one run on five hits while striking out six. His counter part, Ian Kennedy is off his seventh loss of the season and of those seven six have been on the road. Look for Jays to make it 3-0 vs Royals with Stroman.

Preview: Reds (30-54) at Cubs (52-30)

Game: 2
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: July 05, 2016 2:20 PM EDT

CHICAGO -- The Cincinnati Reds hope new pitching coaches will help address what's ailing a revolving door staff.

The Reds dismissed pitching coach Mark Riggins prior to Monday's series opener against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field and elevated bullpen coach Mack Jenkins into the role.

They'll also bring up Triple-A Louisville pitching coach Ted Power to oversee the Reds bullpen.

The changes came after the Reds had used 27 different pitchers -- including 12 starters -- since Opening Day with poor collective results for a staff ranked at or near the bottom in major league pitching categories.

"I wish it was a different situation for Mack to enter," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "If we put everything else aside and just look at Mack as a pitching coach, I don't think there's any question he's ready to do this job. He knows the organization, he's extremely invested in all the players and his familiarity here gives him a real step up."

The problem for the Reds is translating minor league success to the next level.

"The challenges that we've had at the end of last year and this year is transitioning the pitchers that are pitching well in Triple-A to actually pitching well in the major leagues," Price said. "So perhaps the heads together (Jenkins and Power) will allow us to get to a place where we can get over some of these hurdles."

Cellar-dwelling Cincinnati (30-54) has lost 15 of its last 19 games after Monday's 10-4 setback to the Central Division-leading Cubs.

Entering Monday, the Reds had the league's worst team ERA (5.51), walked the most batters (364), were 24th in strikeouts (298), 26th in opponents' batting average (.272) and had the fewest shutouts (one).

"The numbers aren't good," Price said.

Riggins, 59, was in his first season on the club's big league staff. He spent the previous four as the Reds' minor league pitching coordinator.

The Cubs have also had some pitching worries with starters delivering a 6.60 ERA during a 4-7 road trip, including a four-game sweep by the New York Mets that saw rocky outings by reigning Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta and left-hander Jon Lester, named the National League Pitcher of the Month for June.

But Kyle Hendricks helped allay worries about any Cubs free fall as he scattered four hits and did not allow an earned run over 5 1/3 innings as Chicago snapped a four-game losing streak with Monday's victory.

The return date for outfielder and leadoff hitter Dexter Fowler from the disabled list remains up in the air.

Fowler, who was sidelined last month with a right hamstring strain, could be voted an All-Star Game starter but has to be activated by week's end in order to play.

"It's not impossible to think that it can be by the end of this week," said Cubs manager Joe Maddon. "But it's a day-to-day thing. He's getting better, he's feeling well."

The series continues with day games on Tuesday and Wednesday before an off-day for the Reds.

The Cubs, meanwhile, host the Braves on Thursday in a makeup of a April 30 rainout. It's part of a run of 24 consecutive games that will carry Chicago into the All-Star break.

Preview: Braves (28-55) at Phillies (38-46)

Game: 2
Venue: Citizens Bank Park
Date: July 05, 2016 7:05 PM EDT

PHILADELPHIA -- Though the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves are currently in the bottom two slots in the National League East, there's a vastly different feeling inside the two clubhouses.

An 8-2 win on Monday night was the sixth in seven games for the Phillies (38-46), who were 8-28 from May 20-June 26 thanks to a struggling offense that has suddenly woken up.

After averaging 3.11 in its first 71 games of the year, Philadelphia has scored seven-or-more runs in five of its last eight contests and is averaging exactly six runs per game over its last 13.

"I can't complain about the hitting anymore," manager Pete Mackanin joked after Monday's win. "The hitting continues, it's great to see."

Particularly hot of late has been outfielder Peter Bourjos, who extended his career-best hitting streak to 13 games with a 3-for-3 outing on Monday, raising his average to .278. It had been as low as .217 before the streak began on June 21, but since then he's 24-for-50 (.480) with 13 runs scored and six more batted in.

"Who ever thought Bourjos had a chance to hit .300 at the start of the year?" Mackanin asked. "He's on fire, it's good to see that."

The Braves (28-55), meanwhile, have lost eight of their last 11 and have the second-worst record in the majors, ahead of only Minnesota (27-55).

Interim manager Brian Snitker was searching for positives after the Phillies torched starter Joel De La Rosa for a seven-run second inning on Monday night, a 10-minute strike from which his team never recovered.

"We come back pretty good as a ballclub but that's hard to overcome when you give up that much," he said. "We'll regroup tomorrow and try to come out and win the series."

On Tuesday, the Phillies will be looking to get starter Zach Eflin his first career major league victory as the 22-year-old right-hander takes the mound for the fifth time since his June 10 callup.

After allowing nine runs in 2 2/3 innings in his debut, Eflin's only given up seven runs (five earned) in 17 2/3 innings in his last three, for a 2.55 ERA; his last time out, the Phillies won a game that he started for the first time, a 9-8 victory over Arizona that was a no-decision for Eflin.

The Braves counter with righty Mike Foltynewicz, who will make his second start since returning from the 15-day DL (bone spurs in elbow) looking to go further than he made it his last time out -- after throwing 61 pitches through three innings against the Miami Marlins on June 30, Foltynewicz's evening ended after a one-hour rain delay.

The 24-year-old, who had a 5.64 ERA over his first two years in the majors, has a 3.72 ERA in seven starts this season thanks to improving his ground ball-to-fly ball ratio and cutting down on his walks.

Preview: Brewers (36-46) at Nationals (50-34)

Game: 2
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: July 05, 2016 7:05 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- Milwaukee right-handed pitcher Zach Davies began his minor league career in the Baltimore Orioles farm system, making his minor league debut in 2012 with Single-A Delmarva in Salisbury, Maryland.

The next year, he pitched for nearby Class A Frederick in the Carolina League and in 2014 he was in the Eastern League with Double-A Bowie, less than 20 miles from Nationals Park in Washington.

Davies will make his first start in Washington on Tuesday in the second game of the series against the Nationals. A former 26th-round pick by the Orioles, Davies went to high school in Arizona.

A Washington state native, Davies was traded by the Orioles to the Brewers last year at the trade deadline for outfielder Gerardo Parra. He made his big league debut last year with six starts with the Brewers.

Davies comes into the game with a record of 5-4 and an ERA of 4.22. He is coming off a start where he went 4 1/3 innings and allowed six earned runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Davies has only one prior start against the Nationals, where he earned a no-decision on June 24. In that start, he went five innings and allowed three earned runs on seven hits. The Brewers are 7-7 in games that Davies has started.

It will be hard for Davies to top the outing on Monday by Junior Guerra, who went 7 1/3 innings and allowed no runs and two hits in a 1-0 win over the Nationals.

"It feels like he keeps getting better," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "In the big spots, he seems to step up even more. He really competing out there. It's been fun to watch. Junior carried the load out there big time."

Guerra ran his scoreless innings streak to 15 1/3 innings and he has not allowed a run since June 22 against the Oakland A's. He is now 6-1 with a 2.93 ERA for the Brewers after he made his major league debut last season in three games with the Chicago White Sox.

On the mound for the Nationals on Monday will be Gio Gonzalez, who is coming off his first win in seven starts. The native of suburban Miami will come into the game with a record of 4-7 and an ERA of 4.81.

His last start against Milwaukee came in a 5-6 loss on June 25, when he went three innings and allowed six runs, all earned, on six hits. Gonzalez is 2-2 in six starts all time against the Brewers. The Nationals are 6-10 this season when the veteran lefty takes the mound.

Gonzalez has a spot in the rotation for now after right-hander Joe Ross went on the disabled list Sunday. That means rookie Lucas Giolito, who made his big league debut Tuesday, will stay in the rotation along with Stephen Strasburg, Tanner Roark and Max Scherzer.

The Nationals have six games left before the All-Star break.

"We would like to finish strong," manager Dusty Baker said Monday. "When it comes to winning and victories, I am a greedy man."

Preview: Royals (43-39) at Blue Jays (46-39)

Game: 2
Venue: Rogers Centre
Date: July 05, 2016 7:07 PM EDT

TORONTO -- The Kansas City Royals' record on the road has been unbecoming of a reigning World Series champion.

After losing 6-2 to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night, the Royals dropped to 16-28 on the road this season.

They'll try to begin reversing that trend in Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays, the second of a three-game series at the Rogers Centre.

The difference in their home and away records is as glaring example as any of their inconsistency this season; at Kauffman Stadium, they are 27-11.

Injuries have been part of the problem for the Royals. They entered their rematch of the 2015 American League Championship Series participants without such players as Lorenzo Cain (left hamstring strain) and Mike Moustakas (torn ACL).

Of course, the Blue Jays have been without one of their key players in Jose Bautista (turf toe).

"I'm not going to use injuries as an excuse," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We've been inconsistent at times offensively. When we got our pitching and hitting together, that's when we have gone on runs. But then we've had inconsistency, too, with our starting pitching. It's a lot of things."

The Royals will start right-hander Chris Young on Tuesday.

Young has been consistent this season in that he has allowed at least one home run in each of his 12 starts, for a total of a major league leading 22. The club record is held by Runelvys Hernandez, who allowed homers in 13 straight starts Oct. 2, 2005-Aug. 10, 2006.

The ball could be flying in Tuesday's contest.

The Blue Jays will be starting knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, who has allowed 19 homers this season.

It is a rematch of the Game 4 starters in the ALCS. That one did not go well for Dickey. He allowed four hits (including two home runs), two walks, and five runs (four earned) in 1 2/3 innings. The Royals won 14-2.

Young did not pitch far enough into that game to get the win. He allowed three hits, two walks and two runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Young is 2-1 with a 4.98 ERA in four regular-season starts against the Blue Jays.

Dickey is 4-3 with a 4.20 ERA in 14 regular-season games against the Royals, including four starts.

Dickey could have redemption in mind when he faces the Royals, but both teams have underachieved in the first half of the season, so they will take any wins they can get to stay in contention.

There was some nastiness between the teams last year in a four game series in which the Blue Jays took three games at Rogers Centre.

Both managers have played down suggestions that this fuels a rivalry.

The Blue Jays, however, are quite aware that the Royals kept them from a chance at the World Series.

"More than anything this is the defending World Series champs," Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar said. "Naturally you want to elevate your game for that.

"This is the team that knocked us out of the postseason, took everything that we worked extremely hard for away from us. We had some altercations with them, some incidents with them so, yeah, it's formed a little bit of a rivalry."