Monday 9/21/15 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Yonkers: Monday 9/21 Analysis
By Matt Rose

DRF HARNESS

Race 7 - $10,000 Guaranteed Pick Five Pool

MEET STATS: 277 - 855 / $1548.10 BEST BETS: 40 - 68 / $138.60


Best Bet: FOOL ME ONCE (11th)

Spot Play: KAITLYN AKEEPER (9th)


Race 1

(1) JUNGLE OF TERROR was much better in his second local start and from this spot Sears should be controlling the action. (3) LUCKY TERROR was racing well with better when last seen here; threat. (2) BOOGIEWOOGIEBRIAN was a winner versus lesser at Freehold in just his third seasonal start; he'll be close up throughout.

Race 2

(2) FREYJA finished with some decent pace at a price in her local return for Team Stalbaum; the missed time is a bit of a concern but the price should be okay to take a swing. (5) YOU CANBEANANGEL raced well last out, finishing second to the heavy favorite who came back to repeat. (3) HERE COMES HARLEE seems to be going fast enough up at Saratoga to be able to compete here.

Race 3

(5) BIG JER returns at a more appropriate level and Dube can get aggressive early. (2) C'MON MR BROCK ships back off a second place finish at Saratoga timed in 1:53 1/5; Brennan drives. (1) SARNO drops a notch, moves all the way inside and can save ground.

Race 4

(7) DUKES UP debuts for Allard via claim and has the back class to turn things around in a hurry. (2) REPORT FOR DUTY N drops in price off a dismal effort; hard to believe he's still winless on the season. (1) OAKMONT ships from Philly, draws best and appears to be a good fit here.

Race 5

(3) RURAL ART went a huge trip in defeat last out and he deserves following off that effort; price could be decent in this wide-open affair. (8) DONT TELL WAYNE debuts for Burke off an odds-on win at this level and Brennan won't be sitting last from this spot. (2) WESTERN COLE does seem to fit with these and he can be used underneath at a big price.

Race 6

(4) SKYFUL OF LIGHTERS managed to hold second after being used hard chasing a runaway winner; he can graduate off that effort. (1) ONEDIN MACH N wasn't bad in his North American debut facing better; he lands inside again and will show more tonight. (3) HUNCHIE returns locally and he's had his moments here in the past.

Race 7

(3) MORTAL ZIN went evenly last out finishing third into a rated pace; he's got plenty of back class and could be handled aggressively from this spot. (2) BELIEVEINTHESPIRIT gets his first inside post in ages, and combined with the class drop makes him the likely one to beat. (6) RONNY BUGATTI hasn't shown his best in some time, but it's worth noting that his best beats these.

Race 8

(6) DAUT FULL overcame a bad start and finished well in her local return; filly is a smooth journey away from beating these. (1) REPEAT PLEASE gets away from some stakes types and draws best; must-include. (5) SPECIAL PACKAGE appears fast enough and Sears drives; that alone makes her a contender.

Race 9

(1) KAITLYN AKEEPER gets serious post relief after some no-chance outside tries; Zeron sticks with the Toscano trainee and he can work out a live trip tonight. (5) LITTLE JOKE is a nose shy of a three race win streak and she can be considered the one to beat. (2) INTOVIEW tired in the stretch drive last out but her last two off-the-pace tries have been improved.

Race 10

(2) CHEYENNE ROBIN just missed last out to a tough rival and it looks like her turn tonight to take charge. (3) UNICORNS N GLITTER closed well from an impossible spot upon arrival and she can show more tonight. (6) WELL HELLO THERE has been a fringe player in stakes competition recently and she now gets some class relief.

Race 11

(2) FOOL ME ONCE was completely wiped out last week and can obviously be excused for that effort. He's reunited with Zeron tonight with both class and post relief; lots to like. (1) ELECTRIC CHAPEL N was much better in his second U.S. start and he can build off that effort. (3) BULLVILLE KYLE draws decently again and he can hang around for a share.

Race 12

(6) TOWNSLIGHT HANOVER has never been a prolific winner but he debuts for Garcia-Herrera and doesn't meet the strongest of fields. (4) BETTORSLUCKYSTREAK is sharp now and returns to face better; maybe. (7) ELECTROFIRE has a good history here and should be a decent price with the outside post.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

SPOT PLAYS

For Monday


TRACK (RACE) HORSE, MORNING LINE

Delaware Park (2nd) I'm Really Sumthin, 7-2
(8th) Camp Boreal, 3-1


Finger Lakes (3rd) Manhattan Gin, 5-1
(7th) Reading Glasses, 3-1


Mountaineer (2nd) Venture Capital, 6-1
(7th) Win Castle, 7-2


Parx Racing (7th) Cry From the Heart, 4-1
(10th) Lucky Empress, 5-1

Presque Isle Downs (1st) Diamond Blue, 7-2
(7th) Fifty Shades, 7-2


Thistledown (3rd) Star Mabee, 4-1
(5th) Poppy's Dream, 4-1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: White Sox (70-78) at Tigers (69-79)

Game: 1
Venue: Comerica Park
Date: September 21, 2015 7:08 PM EDT

The Chicago White Sox are all but guaranteed to miss the postseason yet again - just like the Detroit Tigers. However, they still have a shot to get the better of the Tigers for the first time in seven years.

Chicago can even the season series Monday when it visits Detroit for a day-night doubleheader.

This four-game set features the second- and third-worst teams in the AL. While Chicago (70-77) has become accustomed to missing the playoffs - this would be the seventh straight year it has failed to reach the postseason - Detroit (69-79) is less familiar with this predicament and will fail to qualify for only the first time since 2010.

The Tigers have enjoyed a decisive edge against the White Sox in recent years, winning each of the last five season series after each team won eight meetings in 2009. The last year in which Chicago came out on top was with a 12-6 record in 2008.

Detroit owns a 7-5 advantage this year, though it still has some work to do with this series and another three games in Chicago from Oct. 2-4.

The Tigers had a four-game winning streak snapped in Sunday's 10-3 loss to Kansas City, but Victor Martinez recorded his seventh RBI in the last five games. He'll look to continue his prolonged success against the White Sox after posting a 1.043 OPS with 35 RBIs in his last 51 meetings. He's batting .433 in this season's series.

Starting the opener for Chicago will be Jeff Samardzija (9-13, 5.27 ERA), who continues to be abysmal. He gave up a career-high 10 runs along with 11 hits over a career low-matching three-plus innings in Tuesday's 17-6 loss to Oakland, getting battered by the club that acquired him last July.

It's been an all-around disappointing year for the right-hander, who owned a 3.61 ERA over his previous four seasons. His 7.0 strikeouts per nine innings mark his fewest since 2010 when he made only seven appearances.

"It's been tough. It doesn't feel good and it's not what you want," he said.

"I wake up every day looking to compete and have fun and go out there and dominate. That's what I'm here to do and every fifth day I'm going to come up and get ready to pitch, no matter what."

He's 1-1 with a 3.94 ERA in four starts against the Tigers this year after never facing them previously. He has kept things in check against Martinez and Miguel Cabrera, who are a combined 3 for 20 in the matchup.

Rookie Kyle Ryan (2-3, 5.32) gets the nod for Detroit in the first game, making his sixth start of the year and first since July 7. He's 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA as a starter, though he limited Chicago to two runs over seven innings in a 4-3, 11-inning loss June 5.

In Game 2, Erik Johnson (2-0, 3.71) looks to continue his solid run for Chicago in three starts since being called up at the beginning of the month, though he needs to reduce his walks. He's issued eight free passes over 11 innings in his last two outings.

Detroit will counter with Randy Wolf (0-3, 6.48), who has struggled to get through innings. Wolf has completed 4 1-3 or fewer in three consecutive starts after making it through seven in his first two.

Avisail Garcia is hitting just .097 over his last nine games with no RBIs in his last 12, but has driven in 25 runs in 27 career games against the Tigers, for whom he played from 2012-13.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Yankees (82-66) at Blue Jays (85-64)

Game: 1
Venue: Rogers Centre
Date: September 21, 2015 7:07 PM EDT

Coming off back-to-back defeats isn't the way the Toronto Blue Jays envisioned heading into their most critical series of the season.

David Price has made a habit of helping them forget about losses quickly.

Toronto sends Price to the mound Monday night in the opener of a three-game series with the second-place New York Yankees looking to avoid its first three-game skid in nearly 2 1/2 months.

The Blue Jays (85-64) began a stretch of three straight victories when Price (16-5, 2.42 ERA) struck out nine in seven innings of a 9-1 win at Atlanta on Wednesday, but Boston ended that run with wins Saturday and Sunday in Toronto.

They committed a season high-tying three errors in the last defeat after having that many over their previous 14 combined.

'We've been playing outstanding defense, so we were due for a clunker like this,' said pitcher Mark Buehrle, who made a poor relay throw in fourth inning that led to Boston's first run. 'We've just got to come back and be ready for the Yankees.'

Toronto's lead atop the AL East over New York (82-66) shrunk to 2 1/2 games after the Yankees beat the Mets 11-2 later Sunday. The Blue Jays haven't lost three in a row since July 8-10, and having Price on the mound appears to be their best chance to prevent it from happening again.

Price is 7-1 with a 2.17 ERA in nine starts since being acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline. Four of those victories have come immediately following a Toronto loss, and it had dropped two straight before Price beat the Braves last week.

'He did a nice job picking us up after we lost a couple games,' manager John Gibbons said. 'That's what we brought him over for and he's been great.'

The left-hander, who leads the AL in ERA, has gone 2-0 with a 2.33 ERA in three starts against the Yankees since the trade, striking out 20 in 19 1-3 innings. The Blue Jays built a seven-run lead for Price before he exited after five innings of an 11-5 win the last time faced them Sept. 11.

Toronto is 11-5 against the Yankees this season and has a prime chance to extend its division lead before playing its final 10 games against Tampa Bay and Baltimore.

After gaining a game Sunday, New York has an opportunity to leave Canada atop the East. It has won five of seven after Dustin Ackley and Greg Bird hit three-run homers and Jacoby Ellsbury added three hits in Sunday's victory.

'It's huge for us,' said Carlos Beltran, who drove in two runs. 'They're in first place. We're trying to get there.'

Ellsbury is 7 for 16 during a four-game hitting streak after going hitless in 22 at-bats over his previous five. He's batting .429 with a 1.156 OPS, two homers, two triples and two doubles during a 10-game hitting streak at Rogers Centre.

He'll look to extend that run in support of Adam Warren (6-6, 3.33), who gets the nod for his second straight start after allowing two runs in four innings of Tuesday's 6-3 loss to Tampa Bay.

Warren began the season in the Yankees' rotation and made 14 starts before moving to the bullpen at the end of June.

The right-hander hasn't started against the Blue Jays since 2013, but he's pitched 2 1-3 scoreless innings over three relief appearances against them this season. Josh Donaldson is 0 for 6 against Warren in his career.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Orioles (73-76) at Nationals (78-71)

Game: 1
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: September 21, 2015 7:05 PM EDT

After reaching the playoffs last season, the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles both seem highly unlikely to get there again.

The Beltway rivals begin a three-game series Monday night in desperation mode, with the Nationals still well behind in the NL East and the Orioles 5 1-2 games back of the AL's second wild card.

Baltimore (73-76) had its already slim chances further reduced with a difficult loss at Tampa Bay Sunday, with the Rays scoring three runs in the last two innings to rally for a 7-6 victory.

Zach Britton allowed a game-tying homer to Brandon Guyer to begin the bottom of the ninth and later surrendered a triple to Evan Longoria, who scored the deciding run on Kevin Kiermaier's two-out infield hit.

The Orioles fell to 60-2 when leading after eight innings.

'Gloom and doom, we don't do that,' manager Buck Showalter said. 'We're going to try and win the rest of our games and make it tough on everybody.'

Washington (78-71) may have had its fate sealed by a five-game skid from Sept. 7-12 that included three home losses to the first-place New York Mets. The Nationals have won seven of eight since, however, recording 13 hits to support Stephen Strasburg's 10 strikeouts in Sunday's 13-3 rout of Miami.

'Obviously, (the deficit) is there,' Yunel Escobar, who had four hits with four RBIs, said through an interpreter. 'But the less we think about it as a team, the better we have a chance of catching up to (the Mets).'

Tyler Moore added a three-run homer and Bryce Harper went 3 for 4 to raise his MLB-leading average to .343.

Harper is 14 for 27 with five homers and 10 RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak. His 41 homers lead the NL, while Baltimore's Chris Davis hit his MLB-leading 43rd in Sunday's loss and is batting .377 with eight homers and 17 RBIs in September.

Davis is just 1 for 12 with five strikeouts against Gio Gonzalez (11-7, 3.83 ERA), who's done his part to keep Washington in the race by going 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA in three starts this month. The last was one of his best, as the left-hander matched a career high with 12 strikeouts over seven innings in Wednesday's 12-2 win at Philadelphia.

Gonzalez held Baltimore to a run in six innings while exiting with a lead in a 3-2 loss at Camden Yards July 10. He lost his previous four starts against the Orioles and is winless in seven since tossing six scoreless innings with Oakland on Aug. 10, 2009.

Matt Wieters is 10 for 17 with a homer against Gonzalez but is hitting .154 with 22 strikeouts in 63 at-bats since Aug. 21.

Harper has never faced Ubaldo Jimenez (11-9, 4.31), who's 5-1 with a 2.61 ERA in seven starts against Washington and 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA in four at Nationals Park. He hasn't opposed them since July 2011 with Colorado, however.

Jimenez yielded four earned runs over 12 2-3 innings in consecutive road wins over Toronto and the New York Yankees before permitting four in five innings without receiving a decision against Boston Tuesday.

Escobar, hitting .431 with 13 runs scored over his last 12 games, is 8 for 21 with a homer against Jimenez.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Braves (60-90) at Mets (84-65)

Game: 1
Venue: Citi Field
Date: September 21, 2015 7:10 PM EDT

The New York Mets likely are headed to the playoffs for the first time in nine years, and all signs point to Jonathan Niese being the odd man out when manager Terry Collins trims the rotation.

Niese has a couple more auditions left to make his case, including Monday night when the Mets open a three-game series with the visiting Atlanta Braves.

New York (84-65) holds a six-game lead over Washington atop the NL East despite having dropped four of five after Sunday's 11-2 loss to the Yankees. Barring a collapse, the Mets will make their first postseason appearance since 2006.

Clubs usually go with a shortened rotation in the playoffs, and Niese (8-10, 4.31 ERA) more than likely won't be a part of it with Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Bartolo Colon expected to have spots.

Niese didn't do himself any favors by posting a 10.53 ERA over his previous four starts, but he bounced back by allowing two earned runs in six innings of a 10-7, 10-inning win over the Braves on Sept. 13.

"He certainly had much better command and made pitches when he had to," Collins said. "Hopefully that is what you're going to see from him the rest of the way."

The left-hander is 2-1 with a 2.53 ERA in five career starts when pitching on at least six days' rest and has a 2.04 ERA in three starts against Atlanta this season.

The Braves (60-90), though, are coming off a weekend sweep of Philadelphia after three consecutive 2-1 wins. A.J. Pierzynski singled home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth Sunday after Julio Teheran was solid for 8 1-3.

Atlanta hasn't won four straight since July 1-4.

"To win a game like that is good," said Pierzynski, who entered in the ninth for the injured Christian Bethancourt. "Winning another (one-run game), especially after the way Julio pitched (and) the way we did it is fun."

Nothing has been entertaining about Shelby Miller's 22-start winless streak, the longest in history for a pitcher who was named an All-Star during the season.

Miller (5-15, 3.00), who last won May 17, has lost six straight starts with a 5.56 ERA after Toronto tagged him for five runs in a season-low 3 2-3 innings of Wednesday's 9-1 defeat. If the right-hander can maintain or improve his current ERA, he'll become the first pitcher since Melido Perez, Jim Abbott and Tom Candiotti in 1992 to finish with at least 15 losses despite an ERA of 3.00 or better.

'It's got to be tough for a young man to go through what he's going through,' manager Fredi Gonzalez said of Miller, whose 2.37 run-support average is the worst in baseball. 'I think if he keeps his nose to the grindstone, he'll be a better person, a better pitcher at the end of it.'

Miller has faced the Mets twice this season, allowing three runs in a Braves win June 13 and in a loss Sept. 10. Lucas Duda is 4 for 10 with a homer and a double lifetime off Miller.

It's unclear if Juan Uribe, acquired from the Braves on July 24, will be in the lineup for the Mets after leaving Sunday's game with a bruised chest suffered when he made a diving play in the fifth inning.

New York swept a four-game series in Atlanta when the clubs last faced each other Sept. 10-13. The Mets have won five of the six matchups at Citi Field.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rays (72-77) at Red Sox (71-77)

Game: 1
Venue: Fenway Park
Date: September 21, 2015 7:10 PM EDT

David Ortiz is sure to receive quite an ovation when the Boston Red Sox begin their final homestand of the season.

The newest member of the 500 home run club returns to Fenway Park for the first time since achieving the feat as the Red Sox open a four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Ortiz hit career homers No. 499, 500 and 501 during a 5-4 road trip which Boston (71-77) finished with two straight wins against AL East-leading Toronto. Rich Hill struck out 10 in seven innings for his first win since July 2013 in Sunday's finale, while Jackie Bradley Jr. snapped a tie in the eighth with a sacrifice fly in the 4-3 victory.

Ortiz is 9 for 23 with two homers off Chris Archer (12-12, 2.95 ERA), who's had trouble with several Boston hitters while struggling to find success in the series.

Archer is 1-6 with a 5.47 ERA in 10 career meetings with the Red Sox and owns a 7.71 ERA in two at Fenway. Two of those losses came in three starts at Tropicana Field this season.

Xander Bogaerts is 4 for 6 against Archer in 2015 and Pablo Sandoval 3 for 7 with a homer, though the Tampa ace has handled Dustin Pedroia (3 for 18) and Brock Holt (3 for 17) well over his career.

Archer has had a difficult September as well, dropping to 0-2 with a 4.32 ERA in three starts despite fanning seven and allowing two runs over six innings in Wednesday's 3-1 defeat to the New York Yankees.

Tampa Bay (72-77) does come in with momentum after rallying for a 7-6 win Sunday against Baltimore to split a four-game set. Brandon Guyer tied it with a leadoff homer in the ninth before Evan Longoria tripled and scored on Kevin Kiermaier's two-out single.

The Rays entered the game 1-62 when trailing after eight innings.

"That's my first walk-off hit in the big leagues and it couldn't have come at a better time," Kiermaier told MLB's official website. "Credit to all our hitters before me with all those great at-bats."

Longoria finished 3 for 5 after going 2 for 28 over his previous seven games, with Logan Forsythe and Kiermaier also breaking out of slumps. Forsythe ended a 4-for-25 stretch with two hits, including a three-run homer, while Kiermaier was 1 for 15 in five games before a two-hit effort.

Mikie Mahtook had five hits in Friday's 8-6 win and is batting .405 since Sept. 6.

The Rays collected 14 hits Sunday but may have a tougher time against Eduardo Rodriguez (9-6, 3.94), who's 5-0 with a 2.19 ERA in eight home starts since losing to Baltimore on June 25.

Rodriguez has posted a 1.72 ERA in his last five overall starts and won three straight decisions prior to a 2-0 defeat Tuesday against the Orioles in which the rookie fanned a career-high nine and allowed one run in 5 1-3 innings.

"He's gonna be great," Ortiz told MLB's official website. "He's a kid that works really hard to keep on learning about pitching. I think he has a great future. He has explosive stuff. He has learned pretty much how to locate pitches better."

Rodriguez, who's slated to make one more start after this one and has already logged a career-high 158 innings, permitted three runs across five innings in his lone outing against the Rays on July 31 at Fenway Park.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Brewers (63-86) at Cubs (87-62)

Game: 1
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: September 21, 2015 8:05 PM EDT

The Chicago Cubs' overall winning streak came to an end a game shy of sweeping the top team in baseball, but another one could begin if they're able to keep a run against the Milwaukee Brewers going.

The Cubs will try for an eighth straight win in the series Monday night as the clubs begin a three-game series at Wrigley Field.

After the Cubs (87-62) won the first two games against St. Louis over the weekend to extend their streak to five, the Cardinals won 4-3 Sunday to pull back to six games ahead of Chicago.

Pittsburgh won to extend its lead to two games over the Cubs for the top wild card, but Chicago manager Joe Maddon has the bigger picture in mind with all three NL Central clubs having all but secured playoff spots. The Cardinals and Pirates have the top two records in baseball and the Cubs are tied with Kansas City for third.

"I could not be more proud of our guys," said Maddon, whose team has seven games remaining on a 10-game homestand with Pittsburgh coming to town Friday. "It's obvious we're playing on the same level as they are right now."

His team's second-half surge has been highlighted by a 19-5 home record dating to July 29 while scoring 6.0 runs per game.

Chicago lost the first two series against the Brewers but has since won seven straight with some impressive pitching, posting a 1.83 ERA and .203 opponent batting average. Jason Hammel has struggled lately but been in line with those numbers against the Brewers.

In eight starts since the start of August, Hammel (8-6, 3.73 ERA) is 2-1 with a 5.59 ERA and three starts in which he failed to make it beyond four innings. The right-hander gave up four runs and five hits in 3 2-3 innings of Tuesday's 5-4 loss in Pittsburgh and wasn't making any excuses.

"There were too many uncompetitive pitches today," Hammel told MLB's official website. "It was unacceptable."

The only outing among the eight in which he hasn't allowed more than a run was a 10-inning 3-2 win over Milwaukee on Aug. 12 as Hammel surrendered a run and four hits in 5 2-3 innings. He's 7-0 with a 2.13 ERA in 10 career starts against the Brewers and 4-0 with a 1.64 mark in six starts against them while with the Cubs.

Jean Segura is 1 for 12 against Hammel, but Ryan Braun (8 for 23) and Adam Lind (7 for 27) have both homered off him twice.

Milwaukee (63-86) ended an eight-game losing streak with Sunday's 8-4 home win over Cincinnati. Lind was 3 for 4 with three RBIs and is 7 for 12 in his last four games, while Braun has missed two games with a bad back.

The Brewers are a half game back of the Reds for fourth place in the Central, which isn't the kind of September race Lind had in mind when signing with the club.

"It wasn't what I was hoping for coming over, but you've got to make the best of the situation," he said. "I guess we aren't going to have a hundred losses, so that's kind of a big deal, I guess."

Over the nine-game span, the starting rotation has a 7.34 ERA, which in part falls on Wily Peralta.

Peralta (5-9, 4.41), a 17-game winner a season ago, gave up five runs and six hits in four innings of Wednesday's 5-4 home loss to St. Louis. The right-hander is 2-2 with a 5.40 ERA in his last six starts and 1-4 with a 3.94 mark in his last five against the Cubs.

Anthony Rizzo (12 for 26 with five home runs) and Starlin Castro (12 for 27 with two homers) have hit him best.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Angels (76-73) at Astros (79-71)

Game: 1
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Date: September 21, 2015 8:10 PM EDT

The playoff picture remains hazy for the three contending teams in the AL West with only two more weeks of regular-season baseball left.

A three-game series between the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels beginning Monday night at Minute Maid Park might help provide some clarity.

Texas leads the division by 1 1/2 games over Houston (79-71), which is 2 1/2 ahead of Los Angeles (76-73) for the league's second wild-card spot. The Angels also must fight off Minnesota, which owns the same record.

A five-game losing streak last week cost the Astros first place in the division, but they seem to be back on track with 10-6 and 5-1 victories against Oakland over the weekend. Colby Rasmus homered twice and George Springer also went deep Sunday, while the Rangers lost for the second time in three days against Seattle.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles fell 8-1 at Minnesota, taking a step back after winning the series' first three games, including a doubleheader sweep Saturday.

"We're neck and neck going into the playoff race. That's what makes today so frustrating," pitcher Matt Shoemaker said. "We win today, we're obviously in a better position, a four-game sweep on top of that."

"We know that we control our own fate from here on out with the teams that we play from here until the rest of the season," pitcher Garrett Richards told MLB's official website.

Houston leads the season series 9-7, though the Angels took two of three at home Sept. 11-13.

Dallas Keuchel (17-8, 2.56 ERA) was a loser in the opener of that series, giving up three unearned runs over six innings in the 3-2 defeat, but he was much worse his last time out. He surrendered a career-high nine runs on 11 hits, including three homers, over a season-low 4 2-3 innings in Wednesday's 14-3 loss at Texas.

"They ambushed him early, and it seemed like every ground ball found a hole, every ball in the air went to the wall or out of the park, which is unusual for Dallas," manager A.J. Hinch said.

Keuchel, who conceded the lead in the AL ERA race to David Price (2.42), is still trying to become Houston's first 18-game winner since Roy Oswalt went 20-12 in 2005. One thing that could help is being back at Minute Maid Park, where he's won a club-record 15 in a row and is 13-0 with a 1.49 ERA in 16 outings this year.

Conversely, Jered Weaver (7-11, 4.74) is trying to end his road funk. He's 1-6 with a 7.40 ERA in his previous seven away starts, though he was successful in his last trip to Houston, yielding two runs over six innings in a 6-3 victory April 17. He's also won two home matchups with Houston since, including his lone complete game this year May 8.

Weaver was ejected from his last start Wednesday after hitting Kyle Seager, whom he had exchanged words with moments earlier. The right-hander said it was a result of his continued control issues, however.

"I've hit more guys in one year than I have in my entire career this year, so the control has not be as good as it has been in the past," he told MLB's official website. "Hence the five ERA."

Jose Altuve is batting .392 over his last 17 home games and .349 overall in the season series.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Reds (63-85) at Cardinals (93-56)

Game: 1
Venue: Busch Stadium
Date: September 21, 2015 8:15 PM EDT

The St. Louis Cardinals are in position to finish with the NL's best record for the second time in three years, but they may have trouble on their hands - or more specifically, on Yadier Molina's thumb.

St. Louis hopes to learn good news regarding Molina's latest injury ahead of Monday night's series opener against the visiting Cincinnati Reds.

The Cardinals (93-56) are the only team to have already clinched a playoff spot and own a four-game lead in the NL Central over Pittsburgh, which has baseball's second-best record. St. Louis avoided a sweep by the Chicago Cubs on Sunday with a 4-3 victory, but the mood surrounding the club isn't exactly cheerful as it returns home from a 5-5 trip.

Molina sprained his left thumb tagging out Anthony Rizzo on a sac fly attempt in the eighth and is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday. The 12th-year catcher is batting .270 with 61 RBIs - ranked third on the team - and the Cardinals are 5-8 when he doesn't play.

"I'm concerned," manager Mike Matheny said. "We're anxious to hear what the doctor is going to report."

St. Louis has dropped six of nine in this season series after winning six of the first seven meetings, and is hoping to flip the results of a pitching rematch from Sept. 10.

Six runs allowed over 4 1-3 innings in that 11-0 Cincinnati victory were both season worsts for Jaime Garcia (9-5, 2.52 ERA).

He looked better his last time out Wednesday at Milwaukee, though his numbers didn't necessarily reflect that due to a big inning. He allowed four runs - all in the fourth, including a three-run homer - over 6 1-3 innings in the 5-4 victory.

"I was able to stay in the game," he said. "That really didn't affect me mentally or physically. I was able to continue to make pitches just as if nothing happened. It was just a mistake, and I paid for it."

Garcia also lost to the Reds at home July 28, giving up three runs over six innings in a 4-0 defeat. Prior to this year, he had been 10-2 with a 2.97 ERA in 14 career starts against Cincinnati.

The left-hander is 4-2 with a 1.84 ERA in eight starts at Busch Stadium this season.

Cincinnati's John Lamb (1-3, 5.35) has been shaky through his first seven career starts and comes off the shortest one yet, giving up three runs over four innings in a 9-8, 10-inning win at San Francisco on Tuesday. He limited the Cardinals to three hits over five innings in his last matchup, though he also walked six.

The Reds (63-85) have split the first six of this trip after stops in San Francisco and Milwaukee. Their starting pitching continues to be terrible with the rotation posting a 6.35 ERA over the last seven games. Anthony DeSclafani turned in the latest letdown, giving up five runs over 4 1-3 innings in an 8-4 loss to Milwaukee on Sunday.

Joey Votto has been locked in against Garcia this year, going 4 for 4 with a home run, double and two walks. He's hitting .227 over his last eight games but still owns a .486 on-base percentage in that span, largely thanks to 12 walks.

He walked twice Sunday to push his season total to 135 and match his own team record and has reached base in 37 straight games, four shy of his career high.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Pirates (89-60) at Rockies (63-86)

Game: 1
Venue: Coors Field
Date: September 21, 2015 8:40 PM EDT

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a win away from their second 90-win season in three years after going 20 in a row without reaching that mark. Overcoming their drought of division titles has been more difficult, but it's still not out of the question.

The Pirates enter the second-to-last week of the season four games back, and while they don't play the NL Central leaders for another week, a four-game series in Colorado beginning Monday night could help them trim the gap before then.

After Sunday's 4-3 road win, Pittsburgh (89-56) took two of three against the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend to gain a game on St. Louis in the division and remain two ahead of the Chicago Cubs for the top wild card.

The Pirates, who haven't won a division title since 1992, also won two of three at home over the Rockies from Aug. 28-30, but former Rockies manager Clint Hurdle is 5-7 at Coors Field dating to his first season with Pittsburgh in 2011.

"What we've done in the past has no influence on what we do now. But it has been challenging," Hurdle told MLB's official website.

The club's magic number to clinch a playoff spot is three, so Hurdle could wrap up a postseason spot at the ballpark in which he managed a World Series.

Road wins haven't been hard to come by at Coors, though the Rockies (63-86) did take two of three there from San Diego over the weekend. It was their first home series win in their last seven while going 9-14 since the start of August.

Pittsburgh begins the series by handing the ball to A.J. Burnett, who hasn't earned a decision in two starts since returning from six weeks on the disabled list with elbow inflammation.

The Pirates have lost his last four starts with the right-hander going 0-2 with a 7.52 ERA. Burnett (8-5, 3.15 ERA) hasn't made it through six innings in any of them after completing at least six in his previous eight starts.

He gave up two runs and eight hits in 5 1-3 innings of Wednesday's 3-2 home loss to the Cubs and recognizes there's still progress to make.

"I need to throw more first strikes to certain hitters," Burnett said. "But, otherwise, I'm getting there. I threw some good pitches."

Burnett hasn't faced the Rockies since 2013 and is 3-4 with a 3.18 ERA in seven starts against them. In two outings at Coors, though, he's allowed 11 runs in 12 1-3 innings. The veteran has held Jose Reyes to a 5-for-27 showing in their matchups, but the shortstop is batting .345 in 20 games in Colorado since being acquired from Toronto on July 27.

The Rockies counter with Jon Gray, who's still after his first major league win. Gray (0-1, 5.00) suffered his first loss in last Monday's 4-1 defeat against the Dodgers. The rookie gave up two runs and six hits with a personal-best eight strikeouts in 4 2-3 innings while throwing a season-high 92 pitches.

"I saw explosive fastballs," manager Walt Weiss said. "And his secondary stuff was good. He threw some sliders, some good changeups. That's a tough lineup to get through. He did a real nice job keeping us in position to win that game."

The right-hander also failed to make it five innings in a 5-3 loss in Pittsburgh on Aug. 28, surrendering three runs and seven hits in 4 1-3 innings with Andrew McCutchen going 2 for 2 and Gregory Polanco 2 for 3.

At Coors, Gray has a 7.88 ERA and .391 opponent batting average in four starts.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Diamondbacks (71-78) at Dodgers (85-63)

Game: 1
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: September 21, 2015 10:10 PM EDT

From 2011-14, Brett Anderson won nine games as injuries drastically slowed a promising career. Healthy and approaching career highs in starts and innings pitched, he is in a position to pass that four-season win total in his first year in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers left-hander can win 10 games in a season for the first time since his rookie year Monday night in the opener of a four-game series with the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.

Anderson (9-8, 3.35 ERA) went 11-11 in 175 1-3 innings over 30 starts in his 2009 rookie season with Oakland. He's entering his 29th start this season at 164 innings, and he's not showing signs of fatigue with a 2-0 record and 2.31 ERA in his last four outings.

The 27-year-old gave up three runs - two earned - and seven hits with seven strikeouts in six innings of Tuesday's 5-4 home loss to Colorado in 16 innings.

He's faced Arizona, the club that drafted him in 2006, four times this season, going 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA, but Paul Goldschmidt is 7 for 13 with two home runs off him.

Anderson will be trying to help the Dodgers (85-63) avoid matching a season-high three-game home losing streak after dropping the last two of a three-game series with Pittsburgh. With a .685 home winning percentage, they're still on pace to pass 1980 (55-27) for their best home record since moving from Brooklyn in 1958.

After Sunday's 4-3 loss, though, Los Angeles is batting .215 in its last four games with Chase Utley in a 2-for-20 slump.

Adrian Gonzalez and Justin Turner were both out of the lineup Sunday, and Turner figures to remain out at the beginning of this series because of a sore left knee. Manager Don Mattingly said they plan to be cautious with their third baseman, but it's no excuse for the lineup to stop producing.

"It is what it is, but you still have to go out and find a way to win games," Mattingly told MLB's official website. "It's not the lineup we envisioned but just go play."

The Dodgers have taken 11 of 15 in the season series, including all six at Dodger Stadium as part of a nine-game home winning streak over Arizona. Over the last two seasons, they're 26-8 against the Diamondbacks (71-78).

While Los Angeles leads San Francisco by 7 1/2 games and has about assured itself a postseason spot, Arizona was officially eliminated with Sunday's 5-1 loss in San Francisco. The Diamondbacks still took two of three in the series.

"We're concentrating on playing good baseball," A.J. Pollock said. "I haven't looked at the standings in a really long time."

They've been in decent hands with Jhoulys Chacin on the mound. Chacin (0-1, 2.95), who signed a minor league deal in June, has made three starts since being called up on Sept. 8. The right-hander gave up two runs and four hits in five innings of Tuesday's 6-4 home win over San Diego and is making a case for 2016 rotation consideration.

"Jhoulys was great and put us in a good position to win that game," said closer Brad Ziegler, who has converted 25 straight save chances for the longest active streak in the majors.

Chacin, who has pitched in the NL West his entire career, is 3-3 with a 6.02 ERA in his last eight starts against the Dodgers. Carl Crawford (5 for 6), Andre Ethier (13 for 31) and A.J. Ellis (7 for 17 with a home run) have hit him well.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB roundup: Morales hits 3 homers in Royals' win
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

DETROIT -- Kendrys Morales hit three solo home runs plus a triple to set a club record for total bases in a game as the Kansas City Royals overpowered the Detroit Tigers 10-3 Sunday.

Paulo Orlando added a two-run shot to help Kansas City move one step closer to the American League Central Division title.

The Royals drummed Alfredo Simon (13-10) for 13 hits in 4 1/3 innings as they edged the Tigers in the season series, 10-9.

Morales hit his 19th home run leading off the three-run third, belted his 20th with nobody on and two out in the fifth and clubbed his 21st to open the eighth. He now has 105 RBIs.

Morales added a triple in the sixth and his 15 total bases in the game set a Kansas City club record. His first career three-home run game was the Royals' first since Danny Tartabull on July 6, 1991.

Christian Colon had his first career four-hit game as part of Kansas City's 19-hit attack.

Nationals 13, Marlins 3

WASHINGTON -- Yunel Escobar went 4-for-4 with four RBIs and three runs and Bryce Harper had three hits, a walk and scored three times in the Nationals' rout.

Stephen Strasburg benefited from the offensive explosion as he improved to 10-7 while allowing two runs (one earned) and six hits with 10 strikeouts in seven innings. He has now struck out 37 batters in his last three starts to set a Nationals franchise record.

The Nationals (78-71), who won the last three games of the four-game series, momentarily pulled to within 6 1/2 games of the first-place New York Mets, who face the Yankees on Sunday night.

Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 3

TORONTO -- Rich Hill struck out 10 in seven innings, and Jackie Bradley Jr. hit the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the eighth to lead Boston.

The Red Sox (71-77) won the rubber match of the three-game series and also took the season series with the Blue Jays 10-9.

The Blue Jays (85-64) entered the game with a 3 1/2-game lead over the second-place New York Yankees in the American League East.

Hill (1-0) allowed seven hits, no walks and three runs. The left-hander was making his second start of the season for Boston after spending the season in Triple-A. One of the hits was a homer by Blue Jays catcher Dioner Navarro.

Yankees 11, Mets 2

NEW YORK -- New York Mets right-hander Matt Harvey was pulled after five innings despite working on a one-hit shutout, and the New York Yankees scored five runs in the sixth inning on their way to a win in the Subway Series finale.

Dustin Ackley's three-run homer capped the outburst by the Yankees, who won the final two games of the series.

Harvey, making his first start since Sept. 10 and his second since agent Scott Boras declared the Mets would imperil the right-hander if they allowed him to throw more than 180 innings in his first season following Tommy John surgery, allowed just a third-inning infield single by Brett Gardner. He walked one while striking out seven.

Braves 2, Phillies 1

ATLANTA -- A.J. Pierzynski singled in the winning run in the ninth inning to give the Braves a sweep of the three-game series.

The Braves wasted an outstanding effort from Julio Teheran. He pitched 8 1/3 innings and allowed one run on five hits, with eight strikeouts and one walk.

The Phillies didn't get their first hit until Freddy Galvis led off the seventh inning with a sharp single up the middle.

Indians 6, White Sox 3

CLEVELAND -- Josh Tomlin pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings and Lonnie Chisenhall homered, doubled, and drove in three runs for Cleveland.

Tomlin (6-2) matched his season-high with eight strikeouts as the Indians won two of the three games in the series. Right-hander Cody Allen pitched the ninth inning to pick up his 31st save.

Rays 7, Orioles 6

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Evan Longoria scored on an infield single by Kevin Kiermaier to cap a ninth-inning rally that gave Tampa Bay the win.

Baltimore led 6-5 going into the bottom of the ninth when pinch hitter Brandon Guyer hit a game-tying solo home run on the first pitch of the inning by Orioles closer Zach Britton to tie the game.

With the bases loaded, Kiermaier hit a slow chopper to second on an 0-2 pitch and beat out the throw to first, with Longoria scoring from third.

Astros 5, Athletics 1

HOUSTON -- George Springer belted a tiebreaking, two-run home run in the fifth inning and Collin McHugh worked eight strong innings as the Astros won the rubber match of the three-game series.

Springer lined a 2-2 slider from Aaron Brooks for his 14th home run of the season and first since returning from a two-plus month stay on the disabled list on Sept. 4.

McHugh (17-7) bounced back from a rough outing last week against the Rangers, limiting Oakland to one run on four hits and two walks while notching eight strikeouts.

Brewers 8, Reds 4

MILWAUKEE -- The Reds flashed some power, hitting three home runs -- two of them from Jay Bruce -- but Milwaukee used the small-ball approach to win the game and end an eight-game losing streak.

The Brewers collected 13 hits, 11 of them singles, and also took advantage of three Cincinnati errors to avoid a series sweep.

Eight of those hits came in the fifth inning, as the Brewers scored five to erase a 2-0 Cincinnati lead.

Twins 8, Angels 1

MINNEAPOLIS -- Torii Hunter, Eddie Rosario and Joe Mauer hit home runs to help Minnesota snap a five-game losing streak.

The win pulled Minnesota (76-73) even with Los Angeles (76-73) in the American League wild card race, though both teams are still on the outside looking in. The Astros, who won Sunday against Oakland, remain ahead of both. The New York Yankees currently hold the top wild card spot.

Twins rookie Tyler Duffey tossed seven scoreless innings and allowed just three hits while striking out seven to improve to 4-1.

Mariners 9, Rangers 2

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Felix Hernandez allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings to continue his mastery over Texas.

Hernandez (18-9) is 5-0 against Texas in five starts this season, becoming just the fifth pitcher to beat the Rangers at least five times in a season. Hernandez allowed four hits before leaving the game as a precaution with a stiff right elbow. He's expected to make his next start after striking out five and walking five.

The loss cut the Texas lead over Houston in the American League West to 1 1/2 games.

The Mariners gave Hernandez all the run support he needed when they blew open a 2-2 game with six runs in the fifth inning.

Cardinals 4, Cubs 3

CHICAGO -- Tommy Pham and Stephen Piscotty homered as the Cardinals held on to end Chicago's five-game winning streak.

The Cubs pulled to within one when Tommy La Stella drew a bases-loaded walk against Jonathan Broxton in the eighth. Right fielder Jason Heyward then caught Addison Russell's fly ball and threw out Anthony Rizzo at the plate to prevent the tying run.

Starlin Castro singled to start the Cubs ninth before he was caught stealing. Trevor Rosenthal then got a strikeout and groundout to earn his 46th save.

Pirates 4, Dodgers 3

LOS ANGELES -- Starling Marte and Pedro Alvarez hit solo home runs to lead the Pirates.

The Pirates increased their lead over the Chicago Cubs in the National League's wild-card race to two games while staying within four games of the first-place St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central. The Dodgers' magic number to secure their third consecutive National League West championship remains seven games.

Right-hander Gerrit Cole (17-8) conceded six hits, three runs and no walks while amassing nine strikeouts, one less than his season high, in seven innings. Mark Melancon earned his 48th save, the most in the major leagues.

Giants 5, Diamondbacks 1

SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco finally broke through against the Arizona pitching staff, ending a 35-inning scoreless drought with a four-run sixth inning that featured a home run by Buster Posey.

Tim Hudson combined with three relievers on a six-hitter as the Giants salvaged one game against the Diamondbacks after having been shut out 2-0 and 6-0 to open the three-game series.

In fact, the Giants had not scored at home against the Diamondbacks since the sixth inning of their meeting on June 13.

Padres 10, Rockies 4

DENVER -- The Padres belted four home runs off Colorado starter Kyle Kendrick and scored in each of the first six innings.

The Padres teed off on Kendrick (6-13), who gave up a career-high four home runs in four innings, bringing his total for the season to a major-league-leading 32 in 131 1/3 innings.

By contrast, Padres starter James Shields (13-6) was masterful. After giving up a leadoff homer to Charlie Blackmon in the first, Shields retired 19 of the next 21 batters he faced.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Indians entering crunch time
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

CLEVELAND -- After an off-day Monday, the Cleveland Indians will officially enter crunch time. The Indians are clinging to contention in the race for the second wild card spot in the American League. They are competing with three other teams for that second wild card spot.

One of those three teams is the Minnesota Twins. Seven of the Indians' 14 remaining games are against the Twins. Starting Tuesday, the Indians will begin a three-game series in Minnesota. The Twins and Indians will also play a four-game series in Cleveland starting Sept. 28.

The good news for the Indians is they have seven games left with Minnesota in order to gain ground on the Twins in the wild card race. The bad news for the Indians is they haven't played very well against the Twins. Minnesota leads the season series 7-5.

Indians manager Terry Francona says he is looking forward to the seven upcoming games with Minnesota. "Because of how we played earlier in the season we have to make up ground," Francona said. "They are a good team and they are going to be difficult to play. But on the other hand, it's guaranteed that if you win you make up ground on them."

Cleveland will start Danny Salazar, Corey Kluber, and Cody Anderson, in order, in the three-game series in Minnesota, where the Indians have lost four of the six games they have played this season.

"It's going to be fun to play them. We've just got to take it as it comes and keep playing well," said Francona.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Yankees' Tanaka to miss start with hamstring injury
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

NEW YORK -- The good news the New York Yankees received prior to arriving at Citi Field on Sunday afternoon was cancelled out by the bad news manager Joe Girardi delivered at the opening of his pre-game press conference.

Girardi said right-handed pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, who was scheduled to start Wednesday in the finale of a three-game showdown against the American League East-leading Toronto Blue Jays, will miss that start due to a Grade 1 right hamstring strain suffered while trying to leg out a bunt in the second inning against the New York Mets on Friday night.

"You get concerned whenever your pitcher has to hit," Girardi said. "You do whatever you can to try to prepare them and something that you can't prepare for is that sudden burst that you have to make."

Tanaka pitched the final five innings Friday with the injury and said he tried convincing Girardi to let him start Wednesday. Girardi, meanwhile, said he was hopeful Tanaka -- who is 12-7 with a 3.38 ERA and would likely start a wild card game or Game One of an American League Division Series for the Yankees -- would miss just one start.

Still, the Yankees are playing to close the gap on the Blue Jays on Wednesday in a pivotal game, and they will do so with right-hander Ivan Nova on the mound.

"You have an opportunity to pick up a game," Girardi said prior to the game against the Mets on Sunday. "Going in there two behind sounds better than three, that's for sure, when you start talking about the loss column. So yeah, it's encouraging for us."

Nova is 6-8 with a 5.11 ERA and hasn't pitched since he lost his spot in the rotation Sept. 12. Sending him to the mound in a must-win game is something less than encouraging for Girardi. The manager offered up his usual optimistic spin by noting Nova pitched well at the Rogers Centre on Aug. 14, when he gave up three runs over a season-high seven innings and earned the win in the Yankees' 4-3 victory.

"You look at what he did up there, he threw a pretty good game," Girardi said. "He did not throw a good game against them at our place. But he's been through it before.

"He understands and I think he's looking forward to the challenge."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Astros' Springer finding game after injury spell
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

HOUSTON -- With the Houston Astros locked in a competitive pennant chase with the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels, right fielder George Springer didn't get the opportunity to ease his way back into the lineup following his two-plus-month stay on the disabled list, a stint that concluded on Sept. 4.

Not surprisingly, Springer had showcased a bit of rust, posting a line of .236/.317/.291 with just two extra-base hits in 14 games this month before recording his first home run since June 30, a two-run shot off Oakland Athletics right-hander Aaron Brooks that proved to be the game winner in the Astros' 5-1 victory on Sunday.

"Every hit counts," Springer said. "Every run counts. Any way I can get somebody home, that's obviously the goal.

"It's not really about the date of the home run. It was obviously a big spot in the game to take the lead. I was able to propel today, and I'm happy about it."

Injuries have marred Springer's first two seasons in the big leagues. He sat out the final two months of his rookie campaign after posting 20 home runs and 51 RBIs in the 78 games following his debut on April 16, 2014. This season he was showcasing exceptional strike zone discipline, producing a .387 on-base percentage in June as the Astros' leadoff hitter. One pitch from Royals right-hander Edinson Volquez on July 1 stalled that momentum, with Springer suffering a right wrist fracture that landed him on the 15-day disabled list for 53 games.

Springer is such a multi-faceted threat that his contributions are not limited solely to power, but home runs are central to his game.

"I think we see him getting back to being the George Springer that can contribute in every facet of the game," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "We want him to be productive whether that's run scoring or run prevention and he's doing that. He's doing it at a time where he really had no choice but to get ramped up very, very quickly after missing a lot of time. I'm impressed with how he's maintained his pace of play and his composure during the hottest of moments."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Streaks, Tips, Notes

Los Angeles Angels at Houston Astros September 21, 8:10 EST

Houston Astros with just 3 wins the past 10 on the diamond should feel pretty good about chances when they send Dallas Keuchel to to the mound in the opener of this three game series with Halos. Keuchel has been flawless at Minute Maid Park posting a 13-0 record, 1.49 ERA with Stros 14-2 in his 16 home starts. Helping Astros cause, Halos have lost 5 straight in Houston and enter 1-6 last seven road starts with Jered Weaver on the hill.


Atlanta Braves at N.Y. Mets September 21, 7:10 EST

At this point, Shelby Miller of the Atlanta Braves has to be wondering if he will ever record another win this season. Miller hasn’t won a start in twenty-two attempts going 0-14 with Braves 3-19 over the span. Miller takes the bump at Citi Field Monday evening against NY Mets with lefty Jon Niese on the hill. Braves 8-16 opening a series in enemy territory, 4-9 on the road vs a southpaw starter, 5-1 last six meetings in Mets back yard have been pegged +$1.80 underdogs.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Monday's 6-pack

Westgate Super Contest (1,727 entrants-- prize pool is $2.5M)
six most popular picks in Week 1 season record: 5-2

6) Rams 411-- Trap game after win over Seahawks- L

5) Titans 414-- Not a lot of faith in Johnny Manziel- L

4) Cardinals 428-- Arizona covered last six road openers- W.

3) Ravens 476-- Not a lot of faith in the Raiders. L

2) Bengals 499-- Not really sure why on this one. W

1) Steelers 608-- Long travel, short work week for 49ers. W (3-3, 8-5)

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'Monday Night Football'

Andrew Luck and the Colts stumbled in the opener at Buffalo so there is immediate pressure to perform on the Monday night stage. Teams that lost their season opener on the road then return to the comfort of home field usually bounce back. Over the past three years teams in this scenario are a sharp 17-7 SU with a sterling 14-9-1 ATS record at the betting window. Add to those number Colts 12-3 ATS off a loss with Andrew Luck taking snaps, 4-2 last six under Monday Night light's, Jets on a 3-6-2 ATS skid as road dogs, 8-15-2 ATS the the past 25 taking points in enemy territory the numbers point towards Colts grabbing the cash. According to MyBookie.ag Colts are 7.0 point favorite in this Monday Night tilt at Lucas Oil Stadium.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Dave Cokin

Bonus Play Monday

ORIOLES (Jimenez) @ NATIONALS (Gonzalez) 7:05 PM

Take: NATIONALS -142

Turn back the clock a few months, and the upcoming series between the Orioles and Nationals looked as though it would be top of the marquee stuff. Baltimore came into the campaign primed for a second straight post-season appearance. Washington was the pre-season favorite to win it all and their presence in the playoffs seemed to be a foregone conclusion.

The beauty of sports is that just because it’s supposed to happen doesn’t mean it will. The bad news from a fan standpoint is that what was supposed to be a huge late season Beltway Brawl now means next to nothing aside from regional pride. I will resist the temptation to go on a rant as to why these two franchises are where they are this season. At this point, that would just be piling on and I don’t want to be accused of hitting below the beltway.

So I’ll just concentrate on tonight’s game. Ubaldo Jimenez takes on Gio Gonzalez, and while each of these pitchers falls squarely into the erratic category, there isn’t much question that the Nats lefty is flashing the better current form.

Washington is playing the better ball right now. In fact, I guess they’re still alive in the NL East. A six-game deficit with 13 games remaining is technically not insurmountable. But with the Mets about to spend an entire week facing the Braves and Reds, the playoff hopes for the Nats are on life support, and that would only be from the perspective of an eternal optimist.

At least that current form for the Nationals could be helpful tonight. Soon to be MVP Bryce Harper continues to amaze and he’s actually getting some offensive support from his pals. The Orioles have been a really bad road team all season. While the overall ledger will fall well below expectations, the Nationals have actually been a solid host, and a win tonight would push them to .600 for the season in home games.

Factoring in the team data along with the Jimenez/Gonxalez comparison, and I believe a case can be made that this number is actually a little on the cheap side. I made this Washington -165, so laying nearly a quarter less that is pretty palatable. I’ll side with the Nationals tonight.