The Bum's Aug. MLB Best Bets + Pod's !

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Tigers (69-47) at White Sox (44-72)
Game: 1
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: August 12, 2013 8:10 PM EDT


Miguel Cabrera never enjoyed much success against Chris Sale before finally going deep earlier this season.

These two will meet again after the reigning AL MVP enjoyed a weekend hitting two homers off another tough pitcher he had never gotten a hit against.

Cabrera looks to go four straight games with a homer for the second time this year when he matches up with Sale in Monday night's opener of a three-game set in Chicago.

Before 2013, Cabrera had a single in 11 at_bats against Sale (7-11, 2.77 ERA). He went 1 for 3 with a solo homer July 11 although the Chicago starter allowed three runs over 6 2-3 innings to earn a 6-3 victory.

Cabrera had been hitless in five at_bats including the postseason against Yankees closer Mariano Rivera prior to this year. That changed this weekend when he homered twice off the famed reliever, even though Detroit (69-47) lost two of three following its 12-game win streak.

``It doesn't happen that often with Rivera that you hit him twice like that and don't win either game,' manager Jim Leyland said after Sunday's 5-4 defeat.

This will be Cabrera's first game in Chicago since he exited a 7-3 victory July 22 with a sore hip flexor muscle. He's 14 for 33 with four homers and 11 RBIs during a nine-game hitting streak.

The slugger last homered in four straight games May 19-23.

Detroit is 7-3 against Chicago (44-72), with Victor Martinez hitting .410 and Torii Hunter homering a team-high four times.

Martinez rested twice this weekend for Detroit and figures to be back in the lineup since he is 6 for 7 versus Sale this year. The Tigers, however, will be without catcher Alex Avila. He was placed on the seven-day concussion list after being hit in the mask by a foul ball Thursday, though he did play Saturday.

Sale is 1-1 with a 3.07 ERA and 19 strikeouts in two starts against the Tigers after going 0-3 with a 6.00 ERA in three in 2012.

The left-hander owns baseball's lowest run-support average at 2.53, although he got enough help to end a three-start losing streak last Tuesday after allowing one unearned run over 7 1-3 innings in a 3-2 victory over the Yankees.

Sale lowered his home ERA to 2.07 - the AL's second-best mark.

He'll be opposed by Doug Fister (10-5, 3.50), who is 4-0 with a 1.59 ERA in his last five outings. Fister's four-start win streak ended last Wednesday when he surrendered two runs over six innings with eight strikeouts in a 6-5, 14-inning win at Cleveland.

One of Fister's victories during his streak came Aug. 2, when he allowed one run in eight innings in beating the White Sox 2-1.

The right-hander has limited Paul Konerko to four hits in 23 at_bats and Gordon Beckham to four in 17. Adam Dunn is 6 for 10 with no homers off Fister.

Fister will get his first look at former Tigers outfielder Avisail Garcia.

The White Sox acquired the 22-year-old, who is 2 for 9 with his new club, from Detroit on July 30 in the three-team deal that saw Jake Peavy go to Boston.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Marlins (44-72) at Royals (61-54)
Game: 1
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: August 12, 2013 8:10 PM EDT


The Kansas City Royals haven't had too much trouble with any opponent lately. That doesn't figure to change during a visit from the NL-worst Miami Marlins.

Wade Davis will try to lead the Royals to their 17th win in 20 games with another strong outing in Monday night's series opener.

Kansas City (61-54) has boosted its chances of ending a 28-year playoff drought with an 18-5 record since the All-Star break. The Royals bounced back from a 5-3 loss to visiting Boston on Saturday by holding on for a 4-3 victory the next day.

They scored all the runs they would need in the first three innings, and Alex Gordon hit his third homer in five games in the last of those frames. The win kept Kansas City within one-half game of second-place Cleveland in the AL Central and 4 1/2 back of Oakland in the race for the final wild-card berth.

"We're playing great baseball right now. We just have to maintain our focus on that," manager Ned Yost said.

Davis (5-9, 5.42 ERA) will try to keep the Royals rolling by continuing his recent turnaround. The right-hander is 1-0 with a 1.46 ERA in last two outings after going 0-4 with a 10.91 ERA in previous four.

Davis gave up two runs over five innings in his most recent outing, a 4-2 loss in 11 innings at the New York Mets on Aug. 2. He missed a scheduled start Tuesday because of the death of his stepbrother.

"It's good to have Wade back. He's in good spirits," Yost told the team's website. "He missed everybody and everybody missed him, so it's good to have him back."

Davis is seeking his first home win since April 10, losing his last five decisions there. He won his only start against the Marlins on June 17, 2011, allowing one run over six innings.

In this matchup, Davis will face a team that's dropped seven of eight and is 1-5 on its nine-game road trip.

Miami (44-72) ended a six-game losing streak by topping NL East-leading Atlanta 1-0 on Saturday but couldn't hold on to an early two-run lead in a 9-4 loss the next day. The Marlins led 3-1 after two innings in the series finale against the Braves but could not overcome giving up four runs in the seventh.

"That seventh inning is an inning, down in the bullpen we're looking for one of those guys, those younger guys to step up and fill that role, whether it be (losing pitcher Dan Jennings) or A.J. Ramos," manager Mike Redmond said. "That seventh inning, we just couldn't stop them ... We didn't execute some pitches."

Heading into his first start against Kansas City, Tom Koehler (3-7, 4.40) has alternated wins and losses in his last four outings. The right-hander gave up three runs, four hits and a walk over five innings in the most recent start, a 4-2 loss in Pittsburgh on Aug. 7.

The Royals won two of three over the Marlins in most recent matchup May 16-18, 2008, and took two of three in the last meeting at Kauffman Stadium from June 15-17, 2007.

Kansas City's Chris Getz could be activated from the disabled list for this game and is expected to join newly acquired Jamey Carroll in a platoon at second base. The Royals got Carroll from Minnesota on Sunday after putting Miguel Tejada on the disabled list.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Indians (63-55) at Twins (52-63)
Game: 1
Venue: Target Field
Date: August 12, 2013 8:10 PM EDT


After snapping one of their longest losing streaks of the season, the Cleveland Indians will next try to end their recent woes in Minnesota.

The Indians have lost eight of their last 10 road games against the Twins, who will seek to match their longest home win streak of the season Monday night.

Cleveland (63-55) had dropped six in a row - its worst slide of the year besides an eight-game skid June 2-10 - before rallying for a 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. Nick Swisher, Mike Aviles and Carlos Santana homered to erase a five-run deficit, and Michael Bourn singled in the go-ahead run in the seventh.

The Indians avoided an 0-7 homestand and remained within four games of the AL's last wild-card berth, a spot they owned before the losing streak.

"It didn't matter how we got it," Swisher said. "That's a much-needed win, not only for us but for our fans. It's crazy how this game works."

Cleveland now face a Twins team that has won seven of 10 overall and three straight at home, one shy of a season high. Minnesota (52-63) completed a winning seven-game road trip with a 5-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.

Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier homered and combined to drive in all five runs in the fifth inning. Minnesota got 23 of its 28 runs on the trip off home runs and went 7 for 62 (.113) with runners in scoring position.

"We'll take the home runs if that's the way we have to score runs right now, as long as we're winning ballgames," manager Ron Gardenhire said.

The Twins won two of three over Cleveland from July 19-21 in the teams' most recent series and their only one this season at Target Field. The Indians have lost three straight series there, batting .181 in those 10 games as Asdrubal Cabrera has gone 2 for 29.

Andrew Albers (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will try to lead Minnesota to another victory over the Indians following a sterling major league debut. The left-hander came within two outs of recording a shutout and gave up four hits in a 7-0 victory in Kansas City on Tuesday.

"It's hard to put into words, but it was special to go out and have that kind of performance in your debut," he said. "Unfortunately, it's probably not going to get much better from there."

Cleveland's Danny Salazar (1-0, 3.29) will also seek his second career win Monday. The rookie right-hander recorded that victory in his big-league debut July 11 against Toronto before being sent back down to the minors.

He was recalled before Wednesday's home game against Detroit and did not get a decision in a 6-5 loss, allowing four runs over 7 2-3 innings. Salazar struck out 10, giving him 17 in his first two starts.

"Besides a couple mistakes, I thought he was tremendous," manager Terry Francona said. "He had poise, competitiveness. I wish I could sit here on a win, but it doesn't change the fact of how he pitched or how we feel about him. That was pretty awesome."

Cleveland has lost 16 of 24 to Minnesota but leads this season's series 5-4.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Padres (53-64) at Rockies (55-64)
Game: 1
Venue: Coors Field
Date: August 12, 2013 8:40 PM EDT


Sweeping a series from one of the best teams in baseball has the Colorado Rockies gaining momentum.

Hosting the sputtering San Diego Padres could keep them rolling.

The Rockies look to continue their success against the Padres in the opener of this three-game series Monday night.

Colorado (55-64) and San Diego (53-64) are practically out of postseason contention barring an outstanding stretch run.

The Rockies are starting to show signs that they may be capable of one, completing a three-game sweep of NL Central-leading Pittsburgh with Sunday's 3-2 victory as they totaled 19 runs and hit .311 in the victories.

"As quickly as it can go sour, you've got to believe you can turn it around quickly. I'm proud of our guys," manager Walt Weiss said after his team bounced back from losing nine of its previous 10. "We swept a series against one of the best teams in the game and one of the best pitching staffs."

Colorado is going for its longest winning streak since a season-high eight-game run from April 12-20. That started with a three-game sweep at San Diego, and the Rockies have won 10 of 13 season meetings.

The Rockies have won seven of the past nine at home versus the Padres behind a .321 average with 13 homers and 7.2 runs per game.

Dexter Fowler is hitting .477 with three homers, 10 RBIs and 11 runs over his last 10 home meetings, while Wilin Rosario has a .338 average and 24 RBIs over the past 23 games.

Rosario, who went 6 for 13 (.462) with one homer and four RBIs over the weekend, is 7 for 15 with two homers versus Padres starter Edinson Volquez. Fowler is 5 for 9 with a triple and a homer off the veteran right-hander, who is 0-4 with an 11.63 ERA over his last five starts against the Rockies.

Volquez (8-9, 5.44 ERA) was battered in a 10-9 loss at Coors Field on June 7, surrendering nine runs and 11 hits in 2 1-3 innings. However, he's allowed four runs in 12 1-3 innings over his last two overall starts.

The Padres may be hoping a return to Denver can get their offense going after batting .197 while scoring three runs or fewer in each of their last five games. They had 11 hits but went 1 for 17 with runners in scoring position and left 15 men on base Sunday, falling 3-2 in 13 innings to Cincinnati for their fourth loss in five games.

San Diego hit .301 with seven homers and 26 runs while splitting a four-game set in Colorado from June 6-9.

"There's a concept that I think we employ as the Padres that it's all of us; it's a collective group that has to do it," manager Bud Black told the team's official website. "We don't have that carrier. It's got to come from all of us."

Will Venable and Yonder Alonso are doing their part. Venable has a .371 average in his last 10 games, while Alonso is batting .353 over the past 13.

The Padres may be in for a stiff test since Colorado will start Jhoulys Chacin (10-6, 3.30), who is 4-2 with a 2.57 ERA over his last seven starts against them. He's held them to one or two runs in six of those meetings.

Chacin is 4-1 with a 2.83 ERA over his last six home starts, and he's yielded three runs in 15 innings in the past two - both on the road. He got not support at New York on Wednesday, losing 5-0 after giving up two runs in seven innings.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Orioles (65-52) at Diamondbacks (59-57)
Game: 1
Venue: Chase Field
Date: August 12, 2013 9:40 PM EDT


Wade Miley has been among the best pitchers in baseball over the past six weeks.

He's been just as impressive over the last two years during interleague play.

Miley looks to continue those strong runs and help the Arizona Diamondbacks extend their interleague success at home against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.

Miley (9-8, 3.56 ERA) is 5-1 with a 1.54 ERA while limiting opponents to a .210 batting average and four home runs over his last seven starts. That's a dramatic improvement after he was 1-6 with a 5.88 ERA with opponents hitting .306 with 11 homers during his previous nine outings.

"He has really simplified things," manager Kirk Gibson told the team's official website. "He got in a spot earlier where he was overthinking and he couldn't control the ball. Now he's just throwing the ball where he wants to more."

It's certainly looked that way since Miley has won his last three starts with a 0.86 ERA. He was superb again Tuesday, yielding one run in seven innings of a 6-1 victory over Tampa Bay.

"You want to get a good rhythm going," Miley said. "That's when you have success. Earlier I was getting upset with myself after one or two small mistakes and it's kind of snowballed. I get too quick and I'm just firing it up there, no mindset, no thought."

The left-hander, though, seems to strive against AL foes, going 4-1 with a 1.30 ERA in six career interleague starts.

He may need another dominant outing in his first meeting with the Orioles (65-52), who are hitting .298 with 13 homers while winning seven of their past nine against the NL.

The Diamondbacks (59-57) have won nine of 10 interleague home games over the past two years, hitting .334 with 18 homers in those contests.

Paul Goldschmidt has a .364 average over that span, but he's 4 for 33 with two homers and four RBIs in his last nine games at Chase Field. He also had a three-run error in the opening inning of a 9-5 loss to the New York Mets on Sunday.

He may be in for another rough time at the plate in this series since Baltimore's pitchers have a 2.20 ERA while going 4-1 on this nine-game road trip against NL West teams. Baltimore took two of three from San Francisco over the weekend after Sunday's 10-2 victory.

"We've actually pitched pretty well (in NL parks), knock on wood, with it. I think it's good in a way," manager Buck Showalter told the team's official website.

Showalter now turns to Scott Feldman (2-3, 5.70), who has lost his last two starts while surrendering nine runs and 13 hits in 9 2-3 innings. The right-hander is also coming off his shortest outing since being acquired from the Chicago Cubs last month, giving up five runs in 4 2-3 innings of an 8-4 loss to Seattle on Aug. 3.

Feldman has a 5.73 ERA while going 0-1 in two starts versus Arizona.

That may increase the onus on the Orioles' hitters, and Adam Jones is on a tear. The center fielder has put together a nine-game hitting streak, during which he's batting .472 with 11 RBIs. He had a three-run homer and an RBI double Sunday, giving him a .357 average in 14 interleague games this year.

After the win, however, Jones said via Twitter to his followers someone in the stands threw a banana in his direction in the ninth inning. Two hours later, he followed with another tweet that read, "I love how some ppl are defending the actions by someone today. Shows how u really are also. All good wit me. I just #StayHungry."

Chris Davis, who leads the majors with 42 homers and is second with 109 RBIs, has a .434 average with six homers while driving in 12 runs against the NL in 2013. He hit .210 with eight homers in interleague play over his first five seasons.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mets (54-61) at Dodgers (67-50)
Game: 1
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: August 12, 2013 10:10 PM EDT


Although they have been lifted by a recent stretch of strong pitching, the New York Mets might have a difficult time continuing that at Dodger Stadium.

The surging Los Angeles Dodgers look to continue their torrid hitting Monday night against right-hander Jenrry Mejia and the Mets.

Mark Ellis had a home run, double and three RBIs as Los Angeles (67-50) increased its NL West lead over Arizona to a season-high 7 1-2 games with Sunday's 8-2 victory over visiting Tampa Bay to complete a three-game sweep and extend its winning streak to five.

``When you rattle off a streak like the one we're on right now, it's probably a little more than luck,' winning pitcher Clayton Kershaw said. ``We're a pretty good team right now, and it's a lot of fun coming to the yard every day and winning games. I think the guys in this clubhouse realize that we've got a pretty good opportunity here that we don't want to waste.'

Ellis, who has six hits in his last two games, went 4 for 5 with two homers in a 7-2 win at Citi Field on April 23 to help Los Angeles take two of three in that series.

The Dodgers, who are a major league-best 37-8 since June 22, are averaging 7.6 runs while hitting .366 during their current winning streak. Carl Crawford (11 for 22), Yasiel Puig (15 for 34) and Skip Schumacher (9 for 14) have keyed the most recent offensive charge.

The Mets (54-61), who have won five of six, are hoping Mejia (1-1, 1.96 ERA) can cool off the Dodgers in the opener of this three-game set. The right-hander has allowed four earned runs in three starts since being called up, striking out 18 in 18 1-3 innings.

"We know we're going into Los Angeles," Mets manager Terry Collins told the league's official website. "We said it last week - this, for me, is a huge road trip for us as a team. We've got to have some success. We're going in to play the hottest team in baseball. It's not going to be easy."

Mejia did not get a decision Tuesday against Colorado, giving up two runs while fanning seven in 5 1-3 innings of a 3-2 victory. He's contributed to a stretch in which the staff has a 2.19 ERA the past six games.

Los Angeles starter Ricky Nolasco (8-9, 3.65) seeks his third straight win, but hasn't made it out of the sixth inning in his last five starts. He lasted five innings for the second straight outing Wednesday, giving up three runs - all unearned because of his three-base throwing error - and seven hits in a 13-4 victory at St. Louis.

The right-hander is 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA since being acquired in a trade with Miami on July 6.

Nolasco, however, is winless in his last six starts against the Mets, going 0-2 with a 4.30 ERA. He did not factor in the decision in his only matchup with them this year, surrendering three runs over 5 1-3 innings in a 7-3 loss at Citi Field on April 6.

Ike Davis went 2 for 3 off Nolasco in that win and has gone 7 for 13 with four doubles over his last six games to raise his average to a season-high .205.

Wilmer Flores has filled in nicely for injured All-Star David Wright, going 4 for 8 with four RBIs in his last two games. Flores hit his first major league home run in Sunday's 9-5 win over Arizona.

The Mets have won six of eight at Chavez Ravine since 2011.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

Teams witb best record in regular season OT games. in NFL history........

1) Washington Redskins 23-14-1, .632

2) Denver Broncos 25-15-2, .619

3) Buffalo Bills, 19-12, .609

4) Arizona Cardinals 23-16-2, .588

5) Pittsburgh Steelers 21-15-2, .581

6) Cincinnati Bengals 15-11-1, .574


*****

Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend........

13) Some writer complained Sunday night that Jason Dufner "is boring and bad television." He's a golfer, not a damn court jester. His job is to make as much money as he can, not to entertain the masses.

His even demeanor was what helped him win $1,445,000 this week; not too bad for a boring guy.

12) Eldrick Woods has played eight PGA rounds at Oak Hill and is +16, with no sub-par rounds. In his other 56 PGA rounds, he is a combined -63.

11) Between 2:00-2:45 Sunday, before Furyk/Dufner teed off, CBS was like an all-commerical channel, showing more ads than golf shots.

10) FOX paid an enormous amount of money to land US Open golf starting in 2015; they've asked Greg Norman to be their #1 analyst.

9) Realized tonight that DirecTV doesn't have a deal with FOX Sports1, so much like the Pac-12 Network, I won't be seeing that this weekend either.

I've got a lot of soccer channels and other channels I don't give a rat's ass about; the other channels I want, at least let me pay to get them.

8) Golfer named Jeff Overton is only American player to make a Ryder Cup team without winning a PGA tournament. Just thought you should know.

7) Diamondbacks' OF Cody Ross dislocated his hip while running out a ground ball Sunday; strange non-contact injury, but he just collapsed and was in severe pain. Have never seen anything like that before.

6) Somehow, Ike Davis has reached base in 24 of his last 32 ABs; one thing he has done is stop chasing bad pitches. Teams are still trying to get him to go fishing but now he is drawing walks- his batting average is even over .200 now (.205).

Mets have lot of 1B/DH types on their team, but not lot of OFs; 3B Flores has nine RBI in his first six big league games.

5) I'm concerned the Marlins are so dysfunctional that they're ruining Giancarlo Stanton's career; he's hitting only .238, because they've put so many stiffs around him in the batting orrder, it is stupid to give him any pitches to hit. Hopefully he'll get exiled from Miami soon.

4) Oakland A's won a game Sunday they had no business winning; pitchers walked 11 Blue Jays, infielders made two errors in first inning, but Balfour survived a rocky ninth inning and Oakland escaped with an ugly 6-4 win.

Teams that walk more batters than they strike out win a little less than 20% of the time, so if you walk 11, strike out 6 and win, you dodged a bullet.

3) 6-foot-8 rookie umpire Baker had a rough day behind the plate in Toronto, calling knuckleballer Dickey's pitches half the time; Baker seems to call the curve ball a strike more often than fastballs, not sure why that is.

2) Andy Pettitte allowed a first inning run for the 8th consecutive game, and threw 100+ pitches in less than five innings. Not good.

1) Diamondbacks have a backup catcher named Tuffy Gosewitch; that is a tremendous name.

[StarDust Bum]

Evening Pod's:

Monday, August 12

Game Score Status Pick Amount

LA Angels - 7:05 PM ET NY Yankees -166 500
NY Yankees - Under 8 500

Philadelphia - 7:10 PM ET Atlanta -170 500
Atlanta - Over 7 500

Cincinnati - 8:05 PM ET Cincinnati -141 500
Chi. Cubs - Under 7.5 500

Detroit - 8:10 PM ET Chi. White Sox +106 500 POD # 4
Chi. White Sox - Under 7 500

Cleveland - 8:10 PM ET Cleveland -119 500
Minnesota - Over 8 500

Miami - 8:10 PM ET Miami +182 500 POD # 2
Kansas City - Over 8 500

San Diego - 8:40 PM ET Colorado -170 500
Colorado - Over 9.5 500

Baltimore - 9:40 PM ET Baltimore +107 500 POD # 1
Arizona - Over 8.5 500

NY Mets - 10:10 PM ET NY Mets +182 500 POD # 3
LA Dodgers - Under 7 500

[StarDust Bum]

Hot & Not - AL Edition

August 12, 2013


There are still eight teams in the thick of the playoff fight in the American League with just a month and a half of the season to play. This week, check out the teams in MLB betting action that are as hot as could be, or ice cold as we head towards the middle of August.

$$$-Makers

Detroit Tigers (17-3, +$1,290 in L/20) - Just as the Indians and the Royals started to make a charge in the AL Central, Detroit finally put its foot on the gas pedal and probably put the division title away. The big question? Will Jhonny Peralta get his job back when his suspension is over? The way Jose Iglesias is playing right now, the answer is no.

On Deck: After taking on the White Sox on the South Side of Chicago for three games, a crucial four-day stretch against the Royals is up. There are five games in four days against one of the hottest teams in the league.

Kansas City Royals (16-3, +$1,281 in L/19) - Kansas City has really been a tremendous story over the course of the last few weeks. The pitching staff has been awesome, and historically, that was the problem with this team. Everything is clicking right now, and there is no doubt that this is a team that has made a huge charge towards the postseason.

On Deck: There is a good chance to be 19-3 in the last 22 games after taking on Miami at home to start the week, but as we already mentioned, all eyes are on the five games in four days in Detroit this weekend. Even if that series doesn't go well though, 16 of the next 17 are against teams that are out of it.

Texas Rangers (7-0, +$710 in L/7) - Acquiring OF Alex Rios came at the perfect time right after the suspension of OF Nelson Cruz for the Biogenesis scandal. The team has won seven in a row and is storming back in the AL West. Getting some losses from Oakland has helped, but this team is picking up its own slack for sure.

On Deck: Eight home games on deck this week, and the next time the Rangers have to play a team above .500 is September 2nd with a trip to Oakland. If this keeps up, Texas might have put away the AL West by the time that series rolls around.

$$$-Burners

Houston Astros (7-30, -$1,507 in L/37) - Ugh. The Astros are building towards the future, but they aren't doing anything now to help themselves. They are on a pace to barely win 50 games this season, and with the way that things have been going both offensively and defensively, Houston might not get there.

On Deck: It's not getting any easier. The Astros have nine straight road games against AL West teams coming up, and there is a real good chance that they are going to be on pace for around 45 wins for the season by the time this run is over with.

Seattle Mariners (5-10, -$754 in L/15) - The truth of the matter is that RHP Felix Hernandez has been the killer of the Mariners. Though he won on Sunday, He dropped his previous three, and two of those outings came as enormous favorites the size of which Seattle shouldn't be favored by under any circumstance.

On Deck: Tampa Bay, Texas, Oakland, LA, and Texas. That's the next five series for the Mariners. As is the case with Houston, matters are only going to get worse before they get better.

Tampa Bay Rays (0-5, -$589 in L/5) - Tampa Bay was the hottest team in the American League before dropping anchor on the West Coast. The team lost all five games, one of which was a devastating defeat at the hands of the Dodgers after going up 6-0 with LHP David Price on the mound.

On Deck: At least Tampa Bay is headed back home, where it can lick its wounds and have a chance to get back towards the top of the AL East. These six home games against Seattle and Toronto are crucial, and anything less than 4-2 in those outings is going to be a huge disappointment for Manager Joe Maddon and the gang.

[StarDust Bum]

Diamond Trends - Tuesday

August 13, 2013


SU TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Red Sox are 11-0 since April 13, 2013 when they are off a loss in which they held the lead and it is not the last game of a series for a net profit of $1137.

OU TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Mariners are 10-0 OU since May 03, 2007 as a dog vs. AL teams after scoring 3 runs or less and winning as a favorite and it is the first game of a series for a net profit of $1000 when playing the over.

PITCHER TREND OF THE DAY:

-- When Max Scherzer starts the Tigers are 17-0 since June 15, 2010 as a 140+ favorite after more strike outs than hits allowed on the road for a net profit of $1700.

MLB BIBLE ACTIVE TREND:

-- The Padres are 9-0 (+$995) in database history when they allowed 13+ runs last game and scored between 2 and 11.

ACTIVE TRENDS:

-- The Mariners are 0-11 since August 12, 2004 as a 140+ dog vs a team that has lost at least their last four games for a net profit of $1100 when playing against.

-- When Jordan Lyles starts the Astros are 0-16 since June 052011 as a 140+ dog vs a team that has won at least their last two games for a net profit of $1600 when playing against.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Angels (53-64) at Yankees (60-57)
Game: 2
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: August 13, 2013 7:05 PM EDT


CC Sabathia has gone winless more than five weeks, though that drought could have ended if not for one of the uneasy ninth innings which have become an unexpected regular occurrence for the New York Yankees' bullpen of late.

He seeks another solid outing Tuesday night against the visiting Los Angeles Angels, who will send Jason Vargas to the mound for the first time in nearly two months.

On Wednesday, Sabathia (9-10, 4.73 ERA) was in line for his first win since July 3, but Mariano Rivera blew a one-run lead in the ninth before the Yankees fell to the Chicago White Sox 6-5 in 12 innings.

The left-hander gave up three runs in 7 1-3 innings but struck out only one, the first time since July 11, 2010, in a win over Seattle he finished with fewer than two strikeouts - a stretch of 100 starts.

Sabathia had given up at least five runs in each of his previous four starts and is 0-3 with a 8.33 ERA over his last five. He's never finished with an ERA worse than the 4.39 mark his rookie year with Cleveland in 2001, and his 25 homers allowed already are a career high.

"It's a tough situation," Sabathia said. "Hopefully (Wednesday's good start) will help me out."

He pitched well against the Angels on June 16, giving up two runs in eight innings of a 6-5 victory. Sabathia is 4-3 with a 2.60 ERA in his last seven starts versus Los Angeles, which mounted a ninth-inning rally before falling 2-1 in Monday's series opener.

Rivera, whose blown save in Sabathia's start was the first of a career-high three straight, watched that Angels rally as manager Joe Girardi first went to Boone Logan before David Robertson earned the save.

Josh Hamilton hit a bloop RBI double for Los Angeles' only run, which was charged to Logan.

``Mo's never going to back out on a situation. Never,' Girardi said. "You have to manage a player. Sometimes they just need a day no matter if they want to go out there a lot.'

Curtis Granderson, hitting .226 in 10 games since coming off the disabled list, hit a seventh-inning solo homer that proved to be the difference for the Yankees (60-57), who have won three of four.

``I'm getting there,' said Granderson, who has 11 homers in his last 16 games against the Angels and is 5 for 12 versus Vargas (6-4, 3.65).

The Angels (53-64) have lost six of eight and will look to get back on track with help from the left-hander, who was sidelined with a blood clot in his left armpit that required surgery. This will be his first start since June 17, when he gave up two runs and struck out a season-high nine in seven innings of an 11-3 win over Seattle.

Vargas gave up four runs and walked three in 4 2-3 innings of a rehab start for Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday and threw a bullpen session Sunday.

"If Jason is ready, we want to get him folded into the rotation as quickly as we can," manager Mike Scioscia told the team's official website.

Vargas went 5-1 with a 3.06 ERA in his last seven starts before going on the DL. He's never beaten the Yankees, though, going 0-3 with a 6.55 ERA in six outings.

New York has won seven of the last nine meetings at Yankee Stadium.

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Angels at Yankees
Mon, Aug 12 Final 1 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Angels at Yankees
Tue, Aug 13 - 7:05PM EDT

GAME 3
Angels at Yankees
Wed, Aug 14 - 7:05PM EDT

GAME 4
Angels at Yankees
Thu, Aug 15 - 1:05PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Red Sox (71-49) at Blue Jays (54-64)
Game: 1
Venue: Rogers Centre
Date: August 13, 2013 7:07 PM EDT


After struggling in the most recent stop on their road trip, the Boston Red Sox will try to bounce back by continuing their recent success in Toronto.

The Red Sox, though, will likely need a better outing from Ryan Dempster in Tuesday night's series opener against the Blue Jays.

After taking two of three from Houston to start its 10-game trek, Boston dropped three of four to Kansas City after its rally attempt fell short in a 4-3 loss Sunday. The Red Sox (71-49), who trailed 4-1 after three innings, remained three games ahead of slumping Tampa Bay for the AL East lead.

Boston might have a better showing at Toronto, where it has won four consecutive series while going 8-4. The Red Sox have hit 16 homers in six games there this season. Plus, they took three of four from the Blue Jays in the teams' most recent matchup June 27-30 at Fenway Park.

Toronto (54-64) entered that series having won 12 of 14 and one game above .500 but hasn't climbed past the break-even mark since then, going 15-26.

The Red Sox are hoping Dempster (6-8, 4.67 ERA) can add to the struggles of the Blue Jays, who have lost four of five, while turning around his recent woes. The right-hander has a 7.27 ERA in his last five starts, though Boston won them all.

He's given up 12 runs and 16 hits through 12 innings this month, but the Red Sox rallied in the ninth inning to win both of those games.

"I want to try and leave the game leading and not losing, not relying on these comebacks," he told the team's website.

Dempster's only previous outing in Toronto came May 2 and marked his only win over the Blue Jays, giving up one run over six innings in a 3-1 victory. He's since faced them twice in Boston, going 0-1 with a 6.97 ERA.

He'll be opposed by Todd Redmond (1-1, 4.22), who is being recalled from Triple-A Buffalo to rejoin the rotation because Josh Johnson is dealing with arm soreness.

Redmond was 1-0 with a 4.44 ERA in five starts after being called up for the second time this season July 3. The right-hander was sent down after needing 92 pitches to get through 3 2-3 innings in a 7-5 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 2.

While Redmond has never faced the Red Sox, Jose Reyes and Jose Bautista have done quite well against them this year. Reyes, riding a 10-game hitting streak, has hit .429 with two homers in seven games versus Boston while Bautista has batted .394 with five homers, his most versus any opponent.

Dustin Pedroia is hitting .481 in his last seven games against Toronto. Stephen Drew, batting .422 during a 12-game hit streak, is 4 for 9 (.444) with three extra-base hits in his last three games versus the Blue Jays.

Pedroia is 7 for 17 with four extra-base hits against Toronto closer Casey Janssen, who gave up a season-high four runs in the ninth inning of Monday's 5-1 loss to Oakland. Janssen also yielded a run in the ninth of Sunday's 5-4 win over the Athletics.

"They just hit him," manager John Gibbons told the team's website. "He's had a great year, himself. Some teams just give you trouble. ... They got to us the last two games late in the game."

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[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Giants (52-65) at Nationals (57-60)
Game: 1
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: August 13, 2013 7:05 PM EDT


Gio Gonzalez and Madison Bumgarner pitched to a virtual stalemate the first time they opposed each other this year.

With the San Francisco Giants continuing to struggle offensively, more pressure could be on Bumgarner the second time around.

The two left-handers match up again as the Giants visit the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.

Both pitchers were impressive in Washington's 2-1, 10-inning road win May 22. Each allowed four hits and a run, with Gonzalez throwing 7 1-3 innings and Bumgarner seven.

Bumgarner has gone at least seven innings in his last 10 outings while posting a 1.77 ERA. However, he suffered a 6-1 defeat to Milwaukee on Wednesday after carrying a shutout into the eighth inning.

He yielded four runs - three earned - in giving up more than two earned runs for the first time in 11 games.

It was also the 11th time in Bumgarner's 23 starts that he received two or fewer runs of support.

"For whatever reason, we don't look like the same team we were last year," Bumgarner said. "There are things I could have done differently. There are things everyone could have done differently. It's been the same story all year."

The Giants (52-65) have lost six of nine while scoring 21 runs. They're batting .235 with 60 runs in 23 games since the All-Star break, the fewest in baseball.

Buster Posey is batting .186 since the break with one of San Francisco's seven home runs, while Pablo Sandoval has hit .220 in that span.

It may not get any easier against Gonzalez, who has baffled many Giants hitters. Posey, Sandoval, Marco Scutaro and Hunter Pence are a combined 6 for 49 (.122) against him.

Gonzalez (7-5, 3.52) has also been plagued by a lack of run support lately, getting backed with one run three times in his last four starts while losing the past two.

He yielded two runs over seven innings of a 2-1 defeat to Atlanta last Tuesday.

"I'm not worried about that (run support)," Gonzalez told the team's official website. "My job is to go out there and pitch, keep these guys in the game."

The Nationals (57-60) have shown signs of life recently, following a four-game losing streak with a three-game home sweep of Philadelphia. They outscored the Phillies 23-7 and recorded at least 11 hits in each contest.

Ian Desmond has gone 6 for 11 in his last three games and 20 for 51 (.392) over his last 14 versus San Francisco, while Jayson Werth is 9 for 15 during a four-game hitting streak.

Bryce Harper is 3 for 9 off Bumgarner with a home run earlier this year.

The Nationals have won five straight meetings in Washington.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Phillies (53-65) at Braves (72-47)
Game: 2
Venue: Turner Field
Date: August 13, 2013 7:10 PM EDT


An off night offensively led to a loss for the Atlanta Braves their last time out.

Kris Medlen hopes that won't become a trend Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies as he seeks to win his fourth consecutive start for the NL East leaders.

The Braves (72-47) went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position in Monday night's 5-1 loss, a stark contrast from their recent winning ways in which they batted .309 in such situations and averaged 6.2 runs while winning 12 of 13. Cole Hamels limited Atlanta to six hits and finished one out shy of a shutout.

"We know any time we play the Phillies that this could happen with the arms that they run out there,' said third baseman Chris Johnson after Atlanta lost for only the second time in 17 games.

Johnson is hitting .353 with four doubles and two homers versus Philadelphia this season and .394 in his last 17 games overall. Jason Heyward is hitting .393 over his last 15 games, while Brian McCann is 13 for 25 in six games against the Phillies in 2013.

Medlen (9-10, 3.85 ERA) has seen his offense sputter at times, getting backed with only two runs while going 0-3 with an 8.59 ERA in a three-start losing streak prior to his turnaround. He has been given 16 runs during this winning streak, enough of a cushion to overcome a 4.26 ERA in that span.

The right-hander allowed three runs and three hits in seven innings of a 6-3 win over Washington on Wednesday, citing new-found confidence in his curveball as a key reason for his improvement.

"It's not just like a spinning little get-me-over pitch," he told the team's official website. "It's like I can put guys away with it, and it's just another pitch to get them off my changeup, which I think is my best pitch."

Medlen posted his first victory in three starts this season against the Phillies on Aug. 2 despite allowing three home runs and four runs overall in six innings of a 6-4 victory. He is 1-2 with a 6.61 ERA this year versus Philadelphia and has struggled in his career against Carlos Ruiz, who is 6 for 9 in this matchup, and Domonic Brown, who is 3 for 6 with a home run.

Ethan Martin (1-1, 6.75), who took the loss against Medlen in his major league debut less than two weeks ago, will try to avenge that defeat in his third career start. The right-hander bounced back from that defeat Wednesday by limiting the Chicago Cubs to a solo homer and three other hits in five innings of a 12-1 rout.

Philadelphia, which has batted .218 while winning four of its last 21, has not posted consecutive victories since a three-game win streak around the All-Star break.

While Chase Utley - who homered off Medlen earlier this month - is batting .333 (10 for 30) with five extra-base hits in a seven-game hitting streak at Turner Field, Michael Young's struggles continued. He went 0 for 4 Monday, is 5 for 35 against the Braves this season and is batting .111 (5 for 45) in his last 14 road games.

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Phillies at Braves
Mon, Aug 12 Final 5 to 1
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Phillies at Braves
Tue, Aug 13 - 7:10PM EDT

GAME 3
Phillies at Braves
Wed, Aug 14 - 7:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mariners (54-63) at Rays (66-50)
Game: 1
Venue: Tropicana Field
Date: August 13, 2013 7:10 PM EDT


Mired in their worst losing streak of the season, the Tampa Bay Rays could use improvement on offense, but manager Joe Maddon knows that he needs more out of his starters.

Maddon will send rookie Chris Archer to the mound Tuesday night as the Rays try to end a five-game slide in the opener of a three-game home set against the Seattle Mariners.

Tampa Bay (66-50) capped an 0-5 road trip with Sunday's 8-2 loss to the Dodgers, recording their longest skid since starting 0-6 in 2011.

The Rays went 6 for 32 with runners in scoring position over the weekend in Los Angeles, with Evan Longoria going 2 for 12 overall in the series and rookie Wil Myers 2 for 11.

"We're going to hit those bumps, and I'm honestly not concerned about that," Maddon told the Rays' official website. "We need to get back in the moments where we have runners in scoring position."

His club has hit .235 with just three homers over the last nine games while scoring 24 runs, but a bigger issue during that stretch may be the rotation. Maddon replaced his starter before the fifth inning six times in that span, prior to which Tampa Bay got at least five innings from its starter in 32 consecutive games.

"The biggest difference is, we did not pitch well enough," Maddon said of a road swing in which his staff had a 7.36 ERA.

Jeremy Hellickson's three-inning stint Sunday marked the fourth time on the trip that a starter failed to get through the fifth.

One of those abbreviated outings was by Archer (6-4, 2.71 ERA) last Wednesday when he left after allowing one run over 1 2-3 innings due to forearm stiffness in a 9-8 defeat to Arizona. He said it doesn't appear serious.

"I am glad they are cautious with me, thinking about the future and hopefully it just dissolves and my next start I am out there at normal game speed," Archer said.

The right-hander is 5-1 with a 1.91 ERA over his last nine outings, with the Rays dropping the last two after winning the first seven. This will be his first start against Seattle.

The Rays and the Mariners (54-63) have yet to meet. Tampa Bay took six of 10 matchups last year and has won 13 of the last 18 at Tropicana Field, where the Rays have not lost a series since mid-June.

Seattle will give Erasmo Ramirez (3-0, 7.13) his first start since Aug. 3 after he was skipped because the club didn't need a fifth starter. He's since made one appearance out of the bullpen, yielding one run over 1 2-3 innings in Friday's 10-5 loss to Milwaukee.

Ramirez has posted a 5.60 ERA in winning his last three starts, getting 15 runs of support. The right-hander's only appearance against the Rays came in relief last year.

The Mariners scored 19 runs and batted .216 on a 2-4 homestand capped by Sunday's 2-0 win over Milwaukee.

Seattle's RBI leaders are struggling. Kendrys Morales went 0 for 11 over the weekend, Raul Ibanez was 2 for 15 on the homestand and Kyle Seager is in a 4-for-23 slump.

Justin Smoak had just five hits in 22 at_bats in the six games, but three were home runs. He hit his 13th Sunday.

"I just saw a pitch up and made good contact and I was able to put a good swing on it," said Smoak, who is 4 for 40 without a homer in his last 11 games versus Tampa Bay.