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**StarDust Bum** · 05-16-2011, 05:33 PM

Pineiro tries to stay hot in Oakland

LOS ANGELES ANGELS (22-19)

at OAKLAND A’S (20-20)

First Pitch: Monday, 10:05 p.m. EDT
Line: Oakland -130, Los Angeles +120, Total: 6.5

Joel Pineiro will look to continue his hot start against an Athletics team in which he has dominated in the past.

After missing the first month of the season due to a sore shoulder, Pineiro (2-0, 1.33 ERA) has been fantastic by only letting up 15 hits and three runs in 20.1 innings. Pineiro should keep the great start going when he faces Oakland on Monday night. Last year against the A's, Pineiro went 1-0 with a 1.57 ERA and 0.87 WHIP in three starts and the Angels wound up winning all three outings. For the Angels to get Pineiro another win, they will have to improve on their timely hitting. Los Angeles dropped two of three over the weekend to the Rangers and went 3-for-31 with men in scoring position. The Angels need their leader Torii Hunter (.234 BA on the season, .179 BA in past eight games), to pick up his play in the middle of the lineup.

The Athletics will send Brett Anderson (2-3, 3.21 ERA) to the mound Monday. Anderson had a short outing on Tuesday against the Rangers when he gave up four runs, six hits, and four walks in only 4.2 innings. Anderson has not had success against the Angels in the past where he is 0-2 with a 4.68 ERA in four career starts, all Oakland losses. The A’s need Coco Crisp to be that spark at the top of the lineup. Crisp (.258 BA) is batting .167 in his past 10 games and only has a .285 on-base percentage this year.

The Angels are 22-19 on the year but a solid 13-9 on the road. Los Angeles has been good coming back from losses where they are 11-7. An eye-opening stat is that the Angels are 11-2 in Pineiro’s past 13 starts on grass. Meanwhile, Oakland is 20-20 on the year and only 9-10 in home games. The Athletics have had no success at night where they are 9-15, but have been very good after a loss (12-7). Oakland is also a terrible 11-17 against right-handed pitchers. With Pineiro’s history of success against Oakland, and Oakland’s struggles against right-handed pitching, I like Los Angeles to win this one as a slight underdog.

More FoxSheets trends leaning towards the Angels include:

Play On - All teams when the money line is +125 to -125 (L.A. ANGELS) - poor AL offensive team (<=4.5 runs/game) against a team with a very good bullpen (ERA<=3.33), with a decent bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 to 1.450 on the season. (58-34 over the last 5 seasons.) (63%, +25.9 units. Rating = 2*).

MIKE SCIOSCIA is 58-46 (55.8%, +22.2 Units) against the money line in road games vs. AL teams allowing 4.2 or less runs/game on the season as the manager of L.A. ANGELS. The average score was L.A. ANGELS 4.4, OPPONENT 4.2 - (Rating = 2*).

**StarDust Bum** · 05-16-2011, 05:34 PM

Red-hot Brewers start 2-game set at Dodger Stadium

MILWAUKEE BREWERS (19-21)

at LOS ANGELES DODGERS (19-22)

First Pitch: Monday, 10:10 p.m. EDT
Line: Milwaukee -125, Los Angeles +115, Total: 7

The Dodgers will try to wake their bats up when they host Milwaukee in the opener of a two-game series Monday night. L.A. has just one run in the past two games, and don’t figure to score a lot off Shaun Marcum (4-1, 2.72 ERA). The Dodgers counter Marcum with 6-foot-6 right-hander Jon Garland (1-2, 3.66 ERA).

The Brewers have had no such trouble hitting lately, as they travel to California for a four-game road trip with two contests each in L.A. and San Diego. During its recent six-game homestand, Milwaukee went 5-1 with 40 runs and a .312 team BA, getting at least eight hits in every game. But the Brew Crew have been terrible on the road this season, going a majors-worst 6-15 and batting .218 with a .339 slugging percentage. In the past nine road games, the Brewers are 1-8 with a .170 BA, 1.3 runs per game and 72 strikeouts.

Luckily for them, Marcum has dominated in his first season in the National League, holding opponents to a .226 average with 50 K and just 12 BB in 49.2 innings. He’s actually coming off an outing in which he allowed a season-high five runs and eight hits in six innings Tuesday versus San Diego. But he still struck out eight and walked none, giving him 30 K and 4 BB over his past four starts. Marcum has only faced L.A. twice in his career, both in 2007, when Marcum posted a 1.42 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 12.2 innings against the Dodgers.

L.A. has suffered its own hitting woes lately, especially at home. The Dodgers are 2-6 while batting .198 with just 1.8 runs per game and one total HR in the past eight games at Dodger Stadium. But L.A. should feel confident with Garland on the hill. He is 3-0 with a 2.15 ERA in six career appearances (four starts) against Milwaukee including 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA in two starts last year. Garland’s team is 4-0 against the Brewers in these four starts. This season, he has thrown quality starts in four straight appearances (2.57 ERA, 1.00 WHIP), but the Dodgers are 1-3 in these starts, scoring just six runs the past three times (all losses) Garland has taken the mound.

Despite Milwaukee’s road struggles, I think the Brewers will be able to push a few runs across against Garland, while Marcum shuts down the Dodgers. I like slight favorite Milwaukee to win Monday’s series opener, which is supported by this four-star trend from the FoxSheets:

Play On - Any team (MILWAUKEE) - off 3 straight wins vs. division rivals, in a game involving two marginal losing teams (46 to 49%). (42-13 since 1997.) (76.4%, +32.5 units. Rating = 4*).

**StarDust Bum** · 05-16-2011, 05:35 PM

Yankees try to snap 5-game losing streak facing Rays

NEW YORK YANKEES (20-18)

at TAMPA BAY RAYS (23-17)

First Pitch: Monday, 6:40 p.m. EDT
Line: Tampa Bay -135, New York +125, Total: 8

AL East rivals collide on Monday when the first place Tampa Bay Rays, host the second place Yankees, who are closer to last (1.5 games) than first (2 games) in the division. This is the first meeting between two teams that both reached the postseason in 2010, and have had opposite seasons so far in 2011.

After starting the season 17-9, the Yankees have fallen on hard times. New York was just swept at home by the Red Sox, to give them five straight losses and nine defeats in their past 12 games. A.J. Burnett (4-2, 3.38 ERA) will get the start for the Yankees. Burnett won his first three starts, but despite allowing 2 ER or less in four of his five starts since then, the Yankees are just 1-4 over that span. Burnett was erratic Wednesday, allowing a solo homer while walking five, hitting a batter and striking out six in seven innings of a 4-3, 11-inning loss to Kansas City. However, he has done very well in his career at Tropicana Field. He is 6-1 with a 1.55 ERA over his past eight starts in Tampa Bay, winning all four starts in a Yankees uniform. He has not allowed more than 2 ER in any of those eight starts.

While the Yankees got off to a great start and have struggled recently, the Rays have taken another path. After starting the season with six straight losses and just one win in their first nine games, the Rays have won 22 of 31 (.710) to go from five games out in last place to two games up in first place. David Price (5-3, 3.12 ERA) gets the start for the Rays and the left-hander has been outstanding after getting off to a rough start. After losing his first two starts and posting a 4.85 ERA, Price is 5-1 with a 2.62 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in his past six starts. He is 2-2 with a 2.89 ERA, striking out 30 in 28 innings over four starts at home, allowing no earned runs in both victories. He's 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA in eight games (seven starts) against the Yankees, going 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in three starts at Tropicana Field, with each resulting in Tampa Bay victories.

The Rays won 10 of 18 against the Yankees last season. Despite their 22-9 record recently, they have struggled at home all season, going 10-12. Tampa also enters Monday with a two-game losing streak, getting outscored 15-3 in those to defeats to Baltimore. However, with Price on the mound the Rays are tough, and I like them to add to the Yankees misery. I’m taking Tampa Bay, which is supported by these two highly-rated FoxSheets trends:

Play On - All favorites with a money line of -110 or higher (TAMPA BAY) - below average AL hitting team (AVG <=.265) against a team with a good bullpen (ERA <=3.75), with a starting pitcher whose strikes out 5 or more batters per start. (168-75 over the last 5 seasons.) (69.1%, +62.6 units. Rating = 3*).

Play Against - Road underdogs with a money line of +125 to +175 (N.Y. YANKEES) - average offensive team (4.7 to 5.2 runs/game) against a good starter (ERA<=4.20) (AL), starting a pitcher who gave up 1 or less earned runs last outing. (47-10 over the last 5 seasons.) (82.5%, +32.1 units. Rating = 3*).

**StarDust Bum** · 05-16-2011, 05:36 PM

Josh Johnson looks to shut down Mets Monday

FLORIDA MARLINS (23-16)

at NEW YORK METS (19-21)

First Pitch: Monday, 7:10 p.m. EDT
Line: Florida -150, New York +140, Total: 6.5

Florida travels to Citifield to take on the Mets in the first of a short two-game series against the Mets. After winning six of nine in Flushing in 2009, the Marlins lost five of nine road games against the Mets last season.

The Marlins will throw one of the most dominating pitchers in baseball Monday, when Josh Johnson (3-1, 1.63 ERA) takes the mound. Johnson leads the NL in WHIP (0.90), while leading the majors in ERA (1.63), opponent BA (.168) and slugging percentage (.237). He has had great success against the Mets in his career, going 8-1 with a 2.73 ERA. He has struggled a bit at Citifield, suffering his only loss against the Mets in the 2010 season opener, and going 1-1 with a 4.70 ERA in his four starts there. The Marlins are 11-7 on the road and are coming off taking two of three from Washington at Nationals Park. They lost on Sunday and have not suffered consecutive road losses since April 10-12 when they lost the final game of their series in Houston, and the first game of their series at Atlanta.

After losing 13 of their first 18 games, the Mets have recovered a bit, winning 14 of their past 22 (.636) and enter Monday having won three straight series. Mike Pelfrey (3-3, 5.74 ERA) gets the start for New York. The Mets needed Pelfrey to become their number one starter with the absence of Johan Santana until after the All-Star break, but he has not responded well. Pelfrey was ripped apart in his first four starts, going 0-2 with a 9.72 ERA and a 2.34 WHIP, and the Mets went 0-4 in those starts. Pelfrey has pitched better in his past four starts, going 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. He has been horrible in his career against Florida. Pelfrey made his major league debut against Florida, going five innings and allowing two ER in getting the win, but has been winless against them since. In his 12 starts since winning his debut against the Marlins, Pelfrey is 0-7 with a 5.78 ERA with a 1.64 WHIP.

Johnson loves facing the Mets and dominates their best hitters. Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and David Wright are a combined 15-for-80 (.188) against Johnson. There aren’t many sure things in sports, but Josh Johnson against the Mets is one of them. I’m taking Johnson and Florida in the easiest money I’m going to win until his next start against the Mets. This FoxSheets trend also supports picking the Marlins:

Play On - All favorites with a money line of -150 or more (FLORIDA) – below-average NL hitting team (AVG <=.255) against a team with a good bullpen (ERA <=3.75), with a starting pitcher whose gives up 5.5 or less hits/start. (88-28 since 1997.) (75.9%, +39 units. Rating = 2*).

**StarDust Bum** · 05-16-2011, 05:38 PM

MLB Odds: St Louis Cardinals host Phillies on ESPN

A couple of former Cleveland teammates square off on the mound to open a quick, 2-game set Monday night at Busch Stadium. The 4:10 p.m. (PT) battle features Cliff Lee for the visiting Phillies against Jake Westbrook for the St. Louis Cardinals and will be aired on ESPN.

Opening listings on the Don Best odds screen had the Phillies 130 chalk with 7½ for the scoreboard.

St. Louis (22-19, -1.9 units) enters off a 6-game roadie that started well in Chicago before ending in disaster at Cincinnati. The Reds swept three from the Cardinals to take over the lead in the NL Central standings, St. Louis now 1.5 games back.

Philadelphia (25-14, +5.5 units) begins the week at the top of the NL East with the best record in the National League. This series will complete an 8-game trip for the Phils who have split the first six in Florida and Atlanta along the way.

The last time Lee (4-4, 3.78) posted a win on his ledger was April 14, his third start of the season. He was a victim of run support during a 3-start stretch in which the Phils scored just one time, and is coming off a no-decision his last time out at Florida, a game Philadelphia eventually won 5-3 after Lee left in a 3-0 hole.

Philly is 2-2 when Lee pitches on the road this season, the lefty sporting a rather bloated 4.62 ERA away from Citizens Bank Park. This will be just his third career start vs. the Cardinals, second at this version of Busch Stadium. His previous two assignments against St. Louis resulted in wins for the Indians.

Westbrook (4-4, 6.92) has just three quality starts in his eight mound assignments and has struggled with command in all but one outing. The Cardinals are 2-2 in Westbrook's starts at home where the right-hander has an 8.24 ERA.

He's coming off a beating at Wrigley Field this past Wednesday. The Cubs chased Westbrook with a 6-run third inning, five of the runs charged to his linescore, and hung an 11-4 beating as 120 underdogs.

Westbrook's lone experience against the Phillies came last season before he was dealt from Cleveland to St. Louis, the start coming in Philadelphia. He worked five innings and allowed four runs, not figuring into the decision that went Philly's way, 7-6.

This is the first meeting of the season between the Cards and Phils after the clubs split their eight matchups in 2010. Each team went 3-1 on its home diamond with the game totals 1-1 with a pair of 'pushes' in the four games at Busch.

Philadelphia is slowly but surely getting healthier. The Phillies saw catcher Carlos Ruiz return to action over the weekend after a 15-day stint on the disabled list due to a back injury. Roy Oswalt, also out with back woes, is scheduled to come off the DL on Tuesday to start the series finale against Cardinals lefty Jaime Garcia. That should be the second-straight home game as the 'dog for St. Louis after entering this series the favorite in all but one of their home games. The Cards won that matchup with Westbrook on the hill.

St. Louis continues to be without half of its Opening Day infield. Second baseman Skip Schumaker (right arm) is close to returning for the Redbirds, possibly in the next 7-10 days. Third baseman David Freese (broken left hand) is still 6-8 weeks away from getting back in the lineup.

The weather looks fine for Monday's meeting, though a bit on the cool and breezy side. Forecasters are calling for clear skies, a game-time temp in the upper-50s and a north wind 10-15 mph (in from left).

**StarDust Bum** · 05-16-2011, 05:40 PM

MLB Betting: Boston Red Sox host nemesis Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles look to continue their recent hex over the Boston Red Sox when they start a short two-game series on Monday night.

Opening pitch from Boston’s famed Fenway Park will be 4:10 p.m. (PT). Baltimore will send Chris Tillman (2-3, 6.15 ERA) to the hill to face Daisuke Matsuzaka (3-3, 4.64 ERA).

Baltimore has been a thorn in Boston’s side recently. They split 18 games last season despite Boston winning 23 more games overall (89-66). The Orioles also won two of three at Camden Yards in the only meeting this year in late April.

Baltimore (18-20) finds itself at the bottom of the AL East, but just 4.5 games behind first place Tampa Bay. Hitting has been a problem at 3.87 runs per game, 12th in the AL. Veteran additions Mark Reynolds, Vladimir Guerrero and Derrek Lee have underachieved as have holdovers Nick Markakis and Brian Roberts.

The pitching ranks 13th in the AL (4.38 ERA), but has shown promise. The starters shined early as Baltimore began the year 6-1. The rotation has also been lights-out the last five games (combined 1.42 ERA), with the O’s winning four. That doesn’t include Sunday’s series rubber match at Tampa, with the result still pending.

Tillman had one of those great recent starts. He allowed just one run and three hits over six innings at home against Seattle last Wednesday (4-2 win). He out-dueled one of baseball’s best pitchers in Felix Hernandez.

The 23-year-old right-hander is in his third MLB season, never making more than 12 starts in a year or posting an ERA lower than 5.40. His road ERA this year (8.27 ERA) is much worse than home (4.15), which is worrisome for Monday night.

Tillman hasn’t seen the Red Sox this season. His only career start against them was a disaster, four earned runs over 1 1/3 innings in an 11-0 home loss last June.

Boston (19-20) is returning home after a five-game road trip. The first two losses in Toronto were followed by two big wins at Yankee Stadium. The Sunday night game versus the Bronx Bombers is still pending.

Manager Terry Francona jury-rigged the weekend rotation so top pitchers Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester would all see action. Fortunately, John Lackey (MLB-worst 8.01 ERA for starters) wasn’t scheduled to pitch.

Matsuzaka could have pitched Saturday in what would have been his regular turn. Instead, he was pushed back to avoid the hostile New York environment.

The 30-year-old right-hander last pitched Sunday at home against Minnesota. He allowed four earned runs over six innings in a 9-5 win. That was his first start since April 29 after leaving with elbow soreness.

Matsuzaka’s 4.64 ERA is skewed by a terrible outing (seven runs over two innings) versus Tampa Bay on April 11. His ERA is 2.90 outside that contest.

The Japan native last faced Baltimore in September, surrendering four earned runs in 6 1/3 innings in a 4-2 loss. He’s 4-3 with just a 5.73 ERA in nine lifetime starts against the Orioles, but Boston is 5-2 in his last seven starts against them.

Boston is 11-9 at home this year, with the ‘over’ going 10-8-2. The ‘over’ is 4-1-1 in Matsuzaka’s six starts overall.

Baltimore is 8-9 away with the ‘under’ 9-8 in those games. The ‘under’ is 4-0 in its last four games overall.

Weather will be in the 50s with spotty showers. The rain is expected to continue for several days which could also dampen Tuesday’s contest of Lackey versus impressive rookie lefty Zach Britton.

**StarDust Bum** · 05-16-2011, 05:42 PM

Monday Tips

May 16, 2011

The only major sport to bet on Monday night is Major League Baseball with the NBA and NHL playoffs taking the night off. With interleague play starting this weekend, teams are cramming games in early in the week with a full card on Monday. The Rockies look for revenge against the Giants after getting swept in San Francisco last weekend, while the Cardinals attempt to end their losing skid against the Phillies. We'll start at Tropicana Field with the first meeting this season between the last two AL East champions.

Yankees at Rays - 6:40 PM EST

All of the sudden, the Bronx Bombers are falling apart at the seams by dropping five consecutive games as they head to their Spring Training home of Tampa. Technically, it's across the bridge in St. Petersburg, but the Yankees square off with the Rays for the first time in 2011. Joe Girardi's club was swept by the arch-rival Red Sox over the weekend, while the Rays dropped the final two games to the Orioles at the Trop.

It doesn't get easier for the Yanks, who face Rays' ace David Price (5-3, 3.12 ERA) in the series opener. Following two shaky outings against the Blue Jays and Angels, Price rebounded by striking out 17 and allowing two earned runs in wins over the Indians and Jays. Tampa Bay is 5-1 in Price's last six outings since an 0-2 start, while hitting the 'over in three of his last four trips to the mound. The southpaw has seen plenty of success against the Bombers in his short career as the Rays own a 5-2 record in his seven starts since 2009.

A.J. Burnett (4-2, 3.38 ERA) has been burning money recently with the Yankees losing four of his previous five starts, including a pair of defeats as $1.90 favorites or higher. It's not all Burnett's fault, as the righty is coming off consecutive quality starts against the Tigers and Royals, both New York losses. After beating the Rays in his first start last season, the Yankees dropped Burnett's final three outings against Tampa Bay, all as a home favorite.

Tampa Bay won 10 of the 18 meetings last season, while 13 of the games finished 'over' the total. The Rays claimed five of the nine matchups in St. Pete, as Price came out on the winning end of two home victories.

Phillies at Cardinals - 7:05 PM EST

St. Louis took a step backwards after getting swept at Cincinnati as the Reds regained the lead in the NL Central. The Cards begin a brief four-game homestand prior to interleague play as the Phillies come to town for two. Philadelphia was tripped up on Sunday in Atlanta, but the Phillies still own the best record in the NL at 25-14.

Cliff Lee (2-3, 3.78 ERA) tries to turn around his road ERA of 4.62, while going for his first victory since April 14 at Washington. The former Cy Young Award winner was the victim of poor run support in three straight decisions (all Phillies' losses) prior to a late rally by Philadelphia at Florida in his last start. Lee struck out 37 batters and walked only three in his last four trips to the mound as the southpaw has seen the 'under' cash in five of the previous six starts. The last time Lee faced the Cardinals was 2009 at Progressive Field as a member of the Indians as the ace tossed a complete game, three-hitter in a 3-0 shutout.

The Cardinals counter with Lee's former teammate in Cleveland, Jake Westbrook (2-3, 6.92 ERA) to end St. Louis' four-game skid. Westbrook turned in three starts in which he's allowed five earned runs or more this season, but the right-hander has beaten the Braves, Reds, and Marlins over the last month. In his only career start against the Phillies, Westbrook allowed four earned runs in five innings of a 7-6 setback last June at Citizens Bank Park.

The two teams split eight matchups last season as the home team won three of four meetings. In three of the Cardinals' victories at Busch Stadium, the Phillies' starters included Joe Blanton, Jamie Moyer, and Kyle Kendrick. In the lone Philadelphia win, Cole Hamels took the mound in an extra-innings triumph as $1.50 road underdogs.

Giants at Rockies - 8:40 PM EST

Thanks to a rain-out in Chicago on Sunday, the Giants get the luxury of pushing Tim Lincecum to the series opener against the division rival Rockies. San Francisco split a pair of games at Wrigley Field, while beating the Cubs in a rain-shortened six-inning game on Saturday night. Colorado slipped up in the final two games against light-hitting San Diego, dropping two of three to the Padres.

Lincecum (3-3, 2.11 ERA) is finding his groove after getting racked by the Braves in late April as "The Freak" has not allowed a run in his last two starts, a pair of victories over the Mets and Diamondbacks. The diminutive ace hasn't received great run support lately with the Giants plating just five runs in his last four starts (3-1 to the 'under). Lincecum shut down the Rockies at Coors Field on April 18 by an 8-1 count as he scattered three hits and one earned run in 7.2 innings.

The Rockies look to pull off the home 'dog victory behind Clayton Mortensen (0-0, 0.55 ERA), who makes his second start of the season. Coincidentally, Mortensen's first start came against the Giants in a 3-2 loss at AT&T Park on May 7. The right-hander held his own by going six innings and allowing two runs (one earned) as he earned a no-decision.

Colorado has lost eight of 10 overall, while dropping five of six meetings to San Francisco this season. All three matchups at Coors Field finished 'over' the total, as the Giants are 4-2 the last six meetings in Denver.

**StarDust Bum** · 05-16-2011, 05:45 PM

Diamond Trends - Monday

May 16, 2011

SU TREND OF THE DAY:

The Indians are 0-9 since June 06, 2010 on the road when they won by one run in their starter’s last start for a net profit of $900 when playing against.

OU TREND OF THE DAY:

The Mets are 9-0 OU since May 05, 2010 as a dog when they are off a win in which they came back from a deficit for a net profit of $900 when playing the over.

STARTER TREND OF THE DAY:

The Rays are 10-0 since May 12, 2010 when David Price starts after a quality start on the road for a net profit of $1060.

MLB BIBLE TREND OF THE DAY:

The Astros are 8-0 (+2.9 rpg) since October 2009 as a road dog of more than 150 when they lost the last two games their starter started.

TODAY’S TRENDS:

The Rangers are 7-0 since May 02, 2010 as a road dog after a win in which they allowed 5+ walks for a net profit of $775.

The Cubs are 6-0 since August 10, 2010 on the road after a loss in which their opponent left 18+ men on base for a net profit of $865.

The Cardinals are 7-0 since April 12, 2010 at home vs a team that has lost at least their last two games and it is the first game of a series for a net profit of $700.

**StarDust Bum** · 05-16-2011, 05:47 PM

MLB Betting Notes

May 16, 2011

Reds-Cards, Best Rivalry in Baseball
After losing two out of three games at St. Louis last month, the Reds came storming back with a three-game sweep of the Cardinals over the weekend to take a 1.5 game lead in the NL Central. The Reds were favored in the first two and then bet to the favorite on Sunday, where Chris Carpenter took the mound.

Carpenter was once a work horse and model of consistency in baseball, but the bettors were spot-on in looking to go against him as he gave up eight runs in 6.1 innings of work. This continues a long line of mediocrity on the season for Carpenter who didn’t get his first win of the season until his eighth start. In his last four starts, Carpenter has now given up 21 runs in 26 innings which will cause him to be the underdog in quite a few games for the next month.

We’re so used to seeing him be reliable that’s its hard to pass on the good prices set on him, but it may be best to wait until seeing a good one. Even against the likes of Jeff Francis (0-5) at Kansas City Friday, who has been one of the best bet againsts all year, Carpenter is a tough sell.

As far as the rivalry between the Reds and Cardinals, it’s got to be one of the best going in baseball right now. There is a real hatred between the two teams that stems over from last season where the Reds won the division with Brandon Phillips and Yadier Molina inciting a brawl and it has carried over to this year. In the ninth inning of Sunday’s game, reliever Francisco Cordero plunked Albert Pujols as somewhat of a statement and exclamation point to the weekend.

The two teams don’t meet again until July 4th in St. Louis, but you could lay a light price of -300 that the Reds best hitter, Joey Votto, gets the retroactive retaliation in the first inning of that game to set off some early Independence Day fireworks.

Teams on the Rise
Take a strong look over the next few weeks at both the Mets and White Sox. Both teams have underachieved all year, but each showed signs of life last week, finally becoming the teams we thought they might be. The main cause for the White Sox turnaround has been their bullpen. Despite all their early season woes, the starting pitching hasn’t been too bad and should continue to perform well.

For the Mets, they have got steady pitching, outside of R.A. Dickey, and the bats have come to life. This week the Mets face Florida, Washington and then visit Yankee Stadium. The White Sox play all seven games this week at home with two each against the Rangers and Indians before welcoming the Dodgers. A 5-2 record for the week from both of them wouldn't be a stretch.

Bullpens
The worst bullpen in baseball is the Astros which should help explain why they have the worst record in the NL. They’ve had 15 save opportunities and blown 10 of them for an MLB save percentage low of 33%. The shocking part is that the next three worst teams all have winning records. The Cardinals have blown nine chances, and are still searching for the right closer, while the Angels and Braves are tied with eight blown saves.

The bad beat of the year came on a blown save by the Angels last Wednesday when the Angels had a 4-1 lead over the White Sox in the eighth inning when Fernando Rodney, Jordan Walden and Kevin Jepsen combined to blow the save and lose the game 6-4 in the 10th inning. Jepsen’s wild pitch on an intentional walk attempt that allowed the winning run to score was a new way to blow a save. The play was so unique that it topped ESPN’s list of bad plays of the week.

Until these teams find a closer who can finish a game off, they should remain teams to bet against rather than betting for.

AL vs. NL Play
With Interleague play starting this weekend, it’s important to note that the American League has had quite the advantage over the years since it’s 1997 debut. The AL holds a 1,806-1,652 record overall through 2010, but that doesn’t even tell the tale of the whole story of how good the AL has been. In the last six seasons the AL has gone 847-664 against the NL with an all-time best of 154-98 in 2006.

The really is no definitive reason for the dominance except that AL perhaps has an edge at home when the DH is used because they have defined players for that role. Not surprisingly, the New York Yankees have the best all-time interleague record (144-102), nor is it a shock that the Pirates have the worst record (73-123). What may make some take a second look is how Florida has the best NL record at 127-107.

The top two teams last season in interleague play were the White Sox (15-2) and Rangers (14-4). The Sox did it with pitching (2.76 ERA) while the Rangers did it with their bats, most notably Josh Hamilton who hit .472 in the games. Each of those teams reeled off 11-game winning streaks during the games.

Although the Mets-Yankees Subway series will receive the most attention, the battle of Ohio will have it’s first meaningful games as both the Reds and Indians are in first-place. The Rangers visit Philadelphia with a great pitching matchup between C.J. Wilson and Roy Halladay on Friday night. As always, the other geographical matchups always are fun to watch whether it’s the Bay Area smack down, the fight for Florida or the I-70 showdown in Missouri.

Initially, I was against interleague play because of Bud Selig’s motivation for doing it. Coming off the strike year and trying to win fans back, I was like, “How dare he have the nerve to change the one sacred game in America in an attempt to make us forget his error in losing a World Series.“ It’s the same kind of “don’t ask, don’t tell” Selig that had him turn the other way as McGwire and Sosa were hitting all those home runs.

Anyway, I’ve grown to like seeing all these teams play each other. It really doesn’t matter what teams they are either. It could be a non-historical matchup between the Pirates and Mariners and I’ll still find it interesting. The only thing I would change is to allow the DH be used only in the NL parks. This would give fans in every city a chance to see their team play under the visiting teams rules.

**StarDust Bum** · 05-16-2011, 06:08 PM

Monday, May 16

Game Score Status Pick Amount

NY Yankees - 6:40 PM ET NY Yankees +132 500
Tampa Bay - Over 8 500

Toronto - 7:05 PM ET Toronto +141 500
Detroit - Over 8 500

Philadelphia - 7:05 PM ET St. Louis +135 500
St. Louis - Over 7.5 500

Pittsburgh - 7:05 PM ET Washington -108 500
Washington - Over 8 500

Baltimore - 7:10 PM ET Baltimore +156 500
Boston - Over 9.5 500

Houston - 7:10 PM ET Houston +198 500
Atlanta - Over 7 500

Florida - 7:10 PM ET Florida -153 500
NY Mets - Under 6.5 500

Chi. Cubs - 7:10 PM ET Chi. Cubs +146 500
Cincinnati - Under 8 500

Texas - 8:10 PM ET Texas +117 500
Chi. White Sox - Under 8.5 500

Cleveland - 8:10 PM ET Kansas City +102 500
Kansas City - Under 8.5 500

San Francisco - 8:40 PM ET San Francisco -145 500
Colorado - Under 8 500

San Diego - 9:40 PM ET San Diego +111 500
Arizona - Under 9.5 500

LA Angels - 10:05 PM ET LA Angels +136 500
Oakland - Under 6.5 500

Minnesota - 10:10 PM ET Seattle -154 500
Seattle - Over 6.5 500

Milwaukee - 10:10 PM ET Milwaukee -127 500
LA Dodgers - Under 7 500

**Udog** · 05-16-2011, 08:52 PM

This looks like a money maker to me! Good luck, Bum!

I wish I'd looked your card over before I took Angels/A's over!

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