Thursday MLB Insider Report - 6/21

[Jeff Grant]

Wednesday MLB Recap

• Rockies closer Rafael Betancourt has blown three saves in 13 tries
• Colorado has dropped 12 of its last 13 games
• Philadelphia is 5-12 since beating Miami on June 1
• Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon is 17 for 17 in save opportunities with a 0.00 ERA
• The Phillies have won 22 of their last 26 games with the Rockies, including a 13-2 mark at CBP
• Philadelphia SP Joe Blanton has allowed a HR in eight straight starts (16 overall in that span)
• New York Yankees have a major league-leading 105 HRs
• Teams have combined to hit eight HRs at Yankee Stadium since it opened in 2009 three times
• Kansas City's pitchers have posted a major league-best 1.31 ERA in the ninth inning or later this year
• Brewers OF Ryan Braun has a 15-game hit streak, while also hitting in 25 straight during interleague play
• Arizona finished with 10 extra-base hits, its most since 2009, while its 30 runs scored in the three-game series against Seattle was its most since scoring 32 in 2001
• The Rangers swept the Padres and improved to 12-3 in interleague play, best in the majors this year
• Tigers closer Jose Valverde missed Wednesday's game and could be sidelines for two or three more days
• Reds 1B Joey Votto has hit safely in 24 of 25 games, batting .484 with six HRs and 17 RBIs in that span
• Athletics SP Tommy Milone improved to 5-1 with a major league-leading 0.99 ERA at home

[Jeff Grant]

Miami Marlins at Boston Red Sox (Betting Odds - Matchup)
-Boston has scored 29 runs and tallied 38 hits in its last three games
-Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia re-aggravated his injured thumb on Tuesday
-Boston DH David Ortiz is 9 for 20 with four HRs and 11 RBIs over his last six games
-Miami’s pitching staff has a 5.94 ERA in June (3.53 ERA in May), entering this game with a 4-13 record this month (club record 21 wins in May)
-Marlins catcher John Buck is 5-for-10 lifetime against Matsuzaka, one of only four players on the roster that has faced him
-Miami SP Carlos Zambrano has held this current version of Boston to a .216 average over 88 at-bats
-Zambrano has a 22.85 ERA over his last two starts (4.1 IP, 11 ER)
-The Red Sox are 9-3 as a home favorite of -125 to -150 (11-1 over)
-The Marlins are 3-6 as a road underdog of +100 to +125 (5-4 under)

Should you lay the number with the Red Sox on Thursday?

St. Louis Cardinals at Detroit Tigers (Betting Odds - Matchup)
-St. Louis will be somewhat familiar with Detroit SP Jacob Tuner, as manager Mike Matheny served as one of his high school coaches
-The Cardinals have scored three or fewer runs in nine of their last 11 games, while going 4 for 25 with men on base the past three games
-Cardinals SP Kyle Lohse has a 12.67 ERA in his last four starts against the Tigers, but hasn’t faced them since 2008
-Turner was 2-1 with a 3.43 ERA in seven starts at Triple-A Toledo
-Tigers closer Jose Valverde will miss at least the next three games with a wrist injury
-The Cardinals and Tigers have played 28 times, with Detroit owning an 18-10 advantage
-Lohse is 1-1 with a 1.84 ERA in two interleague starts this season, but 8-16 with a 5.45 ERA over 34 appearances (30 starts) in that situation in his career
-Turner is making his fourth career start at Comerica Park, going 0-1 with a 8.53 ERA
-The Cardinals are 6-7 on the road with a money line of -100 to -125 (7-6 under)
-The Tigers are 10-13 as a home underdog of +100 to +125 the last two-plus years

Read an SBR Forum preview on this interleague contest

[Jeff Grant]

Los Angeles Dodgers at Oakland Athletics (Betting Odds - Matchup)
-Dodgers SP Clayton Kershaw has compiled a 5.26 ERA in his last four starts, as he’s been dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot
-Top three hitters in the Dodgers lineup are a combined 1 for 24 in this series
-Los Angeles is 2-11 all-time in this series during regular-season play in Oakland
-Oakland’s Josh Reddick is hitless in his last 19 at-bats, one shy of the longest hitless stretch in his career
-Kershaw has gone 5-3 with a 3.19 ERA in 14 career interleague starts
-Athletics SP Travis Blackley has yet to record a decision in three career appearances (one start) against the Dodgers (14.29 ERA)
-The Dodgers are 16-12 against left-handed starters this year (Athletics, 9-12)

Read an SBR article about this contest


Tampa Bay Rays at Washington Nationals (Betting Odds - Matchup)
-Washington is batting .190 and scored a total of 13 runs over the last five games
-Tampa Bay SP Matt Moore averages 4.26 walks per 9IP, which is fourth-worst mark in the AL, while Gio Gonzalez issues 3.66.
-Nationals closer Tyler Clippard is 10-for-10 in save chances this year, not allowing a run in 11.1 IP in that situation
-Moore is 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA in two interleague starts, but both of those came against the Marlins
-The Rays are 5-2 as a road underdog of +125 to +150 this season (5-1 over)
-The Nationals are 7-3 as a home favorite of -125 to -150 (5-4 under)