MLB
Sunday, July 4
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Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
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Seattle Mariners at Detroit Tigers (+105, 7)
If Detroit could play every game at Comerica Park, it would be the best team on the Junior Circuit.
The Tigers returned home Friday from a nine-game road trip, where they went 3-6, and promptly got back to winning ways. Jim Leyland’s ballclub owns the best AL home winning percentage with a 26-11 record. The team is just 19-19 on the road.
"I can't put a finger on it," said pitcher Max Scherzer, who earned a 7-1 win over Seattle on Friday. "We are just playing really well at Comerica. Maybe it's the fans. I believe it is. They come out and support so well. We always seem to play well at home."
Detroit has won 11 of its last 12 home games and runline backers have made a pretty penny with only two of those wins coming by a margin of one run.
"We have a chance to come home and play our style of baseball. We are going to play hard here,” said rookie Brennan Boesch. “We like playing in front of the fans here. We are going to come out here and play our best baseball."
Cliff Lee is on the bump for the M’s in this matchup but the lefty holds a 5-9 career record against Detroit with a 4.76 ERA. As long as La Tigres continue to roll in the confines of their home zoo, bettors should continue to play them.
Pick: Tigers
Tampa Bay Rays at Minnesota Twins (+100, 9.5)
Most hitters would be completely satisfied with a .300 average and 34 RBIs through three months of the season. But when you're the reigning American League MVP and coming off a 28-homer, .365 campaign a year ago, expectations become lofty.
"I really haven't felt good," said Twins catcher Joe Mauer. "Everybody wants to compare to what happened last year and stuff like that. Obviously, I think I'm my worst critic and harder on myself than anybody can be out there.”
So what’s wrong with Mauer? Manager Ron Gardenhire says “nothing” but hitting coach Joe Vavra thinks it might be taking Mauer more time than expected to become acclimated to his new surroundings.
"He's still getting used to the ballpark," Vavra said. "The Metrodome was very comfortable for him. He trusted the backdrop and all that stuff. He needs to learn to trust the new ballpark and what he can do with it."
Home runs and scoring are down at the Twins’ new Target Field. The team has an over/under record of 17-22-2 at home and balls don’t jump around the field on grass like they did on turf at the old dome.
Eight of Minnesota’s last 11 games have played under the total. This number is a nice one to get at Target Field where totals rarely exceed 9. Look for another low-scoring affair between these clubs Sunday.
Pick: Under
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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streaking
Brandon Morrow (5-6, 4.50 ERA), Toronto Blue Jays
The former Mariners castaway has found his big-league groove. Morrow, who’s always had great stuff but poor control, has walked just 12 batters in his last six starts compared to 35 strikeouts.
The hard-throwing righty credits Jose Molina for his turnaround. Molina, the Jays’ backup catcher, became Morrow’s regular partner about a month ago and the difference has been dramatic.
The Jays were only 2-3 in his five starts last month but the under cashed in five of those contests, thanks largely to Morrow’s 1.91 ERA in June.
Cliff Lee (7-3, 2.45 ERA), Seattle Mariners
It seems like Lee’s days are numbered in Seattle, so Mariners backers shouldn’t miss the opportunity to bet their team any time this southpaw takes the mound.
The former AL Cy Young winner has pitched three straight complete games and the last-place M’s are 8-2 in his last 10 starts.
"[Lee] never beats himself,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters after Lee bested the Bronx Bombers. “He never walks people. He has the ability to strike you out, and he locates extremely well.
“He knows how to change speeds extremely well. He's got a little sink to it, he's got a little cut to it, he's got a curveball, a slider and a changeup. He just knows how to pitch, and his command is very, very good."
Slumping
Mike Leake (5-1, 3.30 ERA), Cincinnati Reds
The magical rookie season for Leake is getting a dose of reality. The 23-year-old righty, who still hasn’t pitched an inning in the minor leagues, produced 10 quality starts in his first 11 outings for the Reds.
Over the last four appearances, however, he’s been tagged for 17 runs in just 22.1 innings.
Nick Blackburn (7-5, 6.02 ERA), Minnesota Twins
The Twins don’t have a stud in their rotation but they definitely have a real dud. Blackburn, who had been a serviceable starter for Minny over the last two seasons, went 1-4 with a 10.17 ERA in the month of June.
"It's the same thing that's been happening to me, just letting some balls up and they hit them," Blackburn told the Associated Press after he got pulled in the fourth inning against the Brewers two starts ago.
"It's getting pretty old, going out there and putting out efforts like that and not giving us even remotely a chance to win. It's pretty frustrating."
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Sunday Night Baseball: Royals at Angels
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Kansas City Royals at Los Angeles Angels (-175, 9)
The Royals make a rare Sunday night appearance on ESPN when they meet the Angels in the finale of their three game series. Here’s a peek at what bettors should remember when wagering on this game.
Home sweet home
Things have gone well for the Los Angeles Angels during this 12-game homestand, the longest of the season for the Halos.
"Offensively we're playing up to expectations," said Scott Podsednik. "When they put this club together in spring training, offensively we felt like we had a pretty good attack and right now we're showing that."
After a slow start at home this season, the Angels recent surge lifted them to 22-18 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim prior to this series with Kansas City.
The Angels are also excited about hosting the 2010 All-Star game on July 13. Owner Arte Moreno bubbles when talking about showcasing Anaheim and the stadium.
“As a fan, you get to see things like Derek Jeter batting against Doc Halladay. We get to showcase our stadium, fans and environment,” he said.
When asked about the name change to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Moreno replied, “There's 300,000 people in Anaheim and 3 million in Orange County and 18 million in the metroplex.
“The Angels were doing about $100 million when we bought the team; last season, we did almost $230 million. That's six years later. What we were trying to do with the name change is make it more inclusive.”
I can’t see clearly now
Angels left fielder Juan Rivera is hoping to return to the lineup this weekend after missing consecutive games with eye problems.
He had his eyes examined Thursday after complaining his vision was "a little blurry" at a distance recently. Rivera is batting .239 with 10 home runs and 34 RBIs but insists the vision issue is not the reason for his low average.
Rivera was nowhere to be seen in the series opener Friday and was also absent from the lineup Saturday.
When you’re hot, you’re hot
Kansas City outfielder David DeJesus was named the Royals' Player of the Month for June. In 26 games, he hit .410 with 41 hits, which ranked second in the majors in both categories to Josh Hamilton of the Rangers.
DeJesus led the club with a .530 slugging percentage and drove in 16 runs. His .450 on-base percentage ranked fourth in the American League.
And in case you’re wondering what ever happened to former Royals phenom Alex Gordon, he is alive and well in Omaha.
Gordon, hitting .327 with 11 home runs and 36 RBIs in 53 games, was selected to the Pacific Coast League All-Star team. His .447 on-base percentage ranks second in the league, while his .577 slugging percentage is tied for fourth in the League.
Comeback kids
Veteran right-handers Anthony Lerew of the Royals and Joel Pineiro of the Angels toe the rubber tonight it what will be a matchup of pitchers that refused to toss in the towel.
Lerew was signed by the Royals last March for organizational pitching depth. He previously toiled for the Braves in 2007 before disappearing back into the minors.
It proved to be a good move as he has gone 1-1 with a 3.63 ERA in three starts since former No. 1 overall pick Luke Hochevar went on the DL two weeks ago with a right elbow sprain.
“Every once in a while you get a situation where a guy finds his niche, gets in the right spot and everything clicks,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “That’s happening (for Lerew) right now.”
A former starter with St. Louis in the National League, Pineiro has been born-again with the Angels. He enters tonight’s tussle with five straight team start wins and is also 6-0 in his last six home starts.
Pineiro is 4-2 with a 1.68 ERA in his career at home versus Kansas City.
Royal pain
Kansas City’s anguish in this series continues.
The Royals dropped nine of 10 games to the Angels last year, including all three at Angels Stadium. The Angels won three of four from K.C. earlier this season at Kauffman Stadium.
That widened the series tally with Los Angeles holding a dominating 15-3 overall edge entering this weekend series.
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This Day in Baseball
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On July 4 in Baseball History...
1905 - In the afternoon game of a doubleheader, Philadelphia's Rube Waddell bests Cy Young in a 25-inning marathon as the Athletics down Boston 4-2. A's catcher Ossee Schreckengost works twenty-eught innings in one day, a Major League record.
1911 - In the morning game between Chicago and Detroit, Ed Walsh stops Ty Cobb's 40-game hitting streak as the White Sox win 7-3. Cobb has batted .491 since the streak started on May 15.
1939 - A tearful Lou Gehrig tells 61,808 fans at Yankee Stadium, 'I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.' Gehrig's uniform number four is retired, the first Major League player so honored.
1960 - Mickey Mantle's three-run first-inning home run off Hal Woodeshick is the 300th of his career. Mantle becomes the 18th player to join the 300 club, but the Yankees drop a 9-8 decision to Washington.
1974 - Mike Marshall picks up a 3-2 win over Reds. Over the past 30 days, Marshall is 9-0 with three saves and a 1.82 ERA in twenty appearances.
1980 - Nolan Ryan fans Reds outfielder Cesar Geronimo to become the fourth pitcher ever to reach 3,000 career strikeouts. Geronimo was also Bob Gibson's 3,000th career strikeout victim. Despite the milestone, Ryan is tagged with the 8-1 loss.
1983 - Dave Righetti pitches the Yankees' first no-hitter since Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series. He handcuffs the Red Sox 4-0 before a holiday crowd of 41,077 at Yankee Stadium.
1984 - Phil Niekro strikes out five batters in the Yankees' 5-0 win over Texas to become the ninth pitcher in major league history to record 3,000 career strikeouts.
1985 - In a marathon game that borders on the surreal, the Mets endure two rain delays and six hours and ten minutes of playing time to beat the Braves 16-13 in 19 innings. Relief pitcher Rick Camp, an .060 career hitter, homers in the 18th inning to tie the game no pitcher has ever homered that late in a game. Keith Hernandez hits for the cycle in a game that ends at 3:55 a.m. on July 5, the latest finish in Major League history. At 4:01 a.m., the post-game fireworks display begins, causing some local residents to think the city is under attack.
1987 - In a seven-player swap, the Padres trade pitchers Dave Dravecky and Craig Lefferts and outfielder Kevin Mitchell to the Giants for third baseman Chris Brown and pitchers Keith Comstock, Mark Davis, and Mark Grant. In 1989, Mitchell will win the MVP Award for the Giants and Davis will win the Cy Young for the Padres.
1988 - Kansas City releases pitcher Dan Quisenberry, whose 238 saves are the fourth most in major league history. He will sign with St. Louis next week.
1989 - Cincinnati's Tom Browning is three outs from his second career perfect game when Dickie Thon doubles. Browning is eventually relieved by John Franco in a 2-1 win over Philadelphia.