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Preview: Reds (46-67) at Brewers (51-62)

Game: 1
Venue: Miller Park
Date: August 12, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

MILWAUKEE -- After snapping out of an offensive funk Thursday with an 11-3 rout over the Atlanta Braves at Miller Park, the Milwaukee Brewers will try to keep things rolling when they open a three-game series in Milwaukee against their National League Central rival, the Cincinnati Reds.

To do that, they'll need Jimmy Nelson to snap out of his own recent funk.

He will take the mound Friday night looking to win for the first time in five starts. He has lost each of his last four starts, posting an 8.00 ERA during that stretch while allowing 16 earned runs in 18 innings of work.

"He's not where he we wants to be or where we want him to be," Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. "Things are snowballing a little bit. We have to get more quality pitches. Every pitcher goes through this, there is going to be stuff that goes on, and you have to move on to the next pitch. That's the game. Jimmy's preparation is second to none."

Nelson hasn't made it out of the fifth inning in any of those outings and hasn't made it past the sixth in 11 of his last 12. He allowed six earned runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings his last time out, striking out four, with three walks, two hit batters and a wild pitch in a 9-3 loss to Arizona.

"I'm just trying to stay positive at this point," Nelson said. "Most of the stuff in that game was my fault. The three-run inning (fourth). Got balls up that got away from me."

Homer Bailey will make his third start of the season for the Reds, who arrive in Milwaukee with a .500 mark in their last 16 games and 5-5 against the Brewers this season.

Bailey missed the first four months of the 2016 season while still recovering from Tommy John surgery performed in May 2015. He took the victory in his debut, allowing just two runs over 5 2/3 innings against the Padres on July 31, but he only lasted three innings his last time out and was charged with five runs on eight hits and a walk with four strikeouts in a 5-3 loss at Pittsburgh.

"Luckily the bullpen did a great job today, the starter just wasn't worth a damn," Bailey said after the game.

Manager Bryan Price said after the game that it wasn't uncommon for a pitcher to show that kind of inconsistency after returning from such a major procedure.

"This is a part of the recovery," Price said. "He didn't feel as electric in Game 2 as he did in Game 1 last week in San Diego, and that's probably going to be a part of what this looks like every now and again over the course of the rest of the season as he gets his arm really back into 100 percent pitching shape. It's certainly something I anticipated along the way and hoped we wouldn't see it for a little while. Today just wasn't his best stuff."

Friday will mark Bailey's 22nd career start against the Brewers, against whom he is 4-8 with a 4.86 ERA, including a 2-3 mark with a 4.80 ERA in 10 career starts at Miller Park.
 
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Preview: Royals (55-59) at Twins (46-69)

Game: 1
Venue: Target Field
Date: August 12, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Kansas City Royals head into their three-game series with the Minnesota Twins looking more and more like the team that won its first World Series in three decades last season.

The Twins enter looking a lot like the team that was among the worst in baseball over the season's first three months.

In a weird quirk in the schedule, the series between the Central Division rivals is the first in nearly two months and just the third of the season. Including this weekend's series, the Twins and Royals will play four more times before the end of the 2016 campaign.

Kansas City has won four of its last five games, with pitching playing a critical role in those wins. The Royals won each of the final two games against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday and Thursday to move ahead of the South Siders in the Central Division standings.

Their win was also of the comeback variety, something the Royals have become good at again this season. Their eight comeback wins when trailing after seven innings are the most in baseball.

"They just don't give up. Even when we're not firing in all cylinders we can still find ways to come back and win ball games," said Royals manager Ned Yost. "It's Just a group of guys that continue to battle hard. They are not always successful. We've got a really good defense and our bullpen seems to stand up to those challenges."

The Royals will try to take advantage of their momentum over the weekend by continuing their dominance of the limping Twins, who were battered to the tune of 25 runs in getting swept in both games of a split doubleheader against the Houston Astros at Target Field on Thursday.

"We've had a fairly decent run here in the short term, but the last three days haven't gone well as far as the outcomes," said Twins manager Paul Molitor. "We're not going to dwell on it. It's not effort, and we're going to have to find a way to re-group and try to get back on track with the Royals coming in."

The Twins will be counting on starting pitcher Kyle Gibson to go deep into the game after their two starters combined for just five innings in the doubleheader.

Gibson hasn't done much since his season high-water mark on July 22, when he allowed just one run in eight innings against Boston. In three starts since, Gibson hasn't gone beyond six innings and has an ERA of 5.74.

The right-hander hasn't faced the Royals this season but has had good success against them in the past, compiling a 5-3 record with 2.55 ERA in eight career starts, including the only compete game of his career last season.

Yordano Ventura will get the nod for the Royals. His season has been inconsistent but has been on the uptick lately. His 3.26 ERA over his last six games is more than a full run lower than his season ERA (4.64) and he's allowed a total of three runs his last two times out.

Ventura allowed two runs on just two hits but walked six in five innings of work against the Twins in his first start of the season on April 8.
 
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Preview: Mariners (60-53) at Athletics (51-64)

Game: 1
Venue: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Date: August 12, 2016 10:05 PM EDT

OAKLAND, Calif. -- It's been three months since Oakland A's rookie left-hander Sean Manaea faced the Seattle Mariners in his second career major league start. Try as he might, Manaea can't forget the 1-0 fastball he threw to Mariners slugger Nelson Cruz with a runner on base in the fifth inning.

Cruz sent Manaea's pitch some 435 feet into the second deck in center field at the Oakland Coliseum. It was a monster shot that landed in an area that home runs rarely reach in Oakland.

"I gave up a bomb to Nelson Cruz," Manaea said. "It's probably still going. I try to forget about those hits."

Manaea will face the Mariners on Friday for the first time since that May 4 game. He gave up seven hits and four runs -- all in the fifth inning -- and got a no-decision in a 9-8 A's loss. Manaea struck out six and walked one.

And yes, he's looking forward to a rematch against Cruz and the Mariners.

"He's pretty scary in the box," Manaea said. "He's huge. They're playing good baseball right now and we're playing good baseball. So it will be a fun matchup.

"I know I'm going to face him a lot more throughout my career. It's nice to get him again."

Manaea is 3-7 with a 4.58 ERA overall, but he's gone 1-3 with a 3.12 ERA in eight games, including seven starts, since being activated from the disabled list June 29 after recovering from a strained left forearm.

Manaea has allowed 16 home runs overall, including five over his past three starts and two in each of his previous two outings.

"The guys up here are really, really good and if you make a mistake they're going to make you pay," Manaea said. "That's something I've got to focus on in growing as a player is minimizing mistakes, try to focus on every pitch to make it the best I can."

Cruz and Robinson Cano each hit solo home runs Wednesday when the Mariners defeated Detroit 3-1 to sweep the three-game series and win their sixth straight game. Cruz has 28 home runs, Cano 25 and Kyle Seager 21. They'll come into Friday's series opener against Oakland well rested after an off day.

"A lot of things are starting to come together," Mariners manager Scott Servais said after Wednesday's win. "Whether it's our bullpen jibing -- the pieces are starting to come together there -- the offense, the timely hitting, just the belief in our team."

And, of course, the power. The Mariners have hit 159 home runs, third most in the major leagues.

The Mariners are expected to send rookie left-hander Ariel Miranda to the mound for his second major league start. That's unless they have a change of plans after using Miranda for an inning of relief on Tuesday in their 6-5, 15-inning victory against Detroit on Tuesday.

Seattle acquired Miranda from Baltimore in a trade deadline deal for left-hander Wade Miley. Miranda made his Mariners debut on Saturday against Boston and allowed two runs over six innings in a 3-2 loss. He struck out five and walked one.

The 60-53 Mariners will face an A's team that fell to 51-63 on Thursday with a 9-6 loss to Baltimore but took 3-of-4 from the Orioles.
 
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Preview: Pirates (57-55) at Dodgers (64-50)

Game: 1
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: August 12, 2016 10:10 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES -- With Rich Hill unable to answer the call again, rookie right-hander Ross Stripling has been cast in another leading role.

Stripling (3-3, 3.79 ERA) starts Friday when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-game series. On Saturday, Stripling worked five scoreless innings, allowing four hits in a 3-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

This will be his first time facing the Pirates.

Blisters on Hill's middle pitching finger have kept him on the disabled list and unable to make his Dodgers' debut since being acquired from the Oakland Athletics before the trading deadline. He hasn't pitched since July 17 when he was with the A's.

"I think that if we weren't winning baseball games (our frustration with Hill's situation) might be a little more enhanced," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told the Orange County Register.

Roberts isn't sure when Hill will pitch.

"Rich is doing everything he can,' Roberts said. " There's only so much you can do. It's the hand he's dealt and we're dealing with it."

Pittsburgh's Ivan Nova (8-6, 4.83 ERA) opposes Stripling. Nova struck out five, walked none and allowed three runs on six hits in seven innings in his Pirates' debut, a 5-3 decision over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday. The Pirates obtained Nova from the New York Yankees on Aug.1 in a non-waiver transaction.

Nova has never faced the Dodgers.

The Pirates (57-55) defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 on Thursday behind eight scoreless innings by rookie Jameson Taillon. It was Pittsburgh's fourth win in six games, taking two of three from the Padres.

Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli sat out the contest after aggravating his surgically repaired left wrist injury Wednesday on a swing. Cervelli's availability for the Dodgers' series is unclear.

"It's just the same thing. Sometimes with swings like that, I feel a lot of pain," Cervelli told MLB.com. "It's normal because I had surgery. ... I've been working hard to come back and put in 100 percent, and it just got numb."

Los Angeles (64-50), which was off Thursday, took two of three from the Philadelphia Phillies but fell in the series finale 6-2 on Wednesday, dropping them out of first-place tie with the San Francisco Giants in the National League West.

"We're aware of it but you don't think about it," Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen said of the race with the Giants. "We're just at the beginning of August. You start to pay attention more in the second week or the third week of September. But we all know it's going to be a battle all the way to the end."

Los Angeles got a scare in the Phillies' loss when Corey Seager went down after being hit by a pitch on his right wrist. X-rays were negative and it appears the All-Star rookie shortstop will be ready for the Pittsburgh series.

"Corey's fine, it's just a little bruise. That's as quick as I've come out of the dugout in a long time," Roberts joked.

The Pirates captured three of four from the Dodgers in June at Pittsburgh and are 13-4 versus Los Angeles since the start of 2014.
 
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Preview: Orioles (64-50) at Giants (65-49)

Game: 1
Venue: AT&T Park
Date: August 12, 2016 10:15 PM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO -- Two hot pitchers at opposite ends of their career arcs hook up Friday night when the Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants open a three-game interleague series.

Orioles rookie Dylan Bundy and Giants veteran Matt Cain draw the pitching assignments in the first meeting of the American League East and National League West clubs since 2013.

Cain was the starting pitcher the last time the teams dueled, on Aug. 11, 2013. He took the loss in a 10-2 Giants defeat at AT&T Park, allowing three runs in seven innings.

The Orioles won two of three in that series, after the Giants took two of three in their previous meeting, also in San Francisco, in 2010.

The clubs have not met in Baltimore since 2004.

Bundy, the Orioles' first-round pick in 2011, has made only five career starts. The last four have been impressive, as the right-hander has allowed only five runs in 23 2/3 innings over that stretch.

Bundy is 2-0 in August, having surrendered only five hits and two runs in 13 innings.

He lost his only previous interleague start despite allowing only two hits to the Colorado Rockies in 5 2/3 innings. Both hits were home runs, a solo homer by David Dahl and a two-run shot by Nick Hundley, leading to a 3-1 Rockies win.

Bundy has struck out at least seven in each of his last three starts.

"I try to look at: Did I give the team a chance to win? If I did, I'm happy with it," Bundy said recently of his approach to being a starting pitcher. "If I didn't, I'm not happy with it. That's about as simple as I can keep it. That's your goal as a starter -- just going out there every fifth day and giving your team a chance to win."

Cain, in his last two starts, has demonstrated he can handle the Orioles' regional neighbor, the Washington Nationals.

He threw five no-hit innings against the Nationals in a 3-1 home win on July 31, then allowed five hits in five more shutout innings in a rematch last Saturday, a game the Giants won 7-1.

The 10 consecutive scoreless innings have lowered Cain's ERA from 5.95 to 5.16.

If Cain has struggled in any area of late, it's been in control. He walked a total of seven in the two Washington games.

The first win over the Nationals was the 100th of Cain's Giants career. Ninety-three of those wins came in his first nine years with the team.

"That hit me after the game was over," the 12th-year Giant said of his milestone shortly after the win. "I didn't think it was going to be that big of a deal, but for it to take three years, it feels good. It definitely feels good."

The series continues a rugged stretch in the Giants' schedule, which features 19 consecutive games against playoff contenders. The homestand that opens Friday continues next week with three games against Pittsburgh and four against the New York Mets.

The Giants are coming off a 3-3 trip to Washington and Miami.

While the Giants were flying cross-country to start the series, the Orioles didn't travel at all. They didn't even have to change hotels after finishing off a four-game series in Oakland with a 9-6 win on Thursday.

The Orioles' upcoming schedule is no slouch, either. After facing the Giants, they head back to Camden Yards for an eight-game homestand against Boston, Houston and Washington.
 
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Friday's Diamond Notes
By Tony Mejia

Hottest team: Cubs (10-0 last 10, 13-1 last 14)
The Cubs dodged a major bullet against the Cardinals in the first of their four-game set last night. Carlos Martinez was one strike away from getting out of a three-run sixth, while Matt Carpenter was one bases-loaded hit away from making matters look bleak in the 11th. Chicago got what it needed all night and is leading a charmed life as it looks for an 11th consecutive win. Rival St. Louis had to put Matt Adams on the disabled list entering this series and then lost Matt Holliday to a broken hand when he was hit by a pitch in the 10th. Aledmys Diaz is also still out, so the Cubs are definitely facing a depleted rival in Friday's matinee, but -180 sure is steep, even with Jake Arrieta (13-5, 2.59) on the mound. Adam Wainwright (9-6, 4.34), has already pitched in two wins against the Cubs this season, so the Cardinals (+160) may be enticing despite their wounded state. Chicago closer Aroldis Chapman has pitched the last two nights and hasn’t pitched in three straight since June 4-6, the only time the Yankees did that with him this season. Key setup man Pedro Strop also went on the DL Thursday after suffering a knee injury, so Joe Maddon may have to be creative with his bullpen if Jake Arrieta can’t duplicate his last effort, where he worked eight shutout innings at Oakland. Wainwright comes off one of his worst performances of the season, losing 6-3 to Atlanta.

Coldest team: Angels (0-7 last seven)
The Angels aren’t having any fun on this road trip. After being swept out of town by the Mariners and Cubs, they hit Cleveland on Thursday and found starter Jhoulys Chacin had absolutely nothing to offer. In a rain-filled 14-4 loss, Chacin lasted 1.1 innings, allowing seven runs, while middle reliever Brett Oberholtzer was later touched up for six runs in 1.2. The Indians banged out 14 hits. On the bright side, Mike Trout did hit his 22nd homer and the Angels showed no quit by stringing together some hits in the ninth, but they’ll be an underdog (+135) against the Tribe (-145) again. The number isn’t as significant as one would think, likely because lefty starter Tyler Skaggs (1-0, 2.04) might be their best chance at finally tasting a road victory on this trip. Cleveland’s Carlos Carrasco (7-6, 3.17) has lost his last three decisions, seeing his ERA balloon from 2.31 in that span.

Hottest pitcher: Stephen Strasburg (15-2, 2.80 ERA)
This designation is out of respect for what he’s done all season. After all, the NL’s wins leader isn’t exactly riding a wave of positive momentum. He’s 2-2 over his last four starts and comes off his shortest outing of the season, failing to get out of the fifth in giving up four runs on eight hits against the Giants. Strasburg remains the leader in the clubhouse for the NL Cy Young, so it’s no surprise the Nationals are the heaviest favorite (-260) on Friday’s card against Atlanta, who he beat for his first victory of 2016. Mike Foltynewicz (5-5, 4.37) defeated St. Louis’ Wainwright in his last start, helping the Braves cash as +190 dogs, so you know they’ll get some love with books offering +230 here. Foltynewicz allowed one run on six hits against the Cards and may not have to face Bryce Harper, who has missed the last three games with a stiff neck and remains questionable.

Coldest pitcher: Anibal Sanchez (6-11, 5.88 ERA)
We’re taking the body of work into account here too, since Sanchez has actually been terrific in August, surrendering a single run in each of his two starts. He beat the White Sox and Mets at home, so the degree of difficulty increases significantly here since he’ll be facing a loaded Rangers lineup that has averaged six runs over the last five games. Sanchez has a 7.38 road ERA and has won just two of eight decisions outside of Comerica Park, with the only win that came in a start coming way back on April 6. If you believe that the 2.70 ERA and 17 strikeouts over his last three starts is Sanchez turning the corner, the +180 the Tigers are getting at most books against Texas (-200). Yu Darvish is a perfect 5-0 with a 3.60 ERA against the Tigers, though he hasn’t seen them in more than two years. Despite no wins since coming off the DL, Darvish has pitched very well. The Rangers have the third-best home mark (35-18) in baseball behind Chicago (40-17) and Baltimore (39-17).

Biggest UNDER run: Orioles (8-3, last 11, 24-5 last 29)
After managing just three runs over the first three losses in its series at Oakland and going scoreless over the first three frames on Thursday, Baltimore put together a pair of big innings and held on for a 9-6 win. Mark Trumbo’s grand slam, his league-leading 32nd homer of the season, provides hope that the O’s can snap out of their funk that has led to so many low-scoring games over the last month, a stretch that dates to the weekend before the All-Star break. The Birds are getting great pitching, but have collectively slumped outside of the long ball, an issue that could be exacerbated by this trip to San Francisco, where Madison Bumgarner looms Saturday and Johnny Cueto goes Sunday. While those guys have been slumping themselves, you can understand that the best chance Baltimore (-122) will have to win from an odds perspective will be tonight’s game, which matches talented 23-year-old Dylan Bundy (5-3, 3.05) and veteran Matt Cain (4-6, 5.16). Bundy has surrendered three earned runs or less in each of his last four starts, which is more significant since he’s only made five. Meanwhile, Cain has pitched 10 shutout innings over his last two starts, both wins. The under is 18-7-1 in Giants games over the last 26. The total opened at 8 here, but has slipped to 7.5 at most shops.

Biggest OVER run: Phillies (6-0 last six, 8-1 last nine)
The Phillies have put together some of the season’s most heinous offensive numbers and didn’t help post more than two consecutive ‘overs’ until early June. At that point, they did have a 22-10 over run, taking advantage of the low bar often set by their low-scoring start, but they’ve taken things to another level of late. Only one under has come in during a Phils game this entire month, so it will be fun to see if the bats keep producing in spite of their pitching continuing to fade as the Rockies come to town. Colorado scored 12 runs in Arlington on Thursday and will have ace Jon Gray (8-5, 4.26) on the mound, while Philadelphia counters with rookie Jake Thompson (0-1, 12.46), who was blown up by the Padres in his ML debut, suffering a 9-7 loss in San Diego last Saturday. The total has been set at 8.5.

Matchup to watch: Rays at Yankees
Alex Rodriguez’s final game (with the Yankees) is drawing major attention and will certainly create an event atmosphere at Yankee Stadium. Ironically, dealing star relievers Chapman and Andrew Miller has done little to derail New York’s shot at the second AL Wild Card. After consecutive wins at Boston, they’ll open play just 3.5 games behind the Red Sox in that race, which means Joe Girardi is doing the right thing in “playing to win” and limiting A-Rod to DH duties as opposed to letting him finish out on the field. Whether Rodriguez catches on elsewhere remains to be seen, but the fact the Bronx should be rocking makes it surprising to see bookmakers dismiss any potential homefield advantage, installing Tampa Bay (-125) as a road favorite behind MLB loss leader Chris Archer (6-15, 4.26). Archer does have a great history against New York and CC Sabathia (6-9, 4.18) has largely struggled over the last few months, but it’s still a surprise to see the Yanks (+110) as a ‘dog here. Then again, it’s unlikely closer Dellin Betances would be available since he’s worked the last two nights and hasn’t pitched three straight since May 4-6.

Betcha didn’t know: Seattle's Angel Miranda will pitch in his first big-league ballpark not named Safeco Field. That might not sound like much since he's a rookie, but because the 27-year-old Cuban defector has quite the story, it makes his taking the mound in Oakland quite interesting. Miranda was considered one of the top pitchers in his native land and has a similar story of coming over as many Cubans who seeked out a better life, getting caught trying to escape multiple times before finally making it to Haiti to establish residency. The Orioles signed him in 2015, developed him for over a year and unleashed him in Seattle for his major league debut back on July 3. Despite the Mariners touching him up for three runs on four hits in two innings, their front office liked what they saw so much that they traded fellow southpaw Wade Miley for him. Since it sent down slumping former star prospect Taijuan Walker, Seattle is clearly counting on Miranda to emerge as a factor at the back end of their rotation down the stretch. It will be interesting to see how he fares, but he was strong in his first start, pitching six innings of two-run ball against Boston's big bats. Miranda picked up a no-decision in a 3-2 loss, but got his first MLB win this past Tuesday despite coming out of the bullpen against Detroit to give up a homer in the top of the 15th when the Mariners bailed him out by beating K-Rod. The books have a Mariners squad that has won an AL-best six straight games listed as an underdog (+115) at the A's (-130), who just won three of four against, but of course, Baltimore. Sean Manaea will pitch for Oakland.

Biggest public favorite: Rockies (-140) at Phillies

Biggest public underdog: Pirates (+150) at Dodgers

Biggest line move: Rangers (-170 to -200) vs. Tigers
 
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Five to Follow MLB Betting: Friday, August 12, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews

Unfortunately, I never got to see Barry Bonds in person, so the greatest player I ever did see with my own eyes was certainly Alex Rodriguez. I not only saw him once with the Rangers and a couple of times with the Yankees but also one game in 1994 when he was playing for the Class A Appleton Foxes of the Midwest League. I'm no scout, but it was obvious this guy had superstar potential, and Rodriguez surpassed even the biggest of expectations as the No. 1 overall pick out of a Miami high school in the 1993 draft by Seattle. The Yankees return home on Friday, and it will be Rodriguez's final big-league game as he will retire and become the highest-paid special advisor in sports history. Barring an epic final game, Rodriguez will fall just short of becoming the fourth member of the 700-homer club. He also will fall short of the most homers by a shortstop, which is 345 by Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. Needless to say, if Rodriguez (who has 344 dingers playing short) didn't move to third base following his trade to the Yankees, he would have shattered Ripken's mark. Like Bonds, I doubt we see Rodriguez in Cooperstown in my lifetime as Rodriguez was caught twice cheating with performance-enhancing drugs.


Cardinals at Cubs (-182, TBA)

The lone matinee of Friday with a 2;20 p.m. ET start from Wrigley in Game 2 of this series. The game should have live betting available with it on the MLB Network. The Cardinals go with Adam Wainwright (9-6, 4.34). He had been pitching much better of late, but that all came apart Sunday against Atlanta when he allowed six runs -- three in the first and second -- and nine hits in six innings in a loss. It was his first personal defeat since June 27. Wainwright is 1-0 with a 4.26 ERA in two starts this year against the Cubs. Anthony Rizzo is 11-for-35 career off him with a homer. Fellow NL MVP candidate Kris Bryant is 0-for-6. The Cubs' Jake Arrieta (13-5, 2.59) still has a chance to repeat as the NL Cy Young winner and might if he keeps pitching like he did Saturday in shutting out Oakland on three hits over eight innings. It was his first win since June 27. Arrieta is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in two starts this year vs. the Cards. He befuddles both Matt Carpenter (0-for-18) and Matt Holliday (1-for-18).

Key trends: The Cubs are 4-1 in Arrieta's past five at home vs. the Cardinals. St. Louis is 13-3 in Wainwright's past 16 at Chicago. The "over/under" has gone under in four of his past six vs. the Cubs.

Early lean: Cubs.

Rays at Yankees (+101, 8.5)

As I expected, this has been picked up for national TV and will be shown on Fox -- A-Rod joined Fox as an in-studio analyst in last year's playoffs and was actually quite good at it. I'm pretty sure the network will look to him again in the 2016 postseason. I'm really curious where Joe Girardi will play A-Rod. I would think he would want to play the field one last time unless he's worried about embarrassing himself without much practice in the field this year. It would be great to see Rodriguez at shortstop, but that's unlikely. He probably will just DH. A-Rod will be facing Rays ace Chris Archer (6-15, 4.26). He beat the Twins last time out, allowing one run and three hits over six innings in his best start in weeks. Archer lost his lone start vs. the Yankees this year, allowing four runs (one earned) over eight innings on May 27 in St. Petersburg. Rodriguez is 2-for-15 career off him with two homers -- Sportsbooks are offering some props for his final game, so check them out. Jacoby Ellsbury destroys Archer, hitting .643 in 28 at-bats. The Yankees go with lefty CC Sabathia (6-9, 4.18). He lost to Cleveland on Saturday, allowing three runs over 5.2 innings. Sabathia took a no-decision in his lone start vs. Tampa this year, allowing three runs in 4.2 innings. Evan Longoria is a career .388 hitter off him with six homers in 67 at-bats. The Rays are expected to activate infielder Matt Duffy, who was acquired in the Matt Moore trade, from the DL for this game.

Key trends: The Rays are 0-4 in Archer's past four vs. the Yankees. New York is 4-1 in Sabathia's past five vs. Tampa. The under is 8-2 in Archer's past 10 during Game 1 of a series.

Early lean: Rays and under.

Braves at Nationals (-280, 7.5)

I'd still say Washington's Stephen Strasburg is the Cy Young favorite, but his teammate Max Scherzer -- who has been the NL's best starter since the beginning of June -- is definitely closing the gap. Strasburg (15-2, 2.80) allowed four runs and eight hits in just 4.2 innings Saturday in a loss vs. San Francisco, his second start in the past four that was rather shaky. It was also the first time all year that he didn't go at least five innings. Strasburg is 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA in two starts against Atlanta this season. Freddie Freeman hits him well, going 12-for-31 with three homers and nine RBIs. The Braves' Mike Foltynewicz (5-5, 4.37) comes off one of his best starts of 2016 as he won in St. Louis, allowing one run and six hits over six innings. Foltynewicz hasn't faced the Nationals in his career. Monitor the status of Bryce Harper as he hasn't played this week as of this writing with a neck problem.

Key trends: The Braves are 2-6 in their past eight series openers. The Nats are 6-0 in Strasburg's past six in Game 1 of a series. The under is 4-1 in his past five vs. Atlanta.

Early lean: Nationals and under.

Pirates at Dodgers (-158, 8)

Do the Dodgers regret that trade with Oakland for Josh Reddick and Rich Hill at the deadline yet? Reddick hasn't hit at all, and Hill was supposed to finally make his L.A. debut in this game but won't. Hill was unable to throw a scheduled bullpen session Tuesday due to lingering issues with a severe blister on his left hand. The guy hasn't pitched since July 17. I mean, a blister? I'm no doctor, but those shouldn't take a month to heal. So Ross Stripling (3-3, 3.79) will get the call here. He threw five shutout innings Saturday against the Red Sox. He was only called up because of an injury to fellow pitcher Bud Norris. Stripling has never faced the Pirates. Pittsburgh goes with a guy it got at the trade deadline who is actually healthy in former Yankee Ivan Nova (8-6, 4.83). He won his Pirates debut on Saturday against Cincinnati, allowing three runs and six hits over seven innings. Nova hasn't faced the Dodgers this year. Reddick is 5-for-13 career off him with two solo homers.

Key trends: The Dodgers are 4-1 in their past five after an off day. The over is 8-3 in L.A.'s past 11 vs. teams with a winning record. The Bucs are 10-2 in the past 12 meetings.

Early lean: Pirates and over.

Orioles at Giants (-105, 8)

After dealing with several injuries in the minors, it finally looks like former highly-touted prospect Dylan Bundy has arrived with the Baltimore Orioles. The 23-year-old is living up to expectations after being moved into the rotation full time. He made his fifth big-league start Sunday at the White Sox, and it was another good one as Bundy allowed two runs and four hits with nine strikeouts in six innings. He has 29 strikeouts against just three walks in his past four starts and is 3-1 in them. This will be his first career start vs. the Giants and also his first chance to hit in a regular-season game as the Orioles lose the DH for this interleague matchup. San Francisco's Matt Cain (4-6, 5.16) threw five shutout innings last time out for the second straight start. Both were against Washington. Cain has faced Baltimore once in his career, and that was back in 2013. J.J. Hardy is 5-for-17 career off him with two homers. Mark Trumbo is 1-for-5 with a solo shot.

Key trends: The Orioles are 6-18 in Cain's past 24 in Game 1 of a series. The under is 4-1 in Bundy's past five. It is 6-2 in Cain's past eight on Friday.

Early lean: Orioles and under.
 
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'Jays-Stros Series'

Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays - series Aug 12-14

Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros meet in a three-game series at Rogers Center this weekend. The clubs squared off earlier this month in Houston with Toronto winning three of four moving Jays record to 6-1 last seven meetings. Jays have won 8-of-10 encounters in front of its home audience since Astros joined the A.L. back in 2013.

Francisco Liriano makes his second start with the Blue Jays in the opener against the Astros. Liriano went six innings and allowed three earned runs in a no-decision against the Royals his first start. Liriano trades pitches with Joe Musgrove making his second Major League start. In his debut the righthander recorded a no-decision tossing 7 strong innings of 5 hit, 1-run ball in Stros 5-3 loss vs. Rangers.

Saturday, Jay's have Aaron Sanchez toeing the rubber. The righthander looks to rebound from just his second loss of the campaign after allowing four runs over 6 innings in his effort against Royals. Jays won Sanchez's only career start vs Houston back in 2015. Astros counter with Collin McHugh saddle with a three game slide allowing 14 earned over 14 2/3 innings of work. Stros have lost each of McHugh's last two starts vs Toronto.

In Sunday's finale it's Marcus Stroman for the home side with Mike Fiers getting tasked with Stros starting duties. Stroman struggled last time out taking a loss in allowing seven hits, 3 runs while lasting just five innings. Prior to that, Stroman tossed 7 innings of 3 hit, 1-run ball, strikingout 13, walking 2 batters in a no-decision against these same Astros. Fiers overcame a shaky outing last time to earn the win, allowing four runs on five hits, 3 long-ball in five innings of work. Previous to that, Fiers took the loss in a start vs Jays spinning 6 innings of 2 run-ball.
 
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MLB

Friday’s games

National League

Cardinals @ Cubs
Wainwright is 0-1, 5.32 in his last four starts (over 4-0). St Louis is 6-2 in his last eight road starts.

Arrieta is 1-1, 2.25 in his last four starts (under 3-1). Cubs lost five of his last six at home.

Cardinals lost eight of last 12 games; over is 8-4-2 in their last 13 games. Chicago won its last ten games; seven of their last nine stayed under.

Braves @ Nationals
Foltynewicz is 2-2, 6.45 in his last four starts; his last three went over. Braves are 4-4 in his road starts.

Strasburg is 2-1, 2.55 in his last three starts; over is 14-3-2 in his last 19 starts. Washington lost his last two home starts, after winning his first ten.

Braves won six of last nine road games; they’re 7-6 in last 13 road series openers. Three of last four Atlanta games stayed under. Washington won six of last eight games; they’re 11-7 in home series openers. Under is 5-2-1 in their last eight home games.

Rockies @ Phillies
Gray is 1-1, 1.80 in his last three road starts; six of his last seven starts stayed under. Rockies are 3-7 in his road starts.

Thompson allowed six runs in 4.2 IP (83 PT) in his MLB debut.

Colorado lost six of last eight games; they’re 4-8 in last 12 road series openers. Over is 3-1-1 in their last five road games. Phillies are 3-5 in last eight home games, 5-12 in home series openers. Over is 7-1-1 in their last nine games.

Padres @ Mets
Clemens is 0-2, 5.52 in three starts for San Diego (under 2-1).

Verrett is 0-5, 6.95 in his last nine starts; his last three went over. Mets lost his last three home starts.

San Diego lost 12 of last 16 road games; they’re 11-7 in road series openers. Five of Padres’ last seven games went over. Mets are 4-11 in last 15 games; they lost last four home series openers. Six of last seven games at Citi Field went over.

Reds @ Brewers
Bailey is 1-1, 7.27 in two starts this year (under 2-0).

Nelson is 0-4, 12.50 in his last four starts; under is 5-3 in his last eight. Milwaukee is 2-5 in his last seven home starts.

Reds are 4-7 in last 11 road games, but 9-1 overall in game following their last ten losses. Cincy is 6-13 in road series openers. Milwaukee is 8-3 in last 11 home games, 9-10 in home series openers. Six of last seven games at Miller Park stayed under.

Pirates @ Dodgers
Nova is 2-1, 3.70 in his last four starts (under 4-0).

Stripling is 3-1, 4.35 in his last four starts (under 6-2-1). Dodgers are 3-2 in his home starts.

Pittsburgh lost eight of last ten road games; they’re 11-8 in road series openers. Under is 8-4 in their last 12 games. Dodgers won four of last five games, are 10-9 in home series openers. Over is 5-1-1 in last seven Dodger home games.


American League

Rays @ New York
Archer is 2-2, 3.08 in his last four starts; under is 7-4 in his last 11. Rays are 4-8 in his road starts.

Sabathia is 1-3, 5.70 in his last five starts; over is 5-3-1 in his last nine. Bronx lost his last four home starts.

Rays are 2-6 in last eight road games (under 6-2), 6-12 in road series openers. New York won three of last four games, won their last four home series openers. Five of last seven New York games stayed under the total.

Astros @ Blue Jays
Musgrove allowed one run in seven IP (99 PT) in his first MLB start.

Liriano is 2-2, 7.29 in his last four starts; four of his last five stayed under.

Astros won last three games; they scored 25 runs in DH sweep yesterday. Houston is 7-11 in road series openers. Over is 5-2 in Astros’ last seven road games. Toronto is 7-3 in last ten home games, 5-1 in last six home series openers. Over is 6-1-1 in last eight games at Sky Dome.

Angels @ Indians
Skaggs is 1-0, 2.04 in three starts this year (over 2-1).

Carrasco is 0-3, 7.56 in his last three starts; under is 8-4 in his last 12. Indians lost his last three home starts.

Angels lost 12 of last 14 road games; three of their last four games stayed under. Cleveland is 5-3 in its last eight home games; their last five home games went over total.

Royals @ Twins
Ventura is 1-1, 2.75 in his last three starts; five of his last six stayed under. Royals are 2-6 in his last eight road starts.

Gibson is 2-0, 4.18 in his last four starts; under is 5-3 in his home starts. Minnesota won three of his last home starts.

Royals won four of last five games, are 5-13 in road series openers. Under is 7-2 in Royals’ last nine road games. Minnesota lost its last three games, is 8-11 in home series openers. Five of Twins’ last six home games went over.

Tigers @ Rangers
Sanchez is 1-0, 2.70 in his last three starts; under is 4-1-1 in his last six. Detroit lost his last seven road starts.

Darvish is 0-3, 3.03 in his last five starts (under 5-2-1). Texas is 3-1 in his starts if they give him more than one run.

Tigers lost their last four games, are 7-12 in road series openers. Three of last four Detroit games stayed under. Texas won five of last six home games, is 11-6 in home series openers. Under is 9-1-2 in last dozen Ranger games.

Mariners @ A’s
Miranda allowed two runs in six IP (80 PT) in his first MLB start.

Manaea is 0-2, 5.40 in his last two starts; under is 8-4-1 in his last 13. Oakland won four of his last five home starts.

Mariners won their last six games; they’re 3-7 in last ten road series openers. Over is 5-2 in Seattle’s last seven road games. Oakland won three of last four games, is 10-6 in last 16 home series openers. Five of last six Oakland games stayed under.


Interleague

White Sox @ Marlins
Rodon is 0-2, 6.75 in his last three starts; three of his last four went over. White Sox lost his last six road starts.

Cashner is 0-1, 7.36 in two starts for Miami (over 2-0).

White Sox are 4-13 in last 17 road games, 2-10 in last 12 road series openers. Over is 7-4 in their last 11 games. Miami lost six of last nine games and last four home series openers. Six of Marlins’ last eight home games went over.

Diamondbacks @ Red Sox
Corbin is 0-5, 9.71 in his last six starts; his last eight starts went over. Arizona is 6-5 when he starts on the road.

Price is 0-2, 5.17 in his last five starts; three of his last four went over. Boston is 6-5 in his home starts.

Diamondbacks won their last four games, are 4-7 in last 11 road series openers. Five of their last seven road games went over. Boston lost seven of last nine home games; they’re 6-1 in last seven home series openers. Under is 11-4 in their last fifteen games.

Orioles @ Giants
Bundy is 3-1, 2.28 in his last four starts (under 4-1).

Cain is 3-0, 2.35 in his last three starts; over is 3-1-1 in his last five. Giants are 4-4 in his home starts.

Orioles lost four of last six games, are 9-10 in road series openers- they didn’t travel, having played in Oakland during week. Under is 12-5-1 in their last 18 road games. Giants are 1-7 in game following their last eight wins; they’re 8-9 in home series openers. Under is 5-1-1 in their last seven games.


Teams’ record when this pitcher starts:

StL-Chi– Wainwright 15-8; Arrieta 14-8
Atl-Wsh– Foltynewicz 6-8; Strasburg 18-3
Col-Phil– Gray 9-11; Thompson 0-1
SD-NY– Clemens 1-2/1-1; Verrett 3-8
Cin-Mil– Bailey 1-1; Nelson 9-14
Pitt-LA– Nova 1-0/7-8; Stripling 5-4

TB-NY– Archer 7-17; Sabathia 10-10
Hst-Tor– Musgrove 0-1; Liriano 1-0/9-12
LA-Cle– Skaggs 1-2; Carrasco 11-6
Det-Tex– Sanchez 4-13; Darvish 3-5
KC-Min– Ventura 11-11; Gibson 8-7 (4-0 last 4)
Sea-A’s– Miranda 0-1; Manaea 7-9

CWS-Mia– Rodon 6-12; Cashner 1-1/7-9
Az-Bos– Corbin 7-16 (0-6 last 6); Price 11-13 (1-7 last 8)
Balt-SF– Bundy 3-2; Cain 7-8 (6-2 last 8)


# of time pitcher allows 1+ runs in first inning:

StL-Chi– Wainwright 8-23; Arrieta 3-22
Atl-Wsh– Foltynewicz 3-14; Strasburg 6-21
Col-Phil– Gray 7-20; Thompson 1-1
SD-NY– Clemens 0-5; Verrett 2-11
Cin-Mil– Bailey 2-2; Nelson 6-23
Pitt-LA– Nova 4-16; Stripling 2-9

TB-NY– Archer 10-24; Sabathia 4-20
Hst-Tor– Musgrove 0-1; Liriano 6-22
LA-Cle– Skaggs 1-3; Carrasco 4-17
Det-Tex– Sanchez 6-17; Darvish 3-8
KC-Min– Ventura 5-22; Gibson 8-15
Sea-A’s– Miranda 0-1; Manaea 1-16

CWS-Mia– Rodon 6-18; Cashner 6-17
Az-Bos– Corbin 11-23; Price 8-24
Balt-SF– Bundy 1-5; Cain 2-15


Teams’ records in first five innings:

Team (road-home-total)- thru 8/11

Arizona 22-25-9……21-32-5…….43-57
Atlanta 22-28-8……18-26-12…..40-54
Cubs 30-18-8……33-17-8……..63-35
Reds 15-36-7……24-27-4……39-63
Colo 23-24-11…..22-30-4……45-54
LA 23-23-9……35-18-7…….58-41
Miami 24-23-9…..27-17-13……51-40
Milw 18-30-7……32-19-7……50-49
Mets 23-37-7……25-23-9……48-50
Philly 20-27-15…..19-25-10….39-50
Pitt 14-32-9……36-18-4……50-49
St. Louis 27-23-4……24-25-12….51-48
SD 18-35-4……26-27-4……44-62
SF 27-28-7……28-14-10…..55-42
Wash 29-15-13……23-17-16…..52-32

Orioles 22-30-7…….30-19-8…….52-49
Boston 18-25-8…….36-17-8……54-42
White Sox 26-24-8……30-25-2……56-49
Cleveland 34-21-6……24-21-5…….57-42
Detroit 23-28-8……28-21-3…….51-49
Astros 19-26-11…..29-23-6……48-49
KC 20-30-8……23-23-11…..,43-53
Angels 21-31-7……21-25-10…….42-56
Twins 22-30-8……19-30-11……41-60
NYY 18-32-8……25-26-8…….43-58
A’s 18-30-8……22-27-11……40-57
Seattle 24-23-8……25-20-12……49-43
Tampa Bay 20-24-9…….25-26-9……45-50
Texas 23-32-8…….25-18-9…….48-50
Toronto 34-17-4……..34-22-4…….68-39
 
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Friday’s 6-pack

Week 8 CFL knowledge is on the NHL page. Saratoga horse racing analysis is on the college football page.

— Hard to believe NFL teams used to play six exhibition games every year- four is too many.

— A’s used 8 different starting pitchers in their last eight games, first time they’ve done that since 1961.

— Alex Rodriguez wanted to play 3B in his last game tonight…..denied!!!!

— Only 4 of Patriots’ 14 coaches played I-A (bigtime) college football.

— Noah Syndergaard has given up 36 stolen bases this year, most in NL; next highest total is 20.

— Preseason football scores mean very little; the ’08 Lions went 4-0 in the preseason, then went 0-16 in the regular season.
 

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