Sunday 9/6/15 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Giants (70-66) at Rockies (56-79)

Game: 4
Venue: Coors Field
Date: September 06, 2015 4:10 PM EDT

Now that their lengthy losing streak is over, the San Francisco Giants hope Madison Bumgarner can get them going in a positive direction.

The left-hander looks to help the Giants salvage a four-game series split by winning consecutive road games for the first time in a month Sunday against the Colorado Rockies.

Struggling to remain relevant in both the NL West and wild-card races, San Francisco (70-66) momentarily stopped the bleeding by ending its seven-game skid with Saturday's 7-3 win at Colorado. It was only the third victory in the Giants' last 17 road contests.

San Francisco last won two straight away from home at Atlanta in early August, but should feel confident as Bumgarner (16-7, 2.96 ERA) tries to become the majors' second 17-game winner.

His string of five straight winning starts ended Tuesday when he allowed two runs, eight hits and struck out eight in seven innings while being outpitched by Zack Greinke in a 2-1 loss at Dodger Stadium.

"I just didn't expect us to be on the losing side of a 2-1 ballgame, but that's the way it goes," said Bumgarner, who posted a 1.43 ERA while winning all five August starts.

He gave up a two-run homer to Nolan Arenado, four other hits and struck out eight in 7 2-3 innings of a 6-3 home victory June 28 in his only start this season against Colorado (56-79). Arenado is a career .217 hitter against Bumgarner, but two of his five hits have left the park.

He's hit nine of his career-high 36 home runs against the Giants - the most in a season against San Francisco since Dale Murphy's 11 in 1983. The All-Star third baseman set a Rockies record by homering in a sixth consecutive game Saturday.

"Just another accomplishment for Nolan in a very young career," Colorado manager Walt Weiss said.

Looking to become the first major leaguer to do so in seven straight contests since Kevin Mench of Texas from April 21-28, 2006, Arenado has recorded 13 RBIs in the last eight games and is hitting .538 in the previous six.

Teammate Carlos Gonzalez homered five times and had 12 RBIs in the previous three games before going 0 for 3 on Saturday. He's hit .349 in 43 at-bats and has five home runs against Bumgarner.

Yohan Flande (3-1, 4.04) is 2-0 in seven starts this season, but he's completed more than five innings twice in those outings, allowed 10 home runs in the last six and walked 11 in the last three. Making his first start against the Giants, the left-hander gave up four runs and six hits in two innings while facing them at Coors Field on May 23.

Brandon Crawford doubled and tripled in two at-bats against Flande but is 3 for 32 over his last eight games.

With five hits in the last two games, San Francisco rookie Matt Duffy is batting .385 with 10 RBIs in 13 games against the Rockies this season.

The Giants, however, lost catcher Hector Sanchez to a sprained ankle Saturday. Andrew Susac, another backup catcher, had already returned to San Francisco to have his sprained left wrist examined.

It's also likely outfielder Nori Aoki (concussion) misses a third straight game while Brandon Belt (illness) could sit for the third time in the series.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Dodgers (77-58) at Padres (65-71)

Game: 4
Venue: PETCO Park
Date: September 06, 2015 4:10 PM EDT

The offense went cold for the Los Angeles Dodgers during an extended losing streak in mid-August.

They haven't needed it much since.

Brett Anderson will try to extend a stellar pitching stretch for the Dodgers on Sunday in the finale of a four-game road series against the San Diego Padres.

Los Angeles (77-58) has averaged 4.0 runs per game in its last 12, far higher than the 1.80 mark it held during a five-game skid from Aug. 18-23. The pitching, though, has been the real difference as the Dodgers have solidified their division lead with 10 wins in 12 games to move a season-best 19 over .500.

Los Angeles has a major league-best 2.17 ERA since Aug. 25, helping push its NL West lead to 7 1/2 games over San Francisco.

Anderson (8-8, 3.43 ERA) has contributed to two wins in that stretch, allowing six runs - three earned - and 11 hits over 11 2-3 innings against Cincinnati and the Giants.

The left-hander has permitted three earned runs or fewer in 23 of his 26 starts this season, including four straight.

Alex Wood was in complete control in Saturday's 2-0 win, allowing three hits in seven innings.

'Credit to the Dodgers' pitchers,' Padres interim manager Pat Murphy said. 'He threw the ball very well and kept us off-balance.'

Anderson, who hasn't faced the Padres (65-71) since 2009, is 4-1 with a 1.87 ERA in his last seven road starts.

San Diego starter Andrew Cashner has a 1-3 record and 1.98 ERA in nine starts against the Dodgers, limiting them to two earned runs over 13 innings in his two most recent this season.

Cashner (5-13, 4.15) has failed to complete six innings in his last two starts, allowing four runs and eight hits over five before leaving without a decision in an 8-6 loss to Texas on Tuesday.

This is a very favorable matchup for Adrian Gonzalez, who is batting .367 with four homers in 30 at-bats against Cashner.

Jimmy Rollins, though, is 0 for 15 versus the right-hander.

While the Dodgers' offense has come to life lately, scoring 17 runs in the first three games of the series and hitting a season-high five home runs in Friday's 8-4 win, catcher Yasmani Grandal is 0 for 33 with 15 strikeouts in his last 11 games.

Manager Don Mattingly said he isn't considering moving the Grandal to the bench, though.

"It happens a lot," Mattingly told MLB's official website. "Guys go through periods of time where they struggle. ... Confidence is a big part of that. Next thing you know he gets two hits, he feels good, he's on a roll."

With two hits Saturday, Matt Kemp has reached base safely in a career-best 25 consecutive games for the Padres. It is the longest active streak in the NL.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Pirates (80-54) at Cardinals (87-48)

Game: 3
Venue: Busch Stadium
Date: September 06, 2015 8:05 PM EDT

While Pittsburgh's Gerrit Cole is eager to pitch following one of his worst efforts, St. Louis' John Lackey is looking forward to extending his dominance at Busch Stadium.

In a matchup between two stingy right-handers, the Pirates aim to trim their deficit in the NL Central on Sunday night by dealing the Cardinals their first home series loss in five weeks.

Cole got into the film room to dissect what went wrong Tuesday after allowing a career high-tying five runs and eight hits over a career low-matching four innings in a 7-4 loss at Milwaukee.

Since emerging as a NL Cy Young Award candidate by going 14-4 with a 2.24 ERA over his first 20 starts, he's 1-4 with a 3.92 mark while getting 13 runs of support in his past seven.

"I looked (at tape of the last outing) and I don't have all the answers," Cole told MLB's official website. "The stuff was kinda flat, not very crisp, and poor execution as well."

Now Cole (15-8, 2.64 ERA) won't have an opportune matchup as he looks to bounce back in the finale of this pivotal three-game series with the MLB-best Cardinals (87-48). He's 0-3 with a 4.34 ERA lifetime at Busch Stadium after giving four runs over 5 1-3 innings in a 4-2 loss there Aug. 12.

Jhonny Peralta has gone 4 for 6 with a double versus Cole this season, while Matt Carpenter is 5 for 16 with two homers lifetime off him. Yadier Molina, though, is 2 for 15.

Carpenter went 2 for 3 with a two-run homer in the seventh inning to key Saturday's 4-1 win that evened this series and pushed their lead to 6 1/2 games in the division race.

"If we can win (Sunday) and come out of this deal up 7 1/2 with 26 games left, that's important. At the same time, we can't look ahead," Carpenter said.

Stephen Piscotty had an RBI infield single in the second inning to extend his career-best hitting streak to 12 games, while Brandon Moss stretched his run to nine.

The Cardinals, who avoided their first three-game skid since July 10-12 at Pittsburgh, hope to avert their first home series loss since dropping two of three to Cincinnati from July 27-29.

They appear to be in good hands with Lackey on the rubber. The right-hander has held opponents to two runs or less in 12 of his last 15 starts, going 7-4 with a 2.25 ERA over that span.

Lackey (11-8, 2.87) been even better at Busch with the fifth-best home ERA in the majors at 1.89 over 14 quality starts. He lasted six innings for a 15th straight outing Monday, but did not get a decision after yielding one earned run and walking four in an 8-5 home win over Washington.

Lackey has been very good against the Pirates, going 1-0 with a 1.37 ERA in his last three starts. He's given up one run while lasting at least six innings in his two meetings this season.

Aramis Ramirez is just 1 for 12 off him, though Francisco Cervelli has gone 4 for 8 and Gregory Polanco is 3 for 6. Sean Rodriguez has gone 5 for 6 with two doubles in this series.

Pittsburgh (80-54), which had its wild-card lead over the Chicago Cubs cut to three games, has batted .233 with 54 strikeouts while dropping five of six. The club also has lost 19 of 24 road meetings since last winning a series at St. Louis in April 2013.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB roundup: Price earns 100th career win
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

TORONTO -- Jose Bautista homered and had two RBIs, David Price pitched seven innings and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Baltimore Orioles 5-1 on Saturday.

The left-handed Price (14-5) earned his 100th career victory, allowing three hits, four walks and one run while striking out eight to improve his record with the Blue Jays to 5-1 in seven starts.

Bautista added an RBI double to his solo homer as the Blue Jays set up a rubber match in the three-game series Sunday. Bautista hit his 32nd homer of the season in the first inning to put Toronto ahead 1-0.

Orioles right-hander Mike Wright (2-4), who was activated from the disabled list Friday, allowed seven hits, one walk and three runs in four innings. He struck out four.

Cubs 2, Diamondbacks 0

CHICAGO -- Jake Arrieta allowed four hits in eight scoreless innings as Chicago beat Arizona in his first start since he threw a no-hitter last Sunday.

Arrieta struck out seven and walked none in his majors-leading 18th victory of the season. The Cubs, second in the National League wild-card race behind the Pittsburgh Pirates, have won three of their last five games.

David Ross' bases-loaded RBI groundout gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning and Dexter Fowler hit a home run on the first pitch in the fifth for a 2-0 lead.

Rays 3, Yankees 2

NEW YORK -- Left-hander Matt Moore and four relievers combined on a five-hitter as Tampa Bay held on for a victory over New York.

Moore returned to Rays' rotation after spending the past month with Triple-A Durham. Two weeks after getting 16 strikeouts in a start for Durham, Moore allowed two runs and three hits in 4 2/3 innings against the Yankees.

Although he was unable to get past the sixth for the seventh straight start since having Tommy John surgery last year, Moore was better than his last stint with Tampa Bay when he posted an 8.78 ERA in six starts before being demoted to the minors.

Brewers 8, Reds 6

CINCINNATI -- Elian Herrera homered and Jean Segura and Domingo Santana each collected two RBIs, lifting Milwaukee over Cincinnati.

The Brewers won for a fifth straight time at Great American Ball Park, but the Reds made it interesting in the ninth against Francisco Rodriguez.

Back-to-back one-out singles by Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips brought the winning run to the plate as Phillips tied a career-high with four hits. But Rodriguez retired the final two batters for his 34th save.

Red Sox 9, Phillies 2

BOSTON -- David Ortiz capped an eight-run fourth inning with his 496th career home run as Boston bats smoked Philadelphia for the second straight day.

The designated hitter's home run was his 30th of 2015, setting a franchise record with his ninth 30-homer season to pass Ted Williams, who had eight in 19 seasons. Ortiz needs four more homers to become the 27th player in MLB history to hit 500 career home runs.

Xander Bogaerts slugged a bases-clearing double, reached third on the throw home, and scored on an error to highlight the big fourth inning for Boston. Bogaerts finished with four RBIs after an eighth-inning groundout with the bases loaded.

Cardinals 4, Pirates 1

ST. LOUIS -- After perhaps his shakiest outing of the year in his last start, Jaime Garcia was back in form, firing seven shutout innings for St. Louis against Pittsburgh and restoring the Cardinals' National League Central lead to 6 1/2 games.

Garcia gave up four hits, three to Sean Rodriguez, and walked one while striking out a season-high nine.

Pirates starter Charlie Morton pitched a solid game but fell to 2-11 in his career against the Cardinals. Morton worked six innings, allowing four hits and two runs (one earned). He walked three and struck out three.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'Central Showdown'

The eyes of baseball fans as well as those with a penchant for sports gaming will be on the weekend finale between St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates. Cardinals looking to put more distance between themselves and Pirates hand the ball to John Lackey carrying a 11-8 record, 2.87 ERA to the hill. In fourteen starts at Busch Stadium the righthander has a 8-3 record, 1.89 ERA with Cardinals 11-3 in those starts. Lackey has allowed one run in each of his two starts vs Bucs this season getting tagged with a pair of no-decisions as Cardinals won at home in May but lost the July matchup in Pittsburgh. Gerrit Cole 15-8 on the campaign with a 2.64 ERA toes the rubber for Pirates. Cole split a pair of starts vs Cardinals this season winning at PNC park but dropping the decision at Busch Stadium giving the hurler a 0-4 team start skid in St Louis. A few telling baseball betting stats leap out in this matchup. St Louis has a perfect 10-0 record at home w/Lackey following a team win the previous effort and are 5-1 at home vs a divisional rival with the hurler. In contrast, the Pirates have lost 3 of Cole's last 4 in enemy territory and 4 of his last 5 away from PNC facing a division opponent. Evidence is the key in making any case, and the numbers above illustrate St Louis is the right choice.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Streaks, Tips, Notes

Minnesota Twins at Houston Astros September 6, 2:10 EST

To say Houston Astros ace Dallas Keuchel has been dominant at Minute Maid Park this season would be an understatement. In 15 starts in front of his hometown fans, Keuchel is a perfect 12-0 with a miniscule 1.35 ERA. The Houston southpaw has allowed 14 runs over 106.2 innings with a strike-to-walk ratio of 111-23 with Stros 13-2 over the fifteen games. Due to those impressive numbers, it's no surprise to see Houston pegged as hefty -$2.30 moneyline favorites.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Dave Cokin

Bonus Play

(481) TITANS @ (482) BUCCANEERS

Take: TITANS +3

This is clearly one of the lesser matchups on the opening week NFL slate as far as high profile teams are concerned. But the top two picks in the most recent NFL draft will be in action here, so it’s highly intriguing from that vantage point.

So let’s deal with the two rookie signal callers as Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston square off. No doubt about it, this is small sample stuff and it came in games that didn’t count and featured little in the way of complex defensive schemes. Nevertheless, I came away from the pre-season impressed with Mariota and highly dubious as to whether Winston is even close to ready to face a real NFL defense.

My opinions on the two QB’s are off what I watched. The stats are probably not that important, for the reasons mentioned in the previous paragraph. But I don’t think they hurt, either. Mariota was able to complete 70% of his attempts and achieved a solid 102.9 QB rating. Winston had problems finding his targets, with a meager 48.9% completion rate and a poor 54.7 QB rating. Winston also got flustered dealing with pressure and ended up getting sacked seven times.

Winston is going to see some stuff that’s foreign here as he will be facing a Dick LeBeau defense. With this much time for one of the all-time gurus to prepare, I’m fully expecting some schemes that baffle Winston and lead to mistakes. I imagine Tampa Bay will also deal up some confusion for Mariota, but he just simply has looked more advanced to me than Winston. I give Tennessee a definite edge at QB in this game.

Beyond that, there’s the view from here that the Titans are going to be an improved team this season, while my sentiments are that the Bucs will have a new head coach at this time in 2016. There’s also a nifty opening week road dog angle in play here (sorry, it’s not mine and I’m not giving away someone else’s work without permission) and that favors Tennessee as well.

Bottom line for me is that I see the visitors as the better team in this duel of nonentities. Getting three points seems like nice value to me and I’m on the Titans to get the job done as the curtain goes up on the new NFL campaign.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Jim Feist

Jim Feist's Bonus Play for Sunday, Sept. 6 4:05 PM ET

(977) SEATTLE MARINERS VS (978) OAKLAND ATHLETICS

Take: (977) SEATTLE MARINERS

Reason: Your Bonus Play for Sunday, September 6, 2015 is in the MLB scheduled contest between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland A's. This series has been high scoring thus far. The A's took a 5-1 lead early on Friday, only to lise 11-8. Saturday was much the same, with the Mariners taking another high scoring contest, 8-3. The Mariners have now scored 34 runs over their last four games. Hisashi Iwakuma will start for the Mariners today. It's been four starts ago that Iwakuma tossed his no-hitter against the Orioles. Since then he's had two qualith starts out of three. His one bad start came against these A's, allowing seven runs over 4 2/3 innings. The A's have now lost four straight and seven of their last 10 games. They are stuck in last place in the AL West with just 58 wins. The A's turn to recently recalled left-hander Sean Nolin today. Nolin just came up from Triple-A Nashville where he had a 2.66 ERA with 38 KO's and 19 BB's. The way the Mariners are hitting the ball, I look for that to continue here on Sunday against a overmatched A's club. Your Bonus Play is on Seattle.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Arthur Ralph Sports

Bonus Play SUN Cubs w/ Hendricks -165

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Stephen Nover

San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies

Bonus Play Under

It does't matter than this game is at Coors Field. When you see a double-digit total and Madison Bumgarner is one of the pitchers you have to think under.
Bumgarner is the second-best lefty in the National League behind only Clayton Kershaw. Bumgarner is in great form, too, posting a 1.43 ERA during his five August starts. Only once in his last 10 starts has he given up more than three runs.
Colorado lefty Yohan Flande has pitched better at home where he's 2-0 with a 3.62 ERA, respectable for Coors Field. The Giants have faced southpaws in five of their last seven games, losing all five. They averaged only 2.8 runs in those five games.
Flande catches a break in that a number of key Giants are injured. Out are Hunter Pence, Joe Panik and Nori Aoki. Brandon Belt could also be out. He missed Saturday's game due to illness. It would be huge, too, if Buster Posey wasn't in the lineup as the Giants have been known to rest their star catcher on Sundays.
The Rockies could be resting some of their key bats, too, since this is a Sunday game.

 

[TB12]

The machine ?

not prediction machine

 

[tkang]

Thank you VERY much for posting INT PICKS yesterday. Good to see them listed. Do you by any chance also get THEMACHINEPICKS?