Tuesday 5/31/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: White Sox (27-25) at Mets (29-21)

Game: 2
Venue: Citi Field
Date: May 31, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

While bullpen collapses have drawn the most attention during the Chicago White Sox's lengthy losing streak, they're not hitting particularly well either.

With Steven Matz on one of the most dominant stretches by any pitcher this season, that trend could very well continue.

As Matz aims to extend his seven-start winning streak, the floundering White Sox hope to avoid an eighth straight loss and second consecutive shutout to the New York Mets on Tuesday night.

Owners of the AL's top record on May 9, Chicago (27-25) has fallen to third in the Central by dropping 15 of 19 since. After beginning a nine-game trip by squandering late leads in three losses to rival Kansas City, the White Sox were stymied by a resurgent Matt Harvey in Monday's opener of this three-game set.

Harvey faced the minimum through six innings and allowed two singles and a walk over a season-high seven to lead New York to a 1-0 win. The struggling right-hander entered the game with a 10.80 ERA over three straight defeats.

The White Sox are hitting .217 while averaging 3.1 runs over the skid and have lost six straight to left-handed starters, none of whom can match Matz's recent run of success.

Matz (7-1, 2.36 ERA) has yielded six runs in 48 innings during the streak, becoming the first Mets hurler since Tom Seaver in 1969 to allow two or less in seven consecutive winning starts. The 25-year-old was in top form in Wednesday's 2-0 victory at Washington, holding the Nationals to four singles and striking out seven over a career-high eight innings.

'I think he thinks he belongs here,' manager Terry Collins said. 'I think he knows he's part of a very, very good pitching staff. We count on him when he goes out there and I think he picks his game up.'

Matz faces a Chicago lineup that's receiving little from its heart, with Todd Frazier in a 1-for-22 slump and Jose Abreu having gone 11 straight games without an RBI.

"It's frustrating when you get pitches to hit and don't do nothing with them," Frazier said.

New York (29-21) also hasn't produced much offense of late, managing four runs and hitting .167 over its last three games. The Mets have homered in 10 straight, with Neil Walker's shot off Jose Quintana in the seventh inning accounting for Monday's lone score.

Walker is hitting .391 over his last seven games and has two homers in 25 at-bats off the struggling Mat Latos (6-1, 4.06), whose 2016 season has mirrored that of his team.

After posting a 0.74 ERA in winning his first four starts during the White Sox's strong April run, Latos has permitted four or more in four of his last five. He's recorded a 7.09 ERA while allowing seven homers and a .363 average over that span.

Latos was better his last time out, limiting Cleveland to three runs through six innings in a 7-6 win May 23.

The Mets are expected to have David Wright unavailable for a fourth straight game due to a herniated disk in his neck. Collins told reporters Monday that the team is considering placing the captain on the disabled list.

'With the condition he's been playing in and the condition he's in right now, yeah, I'm concerned about it,' Collins said. 'I know this guy plays with a lot of discomfort. He always has. And when he can't play, he's hurt.'

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Dodgers (27-25) at Cubs (35-14)

Game: 2
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: May 31, 2016 8:05 PM EDT

Though Jake Arrieta has looked more human than usual on the mound this month, he's still in position to make more history.

He did so in his last matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

As Arrieta faces the visiting Dodgers for the first time since he no-hit them last summer, the Chicago Cubs try to win a major league-record 24th straight game with their ace on the hill Tuesday night.

Arrieta (9-0, 1.72 ERA) had a remarkable 0.55 ERA during an 18-start stretch prior to posting a decent 3.24 ERA in the last four. For the first time in 30 starts, the right-hander gave up more than three runs Wednesday - allowing four and seven hits over five innings of a 9-8 win at St. Louis.

"He has not pitched as well as he can yet," manager Joe Maddon told MLB's official website. "You'll see the day when he goes out with that fastball command and it'll be the eighth inning with 92 pitches and it'll be a good day."

Still, Arrieta can become the majors' first 10-game winner after Chicago (35-14) won his 23rd consecutive start - matching Atlanta's record behind Kris Medlen in 2012.

"That's baseball," said Arrieta, who also looks to become the first in franchise history to go 10-0 since Jim McCormick in 1886. "You can go out and give up one run and get the loss. We'll ride it out and see where it goes."

Maddon is grateful for the chance to witness all the success surrounding Arrieta.

"He's on a nice run now, a historic run," said Maddon, whose club has won six in a row after dropping eight of 12. "I will take a moment to sit back and think I've been watching this the whole time."

Maddon certainly enjoyed watching Arrieta on Aug. 30 at Dodger Stadium, when he struck out 12 in a 2-0 victory for the first of his two no-hitters over an 11-start span.

Chase Utley, who fanned for the final out of that contest, is 0 for 10 against Arrieta. Adrian Gonzalez is hitless with a walk in his last 11 plate appearances against him.

'We'll just go out there and try to put some at-bats and hits together,' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Los Angeles (27-25) managed one hit - Justin Turner's pop fly lost in the sun in the first inning - of Monday's 2-0 defeat. After Jason Hammel left with a cramped hamstring prior to the start of the third inning, four Cubs relievers did not allow a baserunner the rest of the way.

Facing the Cubs for the first time since 2010, Scott Kazmir (4-3, 4.84) improved to 2-0 in his last three starts after allowing a run and striking out a season-high 12 in six innings of Wednesday's 3-1 victory over Cincinnati.

'My rhythm is getting a lot better with all my pitches," the left-hander said. "That's the key to be able to have that fastball command. I was able to go in and out and use my changeup off the plate.'

Each of Kazmir's last two wins came at home, where he has a 3.56 ERA despite going 2-3. He's 2-0 in five road starts but owns an 8.02 ERA in the last four.

Ben Zobrist is 1 for 7 in the regular season against Kazmir, but has hit safely in a career high-tying 16 straight games and is batting .458 in his last 23.

Dexter Fowler is 1 for 9 against Kazmir, but could have a chance to improve on those numbers after sitting Monday with a sore heel.

"I wanted to give him (a day off)," Maddon said. "He should be able to start (Tuesday.)"

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Cardinals (27-25) at Brewers (23-28)

Game: 2
Venue: Miller Park
Date: May 31, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

Having overcome his early-season struggles, Mike Leake now hopes his improvement translates against an opponent that's had his number of late.

Leake looks to end a four-start winless stretch against the Milwaukee Brewers and pitch the St. Louis Cardinals to a second straight win over their NL Central rivals Tuesday night.

After beginning his Cardinals' tenure 0-3 with a 6.03 ERA through six starts, Leake (3-4, 3.90 ERA) has allowed just four runs over 28 innings in stringing together four very good ones. The free-agent addition had won three consecutive outings before surrendering solo homers to Bryce Harper and Danny Espinosa in seven innings of Thursday's 2-1 loss at Washington.

Better command has been the key to Leake's resurgence, as he's issued four walks over his improved stretch.

"If I put it where I want it, I feel like they're not going to hit it," he told MLB's official website.

Leake wasn't as sharp when allowing four runs in six innings in a no-decision against the Brewers on April 13. He had lost his previous three matchups with Milwaukee and has posted a 5.59 ERA over his past five meetings, with the Brewers hitting .355 over those games.

Jonathan Lucroy is 15 for 32 with a home run off Leake and 7 for 14 with two homers and nine RBIs over his last four games. The catcher had one of five singles against Carlos Martinez, whose dominant eight-inning stint led the Cardinals to a 6-0 win in Monday's opener of this three-game set.

Martinez struck out eight and received ample support in halting a five-start losing streak. Matt Carpenter went 4 for 5 with three runs scored and Matt Holliday finished 3 for 4 with a homer and three RBIs.

'That was phenomenal,' manager Mike Matheny said of Martinez. 'He can be as dominating as anybody in the game when he puts it all together.'

Milwaukee (23-28) didn't help its cause with an error and passed ball during the Cardinals' three-run third.

'They were kind of `woulda-coulda-shoulda' plays but certainly not routine plays,' manager Craig Counsell said. 'The way Martinez was pitching, we pretty much needed to make every play.'

Holliday has three homers in six games after hitting three over his previous 29. The veteran outfielder is on an 8-for-12 tear and owns a .357 average against Wily Peralta (3-5, 6.62), who seeks to build off a promising last outing and end a five-start losing streak against St. Louis (27-25).

Peralta has recorded a 6.33 ERA over the skid and was reached for five runs in five innings in a 7-0 loss at Busch Stadium on April 14, falling to 4-9 in 14 career meetings with the Cardinals.

The right-hander also has struggled this season at Miller Park, where he's allowed 24 earned runs and a .390 average in 24 2/3 innings. Peralta did throw 5 1/3 effective innings Thursday in Atlanta, yielding two runs in a 6-2 win.

Carpenter has hit .457 with three homers in 35 at-bats against Peralta, while Randal Grichuk is 3 for 6 and homered off him in last month's matchup.

Milwaukee has lost 12 of 16 to St. Louis and 10 of 12 at home in the series and may have Ryan Braun out of the lineup again. The 2011 NL MVP, hitting .351 this season, hasn't started the last three games due to a sore neck.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rays (22-27) at Royals (28-22)

Game: 2
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: May 31, 2016 8:15 PM EDT

The Tampa Bay Rays' dismal stretch already features two Drew Smyly losses, and the Kansas City Royals' only defeat of the last week belongs to Dillon Gee.

Smyly hopes to avoid the longest losing streak of his career by helping the visiting Rays even this series on Tuesday night against Gee and the Royals, who are seeking their longest winning streak since closing 2015 with five straight victories.

Kansas City (28-22) has taken over first place in the AL Central with its four-game run, capped by Monday's 6-2 win over Tampa Bay (22-27) - the Rays' eighth loss in 10 games.

Eric Hosmer hit a three-run home run after Lorenzo Cain drove in the go-ahead run during a four-run eighth inning to help the Royals to their eighth win in the last nine games of this series. They are 21-6 against the Rays since June 25, 2012.

Smyly (2-6, 3.92 ERA) hopes he can end that success by building a bit of momentum for himself.

The left-hander had pitched well his previous two starts - allowing four runs in 11 1/3 innings - before getting pounded in Thursday's 9-1 loss to Miami. He gave up five runs and six hits - two home runs - in six innings to suffer his third loss in his last four outings.

'It was just frustrating because I felt like I had pretty good command,' said Smyly. 'Just a couple of bad pitches, a couple curveballs just stayed up. It was just a frustrating outing for me because I thought I could perform better than I did.'

The five-year veteran held a 2.61 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in three starts against Kansas City in 2014, though those were all with Detroit. Smyly is 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in five career starts against the Royals, the other two coming in 2012.

Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez and Omar Infante have each homered off Smyly, though they have just a .206 batting average in a combined 34 at-bats.

Kansas City's only loss in its last seven games came from Gee (1-2, 3.86). The right-hander jumped into Kansas City's rotation earlier this month and looked good in his first two starts, but his Wednesday outing was a disaster.

He was shelled for 10 hits and six runs in four innings of a 7-5 loss at Minnesota, giving up four extra-base hits including three homers.

'It just seemed like when I made a mistake (Wednesday) they really did some damage,' Gee said.

Gee spent the first six years of his career with the New York Mets and has never faced Tampa Bay.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Reds (17-34) at Rockies (23-27)

Game: 2
Venue: Coors Field
Date: May 31, 2016 8:40 PM EDT

After rebounding from one of the roughest outings of his young career, Jon Gray hopes to help the Colorado Rockies halt their latest slide.

Looking to end a mostly solid month on a high note, the right-hander tries to keep the Rockies from a fourth straight home defeat Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds.

Gray (2-2, 5.95 ERA) allowed nine runs in 3 1/3 innings of a 13-7 loss at St. Louis on May 19, but he's 2-1 with a 1.98 ERA in his other four starts this month. A week removed from being roughed up by the Cardinals, Gray yielded a two-run homer to David Ortiz in the first inning of the career-high 7 1/3 he lasted in Thursday's 8-2 victory at Boston.

'I just took one pitch at a time and focused on what I can do and didn't worry about the results," the 2013 third overall pick said after his 16th career outing. "Executed each one best I could.'

Manager Walt Weiss was impressed.

"The progress for a young player, a young pitcher, is never going to be without speed bumps," Weiss told MLB's official website. "It doesn't happen in this league. Every once in a while you have a hiccup, but the thing I look for is how you respond.

"Jonny, after a tough outing, came out and responded about as well as you can."

Facing Cincinnati for the first time, Gray gave up two runs and struck out eight in seven innings of a 5-2 win May 13 in his most recent effort at Coors Field. It was his first win there in eight tries.

Colorado's last three starters, however, have yielded 16 runs in 13 2/3 innings during a three-game skid at Coors. Chad Bettis allowed six in 3 2/3 innings in Monday's 11-8 loss to Cincinnati as the Rockies (23-27) lost for the ninth time in 12 games and fell to 9-13 at home.

'We know we're better than the way we're playing,' outfielder Carlos Gonzalez said. "(The Reds) have some really good players out there, but they've been limping."

Adam Duvall homered twice and Joey Votto went deep for the 200th time for the Reds (17-34), who have won two of three following an 11-game skid.

Six of Duvall's 13 home runs have come over the past eight games. He's 7 for 17 with 10 RBIs in the last four.

Votto is 7 for 15 with two home runs and six RBIs in his last four at Coors.

Cincinnati will activate Jon Moscot (0-2, 4.02) to take the mound after missing just over a month with inflammation in his surgically repaired non-throwing shoulder. The right-hander gave up three runs - one earned - and walked four in five innings of a 5-2 loss to the Mets on April 27 in his most recent big league outing.

Moscot made three rehab starts at Triple A-Louisville, highlighted by six scoreless innings Thursday.

"He satisfied our expectations as far as getting through six innings and throwing the ball well," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "He didn't lose his job because he got hurt."

This will be his first appearance against Colorado.

Gonzalez is looking to homer in a fourth straight contest for the first time since 2010. He's 16 for 32 in his last eight games and has seven RBIs in the last five. He's batting .484 with five homers and 11 RBIs in his last eight against Cincinnati.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Tigers (24-26) at Angels (23-28)

Game: 2
Venue: Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Date: May 31, 2016 10:05 PM EDT

Hector Santiago hopes he can halt his decline in time to contribute to the Los Angeles Angels' success against the Detroit Tigers - which could also add to Anibal Sanchez's downward spiral.

Santiago looks to eat up more innings Tuesday night while lifting the Angels to a series victory over Sanchez and the visiting Tigers.

Los Angeles (23-28) won Monday's opener 5-1, its 10th victory in the last 11 games between these teams. The Angels have won eight straight home games against Detroit (24-26) and 14 of the last 15 in Anaheim.

Another victory would likely mean a longer Santiago outing.

Santiago (3-3, 4.58 ERA) lasted just 2 2/3 innings of a 9-4 loss to Baltimore on May 20, getting ejected for arguing balls and strikes after allowing four runs and three homers. He then pitched only 2 1/3 innings in his latest start solely because he was ineffective, giving up six runs in Wednesday's 15-9 loss at Texas.

Santiago couldn't hold on after getting spotted a 1-0 lead in the first inning and a 4-1 advantage in the second.

"I just kind of fell apart," he told MLB's official website. "I didn't have my good stuff. Seeing-eye singles fell through, and (it was) just an all-around bad day. I was falling behind in counts, not making some great pitches. It just didn't go our way."

After posting a 3.42 ERA in his first eight starts, Santiago has a 16.20 mark in his last two.

Santiago is 1-4 in seven career starts against the Tigers despite a 2.66 ERA. That number is only inflated that high because of the five runs he gave up in 4 1/3 innings of a 5-0 loss at Detroit on Aug. 26.

Sanchez has experienced a much steeper decline this season than Santiago.

Sanchez (3-6, 6.04) has lost six of his last eight starts, including 0-4 in the last five while allowing at least four runs in each.

The right-hander's ERA is higher than at the conclusion of any of his first 10 seasons. It actually went down from 6.23 in his latest start because three of the six runs he allowed were unearned in six innings of Wednesday's 8-5 loss to Philadelphia.

Sanchez has surrendered six home runs in his last four starts and 11 on the season. The one that hurt the most against the Phillies was Odubel Herrera's three-run shot in the fourth inning after two Detroit errors.

'I feel like everything bad is happening right now. I think I've made really good pitches, but one little mistake and I pay for it,' Sanchez said. 'One mistake is hitting me (with) three runs, it's not like one mistake and it's a base hit or something like that.'

Sanchez's teams have lost all four of his career starts against Los Angeles - he suffered the defeat in the last three - despite his 2.60 ERA. He held the Angels to a pair of runs in seven innings of a 2-0 loss last May 29.

Albert Pujols homered off Sanchez in that game and is 7 for 22 with a pair of doubles in the all-time matchup. Pujols has nine RBIs in his last eight games overall and 11 in his last eight versus Detroit, including an RBI single Monday.

Nick Castellanos, batting .320, is 0 for 11 during the Tigers' current three-game losing streak.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Twins (15-35) at Athletics (23-29)

Game: 2
Venue: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Date: May 31, 2016 10:05 PM EDT

Though May has been mostly rough for the Oakland Athletics, they have a chance to conclude the month on a roll.

The A's look for a fourth consecutive victory Tuesday night against the visiting Minnesota Twins.

Oakland (23-29) opened the month by losing 10 of 12 before winning four in a row. The A's followed that winning streak by dropping seven of eight before their current three-game run.

With Monday's 3-2 victory over Minnesota (15-35), Oakland has recorded six of its 10 May victories at home. Jed Lowrie had two hits and scored the go-ahead run in the sixth inning as the A's snapped the Twins' four-game winning streak.

With a leadoff homer, Coco Crisp is batting .310 with seven RBIs in his last seven games for Oakland. The 36-year-old outfielder has started 15 consecutive games - his longest stretch since 2014.

'It's easy for me having a guy like that, who plays all-out, who plays hard all the time,' manager Bob Melvin said. 'For some of the new guys coming in, this is how we play."

After Rich Hill and Kendall Graveman each allowed two runs in the past two games, Eric Surkamp (0-3, 6.55 ERA) will be recalled from Triple-A Nashville to make a sixth start in his third stint with Oakland this season. Replacing Zach Neal in the rotation, Surkamp made his last major league appearance May 11 at Boston.

The left-hander gave up three of his four runs over 2 2/3 innings on a homer to Jackie Bradley Jr. in the 13-3 defeat.

Despite that outing, Melvin sees potential in Surkamp.

"He's done well at times here," Melvin told MLB's official website. "When we talk about pitching depth, he's definitely one of the guys we consider in that mix as far as starters go."

Surkamp allowed four runs in four innings of relief over four 2014 contests against the Twins, but this will be his first start against them.

Joe Mauer went 11 for 25 with four home runs and seven RBIs in six games prior to going 0 for 3 with a walk Monday.

Teammate Danny Santana had two hits in three at-bats, but was placed on the disabled list following Monday's game because of a hamstring strain. Byron Buxton will be called up to replace Santana, who landed on the DL last month with the same injury.

'It sucks,' said Santana, who has batted .381 in his last five games at Oakland. 'You don't want this to happen to anybody.'

Buxton struggled in his first stint with Minnesota this season, batting .156 with two RBIs in 17 games before he was sent to the minors April 24.

Trevor Plouffe has not started the past three games for the Twins because of a bruised knee, but could be in the lineup after seeing action off the bench Monday. He is 3 for 28 in his last eight contests.

In his first four starts since being called up from Triple-A Rochester on April 24, Minnesota's Tyler Duffey (2-3, 3.93) posted a 1.85 ERA despite going 1-2. While splitting his last two, the right-hander was tagged for 11 runs and 18 hits in 12 1/3 innings.

Duffey last took the mound Wednesday when he allowed five of those runs in the fourth of the 6 2/3 innings he lasted of a 7-5 win over Kansas City.

This will be his first appearance against the A's.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB betting cheat sheet: A week to forget for the White Sox

Cubs and Dodgers

There is no question as to what the biggest series is this week in baseball. The Cubs host the Dodgers for a four-game set and they get a big break in avoiding Clayton Kershaw altogether. Meanwhile, Jason Hammel, Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester are scheduled to start for the home team in the first three games.

Save for the Arrieta start, it looks like prices will be relatively cheap on the Cubbies here. Note that the Dodgers are just 9-21 as a road underdog of +125 or less the last three seasons including 0-5 so far in 2016. The Under was a perfect 7-0 in last season’s head to meetings, which saw the Dodgers come out ahead with a 4-3 advantage.

A Week to Forget

In the last “Cheat Sheet,” I wrote about the potential for the White Sox recent slide to continue. Well, they were swept over the weekend in Kansas City and have now fallen into third in the division, behind both the Royals and Indians. Now they’ll lose the DH from the lineup this week w/ a trip to Queens to play the Mets.

This is Chicago’s first Interleague series of the year and they won’t have Chris Sale at their disposal.

It should be noted that the White Sox bullpen blew multiple-run leads in every game of the series vs. the Royals.

The Longest Win Streak in MLB Belongs To...

The Twins? Yes, winners of four straight, Minnesota comes off – by far – its most successful series of the season as they swept the Mariners up in Seattle.

Now they travel down the West Coast to face Oakland. Interestingly, when the Twins are off a win this year, they are 8-6. In all other games, they are 7-28!

The A’s have won two in a row themselves as they beat the Tigers both Saturday and Sunday. This will be a matchup of the teams with the worst two run differentials in the American League as Oakland is -50 while Minnesota is -74.

Hitting Notes

* While Ryan Braun has been out for the past two days (stiff neck), Jonathan Villar has been one leading the Milwaukee offense. In fact, the team’s leadoff man is now batting .373 since May 9th after going 9 for 19 (with seven runs scored) the last five games. Villar went 2 for 2 with three runs scored in Sunday’s win over Cincinnati.

* Dustin Pedroia has come around lately for the Red Sox as he’s 10 of 24 at the plate his last six games with five doubles. He had four RBI’s over the weekend against Toronto.

Pitching Notes

* I talked about the White Sox earlier, but Chris Sale has now seen the team lose his last two starts after he’d opened the year a perfect 9-0. The first loss was definitely Sale’s fault, but on Sunday was one of the aforementioned bullpen meltdowns.

* The team with arguably the hottest pitching staff in all of MLB right now is the Giants, whose rotation has posted a 1.53 ERA the last 17 games. A big key is that the team has been able to use the same five starters all year – Johnny Cueto, Madison Bumgarner, Jeff Samardzija, Jake Peavy and Matt Cain. But note they are only a combined 7-13 when either Peavy or Cain starts.

Totals Trend

For the second time this month, the Royals are working on a streak of at least five consecutive games going Over the total. The current one has seen them go Over in six straight games.

Tuesday's Weather Report

* There is a chance of thunderstorms and a 25 percent chance of rain at Turner Field in Atlanta where the Braves will host the Giants. The total for this one is set at 8.0.

* 50 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms possible throughout the game in Miami where the Pirates will be in town to take on the Marlins. The total for Tuesday night is 7.0.

* A chance of thunderstorms, a 25 percent chance of rain, and a 10 mph wind blowing from right to left are all on tap for Wrigley Field in Chicago where the Dodgers will be taking on the Cubs. The total is currently OFF.

* Miller Park in Milwaukee will see the same forecast as Chicago except for the fact that the wind will be blowing in from right field. The total is set at 9.0.

* There is a 70 percent chance of rain in Kansas City for Tuesday night's game between the Royals and Rays. The total is currently set at 8.0.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Tuesday, May 31, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews

I personally don't think pitchers should be able to win the AL or NL MVP Award because they have their own award, the Cy Young. It's not like hitters can win that. But there's little doubt that right now the Most Valuable Player in all of baseball is Dodgers ace left-hander Clayton Kershaw, a former MVP and three-time Cy Young winner. On Sunday night, Kershaw finished a May for the ages (even though he got a no-decision because his bullpen blew a lead vs. the Mets), going 5-0 with a 0.91 ERA, 65 strikeouts, two walks and just 24 hits allowed in 49.2 innings. That's absurd. He became the fourth pitcher in big-league history to have an ERA below 1.00 and at least 65 strikeouts in a calendar month. The other three guys were pretty good: Randy Johnson (June 1997), Roger Clemens (August 1998) and Pedro Martinez (September 1999). Overall on the season, Kershaw has 105 strikeouts to just five walks. Amazing. It's the fewest walks ever allowed by a pitcher in the modern era when reaching a 100th strikeout.


Padres at Mariners (-157, 7.5)

A 3:40 p.m. ET matinee in the Pacific Northwest. Might this be the final start in a Padres uniform for James Shields? You are starting to hear rumblings that he could be on the move because San Diego wants to deal him with his value at its highest point. Shields has 2-6 record but very good 3.06 ERA. He has pitched at least six innings in every start and has a 1.83 ERA over his past three. The White Sox have been scouting him of late. Seattle's Robinson Cano has a career .411 average off Shields with five homers and 16 RBIs in 90 at-bats. Kyle Seager is 5-for-15 with two homers and four RBIs against him. It's Hisashi Iwakuma (3-4, 4.33) for Seattle. He has thrown back-to-back quality starts and the Mariners have won both. San Diego's Alexei Ramirez is 2-for-14 off him with five strikeouts. Melvin Upton Jr. is 1-for-6 with a solo homer. Keep in mind that the Padres will add the DH for this interleague game.

Key trends: The Padres are 0-11 in Shields' past 11 vs. teams with a winning record. The Mariners are 4-0 in Iwakuma's past four on Tuesday. The "over/under" has gone under in four straight Shields road starts.

Early lean: Mariners and under.

Pirates at Marlins (-128, 6.5)

Great pitching matchup between two of the best young right-handers in the game. There aren't many pitchers I would choose over Miami's Jose Fernandez, but 25-year-old Pirate Gerrit Cole (5-3, 2.53) would be one, mainly because unlike Fernandez he hasn't had Tommy John surgery. Pittsburgh has won Cole's past four outings. He allowed no earned runs vs. the Diamondbacks over five innings last time out. Cole also went 2-for-3 with a double and a three-run homer. Cole has a 2.51 ERA in his career at Marlins Park. Fernandez (7-2, 2.82) has been spectacular of late, allowing a total of three earned runs over 27 innings in his past four starts with 43 strikeouts. Fernandez is 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA in two career outings vs. Pittsburgh. John Jaso is 2-for-4 against him. Starling Marte is 0-for-6 with four strikeouts.

Key trends: The Pirates are 4-0 in Cole's past four on the road. The Marlins are 25-2 in Fernandez's past 27 at home. The under is 13-3 in Cole's past 16 vs. the NL East. The under is 4-1 in Fernandez's past five at home.

Early lean: Marlins and under.

White Sox at Mets (-178, 7.5)

Monitor the status of Mets third baseman David Wright here. He was expected to miss a third straight game with a neck issue on Monday. Wilmer Flores, just activated off the DL on Sunday, likely will start at third as long as Wright is out. New York also traded for James Loney from the Padres over the weekend, and he should start at first base against right-handed pitchers with Lucas Duda on the DL. And the Mets do face a righty in Mat Latos (6-1, 4.06). He has regressed quite a bit since a great start to the season. But he did beat the Indians last time out, allowing three runs and five hits over six innings. Latos will have to bat here with Chicago losing the DH. The Mets' Neil Walker is 7-for-25 with two homers and four RBIs off him. Yoenis Cespedes is 0-for-5. It's lefty Steven Matz (7-1, 2.36) for New York. He shut out Washington on four hits over eight innings last time out. He retired 15 straight at one point. Other than his season debut, Matz hasn't allowed more than two runs in a start this year. The only White Sox batter to have seen him is Todd Frazier, who is 1-for-6 with a homer.

Key trends: The White Sox are 0-6 in their past six against lefties. The Mets are 4-0 in Matz's past four against teams with a winning record. The over is 4-1 in Latos' past five. The over is 4-1 in Matz's past five at home.

Early lean: Mets and over.

Dodgers at Cubs (-230, TBA)

ESPN game and should have live betting at sportsbooks. The Cubs can set a major-league record in this one if they were to win for the 24th straight start of ace Jake Arrieta (9-0, 1.72). I predicted that streak would end last Wednesday in St. Louis and in fact Arrieta did have his worst start in about a year, allowing four runs and seven hits in five innings, but his offense bailed him out. That snapped a streak of 30 consecutive starts of three earned runs or fewer for Arrieta, the longest such streak in MLB history. Last time he faced the Dodgers, he no-hit them on Aug. 30, 2015. Adrian Gonzalez is 5-for-18 with a homer against him. Chase Utley is 0-for-10. L.A. goes with lefty Scott Kazmir (4-3, 4.84). He comes off one of his best starts of the year, allowing one run and four hits over six innings and striking out a season-high 12 against Cincinnati. Only a few Cubs have faced him. Dexter Fowler is 1-for-9. Ben Zobrist is 1-for-7 with three RBIs.

Key trends: The Dodgers are 1-4 in Kazmir's past five vs. teams with a winning record. The Cubs are 23-5 in Arrieta's past 28 vs. teams with a winning record. The over is 9-1 in Arrieta's past 10.

Early lean: Cubs.

Rays at Royals (+113, 8)

After losing third baseman Mike Moustakas to a season-ending torn ACL, the Royals were able to avoid another disaster on All-Star catcher Salvador Perez. He collided with third baseman Cheslor Cutbert, Moustakas' replacement, on Saturday. But an MRI revealed only a contusion and no structural damage -- Moustakas was hurt on the same type of play. Perez will miss 7-10 days. He's hitting .277 with seven homers and 25 RBIs. Kansas City starts Dillon Gee (1-2, 3.86) here. Gee was hit around by the Twins last time out, allowing six runs and 10 hits over four innings. Tampa counters with lefty Drew Smyly (2-6, 3.92). He also was roughed up last time out, tying a season high in allowing five runs over six innings in a loss to Miami. Kansas City's Jarrod Dyson is 3-for-7 off him with two RBIs. Eric Hosmer is 5-for-19 with a homer.

Key trends: The Rays are 10-4 in Smyly's past 14 on four days of rest. The under is 5-1 in his past six road starts vs. teams with a winning record.

Early lean: Rays and under.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'Blue Jays host Yankees '

New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays May 31, 7:05 EST

The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees get ready to duel again after the Blue Jays held on for a 4-2 victory last night. According to opening odds the Blue Jays are -$1.55 home favorites with the total set at 9.0 runs.

Blue Jays in the midst of an 8-3 run look to keep the monmentum going handing the ball to southpaw J.A. Happ carrying a 6-2 record, 3.20 ERA. In his last effort, he tossed 7 inning of 3 hit 1 run ball picking up a win against these same Yankees in the Bronx marking a second consecutive win vs New York this season.

Yankees ridding a 3-4 stretch counter with lefty C.C. Sabathia, who has a 3-3 record, 2.83 ERA entering tonight’s contest and was the losing pitcher hooked up against Happ when the clubs met on May 26th.

The fact, Happ is a portsider is bad news for New York, since Yankees are just 6-12 this season against lefthanders and have just two wins in the last eleven road attempts vs a southpaw. In addition, Joe Girardi's troops have been on the wrong end of the scoreboard in seven consecutive as underdogs facing a lefty on the road.

Another positive for Toronto backers, the East has been a Beast for the Yankees of late when on the road. The last thirteen in an A.L. East oppenent's back-yard the result has been 3 wins, 10 losses. Blue Jays 3-1 at the Rogers Center with Happ the numbers clearly point to Toronto being the right choice.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Streaks, Tips, Notes

Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs May 31, 8:05 EST

Cubbies Jake Arrieta is undefeated on the campaign at 9-0 with a sparkling 1.72 ERA and has allowed two or fewer runs in seven of ten starts. As a team, the Cubs have won twenty-five of Arrieta's last twenty-six starts. This will be Arrieta's first game vs the Dodgers since his no-hitter against them last August. A very telling baseball betting stat leap out in this one. The last five pitchers to no-hit a team are 0-5 the next time they faced the same team.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Tuesday's games

National League games

Giants @ Braves
Peavy is 0-4, 5.55 in his six starts; three of his last four stayed under. .

Wisler is 2-2, 2.25 in his last five starts; under is 5-3 in his last eight starts.

Giants are 12-3 in last 16 road games; under is 15-7 in their last 22 games. Atlanta won its last three games; four of their last five games went over. .

Cardinals @ Brewers
Leake is 3-1, 1.29 in his last four starts; five of his last seven went over.

Peralta is 2-2, 5.93 in his last five starts (over 7-3).

Cardinals are 11-6 in last 17 road games; over is 8-3-1 in their last 12 games overall. Milwaukee won five of its last seven games; over is 3-1-1 in its last five games.

Dodgers @ Cubs
Kazmir is 2-0, 3.98 in his last three starts; four of his last five starts went over.

Arrieta is 9-0, 1.84 in his ten starts, all of which went over the total. Cubs scored 81 runs in those ten games. .

Dodgers won six of last eight games; over is 10-5 in their last 15 road games. Cubs won 11 of last 14 home games; over is 9-4 in their last 13.

Reds @ Rockies
Moscot is 0-2, 5.74 in his three starts (under 2-1). .

Gray is 2-2, 5.95 in his seven starts (over 4-3).

Cincinnati lost 12 of last 14 games; over is 10-3-2 in their last 15. Colorado lost six of its last eight games (over 7-1).

Nationals @ Phillies
Ross is 1-4, 4.65 in his last five starts (under 4-1). . .

Nola is 4-1, 2.87 in his last seven starts; three of his last four went over.

Nationals won five of last six road games; over is 6-3 in their last nine games. Philly lost eight of its last ten games; five of its last six home games stayed under.

Pirates @ Marlins
Cole is 3-0, 1.38 in his last four starts; six of his last eight starts went over.

Fernandez is 6-0, 1.89 in his last six starts; four of his last five stayed under.

Pirates won six of their last eight games; over is 16-7 in their last 23 road tilts. Miami is 5-8 in its last 13 games; four of their last five games went over.


American League games

Red Sox @ Orioles
Rodriguez is making first '16 start; he was 10-6, 3.85 in 21 MLB starts LY, is 0-3, 3.54 in five minor league starts this year. .

Gausman is 0-1, 4.76 in his last four starts; four of his last five stayed under. .

Red Sox lost six of last nine road games; over is 14-4-2 in their last 20 games. Baltimore lost six of last eight games; over is 3-0-1 in its last four games.

Twins @ A's
Duffey is 2-3, 4.66 in his six starts (over 3-3).

Surkamp is 0-3, 6.26 in his five starts (under 4-1).

Twins won four of last five games; over is 11-4-1 in their last 16 road games. A's won their last three games; under is 15-10 in their last 25 home games.

Rangers @ Indians
Lewis is 3-0, 3.13 in his last seven starts; three of his last four went over. .

Kluber is 2-0, 2.51 in his last two starts; under is 4-1-1 in his last six.

Rangers won eight of its last ten games; six of their last nine road games went over the total. Cleveland lost three of their last four games; nine of their last ten home games went over the total.

Bronx @ Blue Jays
Sabathia is 2-1, 1.35 in his lst three starts; three of his last four stayed under. .

Happ is 1-1, 2.51 in his last two starts; three of his last four stayed under. .

New York won seven of its last nine road games; under is 16-8-1 in their road games. Blue Jays won five of last six games; five of their last seven home games went over.

Rays @ Royals
Smyly is 1-3, 6.05 in his last four starts; his last five starts all went over.

Gee is 1-2, 6.28 in his three starts (under 2-1).

Rays lost eight of last ten games; over is 9-1-1 in their last 11 road games. Kansas City won seven of last eight home games (over 4-1-2 in last seven).

Tigers @ Angels
Sanchez is 0-4, 6.90 in his last five starts; his last four went over.

Santiago is 1-3, 6.59 in his last six starts; four of his last five starts went over.

Tigers lost 11 of last 14 road games; under is 4-2 in their last six games. Angels lost four of last six games; over is 7-3 in their last ten home games.


Interleague

White Sox @ Mets
Latos is 2-1, 7.09 in his last five starts, four of which went over.

Matz is 7-0, 1.13 in his last three starts, last three of which stayed under. .

White Sox are 4-15 in their last 19 games; over is 13-4 in their last 17 road games. New York won seven of last ten games; over is 7-5 in their last twelve games.

Padres @ Mariners
Shields is 1-2, 3.16 in his last four starts (under 8-2).

Iwakuma is 3-1, 4.02 in his last five starts; five of his last six starts went over.

Padres lost seven of last eight road games; five of their last six games went over. Seattle lost seven of last ten home games; its last six games went over.

Astros @ Diamondbacks
McCullers is 2-1, 4.60 in his three starts (under 2-1).

Corbin is 1-2, 4.95 in his last six starts (over 6-1-1 in his last eight).

Astros won six of its last seven games; over is 8-3 in their last 11 road games Arizona lost five of last seven games; its last ten games went over the total.


Teams won-lost records when this pitcher starts:

SF-Atl-- Peavy 4-6; Wisler 2-7
StL-Mil-- Leake 5-5; Peralta 4-6
LA-Chi-- Kazmir 4-6; Arietta 10-0
Cin-Colo-- Moscot 0-3; Gray 3-4
Wsh-Phil-- Ross 5-4; Nola 6-4
Pitt-Mia-- Cole 6-3; Fernandez 8-2

Bos-Blt-- Rodriguez 0-0; Gausman 3-4
Min-A's-- Duffey 2-4; Surkamp 2-3
Tex-Clev-- Lewis 6-4; Kluber 4-6
NY-Tor-- Sabathia 4-3; Happ 6-4
TB-KC-- Smyly 4-6; Gee 1-2
Det-LAA-- Sanchez 3-7; Santiago 6-4

Chi-NY-- Latos 7-2; Matz 7-1
SD-Sea-- Shields 2-8; Iwakuma 5-5
Hst-Az-- McCullers 2-1; Corbin 4-6


Starting pitchers allowing 1+ runs in first inning:

SF-Atl-- Peavy 3-10; Wisler 4-9
StL-Mil-- Leake 3-10; Peralta 4-10
LA-Chi-- Kazmir 5-10; Arietta 1-10
Cin-Colo-- Moscot 1-3; Gray 4-7
Wsh-Phil-- Ross 1-9; Nola 4-10
Pitt-Mia-- Cole 2-9; Fernandez 3-10

Bos-Blt-- Rodriguez 0-0; Gausman 3-7
Min-A's-- Duffey 2-6; Surkamp 1-5
Tex-Clev-- Lewis 6-10; Kluber 2-10
NY-Tor-- Sabathia 0-7; Happ 4-10
TB-KC-- Smyly 1-10; Gee 1-3
Det-LAA-- Sanchez 3-10; Santiago 5-10

Chi-NY-- Latos 3-9; Matz 1-8
SD-Sea-- Shields 3-10; Iwakuma 2-10
Hst-Az-- McCullers 0-3; Corbin 6-10


Umpires

Wsh-Phil-- Under is 6-2-1 in last nine Estabrook games.
Pitt-Mia-- Favorites won five of last six Hudson games.
SF-Atl-- Seven of last nine Porter games went over total.
LA-Chi-- Favorites won last five Wolf games.
StL-Mil-- Last three Hernandez games went over the total.
Cin-Colo-- Last five Wegner games went over the total.

Tex-Cle-- Seven of last nine Morales games stayed under.
Bos-Balt-- Seven of nine Blaser games stayed under total.
NY-Tor-- Over is 8-5 in last thirteen Bucknor games.
TB-KC-- Underdogs won five of last eight Davidson games.
Det-LAA-- Over is 4-0-1 in last five Knight games.
Min-A's-- Road team won seven of last nine Timmons games (over 3-0 last three).

Chi-NY-- Four of last six Holbrook games went over.
Hst-Az-- Seven of eight Meals games went over total.
SD-Sea-- Last five Danley games went over the total.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Tuesday's six-pack

-- A couple drove 45 hours from California to be in Pittsbugh for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals; they must like talking to each other.

-- NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski tweeted that he lost eight pounds driving in the 600-mile Charlotte race Sunday night. If i drove 600 miles, I'd gain a couple pounds from my 2-3 stops at McDonald's or some other healthy eating place.

-- Legendary baseball coach Augie Garrido was forced out as coach at Texas. He won three national titles at Cal State-Fullerton, two more at Texas.

-- Median age of Americans is 37.3. Texas is the third-youngest state in the US.

-- Poverty rate amongst seniors in this country in 9.4%. In both Texas/New York, it is 11.3%. There are 32 public golf courses in Austin, TX alone, by the way.

-- There were 107 shootouts in the NHL this year, lowest amount they've had. New overtime system, with fewer players on the ice, is probably responsible.

 

[superbeets]

International Th 2Jun 19:45

England

v

Portugal

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
ITV		19/20	23/10	3	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSIN ENGLAND	RECENT FORM
ALHWAWHLHWHW​ Most recent​	0 - 0 1 - 1 3 - 0 1 - 1	AWNLAWHLHWNW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: England have scored at least twice in eight of their ten home matches since the World Cup

EXPERT VERDICT: The defensive concerns for England are obvious and both teams to score looks the best bet at Wembley. The Three Lions still conceded twice in the memorable victory over Germany in March and have done the same in subsequent friendlies against Holland, Turkey and Australia.

RECOMMENDATION: Both teams to score
2

 

[superbeets]

Copa America Sa 4Jun 02:30

USA

v

Colombia

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		6/4	9/4	9/5	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ALL VENUES	RECENT FORM
HWALHWAWHWNW​ Most recent​	2 - 2 0 - 0 0 - 1 3 - 0	ALADHLAWHWNW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: USA have scored 12 goals in their last four games

EXPERT VERDICT: USA have been in good form in their warm-up matches and are on a four-game winning run, but Colombia have recorded competitive victories over two of the same opponents, Bolivia and Ecuador, in 2016 scoring three goals each time. They also held Copa champions Chile to a draw in November, so will fancy themselves to get a result.

RECOMMENDATION: Both teams to score
2

 

[superbeets]

Copa America Sa 4Jun 22:00

Costa Rica

v

Paraguay

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		15/8	2	13/8	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ALL VENUES	RECENT FORM
AWHWALADHWHW​ Most recent​	0 - 0 2 - 1 0 - 2 0 - 1	HDALHWADHDNL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Just two of Paraguay’s last 27 games have been settled by a margin of more than one goal

EXPERT VERDICT: Paraguay have managed just one victory in their last six outings, while Costa Rica have won only two of their last nine matches. It looks difficult to separate the two sides and the fact that this is an opening game makes a cagey draw more likely.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
2

 

[superbeets]

Copa America Su 5Jun 00:30

Haiti

v

Peru

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		8	16/5	2/5	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ALL VENUES	RECENT FORM
ALHLAWHDALNL​ Most recent​	1 - 1	HWALHDALHWNW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Haiti have won just one of their 15 matches against South American opposition

EXPERT VERDICT: The expansion of the Copa America to 16 teams has given Haiti a great opportunity, but they look set to find it tough against superior opposition. Peru, 25 places above them in the Fifa rankings, are not a powerhouse, but they should still get off to a winning start.

RECOMMENDATION: Peru
3

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

#1 Sports

Tuesday's Free Selection: St Louis Cardinals - 150

 

[superbeets]

Copa America Su 5Jun 03:00

Brazil

v

Ecuador

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		4/5	5/2	7/2	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ALL VENUES	RECENT FORM
HWADHWHDADNW​ Most recent​	1 - 0 4 - 2 1 - 1 5 - 0	HWHWAWHDALAL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Brazil’s record against Ecuador is W11, D2, L2

EXPERT VERDICT: Brazil take on Ecuador in the Copa America at the Rose Bowl in California and it’s hard to make a case for any kind of upset. You have to go back to 2004 for the last time Ecuador beat Brazil and since then these two have met on six occasions, with the Samba Boys winning five times.

RECOMMENDATION: Brazil
4

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Mike Wynn

Bonus Play: MLB NY Mets w/Matz -160 Over Chicago Wsox