Friday's Diamond Notes
April 14, 2017
Hottest team: Yankees (4-0 last four) vs. Cardinals
New York pulled off its first sweep of the season by rallying past Tampa Bay on Thursday, 3-2. The Yankees’ offense scored fewer than four runs for the first time in six games, while their five-game OVER streak came to an end. The Yankees host the Cardinals on Friday as the Bronx Bombers look to improve on an 11-2 mark in home series openers since last July.
Coldest team: Blue Jays (0-6 last six) vs. Orioles
Toronto’s offense has been downright dismal by scoring 23 runs in the first eight games. The Blue Jays plated only one run in Thursday’s 2-1 defeat to the Orioles, the third loss to Baltimore this season. Unfortunately, Toronto’s pitching has kept them hanging around during this cold stretch by giving up three runs or fewer six times, but the Jays own a 1-5 mark in the favorite role this season.
The Orioles have scored just eight runs in three games against the Blue Jays this season, but Baltimore sits atop the AL East with a 6-2 record. Right-hander Aaron Sanchez posted a terrific 15-2 record last season with an ERA of 3.00 for Toronto, but he picked up a no-decision in his first start of the season at Tampa Bay in a 3-2 defeat.
Hottest pitcher: Kendall Graveman, Athletics (2-0, 2.08 ERA)
The A’s return home following a 3-3 road trip, which included a series victory at Kansas City. Graveman has been fantastic through two starts by scattering eights and three earned runs in 13 innings of work against the Angels and Rangers. The Oakland right-hander faces another AL West foe as the Astros head to the Coliseum as Graveman cashed in six of his eight starts in the home underdog role. The A’s split four starts made by Graveman last season against the Astros, but tossed seven innings in his lone home start last July in a 7-4 triumph.
Coldest pitcher: Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees (0-1, 11.74 ERA)
Tanaka is the ace of the Yankees’ staff, but has struggled out of the gate by giving up 14 hits and 10 earned runs in 7.2 innings of work against the Rays and Orioles. Both of those starts came away from the Bronx, as Tanaka simply dominated at home in 2016 with the Yankees posting a 13-2 record in his 15 outings. The Yankees have won all three home starts made by Tanaka against National League opponents as he is facing the Cardinals for the first time in his career.
Best OVER run: Braves (6-0 last six)
Atlanta opens up SunTrust Park following its first eight games on the highway. The Braves’ pitching staff has allowed at least four runs in seven of eight contests, but Atlanta has scored four runs or more in five consecutive games. In the last 13 home series openers at Turner Field in 2016, the Braves cashed the OVER 11 times, while scoring 24 runs in a three-game home sweep of the Padres last August. Atlanta starter Julio Teheran cashed the OVER in seven of his final nine home starts last season.
Best UNDER run: Brewers (6-2 last eight)
Milwaukee wasn’t expected to do much coming into this season, but the Brewers have split their first 10 games. The Brew Crew won its third straight contest on Thursday at Cincinnati, while allowing a total of four runs during this brief hot streak. Milwaukee’s pitching has been up and down through the opening two weeks, but the Brewers have received three straight quality outings from their starters.
Matchup to watch: Diamondbacks at Dodgers
A pair of former teammates and Cy Young winners take the mound at Chavez Ravine as Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw square off in the series opener. Arizona sits atop the NL West at 7-3 despite dropping two of three at San Francisco, while Los Angeles returns home from a 2-4 road trip looking to bust above the .500 mark.
Greinke picked up a no-decision in his first start against the Giants, 6-5 walk-off win as a +135 home underdog. However, the Arizona ace silenced Cleveland in his last outing by scattering five hits and allowing one earned run and striking out six in 6.2 innings of an 11-2 blowout last Saturday. In 2016, the D-backs posted an incredible 12-3 mark away from Chase Field when Greinke took the mound, but one of those losses came at Dodger Stadium in a 10-2 drubbing last September.
Kershaw dominated the Padres in the season opener, but the southpaw was taken deep three times in last Saturday’s 4-2 defeat at Colorado as a -200 road favorite. The Dodgers have won 11 of Kershaw’s previous 12 home outings since the start of last season, while striking out 11 Diamondbacks in a 3-2 triumph last June in his only outing against Arizona in 2016.
Betcha don’t know: Since June 2015, the Indians own a stellar 10-3 home record against the Tigers. In fact, Cleveland captured all six series openers against Detroit last season as the two division rivals hook up at Progressive Field. The Tigers have won six of their last seven road openers since last August with the only defeat coming at Cleveland.
Biggest public favorite: Nationals (-200) vs. Phillies
Biggest public underdog: Rays (+115) at Red Sox
Biggest line move: Astros (-130 to -145) at Athletics
April 14, 2017
Hottest team: Yankees (4-0 last four) vs. Cardinals
New York pulled off its first sweep of the season by rallying past Tampa Bay on Thursday, 3-2. The Yankees’ offense scored fewer than four runs for the first time in six games, while their five-game OVER streak came to an end. The Yankees host the Cardinals on Friday as the Bronx Bombers look to improve on an 11-2 mark in home series openers since last July.
Coldest team: Blue Jays (0-6 last six) vs. Orioles
Toronto’s offense has been downright dismal by scoring 23 runs in the first eight games. The Blue Jays plated only one run in Thursday’s 2-1 defeat to the Orioles, the third loss to Baltimore this season. Unfortunately, Toronto’s pitching has kept them hanging around during this cold stretch by giving up three runs or fewer six times, but the Jays own a 1-5 mark in the favorite role this season.
The Orioles have scored just eight runs in three games against the Blue Jays this season, but Baltimore sits atop the AL East with a 6-2 record. Right-hander Aaron Sanchez posted a terrific 15-2 record last season with an ERA of 3.00 for Toronto, but he picked up a no-decision in his first start of the season at Tampa Bay in a 3-2 defeat.
Hottest pitcher: Kendall Graveman, Athletics (2-0, 2.08 ERA)
The A’s return home following a 3-3 road trip, which included a series victory at Kansas City. Graveman has been fantastic through two starts by scattering eights and three earned runs in 13 innings of work against the Angels and Rangers. The Oakland right-hander faces another AL West foe as the Astros head to the Coliseum as Graveman cashed in six of his eight starts in the home underdog role. The A’s split four starts made by Graveman last season against the Astros, but tossed seven innings in his lone home start last July in a 7-4 triumph.
Coldest pitcher: Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees (0-1, 11.74 ERA)
Tanaka is the ace of the Yankees’ staff, but has struggled out of the gate by giving up 14 hits and 10 earned runs in 7.2 innings of work against the Rays and Orioles. Both of those starts came away from the Bronx, as Tanaka simply dominated at home in 2016 with the Yankees posting a 13-2 record in his 15 outings. The Yankees have won all three home starts made by Tanaka against National League opponents as he is facing the Cardinals for the first time in his career.
Best OVER run: Braves (6-0 last six)
Atlanta opens up SunTrust Park following its first eight games on the highway. The Braves’ pitching staff has allowed at least four runs in seven of eight contests, but Atlanta has scored four runs or more in five consecutive games. In the last 13 home series openers at Turner Field in 2016, the Braves cashed the OVER 11 times, while scoring 24 runs in a three-game home sweep of the Padres last August. Atlanta starter Julio Teheran cashed the OVER in seven of his final nine home starts last season.
Best UNDER run: Brewers (6-2 last eight)
Milwaukee wasn’t expected to do much coming into this season, but the Brewers have split their first 10 games. The Brew Crew won its third straight contest on Thursday at Cincinnati, while allowing a total of four runs during this brief hot streak. Milwaukee’s pitching has been up and down through the opening two weeks, but the Brewers have received three straight quality outings from their starters.
Matchup to watch: Diamondbacks at Dodgers
A pair of former teammates and Cy Young winners take the mound at Chavez Ravine as Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw square off in the series opener. Arizona sits atop the NL West at 7-3 despite dropping two of three at San Francisco, while Los Angeles returns home from a 2-4 road trip looking to bust above the .500 mark.
Greinke picked up a no-decision in his first start against the Giants, 6-5 walk-off win as a +135 home underdog. However, the Arizona ace silenced Cleveland in his last outing by scattering five hits and allowing one earned run and striking out six in 6.2 innings of an 11-2 blowout last Saturday. In 2016, the D-backs posted an incredible 12-3 mark away from Chase Field when Greinke took the mound, but one of those losses came at Dodger Stadium in a 10-2 drubbing last September.
Kershaw dominated the Padres in the season opener, but the southpaw was taken deep three times in last Saturday’s 4-2 defeat at Colorado as a -200 road favorite. The Dodgers have won 11 of Kershaw’s previous 12 home outings since the start of last season, while striking out 11 Diamondbacks in a 3-2 triumph last June in his only outing against Arizona in 2016.
Betcha don’t know: Since June 2015, the Indians own a stellar 10-3 home record against the Tigers. In fact, Cleveland captured all six series openers against Detroit last season as the two division rivals hook up at Progressive Field. The Tigers have won six of their last seven road openers since last August with the only defeat coming at Cleveland.
Biggest public favorite: Nationals (-200) vs. Phillies
Biggest public underdog: Rays (+115) at Red Sox
Biggest line move: Astros (-130 to -145) at Athletics