Saturday 8/27/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Angels (54-74) at Tigers (69-59)

Game: 2
Venue: Comerica Park
Date: August 27, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

DETROIT -- Change is coming to the Los Angeles Angels.

Starting Saturday.

Los Angeles Manager Mike Scioscia swapped right-hander Jhoulys Chacin out of the rotation for Saturday's start against the Detroit Tigers and switched him with left-hander Brett Oberholtzer.

"We're going to take a look at Obie and we've got some other guys we're going to take a look at as we take the turn into September," Scioscia said.

Scioscia wouldn't be pinned down as to exactly who those "other guys" might be, but Los Angeles is thin on minor league talent so any pitcher with a ceiling higher than your head is likely to be considered.

Whether the youngster is on the 40-man roster will be a consideration, as will readiness for the majors. Sometimes a manager wants a young pitcher who isn't ready to get a taste of what he needs to do to be successful in the majors, or get used to the atmosphere for his next try.

Chacin boasts a 2.55 ERA in relief.

"He did have a good start against the Yankees but in the broad picture of how he's pitched this year I think that coming out of the pen is somewhere where he's performed better and done a good job for us," Scioscia said.

Oberholtzer (3-2, 5.27 ERA overall; 1-0, 9.00 with Los Angeles) makes his first start of the season and fourth appearance for Los Angeles. He has only faced Detroit twice in his career, going 0-1 with a 3.65 ERA.

"Hopefully he can settle in and do what we project he can do as a starter," Scioscia said. "He's got really good command, he changes speeds well. We definitely want to give him a look.

"He's obviously not stretched out to the 75 or 90-pitch range. But he should be hopefully enough to get to a point of the game where we can still manage it. And we feel that'll happen."

Rookie flash Michael Fulmer (10-4, 2.58 ERA) makes his 21st start for Detroit, with six days between games as Detroit took advantage of a day off to push him back and keep his innings count what it feels is reasonable.

"We're going to try and push Fulmer (back) again," manager Brad Ausmus of Detroit said, noting the Tigers are off Thursday. "I'm not sure exactly how far. We'll use the off-day to his advantage, although he won't agree with it, but we think it's to his advantage."

Fulmer beat the Angels in his only start against them in Anaheim on June 1, tossing 7 2/3 innings of two-hit shutout ball. This will be only his seventh start at Comerica Park.

Detroit ran its winning streak to five games Friday night with a 4-2 victory over the visiting Angels.

Justin Upton smacked his fourth home run of the week -- good for 11 RBIs. The run coincides with a three-day break in which he worked on changes to his swing.

"You get three days off it's a mental reset, but it allows him the time to work on some things,' Ausmus said. "I know exactly what they were working on, and you can see it. Hopefully it continues.

"His history shows that he's capable of going on tears like this. Quite frankly I hope he goes on a prolonged tear for five weeks, even longer if necessary."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rays (54-73) at Astros (67-61)

Game: 2
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Date: August 27, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

HOUSTON -- Astros right-hander Mike Fiers delivered a performance Friday night emblematic of the inconsistencies plagued Houston starters of late.

Undone by three wild pitches -- two of which led directly to runs, Fiers blew a 3-0 lead and did not factor in the decision in the Astros' 5-4 victory over the Rays.

Fiers hasn't recorded wins in consecutive starts since mid-June, but with Collin McHugh and Doug Fister and rookie Joe Musgrove alternating strong starts with poor ones, Fiers isn't alone riding the roller coaster of varying results for the Astros (67-61).

"I think it's just about making pitches in this league," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said of the variance in the performances of his starters. "It's a tough league, it's a smaller margin for error. I think it's just rigors of the schedule and rigors of the season and the difficulty of putting five starters out there every day. We've had some inconsistencies."

Left-hander Dallas Keuchel (8-12, 4.64 ERA) makes his seventh career start against the Rays on Saturday. He is 0-4 with a 5.11 ERA against Tampa Bay.

Keuchel allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks with nine strikeouts over five innings in a 5-0 loss to the Rays on June 12 at Tropicana Field. In his last start, Keuchel tossed eight innings and allowed two runs on five hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in a 5-3 victory over Baltimore on Sunday.

The entire second half of the season has represented a turnaround for the Rays (54-73). After posting a minus-74 run differential prior to the All-Star break -- the worst mark in the American League, the Rays entered the series with Houston with the second-best run differential in the majors since the break and it stands at plus-56 after Friday's game.

"We're very happy with the performance from our pitching staff (and) the way we've gone out and defended," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "We had stretches last year where we were a really good club but we fell short. This year it went the other way where we struggled early but we seem to be playing better baseball now. Somehow I've got to find a way where we play that type of style of baseball throughout the course of a full season."

Left-hander Blake Snell (4-6, 3.17 ERA) makes his first career appearance against the Astros on Saturday. Snell has allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight consecutive starts, the longest such streak by a rookie in franchise history. Snell is 3-3 during that stretch, lowering his season ERA by 0.69.

Snell issued a career-high five walks in his last start against the Red Sox on Monday, failing to work five innings for the second time in three appearances. While Snell was lifted after 3 2/3 innings, he also failed to get any run support for the fifth time in 13 career starts.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Mariners (68-60) at White Sox (61-66)

Game: 3
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: August 27, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

CHICAGO -- Jose Quintana has never been consumed with personal numbers, but the Chicago White Sox left-hander admits that his last victory carried a little extra meaning.

After earning the 10th win in a season for the first time in his career on Aug. 21 against Oakland, Quintana can now focus on piling up more wins starting Saturday against the Mariners.

Quintana recorded nine wins in each of his past three seasons and was often the victim of not getting much run support. While that has been an issue at times this season -- including in each of his last three losses -- Quintana feels like he can breathe a bit easier after surpassing the double-digit win milestone.

"(There's) more I can do," Quintana said Friday. "(I'll take) one at a time. I'm going to focus on tomorrow and try to get another win for my team."

Quintana has had good control of his fastball of late and is making more of an effort to record quicker outs by attacking the strike zone more. Although his results of late have been mixed, surpassing the 10-win plateau may improve his focus even more.

"I'm sure (10 wins) was a mental hurdle for him," manager Robin Ventura said Friday. "It's similar when guys are close to knocking in 100 runs, it always seems like they're trying to force it instead of just letting it happen. Or a guy is trying to hit his last homer to get to a big number. You'll see how long it takes somebody to get there. But the good part is I know he's not changing who he is. He's probably feeling a little freer."

On Saturday, Quintana will face Ariel Miranda, who will make his fourth start for the Mariners after being acquired from Baltimore. Miranda has gained no-decisions in all three of his previous four starts while earning a victory after pitching an inning of relief on Aug. 9 against Detroit.

Manager Scott Servais said he has seen Miranda make steady progress, especially with his confidence in pitching at the major league level.

"He hasn't been in awe of any situation," Servais said Friday. "I think he's handled what we've thrown at him very well. He's open to trying different things whether it's a different grip on a slider or add another pitch. He's very coachable."

The Mariners' bullpen has been taxed of late as Seattle's starters have struggled to go deep into games. The Mariners used five pitchers in Thursday night's 7-6 loss before Felix Hernandez worked 7 1/3 innings in Friday's 3-1 victory that required Servais to only use closer Edwin Diaz.

Hernandez's long outing proved to be huge for Seattle's relievers, which should make for an easier road the rest of this weekend's series against the White Sox.

"(The bullpen) has been used a lot and it's caught up with them a bit," Servais said. "But every team is a little bit tired right now and we just have to figure out how to get through it."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Athletics (55-73) at Cardinals (68-59)

Game: 2
Venue: Busch Stadium
Date: August 27, 2016 7:15 PM EDT

ST. LOUIS -- The moment that many St. Louis Cardinals fans clamored for since Alex Reyes' callup from Triple-A Memphis on Aug. 9 will arrive Saturday night.

With veteran right-hander Mike Leake coming down with shingles, Reyes will step in and make his first major league start at Busch Stadium against the Oakland Athletics.

Regarded by many as the top pitching prospect in the minors before his promotion, Reyes has justified the hype in his first five big league appearances. In 9 1/3 innings, Reyes has allowed no runs and just five hits and four walks, striking out 13 with a fastball clocked as high as 101 mph.

He also picked up a win in his second outing against the Chicago Cubs as well as a save against Philadelphia, giving a boost to a bullpen that struggled over most of the previous two months.

"He's a top of the rotation talent," Cincinnati manager Bryan Price said of Reyes after he worked a 1-2-3 ninth in his major league debut on Aug. 9. "It looks like they have another good one."

The contrast between Saturday night's starters couldn't be more glaring. While Reyes relies on strikeouts, Oakland right-hander Zach Neal is your classic pitch to contact guy.

Of all major leaguers who have pitched at least 25 innings, Neal (2-3, 5.49 ERA) has the lowest walks-per-nine innings and strikeouts-per-nine innings, issuing just two walks and fanning only 14 in 39 innings.

Neal's issue has been keeping the ball from leaving the ballpark. He has yielded 47 hits, including seven homers, in 39 1/3 innings. It will be his fifth big league start after 10 relief appearances.

At 55-73, the A's season has essentially been reduced to contractual obligation and finding opportunities for youngsters in order to get an early start on 2017. One of those fresh-faced lads, third baseman Ryon Healy, is stamping himself as a keeper.

A fourth-inning single Friday night enabled Healy to stretch his hitting streak to 12 games, during which he has batted .400 (18-for-45). In his first 38 MLB games, Healy is hitting .281 with six homers and 17 RBIs.

"He's seeing every type of pitcher and he's making the adjustments," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said of Healy. "He's not scared at all. He's very respectful of his teammates and the game, but he's very tenacious."

St. Louis won Friday night's series opener 3-1, playing one of its cleanest games of the year a night after a sloppy 10-6 loss to the New York Mets. The Cardinals didn't commit an error and even manufactured an insurance run with smart baserunning, a feature they haven't often employed this year.

In upping its record to 68-59, St. Louis looked more like a playoff team -- it leads Miami by 1 1/2 games for the National League's second wild-card spot -- and less like a team simply trying to outslug everyone.

"It was a good, clean win," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "It was good baseball all the way around. Just a good, solid game, the kind of game we like to see."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Indians (73-54) at Rangers (75-54)

Game: 3
Venue: Globe Life Park in Arlington
Date: August 27, 2016 8:05 PM EDT

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Cleveland Indians might be in first place in the American League Central, but that doesn't mean their clicking on all cylinders.

The offense has seen to that. Friday's 12-1 win snapped a four-game stretch for the Indians in which they scored either one or zero runs in all four games. It was the first time that's happened since 2011.

Despite the ugly numbers, there's no panic for the Indians as they showed Friday night in scoring their most runs in two weeks. And they have a chance to get things going Saturday too when they face a struggling Texas starter in right-hander A.J. Griffin (5-3).

The Indians are confident in an offense that still ranks second in the AL in runs scored and is fifth in the majors in total runs and runs per game.

"You keep working," said Cleveland second baseman Jason Kipnis, who went 2-for-5 with an RBI double in the third inning Friday. "It's a tough time of year because you don't want to overwork. You want to save whatever energy you have for the game, so you find a nice little balance between the two. I wouldn't be surprised if we come out of it (the slump) here soon. We're going to get back to the basics of good lines and putting it in play."

The Indians' offensive slide coincided with strong play from Detroit and Kansas City in the Central, but the Indians still lead the division by 4 1/2 games over the Tigers.

That should make for a tight September, and the Indians welcome that.

"It's going to be a fun month of September," Kipnis said. "That's what we want it to be. We want to have some important games, and we're going to get that. We've got the lead right now. We've had some stretches where we haven't played that well, and they still haven't caught us. These are all big games now."

Saturday's game could be a big one for Griffin too. Over his last eight starts, the right-hander has a 6.69 ERA and will be charged with trying to keep the Indians in their offensive malaise.

If he can't do that, his rotation days could be numbered. Rehabbing starter Colby Lewis is eyeing a return to the rotation in early September. With Yu Darvish, Cole Hamels, Derek Holland and Martin Perez entrenched in the rotation, that could leave Griffin the odd man out when Lewis returns.

Griffin isn't thinking about that though. He's looking to build off a start against Tampa Bay in which he allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings in an 8-2 loss.

He's doing so while feeling good about where he's at physically.

"I've kind of hit my stride a little bit more and the body is bouncing back, and I'm able to go out there and throw the ball the way I want for my allotted pitches," Griffin said. "I feel pretty good. Just keeping my body the way I want it to be and go out there with a positive attitude."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Reds (54-73) at Diamondbacks (54-75)

Game: 2
Venue: Chase Field
Date: August 27, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

PHOENIX --The Diamondbacks have turned their current homestand into a study in the art of the walkoff.

Three wins this week, three walkoffs.

Three lost leads, three recoveries.

The latest came Friday, when Brandon Drury scored on a two-out wild pitch after doubling with one out and taking third on a groundout. Drury broke for home when Blake Wood's first pitch to Juan Segura was in the dirt.

The play wasn't close, and the result wasn't new.

Drury hit a walkout sacrifice fly in a 10-9 victory over Altanta on Wednesday, after the Braves tied the game with a four-run rally in the ninth inning.

Paul Goldschmidt hit a walkout homer in the ninth inning for a 9-8 victory Monday, the first game of the seven-game homestand, after Freddie Freeman tied the game with a homer in the top of the inning.

Cincinnati will attempt to break the trend in the second game of a three-game series Saturday evening, when right-hander Anthony DeSclafani opposes Zack Godley at Chase Field.

"Any time you pick our teammates up and help the team win games, that's a really good feeling all the way around," Drury said. "You have to keep battling and pick your teammates up. That's what the name of the game is, and we're going to keep on do that. I do feel like things are keep turning and we are going to play really good baseball."

Arizona has won eight of 13 and 12 of 19 after falling 22 games below .500 the first week of August.

Arizona welcomed the return of center fielder A.J. Pollock on Friday. Pollock, an All-Star in 2015, had been on the disabled list after re-fracturing his right elbow in an exhibition game three days before the start of the regular season. He was activated Friday and went 0-for-5, although his slow grounder to second base in the 10th inning drove in Phil Gosselin to tie the game at 3, forcing another inning.

"It's like opening day for me," Pollock said. "You have to get all of the first stuff out of the way. It was good to be out there."

Pollock received nice ovations each time he batted, and he made a stretching catch to take extra-bases away from Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips on a long fly to right-center field for the second out of the fourth inning.

"I felt good out there," Pollock said. "Physically, it is not an issue any more. It is good to be out there with the team, and to get this win is huge."

Cincinnati got another strong outing Friday from left-hander Brandon Finnegan, who struck out a career high 12 in six innings. He struck out the side in the first and fifth innings, and he gave up only three hits. Finnegan struck out eight and gave up one hit in seven scoreless innings in his previous start against the Dodgers.

"Everything was working for me and I was hitting spots," Finnegan said. "It was a good night."

Arizona kept Cincinnati's hottest bat, Joey Votto, at arm's length in the first game of the series. Votto was 1-for-3 with a single and three walks (two intentional). Arizona intentionally walked him with runners on first and third and two outs in the ninth inning to bring up Adam Duvall with the game tied at 2. Duvall flew out to deep center.

Votto was walked with a runner on second base and two outs in the 11th to get to the pitcher's spot in the order, and the Reds were unable to capitalize that time either.

Votto hit .413 in July and is hitting .418 with 22 RBIs in August. He is attempting to become the first major leaguer since 2010 to hit .400 in consecutive months since Josh Hamilton hit .454 in June and .418 in July for Texas in 2010.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Braves (47-82) at Giants (70-58)

Game: 2
Venue: AT&T Park
Date: August 27, 2016 9:05 PM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO -- Jake Peavy gets what could be his one and only shot at regaining a fulltime spot in the San Francisco Giants starting rotation when he takes on the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night.

Peavy was demoted from the San Francisco rotation when the club acquired left-hander Matt Moore from the Tampa Bay Rays at the trade deadline.

At the time, Giants manager Bruce Bochy elected to keep Matt Cain in the rotation, while sending Peavy to the bullpen, where he's made eight appearances since Aug. 3.

The plan had to be scrapped, however, when Cain came up with a sore back in his start Aug. 17 against Pittsburgh. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list the next day.

Re-enter Peavy, who allowed eight hits and one run in his first six innings out of the bullpen before getting roughed up for five runs on five hits in two innings last Saturday against the New York Mets.

He hasn't pitched since.

Saturday, he looks to extend the Giants' streak of 22 consecutive shutout innings.

Part of the the run has coincided with 11 straight games without an error and Giants manager Bruce Bochy said the two go hand-in-hand.

"That's what defense does for you," he assured after the Giants recorded a 7-0 victory Friday night in a game in which the Braves committed three errors. "That's what we need to do the rest of the way: Play good defense and pitch well."

Peavy's spot in the rotation is scheduled to come up next Sept. 2, the day Cain is eligible to be reinstated from the DL.

The Giants don't seem to be in a hurry to activate Cain, but that could change depending upon how Peavy does Saturday.

The Giants also have a day off on Monday, which could give Bochy the luxury of skipping his fifth starter the next time through the rotation, especially with an important four-game series in Chicago against the Cubs looming on Sept. 1-4.

Peavy probably could take the decision out of his manager's hands by duplicating his previous performance against the Braves. He shut out Atlanta on one hit over seven innings in a 4-0 victory May 31.

The Braves counter with right-hander Mike Foltynewicz, who also was on top of his game during the earlier series in Atlanta. He beat the Giants 5-3 on May 30, allowing only one run on three hits in six innings.

Foltynewicz can only hope for more support than right-hander Joel De La Cruz got in Friday's loss. Not only did the Braves make three errors behind him, but also failed to score for the fifth time in his eight starts.

Atlanta slugger Freddie Freeman thought Friday's game was lost in the first two innings, when the Braves failed to score despite two doubles in the first, and loading the bases with no outs in the second.

"That was the whole game right there," he observed. "They capitalized with runners in scoring position and we didn't."

The Giants went 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Saturday, August 27, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 8/26/2016

Come on Dodgers, send another player to the disabled list before the season is over! Not that I have anything against the Dodgers, but earlier this week they put starting pitchers Brett Anderson and Scott Kazmir on the DL. That tied a big-league record of 27 players put on the disabled list in one season by a team, although statistics for this sort of thing only go back 30 years. Anderson is the fifth Dodger to go on the DL twice, but those guys count as one player each. The Dodgers had seven starting pitchers on the DL entering Wednesday -- led by ace Clayton Kershaw -- but they activated Rich Hill off it that day and he pitched great in his Los Angeles debut that night. The only other team to place 27 players on the DL in a season was the 2012 Red Sox, who finished 69-93 and last in the AL East in Bobby Valentine's one season as manager. If the Dodgers win the NL West, Dave Roberts deserves to be NL Manager of the Year with all the juggling he has had to do.


Orioles at Yankees (-105, 9)

As usual, New York plays a home 1:05 p.m. ET game on Saturday, and it's nationally televised on the MLB Network so should have live betting at sportsbooks. Where would the Yankees be if they had dumped Alex Rodriguez earlier than they did, moved Brian McCann to DH and called up catcher Gary Sanchez? Entering the weekend, Sanchez has nine homers in his first 21 career games, just the fifth player in big-league history to accomplish that but second this year: Rockies shortstop Trevor Story had 10 in his first 21 to start this season. If Sanchez keeps playing every day, he will get too many at-bats to qualify for next year's AL Rookie of the Year Award. He gets his first look at Baltimore's Dylan Bundy (7-4, 3.33). He beat Washington on Monday, giving up two runs and three hits over six innings in another quality start. Bundy has allowed three runs over 3.2 innings in two relief appearances vs. the Yankees this year. New York rookie Chad Green (2-3, 3.66) makes his seventh big-league start. He lost at the Angels on Sunday despite allowing only a run over six innings. Green pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless relief vs. Baltimore on July 21.

Key trends: The Orioles are 4-1 in Bundy's past five. The Yanks are 4-1 in their past five in Game 2 of a series. The "over/under" has gone under in six of Bundy's past eight.

Early lean: Orioles and under.

Cubs at Dodgers (TBA)

A 4:05 p.m. ET first pitch on Fox Sports 1 in this potential playoff preview. This was to be Kazmir's start. He tried to pitch through back and neck soreness on Monday in Cincinnati but lasted only 2.2 innings. There was talk the Dodgers might turn to their No. 2 pitching prospect in right-hander Jose De Leon. At Triple-A this season, the 24-year-old is 6-1 with a 2.86 ERA and an opponents' batting average of .199. On Monday, De Leon took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finished with 10 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings, his second straight start with double-digit strikeouts and no walks. But now it's looking more likely it will be L.A.'s top prospect in lefty Julio Urias (4-2, 3.95). He threw six shutout innings at the Reds on Sunday. The worst of his 11 big-league starts was his second one, June 2 in Chicago when he allowed six runs and eight hits over five innings in a loss. The Cubs start Jason Hammel (13-6, 3.07). Guy has great numbers but for the second time this season last time out, he gave up 10 runs in a start. That happened Sunday in Colorado in just 3.1 innings and Hammel entered that game with a 22-inning scoreless streak. Hammel is the first Cub since 1930 to allow 10 runs twice in a season. He pitched 2.1 scoreless innings vs. the Dodgers on May 30, leaving early due to hamstring cramps. Howie Kendrick is 7-for-16 career off him with two doubles and five RBIs. Chase Utley is 3-for-8 with two RBIs.

Key trends: The Cubs are 9-4 in Hammel's past 13 vs. teams with a winning record. The Dodgers are 5-1 in their past six in Game 2 of a series. The under is 6-1-1 in Hammel's past eight.

Early lean: Hate to do TBAs, but with this on national TV and the possibility of De Leon's debut, I almost had to. I like the Cubs regardless. Hammel has otherwise been excellent in the second half.

Angels at Tigers (-215, 9)

This game follows Cubs-Dodgers on Fox Sports 1. Detroit's Michael Fulmer (10-4, 2.58) continues his push for the AL Rookie of the Year Award -- if the team doesn't shut him down. There could be some concern about fatigue as Fulmer had his worst start of the season last time out vs. Boston, allowing six runs and 10 hits over 5.2 innings. The start before that he threw a season-high 112 pitches in a complete-game shutout vs. Texas. Fulmer has now pitched 141 innings (including 15⅓ in Triple-A) this season compared to 124⅔ last season. He will be on seven days' rest here. Fulmer was brilliant in Anaheim on June 1, throwing 7.2 shutout innings and allowing two hits with eight strikeouts. The Angels were to start Jhoulys Chacin (4-8, 5.61) but instead will go with lefty Brett Oberholtzer (3-2, 5.27). He was claimed off waivers from Philadelphia earlier this month and has pitched three times in relief for the Halos. He hasn't started all season in 29 appearances. He' s only 27, so the Angels want to see if he's worth keeping around for a possible rotation spot in 2017. Oberholtzer had some decent moments as starter with Houston from 2013-15.

Key trends: The Tigers are 5-1 in Fulmer's past six at home. The over is 5-1-1 in Fulmer's past seven in Game 2 of a series.

Early lean: Tigers and over.

Royals at Red Sox (-162, 8)

Most intriguing pitching matchup of the night, without question. Royals left-hander Danny Duffy (11-1, 2.66) beat Minnesota in his last start, allowing a run and eight hits (season high) over 6.2 innings. The Royals have won his past 12 outings, and Duffy has won 10 straight decisions, the longest in franchise history since the otherwise forgettable Rich Gale hit a dozen in 1980. Duffy leads the AL in win percentage, ERA and WHIP (1.01). He's a Cy Young candidate. Duffy hasn't faced the Red Sox this year. David Ortiz is 3-for-10 with three doubles against him. Dustin Pedroia is also 3-for-10 with three RBIs. Duffy goes against last year's Cy Young runner-up in Boston's David Price (12-8, 4.00), who finally appears to be pitching like an ace. He won a third straight start Tuesday at Tampa Bay, shutting out the Rays on two hits with eight strikeouts over eight innings. Price is poised to get his ERA below 4.00 for the first time since after his first start in a Red Sox uniform. He won in Kansas City on May 18, giving up two runs over 7.1 innings. Lorenzo Cain is 4-for-13 with a homer off him. Salvador Perez is 4-for-12 with two homers.

Key trends: The Royals are 6-0 in Duffy's past six vs. teams with a winning record. The Sox are 1-4 in Price's past five at home vs. teams with a winning record. The under is 9-2 in Duffy's past 11 vs. the AL East. The under is 5-2 in Price's past seven at home.

Early lean: Red Sox and under.

Rays at Astros (-175, 8)

Now is the time for Houston to pile up some wins as the Rays are last in the AL East and then the Astros host a lousy Oakland club for three games starting next week. Houston better go no worse than 5-1 in these six games as its next 16 are against Texas (twice), Cleveland, the Cubs and Seattle. Three of those are playoff locks, and the Mariners are ahead of Houston in the wild-card chase. Houston goes with lefty ace Dallas Keuchel (8-12, 4.64). He comes off one of his better starts of the year, going eight innings in Baltimore and giving up two runs and five hits. Keuchel lost at Tampa Bay on June 12 in allowing five runs in five innings and is 0-4 with a 5.11 ERA in his career against the Rays. Logan Forsythe is 6-for-16 off him. Evan Longoria is 5-for-15 with two RBIs. Tampa rookie lefty Blake Snell (4-6, 3.17) lasted only 3.2 innings Monday vs. the Red Sox, allowing two runs and walking a career-high five in a loss. Snell has never faced Houston.

Key trends: The Rays are 2-5 in Snell's past seven vs. teams with a winning record. The Astros are 7-3 in Keuchel's past 10 on Saturday. The under is 5-0 in Snell's past five on the road. The under is 4-1 in Keuchel's past five at home.

Early lean: Astros and under.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'On the Diamond'

Cleveland Indians at Texas Rangers August 27, 8:00 EST

Texas Rangers and Cleveland Indians get set to duel again in game-three of this four-game set with both teams having notched one victory. The Rangers enjoying home cooking of late, compiling a record of 10-4 before the home audience look to A.J. Griffin carrying a 5-3 record, 4.68 ERA to the hill. Griffin on shaky ground is 0-2 his last three with a whopping 7.41 ERA and is 1-2 in his last three starts at Globe Life Park in Arlington smacked for 6 yard-ball, 14 runs.

The Indians struggling in an opposing park recently, compiling a 4-9 record platting two or fewer runs in seven of those contest counter with Carlos Carrasco bringing to the table a 9-6 record, 3.12 ERA. Carrasco who spun eight shutout innings in a road win over A's last effort has a 7-3 team start record on the road this campaign.

According to current odds the Indians are -$1.55 road favorites.

Taking a struggling road favorite can be a perilous road in baseball betting. However, in this case Carrasco in excellent form with 28 K vs. 0 walks his past three starts, Griffin with twelve consecutive non-quality starts adds up well enough to conclude Indians are the best choice.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Saturday’s games

National League

Rockies @ Nationals
De la Rosa is 2-0, 3.48 in his last five starts; three of his last four stayed under. Colorado is 5-6 in his road starts.

Cole allowed four runs in seven IP (108 PT) in his first ’16 start.

Rockies lost their last seven road games; over is 6-2 in their last eight road games. Washington lost four of last six games; six of Nationals’ last seven home games went over the total.

Padres @ Marlins
Richard is 0-2, 3.27 in two starts this year (under 2-0).

Urena is 1-3, 5.46 in five starts this year (under 3-2).

Padres are 5-18 in last 23 road games; over is 8-3 in their last 11 games. Miami is 3-5 in last eight home games; five of last five Marlin games stayed under the total.

Phillies @ Mets
Hellickson is 5-0, 2.35 in his last six starts; under is 9-1-1 in his last 11. Phillies won his last four road starts.

Syndergaard is 2-0, 2.63 in his last two starts; under is 5-3 in his last eight. Mets are 7-5 in his home starts.

Phillies are 7-11 in last 18 road games; over is 7-1-1 in Philly’s last nine road games. New York won five of its last six games; over is 10-1 in Mets’ last eleven games.

Pirates @ Brewers
Taillon is 1-1, 1.93 in his last four starts; his last five stayed under. Pirates are 3-2 in his road starts.

Nelson is 1-6, 9.53 in his last seven starts; under is 7-4 in his last 11. Milwaukee is 3-7 in his last 10 home starts.

Pirates won their last six road games; six of last seven Pittsburgh games stayed under. Milwaukee won four of its last six games; four of its last five games stayed under.

Reds @ Diamondbacks
DeSclafani is 1-2, 4.50 in his last three starts; four of his last five stayed under. Reds are 3-5 in his road outings.

Godley is 1-1, 5.92 in his last four starts (over 7-1).

Cincinnati lost four of last five games; over is 8-4 in Reds’ last 12 road games. Arizona is 6-3 in its last nine home games; 10 of last 13 Arizona games went over the total.

Cubs @ Dodgers
Hammel allowed 10 runs in his last start at Coors Field, after having a 22-inning scoreless streak before that game; under is 6-2 in his last eight starts. Cubs are 1-5 in his last six road starts.

Urias is 3-0, 4.07 in his last five starts (over 4-1). Dodgers are 5-0 in his home starts.

Cubs won eight of last ten road games; over is 11-2 in their last 13 games. Dodgers won four of last six games; over is 9-3-2 in his last 14 games.

Braves @ Giants
Foltynewicz is 2-0, 4.37 in his last four starts; his last six starts went over. Atlanta won three of his last four road starts.

Peavy is 1-1, 1.39 in his last two starts; four of his last five went over. Giants are 7-2 in his last nine home starts.

Atlanta lost five of last seven road games; over is 7-2 in Braves’ last nine road games. Giants are 5-9 in last 14 games; four of last five Giant games stayed under.


American League

Orioles @ New York
Bundy is 4-1, 3.10 in his last five starts (under 6-1-1).

Green is 1-1, 0.75 in his last two starts (over 3-2-1). Home side won five of his six starts. New York won both his home starts.

Orioles are 4-7 in last 11 games; four of their last five road games went over. New York won five of last seven games; five of their last seven games stayed under the total.

Twins @ Blue Jays
Santana is 3-1, 2.39 in his last four starts; under is 8-2 in his last ten. Twins won three of his last four road starts.

Stroman is 1-1, 2.45 in his last four starts (under 3-1). Toronto won his last three home starts.

Minnesota lost its last eight games; over is 20-4-2 in their last 26 games. Toronto lost four of last seven games; under is 15-8 in their last 23 games.

Royals @ Red Sox
Duffy is 5-0, 1.18 in his last five starts (under 5-0). Royals are 6-2 in his road starts.

Price is 3-0, 1.64 in his last three starts; over is 4-0-1 in his last five. Boston is 7-5 in his home starts.

Royals won 10 of last 11 games; under is 11-3-1 in their last 15 road games. Boston is 10-4 in its last 14 games; under is 6-3-2 in their last eleven games.

Indians @ Rangers
Carrasco is 2-0, 3.32 in his last three starts; over is 6-4 in his last ten. Cleveland is 7-3 in his road starts.

Griffin is 0-2, 7.41 in his last three starts; over is 5-1 in his home starts. Texas is 4-2 in his home starts.

Indians are 4-9 in last 13 road games; under is 9-3-1 in their last 13 road games. Texas lost four of last six games; over is 5-1-1 in their last seven games.

Rays @ Astros
Snell is 1-2, 7.20 in his last three starts; under is 6-3 in his last nine. Rays are 1-4 in his road starts.

Keuchel is 2-1, 3.27 in his last three starts; under is 6-2 in his last eight. Astros won four of his last six home starts.

Rays are 8-4 in last 12 games; six of Rays’ last seven road games went over. Houston won six of last seven games; under is 7-3-1 in their last 11 home games.

Mariners @ White Sox
Miranda is 0-0, 4.32 in three starts this year; Seattle’s bullpen lost all three games (over 2-1).

Quintana is 2-1, 2.60 in his last four starts; under is 5-1-1 in his last seven (under 20-3-1 in his last 24). White So are 604 in his home starts.

Seattle lost four of last six games; six of Mariners’ last nine games went over the total. White Sox won four of last six games; five of last seven Chicago games stayed under.


Interleague

A’s @ Cardinals
Neal is 1-3, 7.92 in four starts this year (over 2-2).

Leake is 1-0, 2.84 in his last three starts; over is 5-1-1 in his last seven. Cardinals are 1-5 in his last six home starts.

Oakland is 2-11 in last 13 road games; under is 9-1 in A’s last ten games. St Louis is 9-2 in last 11 games; 0ver is 8-3-1 in their last 12 home games.


Teams’ record when this pitcher starts:

Col-Wsh; De la Rosa 8-11; Cole 0-1
SD-Mia: Richard 0-2; Urena 2-3
Phil-NY: Hellickson 15-10 (6-0 last 6); Syndergaard 15-9
Pitt-Mil: Taillon 8-4; Nelson 10-16 (3-12 last 15)
Cin-Az– DeSclafani 8-6; Godley 5-3
Chi-LA: Hammel 15-9; Urias 7-3
Atl-SF: Foltynewicz 7-10; Peavy 11-10

Blt-NY: Bundy 5-3; Green 3-3
Min-Tor: Santana 7-16; Stroman 12-13
KC-Bos: Duffy 16-3 (11-0 last 11); Price 14-13
LA-Det: Oberholtzer 0-0; Fulmer 16-4
Cle-Tex: Carrasco 13-7; Griffin 11-6
TB-Hst: Snell 4-9; Keuchel 11-14
Sea-Chi: Miranda 0-3; Quintana 13-12

A’s-StL: Neal 1-3; Leake 12-13


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

Col-Wsh; De la Rosa 8-19; Cole 0-1
SD-Mia: Richard 0-2; Urena 1-5
Phil-NY: Hellickson 7-25; Syndergaard 5-24
Pitt-Mil: Taillon 5-12; Nelson 9-26 (5 of last 7)
Cin-Az– DeSclafani 8-14; Godley 3-8
Chi-LA: Hammel 5-24; Urias 2-10
Atl-SF: Foltynewicz 4-17; Peavy 4-21

Blt-NY: Bundy 2-8; Green 4-6
Min-Tor: Santana 7-23; Stroman 6-25
KC-Bos: Duffy 4-19; Price 9-27
LA-Det: Oberholtzer 0-0; Fulmer 5-20
Cle-Tex: Carrasco 5-20; Griffin 3-17
TB-Hst: Snell 3-13; Keuchel 6-25
Sea-Chi: Miranda 1-3; Quintana 6-25

A’s-StL: Neal 1-4; Leake 8-25


Umpires

Col-Wsh; Last three Winters games went over the total.
SD-Mia: Over is 8-2-1 in last eleven Gorman games.
Phil-NY: Under is 5-2-1 in last eight Little games.
Pitt-Mil: Over is 9-4 in last thirteen Davidson games.
Cin-Az– Home team won last eight Drake games.
Chi-LA: Four of last five Vanover games went over.
Atl-SF: Under is 6-2-2 in last ten Blaser games.

Blt-NY: Five of last seven Kulpa games stayed under.
Min-Tor: Underdogs won five of last seven Fairchild games.
KC-Bos: Four of last five Johnson games went over total.
LA-Det: Under is 10-2 in last twelve Everitt games.
Cle-Tex: Over is 7-2 in last nine Kellogg games.
TB-Hst: Under is 11-1 in last 12 Danley games.
Sea-Chi: Over is 6-2-1 in last nine Emmel games.

A’s-StL: Last six Segal games went over the total.


Teams’ records in first five innings:

Team (road-home-total)- thru 8/26

Arizona 22-30-11…..26-35-5…….48-65
Atlanta 25-33-8……18-31-13……43-64
Cubs 35-20-8……40-17-8…….75-37
Reds 17-38-7……29-31-5…….46-69
Colo 24-30-11…..26-32-4……50-62
LA 27-26-9……39-21-7…….66-47
Miami 28-26-9….29-19-16……57-45
Milw 19-37-7……35-23-8…….54-60
Mets 27-41-9……28-24-9……55-55
Philly 21-29-15….23-29-11……44-56
Pitt 19-33-11…..38-22-4……57-54
St. Louis 29-27-6…..26-27-12…..55-54
SD 20-40-4…..28-30-6……48-70
SF 28-30-7……32-18-13……60-48
Wash 33-20-13…..27-19-16…..60-39

Orioles 24-34-7…….33-24-8……..57-57
Boston 25-27-10……39-18-8…….64-45
White Sox 28-28-8……33-28-3……..61-56
Cleveland 35-24-7……29-26-5…….64-50
Detroit 27-30-8……30-26-4……..57-56
Astros 26-29-11…..30-24-7…….56-53
KC 25-32-11……25-23-13…..50-55
Angels 24-35-7…….23-30-10……47-65
Twins 23-33-11…….21-34-11…….44-67
NYY 22-34-8……29-28-9……..51-62
A’s 20-35-8……25-29-12……45-64
Seattle 30-25-9……29-22-12……59-47
Tampa Bay 21-26-10……30-30-10……51-56
Texas 25-34-9…….29-22-9…….54-56
Toronto 38-19-4……..38-25-4…….76-44

 

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Saturday’s six-pack

— In five games against Seattle this year, Todd Frazier has 4 HR, 11 RBI.

— Astros 5, Rays 4– Correa tied it, Gattis won it with 9th-inning HRs.

— Adam Jones left the Orioles’ loss in New York with a strained hamstring; O’s are 4-7 in their last 11 games.

— California 51, Hawai’i 31– College football kicks off in Australia.

— Philadelphia 56, Arizona 42– Philly wins Arena Bowl XXIX.

— 20 years ago, the QBs in Arena Bowl IX were Kurt Warner-Jay Gruden.

 

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#1 Sports

Saturday's Free Selection: Detroit Tigers - 230

 

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Mike Wynn

Bonus Play: MLB Toronto w/Stroman -185 Over Minnesota

 

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Razor Sharp

FREE PICK FOR SATURDAY: Take OAKLAND -3½ over Tennessee

 

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Totals4U

Saturday's Free Selection: Tampa Bay/Houston over 8

 

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Atlantic Sports

Saturday's Free Selection from Atlantic Sports: St Louis - 200

 

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Platinum Plays

Free Pick: Houston Astros w/Keuchel -175 over Tampa Bay

 

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Golden Dragon Sports

Free Pick Philadelphia +3

 

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Huddle Up Sports

Bonus Play: LA Rams +5

 

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The Vegas Steam Line

Your free winner for Saturday: Take KANSAS CITY/CHCIAGO UNDER the total of 41