The Bum's Tuesday's MLB Best Bets !

[StarDust Bum]

White Sox Face Verlander, Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers will try to stay hot and inch closer to officially clinching the AL Central Tuesday night in Chicago when they face the White Sox in the second game of their three-game series.

AL Cy Young contender Justin Verlander and Gavin Floyd take the mound at 8:10 p.m. (ET) at U.S. Cellular Field.

Fueled by nine straight wins (+9.10 units) including series sweeps of division rivals Chicago, Cleveland and Minnesota, Detroit entered Monday's series opener with a commanding 10.5-game lead in the AL Central. With just two and a half weeks left in the regular season, it would take a major collapse for the Tigers to miss the playoffs at this point.

Detroit (84-62) is winning in a variety of ways, getting timely offense and strong starting pitching down the stretch. The Tigers are 19-4 (+14.90 units) over their last 23 games.

No one has had more to do with Detroit’s success this season than Verlander (22-5, 2.44 ERA), who has been nothing short of dominant all season and has won 10 straight starts (+10.00 units). The Tigers have been a great betting option with Verlander on the mound this year, and are 19-2 (+15.85 units) in his last 21 starts.

The dominant righty has pitched more often against the White Sox this season than any other opponent. In five starts against Chicago, Verlander is 4-1 with a 3.47 ERA.

Chicago (73-72) is 5-3 (+0.95 units) over their last eight games. Chicago had a chance to close some ground in the AL Central in a series against Detroit earlier this month, but a Tigers sweep left the White Sox on the outside looking in.

Floyd (12-10, 4.35 ERA) has been quite strong for Chicago over the second half of the season. In his 10 starts since the All-Star break, Floyd is 6-1 with a 3.92 ERA, and the White Sox are 8-2 (+6.90 units).

He was on the mound the last time Verlander lost, outdueling him on July 15 as a +185 underdog. In 16 career starts against the Tigers, Floyd is 6-1 with a 3.51 ERA.

Through 15 games heading into Monday, Detroit held a 10-5 advantage in the season series over Chicago. Offense has prevailed in ‘total’ betting as the ‘over’ is 9-5-1.

Chicago has been a bad home team at 33-39 (-17.60 units), while Detroit has been profitable on the road at 39-33 (+8.10 units).

Carlos Quentin (shoulder) is still on the disabled list for Chicago, and Detroit’s Brennan Boesch (thumb) is out for the season.

Clear skies are expected Tuesday night with just a light breeze. Brad Penny and Dylan Axelrod will pitch in the series finale on Wednesday afternoon.

[StarDust Bum]

Zack Greinke Leads Brewers Against Colorado Rockies

The Milwaukee Brewers currently own a six-game lead in the National League Central Division over the St. Louis Cardinals, who just cannot seem to figure out a way to catch the Brewers and their impeccable home record (51-22).

The Colorado Rockies currently sit in fourth place in the NL West, a full 15 ½-games behind division-leading Arizona. The Rockies big issue this season has been on the road where they are 31-41.

Game 1 of the series between the Rockies and Brewers will take place Tuesday night at 8:10 p.m. (ET) from Miller Park in Milwaukee. This series begins with the Brewers laying -220 on the money line and the run total opening up at eight.

Milwaukee just finished a tough stretch when they met the Cardinals on the road for three followed by four games at home versus the Philadelphia Phillies. The Brewers ended up going 2-5 in those seven games versus their main National League competition and now need to get back on track when they face the lowly Rockies.

Starting for Colorado on Tuesday will be one of their young pitchers Esmil Rogers (6-5, 6.26), who has not allowed less than four earned runs in any of his last five starts.

Pitching for the Brewers will be one of the two aces on their staff, Zack Greinke (14-6, 3.93), who has pitched at least six innings in every one of his starts dating back to July 3. The right-hander has only allowed four home runs in his last nine starts, a span of 61 1/3 innings.

Greinke is 2-1 in his last three starts for Milwaukee with an ERA of 2.18 during that span, while Rogers is 0-3 with an ERA above seven.

The Rockies currently list eight different players on their injury report for this contest against Milwaukee. Two of the eight players include superstars Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki. Gonzalez is listed as probable with lower back stiffness, while Tulowitzki is doubtful because of soreness in his hip due to bursitis.

Colorado has had recent trouble finding victories against the Brewers in Miller Park going 0-5 in their last five meetings there. The Rockies are also 3-13 in their last 16 road games versus a team with a winning record.

The Brewers on the other hand have had all of the momentum on their side behind Greinke's recent home dominance. This includes a 12-0 record in his home starts this year (2.96 ERA) and a 6-0 mark in his last six starts on five days rest.

Tuesday's weather forecast has partly cloudy skies and a mildly chilly night for baseball with a temperature of around 55 degrees and only a small chance of rain.

[StarDust Bum]

Diamond Trends - Tuesday

September 13, 2011


SU TREND OF THE DAY:


The Marlins are 10-0 since April 08, 2010 after an extra inning win if they are not a -150+ favorite for a net profit of $1175.


OU TREND OF THE DAY:


The Indians are 0-14 OU since June 05, 2010 after a win in which they allowed 5+ walks, if they are not a -125+ favorite for a net profit of $1390 when playing the under.


STARTER TREND OF THE DAY:


The Astros are 0-12 since August 10, 2010 when J.A. Happ starts after his team won the last time he started vs this opponent for a net profit of $1245 when playing against.


MLB BIBLE TREND OF THE DAY:


The Braves are 18-4 (+5.4 rpg) since 2010 at home when they are off a loss in which they had at least three times as many hits as runs. 7-4 this season.


TODAY’S TRENDS:


The Dodgers are 0-9-2 OU since August 15, 2006 when Chad Billingsley starts at home after more walks than strike outs for a net profit of $900 when playing the under.

The Astros are 0-6 since September 10, 2010 when J.A. Happ starts after August for a net profit of $645 when playing against.

[StarDust Bum]

Playoff Push

September 13, 2011

The baseball season is winding down with only two weeks remaining before the playoffs begin. Five of the eight postseason spots are basically spoken for (Yankees, Tigers, Phillies, Brewers, and Diamondbacks), while three slots are still available. The Red Sox are falling apart at the wrong time with the rival Rays sneaking up, while the Angels are within arms' length of the Rangers in the AL West. We'll take a look at the three races down the stretch and who has the best chance to advance to October.

AL Wild Card

The Red Sox open up Tuesday's action with a three-game lead over the Rays with 16 games remaining for each team. Boston has stumbled to a 2-9 mark the last 11 games to fall out of first place in the AL East, while Tampa Bay is rolling with eight wins in the previous nine contests. Pitching has dictated matters for the Red Sox during this skid as Boston's pitching staff has allowed six runs or more in eight of the last 10 games, resulting in seven 'overs.'

The Rays wrapped up their last homestand in impressive fashion by taking five of six from the Rangers and Red Sox, while plating five runs or more in each of those victories. Since August 2, Joe Maddon's club owns a 26-12 record, while the Sox are 19-20 in this span, as the Rays have shaved seven games off the deficit.

The scheduling advantage in the final two weeks goes to the Red Sox, who face the Orioles seven times, while the Rays draw the Yankees seven times in this stretch. Tampa Bay heads back to Fenway Park on Thursday for a four-game series, as the Rays are 5-1 in the last six meetings with the Red Sox.

AL West

The Rangers were rolling along to another division title, but the Angels weren't ready to give up on the season. Los Angeles has gained four games on Texas since a walk-off win over the Rangers on August 18, while winning 15 of its last 23 (Texas is 11-12 in same stretch). The key for the Halos is a 13-3 mark at home during this span, as the Angels left the West Coast for just one series since August 15.

Texas has won consecutive games only twice in the last three weeks, but the Rangers may be alright when it's all said and done. Ron Washington's squad plays the last-place Mariners six times over the final four series, as the Rangers are 10-3 against Seattle this season, including a 5-2 mark at Safeco Field. The Angels head out east for seven games following their series with the A's, as Los Angeles battles Baltimore (three games) and Toronto (four games) before returning home for six games. The Halos better cut the deficit to three games or less heading into the final series of the season, as the Rangers invade Anaheim on September 26.

NL Wild Card

The Braves seemed to wrap up the final postseason spot in the National League, but Atlanta is mired in a 3-9 slump the last two weeks. Fredi Gonzalez's team still maintains a healthy advantage over the Cardinals in the Wild Card race, but St. Louis' three-game home sweep over Atlanta last weekend is making things interesting. In spite of losing Monday at Pittsburgh, the Cards are 12-5 the last 17 games, including an 8-1 mark against the Braves and Brewers.

After battling the Pirates, Tony LaRussa's club heads east in Pennsylvania for a crucial four-game set with the Phillies. The Cardinals return to Busch Stadium for six games against the Mets and Cubs, before wrapping up the season with the last-place Astros in Houston. The easier schedule lies with the Braves, who host the Mets for three games starting Friday, followed by trips to Florida and Washington, while concluding the season against Philadelphia, who will likely rest starters.

[StarDust Bum]

Verlander, Tigers try to notch 11th straight win

DETROIT TIGERS (85-62, +15.6 Units)

at CHICAGO WHITE SOX (73-73, -6.8 Units)


First pitch: Tuesday, 8:10 p.m. EDT
Line: Detroit -170, Chicago +160, Total: 7

Eleven is the magic number on Tuesday night, not to wrap up a playoff spot, but Justin Verlander is going for his 11th straight victory and the Detroit Tigers also seek an 11th straight victory. They will be facing a battered White Sox team that now find themselves 11½ games back in the AL Central. The Tigers actual magic number to wrap up the division is five.

Since losing to Chicago on July 15, Verlander (22-5, 2.44 ERA) has gone 10-0 with a 2.75 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. Trying to stop Verlander for the White Sox is Gavin Floyd (12-10, 4.35 ERA). Floyd has a current unbeaten streak, going 3-0 with a 3.62 ERA in his past six starts. Detroit has been virtually unbeatable (15-2) as a road favorite of -125 or more. The White Sox have had some problems at home this year, going 33-40 overall and 21-28 in home night games. Expect Verlander and DETROIT will grab their 12th straight victory on Tuesday night.

Two more highly-rated FoxSheets trends for the Tigers include this pair:

DETROIT is 19-4 (82.6%, +16.5 Units) against the money line with an on base percentage of .375 or better over their last 5 games this season. The average score was DETROIT 5.6, OPPONENT 2.8 - (Rating = 4*).

VERLANDER is 12-0 (+12.0 Units) against the money line as a road favorite of -125 or more this season. (Team's Record). The average score was VERLANDER 5.5, OPPONENT 2.9 - (Rating = 3*).

During Verlander’s 11-game win streak, two of those wins have come at the expense of the White Sox. Verlander pitched a gem in the most recent victory over the White Sox on Sept. 2, when he threw 7.1 innings, allowing only one run on seven hits.

The White Sox have lost four of six and are likely a couple more losses away from another one of manager Ozzie Guillen’s famous public blowouts. At this point in the season, Chicago is playing for pride and would love to be the team to end both Verlander’s and Detroit’s winning streaks. Floyd pitched decent on Thursday, allowing one run over 5.2 innings and receiving a no-decision against the Indians. Floyd over his career is 6-1 with a 3.51 ERA against Detroit, but he has been awful at home this year, with a 5.97 ERA in 12 starts at U.S. Cellular Field.

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday, September 13

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Tampa Bay - 7:05 PM ET Baltimore +206 500
Baltimore - Under 8 500

St. Louis - 7:05 PM ET Pittsburgh +153 500
Pittsburgh - Over 7.5 500

Toronto - 7:10 PM ET Boston -140 500
Boston - Over 10 500

Florida - 7:10 PM ET Florida +166 500
Atlanta - Over 8 500

Washington - 7:10 PM ET NY Mets -145 500
NY Mets - Under 8 500

Chi. Cubs - 7:10 PM ET Chi. Cubs +136 500
Cincinnati - Under 9 500

Cleveland - 8:05 PM ET Cleveland +146 500
Texas - Under 9 500

Philadelphia - 8:05 PM ET Houston +210 500
Houston - Over 7.5 500

Detroit - 8:10 PM ET Detroit -180 500
Chi. White Sox - Over 7 500

Minnesota - 8:10 PM ET Kansas City -135 500
Kansas City - Over 9 500

Colorado - 8:10 PM ET Milwaukee -221 500
Milwaukee - Over 8.5 500

LA Angels - 10:05 PM ET LA Angels +110 500
Oakland - Under 7 500

NY Yankees - 10:10 PM ET NY Yankees -180 500
Seattle - Under 8.5 500

Arizona - 10:10 PM ET LA Dodgers +110 500
LA Dodgers - Under 6.5 500

San Diego - 10:15 PM ET San Francisco -155 500
San Francisco - Over 6 500