Thursday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
Red Sox at Yankees – 7:05 PM EST
The most storied rivalry in baseball doesn’t hold the same luster this season with Boston languishing in last place of the AL East. However, the Red Sox pulled out a 2-1 victory over the Yankees on Wednesday as a +165 underdog behind a two-run homer from David Ortiz to snap an eight-game road losing streak. The Bronx Bombers still sit atop the division by four games over the surging Blue Jays as Toronto invades Yankee Stadium this weekend.
The Yankees hand the ball to veteran CC Sabathia (4-8, 5.54 ERA) in the rubber match, as the southpaw has allowed five earned runs in each of his last two starts. Sabathia has been hurt by the gopher ball this season, yielding 24 home runs, including five in the past two outings against the Twins and Rangers. New York has performed well when Sabathia has pitched at home of late, posting a 4-1 record, while the left-hander picked up a no-decision in a road win at Boston back in early May.
The Red Sox counter with another left-hander, sending out rookie Eduardo Rodriguez (6-3, 4.34 ERA), who has lost once in his past six starts. Rodriguez began his big league career on fire by allowing just one earned run in his first three starts, while Boston owns a solid 6-2 record in his previous eight trips to the mound. The southpaw beat the Yankees at Fenway Park prior to the All-Star break, scattering five hits and two earned runs in 6.1 innings of a 5-3 triumph.
Twins at Blue Jays – 7:05 PM EST
Toronto pushed its chips in the middle of the table at the trade deadline by acquiring Troy Tulowitzki and David Price for a playoff run. The moves have paid off so far, as the Jays have won seven of their past eight games, while going for the four-game sweep of the reeling Twins at Rogers Center. Minnesota led Toronto by three games for the final AL Wild Card spot on July 28, but the Twins have slipped to five games back of the Jays for that position thanks to a 2-9 slide.
Mark Buehrle (11-5, 3.32 ERA) is coming off consecutive no-decisions in one-run losses to the Mariners and Royals, while giving up 15 hits and seven runs in those outings. The Toronto veteran has been up and down since a 4-1 start at home, as the Jays have split his past four outings at Rogers Center. Buehrle fell behind the Twins, 4-0 after one inning the last time he faced them at Target Field in May, but the Jays rallied for a 6-4 win as the southpaw tossed a complete game.
The Twins send out Kyle Gibson (8-8, 3.37 ERA), who is winless in three starts since the All-Star break. The right-hander put together a quality start against Seattle in his past outing, allowing six hits and two earned runs in seven innings as Minnesota rallied for a pair of runs in the ninth to win, 3-2. Minnesota has compiled a 2-0 record in Gibson’s two career starts against Toronto, including a 3-2 home victory back in May.
Giants at Cubs – 8:05 PM EST
San Francisco and Chicago begin a crucial series at Wrigley Field as the two teams are separated by a half-game for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. The Giants pulled ahead of the Cubs thanks to a 6-1 blowout of the Braves on Wednesday, coupled with Chicago’s 7-5 loss at Pittsburgh, snapping a five-game winning streak. The Cubs will look to turn around their recent woes on the North Side, dropping seven of their past 10 games at Wrigley Field.
Jason Hammel (6-5, 3.13 ERA) picked up his first win since early June by knocking off the Brewers last Friday, 4-1 as a -125 road favorite. The Cubs’ right-hander is winless in his past four starts as a home favorite, allowing a season-high six earned runs to the suddenly surging Phillies in less than four innings in an 11-5 loss on July 26. Hammel faced the Giants last season in his first start as a member of the A’s after getting traded by the Cubs in July, losing at San Francisco, 5-2 as a short favorite.
The Giants go for their third straight win behind Chris Heston (11-5, 3.24 ERA), who has been nearly automatic pitching away from AT&T Park. San Francisco owns a terrific 8-2 record in Heston’s 10 road starts, including a perfect 5-0 mark as an away underdog. Heston needed to get bailed out by a Giants’ rally in his last start, as San Francisco erased a late 7-4 deficit at Texas to stun the Rangers, 9-7 in extra innings, the ninth time the Giants have scored at least five runs for the righty in a road outing.
Astros at Athletics – 10:05 PM EST
Houston started out of the gate hot to begin the season to basically control the AL West since mid-April. The Astros have managed to stay atop the division heading into August, but they have needed some help from the Angels, who have lost seven of their last nine games to remain two back of Houston. The AL West leaders head to California after getting swept by the Rangers, as the Astros have dropped 13 of their last 15 games away from Minute Maid Park.
The Astros have won six of nine meetings with the A’s this season, sending out veteran Scott Feldman (4-5, 4.58 ERA) in the series opener. Feldman shut down Oakland back on April 25 as a short road underdog, scattering five hits and three earned runs in 6.2 innings of a 9-3 blowout. The right-hander hasn’t fared well since being activated off the disabled list following the All-Star break, going winless in three starts, while Houston has won just once in his past four road outings since May.
The A’s look to snap a four-game losing streak in home series openers, as recently acquired Aaron Brooks (1-0, 3.09 ERA) tries to duplicate a solid performance in his debut. Brooks shut down the Indians days after getting dealt from the Royals in exchange for infielder Ben Zobrist, putting together 7.1 solid innings in a 5-1 victory last Saturday. Oakland hasn’t scored many runs recently at home, as the A’s are 6-2 to the ‘under’ in the past eight games at Coliseum, while scoring three runs or less seven times in this stretch.
