MLB 2018 Season Long Thread Thru the World Series / Picks,Trends,News Etc. !!

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LEADING OFF: Baby Braves face Lester, Cubs; Archer vs Angels
May 16, 2018

A look at what's happening around the majors today:

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna Jr. and the baby Braves play their series finale against the visiting Chicago Cubs. Rookie right-hander Mike Soroka (1-1, 3.68 ERA) makes his fourth start for surprising Atlanta, which boasts the best record in the National League at 26-16. Veteran lefty Jon Lester (3-1, 2.66) is 6-2 with a 2.47 ERA in nine career starts against the Braves. He has a 1.83 ERA in six games at Atlanta.

MR. AUTOMATIC

Odubel Herrera tries to extend his on-base streak to 43 games for the surging Phillies when they visit St. Louis. Philadelphia (24-16) has won six of seven and is eight games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2011 season. ''We're really, really positive in here right now,'' pitcher Nick Pivetta said. ''Everybody is gelling together, you guys can see it. It's really fun in here right now.''

BORDER PATROL

The Oakland Athletics will be without catcher Bruce Maxwell for a four-game series in Toronto because he cannot enter Canada while awaiting sentencing in Arizona on a gun-related charge. A's manager Bob Melvin said Maxwell will be on the restricted list during the series, then rejoin the team when it returns to Oakland. Maxwell was arrested in Arizona in October after a food delivery person alleged he pointed a gun at her at his Scottsdale home. Maxwell pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in April and is to be sentenced on June 4 in Maricopa County Superior Court. Melvin said catcher Josh Phegley will be recalled from Triple-A Nashville to take Maxwell's place on the active roster.

BEEN A WHILE

Nolan Arenado and the Colorado Rockies play San Francisco for the first time this season. The Giants have already faced another NL West rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers, 11 times. ''It has been a different schedule,'' manager Bruce Bochy said. Chad Bettis (4-1) pitches for the Rockies, who are 16-9 on the road, against Jeff Samardzija (1-2).

FISH FRY

Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels host a Rays team that has won three straight. Tampa Bay right-hander Chris Archer (2-3) is 5-1 with a 2.55 ERA in seven starts against the Angels. Tyler Skaggs (3-2) gets the ball for Los Angeles.

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Thursday's Diamond Notes
May 17, 2018

Hottest team: Pirates (8-2 last 10)

Who’s leading the NL Central at the quarter-pole point? It’s not the Cubs and it’s not the Cardinals. Instead, it’s the team that parted ways with its best pitcher and position player in the offseason. Pittsburgh continues its nine-game homestand after pulling off a two-game interleague sweep of the White Sox. Granted, the Pirates took advantage of the South Siders with four victories over Chicago this month, but Pittsburgh has also won series against San Francisco and Milwaukee in May.

The Pirates welcome the Padres for a four-game series at PNC Park where Pittsburgh owns a 14-6 record this season. Chad Kuhl takes the ball in the series opener as the right-hander is coming off a pair of quality starts as the Pirates defeated the Giants and Brewers. The Pirates have won four of Kuhl’s last five starts overall, including a 3-0 record at PNC Park.

Coldest team: Dodgers (1-9 last 10)

There are few people, if any that thought after 42 games the Dodgers and Marlins would own the same record. But that is the case after the defending National League champions dropped their sixth consecutive game on Wednesday, falling at Miami, 6-5. Although the Dodgers erased a 5-1 deficit to tie the game, L.A. fell to 1-4 this season against the Marlins, while losing nearly nine units in the process.

The Dodgers try to avoid the sweep this afternoon as Kenta Maeda heads to the mound. Maeda is winless in his last four appearances, including a loss to Miami as a -255 favorite at Dodger Stadium last month, 3-2. Los Angeles looks to improve on a 3-8 record in its last 11 games as a road favorite, as the Dodgers try to salvage this final game before traveling to Washington to face the Nationals this weekend.

Hottest pitcher: Kevin Gausman, Orioles (3-2, 3.18 ERA)

Baltimore has dropped 16 of its first 19 games away from Camden Yards, but the Orioles may have a good shot at winning at Fenway Park tonight. Although the Red Sox and Orioles are on opposite sides of the AL East race, Gausman has been the silencer of Boston bats when he takes the mound. Last season, Gausman posted consecutive scoreless efforts against the Red Sox, including a 7-0 victory at Fenway Park last August. Fast forward to this season, as Gausman has allowed two earned runs or less in five consecutive starts, while coming off a home win over the Rays in his last outing.

Coldest pitcher: Eric Lauer, Padres (1-2, 8.27 ERA)

Lauer didn’t last long in his last start against the Cardinals, yielding four home runs and six earned runs in less than three innings of a 9-5 home loss. It’s the second time in four starts this season that the southpaw has been tagged for six runs, as the Padres have lost in three of his four outings. In the three losses, San Diego has allowed at least six runs, while the Padres travel to Pittsburgh owning a 2-6 record in the last eight road contests.

Biggest OVER run: Tigers (6-2-1 last nine)

Detroit’s four-game OVER streak was snapped in Wednesday’s 6-0 home loss to Cleveland. The Indians slowed down a Tigers’ offense that had plated at least four runs in eight consecutive games, including 15 runs scored in the first two wins over Cleveland. The Tigers square off with the Mariners for the second time this month as Detroit travels to Seattle. Last weekend, the Tigers scored 14 runs in the three-game set, while cashing the OVER in the final two games. Southpaw Matthew Boyd takes the mound, as he has cashed the UNDER in three consecutive outings.

Biggest UNDER run: Phillies (5-1 last six)

Philadelphia has been one of the biggest surprises in baseball this season at 24-16 and its pitching staff takes a bulk of that credit. Behind the Diamondbacks, the Phillies own the second best ERA in the National League at 3.38, while allowing only 146 runs, which is the least amount in the NL. The Phillies pulled away from the Orioles on Wednesday, 4-1 as Philadelphia has allowed three runs or less in seven straight games. Philadelphia travels to St. Louis for a four-game set as Vince Velasquez is coming off a 12-strikeout performance in his last outing against San Francisco.

Matchup to watch: Rockies vs. Giants

The National League West has been owned by the Dodgers the last five seasons, but that streak is in jeopardy due to their slow start. Arizona sits atop the division, but Colorado and San Francisco are hot on the Diamondbacks’ trail as the Rockies visit the Bay Area for the teams’ first meeting of 2018.

Colorado had a rare Wednesday off after splitting a two-game road set at San Diego, as the Rockies had their six-game road winning streak in Tuesday’s 4-0 defeat. Chad Bettis looks to bounce back from a shaky performance in his last outing against Milwaukee by allowing seven earned runs in five innings of an 11-10 loss. Bettis picked up a no-decision as his record entering tonight’s action is 4-1 on the season, while Colorado has won four of his five starts away from Coors Field.

The Giants failed to pull off a sweep of the Reds on Wednesday after falling behind early 4-0 in a 6-3 defeat. San Francisco has compiled a solid 5-1 record in its past six home series openers as Jeff Samardzija is coming off a pair starts in which he allowed five earned runs each to the Pirates and Phillies. Last season, Samardzija struggled against the Rockies as San Francisco posted a 1-3 record in his four starts, while giving up 21 earned runs in 24.1 innings of work.

Betcha didn’t know: The Blue Jays have been completely inconsistent this season, as evidenced by a 22-21 record. Toronto blew out the Mets on Wednesday, but the Jays have lost five straight games off a win. The Athletics head north of the border after taking two of three from the Red Sox in Boston, as Oakland looks to improve on a 4-1 record in its last five road series openers.

Biggest public favorite: Red Sox (-165) vs. Orioles

Biggest public underdog: Tigers (+150) at Mariners

Biggest line move: Braves (+105 to -100) vs. Cubs

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THURSDAY, MAY 17
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

LAD at MIA 12:10 PM
MIA +150
U 7.5

SD at PIT 07:05 PM
PIT -136
U 8.0

OAK at TOR 07:07 PM
OAK +113
O 9.5

BAL at BOS 07:10 PM
BAL +140
U 9.5

PHI at STL 07:15 PM
PHI +128
U 8.5

CHC at ATL 07:35 PM
ATL -102
O 8.5

TEX at CHW 08:10 PM
TEX -122
O 9.0

TB at LAA 10:07 PM
TB +147
O 7.0

DET at SEA 10:10 PM
DET +173
U 8.0

COL at SF 10:15 PM
COL +125
O 8.0

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Price goes distance in BoSox win over O's
May 17, 2018

BOSTON (AP) David Price took a shutout into the ninth inning and held Baltimore to five hits in his first complete game this season, leading the Boston Red Sox past the Orioles 6-2 on Thursday night.

J.D. Martinez hit a two-run homer in the first, and Xander Bogaerts homered with two on during a four-run fifth.

Price (4-4) struck out eight and didn't walk a batter while winning consecutive starts for the first time this season. Andrew Susac led off the ninth with a double, the first Baltimore player to reach second base in the game. Manny Machado spoiled the shutout bid with a two-out homer, but Price finished off Baltimore on Jonathan Schoop's pop-up.

Kevin Gausman (3-3) went 4 2-3 innings for Baltimore, allowing six runs and eight hits while striking out six and walking two.

DODGERS 7, MARLINS 0

MIAMI (AP) - Justin Turner tied a career high with five RBIs and Kenta Maeda pitched eight sharp innings to help the Los Angeles Dodgers snap a six-game losing streak by beating the Marlins.

Turner, who broke his left wrist in spring training and made his season debut Tuesday, hit a three-run double for the Dodgers' first hit in the third inning. He added a two-run double in the fourth and also singled in finishing 6 for 13 in the series (.462).

Maeda (3-3) allowed two hits and no walks in his longest outing of the season, and retired the final 17 batters he faced while throwing 96 pitches. Kenley Jansen gave up two hits in the ninth, but struck out the side to complete the Dodgers' sixth shutout.

Yasiel Puig hit his third homer of the season, all in the past four games.

Caleb Smith (2-5) threw 60 pitches before he gave up a hit. But he walked the bases loaded in the third, and Turner cleared them with a double. Kemp followed with an RBI double, and Smith departed after three innings trailing 4-0.

PHILLIES 6, CARDINALS 2

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Vince Velasquez pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning, and Carlos Santana and Pedro Florimon each hit home runs in the Philadelphia Phillies' victory over the Cardinals.

Velasquez (4-4) gave up five hits in 6 1/3 innings, struck out five and walked two in recording his third straight win. The Phillies won for the seventh time in eight games and improved to 17-2 against opponents outside of the NL East. At 25-16, the Phillies are nine games over .500 for the first time since they were 102-60 at the close of the 2011 season.

Odubel Herrera reached base three times to extend his on-base streak to 43 games, fifth-longest in franchise history. It is also the longest streak in the majors since Atlanta's Freddie Freeman reached in 46 successive games in 2016.

Luke Weaver (3-3) gave up one run and four hits over seven innings in the loss.

WHITE SOX 4, RANGERS 2

CHICAGO (AP) - Welington Castillo hit a tiebreaking two-run single in Chicago's four-run eighth, helping the White Sox beat the Texas Rangers in the opener of a four-game series between two of the worst teams in the AL.

Yoan Moncada sparked the winning rally with a ground-rule double after Jose Leclerc (1-1) retired the first two batters of the inning. Moncada advanced on a passed ball and scored when Leclerc committed a throwing error on Yolmer Sanchez's tapper back to the mound. The White Sox then used three consecutive walks to tie it at 2 before Rangers manager Jeff Banister pulled Leclerc in favor of Kevin Jepsen, who was greeted by Castillo's hit that dropped in front of diving center fielder Delino DeShields.

Moncada finished with three hits for Chicago, which had lost nine of 10. The White Sox improved the majors' worst record to 11-29, still a franchise record for worst 40-game start.

Luis Avilan (1-0) got two outs for the win and Nate Jones worked the ninth for his second save.

PIRATES 5, PADRES 4

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Gregory Polanco led off the seventh inning with a double and scored the go-ahead run on an error, leading the Pirates over the San Diego Padres for their eighth win in nine games.

Polanco took third on Francisco Cervelli's deep flyball, then came home when rookie third baseman Christian Villanueva misplayed Corey Dickerson's two-out grounder.

Rookie Edgar Santana (2-0) retired the only batter he faced, getting Jose Pirela to ground out to end the seventh with a runner on second. He was credited with another win a day after notching his first major league victory against the Chicago White Sox. Felipe Vazquez worked a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his ninth save in as many opportunities.

Matt Strahm (0-1) took the loss. Eric Hosmer drove in three runs for San Diego.

ATHLETICS 10, BLUE JAYS 5

TORONTO (AP) - Matt Olson hit a three-run home run, Khris Davis and Matt Chapman added two-run shots, and the Oakland Athletics beat the Blue Jays.

Davis went 4 for 4 and scored three times as Oakland won for the second time in its past 13 games north of the border. Davis singled in the first, homered in the third, singled and scored in the fifth, came around to score after being hit by a pitch in the sixth, and singled in the eighth.

Yusmeiro Petit (1-0) worked 2 2/3 innings for the win. Aaron Sanchez (2-4) took the loss, the Blue Jays' ninth in their last 12 home games.

RAYS 7, ANGELS 1

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - C.J. Cron homered and scored two runs against his former teammates, and Chris Archer pitched two-hit ball into the seventh inning of the Tampa Bay Rays' victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Denard Span hit a two-run homer during the Rays' four-run seventh inning, and Johnny Field added a two-run shot in the eighth as the Rays pushed their longest winning streak of the season to four games. Archer (3-3) repeatedly struggled with his control while walking four and hitting Justin Upton with a pitch, yet he limited Los Angeles' potent lineup to two singles while earning his first victory since April 26.

Mike Trout extended the longest hitting drought of his career to 0 for 19 with four hitless at-bats for the Angels, who have lost five of eight on their 11-game homestand. Shohei Ohtani hit his sixth homer in the ninth inning, ending a personal 0-for-8 slump and 21 consecutive scoreless innings for the Angels.

Tyler Skaggs (3-3) took the hard-luck loss despite limiting Tampa Bay to six hits and one run over six innings.

TIGERS 3, MARINERS 2

SEATTLE (AP) - Jose Iglesias' two-out, two-run single in the eighth inning gave Detroit the lead, and Tigers pitchers allowed just two hits over the final six innings in a win over the Mariners.

Detroit rallied against Seattle's bullpen and specifically eighth-inning regular Nick Vincent (1-1) to take the opener of the four-game series. With two outs in the eighth, Vincent allowed a single to Mikie Mahtook and walked James McCann to load the bases. Seattle stayed with Vincent and Iglesias got enough of a 1-0 cutter to send it up the middle and off the glove of shortstop Jean Segura diving to try and stop the grounder.

Boyd combined with Buck Farmer, Blaine Hardy, Warwick Saupold (2-1), Joe Jimenez and Shane Greene to retire 20 of the final 23 batters faced. Jimenez struck out the side in the eighth inning and Greene pitched the ninth for his 10th save.

ROCKIES 5 GIANTS 3 ( 12 INNINGS )

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SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY MAY 18, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:05 PM Los Angeles Dodgers Washington Nationals Nationals Park
7:05 PM San Diego Padres Pittsburgh Pirates PNC Park
7:07 PM Oakland Athletics Toronto Blue Jays Rogers Centre
7:10 PM Arizona Diamondbacks New York Mets Citi Field
7:10 PM Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Fenway Park
7:10 PM Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds Great American Ball Park
7:35 PM Miami Marlins Atlanta Braves SunTrust Park
8:10 PM Cleveland Indians Houston Astros Minute Maid Park
8:10 PM Milwaukee Brewers Minnesota Twins Target Field
8:10 PM Texas Rangers Chicago White Sox Guaranteed Rate Field
8:15 PM New York Yankees Kansas City Royals Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
8:15 PM Philadelphia Phillies St. Louis Cardinals Busch Stadium
10:07 PM Tampa Bay Rays Los Angeles Angels Angel Stadium of Anaheim
10:10 PM Detroit Tigers Seattle Mariners Safeco Field
10:15 PM Colorado Rockies San Francisco Giants AT&T Park

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY MAY 19, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
1:07 PM Oakland Athletics Toronto Blue Jays Rogers Centre
1:10 PM Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds Great American Ball Park
2:15 PM Philadelphia Phillies St. Louis Cardinals Busch Stadium
4:05 PM Colorado Rockies San Francisco Giants AT&T Park
4:10 PM Cleveland Indians Houston Astros Minute Maid Park
7:05 PM Los Angeles Dodgers Washington Nationals Nationals Park
7:05 PM San Diego Padres Pittsburgh Pirates PNC Park
7:10 PM Arizona Diamondbacks New York Mets Citi Field
7:10 PM Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Fenway Park
7:10 PM Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds Great American Ball Park
7:10 PM Miami Marlins Atlanta Braves SunTrust Park
7:10 PM Milwaukee Brewers Minnesota Twins Target Field
7:10 PM Texas Rangers Chicago White Sox Guaranteed Rate Field
7:15 PM New York Yankees Kansas City Royals Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
9:07 PM Tampa Bay Rays Los Angeles Angels Angel Stadium of Anaheim
9:10 PM Detroit Tigers Seattle Mariners Safeco Field

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY MAY 20, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
1:05 PM Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Fenway Park
1:07 PM Oakland Athletics Toronto Blue Jays Rogers Centre
1:10 PM Arizona Diamondbacks New York Mets Citi Field
1:10 PM Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds Great American Ball Park
1:35 PM Los Angeles Dodgers Washington Nationals Nationals Park
1:35 PM Miami Marlins Atlanta Braves SunTrust Park
1:35 PM San Diego Padres Pittsburgh Pirates PNC Park
2:10 PM Milwaukee Brewers Minnesota Twins Target Field
2:10 PM Texas Rangers Chicago White Sox Guaranteed Rate Field
2:15 PM New York Yankees Kansas City Royals Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
2:15 PM Philadelphia Phillies St. Louis Cardinals Busch Stadium
4:05 PM Colorado Rockies San Francisco Giants AT&T Park
4:07 PM Tampa Bay Rays Los Angeles Angels Angel Stadium of Anaheim
4:10 PM Detroit Tigers Seattle Mariners Safeco Field
8:08 PM Cleveland Indians Houston Astros Minute Maid Park


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May's MLB Record: ( OVERALL RECORD BASED ON 5 UNITS )

05/17/2018 12-5-1 70.59% +42.20
05/16/2018 8-8-0 50.00% +2.05
05/15/2018 13-11-2 54.17% +11.85
05/14/2018 10-8-0 55.56% +0.40
05/13/2018 9-17-0 34.62% -57.65
05/03/2018 5-14-1 26.32% -53.90
05/02/2018 10-16-0 38.46% -38.45
05/01/2018 13-16-0 44.83% -41.10

Totals...............68-89-0....43.03%.....-176.80


MAY MLB BEST BETS ( DOGS AND TOTALS ONLY )

DATE.................ATS................UNITS..... ............0/U..............UNITS................TOTAL

05/17/2018........5 - 2................+24.30.............6 - 2 - 1..........+19.00...............+43.30
05/16/2018........3 - 2................+6.48...............2 - 6...............-23.00................-16.52
05/15/2018........2 - 3................+2.05...............6 - 6...............-3.00..................-0.95
05/14/2018........2 - 1................+8.05...............6 - 3..............+13.50...............+21.55
05/13/2018........3 - 4................-3.29................5- 7................-13.50................-16.79
05/03/2018........1 - 3................+3.80...............3 - 4 - 1..........-1.40..................+2.40
05/02/2018........1 - 5................-19.20...............4 - 7..............-13.50................-32.70
05/01/2018........2 - 0...............+15.10...............6 - 8..............-2.80.................+12.30


Totals................19 - 20............+37.29...........32 - 37- 2..........-24.70..................+12.59

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

Odds to win the Super Bowl this coming season:

6-1 New England Patriots

8-1 Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles

10-1 Los Angeles Rams

12-1 Minnesota Vikings

14-1 Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Chargers

18-1 Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints


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

13) I’d like to thank Ken Thomsen of SportsXRadio and Andy Iskoe for having me on as a guest last night on their excellent radio program.

You know what? If you go to SportsXradio.com, you can listen to an archived recording of the show. Even better? I’ll be on the show again tonight; sports talk radio at its finest!!! ��

12) Vegas Golden Knights are a great story, an expansion team that is six wins away from winning the Stanley Cup, but what about these Winnipeg Jets?

Before this season, the Atlanta Thrashers/Jets franchise had a combined record of 0-8 in Stanley Cup playoff games over their first 17 years. They’re a pretty good story, too.

11) We’re going to learn a lot more about Baker Mayfield this summer; HBO’s Hard Knocks will be covering the Cleveland Browns this summer.

10) NBA prospect Luka Doncic told reporters he’s still undecided about whether he’ll stay in the EuroLeague or join the NBA team that drafts him in June. He still has two games left in his season, so maybe he is just putting an announcement off until this season is finished.

9) First five picks in the 2008 NBA Draft:
1— Bulls-Derrick Rose
2— Heat-Michael Beasley
3— Wolves-OJ Mayo (traded to Memphis)
4— Sonics (Thunder)-Russell Westbrook
5— Grizzlies-Kevin Love (traded to Minnesota)
35— Clippers-Deandre Jordan

8) From 2007-17, Robinson Cano played 1,744 games at second base, the most-ever games by a second baseman over an 11-year span. Nellie Fox held the old record, playing 1,701 games from 1952-62.

7) If/when the Orioles trade Manny Machado, that will be the most pivotal transaction of the summer; Baltimore is 13-29, going nowhere, can they upgrade their future by getting some prospects for Machado, who is a free agent after this season?

6) Seattle Seahawks spent only $6.2M on their offensive line LY, least in the NFL.

5) Steven Souza Jr was miked during Sunday night’s game; we could listen to him as he played in right field. Think this is a wave of the future, trying to make the game more viewer-friendly.

4) How weird is it that part of this Michael Cohen/FBI investigation includes Ice Cube’s Big 3 half-court basketball league, and foreign investors in that league?

3) Who would’ve thought that on the morning of May 17, more than 25% of the way thru the baseball season, that the Dodgers/Marlins would have the same record? 16-26 ain’t good, but at least Miami was expected to be bad.

Dodgers beat Miami Thursday, are now 17-26, but they’re struggling badly.

2) I’m walking thru the Westgate Casino Wednesday night, going to get dinner and I walk right by Mark Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders, who will be the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020 or 2021. This does not seem like the kind of hotel an NFL owner would be staying in.

Saw him again Thursday afternoon; there are people who live in the Westgate, maybe he is one of those people.

1) Best $8 I spent so far this week was for the WiFi on my flight west, which made the flight seem a lot shorter.

[StarDust Bum]

The Complete Game: Justin Turner is back to save the Dodgers
Rob Hansen

It’s been a pretty busy time around the Major League Baseball world since last week’s column. We were treated to a tremendous no-hitter by, James Paxton of the Seattle Mariners, in which he was throwing triple-digits in the ninth inning. The Los Angeles Dodgers still suck but the excuses are running low with the long-awaited return of Justin Turner from his broken wrist (more on that later). And the best highlight of the week was Steven Piscotty of the Oakland Athletics popping a home run over The Green Monster in Boston in his first at bat since the passing of his mother.

What to watch for this weekend

This weekend features a pair of series involving playoff teams from last season, all four of which were heavy favorites to win their respective divisions and return to the postseason in 2018.

The currently struggling Dodgers (see below) roll into Washington, D.C. to take on the Nationals. Neither team is where they're expecting to be in the standings, but the Nats are clearly in a much more comfortable spot - only two games behind the upstart Atlanta Braves. As of Thursday, the Dodgers rotation for the weekend is going to be Ross Stripling, Rich Hill, and Alex Wood and they’ll certainly be in tough against Max Scherzer, Tanner Roark, and Stephen Strasburg. Take the Nats in series price betting at -150.

The series I’ll be paying the most attention to will be the Cleveland Indians travelling to Houston to take on the defending champion Astros for three games. All three contests will feature interesting pitching matchups, so let’s break it down.

Friday night will showcase a pair of starting pitchers who are performing above most experts’ preseason expectations. Mike Clevinger (3-0, 2.70 ERA) will take on Charlie Morton (5-0, 2.03 ERA). The Astros opened as -160 favorites and the total opened at eight. Morton has been electric for Houston this season but don’t sleep on Clevinger, who owns an ERA of 0.83 and a WHIP of 0.69 in three road starts this season. I love the Under in this spot.

Saturday afternoon boasts the best pitching matchup of the weekend with Corey Kluber taking on Dallas Keuchel. The books love the Astros and the game is in Houston, so I’m thinking this one will open with the Astros as slight moneyline favorites (-115 to -120). The Indians haven’t been plus money for a Kluber start since Game 7 of the 2016 World Series against the Chicago Cubs. I love seeing great pitchers at great prices, and if I see a “+” next to Cleveland Saturday afternoon, I’m jumping all over it. Even if they’re a flat -110 or slight favorite, I’m still on The Tribe (although slightly less excited).

Sunday Night Baseball will see Carlos Carrasco taking on Lance McCullers. My instant reaction on this game is Houston and the Over. Both starters have nearly identical numbers this season but this is the one game of the weekend where the bats can come out to play - and in front of a national audience. Houston will be a favorite in the -130 range and the total should hit betting boards at around 8 or 8.5.

What’s up with the Dodgers and what does the rest of the season hold?

It’s certainly no secret that the Dodgers have been terrible through the first seven weeks of the 2018 season. As of Thursday evening, Los Angeles sits 7.5 games behind the first place Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West (17-25) and it ranks dead last in betting returns, costing bettors -26.91 units thus far on the season. That’s not good.

When pressed about what’s wrong, Dodgers fans all spout the same reply, “We miss Justin Turner.”

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the excuse train is pulling into the station for its final stop because “Red” is back. And, despite wanting to call out Dodgers’ fans for putting too much stock in one player, he's going to make a massive difference to their lineup.

Los Angeles currently ranks 21st in team batting average, 22nd in team OPS, and 27th in total team home runs with only 38. Not only will Turner improve these numbers by himself, but his return solidifies the entire lineup that was supposed to be one of the most potent in the NL. Having Turner pencilled in every day will only benefit guys like Chris Taylor and Cody Bellinger.

Second baseman Logan Forsythe also returned this week which sets the Dodgers up with a solid platoon at second with Forsythe and Chase Utley.

Obviously, not having Clayton Kershaw to anchor the starting rotation is less than ideal, but the Dodgers have solid arms throughout and Kershaw will be back within a month. The re-energized offense can carry them until “The Claw” returns.

Los Angeles opened the season as a co-favorite to win this year’s World Series at 9/2 and after its awful start to the season, the Dodgers have been adjusted down to 18/1. I don’t know if they’re a championship team this year, but I just put my money down for them to win the NL West at 5/1. They opened 2018 as overwhelming 2/7 favorites to take the division crown and after their terrible first seven weeks they’re only 7.5 games back in the division. I also sprinkled on them to win the National League Championship at 9/1 (opened the season at 2/1).

They simply have too much talent not to be in the conversation at the end of the season.

I’m sure I'll get reminded about these wagers if things don’t get turned around by the All-Star break, because I most certainly will be reminding everyone if things play out in my favor.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, May 18


National League
Dodgers (17-26) @ Nationals (24-18)
Stripling is 0-1, 4.05 in three starts this year (under 2-1). Team in his starts: 0-3.
5-inning record: 1-2. Allowed run in 1st inning: 0-3

Scherzer is 6-0, 1.70 in his last seven starts; over is 5-1 in his last six. Team in his starts: 8-1
5-inning record: 7-2. Allowed run in 1st inning: 2-9

Dodgers lost nine of their last 11 games; under is 5-1-1 in their last seven games. Washington won 13 of its last 15 games; under is 5-1 in their last six.

Padres (17-28) @ Pirates (26-17)
Ross is 0-2, 4.50 in his last four starts; under is 6-2 in his last eight. Team in his starts: 4-4.
5-inning record: 4-3-1. Allowed run in 1st inning: 1-8

Nova is 0-2, 12.41 in his last three starts; over is 6-3 in his starts. Team in his starts: 5-4
5-inning record: 5-1-3. Allowed run in 1st inning: 4-9

Padres won three of their last five games; under is 6-3 in their last nine games. Pittsburgh won eight of its last nine games; three of their last four games stayed under.

Diamondbacks (25-18) @ Mets (20-19)
Godley is 0-1, 4.50 in his last three starts; over is 4-1-1 in his last six. Team in his starts: 6-2.
5-inning record: 4-4. Allowed run in 1st inning: 4-8

deGrom is 1-0, 0.00 in his last four starts (20.1 IP); he left his start after one IP (no runs, 3 walks, 45 PT, with 20 foul balls). Team in his starts: 4-4
5-inning record: 4-1-3. Allowed run in 1st inning: 2-8

Arizona lost seven of its last eight games; over is 11-2 in their last 13 road games. Mets lost nine of their last 11 home games; over is 5-2 in their last seven.

Cubs (22-18) @ Reds (26-16)
Lester is 2-1, 2.43 in his last five starts; under is 3-1 in his last four. Team in his starts: 6-2
5-inning record: 5-0-3. Allowed run in 1st inning: 2-8

Bailey is 1-2, 9.00 in his last three starts; over is 3-1 in his last four. Team in his starts: 1-8
5-inning record: 1-7-1. Allowed run in 1st inning: 4-9

Cubs won six of their last nine games; under is 5-1 in their last six road games. Cincinnati won seven of its last nine games; under is 5-2-2 in those games.

Marlins (16-27) @ Braves (26-16)
Straily is 1-0, 6.23 in three starts, all Miami wins; they scored 22 runs in those three games (over 3-0). Team in his starts: 3-0.
5-inning record: 3-0. Allowed run in 1st inning: 0-3

Newcomb is 3-0, 0.00 in his last three starts (20 IP); under is 2-0-1 in those games. Team in his starts: 5-3
5-inning record: 4-2-2. Allowed run in 1st inning: 2-8

Marlins lost eight of their last 11 games; they’re 0-6 in road series openers. Under is 3-1 in their last four games. Atlanta won seven of its last nine games; their last three games stayed under.

Phillies (25-16) @ Cardinals (23-18)
Arrieta is 2-1, 2.90 in his last five starts; over is 5-2 in his starts. Team in his starts: 3-4.
5-inning record: 3-2-2. Allowed run in 1st inning: 1-7

Wacha is 2-0, 2.17 in his last five starts, four of which stayed under. Team in his starts: 6-2
5-inning record: 3-4-1. Allowed run in 1st inning: 4-8

Phillies won seven of their last eight games; under is 5-1-1 in their last seven games. St Louis lost six of its last nine games; under is 7-2-1 in their last ten games.

Rockies (24-20) @ Giants (22-23)
Freeland is 3-1, 1.65 in his last four starts; under is 6-1 in his last seven. Team in his starts: 4-4
5-inning record: 3-2-3. Allowed run in 1st inning: 1-8

Holland is 2-1, 3.31 in his last three starts; under is 5-3 in his starts. Team in his starts: 3-5
5-inning record: 2-4-2. Allowed run in 1st inning: 3-8

Rockies lost five of their last eight games; under is 7-3-1 in their last 11 games. San Francisco lost eight of its last 11 games; over is 9-3-3 in their last 15 games.

American League
A’s (22-22) @ Blue Jays (22-22)
Anderson is 0-2, 9.42 in his last three starts (under 2-1). Team in his starts: 0-3
5-inning record: 0-3. Allowed run in 1st inning: 2-3

Estrada is 0-2, 5.32 in his last four starts (over 4-4). Team in his starts: 5-3
5-inning record: 3-3-2. Allowed run in 1st inning: 1-8

Oakland won three of its last four games; over is 9-4 in their last 13 road games. Toronto lost nine of its last 13 games; over is 3-0 in their last three games.

Orioles (13-30) @ Red Sox (30-14)
Cobb is 0-5, 8.59 in six starts (over 4-2). Team in his starts: 0-6
5-inning record: 0-5-1. Allowed run in 1st inning: 4-6

Pomeranz is 1-1, 5.47 in five starts (under 4-1). Team in his starts: 3-2
5-inning record: 2-2-1. Allowed run in 1st inning: 3-5

Baltimore won five of its last eight games; under is 3-0 in their last three road games. Boston won four of its last six games; over is 10-6-2 in their last 18 home games.

Indians (21-21) @ Astros (28-17)
Clevinger is 2-0, 2.70 in his last five starts; over is 3-1 in his last four. Team in his starts: 4-4
5-inning record: 2-3-3. Allowed run in 1st inning: 1-8

Morton is 3-0, 2.64 in his last five starts, last three of which stayed under. Team in his starts: 5-3
5-inning record: 6-2. Allowed run in 1st inning: 2-8

Indians are 4-7 in their last 11 games; under is 10-5 in their last 15 road games. Tribe is 5-10 in series openers. Houston won seven of its last nine games; their last six home games stayed under.

Rangers (17-28) @ White Sox (11-29)
Moore is 0-2, 10.70 in his last four starts (over 6-2). Team in his starts: 2-6
5-inning record: 1-6-1. Allowed run in 1st inning: 1-8

Fulmer is 0-2, 16.89 in his last two starts; over is 5-1 in his last six. Team in his starts: 3-4
5-inning record: 4-3. Allowed run in 1st inning: 2-7

Texas lost eight of its last 12 games; six of Rangers’ last seven games stayed under. White Sox lost nine of their last 11 games; over is 7-5 in their last 12 games.

New York (28-12) @ Kansas City (13-30)
Sabathia is 2-0, 2.35 in his last four starts (under 3-3-1). Team in his starts: 4-3
5-inning record: 4-2-1. Allowed run in 1st inning: 4-7

Junis is 1-2, 5.18 in his last four starts; under is 4-2 in his last six. Team in his starts: 5-3
5-inning record: 5-1-2. Allowed run in 1st inning: 2-8

New York won 19 of its last 22 games; under is 5-2 in their last seven road games. Royals lost seven of their last eight games; under is 5-1 in their last six home games.

Rays (20-22) @ Angels (25-19)
Snell is 4-2, 2.42 in his last seven starts; under is 3-1 in his last four. Team in his starts: 4-5
5-inning record: 5-3-1. Allowed run in 1st inning: 4-9

Tropeano is 0-0, 2.19 in his last two starts; under is 4-1 in his last five. Team in his starts: 2-3
5-inning record: 1-3-1. Allowed run in 1st inning: 1-5

Rays lost six of their last nine games; over is 4-2-1 in their last seven games. Angels lost five of their last seven games; under is 3-1-1 in their last five games.

Tigers (20-23) @ Mariners (24-19)
Fulmer is 0-1, 4.66 in his last five starts (under 5-3). Team in his starts: 3-5.
5-inning record: 3-4-1. Allowed run in 1st inning: 4-8

Hernandez is 3-1, 6.35 in his last four starts; his last three starts went over. Team in his starts: 6-3
5-inning record: 5-3-1. Allowed run in 1st inning: 4-9

Detroit won four of its last five games; under is 5-2 in their last seven road games. Seattle is 4-8 in its last 12 home games; over is 3-2 in their last five home games.

Interleague
Brewers (26-18) @ Twins (18-21)
Suter is 0-2, 6.30 in his last four starts; over is 3-3-1 in his starts. Team in his starts: 2-5
5-inning record: 2-5. Allowed run in 1st inning: 3-7

Gibson is 0-0, 2.66 in his last four starts, three of which stayed under. Team in his starts: 5-3
5-inning record: 5-3-1. Allowed run in 1st inning: 2-9

Brewers won five of its last seven games; they’re 6-2 in road series openers. Over is 6-4 in their last ten road games. Minnesota lost three of its last four games; under is 4-1 in their last five. Twins are 2-8 in their last ten series openers.

______________________________

Teams’ records in first five innings:
Team (road-home-total)- thru 5/17
Ariz 8-6-3……9-9-7…….17-15
Atl 13-7-5…..6-6-5…….19-13
Cubs 8-6-5……10-9-3…….18-15
Reds 7-15-1……6-11-3…….13-26
Colo 13-9-5……9-8-1……..22-17
LA 10-9-3…….8-10-3……18-19
Miami 6-10-2…..11-9-5……..17-19
Milw 13-9-3…..8-10-1…….21-19
Mets 8-10-2……7-9-4…….14-17
Philly 7-8-4…..9-6-6……..16-14
Pitt 10-7-5……10-4-7……20-11
St. Louis 13-5-3……8-11-1……21-16
SD 5-9-4……8-14-4……..13-22
SF 9-9-7…..9-10-2……..18-19
Wash 13-6-3..…13-6-2…….26-12

Orioles 2-12-6…….10-11-2……12-23
Boston 13-8-5……..9-7-3……22-15
White Sox 8-12-2…….4-13-2…..12-25
Cleveland 9-7-4……12-6-5……21-13
Detroit 7-11-3……10-10-4……17-20
Astros 11-6-7……11-7-4……..22-12
KC 5-13-3……..7-13-3……12-26
Angels 14-3-1……8-12-6……..22-15
Twins 9-12-3……6-8-3…….15-20
NYY 9-3-4……15-6-4…….24-9
A’s 8-11-5……7-8-5………15-20
Seattle 15-7-4……7-6-6………22-13
TB 12-7-5……6-9-3………18-15
Texas 8-10-4……7-13-3……..15-23
Toronto 7-11-3……..5-15-4…….12-26

%age of times teams score in first inning (road/home/total- 5/17)
Ariz 7-16……..6-25……….13
Atl 11-24……11-18……..22
Cubs 5-19……..10-21………15
Reds 5-23……..4-21………..9
Colo 11-26……..6-18..…….17
LA 7-22……..5-20..………12
Miami 7-18……..10-26……….17
Milw 7-25……..2-18…..……9
Mets 6-20……..8-19………..14
Philly 5-20……..9-22……….14
Pitt 5-22……..6-21………..11
StL 6-20……..5-20………..11
SD 5-18……..3-26………..8
SF 2-23………9-21………11
Wash 12-23……..8-20……..20

Orioles 7-20……..8-23………15
Boston 9-25……..9-19………18
White Sox 5-22……7-19………11
Clev 6-20…….7-22……….13
Detroit 5-21…….4-22………9
Astros 6-22……5-20……….9
KC 7-21……..6-22………13
Angels 7-18……..4-25………11
Twins 7-24……3-22……….10
NYY 4-16……..9-24………13
A’s 6-24……..7-20………13
Seattle 9-24……5-19……….14
TB 12-24…..4-18………16
Texas 2-22……4-23……….6

Interleague play- 2018
NL @ AL– 22-6 NL, favorites +$444
AL @ NL– 14-10 NL, favorites -$312
Total: 36-16 NL, favorites +$123

Totals in interleague games
NL @ AL: Under 15-10-1
AL @ NL: Under 11-6-1
Total: Under 26-16-2

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

Friday, May 18


LA Dodgers @ Washington

Game 901-902
May 18, 2018 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Dodgers
(Strpling) 14.261
Washington
(Scherzer) 17.719
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 3 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-220
7
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-220); Under

San Diego @ Pittsburgh

Game 903-904
May 18, 2018 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Diego
(Ross) 14.375
Pittsburgh
(Nova) 16.879
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Pittsburgh
by 2 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-125
8
Dunkel Pick:
Pittsburgh
(-125); Under

Arizona @ NY Mets

Game 905-906
May 18, 2018 @ 7:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Arizona
(Godley) 15.168
NY Mets
(deGrom) 13.566
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Arizona
by 1 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NY Mets
-160
7
Dunkel Pick:
Arizona
(+140); Under

Chicago Cubs @ Cincinnati

Game 907-908
May 18, 2018 @ 7:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago Cubs
(Lester) 15.208
Cincinnati
(Bailey) 16.726
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cincinnati
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago Cubs
-185
9 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Cincinnati
(+165); Under

Miami @ Atlanta

Game 909-910
May 18, 2018 @ 7:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Miami
(Straily) 12.126
Atlanta
(Newcomb) 16.798
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Atlanta
by 4 1/2
10
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Atlanta
-200
9
Dunkel Pick:
Atlanta
(-200); Over

Philadelphia @ St. Louis

Game 911-912
May 18, 2018 @ 8:15 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Philadelphia
(Arrieta) 14.272
St. Louis
(Wacha) 17.099
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 3
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-120
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(-120); Over

Colorado @ San Francisco

Game 913-914
May 18, 2018 @ 10:15 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Colorado
(Freeland) 15.670
San Francisco
(Holland) 14.465
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Colorado
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Colorado
-115
8 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Colorado
(-115); Under

Oakland @ Toronto

Game 915-916
May 18, 2018 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Oakland
(Andrson) 14.986
Toronto
(Estrada) 16.393
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 1 1/2
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto
-115
10
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(-115); Under

Baltimore @ Boston

Game 917-918
May 18, 2018 @ 7:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Baltimore
(Cobb) 15.487
Boston
(Pmeranz) 17.416
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 2
12
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
-170
10
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-170); Over

Cleveland @ Houston

Game 919-920
May 18, 2018 @ 8:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Cleveland
(Clevnger) 16.373
Houston
(Morton) 18.714
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Houston
by 2 1/2
10
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Houston
-160
8
Dunkel Pick:
Houston
(-160); Over

Texas @ Chicago White Sox

Game 921-922
May 18, 2018 @ 8:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Texas
(Moore) 14.787
Chicago White Sox
(Fulmer) 13.937
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Texas
by 1
11
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Texas
-115
9 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Texas
(-115); Over

NY Yankees @ Kansas City

Game 923-924
May 18, 2018 @ 8:15 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Yankees
(Sabathia) 16.985
Kansas City
(Junis) 12.934
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Yankees
by 4
10
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NY Yankees
-175
9 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
NY Yankees
(-175); Over

Tampa Bay @ LA Angels

Game 925-926
May 18, 2018 @ 10:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tampa Bay
(Snell) 16.273
LA Angels
(Tropeano) 15.101
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
by 1
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Angels
-150
8
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(+130); Over

Detroit @ Seattle

Game 927-928
May 18, 2018 @ 10:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Detroit
(Fulmer) 16.095
Seattle
(Hernandez) 14.852
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Detroit
by 1
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Seattle
-155
8
Dunkel Pick:
Detroit
(+135); Over

Milwaukee @ Minnesota

Game 929-930
May 18, 2018 @ 8:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Milwaukee
(Suter) 16.019
Minnesota
(Gibson) 14.522
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Milwaukee
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
-145
9
Dunkel Pick:
Milwaukee
(+125); Under

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Long Sheet

Friday, May 18

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LA DODGERS (16 - 26) at WASHINGTON (24 - 18) - 7:05 PM
ROSS STRIPLING (R) vs. MAX SCHERZER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
LA DODGERS are 17-26 (-27.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
LA DODGERS are 100-95 (-28.6 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 3 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 5-10 (-11.7 Units) against the money line in May games this season.
LA DODGERS are 12-18 (-16.7 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
LA DODGERS are 8-19 (-23.7 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
LA DODGERS are 3-11 (-13.9 Units) against the money line in road games after shutting out their opponent over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 86-49 (+21.0 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 57-46 (-17.5 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 30-30 (-16.6 Units) against the money line in home games after a win over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA DODGERS is 2-1 (+0.6 Units) against WASHINGTON this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.8 Units)

ROSS STRIPLING vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
No recent starts.

MAX SCHERZER vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
SCHERZER is 4-5 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 3.05 and a WHIP of 1.109.
His team's record is 4-8 (-3.8 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 7-2. (+4.6 units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SAN DIEGO (17 - 27) at PITTSBURGH (25 - 17) - 7:05 PM
TYSON ROSS (R) vs. IVAN NOVA (R)
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 644-570 (+66.4 Units) against the money line in home games in night games since 1997.
SAN DIEGO is 118-139 (+18.9 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 1-0 (+1.0 Units) against SAN DIEGO this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

TYSON ROSS vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
ROSS is 1-2 when starting against PITTSBURGH with an ERA of 3.29 and a WHIP of 1.098.
His team's record is 2-3 (-0.6 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-2. (+0.5 units)

IVAN NOVA vs. SAN DIEGO since 1997
NOVA is 1-1 when starting against SAN DIEGO with an ERA of 2.31 and a WHIP of 1.114.
His team's record is 2-2 (-0.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-3. (-2.1 units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ARIZONA (25 - 18) at NY METS (20 - 19) - 7:10 PM
ZACK GODLEY (R) vs. JACOB DEGROM (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ARIZONA is 25-18 (+8.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
ARIZONA is 15-6 (+15.0 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +125 to +175 over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 84-63 (+13.7 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 90-111 (-31.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 45-55 (-24.4 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 3-10 (-9.6 Units) against the money line in May games this season.
NY METS are 69-83 (-22.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 41-52 (-26.5 Units) against the money line in home games after a loss over the last 3 seasons.
NY METS are 22-56 (-35.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

ZACK GODLEY vs. NY METS since 1997
GODLEY is 1-1 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 2.37 and a WHIP of 1.105.
His team's record is 2-1 (+0.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-1. (+0.9 units)

JACOB DEGROM vs. ARIZONA since 1997
DEGROM is 1-0 when starting against ARIZONA with an ERA of 2.57 and a WHIP of 1.143.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHICAGO CUBS (22 - 18) at CINCINNATI (15 - 29) - 7:10 PM
JON LESTER (L) vs. HOMER BAILEY (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO CUBS are 118-94 (-18.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 440-459 (-91.6 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 18-24 (-16.2 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 88-72 (-18.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 836-779 (-157.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.
LESTER is 100-40 (+37.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997. (Team's Record)
CINCINNATI is 4-15 (-10.7 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season.
CINCINNATI is 2-12 (-10.5 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season.
CINCINNATI is 3-15 (-11.6 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
CINCINNATI is 14-36 (-19.4 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
CINCINNATI is 405-435 (-101.0 Units) against the money line in home games after a win since 1997.
BAILEY is 2-12 (-11.0 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
CINCINNATI is 1-0 (+1.3 Units) against CHICAGO CUBS this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)

JON LESTER vs. CINCINNATI since 1997
LESTER is 5-1 when starting against CINCINNATI with an ERA of 4.27 and a WHIP of 1.102.
His team's record is 11-2 (+6.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 10-2. (+7.9 units)

HOMER BAILEY vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
BAILEY is 8-3 when starting against CHICAGO CUBS with an ERA of 4.53 and a WHIP of 1.432.
His team's record is 12-6 (+5.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 13-4. (+9.3 units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MIAMI (16 - 26) at ATLANTA (26 - 16) - 7:35 PM
DANIEL STRAILY (R) vs. SEAN NEWCOMB (L)
Top Trends for this game.
MIAMI is 10-28 (-14.6 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 26-16 (+13.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
ATLANTA is 17-8 (+12.0 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
ATLANTA is 18-13 (+8.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
STRAILY is 39-28 (+16.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
STRAILY is 22-10 (+14.3 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 3-1 (+1.7 Units) against MIAMI this season
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+2.0 Units)

DANIEL STRAILY vs. ATLANTA since 1997
STRAILY is 3-2 when starting against ATLANTA with an ERA of 5.24 and a WHIP of 1.456.
His team's record is 4-3 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-5. (-4.6 units)

SEAN NEWCOMB vs. MIAMI since 1997
NEWCOMB is 1-1 when starting against MIAMI with an ERA of 3.18 and a WHIP of 1.412.
His team's record is 2-1 (+1.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-1. (+0.9 units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PHILADELPHIA (24 - 16) at ST LOUIS (23 - 17) - 8:15 PM
JAKE ARRIETA (R) vs. MICHAEL WACHA (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 483-340 (+60.0 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
PHILADELPHIA is 400-362 (+44.9 Units) against the money line on the road when the money line is +125 to -125 since 1997.
PHILADELPHIA is 136-134 (+20.9 Units) against the money line in road games when playing on Friday since 1997.
PHILADELPHIA is 832-873 (+21.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
ST LOUIS is 94-88 (-29.3 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 58-63 (-30.1 Units) against the money line in home games in night games over the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 71-67 (-23.3 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 1-0 (+1.3 Units) against ST LOUIS this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)

JAKE ARRIETA vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
ARRIETA is 9-4 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 2.49 and a WHIP of 1.137.
His team's record is 10-8 (+0.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 8-9. (-1.6 units)

MICHAEL WACHA vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
WACHA is 2-2 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 4.39 and a WHIP of 1.465.
His team's record is 3-2 (-0.6 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-3. (-1.3 units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

COLORADO (23 - 20) at SAN FRANCISCO (22 - 22) - 10:15 PM
KYLE FREELAND (L) vs. DEREK HOLLAND (L)
Top Trends for this game.
COLORADO is 325-442 (-106.6 Units) against the money line on the road when the money line is +125 to -125 since 1997.
COLORADO is 318-433 (-91.0 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.
SAN FRANCISCO is 285-188 (+60.4 Units) against the money line in home games against left-handed starters since 1997.
HOLLAND is 59-45 (+20.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997. (Team's Record)
COLORADO is 111-96 (+16.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 17-9 (+13.6 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
COLORADO is 7-1 (+8.8 Units) against the money line in road games in May games this season.
COLORADO is 13-5 (+11.1 Units) against the money line in road games in night games this season.
COLORADO is 37-29 (+13.0 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 11-5 (+9.8 Units) against the money line in road games after a win this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 86-121 (-34.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO is 1-0 (+1.3 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
0 of 0 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.0 Units)

KYLE FREELAND vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
FREELAND is 2-2 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 3.22 and a WHIP of 1.523.
His team's record is 2-2 (-1.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-3. (-2.4 units)

DEREK HOLLAND vs. COLORADO since 1997
HOLLAND is 0-1 when starting against COLORADO with an ERA of 15.75 and a WHIP of 2.500.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-1. (-1.2 units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OAKLAND (21 - 22) at TORONTO (22 - 21) - 7:05 PM
BRETT ANDERSON (L) vs. MARCO ESTRADA (R)
Top Trends for this game.
OAKLAND is 369-470 (-102.3 Units) against the money line on the road when the money line is +125 to -125 since 1997.
OAKLAND is 127-188 (-50.8 Units) against the money line in road games in May games since 1997.
ANDERSON is 38-51 (-22.9 Units) against the money line in night games since 1997. (Team's Record)
OAKLAND is 14-7 (+9.2 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 10 to 10.5 over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 162-179 (-52.6 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 10 to 10.5 since 1997.
TORONTO is 58-71 (-21.0 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 12-20 (-12.3 Units) against the money line in home games against left-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
OAKLAND is 1-0 (+1.1 Units) against TORONTO this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

BRETT ANDERSON vs. TORONTO since 1997
ANDERSON is 0-1 when starting against TORONTO with an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.333.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.3 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

MARCO ESTRADA vs. OAKLAND since 1997
ESTRADA is 0-2 when starting against OAKLAND with an ERA of 6.75 and a WHIP of 1.704.
His team's record is 1-2 (-1.6 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-1. (+1.0 units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BALTIMORE (13 - 29) at BOSTON (29 - 14) - 7:10 PM
ALEX COBB (R) vs. DREW POMERANZ (L)
Top Trends for this game.
BALTIMORE is 13-30 (-16.7 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
BALTIMORE is 9-29 (-16.0 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +125 to +175 over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 3-17 (-12.3 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
BALTIMORE is 3-18 (-15.2 Units) against the money line in road games in May games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 21-46 (-22.3 Units) against the money line in road games in night games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 8-21 (-12.9 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
BOSTON is 101-61 (+23.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 404-351 (-94.0 Units) against the money line in home games against division opponents since 1997.
BOSTON is 570-435 (-67.4 Units) against the money line in home games after a win since 1997.
POMERANZ is 22-33 (-20.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 4-0 (+4.0 Units) against BALTIMORE this season
2 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.0 Units)

ALEX COBB vs. BOSTON since 1997
COBB is 6-5 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 4.00 and a WHIP of 1.333.
His team's record is 7-9 (-3.5 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 8-8. (-1.1 units)

DREW POMERANZ vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
POMERANZ is 2-2 when starting against BALTIMORE with an ERA of 3.60 and a WHIP of 1.281.
His team's record is 3-2 (+0.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-5. (-5.2 units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CLEVELAND (21 - 21) at HOUSTON (28 - 17) - 8:10 PM
MIKE CLEVINGER (R) vs. CHARLIE MORTON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CLEVELAND is 21-21 (-11.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CLEVELAND is 19-23 (-16.3 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 10-13 (-9.7 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
CLEVELAND is 12-14 (-10.5 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
CLEVELAND is 8-12 (-12.4 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
CLEVELAND is 6-13 (-11.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
HOUSTON is 105-50 (+29.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 72-64 (-26.8 Units) against the money line in home games in night games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

MIKE CLEVINGER vs. HOUSTON since 1997
CLEVINGER is 1-1 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 1.04 and a WHIP of 0.923.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-2. (-2.1 units)

CHARLIE MORTON vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
MORTON is 0-2 when starting against CLEVELAND with an ERA of 5.56 and a WHIP of 1.500.
His team's record is 0-2 (-2.5 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-0. (+2.0 units)

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TEXAS (17 - 27) at CHI WHITE SOX (10 - 29) - 8:10 PM
MATT MOORE (L) vs. CARSON FULMER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TEXAS is 16-32 (-14.5 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
MOORE is 11-32 (-21.8 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TEXAS is 190-182 (+20.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons.
TEXAS is 87-70 (+26.1 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 3 seasons.
TEXAS is 89-96 (+19.0 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 3 seasons.
TEXAS is 24-21 (+12.2 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 140-125 (+24.7 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 3 seasons.
CHI WHITE SOX are 11-29 (-15.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CHI WHITE SOX are 4-15 (-11.6 Units) against the money line in home games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHI WHITE SOX is 1-0 (+1.1 Units) against TEXAS this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)

MATT MOORE vs. CHI WHITE SOX since 1997
MOORE is 5-1 when starting against CHI WHITE SOX with an ERA of 1.67 and a WHIP of 0.823.
His team's record is 5-1 (+4.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-3. (+0.0 units)

CARSON FULMER vs. TEXAS since 1997
No recent starts.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NY YANKEES (28 - 12) at KANSAS CITY (13 - 30) - 8:15 PM
C.C. SABATHIA (L) vs. JAKE JUNIS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
NY YANKEES are 15-21 (-13.2 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday over the last 2 seasons.
JUNIS is 16-8 (+9.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
JUNIS is 11-4 (+8.5 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SABATHIA is 25-13 (+12.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SABATHIA is 31-16 (+15.9 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SABATHIA is 74-35 (+29.2 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997. (Team's Record)
KANSAS CITY is 13-30 (-14.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 5-16 (-12.0 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season.
KANSAS CITY is 6-16 (-11.9 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 4-12 (-9.6 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season.
KANSAS CITY is 3-11 (-9.0 Units) against the money line in home games in night games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 4-12 (-9.2 Units) against the money line in home games after a loss this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

C.C. SABATHIA vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
SABATHIA is 21-11 when starting against KANSAS CITY with an ERA of 3.14 and a WHIP of 1.219.
His team's record is 25-14 (+3.9 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 24-15. (+7.8 units)

JAKE JUNIS vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
JUNIS is 0-1 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 9.52 and a WHIP of 1.411.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-1. (-1.0 units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TAMPA BAY (19 - 22) at LA ANGELS (25 - 18) - 10:05 PM
BLAKE SNELL (L) vs. NICK TROPEANO (R)
Top Trends for this game.
LA ANGELS are 55-45 (+15.8 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 17-13 (+12.2 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +125 to +175 over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 36-28 (+13.0 Units) against the money line in road games in night games over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 20-39 (-21.3 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday over the last 3 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 8-14 (-8.8 Units) against the money line in home games in night games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 1-0 (+1.5 Units) against LA ANGELS this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

BLAKE SNELL vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
SNELL is 0-1 when starting against LA ANGELS with an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.000.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

NICK TROPEANO vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
TROPEANO is 0-1 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 4.36 and a WHIP of 1.355.
His team's record is 0-2 (-2.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-0. (+2.1 units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DETROIT (19 - 23) at SEATTLE (24 - 18) - 10:10 PM
MICHAEL FULMER (R) vs. FELIX HERNANDEZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 84-121 (-28.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 45-81 (-30.4 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 57-95 (-31.5 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 30-53 (-23.9 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 16-9 (+6.3 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
SEATTLE is 12-5 (+7.9 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
SEATTLE is 357-293 (-72.5 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -125 to -175 since 1997.
SEATTLE is 907-825 (-117.0 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997.
SEATTLE is 262-257 (-56.0 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 8 to 8.5 since 1997.
SEATTLE is 635-575 (-91.8 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters since 1997.
SEATTLE is 434-347 (-68.3 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 3-1 (+4.2 Units) against SEATTLE this season
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.5 Units)

MICHAEL FULMER vs. SEATTLE since 1997
FULMER is 0-2 when starting against SEATTLE with an ERA of 5.17 and a WHIP of 1.149.
His team's record is 1-2 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-1. (+0.8 units)

FELIX HERNANDEZ vs. DETROIT since 1997
HERNANDEZ is 10-4 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 3.09 and a WHIP of 1.238.
His team's record is 11-6 (+4.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 9-7. (+1.5 units)

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MILWAUKEE (26 - 18) at MINNESOTA (18 - 21) - 8:10 PM
BRENT SUTER (L) vs. KYLE GIBSON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 103-99 (+7.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 20-10 (+12.4 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 69-58 (+13.8 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
GIBSON is 23-14 (+11.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GIBSON is 15-5 (+10.6 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
MILWAUKEE is 26-18 (+10.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 16-9 (+8.9 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 24-17 (+11.2 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 20-9 (+12.6 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 20-13 (+8.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
MINNESOTA is 78-99 (-27.3 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 10-21 (-13.5 Units) against the money line in home games when playing with a day off over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

BRENT SUTER vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
SUTER is 0-0 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 6.75 and a WHIP of 1.750.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-0. (+0.0 units)

KYLE GIBSON vs. MILWAUKEE since 1997
GIBSON is 1-1 when starting against MILWAUKEE with an ERA of 5.03 and a WHIP of 0.966.
His team's record is 1-2 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-1. (+0.9 units)

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Friday, May 18

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

San Diego Padres
San Diego is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of San Diego's last 9 games
San Diego is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
San Diego is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
San Diego is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of San Diego's last 9 games when playing Pittsburgh
San Diego is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
San Diego is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
Pittsburgh is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Pittsburgh is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games at home
Pittsburgh is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing San Diego
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Diego
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 9 games when playing San Diego
Pittsburgh is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against San Diego
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Diego


Los Angeles Dodgers
LA Dodgers is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games
LA Dodgers is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Dodgers's last 7 games
LA Dodgers is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
LA Dodgers is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Dodgers's last 6 games on the road
LA Dodgers is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Washington
LA Dodgers is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of LA Dodgers's last 9 games when playing Washington
LA Dodgers is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
LA Dodgers is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington Nationals
Washington is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
Washington is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games
Washington is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Washington is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games at home
Washington is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing LA Dodgers
Washington is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing LA Dodgers
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Washington's last 9 games when playing LA Dodgers
Washington is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers
Washington is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers


Oakland Athletics
Oakland is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oakland's last 7 games
Oakland is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oakland's last 7 games on the road
Oakland is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Toronto
Oakland is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Toronto
Oakland is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Oakland is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Toronto is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
Toronto is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Oakland
Toronto is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Oakland
Toronto is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Oakland
Toronto is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Oakland


Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore is 7-16 SU in its last 23 games
Baltimore is 2-11 ATS in its last 13 games on the road
Baltimore is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Baltimore is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Boston
Baltimore is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston
Baltimore is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
Baltimore is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Baltimore's last 6 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston Red Sox
Boston is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Boston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games
Boston is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games at home
Boston is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games at home
Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Baltimore
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Baltimore
Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Baltimore
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Baltimore
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games when playing at home against Baltimore


Chicago Cubs
Chi Cubs is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Chi Cubs is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
Chi Cubs is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Chi Cubs is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games on the road
Chi Cubs is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Cincinnati
The total has gone OVER in 17 of Chi Cubs's last 24 games when playing Cincinnati
Chi Cubs is 17-7 SU in its last 24 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Chi Cubs's last 22 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 7 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
Cincinnati is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
Cincinnati is 6-19 SU in its last 25 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 7 games at home
Cincinnati is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Chi Cubs
The total has gone OVER in 17 of Cincinnati's last 24 games when playing Chi Cubs
Cincinnati is 7-17 SU in its last 24 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Cincinnati's last 22 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 7 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs


Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games
Arizona is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
Arizona is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Arizona's last 13 games on the road
Arizona is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing NY Mets
Arizona is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing NY Mets
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona's last 5 games when playing NY Mets
Arizona is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Arizona's last 13 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
New York Mets
NY Mets is 3-10 ATS in its last 13 games
NY Mets is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Mets's last 6 games
NY Mets is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games at home
NY Mets is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Mets's last 6 games at home
NY Mets is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Arizona
NY Mets is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Mets's last 5 games when playing Arizona
NY Mets is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of NY Mets's last 13 games when playing at home against Arizona


Miami Marlins
Miami is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Miami is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
Miami is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Miami is 6-14 SU in its last 20 games on the road
Miami is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Miami's last 7 games when playing Atlanta
Miami is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Miami is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta Braves
Atlanta is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Atlanta is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games at home
Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Miami
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Atlanta's last 7 games when playing Miami
Atlanta is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Miami
Atlanta is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Miami


Texas Rangers
Texas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Texas's last 6 games
Texas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Texas's last 6 games on the road
Texas is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Chi White Sox
Texas is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games when playing Chi White Sox
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Texas's last 11 games when playing Chi White Sox
Texas is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Texas's last 15 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
Chicago White Sox
Chi White Sox is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games
Chi White Sox is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Chi White Sox is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi White Sox's last 7 games at home
Chi White Sox is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Texas
Chi White Sox is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games when playing Texas
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Chi White Sox's last 11 games when playing Texas
Chi White Sox is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Texas
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Chi White Sox's last 15 games when playing at home against Texas


Cleveland Indians
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Cleveland's last 20 games
Cleveland is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Cleveland is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Cleveland's last 25 games when playing Houston
Cleveland is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Houston
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Cleveland's last 13 games when playing on the road against Houston
Houston Astros
Houston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Houston's last 8 games
Houston is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Houston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Houston's last 7 games at home
Houston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Houston's last 25 games when playing Cleveland
Houston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Houston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Houston's last 13 games when playing at home against Cleveland


Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Milwaukee is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Milwaukee is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Milwaukee is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Milwaukee's last 18 games on the road
Milwaukee is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota
Milwaukee is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota
Milwaukee is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Milwaukee's last 10 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Minnesota Twins
Minnesota is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games
Minnesota is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games
Minnesota is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Minnesota is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home
Minnesota is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Milwaukee
Minnesota is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Milwaukee
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Minnesota's last 10 games when playing at home against Milwaukee


New York Yankees
NY Yankees is 15-7 ATS in its last 22 games
NY Yankees is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
NY Yankees is 19-3 SU in its last 22 games
NY Yankees is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
NY Yankees is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Yankees's last 5 games on the road
NY Yankees is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Kansas City
NY Yankees is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Yankees's last 5 games when playing Kansas City
NY Yankees is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Yankees's last 6 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
Kansas City Royals
Kansas City is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games
Kansas City is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Kansas City is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Kansas City is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Kansas City's last 6 games at home
Kansas City is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing NY Yankees
Kansas City is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing NY Yankees
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games when playing NY Yankees
Kansas City is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against NY Yankees
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Kansas City's last 6 games when playing at home against NY Yankees


Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games
Philadelphia is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 5 games
Philadelphia is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Philadelphia is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 7 games on the road
Philadelphia is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis
Philadelphia is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Philadelphia's last 11 games when playing St. Louis
Philadelphia is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
Philadelphia is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis is 3-14 ATS in its last 17 games
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games
St. Louis is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games at home
St. Louis is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of St. Louis's last 8 games at home
St. Louis is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
St. Louis is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of St. Louis's last 11 games when playing Philadelphia
St. Louis is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
St. Louis is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games when playing at home against Philadelphia


Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Tampa Bay is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games
Tampa Bay is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing LA Angels
Tampa Bay is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing LA Angels
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Tampa Bay's last 9 games when playing LA Angels
Tampa Bay is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
Tampa Bay is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
Los Angeles Angels
LA Angels is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games
LA Angels is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Angels's last 6 games
LA Angels is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games at home
LA Angels is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Angels's last 6 games at home
LA Angels is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
LA Angels is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of LA Angels's last 9 games when playing Tampa Bay
LA Angels is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
LA Angels is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Angels's last 7 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay


Detroit Tigers
Detroit is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games
Detroit is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Detroit is 5-13 SU in its last 18 games on the road
Detroit is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing Seattle
Detroit is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Detroit is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Seattle Mariners
Seattle is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Seattle is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Seattle is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
Seattle is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing Detroit
Seattle is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Detroit
Seattle is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Detroit


Colorado Rockies
Colorado is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Colorado's last 20 games
Colorado is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Colorado is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Colorado's last 12 games on the road
Colorado is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing San Francisco
Colorado is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing San Francisco
Colorado is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing San Francisco
Colorado is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
Colorado is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 5 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
San Francisco Giants
San Francisco is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
San Francisco is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games
San Francisco is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of San Francisco's last 12 games at home
San Francisco is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Colorado
San Francisco is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Colorado
San Francisco is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games when playing Colorado
San Francisco is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Colorado
San Francisco is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Francisco's last 5 games when playing at home against Colorado

[StarDust Bum]

Friday's Diamond Notes
May 18, 2018

Hottest team: Nationals (13-2 last 15)

Washington hasn’t taken the field since Tuesday night and hasn’t played an official game since Sunday evening at Arizona. The Nationals were tied at 3-3 against the Yankees in the sixth inning prior to the game being suspended due to rain, while Wednesday’s contest was wiped out to due to poor weather. Regardless, Washington has been on fire by sweeping the four-game set at Arizona, while capturing four consecutive series.

The Nationals will turn to Cy Young winner Max Scherzer on the mound against the Dodgers to open up a weekend series. Scherzer is seeking a fourth Cy Young award this season and is on his way to it by owning a 7-1 record and 1.69 ERA along with 91 strikeouts. The Washington ace has yet to allow more than two earned runs in any of his nine starts this season, while defeating the Dodgers as a +135 underdog in Los Angeles last month, 5-2.

Coldest team: Royals (1-7 last eight)

Kansas City has not been able to get anything going from a winning standpoint this season, as the 2015 champions haven’t won more than two straight games through the first seven weeks. The Royals were swept for the fourth time at home by dropping all three games to the Rays, while suffering its third losing streak of at least five games this season.

The task won’t be easier this weekend as the big, bad Yankees invade Kansas City. Jakob Junis has turned into the Royals’ best option as a starting pitcher at 4-3 with an ERA of 3.53, while Kansas City has won five of his eight starts. Junis struggled against the Yankees last season by allowing six earned runs and seven hits in 5.2 innings of an 11-3 blowout loss in the Bronx.

Hottest pitcher: Sean Newcomb, Braves (4-1, 2.51 ERA)

The young Atlanta rotation is turning into one to be reckoned with, led by Newcomb’s recent stretch. The Braves’ southpaw has not allowed a run in any of his last three starts (19 innings), while Atlanta picked up road victories over New York, Tampa Bay, and Miami. Newcomb is set to make only his third home start of the season on Friday against the Marlins, as the Braves own an 0-2 record in his two starts at SunTrust Park. In Newcomb’s last start against Miami this past Sunday, the left-hander allowed one hit in six innings as the Braves edged Miami, 4-3.

Coldest pitcher: Brett Anderson, Athletics (0-2, 8.16 ERA)

The southpaw put together a solid season debut at Seattle by scattering five hits in 6.1 innings of a 3-2 victory. However, Anderson has allowed 13 runs (11 earned) in his last two outings against the Astros and Yankees in only eight innings of work. Anderson’s worst start came against Houston on May 7 when he was tagged for 10 hits and nine runs in three innings of a 16-2 home defeat. Anderson faces a Toronto squad that owns a 3-7 record in its previous 10 games against left-handed starting pitchers.

Biggest OVER run: Diamondbacks (11-2 last 13 on road)

Arizona travels to the Big Apple this weekend for a three-game series with the struggling Mets. The D-backs will send out two of their aces on Saturday with Patrick Corbin taking the mound, followed by Zack Greinke on Sunday. In Friday’s opener, Zack Godley will oppose New York’s Jacob deGrom, as Godley looks to turn around a recent tough stretch by allowing four earned runs in three of his past four starts, resulting in three OVERS. Arizona’s offense has struggled recently at home, but on the highway, the D-backs have delivered at least four runs in its past eight victories away from Chase Field.

Biggest UNDER run: Rockies (8-2-1 last 11)

Colorado managed a PUSH on an eight total in Thursday’s 5-3 extra-innings victory to capture the opener of a four-game set at San Francisco. The Rockies have been wildly inconsistent of late by alternating wins and losses in each of their last six games, while allowing at least three runs in each of their past four contests. Off Colorado’s last three wins, the Rockies have responded by scoring a total of four runs, including getting shut out twice. Kyle Freeland has been terrific of late for Colorado by tossing four consecutive quality starts, while registering the UNDER in all four appearances.

Matchup to watch: Phillies vs. Cardinals

Philadelphia continued its impressive start to the season by knocking off St. Louis on Thursday, 6-2 to improve to 25-16. The Phillies sit one half-game behind the Braves for the top spot in the National League East as Philadelphia has won seven of its past eight contests. Meanwhile, the Cardinals suffered their fourth loss in the last five games, while St. Louis has scored three runs or fewer in each of those four defeats.

Jake Arrieta heads to the mound for the Phillies in Game 2 of this series, as the right-hander is winless in his last three appearances. Arrieta tossed 7.1 scoreless innings of five-hit ball in his previous outing against the Mets, but New York struck for three runs in the ninth inning to beat Philadelphia, 3-1. The 2015 Cy Young winner has delivered quality starts in five of his last six starts, but had his struggles against the Cardinals last season. As a member of the Cubs, Chicago posted a 1-3 record against St. Louis in four outings, while allowing five runs in 3.1 innings of an 8-7 defeat at Busch Stadium last September.

Michael Wacha counters for the Cardinals, as St. Louis has won all five of his home starts this season. Wacha is coming off a loss in his last outing at San Diego, in spite of scattering three hits and allowing one earned run in six innings of a 2-1 defeat last Saturday. The Cardinals have cashed the UNDER in each of Wacha’s last three appearances, while St. Louis won both of his starts against Philadelphia last season.

Betcha didn’t know: It’s a first-place showdown in Houston as the Astros host the Indians, although Cleveland enters tonight’s action with a 21-21 record. Cleveland owned Houston last season by capturing five of six matchups, including a three-game sweep at Minute Maid Park. However, the Indians, who beat the Tigers on Wednesday, own a 1-7 record in series openers this season off a victory.

Biggest public favorite: Nationals (-215) vs. Dodgers

Biggest public underdog: Twins (+135) at Brewers

Biggest line move: Angels (-130 to -145) vs. Rays

[StarDust Bum]

LEADING OFF: Yanks continue odd trip, Swanson could return
May 17, 2018

A look at what's happening around the majors today:

TOUGH TRIP

The New York Yankees will be back in action, they hope, during a rather strange road swing. Their game at Washington on Tuesday night was suspended in the sixth inning because of rain, and they were washed out the next day at Nationals Park. The Yankees then spent Wednesday night at Dulles International Airport because of bad weather and plane trouble, and traveled to Kansas City on Thursday. After a day off, CC Sabathia and the Yanks take on the Royals. The weather forecast is calling for a zero percent chance of rain.

MAYBE

Shortstop Dansby Swanson could return to the Braves' lineup when they host Miami. Swanson has been on the disabled list because of inflammation in his left wrist. The 24-year-old Swanson is hitting .289 in 28 games for Atlanta.

MAXING OUT

Max Scherzer is dominating this season after winning the last two NL Cy Young Awards. He is 7-1 with a 1.69 ERA for Washington, striking out a league-high 91 in only 58 2/3 innings. Scherzer starts at home and takes on the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have lost six of seven.

AVAILABLE

Right-hander reliever Junichi Tazawa has been designated for assignment by the Marlins. He was cut after giving up three runs in one inning of a 7-0 loss to the Dodgers. Tazawa, who turns 32 next month, is 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA in 22 games. He is making $7 million this year.

''I'm hoping a change of scenery will benefit me and get me back on track,'' he said in a statement released by the team. ''I do feel fine, and that is the frustrating part about all of this.''

TRY AGAIN

Alex Cobb makes another bid to post his first win with Baltimore. He is 0-5 with a 7.06 ERA in six starts since signing a $57 million, four-year deal as a free agent late in spring training. He's set to face the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

PERFECT SO FAR

Astros righty Charlie Morton is 5-0 with a 2.03 ERA going into his start at home vs. Cleveland. Morton struck out 14 without a walk in seven innings against Texas in his last outing.

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, MAY 18
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

SD at PIT 07:05 PM
SD +116
O 7.5

LAD at WAS 07:05 PM
WAS -195
U 7.0

OAK at TOR 07:07 PM
TOR -119
O 9.5

BAL at BOS 07:10 PM
BOS -151
U 9.0

CHC at CIN 07:10 PM
CIN +150
O 9.0

ARI at NYM 07:10 PM
ARI +139
O 7.0

MIA at ATL 07:35 PM
ATL -183
O 9.0

MIL at MIN 08:10 PM
MIL +138
O 9.0

CLE at HOU 08:10 PM
HOU -169
U 8.0

TEX at CHW 08:10 PM
TEX -102
O 9.5

PHI at STL 08:15 PM
PHI +104
O 8.0

NYY at KC 08:15 PM
NYY -168
U 9.5

TB at LAA 10:07 PM
TB +131
U 8.0

DET at SEA 10:10 PM
SEA -150
U 7.5

COL at SF 10:15 PM
COL -104
U 8.5

[StarDust Bum]

Morton extends winning streak to nine, Astros top Indians
May 19, 2018

HOUSTON (AP) Charlie Morton pitched seven solid innings, Tony Kemp had a tiebreaking RBI double in the seventh and the Houston Astros beat the Cleveland Indians 4-1 on Friday night for their third straight win.

Morton (6-0) allowed one run and four hits with eight strikeouts in extending his career-high winning streak to nine straight dating back to last September. Morton retired 19 of the first 21 batters.

After Cleveland starter Mike Clevinger (3-1) walked Marwin Gonzalez and Derek Fisher to lead off the seventh, Brian McCann popped out before Kemp hit his RBI ground-rule double down the right-field line to give Houston a 2-1 lead. George Springer followed with a grounder to Kipnis, but Fisher beat the throw home.

Ken Giles pitched the ninth for his seventh save.

ROYALS 5, YANKEES 2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Whit Merrifield had three hits, stole three bases and scored twice off CC Sabathia in the first four innings, Jakob Junis held down the Yankees' potent offense and Kansas City beat New York.

Salvador Perez homed and added three RBIs for the Royals, who had lost five straight and seven of eight.

Junis (5-3) pitched into the sixth inning, allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk to slow down the Yankees, who had won 19 of their past 22.

Kelvin Herrera capped a strong bullpen effort with a perfect ninth for his ninth save in 10 opportunities.

Sabathia (2-1) lasted just five innings, struggling all night with his command.

MARLINS 2, BRAVES 0

ATLANTA (AP) - Dan Straily pitched seven scoreless innings, J.T. Realmuto had an RBI triple and Miami beat Atlanta.

Straily (2-0) allowed three hits, walked three and struck out six to shut down the NL's top-scoring offense. He also beat Atlanta in his previous start a week prior.

Miami got both its runs in the sixth. Martin Prado singled and scored on Realmuto's triple, and Starlin Castro chased Matt Wisler (1-1) with a double.

Brad Ziegler induced a double-play grounder from Tyler Flowers to retire the side in the ninth and earn his eighth save in eight chances.

ORIOLES 7, RED SOX 4

BOSTON (AP) - Jonathan Schoop homered and Alex Cobb got his first win of the season as Baltimore ended its 13-game road losing streak.

Manny Machado went 3 for 5 with three RBIs and Adam Jones had two hits and drove in two for the Orioles, who won on the road for the first time since April 8.

Mookie Betts doubled twice and hit his 14th homer for Boston, which lost to Baltimore for the first time in the five meetings so far this season.

Cobb (1-5) held Boston to three runs on 10 hits over 6 1/3 innings.

Brad Brach pitched a scoreless ninth for his sixth save.

Drew Pomeranz (1-2) lasted only four innings for Boston, getting pulled after the Orioles scored four in the fourth to take a 5-1 lead.

CUBS 8, REDS 1

CINCINNATI (AP) - Jon Lester pitched six dominant innings, Addison Russell tied his career high with four hits and Chicago quickly took control with a three-run first inning against Cincinnati.

Playing in a steady downpour that delayed the start of the game by 93 minutes, Willson Contreras added three hits and six different players each drove in at least one run for the Cubs, who'd lost three of their last four games.

Lester (4-1) faced one batter over the minimum through the first four innings. The left-hander allowed Cincinnati's only two hits and one walk with a season-high eight strikeouts and even contributed a safety squeeze sacrifice bunt while Chicago was breaking the game open with a two-run fifth inning.

Homer Bailey (1-6) allowed 10 hits in five or fewer innings for the second consecutive game.

RANGERS 12, WHITE SOX 5

CHICAGO (AP) - Shin-Soo Choo hit his first grand slam in eight years, leading Texas over Chicago.

Choo made it 9-3 with his drive against reliever Chris Volstad in a five-run third inning. He also singled and scored in the fourth and walked twice.

Jurickson Profar and Joey Gallo each drove in three runs for Texas. Jesse Chavez (2-0) and two other relievers combined for 5 1/3 scoreless innings following a shaky start by Matt Moore.

Jose Abreu had a pair of RBI doubles and scored two runs. But Carson Fulmer (2-4) made another early exit in his third straight loss.

METS 3, DIAMONDBACKS 1

NEW YORK (AP) - Jacob deGrom matched a career high with 13 strikeouts, Michael Conforto went 4 for 4 with two RBIs and the New York beat Arizona.

Wilmer Flores drove in one run and scored another to help the Mets win a series opener between struggling teams.

After an abbreviated outing last weekend in his return from the disabled list, deGrom (4-0) threw seven dominant innings this time and has won his first four decisions in a season for the first time.

Robert Gsellman worked a perfect eighth and Jeurys Familia struck out the side in the ninth for his 12th save.

Conforto, who equaled his career high for hits with four singles, had a two-out RBI single in the first inning and another in the fifth. Both came off starter Zack Godley (4-3).

PADRES 3, PIRATES 2

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Eric Hosmer hit two doubles and scored the go-ahead run and Tyson Ross won for the first time in more than a month as San Diego cooled off Pittsburgh.

Hosmer doubled with two outs in the sixth inning off Ivan Nova (2-4) and Franchy Cordero followed by a lining a single into left field. That broke a 2-2 tie and sent Pittsburgh to its second loss in 10 games.

Ross (3-3) ended a five-start winless streak by giving up two runs and five hits in six innings while striking out two and walking four.

Brad Hand got the final four outs for his 13th save in 15 opportunities.

ATHLETICS 3, BLUE JAYS 1

TORONTO (AP) - Dustin Fowler hit his first career home run and also had a tiebreaking RBI double in the seventh inning, Josh Phegley hit an RBI double in his season debut, and the Oakland beat Toronto.

Danny Coulombe (1-1) pitched 1 1/3 innings for the victory as Oakland won for the fourth time in five games.

Right-hander Marco Estrada (2-4) allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings to lose his third straight decision as the slumping Blue Jays lost for the 10th time in 13 home games.

For the second straight game, an injury forced Oakland to make an early call to the bullpen. Left-hander Brett Anderson lasted one inning before leaving because of a strained shoulder.

Chris Hatcher worked the seventh, Yusmeiro Petit got two outs in the eighth, and Blake Treinen finished for his ninth save in 11 opportunities.

BREWERS 8, TWINS 3

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Jesus Aguilar homered twice and Ji-Man Choi hit a solo home run in his return to the majors as Milwaukee beat Minnesota.

Brent Suter (3-3) pitched a season-high 5 2/3 innings for Milwaukee, which has won six of its past eight. The left-hander allowed one run on five hits and a walk with six strikeouts.

Kyle Gibson (1-2) gave up five runs in 5 1/3 innings for Minnesota, which has lost four of five. Gibson surrendered eight hits and walked four batters. Max Kepler had two hits, including a two-run home run.

First baseman Joe Mauer was pulled from the game in the fifth inning with neck tightness and is considered day to day.