Tuesday 9/27/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Diamondbacks (65-91) at Nationals (91-65)

Game: 2
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: September 27, 2016 7:05 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- Washington right-hander Max Scherzer will start Tuesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a chance to win 20 games this season.

He is 18-7 in his second season with the Nationals but Scherzer will also be tuning up for a postseason start, something he did not get to do in his first season in Washington.

Scherzer, if he stayed on schedule, would pitch Sunday in the regular-season finale at home against the Miami Marlins. And five days later he would be ready to pitch Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"You are getting your workload in," Scherzer said Monday of his approach to getting ready for the playoffs. "The consistency, pitching at your best" is vital.

Scherzer won 8-3 in Arizona on Aug. 3 in his only outing against the Diamondbacks this year. The St. Louis native made his big league debut in 2008 with Arizona. In his last outing in Miami, Scherzer went 6 2/3 innings and gave up three runs.

The Nationals have clinched the National League East title while the last-place Diamondbacks are trying to play spoiler. They did so Monday with a 14-4 win as Washington tries to nail down the second-best record in the league.

Arizona, which was swept by playoff hopeful Baltimore over the weekend, will send rookie Matt Koch to the mound on Tuesday in Washington.

"Let see what he can do against a really good team," said Chip Hale, the Arizona manager.

The Diamondbacks could have pitched Patrick Corbin on Tuesday. But Hale said the organization has been pleased with Corbin, who has made 24 starts.

"We feel excited about what Patrick has done," Hale said.

Koch has made five appearances out of the bullpen as a rookie this year for Arizona and is 1-1 with a 1.29 ERA. Hale said he hopes Koch can go at least 75 pitches.

Hale said the Diamondbacks' brain trust wanted a chance to see Koch make a start before the year ended. Hale said Monday that Koch could also start the regular-season finale on Sunday.

That most likely means the season is over for veteran right-hander Zack Greinke, who has had shoulder woes.

"It would be hard for me to believe he would start Sunday," Hale said of Greinke. "Why push it at this point."

Washington clinched the East title on Saturday.

"They are a really good team," Hale said of the Nationals. "You get to test your players. It is a team that will play in October."

The Nationals, who lost Bryce Harper to a thumb injury Sunday, got more bad news Monday when catcher Wilson Ramos left the game in the top of the sixth inning with a right knee injury. Baker said an MRI will be done on Tuesday.

"He does not look too good tonight," Baker said. "You could tell he was in pain. There is a little concern when you lose a guy of that caliber. I feel badly."

Baker said X-rays came back negative on Harper. The Nationals are also without MVP candidate Daniel Murphy and right-handed starter Stephen Strasburg. Baker feels Murphy will be ready for the playoffs but that is far from certain for Strasburg. "Nobody is going to feel sorry for you," Baker said. "Next man up. It is another obstacle."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Red Sox (92-64) at Yankees (80-76)

Game: 1
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: September 27, 2016 7:05 PM EDT

NEW YORK -- On Sept. 15, Hanley Ramirez capped a stirring comeback for the Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees at Fenway Park with a ninth-inning, game-winning home run off Dellin Betances.

It began a memorable 11-game winning streak and the Red Sox are now the verge of winning the American League East. Boston will have its first opportunity to clinch Tuesday night when it visits New York for the opener of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.

Before Ramirez's dramatic home run, the Red Sox were 81-64 and led the division by one game. Now the Red Sox are 92-64, six games up and can clinch with either a win or a Toronto Blue Jays loss to Baltimore Tuesday.

During this streak, the Red Sox are batting .271 (101-for-373) and their offense has been powered by retiring designated hitter David Ortiz, Ramirez and Mookie Betts.

Ortiz is 16-for-39 (.410) with four home runs and 13 RBIs while Ramirez is batting .390 (16-for-41) with five home runs and 13 RBIs. Betts is hitting .444 (20-for-45) during a 12-game hitting streak.

Ortiz's latest big hit occurred in the 10th inning of Sunday's 3-2 win over the Rays at Tampa Bay when he doubled in Dustin Pedroia. Ortiz has 124 RBIs this year and his latest occurred one when Pedroia eluded the tag at the plate several times.

"That was a crazy play," Ortiz said. "I saw Dustin looked like he was dancing around the catcher."

The win Sunday gave the Red Sox an eighth straight road victory and a 26-9 mark against divisional opponents since the start of July. The Red Sox have won 11 of 16 meetings with the Yankees, with seven of those coming after July 1.

During the four-game sweep at Fenway, Boston batted .378 (14-for-37) and scored 11 times in the seventh inning or later.

Besides a potential division title celebration, Ortiz will be playing his final series at New York. Ortiz announced himself as a key figure in the rivalry with two home runs at New York in the AL Championship Series on July 4, 2003 and hasn't stopped hitting Yankees pitching ever since.

This year he is batting .315 (17-for-54) with six home runs and 13 RBIs against the Yankees. Including the time he spent with the Minnesota Twins, Ortiz has batted .307 (271-for-884) with 53 home runs and 171 RBIs in 240 regular-season games against New York.

"Competing in New York, playing in New York is very special for me," Ortiz told MLB.com. "The fans are very into every inning. You have to be on the tips of your toes because you want to make something happen

While everything has gone right for the Red Sox in the last two weeks, it has been the opposite for the Yankees. A seven-game winning streak from Sept. 5-10 brought the Yankees back into the AL Wild Card and division races but they have dropped 11 of 15 since.

Following a 5-1 win over Tampa Bay on Sept. 10, the Yankees were one game out in the Wild Card race and three games out of first. Now they are 5 1/2 games out of the second Wild Card spot and 12 games behind Boston.

"Our team has been fighting all year," first baseman Mark Teixeira said. "We're probably not going to make the playoffs. We're just going to enjoy ourselves the rest of the year and keep fighting."

The Yankees concluded a 3-8 road trip with a wild 7-5 win at Toronto on Monday, which featured two benches-clearing incidents in the early innings. New York wound up getting the win by scoring five times in the ninth on Teixeira's solo home run and a two-run shot by Aaron Hicks.

"Obviously we got some serious long odds but we have to win," Yankees third baseman Chase Headley said. "It felt good to win."

David Price will be on the mound for the Red Sox and will be seeking his ninth straight win. Price has a 2.82 ERA in his last nine starts since losing Aug. 7 at Dodger Stadium and kept the streak going by allowing three runs and six hits in seven innings Thursday at Baltimore.

Price is 17-8 this season but 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA in four starts against the Yankees this season. Price last faced New York Sept. 17 in Boston and allowed five runs and nine hits in six innings in a no-decision.

Luis Cessa will make his eighth start for the Yankees and New York has dropped his last three starts. Cessa took a tough 2-0 loss in Tampa Bay Thursday when he allowed two runs and six hits in six innings.

Since entering the rotation Aug. 20, he is 2-3 with a 3.83 ERA and allowed six hits or less in each outing and three runs or less in six of those starts. Home runs have been an issue for Cessa as 22 of the 30 runs he has allowed have come on 15 homers.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Orioles (85-71) at Blue Jays (86-70)

Game: 1
Venue: Rogers Centre
Date: September 27, 2016 7:07 PM EDT

TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles meet Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series at Rogers Centre that could decide the first wild-card spot in the American League.

The Blue Jays lost Monday 7-5 to the New York Yankees after being outscored 5-2 in the ninth inning, and the Orioles had the day off.

The result left the Blue Jays, who occupy the first wild-card spot, one game ahead of the Orioles, who are in the second wild-card spot.

Each team has six regular-season games left.

The Blue Jays have some injury concerns, the result of two bench-clearing skirmishes in the second inning of the game Monday against the Yankees.

Second baseman Devon Travis had to leave the game on Monday in the sixth inning with a sore shoulder that hampered his swing at the plate. Right-hander Joaquin Benoit, a key member of the bullpen, had to be helped from the field with a calf injury after the second melee.

More is expected to be known about the injuries on Tuesday.

Toronto appeared to have a chance to gain a two-game advantage over the Orioles on Monday when they took a 3-2 lead into the ninth.

With regular closer Roberto Osuna unavailable because of his recent work load, the save opportunity was left to Jason Grilli, who coughed up four hits that included two home runs and four of the Yankees' five runs in the inning.

The Blue Jays scored twice in the bottom of the ninth.

"We're going to come back against Baltimore ready to go," said Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ, who was deprived of his 21st win by New York's ninth-inning rally.

The Blue Jays will start right-hander Aaron Sanchez (13-2, 3.12 ERA), who has yet to record a decision in three starts in September in which he has a 5.40 ERA. The Blue Jays are 0-3 in those starts even though Sanchez is 0-0.

The Orioles will start right-hander Kevin Gausman (8-11, 3.57 ERA).

Gausman had his start on Sunday bumped to Tuesday to give him more time to rest an intercostal injury. He had five straight quality starts before allowing five runs in 6 1/3 innings to the torrid Boston Red Sox.

"There is something to be gained to winning every game you play," is the way Orioles manager Buck Showalter put it. "There is something to be lost every game you lose. Instead of looking at all things you shoulda, woulda, coulda done to make it a little bit easier, I look at all the things that our guys have done to have this opportunity. I'm proud of them that it's (Sept. 27) and we continue to play important games."

In two starts against the Blue Jays this season, Gausman is 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA. He has a 4.15 ERA in 11 career games (six starts) against them.

Sanchez is 3-0 with a 3.38 ERA in four starts against the Orioles this season. He is 4-2 with a 4.20 ERA in 12 games, including seven starts, against them in his career.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons feels his team is ready for the final push.

"These guys are all in a good frame of mind," Gibbons said. "That's one of the real good things about this group. They don't get too high. They don't get too low. So when you hit a tough stretch, there's no panic out there. The guys don't hang their heads or shut it down. They never have. So regardless of how you get in, how you're playing, the reality is we've got to be playing good to even get in."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Mets (83-74) at Marlins (78-78)

Game: 2
Venue: Marlins Park
Date: September 27, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

MIAMI -- Don Mattingly was a New York Yankees minor-leaguer when Thurman Munson died in a plane crash on Aug. 2, 1979.

Munson was the Yankees' 32-year-old star catcher -- a seven-time All-Star, a three-time Gold Glove winner, a two-time World Series champion and a former Rookie of the Year and American League MVP.

The Miami Marlins, the team Mattingly now manages, suffered a horrific tragedy of their early own early Sunday morning when 24-year-old pitcher Jose Fernandez -- already a two-time All-Star -- died in a high-speed boat crash.

Mattingly said he can see the correlation to what the Yankees lost in Munson and what the Marlins lost in Fernandez.

"It feels like that," Mattingly said. "The way we talk about Jose and his personality, you are not going to forget that. Jose will have a presence in this organization even after we're long gone."

Fernandez's tragic death seemed to inspire the Marlins (78-78) on Monday in a 7-3 win over the New York Mets. It was the Marlins' first game after Fernandez's body was discovered and after the scheduled Sunday game against the Atlanta Braves was cancelled.

The Mets (83-74) clearly ran into a team determined to honor Fernandez, but whether that emotion can carry over to Tuesday is another question.

New York will start right-hander Noah Syndergaard, whose turn was moved back a couple of days due to step throat.

Syndergaard, whose fastball consistently clocks at 100 mph, is 13-9 this year with a 2.63 ERA. He has been fairly consistent all year, winning six games at home and seven on the road and posting a 2.56 ERA before the All-Star break and a 2.75 ERA after the Midsummer Classic.

However, given his electric stuff, he probably hasn't been as dominant as the Mets would like, especially with the team in a tight playoff race. New York sits in the first NL wild-card position, a half-game above San Francisco (82-74). The St. Louis Cardinals (81-75) are a game behind the Giants.

Miami will counter Syndergaard with right-hander Tom Koehler, who is 9-12 with a 4.02 ERA.

Koehler will make his ninth attempt this season at getting his 10th win. He is 0-4 in his past eight starts and hasn't won a game since Aug. 9 vs. the Giants.

Against the Mets for his career, he is 2-7 with a 4.37 ERA. This year against New York, he is 0-2 with a 5.63 ERA.

Mets manager Terry Collins, though, is clearly concerned that his team will once again get caught up in the emotion of what is happening with the Marlins and their loss of Fernandez.

"It was a tough night (on Monday), but we have to move on," Collins said. "I saw some real emotion (before the game). You can understand that from their team, but you saw some of our guys who were touched by the whole thing, too.

"We are all going to miss (Fernandez) for a long time. He will be in our minds forever. But we have to get back to business now."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Phillies (70-86) at Braves (63-92)

Game: 1
Venue: Turner Field
Date: September 27, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

ATLANTA -- If Freddie Freeman started his surge earlier, he might have been a viable National League Most Valuable Player candidate.

The hot-hitting Atlanta Braves first baseman leads the team into the final six games of the season, beginning Tuesday with the start of a three-game set against the Philadelphia Phillies at Turner Field.

Freeman was named the NL's Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday. It was the third time he received the honor since June. He batted .500 (11-for-22) with three doubles, two home runs and five runs in helping the Braves go 5-1.

"Freddie Freeman is a terrific hitter, he's one of the best players in the whole game," Atlanta general manager John Coppolella said.

Freeman is batting .305 with 32 home runs and 87 RBIs to go along with 43 doubles, six triples and six stolen bases.

He will try Tuesday to extend his 28-game hitting streak, only one shy of matching the longest in the majors this season. Freeman has reached base safely in 44 straight games.

Freeman owns a .357 career average against the Phillies' Tuesday starting pitcher, Jerad Eickhoff.

Atlanta ace Julio Teheran will oppose Eickhoff in the opener of the three-game series, the penultimate set at Turner Field.

Teheran (6-10, 3.10 ERA) will make his 29th start. He is coming off an impressive seven-inning stint against the New York Mets on Sept. 20 that saw him allow one run on five hits and a walk. In his four starts this September, Teheran is 2-1 with a 2.96 ERA.

Teheran is 7-4 with a 2.31 ERA in 14 career starts against the Phillies. He is 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA in two starts against Philadelphia this season. He beat the Phillies on Sept. 4 when he threw six shutout innings and struck out seven.

Eickhoff (11-14, 3.75 ERA) has been a workhorse for the Phillies. He is making his 31st start. In his last outing on Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox, Eickhoff allowed three runs -- all solo homers -- in seven innings of a win. In his four September starts, Eickhoff is 2-1 with a 2.81 ERA.

Eickhoff has made five career starts against the Braves, going 2-1 with a 1.34 ERA. His last start against Atlanta came on July 31, and he received no decision after throwing five scoreless innings.

The Phillies hope that Eickhoff can carry them deep in the game and save the bullpen, which has twice blown two saves in the same game in the past 10 days. Of particular concern is Jeanmar Gomez, who has wilted from overwork.

"The way I look at it is he's in a slump like hitters are," manager Pete Mackanin said. "I told him for the next couple of chances to close, I'm going to try somebody else. Just to give him a mental break."

The Phillies might use Hector Neris or rookie Edubray Ramos in the closer role against the Braves.

Philadelphia could be without rookie outfielder Tyler Goeddel. He was hit in the head by a pitch last week and continues to be monitored for a concussion. Manager Pete Mackanin said he wasn't sure if Goeddel would be available for the final six games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Indians (91-65) at Tigers (83-73)

Game: 2
Venue: Comerica Park
Date: September 27, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

DETROIT -- It's almost certain the Cleveland Indians will have some reserves in the starting lineup Tuesday night when they face Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers.

Cleveland clinched its first American League Central Division title since 2007 on Monday night with a 7-4 victory over Detroit, which means manager Terry Francona will give some of his veterans a night off.

The Indians won't flood the field with September call-ups, though, because they still have a chance to end up with the overall best record in the league. That would grant them home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Indians turn to youngster Mike Clevinger (2-2, 4.65 ERA) for Tuesday night's game at Detroit.

Clevinger, 25, is making his 10th career start and 16th appearance. He did not get a decision in his last start, against Kansas City, giving up two runs on four hits in five innings.

Clevinger has only appeared once against Detroit in his career, working two scoreless innings in relief July 5 at Progressive Field.

"Having your pitching set up I would say trumps everything else," Francona said of getting ready for the postseason. "Even if you're not playing well, but if you got a guy that goes out there and throws nine shutout (innings) that will hide some things.

"If you're thinking you're playing pretty good and you got a guy goes out and gives up seven, that's pretty tough."

Detroit enters Tuesday sitting two games out of the second AL Wild Card spot, held by Baltimore, with just six games left.

Cleveland has dominated Detroit this season, taking 14 of the 16 games to date.

"I don't remember ever going through something like this," Ausmus said. "I can't tell you why. I don't know if it's matchups, if it's luck, if it's happenstance. I couldn't tell you.

"If we play the same amount of games next year, I'd be surprised if it was anything like it was this year. I can't explain it. But the truth is, they've outplayed us, they've outhit us, they've out-pitched us and they out-defended us. Simple."

The Tigers pin their Wild Card hopes on Verlander (15-8, 3.21 ERA), an eight-time 15-game winner over his career.

Verlander has more appearances against the Indians than any other team, Tuesday marking his 48th start. He is 18-21 over his career against Cleveland with a 4.59 ERA.

Of course the Indians have beaten him three times this year in dominating Detroit, ripping him for a 6.46 ERA.

"It has been without question a streaky season," manager Brad Ausmus of Detroit said. "And with that in mind, I'm going to take the positive angle and say let's hope we have one more positive streak in front of us -- one more good streak in front of us.

"We're going to need some help now, that's what it is. We say, it's baseball, well, it's the same thing in the other ballparks. Anything can happen."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Twins (56-100) at Royals (79-77)

Game: 1
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: September 27, 2016 7:15 PM EDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- This season has not gone the way the Kansas City Royals and the Minnesota Twins wanted or expected.

The 2015 World Series champion Royals are on the cusp of being mathematically eliminated from the American League wild card. Their tragic number is one with six games left. Kansas City still needs three victories to assure a winning season.

The young Twins were a surprise in 2015, finishing above .500 and in second place in the AL Central. Instead of taking a step forward, the Twins lost their 100th game on Sunday, falling 4-3 to the Seattle Mariners. It is just the Twins' second 100-loss season since moving to Minnesota in 1961. The other was 1983.

The Twins and Royals, who were both off Monday, open a three-game series Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals outslugged the Detroit Tigers on Sunday 12-9, with Raul Mondesi, Cheslor Cuthbert, Salvador Perez and Alex Gordon going deep for Kansas City.

"That game really felt like it was a catfight, kicking and scratching, biting, clawing, eye-gouging," Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Wade Davis picked up his 26th save in the victory. While the Royals' bullpen is not as strong as in the past two seasons, when it won back-to-back AL championships, it still remains one of the best in the majors. Other clubs are attempting to emulate the Royals by building stalwart bullpens.

"Teams are seeing the value of it," Yost said. "I think that we proved last year that with a real strong, lock-down bullpen you can go a long way and win a world championship. It takes a lot of pressure off your starting pitchers; starting pitching is where you spend most of your money. I think we showed there are alternative ways you can be successful."

Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer, who reached 100 RBIs for the first time on Saturday, received a rare day off on Sunday, but almost certainly will be in the lineup Tuesday.

"He's had one day off all year long," Yost said. "Like some guys, he's a little beat up. It's a perfect day for it. He got his 100th RBI (Saturday). It's a good day to just take a break."

The Twins wrap up their dismal season with six road games, three each at Kansas City and Chicago. They drew 1.963,912 fans to Target Field, where they lost 50 of 81 games.

"Despite the year, we felt supported by our fans, drawing close to two million fans in a year in which things did not go particularly well," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "I just wanted to acknowledge that on behalf of the team. We appreciate the people coming out."

The Royals have had their way with the Twins this year, winning 13 of 16.

Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy will start the series opener. Kennedy, who has a 3.52 ERA in four September starts, is 3-0 with a 2.31 ERA against Minnesota this year. He is 4-1 with a 3.35 ERA in six career starts versus the Twins.

Kennedy lost his previous start, 4-3 Wednesday at Cleveland, allowing three runs and a season-high 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings for his first road defeat since July 1. Kennedy's 2.36 ERA since July 30 leads the American League, giving up 18 earned runs in 68 2/3 innings. He is 5-1 since that date after an 0-3 record and 4.96 ERA in July.

The Twins will counter with Jose Berrios, who has endured a rough rookie indoctrination -- 2-7 with an 8.88 ERA and only one quality start in his first dozen starts. Berrios threw three scoreless innings Wednesday against Detroit before rain washed it out. Prior to that, Berrios gave up two runs on four hits and three walks in four innings in a 3-0 loss at the New York Mets.

This will be his third start this year against the Royals. Berrios is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in the first two, yielding nine runs in nine innings. He has walked 31 and struck out 46 in 48 2/3 innings this year.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Brewers (71-86) at Rangers (92-65)

Game: 2
Venue: Globe Life Park in Arlington
Date: September 27, 2016 8:05 PM EDT

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The only thing left on the table for the Texas Rangers in the regular season is the best record in the American League.

That quest for home-field advantage through the AL postseason took a hit in the series opener against the lowly Milwaukee Brewers.

The fourth-place team in the National League Central rocked the AL West champs 8-3 Monday night.

The loss knocked Texas (92-65) a half-game back of red-hot Boston (92-64) in the race for the top mark in the Junior Circuit. The Rangers are a half-game up on Cleveland (91-65).

The Red Sox take an 11-game winning streak into Tuesday night's game with the New York Yankees. Texas and the Brewers square off in the second of three games at Globe Life Park.

Rangers left fielder Carlos Gomez did his part in the series opener against his former club. Gomez, who went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs, is making the most of his second chance since being waived by Houston.

"It's a big opportunity," he said. "They signed me and gave me basically the everyday job. Just go to left field. You're my left fielder. How I started in Houston, and then to come here and lead off and play left field, they saw something the other team didn't see. It's a big opportunity. It's a blessing to be on a winning team."

The Brewers know all too well what Gomez can do. He was a two-time All-Star (2013-14) with Milwaukee before being traded to the Astros last season.

"With his season, I think they're trying to get to confident place," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "It looks like they're getting him there, so he's going to be an important player for them in the playoffs."

Texas has to deal with Jonathan Villar, who homered twice Monday and drove in a career-high five. The second baseman had been 3-for335 this month before stinging the Rangers with three extra-base hits.

"I needed it because this month has been a little bit bad," Villar said. "I want to finish strong."

The Rangers, only 5-6 in their last 11, send struggling right-hander A.J. Griffin (7-4, 4.94 ERA) to the mound. Griffin matched the shortest outing of his career on Sept. 20 by lasting just 1 2/3 innings and allowing three earned runs against the Los Angeles Angels.

He has gone 3-3 with a 6.32 ERA over his last nine starts.

If anything, Texas hasn't been hurt by Griffin's ineffectiveness. The club has won four of five and eight of his last 11 starts since July 24. Griffin is facing the Brewers for the first time since 2013.

Milwaukee counters with Jimmy Nelson (8-15, 4.50) in his 32nd start of the season. The right-hander last started Sept. 21 against Pittsburgh in a 4-1 loss, going five innings and allowing four runs on six hits.

He was 5-3 with a 2.88 ERA in his first 11 starts and is 3-12 with a 5.65 ERA in his last 20. The club is 12-19 in his starts. Nelson has never faced the Rangers.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Mariners (83-73) at Astros (82-75)

Game: 2
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Date: September 27, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

HOUSTON -- With one more loss on what initially appeared to be a fortuitously scheduled and perfectly timed homestand, the Astros inched closer to elimination from the postseason and the realization of a golden opportunity squandered.

With their 4-3, extra-inning setback, the Astros (82-75) dropped to 1-4 on their seven-game homestand against the Angels and Mariners (83-73), who moved 1 1/2 games ahead of the Astros in the American League wild-card race and two games behind the idle Orioles (85-71) for the second available slot. Houston capped a 5-1 road trip through Seattle and Oakland before returning home with high hopes.

"Obviously, we came off of a really hot road trip feeling pretty good," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "We've played extra innings games, we've played really close games, and they haven't gone our way. That's the way the games go sometimes. It's not as if we're out there not giving our best or not coming prepared -- we're just not executing at the most critical times. But we're going to keep fighting these last five games and see where it takes us, but certainly, it's disappointing."

Right-hander Mike Fiers (11-8, 4.50 ERA) will make his third start of the season and fourth of his career against Seattle on Tuesday. He has allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over 9 1/3 innings against Seattle in 2016, going 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA. Fiers is 1-0 with a 4.20 ERA in his career against them.

Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez (11-6, 3.61 ERA) will make his 24th start of the season on Tuesday night. Hernandez did not factor in the decision in his previous outing despite tossing seven shutout innings on Sept. 21 against Toronto.

Hernandez is 3-4 with a 4.07 ERA in nine career starts against the Astros including five starts at Minute Maid Park where he has posted a 2-2 record and 5.40 ERA. In his lone start against Houston this season, Hernandez took the loss after allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits and three walks over 4 1/3 innings on Sept. 16.

Unlike the Astros, who dropped 3 1/2 games behind the Orioles with five to play, the Mariners remain optimistic that a series win in Houston and a season-ending homestand against the Athletics just might yield their first postseason berth since 2001.

"We've got a chance," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "That's what we've been playing for and the guys, you can feel it, they really believe. Big game (Tuesday) night. We've got to keep taking care of business here and hopefully get home for the weekend and still have a chance there. I've been saying it for a month and a half, it's a game at a time and all that other good stuff. These guys believe it. They know what's on the line every night. We've got to have a little bit better at-bats. That's probably the most disappointing thing tonight, the strikeout number (16). We've got to cut that down."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Reds (66-90) at Cardinals (81-75)

Game: 2
Venue: Busch Stadium
Date: September 27, 2016 8:15 PM EDT

ST. LOUIS -- A 15-2 rout at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds on Monday represented more than a loss for the St. Louis Cardinals.

It took away the Cardinals' ability to win their way to the playoffs without requiring help from others, putting them into a more precarious spot for the regular season's final six days.

St. Louis (81-75) enters the Tuesday night matchup with Cincinnati a game behind the San Francisco Giants (82-74) for the National League's second wild-card spot. The Cardinals are 1 1/2 games behind the New York Mets (83-74) for the top wild-card position, thanks to New York's 7-3 loss at Miami on Monday.

"You never want to be embarrassed, and that's an embarrassing loss," Cardinals managed Mike Matheny said of the 13-run defeat in the series opener.

About the only positive spin Matheny could generate from the team's worst loss of 2016 was that he got to rest some players. Catcher Yadier Molina played only four innings, while outfielders Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty were excused after five.

Just three of the nine guys who started the game -- second baseman Greg Garcia, left fielder Brandon Moss and shortstop Jedd Gyorko -- played the full nine innings.

"The key is to let it go and get back in there and show a different product tomorrow," Matheny said. "This team's done a very good job of that. It was just one of those days, but they all hurt to lose."

St. Louis will turn to Adam Wainwright (12-9, 4.57 ERA) in an attempt to right the ship. The veteran right-hander is coming off a 10-5 win on Sept. 20 in Colorado, where he allowed four runs over 5 1/3 innings. He also did major damage with his bat, driving in four runs to give him 18 RBIs in 58 at-bats.

Wainwright hasn't enjoyed much success against the Reds this year, though, going 0-1 with a 6.06 ERA in three starts. In his career against Cincinnati, Wainwright is just 8-10 with a 4.41 ERA.

He will be opposed by rookie right-hander Robert Stephenson (2-2, 5.59 ERA), who was tagged for eight hits and four runs over 3 2/3 innings Wednesday night in a 9-2 loss at the Chicago Cubs. Stephenson will face the Cardinals for the first time.

Cincinnati (66-90) enjoyed perhaps its best game of the year Monday night, banging out 22 hits in a game for the first time since 2003 and notching a season high in runs. Along the way, a gaggle of Reds achieved significant milestones.

Left fielder Adam Duvall tallied single-game career highs with four hits, four runs and five RBIs. He reached 100 RBIs for the first time in his career with a three-run homer in the fifth -- his second of the game.

That Duvall has 33 homers and 100 RBIs is significant. Not only was he playing his first full major league season after coming to Cincinnati last July from San Francisco, but he was expected to be a platoon outfielder.

"Phenomenal," Reds manager Bryan Price said of Duvall's season. "It's a huge accomplishment to hit 30 homers and drive in 100 runs, and make the All-Star team. It's hard to be really good for 162 games, but even when his offense has suffered, he's never let it affect his defense."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rays (65-91) at White Sox (75-81)

Game: 2
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: September 27, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

CHICAGO -- Alex Cobb's body of work this season has been limited to only four starts, but it's been enough for Tampa Bay Rays' manager Kevin Cash to consider it a success.

Cobb will make his final start on Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox. Cobb, who missed the entire 2015 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, has pitched at least six innings in two of his four starts. He is coming off a no-decision when he allowed two earned runs and four hits over five innings Sept. 2 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Cobb's assignment Tuesday won't be simple as he faces off against White Sox ace Chris Sale (16-9), who manager Robin Ventura said Monday could still pitch twice before the regular season ends on Sunday.

But for Cobb, Tuesday's start will be much more about the future than it is about the present.

"I think (this season) is a big success because Alex goes into the offseason knowing that he's back," Cash said. "Obviously, there's room for improvement and he'll get a better feel for all of his pitches and the fastball will probably tick up a little bit more.

"Alex has come a long way and to come up here and have success has to be a reassuring feeling that he worked his tail off to get back here."

Cash said that Rays' officials are expecting Cobb to have a normal offseason with no limitations and won't have to work around managed limitations like he has since he rejoined the Rays last month.

Cobb will face a White Sox team that are playing out the string. Although the focus will be to win as much as possible with an uncertain offseason upcoming, Ventura said Monday that as long as it's done within the confines of team goals, he's fine with players looking to finish strong individually.

That includes Sale, who, after starting 14-2 has struggled throughout the second half of the season when he has fallen out of contention for the American League Cy Young Award. Sale is 2-4 in his past 10 starts and has lost two out of his past three games after back-to-back no-decisions.

Ventura said that following Tuesday's start against the Rays, Sale -- who is one win shy of his career-best 17 victories -- could also pitch in Sunday's season finale against the Twins.

But depending on how the four-game series against the Rays goes, Ventura said he could keep his starting options open.

"He (Sale) does have that option right now (to start the final game of the season)," Ventura said. "We'll get in and see how we go through it with this series and see where we are with those guys, see where they are physically, how they're doing.

"I don't plan on anything necessarily changing. It could change in a couple days, and we'll see how that goes and make adjustments as we go along. We've got enough guys here to make it through, that's not the issue."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Athletics (67-89) at Angels (70-87)

Game: 2
Venue: Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Date: September 27, 2016 10:05 PM EDT

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- As he prepares for his final start this year, the Los Angeles Angels' Ricky Nolasco hopes an encouraging finish can provide the antidote to an exasperating season.

The veteran right-hander will face rookie Daniel Mengden in the Angels' second game of their series against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium.

Nolasco, 33, brings a streak of 16 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings into the game. The 11-year veteran has not allowed a run since the Seattle Mariners' Robinson Cano hit a solo home run in the third inning of an 8-1 loss on Sept. 12.

That appearance was the only one of his past five in which Nolasco did not record a quality start. Since Aug. 31, when he threw a four-hit shutout against the Cincinnati Reds, Nolasco has permitted just 22 hits and only six walks in 35 innings while amassing 27 strikeouts, compiling a 1.80 earned-run average and holding opposing batters to a .182 average.

Coinciding with his stretch of scoreless innings is a two-game winning streak, Nolasco's first of the season. On Sept. 17, the right-hander scattered five hits and two walks in six innings to the Toronto Blue Jays while striking out seven in a 6-1 win. Then on Thursday night, Nolasco combined with two relievers for a 2-0 shutout of the Houston Astros. Nolasco allowed five hits and a walk in seven innings and added five strikeouts.

Not since August 2013, when he pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has Nolasco refused to concede a run in successive starts.

"Right now, he's throwing the ball consistently," Angels manager Mike Scioscia told MLB.com. "He's putting his pitches together better. He's able to command counts. He's pitching the outside corner and he's pitching inside well. Mixing in both breaking balls is helping him."

Nolasco's recent success provides a dramatic contrast with the rest of the season. Before his shutout against the Reds, the right-hander had lost four consecutive starts and five straight decisions. Entering that game against Cincinnati, Nolasco owned a 4-12 record and a 5.24 ERA, most of which he compiled for the Minnesota Twins. The Angels acquired Nolasco and fellow right-hander Alex Meyer at the trading deadline in a four-player deal for left-hander Hector Santiago.

"I feel I've been throwing the ball well all year, but I'm putting everything together now," Nolasco told MLB.com. "I'm trying to finish up strong."

Mengden, like Nolasco, has struggled most of the season. Acquired from the Houston Astros last year for veteran Scott Kazmir, Mengden lost his first three major league starts after being recalled from Triple-A Nashville on June 11. A 1-5 record and a 5.73 ERA led to a trip back to Nashville before the A's summoned him Sept. 3. After two more losses, the 23-year-old right-hander had the best performance of his brief career.

Mengden dispersed three hits and issued no walks in seven shutout innings while collecting six strikeouts in a 14-5 rout of the Kansas City Royals on Sept. 15. The rookie retired 10 successive Royals from the first through the fourth innings.

"I got a lot of quick, early outs on weak contact, which is what we try to do," Mengden told the Associated Press. "I went in every inning and tried to establish Strike One, which I guess has been one of my biggest flaws since I've been up here."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rockies (73-83) at Giants (82-74)

Game: 1
Venue: AT&T Park
Date: September 27, 2016 10:15 PM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO -- As San Francisco Giants left-hander Matt Moore awaits what could be the biggest game of his career in the regular-season finale Sunday, there's one thing he can do to help make it happen.

Pitch well in his second-biggest game.

Moore begins what could be a six-day trek into Giants lore Tuesday night when he gets the ball to open a three-game series against the visiting Colorado Rockies.

The Giants will begin a six-game homestand with their destiny in their hands, thanks to the St. Louis Cardinals' loss Monday night at Cincinnati.

San Francisco (82-74) will take the field one game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals (81-75) for the second of two National League Wild Card playoff spots.

The New York Mets (83-74), who also lost on Monday, begin play Tuesday in the first wild-card spot, a half-game ahead of the Giants.

Moore is slotted to pitch two of the Giants' six games this week, capped by the regular-season finale at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.

It was fitting Monday that one of the Giants' best days since the All-Star break was a result of not having played. Because when they've taken the field in the past 11 weeks, little has gone right.

The Giants, who had the best record in baseball at the All-Star break (57-33), have compiled the worst in the NL (25-41) since then.

Moore has been better than your average Giants pitcher since he was acquired at the trade deadline. He's gone 4-5 with a 4.96 ERA as a Giant, and the club has won half his 10 starts.

One of his worst outings came Sept. 5 at Colorado, when he was bombed for two home runs -- including a Carlos Gonzalez grand slam -- in the third inning of a 6-0 loss.

He had to be pulled before the end of the third, having allowed six runs on five hits.

The Rockies are coming off a four-game sweep at the hands of the Dodgers, but did help the Giants with an 11-1 home win over the Cardinals last Wednesday.

Right-hander German Marquez earned his first major league win in that game, limiting the Cardinals to one run on four hits in five innings.

The reigning Eastern League Pitcher of the Year, just 21 years old, will get the call Tuesday against the Giants.

"I was putting hitters away," Marquez gushed after the win. "It felt wonderful, man. I was excited."

The Rockies flew to San Francisco shortly after watching the Dodgers clinch the NL West with a walk-off win Sunday.

The Giants had been hoping their three season-ending games against the Dodgers could help them mount an 11th-hour comeback. Now, they figure to need wins in that series just to secure a Wild Card spot.

"Sure, you're always disappointed you don't win your division," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said after getting word of the Dodgers' clincher. "But right now our focus is keep trying to win games and get there and have a shot at it."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Dodgers (90-66) at Padres (66-90)

Game: 1
Venue: PETCO Park
Date: September 27, 2016 10:10 PM EDT

SAN DIEGO -- The Los Angeles Dodgers' Dave Roberts felt the burn.

The San Diego Padres' Andy Green felt the future.

The first-year managers are in very different places as Los Angeles visits San Diego for a three-game series that starts Tuesday at Petco Park.

"We're going to be ready to go Tuesday," Roberts promised Sunday, with champagne cascading over smiling face. "Once I get my eyes open."

Roberts' Dodgers sewed up their fourth consecutive National League West title with a 4-3, 10-inning win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday. Roberts broke the seal on his managerial career with some bubbly. Those grapes may sting, but they are far from sour.

The upbeat Roberts is unlikely to have any sour grapes regarding the lowly Padres.

After Roberts served as San Diego's bench coach under Bud Black and then interim manager Pat Murphy last season, the Padres denied Roberts' request to interview for their managerial opening during the offseason.

Instead, the job went to Green, a former third base coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Roberts landed in Los Angeles (90-66), and let's just say it worked well.

His rookie regular season was capped by Charlie Culberson's walk-off homer Sunday in the last game Vin Scully at Dodger Stadium.

Meanwhile, the Padres (66-90) are heading for a familiar destination in their sixth straight season of losing baseball. But they have been hitting improving of late.

Green's Padres capped an 8-2 second-half mark against the San Francisco Giants with a win on Sunday, one that eliminated the Giants from contention for the NL West crown. The Padres did so while giving a peek at their future, the one loaded with talent that they say just needs some seasoning.

The Dodgers may have sewn up another title, but they are not done. They are fighting the Nationals (91-65) for home-field advantage in their National League Divisional Series. Washington's lead over Los Angeles is down to one game after a 14-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday.

The Padres aren't going anywhere except into an offseason that can't get here soon enough. Yet an infusion of young talent finally reached the major league level last week.

Outfielder Manuel Margot revealed his skills on Sunday, lacking only a home run for the second cycle in franchise history.

"He's going to be really good," Green said. "He's got a feel to hit even when he wasn't getting hits the first couple of games. You could tell he was going to be getting them in short order. He's hit every pitch in a relatively short period of time. Comfortable in the box, confident -- he's going to be good."

Margot is but one of the core four, along with outfielder Hunter Renfroe, second baseman Carlos Asuaje and catcher Austin Hedges.

The San Diego newcomers will oppose Dodgers rookie Jose De Leon (2-0, 5.52 ERA) in the series opener. The 24-year-old right-hander made his major league debut Sept. 4 against the Padres, and he allowed four runs (three earned) over six innings in a win at Dodger Stadium.

Green counters with Paul Clemens (3-5, 4.48 ERA). In 14 games (10 starts) for San Diego since arriving from the Miami Marlins, he is 2-5 with a 4.11 ERA.

Clemens' only two career appearances against the Dodgers came as a reliever in July, and he gave up one run in a total of 2 1/3 innings.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Tuesday, September 27, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews

What utterly devastating news for the Miami Marlins franchise early Sunday morning when the team learned that All-Star pitcher Jose Fernandez was killed in a boating accident off Miami Beach. Fernandez was originally to start Sunday and thus probably wouldn't have been out so late at night before a start, but he had been pushed back to Monday. He is the youngest-ever All-Star to die in Major League Baseball. Just a gut punch as Fernandez was off to a Hall of Fame-caliber start to his career, and I've seen a lot of comparisons of him to a young Tom Seaver. From a baseball perspective, this is something the Marlins franchise is going to take perhaps years to recover from. Fernandez, the 2013 NL Rookie of the Year, was easily one of the five best right-handed pitchers in baseball and eventually the Marlins were likely to trade him ahead of free agency and get a mega-haul from some big-market team in terms of prospects. I don't mean to be crass here, but this is a betting site. I would imagine the Marlins are going to mail it in the rest of the way following Fernandez's death. Can't say I would blame them.


Red Sox at Yankees (+177, 8.5)

National TV game on ESPN2 and thus should have live betting. The Red Sox, on a season-high 11-game winning streak, can clinch the AL East with a win. They won't want to let off there, though, as the top seed in the AL is still to play for. Boston goes with red-hot lefty David Price (17-8, 3.91). He comes off a win in Baltimore, allowing three runs and six hits over seven. The Sox haven't lost one of his starts since Aug. 7. Price is 1-2 with an ugly 7.71 ERA vs. New York this season. Brian McCann is a career .345 hitter off him with three homers and seven RBIs in 29 at-bats. Gary Sanchez is 1-for-3 with a homer. New York rookie Luis Cessa (4-3, 4.30) suffered his third straight loss Thursday at Tampa Bay, allowing two runs over six. He is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in two appearances (one start) vs. Boston. Hanley Ramirez is 2-for-2 off him with a homer.

Key trends: The Red Sox are 10-1 in their past 11 after an off day. The Yankees are 1-6 in their past seven vs. a lefty. The "over/under" is 10-1 in Price's past 11.

Early lean: Red Sox and over.

Orioles at Blue Jays (-135, 8.5)

These two could meet again next Tuesday in the wild-card game. Baltimore's Kevin Gausman (8-11, 3.57) was roughed up last Tuesday vs. Boston in allowing five runs and 10 hits over 6.1 innings to end a streak of five consecutive quality starts. He was to then pitch Sunday but had a minor intercostal issue and thus pushed back. Gausman is 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA in two starts vs. Toronto this year. Jose Bautista is 1-for-10 against him with a homer. Josh Donaldson is 4-for-14 with two RBIs. Toronto's Aaron Sanchez (13-2, 3.12) has taken a no-decision in his past three, all Jays losses. Yet two of those were quality stats. He is 3-0 with a 3.38 ERA in four starts against Baltimore. Chris Davis is 6-for-14 off him with three homers and eight walks. Adam Jones is just 2-for-17.

Key trends: The Orioles are 1-5 in Gausman's past six in Game 1 of a series. The Jays are 7-1 in Sanchez's past eight in a series opener. The under is 9-2 in his past 11 on five days of rest.

Early lean: Blue Jays and under.

Indians at Tigers (TBA)

Surely the Tigers will be scoreboard watching the Orioles-Blue Jays on Tuesday as it directly affects Detroit. The Indians could help the Tigers by basically punting on this series since they have the AL Central wrapped up (magic number of one entering Monday). Detroit goes with Justin Verlander (15-8, 3.21), and he was a winner as I projected Thursday in Minnesota in allowing two runs and four hits over six innings with a season-high-tying 11 strikeouts. It was his seventh double-digit strikeout game of the season. Verlander is 0-3 with a 6.46 ERA in four starts vs. Cleveland despite throwing seven shutout innings against them on Sept. 17. Jason Kipnis hits .120 off him with 15 strikeouts in 50 at-bats. Carlos Santana has seven homers but 15 strikeouts in 63 at-bats against Verlander. Cleveland continues to try and stretch out rookie Mike Clevinger (2-2, 4.65) as he will be needed as a starter in the playoffs. He took a no-decision vs. the Royals on Thursday, going five and giving up two runs. Clevinger has pitched two scoreless innings of relief vs. the Tigers.

Key trends: The Tigers are 9-7 in Verlander's past seven vs. Cleveland. The over is 14-6 in his past 20 at home vs. the Tribe.

Early lean: No line because the Tribe might sit half their team if they clinch Monday night. I'd go big, big on Detroit if so.

Rays at White Sox (-164, 8)

These two playing out the string. Could this be the final home start for Chris Sale in Chicago? If I were to give odds that he's with the White Sox next year, I'd say it's 60/40 yes. But if GM Rich Hahn gets a mega-offer he wants, I think Sale is in Queens or Dallas or Los Angeles or Boston in 2017. Sale (16-9, 3.19) comes off one of his worst outings of the season, allowing six runs and seven hits in four innings at the offensively-challenged Phillies. Sale's an emotional guy and he might just be going through the motions at this point with the Pale Hose missing the playoffs again. Sale pitched at Tampa Bay on April 15 and threw a complete-game two-hitter with nine strikeouts and no walks. The Rays' Evan Longoria is 1-for-18 career against him with eight strikeouts. Tampa's Alex Cobb (1-1, 6.16) was plastered by the Yankees on Wednesday in his fourth start of the season, allowing seven runs and nine hits in 1.1 innings. The White Sox's Todd Frazier is 1-for-3 career against him. Alex Avila is 4-for-10 with a double.

Key trends: The White Sox are 6-0 in Sale's past six vs. the AL East. The under is 4-0 in Tampa's past four vs. a lefty. The under is 5-2 in Sale's past seven at home.

Early lean: White Sox and under.

Reds at Cardinals (-215, 8.5)

St. Louis has pushed back Adam Wainwright from Monday for this start. Thus, that would line up him for Sunday in a game the Cards might have to win to get into the playoffs -- or win to get into a one-game playoff to get into the playoffs. Or if the Cards are in by Sunday, they could save Wainwright for the wild-card game. Wainwright (12-9, 4.57) didn't just win in Colorado last Tuesday in allowing four runs over 5.1 innings but he also had a career-high four RBIs. He is 0-1 with a 6.06 ERA in three starts this year against the Reds. Joey Votto is a career .225 hitter off him with one homer in 40 at-bats. Tucker Barnhart is 2-for-5 with a homer. Cincinnati rookie Robert Stephenson (2-2, 5.59) makes his seventh big-league start. He has allowed exactly four earned in each of his past three and not lasted more than five innings. Stephenson hasn't seen the Cardinals.

Key trends: The Cardinals are 1-5 in Wainwright's past six at home vs. the Reds. The over is 9-3 in his past 12 overall.

Early lean: Cardinals and over.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Tuesday’s games

National League

Diamondbacks @ Nationals
Koch is making first MLB start; he’s allowed one run in seven IP in five MLB relief stints. He was 6-6, 4.08 in 21 AAA starts this year.

Scherzer is 6-0, 2.36 in his last seven starts; three of his last four went over. Nationals are 8-5 in his home starts.

Arizona lost seven of last ten games; eight of last nine Arizona road games stayed under. Nationals are 8-3 in last 11 home games; under is 5-2 in Washington’s last seven home games.

Cubs @ Pirates
Lackey is 2-1, 2.72 in his last six starts; three of his last four road starts stayed under total. Cubs lost four of his last five road starts.

Vogelsong is 0-3, 9.14 in his last five starts (under 6-6). Pirates are 1-5 in his home starts.

Chicago won six of last seven games; under is 6-2 in last eight Cub road games. Pirates lost six of last seven home games; over is 9-6 in Pittsburgh’s last 15 home games.

Mets @ Marlins
Syndergaard is 3-2, 2.15 in his last six starts; over is 5-3 in his last eight. Mets won his last four road starts.

Koehler is 0-4, 5.52 in his last six starts; over is 5-3 in his last eight. Miami is 7-7 in his home starts.

Mets are 3-5 in last eight games; seven of Mets’ last eight games went over total. Miami lost three of last five games; under is 12-5 in their last 17 home games.

Phillies @ Braves
Eickhoff is 2-1, 3.86 in his last four starts; under is 7-1 in his last eight road starts. Phillies are 6-2 in his last eight road starts.

Teheran is 3-1, 2.87 in his last five starts; seven of his last eight starts went over. Braves are 2-12 in his home starts.

Phillies lost six of last seven road games; they’re 11-14 in road series openers. Last seven Philly games went over total. Atlanta won seven of last eight games, is 8-16 in home series openers. over is 10-2-1 in last 13 Brave games.

Reds @ Cardinals
Stephenson is 0-2, 7.41 in his last four starts; his last three went over.

Wainwright is 3-1, 5.52 in his last five starts; over is 9-3 in his last 12. Cardinals are 10-5 in his home starts.

Reds lost eight of last 12 games; under is 9-4 in last 13 Cincinnati road games. St Louis lost four of last five games; five of last six Cardinal home games stayed under the total.

Dodgers @ Padres
DeLeon is 2-0, 7.36 in his three MLB starts (over 3-0). Dodgers scored 24 runs in the three games.

Clemens is 1-0, 1.69 in his last two starts; his last three stayed under. Padres are 4-3 in his home starts.

Dodgers won eight of last ten games, are 7-16 in road series openers. Under is 9-4 in Dodgers’ last 13 road games. San Diego is 7-10 in last 17 home games, 15-10 in home series openers. Under is 6-2 in their last eight home games.

Rockies @ Giants
Marquez allowed one run in five IP (82 PT) in his first MLB start.

Moore is 2-2, 9.19 in his last four starts (under 6-4). Giants split his four home starts.

Rockies lost last seven road games, are 4-14 in last 18 road series openers. Over is 9-5 in their last 14 road games. San Francisco is 5-9 in last 14 games, 3-6 in last nine home series openers. Under is 9-4 in their last 13 home games.


American League

Red Sox @ New York
Price is 8-0, 2.86 in his last nine starts; Boston won his last five road starts. Over is 9-1-1 in his last 11 starts.

Cessa is 0-3, 4.86 in his last three starts (over 4-3).

Red Sox won their last 11 games, are 18-8 in road series openers. Under is 7-1 in their last eight games. New York lost nine of last 12 games, is 9-1 in last 10 home series openers. Four of last five NY home games stayed under.

Orioles @ Blue Jays
Gausman is 5-1, 2.54 in his last seven starts; five of his last six stayed under. Orioles are 3-10 in his last 13 road starts.

Sanchez is 2-0, 4.81 in his last six starts; under is 10-3-1 in his last 14. Toronto is 7-3 in his last ten home starts.

Orioles won their last three games, are 12-13 in road series openers. Last nine Baltimore games stayed under the total. Toronto won five of last seven games, is 9-3 in last 12 home series openers. Under is 4-2-1 in their last seven home games.

Indians @ Tigers
Clevinger is 1-0, 2.77 in his last three starts; his last five stayed under. Indians lost his last three road starts.

Verlander is 3-1, 2.37 in his last seven starts; under is 14-2 in his last 16. Tigers are 8-4 in his last 12 home starts.

Indians won seven of last ten games; under is 6-3-1 in last ten Cleveland road games. Detroit lost its last three games; five of Tigers’ last six games went over the total.

Twins @ Royals
Berrios is 0-4, 8.24 in his last five starts; over is 6-2-1 in his last nine. Twins are 2-3 in his road starts.

Kennedy is 2-1, 3.52 in his last four starts; over is 4-2-1 in his last seven. Royals are 7-5 in his home starts.

Minnesota lost eight of last nine games, is 8-16 in road series openers. Under is 7-2-1 in their last ten road games. Royals won last three home games, are 2-6 in last eight home series openers. Over is 11-2-1 in their last 14 home games.

Rays @ White Sox
Cobb is 2-1, 6.63 in four starts this year (over 3-0-1).

Sale is 1-3, 3.72 in his last six starts; three of his last four went over. Chicago lost four of his last five home starts.

Rays lost seven of last eight games; under is 7-1-2 in their last ten road games. Chicago won their last three games; six of White Sox’ last eight games went over.

Mariners @ Astros
Hernandez is 2-1, 4.70 in his last four starts; over is 5-3 in his last eight road starts. Seattle is 7-4 in his road starts.

Fiers is 1-1, 1.42 in his last two starts; four of his last five stayed under the total. Houston is 10-5 in his home starts.

Mariners won nine of last ten road games; under is 8-3 in their last 11 games. Houston lost seven of last nine home games; under is 10-4 in Astros’ last 14 home games.

A’s @ Angels
Mengden is 1-4, 6.00 in his last six starts; over is 8-2 in his last ten. A’s are 2-3 in his road starts.

Nolasco is 2-0, 0.00 (13 IP) in his last two starts; under is 8-0-1 in his last nine. Angels are 2-4 in his home starts.

Oakland lost six of last seven games; seven of A’s last eight games stayed under. Angels won five of last six games; under is 10-2-1 in their last thirteen games.


Interleague

Brewers @ Rangers
Garza is 0-2, 6.60 in his last three starts; under is 3-1-1 in his last five. Milwaukee is 2-8 in his road starts.

Perez is 2-0, 2.84 in his last four starts; under is 6-3 in his last nine home starts. Texas won 11 of his last 12 home starts.

Brewers won five of last six road games; four of last six Milwaukee games stayed under. Texas is 10-5 in its last 15 home games; seven of Rangers’ last eight games stayed under the total.


Teams’ record when this pitcher starts:

Az-Wash– Koch 0-0; Scherzer 22-10
Chi-Pitt– Lackey 16-12; Vogelsong 4-8
NY-Mia– Syndergaard 18-11; Koehler 12-19
Phil-Atl– Eickhoff 15-16; Teheran 8-20
Cin-StL– Stephenson 3-3; Wainwright 20-11
LA-SD– DeLeon 2-1; Clemens 5-5/1-1
Col-SF– Marquez 1-0; Moore 5-5/9-12

Bos-NY– Price 20-13; Cessa 4-3
Balt-Tor– Gausman 13-15; Sanchez 16-12
Cle-Det– Clevinger 4-5; Verlander 19-13
Min-KC– Berrios 2-10; Kennedy 15-16
TB-Chi– Cobb 2-2; Sale 17-13
Sea-Hst– Hernandez 15-8; Fiers 17-12
A’s-LAA– Mengden 3-10; Nolasco 3-7/9-12

Mil-Tex– Nelson 12-19; Griffin 15-7


# of times pitcher allows 1+ runs in first inning:

Az-Wash– Koch 0-0; Scherzer 9-32
Chi-Pitt– Lackey 9-28; Vogelsong 6-12
NY-Mia– Syndergaard 6-29; Koehler 9-31
Phil-Atl– Eickhoff 11-31; Teheran 7-28
Cin-StL– Stephenson 3-6; Wainwright 12-31
LA-SD– DeLeon 1-3; Clemens 3-12
Col-SF– Marquez 0-1; Moore 7-31

Bos-NY– Price 10-33; Cessa 5-7
Balt-Tor– Gausman 8-28; Sanchez 6-28
Cle-Det– Clevinger 3-9; Verlander 10-32
Min-KC– Berrios 4-12; Kennedy 10-31
TB-Chi– Cobb 4-4; Sale 10-30
Sea-Hst– Hernandez 3-23; Fiers 7-29
A’s-LAA– Mengden 4-13; Nolasco 11-31

Mil-Tex– Nelson 11-31; Griffin 5-22


Umpires

Chi-Pitt– Under is 6-3 in last nine Wolcott games.
Az-Wash– Under is 3-0-1 in last four Hamari games.
NY-Mia– Five of last seven Carapazza games stayed under.
Cin-StL– Under is 3-1-1 in last five Knight games.

Cle-Det– Four of last five Bellino games stayed under.
Sea-Hst– Five of last six Cooper games stayed under.
TB-Chi– Home side won six of last seven Estabrook games.
A’s-LA– Seven of last nine Blakney games stayed under.

Mil-Tex– Six of last seven Hudson games went over total.


Teams’ records in first five innings:

Team (road-home-total)- thru 9/26

Arizona 26-40-11…..34-39-6…….60-78
Atlanta 29-40-11…..26-35-13……55-75
Cubs 40-25-10……48-24-10…….88-49
Reds 25-44-9……35-38-5…….60-82
Colo 29-36-13…..36-36-4……..65-72
LA 31-33-11……49-25-8…….79-58
Miami 32-34-10…..35-27-17…….67-61
Milw 26-42-10……41-29-10…..67-71
Mets 32-45-10……39-29-12……71-64
Philly 25-34-19…..30-34-14……55-68
Pitt 25-41-13…..42-28-8……67-68
St. Louis 37-37-7……28-34-13…….65-71
SD 24-50-5…..35-35-8……..59-85
SF 36-37-9…….38-22-14……74-59
Wash 40-24-17….30-23-22……69-47

Orioles 30-37-9…….40-34-8…….70-71
Boston 35-32-11……45-23-9…….80-55
White Sox 33-37-10…….40-31-6……..73-68
Cleveland 39-27-10……39-32-8……..78-59
Detroit 32-33-12…….33-38-5……..65-71
Astros 30-35-14…..36-32-8……..66-67
KC 29-40-13……32-28-14……61-68
Angels 33-41-7…….28-35-13…….61-76
Twins 29-37-13…….26-41-15…..55-78
NYY 27-44-9……34-31-13……..61-75
A’s 27-41-8……28-36-17……55-76
Seattle 38-30-11……35-28-13……73-58
Tampa Bay 28-33-13……35-36-12……63-69
Texas 29-40-12…….38-28-9……67-68
Toronto 46-27-5……..43-30-6……89-57

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Tuesday’s six-pack

Six of the more interesting college football games this weekend:

— Stanford @ Washington (-3)– Interesting game in Pac-12 North

— Wisconsin @ Michigan (-10.5)– Badgers not getting much respect.

— Louisville (-1) @ Clemson– Huge game in the ACC.

— Arizona State @ USC (-9)– Trojans favored by 9.5? Really?

— Oklahoma (-3.5) @ TCU– Big game for young Horned Frogs.

— Oregon (-1) @ Washington State– Sadly, this is on Pac-12 Network.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

#1 Sports

Tuesday's Free Selection: Chicago White Sox - 165

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Mike Wynn

Bonus Play: MLB Oakland w/Mengden +125 Over LA Angels

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Totals4U

Tuesday's Free Selection: Oakland Athletics/Los Angeles Angels over 8 1/2