Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins open four-game series

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Jul 202011

MLB action on Thursday features AL Central division rivals the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins opening a four-game set at Target Field (8:10 pm ET, FOX).

MLB Odds have the Tigers as a -165 road favorite and the over/under total at 7.5.

The pitching duel in the first game of this divisional matchup will see the Tigers give the ball to Justin Verlander. The righthander is having an outstanding season with a 2.29 ERA and a 12-5 record, but he had a tough time in his last start. Verlander went six innings in an 8-2 loss against the Chicago White Sox last Friday.

For the Twins, it will be righthander Carl Pavano, who is 6-6 with a 4.09 ERA. Pavano was solid in his last start, going seven innings in a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals last Saturday.

Detroit (51-45 SU) share the lead atop the AL Central with the Cleveland Indians, and has gone 6-4 SU in its last 10 games. Minnesota (45-51 SU) is in fourth place in the division, six games behind the Tigers and Indians. Minnesota has been playing much better baseball over the past month or so. The Twins had the worst record in MLB at one point this season, but have been winning more games than they lose, including winning 10 of their past 15.

Head-to-head, the Tigers have dominated over the past 10 meetings, winning nine straight including all five matchups so far this season.

The Tigers were to wrap up a two-game series against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday after winning the opener 6-3 on Tuesday. The Twins closed out a four-game series against the Indians Wednesday, losing a double header Monday and winning the third game Tuesday.

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Sports Picks: St. Louis Cardinals @ New York Mets

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Jul 192011

Sports Picks previews the second game of a three-game set Wednesday between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets at Citi Field (7:10 pm ET, ESPN).

MLB Odds have the Mets as a -120 moneyline favorite and the over/under total at 8.5.

St. Louis will give the ball to righthander Kyle McClellan, who is 5-6 with a 4.32 ERA this season. He last started July 7, going a full seven innings in a 4-1 loss against the Arizona Diamondbacks. New York will counter with R.A. Dickey, who is 4-8 with a 3.73 ERA this season. The righthander last started on July 15, when he went seven innings in a 7-2 loss against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Cardinals (50-45 SU) went into the opener of the series on Tuesday tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for second place in the NL Central division. Both the Cardinals and Brewers are just a half-game back of the first-place Pittsburgh Pirates. The Mets (47-48 SU) are in last place in the NL East division, a dozen games back of the first-place Phillies.

This week’s series is the first between the teams in nearly a year, since New York won a three-game set July 27 to 29, 2010. The Mets have won five of the past nine meetings between the teams.

St. Louis is coming off a three-game series loss against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds on the weekend. New York faced the Florida Marlins in a makeup game for a May 17 postponement on Monday, winning 4-1 at home.

Posted by Jack Clark at 3:26 pm Tagged with: , , , , ,

Sports Betting: Texas Rangers @ Los Angeles Angels

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Jul 182011

Sports Betting previews the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Angels squaring off in the opener of a three-game AL West division battle on Tuesday at Angel Stadium (10:05 pm ET, FOX).

MLB Odds have the Rangers as a -140 moneyline favorite, the Angels a +120 home underdog, and the over/under total at 7.5.

The Rangers will give the ball to Alexi Ogando, who is 9-3 with a 2.92 ERA. The righthander last pitched July 6 against the Baltimore Orioles, when he went seven innings in a 13-5 blowout win. The Angels will counter with Tyler Chatwood, who is 5-5 with a 3.62 ERA. The righthander’s last start was July 6, when he went five and one-third innings in a 5-4 win against the Detroit Tigers.

Texas (55-41 SU) leads the AL West by four games over Los Angeles (51-45 SU), and is the hottest team in MLB, winning 11 games in a row to tie the second-best win streak in team history. The Angels are 6-4 SU in their past 10 and are coming off a four-game series loss against the last-place Oakland A’s.

The division rivals have met in two series previously this season, splitting the six meetings.  Texas won the last series May 13 to 15, taking the rubber match 5-4 as a -135 home favorite.

Texas is coming off a four-game sweep of the division rival Seattle Mariners, who have dropped out of the AL West race with nine straight losses. LA lost three of four against the A’s, including a 9-1 blowout loss in the finale Sunday.

Posted by admin at 4:41 pm Tagged with: , , , , ,

Sports Picks: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays

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Jul 172011

Sports Picks previews the New York Yankees visiting the Tampa Bay Rays as the AL East division rivals open a four-game set in a nationally televised matchup Monday (7:10 pm ET, ESPN).

MLB Odds have the Yankees as a -125 moneyline favorite, the Rays a +105 home underdog, and the over/under total at 9.

New York will give the ball to AJ Burnett, who is 8-7 with a 4.15 ERA. The righthander last started July 9 against Tampa Bay, going five and two-third innings in a 5-4 win. Tampa Bay will start righthander Alex Cobb, who is 2-0 with a 3.42 ERA. He last pitched June 18, when he went six and one-third innings in a 7-4 win over the Florida Marlins.

The Yankees (54-37 SU) are second place in the division, one game back of the Boston Red Sox, while the Rays (50-42) are third, six games behind the Red Sox.

The teams have already met twice this season, in a two-game set May 16 to 17 and a three-game series on July 7 to 10. The second game of that series was rained out, and Derek Jeter made his 3,000th hit in the third game. The Yankees have won three of five meetings this season.

The Yankees finished off a three-game series against AL East rival Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, winning 7-2 in the finale. The Rays and the Red Sox finished off a three-game set Sunday night, with the teams splitting the first two games.

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Sports Betting: Philadelphia Phillies @ New York Mets

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Jul 152011

Sports Betting looks at the second game of a three-game series between NL East division rivals the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets on Saturday at Citi Field (4:10 pm ET, FOX).

MLB Odds have the Phillies as a -150 moneyline favorite, the Mets a +130 home underdog, and the over/under total at 7.

The Phillies will have Cole Hamels, who is 11-4 with a 2.32 ERA, on the mound. The southpaw’s last start was Sunday against the Atlanta Braves, when he went eight innings in a 14-1 blowout win. The Mets will counter with lefty Jonathon Niese, who is 8-7 with a 3.73 ERA and last started July 6, going seven innings in a 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Philadelphia (57-34 SU) has the best record in MLB and is 3.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the National League East. The Phillies are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games. New York (46-45 SU) are 11 games behind the Phillies, sitting in third place. New York is 5-5 SU in the past 10 and has lost two straight.

The Phillies and Mets have already met in three series this season, with Philadelphia taking six of the nine meetings.  

Philadelphia is coming off a 2-1 series win against the Braves last weekend, prior to the MLB All-Star Game break. That series ended with the Phillies’ 14-1 rout in the rubber match. New York lost a three-game set against the San Francisco Giants last weekend.

Posted by admin at 3:26 pm Tagged with: , , , , , ,

MLB Picks: Boston Red Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays

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Jul 142011

MLB Picks sets up AL East division foes the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays opening a three-game set on Friday at Tropicana Field (7:10 pm ET, MLB).

The Red Sox will have southpaw Andrew Miller on the mound. Miller is 3-0 with a 3.57 ERA this season and last pitched July 7 against the Baltimore Orioles, going five innings in a 10-4 win. The Rays will start fellow lefthander David Price, who is 8-7 with a 3.70 ERA. Price last pitched July 9 against the New York Yankees, going five innings in a 5-4 loss.

Boston (55-35 SU) is once again on top of the AL East thanks to a 9-1 SU run in its past 10 games, which includes a six-game winning streak heading into this series against the Rays. The Red Sox lead the division by one game over the New York Yankees, and now have the second-best record in MLB behind the Philadelphia Phillies.

Tampa Bay (49-41 SU) sits in third place in the AL East, six games behind the Red Sox. Tampa Bay has been slumping lately, losing two straight and going 4-6 SU in their last 10 games.

The division foes have squared off in two series previously this season, a two-game and three-game set. The Rays are 3-2 SU in the five meetings.

Heading into the All-Star break, the Red Sox swept the Baltimore Orioles in a four-game set. The Rays dropped the final two games of a three-game set against the Yankees.

Posted by Jack Clark at 2:39 pm Tagged with: , , , , ,

Sports Picks: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays

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Jul 132011

Sports Picks previews an AL East division clash as the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays open a four-game series Thursday at the Rogers Centre in Toronto (7 pm ET, MLB).

MLB Odds have the Yankees as a -150 moneyline favorite and the over/under total at 9.5.

The Yankees will give the ball to Bartolo Colon, who is 6-3 with a 3.09 ERA. The righthander’s last start was July 7, when he went five and two-thirds innings in a 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Blue Jays will counter with southpaw Jo-Jo Reyes, who is 4-7 with a 4.58 ERA. Reyes last pitched July 8, going five innings and two-thirds in an 11-7 win over the Cleveland Indians.

New York (53-35 SU) is in second place in the AL East, one game behind the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees are 6-4 SU in their past 10 games. Toronto (45-47 SU) is in fourth place in the division, 11 games back of the Red Sox, and has won three straight games.

The teams have already met three times this season, with the Yankees taking five of the eight meetings. The Yankees are 4-1 SU in the last five meetings but are just 2-4 SU in the last six in Toronto. The total has gone over in 11 of the 16 meetings and in five of the past seven in Toronto.

New York is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games overall, and 13-6 SU in its last 19 games on the road.  Toronto is 2-5 SU in its last seven games at home.

Posted by admin at 2:09 pm Tagged with: , , , , ,

Sports Picks: Florida Marlins @ Chicago Cubs

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Jul 122011

Sports Picks previews the Florida Marlins and the Chicago Cubs opening of a four-game set at Wrigley Field on Thursday (8:05 pm ET, FOX).

Florida will give the ball to righthander Anibal Sanchez, who is 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA, and last started July 6 against the Philadelphia Phillies, going four innings in a 7-6 win. Chicago will counter with Matt Garza, who is 4-7 with a 4.26 ERA this season. The righthander last pitched July 7 against the Washington Nationals, going only two innings in a 10-9 win.

The Marlins (43-48 SU) have been on a tear lately, winning five in a row and going 7-3 SU in their past 10 games. But despite the run they remain in last place in the NL East division, 14 games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies.

The Cubs (37-55 SU) are limping through the season, going 3-7 SU in their past 10 and sitting second-last in the NL Central, 12 games back of the co-leading Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals.

The Marlins and Cubs met in two-game series May 18 to 19. Chicago swept that set and have won the past six straight meetings, and are 7-3 SU in the past 10 head-to-head matchups.

Sports betting fans should note that the total has gone over in eight of Florida’s last 11 games overall, in four of Florida’s last five games on the road, and in five of Chicago’s last five overall.

Florida is coming off a four-game sweep of the Houston Astros while Chicago lost a three-game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Posted by admin at 5:54 pm Tagged with: , , , , ,

MLB All-Star Game on FOX

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Jul 112011

The 2011 MLB All-Star Game takes place Tuesday at Chase Field in Phoenix, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks (8 pm ET, FOX).

MLB Odds have the National League as a -120 moneyline favorite and the over/under total at 8.5.

The game, often called the annual Midsummer Classic, pits the top players from each league against one another, but this season, the list of players who have pulled out for various reasons reads like a starting lineup for both sides.

American League players who will not be playing Tuesday include starters Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees, Jon Lester of the Boston Red Sox, David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners.

National League starts not playing include Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants, Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies, Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves, and Jose Reyes of the New York Mets.

With the Diamondbacks of the NL West division hosting this year’s event, the National League will be the home team.

NL starts include Prince Fielder, Placido Polanco, Jose Reyes, Brian McCann and Ryan Braun, Lance Berkman, with Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies the starting pitcher.

AL starters include Adrian Gonzalez, Robinson Cano, Jose Bautista, Curtis Granderson, Josh Hamilton and David Ortiz. The AL’s starting pitcher is Jerod Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels.

The National League won last year’s game 3-1, the first time the NL has won the All-Star Game since 1996.

Posted by Jack Clark at 5:48 pm Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Ortiz, Fielder lead MLB Home Run Derby teams

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Jul 102011

The 2011 MLB All-Star Game break kicks off Monday with the Home Run Derby at Chase Field in Phoenix (8 pm ET, ESPN).

This year, MLB changed things up a bit by naming two captains to represent each league, with those players hand picking the players that would takes part. Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers is the National League captain while David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox is the American League captain.

Fielder is having another stellar season with 22 homers and didn’t go far for his first selection, choosing Milwaukee teammate Rickie Weeks, who has 17 homers so far this season.

Other selections for the Home Run Derby team include Matt Holliday of the St. Louis Cardinals, who has 14 home runs this season but has been very good recently, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Matt Kemp, who has 22.

Ortiz, the defending Home Run Derby champion, has 19 home runs this season and like Fielder, he went to a teammate for his first choice, taking Adrian Gonzalez, who has 17 homes runs. Gonzalez also leads the majors with 77 RBIs and has a solid .352 batting average.

Ortiz then picked Robinson Cano from the AL East division rival New York Yankees. Cano has just 15 homers but like Matt Holliday, has been hot lately.

Another AL slugger taking part in the Derby is Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays, who leads the majors with 31 dingers after taking the home run crown last season with 54.

Posted by Jack Clark at 4:51 pm Tagged with: , , , , , , ,
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