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**TheGame** · 05-10-2016, 07:22 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/10

Preview: Royals (15-16) at Yankees (12-18)

Game: 2
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: May 10, 2016 7:05 PM EDT

By now, Masahiro Tanaka has gotten used to pitching under pressure while the New York Yankees' lineup continually provides him with little run support.

Tanaka insists he's only going to worry about doing his part on the mound.

After Carlos Beltran led an offensive awakening, the right-hander will try to pick up a rare victory as the hosts go after their fourth win in five games Tuesday night against the struggling Kansas City Royals.

Although Tanaka (1-0, 2.29 ERA) has limited opponents to two earned runs or less in each of his six outings, victories have been tough to come by for the 27-year-old with a 2.75 run support average that ranks near the bottom of the majors.

It hurt Tanaka again Thursday when he surrendered five hits and matched a season high with seven strikeouts over eight innings of a 1-0, 10-inning loss at Baltimore. He finished with only one walk and retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced.

"I think my job is to go out there and try to put up zeros. I'm just trying to do what I can control," the ace told MLB's official website through an interpreter.

Tanaka, who has never faced the Royals, now seeks his fifth straight quality start as New York (12-18) chases its sixth victory in the last eight home games.

After the club hit .216 while averaging 2.9 runs over its previous 11 games, Beltran drilled two home runs and Aaron Hicks and Brian McCann also went deep in Monday's series-opening 6-3 win. Beltran, who had been 1 for 14 in his previous four, is batting .407 over an eight-game hitting streak against his former team.

'Maybe this gets us going,' manager Joe Girardi said.

Kansas City's Kris Medlen (1-3, 6.85) has been brutal in two home starts, but he's 1-1 with a 2.16 ERA in three on the road. He'll try to regroup after the first six batters he faced scored and he didn't get an out until his 38th pitch on Wednesday.

Medlen allowed a career-high nine runs over two-plus innings in a 13-2 home loss to Washington.

Now the right-hander will try to avoid a career-high fourth straight defeat as he makes his first start versus the Yankees. He's given up four runs over 5 2/3 innings in four relief appearances, though the most recent came in 2012 while with Atlanta.

Starlin Castro is 2 for 5 when facing Medlen dating to his time with the Chicago Cubs, but he's uncertain after sitting Monday due to a rib cage injury. Jacoby Ellsbury is expected to miss his fourth straight game with a strained hip muscle.

The Royals (15-16) hardly resemble the team that won the World Series as they try to avoid their 11th loss in 14 games. They're averaging just 2.7 runs with a .243 batting average during this stretch, while their rotation owns a 6.86 ERA.

Salvador Perez (6 for 38), Jarrod Dyson (2 for 25) and Kendrys Morales (7 for 54) are mired in slumps. Eric Hosmer has been a bright spot, homering in his last two games and hitting .388 with five home runs and 11 RBIs over his last 14.

'We didn't really deal with anything like this last year and I think this will be a good test for us to see what we're made of,' Hosmer said.

**TheGame** · 05-10-2016, 07:22 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/10

Preview: Tigers (14-17) at Nationals (20-12)

Game: 2
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: May 10, 2016 7:05 PM EDT

Dusty Baker decided not to make a lineup switch that may or may not have provided more protection for Bryce Harper.

Daniel Murphy proved his manager correct for now.

His big night helped the Washington Nationals end their skid heading into Tuesday night's matchup against the visiting Detroit Tigers that features a showdown of promising young right-handers.

Harper walked 13 times and was hit by a pitch as the Nationals (20-12) dropped all four to the Chicago Cubs over the weekend. A major league record-tying six of those - three intentional - came in Sunday's extra-inning loss as Ryan Zimmerman, who hits fourth behind Harper, went 1 for 7 and left 14 on base.

"I think people are panicking a little early here. I'm sure it's been the subject of discussion,' Baker said prior to Monday's series opener. 'I've been at this a long time. Everybody's got an opinion on what my lineup ... should be. In the meantime, I'll make out the lineup.'

Baker also mentioned that moving Murphy up to Zimmerman's spot would present a problem because he and Harper both hit left-handed. Murphy remained in the fifth spot Monday as Harper went 0 for 2 with two walks and Zimmerman went hitless in four at-bats, leaving him at 2 for 23 over his last five.

But Murphy, who raised his average to .398, had an RBI single in the fourth and a two-run homer in the sixth as Washington rallied for a 5-4 win on Clint Robinson's pinch-hit home run in the ninth.

Harper was ejected from the dugout after Danny Espinosa was called out on strikes in the previous at-bat.

'I think everybody was up on the steps and preaching about what they thought was going on,' Harper said. 'And (umpire Brian Knight) picked me and said, `See you later.''

The Tigers (14-17) have been outscored 48-20 while losing seven in a row. They led 4-1 heading into the sixth.

'Everything's not going our way,' outfielder J.D. Martinez said. 'It'll change.'

Detroit might not fare any better against Joe Ross, who continues to impress. Ross (3-1, 1.23 ERA) doubled his runs allowed total Thursday against the Cubs but still posted a solid outing, giving up two and striking out nine in 6 2/3 innings of a 5-2 defeat.

The 22-year-old has gone 5-0 with a 1.97 ERA in eight starts and five relief efforts since last losing Aug. 16 to San Francisco.

"He works the strike zone," Baker said. "Good sinker, good slider, this guy's going to be good for a long time."

He gets his first look at the Tigers, who send Michael Fulmer (1-1, 6.30) to the mound. Detroit's top pitching prospect will be making his third career start as he tries to lower his .455 batting average against on balls in play.

Fulmer, who took Shane Greene's spot in the rotation when Greene went on the disabled list, allowed four runs in the first inning Thursday before settling down and giving up one over his final four in a 9-4 loss to Cleveland.

'I know I can be better, obviously, and I have the confidence to do it,' Fulmer said. 'I didn't come out prepared enough, and it all went downhill from there. It was just a tough one to take.'

**TheGame** · 05-10-2016, 07:23 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/10

Preview: Phillies (18-14) at Braves (7-23)

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

Not much separates the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves in terms of offensive ineptitude.

They're separated by 11 wins, however, as the Phillies have one of the NL's best records while the Braves are off to their worst 30-game start since at least 1900.

Philadelphia looks to continue its surprising start in Tuesday night's series opener with an Atlanta team trying to avoid an 11th straight home loss.

Only three NL teams have more wins than the Phillies (18-14) despite their .227 batting average, 104 runs and .643 OPS. Only the Braves rank worse in the league, hitting .226 and scoring 90 to go with a .582 OPS.

"We seem to scratch and get a run here and there" Phillies manager Pete Mackanin told MLB's official website.

Philadelphia plated more than four runs for the first time in 13 games Sunday, rallying with two in the eighth inning to beat Miami 6-5. The Phillies improved their major league-best record in one-run games to 11-3 after going an NL-worst 16-27 in such contests last season.

'We're finding ways to win,' said Philadelphia rookie Tyler Goeddel, whose double Sunday drove in the tying run and then came around to score the winner. 'It has been fun to be a part of.'

It hasn't been nearly as much fun for the Braves (7-23), but manager Fredi Gonzalez insists his team isn't getting down.

'You know what we fight, we battle,' he said after Sunday's 5-3, 11-inning loss to Arizona. 'Now we've just got to get some breaks."

Although the losses can run together, Sunday's was especially painful after Atlanta rallied for three runs in the eighth to tie the score. Three innings later, the Braves were handed their fourth straight loss overall and 15th in 16 games at Turner Field. Only the 1913 New York Yankees - who lost their first 15 games - have had a worse home start to the season.

'You lose today's game after tying it and you sit in the dugout and you see guys' faces,' Gonzalez said. "I was hoping to get a walk-off win just to get momentum going.'

One glimmer of hope is the last man to lead the Braves to victory is set to take the ball, and he is coming off a gem.

Seven days after permitting five runs over five innings in a loss to Boston, Matt Wisler (1-2, 3.24 ERA) tossed eight innings of one-hit ball in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the New York Mets. His .175 opponents' batting average is sixth-best in the majors.

"He pays attention to detail and he keeps getting better," Gonzalez said.

The second-year right-hander improved to 4-0 with a 2.52 ERA in five career starts on at least six days' rest, with another such outing coming against Philadelphia. The Phillies, though, handed Wisler one of the worst beatings of his career, tagging him for seven runs in 4 2/3 innings last August.

Ryan Howard went 3 for 3 against him in that one but is 2 for 22 in his last nine games, though both hits were homers.

Nick Markakis has been one of Atlanta's few offensive threats and is batting .400 during an eight-game hitting streak against the Phillies.

Freddie Freeman also frustrated Philadelphia last season, hitting .344 with 15 RBIs, including a .550 average at home.

The Braves took seven of nine from the Phillies in Atlanta last year.

Adam Morgan (0-0, 6.00) lost all three of his starts against the Braves as a rookie in 2015, posting a 4.00 ERA.

The left-hander regressed after striking out seven over five innings in his season debut against Cleveland on April 29, allowing three runs and six hits in four-plus innings of Wednesday's 5-2 loss at St. Louis. He walked two and struck out two.

**TheGame** · 05-10-2016, 07:23 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/10

Preview: Brewers (13-19) at Marlins (17-14)

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

Marlins left-hander Adam Conley is always eager to throw his next pitch. He works fast and jokes he wishes he could take the mound every four days like the old-timers did.

So it's no surprise Conley is looking forward to his rematch against the Brewers.

Conley allowed no hits in 7 2/3 innings at Milwaukee on April 29 before being pulled from the game because he had thrown a career-high 116 pitches. He earned the victory and will face the Brewers again Tuesday night, when he expects a completely different kind of game.

'It's going to be in the back of my mind what I did to some of those guys before when I had success,' Conley said Monday. 'But it's a new day. They're going to feel different; I'm going to feel different; my stuff's not going to be the same; we're in a different park. I'm going to pitch the best I can, and they're going to try to get me out of there in the second inning.'

Conley (2-1, 3.06 ERA) followed his performance at Milwaukee with a victory over Arizona six days later, when he allowed only two hits in 5 1/3 shutout innings. His early-season success has been one of the bright spots so far in 2016 for Miami.

A second-round draft pick in 2011 who went 4-1 as a rookie last year, Conley believes a quicker tempo on the mound this year has contributed to his effectiveness.

'If I can get up there and throw a pitch every eight or 10 seconds and it makes it tough for a hitter, I'm going to do it,' he said. 'The faster I can execute a pitch over and over, my defense is going to appreciate it, and it's less time for the opposing hitter to think.

'It helps me not give guys too much credit. You want to respect hitters, but only as much as they deserve to be respected.'

As a former hitter himself, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said he can see how Conley's catch-and-throw approach makes batters uncomfortable.

'You foul one off, and you look up and he's ready to go again,' Mattingly said. 'You don't have time to digest. He makes you work quicker, and that puts certain guys at a disadvantage.'

Opponents are batting .200 against Conley, who has 34 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell laughed when asked what made Conley so tough on his team in the earlier meeting.

'He didn't give up any hits,' Counsell said. 'No, he threw a lot of pitches at the bottom of the strike zone. He threw in and out to keep our batters honest. And his pace on the mound was really good. He gets the ball and goes.'

He'll have a hard act to follow after Jose Fernandez struck out 11 and held the Brewers to four hits over seven scoreless innings in a 4-1 win in Monday's opener.

Zach Davies (0-3, 6.98), who like Conley grew up in Washington and made his major league debut last season, hasn't fared nearly as well so far in 2016. The right-hander's ERA was at 8.78 through three starts, though he finally turned in a solid performance by holding the Los Angeles Angels to two runs over six innings Wednesday.

"I tried to go out there and really catch them a little sleepy and establish the fastball early, trying to go after them a little bit more," Davies said. "Any time you go out there and improve upon the things that you've struggled with in the past a little bit, it gives you a little reassurance that you can go out there and do it."

One of the best of his 10 starts in the majors came Sept. 7 in Miami, where he held the Marlins to a run over seven innings for his first victory. He gave up four runs over five while paired up against Conley last month.

**TheGame** · 05-10-2016, 07:23 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/10

Preview: Pirates (17-15) at Reds (14-19)

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

The Pittsburgh Pirates are trying not to dig too deep a hole in the NL Central, but their continued mediocrity within the division isn't helping.

An unexpected team with one of the shovels is the Cincinnati Reds, who seek their third straight win over the visiting Pirates on Tuesday night.

After opening 8-3 within its own division, Pittsburgh (17-15) has lost six of eight and has fallen a full eight games back of the first-place Chicago Cubs. The 98-win Pirates finished 34-42 against the Central last season, finishing behind St. Louis before falling to the Cubs in the wild-card game.

So far this season, Pittsburgh has had a tough time handling Cincinnati (14-19), falling to 3-4 with Monday's 3-2 loss. They finish this set Wednesday night before playing three at Wrigley Field this weekend, closing a 15-game run against the Central that the Pirates are 4-6 on.

Juan Nicasio (3-3, 3.16 ERA) shut out the Reds over seven innings of a 4-1 win on April 29 but lasted only 4 1/3 in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to Chicago, walking three and allowing eight hits and four runs, one earned.

'They have a good-hitting team and when I got to two strikes and threw my breaking ball they wouldn't swing at it,' Nicasio said. 'Sometimes you don't have a good day.'

The right-hander hopes to return to the form he showed against Cincinnati when he held the Reds to three hits while walking one and striking out eight, moving his scoreless-inning streak against them to 12 innings.

However, his four appearances prior to that came in relief. As a starter against Cincinnati, Nicasio is 1-2 with a 4.24 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in four meetings.

Brandon Phillips is the only current Cincinnati hitter with extended experience against Nicasio, going 5 for 11 with a homer, triple and double.

Nicasio is searching for his first win away from home. He is 0-2 on the road with a 6.75 ERA, compared to 3-1 with a 1.93 ERA at home.

Alfredo Simon (1-3, 9.86) only had an ERA of 4.00 in two April starts against Pittsburgh, far better than the 13.50 mark he had overall in the season's first month. But he got off to a good start in May with Thursday's 9-5 win over Milwaukee, holding the Brewers to seven hits and three runs in 7 2/3 innings.

"April was tough. When I came from the Dominican, my arm was not really in shape to throw a lot of pitches," Simon, who signed March 17 and missed one April start because of right biceps tendinitis, told MLB's official website. "But now I feel comfortable. I had the tendinitis and my arm is feeling a lot better right now."

Simon's effort extended Cincinnati's season-high streak of quality starts to five. After Tim Adleman, Brandon Finnegan and John Lamb failed to reach the sixth inning, Dan Straily started a new streak with six sharp frames on Monday.

The bullpen's streak of 23 straight games surrendering a run finally ended with four shutout innings in Friday's 5-1 win over Milwaukee. After giving up 11 runs over the next two games, baseball's worst bullpen held the Pirates to one hit in three innings in the opener.

**TheGame** · 05-10-2016, 07:24 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/10

Preview: Athletics (14-19) at Red Sox (19-13)

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

Sean Manaea's first two major league starts have come with some promise that's eventually been turned sour by a few big innings.

The Oakland Athletics' No. 2 prospect will try to smooth things out Tuesday night in Boston, where the Red Sox are also starting a pitcher who's out to prove himself.

Manaea (0-0, 7.20 ERA) gave up four runs and seven hits with six strikeouts in five innings of Wednesday's 9-8 home loss to Seattle. He gave up all four in the fifth before his teammates hung six on the Mariners in the bottom half of the inning to take a four-run lead they couldn't hold.

"Outside of four pitches in that last inning, he did outstanding," catcher Stephen Vogt told MLB's official website. "They took advantage of getting a good opportunity. Wow, that happened quick. His slider was sharp and his fastball command was better. We should have gotten him deeper into that game."

It followed a five-inning, four-run effort in a 7-4 home win over Houston on April 29 in which he gave up three runs in the sixth and was removed before recording an out. After the latest outing, he admitted he's still working on his routine at this level, particularly when things start to get difficult.

"I should have done a better job of slowing things down," Manaea said. "I felt like I was trying to rush things, get through the fifth inning, get things done quick. I got those two quick outs. That's kind of what I was thinking. I should have stepped back a little bit and taken a deep breath."

Sean O'Sullivan is making his first start with the Red Sox after signing a minor league contract in December. He was called up Friday and is taking the spot of Henry Owens, who was sent to Triple-A Pawtucket after walking 13 batters in 12 1/3 innings of three starts.

O'Sullivan gave up a run and two hits in an inning of relief work in Saturday's 8-2 loss at the New York Yankees. The right-hander was 2-2 with a 3.00 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in five starts with Pawtucket. His control has been substantially better than Owens' with just five walks in 34 combined innings between the majors and minors.

The 28-year-old spent the past two seasons with Philadelphia and went 1-6 with a 6.08 ERA in 13 starts with the Phillies last season. He's 0-2 with a 3.31 ERA in two starts and two relief appearances against the Athletics.

He'll be just fine if the Red Sox (19-13) can carry over some offense from Monday's 14-7 series opening win. Over a 13-6 span, they've averaging 5.8 runs per game and batting .307. David Ortiz was 3 for 5 with two doubles and two RBIs, and the designated hitter is batting .366 with six home runs and 13 RBIs in his last 10 games. Jackie Bradley Jr., however, has been the real story lately.

Bradley extended his career-high hitting streak to 15 games with a two-run single in Boston's six-run fourth and added a grand slam two innings later. Bradley currently owns the majors' longest streak, hitting .382 (21-for-55) during the stretch.

"You feel confident. You want to swing it more," he said. "It's one of those things that you want to keep it going as long as possible."

The A's (14-19) have lost three straight and seven of eight with a 7.80 ERA. They've also lost the last five games against Boston with the Red Sox batting .327.

**TheGame** · 05-10-2016, 07:24 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/10

Preview: Padres (13-19) at Cubs (24-6)

Game: 2
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: May 10, 2016 8:05 PM EDT

The Chicago Cubs' (hashtag)WeAreGood slogan began as a bit of a joke when catcher Miguel Montero tweeted it out last season, then caught on as they made a surprising run to the NLCS.

Now it seems somewhat of an insult to label the Cubs as simply good when they're making strides toward something potentially great.

Chicago is off to the majors' best 30-game start in 32 years, and after Monday's rainout it will send Jon Lester to the hill against the visiting San Diego Padres on Tuesday night seeking an eighth consecutive victory.

The Cubs (24-6) improved their baseball-best run differential to an almost comical plus-102 on Sunday when Javier Baez's solo homer in the 13th gave them a 4-3 win over Washington and capped a four-game sweep.

Kris Bryant's two-run single in the seventh tied it to get Jake Arrieta off the hook and helped Chicago become the first team to win at least 24 of its first 30 since Detroit started 26-4 in 1984.

The Cubs also lowered their major league-leading ERA to 2.48.

'The most important thing is that we never give up,' Baez said. 'We had nobody on the bench and we still were playing hard and giving everything we had.'

Lester (3-1, 1.58 ERA) is a big reason for the Cubs' success as well.

He had to grind through his shortest outing of the season Wednesday, though, while allowing eight hits and tossing 103 pitches in 5 2/3 innings against Pittsburgh. But the Pirates couldn't plate a run and he came away with a 6-2 victory.

The left-hander has given up one run or none in five of his six outings.

'It says a lot about pitch execution because Johnny got in some jams and was able to pitch out of it, which was really nice to see,' catcher David Ross said. 'He's done that a couple times here lately.'

Lester ran into a few jams when he faced the Padres last season and allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings of a 5-2 loss last April. Wil Myers, who played his first two seasons under Cubs manager Joe Maddon with Tampa Bay, has homered off Lester.

Myers is in a 2-for-20 slump, though, and was stranded after the Padres failed to score with the bases loaded an nobody out in the eighth of Sunday's 4-3 loss to the New York Mets.

San Diego (13-19) has reached double digits in hits only once in its last 12 games.

"That's on us as a team collectively to pick that run up, to pick multiple runs up,' manager Andy Green said. 'You want to be a little bit more risk-adverse at third base with nobody out. You want to be more assertive with two outs. We had three chances to bring them home.'

The Padres' scoring woes have delayed the first career victory for surprising rookie Cesar Vargas (0-1, 1.10). He's been solid in each of his first three outings and has given up only two runs despite walking nine.

The right-hander has received just two runs of support, though, and gave up one run in six innings of Wednesday's 2-0 loss to Colorado.

'You get stretches like that where you don't necessarily have run support,' Vargas said through a translator. 'You want to keep the game close, but you really can't control that in terms of offensive support.'

**TheGame** · 05-10-2016, 07:24 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/10

Preview: White Sox (23-10) at Rangers (18-15)

Game: 2
Venue: Globe Life Park in Arlington
Date: May 10, 2016 8:05 PM EDT

The Chicago White Sox brought in Todd Frazier in the offseason to provide long-desired stability at third base and some power in the middle of the lineup, but a rough week dropped the slugger's average below the Mendoza Line.

His latest performance might help him finally get into a groove.

Frazier looks to help the White Sox win a fifth straight as they send Carlos Rodon to the hill to face the host Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.

After hitting a career-high 35 homers for Cincinnati last season, Frazier was traded in a three-team deal that Chicago (23-10) hoped would give them a solid corner infielder after many years of a revolving door of players at third.

Frazier, though, entered Monday's series opener mired in a 2-for-28 slump that dipped his average to .194. He broke out in a big way against the Rangers, homering in the sixth, hitting a tiebreaking grand slam in the 12th and finishing with four hits and a career-high six RBIs in an 8-4 victory.

Although Frazier hasn't hit much for average, his 10 homers rank among the AL leaders.

'It felt good. It felt really good,' Frazier said. 'With experience, you understand that it's going to come around. Just glad it came today and in extra innings.'

The White Sox, with baseball's second-most victories behind the crosstown Cubs, have won six straight meetings with the Rangers (18-15), including a three-game sweep on the South Side last month.

Rougned Odor homered Monday for Texas, which rallied to tie it in the eighth and ninth against a White Sox bullpen that entered with a major league-best 1.82 ERA.

'We ran into a guy that got hot,' said manager Jeff Banister, ejected in the ninth after arguing balls and strikes. 'That was tough.'

Rodon (1-4, 4.36 ERA) looks to give Chicago a better performance in this one. After a solid first two outings, he's gone 0-3 with a 6.30 ERA over his last four after falling 5-2 to Boston on Wednesday.

He surrendered a two-run homer to David Ortiz in the fifth that put the Red Sox ahead for good before finishing the sixth.

The 23-year-old also has walked 14 over 33 innings.

"Right now, I'm thinking this game is pretty hard, but when you're going good, it seems easy," Rodon said. "I'll try to get out of this funk and get some wins for this team."

Prior to his rough stretch, Rodon gave up two runs and struck out seven in 6 2/3 innings of Chicago's 4-3, 11-inning win over the Rangers on April 23. He's 1-0 with a 2.41 ERA and 22 strikeouts over 18 2/3 innings in three starts against Texas, which counters with Derek Holland in a matchup of left-handers.

Holland (3-2, 5.40) had a 2.48 ERA over his first five outings, then watched it balloon while allowing 11 runs and 11 hits in 2 2/3 innings of Thursday's 12-2 loss at Toronto. He also walked three in giving up the most runs in his eight-year career.

'I'm definitely upset with that,' Holland said. 'It's just one of those starts I've got to hurry up and put it past me. I'm pretty (ticked) off with myself. I didn't perform the way I should've and now I've got to get ready for the next start.'

Holland lost 4-1 to the White Sox on April 24 after giving up three runs and walking three in 6 1/3 innings. He's 0-2 with a 6.86 ERA in four career starts against them.

**TheGame** · 05-10-2016, 07:24 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/10

Preview: Indians (15-14) at Astros (13-20)

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

If there was any doubt whether their offense had found its groove, it was removed when the Houston Astros knocked around one of their biggest nemeses.

Now they'll face a another challenge against a pitcher that's given them trouble.

The Astros hope to keep coming through in key spots as they go after a sixth win in eight games Tuesday night against Trevor Bauer and the visiting Cleveland Indians.

A lack of offense was at the root of Houston's problems when it batted .213 during a 5-14 stretch that left it in last place after making the playoffs in 2015. It also averaged 3.1 runs while hitting .186 with runners in scoring position in that span.

The Astros, however, have turned things around, scoring 6.4 per game and batting .354 with runners in scoring position in their last seven of this 10-game homestand.

Jose Altuve drove in three runs and Colby Rasmus had two RBIs as Houston knocked out Corey Kluber in the third inning of Monday's 7-1 win in the opener of this three-game series at Minute Maid Park. Kluber, who was coming off the second shutout of his career, entered with a 1.48 ERA in five meetings with the Astros.

"It was a big inning for us to ... get Kluber out of the game that early I think was the key to winning the game," said Altuve, who is 10 for 21 with eight RBIs in his last six games. "You don't want somebody like him staying in the game."

Rasmus has driven in eight in his past five games for Houston (13-20), which seeks its first three-game win streak of the season.

Bauer (2-0, 5.14 ERA) hasn't been sharp, but he's likely to remain in Cleveland's rotation after replacing the injured Carlos Carrasco. After allowing three runs over four innings in a 4-3 loss at Philadelphia on April 30, he surrendered three runs and three hits over 5 2/3 in Thursday's 9-4 home victory over Detroit.

The right-hander, though, is 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA and 29 strikeouts in three career starts against the Astros. He didn't allow a hit over six innings in his only outing at Minute Maid Park on April 9, 2015, but was pulled after 111 pitches and five walks.

Rasmus and Carlos Correa are 0 for 9 with five strikeouts when facing Bauer.

After a 5-1 homestand, the Indians dropped their fourth in a row on the road and sixth in seven games. They've totaled eight runs and batted .171 during the skid.

Mike Napoli has gone 2 for 25 with 16 strikeouts and Michael Brantley is 2 for 21 over their past six road games, while Yan Gomes is 2 for 35 in his last 10 overall. Francisco Lindor batted .433 over an eight-game stretch before going hitless in four at-bats Monday.

Houston manager A.J. Hinch made no promises to Chris Devenski (0-1, 1.46) when he tabbed the rookie right-hander to replace Scott Feldman in the rotation. After two solid outings, he's earned a longer look and will face Cleveland (15-14) for the first time.

Following six strong relief appearances, Devenski allowed two runs over five innings in a 2-0 loss at Oakland on April 30. He pitched even better Thursday, giving up one run and striking out six over six innings in a 6-3 home loss to Seattle.

**TheGame** · 05-10-2016, 07:25 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/10

Preview: Orioles (18-12) at Twins (8-23)

Game: 2
Venue: Target Field
Date: May 10, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

In what's looking more and more like a lost season, the Minnesota Twins are turning their attention to the future.

Jose Berrios will be back in the spotlight Tuesday night against the Baltimore Orioles in the promising rookie's follow-up to his first major league win.

This series has been shortened to a two-game set after inclement weather forced a the postponement of Monday's opener.

Owner of the worst record in the AL and having lost nine of 10, Minnesota (8-23) hopes it can find a silver lining in a talented young core that includes Berrios (1-1, 6.75 ERA), the organization's top pitching prospect. The 21-year-old offered a glimpse of his vast potential by outperforming Dallas Keuchel in his second major league start and helping deal the reigning Cy Young winner his first home loss since August 2014 on Wednesday.

Berrios allowed a pair of solo homers but just three hits over 5 1/3 innings in a 6-2 victory, offsetting five walks by registering eight strikeouts.

"He was unbelievable," catcher John Ryan Murphy, who's since been sent to Triple-A in a roster shakeup, told MLB's official website. "He's an ultra-competitor. His stuff is electric."

Minnesota starters rank last in the AL with a 5.05 ERA, but the club has received positive early results from Berrios and Tyler Duffey, who struck out nine over seven innings of Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

Duffey received little support with the Twins hitting .207 during a five-game losing streak.

"We're at the point that we are looking for some encouraging points to what we're doing," manager Paul Molitor said.

Minnesota similarly struggled at the plate when swept in a season-opening series at Baltimore from April 4-6. The Twins mustered six runs and struck out 35 times in three losses.

"We owe a lot of teams some whuppings, and the Orioles are one of them,' third baseman Trevor Plouffe said.

Baltimore (18-12) had little trouble producing runs the last time out, hitting a season-high six homers in Sunday's 11-3 win over Oakland. Manny Machado had a grand slam and a two-run shot, while Mark Trumbo and Jonathan Schoop also went deep while collecting three hits apiece.

"It's about time that we got into a nice little groove," said Machado, hitting .400 with three homers and 11 RBIs over his last 10 games. "We went out and put some good swings on some good pitches."

Machado owns a .410 average with two homers in nine games at Target Field, though the Orioles have lost five straight there. Schoop is batting .350 in an 11-game hitting streak, one short of matching a career high.

Another hot Oriole is Kevin Gausman (0-1, 1.42), who comes off arguably the best start of his career. He allowed three hits over eight innings and didn't issue a walk while striking out four in Thursday's 1-0, 10-inning win over the New York Yankees.

The right-hander has been very good in each of his three outings, yielding 10 hits in 19 innings with three walks and 14 strikeouts.

Gausman, however, hasn't had any success against the Twins, going 0-2 with a 6.50 ERA in three starts.

Joe Mauer, who was slated to serve as the leadoff hitter Monday for the first time in his career, is 5 for 8 with a double and triple in their matchups.

'I told Paul a long time ago that whatever gives us the best chance to win and score some runs I'm all for it,' Mauer said.

Twins second baseman Brian Dozier was scheduled to make his return in the opener after missing three games with a sore right hamstring.

**TheGame** · 05-10-2016, 07:25 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/10

Preview: Diamondbacks (16-18) at Rockies (15-17)

Game: 2
Venue: Coors Field
Date: May 10, 2016 8:40 PM EDT

After Trevor Story and the Colorado Rockies pounded their way to early success in the season series, the Arizona Diamondbacks finally beat them at their own game.

The Diamondbacks hope the top half of their lineup continues leading the way Tuesday night when they try to win a season high-tying fifth straight and deal the pitching-challenged Rockies their seventh consecutive defeat at Coors Field.

Colorado (15-17) batted .292 with 16 home runs while averaging 6.7 runs in taking five of the first six road meetings with Arizona (16-18). Story did a ton of the damage for the Rockies, going 8 for 28 with five homers and 12 RBIs.

It looked like more of the same Monday when Story had two doubles and three RBIs as the hosts built a three-run lead in the fourth inning. The Diamondbacks, however, rallied for five in the fifth, two in the seventh and two in the ninth for a 10-5 win.

Rockies manager Walt Weiss said the home loss was "disappointing after coming off such a high (Sunday's 2-0 win over San Francisco) on the road trip."

Jean Segura, Paul Goldschmidt, Jake Lamb and Welington Castillo, four of Arizona's top five hitters, went a combined 9 for 14 with two homers and eight RBIs.

Segura is batting .375 over his last six games, Castillo has gone 9 for 21 with seven RBIs in his past five and Lamb is 6 for 13 with six RBIs in his past three.

The Diamondbacks have averaged 6.5 runs during a four-game winning streak that's their longest since a five-game run April 17-21. Colorado starters have posted a 9.69 ERA in the club's worst home skid since April 25-May 18, 2015.

Arizona will try to keep up its hot hitting against Chris Rusin, who allowed seven runs and 13 hits over 4 1/3 innings of Thursday's 17-7 loss at San Francisco. He had given up one hit over five scoreless innings in a 5-2 road win over the Diamondbacks in his previous start April 30.

The left-hander is 2-1 with a 1.74 ERA in four career road starts against Arizona, including his time with the Chicago Cubs. Paul Goldschmidt is 3 for 7 against Rusin (1-0, 4.43 ERA), while David Peralta is 2 for 5 with a triple.

Peralta, though, could miss his third straight game with a bruised right forearm.

Rubby De La Rosa (3-4, 4.60) had this start pushed back after Arizona recalled Archie Bradley to work the opener. The right-hander gave up one run and struck out 16 in winning two straight starts before struggling to execute Wednesday.

De La Rosa allowed four runs and eight hits over 5 2/3 innings of a 4-3 loss at Miami. He's 1-3 with a 6.00 ERA in four road games, including a pair of starts.

"The first two innings, nothing was working," De La Rosa told the league's official website. "Everything was up and off the plate. After the second inning, I got a little better feeling about my pitches. The first two innings, I was falling behind."

De La Rosa, however, has gone 2-0 with a 3.32 ERA in four career outings at Coors.

Nolan Arenado has gone 3 for 6 with two home runs against him, while Carlos Gonzalez is 4 for 10 with a homer in the matchup. Gonzalez is batting .421 with four homers and 10 RBIs during a nine-game hitting streak against the Diamondbacks.

**TheGame** · 05-10-2016, 07:25 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/10

Preview: Cardinals (16-16) at Angels (13-18)

Game: 1
Venue: Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Date: May 10, 2016 10:05 PM EDT

Albert Pujols' former team has yet to perform to its usual expectations, and his current one is literally in a world of hurt.

The St. Louis Cardinals and the injury-plagued Los Angeles Angels both attempt to regroup from disappointing weekends in Tuesday night's opener of a three-game series.

As the Cardinals (16-16) head west off a frustrating 4-6 homestand, the Angels' season is beginning to go south with losses in seven of the last nine games and staff ace Garrett Richards headed for Tommy John surgery.

Though injuries to Richards, C.J. Wilson, Andrew Heaney and closer Huston Street have left the pitching depth near bare, the offense has been the bigger culprit behind Los Angeles' 13-18 start. The Angels generated little in its series with visiting Tampa Bay, scoring a mere five runs and going 2 for 20 with runners in scoring position in losing all three games.

'We've got to stay positive,' outfielder Mike Trout said following Sunday's 3-1 defeat. 'We're just going through a funk right now, but things will turn. It's a long season, so that's the only thing you look at. You can't look at what happened the last few weeks. Obviously, it's not the start we wanted coming out of spring training, but we've got to turn the page.'

Trout hasn't been the problem, as he's hitting .385 with six home runs and 19 RBIs over a 17-game stretch despite little protection from Pujols, whose average dropped to .190 following Sunday's 0-for-3 effort.

Los Angeles, hitting .222 and averaging 3.1 runs at home, could be dealing with another extended absence from a key player after shortstop Andrelton Simmons exited Sunday's game with a sprained left thumb.

'We have some guys that are banged-up, but you can't hang your head and feel sorry for yourself," manager Mike Scioscia said. "We still have a core group in there that can win games, and that's what we're going to focus on.'

The Angels get to face a struggling Mike Leake (0-3, 6.03 ERA) in the opener. The free-agent addition remained winless in six starts after allowing four runs on a pair of homers in Wednesday's five-inning no-decision against Philadelphia.

Leake has served up six home runs in his last four outings, though Los Angeles ranks near the bottom of the AL with 25 homers. He also hasn't done well in interleague play of late, compiling a 1-5 record and 7.44 ERA in his past eight starts that includes an 0-4 mark on the road.

Counterpart Hector Santiago (2-1, 3.58) is 0-3 with a 5.47 ERA in his last five interleague starts and wasn't sharp in Wednesday's outing in Milwaukee, surrendering three runs and eight hits while walking four in 5 1/3 innings in a 7-3 Angels' win.

The left-hander could fare better in a return to Angel Stadium, where he's 5-2 with a 2.69 ERA in 19 starts since the start of last season. Los Angeles has won each of his last five home assignments.

Santiago takes on a St. Louis offense that ranks among the MLB leaders with 44 home runs and features a red-hot Stephen Piscotty, who finished 4 for 5 in Sunday's 10-5 loss to Pittsburgh to raise his average to .323. The California native is hitting .448 with six RBIs over his last seven games.

'Stephen is a good hitter,' Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "He had a nice day (Sunday) and took advantage of what they were giving him.'

The teams are meeting for the first time since the Angels won two of three at home from July 2-4, 2013.

**TheGame** · 05-10-2016, 07:26 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/10

Preview: Mets (20-11) at Dodgers (16-16)

Game: 2
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: May 10, 2016 10:10 PM EDT

Jacob deGrom's last start at Dodger Stadium was a key piece to the New York Mets' World Series run. He hopes his next helps the Mets extend a more modest regular-season spurt.

DeGrom looks to rebound from an ugly start to lift the Mets to their fourth straight win and seventh in nine games over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.

New York (20-11) and Los Angeles (16-16) are matching up for the first time since the Mets took their five-game NL division series in October.

DeGrom (3-1, 1.99 ERA) allowed two first-inning runs against the Dodgers in the Game 5 clincher but nothing else through six innings for his second win of the series. In Games 1 and 5 combined, he gave up the two runs and 11 hits in 13 innings while walking four and striking out 20.

The right-hander is 2-2 with a 2.76 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in five career starts against the Dodgers. Justin Turner is 5 for 11 with three doubles in the matchup, while Adrian Gonzalez is 4 for 14 with a pair of homers and eight strikeouts. Yasiel Puig's lone hit in six at-bats was a homer.

However, deGrom is coming off his first defeat after giving up eight hits and three runs in five innings of Thursday's 5-3 loss at San Diego. He surrendered his first home run of the year in his shortest outing.

'I don't even know how many hits I gave up when I had guys with two strikes and just couldn't put them away,' he said. 'Leaving the offspeed in the middle, give them a chance and then at times throwing it not even close to the zone so then it goes to 3-2, and there's a pretty good chance there's a fastball coming there so they end up getting a hit off that.'

Alex Wood (1-3, 5.18) is fresh off his own uncharacteristic start, surrendering three home runs in Wednesday's 8-5 loss at Tampa Bay. It was a career high for the ground-ball pitcher, who gave up one homer his first five starts.

The left-hander was pulled after surrendering six hits and five runs in five innings while striking out seven without a walk.

The Dodgers haven't won consecutive Wood starts since he was acquired from Atlanta in July. Last season's struggles were pinned on a right ankle injury, but Wood said a mechanical tweak implemented two starts back is, in fact, working.

"I felt last start and this start as good as I have in a long time," Wood told MLB's official website. "It's working pretty good for the most part. The mistakes I made, they put it out of the park, and that doesn't usually happen to me. I felt like I was really good (Wednesday night), minus the homers."

Wood returns home where he has a 1.29 ERA, compared to an 8.05 mark on the road.

He has never beaten the Mets, going 0-3 with a 5.01 ERA in eight appearances, seven starts. Wood was shelled for four runs in two innings out of the bullpen in a 13-7 loss in Game 3 of the NLDS, surrendering a three-run homer to Yoenis Cespedes.

Curtis Granderson, Juan Lagares and Wilmer Flores have also gone deep off him. Granderson and Kevin Plawecki homered in Monday's 4-2 win to give the Mets 49, their most through 31 games in franchise history.

**TheGame** · 05-10-2016, 07:26 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 5/10

Preview: Rays (15-15) at Mariners (19-13)

Game: 2
Venue: Safeco Field
Date: May 10, 2016 10:10 PM EDT

Wade Miley's tenure with the Seattle Mariners got off to a horrendous start. Now he's pitching like they expected when they traded two young arms to acquire him.

Miley takes the mound Tuesday night looking to stay hot as the Mariners host the Tampa Bay Rays.

Seattle (19-13) traded reliever Carson Smith and starter Roenis Elias to Boston at the winter meetings for Miley (2-2, 4.74 ERA), who posted an 8.04 ERA through his first four starts with his new club.

He's been much better over his last three. After pitching into the eighth in a win over the Los Angeles Angels on April 24, Miley blanked Kansas City in a complete game before allowing two runs in six innings of Thursday's 6-3 win over Houston.

"I feel like my mechanics are good and (catcher Chris Iannetta) has done a great job the last couple ... just staying with me and sticking to the plan and we've been able to execute it," Miley told MLB's official website.

The left-hander faced the Rays five times while with Boston last season, going 1-2 with a 3.09 ERA. Evan Longoria and Brandon Guyer went deep off Miley, while Kevin Kiermaier hit for the cycle over his eight official at-bats in their matchups.

Longoria homered in Monday's series opener, but Ketel Marte broke a tie with a three-run homer in the sixth that gave Seattle a 5-2 win. Marte also doubled twice, finished with a career-high four hits and scored three times.

The Mariners scored seven runs over their previous three combined.

Tampa Bay (15-15) had won four in a row but was held to four hits, its fewest on the road this season. They also lost second baseman Logan Forsythe in the third inning because of a bruised shoulder after he was hit by a Felix Hernandez pitch.

Forsythe's status for this one is unclear.

The Rays look to get back on track behind Drew Smyly, who is coming off his shortest outing of the season. Smyly (1-3, 2.72) allowed two runs in five innings while receiving a no-decision in the Rays' 8-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has a 1.73 ERA over his last four with opponents hitting .157 against him in that stretch.

"My body feels great. I'm excited about that," Smyly said. "You have to be consistent. Just give your team a chance to win every game. You're going to give up runs here and there. You're going to give up hits. Just keep the team in the game and try to go as deep as you can. Save the bullpen at times. Try to get team victories."

The left-hander hasn't faced the Mariners since 2014, when he labored through four innings while allowing three runs and seven hits in a 3-2 defeat.

Neither Robinson Cano (0 for 6) nor Nelson Cruz (2 for 13) have hit Smyly well, but Iannetta has three doubles in five at-bats.

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MLB Betting Info. 5/10

MLB Betting Info. 5/10

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