MLB Betting Info - Thursday 5/5

[NewYorkKnight]

GAME: Milwaukee Brewers (11-16) at Cincinnati Reds (11-17)
DATE/TIME: Thursday, May 05 - 7:10 PM EST
WHERE: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio



The Milwaukee Brewers must improve their record away from home to get back in the National League Central race and get a chance to do that with a seven-game road trip that begins against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday. The Brewers, who also visit Miami on the trek, saw their three-game winning streak end with a 7-3 loss against Los Angeles Angels at home Wednesday.

Milwaukee, which is 3-7 on the road, had scored 27 runs combined during their win streak to start May and slugger Ryan Braun has lifted his game of late while going 9-for-17 with five RBIs in his last four outings. The Reds are averaging five runs in four May contests (2-2) after Wednesday’s 7-4 victory over San Francisco, following a six-game losing streak in which they scored 10 times. Zack Cozart has been Cincinnati’s best hitter all season, but cooled off in the last four games while managing two hits in 16 at bats - including a solo home run Wednesday - to drop his average to .342. The Reds will attempt to end their streak of games where the bullpen has given up at least one run at 22.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), FSN Ohio (Cincinnati)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Chase Anderson (1-3, 5.55 ERA) vs. Reds RH Alfredo Simon (0-3, 13.50)

Anderson has struggled in his last three starts, giving up 17 runs (15 earned) and six homers, after beginning the season with two quality outings. The 28-year-old Texas native allowed 28 hits in his past three games after surrendering eight in the first two. Joey Votto is 1-for-2 with a double and four walks against Anderson, who is 2-0 with a 0.44 ERA in three career outings versus Cincinnati.

Simon has yet to find his top form in his return to Cincinnati, yielding 28 hits and 10 walks over 13 1/3 innings. The 34-year-old Dominican won a career-high 15 games in 2014 with the Reds before getting traded to Detroit, where he posted 13 victories last year. Jonathan Lucroy is 6-for-10 with a pair of homers versus Simon, who is 3-1 in 11 games (two starts) with a 3.29 ERA against Milwaukee.

WALK-OFFS

1. Cincinnati 2B Brandon Phillips is five RBIs shy of 800 with the Reds in 1,497 games after belting a solo homer Wednesday.

2. Milwaukee 1B Chris Carter has 19 extra-base hits among his 25 this season and boasts 99 homers since the beginning of the 2013 season.

3. Reds LF Adam Duvall has homered in back-to-back games to double his total for the season.

PREDICTION: Brewers 5, Reds 3

 

[NewYorkKnight]

GAME: Washington Nationals (19-8) at Chicago Cubs (20-6)
DATE/TIME: Thursday, May 05 - 8:05 PM EST
WHERE: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois





It’s beginning to look like the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals might be on a crash course for a date in the National League playoffs. The teams will give fans a preview of what such a matchup would look like when the Cubs host the Nationals for a four-game series beginning Thursday.



The Cubs have cemented themselves as the favorites in the NL Central after sweeping a three-game set in Pittsburgh this week. At 20-6, they're off to their best start since 1907 – a year before their most recent World Series crown. The Nationals also are making history at 19-8, matching the 1979 Montreal Expos for the best 27-game start in franchise history. Washington took two of three from the defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals this week, including a 13-2 drubbing in the series finale Wednesday.

TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, MASN2 (Washington), CSN Chicago-Plus



PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals RH Joe Ross (3-0, 0.79 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Kyle Hendricks (1-2, 3.52)

Ross made his major-league debut against the Cubs last June and took the loss, allowing three runs over five innings. The 22-year-old has not allowed more than one run in any of his four outings this season and shut down a tough Cardinals lineup last time out. He gave up one run and six hits over six frames to win his fifth straight decision dating to last season.

Hendricks is winless in his last three starts, but he got back on track last time out after a couple of uneven outings. The 26-year-old gave up just one run and two hits over five innings April 26 against Milwaukee but didn’t get a decision after being lifted for a pinch hitter. Hendricks is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two starts against the Nationals.



WALK-OFFS

1. Cubs 3B/LF Kris Bryant is 16-for-39 during a 10-game hitting streak, tied for the longest active streak in the majors.

2. Washington RF Bryce Harper went 2-for-4 with a homer Wednesday to snap a 1-for-20 skid.

3. Chicago 1B Anthony Rizzo has six homers and 16 RBIs over his past 12 games with at least one RBI in 10 of those 12 contests.



PREDICTION: Nationals 3, Cubs 2

 

[NewYorkKnight]

GAME: Boston Red Sox (16-11) at Chicago White Sox (19-9)
DATE/TIME: Thursday, May 05 - 8:10 PM EST
WHERE: U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago, Illinois



The Boston Red Sox attempt to continue their surge when they visit the Chicago White Sox on Thursday for the rubber match of their three-game series. Boston has won eight of its last 10 games after overcoming an early two-run deficit and posting a 5-2 victory on Wednesday.

Xander Bogaerts has been swinging a hot bat as he enters with a six-game hitting streak that includes two three-hit performances in his last three contests while registering at least one hit in 12 of his last 13 games - and two or more in seven of those outings. Chicago had its three-game winning streak snapped as it lost for just the third time in 12 contests. Jose Abreu ended a 13-game home run drought Wednesday and carries an eight-game hitting streak and a six-game RBI streak during which he's driven in nine runs into the series finale. Dioner Navarro is batting just .180 but has recorded a hit in eight of his last 10 contests.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), CSN Chicago-Plus

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Henry Owens (0-0, 4.82 ERA) vs. White Sox RH Erik Johnson (2015: 3-1, 3.34)

After lasting only 3 1/3 innings in his first start of the season, Owens worked six frames against the New York Yankees on Friday but did not factor in the decision. The 23-year-old Californian yielded only two runs despite being reached for six hits and three walks. Owens, who never has faced Chicago, is 2-2 with a 4.45 ERA and an unattractive 1.68 WHIP in six career road starts.

Johnson will make his season debut in place of John Danks, who was designated for assignment on Tuesday. The 26-year-old Johnson has made four starts for Triple-A Charlotte this year, going 1-1 with a 3.74 ERA. A native of California, he made his only career start against Boston on April 15, 2014 and allowed one run and three hits while striking out nine over 6 2/3 innings in a no-decision.

WALK-OFFS

1. Red Sox DH David Ortiz has belted three of his six homers on the season over his last five games and posted six multi-hit performances in his last 10 contests.

2. Abreu has recorded six two-hit efforts during his hitting streak.

3. Boston hopes to have 1B Hanley Ramirez in the lineup after he was a late scratch Wednesday due to flu-like symptoms.

PREDICTION: White Sox 7, Red Sox 5

 

[NewYorkKnight]

GAME: Seattle Mariners (16-11) at Houston Astros (10-18)
DATE/TIME: Thursday, May 05 - 8:10 PM EST
WHERE: Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas



The Seattle Mariners began a seven-game road trip with a three-game sweep at Oakland and look to keep the success going when they visit the Houston Astros for the opener of a four-game set on Thursday. The Mariners scored 21 runs in the Oakland series and have won eight of their last 10 overall games.

Seattle's Robinson Cano has strung together four consecutive multi-hit performances and is 9-for-17 this month. Nelson Cruz also is swinging a hot bat for the Mariners, going 7-for-12 over his last three games - including a tape-measure blast into the seats well beyond the center-field fence in Oakland during Wednesday's 9-8 victory. Houston has won consecutive games for the first time this season after rolling to a 16-4 shellacking of Minnesota. Budding star Carlos Correa homered for the first time since April 6 and recorded three RBIs while Jason Castro (four RBIs) and Jose Altuve (three) also went deep as the Astros won for just the fifth time in their last 15 games.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle, Houston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners LH Wade Miley (2-2, 5.06 ERA) vs. Astros RH Chris Devenski (0-1, 1.45)

Miley pitched his first career shutout in his last outing, when he limited Kansas City to five hits and didn't walk a single batter. The turnaround performance was needed after he posted a 7.04 ERA over his first four starts after being acquired from Boston during the offseason. Miley is 2-0 with a 2.63 ERA in four career starts against Houston but has struggled to retire Altuve (7-for-12), Evan Gattis (4-for-8) and Carlos Gomez (5-for-15, one homer).

Devenski lost his first major-league start on Saturday against Oakland as he allowed two runs and five hits in five innings. He gave up just one run in six relief appearances prior to the start and has an impressive 1.07 WHIP to go with his stellar ERA. Devenski has performed well at home, striking out seven in 7 2/3 scoreless innings over four appearances.

WALK-OFFS

1. Cano was 5-for-12 with two homers as the Mariners took two of three from the Astros late last month.

2. Castro is 8-for-18 with two home runs, five RBIs and eight runs scored during his six-game hitting streak.

3. Seattle 1B Dae-Ho Lee slugged two homers on Wednesday and has four in just 32 at-bats.

PREDICTION: Mariners 10, Astros 5

 

[NewYorkKnight]

GAME: New York Mets (17-9) at San Diego Padres (11-17)
DATE/TIME: Thursday, May 05 - 10:10 PM EST
WHERE: Petco Park, San Diego, California



The New York Mets have been racking up victories of late and attempt to add to their success when they open an 11-game road trip Thursday against the San Diego Padres. The Mets have won 13 of their last 16 games after rolling to an 8-0 home victory over Atlanta on Wednesday.

Lucas Duda slugged two of New York's four homers in Wednesday's triumph and belted three in the three-game series against the Braves to raise his season total to seven. Mets starter Jacob deGrom had a superb outing versus the Padres in his lone career start against them on June 1 as he yielded two hits over eight scoreless innings en route to victory at Petco Park. San Diego has lost seven of its last 11 games, and Wednesday's 2-0 setback against Colorado marked its eighth shutout defeat in just 28 contests. Matt Kemp has been immune to the Padres' offensive struggles, batting .378 with three home runs and nine RBIs over his last 11 games.

TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), FSN San Diego

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Jacob deGrom (3-0, 1.02 ERA) vs. Padres RH Colin Rea (2-1, 4.61)

DeGrom missed time with a lat injury and family issues but has been superb on the three occasions he's taken the mound. He didn't allow an earned run while beating San Francisco in his last start, when he gave up just two hits over six innings. The 27-year-old deGrom has struggled with Melvin Upton Jr. (3-for-6) while handcuffing Christian Bethancourt (0-for-7).

Rea has won back-to-back decisions, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in his last outing. He gave up two runs and four hits over six innings in the victory over Los Angeles and has allowed two or fewer earned runs in three of his last four starts. Rea has experienced control issues, handing out 13 walks in 27 1/3 frames while posting a 1.57 WHIP.

WALK-OFFS

1. Mets 3B David Wright sat out Wednesday to rest his chronically sore back but is expected to be in Thursday's lineup.

2. San Diego 2B Jemile Weeks went 0-for-9 in three games against Colorado and is just 2-for-25 over his last eight contests.

3. New York RF Curtis Granderson is just 3-for-22 over his last seven games.

PREDICTION: Mets 5, Padres 1

 

[NewYorkKnight]

GAME: Colorado Rockies (13-14) at San Francisco Giants (15-14)
DATE/TIME: Thursday, May 05 - 10:15 PM EST
WHERE: AT&T Park, San Francisco, California



The Colorado Rockies aren't known for their pitching but for starters, their 9-6 road record is largely because of the rotation's success as they continue a 10-game road trip with the first of four against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday. Colorado starters are 7-4 with a 3.13 ERA and nine quality outings this season after a 2-0 victory over San Diego on Wednesday improved the Rockies to 4-2 on their trek.

Colorado still owns the third-worst ERA in baseball at 5.33 as it tries to get its pitching up to speed to match a prolific offense that includes third baseman Nolan Arenado (major league-leading 11 home runs) and shortstop Trevor Story (10), the National League Rookie of the Month for April. San Francisco completed a 3-3 road trip with a 7-4 loss to Cincinnati on Wednesday and returns home for seven games. The Giants have a hot hitter on their hands in first baseman Brandon Belt (.323, four home runs, 20 RBIs), who went 6-for-10 with a triple, home run, three walks and two RBIs in three contests versus the Reds. San Francisco's Matt Cain hasn't won in his last 16 games (15 starts) - including a loss to the Rockies on April 14 - and opposes Chris Rusin, who makes his second start since moving from the bullpen to the rotation.

TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, ROOT (Colorado), CSN Bay Area (San Francisco)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies LH Chris Rusin (1-0, 1.69 ERA) vs. Giants RH Matt Cain (0-3, 7.00)

Rusin will likely be allowed to throw more than the 76 pitches he made in earning a no-decision in Colorado's 5-2 victory in Arizona on Saturday, yielding one hit and three walks while striking out six in five scoreless innings. "I was effectively wild, but I got a lot of ground balls,'' the 29-year-old Michigan native told reporters. "My movement was there (Saturday). I wasn't really too accurate, but everything was down when it needed to be." Rusin is 2-1 with a 2.35 ERA in five games (four starts) versus San Francisco after earning the victory in relief with 2 1/3 shutout innings of the Rockies' 10-6 victory April 13.

Cain allowed six runs and seven hits in six innings of a 6-5 loss to the Mets in New York on Saturday and is 0-6 with a 6.85 ERA since his last victory July 22.
"It's definitely frustrating," the 31-year-old Alabama native told reporters. "The stuff is there, and now it's making the pitches at the right times." Cain is 17-9 with a 3.41 ERA in 36 games (all starts) versus the Rockies after yielding six runs in 4 2/3 innings of an 11-6 setback in Colorado, but hasn't defeated them since 2013.

WALK-OFFS

1. Story has struck out in 22 straight games and leads the majors with 42 in 26 contests.

2, Giants RHP Sergio Romo, who has been on the disabled list since April 15 with a flexor strain, played catch from 90 feet on flat ground Wednesday.

3. Colorado took two of three from San Francisco at Coors Field in April and is 2-0-1 in its last three series versus the Giants.

PREDICTION: Giants 3, Rockies 2

 

[NewYorkKnight]

Maikel Franco is getting a day off Thursday.

The young third baseman is in a 2-for-22 slump, so he'll take a day of mental and physical rest in Thursday afternoon's series finale in St. Louis. Andres Blanco is starting at the hot corner and batting third versus Cardinals left-hander Jaime Garcia.

 

[NewYorkKnight]

Aledmys Diaz is out of the Cardinals' starting lineup on Thursday afternoon against the Phillies.

Diaz finally got to hit higher than seventh on Wednesday night, serving as the Cardinals' leadoff man in a 5-4 victory, but he'll take a day of rest Thursday versus Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff. Ruben Tejada is playing shortstop and batting eighth.

 

[NewYorkKnight]

Cardinals - Matt Holliday, Rest - is not in the starting lineup Thursday (5/5) vs. Philadelphia

 

[NewYorkKnight]

Cubs have won 7 of their last 8 games, outscoring their opponents 49 to 15 in that span.

 

[NewYorkKnight]

Cardinals pinch-hitters are batting .389 (21-54 AB) this season with a 1.265 OPS.

 

[NewYorkKnight]

Phillies are 10-2 SU in their last 12 games as underdogs.

 

[NewYorkKnight]

Tigers are 2-10 in last 12 vs Indians, 1-5 in last 6 at CLE.

 

[NewYorkKnight]

 

[NewYorkKnight]

Hottest team: Mariners (8-2 last 10)

Seattle rallied from an 8-4 deficit to stun Oakland on Wednesday, 9-8 to finish off a three-game sweep of the A’s. The Mariners improved to 11-4 away from Safeco Field this season, while winning seven of their last nine games against AL West foes. Seattle travels to Houston to begin a four-game series, as the M’s grabbed two of three from the Astros in late April at home. The Mariners have fared well in series openers recently by posting a 5-1 record in the last six opportunities, as southpaw Wade Miley takes the mound coming off a shutout of the Royals in his past start.

 

[NewYorkKnight]

Coldest team: Diamondbacks (3-9 last 12)

There’s not much bite to Arizona of late, as the D-backs try to avoid their second consecutive sweep tonight at Miami. Arizona has scored just 12 runs during its current five-game losing streak, while allowing at least four runs in nine of the past 10 contests. Things change quickly in this league, as Arizona is two weeks removed from pulling off a four-game road sweep of San Francisco, but has won only three games in the last four series.

 

[NewYorkKnight]

Hottest pitcher: Jacob DeGrom, Mets (3-0, 1.02 ERA)

New York ventures out west for upcoming series against San Diego, Los Angeles, and Colorado, coming off a 7-2 homestand. DeGrom has allowed two earned runs in three starts this season, but gave up three runs (zero earned) in six innings of work against the Mets in his past outing, a 6-5 home victory. New York has won 12 of DeGrom’s last 14 starts away from Citi Field since last June, as the right-hander tossed eight scoreless innings of two-hit ball in a 7-0 shutout of the Padres on June 1, 2015 at Petco Park.

 

[NewYorkKnight]

Coldest pitcher: Matt Cain, Giants (0-3, 7.00 ERA)

In 2012, Cain put together a 16-5 record to help lead San Francisco to a World Series title. Since then, Cain has won a total of 12 decisions in the last four seasons, while failing to record a victory in five decisions this season. Cain has allowed a total of 10 earned runs in his past two outings in one-run defeats to the Marlins and Mets, while San Francisco is 2-5 in his past seven starts at AT&T Park.

 

[NewYorkKnight]

Biggest UNDER run: White Sox (8-1 at home)

Chicago remains atop the AL Central in spite of Wednesday’s loss to Boston, but the White Sox continue to cash ‘unders’ at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox finished ‘under’ the total for the second straight game against the Red Sox in last night’s 5-2 loss, as Chicago has scored four runs or fewer in seven of the past nine home contests. Tonight, Chicago faces Boston southpaw Henry Owens, as the White Sox are 4-0-1 to the ‘under’ this season against left-handed starting pitchers.

 

[NewYorkKnight]

Biggest OVER run: Reds (6-1-1 last eight at home)

Cincinnati’s offense has woken up recently by putting up 14 runs in the three-game series against San Francisco, including seven runs in Wednesday’s victory. The Reds’ bullpen has been anything but sharp this season, while Cincinnati’s pitching has given up at least eight runs four times in the last seven home contests. The Reds begin a four-game series with the Brewers, as five of their six meetings to close out 2015 finished ‘over’ the total.