There's a packed slate of interleague games on tap for Wednesday and one National League showdown between the Reds and Mets. Willie Randolph's club is dominating the National League East with a commanding 9 1/2-game advantage over second-place Philadelphia.
Cincinnati is in second place in the NL Central, trailing first-place St. Louis by five games. Meanwhile, San Diego is clinging to a one-game lead over the Dodgers in the NL West.
Boston owns a two-game cushion ahead of the Yankees in the AL East, while Detroit is two games in front of the White Sox in the AL Central. Texas and Oakland are tied for first in the AL West.
That's an update of your standings, now let's take a look at a plethora of notes and numbers to assist your handicapping of these matchups.
--Remember when Coors Field was considered the best hitter's park in baseball? Not the case anymore, as evidenced by a 24-9 record for the 'under' in Colorado's home games.
--The 'under' is 4-0-1 in Alay Soler's five starts for the Mets, who will wrap a three-game series tonight against Cincinnati. The Reds will give the ball to Joe Mays, who makes his return from a six-week trip to the disabled list. Before being DL'd, Mays went 0-4 with a 10.27 ERA in six starts.
--Very interesting pitching matchup when Milwaukee plays host to Detroit. Nate Robertson is 4-0 on the road with a 3.00 ERA, whille Chris Cupuano is 5-1 with a 2.87 ERA at home. The 'under' is 10-3-2 in Capuano's 15 assignments.
--The 'under' is an MLB-best 44-25 for the Tigers, who are 28-10 on the road following last night's easy 10-1 win over the Brewers as minus 130 favorites. Jim Leyland's team cashed plus 120 payouts for its run-line backers.
--Minnesota has won eight consecutive games, including last night's 6-5 win at Houston as a plus 160 underdog. The Twins have won 10 of their last 11 games. They needed a Justin Morneau homer in the 10th to salvage the victory after Joe Nathan blew his first save of the season, when Preston Wilson slapped a two-out, two-strike pitch for a line-drive homer down the rightfield line. Although Nathan failed to convert the save opportunity, he picked up the win to improve to 5-0.
--Florida has won nine in a row despite fielding the a team with the lowest payroll in baseball. Dating back to May 22nd, the Marlins are 19-6. They are plus 125 underdogs tonight at Baltimore.
--Atlanta has now lost eight consecutive games for the first time since 1989. The Braves have lost 18 of their last 21 games, falling into the cellar of the NL East.
--The 'under' has cashed in five consecutive starts by Arizona RHP Brandon Webb, who is 4-1 with a 2.38 ERA on the road. Webb gets the ball tonight at Tampa Bay.
Cincinnati is in second place in the NL Central, trailing first-place St. Louis by five games. Meanwhile, San Diego is clinging to a one-game lead over the Dodgers in the NL West.
Boston owns a two-game cushion ahead of the Yankees in the AL East, while Detroit is two games in front of the White Sox in the AL Central. Texas and Oakland are tied for first in the AL West.
That's an update of your standings, now let's take a look at a plethora of notes and numbers to assist your handicapping of these matchups.
--Remember when Coors Field was considered the best hitter's park in baseball? Not the case anymore, as evidenced by a 24-9 record for the 'under' in Colorado's home games.
--The 'under' is 4-0-1 in Alay Soler's five starts for the Mets, who will wrap a three-game series tonight against Cincinnati. The Reds will give the ball to Joe Mays, who makes his return from a six-week trip to the disabled list. Before being DL'd, Mays went 0-4 with a 10.27 ERA in six starts.
--Very interesting pitching matchup when Milwaukee plays host to Detroit. Nate Robertson is 4-0 on the road with a 3.00 ERA, whille Chris Cupuano is 5-1 with a 2.87 ERA at home. The 'under' is 10-3-2 in Capuano's 15 assignments.
--The 'under' is an MLB-best 44-25 for the Tigers, who are 28-10 on the road following last night's easy 10-1 win over the Brewers as minus 130 favorites. Jim Leyland's team cashed plus 120 payouts for its run-line backers.
--Minnesota has won eight consecutive games, including last night's 6-5 win at Houston as a plus 160 underdog. The Twins have won 10 of their last 11 games. They needed a Justin Morneau homer in the 10th to salvage the victory after Joe Nathan blew his first save of the season, when Preston Wilson slapped a two-out, two-strike pitch for a line-drive homer down the rightfield line. Although Nathan failed to convert the save opportunity, he picked up the win to improve to 5-0.
--Florida has won nine in a row despite fielding the a team with the lowest payroll in baseball. Dating back to May 22nd, the Marlins are 19-6. They are plus 125 underdogs tonight at Baltimore.
--Atlanta has now lost eight consecutive games for the first time since 1989. The Braves have lost 18 of their last 21 games, falling into the cellar of the NL East.
--The 'under' has cashed in five consecutive starts by Arizona RHP Brandon Webb, who is 4-1 with a 2.38 ERA on the road. Webb gets the ball tonight at Tampa Bay.