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**TheGame** · 05-04-2016, 08:12 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/4

Win Total Update - May

A very exciting first month of the Major League baseball season is in the books with several surprise teams making an early statement.

The toast of the Windy City heading into this season is the Cubs, who have jumped out to an impressive 17-6 record. However, their brothers to the south are starting to grab headlines in Chicago as the White Sox finished April with a 17-8 mark, while starting May with a blowout victory at Baltimore. The White Sox opened the season with an expectation to finish at .500 with a win total of 81, but Robin Ventura’s team is playing nearly .700 baseball so far.

Another major surprise is the Phillies, who were not only predicted to finish at the bottom of the National League East, but to lost nearly 100 games. Philadelphia has won 15 of its first 25 games, which includes a home sweep of Washington and a road series victory over the Mets. The Phillies wrapped up the first month of the season by sweeping the Indians at Citizens Bank Park as Philadelphia is off to a good start to eclipse its win total of 65 ½.

Four of five National League West squads are currently on the wrong end of cashing ‘over’ tickets. Colorado has shown some signs of life away from Coors Field to compile a 12-12 record, as the Rockies began the season with a season win total of 71 ½. The Diamondbacks had high expectations after signing ace Zack Greinke to a massive contract, but Arizona has begun the season 12-15, even though their win total sits at 82. Both the Giants and Dodgers are sitting at .500, as San Francisco (88 ½) and Los Angeles (89 ½) both have work to do following an inconsistent April.

Two of the biggest disappointments in the American League were playoff teams in 2015, as the Astros (8-17) and Yankees (8-15) have fallen into an early hole. Houston owned the highest win total according to oddsmakers among American League West squads (88), but are sitting in last place in its division through one month. New York’s offense ranks second-to-last in the American League in runs scored, while starting 1-5 on the road against division opponents.

Below is the season win totals for each team, their record in April, and whether they are projected to go ‘over,’ ‘under,’ or stay even on their posted number.

National League Win Totals

Team Win Total - 2016 Record on 5/2/16

Arizona 82 12-15
Atlanta 67 ½ 6-18
Chicago Cubs 93 ½ 17-6
Cincinnati 70 10-15
Colorado 71 ½ 12-12
L.A. Dodgers 89 ½ 13-13
Miami 79 ½ 12-12
Milwaukee 70 9-15
N.Y. Mets 89 ½ 15-8
Philadelphia 65 ½ 15-10
Pittsburgh 85 ½ 15-10
San Diego 73 ½ 9-16
San Francisco 88 ½ 13-13
St. Louis 86 ½ 12-13
Washington 89 ½ 17-7

American League Win Totals

Team Win Total - 2016 Record on 5/2/16

Baltimore 78 14-10
Boston 87 ½ 15-10
Chicago White Sox 81 18-8
Cleveland 86 ½ 10-12
Detroit 81 14-10
Houston 88 8-17
Kansas City 85 13-11
L.A. Angels 80 ½ 12-13
Minnesota 79 7-18
N.Y. Yankees 86 8-15
Oakland 76 ½ 13-13
Seattle 82 ½ 13-11
Tampa Bay 82 11-13
Texas 83 ½ 14-11
Toronto 86 ½ 12-14

**TheGame** · 05-04-2016, 08:12 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/4

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

Game: 3
Venue: Great American Ball Park
Date: May 04, 2016 12:35 PM EDT

Jake Peavy's season might be making the San Francisco Giants wish they'd held onto Tim Lincecum. Particularly his road starts.

While Lincecum shops for a new team, Peavy tries to get his season on track Wednesday on the road against the Cincinnati Reds - a team he's dominated for his entire career.

Peavy (1-2, 8.61 ERA) and Lincecum pitched together the last two seasons, but the latter is still looking for a team and will spend Wednesday preparing for a showcase Friday for those interested. It's thought 20 or more teams could attend.

Peavy's road starts have been awful with 12 runs and 15 hits allowed in six innings. The right-hander gave up six and four hits with five walks in two innings of Friday's 13-1 road loss to the New York Mets.

"It's not a good feeling, just because you know the hole you put the team in," he told MLB's official website, later adding: "But, he added, "It wasn't like I was spraying it everywhere. I felt better than the five walks. ... I was trying to figure out where (plate umpire) Gabe (Morales) wanted it."

Peavy has had no such trouble against the Reds, going 7-0 with a 2.38 ERA in 12 career starts. Jay Bruce is 2 for 11 with five strikeouts against him, while Brandon Phillips is 5 for 24 with six strikeouts.

He's up against Dan Straily, who took his third turn in the rotation in Friday's 4-1 loss in Pittsburgh. Straily (0-1, 3.38) gave up two runs and five hits with a home run and three walks. He's posted a 3.45 ERA as a starter with a .212 opponent batting average.

"I feel good," Straily said. "I'm a little frustrated with tonight because some days you got to go out there and you just have to win the ballgame, 1-0. So from that standpoint, I'm frustrated with myself for giving up those two runs because it turned out to be that was the best chance we had to win, is throwing a shutout."

The right-hander has faced San Francisco once, earning the decision in a 4-1 win while with Oakland in 2013 after giving up a run and four hits in six innings. The Giants' roster is 1 for 17 against him, but they didn't need much offense Tuesday.

The Giants (15-13) have won the first two games of the three-game series, and Tuesday's 3-1 win was the second time they've held an opponent to one run on a three-game winning streak.

Buster Posey had three doubles and is 9 for 17 in his last five games, and he's also hit safely in nine straight games at Great American Ball Park with a .325 average.

Dating to the start of last season, San Francisco has won seven of nine in the series and five straight in Cincinnati.

In addition to facing a sweep, Cincinnati (10-17) has lost eight of nine while batting .199. Bruce is 3 for 23 in his last seven games, while Eugenio Suarez is 3 for 27 in the same span.

Giants second baseman Joe Panik was out of the lineup for the fourth straight game with a sore groin, while outfielder Angel Pagan is still sidelined by a mildly strained left hamstring.

**TheGame** · 05-04-2016, 08:12 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/4

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

Game: 3
Venue: PNC Park
Date: May 04, 2016 12:35 PM EDT

The Chicago Cubs' early success has been keyed by some dominance within the NL Central.

As Jon Lester looks to help continue that trend and his own strong start, the Cubs can sweep this three-game series with a seventh consecutive road win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.

Jake Arrieta improved to 6-0 with seven scoreless innings and Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo combined for five hits as Chicago (19-6) rolled to a second straight decisive victory over Pittsburgh, 7-1 on Tuesday.

'We had some good at-bats right out of the shoot,' said manager Joe Maddon, whose team won 7-2 on Monday. 'We did some good things early. We put them a bit on their heels and that's always important."

The Cubs have averaged 6.8 runs while going 12-2 against the Central, and they own a 34-8 run advantage during a five-game division winning streak.

Chicago has opened a five-game lead over the second-place Pirates (15-12), who have dropped three in a row after winning six straight. Including last season's wild-card game, the Cubs have outscored Pittsburgh 18-3 in the last three at PNC Park.

Rizzo, who doubled twice in each game of this set, is batting .333 with 15 RBIs in the last 11 games after hitting .163 in the first 14. He's batting .426 with eight doubles and eight RBIs in 12 regular-season games at Pittsburgh since the beginning of last season.

Lester (2-1, 1.83 ERA) has opened with five straight quality starts for the first time in his stellar career. He's allowed one run in four of those outings, including each of the last three.

Those three runs all came on homers, most recently Friday over seven innings while receiving a no-decision in the 6-1 victory over Atlanta.

Like his teammates, Lester is trying to keep theirs - and his own - success in perspective.

"You play today, you win, you enjoy it, you lose, you move on and show up tomorrow and the slate's clean," he told MLB's official website.

The left-hander went 2-1 with a 1.57 ERA against the Pirates last season. It was highlighted Sept. 15, when he allowed a run, five hits and struck out nine for a complete-game 2-1 victory at PNC Park.

Andrew McCutchen is 1 for 13 against Lester and 2 for 19 with six strikeouts in the last five games.

There's a good chance Juan Nicasio (3-2, 3.33) will keep things close considering he has a 1.89 ERA with 21 strikeouts over 19 innings while winning his three home starts. The right-hander's best outing anywhere on the young season came there Friday, when he allowed three hits and fanned eight in seven scoreless innings of a 4-1 victory over Cincinnati.

"He's a strong man. He's built for endurance," manager Clint Hurdle said.

Nicasio made three relief appearances against the Cubs for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, but hasn't faced them as a starter since 2013 with Colorado.

Rizzo is 0 for 7 with two walks against Nicasio, while Jason Heyward is 6 for 16 with two doubles. However, Heyward could miss a third straight contest with a wrist injury.

"I don't think it's a long-term kind of thing by any means, but his wrist is sore," Maddon said.

**TheGame** · 05-04-2016, 08:13 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/4

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

Game: 3
Venue: Citi Field
Date: May 04, 2016 1:10 PM EDT

Steven Matz's early season results have almost mirrored that of the New York Mets. It's a trend they hope continues as the club tries to regroup offensively.

The left-hander attempts to win a fourth consecutive start Wednesday when the Mets look to avoid their first back-to-back losses in 20 games in the last of a three-game home series against the MLB-worst Atlanta Braves.

Matz (3-1, 3.86 ERA) had to overcome the worst performance of his first 13 big league outings, including three postseason appearances, after surrendering seven runs over a career-low 1 2/3 innings in a 10-3 home loss to Miami on April 11.

At that time, the Mets (16-9) looked nothing like the defending NL champions while getting off to a disappointing 2-5 start that included four straight defeats.

Matz, however, began to find a rhythm April 17 when he gave up three hits and struck out nine over seven innings in a 6-0 win at Cleveland. That effort began a three-start winning streak and a stretch in which New York won 12 of 14.

"That (first start's) definitely behind me now," the 24-year-old rookie told the league's official website. "I'm just looking forward now and trying to focus a little more each start and take the positives from each start."

Matz has certainly done that, giving up two runs over 6 1/3 innings in an 8-2 win at Atlanta on April 23 before scattering seven hits over six scoreless in Friday's 13-1 home win over San Francisco. He's been solid in two career starts - both on the road - against the Braves (7-19), giving up three runs over 11 1/3 innings in a pair of victories.

Daniel Castro has had success in the matchup with four hits - including a home run - in six at-bats. Freddie Freeman is 3 for 5 with a double versus Matz.

Freeman, A.J. Pierzynski and Mallex Smith had two hits apiece Tuesday when Atlanta improved to 3-3 on an eight-game road swing with a 3-0 victory. Smith, who hit his first home run, has gone 8 for 15 with three doubles on the trip.

It was only the sixth homer for the Braves, by far the fewest in the majors.

"I just tried to put a good swing on the ball," the rookie outfielder said.

Asdrubal Cabrera's fifth-inning single accounted for the only hit as New York fell on the cusp of losing their first series since April 11-13 to visiting Miami.

Jhoulys Chacin will try to keep them scuffling and build on his first victory after giving up two runs over five-plus innings in Thursday's 5-3 win at Boston. He'd also like to go deeper into this contest after failing to go six in his last three starts.

"Just want to keep going, keep giving my team the most that I can," he said.

Since posting a 1.89 ERA in his first three career starts against the Mets, Chacin (1-1, 3.27) is 0-2 with a 5.91 mark over his past two. He opposed Matz on April 23, surrendering four runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Michael Conforto went 2 for 3 off him in that contest. Curtis Granderson is 2 for 4 with two walks lifetime in the matchup, but Cabrera is hitless in six at-bats.

**TheGame** · 05-04-2016, 08:13 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/4

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

Game: 3
Venue: Miller Park
Date: May 04, 2016 1:40 PM EDT

The Milwaukee Brewers are finally stringing some wins together, doing it on the home field that plagued them previously. It's the opposite story for the Los Angeles Angels.

While the Brewers seek to extend their season-high winning streak on Wednesday, the Angels hope to close a disappointing road trip on a positive note at Miller Park.

Milwaukee (11-15) has won three games in a row for the first time since late September and is in line for its first sweep since the opening three days of that month.

The Brewers opened their six-game homestand with a pair of losses to Miami after dropping five of their previous six, but have scored 27 runs in three consecutive victories. They piled up 14 hits in Monday's 8-5 win in the opener of this series and followed with Tuesday's 5-4 victory after trailing by four early.

Milwaukee had lost its previous eight home games against the Angels dating to August 1997.

Ryan Braun took Tuesday off after exiting Monday's game with "general soreness," but the Brewers still brought their bats. Chris Carter went deep twice, his second multihomer game in the last three to raise his team lead to nine, and Jonathan Lucroy added his first with his third straight two-hit game.

Carter's other two-homer game came in Sunday's 14-5 win over the Marlins. He said his early success was due to 'just hitting the ball wherever it's pitched instead of kind of being more of a pull hitter.'

The Brewers pounded Angels starters Jered Weaver and Nick Tropeano for 16 hits and 12 runs in 10 innings the last two days, raising Los Angeles' starting ERA to 9.82 during a 1-4 road trip.

On the flip side, the Angels were beaten Tuesday by journeyman Junior Guerra in his first MLB start. Mike Trout continued to roll with a two-run single, giving him 16 RBIs in his last dozen games, but the Angels finished with just eight singles and a double.

Los Angeles (12-15) previously closed a 4-2 homestand with three straight wins but will try to avoid its 10th loss in 13 road games since opening 3-0 away from home.

Hector Santiago will be called upon to stop the bleeding while looking to bounce back from his first loss.

Santiago (2-1, 3.34 ERA) was solid through five innings of Friday's 4-2 loss at Texas before allowing three runs while logging just two outs in the sixth. It was his first time failing to get through six.

"For the most part, I made my pitches," Santiago told MLB's official website. "Overall, I felt good about the outing."

The left-hander has never faced the Brewers, though he has seen Carter quite a bit. Milwaukee's first baseman, who previously played for Oakland and Houston, has five hits in 14 at-bats in the matchup, hitting two home runs and a double while striking out six times. Domingo Santana has also homered off Santiago in four at-bats, striking out the other three.

Zach Davies (0-3, 8.78) is off to a terrible start in his second big league season, surrendering 13 runs in 13 1/3 innings while opponents are hitting .411.

A three-run home run hurt him in Friday's 6-3 loss to Miami at Miller Park. Davies holds a 6.33 ERA in four career starts in Milwaukee.

**TheGame** · 05-04-2016, 08:13 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/4

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

Game: 3
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: May 04, 2016 2:15 PM EDT

Stephen Strasburg may have learned more about himself from his first rocky beginning to a start then he did when he was mowing opposing hitters down from the get-go.

It's pretty common knowledge to the rest of baseball that the Washington Nationals' one-time phenom had it all working in April, and he'll try to continue a pattern of becoming stronger as the game wears on in Wednesday's road finale against the Kansas City Royals.

Strasburg (4-0, 2.25 ERA) only had one rough inning in his first four starts before giving up a pair of first-inning runs and four hits to St. Louis on Friday in the opener of the Nationals' 10-game road trip. The Cardinals only got four more hits through the next six innings as Washington (18-8) won 5-4.

Opponents are hitting just .179 off the right-hander past the fourth inning.

"Yeah, I think it just comes with experience and maturing," Strasburg said. "It's easy to kind of hit the panic button after a couple runs early and stuff. But that's not how I want to go about it. If it's not my day, it's not my day - but I'm going to fight until the very end."

Strasburg's changeup, which opponents hit at a .260 clip a year ago, has been devastating with just a .033 batting average against. But Mike Matheny may have provided a scouting report for the Cardinals' cross-state rivals to keep an eye on a different pitch.

"It looked like a different break to his slider in the middle innings," Matheny told MLB's official website of the hybrid cutter Strasburg has been trying out. "Guys were having a tough time picking it up. Good pitchers do that. They make the adjustments, figure out what they have to do a little bit differently."

The Royals (14-12) came into Tuesday's game wanting to change up a number of things at the plate after getting shut out in three of their previous four games and totaling 11 runs in a 1-6 stretch. It looked like another loss was on the horizon, but Kansas City rallied with three runs in the ninth off Jonathan Papelbon to beat the Nationals 7-6.

'Those are the kinds of wins that help you get going. It's been a rough week for us,' Royals manager Ned Yost said. 'These guys have the character that they'll keep fighting.'

It's only the third time this season Washington allowed more than five runs.

'I don't know what to say,' Nationals manager Dusty Baker said after watching Kansas City improve to 9-4 at home. "Their speed got us. That's what they do. That's what they do in this ballpark. They certainly know how to come back. I've seen them come back many, many times. Boy, that's real tough.'

Kris Medlen (1-2, 4.87) won't find a start against the Nationals unusual after spending five years in Atlanta, but his latest outing certainly qualified as atypical. The right-hander only surrendered one hit - a solo homer - at Seattle on Friday, but five walks limited him to 5 1/3 innings in a 1-0 loss to Felix Hernandez.

"He did a nice job," Yost said. "He had a really good changeup tonight and was using it to his advantage. I thought he pitched great."

Medlen has a 2.16 ERA on the road and has allowed nine hits in 16 2/3 innings, the same total he surrendered in 3 2/3 in his only home start. He had a 6.99 ERA in six appearances at Kauffman Stadium in 2015.

The Nationals are 4-1 on their trip despite Bryce Harper going 1 for 20 with 10 strikeouts.

**TheGame** · 05-04-2016, 08:14 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/4

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

Game: 2
Venue: Progressive Field
Date: May 04, 2016 6:10 PM EDT

The last time Corey Kluber and Anibal Sanchez opposed each other, the Cleveland Indians clobbered the Detroit Tigers - partially because Kluber finally solved Miguel Cabrera.

The two-time AL MVP hopes to get back to his usual dominance of the league's former Cy Young Award winner Wednesday night to help the visiting Tigers finally figure out the Indians.

Cleveland (11-12) rolled to its fourth straight victory over its AL Central rival with Tuesday's 7-3 win. It was the Indians' ninth win in the last 11 matchups and fourth in the past five at Progressive Field.

Francisco Lindor fell a triple shy of the cycle, hitting a three-run homer and scoring three times. The shortstop also stole a hit away from Justin Upton in the second inning, making a diving stop in the hole.

'Whether you do it with the bat, the glove or your legs, that's part of the reason he has a chance to be so good because he can impact a game in so many different ways,' manager Terry Francona said.

Nick Castellanos went 2 for 4 for the Tigers, extending his hitting streak to six games and raising his AL-leading batting average to .368.

While the Indians snapped a three-game skid, Detroit (14-11) saw its five-game run end. The Tigers had won six of seven since getting swept at home by the Indians April 22-24.

Kluber (1-3, 4.24 ERA) earned the victory opposite Sanchez (3-2, 6.08) in Cleveland's 10-1 win in the middle game of that series, allowing one run and two hits while striking out 10 in eight innings.

The right-hander is 3-6 with a 4.03 ERA in 13 starts against the Tigers, middling numbers due largely to poor ones against the heart of Detroit's order.

The 2014 Cy Young winner held Cabrera, the 2012 and 2013 MVP, to two groundouts and a lineout last month, a rarity in their matchups. The slugger is batting .526 (20 for 38) with five home runs and two doubles against him. Victor Martinez has gone deep three times off Kluber, batting .321 in 28 at-bats.

Kluber followed his latest outing against Detroit with another solid showing Friday, holding Philadelphia to three runs and five hits in seven innings of a 4-3, 11-inning loss.

Sanchez hasn't made it through six innings yet, but he regrouped from two ugly outings in Thursday's 7-3 win over Oakland. Despite walking seven, the second-most in his career, the right-hander limited the A's to two runs and three hits while striking out nine over 5 2/3 innings.

"At times he looked like the guy that struck out (17 against) Atlanta a few years ago, before I was here," manager Brad Ausmus told MLB's official website. "And at times, he had trouble with his command. But overall, he did a good job and gave us a chance to win."

One of the previous rough outings for the 11-year pro came against Kluber and the Indians, who pounded him for seven runs and nine hits in 2 1/3 innings.

The Indians have tagged Sanchez for 11 runs in their last two matchups, but he holds a 2.39 ERA at Progressive Field.

Yan Gomes is 6 for 11 with a pair of homers against Sanchez, and Michael Brantley is 7 for 22 with a triple.

**TheGame** · 05-04-2016, 08:14 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/4

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

Game: 2
Venue: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Date: May 04, 2016 7:05 PM EDT

The last time the Baltimore Orioles won seven straight games against the New York Yankees, they went wire to wire to win the AL East.

That can't happen this season, but they would gladly settle for pushing their reeling rivals deeper into the cellar.

Baltimore has an opportunity to send the Yankees to their first seven-game losing streak in nearly a decade Wednesday night.

Many of the issues that have plagued the Yankees this season were evident again in Tuesday's series-opening 4-1 loss. The offense was virtually non-existent, scoring two runs or fewer for the 13th time and going 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position to drop their season average to .201.

'When it comes down to it, the name of the game is scoring runs and we only did that one time,' outfielder Brett Gardner said. 'That's not good enough.'

New York has been outscored 37-13 during its skid, and a loss Wednesday would leave it with its first seven-game slide since April 20-27, 2007. The Yankees (8-16) are off to their worst 24-game start since 1991.

'Unfortunately, I've been on teams that are down, and you want to take care of business,' Baltimore's Chris Tillman said. 'You want to rack up the wins when you can. If a team is scuffling, you want to be at your best to capitalize on those opportunities.'

Tuesday's defeat was also their sixth in a row to the Orioles, who haven't had a longer run of success in the series since taking the last meeting in 1996 and the first six in 1997. They went on to win the division that season, finishing two games ahead of the defending World Series champion Yankees.

Mark Trumbo provided the bulk of the offense in the opener with a pair of homers and three RBIs to back a stellar performance from Tillman. Baltimore (15-10) bounced back from consecutive losses to improve to 10-3 at home.

Camden Yards hasn't been kind lately to CC Sabathia, who is 0-5 with a 5.64 ERA in his past eight starts there. The left-hander went 16-2 with a 2.74 ERA in his first 22 starts against the Orioles, but is 2-5 with a 5.06 ERA in the last 11.

Sabathia (1-2, 5.06 ERA) notched his second quality start last Wednesday at Texas, allowing three runs over six innings in a 3-2 loss. That was a step forward after he failed to complete five innings in his two previous starts.

Adam Jones is batting .311 with four homers and four doubles in 61 at-bats against Sabathia, while Nolan Reimold (.375), Trumbo (.313) and Manny Machado (.300) also have fared well.

Machado went 1 for 3 with a double Tuesday and is batting .453 with five homers and 13 RBIs in 13 home games.

Tyler Wilson (1-0, 3.06) makes his third start of the season for Baltimore after three relief appearances. The rookie right-hander fell short of his second victory Thursday against the Chicago White Sox, yielding two runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings of a 10-2 win.

Wilson tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief in his only appearance against the Yankees on June 14.

Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez tweaked his right hamstring running out a grounder Tuesday and was removed for a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning.

'It wasn't a big pop,' Rodriguez said. 'I've done that before in my career. I'm hopeful for the best. See how I wake up in the morning. Hopefully the good news is that I wasn't running very fast. We'll see what happens.'

**TheGame** · 05-04-2016, 08:14 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/4

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

Game: 3
Venue: Rogers Centre
Date: May 04, 2016 7:07 PM EDT

Toronto has had its way with Colby Lewis throughout his career with the Texas Rangers. The right-hander's next matchup comes after the Blue Jays rallied late for what they hope is the beginning of a turnaround - especially at home.

After finally putting some runs on the board at Rogers Centre, Toronto looks to beat up on Lewis again in the third of a four-game series Wednesday night.

The Blue Jays (13-15) were three outs away from being shut out and losing their fifth straight at home for the first time since Sept. 1-13, 2013, before Justin Smoak's leadoff home run in the ninth inning tied Tuesday's game and ended a 14-inning scoreless streak for the team.

Smoak then hit a two-run homer in the 10th to give Toronto, which had scored seven runs - five in one game - during the home skid, a 3-1 victory. Smoak entered with no home runs after hitting 18 last season.

"We were due," manager John Gibbons said. "How many innings did we go without scoring one run there then Smoaky put us on the board. It was a battle."

Lewis (2-0, 3.19 ERA) can win his first three decisions for the first time since 2012, but he's gone 3-6 with a 7.13 ERA in 10 starts against Toronto.

Lewis also faced the Blue Jays in Game 4 of last year's American League division series and allowed one run in three innings of relief.

Including that playoff matchup, Smoak (7 for 16 with two home runs and a pair of doubles), Jose Bautista (4 for 13 with two homers and nine walks) and Kevin Pillar (4 for 5 with a home run) have done the most damage when facing Lewis.

Bautista is 0 for 12 with six strikeouts while leaving 11 on base over the last three games, but Pillar is batting .393 over his past eight.

Texas (15-12) had won five of six before Shawn Tolleson blew his second save in 11 chances. The right-hander blew two saves in 37 opportunities last season.

"I'll probably think about it for a couple more hours then I'll put it behind me," he said.

Aaron Sanchez (2-1, 2.59) is coming off his best start of the season for Toronto, and he's been dominant in four of his five outings. The right-hander bounced back from allowing career worsts of six runs and 10 hits over 4 1/3 innings of an 8-5 loss to Oakland on April 22 by pitching seven scoreless innings to beat Tampa Bay 6-1 on Friday.

He gave up two of the six hits against him to the first two batters he faced before settling down.

"I knew they were going to be aggressive," Sanchez told MLB's official website. "But when I have the ball on the ground like that, that's something you just have to tell yourself, 'Hey, stick with it, stick with it, stick with it.'

"That's kind of what I did all night."

Sanchez made six relief appearances against Texas last season - five in the ALDS - and went 1-0 without allowing an earned run over 5 2/3 innings.

**TheGame** · 05-04-2016, 08:15 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/4

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

Game: 2
Venue: Marlins Park
Date: May 04, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

Even a return to Miami couldn't slow down the red-hot Marlins.

Now Miami will try to do something it hasn't done all season: win two in a row at Marlins Park as it continues this three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Miami just concluded a 7-3 road trip, but had dropped seven of nine at home before Ichiro Suzuki's two-run pinch-hit single highlighted a four-run sixth inning Tuesday and propelled the Marlins to a 7-4 comeback win.

Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich both homered for the Marlins (13-12), who kicked off a nine-game homestand by winning for the eighth time in nine games.

"I don't hit too many of them at home, so you've got to enjoy the ones you do," Ozuna said.

The Marlins are just 3-7 at home, but winning there has never been a problem for Jose Fernandez (2-2, 4.08 ERA). The right-hander carries an amazing 18-1 mark in South Beach into Wednesday's start.

Fernandez, whose lone home loss came in his season debut against Detroit, has a 3.13 ERA in his other four outings but once again ran into early trouble Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both of the runs he allowed came in the first, continuing a troubling trend for the 23-year-old.

Five of the 13 runs he's allowed this season have come in the first Still, he is racking up big strikeout numbers despite not yet throwing a pitch past the sixth inning, fanning 40 batters over 28 2/3.

Fernandez has a 3.14 ERA in two starts against the Diamondbacks (12-16), both in Arizona.

The Diamondbacks will hand the ball to Rubby De La Rosa (3-3, 4.18), who is coming off his most impressive effort of the season. The right-hander scattered two hits and struck out a career-high 10 over seven scoreless innings Thursday in a 3-0 win over St. Louis.

De La Rosa has allowed just one run on five hits with 16 strikeouts in his last two starts. He also became the first Diamondbacks pitcher to throw seven or more scoreless innings while striking out at least 10 batters since Ian Kennedy in 2011.

"We were on the same page pretty much every pitch. Everything worked today,' De La Rosa said of his connection with catcher Chris Herrmann, who has been behind the plate for his last two starts. "I feel under control. Pretty much everything was down in the zone. Worked fast, gave a chance for my team to get back to the dugout."

De La Rosa's run could continue against Miami. He posted a 1.69 ERA in two starts against the Marlins last season.

Miami has won three straight from Arizona after losing the previous five.

**TheGame** · 05-04-2016, 08:15 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/4

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

Game: 2
Venue: Tropicana Field
Date: May 04, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

For the Los Angeles Dodgers, there's no place like anywhere but home.

They hope their offense continues to look more comfortable on the road Wednesday night as they close a two-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

Los Angeles (14-13) dropped the first six of a seven-game homestand before Sunday's 1-0 victory against San Diego. It still marked the Dodgers' seventh straight contest with fewer than four runs, however.

While they're averaging just 2.7 runs per game at Chavez Ravine, they're averaging 5.8 elsewhere with a 9-5 record following Tuesday's 10-5 victory over the Rays.

No Dodger is more emblematic of that contrast than Adrian Gonzalez, who was 2 for 5 after going hitless in 20 at-bats in the last seven games. He's hit safely in all but one road game while batting .429, and 13 of his 15 RBIs have come away from home.

The change of scenery seemed to help Howie Kendrick as well. He was 1 for 16 on the homestand before a 4-for-5 performance Tuesday with his first two RBIs of the season. Kendrick improved to 20 for 52 (.385) in interleague play as a member of the Dodgers.

Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig and Trayce Thompson all homered, marking just the third time Los Angeles hit multiple home runs in its last 16 games.

Kendrick and Gonzalez are the lone Dodgers with multiple at-bats against Tampa Bay starter Drew Smyly. Kendrick is 3 for 9 with a home run and a double off the left-hander.

Smyly (1-3, 2.60 ERA) has been much better than his record indicates, however. He owns a 1.61 ERA with 36 strikeouts over 28 innings in four starts since his season debut April 4 when he allowed five runs over 6 2-3 innings in a 5-3 loss to Toronto. His 41 strikeouts for the month tied David Price's April club record set two years ago.

"He's gone out and given us a chance to win, and certain games he's been borderline dominating," manager Kevin Cash told MLB's official website.

The Rays (11-14) scored two more runs Tuesday than their total from the previous three losses, but still struck out 10 times and were 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position. They're 5 for 41 in those situations over the last six contests.

Smyly is all too familiar with his teammates' ineptitude at the plate, receiving zero runs of support in three of five outings.

"It's frustrating when you're losing tight ballgames," he said. "But the offense is out of my control. I try to keep it as close as possible."

Los Angeles counters with fellow southpaw Alex Wood (1-2, 4.82). Unlike the Dodgers' offense, Wood has been abysmal in three road starts, posting an 0-2 record and 8.36 ERA with eight walks over 14 innings. He dominated at home in Friday's 5-1 loss to San Diego, fanning nine while limiting the Padres to one run in seven innings.

"He was just throwing every pitch with conviction," catcher Yasmani Grandal said. "He wasn't thinking too much, just pitching his game."

The Rays are one of six teams Wood hasn't faced.

**TheGame** · 05-04-2016, 08:15 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/4

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

Game: 3
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Date: May 04, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

Almost a month into their season, the Houston Astros are still looking to win back-to-back games.

Perhaps it will finally happen Wednesday night in the decisive series finale against the visiting Minnesota Twins.

It seems hard to believe that a Houston club saddled with lofty expectations is the only one in the majors yet to win two games in a row. Then again, the Astros (9-18) rank near the bottom of baseball with a .225 batting average and a 4.82 ERA.

They have won just one series, taking two of three from Detroit at home April 15-17.

Houston, though, overcame an early two-run hole by scoring three times each in the third and fourth innings of Tuesday's 6-4 victory. George Springer hit his sixth home run and Carlos Gomez doubled twice for the Astros, who scored two more runs than from their previous three combined.

'We've been able to not quit and at least stay in games and come back in some,' Springer said. 'That's a good sign. Obviously, stuff hasn't been ideal for us, but it's a long year. Slow grind.'

Springer, who homered both Monday and Tuesday, is batting .362 with four home runs and eight RBIs in 12 home games this season.

Teammate Mike Fiers (2-1, 4.97 ERA) looks to build on his longest outing of the young season after allowing a two-run homer in the second of seven innings he lasted in Oakland on Friday while not earning a decision in the 7-4 loss.

"It was big for me," Fiers told MLB's official website of the effort.

Pitching for Milwaukee and Houston, the right-hander went 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA in three starts against the Twins in 2015.

Danny Santana went 0 for 3 with a walk against Fiers last season, but homered for one of his two hits as the Twins (8-19) fell to 2-11 on the road Tuesday.

'We got off to a good start, but we didn't capitalize in that first inning and only got one,' manager Paul Molitor said. 'We did some good things but missed some chances. We couldn't get back in the game.'

Teammate Brian Dozier is 5 for 8 in the series after going 0 for 16 in the previous four contests. Molitor credits some recent work Dozier put in with hitting coach and former Twins star Tom Brunansky for the turn around.

"He's done a few things with Bruno the last couple days to create more consistent contact," Molitor said. "He's more confident about it. He's one of those rare guys who can turn around the best fastballs in the game."

After opening the season with four consecutive quality starts, Phil Hughes (1-4, 4.45) gave up four runs - three in the first inning - and seven hits over five in Friday's 9-2 loss to Detroit.

The right-hander last faced Houston in 2014.

Springer's one hit in three at-bats against Hughes left the park. Colby Rasmus also homered for his only hit in 14 at-bats against him.

After missing the previous three games with a rib injury, Gomez returned Tuesday. The ex-Twin is batting .365 with eight doubles in his last 13 games against his former team.

**TheGame** · 05-04-2016, 08:16 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/4

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

Game: 6
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: May 04, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

Clay Buchholz hasn't been much for April pitching for three straight seasons now. In the first, things never came around. They did last year, and he seems confident that'll be the trajectory of the coming months.

The Boston Red Sox starter begins May on Wednesday night in Chicago, where the White Sox will try to get to 12 games over .500 in 28 games or less for the seventh time in franchise history.

Buchholz (0-3, 6.51 ERA) gave up five runs and eight hits with four walks in Thursday's 5-3 home loss to Atlanta. He's given up five earned runs in four of his five starts after giving up five or more twice in 18 last season.

"I wouldn't ever go on a bad streak if I knew what I had to do not to go on them," Buchholz told MLB's official website. "I think it just happens sometimes. Team is going good and everybody is throwing the ball well, and it's falling on me right now. I haven't been throwing the ball as well as the other guys. It usually stops and turns and goes the other way at some point, too."

It's the third straight season Buchholz has struggled enormously through April. Last year, he was 1-3 with a 5.76 ERA. In 2014, the right-hander went 1-2 with a 6.66 mark. He's 14-16 with a 4.91 ERA - his worst of any month - in 39 April starts.

This season, it's in part been a control thing with 4.23 walks per nine innings, which is a major regression after posting a career-best 1.83 mark in 2015.

Against the White Sox, Buchholz is 2-3 with a 4.25 ERA in eight starts. Facing Brett Lawrie could potentially bring those numbers down with the Chicago newcomer going 3 for 28 against him, while Jose Abreu and Adam Eaton are both 0 for 6.

Carlos Rodon (1-3, 4.33) has had a couple rough starts of his own recently. The left-hander gave up six runs - four earned - and eight hits in seven innings of Friday's 6-3 loss in Baltimore, dropping him to 0-2 with a 7.07 ERA in his last three.

Nevertheless, manager Robin Ventura was happy with how he threw, and Rodon said it was a matter of making a seventh-inning mistake to Nolan Reimold that ended up as a three-run homer.

"I felt fine," Rodon said. "I thought I threw well but sometimes things don't go your way, and you make a mistake like that late in the game, and you're going to pay for it against these big league hitters."

The White Sox (19-8) opened the series with Tuesday's 4-1 win. It was their third straight and gives them a shot at getting to 12 games over this fast for the first time since 2006 - the first 28 games after their World Series win.

"They bring it every day, which is great," Ventura said.

Abreu had his fifth straight two-hit game and is batting .448 with eight RBIs on a seven-game hitting streak.

Boston (15-11) saw its three-game winning streak come to an end, though the Red Sox are 9-4 since last losing consecutive games. Their four-hit effort Tuesday was their worst of that span.

**TheGame** · 05-04-2016, 08:16 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/4

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

Game: 3
Venue: Busch Stadium
Date: May 04, 2016 8:15 PM EDT

Even though the results haven't shown it, Mike Leake remains optimistic about the progress he's making in his first season with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The right-hander hopes to earn his first victory as the hosts try to avoid their sixth loss in seven games Wednesday night against the surging Philadelphia Phillies.

St. Louis (13-14) signed Leake (0-3, 5.83 ERA) to a five-year deal in December with the thinking that he could help fill the hole left by John Lackey, who left for the rival Chicago Cubs.

Leake, however, hasn't been sharp while allowing at least four runs in each of his five outings. He suffered another loss Friday, giving up five runs - including two homers - over seven innings in a 5-4 home defeat to Washington.

"I hate to say I'm almost there. I should be there," Leake, who has allowed four homers in his last three starts, told MLB's official website. "But I am pretty positive with the direction I'm going. One month won't kill you. There are still five more months to go. Unfortunately, this month went the way it did. We have to move on."

Leake might be able to break through in the win column after the Phillies (16-11) dealt St. Louis its sixth loss in eight home games, 1-0 on Tuesday. He's 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA and 20 strikeouts in his last three meetings.

Maikel Franco, though, has gotten the best of Leake with four hits in six at-bats.

Ryan Howard, whose sixth home run proved large Tuesday, is 7 for 21 with two homers in their matchups. The slugging first baseman, who grew up in St. Louis, is batting .331 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs over 36 games at Busch Stadium.

'This is home, this is where it all began for me,' said Howard, who broke an 0-for-12 skid with the homer. "I guess, being at home, I do feel I see the ball a lot better.'

The Phillies, who won for only the fourth time in 14 visits, haven't scored more than four runs in their last eight but own a 2.11 ERA in their 10 victories over the past 12.

"The key to a good team is bouncing back," manager Pete Mackanin said. "We bounced back from an 0-4 start and it was important for us as a team to bounce back from getting beat pretty bad (10-3 in Monday's series opener)."

Adam Morgan makes his second start since replacing the injured Charlie Morton in the third of this four-game set. He allowed three runs over five innings in Friday's 4-3, 11-inning home win over Cleveland.

The second-year pro pitched well in his only start against St. Louis in June, giving up one run and striking out six over 5 2/3 innings in a 9-2 victory in Philadelphia.

Jhonny Peralta homered off him in that contest, while Jedd Gyorko is 1 for 6 in the matchup dating to his time with San Diego. Stephen Piscotty had one of the Cardinals' three hits Tuesday and is batting .352 with eight RBIs over his last 13 games.

St. Louis has totaled six runs while hitting .186 in the losses during this 1-5 stretch. It was averaging 6.5 runs and batting .283 before the slump.

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MLB Betting Info. 5/4

MLB Betting Info. 5/4

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