Milwaukee looks to build on their lead in the NL Wild Card race this week behind their two aces, C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets when the Brewers host the Houston Astros in early week action.
Welcome to the MLB waiver wire. Every August, teams put their players up for grabs, see who makes a bid, and then do one of three things:
1. Pull the player back off waivers
2. Arrange a trade with the claimant
3. Let the player be waived.
Part of the fun of following the waiver madness is watching one team try to screw another over by placing a competing claim. That appears to have be the case involving two players: Seattle pitcher Jarrod Washburn and Washington infielder Rafael Belliard.
The Chicago White Sox coveted Washburn, but the Minnesota Twins swept in with a bid and a lower record in the standings, thus blocking their AL Central rivals from picking up an asset in the drive for the playoffs. Same with Belliard, who was claimed by both the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers of the NL West. Arizona needs someone to replace the injured Orlando Hudson; Los Angeles has no such need.
Reports suggest the Twins and Mariners tried to make a deal for Washburn (4.58 ERA, 4.95 xFIP, $9.375 million in 2009), with Minnesota offering Boof Bonser (6.30 ERA, 4.48 xFIP, near-minimum salary) in exchange. Seattle declined, causing every seamhead in the Pacific Northwest to do a spit take in unison. It appears for now that Belliard (.806 OPS) will also stay with his team; the Nationals are last in the majors at 44-81, but they’re running out of warm bodies to put on the diamond.
Amidst the chicanery, significant players like Adam Dunn and Paul Byrd have changed teams. Those transactions directly impact the betting odds, so keep an eye on the sports ticker.
Angels at Rays
Game 1: Monday, 7:10 p.m. Eastern
LAA: Jon Garland
TB: Andy Sonnanstine
Game 2: Tuesday, 7:10 p.m.
LAA: Ervin Santana
TB: James Shields
Game 3: Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. (ESPN2)
LAA: Jered Weaver
TB: Matt Garza
The Rays won two of three against the Rangers in Texas; only one game went over the posted total, which is something of a surprise given the over was 30-24 in Arlington heading into the series. Matt Garza (3.63 ERA, 4.42 xFIP) was personally responsible for one of the unders, throwing a two-hit shutout in a 7-0 Rays victory. He gets Wednesday’s Game 3 assignment against Jered Weaver (4.47 ERA, 4.46 xFIP), who’s been the weakest member of the Halos’ starting rotation.
Garland (4.26 ERA, 4.58 xFIP) hasn’t been much better, but at least he’s been profitable at 2.4 units in the black compared to 1.4 units of debt for Weaver. The Rays are -130 for Monday’s opener with a total of 9½ runs.
Astros at Brewers
Game 1: Monday, 8:05 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
HOU: Randy Wolf
MIL: CC Sabathia
Game 2: Tuesday, 8:05 p.m.
HOU: Brian Moehler
MIL: Ben Sheets
Game 3: Wednesday, 2:05 p.m.
HOU: Wandy Rodriguez
MIL: Matt Parra
The Astros are in denial. At 63-61, they’re 13 games behind the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central and 7.5 games behind the Brewers in the Wild Card race. But they have delusions of being in playoff contention – and there are those who would credit GM Ed Wade for picking up Randy Wolf (3.63 ERA, 4.81 xFIP in four Houston starts) at the trade deadline instead of giving up on the season. The Astros are 4-0 in Wolf’s four starts for a profit of 4.67 units.
Houston supporters will pick up another quick 2.4 units if Wolf can make it five in a row on Monday. That’s because he’s matched up against C.C. Sabathia, who has a 1.55 ERA, a 2.98 xFIP and 5.34 units of earnings in eight starts with Milwaukee. The Brewers are 7-1 in those eight games; they’re -270 favorites on Monday with a total of 7½.
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