The White Sox arrived at Yankees’ Stadium on Thursday, winners of five of their last seven, but it was still a shocker when they rallied back from three runs down in the top of the ninth on a Dayan Viciedo three-run homer off David Robertson, ending the team’s string of six straight losses to the their New York nemesis.
Are things finally going to start to turn for Philly? They just got back Chase Utley (homer in first AB) and slugger Ryan Howard is rumoured to be not that far behind. The team may be 9 games back right now but if they are full strength in the second half I think most would expect them to make a run.
Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas came up big in Spain’s opening match against the Italians, firing in the tying goal in a 1-1 draw, which salvaged a point for the defending champions in a lively encounter in Gdansk.
High profile pitching matchups are always a lot of fun, and they don’t get much better than Verlander vs. Price. Justin Verlander won the American League MVP award last year, and David Price leads all of baseball with 10 wins already this year.
The Dodgers are 10 games into a stretch of 20 games in 20 days leading up to the All-Star break, and just when they thought things couldn’t get any tougher–Andre Ethier left Wednesday’s game in the first inning with a left oblique strain.
NYM: R.A. Dickey (11-1, 2.31 ERA) v LAD: Aaron Harang (5-4, 3.81 ERA)
Date/Time: Friday, June 29, 2012, 10:10 PM ET
Venue: Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles
Broadcast: SNY (New York), FOX Sports Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
Spread: OFF
Over/Under: OFF
Now they will look to stay in the race for the NL West with the Giants, when they take on the Mets in Game 2 of a four-game set on Friday at venerable Dodger Stadium.
Ethier’s injury seemed a fitting end to a miserable 1-8 road trip for LA, who after being shut out for the third consecutive time by the Giants on Wednesday, have slipped into a tie with their rival, all the while losing 10 of their last 15 heading into the opener with the Mets last night.
An MRI on Thursday was performed and initial reports suggest that the Dodgers’ slugger will join fellow starters Matt Kemp, Mark Ellis and Ted Lilly on the disabled list.
A crushing blow to a team that hadn’t scored a run in 30 innings coming back to Chavez Ravine.
Meanwhile, the Mets exploded for 17 in a rout of the Cubs on Wednesday to snap a four-game losing streak. And after a terrible start, Ike Davis has raised his average over .200 for the first time this season after going 18-for-51 (.353) with five home runs and 20 RBI in his last 16 games.
The Mets Daniel Murphy also had two home runs on Wednesday, breaking a homerless streak of 352 at-bats dating back to last season. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
But this game is likely to be won with a pitching duel, as the Dodgers send Aaron Harang up against the Mets’ R.A. Dickey, who suffered his first loss of the season after being tattooed by the Yankees on Sunday.
The 37-year old right-hander was sporting a perfect 11-0 record before yielding five runs and three walks over six innings to hand the Yanks a 6-5 victory.
Dickey’s streak without allowing an earned run ended at 44 2-3 innings – second best in team history behind Dwight Gooden’s stretch of 49 innings in 1985.
He will no doubt look to get back on track against the Dodgers, whom he has one start against back in 2011, allowing four runs (three earned) over seven innings that resulted in a loss.
But he will have to outgun Harang, who surprisingly failed to record a strikeout in a start for the first time since 2007 in Sunday’s series finale against the Angels.
Still, it was the veteran righty’s ninth quality start of the season and he has gone 2-1 with a 3.14 ERA through his five starts in June.
In two starts against the Mets in 2011, Harang went 1-0 with a 5.91 ERA.
Matt’s Free Prediction: Mets– The Dodgers lineup is skin and bones, and frankly, Dickey shouldn’t have too much trouble against what is now close to a last place team in terms of roster talent.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup series returns to the bright lights of prime time for the running of the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta.
Fresh off a three-game series in Texas, the Detroit Tigers continue their road swing with a trip to the Sunshine State to take on the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday.
Washington Nationals vs. Colorado Rockies MLB Betting Preview
Starting Pitchers: Washington (Zimmerman) vs. Colorado (Outman)
Date/Time: June 27, 8:40 p.m. EST
MLB Gambling Odds from BetOnline
Moneyline: Washington (-145) Colorado (+135)
Runline: Nationals -1.5 (+105) vs. Rockies +1.5 (-125)
Total: 10.5
It’s certainly a surprise to most people that the Washington Nationals are at the top of the ultra-competitive National League East in late-June. The dominance of the pitching staff has allowed the Nationals to win a lot of close games this year. Colorado is having a surprisingly terrible season thus far. The Rockies are 14 games out of first place in the NL West. Let’s take a closer look at this matchup.
Jordan Zimmerman doesn’t get a ton of hype in the media, but he is a very solid pitcher for the Nationals. Zimmerman hasn’t gotten any run support this year. He is just 3-6 despite a brilliant 2.89 ERA. Can the Nationals provide some him with some run support at Coors Field? Bryce Harper has been a big contributor in his rookie season with Washington. Ian Desmond and Adam Laroche are both hitting for more power this year. Ryan Zimmerman is batting just .224, and the team needs more from him as the season moves along. The Nationals pitching staff leads the majors with a spectacular 2.98 ERA.
Colorado is still piling up the runs, but their pitching staff is so terrible that they haven’t been able to win consistently in 2012. The Rockies have a team ERA of 5.29, which is easily the worst mark in the majors. Josh Outman is 0-3 with an 8.64 ERA so far this season. Carlos Gonzalez is batting .327 with 17 homers and 53 RBI’s. Dexter Fowler started the season in a major slump, but he has been red hot over the last month. Fowler is becoming more of a power hitter, and he still has terrific speed as well. The absence of Troy Tulowitzki hurts this offense quite a bit. Tulowitzki will be out several more weeks with a severe groin injury. The Rockies simply have to outscore the opposition to win games right now.
Zimmerman gives the Nationals a major pitching advantage here. Look for Washington to actually give him some run support here and allow him to pick up a win.
MLB Free Pick: Washington ML
Germany will look to end their major tournaments winless streak against Italy when the two meet in the second Euro 2012 semifinal matchup on Thursday’s in Warsaw.
The Texas Rangers will close out their three-game set against the visiting Detroit Tigers, with their fourth win of their current 10-game home stand on Wednesday at Arlington Ballpark.
Detroit on the other hand, will try get back to .500, while the Rangers aim to maintain their cushion over second place Los Angeles in the race for the AL West.
DET: Doug Fister (1-4, 2.72 ERA) vs. TEX: Roy Oswalt (1-0, 1.35 ERA)
Date/Time: Wednesday, June 27, – 8:05 PM EST
Venue: Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Broadcast: FOX Sports (Detroit), FOX Sports Southwest (Texas)
LINE: OFF
TOTAL: OFF
The Tigers jumped out to a big lead before Rick Porcello even threw a pitch, in Game 1 on Monday. Beating up on the Rangers to the final score of 8-2. It was Detroit’s 10th win in 15 games.
Texas were nearly shut out in that one, until Josh Hamilton, who went 3 for 3, ended an 11-game homerless drought with a two-run shot in the seventh.
Hamilton, who leads the majors with 67 RBIs – was hoping coming into Game 2 of the series that his long ball may have sparked some sort of plate resurgence. And it did, as Hamilton belted his 24th homer run of the season while finishing 2-for-4 in the Rangers’ 7-5 win on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera went 3-for-4 with three RBIs Monday, raising his career regular-season average against Texas to .378 – the highest among active players. He followed that up on Tuesday however, with a disappointing 0-for-3 finish.
For the rubber match, the Tigers will send Doug Fister to the hill.
The 28-year old righty was pegged with his fourth loss in eight starts of the season during Friday night’s series opener against the Pirates. He will now look to get himself back in the win column against a hard-hitting Rangers lineup.
Fister is 0-2 with a 3.24 ERA in five road starts this season and has racked up 16 strikeouts over those outings
Texas will counter with veteran Roy Oswalt who wasn’t at his best but was able to earn the victory in a one-run and nine hits 4-1 win over Colorado on Friday. The 35-year old pitched 6 2-3 innings in his Texas debut, but will be tested when he takes on the Tigers. A much better barometer than an inconsistent Rockies club.
Matt’s Free Prediction: Texas- Although Oswalt has only pitched in one big league game after going 1-1 with a 5.87 ERA in four starts in the minor. He looked good his last time out. If he gets the same run support from a potentially potent Rangers lineup that starter Yu Darvish did in Tuesday’s Game 2. This game is his to lose.
MLB Betting Previews- Thursday, June 28 Parlay
MLB’s divisional races are starting to really heat up with the summer temperatures as teams race towards the halfway point of the regular season.
After poring over all pertinent stats and information available for the pitching matchups on Thursday’s schedule, we have uncovered a two-team parlay that promises to jump-start your weekend.
Game 1- Cleveland Indians vs. Baltimore Orioles
Money Line: Cleveland +135 Baltimore -150
Total Line: 8
Zach McAllister is expected to be called-up from Triple-A to get the start in this game in place of Jeanmar Gomez, who is headed back to the minors. The right-hander has started four previous games for Cleveland this season and is 1-1 with a 3.96 ERA. His last start was on May 23 and he gave-up two earned runs on eight hits but failed to get the decision against Detroit.
Baltimore will look to Wei-Yin Chen to give it the early edge in this extended four-game series. The left-hander continues to look impressive in his MLB debut with 3-1 record in his last four starts. Overall, he is 7-3 with a 3.38 ERA in 14 starts this year. Chen has given-up three or less earned runs in eight of his last 10 starts.
The Indians are 20-8 in the first game of their last 28 series but 7-20 in their last 27 road games against a team with a winning record. They have won six of their last eight games against Baltimore, but stick with Orioles’ clear advantage on the mound to fill-out the front-end of this parlay with a win.
Game 2- Detroit Tigers vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Money Line: Detroit +120 Tampa Bay -135
Total Line: 8.5
Detroit will kick-off this four-game series with Max Scherzer on the mound as its starter. The right-hander turned in a quality start last Saturday just two days after the death of his brother. He went six full innings while allowing three earned runs on a home run. Scherzer is 6-5 overall with an ERA of 5.12 in 15 outings. He is 0-2 against Tampa Bay with a 3.06.
Tampa Bay will counter with James Shields as its starter. He gave-up five earned runs on two home runs his last time out but came away with a no-decision. The right-hander is 7-4 this season in 15 starts with a 3.99 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. Lifetime against the Tigers, Shields is a perfect 5-0 with an ERA of 3.51.
The Tigers are 1-5 in Scherzer’s last six starts in Game 1 of a series, while the Rays are 11-3 in Shields last 14 starts at home. More importantly, Tampa Bay is 7-1 in Shields last eight starts against Detroit. Stick with the past pitching trends as the Rays secure the back-end of the parlay with a win.
The PGA TOUR moves to Maryland this week to the Congressional Country Club, site of last year’s US Open.
The Toronto Blue Jays used the long ball as per usual on Monday night to take the first of three from their AL East foe, the Boston Red Sox. On Tuesday night, the two teams square off again when Aaron Laffey makes his first start since 2010 for the pitching depleted Jays against Daisuke Matsuzaka who has yet to win a game since returning from Tommy John surgery.
Toronto Blue Jays (38-35) at Boston Red Sox (38-35)
When: 7:10 PM ET, Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Where: Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts
Broadcast: Rogers Sportsnet (Toronto), NESN (Boston)
Blue Jays vs. Red Sox Betting Lines from betonline.com
Spread: Red Sox -1 ½ (+120)
Moneyline: Jays +141: Sox -151
Over/Under: 11 runs
PITCHING MATCHUP:
Blue Jays LH Aaron Laffey (0-0, 3.60 ERA)
Red Sox RH Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-2, 6.06)
Jays look to leapfrog Sox in American League East Battle
The Toronto Blue Jays are finding their swings and appear to returning to the form that saw their bats do a ton of damage the last couple of season. Jose Bautista has shrugged off a brutal start and somehow now leads the AL in home runs with 24 (5 homers in his last 7 games!!) – the Jays as a team have hit 16 long balls during the first seven games of their current road trip. Toronto has won 7 of their last 10 games and it hasn’t been because of their strong stable of pitching!
Aaron Laffey starts for Toronto – the left-hander went 3-5 with a 4.81 ERA in 11 starts for Triple-A Las Vegas and has made four appearances out of the bullpen for Toronto so far – 3 innings is his longest outing. It is safe to say that the Sox have to be salivating at the prospect of facing a pitcher that had all sorts of trouble in his career against the Red Sox, boasting an 0-1 record with a 9.28 era in six appearances.
The Boston Red Sox have been decent as of late – the offense is typically fine but the pitching figures to be a bit of a sore spot this evening. Daisuke Matsuzaka has been shaky at best since returning to the lineup. Matsuzaka has allowed 11 runs over his 16 1/3 innings so far this season and he is throwing far too many pitches to get his necessary outs. Matsuzaka hasn’t been all that sharp but he does have a 7-1 record careers versus the Jays with a 3.46 ERA in 12 career starts against them.
Betting Prediction:
This game has slugfest written all over it. It is the AL’ #2 offense (Boston) versus the #3 offense (Toronto) going at it. With Toronto’s offense absolutely on fire, the Jays should prevail once again tonight. CF Colby Rasmus is swinging one of the hottest bats in the majors, hitting .410 (16-for-39) with five home runs and 15 RBIs in his last nine games, Jose Bautista is scorching and the rest of the Jays are playing with a ton of confidence. If the Moneyline scares you a bit, take a look at the Over in this game. The starting pitching is questionable at best in this game and the offenses are very good.
Pick: Toronto Blue Jays +141 and the Over – 11 runs
If there are any ncaa football gambling experts out there who pay attention to the Heisman process, they’ll probably agree with me and know that at this time of year it’s pretty darn hard to pick the winner…most years…right?
Another two weeks has passed – time for Dave B’s bi-weekly MLB Power Rankings! This week sees some familiar teams at the top with a traditional powerhouse almost reaching the pinnacle.
Every time I write about the Detroit Tigers it is the same story – when are these guys finally start playing to their potential and take control in the AL Central?
