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Baseball – Hot Lines
MLB
Hot Lines
Thursday, May 31
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San Diego Padres at Pittsburgh Pirates (+117, 8 ½)
Greg Maddux is struggling to compete outside the pitcher-friendly confines of Petco Park this season. The 41-year-old is 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP in five road starts.
He faces a Pirates team playing its best baseball of the season despite a 9-0 loss to the Padres last night. Pittsburgh has still won four of its last six games, with three wins coming as an underdog, and is currently alone in second place in the NL Central, 5 ½ games behind the Milwaukee Brewers.
Shawn Chacon will start for the Pirates. He is 1-0 with a 2.05 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in seven relief appearances at home this season.
Pick: Pirates +117
Cincinnati Reds at Houston Astros (+117, 9)
Cincinnati has no reason to get road favorite status under any circumstances, let alone with the inconsistent Bronson Arroyo on the mound. Arroyo is 0-1 with an 18.00 ERA in his last two starts after posting a 2.64 ERA in his first nine.
The Reds currently hold the worst record in the National League despite three straight wins, including the first two games of their series against the Astros. Expect Houston to lay it all on the line in the final game of the series, especially considering they’ve lost 10 straight games.
Woody Williams will start for the Astros. His last start against Cincinnati was his only win of the season. The 40-year-old right-hander allowed two earned runs in 6 2/3 innings in a 3-2 Houston win.
Pick: Astros +117
St. Louis Cardinals at Colorado Rockies (-143, 9 ½)
Colorado had its seven game winning streak snapped on Thursday, mostly due to a dud performance from starter Jason Hirsh. Don’t expect the same result tonight with ace Aaron Cook on the mound (though an argument could be made for Jeff Francis). Cook went the distance in his last start, and has now won his last four decisions.
He’s backed by a Colorado team that’s averaging six runs per game over its last six games while playing the first three away from Coors Field. The Rockies' hot hitting should continue against reliever-turned-starter Brad Thompson. The 25-year-old has a 4.72 ERA in four starts this season.
Expect the Cardinals' struggles away from home to also continue – St. Louis is just 10-16 on the road this season and is being outscored by almost one and a half runs per game (3.81-5.27).
Pick: Rockies -143
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MLB
Hot Lines
Thursday, May 31
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
San Diego Padres at Pittsburgh Pirates (+117, 8 ½)
Greg Maddux is struggling to compete outside the pitcher-friendly confines of Petco Park this season. The 41-year-old is 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP in five road starts.
He faces a Pirates team playing its best baseball of the season despite a 9-0 loss to the Padres last night. Pittsburgh has still won four of its last six games, with three wins coming as an underdog, and is currently alone in second place in the NL Central, 5 ½ games behind the Milwaukee Brewers.
Shawn Chacon will start for the Pirates. He is 1-0 with a 2.05 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in seven relief appearances at home this season.
Pick: Pirates +117
Cincinnati Reds at Houston Astros (+117, 9)
Cincinnati has no reason to get road favorite status under any circumstances, let alone with the inconsistent Bronson Arroyo on the mound. Arroyo is 0-1 with an 18.00 ERA in his last two starts after posting a 2.64 ERA in his first nine.
The Reds currently hold the worst record in the National League despite three straight wins, including the first two games of their series against the Astros. Expect Houston to lay it all on the line in the final game of the series, especially considering they’ve lost 10 straight games.
Woody Williams will start for the Astros. His last start against Cincinnati was his only win of the season. The 40-year-old right-hander allowed two earned runs in 6 2/3 innings in a 3-2 Houston win.
Pick: Astros +117
St. Louis Cardinals at Colorado Rockies (-143, 9 ½)
Colorado had its seven game winning streak snapped on Thursday, mostly due to a dud performance from starter Jason Hirsh. Don’t expect the same result tonight with ace Aaron Cook on the mound (though an argument could be made for Jeff Francis). Cook went the distance in his last start, and has now won his last four decisions.
He’s backed by a Colorado team that’s averaging six runs per game over its last six games while playing the first three away from Coors Field. The Rockies' hot hitting should continue against reliever-turned-starter Brad Thompson. The 25-year-old has a 4.72 ERA in four starts this season.
Expect the Cardinals' struggles away from home to also continue – St. Louis is just 10-16 on the road this season and is being outscored by almost one and a half runs per game (3.81-5.27).
Pick: Rockies -143
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