Saturday 6/18/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: White Sox (33-34) at Indians (36-30)

Game: 2
Venue: Progressive Field
Date: June 18, 2016 6:10 PM EDT

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians will continue their three-game series with the Chicago White Sox on Saturday at Progressive Field. The Indians won the first game of the series 3-2 on a walk-off home run by Carlos Santana leading off the bottom of the ninth.

That wasn't the only good news for the Indians. They also got a good inning of work from slumping eighth inning setup man Bryan Shaw, who has really struggled in recent outings. Shaw pitched a scoreless eighth inning and was credited with the win.

It was a much-needed successful outing for Shaw, who in four appearances during the Indians' recent 10-game road trip, had a 15.43 ERA with one loss and two blown saves. In those four appearances he gave up six hits, two of them home runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Shaw is an important pitcher for the Indians because he's the eighth-inning setup man for closer Cody Allen. However despite Shaw's recent struggles, Manager Terry Francona has chosen to stick with him.

"If we run away from him, I don't know how that makes us better," Francona said. "We need to get him on a roll, because that makes us a better team."

In Saturday's game the Indians will start Danny Salazar, their best starter this year. Salazar is 7-3, with a league-leading 2.19 ERA. Salazar is 4-1 with a 1.50 ERA in four starts at Progressive Field this season.

The White Sox will send struggling James Shields to the mound. Shields is 2-8 with a 5.45 ERA overall, and he has been rocked in his two starts since being acquired by the White Sox in a June 4 trade with San Diego. In those two starts Shields is 0-1 with a 16.71 ERA, having given up 14 runs on 17 hits, four of them home runs, in just seven innings.

The White Sox are still trying to regain the momentum they had earlier in the season. On May 8 they were 22-10, but since then their record is 11-24. They arrived in Cleveland after winning two of three games from AL Central rival Detroit at U.S. Cellular Field.

But that was followed by a demoralizing 3-2 loss to Cleveland on Friday, in which the Sox scored a run in the top of the ninth to tie the score, only to give up a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to lose it.

"We thought we had some momentum coming out of the Detroit series, and we did," Manager Robin Ventura said. "Then we came back in the ninth inning (Friday night), and it seemed like we had it going."

In losing the first game of the series to Cleveland the White Sox fell another game behind the first place Indians in the Central Division race. The Division-leading Indians are now 3 1/2 games ahead of the White Sox. Equally concerning to the White Sox is that they have lost five of the seven games they have played with Cleveland this year, and the Sox are 12-16 vs. the Central Division overall.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Braves (21-46) at Mets (36-30)

Game: 2
Venue: Citi Field
Date: June 18, 2016 8:15 PM EDT

NEW YORK -- A pair of rookie pitchers looking to snap different streaks will take the mound Saturday night, when the New York Mets host the Atlanta Braves in the middle game of a three-game series at Citi Field.

The Braves, who won the series opener 5-1 on Friday night, are scheduled to start right-hander Aaron Blair, who is seeking his first big league win in his 10th career start.

Blair has a 7.59 ERA and has recorded more walks (25) than strikeouts (23) while pitching beyond the fifth inning just three times and completing six innings just once. But he hopes he turned a corner Monday, when he gave up six runs over five innings against the Reds.

Blair ended that outing with two shutout frames, which he said Friday came after he received a stern lecture from fiery veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski.

"He kind of turned the switch on me and I got more aggressive as a pitcher -- not only with my pitches, but with my attitude," Blaire told Atlanta reporters. "I'm just looking to carry that into (Saturday)."

He'll also be looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow rookie right-hander John Gant, who threw a career-high 6 2/3 innings in earning his first big league win Friday. The victory extended the Braves' winning streak to three games, their longest run since a season-long four-game winning streak April 15-19.

"Last couple days, really good -- hopefully we can follow it up tomorrow," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "(Starters) need to be doing most of the pitching. It allows you to kind of use the (relievers) in roles a little bit."

Mets left-hander Steven Matz, meanwhile, will be looking to stop the first losing streak of his career. Matz took the loss in his most recent start Sunday, when he gave up five runs (four earned) over six innings as the Mets fell to the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-3.

"He didn't have a lot of help behind him at times," acting Mets manager Dick Scott said after the game, which he managed because Terry Collins was undergoing tests at a local hospital. "He competes well. He got us through six innings. He didn't have his best stuff, but I thought he did a good job."

In his last three starts, Matz is 0-2 with a 3.78 ERA. He opened his big league career by going 11-1 with a 2.32 ERA in 14 starts dating back to last June.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Pirates (33-34) at Cubs (45-20)

Game: 2
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: June 18, 2016 8:15 PM EDT

CHICAGO -- Even with baseball's best record and a lineup that's set in most spots, the Chicago Cubs don't seem afraid to give top minor league prospects a shot in the major leagues.

The latest rookie to arrive is catcher Willson Contreras, who made it from Triple-A Iowa in time to join the Cubs for the start of a three-game weekend series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"This is an incredible feeling, I still can't believe it that my dream came true and now I'm here," Contreras said. "My first thought was 'wow, now it's my time.'"

Contreras made his major league debut in the ninth inning of Friday's 6-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, replacing starter Miguel Montero behind the plate.

Contreras will serve as No. 3 catcher behind Montero and 39-year-old backup David Ross, who is having a strong final season with appearances in 36 games but also presents concerns that it might be hard to keep up the pace.

Montero, who has spent time on the disabled list this season, is happy to see Contreras with the big club and looks forward to his contributions.

"Why didn't they call him earlier when I went down on the DL?" Montero said. "Maybe he wasn't ready at that time. Now he is."

Contreras was batting .350 with nine home runs and 43 RBIs in 54 games at Iowa.

Albert Almora Jr., another rookie called up earlier this month, has also had a big impact. On Friday, he went 3-for-4, walked and doubled and collected two RBIs. Almora is batting .429 in nine games this season.

The Pirates continue to try to shake off a slump that has seen eight losses in their last nine games.

The typically dependable Andrew McCutchen also is looking for answers to an unusual subpar season. He's batting just .241 through 64 games after going 1-for-3 with a walk on Friday.

Fortunately for the Pirates, others have picked up the slack for the National League's No. 2 team in hitting with a .270 average.

"We've got multiple reasons why this has been the most consistent, productive offense we've had since I've been here," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.

Wrigley Field has been a favorite spot for McCutchen -- he was a lifetime .311 hitter in Chicago -- and Hurdle is confident he'll eventually come around.

"He has to find a way to punch back," Hurdle said. "He continues to work hard, continues to look at today as the day he's going to get it turns around."

Pittsburgh hopes to have outfielder Starling Marte back sometime this weekend. He sat out Friday's game while still recovering from an eye injury suffered in Wednesday's 4-0 victory over the Mets.

Marte was struck by a line drive in the bottom of the fifth inning and left the game. He's batting .332 with six homers and 25 RBIs through 61 games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Tigers (34-33) at Royals (36-31)

Game: 3
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: June 18, 2016 8:15 PM EDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Steven Moya was put up deserving numbers with Triple-A Toledo to earn a promotion to the Detroit Tigers.

Moya was hitting .298 with 13 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs, 38 RBIs and 34 runs in 205 at-bats with the Mud Hens. His .571 slugging percentage, 13 home runs and 28 extra-base hits topped the International League, while his 117 total-bases ranked second,

Moya will be the Tigers primarily right fielder for the next month to six weeks, but it not how he wanted to get back to the majors.

Moya was recalled Friday with J.D. Martinez going on the disabled list with a fractured right elbow, which he suffered in the second inning Thursday while banging into the Kauffman Stadium wall in a 10-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

"It's an opportunity but I really don't want someone to get hurt for me to go play," Moya said. "It's an opportunity, but I just want to do my best to help the team win and get us as close as I can to representing J.D."

Moya went 1 for 4 in the 10-3 loss Friday to the Royals. He was also robbed of a run-producing single in the seventh when second baseman Whit Merrifield made a sprawling grab of his smash grounder up the middle with two runners on base.

The Tigers are hopeful Moya can carryover what he was doing in the International League to the American League.

"He's the guy that is doing the best down there, quite frankly. Right field's his natural position and he's swung the bat well in Toledo. He's going to get some at-bats and hopefully he's going to take advantage of it -- for us and for himself," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said.

Ausmus had no pep talk for Moye upon his arrival.

"I just said, 'Welcome back,' and told him he was batting seventh," Ausmus said.

This four-game series continues Saturday and the Tigers know they will not receive any sympathy from other teams with J.D. Martinez's bat not in the lineup.

"J.D. is somebody we look to, to drive in runs and be one of the middle-of-the-lineup guys," Tigers ace Justin Verlander said. "He will be missed. But you can't dwell on it. Injuries are part of the game. If you allow yourself to go, 'Woe is me,' or, 'Oh, no, we're not going to win now that J.D. is out,' that's not the way it works. We have to find a way to win."

The Royals got another strong outing from right-hander Yordano Ventura to even the series at one each. Ventura did not allow a run and only six singles in 6 1/3 innings Friday night

"He was completely within himself, no overthrowing," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He was completely in control of his mechanics again. That's back-to-back starts, which is pretty encouraging."

Yost would like to see another impressive back-to-back start from right-hander Edinson Volquez, who threw seven scoreless innings Monday to defeat the Cleveland Indians.

Volquez is 2-4 with a 5.24 ERA in eight career starts against the Tigers, but on April 21 he threw seven shutout innings and allowed five hits to top them 4-0.

The Tigers will start left-hander Matt Boyd, who is 0-1 with a 12.79 ERA in two career starts at Kauffman Stadium. He did beat the Royals in his Tigers' debut on Aug. 5, 2015, yielding just one run on seven hits while striking out two over seven innings.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Nationals (43-25) at Padres (27-42)

Game: 3
Venue: PETCO Park
Date: June 18, 2016 10:10 PM EDT

SAN DIEGO -- The line of great pitchers currently active in the National League starts with Clayton Kershaw, Jake Arieta and Madison Bumgarner.

But perhaps the hottest pitcher in the league at the moment is right-hander Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals.

"He's been very tough this month," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said of Scherzer recently. "And each starts seems to be better than the last."

For example, in Scherzer's most recent outing, he struck out nine of the first 10 Cubs he faced. And he didn't allow a hit for 5 1/3 innings. When he was done, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound right-hander had allowed one run on two hits with 11 strikeouts over seven innings.

And his statistics since the start of the month -- 3-0 with three runs allowed on 12 hits and three walks with 28 strikeouts in 22 innings. That's a 1.23 earned run average and a 0.68 WHIP. Can you say Pitcher of the Month?

Now Scherzer has an excellent opportunity to pad those statistics. He's facing the Padres at Petco Park Saturday night.

Offensively, the Padres have been much improved recently. But they still rank near the bottom of most National League rankings. And they've lost six of their last seven games.

The pitching matchup Saturday is Scherzer, who is 8-4 with a 3.30 earned run average on the season, against Padres' right-hander Colin Rea (3-3, 5.37).

On paper it's a mismatch. Rea has struggled in his last three starts since returning from Triple-A El Paso -- where he was sent as a way to curtail his innings. He has allowed 17 runs (14 earned) on 21 hits and five walks in just 15 innings in those three starts. His most recent outing was the shortest and worst of his career. The Miami Marlins got to Rea for eight runs (six earned) on nine hits and two walks in just 2 2/3 innings.

So, let's summarize.

You have one of the National League's top pitchers in Scherzer facing a struggling team ... and you have a struggling pitcher facing one of the league's top offenses. And the Nationals have the upper hand in both equations.

"We've caught most of the top pitchers in the Major Leagues this year," said Padres manager Andy Green. "So we know this is going to be tough. Scherzer is as advertised. But we've faced Kershaw and Bumgarner ... we've caught everyone's No. 1 more than once."

Plus, the Nationals are smelling blood as they continue to pull away in the National League East during a run that's seen them win 10 of 12 games -- including the first two games of a four-game set in San Diego to open a 10-game road trip that continues in Los Angeles (against the Dodgers) and Milwaukee.

The Nationals, who took two of three from the Cubs earlier in the week, now have the second-best record in the National League -- and only 3 1/2 games off the torrid pace being set by the Cubs.

"Chicago has grabbed the headlines early in the season," said Green. "But when you look at the length of the Washington lineup and the quality of the rotation, that is an excellent team."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Brewers (31-37) at Dodgers (36-33)

Game: 3
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: June 18, 2016 10:10 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES -- Despite a limited offense in Friday's extra-inning win over the Milwaukee Brewers, the Los Angeles Dodgers are hoping Justin Turner's big game will initiate some good fortunate, beginning Saturday.

Turner homered twice and hit an RBI single with the bases loaded to drive in Will Venable for the game-winning run in a 3-2 victory over the Brewers in 10 innings. The two teams have split the initial two meetings of their four-game series at Dodger Stadium.

Turner had three of the Dodgers' eight hits in Friday's decision. Adrian Gonzalez added two more, while Chase Utley, Corey Seager and Will Venable provided one apiece. Venable, with the exception of Turner, was the only one of the four players to stretch his into extra bases, a double that preceded Turner's game winner.

The Dodgers (36-33) struck out 16 times Friday, but Turner believes the bats are coming around.

"Guys have been taking good at-bats and putting in the work," said Turner, who has five home runs and 11 RBIs in his last five games. "We're finally starting to see results."

Manager Dave Roberts agreed.

"J.T. is a grinder. Tonight was a big night for J.T. obviously," Roberts said. "He's really come on the last two weeks and squared the baseball up and just the at-bat quality has been consistent. He's starting to show the fruits and the results. For him to have that big night was a big lift for all of us.

In a matchup of right-handers, Chase Anderson (4-6, 4.42 ERA) of Milwaukee will face Mike Bolsinger (1-4, 5.76 ERA) of Los Angeles. Anderson started Monday at San Francisco, where he received no decision in the Brewers 11-5 loss. Anderson is 3-1 with a 2.75 ERA over his last six starts. The Brewers are 5-8 in his starts.

Anderson is 1-1 with a 3.51 ERA in six career starts against the Dodgers. Though he didn't factored into the decision in his last three matchups against the Dodgers last season, he has compiled a 2.12 ERA in 3 starts last season. Anderson is 0-1 with a 1.96 ERA in four career starts at Dodger Stadium.

Bolsinger is coming off a loss June 13 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Bolsinger struck out five with no walks, but allowed three runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings in a 3-2 Dodgers' setback. In three career starts against the Brewers, Bolsinger is 0-1 with a 4.67 ERA.

Bolsinger gave up two runs on four hits with six strikeouts and one walk in six innings, but received a no-decision in his last outing against the Brewers in a 3-2 Los Angeles win on July 10, 2015 at Dodger Stadium.

Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell would enjoy seeing his get offensive against Bolsinger. The Brewers (31-37), who have dropped three of their last four, were productive in an 8-6 victory over the Dodgers on Thursday night, but they stranded 12 runners to eight or the Dodgers in Friday's loss.

"To me, the story of the game is that we left chances out there," Counsell said.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Saturday, June 18, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews

Pretty significant injury on Thursday night for the Detroit Tigers, although things could have been much worse. Outfielder J.D. Martinez, one of the best bargains in baseball with a $3 million salary this season, collided with the wall in Kansas City while attempting to make a play on Paulo Orlando's triple in the bottom of the second inning. Martinez braced himself with his right arm but was injured and later diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture of the radial neck of his right elbow. At first, the worries were that could be season-ending. Remember, Diamondbacks star outfielder A.J. Pollock broke his elbow on the eve of the season, hasn't played since and may not this year (although he expects to). Apparently whatever Martinez did wasn't as bad because he will miss 4-6 weeks. That's probably short enough of an absence to where the Tigers won't make a major trade to replace him. Martinez is hitting .286 with 12 homers and 39 RBIs.


Diamondbacks at Phillies (+163, 7.5)

A 3:05 p.m. first pitch. Not that any pitcher is worth $200 million or more -- well, maybe Clayton Kershaw is -- but Arizona's Zack Greinke is now pitching almost worthy of that contract. Greinke (9-3, 3.75) won a sixth straight start Monday in facing his old Dodgers teammates for the first time. He allowed two runs and seven hits over seven innings. Greinke is 6-1 with a 2.68 ERA in eight career outings against the Phillies. Carlos Ruiz is 0-for-12 off him. Freddy Galvis is 0-for-8. The Phils go with Jerad Eickhoff (4-8, 3.40), one of their promising young arms. He shut out the Blue Jays on three hits in six innings in Toronto on Monday. It was Eickhoff's third straight quality start. He has never faced the Diamondbacks.

Key trends: The Diamondbacks are 5-0 in Greinke's past five road starts. The Phillies are 1-4 in Eickhoff's past five vs. teams with a losing record. The "over/under" has gone under in five of Greinke's past eight vs. teams with a losing record.

Early lean: Diamondbacks and under.

Blue Jays at Orioles (+103, 9.5)

It's a 4:05 p.m. ET matinee at Camden Yards. The Orioles have demoted struggling starter Ubaldo Jimenez to the bullpen and taking his spot is the team's big offseason free-agent acquisition, Yovani Gallardo (1-1, 7.00). He hasn't pitched in the majors since April 22 due to shoulder problems and wasn't very good in the four starts he made this season. Gallardo has worked on a shoulder strengthening program since and lost 12 pounds thanks to a rigorous training plan. Gallardo looked solid enough in his three rehab starts. Toronto's Edwin Encarnacion is 5-for-16 career off Gallardo with three homers and six RBIs. Jose Bautista is just 1-for-12 with four strikeouts; monitor his status after Bautista left Thursday's game after hurting his big toe running into a wall. Russell Martin is 5-for-23 with six whiffs. The Jays go with knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (4-7, 4.16). He lost for the first time since May 24 on Monday, giving up three runs over 6.1 innings against the Phillies. Dickey took a no-decision in Baltimore on April 20, allowing three runs in six innings. Manny Machado is 7-for-19 with three doubles career off him. Chris Davis has two homers and nine strikeouts in 27 at-bats off Dickey.

Key trends: The Jays are 0-5 in Dickey's past five on Saturday. The over is 6-1-2 in his past nine on the day. The Jays are 0-4 in Dickey's past four in Baltimore.

Early lean: Orioles and over.

Angels at A's (TBA)

Also a 4:05 p.m. ET start. Two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum will make his first big-league start with a team other than the San Francisco Giants on Saturday with the Angels, so it's perhaps fitting it comes across the bay in Oakland. The Halos gave Lincecum a one-year, $2.5 million deal last month to see if he has anything left in the tank. He has looked great in the minors. Lincecum didn't pitch after June 27 in the majors last season due to degenerative hips and then in September had surgery. Considering how decimated the Angels' rotation is, Lincecum is certainly worth a shot. Yonder Alonso has faced Lincecum more than any Oakland batter, going 3-for-23 with eight strikeouts. Khris Davis is 3-for-4 with two solo homers off him. The A's need a starter here with top prospect Sean Manaea landing on the DL Tuesday with a strained left forearm. The leading candidate is Zach Neal (1-1, 9.75). He has made five appearances this season with one start. He threw one inning of relief Tuesday vs. Texas and allowed two runs.

Key trends: The A's are 1-5 in their past six on Saturday. The over is 15-6-2 in the past 22 meetings (entering Friday).

Early lean: TBA on A's starter -- doesn't matter who it is, and it's probably Neal, go L.A.

Giants at Rays (-127, 8)

San Francisco adds the DH for this 4:10 p.m. ET game. It seems laughable now, but back in 1992 a group of investors from the Tampa Bay area signed a memorandum of agreement to buy the Giants and move them from San Francisco to St. Petersburg in time for the 1993 season. Needless to say, that didn't work out as NL owners voted against the move. Now the Giants have maybe the best stadium in MLB and the Rays the worst. The Giants go with Jake Peavy (3-6, 5.83) here. He has largely turned it around after a really shaky beginning to the season. He shut out the Dodgers on four hits over six innings Sunday. In doing so, he became the sixth active pitcher to reach the 150-win career mark. Can you name the other five? I'll give you two hints: there's one lefty among the five and three are in the NL. Evan Longoria has seen Peavy more than any Rays batter, going 5-for-21 with a homer. Monitor Longoria's status, however, as he's day-to-day with a forearm issue. The Rays also lost outfielder Steven Souza to the DL earlier this week with a hip injury. They start lefty Matt Moore (3-4, 5.05). He comes off easily his best start of the season, shutting out Houston on two hits over seven innings and striking out 10. Moore has never faced the Giants.

Key trends: The Giants are 3-8 in Peavy's past 11 on the road. The Rays are 7-3 in Moore's past 10 at home. The under is 5-2 in Peavy's past seven.

Early lean: Rays and under.

Rangers at Cardinals (TBA)

Another matinee with a 4:15 p.m. ET first pitch. Remember that Texas loses the DH. National TV game on Fox Sports 1 and should have live betting at sportsbooks. Texas starts lefty Cesar Ramos (1-3, 4.88), who has taken the rotation spot of Yu Darvish, who is back on the DL with shoulder tightness. Ramos was blasted in Oakland on Monday, allowing eight runs and eight hits while walking five in 3.2 innings. He is 1-2 with a 5.03 ERA in four starts this year but has been better in relief. Ramos has never faced the Cardinals. St. Louis goes with Carlos Martinez (7-5, 3.46). He won a third straight start Saturday, allowing one run and six hits in a season-high 8.1 innings in Pittsburgh. Keep an eye on Martinez as he also threw by far a season-high 122 pitches. He has never faced Texas.

Key trends: The Cards are 13-6 in Martinez's past 19 vs. teams with a winning record. The over has hit in eight of his past 13 at home.

Early lean: Hate doing the TBAs but like to alert bettors of those live betting games like this. It's either going to be Ramos or Nick Martinez -- probably a committee no matter what -- and I'd like the Cardinals and over whatever number regardless.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Saturday's games

National League games

Pirates @ Cubs
Niese is 3-1, 3.47 in his last six starts (over 8-5).

Lester is 4-0, 1.19 in his last four starts six of his last eight went over.

Pirates lost 13 of their last 17 games; six of their last nine games went over. Chicago won nine of last 11 home games; seven of last eight Wrigley games stayed under.

Diamondbacks @ Phillies
Greinke is 6-0, 2.05 in his last six starts, last three of which stayed under. .

Eickhoff is 2-1, 1.37 in his last three starts; eight of his last nine starts stayed under.

Arizona lost six of last nine road games; four of their last five games stayed under the total. Phillies are 1-8 in last nine games; eight of last nine Philly home games went over the total.

Rockies @ Marlins
Chatwood is 5-0, 0.86 in six road starts (under 12-1).

Chen is 1-1, 5.29 in his last six starts; four of his last five went over.

Rockies won six of last eight games; six of their last seven road games stayed under the total. Miami is 6-7 in its last 13 games; over is 9-4 in their last 13 games.

Braves @ Mets
Blair is 0-1, 7.58 in his last four starts; five of his last seven went over. .

Matz is 0-2, 5.40 in his last three starts; five of his last six starts stayed under.

Braves lost six of last eight road games; seven of last nine Atlanta road games stayed under. New York lost six of eight home games; under is 8-4 in their last 12 games.

Nationals @ Padres
Scherzer is 3-0, 1.23 in his last three starts; four of his last five went over. .

Rea is 0-2, 8.28 in his last five starts; five of his last seven went over.

Padres lost seven of their last nine games; over is 11-8-1 in last 20 games. Washington won ten of last 12 games; eight of their last nine road games went over the total.

Brewers @ Dodgers
Anderson is 2-0, 2.42 in his last four starts; five of his last seven stayed under.

Bolsinger is 0-3, 6.60 in his last three starts, which all stayed under.

Milwaukee lost five of last seven road games; six of its last seven road games went over the total. Dodgers won eight of last 11 at home; six of their last eight home games went under the total.


American League games

Blue Jays @ Orioles
Dickey is 2-1, 2.95 in his last three starts; under is 4-0-1 in his last five. .

Gallardo is making first start since April 22; he is 1-1, 7.00 in four starts (over 2-2).

Toronto won eight of last ten games; seven of their last nine games went over. Orioles won seven of last nine home games; over is 10-6 in their last sixteen games.

White Sox @ Indians
Shields allowed 24 runs in 9.2 IP in his last three starts, all of which went over.

Salazar is 3-0, 1.83 in his last three starts; over is 4-2-1 in his last seven. .

White Sox lost ten of last 12 road games; over is 17-6 in their last 23 road games. Cleveland won its last six home games. Under is 9-3-2 in their last fourteen games.

Mariners @ Red Sox
Sampson is making first MLB start; he is 7-4, 3.25 in 13 AAA starts this year. .

Porcello is 0-0, 5.61 in his last four starts (over 3-0-1).

Mariners lost five of last seven road games; over is 7-2 in their last nine road games. Boston lost six of last eight home games; over is 15-6 in their last 21 home games.

Tigers @ Royals
Boyd is 0-2, 5.91 in four starts this year (over 2-1-1).

Volquez is 1-2, 4.50 in his last four starts; his last three stayed under.

Tigers won eight of their last 13 games; nine of its last 13 road games stayed under. Royals won ten of last 11 home games; under is 7-5-1 in KC's last 13 games.

Bronx @ Twins
Pineda is 1-1, 2.89 in his last three starts; over is 3-1-1 in his last five.

Nolasco is 2-3, 6.27 in his last six starts; 11 of his last 12 starts went over.

New York is 9-6 in its last 15 games; five of their last seven road games went over the total. Minnesota lost seven of its last nine games; over is 12-3 in their last 15 home games.

Angels @ A's
Lincecum is making his Angels' debut; he is 108-83, 3.61 in 261 big league starts, was 0-2, 2.65 in three AAA starts since signing with the Halos.

No idea who Oakland's starter is; could be a bullpen game.

A's lost 11 of last 14 games; under is 7-3-1 in their last 11 games. Angels lost eight of last ten road games; over is 10-3-1 in their last fourteen games.


Interleague

Giants @ Rays
Peavy is .2-1, 1.82 in his last four starts; five of his last seven starts stayed under.

Moore is 2-1, 4.21 in his last four starts; over is 5-2-1 in his last eight.

Giants won their last six games; six of last ten SF road games went over. Tampa Bay won nine of last 13 games; under is 22-9 in Rays' last 31 home games.

Reds @ Astros
Reed is making MLB debut here; he was 6-3, 3.20 in 11 AAA starts this year.

Keuchel is 0-3, 5.89 in his last three starts; his last four stayed under.

Cincinnati is 11-7 in its last 18 games, over is 9-3 in their last 12 road games. Astros won seven of last nine home games; last nine Houston games stayed under the total.

Rangers @ Cardinals
NMartinez is making first '16 start; he is 13-20, 4.26 in 45 big league starts, was 6-4, 4.50 in 11 AAA starts this year.

CMartinez is 3-0, 1.61 in his last three starts (over 8-3-1).

Rangers are 20-6 in their last 25 games; nine of their last 12 road tilts went over. St Louis lost six of last eight home games; over is 7-5-1 in their last 13 home games.


Teams won-lost records when this pitcher starts:

Pitt-Chi-- Niese 8-5; Lester 10-3
Az-Phil-- Greinke 10-4; Eickhoff 5-8
Col-Mia-- Chatwood 9-4; Chen 7-6
Atl-NY-- Blair 1-8; Matz 7-4
Mil-LA-- Anderson 5-8; Bolsinger 1-4
Wsh-SD-- Scherzer 9-5; Rea 6-6

Tor-Balt-- Dickey 4-10; Gallardo 2-2
Chi-Clev-- Shields 1-1/2-9; Salazar 7-5
Sea-Bos-- Sampson 0-0; Porcello 9-4
NY-Min-- Pineda 5-8; Nolasco 6-7
Det-KC-- Boyd 1-3; Volquez 8-6
LA-A's-- Lincecum 0-0; unknown

SF-TB-- Peavy 6-7; Moore 5-8
Cin-Hst-- Reed 0-0; Keuchel 4-10
Tex-StL-- NMartinez 0-0; CMartinez 7-5


Starting pitchers allowing 1+ runs in first inning:

Pitt-Chi-- Niese 3-13; Lester 3-13
Az-Phil-- Greinke 3-14; Eickhoff 4-13
Col-Mia-- Chatwood 4-13; Chen 6-13
Atl-NY-- Blair 5-9; Matz 2-11
Mil-LA-- Anderson 5-13; Bolsinger 3-5
Wsh-SD-- Scherzer 5-14; Rea 7-12

Tor-Balt-- Dickey 5-14; Gallardo 3-4
Chi-Clev-- Shields 6-13; Salazar 1-12
Sea-Bos-- Sampson 0-0; Porcello 3-13
NY-Min-- Pineda 6-13; Nolasco 7-13
Det-KC-- Boyd 0-4; Volquez 2-14
LA-A's-- Lincecum 0-0; unknown

SF-TB-- Peavy 3-13; Moore 3-13
Cin-Hst-- Reed 0-0; Keuchel 4-14
Tex-StL-- NMartinez 0-0; CMartinez 1-12


Umpires

Pitt-Chi-- Seven of nine Cooper starts stayed under.
Az-Phil-- Over is 6-2-1 in last nine Diaz games.
Col-Mia-- Over is 28-13-1 in Meals games since start of LY.
Atl-NY-- Underdogs won four of last five Foster games.
Mil-LA-- Three of last four Baker games stayed under.
Wsh-SD-- Over is 7-0-1 in last eight Knight games.

Tor-Blt-- Last three Iassonga games stayed under.
Chi-Clev-- Nine of last eleven Miller games went over.
Sea-Bos-- Five of last six Wendelstedt games stayed under.
NY-Min-- Over is 5-0-1 in last six Wolcott games.
Det-KC-- Eight of last nine TBarrett games went over.
LA-A's-- Underdogs are 6-5 in Nelson games this year.

SF-TB-- Five of last six Timmons games went over.
Cin-Hst-- Favorites won six of last seven Carapazza games.
Tex-StL-- Eight of last nine Danley games went over.

 

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Saturday's six-pack

-- They drew 4,595 fans to Opening Night of NY-Penn League in Troy last night; an Eastern League game in Altoona drew 5,152. Minor league ball is affordable fun.

-- Colorado Rockies' starting pitchers have an ERA that is 2+ runs higher at home than on the road. Not sure how they'll ever fix that.

-- Tigers' OF JD Martinez broke his elbow Wednesday night when he ran into the wall chasing a double. Looked like a harmless play, but he is out 4-6 weeks.

-- Kolten Wong came back from AAA and is now a centerfielder; Cardinals have so many middle infielders, they made Wong an outfielder.

-- Bengals/Vikings will have joint practices for a couple days this summer; think that really helps, to practice against other teams instead of your teammates every day.

-- Michael Saunders had three homers, eight RBI for the Blue Jays last night.

 

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#1 Sports

Saturday's Free Selection: Pittsburgh Pirates + 205

 

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Mike Wynn

Bonus Play: MLB Arizona w/Greinke -165 Over Philadelphia

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Razor Sharp

FREE PICK FOR SATURDAY: Take ST LOUIS (Martinez) -165 over Texas

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Totals4U

Saturday's Free Selection: Atlanta Braves/New York Mets under 8

 

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Platinum Plays

Free Pick: Chicago Wsox/Cleveland Game OVER 9 Runs

 

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Golden Dragon Sports

Free Pick LA Dodgers Bolsinger -140

 

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Huddle Up Sports

Bonus Play: Boston Porcello -155

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Teyas Sports

6/18/2016 FREE PICK YANKEES -140

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

The Vegas Steam Line

Your free winner for Saturday: Take CINCINNATI/HOUSTON UNDER the total of 8½ runs

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

High Stakes Syndicate

Free Selection for Saturday: Cincinnati Reds + 240

 

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John Anthony Sports

Saturday's Free Selection: St Louis Cardinals - 175