Monday 8/8/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Phillies (52-61) at Dodgers (62-49)

Game: 1
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: August 08, 2016 10:10 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES -- After taking two of three from the Boston Red Sox over the weekend, the Los Angeles Dodgers will try to keep the good times flowing when they host the Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game set beginning Monday.

Dodgers 19-year-old rookie Julio Urias (1-2, 4.98 ERA) will face Phillies right-hander Zach Eflin (3-4, 4.77 ERA) in the series opener.

Urias, who has gone back and forth from Triple-A Oklahoma City to Los Angeles, appeared in relief for the Dodgers on Wednesday, allowing three runs in three innings in a loss to the Colorado Rockies. Urias hasn't won a start since beating the Milwaukee Brewers on June 19.

He has never opposed the Phillies.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was tight-lipped when asked if Urias would be on a pitch count.

"He's going to go as long as I think he can go," Roberts said.

Eflin, who will be facing the Dodgers for the first time, is 3-2 with a 4.28 ERA in his past seven starts with 22 strikeouts and 11 walks. However, he yielded a total of 13 runs in 10 innings in his past two outings, a road loss to the Miami Marlins on July 27 and a no-decision at home against the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 2.

The Phillies (52-61) won two of three in a weekend series at San Diego. In a 6-5 win over the Padres on Sunday, the Phillies turned a triple play, the first one recorded at Petco Park.

"The big play to that game was the triple play," Philadelphia manager Pete Mackanin said. "We're leading by one, two on, no one out ... and just like that, we're out of the inning."

Phillies reliever Edubray Ramos opened the bottom of the seventh by issuing back-to-back walks to Derek Norris and Jose Rondon. That brought up rookie Jabari Blash.

"The option there was the bunt, but I had the swing sign," Blash said.

He swung and hit a one-hopper to Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco, who stepped on the bag to force Norris at third. Franco threw to second baseman Cesar Hernandez, who forced Rondon. Hernandez completed the play with a relay to first baseman Tommy Joseph to beat Blash to the bag.

"I tried to get down the line as quick as I could," Blash said.

Rookie Rob Segedin was the headliner in Los Angeles' 8-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. Segedin had four RBIs, the first Dodger to ever do so in his major league debut.

Justin Turner, Adrian Gonzalez and Enrique Hernandez hit home runs for the Dodgers, who closed within a game of the National League West-leading Giants. Gonzalez collected his 300th career homer.

"It's pretty cool to take a step back and enjoy it for a few hours and go back at it again tomorrow," said Gonzalez, who became the seventh active player to reach 300 home runs and 400 doubles. Alex Rodriguez, Adrian Beltre, Carlos Beltran, Albert Pujols, David Ortiz and Miguel Cabrera are the others.

The Dodgers (62-49) will remain without Rich Hill through the Phillies series. The left-hander was bumped from starting Sunday because of another blister developing on his left middle finger. He is now scheduled to start Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Hill, who is on the 15-day disabled list because of the first blister, has yet to make his initial start with the Dodgers since being obtained in a trade with the Oakland A's on Aug. 1.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Tigers (61-50) at Mariners (57-53)

Game: 1
Venue: Safeco Field
Date: August 08, 2016 10:10 PM EDT

SEATTLE -- The red-hot Detroit Tigers finally cooled off Sunday, but they still come rolling into a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners with chests pushed forward.

Detroit (61-50) has won 10 of 12 games and each of its past four series heading into Seattle.

During the 10-2 run, the Tigers have won six one-run games. They have stormed to within two games of American League Central leader Cleveland and back into the thick of the AL wild-card race.

"We're playing really good baseball and guys know what we're capable of doing," Justin Upton told the Detroit Free Press after Sunday's 3-1 loss to the New York Mets. "We just gotta continue to do that."

Monday's game will feature a pitching rematch of the June 22 game that the Tigers won 5-1 at Comerica Park. Detroit's Michael Fulmer had a rough fifth inning in that game, leading to an early exit, and Seattle starter Hisashi Iwakuma took the loss.

Both Fulmer and Iwakuma are scheduled to be back on the mound Monday at Safeco Field.

Fulmer (9-2) has been a rock on the Tigers' staff this season. He had one four-start streak of starts without allowing a run.

Iwakuma (12-7) hasn't been nearly as dominant but has also had a pretty good stretch of success. He is 11-3 with a 3.77 ERA in his past 14 starts and is coming off one of his best starts of the season.

Iwakuma, a 35-year-old right-hander who signed with the Dodgers in the offseason but failed the team physical, has surprisingly been one of the few constants in the Mariners' rotation this season. Seattle has already used 11 starting pitchers, and the Mariners took another hit Sunday when emerging left-hander James Paxton took a liner off his left elbow. X-rays showed that he suffered nothing more than a bruise, but Paxton's next start could be in jeopardy.

"We're starting to see him emerge before our eyes," Seattle manager Scott Servais said. "That's why I'm really, really hoping that he's OK."

The Mariners (57-53) have been on a pretty good run of their own lately. They're coming off a three-game sweep of the Angels and have moved into second place in the American League West, seven games behind Texas. Once left for dead in the postseason race, Seattle has managed to pull within 3 1/2 games of a wild-card spot.

The Mariners have won five of six games and could make an even bigger push as they're staring at a stretch of 18 consecutive games against non-contenders after the Detroit series.

But first they'll have to get through a Tigers team that's playing its best baseball of the season. Detroit is hitting .288 as a team through the first week of August, second only to Minnesota among AL teams.

All three games in the series will be played at night. It will wrap up a 10-game homestand for the Mariners, who travel to Oakland next weekend.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Monday's Diamond Notes
By Joe Williams

Hottest team: Tigers (10-2 past 12)

The Tigers continue to breathe down the neck of the Indians. They head out west to battle the Seattle Mariners in Monday's series opener, looking to extend their impressive run against the American League West. Detroit has won eight straight against the AL West, and they have also won each of their past seven series openers. The streaking Tigers have won nine of their past 10 against teams with a winning overall record, and 6-1 in their past seven against right-handed starting pitching. In addition, they're 15-2 in Michael Fulmer's past 17 starts, and 4-0 in Fulmer's past four against teams with a winning overall mark.

Coldest team: Athletics (1-8 past nine)

The woes continued for the A's, getting swept at home against the Cubs. They were outscored 13-3 in the series, and now set their sights on the visiting Baltimore Orioles. In their first three-game series of the season at Camden Yards in early May, Baltimore won two of three while outscoring the A's 20-13. The O's have won four of the past five against AL West fores, but they're 5-18 in their past 23 road starts by Kevin Gausman. The O's are also 2-8 in Gausman's past 10 road outings against a team with a losing record. However, the A's are just 1-7 in their past eight against a right-handed starting pitcher while going 0-6 in their past six against teams with a winning overall mark.

Hottest pitcher: Jake Odorizzi, Rays (6-5, 3.70 ERA)

Odorizzi appears to be a lot more comfortable lately, perhaps because the non-waiver trade deadline has passed and he wasn't moved. He is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 0.73 WHIP over his past three outings, issuing just two walks with 16 strikeouts over the past 20 2/3 innings. The Rays have won four of the past five meetings against the Blue Jays, while the Jays are just 2-5 in R.A. Dickey's past seven against Tampa Bay.

Coldest pitcher: Cody Reed, Cincinnati (0-6, 7.30 ERA)

Reed has been horrific for the Redlegs, going 0-6 with a 7.30 ERA overall. He hasn't improved much over his past three outings, going 0-2 with a 5.63 ERA. A major problem with Reed is his frequent issuances of free passes, walking 15 in just 40 2/3 innings. The Reds have lost eight straight with Reed on the hill, including 0-4 in his past four road assignments. They're 0-5 in his past five against teams with an overall winning record, too.

Biggest UNDER run: Rangers (0-7-1 past eight)

The 'under' is 0-6-1 in the past seven road games for the Texas Rangers. That streak will be put to the test in a road series in Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies. The 'under' is also 5-0-1 in their past six interleague road games, and 12-3-1 in their past 16 road games against a team with a winning home record. For Colorado, the 'under' is 5-1-1 in their past seven interleague affairs, and 14-6 in their past 20 against teams with an overall winning record.

Biggest OVER run: Twins (9-0 past nine)

The Twins offense has been doing the job at the dish lately, posting five or more runs in seven of their past nine outings and 10 of the past 14 contests. The 'over' is also 6-0-2 in Tyler Duffey's past eight home starts, and 10-1-3 in his past 14 assignments overall. The 'over' is also 3-0-1 in the past four head-to-head meetings between these clubs, and 3-0-1 in Collin McHugh's past four starts against Minnesota.

Matchup to watch: Marlins vs. Giants
It's 'Jose Day' in Miami, and that usually means the Marlins are successful. Fernandez is 26-2 with a 1.62 ERA in 38 career starts at Marlins Park. He'll be angling to avenge a loss in San Francisco April 23, as he gave up four runs over six frames in that loss. The Giants were 16-2 in All-Star Johnny Cueto's first 18 outings, but they're 1-3 over his past four assignment. It's hard to predict who will win the game, but it is likely to be close. In 10 of 13 games played between these clubs at Marlins Park the game has been decided by one or two runs.

Betcha didn’t know: The Cardinals look to maintain their dominance with Michael Wacha on the bump against the Reds. They're 7-0 in his past seven starts against Cincinnati, and 4-0 in Wacha's past four home assignments against the Reds. Cincinnati has won just four of their past 13 against St. Louis, and they're 22-53 in their past 75 trips to Busch Stadium II in the Lou. While St. Louis has won just two of their past 10 against a left-handed starting pitcher, and 1-8 in their past nine at home vs. LHP. However, they're 6-2 in Wacha's past eight outings, and 25-11 in his past 36 at home.

Biggest public favorite: Dodgers (-205) vs. Phillies

Biggest public underdog: Tigers (+110) at Mariners

Biggest line move: Orioles (+130 to +140) at Athletics

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'Rays pain in Jays side'

Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays August 8, 7:05 EST

Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays enter the week at opposite ends of the spectrum. The Blue Jays at 63-49 are in a fierce battle for top spot in the East while Rays at 45-65 are A.L. East bottom dwellers. This three games series therefore offers Blue Jays an opportunity to keep pace or improve on their placement.

However, won't be a cake walk. For what ever reason, Tampa seems to bring its best against Toronto. The Jays have been on the wrong end of the scoreboard in six of ten meetings this season including being swept in a three game series last time Rays paid a visit.

What's more troubling in the opener, Jays have R.A. Dickey toeing the rubber which serves as a huge red flag. Blue Jays are 2-10 in the knuckle baller's home starts, 3-12 his last fifteen in front of the home audience. Jays are also on a 2-5 skid vs Rays with Dickey, 7-10 slide vs the division rival since his arrival back in 2013.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Monday’s games

National League

Giants @ Marlins
Cueto is 0-2, 4.56 in his last four starts; over is 6-3 in his last nine starts. Giants are 10-2 in his road starts.

Fernandez is 0-2, 6.55 in his last two starts; three of his last four home starts went over. Miami is 9-3 in his home starts.

Giants lost 11 of last 14 road games; they’re 3-9 in last 12 road series openers. Under is 3-0-1 in their last four games. Miami is 10-5 in its last 15 home games, 8-10 in home series openers. Last five Marlin home games went over the total.

Braves @ Brewers
Whalen allowed four runs in five IP (98 PT) in his MLB debut.

Davies is 4-0, 2.25 in his last five starts (under 4-1). Brewers won seven of his last eight home starts.

Braves won four of last five games, are 7-11 in last 18 road series openers. Over is 7-4 in their last 11 games. Milwaukee lost three of last four games but won six of last seven home games; they’re 9-9 in home series openers. Under is 9-3-1 in last 13 games at Miller Park.

Reds @ Cardinals
Reed is 0-6, 9.07 in eight starts this year (over 6-0-2).

Wacha is 2-0, 3.71 in his last three starts; over is 12-3-1 in his last 16 starts. Cardinals are 6-5 in his home starts.

Cincinnati is 13-7 in its last 20 games, 6-4 in last 10 road series openers. Under is 6-1 in Reds’ last seven road games. Cardinals lost six of last eight games, are 8-11 in home series openers– over is 7-2-1 in their last ten games.

Phillies @ Dodgers
Eflin is 1-2, 5.76 in his last four starts (over 6-4). Phillies split his six road starts.
Urias is 1-1, 3.77 in his last six starts; his last three went over. Dodgers won all four of his home starts.

Philly is 6-4 in its last ten games, 5-1 in last six road series openers. Over is 10-5 in its last 15 games. Dodgers won three of last four games, are 5-2 in last seven home series openers. Under is 14-7 in their last 21 home games.


American League

Rays @ Blue Jays
Odorizzi is 3-0, 0.67 in his last four starts; he’s thrown 20 consecutive scoreless innings. Four of his last five starts stayed under. Rays lost his last three road starts.

Dickey is 1-3, 7.89 in his last four starts (under 3-1). Blue Jays are 2-10 in his home starts.

Rays lost four of last five road games, are 6-11 in road series openers. Tampa Bay’s last five road games stayed under. Toronto won five of last seven home games; they’re 7-11 in home series openers. Over is 4-0-1 in last five games at SkyDome.

Astros @ Twins
McHugh is 0-2, 12.91 in his last two starts; over is 3-1-1 in his last five. Astros won three of his last four road starts.

Duffey is 1-2, 11.25 in his last four starts; over is 7-1-1 in his last nine outings. Minnesota won three of his last four home starts.

Astros lost 10 of last 13 games, are 7-10 in road series openers. Under is 6-0-1 in last seven Houston games. Minnesota won eight of last 11 games; they’re 7-11 in home series openers. Last nine Twins games went over the total.

Orioles @ A’s
Gausman is 2-2, 3.82 in his last four starts; six of his last eight stayed under. Baltimore lost seven of his last eight road starts.

Graveman is 0-1, 8.71 in his last two starts; four of his last six stayed under. Oakland won his last four home starts.

Orioles won five of last seven games, are 9-9 in road series openers. Over is 4-1-1 in last six Baltimore road games. Oakland lost eight of last nine games; they’re 9-9 in home series openers. Five of A’s last seven home games stayed under the total.

Tigers @ Mariners
Fulmer is 2-0, 2.90 in his last six starts; three of his last four stayed under. Detroit is 10-2 in his road starts.

Iwakuma is 6-1, 2.95 in his last seven starts; three of his last four home starts stayed under. Seattle won his last seven home starts.

Tigers won 11 of last 13 games, are 7-11 in road series openers. Under is 10-4-2 in Detroit’s last 16 road games. Seattle won five of last six games, is 10-8 in home series openers. Under is 5-2 in Seattle’s last seven home series openers.


Interleague

Rangers @ Rockies
Hamels is 3-1, 2.22 in his last four starts (under 3-1). Texas is 7-4 in his road starts.

Anderson is 4-0, 3.45 in his last five starts (under 7-3); Colorado won his last four home starts.

Rangers won seven of last ten games, but lost last six road series openers. Under is 7-0-1 in last eight Texas games. Colorado lost three of last four games, is 9-5 in last 14 home series openers. Under is 10-6 in Rockies’ last 16 home games.


Teams’ record when this pitcher starts

SF-Mia– Cueto 17-5 (1-3 last 4); Fernandez 14-7
Atl-Mil– Whalen 1-0; Davies 11-8
Cin-StL– Reed 0-8; Wacha 12-10
Phil-LA– Eflin 5-5; Urias 6-3

TB-Tor– Odorizzi 11-12; Dickey 8-15
Hst-Min– McHugh 13-9; Duffey 8-10
Balt-A’s– Gausman 8-11; Graveman 10-11
Det-Sea– Fulmer 15-2; Iwakuma 13-9

Tex-Colo– Hamels 16-6; Anderson 6-4 (5-0 last 5)


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

SF-Mia– Cueto 6-22; Fernandez 6-21
Atl-Mil– Whalen 1-1; Davies 4-19
Cin-StL– Reed 5-8; Wacha 6-22
Phil-LA– Eflin 3-10; Urias 2-9

TB-Tor– Odorizzi 4-23; Dickey 6-23
Hst-Min– McHugh 9-22; Duffey 6-18
Balt-A’s– Gausman 8-19; Graveman 4-21
Det-Sea– Fulmer 4-17; Iwakuma 3-22

Tex-Colo– Hamels 5-22; Anderson 3-10

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Monday’s six-pack

— Jim Furyk shot a 58 at Hartford Sunday, jumping from 70th to 5th; he is first golfer to break 60 twice in tournament play.

— Manny Machado had three HRs in the first three innings in Chicago Sunday; he knocked in seven runs for the game.

— Sonny Gray is back on the DL and the A’s season is officially a dumpster fire. Brad Pitt won’t be calling anytime soon.

— Ichiro Suzuki got his 3,000th hit, a triple off the right field wall in Denver.

— Dodgers starting pitchers finished the sixth inning in only seven of their last 28 games.

— South Point Casino in Las Vegas had to refund roughly $40,000 in wagers when the Hall of Fame game was cancelled.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

#1 Sports

Monday's Free Selection: St Louis Cardinals - 180

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Mike Wynn

Bonus Play: MLB Miami w/Conley +115 Over Colorado

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Razor Sharp

FREE PICK FOR MONDAY: Take DETROIT/SEATTLE UNDER the total of 7½ runs

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Totals4U

Monday's Free Selection: Texas/Colorado under 10 1/2

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Hawkeye Sports

Monday's Free Selection: LA Dodgers - 200

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

The Vegas Steam Line

Your free winner for Monday: Take MILWAUKEE (Davies) -165 over Atlanta

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

High Stakes Syndicate

Free Selection for Monday: Atlanta Braves + 160

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

John Anthony Sports

Monday's Free Selection: St Louis Cardinals - 180

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Nevada Sharpshooter

Your free winner for Monday: Take SAN FRANCISCO/MIAMI UNDER the total of 6½ runs

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Sharp Bettor

Sharp Bettor's Free Pick for Monday, August 8, 2016 7:10 PM

(951) SAN FRANCISCO (CUETO) VS (952) MIAMI (FERNANDZ)

Play the Giants.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Roz Wins

Roz's Monday, August 8, 2016, Free Pick: 8:40 PM

(967) TEXAS (HAMELS) VS (968) COLORADO (ANDERSON)

Play UNDER the total.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Dave Cokin

Bonus Play Monday

COWBOYS @ RAMS Saturday 8:00 PM

Take: RAMS -3.5

I’m not an advocate of laying more than a field goal in pre-season games. But that’s not a hard and fast rule, and under the right circumstances it’s easy to make an exception. I believe this opening week NFLx contest between the Cowboys and Rams falls into that category.

The most important aspect for me early in the pre-season is trying to isolate teams that will likely have some real reason to want to win, even if the result doesn’t count in the standings. I have a check mark next to the Rams for a rather obvious reason. They’re looking to make an immediate splash in their new LA digs, and getting a win against the always high profile Cowboys would certainly be nice for this team.

That alone is not reason enough for me to bet the Rams, particularly with the point spread imposition that exists here. That’s where training camp info comes into play. The Rams appear to be sailing along fairly smoothly as they transition to their new home, and I’m particularly encouraged by the apparent progress of Jared Goff. He’s got a steep learning curve, as all rookie NFL QB’s do, but Goff has looked good so far. Goff especially drew rave reviews for the way he handled a two-minute drill in practice, which is a situation that can be intimidating for raw rookies.

The Cowboys have already been dealt a blow with the loss of second unit QB Kellen Moore, who will be out for at least a couple months. That might not matter come regular season, but I think it’s significant here. Tony Romo is certainly not likely to see much action, as the Cowboys need to do their best to keep him healthy for the real games. That means Dak Prescott and Jameill Showers will be logging most of the snaps under center, especially in these first couple of pre-season games.

I see a substantial QB edge as far as pre-season goes with what the Rams have, and I like the idea of backing the home team that likely wants to create a positive first impressiion with its new fan base. I’m backing the Rams as home chalk in this one.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Jim Feist

Jim Feist's Comp Pick, Monday, August 8, 2016 7:05 PM ET

(959) TAMPA BAY RAYS VS (960) TORONTO BLUE JAYS

Take: UNDER

Reason: Toronto has closed the gap in the AL East to just one game behind the Baltimore Orioles. This despite losing two straight games. The Jays have one of the top pitching staffs in baseball, ranking 1st in quality starts, 4th in both WHIP and BAA and 6th in BAA (3.71). The seven runs scored against them on Sunday was the most a team has scored against the Blue Jays in their previous six games. R.A. Dickey starts today. The 41-year knuckleballer is 8-12 with a 4.49 ERA. Dickey had his best start since July 10th last time out, holding the Astros to just one run over seven innings. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay is already looking forward to their vacation time. The Rays are 18 back of the Orioles and out of any playoff contention. The Rays offense is horrible, ranking 26th in runs, 29th in batting average and 26th in On Base percentage. Jake Odorizzi is 6-5 with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. With numbers like that you would think that Odorizzi would have a lot more wins, but you can blame that on the anemic Rays offense. Odorizzi has put together three straight scoreless outings, going at least six innings in each. Odorizzi should keep the Rays close in this one, however, with their poor offense I don't see much scoring by either side. Play the UNDER.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Red Dog Sports

CFR Cluj vs Dinamo Bucuresti

Bonus Play Draw +219

I like the Draw when these two play on Monday. The total is set at 2 so they are expecting a low score and I think it ends 1-1.

Dinamo 1

Cluj 1