Friday 9/18/15 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Angels (74-72) at Twins (75-71)

Game: 2
Venue: Target Field
Date: September 18, 2015 8:10 PM EDT

The Los Angeles Angels are in a stretch of 10 of 13 games against the two teams they're chasing for the AL's second wild card.

They're making good use of the head-to-heads so far.

A fourth win in five such games could come Friday night in Minnesota, while the Twins will try to stop squandering their chances to catch Houston.

The Angels (74-72) opened the series with Thursday's 11-8 victory, winning their fifth in a row at Target Field and moving to 10-1 against the Twins since the start of 2014.

The win also pulled them within a game of Minnesota (75-71) and 2 1/2 of the Astros, who lost their fourth straight. Los Angeles beat Houston in two of three last weekend and heads to Minute Maid Park for three beginning Monday.

Los Angeles, which is 20-32 with an MLB-low .230 average since July 23, got the kind of offensive night its been starved of for much of the second half.

Mike Trout was 2 for 3 with a grand slam and solo home run, giving him four in five games and a career-high 38. He's one shy of Reggie Jackson (1982) and Vladimir Guerrero (2004) for third on the franchise's single-season list. Troy Glaus, who hit 47 in 2000 and 41 the next year, is the only Angel to reach 40.

"It's September. We got to go now," Trout said. "It's time to go. We've got like (16) games left and every one of them is going to be big. We've got to win them all."

Minnesota has dropped three in a row despite Torii Hunter's continued production. The 40-year-old is batting .405 with 10 RBIs in his last nine games.

"I don't care who you're with, it's no fun to see Trout get five RBIs and two home runs and that offense just took off like that," said Hunter, who homered for the second time in four games. "It's no fun to be on that side."

Trout's been far less to blame for the offensive struggles than Albert Pujols, who was 0 for 4 Thursday for a third straight game and has hit .152 in his last 18. Among active ballparks, Target Field is the only one where he hasn't hit multiple home runs, and his .594 OPS there is his lowest among the 38 venues he's played in.

Neither big bat has done much against Mike Pelfrey, who's been struggling after a lengthy honeymoon in his return from missing nearly all of 2014.

Pelfrey (6-9, 4.09 ERA) is 1-7 with a 5.51 ERA in his last 16 starts after going 5-2 with a 2.28 ERA in his first 11. Since his last win Aug. 12, he's 0-2 with a 6.26 mark in five. After consecutive losses, the right-hander kept the team in a 3-2 win at Kansas City on Sept. 9 by limiting the Royals to a run and five hits over 5 1-3 innings.

During a 5-2 road loss July 22, Pelfrey gave up four runs - two earned - and nine hits to fall to 3-2 with a 3.94 ERA in five starts against the Angels. Chris Iannetta homered and is 6 for 13 against the 31-year-old, but Trout is 1 for 7 and Pujols 4 for 17.

The Angels counter with Andrew Heaney, who's now passed Hector Santiago for the top ERA in the rotation.

Heaney (6-3, 3.32) did his part in Sunday's 5-3 home loss to Houston, allowing six hits and keeping the Astros scoreless through five innings, though it was the second straight start in which he stuck the bullpen with four innings of work.

The left-hander has been at his best on the road with a 3-1 record and 2.11 ERA in six starts as opposed to 3-2 with a 4.24 mark at home.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Athletics (63-84) at Astros (77-70)

Game: 1
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Date: September 18, 2015 8:10 PM EDT

A bitter sweep at the hands of the AL West-leading Texas Rangers put the Houston Astros' division chances at risk while also moving their wild-card advantage into the red category.

The Astros hope to reverse their luck against the league's worst team and strengthen their postseason spot when they open a series against the visiting Oakland Athletics on Friday night.

Houston (77-70) lost eight times on a 10-game road trip, the last four against Texas to swap their 1 1/2-game division lead with a 2 1/2-game deficit. The Astros sat atop the West for 49 consecutive days but are now positioned 1 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota for the second wild card.

'It's difficult to absorb these losses when we've put so much time and energy in,' manager A.J. Hinch said. 'Obviously, we feel pretty bad about the way these four games went.'

The perfect rebound would typically come against the last-place Athletics (63-84), but the A's have won five of their last six against Houston.

Oakland has lost 10 of 15 in September but was responsible for Mike Fiers' only loss since coming to the Astros in a trade from Milwaukee on July 30.

Fiers (2-1, 3.07 ERA) held Oakland to one run in 6 2-3 innings but didn't factor into the decision of a 5-4 loss on Aug. 9. His second career start against the A's resulted in four runs over five innings of a 10-9 loss on Sept. 7.

Both of those games came on the road, though, where Fiers is 1-1 with a 4.55 ERA in five appearances with the Astros - four starts. The right-hander hasn't allowed an earned run in two outings at Minute Maid Park, including his no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers last month.

Fiers surrendered three solo home runs in seven innings to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday while not factoring into the decision of a 5-3 win. He will welcome a return home, where the Astros are an AL-best 48-24.

Houston finishes a nine-game homestand against the Rangers from Sept. 25-27 before closing the season at Seattle and Arizona.

'There's nothing really we can do but work on it, be a little more tough-minded and get home in front of our fans and play our brand of baseball that we've been accustomed to for five-plus months,' Hinch said.

Oakland will try to win its third straight series against Houston with Felix Doubront on the mound.

Doubront (3-2, 4.99) makes his eighth appearance and sixth start since coming over from Toronto at the trade deadline. He earned a win over the Astros two starts ago, allowing four runs in six innings of a 10-9 victory.

The left-hander has an 8.27 ERA in his last three starts, bloated from the seven runs he surrendered over 4 1-3 innings in a 12-4 loss to Texas on Sunday. Doubront served up three home runs for the first time in his career, and he was charged with six of the Rangers' seven runs between the fourth and fifth innings.

'I was throwing the ball really good until those innings," said Doubront, who is 2-0 with a 4.97 ERA against Houston.

Colby Rasmus is 7 for 17 with a home run, two doubles and two triples against Doubront.

Houston's Jason Castro went 1 for 2 in Thursday's loss after missing 16 games with a right quadriceps strain. Jed Lowrie was 1 for 4 in his return after getting hit by a pitch on the left shin Monday.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Padres (69-78) at Rockies (61-85)

Game: 1
Venue: Coors Field
Date: September 18, 2015 8:40 PM EDT

The San Diego Padres' offense has been one of the worst in baseball this year - except when they play the Colorado Rockies.

San Diego hopes that trend continues against Colorado on Friday night at Coors Field.

The Padres (69-78) have hit .220 while dropping nine of 13, though they took two of three in Arizona earlier this week. They're looking to reignite their offense in their final series with the Rockies, against whom they're 11-5.

San Diego has averaged 6.1 runs with a .824 OPS in the season series compared to 3.9 and .626 in all other games. On the season, the team's .686 OPS ranks 28th.

It's not just a case of the Padres exploiting Coors Field, as they've posted a .835 OPS at Petco Park against Colorado compared to a .809 mark over their seven games in Denver.

Derek Norris, who is hitting .244 overall, is batting .421 with 11 RBIs in 15 games against the Rockies. His OPS is at just .573 over his last 17 games, with six of his 12 hits in that span coming in these teams' four-game series earlier this month.

Matt Kemp has 19 RBIs while playing in each game against Colorado, homering six times in the last nine, while four of Jedd Gyorko's 14 home runs have come in the season series.

While the Padres are almost assured to miss the postseason for a ninth straight year, Colorado (61-85) will miss out for a sixth straight season.

The Rockies are returning from a 5-5 trip in which they hit .187 with 105 strikeouts and were two-hit Wednesday in a 2-0 defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ian Kennedy (8-14, 4.28 ERA) gets the nod for San Diego, having gone 0-7 with a 1.3 run-support average in his last eight road starts. He received no support in his last outing but didn't give himself much of a chance either, surrendering seven runs over 4 2-3 innings in an 8-0 loss at San Francisco on Saturday.

Kennedy, whose two strikeouts matched a season-low, only allowed one hit through 3 2-3 innings before unraveling.

"It kind of snowballed on him," interim manager Pat Murphy told MLB's official website.

Kennedy is 6-6 with a 2.96 ERA in 21 starts against Colorado, including a 1-2 record in three matchups this year. He's struck out 40 over 30 2-3 innings in his last five meetings.

Conversely, Chad Bettis (7-5, 4.59) comes off one of his best starts of the year for the Rockies, limiting Seattle to three hits over seven innings in a 4-2 victory last Friday, his fourth outing since returning from the disabled list.

Bettis, who gave up three runs over six innings in Colorado's 5-4 loss at San Diego on July 18, is 1-2 with a 10.13 ERA in his last four home outings.

Colorado's DJ LeMahieu is hitting .400 in 25 at-bats against Kennedy, while Gonzalez is at .143 with 15 strikeouts in 35 at-bats. Gonzalez, who batted .147 on the Rockies' trip, was limited to one pinch-hit at-bat Wednesday. He left in the 16th inning of Tuesday's win after fouling a pitch off his foot.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Pirates (87-59) at Dodgers (84-61)

Game: 1
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: September 18, 2015 10:10 PM EDT

The Pittsburgh Pirates had their sights set on NL Central-leading St. Louis before the Chicago Cubs forced them to concentrate on the rear view mirror.

After dropping three of four against the Cubs this week to put their lead in the wild-card race in a precarious position, the Pirates now have to deal with a season-ending injury to Jung Ho Kang and a pair of Cy Young candidates in the first two of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

With Zack Greinke on the mound for the Dodgers in Friday night's opener, Pittsburgh begins the Herculean task of getting this make-or-break 10-game trip off to a good start.

The Pirates (87-59) sit second in baseball's toughest division, but even though St. Louis remains within striking distance, they should be more concerned with the Cubs, who pulled two back of the wild-card lead with a 9-6 victory Thursday at PNC Park.

Chicago, which owns the tiebreaker by virtue of a 10-6 record against Pittsburgh this season, rallied with a six-run fifth inning.

"We've got to play better baseball moving forward," manager Clint Hurdle said of losing the series.

Pittsburgh and Chicago are both in a safe spot to make the playoffs, but the Pirates would obviously prefer hosting the wild-card game instead of playing it at Wrigley Field, where they're 2-4 this season and close their trip with three games Sept. 25-27.

The club also took a big hit Thursday when rookie shortstop Kang was lost for the season to a torn MCL and broken left leg he suffered when Chris Coghlan slid into him trying to break up a double play. Kang was hitting .287 with 15 home runs.

"They outplayed us," second baseman Neil Walker said, "then the icing on the cake is they knocked out one of our best players."

Greinke (17-3, 1.61 ERA) and teammate Clayton Kershaw could certainly help matters for the Cubs in the first two of this series. Greinke is looking to become the first pitcher since Roger Clemens in 2005 to maintain a sub-2.00 ERA for an entire season, while Kershaw has won nine straight decisions and owns a minuscule 0.96 ERA over his last 12 outings.

Greinke hasn't faced the Pirates this year and has struggled against them, losing his previous two outings to fall to 5-3 with a 5.37 ERA over nine career starts.

Those numbers, however, appear comical compared to the season Greinke is having. After tossing eight scoreless innings in a 4-3 win over Arizona on Sunday, the right-hander also has a shot to become only the third since the mound was lowered in 1969 to post an ERA below 1.60. Greg Maddux (1.56 in '94) and Dwight Gooden (1.53 in '85) are the others.

"Maybe," Greinke said when asked if this is the best he's pitched. "I know what I'm doing more now. Maybe more mentally aware of how things work than earlier in my career."

The first-place Dodgers (84-61) hold a 7 1/2-game lead over San Francisco in the NL West after winning 17 of 22 since a five-game skid in late August.

Tasked with slowing Los Angeles will be Jeff Locke (8-10, 4.43), who has bounced back from a poor outing at Milwaukee on Sept. 2 with two decent starts. Locke allowed three runs - one earned - over five innings in a 3-1 loss to Cincinnati on Sept. 7 before tossing 6 1-3 of one-run ball in a 10-2 rout of the Brewers on Saturday.

The left-hander is 1-2 with a 3.94 ERA in three career starts against the Dodgers, but he hasn't faced them since picking up that lone win by tossing seven innings in a 3-0 home victory on June 14, 2013.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Diamondbacks (69-77) at Giants (77-69)

Game: 1
Venue: AT&T Park
Date: September 18, 2015 10:15 PM EDT

The San Francisco Giants are doing their best to make a last-second push at the playoffs despite their increasingly thin chances.

They have to like their chances to knock off the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night with Madison Bumgarner on the mound.

San Francisco (77-69) has won eight of 11 while batting .307 with 6.1 runs per game and a 2.85 ERA, but a seven-game losing streak prior to that stretch may be too difficult to recover from. The Giants are 7 1/2 games back of NL West-leading Los Angeles and eight out in the wild-card race.

Most metrics give them less than a one percent chance of reaching the postseason, meaning this would be the third straight time they've followed a World Series title by missing the playoffs the following year.

Bumgarner (18-7, 2.91 ERA) has been doing his best to keep San Francisco in the race, going 7-1 with a 1.81 ERA in his last eight starts. He owns a 12.2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in that span, nearly doubling his career-high 6.6 mark on the season.

He yielded only a two-out single in the eighth inning Saturday against San Diego, striking out nine in the 8-0 victory.

"What an incredible performance," manager Bruce Bochy told MLB's official website. "We're all a little disappointed, but yet, you witnessed just a beautiful game he threw tonight."

It was the fifth career shutout for Bumgarner, who recorded his third complete game in seven starts.

"I'm here to win games. That's it," said the left-hander, who's looking to win 19 for the first time. "All the other stuff is really cool and I'll take it. It would definitely be special, but winning is what I like most."

Bumgarner is 9-2 with a 1.85 ERA in 15 home starts, including a 1.31 mark in the last nine, and 5-2 with a 1.94 ERA in his past 13 outings against Arizona.

Though the Diamondbacks (69-77) are eight games behind San Francisco, they own a 9-7 advantage in the season series with Giants starters recording only five quality starts behind a 4.68 ERA.

Paul Goldschmidt is batting .188 in his last 10 games, though his .362 average against lefties is one of baseball's highest. David Peralta is batting .306 during a 13-game hitting streak, the longest active run in the majors.

Arizona's Rubby De La Rosa (12-8, 4.75) has set a career high in wins, though he owes a great deal of that accomplishment to his offense, which has backed him with five or more runs in eight of his victories.

The right-hander struggled mightily of late, posting an 8.50 ERA in his last four turns. He's coming off the shortest start of his career, lasting two innings and allowing six runs and nine hits - two homers - in Saturday's 9-5 loss to the Dodgers.

De La Rosa was excellent in his last start at AT&T Park, going eight innings in a 4-0 victory June 14. He came in with a 6.62 ERA in four previous appearances against San Francisco.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford is expected to return after missing seven games with tightness in his calf and left side. Crawford hit .093 in his last 11 contests, but he's 5 for 12 with two homers against De La Rosa.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

White Sox's Abreu closes in on rare feat
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

CHICAGO -- Except for games against contending teams, the Chicago White Sox will be of little interest to the baseball world during the remainder of this season.

But one thing worth keeping an eye on is Jose Abreu adding another impressive feat to his already stellar resume.

The White Sox slugger needs just one home run and seven RBIs the rest of the way to join Albert Pujols as the only players with 30 homers and 100 RBIs in their first two major league seasons.

Chicago manager Robin Ventura believes the feat would be special under any circumstances, but it's especially impressive considering the obstacles Abreu has faced this season.

"The first year, we knew it was an extraordinary year," Ventura said. "The second year, they come in -- and especially as cold as our offense was early -- you're not going to get beat by him. So people were really pitching around him, being very diligent was part of how he approached it. He was patient enough to wait through it and get to a point of where he is right now. Experience is part of it."

Abreu, who was given the day off on Thursday, has been in the lineup just about every day, but that doesn't mean he has been completely healthy.

"He went through a finger issue early," Ventura said. "I don't think he quite had the power that he's used to or accustomed to, so part of that is an adjustment of finding a way to get through that, fighting through it until you get healthy enough to take your own swing and pull the ball the right way.

"He's done a great job of fighting through that and getting to where he is now. Last year, people were talking about how he dropped off in the second half where now it's turned around. That's just experience, learning how they're pitching you, learning the league and being healthy."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Chance of thunderstorms at Wrigley Field Friday
Andrew Avery

According to weather forecasts, there is a 52 percent chance of thunderstorms in Chicago when the Cubs host the St. Louis Cardinals Friday afternoon.

Temperatures in Chicago will be in the mid-70s with wind blowing out toward right field at around five miles per hour.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Cards and Cubs have been hitting Overs in meetings
Andrew Avery

The Over has gone 5-0-1 in the past six meetings between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs and the two NL Central rivals will open a three-game set at Wrigley Field Friday afternoon.

The clubs have combined to score 59 runs in those six games to average just about 10 runs per game.

Probable pitchers toeing the rubber are Lance Lynn for the Cards and Dan Haren for the Cubs.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Kang's injury caps Pirates' rough series
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

PITTSBURGH -- For so long, the Pittsburgh Pirates seemed assured of at least hosting the National League wild-card game at PNC Park for a third consecutive year if they could not catch the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central race.

However, being at home for the winner-take-all game no longer seems like a certainty.

The Pirates' lead over the Cubs for the first NL wild card is now just two games after Chicago notched a 9-6 victory Thursday afternoon to take three games in the teams' four-game series.

The Cubs would have home-field advantage in the wild-card game if the two teams finish the regular season tied because they clinched the season series with their 10th win in 16 games against the Pirates.

The Pirates also lost rookie infielder Jung Ho Kang for the season due to a left leg injury.

He underwent surgery Thursday night to repair a broken left tibia and a lateral meniscal tear, the team announced. Kang's rehab is expected to take six to eight months.

Kang, who was playing shortstop, was hurt in the first inning and left the game after Cubs right fielder Chris Coghlan slid into him while unsuccessfully trying to break up a double play.

Kang hit .287 with 15 home runs in 126 games this year while becoming the first native South Korean position player to make the transition to the major leagues from the Korean Baseball Organization.

The Pirates then headed out on a three-city, 10-game road trip. Pittsburgh plays three against the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers beginning Friday night, then four against the Colorado Rockies before finishing with three games against the Cubs at Wrigley Field next weekend.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle preferred to look ahead to the trip rather than behind at the missed opportunity to potentially bury the Cubs.

"We played hard, we didn't play well enough and we didn't play good enough baseball, and that's the focus point," Hurdle said. "We've got to play better baseball moving forward."

Still, it was a somber day in what has been, for the most part, a special season for the Pirates. Even after the disappointing series, Pittsburgh owns the major leagues' second-best record, 87-59 (.596).

"We got beat in several aspects of the game all week," second baseman Neil Walker said. "They outplayed us, then the icing on the cake is they knocked out one of our best players."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Friday September 18, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews

The last time the New York Yankees and Mets both made the playoffs was in 2006. The team from Queens hasn't been there since. It's going to happen again this October as the Mets are closing in on clinching the National League East, and the Bombers probably will be the AL's top wild-card team but still have a shot at the AL East title. I still am not used to interleague play this late in the season, but the Yankees visit Citi Field for three games starting Friday night. The Yankees took two of three against the visiting Mets way back in late April -- these Mets are a much better team now with some key additions around the trade deadline, most notably Yoenis Cespedes. I hate New York teams, but it should be a pretty electric series. And of course they are all nationally televised.


Cardinals at Cubs (-105, TBA)

The Cubs generally play matinees at home on Friday, and that's the case here as they return home from a big series in Pittsburgh. This has a 2;20 p.m. ET start and will have live betting at sportsbooks as it will be shown on the MLB Network. Look for Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler to return to the starting lineup Friday. He was activated off the DL for Thursday's finale vs. the Pirates but didn't start. Soler had been out since Aug. 23 with an oblique injury. The Cubs have a pretty deep outfield now with his return and the trade for Austin Jackson. It's Dan Haren (9-9, 3.87) for the Cubs. He hasn't been very good with Chicago, but his best outing by far was Sept. 7 at St. Louis, shutting out the Cards over seven innings. Matt Holliday is 8-for-26 with three homers and six RBIs off him. Matt Carpenter is 0-for-11. The Cards' Lance Lynn (11-10, 3.17) was shelled opposite Haren on Sept. 7, allowing six runs over 2.1 innings. Starling Castro hits .351 off him in 37 at-bats. Anthony Rizzo has two homers and seven RBIs in 27 at-bats off Lynn.

Key trends: The Cards are 4-1 in Lynn's past five on road. The Cubs are 17-4 in their past 21 at home. The "over/under" is 3-1-1 in Lynn's past five vs. Chicago. The Cards are 2-5 in his past seven against the Cubs.

Early lean: Cardinals and over (unless wind blowing in).


Yankees at Mets (+103, 7)

Live betting at sportsbooks with game on MLB Network. One key thing to note in this series: the Yankees lose their team MVP this season in Alex Rodriguez. Manager Joe Girardi already has said that A-Rod, his designated hitter, will not be forced into playing a position in the field, which he hasn't since May. So A-Rod will only be available as a pinch-hitter. The Yanks go with Masahiro Tanaka (12-6, 3.40). He shut out the Blue Jays on four hits over seven innings last time out. He hasn't faced the Mets this year. Cespedes has seen him the most of any Met, going 3-for-10 with two RBIs. Rookie lefty Steven Matz (3-0, 1.88) makes his fifth big-league start and only second at home. He's a New York native so I'm sure this will be huge for him.

Key trends: The Yankees are 13-2 in Tanaka's past 15 vs. teams with a winning record. The Mets are 7-1 in their past eight vs. right-handers. The over is 4-0 in the Yanks' past four vs. lefties. The under is 4-1 in Tanaka's past five interleague starts.

Early lean: Mets and under.


Marlins at Nationals (-154, 6.5)

Two hugely disappointing teams, both of which will have new managers next season. And it's a spectacular pitching matchup. It's 2013 NL Rookie of the Year Jose Fernandez (5-0, 2.06) for Miami. He returned from missing a month or so on Sept. 12 and shut out these Nationals on two hits over five innings. Red-hot Bryce Harper is 2-for-8 career off him. Ian Desmond might get the night off. He's 0-for-14 with 10 strikeouts. It's 2013 AL Cy Young winner Max Scherzer (12-11, 2.91) for Washington. He had his best start in more than a month on Sept. 13 in Miami, shutting out the Fish on five hits over eight innings. Dee Gordon is a career .318 hitter off him with a homer.

Key trends: The Marlins are 13-3 in Fernandez's past 16 vs. teams with a winning record. But they are 2-8 in his past 10 on road vs. winning clubs. The Nats are 1-5 in Scherzer's past six at home. The over is 8-3 in Fernandez's past 11. The over is 3-0-1 in Scherzer's past four at home.

Early lean: Nationals and under.


Royals at Tigers (-108, 8)

Pretty important start for Kansas City's Johnny Cueto (9-12, 3.47). The right-hander is in the worst slump of his career, going 0-5 with a 9.57 ERA in his past five outings. The Royals have little chance of winning the pennant if he doesn't get turned around soon. Cueto is 1-2 with a 2.96 ERA in four starts against Detroit this season. Miguel Cabrera is 3-for-6 with a dinger off him. Victor Martinez is 0-for-16. The Tigers' Justin Verlander (3-8, 3.58) has lost back-to-back starts, both to Cleveland. He is 1-1 with a 4.61 ERA in two starts vs. Kansas City this season. Salvador Perez hits .488 off Verlander with two homers and 13 RBIs in 41 at-bats. Kendrys Morales is at .367 with two dingers and 10 RBIs in 30 at-bats.

Key trends: The Tigers are 1-8 in Verlander's past nine at home. The over is 6-0 in Cueto's past six. The over is 6-2-1 in Verlander's past nine vs. K.C.

Early lean: Tigers and over.


Pirates at Dodgers (-200, 6.5)

Tough trip across country for Pittsburgh after finishing a home series with the Cubs on Thursday afternoon. And in that game, excellent Pirates rookie shortstop Jung Ho Kang left in the first inning with what on the MLB Network looked like a serious knee/leg injury suffered while turning a double play. Keep an eye on that. If it's serious, I will no doubt lead with it previewing Saturday's games. The Pirates start lefty Jeff Locke (8-10, 4.43). His rotation spot was in some jeopardy, but Locke has allowed one earned in each of his past two outings. He hasn't faced the Dodgers in 2015. It's NL Cy Young leader Zack Greinke for L.A. Greinke (17-3, 1.61) still leads the majors in ERA and WHIP (0.85). It's his first look at Pittsburgh this year. Greinke is 8-1 with a 1.41 ERA at home. Andrew McCutchen does fairly well off him, going 7-for-24 with three doubles and a homer.

Key trends: The Pirates are 1-4 in Locke's past five road starts against teams with a winning record. The Dodgers are 18-4 in Greinke's past 22 at home vs. teams with a winning record. The over has hit in seven of Locke's past 10. The under is 8-2 in Greinke's past 10 at home.

Early lean: Dodgers on runline (+105) and under.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Friday's six-pack

Some more NFL trends to ponder with Week 2 approaching........

-- Jacksonville is 12-28-1 vs spread in non-divisional games.

-- Packers are 17-8-1 vs spread as non-divisional home favorites.

-- Washington is 7-17 vs spread as an underdog. Rams were last 2-0 in 2001.

-- Cowboys are 18-8 vs spread as road underdogs.

-- Arizona is 19-5-1 vs spread in last 25 non-divisional games.

-- Eagles covered twice in their last nine home openers.