[Jeff Grant]

Thursday MLB Recap

• Astros outfielder Carlos Lee has started to rehab with Double-A Corpus Christi
• Cincinnati recorded its first three-game sweep of Cleveland since 2008
• Reds 2B Brandon Phillips went 8 for 13 with two HRs and seven RBIs against his former team in the series, while the team tallied a season-high 17 hits on Thursday
• Cleveland completed a nine-game road trip with a 4-5 record
• The Mets outscored the Rays by a 29-9 margin in sweeping the three-game series
• Tigers 1B Prince Fielder is batting .359 (23 for 64) in his last 17 games
• Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki is eligible to come off the DL on Friday, but aggravated a groin injury earlier in the week
• The 12 runs and 16 hits were season highs for the Baltimore Orioles
• The Orioles outscored the Pirates by a 27-13 margin in collecting their fifth series sweep of the year, matching their total from 2011
• Baltimore is 7-2 in interleague play after going 7-11 last year
• White Sox SP Gavin Floyd is 1-4 with a 10.38 ERA in his last six starts
• Cardinals SS Rafael Furcal snapped an 0-for-23 skid with a single in the eighth
• Chicago White Sox are 21-6 in their last 27 interleague road games

[Jeff Grant]

Cincinnati Reds at New York Mets (Betting Odds - Matchup)
-Mets SP Dillon Gee is 2-1 with a 2.88 ERA over his last five starts
-Reds SP Bronson Arroyo is 5-1 with a 3.15 ERA in eight career starts against the Mets, including a 3-0 mark and 1.64 ERA on the road
-Cincinnati is 2-4 as a road underdog of +100 to +125, while New York is 5-1 at home with a money line of -100 to -125

Pick: Read my SBR Forum preview on Friday's only NL matchup on the MLB odds board

Boston Red Sox at Chicago Cubs (Betting Odds - Matchup)
-Former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein will face his former team for the first time
-Boston’s starting rotation ranks 27th in the league with a 4.83 ERA
-Chicago ranks 28th in the majors in runs scored (233), while Boston is second (319)
-Cubs OF Alfonso Soriano is batting .359 with four HRs and 10 RBIs over a 10-game hit streak, while leading the majors with 12 HRs since May 15
-Red Sox 1B Adrian Gonzalez is batting .385 with five HRs in his last seven games at Wrigley Field
-Cubs SP Ryan Dempster is 18-14 with a 3.82 ERA in June during his career (best ERA of any month)
-Boston is 9-14 in day games (Chicago 13-22), while ranking 11th in the league with a .267 daytime batting average (Cubs .243, 15th)
-Chicago looks to win its first interleague series at Wrigley Field since June 15-17, 2010
-Dempster has a 1.06 ERA in six road starts (3.98 ERA at home)

[TheBayouBengal]

Good stuff, thanks

The Red Sox/Cubs meeting should be interesting too.

[sigchikyle]

Hey Jeff do you like Texas today?

[Jeff Grant]

New York Yankees at Washington Nationals (Betting Odds - Matchup)
-Washington leads the majors with a 2.94 ERA from its starting rotation
-Nationals SP Gio Gonzalez went 1-4 with a 7.27 ERA in five meetings with the Yankees as a member of the Oakland Athletics
-New York’s starters have tallied a 2.02 ERA over its last 12 games (10-2 team record)
-The Nationals have won four of six meetings with the Yankees since moving to the nation’s capitol in 2005
-Yankees SP Phil Hughes is 3-1 with a 3.94 ERA in nine career games (four starts) in interleague play, going 2-1 with a 3.08 ERA versus NL East opponents
-The Yankees have won all seven games this year after an off day, while going 31-14 in interleague play over the last two-plus seasons
-The Nationals are 6-2 at home with a money line of -100 to -125 (5-3 under)
-The Yankees have won 10 of their last 11 interleague games against left-handed starters

Read an article for more information regarding this high-profile series


Colorado Rockies at Detroit Tigers (Betting Odds - Matchup)
-Detroit is 71-40 in interleague play at Comerica Park
-Tigers bullpen has a 2.34 ERA over the last 26 games (.219 opp BA)
-Tigers SP Casey Crosby is 1-1 with a 9.35 ERA in two career home starts
-The Rockies rank 13th in the majors with a .256 average versus LHP (Tigers, .250)
-The Tigers are 8-13 against the Rockies
-Colorado has droped its last 10 interleague games, including all nine in 2012
-Rockies SP Jeff Francis is 0-2 with a 3.08 ERA in four starts against the Tigers, including an 0-1 mark and 3.10 ERA in three outings at this ball park
-Francis tossed three quality starts against the Tigers in 2011 as a member of the Kansas City Royals (0-2, 2.21 ERA, 20.1 IP)
-Colorado is 7-13 versus left-handed starters (Detroit, 7-11)


Lean to the UNDER (10) despite the Tigers going OVER in all four home games when returning from a road trip

[Jeff Grant]

Pittsburgh Pirates at Cleveland Indians (Betting Odds - Matchup)
-Pittsburgh was swept by Baltimore in three games, with the pitching staff posting a 9.38 ERA
-Pirates SP James McDonald is 5-1 with a 2.22 ERA over his last eight starts
-The Pirates have lost 40 of their last 48 interleague road games
-The Indians were outscored 24-9 in a three-game road sweep against the Reds
-Cleveland SP Justin Masterson will try to avoid losing a career-high fourth straight start (0-3, 5.21 ERA)
-The Indians have won nine of 12 meetings at home in this series
-Cleveland is 3-6 in interleague play (Pittsburgh, 4-5)
-The Pirates are 1-5 as a road underdog of +100 to +125 (5-1 under)
-The Indians are 9-21 after allowing 10 or more runs the last two-plus seasons (3-1 this year)
-Pittsburgh is 4-1 in McDonald’s five road starts this year, including wins in each of his last four assignments
-McDonald is 0-0 with a 3.26 ERA in five games (three starts) in interleague play
-Masterson is 2-5 with a 3.76 ERA in 11 career interleague starts


Developed a handicapper line of Indians -128, no value found on either side


Philadelphia Phillies at Toronto Blue Jays (Betting Odds - Matchup)
-Blue Jays SP Drew Hutchinson is 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA in four starts at the Rogers Centre
-Toronto is batting .132 (5 for 38) with RISP in six home games this month
-Phillies SP Vance Worley is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA in four interleague starts
-Blue Jays OF Jose Bautista has seven HRs in June, after hitting three in April and nine in May
-The Phillies are 5-5 as a road underdog of +100 to +125 (7-3 over)
-The Blue Jays are 28-13 after three or more consecutive losses over the last two-plus seasons


Lean to the Blue Jays, but not playing at this price (slight home favorite)


Miami Marlins at Tampa Bay Rays (Betting Odds - Matchup)
-Miami was 1-8 on its recently completed nine-game homestand, batting .196 and getting outscored by a 56-17 margin
-Marlins SP Carlos Zambrano was pulled in his last start due to lower back stiffness
-Zambrano has compiled a 0.88 ERA in winning three of his past four road starts
-The Marlins have been outscored 40-13 during a seven-game losing streak in the Citrus Series
-Rays SP Matt Moore has won back-to-back starts for the first time in his career
-Moore has the highest run support average in the Rays rotation (5.90 runs per 9 IP)
-The Marlins are 4-3 as a road underdog of +125 to +150 (24-22 since 2010)
-The Rays are 18-6 after three or more consecutive losses (4-1 in 2012)


Never one to back a pitcher, especially Zambrano, after experiencing back stiffness

[Jeff Grant]

Hey Jeff do you like Texas today?

In Hoc brother - getting to that game - but I do like the Braves

Baltimore Orioles at Atlanta Braves (Betting Odds - Matchup)
-Baltimore hasn’t won six straight games since Aug. 22-28 of last year
-Atlanta has won 11 of 15 home meetings in this series
-Braves SP Tommy Hanson is 6-0 with a 1.38 ERA in six career starts versus AL East opponents
-Orioles SP Brian Matusz is 0-5 with a 7.49 ERA in six interleague starts
-Hanson is 12-2 with a 3.42 ERA in 16 career starts in June (most wins of any month)


Pick: Atlanta Braves -147

[Frank-King]

Good stuff

[Jeff Grant]

Good stuff

Thank you - glad to help out