Thursday 4/7/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Phillies (0-2) at Reds (2-0)

Game: 3
Venue: Great American Ball Park
Date: April 07, 2016 12:35 PM EDT

The Cincinnati Reds rallied for another win in their final at-bat as the Philadelphia Phillies saw perhaps their biggest fear for the 2016 season realized yet again.

After coming through against the Phillies bullpen for a second time, the Reds will have Robert Stephenson on the mound for his major league debut Thursday when they go for a three-game sweep.

Scott Schebler hit a bases-loaded double with one out in the ninth inning on Wednesday to lift the Reds to a 3-2 win and deliver another crushing loss to a Phillies team that saw its bullpen blow a lead for the second straight game.

Cincinnati battered Philadelphia's relievers for five runs in the eighth inning en route to a 6-2 win on Monday.

The Reds have won six straight and eight of the last 10 meetings.

"These close ones are killing me already," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "It's a shame we wasted two good starts. We need to score more runs."

Maikel Franco accounted for all of Philadelphia's offense with two-run homer in the first inning. Franco, who led the majors with nine home runs and 23 RBIs in spring training, is batting .406 with three homers, four doubles and eight RBIs in eight career games against Cincinnati.

Mackanin made good on his promise to sit first baseman Ryan Howard vs. left-handers. Howard gave way to Darin Ruf against left-hander Brandon Finnegan, but came off the bench for a pinch-hit single in the eighth inning.

Howard should be in the lineup Thursday against Stephenson, Cincinnati's No. 2 prospect and a 2011 first-round draft pick. The 23-year-old right-hander made 25 starts between Class AA Pensacola and Triple-A Louisville last season, and went 8-11 with a 3.83 ERA.

He struggled during the spring, posting a 9.58 ERA in four starts.

Stephenson has a tough act to follow after starters Raisel Iglesias and Finnegan combined to record 16 strikeouts against just one walk in the first two games.

Philadelphia's starting pitchers certainly haven't been a problem, with Jeremy Hellickson and Aaron Nola limiting the Reds to one run and seven hits in 13 innings while striking out 14 without a walk.

That's a trend Charlie Morton hopes to continue as he makes his Phillies debut. Morton, acquired from Pittsburgh in December, went 9-9 with a 4.81 ERA in 23 starts for the Pirates last season, compiling a 13.94 mark in his final three.

He's 6-7 with a 4.04 ERA in 17 career starts against the Reds, but did toss seven innings in a 3-0 victory at Great American Ball Park on Aug. 2.

Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips is 12 for 37 against Morton, but his status for this one is uncertain after he was scratched close to game time on Wednesday because of a stomach virus.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: White Sox (2-1) at Athletics (1-2)

Game: 4
Venue: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Date: April 07, 2016 3:35 PM EDT

Mat Latos has plenty to prove after pitching for three teams a season ago.

He'll make his Chicago White Sox debut Thursday as they look to capture a four-game road series from the Oakland Athletics.

Once considered a pitcher on the rise with 14-win seasons in 2010, 2012 and 2013, Latos began last year with Miami before stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels. He was 4-10 with a career-worst 4.95 ERA in 24 games overall, including 21 starts.

Latos had not posted an ERA worse than 3.48 in his previous four seasons, and his poor campaign resulted in a $3 million, one-year contract with Chicago.

The right-hander had a 10.38 ERA in three spring starts, although he was encouraged after giving up three runs over 4 1-3 innings in last Friday's 5-3 victory at San Diego.

"One of the guys, when I came in, said, 'Hey, that's the you that I got to see a little while ago. Used to seeing you pitch and get outs like that,'" Latos told the White Sox's official website. "And I think that kind of says a lot and hopefully I take it in stride for Thursday."

Latos won his lone career start against Oakland, pitching 7 1-3 scoreless innings for Cincinnati in a 3-1 victory Aug. 6, 2013. Yonder Alonso is 6 for 8 against him while Jed Lowrie is 5 for 8 with two homers and two doubles.

The Athletics (1-2) earned their first 2016 victory, 2-1 on Wednesday. Sonny Gray, scratched from opening day because of a stomach flu, pitched seven innings and Mark Canha homered while closer Ryan Madson notched his first save and fourth since 2011.

"This was probably the first challenge I've had," Madson said. "My arm came alive out there."

Chicago scored nine runs in winning the first two games of this series to extend its win streak in Oakland to six games before managing only Jimmy Rollins' sacrifice fly in the third inning Wednesday.

The White Sox (2-1) plan to give the 37-year-old Rollins, an Oakland native, this day game off.

'We don't want Jimmy playing every day," manager Robin Ventura said. 'It has nothing to do with ability and he came in great shape. It's just age."

Adam Eaton singled twice and walked, improving to 7 for 11 in this series. He has reached base safely in 25 consecutive games and is batting .457 during a 12-game hitting streak.

The A's will start Kendall Graveman, who gets the ball after suffering through the flu Tuesday night.

"From what I understand, he's going to be able to start on Thursday, but had a little bit of a tough night last night," manager Bob Melvin told the Athletics' official website.

Graveman went 6-9 with a 4.05 ERA in 21 starts last year, going 0-5 with a 5.82 ERA in his final eight. The right-hander has never faced Chicago, with Austin Jackson (1 for 4 versus him) the club's only batter he has seen.

The first day game for these clubs sees them trying to erase bad memories from last season. Oakland had the fifth-worst day mark at 25-36 and Chicago was fourth-worst at 25-37.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Marlins (0-2) at Nationals (2-0)

Game: 1
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: April 07, 2016 4:05 PM EDT

At some point during the Washington Nationals' first homestand of the season, odds are Jonathan Papelbon will head from the bullpen to the pitcher's mound, perhaps with a lead to protect and a save at stake.

Whenever the closer does wind up entering a game, it will be worth observing the crowd's reaction. That could happen as soon as Thursday, when the Nationals are scheduled to play their home opener against Giancarlo Stanton and the Miami Marlins. There is a chance of rain in the forecast.

The series begins a seven-game homestand, with three games against Miami followed by four versus Atlanta, part of a stretch in which Bryce Harper & Co. begin the season with 16 games against NL East opponents.

The last time Papelbon pitched at Nationals Park in a game that counted, on Sept. 27, he was involved in his infamous dugout dustup with teammate Harper, grabbing last season's eventual unanimous NL MVP by the throat. That earned Papelbon a four-game suspension, and when a three-game ban from Major League Baseball for throwing at an opponent's head was added, the pitcher was done for the season.

The kerfuffle, a day after the club was eliminated from playoff contention, led to plenty of speculation about whether Papelbon - acquired from Philadelphia in a July trade - would be back with the Nationals in 2016.

He is, of course, and while his teammates, including Harper, have said they see no reason to harbor negative feelings toward the reliever, fans already gave one small indication of their take.

At an exhibition game at Nationals Park last week, Papelbon entered for the ninth inning of a 4-3 victory over Minnesota. There was a mix of boos and cheers as he made his way toward the mound, and again when his name was introduced over the stadium loudspeakers.

While manager Dusty Baker insisted he didn't hear any negative reaction from spectators, he also urged Nationals fans to give Papelbon their support.

'We need him. We need him big time. And so we need to let bygones be bygones,' Baker said. 'Things happen in baseball. The thing we have to realize is that he's on our side. So jeering him and getting on him is not going to help the situation. You want to come home and feel that home is where your heart is. So let's cheer him rather than jeer him.'

Baker's team opened the season with a pair of late-inning victories in Atlanta.

Two days after a 4-3 10-inning win, pinch-hitter Matt den Dekker provided a two-run double in a three-run seventh in Wednesday's 3-1 victory. Den Dekker arrived at Turner Field in the fifth inning after being recalled earlier in the day to replace center fielder Ben Revere, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right oblique.

The Marlins opened 2016 being swept in a two-game home series to Detroit.

Reigning NL batting champ Dee Gordon is off to a fast start, though, going 6 for 11. Giancarlo Stanton is 2 for 8 with a homer and struck out with the bases loaded to end Wednesday's 7-3 loss.

Although the Marlins lost seven of 10 in the nation's capital last season, Gordon and Stanton are looking forward to playing there.

Gordon has hit safely in 12 consecutive games at Nationals Park and Stanton has 15 homers in 38 contests there, his most in any visiting park.

Harper has also enjoyed batting in this series, belting seven homers and posting a 1.161 OPS against Miami last season.

Harper and his teammates have faced starter Adam Conley once previously, with the left-hander allowing three runs in five-plus innings to win at Nationals Park on Aug. 28.

Conley went 4-1 with a 3.76 ERA in 2015 after making his major league debut in June, and had a 1.86 ERA in three spring starts, though only went longer than three innings once.

"To be quite honest with you, I'm looking forward to watching him pitch," Don Mattingly told MLB.com.

The Nationals counter with Tanner Roark, who split time between the rotation and bullpen last season, going 4-7 with a 4.38 ERA overall. He had a 7.45 ERA in losing both of his starts against Miami.

The right-hander started four of his five spring training games, posting a 2.00 ERA with 17 strikeouts to three walks over 18 innings.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Astros (1-1) at Yankees (1-1)

Game: 4
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: April 07, 2016 4:05 PM EDT

After struggling to generate much offense in their opener, the New York Yankees proved what their veteran lineup can do.

They'll look to build on that highly productive performance in Thursday's decisive finale against the visiting Houston Astros.

New York (1-1) recorded four hits in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to Houston, then doubled that run output in the first inning of a 16-6 rout Wednesday. Starlin Castro and Mark Teixeira each belted a three-run homer and combined for nine RBIs as the Yankees pounded out 17 hits.

'This is what we're capable of,' Teixeira said. 'When you have the entire lineup that's clicking, you're going to have a couple nights like this.'

The Yankees, who scored at least 10 runs 14 times last season, will try to win their first opening series since 2011.

Acquired from the Chicago Cubs in December, Castro is 5 for 8 with seven RBIs.

'Starlin Castro is playing T-ball right now,' teammate Carlos Beltran said. 'It's good to see him swinging the bat like that. He's a big key.'

New York pounded starter Collin McHugh, who retired only one batter. It was the most runs the Astros (1-1) allowed since a 16-5 defeat to Texas on Aug. 19, 2013.

"You never want to have a game like that," Houston manager A.J. Hinch told MLB's official website. "It was a mess from the beginning."

Making his first appearance against the Yankees, Mike Fiers will try to help the Astros bounce back. The right-hander went 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA and tossed a no-hitter in nine starts after he was acquired him from Milwaukee in July. Overall in 2015, he was 7-10 with a 3.49 ERA in 30 starts, and set career highs for games (31), innings (180 1-3) and strikeouts (180).

After homering in the opener, Houston shortstop Carlos Correa went deep twice Wednesday. He's 5 for 9 with four RBIs and four runs scored in the two games.

"I'm seeing the ball very well and feeling good, and hopefully I can keep doing that and find a way to help my team win ballgames," Correa said.

George Springer is 2 for 9, but hit a grand slam Wednesday for the Astros, who will face Houston native Nathan Eovaldi.

After losing 14 games for Miami in 2014, Eovaldi had a career-high 14 victories and just three losses with a 4.20 ERA in 27 starts for New York despite ending his year in early September with elbow inflammation. He was greatly aided by a 7.17 run support average and his .824 winning percentage was the best since 1900 for a pitcher with at least a 4.20 ERA.

He improved his splitter last season, now hopes to have better command of his slider in 2016. While working on that pitch, Eovaldi went 1-1 with a 3.07 ERA in four spring training starts.

"The split was a huge part of the deal for me last year, and my slider I didn't feel like was great toward the end of the year," he said. "I wanted to go in the offseason and work on my slider a little bit more, so that way I don't have to rely on the split the entire time."

After returning to his hometown area to beat the Astros in June, the right-hander yielded four hits in eight innings of a 1-0 home win Aug. 24. He's 1-0 with an 0.90 ERA in three starts against them.

Correa is 3 for 7 against Eovaldi.

Chase Headley is 1 for 7 with three strikeouts in the series but 3 for 3 against Fiers.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Dodgers (3-0) at Giants (2-1)

Game: 1
Venue: AT&T Park
Date: April 07, 2016 4:35 PM EDT

Denard Span spoke to his mother in Florida by phone last week and expressed how he still can't quite believe he's playing all the way out West in San Francisco.

'It's getting there. It's starting to sink in,' Span said. 'A couple days ago I was kind of thinking to myself I really can't believe I'm all the way out here in California playing baseball. I was telling my mom that. I'm a Florida boy, East Coast guy. I'm out here and I'm preparing myself for an exciting season.'

Span's parents, Stanley and Wanda Wilson, are traveling from Tampa, Florida, to be in the stands for their son's home opener with the Giants on Thursday against the three-time defending division champion and rival Los Angeles Dodgers.

'It's a beautiful ballpark. All of us are lucky to get an opportunity to have that as our home ballpark,' Span said. 'The fans are also unbelievable. It's just an exciting feeling to come. I'm used to being on the visiting side.'

New Dodgers manager Dave Roberts makes his return to San Francisco, where he played his final two seasons of 2007 and 2008, for his first experience on the other side of this rivalry.

The Giants are off to a strong start already, having won their season-opening series in Milwaukee with two victories. Span homered and drove in five runs in his Giants debut as San Francisco won Monday's opener 12-3.

Span - out of the lineup in Wednesday's 4-3 loss because of the flu - is eager to see not only the upgraded rotation with Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija but the entire roster the Giants hope will bring them another championship in an even year this decade - like in 2010, '12 and '14.

'The whole team, man, the whole team,' Span said. 'We've got a good team on paper. We've still got to go out there and play. It's nice to go into the season with everybody healthy and with an exciting roster.'

Matt Duffy has hit two of the Giants' six homers to go with six RBIs and Hunter Pence is 4 for 13 after injuries limited him to 52 games last season.

'Just having all the guys we had hurt last year, having those guys back, that's huge for us. We couldn't do what we wanted to do without those guys,' Madison Bumgarner said. 'And front office, management, going out and making the additions that we did, it's going to be a really, really good team. I'm excited and I'm sure everyone else is. All the fans are excited to watch us get going.'

The fans enjoyed watching the Giants dominate their longtime rivals at AT&T Park last season, winning eight of 10 matchups.

Buster Posey hit .368 in 18 games last season against the Dodgers, who have set a major league record with 27 straight scoreless innings to open a season.

Los Angeles outscored San Diego 25-0 to sweep the three-game series at Petco Park, making the Padres the first team in baseball history to be shut out in its first three games.

"These guys are embracing (pitching coach) Rick Honeycutt and (bullpen coach) Josh Bard's game plan and executing pitches," Roberts told MLB.com. "Starting with Clayton Kershaw setting the tone for the staff, these guys are feeding off each other from the starters to the 'pen."

Alex Wood is up next after Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda went six innings and homered in the second at-bat of his major league debut.

Wood went 12-12 with a 3.84 ERA in a career-high 32 starts last season, starting 12 for the Dodgers after coming over from Atlanta at the trade deadline.

The left-hander had a shaky spring, going 0-3 with a 7.13 ERA in five starts, serving up five homers in 17 2-3 innings.

He has a 7.27 ERA in three games against the Giants, making his only start in 2014.

The Giants turn to Jake Peavy, who was 8-6 with a 3.58 ERA in 19 starts last season.

The veteran missed 2 1/2 months of 2015 with a back strain but was dominant down the stretch, going 3-0 with a 1.45 ERA in his final five starts. The right-hander faced the Dodgers in one of those, and is 1-1 with a 2.86 ERA in his last five against them.

He's limited Adrian Gonzalez to two hits in 16 at-bats since 2013 and Yasiel Puig is 0 for 7 lifetime in their matchups.

Puig is 6 for 10 with a homer, two doubles and four RBIs this season and batting .391 in his last six at AT&T Park.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Red Sox (1-1) at Indians (1-1)

Game: 4
Venue: Progressive Field
Date: April 07, 2016 6:10 PM EDT

David Ortiz has wasted no time making his farewell tour an historic event.

As he makes his last regular-season appearance in Cleveland, the retiring Boston Red Sox slugger aims to homer in a third straight game during Thursday night's series finale with the Indians.

Ortiz began his final season with a moment that's defined his stellar 20-year career, going 2 for 4 with a two-run homer to help the Red Sox to a 6-2 victory in Tuesday's opener. He followed with a solo shot that sparked a four-run sixth inning that briefly put Boston ahead on Wednesday, though the Indians rallied behind one of Ortiz's former Red Sox teammates for a 7-6 win.

Wednesday's home run was Ortiz's 505th, moving him past Eddie Murray for 26th place on baseball's career list, and he joined Ted Williams as the only players over 40 to homer in a season's first two games.

"That's not going to make me feel any younger,' Ortiz joked.

Cleveland scored once in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game and went ahead for good on Mike Napoli's solo homer off Junichi Tazawa in the seventh. The first baseman and key contributor to Boston's 2013 World Series title is facing his old team for the first time since being traded to Texas in August.

'I'm playing against a bunch of my buddies over there,' he said. 'But when I step in between the lines I want to win. It was nice to do it against them, but I'm just going out there and trying to win.'

Ortiz is batting .342 with five homers and nine RBIs in his past nine games at Progressive Field. The nine-time All-Star is 1 for 5 against Danny Salazar, the latest talented arm the Red Sox will face from a rotation expected to be Cleveland's strength.

Salazar showed signs of fulfilling his considerable promise by going 14-10 with a 3.45 ERA in 30 starts last season and finishing seventh in the AL with 195 strikeouts in 185 innings.

The right-hander won each of his two 2015 starts against the Red Sox, the last a 3-1 home victory in the Oct. 4 finale in which he yielded one run in 5 1-3 innings.

Salazar faces a potent Boston lineup that hit the Indians' top two starters well, recording four runs and nine hits in 5 1-3 innings against Corey Kluber in the opener and homering three times off Carlos Carrasco on Wednesday.

Joe Kelly (10-6, 4.82 ERA in 2015) gets the call for the Red Sox seeking to build on a strong finish to a up-and-down 2015 campaign. Banished to the minors for nearly a month at midseason, he returned to win his final eight decisions and post a 3.00 ERA over his last nine starts.

Kelly followed up that strong second half by going 3-1 with a 2.63 ERA in six spring starts.

The right-hander allowed one unearned run over six innings in a 6-4 win over Cleveland on Aug. 19 at Fenway Park.

Kelly has had success against Carlos Santana, who had a three-run homer Wednesday and is 3 for 6 for the series. The switch-hitter is 0 for 5 in the matchup.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Twins (0-2) at Orioles (2-0)

Game: 3
Venue: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Date: April 07, 2016 7:05 PM EDT

Timely hitting played a key role in Minnesota's best finish in five years last season.

It's nowhere to be found through the Twins' first two games in 2016.

They'll try to string some hits together with runners in scoring position Thursday night as they close a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.

The Twins are trying to avoid their second consecutive 0-3 start. Though they started 1-6 last year, they eventually caught fire in May, going 20-7 en route to their first winning season since 2010.

Much of their success, however, was predicated on hitting with runners in scoring position. Their .280 batting average in those situations ranked third behind only Toronto and Kansas City.

Minnesota is 1 for 12 with runners on second or third through two losses to Baltimore, falling 4-2 Wednesday after a 3-2 defeat on opening day.

"When they had runners on they got them across and we didn't," manager Paul Molitor said. "That's what it boils down to."

Joe Mauer led the way for Minnesota in those situations in 2015, hitting .352 to rank 11th in the majors. However, he struck out with Eduardo Escobar on third base to end Wednesday's game, his second failure in as many of those situations on the night. He was 0 for 3 overall to snap an 11-game hitting streak against Baltimore, though he recorded a sacrifice fly.

Strikeouts have been a major issue for the Twins with 23 punch outs already. They averaged 7.8 per game last year.

Mauer could be in for another tough night against Baltimore starter Ubaldo Jimenez. He's only 1 for 14 against the right-hander, and that .071 average is tied for Mauer's second-lowest of the 103 pitchers against whom he's had at least 15 plate appearances.

Jimenez, who went 12-10 with a 4.11 ERA for the Orioles last season, is 4-3 with a 2.22 ERA in five career starts against Minnesota, striking out 57 over 52 2-3 innings. He threw five scoreless in last year's only matchup.

Baltimore, seeking its third 3-0 start in six years, is enjoying opportunistic hitting, going 6 for 18 with runners in scoring position.

Chris Davis homered Wednesday, his first after hitting an MLB-best 47 in 2015, and his ninth in his last 17 home games. Davis is the franchise's newly minted highest-paid player ever after signing a $161 million deal in the offseason.

"You always wonder how things like that are going to affect people, but early on in the spring you could tell he was the right kind of comfortable," manager Buck Showalter said. "He's been in a good place since he got to spring training. He just seems to be in a good rhythm about his life. I'm real proud of him."

In 27 career at-bats versus Minnesota starter Phil Hughes, Davis has one home run.

Hughes' second season with the Twins - in which he went 11-9 with a 4.40 ERA - suggested the first - 16-10 with a career-best 3.52 mark - may have been an abnormality. Limiting home runs was a key part of his success in 2014, but he gave up a career-worst 1.68 per nine innings last year.

Baltimore outfielder Joey Rickard continued to impress in his second major league game, going 2 for 3 with his first RBI after a 2-for-4 performance Monday.

The Twins had won eight straight meetings with Baltimore before dropping the last two.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Cubs (2-0) at Diamondbacks (1-2)

Game: 1
Venue: Chase Field
Date: April 07, 2016 9:40 PM EDT

Chicago looks the part of the prohibitive National League favorite early on, living up to an offseason full of adulation - at least through two games.

The Cubs hope John Lackey measures up to expectations when he makes his club debut in Thursday night's opener of a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

Favored by Las Vegas oddsmakers to win their first World Series title since 1908, the Cubs are a victory shy of starting 3-0 for the first time in 28 years. They've warranted the hype thus far, outscoring the Los Angeles Angels 15-1 and outhitting them 20-7.

The nature of their start is particularly refreshing after Chicago was ultimately let down by its mediocre offense in 2015. The club ranked 16th with 4.3 runs per game and was held to eight while being swept in four games by the New York Mets in the NLCS.

The lineup hardly looks like a weakness in 2016, though. Dexter Fowler is leading the onslaught, going 5 for 8 with a home run and a double, and the club's 15 runs have come in spite of Jason Heyward, Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber starting a combined 1 for 20.

Three home runs complemented Jon Lester's strong seven innings in Tuesday's 6-1 win.

"I don't like to compare other situations and other rosters and all that stuff," Lester said. "But I like our talent and our lineup because it's deep. So if you want to take one similarity from it, I guess it's that our lineup makes pitchers work and has good, quality at-bats."

Chicago hopes Lackey, who signed a two-year, $32 million deal, adds depth to its rotation behind Lester and Jake Arrieta. Those two combined for 33 of the starters' 45 wins in 2015.

Lackey, a 37 year old who ranks third among active pitchers with 165 wins, looks to build off a career-best 2.77 ERA for St. Louis in 2015, his first full season in the NL.

"I'm not real concerned about (giving up) one or two runs most of the time," Lackey, 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in three career starts against Arizona, told MLB's official website. "I think we're going to score some runs."

The right-hander may see plenty of run support if Arizona (1-2) can't cull its home run woes. The Diamondbacks surrendered 10 home runs in dropping their series with Colorado, including three in Wednesday's 4-3 loss.

"It just seemed like every mistake we made in this series was a home run, not a hit but a home run," manager Chip Hale said.

The long ball was an issue last year, too, as the 182 homers hit against them were tied for the fourth most in the majors.

Despite losing star center fielder A.J. Pollock to a broken elbow last week, Arizona hasn't been short on offense. The Diamondbacks are batting .310 with 19 runs. Paul Goldschmidt is 2 for 10, but has hit .403 with 22 RBIs in his last 18 games against Chicago.

Arizona hopes Rubby De La Rosa can provide its first quality start. De La Rosa won a team-high 14 games in 2015, compensating for a 4.67 ERA with a 5.77 run-support average.

He's 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA in two starts against the Cubs.

Anthony Rizzo has hit six homers with 15 RBIs in his last 10 meetings with the Diamondbacks.

The Cubs have dropped 13 of 17 at Chase Field.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rangers (1-2) at Angels (0-2)

Game: 1
Venue: Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Date: April 07, 2016 10:05 PM EDT

Derek Holland barely made a first-half start over the past two years. Despite missing most of last season with an injured shoulder, the Texas Rangers left-hander still managed to face - and beat - the Los Angeles Angels twice.

In his career, no one has seen him more.

Holland will make his 21st career start against the Angels on Thursday night when Texas opens a four-game series at Anaheim.

The Rangers (1-2) allowed 19 runs - 14 from the bullpen - while losing the last two games of a season-opening series against Seattle in Arlington. Closer Shawn Tolleson was charged with all five runs in the ninth inning of a 9-5 loss on Wednesday after all five batters he faced reached base.

The bullpen for the defending AL West champions has served up four homers, four doubles and nine other hits in the last two.

"After two outings I'm not going to raise the red flag and being concerned. We'll continue to pay attention to it," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "The three starters have given us three quality outings. We have to shore up, sharpen up and we'll get it going in the right direction."

The Rangers will hope for a good start from Holland against a familiar foe. He is 8-6 with a 5.46 ERA in 20 starts against the Angels. Holland has more starts and innings pitched (133 2-3) against Los Angeles than any other team.

Last season, he was hurt one inning into his first start on April 10 and spent four months on the disabled list. It was Holland's only first-half appearance for Texas in 2014 and '15. He allowed four runs over 14 1-3 innings against the Angels last season and earned the win in Texas' playoff-clinching victory on Oct. 1.

Rangers slugger Prince Fielder went 2 for 11 in the Seattle series, but drove in four runs, including three on a long home run Wednesday. Fielder has never homered in 34 plate appearances against Angels lefty Hector Santiago, who will get the start Thursday.

Santiago was a first-time All-Star selection last year after going 6-4 with a 2.33 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 108 1-3 innings before the break, but had a 5.47 ERA over his last 15 starts. He is 6-2 with a 3.36 ERA in 72 1-3 career innings against Texas.

The Angels were outscored 15-1 in two home losses to the Chicago Cubs to start the season. They had just seven hits in the games on Monday and Tuesday, with no player getting more than one.

"We just need to get it going as a team," Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun told team's official website. "Obviously we're not off on the right foot, but there's a lot of baseball still to play. Once we start clicking as a team, putting some hits together, we'll be all right."

Making matters worse, the Angels placed No. 2 starter Andrew Heaney on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday with a flexor muscle strain in his left arm. Heaney allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings in a 6-1 loss on Tuesday.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Thursday, April 7, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews

One great thing about baseball more so than the NFL, NBA or NHL is that you are more likely in that sport to see something you never have before on a daily basis. Just the way MLB games go and with so many intangibles and odd rules. That happened Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. The Toronto Blue Jays thought they had taken a 4-3 lead in the top of the ninth inning on a throwing error by Tampa Bay second baseman Logan Forsythe while trying to turn a game-ending double play as Jose Bautista slid into second base. Instead, two runs scored on the error. However, Rays manager Kevin Cash asked for a replay under the new "Utley rule" that restricts the way players can slide into bags trying to break up double plays -- and potentially hurt the fielders. The replay worked, which thus called out the batter as well. Game over, a 3-2 Rays win. Toronto manager John Gibbons went nuts, but if you look at the slide on replay you'd have to say it was the right call. Bautista reached out with his hand in an attempt to grab the foot of Forsythe as he was throwing. That was the problem, not the actual slide.


White Sox at A's (-110, 8.5)

Getaway day game for Chicago with a 3:35 p.m. ET start. Too early to rest a guy or two? Sox do then play home opener on Friday afternoon. The White Sox could be going for the four-game sweep depending on what happens Wednesday night. They took a one-year flier on Mat Latos this offseason and he gets the start there. Latos has a 64-55 career record and 3.51 ERA but went 4-10 with a 4.95 ERA with the Marlins, Dodgers and Angels in 24 appearances in 2015. Latos is worth the risk at just $3 million. He pitched just two innings vs. Oakland last year. Jed Lowrie is 5-for-8 career off him with two doubles, two homers and five RBIs. The A's go with Kendall Graveman. He made 21 starts last year with a 6-9 record and 4.05 ERA. He had an ERA near 5.00 this spring. Graveman has faced just one White Sox batter before: Austin Jackson is 1-for-4 off him.

Key trends: The White Sox are 4-9 in their past 13 in Game 4 of a series. The A's are 1-7 in Graveman's past eight starts. The "over/under" is 4-0 in his past four at home vs. teams with a winning record.

Early lean: A's and over.

Dodgers at Giants (-108, 7)

Will be entertaining any time these two bitter rivals play as they should battle for the NL West title all season. Los Angeles had ticketed lefty Alex Wood for the bullpen originally this spring, but all the rotation injuries have him as the No. 4 starter. Wood was pretty good last year with the Braves (7-6, 3.54) but not so after being traded to the Dodgers (5-6, 4.35) around the deadline. Wood didn't face the Giants. Denard Span has seen him more than any other Giant, going 4-for-17 with three doubles. He didn't start Wednesday because of the flu, so wait and see if Span plays here. San Francisco counters with Jake Peavy. He was 8-6 with a 3.58 ERA in 19 starts in 2015 and 0-0 with a 3.55 ERA in two starts against the Dodgers. Carl Crawford is a career .333 hitter off him in 27 at-bats. Chase Utley is 0-for-14 against Peavy.

Key trends: The Dodgers are 2-5 in Wood's past seven road starts. San Francisco is 8-0 in Peavy's past eight at home. The under is 5-1 in the past six meetings.

Early lean: Giants and under.

Red Sox at Indians (-133, 8)

Boston's final game in Cleveland this season barring a playoff rematch. The Red Sox go with Joe Kelly, who finished last season going 8-0 with 3.00 ERA in his final nine starts. He was also very good in Grapefruit League play this spring. Kelly beat the Tribe in his lone start against them in 2015, allowing one unearned run and five hits in six innings. Jason Kipnis is 2-for-5 with a double off him. Cleveland goes with Danny Salazar. He started last season in Triple-A but didn't stay long and is now considered one of the most underrated starters in the AL after he was 14-10 with a 3.45 ERA and 195 strikeouts in 185.0 innings with Cleveland. Salazar was 2-0 against the Red Sox with a 1.46 ERA. Jackie Bradley Jr. is 2-for-3 off him. Travis Shaw, who took Pablo Sandoval's third-base job, is 1-for-5 with a homer.

Key trends: The Indians are 4-0 in Salazar's past four at home. The under is 5-1 in his past six there.

Early lean: Indians and under.

Cubs at Diamondbacks (+133, 9)

The Cubs will probably have more fans here as they train in the Phoenix area. Their schedule has been interesting in that Chicago opened in Los Angeles and then goes back to Phoenix. Better than doing a West Coast swing later in the season from the East Coast or something. Chicago looked every part the World Series betting favorite in sweeping two games at the Angels to open the season by a combined score of 15-1. The Cubs go with new addition John Lackey here. The 37-year-old was the most consistent guy in the Cardinals' rotation last season, going 13-10 with a career-best 2.77 ERA. His last game as a Cardinal was a start in the Cubs' clinching Game 4 of the NLDS. Lackey faced Arizona once last year and got the win, allowing one run in seven innings. Arizona goes with Rubby De La Rosa. He was 14-9 with a 4.67 ERA in 2015, his first with the Snakes. De La Rosa was 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA in two starts vs. the Cubs. Kris Bryant, who hasn't gotten a hit yet this season, is 2-for-4 with a homer off him.

Key trends: Arizona is 0-5 in De La Rosa's past five at home vs. teams with a winning record. The over is 13-3-2 in his past 18 vs. teams with a winning record. The over is 7-0-1 in Chicago's past eight Thursday games.

Early lean: Cubs and over.

Rangers at Angels (-107, 8)

You can watch this nationally on Fox Sports 1. Texas starts lefty Derek Holland in this AL West series opener. It's a shame injuries have wrecked a once-promising career with this guy. He was limited to only 37 late-season innings in 2014 due to injury but was excellent. So of course he got hurt right away last season and made just 10 starts, going 4-3 with a 4.91 ERA. Holland did win both of his starts against the Angels with a 2.51 ERA. Albert Pujols is 8-for-23 off him career with three doubles and three homers. Mike Trout is 10-for-32 with two homers and nine RBIs. The Angels were utterly dominated in their two-game sweep at the hands of the Cubs to open the season. L.A. had seven hits and just one run combined. Pujols and Trout were 0-for-15 combined. The Halos go with lefty Hector Santiago, who was an All-Star in 2015. He had a 2.33 ERA in the first half but 5.47 in the second. Santiago faced Texas six times and was 3-0 with a 2.10 ERA. Adrian Beltre has three homers off him in 28 at-bats. Rougned Odor is 9-for-17 with three doubles and dinger.

Key trends: L.A. is 6-0 in Santiago's past six starts. Texas is 2-6 in Holland's past eight road starts. The over is 7-1 in Santiago's past eight vs. Texas. The over is 5-2-1 in Holland's past eight at the Angels.

Early lean: Angels and over.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

#1 Sports

Thursday's Free Selection: Houston Astros + 115

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Platinum Plays

Free Pick: Boston/Cleveland Game Over 7½ Runs

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Golden Dragon Sports

Free Pick Miami -5 NBA

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Huddle Up Sports

Bonus Play: Miami -5

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

The Vegas Steam Line

Your free winner for Thursday: Take PHOENIX/HOUSTON UNDER the total of 214

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Sharp Bettor

Sharp Bettor's Free Pick for Thursday, April 7, 2016, NHL. 10:35 PM EST

(75) WINNIPEG JETS VS (76) SAN JOSE SHARKS

Take: UNDER THE TOTAL

Reason: Winnipeg heads out on the road with a bad offense, No. 23 in goals scored with the worst power play in the league. Winnipeg is 18-6-4 under the total following a win and 16-6-4 under on the road. San Jose is No. 11 in goals allowed and 7-1-1 under the total after a victory. Play Winnipeg/San Jose Under the total.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Roz Wins

Roz's Thursday, April 7, 2016, Free NBA Pick: 10:05 PM EST

(707) MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES VS (708) SACRAMENTO KINGS

Take: Over the total

Reason: All the young players will be looking to score 40 in this one. Neither team plays any defense, with Minnesota No. 24 in points allowed and the Kings dead last allowing 109 ppg. The Over is 19-6-1 in the Timberwolves last 26 road games, plus 15-6 over the total playing on one day of rest. Sacramento likes to run on offense and is 17-8-1 over the total against a team with a winning percentage below .400. Play Minnesota/Sacramento Over the total.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Dave Cokin

Bonus Play Thursday

911 ASTROS (Fiers) at 912 YANKEES (Eovaldi) 4:05 PM

Take: YANKEES -120

Nathan Eovaldi throws hard, very hard. But we now know he’s not a guy who will likely ever be a strikeout artist. That’s usually what the hope is for guys who throw with Eovaldi’s velocity, but the reality is that he’s not a blow the batters away type of pitcher.

The good news is that I think Eovaldi has figured this out as well, and I was very encouraged by what I saw from the righty last season. Check out the vast improvement in Eovaldi’s GB/FB ratios and I think you might agree. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with limited K’s if ground balls are being induced and I think Eovaldi came to the realization that’s the pitcher he needs to be.

Mike Fiers will throw for Houston here. While he’s a high 80’s/low 90’s type, Fiers is a not bad at generating swings and misses. But he’s also a fly ball pitcher. I kind of see him as a guy who has managed to successfully walk the tightrope enough to hang in as a starting pitcher but I have a feeling there’s a regression coming for Fiers this season.

Fiers has generally not been good out of the gate and let’s just say he hasn’t had good luck in day games. Eovaldi’s ledger is still somewhat small sample, but he does fit some categories today where he’s done pretty well.

The back end of the NYY pen is available today, as the Betances-Miller combo had a night off in the Wednesday romp by the Yankees. I would therefore give a substantial late inning edge to the hosts after six or seven innings. Since I like Eovaldi over Fiers in the early innings, I’ve got no problem laying 6:5 with the Yankees today.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Jim Feist

Jim Feist's Comp NBA Pick, Thursday, April 7, 2016 10:35 PM EST

(709) SAN ANTONIO SPURS VS (710) GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Take: UNDER THE TOTAL

Reason: Your Bonus Play for Thursday, April 7, 2016 is in the NBA scheduled contest between the San Antonio Spurs and the defending NBA champion Warriors at Golden State. So is this showdown going to be a run-and-gun duel, or a defensive one? Both teams are outstanding on defense, with the Spurs No. 3 in field goal shooting allowed and the Warriors at No. 4. San Antonio is also No. 1 in the NBA in points allowed. San Antonio is 4-0 under the total on the road and 22-8-1 under following a spread loss. Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge provided their largest combined scoring output (64 points) of the season in San Antonio's 102-95 victory Saturday over the Toronto Raptors. San Antonio accomplished its goal of distributing more minutes to Leonard, Aldridge, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan as the team rounds into postseason form. The Under is 16-5 in the Spurs last 21 games following a straight up win. Golden State will play better defense after a stunning collapse, a loss at home to Minnesota. They are 6-0 under the total against a winning team, plus the Under is 18-7-1 in the Warriors last 26 home games vs. a team with a winning road record. And when these rivals clash the Under is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings in Golden State. Play the Spurs/Warriors Under the total.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Martin Griffiths

AC Sparta Prague vs Villarreal

Bonus Play Villarreal -1

Czech outfit Sparta Prague have done really well to get to this stage of the Europa League but I fear they have now gone as far as they can and will be sent packing by Spanish side Villarreal.

Vllarreal are in god form at the moment, they won in La Liga at the weekend away from home and previous to that held the dominant Barcelona to a draw, not many teams can claim to do that. They knocked out Bayer Leverkusn in the last round of this competition and are safe in a champions league spot in Spain.

Sparta Prague sit second in their domestic league, but in all fairness the Czech Liga is not in the same class as the Spain's La Liga, though it must be said that they did destroy Lazio in the previous round of this competition, a really impressive job.

Sparta will put in a decent performance I am sure but they are not in the same bracket as Villarreal, there is a gulf in class and I fully expect that to show this evening.

Take Villarreal on the spreads.