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[StarDust Bum]

Braves' Sheets Continues Comeback Against Mets

Sunday Night Baseball finds the Atlanta Braves in New York to take on the Mets, and ESPN's cameras will give most of the country their first look at Ben Sheets in more than two years.

Sheets, who has battled through numerous injuries as well as a brief retirement, is on the hill for the Braves against New York lefty Jonathon Niese. Don Best sports guru Kenny White is sending the Braves out as slight $1.15 favorites with a 7½-run total.

Sheets (4-1, 1.41) could be the comeback story of the year in baseball. He was with Oakland in 2010 when another injury cut his season short in mid-July, and hadn't been on a big league mound since until the Braves took a chance and finally called him up just after the all-star break.

The Louisiana native has made five starts, four going into the win column, and worked at least six innings in all five. The 'under' has also cashed in all five of his starts.

"He is an incredible pickup (for Atlanta)," White said, "and right now he looks like he is 100 percent healthy."

Sheets saw the Mets in his first start back on July 15, and blanked them through six innings of a 6-1 victory in Atlanta. Great command makes him a threat to do it again Sunday.

Niese (8-6, 3.82) relies mostly on his cutter and the lefty could give Atlanta trouble with the Braves only 18-23 against southpaws this year. He was effective against them in his season debut on this mound (6 IP, 3 ER), but needed some help to get the 7-5 win.

One oddity is Niese has actually pitched better on the road (3.44 ERA) than at City Field (4.16 ERA) which is generally regarded as pitcher friendly.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Braves (66-47) at Mets (54-60)

Game: 3
Venue: Citi Field
Date: August 12, 2012 8:05 PM EDT

The New York Mets haven't had much luck curbing the production of Atlanta's Freddie Freeman.

Not surprisingly, the Braves haven't had much trouble beating the Mets.

Freeman looks to lead surging Atlanta to an eighth straight win over New York as it seeks another sweep Sunday night at Citi Field.

Freeman got off to a quick start Saturday, hitting a two-run double in the first inning and a three-run homer that sailed over the giant apple behind the center-field fence as part of a seven-run second inning for Atlanta (66-47), which battered Johan Santana in his return from the disabled list in a 9-3 win.

The Braves, owners of the NL's top wild-card spot, won their third in a row and are a major league-best 14-3 since July 24. They're averaging 6.2 runs in those victories.

Atlanta's offense has been even better against New York (54-60), averaging 8.1 runs in winning the last seven meetings since a 6-1 loss April 16. The Braves are seeking their first eight-game winning streak over their NL East rival since 2009.

Freeman has been instrumental to the dominance in the series, batting .481 with three homers, five doubles and 15 RBIs during the winning streak. The first baseman is also hitting .362 with 14 RBIs in his last 13 games overall for the Braves, who are 35-7 when he drives in a run.

Freeman will try to continue his tear against Jonathan Niese (8-6, 3.82 ERA), against whom he is 4 for 10 with a double lifetime.

The Braves counter with Ben Sheets (4-1, 1.41), who is far exceeding expectations after being out of baseball for two years because of Tommy John surgery, having permitted one or no runs in four of his five starts.

"I don't even try to figure it out," Sheets told the Braves' official website. "I'm just happy that I feel good."

His comeback began against the Mets on July 15, when he gave up two hits and one walk while striking out five in six scoreless innings in a 6-1 win. Daniel Murphy and Josh Thole got the only hits off Sheets, who improved to 5-1 with a 3.32 ERA in his last seven starts against New York.

The right-hander was shaky against Miami on Aug. 1, allowing four runs and 11 hits in 6 2-3 innings in a 4-2 loss. He bounced back, though, with another solid performance against Philadelphia on Monday, yielding one run and seven hits in a season-high 7 1-3 innings of a 6-1 victory.

This will be his first appearance at Citi Field, where New York has lost 11 of 12.

The Mets, who are a season-worst six games under .500, have lost five of six overall and also dropped five Niese's last six outings.

Against the Marlins on Tuesday, Niese gave up four runs and eight hits in six innings of a 4-2 defeat. All four runs and five of the hits came in the fourth inning.

The left-hander has won his last three starts against the Braves despite a 5.19 ERA. He has been backed by a 9.35 run support average. Niese's last start in the series came in his season debut April 8, when he allowed four runs, two hits and four walks in six innings of a 7-5 victory.

Brian McCann, who returned Saturday after missing two games with a sore right shoulder, is hitless in nine career at_bats against Niese.

[StarDust Bum]

Braves try to complete sweep of Mets on Sunday


ATLANTA BRAVES (66-47)

at NEW YORK METS (54-60)


First pitch: Sunday, 8:05 p.m. EDT
Line: Atlanta -110, New York +100, Total: 7½

The surging Braves look to finish off a sweep of the Mets when the NL East rivals complete a three-game set at Citi Field on Sunday night.

Atlanta, now 14-3 in its past 17 games, has pounded New York this series, winning 4-0 on Friday and 9-3 on Saturday, scoring all nine runs in the first two innings. That gives the Braves seven straight victories over the Mets this season, outscoring them 57-25 during this win streak. Atlanta sends right-hander Ben Sheets to mound Sunday to try to continue his remarkable run. Sheets, who hadn’t pitched in the majors for nearly two full seasons before making his season debut on July 15, has won four of five starts in 2012. He has a 1.41 ERA in these five outings, having allowed one run or less in four appearances already. The Mets counter with struggling left-hander Jon Niese, who has a 4.95 ERA in his past six starts, a span in which the Mets are 1-5. This includes a 6.30 ERA in three home games, which doesn’t bode well against a Braves team whose 34-21 road record (.618) is the second-best away mark in the major leagues. Play on ATLANTA to beat New York for the eighth straight time on Sunday.

This three-star FoxSheets trend also sides with the Braves:

Play On - Road teams (ATLANTA) - average offensive team (4.3 to 4.8 runs/game) against a decent starter (ERA=3.70 to 4.20)-NL, with a starting pitcher whose ERA is 3.00 or better on the season (NL). (38-12 over the last 5 seasons.) (76%, +26.2 units. Rating = 3*).

Sheets (4-1, 1.41 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) is coming off an interesting outing in Philadelphia, in which he allowed just one run in 7.1 innings, but recorded zero strikeouts. He averaged 5.8 K’s per game in the first four starts, including punching out five Mets over six shutout innings of two-hit ball in his July 15 season debut. Sheets also blanked New York for five innings the last time he faced them on Sept. 1, 2008. Overall, Sheets is 5-2 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in nine career starts against the Mets. He has never pitched at Citi Field. If Sheets gets into trouble, he has great confidence in an Atlanta bullpen that sports an outstanding 3.10 ERA this year.

Niese (8-6, 3.82 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) has won three straight starts versus the Braves, including his most recent meeting on April 8 when he allowed just three earned runs and two hits over six innings. Niese had electric stuff that day with seven strikeouts, but he also walked four batters. In nine career starts against Atlanta, he is 4-2 with a 3.66 ERA, but carries a hefty 1.53 WHIP. And despite Citi Field being a favorable pitching park, Niese’s home ERA of 4.16 is considerably higher than his 3.44 road ERA. Although the Mets bullpen was outstanding on Saturday (7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K’s), this is not a unit that has been very reliable this year, carrying a 4.89 ERA (2nd-worst in majors). New York’s offense has provided very little support recently as well. The team has dropped six of its past eight games, scoring three runs or less in all six defeats.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, August 12

Hot pitchers
-- LeBlanc has a 2.16 RA in two starts, but lasted total of only 8.1 innings.
-- Bedard is 1-1, 0.64 in his last two home starts.
-- Gallardo is 2-0, 1.29 in his last couple starts.
-- Cueto is 5-1, 3.46 in his last six starts.
-- Detwiler is 2-1, 2.20 in his last five starts. Corbin is 1-0, 1.50 in his last couple outings.
-- Sheets is 4-1, 1.69 in five starts this season.

-- Hughes is 2-1, 3.38 in his last five starts.
-- Colon is 3-0, 0.48 in his last three starts. Sale is 5-0, 0.94 in his last six home starts.
-- Shields won his last two starts, allowing one run in 17 IP. Diamond is 2-1, 2.31 in his last three outings.
-- Detroit won seven of last eight Porcello starts (5-1, 4.07), scoring 51 runs.
-- Weaver is 9-0, 1.60 in his last nine starts. Vargas is 5-1, 1.84 in his last six.

Cold pitchers
-- Capuano is 0-3, 6.75 in his last three starts.
-- Former Pirate Ohlendorf is 1-2, 7.24 in his last three starts.
-- Lyles is 0-4, 8.19 in his last seven starts.
-- Raley allowed seven runs in four IP in his first MLB start.
-- Zito is 1-2, 6.17 in his last four starts. White is 0-3, 6.66 in his last six.
-- Lynn is 1-1, 6.35 in his last three starts. Worley is 1-2, 6.14 in last four.
-- Niese is 1-2, 5.54 in his last four starts.

-- Happ is 1-3, 5.48 in his last four starts.
-- Lester is 0-5, 8.91 in his last six starts. Kluber has a 7.84 RA in his first two major league starts.
-- BChen is 1-3, 7.71 in his last eight starts. Hunter is 0-3, 5.00 in his last three starts.
-- Darvish is 0-2, 9.50 in his last three starts.

Hot Teams
-- Cardinals won eight of their last twelve games.
-- San Diego won its last six games, allowing 15 runs.
-- Dodgers won eight of their last twelve road games.
-- Braves won 14 of their last 17 games.
-- Washington won 18 of its last 22 games.
-- Rockies won four of their last six road games.

-- Bronx won its last four games, scoring 31 runs.
-- Baltimore won nine of its last thirteen games. Royals won five of seven.
-- White Sox won 14 of their last 19 at home. Oakland won three of its last four games overall.
-- Rays won ten of their last thirteen games.
-- Tigers won seven of their last ten games. Texas won three of four.

Cold Teams
-- Phillies are 6-8 in their last fourteen games.
-- Cubs lost ten of their last eleven games. Cincinnati lost five of seven.
-- Pirates lost four of their last five games.
-- Miami lost 16 of its last 24 games.
-- Mets lost 11 of their last 12 home games.
-- Astros lost 34 of their last 39 games. Milwaukee lost 11 in row on road, but is 3-2 in last five games overall.
-- Diamondbacks lost six of their last eight games.
-- Giants lost three of their last four home games.

-- Blue Jays lost eleven of their last thirteen games.
-- Indians lost 12 of their last 15 games. Boston lost eight of last eleven.
-- Minnesota lost its last four home games.
-- Seattle lost five of its last six games. Angels lost seven of ten.

Totals
-- Under is 12-5-1 in last eighteen games at Wrigley Field.
-- Ten of last thirteen Cardinal road games stayed under.
-- 12 of last 17 San Diego games went over the total.
-- Over is 8-3-1 in last twelve Dodger road games.
-- Nine of last eleven Atlanta games stayed under total.
-- Seven of last nine Houston games stayed under the total.
-- Last five Arizona games went over the total.
-- Under is 6-2-1 in Colorado's last nine road games.

-- Six of last nine Kansas City games stayed under total.
-- Under is 9-2-1 in Cleveland's last twelve home games.
-- Four of last six Toronto games went over the total
-- 13 of last 17 Texas home games stayed under total.
-- Over is 7-3-1 in last eleven Oakland road games.
-- 16 of last 21 Tampa Bay games stayed under total.
-- Under is 7-4-1 in last twelve Seattle road games.

Umpires
-- Cin-Chi-- Last five Kulpa games stayed under the total.
-- Col-SF-- Favorites won six of last seven Gonzalez games.
-- SD-Pitt-- 15 of last 22 Wegner games stayed under total.
-- StL-Phil-- Underdogs won six of last ten LBarrett games.
-- Mil-Hst-- Under is 3-0-1 in Rackley games this season.
-- Atl-NY-- Eight of last 12 Vanover games went over total.
-- LA-Mia-- Over is 4-1-1 in last six Hernandez games.
-- Wsh-Az-- Underdogs are 9-7 in last sixteen Reyburn

-- NY-Tor-- Visiting team won four of last five Dimuro games.
-- Bos-Cle-- Eight of last ten Foster games stayed under total.
-- KC-Blt-- Underdog won six of last seven Campos games.
-- A's-Chi-- Underdogs are 9-7 in last sixteen TWelke games.
-- TB-Min-- Underdogs won six of last eight McClelland games.
-- Det-Tex-- 12 of last 16 Barksdale games stayed under total.
-- Sea-LA-- Visiting teams are 11-5 in Estabrook games this year.

[StarDust Bum]

Sunday, August 12

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Boston - 1:05 PM ET Boston -151 500
Cleveland - Under 9 500

NY Yankees - 1:07 PM ET NY Yankees -169 500
Toronto - Over 9.5 500

LA Dodgers - 1:10 PM ET Miami +117 500
Miami - Under 8 500

Kansas City - 1:35 PM ET Baltimore -124 500
Baltimore - Under 9.5 500

St. Louis - 1:35 PM ET Philadelphia +119 500
Philadelphia - Under 8.5 500

San Diego - 1:35 PM ET San Diego +156 500
Pittsburgh - Over 8 500

Milwaukee - 2:05 PM ET Houston +171 500
Houston - Over 8 500

Tampa Bay - 2:10 PM ET Minnesota +109 500
Minnesota - Under 8 500

Oakland - 2:10 PM ET Oakland +147 500
Chi. White Sox - Over 8 500

Cincinnati - 2:20 PM ET Cincinnati -180 500
Chi. Cubs -

Detroit - 3:05 PM ET Detroit +125 500
Texas - Over 10.5 500

Seattle - 3:35 PM ET Seattle +237 500
LA Angels - Under 7 500

Colorado - 4:05 PM ET San Francisco -147 500
San Francisco - Over 8 500

Washington - 4:10 PM ET Washington +106 500
Arizona - Over 9 500

Atlanta - 8:00 PM ET Atlanta -110 500
NY Mets - Under 7.5 500