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Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants MLB Betting Preview

The Phillies are 8-4 in Cole Hamels’ 12 home starts this season.
The San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies play the middle game of their 3-game series on ESPN Wednesday Night Baseball in what could be another NLCS preview.

Citizens Bank Park is the location and start time is 4:00 p.m. (PT). This will be a battle of lefties with Barry Zito versus Cole Hamels.

The Giants upset the Phils last year in the NLCS on the way to winning the World Series. The first meeting between the teams this year was Tuesday night (result pending). Giants’ ace Tim Lincecum was a rare +100 underdog against Vance Worley.

The Phillies (64-37) have all but wrapped up a playoff spot with the NL’s best record. They started this homestand with three wins over San Diego before losing (5-4) on Monday. They have MLB’s best home record (37-16) for +11.9 units, and haven’t lost a home series since early May.

Hamels (12-5, 2.62 ERA) had his worst start since early April right after the All-Star break, allowing seven earned runs over 4 1/3 innings at the Mets (11-2 loss). He rebounded last Friday at home versus San Diego, one run and three hits over eight innings in a 3-1 win.

The 27-year-old was named an All-Star and is tied with teammate Roy Halladay and Atlanta’s Jair Jurrjens for the NL win lead. His OPS allowed (.565) is second in the league behind the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (.560).

Hamels has a 2.29 ERA at home, with Philadelphia going 8-4. He faced the Giants in Game 3 of the NLCS last year, surrendering three runs (two earned) over six innings and getting out-dueled by Matt Cain (3-0 road loss).

Hamels’ lifetime regular season record against San Fran is 4-2 with a 4.67 ERA in eight starts. The Giants are 17-6 in their last 23 road games against a left-handed starter.

San Francisco (59-43) is also in good shape for a playoff berth with a four-game lead over Arizona in the NL West. The Giants got a day off on Monday after starting 7-3 since the break.

Zito (3-2, 4.78 ERA) had three starts in April (6.23 ERA) before going on the DL with a foot injury. He returned in late June and surprised everyone by winning three straight games (1.29 ERA). Giants’ fans finally thought Zito may start earning his big paycheck.

The 33-year-old came crashing back to Earth on July 16 at San Diego. He surrendered eight earned runs over 3 2/3 innings in an 11-3 loss. The outing was so bad that he had his start skipped and will be working on 10 days rest.

Zito has only three lifetime starts in Philadelphia, having spent the first seven years of his career in the AL. He surrendered four earned runs over five innings in a 9-3 loss at Citizens Bank last year.

Philadelphia is 10-2 in its last 12 home games versus a left-handed starter.

The Giants are just 27-25 on the road this year (+1.9 units), compared to 32-18 at home (+8.9 units). However, they’re 5-2 in their last seven away.

The ‘over’ is 6-0 in San Francisco’s last six road games. The ‘over’ is 4-1 in Philly’s last five home games.

San Fran took two of three in Philly in the playoffs last year, but is 5-17 in the last 22 in the regular season there.

Philadelphia has Placido Polanco (back) on the disabled list. The Giants have Miguel Tejada (abdominal) and Pat Burrell (foot) on the DL, with Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez already out for the year.

Weather should be clear and warm in the 80s. The pitching matchup for Thursday’s finale is Cain against Kyle Kendrick.

Detroit Tigers Send Ace To Face Chicago White Sox

A key series in the race for the American League Central Division title continues Tuesday in the Windy City where the Chicago White Sox host the Detroit Tigers in the second game of a three-game set. Game time is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. (PT).

Chicago recently won two of three at Detroit after the All-Star break but had dropped six of the nine meetings this season heading into Monday’s series opener.

The White Sox may have an advantage against Tigers ace Justin Verlander, who is one of the favorites to win the AL Cy Young Award this season. Verlander (13-5, 2.24 ERA) has given up more than one run just twice in his last 11 starts, and both times were against Chicago.

He surrendered five runs and seven hits to the Sox in six innings of an 8-2 loss on July 15 as a 195 favorite, the most runs he has given up in a loss this year.

Verlander is 9-10 in 22 career starts vs. Chicago with a 4.45 ERA, although his team has won seven of the last eight times with him on the mound in the rivalry. He has also been outstanding on the road this season with a 6-2 mark and 1.98 ERA in 10 starts following a brilliant outing at Minnesota on Thursday. The powerful righty allowed one run to the Twins in eight innings of a 6-2 victory with no walks and nine strikeouts.

The Sox hope Jake Peavy can put a halt to a personal three-game losing streak and avenge a home loss to Detroit back on June 5. He had a decent start last time out a week ago, giving up three runs and seven hits in six innings of a 4-2 loss at Kansas City.

In his previous two starts, his teammates did not score more than three runs as he surrendered five runs each time.

Peavy is 2-2 lifetime against the Tigers with a 3.24 ERA following a 7-3 loss the last time he faced them. He gave up six runs on three hits and three walks with Ryan Raburn doing most of the damage on a grand slam in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Since that setback at Detroit, the ‘under’ has gone 4-1-1 in Peavy’s last six starts. Chicago has gone 3-3 in those games even though Peavy was favored in all of them.

The White Sox have not been a good home team this season with a 21-25 mark heading into Monday’s game. They had dropped seven of the previous eight home meetings with the Tigers before Monday as well.

Tuesday’s forecast for Chicago calls for a high temperature of 89 degrees under mostly sunny skies with a 10 percent chance of rain

Pirates, Braves Continue Set At Turner Field

Seemingly the last time the Pittsburgh Pirates took on the Atlanta Braves in a game with any meaning, Sid Bream was chugging around the bases and sliding into home in Game 7 of the NLCS to rip the hearts out of the Steel City.

It's almost 19 years later, and these two will renew acquaintances once again in the Peach State in MLB betting action. Tuesday's 4:10 p.m. (PT) clash is the second of this 4-game set at Turner Field, and the stakes are quite high.

Atlanta enters the week tied for the second-best record in the National League and comfortably in the NL Wild Card position. However, thanks to some mediocre play over the last two weeks, including losing two out of three to the Cincinnati Reds this past weekend, the gap is narrowing between the Braves and the rest of the pack for that final postseason bid in the NL.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is five games above .500, marking the first time the Bucs have been above the mark this late in the season since those glory days in '92. The Pirates are 26-22 on the road entering this series and have the best profit margin in the league at +15.60 units. More importantly though, they're in a four-team scrum to win the NL Central and are currently tied for first place.

Do the Pirates really have a Cy Young Award pitcher on their team? No, Jeff Karstens hasn't pitched like Roy Halladay or Jair Jurrjens, but his numbers are pretty special in 2011.

The righty has really rejuvenated his career this season, and he's going to hope to improve upon this on Tuesday at Turner Field. Karstens' 8-5 record is easily the best of his career, as are seemingly the rest of his splits as well.

Karstens has a 2.28 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and batters are only hitting .238 against him. With eight innings pitched on Tuesday, he'll reach a career-high for innings in a season, and he is 11 strikeouts away from a career best in that category to boot.

You have to go back to April 17 to find the last time that Karstens allowed more than three runs in a game. He has allowed a total of just two earned runs in his last three starts covering 23 innings.

We're wondering if Karstens' pitching foe on Tuesday, Tommy Hanson, is starting to feel the ill effects of throwing a ton of innings. His last two starts have been absolutely awful. He was lucky to escape Coors Field with a win over the Colorado Rockies after conceding six runs in as many innings, and he allowed five runs in 5 1/3-innings of work against the Washington Nationals the start before that.

Still, Hanson has had a great season, posting an 11-5 mark with a 3.06 ERA. Batters are only hitting .203 against him despite the last two iffy outings. Hanson has only been beaten once since May 27, and he has a solid 5-3 record and 2.85 ERA at Turner Field this season.

Don't be surprised if rain gets in the way of the first two or three games of this series. There are storms in the forecast on both Monday and Tuesday in Atlanta, and that rain could spill into Wednesday as well. Temperatures should be toasty in the mid-80s, but the chance for inclement weather is high between 60%-80%.

TV coverage for Tuesday's clash can be found on ROOT Sports TV and on Sports South.

Diamond Trends - Tuesday

July 26, 2011



SU TREND OF THE DAY:


The Blue Jays are 12-0 since May 28, 2010 as a 140+ favorite vs a divisional foe that is behind them in the divisional standings for a net profit of $1200.



OU TREND OF THE DAY:


The Pirates are 0-8 OU since May 26, 2010 as a 140+ dog after scoring 3 runs or less and winning for a net profit of $800 when playing the under.



STARTER TREND OF THE DAY:


The Rays are 10-0 since June 26, 2010 when David Price starts as a favorite when the team is seeking immediate revenge for a loss as a favorite for a net profit of $1000.



MLB BIBLE TREND OF THE DAY:


The Red Sox are 0-13 (-2.5 rpg) when seeking immediate revenge for an extra-inning loss in which their starter went more than five innings.



TODAY’S TRENDS:


The Angels are 7-0 since July 09, 2010 on the road after a loss in which they allowed 6 or fewer hits for a net profit of $880.

The Yankees are 8-0 since May 30, 2010 as a home 200+ favorite when they scored two or fewer runs for their starter in his last start for a net profit of $800.

The Athletics are 0-6 since May 07, 2010 as a home dog when they won the last two games their starter started for a net profit of $600 when playing against.

Around the Horn - Tuesday

July 25, 2011

NATIONAL LEAGUE


Florida at Washington - 7:05 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Nolasco (6-7, 4.08 ERA) 4-6 L10 OVER 8-3 L11 vs division
Zimmermann (6-8, 3.00 ERA) 1-4 L5 7-2 L9 home Game 1's

Marlins beat Mets, 5-4 on Sunday
Nationals lost to Dodgers, 3-1 on Sunday

San Francisco at Philadelphia - 7:05 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Lincecum (8-8, 2.90 ERA) 4-6 L10 6-2 L8 away Game 1's
Worley (6-1, 2.02 ERA) 8-2 L10 18-1 home off loss

Giants beat Brewers, 2-1 on Sunday
Phillies lost to Padres, 5-4 on Monday

Pittsburgh at Atlanta - 7:10 PM EST (Game 2/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Karstens (8-5, 2.28 ERA) 6-4 L10 7-0 L7 on Tuesdays
Hanson (11-5, 3.06 ERA) 5-5 L10 OVER 6-1 L7 home Game 2's

Pirates beat Braves, 3-1 on Monday

N.Y. Mets at Cincinnati - 7:10 PM EST (Game 2/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Niese (9-8, 3.76 ERA) 3-5 L8 OVER 8-3 L11 away Game 2's
Cueto (6-3, 1.98 ERA) 5-5 L10 OVER 5-1 home on Tuesdays

Mets beat Reds, 4-2 on Monday

Chicago at Milwaukee - 8:10 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Dempster (7-7, 5.00 ERA) 2-5 L7 1-8 L9 away off win
Narveson (6-6, 4.45 ERA) 5-5 L10 15-4 home off loss

Cubs beat Astros, 5-4 on Sunday
Brewers lost to Giants, 2-1 on Sunday

Houston at St. Louis - 8:15 PM EST (Game 2/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Myers (3-10, 4.74 ERA) 2-5 L7 2-9 L11 away Game 2's
Westbrook (8-4, 5.04 ERA) 5-5 L10 5-1 home on Tuesdays

Cardinals beat Astros, 10-5 on Monday

Arizona at San Diego - 10:05 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Saunders (6-8, 3.82 ERA) 3-6 L9 UNDER 7-1 L8 away vs division
Moseley (3-9, 3.19 ERA) 3-5 L8 4-2 L6 home off win

Diamondbacks beat Rockies, 7-0 on Sunday
Padres beat Phillies, 5-4 on Monday

Colorado at Los Angeles - 10:10 PM EST (Game 2/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Chacin (8-7, 3.60 ERA) 3-7 L10 3-6 L9 away Game 2's
Kershaw (11-4, 2.72 ERA) 3-5 L8 1-4 L5 on Tuesdays

Dodgers beat Rockies, 8-5 on Monday

AMERICAN LEAGUE


Los Angeles at Cleveland - 7:05 PM EST (Game 2/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Weaver (13-4, 1.81 ERA) 4-2 L6 3-6 L9 on Tuesdays
Tomlin (11-4, 4.12 ERA) 3-6 L9 2-5 L7 home Game 2's

Indians beat Angels, 3-2 on Monday

Seattle at N.Y. Yankees - 7:05 PM EST (Game 2/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Fister (3-11, 3.30 ERA) 0-16 L16 UNDER 7-3 L10 away vs LHP
Sabathia (14-5, 2.62 ERA) 7-3 L10 10-4 L14 home vs RHP

Yankees beat Mariners, 10-3 on Monday

Baltimore at Toronto - 7:05 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Arrieta (9-7, 5.02 ERA) 4-6 L10 0-7 L7 Game 1's
Morrow (7-4, 4.34 ERA) 6-3 L9 OVER 13-3 home Game 1's

Orioles lost to Angels, 9-3 on Sunday
Blue Jays beat Rangers, 3-0 on Sunday

Kansas City at Boston - 7:10 PM EST (Game 2/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Duffy (2-4, 4.58 ERA) 5-1 L6 2-5 away on Tuesdays
Miller (4-1, 4.65 ERA) 7-2 L9 8-4 L12 home Game 2's

Royals beat Red Sox, 3-1 on Monday

Minnesota at Texas - 8:05 PM EST (Game 2/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Pavano (6-7, 4.24 ERA) 3-6 L9 2-5 L7 away Game 2's
Wilson (10-4, 2.94 ERA) 15-3 L18 7-3 L10 Game 2's

Rangers beat Twins, 20-6 on Monday

Detroit at Chicago - 8:10 PM EST (Game 2/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Verlander (13-5, 2.24 ERA) 5-3 L8 OVER 8-2 away favorite vs RHP
Peavy (4-4, 5.19 ERA) 6-3 L9 1-7 L8 home vs RHP

White Sox beat Tigers, 6-3 on Monday

Tampa Bay at Oakland - 10:10 PM EST (Game 2/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Price (9-8, 3.67 ERA) 3-7 L10 3-7 L10 away Game 2's
McCarthy (2-5, 3.74 ERA) 5-5 L10 7-3 L10 home Game 2's

Athletics beat Rays, 7-5 on Monday

MLB Betting Notes

July 25, 2011


Whatever happened to the days of when the stolen base was a major force in an offensive attack? While home runs were being jacked out to record proportions over the last 18 years, managers were more reluctant to risk the runner being out and waste a possible two-run home run. But we’ve seen a major decline in power numbers the last two years that might warrant a skipper gambling a little more for those important runs.
When looking at teams that don’t hit for power -- mostly West Coast teams, it’s surprising that they wouldn’t try to make the most out of a single or walk by turning it into a double or triple with stealing a base or two. The Mariners don’t score a lot of runs, but if they were more aggressive with their runners on first, they might be in better position to score.

Of course it takes a good base stealer to do it. Not everyone can steal a base. There is a definite art to it, but it just seems like that art hasn’t been passed down with as much emphasis lately and it kind skipped a generation from the minor leagues all the way up the majors.

The 1980’s were rampant with speedsters as we watched both Rickey Henderson and Vince Coleman top 100 steals three times each. Last season’s league leaders were Michael Bourn (52) and Juan Pierre (68).

In the 1970’s we had Lou Brock getting over 100 bags with Ron Leflore and Omar Moreno coming close. Maury Wills hit the century mark in the pitching dominated 1960’s, but then there is a trudging lull in history, a power hitting era, all the way back to Ty Cobb snagging 97 in 1915.

The San Diego Padres, with manager Bud Black, have been the most aggressive on the base paths this season with 108 steals as he tries to maximize his few opportunities to put a runner in scoring position. Their success rate has been a very good 80%, but their win rate is still one of the worst in baseball.

Black played in the era when Coleman and Henderson wreaked havoc in games and may be ahead of the curve a little bit. Many of the current managers played, or were heavily involved in the game at that time as well, so perhaps, someone is just waiting for a team to be successful to follow the winning formula.

Whitey Herzog’s Cardinals from the 1980’s should still serve as the blue print for any manager pondering a more aggressive approach on the bases. They killed with speed and stole wins regularly to three pennants and a Championship.

From a fan standpoint, there aren’t too many more exciting things in baseball than the battle between a top flight base stealer against the pitcher and catcher when everyone in the stadium knows the runner is going, and then does it.

Perhaps just watching Rickey Henderson so much in the 80’s spoiled me to the point where I think it can be recreated rather than accepting that he may have been a once in a lifetime legend. But when I see catchers collectively throwing out only 26% of the runners, I have to believe that a more aggressive approach to get runners in scoring position in this new less powerful era would be a winning move.

Hamilton Day-Break

Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton has been having trouble with his eyesight during day games this season. In the day, he’s hitting ,111 (7-for-63) with no home runs and 24 strikeouts. At night, Hamilton hits a robust .358 (69-for-193) with 13 home runs and 25 strikeouts.

After expressing that he may be having some issues with his vision, he was diagnosed with ‘blue eyes’ which allows more light during the day to the cornea. Hamilton has been told that it’s possible that dried up sweat from the night before forms a thin layer of film over his eyes. Between lots of eye drops and wearing sunglasses, Hamilton hopes to improve upon his day struggles.

If looking for a betting angle because of it, it’s not there. The Rangers are 16-14 in day games this season. However, the combination of Hamilton not seeing well in the day and slugging third-baseman Adrian Beltre being recently put on the disabled list could be cause for a bet-against. The Rangers play days games at Toronto on Saturday and Sunday.

Mid-Season Call Ups

We had a few top prospects get mid-season call-ups from the minors and the first casualty came last week when the Padres sent down first-baseman Anthony Rizzo after batting only .143 in 35 games. He was in a July funk that saw him go 4-for-41 (.098) and get one hit in his final 25 bats.

It’s a tough decision teams have to make regarding their top prospects. Most of them are having great seasons in the minors, but the call up to the big leagues can be overwhelming for some. The team doesn’t want the players’ success to be wasted in the minors when he could be doing in the majors, but they also want to groom him properly to be ready for the daily pressure. Bringing up a player too soon could have a negative lasting affect that ruins the investment made in him. In Rizzo’s case, they gave up Adrian Gonzalez who is an AL MVP candidate in Boston right now.

Last week the Tampa Bay Rays finally called up one of the baseball’s top prospects, Desmond Jennings, a 24-year-old outfielder, may have spent too much time in the minors for such a highly sought after prospect. He got the September call up last year and even got to play in two postseason games, but had to wait until last week to get a big league at-bat this season. He responded big going 4-for-6 in his first two games with two doubles and a triple and it‘s likely that he‘s there to stay.

Dustin Ackley was the second player taken overall by the Mariners in the 2009 draft after leading North Carolina to three straight College World Series appearances. After a year-and-a-half in the minors, Seattle called him on June 17 and in just over a month of play, he’s now batting third in the lineup and hitting .297. Perhaps his college play on the large stage helped his rapid advancement, but it’s apparent that he is ready to be a big-league player and the team made the right move.

Anaheim’s Mike Trout, a 19-year-old, got his call up to the majors quickly after winning just about every minor league award possible last season. He’s got the rare five-tool combination that all teams covet, but he started out slowly his first two weeks in the majors batting .133 coming into last weekend’s series at Baltimore. In that series, Trout had his coming of age party and proved he could play in the majors going 3-for-9 with his first home run and first stolen base. Prior to that Baltimore series, several writers were suggesting that Trout was brought up too soon and could damage the progression of his career.

Vegas Star in Hall

Congratulations go out to former Las Vegas Stars second-baseman Roberto Alomar who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. He is second Stars player to be inducted. Tony Gwynn played 17 games for the Stars in 1983, the first year of Triple-A baseball in Las Vegas. Although Alomar only played in Las Vegas for a little over a week in 1988 before getting called up to the Padres, we’re still proud to have been associated with just a little part of his great career and call him one of ours.

In 2014, Las Vegans will be able to rejoice when home grown candidate, Greg Maddux, gets inducted as a first ballot hall-of-famer.

MLB Series Outlook: San Francisco at Philadelphia

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (59-43, +11.0 Units)

at PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (64-37, +12.4 Units)


Sportsbook.com Series Line: Philadelphia -180, San Francisco +140

The last time we saw the National League’s two best teams, San Francisco and Philadelphia, hooking up on the diamond was last October. Ryan Howard went down looking at strike three. The tying and winning runs were left stranded on base, Brian Wilson’s lovely beard lived to see another day (and then some), and the Giants celebrated a National League Pennant, ending Philly’s two-year reign.

Today, the two teams continue to dominate their respective divisions despite a plethora of debilitating injuries to key position players up and down their lineups. Once again, the Giants and Phils are doing it with pitching and plenty of it. That starting pitching will be on display over the next three days at Citizens Bank Park, though not as much as normal. While the Phillies will have to deal with Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, who combined for two victories in last year’s NLCS, San Francisco will miss out on facing Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. Both teams are 7-3 since the All-Star break, but the Giants have the pitching edge in two of the three games. In a slight upset, expect SAN FRANCISCO to win the series.

The FoxSheets show a four-star reason to pick the Giants.

Play On - Road teams when the money line is +125 to -125 (SAN FRANCISCO) - with a starting pitcher whose gives up 5.5 or less hits/start against opponent with a starting pitcher whose winning percentage is better than 80%. (39-13 since 1997.) (75%, +28.8 units. Rating = 4*).

Despite having an offense in the bottom third of the league in runs scored and batting average, an offense that is the only team in the league without a player with 10 homers, the Giants (59-43) continue to find a way to finish games with more runs than the opponent, and a bullpen that is as gritty as the starters they complement. San Francisco relievers are 22-12 with a 2.86 ERA and 1.16 WHIP this year. With 33 runs in their past six games, the Phillies offense is showing signs of waking up for good. Meanwhile, with eight runs in its past four games, the Giants offense is looking like status quo.

Pitching Probables for Tuesday, July 26 - 7:05 ET
Tuesday line: Philadelphia -115, San Francisco +105, Total: 7
SF: 12-9 (-0.75 Units) when Tim Lincecum starts
PHI: 8-2 (+6.10 Units) when Vance Worley starts
At 6-1 with a 2.02 ERA, Vance Worley has done as good a job as anyone could have expected when it comes to filling the shoes of one of Philadelphia’s four aces, in this case, Roy Oswalt. Now he gets a chance to really see what it feels like to go toe-to-toe with an ace, when he tries to out-duel “The Freak” Tim Lincecum. Worley has won four straight starts and has led the Phillies to wins in each of his past six outings. During that stretch the young right-hander has allowed just four earned runs (0.94 ERA). If stinginess is a prerequisite for beating Lincecum, then the Phils might have one of their best candidates on the mound Tuesday. While “The Freak” is only 8-8 on the year, his 2.90 ERA is a testament to how well he has pitched this season. Still, rare is the moment that Lincecum is the one with the higher ERA in a pitching matchup. Worley will be facing Frisco for the first time in his young career, while Lincecum is 3-2 lifetime versus Philly, winning Game 1 of last year’s NLCS (defeating Roy Halladay) before losing Game 5 of the same series.

Pitching Probables for Wednesday, July 27 - 7:05 ET
Wednesday line: TBD
SF: 4-3 (+1.55 Units) when Barry Zito starts
PHI: 14-7 (+3.05 Units) when Cole Hamels starts
Normally Cole Hamels’ stats (12-5, 2.62 ERA, 0.96 WHIP) would be cause for Cy Young front-runner status, but with teammate Roy Halladay and Jair Jurrjens pitching in the same league and controlling the Cy Young debate, Hamels will have to settle for being the Jack Tripper of the NL (“Three’s Company”). Nonetheless, the Giants will have to prepare as if they’re taking on an ace. Maybe the best thing they could do is to dress up in New York Mets uniforms. Hamels is 1-2, and has allowed 22 hits and 15 runs in 14 innings versus the Mets; he is 11-3 against the rest of the league. If the “rest of the league” Hamels shows up Wednesday night, it could be a long night for the Giants. Barry Zito will try and keep his team in the game. He has won three of his past four starts since returning to the rotation, but in his most recent outing versus the Padres (a team not normally confused with the ’27 Yankees), he was pounded for seven hits and eight runs in 3.2 innings.

Pitching Probables for Thursday, July 28 - 7:05 ET
Thursday line: TBD
SF: 13-8 (+3.90 Units) when Matt Cain starts
PHI: 5-4 (+0.90 Units) when Kyle Kendrick starts
Cain was very able last October when he shut down the Phillies in Game 3 of the NLCS, out-dueling Cole Hamels that afternoon, and allowing his team to take a lead in the series that they ultimately never relinquished. In his past five starts, though, Cain is 1-2 with two no-decisions. Still, his ERA is an impressive 3.06. Kendrick, who has been Mr. Everything on the Phils pitching staff this year (short man, long relief, spot starter, now-extended spot starter), has an ERA close to 4.00 and has taken four no-decisions in his past six outings. He also does not strike out that many batters (his season high is five), but where Kendrick excels is keeping his team in the game. If this series, and this game, takes on a playoff atmosphere (and there is little reason that it shouldn’t), then Kendrick will have to be at his very best. If Cain takes his game to playoff-atmosphere mode, that could be bad news for the home team. Cain is 2-0 in three career postseason starts, and has not allowed an earned run in 21.1 innings pitched.

Chicago looks for 4th straight win Tuesday

DETROIT TIGERS (54-48, +0.4 Units)

at CHICAGO WHITE SOX (50-51, -4.9 Units)


First pitch: Tuesday, 8:10 p.m. EDT
Line: Detroit -155, Chicago +145, Total: 7.5

Sportsbook.com Prop Bets:
Detroit Total Runs: 4 – Over (-115), Under (-115)
Chicago Total Runs: 3 – Over (-115), Under (-115)
Team to Score First: Detroit (-180), Chicago (+150)
Justin Verlander Total Strikeouts: 6.5 – Over (-105), Under (-125)

The White Sox try to win their fourth straight contest when they host Detroit for the second of a three-game set on Tuesday night at Comerica Park. Chicago beat the Tigers 6-3 on Monday to creep to 3½ games behind them atop the AL Central.

This game will pit two big-name pitchers in Justin Verlander and Jake Peavy. Chicago crushed Verlander 8-2 less than two weeks ago on July 15, starting a good stretch of baseball that has seen the South Siders go 6-3. During this run, the White Sox pitching has been brilliant, posting a 1.79 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. But Peavy has been struggling lately and so have the Chicago bats, hitting .226 over the past seven games. That doesn’t bode well against Verlander who has thrown 10 quality starts in his past 11 outings, with the lone exception being the game versus Chicago when he allowed 4 ER in six innings. The pick here is DETROIT.

The FoxSheets provide two more reasons to side with the Tigers.

DETROIT is 37-20 (64.9%, +16.4 Units) against the money line vs. teams who strand 6.9 or less runners on base per game this season. The average score was DETROIT 5.0, OPPONENT 3.8 - (Rating = 2*).

VERLANDER is 21-3 (87.5%, +15.1 Units) against the money line as a favorite of -150 or more over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record). The average score was VERLANDER 5.5, OPPONENT 2.8 - (Rating = 1*).

The Tigers have been a good play as a favorite this season, going 39-26 (60%, +4.1 Units), including 14-6 (70%, +4.9 Units) when favored with Verlander on the mound. Detroit is also 22-12 (65%, +7.7 Units) in division play. Meanwhile, Chicago has been a terrible bet both at home (22-25, -11.8 Units) and against AL Central foes (14-19, -8.5 Units).

Verlander (13-5, 2.24 ERA) has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this year with 162 strikeouts in 165 innings and a miniscule .191 opponents’ batting average. His road numbers are even more impressive at 6-2, 1.98 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 74 K, 13 BB and .183 opp. BA. After going winless in his first eight career starts at U.S. Cellular Field (0-6, 5.92 ERA), he has really learned how to pitch in Chicago over the past three seasons, going 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 24 strikeouts and just three walks.

Peavy finally ended a skid of six consecutive non-quality starts (6.98 ERA, 1.55 WHIP) when he pitched six innings and allowed three runs versus K.C. in his last outing on July 19. The last time he faced Detroit was June 5 when he was knocked around for six runs in just four innings of work. Peavy has a 5.23 ERA at U.S. Cellular Field this year, and with the Tigers’ bats heating up (.303 BA, .437 slugging pct. in past seven contests), he could be in for a long night.

MLB Series Outlook: Seattle at N.Y. Yankees

SEATTLE MARINERS (43-58, -14.8 Units)

at NEW YORK YANKEES (59-40, +6.0 Units)


Sportsbook.com Series Line: New York -360, Seattle +280

It’s never a good time to play a team that has the third-best winning percentage in baseball (.596) like the 59-40 New York Yankees. When you’re the Seattle Mariners, and you’ve lost a franchise record 15 straight games, it’s not a good time to play anybody. The Bad News Bears would be a formidable opponent for Eric Wedge’s 43-58 team. Wedge, desperate for a change in karma, cut off his mustache before Sunday’s game. Late into the game, the closest the Mariners came to being inspired by their manager was when a late grand slam by Brendan Ryan cut into the Red Sox lead the way Wedge cut into his lip hairs. Wedge took out all of the mustache, his team, down eight at the time, could not take out all of the lead as the BoSox defeated them, 12-8. "This is definitely frustrating," Ryan said. "There aren't too many laughs now. There shouldn't be."

The Yankees enter the three-game set coming off of a series victory over the Oakland Athletics, doing it with an explosive offense, which generated 27 runs and 35 hits over the three games. The pick here is for heavily-favored NEW YORK to win the series from the struggling Mariners.

These FoxSheets back up the Yankees with these highly-rated trends.

Play Against - Any team (SEATTLE) - terrible offensive team (<=4.2 runs/game) against a very good starting pitcher (ERA<=3.50) (AL), after allowing 9 runs or more. (50-15 over the last 5 seasons.) (76.9%, +32.3 units. Rating = 4*).

Play On - All favorites with a money line of -150 or more (NY YANKEES) - below average hitting team (AVG <=.265) against a good starting pitcher (ERA <=4.20) -AL, with a starting pitcher whose ERA is 4.20 or better on the season (AL). (176-56 since 1997.) (75.9%, +81.6 units. Rating = 3*).

While the Mariners enjoyed some success earlier this season against the Bronx Bombers, taking two of three from New York, they have struggled recently at Yankee Stadium, dropping 13 of the past 17 visits. Since June 10, the M’s have been dreadful on the road, losing 11 straight contests. That is in stark contrast to the Yankees who are 15-4 at home during that same timeframe.

Pitching Probables for Tuesday, July 26 - 7:05 ET
Tuesday line: TBD
SEA: 5-15 (-9.05 Units) when Doug Fister starts
NYY: 16-6 (+6.85 Units) when CC Sabathia starts
Maybe Doug Fister will come out Tuesday and pitch like he’s the 14-game winner and perennial Cy Young candidate. Maybe Sabathia will become very human and look like a guy who is 3-11 on the year. Maybe pigs will fly. If you don’t believe in pitchers switching bodies, or bodies of work, the Yankees would appear to have the distinct advantage in this matchup. Sabathia defeated Seattle in May when he went eight innings and basically made just one mistake, a solo HR in the sixth inning to Justin Smoak. Sabathia has been borderline unconscious of late, winning seven of his past eight outings. The only loss came in his last start, a 2-1 defeat against Tampa Bay’s James Shields, a pitchers’ duel in the truest sense of the word. On May 30, Fister went 7.1 innings against the Orioles, allowing three runs and earning the win. That was the last time that Fister made his way into the win column this year. He has lost six games and had another three no-decisions in that stretch.

Pitching Probables for Wednesday, July 27 - 1:05 ET
Wednesday line: TBD
SEA: 11-11 (-2.70 Units) when Felix Hernandez starts
NYY: 3-3 (-0.70 Units) when Phil Hughes starts
If Phil Hughes is to assure the Yankees brass that he is back and at full strength since missing half of April and all of May and June with arm trouble, he will get the ultimate measuring stick when he is scheduled to start opposite “King” Felix Hernandez in a matinee affair on Wednesday. Considering the bottom-of-the-basement offense that the Mariners put on the field every day, the fact that Hernandez is 8-9 with a 3.47 ERA is a minor miracle. Nonetheless, he is human, evidenced by his last start when he allowed six runs and 11 hits over 6.1 innings as he was on the short end of a 7-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Hughes is looking to greatly improve on his last outing, when his team’s 17-run explosion was almost enough to overshadow the fact that he allowed seven runs on nine hits over 4.1 innings. Not exactly a quality start. Seattle enters this series with the worst hitting and lowest-scoring offense in baseball. New York enters a ridiculous 29-6 (83%, +21.2 Units) in day games this year. If Hughes struggles against this team like he did last Friday, expect fan hysteria in the Bronx to go into hyper mode with the trade deadline fast approaching.

MLB Series Outlook: Colorado at L.A. Dodgers

COLORADO ROCKIES (48-54, -19.4 Units)

at LOS ANGELES DODGERS (45-56, -14.9 Units)


Sportsbook.com Series Line: Los Angeles -150, Colorado +120

NL West rivals Colorado and Los Angeles open a three-game series on Monday night at Dodger Stadium. Neither team is playing very well heading into this week's series. The Rockies dropped their weekend series at Arizona, including losing the last two games by a combined score of 19-3. It was their sixth setback in nine games. Meanwhile, the Dodgers are just 3-5 in their past eight games, but did manage to take two of three from Washington at home.

Colorado is just 22-28 on the road, while L.A. is 25-28 at home. But the Dodgers, who will likely be favored in all three games, are 28-26 as a favorite this season, while the Rockies are a dismal 8-20 as an underdog. With the Dodgers having a huge edge in head-to-head meetings with the Rockies in the past three seasons (29-16, +16.9 Units), including 14-7 at Dodger Stadium, the pick here is for LOS ANGELES to win the series.

These two FoxSheets trends also like the Dodgers to take this series.

L.A. DODGERS are 113-57 (66.5%, +40.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a marginal losing team (Win Pct. 46% to 49%) in the second half of the season since 1997. The average score was L.A. DODGERS 5.1, OPPONENT 4.0 - (Rating = 1*).

COLORADO is 10-24 (29.4%, -17.1 Units) against the money line in road games vs. a decent bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 to 1.450 over the last 2 seasons. The average score was COLORADO 3.2, OPPONENT 4.2 - (Rating = 1*).

Pitching Probables for Tuesday, July 26 - 10:10 ET
Tuesday line: TBD
COL: 10-10 (-3.50 Units) when Jhoulys Chacin starts
LAD: 13-8 (+3.35 Units) when Clayton Kershaw starts
Jhoulys Chacin (8-7, 3.60 ERA, 127.2 IP) is coming off consecutive no-decisions, and has lost three straight prior to those outings. Chacin allowed five earned runs (in 4.2 IP) for the second straight game in a 9-6 Rockies loss to Atlanta on July 21. He owns a 6.43 ERA over his past five outings (28 innings). But he's had two outstanding starts versus the Dodgers this season. In a 6-5 win on June 10, he pitched eight innings and gave up three hits and no earned runs with nine strikeouts. In a 3-0 victory over L.A. on April 5, he threw seven shutout innings and allowed only five hits. Chacin is 5-3 with a stellar 2.04 ERA in eight career starts (nine appearances) against the Dodgers.
Clayton Kershaw (11-4, 2.72 ERA, 145.2 IP) is aiming for his fourth straight victory on Tuesday. Kershaw is 5-1 in his past six starts and has gone at least six innings in each of those games. The left-hander has not given up a run in his past three outings (23 innings) and owns a 29-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio during that span. Kershaw has faced the Rockies twice in 2011, and owns a no-decision and a loss against them with both starts coming at Coors Field. On June 9, he allowed six runs in six innings, and previously on April 5, he gave up three runs in six innings in a 3-0 loss. He is 5-4 with a 4.07 ERA in 15 career starts against Colorado, but has been brilliant at home this season (7-1 with a 1.88 ERA and 0.87 WHIP in 11 starts).

Pitching Probables for Wednesday, July 27 - 10:10 ET
Wednesday line: TBD
COL: 2-6 (-4.15 Units) when Aaron Cook starts
LAD: 7-13 (+-8.00 Units) when Hiroki Kuroda starts
After an 0-5 start to his season, Aaron Cook (1-5, 5.84 ERA, 44.2 IP) picked up his first win in eight starts on July 22 versus Arizona, 8-4. In six innings, he gave up four runs and eight hits. The right-hander is 6-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 17 career starts (22 appearances) against the Dodgers, and is just 1-2 with a 7.66 ERA in four road starts this season.
Hiroki Kuroda (6-12, 3.19 ERA, 127 IP) has pitched pretty well despite his win-loss mark this season. He will be looking to end a three-game losing skid in the finale of the series on Wednesday. The right-hander has surrendered three runs or less in 15 of his 20 starts, including his most recent outing, a 7-2 loss to Washington on July 22, in which he gave up seven hits and three runs in 6.1 innings. But his career numbers against Colorado have not been pretty. In eight starts against the Rockies, he's 0-4 with a 6.36 ERA.

Tuesday’s betting tips: Yanks huge faves vs. sinking M’s

Who’ hot

MLB: Cleveland has won 13 of Josh Tomlin’s last 16 home starts.

MLB: Boston has won 23 of its last 31 home games.

WNBA: Atlanta has covered 10 of its last 14 games at home.

Who’s not

MLB: The Seattle Mariners had lost 15 straight games heading into Sunday’s action, the longest slump in the club’s 35-year history. They’re set as huge +285 underdogs in New York against the Yankees.

MLB: Texas is 1-7 in its last eight meetings with Minnesota.

WNBA: Washington has covered the spread in only four of their last 16 games overall.

Key stat

2.44 – The San Diego Padres are giving Dustin Moseley just 2.44 runs of support this season, leaving the righty with a 3-9 record. The Padres are just 5-14 in Moseley’s starts putting his supporters down 8.04 units on the year.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Lance Berkman, St. Louis Cardinals – Berkman sat out Monday’s game with a strained rotator cuff and is considered questionable for Tuesday’s game against Houston. The right fielder leads St. Louis with 27 home runs.

Game of the day

San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies (-110, 9)

Notable quotable

"We've had a rough start, but we like our chances going into August. We're definitely not down. If anything, we're looking at the upside. I think a lot of people are going to be surprised in the second half of the season how much better basketball we're going to play." – Swim Cash on her Seattle Storm heading into Tuesday’s road date in Phoenix. The Storm are currently set as 7-point underdogs.

Notes and tips

The Baltimore Orioles expect to have Vladimir Guerrero back in the lineup Tuesday after he successfully completed a rehab stint in the minors. Guerrero suffered a fracture in his right hand earlier this month and was hitting .279 with seven homers and 31 RBIs before landing on the shelf.

According to a New York Post report, the Philadelphia Phillies are actively looking for bullpen help ahead of the trade deadline and are “aggressively” pursuing San Diego Padres relievers Heath Bell and Mike Adams. Philadelphia ranks 13th in the bigs with a 3.42 bullpen ERA.

Tuesday's six-pack

Timeline for NFL activity in this most unique situation.....

-- Monday: NFL published free agent list. Teams could sign undrafted free agents beginning at 6 p.m. ET.

-- Tuesday, 10 a.m. ET: Trading begins. Teams can sign rookies and negotiate with, but not sign, veteran free agents.

-- Wednesday: Teams can start reporting to training camp, 15 days before whenever their first preseason game is.

-- Thursday, 4:01 p.m. ET: Teams can begin to cut players.

-- Friday, 6 p.m. ET: Teams can officially sign free agents. Players who sign must report to new teams but can't participate in physical activities until start of league year Aug. 4.

-- Aug. 4, 4:01 p.m. ET: Clubs must be within salary cap.


***********************


Tuesday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but.........

13) Haven’t read a lot about the new NFL labor agreement yet, but one thing surprised me; looks like there will be an 18-game regular season starting in 2013. It comes down to an increase in network TV packages; if the owners/players want more money, they have to come up with more product to show on TV. I’m glad—love watching football on TV.

They’ll need bigger rosters though, to deal with 12.5% more injuries they’ll get in a season that’ll be 12.5% longer in two years.

12) As the baseball trade deadline approaches, would be stunned if there were any Bronx-San Diego trades. Think about it; new Padre GM Jed Hoyer was with the Red Sox for eight years before getting the Friars’ GM gig. He just handed the Red Sox Adrian Gonzalez for three prospects, a single-A outfielder, a AA pitcher and a 1B (Anthony Rizzo) who was so putrid in his big league debut that he’s already back in Tucson. Terrific. This guy Hoyer ain’t going to help the Bronx Bombers. He isn’t helping the Padres much either.

11) Hoyer by the way, is from that sports factory Wesleyan College that also produced Bill Belichick and Eric Mangini. Must be a Phys Ed school.

10) New York City media correctly trashes Bronx Bomber radio guy John Sterling for being inaccurate and self-promoting in his work, but they fail to mention that he’s also saddled with the worst color analyst in modern radio history, Suzyn Waldman. Ms Waldman never does play-by-play; hell, she labors to read the out-of-town scores. She’s pretty much a fan sitting with a headset on offering little in the way of insight but rooting hard as hell for the home team. Makes for a dreadful broadcast.

9) Was surprised to learn that Pat Gillick was the first GM inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown since 1971. Wow.

8) Am hoping that someday soon baseball writers will do the right thing and elect pitching coach Dave Duncan to the Hall of Fame. He deserves it. So does the doctor who invented Tommy John surgery.

7) Sunday night NFL game in Week 2 is Eagles at Falcons, Michael Vick’s return to the Georgia Dome. Good theater.

6) On June 21, Madison Bumgarner allowed eight consecutive hits to start a game against Minnesota, since then, in five starts, he is 2-0, 2.88. Not sure if he was tipping pitches or what, but something changed drastically for the better after that Minnesota game.

5) Reds/Cardinals are tied for major league lead with ten walk-off losses, not the category you want to be leading in.

4) Cincinnati’s loss Monday night made them 1-13 in the game following their last 14 wins; they can’t stand prosperity. Hard to move up in the standings if you rarely win consecutive games.

3) Phillies are 39-15 in games Roy Halladay has started for them. That’s called getting your money’s worth.

2) Huge effort by Toronto’s Brett Cecil Sunday night, tossing a 121-pitch complete game shutout against the Rangers in Arlington on a night where the temp at first pitch was 105. Has to be the best-pitched game in the big leagues all season, considering the heat and the opponent.

Rangers went out and scored 20 runs Monday night, by the way.

1) Read somewhere today that Judge Judy, the most annoying woman on TV, makes $45M a year and works five days a month. What a country.

MLB
Dunkel


Arizona at San Diego
The Diamondbacks look to take advantage of a San Diego team that is 1-6 in Dustin Moseley's last 7 home starts. Arizona is the pick (+100) according to Dunkel, which has the Diamondbacks favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+100). Here are all of today's picks.

TUESDAY, JULY 26

Game 901-902: Florida at Washington (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Nolasco) 15.119; Washington (Zimmermann) 14.715
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Washington (-150); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida (+130); Over

Game 903-904: San Francisco at Philadelphia (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Lincecum) 15.347; Philadelphia (Worley) 16.483
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1; 6
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-115); 7
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-115); Under

Game 905-906: Pittsburgh at Atlanta (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Karstens) 14.005; Atlanta (Hanson) 15.343
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-180); 7
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-180); Over

Game 907-908: NY Mets at Cincinnati (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Niese) 15.911; Cincinnati (Cueto) 15.005
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1; 7
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-165); 8
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (+145); Under

Game 909-910: Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Dempster) 15.904; Milwaukee (Narveson) 14.733
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-140); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (+120); Under

Game 911-912: Houston at St. Louis (8:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Myers) 13.438; St. Louis (Westbrook) 15.983
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 2 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-170); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-170); Over

Game 913-914: Arizona at San Diego (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Saunders) 16.443; San Diego (Moseley) 15.156
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: San Diego (-120); 7
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+100); Over

Game 915-916: Colorado at LA Dodgers (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Chacin) 13.815; LA Dodgers (Kershaw) 14.923
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1; 5 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-150); 6
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-150); Under

Game 917-918: LA Angels at Cleveland (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Weaver) 15.466; Cleveland (Tomlin) 14.597
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-135); 7
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-135); Over

Game 919-920: Seattle at NY Yankees (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Fister) 13.431; NY Yankees (Sabathia) 17.014
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 3 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-320); 8
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-320); Under

Game 921-922: Baltimore at Toronto (7:07 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Arrieta) 15.643; Toronto (Morrow) 15.220
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Toronto (-180); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (+160); Over

Game 923-924: Kansas City at Boston (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Duffy) 15.492; Boston (Miller) 16.114
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Boston (-200); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-200); Under

Game 925-926: Minnesota at Texas (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Pavano) 13.905; Texas (Wilson) 16.295
Dunkel Line: Texas by 2 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Texas (-210); 9
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-210); Under

Game 927-928: Detroit at Chicago White Sox (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Verlander) 16.061; White Sox (Peavy) 14.846
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Detroit (-155); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-155); Over

Game 929-930: Tampa Bay at Oakland (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Price) 16.948; Oakland (McCarthy) 15.826
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-140); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-140); Over

MLB
Write-Up


Tuesday, July 26

Hot pitchers
-- Zimmerman is 4-2, 2.26 in his last nine starts.
-- Worley is 5-0, 0.94 in his last six starts. Lincecum is 3-2, 1.66 in his last six outings.
-- Karstens is 3-1, 1.80 in his last four starts.
-- Niese is 4-0, 2.70 in his last four road starts. Cueto is 4-2, 2.15 in his last ten starts.
-- Dempster is 2-1, 3.75 in his last four starts. Narveson is 1-1, 2.37 in his last three starts.
-- Saunders is 3-1, 2.54 in his last six starts.
-- Kershaw is 3-0, 1.57 in his last three starts.

-- Weaver is 6-0, 1.01 in his last seven starts.
-- Sabathia is 5-1, 0.76 in his last six starts.
-- Morrow is 4-0, 3.21 in his last five starts.
-- Red Sox are 5-1 when Miller starts (4-1, 4.94).
-- Verlander is 8-2, 1.49 in his last ten starts.
-- Wilson is 3-1, 2.48 in his last five starts.

Cold pitchers
-- Nolasco allowed nine runs in 1.1 IP in his last start, after being 2-2 in his previous four starts, with a 1.13 RA.
-- Hanson is 1-1, 8.74 in his last couple starts.
-- Myers is 0-4, 5.64 in his last five starts. Westbrook is 0-0, 7.71 in his last four home starts.
-- Moseley is 1-3, 5.49 in his last seven starts.
-- Chacin is 0-3, 6.75 in his last five starts.

-- Tomlin has a 6.88 RA in his last three starts.
-- Fister is 0-2, 5.49 in his last three starts.
-- Arrieta is 0-3, 7.59 in his last four starts.
-- Duffy is 1-2, 4.08 in his last five starts.
-- Pavano is 1-2, 5.08 in his last five starts.
-- Peavy is 0-3, 6.85 in his last four starts.
-- Price is 1-2, 4.81 in his last four starts. McCarthy has a 6.06 RA in his last three starts.

Totals
-- Seven of last nine Florida road games went over the total.
-- Giants' last six road games went over the total.
-- Over is 7-3 in Atlanta's last ten home games. Under is 9-1 in last ten Karstens starts.
-- Over is 7-3-1 in Mets' last eleven games.
-- Over is 5-1-1 in Cubs' last seven road games.
-- Over is 4-1-1 in Cardinals' last six games.
-- Last four games at Petco Park went over the total.
-- Nine of last thirteen Dodger home games stayed under the total. Six of last eight Colorado games went over the total.

-- Last four Cleveland home games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 8-1-1 in Seattle's last ten road games.
-- Seven of last nine Oriole road games went over the total.
-- Nine of last ten Kansas City games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 3-1-1 in last five Wilson starts.
-- Under is 7-0-1 in White Sox' last eight games.
-- Six of last seven Oakland games went over the total.

Hot Teams
-- Marlins won six of their last seven road games.
-- Phillies won 16 of their last 20 home games. Giants are 9-3 in their last 12 games overall.
-- Pirates won four of their last five road games.
-- Cardinals won four of their last five games.
-- Arizona won three of its last four games.
-- Dodgers won six of their last seven home games.

-- Bronx won 16 of its last 20 home games.
-- Toronto won six of its last eight home games.
-- Red Sox won seven of their last nine games. Royals won five of last six games.
-- Texas won ten of its last eleven home games.
-- Angels won four of their last six games.
-- White Sox are 6-3 since All-Star break, allowing 19 runs.
-- Oakland won five of its last six home games.

Cold Teams
-- Nationals lost four of their last five games.
-- Atlanta lost its last three games, scoring six runs.
-- Cubs lost seven of their last nine road games. Milwaukee lost three of its last four games.
-- Astros lost 13 of their last 15 road games.
-- Cincinnati is 8-11 in its last 19 games. Mets are 3-5 in their last five away games.
-- San Diego lost 11 of its last 16 games.
-- Colorado is 3-10 in its last thirteen road games.

-- Seattle lost its last 16 games; they've been outscored 73-34 in their 11 games since the All-Star break.
-- Cleveland lost five of its last six home games.
-- Baltimore lost its last seven road games.
-- Minnesota lost four of its last five games.
-- Tampa Bay is 8-13 in its last twenty-one games.

Umpires
-- Pitt-Atl-- Under is 6-0-1 in last seven Meals games.
-- NY-Cin-- Four of last five Diaz games went over the total.
-- Hst-StL-- Four of last five Blaser games went over the total.
-- Colo-LA-- Five of last seven Bellino games stayed under total.

-- LA-Clev-- Underdogs won last four Estabrook games.
-- Sea-NY-- Six of last eight Davidsongames stayed under total.
-- KC-Bos-- Favorites won five of last six Culbreth games.
-- Minn-Tex-- Underdogs are 9-4 in last thirteen Everitt games.
-- Det-Chi-- Seven of last nine Kulpa games stayed under total.
-- TB-A's-- Underdog is 8-5 in last 13 West games, with three of last four going over the total.

Let's do this! Good luck BRADDAH!

MLB


Tuesday, July 26

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Trend Report
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7:05 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. PHILADELPHIA
San Francisco is 7-15 SU in its last 22 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
San Francisco is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
Philadelphia is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games when playing at home against San Francisco
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games at home

7:05 PM
SEATTLE vs. NY YANKEES
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Seattle's last 7 games on the road
Seattle is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing NY Yankees
The total has gone OVER in 10 of NY Yankees's last 14 games when playing at home against Seattle
NY Yankees are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing Seattle

7:05 PM
LA ANGELS vs. CLEVELAND
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of LA Angels's last 14 games when playing Cleveland
LA Angels are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Cleveland's last 14 games when playing LA Angels

7:05 PM
FLORIDA vs. WASHINGTON
Florida is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Florida's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Washington's last 13 games at home
Washington is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games at home

7:07 PM
BALTIMORE vs. TORONTO
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Baltimore's last 5 games
Baltimore is 1-16 SU in its last 17 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto is 16-1 SU in its last 17 games when playing at home against Baltimore
Toronto is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home

7:10 PM
KANSAS CITY vs. BOSTON
Kansas City is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games when playing Boston
Kansas City is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games when playing at home against Kansas City
Boston is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Kansas City

7:10 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. ATLANTA
Pittsburgh is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Atlanta's last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games at home

7:10 PM
NY METS vs. CINCINNATI
NY Mets are 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Mets's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Cincinnati's last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cincinnati's last 6 games at home

8:05 PM
MINNESOTA vs. TEXAS
Minnesota is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
Minnesota is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Texas
Texas is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games at home
Texas is 15-3 SU in its last 18 games

8:10 PM
DETROIT vs. CHI WHITE SOX
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Detroit's last 8 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
Detroit is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games on the road
Chi White Sox are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Chi White Sox's last 18 games when playing Detroit

8:10 PM
CHI CUBS vs. MILWAUKEE
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 5 games when playing Milwaukee
Milwaukee is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games when playing Chi Cubs

8:15 PM
HOUSTON vs. ST. LOUIS
Houston is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing St. Louis
Houston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
St. Louis is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Houston
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

10:05 PM
ARIZONA vs. SAN DIEGO
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Arizona's last 9 games when playing on the road against San Diego
Arizona is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against San Diego
The total has gone OVER in 8 of San Diego's last 11 games
San Diego is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Arizona

10:05 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. OAKLAND
Tampa Bay is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Oakland's last 10 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
Oakland is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Tampa Bay

10:10 PM
COLORADO vs. LA DODGERS
Colorado is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
Colorado is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Dodgers's last 5 games when playing Colorado
LA Dodgers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games

MLB


Tuesday, July 26

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Tuesday's streaking and slumping starting pitchers
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Streaking

Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels (13-4, 1.81 ERA)

It was just another day at the office for Weaver in his last trip to the hill as he chucked seven shutout innings in a 1-0 win over the mighty Texas Rangers. The 6-foot-7 ace struck out six while walking a pair of batters.

Weaver hasn’t been tagged with loss since May 18 and the Angels are 6-1 in his last seven starts.

Vance Worley, Philadelphia Phillies (6-1, 2.02 ERA)

Worley just threw a career-high eighth innings in a 9-1 blowout of the Chicago Cubs last week and is now 4-0 with a 0.94 ERA in his last six starts.
He fired 122 pitches in the win, which was the sixth time he topped the 120-pitch mark.

“We felt like getting him up in his pitch count on a day like today, that definitely ought to help him,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “We’ll see how he reacts the next time out.”


Slumping

Jhoulys Chacin, Colorado Rockies (8-7, 3.60 ERA)

Chacin’s slide continues as the team has lost each of his last five outings.

He gave up five runs over 4 2/3 innings in a 9-6 loss to the Atlanta and struggled with his control from the first batter he faced. Chacin ended up walking seven batters and serving up a couple of dingers.

That was the worst start I've had throughout my career," Chacin said. "I couldn't throw anything over the plate. I have to work and find what I need to do to keep the ball over the plate."

Jordan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals (6-8, 3.00 ERA)

Zimmerman hasn’t allowed a run in three of his last five outings, but everything went wrong in his last start when he gave up six earned runs over five innings against the Houston Astros.

The six runs were the most he’d allowed all season.

“I just didn’t have a good feel for much of anything,” Zimmermann told reporters. “My slider was pretty terrible tonight and I had a rough time locating the fastball. When you have nights like that, you’re going to get hit around.”

MLB


Tuesday, July 26

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Rounding the bases: This week's best MLB trends
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Every week, we update you on who's hot, who's not and situational betting spots in Major League Baseball.

HOT TEAM: Philadelphia Phillies

THIS SEASON: 64-36
LAST WEEK: 5-1

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE: Home to the Padres for one, home to the Giants for three, home to the Pirates for three.

THE SKINNY: OK, so we’re not breaking any ground taking the league’s best team here, we know. But if you’re in the business of wins, and you don’t mind the price, keep the Phillies are on your radar this week. Philadelphia is in the midst of a lengthy 10-game homestand, they have their pitching lined up the right way after mixing and matching it after the All-Star break, and motivation is on their side.

After closing a four-gamer with the Padres on Monday afternoon, the Phillies, who took a five-game winning streak into Monday’s matinee, welcome the Giants to Citizens Bank Park for three games. This is the same San Francisco team that eliminated the Phillies in six games last year in the NLCS.

Philadelphia has won nine of the last 10 series, and have been routinely taking two of three from just about everyone they play this year. When you have Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, of course, it makes things easier, doesn’t it?

COLD TEAM: Seattle Mariners

THIS SEASON: 43-58
LAST WEEK: 0-6

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE: At the Yankees for three, home to the Rays for three.

THE SKINNY: Again, we cannot stray from the obvious here. When you head into a series with the Yankees, while riding a 15-game losing streak, you’re going to land in this real-estate district.

Seattle, which was hanging around a little longer than expected in the AL West just a few weeks ago, is now in dead last, and closed Sunday’s action 15 games behind first-place Texas.

When the offense is there, like Sunday vs. Boston in a 12-8 loss, the pitching doesn’t cooperate. When the pitching is there, like Saturday vs. Boston in a 3-1 loss, the offense doesn’t cooperate.

The schedule is not on their side, either, the rest of the month, though there is a break coming in the first week of August, when woeful Oakland finally lands on their docket. Until then, be careful with this club. Very little value, and the morale seems to be decreasing with every day.

OVER TEAM: Colorado Rockies

O/U THIS SEASON: 52-46-4
O/U LAST WEEK: 5-2

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE: At the Dodgers for three, at the Padres for three.

THE SKINNY: This current version of Rockies can rake a little, as seen by their overall O-U record, and the going’s been good of late. Of course, they were six games under .500 through Sunday, and going nowhere fast, but Colorado is putting up some nice numbers in over-land. And for totals players, that is all that matters.

Before Sunday’s 7-0 loss to Arizona, the Rockies had scored 35 runs in their previous six games. And the pitching, or lack of, has cooperated as well. In last week’s seven games, in fact, Colorado allowed 44 runs.

Be careful this week, of course, as the Rockies run into a pair of teams not known for their offense in Los Angeles and San Diego.

UNDER TEAM: Cleveland Indians

O/U THIS SEASON: 49-44-6
O/U LAST WEEK: 1-4-1

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE: Home to the Angels for three, home to the Royals for three.

THE SKINNY: There are only so many hits this Cinderella story’s going to take, right? The Indians, who were so hot, and so fun to watch early on, may just have one too many injuries to make this season as magical as they thought.

Last week, they lost outfielder Grady Sizemore again to the disabled list, and the offense suffered. In a rain-shortened two-game series with Chicago over the weekend, Cleveland scored just two runs ... total.

Through Sunday, the Indians had been held to three runs or less four times since July 17, and had just two regulars -- Asdrubal Cabrera (.289) and Michael Brantley (.281) -- who were hitting above .250.

Listen, the mediocrity that is the American League Central may just keep the Indians alive and well the rest of the season in the standings. But even if they can’t hang the rest of the way, they should still be able to keep under players happy.

MLB


Tuesday, July 26

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Hot lines: Tuesday's best MLB bets
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Arizona Diamondbacks at San Diego Padres (-110, 7)

San Diego supporters got a nice boost to their bankroll when the Padres upset the Phillies 5-4 on Monday as big +225 underdogs.

Chris Denorfia stole home and added an RBI single while Chase Headley added three hits to help the Padres avoid a series sweep. San Diego banged out 11 hits against Cliff Lee and company.

"We came out swinging. We knew we had a challenge with one of the best pitchers in the game. We did some nice things; we got some big hits ... ran the bases aggressively," said Padres manager Bud Black. "We tried to keep Lee from settling in."

San Diego returns home after going 4-3 on its road trip, but home hasn’t been kind to the team this season. While the Padres are 11-2 in their last 13 home games against Arizona, they’re also just 20-30 on home turf this season.

We’ll jump on the D-Backs here.

Pick: Diamondbacks


Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers (-135, 8.5)

It may have taken a while, but the Chicago Cubs finally managed to win three straight games this season by sweeping the lowly Houston Astros over the weekend.

Now the Cubs head out on a 10-game road trip against division rivals Milwaukee, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh. Chicago is well out of the pennant race again this year and you’re starting to hear some loveable loser talk already.

"We're not where we want to be, but we're going to make it difficult on (other teams) all year long," center fielder Marlon Byrd said. "Playing tough teams in the division, we owe it to the rest of the division to battle."

Not to mention the club’s supporters.

The Cubs might be a terrible team to watch these days but Ryan Dempster could help push their winning streak to four games on Tuesday. Chicago has won seven of its last eight games against Milwaukee with Dempster on the bump.

Pick: Cubs

MLB
Long Sheet


Tuesday, July 26

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FLORIDA (49 - 53) at WASHINGTON (49 - 52) - 7:05 PM
RICKY NOLASCO (R) vs. JORDAN ZIMMERMANN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
FLORIDA is 80-107 (-29.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 49-52 (+3.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 28-18 (+10.3 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
WASHINGTON is 10-3 (+9.0 Units) against the money line when playing with a day off this season.
WASHINGTON is 49-52 (+3.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
WASHINGTON is 33-30 (+8.4 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
FLORIDA is 11-4 (+8.4 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +100 to +125 this season.
FLORIDA is 25-21 (+8.5 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
FLORIDA is 69-66 (+21.9 Units) against the money line in road games when playing with a day off since 1997.
FLORIDA is 49-39 (+20.0 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
FLORIDA is 26-20 (+10.5 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field this season.
FLORIDA is 20-12 (+12.5 Units) against the money line in road games in night games this season.
FLORIDA is 62-51 (+21.2 Units) against the money line in road games after a win over the last 3 seasons.
FLORIDA is 31-22 (+10.9 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 15-7 (+9.5 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NOLASCO is 16-7 (+10.7 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
NOLASCO is 16-6 (+11.7 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
NOLASCO is 13-5 (+9.2 Units) against the money line in road games in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
NOLASCO is 15-5 (+10.8 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 4-5 (+0.3 Units) against FLORIDA this season
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.3 Units, Under=-0.7 Units)

RICKY NOLASCO vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
NOLASCO is 7-3 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 3.98 and a WHIP of 1.112.
His team's record is 8-5 (+1.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-9. (-5.6 units)

JORDAN ZIMMERMANN vs. FLORIDA since 1997
ZIMMERMANN is 0-1 when starting against FLORIDA with an ERA of 3.43 and a WHIP of 1.095.
His team's record is 1-3 (-2.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-2. (-1.3 units)

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SAN FRANCISCO (59 - 43) at PHILADELPHIA (64 - 37) - 7:05 PM
TIM LINCECUM (R) vs. VANCE WORLEY (R)
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 167-105 (+23.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 165-104 (+22.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 118-69 (+23.6 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 120-74 (+23.4 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 28-8 (+17.8 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 601-581 (+36.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
PHILADELPHIA is 41-14 (+25.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 59-43 (+11.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 78-49 (+21.1 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 76-66 (+14.3 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 59-43 (+11.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 43-23 (+17.4 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 115-90 (+17.5 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 35-23 (+9.9 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 81-66 (+16.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 43-27 (+19.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

TIM LINCECUM vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
LINCECUM is 3-2 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 3.03 and a WHIP of 0.995.
His team's record is 3-6 (-3.3 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-7. (-6.2 units)

VANCE WORLEY vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
No recent starts.

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PITTSBURGH (53 - 47) at ATLANTA (59 - 44) - 7:10 PM
JEFF KARSTENS (R) vs. TOMMY HANSON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 16-50 (-24.0 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +150 to +175 over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 192-395 (-93.2 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
PITTSBURGH is 84-198 (-62.0 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1997.
ATLANTA is 108-74 (+15.1 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
HANSON is 13-3 (+9.6 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
PITTSBURGH is 53-47 (+17.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 27-22 (+15.1 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 51-46 (+15.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
PITTSBURGH is 35-30 (+11.6 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 35-36 (+7.5 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
KARSTENS is 9-2 (+8.7 Units) against the money line in night games this season. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 2-1 (+0.2 Units) against PITTSBURGH this season
3 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+3.0 Units)

JEFF KARSTENS vs. ATLANTA since 1997
No recent starts.

TOMMY HANSON vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
HANSON is 0-1 when starting against PITTSBURGH with an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.000.
His team's record is 0-1 (-2.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

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NY METS (51 - 51) at CINCINNATI (50 - 52) - 7:10 PM
JON NIESE (L) vs. JOHNNY CUETO (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CINCINNATI is 31-20 (+8.5 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
NY METS are 51-51 (+5.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
NY METS are 29-25 (+12.4 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
NY METS are 51-51 (+5.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
NY METS are 22-17 (+10.9 Units) against the money line in road games in night games this season.
NY METS are 23-19 (+10.4 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters this season.
CINCINNATI is 48-51 (-10.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY METS is 1-0 (+1.2 Units) against CINCINNATI this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)

JON NIESE vs. CINCINNATI since 1997
NIESE is 0-1 when starting against CINCINNATI with an ERA of 4.61 and a WHIP of 1.390.
His team's record is 0-2 (-2.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.1 units)

JOHNNY CUETO vs. NY METS since 1997
CUETO is 0-2 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 8.14 and a WHIP of 1.905.
His team's record is 1-3 (-2.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-3. (-2.4 units)

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CHICAGO CUBS (42 - 60) at MILWAUKEE (54 - 49) - 8:10 PM
RYAN DEMPSTER (R) vs. CHRIS NARVESON (L)
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO CUBS are 42-60 (-16.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 71-84 (-25.2 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 127-151 (-45.8 Units) against the money line when playing with a day off since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 15-24 (-11.2 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 42-60 (-16.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 11-31 (-20.6 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
DEMPSTER is 16-24 (-13.3 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
MILWAUKEE is 33-14 (+14.9 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 33-14 (+14.9 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field this season.
MILWAUKEE is 26-10 (+13.7 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters this season.
MILWAUKEE is 15-4 (+10.0 Units) against the money line in home games after a loss this season.
DEMPSTER is 55-41 (+18.5 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 since 1997. (Team's Record)
DEMPSTER is 8-2 (+7.0 Units) against the money line in night games this season. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO CUBS is 4-3 (+1.5 Units) against MILWAUKEE this season
5 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.0 Units)

RYAN DEMPSTER vs. MILWAUKEE since 1997
DEMPSTER is 15-2 when starting against MILWAUKEE with an ERA of 2.77 and a WHIP of 1.218.
His team's record is 17-6 (+10.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 13-8. (+4.4 units)

CHRIS NARVESON vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
NARVESON is 4-0 when starting against CHICAGO CUBS with an ERA of 2.28 and a WHIP of 1.098.
His team's record is 4-0 (+4.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-3. (-2.3 units)

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HOUSTON (33 - 69) at ST LOUIS (54 - 48) - 8:15 PM
BRETT MYERS (R) vs. JAKE WESTBROOK (R)
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 33-69 (-30.3 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
HOUSTON is 9-34 (-24.5 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 this season.
HOUSTON is 15-30 (-12.7 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
HOUSTON is 31-68 (-32.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
HOUSTON is 23-45 (-17.2 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
HOUSTON is 19-54 (-31.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
HOUSTON is 24-44 (-15.5 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
HOUSTON is 14-35 (-18.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
MYERS is 10-3 (+12.7 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +150 to +175 since 1997. (Team's Record)
MYERS is 17-11 (+9.4 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
MYERS is 15-10 (+10.8 Units) against the money line in road games in night games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
ST LOUIS is 140-124 (-22.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 61-56 (-22.8 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 137-121 (-22.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 70-67 (-18.8 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 74-71 (-26.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 20-32 (-28.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
WESTBROOK is 38-53 (-23.7 Units) against the money line against division opponents since 1997. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 7-2 (+4.4 Units) against HOUSTON this season
6 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+2.9 Units)

BRETT MYERS vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
MYERS is 6-3 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 4.58 and a WHIP of 1.401.
His team's record is 11-5 (+7.9 units) in these starts. The OVER is 9-5. (+3.5 units)

JAKE WESTBROOK vs. HOUSTON since 1997
WESTBROOK is 1-2 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 4.37 and a WHIP of 1.545.
His team's record is 1-3 (-3.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-2. (-0.1 units)

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ARIZONA (55 - 47) at SAN DIEGO (45 - 58) - 10:05 PM
JOE SAUNDERS (L) vs. DUSTIN MOSELEY (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ARIZONA is 14-37 (-18.5 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 42-57 (-18.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 135-131 (+11.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 55-48 (+9.3 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
ARIZONA is 55-48 (+9.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
ARIZONA is 41-33 (+9.2 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
ARIZONA is 40-33 (+8.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
SAN DIEGO is 31-44 (-10.8 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less this season.
SAN DIEGO is 20-30 (-11.7 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
SAN DIEGO is 20-30 (-11.7 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 7 or less this season.
SAN DIEGO is 20-30 (-11.7 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field this season.
SAN DIEGO is 23-41 (-16.9 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
SAN DIEGO is 6-13 (-9.1 Units) against the money line in home games after a win this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN DIEGO is 3-2 (+1.1 Units) against ARIZONA this season
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.3 Units, Under=-0.3 Units)

JOE SAUNDERS vs. SAN DIEGO since 1997
SAUNDERS is 2-3 when starting against SAN DIEGO with an ERA of 5.01 and a WHIP of 1.454.
His team's record is 2-3 (-0.9 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-1. (+3.0 units)

DUSTIN MOSELEY vs. ARIZONA since 1997
MOSELEY is 0-1 when starting against ARIZONA with an ERA of 10.80 and a WHIP of 2.000.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.1 units)

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COLORADO (48 - 55) at LA DODGERS (46 - 56) - 10:10 PM
JHOULYS CHACIN (R) vs. CLAYTON KERSHAW (L)
Top Trends for this game.
COLORADO is 48-55 (-20.4 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
COLORADO is 6-21 (-13.1 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +125 to +150 over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 53-79 (-30.3 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 18-24 (-12.9 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
COLORADO is 48-55 (-20.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
COLORADO is 85-92 (-28.3 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 68-142 (-52.5 Units) against the money line in road games after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1997.
COLORADO is 20-24 (-12.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
COLORADO is 17-23 (-15.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
KERSHAW is 17-6 (+11.1 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
LA DODGERS are 46-56 (-13.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
LA DODGERS are 46-56 (-13.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
LA DODGERS are 30-40 (-13.8 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
KERSHAW is 29-34 (-18.8 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
LA DODGERS is 5-5 (+1.1 Units) against COLORADO this season
8 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+6.0 Units)

JHOULYS CHACIN vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
CHACIN is 5-3 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 2.05 and a WHIP of 1.215.
His team's record is 5-3 (+1.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-5. (-2.5 units)

CLAYTON KERSHAW vs. COLORADO since 1997
KERSHAW is 5-4 when starting against COLORADO with an ERA of 4.07 and a WHIP of 1.405.
His team's record is 9-6 (+3.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 9-6. (+2.0 units)