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**TheGame** · 05-03-2016, 07:48 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/3

Preview: Tigers (14-10) at Indians (10-12)

Game: 1
Venue: Progressive Field
Date: May 03, 2016 6:10 PM EDT

The way the Detroit Tigers have been hitting bodes well for Justin Verlander in a matchup with a longtime nemesis.

Struggling offensively, the Cleveland Indians hope a return home and an opponent they swept last month allows them to get back on track.

Verlander tries to pitch Detroit to a sixth consecutive victory and end an eight-start win drought against Cleveland when the AL Central opponents open a three-game series Tuesday night.

Shut down by the Indians in three straight losses April 22-24, the Tigers enter Progressive Field averaging 7 runs and batting .328 during a season-high winning streak. They recorded 14 hits in Sunday's 6-5 comeback win at Minnesota to complete a three-game sweep.

'We had it in us, we knew it, even when we were going through that stretch where we were losing,' said catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who delivered a tiebreaking RBI double in the eighth inning Sunday. 'We just weren't putting the ball in play. We knew we were better than that.'

Nick Castellanos forged a 5-all tie with a three-run homer in the sixth and Victor Martinez and Justin Upton had three hits to help Detroit (14-10) move to 9-4 on the road.

Martinez went 9 for 13 in the series and is 16 for 31 with three home runs and nine RBIs in an eight-game stretch. Upton was 7 for 13 in Minnesota and Miguel Cabrera is batting .387 with three homers during a seven-game hitting streak.

The Tigers' bats weren't remotely as hot in the previous series against Cleveland, as they hit .140 while scoring five runs. They were held to four hits through 6 2/3 innings by Josh Tomlin in a 2-1 loss April 22 that gave Verlander an 0-5 mark and 4.83 ERA in his last eight meetings with the Indians.

Verlander (2-2, 5.46 ERA) yielded four hits and struck out 10 in seven innings but surrendered homers to Carlos Santana and Marlon Byrd. He's 18-19 with a 4.83 ERA in 44 career starts against Cleveland - his lone losing record versus an AL Central team - and last beat the Indians on April 17, 2014.

The 2011 AL MVP received more support in Wednesday's 9-4 win over Oakland in which he surrendered three runs in 6 1/3 innings.

Cleveland (10-12) scored 18 runs in its sweep of the Tigers but just five against surprising Philadelphia, which limited the Indians to four hits in Sunday's 2-1 victory that capped a three-game sweep.

The Indians have played six consecutive one-run games since the Detroit series and lost five, falling to 4-7 in such contests.

'We've had close games all year,' manager Terry Francona said. 'We talk about being one run better. In this series, that's what they did.'

Cleveland has consistently succeeded in Tomlin's starts since the right-hander returned from shoulder surgery in August. He's 10-1 with a 3.07 ERA over his past 12 outings and has held hitters to a .195 average in that period.

Tomlin (3-0, 3.18), who threw a four-hitter in an 8-1 win at Detroit on Sept. 4, won his third straight start Wednesday against the Twins despite allowing four runs in 5 1/3 innings.

He's held Martinez to 2 for 16 in their matchups, though Saltalamacchia is 4 for 5 with a home run off him.

Santana has seven homers in 56 at-bats against Verlander and had a solo shot Sunday.

Detroit is expected to activate James McCann from the disabled list Tuesday. The catcher has been sidelined since April 11 by a right ankle sprain.

**TheGame** · 05-03-2016, 07:49 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/3

Preview: Cubs (18-6) at Pirates (15-11)

Game: 2
Venue: PNC Park
Date: May 03, 2016 7:05 PM EDT

Anyone still claiming win-loss records as a comprehensive statistic in assessing pitching performance will need to distract those in disagreement from tuning in for this mound matchup.

Jake Arrieta and Jonathon Niese are both unbeaten, but one has given up four times the earned runs of the other in 7 2/3 fewer innings.

They square off Tuesday night as the Chicago Cubs try for continued road dominance over the Pittsburgh Pirates, while Arrieta attempts to become the second pitcher ever to go 26 straight starts without giving up more than three runs.

Arrieta (5-0, 1.00 ERA) is 16-0 with a 0.69 ERA in 18 regular-season starts since last losing on July 25.

The latest bumped his winning streak to eight starts for the second time in those 18. The last Cubs pitcher to go beyond that was Milt Pappas' 11-start winning streak in 1972, and Arrieta is the first to win his first five starts of a season since Greg Maddux in 2006.

The team's 18-game winning streak in his starts is tops in baseball since Atlanta won 23 straight Kris Medlen starts from 2010-12.

However, the reigning NL Cy Young winner did see his MLB-record streak of 24 straight quality starts come to an end in Thursday's 7-2 home win over Milwaukee. It was the longest since Bob Gibson went 26 straight in 1967-68 to punctuate the argument for a lowered mound.

Control is to blame for Arrieta not putting himself in position to match that. The right-hander walked four for a second straight outing, and while the first was a no-hitter, he was limited to five innings against the Brewers despite surrendering just a run and three hits.

"All I can say is he's human," catcher David Ross told MLB's official website.

Barely. Even Gibson gave up more than three runs on his mound-altering run - five in nine innings of a loss to the Cubs.

Arrieta still hasn't given up four runs or more in 25 regular-season outings since June 16, going 21-1 with a 0.89 ERA. In 13 of those he hasn't allowed a run. The only pitcher in data available to 1913 to go 26 starts without giving up four runs once overlapped with Gibson in that pitcher-dominant era. It was the less-lauded Chris Short, who was 10-11 with a 2.13 ERA in 26 straight in '67-68.

The last time Arrieta saw the Pirates, his five-hit, 11-strikeout shutout pushed the Cubs through to the NLDS in a 4-0 wild-card win. He's 7-1 with a 1.46 ERA in 10 career starts against Pittsburgh.

Josh Harrison (1 for 13), Gregory Polanco (3 for 20), Francisco Cervelli (3 for 16) and Starling Marte (4 for 21) have struggled against him, but Matt Joyce (7 for 14) could find his way into the lineup.

While Arrieta has allowed four runs or more four times in 33 starts, Niese (3-0, 5.08) has done so in four of five this season. His teammates have masked it with a 8.89 run support average.

A 4.76 ERA in 10 starts against the Cubs has resulted in a more realistic 3-6 record. Jason Heyward is 9 for 28 with two home runs against Niese but is day to day with an injured wrist, while Anthony Rizzo is 2 for 17.

Chicago (18-6) opened the season series with Monday's 7-2 win to again avoiding losing consecutive contests for the first time this year. It was the second straight game there was a bit of a dust-up between dugouts.

"Boys being boys," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.

Regardless of result Tuesday, the Cubs will be the first team since the 2003 New York Yankees to start a season without consecutive losses through 25 games, and no NL team has done it since Atlanta went 30 in 1999. Both clubs lost in the World Series.

A win would put Chicago 13 games over .500 in 25 games or fewer for the first time since the 1969 team did it in 24.

Including the playoff game, the Cubs have won three straight over the Pirates (15-11) with two runs allowed, as well as five in a row in Pittsburgh.

This will be the third time in four overall meetings the Pirates have seen Arrieta with him holding them scoreless in 16 straight innings.

**TheGame** · 05-03-2016, 07:49 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/3

Preview: Yankees (8-15) at Orioles (14-10)

Game: 1
Venue: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Date: May 03, 2016 7:05 PM EDT

The Baltimore Orioles' promising start to their series against the top team in the AL didn't last, and a second straight loss cost them first place in the East.

The New York Yankees appear to give them a very good chance to regain their winning ways, as they've dropped five in a row overall and five straight to the Orioles.

Baltimore continues its 10-game homestand with three against New York in the teams' first matchup of 2016, starting Tuesday night.

The Orioles (14-10) took the first two against Chicago last week but settled for a split after a pair of ugly losses. They scored 23 runs in the first three before managing one against White Sox ace Chris Sale in a 7-1 defeat Sunday.

Baltimore pitching was pounded for 15 runs and 23 hits in the final two contests, and that allowed surging Boston to jump one-half game ahead in the division by completing a sweep of the Yankees.

Sale lasted only 5 1/3 innings but Nolan Reimold had the lone RBI for the Orioles, who despite getting eight hits fell to 9-3 at home.

The game wasn't the only loss for Baltimore, as shortstop J.J. Hardy left after five innings after fouling a ball off his left foot. A scan taken Monday revealed a hairline fracture that will sideline him 4 to 6 weeks according to manager Buck Showalter.

That came a day after closer Zach Britton departed in the ninth inning with a left ankle sprain. He showed up in the clubhouse Sunday on crutches.

"We knew it wasn't a matter (of) if, it was when. You hope it's if," Showalter said of suffering injuries. "Some teams get real lucky in a year. But it's nothing we can't overcome, and nothing guys won't be back from at some point."

Britton said his ankle isn't sore enough to put him on the DL, but he seems unlikely to pitch in this series.

He might not be missed against light-hitting New York, which did bust out Sunday for its highest run total in 18 games - against Boston ace David Price, no less - but still lost 8-7 for its season-high fifth consecutive defeat. The last-place Yankees (8-15) had totaled five runs over their previous four.

Making matters worse, their usually overpowering bullpen faltered for the second straight day, with Dellin Betances giving up a two-run homer to Christian Vazquez that broke a seventh-inning tie. In the series opener Friday, Betances allowed David Ortiz's tiebreaking two-run shot in a 4-2 defeat.

The only silver lining during the losing streak has been Alex Rodriguez finding his stroke, as he drove in four runs Sunday with his third home run in four games and a two-run double.

'It is frustrating, no question about it,' Rodriguez said. 'We expect better things from ourselves.'

They'll try for a repeat hitting performance against Chris Tillman (2-1, 3.24), who has given up two runs over 12 2/3 innings with 13 strikeouts in his last two starts. The right-hander has gone 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA in his last six home starts in this series.

He'll be opposed by Luis Severino (0-3, 6.86), whose nightmarish second season continued with a 10-1 loss at Texas on Tuesday. The right-hander gave up six runs in three innings and could be headed for the minors.

"I'm sure it's tough right now, because he's probably never struggled to this level," manager Joe Girardi said. "But that's part of it, too - you've got to fight in this game."

New York hasn't dropped six straight to Baltimore since a seven-game skid in 1997.

**TheGame** · 05-03-2016, 07:49 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/3

Preview: Rangers (15-11) at Blue Jays (12-15)

Game: 2
Venue: Rogers Centre
Date: May 03, 2016 7:07 PM EDT

The Toronto Blue Jays haven't exactly been racking up runs lately. That's something Marco Estrada has dealt with all season.

Estrada will try to help the Blue Jays put the brakes on a four-game home losing streak Tuesday night against the Texas Rangers.

It's hard to believe Toronto (12-15) would ever struggle to score with its deep and power-laden lineup, but it's been limited to 16 runs and a .162 average while losing four of six. The Blue Jays have totaled seven runs - five in one game - during four straight losses at hitter-friendly Rogers Centre.

Michael Saunders' RBI single accounted for their offense in Monday's series-opening 2-1 loss to the Rangers in a rematch of last season's AL division series. Edwin Encarnacion went 0 for 2 with two walks and is hitless in his last 17 at-bats, while fellow slugger Jose Bautista is 2 for 20 with nine strikeouts in his last six games.

Toronto, which hasn't dropped five in a row at home since Sept. 1-13, 2013, is batting .195 with runners in scoring position during a 4-8 overall stretch.

'In these close games we're just not executing good enough to win,' manager John Gibbons said.

Estrada (1-2, 2.92 ERA) has been a victim of poor support all season, receiving two runs in two home starts while his 2.19 run support average would be the third lowest in the AL if he had enough innings to qualify.

The right-hander has pitched well enough to earn more than one win, allowing three runs or fewer in three of his four starts. His control, however, has become an issue with eight walks over 11 2/3 innings in his last two.

Estrada held the Chicago White Sox to one hit over six innings Wednesday and ended up yielding three runs and two more hits before leaving with two outs in the seventh of a 4-0 loss.

He's 2-1 with a 1.47 ERA in three starts against the Rangers, giving up one run over 6 1/3 innings in a 5-1 victory in Game 3 of the ALDS.

Mitch Moreland has had success in this matchup, going 3 for 8 with a home run.

Texas (15-11) opened a seven-game road trip with its fifth win in six tries behind a terrific performance from Nomar Mazara, the AL rookie of the month for April who turned 21 last week. He hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning, and preserved the lead in the bottom half by throwing out Saunders at the plate to end the inning.

'Mazara just continues to impress all of us,' manager Jeff Banister said.

Fellow rookie Brett Nicholas also homered for the Rangers, who ended a four-game skid away from home with eight total runs in that span.

Martin Perez (1-2, 4.20) comes off his fourth quality start in five outings, limiting the New York Yankees to two runs through six innings in a 3-2 victory Wednesday. The Rangers had lost each of the first four games started by the left-hander.

'He made pitches when he needed to,' catcher Bryan Holaday said. 'He was able to use that sinker down and away. ... When we pitched off that, we were able to use his secondary stuff and get some swings and misses.'

Perez made his first start against the Blue Jays in Game 3 of the ALDS opposite Estrada, allowing four runs over five-plus innings to take the loss.

Josh Donaldson is 7 for 16 with a homer and four doubles against Perez, while Justin Smoak is 4 for 11 with a pair of doubles.

**TheGame** · 05-03-2016, 07:49 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/3

Preview: Diamondbacks (12-15) at Marlins (12-12)

Game: 1
Venue: Marlins Park
Date: May 03, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

The Miami Marlins get to play their next nine games at home, which may not be a good thing.

Back from a long and mostly successful road trip, they attempt to reverse some unusual early season splits in Tuesday night's opener of a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Sunday's 14-5 loss at Milwaukee was one of the Marlins' few negatives on their 10-game trek that helped put behind a slow start to Don Mattingly's first season. Miami (12-12) won seven straight prior to that result, highlighted by a four-game sweep of a Los Angeles Dodgers team that parted ways with Mattingly following last October's postseason exit.

An improved offense has sparked the surge, as the Marlins are hitting .308 with 13 home runs over their last eight games.

"I thought our whole team -- really the quality of our at-bats up and down have been really good on this trip," Mattingly told MLB's official website. "Guys have played good baseball. You don't want to end a trip like this. It would've been nice to put a little cherry on the top of this trip, but it's actually a really good trip for us."

Miami has yet to be impacted by Dee Gordon's recent 80-game suspension for PED use, with hot stretches from several players offsetting the reigning NL batting champion's departure. Giancarlo Stanton has five home runs and 10 RBIs and J.T. Realmuto is 15 for 29 over seven-game hitting streaks and Martin Prado is 14 for 24 over his last five.

The Marlins now try to maintain that production at home, where they've hit .248 and averaged 3.8 runs while losing seven of nine. They're batting .293 with 16 homers in compiling a 10-5 road mark.

Realmuto has particularly struggled at Marlins Park, where he's hitting .107 compared to a .429 road average.

Timely hitting has been an issue of late for Arizona (12-15), batting .114 with runners in scoring position during a 1-5 stretch. The Diamondbacks went 2 for 16 in such situations while mustering five runs in three straight home losses to Colorado over the weekend.

"We're just not relaxing and doing the things that we can do well," manager Chip Hale said following Sunday's 6-3 loss. "We have those guys out there with nobody out and can't get them in. That's just not who we are, and that's happened way too much on this homestand."

Like Miami, the Diamondbacks have done their best work on the road. They're 7-3 away from Chase Field and 5-12 at home, where the pitching staff has compiled a 6.36 ERA.

Arizona has posted a 2.57 ERA on the road, where Patrick Corbin (1-3, 4.88 ERA) is 5-1 with a 3.11 ERA in nine starts dating back to July 29.

Corbin comes in after permitting 11 earned runs in 11 2/3 innings in consecutive home defeats. He was reached for seven runs in 5 2/3 innings in Wednesday's 11-4 loss to St. Louis and allowed three homers in an 8-7 loss to Pittsburgh on April 22.

Miami's Justin Nicolino (1-0, 0.00) looks to reprise Wednesday's outstanding 2016 debut in Los Angeles, where he yielded two hits and two walks over 7 1/3 innings of a 2-0 victory. The 24-year-old owns a 1.27 ERA over a three-start winning streak beginning in late September.

Nicolino faces an Arizona lineup currently led by rookie Brandon Drury, who went 3 for 5 Sunday and homered for the fourth time in five games.

The Diamondbacks swept a four-game set at Marlins Park last May, with Yasmany Tomas going 9 for 18 in the series.

**TheGame** · 05-03-2016, 07:50 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/3

Preview: Giants (14-13) at Reds (10-16)

Game: 2
Venue: Great American Ball Park
Date: May 03, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

San Francisco and Cincinnati are dealing with injuries to key players, yet the Giants might be better equipped to handle the situation.

They'll try for a fifth consecutive road victory over the Reds on Tuesday night.

With Joe Panik (groin) and Angel Pagan (hamstring) out, San Francisco (14-13) overcame a six-run third inning by Cincinnati that led to a three-run deficit in Monday's 9-6 victory. Brandon Crawford's three-run homer highlighted a five-run seventh for the Giants, who have totaled 39 runs in their last four games at Great American Ballpark.

Crawford, batting .306 in the last 11 games, is 9 for 18 with two homers and 12 RBIs in the last four at Cincinnati. It's possible he will see the return of double-play partner Panik to the lineup as early as Wednesday.

'He's made a lot of improvement,' manager Bruce Bochy said of Panik, who missed the last three games but is available to pinch-hit.

Kelby Tomlinson went 2 for 5 in place of Panik on Monday.

Pagan is expected to miss this series, but Bochy hopes the outfielder will avoid a stint on the disabled list.

A loser in nine of 11, Cincinnati (10-16) placed catcher Devin Mesoraco (shoulder) on the DL before Monday's game and could be minus shortstop Zack Cozart (knee) for a second straight contest.

Cozart is hitting a team-high .347.

'It will be something he'll have to deal with the rest of the year,' manager Bryan Price said.

The club also learned right-handers Homer Bailey (elbow) and Anthony DeSclafani (oblique) won't throw for a few more days because of setbacks in their minor league rehab stints.

Jon Moscot (0-2, 4.02 ERA) left Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the New York Mets after five innings with soreness in his non-throwing shoulder, but he's expected to make this start.

"We are kind of ruling out anything serious right now," the right-hander told MLB's official website. "Just a little inflammation in there. ... I think I'll be all right."

Moscot has allowed at least three runs in each of his three starts, but only one was earned against the Mets. He's also walked four in two straight outings.

None of Moscot's six career starts have come against the Giants, who counter with Jeff Samardzija (3-1, 3.86).

Despite giving up five runs in 5 2/3 innings of Wednesday's 13-9 victory over San Diego, Samardzija will try to win a third consecutive start. The right-hander is 0-5 with a 4.39 ERA in his last nine starts against the Reds but hasn't faced them since June 2014.

Joey Votto went 0 for 6 with four walks against Samardzija when they last squared off that season. Votto, who clubbed a three-run homer Monday, is 11 for 33 with two homers and eight RBIs in the last 10 games. He went 10 for 58 with one home run and seven RBIs in the first 16.

The Reds' bullpen has allowed at least one run in 20 straight games, tying the 2013 Colorado Rockies for the longest streak since 1900. It's posted a 7.80 ERA and yielded 20 home runs during that span.

'It's hard finding a recipe right now,' Price said. 'We're bringing up guys who might not be ready. ... We've got to get healthy."

**TheGame** · 05-03-2016, 07:50 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/3

Preview: Braves (6-19) at Mets (16-8)

Game: 2
Venue: Citi Field
Date: May 03, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

The New York Mets' first-inning outburst reinforced their recent dominance over the Atlanta Braves while accentuating this season's power disparity between the two.

The Mets hope to stretch their home run differential over baseball's worst team on Tuesday night when they go for their fifth straight win over the visiting Braves.

New York (16-8) failed to homer for just the second time in a dozen games in Sunday's 6-1 loss to San Francisco, ending an eight-game winning streak. The first inning of Monday's opener against Atlanta (6-19) made up for the brief power outage.

David Wright, Yoenis Cespedes and Lucas Duda all went deep in a span of 16 pitches, and Bartolo Colon held down the light-hitting Braves for a 4-1 win - New York's ninth in 11 games in this series.

"I definitely think we are pretty hot right now," Cespedes told MLB's official website through an interpreter. "But I think we really have the potential in this lineup to be hitting those kind of home runs throughout the whole season."

The homers, which were part of five straight hits that included Michael Conforto's single and a double from Asdrubal Cabrera, moved the Mets' total to 36. It was the first time they have hit three homers in the first inning since April 13, 2006.

Absurdly, they were also more than the Braves have in their last 20 games.

Atlanta's five home runs are 12 fewer than the next closest team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves are averaging a NL-low 3.20 runs with a .228/.297/.289 slash line, and they have gone deep just twice since April 10.

After New York opened with two home runs in its first eight games, it has 34 in the last 16. Cespedes has seven while hitting .326 with 22 RBIs in his last 12 games.

The Mets, who scored a record 12 runs in one inning last week, have back-to-back homers on five occasions, most in the majors. They hit three in an inning last month in Cleveland.

The Braves are tasked with reversing their hitting woes against Matt Harvey, who gutted through five innings in a 6-3 win on April 22 during New York's three-game sweep in Atlanta.

Harvey (2-3, 4.76 ERA) needed 101 pitches but held the Braves to a pair of runs and seven hits. He has a 2.92 ERA in four career starts against them, allowing just one home run and striking out 26 in 24 2/3 innings.

No current Braves have homered in the matchup, and Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis are a combined 0 for 14 with five strikeouts.

Atlanta's Matt Wisler (0-2, 4.26) made his MLB debut against the Mets on June 19, allowing six hits and one run in eight innings - en route to a 2-1 mark and 2.14 ERA in three 2015 starts against them.

Conforto went 3 for 6 in the matchup, while Cespedes was 2 for 6 with a double and Wright had a home run in six at-bats.

Wisler allowed four runs in the first inning of last Tuesday's 11-4 loss to Boston before settling down and allowing just one over the next four frames. Ten of the 12 earned runs the right-hander has surrendered have come in three innings.

The Braves made seven moves this week, calling up Mike Foltynewicz, Reid Brignac, Matt Tuiasosopo and Chase d'Arnaud - brother of injured New York catcher Travis d'Arnaud. Jace Peterson and John Gant were optioned to Triple-A Gwinett and Drew Stubbs was designated for assignment.

'I don't think it's a desperation move,' manager Fredi Gonzalez said. 'It gives you hope, it really does. When you see the young people coming up, you're seeing the talent. It gives the fans hope, too."

**TheGame** · 05-03-2016, 07:50 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/3

Preview: Dodgers (13-13) at Rays (11-13)

Game: 1
Venue: Tropicana Field
Date: May 03, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

The Los Angeles Dodgers and their trio of former Tampa Bay Rays may be happy to be going on the road after a dismal homestand.

They'll send one of them to the mound Tuesday night in Scott Kazmir to face the Rays in the opener of a two-game series.

Los Angeles (13-13) ended a season-high slide at six by capping a seven-game homestand with Sunday's 1-0 victory over San Diego behind Clayton Kershaw, who struck out 14 in a three-hitter and also singled home the only run.

"We really needed it, the 'pen needed it and just to get that win, now we have an off day to feel better about ourselves," manager Dave Roberts said.

The Dodgers batted .167 on the homestand and totaled 12 runs while going 3 for 39 with runners in scoring position. Adrian Gonzalez was hitless in 20 at-bats with eight strikeouts, Yasiel Puig was 2 for 24 and Chase Utley 2 for 15.

Kazmir (1-2, 5.76 ERA) suffered one of the defeats at Chavez Ravine, allowing two runs in six innings Wednesday in a 2-0 loss to Miami. The Dodgers lost his fourth straight start after he posted a 9.69 ERA in the previous three.

The left-hander, who pitched for Tampa Bay from 2004-09, is 1-4 with a 5.13 ERA in five starts versus the Rays. He went 0-2 with a 6.55 ERA in two last year, with Evan Longoria going 3 for 5 with a homer against him in those games and Brandon Guyer 3 for 6.

The Rays (11-13) are 5-2 against left-handed starters.

Kazmir joins left fielder Carl Crawford and reliever J.P. Howell as former Rays on the Dodgers. Crawford returned to Tropicana Field in 2011 with Boston and hasn't been back since, while Howell has yet to return since his departure after 2012.

Tampa Bay will start Matt Moore (1-2, 5.66), who has never faced the Dodgers. The left-hander has faced three of their hitters in Gonzalez (1 for 7 against him), Howie Kendrick (2 for 9) and Crawford (1 for 1).

Moore dropped his second straight start Wednesday by surrendering three runs in seven innings of Wednesday's 3-1 loss to Baltimore.

Roberts will have the designated hitter at his disposal for the first time. He said he will start lefty-swinging Joc Pederson, who normally sits against southpaws and is 0 for 6 against them in 2016.

While the Dodgers are in a funk at the plate, the Rays average 3.2 runs for baseball's worst mark. Tampa Bay has totaled seven runs in losing three of four following Sunday's 5-1 defeat to Toronto.

Longoria homered for the second straight game, although his sixth-inning shot came after he struck out with two runners aboard in the third of a scoreless game. He's 4 for 21 with runners in scoring position, and four of his five homers have been solo blasts.

'I'd like them to come with runners in scoring position, and I just haven't been doing a good job of that,' Longoria said. 'Overall we need to do better as a team at that.'

The Dodgers have won six of nine meetings. The Rays were 14-6 in interleague play a year ago for baseball's second-best mark and have won seven straight at home over the NL.

**TheGame** · 05-03-2016, 07:51 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/3

Preview: Red Sox (15-10) at White Sox (18-8)

Game: 5
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: May 03, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

Brett Lawrie has homered in a career-high three consecutive games, and extending that streak could be difficult against knuckleballer Steven Wright.

Wright has been stellar in winning two straight starts for the Boston Red Sox, who open a three-game road series against Lawrie and the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.

Lawrie went 3 for 3 in Sunday's 7-1 victory over Baltimore that capped a 5-2 trip. He drilled a solo homer for the third straight game and finished 6 for 14 in the four-game series.

'I'm just excited to contribute to the team, every time I step into the box I'm looking to help the team,' Lawrie said.

The loss by Baltimore helped Boston (15-10) take over the AL East lead after its wild 8-7 home victory over the New York Yankees on Sunday night. The Red Sox have won seven of eight as they meet the Central leaders to begin a six-game trip.

"It's early, but it feels good. As long as you play good, you feel good," slugger David Ortiz told the Red Sox's official website. "You just keep building up your confidence. We had a good April, and now we're going to try and have a good May. There's a lot of games left. I like what I see so far."

Boston will start this series by sending Wright (2-2, 1.37 ERA) to the mound. He struck out a season-high eight in seven innings Wednesday and allowed one earned run in a 9-4 victory at Atlanta.

The right-hander yielded two runs in seven innings in his lone start versus Chicago in an 8-2 win July 30. Lawrie went 1 for 4 against him and is 1 for 9 against another knuckleballer, Toronto's R.A. Dickey.

Wright's presence means that backup catcher Ryan Hanigan will be in the lineup. Hanigan has seven passed balls in Wright's last two outings.

"Hannie has his hands full when we have Steven on the mound," manager John Farrell said.

Regular starting catcher Christian Vasquez will be out of the lineup after he belted a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning Sunday.

It's unclear what other lineup changes the Red Sox will make as they face a left-handed starter for the third time in 2016. Chicago's Jose Quintana enters with 16 consecutive scoreless innings with lefties hitting .133 off him.

Quintana (3-1, 1.47) struck out 10 in six innings in Wednesday's 4-0 win at Toronto. He is 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA in five starts versus the Red Sox, limiting Ortiz to two hits in 12 at-bats.

Ortiz may sit as well as lefty-swinging Travis Shaw, who is 2 for 17 against southpaws and 0 for 3 versus Quintana. Boston has an AL-worst .204 average versus lefties.

White Sox slugger Jose Abreu is 11 for 26 during a six-game hit streak.

Chicago (18-8) may welcome back Avisail Garcia, who sat out the last two games with a strained right hamstring after going 8 for 18 in his previous five.

The White Sox took four of seven from the Red Sox last year.

**TheGame** · 05-03-2016, 07:51 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/3

Preview: Twins (8-18) at Astros (8-18)

Game: 2
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Date: May 03, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

Part of the Houston Astros' struggles can be attributed to their two top pitchers not quite matching their impressive 2015 numbers.

One just lost a record home winning streak, and Collin McHugh gets his shot to straighten things out Tuesday night against the visiting Minnesota Twins, who for a second straight game go with an inexperienced starter.

McHugh (2-3, 6.65 ERA), who was 19-7 with a 3.89 ERA in 32 starts a season ago, didn't make it through an inning in his 2016 debut, and after one strong start, he's allowed 11 runs in 14 1/3 innings in his last three. The best of those was Wednesday's 7-4 win in Seattle in which the right-hander gave up two runs in five innings.

"I don't know if I've ever been more proud of more satisfied with a five-inning outing," McHugh said. "Nothing's coming easy right now, we all know that. It's been a battle since the get-go this year."

Unlike Monday's starter Dallas Keuchel, McHugh doesn't have an impeccable home record to fall back on. He's given up nine runs in 9 1/3 innings of his last two starts at Minute Maid Park, though he's 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA in three career starts against the Twins with Brian Dozier going 0 for 8.

After Jose Berrios made his second career start Monday for Minnesota, Alex Meyer is in line for his first. The right-hander has appeared in three games for the Twins since his June 26 debut and given up seven runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings.

The 26-year-old was 1-1 with a 1.04 ERA in two starts and a relief appearance for Triple-A Rochester before being recalled April 25. He's replacing Tommy Milone in the rotation after manager Paul Molitor said Friday the left-hander would be relegated to a bullpen role.

That move came days after Ervin Santana and Kyle Gibson went on the 15-day disabled list, so the rotation has undergone a massive overhaul with Tyler Duffey joining Meyer and Berrios. Duffey has a 1.74 ERA in two starts, and Berrios ended Keuchel's 17-game home winning streak in Monday's 6-2 series opener.

It's onto Meyer as the Twins (8-18) try to take the series after losing four straight. Dozier was 3 for 5 to break an 0-for-16 slump, while Eduardo Nunez homered and is batting .371.

"On paper with Keuchel pitching at home and us having a guy making his second start in the big leagues, it probably didn't look very good on paper," Molitor said. "But we made that guy work, made him throw a lot of pitches and found a way to put some runs on the board."

They're still not hitting with much consistency, posting a .249 average over the last five games, but that's up from the .241 mark they entered that span with. The Astros would take it in a heartbeat.

Houston (8-18) failed in its latest attempt to win consecutive games for the first time this year. In addition to the struggles from their top two starters, the Astros' offense has been terrible with four runs and 11 hits in three games. They're batting .166 over a 2-4 span with Carlos Correa at 2 for 17 in that stretch. Colby Rasmus is 3 for 25 in the last seven and Tyler White has gone 2 for 31 in his past nine.

Carlos Gomez, batting .213, has missed the last three games because of a rib cage injury. Manager A.J. Hinch said he was hopeful to get Gomez in a game during this series and should avoid the DL.

**TheGame** · 05-03-2016, 07:51 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/3

Preview: Angels (12-14) at Brewers (10-15)

Game: 2
Venue: Miller Park
Date: May 03, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

While Nick Tropeano hopes to continue filling a void in the Los Angeles Angels' rotation, a new face will get a crack at the Milwaukee Brewers' in yet another stop on his journeyman career.

The visiting Angels try to avoid their fourth loss in five games Tuesday night on the arm of Tropeano as Junior Guerra looks to provide the Brewers their second consecutive home win in this series after going 19 years without one.

Monday's 8-5 series-opening win for Milwaukee (10-15) snapped a four-game skid in this series and eight-game drought at home against Los Angeles (12-14) dating to 1997.

After combining for 13 runs in four straight overall losses, the Brewers busted out for a season-high 18 hits in Sunday's 14-5 romp over Miami before breaking their interleague skid against the Angels with 14 more. It was the Angels' eighth loss in their last 11 road games.

Ryan Braun is 6 for 8 with three RBIs over the last two games, raising his average to .372. Milwaukee hit three home runs and four doubles Sunday and followed with three doubles one night later.

The Brewers, who have yet to win three straight, will run into one of Los Angeles' nicer surprises on the mound.

Tropeano (1-0, 2.11 ERA) has been a solid replacement in the rotation for Andrew Heaney, who is on the disabled list with a flexor muscle strain and won't return until mid-June at the earliest.

Tropeano hasn't made it through the sixth inning in any of his four starts, but he's surrendered five runs. The right-hander gave up a two-run homer in the first inning Wednesday versus Kansas City, the first against him, but nothing more through 5 1/3 while not receiving a decision in a 4-2 win.

Los Angeles' starting rotation was looking solid through 18 games, posting a 3.16 ERA while opponents hit .234. However, it has a 7.34 ERA with a .364 batting average against in the last eight.

Jered Weaver allowed 11 hits and seven runs in five innings Monday. A key fifth-inning error by Rafael Ortega led to four runs that snowballed into four more in the sixth.

"Stuff happens," Weaver said. "You have to be able to put it aside and pitch. I wasn't able to."

Brewers' starters rank last in baseball in ERA (6.18), batting average against (.316) and strikeouts (91). Milwaukee has an MLB-low six quality starts and just two in the last 15 games.

Guerra, 31, was promoted from Triple-A Colorado Springs and will get a shot in the rotation after the demotion of the struggling Taylor Jungmann.

Jungmann is the organization's top pitching prospect but never found his footing, leaving the door open for Guerra - a split-fingered fastball specialist and the first player acquired by new general manager David Stearns in October.

"(Guerra) was throwing the ball well," manager Craig Counsell told MLB's official website. "We didn't see him as a starter in camp because of other priorities, but he's been a starter in winter ball and in most of his career. So we'll take a look and see what happens."

Guerra was suspended 50 games in 2008 under the Minor League Baseball Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment program and pitched anywhere from Venezuela to Italy to Kansas afterward. He made his major league debut in 2015 and made three relief appearances with the Chicago White Sox before being claimed off waivers.

The right-hander's first two quality starts at Colorado Springs were followed by a pair of rough ones, leaving him with an 0-2 record and 4.63 ERA. He will pitch on seven days' rest.

Guerra will face a red-hot Mike Trout. The Angels' center fielder went 4 for 5 in the opener with his sixth home run and three RBIs. He is 9 for 15 lifetime against the Brewers, with all four games coming at Miller Park.

**TheGame** · 05-03-2016, 07:52 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/3

Preview: Phillies (15-11) at Cardinals (13-13)

Game: 2
Venue: Busch Stadium
Date: May 03, 2016 8:15 PM EDT

The St. Louis Cardinals found some offense in time to end their longest slide of the young season and halt the Philadelphia Phillies' sizzling stretch.

Hoping to begin a run in the positive direction, the Cardinals continue their home set with the Phillies on Tuesday night.

Adam Wainwright allowed all of Philadelphia's runs in the third inning and delivered a tying three-run homer himself as St. Louis (13-13) snapped a four-game skid by rolling to a 10-3 victory on Monday.

"Right now, it's all about wins for me,' Wainwright said. 'We've got to win the game when I take the mound."

The Cardinals managed six runs in the previous four games, but used three three-run innings and homered five times to end the Phillies' six-game winning streak.

"Is there room for us to get better? Absolutely, in a lot of different areas individually and collectively," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny told MLB's official website. "Just stay the course, but don't overanalyze that stuff."

Aledmys Diaz hit his fifth home run and Randal Grichuk his fourth for the Cardinals, who went deep three times in the previous five contests. Grichuk was 0 for 17 with seven strikeouts in his prior five games before going 2 for 2 in the series opener.

"It feels good to go out there and put good wood on the ball," Grichuk said. "I feel like I have been seeing the ball pretty well, and I just hadn't been making great contact."

Diaz was 1 for 12 in the four before Monday.

Philadelphia pitchers allowed 10 runs and two homers in the previous six games.

"We haven't had one of those games in a while,' Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. 'It's bound to happen to everyone now and then.'

The Cardinals might not have an easy time generating another big offensive evening against Aaron Nola (1-2, 3.55 ERA), who gave up a run, six hits and struck out 14 while lasting seven innings in each of his last two starts. He yielded two of those hits in a 3-0 victory at Washington on Thursday.

The right-hander credits an improved curveball for his recent success.

"I felt better about that pitch," he said. "I felt like I had a much better feel for it than the last few games."

This will be Nola's first appearance against St. Louis, which sends Michael Wacha (2-1, 3.07) to the mound.

The right-hander allowed four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings of his 2016 debut, but only six over 25 of the next four. Half of those six came on his first two homers given up this season over seven innings of a 3-0 loss at Arizona on Thursday.

'That was his best stuff. You could see that right from the start," Matheny said. "Just had the great fastball and could be overpowering at times."

Wacha was far from his best last season while posting a 7.59 ERA in going 1-1 against the Phillies (15-11).

Maikel Franco and Freddy Galvis are a combined 4 for 8 against Wacha. Franco, however, is hitless in three games and 1 for 17 in the last five.

Teammate Odubel Herrera is batting .370 in 13 games.

St. Louis' Stephen Piscotty is hitting .360 with eight RBIs in his last 12 contests.

**TheGame** · 05-03-2016, 07:52 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/3

Preview: Nationals (18-7) at Royals (13-12)

Game: 2
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: May 03, 2016 8:15 PM EDT

While the Washington Nationals have yet to lose on what figured to be a daunting road trip, the Kansas City Royals' offensive struggles continue to highlight their current rough stretch.

With Tanner Roark trying to extend his 15-inning scoreless streak, the Nationals look to stay undefeated at the halfway point of their 10-game trek Tuesday night against the reeling Royals.

Washington (18-7) totaled three runs while being swept by Philadelphia in a three-game set before embarking on this trip. The Nationals scored 17 times in sweeping the first stop for three in St. Louis, then managed enough runs in Monday's 2-0 win at Kansas City (13-12).

'It usually takes you a little while to get going,' said Washington manager Dusty Baker, whose team concludes the trip with four at Wrigley Field.

"We have to keep rolling."

Washington's offense came in the first inning on a RBI double from Ryan Zimmerman and a run-scoring groundout by Daniel Murphy. Bryce Harper snapped an 0-for-16 slump with a single in the sixth, then was thrown out trying to steal.

Murphy, who recorded his 1,000th hit, is among the major league leaders with a .382 average. He had three hits Monday after going 3 for 20 with seven strikeouts against the Royals in the World Series for the New York Mets.

Roark (2-2, 2.03 ERA) has not allowed a run in three of his five starts, including the last two during which he's given up two hits over seven innings in each.

"I was using all four pitches on righties and lefties, keeping them off balance," Roark told MLB's official website after receiving a no-decision in Thursday's 3-0 loss to Philadelphia.

"That's the name of the game."

Making his first start against the Royals, the right-hander is 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA in his last three interleague starts.

None of that would seem to bode well for Kansas City, which has been blanked in three of four games and totaled 11 runs while going 7 of 49 with runners in scoring position to lose six of the last seven.

'We're not firing on all cylinders offensively,' manager Ned Yost said. 'We've got guys that are struggling right now, guys that are proven players, guys that have tremendous track records and they're going to break out of it here real soon.'

Alex Gordon is mired in a 1-for-15 slump over five games. Salvador Perez is 2 for 18 in his last five.

Eric Hosmer, however, is batting .358 while hitting safely in 20 of 21 contests.

"We've been up and down," Hosmer said. "We've still got some guys who haven't got hot yet. Once those guys get hot, we know how tough we can be. We're not worried."

For the fourth time this season, Kansas City's Chris Young (1-4, 6.12) failed to complete six innings Wednesday. He lasted 5 1/3 and all three runs he allowed came on two homers in a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.

The right-hander has yielded six home runs in 25-plus innings.

'Physically, I felt great," Young said after his latest outing. "I felt like I pitched better than my results."

Young, who turns 37 later this month, last faced the Nationals in July 2012.

Harper is 4 for 8 with a homer against him.

**TheGame** · 05-03-2016, 07:52 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/3

Preview: Mariners (14-11) at Athletics (13-14)

Game: 2
Venue: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Date: May 03, 2016 10:05 PM EDT

Sonny Gray is acknowledging his control hasn't been what he'd like it to be, but it's been rare for the Oakland Athletics ace to allow walks to pile up like they have been.

He'll try to recover from the shortest start of his career Tuesday night at home as the Seattle Mariners try for yet another series win.

Gray (3-2, 3.81 ERA) gave up four runs and two hits with four walks and a hit batter in two innings of Wednesday's 9-4 loss in Detroit as his single-season ERA climbed over 3.00 for the first time since ending 2014 at 3.08. It never went over his season-ending 2.73 mark last year.

The right-hander has walked more than three batters 10 times in his career, and only once - last year - has he strung together two such starts. But that still doesn't mean his walk rate through five starts isn't more concerning than past seasons. Last season, it took Gray seven starts to issue 15 walks and seven came in one outing. This year, it happened in five with 4.76 walks per nine innings after posting a 2.55 mark over his 31 2015 starts.

"I've been out of the zone more than I've wanted early in the season, but until tonight, it hadn't hurt me. I've had some close calls, but I've been able to get out of them," Gray said. "Tonight, I didn't have anything. I don't remember a start like this, where every breaking ball I threw was awful and I couldn't locate anything."

He's 4-1 with a 2.14 ERA in nine starts against the Mariners. Seattle could elect to hold Chris Iannetta (1 for 15) out of the lineup, while newcomer Leonys Martin is 4 for 30 with 10 strikeouts in the matchup.

The Mariners are also waiting on Hisashi Iwakuma (0-3, 4.65) to settle in. The right-hander gave up five runs and seven hits in five innings of Wednesday's 7-4 home loss to Houston and has posted his highest WHIP (1.42) and opponent batting average (.289) through his first five starts of any of his five seasons.

Iwakuma has never gone six straight starts without a win in a single season.

"I thought overall my fastball was all right," he said. "I did lose command a couple pitches but when I needed to execute I couldn't execute and they made me pay for that."

Iwakuma has won three of his four starts in Oakland, and that sticks with the trend for the team at the moment. Seattle (14-11), which opened the series with Monday's 4-3 victory, is 13-5 there since dropping two of three in April 2014.

The Mariners are yet to lose a road series, going 9-4, and they also won two of three in both their recent home sets to put them on the verge of winning six straight series for the first time since May 18-June 5, 2011.

Robinson Cano has finally taken an active role while going 5 for 8 in the last two games after finishing April batting .226. His double Monday made him the fifth second baseman in MLB history to have at least 2,000 hits, 450 doubles, 200 home runs and 1,000 RBIs along with Rogers Hornsby, Roberto Alomar, Jeff Kent and Craig Biggio.

The A's (13-14) are an AL worst 5-9 at home and have scored six runs while batting .198 in their last three. Khris Davis homered twice Monday, but his .709 OPS is still 119 points lower than his last season with Milwaukee.

'When you get with a new team, at times you try to impress a little bit,' manager Bob Melvin said.

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MLB Betting Info. 5/3

MLB Betting Info. 5/3

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