Friday MLB Handicapper Report - 8/17

[Jeff Grant]

I’m sitting in the Orange County airport getting ready to fly out to Las Vegas for five days and hit up the SBR Bash - here’s some information for everyone to start their Friday MLB handicapping

-Orioles starting pitcher Tommy Hunter is 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA in two career starts against the Tigers, but hasn’t faced them since 7/20/10
-Red Sox starting pitcher Franklin Morales has held opponents to a .179 average over his last seven starts, the lowest mark in the majors by a pitcher with at least 50 IP
-White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale is 10-1 with a 2.45 ERA in his last 13 starts
-Indians SP Zach McAllister has a 3.05 ERA over his last seven starts (.224 opp BA)
-Royals SP Luis Mendoza is 2-4 with a 4.83 ERA in 10 home games (eight starts) this year, with the two wins coming in his last two outings
-Angels SP Jered Weaver was 1-0 with a 2.51 ERA in two starts against the Rays last year
-Twins SP Nick Blackburn is 3-2 with a 3.44 ERA in eight career starts against the Mariners
-Yankees SP Phil Hughes is 2-5 with a 6.66 ERA in 10 career starts versus the Red Sox
-Athletics SP Tommy Milone has the sixth lowest home ERA (2.13) in the AL
-Milone has lost each of his last three starts (7.58 ERA, .316 opp BA)
-Mariners SP Hisashi Iwakuma has a 2.90 ERA over his last five starts
-Rangers SP Yu Darvish is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two starts against the Blue Jays (2-2, with a 5.00 ERA in four starts when facing teams for the third time)
-Diamondbacks SP Wade Miley’s 12 wins are tied for the fourth-most among NL rookies since 2007
-Cubs SP Travis Wood has allowed three or fewer earned runs in 12 of his 16 starts
-Reds SP Bronson Arroyo is 10-9 with a 2.94 ERA in 27 career games (25 starts) versus the Cubs
-Dodgers SP Chris Capuano is 5-3 with a 2.64 ERA in 11 career games (nine starts) against the Braves
-Marlins SP Wade LeBlanc is 1-2 with a 6.06 ERA in three career starts at Coors Field (.333 opp BA, four HRs)
-Brewers SP Yovani Gallardo is 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA in two career starts versus the Phillies
-Mets SP Johan Santana is 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA in four career starts at Nationals Park
-Pirates SP James McDonald is 1-2 with an 8.71 ERA in six starts since the All-Star break
-Giants SP Matt Cain earned a win against the Padres on June 7 at Petco Park (6-11, 3.26 ERA in 28 starts)
-Cardinals SP Jake Westbrook is 1-2 with a 4.74 ERA in three starts versus the Pirates this year (1-5, 5.18 ERA in his career)

Read more about Friday night's MLB action by reading the SBR Forum articles

[Jeff Grant]

Detroit Tigers
-The Tigers have won 16 of 19 at Comerica Park
-Posted a 17-16 record against AL East opponents
-SP Justin Verlander is 6-2 with a 1.51 ERA in 10 home outings, second-lowest home ERA in the AL
-Verlander is 7-0 with a 2.71 ERA in 10 career starts versus the Orioles


Pittsburgh Pirates
-Pirates and Cardinals are the only two NL teams that have four players with at least 60 RBI
-Hit 21 three-run or grand slams in their last 72 games, five more than any other MLB team since May 27
-Scored 41 runs this season at Busch Stadium, which is the most by any visiting team (Cubs, 26)
-Play 34 of 44 remaining games against divisional foes (28-19 record thus far, 14-11 on the road)
-SP James McDonald has allowed 10 first-inning runs in his last six starts (21 total)


Chicago Cubs
-Looking to snap a six-game road losing streak
-Closer Carlos Marmol has a 1.54 ERA in 12 appearances in the second half
-SP Travis Wood is looking to snap a career-high five-game losing streak (0-5, 7.22 ERA L6 starts)
-Wood has limited left-handed batters to a .180 BA (RHB, .254)

Don't forget about Friday night's NFL preseason action

[Jeff Grant]

Baltimore Orioles
-Won nine of their last 12 games
-The Orioles are 21-21 against the Tigers at Comerica Park
-OF Adam Jones is homerless in his last 71 at-bats (hitting .310 in that stretch)
-Gone 18-13 against AL Central opponents


Philadelphia Phillies
-In their last seven road contests (4-3 record), Phillies starting pitchers have combined to post a 1.39 ERA
-Philadelphia is 18-17 all-time at Miller Park
-Won seven of 10 series since the All-Star break
-Posted a 13-5 record in their last 18 games against the Brewers
-NL Central is the only division in which they’ve posted an above-.500 record (17-9)
-SP Vance Worley has pitched less than six innings in three of his last four starts (1-1, 4.64 ERA)
-Worley is 3-1 with a 3.74 ERA in 11 career starts versus NL Central foes


Miami Marlins
-Gone 1-5 in their last six games and five of their last 15 in Denver
-1B Carlos Lee is batting .444 with RISP since being acquired on July 5
-SP Wade LeBlanc is 0-1 with a 1.76 ERA in three starts since moving from the bullpen
-LeBlanc has allowed two-or-fewer runs in each of his last six starts (2-2, 2.04 ERA)


Chicago White Sox
-13 games above .500 for the first time since the end of the 2010 season
-Lost six of nine in Kansas City, 8-15 over L23
-Third best road record in the major leagues, leading the AL with a 3.57 road ERA
-Bullpen owns a 1.81 ERA over the L23 games
-SP Chris Sale is 6-3 with a 2.67 ERA in 10 appearances (nine starts) versus division foes this year

[Jeff Grant]

Arizona Diamondbacks
-Won six straight games versus the Astros, while also wining seven of eight at MMP
-Hitting .297 in their last nine road games with RISP
-Averaging 3.72 rpg on the road (5.32 rpg at home)
-Batting .269 versus left-handed pitching this year, second-best in the NL, fifth-best in the majors
-SP Wade Miley has allowed one HR in his last six starts
-Miley has not allowed more than two walks in 20 starts this season


New York Mets
-Lost five of their last six series against the Nationals
-Averaging 4.83 rpg on the road, fourth-most in the majors
-SP Johan Santana has allowed at least six runs in each of his last four starts
-Santana is 0-4 with a 6.82 ERA in seven starts against NL East opponents


Washington Nationals
-Have more home games remaining than any MLB club (27 of 44)
-Allowed the fewest runs in the MLB (13th in scoring, sixth in NL)
-SP Ross Detwiler has worked 12 scoreless innings in two starts against the Mets this year
-Detwiler is 5-0 with a 1.72 ERA in nine games (seven starts) versus divisional foes

Read what my early thoughts were on tonight's MLB card

[Jeff Grant]

Boston Red Sox
-Continue a season-long 11-day, 10-game road trip (25 of 43 remaining games on the road)
-Adrian Gonzalez (.386) and Dustin Pedroia (.379) are the AL’s top two hitters in August
-Only AL team with a winning record at the new Yankee Stadium (16-14)
-SP Franklin Morales is holding left-handed batters to a .189 slugging percentage, lowest slugging rate against in the AL


Los Angeles Angels
-Haven’t scored in 32 innings against the Rays
-Won 17 of Jered Weaver’s last 19 home starts
-Weaver leads the AL in home, night and overall ERA
-Weaver has limited Rays batters to a .195 average
-Since the start of his career in 2006, Weaver leads baseball with a 2.54 home ERA (min. 500 IP)


Tampa Bay Rays
-Gone 17-9 against AL West opponents
-Posted a major league-best 81-45 record in August since 2008
-Pitching staff has a 0.86 ERA in seven meetings against the Angels
-SP James Shields is 1-2 with a 5.67 ERA in four career starts at Angel Stadium (4-1, 1.60 ERA in seven road starts in the series)


New York Yankees
-Posted a 26-12 record in series openers, best winning percentage (.684) in the majors, including a 15-4 mark at home
-Gone 25-16 versus left-handed starters, best winning percentage in the AL
-SP Phil Hughes has allowed five runs or more in five of his 10 career starts versus the Red Sox
-Hughes has gone 15-7 in his last 26 starts immediately following a team loss


San Diego Padres
-In his five career starts at Petco Park, including two against the Padres, SP Ross Ohlendorf’s teams are 5-0
-Handed Giants’ starter Matt Cain more losses than any other MLB team (19-11 in Cain’s starts against them)
-Ohlendorf is 3-7 with a 4.52 ERA in 15 career August starts, most losses of any calendar month in his career