Saturday 8/15/15 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Marlins (46-69) at Cardinals (74-41)

Game: 2
Venue: Busch Stadium
Date: August 15, 2015 7:15 PM EDT

The lowly Miami Marlins are already winless in four meetings with the St. Louis Cardinals, and now they have to face John Lackey at Busch Stadium.

Lackey, who owns one of the NL's best home ERAs, will try to get his first victory in four starts Saturday night in the middle game of this series.

St. Louis (74-41) has outscored Miami 18-6 this season after Jaime Garcia took a shutout into the ninth inning of Friday's 3-1 victory. The Marlins (46-69) are batting .214 in the season series with five extra-base hits after failing to produce one Friday.

It may be a daunting task to get to Lackey (9-7, 2.91 ERA), whose 1.89 ERA at home ranks fifth in the NL. He threw a season-low 66 pitches before being lifted for a pinch-hitter Sunday when he gave up three runs in six innings and did not get a decision in a 5-4 loss at Milwaukee.

The Cardinals have dropped the last three starts by the right-hander, who has gone 11 straight in which he has surrendered three runs or fewer.

Lackey's lone start against the Marlins came in 2005. He may get a chance to face the batter he has seen the most in Ichiro Suzuki, a .296 hitter in 115 at-bats in this matchup.

Suzuki went 1 for 4 on Friday to give him 4,191 as a professional to match Ty Cobb, whose hit total is second in the majors to Pete Rose's 4,256. Suzuki had 1,278 hits in Japan.

Matt Carpenter is batting .368 during a 10-game hitting streak after he went 2 for 4 on Friday with a solo homer that came after his RBI bunt single gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning.

"That's just good fundamental baseball, doing the little things right in those close games when we're having trouble stacking hits on top of each other," manager Mike Matheny said.

Brad Hand (2-2, 4.29) makes his sixth start and third in a row for Miami. He moved into the rotation Aug. 4 after Dan Haren was dealt to the Chicago Cubs. Hand is 2-1 with a 3.57 ERA as a starter, allowing one run in 11 innings in his last two after giving up a run and two hits in seven to earn Sunday's 4-1 victory at Atlanta.

"He got a lot of early contact, executed pitches and I thought he utilized all his pitches," manager Dan Jennings said. "He got his fastball over, he used his slider very well and his changeup."

The left-hander's lone appearance against the Cardinals came June 24 when he gave up hits to all three batters he faced in a 6-1 loss.

Miami outfielder Christian Yelich, a .412 hitter versus St. Louis for his highest mark versus any NL club, has missed three straight games with a bruised knee and may miss the entire series.

Cole Gillespie has posted five straight multihit efforts, going 11 for 21.

Relievers Steve Cishek of St. Louis and Kyle Barraclough of Miami did not appear Friday.

Cishek was acquired from the Marlins on July 24 for fellow right-hander Barraclough, who never pitched for St. Louis and made his big-league debut with Miami on Aug. 7. Cishek had spent his entire career with the Marlins since it began in 2010.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rays (58-57) at Rangers (57-57)

Game: 2
Venue: Globe Life Park in Arlington
Date: August 15, 2015 8:05 PM EDT

Josh Hamilton is proving he's still a valuable offensive weapon.

Now he'll get to see where he's at against one of the AL's top pitchers.

Hamilton and the Texas Rangers dig in Saturday night against Chris Archer and the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.

The former AL MVP is still being bothered by soreness in his left knee, but an MRI earlier Friday cleared him to rejoin Texas' lineup for the series opener after missing two games.

"Definitely positive, and helped me understand that I can go there and run around and play," Hamilton said.

Hamilton's .732 OPS is the lowest of his nine-year career, but he launched his sixth homer and hit the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the eighth inning of Friday's 5-3 victory against Tampa Bay. He's batting .288 with 13 RBIs in his last 13 contests.

Texas (57-57) won its season-best fifth straight at home and pulled with one half-game of the Rays, who are two games behind the Los Angeles Angels for the AL's second wild-card spot.

Archer (10-8, 2.62 ERA), who owns the AL's fifth-best ERA, is 1-4 in his last eight starts but he owns a 2.18 ERA in the last five while striking out 43 in 33 innings. He fanned 10 while allowing three runs over six innings in a 4-3 victory against the New York Mets on Sunday.

His seven double-digit strikeout performances in 2015 are one shy of his 59-start total before this year.

The right-hander was 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his first three starts against Texas before giving up five runs in a season-low 3 1-3 innings of a 5-4 loss to the Rangers on May 7.

Adrian Beltre is 1 for 11 with five strikeouts against Archer, while Hamilton is 3 for 10 with a homer.

Outside of a 10-run backing in an 11-3 win against the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 4, Tampa Bay's offense hasn't done Archer many favors lately - he received four total runs of support in his other four most recent outings.

The Rays (58-57) had their winning streak snapped at four, but were encouraged by Desmond Jennings' 3-for-4 night. Jennings, who led Tampa Bay with 167 runs from 2012-13, returned after missing 96 games due to knee bursitis.

"Very promising. He looked really good," manager Kevin Cash told MLB's official website. "His at-bats were good. Squared the ball up ... It's nice to see. He's going to help us a lot here over the next two months."

Texas' Colby Lewis (12-5, 4.61) has recorded a quality start in five of his last six games, though home runs continue to be his downfall. He has allowed nine homers in his last six outings spanning 42 innings. The right-hander gave up two while allowing three earned runs in his first complete game of the year in Sunday's 4-2 loss at Seattle, falling to 5-3 for his career when going the distance.

Lewis has given up two home runs in five career starts against Tampa Bay, going 3-1 with a 3.54 ERA.

Evan Longoria and Asdrubal Cabrera are a combined 3 for 18 against Lewis.

Cabrera is hitting .538 with nine runs in his last 10 games after going 3 for 4 Friday. He's batting .476 in his past five contests against Texas.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Padres (55-61) at Rockies (47-67)

Game: 2
Venue: Coors Field
Date: August 15, 2015 8:10 PM EDT

Jon Gray is eager to get his feet wet in the majors, but he also understands the Colorado Rockies are banking on him for the future.

Continuing to gain trust from his coaching staff, the talented prospect tries to help the Rockies avoid a sixth consecutive defeat Saturday night against the visiting San Diego Padres.

The No. 3 overall pick in 2013, the hard-throwing Gray (0-0, 2.70 ERA) has allowed three earned runs over 10 innings in two starts since being promoted. Colorado, however, hasn't allowed the 6-foot-4, 235-pound right-hander to reach 80 pitches in either outing.

Though the club won't necessarily saddle Gray with a specific pitch limit, it will be smart after he logged 238 2-3 innings between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Albuquerque since the start of last season.

"We're just going to be intelligent," Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich told MLB's official website. "The process started prior to him getting to the big league level. We're just going to continue to manage his workload."

Gray worked a fastball that reached 98 mph and a slider in the high 80s on Monday, allowing only a solo homer in six innings of a 4-2 loss to the New York Mets.

'I understand the point of it,' Gray said of the team's cautious approach. 'You want to go back out, especially in a game like that, close game. So part of me wanted to, but I saw the bigger picture.'

He'll try to help Colorado avoid a seventh straight loss to San Diego (55-61) and Matt Kemp, who became the first Padre to hit for the cycle Friday when he recorded four RBIs during the 9-5 victory. Kemp completed the feat with a ninth-inning triple as the Padres won for the third time in four games.

"I was like, `Wow.' It's hard to believe, all the great hitters that have been here," Kemp said of recording the personal and team milestone. "Tony Gwynn and all those guys haven't been able to hit for the cycle. I'm just glad to be able to do it.'

Kemp, who has two homers and seven RBIs in two games, is batting .328 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs in his last 31 contests. He's hit .385 with two homers and 13 RBIs in 10 games against the Rockies (47-67) this season.

'He showed (Friday) why he is the player he is,' manager Pat Murphy said. 'That was special, special to be part of.'

Teammate Andrew Cashner (4-12, 4.09), trying to avoid becoming the NL's third 13-game loser, is 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA in his last three starts and has received one run of support in each outing.

Facing the Rockies for the first time this season, the right-hander is 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA in five starts against them but has allowed three runs over seven innings in each of his two at Coors.

DJ LeMahieu is 5 for 10 against Cashner and batting .421 with three doubles in the last six games.

Colorado, however, has scored 10 runs and batted .185 during its five-game slide. Carlos Gonzalez is 2 for 19 during that skid, and 2 for his last 12 against Cashner.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Reds (51-63) at Dodgers (65-51)

Game: 3
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: August 15, 2015 9:10 PM EDT

A stint on the disabled list hasn't slowed down Justin Turner, while another move to the DL has allowed Kike Hernandez to provide the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers with added offense.

Turner and Hernandez look to continue hitting the Cincinnati Reds' young pitchers on Saturday night.

Turner was hitting .459 with two homers and five doubles in a 10-game span before missing 14 with a skin infection in his right thigh. He's shown no adverse effects in two games since his return, going 3 for 6 and knocking in two runs in Friday's 5-3 victory over the Reds.

He's a .455 hitter in his last seven meetings with Cincinnati.

Hernandez matched his career high with three hits in Thursday's 10-3 loss in the opener of this four-game series. He followed that up Friday with another three hits and scoring with Turner on Adrian Gonzalez's three-run homer in the fifth.

Hernandez has been used at five positions this year but has started the last two games at second base with Howie Kendrick on the DL with a strained left hamstring.

The Dodgers (65-51) have won seven of nine at home and are 8-3 in the past 11 matchups there with the Reds (51-63).

Brett Anderson (6-7, 3.43 ERA) is facing them for the first time as he tries to bounce back from Monday's 8-3 loss to Washington. He gave up two runs in the first five innings before yielding five and getting pulled with no outs in the sixth.

"I wasn't able to get anybody out," said Anderson, who was 4-2 with a 2.45 ERA over his previous eight starts. "I pride myself on giving us a chance to win, and I felt like I did that through five. But the stuff was bad. I fell behind and I made a bunch of mistakes."

While much of the damage came against the Nationals, the left-hander is 0-3 with a 5.63 ERA in his last four home starts. He's received virtually no support from his teammates in those games, with the Dodgers scoring two total runs with him on the mound.

After John Lamb made his major league debut Friday, fellow rookie David Holmberg (1-1, 3.06) takes the mound for his first meeting with the Dodgers.

This will be the 17th straight game Cincinnati has started a rookie, the longest such streak since the first year of the rookie designation in 1958.

Holmberg has been effective in each of his three starts since being recalled from Triple-A Louisville. The left-hander lasted a career-best 6 2-3 innings in Monday's 2-1 loss at San Diego, making his only mistake on Justin Upton's two-run homer.

Holmberg has been a pleasant surprise after posting a 4.40 ERA in 19 games - 17 starts - at Louisville.

"I think it's just executing pitches better, just staying focused through the game and just making pitches when I need to and getting quick outs on ground balls and popups and stuff like that," Holmberg told MLB's official website.

Joey Votto is 6 for 12 with two homers and six RBIs in the last three games. He had a two-run homer and an RBI double Friday, giving him a .433 average over his past nine meetings with the Dodgers.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Nationals (58-57) at Giants (62-53)

Game: 3
Venue: AT&T Park
Date: August 15, 2015 10:05 PM EDT

A breakout performance against one of baseball's elite pitchers figures to be a boost for the previously slumping Giants.

San Francisco will look to ride the momentum to another win Saturday night against the visiting Washington Nationals and another quality pitcher in Gio Gonzalez.

The Giants (62-53) had been listless offensively, batting .216 and averaging 2.7 runs during a 2-5 stretch. Even Thursday's 3-1 series-opening victory wasn't overly impressive with more strikeouts (nine) than hits (eight). San Francisco had also been bottled up in recent meetings with Washington, scoring three runs or fewer 10 times while dropping 11 of 15.

However, the club touched up Max Scherzer for a season-high six runs and seven hits - including two homers - over three innings in an 8-5 victory Friday, the Washington ace's shortest outing since 2012. Matt Duffy finished a triple shy of the cycle, and Hunter Pence also went deep against Scherzer.

Washington's four-game losing streak is its second in two weeks, and the Nationals (58-57) are in danger of falling to .500 for the first time since they were 15-15 after May 8. Their worst slide of the season was a six-game skid April 22-27.

They're hitting .221 with 189 strikeouts while dropping 14 of 20 on the road. Ryan Zimmerman was 0 for 4 and struck out three times Friday, falling to 1 for 15 with 10 strikeouts in his last four contests.

'We're trying to have good at-bats and I think we did that,' said Bryce Harper, who Harper homered and drove in four runs. 'Hopefully we can take that into tomorrow, the next couple of days and keep having fun.'

Despite the recent struggles, Washington has a good shot of bouncing back behind Gonzalez (9-4, 3.50 ERA), who is 5-0 with a 1.48 ERA in his last eight games with a 6.10 run-support average. Opponents are batting .167 with runners in scoring position in that span compared to .289 previously.

Gonzalez tossed a season-best eight shutout innings in Monday's 8-3 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and though he threw a season-high 117 pitches, manager Matt Williams lauded his improved efficiency. Gonzalez had averaged 18.3 pitches per inning in his previous five outings compared to 14.6 Monday.

"The eight innings mean a lot. I told skip (Williams), 'Thank you for giving me a chance to finally go past the sixth and seventh inning," he told MLB's official website. "To be in the eighth inning, it's nice. Take it with a grain of salt. I will also move on and get ready for the next start."

Gonzalez hasn't lost to San Francisco since 2010, going 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA in five meetings since. He held them to a Buster Posey homer and four other hits over seven innings in a 2-1 home victory July 3 while using only 82 pitches.

Pence was on the disabled list for that game and is 1 for 12 lifetime against the left-hander.

Gonzalez faces the same pitching counterpart with Jake Peavy (2-5, 3.75) on the mound for the Giants. Peavy gave up two runs on a Clint Robinson homer and lasted 6 1-3 innings in the loss, falling to 4-6 in 12 career regular-season games against Washington.

Zimmerman, Jayson Werth and Yunel Escobar are a combined 8 for 49 against the right-hander with Zimmerman striking out nine times in 16 at-bats.

Peavy's five innings in Sunday's 2-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs marked the first time in seven starts he failed to complete at least six innings.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Braves sign RHP Jackson
The Sports Xchange

The Atlanta Braves signed free agent right-handed pitcher Edwin Jackson on Friday for the remainder of the season.

Jackson was in Atlanta for Friday night's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Jackson, 31, made 23 appearances for the Chicago Cubs this season, all in relief. He went 2-1 with a 3.19 ERA in 31 innings prior to being released on July 27. Now in his 13th major league season, Jackson has compiled a career record of 86-105 in 316 games (262 starts), with a 4.61 ERA.

To make room for Jackson on the 25-man roster, the Braves optioned right-handed pitcher Ryan Kelly to Triple-A Gwinnett.

The Braves also claimed right-hander Danny Burawa off waivers from the New York Yankees and assigned him to Triple-A. The Yankees had designated Burawa for assignment.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Brewers place RHP Blazek on DL
The Sports Xchange

The Milwaukee Brewers on Friday placed right-handed reliever Michael Blazek on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured right hand.

The team recalled reliever David Goforth from Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Blazek last pitched on Wednesday, when he gave up a 10th-inning walk-off home run to the Chicago Cubs' Miguel Montero at Wrigley Field. The DL move is retroactive to Thursday, the team said.

Blazek is 5-3 with a 2.43 ERA in 45 games (55 2/3 innings) this season.

Goforth will begin his fourth stint with the Brewers this season. In six games (4 1/3 innings), he has a 4.15 ERA.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Former All-Star closer Valverde suspended 80 games
The Sports Xchange

Reliever Jose Valverde, a three-time All-Star, has been suspended for 80 games by Major League Baseball.

The ban is the result of a positive test for Stanozolol, a banned performance-enhancing drug.

Valverde, 37, led baseball in saves three times between 2007 and 2011, but he has not pitched in the majors since last year.

Valverde had been pitching in the Washington Nationals' farm system, but they released him July 22.

Valverde has 288 saves, a 27-33 record and a 3.27 ERA over 12 seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks (2003-07), Houston Astros (2008-09), Detroit Tigers (2010-13) and New York Mets (2014).

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Rangers OF Martin has broken bone
The Sports Xchange

Texas Rangers outfielder Leonys Martin suffered a broken hamate bone that might require surgery and likely end his season, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Friday.

The Rangers had optioned the struggling Martin to Triple-A Round Rock last week. He felt soreness in his right wrist after the first game of a doubleheader in Triple-A on Thursday.

The 27-year-old Martin was batting .297 in nine games with Round Rock after hitting just .220 with five home runs and 25 RBIs with 14 stolen bases this season for the Rangers.

After Martin was sent to Triple-A, Delino DeShields Jr. replaced Martin as Texas' center fielder.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'Tussle in Windy City'

Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs go at it in the second game of this series on the south side of Chicago. Jose Quintana carrying a 6-9 record, 3.59 ERA toes the rubber for Pale Hose. Quintana has not done well at U.S. Cellular Field posting a 1-4 record over 10 starts in front of the friendly crowd (4-6 TSR). Quintana's mound opponent will be Jake Arrieta heading to the hill with a 13-6 record, 2.38 ERA. In contrast, Arrieta has put up outstanding numbers in enemy territory going 8-1 with a 2.02 ERA in 12 starts away from Wrigley Field (10-2 TSR). The two pitchers are meeting for the second time this season, the first coming back on July 12th with Quintana taking the loss as Arrieta tossed 9 inning of 2 hit 1 run ball for the victory.

The Cubbies are listed as -$1.30 road favorites, with the total set at 7.5 runs. Taking a road favorite can be a perilous road in baseball betting. But, there is enough in Cubbies favor to counteract such concerns. Arrieta in great form has a 4-1 team start record in five career starts vs Pale Hose. Cubbies in the midst of a smocking hot 14-1 streak have won 6-of-8 on the south side of Chicago. The fact Quintana is a portside is one more nod for Cubbies, as they've won 4 of their last 5 away from Wrigely Field against a left-handed starter.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Streaks, Tips, Notes

Cleveland Indians at Minnesota Twins August 15, 7:10 EST

When the Cleveland Indians visit the Minnesota Twins Saturday night there is an 'Over-Whelming' chance 'Over' gamblers will rejoice in cashing another ticket. In the past eight meetings 'Over' has been the right choice seven times. Another positive for 'Over' gamblers, Twins platting 5.0 runs/game while its pitching staff has allowed 7.7 per/contest have played 7 'Over', 2 'Under' the past 9 games. Indians behind a suddenly potent offense crossing 7.5 per/game have played 'Over' in five of its last seven.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

National League

Pirates @ Mets
Morton is 1-2, 5.04 in his last five starts; under is 4-2-1 in his last seven

Niese is 2-0, 1.80 in his last three starts; under is 7-3 in his last ten.

Pittsburgh won six of last eight games (over 5-2-1). Mets won 12 of last 15 games; four of last five stayed under. Pirates won seven of last eight games vs New York; seven of last ten series games stayed under.

Diamondbacks @ Braves
Corbin is 1-1, 3.54 in his last four starts; four of his last six stayed under.

Foltynewicz is 1-1, 5.09 in his last three starts; five of his last six went over.

Arizona won three of last five games with Atlanta; over is 3-2-1 in last six in series. D'backs won three of last five games, with three of last four going over total. Braves lost three of last four games; over is 6-3-1 in their last ten.

Phillies @ Brewers
Williams is 1-0, 1.50 in his last two starts; under is 3-1-1 in his last five.

Nelson is 3-0, 2.38 in his last five starts.

Road team won 10 of last 11 Philly-Milwaukee games, with Brewers winning last five; over is 4-1-1 in last six series games. Phillies are 17-8 in their last 25 games; six of their last eight went over. Brewers lost five of their last seven.

Marlins @ Cardinals
Hand is 2-2, 3.57 in his five starts (under 4-1).

Lackey is 0-2, 3.15 in his last three starts; Cards scored six runs in the three games. .

Miami lost its last five games with St Louis; under is 4-1-1 in last six series games. Marlins won thee of last four games; eight of their last 11 went over total. Cardinals won seven of last nine games; under is 8-2-1 in their last 11.

Padres @ Rockies
Cashner is 0-2, 6.11 in his last three starts; over is 6-3-1 in his last ten.

Gray is 0-0, 3.60 in his first two MLB starts (10 IP).

San Diego won its last six games with Colorado, scoring 44 runs; Padres are 3-7 in last ten games overall-- seven of their last nine went over. Rockies lost six of their last seven games (under 4-3).

Reds @ Dodgers
Holmberg is 1-1, 3.06 in his three starts (under 2-1).

Anderson is 1-2, 5.20 in his last five starts (under 3-1-1).

Cincinnati is 7-5 in its last 12 games with the Dodgers; four of last seven went under the total. Reds lost seven of last ten games; nine of last 13 went under total. Dodgers lost five of last eight games; seven of their last nine games went over the total.

Nationals @ Giants
Gonzalez is 3-0, 2.51 in his last five starts (over 4-1).

Peavy is 0-1, 1.59 in his last three starts; over is 6-4 in his last ten.

Nationals lost five of last six games; three of their last four stayed under. San Francisco lost five of last eight games; four of their last five stayed under. Washington won four of last seven games with the Giants; seven of last nine in series stayed under total.


American League

A's @ Orioles
Bassitt is 1-0, 0.66 in his last two starts; five of his last seven stayed under.

Gonzalez is 0-2, 8.10 in his last three starts; seven of his last nine went over.

Oakland lost last four games, scoring 13 runs- four of their last seven games stayed under. A's are 5-6 in last eleven games with Baltimore- nine of last 11 went over total. Orioles lost three of their last five games overall.

Bronx @ Blue Jays
Tanaka is 1-2, 4.50 in his last three starts; four of his last six stayed under.

Estrada is 3-0, 1.45 in his last three starts; under is 7-3 in his last ten.

Bronx lost six of last nine games; seven of nine stayed under. Toronto won 11 of last 12 games; four of last six stayed under- they've won five of their last seven games with New York, with four of last five staying under the total.

Mariners @ Red Sox
Hernandez is 4-1, 3.57 in his last six starts (over 5-1).

Boston lost last six Miley starts (0-2, 5.15-- over 4-2).

Seattle won five of last eight games with Boston; four of last five in series stayed under total. Mariners won three of last five games overall (under 3-2). Red Sox lost three of their last five games (over 5-0).

Rays @ Rangers
Archer is 1-2, 2.73 in his last five starts (under 3-2).

Lewis is 1-1, 7.07 in his last two starts; three of his last four stayed under.

Tampa Bay won four of last seven games with Texas (over 4-2-1); Rays are 7-3 in last ten games- seven of last nine went over. Rangers lost three of last five games; four of their last seven went over the total.

Indians @ Twins
Tomlin is 29-28, 4.89 in 70 MLB starts, last of which was for Indians (16 starts) LY-- he is 1-2, 4.22 in four AAA starts this year.

Duffey allowed six runs in two PT (60 PT) in his only '15 start.

Cleveland won four of last five games with Minnesota; over is 7-0-1 in last eight series games. Indians won five of last six games overall; over is 5-1-1 in last seven. Twins lost nine of last 12 games; over is 7-1-1 in last nine.

Angels @ Royals
Shoemaker is 1-1, 2.55 in his last four starts; six of his last seven went under.

Cueto is 1-1, 2.05 in three starts for the Royals (under 2-1).

Royals won eight of last nine games with the Angels; four of last six went over the total. KC won six of its last eight games overall; four of last seven got over the total. Halos lost five of last seven overall (under 6-4 in last ten).

Tigers @ Astros
Detroit is 1-9 in Verlander starts (1-2, 2.79 in last four-- under 3-1).

McHugh is 4-1, 3.19 in his last five starts (under 5-1 in last six).

Tigers are 3-6 in last nine games with Houston; over is 3-2-1 in last six series games. Detroit lost four of last five games; over is 4-3-1 in their last eight. Astros lost seven of last ten games; five of last six stayed under.


Interleague

Cubs @ White Sox
Arrieta is 6-1, 1.41 in his last eight starts; under is 5-0-1 in his last six.

Quintana is 2-0, 2.57 in his last four starts; his last three went over.

Cubs lost five of last eight games with the White Sox (under 4-3-1) but they won 13 of its last 14 games overall; seven of last nine went over total. Pale Hose won three of last four, allowing ten runs; over is 8-3 in their last 11.


Win-loss records this year for team with this starting pitcher:
Pitt-NY-- Morton 10-4; Niese 9-13
Az-Atl-- Corbin 3-4; Foltynewicz 6-6
Phil-Mil-- Williams 7-11; Nelson 11-12 (4-1 last 5)
Mia-StL-- Hand 2-3; Lackey 12-11 (0-3 last 3)
SD-Colo- Cashner 8-14; Gray 0-2
Cin-LA-- Holmberg 1-2; Anderson 11-11
Wsh-SF-- Gonzalez 13-8; Peavy 5-4 (5-0 last 5)

A's-Balt-- Bassitt 3-4; Gonzalez 11-10
NY-Tor-- Tanaka 11-5; Estrada 10-8
Sea-Bos-- Hernandez 16-7; Miley 10-13 (0-6 last 6)
TB-Tex-- Archer 14-10; Lewis 11-12 (4-1 last 5)
Clev-Minn-- Tomlin 0-0; Duffey 0-1
LA-KC-- Shoemaker 9-11; Cueto 12-10/1-2
Det-Hst-- Verlander 1-9; McHugh 15-8

Chi-Chi-- Arrieta 15-8 (7-1 last 8); Quintana 13-23


Times this starting pitcher allowed a run in first inning:
Pitt-NY-- Morton 8-14; Niese 7-22
Az-Atl-- Corbin 1-7; Foltynewicz 5-12
Phil-Mil-- Williams 6-18; Nelson 7-23
Mia-StL-- Hand 1-5; Lackey 4-23
SD-Colo- Cashner 9-23; Gray 1-2
Cin-LA-- Holmberg 0-3; Anderson 8-22
Wsh-SF-- Gonzalez 2-21; Peavy 1-9

A's-Balt-- Bassitt 1-7; Gonzalez 5-21
NY-Tor-- Tanaka 4-16; Estrada 3-18
Sea-Bos-- Hernandez 7-23; Miley 7-23
TB-Tex-- Archer 5-24; Lewis 5-21
Clev-Minn-- Tomlin 0-0; Duffey 1-1
LA-KC-- Shoemaker 5-20; Cueto 5-22
Det-Hst-- Verlander 3-10; McHugh 8-23

Chi-Chi-- Arrieta 4-23; Quintana 13-23


Umpires
Pitt-NY-- Eight of last ten Davidson games went over.
Az-Atl-- Under is 8-2-1 in last eleven Bellino games.
Phil-Mil-- Five of last seven Gonzalez games went over.
Mia-StL-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six Randazzo games.
SD-Col-- Underdogs are 10-10 in Scott games this year.
Cin-LA-- Last three Demuth games stayed under total.
Wsh-SF-- Five of last seven Blaser games went over.

NY-Tor-- Home side won last six Baker games.
Sea-Bos-- Under is 8-5 in Blakney games this year.
A's-Balt-- Under is 8-4-1 in last thirteen Hamari games.
Det-Hst-- Underdogs are 8-7 in last fifteen Miller games.
LA-KC-- Home side won eight of last eleven Barksdale games.
Cle-Min-- Four of last five Holbrook games went over.
TB-Tex-- Underdogs won 10 of last 14 Cooper games.

Chi-Chi-- Three of last four West games stayed under.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Saturday, August 15, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews

How about those Toronto Blue Jays? I stayed on their bandwagon to win the AL East even when they were seven games back of the Yankees. Now they are an unstoppable force and have jumped to the +300 second-favorites behind Kansas City (+160) to win the American League pennant and -175 favorites to win the AL East. On Thursday, the Blue Jays beat Oakland -- catching a break in that A's ace Sonny Gray was a game-day scratch with back spasms -- for their 11th straight win, tying a franchise record. It's their second 11-game winning streak of the season, the first from June 2-14. Toronto is the first team since the 1954 Indians with two streaks that long in a season. That Cleveland team went an incredible 111-43 but was upset in the World Series by the Giants, a team that finished 14 games behind the Tribe.


Yankees at Blue Jays (-118, 8)

With David Price going Friday in the Jays' series opener against the Yankees, I fully expect the team to be going for a 13th straight win Saturday afternoon. Entering Price's outing, Blue Jays starters had permitted three earned runs or fewer in 17 straight games, one shy of the club record. Saturday's game will be nationally televised on the MLB Network and have live betting at sportsbooks. It's surprising Marco Estrada (10-6, 3.21) for Toronto. He pitched in New York last weekend, when Toronto swept, and shut out the Bombers on three hits over 6.1 innings. Carlos Beltran is 4-for-17 with two homers off him. Brian McCann is 6-for-15. Mark Teixeira 2-for-7 with two homers. New York's Masahiro Tanaka (8-5, 3.79) took the loss opposite Estrada, allowing two runs over six innings. Edwin Encarnacion is 5-for-10 with a homer off him.

Key trends: The Yankees are 7-1 in Tanaka's past eight vs. teams with a winning record. The Jays are 5-1 in Estrada's past six vs. the AL East. The "over/under" is 5-1 in Tanaka's past six vs. the AL East. The under is 4-0 in Estrada's past four at home.

Early lean: I say Tanaka ends the winning streak. Go under.


Cubs at White Sox (+121, 8)

When you think NL Cy Young, you probably think Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw or Gerrit Cole. Well, start thinking the Cubs' Jake Arrieta (13-6, 2.38). He has had 10 straight quality starts and hasn't allowed a run over his past two, with just six hits in 14.2 innings. He dominated the White Sox on July 12, throwing a complete game and allowing one run and two hits, striking out 10. Alexei Ramirez is 5-for-13 off him. Adam LaRoche just 1-for-13. It's lefty Jose Quintana (6-9, 3.59) for the White Sox. He was opposite Arrieta on July 12 and took the loss, allowing three runs over 7.1 innings. The Sox have lost five of his past seven. Dexter Fowler is 3-for-6 off him. Kris Bryant 1-for-3 with a triple.

Key trends: The Cubs are 4-0 in Arrieta's past four road starts. The Sox are 1-6 in Quintana's past seven on Saturday. The under is 5-2 in the Cubs' past seven against a lefty. The over is 4-1 in Quintana's past five.

Early lean: Cubs and under.


A's at Orioles (-153, 8.5)

It's unlikely you see Orioles catcher Matt Wieters here. He left Tuesday's game with a right hamstring strain and was to be re-evaluated Friday. He is hitting .278 with five homers and 17 RBIs but wouldn't rule out playing at some point this weekend. Miguel Gonzalez (9-8, 4.45) starts this one for the Orioles. They have lost his past three, and he hasn't lasted more than 5.1 innings in any of them. Gonzalez pitched in Oakland on Aug. 4 and allowed three runs in 5.1 innings. Coco Crisp is 3-for-5 with two doubles off him. Brett Lawrie is just 3-for-20. Chris Bassitt (1-4, 2.48) goes for Oakland. He was opposite Gonzalez on Aug. 4 and shut out the Orioles on five hits over seven innings. Bassitt has allowed no more than three runs in any of his seven starts. Chris Davis is 1-for-2 with a double off him.

Key trends: The A's are 5-1 in their past six on Saturday. The Orioles are 0-4 in their past four against the AL West. The over is 7-2 in Gonzalez's past nine overall.

Early lean: A's and over.


Angels at Royals (-179, 7.5)

Los Angeles got bad, but not really unexpected, news, on Thursday when lefty C.J. Wilson was ruled out for the rest of the season. He will have surgery to remove bone spurs from his elbow. He had been pitching through discomfort earlier this season and was placed on the DL two weeks ago. He went around the country getting opinions on whether a non-surgical option was available so he could return in 2015, but the answer was no. Wilson finishes the year 8-8 with a 3.89 ERA. Might the Angels now try and make an August trade for an arm? Matt Shoemaker (5-8, 4.36) goes here for L.A. The Halos have lost his past three and he was rocked last time out, allowing seven runs in 5.2 innings at the White Sox. The Royals' Lorenzo Cain is 4-for-6 with a homer off him. Ben Zobrist is 6-for-9 with three doubles and a homer. It's Johnny Cueto (8-7, 2.53) for the Royals. I wrote earlier this week how great Cueto's K.C. home debut was as he threw a complete-game four-hitter against the Tigers on Monday and got standing ovations every inning. Albert Pujols is 7-for-29 career off him. Shane Victorino is 5-for-10 with two homers.

Key trends: The Angels are 12-3 in Shoemaker's past 15 on the road. The Royals have won four straight on Saturday. The under is 5-1 in Shoemaker's past seven.

Early lean: Zobrist hitting prop, Royals and under.


Rays at Rangers (+128, 8.5)

Shocker: the Rangers' Josh Hamilton is breaking down again. He missed a second straight game Thursday with soreness in his left knee and was to have an MRI on Friday. Following a quick start with Texas after being acquired from the Angels, he hasn't done much. Might as well shut him down for 2015. The Rangers go with Colby Lewis (12-5, 4.61) here. He is 5-1 at home this season despite a 5.27 ERA. The Rays' Evan Longoria is 2-for-9 off him. John Jaso is 1-for-8. It's Rays ace Chris Archer (10-8, 2.62). One of his worst outings of the year was May 7 vs. Texas where Archer lasted only 3.1 innings and allowed five runs. Adrian Beltre is 1-for-9 off him. Elvis Andrus is 4-for-9 with two RBIs.

Key trends: The Rays are 6-2 in Archer's past eight road starts vs. teams with a losing record. The Rangers are 6-1 in Lewis' past seven vs. teams with a winning record. The under is 4-1 in Archer's past five on the road. The under is 4-0 in Lewis' past four vs. Tampa.

Early lean: Rays and under.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Saturday's six-pack

Six jobs college football coaches had before they hit it big in coaching:

-- Nick Saban-- Drove a Coke truck in Akron for three summers.

-- Mike Leach-- Was a substitute teacher while an assistant coach at Cal Poly.

-- Butch Jones-- Was intramurals director and tennis coach, even though he has never played tennis.

-- Paul Johnson-- Was a caddy for $6 a bag at a golf course in Linville, NC.

-- Dave Clawson-- Worked at a landfill in Lewiston, NY for eight summers.

-- Bill Snyder-- Taught Spanish at a high school in Missouri.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Jeff Saad of Las Vegas Sports Services

8/15/2015: Saturday Bonus Play:

Fourth straight road game for the Pirates, all against red-hot teams. The Pirates go with lefty J.A. Happ (4-7, 4.78 ERA), who has below average stuff. The Pirates are 10-25 in their last 35 games as a road underdog. The New York Mets improved to 42-18 in Queens this season by recording its 11th win in 13 contests overall with a convincing 12-3 triumph over Colorado on Thursday. The Mets collected 15 extra-base hits and outscored the Rockies by a 23-5 margin during the four-game sweep. The Mets are 52-12 as a home favorite,40-15 at home vs. a team with a losing road record.

Play the NY Mets

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Dave Cokin

Bonus Play Saturday

YANKEES (Tanaka) @ BLUE JAYS (Estrada) 1:05 PM

Take: BLUE JAYS -120

Hey, the Blue Jays are human after all. They coughed a late lead against the Yankees on Friday night and in the process fell back to second place in what is now a sizzling divisional race. I like Toronto to get right back on track today.

Marco Estrada hasn’t gotten much attention for the Jays. That kind of figures as this team is all about putting up big offensive numbers and the pitchers are very much a secondary attraction. But Estrada has been a very pleasant surprise for Toronto this season, and the key to his success has been a dramatically reduced home run rate. That has long been the big issue for Estrada, but he’s proven that he can be an asset by keeping this ball in the park this year.

Meanwhile, it’s Masahiro Tanaka who is suffering from an alarming case of gopher ball fever. Tanaka is serving them up at an insane rate lately. 16 homers in the last 11 starts for Tanaka, and 14 in the last nine alone. That is simply not good news at all against a team with this much thunder.

The Blue Jays were quieted down on Friday night, but I doubt that this can be looked at as little more than a blip. This Toronto lineup is downright frightening. Match them up against a guy who is having trouble avoiding gopher balls and the recipe for another Toronto outburst is more than a reasonable projection.

That was a desperately needed win for the Yankees on Friday night and it would be huge if they could grab another victory here and clinch a series win in the process. But with Tanaka’s currently shaky form, especially when it comes to the taters, I have to favor the home team here. The price is clearly not unreasonable with the Jays currently just a 6/5 chalk piece. I’d look to lay that number with Toronto.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Jim Feist

Jim Feist's Bonus Play for Saturday, August 15 7:05 PM EST

(969) OAKLAND ATHLETICS VS (970) BALTIMORE ORIOLES

Take: Over the total

Reason: Your Bonus Play Saturday, August 15, 2015 is in the MLB contest between the Marlins and the Cardinals in St. Louis. Oakland has plenty of offensive punch and a good arm going in Chris Bassitt. However, Bassitt has a 1.91 ERA at home, 3.78 away and the Over is 3-1-1 when the Orioles are at home against a right-handed starter. Baltimore ranks 9th in baseball in runs scored, 7th in slugging. Miguel Gonzalez (4.45 ERA) has been shaky all season, losing three in a row by scores of 5-4, 5-0 and 9-8. The Over is 7-1 in Gonzalez's last 8 starts on grass. Gonzalez struggled once again, giving up four earned runs in 4.2 innings his last start. He struck out six while giving up seven hits (two home runs) and two walks. He has a 4.61 ERA at home and a 5.06 ERA against Oakland this season and the over is 7-2 in Gonzalez's last 9 starts overall. When these teams meet the over is 7-1 in the last 8 meetings. Play Oakland/Baltimore Over the total.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Arthur Ralph Sports

Bonus Play Sat Cubs -135

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Stephen Nover

Seattle Mariners vs Boston Red Sox

Bonus Play Seattle Mariners

Felix Hernandez versus Wade Miley is a complete mismatch.
The Mariners have won 68 percent of Hernandez's last 50 starts. King Felix is having another strong year this season tied for the lead in the American League in wins while ranking eighth in ERA and strikeouts.
The Red Sox could be minus Hanley Ramirez and Rusney Castillo, both of whom have foot injuries.
Boston starter Wade Miley has a 5.05 ERA in 10 starts at Fenway Park. Boston is 0-6 in Miley's last six outings.
The Red Sox were fired up on Friday after finding out manager John Farrell is going to miss the rest of the season in order to undergo cancer treatment. They destroyed the Mariners, 15-1. That was a tribute game to Farrell.
The Red Sox had been playing the string out so I see a letdown occurring today. Seattle had been playing well despite Friday's defeat. The Mariners are 7-4 in their last 11 games and have won the last three series they have played.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Scott Spreitzer

Detroit Tigers vs Houston Astros

Bonus Play Houston Astros

I'm recommending a play on the Houston Astros on Saturday. Justin Verlander has pitched a better brand of baseball of late, but his team simply finds ways to lose. Detroit has won just one of the right-hander's last 10 starts. And even if Verlander turns in a decent performance, we get a couple more shots with Houston's strong staff and Detroit's weak bullpen. Collin McHugh will toe the starting rubber for the home team in this one. McHugh has posted a 3.04 ERA & 1.28 WHIP in his last nine starts, while allowing just two home runs in 59 1/3 IP. McHugh has held opponents to two runs or less in four of his last five home outings. Houston enters on a 15-2 run when McHugh toes the home rubber and they're on a 21-5 run at home against right-handed opposing starters. I'm recommending a play on the Astros on Saturday. Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.