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MLB notebook: Twins' Grossman breaks thumb
August 17, 2017

Minnesota Twins right fielder Robbie Grossman fractured his left thumb in an outfield collision Thursday during the second game of the doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians.

Grossman collided with center fielder Byron Buxton on a flyout in the second inning and was on the ground for a few moments. He stayed in the game and singled in the bottom of the inning.

However, Grossman was replaced by pinch hitter Max Kepler before his at-bat in the third inning. Grossman is hitting .241 this season with seven homers and 35 RBIs.

--Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez left the opening game of the doubleheader after being hit in the right forearm by a second-inning fastball from Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson.

Ramirez hopped down the first base line before dropping to a knee to be examined by a trainer. Ramirez was in obvious pain as manager Terry Francona looked on. He walked off holding his arm and was replaced by Giovanny Urshela.

Ramirez leads the American League with 61 extra-base hits this season. A first-time All-Star this year, Ramirez is hitting .308 with 18 home runs and 58 RBIs.

--The Twins activated left-hander Glen Perkins from the 60-day disabled list after he recovered from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

He appeared in the first game of the doubleheader, allowing two runs in one-third of an inning. Perkins has posted an 0-1 mark with a 6.14 ERA in eight rehab appearances in Minnesota's minor league system.

In a corresponding move, Minnesota placed left-hander Dietrich Enns on the 10-day disabled list with a left shoulder strain.

--Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Rubby De La Rosa will undergo a second Tommy John surgery, manager Torey Lovullo announced prior Thursday.

De La Rosa will need the surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. The 28-year-old had his initial surgery performed in 2011 near the tail end of his rookie season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Lovullo said the date of the upcoming surgery has yet to be disclosed, but he doesn't expect De La Rosa to return next season. De La Rosa posted an 0-1 mark with a 4.70 ERA in nine appearances (7 2/3 innings) with the Diamondbacks this season.

--The St. Louis Cardinals placed right-handed reliever Trevor Rosenthal on the 10-day disabled list due to right posterior elbow irritation.

Rosenthal was sent back to St. Louis for testing after allowing a homer Wednesday to Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts on a 91.4 mph fastball. Rosenthal had not allowed a hit on any fastball slower than 96.3 mph before the Wednesday game at Fenway Park.

In 50 games this season, Rosenthal is 3-4 with a 3.40 ERA and 11 saves. He converted seven straight saves from July 28 through last Saturday.

--The New York Mets placed infielder Jose Reyes on the 10-day list with a strained left oblique strain.

Reyes was scratched from the Wednesday game about two hours before first pitch after appearing to get hurt during batting practice. Reyes was in the original starting lineup and batting leadoff before being scratched.

This season, Reyes is hitting .223 with nine homers and 39 RBIs. A shortstop for most of his career, Reyes has made 24 starts at third, 55 starts at shortstop and five at second base.

[StarDust Bum]

Friday’s six-pack

— Maybe they should play the national anthem at NFL games before teams take the field.

— Reds 13, Cubs 10— Jon Lester gave up nine runs in 1.2 IP, then left with a lat injury. Reds blew a 9-0 lead but rallied late for the win.

— Buccaneers 12, Jaguars 8— Looks like QB Blake Bortles is about to lose his starting job.

— Jaguars’ backup QB Chad Henne is the only NFL QB to be active for every game the last two seasons, who never threw a pass— he only took one snap and it was a kneel-down.

— Eagles 20, Bills 16— Recently-traded Philly DB Ronald Darby picked off his old teammate Tyrod Taylor, in his first game against his old team.

— Ravens 31, Dolphins 7– Jay Cutler was 3-6 for 24 yards in his Miami debut. Josh Woodrum was 8-10 for 110 yards for the Ravens- he played college ball at Liberty.

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Friday’s List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here…….

13) Joey Votto recently reached base 2+ times in 20 consecutive games, one short of Ted Williams’ all-time record of 21; an underrated record. Votto’s on-base %age this year is .448— muy bueno.

12) Then why doesn’t Votto bat leadoff, with a .448 OB%? Isn’t that what leadoff hitters are supposed to do, get on base? Cincinnati bats fleet-footed Billy Hamilton 1st, but his on-base % is a woeful .298.

As my late father liked to say, “You can’t steal first base.”

11) Reds 13, Cubs 10— Jon Lester gave up nine runs in 1.2 IP, then left with a lat injury. Reds blew a 9-0 lead but rallied late for the win.

10) Our thoughts/prayers go out to the people in Barcelona, after the terrorist activity Thursday; basketball teams from Arizona-Clemson-Oregon State-Tulane are all in Spain right now.

Everyone on all four teams is safe and sound. They’ll be glad to get home.

Oregon State’s team was having dinner in the hotel when the terrorist activity happened, right in front of that hotel.

9) Atlanta Falcons’ new domed stadium has Chick-fil-A in it, but Chick-fil-A never opens on Sunday for religious reasons and the Falcons have only one non-Sunday home game this season.

8) Angels had Thursday off, in between series with Nationals/Orioles, so Mike Trout was in Philly last night to see his beloved Eagles play Buffalo.

7) Colorado has yo-yo’d OF Raimel Tapia up and down from AAA a lot this year; he is obviously major-league ready, but the Rockies don’t have a full-time slot for him right now.

Since going back to Albuquerque the last time August 12, Tapia is 12-21 (.571) for the Isotopes. He will be a starter in the major leagues next year, whether in Denver or somewhere else.

6) On July 23, 2013, Nicky Delmonico was traded from Baltimore to the Brewers for Francisco Rodriguez, in a deadline deal; in February 2015 he was released by Brewers.

Now he is hitting .396 in his first 54 plate appearances with the White Sox— he homered twice in LA Wednesday. He is only 25; sometimes it takes a while to become an overnight sensation.

5) Mets had catcher Travis d’Arnaud playing 3B Wednesday night, for the first time in his career; Asdrubal Cabrera and D’Arnaud swapped between 2B and 3B 23 times.

4) Reds 13, Cubs 10— Jon Lester gave up nine runs in 1.2 IP, then left with a lat injury. Reds blew a 9-0 lead but rallied late for the win.

3) Last eight years, Minnesota Vikings are 8-0 vs spread in the game just before their bye; they’re 1-7 vs spread in the first game after their bye.

2) Colorado’s star 3B Nolan Arenado got hit on the hand by a batted ball yesterday and left the game; looked like the ball hit him in the same spot where he was hit by a pitch in Miami last weekend. Rockies need Arenado in the lineup and more importantly, in the field.

1) If you’re a fantasy football owner, what do you do with Ezekiel Elliott? Dallas has an early bye, so for fantasy purposes, Elliott’s 6-game suspension is really seven games, since he isn’t eligible to play until Week 8 against Washington. Most fantasy regular seasons are 13 games, right?

[StarDust Bum]

LEADING OFF: Stanton powers into NY, Red Sox host Yankees
August 17, 2017

A look at what's happening all around the majors Friday:

BROADWAY BOUND

Giancarlo Stanton takes his home run show to the Big Apple when Miami visits the New York Mets. Stanton, who leads the majors with 44 homers, had gone deep in six straight games and 10 of 12 before San Francisco kept him in the ballpark Wednesday. ''He's hurt us enough in the past to know that he can be so dangerous,'' Mets manager Terry Collins said. ''We've noticed a change in his approach at the plate. So we've got to make certainly some adjustments in how we're going to pitch him.'' Stanton said he would enjoy facing new Mets closer AJ Ramos, traded by the Marlins late last month. The big slugger said his former teammate told him he's going to cool off his bat. ''It'll be funny facing him. We've been talking trash to each other,'' Stanton said.

FENWAY SHOWDOWN

The AL East-leading Red Sox host the rival Yankees in the latest installment of their rivalry as they open a three-game weekend series. Boston, winner of 12 of 14, leads the division by four games over New York, which is coming off a four straight wins against the crosstown-rival Mets. Red Sox left-hander Drew Pomeranz (12-4, 3.39 ERA) looks to extend his career-best six-game winning streak when he faces the Yankees' Jordan Montgomery (7-6, 3.94).

SURGING ANGELS

The Los Angeles Angels have won seven of eight games to vault into the second AL wild-card spot heading into a weekend series at Baltimore. Five of the victories have been comebacks as the Angels have improved to 62-59 and jumped over Minnesota, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Kansas City and the Orioles in a crowded AL wild-card race. Star center fielder Mike Trout has led the resurgence as he is batting .343 with seven home runs, 19 RBIs, 26 walks and 22 runs scored while helping Los Angeles go 17-12 since his return on July 14 after missing 39 games due to a thumb injury.

INDIANS SURGING, TOO

Cleveland looks to bounce back after a 4-2 loss at Minnesota in the second game of a doubleheader Thursday night snapped a six-game winning streak. The AL Central Division-leading Indians open a weekend series at Kansas City with Corey Kluber (11-3, 2.71) going against the Royals' Ian Kennedy (4-8, 4.80).

LAST-PLACE MATCHUP

Philadelphia and San Francisco continue a four-game series between the two worst teams in the National League. The Giants, cellar-dwellers in the West, send Matt Moore (3-12, 5.71) against the major league-worst Phillies and Zach Eflin (1-4, 5.76).

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Friday's Diamond Notes
August 17, 2017

Hottest team: Angels (7-1 last eight) vs. Orioles

All of the sudden, the Halos are the second Wild Card team in the American League after compiling an 11-4 record in August. Los Angeles pulled off a four-game sweep at Seattle, followed by a split of a two-game series at Washington. The Angels remain in the Beltway to battle the Orioles this weekend, as L.A. grabbed two of three from Baltimore at home earlier this month.

The Angels have stepped up on the highway recently by posting a 7-2 record in the last nine games away from Orange County. Andrew Heaney gets the ball in the series opener at Camden Yards, making his first start in over a year since Tommy John surgery. The Angels catch the Orioles off a 10-game west coast swing (4-6), but Baltimore has won four of its past five series openers.

Coldest team: Tigers (2-10 last 12) vs. Dodgers

It’s never a good time to go on a skid like Detroit is currently on, but to make matters worse, the red-hot Dodgers are headed to the Motor City this weekend. The Tigers were swept in a three-game series at Texas, while allowing 22 runs in the final two losses. Detroit has dropped six of its past seven contests with the only victory coming in walk-off fashion in a wild 12-11 triumph over Minnesota last Saturday.

Since shutting out the Pirates, 10-0 on August 9, Detroit’s pitching has been lit up by giving up six runs or more in seven straight contests. Jordan Zimmermann will try to turn around Detroit’s recent misfortunes in spite of the Tigers losing three of his past four home starts, including underdog losses to division leaders Houston and Cleveland.

Hottest pitcher: Corey Kluber, Indians (11-3, 2.71 ERA)

Chris Sale is the favorite to capture the AL Cy Young award, but Kluber is pushing the issue for his second Cy Young. Kluber ranks second in the AL in ERA and third in strikeouts with 192, as the right-hander has recorded eight K’s or more in 14 consecutive appearances. Since Cleveland dropped three straight starts by Kluber in July, the Tribe is 5-0 in his past five trips to the mound, including complete game victories at home over the Rockies and Yankees. Kluber is listed as a heavy road favorite at Kansas City, as the Indians are 0-4 in his past four outings at Kauffman Stadium since 2015.

Coldest pitcher: Sean Manaea, Athletics (8-7, 4.59 ERA)

Oakland has struggled with Houston this season by losing 10 of 12 matchups. In one of those victories, Manaea allowed one earned run in 5.2 innings of a 6-4 triumph at Minute Maid Park in late June. However, the A’s are 2-6 in Manaea’s previous eight starts, including a 1-3 mark away from the Coliseum. The southpaw recorded only one out and yielded six earned runs in a 12-5 defeat to Baltimore last Saturday, while Oakland is riding a seven-game OVER streak in Manaea’s last seven starts.

Biggest OVER run: Reds (11-1 last 12)

Cincinnati dropped nine runs in the second inning at Wrigley Field on Thursday, but the Reds squandered that 9-0 advantage as the Cubs rallied to tie the game at 9-9. Luckily, the Reds were able to hold off the defending champions, 13-10, while eclipsing the OVER in 10 of the past 12 games away from Great American Ballpark. Sal Romano is winless in his last four starts for Cincinnati as the Reds are 3-1 to the OVER in this span. The Reds travel to Atlanta as two of three meetings earlier this season in Cincinnati flew OVER the total.

Biggest UNDER run: Rays (13-1 last 14)

Tampa Bay’s offense has dried up since capturing the final three games at Houston to start August. In 11 of the previous 13 games, the Rays have been held to three runs or fewer, including getting shut out at home a whopping five times. Tampa Bay has lost four consecutive series, as Seattle invades Tropicana Field after the M’s swept the Rays at Safeco Field in early June. Austin Pruitt has made four starts since the end of July as the Rays have finished UNDER the total in each outing, while posting three straight quality appearances.

Matchup to watch: Yankees vs. Red Sox

The top two teams in the AL East hook up for their third series since the All-Star break as the Sox have won four of seven matchups. Last weekend in the Bronx, the Yankees rallied from a 3-0 deficit to score five runs in the eighth inning in a 5-3 victory on Friday. However, the Red Sox captured the final two games of the series, including an extra-innings win in the finale as Chris Sale picked up a no-decision in spite of 12 strikeouts in seven innings.

Boston has won 10 of 12 games this month, while putting together an impressive 8-1 record in the past nine contests at Fenway Park. Drew Pomeranz shut down the Yankees last weekend as a +150 underdog, 10-5 by pitching into the seventh inning and allowing three earned runs for his 12th victory of the season. Pomeranz will be listed as a home favorite on Friday as the Sox own a 9-3 record at Fenway in 12 starts.

Fellow southpaw Jordan Montgomery takes the mound for the Bombers, as he went toe-to-toe with Sale last Sunday. Montgomery scattered two hits in 5.1 innings, while the Yankees hit the UNDER in his fifth consecutive start. The Yankees have lost three of the last four home starts by Montgomery, but the Bombers are coming off a four-game sweep of the rival Mets and sit four games behind the Red Sox entering the weekend.

Betcha didn’t know: Following a four-game split of their series with the Astros, the Diamondbacks improved to 11-3 this season in interleague action. Arizona faces another American League opponent this weekend as the Snakes travel to Minnesota to face the Twins. Minnesota has won three of Ervin Santana’s last four starts in interleague play, while the Twins are riding a five-game winning streak against NL opponents.

Biggest public favorite: Astros (-230) vs. Athletics

Biggest public underdog: Marlins (+105) at Mets

[StarDust Bum]

August Best Bets Based on 5 Units Per Play


Best Bets


Date.........................Ats.................. ..........Totals................ Units Record

08/17/2017................3 - 2.........+2.75.................5 - 5 - 0...................- 0.50
08/16/2017................1 - 10........-8.85.................5 - 3 - 0...................+ 1.70
08/15/2017................3 - 5..........-1.29.................7 - 4 - 0...................+ 2.60
08/14/2017................1 - 6.........- 4.95.................4 - 7 - 0....................- 3.70
08/13/2017................1 - 5.........- 4.35.................6 - 4 - 2...................+ 1.60
08/12/2017................2 - 3.........- 0.45.................6 - 3 - 0...................+ 2.70
08/11/2017................4 - 3.....,...+5.70.................6 - 5 - 1...................+ 0.50
08/10/2017................4 - 2........+ 3.53.................4 - 7 - 0....................- 3.70
08/09/2017................5 - 5........+ 3.10.................2 - 2 - 0....................- 0.20
08/08/2017................4 - 4........+ 1.30.................6 - 7 - 2....................- 1.70
08/07/2017................1 - 3.........- 1.95.................3 - 1 - 2...................+ 1.90
08/06/2017................3 - 7.........- 3.15.................4 - 3 - 1...................+ 0.70
08/05/2017................5 - 5........+ 1.40...............10 - 2 - 1...................+ 7.80
08/04/2017................4 - 3........+ 1.70.................5 - 5 - 0....................- 0.50
08/03/2017................4 - 4........+ 1.10.................4 - 2 - 1....................+1.80
08/02/2017................2 - 0........+ 2.90.................5 - 6 - 1......................-1.60
08/01/2017................0 - 1.........- 1.00.................1 - 7 - 1......................-6.60


Totals:...................47 - 68........- 2.51..............83 - 70 - 11...................+ 3.80

[StarDust Bum]

Friday's Best Bet
August 18, 2017

Friday MLB Best Bet
Oakland vs. Houston

The Astros seemingly can not get out of this tailspin they are currently in, as they enter play tonight having lost seven of their past 10 games overall and are 14-18 SU since the All-Star break concluded.

Thankfully this losing stretch hasn't done anything to hurt Houston's playoff aspirations, but limping into the AL playoffs when teams like Boston, New York, and Cleveland have all been playing well isn't exactly the best scenario for the Astros.

Houston still has a little over a month to right the ship and they are hoping it begins tonight with ace Dallas Keuchel on the hill. Keuchel has struggled of late like many of his teammates (6.89 ERA over his last thee starts and 1-2 SU record), but this is a guy who's got some nasty stuff when he's on and should be able to dominate an Oakland lineup that's stuck playing the string out again this year.

BetOnline.ag Odds: Oakland (+190) vs Houston (-205); Total set at 8.5

Although Keuchel may be more than capable of mowing down this Oakland A's team, I don't think bettors have any business even considering backing him and the Astros at this -200 price tag. It's one thing for an “ace” to be struggling and laying a bunch of chalk when his teammates are rolling, but with the Astros offense in a major slump, and wins coming so infrequently, I want nothing to do with Houston on the ML tonight.

If Keuchel comes out and dominates and the Astros win easily, sure, I miss out on a winning bet, but I just don't believe it's worth the risk in the slightest right now. Simply put, I don't believe Keuchel will be able to “flip the switch” and have a strong outing against Oakland tonight.

While that may suggest that a flyer on Oakland ML may be worth a look, Keuchel has shown some signs recently that he's slowly rounding into form (won 2-1 in his last outing on 6 hits and 7 K's in 6.2 innings of work in his last outing) and trusting a 53-68 SU Oakland team that is coming off a series where they allowed at least six runs in all three games is nearly impossible.

Yet, it is that poor pitching by Oakland of late – and Keuchel for Houston – that suggests a play on this total is the much better way to go.

Oakland finished a nine-game homestand on Wednesday and the A's gave up at least six runs in seven of those games. That's atrocious no matter which way you slice it, and tonight's starter Sean Manaea lasted just a third of an inning in a 12-5 loss to Baltimore his last time out.

Manaea's ERA over his last three outings in a whopping 17.55, and the 10.7 runs scored per game against Oakland in those three starts has to be music to the ears of a struggling Astros offense. Fifteen of Manaea's 22 starts this year have cashed 'over' bets (15-6-1 O/U) and two of those have come against this Astros club.

There's really nowhere to go but up for Manaea after he got just one out in his last start, but even if “up” is 4-5 innings pitched with 3-4 runs allowed, we are well on our way to going 'over' 8.5 runs tonight.

That brings us back to the question of how effective Keuchel will be and whether or not Oakland's offense can pull their own weight on the scoreboard.

Well, Oakland's offense has scored 5+ runs in five of their last six games overall, and have scored 4+ runs in Manaea's last six starts overall.

The A's haven't had too much success vs. Keuchel this year with a pair of 7-2 losses back in April, but both of those games would have gone 'over' tonight's 8.5 total, and the A'sdo have a few guys in their lineup like Jed Lowrie and Marcus Semien who are career .300+ hitters (with 10+ AB) vs the Astros lefty.

Oakland is on a 20-6-1 O/U run when facing a starter with a WHIP of lower than 1.15 on the year, and with Houston sporting a 15-5-2 O/U run in series openers, and a 4-1-1 O/U run when Keuchel is up against a losing team, expecting runs tonight is the best way to wager on this game.

Odds per - BetOnline.ag

Best Bet: Over 8.5 runs

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TOR at CHC 02:20 PM

U 9.0

STL at PIT 07:05 PM

O 8.5

LAA at BAL 07:05 PM

O 10.5

LAD at DET 07:10 PM

DET +175

U 10.0

NYY at BOS 07:10 PM

O 9.0

SEA at TB 07:10 PM

SEA +110

MIA at NYM 07:10 PM

U 10.0

CIN at ATL 07:35 PM

O 9.5

CHW at TEX 08:05 PM

CHW +180

O 11.5

ARI at MIN 08:10 PM

U 9.5

OAK at HOU 08:10 PM

OAK +180

O 8.5

CLE at KC 08:15 PM

U 8.5

MIL at COL 08:40 PM

MIL +155

O 12.0

WAS at SD 10:10 PM

SD +180

O 7.0

PHI at SF 10:15 PM

PHI +140

O 8.0

[StarDust Bum]

Baseball Capsules
August 19, 2017

BALTIMORE (AP) Manny Machado capped a three-homer night with a grand slam in the ninth inning, and the Baltimore Orioles rallied to beat the Los Angeles Angels 9-7 on Friday night in a game that featured 10 home runs.

Machado hit his seventh career slam off Keynan Middleton (4-1), who entered with two on and one out in the ninth. After Tim Beckham singled to load the bases, Machado hit a drive far over the center-field wall to give the Orioles their first lead.

Machado also hit a two-run homer in the third and a solo shot in the fifth to finish with seven RBIs.

Albert Pujols set the tone for the game in the first inning with a milestone homer off Jeremy Hellickson. There would be plenty more long balls on a steamy night at Camden Yards, five by each team.

Pujols' two-run drive was 609th, tied with Sammy Sosa for eighth on the career. Pujols and Sosa now share the distinction of hitting more home runs that any other foreign-born player.

After Pujols and Kole Calhoun connected in succession in the first inning, C.J. Cron and Kaleb Cowart homered in the second for a 5-0 lead. The Orioles used homers by Mark Trumbo, Machado and Caleb Joseph and cut the gap to a run before a two-run drive by Mike Trout made it 7-4 in the fifth.

All five L.A. home runs came off Hellickson, the first time the right-hander yielded more than three in a game. Darren O'Day (4-1) got the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

RED SOX 9, YANKEES 6

BOSTON (AP) - Pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland hit a two-run single in Boston's four-run seventh inning and the Red Sox rallied to beat New York.

Boston won for the 13th time in 15 games to extend its lead in the AL East to five games over the second-place Yankees. New York had won four straight.

Addison Reed (1-1) got five outs, striking out three. Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth for his 29th save.

The Red Sox opened a 3-0 lead on homers from Rafael Devers and Christian Vazquez. But Todd Frazier hit a two-run homer in the sixth, then New York scored four in the seventh to take a 6-3 lead.

Boston loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh against Tommy Kahnle (2-4). Mookie Betts had a sacrifice fly and Andrew Benintendi an RBI single. After Hanley Ramirez walked to load the bases again, Moreland's single made it 7-6. Jackie Bradley Jr. added a two-run single in the eighth.

DODGERS 8, TIGERS 5

DETROIT (AP) - Chris Taylor was 4 for 5 with two doubles, and the Los Angeles Dodgers welcomed back Adrian Gonzalez from the disabled list with a victory over Detroit.

Gonzalez doubled in his first plate appearance since June 11, one of six two-base hits on the night for Los Angeles. The Dodgers (86-34) have won 20 of their last 23 games and are 51-9 over their last 60.

Rich Hill (9-4) labored through five innings, allowing three runs and six hits, but the Dodgers gave him plenty of support. Corey Seager drove in three runs, and Logan Forsythe scored three times.

Justin Upton homered twice and Victor Martinez also went deep for the Tigers, but Jordan Zimmermann (7-10) allowed seven runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Gonzalez was activated before the game after being out with a herniated lumbar disk.

The Dodgers have won 37 consecutive games in which they've scored four or more runs.

CUBS 7, BLUE JAYS 4

CHICAGO (AP) - Jake Arrieta pitched into the seventh inning and allowed a run, and Javier Baez homered and drove in three runs to help Chicago beat Toronto.

Arrieta (13-8) allowed one run and six hits in 6 1/3 innings to win his third straight start. Wade Davis got the final three outs for his 25th save.

Anthony Rizzo went 2 for 4 with two RBIs, Victor Caratini went 3 for 3, and Jason Heyward and Albert Almora Jr. each had an RBI single for Chicago.

Blue Jays starter J.A. Happ (6-9) allowed five runs and nine hits in five innings. Miguel Montero, who began the season with the Cubs, went 2 for 4 with a run scored against his former team.

CARDINALS 11, PIRATES 10

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Matt Carpenter hit a three-run homer in the second inning to make it 5-1 and St. Louis went on to outscore Pittsburgh.

The Cardinals, whose lead reached 11-3 in the eighth inning, have taken the first two games of a four-game series against the Pirates to remain 1 1/2 games behind the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs.

St. Louis has won 10 of its past 13 games despite losing three straight from Aug. 13-16. It has scored at least eight runs in eight of those 10 wins.

Tommy Pham homered in the first inning to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead and Paul DeJong made it 6-2 with a solo shot in the third. St. Louis scored two runs in the fourth inning to take an 8-2 lead and chase Pirates starter Trevor Williams (5-6). Pittsburgh has lost six straight.

Right-hander Carlos Martinez (10-9) allowed three runs and six hits with four strikeouts for the win. Right-hander Seung Hwan Oh picked up his 19th save.

ASTROS 3, ATHLETICS 1

HOUSTON (AP) - Dallas Keuchel threw seven shutout innings, Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve homered and Houston beat Oakland.

Keuchel (11-2) allowed three hits, walked one and struck out three. He had his second straight solid outing after allowing one run in 6 2/3 innings Sunday at Texas.

The 2015 AL Cy Young winner retired 14 of the first 15 batters he faced, with the lone hit being a bunt single by Matt Joyce down the third-base line and away from the shift in the third inning. Of the 21 outs Keuchel recorded, 16 came on ground balls.

Bregman and Altuve hit back-to-back home runs in the third to give Houston a 2-0 lead. Bregman hit his 14th of the season to right field, and Altuve hit his 19th into the Crawford Boxes in left.

Ken Giles recorded the final five outs for his 24th save.

Joyce, who was also walked by Keuchel, hit a solo home run in the eighth off Chris Devenski.

Sean Manaea (8-8) lost his third straight.

ROCKIES 8, BREWERS 4

DENVER (AP) - Charlie Blackmon hit his sixth leadoff home run of the season, German Marquez won for the first time in three weeks and Colorado beat Milwaukee.

Gerardo Parra and Carlos Gonzalez also homered and each drove in two runs, and Nolan Arenado had a two-run triple for the Rockies. They are a game ahead of Arizona for the top NL wild card.

Marquez (10-5) allowed four runs - including three solo shots - in 5 2/3 innings.

The Rockies took the lead with a three-run third. Marquez legged out a double with one out and Blackmon singled to put runners at the corners. Arenado got his two-run triple and Parra followed with a run-scoring single to put Colorado ahead 4-2. Parra added a solo homer and Gonzalez's two-run shot a batter later chased Brewers starter Matt Garza (6-7) in the fifth.

TWINS 10, DIAMONDBACKS 3

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Miguel Sano hit two of the Twins' season high-tying six home runs, including an inside-the-park dash by Byron Buxton, and Minnesota powered past Arizona.

Eduardo Escobar, Max Kepler and Brian Dozier also went deep for Minnesota. Buxton finished a single shy of the cycle.

David Peralta had three hits for Arizona, including a home run.

With Minnesota leading 4-3 in the seventh, Sano hit the first pitch from reliever David Hernandez 452 feet into the second deck in left-center for two runs. Escobar added a two-run shot two batters later.

Sano hit one even further, 474 feet into the third deck, in the eighth for his first multi-homer game this season and third of his career.

Buxton hit a ball high off the wall in right-center in the fourth that rolled toward center field. As A.J. Pollock gave chase, Buxton circled the bases in 13.85 seconds, the fastest ever tracked by MLB Statcast, narrowly beating the throw by sliding headfirst across home plate.

Minnesota also hit six home runs May 2 against Oakland.

Arizona starter Zack Godley (5-6) tied a career high by striking out 10, but allowed four earned runs in 5 1/3 innings. Twins starter Ervin Santana (13-7) allowed three earned runs and seven hits in six innings. All the runs came in the first two innings.

NATIONALS 7, PADRES 1

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Matt Grace pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings in place of injured Max Scherzer, and Howie Kendrick hit a leadoff homer and drove in two runs to help Washington beat San Diego.

Scherzer was scratched from his scheduled start and placed on the 10-day disabled list with a sore neck. Grace and five relievers held San Diego to four hits.

Grace, who grew up in the Los Angeles area and pitched at UCLA, made his first big league start and his first start since 2012 when he was with Single-A Potomac. It was his 61st big league appearance.

The left-hander allowed two hits, struck out one and walked one. He retired Cory Spangenberg on a grounder to open the fifth and manager Dusty Baker came out to get him after 52 pitches.

Shawn Kelley came on and with one out allowed Dusty Coleman's solo homer into the second deck in left field, his fourth. Joe Blanton (2-2) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win.

Kendrick homered to left on the third pitch from Luis Perdomo (6-8), his sixth leadoff shot this season and seventh homer overall.

MARINERS 7, RAYS 1

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Nelson Cruz hit his 30th homer and doubled twice, and Erasmo Ramirez won his first game for Seattle since April 1, 2014, lead the Mariners past Tampa Bay.

Cruz's home run was measured by MLB Statcast at 482 feet, the longest in Tropicana Field history.

Ramirez (5-4), who was traded back to the Mariners on July 28 after pitching 2 1/2 seasons with the Rays, gave up one run and two hits in six innings in the first game of the Mariners' 12-game trip.

Hits by Robinson Cano, Cruz, Danny Valencia and Ben Gamel helped the Mariners score three runs in the first off Rays starter Austin Pruitt (6-4).

INDIANS 10, ROYALS 1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Corey Kluber put together another Cy Young-worthy performance before leaving with a sprained right ankle, and Jay Bruce homered twice to help Cleveland rout Kansas City.

Kluber (12-3) was cruising along until there was one out in the sixth inning, and Eric Hosmer sent a grounder to the right side of the infield. Kluber winced coming off the mound to cover the bag.

The two-time All-Star faced one more batter before Andrew Miller relieved him. Kluber allowed a homer to Brandon Moss along with five more hits, striking out four and walking one.

Jason Kipnis and Bruce took Ian Kennedy (4-9) deep in the first inning, and Bruce added a three-run shot in the seventh to finish with five RBIs.

Edwin Encarnacion hit the Indians' fourth homer of the night leading off the ninth.

WHITE SOX 4, RANGERS 3

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Nicky Delmonico lined an inside-the-park home run in the eighth inning, his second go-ahead homer of the game, and Chicago beat Texas to end a five-game losing streak.

Delmonico's fifth homer eluded a leaping Nomar Mazara, bouncing off the wall as the right fielder crumpled on the warning track clutching his left knee. Second baseman Rougned Odor sprinted to retrieve the long carom, but Delmonico beat the throw with a head-first slide.

A day after the end of the rookie's club-record streak of reaching base the first 13 games of his career, Delmonico drilled a two-run shot over the wall in right for a 3-2 lead in the sixth.

Mike Napoli's 25th homer put Texas ahead 2-1 in the fourth.

Gregory Infante (1-1) retired all five batters he faced for his first big league win, and Juan Minaya pitched around a leadoff walk in the ninth for his first save in his first chance in the majors.

Ricky Rodriguez (0-1) was greeted by Delmonico's inside-the-park homer in his third big league appearance.

REDS 5, BRAVES 3

ATLANTA (AP) - Cincinnati hit three home runs in the sixth, including a two-run shot by Adam Duvall, Sal Romano threw seven strong innings and the Reds beat R.A. Dickey and Atlanta.

Matt Adams' homer in the second inning gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead that Dickey held until the four-run sixth. Duvall's homer drove in Joey Votto, who hit a leadoff single, to give the Reds the lead.

Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker added back-to-back homers with one out for Cincinnati's first three-homer inning of the season.

Romano (3-5) snapped a streak of three straight losses in August. The rookie right-hander was dominant after giving up a second-inning homer to Adams. He allowed one run and five hits in his longest of nine starts in the majors. Rasiel Iglesias pitched the ninth for his 23rd save.

The Braves wore 1974 throwback uniforms to launch their Hank Aaron Heritage Weekend. The 83-year-old Aaron and wife Billye took an open-convertible ride around the field in a pregame ceremony.

GIANTS 10, PHILLIES 2

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Matt Moore took a one-hitter into the eighth inning and picked up his first win in nearly two months, leading San Francisco past Philadelphia.

Hunter Pence and Brandon Crawford homered, Pablo Sandoval had an RBI single and Denard Span added three hits and made a nice running catch in center field to help San Francisco to its ninth win in the last 12 games at AT&T Park.

One day after becoming the first team in major league history to reach 11,000 wins as a franchise, the Giants added on by beating the worst team in baseball again.

Moore (4-12) was crisp in his second straight strong start despite four walks, allowing two hits over 7 1/3 innings to win for the first time since June 20. Four relievers combined for five outs to complete the four-hitter. Zach Elfin (1-5) allowed six runs on seven hits over five innings for Philadelphia.

MARLINS 3, METS 1

NEW YORK (AP) - J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run homer and Miami Marlins won for the sixth time in seven games, downing New York to move within two games of .500 for the first time since May 3.

Realmuto followed Marcell Ozuna's second-inning walk with his 14th home run, lining a hanging curveball into the left-field seats for a 2-0 lead.

Pitching in front of a sparse crowd in a game that started almost two hours late due to steady rain and the occasional burst of lightning, Justin Nicolino (2-1) scattered six singles and stranded runners in four of his five innings. Brad Ziegler threw a perfect ninth for his fifth save in seven chances.

Rookie Chris Flexen (2-2) worked 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs, five hits and four walks.

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday’s six-pack

— Last five years, NFL underdogs coming off their bye week are 38-32 vs the spread.

— Last five years, NFL favorites of 7+ points coming off a bye are 9-8-2 vs spread.

— Drew Pomeranz left Friday night’s start with back spasms. Max Scherzer was scratched from his start at San Diego with another neck issue.

— Mets traded Curtis Granderson to the Dodgers after Friday’s loss.

— Angels’ rain delay in Baltimore last night was their first of the season.

— DL happenings:
Cardinals put Adam Wainwright (elbow) on the DL
Cubs put Jon Lester (shoulder) and Justin Grimm (finger) on the DL
Twins put OF Robbie Grossman (thumb) on the DL
Nationals put Max Scherzer (neck) on the DL

*******************************

Saturday’s List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind……..

13) Rashard Davis returned punts for the Eagles Thursday night; the free agent from James Madison was signed earlier this week.

Last Saturday, while the chaos in Charlottesville was going on, Davis was working as a waiter in a restaurant in Charlottesville near the park where the mayhem with the statue of Robert E Lee occurred. He was hiding from his boss in the restaurant as he took calls from his agent updating him on the Eagles’ deal.

One day you’re a waiter, the next day you’re playing ball on national TV. Pretty cool.

12) Something to think about when college football kicks off next weekend; only one of the last 19 national champs lost a non-conference game, Ohio State in 2014 (to Virginia Tech).

11) There were 345 replay reviews in the NFL last year, the fewest since 2009, and 70 less than in 2015.

10) 130 free agents changed teams in the NFL this offseason, also the fewest since 2009.

9) Bill Belichick’s coaching record: 263-125
Tom Brady won-loss record: 208-61
Belichick’s record without Brady: 55-64

8) Baltimore Ravens play in London in Week 3, but they don’t have the usual bye the next week- they host their rival, the Steelers. Ravens don’t have their bye until Week 10.

7) Penn State gave coach James Franklin a 6-year contract extension, worth $34.3M. Franklin is 25-15 at PSU, 14-11 in league games, 1-2 in bowl games; Nittany Lions were 11-3 last year.

6) Jacksonville kicker Jason Myers struggled in Thursday night’s loss to Tampa Bay, now they’re bringing in Dan Carpenter to compete with Myers. Maybe it is contagious; Jacksonville lost to the Buccaneers Thursday, who just fired their kicker last weekend.

5) Le’Veon Bell’s agent had an agreement with the Steelers on a contract back in mid-July, but Bell nixed the deal at the last minute. Not sure if that was a great move by him.

4) Arizona football coach Rich Rodriguez is being sued by his old agents for $230,250; he fired them a couple of years ago, but they say he didn’t pay them enough. Rodriguez agreed to pay them 10% of the money he made from CBS Sports Network, 4% of his money from Arizona.

Rodriguez is a good dude; I have no idea about this lawsuit, but when he left CBS to coach at Arizona, the crew at CBS left his chair empty for their first show without him, thats how much they thought of him.

3) During the Blue Jays-Cubs game Friday, the Cubs’ roving reporter interviewed hockey star Patrick Sharp, who was sitting in the stands. Sharp grew up rooting for the Jays, but he tried to be political saying which team he was rooting for.

2) Not the best week to be a statue, eh? Except for the home run sculpture in Miami, which Dade County says can’t be taken out of Marlins Park.

1) Some good news for Marlins’ fans; David Samson is out as team president. This is a guy who was president of a baseball team who went on Survivor during baseball season— he was the first person voted out on Survivor.

At one point, he was Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria’s stepson. Now the Marlins are rid of Loria and Samson, and they’re much better off.

[StarDust Bum]

Weekend Outlook
August 18, 2017

L.A. Dodgers (85-34) at Detroit (53-67)
Scheduled Rotation: Hill (8-4) vs. Zimmermann (7-9), Ryu (4-6) vs. Fulmer (10-10), Maeda (11-4) vs. Verlander (8-8)
Series Price: Dodgers -220, Tigers +180

It's August 18 and the Dodgers already have 85 wins, and they're doing it without their ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw. They've gone 24-5 since the All-Star break and have gone 50-9 in their last 59 and start a seven-game road trip in Detroit.The Dodgers are 14-3 in Interleague play and all three losses came at the hands of the Tigers. They split a pair at Dodger Stadium in early April, but then it was the Tigers holding serve at home winning both meetings, one of which was a 14-5 Tigers win in matchup between Justin Verlander and Hyun-Jin Ryu.

The Tigers enter this weekend's play on a four-game losing streak and have the majors second-worst ERA (5.08). The Dodgers are ranked MLB's No. 1 in ERA (3.11). It's hard to make a case for the Tigers to win more than one game in this series.

Detroit's poor form happens when it's supposed to, winning just once in its last 11 games as an underdog. Detroit's poor pitching has helped eight of its last nine go 'over' the total. Check the winds on that angle as well; Friday it was blowing out 12 mph to left field.

The Dodgers are currently the Las Vegas Westgate SuperBook's 2/1 favorite to win the World Series.

Arizona (67-54) at Minnesota (60-59)
Scheduled Rotation: (Godley 5-5) vs. Santana (12-7), Shipley (0-1) vs. Colon (4-10)
Series Price: Diamondbacks -135, Twins +125

After splitting a four game home-and-away series with Houston, Arizona just went 4-6 on a brutal 10-game stretch that began at Chase Field by going 1-2 against the Dodgers and then 1-2 against the Cubs. Since going 53-36 at the All-Star break -- a club record, they've stumbled in the second-half, 14-18.

The Twins have won eight of their last 11, but Arizona has won 11 of 14 inter-league games. They have MLB's No. 2 ranked team ERA (3.61), Minnesota is No. 26 (4.77). This is a team defining series for the Twins, who are just 28-35 at home this season. They're six games out of the American League Central, but are in the middle of a wild eight-team race for the final AL Wild Card.

Eight teams are within three games of each other for the stretch run. The Twins are only one game behind the Angels. I'd look for Arizona to bounce back here and score quite a bit of runs in this series. Greinke will handle Saturday, so they have to win either Friday or Sunday to win. Bartolo Colon goes Sunday, so that's a good bet against and try the 'over' in that game as well. Colon has gone 'over' the total in 13 of his 19 starts.

Cleveland (66-53) at Kansas City (61-59)
Scheduled Rotation: Kluber (11-3) vs. Kennedy (4-8), Bauer (11-8) vs. Vargas (14-6), Salazar (5-5) vs. Hammel (5-9)
Series Price: Indians -155, Royals +135

We still have a long ways to go in the regular season, but the feeling I get in this series is that it's kind of a big deal for the Royals. KC is already 5.5 games behind the Indians in the AL Central while being just half-game behind the Angels for the final AL Wild Card. They'll meet again next weekend in Cleveland and they'll play there again for four games from Sept. 13-17, their last meeting of the regular season. The Royals have a 5-4 edge in the nine meetings already this season.

The Indians return home after a successful eight-game road trip where they won six of their last seven to widen their division lead. The up and down Royals are currently trending up with wins in four of their last five. The 'under' has cashed in 11 of the past 15 meetings. And the Indians are currently on a 13-3-1 'under' run improving their MLB-best 'under' record at 70-43-6. That's cashing at a 61 percent rate just by blindly betting them 'under' the total. There's some pretty good pitching matchups in all three games. Other than double-digit mph winds blowing out, the 'under' will be my focus all weekend in this series.

N.Y. Yankees (65-55) at Boston (69-51)
Scheduled Rotation: Montgomery (7-6) vs. Pomeranz (12-4), Sabathia (9-5) vs. Sale (14-4), Gray (7-7) vs. Fister (2-6)
Series Price: Red Sox -170, Yankees +150

The Yankees lost two of three last week at home to the Red Sox, and Station Casinos sports books is saying it's likely to happen again this weekend when they meet at Fenway Park where the Sox are -170 to win the series. However, it's the Yankees that hold a 7-5 season lead. The Red Sox lead the Yanks by four games in the American League East. Boston is currently on a run of winning eight of its last nine home games and winning 11 of its last 12 as a favorite. I love this series traditionally, but I have to admit the last couple of seasons haven't exactly displayed the intensity (A-Rod vs. Varitek), or hate, of years past. Maybe this race down the stretch will start a new chapter in the rivalry.

Oakland (53-68) at Houston (74-47)
Scheduled Rotation: Manea (8-7) vs. Keuchel (10-2), Graveman (3-3) vs. McHugh (0-2), Cotton (5-10) vs. Peacock (10-1)
Series Price: Astros -300, Athletics +260

The Astros have beat up on the A's winning 10 of 12 this season by an 84-46 combined score, but that all came in the first-half. Houston has gone 14-18 in the second-half and their in the middle of an awful 6-13 skid. Is this just a hiccup for Houston or have they really run out of gas? Getting swept at the White Sox eight days ago was a definite low point to what has been an amazing season.

So the question here is whether it's worth taking a shot with Oakland in a couple spots and maybe take them to win the series at +270. The only problem with Oakland is that they've won only 16 times in their last 51 road games. They've also only won six of the past 29 meetings. The Astros rating right now is more about their first-half, so there's going to be 15 cents of value on Oakland in each game. Still, the A's might be just what the Astros needed to bust of this slump.

Seattle (61-61) at Tampa Bay (60-63)
Scheduled Rotation: Ramirez (4-4) vs. Pruitt (6-3), Miranda (7-6) vs. Odorizzi (6-6), Gallardo (5-8) vs. Snell (1-6)
Series Price: Rays -145, Mariners +135

The Mariners are 1.5-games behind the Angels for the final AL Wild Card and the Rays are only three back, so this series has a nice story-line behind it. Seattle has won seven of the past nine meetings at Tampa Bay. In their only meeting this season, the M's swept three at Safeco Field in early June. They were blowouts -- all three by at least six runs. The combined score of the series was 28-7. The Mariners won their last two against Baltimore after losing five straight

This series begins a long 12-game road trip that will define who the Mariners really are and where they're going. They are a fun team to watch nightly and the second-half has gone well for them at 18-14 to get them back to .500. Look for lots of runs in this series. Over their last 10 games, Seattle's starters have a 6.43 ERA and the bullpen isn't much better at 4.39. Seven of those last 10 games went 'over' the total. The Westgate SuperBook has Seattle at 40/1 odds and Tampa Bay at 60/1 to win the World Series.

L.A. Angels (62-59) at Baltimore (59-62)
Scheduled Rotation: Heaney (0-0) vs. Hellickson (7-7), Ramirez (10-10) vs. Gausman (9-8), Bridwell (7-1) vs. Miley (6-10)
Series Price: Orioles -140, Angels +120

Check out the Angels hanging on to the second AL Wild Card! It may be only a half-game lead over the Royals, but it's still impressive considering this team wasn't expected to do much. They've won seven of their last eight and the run started last week at home against the Orioles, who they took two of three from. They then started a four-game series at Seattle, who were ahead of the Angels in the AL West at the time, and promptly swept the M's. They took two of three at Washington and here they are at Baltimore ready to close out this already successful road trip.

Baltimore has been a completely different team at home going 35-23 this season, but lately they've started weekend series out terribly going 3-13 in their last 16 Friday games. Dating back to last season, the past five meetings between these two have stayed 'under' the number. The Angels are currently on a four-game 'under' streak. Baltimore has lost three of its last four including the last two at Seattle. Riding the hot Angels here to win the series looks to be the winning move with Friday and Sunday's games being their most likely wins.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB notebook: Cubs place LHP Lester on DL
August 18, 2017

The Chicago Cubs placed left-hander Jon Lester on the 10-day disabled list Friday with left lat tightness and shoulder fatigue, but the injury is not expected to be season-ending.

Lester was pulled in the second inning of Thursday afternoon's game against the Cincinnati Reds due to the injury and saw a team doctor after the game. He allowed nine runs (seven earned) in 1 2/3 innings as the Reds outlasted the Chicago Cubs 13-10.

"There's no minimum or maximum, just that it's a 10-day stay and then we'll figure it out," Cubs manager Joe Maddon told reporters Friday of Lester's return.

Lester was replaced by left-hander Mike Montgomery in Thursday's game after facing 11 batters in the second inning and Cincinnati leading 8-0. Montgomery will take Lester's slot in the rotation.

--The St. Louis Cardinals placed right-hander Adam Wainwright on the 10-day disabled list with a right elbow impingement, the team announced.

Fellow right-hander Mike Mayers was recalled from Triple-A Memphis to take the roster spot of Wainwright, who leads the Cardinals with 12 wins.

Wainwright owns a 12-5 mark with a 5.12 ERA in 23 starts this season. The 35-year-old has pitched just 11 innings over his last three starts since returning from the disabled list with mid-back tightness.

Mayers has pitched four innings in two relief appearances with St. Louis, posting a 4.50 ERA. The 25-year-old notched a 5-6 mark with a 3.36 ERA in 25 appearances with Memphis.

--Former New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter and his wife, Hannah, celebrated the birth of their first child on Thursday.

The couple was married in July 2016, less than two years after the 14-time All-Star retired from baseball. The Yankees and The Players' Tribune tweeted their congratulations to the couple after the arrival of Bella Raine Jeter.

"Congrats to Derek & Hannah Jeter on the birth of their daughter, Bella Raine Jeter. We can't wait to meet her," the Yankees wrote on the Twitter site.

"Congratulations Derek and hannahbjeter on the birth of your baby girl, Bella Raine Jeter, born Thursday, Aug. 17," wrote The Players' Tribune, which Jeter helped found.

--The Los Angeles Dodgers activated first baseman Adrian Gonzalez from the 60-day disabled list.

The five-time All-Star was sidelined with a herniated lumbar disc in his back. He last played with the Dodgers on June 11.

Los Angeles optioned utility man Rob Segedin to Triple-A Oklahoma City to create the roster space.

Gonzalez batted just .255 with one homer and 23 RBIs in 49 games this season. He also won't be the starting first baseman upon his return for Friday night's road game against the Detroit Tigers due to the stellar campaign rookie All-Star Cody Bellinger is enjoying.

-- The Cincinnati Reds activated right fielder Scott Schebler from the 10-day disabled list, the team announced.

At the same time, the Reds placed right-hander Scott Feldman (knee) on the DL.

Schebler, who has hit 23 homers, has been sidelined since July 30 with a shoulder injury. He is batting .228 with 45 RBIs.

Feldman is on the disabled list for the second time due to his knee woes. He returned on Aug. 12 after missing nearly four weeks and gave up nine runs in 7 2/3 innings in two outings.

--The Kansas City Royals placed right-hander Joakim Soria on the 10-day disabled list, the team announced.

Soria is dealing with a strained left oblique muscle and has dealt with the issue for most of August.

Soria is 4-3 with a 3.96 ERA this season. He has struck out 59 batters in 50 innings.

Kansas City recalled right-hander Kevin McCarthy from Triple-A Omaha to fill the roster vacancy. McCarthy has made 19 appearances for the Royals this season and is 1-0 with a 1.88 ERA.

--The Minnesota Twins placed outfielder/designated hitter Robbie Grossman on the 10-day disabled list with a fractured left thumb.

Grossman, playing right field, suffered the injury in Thursday's second game of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians after he collided with center fielder Byron Buxton on a fly ball in the gap in the second inning.

Grossman singled in his first at-bat after the collision but was replaced before his turn came up the second time around.

To replace Grossman on the 25-man roster, the Twins recalled catcher Mitch Garver from Triple-A Rochester. In addition, the Twins returned right-hander Aaron Slegers, who was the 26th man for Thursday's doubleheader, to Triple-A.

*************************

Dodgers get OF Granderson in trade with Mets
August 19, 2017

The Los Angeles Dodgers added a veteran on Friday to bolster their already-strong roster before the postseason begins in a little more than a month.

The Dodgers acquired outfielder Curtis Granderson and cash considerations from the New York Mets in exchange for a player to be named or cash considerations.

The 36-year-old Granderson has a .254 career batting average with 312 home runs and 853 RBIs in 1,760 games spanning 14 major league seasons with the Detroit Tigers (2004-09), New York Yankees (2010-13) and New York Mets (2014-17). The three-time All-Star (2009, '11, '12) and 2011 Silver Slugger also won the 2016 Roberto Clemente Award for his community work.

Defensively, Granderson has appeared 1,246 games in center field, 445 games in right field and 59 games in left field in his career. He also has played in 51 postseason games, tied for the 14th most among active players.

Granderson has a .276 average in his last 71 games since May 21 with 40 runs, 13 doubles, two triples, 16 homers and 38 RBIs in that span. Overall, he's batting .228 with 19 homers and 52 RBIs in 111 games this season for the Mets, including .282 with runners in scoring position.

To make room on the 40-man roster, Los Angeles designated right-hander Dylan Floro for assignment. The 26-year-old Floro was claimed from the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 4 and appeared in three games with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

And with that deal, the exodus from the Mets' clubhouse of veteran players continued less than a week after the Mets sent Neil Walker to the Milwaukee Brewers. That was a few days after they had traded Jay Bruce to the Cleveland Indians and after the trade deadline when they dealt away Lucas Duda and closer Addison Reed.

Granderson was in his fourth season with the Mets and 13th overall after four seasons with the Yankees and five with the Tigers.

"A little bittersweet," Granderson said before exchanging hugs and phone numbers with now ex-teammates such as Robert Gsellman and Wilmer Flores. "But to get an opportunity to play in the postseason is going to be exciting."

Granderson is in the last season of a four-year, $60 million contract.

The Dodgers (86-34) are on pace to tie the major league record for wins in a season with 116.

As for the Mets, Granderson acknowledged, "Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to do that this year. But all the things that have been said that we talked about doing, I think we did."

[StarDust Bum]

LEADING OFF: Granderson joins Dodgers, trio goes for No. 15
August 19, 2017

A look at what's happening all around the majors Saturday:

DODGERS LOADING UP

Curtis Granderson could join the Dodgers at Detroit after the veteran outfielder was acquired from the New York Mets late Friday night. Los Angeles is running away with the NL West. The Dodgers are 86-34 after beating the Tigers 8-5 in the series opener. The 36-year-old Granderson - hitting .228 with 19 homers and 52 RBIs this season, gives Los Angeles another option for the outfield along with Cody Bellinger, Yasiel Puig, Chris Taylor and Joc Pederson.

SEEKING NO. 15

Boston's Chris Sale, Arizona's Zack Greinke and Kansas City's Jason Vargas will all be trying to catch the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw for the major league lead with 15 wins. Sale (14-4, 2.51 ERA) takes the mound against the Yankees' CC Sabathia (9-5, 4.05) as the Red Sox look to continue a hot stretch that has seen them win 13 of 15 to open a five-game lead over New York in the AL East. Greinke (14-5, 3.01) will start against Minnesota's Jose Berrios (10-5, 4.27). Greinke has allowed 18 earned runs while going 6-1 in his past nine starts. Vargas (14-6, 3.45) goes for his career-best 15th win and will face Cleveland's Trevor Bauer, who pitched in relief Thursday night.

TEXAS HOMECOMING

White Sox left-hander Derek Holland is set to face the Rangers in Arlington for the first time Saturday night after spending his first eight seasons with Texas. He signed with Chicago as a free agent after going to the World Series twice with the Rangers and becoming a fan favorite. Holland's old teammates roughed him up for five runs in 5 1/3 innings in a 10-4 Texas victory at Chicago on July 1. ''It's going to be way different,'' Holland said. ''Just being able to pitch where it all started. This is where all the memories began.''

REDS' ROOKIE ROTATION

Right-hander Robert Stephenson is expected to come off the DL to start against the Braves on Saturday night, giving Cincinnati the chance to have four rookies in its rotation. Sal Ramano started Friday night, Asher Wojciechowski has started seven games and could return to the rotation next week, and Luis Castillo is scheduled to start Sunday.

STRUGGLING

Pittsburgh and Philadelphia will be looking to end six-game losing streaks, tied for the longest current skids in the majors. The Pirates will send Chad Kuhl (5-8, 4.64) against St. Louis' Michael Wacha (9-5, 3.85). The Cardinals had an eight-run lead in the eighth inning Friday night before holding on for an 11-10 win. The Phillies' Jerad Eickhoff (3-7, 4.45) faces the Giants' Ty Blach (8-8, 4.37) in a matchup of the NL's two worst teams. ... Detroit takes an AL-leading five-game skid into the middle game of their series against the Dodgers.

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday’s games
National League

Cardinals @ Pirates
Wacha is 2-1, 3.86 in his last four starts; under is 6-2 in his last eight. Cardinals are 4-5 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 10-8-4

Kuhl is 2-1, 4.00 in his last three starts; under is 5-0-1 in his last six. Pirates are 6-5 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 12-9-3

Cardinals won six of last eight road games; 10 of their last 11 games went over the total. Pittsburgh lost its last six games; their last three games went over.

Marlins @ Mets
Worley is 2-0, 2.12 in his last three starts (under 2-0-1). Miami is 2-1 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 4-3-1

Montero is 0-4, 6.05 in his last seven starts (under 6-1). Mets lost his last five home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 2-7-1

Miami won six of its last seven games; under is 6-2 in their last eight road tilts. Mets lost their last five games; under is 6-2-1 in their last nine home games.

Reds @ Braves
Stephenson is 0-2, 5.28 in three starts this year (under 3-0). Reds split his two road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 1-1-1

Teheran is 0-4, 5.29 in his last six starts; under is 6-2-1 in his last nine. Atlanta is 3-8 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 10-9-5

Reds won three of last four games; over is 11-2 in their last 13 games. Atlanta is 3-8 in its last 11 games; under is 11-2 in their last 13 home games. .

Brewers @ Rockies
Woodruff is 1-1, 1.50 in his first two MLB starts (under 2-0). Milwaukee won his only road start— their first 5-inning record with him: 1-1

Bettis shut the Braves out for seven innings (90 PT) in his first ’17 start. Colorado’s first 5-inning record with him: 0-0-1

Brewers won four of their last five games; over is 4-1-1 in their last six. Colorado lost five of last eight games; under is 7-2-2 in their last 11.

Nationals @ Padres
Strasburg is making first start since July 23; he is 1-1, 3.32 in his last four starts (under 3-1). Nationals are 9-1 in his road starts — their first 5-inning record with him: 11-8-1

Wood is 1-1, 6.00 in four starts for the Padres (over 3-1). San Diego won his first two home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 1-2-1

Nationals won seven of last nine games; under is 7-0-1 in their last eight games. San Diego is 8-4 in last 12 home games; under is 7-2-1 in last ten home tilts.

Phillies @ Giants
Eickhoff is 2-0, 3.77 in his last five starts; over is 4-2 in his last six. Phillies are 1-10 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 9-10-2

Blach is 2-1, 4.29 in his last three starts (over 3-0). Giants are 6-6 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 10-9

Philly lost eight of last nine games; over is 5-1 in their last six games. Giants won six of last seven home games; last five Giant games went over the total.

——————————–

American League
Angels @ Orioles
Ramirez is 1-2, 3.71 in his last four starts; under is 6-2 in his last eight. Angels are 6-4 in his road starts— their 1st 5-inning record with him: 8-10-5

Gausman is 4-1, 1.80 in his last six starts; under is 4-1 in his last five. Orioles are 8-5 in his home starts— their 1st 5-inning record with him: 13-13

Angels won seven of last nine games; four of their last five games stayed under. Baltimore lost six of last ten games; fiver of their last six went over.

Mariners @ Rays
Miranda is 0-2, 8.02 in his last four starts; over is 7-2 in his last nine. Seattle is 8-3 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 13-10-1

Odorizzi is 0-2, 4.50 in his last three starts; over is 9-2 in his last 11. Rays are 3-7 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 8-8-4

Mariners won their last three games; under is 4-2 in their last six games. Tampa Bay lost nine of last 11 games; under is 14-2 in their last 16 games.

New York @ Boston
Sabathia is 0-2, 8.10 in his last three starts; under is 7-1 in his last eight. New York is 7-4 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 9-9-1

Sale is 3-0, 1.77 in his last six starts; under is 7-2 in his last nine. Boston is 8-2 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 13-4-7

New York won four of its last five games; over is 3-1 in their last four games. Red Sox are 13-2 in last 15 games; under is 4-2-1 in their last seven home games.

White Sox @ Rangers
Holland is 1-3, 9.00 in his last four starts; over is 6-2 in his last eight. Chicago is 4-7 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 8-12-3

Perez is 2-0, 1.93 in his last two starts; over is 6-4 in his last ten. Texas is 6-8 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 8-12-3

White Sox lost five of their last six games; under is 5-2 in their last seven road games. Texas won seven of last nine games; over is 3-1 in their last four games.

A’s @ Astros
Graveman is 1-1, 8.16 in his last three starts; over is 4-1 in his last five. Oakland is 1-4 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 3-4-4

McHugh is 0-2, 5.20 in five starts this year (under 4-1). Houston lost his only home start— their first 5-inning record with him: 2-3

A’s lost seven of last ten games; four of their last six went over. Houston is 4-7 in its last 11 games; under is 6-3-1 in their last ten.

Indians @ Royals
Bauer is 4-0, 2.41 in his last five starts; under is 3-0-1 in his last four. Indians are 5-5 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 12-8-3

Vargas is 1-2, 6.89 in his last three starts; over is 8-4 in his last 12. Royals are 8-4 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 13-8-2

Cleveland is 7-1 in last eight games- under is 11-3-1 in their last 15 games. Royals won four of last six games; four of their last five went over.

__________________________

Interleague

Blue Jays @ Cubs
Tepesch is 1-1, 4.35 in two starts for Toronto (over 1-1). Blue Jays’ first 5-inning record with him: 1-1

Quintana is 1-2, 5.73 in his last four starts, last three of which went over. Cubs are 2-1 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 2-4-1

Toronto won five of last seven games; under is 7-2 in their last nine. Cubs are 4-2 in last six games; over is 6-1 in their last seven home games.

Dodgers @ Tigers
Ryu is 1-0, 1.88 in his last four starts; over is 5-3 in his last eight. Dodgers won his last six road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 6-9-2

Fulmer is 0-4, 8.31 in his last four starts; over is 6-4-1 in his home starts. Detroit is 7-4 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 10-10-2

Dodgers are 20-3 in last 23 games; over is 5-2 in their last seven. Detroit lost seven of last eight games; over is 7-1-1 in their last nine.

Diamondbacks @ Twins
Greinke is 3-1, 3.15 in his last five starts; under is 6-2-2 in his last ten. Arizona is 5-4 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 15-5-4

Berrios is 0-2, 7.45 in his last four starts; over is 5-3 in his last eight. Minnesota won his last five home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 10-5-2

Arizona is 4-9 in its last 13 games; over is 5-2 in their last seven road games. Twins are 9-3 in last 12 games; over is 4-1-2 in their last seven.

______________________________

Record with this pitcher starting:
National League
StL-Pitt: Wacha 11-11; Kuhl 9-15
Mia-NY: Worley 6-2; Montero 3-7
Cin-Atl: Stephenson 1-2; Teheran 10-14
Mil-Colo: Woodruff 1-1; Bettis 1-0
Wsh-SD: Strasburg 15-5; Wood 2-2 (2-1)
Phil-SF: Eickhoff 6-15; Blach 9-11

American League
LA-Balt: Ramirez 13-10; Gausman 13-13
Sea-TB: Miranda 13-11; Odorizzi 7-13
NY-Bos: Sabathia 13-6; Sale 18-6
Chi-Tex: Holland 7-17; Perez 9-14
A’s-Hst: Graveman 5-6; McHugh 1-4
Clev-KC: Bauer 12-11; Vargas 16-7

Interleague
Tor-Chi: Tepesch 1-1 (0-1); Quintana 3-3 (10-8)
LA-Det: Ryu 9-8; Fulmer 11-11
Az-Minn: Greinke 17-7; Berrios 10-7

Pitchers allowing a run in first inning:
National League
StL-Pitt: Wacha 3-22; Kuhl 5-24
Mia-NY: Worley 5-8; Montero 3-10
Cin-Atl: Stephenson 1-3; Teheran 8-24
Mil-Colo: Woodruff 0-2; Bettis 0-1
Wsh-SD: Strasburg 3-20; Wood 1-7
Phil-SF: Eickhoff 7-21; Blach 7-20

American League
LA-Balt: Ramirez 10-23; Gausman 7-26
Sea-TB: Miranda 11-24; Odorizzi 6-20
NY-Bos: Sabathia 5-19; Sale 2-24
Chi-Tex: Holland 6-24; Perez 10-23
A’s-Hst: Graveman 6-11; McHugh 0-5
Clev-KC: Bauer 4-23; Vargas 5-23

Interleague
Tor-Chi: Tepesch 0-3; Quintana 6-24
LA-Det: Ryu 7-17; Fulmer 8-22
Az-Minn: Greinke 3-24; Berrios 5-17

_________________________

Umpires
National League
StL-Pitt: Three of last four Randazzo games went over.
Mia-NY: Under is 4-2-3 in last nine Marquez games.
Cin-Atl: Over is 6-1 in last seven Reynolds games.
Mil-Colo: Four of last six Reyburn games went over.
Wsh-SD: Favorites won seven of last eight Foster games.
Phil-SF: Six of last seven Morales games stayed under.

American League
LA-Balt: Over is 4-1-2 in last seven Hallion games.
Sea-TB: Three of last four Guccione games went over.
NY-Bos: Over is 6-2-2 in last ten HGibson games.
Chi-Tex: Five of last six Timmons games stayed under.
A’s-Hst: Over is 3-2 in Additon games this season.
Clev-KC: Seven of last nine Hudson games stayed under.

Interleague
Tor-Chi: Underdogs are 9-6 in last fifteen West games.
LA-Det: Under is 5-3 in last eight Hamari games.
Az-Minn: Last eight Hernandez games stayed under total.

Interleague play
NL @ AL– 70-51 AL, favorites +$277
AL @ NL– 65-60 NL, favorites +$46
Total: 130-115 AL, favorites +$323

Totals in interleague games
NL @ AL: Over 62-58-3
AL @ NL: Over 66-53-7
Total: Over 128-111-10

Teams’ records in first five innings:
Team (road-home-total)- thru 8/18/17
Ariz 22-23-16……31-21–11……..53-44
Atl 23-30-9……20-30-7………..43-60
Cubs 28-27-6…….28-21-11……….56-48
Reds 20-36-7……..22-33–5……….42-69
Colo 31-24-6…….34-22-4………..65-46
LA 29-18-8…….40-18-7……….69-36
Miami 26-27-6…….32-22-7………58-49
Milw 29-21-8…….31-26-8………59-47
Mets 28-28-3……..24-32-5……..52-60
Philly 15-37-13……21-27-7……….36-64
Pitt 29-29-4…….24-27-9………53-56
St. Louis 25-27-8……33-20-9………..58-47
SD 19-36-6……..29-24–8……….48-60
SF 13-40-9……..24-28-9……….37-68
Wash 36-18-6……27-24-8………….63-43

Orioles 24-33-5……..26-28-5………50-61
Boston 25-27-8………29-29-2……..54-56
White Sox 20-34-9………21-32–3……..41-65
Cleveland 34-21-7……..28-21-7………..62-42
Detroit 22-32-9…….26-26-6……..48-58
Astros 30-23-8……..38-21-4……..68-44
KC 24-28-8………23-24-12…….47-52
Angels 23-31-8………26-22-12……..49-53
Twins 33-16-9………26-31-7……..59-46
NYY 25-34-6……….30-23-4…..…55-57
A’s 21-29-7……..26-30-10……..47-59
Seattle 21-29-8……..34-22-9……..55-51
TB 29-23-10……..33-19-8……..62-42
Texas 28-21-10……..31-23-8………59-44
Toronto 23-33-3……..25-29-8……..48-62

%age of times teams score in first inning (road/home/total- 8/18/17)
Ariz 18-59……..21-62………..39
Atl 13-61……..16-57………..29
Cubs 15-61……..22-60………..37
Reds 24-63……..24-59……….48
Colo 16-61……..22-60..………38
LA 17-55……..24-64..……..41
Miami 24-59……..22-61………46
Milw 20-58……25-66…..…..45
Mets 25-59……..20-61……….45
Philly 16-65……..16-56……….32
Pitt 19-62……..20-60……….39
StL 13-60……..19-61………..32
SD 23-61……….18-60……….41
SF 15-63……..18-61…………33
Wash 25-60……..24-60……….49

Orioles 13-63……..19-60………32
Boston 18-61……..14-60………..32
White Sox 20-63……13-56……….33
Clev 14-62……..19-58………32
Detroit 16-63…….25-59………41
Astros 17-61……..24-61……….41
KC 16-61……..10-60……….26
Angels 22-64…….15-60………..36
Twins 13-56……..13-63……….26
NYY 14-64……..16-57……….30
A’s 13-57……..25-66………38
Seattle 20-57…….22-66………42
TB 18-62……..20-62……..38
Texas 22-59……..26-62………48
Toronto 20-59……..18-65………38

[StarDust Bum]

August Best Bets Based on 5 Units Per Play


Best Bets


Date.........................Ats.................. ..........Totals................ Units Record

08/18/2017................2 - 5.........- 2.10.................6 - 7 - 1...................- 1.70
08/17/2017................3 - 2.........+2.75.................5 - 5 - 0...................- 0.50
08/16/2017................1 - 10........-8.85.................5 - 3 - 0...................+ 1.70
08/15/2017................3 - 5..........-1.29.................7 - 4 - 0...................+ 2.60
08/14/2017................1 - 6.........- 4.95.................4 - 7 - 0....................- 3.70
08/13/2017................1 - 5.........- 4.35.................6 - 4 - 2...................+ 1.60
08/12/2017................2 - 3.........- 0.45.................6 - 3 - 0...................+ 2.70
08/11/2017................4 - 3.....,...+5.70.................6 - 5 - 1...................+ 0.50
08/10/2017................4 - 2........+ 3.53.................4 - 7 - 0....................- 3.70
08/09/2017................5 - 5........+ 3.10.................2 - 2 - 0....................- 0.20
08/08/2017................4 - 4........+ 1.30.................6 - 7 - 2....................- 1.70
08/07/2017................1 - 3.........- 1.95.................3 - 1 - 2...................+ 1.90
08/06/2017................3 - 7.........- 3.15.................4 - 3 - 1...................+ 0.70
08/05/2017................5 - 5........+ 1.40...............10 - 2 - 1...................+ 7.80
08/04/2017................4 - 3........+ 1.70.................5 - 5 - 0....................- 0.50
08/03/2017................4 - 4........+ 1.10.................4 - 2 - 1....................+1.80
08/02/2017................2 - 0........+ 2.90.................5 - 6 - 1......................-1.60
08/01/2017................0 - 1.........- 1.00.................1 - 7 - 1......................-6.60


Totals:...................49 - 73........- 4.67.................89 - 77 - 11...................+ 2.10

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Saturday, August 19

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2:20 PM
TORONTO vs. CHI CUBS
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing Chi Cubs
Chi Cubs are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games at home

4:05 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. PITTSBURGH
The total has gone OVER in 11 of St. Louis's last 12 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games at home
Pittsburgh is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games at home

4:05 PM
LA DODGERS vs. DETROIT
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of LA Dodgers's last 9 games when playing on the road against Detroit
LA Dodgers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games
Detroit is 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Dodgers
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Detroit's last 9 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers

6:10 PM
SEATTLE vs. TAMPA BAY
Seattle is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Seattle's last 9 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 9 games when playing at home against Seattle

7:05 PM
LA ANGELS vs. BALTIMORE
LA Angels are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing Baltimore
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Angels's last 6 games when playing Baltimore
Baltimore is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Baltimore's last 6 games

7:10 PM
OAKLAND vs. HOUSTON
Oakland is 2-18 SU in its last 20 games when playing Houston
Oakland is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games on the road
Houston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Houston's last 12 games when playing at home against Oakland

7:10 PM
NY YANKEES vs. BOSTON
NY Yankees are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
NY Yankees are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing Boston
Boston is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games at home
Boston is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games

7:10 PM
CINCINNATI vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Cincinnati's last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Cincinnati's last 13 games
Atlanta is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 6 games at home

7:10 PM
ARIZONA vs. MINNESOTA
Arizona is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Arizona is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Minnesota is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
Minnesota is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Arizona

7:10 PM
MIAMI vs. NY METS
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Miami's last 6 games on the road
Miami is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Mets's last 6 games at home
NY Mets are 0-5 SU in its last 5 games

7:15 PM
CLEVELAND vs. KANSAS CITY
Cleveland is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Cleveland's last 8 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
Kansas City is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Kansas City is 5-13 SU in its last 18 games when playing Cleveland

8:05 PM
CHI WHITE SOX vs. TEXAS
Chi White Sox are 9-4 SU in their last 13 games when playing Texas
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Chi White Sox's last 8 games when playing Texas
Texas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Texas's last 5 games when playing at home against Chi White Sox

8:10 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. COLORADO
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Milwaukee's last 18 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Milwaukee's last 9 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Colorado's last 6 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Colorado's last 9 games when playing Milwaukee

8:40 PM
WASHINGTON vs. SAN DIEGO
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Diego
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
San Diego is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of San Diego's last 10 games at home

9:05 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. SAN FRANCISCO
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing San Francisco
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco's last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
San Francisco is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games when playing Philadelphia