MLB
Tuesday, August 3
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Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
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Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates (125, 8.5)
Pittsburgh southpaw Paul Maholm edged Reds rookie Mike Leake head-to-head two months ago in a 2-1 pitchers' duel, but a lot has changed since then.
Leake is 3-2 since that meeting and has been limited in his innings to protect his young arm. Maholm is 3-5 over the same span and has been thrown to the wolves.
The strain is starting to show for Maholm, who allowed eight earned runs and 11 hits in his last outing while throwing a season-high 120 pitches. He lasted just 5 1/3 innings, the third time he has failed to turn in seven innings of work in his last seven outings.
"He never seemed like he got into much of a rhythm," Pirates manager John Russell said of Maholm after Thursday's 9-3 loss to the Rockies. "The biggest thing was that he had trouble putting hitters away, just didn't quite get the ball where he wanted to. He battled. It just wasn't his day."
Leake, on the other hand, is rested and ready after the Reds allowed him to skip his last turn in the rotation to recover. The Bucs are batting just .224 against righties in their last 10.
Pick: Reds
San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers can't seem to find their butts with a baseball bat these days, batting in the .100s in eight of their last 10 games and scoring just 11 runs during their 1-5 road trip.
Three of those came last week against the Padres (.100, .138 and .161), and they somehow managed to steal one of those games by shutting out the Pad Squad.
"We need to go home," Matt Kemp said after Sunday night's shutout loss to the Giants. "We've had to hear a lot of opposing fans yelling at us and we need to get home."
But the Dodgers aren't batting much better in L.A., and they are 0-3 in Vicente Padilla's last starts despite solid outings against everyone except the Padres. Padilla lasted only four innings after allowing four hits and two earned runs.
San Diego makes it a rematch of last week's game by ending Mat Latos to the hill. He's 2-0 in his last three starts with a 1.50 ERA - about what L.A. is averaging over their last 10.
The Dodgers are batting .166 against righties during that span and have scored two or fewer runs in nine of their last 11. One of those exceptions was a relative three-run explosion against Latos, but even a repeat performance tonight won't be enough to win this one.
Pick: Padres
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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streaking
Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies (12-8, 2.21 ERA)
The Doctor was operating in his last two outings, giving up only one run on 11 hits in 17 combined innings of work. Halladay’s most recent outing was a one-run, six-hit showing which also marked his eighth complete game of the season. The last time he was in Florida, Halladay made magic with a perfect game against the Florida Marlins on May 29.
Mat Latos, San Diego Padres (11-4, 2.45 ERA)
The Padres’ budding ace hasn’t lost a start since June 4 and is 6-0 in his eight starts since that defeat. Latos was dealt a no-decision in his most recent trip to the hill, going five innings while allowing only one earned run on two hits but threw 98 pitches and walked three batters. He hasn’t given up more than three runs in a single start since suffering his last loss and owns a 2-0 record and 1.50 ERA in his last three starts.
Slumping
Paul Maholm, Pittsburgh Pirates (6-9, 4.52 ERA)
The Bucs’ lefty has stumbled in his last two starts, lasting just over 11 innings while giving up 12 hits on 20 combined hits. Maholm went 5 1-3 innings against the Colorado Rockies last Thursday, getting rocked for eight runs on 11 hits. It was the third time in the past seven starts he has failed to pitch into the sixth inning. He is 4-6 with an ERA just south of 5.00 at home this season.
Debuting
Sean West, Florida Marlins (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
The Fish send pitching prospect Sean West to the mound to face Roy Halladay and the Phillies. West made 20 starts for the Marlins in 2009, posting an 8-6 record with a 4.79 ERA. This year, he’s spent his time with Triple-A New Orleans, putting up a 4-3 mark with a 4.12 minor-league ERA. He made one start against Philadelphia last season, allowing two earned runs on seven hits in just four innings of work. He did, however, throw 93 pitches in those four innings.
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This Day in Baseball
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On July 3 in Baseball History...
1912 - The Giants' Rube Marquard nips Nap Rucker and the Dodgers 2-1 to capture his 19th straight game of the season. With two end-of-year wins in 1911, he has 21 in a row in regular season play. Both marks are records.
1950 - With rookie Joe Collins not hitting and Tommy Henrich injured, Casey Stengel asks Joe DiMaggio to play first base in an experiment. In the 7-2 loss he handles 13 chances cleanly.
1965 - Horseplay between Phillies teammates Frank Thomas and Dick Allen turns serious when Thomas swings a bat at Allen. Thomas hits a pinch-homer to tie the game in the eighth inning, but the Reds prevail, 10-8. Following the game, Thomas is released and signs with Houston.
1966 - Pitcher Tony Cloninger hits two grand slams and drives in nine runs as the Braves rout the Giants at Candlestick Park 17-3. Cloninger is the first National League player to hit two grand slams in a game, and his nine RBI set a Major League record for pitchers.
1968 - Luis Tiant registers nineteen strikeouts in ten innings as Cleveland beats Minnesota 1-0. Tiant sets two modern major-league records: most strikeouts in a ten-inning game and 32 strikeouts in consecutive games. He also ties the modern major league record of 41 strikeouts in three successive appearances.
1970 - In **** ceremonies, California's Clyde Wright is inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame for his pitching while at Carson-Newman College. He then hurls a no-hitter against Oakland, winning 4-0. Reggie Jackson's 400-foot shot to dead center in the seventh is caught.
1974 - Pitching in his record 13th consecutive game for the Dodgers, Mike Marshall saves Tommy John's 4-1 win over the Reds in the first game of a doubleheader.
1983 - The Rangers explode for 12 runs in the 15th inning of a 16-4 win over the A's, setting a new major-league record for runs in a single extra inning.
1988 - Oakland's Gene Nelson steals a base while pinch-running for Don Baylor in a 9-8, 16-inning win over Toronto, becoming the first American League pitcher to steal a base since Blue Moon Odom in 1973.