MLB
Saturday, August 7
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Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
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Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees (-185, 8.5)
The Red Sox entered their four-game series against the Yankees looking to gain some ground in the AL East. They may present a similar opportunity for bettors looking to do the same on their books.
Boston's 1-8 record in their last nine at Yankee Stadium and a DL littered with stars have made them heavy underdogs in the first two meetings and likely will all weekend.
Despite playing without first baseman Kevin Youkilis and second baseman Dustin Pedroia, things aren't as bad in Beantown as they may appear. Mike Lowell and Jacoby Ellsberry returned from the DL just in time to add some depth and the Red Sox are still loaded with stating pitching.
"Despite what we're missing, what we have is good enough to get really hot. That says a lot about the depth on this roster, the quality of this team," Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein. "Setting aside health for a second, we throw a really good starting pitcher on the mound every night, I believe, and I believe we have a deep lineup. The injuries don't prevent us from getting as hot as we're going to need to get to do some damage here."
Righty John Lackey takes on lefty CC Sabathia, who has just one win over his last four starts with a 3.67 ERA. Lackey also has just one victory to show for his last four outings but has a 3.26 ERA over that span, so the pitching could be a push.
The Red Sox are batting .284 against lefties in their last 10 while the Yankees are hitting just .248 against righties during that span. Despite the lopsided odds, this one looks close enough to go for some value.
Pick: Red Sox
Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs (-120, Off)
Are the Cubs really favored to beat the Reds? If so, on what grounds? The pitching matchup alone?
Granted, Cincy righthander Edinson Volquez has had a couple of bad outings since returning from the DL, but the Reds are 17-4 in his last 21 road starts.
Counterpart Randy Wells isn't exactly lighting it up either. He is 0-2 in his last two starts, when the Cubs allowed a total of 26 runs.
And as for hitting, the Reds have been hammering righties to the tune of .304 over their last 10 compared to just .251 for the Cubs.
The Reds have owned the Cubbies recently, winning six of the last seven meetings. Cincy has outscored Chicago by an incredible 52-10 during that span, posting 14 runs twice and 12 in another.
Plus the Reds are in a pennent race while the Cubs are cleaning house and already talking about next season for the 102nd consecutive year. Call us crazy but we're riding with the Reds.
Pick: Reds
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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streaking
Matt Cain (9-8, 2.98 ERA), San Francisco Giants
This flame-throwing righty is 3-0 with a 1.52 ERA and a 0.61 WHIP (walks + hits per inning) over his last four starts. Oddsmakers have made him a favorite in three of those for outings but only once was he priced above -150.
Bookies are also keeping his totals low. The over/under line has been 7.5 or lower in six of his last eight trips to the bump.
Livan Hernandez (8-7, 3.12 ERA), Washington Nationals
The ageless, soft-tossing righty has produced masterful starts in two of his last three outings and the under is 5-0 in his last five trips to the bump. The Nats have won just two of his last five appearances but Hernandez still owns a shiny 2.03 ERA in his last four starts.
Slumping
Clayton Richard (9-5, 3.60 ERA) San Diego Padres
Richard’s record would look a lot worse if it weren’t for the run support his teammates were giving him. The 26-year-old lefty has tossed just two quality starts in his last six appearances and yet the resilient Padres are 4-2 over the six-game stretch.
The over is 8-0 in his last eight trips to the bump and oddsmakers set 6.5 totals in each of his last two outings.
Josh Johnson (10-4, 1.96 ERA), Florida Marlins
Johnson’s pitched so well this season that any slightest falter gets him thrown into the slumping pit. The Marlin ace allowed seven hits, four walks and five runs in 5 2/3 innings in his last start.
"I just didn't make my pitches," Johnson said after the game. "My slider was more middle than toward the outside corner. When you have that, you have to make a perfect pitch every time."
He also gave up eight hits, three walks and three runs in a seven-inning outing in his start before last. Again, not incriminating stuff, but considering the guy’s been carrying an ERA under 2.00, it can’t go unnoticed.
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This Day in Baseball
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On August 7 in Baseball History...
1888 - At a stormy meeting in Philadelphia, American Association owners finally vote to allow 25 cent admission again. They drop the percentage system of paying visitors and replace it with a $130-per-game guarantee.
1893 - Facing a left-handed Brooklyn pitcher, New York first baseman Roger Connor bats right-handed for the first time in his career and slugs out two homers and a single in a 10-3 win.
1907 - Walter Johnson pitched the first of his 416 victories as he led the Washington Senators over the Cleveland Indians 7-2.
1915 - As Brooklyn's rookie pitcher Ed Appleton steps to the mound, St. Louis manager Miller Huggins, coaching at third base, calls for the ball. The rookie tosses the ball to him, Huggins steps aside, and the Cardinal runner scores. A change in the rules will prevent such trickery in the future.
1922 - Ken Williams of the St. Louis Browns hit two home runs in the sixth inning of 16-1 victory over the Washington Senators.
1923 - Cleveland's Frank Bowerman went 6-for-6 with a double and five singles as the Indians routed the Washington Senators 22-2.
1950 - White players Lou Chirban, Stan Mierko, and Frank Dyle of the Chicago American Giants are barred by police from playing in the Negro American League against the Birmingham Black Barons.
1956 - The largest crowd in minor league history, 57,000, saw 51-year-old Satchel Paige of Miami beat Columbus in an International League game played in the Orange Bowl.
1968 - Joe Keough of the Oakland A's pinch hit a home run in his first major league at-bat in the eighth inning against the New York Yankees and the A's won 4-3 in 10 innings.
1971 - The New York Mets bombarded the Braves at Atlanta Stadium, 20-6. Ken Boswell led the Mets with four hits and five RBIs including a grand slam off Mike McQueen.
1978 - Eddie Mathews, Addie Joss, and Larry MacPhail are inducted at Cooperstown.
1985 - Commissioner Peter Ueberroth announced a tentative agreement ending a two-day strike. The season resumed Aug. 8.
1992 - The Giants announce that the team has been sold to Tampa Bay investors for a reported $110 million and will move to St. Petersburg for the 1993 season. Other owners will block the move in November, but one benefit is that the 1992 season finale becomes the first sellout at Candlestick since the 1989 World Series.
