Wednesday 6/1/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Diamondbacks (23-31) at Astros (24-29)

Game: 3
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Date: June 01, 2016 8:10 PM EDT

The Arizona Diamondbacks couldn't handle the Houston Astros at Chase Field, so they'll now have to try to figure them out at Minute Maid Park.

The emerging Astros return home Wednesday night with their two longest winning streaks of the season having come in the final eight days of May.

After Tuesday's 8-5 victory in Arizona, the Astros (24-29) have won a season-best four in a row and seven of eight to close out May after falling to 17-28. It comes after never winning more than two in a row in the first 45 games.

The offense deserves most of the credit with eight runs in each of the last three games while batting .331. George Springer is hitting .457 in the past eight and went 6 for 8 with a home run and five RBIs in the two games in Arizona. Jose Altuve is 8 for 16 in the last three.

'We're playing with more confidence, it's simple as that,' Tuesday's starter Lance McCullers said. 'We have guys taking confident ABs, guys pitching with confidence and we're starting to hit on all points of the game when we need to, which is nice to see."

The Diamondbacks (23-31) have lost six of eight and head to Houston with a three-game road losing streak. Over those eight, Arizona's starting staff has posted a 9.30 ERA. Its starters Monday and Tuesday combined for 6 2/3 innings.

That loads the pressure on Robbie Ray (2-4, 4.67 ERA) to eat some innings. Ray, however, hasn't made it beyond five in his last two starts. He lost both and gave up five runs and nine hits with two homers in Friday's 10-3 home defeat to San Diego.

The left-hander got off to a strong start with a 1-0 record and 1.96 ERA while making it through at least six innings of his first three outings. In his last seven, he's 1-4 with a 6.15 mark.

He struck out eight and needed 97 pitches against the Padres.

"I felt good coming out of the bullpen," Ray told MLB's official website. "I felt strong with all my pitches, and I was able to get out of some jams there, but I just left a few pitches up, and they made me pay for it. It's just frustrating because I know I'm better than that."

Ray is 1-1 with a 4.30 ERA in three starts against Houston, and those have totaled just 14 2/3 innings. Altuve is 4 for 8 against him, while Springer is 3 for 4.

Houston counters with Mike Fiers (3-3, 5.20), whose latest start makes Ray's look respectable. Fiers gave up seven runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings of Friday's 7-2 loss at the Los Angeles Angels. In three starts since his last win, the right-hander is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA.

Six of the seven runs came in one inning against the Angels.

"I just gave up a couple of bloop hits to the bottom of the order, then a couple of big hits to (Mike) Trout and (Albert) Pujols to open it up," Fiers said. "They came out swinging from the start. I've just got to make better pitches. I didn't show them any curveballs at all, and I think they really capitalized."

He's 1-2 with a 5.63 ERA in three starts against the Diamondbacks. Paul Goldschmidt is 3 for 8 with a home run and two doubles in the matchup, while Yasmany Tomas is 2 for 3 with a homer.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rays (22-28) at Royals (29-22)

Game: 3
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: June 01, 2016 8:15 PM EDT

It was only two weeks ago that the Kansas City Royals were two games under .500 and looking nothing like the club that won last year's World Series.

Now they're making those who doubted them eat their words.

Kansas City has won a season-high five straight and will look to continue rolling against Chris Archer and the slumping Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium.

The Royals (29-22) struggled from late April through the first couple weeks of May and couldn't make up any ground on the then-surging Chicago White Sox in the AL Central. They've won 12 of their last 15, though - including five of six against the White Sox in that stretch - to take over first place in the division.

Kansas City is averaging 7.25 runs over its last eight after Tuesday's 10-5 win over the Rays (22-28). Eric Hosmer went 3 for 5 and is batting .538 with two homers and 14 RBIs during a six-game hitting streak.

Lorenzo Cain and Kendrys Morales each hit a two-run homer as the Royals improved to 14-1 at home against Tampa Bay since the start of the 2012 season.

They suffered a blow in the fifth inning, though, as rookie outfielder Brett Eibner was carted off the field after spraining his left ankle chasing Brad Miller's triple. Eibner was 1 for 2 before being replaced by Jarrod Dyson and is batting .462 while hitting safely in all four games he has played since making his major league debut Friday.

It might not be a bad thing if Dyson is in the lineup to face Archer, though. Dyson and Cain went deep off Archer (3-6, 4.62 ERA) on July 8 as he tied career highs with nine runs and 12 hits allowed while going six innings of a 9-7 loss.

They're not the only Royals who have hit Archer hard. Alcides Escobar is 7 for 9 and Morales is 7 for 11 with a homer and three doubles against the Rays' ace, who is still struggling to find some consistency.

Archer pitched five scoreless innings against the New York Yankees on Friday before the Rays came apart in the sixth. They committed three errors - including one on a pickoff attempt by Archer - and gave up three unearned runs in a 4-1 loss.

The right-hander allowed just four hits while going a season-high eight innings, though. He entered that start with a 10.80 first-inning ERA but got out of it unscathed.

"I'm going pitch by pitch," Archer said. "I'm not thinking about what happens in the past. I'm not thinking about a few pitches ahead."

Hopefully that means Archer has forgotten about his last outing against Kansas City, which counters with Danny Duffy.

Duffy (0-0, 3.23) will be making a fourth straight start after 16 appearances out of the bullpen, and his longest outing of the season began well but finished poorly Friday. He retired the first 16 batters he faced on 59 pitches before giving up five runs on his next 17, lasting 5 1/3 innings and getting a no-decision in the Royals' 7-5 win over the Chicago White Sox.

The left-hander didn't give up a run while allowing five hits in 7 1/3 innings over his previous two starts.

'That's probably the best (and) worst game I've ever had,' Duffy said.

Duffy went more than four years between starts against the Rays before giving up two runs and seven hits in five innings of Kansas City's 3-2 loss Aug. 30.

Brandon Guyer is 3 for 3 with a homer off Duffy, but he went 0 for 5 on Tuesday as the Rays lost for the ninth time in 11 tries. Guyer is 2 for 17 over his last four.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Reds (17-35) at Rockies (24-27)

Game: 3
Venue: Coors Field
Date: June 01, 2016 8:40 PM EDT

No one knew what Tyler Chatwood would be capable of after undergoing a second Tommy John surgery nearly two years ago.

Needless to say, the Colorado Rockies are plenty impressed with how he's performed.

He'll try for a second straight solid outing at Coors Field when he takes the mound Wednesday night against the Cincinnati Reds.

Chatwood (6-3, 2.69 ERA) was great again Friday, allowing only an unearned run and four hits in seven innings of a 5-2 win over San Francisco. It marked the sixth time in 10 starts that he's allowed one earned run or fewer.

The right-hander, who had Tommy John surgery after four starts in 2014 and missed all of last year recovering, had a 6.65 ERA in four home starts prior to that compared to his baseball-best 0.53 road ERA.

He also didn't walk a batter for the first time since his first outing of the season.

'That's what we talked to Chatty about in spring training - just to keep your expectations realistic, because he's such a competitor and a perfectionist,' manager Walt Weiss said. 'He's gone above and beyond so far this year. You can't realistically expect him to do what he's doing after missing two years, but he's a pretty special kid.'

Weiss hopes the offense saved some pop for Chatwood's outing after the Rockies (24-27) tied a season high for runs and snapped a three-game skid with Tuesday's 17-4 rout of the Reds (17-35). Colorado also tied a franchise record set in 1997 by homering seven times, including two apiece from Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado.

"I've been in a lot of games where we score a lot of runs, but today was impressive, because everybody was hitting a home run,' Carlos Gonzalez said. 'I'm happy that I was part of it.'

Blackmon led off the Rockies' half of the first with a homer for the second straight day to extend his hitting streak to nine, and Arenado drove in DJ LeMahieu two batters later with a shot of his own as they scored five times in the opening inning.

Colorado scored six more in the seventh, highlighted by Blackmon's grand slam. Gonzalez homered in his fourth straight while going 3 for 5 and is batting .514 during his own nine-game hitting streak. LeMahieu went 4 for 4 with a homer and four runs scored while improving his average to .378 during his 10-game run.

John Lamb will be tasked with shutting down the Rockies' explosive lineup. The Reds have lost each of Lamb's five starts, but he didn't give them much of a chance Friday.

Lamb (0-3, 6.85) allowed six runs and seven hits - two homers - and walked three in 3 2/3 innings of a 9-5 defeat at Milwaukee. He has a 10.54 ERA over his last three starts after giving up two runs in 10 innings in his first two.

"Personally speaking, I'm hopeful for a good day at the office," Lamb said. "Just (taking it) day by day, doing what we can do.'

The left-hander has never faced the Rockies, who try to send Cincinnati to its 14th loss in 16 games. It finished with five homers, 11 runs and a season-high 17 hits while winning Monday's series opener but trailed 8-1 by the end of the third Tuesday.

Joey Votto homered for the second straight day, and Jay Bruce finished a single short of the cycle. Bruce is batting .435 with seven extra-base hits over a five-game hitting streak at Coors Field.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Mariners (30-21) at Padres (20-33)

Game: 3
Venue: PETCO Park
Date: June 01, 2016 10:10 PM EDT

Felix Hernandez certainly likes pitching at Petco Park. The Seattle Mariners ace can use a change of scenery after his last performance.

The right-hander looks to bounce back from one of his two bad starts of the season and remain undefeated on the road against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night when these teams continue a four-game series that Seattle has dominated thus far.

Hernandez (4-4, 2.86 ERA) had his first rough outing May 4 in Oakland, allowing eight runs - four earned - and nine hits in four-plus innings. He returned to form by recording a 2.21 ERA over his next three starts before struggling again Friday against AL-worst Minnesota.

The Twins reached Hernandez for six runs - five in the third inning - over six to hand him a 7-2 loss. He entered with a 1.55 ERA in his first four starts at Safeco Field.

"Obviously he's a great pitcher and has had a great career and has pitched a lot of great ball games here, just tonight was not one of them," manager Scott Servais told MLB's official website. "They just got going on him there in the third inning and he couldn't get them off his stuff.

"It happens. He's going to start 34 or 35 games for us and I hope that's the only one like that, but it's going to happen once in a while."

Hernandez hasn't any bad starts at Petco, going 5-0 with a 1.51 ERA in seven outings and posting a 1.13 ERA in the past six. He's also 20-9 with a 2.75 ERA in 37 starts against NL teams.

The Mariners (30-21) seem poised to give Hernandez plenty of support after rolling to a pair of victories in the first two games against last-place San Diego (20-33). They followed Monday's 9-3 win with a 16-4 rout Tuesday and have outscored the Padres 37-7 during a four-game win streak in the series.

Seattle scored its most runs Wednesday since crossing the plate 21 times at Texas in May 2012. It hit five home runs, with Seth Smith going deep twice and driving in four.

"We've got guys throughout the lineup that can do it and some guys that have been doing it all season," Smith said. "It's unique when it comes together and everybody is doing it on the same day, but nothing anyone did today was surprising."

San Diego sends Christian Friedrich (1-1, 1.65) to the mound for his fourth start. He's coming off his first win since 2012 with Colorado after allowing three hits over seven scoreless innings of a 10-3 victory at Arizona on Friday.

Friedrich went 0-11 with a 5.69 ERA in his previous 89 appearances.

"I didn't know that it had been four years," said Friedrich, who signed a minor league deal March 3 after the Rockies designated him for assignment. "I was sure I snaked a win last year. But I wouldn't be in this spot if not for getting an opportunity to pitch here in San Diego."

The left-hander is 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA in four games - one start - against Seattle. Kyle Seager, 4 for 6 with two home runs and six RBIs in the first two games of this series, has gone 5 for 6 with a pair of homers when facing him.

Friedrich's win Friday is the only one for San Diego in the last nine games.

"Everyone's kind of pressing now," said Tuesday's starter James Shields, who tied a career high with 10 runs allowed.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Wednesday, June 1, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews

I've written before that there may be no owner more loyal than the Chicago White Sox's Jerry Reinsdorf (that also goes for his Bulls franchise). But sometimes you have to make tough decisions on people you might have an affinity for, and it's starting to look like Reinsdorf might have to pull the plug on Manager Robin Ventura. The Pale Hose are in a total free-fall, going from leading the AL Central a couple of weeks ago by six games to third place in the division. The bullpen has been terrible since early May and the offense usually struggles to score three runs. Check out Jose Abreu's numbers! That offense made struggling Mets starter Matt Harvey look like Clayton Kershaw on Monday. Ace Chris Sale felt the need to recently come out in support of Ventura. It should be noted that Ventura is in the final year of his contract, so it's not like Reinsdorf would be eating a ton of money.


White Sox at Mets (-195, 7.5)

First pitch of the day at 1:10 p.m. ET in a getaway game. It's Pale Hose fifth starter Miguel Gonzalez (0-1, 4.50) trying to stop the bleeding. The Sox have dropped his past three outings. He gave up three runs and eight hits over 6.1 innings Friday in Kansas City in a no-decision as the bullpen blew a late lead as it did all weekend. This is Gonzalez's first interleague start since last July. Yoenis Cespedes is 6-for-13 off him with two RBIs. Curtis Granderson is 1-for-14 with six strikeouts. Asdrubal Cabrera is 3-for-13 with a solo homer. New York announced Monday that third baseman David Wright, who sat out again, is dealing with a herniated disk in his neck. So I'd imagine he will be out a while. The Mets start Jacob deGrom (3-1, 2.81). He is looking for his first since April 30. He deserved one Friday against the Dodgers in allowing a run and three hits over seven innings and left with a 5-1 lead but got another no-decision. DeGrom has never faced the White Sox.

Key trends: The White Sox have dropped four straight on Wednesday. The Mets are 19-7 in deGrom's past 26 at home. The "over/under" has gone under in five of deGrom's past seven vs. teams with a winning record.

Early lean: Mets and under.

Twins at A's (-115, 8.5)

A 3:35 p.m. ET getaway first pitch. The Twins have placed outfielder Danny Santana on the 15-day DL with a strained left hamstring, his second visit to the DL this season with that problem. Of bigger news is the team bringing back up top prospect Byron Buxton from Triple-A. He was completely overmatched in the majors early this season but then was tearing up the minors again once sent back down. This season already is a lost cause for the Twins, but at least they could have some optimism for 2017 if Buxton can finally start hitting in the bigs. Minnesota starts rookie left-hander Pat Dean (1-1, 3.43). He got his first win Friday in Seattle, allowing two runs over seven innings. The A's start their own rookie lefty, Sean Manaea (1-3, 7.03). He has made six starts and obviously that ERA isn't good but two of the past three were quality.

Key trends: The Twins are 1-8 in their past nine on Wednesday. The A's are 24 games under .500 in their past 47 vs. left-handers. The over is 4-0 in Oakland's past four at home vs. a lefty.

Early lean: A's and over.

Nationals at Phillies (+188, 7.5)

Kudos to the Phillies for overachieving thus far, but it appears they are starting to fade; with their run differential, they should be several games under .500. Manager Pete Mackanin has announced he's going to start sitting lefty slugger Ryan Howard even against some right-handed pitchers since Howard isn't hitting and the team wants to see what young Tommy Joseph can do at first base. They go with lefty Adam Morgan (1-3, 6.67) here. He was bombed for six runs and eight hits Friday at the Cubs. Morgan has never faced Washington. The Nats go with Max Scherzer (5-4, 4.05), who can't seem to string more than a few dominant outings together. He wasn't sharp Friday against St. Louis, allowing five runs and walking four in seven innings a loss. Scherzer allowed a grand slam for the first time since 2010 and has given up an MLB-high 15 dingers this season. He is 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA this year against Philly. Monitor the status of Bryce Harper as he's day-to-day after leaving Monday with a knee contusion. He was hit there by a pitch.

Key trends: The Nationals are 7-0 in their past seven road games vs. a lefty. They are 7-3 in Scherzer's past 10 on the road. The Phillies are 1-4 in Morgan's past five vs. the NL East. The over is 3-1-2 in Scherzer's past six vs. Philly.

Early lean: Nationals and over.

Giants at Braves (TBA)

San Francisco got initial good news on third baseman Matt Duffy on Monday. He took a pitch off his left wrist in that day's game vs. Atlanta but X-rays were negative. But he might have to miss a game or two. Duffy was great last year as a rookie but hitting .242 with two homers and 12 RBIs in 2016. The Giants have a hole in their rotation in this spot after putting Matt Cain on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring. It's expected to be righty Albert Suarez (1-1, 2.25) here. Cain left Friday's start in Colorado with the injury after 1.2 innings and Suarez relieved him and went five innings, allowing three runs and five hits in taking the loss. This is the 26-year-old's first season in the majors and he has pitched 12 innings in relief. The Braves will go with Williams Perez (2-1, 3.72). He allowed two runs and seven hits over six innings vs. Miami on Friday in a no-decision. Perez was 1-1 with a 3.46 ERA last year against the Giants in two starts as a rookie. Duffy, if he can play, is 1-for-7 off him with two RBIs. Buster Posey is 3-for-3.

Key trends: The Braves are 5-1 in Perez's past six at home and 6-1 in his past seven overall vs. teams with a winning record. The over is 11-5 in Perez's past 16 overall.

Early lean: This is TBA awaiting official word on Giants' starter but all signs point to Suarez. Braves will be dogs regardless and I like them for a rare home win here.

Dodgers at Cubs (-183, TBA)

ESPN game and will have live betting at sportsbooks. The Dodgers start Mike Bolsinger (1-1, 4.50), who was born in the Windy City. He made his second start of the season last Tuesday against Cincinnati, allowing two runs and three hits over 5.2 innings. He likely will stay in the rotation awhile because the rehabbing Hyun-Jin Ryu has had a bit of a setback and now may not return until July. He missed all of last season following Tommy John surgery. Bolsinger's first big-league start was April 24, 2014, at Wrigley Field while a member of the Diamondbacks and he got his first win. Jason Heyward is 2-for-4 off him with an RBI. Addison Russell is 2-for-2. The Cubbies go with lefty Jon Lester (5-3, 2.48), whom the Dodgers looked at signing two offseasons ago. Lester bounced back from his worst start of the season by allowing an earned run over 6.1 innings Friday against the Phillies. He is 1-2 with a 5.19 ERA in three career starts vs. the Dodgers.

Key trends : The Dodgers are 1-5 in Bolsinger's past six vs. teams with a winning record. The Cubs are 3-7 in Lester's past 10 vs. teams with a winning record. The under is 3-1-1 in Lester's past five at home.

Early lean: Cubs.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Wednesday's games

National League games

Giants @ Braves
Suarez is making first MLB start; he's allowed three runs in 12 IP in five relieg stints in majors, and is 1-2, 2.88 in three AAA starts this year.

Perez is 2-1, 2.73 in his last five starts; three of his last four stayed under. .

Giants are 13-3 in last 17 road games; under is 16-7 in their last 23 games. Atlanta won three of last four games; four of their last six games went over. .

Cardinals @ Brewers
Garcia is 3-2, 3.81 in his last five starts; three of his four road starts went over.

Davies is 2-0, 5.24 in his last four starts; four of his last five went over.

Cardinals are 12-6 in last 18 road games; over is 9-3-1 in their last 13 games overall. Milwaukee lost three of last four games; over is 4-1-1 in its last six games.

Dodgers @ Cubs
Bolsinger is 0-2, 4.50 in two starts this year (over 2-0).

Lester is 1-2, 4.60 in his last three starts; four of his last five went over.

Dodgers won seven of last nine games; over is 10-6 in their last 16 road games. Cubs won 11 of last 15 home games; over is 9-5 in their last 14.

Reds @ Rockies
Lamb is 0-3, 11.19 in his last three starts (over 2-2-1).

Chatwood is 2-0, 2.25 in his last three starts (under 9-1).

Cincinnati lost 13 of last 15 games; over is 11-3-2 in their last 16. Colorado lost six of its last nine games (over 8-1).

Nationals @ Phillies
Scherzer is 2-3, 4.58 in his last five starts (over 6-3-2).

Morgan is 0-3, 9.88 in his last three starts (over 3-3). .

Nationals won six of last seven road games; four of their last five road games stayed under. Philly lost nine of last 11 games; six of its last seven home games stayed under.

Pirates @ Marlins
Niese is 2-0, 1.89 in his last three starts (over 7-3).

Conley is 1-2, 5.95 in his last four starts (over 3-1).

Pirates won six of their last nine games; over is 16-8 in their last 24 road tilts. Miami is 6-8 in its last 14 games; four of their last six games went over.


American League games

Red Sox @ Orioles
Kelly is 2-0, 6.30 in his five starts (over 3-2).

Wright is 1-1, 5.73 in his last four starts; his last five starts went over.

Red Sox won its last three games; over is 14-5-2 in their last 21 games. Baltimore lost seven of last nine games; over is 3-1-1 in its last five games.

Twins @ A's
Dean is 1-0, 2.77 in his two MLB starts (over 1-1). .

Manaea is 1-3, 6.95 in his last four starts, last three of which stayed under.

Twins won four of last six games; over is 12-4-1 in their last 17 road games. A's won their last four games; under is 15-11 in their last 26 home games.

Rangers @ Indians
Hamels is 1-1, 6.29 in his last four starts, which all went over.

Bauer is 0-2, 5.09 in his last three starts; three of his last four stayed under.

Rangers won nine of their last 11 games; seven of their last ten road games went over the total. Cleveland lost four of its last five games; ten of their last 11 home games went over the total.

Bronx @ Blue Jays
Tanaka is 2-0, 0.64 in his last two starts (under 7-2 in last nine).

Sanchez is 3-0, 3.48 in his last six starts (under 7-3).

New York won seven of its last ten road games; under is 17-8-1 in their road games. Blue Jays won six of last seven games; their last three games stayed under.

Rays @ Royals
Archer is 1-2, 6.55 in his last four starts, three of which went over.

Duffy is 0-0, 3.55 in his three starts this year (under 2-1).

Rays lost nine of last 11 games; over is 10-1-1 in their last 12 road games. Kansas City won eight of last nine home games (over 5-1-2 in last eight).

Tigers @ Angels
Fulmer is 3-0, 3.38 in his last four starts (over 5-1).

Shoemaker is 2-0, 2.18 in his last three starts (over 4-4-1)

Tigers lost 12 of last 15 road games; over is 10-6 in their last 16 road games. Angels won four of last five home games; over is 7-3 in their last ten home games.


Interleague

White Sox @ Mets
Gonzalez is 0-1, 4.45 in his five starts, four of which went over.

deGrom is 0-0, 3.55 in his last four starts (over 5-3).

White Sox are 5-15 in their last 20 games; over is 14-4 in their last 18 road games. New York won seven of last 11 games; over is 8-5 in their last thirteen games.

Mariners @ Padres
Hernandez is 1-2, 4.19 in his last three starts (under 7-3).

Friedrich is 1-1, 1.65 in his last three starts (over 2-1).

Padres lost eight of last nine games; six of their last seven games went over. Seattle is 14-4 in its last 18 road games; its last seven games went over.

Diamondbacks @ Astros
Ray is 1-2, 6.00 in his last four starts (over 3-0-1).

Fiers is 1-2, 5.64 in his last four starts; over is 4-1-1 in his last six starts. .

Astros won seven of its last eight games; over is 4-1 in their last five games Arizona lost six of last eight games; its last 11 games went over the total.


Teams won-lost records when this pitcher starts:

SF-Atl-- Suarez 0-0; Perez 5-2
StL-Mil-- Garcia 5-5; Davies 3-5
LA-Chi-- Bolsinger 1-1; Lester 7-3
Cin-Colo-- Lamb 0-5; Chatwood 7-3
Wsh-Phil-- Scherzer 6-5; Morgan 2-4
Pitt-Mia-- Niese 7-3; Conley 5-5

Bos-Blt-- Kelly 3-2; Wright 5-3
Min-A's-- Dean 2-0; Manaea 2-4
Tex-Clev-- Hamels 7-3; Bauer 2-4
NY-Tor-- Tanaka 7-3; Sanchez 6-4
TB-KC-- Archer 4-7; Duffy 3-0
Det-LAA-- Fulmer 5-1; Shoemaker 3-6

Chi-NY-- Gonzalez 2-3; deGrom 5-3
Sea-SD-- Hernandez 5-5; Friedrich 2-1
Az-Hst-- Ray 3-7; Fiers 4-5


Starting pitchers allowing 1+ runs in first inning:

SF-Atl-- Suarez 0-0; Perez 2-7
StL-Mil-- Garcia 2-10; Davies 3-8
LA-Chi-- Bolsinger 1-2; Lester 1-10
Cin-Colo-- Lamb 3-5; Chatwood 2-10
Wsh-Phil-- Scherzer 5-11; Morgan 1-6
Pitt-Mia-- Niese 2-10; Conley 3-10

Bos-Blt-- Kelly 2-4; Wright 1-8
Min-A's-- Dean 1-2; Manaea 1-6
Tex-Clev-- Hamels 2-10; Bauer 2-6
NY-Tor-- Tanaka 1-9; Sanchez 2-10
TB-KC-- Archer 5-11; Duffy 0-3
Det-LAA-- Fulmer 2-6; Shoemaker 3-9

Chi-NY-- Gonzalez 4-5; deGrom 2-8
Sea-SD-- Hernandez 0-10; Friedrich 1-3
Az-Hst-- Ray 1-10; Fiers 2-9


Umpires

Wsh-Phil-- Favorites won last five Demuth games.
Pitt-Mia-- Five of last six Hoye games went over.
SF-Atl-- Four of last isx Nauert games stayed under.
LA-Chi-- Over is 7-3 in Johnson games this season.
StL-Mil-- Three of last four Little games went over.
Cin-Colo-- Six of nine Blakney games went over.

Tex-Cle-- Last three HGibson games stayed under.
Bos-Balt-- Favorites won five of last six Eddings games.
NY-Tor-- Under is 3-1-1 in last five Culbreth games.
TB-KC-- Under is 4-1-2 in last seven LBarrett games.
Det-LAA-- Under is 7-3 in Tichenor games this season.
Min-A's-- Under is 6-2-1 in Everitt games this year.

Chi-NY-- Three of last four Davis games went over.
Hst-Az-- Over is 5-2-1 in Barber games this season.
Sea-SD-- Favorites won six of last eight West games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Wednesday's six-pack

Season over/under win totals for SEC football teams this fall:

Alabama 10, under -$120. LSU 10, under -$120

Tennessee 9.5, under -$125. Georgia 8.5

Ole Miss 8.5, under -$120. Arkansas 7.5, over -$120

Florida 7.5, over -$125. Auburn 6.5

Miss State 6.5, over -$120. Texas A&M 6, over -$120

Missouri 5.5. Kentucky 5. South Carolina 5. Vanderbilt 5.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

#1 Sports

Wednesday's Free Selection: Seattle Mariners - 170

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Mike Wynn

Bonus Play: MLB Seattle w/Hernandez -170 Over San Diego

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Razor Sharp

FREE PICK FOR WEDNESDAY: Take ARIZONA/HOUSTON OVER the total of 8½ runs

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Totals4U

Wednesday's Free Selection: Tampa Bay Rays/Kansas City Royals over 7 1/2

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Platinum Plays

Free Pick: Chicago Cubs w/Lester -180 Over LA Dodgers

 

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Hawkeye Sports

Wednesday's Free Selection: San Jose Sharks + 125

 

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The Vegas Steam Line

Your free winner for Wednesday: Take NY YANKEES (Tanaka) Even over Toronto

 

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High Stakes Syndicate

Free Selection for Wednesday: Arizona Diamondbacks + 150

 

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Nevada Sharpshooter

Your free winner for Wednesday: Take WASHINGTON/PHILADELPHA UNDER the total of 7½ runs

 

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Sharp Bettor

Sharp Bettor's Free Pick for Wednesday, June 1, 2016 8:10 PM

(977) ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (RAY) VS (978) HOUSTON (FIERS)

PLay Arizona.

 

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Roz Wins

Roz's Wednesday, June 1, 2016, Free MLB Pick: 8:15 PM

(973) TAMPA BAY (ARCHER) VS (974) KANSAS CITY (DUFFY)

Play UNDER the total.

 

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Dave Cokin

Bonus Play Wednesday

RANGERS (Hamels) @ INDIANS (Bauer) 6:10 PM

Take: RANGERS -105

This is one of those games where none of the edges are all that dominant, but for the most part the check marks are on the Texas side.

First, from a team perspective, I’ve got the Rangers on a win streak, while the Indians have started backing up following a nice run of their own. It’s not automatic for me, but for obvious reasons, I’d rather be tapping a go-with team when matched up against a go-against squad as far as streaks are concerned.

I certainly had some worry about how the suspension of Rougned Odor might impact the Rangers offense. No such concerns now, though. Jurickson Profar, once one of the hottest prospects in the game before a succession of injuries derailed his progress, is on a roll. In fact, I have to think Profar might be creating a pleasant problem for management. The Rangers are set up the middle with Odor and Andrus, but Profar is forcing his way into the mix. I don’t know exactly what Texas does with Profar if this production continues, but sending him back to the minors would seem like a waste of time at this juncture.

The pitcher matchup here is Cole Hamels vs. Trevor Bauer. Hamels has been a bit erratic thus far, but I do like the idea of the lefty rebounding from what was his worst start of the 2016 season. Hamels will get to face a Cleveland lineup that isn’t always the most potent against lefties, so I give him a good chance to put together a quality start this evening.

As for Trevor Bauer, he’s got the stuff to shut any team down, but it just doesn’t happen very often. I have no idea why this guy has never put it together, but that’s the story with Bauer. He remains vulnerable to those crooked number innings, and I can see that happening again here vs. a Texas team that has some explosiveness.

This is just one of those add ’em up games for me. A little edge for Hamels, better numbers by a bit in several categories I monitor and perhaps most of all, a winning streak vs. a losing streak. With the game at what amounts to pick ’em, I’m playing the Rangers tonight.

 

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Jim Feist

Jim Feist's Comp MLB Pick, Wednesday, June 1, 2016 7:10 PM

(957) PITTSBURGH PIRATES VS (958) MIAMI MARLINS

Take: UNDER

Reason: Your Bonus Play for Wednesday, June 1, 2016 is in the MLB scheduled contest between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Marlins in Miami. Sixth straight road game for Pittsburgh and they head to Miami, a big park that's tough to hit in. Starter Jonathon Niese is having a fine season and is on a roll, allowing 1, 1, 2 and 3 runs his last four starts. Niese (5-2) surrendered seven hits, an earned run and a walk over six innings in Friday's 9-1 victory over the Rangers. He struck out two. He threw 62 of 93 pitches for strikes Friday, and notched first-pitch strikes on 15 of 26 batters. The last three years he's 4-0 against Miami with a 3.67 ERA. Miami ranks No. 22 in baseball in runs scored and 12-5 under the total at home against a team with a winning record. And the Under is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings. Play Pittsburgh/Miami Under the total.