Saturday 6/4/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

Search
Joined
May 19, 2007
Messages
205,324
Tokens
Preview: Rockies (24-30) at Padres (22-34)

Game: 2
Venue: PETCO Park
Date: June 04, 2016 10:10 PM EDT

Chad Bettis has bounced back from a rough start with a good one against the San Diego Padres already this season, and he'll try to do it again to snap the Colorado Rockies' slump against their NL West foe.

While trying to end his miserable stretch Saturday night, Bettis hopes to cool down the Padres as the visiting Rockies try for just their third win in the last nine games of this series.

Last-place San Diego (22-34) continued its dominance of Colorado (24-30) with Friday's series-opening 4-0 win - the club's fifth in seven games against the Rockies this season.

Matt Kemp supplied the offense early with a first-inning three-run homer, and Drew Pomeranz tossed seven two-hit innings. San Diego scored 27 runs on 39 hits its previous two games against Seattle.

However, it was still just the Padres' fifth win in their last 18 games. The Rockies have lost three straight and 12 of 16.

Bettis (4-4, 5.46) has been rocked in his last two starts, allowing 13 runs and 15 hits - three of them homers - in 8 1/3 innings. He lasted a season-low 3 2/3 in Monday's 11-8 loss to Cincinnati after getting shelled for eight hits and six runs.

In those two outings, the right-hander walked six, issued two intentional passes and struck out four. In a five-run fourth inning Monday, Bettis walked pitcher Dan Straily - who is 0 for 63 for his career.

"You can't have that happen at that point," Bettis said. "It's an at-bat that swings the whole game. Have to be better than that and I have faith that I will be."

Bettis bounced back from a rough season opener with seven solid innings against San Diego in a 6-3 win April 10. He allowed just six hits and two runs - one earned - while striking out six without a walk.

That strong start moved Bettis' career ERA against the Padres to 1.82 and his WHIP to 0.93. Catcher Hector Sanchez is the only current San Diego player with a home run in the matchup, going 4 for 6 with five RBIs.

Andrew Cashner has logged back-to-back quality starts after returning from a two-week stint on the disabled list. Cashner (2-5, 4.79), who missed time with a strained right hamstring, still took the loss in each - giving him three straight defeats.

The right-hander gave up six hits and four runs - three earned - in 6 1/3 innings of Monday's 9-3 loss at Seattle. A positive sign was his one walk after issuing 12 over his previous four starts.

He cruised through five scoreless innings while allowing just two hits, but he was done in by a four-run sixth. Nori Aoki opened that frame by reaching on a catcher's interference call, and Kyle Seager ended the rally with a two-out, two-run homer.

"Outside of that I thought he threw the ball really, really well. There's not much to look at, he used both sides of the plate today, he varied his slider, mixed in his changeup. I thought he was great," manager Andy Green said.

"The sixth inning with the catcher's interference and just the pitch to Seager would be the only one in my mind that we'd have back."

Cashner held the Rockies to five hits and three runs in six innings of a 6-3 win on May 3, though he has a 4.83 ERA in seven career starts against them.

Charlie Blackmon homered in the latest matchup, and Nolan Arenado (7 for 18, two doubles) and DJ LeMahieu (5 for 13, double) have seen him well in the past.
 
Joined
May 19, 2007
Messages
205,324
Tokens
Five to Follow MLB Betting: Saturday, June 4, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews

It's that time of year where you can expect teams to start calling up their top prospects because of service time reasons -- i.e., it's now late enough in the year where it will delay a player's arbitration years and thus give a team control over said player for one extra year. full year of service time equals 172 days on the big-league roster. The Washington Nationals have jumped in that pool by promoting their top position player prospect, shortstop Trea Turner. He's only up now, apparently, because first baseman Ryan Zimmerman has been placed on the paternity list. But Turner would seem an upgrade at shortstop over Danny Espinosa, who is hitting just .200 with an on-base percentage of .296. Turner, 22, was hitting .310 with a .376 on-base percentage and .848 OPS in 50 games in Triple-A and was 17-for-17 in stolen-base attempts. By the way, Turner's full-year cutoff for the season passed earlier this week -- he spent 45 days with the Nationals in 2015 and hit .225 in 40 at-bats -- so it's no coincidence he's up now.


Blue Jays at Red Sox (-130, 9)

A 4:05 p.m. ET first pitch. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop for Boston knuckleballer Steven Wright (5-4, 2.45), but he keeps winning. Wright threw his third complete game of the season (tied for MLB lead) on Monday in Baltimore, allowing two runs and four hits. Knuckleballers are supposed to allow a lot of homers, but Wright has given up only three all season. He is 0-2 in two starts against Toronto this year despite a 2.13 ERA. Jose Bautista is 1-for-7 with a homer against him. Josh Donaldson is 2-for-9 with four strikeouts. Toronto's Marcus Stroman (5-1, 4.46) was roughed up last Saturday at home by Boston, allowing seven runs and 11 hits in 5.1 innings, although the Jays won. But it was Stroman's second lousy start in the past three, so that could be why he was pushed back a day here for extra rest. Red-hot Mookie Betts is 2-for-12 off him with five strikeouts. Equally-hot Xander Bogaerts is 6-for-14 with a homer. He took a 26-game hitting streak into Friday's opener. Dustin Pedroia is 6-for-13 with three doubles off Stroman.

Key trends: The Blue Jays are 5-1 in Stroman's past six vs. Toronto. They are 2-8 in their past 10 Saturday games. Boston is 5-2 in Wright's past seven following a quality start in his last appearance. The "over/under" is 5-2 in Stroman's past seven vs. teams with a winning record. The over is 4-1 in Wright's past five at home.

Early lean: Red Sox and over.

White Sox at Tigers (+152, 8)

A 4:10 p.m. ET matinee in Motown. I'm already a huge fan of White Sox ace Chris Sale, but more so now. That's because on Monday at Citi Field, Sale challenged a fan to a game of rock-paper-scissors for an autograph and the fan won. Sale paid up with an autographed ball. Of course it was all caught on video. Sale (9-1, 2.29) hasn't won his past two outings but should have Sunday in Kansas City, allowing two runs in seven innings and leaving with a two-run lead, but his bullpen imploded. The lefty was 2-0 with a 3.93 ERA in three starts against the Tigers last year. Nick Castellanos can't hit Sale, going 1-for-16 with 10 strikeouts. Victor Martinez can, going 16-for-34 with four homers and nine RBIs. Detroit counters with Mike Pelfrey (0-5, 4.96). He comes off his best start of the season, allowing no earned runs over 5.2 innings in Oakland. Pelfrey pitched the previous three seasons with the Twins and was 0-4 with a 6.20 ERA against Chicago in that stretch. Former Tiger Avisail Garcia is 6-for-15 off him with an RBI. Another former Tiger, Austin Jackson, is 5-for-16 off Pelfrey.

Key trends: The Sox are 4-1 in Sale's past five vs. Detroit. The over is 3-0-1 in his past four in Motown. The Tigers are 2-8 in their past 10 against a lefty.

Early lean: White Sox and over.

Nationals at Reds (+180, 8)

We could see history on Saturday afternoon (4:10 p.m. ET start) as Washington ace Stephen Strasburg is nine strikeouts from 1,000 career, and no National has ever reached the mark. Then again, the franchise has only been in existence since 2005 when it moved from Montreal. Strasburg (9-0, 2.69) continued the best stretch of his career by beating the Cardinals on Sunday, allowing a run and six hits in six innings. The Nationals have won 15 consecutive starts made by Strasburg, extending his own franchise record. Strasburg became the first starter in franchise history to win his first nine decisions in a season. The previous mark of 8-0 was set by future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez with the 1997 Expos. Cincinnati's Jay Bruce is 3-for-7 off Strasburg with two RBIs. Joey Votto has a homer in seven at-bats. The Reds go with trade candidate Dan Straily (3-2, 3.43). He comes off his worst start of the year, allowing five runs in six innings in Colorado, but he still got the win. Straily has never faced Washington.

Key trends: The Nationals are 8-0 in Strasburg's past eight on the road. The over is 8-0 in his past eight.

Early lean: Nationals and under.

A's at Astros (-113, 8)

Another 4:10 p.m. ET first pitch. And there will be plenty of scouts from contenders on hand to watch A's lefty starter Rich Hill (8-3, 2.25). The 36-year-old journeyman has had an amazing career resurgence that started late last year: He has had 15 straight starts allowing three earned runs or fewer. Clayton Kershaw, Sale and Jake Arrieta can't even claim streaks like that right now. Hill beat the Tigers on Sunday, allowing two earned in 6.1 innings. He did suffer a minor groin strain but threw on Wednesday and got through that fine. Hill lost in Houston on May 1 despite allowing only two runs in six innings. Jose Altuve is 1-for-2 with a solo homer against him. Carlos Correa is 0-for-1 with two walks. Houston's Collin McHugh (5-4, 4.82) has been much better of late after a rough start to the season. He won in Arizona on Monday, throwing a complete game and allowing three runs. McHugh hasn't faced Oakland this year and was 3-1 with a 3.24 ERA in four starts vs. the A's in 2015.

Key trends: The A's are 6-0 in Hill's past six on the road. The Astros are 5-2 in McHugh's past seven. They are 4-1 in his past five vs. Oakland. The under has hit in four of those five.

Early lean: Astros and under.

Braves at Dodgers (-380, 6)

I'm flat-out telling you that I'll likely be previewing every Dodgers game involving Kershaw the rest of the season as long as it's a day on which I'm writing. We could see something historic every time he's on the mound. You may not see a bigger favorite all season than here. Kershaw (7-1, 1.56) finished off a historic May with a no-decision at the Mets on Sunday, allowing two earned runs (tying his most of the month) and four hits in 7.2 innings. Kershaw struck out 10, his seventh double-digit Ks game of the year. Kershaw's last no-decision before that was April 21 in Atlanta when he allowed a run and a season-high 10 hits in eight innings, striking out 10 (and actually walking someone!). Freddie Freeman is 3-for-12 off him with a homer and six strikeouts. Nick Markakis is 2-for-3 with a double. The Braves start Mike Foltynewicz (2-2, 3.51), which I don't much like typing. The 24-year-old looked good Monday against the Giants, allowing one run and three hits in a win. His only other victory this year was against the Royals, so perhaps he should stick to first-place teams. Folty has never faced the Dodgers.

Key trends: The Braves are 1-8 in Foltynewicz's past nine on the road. The Dodgers are 14-3 in Kershaw's past 17 at home vs. teams with a losing record. The under is 5-0-1 in Kershaw's past six.

Early lean: I don't believe I've seen a bigger favorite than this. Like in the three years I've been doing these daily previews. So at that crazy price, I'd take a shot on Atlanta at +335. Perhaps Braves can get to the L.A. bullpen if Kershaw only goes seven innings. Go under.
 
Joined
May 19, 2007
Messages
205,324
Tokens
'Perfection on the line '

Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Reds June 4, 4:10 EST

To say Washington's ace Stephen Strasburg (9-0, 2.69 ERA) has been dominant this season would be an understatement. That dominance is reflected by the fact he's allowed two or fewer runs in eight of his eleven starts surrendering an average 2.6 runs/game with a 90-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Such success has not been limited to this season, the Nationals have emerged triumphant in fifteen straight Strasburg starts with the hurler giving up two or fewer runs in twelve of the fifteen allowing an average 2.1 runs/game with a 134-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Due to those gaudy numbers, it's no surprise to see the Washington pegged hefty -$1.85 to -$2.10 moneyline road favorite.

Saturday afternoon Stephen Strasburg goes for a Major League leading 10th win vs Cincinnati a team he hasn't been able to solve the past three years posting a 0-1 record with Nats 0-3 over the three starts.
 
Joined
May 19, 2007
Messages
205,324
Tokens
MLB

Saturday's games

National League games

Diamondbacks @ Cubs
Escobar allowed .eight runs in 3.1 IP (87 PT) in his first '16 start.

Hammel is 2-1, 2.86 in his last four starts (over 4-1-1 in his last six). He left his last start with some kind of leg injury.

Arizona lost eight of last 11 games; 12 of its last 14 games went over the total. Cubs won 14 of last 18 home games; five of their last seven games stayed under.

Brewers @ Phillies
Guerra is 2-1, 2.59 in his last four starts (under 3-0-1).

Hellickson is 2-1, 2.67 in his last four starts; his last five starts stayed under.

Milwaukee won seven of its last 11 games; under is 6-3 in their last nine road games. Philly lost 11 of last 14 games; seven of its last ten home games stayed under.

Mets @ Marlins
Colon is 1-0, 2.08 in his last two starts; over is 3-1-1 in his last five.

Nicolino is 0-3, 5.74 in his last five starts; over is 4-2 in his last six.

Mets lost four of their last six games; under is 8-4 in their last 12 road games. Miami won four of its last six games; four of its last six home games stayed under.

Nationals @ Reds
Strasburg is 4-0, 2.55 in his last four starts; over is 9-0-1 in his last ten. .

Straily is 2-1, 3.30 in his last five starts; three of his last four went over.

Washington won seven of its last nine road games; five of their last seven games went over. Cincinnati won four of its last five games; over is 13-4-2 in their last 19.

Giants @ Cardinals
Samardzija is 3-1, 2.60 in his last four starts (under 7-4). .

Wacha is 0-6, 7.15 in his last seven starts; his last five starts went over.

Giants won 17 of their last 21 games; four of their last six went over. St Louis is 5-7 in its last 12 games; over is 5-2-1 in their last eight home games.

Braves @ Dodgers
Foltynewicz is 2-1, 2.78 in his last four starts (under 3-2-1).

Kershaw is 5-0, 0.91 in his last six starts (under 4-1-1).

Atlanta is 10-15 on the road; four of their last six games went over. Dodgers won eight of last eleven games; their last four games stayed under.

Rockies @ Padres
Bettis is 0-2, 14.05 in his last two starts; four of his last five went over.

Cashner is 0-3, 5.19 in his last three starts; four of his last five went over.

Colorado lost nine of its last 12 games (over 9-3). Padres lost nine of last 12 games; eight of their last ten games went over.


American League games

Bronx @ Orioles
Nova is 0-2, 5.68 in his last two starts; three of his last four stayed under.

Wilson is 0-3, 5.79 in his last three starts (under 3-2-2). .

Baltimore is 9-5 in last 14 home games; over is 6-1-1 in its last eight games. Bronx lost seven of last ten games; under is 5-2-1 in their last eight.

White Sox @ Tigers
Sale is 0-1, 6.97 in his last two starts, after winning his first nine; six of his last seven starts went over the total.

Pelfrey is 0-1, 6.03 in his last six starts (over 4-1-1).

Chicago lost eight of its last ten games; over is 14-3 in its last 17 road games. Detroit lost five of its last seven games; four of its last six games stayed under.

Royals @ Indians
Kennedy is 0-1, 5.06 in his last four starts (under 5-2-1 in his last eight).

Tomlin is 2-1, 5.61 in his last four starts; his last seven all went over the total.

Royals won 10 of last 14 games but lost last two; over is 9-11-1 in their last 11 games. Cleveland is 7-4 in its last 11; 12 of their last 14 home games went over the total.

Blue Jays @ Red Sox
Stroman is 1-1, 7.23 in his last three starts; three of his last four went over. .

Wright is 0-0, 9.24 in his last three starts; his last six starts all went over.

Toronto won eight of its last nine games; under is 6-2 in its last eight road games. Red Sox lost their last three games; over is 16-6-2 in their last 24 games overall.

Rays @ Twins
Andriese is 3-0, 2.62 in his five starts (under 3-1-1).

Santana is 0-2, 5.30 in his last three starts; four of his last six went over.

Rays lost 11 of last 14 games; over is 12-2-1 in their last 15 road games. Twins lost 12 of their last 18 games; over is 8-3 in their last eleven games.

Mariners @ Rangers
Karns is 4-0, 2.76 in his last seven starts; over is 3-0-1 in his last four. .

Perez is 2-0, 1.50 in his last two starts; six of his last eight starts stayed under. .

Seattle is 15-6 in its last 21 road games; its last ten games went over. Rangers won 11 of last 14 games; over is 6-1-1 in their last eight.

A's @ Astros
It is Hill's turn but he has a gimpy leg. Graveman is 1-1, 3.38 in his last three starts; three of his last four stayed under. Hill is 5-0, 1.97 in his last five starts (under 6-4-1).

McHugh is 4-1, 3.80 in his last seven starts (over 6-4-1).

Oakland won five of last six games; over is 12-3 in their last 15 road games. Astros won nine of their last 11 games; over is 6-2 in their last eight games


Interleague

Angels @ Pirates
Tropeano is 2-0, 2.41 in his last three starts; three of his last four went over.

Locke is .3-0, 2.42 in his last three starts; his last six starts went over.

Angels are 13-7 in their last 20 games; four of their last six games stayed under total. Pirates lost six of last seven games; their last five home games all went over.


Teams won-lost records when this pitcher starts:

Az-Chi-- Escobar 0-1; Hammel 8-2
Mil-Phil-- Guerra 5-1; Hellickson 6-5
NY-Mia-- Colon 5-5; Nicolino 3-4
Wsh-Cin-- Strasburg 11-0; Straily 5-4
SF-StL-- Samardzija 9-3; Wacha 4-7
Atl-LA-- Foltynewicz 2-4; Kershaw 10-1
Col-SD-- Bettis 5-6; Cashner 4-5

NY-Balt-- Nova 3-2; Wilson 3-4
Chi-Det-- Sale 9-2; Pelfrey 3-7
KC-Cle-- Kennedy 7-3; Tomlin 8-1
Tor-Bos-- Stroman 7-4; Wright 5-5
Sea-Tex-- Karns 8-2; Perez 4-7
A's-Hst-- Hill 8-3 Graveman 2-8; McHugh 6-5
TB-Min-- Andriese 3-2; Santana 1-8

LAA-Pitt-- Tropeano 5-5; Locke 4-6


Starting pitchers allowing 1+ runs in first inning:

Az-Chi-- Escobar 0-1; Hammel 1-10
Mil-Phil-- Guerra 2-6; Hellickson 4-11
NY-Mia-- Colon 3-10; Nicolino 2-7
Wsh-Cin-- Strasburg 3-11; Straily 1-9
SF-StL-- Samardzija 2-12; Wacha 3-11
Atl-LA-- Foltynewicz 2-6; Kershaw 1-11
Col-SD-- Bettis 3-11; Cashner 3-9

NY-Balt-- Nova 1-5; Wilson 3-7
Chi-Det-- Sale 2-11; Pelfrey 5-10
KC-Cle-- Kennedy 3-10; Tomlin 5-9
Tor-Bos-- Stroman 2-11; Wright 5-10
Sea-Tex-- Karns 2-10; Perez 4-11
A's-Hst-- Hill 3-11 Graveman 3-10; McHugh 7-11
TB-Min-- Andriese 1-5; Santana 3-9

LAA-Pitt-- Tropeano 2-10; Locke 1-10


Umpires

Az-Chi-- Five of seven Barry games stayed under.
Mil-Phil-- Favorites won six of last eight Bucknor games.
NY-Mia-- Four of last five Gibson games stayed under.
Wsh-Cin-- Eight of ten Blaser games stayed under.
SF-StL-- Favorites won six of last seven Hudson games.
Atl-LA-- Last six Danley games went over the total.
Col-SD-- Underdogs won seven of ten Baker games.

NY-Balt-- Under is 7-4 in Randazzo games this year.
Chi-Det-- Seven of last ten Porter games went over.
KC-Cle-- Five of last seven Holbrook games went over.
Tor-Bos-- Eight of nine Meals games went over total.
Sea-Tex-- Five of six Cooper games stayed under.
A's-Hst-- Last six Wegner games went over the total.
TB-Min-- Last four Hernandez games went over total.

LAA-Pitt-- Five of last seven Davidson games went over.
 
Joined
May 19, 2007
Messages
205,324
Tokens
StatFox Super Situations

MLB | COLORADO at SAN DIEGO
Play On - Road teams when the money line is +125 to -125 (COLORADO) good offensive team (>=5.0 runs/game) against an average starting pitcher (ERA= 4.20 to 5.20)-NL, with an overused bullpen that pitches more than 3.2 innings per game
66-35 since 1997. ( 65.3% | 31.9 units )
0-2 this year. ( 0.0% | -2.3 units )


StatFox Situational Power Trends

MLB | SEATTLE at TEXAS
TEXAS is 91-69 (+40.9 Units) against the money line vs. teams whose hitters strike out 7 or more times/game over the last 2 seasons.
The average score was: TEXAS (4.7) , OPPONENT (4.4)
 
Joined
May 19, 2007
Messages
205,324
Tokens
Saturday's six-pack

Numbers of entrants in last six Westgate SuperBook's NFL handicapping contests:

2010-- 347-- Since then, entrants have gone up 500.6%.

2011-- 517-- Entrance fee is $1,500, you pick five NFL games every week.

2012-- 745-- This has become so popular, Westgate is taking 8% out of prize pool this year to cover its own expenses for running it, estimated at $216,000.

2013-- 1,034-- Signups for this year's contest begin on July 1st.

2014-- 1,403-- Guy named Steve Fezzik actually won this contest two years in a row (2008, 09), and that is not easy to do.

2015-- 1,727-- Last year's winner took home $906,675.
 
Joined
May 19, 2007
Messages
205,324
Tokens
Sharp Bettor

Sharp Bettor's Free Pick for Saturday, June 4, 2016 7:15 PM

(923) KANSAS CITY (KENNEDY) VS (924) CLEVELAND (TOMLIN)

Play Kansas City.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
1,119,986
Messages
13,575,792
Members
100,889
Latest member
junkerb
The RX is the sports betting industry's leading information portal for bonuses, picks, and sportsbook reviews. Find the best deals offered by a sportsbook in your state and browse our free picks section.FacebookTwitterInstagramContact Usforum@therx.com