MLB
Wednesday, July 7
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Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
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Kansas City Royals at Seattle Mariners (-145, 7.5)
Last Wednesday, Royals outfielder Jose Guillen told Fox Sports Kansas City that the team he played for was fundamentally “one of the worst teams in all of baseball.”
The mercurial Guillen, who is on the trading block, went on to say, “sometimes you want to just punch [the younger players on the team], but you can’t do that because they’re your teammates.” Guillen admitted his disdain for adolescent MLB players came from their lack of respect for the game.
Normally talking to the media in this manner would put you in the doghouse, but Kansas City GM Dayton Moore received Guillen’s words in a different light.
“I read it, and I took it as a positive,” Moore said. “I know Jose’s spoken this way in the past, but I know from the conversations we’ve had that he’s happy about being here.”
Guillen does enjoy his veteran role on the underdog Royals club and cornerstones a lineup that produces the best average in baseball. That’s right…Kansas City’s .283 team batting average is tops in MLB.
The Royals are 7-3 in their last 10 games (+6.41 units) and are playing better than .500 ball since Ned Yost took over as manager. Expect this scrappy K.C. squad to pick up another underdog win Wednesday.
Pick: Royals
New York Yankees at Oakland Athletics (-105, 8)
Oakland Coliseum is known as a pitcher’s park with deep fences and vast foul territories. Rarely will a bettor come across an Athletics home total exceeding nine runs.
Conversely, the Yankees lineup is so stacked that oddsmakers are reluctant to post a total lower than nine. In fact, only seven of New York’s 82 games this season have incurred a total fewer than eight runs.
There are a few factors that should lead bettors to believe this contest could exceed the game total. One is Mother Nature, where the wind will be gusting out to right-center field at 13 mph.
The second is the pitching matchup of A.J. Burnett versus Gio Gonzalez. Prior to his most recent start, Burnett had surrendered 29 earned runs over his last 23.0 innings on the mound. Gonzalez has been in fine form of late but the Yanks touched him up for five runs in 4.1 innings during a 7-3 victory on April 20.
Most boards are offering this game’s total at 8.5 but if you shop around there are still some 8’s available. A half run of insurance is always good if you can get it but this contest should sail into double digits.
Pick: Over
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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streaking
Max Scherzer (5-6, 4.88), Detroit Tigers
Scherzer recently admitted that he uses advanced metrics to break down his pitching. Whatever floats Scherzer’s boat, it’s getting the job done for him and his team.
The Tigers are 3-1 in Scherzer’s last four starts. The hard-throwing righty has allowed just two runs in his last three outings while striking out 23 during the 20.2 innings of work.
"I was executing with my fastball," Scherzer said after his most recent three-hit, one-run outing. "I was really pitching in well tonight and I think that's what allowed me to have a lot of success."
Slumping
Kevin Slowey (8-5, 4.57), Minnesota Twins
After Slowey’s most recent start he deserves to be removed from this list but we decided to keep him here because of an setback this week.
The Twins’ righty was scheduled to pitch Tuesday but was scratched from the start because he is dealing with an ankle injury. Slowey injured the ankle in his last outing – a 5-1 win over Detroit where he only gave up one run in 6.0 innings.
But a lingering foot injury is cause for concern. Prior to his start versus the Tigers, Slowey had surrendered no fewer 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 just 10.
Slowey will be pitching on seven days' rest and in his 11 career starts with six or more days of rest he is 4-4 with a 4.50 ERA.
Doug Fister (3-4, 3.22), Seattle Mariners
After leading the American League in ERA for the first month of the season, Fister has fallen back into his rightful spot of a “who’s that” type of pitcher.
Fister has failed to get out of the fifth inning in each of his last two starts. Over his last three outings he’s surrendered 14 earned runs and four home runs.
Fister took a line drive off his calf in his last game but is expected to be ready Wednesday. The lanky right-hander is 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA in his lone career start versus the Royals.
Returning
Marc Rzepczynski (0-0, 0.00) Toronto Blue Jays
Rumplestiltskin was recalled from Triple-A by the Blue Jays last Friday but don’t expect him to spin gold. The southpaw took the rotation spot of starting pitcher Shaun Marcum who was placed on the 15-day DL.
Rzepczynski started 11 games for Toronto last season, compiling a 2-4 record and a 3.67 ERA. In nine minor league starts this season, Rzepczynski has a 6.66 ERA and was hampered by a broken middle finger earlier in the year. This guy has the potential to be a strikeout pitcher but also battles control problems.
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This Day in Baseball
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On July 7 in Baseball History...
1900 - Boston hurler Kid Nichols notches his 300th career victory, beating Chicago 11-4. The win comes two months before his 31st birthday, making him the youngest to ever reach the magic figure.
1914 - Suffering heavy losses from Federal League competition in Baltimore, Jack Dunn, owner of the International League Orioles, offers Babe Ruth (plus Ernie Shore and catcher Ben Egan) for $10,000 to old friend Connie Mack. Mack refuses, pleading poverty. Cincinnati, which has a working agreement giving them the choice of two players, takes outfielder George Twombly and shortstop Claud Derrick. Dunn finally peddles his threesome to new owner Joe Lannin of the Red Sox for a reported $25,000.
1922 - Pirates outfielder Max Carey is the busiest man on the field in a 9-8, 18-inning loss to the Giants. He gets six hits, draws three walks, has three stolen bases (including one of home), and catches seven flies.
1923 - Cleveland scores in every inning against the Red Sox, but playing at home, the team does not bat in the ninth of a doubleheader opener. They run up an A.L. record twenty-seven runs, including 13 in the sixth inning, for a 27-3 win. The Indians keep it up, scoring three in the first inning of the second game en route to an 8-5 win.
1936 - The N.L., having lost the first three All-Star Games, wins 4-3 at Fenway Park. After Dizzy Dean and Carl Hubbell each pitch scoreless three-inning stints, Curt Davis is hammered by the A.L., allowing Lou Gehrig's home run, but Lon Warneke shuts the door.
1937 - Lou Gehrig leads the A.L. All-Stars over the NL 8-3 with a home run, double, and four RBI. President Franklin D. Roosevelt attends the game in Washington. Dizzy Dean's toe is fractured by a drive off the bat of Earl Averill. After the injury Dean is unable to pitch with the same delivery. He uses an unnatural motion, causing an arm injury from which he never recovers.
1942 - A military All-star team that includes Bob Feller, Cecil Travis, Sam Chapman, Benny McCoy, Johnny Sturm, and Frankie Pytlak loses 5-0 to A.L. stars in a game at Cleveland in front of more than 60,000 fans. Military relief receives $160,000.
1948 - The Indians sign Satchel Paige, fabulous veteran Negro League pitcher. Ridiculed as a Bill Veeck publicity stunt, the move pays as the 42-year-old Paige finishes 6-1.
1958 - At the N.L. meeting, William Shea outlines plans for a $12 million stadium at Flushing Meadows, the eventual site of Shea Stadium.
1959 - The N.L. defeats the AL 5-4 in the All-Star Game at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Willie Mays knocks in Hank Aaron with the deciding run. Don Drysdale pitches perfect ball the first three innings.
1964 - Johnny Callison's ninth-inning three-run home run off Dick Radatz caps a four-run rally and gives the N.L. a 7-4 win in the All-Star Game at Shea Stadium. This evens the series at 17 wins apiece.
1991 - Nolan Ryan misses his eighth no-hitter when California's Dave Winfield singles in the eighth inning. His 7-0 win, however, puts Texas in first place at the All-Star break.
1993 - Tom Browning decides that he has seen the view from the dugout often enough, so he leaves Wrigley Field and watches the Reds beat the Cubs 4-3 from the roof of a three-story building across Sheffield Avenue. He is fined $500 for leaving the dugout - not to mention the ballpark - during a game.