The Bum's Best Bets For Friday June 5th - MLB - NBA -NHL !

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Angels riding Weaver's arm to wins

Jered Weaver is expected to take to the mound with the LA Angels looking for their sixth consecutive win with the veteran starting. In his last five starts Weaver is 4-0 while only surrendering eight runs in 36.1 innings pitched.

However, Weaver will need to buck an ugly trend to continue his strong play as the Angels have dropped four of their past five games at Yankee Stadium with the rightie starting.

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Cubs give scuffling Montero an extended break

WASHINGTON -- Slumping Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Montero began his third consecutive game on the bench Thursday, a decision manager Joe Maddon attributed mostly to pitching matchups and the looming dog days of summer.

The left-handed-batting Montero is in a 4-for-39 (.103) slump over his past 13 games, with his batting average dropping from .313 to .244 in that stretch. So Maddon gave veteran David Ross his third consecutive start, with the Cubs facing left-handers on Tuesday and Thursday, and Ross catching former Boston Red Sox teammate Jon Lester on Wednesday.

Maddon said he hoped resting Montero now would pay off.

"Looking at the big picture, during the course of the whole season, keeping him frisky now is going to benefit us later," Maddon said of Montero before the Cubs' 2-1 win over the Washington Nationals. "Sometimes, the schedule itself dictates what you're supposed to do, so you just pay attention to it."

Montero played in 136 games last season for the Arizona Diamondbacks -- starting behind the plate for 132 of them -- while earning his second All-Star appearance. However, he batted .230 in July, .236 in August and .183 in September/October before joining the Cubs in an offseason trade.

Ross, 38, last started three consecutive games from Sept. 2-4, 2012, the final month of his final season with the Atlanta Braves. He played in 86 games the past two seasons with Boston.

Ross struck out three times Thursday, but he also picked Clint Robinson off first base for the game's final out and caught two of three attempted base-stealers.

Maddon said Montero understands his manager may try to find him more rest this season, giving more opportunities to Ross when the team faces left-handed starters.

"We've had conversations," Maddon said. "He's good, he's been good about it. He's been really supportive of Rossy."

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Murphy's injury muddles Mets' infield plans

PHOENIX -- When it became clear that third baseman David Wright would miss extensive time, New York Mets manager Terry Collins juggled his infield defense Thursday, moving Daniel Murphy to third base and Ruben Tejada to second.

You know what they say about the best laid plans ...

Three innings into the change, Murphy was forced to leave Thursday's game, a 6-2 Mets win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, due to tightness in his left quadriceps. He is to undergo an MRI exam Friday, but it appears almost certain the Mets will be without him for a while. And since they are carrying only 12 position players, a decision must be made soon, Collins said.

Until Murphy's exit, Collins had everything lined up the way he wanted it. Tejada started the previous seven games at third base, with Murphy manning his normal spot at second. Murphy played third earlier during Wright's absence, and Collins sounded as if he would give the new alignment a good, long look.

"With the news that David is week-to-week, if not more, we have to start putting our best defense out there," Collins said. "I'm a true believer in good pitching and good defense, and we certainly have the good pitching. I thought we'd flip it, and both Dan and Ruben were on board with it."

Collins said he was mulling the move for a week. Even after Murphy's injury, Collins said that Tejada would remain at second base.

"Dan Murphy is a stinking All-Star," Collins said. "You just don't take All-Stars and switch them positions for one or two days. We'll have this alignment, and I'm not saying we won't switch in the middle. But for now, this is what we are going to go with."

Collins said he considered moving shortstop Wilmer Flores but stopped short of the full-scale change. Some believe the Mets' best infield defense would be Tejada at shortstop and Flores at second base.

"We might," Collins said of moving Flores. "Nobody said we're not going to do it. We're just not doing it now. We're trying to take baby steps now. We're not trying to reinvent the wheel totally. I know that I think Dan Murphy is an outstanding third baseman. As I told Ruben, if Jose Reyes was still here, he'd be the second baseman. I'm going to put you back where I think you fit the best right now. We'll go from there."

Collins said he will readdress the infield alignment again when Wright returns.

"I'm going to stay away from the shortstop position right now because it's a firestorm," Collins said. "(Flores has) played great. He made a real good play in San Diego. Leave him alone. The minute you move him, controversy starts. Then you move him back, and more controversy. We're trying to play baseball here and stay away from the back page."

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Diamondbacks' Bradley goes back on DL

PHOENIX -- Right-hander Archie Bradley will not make his next start after all.

The Arizona Diamondbacks placed Bradley on the disabled list Thursday due to right shoulder tendinitis, and they recalled left-hander Robbie Ray to start against the New York Mets.

Bradley struggled since returning from a previous stay on the disabled list, giving up 19 earned runs, 27 hits and 11 walks in his past four starts, covering 15 2/3 innings.

He has not been the same since he was struck in the face with a line drive in his fourth career start April 18. Bradley was 2-0 with a 1.45 ERA in his first three starts, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw and the Texas Rangers' Yovani Gallardo and earning a no-decision against the San Francisco Giants' Madison Bumgarner in a game he left with a lead.

Bradley is 0-3 with a 10.91 ERA since returning from the disabled list May 16.

"We just felt like, at this point, after the tough outings, getting hit in the face and then some soreness in his shoulder, we wanted to 'DL' him and get him a break," Arizona manager Chip Hale said. "I told him this today, we need to get him back to who he was before the injury to the face. He hasn't had the same stuff, the same location."

Bradley said he felt more soreness than normal in a May 26 start at St. Louis and that it persisted during his side sessions. An MRI administered earlier this week showed no structural damage.

"Something was funny," Bradley said. "It wasn't painful. Just something wasn't right. It felt off. I was having to labor a little more than I normally do. No one wants to pitch like that, so I said something. Hopefully, we can jump on it, calm it down and go from there. It had been a little more sore the start in St. Louis, but nothing I was really concerned about. Just figured it was a little dead arm or soreness. Just kind of carried over and just not feeling right."

Bradley will be shut down for a few days before picking up a ball to play catch Sunday or Monday and progressing from there. He will go out on a rehab assignment, Hale said, something the D-backs did not do after he was struck in the face with the liner.

"The mistake maybe by us was not sending him on a rehab then," Hale said. "He's a young kid. We talked about it today, 'You're young, this is all part of your career.' We need to stay positive with him, but he needs to understand he can't continue to pitch the way he was pitching and pitch here. I told him, there's no guarantees. He has to pitch well and prove he's ready to pitch here."

Bradley won the No. 5 spot in the rotation late in spring training, when the Diamondbacks traded Trevor Cahill to the Atlanta Braves to make room for him. Ray was sent down earlier in spring.

In his second major league start of the season, Ray fired five shutout innings Thursday in a no-decision during the Diamondbacks' 6-2 loss to the Mets.

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Royals' Medlen, Duffy impress in simulated game

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Before playing their real game Thursday night, the Kansas City Royals played a "doubleheader" simulated game.

Rehabbing pitchers Kris Medlen and Danny Duffy each threw 45 pitches and three innings.

Medlen, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery performed in March 2014, has not pitched in the majors since 2013. Duffy has been out two weeks due to left biceps tendinitis.

"Fantastic, they both looked great," Royals manager Ned Yost said of the simulated action. "Duffy, the ball was exploding out of his hand, commanding his breaking ball and changeup real well.

"Medlen the same way, really nice four-seamer, two-seamer, nice action on his curveball."

Yost said the next step for Duffy would likely be a side session Saturday.

"If he feels good, he'll probably be ready to go out (on a minor league rehab assignment)," Yost said.

Yost said Medlen is still a ways away from beginning a rehab assignment.

"He looks like he's right on track to come back," the manager said. "It just increases our depth and gives us another quality guy we can fill in in the starting rotation or in the bullpen if we need him."

It is doubtful Medlen would be major-league-ready until after the All-Star break.

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Reds' Phillips using simple yet effective approach

PHILADELPHIA -- The approach is simple, the results impressive.

"I just try to play the game, not worry about stats and stuff like that," Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips said after going 3-for-5 in Thursday's 6-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. "I just try to hit the ball, and hopefully nobody catches it. Only thing I did today was hit the ball where they weren't."

He's been doing that a lot lately. Thursday's game was his fourth straight multi-hit effort, and his second straight with three hits. He is also hitting .385 on the road this season, .311 overall.

Phillips, plagued by turf toe for the better part of a month, has been doing that while batting leadoff. He has hit in that spot before, but he has also batted cleanup in his career.

"It's all about being a trendsetter," he said, "trying to get things going, and also trying to do the small things that get things right for the big guys that are hitting behind me. I think I've been doing pretty good lately. Hopefully I can keep it up for the big guys."

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Athletics' Kazmir set for return to rotation

DETROIT -- Scott Kazmir returns to the rotation on Friday after giving the club a scare during his last outing.

Kazmir left his start against Detroit on May 27 after three innings with tightness in his pitching shoulder. That's all it turned out to be and after skipping a start, the left-hander faces Boston in the opener of a three-game road series.

"He was just a little tight in the back of his shoulder, so we just wanted to make sure (he was OK)," manager Bob Melvin said. "He felt it a little bit for a couple of starts. It just got the point where, when we had to take him out of the game, we just felt it would be prudent to skip him the next time around."

Kazmir threw a full bullpen session during the interim and didn't experience any pain. Melvin and the coaching staff will monitor him closely at Fenway Park.

"If you're around him long enough, his body language tells you," Melvin said. "I can tell when he's bouncing around and feeling pretty good. I can also tell when things are bothering him just a little bit, even though he'll try to stay out there and work through it. Sometimes, the velocity will tell you. Like I said, if you're around guys long enough, you have a pretty good idea."

His last outing ended a forgettable month for Kazmir. He went 0-3 with a 4.65 ERA in six May starts after going 2-0 with a 0.99 ERA in April.

The Red Sox are a familiar foe for Kazmir. He's made 28 career starts against them - the most he's had against any opponent -- and is 9-8 with a 3.94 ERA.

Jesse Chavez and Kendall Graveman will start the other games against the Red Sox, who are seven games under .500.

"They still have plenty of power and a solid offensive club," Melvin said. "I know some of the guys are hurt but it looks like they're pitching a little better. Teams like that, you hope to catch them when they're down but they have a good club."

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Dodgers' Jansen OK after blood-pressure scare

LOS ANGELES -- High blood pressure prevented Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen from pitching Wednesday in Los Angeles' loss against the Colorado Rockies, who rallied from a two-run deficit in the ninth inning for a 7-6 victory.

Jansen and Dodgers manager Don Mattingly confirmed the diagnosis after refusing to detail Jansen's status with reporters after Wednesday's loss, creating an air of mystery concerning on the condition of the hard-throwing right-hander. Jansen, though, was cleared to pitch and available Thursday night for the opener of a four-game series at Dodger Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Jansen met with team physicians and a cardiologist earlier Thursday. He passed a battery of tests and was immediately cleared to return action after being treated, he said.

Doctors told Jansen the high elevation in Denver triggered the problem. The 27-year-old native of Curacao said he began feeling fatigue Wednesday morning. He also experienced anxiety since he underwent a procedure in 2012 to help correct an irregular heartbeat, and he believed he might have been having another episode.

"In the beginning, you feel like all of that stuff with me that happened, now (I'm thinking) 'Here we go again,'" Jansen said. "You see how the ninth (inning) was going. You feel like you let your teammates down. It was a frustrating moment. I just didn't want to talk about."

Mattingly was clearly relieved the problem wasn't more serious.

"It's just a good feeling that he's OK, No. 1," Mattingly said. "Obviously, he was feeling bad last night because he couldn't pitch in that game. The fact that he's back and ready to go is a good feeling for us."

The good vibes also carried over to Dodger fans, who were given a Kenley Jansen bobblehead as a giveaway at Thursday's game.

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Orioles' Jones escapes slump

HOUSTON -- When Baltimore manager Buck Showalter described center fielder Adam Jones as "a rock" following the Orioles' 3-2 win over the Houston Astros on Thursday, a brief review of what Jones accomplished in the finale of the four-game series crystallized the compliment.

Jones not only followed his multi-hit game Wednesday night with a 3-for-4 performance Thursday that included a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning, but he also produced some heady baserunning that ultimately yielded the tying run in the sixth inning.

One night earlier, Jones attempted to carry the Orioles to victory. With his three hits, two runs and acumen Thursday, he skillfully dragged Baltimore to the finish.

"(Orioles first base coach Kirby Wayne) was mad at me because I was supposed to slide and try and break it up," Jones said of thwarting a potential double play in the sixth. "But I told him: 'Hey, at least I got out the way.' In hindsight you look at it, it produced a run.

"It's the small things that add up to be big things, and this team, we've got to be efficient in order to win games. And today we proved we were efficient, we played good defense and were able to hold off a pretty good lineup."

Earlier in the series, Jones was the picture of frustration. He missed consecutive games last weekend for the first time since September 2011 after sustaining a left ankle sprain, and he entered Wednesday mired in an 0-for-11 slump. However, he found his stride at the plate while his teammates scuffled mightily Wednesday against Astros rookie right-hander Lance McCullers, then continued to warm up while making all sorts of winning plays Thursday.

After batting .400 with a .440 on-base percentage and a .707 slugging percentage in April only to slump to .239/.272/.284 in May, a hot Jones is what the Orioles need.

"All of May was a slump," Jones said. "I'm going to come every day preparing myself to go out there and have four at-bats and try to get a hit on all four of them. Is it going to happen? No. Do I understand that part of it? Yes. But do I want a hit every time? Of course I do. But I'm just going to grind it out and just hustle and play the game right. They'll fall when they fall."

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Astros plan to level Tal's Hill

HOUSTON -- Conceptual plans for the proposed renovations to the center field area at Minute Maid Park following the 2015 season include the removal of Tal's Hill, the Houston Astros announced Thursday.

Tal's Hill, a 90-foot wide terrace with a 30-degree incline deep in the outfield, has been a source of conversation since Minute Maid Park opened in 2000. But for all the consternation over potential injuries for center fielders scaling the hill in pursuit of fly balls as well as engaging the flagpole that is in play on the hill, those concerns were unfounded.

Nonetheless, the Astros will move forward with renovations that will be complete by the start of the 2016, a redesign that also will feature new center field seating.

Additionally, the center field fence will be moved in 27 feet from its current 436 feet.

"The renovation of center field represents a significant improvement of the fan experience while maintaining the integrity of the game," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said. "The new center field will not only be great for fans, but will make Minute Maid Park an attractive ballpark for current and future players as well."

Both Luhnow and Astros manager A.J. Hinch essentially said "good riddance" to Tal's Hill, indirectly referencing the familiar trope about injury concerns.

While plenty took both sides of the debate regarding Tal's Hill and its unique place throughout baseball as a legitimate ballpark feature, the Astros made several steps in recent years to upgrade Minute Maid Park, from a new scoreboard, renovations throughout the concourses and club levels, state-of-the-art sound systems and playing surface. Removing Tal's Hill represents the next step in that process, and it will finally put an end to chatter that started 15 years ago.

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Eye on MLB, June 4: Tigers' losing streak rolls on

In matinee action, the Tigers suffered their seventh straight loss (see below for the recap). After starting the season 11-2 (and also being nine games over .500 as recently as May 22), they are actually closer to last place than first and this is getting pretty ugly for a team not accustomed to this kind of ugly.

The Tigers didn't lose more than five straight last season. They didn't lose more than four straight in 2013 or five in a row in 2012. They actually did lose seven in a row in 2011, however, and they won 95 games that year.

Still, with a much better division this time around -- in 2011, the other four AL Central teams had losing records -- it would behoove the Tigers to put a stop to this thing rather quickly. To put a finer point on it, the Tigers, per FanGraphs, opened the 2015 season with a 51.6 percent chance of making the playoffs. By April 12, when the Tigers were 6-0, those odds improved to 64.7 percent. On May 22, when, as mentioned above, they rose back to nine games above .500, they had a 72.0 percent chance of being a playoff team. The day before their current losing streak started, the Tigers had a 72.9 percent of making it. Now? After seven straight losses, they have a 34.0 percent chance of making the postseason for the fifth consecutive year.

Obviously, there's still plenty of time for the Tigers to reverse course. A good start would be getting better innings from the rotation: Detroit starters over the last 30 days rank 28th in MLB with an ERA of 4.79. That needs to change, to state the obvious.

To the broader point, the task ahead of the Tigers is to methodically improve those cratering playoff odds. You do that by, you know, winning baseball games.
Anyway, welcome to The Eye. As we do each and every day, this will be updating throughout the day with game recaps, milestones, highlights, injury news, rumors and a look toward tomorrow's action. Stick here all day and night if you please, hitting refresh with reckless abandon, come back a few times or check in Friday morning. Any which way, we gotcha.

Today's MLB action (all times ET) (Full scoreboard)

A's 7, Tigers 5 (Box score): Much like the entire losing streak, this game was ugly for the hometown Tigers. Shane Greene was knocked around the yard, though the defense wasn't helpful either -- committing two errors and generally looking pretty bad. Jesse Hahn threw real well for the winners, working seven innings and only allowing one run on five hits. Billy Butler, Brett Lawrie and Eric Sogard each had two hits for the A's. The Tigers made things interesting with a four-run ninth, thanks in part to a three-run home run from Tyler Collins.

Orioles 3, Astros 2 (Box score): Since his last home run (May 11), Adam Jones came into Thursday's game hitting .213/.250/.250. He broke through in this one, though, going 3-for-4 with a no-doubt home run. Maybe it will serve as a microcosm for the Orioles, who break a five-game losing streak. They were able to get to Dallas Keuchel for a pair of runs in six innings, which doesn't sound great, but he entered the game with a 1.05 ERA in six home starts this season. As for the Astros, losing one of four games in the series is no big deal.

Twins 8, Red Sox 4 (Box score): The 2015 season continues to go poorly for the Sox. In this one, they blew a 4-0 lead and then lost the game when the Twins put four runs on the board in the ninth. Closer Koji Uehara gave up four runs -- two earned -- without recording an out, and Pablo Sandoval went 0-for-4 while commiting two of Boston's three errors. On the Minnesota side of things, Torii Hunter went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBI, and the bullpen worked a combined four scoreless innings. The Twins are 22-9 since the end of April.

Reds 6, Phillies 4 (Box score): Aaron Harang turned in his poorest start as a member of the Phillies, as he allowed five runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings. Over that span, he struck out one while walking five. For the Reds, Brandon Phillips had a three-hit night, and Aroldis Chapman bounced back from Wednesday night's blown save to strike out the side in the ninth.

Cubs 2, Nationals 1 (Box score): The Cubs didn't score after the first inning, but they had all they needed as Jake Arrieta struck out eight and walked none across 6.0 innings of one run ball. Five Chicago relievers took it from there. In his first game of the 2015 season, Anthony Rendon of the Nats played third base and went 2-for-4 with a double.

Rangers 2, White Sox 1 - 11 innings (Box score): Shin-Soo Choo went opposite-field to beat the shift with a walk-off single in the 11th. Elsewhere, Leonys Martin had a three-hit night, and Prince Fielder drove in his 40th run of the season. The bright spot for the Sox was rookie starter Carlos Rodon, who struck out 10 and walked three while allowing one run over 6.0 innings of work. Here's a sampling of some of Rodon's filth ...

Indians 6, Royals 2 (Box score): Trevor Bauer walked four batters in 6 2/3 innings but managed a quality start, and Brandon Moss hit his 10th homer of the season. A booming two-run home run by Lorenzo Cain was the only blow struck by the Royals, who have lost seven of their last nine. The game was called with one out in the eighth after a 44-minute weather delay.

Mets 6, Diamondbacks 2 (Box score): Matt Harvey broke a three-start losing streak as he limited the D-backs to two runs on six hits in 7.0 innings of work. He struck out nine and walked one. John Mayberry recorded a four-hit night for the Mets, as he ended up a triple shy of the cycle. For Arizona, Paul Goldschmidt hit his 16th homer of the season.

Rays 2, Mariners 1 (Box score): The Tampa Bay bullpen contributed 3 2/3 scoreless innings to the cause. As for the M's, they squandered a strong start by Roenis Elias (8.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 6 K, 1 BB) by leaving a team total of 20 runners on base. For the Rays, Joey Butler went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases.

Cardinals 7, Dodgers 1 (Box score): The top four hitters in the St. Louis lineup -- Kolten Wong, Matt Carpenter, Matt Holliday and Jhonny Peralta -- went a combined 8-for-15 with four walks and two doubles. Meantime, starter Michael Wacha allowed one run over 7.0 innings, striking out five and walking none. The Cardinals are now a season-best 18 games over .500. Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson notched a double but failed to homer for a sixth straight game.

Milestone Watch

Longest active hit streak: Chris Colabello of the Blue Jays is up to 14.

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Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

-- Davidson College is selling season ticket packages using their #1 alum to draw fans, six years after Stephen Curry graduated. Get t-shirts that look like his old Davidson uniform, enter a drawing for a signed stadium chair, stuff like that.

-- 50 NBA players make more $$$ than Curry; three of them play for the Warriors, which is unfathomable.

-- Someone stole $40K worth of stuff from NBA Entertainment before the game last night in Oakland. Bunch of cameras, five laptops.

-- Warriors 108, Cavaliers 100 OT-- James/Irving took 60 of Cleveland's 94 shots in this game, then Irving got hurt. Cavs scored two points in OT. Very seldom does an NBA team play only eight guys in a game, when they have a full roster.

-- JR Smith was 3-13; Klay Thompson did a good job on him; if Smith doesn't score 15+ points a game, this could be a very short series.

-- This game was entertaining to watch, for sure; three of the non-Lebron Cavaliers are castoffs from the Knicks, he is one of the five greatest players all-time and he is proving it by dragging this cast of ragtag misfits to the Finals.

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Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Random stuff with the weekend here........

13) Golden State is the first NBA Finals team that had no players with previous Finals experience since Utah in 1997.

12) Its weird to me how close some fans are to the head coaches on NBA sidelines; its a matter of time before there's an incident, right? Some coaches have onversations with Jack Nicholson when they play the Lakers in Staples Center.

11) Some major league teams, Texas being one, give computer printouts to the starting pitcher of what pitches the home plate umpire called strikes in his recent games behind the plate. Wonder how much that helps and if there are pitchers who don't want info like that. Some athletes don't like too much information.

10) Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com wrote that people in Chapel Hill are relievedthat the NCAA's findings weren't a little more harsh than they are, as far as North Carolina's problems with the NCAA. Still not good, but Dodd writes that things could've been a lot worse for the Tar Heels.

9) Cubs 2, Nationals 1-- Washington had two on, two out in 9th inning, when the guy on first got picked off first to tend the game. A walk-off pickoff.

8) A's are 9-3 in last 12 games; they caught Detroit at the perfect time. Tigers have ton of injuries and played terrible baseball this week. Cespedes left the game early on Thursday; if they don't get healthy soon it could be a long summer.

7) Josh Hamilton (hamstring) is on the DL already; Arte Moreno had to eat a lot of money when he got rid of the troubled outfielder, but he's going to wind up being right about cutting bait with Hamilton and admitting an expensive mistake.

6) Rangers' TV had a couple cool video clips last night; they had film of the ill-fated Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park in 1977, when they blew up a ton of disco records in centerfield in between games of a doubleheader, but in process they set the grass in centerfield on fire and incited a riot that caused the White Sox to forfeit the nightcap when they were still in the pennant race. An unfortunate night.

They also had a clip from the Washington Senators' last home game in 1971; that team moved to Arlington the next year and became the Texas Rangers.

5) Exactly how many people are running for President? If many more people get in the race, they can bracket it like the NCAA tournament and have elimination debates all next year. A lot of these people I've never heard of.

4) Mets are 23-3 when they score 4+ runs, 7-22 when they do not.

3) White Sox have been outscored 46-14 in the first inning this year. 46 to 14.

2) I like seeing starting pitchers hanging out together in the dugout during games; its almost like a team within a team, they support that night's pitcher, then the next night that guy is rooting for his teammate who is on the mound that night.

1) Today is National Doughnut Day; have one for me!!!!

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MLB
Short Sheet

Friday, June 5


Chicago at Washington, 7:05 PM
Chicago: 53-40 SU after batting .240 or worse over a 15 game span
Washington: 5-11 SU after scoring 3 runs or less 2 straight games

San Francisco at Philadelphia, 7:05 PM
San Francisco: 20-13 SU when the money line is +125 to -125
Philadelphia: 11-22 SU in home games after having won 2 of their last 3 games

San Diego at Cincinnati, 7:10 PM
San Diego: ROSS is 5-15 SU on the road when the money line is +125 to -125
Cincinnati: 18-8 OVER when the money line is +125 to -125

Pittsburgh at Atlanta, 7:35 PM
Pittsburgh: 14-4 SU with a hot bullpen whose WHIP is under 1.250 the last 15 games
Atlanta: 83-89 SU against right-handed starters

Miami at Colorado, 8:40 PM
Miami: 82-85 SU in road games when playing with a day off
Colorado: 55-88 SU in night games

NY Mets at Arizona, 9:40 PM
New York: 18-12 SU on the road when the total is 8.5 to 10
Arizona: 1-8 SU when the money line is -100 to -150

St Louis at LA Dodgers, 10:10 PM
St Louis: 17-5 SU with a hot bullpen whose ERA is under 2.00 the last 10 games
Los Angeles: 19-27 SU against NL Central opponents

Baltimore at Cleveland, 7:05 PM
Baltimore: 18-8 SU after batting .200 or worse over a 3 game span
Cleveland: MARCUM is 14-26 SU at home with a money line of -100 to -150

LA Angels at NY Yankees, 7:05 PM
Los Angeles: 75-41 SU with a hot bullpen whose WHIP is under 1.250 the last 15 games
New York: 44-50 SU when the total is 8 to 8.5

Houston at Toronto, 7:05 PM
Houston: 30-15 SU with a hot bullpen whose WHIP is under 1.200 the last 10 games
Toronto: 8-16 SU after a win

Oakland at Boston, 7:10 PM
Oakland: 85-50 SU when the total is 8 to 8.5
Boston: 24-31 SU in all games

Detroit at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 PM
Detroit: 93-75 OVER when the total is 7 to 8.5
Chicago: 22-48 SU revenging a loss where the team scored 1 run or less

Texas at Kansas City, 8:10 PM
Texas: 15-6 SU with a hot bullpen whose ERA is under 1.50 the last 5 games
Kansas City: 7-12 SU as a home favorite of -150 to -200

Tampa Bay at Seattle, 10:10 PM
Tampa Bay: 16-8 SU after a game where the bullpen gave up no runs
Seattle: 5-13 SU at home with a money line of -100 to -150

Milwaukee at Minnesota, 8:10 PM
Milwaukee: 12-21 SU when the money line is +125 to -125
Minnesota: 17-9 SU after a game where the bullpen gave up no runs

[StarDust Bum]

Weekend Primer

June 5, 2015


Oakland Athletics at Boston Red Sox | 7:10 p.m. ET

In a matchup between disappointing last-place clubs, the A's and Red Sox begin a three-game set at Fenway Park this evening. Boston is coming off a disappointing conclusion to their four-game series with the Twins, dropping the last two games after winning the first pair. Wade Miley (4-5, 4.97 ERA) will look to turn around their misfortunes, although he's been quite erratic in his first season with the Red Sox. The southpaw has registered four starts of surrendering four or more runs, but he's also logged five outings yielding two runs or less. Overall he's been better lately, though, and has even helped cash six straight under bets, one of the longest active streaks of any starting pitcher.

Oakland, meanwhile, is coming in hot, with six wins in their past seven, and will turn to fellow lefty Scott Kazmir (2-3, 2.93 ERA) to keep it going. Unlike his counterpart, Kazmir has been mostly consistent this season, having allowed more than three runs only once in his ten assignments. Both teams currently rank in the bottom four of Major League Baseball in team batting average opposing southpaws, with marks of .223 (Athletics) and .225 (Red Sox), respectively, which could aid the under. The line is currently set at 8.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at New York Yankees | 7:05 p.m. ET (MLB Network)

In this MLB Network Friday Night Showcase affair, the Angels and Yankees commence a three-game series in the Bronx. The Yankees have managed to narrowly hold onto their first-place lead, albeit barely, and are seeking to extend their current three-game winning streak. Flamethrower Nathan Eovaldi (4-1, 4.40 ERA) will be tasked with that mission, although it will be in the follow-up to arguably his worst start of the year, when the Royals amassed three runs and 11 hits off the 25-year-old. Three straight Eovaldi starts have yielded a triumph for the over.

Angels' Opening Day starter Jered Weaver (4-4, 4.08 ERA) will counter for the Halos, after finally getting his season on track. In fact, Weaver is coming off a May that saw him bring his ERA down almost two full runs, as he went 4-1 for the month with a 2.83 ERA. The Angels have won his last five starts and are a +110 road 'dog in this series-opening encounter.

St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers | 10:10 p.m. ET

No matter what, things are always interesting when the Cardinals and Dodgers, two of the National League's most recognizable powerhouses, hook up, and that's exactly the case for the second time in a week. The two perennial playoff contenders clashed in St. Louis just last weekend, with the Cardinals taking two of three.

The Cards also were victorious last night in taking the opener of this four-game series behind Michael Wacha, and have won three straight. They'll look to the hot Carlos Martinez (5-2, 3.13 ERA) this evening to continue on his roll, as the fiery right-hander enters this contest with a scoreless streak of 20 1/3 consecutive innings, en route to winning three straight. He's also racked up 29 K's over that span, which includes a dominant outing against these same Dodgers his last time out, when he held them to one hit over seven shutout innings on Sunday. Brett Anderson (2-3, 3.42 ERA) goes for the Dodgers, being one of the more steady pitchers in the NL this year. He's allowed three runs or less in all but one of his ten starts. He's a -115 favorite, offering potential value on the other side for the inspired Martinez.

Texas Rangers at Kansas City Royals | 8:10 p.m. EST

A few weeks ago, this didn't seem like it would be much of a series, as Texas was several games under .500, while the Royals were still cruising, just as they had been from Opening Day on. Now, this matchup has generated some interest, with the Rangers victorious in 12 of their past 15 to vault a couple games over the .500 mark, while Kansas City has lost seven of nine to fall out of first place in the AL Central.

The Rangers will trot out rookie Chi Chi Gonzalez (1-0, 0.00 ERA) for the series opener at The K tonight after winning in his Major League debut. Not only did Gonzalez manage to blank the hard-hitting Red Sox over 5 2/3 innings, but he did it on a national stage, being one of the FOX Saturday games of the week. It won't get any easier for him in his second outing, facing a Royals lineup that leads all of baseball in team batting average (.274). They're going with their most consistent starter, Edinson Volquez (4-3, 2.95 ERA), facing the club whom he first started with ten years ago. He's been fabulous in his first season in Kansas City, allowing three earned runs or less in all but one of his ten starts. The one time he didn’t, however, was opposing these Rangers a few weeks ago in Arlington, when they tagged him for four runs in five innings. The over/under is currently listed at 8, with Gonzalez being an intriguing +145 road 'dog.

Other Friday Notes

-- On Memorial Day, two of my favorite starting pitchers (seriously), Tanner Roark (1-2, 2.59 ERA) and Tsuyoshi Wada (0-0, 2.30 ERA), battled in one of the more eye-opening unders on the young season, as their afternoon affair at Wrigley Field concluded with a 2-1 final score despite featuring one of the highest over/under lines of the year, 11.5 (mostly because of the momentous Wrigley winds that day). Less than two weeks later, they meet again at Nationals Park, this time having a line of 7.5. Wada is 3-0 for under bets since being called up and making his season debut on May 20. Roark has made two starts since rightfully being reinserted into the rotation due to injuries, producing both an over and an under. In all four Nationals-Cubs meetings in 2015, the under has hit.

-- One of my top sleepers of the year, Kyle Gibson (4-3, 2.61 ERA), has continued to be outstanding, having allowed three runs or less in all nine of his starts since his first outing of the campaign. In the process, the surging Twins have gone 6-4 in his assignments. He'll take on former Minnesota Twins pitcher Kyle Lohse (3-6, 6.50 ERA), who has surrendered four runs or more an alarming eight times in 11 starts. Interestingly, despite having the worst record in baseball and being on the road for this one, not to mention Lohse's glaring struggles, the Brewers are only a +120 road 'dog at first-place Minnesota. Hmm, that really has to make you scratch your head.

[StarDust Bum]

Angels head to New York

June 5, 2015


LOS ANGELES ANGELS (28-26) at NEW YORK YANKEES (29-25)

First pitch: Friday, 7:05 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line: New York -114, Los Angeles +104, Total: 8

The New York Yankees look to continue their momentum from a recent series sweep when they host the Los Angeles Angels in the Bronx on Friday night.

The Angels may not be having the season that they were hoping for, but they have been playing very well of late with wins in five of their last seven games, and sit in second in the AL West; 5.5-games behind the Houston Astros. They did have a four-game winning streak going when they headed into a series against the Rays to start the week, but after winning the first game by a score of 7-3, were defeated in the next two. In the rubber match on Wednesday, they gave up an early four-run lead, eventually tying it back up in the bottom of the ninth, but ultimately taking a 6-5 loss in extras. They were a mere 3-for-13 with RISP in the loss as OF Mike Trout (.286) hit his third homer in the last five games.

On the other side of the diamond, things were looking great for the Yankees as they sat in first place before going on a seven-game West Coast road trip and were slated to play the last place Athletics to start. Unfortunately, that series did not go as planned with losses in three of the four games as they put up a meager 11 runs in the set. They turned it all around with a sweep in Seattle, though, and after a 3-1 victory on Wednesday were able to come back home with their lead in the AL East still intact.

In that game, they backed a huge outing (7 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 9 K) from the newly reinstated Masahiro Tanaka with homers from both 1B Mark Teixeira (.241) and OF Garrett Jones (258). Teixeira has had a nice bounce-back season from his injury plagued 2014 and is riding a five-game hitting streak as he leads the league in RBI (41) and is second in HR (16).

Veteran RHP Jered Weaver (4-4, 4.08 ERA) will take the mound for the visitors in this one as he goes up against RHP Nathan Eovaldi (4-1, 4.40 ERA) for New York. Los Angeles can’t be too happy going back out on the road as they are 12-13 when away from home and will be going against this Yankees club which is 12-10 in front of their fans. New York has had an advantage in this matchup since the start of 2013, going 8-5 overall and have done well in the Bronx with a 5-2 record in that time. They have yet to meet this year, but the Bombers were able to win 4-of-6 games in 2014.

Some trends to watch in this one include that L.A. is 25-12 (.676) in road games after having lost two of its last three games in the past two seasons as the Yankees are 90-74 (.549) after two or more consecutive road games in the last three years. OF Collin Cowgill (Wrist) is the only offensive player out for the Angels as New York has C Brian McCann (Foot) questionable with OFs Jacoby Ellsbury (Knee) and Slade Heathcott (Quad) currently on the DL.

Weaver has been the rock for this L.A. team for a long time and he has had double-digit victories in each of his nine seasons since coming into the league, averaging 14.6 wins per year, and has had a 3.75 ERA or better in six consecutive seasons. Unfortunately, his dominance has fallen by the wayside with his average fastball dropping each successive year since he threw 90.1 MPH in 2010 and sits at a low 85.1 MPH in 2015. As the velocity declines, his ERA continues to rise and his strikeouts have dropped to a putrid 4.8 K/9 while still showing tremendous control (1.3 BB/9).

His recent starts have been much better than those at the start of the year and he has earned a quality outing with his team getting a victory in the last five times on the mound. During that period he has totaled 36.1 IP with eight runs allowed on 28 hits and a 23:5 K/BB ratio.

In his career against the Yanks, he is 7-4 (10-5 team record) with a 5.46 ERA (1.40 WHIP) and is 1-2 over his last three starts facing them with 15 runs given up in 19 frames. Plenty of New York batters have seen Weaver a ton and 3B Alex Rodriguez (9-for-26, 2 doubles, 5 HR, 7 RBI) has dominated in the matchup as OF Brett Gardner (2-for-19, 11 K) hasn’t seen the ball well out of the righties hand.

It has been a solid year for the L.A. bullpen as they are 8-7 with a 3.53 ERA (1.16 WHIP) and have successfully saved 17-of-25 (68%) games. Huston Street (2.74 ERA, 17 saves) is second in the AL in saves as he has a 25:5 K/BB ratio with 16 hits allowed over 23 frames.

Eovaldi has some of the best raw stuff in the game as he boasts an average fastball of 95.7 MPH and adds nasty off-speed pitches. It has not fully translated to this level, though, with a mere 6.6 K/9 as he’s shown impressive control (2.2 BB/9) but is susceptible to the long ball (1.1 HR/9). He has failed to get past five innings in two of his last three outings as he gave up 11 hits, all singles, in 4.2 IP against the Athletics in his last start. The Yankees ended up winning the game and they have actually defeated six of the last eight opponents with the 25-year-old on the bump.

He’s seen Los Angeles just twice in his young career, going 0-1 (0-2 team record) with a 6.75 ERA (2.14 WHIP) as he was hit hard (3.1 IP, 6 ER, 10 H, 4 K) when they last met. The duo of 1B Albert Pujols and OF Mike Trout have combined to go an impressive 8-for-12 (.667) with one RBI against Eovaldi as 3B David Freese (1-for-8) has struggled in the matchup.

The relievers for New York have been great with a 9-5 record, 2.97 ERA (1.13 WHIP) and are 19-for-22 (86%) in save opportunities. Andrew Miller (1.08 ERA, 17 saves) has yet to fail in a save opportunity and has left 92.2% of runners on base thanks to his 14.4 K/9.