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[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rangers (84-58) at Angels (62-78)

Game: 2
Venue: Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Date: September 10, 2016 9:05 PM EDT

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- One would never know by looking at the standings, but the Texas Rangers starting pitchers have hit a bump in the road of late. They are hoping it doesn't result in a detour on the way to the American League West title.

The Rangers' starting five of Yu Darvish, Cole Hamels, Martin Perez, A.J. Griffin and Derek Holland went a combined 1-4 with an 11.70 ERA their last time through the rotation.

Darvish started a new cycle Friday against the Los Angeles Angels and pitched well, giving up one run in 6 2/3 innings. Hamels (14-5, 3.25 ERA) starts Saturday's game against the Angels, and is hoping Darvish's performance will be the spark it needs to help the rotation work its way out of the funk.

"It's tough," Hamels told MLB.com. "There are little things that you go through during the season. You get tired and something might change. As much as we'd like to be automatics, you've got to keep fine-tuning it. You're not going to be at your best unless you push it to a higher level."

The Rangers shouldn't feel too sorry for themselves, though, as the Angels start someone who hasn't pitched in the majors since June 13. And even when he was on a major league roster, he wasn't pitching very well.

Right-hander Daniel Wright makes his Angels debut Saturday after being claimed off waivers from the Reds on Sept. 4. He will be the 15th pitcher to start for the Angels this year, the most in the American League.

But he's getting a chance that is essentially an audition for next season.

"He's an arm we want to take a look at," Angels manager Mike Scioscia told MLB.com. "He's started (in the minors), so he should be stretched out enough. It's a chance to see what he's got."

Wright is taking the spot on the rotation formerly held by right-hander Matt Shoemaker. Shoemaker was hit in the head by a line drive hit by Seattle's Kyle Seager on Sept. 4 and suffered a small skull fracture and small hematoma.

Shoemaker had to undergo surgery to stop the bleeding, but has since returned to his home in Southern California and is resting comfortably. He said he hopes to visit his teammates sometime on the current homestand.

"All of your loving comments has made it that much easier for me & my family. It is very much appreciated! So many genuine people, thank you," Shoemaker tweeted.

Despite their respective places in the standings, the Angels have handled the Rangers well for the last couple years. Despite the 2-1 loss Friday the Angels are 7-7 versus Texas this season after going 12-7 last year.

Since 2014, the Angels are 33-19 against the Rangers.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Saturday, September 10, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews

I'm not a Yankees fan at all. But if they somehow make the playoffs, then Brian Cashman deserves to be MLB's Executive of the Year and Joe Girardi the AL Manager of the Year. Everyone thought the Yankees were punting on 2016 at the trade deadline in dumping Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Carlos Beltran while also forcing Alex Rodriguez into retirement. Frankly, Cashman said as much. But the kids the Bombers have brought up have all been great for the most part, and they enter the weekend just two games out of the second wild-card spot. Catcher Gary Sanchez has been arguably the best hitter in MLB since being called up. On Thursday, first baseman Tyler Austin became the first Yankees rookie since Melky Cabrera in 2006 to hit a walk-off homer. Austin also became the first player in the modern era to hit a home run in his first at-bat, hit a home run on his birthday and hit a walk-off home run within the first three home runs of his major-league career. I highly doubt the Yankees make it as they have a tough schedule remaining, but this team should be a force in 2017.


Red Sox at Blue Jays (-138, 9)

A 1:05 p.m. ET first pitch north of the border. These two teams close the regular season with three games in Boston, and that's likely to be a massively important series as the clubs battle for the AL East title and perhaps a wild-card spot or two. I think the bloom is off the rose for Blue Jays lefty J.A. Happ (17-4, 3.34) as he is winless in his past three starts to kick away his Cy Young chances. Happ lasted just 2.2 innings Sunday at Tampa Bay, giving up three runs and six hits. He has a 5.91 ERA in his past four starts. Happ has faced Boston once this year, winning way back on April 18 and allowing a run over seven innings. Xander Bogaerts is 1-for-12 career off him. Dustin Pedroia is 5-for-23 with two doubles and a homer. Boston lefty Eduardo Rodriguez (2-6, 4.83) comes off the best start of his young career, throwing 7.2 no-hit innings in Oakland. He would go eight shutout innings and allow just one hit. Rodriguez lost to Toronto on June 5 as he was tagged for five runs in 5.2 innings. Russell Martin is 3-for-5 off him with a homer.

Key trends: The Red Sox are 2-6 in Rodriguez's past eight vs. teams with a winning record. The Jays are 7-1 in Happ's past eight vs. the AL East. The "over/under" has gone under in eight or Rodriguez's past nine. The under is 6-2 in Happ's past eight at home vs. teams with a winning record.

Early lean: Blue Jays and over.

Cubs at Astros (+119, 8)

Also a 1:05 p.m. ET start and the Cubs again add the designated hitter for this interleague matchup. Monitor the status of star Astros shortstop Carlos Correa as he's dealing with shoulder inflammation. He left the team in Cleveland on Wednesday to get the shoulder checked out back in Houston. I'm sure Cubs pitcher John Lackey (9-7, 3.36) wouldn't mind terribly if Correa sat this one out. Lackey returned from about three weeks on the DL Sunday against San Francisco and took a no-decision in allowing one earned run and one hit over five innings. Lackey is from Texas, so this should have some extra meaning. Jose Altuve is 1-for-9 career against him. Houston's Collin McHugh (9-10, 4.96) was lucky to get a no-decision in his last start as he was knocked around for five runs and seven hits in 4.1 innings in Texas. He has pitched less than five innings in six starts this season. Not many Cubs have seen him. Chris Coghlan is 3-for-4 with three RBIs.

Key trends: The Cubs are 4-1 in Lackey's past five. The Astros are 6-0 in McHugh's past six interleague starts. The under is 5-2 in Lackey's past seven. The under is 4-1-1 in McHugh's past six at home.

Early lean: Cubs and under.

Phillies at Nationals (-285, 7.5)

No-hitter alert! Your NL Cy Young favorite right now is Washington's Max Scherzer (16-7, 2.88) as he leads the NL in innings (197.0), strikeouts (243) and WHIP (0.92). Scherzer won a fourth straight decision Monday against Atlanta, allowing two runs and seven hits over seven. He has a 2.18 ERA since June 1. Scherzer is 3-0 with a 2.48 ERA with 36 strikeouts in four starts against the Phillies this year. Ryan Howard is 2-for-21 career off him with 13 strikeouts. Maikel Franco is 1-for-15. Philadelphia's Jerad Eickhoff (10-13, 3.86) is working on three straight quality outings. He won in Miami last time out, allowing two runs over six innings with no walks. Washington got three runs off him in six innings on Aug. 30 in Eickoff's only start vs. the Nationals this season. Daniel Murphy is 1-for-9 off him with a double. Jayson Werth is 2-for-6 with a homer.

Key trends: The Phils are 1-4 in Eickhoff's past five vs. the NL East. The Nationals are 6-0 Scherzer's past six vs. teams with a losing record. The under is 7-1 in Scherzer's past eight at home.

Early lean: Nationals (on runline) and under.

Orioles at Tigers (-135, 9.5)

Detroit gets a potentially huge boost to its playoff hopes on Saturday in the return of pitcher Jordan Zimmermann (9-5, 4.44) from the disabled list. He missed a little more than a month earlier in the season, returned to make a start on Aug. 4 vs. the White Sox, was blasted for six runs in 1.2 innings and went right back on the DL. Zimmermann gave up two home runs in a rehab start for Triple-A Toledo on Monday, throwing 80 pitches. If the Tigers get the Zimmermann from the first two months or so of the season, they are in great shape. He hasn't faced Baltimore this year. Chris Davis is 3-for-6 off him with a homer. Steve Pearce is 4-for-11 with two doubles and two homers. The Orioles' Ubaldo Jimenez (6-11, 6.19) has really turned his season around with three straight quality outings since being returned to the rotation. He threw a complete game on Monday at Tampa Bay. Jimenez took a no-decision vs. Detroit on May 12, allowing five runs in five innings. Victor Martinez is 11-for-31 off him with four homers and 12 RBIs.

Key trends: The Orioles are 2-9 in Jimenez's past 11 on the road. The Tigers are 1-5 in Zimmermann's past six vs. teams with a winning record. The over is 7-2 in Jimenez's past nine vs. teams with a winning record.

Early lean: Tigers and over.

Dodgers at Marlins (+156, 7.5)

It's a good news/bad news situation this week for the Dodgers in their rotation. Scott Kazmir left his rehab start after just two-thirds of an inning on Wednesday, so it doesn't sound like he'll be back this season. But at least Clayton Kershaw returned from his long DL stint on Friday. Kershaw and fellow lefty Rich Hill (11-3, 1.94) could make a tough 1-2 punch in the playoffs. Never thought I'd say that about the journeyman Hill, who has had an amazing career turnaround. Hill shut out the Padres on one hit over six innings Saturday and hasn't given up a run in 12 innings as a Dodger. He hasn't faced Miami this year. Ichiro is 3-for-11 off him with two doubles career. Miami's Tom Koehler (9-10, 3.87) comes off six scoreless innings in Cleveland but took an no-decision. He beat Kershaw in L.A. on April 26, allowing three runs over five innings. Justin Turner is 5-for-11 off him with a homer.

Key trends: The Marlins are 1-6 in Koehler's past seven on Saturday. The under is 7-1 in his past eight vs. the NL West.

Early lean: Dodgers and under.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Saturday’s games

National League

Phillies @ Nationals
Eickhoff is 4-1, 4.79 in his last six starts; under is 7-3-1 in his last 11. Phillies are 6-2 in his last eight road starts.

Scherzer is 4-0, 2.45 in his last four starts; under is 10-3 in his last 13. Washington is 7-5 in his home starts.

Phillies won three of last five games; under is 9-2-1 in their last 12. Washington won eight of last 11 games with over 3-1-1 in their last five.

Reds @ Pirates
Stephenson is 2-1, 3.64 in three starts this year (under 2-1).

Hutchison was 1-0, 3.86 in two starts for Toronto (under 2-0) earlier this year.

Reds lost nine of last 12 games; under is 8-2 in their last ten games. Pittsburgh lost nine of last 11 games; four of last six Pirate games went over the total.

Dodgers @ Marlins
Hill is 2-0, 0.00 (12 IP) in two starta for the Dodgers.

Koehler is 0-2, 4.34 in his last five starts (over 4-1). Miami won four of his last five home starts.

Dodgers won six of last eight games; under is 9-3 in LA’s last 12 games. Miami lost 10 of last 13 games; under is 9-1 in their last ten home games.

Mets @ Braves
Lugo is 3-0, 1.50 in his last three starts (over 3-1).

Gant is 1-3, 4.56 in five starts this year (over 3-2).

Mets won their last six games; five of last seven NY games stayed under. Atlanta lost its last four games; over is 18-4 in Braves’ last 22 games.

Brewers @ Cardinals
Anderson is 2-1, 2.95 in his last five starts; his last three starts went over. Milwaukee is 4-7 in his road starts.

Wainwright is 1-3, 8.13 in his last six starts; over is 7-2 in his last nine. Cardinals are 9-5 in his home starts.

Brewers won seven of last nine games; five of their last seven games went over. St Louis is 5-8 in its last 13 home games (over 8-4-1).

Giants @ Diamondbacks
Cueto is 0-2, 3.06 in his last three starts; over is 5-2 in his last seven. Giants are 2-4 in his last six road starts.

Bradley is 2-0, 3.71 in his last three starts; six of his last seven went over. Arizona is 3-6 in his last nine home starts.

Giants lost five of last eight games; five of last seven SF games stayed under the total. Arizona lost six of last eight games; over is 15-3 in last 18 games at Chase Field.

Rockies @ Padres
Gray is 1-3, 7.55 in his last six starts; four of his last five went over.

Friedrich is 0-4, 5.83 in his last five starts (over 12-6). Padres lost four of his last five home starts.

Rockies lost five of last seven games; over is 8-4 in their last 12 road games. San Diego lost 12 of last 17 games; five of last seven Padre games stayed under the total.


American League

Rays @ New York
Archer is 2-1, 2.45 in his last four starts; four of his last six went over. Rays are 4-10 in his road starts.

Tanaka is 5-0, 2.08 in his last six starts; under is 7-3 in his last 10. New York is 12-2 in his home starts.

Rays lost five of last six games; over is 11-2-1 in Tampa’s last 14 road games. New York won seven of its last eight home games; over is 9-4 in last 13 New York home games.

Red Sox @ Blue Jays
Rodriguez is 0-3, 2.96 in his last eight starts; Boston scored 18 runs in the eight games- Red Sox are 5-3 in his road starts. Eight of his last nine starts stayed under.

Happ is 0-1, 6.43 in his last three starts; under is 6-3-1 in his last 10. Toronto won eight of his last nine home starts.

Red Sox won six of last eight games; over is 8-4 in their last 12 games. Toronto lost six of last seven games; over is 6-2 in Jays’ last eight home games.

Orioles @ Tigers
Jimenez is 1-1, 2.70 in his last four starts (under 3-1). Baltimore is 2-7 in his road starts.

Zimmerman is 0-3, 14.36 in his last four starts; under is 8-1-1 in his last ten. Detroit is 5-4 in his home starts.

Orioles won three of last five road games; over is 8-3 in their last 11 road games. Detroit won six of last eight home games; under is 12-3 in last 15 home games.

Royals @ White Sox
Volquez is 2-0, 6.32 in his last six starts; over is 6-1-1 in his last eight. Royals are 5-6 in his road starts.

Shields is 0-4, 12.73 in his last six starts; three of his last four stayed under. Pale Hose lost five of his last six home starts.

Royals are 10-4 in last 14 road games; over is 11-1 in their last 12 games. Chicago won five of last six home games; seven of last eight White Sox games went over.

Indians @ Twins
Clevinger is 1-2, 6.23 in six starts this year (over 4-2).

Santiago is 1-0, 2.19 in his last couple starts; over is 5-1 in his starts for Minnesota.

Indians won nine of last 11 games; under is 6-3-2 in Tribe’s last 11 road games. Minnesota is 3-18 in its last 21 games; over is 15-1-1 in their last 17 home games.

Rangers @ Angels
Hamels allowed 13 runs in six IP in his last two starts; over is 3-0-1 in his last four. Rangers are 9-5 in his road starts.

Wright was 0-1, 9.72 in two starts for Cincinnati earlier this year (over 2-0).

Texas lost three of last five games; nine of Rangers’ last ten games went over the total. Angels are 10-5 in last 15 games; under is 8-3 in last 11 games at the Big A.

Mariners @ A’s
Hernandez is 3-1, 5.40 in his last four starts; over is 7-2 in his last nine. Seattle is 6-4 in his road starts.

Graveman is 2-1, 1.29 in his last four starts; his last six starts stayed under total. Oakland is 7-1 in his last eight home starts.

Mariners lost six of last eight road games; over is 15-6 in their last 21 games. Oakland won three of last five games; under is 12-7 in their last 19 home games.


Interleague

Cubs @ Astros
Lackey is 2-0, 2.20 in his last five starts; under is 5-2 in his last seven. Cubs lost three of his last four road starts. This is his first road start since July 23.

McHugh is 2-0, 4.70 in his last three starts; three of his last four went over. Astros are 8-2 in his last ten home starts.

Cubs are 8-3 in their last 11 games; under is 5-2 in their last seven games. Houston won five of last seven home games; their last four games stayed under.


Teams’ record when this pitcher starts:

Phil-Wsh: Eickhoff 14-14; Scherzer 19-10
Cin-Pitt: Stephenson 2-1; Hutchison 0-0
LA-Mia: Hill 2-0/9-5; Koehler 12-16
NY-Atl: Lugo 3-1; Gant 2-3
Mil-StL: Anderson 11-15; Wainwright 18-10
SF-Az: Cueto 19-9; Bradley 10-11
Col-SD: Gray 11-14; Friedrich 9-7

TB-NY: Archer 9-20; Tanaka 21-7
Bos-Tor: Rodriguez 5-10; Happ 20-7
Balt-Det: Jimenez 10-11; Zimmerman 10-6
KC-Chi: Volquez 15-14; Shields 5-12/2-9
Cle-Min: Clevinger 3-3; Santiago 1-5/16-6
Tex-LAA: Hamels 20-8; Wright 0-0
Sea-A’s: Hernandez 13-7; Graveman 14-13

Chi-Hst: Lackey 14-11; McHugh 17-11


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

Phil-Wsh: Eickhoff 9-28; Scherzer 9-29
Cin-Pitt: Stephenson 0-3; Hutchison 0-0
LA-Mia: Hill 4-15; Koehler 9-28
NY-Atl: Lugo 1-4; Gant 3-5
Mil-StL: Anderson 7-25; Wainwright 10-28
SF-Az: Cueto 6-28; Bradley 10-21
Col-SD: Gray 9-25; Friedrich 7-16

TB-NY: Archer 12-29; Tanaka 4-28
Bos-Tor: Rodriguez 3-15; Happ 6-27
Balt-Det: Jimenez 10-21; Zimmerman 5-16
KC-Chi: Volquez 8-29; Shields 11-28
Cle-Min: Clevinger 3-6; Santiago 13-28
Tex-LAA: Hamels 6-28; Wright 0-0
Sea-A’s: Hernandez 3-20; Graveman 4-27

Chi-Hst: Lackey 9-25; McHugh 11-28


Umpires

Phil-Wsh: Underdogs won five of last seven Rackley games.
Cin-Pitt: Six of last eight LBarrett games stayed under.
LA-Mia: Underdogs are 8-3 in last eleven Randazzo games.
NY-Atl: Under is 7-2 in last nine Hallion games.
Mil-StL: Under is 8-3-1 in last twelve Torres games.
SF-Az: Over is 10-5 in last fifteen Davidson games.
Col-SD: Underdogs won five of last seven Eddings games.

TB-NY: Five of last six Timmons games went over.
Bos-Tor: Five of last seven Hoye games went over.
Balt-Det: Last four Fletcher games stayed under.
KC-Chi: Last seven Gonzalez games went over.
Cle-Min: Underdogs are 9-4 in last 13 Carapazza games.
Tex-LAA: Last five Winters games went over the total.
Sea-A’s: Over is 14-6-1 in last 21 TBarrett games.

Chi-Hst: Under is 8-3 in last eleven Carlson games.


Teams’ records in first five innings:

Team (road-home-total)- thru 9/9

Arizona 24-36-11…..28-36-5…….52-71
Atlanta 27-36-11…..22-31-13……49-67
Cubs 36-24-9……43-21-8…….79-45
Reds 18-42-9……31-35-5…….49-77
Colo 26-31-12…..33-34-4…….59-65
LA 27-30-9……46-21-8…….72-51
Miami 30-30-10…..31-23-16…..61-53
Milw 21-39-8……40-24-10…..61-63
Mets 29-43-9……33-26-11……62-59
Philly 24-31-17…..24-32-13……48-61
Pitt 20-36-12…..42-24-6……62-59
St. Louis 33-31-7……28-29-12……61-60
SD 22-46-4…..31-33-6……..53-79
SF 32-34-7…….34-20-13……66-54
Wash 36-22-14….28-21-20…….64-43

Orioles 26-36-9…….36-27-8……..62-63
Boston 30-28-11……43-18-9…….73-46
White Sox 31-31-9…….37-29-4……..68-60
Cleveland 36-26-7……35-29-6……..71-55
Detroit 30-32-9…….31-31-4……..61-63
Astros 29-33-11…..32-27-7……..61-60
KC 27-36-11……28-25-13……55-61
Angels 30-37-7…….24-30-12……54-67
Twins 25-35-12…….25-37-12…..50-72
NYY 23-38-8……34-29-10……57-67
A’s 22-38-8……26-34-13…….48-71
Seattle 32-29-9……33-25-12…….65-54
Tampa Bay 22-31-11……32-33-12……54-64
Texas 26-37-10…….35-24-9……61-61
Toronto 42-24-5……..38-28-4……80-52

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rockies (68-73) at Padres (58-83)

Game: 3
Venue: PETCO Park
Date: September 10, 2016 8:40 PM EDT

SAN DIEGO -- One pitcher is 28 and has worked 104 2/3 innings this season. The other is 24 and has worked 145 2/3 innings.

One is facing an innings limit to his season.

And it's not the one you'd expect from the age and numbers.

Padres left-hander Christian Friedrich faces his former Colorado teammates and prized right-handed Rockies starter Jon Gray Saturday night at Petco Park.

The Padres are trying to find ways to limit Friedrich's innings between now and the end of the season, although the former Colorado pitcher seems stuck in a five-man San Diego rotation for the moment with right-hander Jarred Cosart trying to rebound from strains to both his right groin and right hamstring suffered Wednesday.

While Friedrich maintains he is ready to pitch out the season, Padres manager Andy Green reiterated recently that his staff is "closely monitoring Friedrich."

The issue with Friedrich is his workload this year compared to last season when he worked only 58 1/3 innings in 68 appearances out of the Rockies bullpen while rebounding from several health issues. In 20 appearances (19 starts) for the Padres this season, Friedrich has worked those 104 2/3 innings.

The numbers don't lie. Although he was skipped in one turn of the rotation at the end of August, Friedrich has seen his earned run average rise in 11 of his last 14 starts. And over his last two starts, Friedrich has allowed nine runs on 13 hits and seven walks while completing just 9 2/3 innings.

Friedrich, who has also lost nine straight decisions, is 4-11 with a 4.99 ERA going into Saturday's game. The Padres are 6-13 in his 19 starts.

Gray, meanwhile, is 9-7 with a 4.51 ERA in 25 starts in his first full major league season. Gray was the Rockies' first-round pick (third overall) in the 2013 draft.

"I like everything I've seen from Jon," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said recently of the progress made by Gray.

Gray will be facing the Padres for the fourth time this season. Thus far, he has a 1-1 record with a 2.25 ERA against the Padres (five earned runs in 20 innings). In two career starts at Petco Park, Gray has a 2.77 ERA.

Gray's 153 strikeouts are the most in Rockies history for a rookie pitcher and the 10th-highest total in franchise history for any pitcher in a single season. His 9.45 strikeouts-per-nine-innings average is the highest mark in franchise history for a Rockies starter.

In two starts against the Padres at Petco Park, Gray has 23 strikeouts in 13 innings -- so that count and average could climb Saturday night.

Gray is coming off a loss Sept. 4 at Arizona when he allowed five runs on seven hits in seven innings. Four of those runs came in the last inning.

"I don't see signs of Jon being fatigued or wearing down at this stage of the season," said Weiss. "His pitches are still sharp. His velocity is good."

And like many Rockies pitchers over the years, he has had success at Petco Park.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Saturday’s games

National League

Phillies @ Nationals
Eickhoff is 4-1, 4.79 in his last six starts; under is 7-3-1 in his last 11. Phillies are 6-2 in his last eight road starts.

Scherzer is 4-0, 2.45 in his last four starts; under is 10-3 in his last 13. Washington is 7-5 in his home starts.

Phillies won three of last five games; under is 9-2-1 in their last 12. Washington won eight of last 11 games with over 3-1-1 in their last five.

Reds @ Pirates
Stephenson is 2-1, 3.64 in three starts this year (under 2-1).

Hutchison was 1-0, 3.86 in two starts for Toronto (under 2-0) earlier this year.

Reds lost nine of last 12 games; under is 8-2 in their last ten games. Pittsburgh lost nine of last 11 games; four of last six Pirate games went over the total.

Dodgers @ Marlins
Hill is 2-0, 0.00 (12 IP) in two starta for the Dodgers.

Koehler is 0-2, 4.34 in his last five starts (over 4-1). Miami won four of his last five home starts.

Dodgers won six of last eight games; under is 9-3 in LA’s last 12 games. Miami lost 10 of last 13 games; under is 9-1 in their last ten home games.

Mets @ Braves
Lugo is 3-0, 1.50 in his last three starts (over 3-1).

Gant is 1-3, 4.56 in five starts this year (over 3-2).

Mets won their last six games; five of last seven NY games stayed under. Atlanta lost its last four games; over is 18-4 in Braves’ last 22 games.

Brewers @ Cardinals
Anderson is 2-1, 2.95 in his last five starts; his last three starts went over. Milwaukee is 4-7 in his road starts.

Wainwright is 1-3, 8.13 in his last six starts; over is 7-2 in his last nine. Cardinals are 9-5 in his home starts.

Brewers won seven of last nine games; five of their last seven games went over. St Louis is 5-8 in its last 13 home games (over 8-4-1).

Giants @ Diamondbacks
Cueto is 0-2, 3.06 in his last three starts; over is 5-2 in his last seven. Giants are 2-4 in his last six road starts.

Bradley is 2-0, 3.71 in his last three starts; six of his last seven went over. Arizona is 3-6 in his last nine home starts.

Giants lost five of last eight games; five of last seven SF games stayed under the total. Arizona lost six of last eight games; over is 15-3 in last 18 games at Chase Field.

Rockies @ Padres
Gray is 1-3, 7.55 in his last six starts; four of his last five went over.

Friedrich is 0-4, 5.83 in his last five starts (over 12-6). Padres lost four of his last five home starts.

Rockies lost five of last seven games; over is 8-4 in their last 12 road games. San Diego lost 12 of last 17 games; five of last seven Padre games stayed under the total.


American League

Rays @ New York
Archer is 2-1, 2.45 in his last four starts; four of his last six went over. Rays are 4-10 in his road starts.

Tanaka is 5-0, 2.08 in his last six starts; under is 7-3 in his last 10. New York is 12-2 in his home starts.

Rays lost five of last six games; over is 11-2-1 in Tampa’s last 14 road games. New York won seven of its last eight home games; over is 9-4 in last 13 New York home games.

Red Sox @ Blue Jays
Rodriguez is 0-3, 2.96 in his last eight starts; Boston scored 18 runs in the eight games- Red Sox are 5-3 in his road starts. Eight of his last nine starts stayed under.

Happ is 0-1, 6.43 in his last three starts; under is 6-3-1 in his last 10. Toronto won eight of his last nine home starts.

Red Sox won six of last eight games; over is 8-4 in their last 12 games. Toronto lost six of last seven games; over is 6-2 in Jays’ last eight home games.

Orioles @ Tigers
Jimenez is 1-1, 2.70 in his last four starts (under 3-1). Baltimore is 2-7 in his road starts.

Zimmerman is 0-3, 14.36 in his last four starts; under is 8-1-1 in his last ten. Detroit is 5-4 in his home starts.

Orioles won three of last five road games; over is 8-3 in their last 11 road games. Detroit won six of last eight home games; under is 12-3 in last 15 home games.

Royals @ White Sox
Volquez is 2-0, 6.32 in his last six starts; over is 6-1-1 in his last eight. Royals are 5-6 in his road starts.

Shields is 0-4, 12.73 in his last six starts; three of his last four stayed under. Pale Hose lost five of his last six home starts.

Royals are 10-4 in last 14 road games; over is 11-1 in their last 12 games. Chicago won five of last six home games; seven of last eight White Sox games went over.

Indians @ Twins
Clevinger is 1-2, 6.23 in six starts this year (over 4-2).

Santiago is 1-0, 2.19 in his last couple starts; over is 5-1 in his starts for Minnesota.

Indians won nine of last 11 games; under is 6-3-2 in Tribe’s last 11 road games. Minnesota is 3-18 in its last 21 games; over is 15-1-1 in their last 17 home games.

Rangers @ Angels
Hamels allowed 13 runs in six IP in his last two starts; over is 3-0-1 in his last four. Rangers are 9-5 in his road starts.

Wright was 0-1, 9.72 in two starts for Cincinnati earlier this year (over 2-0).

Texas lost three of last five games; nine of Rangers’ last ten games went over the total. Angels are 10-5 in last 15 games; under is 8-3 in last 11 games at the Big A.

Mariners @ A’s
Hernandez is 3-1, 5.40 in his last four starts; over is 7-2 in his last nine. Seattle is 6-4 in his road starts.

Graveman is 2-1, 1.29 in his last four starts; his last six starts stayed under total. Oakland is 7-1 in his last eight home starts.

Mariners lost six of last eight road games; over is 15-6 in their last 21 games. Oakland won three of last five games; under is 12-7 in their last 19 home games.


Interleague

Cubs @ Astros
Lackey is 2-0, 2.20 in his last five starts; under is 5-2 in his last seven. Cubs lost three of his last four road starts. This is his first road start since July 23.

McHugh is 2-0, 4.70 in his last three starts; three of his last four went over. Astros are 8-2 in his last ten home starts.

Cubs are 8-3 in their last 11 games; under is 5-2 in their last seven games. Houston won five of last seven home games; their last four games stayed under.


Teams’ record when this pitcher starts:

Phil-Wsh: Eickhoff 14-14; Scherzer 19-10
Cin-Pitt: Stephenson 2-1; Hutchison 0-0
LA-Mia: Hill 2-0/9-5; Koehler 12-16
NY-Atl: Lugo 3-1; Gant 2-3
Mil-StL: Anderson 11-15; Wainwright 18-10
SF-Az: Cueto 19-9; Bradley 10-11
Col-SD: Gray 11-14; Friedrich 9-7

TB-NY: Archer 9-20; Tanaka 21-7
Bos-Tor: Rodriguez 5-10; Happ 20-7
Balt-Det: Jimenez 10-11; Zimmerman 10-6
KC-Chi: Volquez 15-14; Shields 5-12/2-9
Cle-Min: Clevinger 3-3; Santiago 1-5/16-6
Tex-LAA: Hamels 20-8; Wright 0-0
Sea-A’s: Hernandez 13-7; Graveman 14-13

Chi-Hst: Lackey 14-11; McHugh 17-11


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

Phil-Wsh: Eickhoff 9-28; Scherzer 9-29
Cin-Pitt: Stephenson 0-3; Hutchison 0-0
LA-Mia: Hill 4-15; Koehler 9-28
NY-Atl: Lugo 1-4; Gant 3-5
Mil-StL: Anderson 7-25; Wainwright 10-28
SF-Az: Cueto 6-28; Bradley 10-21
Col-SD: Gray 9-25; Friedrich 7-16

TB-NY: Archer 12-29; Tanaka 4-28
Bos-Tor: Rodriguez 3-15; Happ 6-27
Balt-Det: Jimenez 10-21; Zimmerman 5-16
KC-Chi: Volquez 8-29; Shields 11-28
Cle-Min: Clevinger 3-6; Santiago 13-28
Tex-LAA: Hamels 6-28; Wright 0-0
Sea-A’s: Hernandez 3-20; Graveman 4-27

Chi-Hst: Lackey 9-25; McHugh 11-28


Umpires

Phil-Wsh: Underdogs won five of last seven Rackley games.
Cin-Pitt: Six of last eight LBarrett games stayed under.
LA-Mia: Underdogs are 8-3 in last eleven Randazzo games.
NY-Atl: Under is 7-2 in last nine Hallion games.
Mil-StL: Under is 8-3-1 in last twelve Torres games.
SF-Az: Over is 10-5 in last fifteen Davidson games.
Col-SD: Underdogs won five of last seven Eddings games.

TB-NY: Five of last six Timmons games went over.
Bos-Tor: Five of last seven Hoye games went over.
Balt-Det: Last four Fletcher games stayed under.
KC-Chi: Last seven Gonzalez games went over.
Cle-Min: Underdogs are 9-4 in last 13 Carapazza games.
Tex-LAA: Last five Winters games went over the total.
Sea-A’s: Over is 14-6-1 in last 21 TBarrett games.

Chi-Hst: Under is 8-3 in last eleven Carlson games.


Teams’ records in first five innings:

Team (road-home-total)- thru 9/9

Arizona 24-36-11…..28-36-5…….52-71
Atlanta 27-36-11…..22-31-13……49-67
Cubs 36-24-9……43-21-8…….79-45
Reds 18-42-9……31-35-5…….49-77
Colo 26-31-12…..33-34-4…….59-65
LA 27-30-9……46-21-8…….72-51
Miami 30-30-10…..31-23-16…..61-53
Milw 21-39-8……40-24-10…..61-63
Mets 29-43-9……33-26-11……62-59
Philly 24-31-17…..24-32-13……48-61
Pitt 20-36-12…..42-24-6……62-59
St. Louis 33-31-7……28-29-12……61-60
SD 22-46-4…..31-33-6……..53-79
SF 32-34-7…….34-20-13……66-54
Wash 36-22-14….28-21-20…….64-43

Orioles 26-36-9…….36-27-8……..62-63
Boston 30-28-11……43-18-9…….73-46
White Sox 31-31-9…….37-29-4……..68-60
Cleveland 36-26-7……35-29-6……..71-55
Detroit 30-32-9…….31-31-4……..61-63
Astros 29-33-11…..32-27-7……..61-60
KC 27-36-11……28-25-13……55-61
Angels 30-37-7…….24-30-12……54-67
Twins 25-35-12…….25-37-12…..50-72
NYY 23-38-8……34-29-10……57-67
A’s 22-38-8……26-34-13…….48-71
Seattle 32-29-9……33-25-12…….65-54
Tampa Bay 22-31-11……32-33-12……54-64
Texas 26-37-10…….35-24-9……61-61
Toronto 42-24-5……..38-28-4……80-52

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Saturday’s six-pack

— Louisville 62, Syracuse 28– Cardinal QB Lamar Jackson is really good.

— Marlins 4, Dodgers 3– Clayton Kershaw threw 66 pitches in 3 innings in his return off the DL.

— The Cigna commercial with the TV doctors in it is tremendous.

— Of San Diego 2B Ryan Schimpf’s first 50 major league hits, 18 were homers, only 12 were singles.

— As of 1am Friday night here in the east, the Westgate Super Contest had 1,826 entrants, which puts the prize pool over $2.5M. Costs $1,500 to get in, you pick five games a week. Last year’s winner got over $900K.

— Tampa Bay Rays fired their hitting coach this week, three weeks before the end of the season. Yup, that should fix all their problems.