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[StarDust Bum]

Sunday's Diamond Notes
July 9, 2017

Hottest team: Dodgers (5-0 past five games, 24-4 past 28 overall)

The Dodgers continue to be the class of the major leagues with several pitching and hitting studs dotting the roster. Clayton Kershaw, was named to the All-Star squad, but he will pitch Sunday agaisnt the Royals. The Dodgers have won five in a row, outscoring the opposition 19-12. Four of the victories have been by one run, including Saturday's extra-innings victory. The Dodgers are heavy chalk to top Danny Duffy and the Royals in Sunday's afternoon finale, listed at -300 or higher at most shops. L.A. is just 1-3 on the run line as a favorite over their past four wins.

Coldest team: Phillies (0-5 past five games, 7-23 past 30 overall)

The Phillies won't mind hitting the All-Star break, clearing their minds after a disappointing first half. Philadelphia enters Sunday's game 30 games under .500, including 15-25 at Citizens Bank Ball Park. They have a minus-98 run differential, ranking 29th in the majors. Philadelphia is also a dismal 3-13 over their past 16 against teams with a winning overall record. They're also 2-10 over the past 12 outings at home, and 1-8 over the past nine against National League West foes. It's no surprise the Padres are road favorites (-110) to complete the three-game sweep.

Hottest pitcher: Corey Kluber, Indians (7-3, 2.85 ERA)

Kluber, named the American League Pitcher of the Month of June, enters Sunday's series finale against the Tigers fifth in the majors in ERA at 2.85. The Klubot picked up where he left off in June, posting eight strong innings with just one run allowed in a 1-0 loss against San Diego on July 4. He also has an impressive 115 strikeouts with just 21 walks across 88 1/3 innings with a sparkling 0.97 WHIP over 13 starts. He has seven straight quality starts since May 2 in Detroit, when Kluber left due to tightness in his back. That injury caused him to spend a month on the disabled list. However, he also allowed six runs and eight hits over 6 1/3 innings in a win April 15 at Progressive Field in the first meeting with the Tigers. That makes him 1-1 with a 10.61 ERA in two outings against the Tigers this season.

Coldest pitcher: Ubaldo Jimenez, Orioles (3-4, 6.64 ERA)

Jimenez has a terrible 6.64 ERA across 17 outings (12 starts) this season, as the opposition is hitting .261 against him with a subpar 1.50 WHIP. He has been slightly better on the road than at home, going 2-4 with a 6.31 ERA across seven starts and four relief appearances. In his first outing against the Twins back on May 22, U allowed six earned runs and a season-high nine hits across just four innings in a no-decision, although he is 5-3 with a 3.13 ERA in 11 starts and one relief appearance against the Twins over his career. He'll be opposed by Kyle Gibson, who beat the O's earlier this season. He is 4-2 with a 3.91 ERA in eight starts since then, too.

Biggest UNDER run: Phillies (6-0-1 past seven overall)

The 'under' is an impressive 6-0-1 over the past seven for Philadelphia, and 11-3-2 over the past 16 outings overall. In addition, the under is 8-1-2 in Philadelphia's past 11 games in their home park. That includes each of the first two outings in this series against the Padres, with Philly mustering just four runs while the Padres have scored just six. The under is a tough sell with Jerad Eickhoff (0-7, 4.93 ERA) on the hill. He is making his first start since June 17 after spending the past few weeks on the DL due to a back ailment. He went 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA in a pair of outings against the Padres last season, yielding just four runs and nine hits with 14 strikeouts across 13 innings.

Biggest OVER run: Astros (7-0-1 past eight overall)

The Astros have been a popular 'over' bet lately, cashing in seven in a row until Saturday's push. Houston's offense has been the reason, scoring 32 more runs than any other club in baseball this season. Houston has an impressive plus-144 run differential, and they're the only team in the majors with more than 500 runs, 508 to be exact. That's good for an average of 5.8 runs per game while allowing 4.1 runs per outing. That means Houston is not just a temporary 'over' play, but a team that has been popular at the betting window all season long.

Matchup to watch: Giants vs. Marlins

The Marlins saw Chris O'Grady win his first major league start on Saturday, as closer A.J. Ramos held on for the save despite a shaky ninth inning. Now, it's Jose Urena looking to close things out before the All-Star host heads back to South Florida. The Giants turn to Johnny Cueto, scratching Matt Cain. Manager Bruce Bochy didn't want Cueto, who missed his start earlier this week due to an ear infection, to have to wait until after the All-Star break before seeing his next action. Cueto is a slight upgrade over Cain, although neither has exactly been lighting the world afire this season.

Betcha didn’t know: Last season Cueto posted an 18-5 record with a 2.79 ERA, winning three starts starts April 5-16, five straight starts May 12-June 3, back-to-back outings June 15-21, two in a row July 1-6 and four in a row to close out the season Sept. 10-29. This season has been a different story, as Cueto is a game under .500 and he hasn't won consecutive starts since winning his first three outings back from April 4-14. He allowed three earned runs and seven hits over five innings in a win at Pittsburgh on June 30 in his most recent assignment. The Giants are just 3-6 over his past nine starts after going 23-9 in his 32 regular-season outings in 2016.

Biggest public favorite: Dodgers (-310) vs. Royals

Biggest public underdog: Giants (+115) vs. Marlins

Biggest line move: Mariners (-140 to -165) vs. Athletics

[StarDust Bum]

SUNDAY, JULY 9

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

MIL at NYY 01:05 PM

MIL +140

U 9.5

HOU at TOR 01:07 PM

O 9.5

PIT at CHC 01:10 PM

PIT +140

U 9.0

SD at PHI 01:35 PM

U 8.5

ATL at WAS 01:35 PM

ATL +155

O 9.5

BAL at MIN 02:10 PM

U 10.5

NYM at STL 02:15 PM

U 9.0

LAA at TEX 03:05 PM

LAA +130

CHW at COL 03:10 PM

U 11.5

MIA at SF 04:05 PM

MIA +120

O 8.0

KC at LAD 04:10 PM

KC +260

O 7.0

OAK at SEA 04:10 PM

U 9.5

CIN at ARI 04:10 PM

CIN +140

DET at CLE 08:05 PM

DET +185

U 8.0

[StarDust Bum]

Diamond Trends - Sunday
July 9, 2017

TOP SU TREND:

-- The Astros are 14-0 since Sep 05, 2016 as a road favorite when they won the last two games their starter started.

TOP OU TREND:

-- The Cubs are 0-10 OU (-2.85 ppg) since Jun 17, 2017 in not the first game of a series when playing a team that has a worse record.

TOP STARTER TREND:

-- The Dodgers are 21-0 since Sep 27, 2013 when Clayton Kershaw starts as a home $200+ favorite and he had a WHIP of less than 1 in his last start.

TOP CHOICE TREND:

-- The Blue Jays are 12-0 since May 25, 2014 when JA Happ in an afternoon game after they won in his last start.

[StarDust Bum]

Baseball Capsules
July 9, 2017

DENVER (AP) Hometown rookie Kyle Freeland came within two outs of the first no-hitter by a Rockies pitcher at Coors Field before surrendering a sharp single to Melky Cabrera in Colorado's 10-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.

Freeland, who's from Denver and grew up going to games at the hitter-friendly park, struck out the first batter of the ninth inning and then allowed Cabrera's hit to left field on a 2-2 count.

The 24-year-old Freeland (9-7) threw 126 pitches. He was pulled immediately after the hit and left to a standing ovation. The lefty struck out a career-high nine, walked three and hit a batter.

Freeland was trying to throw the second no-hitter in Coors Field history. Hideo Nomo accomplished the feat in 1996 when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The only no-hitter in Rockies history was thrown by Ubaldo Jimenez in 2010 at Atlanta.

Edinson Volquez of the Miami Marlins pitched the lone no-hitter in the majors this season, doing it last month against Arizona.

Freeland even had an RBI single in the seventh for the Rockies' last run.

Reliever Jordan Lyles got the last two outs to complete the one-hitter.

Pat Valaika drove in five runs, including a three-run homer as part of a five-run sixth that turned a 2-0 lead into a rout. Charlie Blackmon also hit a solo homer.

Carlos Rodon (1-2) was the loser.

ASTROS 19, BLUE JAYS 1

TORONTO (AP) - Carlos Correa homered twice and drove in a career-high five runs and Houston romped into the All-Star break, battering Toronto.

The runaway leaders in the AL West became just the fifth team in the last 40 years to reach 60 wins before the All-Star Game. They Astros joined the 1998 Yankees, 2001 Mariners, 2003 Braves and this year's Los Angeles Dodgers, who got there Saturday. At 60-29, Houston heads into the break with a whopping lead in a division where no one else is over .500.

A day after his career-high 15-game hitting streak ended, Correa had four hits. The All-Star shortstop hit the 20-homer mark with his second of the day for his fifth career multihomer game and second this year.

Fellow All-Star Jose Altuve, Yuli Gurriel and Evan Gattis also homered for Houston. Altuve had three hits for the fifth consecutive game - he became the ninth major leaguer to do so in more than a century, and the first since George Brett's record-tying six-game streak for Kansas City in 1976.

Gattis drove in four runs with two hits in Houston's most-lopsided win of the season.

Brad Peacock (7-1) pitched six innings of shutout ball, holding the Blue Jays to five hits while walking five. The Astros hit three home runs in the second against J.A. Happ (3-6), the third time this season they've had at least three in an inning.

PIRATES 14, CUBS 3

CHICAGO (AP) - Francisco Cervelli and Andrew McCutchen capped Pittsburgh's 10-run first inning with consecutive homers off Jon Lester, helping the Pirates pound Chicago.

Cervelli drove in five runs and Jordy Mercer had two hits and three RBIs as the Pirates closed out a 5-2 road trip with their fifth win in six games. All-Star Josh Harrison homered in the ninth and Chad Kuhl pitched three innings of one-run ball in an emergency start after Jameson Taillon was scratched due to flu-like symptoms.

Pittsburgh sent 15 batters to the plate in its highest-scoring inning since it got 10 in the seventh against Colorado on May 17, 2009. It was the first time it scored at least 10 in the first inning since June 8, 1989, against Philadelphia.

Cervelli hit his third career grand slam into the basket in left with two out. McCutchen followed with a drive to left-center for his 17th homer, chasing Lester and drawing a smattering of boos from a frustrated crowd of 41,604 at Wrigley Field.

Chicago (43-45) heads into the All-Star break with a losing record for the first time since it was 40-54 in 2014. The Cubs were 53-35 at the break a year ago on their way to their first World Series title since 1908.

Lester (5-6) was charged with four earned runs and six hits in the shortest start of his 12-year major league career. A.J. Schugel (1-0), the second of three Pittsburgh relievers, pitched three innings for the win.

DODGERS 5, ROYALS 2

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Clayton Kershaw tossed a six-hitter to become the majors' first 14-game winner, Justin Turner homered twice, and NL West-leading Los Angeles beat defeated Kansas City to complete its major league-best 10th sweep and sixth straight victory.

The streaking Dodgers head into the All-Star break owning baseball's best record of 61-29. They've won 18 of their last 19 at home, where they lead the majors with a 39-11 mark.

Kershaw (14-2) allowed two runs and six hits on 99 pitches, struck out 13 and walked none to set the Dodgers' record for most wins at the break.

The All-Star left-hander, who won't pitch in Tuesday's showcase in Miami, is 10-0 over his last 13 starts, all Los Angeles victories. He allowed a run for the first time in four outings.

Danny Duffy (5-5) gave up five runs and six hits in seven innings. He struck out nine and didn't walk anyone.

BREWERS 5, YANKEES 3

NEW YORK (AP) - Travis Shaw and Stephen Vogt both homered and Milwaukee increased its surprising NL Central lead, topping New York.

The Brewers have won nine of 11. At 50-41, they go into the All-Star break in first place for the fifth time in franchise history, 5 1/2 games ahead of the reigning World Series champion Chicago Cubs and St. Louis.

The Yankees (45-41) have not won a series since June 9-11 and are 3 1/2 games behind first-place Boston in the AL East.

Shaw hit a three-run homer in the first off Masahiro Tanaka (7-8). Vogt added a solo shot in the second, his fourth since being plucked off waivers from Oakland two weeks ago.

Jimmy Nelson (8-4) pitched five-plus innings of three-run ball. Corey Knebel notched a four-out save, his 14th in 18 opportunities.

Clint Frazier homered for the Yankees, the rookie's second shot in as many days and his third in just seven games since his debut.

NATIONALS 10, BRAVES 5

WASHINGTON (AP) - Anthony Rendon reached base four times, the Washington bullpen allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings, and the Nationals beat Atlanta.

Rendon scored twice and drove in a pair as the Nationals salvaged a split of the four-game series with the Braves to enter the All-Star break with a 9 1/2-game lead over Atlanta in the NL East.

Washington starter Joe Ross left the game with an apparent injury with one out in the fourth.

Reliever Matt Grace (1-0) allowed two runs, one earned, over 2 2/3 innings. Joe Blanton, Enny Romero and Matt Albers each threw a scoreless inning.

With Washington leading by one, Rendon provided an insurance run in the seventh. He walked, stole second and went to third on a throwing error by catcher Tyler Flowers, and scored on a Matt Wieters' sacrifice fly.

Atlanta rookie Sean Newcomb (1-4) allowed four runs on four hits over four innings.

TIGERS 5, INDIANS 3

CLEVELAND (AP) - Michael Fulmer outpitched All-Star teammate Corey Kluber and Alex Presley hit a tiebreaking, two-run double and Detroit hung on late to salvage the series finale with Cleveland.

Fulmer (9-6) dominated Cleveland's lineup until the seventh, when he gave up a two-run homer to Indians All-Star Jose Ramirez.

Detroit's shaky bullpen barely held together over the last three innings. Shane Green worked out of a bases-loaded threat in the seventh and Justin Wilson did the same in the eighth while getting five outs for his 10th save in 11 tries.

Fulmer won't pitch for the AL in Miami on Tuesday night, so he made the most of a nationally televised matchup against Kluber by beating the Central-leading Indians. He held Cleveland to one run and three hits over the first six innings and won his third start in a row.

Presley ripped his double just inside the left-field chalk in the sixth off Dan Otero after the Tigers loaded the bases against reliever Nick Goody (1-1), who replaced Kluber to start the inning.

The Indians were again without manager Terry Francona, who underwent a cardiac ablation to correct an irregular heartbeat and spent four days at the Cleveland Clinic. Francona is expected to rejoin the club following the All-Star break.

PHILLIES 7, PADRES 1

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Freddy Galvis hit two of his team's six home runs, Jerad Eickhoff threw five shutout innings, and Philadelphia topped San Diego.

Rookie Nick Williams began the run of homers with his first in the majors during the second inning.

Cameron Rupp followed two batters later with another solo homer and Galvis hit a two-run shot in the third inning. Odubel Herrera and Aaron Altherr added solo home runs in sixth and seventh innings respectively and Galvis went back-to-back after Altherr's for his second of the game.

Eickhoff (1-7) returned from the disabled list with a strong start for the Phillies. He tied a season high with eight strikeouts and held the Padres to just five hits and a walk.

Trevor Cahill (3-3) struggled while striking out eight in five innings.

CARDINALS 6, METS 0

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Tommy Pham, Paul DeJong and Luke Voit homered and Lance Lynn pitched seven innings of three-hit ball to help St. Louis beat New York.

It was Lynn's longest outing since May 23, when he threw 123 pitches in eight scoreless innings in a 2-1 loss to Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers. Lynn's two strikeouts is a season low, but he needed just 93 pitches while facing two batters over the minimum.

Lynn (7-6) did not allow a runner past first and lowered his ERA to 3.61.

Trevor Rosenthal struck out the side in the eighth and John Brebbia pitched a scoreless ninth as the Cardinals finished a 6-4 homestand and moved into a tie with the Chicago Cubs for second place in the National League Central.

Steven Matz (2-2) gave up five runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings, his shortest outing since June 3.

MARLINS 10, GIANTS 8

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Giancarlo Stanton homered twice, the second coming after A.J. Ellis' tiebreaking two-run home run in the 11th inning, and Florida held on to beat San Francisco.

Miami blew a 7-4 lead when the Giants scored three runs off Kyle Barraclough in the eighth before Ellis and Stanton lifted the Marlins in extra innings.

J.T. Realmuto reached on shortstop Brandon Crawford's throwing error leading off the 11th. After JT Riddle flew out, Ellis hit a tiebreaking two-run home run. It was Ellis' first career pinch hit home run.

Stanton, who homered in the fifth off starter Johnny Cueto, then tacked on No. 26 against George Kontos (0-3).

The Marlins head into the All-Star break having won five of six.

Nick Wittgren (2-1) retired six batters for the win and A.J. Ramos pitched the ninth for his 17th save.

REDS 2, DIAMONDBACKS 1

PHOENIX (AP) - Homer Bailey went 6 2/3 strong innings, Scott Schebler doubled in the go-ahead run and Cincinnati beat Arizona, sending the Diamondbacks to their fifth loss in six games.

Bailey (2-2) gave up a run on seven hits in his fourth start since returning from February surgery to remove small bone spurs from his elbow. He struck out five and walked four.

A.J. Pollock homered for Arizona, his first since a six-week stint on the disabled list with a groin injury. Patrick Corbin (6-9) allowed two runs in six innings but took the loss. The left-hander scattered seven hits and matched his season high with nine strikeouts.

Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth for his 16th save in 17 tries.

RAYS 5, RED SOX 3

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Brad Miller hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning and Tampa Bay took three of the four from AL East-leading Boston.

Miller connected with two outs off Joe Kelly (3-1), sending a drive over the center field wall. Kelly had made a career-best 23 straight scoreless appearances.

Brad Boxberger (1-0) worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the eighth before Alex Colome got three outs for his 25th save.

Tampa Bay, at 47-43, has 13 more wins than last year at the All-Star break and trails the Red Sox by 3 1/2 games.

ORIOLES 11, TWINS 5

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Adam Jones homered twice and drove in five runs to lead a 15-hit attack in Baltimore's victory over Minnesota.

Ruben Tejada and Seth Smith each had three hits for the Orioles, who won their second straight and earned a split of the weekend series.

Max Kepler had a double and a triple and Robbie Grossman drove in two runs for Minnesota, which reached the All-Star break at 45-43. It's only the second time in the past seven seasons the Twins have been above .500 at the break.

Ubaldo Jimenez (4-4) worked five innings for his third win in his past five starts. He allowed four runs in the second inning, but otherwise held off the Twins. Kyle Gibson (5-7) was the loser.

ANGELS 3, RANGERS 0

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - J.C. Ramirez outpitched All-Star Yu Darvish and Albert Pujols hit his 604th career home run as four Anaheim pitchers combined to beat Texas.

Ramirez (8-7) allowed two hits in six innings. Angels relievers allowed only one walk with Bud Norris earning his 13th save with a perfect ninth inning.

Ramirez made his 16th straight start since mid-April after his previous 108 career appearances in the major leagues were in relief. The 28-year-old was moved into the starting rotation after Los Angeles lost multiple starters to injury.

Darvish (6-8) gave up two runs while pitching 7 1/3 innings. He allowed three hits, fanning six and walking four in a start that cost him a potential appearance in Tuesday night's All-Star Game.

MARINERS 4, ATHLETICS 0

SEATTLE (AP) - Felix Hernandez rediscovered some of his past form allowing two hits over six dominant innings, and Nelson Cruz hit his 17th home run of the season to lift Seattle past Oakland.

Making his fourth start since coming off the disabled list late last month, Hernandez had the best command of his pitches perhaps all season.

Hernandez struck out a season-high eight, including a stretch with four of five outs retired via the strikeout in the fourth and fifth innings. Hernandez had better separation in the speeds between his fastball in the low-90s and a changeup in the mid-80s and an excellent curveball.

Hernandez (4-3) allowed only a third-inning double to Matt Joyce and a two-out single to Jaycob Brugman in the fifth. Daniel Gossett (1-4) was the loser.

[StarDust Bum]

Midseason Award Odds
July 9, 2017

The All-Star break is here in Major League Baseball as the Astros and Dodgers are the first teams to reach the 60-win mark. From an individual standpoint, several sluggers and hurlers have stood out and the odds have been adjusted for the Most Valuable Player Award, Cy Young Award, and who will hit the most home runs.

Starting with the long ball, Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge leads the Majors with 30 home runs, followed by Astros’ outfielder George Springer’s 27 homers. Judge is the favorite to capture the home run title at BetOnline.ag at 13/10 odds (Bet $100 to win $130), while Springer is right behind at 7/2 (Bet $100 to win $350). In the National League, Reds’ first baseman Joey Votto has knocked out a league-best 26 home runs, but is listed at 8/1 odds to win the home run crown. Votto has hit more than 30 homers only once in his career, going deep 37 times back in 2010.

Judge is the front-runner to grab the American League MVP at 2/7 odds (Bet $350 to win $100) as he ranks in the top three in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in inside the AL. The three-headed monster of Astros’ stars are right behind Judge as Springer, Carlos Correa, and Jose Altuve all have odds of 8/1 or better to bring the first MVP to Houston since Jeff Bagwell in 1994.

In the National League, D-backs’ first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is the favorite at 3/2 odds. Goldschmidt has been consistent across the board in most offensive categories, including ranking first in the NL in runs scored, fourth in RBI, and third in OPS. No D-back has ever won the MVP award, but 2015 winner Bryce Harper is lurking behind Goldschmidt at 9/2 odds, as the Nationals’ right fielder ranks in the top 10 in the NL in slugging, OPS, batting average, runs, home runs, and RBI.

On the mound, Chris Sale is on the verge of hoisting his first Cy Young honor as the Red Sox southpaw has struck out a league-high 178 batters, while winning 11 games through the first half. Sale is the runaway favorite at 2/5 odds (Bet $250 to win $100), followed by Houston’s Dallas Keuchel (11/2), who has been sidelined since June 2 with a neck injury.

Clayton Kershaw is closing in on his fourth Cy Young Award since 2011 as the Dodgers’ ace is the clear favorite at 5/8 odds. Kershaw sits in first in wins with 14 and inning pitched to lead the National League and second in strikeouts and ERA. Kershaw’s teammate Alex Wood is a surprise name in the Cy Young race with a 10-0 record and miniscule ERA of 1.67. Wood (9/2) sits behind last season’s Cy Young winner Max Scherzer, as the Nationals’ ace leads the NL in ERA, strikeouts and WHIP, while being listed at 13/10 odds to grab the honor.

2017 MLB Home Run Leader
Aaron Judge (NYY) 13/10
George Springer (HOU) 7/2
Giancarlo Stanton (MIA) 5/1
Joey Votto (CIN) 8/1
Cody Bellinger (LAD) 9/1
Khris Davis (OAK) 10/1
Logan Morrison (TB) 11/1
Mike Moustakas (KC) 12/1
Bryce Harper (WSH) 14/1
Eric Thames (MIL) 18/1
Marcell Ozuna (MIA) 20/1
Justin Smoak (TOR) 20/1
Mike Trout (LAA) 33/1
Miguel Sano (MIN) 33/1
Anthony Rizzo (CHC) 33/1
Edwin Encarnacion (CLE) 33/1
Jay Bruce (NYM) 33/1
Mark Reynolds (COL) 33/1
Kris Bryant (CHC) 40/1
Paul Goldschmidt (ARI) 40/1
Joey Gallo (TEX) 40/1
Scott Schebler (CIN) 40/1
Jake Lamb (ARI) 40/1
Nolan Arenado (COL) 50/1
Chris Davis (BAL) 50/1
Ryan Zimmerman (WSH) 50/1
Adam Duvall (CIN) 50/1
Justin Bour (MIA) 50/1
Corey Dickerson (TB) 66/1
Nelson Cruz (SEA) 66/1
Manny Machado (BAL) 80/1
Yonder Alonso (OAK) 100/1
Charlie Blackmon (COL) 100/1
Michael Conforto (NYM) 200/1
Jose Bautista (TOR) 250/1

Most Valuable Player - AL Odds
Aaron Judge (NYY) 2/7
Carlos Correa (HOU) 7/1
Jose Altuve (HOU) 7/1
George Springer (HOU) 8/1
Mike Trout (LAA) 10/1
Mookie Betts (BOS) 10/1
Corey Dickerson (TB) 20/1
Jose Ramirez (CLE) 20/1
Miguel Sano (MIN) 66/1
Francisco Lindor (CLE) 80/1

Most Valuable Player - NL Odds
Paul Goldschmidt (ARI) 3/2
Bryce Harper (WSH) 9/2
Nolan Arenado (COL) 7/1
Corey Seager (LAD) 8/1
Justin Turner (LAD) 9/1
Charlie Blackmon (COL) 10/1
Cody Bellinger (LAD) 11/1
Joey Votto (CIN) 14/1
Anthony Rizzo (CHC) 20/1
Kris Bryant (CHC) 20/1
Anthony Rendon (WSH) 20/1
Ryan Zimmerman (WSH) 20/1
Daniel Murphy (WSH) 40/1
Buster Posey (SF) 100/1
Zack Cosart (CIN) 100/1

Cy Young Award - AL Odds
Chris Sale (BOS) 2/5
Dallas Keuchel (HOU) 11/2
Corey Kluber (CLE) 8/1
Jason Vargas (KC) 12/1
Lance McCullers (HOU) 14/1
Craig Kimbrel (BOS) 20/1
Carlos Carrasco (CLE) 25/1
Luis Severino (NYY) 25/1
James Paxton (SEA) 33/1
Ervin Santana (MIN) 33/1
Yu Darvish (TEX) 40/1
Michael Fulmer (DET) 50/1
Chris Archer (TB) 50/1
Marcus Stroman (TOR) 66/1
Michael Pineda (NYY) 100/1
Justin Verlander (DET) 200/1

Cy Young Award - NL Odds
Clayton Kershaw (LAD) 5/8
Max Scherzer (WSH) 13/10
Alex Wood (LAD) 9/2
Zack Greinke (ARI) 25/1
Stephen Strasburg (WSH) 25/1
Robbie Ray (ARI) 33/1
Jacob deGrom (NYM) 40/1
Carlos Martinez (STL) 50/1
Ivan Nova (PIT) 66/1
Jon Lester (CHC) 66/1
Lance Lynn (STL) 100/1
Mike Leake (STL) 150/1
Gerrit Cole (PIT) 200/1
Jake Arrieta (CHC) 200/1
Johnny Cueto (SF) 200/1
Antonio Senzatela (COL) 200/1

[StarDust Bum]

Monday’s six-pack

Cubs’ starting pitchers’ ERA in the first inning, compared to before ‘17:

— Jake Arrieta: 6.50 this year, 2.52 prior to this year

— Eddie Butler: 4.09 this year, 8.04 prior to this year

— John Lackey: 6.35 this year, 4.01 prior to this year

— Jon Lester: 7.85 this year, 3.76 prior to this year

— Kyle Hendricks: 5.73 this year, 3.72 prior to this year

— Mike Montgomery: 7.11 this year, 4.37 prior to this year

— Brett Anderson: 21.94 this year, 4.30 prior to this year

Total: 7.34 this season, 3.85 prior to this season

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

Monday’s List of 13: Random stuff at the All-Star break…..

13) There are still rows of tickets available for the All-Star Game Tuesday in Miami. Tickets are $280 apiece, which seems a little high. What do you think?

12) Colorado’s Kyle Freeland didn’t allow a hit until there was one out in the 9th inning (Melky Cabrera); the Rockies waxed Chicago, 9-0. Freeland is a Colorado kid; he threw 126 pitches.

Ubaldo Jimenez is the only Colorado Rockie to toss a no-hitter- he did it in Atlanta. Hideo Nomo threw the only no-hitter so far at Coors Field, in 1996.

11) Auburn Tigers opened at 50-1 to win the college football national title this fall; they’ve dropped to 22-1, amidst optimism that Baylor transfer QB Jarrett Stidham is the real deal.

10) 76er fans have to be worried about Markelle Fultz and his ability to stay healthy; he missed six of Washington’s last eight games last winter (sore knee) and know he got hurt in the Sixers’ second summer league game.

An 82-game NBA season is grueling; Fultz is still a kid. We’ll see.

9) Lot of talking heads like to use cumulative “run differential” as an important stat; Astros beat Toronto 19-1 Sunday— what does that show? Houston has a solid lineup that pounds on lousy relief pitching. So what? Astros are 18-13 in games decided by 1-2 runs. Dodgers are 22-16.

Houston is 42-16 in games decided by more than 2 runs, Dodgers are 38-13

8) Cubs were 42-13 last year in games decided by 5+ runs. This year? 10-14.

7) Knicks and former Cavs’ GM David Griffin couldn’t come to an agreement on what Griffin’s role would be in New York, so they’re going their separate ways. Thats bad for Knicks fans.

6) Seattle’s Danny Valencia was called out on strikes Sunday, then spit on the plate before he went back to the dugout. Wonder how that went over with the home plate ump?

5) Former NFL lineman Richard Seymour was playing at the World Series of Poker last week; he had a Super Bowl ring on top of his chip stack. Good conversation starter.

4) On June 20, Colorado was a half-game ahead of the Dodgers. 20 days later, they’re 9.5 games behind LA, but they still lead the race for the 2nd Wild Card by 7.5 games.

3) Dodgers are now 45-9 in Clayton Kershaw’s last 54 starts.

2) SEC has its college football media days this week, which is pretty fun TV some of the time. Les Miles is sadly gone from this group, but good to hear which cliches coaches break out in the middle of summer, with real games still 8 or 9 weeks away.

1– If the baseball playoffs started today (they do not), they’d look like this…

AL- Boston-Cleveland-Houston. Wild Cards: New York/Tampa Bay
NL- Washington-Milwaukee-Los Angeles. Wild Cards: Arizona/Colorado

[StarDust Bum]

LEADING OFF: Stanton, Judge set for All-Star Home Run Derby
July 9, 2017

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

DERBY DAY

Fresh off launching two more longballs in Miami's final game before the break, Giancarlo Stanton returns to Marlins Park to defend his All-Star Home Run Derby crown. No doubt, many fans want to see Stanton swing away against Yankees rookie sensation Aaron Judge for the title. The first-round matchups: Stanton vs. Gary Sanchez, Judge vs. Justin Bour, Cody Bellinger vs. Charlie Blackmon, and Mike Moustakas vs. Miguel Sano.

Maybe someone will light up the kooky home run sculpture beyond the outfield wall in Miami. Josh Hamilton put on quite a show in the 2008 Derby at Yankee Stadium, homering on 13 straight swings. But not every slugger does damage - Mike Piazza, Jim Thome and defending champ Robinson Cano are among those who whiffed in shutout rounds.

ALL ACES

The starting pitchers will be announced for Tuesday night's All-Star Game: Chris Sale and Max Scherzer are the likely choices.

Scherzer, the defending NL Cy Young Award winner, leads the majors with a 2.10 ERA and is 10-5 with 173 strikeouts for Washington. Sale has fanned a major league-most 178 and is 11-4 with a 2.75 ERA in his first year with Boston.

Clayton Kershaw is 14-2 for the Dodgers, but he pitched Sunday and is therefore ineligible to play in the summer showcase.

HELP WANTED

The Mariners are looking to add a bullpen coach after former big league pitcher Mike Hampton resigned. He was in his second season when he left following Seattle's last game before the All-Star break. The team says a new person will be in place before its resumes play Friday. The Mariners are 43-47 and rank near the bottom of the AL in team ERA.

[StarDust Bum]

Stanton, rookies battle for Home Run Derby glory
July 9, 2017

The defending champion, representing the home team, and two rookie sensations are the prime attractions heading into the Home Run Derby, which will be held Monday night at Marlins Park in Miami.

Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who moved into a tie for the National League homer lead by going deep twice Sunday at San Francisco, will defend his 2016 crown in an eight-player field that includes New York Yankees rookie Aaron Judge and Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Cody Bellinger.

Judge leads the majors with 30 home runs. Stanton has 26, and Bellinger has 25.

The only rookie ever to hit more homers than Judge before the All-Star break was Mark McGwire, who had 33 for the 1987 Oakland A's. McGwire also holds the full-season rookie home run record with 49.

Stanton belted a record 61 homers in the Derby last year. He is attempting to join Ken Griffey Jr. (1998-99) and Yoenis Cespedes (2013-14) as the only back-to-back champs of the event. Griffey is the lone three-time winner, also taking the crown in 1994. The only other two-time winner was Prince Fielder (2009, 2012).

"You got to have a formula and everything just like hitting in a game, but it more reminds me of when my dad was throwing to me back in the day," Stanton told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "It's the only time you can just kind of be free like you're a kid again."

The only winners in their home park were the Chicago Cubs' Ryne Sandberg in 1990 and the Cincinnati Reds' Todd Frazier in 2014.

Stanton, the top seed in the bracketed quarterfinals, will oppose eighth-seeded New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez (13 homers this year) in the first round. The winner of that match will face either fourth-seeded Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas (25 homers) or fifth-seeded Minnesota Twins third baseman Miguel Sano (21 homers).

Judge, the second seed, faces another Marlin in the first round, first baseman Justin Bour (20 homers). Bellinger, the third seed, opposes sixth-seeded Colorado Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon (20 homers).

"You don't do these events just to compete," Bour told the Sun-Sentinel. "You do them to win."

The format allows each player four minutes per round to hit as many homers as possible. Homers of at least 440 feet earn a 30-second bonus. Each player may call a 45-second timeout in the quarterfinals and the semifinals, and the finalists may each call a 45-second timeout and a 30-second timeout.

Should a round be tied, a 60-second tiebreaker is held with no added time available.

"I'm pretty sure the excitement will be through the roof," Judge said.

The Home Run Derby will begin at 8 p.m. EDT on Monday and will air on ESPN.

[StarDust Bum]

Best Bets and Opinions
Date....................... W-L-T................. %...................... Units Record

07/09/2017.............14-4-2.............77.78%...................+61.75
07/08/2017...............5-8-2.............38.46%....................-16.25
07/07/2017.............11-7-2.............61.11%...................+23.00
07/06/2017............. 6-7-0............. 46.15%..................... -1.75
07/05/2017.......... 11-10-0............. 52.38%.................. +12.75
07/04/2017............ 4-13-0............. 23.53%................... -41.00
07/03/2017.............. 5-9-1............. 35.71%................... -20.75
07/02/2017.............. 5-4-1............. 55.56%.................. +10.75
07/01/2017............ 11-9-0............. 55.00%.................. +11.00

Total:..................72 - 71 - 8............50.34%....................+ 39.50


ATS / Totals
Best Bets:

07/09/2017.........5 - 2................71.42%...........+5.15..........5 - 1..........+ 4.90
07/08/2017.........1 - 3................25.00%............-1.75..........4 - 5 - 2......- 1.50
07/07/2017.........4 - 5................44.44%............-0.20...........5 - 1..........+ 3.90
07/06/2017.........2 - 5................28.57%...........- 2.70...........2 - 0..........+ 2.00
07/05/2017.........4 - 3................57,14%...........+3.25.......... 6 - 7...........- 1.70
07/04/2017........ 1 - 5 - 0...........16.66%............-2.40...........3 - 3............- 0.30
07/03/2017.........0 - 5 - 0...........00.00%............-5.00...........2 - 2 - 0.......- 0.20
07/02/2017.........4 - 3 - 0...........57.14%.........+11.75...........2 - 2 - 1.......- 1.00
07/01/2017........ 3 - 3 - 0.......... 50.00%.......... +0.70...........5 - 3...........+ 1.70

Totals:...............24 - 34 - 0.........41.37%..........+ 8.80........32 - 24 - 3......+ 7.80

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday’s six-pack

Odds to win next week’s British Open:

10-1— Dustin Johnson

12-1— Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm

15-1— Sergio Garcia, Ricky Fowler

20-1— Day, Matsuyama, Fleetwood, Rose

25-1— Henrik Stenson

30-1— Adam Scott

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

Tuesday’s Den: Looking at NL teams at the All-Star break……….

61-29 Dodgers— Are 39-11 at home, 13-0 in Kershaw’s last 13 starts. Wood is 10-0, 1.67 with a WHIP of 0.89. #5 hitters are batting .204 against them, #6 hitters .206.

53-36 Arizona— Stumbled into All-Star break on 3-7 skid; they’re 33-15 at home, with a home OPS of .840- their road OPS is .689. Goldschmidt has 20 HR’s, 67 RBI, an OB% of .428.

52-36 Washington— Bullpen has been awful, but they’ve got a 9.5-game lead in a bad division- they figure to add to their bullpen before July 31. Hitting .293 at home, .261 on road. Murphy is hitting .342, Zimmerman .330, Harper .325.

52-39 Colorado— Four rookies in the starting rotation is a red flag heading into second half of season. Rockies are 5-13 in their last 18 games. SS Story has an OPS of only .699, after his .908 in his rookie year LY.

50-41 Milwaukee— Have stunning 5.5-game lead in NL Central; their best pitcher Anderson is out for another month (oblique). Brewers have been in playoffs twice in last 35 years (’08, ’11). Thames has 23 HR’s after spending last three years playing in Korea.

43-45 Chicago— Weird that only five NL teams are over .500. Defending World Champs have struggled all year; Lester’s ERA is 4.25, Arrieta’s 4.35. LF’s are hitting combined .217; leadoff hitters have a combined OB% of .323.

43-45 St Louis— 18-7 vs NL East, 25-38 elsewhere. #3 hitters are batting a combined .221 with an OPS of .712. Wainwright has slipped; his ERA is 5.20, WHIP 1.49. SS Diaz hit .300 LY; he is in AAA now, after hitting only .260 this year.

42-45 Atlanta— Surprisingly good record for this group; they’re 20-16 since June 1. Signing Matt Adams got them thru Freeman’s injury; now Freeman plays 3B so Adams can stay in lineup. Have 13 HR, 51 RBI out of catching combo; solid production.

42-47 Pittsburgh— Get Marte back from 80-game suspension next week. Leadoff hitters have only a .305 OB%. McCutchen has surged since they moved him to #6 in order, now he is back in 3-hole- he is hitting .294 with 50 RBI for season.

41-46 Miami— Sadly, a fire sale is coming after All-Star break; their payroll is unwieldy for team that is about to be sold. Have formidable lineup; they hit .283 on road, .251 at home. Injury to lefty starter Chen has hurt the pitching rotation.

39-47 New York— How does their trainer still have a job? Mets are racked by injuries every year. Have OPS of .699 at home, .826 on road. #2 hitters are batting .219, #9 hitters .218, which isn’t good for an NL team. Harvey has a 5.25 ERA, Syndergaard has thrown only 27.1 innings.

39-49 Cincinnati— Have 63 homers on road, 62 at home, despite small home park. Pitchers have 4.67 ERA at home, 5.45 on road. Billy Hamilton may be fast, but a .293 OB% at leadoff ain’t good enough.

38-50 San Diego— Have three Rule 5 (minor league) players on roster this year; hard to win that way. Padre 3B’s are hitting .196, catchers .210; need more production. Young starter Lamet has 55 strikeouts in 41 IP, looks like a future star.

34-56 San Francisco— When your team gets old, the bottom falls out quickly. Pitchers have 5.49 ERA on road; top 4 spots in opposing batting order all bat .300+ with .370+ OB% vs Giants. Posey is hitting .324 with .406 OB%; will they move him to 1B to preserve rest of his career?

29-58 Phillies— 23 of 58 losses are by one run; they’ve started to bring prospects up. Could be good fairly soon, but need another starting pitcher or two. Nola-Hellickson-Pivetta look like a good start for a solid rotation. Their AAA team is winning a ton of games; there is talent there.

[StarDust Bum]

All-Star Game features plenty of glitz

MIAMI -- Call this the Glamour Game.

Just minutes from glitzy South Beach, most of baseball's biggest names will gather at Marlins Park on Tuesday night for the 88th annual All-Star Game. It's the first All-Star Game ever in Florida.

The starting pitchers were announced on Monday: Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale (11-4, 2.75 ERA, 178 strikeouts) for the American League, and Washington Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer (10-5, 2.10 ERA, 173 strikeouts) for the National League. They are Nos. 1-2 in the majors in strikeouts.

Sale, a native Floridian, will have friends and family members at Marlins Park to watch. He is the first American League pitcher to start two consecutive All-Star Games in 34 years.

"I'm very appreciative," the former Chicago White Sox pitcher said of his sixth All-Star appearance. "A lot of hard work and dedication goes into this. ... This is a fun time. Being in Miami, an hour and 45 minutes from where I live, makes it even better."

For the NL, Clayton Kershaw (14-2, 2.18 ERA) is unavailable since he pitched on Sunday for the Los Angeles Dodgers. But even if he were eligible, Chicago Cubs and NL manager Joe Maddon said on Monday that Scherzer would have gotten the nod anyway.

"I have a ton of respect for Mr. Kershaw," Maddon said. "But I broke down the numbers, and I had already chosen Max. Kershaw is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and (Scherzer) probably will be, too. But based on the numbers, I think this is the right way to go."

If the Sale-Scherzer matchup were not enough glamour for fans, then consider that this could serve as the coming out party on a national stage for rookie stars from two of the sport's marquee franchises: the New York Yankees and the Dodgers.

We're talking about Yankees powerhouse Aaron Judge, who leads the majors with 30 homers, and Dodgers star Cody Bellinger, who is third in the NL with 25.

Both of the sluggers are closing in on potential rookie home run records for their respective leagues: 38 by Frank Robinson in the NL in 1956 and 49 by Mark McGwire in 1987 in the AL. Judge has already broken the Yankees rookie record for homers, which had been held by Joe DiMaggio.

Judge, a right-handed hitter, has the longest homer in baseball this year (495 feet) as well as the quickest exit velocity (121 mph).

Bellinger, a lefty hitter, started the season in the minors.

The presence in the All-Star Game of Judge, a massive man at 6-foot-7 and 275 pounds, and the 6-4, 210-pound Bellinger is good news for baseball, especially since Los Angeles Angels slugger Mike Trout will be missing.

Trout was hurt at Marlins Park, spraining a ligament in his left thumb while sliding into second base on May 28. The Angels star is, by consensus, the best player in the American League, and this would have been his fifth straight All-Star start.

"I'm honored to be voted in," Trout said in a statement. "I'm grateful that the fans see me as deserving of such an honor."

With Trout out, there is still the chance to see Nationals slugger Bryce Harper, who was the game's leading overall vote-getter.

Harper will try to reverse what for his league has been a nasty trend. The AL has a lopsided 16-3-1 advantage over the past 20 years, including a current four-game win streak. The NL leads the all-time series 43-42-2.

This year's All-Star Game, however, will be the first since it was decided that the winner would no longer receive home-field advantage in that year's World Series.

Instead, the players are competing for pride ... and money. Each winning player gets $20,000. The losers get nothing.

As to be expected, baseball's best teams have the most representatives. Case in point: The Houston Astros have three AL starters in the game: shortstop Carlos Correa, second baseman Jose Altuve and outfielder George Springer.

In the NL, the Nationals also have four starters with Scherzer, Harper, first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and second baseman Daniel Murphy.

"It's a reflection on how good our team is," Murphy said. "We've played really well this year. ... It's a team honor."

The host Miami Marlins have two representatives: starting outfielder Marcell Ozuna and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton.

Two former Marlins players made the rosters -- Padres reliever Brad Hand and Indians reliever Andrew Miller. And it will be a homecoming for former Miami Hurricanes first baseman Yonder Alonso of the Oakland A's. Not only is this Alonso's first time as an All-Star, but he also gets to appear in his hometown.

Alonso is one of 23 first-time All-Stars at this year's game.

Some of the bigger names on the roster include Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey.

So who will win this All-Star Game full of glamour, power, youth and drama?

One clue could be who is on the field in the last inning. If it is Boston's Craig Kimbrel (1.19 ERA, 23-for-25 on save chances), there is a good chance the American League will continue its recent dominance.

But if it is the Dodgers' Kenley Jansen (0.93 ERA, 21-for-21 on save chances), there is a strong shot that the National League finally will break through.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB All-Star Game Odds and Betting Preview

The average total of runs scored in the last 11 MLB All-Star games is just 6.5 and the under is 7-2 in the last nine years.

All-Star Games aren’t as popular as they once were, but the MLB midsummer classic is still the champion of professional sports All-Star showcases.

It’s the only major sporting contest on the betting board tomorrow (sorry tennis fans). On Wednesday, the gambling community will be scrambling to find a book that’ll allow a parlay on the Connecticut Sun with Simon Biles winning an ESPYs, so let’s treat this matchup with a little respect. Beggars can’t be choosers.

What bettors need to know

Location: Miami, Florida
Expected temperature: Around 85, but it’ll feel more like 89 with the humidity.

Sports Interaction Odds: NL All-Stars -110, AL All-Stars -110. Over/Under 9.

Line History: There hasn't been much line movement for this battle of All-Stars heading into Tuesday. The National League opened as -115 moneyline favorites and at the majority of books they haven't moved off that number (Sports Interaction has this game as a Pick 'Em). The total hit the betting boards at 9 and has been steady.
Betting odds on the 2017 ESPY Awards' biggest and best categories
With the sports world coming to a standstill during the MLB All-Star break, ESPN takes the time to honor the very best in sports with their annual ESPY Awards. We look at the prop odds for the biggest and best awards up for grabs on July 12.

Missing in action:

Arguably the two best players in baseball will not be playing. For the American League, outfielder Mike Trout isn’t scheduled to return from his thumb injury until Friday for the Los Angeles Angels and Clayton Kershaw is ruled out because he pitched on Sunday for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Other All-Stars who’ll be sitting out: Starlin Castro, Dallas Keuchel, Yu Darvish, Michael Fulmer and Corey Kluber. Taking their places are; Robinson Cano, Chris Archer, Chris Devenski, Brandon Kintzler, Roberto Osuna, Justin Upton and Alex Wood.

Starting Lineups:



Lineup update: American League - Mookie Betts (Red Sox) will start for Upton, Corey Dickerson (Rays) will DH. National League - Giancarlo Stanton (Marlins) will DH.

Starting Pitchers:

American League - Chris Sale, Boston Red Sox (11-4, 2.75 ERA)

National League - Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals (11-5, 2.10 ERA)


Trends

Low Scoring Games

Normally, high scoring is associated with All-Star Games, but that’s not the case with baseball’s summer showcase. The average total of runs scored in the last 11 MLB All-Star games is just 6.5 and the under is 7-2 in the last nine years.

It used to be only closers who were comfortable being asked to pitch one inning or even just getting a single out. More and more of today’s managers ask the same for their starting pitchers on short rest in the playoffs.

Seeing the best stuff from a different pitcher each at bat puts the hitters at a larger disadvantage.

American League Dominance

The American League is 16-3-1 in the last 20 MLB All-Star Games. Shout-out to former MLB Commissioner Bud Selig for giving us a push in 2002.

All-Star Game MVP odds

Since 1987, there have been only two pitchers named MVP of the All-Star Game (Pedro Martinez 1999, Mariano Rivera 2013). An AL position player has won 12 of the last 16 All-Star Game MVP awards. If you’re looking to pick a winner, it’d probably be wise to look at the AL starting lineup first.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo:Tuesday's six-pack

Odds to win next week’s British Open:

10-1— Dustin Johnson

12-1— Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm

15-1— Sergio Garcia, Ricky Fowler

20-1— Day, Matsuyama, Fleetwood, Rose

25-1— Henrik Stenson

30-1— Adam Scott


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Armadillo: Tuesday's Den: Looking at NL teams at the All-Star break……….

61-29 Dodgers— Are 39-11 at home, 13-0 in Kershaw’s last 13 starts. Wood is 10-0, 1.67 with a WHIP of 0.89. #5 hitters are batting .204 against them, #6 hitters .206.

53-36 Arizona— Stumbled into All-Star break on 3-7 skid; they’re 33-15 at home, with a home OPS of .840- their road OPS is .689. Goldschmidt has 20 HR’s, 67 RBI, an OB% of .428.

52-36 Washington— Bullpen has been awful, but they’ve got a 9.5-game lead in a bad division- they figure to add to their bullpen before July 31. Hitting .293 at home, .261 on road. Murphy is hitting .342, Zimmerman .330, Harper .325.

52-39 Colorado— Four rookies in the starting rotation is a red flag heading into second half of season. Rockies are 5-13 in their last 18 games. SS Story has an OPS of only .699, after his .908 in his rookie year LY.

50-41 Milwaukee— Have stunning 5.5-game lead in NL Central; their best pitcher Anderson is out for another month (oblique). Brewers have been in playoffs twice in last 35 years (’08, ’11). Thames has 23 HR’s after spending last three years playing in Korea.

43-45 Chicago— Weird that only five NL teams are over .500. Defending World Champs have struggled all year; Lester’s ERA is 4.25, Arrieta’s 4.35. LF’s are hitting combined .217; leadoff hitters have a combined OB% of .323.

43-45 St Louis— 18-7 vs NL East, 25-38 elsewhere. #3 hitters are batting a combined .221 with an OPS of .712. Wainwright has slipped; his ERA is 5.20, WHIP 1.49. SS Diaz hit .300 LY; he is in AAA now, after hitting only .260 this year.

42-45 Atlanta— Surprisingly good record for this group; they’re 20-16 since June 1. Signing Matt Adams got them thru Freeman’s injury; now Freeman plays 3B so Adams can stay in lineup. Have 13 HR, 51 RBI out of catching combo; solid production.

42-47 Pittsburgh— Get Marte back from 80-game suspension next week. Leadoff hitters have only a .305 OB%. McCutchen has surged since they moved him to #6 in order, now he is back in 3-hole- he is hitting .294 with 50 RBI for season.

41-46 Miami— Sadly, a fire sale is coming after All-Star break; their payroll is unwieldy for team that is about to be sold. Have formidable lineup; they hit .283 on road, .251 at home. Injury to lefty starter Chen has hurt the pitching rotation.

39-47 New York— How does their trainer still have a job? Mets are racked by injuries every year. Have OPS of .699 at home, .826 on road. #2 hitters are batting .219, #9 hitters .218, which isn’t good for an NL team. Harvey has a 5.25 ERA, Syndergaard has thrown only 27.1 innings.

39-49 Cincinnati— Have 63 homers on road, 62 at home, despite small home park. Pitchers have 4.67 ERA at home, 5.45 on road. Billy Hamilton may be fast, but a .293 OB% at leadoff ain’t good enough.

38-50 San Diego— Have three Rule 5 (minor league) players on roster this year; hard to win that way. Padre 3B’s are hitting .196, catchers .210; need more production. Young starter Lamet has 55 strikeouts in 41 IP, looks like a future star.

34-56 San Francisco— When your team gets old, the bottom falls out quickly. Pitchers have 5.49 ERA on road; top 4 spots in opposing batting order all bat .300+ with .370+ OB% vs Giants. Posey is hitting .324 with .406 OB%; will they move him to 1B to preserve rest of his career?

29-58 Phillies— 23 of 58 losses are by one run; they’ve started to bring prospects up. Could be good fairly soon, but need another starting pitcher or two. Nola-Hellickson-Pivetta look like a good start for a solid rotation. Their AAA team is winning a ton of games; there is talent there.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo:Wednesday's six-pack

— Monday nite, they had 10,000 fans in Sacramento’s arena for a watch party for the Kings-Lakers summer league game in Las Vegas.

— Miami traded Josh McRoberts for AJ Hammons, and threw in $5.1M to persuade Dallas to do the deal, which is more than the difference in the two players’ salaries.

— Former major league pitcher Livan Hernandez earned at least $53M in his 17-year major league playing career; he declared for bankruptcy last week. Oy.

— I am told betting line moved from Lakers -1.5 to +6 once Lonzo Ball was declared out for Monday night’s Lakers-Suns summer league game. Lakers won by 3.

— Why would I go to Burger King and buy hot dogs? Why?

— Portland Trailblazers’ Pat Connaughton might play baseball instead of hoop; his agent is Jeff Samardzija’s brother. Samardzija was also a two-sport star.


**********

Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Mid-week musings…….

13) Giancarlo Stanton is my favorite active baseball player; he’s been on my fantasy team since he was an 18-year old in the Florida State League. But very little makes me happier than seeing him lose in Home Run Derby— the thought of him hurting his wrist or pulling an intercostal or oblique during this stupid exhibition makes me queasy. I don’t like to be queasy.

12) Was nice of FXM to show Moneyball opposite the Home Run Derby, so I could watch that fine film one more time. Too bad the A’s always lose at the end of the movie.

11) This from Bobby Marks on Twitter: “Tim Hardaway Jr. was traded for Jerian Grant who was traded for Derrick Rose who was renounced so NYK could sign Hardaway Jr. for $71M.”

How did people this incompetent get wealthy enough to own/run an NBA franchise?

10) Hector Cruz brought his cellphone to the plate in the top of the 6th inning of the All-Star Game and had Yadier Molina take a pic of him and ump Joe West at the plate. Cruz then hit with the phone in his back pocket. He flew out to center— good thing he didn’t have to slide.

9) New Jersey governor Chris Christie is done as governor in December (term limits); he tried out as a talk radio host on WFAN Monday. Reviews were mixed.

Christie is incredibly unpopular in New Jersey, but he is a good talker and he knows his sports. Controversy sells these days; someone will give him a talk radio gig.

8) San Jose State basketball coach Dave Wojcik unexpectedly resigned Tuesday; Spartans were 14-16 LY, an improvement over Wojcik’s first three seasons in San Jose. Personal issues were the reason given; hopefully his health is OK.

Coach Wojcik’s son Jake is a senior-to-be at Bellarmine Prep in California. He is committed to Siena for his college, but it is unknown if this move effects Jake’s commitment to the Saints.

7) One of my favorite new phrases: when someone is “getting salty” about something. When I watch HBO’s Hard Knocks from last summer, I get salty because the Rams just didn’t care about offense as much as an NFL team should. Offense is important.

6) Mike Trout will be back in the Angels’ lineup Friday night, good news for the 45-47 Halos, who are only three games out of the AL Wild Card spots.

5) Notre Dame hasn’t finished a football season with a positive turnover ratio since 2012; the last three years, they’ve been -4/-6/-3 in turnovers. Hard to win that way.

4) Jon Lester allowed 10 runs in two-thirds on an inning Sunday; he threw 53 pitches and did not finish the first inning. Francisco Cervelli became the 4th player in the last 100 years to hit a first inning grand slam while batting #2 in the lineup (think about it).

3) You don’t think sports are big business? The D-League is now the G-League. Why?

Because Gatorade now sponsors the league, therefore the G.

2) NBA Summer League is not only a tryout for players trying to make the bigtime, it is for referees, too. Guys from all over the world are in Las Vegas this week, including three officials from China. Before and after games, players/refs go thru film sessions and/or workouts, trying to get better at their craft, whether it be playing or being a ref.

1) Its funny; RC Buford is the GM of the San Antonio Spurs, one of the most successful teams in NBA history, but they showed him on ESPN just now and I had no idea who he was. Know the name, obviously, but not the face. This is a guy who does a great job and keeps out of the spotlight. We need more people like that.

[StarDust Bum]

How often do the best teams at the MLB All-Star break win the World Series?

The Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers are the two best teams in baseball at the All-Star break, but will either club play in World Series?

Oddsmakers see this as the most likely Fall Classic matchup, priced at +750 to clash in the World Series, with the Dodgers (+400 to win) and Astros (+450) at the top the futures book. It got us wondering, how often the best teams at the break end up representing their respective leagues in the World Series?

Looking back over the last 15 years, we found the National League teams with the best record won the pennant just once (6.66 percent win rate). The American League, on the other hand, sent its best team from the break to the World Series four times over the last 15 years.

The average winning percentage at the break from AL World Series representatives is .587 while the NL is at .550.

Speaking about winning percentages, this year’s Dodgers and Astros own the two highest win percentages (.678, .674) at the break over the last 16 seasons. Only one other team ever cracked .670 at the midseason mark in the sample size (Detroit Tigers 2007).

We also wanted to know what the average price at the All-Star break was for the teams who ended up winning the World Series.

The average preseason price on the eventual World Series champion sits at +2,070 and the average price at the All-Star break is about +1,332. Only one of the last nine MLB champions had the best record in its league at the break (2013 Red Sox).

The 2016 Chicago Cubs became just the fifth team since 1995 to finish with the best regular season record and win the World Series.

So, if you think either the Astros or Dodgers are going to win the World Series this year, it might make sense to wait for either club to cool off a bit before placing your futures bet. It wouldn’t hurt either to examine a few other teams above .500 but playing below their full potential.

Remember, four of the last eight World Series champions were priced at 10/1 or better on September 1. The 2011 St. Louis Cardinals were 999/1 to win the World Series at MGM Resorts sportsbooks in Las Vegas on September 12 when they were 4.5 games out of playoff position. One lucky bettor grabbed them and won over $375,000 on two separate bets.