MLB Betting Info. 7/22

[TheGame]

StatFox Super Situations


MLB | NY METS at MIAMI
Play Against - Home favorites with a money line of -110 or higher (MIAMI) starting a pitcher who gave up <=2 earned runs in his last 2 outings against opponent with a cold starting pitcher- ERA >= 7.00 over his last 5 starts
271-322 since 1997. ( 45.7% | 118.9 units )
6-14 this year. ( 30.0% | -4.2 units )




StatFox Situational Power Trends


MLB | TEXAS at KANSAS CITY
TEXAS is 86-63 (+44.6 Units) against the money line vs. a very good bullpen whose ERA is 3.33 or better over the last 3 seasons.
The average score was: TEXAS (4.6) , OPPONENT (4.5)

[TheGame]

Re: MLB Betting Info. 7/22

MLB roundup: Dodgers hand Strasburg first loss
By The Sports Xchange


WASHINGTON -- Justin Turner hit two home runs with five RBIs to hand Stephen Strasburg his first loss of the season as the Los Angeles Dodgers posted a 6-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday afternoon.
The Dodgers (54-43), who used eight pitchers, took two of three games in the series and are 5-1 this season against the National League East leaders. Washington (57-39) is 30-18 at home, but has lost six of its last 11 at Nationals Park.
Turner recorded the fourth multi-homer game of his career, his second this season. His career-high 17 homers this season eclipses the 16 he hit for the Dodgers last season.
Strasburg (13-1) was the first National League starter to begin the season 13-0 since 1912. He had not lost since Sept. 9, 2015, and in his last four starts had allowed just three earned runs and 11 hits.


Orioles 4, Yankees 1
NEW YORK -- Chris Tillman pitched seven sharp innings and became the second 14-game winner in the major leagues as Baltimore snapped a four-game losing streak with a victory over New York.
Tillman (14-2) joined Chicago White Sox left-hander Chris Sale on the exclusive list by allowing one run and four hits. Tillman won his fourth straight decision while improving to 7-0 against American League East opponents.
The right-hander struck out seven, got double plays in the first two innings and retired 16 of the last 17 hitters he faced. Tillman also induced eight other groundouts aside from the double plays.
Tillman's outing and enough timely hitting returned a sense of normalcy to the Orioles (54-40), who began the day without sole possession of first place for the first time since June 4.


Marlins 9, Phillies 3
PHILADELPHIA -- Tom Koehler was nearly unhittable, the Miami offense did plenty of hitting and rolled to a win over Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park.
The Marlins seized control of the game in the fourth inning. Christian Yelich led off with his ninth home run of the season to get Miami on the board. Doubles from Marcell Ozuna and Chris Johnson sandwiched Derek Dietrich being hit by a pitch from Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff. All three players scored runs in the inning. Adeiny Hechavarria's RBI double made the score 4-0.
Ryan Howard then provided the Phillies with their only offense of the night in the bottom half. After Koehler allowed his first baserunner on a Martin Prado throwing error, Howard crushed a two-out, two-run home run to cut the lead in half.


Pirates 5, Brewers 3
PITTSBURGH -- Matt Joyce hit a three-run home run in the first inning and drove in four runs, and Pittsburgh beat Milwaukee.
Francisco Liriano struck out a season-high 13 and walked none in 6 1/3 innings. Liriano, who gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits, had won only once in eight starts since May 24.
Gregory Polanco had a pair of hits and scored twice for the Pirates, who took two of three in the series. Pittsburgh has won 12 of 17.


Red Sox 13, Twins 2
BOSTON -- Steven Wright tossed eight innings of two-run ball and the Boston offense took it from there en route to a victory over Minnesota at Fenway Park.
Wright was perfect through 4 1/3 innings before giving up two runs -- one earned -- in the fifth. He allowed four hits and a walk while striking out a career-high-tying nine.
David Ortiz hit a two-run homer and drove in four runs, Jackie Bradley Jr. added three RBIs and Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts each had two RBIs for Boston, which maintained a 1/2-game lead over Baltimore for sole possession of first place in the American League East.


Cardinals 6, Padres 5
ST. LOUIS -- Down by four runs with six outs left, St. Louis concocted a stunning comeback and swept a four-game series from San Diego.
Aledmys Diaz was the hero, slashing an RBI single for the winning run as St. Louis won four straight games at home for the first time this year.
Tommy Pham started the winning rally with a double off Carlos Villanueva. After an intentional walk to Greg Garcia, Jeremy Hazelbaker sacrificed both runners up 90 feet. Following a second intentional walk to Jedd Gyorko, Diaz lined a 3-2 pitch into left to score Pham.


Rockies 7, Braves 3
DENVER -- Chad Bettis pitched well into the seventh inning, and Carlos Gonzalez opened the scoring with a three-run homer in the sixth inning as Colorado beat Atlanta.
The Rockies' victory came after consecutive lopsided losses to the Tampa Bay Rays by scores of 10-1 and 11-3, defeats in which the Colorado starters pitched a combined seven innings.
Bettis (8-6) gave up one run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings. He got 11 outs on ground balls during his 87-pitch outing. DJ LeMahieu and Nick Hundley each had two hits for the Rockies.


Tigers 2, White Sox 1 (6 1/2 innings)
CHICAGO -- Ian Kinsler and Miguel Cabrera homered as Detroit beat the Chicago in a rain-shortened game. Rain delayed the contest for two hours after the top of the seventh inning before it was called.
Kinsler went 3-for-4 as the Tigers snapped a two-game losing streak. Detroit improved to 5-2 against the Chicago this season. The White Sox lost for the seventh time in eight games.
Tigers starter Mike Pelfrey (3-9) surrendered a run and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. He entered 1-5 with a 5.81 ERA in his career against the White Sox.


Rays 7, A's 3
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Matt Moore pitched seven strong innings, and Tim Beckham and Corey Dickerson hit solo home runs as Tampa Bay defeated Oakland.
Moore (6-7) gave up three runs on four hits, struck out six and walked two. He pitched at least six innings for the ninth straight game.
Beckham, who had a franchise-record-tying five hits Wednesday against Colorado, homered in his first at-bat Thursday and singled in his second, giving him eight straight hits in eight at-bats. That tied a franchise record he shares with Aubrey Huff and Ty Wigginton. Beckham's streak ended when he popped out in the sixth inning.

[TheGame]

Re: MLB Betting Info. 7/22

It's prime time for baseball bettors in Las Vegas
By MARC MELTZER


We’re currently in a brief window that is my peak baseball betting time of the year. There are no distractions from other sports on TV, the sportsbooks are relatively quiet and there’s a significant amount of data for the season to use for handicapping.


Football season is less than 2 months away. Sportsbook operators and the majority of sports fans are gearing up for the gridiron betting and fantasy seasons. The focus for most people isn’t on baseball.


However, baseball bettors aren’t most people. While the majority of people are looking one way there’s an abundance of data and trends available for baseball bettors.


There are no distractions for the next month or so. It’s perfect scenario for a baseball bettor.


We know that past performance doesn’t always translate to future performance. However, that’s not always the case with baseball. When you’re wagering on football, trends and statistics can be overrated. Small sample sizes and irrelevant time-frames make a lot of football trends a waste of time.


Trends and data become more useful when you get into basketball and hockey seasons. The information becomes more relevant over time. The 80-plus game seasons allow for real habits and production to be formed. This is why we're seeing the front offices of these respective sports franchises use more analytics when assembling their teams every year.


However, trends and data are even more useful during baseball season. There is a good amount of normalization in data over the 162 game season. The long season allows trends to set in and for statistics to normalize. The actionable information available to baseball bettors in unparalleled. Besides being a fan of the game, this is what makes baseball my favorite sport to bet.


The weeks leading into and out of the All-Star break are my favorite time of the season to bet on baseball. It’s usually a good practice to accept that the statistics are legit when the MLB season approaches and passes the halfway point. Just before the All-Star game is a great time to bet on baseball. Most major trades haven't happened and there isn’t a stoppage in play that might change the human factor of the game.


However, the All-Star game is often a quiet time for all sports wagering. The break offers a few days to study what transpired in the first half of the season. Again, previous performance doesn’t dictate future performance but it sure gives a useful platform for handicapping.


Even though I’m looking at the data all season long, this is the time of year that I move into a higher gear for baseball wagering. I like having data and information on my side. Over time, most statistics will regress to the long-term averages. This is a great time to analyze the information and find players and teams and teams who should either improve or regress.


On a semi-related note, this is traditionally the hottest week of the year in Las Vegas. I can’t think of a better excuse to enjoy the air conditioning in the sports book and covered parking at the casino.

[TheGame]

Re: MLB Betting Info. 7/22

Preview: Phillies (44-53) at Pirates (49-46)


Game: 1
Venue: PNC Park
Date: July 22, 2016 7:05 PM EDT


PITTSBURGH -- Philadelphia Phillies rookie Zach Eflin is trying to establish himself in the majors. Pittsburgh Pirates ace Gerrit Cole already has done that but, now, he's trying to ramp up an injury-interrupted season and regain the dominance he had last year.


The two right-handers match up Friday night in the first game this season between the two in-state teams, and in a series that will feature lots and lots of promising young pitching.


Saturday night, for example, it's 23-year-old Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola (5-8) against a still-to-be-designated Pirates starter, who's all but certain to be 22-year-old rookie right-hander Tyler Glasnow in his second career start.


Sunday, it's 24-year-old Phillies second-year right-hander Vince Velasquez, who's been dominating at times while going 8-2, going against Pirates rookie right-hander Jameson Taillon (2-1), who's been excellent his last two times out while allowing only two runs in 12 innings.


Combined number of major league starts for the five projected starters other than Cole, who's made 86 starts for Pittsburgh? A total of 67 starts.


Cole, of course, was 19-8 last season in leading the Pirates' staff during a 98-win season. But a strained right triceps recently kept him out for a month, and Cole was uneven during his return Saturday, a 6-0 loss in Washington in which he gave up four earned runs in four innings.


"I just didn't execute enough pitches," Cole said after the game, his third loss -- against five wins -- in his last 11 starts. "If I made one quality pitch I followed it up with a subpar (pitch). The ball was elevated, especially out of the stretch. I got crushed."


Pirates manager Clint Hurdle wouldn't go that far, but he wants to see Cole (5-5) get back to being the pitcher who won five of six decisions from April 21 through May 20.


"He needs to get back here and help us and get involved in the fight with us," Hurdle said.


The Phillies, losers of four of five after dropping a 9-3 decision to the Miami Marlins on Thursday, aren't fighting for anything much during the second half of the season, but that young pitching staff is one of baseball's most gifted. And Eflin is one of the most intriguing of that group, putting up a 2.56 ERA in six starts since allowing nine runs in his major league debut against Toronto.


Still, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin wanted to see more from Eflin than he did during a 5-0 loss to the New York Mets on Sunday, when the rookie gave up three runs in six innings. He also had Philadelphia's only hit off Jacob deGrom.


"Really, I wasn't comfortable with him," Mackanin told the Philadelphia Inquirer, and not in a decidedly negative way. "He needs some work on his slider. But, for a 22-year-old kid, you've got to like him. He can throw a four-seamer and a two-seamer and he's got a good change-up. He locates real well and, for 22 years old, you don't see that a lot."


The fans attending the weekend series at PNC Park will see a wealth of young pitching from both sides as the Phillies become the final NL team to play in Pittsburgh this season.


The Pirates are on something of a roll, winning three of four and 12 of 17 as they contend again in the NL Central.


They got four RBIs from last-minute lineup addition Matt Joyce -- who hit a three-run homer in the first, minutes after Starling Marte's illness shoved him into the lineup -- in beating the Milwaukee Brewers 5-3 Thursday night behind left-hander Francisco Liriano (6-9), who won for only the second time since May 24.


"He's having a great year, he's crushed some balls," Liriano said of Joyce, whose ninth homer was his first this season before the seventh inning.

[TheGame]

Re: MLB Betting Info. 7/22

Preview: Padres (41-55) at Nationals (57-39)


Game: 1
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: July 22, 2016 7:05 PM EDT


WASHINGTON -- It has been a challenging year for the San Diego Padres, who begin a three-game series on Friday in the nation's capital against Washington.


The Padres entered Thursday with a record of 41-54 and the team has traded its former closer, Fernando Rodney, and top starter, Drew Pomeranz, in the last few weeks. And starting pitcher Andrew Cashner, according to several sources, could be dealt.


When San Diego gets to Nationals Park, they will also get another look at what could have been, as young Nationals infielder Trea Turner has been drawing raves this week with his speed. He had triples on Tuesday and Wednesday and also stole home on a double steal in an 8-1 win on Wednesday.


Turner, who started at second on Thursday, was a first-round draft pick out of North Carolina State by the Padres in 2014. He was traded on Dec. 14. 2015 to the Nationals in a three-way deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.


San Diego did net All-Star first baseman Wil Myers in the deal, though the Nationals also got young starting pitcher Joe Ross from the Padres. Ross made his big league debut in June 2015 and he is 7-4, 3.49 this year but has been on the disabled list since July 3 with right shoulder inflammation.


Washington manager Dusty Baker said earlier this year he is not sure why the Padres let go of Ross. "Glad we have him," Baker added.


Of immediate concern for the Padres will be facing right-hander Tanner Roark on Friday. Roark struck out 11 San Diego batters in a game in 2014 and enters the contest with a mark of 9-5, 2.82 in 20 games, with 19 starts.


"You can't show anything -- be stone faced," Roark said after a recent start.


The University of Illinois product won 15 games as a starter in 2014 and spent most of last season out of the bullpen. He was the winning pitcher in an 8-5 decision at San Diego on June 16 in the first of a four-game series against the Padres.


Roark does not have much of a track record against San Diego hitters. Myers has one homer in two at-bats against him while Virginia native Melvin Upton, Jr. is hitting .235 in 17 at-bats with just one RBI against Roark, who is one of the more underrated starters in the game.


Roark will be faced Friday by right-hander Luis Perdomo, who is 3-4 with a 7.36 ERA.


He allowed eight hits in his last start against the San Francisco Giants, but he has allowed three runs or fewer in six of his eight starts this year.


The Padres are 4-2 in those six starts and 5-3 overall in his starts. He has not faced any current Washington hitters.


"Now, I'm a lot more relaxed. I just went out there and pitched, played baseball, and my sinker got a lot of ground balls today," Perdomo told reporters after facing the Dodgers earlier this month.

[TheGame]

Re: MLB Betting Info. 7/22

Preview: Indians (56-38) at Orioles (54-40)


Game: 1
Venue: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Date: July 22, 2016 7:05 PM EDT


BALTIMORE -- Injuries and illness have crippled the Baltimore Orioles in recent days, and life will not get much easier when they face the American League Central-leading Cleveland Indians on Friday night at Camden Yards.


The Indians send out right-hander Trevor Bauer (7-3, 3.36 ERA) against rookie right-hander Dylan Bundy (2-2, 3.70), making just his second start. Bauer is one of four strong starting pitchers who have given the Indians a big lead in the AL Central early in the second half of the season


Cleveland last played on Wednesday and Tyler Naquin belted two homers and finished with six RBIs as the Indians hit five homers in an 11-4 victory over the defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals. The Indians held a 7 1/2-game lead over Detroit before the Tigers played Thursday night.


The solid starting pitching could give the power-hitting Orioles trouble in this series. Cleveland.com reported Thursday that the Indians rank second in the AL in strikeouts, something that has been a problem for Baltimore at times this season.


MLB.com reported that Naquin has hit all 12 of his homers since coming from the minors on June 2 and that he's hitting .327 in 113 at-bats and giving the Indians plenty of punch.


"I believe that if you put in the right work, if you work for something and it happens, you shouldn't be surprised at all," he said on MLB.com.


Home runs were an issue when Bundy made his first start last weekend against the Rays. He gave up three in 3 1/3 innings in a loss to Tampa Bay after turning in several longer relief appearances.


It's doubtful that Bundy would make it past five innings as 3 1/3 innings is his longest effort this season. The Orioles turned to him as they're desperately looking for a starter to give some solid early innings and then they could turn it over the bullpen while Bundy would eventually stretch himself out as time goes on.


What makes everything even tougher is that the Orioles have been hit with a number of injury and illness issues in recent days, a big reason they slid out of first place after losing Wednesday. They ended a four-game slide with a 4-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Thursday afternoon.


A stomach bug/virus is working its way through the clubhouse and has sidelined Chris Davis (three games), Manny Machado (Wednesday, but he came back Thursday) and manager Buck Showalter (out Wednesday, back Thursday).


It also hit closer Zach Britton and Matt Wieters last week, but they didn't miss any time. A few coaches also got knocked down by with the virus.


As for the injuries, Hyun Soo Kim got put on the disabled list earlier in the week. Adam Jones (back spasms) missed Thursday's game as did fellow outfielder Joey Rickard (thumb injury). Matt Wieters (sore foot) sat out for a third straight game but might return Friday, if all goes well.


"Wieters is close. I'm hoping it's kind of day to day," Showalter told MASN.com after Thursday's win. "Adam, I'm hoping it's not very long. I'm hoping he can play tomorrow, but he had some back spasms. It was toward the end of the game last night.


"He actually felt it a little bit early. Chris worked his way through. He knew we were short. We only had 10 players."

[TheGame]

Re: MLB Betting Info. 7/22

Preview: Mariners (48-47) at Blue Jays (54-42)


Game: 1
Venue: Rogers Centre
Date: July 22, 2016 7:07 PM EDT


TORONTO -- It will be the beginning of a reunion weekend of sorts when the Seattle Mariners open a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.


Mariners first baseman Adam Lind, who spent his first nine seasons with Toronto, will be returning to Rogers Centre for the first time as a player since being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers before the 2015 campaign.


Blue Jays left fielder Michael Saunders, who was acquired from the Mariners in a deal before the 2015 season that sent J.A. Happ to Seattle, will be making his first appearance against his former team.


Happ, who was traded by the Mariners to the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 31 last season, is scheduled to start the series finale on Sunday.


This will not Lind's first trip back to Toronto, however.


"My wife's from there," Lind told the Tacoma News Tribune, "and I own some property there. So I've been back."


He also has been back to Rogers Centre.


"I was on the field last year around Christmas for Disney on Ice," Lind said, "... I was just watching but I saw all the same people who work there, you know. I got to see the security guards for the clubhouse and people like that."


Lind has 15 homers and 43 RBIs in 76 games with Seattle, while hitting .231/.264/.449. "Well, my batting average stinks," he said. "My on-base percentage stinks. I'd say the other numbers are adequate."


Lind has two of Seattle's league-leading six walk-off homers this season.


When the Blue Jays traded Lind after the 2014 season, they acquired right-handed pitcher Marco Estrada from the Brewers. He has developed into one the better starters in the majors and was selected to pitch in the All-Star Game before he went on the disabled list with a sore back.


Estrada (5-3, 2.93 ERA) will be activated from the disabled list to get the nod on Friday after missing his final start before the All-Star break. He is 0-2 with a 7.35 ERA in his two career starts against Seattle.


When Estrada was asked how his back felt, he said, "Good enough."


He will be facing Seattle left-hander James Paxton (2-4, 4.56 ERA) of Ladner, B.C., who will be making the third career start in his native country on Friday. He was the winning pitcher in a 3-2 victory in 2015 when he allowed two runs in six innings. In 2014, he allowed eight runs in 2 2/3 frames in a 14-4 loss. He is 1-1 with a 10.38 ERA in his two starts against the Blue Jays, both at Toronto.


The Blue Jays are 3-2 since the All-Star break, winning three in a row to complete a five-game trip to Oakland and Arizona after dropping the first two contests to the Athletics. The Blue Jays have won seven of their past 10 games.


"Early on, you're trying to get back to playing," Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson said. "Some guys had some days off, get back in the flow of things and we were able to take it back up pretty quick. We didn't play bad in Oakland. We lost two games, but they won those games. We didn't give those games to them.


"It's nice to finish strong here and we're going to have a pretty good homestand, so hopefully it continues."


Donaldson, who was in the All-Star Game, batted .381 (8-for-21) with one homer and seven RBIs on the five-game trip, the only contests the Blue Jays will play on the road in July.


The Mariners are 5-5 in their past 10 after a walk-off win over the Chicago White Sox Wednesday at Safeco Field. They are 48-47, third in the AL West.


The Blue Jays were forced to play infielder Darwin Barney in left field on Wednesday when Saunders, who also was in the All-Star Game, returned to Toronto for a personal issue and Ezequiel Carrera had a sore Achilles' tendon. Both are expected to be available on Friday.

[TheGame]

Re: MLB Betting Info. 7/22

Preview: Giants (57-38) at Yankees (48-47)


Game: 1
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: July 22, 2016 7:05 PM EDT


NEW YORK -- The last time the San Francisco Giants started Madison Bumgarner in an American League ballpark they let him bat.


On June 30, the Giants forfeited their designated hitter and Bumgarner went 1-for-4 in a 12-6 win at Oakland.


The game-time temperature in Oakland when Bumgarner batted was 66 degrees, but when the Giants take the field at Yankee Stadium on Friday night for the opener of their three-game series against the New York Yankees, the weather is projected to be significantly hotter.


"I think we're seeing three right-handers," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy told reporters. "Not that (Bumgarner) is a matchups guy. But with our situation now, I'll probably DH one of our left-handed hitters. Our bench is deeper now. Plus, it could be really hot. We want to keep him off the field."


Regardless of the temperature, the Giants would like to get on a hot streak again.


They entered the All-Star break with a 57-33 record but have dropped five straight, equaling a season worst set April 17-21 During the slump, San Francisco starting pitchers have an 8.14 ERA, the offense has produced a .237 average (41-for-173) while also going 6-for-41 with runners in scoring position.


The offense actually improved Wednesday when the Giants fell behind by eight runs before losing 11-7. San Francisco's average on this trip climbed 40 points after five players had multi-hit games.


"Those first games in San Diego and yesterday, our offense wasn't there yet," catcher Trevor Brown told reporters. "Even though we lost tonight, we put up seven runs. That's definitely some good momentum. Everybody in the lineup who started got a hit, which is nice."


The comeback attempt was needed because Matt Cain lasted 2 1/3 innings and allowed five runs.


The Giants hope Bumgarner will resemble the pitcher who struck out 14 in a one-hitter against Arizona on July 10 and not the pitcher who allowed four runs and seven hits during six innings in last Friday's loss at San Diego.


"We've got Bum on the mound, right?" Giants right fielder Mac Williamson told reporters. "I think we're always confident when he's out there."


Bumgarner will face the Yankees for the first time but has matched up with a few of their hitters. New York's switch hitters and right-handed bats have done well against him, but its left-handed bats have not.


Starlin Castro is 11-for-26 against Bumgarner while switch-hitters Carlos Beltran and Chase Headley are 2-for-6 and 10-for-33, respectively. Left-handed hitters Brian McCann and Didi Gregorius are 1-for-9 and 1-for-8, respectively.


The Yankees had a four-game winning streak stopped with Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. New York had four hits and dropped to 4-3 on its 10-game homestand.


"I think you have to look at you took three out of four from a good Baltimore team and you have to move on," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "San Francisco's going to be no easy task. You can't have a letdown because you lost today. You have to get yourself up and know you're facing a really good pitcher tomorrow."


Masahiro Tanaka will start on regular rest, which he has struggled with this season. Tanaka is 1-2 with a 5.33 ERA in eight starts with regular rest, which is why speculation persisted that Chad Green would start when the Yankees scratched him from his Triple-A start Tuesday and recalled him Thursday.


Tanaka is 6-0 with a 1.70 ERA in 12 starts on extended rest. The latest instance was Sunday when he allowed one run and three hits in six innings during a 3-1 win over the Boston Red Sox.


"I don't want to talk for them, but more rest means more time to sort of get the inflammation out of the body," Tanaka said. "But the bottom line for me is to basically go out there and try to shut the opponent down regardless of the number of off days you have in between starts."


Long before interleague play began in 1997, the teams met in the World Series in 1921, 1922, 1923, 1936, 1937, 1951 and 1962. The Giants won the first two World Series against the Yankees before losing the next five.


During the regular season, the Yankees have won five of nine meetings. The Yankees won four of those games in New York in 2002 and 2013 and the Giants took two of three at home in 2007.

[TheGame]

Re: MLB Betting Info. 7/22

Preview: Diamondbacks (40-55) at Reds (36-59)


Game: 1
Venue: Great American Ball Park
Date: July 22, 2016 7:10 PM EDT


CINCINNATI -- Dan Straily has proved to be a valuable commodity on the mound and in the clubhouse for the Cincinnati Reds.


Straily, 27, was claimed off waivers at the tail end of spring training, becoming the third team to own his rights in a one-week period.


He initially was slotted as a long reliever, which at the time the Reds were desperate for quality arms in the bullpen. He produced a 3.24 ERA in three relief appearances, all of more than two innings.


But injuries in the rotation created an opportunity for Straily and he has taken full advantage.


"The performance has been sensational when you consider how we got him," manager Bryan Price said. "He was going to be a long man and became really our most consistent starter from the beginning of the season to date."


Straily will start Friday's series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Great American Ball Park. He pitched seven shutout innings on Sunday in a 1-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, allowing only three hits with a walk and four Ks in a no-decision.


On Friday, Straily will make his 21st appearance and 18th start of the season. He's 4-6 with a 4.07 ERA, numbers that aren't indicative of how well he has pitched.


Opponents are hitting only .212 against him, the 10th-best mark in the National League. He'll be looking for his fourth straight quality start against the Diamondbacks in his first encounter with them.


But what has impressed Price most about Straily is how he has impacted those around him in the clubhouse, where he has been a positive influence on Cincinnati's young players who are part of an ongoing rebuilding process.


"Straily has been wonderful, not just as a performer, his paramount responsibility, he's also been a great guy on the team, an excellent teammate," Price said. "He's totally invested in the preparation stuff, the video, the advance reports, really a consummate pro. A fun guy to have on the team."


On Friday, Straily will be opposed by right-hander Archie Bradley, who pitched six innings in each of his past four starts but went 0-2. He allowed only one earned run in his last outing, but it was a no-decision against the Dodgers.


At some point this weekend, the Diamondbacks hope to set a rehab schedule for ace Zack Greinke, who is trying to come back from a left oblique strain. He threw 20 pitches off the mound on Wednesday inside Chase Field. He threw long toss on Tuesday.


"It's just a bad injury where you have to wait for it to heal before doing stuff," Greinke told the Arizona Republic. "Just used to having stuff bothering you all the time and just going through it still. But with this one, you can't do that or else it gets worse."


Cincinnati will be looking to reverse recent history against the Diamondbacks beginning Friday night. The Reds went 1-6 against Arizona last season, their lowest victory total against the Diamondbacks since 2002.


Arizona has defeated Cincinnati five straight times overall and five straight times at Great American Ball Park.

[TheGame]

Re: MLB Betting Info. 7/22

Preview: Mets (50-44) at Marlins (52-43)


Game: 1
Venue: Marlins Park
Date: July 22, 2016 7:10 PM EDT


MIAMI -- The New York Mets won the NL East last season, finishing 19 games ahead of the third-place Miami Marlins.


This year, the Marlins have made up that gap -- all of it -- and lead the Mets in the race for the second and final wild-card spot by 1 1/2 games.


The Mets, who made the World Series last year, are in danger of not even making the playoffs this season, thanks, in part, to the improvement by the Marlins.


Starting Friday night, the Marlins (52-43) will host the Mets (50-44) in a key three-game series.


"(The Marlins are) playing very, very well," Mets manager Terry Collins told the New York media this week. "We've got to win two (of three). We've got to make up ground. It's going to be a big weekend."


The highlight of the series will come on Saturday night, when Miami's Jose Fernandez (11-4, 2.53 ERA) will face New York's Jacob deGrom (6-4, 2.38).


Fernandez is 25-1 with a 1.43 ERA in his career at Marlins Park. In six career starts against the Mets, home or away, Fernandez is 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA.


"He's almost unbeatable at home," Collins said. "That's no fun (for opponents)."


Friday's opener will feature Miami left-hander Adam Conley (6-5, 3.61) against Logan Verrett (3-6, 4.21).


On Sunday, New York will start the left-hander when it sends Steven Matz (7-6, 3.56) against Miami's Jose Urena (1-1, 6.23).


Given the pitching matchups and how New York's offense has struggled lately, especially with runners on base, the Mets may be battling just to avoid a sweep by Sunday.


Still, as bad as things seem for New York at the moment, Mets fans can take solace in the fact that their team looked similarly lifeless at this point last season. Then they made one major trade, getting slugger Yoenis Cespedes, and added several smaller pieces such as reliever Tyler Clippard and veteran hitters off the bench such as Kelly Johnson and Jose Uribe.


The moves worked, and the Mets overtook the front-running Washington Nationals.


This year, the Nationals -- backed by former Mets standout Daniel Murphy -- are in front again. But now the Nationals have two serious challengers in the division -- the Marlins and Mets -- instead of just one.


With this year's non-waiver trade deadline looming at midnight on July 31, the Marlins and Mets are hoping to be active as buyers. The Marlins are looking for one of two starting pitchers, while the Mets could use more offense in addition to pitching depth.


The Marlins' offense figures to get a boost on July 28 when second baseman Dee Gordon returns from an 80-game suspension after it was ruled that he had used performance-enhancing drugs.


Marlins manager Don Mattingly has said Gordon would be slowly eased back into his former role as a starter.


Gordon, who won an NL batting title and led the league in steals last year, is the only true speed threat on the team and also plays excellent defense. He figures to be the every-day starter before too long, assuming he retains his previous form.


That would displace Derek Dietrich, who has done an excellent job filling in at second. The Marlins could look into trading third baseman Martin Prado and replacing him with Dietrich. After all, Prado is a free agent after this season, doesn't provide much power and will turn 33 in October.


But Prado is a team leader, and the Marlins are reluctant to trade him now that they smell playoffs.


Power-hitting first baseman Justin Bour is also set to return soon from an ankle injury, further complicating Mattingly's decisions on playing time.


In addition to the pennant race and the imminent return of Gordon and Bour, the other major story is Ichiro Suzuki's chase to become the 30th major-leaguer to reach 3,000 hits. He would tie Roberto Clemente on the hit list once he reaches the milestone.


Suzuki needs four more hits to get there, and the Marlins are hoping it happens during this 10-game homestand.


Either way, Suzuki is immensely popular in Japan, Seattle and pretty much anywhere there are baseball fans. It's hard not to root for the 42-year-old star, who has contributed in outstanding fashion this season as Miami's fourth outfielder.


Meanwhile, the Mets are awaiting the return of first baseman Lucas Duda (back) and starting pitcher Zach Wheeler (elbow surgery) -- two players they hope to get off the disabled list next month.


On Wednesday, Duda swung a bat and took grounders for the first time since landing on the DL in May. Wheeler, meanwhile, is set to throw a bullpen session in front of Mets coaches on Friday in Miami.


In other story lines regarding the series:


The Marlins tied a season best on Thursday night by going nine games over .500. Before this year, the last time they were nine games over was in 2011. The last time they were nine games over in the second half of a season was in 2009.


Marlins closer A.J. Ramos has 31 saves. With one more save, he ties his career high, which was set last year.


Mets closer Jeurys Familia has saved 49 consecutive chances, the longest active streak in the majors and fourth-longest in baseball history. Eric Gagne has the record with 84, followed by Tom Gordon (54) and Jose Valverde (51).


The Marlins are 11-5 in July and have not lost consecutive games this month.


Mets infielder Wilmer Flores already has seven homers this month.

[TheGame]

Re: MLB Betting Info. 7/22

Preview: Twins (35-60) at Red Sox (54-39)


Game: 2
Venue: Fenway Park
Date: July 22, 2016 7:10 PM EDT


BOSTON -- Tyler Duffey didn't do a good job of making the Boston Red Sox uncomfortable Thursday night, and the Minnesota Twins paid the price.


The Twins are desperately hoping Kyle Gibson will provide more resistance in Friday night's meeting after Boston pounded out 17 hits and scored 13 runs en route to a 13-2 rout of Minnesota in the series opener.


"It's one of those things when they're in a groove like that, if you don't make them uncomfortable they can lean on some stuff," Duffey said after serving up six runs on nine hits and a walk in 2 1/3 innings.


The first time the Red Sox faced Duffey this season, they notched a season-high 15 runs, and the team has 33 hits in the past two contests.


Boston (54-39) maintained its 1/2-game lead over Baltimore in the American League East after capturing its season-high-tying seventh straight win at Fenway Park and moved a season-best 15 games over .500.


"July has been a very good offensive month," Red Sox manager John Farrell said after his team moved to 12-3 in the month. "Just great to see the number of quality at-bats.


Minnesota (35-60) is the first 60-loss team in the AL and is 5-19 on the year against AL East opponents.


Eduardo Rodriguez (2-3, 7.18 ERA) hopes to keep the good times rolling after a stellar return against the Yankees in New York last Saturday following a stint in the minors.


The 23-year-old southpaw turned in his best performance of the season, holding the Yankees to one run on four hits and two walks with a strikeout in a seven-inning victory.


Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket on June 28 to work on mechanical issues after claims he was tipping pitches. He made two starts with the PawSox, going 0-1 with a 1.80 ERA.


He is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in two career starts against the Twins, with Brian Dozier going 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two walks against him.


No other Minnesota batter has more than one hit off Rodriguez, although Kurt Suzuki hit a three-run homer against him.


Gibson has two wins in his last four starts for the Twins, but he's given up four runs in three straight outings.


Gibson (2-6, 5.12 ERA) surrendered a season-high 10 hits with the four runs in Sunday's start at Cleveland. He gave up a home run and a walk while striking out four.


The right-hander has faced the Red Sox only once in his career, and the results weren't pretty.


Gibson surrendered five runs on seven hits and a walk with a pair of punch outs in a 5 2/3-inning loss against Boston on June 11. Boston scored a season-high 15 runs in the rout.


Xander Bogaerts went 4-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBIs in that game, while Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-4.


Mookie Betts (2-for-6) and Sandy Leon (4-for-4) drove in two runs apiece in the blowout.


Bradley's homer came against Gibson and Bogaerts is 2-for-6 lifetime against him. Hanley Ramirez, who has driven in seven runs in the Red Sox's last two games, is 1-for-5 with two RBIs.


Two of Leon's hits also came with Gibson on the mound.

[TheGame]

Re: MLB Betting Info. 7/22

Preview: Cubs (57-37) at Brewers (40-53)


Game: 1
Venue: Miller Park
Date: July 22, 2016 8:10 PM EDT


MILWAUKEE -- After slumping their way into the All-Star Break, the Chicago Cubs seemed to have regained their mojo, winning four of their last six games.


Starting pitching has been a big factor in that stretch; Chicago's rotation has combined for a 1.54 ERA.


Jason Hammel will try to keep that going Friday when the Cubs travel north to Milwaukee where they will open a three-game series against the Brewers at what's expected to be a heavily-partisan crowd at Miller Park.


Hammel snapped a four-decision losing streak in his last start, holding the Texas Rangers to a run on three hits over six innings in a 3-1 Cubs victory last Saturday in Chicago.


He credited the turnaround, oddly enough, to potato chips.


"(Team doctor Stephen Adams) called me over the break and told me again today, 'potato chips.'" Hammel said, "My prescription is potato chips, which blew me away because I've never heard of a doctor that said potato chips."


The reason for the snaky treat wasn't superstition; Hammel has been plagued at times during his career by cramps and dehydration, so Adams suggested turning to potato chips to boost his potassium levels.


"I think it turned out well," Hammel said.


He's faced Milwaukee once in 2016, allowing four runs over six innings in a 5-3 loss at Milwaukee on May 19 but is 8-1 with a 2.66 ERA in 12 career starts against the Brewers and 5-1 with a 2.18 career ERA in eight starts at Miller Park.


Right-hander Jimmy Nelson will make his 20th start of the season for the Brewers.


Nelson snapped mid-summer swoon with seven strikeouts over scoreless innings against the Reds his last time out. In seven previous starts, Nelson had gone 0-4 with a 5.14 ERA.


"It felt good to be back to where I was early on," said Nelson, who started the season 5-3 with a 2.88 ERA before his recent slide. "My pitches seemed to have better life on them."


Nelson worked on some adjustments to his delivery during the All-Star break and they seemed to pay off against the Reds. It also didn't hurt that the Brewers, who have struggled at times to put runs on the board, jumped out to an early lead which allowed Nelson to settle in.


"It's helpful," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "I don't want to say relaxing, but it's a better way to go through a game."


Nelson will be looking for his first career victory against the Cubs. He's faced them nine times in his career, including seven starts, going 0-4 with a 2.83 ERA.


He's faced the Cubs one this season, throwing 7 1/3 scoreless innings while scattering five hits and four walks with five strikeouts in a 2-1 loss May 18 at Miller Park.


The Brewers have struggled since the break, dropping series to the Reds and Pirates, and are 6-13 in their last 19 games with a 7-8 mark in their last 15 games at Miller Park.


Against the Cubs this season, the Brewers are 2-3. Chicago has gone 25-13 against Milwaukee since the start of the 2014 season and has won six straight series including three straight and four of the last five at Miller Park.

[TheGame]

Re: MLB Betting Info. 7/22

Preview: Tigers (50-46) at White Sox (46-49)


Game: 2
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: July 22, 2016 8:10 PM EDT


CHICAGO -- White Sox general manager Rick Hahn came up with a catchy phrase to describe his team's disappointing season.


Chicago is 1-6 in the second half, tumbling to fourth place in the American League Central standings and 7 1/2 games back in the wild-card race. Since the White Sox had the second-best record in the majors at 23-10 on May 9, they have gone 23-39.


"We've been wrestling with being a couple games over, a couple games under .500 for the last few weeks. We're mired in mediocrity," Hahn said Thursday before the White Sox's 2-1, rain-shortened loss to the Detroit Tigers. "That's not the goal. That's not acceptable. That's not what we're trying to accomplish for the long term. It may well be a decent turnaround in a short period of time, but the goal was to put ourselves in a situation to win a championship."


Hahn said the White Sox have ruled out adding "short-term rentals" through trades, but they are otherwise open-minded to altering the team.


"We're looking for multiyear fits and the ability to put us in a stronger competition to compete, ideally for this year, but certainly as important, if not more so, for the long term," Hahn said.


The White Sox (46-49) continue their four-game series against the Tigers on Friday night.


Right-hander Michael Fulmer -- a candidate for American League Rookie of the Year -- will take the mound for Detroit in his first career start against the White Sox. Fulmer is 9-2 with a 2.13 ERA overall, 7-1 with a 0.83 ERA in his last 10 starts. The 23-year-old allowed two runs in a career-high eight innings against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.


"I don't think his heart rate changes," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus told the Detroit Free Press.


The Tigers (50-46) are 4-3 after the All-Star break and four games back in the AL wild-card race.


White Sox right-hander Jacob Turner (0-1, 18.00 ERA) will start Friday. Chicago purchased his contract on Sunday from Triple-A Charlotte, where he was 4-7 with a 4.71 ERA in 18 starts. He is filling in for left-hander Carlos Rodon, who went on the disabled list earlier this month due to a sprained left wrist.


Turner allowed eight runs and seven hits in four innings Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels in his first major league start of the year.


"Obviously, you work hard to get back here, and you appreciate any opportunity you get," Turner said after the outing in Anaheim. "From that standpoint, you realize all the work you put in to get back here. But you have to go out there to win the game and to execute pitches, and there were too many pitches today I didn't execute."


Turner will be facing his former team for the first time -- Detroit drafted him ninth overall in 2009. He was 1-2 with an 8.28 ERA in six starts with the Tigers in 2011 and 2012.


"I had a lot of good memories there," Turner said. "I obviously made my major league debut there, so I'm always grateful for the opportunity they gave me in professional baseball, but I don't think at this point in my career there's anything extra in pitching against them."

[TheGame]

Re: MLB Betting Info. 7/22

Preview: Angels (43-52) at Astros (51-44)


Game: 1
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Date: July 22, 2016 8:10 PM EDT


HOUSTON -- Despite their injury-ravaged pitching staff suffering another blow this week, the Los Angeles Angels continue to build on the momentum they established prior to the All-Star Game break when they won five times during a 10-game swing through Tampa, Boston and Baltimore.


Having lost right-hander Garrett Richards and left-hander Andrew Heaney to torn ulnar collateral ligaments earlier this season, the Angels discovered that right-hander Nick Tropeano suffered the same injury on July 18 and will likely require season-ending Tommy John surgery.


Yet despite these tribulations, the Angels (43-52) have won 10 of 12 games and completed a 6-0 homestand with a 7-4 win over the Rangers on Wednesday night. After surrendering just one run in a three-game sweep of the White Sox, the Angles used their offense to bludgeon Texas, earning a second consecutive sweep despite allowing 15 runs.


"I think we're getting contributions from a lot of guys," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of his offense. "Our lineup is getting deeper. I think we're running the bases better. Our situational hitting has been good. Our on-base percentage over the last month has been terrific.


"So we're getting opportunities, we're feeding the guys in the middle (of the lineup). Albert (Pujols) is swinging the bat better (and) getting his RBI shots. Mike (Trout) is doing what he does. I think on the offensive side we're doing the things we anticipated doing."


The Angels will open a three-game series at Minute Maid Park on Friday night against the Astros, against whom they have dropped eight consecutive games. The good news is that the reigning American League Player of the Week, right-hander Matt Shoemaker, will be on the bump.


Shoemaker (5-9, 4.08 ERA) is coming off his first career shutout, a brilliant 1-0 win over the White Sox in which he registered a career-high 13 strikeouts against six hits and zero walks. Shoemaker has pitched effectively against the Astros this season, going 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA in three starts, recording 24 strikeouts against 20 hits in 21 1/3 innings.


The Astros (51-44) will counter with right-hander Lance McCullers (4-4, 3.61 ERA). McCullers has faced the Angels once this season, allowing one run on six hits and three walks with six strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings while not factoring in the decision of a 3-2 victory on June 22. McCullers is 1-1 with a 2.35 ERA in five career starts against the Angels.


The Astros capped a 3-3 road trip with a 7-0 win over the Athletics on Wednesday. Shortstop Carlos Correa finished with three walks and three RBIs in the victory, continuing his resurgent productivity since claiming the cleanup spot in the batting order.


Over the 29 games since he began batting fourth, Correa owns a slash line of .296/.400/.574 with six home runs and 30 RBIs. Correa had more than twice as many strikeouts (68) as walks (31) before the move but has almost evened his ratio since with 21 strikeouts against 18 walks.


Hitting behind All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve, who is batting .500/.537/.750 against the Angels in 2016, has benefitted Correa.


"He was very disciplined in some RBI opportunities, which is good to see," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said of Correa to MLB.com. "Obviously, behind Altuve, we want him to be really, really productive because there's a lot times guys aren't going to pitch to him."

[TheGame]

Re: MLB Betting Info. 7/22

Preview: Dodgers (54-43) at Cardinals (51-44)


Game: 1
Venue: Busch Stadium
Date: July 22, 2016 8:15 PM EDT


ST. LOUIS -- On one hand, sweeping the San Diego Padres at home doesn't sound like a big deal when you're the St. Louis Cardinals, who have been to the National League playoffs five straight years and 12 of the last 16.


On the other hand, when you entered the four-game series with a rotten 20-28 home record and hadn't won four straight home games all year, sweeping San Diego is a big deal.


"We haven't played well at home," St. Louis starting pitcher Adam Wainwright said. "We're ready for a big (winning) streak here. We're ready to run off about a 12-spot."


The Cardinals can add to this success and make up ground on two fronts in the playoff chase Friday night when they welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers to Busch Stadium for a three-game weekend series.


Thursday night's 6-5 win over the Padres, which led 5-1 after 7 1/2 innings, boosted St. Louis to 51-44 for the year, tying its high water mark of seven games over .500. It also kept it within a game of Miami for the NL's second wild-card spot.


What's more, the Cardinals also pulled within 6 1/2 games of the idle Chicago Cubs for first place in the NL Central, the closest they've been since beating them 4-3 on May 23 to move within six games of first.


So in a season largely bereft of team accomplishments, forgive St. Louis for feeling good about itself for a moment or two.


"Who said I was joking?" kidded Wainwright when asked about joking about a 12-spot. "You never know what's going to be your catapult. I just know that we haven't had a good long winning streak in a while, and it's time for it."


Los Angeles (54-43) owns the NL's first wild-card spot by a game over Miami and comes to town fresh off winning two of three at NL East leader Washington, besting previously unbeaten Stephen Strasburg 6-3 Thursday.


The Dodgers will have a hot pitcher taking the mound on a hot night, as temperatures might be close to 100 degrees at first pitch. Brandon McCarthy (2-0, 1.69) is coming off six shutout innings Saturday at Arizona, allowing just three hits and fanning eight as he was no-decisioned in a 2-1, 12-inning loss.


He'll be opposed by Michael Wacha (5-7, 4.55), who lasted just four-plus innings and 101 pitches Sunday in a no-decision outing against Miami. Wacha, who had his pitch count jacked up by 25 foul balls, gave up seven hits and three runs, walking two and fanning four.


Wacha is 1-2 with a 3.38 ERA in three career starts against Los Angeles, absorbing an 8-4 loss on May 13. He'll have to be careful against Justin Turner, who homered twice and drove in five runs against Strasburg Thursday, giving him six homers and 16 RBIs in 16 games this month.


"I'm definitely feeling comfortable again," Turner said. "I feel good and am obviously getting better results."


The Cardinals will send Mike Leake (7-7, 4.00) to the mound Saturday night opposite Kenta Maeda (8-7, 3.25). In Sunday night's matchup, the Dodgers will pitch Scott Kazmir (8-3, 4.30) against a St. Louis pitcher to be determined.