Quantcast
Channel: Jake Peavy – BettingSports.com
Viewing all 28 articles
Browse latest View live

AL Central:White Sox See Division Lead Getting Smaller

0
0
Just one week ago, the Chicago White Sox led the Detroit Tigers by 2.5 games in the AL Central. They had won 10 of their last 13 games and were looking forward to success with the acquisitions of pitcher Francisco Liriano and June’s trade for Kevin Youklis. Veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski had a hot bat […]

MLB Roundup: Leyland, Peavy Get Extensions, Mets Exercise Wright’s Option

0
0
Now that the 2012 MLB season has officially ended, it’s time to look ahead to 2013. Opening day will start on April 1 if you don’t count the Sunday game on March 30 as the opener. Teams are looking ahead to their personnel for the new season and one has already said its manager will […]

Tigers Look To Sweep White Sox

0
0
The Detroit Tigers will look to complete a four-game road sweep of the Chicago White Sox on Thursday afternoon, a feat the club hasn’t achieved since the 1980 season. The Tigers picked up a second straight 6-2 victory over the White Sox Wednesday, making it three in a row against their division rivals.They’ll look to […]

Peavy Outpitches Verlander, Looking Toward a New Team

0
0
In his likely last start as a Chicago White Sox (40-59), righty Jake Peavy (8-4) made it a great one against the division-leading Detroit Tigers (56-45) on Thursday and helped his team win 7-4. Peavy gave up four hits (three home runs) on four runs and seven strikeouts. He stayed until the eighth inning with one […]

With Suspensions Looming, Detroit Acquires Infielder

0
0
Erring on the side of caution, the Detroit Tigers made a move to shore up its infield this week, acquiring Jose Iglesias from the Boston Red Sox. The 23-year-old infielder arrives in the Motor City as the Tigers face the very real possibility of losing shortstop Jhonny Peralta, one of 20-plus major leaguers to be […]

Yankees Stop Tigers Streak, A-Rod Returns to the Big Apple

0
0
After making his debut in Chicago this week for the New York Yankees (58-56) – Chicago White Sox (43-71) series, Alex Rodriguez returned to the Big Apple on Friday and was greeted mostly by boos and a few cheers. Not helping was the fact that Rodriguez struckout in his first time up at bat. For the […]

Baseball: Weekend Digest (Aug. 26 Edition)

0
0
A roundup of news and notes from this weekend in baseball. With football just around the corner, BettingSports.com may have averted some of its attention away from baseball, but that doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten it entirely. After a heavy weekend of football coverage, our Weekend Digest brings you a roundup of the baseball news you […]

Rockies Rout Diamondbacks, Red Sox Get Rings but Fall to Brewers

0
0
On Friday, the Colorado Rockies (2-3) routed the Arizona Diamondbacks (1-6), 12-2 and saw its centerfielder Charlie Blackmon tie a team record with his six hits. Blackmon went 6 for 6 with five RBIs on three doubles and a two-run home run–a record for the MLB; he scored four times during the game, designating himself as the […]

Giants Look To Close Out Series; Royals Look To Stay Alive

0
0
The 2014 World Series returns to Kansas City for Game 6 Tuesday as the San Francisco Giants will look to take home a third championship in five years. Meanwhile, the hometown Kansas City Royals will simply strive to stay alive and force a decisive Game 7 on Wednesday night. First pitch at Kauffman Stadium scheduled […]

Rounding the bases: What’s happened to start the MLB season?

0
0
On Sunday night, the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals kicked off the Major League Baseball season. Come Wednesday morning, every team has at least one game under its belt while some have two. Here’s what has happened to this point: - Corey Kluber and Dallas Keuchel put on an epic show in the season-opener […]

MLB Roundup: Leyland, Peavy Get Extensions, Mets Exercise Wright’s Option

0
0

Now that the 2012 MLB season has officially ended, it’s time to look ahead to 2013. Opening day will start on April 1 if you don’t count the Sunday game on March 30 as the opener.

Teams are looking ahead to their personnel for the new season and one has already said its manager will be back. World Series-losing Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland has been awarded with a one-year contract extension.

The Chicago White Sox inked a two-year extension with pitcher Jake Peavy and the New York Mets exercised their option on third baseman David Wright.

Leyland Receives One-Year Contract Extension

Tigers Manager Jim Leyland

In less than 48 hours after its loss against the San Francisco Giants in the World Series, the Detroit Tigers gave veteran manager Jim Leyland a one-year contract extension.

Leyland said of the news, “I’m going to be here in 2013, and we’ll take that from there. I wanted to manage, but I did think long and hard about it, because I wanted to make sure that I was going to be doing everything that you need to do to continue to keep this club headed in the right direction.”

And the Tigers should stick with Leyland.

At 67, the veteran skipper is the league’s leading manager with 1,676 wins–No. 15 on the career list. In 2013, it will be season No. 22 as a MLB manager and his eighth for the Tigers. Under his leadership, the team has three postseason visits and two World Series.

In regards to Leyland’s coaching staff, they are expected back with some minor tweaks.

With Leyland still leading the team, the Tigers have 6 to 1 odds to win the 2013 World Series.

The team will now focus on its players and they have exercised the $6 million option on shortstop Jhonny Peralta and the $3.5 million one on righty pitcher Octavio Dotel.

The team is expected to allow closer Jose Valverde and designated hitter Delmon Young to hit free agency while they will attempt to re-sign free agent and highly coveted righty Anibal Sanchez.

Peavy Gets Two-Year Extension

White Sox Pitcher Jake Peavy

On Tuesday, the Chicago White Sox gave pitcher Jake Peavy a two-year, $29 million extension. In 2013 and 2014, he will receive $14.5 million but if he hits his innings pitched thresholds in the seasons, he can extend his contract to encompass the 2015 season with a $15 million salary.

In 2012, Peavy was 11-12 with a 3.37 ERA over 219 innings. From his 32 starts, he had 194 strikeouts.

Among American league pitchers, he ranked No. 3 for quality starts (23), tied for third with complete games, fourth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.96), fifth for IP and opponents average (.234), tied for shutouts at No. 7 (1), eighth in strikeouts, ninth in ERA and tied for 10th in starts.

Peavy said of the extension, “I’m really excited to come back to Chicago and build on what we did last year. I made no secret of the fact that this is where I want to play. Chicago is a great city with great fans, and I can’t think of a better place to try and win a championship. With the guys we have coming back, I think we have a great opportunity to accomplish some special things.”

In other White Sox news, the team declined options for Kevin Youkilis and Brett Myers while exercising Gavin Floyd’s option.

It was a good 2012 season for the White Sox but looking ahead for 2013, they have 28 to 1 odds to win the World Series.

Mets Exercise Option on David Wright

Mets 3B David Wright

On Tuesday, the Mets exercised the $16 million option for third baseman Wright  reported ESPN. This came as the three-day deadline after the World Series was coming due.

The Mets will try to ink a long-term extension with Wright but one isn’t close and the team instead chose to exercise his option and conduct talks.

Last season, Wright hit .306 and had 21 homers with 93 RBIs. He made an appearance at the All-Star game for a sixth time.

The post MLB Roundup: Leyland, Peavy Get Extensions, Mets Exercise Wright’s Option appeared first on BettingSports.com.

Tigers Look To Sweep White Sox

0
0
Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers will look to complete a rare four-game sweep in Chicago.
Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers will look to complete a rare four-game sweep in Chicago.

The Detroit Tigers will look to complete a four-game road sweep of the Chicago White Sox on Thursday afternoon, a feat the club hasn’t achieved since the 1980 season.

20130724_AL_CentralThe Tigers picked up a second straight 6-2 victory over the White Sox Wednesday, making it three in a row against their division rivals.They’ll look to make it four in a row on Thursday.

The last time the Michigan club won a four-game series in Chicago’s South Side came on the weekend of June 20-22, 1980, which included a doubleheader sweep on the Sunday.

Prince Fielder, Austin Jackson and Torii Hunter all homered in Wednesday’s game as the offense gave starter Anibal Sanchez (8-7, 2.68 ERA) the type of run support that has been missing for too many of his starts this season. Sanchez acquiesced with six shutout innings.

The victory saw the Tigers maintain a 3 1/2 games lead over the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central standings.

The Tribe itself managed to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Seattle Mariners Wednesday, posting a crushing 10-1 win at Safeco Field, snapping the M’s eight-game winning streak in the process. The Indians are also 3 1/2 games back in the race for a Wild Card berth.

Miguel Cabrera has missed two games with a hip flexor injury.
Miguel Cabrera has missed two games with a hip flexor injury.

Detroit’s 6-2 victory Wednesday night marked the second straight game in which MVP and Triple Crown contender Miguel Cabrera was absent from the lineup. Cabrera suffered a hip flexor injury in Monday’s series opener and wasn’t included in Jim Leyland’s lineup for Tuesday’s game. His return is listed as day-to-day.

Detroit will continue to be without infielder Omar Infante, who has been out of action with an ankle injury since July 3. Infante went 1 for 3 in his first rehab game with Class-A West Michigan on Wednesday night.

Chicago meanwhile continue to be without closer Jesse Crain (shoulder), who is expected to play catch Thursday before resuming rehab, and center fielder DeWayne Wise (hamstring), who will make his way to Triple-A Charlotte for a rehab game on Friday.

Detroit (56-44, 27-25 road) will send Justin Verlander (10-7, 3.69 ERA) to the mound. Verlander has flip-flopped wins and losses over his last four starts, a clear demonstration on what has been an inconsistent season for the 2011 Cy Young winner.

In Saturday’s game against the Kansas City Royals, the right-hander allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits and four walks, as the Tigers fell 6-5 in the City of Fountains. Things weren’t any better the last time he faced the Sox either. On July 9 he yielded five earned runs, including two home runs, on 12 hits, and went on to watch his club lose 11-4. He, and his club, will be hoping for better Thursday afternoon.

Jake Peavy may not be in the Windy City much longer.
Jake Peavy may not be in the Windy City much longer.

Chicago (39-59, 21-25 home) will counter with Jake Peavy (7-4, 4.19 ERA), providing he’s still in uniform at game time that is.

Peavy, who leads the club in wins, has reportedly caught the attention of the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals amongst others, and with the non-waiver trade deadline just six days away, the Sox may be looking to move him sooner rather than later.

Peavy made his first start in six weeks last Saturday as he returned from a rib injury. He pitched six innings against the Atlanta Braves, allowing four runs (two earned) on seven hits and no walks. The Sox went on to defeat the Braves 10-6. Prior to that game, the right-hander had lost three of four starts.

Detroit Tigers vs. Chicago White Sox odds for 7/25/2013 are available now.

Detroit (-135) opened as a road favorite over the White Sox (+125) on the moneyline, a result of the combination of the club’s 4-2 record against its divisional rival this season and the Sox abysmal play of late. Expect that line to stretch further in favor of the Tigers ahead of first pitch (2:10 p.m. ET).

Detroit has taken 13 of the last 17 games from the White Sox and once again look like the smart bet heading into play on Thursday.

The over/under opened at 8.

Detroit (53-44-3) has favored the over this season while Chicago (41-49-8), the second to last ranked club in scoring this season, has favored the under. The first four meetings between the clubs this season saw the total go over, while the remaining two games saw an under and a push.

Peavey has given up four or more runs in his last three outings while Verlander has yielded three or more runs in five of his last seven starts. The smart money looks to be on the over.

The post Tigers Look To Sweep White Sox appeared first on BettingSports.com.

Peavy Outpitches Verlander, Looking Toward a New Team

0
0

In his likely last start as a Chicago White Sox (40-59), righty Jake Peavy (8-4) made it a great one against the division-leading Detroit Tigers (56-45) on Thursday and helped his team win 7-4.

Jake Peavy
Jake Peavy

Peavy gave up four hits (three home runs) on four runs and seven strikeouts. He stayed until the eighth inning with one batter and when he exited the mound, he received a standing ovation from the home crowd.

Since he returned from the DL with a broken rib, Peavy has gone 2-0, giving up six earned runs over 13 innings.

Peavy has been the subject of trade rumors and on Thursday, he knew around 10 teams were in the crowd watching him to determine if he’ll land on their team. According to MLB.com, this included three teams in the playoff hunt: the Boston Red Sox, the Texas Rangers and the Atlanta Braves.

The player has been with the White Sox since July 31, 2009 when the Sox acquired him from the San Diego Padres. Last October, he did re-sign for an additional two years with the team but he didn’t add in a no-trade clause as he hoped the 2013 team would be contenders.

Knowing a trade is looming, Peavy said on Thursday via MLB.com, “My gut feeling tells me I could be traded and I could be a part of this going forward. Either way, I’ll be OK. I’m a big boy and understand the situation.

I’ll be happy to stay here and be the best teammate I can be, grind it out the rest of the season and make sure we keep playing hard and show up to win every day. If I get traded, I’ll give the boys a big hug and I’m sure a few tears will be shed, leaving the friendships here.”

As for the Tigers, their Cy Young-winning pitcher, Verlander (10-8), didn’t fare as well on Thursday. In his six innings of pitching, he allowed seven runs with 11 hits. One of these included a home run by Tyler Flowers.

He did strike out four and walked two. In his two losses to the White Sox this season, combined, he’s given up 12 runs. With the consecutive losses, it represents a first for Verland since July 26-Sept. 14, 2008 when three straight occurred.

Justin Verlander
Justin Verlander

It’s been a rough year for Verlander as he’s given up a minimum of 5 runs in 27% of his starts. This compares to 2012’s 18% and 9% during 2011, according to ESPN stats.

But the Tigers showed him the money this spring when he signed a large contract essentially making him the largest-paid pitcher ever as he’ll see annual paydays of $28 million for the 2015-2019 seasons.

What will end his poor play or has he just peaked?

Looking ahead, the Tigers won three of four games in this series. They sit three games ahead of the Cleveland Indians (53-48) in the AL Central race. On Friday, the Tigers will open a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies (49-53) on their home field.

They sit at +600 to win this year’s World Series.

For Friday’s game, righty Doug Fister (8-5) will take the mound vs. the lefty Phillies Cole Hamels (4-12). Should Hamel incur another loss, he’ll become the majors’ leader. The Tigers may have super star Miguel Cabrera back in the lineup and should get the win (-158, 8 o/u).

As for the White Sox, it’s been a tough year. They sit at the bottom of the division, 15 games back. In a rare summer, the team’s record is worse than its cross town foe, the Chicago Cubs (45-55). They at least have bragging rights they are not at the bottom of their division.

This weekend, the White Sox will host the Kansas City Royals (48-51) for a three-game series.

In Game 1, the home team will see their one-game win streak snapped with a Royals win (-110, 7.5 o/u).

 

 

The post Peavy Outpitches Verlander, Looking Toward a New Team appeared first on BettingSports.com.

With Suspensions Looming, Detroit Acquires Infielder

0
0
Prepping for a possible suspension to shortstop Jhonny Peralta, the Detroit Tigers have acquired infielder Jose Inglesias from Boston.
Prepping for a possible suspension to shortstop Jhonny Peralta, the Detroit Tigers have acquired infielder Jose Inglesias from Boston.

Erring on the side of caution, the Detroit Tigers made a move to shore up its infield this week, acquiring Jose Iglesias from the Boston Red Sox.

20130731_AL_CentralThe 23-year-old infielder arrives in the Motor City as the Tigers face the very real possibility of losing shortstop Jhonny Peralta, one of 20-plus major leaguers to be named in the Biogenesis drug scandal.

With Hall of Fame inductions and the trade deadline out of the way, sources expect the Major League Baseball front office to start handed down suspensions over the next few days. It is expected that most of those players named in the Biogenesis report will be handed a 50-game suspension.

A 50-game suspension for Peralta would effectively end his regular season (the Tigers have 56 games remaining on their slate) but he would be eligible to make a postseason appearance. The Tigers’ front office may not want to take a chance on inserting a player that has sat out two months into their lineup come October.

Still, while the writing may appear to be on the wall, Peralta’s absence is not yet confirmed.

“I don’t hear nothing yet,” Peralta told The Detroit News. “I’m still here, so I don’t worry about nothing. It’s a little bit hard, but I need to forget about it and try to move on, try to do what I need to do.”

Detroit’s front office certainly isn’t forgetting about it. The move to bring in Iglesias shows the club is very much weighing up the possibility that Peralta will be absent.

Peralta has been named in the Biogenesis scandal.
Peralta has been named in the Biogenesis scandal.

Tigers’ GM Dave Dombrowski acquired Iglesias as part of the trade that sent starting pitcher Jake Peavy from the Chicago White Sox to Boston. The Tigers also sent pitcher Brayan Villereal and outfielder Avisail Garcia to Boston, with the Red Sox moving the latter onto the White Sox.

Iglesias has 71 hits, including 10 doubles, two triples and one home run in 63 games for Boston this season. He is hitting .330 with 19 RBIs. While these numbers may not be to the standards of Peralta (118 hits, 53 RBIs, 10 homers), Iglesias brings something Peralta doesn’t: defense.

With Peralta’s contract up at the end of the year, as well as that of Omar Infante, the Tigers may also have made a move for the future in signing Iglesias.

Dombrowski also made a move this week to bring Houston Astros closer Jose Veras (0-4, 2.93 ERA, 19 SV) to the club.

Veras has had a solid season, converting 19 of 22 saves for a club that doesn’t get a lot of opportunity for saves. He has given up just 15 runs (four homers) in 43 innings of work, striking out more than a batter per inning and allowing just 14 walks.

The 32-year-old right-hander is expected to pitch the seventh inning, setting up Drew Smyly for the eighth and Joaquin Benoit in the ninth. He will be a free agent at the end of this season

Veras pitched one inning in Tuesday’s 5-1 win over the Washington Nationals, retiring the side in order to begin his Tigers career.

Meanwhile, the Tigers completed a two-game sweep of the NL East club Wednesday on the back of a big offensive performance.

After starter Justin Verlander (11-8, 3.88 ERA) allowed a run in the opening inning, the Tigers went on to score 11 runs on 15 hits, including 10 runs on 11 hits against Nationals’ starter Gio Gonzalez (7-4, 3.57 ERA). The Tigers got four hits from outfielder Torii Hunter, who came within a triple of the cycle, and did all the damage without Triple Crown candidate Miguel Cabrera, who missed the game with a strained lower abdomen. Verlander settled down and the Tigers went on to win the game 11-1.

20130731_AL_WildcardWednesday’s win saw the Tigers (61-45) maintain a 2 1/2 game lead at the top of the AL Central. The Tigers have held a lead in the division since July 3, and have been out of first place for just two days since May 24.

The Cleveland Indians (59-48) meanwhile inched another step closer to the postseason, leapfrogging the Baltimore Orioles (59-49) into the second Wild Card berth. With a little more than two months of the regular season still to be played, the Indians are a long way off making a surprise postseason appearance, but the club continues to make the right noises.

Detroit will host the Chicago White Sox in a three-game series this weekend before heading to Cleveland for an important four-game set with the Indians on Monday. With both the Tigers and Indians – who face the Miami Marlins this weekend – likely to enter that series with momentum on their side, those four games could have a huge impact on the AL Central standings.

Before all of that, the Indians will look to complete a four-game sweep of the White Sox on Thursday afternoon (12:05 p.m. ET).

Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Indians odds for 8/1/13 are available now. A win will put the Tribe within two games of the Tigers.

The post With Suspensions Looming, Detroit Acquires Infielder appeared first on BettingSports.com.

Yankees Stop Tigers Streak, A-Rod Returns to the Big Apple

0
0

After making his debut in Chicago this week for the New York Yankees (58-56) – Chicago White Sox (43-71) series, Alex Rodriguez returned to the Big Apple on Friday and was greeted mostly by boos and a few cheers.

Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez

Not helping was the fact that Rodriguez struckout in his first time up at bat. For the polarizing player, it was his first appearance at Yankee Stadium since appealing his MLB 211-game suspension after violating its drug policy. His poor play continued throughout the game and for the night, Rodriguez went 0-for-4. He had three strikeouts with a flyout.

But the Yankees still won the game, defeating the hot Detroit Tigers (68-46) 4-3 in 10 innings. With the win, it ended the Tigers 12-game win streak and the Yankees’ four-game losing streak.

Tied 3-3 in the ninth after Miguel Cabrera got a home run over legendary saver Mariano Rivera, Brett Gardner hit an RBI single in the 10th on bases loaded and two outs. Jason Nix came in from third and got the Yankees the win.

For Rivera, it was his second blown save in three days–a first since April 5-6, 2005. At that time, it had he had blown saves on two straight days against division foe, the Boston Red Sox (70-48).

 

In seven innings on Friday, righty Ivan Nova (5-4) gave up one run. He got out of a tough spot in the first inning, leaving the bases loaded. He got in a good grove until Austin Jackson got a double. For the night, he had three doubles with four hits.

Over his last six starts, Nova has gone 3-2 (1.60 ERA) with 44 strikeouts. He said of his recent play via MLB.com, “I’ve been pitching really good. I’ve been feeling really good with all of my pitches, working both sides of the plate to righties and lefties, and getting quick outs.”

The Yankees will look for a second straight win as their three-games series continues on Saturday. A postseason for this team looks unlikely as they sit 10 games behind the Red Sox, just above .500 (.509) and seven games from the top Wildcard spot.

They are +3300 to win the AL East this year.

On Saturday, righty Phil Hughes (4-10) will take the mound for the Yankees, while righty Anibal Sanchez (9-7) takes the mound for Detroit.

It’s been almost a month since the Yankees have won two consecutive games and it won’t happen on Saturday as the Tigers bounce back for the win (-155, 8.5 o/u).

Red Sox lose 6-9 to Royals

The Red Sox suffered another loss on Friday against the surging Kansas City Royals (60-53), 6-9.

Justin Maxwell, after joining the Royals in a July 31 trade from the Houston Astros (37-77), was key to the win with a home run and a two singles in the sixth inning–this blew the game up with six runs.

The Royals have won three straight games and 15 of their last 17. They sit seven games over .500 and are 4 1/2 games behind in the Wild Card race.

Jake Peavy
Jake Peavy

As for the Red Sox, righty Jake Peavy (9-4) had his second start since coming over from the Chicago White Sox. He pitched for five innings and gave up six runs on 10 hits for the game.

Peavy said of his play via the Associated Press, “I just didn’t make a whole lot of consistent pitches. I had Maxwell 0-2 and threw him a changeup and he did a nice job (to start the sixth).You’ve got to win games when your offense scores six. I didn’t feel good stuff-wise or control-wise. They battled and put the ball in play for being as free-swinging as they are. My stuff wasn’t very sharp.”

The four-game series continues on Saturday with lefty Felix Doubront (8-5) vs. the Royals righty Jeremy Guthrie (12-7).

Looks like a Red Sox win (-126, 8.5 o/u).

 

 

 

The post Yankees Stop Tigers Streak, A-Rod Returns to the Big Apple appeared first on BettingSports.com.


Baseball: Weekend Digest (Aug. 26 Edition)

0
0

A roundup of news and notes from this weekend in baseball.

Despite homering against his old club, Adrian Gonzalez couldn't lead the Dodgers to victory over Boston on Sunday night.
Despite homering against his old club, Adrian Gonzalez couldn’t lead the Dodgers to victory over Boston on Sunday night.

With football just around the corner, BettingSports.com may have averted some of its attention away from baseball, but that doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten it entirely.

After a heavy weekend of football coverage, our Weekend Digest brings you a roundup of the baseball news you need to know as well as a look at some of the important fixtures ahead this week.

Dodgers Appear Fallible

Jake Peavy handed the Dodgers a first series loss in 19.
Jake Peavy handed the Dodgers a first series loss in 19.

A meteoric resurgence has seen the Los Angeles Dodgers (76-54) become the most feared team in baseball, but this weekend a few cracks began to emerge in the club’s seemingly unbreakable façade.

After picking up a 2-0 win over the Boston Red Sox (77-55) on Friday, Don Mattingly’s team found itself on the wrong end of 4-2 score line on Saturday, succumbing to an impressive performance from BoSox starter John Lester (12-7, 3.97 ERA). Then on Sunday, a complete game three-hitter from Jake Peavey (10-5, 3.99 ERA) saw the Red Sox topple the Dodgers 8-1.

Sunday’s loss marks the first time the Dodgers have lost a series since June 14-16; the club was 14-0-4 in its last 18 series. It also marks the second time in eight days that Los Angeles has lost two straight games. Having gone 42-8 between June 22 and August 23, the Dodgers are 4-4 in their last eight games.

It’s hardly time to hit the panic button at Chavez Ravine though. After all, Boston has won more series than any other team in baseball, and is one of the American League favorites to take the pennant in October.

The Dodgers will look to bounce back from this weekend’s disappointment with series against the Chicago Cubs (Mon-Wed) and San Diego Padres (Fri-Sun) this week.

Scherzer Boosts Record to 19-1

Max Scherzer continued his (unexpected) dominance on Saturday, leading the Detroit Tigers (77-53) to a 3-0 victory over rookie sensation Matt Harvey (9-5, 2.27 ERA) and the New York Mets (58-70). Pitching six scoreless innings, Scherzer improved his season record to 19-1.

As well as being the best record in baseball, Scherzer’s tally makes him only the third pitcher in history to win 19 of his first 20 starts in a season. Rube Marquard did it for the New York Giants in 1912 and Roger Clemens did it for the New York Yankees in 2001. Marquard went on to finish the 1912 season with a 26-11 record, while Clemens finished 2001 at 20-3. Both won their respective league pennant.

Scherzer’s success has played a huge part in propelling the Tigers to an American League-best 77-53 record and a six-game lead over the Cleveland Indians (71-59) in the AL Central. His next start is scheduled for Thursday at Comerica Park as the Tigers face postseason hopefuls the Oakland Athletics.

Davis Still Eyeing Baltimore History

A quiet bat has Chris Davis waiting on history.
A quiet bat has Chris Davis waiting on history.

The Baltimore Orioles (70-59) took two of three from Oakland (72-57) this weekend, including a monster 10-3 win on Sunday, to keep pace in the race for the American League Wild Card berths (see below). However, there was one bat that was noticeably quiet, that of Chris Davis.

Davis went 2 for 10 at the plate with three walks and three runs scored over the three-game series. He did not record an RBI or hit a home run, meaning he’s still waiting to close in on a piece of Baltimore history.

Davis, who leads the majors with 46 home runs this season, remains four homers away from tying the Orioles’ all-time single season record of 50 home runs, held by Brady Anderson, who completed the feat in 1996. Davis is also behind Frank Robinson, who cleared the walls 49 times during the 1966 season.

Davis currently stands between Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera and a second successive Triple Crown award. Cabrera bookended the Tigers’ series with the Mets with a pair of home runs to bring his tally to 42. The Motown slugger leads Davis 128-118 in the RBI department.

Cards Catch Bucs Before Head-to-Head

Last week we pointed out how the race for the NL Central title has become one of the most intriguing in all of baseball. This week, things got even more interesting.

The division-leading Pittsburgh Pirates (76-54) split a four-game series with the San Francisco Giants (58-72) to finish 4-3 on a West Coast swing that also took in a series with the Padres. The Pirates are now just 6-10 in their last 16.

Meanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals (76-54) took the opening three games of a four-game set from MLB-best Atlanta Braves (78-52), before dropping Sunday’s finale 5-2. The Cards have now won 10 of their last 14 and moved into a virtual tie with the Pirates at the top of the division. Pittsburgh maintains its advantage by way of an 8-5 record in the season head-to-head.

As fortune would have it, the two clubs are scheduled to meet in a three-game set this coming weekend. Before then, the Cards must fend-off the Cincinnati Reds (74-57), a team that is still very much in the race for the division crown and a postseason berth. Pittsburgh meanwhile will face the Milwaukee Brewers (57-73) starting Tuesday.

Wild, Wild, Wild Card

20130825_AL_WildcardWhile it appears the NL Central will populate the Wild Card berths in the National League, the American League representatives are anybody’s guess as the race for the postseason heats up.

This past weekend, the Tampa Bay Rays (74-57) took two of three from the New York Yankees (69-61) to momentarily move level with Boston in the AL East. New York’s extra innings win on Sunday saw the Rays slip back into the Wild Card race, albeit in pole position. The Yankees meanwhile remain just 3 ½ games back in the Wild Card race. Winners of 11 of 15, and with 17 games left against teams in the postseason hunt, it’s not time to write the Yankees off just yet.

Oakland dropped two of three to Baltimore over the weekend and now trail the Texas Rangers () by 2 ½ games in the AL West. The team remains in the second Wild Card berth though, just ahead of Cleveland, winners of two of three this weekend, and Baltimore. The Kansas City Royals (65-64) snapped a seven-game losing skid on Sunday, but at seven games back now look finished.

The Week Ahead

20130825_Standings_ALMonday sees the start of an important series in the NL Central as St. Louis hosts Cincinnati. The Cards are looking to match pace with Pittsburgh, while the Reds are looking to overtake both teams. Odds and trends for Monday’s opener can be found here.

Oakland will look to gain ground in the AL West and maintain a lead in the Wild Card race as the club begins a four-game set in Detroit on Monday. The Tigers meanwhile will look to pad their lead at the top of the AL Central and make a move towards home field advantage. Odds and trends for the series opener can be found here.

Tuesday sees the start of a big AL East matchup between Boston and Baltimore at Fenway Park. The Orioles are looking to stay in the hunt while the Sox are looking to keep a hold of the division lead.

20130825_Standings_NLTuesday also sees Cleveland travel to Atlanta for a three-game series. As well as being a rematch of the 1995 World Series, this series is vital for the Indians as they look to stay in the postseason conversation. The Braves meanwhile will be looking to improve on a 5-5 record over the last 10, unless they read this article that is.

In terms of this coming weekend’s schedule, in addition to the big NL Central showdown between the Cardinals and Pirates in Pittsburgh, the Orioles will visit the Yankees in another important AL East matchup, while Cleveland will make one last ditch effort to catch Detroit in the AL Central as the two sides meet at Comerica Park. Tampa Bay travels to Oakland in a significant AL Wild Card series.

The post Baseball: Weekend Digest (Aug. 26 Edition) appeared first on BettingSports.com.

Rockies Rout Diamondbacks, Red Sox Get Rings but Fall to Brewers

0
0

On Friday, the Colorado Rockies (2-3) routed the Arizona Diamondbacks (1-6), 12-2 and saw its centerfielder Charlie Blackmon tie a team record with his six hits.

Blackmon went 6 for 6 with five RBIs on three doubles and a two-run home run–a record for the MLB; he scored four times during the game, designating himself as the only Rockies player to do so since July 3,1995 by Andres Galarraga.

The player said of the game via the Associated Press, “When you get an opportunity to play, it’s really nice to come up and contribute.”

Blackmon, who is now hitting .563, may have also played his way into a starting role after Rockies coach Walt Weiss had not previously awarded it to him. He had been rotating between him, Corey Dickerson and Drew Stubbs but said Blackmon will get the starting nod on Saturday.

Charlie Blackmon
Charlie Blackmon

Carlso Gonzalez had a productive day with his two-run triple and two-run home run. Righty Juan Nicasio (1-0) gave up one run and four hits over his seven innings of pitching; he allowed a solo home run to Mark Trumbo in the fifth inning.

For the Diamondbacks, amid his team getting off to their worst start in franchise history since 1998, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt still had a good day. His RBI single in the eighth inning expanded his hitting streak to 26 straight games. For his team, it represents the second-longest streak in history, coming in four behind the record set by Luis Gonzalez set during an April 11 to May 18, 1999 period.

For the 2013 season, Goldschmidt had hits over 19 straight games and in this short 2014 season, he has already hit one in seven consecutive games. In 2013, Rockies outfielder Michael Cuddyer, the NL’s top batter last season, had a hit for 27 straight games from May 28 through June 30.

As for the rest of the Diamondbacks, righty Randall Delgado (0-1) allowed six runs and 10 hits over his four innings on the mound.

Perhaps help could be on the way for the team as it claimed outfielder Roger Kieschnick from the San Francisco Giants off of waivers. The news came on Friday and the team made room for him after placing pitcher Patrick Corbin on the 60-day DL and assigning Kieschnick to its Reno Triple-A team.

Kieschnick’s assignment came after his spring training stat line from 29 at bats read .172/.294/.172 and in 95 appearances at the plate last season, it included .202/.295/.226.

On Saturday, the Diamondbacks will try to turn things around in Game 2 of this weekend series against the Rockies. Righty Brandon McCarthy (0-0) will take the mound vs. the Rockies lefty Jorge De La Rosa (0-1).

Colorado gets another win (-126, 9.5 o/u).

In other MLB Friday play, the Boston Red Sox (2-2) received their World Series rings at their Fenway opener. This followed their earlier appearance this week at the White House.

Jake Peavy
Jake Peavy

Unfortunately for the home team, it wasn’t an all-around memorable day as the Milwaukee Brewers (2-2) defeated them 6-2. Losing its home opener isn’t usual for Boston’s as it is tied with the Cincinnati Reds (1983-91) for the third-longest streak in MLB  history for victories on opening day (11).

Entering the ninth inning at a 2-2 game, the Brewers busted it open with four hits to take the win. Brandon Kintzler (1-0) was the winning pitcher with his scoreless inning while righty Marco Estrada got things started with 5 2/3 innings of pitching; righty Jake Peavy took the mound for Boston over six innings. Both pitcher allowed two hits.

Ryan Braun was not greeting warmly by Red Sox Nation as he received boos each time he went to the plate on 0 for 5 play. Friday’s game represented his first road one after last season’s suspension of 65 games.

In Game 2 of this weekend series, righty Wily Peralta will take the mound for Milwaukee while righty Clay Bucholz will pitch for Boston.

The home team gets the win (-185, 8.5 o/u).

 

The post Rockies Rout Diamondbacks, Red Sox Get Rings but Fall to Brewers appeared first on BettingSports.com.

Giants Look To Close Out Series; Royals Look To Stay Alive

0
0
Can 23-year-old rookie Yordano Ventura help keep Kansas City's hopes alive.
Can 23-year-old rookie Yordano Ventura help keep Kansas City’s hopes alive.

The 2014 World Series returns to Kansas City for Game 6 Tuesday as the San Francisco Giants will look to take home a third championship in five years.

Meanwhile, the hometown Kansas City Royals will simply strive to stay alive and force a decisive Game 7 on Wednesday night.

First pitch at Kauffman Stadium scheduled for 8:07 p.m. ET.

After winning two straight to take control of the World Series once more, San Francisco (11-4, 5-2 road) arrives back in Kansas City with a shot at yet another World Series championship. This one hasn’t been as easy as the past two.

Having swept the Detroit Tigers in 2012 and beaten the Texas Rangers in five games in 2010, Bruce Bochy’s side has been forced into a close contest this postseason, a contest most expect to be decided by a winner-takes-all seventh game.

The Giants’ aim on Tuesday is to put paid to that notion.

Kansas City (10-3, 5-1 home) managed to take one of three in San Francisco this past weekend, ensuring the return trip to Missouri.

Ned Yost’s side will enter Tuesday’s game as the favorite, but will face an arduous battle to take the trophy, particularly with rumors circulating that they could see the dominant Madison Bumgarner in Game 7, albeit out of the pen.

The Royals need only look back at their own history to garner confidence though. The 1985 Royals trailed 3-2 to the St. Louis Cardinals in that year’s World Series before lifting the Commissioner’s Trophy in seven games.

With the Kansas City faithful willing the team on, the Royals will look to stay alive on Tuesday, something the game’s pitching matchup could favor.

Pitching matchup

Kansas City will once more turn to rookie pitcher Yordano Ventura (0-0, 4.42 ERA).

The hard-throwing 23-year-old pitched 5 1/3 innings in Game 2, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out a pair. While he has yet to earn a decision, the Royals are 4-0 this postseason when he takes the mound, including 3-0 when he starts.

Ventura was 6-7 with a 3.12 ERA at Kauffman Stadium. He blew a save in his first postseason appearance (out of the bullpen) at the cavernous stadium, before Game 2’s solid performance.

San Francisco will counter with the veteran Jake Peavy (1-1, 3.68 ERA).

Peavy was roughed up as he started Game 2, yielding four runs on six hits through five innings of play. He walked a pair while only striking out one, before being handed the loss.

The 33-year-old right-hander hasn’t had much cause for celebration against the Royals in the past. Prior to last Wednesday’s game, he had posted a 5-7 record with a 4.97 ERA in 14 starts against the Royals. Those numbers were even more horrific at Kauffman Stadium, where he was 1-5 with a 6.42 ERA.

The 2007 Cy Young winner – who has had an inflated ERA in each of his four postseason campaigns (2005, 2006, 2013, 2014) – will be looking for some rare good fortune when he takes to the mound Tuesday night. A win in Game 6 of the World Series would go a long way to erasing all that has come before.

Will Hunter Pence and the Giants take home a third title in five years?
Will Hunter Pence and the Giants take home a third title in five years?

Injury report

Neither club faces any new injury worries heading into Game 6.

Betting report

Below you’ll find significant trends and observations relating to this matchup.

San Francisco Giants vs. Kansas City Royals odds for 10/28/2014

With the series back in Missouri, Kansas City (-140) opened as the favorite over San Francisco (+130) on the moneyline.

After earning a win in Game 5, the advantage seems to be with the Giants heading forward. Historically, when a World Series has been tied 2-2, the team winning Game 5 has won the championship 27 times. The team losing Game 5 has won the series on 14 occasions.

The total opened at 7.

So far this series, the over has paid out three times and the under twice. Two of the last three games have resulted in the total going under.

With Peavy and Ventura starting, Game 2 saw the total go over.

Four of the last six games between the clubs at Kauffman Stadium have resulted in the total going over.

*****

Bet on the 2014 World Series

Find the latest MLB player props

Find the latest MLB team props

The post Giants Look To Close Out Series; Royals Look To Stay Alive appeared first on BettingSports.com.

Rounding the bases: What’s happened to start the MLB season?

0
0

On Sunday night, the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals kicked off the Major League Baseball season. Come Wednesday morning, every team has at least one game under its belt while some have two. Here’s what has happened to this point:

Corey Kluber and Dallas Keuchel put on an epic show in the season-opener between the Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros. Kluber, the defending American League Cy Young Award winner, took the loss while allowing three hits and two runs over 7.1 innings. Keuchel was even better in victory, scattering a trio of hits and shutting out Cleveland over seven frames. If Houston wants to make a charge in the AL West, they need Keuchel to be an ace.

Masahiro Tanaka could be in for a rough season. After all the talk about Tanaka needing Tommy John surgery throughout the latter part of last season and then the winter, the New York Yankees opted against it. On Monday, Tanaka was shelled by the Toronto Blue Jays, allowing five runs in four innings during a 6-1 defeat. Tanaka’s splitter was terrific, but his fastball lacked plenty of life.

The San Francisco Giants split their first two games against the Arizona Diamondbacks, which is nothing to write home about. However, the important part is the injuries piling up on the pitchers. Matt Cain is already on the disabled list with a strained flexor tendon while Jake Peavy  is dealing with back spasms, something that could land him on the DL. With Cain and Peavy both out, the Giants are realizing the major flaw on their roster; aging arms.

The Milwaukee Brewers might be brutal. Look, it is only two games so there is no reason to push the panic button, but getting pounded twice at home by the Colorado Rockies is a concern. Kyle Lohse was absolutely tattooed in the opener and Matt Garza was hot garbage in the second contest. The fact Lohse and Garza are at the top of the rotation is a concern to begin with. If they don’t pitch well? Look out below.

– C.J. Wilson was flat-out horrific last year. Getting paid a mint by the Los Angeles Angels, Wilson was falling apart and appeared destined to become nothing more than a financial albatross. Then, Wilson took the mound hoping to keep the Angels from an 0-2 start and spun a gem against the Seattle Mariners. Wilson went eight innings and allowed just two hits, leading Los Angeles to a 2-0 win. If Wilson can find his old form, the Angels are in great shape.

– A hilarious note to end this. The Miami Marlins had a rain delay in their season opener against the Atlanta Braves. Why is that funny? Because they play in a stadium with a retractable roof. The powers that be somehow did not realize a storm was coming and failed to close the roof in time.

The post Rounding the bases: What’s happened to start the MLB season? appeared first on BettingSports.com.

MLB Roundup: Leyland, Peavy Get Extensions, Mets Exercise Wright’s Option

0
0

Now that the 2012 MLB season has officially ended, it’s time to look ahead to 2013. Opening day will start on April 1 if you don’t count the Sunday game on March 30 as the opener.

Teams are looking ahead to their personnel for the new season and one has already said its manager will be back. World Series-losing Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland has been awarded with a one-year contract extension.

The Chicago White Sox inked a two-year extension with pitcher Jake Peavy and the New York Mets exercised their option on third baseman David Wright.

Leyland Receives One-Year Contract Extension

Tigers Manager Jim Leyland

In less than 48 hours after its loss against the San Francisco Giants in the World Series, the Detroit Tigers gave veteran manager Jim Leyland a one-year contract extension.

Leyland said of the news, “I’m going to be here in 2013, and we’ll take that from there. I wanted to manage, but I did think long and hard about it, because I wanted to make sure that I was going to be doing everything that you need to do to continue to keep this club headed in the right direction.”

And the Tigers should stick with Leyland.

At 67, the veteran skipper is the league’s leading manager with 1,676 wins–No. 15 on the career list. In 2013, it will be season No. 22 as a MLB manager and his eighth for the Tigers. Under his leadership, the team has three postseason visits and two World Series.

In regards to Leyland’s coaching staff, they are expected back with some minor tweaks.

With Leyland still leading the team, the Tigers have 6 to 1 odds to win the 2013 World Series.

The team will now focus on its players and they have exercised the $6 million option on shortstop Jhonny Peralta and the $3.5 million one on righty pitcher Octavio Dotel.

The team is expected to allow closer Jose Valverde and designated hitter Delmon Young to hit free agency while they will attempt to re-sign free agent and highly coveted righty Anibal Sanchez.

Peavy Gets Two-Year Extension

White Sox Pitcher Jake Peavy

On Tuesday, the Chicago White Sox gave pitcher Jake Peavy a two-year, $29 million extension. In 2013 and 2014, he will receive $14.5 million but if he hits his innings pitched thresholds in the seasons, he can extend his contract to encompass the 2015 season with a $15 million salary.

In 2012, Peavy was 11-12 with a 3.37 ERA over 219 innings. From his 32 starts, he had 194 strikeouts.

Among American league pitchers, he ranked No. 3 for quality starts (23), tied for third with complete games, fourth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.96), fifth for IP and opponents average (.234), tied for shutouts at No. 7 (1), eighth in strikeouts, ninth in ERA and tied for 10th in starts.

Peavy said of the extension, “I’m really excited to come back to Chicago and build on what we did last year. I made no secret of the fact that this is where I want to play. Chicago is a great city with great fans, and I can’t think of a better place to try and win a championship. With the guys we have coming back, I think we have a great opportunity to accomplish some special things.”

In other White Sox news, the team declined options for Kevin Youkilis and Brett Myers while exercising Gavin Floyd’s option.

It was a good 2012 season for the White Sox but looking ahead for 2013, they have 28 to 1 odds to win the World Series.

Mets Exercise Option on David Wright

Mets 3B David Wright

On Tuesday, the Mets exercised the $16 million option for third baseman Wright  reported ESPN. This came as the three-day deadline after the World Series was coming due.

The Mets will try to ink a long-term extension with Wright but one isn’t close and the team instead chose to exercise his option and conduct talks.

Last season, Wright hit .306 and had 21 homers with 93 RBIs. He made an appearance at the All-Star game for a sixth time.

The post MLB Roundup: Leyland, Peavy Get Extensions, Mets Exercise Wright’s Option appeared first on BettingSports.com.

Viewing all 28 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images