MLB
Thursday, July 8
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Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
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Cincinnati Reds at Philadelphia Philles (-105, 9)
It's a pitching rematch from June 28 when the Reds' Johnny Cueto outdueled the Phillies' Kyle Kendrick, but a repeat performance is not necessarily in order.
In a statistical oddity, Cueto has allowed only one earned run over his past three starts, giving him a 0.45 ERA during that span.
But he has given up 20 hits in his last 20 innings and managed to work out of some serious jams. In his last start, the Cubs stranded 17 baserunners to help salvage a no-decision for Cueto.
"(Cueto) was struggling, big time," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "He had trouble getting strike one. That was the problem. He threw a lot of near-strikes."
The Phillies have finally found their offensive rhythm and Cueto can't keep dodging bullets forever.
Pick: Phillies
Minnesota Twins at Toronto Blue Jays (-130, 9)
They say good things come in threes, so let's ride this one like a charm.
All three previous meeting this season between these teams went over the total, yielding double-digits in runs in each totalling 13, 13 and 11.
Both teams are coming off three consecutive overs, with the Twins' games tallying 14, 11 and 13 runs during the span to the Blue Jays' totals of 14, 13 and 13.
To add to the expected hit parade, both teams are sending struggling pitchers to the mound - Twins' righty Scott Baker and Jays' lefty Brett Cecil.
Both pitchers sport ERAs that are above six over their last three outings, further setting the stage for a high-scoring game.
Pick: Over
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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streakers
Mat Latos (9-4, 2.62) San Diego Padres
The 6-foot-6 Latos is 4-0 in his last five starts and has allowed only one earned run in his past three outings for a total of 20 2/3 innings and an ERA of 0.44.
His last start was an eight-inning, four-hit shutout against Astros ace Roy Oswalt in which Latos did not allow a runner to advance past first base.
The key for Latos has been fastball location. He uses it to get ahead of hitters, which opens the door to his other pitches.
"Latos had his fastball moving pretty good," said Houston's Hunter Pence. "I think that late movement, I felt like I was right on it and pounded it into the ground."
Tommy Hunter (5-0, 1.98) Texas Rangers
Hunter is 5-0 in his six starts this season and seems to be getting better with age.
He threw seven-plus innings of one-run ball against the White Sox in his last outing on July 3, his 24th birthday.
"He's pounding the strike zone, not making mistakes in the middle of the plate and executing his pitches," Rangers manager Ron Washington said of Hunter. "When you do that, you get the results he's getting. Right now he's executing very well. He's throwing strikes, keeping the ball in play. He's doing everything we'd like to see a pitcher do."
Helping Hunter's winning streak and shrinking ERA is the fact that he has not allowed a home run all season.
Slumpers
Brett Cecil (7-5, 4.19) Toronto Blue Jays
Cecil is 0-3 in his last four starts and has been shelled for 29 hits and 17 earned runs in those 21 2/3 innings.
Cecil, who has a 9.20 ERA over his past three starts, held the Mets to only four hits in his last outing but issued six walks to settle for a no-decision.
"The ball just keeps drifting up a little bit," said Cecil. "I'm unbelievably frustrated, obviously. The great thing about it is you've just got to keep pitching."
Roy Oswalt (10-5, 3.72) Houston Astros
Even though he's 0-2 in his last three starts, it might not be fair to call Oswalt a slumper.
The Astros gave their ace only two runs over that stretch so he would have had to pitch shutouts to get a W.
In fact, Oswalt did throw seven scoreless innings in his last outing against the Padres but settled for a no-decision when his team failed to score a run.
"I haven't seen [Oswalt] that good in a while," said San Diego's Tony Gwynn Jr. "He threw the ball lights-out today. Sometimes you've got to tip your cap to the guy on the bump -- he was throwing the ball very well. He had all four of his pitches working."
However, Oswalt's previous two starts were less than stellar, allowing 13 hits and nine earned runs in only 11.2 innings. Maybe he's saving his best stuff for his new team after the All-Star break.
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This Day in Baseball
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On July 8 in Baseball History...
1902 - John McGraw, accused by Ban Johnson of trying to wreck the Baltimore and Washington clubs, negotiates his release from the Orioles and officially signs to manage the Giants at $11,000 a year. McGraw then swings the sale of the Orioles towards the Giants and the Reds.
1918 - Babe Ruth's blast over the fence in Fenway scores Amos Strunk as the Red Sox win 1-0 over Cleveland. Prevailing rules regarding the winning run scoring ahead of the home run reduce Babe's home run to a triple. He will tie for the A.L. title with 11 home runs, even though he plays just 95 games.
1935 - The A.L. continues its All-Star Game reign, winning the third event at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium, 4-1. Jimmie Foxx is the hitting star with a homer and three RBI.
1941 - At the All-Star Game at Briggs Stadium, Ted Williams, hitting .405 at the break, homers off Chicago Cubs pitcher Claude Passeau with two out and two on in the ninth inning to give the A.L. a dramatic 7-5 victory.
1947 - Clutch pinch hits by Luke Appling and Stan Spence lead the A.L. to a 2-1 win over the N.L. in the All-Star Game at Wrigley Field. Schoolboy Rowe pinch-hits for Johnny Sain, becoming the first player to appear for each side. Rowe pitched three innings for the A.L. in 1936.
1949 - Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson are the first blacks to play for the Giants. Thompson, who was also the first black to play for the St. Louis Browns (in 1947), starts at second base, and Irvin pinch-hits in the eighth. When Thompson steps in against Don Newcombe, it is the first time in Major League history that a black pitcher and a black hitter have faced off. The Dodgers win the game 4-3.
1951 - The feud between Joe DiMaggio and Casey Stengel reaches a head. In the second inning of a game, because of a misplay in the first, Stengel sends reserve Jackie Jensen out to center field to relieve the Yankee Clipper after he had already taken his position.
1952 - The N.L. defeats the A.L. 3-2 behind the pitching of the Phils' Curt Simmons and the Cubs' Bob Rush in Philadelphia. The game is ended after five innings because of rain. Hank Sauer's homer with Stan Musial aboard in the fourth proves to be the deciding run.
1957 - The owners decide to re-elect Commissioner Ford Frick to another seven-year term when his present contract is up in 1958.
1958 - The A.L. edges the N.L. 4-3 in the All-Star Game, played at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. The Yankees Gil McDougald singles to score Boston's Frank Malzone with the deciding run.
1976 - Randy Jones beats the Cubs 6-3 for his 16th win of the year for the Padres, an N.L. record for wins at the All-Star break. He beats the Cubs 6-3. In the second half of the season, the Padres lefty will lose seven games by one run, including two 1-0 scores.
1980 - The N.L. wins its ninth consecutive All-Star Game 4-2 at Dodger Stadium. Reds outfielder Ken Griffey has two hits, including a home run, to win the game's MVP Award.
1982 - Billy Martin records his 1,000th career win as a manager as the A's beat the Yankees 6-3.
1997 - Sandy Alomar, Jr., who has a 30-game hitting streak to end the first half of the season, slams a two-run home run in front of the hometown crowd at Jacobs Field to lead the AL to a 3-1 win in the All-Star Game. Alomar is named the game's MVP for helping end the N.L.'s three-game winning streak.