MLB
Monday, September 6
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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streaking
Roy Oswalt (10-13, 3.01 ERA), Philadelphia Phillies
Turns out, Roy Oswalt isn’t really a consolation prize after all. Of course that’s what everyone thought when the Phillies acquired him at the trade deadline. You see, most people were second-guessing Philadelphia management for trading away Cliff Lee in the offseason only to need to trade for another ace by midseason.
Now Lee is struggling in Texas while Oswalt is flourishing in Philly. The Phillies are 6-0 in his last six starts and the under is 4-2 during the stretch.
Oddsmakers have set the total at 6.5 in each of his last two starts and for good reason. Oswalt owns a 1.02 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP (walks + hits per inning) over his last five outings.
Mat Latos (13-5, 2.25 ERA), San Diego Padres
The Padres are winning many of Latos’ starts these days but that’s not the youngster’s fault. The 6-foot-6 righty has allowed two or less runs in a ridiculous 14 straight starts. San Diego is just 2-4 in his last six appearances but the under is 5-1-1 in his last seven outings.
C.J. Wilson (14-5, 2.88 ERA), Texas Rangers
The support for C.J. Wilson’s Cy Young candidacy is swelling these days. Wilson is the straw that stirs the drink in Texas’ pitching staff. He’s carrying the load with Cliff Lee going through a rough spot.
Jennifer Floyd Engel of the Dallas Star-Telegram wrote a great column making the case for Wilson to win the AL Cy Young. Our favorite stat she listed was his 10 wins following a Rangers loss.
Texas is 9-0 in the southpaw’s last nine appearances and the 7-3 in his last 10 starts.
Struggling
Rodrigo Lopez (5-12, 5.24 ERA), Arizona Diamondbacks
Look, the whole year has been a struggle for his righty. He might be the worst starting pitcher on the worst team in baseball, so we know we’re not breaking any news here for astute bettors.
The thing is, there are a lot of really good hurlers heading to the mound tomorrow and we needed someone to fill the slumping spot. Lopez fits perfectly.
Arizona is 1-8 in Rodrigo’s last nine appearances and the former Oriole has been tagged for five or more runs in three of his last four outings.
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Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
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Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers (-125, 8)
We all know that Manny Ramirez is no angel. But he's starting to look like the White Sox's savior, or at least one heck of a good-luck charm.
Chicago was sleepwalking through the playoff race, going 7-13 over their last 20 before the White Sox claimed the controversial outfielder/designated hitter off waivers.
Manny has gone 4-for-11 since joining the ChiSox, who have rattled off six straight wins to get back in the race. He seems to have brought some swagger to a team that needed some.
"Manny did not come here to save this ballclub; he came here to make us better," manager Ozzie Guillen told reporters. "We have 25 guys and nine on the field. They all have to contribute for us to win games. If that happens to be Manny, good for us [but] we didn’t bring him here to be the savior, to be the guy."
Whatever the case, it's obvious they have a new shot of confidence after sweeping Ramirez's former team, the other Sox, in Boston on Sunday.
Chicago goes to Detroit with another player motivated by facing his ex-team - pitcher Edwin Jackson. He struck out 11 former teammtes last month but took a no-decision.
But this time his new teammates are swinging the sticks, batting .304 against right-handers in their last 10 outings. Manny is batting .364 lifetime against Tigers righty Max Scherzer.
Pick: White Sox
St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers (-130, 8.5)
You can tell a team is struggling when bad news starts leaking out of the clubhouse. The Cardinals, who are 6-16 in their last 22, certainly qualify.
This weekend news broke that outfielder Colby Rasmus asked to be traded after getting berated by manager Tony LaRussa for being late to a July 24 game against the Cubs. La Russa not only confirmed it, he went a step further and said Rasmus also asked to be traded last season.
It may not sound like the spirit you want in a clubhouse, but sometimes you have to clear the air before you can move forward. With Sunday's win over the Reds, consider the Cards' clubhouse officially fumigated.
St. Louis starts right-hander Jake Westbrook, who is 1-3 since joining the Cardinals but has pitched well despite his record. He faces Yovani Gallardo, who is 0-4 lifetime against the Cards. Look for St. Louis to take their frustrations out on the Brew Crew.
Pick: Cardinals
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This Day in Baseball
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On September 6 in Baseball History...
1888 - The National League Indianapolis Hoosiers club tries its second experimental night game (the first was August 22), but the natural gas illumination is inadequate, and the idea is dropped.
1905 - Frank Smith of the Chicago White Sox pitched a no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers in a 15-0 victory in the second game of a doubleheader. The score was the most lopsided margin of victory during a no-hitter in American League history.
1918 - In Game Two of the World Series, which is being played a month early because of World War I, Lefty Tyler of the Cubs drives in two runs in the three-run second. The Red Sox get one in the ninth, but Tyler beats Joe Bush 3-1.
1924 - Urban Shocker of the St. Louis Browns pitched two complete games against the Chicago White Sox and won both, 6-2.
1943 - At sixteen years, eight months, five days, Philadelphia A's pitcher Carl Scheib became the youngest player to appear in an American League game.
1945 - Punching umpire Joe Rue earns an indefinite suspension for Philadelphia A's catcher Greek George. George will not play in the majors again, though his lifetime batting average of .177 might be the main cause.
1950 - Don Newcombe missed pitching complete games in a doubleheader for the Brooklyn Dodgers by leaving in the seventh inning of the second game trailing the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0. Newcombe had won the first game 2-0.
1963 - Baseball historian Lee Allen says the Indians vs Senators game is the 100,000th in Major League history. Bennie Daniels celebrates by beating the Tribe 7-2.
1976 - Los Angeles catcher Steve Yeager was seriously injured when the jagged end of a broken bat struck him in the throat while he was waiting in the on-deck circle.
1977 - The Angels acquire Dave Kingman from the Padres for cash. Nine days later the Yankees will buy Kingman, making him the first player to wear four uniforms in four divisions in the same year. Kingman, who started the season in New York with the Mets, will hit twenty-six home runs to set the mark for the most by a player with more than two teams.
1981 - Despite having won the first-half pennant, Yankees manager Gene Michael is replaced by Bob Lemon, who managed the club in 1978-79. The Yankees are under .500 in the second half of the season.
1981 - Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0 to tie a National League record of seven shutouts by a rookie pitcher.
1982 - Veteran first baseman Willie Stargell, whose number is retired, is saluted by 38,000 fans on his day at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium. The 41-year-old slugger delivers a pinch single in the Pirates' 6-1 win over the Mets.
1995 - Cal Ripken, Jr. played in his 2,131st consecutive Major League game to surpass Lou Gehrig's 56-year record. Ripken received a 22-minute standing ovation and went 2-for-4, including a homer, in Baltimore's 4-2 win over California.
1996 - Eddie Murray hit his 500th home run, joining Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Willie Mays as the only players with at least 3,000 hits and 500 homers. Murray homered off Felipe Lira in the seventh inning of the Baltimore Orioles' 5-4, 12-inning loss to Detroit.