Cnotes Wednesday's MLB Early/Evening Best Bets !

King Felix, Mariners Close Series At NY Yankees

The New York Yankees are trying to keep pace with the Boston Red Sox in the American League East standings and have been given a reprieve in the schedule by hosting the lowly Seattle Mariners. The two teams close out a three-game series Wednesday with the first pitch scheduled for 10:05 a.m. (PT) at Yankee Stadium.

Seattle had its franchise-record losing streak reach 16 games with a 10-3 blowout loss to the Yankees Monday night and it will likely continue heading into the series finale. The Mariners will be facing Yankees’ ace C.C. Sabathia Tuesday night, who is currently listed at -325 for the contest.

Over the course of the streak, the club has been outscored by a 97-44 margin, while seeing it fall from 2.5-games back in the AL West standings to its current place of 15.5-games behind the Texas Rangers.

Last year’s Cy Young Award winner, Felix Hernandez (8-9, 3.47 ERA), will be toeing the rubber in this daytime contest. The right-hander will be looking to pick up his first victory since June 24, while coming off a disappointing effort versus the Red Sox, giving up six runs and 11 hits over 6 1/3 innings in a 7-4 road loss.

Hernandez will be making just his eighth start during the day, bringing in a 2-3 mark and 3.08 ERA, surrendering just a single home run in 49 2/3 frames. That’s an important statistic considering the Yankees lead the majors in round trippers.

The 25-year-old will be facing the Bronx Bombers for the 10th time in his career, posting a winning 5-3 record and 2.98 ERA, while not allowing a single run at new Yankee Stadium in 17 innings. It’s not surprising due to those numbers that the Mariners are 5-0 in Hernandez’s last five starts versus the Yankees.

New York can ill-afford to slip up during the next five games, as it welcomes in the Baltimore Orioles for a four-game series starting Thursday. The Yankees have been taking care of business by winning 15 of their last 19 home games. The team has also flourished under the sunlight this year by posting a major league-best 29-6 daytime record. The offense has a .279 combined batting average and AL-leading 48 home runs in those contests.

Phil Hughes (1-2, 9.47 ERA) is suffering through a forgettable 2011 campaign, but the offense has picked him up with 24 runs of support in his last two starts. Opposing hitters are batting a gaudy .345 against him.

The former first-round selection has tallied a solid 10-5 record and 4.69 ERA in 37 career appearances (19 starts) during the day, issuing 35 walks and registering 106 strikeouts in 121 innings. In six lifetime outings (three starts) versus the Mariners, Hughes is 2-1 with a 3.74 ERA. He has limited Mariners infielder Chone Figgins to just a single hit in nine career at-bats against him.

Home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt has not been a pitcher’s best friend with the ‘over’ going 12-4 in his 16 assignments behind the dish this season. It’s also important to point out that both pitchers have failed to taste victory in Wendelstedt’s strike zone, as Seattle has dropped both contests with Hernandez on the mound and New York losing 2-1 to Boston on August 9, 2010 at Yankee Stadium.

Weather forecasts suggest mostly sunny skies in the Bronx and game-time temperatures in the mid-80s. The wins will be blowing out of the northwest at 5-10 mph (out to right).

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.

Cleveland Indians, LA Angels Complete Series

The Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels will wrap up a three-game series on Wednesday with each team looking to stay in the American League playoff race. The Indians are fighting the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox in the AL Central standings while the Angels are chasing the Texas Rangers in the AL West.

Game time for the getaway game at Cleveland's Progressive Field is 9:05 a.m. (PT).

Cleveland starting pitcher David Huff will look to win consecutive outings for the first time since September 12, 2009 when he takes the mound for just the second time this season. Huff (1-0, 0.00 ERA) was scheduled to start Saturday’s game against the White Sox, but it was postponed due to rain.

Indians manager Manny Acta opted to keep the other pitchers in his rotation on their regular rest, which is why Huff is pitching for the first time in more than a week. The southpaw was 8-3 with a 3.86 ERA in 17 starts for Triple-A Columbus before getting called up from the minors.

In his first start this year at Minnesota on July 18, Huff pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing just five hits with two walks and five strikeouts. He endured a dismal 2010 in which he went 2-11 with a 6.21 ERA and has lost each of his previous two starts against LA during his career to go along with a 7.30 ERA.

The ‘under’ has cashed in each of his last three outings.

Huff is not the only pitcher in this game who has struggled against his opponent, as Angels starter Ervin Santana (5-8, 3.69) is 0-6 lifetime vs. Cleveland with a 4.98 ERA in 10 starts. He is also 2-3 in 10 road starts this season with a 4.10 ERA after winning at Baltimore on Friday, allowing just one run and three hits in 7 2/3 innings as a 120 favorite.

Santana is 2-0 in his past five outings overall since breaking a personal four-game losing streak. He has given up two runs or less in six of his last seven starts, going into the seventh inning in eight of his past nine. The ‘under’ is 6-0-3 the last nine times he has pitched.

Los Angeles dropped the series opener on Monday 3-2 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning when rookie Jason Kipnis tallied his first career hit with a walk-off single after the bases were loaded for the Indians. It was Cleveland's 11th final at-bat win at home this season.

Wednesday’s high temperature in Cleveland is expected to reach 87 degrees under mostly sunny skies.

Ted Barrett will be the umpire behind home plate, and he has seen the home teams go 10-9 when he calls a game this season. The ‘over’ is also 11-6 in Barrett’s games.

Mike Scioscia's Angels head from Cleveland to Detroit where they will open a four-game set with the Tigers Thursday afternoon. The Indians take Thursday off before hosting the Royals this weekend.

Around the Horn - Wednesday

July 26, 2011

NATIONAL LEAGUE


Florida at Washington - 7:05 PM EST (Game 2/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Vazquez (6-9, 5.35 ERA) 4-6 L10 OVER 6-1 away on Wednesday
Hernandez (5-9, 4.04 ERA) 1-4 L5 2-6 L8 Game 2'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 2/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Zito (3-2, 4.78 ERA) 4-6 L10 4-1 L5 away on Wednesdays
Hamels (12-5, 2.62 ERA) 8-2 L10 12-3 home vs LHP

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

Pittsburgh at Atlanta - 7:10 PM EST (Game 3/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Maholm (6-10, 3.26 ERA) 6-4 L10 5-2 away on Wednesdays
Jurrjens (12-3, 2.44 ERA) 5-5 L10 11-1 L12 home Game 3's

Pirates beat Braves, 3-1 on Monday

N.Y. Mets at Cincinnati - 7:10 PM EST (Game 3/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Pelfrey (5-9, 4.73 ERA) 3-5 L8 OVER 7-0 away on Wednesdays
Arroyo (7-8, 5.56 ERA) 5-5 L10 7-3 L10 home Game 3's

Mets beat Reds, 4-2 on Monday

Chicago at Milwaukee - 8:10 PM EST (Game 2/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Zambrano (7-5, 4.70 ERA) 2-5 L7 1-6 L7 away Game 2's
Greinke (7-4, 4.84 ERA) 5-5 L10 OVER 6-1 home on Wednesdays

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

Houston at St. Louis - 8:15 PM EST (Game 3/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Norris (5-7, 3.70 ERA) 2-5 L7 UNDER 5-1 L6 away on Wednesdays
Carpenter (6-7, 3.73 ERA) 5-5 L10 5-3 L8 home Game 3's

Cardinals beat Astros, 10-5 on Monday

Arizona at San Diego - 10:05 PM EST (Game 2/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Kennedy (11-3, 3.22 ERA) 3-6 L9 UNDER 7-3 L10 away vs LHP
Luebke (3-4, 2.65 ERA) 3-5 L8 UNDER 8-2 L10 home Game 2's

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

Colorado at Los Angeles - 10:10 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Cook (1-5, 5.84 ERA) 3-7 L10 2-9 L11 away Game 3's
Kuroda (6-12, 3.19 ERA) 3-5 L8 0-6 L6 home on Wednesdays

Dodgers beat Rockies, 8-5 on Monday

AMERICAN LEAGUE


Los Angeles at Cleveland - 12:05 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Santana (5-8, 3.69 ERA) 4-2 L6 6-2 L8 Game 3's
Huff (1-0, 0.00 ERA) 3-6 L9 1-5 L6 home during day

Indians beat Angels, 3-2 on Monday

Seattle at N.Y. Yankees - 1:05 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Hernandez (8-9, 3.47 ERA) 0-16 L16 1-5 L6 away during day
Hughes (1-2, 9.47 ERA) 7-3 L10 17-2 home during day

Yankees beat Mariners, 10-3 on Monday

Detroit at Chicago - 2:10 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Scherzer (11-5, 4.35 ERA) 5-3 L8 10-1 L11 away during day
Danks (3-8, 3.92 ERA) 6-3 L9 UNDER 5-0 L5 home Game 3's

White Sox beat Tigers, 6-3 on Monday

Baltimore at Toronto - 7:05 PM EST (Game 2/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Simon (2-3, 4.08 ERA) 4-6 L10 OVER 10-4 away Game 3's
Romero (7-9, 3.27 ERA) 6-3 L9 7-4 L12 Game 2'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 3/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Chen (5-3, 3.30 ERA) 5-1 L6 UNDER 5-2 L7 on Wednesdays
Lackey (8-8, 6.28 ERA) 7-2 L9 17-5 L22 vs LHP

Royals beat Red Sox, 3-1 on Monday

Minnesota at Texas - 8:05 PM EST (Game 3/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Duensing (7-8, 4.53 ERA) 3-6 L9 UNDER 5-2 L7 away vs RHP
Lewis (10-7, 3.93 ERA) 15-3 L18 12-4 home vs LHP

Rangers beat Twins, 20-6 on Monday

Tampa Bay at Oakland - 10:10 PM EST (Game 3/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Shields (9-8, 2.53 ERA) 3-7 L10 6-0 away on Wednesdays
Cahill (8-9, 3.77 ERA) 5-5 L10 8-4 home Game 3's

Athletics beat Rays, 7-5 on Monday

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 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 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.

Wednesday's Early Games:

Wednesday, July 27

Game Score Status Pick Amount

LA Angels - 12:05 PM ET Cleveland +106 500
Cleveland - Over 8 500

Seattle - 1:05 PM ET Seattle +136 500
NY Yankees - Under 8.5 500

Detroit - 2:10 PM ET Chi. White Sox -120 500
Chi. White Sox - Over 8.5 500


Evening games posted later......Good Luck !

Sizzling Red Sox are heavy favorites vs. K.C.


KANSAS CITY ROYALS (43-60, -9.7 Units)

at BOSTON RED SOX (63-38, +7.8 Units)


First pitch: Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. EDT
Line: Boston -200, Kansas City +185, Total: 10

How hot are the Red Sox right now? They’re 17-4 in July, which means that despite a 2-10 start back in April they’re on pace to win 100 games. They’re even getting a solid performance out of John Lackey, who has won his past three starts after a horrific first three months of the season.

But the Royals haven’t exactly been bottom-feeders of late; they’ve actually won five of seven. And while they’ve been horrendous on the road overall this year (15-31), they’ve split their last 10 games away from K.C. There’s only a 50% payout on Boston with its worst starter on the mound, and the FoxSheets provide one more reason that KANSAS CITY is the pick going up against Lackey:

Play Against - All favorites with a money line of -175 to -250 (BOSTON) - with a starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.500 to 1.600 on the season-AL, with a team on base percentage of .350 or better on the season (AL). (44-38 since 1997.) (53.7%, +43.7 units. Rating = 4*).

Recently, there have been good signs when it comes to Lackey (8-8, 6.28 ERA). He’s won his past three starts while posting a 1.86 ERA. Last Friday, he held Seattle to one run over seven innings, striking out four while walking none. He has a 18 K and just two walks over these 19.1 innings. Last September, he held the Royals to one run and six hits over nine innings in a no-decision at Kansas City.

Left-hander Bruce Chen (5-3, 3.30 ERA) will go for the Royals. He’s been solid since returning from a lat injury a month ago, posting a 2.90 ERA over five starts (however, he also allowed four unearned runs over 31 innings during that span). In his past two starts against Boston, both in Fenway, he allowed four runs over just seven innings combined.

On Tuesday night the Sox pounded another southpaw, rookie Danny Duffy (3.2 innings, six runs, nine base runners) in a 13-9 victory. As a team, they have an .806 OPS against lefthanders, fourth-best in MLB.

Cain-Hamels duel Wednesday night in Philly


SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (59-44, +10.0 Units)

at PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (65-37, +13.4 Units)


First pitch: Wednesday, 7:05 p.m. EDT
Line: Philadelphia -170, San Francisco +160, Total: 7

The Giants play in Philadelphia for the second game of their NLCS re-match Wednesday night, with a couple of aces who have struggled historically against their opponents taking the mound.

Despite Cy Young-type résumés, San Francisco’s Matt Cain has been hit hard by Philly over the years, while Phillies lefty Cole Hamels has relatively struggled against the Giants. But while the Phillies have re-emerged as an elite offensive team during the month of July, the Giants continue to struggle scoring runs since star catcher Buster Posey’s season-ending injury. The FoxSheets have a three-star trend that further illustrates why PHILADELPHIA is the pick:

Play Against - Road underdogs with a money line of +125 to +175 (SAN FRANCISCO) - below average hitting team (AVG <=.255) against an excellent starting pitcher (ERA <=2.70) -NL, with a very good bullpen whose ERA is 3.33 or better on the season. (54-14 since 1997, 79.4%, +32 units. Rating = 3*).

Cain (8-6, 3.06 ERA) twirled a gem against the Phillies in last year’s NLCS (seven shutout innings), but his regular season track record isn’t as promising. He’s 0-3 with a 6.23 ERA over five regular-season starts against Philly, though he had quality starts in his past two outings against them, both on the road. Cain has had a rough July by his standards. He has a 3.24 ERA through 25 innings, and has also allowed three unearned runs while splitting his four starts this month.

He’ll be facing a Phillies offense that has really heated up of late. Philadelphia has averaged 5.27 runs per game since the All-Star break, and jumped all over Giants starter Barry Zito early on Tuesday night, scoring four in the first on its way to a 7-1 win.

Hamels (12-5, 2.62 ERA) lost to Cain in that NLCS Game 3 last October, giving up three runs (two earned) over six innings in San Francisco. In the regular season, he has a career 4.67 ERA against the Giants, but the Phils have won six of his eight starts against them.

Hamels will be getting a significantly weaker Giants lineup than he saw last October. Since Buster Posey’s season-ending injury, San Francisco is 15th out of 16 teams in the National League with 3.65 runs per game. Hamels has tossed 11 quality starts in his past 13 outings, and is a stellar 7-3 with a 2.29 ERA at home this year, allowing a meager .199 opponents’ BA with 75 strikeouts and 15 walks.

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 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.

Wednesday, July 27

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Florida - 7:05 PM ET Florida -104 500
Washington - Over 8.5 500

San Francisco - 7:05 PM ET Philadelphia -160 500
Philadelphia - Over 7 500

Baltimore - 7:07 PM ET Baltimore +160 500
Toronto - Over 8.5 500

Kansas City - 7:10 PM ET Kansas City +183 500
Boston - Under 10 500

Pittsburgh - 7:10 PM ET Atlanta -176 500
Atlanta - Under 7 500

NY Mets - 7:10 PM ET NY Mets +136 500
Cincinnati - Over 9 500

Minnesota - 8:05 PM ET Texas -203 500
Texas - Under 9.5 500

Chi. Cubs - 8:10 PM ET Chi. Cubs +160 500
Milwaukee - Over 8 500

Houston - 8:15 PM ET Houston +187 500
St. Louis - Under 7.5 500

Tampa Bay - 10:05 PM ET Oakland +116 500
Oakland - Over 6.5 500

Arizona - 10:05 PM ET San Diego -109 500
San Diego - Under 6 500

Colorado - 10:10 PM ET Colorado +135 500
LA Dodgers - Under 7.5 500