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Monday, June 25
Oakland Athletics at Cleveland Indians (-133, 9 ½)
The A’s were swept in a series (of three or more games) for the first time since June of last year over the weekend. The New York Mets outscored the Athletics 20-3 and it doesn’t get any easier today against the Indians.
“We didn’t play very well and obviously we didn’t score many runs,” A’s center fielder Mark Kotsay told the San Francisco Chronicle. “We just swung the bats (poorly) for three days. For three days, our game plan just wasn’t right and we paid the price. Now we’ll move on, go to Cleveland and do better.”
The Indians are an elite American League team but they’re not playing like one at the moment. The Washington Nationals took two of three from the Indians, leaving some people wondering what happened.
“Sometimes you just stink,” third baseman Casey Blake told the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Pick: Athletics +123
Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins (+130, 8 ½)
Dustin McGowan was three outs away from the Jays first no-hitter since Dave Steib accomplished the feat 17 years ago. Colorado Rockies infielder Jeff Baker smacked a single up the gut in the top of the ninth ending the no-hit bid.
“It’s disappointing but you have to give (Baker) credit, he put a good swing on the ball,” McGowan told the Toronto Sun. “I was trying to keep my composure and not try to overthrow the ball. Just do what I was doing the whole game.”
The 25-year-old righty did get the complete game shutout and the Jays finished off a three-game sweep in style. Toronto’s bullpen should have another light day today with staff ace Roy Halladay taking the mound. Halladay has pitched seven or more innings in nine of his 13 starts this season.
Justin Morneau spent his third straight night in a hospital while recovering from a bruised right lung. The Twins first baseman was injured when he collided with Florida Marlins catcher Miguel Olivo on Friday. Minnesota management has not yet set a timetable for Morneau's return.
Pick: Jays –140
Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks (+120, 8 ½)
The Diamondbacks now own the National League’s best record at 44-32.
“We’ll enjoy it today,” manager Bob Melvin told the East Valley Tribune. “We feel good about where we are. We know there is a lot of baseball left.”
Meanwhile the Dodgers, who led the NL West for 44 of 45 days before the start of June, lost two of three at the hands of the lowly Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
“We’ll put this behind us and move on,” Dodgers left fielder Luis Gonzalez told the Los Angeles Times. “We know we’ve got a big four-game set there and … we’ve got our ace going tomorrow, so the confidence level will be there for our ballclub.”
Brad Penny, who starts today, may be the National League’s best pitcher. The big right-hander is 9-1 with a 2.12 ERA and the Dodgers have won in 13 of his 15 starts.
Expect to see Nomar Gariaparra back in the lineup today. The Dodgers first baseman sat out the series against the Devil Rays because of the flu but says he feels much better.
Pick: Dodgers –130
Hot Lines
Monday, June 25
Oakland Athletics at Cleveland Indians (-133, 9 ½)
The A’s were swept in a series (of three or more games) for the first time since June of last year over the weekend. The New York Mets outscored the Athletics 20-3 and it doesn’t get any easier today against the Indians.
“We didn’t play very well and obviously we didn’t score many runs,” A’s center fielder Mark Kotsay told the San Francisco Chronicle. “We just swung the bats (poorly) for three days. For three days, our game plan just wasn’t right and we paid the price. Now we’ll move on, go to Cleveland and do better.”
The Indians are an elite American League team but they’re not playing like one at the moment. The Washington Nationals took two of three from the Indians, leaving some people wondering what happened.
“Sometimes you just stink,” third baseman Casey Blake told the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Pick: Athletics +123
Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins (+130, 8 ½)
Dustin McGowan was three outs away from the Jays first no-hitter since Dave Steib accomplished the feat 17 years ago. Colorado Rockies infielder Jeff Baker smacked a single up the gut in the top of the ninth ending the no-hit bid.
“It’s disappointing but you have to give (Baker) credit, he put a good swing on the ball,” McGowan told the Toronto Sun. “I was trying to keep my composure and not try to overthrow the ball. Just do what I was doing the whole game.”
The 25-year-old righty did get the complete game shutout and the Jays finished off a three-game sweep in style. Toronto’s bullpen should have another light day today with staff ace Roy Halladay taking the mound. Halladay has pitched seven or more innings in nine of his 13 starts this season.
Justin Morneau spent his third straight night in a hospital while recovering from a bruised right lung. The Twins first baseman was injured when he collided with Florida Marlins catcher Miguel Olivo on Friday. Minnesota management has not yet set a timetable for Morneau's return.
Pick: Jays –140
Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks (+120, 8 ½)
The Diamondbacks now own the National League’s best record at 44-32.
“We’ll enjoy it today,” manager Bob Melvin told the East Valley Tribune. “We feel good about where we are. We know there is a lot of baseball left.”
Meanwhile the Dodgers, who led the NL West for 44 of 45 days before the start of June, lost two of three at the hands of the lowly Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
“We’ll put this behind us and move on,” Dodgers left fielder Luis Gonzalez told the Los Angeles Times. “We know we’ve got a big four-game set there and … we’ve got our ace going tomorrow, so the confidence level will be there for our ballclub.”
Brad Penny, who starts today, may be the National League’s best pitcher. The big right-hander is 9-1 with a 2.12 ERA and the Dodgers have won in 13 of his 15 starts.
Expect to see Nomar Gariaparra back in the lineup today. The Dodgers first baseman sat out the series against the Devil Rays because of the flu but says he feels much better.
Pick: Dodgers –130
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