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Euro 2016 semifinals betting cheat sheet and odds

The two semifinals of Euro 2016 couldn't be more different. One match features two perennial world powers (Germany and France) while the other features an upstart Wales squad against Portugal who is lucky to be in this position.

Portugal Working Overtime

Nothing has come easy for Portugal (+115), which has failed to win a game in regular time so far in the European Championships. But extra-time and penalty shootout triumphs has the Portuguese side in the semifinals for the fourth time in six tournament appearances, and it can advance to the final Wednesday with a win over upstart Wales (+290) at Stade des Lumieres in Lyon. The Welsh side is in the final four at a Euro for the first time in history, advancing to the semis with a 3-1 triumph over world power Belgium.

Lucky Seven for Germany?

A stubborn German side (+180) seeks its seven European Championship finals appearance as it tangles with host France (+175) in semifinal action Thursday at Stade Velodrome in Marseille. Germany eked past Italy in a lengthy penalty showdown in the quarterfinals, after the teams played to a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes. The French come in with big-time momentum after rolling past Iceland 5-2 in the quarterfinals. Germany has won the Euro title three times, while France is looking for its third Euro championship all-time.

News and Notes

* Wales will be missing a pair of key players due to second yellow cards picked up in the quarterfinal victory over Belgium. Star midfielder Aaron Ramsey and veteran defender Ben Davies will both sit out Wednesday’s game, but will be eligible to return for the final.

* At least one player’s family has changed plans ahead of the Belgium-Wales clash. Welsh defender Chris Gunter’s parents will be at his semifinal match in Lyon rather than attending his brother’s wedding in Mexico.

Injury Updates

* Portugal fullback Raphael Guerrero is doubtful for Wednesday’s semifinal matchup as he deals with an undisclosed muscle injury. Midfielder Andre Gomes also has a muscle ailment, and is listed as doubtful.

* Germany will be short-handed for its Thursday tilt with France. Sami Khedira is out after being substituted in the first half against Italy, while Bastian Schweinsteiger and Jerome Boateng are also banged up.

Weather Watch

* Clear skies are expected for Wednesday’s Portugal-Wales clash, with a zero percent chance of rain and temperatures in the low-70s.

* Germany-France will see scattered clouds at kickoff, but no rain expected and temperatures sitting in the high-70s for game time.

Props of the Day

* Wales/Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale to Both Score: Yes (+500): Two of the top goal-scorers will square off in Lyon, with both players a threat to convert at any time. Look for this one to be a wide-open affair, which plays to both strikers’ strengths.

* Germany/France, Half Time/Full Time: France/France (+335): With the home side still buzzing over its five-goal outburst against Iceland and the Germans possibly short four key players, this one has tilted heavily in France’s favour. Expect a dominant showing by the hosts.

Key Trends and Stats

* Wales is the first Euro debut team to reach the semifinals since 1992, when Sweden fell to Germany.

* Portugal and Wales last meet in a 2000 friendly, with the Portuguese side cruising to a 3-0 victory.

* Germany and France have split four all-time World Cup meetings, with France winning the two most recent encounters; they have never met at the European Championships.

* France has won its last two major tournaments as the host country, prevailing at the 1998 World Cup and the 1984 European Championships.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Euro Semifinals
By Toby Maxtone-Smith

Wednesday July 6 - Portugal vs. Wales

Location: Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon
TV/Time: ESPN, 3:00 p.m. ET

Before the tournament started the most likely semi-final on this side of the draw was Spain vs England. But both crashed out in the last 16, and instead it is the two countries’ smaller neighbours, Portugal and Wales, who face off in the third last match of Euro 2016. It is Wales’s first ever semi-final, but for Portugal it is their fifth semi-final since the turn of the century.

The media has billed this as ‘Ronaldo vs Bale’ - a clash between the two most talented players at this tournament. But there is much more to both teams than their Real Madrid star. Wales, however, will be weakened by the loss of Aaron Ramsey through suspension. He is nowhere near as important as Bale, who is irreplaceable, but his passing was the origin of much of Wales’s good play as they beat the Belgians 3-1. It was a superb performance, doing what their neighbours England never do: pulling out a huge performance when it matters.

Portugal have drawn all five of their matches so far, and while they have been decent in all of them, they are nothing to fear for Wales, and punters should not be surprised to see Fernando Santos’s team as big as 23/20. Wales are 16/5 and a draw is 21/10.

My pick here, however, is both teams to score at 6/5. Wales have been more adventurous in France than they were in qualifying, and BTTS has copped in four of their five games so far. Portugal will dominate possession and that will inevitably give them chances, whilst Wales are good from set-pieces and, of course, have Gareth Bale.

Prediction: Both teams to score at 6/5


Thursday July 7 - Germany vs. France

Location: Stade Vélodrome, Marseille
TV/Time: ESPN, 3:00 p.m. ET

The comparative weakness of the other semi-final means that this titanic clash between Germany and France is seen by many as the real tournament decider. It looks an absolutely fascinating game, with bookies having the two teams absolutely neck and neck.

When the prices on this first came out, both teams were 15/8 to win the match, but France have been ever so slightly nudged into favouritism. They are 9/5 with Germany 2/1. Two years ago Germany were in a similar situation: rated absolutely identically to the hosts in a semi-final. What happened then? They beat Brazil 7-1.

There are good arguments to be made for both sides. France had a much more comfortable passage through the quarter-finals, beating a knackered Iceland team 5-2. They were 4-0 up at half-time and could coast through the second half. Germany, meanwhile, went through a gruelling draw with Italy. They were at it for 120 minutes plus a penalty shootout so, despite playing a day later, France might be fresher than Germany. There is also the not unimportant matter of home advantage.

However the case for Germany just looks a little bit stronger. They are the best team in Europe at the moment, and have an ability to control the pace of games that France do not quite have. They are mentally rock solid: no team is less likely to be thrown off course by playing against a hostile crowd. They are more experienced in big matches than France, and have fewer questions to answer at both ends of the pitch.

Prediction: Germany to win at 2/1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Storm (6-11) at Liberty (12-6)

Date: July 06, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

New York Liberty forward Tina Charles is having a better season than she did when she won the WNBA's MVP award in 2012.

Charles is averaging career bests for points (a league-leading 22.8) and assists (4.3). The seventh-year pro leads the league in rebounding (9.8 per game) and is shooting 46.5 percent from the field, her highest mark since making 49.9 percent in her MVP season.

"My teammates put me in the position to be successful," Charles said told SBNation.com after Sunday's 77-67 loss at the Los Angeles Sparks. "It gives me the confidence I need, knowing my team has confidence in me."

The Liberty (12-6) lost all three regular-season meetings to WNBA-leading Los Angeles, but they will try to get back on the winning track Wednesday when they play host to the Seattle Storm in Madison Square Garden.

Seattle, which was 6-10 entering Tuesday night's game at Atlanta, will be playing on back-to-back nights for the only time this season.

Charles has scored at least 21 points in nine consecutive games, twice topping 30. She and Los Angeles center Candace Parker are the only players in the league to rank in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding and assists.

Seattle has emerging star power, thanks to having the top pick in each of the past two drafts. Guard Jewell Loyd, the No. 1 pick in 2015, is averaging 17.1 points per game. This year's top pick, forward Breanna Stewart, is averaging team highs with 18.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.

Veteran guard Sue Bird averages 13.5 points per game.

New York won the first meeting this season, 86-78 on June 5 in Seattle. The Liberty had a plus-nine edge on the glass and shot 49.3 percent from the field to Seattle's 40.3 percent. New York leads the WNBA in rebounding and Seattle is last.

Loyd missed all eight shots from the field and had a season-low three points in the first meeting. Stewart, like Loyd, missed all five of her 3-point attempts but did have a career-high 17 rebounds.

Charles had a double-double (19 points, 13 rebounds), while getting the usual scoring help from guard Sugar Rodgers, who scored 18. Rodgers is averaging 16.2 points per game and has made 43.5 percent of her 3-pointers.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Mystics (9-9) at Stars (4-13)

Date: July 06, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

The Washington Mystics had an easy time beating the San Antonio Stars last week in Washington.

Perhaps things will be different when the teams meet Wednesday night in San Antonio -- but probably not, if the Stars are without their leading scorer.

Guard Kayla McBride, who leads the Stars at 17.1 points per game, was helped off the court in the third quarter of Saturday's game at Minnesota after suffering what was diagnosed as a sprained right foot, the team announced Tuesday afternoon. Her status was listed as day to day.

In last week's meeting, the Stars scored the first two points of the game, but the Mystics then went on an 18-0 run. Washington held San Antonio to a season low for points in a quarter (seven) and eventually pushed the lead to 30 in the second half before taking an 84-67 victory.

The energy level was especially pleasing to Washington coach Mike Thibault.

"That's been our biggest focus -- that we play harder than who we're playing against and that we play with high energy and try to get people on their heels," Thibault said after the win. "If you do that, you give yourself a chance every night."

Washington (9-9) started a five-game trip with an 86-84 loss at the Chicago Sky on Friday night. San Antonio (4-13) is coming off a 91-68 loss to Minnesota.

Generating offense has been San Antonio's foremost problem. The Stars average a league-low 74.2 points per game and are last in field goal shooting percentage (40.6).

None of their starters in last week's loss at Washington scored in double figures. Those five combined to make 8 of 28 shots from the field.

Rookie guard Moriah Jefferson is second on the team in scoring behind McBride, averaging 10.8 points to go with 4.1 assists per game.

For Washington, guard Tayler Hill averages a team-high 15.7 points, with forward Emma Meesseman posting averages of 14.9 points and 5.6 rebounds.

Despite the loss at Chicago, Washington has bounced back nicely from a 2-6 start.

"That was not looking very good at the start," Thibault said. "We maintained that once we got healthy and everyone got a chance to get a little rhythm together, we would get better."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Fever (7-10) at Sparks (16-1)

Date: July 06, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

The Indiana Fever enter the second half of the WNBA season on the fringe of a playoff spot.

That is not great news as Indiana tries to get forward Tamika Catchings into the postseason in her 16th and final season in the league.

The worse news: Indiana has yet to play the Los Angeles Sparks.

The Sparks (16-1) and Fever (7-10) will play the first of three meetings this season Wednesday night in Los Angeles.

"Just focus on the Fever, focusing on those details," Indiana guard Shenise Johnson told WNBA.com about the matchup. "If we do that, we should take care of business."

Easier said than done against the Sparks, who shoot league highs from the field (49.1 percent) and 3-point range (39 percent), while holding opponents to a league-low 72.5 points per game.

While the Fever battle for one of eight spots in the 12-team league, the Sparks sit at the top, having tied the 1998 Houston Comets for the best 17-game start in league history.

Los Angeles is coming off a 77-67 home victory over the New York Liberty on Sunday. Forward Nneka Ogwumike continued to make her MVP case with 22 points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots in the battle of conference leaders.

Ogwumike is averaging 18.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while shooting 69.9 percent from the field.

The Sparks have a second MVP candidate in center Candace Parker (16.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game). Guard Kristi Toliver has the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league (3.7-to-1) on a well-balanced team.

Indiana, which is starting a three-game road trip, is led in scoring by Catchings at 13.7 points per game. Guard Tiffany Mitchell is averaging 11.2 points per game. Center Erlana Larkins is coming off a 16-point, 17-rebound performance in the team's 87-85 overtime loss to San Antonio on Friday night.

Indiana has re-signed guard Jeanette Pohlen, who was waived in camp. Pohlen, who had been with the Fever since coming out of Stanford in 2011, could add an outside threat to a team that shoots 28.5 percent behind the arc, 11th in the WNBA.

Pohlen is a career 42.5 percent shooter on 3-point attempts.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Northfield: Wednesday 7/6 Analysis + Pick Four Ticket
By Jeremey Day

DRF HARNESS

Race 8 - $10,000 Guaranteed Pick Four Pool

Jeremey’s $1 Pick Four play:

2 / 3,5,9 / 2,5,7 / 1,2,3,9 = $36


Best Bet: SNEAKY SAM (6th)

Spot Play: PRINCE BEACON (13th)


Race 1

(4) VELOCITY RAQUEL well bred mare is the horse to beat if she minds her manners. (2) POR QUE NO 3-year-old filly just missed at this level and gets a much better starting post. (9) RADIO LOVER beat this same bunch last week but had a lot of racing luck.

Race 2

(2) HEZA RUBE veteran trotter is one of the fastest horses in the race. (1) PATIENT I D four-year-old mare doesn't own a bunch of gate speed so is usually in a tough spot mid race. (9) MUTINYONTHEBOUNTY has been consistent most of the year; threat.

Race 3

(5) MAJOR REFORM five-year-old finds a weak field full of question marks and will offer a big price. (6) ONE MORE THING had some sneaky last pace last week against slightly tougher. (3) WEIRD EARZ has just been racing evenly; command a price.

Race 4

(3) COME ON HERBIE four-year-old might have some upside making his career debut. (5) ROSE RUN RAE filly has flashed some ability; first time Lasix. (8) ZOE MAY needs a good setup but could possibly hit the ticket underneath at a price.

Race 5

(1) BOOMERS SIDEKICK never got into the mile last start but will probably be used aggressively with the rail. (3) MISTY MORNINGLIGHT will look to make it two straight against similar. (2) FLUKY'S GIRL adds first time lasix with a good post.

Race 6

(6) SNEAKY SAM trotter is better than what he shows on paper; big chance. (3) WHITE EARNIE put in a sneaky good effort last week from a tough post. (4) BLACK DENIM N LACE finished second at a big price last race against a decent opponent.

Race 7

(3) I SCOOT QUICK lightly raced pacer has room to improve in his third career start. (8) YOUHADMEFROMHELLO filly adds first time Lasix coming off a winning qualifier. (9) FLYIN ORION has shown improvement each qualifier; use underneath.

Race 8

(2) JK PATRIOT will look to drop and pop against a suspect bunch. (7) SAVANNAH SPLENDOR gets sent out for the top barn off an easy win against softer. (1) THE PRICE YOU PAY doesn't win often but should be in line for a nice trip up close.

Race 9

In a tough race to gauge, (5) SHARP ACTION has been knocking on the door against better. (9) PARNELL couldn't seal the deal two back off easy fractions; command a price. (3) NORMA'S ROSE owns some back class but needs a smooth trip.

Race 10

(7) BUCKEYE BATTLE CRY showed big improvement first start for a new trainer. If the pacer improves off that effort he can score. (5) ROCKEM AGAIN might have turned a corner after two much-improved efforts. (2) STRIDE OF PRIDE looks to have a lot of ability but made multiple breaks in his last race.

Race 11

(2) TERROR OF THETRACK has won at this level before and should be in line for a nice ground-saving trip at a big price. (1) MANIPULATOR takes a significant drop in class with the best post. (3) INDEPENDENT SPIRIT burned cash at this level last week just missing.

Race 12

(5) ROCKIN H CHEERY O showed a decent burst of speed in the qualifier. The gelding has a good lifetime win percentage. (3) BOSSTON BNZ gelding makes his third start back off a long layoff and has room to improve. (9) K D BELLA trotting mare has yet to win on the year; use underneath.

Race 13

(3) PRINCE BEACON gelding will look to drop and pop against an easier bunch. (8) AHDOUGHNOLUM also drops in class for a capable barn. (4) HYD-DAT SHOOTER pacer can upset with a good setup; versatile.

Race 14

(9) FEELIN THE SEA has been racing well with little to show for it so far; big chance. (6) RACEL REIGN lightly raced mare looks to have a lot of talent but could need a start. (8) DAYTON ANGEL will look to make it three straight but gets a downgrade in the bike; command a price.

Race 15

(2) AUDITORIAL well bred pacer needed his last start off a short layoff and should have more to offer. (3) LIGHTNINGINTHESKY doesn't win often but does pick up a top driver. (9) D J SUPREME drops down to the bottom level and will be used aggressively.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

SPOT PLAYS

For Wednesday


TRACK (RACE) HORSE, MORNING LINE


Delaware Park (2nd) Talented Tyler, 3-1
(8th) Gioia Stella, 4-1

Evangeline Downs (2nd) Flashy Lynn, 6-1
(5th) Frankie's Tough, 6-1

Finger Lakes (3rd) Lesson in Deceit, 9-2
(5th) Malibu Ice, 5-1


Indiana Grand (5th) Spy Dancer, 4-1
(10th) Cherub, 9-2


Louisiana Downs (2nd) Totally Kim, 6-1
(6th) Rulers Honour, 9-2


Mountaineer (3rd) Twice With Ice, 5-1
(7th) Leestown's Omega, 3-1


Penn National (4th) Indigo Pearls, 9-2
(6th) Hectic, 7-2


Presque Isle Downs (3rd) Fear, 3-1
(5th) Snake Pit, 4-1


Thistledown (4th) Love the Minister, 6-1
(5th) Summer Stone, 3-1


Woodbine (3rd) Foxy Phil, 3-1
(7th) Starlight Angel, 3-1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB Betting: Division Underdogs

Just about half of a team’s 162 game MLB schedule is against division rivals and these games have a lot more meaning to them as team's try to either win a division title or get into the playoffs. If you're going to bet on underdogs, it's a great idea to focus on divisional games as there is extra incentive for team's in these matchups and under the right set of circumstances can deliver big profits.

At this point in the season, divisional home underdogs have won 53 games, lost 86 with a negative impact of -$2045 against the money line. Division road underdogs have walked off winners in 137 and at the wrong end of a decision 167 times. But, the road pooches have been a good choice, stuffing betting accounts to the tune of +$1533. Of course, you can't blindly bet on divisional road underdogs every time and expect to come out ahead in the long run, so let’s take a look at a situation where it favors you.

Our MLB number crunching machine chips in small to medium divisional road underdogs priced between +$1.00 and +$1.50 delivered the goods. In this situation the home favorite essentially has an edge but isn't overly superior meaning the underdog in what is basically a tossup game can easily upset the odds offering good value. In 221 situations so far, division road underdogs in the +$1.00 to +$1.50 range won at a 48.4% clip (107-114) rewarding backers with +$1527 at the betting window.

An even better ROI can be had focusing on fewer plays with less total money at risk. In this situation we want to concentrate strickly on a division road underdog that won the first game of the series and getting little respect in game-two as they won at a 55.3% clip (21-17) cashing +$788 worth of tickets.

While there's no guarantee small to medium divisional road underdogs in the above mentioned situation will continue to perform the rest of the way, the angle is definitely worth keeping an eye-out for.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

July Pitchers Report
By Marc Lawrence

Fireworks and the MLB All-Star game go hand-in-hand during the month of July. It also denotes the start of the 2nd half of the MLB campaign. And as we’ve come to learn the key to each and every team’s fortune lies on the pitching staff.

Can they sustain or will they unravel like Jose Canseco going back on a fly ball? Stay tuned. What we do know is that certain pitchers love hurling this time of the season while others tend to get lit up like a roman candle on the 4thof July.

Listed below are hurlers that have enjoyed a two-to-one or better success ratio in team-starts over the course of the last three seasons during the month of July.

On the flip side, we've also listed pitchers that struggle in July, winning 33% percent or less of their team-start efforts. To qualify pitchers must have made a minimum of 10 starts, with at least one start each July over the last three years.

And for your convenience alongside each record we break down each pitcher’s greatest success or greatest failure rate either home (H) or away (A) within his good or bad month.

Note: * designates a categorical repeat appearance by this pitcher, maintaining status quo from last season’s July list.

GOOD MONTH PITCHERS:

*Chen, Wei-Yin - 9-4 (5-1 H)

The Miami left-hander has not been terribly effective with an ERA hovering around 5. If Chen can develop more command, he's shown again this year he's tough when in challenging situations, allowing .186 batting average and .271 on-base percentage with runners in scoring position.

Garza, Matt - 9-3 (5-1 H)

Since coming back from spring training injury on June 14th, the Milwaukee right-hander has been a mix of good and bad, but come through when it counted. Opposing hitters are batting over .300 against Garza, but he's held those runners in check and induced a heavy dose of ground balls that have led to outs. If he continues, this Brewers starter might be effective.

Greinke, Zack - 11-4 (6-2 H)

Though Arizona is falling short of preseason expectations, the Diamondbacks ace is not and, other than Clayton Kershaw, has arguably been as effective as any pitcher since the end of April with batters hitting around .200 against him. Once again his array of pitches are finding the right spots and fastball is cooking!

Kazmir, Scott - 10-5 (6-2 H)

When Kazmir misses on location for fastball, the other team's lineup begins to look for off-speed stuff, which has caused his inconsistency this season. When he's working the corners on the knees early in the count, this sets up secondary pitches. In the past he's done so in July, let's see what he comes up with this time.

*Kershaw, Clayton - 12-3 (8-0 A)

When either Kershaw loses or has a less than stellar performance, which is infrequent, it is home page news on most sports websites. With opponents batting just .185 against him, baseball's best pitcher has close to as many home runs surrendered (6) as walks (9) to start the month over 121 innings. It’s no wonder his name is whispered in the same company as Sandy Koufax.

Kluber, Corey - 13-4 (9-2 H)

Since winning the Cy Young award in 2014, Kluber has not been able to match that magical season, but is part of a very good Cleveland rotation. Looking ahead, if the Indians righty can do a better job than permitting .281 batting averages with runners in scoring position, all his numbers will drop and his victories will go up. Note: Kluber’s numbers above also reflect his career team mark during July.

*Liriano, Francisco - 12-2 (7-0 H)

After several fine seasons with Pittsburgh, Liriano has not been effective in 2016. Walks and home runs have done him in and in order to reflect past results of July, he's going to have to stop leaving pitches in the heart of the plate.

Peralta, Wily - 8-4 (5-1 H)

Peralta has been thoroughly ineffective all season (6.68 ERA) and was sent to minors after June 11th start. His return this month or this season depends on his Triple-A results. Note: Peralta’s numbers above also reflect his career team mark during July.

Price, David - 11-5 (7-1 A)

To date, the Boston lefty could be described as a mild disappointment, with an ERA north of 4.5 most of the season. No longer owning an upper 90's heater, Price does not blow away as many hitters as before and the fastball lacks some of the previous movement of the past. The slider has not had the usual bite from start to start. Red Sox need this ace to be one.

Ross, Tyson - 10-4 (4-1 H)

Ross has not pitched since he hit the DL with right shoulder inflammation after first start in April. San Diego Union reports a return even this month appears optimistic.
Note: Ross’ numbers above also reflect his career team mark during July.

Santana, Ervin - 11-4 (8-1 H)

Like his teammates, Santana is not having a good year, as opposing hitters are clocking him for nearly .300 average, compared to .256 over his 11-year career. Little reason to believe this month will match the past even if he improves with this Twins club.

*Volquez, Edinson - 10-5 (6-1 A)

Never a frontline hurler, Volquez numbers this campaign have matched the Royals, being very ordinary to date. The Dominican Republic native has done the job against right-handed batters, who have been knocking him around for nearly .300 average.

BAD MONTH PITCHERS:

Wood, Alex - 4-8 (0-6 A)

Wood – the only pitcher to appear on the July Bad Month list this season - was initially expected to be shut down for four weeks after landing on the 15-day disabled list at the end of May with a posterior impingement in his throwing elbow. Currently, the timetable is for mid-July return, but the oft-injured pitcher can hardly be counted on as record shows. Note: Wood’’s numbers above reflect his career team mark during July.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

How run differential can be the key to cashing MLB runline bets
By JOE FORTENBAUGH

Behind yet another incendiary performance from a member of their starting rotation, the white-hot Cleveland Indians matched a franchise record in Thursday night’s 4-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays by winning their 13th consecutive game.

The Tribe’s current winning streak is the longest by any team in Major League Baseball this season as well as the longest run of success the club has strung together since winning 13 straight in 1951.

Thursday’s accolades belonged to 29-year-old righty Carlos Carrasco, who is now 1-0 with a 1.14 ERA, 27 strikeouts and just seven walks in three starts during Cleveland’s 13-game rampage through professional baseball. A rampage, mind you, that has featured the Indians outscoring the opposition 80-26 (+54 run differential), which is good for a winning margin of 4.15 runs per game.

Predictably, gambling twitter immediately responded with some variation of the following data: If you had bet to win $100 on every game Cleveland was listed as a favorite during the team’s current 13-game winning streak and risked $100 on Cleveland when the Indians assumed the underdog position during said streak, you would currently be up $1,337.

That’s a respectable chunk of change for less than two week’s worth of work. But with Cleveland’s moneyline prices beginning to surge due to the team’s recent onslaught against all comers, could you have found a way to turn a similar profit without assuming as much risk?

The answer, of course, is yes. And all you would have had to do was replace your moneyline bets with run line wagers.

For the uninitiated, a run line bet is essentially Major League Baseball’s version of the NFL point spread, with one team listed as a 1.5-run favorite, the other listed as a 1.5-run underdog and corresponding odds attached to both spreads. For example, the Indians were listed as -120 favorites for Thursday night’s game against the Blue Jays (+110) on the moneyline, but were posted at the more appealing price of +130 if you were willing to lay 1.5 runs against Toronto (-150). The benefit is the opportunity to back the better team with less financial risk, while the downside is the fact that Cleveland had to win by two or more runs to cash the run line bet as opposed to simply winning the game by any margin to cash the moneyline ticket.

Since the Indians launched their 13-game tirade against the rest of Major League Baseball back on June 17 in Cleveland against the White Sox, the Tribe have been listed as a moneyline favorite 11 times and run line favorite four times. And if you were to bet to win $100 every time Cleveland was a favorite and risk $100 in each instance the Indians were listed as an underdog, here’s how your portfolio would break down:

13 moneyline bets: 13-0 record, $1,884 risked, $1,337 won

13 run line bets: 11-2 record, $1,468 risked, $1,129 won

By simply substituting run line bets for moneyline bets during Cleveland’s 13-game winning streak, your profits would have dropped by 15.5 percent, but your overall risk assumed would have plummeted by 22.1 percent. That’s not a bad tradeoff when you need to win by two or more runs with a pitching staff that has limited the opposition to just 2.0 runs per game during its 13-game stretch of nothing but victory celebrations.

But here’s the tricky part: It’s easy to come swooping in after a team has won 13 straight matchups and exclaim, “Hey, you should have been betting the run line instead of the moneyline!” After all, hindsight is 20/20. What we need to identify is a way of determining which teams offer the best chance for success when betting the run line.

Thankfully, we have those rankings for you, as well as something else you should be taking into consideration.

Below you will find Major League Baseball’s 30 member organizations ranked by run line winning percentage entering Thursday night’s slate of action. In addition, you’ll notice a number in parenthesis next to each team’s record. That number represents the run differential ranking for each club entering Thursday night as well. For example, when you see a (6) next to the Texas Rangers, you’ll know that Texas ranks sixth in MLB in run differential.

1. Texas Rangers: 52-28 (6)
2. Baltimore Orioles: 46-31 (7)
3. San Diego Padres: 46-33 (25)
4. Detroit Tigers: 45-34 (15)
5. Chicago Cubs: 44-34 (1)
6. Kansas City Royals: 44-34 (18)
7. Cleveland Indians: 43-35 (2)
8. Colorado Rockies: 42-36 (16)
9. Oakland A’s: 42-36 (23)
10. St. Louis Cardinals: 41-37 (4)
11. Washington Nationals: 42-38 (3)
12. Milwaukee Brewers: 40-38 (26)
13. Toronto Blue Jays: 41-40 (11)
14. Boston Red Sox: 39-39 (5)
15. Miami Marlins: 39-39 (14)
16. San Francisco Giants: 39-41 (8)
17. Philadelphia Phillies: 39-41 (27)
18. Cincinnati Reds: 39-41 (30)
19. Chicago White Sox: 38-41 (17)
20. Seattle Mariners: 37-41 (10)
21. Houston Astros: 37-42 (12)
22. Los Angeles Dodgers: 37-44 (9)
23. Arizona Diamondbacks: 37-44 (21)
24. Pittsburgh Pirates: 36-43 (19)
25. Minnesota Twins: 35-43 (29)
26. Atlanta Braves: 34-44 (28)
27. New York Yankees: 34-44 (20)
28. Tampa Bay Rays: 32-46 (22)
29. Los Angels Angels: 32-47 (24)
30. New York Mets: 30-48 (13)

The first question you may be asking yourself is, “Why run differential?” That’s an excellent inquiry. Essentially, we want to look at each team’s run differential to give us an idea of which squads have the firepower to consistently cover 1.5 runs while also examining which clubs get blown out on a regular basis. As you’ll notice in the rankings above, five of the top ten run line clubs (Rangers, Orioles, Cubs, Indians and Cardinals) also rank within the top ten in run differential, while five of the bottom ten run line clubs (Angels, Rays, Braves, Twins and Diamondbacks) also rank within the bottom ten in run differential. So based on this simple correlation alone, we’ve discovered that a third of the league’s run line record matches up with its run differential ranking.

One team to keep an eye on moving forward in regards to run line wagering is the Philadelphia Phillies, who have lost 28 of their last 39 games after commencing the season with a 24-17 record. What’s intriguing about Philadelphia is that despite winning just 43.8 percent of their contests this season, the 2008 World Champions are a shocking 18-9 (.666) in one-run games in 2016. That type of performance in one-run affairs is extremely difficult to sustain over the course of a 162-game season, so don’t be surprised if the Phillies exhibit a regression in that department in the very near future.

As for the Indians, who knows when Cleveland’s starting rotation will hit a rough patch and regress to the mean. After all, this club hasn’t lost since the Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'Interleague Over Gamblers Cashing'

Three month's worth of baseball in the books 'Over' gamblers are cashing at a healthy 57.4% clip when American League clubs take on National League teams. The 'Over' has been the correct choice in 200 games vs 130 'Under', 18 'Push'.

In the Junior Circuit, the Detroit Tigers (12-2 O/U), Los Angeles Angels (11-3-1), Minnesota (11-1-1) lead the way. In the Senior Circuit it's San Diego Padres (9-2 O/U), Pittsburgh Pirates (11-4), Colorado Rockies (8-2) cashing consistently for 'Over' gamblers.

This week, Baltimore Orioles-Los Angeles Dodgers will be trying to keep 'Over' bettors happy.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Toronto vs Kansas City Series! July 4-6

Toronto and Kansas City square off in a three game series at Rogers Center north of the border. This will be the first meeting of the season between these clubs since since Jays fell short in the American League Championship Series last October. With that October setback, got to think Jays are going to show up and give it their best. Looking at probables for the series and the fact Royals are a brutal 13-25 on the road a series sweep for Jays is not out of the question.

Aaron Sanchez gets the nod for the Blue Jays in the opener. Sanchez off a fantastic outing tossing eight innings of one run ball has won his last seven decisions and will carry an 8-1 record, 3.08 ERA to the hill. Sanchez trades pitches with Edinson Volquez (7-7, 4.80 ERA) who is also off a strong 6 2/3 inning start of shutout ball. Jays ridding a 4-0, 6-2 home streak with Sanchez have the edge over Royals who are 3-4 in an opposing park with Volquez and have lost his last two starts in Toronto.

The second pitching matchup features knuckelballer Dickey vs Chris Young. Toronto handing the ball to Dickey does serve as an alarm, since the Blue Jays are 0-8 in Dickey's home starts this season, 1-10 his last eleven in front of the home audience. Then again, Young hasn't been a peg to hang your hopes on in road games going 0-5 over six starts with Royals 1-5 over those games. Young tagged for a long-ball in twelve of his fourteen starts, 22 total for the campaign Jays should give their fans something to cheer about while providing hard-luck Dickey a rare team win at home.

In the finale, Marcus Stroman gets the call for Toronto after spinning one of his finest outings of the season last time out pitching 6 2/3 innings allowing one run on five hits while striking out six. His counter part, Ian Kennedy is off his seventh loss of the season and of those seven six have been on the road. Look for Jays to make it 3-0 vs Royals with Stroman.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB roundup: Stanton powers Marlins past Mets
By The Sports Xchange

NEW YORK -- Giancarlo Stanton hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning before putting the game out of reach with a monstrous three-run shot in the eighth inning of the Miami Marlins' 5-2 win over the New York Mets at Citi Field on Tuesday.
Stanton's first homer landed several rows back in the left-center field bleachers, and his second one landed in the second deck. The two-homer game was the first of the season for Stanton and the 17th of his career. The five RBIs were his most in a game since April 18, 2014.
Chen allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out five over seven innings.

Phillies 5, Braves 1
PHILADELPHIA -- Zach Eflin pitched his first complete game, and four Philadelphia solo home runs were more than enough to deliver the rookie right-hander his first career win, topping Atlanta.
Peter Bourjos, Cody Asche, Maikel Franco and Tommy Joseph all went deep for the Phillies, who won for the seventh time in eight games to creep closer to .500 with the All-Star break only five games away.
Eflin threw 92 pitches in nine innings, the first time in five career starts he got past the sixth. He gave up six hits but countered that with six strikeouts and no walks.

Reds 9, Cubs 5
CHICAGO -- Zack Cozart and Jay Bruce each clubbed two-run homers as Cincinnati never trailed en route to a victory over Chicago.
Reds starter Brandon Finnegan worked five innings and broke a three-game losing streak for the win as Cincinnati evened the series at a victory apiece. Cubs starter John Lackey was hit for six early runs and took the loss in a six-inning outing, his third setback since June 20.
Cozart went 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs, Billy Hamilton was 2-for-3 with a walk and scored twice while Bruce slugged a two-run homer in the ninth -- his 18th -- as the Reds snapped a two-game losing streak.

Blue Jays 8, Royals 3
TORONTO -- Josh Donaldson hit two solo home runs, Ezequiel Carrera added a solo shot, Troy Tulowitzki hit a three-run blast and R.A. Dickey struck out eight in seven innings as Toronto defeated Kansas.
Cheslor Cuthbert, who had three RBIs, hit a two-run homer for the Royals.
Dickey allowed four hits, three walks and two unearned runs. Royals starter Chris Young gave up seven hits, including four home runs, and six runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Brewers 5, Nationals 2
WASHINGTON -- Aaron Hill went 3-for-4 with a walk and three RBIs and young right-hander Zach Davies allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings as Milwaukee beat first-place Washington, taking the first two games in the series.
Hernan Perez, the No. 6 batter in the order, smashed a two-run homer off starter Gio Gonzalez in the sixth to give the Brewers a 3-1 lead. It was the fourth homer of the season for Perez and just the fifth in 463 career at-bats.
Jonathan Lucroy added two hits for the Brewers and Daniel Murphy, Danny Espinosa and Anthony Rendon had two for the Nationals.

Indians 12, Tigers 1
CLEVELAND -- Lonnie Chisenhall had four hits and three RBIs and Tyler Naquin and Carlos Santana homered as Cleveland continued its domination of Detroit at Progressive Field.
Cleveland is now 11-0 against Detroit this year and the Indians have outscored the Tigers 77-24. The first-place Indians, who went 22-6 in June and have won 16 of their last 18 games, lengthened their lead in the American League Central over the second-place Tigers to 7 1/2 games.
Carlos Carrasco gave up one run in six innings and combined with two relievers on a four-hitter to get the win. Detroit starter Anibal Sanchez was rocked for seven runs in less than five innings in taking the loss.

Angels 13, Rays 5
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Los Angeles got two home runs from red-hot C.J. Cron, pulling away with six runs in the ninth to aa win over Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field.
The Angels had lost 12 of 14 games before bouncing back for the road win, with Cron breaking open a back-and-forth game with a three-run home run in the ninth.
Rays pitchers have allowed 19 runs in the ninth inning of their last six games, this after allowing a total of 23 runs in the ninth inning of the first 77 games this season.
Cron hit his 10th and 11th home runs -- he already has five home runs and 13 RBIs in July.

Rangers 7, Red Sox 2
BOSTON -- Robinson Chirinos blasted a three-run homer in the ninth inning after Rougned Odor doubled home the go-ahead run in the sixth as Texas crushed Boston at Fenway Park.
It was the sixth homer of the year for Chirinos, the Rangers' No. 9 hitter, as Texas reclaimed the major-league lead in wins after the Chicago Cubs' 9-5 loss to Cincinnati.
Shin-Soo Choo hit a solo homer for his seventh bomb of the season and Elvis Andrus and Jurickson Profar each had RBIs for the Rangers.

Astros 5, Mariners 2
HOUSTON -- Dallas Keuchel worked six solid innings and Houston showcased an electric power display with three home runs to beat Seattle at Minute Maid Park.
Luis Valbuena, Colby Rasmus and A.J. Reed all clubbed homers off Mariners right-hander Taijuan Walker (4-7), with Valbuena socking his 10th home run and Rasmus his 11th dinger. Collectively, that trio finished 3-for-5 with five RBIs, four runs scored and one walk against Walker.
Keuchel won his third consecutive start and recorded his first home win since April 15 against the Tigers. He allowed a run-scoring groundout to Mariners catcher Chris Iannetta in the second inning and a solo home run to Nelson Cruz in the fourth, his 22nd, but was effective.

Pirates 5, Cardinals 2
ST. LOUIS -- Eric Fryer drove in three runs and David Freese contributed to both of Pittsburgh rallies as it tied its season long winning streak with a win over St. Louis.
Freese, the 2011 World Series Most Valuable Player, doubled and scored in a two-run fifth. An inning later, he snapped a 2-2 tie when he poked an RBI single up the middle and through a drawn-in infield that scored Andrew McCutchen.
Fryer, playing his first game for the Pirates since being picked up off waivers Sunday from the Cardinals, dumped a two-out, two-run double down the right field line off Mike Leake that scored Freese and Jordy Mercer for a three-run advantage.

Yankees 9, White Sox 0
CHICAGO -- Masahiro Tanaka didn't allow a run and New York cranked out a season-high 20 hits in a win over Chicago at U.S. Cellular Field.
Tanaka, pitching on five days' rest instead of the usual four, kept the White Sox off-balance for most of his 7 2/3 innings by efficiently using his pitches. Tanaka struck out six, walked one and worked around a couple of trouble spots without allowing a run.
Brett Gardner went 4-for-6 and scored two runs, Carlos Beltran was 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI, and Mark Teixeira went 2-for-5 with two RBIs to lead the Yankees, who had seven doubles and two home runs.

Diamondbacks 7, Padres 5
PHOENIX -- Rickie Weeks Jr. homered and Paul Goldschmidt drove in a pair of runs as Arizona beat San Diego.
Jean Segura had three hits and scored three runs and Jake Lamb added a pinch-hit triple for the Diamondbacks, who won for the second time in 10 games.
Wil Myers had four hits, including a triple, and drove in a run, Matt Kemp had an RBI double and Yangervis Solarte added a run-scoring single for the Padres, who have lost two of three.

Orioles 4, Dodgers 1
LOS ANGELES -- Chris Tillman gave up one run over seven innings, Manny Machado hit a decisive three-run homer, and Baltimore beat Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium.
The first-place Orioles earned their first-ever regular-season win at Dodger Stadium
First-place Baltimore, which leads the second-place Toronto Blue Jays by 2 1/2 games in the American League East, snapped a five-game losing streak.
Tillman won his fifth consecutive interleague game dating back to July 7, 2014, and the Orioles are 8-0 in his past eight interleague starts. The right-hander surrendered five hits and two walks, and he struck out two while throwing 100 pitches.

Twins 11, A's 4
MINNEAPOLIS -- Kennys Vargas had a pair of hits, including a two-run homer in the decisive fifth inning, to lead Minnesota over Oakland at Target Field.
Vargas, playing in his second game after being recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Monday, also doubled to lead off the second inning and came around to score Minnesota's first run of the game.
Max Kepler and Miguel Sano added homers and the Twins got six strong innings from left-hander Tommy Milone as Minnesota beat the Athletics for the first time in five tries this season.

Rockies 7, Giants 3
SAN FRANCISCO -- Nolan Arenado continued his powerful hitting against San Francisco Giants, blasting a three-run, seventh-inning home run that rallied Colorado to victory.
The Rockies won on the 25th anniversary of Denver being awarded an expansion franchise.
Tyler Chatwood pitched effectively for five innings in his return from the disabled list, and the Colorado bullpen held the Giants to one run after that, allowing the Rockies to even the three-game series at a win apiece and the season series with the National League West leaders at 6-6.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Tigers (44-40) at Indians (51-32)

Game: 3
Venue: Progressive Field
Date: July 06, 2016 12:10 PM EDT

CLEVELAND -- At this point, whenever the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers meet, there's only one overriding topic: The Streak. Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field, the two teams will play the final game of their three-game series, and it will be the Tigers' last chance until September to halt their losing streak to Cleveland, which currently stands at 11 games.

The Indians are 11-0 against the Tigers this season. "They've outplayed us," said Detroit manager Brad Ausmus. "We haven't played that bad, but they've played better than us, pitched better than us and hit better than us."

In winning all 11 games between the two teams, the Indians have outscored the Tigers 77-24. So not only has Cleveland won every game, many of them have been blowouts. Among Cleveland's 11 wins have been victories by scores such as 10-1, 9-4, 6-0, 9-3, and 12-1.

Nevertheless, Ausmus says his players aren't dwelling on their inability to beat Cleveland this year.

"You go into very game thinking anyone can win. It's just that we've lost the last 11 in a row," he said. "But when we take the field tomorrow none of our guys will be thinking about the streak."

Indians manager Terry Francona says the streak is a part of a bigger picture, which is what concerns him most.

"I don't spend a lot of time thinking about (the streak)," Francona said. "You just worry about playing the next game and trying to win."

Making the streak even better for Cleveland and more miserable for Detroit is that the two teams are in the Central Division. So each outcome has added importance in the division race. The first-place Indians currently lead the second-place Tigers by 7 1/2 games.

In Wednesday's matchup, the Tigers will send impressive rookie Michael Fulmer (8-2, 2.17) to the mound. Fulmer may give the Tigers their best chance yet at halting the streak. The 23-year-old right-hander has allowed one or no runs in each of his last eight starts, which is the longest such streak by a Tigers starter since at least 1913. Over his last eight starts, Fulmer is 6-1 with a 0.53 ERA. Since May 21, Fulmer leads all major league pitchers with a 0.53 ERA and .133 opponent's batting average.

Cleveland will start right-hander Josh Tomlin, who can throw some impressive statistics onto the table as well. Tomlin is 9-1 with a 3.21 ERA. He leads the American League with an average of 0.9 walks per nine innings. Tomlin also leads the AL with 6.40 strikeouts per walk.

Fulmer has only lost two of his 13 starts, but one of those losses was to the Indians. On May 5 at Progressive Field, the Indians beat Fulmer 9-4. In that game, Fulmer pitched five innings and gave up five runs and 10 hits.

Nine of Tomlin's 15 starts this season have been against AL Central teams. In those games, he is 7-0 with a 3.17 ERA. This will be Tomlin's fourth start against the Tigers this season. In his first three, he was 3-0 with a 2.61 ERA.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Braves (28-56) at Phillies (39-46)

Game: 3
Venue: Citizens Bank Park
Date: July 06, 2016 1:05 PM EDT

PHILADELPHIA -- The hot-swinging Philadelphia Phillies will go for a sweep of division rival Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night, fresh off an impressive power display on Tuesday.

Five home runs paved the way to a 5-1 win in the middle game of the three-game series, one day after a seven-run second inning led to an 8-2 victory in Monday's opener.

"It was nice to see," manager Pete Mackanin said. "Guys are still swinging the bats pretty well. ... We took advantage of some pitches up in the zone."

Now, the Phillies (39-46) will take on a rookie pitcher making his first career MLB start in Tyrell Jenkins, who enters with an 0-1 record and a 5.79 ERA in 9 1/3 innings of work at the major league level this season.

In the minors, Jenkins started 92 out of his 97 appearances, with a 32-27 record and 3.75 era. In parts of two years at Triple-A Gwinnett between 2015-16, he was 9-7 with a 3.18 ERA in 23 games (18 starts). He last pitched on July 3, giving up two runs (both earned) in two innings of a 5-2 loss to Miami.

"I don't have any predetermined parameters for him," Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. "Somebody's got to start that game tomorrow, and he's been stretched out as a starter all spring and all summer. He hasn't lately, so we'll just kind of monitor him. He might get tired, I don't know when -- three innings, four innings -- if he can go five innings, that would be great."

Snitker has tried to keep the level of positivity as high as possible for an Atlanta squad that, at 28-56, is only one game ahead of Minnesota for word record in the major leagues. The loss to the Phillies on Tuesday night made it three in a row and seven of nine for a club that saw manager Fredi Gonzalez fired in May after a 9-28 start.

"It's hard, you've got to have a lot of patience and it's not easy," Snitker said. "It's something that has to be done with young guys, I think, and we just have got to stay as positive as we can with it, because it is a learning experience every time and these guys are going to grow and they're going to get better."

The Phillies will counter with seven-year veteran Jeremy Hellickson, facing Atlanta for the first time in his career. He'll be looking to win three straight starts for the first time this year, and has been throwing some of his best stuff of late.

Over his last three starts, Hellickson is 2-1 with a 2.37 ERA, giving up six runs (five earned) in 19 innings, striking out 15 against just two walks.

He'll look to continue the momentum in a clubhouse that's won three straight and seven of eight to move within seven games of a wild-card slot in the National League.

"There's a bunch of chemistry in this locker room," said rookie starter Zach Eflin, who went the distance in picking up his first career win Tuesday night. "It's a really cool thing to be a part of."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Marlins (44-40) at Mets (45-38)

Game: 3
Venue: Citi Field
Date: July 06, 2016 1:10 PM EDT

NEW YORK -- Giancarlo Stanton was not one of the four Miami Marlins selected to the National League All-Star team Tuesday. But the two prodigious home runs he hit to single-handedly lift the Marlins to a 5-2 win over the New York Mets proved he is still a player who can carry his team during a pennant chase.

Stanton, whose two-run homer in the seventh and three-run homer in the eighth accounted for all of the Marlins' runs, matching his career high with five RBIs, will attempt to build off his first two-homer game of the season when the Mets host Miami on Wednesday afternoon in the finale of a three-game series at Citi Field.

"I'm coming back, coming back," Stanton said with a grin after lifting his average to .226. He has 17 homers and 45 RBIs in 72 games.

"It's a long road from here. That's why you don't worry about where you're at on the season stats. Just keep plugging away. Keep trying to win each day and know that by the end of the year, it'll pan out."

A productive Stanton can only help the Marlins make a push for their first playoff berth since 2003. Miami (44-40) is 1 1/2 games behind the Mets (45-38) in the race for the National League's second wild card.

"As rough as it's looked at times, (he) still has a chance to (have) one of those 40 (homer) and 100 (RBI seasons)," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "You feel like he's going to be there. If he gets hot at all, it's going to be a big boost for us."

While the Marlins have a known quantity in the former National League home run champion Stanton, the Mets will be looking for a spark Wednesday from Jose Reyes, who went 0-for-4 Tuesday in his first game back with his original major league club.

Reyes, who was named to four All-Star Games as the Mets' shortstop from 2003 through 2011, made his first career start at third base Tuesday and is expected to play there regularly the remainder of the season. He signed with the Mets June 25, hours after being released by the Colorado Rockies following the completion of his 51-game suspension for a domestic violence incident involving his wife last Halloween.

"This team, we went to the World Series last year," Reyes said. "We've got a good opportunity to go to the playoffs this year. This is the situation I was looking for for a long time."

Reyes will bat leadoff whenever he is in the lineup for the Mets, who will be looking Wednesday to regain the offensive form they enjoyed in outscoring the Cubs and Marlins 40-17 during a five-game winning streak that ended Tuesday.

Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom is scheduled to oppose Marlins left-hander Justin Nicolino. DeGrom is 3-1 with a 2.80 ERA in seven career starts against the Marlins while Nicolino is 0-0 with a 3.97 ERA in two career starts against the Mets.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Athletics (36-48) at Twins (28-55)

Game: 3
Venue: Target Field
Date: July 06, 2016 1:10 PM EDT

Little is going right for Sonny Gray this season.

Wins have been absent for over two months, there was a disabled-list stint, pitches have gone wild, and hitters are having few problems with Gray's offerings.

The Oakland right-hander will look to correct some if not all of those problems Wednesday afternoon when the Athletics conclude their three-game series with the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.

Gray (3-7, 5.42 ERA) entered this season as the team ace, and it was hard to argue based on his 33-20 record and 2.88 ERA in his first three seasons with Oakland.

He has hardly been ace-like in 2016, going 3-7 with a 5.42 ERA while leading the majors with 13 wild pitches. He began the year with a 3-1 record and a 2.73 ERA, but starting with a two-inning outing April 27 in Detroit, it has been a massive struggle.

Gray is 0-6 with a 6.63 ERA in 11 starts since April 21 and 0-2 with a 4.42 ERA in six outings since returning from the disabled list June 5. He was out 15 days due to a strained right trapezius. During his losing streak, Gray has allowed a .297 opponents' batting average.

The losing streak is the longest of Gray's career and equals the longest by an Oakland pitcher in the last four seasons. His streak of 11 straight winless starts is the third longest by an A's starter this century.

"This hasn't been his best year," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "He'll figure it out and get better as the year goes along. There's always going to be a year that is not as good as other years."

Last Friday, Gray allowed seven runs and seven hits over six innings during a 7-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Five of those runs occurred during the fifth and sixth, and three were allowed with two outs in the sixth.

"That was obviously not a very good start," Gray said. "There were times, like in the sixth, where I got two quick outs. I have to be able to shut that inning down and get back out there for the seventh and not hit a guy and walk another. It just escalated from there."

Gray was on the DL when Oakland swept Minnesota from May 30-June 1. Although he is 2-1 in three career starts against the Twins, he has a 6.19 ERA in those outings.

Oakland hopes Gray can correct his struggles but also help the pitching staff rebound from an 11-4 loss that ended at 1 a.m. CDT on Wednesday due to a nearly three-hour rain delay. The Athletics allowed nine runs with two outs Tuesday night, and they have a 6.63 ERA over their past eight games.

Minnesota will be looking to win a third straight home series and to earn its seventh win in 10 home games since June 18. The Twins have scored 60 runs during their past six home wins, and all three of their double-digit scoring games have come in the past two-plus weeks.

Miguel Sano, Kennys Vargas and Max Kepler homered Tuesday.

"A lot of guys had good nights," Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said.

The Twins' Wednesday starter, Ervin Santana, will hope to benefit from similar run support while also continuing his recent run of improved performances.

Santana (2-7, 4.50 ERA) is 1-0 with a 2.41 ERA in his past three starts, including Friday, when he allowed two runs and three hits in 6 1/3 innings during a no-decision against the Texas Rangers. Before this stretch, he was 0-5 with a 7.71 ERA in five starts from May 24-June 14.

Santana has extensive experience facing Oakland from his eight seasons (2005-2012) with the Los Angeles Angels. He is 15-7 with a 2.10 ERA in 28 career starts against the Athletics.

Since leaving the Angels, Santana is 1-2 with a 2.51 ERA in four starts against the A's. He took the loss May 30 in Oakland when he allowed three runs and seven hits in seven innings.

Santana has allowed a .304 average (38-for-125) with runners on base. During his last three outings, opposing hitters are 5-for-24 (.208) against the right-hander with men on, including 1-for-8 by Texas when Molitor let him throw a season-high 117 pitches.

"I don't even think about that," Santana said of the pitch count. "Molitor gave me the opportunity to stay in the game and gave me more enthusiasm to pitch. I was fighting. I was excited for that."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Reds (31-54) at Cubs (52-31)

Game: 3
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: July 06, 2016 2:20 PM EDT

CHICAGO -- Kris Bryant was back in the Chicago Cubs' lineup Tuesday and apparently OK after an outfield collision 24-hours earlier that left him with a leg bruise.

The run-in with Albert Almora Jr. while both pursued a fly ball also prompted an admonishment from Cubs manager Joe Maddon to be more watchful in the future.

"I didn't like it, I didn't like it at all," Maddon told said. "When a player is camped, there's no reason to run a player off. ... It happens to every team throughout the course of the season, but I would like it not to happen again."

The versatile Bryant has played in 31 games in the outfield this season, but was back at his normal third base spot Tuesday.

He is not a player the Cubs could afford to lose for any significant part of the season, a worry Bryant himself shared when talking about how the Cubs lost Kyle Schwarber for the season in an April 7 outfield collision with Dexter Fowler.

"I was just kind of scared about the knee at first," Bryant said Tuesday. "I'm feeling better today, a lot better, nothing to prevent me from playing. I think I got lucky. Things could have been a lot worse."

Bryant, voted in as an All-Star Game starter, felt so good that he clubbed his major-league-leading 25th home run of the season in the third inning Tuesday during the Cubs' 9-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

He is batting .278 with 64 RBIs, 19 doubles and a .578 slugging percentage.

In the series finale Wednesday, Bryant will be batting against a pitcher who finally made his season debut last month after sustaining a spring training injury, and he will be fielding behind a pitcher who hasn't seen a lot of action as a starter.

Chicago right-hander Adam Warren (3-1, 4.56 ERA) will be called up to make a spot start -- his first in a Cubs uniform -- after two outings at Triple-A Iowa.

He was acquired by the Cubs from the Yankees in December as part of a trade that sent Starlin Castro to New York. Warren began the season in Chicago and made 25 relief appearances before being optioned to Iowa on June 21.

Warren's return is part of Maddon's strategy to give his staff a breather during on ongoing run of 24 games in 24 days heading into the All-Star break.

Reds right-hander Anthony DeSclafani, meanwhile, will be making only his sixth appearance and start this season.

He started 31 times for the Reds last year, but he spent much of this season on the disabled list with a strained left oblique that occurred in a final spring training appearance.

DeSclafani (2-0, 1.78 ERA) went on to make late-April rehab starts for Double-A Pensacola and Class A Dayton before he felt soreness again in the muscle. He didn't make another rehab appearance until May 25, the first of three outings for Triple-A Louisville.

He was activated off the disabled list on June 10 and made his season debut that night against the Oakland A's, working six innings of one-run ball but getting no decision in a 2-1 Reds victory.

DeSclafani worked just 2 2/3 innings in his next outing on June 16 at Atlanta and also had a no-decision.

Everything clicked in his third outing, when he pitched seven innings and struck out six in an 8-2 win over the Texas Rangers. He then tossed a career-high eight innings on June 26 against the San Diego Padres in a 2-0 win.

DeSclafani wasn't involved in the decision in his most recent start, Friday at Washington, when he worked 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball, striking out eight while walking two.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Orioles (48-35) at Dodgers (48-38)

Game: 3
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: July 06, 2016 3:10 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES -- The Baltimore Orioles will try to end a difficult West Coast swing on a winning note when they face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a Wednesday afternoon game.

Chris Tillman's strong seven-inning effort Tuesday night set up Baltimore for its second series win on the trip despite having an overall losing record due to the lack of consistent pitching, having surrendered 51 runs in their first seven games against the Padres, Mariners and Dodgers.

Although Tuesday's win over Los Angeles stopped a five-game losing streak while ending the Dodgers' five-game winning streak, Orioles manager Buck Showalter did not think it was a big victory.

"We don't live in that world; this win was no big deal," Showalter said. "We just have to keep grinding out wins and get more efforts like we got from Chris tonight."

Right-hander Kevin Gausman (1-6, 3.97 ERA) will try to back up Tillman's effort when he goes to the hill on Wednesday trying to bounce back from his 5-3 loss to Seattle on July 1. Though his season stats are unimpressive, yielding 14 home runs in just 81 2/3 innings, he has shown signs of turning his season around in his last two starts, allowing three runs in 13 2/3 innings. The team, however, is 5-9 in his 14 starts. Gausman has never faced the Dodgers in four big league seasons.

Despite their 7-3 record in their last 10 games, the Dodgers have failed to make a sizeable dent in the San Francisco Giants' comfortable lead in the National League West. They trail the Giants by five games and it appears that their best chance to return to the postseason will come via a wild-card berth. Tuesday's loss to the Orioles snapped a 10-game home winning streak for Los Angeles. The streak was the Dodgers' longest since a 13-game, season-opening run from April 13-May 6, 2009.

Dodgers right-hander Bud Norris will make his home debut against one of his former teams as Los Angeles tries to remain within striking distance of the Giants. Norris, acquired from the Atlanta Braves on June 30 in a five-player trade, won his debut at Colorado on July 1, throwing six scoreless innings in a 5-0 win over the Rockies. Norris pitched for the Orioles from 2013-15 and had a 21-20 record and a 4.65 ERA.

Norris has pitched well of late. In his last five starts, he has gone 3-0 with a 1.78 ERA (6 ER/30.1 IP) and has posted a 0.82 WHIP, prompting the Dodgers to add him to an injury-racked pitching staff.

Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager will try to extend his 18-game hitting streak that ties him with Bill Sudakis (July-August, 1969) for the second-longest rookie hitting streak in franchise history. Tommy Davis' 20-game streak in 1960 holds the team record. Seager was named to his first MLB All Star on Tuesday, getting the nod with a breakout season at Chavez Ravine.

"I think he's the best shortstop on both sides of the ball, said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "It would have been a travesty if he had not made the team."