Wednesday MLB Handicapper Report - 8/15

[Jeff Grant]

Philadelphia Phillies
-Strung together consecutive shutout ins for the first time since Aug. 30-31, 2011
-Pitching staff has a 0.41 ERA over its last five road games (4-1 team record, 16-5 scoring margin)
-Aiming for just their second three-game series sweep of the season
-Hit 31 HRs in 29 games since the All-Star break
-SP Roy Halladay has retired 55 of the last 62 batters he’s faced (2-0, 0.60 ERA L2 starts)
-Halladay is 21-5 with a 2.41 ERA in 32 starts against NL East opponents

Miami Marlins
-Leads the season series, 6-5, winning five of the last seven meetings
-Miami’s current 3.09 ERA is the lowest season ERA against the Phillies in franchise history
-Held scoreless in three consecutive games for the first time in franchise history
-SP Mark Buehrle is 0-3 with a 6.84 ERA in his last five starts, with the team losing each of those efforts
-Buehrle is 1-2 with a 4.42 ERA in three starts against the Phillies this year

Get more winning information by reading today's SBR Forum articles

[Jeff Grant]

Detroit Tigers
-Won 24 of 33 against the Twins, including 12 of 15 at Target Field
-3B Miguel Cabrera became the first MLB player to reach 100 RBI this season
-The Tigers are 25-17 against divisional opponents this year
-SP Max Scherzer is 2-0 with a 2.79 ERA in his last three starts against the Twins
-Scherzer is 2-1 with a 5.26 ERA in four career outings at Target Field


Minnesota Twins
-Gone 1-4 in the first five games of their six-game homestand
-Six players that have reached 100 hits this season
-SP Cole De Vries has made just one daytime start this year (6 IP, ER)


Houston Astros
-SP Bud Norris brings in an eight-game losing streak, but has recorded quality starts in five of his last seven outings
-The Astros are 11-23 in day games this year
-Bullpen has posted a 2.39 ERA in their last 12 games
-Norris owns a 3-3 record and 2.52 ERA in seven career appearance (six starts) against the Cubs


Chicago Cubs
-Gone 2-12 in their last 14 games since July 31
-Won 15 of 24 games at Wrigley Field since June 25
-Closer Carlos Marmol has converted his last 13 save opportunities (0.73 ERA)
-SP Justin Germano is 0-2 with a 12.54 ERA in two career starts versus the Astros


Milwaukee Brewers
-3B Aramis Ramirez leads the NL with 56 extra-base hits
-Gone 19-37 on the road (4-14-1 series record)
-Leads the NL with 137 HRs

[Jeff Grant]

Tampa Bay Rays
-Longest winning streak in one season under manager Joe Maddon was snapped last night
-Won their previous eight games with 3B Evan Longoria in the lineup, dating back to April 29
-Gone 47-33 versus right-handed starters (16-20 versus lefties)
-Pitching staff is 12-4 with a 1.58 ERA in the last 16 games
-Bullpen owns a 0.94 ERA over the last 24 games
-The Rays are 28-34 all-time at Safeco Field
-SP Jeremy Hellickson hasn’t completed seven innings in his last 11 starts
-Hellickson has won his last three starts on the road (2.08 ERA)
-Hellickson is 3-0 with a 0.92 ERA in four career starts versus the Mariners, with the Rays winning each of those contests


Seattle Mariners
-Outscored opponents by a 148-128 margin since July 2 (464-474 on the season)
-SP Felix Hernandez is 6-0 with a 1.73 ERA during his current six-game win streak
-Six of their last seven games versus the Rays have been decided by one run
-Hernandez is 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA at home versus the Rays


Washington Nationals
-Washington (171) and San Francisco (159) rank first and second in runs scored since the All-Star break among NL teams
-Not lost a road series since June 22-24, posting a 5-0-2 road series record since
-SP Stephen Strasburg is 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA in his last three road starts
-The Nationals are 23-4 during Strasburg’s career when receiving two-plus runs of support while in the game

Read up on the latest NFL action before Week 2 of the preseason schedule starts on Thursday night

[Jeff Grant]

Boston Red Sox
-The Red Sox are 27-21 on the road since April 23, second in the AL during that span
-Gone 3-7 in the season series against the Orioles
-SP Aaron Cook has a 3.86 ERA over eight starts since coming off the 15-day disabled list on 6/24
-Left his only previous start against the Orioles with a left knee lasceration


Texas Rangers
-The Rangers are 4-10 against the Yankees since 2011 (23-46 since 2004)
-Closer Joe Nathan has converted 21 consecutive save chances, matching the longest single-season streak in team history
-SP Scott Feldman has a team-high six wins since June 19
-Feldman’s 0.91 BB per 9 IP rate since June 1 is the lowest of any MLB pitcher
-Feldman has allowed 19 of his 47 runs as a starter in the second inning, but just one run in the first


New York Yankees
-The Yankees are 10-1 in their last 11 regular season games versus the Rangers at the current Yankee Stadium, including the last seven
-Recorded their eighth shutout of the season on Tuesday, matching their total from 2011
-Yankees third baseman have combined to hit .382 with seven HR in replacement of Alex Rodriguez
-SP Freddy Garcia is 4-0 with a 1.75 ERA in his last six starts against the Rangers since Sept. 2004
-Garcia owns the lowest ERA versus Texas among MLB pitchers (min. 6 starts) during that span
-Garcia has allowed at least one first-inning run in eight of his 12 starts this season (11.25 ERA in that frame)


Los Angeles Dodgers
-Won 11 of their 15 road games since the All-Star break
-Improved to 11-1 in the Eastern Time Zone this year
-Tied a season high with 11 runs last night
-OF Matt Kemp leads the majors with a .451 batting average against left-handed pitching
-Hanley Ramirez is batting .297 with 20 RBI in just 19 games with the Dodgers
-Posted a 1.60 ERA against the Pirates this year


Pittsburgh Pirates
-The Pirates are 11-6 against left-handed starters at PNC Park
-SP Wandy Rodriguez has allowed two earned runs in 19 innings over his last three starts against the Dodgers
-Lost eight straight games against the Dodgers
-Rodriguez has lost each of his last five decisions and seven of his last eight


Chicago White Sox
-The White Sox haven’t won back-to-back games at the Rogers Centre
-Won four of five games on artificial turf this year (15-38 from 2008-11)
-Bullpen owns a 1.83 ERA over the last 21 games
-SP Gavin Floyd has held opponents to a .059 average with RISP over his last eight starts
-Floyd is 0-3 with an 8.25 ERA in Toronto