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Monday's MLB betting news and notes
Felony for Furcal
Call the cops. Rafael Furcal is on a crime spree.
The Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop stole eight bases in the four games before Sunday, including four against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday.
“The team was put together with the idea of Raffy and Juan Pierre at the top," general manager Ned Colletti told the Los Angeles Times. "They're going to steal bases and go from first to third, and keep the defense alert, and keep the pitcher and catcher thinking about things besides the guy swinging at the plate."
Furcal has 25 stolen bases on the season even though he’s missing the breakneck speed that led him to 83 nabbed bags over the past two years. A sprained ankle suffered in spring training has hampered Furcal the entire year but some recent time off has helped his bum wheel heal.
Dempster headed for the dumpster?
Chicago Cubs fans are calling for Ryan Dempster’s head despite the fact he picked up the save during Saturday’s 3-2 win over St. Louis. Numerous columns in Windy City papers are pointing fingers at the closer’s unreliability.
Dempster surrendered two home runs in the ninth inning of Friday’s 5-3 win and was pulled by a less-than-impressed Lou Piniella. The right-handed reliever says his troubles begin when he worries about walking batters, which causes him to hang a lot of pitches over the plate.
He has a 3.72 ERA over 29 save situations, allowing 12 earned runs in 29 innings. On the other hand, Dempster posts a 4.70 ERA in non-save opportunities, giving up 16 earned runs over more than 30 innings of late inning work. In September, Dempster is 0-2 with an ERA over 10.00 in eight appearances.
Cooper handing out tardy slips
It’s hard to stay motivated when you’ve been out of the playoff hunt since June, especially when you’re the Houston Astros and sit in last place in baseball’s worst division.
It seems some Astros players are slacking down the home stretch. They arrived late to batting practice this weekend, much to the chagrin of interim manager Cecil Cooper.
Cooper held a player meeting on Saturday to let his guys know that despite the team’s 12 ½ game deficit in the standings, he isn’t letting up. He told reporters he’d go as far as benching players in the team’s final 14 games.
"Not just kids, but the veterans," Cooper told the Houston Chronicle. "It's that simple. If they don't like it, that's the way it is."
Love them just the way they are
Most clubs use the final two weeks as a way to gauge next year’s team, play top prospects and fiddle with the lineup. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays aren't like most clubs and will keep everything the same.
Manager Joe Maddon rested his regulars during this weekend’s series with the Seattle Mariners but will stick with the usual suspects in the D-Rays' upcoming four series, which begin Monday in Los Angeles.
“Pretty much," Maddon told the Tampa Tribune. "I want them to play through this series, through the Angels, and then we'll have the day off and then we have the New York and Boston group. When we get to Toronto we might switch it up a bit."
Tampa Bay began September winning six of its first nine games, but suffered a four-game skid before Saturday’s 6-2 win over Seattle.
Monday's MLB betting news and notes
Felony for Furcal
Call the cops. Rafael Furcal is on a crime spree.
The Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop stole eight bases in the four games before Sunday, including four against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday.
“The team was put together with the idea of Raffy and Juan Pierre at the top," general manager Ned Colletti told the Los Angeles Times. "They're going to steal bases and go from first to third, and keep the defense alert, and keep the pitcher and catcher thinking about things besides the guy swinging at the plate."
Furcal has 25 stolen bases on the season even though he’s missing the breakneck speed that led him to 83 nabbed bags over the past two years. A sprained ankle suffered in spring training has hampered Furcal the entire year but some recent time off has helped his bum wheel heal.
Dempster headed for the dumpster?
Chicago Cubs fans are calling for Ryan Dempster’s head despite the fact he picked up the save during Saturday’s 3-2 win over St. Louis. Numerous columns in Windy City papers are pointing fingers at the closer’s unreliability.
Dempster surrendered two home runs in the ninth inning of Friday’s 5-3 win and was pulled by a less-than-impressed Lou Piniella. The right-handed reliever says his troubles begin when he worries about walking batters, which causes him to hang a lot of pitches over the plate.
He has a 3.72 ERA over 29 save situations, allowing 12 earned runs in 29 innings. On the other hand, Dempster posts a 4.70 ERA in non-save opportunities, giving up 16 earned runs over more than 30 innings of late inning work. In September, Dempster is 0-2 with an ERA over 10.00 in eight appearances.
Cooper handing out tardy slips
It’s hard to stay motivated when you’ve been out of the playoff hunt since June, especially when you’re the Houston Astros and sit in last place in baseball’s worst division.
It seems some Astros players are slacking down the home stretch. They arrived late to batting practice this weekend, much to the chagrin of interim manager Cecil Cooper.
Cooper held a player meeting on Saturday to let his guys know that despite the team’s 12 ½ game deficit in the standings, he isn’t letting up. He told reporters he’d go as far as benching players in the team’s final 14 games.
"Not just kids, but the veterans," Cooper told the Houston Chronicle. "It's that simple. If they don't like it, that's the way it is."
Love them just the way they are
Most clubs use the final two weeks as a way to gauge next year’s team, play top prospects and fiddle with the lineup. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays aren't like most clubs and will keep everything the same.
Manager Joe Maddon rested his regulars during this weekend’s series with the Seattle Mariners but will stick with the usual suspects in the D-Rays' upcoming four series, which begin Monday in Los Angeles.
“Pretty much," Maddon told the Tampa Tribune. "I want them to play through this series, through the Angels, and then we'll have the day off and then we have the New York and Boston group. When we get to Toronto we might switch it up a bit."
Tampa Bay began September winning six of its first nine games, but suffered a four-game skid before Saturday’s 6-2 win over Seattle.
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