[Jeff Grant]

We've gotten off to a 10-2-2 MLB start since posting on the forums - let's try to keep it going and I definitely suggest reading an early lean that I have for Saturday's action.

Friday MLB Recap

• Mets SP Johan Santana threw a career-high 134 pitches to register the first no-hitter in franchise history (look to fade him even with extra rest next time out)
• Marlins SS Jose Reyes went 3 for 4 to extend his hitting streak to 12 games
• Indians SP Derek Lowe has allowed one run in 15.2 innings against the Twins this season
• Cleveland has won 11 of 12 games against Minnesota
• Red Sox SP Clay Buchholz is 6-2 with a 1.72 ERA in eight career starts at the Rogers Center - becoming the first pitcher to win six straight road starts against the Blue Jays
• Boston leads the majors with 207 extra-base hits
• Mariners OF Ichiro Suzuki returned to the leadoff spot for the first time this season, after batting third in 52 games

[Jeff Grant]

Cain’s recent dominance against the Cubs is hard to ignore


Giants starting pitcher Matt Cain (5-2, 2.79 ERA) has a great chance of leading the club to a sixth straight victory with him on the hill, considering he enters with a 5-2 record and 2.16 ERA in 11 career starts against the Cubs. He has registered an even more impressive 3-0 mark and 0.73 ERA if you focus in on his last seven outings in this series. The right-hander has held Cubs’ hitters to a .177 average, which is his lowest such number against any National League opponent.


Life on the road certainly hasn’t been beautiful for Cubs hurler Matt Garza (2-3, 4.22 ERA), who has gone 1-3 with a 6.84 ERA in five starts away from the Windy City. Chicago has suffered back-to-back losses on the road in his last two outings, as he’s given up 13 runs (12 earned) and 12 hits over eight combined innings. Garza did earn a 5-2 win over San Francisco at this ball park on Aug. 30 of last year, surrendering two runs and nine hits over 6.2 frames.

Recommendation: San Francisco Giants -159

[Jeff Grant]

Philadelphia Phillies at Miami Marlins
-Phillies SP Cole Hamels has gone 8-0 with a 2.22 ERA over his last nine starts
-Philadelphia OF Hunter Pence is 9 for 16 in four games against Miami this season, helping the club win the last three meetings
-Marlins SP Ricky Nolasco is 5-1 with a 2.61 ERA in six starts at Citizens Bank Park
-Miami had 13 hits in last night’s 6-4 setback, but went 1-for-13 with RISP
-Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon is 15-for-15 in save situations
-Philadelphia has won seven of nine games, scoring 53 runs in that stretch
-The Phillies are 20-8 in their last 28 games against the Marlins, including a 13-3 mark at CBP
-Coming into last night’s game, the Phillies bullpen has posted a 2.80 ERA and opponents batting average of .219
-Since May 25, 2010, Marlins SS Jose Reyes is batting .352 with three HRs and 12 RBI against the Phillies


Recommendation: Miami Marlins +145

[Jeff Grant]

Boston Red Sox at Toronto Blue Jays
-Boston is 3-1 without the services of 2B Dustin Pedroia, who is still nursing a jammed thumb
-Red Sox DH David Ortiz is 9 for 18 with seven RBIs in his last five games, while homering in three of four
-Blue Jays SP Kyle Drabek finished May with a 7.11 ERA over five starts
-Since April 23, Boston’s bullpen ranks second in the AL with a 2.13 ERA, trailing only the Tampa Bay Rays (2.04)
-Since the start of 2011, Boston is averaging 6.7 runs, 11.7 hits and 1.5 home runs over 13 games at the Rogers Centre
-Red Sox SP Felix Doubront ranks fourth among MLB qualifiers with 7.23 runs of support per nine innings
-Drabek is 2-5 with a 6.70 ERA in nine career games (eight starts) during the day
-The Blue Jays entered Friday tied for first among AL clubs with 42 home runs at home
-Boston ranks second in the majors with a .281 daytime batting average, while Toronto sits 16th in that category (.250)


No recommendation due to creating a handicapper line of the Red Sox -115

[Jeff Grant]

Oakland Athletics at Kansas City Royals
-Oakland has dropped nine consecutive games, getting shut out four times in that span, including a 2-0 setback last night
-Athletics SP Brandon McCarthy is 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA over his last four starts, with each resulting in a team win
-Royals SP Luke Hochevar is 0-6 with a 6.39 ERA in seven career starts against the Athletics. He’s also 0-3 with a 9.87 ERA in four starts at home, with opponents hitting .342 against him
-The Athletics have won the season series against the Royals in each of the last three years


Early lean was on the Athletics, but I’m not playing the game due to the Athletics hitting a Major League-worst .199 in day games, while the Royals rank fifth (.272)

[Jeff Grant]

Seattle Mariners at Chicago White Sox
-Chicago has won nine straight games, averaging 8.0 runs and hitting .312 over that span
-White Sox SP Gavin Floyd has a 12.89 ERA and opponents batting average of .412 over his last three starts
-Floyd is 3-0 with a 1.27 ERA in his last five starts against the Mariners
-Mariners SP Hector Noesi is 0-3 with a 6.67 ERA in five road outings, allowing six home runs in 27 innings
-Seattle is 2-15 at U.S. Cellular Field since 2008, while going 3-20 overall in this series the past three seasons
-Mariners 1B Justin Smoak is hitting .333 with six HRs and 18 RBI over his last 19 games, but is 2 for 16 (.125) in his career against Floyd
-The White Sox are 14-8 in day games this year
-Floyd picked up a 3-1 home victory over the Red Sox on July 29 of last year in his only start with umpire Rob Drake behind the dish
-All 13 of the Chicago White Sox wins at home this year have been by two or more runs


Recommendation: Chicago White Sox -145 and R/L (+140)

[Jeff Grant]

Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals
-The Nationals have limited the Braves to 11 runs during their five-game win streak in the series
-Braves SP Brandon Beachy has made three of his four career starts versus the Nationals in Washington, going 1-1 with a 5.63 ERA
-Washington is 15-8 at home, as its .652 win percentage ranks second in the NL (Los Angeles Dodgers, .700)
-In 30 games with Bryce Harper, the Nationals are averaging 4.0 runs per game, while averaging 3.55 before his arrival on April 28
-Washington is 16-1 when providing SP Stephen Strasburg two or more runs of support while he’s in the game


No clear edge in the starting pitching matchup, but the Nationals rank eighth in daytime batting average (.262), while the Braves are 24th (.226)




St. Louis Cardinals at New York Mets
-Cardinals SP Lance Lynn leads the majors with five road wins this season (5-0, 2.04 ERA), with the team winning five of his six outings away from Busch Stadium
-Lynn ranks first in the NL in run support average (7.49)
-St. Louis is 4-9 at Citi Field since it opened in 2009
-Mets SP R.A. Dickey is 4-0 with a 1.83 ERA in five home starts this year
-In five career games versus the Cardinals, Dickey is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA

[Jeff Grant]

Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays
-Baltimore has lost six straight games for the first time since Aug. 16-21, 2011
-Orioles SP Brian Matusz is limiting LHH to a .135 average this season, with three of the four hits being singles (4-for-38)
-The Orioles have not recorded an extra-base hit in the last two games
-Orioles starters have pitched to a 8.06 ERA in their last five starts
-Baltimore bullpen leads the majors with a 2.29 ERA, but has thrown the second-most innings
-Matusz is 3-1 with a 4.64 ERA in four starts at Tropicana Field
-The Rays are 23-14 in their last 37 games against the Orioles at Tropicana Field
-Tampa Bay has outscored opponents by a 35-19 margin in the first inning, as its the club’s highest-scoring frame of the season
-Rays SP Jeremy Hellickson is 3-1 with a 1.63 ERA at home, with his home ERA ranking sixth in the AL
-Hellickson is 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA in three career starts against the Orioles at home


Recommendation: Under 7.5

[Jeff Grant]

Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies
-Colorado is hitting .374 with 13 HRs and 53 runs scored over its last five games
-Rockies Sp Juan Nicasio is 0-2 with a 5.86 ERA in five starts since beating the Dodgers on April 30
-The Dodgers have been outscored 30-11 in dropping five straight games
-Los Angeles is 8-0 on Saturdays this season
-Los Angeles has played 31 games at Coors Field (17-14) since the start of the 2009 season, scoring more runs (177) and picking up more hits (326) than any opponent Colorado has had in that span


Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers
-Pittsburgh has won six of seven with its starting pitchers posting a 1.70 ERA in that span
-The Brewers didn’t land in Milwaukee until 7 a.m. on Friday from its recently completed road trip, dropping an 8-2 decision to the Pirates
-Since 2007, the Pirates are 5-38 at Miller Park
-Pittsburgh matched a season-high with 13 hits, and has gone 10-0 when collecting 10 or more hits in a game this season
-Pirates SP Erik Bedard will be facing the Brewers for the first time in his career

Recommendation: Under 3.5 First Five Innings

[therushishere]

Thanks for the info. I already went with SFG, CHW and WAS and this makes me feel better about it. Also went with TB, NYM and actually rolled with PHI over MIA

[Jeff Grant]

Thanks for the info. I already went with SFG, CHW and WAS and this makes me feel better about it. Also went with TB, NYM and actually rolled with PHI over MIA

You're welcome - good luck today