Tuesday 6/28/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Indians (45-30) at Braves (26-50)

Game: 2
Venue: Turner Field
Date: June 28, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

ATLANTA -- Corey Kluber will have two extra days of rest when he takes the mound Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves trying to help stretch the Cleveland Indians' winning streak to 11 games.

An off day last week gave manager Terry Francona an opportunity to juggle his rotation and he took advantage of it after conferring with Kluber, the 2014 American League Cy Young Award winner.

Trevor Bauer, also coming off a complete game, won the series opener Monday against the Braves on regular rest, swapping places with Kluber.

"I thought we'd pushed him a little bit on the last start," Francona said of the 115 pitches that Kluber threw in a three-hit home shutout of Tampa Bay. "I told him we had the ability to back him up because of the off day. We asked if he thought it would help him and he said yeah."

Francona said a manager has to balance the benefit of rest versus throwing a pitcher off his routine.

"We know our guys and hopefully there is a trust," he said. "Sometimes you think you're helping and you're not. You don't want to throw off a pitcher's rhythm."

Kluber, who improved his record to 7-7 and lowered his ERA to 3.59 with his shutout of the Rays, had struggled in his previous start at Kansas City.

"When that one's over, you flush it and move onto the next one, just like you do right now," Kluber said after the bounce-back. "Now, this game's over and done with, so you start preparing for the next one."

Kluber, who is 5-2 in his last seven starts, is 10-2 with a 2.30 ERA against the National League in interleague play. The right-hander has never pitched against the Braves.

Braves starter Matt Wisler will be facing the red-hot Indians for the first time as he goes for a third straight quality start after a rough stretch.

Wisler (3-7, 4.22 ERA) is 1-5 with a 4.45 ERA at Turner Field, where the 23-year-old right-hander has issued 18 of his 26 walks.

Four came in his most recent start, but he made it through 6 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the New York Mets. Wisler also worked 6 2/3 innings and got his lone home victory June 16 against Cincinnati.

"He had some success and then got in a little bit of a rut," Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. "I like the way he's battled through. You're going to have some bumps in the road. You forget how little he's pitched."

A key for Wisler will be keeping the ball in the ballpark against the Indians, who hit four homers in one inning on Sunday at Detroit and have 21 during their winning streak. He has allowed 13 homers in 89 2/3 innings.

The Indians (45-30) have outscored opponents 68-22 in their 10-game winning streak and lead defending World Series champion Kansas City by five games in the American League Central.

Cleveland has at least six runs in the last seven wins and has 10 homers in the past three. Six Indians had RBIs in the 8-3 victory over the Braves.

Atlanta (26-50) has the worst home record in the majors at 11-30, but had won eight of its previous 11 games overall before losing the opener against the Indians.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Dodgers (42-36) at Brewers (34-41)

Game: 1
Venue: Miller Park
Date: June 28, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

MILWAUKEE -- After snapping their season-long five-game losing streak with a 5-4 victory Monday afternoon at Pittsburgh, the Los Angeles Dodgers will try to keep the momentum going when they open a three-game series Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

"It was resiliency," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "We spotted them four in the first (inning), and (Scott Kazmir) goes out there and throws up four zeroes and we responded, put up a crooked number and found a way to win a baseball game."

The Dodgers and Brewers met just over a week ago at Dodger Stadium, where Los Angeles took three of the four meetings. Only one of those, however, was a decisive victory: the Brewers posted an 8-6 win in the first contest, blew a 5-2 lead in third game before dropping a 10-6 decision and lost the other two by a single run.

Los Angeles will open the series behind rookie right-hander Julio Urias, who is still looking for his first major league victory but has recorded 21 strikeouts in 27 innings of work.

The 19-year-old phenom has recovered nicely from two rocky outings to start his career, posting a 2.33 ERA in his last four outings, covering 19 1/3 innings of work.

His best outing of the year came at the Brewers' expense. Urias held Milwaukee scoreless for five innings, allowing a walk and five hits while striking out a career-high eight in the Dodgers' 3-2 victory on June 17.

Urias will be on a short leash though, as the Dodgers try to manage his workload. He threw 80 innings all of last season and is at 68 already in 2016.

"We need him right now," Roberts told the Los Angeles Times prior to his last start. "These are valuable starts for our club, and so it makes sense for him to be here as long as he can be."

Urias would prefer to keep pitching but understands the decision is out of his control.

"The decision is the team's," Urias said. "If the team tells me I'm going to take a break, I'll be fine with that. If the team tells me I'm going to continue pitching, I'll be prepared for that."

Milwaukee will counter with right-hander Chase Anderson, who hasn't pitched since allowing seven runs in just 2 1/3 innings against the Dodgers on June 17.

Anderson was passed over the last time his turn came up in the rotation as the Brewers tried to take advantage of three off days in an eight-day span.

"We planned this," manager Craig Counsell said last week. "We decided he was a good guy to get a break. ... With three off-days, it was a good time to give one of the starters a little rest."

He'll be making his eighth career start against the Dodgers, who he saw regularly in his two seasons with the NL West-rival Arizona Diamondbacks. Anderson is 1-1 with a 5.05 ERA in seven previous starts with 38 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings.

Among Dodgers regulars, Adrian Gonzalez has had the best success against Anderson, going 6-for-13 with a double and a home run.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Twins (24-51) at White Sox (38-38)

Game: 1
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: June 28, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox have won all six meetings against the Minnesota Twins this season.

On Tuesday, the White Sox will try to extend the streak against their division rivals to a lucky seven.

Chicago (38-38) remains in contention in the American League Central thanks in part to its dominance over Minnesota (24-51). The White Sox have outscored the Twins by a margin of 30-9 in six games this season, including a three-game sweep on the road in April and a three-game sweep at home in May.

White Sox manager Robin Ventura is eager for more success against the Twins. Ventura's team is coming off back-to-back series wins against the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays.

In four of their past five games, the White Sox have scored at least five runs.

"We are starting to swing the bat better," Ventura said. "You are playing against teams who can swing the bat as well, and you know you are going to have to put up some runs. To win two series in a row, it's a step in the right direction against tough teams.

"It's like your marching orders. Keep playing the game and see where you are after that."

White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana (5-7, 3.04 ERA) hopes the marching orders include more offense. Quintana has suffered from meager run support throughout his career on the South Side, and this season has been no different.

Earlier this month, the 27-year-old southpaw became the first White Sox pitcher to receive zero or one run of support in seven straight starts since Ross Baumgarten in 1980.

Quintana opened the season 5-1 with a 1.38 ERA in his first seven starts as the White Sox sprinted to the top of the division standings. Since then, he is 0-6 with a 4.50 ERA in his past eight outings. But he is 6-4 with a 3.83 ERA in 15 career starts against the Twins.

Like the White Sox, the Twins enter the series with confidence at the plate. Minnesota clubbed a season-high six home runs en route to a 7-1 win over the New York Yankees on Sunday afternoon. Among the half-dozen long balls were back-to-back-to-back shots by Brian Dozier, Trevor Plouffe and Max Kepler.

Minnesota has won four of its past seven games.

"I keep telling you guys, and it's true, hitting is contagious," Dozier said. "When guys start heating up around you, you kind of want to do the same, and good things happen."

Good things have been few and far between for Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson (0-5, 6.05 ERA), who remains in search of his first win of the season. The 28-year-old spent more than six weeks on the disabled list earlier this year because of a right shoulder strain. He is 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA (12 ER in 18 IP) in three starts since his return.

Despite his struggles, Gibson has enjoyed success against the White Sox. In seven career starts, he is 4-1 with a 2.06 ERA. That includes a perfect 3-0 record with a 2.22 ERA at U.S. Cellular Field, where he has won more games on the road than anywhere else during his career.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Cardinals (39-36) at Royals (40-35)

Game: 2
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: June 28, 2016 8:15 PM EDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Yordano Ventura will be back Tuesday for the Kansas City Royals and Brayan Pena figures to be added to the St. Louis Cardinals' active roster.

The Cardinals, however, might be without shortstop Aledmys Diaz, who fouled off a pitch near his right eye in the ninth inning.

Ventura will have 10 days between starts. He has not pitched since June 17, working 6 1/3 scoreless innings without a walk to beat Detroit. The next day, however, Ventura dropped his appeal of a nine-game suspension after it was reduced to eight games.

Major League Baseball suspended Ventura from a June 7 incident when he hit Manny Machado with a pitch at Baltimore. Machado charged the mound, threw a punch and the dugouts and bullpen emptied.

How rusty will Ventura be after the layoff?

"Eight games are not that huge of a layoff," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We're going to face that when we come back from the All-Star game. Guys are going to be six, seven, eight days in between (starts)."

Ventura did have a two-inning simulated game during his time off.

"We tried to provide him an opportunity, where he could face hitters," Yost said. "He threw 30 pitches. He threw all of his pitches. Ventura will be ready to pitch tomorrow."

Ventura lost to the Cardinals twice last season, 6-2 on May 24 at Kansas City and 5-0 on June 12 at St. Louis. He is 1-2 in three career starts against the Cardinals, but the Royals have supported him with a total of four runs in those starts.

The Cardinals signed Pena to a two-year contract to be a veteran reliable backup to All-Star catcher Yadier Molina. But Pena, who played with the Royals from 2009 to 2012, suffered a knee injury and had surgery in April. He has missed the first 75 games.

Pena had 10 hits, all singles, in 52 at-bats in 14 rehab games with Triple-A Memphis and Double-A Springfield (Mo.). He drove from Springfield to Kansas City to join the club Monday but was not reinstated.

After catching complete games three straight days, the Cardinals opted to give Pena another day before reinstating him.

"I think we're close," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of activating Pena. "Obviously, he's here. Yesterday, he had four at-bats, take a little more rest today and have him looked over and see what we do from there."

Pena said the knee is fine.

"My personal goal was every time I left the baseball field, I wanted to feel pain-free," Pena said. "I accomplished that. I really feel excited about. I was really pushing myself very hard to see where I was at, and my knee really responded well."

The Cardinals are uncertain how Diaz's eye will respond or how soon. He was taken to the hospital to check his vision after the 6-2 loss to the Royals.

"I hope it's just a scare," Diaz said through an interpreter in the clubhouse before going to a hospital. "Obviously, when the inflammation goes down, I hope to be able to keep helping the team. Right now, it just hurts where I was hit.

"We are going to the hospital to do some more routine exams just to make sure everything is OK."

He said he was not dizzy nor were there were any concussion symptoms.

"Thanks God, no," Diaz said. "Just simply the inflammation and discomfort."

Diaz is hitting .316 with 21 doubles after getting two more Monday.

"It didn't look there was anything to worry about as far as a fracture," Matheny said.

Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha, who is 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA in three career starts against the Royals, will start Tuesday.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blue Jays (41-37) at Rockies (37-39)

Game: 2
Venue: Coors Field
Date: June 28, 2016 8:40 PM EDT

DENVER -- Eddie Butler, whose days in the Colorado Rockies' rotation may be winding down, will try to end a two-game tailspin that has included a long relief appearance and start when he takes the mound Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Butler is 2-4 with a 6.71 ERA in 11 games, eight starts. Pressed into a relief outing on June 18 at Miami when starter Tyler Chatwood had to leave the game with a mid-back strain in the second, Butler allowed nine hits and six runs in 3 1/3 innings and ended up with the loss as the Rockies fell 9-6 to the Marlins.

Chatwood was placed on the disabled list, so Butler took his turn Thursday against Arizona. He wasn't involved in the decision as the Rockies lost 7-6, but Butler played a big part in that defeat as he allowed 11 hits and six runs in five innings. He gave up two homers in that relief outing at Miami and two more against the Diamondbacks and has yielded 11 homers in 51 innings this season.

Rockies manager Walt Weiss has repeatedly lauded Butler for the action on his two-seam fastball and slider but has stressed the need to keep those pitches at the bottom of the strike zone or lower for them to be effective.

"I hate pitching badly," said Butler, who will be making his second interleague start and first against Toronto. "It's not fun doing that. It's not fun putting guys in a bad position where they're having to battle back every night."

Chatwood is scheduled to make a rehab start Thursday and will be eligible to be reinstated July 4. In a rotation that includes Jorge De La Rosa, Jon Gray, Tyler Anderson and Chad Bettis, Butler would appear the most likely starter to lose his rotation spot to Chatwood, who is 8-4 with a 3.15 ERA in 14 starts.

"We need 'Chatty' back," Butler said. "He's the anchor to our rotation right now. ... He's been phenomenal all year. So as soon as we can get him, that's going to be great for the team. And if it means I don't have a spot, as long as we're winning, I don't care."

The Blue Jays are 0-7 all-time at Coors Field, where they fell 9-5 on Monday night. Things are bound to be more normal and less emotional Tuesday for Toronto shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. He returned to Coors Field for the first time since the Rockies, who were in Chicago at the time, traded him to Toronto on July 27.

Tulowitzki met with a swarm of reporters for 10 minutes in the Blue Jays' dugout before batting practice. He renewed friendships with former Rockies teammates, manager Walt Weiss and his coaches, greeted stadium workers and members of the grounds crew and then stepped to the plate and received a loud 30-second ovation from the fans when he came to bat for the first time in the second.

That at-bat lasted eight pitches and ended when Tulowitzki took a third-strike slider from Jon Gray. Tulowitzki went 0-for-4 and didn't hit the ball out of the infield.

He was hitting .165 (19-for-115) after his first 32 games this season with six extra-base hits and a .569 OPS. But in 21 subsequent games entering Monday, Tulowitzki hit .299 (23-for-77) with 13 extra-base hits and a .976 OPS. He had gone 8-for-25 (.320) with two doubles, three homers and six RBIs in seven games since coming off the disabled list before returning to Coors Field.

Tuesday is bound to be a more business-as-usual game for Tulowitzki. His return to Coors Field, while not as triumphant as he might have hoped, is behind him and forever will be a happy memory.

"Honestly, I didn't think there was really any doubt that I would get (cheered)... I felt like when I was here I had a good relationship with the fans," Tulowitzki said. "The whole Tulo chant thing, I remember seeing a lot of jerseys. I knew they were going to be good to me."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Phillies (33-45) at Diamondbacks (36-43)

Game: 2
Venue: Chase Field
Date: June 28, 2016 9:40 PM EDT

PHOENIX -- Arizona right-hander Zack Greinke beat the Philadelphia Phillies when he faced them two turns ago, and he will get another chance Tuesday while looking to tie a personal record for successful starts.

Greinke (10-3) is 7-0 in his last eight starts, a no-decision at Coors Field on Thursday breaking his career-best seven-start winning streak.

Greinke was 8-0 in a nine-start span with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015, when he finished 19-3 and led the league with a 1.62 ERA. A no-decision in a quality start against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium on July 26 separated the first four victories from the last four.

The Phillies will counter with right-hander Jerad Eickhoff, who faced Greinke and gave up only three runs in a 3-1 loss on June 18. The difference in that game was sixth-inning homers by Nick Ahmed and Paul Goldschmidt, the latter a two-run shot that broke a tie at 1.

The Diamondbacks outscored the Phillies 22-5 while sweeping the four-game series at Citizens Bank Park from June 17-20, but Philadelphia turned things around with an 8-0 victory in the first game of a three-game set at Chase Field on Monday.

Philadelphia had a season-high 16 hits, 13 in the final four innings. Center fielder Odubel Herrera tied a career high with four hits, and Cesar Hernandez and Peter Bourjos had three hits apiece. Maikel Franco had two hits and drove in three runs.

"It wasn't a very good game," Arizona manager Chip Hale said. "It was a very ugly game for us. Once it got out of hand, it kept going. You give them credit, they swung the bats well but we didn't play very well."

Arizona was shut out on seven hits after setting a franchise record for hits in a four-game series with 56 at Colorado while splitting a four-game that ended Sunday. Arizona tied a franchise record for victories by going 7-3 on the trip.

Greinke has 2.18 ERA in his last eight starts, and he has held opponents to a .191 batting average and a .224 on-base percentage in that span. He has 45 strikeouts and nine walks in his last 57 2/3 innings.

Greinke's recent form is more what the Diamondbacks had in mind when they signed him over the winter. Since giving up 11 runs in 10 innings in his first two starts, both at Chase Field, Greinke is 10-1 with a .296 ERA. He has 79 strikeouts and 17 walks covering 97 1-3 innings in that span.

As the Diamondbacks en masse, Greinke has had some difficulty at Chase Field, renowned as a hitters' park. He is 5-3 with a 5.06 ERA in nine starts at Chase and 5-0 with a 1.85 ERA on the road.

The only run the Phillies got off him the last time was center fielder Odubel Herrera's bases-empty homer in the first inning.

Greinke's recent run also has given him a shot at a franchise record for wins before the All-Star break. Randy Johnson was 14-2 with a 1.80 in 19 starts before the break in 2000, and right-hander Curt Schilling was 14-3 with a 3.08 in 19 starts in 2002.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Astros (40-37) at Angels (32-45)

Game: 2
Venue: Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Date: June 28, 2016 10:05 PM EDT

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- "Tim Lincecum 2.0" will make his third start for the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday, this time facing the Houston Astros after twice taking on the Oakland A's.

Which Lincecum will show up, however, is anybody's guess.

In his first start, Lincecum held the A's to one run and four hits in six innings and earned a victory. In his second start five days later, the A's made the proper adjustments and knocked him out of the game after just three innings. Lincecum gave up four runs and seven hits while making 83 pitches.

After the loss, Lincecum mentioned a mechanical flaw in his delivery.

"My shoulders were going horizontally," he told reporters after the June 23 setback to Oakland. "Stuff was flattening out. Pitching on both sides of the plate and missing on either side. I didn't do a good job of hitting my spots."

And when the A's hit the ball, they found holes, unlike in their first game against him.

"They were just getting the balls in play and hitting balls to where we weren't," he said. "You have to tip your cap to them. They made an adjustment. I just didn't make the adjustment back."

Lincecum has had success against the Astros in his career, going 5-0 with a 0.99 ERA in five career starts. But that was the "other" Lincecum, the one who won two Cy Young awards pitching for the Giants and before having hip surgery last September.

He'll be matched up against Scott Feldman, who is making a spot start in place of Lance McCullers.

"After his last start (June 22 vs. the Angels) Lance came down with a small start of a blister on the tip of his (index) finger," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "He didn't realize it until he started throwing the next day and it was tender at the very tip of his finger so he stopped his throwing program. We are erring on the side of caution."

It will be Feldman's fifth start of the season, but the first four didn't go so well. Feldman was 0-2 with a 4.58 ERA in those four starts, as he was in the starting rotation to start the season.

He was sent to the bullpen and has thrived ever since, going 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA in 16 relief appearances, 12 of which were scoreless.

"He deserves the first crack at it," Hinch told reporters before Monday's game against the Angels. "It's a spot start and he'll be able to be stretched out a little bit depending on how efficient he is. He's pitched a lot in his career as a starter. It's not going to spook him at all. I'm glad we have Scott Feldman available to take on this role when something like this comes up."

With Houston's 4-2 win Monday, the two teams continued heading in opposite directions. With two games remaining before the start of July, the Astros are 16-8 in June while the Angels are 8-17.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Orioles (45-30) at Padres (33-44)

Game: 1
Venue: PETCO Park
Date: June 28, 2016 10:10 PM EDT

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres return home where the weather has been as warm as the team.

The Padres (33-44) welcome the Baltimore Orioles (45-30) on Tuesday, the first of a brief two-game, interleague series at Petco Park. The set kicks off a five-game homestead for the Padres, their last before the All-Star break.

San Diego returns from a six-game road trip in which they went 4-2 and continued to swing hot bats.

Before taking three of four from the Cincinnati Reds, the Padres split a pair of games at Baltimore.

In the first game between these two on Tuesday night, the Padres right-hander Erik Johnson (0-5, 8.54 ERA) squares off against righty Ubaldo Jimenez (4-7, 6.97).

Johnson came over from the Chicago White Sox in the trade which sent veteran starter James Shields to the South Side. But Johnson has struggled since landing with the Padres. It is his fourth start as a Padre and his second with the team against the Orioles.

Last Wednesday, Johnson was punished by the Orioles in a loss. He surrendered six runs on nine hits, two of which were home runs, in a season-low four innings.

Johnson has reached the sixth inning in just one of his three starts with San Diego.

"He's run into a little bit of tough luck,' Padres manager Andy Green told MLB.com. "If you look at his last outing, we didn't do some things defensively behind him that we should've done, in Baltimore, some balls found holes.

"I think the No. 1 thing for him is we've got to keep the ball in the ballpark, give our defense an opportunity to make plays. If he does that, he's going to have the opportunity to be successful."

To do so, Johnson needs to keep his pitches from hitting the outfield seats. He has been touched for seven home runs in 14 2/3 innings, which helps explain his 9.82 ERA in his three Padres starts.

Jimenez has struggled after the calendar flipped to May 1. Since, he has fashioned a 8.44 ERA and issued 30 walks in 48 innings.

But Jimenez is coming off a solid performance, when he stymied the Padres on Wednesday. Jimenez picked up the win as he worked six innings and allowed two runs on six hits. He struck out five but walked a season-high four.

To get back on track, Jimenez simplified his plan.

"I think the approach was going back to the basics,' Jimenez said. "Just see the target, hit the glove and try to get him out."

The results were positive as Jimenez won for the first time since April 13.

"It was good to see him go home and feel good about himself," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.

Now the Padres are back home, hoping to change their luck against Jimenez.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Pirates (37-40) at Mariners (38-38)

Game: 1
Venue: Safeco Field
Date: June 28, 2016 10:10 PM EDT

SEATTLE -- Misery loves company.

Two teams with dying pennant aspirations will meet at Safeco Field under similar circumstances Tuesday night. The Pittsburgh Pirates and Seattle Mariners have fallen from baseball's elite and are just trying to stay afloat in the playoff race.

The Pirates (37-40) were trying to keep pace with the National League Central-leading Chicago Cubs, baseball's hottest team, through April and May and were doing a decent job of weathering the storm. The Pirates were in position to make a run at the end of May, but they've since fallen three games under .500. Monday afternoon's loss to the Dodgers left Pittsburgh with an 8-18 record in June.

The Pirates featured one of the best offenses in baseball through the opening month of the season but have since fallen on hard times. Yet, they feel like they're not that far removed from the team that opened the season with four consecutive wins and closed out the month of April with a six-game winning streak.

"I don't know if we're getting the big hit like we were in April or May," shortstop Jordy Mercer told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette over the weekend, "but we're still putting good at-bats up."

Situational hitting has been a big part of the Pirates' struggles, but the starting rotation has probably been the most glaring issue. Pittsburgh ranks second-to-the-last in the NL in both ERA (5.57) and opponent's batting average (.285) during games played in June.

Seattle (38-38) has its own set of pitching problems heading into the series. The starting rotation went through its most recent cycle without three of the five starters, while ace Felix Hernandez continues to be sidelined by a leg injury. The over-taxed bullpen subsequently has fallen apart, leading a spate of roster moves over the weekend to bring in fresh arms.

The good news for both teams is that help could be on the way. Seattle starter Wade Miley is expected back from the disabled list to start Wednesday's game against the Pirates, while Taijuan Walker (sore foot) might not be far behind. Walker could be on the mound as soon as Thursday night, for the start of the Baltimore series. And manager Scott Servais sounded as encouraged about Hernandez's return as he had in a while.

"He's starting to map out his plan (to return)," Servais told reporters before Saturday night's win. "That's always a good thing."

The Pirates got an encouraging sign over the weekend as well, with staff ace Gerrit Cole throwing from the mound for the first time in two weeks. Cole is recovering from a strained triceps, although there is still no hard timetable for his return.

"He's a competitor," pitching coach Ray Searage told The Post-Gazette. "He's itching to get back out there."

Left-hander Jonathan Niese, who is 0-3 over his past three starts, is scheduled to take the mound for the Pirates. The Mariners will go with struggling veteran Hisashi Iwakuma, who has served up three home runs in three of his past five starts.

The Mariners have gone 8-17 in June after spending most of May atop the American League West standings. Texas continues to lead the AL West and the Houston Astros have gotten hot to move ahead of Seattle in the standings.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Athletics (33-43) at Giants (49-29)

Game: 2
Venue: AT&T Park
Date: June 28, 2016 10:15 PM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO -- Having scored five or more runs in each of the first five games of their current road trip, you'd think the last thing the Oakland Athletics would need right now is more firepower.

But that's exactly what manager Bob Melvin believes he will be getting with the expected return of right fielder Josh Reddick from the disabled list in time for Tuesday's second of four consecutive matchups with the rival San Francisco Giants.

The A's didn't need Reddick on Monday night while pounding former teammate Jeff Samardzija in an 8-3 victory.

While that was happening, Reddick was 2,300 miles away in Nashville, Tenn., going 0-for-5 for the A's Triple-A affiliate.

Melvin sat at his desk after Monday's win hoping to get a report that Reddick, who broke his left thumb on May 19, had completed nine innings pain-free.

At that point, the manager was prepared to instruct his middle-of-the-lineup mainstay to jump on a flight to San Francisco in the morning and be prepared to face Giants right-hander Albert Suarez a few hours later.

"It feels good to be getting guys back," noted Melvin, who also got a good report on left-hander Rich Hill (strained left groin). "We're starting to get healthy."

Reddick was one of the hottest hitters in the American League at the time of his mishap sliding into second base. He'd hit .468 in his last 14 games.

Interestingly, Reddick's return comes at a time when he has been making headlines on both sides of the San Francisco Bay.

Fox Sports reported during the weekend that the A's planned to reopen discussions on a contract extension with Reddick, who had been seeking a four-year deal when his representative and Oakland's negotiating team last talked.

The A's were offering only a three-year deal, leading to a stalemate that appeared to have Reddick, a five-year member of the organization, headed to free agency at season's end.

A .322-hitting pending free agent on a non-contender tends to have a target on his back as the annual trade deadline approaches, and Reddick's name already has become popular in trade rumors.

CSN Bay Area last week reported that the Giants, concerned about the long-term health of both their regular corner outfielders, have had internal conversations about Reddick.

The Giants have played the last 23 games without right fielder Hunter Pence, who is on the DL with a strained right hamstring.

They recently got oft-injured left fielder Angel Pagan back from 11- and 18-game absences because of hamstring issues of his own.

The Giants have been starting supersub Gregor Blanco in right field, but it has handcuffed Giants manager Bruce Bochy in the outfield to the point where he has had to use fragile center fielder Denard Span, who missed 101 games last season with back and hip problems, in 73 of the club's first 76 games.

The Giants also are without third baseman Matt Duffy (strained left Achilles), and on Monday Bochy felt compelled to sit out shortstop Brandon Crawford, who had played in every game since May 10.

"I can't keep putting these guys out there every day," Bochy said. "Even though they all want to play every day."

Suarez (3-1) will be matched up Tuesday with A's right-hander Kendall Graveman (3-6).

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Tuesday's Diamond Notes
By Joe Williams

Hottest team: Astros (10-2 past 12)

The Houston Astros doubled up the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at the Big A Monday night, as Collin McHugh recorded a quality start. They turn to 6-foot-7 veteran SP Scott Feldman to make the start in the second game of the series, as SP Lance McCullers (blister) was scratched from his start. Houston is still locked in as a road favorite, and the public likes them at about a 60-40 clip. Houston has won four of their past five road games, and they're 16-5 in their past 21 games against a team with a losing overall record. Their hot streak will be put to the test, however, as the 'Stros are 0-6 in Feldman's past six starts.

Coldest team: Nationals (2-7 past 9)

The Washington Nationals picked up an 11-4 victory to kick off their homestand, but it was just their second win in the past nine games. The first-place Nats are so desperate to hang onto the perch in the National League East that they pulled the trigger and called up top prospect SP Lucas Giolito to make the start Tuesday against the Mets. The Nationals have been equally ice-cold against the Mets at home, dropping five of the past six meetings with their divisional rivals at Nationals Park.

Hottest pitcher: Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks (10-3, 3.61 ERA)

Greinke and the Arizona Diamondbacks look to rebound after being humbled 8-0 in the opening game of the series Monday night. Greinke is the perfect stopper, as he enters 4-0 with a 1.47 ERA in five starts over the past 30 days while striking out 31 batters in 39 innings with a .180 opponent batting average and 0.85 WHIP. Arizona is 12-2 in Greinke's past 14 assignments, including 4-0 in his past four starts at home. In addition, the Snakes are 7-0 in Greinke's past seven outings against a team with a losing overall record.

Coldest pitcher: Chris Archer, Rays (4-10, 4.70 ERA)

Archer leads the majors with 10 losses through 16 starts, and he has a career-worst 4.70 ERA and 1.43 WHIP despite ranking among the best in the majors in strikeouts per nine innings ratio (K/9). To make matters worse, Archer is 1-7 with a 5.67 ERA in 12 career outings against the Boston Red Sox, his most losses against any opponent. In his only meeting against Boston this season, he was tuned up for six earned runs, eight hits and three walks in just 4 1/3 innings in a loss back on April 20.

Biggest UNDER run: Cardinals (7-3-2 past 12)

The Cardinals have had a little bit of a power outage on their current road trip, and they have scratched out four or fewer runs in 10 of their past 12 games. The under is also 5-2 in their past seven matchups against a right-handed starter, while going an impressive 35-15-5 in their past 55 against American League Central squads. Total bettors will also be interested in the fact the under is 4-0-2 in their past six trips west on Interstate 70 to Kansas City, and 8-1-4 in the past 13 meetings overall between these Show-Me State rivals.

Biggest OVER run: Rockies (7-0 past seven)

The Colorado Rockies are enjoying a little home cooking, posting overs in each of their five home games, and seven straight games overall. They are averaging 8.8 runs per game over the past five, and with SP Eddie Butler on the hill another over result is in the offing. The over is 4-1-1 in his past six home starts, while the over is 10-3 in their past 13 games at Coors Field against left-handed starting pitchers. The over is also an impressive 17-5 in Colorado's past 22 interleague home games against teams with a winning overall mark.

Matchup to watch: Mariners vs. Pirates

The Seattle Mariners host the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second game of their interleague series. The Mariners are two games under .500 in 36 games at Safeco Field this season, but they came alive with a series win against the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend. The M's were resting on an off day Monday, while the Pirates were busy playing an afternoon game against the Dodgers in Pittsburgh to conclude their wrap-around series at PNC Park. The Pirates have dropped their past five on the road, and they're a dismal 3-12 in their past 15 against right-handed starting pitching. The Mariners have won five of the past seven starts by Hisashi Iwakuma, and they're 8-2 in their past 10 interleague battles.

Betcha didn’t know: The biggest reason for the struggles of the Minnesota Twins this season has been their inability to win inside their own division. The Twins are a dismal 5-22 in their past 27 games against American League Central Division foes. Something's gotta give against the Chicago White Sox, as the Pale Hose are just 5-17 in their past 22 games inside the division. Looking at head-to-head statistics, trends point to Chicago. The Twins have won just one of their past five trips to U.S. Cellular Field, and the Twins have dropped six in a row against the White Sox.

Biggest public favorite: Indians (-165) at Braves

Biggest public underdog: Cardinals (+115) at Royals

Biggest line move: Indians (+150 to +165) at Braves

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Tuesday, June 28, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews

So how worried should the Nationals be now that $175 million man Stephen Strasburg, who already has had one Tommy John surgery, is back on the disabled list? At least this one isn't an arm problem but an upper back strain. It forced Strasburg to be scratched from last Monday's scheduled start vs. the Dodgers and then Sunday's outing vs. Milwaukee. The team placed him on the DL on Sunday, retroactive to June 16. The guy has only made it through one full season (2014) where he didn't miss a start. Strasburg has reached the 200-inning plateau once in six seasons and probably won't get there this year. So it was clearly smart of him to sign that extension earlier this season, but I don't really get why the Nationals offered it. Washington had to push up Joe Ross to start Monday's game because of this injury and has yet to announce a starter for Tuesday against the Mets. It's possible that arguably the top pitching prospect in baseball, right-hander Lucas Giolito, is the guy.


Blue Jays at Rockies (+135, 12.5)

Toronto loses the DH in this interleague game but presumably will move MLB RBI leader Edwin Encarnacion to first base and bench Justin Smoak. Monitor the status of Colorado second baseman DJ LeMahieu as well. He was to have an MRI on Monday after leaving Sunday's game against Arizona with a bruised left knee. LeMahieu enters the week tied for third in the National League with a .327 average. Daniel Descalso likely will start at second for however long LeMahieu might miss. The Jays start lefty J.A. Happ (9-3, 3.42) on the mound. They have won his past three. He allowed two runs over five innings last time out against Arizona. NL home run leader Nolan Arenado is 1-for-6 career off Happ. Charlie Blackmon is as well. The Rockies' Eddie Butler (2-4, 6.71) hasn't won since mid-May. He allowed six runs and 11 hits over five innings Thursday against the Diamondbacks. Butler has never faced Toronto.

Key trends: The Blue Jays are 4-1 in Happ's past five interleague starts. The Rockies are 2-11 in Butler's past 13 vs. teams with a winning record. The "over/under" is 4-1-1 in his past six at home.

Early lean: Blue Jays and over.

Marlins at Tigers (-105, 9.5)

Miami will add the designated hitter for this interleague game. Detroit swept two games in South Florida to open the season. The Marlins start lefty Adam Conley (4-4, 3.56). He hadn't won since May 16 but did Wednesday against Atlanta in throwing eight shutout innings, allowing four hits. That was the first time this season a Marlins starter made it through eight innings. The Marlins haven't had a complete game since Henderson Alvarez against Tampa Bay on June 3, 2014, at Marlins Park. Conley has never faced the Tigers. They go with Mike Pelfrey (1-7, 5.19). His rotation spot has gotten shaky again as Pelfrey was pelted for six runs and 12 hits over five innings last time out against Seattle, although he avoided a loss. A few Marlins have seen him. Martin Prado is 10-for-22 with six doubles, a homer and three RBIs. Giancarlo Stanton is 9-for-19 with two homers.

Key trends: The Marlins are 2-6 in their past eight after an off day. The Tigers are 4-0 in Pelfrey's past four at home. The over is 8-3 in Miami's past 11 on the road. The over is 4-1 in Pelfrey's past five at home.

Early lean: Tigers and over.

Twins at White Sox (-170, 8.5)

Perhaps Chicago can start to right its season in this series as the White Sox are 6-0 against the Twins thus far. But those two series were back when the Pale Hose were one of the American League's best teams. They go with lefty Jose Quintana (5-7, 3.04) in the opener. His last win was May 8 vs. the Twins when he allowed one run in seven innings. The Sox lost his next seven but won Wednesday in Boston even though Quintana was rocked for six runs and eight hits in 5.1 innings. He walked a season-high six. Joe Mauer is a career .344 hitter off Quintana with two homers in 32 at-bats. Brian Dozier is 7-for-37 against him with nine strikeouts. The Twins go with Kyle Gibson (0-5, 6.05). Since coming off a long DL stint, he has allowed 13 runs and 21 hits over 18 innings in three starts. Gibson lost to the White Sox on April 11, allowing three runs in 5.2 innings. Brett Lawrie is 4-for-7 against him. Jose Abreu 3-for-17 with two doubles and a homer.

Key trends: The Twins are 1-4 in Gibson's past five in Game 1 of a series. The Sox are 0-5 in Quintana's past five on five days of rest. The under is 11-5-2 in Gibson's past 18 on the road.

Early lean: White Sox and under.

Dodgers at Brewers (+120, 9)

Los Angeles goes with 19-year-old lefty Julio Urias (0-2, 4.33). He made his sixth big-league start Wednesday against Washington and took a no-decision, allowing two runs and six hits over five innings with six strikeouts. There was talk that might be his final big-league start of the year, but they will go at least one more here. The Dodgers don't want him going much past 100 combined innings this year in the majors and minors combined. Urias is now at 27 innings in the major leagues -- and 68 innings when combined with his work at Triple-A Oklahoma City. This will be interesting because the Brewers will be the first team he has seen twice. On June 17, Urias threw five shutout innings against them and struck out a career-high eight. Milwaukee counters with Chase Anderson (4-7, 5.13). He was rocked for seven runs over 2.1 innings in his most recent start on June 18 at the Dodgers. The team decided to skip Anderson's last turn in the rotation, but he's not hurt. Adrian Gonzalez is 6-for-13 career off Anderson with a homer. Yasmani Grandal has three homers and six RBIs off him in 11 at-bats.

Key trends: The Dodgers have won eight straight on Tuesday. The Brewers are 1-4 in Anderson's past five vs. teams with a winning record. The under is 5-2 in the Dodgers' past seven on Tuesday.

Early lean: Urias gets his first big-league win -- I almost think the Dodgers are partly keeping him in the rotation so he can. Go under.

Cardinals at Royals (-120, 8.5)

St. Louis will add the DH. Bragging rights in the "Show Me State" on the line in this series. Not impossible the teams play in the World Series against one another this fall as they did in 1985 -- although obviously the chances of that were much higher last year when the Cardinals and Royals were the top seeds in NL and AL playoffs, respectively. The Cards go with Michael Wacha (3-7, 4.41). He looks back in form with three straight quality starts. Wacha beat Jake Arrieta and the Cubs last Wednesday, allowing two runs in 6.2 innings. The Royals' Lorenzo Cain is 3-for-9 career off him. Salvador Perez is 2-for-6 with two RBIs. Kansas City's Yordano Ventura (6-4, 4.54) makes his first start since shutting out the White Sox on six hits over 6.1 innings on June 17. Ventura then served his eight-game suspension for his role in a brawl with the Baltimore Orioles. The Cardinals' Matt Carpenter is 2-for-7 career off Ventura with a homer and three RBIs. Yadier Molina is 1-for-8 off him.

Key trends: The Cards are 4-1 in Wacha's past five interleague starts. The Royals are 0-6 in Ventura's past six interleague starts. The under is 5-1-1 in Ventura's past seven interleague starts.

Early lean: Cardinals and under.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'Twins have tough road ahead'

Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox June 28, 8:10 EST

Sometimes in sports a team just has another team's number and that's the case for the Chicago White Sox when it comes to Minnesota Twins. In six meetings this season the White Sox have won each contest by an average 4.5 runs/game. Twins 9-26 in an opposing park, 2-10 last twelve away vs the division are 1-4 last five trips to the windy city.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB Betting: Division Underdogs

Just about half of a team’s 162 game MLB schedule is against division rivals and these games have a lot more meaning to them as team's try to either win a division title or get into the playoffs. If you're going to bet on underdogs, it's a great idea to focus on divisional games as there is extra incentive for team's in these matchups and under the right set of circumstances can deliver big profits.

At this point in the season, divisional home underdogs have won 53 games, lost 86 with a negative impact of -$2045 against the money line. Division road underdogs have walked off winners in 137 and at the wrong end of a decision 167 times. But, the road pooches have been a good choice, stuffing betting accounts to the tune of +$1533. Of course, you can't blindly bet on divisional road underdogs every time and expect to come out ahead in the long run, so let’s take a look at a situation where it favors you.

Our MLB number crunching machine chips in small to medium divisional road underdogs priced between +$1.00 and +$1.50 delivered the goods. In this situation the home favorite essentially has an edge but isn't overly superior meaning the underdog in what is basically a tossup game can easily upset the odds offering good value. In 221 situations so far, division road underdogs in the +$1.00 to +$1.50 range won at a 48.4% clip (107-114) rewarding backers with +$1527 at the betting window.

An even better ROI can be had focusing on fewer plays with less total money at risk. In this situation we want to concentrate strickly on a division road underdog that won the first game of the series and getting little respect in game-two as they won at a 55.3% clip (21-17) cashing +$788 worth of tickets.

While there's no guarantee small to medium divisional road underdogs in the above mentioned situation will continue to perform the rest of the way, the angle is definitely worth keeping an eye-out for.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Tuesday's games

National League games

Mets @ Nationals
Harvey is 0-2, 2.88 in his last four starts; his last five stayed under.

Highly touted prospect Giolito is making his MLB debut; he was 5-3, 3.17 in 14 AAA starts this season.

Mets are 5-8 in last 13 road games; under is 9-4 in their last 13 road games. Washington lost seven of last nine games; eight of Nationals' last ten home games went over.

Cubs @ Reds
Lester is 5-0, 1.87 in his last six starts; five of his last six road starts went over. .

Lamb is 0-1, 4.91 in his last four starts (under 3-2-1 in his home starts).

Cubs lost six of last eight games; under is 8-6 in their last 14 games. Cincinnati lost seven of last nine games; six of Reds' last nine home games stayed under.

Dodgers @ Brewers
Urias is 0-1, 1.88 in his last three starts, which all stayed under.

Anderson is 0-1, 13.51 in his last two starts; under is 5-3 in his last eight starts.

Dodgers lost three of last four games; they're 3-10 in road series openers. Milwaukee is 4-1 in last five home games; they're 6-7 in home series openers. Under is 5-2-1 in last eight Dodger games, 7-5 in last 12 games at Miller Park.

Phillies @ Diamondbacks
Eickhoff is 3-1, 2.19 in his last four starts; six of his last seven stayed under.

Greinke is 4-0, 1.47 in his last five starts, four of which stayed under.

Phillies lost 14 of last 18 games; over is 10-3 in their last 13 road games. Arizona is 4-8 in its last 12 home games; four of last five Diamondback games went over.


American League games

Rangers @ Bronx
Hamels is 3-0, 0.87 in his last three starts; seven of his last nine starts went over.

Sabathia is 2-0, 3.63 in his last four starts; five of his last six stayed under.

Rangers won 11 of last 13 games; over is 11-4 in their last 15 road games. New York is 3-5 in its last eight home games, six of their last nine games stayed under.

Red Sox @ Rays
Porcello is 1-0, 5.40 in his last six starts (over 4-1-1)..

Archer is 0-3, 5.03 in his last three starts, which all stayed under.

Red Sox lost six of last eight games; five of last six Boston road games went over total. Tampa Bay lost 11 of last 12 games; their last three games all went over.

Twins @ White Sox
Gibson is 0-5, 6.81 in his last seven starts; three of his last four went over.

Quintana is 0-2, 5.61 in his last four starts; under is 13-1 in his last 14 starts.

Twins lost seven of last nine road games; they're 3-9 in road series openers. Chicago is 5-2 in its last seven games, 7-5 in home series openers. Three of last four Chicago games stayed under, as have last three Minnesota games.

Astros @ Angels
McCullers is 1-1, 3.20 in his last four starts; six of his last seven stayed under.

Lincecum is 1-1, 5.00 in his two starts for the Angels (over 1-1).

Houston won ten of its last 12 games; under is 14-4 in Astros' last 18 games. Angels are 6-15 in their last 21 games; nine of their last 11 home games went over.


Interleague

Marlins @ Tigers
Conley is 2-0, 0.66 in his last two starts, five of his last six starts stayed under.

Pelfrey is 0-2, 7.13 in his last three starts; over is 6-3-1 in his last ten.

Marlins are 9-4 in their last 13 games, 8-3 in road series openers. Over is 9-2 in Miami's last 11 road games. Detroit lost its last three games; they're 6-6 in home series openers. Four of last six Tiger games stayed under the total.

Indians @ Braves
Kluber is 5-2, 3.58 in his last seven starts; under is 6-4-1 in his last eleven.

Wisler is 1-4, 6.29 in his last six starts; three of his last four went over.

Indians won their last ten games, four of last five Cleveland road games went over the total. Atlanta is 8-4 in its last 12 games; under is 8-2 in their last ten games.

Cardinals @ Royals
Wacha is 1-1, 2.11 in his last three starts; eight of his last nine went over.

Ventura is 2-0, 0.66 in his last two starts; four of his last five went over.

Cardinals are 9-3 in last 12 road games, over is 11-8 in their last 19 road games. Kansas City lost four of last six games, six of Royals' last nine home games went over.

Blue Jays @ Rockies
Happ is 3-0, 3.32 in his last three starts; three of his last four went over.

Butler is 0-2, 7.96 in his last five starts; three of his last four went over. .

Blue Jays lost six of last eight games, four of their last six games stayed under. Colorado won seven of last nine home games, six of last seven games at Coors Field went over.

Orioles @ Padres
Jimenez is 2-2, 9.50 in his last five starts; six of his last seven went over.

Johnson is 0-3, 9.82 in three starts for San Diego (under 2-1).

Orioles won their last five games, are 6-5 in road series openers. Three of last four Oriole road games stayed under. San Diego won six of its last eight games; they're 8-5 in home series openers. Last five San Diego home games went over the total.

Pirates @ Mariners
Niese is 0-3, 9.18 in his last three starts; four of his last five stayed under.

Iwakuma is 2-2, 5.96 in his last four starts; six of his last eight went over.

Pirates won three of last four games overall but are 1-9 in last 10 road games, 8-5 in road series openers. Over is 11-8 in their last 19 games. Seattle lost seven of last nine games; they're 6-6 in home series openers. Three of last four Seattle home games went over.

A's @ Giants
Graveman is 1-0, 2.04 in his last three starts; under is 5-3 in his last eight. .

Suarez is 1-0, 5.14 in four starts this year (over 2-1-1). .

A's won four of last five games, all of which went over the total. San Francisco won 13 of last 17 home games- four of their last five home games went over.


Teams won-lost records when this pitcher starts:

NY-Wsh-- Harvey 5-10; Giolito 0-0
Chi-Cin-- Lester 11-4; Lamb 3-7
LA-Mil-- Urias 2-3; Anderson 5-9
Phil-Az-- Eickhoff 6-9; Greinke 12-4

Tex-NY-- Hamels 11-4; Sabathia 7-5
Bos-TB-- Porcello 10-5; Archer 5-11
Min-Chi-- Gibson 2-5; Quintana 7-8
Hst-LA-- McCullers 5-3; Lincecum 1-1

Mia-Det-- Conley 8-7; Pelfrey 5-9
Cle-Atl-- Kluber 7-8; Wisler 4-10
StL-KC-- Wacha 7-8; Ventura 9-5
Tor-Col-- Happ 10-5; Butler 2-6
Blt-SD-- Jimenez 7-7; Johnson 0-3/0-2
Pitt-Sea-- Niese 8-7; Iwakuma 8-7
A's-SF-- Graveman 5-9; Suarez 2-2


Starting pitchers allowing 1+ runs in first inning:

NY-Wsh-- Harvey 3-15; Giolito 0-0
Chi-Cin-- Lester 4-15; Lamb 4-10
LA-Mil-- Urias 1-5; Anderson 6-14
Phil-Az-- Eickhoff 5-15; Greinke 5-16

Tex-NY-- Hamels 3-15; Sabathia 0-12
Bos-TB-- Porcello 5-15; Archer 8-16
Min-Chi-- Gibson 3-7; Quintana 2-15
Hst-LA-- McCullers 3-8; Lincecum 0-2

Mia-Det-- Conley 5-15; Pelfrey 8-14
Cle-Atl-- Kluber 4-15; Wisler 7-14
StL-KC-- Wacha 4-15; Ventura 4-14
Tor-Col-- Happ 4-15; Butler 4-8
Blt-SD-- Jimenez 6-14; Johnson 2-5
Pitt-Sea-- Niese 3-15; Iwakuma 3-15
A's-SF-- Graveman 3-14; Suarez 2-4


Umpires

NY-Wsh-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six Guccione games.
Chi-Cin-- Underdogs won four of last five Winters games.
Phil-Az-- Seven of last eight Hoberg games stayed under.

Tex-NY-- Underdogs won five of last six Nauert games.
Bos-TB-- Five of last seven Reyburn games stayed under.
Hst-LA-- Under is 4-2-1 in last seven Holbrook games.

Cle-Atl-- Last four HGibson games went over the total
StL-KC-- Six of last eight Timmons games went over.
Tor-Col-- Over is 8-3-1 in last twelve Diaz games.
A's-SF-- Last four Iassogna games stayed under total.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Tuesday's six-pack

-- A man named Ronald McDonald was shot Thursday at a Sonic Drive-In in Lumberton, NC. Really, he was. Mr McDonald is said to be OK, but he was upset that the hospital didn't serve breakfast 24 hours a day.

-- Kris Bryant had three HRs, two doubles last nite, coming with three total bases of the all-time record (19) for total bases in a game, held by Sean Green.

-- Roberto Clemente used a bat that was 36 inches long, weighed 39 ounces.

-- When he was 30 years old, Harrison Ford was a carpenter, not an actor.

-- Morehead State gave hoop coach Sean Woods a contract extension thru 2020.

-- There were 52 homers hit in major leagues Sunday, most of any day this year.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Tuesday, June 28

Trend Report

7:05 PM
TEXAS vs. NY YANKEES
Texas4-1-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing NY Yankees
Texas10-2-1 SU in its last 13 games
NY Yankees are 1-4-1 SU in their last 6 games ,when playing Texas
NY Yankees are 1-3-1 SU in their last 5 games ,when playing at home against Texas

7:05 PM
NY METS vs. WASHINGTON
NY Mets are 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of NY Mets's last 10 games
Washington is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing NY Mets

7:10 PM
MIAMI vs. DETROIT
Miami is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Miami's last 11 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games
Detroit is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Miami

7:10 PM
BOSTON vs. TAMPA BAY
Boston is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston's last 6 games
Tampa Bay is 1-11 SU in its last 12 games
Tampa Bay is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Boston

7:10 PM
CLEVELAND vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games on the road
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Atlanta is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Atlanta's last 10 games

7:10 PM
CHI CUBS vs. CINCINNATI
Chi Cubs are 10-1 SU in their last 11 games when playing Cincinnati
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chi Cubs's last 7 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
Cincinnati is 1-8 SU in their last 9 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Cincinnati's last 9 games at home

8:10 PM
MINNESOTA vs. CHI WHITE SOX
Minnesota is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi White Sox's last 7 games when playing Minnesota
Chi White Sox are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games

8:10 PM
LA DODGERS vs. MILWAUKEE
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Dodgers's last 6 games on the road
LA Dodgers are 3-6 SU in their last 9 games on the road
Milwaukee is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing LA Dodgers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games at home

8:15 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. KANSAS CITY
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
St. Louis is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games
Kansas City is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis
Kansas City is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games

8:40 PM
TORONTO vs. COLORADO
Toronto is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Colorado's last 5 games
Colorado is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto

9:40 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. ARIZONA
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 7 games
Philadelphia is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona's last 5 games
Arizona is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games

10:05 PM
HOUSTON vs. LA ANGELS
Houston is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
Houston is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing LA Angels
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of LA Angels's last 16 games when playing at home against Houston
LA Angels are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Houston

10:10 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. SEATTLE
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing on the road against Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing Seattle
Seattle is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games

10:10 PM
BALTIMORE vs. SAN DIEGO
Baltimore is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Baltimore's last 8 games when playing on the road against San Diego
San Diego is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
San Diego is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Baltimore

10:15 PM
OAKLAND vs. SAN FRANCISCO
Oakland is 4-16 SU in its last 20 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oakland's last 5 games when playing San Francisco
San Francisco is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games
San Francisco is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Oakland

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rangers at Yankees

GAME: Texas Rangers (50-27) at New York Yankees (37-38)
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, June 28 - 7:05 PM EST
WHERE: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
LINE: N/A TOTAL: N/A

The Texas Rangers and the Yankees will fight fatigue when New York hosts the second contest of a four-game series Tuesday. Monday’s opener was halted in the ninth inning and delayed 3 hours, 35 minutes because of rain before the Rangers rallied after the delay for a 9-6 victory in a game that ended at 2:44 a.m. ET.

It was Yankees manager Joe Girardi prompting the delay with his team clinging to a 6-5 lead and closer Aroldis Chapman struggling with his control while the rain poured down in the ninth, and the drop off from Chapman to Kirby Yates after the delay turned out to be just what the Rangers needed. Yates got the chance to close and hit three batters while ahead in the count during Texas’ four-run rally in the ninth. The victory gave Texas (50-27) 50 wins before the end of June for the second time in team history and marked its fifth straight game scoring at least six runs. New York built its pitching staff around Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Chapman at the back of the bullpen but have been riding the trio hard of late and had Miller and Chapman each charged with a run Monday.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Texas), YES (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers LH Cole Hamels (8-1, 2.79 ERA) vs. Yankees LH CC Sabathia (5-4, 2.71)

Hamels has been a big part of Texas’ recent surge with five straight quality starts and wins in each of the last three. The California native allowed a total of two runs and 12 hits in 20 2/3 innings over his last three outings. Hamels is searching for his first career win over New York and was ripped for five runs in as many innings at New York as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies on June 24, 2015.

Sabathia had a string of seven straight starts allowing two or fewer earned runs come to an end when he was reached for six runs – five earned – and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings against Colorado on Wednesday. The burly veteran rolled his right ankle twice in that start but x-rays came back negative and he was able to make it through his bullpen session Saturday. Sabathia surrendered three runs on five hits and three walks in six innings to suffer a loss at Texas on April 27.

WALK-OFFS

1. Struggling Yankees DH Alex Rodriguez sat the last two games but is expected start against the left-handed Hamels.

2. Texas RF Shin-Soo Choo recorded multiple hits in three of the last four games.

3. New York 1B Mark Teixeira homered in each of the last two games after going a career-high 147 at-bats without one.

PREDICTION: Rangers 4, Yankees 3

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Mets at Nationals

GAME: New York Mets (40-35) at Washington Nationals (45-32)
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, June 28 - 7:05 PM EST
WHERE: Nationals Park, Washington, District of Columbia
LINE: N/A TOTAL: N/A

Matt Harvey's place in the starting rotation was placed in jeopardy after a pair of disastrous starts versus the Washington Nationals last month. While the ensuing results haven't been promising, Harvey has pitched significantly better in his last five outings for the New York Mets heading into the second contest of the three-game set versus the host Nationals on Tuesday.

Washington sent an all-too-familiar message to the 27-year-old right-hander by erupting for 17 hits and stealing a season-high six bases in an 11-4 rout on Monday. Daniel Murphy continued to torment his former team by driving in a pair of runs in the series opener and is blistering 12-for-28 with two homers and eight RBIs in seven encounters this season. While the first-place Nationals have won two in a row following a season-high seven-game losing streak, the Mets have dropped three of five to fall four games out in the NL East. Wilmer Flores had a two-run single in the third inning to give New York a 4-0 lead and is 6-for-14 with four RBIs in his last four games after a 3-for-29 stretch in his previous 10.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, SNY (New York), MASN (Washington)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Matt Harvey (4-9, 4.64 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Lucas Giolito (NA)

Harvey was blitzed for 14 runs on 16 hits - including four homers - in a pair of losses to Washington last month. The right-hander has kept the ball in the park in each of his last five outings and surrendered just eight runs in that span (32 innings), but only has a 1-2 mark to show for it. Harvey has flustered Bryce Harper (1-for-24) in his career, although Anthony Rendon (6-for-17) and Ben Revere (5-for-15) have gotten their licks in against the struggling stud.

An injured Stephen Strasburg's loss is Giolito's gain as the latter is expected to be recalled from Double-A Harrisburg to make his major-league debut. The 21-year-old Giolito, who was the 16th overall pick of the 2012 draft, posted a 5-3 mark with a 3.17 ERA in 14 starts with the Senators. "He's ready for the task," Washington manager Dusty Baker told reporters of Giolito, who has struck out 72 batters in 71 innings this season.

WALK-OFFS

1. New York general manager Sandy Alderson is scheduled to meet with manager Terry Collins and Steven Matz on Tuesday to discuss the best course of action as the right-hander deals with a bone spur in his elbow.

2. Nationals OF Jayson Werth is 8-for-24 with seven runs scored versus the Mets this season.

3. New York OF Juan Lagares (thumb) is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday.

PREDICTION: Mets 4, Nationals 3

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Cubs at Reds

GAME: Chicago Cubs (49-26) at Cincinnati Reds (29-48)
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, June 28 - 7:10 PM EST
WHERE: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio
LINE: N/A TOTAL: N/A


The Chicago Cubs love hitting at Great American Ball Park. They’ve scored 49 runs in five games there – four wins – heading into the second contest of a three-game road series against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday.



The Cubs slugged five home runs in an 11-8 victory in Monday’s series opener – three by Kris Bryant, who was 5-for-5 with two doubles along with the three blasts – winning for only the second time in eight games. Chicago improved to 7-1 against Cincinnati, which has lost seven of its last nine. Cubs left-hander Jon Lester looks for his third quality start in as many meetings with the Reds this season, including a win at Cincinnati on April 22 in which he gave up one run over seven innings. Outfielder Billy Hamilton is one of few Reds who has enjoyed success against Lester, going 5-for-7 with a double and a homer.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, FSN Ohio (Cincinnati)



PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs LH Jon Lester (9-3, 2.10 ERA) vs. Reds LH John Lamb (1-4, 4.78)

Lester won five straight starts before taking a no-decision last time out at Miami. The 32-year-old allowed two runs over seven innings against the Marlins for his sixth straight quality start and recorded seven strikeouts – his sixth straight outing with at least that many. Lester is 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA in six starts against the Reds, all over the past two seasons.

Lamb is winless in his last four starts and has failed to get through six innings in his last three. The 25-year-old didn’t factor in the decision Thursday against San Diego, allowing four runs (three earned) over 5 1/3 innings in a 7-4 loss. Lamb faced the Cubs once last season and was dinged for five runs in 4 2/3 innings, taking the loss.



WALK-OFFS

1. Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo is 14-for-26 during an eight-game hitting streak.

2. Reds RF Jay Bruce recorded his 26th RBI of the month Monday, tied for the second-most in the majors in June.

3. Bryant is 16-for-34 with seven home runs and 17 RBIs in eight games against the Reds this season.



PREDICTION: Cubs 7, Reds 4