MLB
Wednesday, June 30
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Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
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Philadelphia Phillies at Cincinnati Reds (+150, 8)
The injury bug is swarming through MLB clubhouses and recently sunk its stinger into the Philadelphia Phillies.
On Tuesday, the Phillies placed second baseman Chase Utley and third baseman Placido Polanco on the 15-day disabled list. They join five other Philadelphia players who are out of action.
"When you lose Utley and Poly, that's a big part of our lineup," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "At the same time, that's when you give somebody else a chance."
Those other “somebodys” are Triple-A callups Greg Dobbs and Brian Bocock, who are basically “nobodys” to the casual baseball fan. Dobbs was 2-for-17 with Lehigh since being demoted June 23 and Bocock was hitting .179 in 65 games.
It will be tough for the Phillies to replace Utley’s and Polanco’s combined production of 64 RBIs and 88 runs scored. With these two integral pieces of Philly’s offense on the shelf, sharp bettors have already moved this total from an opener of 8.5 down to 8…follow the steam.
Pick: Under
Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants (-120, 8)
Are you starting to notice a trend with the Giants? The offense gets hot for a stretch and then cools off to sub-zero temperatures.
Currently, San Francisco is in an ice age. The Jints have plated a total of five runners in their last three games and each outing went under the posted total.
The guy that was expected to carry the lineup this season, Pablo Sandoval, has hit just six homers and driven in 30 runs. The switch-hitter better known as “Panda” in the Bay Area is hitting .296 against righties but just .211 against southpaws.
"With some switch-hitters, one side always demands a little more maintenance, little more work, and you get out of sync. It's tough, and I think that's just the case for Pablo right now," manager Bruce Bochy said.
The Giants hit into five double plays Monday night and lead the NL in that category with 81 on the season. Stranding runners on base is a big reason San Fran has dropped five-of-six.
"That's what's hurting us now," said Bochy. "We're having a tough time keeping the line moving. When you're not scoring a lot of runs, [double plays] hurt, because they stop the rallies.”
With the Giants in one of their offensive funks, bettors should look toward the opposition for a winning ticket.
Pick: Dodgers
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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streaking
Felix Hernandez (5-5, 3.28), Seattle Mariners
Since getting roughed up by the rowdy Rangers on June 8, King Felix has been perched high atop his throne.
Hernandez has tossed complete games in his last two starts, giving up two and one earned run respectively. He worked 8.2 innings in a 4-2 win over the Padres in the outing prior. Over those three starts, Hernandez struck out 26 hitters while walking only three.
“He has turned into one of the true No. 1s on a major league staff,” Padres manager Bud Black said after Hernandez held his team to four hits.
The UNDER is 4-0-2 in Hernandez’s last six starts and opposing offenses are averaging 2.5 runs per game.
Slumping
Kevin Slowey (7-5, 4.79), Minnesota Twins
After a five-game tear that spanned from mid-May to June 8, Slowey is slowly started to fall off the wagon.
The Twins right-hander has surrendered no less than five runs in each of his last three outings. Slowey yielded five home runs and 17 earned runs during that stretch (12.1 innings) while striking out 10. Slowey suffered the shortest game of his career in the start before last. The Phillies touched him up for two homers and seven earned runs in 1.2 innings on the hill.
“I think everybody in this clubhouse is frustrated,” Slowey said. “We’re disappointed and frustrated and we know we’re better than this and that goes for me, too.”
Returning
Jair Jurrjens (0-3, 6.38), Atlanta Braves
Kenshin Kawakami was moved to the bullpen to make room for Jair Jurrjens, who has been on the disabled list since April 30 with a strained hamstring.
In 2009, Jurrjens was one of Atlanta’s top pitchers. He compiled a 14-10 record with a flashy 2.60 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. In his first start of 2010, the righty pitched shutout ball over 5.0 innings against the Cubs. But in four starts after, Jurrjens gave up eight, three, three and three earned runs.
Jurrjens will likely be on a tight pitch count Wednesday and the Braves are priced as -175 favorites against the visiting Nationals.
Debuting
Barry Enright (0-0, 0.00) Arizona Diamondbacks
The D-Backs called up Barry Enright from Double-A Mobile to start Wednesday’s game against the Cardinals. In 15 starts at the minor-league level (93.2 innings), Enright is 4-1 with 2.88 ERA, 83 strikeouts and 15 walks.
The 24-year-old Enright is taking the place of Edwin Jackson, whose start was pushed back to Friday after throwing 149 pitches during his no-hitter last week. If he pitches well enough, Enright could snatch a spot in the rotation from the struggling Dontrelle Willis.
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This Day in Baseball
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On June 30 in Baseball History...
1908 - Cy Young's third career no-hitter is an 8-0 Boston win over New York. At 41 years and three months, he is the oldest pitcher to turn the no-hit trick. Nolan Ryan will beat him in 1990 at the age of 43.
1959 - In Chicago, two balls are in play at the same time. On a wild pitch from pitcher Bob Anderson, Stan Musial draws a walk. As the pitch gets by catcher Sammy Taylor, Musial tries for second base. Umpire Vic Delmore puts another ball in play by mistake. Taylor promptly throws the ball into center field. Third baseman Al Dark, who chased down the original ball, throws to shortstop Ernie Banks, who tags out a confused Musial. After a 10-minute conference, the umpires agree that Musial is out. Delmore will be fired because of the boner.
1962 - With the aid of 13 strikeouts and a Frank Howard home run, Sandy Koufax no-hits Bob Miller and the Mets 5-0 in Los Angeles.
1970 - A sellout crowd of 51,050 is on hand for the dedication of Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium, but Hank Aaron spoils the show as he hits the park's first home run. The Braves win 8-2.
1978 - Larry Doby becomes the second black major league manager, replacing Bob Lemon as skipper of the White Sox. Chicago has a 34-40 record at the time, and will go 37-50 the rest of the way.
1988 - Alarmed by the White Sox' threatened move to St. Petersburg, Florida, lawmakers in Illinois grant state subsidies for a new stadium to replace venerable but decaying Comiskey Park.
1994 - Giants center fielder Darren Lewis commits his first major league error to break his record of 392 flawless games in the outfield.
1995 - Eddie Murray collects his 3,000th career hit against Minnesota's Mike Trombley in a 4-1 Cleveland win at the Metrodome. The Indians slugger is the 20th player to reach the milestone and the third in franchise history to do it wearing a Cleveland uniform.