Friday 05/25/18 ... Comps / Bonus Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Requests Etc.

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

NBA: 8:30 PM EST
May. 25, 2018
TV: ESPN
Latest Odds : CLE -7 Total 201.5

In Friday night NBA playoff action, the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers will play Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals from Quicken Loans Arena. The second-seeded Celtics moved to 10-0 this postseason at home with a 96-83 victory on Wednesday night to move one win away from reaching the NBA Finals. Boston jumped out to a 32-19 lead after one quarter and never trailed moving forward. The Celtics connected on 13-for-39 from long distance and assisted on 18 of their 31 made field goals.

Rookie Jayson Tatum led five Boston players in double figures with 24 points and seven rebounds. All-Star F/C Al Horford contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Celtics.

The Cleveland Cavaliers stand one game away from elimination in their attempt to reach the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive year. In Game Five, the Cavaliers were unable to maintain their momentum from consecutive home victories in this series. Cleveland looked slow against a younger Boston squad and was outscored 18-2 in fast break points. The Cavaliers missed 25 of their 34 three-point attempts and shot 42 percent overall.

LeBron James led all scorers with 26 points to go along with 10 rebounds and five assists. The rest of the Cleveland starters totaled 24 points on a combined 8-for-29 shooting effort.

Recent Betting Trends:

Celtics are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games.
Cavaliers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600.
Under is 4-1 in Celtics last 5 road games.
Under is 10-4 in Cavaliers last 14 home games.
Home team is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

Bonus Betting Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers -7
Boston G Shane Larkin (shoulder) did not play again on Wednesday and is likely out for the remainder of the series. LeBron James looked tired in the Game Five loss, but I would expect him to rally the troops at home and force a Game Seven in Boston. Take Cleveland to win and cover at home. Final Score Prediction, Cleveland Cavaliers win and cover ATS 106-94.

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Preview and Predictions 05-25-2018

24th May 2018 by Gracenote
the boston celtics are one win away from reaching the nba finals for the first time since 2010 when they visit the cleveland cavaliers on friday. the celtics possess a 3-2 lead in the eastern conference finals but are just 1-6 on the road this postseason, including two setbacks in cleveland.

cavaliers forward lebron james could be playing in his final game in cleveland before his expected dive into free agency but he is currently focused on earning one more trip to boston. "we're looking forward to having an opportunity to force a game 7," james told reporters after his squad's 96-83 loss in wednesday's game 5. "it's up to us to see if we can come back here for one more." boston continues to persevere behind its young roster but it will have to step up if it is to close the series on the cavaliers' home floor. "now we have a big challenge to go on the road," boston veteran big man al horford told reporters. "we're going to have to play a great game come friday because they're tough at home. at least in our series, they've had their way."
tv: 8:30 p.m. et, espn
about the celtics: small forward jayson tatum scored 24 points in game 5 for his ninth 20-point outing of the postseason. the 20-year-old is putting together one of the best scoring playoff runs by a rookie in nba history with 312 points and he trails only elgin baylor (331), alvan adams (341) and kareem abdul-jabbar (352). "it's just been a lot of fun," tatum told reporters. "i've just been enjoying it, the level of play, the atmosphere. the playoffs bring the best out of people and out of players, and hopefully we keep it going. ... we're one win away from going to the finals. "
about the cavaliers: james had 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists while going 11-of-22 shooting in game 5 and he downplayed interrogating questions about his level of fatigue. "i had my moments, but i think everybody at this point is tired, worn down whatever the case may be," james told reporters. "i was still trying to make plays, put our team in position to win." james topped 40 points twice in this series and six times in the postseason and has at times single-handedly kept his team afloat.
buzzer beaters

1. boston pg marcus smart had a series-best 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting in game 5 after just 11-of-38 shooting over the first four contests.

2. cleveland sg jr smith is averaging just 5.2 points on 9-of-39 shooting in the series.

3. horford had 15 points and 12 rebounds in game 5 for his second double-double of the series and seventh of the postseason.

prediction: cavaliers 116, celtics 95

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

San Francisco Giants vs. Chicago Cubs Preview and Predictions 05-25-2018

24th May 2018 by Gracenote
Wrigley Field hasn't lived up to its nickname of the "friendly confines" for the Chicago Cubs lately. The Cubs have lost four straight home games going into a three-game series with the visiting San Francisco Giants starting Friday.

Chicago had won 11 of 13 at home before the recent slide, which included a 10-1 drubbing and a 1-0 defeat against visiting Cleveland earlier this week. The Cubs have lost six of their last 10 overall to slide to fourth place in a tight National League Central race. "I think we are better than what our record shows," Cubs left fielder Kyle Schwarber told reporters. "We've just got to continue to be us and play our game and focus on everyone in this clubhouse and care about each other. I feel like we do a really good job of that. If we just continue to do what we believe in, good things are going to happen." The injury-riddled Giants started their eight-game road trip with two losses in Houston, including a 4-1 setback Wednesday, and have dropped 11 of 16 overall.
TV: 2:20 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NBCS Bay Area (San Francisco), ABC 7 (Chicago)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants LH Derek Holland (2-5, 4.94 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Kyle Hendricks (3-3, 3.40)

Holland returns to Chicago, where he pitched for the White Sox last season. The 31-year-old has only two quality starts in nine outings this season, and he allowed four runs over six frames in a loss to Colorado last time out. Holland is 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in two starts against the Cubs, but he hasn't faced them since 2013.
Hendricks had a streak of four straight quality starts snapped in his last outing, as he allowed four runs (three earned) and didn't record an out in the sixth inning. The 28-year-old has refined his command after struggling a bit to find the strike zone early on, walking just four over his past six outings. Hendricks is 2-2 with a 3.49 ERA in five meetings with the Giants.

WALK-OFFS

1. Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo is riding a six-game hitting streak, but he's only 7-for-27 and has not hit a home run over that stretch.
2. Giants SS Brandon Crawford is 19-for-35 with two homers and nine RBIs during a 10-game hitting streak.

3. San Francisco OF Mac Williamson (concussion) is swinging a hot bat during his rehab stint at Triple-A Sacramento and is expected to be activated at some point this weekend.

PREDICTION: Cubs 6, Giants 4

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Preview and Predictions 05-25-2018

24th May 2018 by Gracenote
pittsburgh pirates fans have been patient as right-hander joe musgrove worked his way back to form after nursing a strained right shoulder that lingered from spring training into the season. musgrove, who was a key part of the gerrit cole trade to houston, will make his debut on friday as the pirates (27-22) begin a six-game homestand with the opener of a three-game series versus the st. louis cardinals (26-21).

"i'm tired of traveling. i'm tired of not being here contributing. so i'm ready to do my part," musgrove told reporters following the conclusion of his four-start rehab assignment. musgrove's debut will need to be sterling to match the impact of rookie austin meadows (11-for-25, five rbis, four runs scored), who belted his third homer in six games since being recalled from triple-a indianapolis - albeit in thursday's 5-4 setback in cincinnati. while pittsburgh has dropped five of six, st. louis isn't throwing any parties as it mustered just three runs in losing back-to-back contests to kansas city to fall to 4-7 over its last 11. marcell ozuna overslept and was a late scratch in wednesday's 5-2 loss to the royals, but is expected back in the lineup on friday versus a pittsburgh team against which he went 4-for-12 with three rbis in last month's three-game sweep by the pirates.
tv: 7:05 p.m. et, fs midwest (st. louis), at&t sportsnet-pittsburgh
pitching matchup: cardinals rh john gant (1-1, 4.67 era) vs. pirates rh joe musgrove (2017: 7-8, 4.77)

gant, who is filling in for the injured adam wainwright, endured his toughest outing of the season on saturday as he was gashed for five runs on four hits - including a homer - in 4 1/3 innings of a no-decision against philadelphia. the 25-year-old's lone positive in that contest were his career-best seven strikeouts. gant had a pair of no-decisions versus pittsburgh last season, as he tossed one scoreless inning of relief on sept. 10 before permitting one run on three hits and two walks in three innings two weeks later.
musgrove was blitzed for six runs on 10 hits in five innings in his last rehab outing with indianapolis. the 25-year-old aims to recapture the form that saw him in the starting rotation last season with the astros before being ushered to the bullpen. musgrove has limited experience versus the current crop of cardinals, with only small sample sizes against dexter fowler (1-for-2, triple) and ozuna (1-for-3).
walk-offs

1. st. louis and pittsburgh have fared well versus national league central foes, with the former owning a 14-7 mark while the latter is 11-5.
2. pirates c francisco cervelli, who homered on wednesday, also went deep to highlight a 4-for-10 effort with two rbis and two runs scored against the cardinals.

3. st. louis cf tommy pham is 0-for-13 with nine strikeouts in his last three games overall and 2-for-12 in last month's series versus pittsburgh.

prediction: cardinals 3, pirates 2

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Philadelphia Phillies Preview and Predictions 05-25-2018

24th May 2018 by Gracenote
the philadelphia phillies' pitching staff slowly is changing the narrative of citizens bank park being labeled as hitter-friendly by recording three shutouts in the team's last eight home contests. zach eflin will bid to keep the good times going on friday as the phillies (28-19) open a three-game interleague series against the struggling toronto blue jays (23-27).

"our pitching has been really strong. that leads me to believe our staff is really good, to hold (the braves) down like that," philadelphia manager gabe kapler said after the team moved within a half-game of first place in the national league east by shutting out atlanta twice in a three-game series. carlos santana, who signed a three-year, $60 million deal in the offseason, has recorded back-to-back two-hit performances to improve to 19-for-70 in may after going 15-for-98 to begin the season. while philadelphia's 18-7 home mark is tied with the new york yankees for the best in the majors, toronto begins a nine-game road trip with losses in nine of its last 11 overall. "i'm ready to get on the road, there's no doubt. this was a brutal homestand for us," manager john gibbons said after thursday's 8-1 setback against the los angeles angels.
tv: 7:05 p.m. et, sportsnet (toronto), nbc 10 (philadelphia)
pitching matchup: blue jays rh sam gaviglio (1-0, 0.93 era) vs. phillies rh zach eflin (1-0, 1.56)

gaviglio stepped up in the absence of marcus stroman (shoulder) to scatter six hits and match a career high with six strikeouts over 5 1/3 scoreless innings in a no-decision versus oakland on saturday. "he did an excellent job. he showed us a lot," gibbons said of the 28-year-old. gaviglio will make his 20th career appearance and first versus the phillies on friday.
eflin escaped with a no-decision on saturday after allowing four runs in 4 2/3 innings against st. louis while walking three batters for the second straight outing. the 24-year-old has kept the ball in the park in each of his last two trips to the mound, a significantly better showing than his lone previous encounter with toronto. eflin was taken deep three times - with josh donaldson belting a grand slam - while being scorched for eight earned runs in 2 2/3 innings in his major-league debut versus the blue jays on june 14, 2016.
walk-offs

1. toronto lhp jaime garcia (shoulder) felt fine after a bullpen session and will return to the rotation on saturday, gibbons told reporters.

2. philadelphia 2b cesar hernandez has hit safely in 16 of his last 20 games, scoring 15 times in the process.
3. blue jays 3b yangervis solarte has homered twice and drove in six runs during his six-game hitting streak.

prediction: phillies 4, blue jays 2

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Yankees Preview and Predictions 05-25-2018

24th May 2018 by Gracenote
the new york yankees' string of eight straight series wins finally came to an end as the prolific offense could not survive a rare letdown from the pitching staff. the yankees will try to keep the bats hot and turn the staff around when they host the los angeles angels on friday in the opener of a three-game series.

new york tied a major league record with a total of 21 home runs in a five-game span by bashing four more in wednesday's 12-10 loss at texas, and rookie infielder gleyber torres is highlighting the power surge with four homers in the last three contests. "when i go to home plate, i just try to put the ball in play, try to take good at-bats," torres told reporters. "the home runs are happening, but i never try to hit home runs." the yankees totaled 17 runs in a three-game sweep at los angeles from april 27-29, but the angels are coming in hot with three wins in their last four games. los angeles will try to capture friday's series opener behind left-hander andrew heaney, while new york counters with ace right-hander luis severino.

tv: 7:05 p.m. et, mlb network, fs west (los angeles), yes (new york)
pitching matchup: angels lh andrew heaney (2-3, 3.35 era) vs. yankees rh luis severino (7-1, 2.35)
heaney allowed a total of five earned runs over his last five starts but is coming off a loss to tampa bay on saturday in which he issued five walks over six innings and was charged with four unearned runs. the 26-year-old struck out seven batters in that outing and owns 46 strikeouts in 40 1/3 total frames. heaney struck out nine while yielding two runs - one earned - across five innings against the yankees on april 27 but settled for a no decision.
severino notched his seventh consecutive quality start at kansas city on saturday, scattering three runs and eight hits over six innings to earn the win. the eight hits allowed matched a season high for the dominican republic native, who yielded a total of three earned runs in his previous three outings. severino went up against heaney on april 27 and also settled for a no decision while surrendering three runs and five hits in seven frames.
walk-offs

1. the yankees have hit three or more home runs in five straight games for the first time in franchise history.

2. los angeles rookie rhp shohei ohtani will not make his scheduled start on sunday in an effort to manage his workload but will be available to hit during the series.

3. new york rhp david robertson allowed a total of six runs in 3 2/3 innings across his last four appearances.
prediction: yankees 8, angels 3

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

Chicago White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers Preview and Predictions 05-25-2018

24th May 2018 by Gracenote
the chicago white sox and detroit tigers own two of the five worst records in the american league, but both teams really only need a hot streak to get right back in the thick of things in the al central. the white sox seek payback for a three-game sweep early last month at the hands of the tigers beginning friday when they visit detroit for the opener of a three-game set.

chicago (15-32) has been sitting at the bottom of the al for much of the season, but it also has never trailed by more than 9 1/2 games in the central in large part because division-leading cleveland has hovered right around .500 most of the season. despite thursday's 9-3 home setback against baltimore, the white sox have been playing better baseball of late, going 5-3 over their last eight contests after opening the season 10-29. the tigers (21-28) were one game out of first place in the division just over a week ago, but they return home - where they are 12-10 - four games off the pace entering thursday following a 2-5 road trip. detroit ended a five-game slide with a 4-1 victory at minnesota on wednesday and hope to rediscover the form that led to its first three-game sweep of the season, april 5-8 in chicago.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, wgn (chicago), fs detroit
pitching matchup: white sox rh reynaldo lopez (1-3, 2.98 era) vs. tigers rh mike fiers (4-3, 4.57)

lopez bounced back from one of the worst outings of his career with perhaps his best sunday against texas, yielding two hits and two walks while fanning eight over eight scoreless innings. the 24-year-old dominican turned in a similar performance in a losing cause versus detroit, permitting one unearned run on two hits and five walks april 8. lopez has logged at least five innings in all but one turn and allowed more than two earned runs just twice in his nine starts this season.
fiers took the loss saturday in seattle, surrendering four runs on six hits - including a pair of homers - across five frames. the nova southeastern product has struggled with the long ball in recent years and this season has been no different, giving up two home runs in four of his eight starts. fiers' best outing of the campaign came opposite lopez last month when he blanked the white sox over six innings, improving to 2-0 with a 0.70 era in four starts versus chicago.
walk-offs

1. tigers of nicholas castellanos, who has two hits in four consecutive games, is batting .375 with nine runs scored, five doubles and three homers over his last 17 contests.

2. white sox c welington castillo was suspended for 80 games thursday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
3. detroit has outscored chicago 28-8 while winning each of the last four meetings, recording two shutouts over that span.

prediction: white sox 3, tigers 2

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

Washington Nationals vs. Miami Marlins Preview and Predictions 05-25-2018

24th May 2018 by Gracenote
right-hander jose urena is laboring through a frustrating season with the miami marlins, failing to win in each of his 10 starts and carrying an 0-7 record into friday night's matchup against the visiting washington nationals. breaking the slide won't be easy for urena, who will be matched up against three-time cy young award winner max scherzer.

urena lost both starts against washington during his breakout 14-win season in 2017 but he pitched a gem in a 1-0 loss at marlins park, allowing the one run on three hits over eight innings. miami salvaged a .500 road trip by taking the final two games at the new york mets, rallying for two runs in the ninth wednesday to improve to 14-13 since opening the season with 17 losses in 22 contests. scherzer looms as the early favorite to win his fourth cy young in six years, going 6-0 in nine starts since suffering his only defeat on april 4. the nationals continue to struggle at home but have won seven of their last eight on the road and own an eight-game winning streak in the series against the marlins.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, masn2 (washington), fs florida (miami)
pitching matchup: nationals rh max scherzer (7-1, 1.78 era) vs. marlins rh jose urena (0-7, 4.55)

scherzer had to settle for a no-decision against the los angeles dodgers last time out despite striking out 13 and permitting only two runs and five hits over seven innings. he has yet to allow more than two earned runs in a start this season and has fanned at least 10 in seven of his 10 outings. martin prado is 13-for-30 with a homer off scherzer, who went 1-1 with a microscopic 1.17 era in four starts versus miami in 2017.
urena's skid continued when he gave up four runs and five hits over six innings last time out but he also continues to be victimized by a lack of run support -- miami had has scored 23 runs in his 10 starts and seven over his last five turns. all four of his quality starts, including the past three, have come at home, where he is 0-6 this season. bryce harper is 2-for-3 with a double and four walks versus urena.
walk-offs

1. nationals lf juan soto, 19, was hitless in four at-bats wednesday after going 3-for-5 with three rbis in the first two games of the series.

2. marlins c j.t. realmuto was 5-for-10 in the last two games at new york but is 1-for-20 lifetime against scherzer.

3. miami's win on wednesday was its first in 25 games when trailing after eight innings this season.

prediction: nationals 4, marlins 1

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

Houston Astros vs. Cleveland Indians Preview and Predictions 05-25-2018

24th May 2018 by Gracenote
two-time cy young award winner corey kluber will try to cool off houston's offense when his cleveland indians host the astros on friday for the second contest of the four-game series between the american league division leaders. houston has won four straight and seven of eight contests after recording 12 hits and going 5-for-9 with runners in scoring position in an 8-2 victory over the indians on thursday.

alex bregman belted a three-run homer and finished with four rbis for the al west-leading astros as he extended his hitting streak to eight games (11-for-29), while jake marisnick launched a three-run shot in his first game back from the minors. kluber seeks his 11th consecutive quality start to open the season - following one last week against houston - while dallas keuchel attempts to avoid his seventh loss of the year for the astros after producing six quality outings in his first 10 turns. the al central-leading indians, who lost two of three at houston from may 18-20, could not get it done on the mound thursday after allowing just one run in a two-game road sweep of the chicago cubs to start the week. cleveland's michael brantley brings a 13-game hitting streak - during which he is 20-for-56 with four homers and 15 rbis - into friday's contest after registering a two-run single in the series opener.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, mlb network, at&t sportsnet-southwest (houston), sportstime ohio (cleveland)
pitching matchup: astros lh dallas keuchel (3-6, 3.43 era) vs. indians rh corey kluber (7-2, 2.36)
keuchel gave up four runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts over five innings last time out versus cleveland after recording his best two starts of the season. the 30-year-old native of oklahoma allowed one run and eight hits across 15 frames in his previous two outings and registered a quality start in his first of four turns this month as well. jose ramirez is 4-for-9 with a pair of doubles against kuechel, who is 4-1 with a 2.76 era in seven career games (six starts) versus the indians.
kluber permitted two runs and six hits while striking out 10 over seven innings to defeat houston on saturday and record his 10th straight quality start. the 32-year-old from alabama has issued just one walk in his last four appearances and reached double digits in strikeouts for the third time in 2018 on saturday to push his total to 71 in 72 1/3 frames. marwin gonzalez is 8-for-17 with two homers and six rbis versus kluber, who is 6-3 with a 3.17 era in nine career outings (eight starts) against the astros.
walk-offs

1. indians ss francisco lindor is 5-for-12 with three doubles, three runs scored and two walks in his last three games.

2. houston ss carlos correa has gone 59 contests without an error, tying the franchise record for his position set in 1976 by roger metzger.

3. cleveland of lonnie chisenhall (calf) is on a minor-league rehab assignment and could return before the end of the month.

prediction: indians 5, astros 2

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

Baltimore Orioles vs. Tampa Bay Rays Preview and Predictions 05-25-2018

24th May 2018 by Gracenote
the tampa bay rays are expected to start relief pitchers in all three games of their series with the visiting baltimore orioles, beginning with sergio romo in friday's opener. the rays have utilized relief pitchers in starting roles multiple times this year and will rely heavily on their strategy over the weekend, with romo starting twice and ryne stanek opening saturday's tilt.

they were able to get through a 6-3 win over the boston red sox on thursday while utilizing three pitchers, as blake snell coasted through six scoreless innings and wilson ramos had three hits and two rbis. the orioles did not immediately name a starter for friday but they have a rested staff after dylan bundy tossed a complete game in thursday's 9-3 win over the chicago white sox. david hess, who won his major league debut against the rays earlier this month, is a candidate to make the start. adam jones homered among three hits and scored three times on thursday for baltimore, which matched their runs total from the previous five games combined.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, masn (baltimore), fs sun (tampa bay)
pitching matchup: orioles rh david hess (1-1, 6.75 era) vs. rays rh sergio romo (1-0, 4.34 era)

hess gave up three runs in six innings to defeat the rays on may 12 at home, striking out three and walking none. he was unable to carry over the momentum and gave up five runs in 4 2/3 frames at boston on sunday for his first career loss. matt duffy took hess deep for all three runs in the first encounter at baltimore.
romo made 18 relief appearances to begin the year before starting back-to-back games last weekend at the los angeles angels. he totaled 2 1/3 scoreless innings and recorded six strikeouts in those two outings and has 26 strikeouts in 18 2/3 frames on the year. the current baltimore roster is 5-for-34 with 11 strikeouts against the 35-year-old romo.

walk-offs

1. orioles of/dh mark trumbo (knee) has missed two straight games and may have an mri.

2. ramos is batting .471 with six rbis during a five-game hitting streak.
3. baltimore ss manny machado has 10 rbis in six games against tampa bay this year.

prediction: rays 6, orioles 5

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

Atlanta Braves vs. Boston Red Sox Preview and Predictions 05-25-2018

24th May 2018 by Gracenote
a pair of first-place teams looking to bounce back from series-ending losses meet friday when the boston red sox host the atlanta braves in the opener of a three-game interleague series. the red sox won four straight before falling 6-3 at tampa bay on thursday, as the top third of their order went 1-for-12 with five strikeouts.

mookie betts had that one hit and returns home sporting a .417 average at fenway park this year. boston gets a boost in the opener with the return of star second baseman dustin pedroia, who makes his season debut after recovering from offseason knee surgery. the braves were shut out twice in a three-game set at philadelphia to begin the week, sandwiching in a 3-1 victory. julio teheran, who gave up six runs and 13 hits in 6 1/3 innings in his only prior start at fenway park, gets the nod in the opener for the braves opposite red sox left-hander eduardo rodriguez.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, fs southeast (atlanta), nesn (boston)

pitching matchup: braves rh julio teheran (4-1, 4.17 era) vs. red sox lh eduardo rodriguez (4-1, 4.13)
teheran had his first home start in nearly a month sunday against miami, giving up six runs over five innings without getting a decision. the braves are 8-2 in his 10 starts and they've managed to win each of the last four, despite some inconsistent results. the 27-year-old lost his first two starts against the red sox and is 6-9 with a 5.08 era in 19 career interleague outings.

rodriguez has a 1.72 era over his last three starts but he has failed to get through six innings each time and allowed nine hits in his most recent outing - a win over baltimore on sunday. the venezuelan has 11 strikeouts and no walks over his last two appearances and 58 punchouts in 48 innings on the year. he has never faced the braves and owns a 3.93 era in nine career interleague starts.
walk-offs

1. braves rf nick markakis is batting .417 during a six-game hitting streak.

2. red sox ss xander bogaerts is 1-for-13 with six strikeouts over a four-game span.

3. boston won 11 of the last 14 meetings.

prediction: red sox 6, braves 4

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

Kansas City Royals vs. Texas Rangers Preview and Predictions 05-25-2018

25th May 2018 by Gracenote
the kansas city royals look to extend their season-high winning streak to four games when they visit the texas rangers on friday for the second contest of their four-game series. kansas city rolled to an 8-2 victory in thursday's opener and has outscored its opponents 18-5 during its season-best stretch.

salvador perez matched his season high by driving in four runs in the series-opening win and is enjoying a solid month with seven homers and 23 rbis. the five-time all-star didn't make his season debut until april 24 after tearing the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in late march while carrying a suitcase up the stairs at his home. texas was limited to five hits in the opener after it slugged seven homers and scored 23 runs while taking two of three from the new york yankees. the rangers continue to struggle at home with a substandard 9-18 record.
tv: 8:05 p.m. et, fs kansas city, fs southwest (texas)

pitching matchup: royals lh eric skoglund (1-4, 6.15 era) vs. rangers lh mike minor (3-3, 5.59)
skoglund has dropped both of his last two starts and is winless in four outings. the 25-year-old was torched for six runs and eight hits in five innings of a loss to new york in his last turn. skoglund has struggled on the road in six major-league appearances (five starts), going 0-2 with a 9.82 era and 2.05 whip while allowing opponents to bat .548.

minor is 0-2 with an 8.22 era over his last three starts and has served up five homers in 15 1/3 innings during that stretch. the 30-year-old won three straight decisions before falling into the current rut and gave up just three blasts over his first six turns. minor is 0-1 with a 3.00 era in two career starts against kansas city, a team for which he made 65 relief appearances last season while posting a career-best 2.55 era.
walk-offs

1. the rangers optioned lhp brandon mann to triple-a round rock and recalled rhp austin bibens-dirkx, who started thursday and suffered the loss.

2. kansas city lf alex gordon (hip/neck) was a late scratch thursday, one day after making a spectacular diving catch against st. louis.
3. texas of ryan rua was hitless in four at-bats in the opener and is 0-for-20 in his last nine contests.

prediction: rangers 5, royals 4

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

New York Mets vs. Milwaukee Brewers Preview and Predictions 05-25-2018

25th May 2018 by Gracenote
after soaring to a three-game sweep over arizona to begin their homestand, the milwaukee brewers landed with a thud in their series opener against the new york mets. milwaukee looks to bounce back friday as it continues the four-game set a day after managing only five singles in a 5-0 loss to new york.

ryan braun recorded one of those hits in his first game following a stint on the disabled list due to a back ailment, but zach davies' return from a shoulder injury was far from successful as he yielded four runs and six hits in four innings. the mets pounded out 13 hits as they began their eight-game road trip in strong fashion, with brandon nimmo falling a home run shy of the cycle as he went 4-for-4 with a walk and scored twice. the 25-year-old nimmo is 6-for-7 over his last two contests after going 0-for-7 in his previous two games. new york had lost two straight prior to thursday, scoring one run in each defeat, and dropped three of its previous four on the road.
tv: 8:10 p.m. et, sny (new york), fs wisconsin (milwaukee)
pitching matchup: mets rh noah syndergaard (4-1, 2.91 era) vs. brewers rh junior guerra (3-3, 2.98)

syndergaard has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his last nine starts after yielding four in his season debut. the 25-year-old texan, who hasn't started on the road since april 26 in st. louis, limited arizona to one run over seven innings in a victory on sunday. syndergaard has been dominant against milwaukee in his career, going 2-0 with a 0.49 era and 0.71 whip in three starts.
guerra appears to have overcome a pair of rough starts to start the month, allowing three runs over 10 1/3 innings while going 1-0 in his last two turns. the 33-year-old venezuelan has struggled at home, however, surrendering nine runs over 10 frames in back-to-back losses after giving up one unearned run across 10 2/3 innings in his first two outings of 2018 at miller park. guerra has permitted one run over 12 2/3 frames while going 1-0 in two career starts against new york.
walk-offs

1. nimmo enters friday having reached safely in eight consecutive plate appearances.

2. to make room on the roster for braun and davies, the brewers optioned rhp brandon woodruff and 1b ji-man choi to triple-a colorado springs.

3. milwaukee has been shut out a major league-high nine times this season.

prediction: mets 6, brewers 3

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

Cincinnati Reds vs. Colorado Rockies Preview and Predictions 05-25-2018

24th May 2018 by Gracenote
the colorado rockies watched the bats go cold at the end of a nine-game road trip and will hope for a change in temperature when they return home friday to host the cincinnati reds. the rockies dropped four of the final five games on the trek, capped by a 3-0 shutout at the los angeles dodgers on wednesday.

colorado dropped five of nine on its road trip and is concerned about the hitting heading back home. "you want to do better, obviously," rockies manager bud black told reporters of the trip. "we didn't play our best baseball every time. i thought we pitched really well. we strung together some innings, offensively, to win us some games. we played solid defense throughout the road trip. we just didn't hit well in certain games. ... we need to swing the bats better, for sure." the reds capped a seven-game homestand with a series win over the pittsburgh pirates, taking thursday's finale 5-4 behind eugenio suarez's grand slam. suarez is 1-for-4 in his career against colorado right-hander jon gray, who opposes cincinnati's sal romano on friday.

tv: 8:40 p.m. et, fs ohio (cincinnati), at&t sportsnet rocky mountain (colorado)
pitching matchup: reds rh sal romano (2-5, 5.62 era) vs. rockies rh jon gray (4-6, 5.34)
romano put together a string of five straight starts allowing two or fewer earned runs bridging april and may but was not quite as strong in his last two turns. the 24-year-old was ripped for a total of 13 runs on 14 hits and eight walks over 7 1/3 innings in those two outings - both losses. romano won his lone start against colorado in his 2017 rookie campaign, earning his victory as a big-leaguer after allowing two runs and six hits in five frames.
gray ran into similar trouble in his last two starts, surrendering a total of 11 runs and 19 hits over nine innings in losses to milwaukee and san francisco. the oklahoma native did manage to strike out 14 in those nine frames and owns 63 strikeouts in 55 2/3 total innings. gray saw cincinnati once in 2017 and earned a win while yielding three runs - two earned - across 5 2/3 innings.
walk-offs

1. rockies 3b nolan arenado is 1-for-10 with six strikeouts in his last three games.

2. cincinnati 1b joey votto is 5-for-27 over his last nine games.

3. colorado cf charlie blackmon leads the team with 12 home runs but managed just one in the last 17 games.

prediction: rockies 5, reds 3

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Oakland Athletics Preview and Predictions 05-25-2018

24th May 2018 by Gracenote
the arizona diamondbacks' nine-game road trip has been nothing short of a disaster thus far, but they look to turn things around friday as they visit the oakland athletics for the opener of a three-game interleague series. arizona began its trek by being swept in three-game sets at the new york mets and milwaukee brewers, and it arrives in oakland having lost seven straight overall and 13 of its last 14 contests.

the diamondbacks suffered a 9-2 loss on wednesday, with paul goldschmidt and john ryan murphy belting solo homers, to finish with four runs and 10 hits in the three-game series against the brewers. oakland salvaged the finale of its three-game set against seattle on thursday, scoring four runs in the first inning and holding on for a 4-3 triumph. marcus semien singled and scored a run for the athletics to avoid going hitless in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
tv: 9:35 p.m. et, fs arizona, nbcs california (oakland)

pitching matchup: diamondbacks lh patrick corbin (4-1, 2.60 era) vs. athletics lh sean manaea (5-4, 2.71)
corbin's winless streak reached five starts on saturday as he came away without a decision in his home state after allowing two runs on four hits and four walks over 5 1/3 innings against the host new york mets. the 28-year-old has issued nine free passes in his last three turns after giving out the same amount over his first seven outings this season. corbin, who hasn't recorded a decision in four road starts this year, will be facing oakland for the first time in his career.
manaea's season has taken a turn since the calendar turned to may, as he has gone 1-2 with a 5.96 era in four starts while surrendering four runs in each outing. the 26-year-old native of indiana allowed a total of five runs while posting a 4-2 record in six turns prior to this month. manaea has yet to face arizona but is 2-4 with a 3.63 era in eight career interleague starts.

walk-offs

1. semien has hit safely in 11 of his last 13 games, registering seven two-hit performances in that span.
2. goldschmidt, who has hit .297 or better each of the last five seasons, is batting just .200 in 2018 and has not recorded a multi-hit performance since going 3-for-5 at philadelphia on april 26.

3. oakland turned five double plays on thursday, its highest total since aug. 2, 2010 versus kansas city and one shy of the team record.

prediction: athletics 4, diamondbacks 2

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Preview and Predictions 05-25-2018

24th May 2018 by Gracenote
the los angeles dodgers are starting to turn things around after a disastrous start to the season and it appears that facing better teams has elevated their play. the dodgers will look to make it three series wins in a row for the first time this season when they host the san diego padres on friday night in the opener of a three-game set.

since losing six in a row against last-place teams cincinnati and miami, los angeles has won six of its last seven, following a three-game sweep at washington by taking two of three from national league west-leading colorado. "you can see the energy in the clubhouse," said dodgers closer kenley jansen. "everybody's like, we're going to get out of this. things are finally starting to go our way." san diego, which lost seven in a row to los angeles before winning two straight earlier this month, avoided a sweep by taking the finale in washington to improve to 4-3 on its 10-game road trip. "you look back at this road trip, and i know we continue in (los angeles) but we're heading back to the west coast with an off day," padres manager andy green said. "it's a good 4-3 east coast swing for us."
tv: 10:10 p.m. et, fs san diego, sportsnet la (los angeles)
pitching matchup: padres lh clayton richard (3-5, 4.87 era) vs. dodgers rh ross stripling (1-1, 2.08)

richard answered a five-start winless drought (0-4) by winning his last two trips to the mound, allowing two runs over 7 1/3 innings at pittsburgh after limiting st. louis to two runs and five hits over eight frames. the 34-year-old became the first san diego pitcher to work into the eighth inning in three straight starts since 2005. matt kemp (13-for-35), justin turner (9-for-19) and yasiel puig (7-for-19) have lit up richard.
making his fourth start of the season at washington on saturday, stripling gave an injury-ravaged rotation a boost by striking out a season-high nine batters while allowing one run on four hits over six innings. he faced san diego in mexico on may 6, yielding four hits and fanning five over four scoreless innings. in his last three starts, stripling has allowed three runs with 21 strikeouts and two walks in 15 1/3 innings.
walk-offs

1. turner is 10-for-33 in nine games since making his season debut.

2. padres 1b eric hosmer has hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games.

3. puig has hit all his five homers in his last nine games and recorded five rbis in his last three.

prediction: dodgers 4, padres 2

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

Minnesota Twins vs. Seattle Mariners Preview and Predictions 05-25-2018

24th May 2018 by Gracenote
james paxton has overcome a slow start to the season and looks to produce another solid performance when the seattle mariners host the minnesota twins on friday in the opener of their three-game series. paxton has posted a 1.70 era over his last five starts, a stretch that includes a no-hitter in addition to a career-best 16-strikeout effort.

paxton allowed two runs and three hits in a complete-game victory over detroit in his last turn. the left-hander will look to help seattle get back on track after the club's five-game winning streak was halted with thursday's 4-3 loss at oakland. twins slugger miguel sano, who will be back for the series opener after missing 24 games with a hamstring injury, is 4-for-8 with a homer against paxton. minnesota is kicking off a six-game road trip after having its three-game winning streak snapped with wednesday's 4-1 loss to the tigers.
tv: 10:10 p.m. et, fs north (minnesota), root northwest (seattle)

pitching matchup: twins rh fernando romero (2-0, 1.66 era) vs. mariners lh james paxton (3-1, 3.30)
romero is coming off the worst of his four major-league starts as he allowed four runs - three earned - and three hits in five innings of a no-decision against milwaukee. the promising 23-year-old didn't allow a run over his first 15 2/3 frames and has yet to give up more than four hits in a game. romero, who was ranked as minnesota's no. 2 prospect entering the season, has struck out 22 while issuing 11 walks in 21 2/3 innings.

paxton has gone 2-1 with a 3.04 era while holding opponents to a .179 batting average in four home starts. the 29-year-old canadian has fanned 10 or more batters on three occasions this season and has registered a total of 79 strikeouts in just 62 2/3 innings. paxton is 2-1 with a 2.91 era in four career starts versus the twins, giving up two runs and four hits over five frames in a no-decision on april 5 - a day remembered more for having a huge eagle land on his shoulder prior to the game in minneapolis while he was standing for the national anthem.
walk-offs
1. mariners dh nelson cruz is 2-for-22 over his last seven contests and has gone 15 games without a homer.

2. minnesota optioned of jake cave to triple-a rochester to open the roster spot for sano.

3. seattle rf mitch haniger (wrist) went 0-for-3 with a walk on thursday after missing one contest.

prediction: mariners 4, twins 1

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

Jim Feist

MLB (969) HOUSTON ASTROS VS (970) CLEVELAND INDIANS
Take: UNDER

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

Mike Wynn

Bonus Play: Free Atlanta w/Teheran +170 Over Boston

bmd1803 · May 25, 2018

Razor Sharp

YOUR RAZOR SHARP FREE PICK FOR FRIDAY: Take CLEVELAND (Kluber) -140 over Houston

Friday 05/25/18 ... Comps / Bonus Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Requests Etc.

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