Announcement

**TheGame** · 06-30-2016, 07:48 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/30

MLB roundup: Indians win again -- 12 in a row
By The Sports Xchange

ATLANTA -- The streaking Cleveland Indians are one win away from tying their all-time record for consecutive victories.
Danny Salazar won his sixth consecutive start and Lonnie Chisenhall hit his third homer in five games as the Indians made it 12 in a row with a 3-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves that completed a three-game interleague sweep Wednesday night.
The Indians' record winning streak is 13 games, first set in 1942 and matched in 1951.
Salazar (10-3) allowed five hits, walked none and struck out eight over seven innings while lowering his ERA to 2.22 -- second in the American League. He threw 98 pitches in his longest start since going eight innings June 3 against Kansas City.
The Indians (47-30) have outscored their opponents 76-25 during the winning streak and it was the third time in the stretch they didn't allow a run.
Cleveland has won 21 of its past 27 games and is 17 games over .500 for the first time since finishing the 2013 season 92-70.

Yankees 9, Rangers 7
NEW YORK -- Brian McCann homered in consecutive at-bats and Didi Gregorius hit a two-run home run with one outs in the bottom of the ninth as New York rallied from a five-run deficit to defeat Texas.
After Alex Rodriguez lined out, McCann drove a 1-0 pitch from Sam Dyson into the right-field seats. Starlin Castro followed with a walk and Gregorius ended it by lining the first pitch from Dyson into the right-center field into the right-field seats.
It was Gregorius' first career walk-off home run and touched off a wild celebration at the plate.

Nationals 4, Mets 2
WASHINGTON -- Max Scherzer allowed just two hits and no runs with 10 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings and Daniel Murphy hit two homers as Washington beat New York, sweeping the three-game series against the defending National League champions.
Oliver Perez came on in the eighth to face pinch-hitter Curtis Granderson, who singled to put two runners on with one out and the score 2-0. The Nationals brought on Blake Treinen, who retired pinch-hitter Travis d'Arnaud on a grounder. Washington manager Dusty Baker then called on Shawn Kelley, and Alejandro De Aza struck out swinging to end the inning.
Murphy then hit his second homer of the game, a two-run shot in the last of the eighth off Sean Gilmartin to pad the margin to 4-0. Murphy tied his career high with 14 homers in a season against his former team.

Cubs 9, Reds 2
CINCINNATI -- Anthony Rizzo belted his first career inside-the-park home run in the first inning and Kyle Hendricks allowed two runs over six frames as Chicago completed the sweep of Cincinnati.
This series was particularly crazy beginning with Kris Bryant's historic three-homer, two-double game on Monday, followed by a 15-inning affair the next night in which the Cubs used three pitchers in left field.
The wildness continued in the first inning on Wednesday when, with two runners aboard, Rizzo hit a liner to left-center field that caromed off the glove of left fielder Adam Duvall and rolled to the warning track. Rizzo raced around the bases to stake the Cubs to an early 3-0 lead.
Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton, who nearly collided with Duvall on the play, was struck on the left side of his face by the ball and had to leave the game.

Rays 4, Red Sox 0
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Tampa Bay starter Matt Moore took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and pitched seven shutout innings, outdueling former teammate David Price.
Moore (4-5) held Boston to three hits, all in the sixth, and helped the Rays take a three-game series from the Red Sox for the second time this season.
Price (8-5) has just one win in his last seven starts, and he is now 0-3 as a visitor since being dealt from the Rays two years ago.

Tigers 10, Marlins 3
DETROIT -- Miguel Cabrera homered and drove in three runs and Daniel Norris struck out a career-high eight batters as Detroit cruised past Miami.
Cabrera and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who also homered, had three hits apiece for the Tigers, who finished 6-3 on their nine-game homestand. They play 11 consecutive road games prior to the All-Star break.
Steven Moya added a solo shot, Victor Martinez had two hits and two RBIs and Ian Kinsler contributed two hits and three runs scored. Norris (1-0), making his second start of the season, gave up two runs on eight hits in five innings.

Blue Jays 5, Rockies 3
DENVER -- Aaron Sanchez worked a season-high-tying eight innings as Toronto beat Colorado in the rubber game of the three-game series. It was the Blue Jays' first win in a series of three or more games since June 3-5, when they took two of three games at Boston.
Sanchez (8-1) got 14 outs on ground balls, including two double plays. He yielded one run on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
Josh Donaldson had two hits, including a home run, and Edwin Encarnacion added two hits and two runs for the Blue Jays.

Astros 10, Angels 4
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Jose Altuve finished a homer short of the cycle, and Houston completed a three-game sweep of Los Angeles.
Altuve, who has an 11-game hitting streak, singled in the first inning, tripled in the third and doubled in the fifth. With a chance for the cycle, he lined out to left in the sixth, then singled to left for his fourth hit in the ninth.
George Springer and Luis Valbuena homered for Houston, which got a serviceable performance on the mound from Dallas Keuchel (5-9). The lefty gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks in six innings.

Orioles 12, Padres 6
SAN DIEGO -- Yovani Gallardo's solid pitching enabled Baltimore to record its seventh consecutive win.
Gallardo (3-1) allowed three runs on as many hits and struck out six in six innings. He earned his second win in his third start since returning from the disabled list after recovering from biceps tendinitis.
Mark Trumbo paced the Orioles with four RBIs, and Manny Machado added three RBIs and two of the Orioles' 12 hits.

Phillies 9, Diamondbacks 8 (10 innings)
PHOENIX -- Pinch hitter Tyler Goeddel's 10th-inning sacrifice fly allowed Philadelphia to complete a three-game sweep of Arizona.
Jenmar Gomez (3-2) got four outs and left two runners on base in the eighth inning for the victory. Brett Oberholtzer, the Phillies' seventh pitcher, worked around a one-out bunt single by Michael Bourn in the last of the 10th for his first career save.
Cesar Hernandez had four hits, Freddy Galvis had three hits, Cody Asche had two hits and three RBIs, and Peter Bourjos homered for the Phillies, who have won four of six. Bourn had four hits for Arizona, which got a three-run homer from Jake Lamb.

Brewers 7, Dodgers 0
MILWAUKEE -- Home runs from Ryan Braun and Kirk Nieuwenhuis and a career-high eight shutout innings from right-hander Junior Guerra led Milwaukee to a shutout victory over Los Angeles at Miller Park.
Guerra (5-1) earned his second consecutive victory by holding the Dodgers to just two hits and two walks while striking out seven.
He stranded runners at the corners in the first inning then faced just one over the minimum the rest of the way.

White Sox 9, Twins 6
CHICAGO -- Brett Lawrie, Tyler Saladino and Todd Frazier all homered and James Shields picked up his first win for Chicago in a victory over Minnesota.
The power surge came a night after the White Sox failed to score. Saladino homered in the fifth inning before Frazier followed up with his solo shot in the sixth to give Shields some room to work with.
Chicago�s last 13 home runs have all come with no one on.

Athletics 7, Giants 1
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Jed Lowrie and Yonder Alonso hit two-run homers, and rookie left-hander Sean Manaea pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, leading Oakland to a victory against San Francisco at the Oakland Coliseum.
The A's beat the Giants for the third straight time and will try to sweep the four-game season series on Thursday night at the Coliseum.
Manaea (3-4) had been on the disabled list since June 14 with a strained left forearm before being activated Wednesday to make his 10th career start. He gave up six hits, struck out four and walked one. Manaea exited after allowing a two-out double to Buster Posey in the sixth with the A's leading 7-0.

Royals 3, Cardinals 2 (12 innings)
ST. LOUIS -- Alcides Escobar's one-out RBI double in the top of the 12th inning lifted Kansas City to a win over St. Louis.
Whit Merrifield started the rally with a double off Seth Maness (0-2), St. Louis' eighth pitcher of the game, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Escobar lined a 3-1 pitch down the right field line just in front of a diving Stephen Piscotty as Merrifield scored.
Chien-Ming Wang (5-0) pitched the last two innings for the win as Kansas City won despite stranding 19 runners. The Cardinals dropped to 15-22 at Busch Stadium, where they have lost six in a row.

Pirates 8, Mariners 1
SEATTLE -- Pittsburgh rolled out to a big early lead and rode rookie starter Jameson Taillon to a win over Seattle.
The 24-year-old Taillon (2-1) allowed just one run off six hits over six innings in his fifth major league start, while Pirates right fielder Sean Rodriguez provided the bulk of the offense.
Rodriguez had two doubles, four RBIs and scored twice as Pittsburgh jumped out to an 8-0 lead through the top of the fifth inning.

**TheGame** · 06-30-2016, 07:49 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/30

High-scoring June gives way to Over boom for MLB betting
By JASON LOGAN

Major League Baseball hitters could be finally finding their swing and catching up to their counterparts on the mound, or they could be taking the “Superman” approach and boosting their power thanks to the summer sun. Whatever the reason, baseball bats are suddenly red hot and MLB Over bettors are burning books because of it.

The Over has been building up bankrolls recently, with the last seven days of baseball action producing a 57-36-3 Over/Under mark (61.29 percent Overs) including a 16-7-3 O/U record in the previous two days heading into Wednesday’s schedule.

Since June 22, MLB games are averaging 10.45 combined runs scored against an average closing total (Over/Under) of 8.66 runs – blasting that number by almost two runs an outing. Teams are hitting a collective .277 BA during this stretch, which is well above the season batting average of .255.

Overall, June has generated an uptick in scoring for the 2016 MLB season. Clubs plated an average of 4.16 runs per game in April and 4.5 runs per game in May. So far this month, teams are scoring 4.76 runs per game – 9.52 total runs per contest – and hitting .263 BA compared to .249 in April and .254 in May.

Those numbers have the 2016 campaign on pace to be the highest scoring MLB season since 2009, with 8.92 total runs per game. That’s produced a collective 575-527-57 Over/Under record through the first three months of the calendar, slightly leaning toward the Over at a 52.18 percent clip.

This goes against the recent trend in baseball, with scores dropping season after season. From 2009 to 2015, the average total runs scored per game plummeted from 9.22 to 8.5 with 2014 being the lowest scoring season in that span at 8.14 – the fewest amount of runs scored since 1981 (8.00).

Like most trends over the course of the 162-game baseball season, totals tend to level off. With July up next, total bettors may want to jump on the Over in final days of June before the calendar flips to what has typically been an ‘Under’ month for MLB betting.

Last season, MLB games in July averaged 8.22 runs versus an average betting total of 7.70, but still finished at 169-184-24 Over/Under – 52 percent Unders. And since 2012, MLB games in July have gone 669-786-72 O/U, for a 54 percent Under rate.

Currently, just 10 of the 30 MLB clubs have played more to the Under than the Over in 2016. Last year finished with 13 teams leaning to the Under on the season.

**TheGame** · 06-30-2016, 07:49 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/30

Preview: Rangers (51-28) at Yankees (38-39)

Game: 4
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: June 30, 2016 1:05 PM EDT

NEW YORK -- The Texas Rangers have achieved numerous things this season.

One thing they were not able to get due to a large bullpen collapse Wednesday was tie a club record with their 21st win in June.

The Rangers will look to set that mark and rebound from their major league-leading eighth walk-off loss of the season Thursday afternoon when they conclude a four-game series with the New York Yankees.

Texas was two outs away from being able to play for its record-setting 22nd win of June and its first four-game sweep in New York but let a 7-2 lead slip away and wound up with a 9-7 loss.

Cesar Ramos gave up Brian McCann's first home run in the eighth and Sam Dyson allowed McCann's three-run home run in the ninth and Didi Gregorius' game-winner.

"Obviously when you have your closer on the mound in a save situation, they're very challenging," Texas manager Jeff Banister said. "Four-run lead there in the 9th, and we've been really good at closing those games out."

Even though the bullpen now has a 4.84 ERA, this has still been a good month for the Rangers. They are 20-7 this month and can equal the record for wins in a month set in Sept. 1978 (21-10) and matched in June 2010 (21-6).

The Rangers also will be looking to go unbeaten in their last 13 series (13-0-1) and improved to 14-1-1 in its last 16. The only series loss was a three-game sweep by Oakland in mid-May but since then Texas is 29-9.

The Yankees will be hoping the late dramatics can finally springboard them into marking a run as they will try to reach .500 for the seventh time since May 22.

"Probably the biggest win of the year," Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez said.

New York has never been more than two games over and since getting to 31-30 June 10, the Yankees are 8-9.

A win on Thursday will mean the Yankees don't head into July with a losing record for the first time since 2007. A win also means the Yankees will not face a double-digit through the end of June for the seventh time since divisional play began in 1969.

"There's a sense of urgency," Girardi said. "As days tick away, you start to run out of time, and you don't want to bury yourself. Baltimore is playing extremely well. Boston has run into a few bumps here, but they've played well. Toronto's played well. And so you can't mess around too long and expect to be there.'

A.J Griffin is 3-0 with a 3.08 ERA in seven starts this season and will be on the mound Thursday for Texas.

Griffin made his first start off the disabled list and took a no-decision after allowing two runs and four hits in 4 1/3 innings of Saturday's 10-3 win over the Boston Red Sox. He has held opponents to .200 average and allowed three earned runs or less in each start.

The right-hander has had similar success in his career against the Yankees. He is 3-0 with a 2.49 ERA in four starts against New York, including April 26 in Arlington when he allowed one run and four hits in eight innings of a 10-1 victory.

The Yankees will hope Michael Pineda can continue his decent stretch. Although Pineda is 3-7 with a 5.51 ERA, he is 1-1 with a 3.00 in four starts this month.

Pineda leads the Yankees with 96 strikeouts and has at least eight strikeouts in four of five starts this month. The latest instance was Saturday when he took a no-decision and allowed one run and two hits in six innings against Minnesota.

Pineda is 0-3 with a 5.04 ERA in four starts against Texas. The last time he faced the Rangers at home was May 22, 2015 when he allowed seven runs (four earned) and eight hits over six innings of a 10-9 loss.

**TheGame** · 06-30-2016, 07:49 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/30

Preview: Dodgers (43-37) at Brewers (35-42)

Game: 3
Venue: Miller Park
Date: June 30, 2016 2:10 PM EDT

MILWAUKEE -- Zach Davies will go for his sixth victory of the season when he takes the mound Thursday as the Milwaukee Brewers wrap up a three-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Miller Park.

Davies has been on an absolute tear the last two months, going 5-0 with a 2.64 ERA in his last 10 starts -- after posting an 8.78 ERA in his first three outings.

He set a career high with nine strikeouts his last time out, but took a no-decision after allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk in five innings of work.

"They fouled off a bunch of pitches, and he had a bunch of strikeouts, too, which ran up his pitch count," manager Craig Counsell said after that outing. "That's a tough middle of the lineup to get through, a challenging middle of the lineup. I thought Zach threw the ball as well as he has in his previous starts."

Davies has faced the Dodgers only once before in his career, taking no decision after holding Los Angeles to a run on five hits and a walk with six strikeouts in seven innings at Dodger Stadium earlier this month.

Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda has done well on the road this season, going 4-1 with a 2.79 ERA while holding opponents to a .188 batting average.

The MLB rookie -- Maeda spent eight seasons with Hiroshima of the Japanese Central League prior to signing with the Dodgers this season -- is looking to rebound after allowing a season-high-tying four runs in five innings of a 6-1 loss at Pittsburgh.

"My job is to go deep into the game and give the team the best shot to win," Maeda told the Los Angeles Times. "Yes, it is frustrating to not be able to do the job."

Prior to that, he'd been locked in; going 3-1 with a 1.52 ERA over a five-start stretch, including a stellar showing against the Brewers on June 19, when he allowed just a run on six hits while striking out eight over 6 1/3 innings but didn't factor into the decision of the Dodgers' 2-1 victory.

"I'm proud of him for the way he battled," Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis said after that game. ""I know he got some insight in the dugout about trying to change some things up mechanically and it showed right away. It speaks to how talented he is, how athletic he is. His fastball command was dominant the rest of the game. That's huge for us, because Kenta can use his off-speed at will -- and that's really good -- but teams can sit on that."

Maeda allowed two hits including a double to Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun in that contest. Braun has terrorized Dodgers pitching this season, going 10-for-25 with five runs, four doubles, two home runs, seven RBIs and a stolen base in six games this season.

Overall, he has hits in his last 11 meetings with Los Angeles.

**TheGame** · 06-30-2016, 07:50 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/30

Preview: Twins (25-52) at White Sox (39-39)

Game: 3
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: June 30, 2016 2:10 PM EDT

CHICAGO -- Finding ways to win in the American League's Central Division has been an issue for both the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins this season.

But as the White Sox look to return to their winning ways and the Twins hope to build on what's been their most successful month to date, reversing course against divisional opponents moving forward will be key.

The White Sox and Twins wrap up their three game series at U.S. Cellular Field Thursday before both teams venture outside the Central this weekend.

For the White Sox, in-division competition of late has been especially painful even after the White Sox won for only the fourth time in their last 20 divisional games with Wednesday's 9-6 victory.

Although the White Sox will clinch their third consecutive series with a win on Thursday, they haven't been nearly as successful against their Central Division neighbors -- and the teams they face the most each season.

"You have to pick it up a little bit in your division," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said this week.

Thursday's game will mark the ninth time the Twins and White Sox have faced one another this season. The White Sox won the first six games and outscored Minnesota 30-9 before being shut out 4-0 in Tuesday's series opener. Chicago regained some of their form Wednesday behind James Shields' first win for Chicago since coming over in a trade with San Diego.

But the Twins are about the only division opponent the White Sox have had success against during their recent troubling stretch. Chicago is 1-6 against Cleveland, 2-7 against Kansas City and 2-4 against Detroit.

And even after improving to 7-1 against Minnesota, Ventura knows things have to improve against other divisional opponents. White Sox third baseman said familiarity with one another may play a factor in Chicago's troubles.

Maybe they know us a little bit," Frazier said. "They may know our tendencies a little more. There is no real rhyme or reason."

Twins manager Paul Molitor is hoping his players have taken their struggles against divisional opponents personally. Teams like the White Sox had their way with the Twins earlier this season.

And yet after coming within a win of earning their first series victory over the White Sox since last September, Molitor said his team has to find ways to build off wins like Tuesday's 4-0 shutout.

Wednesday's loss -- which included a five-run, ninth-inning Twins' rally that saw the tying run come to the plate -- was the latest example of the Twins being unable to string together multiple wins.

"It's not like you're expecting to go out and reel off a long winning streak -- it would be great if you were able to do that," Molitor said. "You just want to see more consistency. We don't make a tough play (Wednesday), we have a base-running mistake that I thought it was costly -- those can be momentum-changers -- and you go from being in a pretty close game to trailing by eight runs."

**TheGame** · 06-30-2016, 07:50 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/30

Preview: Reds (29-50) at Nationals (47-32)

Game: 1
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: June 30, 2016 7:05 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- Left-hander Gio Gonzalez may be pitching for his spot in the Washington rotation when the first-place Nationals begin a four-game home series Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds.

Gonzalez will get the start opposite left-hander Brandon Finnegan of the Reds, who are last in the National League Central by a wide margin.

The game comes two days after the major league debut of Nationals right-hander Lucas Giolito, 21, who showed that he is ready for the bigs by throwing four scoreless innings and allowing just one hit to the New York Mets. Giolito did not return after a fourth-inning rain delay in a game the Nationals won 5-0.

When ace Stephen Strasburg (10-0) returns from the disabled list, the Nationals could be faced with a pleasant quandary: send Giolito back to the minors, mostly likely to Triple-A Syracuse, or keep him in the rotation and send Gonzalez to the bullpen.

That may be a long shot since the Nationals already have three lefties in the bullpen and general manager Mike Rizzo may want to keep Giolito fresh for a September appearance -- perhaps as a bullpen stopper or spot starter because he is on a innings limit.

How would Nationals manager Dusty Baker compare Giolito to other pitchers?

"Four innings is not enough to judge," Baker said. "I don't really like to make comparisons because it is not really fair."

Gonzalez was acquired by the Nationals in a deal with the Oakland A's after the 2011 season. The veteran from suburban Miami won 21 games in 2012 and helped Washington win the National League East title. However, he couldn't keep the lead in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, and long-time fans of the Nationals have not forgotten that game.

The next three years, Gonzalez went 11-8, 10-10 and 11-8 with ERAs between 3.36 and 3.79.

This season he is 3-7 with a 4.73 ERA in 15 starts. He has lasted less than six innings per start and has reached the 100-pitch mark by the fifth inning on occasion.

He has given up 89 hits (nine homers) and 28 walks with 88 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings. The Nationals have lost his last seven starts, and Gonzalez is 0-6 in that stretch.

Mets infielder Asdrubal Cabrera was teammates with Gonzalez in Washington for part of the 2014 season.

"He knows what he has to do. He enjoys this game a lot," Cabrera said.

Finnegan, who came up through the Kansas City system, pitched against the Nationals last September at Nationals Park when Max Scherzer took a no-hitter into the eighth inning. That was the day after reliever Jonathan Papelbon went for the throat of teammate Bryce Harper in the Washington dugout late in the game.

In 16 starts this year, Finnegan is 3-6 with a 3.83 ERA. He held the Nationals to one run in 6 1/3 innings June 3 at Cincinnati in a 7-2 victory.

The Reds are 29-50 after a loss on Wednesday afternoon to the Chicago Cubs. To make matters worse, center fielder Billy Hamilton was banged up while going for a ball hit by Anthony Rizzo that became an inside-the-park homer.

Hamilton left the game in the first inning, and he was diagnosed with a facial contusion. He is in concussion protocol for the second time in 2016.

"It didn't get him in the eye or the nose. It was more on the cheek," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "I saw him in the fourth or fifth inning, and he was in pretty good spirits. He wanted to stay in the game, but in that situation, we made the best decision."

Nationals manager Dusty Baker, who was Cincinnati's manager from 2008-13, said late Wednesday it will not be hard to be ready for the Reds.

"That is no problem, keeping them motivated," he said of his Washington players. "You can't overlook anybody. The Reds almost swept us in Cincinnati."

The Reds won the first two games June 3-4 before the Nationals won the finale 10-9 on June 5.

**TheGame** · 06-30-2016, 07:50 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/30

Preview: Indians (47-30) at Blue Jays (43-37)

Game: 1
Venue: Rogers Centre
Date: June 30, 2016 7:07 PM EDT

TORONTO -- Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins will have a chance to see the results of their hard work over the past few years.

Their former team, the Cleveland Indians, will be riding a 12-game winning streak when it visits the Rogers Centre for a four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays that starts Thursday.

Shapiro, the Blue Jays president and CEO, and Atkins, the club's general manager, joined Toronto late last season after previously working for the Indians.

"I'm deeply invested in them and their performance and I'm pulling for them," Shapiro told The Canadian Press on Wednesday. "The only time I'm not pulling for them are the seven or eight times we play them. I'll absolutely be pulling against them in those games.

"I'd sign up right now to play them in the playoffs and beat them in the playoffs. That'd be fine with me because they're a group I believe in and care about."

Shapiro was with the Indians for 24 years and rose to president and CEO before moving to the Blue Jays last November, bringing with him Atkins, who was vice president of player personnel with Cleveland.

They will watch Thursday when knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (5-8, 4.23 ERA) takes the mound for Toronto and right-hander Carlos Carrasco (3-2, 2.73 ERA) starts for Cleveland.

The Blue Jays finished a six-game trip at 3-3 after winning the final two games against the Colorado Rockies, including a 5-3 decision Wednesday.

"If you finish .500 on a road trip, that's a pretty good road trip," said Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson, who hit his 18th homer of the season Wednesday. "Obviously, you want to win more than that, but we salvaged it today."

The Indians defeated the Atlanta Braves 3-0 Wednesday to extend their winning streak to 12 games. It is the club's longest since a 13-game winning string in 1951, which equaled the franchise record set in 1942. The Indians' starting staff is 9-0 with a 1.91 ERA during the streak, having outscored the opposition 76-25.

"You always have to turn the page," Indians manager Terry Francona said after the game Wednesday. "If we don't, Toronto will turn it for us. We've got another game in about 18 hours. We've got to get up there and get prepared. It should be a fun weekend."

Dickey allowed four home runs against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday but picked up the win in Toronto's 10-8 victory. He is 3-2 with a 3.34 ERA in June. In 13 career games against Cleveland, including seven starts, he is 4-2 with a 3.14 ERA.

Carrasco pitched his third career shutout and the seventh complete game of his career Saturday against the Detroit Tigers. He is 1-1 with a 7.98 ERA in three career starts against Toronto. It will be his first start at Rogers Centre. He allowed two runs on three hits in one inning of relief on May 14, 2014, at Toronto.

He will be facing some hot hitters. Donaldson is one an eight-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 19 of his past 20 games, batting .423 (33-for-78) with six doubles, four triples, five home runs and 22 RBIs in that span.

Blue Jays first baseman/designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion was 2-for-3 with an RBI on Wednesday, and his 70 RBIs lead the majors. He has 30 RBIs in June.

Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis had a two-run single Wednesday to extend his hitting streak to 11 games.

The Blue Jays' bullpen is also expected to be reinforced Thursday with the return of left-handed reliever Brett Cecil (triceps) from the disabled list. Another left-handed reliever, Franklin Morales (shoulder) is also close to a return. Toronto had no left-handed relievers available for the series in Colorado.

The Indians' bullpen was needed for just two innings Wednesday as Danny Salazar struck out eight without walking a batter in his seven-inning start. He earned his 10th win of the season, and he was happy to keep the team's streak alive.

"It's been great," Salazar said. "We've been pitching good, and the hitting has been amazing. We're competing and having fun out there. That's really important for us."

**TheGame** · 06-30-2016, 07:51 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/30

Preview: Cubs (51-26) at Mets (40-37)

Game: 1
Venue: Citi Field
Date: June 30, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

NEW YORK -- A sweep of the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series last fall sent the New York Mets to the World Series for the first time in 15 seasons. But the Cubs are the team that looks ready to return to the NLCS -- and perhaps end a far longer drought -- as the two teams prepare for a four-game series that begins Thursday night at Citi Field.

The Cubs arrived in New York fresh off a 9-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds that capped a three-game sweep at Great American Ball Park. The sweep snapped the longest skid of the season for Chicago, which lost six of seven prior to facing the Reds.

"This was a good series for us," said Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who hit a three-run inside-the-park homer Wednesday.

The Cubs have had a lot of good series this year. Chicago, which is looking to reach the World Series for the first time since 1945 and win it all for the first time since 1908, is now a baseball-best 51-26, with a mammoth run differential -- plus-170 -- that suggests ot should have five or six more wins.

The Mets, meanwhile, continued to spiral downward Wednesday with a 4-2 loss to the Washington Nationals. The loss capped a three-game sweep at the hands of the Nationals, who extended their lead over the Mets from three to six games.

The loss ended a 2-5 road trip for the Mets, who were outscored 35-20 by the Nationals and Atlanta Braves. New York, which blew an early 4-0 lead in Monday's opener against the Nationals, went 23 straight innings without scoring until James Loney hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning Wednesday.

"We're just not giving ourselves chances," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "We just can't give our pitchers any room to work."

At 40-37, New York is the closest it has been to .500 since April 24, though it is still only a half-game behind the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals in the race for the NL's second wild card.

"They're struggling lately and they're banged up," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "It is different (than last year) for both teams."

The series opener Thursday begins an 11-game homestand for the Mets that could dictate the direction the rest of their season takes. After the Cubs exit Sunday, the Mets host the Marlins for three games and the Nationals for four games.

"We've still got 11 before the All-Star Break," Collins said. "We've just got to go play them."

Mets left-hander Steven Matz is scheduled to start Thursday against Cubs right-hander John Lackey. Matz is pitching through a bone chip in his right elbow and got an extra day of rest after struggling last Friday, when he was staked to an eight-run lead but allowed six runs over 4 1/3 innings and was lifted before he could qualify for the win in the Mets' 8-6 victory over the Braves.

Lackey will be looking to bounce back from his worst start of the season. He took the loss last Saturday, when he gave up seven runs over 4 1/3 innings as the Cubs fell to the Marlins, 9-6.

**TheGame** · 06-30-2016, 07:51 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/30

Preview: Marlins (41-37) at Braves (26-52)

Game: 1
Venue: Turner Field
Date: June 30, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

ATLANTA -- A team coming off a two-game sweep in which it was outscored 17-6 would normally love to be facing an opponent next with the worst record in the National League.

The Miami Marlins, though, are the one team the Atlanta Braves have a winning record against this season.

Atlanta (26-52) started the season 4-17 and three of those victories were against the Marlins, who would eventually lose two more games to the Braves before winning two of the past three.

That is almost as bad as the Marlins (41-37) have done against the Tigers, who won 10-3 Wednesday in Detroit to finish the interleague matchup 0-4. The Tigers also swept a two-game series in Miami to open the season.

At least Miami won't have to face Braves ace Julio Teheran on Thursday night in the opener of the four-game series that will move from Turner Field to Fort Bragg in North Carolina for Sunday's patriotic finale.

Teheran, who has a streak of 23 consecutive scoreless innings, will get an extra day of rest before facing the Marlins on Friday.

"We've been extending him pretty good, so it's good to give him an extra day any time we can," Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said.

Teheran pitched a one-hit shutout in New York, then followed that up with eight scoreless innings in a no-decision against the same Mets in Atlanta last Saturday.

The right-hander is just 3-7, but has a 2.46 ERA.

Mike Foltynewicz will cut short his minor league rehab with Triple-A Gwinnett after one outing and start the series opener against the Marlins.

"He's healthy and feeling good," Snitker said.

The right-hander has been on the disabled list June 4 because of what was later diagnosed as bone spurs in his pitching elbow.

Foltynewicz allowed just one hit, walked none and struck out five over five scoreless innings Saturday against Charlotte, throwing 65 pitches.

"It felt better than I thought it would," Foltynewicz said of his elbow. "All the doctors say it is no structural damage in there. That puts me at ease of mind."

Foltynewicz has made six major league starts this season, going 2-2 with a 3.51 ERA.

Marlins manager Don Mattingly juggled his rotation Wednesday in Detroit and it didn't pay off.

Right-hander Tom Kohler started instead of left-hander Wei-Yin Chen against the Tigers, but gave up four runs in a 46-pitch first inning and was gone after the third inning.

"It's really a chance to give (Chen) a little bit of a breather, but Atlanta is just stacked with lefties and these guys (the Tigers) are stacked with righties," Mattingly had told reporters in explaining the switch.

Chen was the Marlins' Opening Day starter at home against Detroit, but has struggled to live up to expectations after getting a five-year deal worth $80 million as a free agent.

Chen, who is 4-2 with a 5.00 ERA, couldn't get out of the third inning two starts ago against Colorado, but bounced back with seven innings against the Chicago Cubs in his most recent outing.

The native of Taiwan will be making his third start of the season against the Braves after posting a 2.38 ERA in a pair of no-decisions in games the Marlins lost.

Chen faced the Braves once in interleague play while with Baltimore, pitching seven scoreless innings in a victory.

Miami outfielder Ichiro Suzuki comes into the series 12 hits short of 3,000 in the majors after getting two singles in each of the games at Detroit. The 42-year-old former star in Japan is batting .342.

The Marlins lost by seven runs Wednesday despite getting 14 hits. Third baseman Martin Prado had four of them to lift his average to .316.

"I'm disappointed," Mattingly told reporters after the sweep in Detroit. "But there is no time for that. We have to go play. That's basically how we have to look at it, get moving."

Atlanta swept in a three-game interleague series by Cleveland, which ran its winning streak to 12 games Wednesday night. The Braves are 11-32 at home this season.

**TheGame** · 06-30-2016, 07:51 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/30

Preview: Tigers (40-38) at Rays (33-44)

Game: 1
Venue: Tropicana Field
Date: June 30, 2016 7:10 PM EDT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays, three days removed from an 11-game losing streak, bounced back by taking two of three games from the Boston Red Sox, but, starting Thursday, they will face another surging team in a four-game series against the Detroit Tigers, who open an 11-game road trip that goes right up to the All-Star break.

"Especially against teams that we're familiar with, we should go in with a lot of confidence," Tigers outfielder Cameron Maybin said after Wednesday's 10-3 win over the Marlins. "The biggest thing is, going into the break, we want to bring as much energy and effort as we can, not take any day too lightly and make sure we finish strong going into the break."

Detroit (40-38) is coming off a 6-3 homestand, one that included a three-game sweep at the hands of the Indians, but they will get another shot at them immediately after the Rays series. The Tigers had 15 hits in Wednesday's win, and home runs from Miguel Cabrera, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and 24-year-old Steven Moya, who has four home runs in his last six games.

Moya, huge at 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds, has always had power potential -- he has 10 extra-base hits in 63 at-bats this season -- but manager Brad Ausmus said his key is lowering the swing-and-miss factor and keeping control of his at-bats.

Detroit took two of three games from the Rays in May, and Thursday's starter is Jordan Zimmermann, who won one of those games, holding the Rays to two runs in 5 2/3 innings. He is now 9-4 with a 3.81 ERA, and will face the Rays' Jake Odorizzi, who has a comparable ERA at 3.93 ERA but a hard-luck 3-3 record.

Odorizzi has pitched well in his career against the Tigers, with a 2-1 record and 1.93 career ERA. He hopes to build off a strong start Wednesday by Tampa Bay's Matt Moore, who threw seven shutout innings and took a no-hitter into the sixth. It's the kind of starting pitching the Rays expected going into 2016, but haven't seen much of in a disappointing first half of the season. Moore outpitched former Rays ace David Price to pick up the win against Boston.

"I think everybody in this building has admiration for David Price and what he means to the organization," Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday. "Any time you get to compete against him, it is special. Matt Moore was a young pitcher when he was here. They follow him, they listen to him and to go toe-to-toe with that guy has to be special for Matt. He was outstanding."

While Detroit has a week and a half on the road, the Rays are in the middle of an 11-game homestand, needing more consistent success at Tropicana Field as they try to scrap their way back to .500.

**TheGame** · 06-30-2016, 07:52 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/30

Preview: Royals (41-36) at Cardinals (40-37)

Game: 4
Venue: Busch Stadium
Date: June 30, 2016 7:15 PM EDT

ST. LOUIS -- Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the scalding-hot bat of Kendrys Morales in the starting lineup.

Proof of that came Wednesday night in St. Louis, when Morales started in right field, the first time in eight years he opened a game as an outfielder. Usually a designated hitter, Morales handled four chances flawlessly, including a catch of Matt Carpenter's fourth-inning drive on which he banged into the wall.

That, coupled with three more hits that upped Morales' average to .650 (13-for-20) in the past five games, leaves little doubt that Morales will roam right field again Thursday night when Kansas City ends its four-game interleague series with the Cardinals.

"I felt like he would be able to handle it, and his play tonight verifies it," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He did a nice job. His play going back to the wall was fantastic."

With third baseman Mike Moustakas gone for the year and center fielder Lorenzo Cain out for at least a couple of weeks, Kansas City (41-36) needs every bat it can get in the lineup as it tries to stay within sight of streaking the Cleveland Indians in the American League Central.

The presence of Morales, who can tie a major league high this year if he collects multiple hits in a sixth straight game Thursday, should help the Royals as they try to capture three of four from their enigmatic in-state rivals.

Owners of one of baseball's best road records at 25-15, St. Louis has been mop water at home. A 3-2, 12-inning defeat to Kansas City on Wednesday night was the Cardinals' sixth consecutive setback at Busch Stadium, dropping them to 15-22 at home for the year.

By contrast, the Cardinals were a major-league-best 55-26 last year, when they were baseball's first 100-win team since 2011.

"I didn't know until just now what the record was," Cardinals right fielder Stephen Piscotty said after the Wednesday game of the team's home struggles. "It's game-to-game for myself and a lot of guys on the team."

To break the home losing streak, St. Louis (40-37) turns to right-hander Mike Leake, who is making his first career start against Kansas City. Leake (5-5, 4.25 ERA) is coming off a 5-4 loss Saturday night at Seattle, where he lasted only 3 1/3 innings and gave up all five runs.

The Cardinals will need a long start from Leake after using eight pitchers Wednesday night. New closer Seung Hwan Oh, Kevin Siegrist and Jonathan Broxton could be unavailable after working the past two games.

The Royals trot out veteran right-hander Chris Young, who has been pummeled most of the year. A 13-5 loss to the Houston Astros on Saturday night saw Young last only 2 1/3 innings. He allowed seven hits and seven runs with four walks and two strikeouts in his shortest start since Sept. 1, 2014.

Young (2-7, 6.54) is just 1-4 with a 3.74 ERA in seven career starts against St. Louis, and he has permitted a homer in his first 11 starts this year.

Young might not have to worry about Piscotty, who injured his ankle in the 12th inning diving for Alcides Escobar's game-winning double and had to ice the joint after the game. Piscotty, who cracked a game-tying homer in the 10th, has played in all but four games this year.

**TheGame** · 06-30-2016, 07:52 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/30

Preview: Giants (49-31) at Athletics (35-43)

Game: 4
Venue: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Date: June 30, 2016 10:05 PM EDT

OAKLAND, Calif. -- In an effort to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of their Bay Area rivals, the San Francisco Giants will buck 40 years of baseball tradition.

Giants ace left-hander Madison Bumgarner will start Thursday against the Oakland A's at the Oakland Coliseum, and he will bat in place of a designated hitter.

Bumgarner will become the first starting pitcher to bat intentionally in place of a designated hitter since Ken Brett did so twice for the Chicago White Sox in 1976. Since the DH rule was adopted by the AL in 1973, the only other pitchers knowingly penciled into the batting order in games at AL parks were the Rangers' Ferguson Jenkins in 1974 and the Athletics' Ken Holtzman in 1975, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

The Tampa Bay Rays were forced to use pitcher Andy Sonnanstine instead of a DH in a 2009 game, but that was due to a lineup-card mistake.

Bumgarner, who is hitting .175 (7-for-40) with two homers and five RBIs this year, will get to bat against A's rookie left-hander Dillon Overton due largely to the Giants' lack of right-handed-hitting options. Though he pitches left-handed, Bumgarner bats right-handed.

Overton, coming off a win in his major league debut Saturday in Anaheim, is excited to face off with Bumgarner the pitcher.

"He's one of the best pitchers in baseball, and I've watched him for numerous years on TV, and I've taken some pointers from him," Overton said. "It will definitely be special to be able to throw against him. It will be fun."

Overton had 28 family members from Oklahoma and Texas cheering him on Saturday due a 7-3 victory against the Los Angeles Angels.

It was a thrilling start to his career, even though he allowed solo home runs to Mike Trout, Kole Calhoun and Albert Pujols. Those were the only runs Overton allowed in 5 2/3 innings. Now he gets to make his home debut on a day the A's will attempt to complete a sweep of the Giants.

"Being a home-grown guy in this organization, it will definitely be special to throw here finally in front of our home crowd," Overton said Wednesday.

After beating the Giants two times at AT&T Park, the A's defeated them 7-1 on Wednesday night at the Coliseum. Beating Bumgarner to cap the sweep won't be easy for Oakland, as he is 8-4 with a 1.99 ERA in his career against the Athletics.

"He's been awesome," Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford said of Bumgarner. "All of his pitches have been sharp. He's using the cutter and fastball like always, but he's really been mixing in that curveball and been throwing that really well this year, and I think that's probably the biggest difference."

Bumgarner had gone 7-0 with a 1.27 ERA over 10 starts before hitting what for him was a rough patch. He has lost back-to-back starts despite allowing a total of just four runs to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies in that stretch.

After watching his team commit three errors and lose yet another infielder to an injury Wednesday night, Giants manager Bruce Bochy took little solace in the fact that Bumgarner would be on the mound for the series finale.

"We just have to clean it up," Bochy said. "That's the one thing we were doing very well is catching the ball. You deal with the streaks where you have trouble scoring runs, but the one thing we should be consistent at is catching the ball. We're a pretty good team defensively, and that's gotten away from us."

Giants starting second baseman Joe Panik (concussion) went on the seven-day disabled list Wednesday, joining starting third baseman Matt Duffy (left Achilles strain) and backup infielders Kelby Tomlinson (left thumb sprain) and Ehire Adrianza (fractured left foot).

Now infielder Ramiro Pena, who started in Panik's place Wednesday, could be headed to the DL. He sprained his left ankle in the third inning in a collision with right fielder Mac Williamson as they pursued a pop fly. Pena, who was charged with an error, stayed in the game until being replaced by a pinch hitter in the fifth.

"He's pretty sore," Bochy said. "X-rays were negative. We'll get an MRI tomorrow. He's looking at (missing) five to seven days. I think it's pretty evident we're going to have to get somebody to help out here."

Overton's personal rooting section will be decidedly smaller Thursday than it was Saturday, but he still will have six to eight family members at the game.

"My wife's going to be here, my grandparents will be here and my cousin and uncle will be here," Overton said. "And I just found out today my mother-in-law and my wife's grandpa will be here."

They should see a much more relaxed pitcher on the mound.

"Since I've already had one outing, I think it will be a little easier to not be so star-struck when I go out there this time," said Overton, a second-round pick in 2013 out of the University of Oklahoma. "Just easier to stay focused and be ready to do what I need to do. I think it will be fun, and I'm looking forward to it."

**TheGame** · 06-30-2016, 07:52 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/30

Preview: Orioles (47-30) at Mariners (39-39)

Game: 1
Venue: Safeco Field
Date: June 30, 2016 10:10 PM EDT

SEATTLE -- The Baltimore Orioles come sweeping into Safeco Field with a seven-game winning streak and a powerful sense of momentum.

The Orioles (47-30) have already hit 55 home runs this month, matching the major league record for June. Mark Trumbo matched the record when he hit his league-leading 23rd homer of the season in Wednesday's 12-6 win over San Diego. That victory opened up a 5 1/2-game lead over Boston atop the American League East standings.

No team in the AL has as much power as the Orioles, but the Seattle Mariners, who host Baltimore on Thursday, are one of the few teams that are close. Seattle's 113 home runs this season rank third in the AL, 11 behind the league-leading Orioles.

The primary home-run hitter for each team is familiar to the other. Baltimore's Trumbo finished last season with the Mariners before being dealt for backup catcher Steve Clevenger in an offseason deal designed to get rid of Trumbo's salary.

Leading the Mariners with 20 home runs is former Oriole Nelson Cruz, who signed a free-agent deal with Seattle before the 2015 season and has been everything the Mariners could have hoped he'd be. Cruz matched his 2014 total of 40 home runs in his first season with the Mariners and is on pace to get there again this season.

Unlike last season, when the Mariners fell out of the playoff race early with a horrific start to a year that began with promise, this campaign has seen the offense come alive as Seattle started strong before injuries to the starting rotation derailed things. Cruz is one of six different Seattle players who have already hit 10 homers, and yet the Mariners (39-39) are more than just a power-hitting team.

"We have a good team," Cruz said after hitting his 20th home run of the season Tuesday night. "We can do a lot of things, not just the long ball."

The Orioles are also much more than just a home-run hitting team, but it's hard to ignore the numbers they've been putting up in that category. Trumbo leads four players who have hit at least 16 home runs, and it's not out of the question that all four will have 20 bombs by the All-Star break.

It all adds up to a league-best 124 home runs, with 55 of them coming in June. The Orioles will close out the month with a shot at breaking the June record on Thursday.

"Obviously, it's a special thing, but it's not something that anyone is going to gloat about or spend too much time thinking about," Trumbo told MLB.com after Wednesday's win over Detroit. "It just goes to show that we are on a nice little run."

The Orioles will start right-hander Chris Tillman, who is 10-1 this season and has dominated the franchise that included him in a big trade for Erik Bedard a few years ago. Tillman is 7-0 with a 2.96 ERA in his career against the Mariners.

Seattle will start right-hander Taijuan Walker, a former top prospect who has battled nagging injuries this season. Walker skipped his last start due to a sore foot and was limited to five innings the last time he was able to pitch.

**TheGame** · 06-30-2016, 07:53 AM

Re: MLB Betting Info. 6/30

Thursday's Diamond Notes
By Joe Williams

Hottest team: Orioles (7-0 past 7)

The Baltimore Orioles powered their way past the San Diego Padres in interleague play, and now set their sights on the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field. The O's have scored at least 11 runs in each of their past three games, and five or more runs in eight straight outings. A big part of their success has been the long ball, as they enter Thursday's game with 55 homers in the month of June. If they can hit one home run they will break the all-time record for homers hit in June. The Orioles have won four straight against right-handed pitchers, and they're 5-2 in Chris Tillman's past seven road starts.

Coldest team: Rays (2-12 past 14)

The Tampa Bay Rays blanked the Boston Red Sox and old friend David Price in Wednesday's game, taking two of three from their division rivals. But they still have a long way to go before bettors stop fading them and start to take them seriously. They haven't been able to beat a right-handed pitcher in quite some time, going 0-11 vs. RHP overall, including 0-4 in their past four tries at home against righties. They're also a dismal 1-4 in Jake Odorizzi's past five home outings. The Tigers have won five of the past seven meetings in this series, too.

Hottest pitcher: Madison Bumgarner, Giants (8-4, 1.99 ERA)

MadBum enters his start Thursday in Oakland with a sub-2.00 ERA and 122 strikeouts over 108 1/3 innings in 16 starts. He wasn't terribly impressive last time out, so that doesn't bode well for the A's in this one. Manager Bruce Bochy is so confident in Bumgarner that he is letting him hit, too, in an American League park. It has been 40 years since a major league manager intentionally forfeited the designated hitter in an American League ballpark. It isn't that Bumgarner is lighting it up offensively, but the team is short on right-handed hitters against LHP Dillon Overton, and he does have 11 homers over the past 183 at-bats.

Coldest pitcher: R.A. Dickey, Blue Jays (5-8, 4.23 ERA)

The knuckleballer Dickey has the unenviable task of trying to shut down the streaking Cleveland Indians, who enter on a 12-game overall win streak, including six in a row on the road. To make matters worse for Dickey, the Blue Jays are 0-8 in his past eight starts at Rogers Centre, and 4-11 in his past 15 starts overall. Toronto has won eight of their past 11 games at home, and they're 18-8 in their past 26 vs. RHP. The Indians have managed just two wins in their past seven trips north of the border.

Biggest UNDER run: Mets (7-3 past 10)

The Mets offense has been struggling lately, averaging just 1.8 runs per game over their past five outings. It's no surprise that they have lost four of those games, and the under has also gone 4-1 during the span. They'll be trying to take down Cubs RHP John Lackey. The under is 7-2 in Lackey's past nine outings, and the under is 5-1-1 in Chicago's past seven against left-handed pitching. The under is 9-2 in New York's past 11 vs. RHP, including 4-0 in their past four home games against righties. In this series the under is 8-3-2 in the past 13 meetings, and 5-1-1 in the past seven tilts at Citi Field.

Biggest OVER run: Yankees (8-2-1 past 11)

The other New York team is having an under run, but the Yankees are on an over kick. They'll wrap up their four-game set against Texas Thursday afternoon, with the over going 2-0-1 in the first three outings. The Rangers are also on an over run, going 5-1-2 over their past eight, and 4-1 in A.J. Griffin's past five outings. The over has cashed in six of the past eight for the Yankees vs. RHP, and 5-2-1 in their past eight home games. New York pitching has allowed six or more runs in four straight, and eight of the past 10 outings.

Matchup to watch: Braves vs. Marlins

The Miami Marlins head up Interstate 75 to Atlanta looking to add to the misery of the Braves. Atlanta has won just 11 of their 43 games at Turner Field this season, and they are coming off a sweep at the hands of the red-hot Cleveland Indians. The Marlins have been strong on the road, winning 20 of their 38 games away from South Florida. The Marlins will also have the luxury of facing RHP Mike Foltynewicz, who is fresh off the 15-day disabled list and could potentially show a little rust after a long layoff.

Betcha didn’t know: The Reds and Nationals square off in D.C. with two ice-cold pitchers on the bump. The Reds are just 2-11 in Brandon Finnegan's past 13 starts overall, and 1-5 in his past six road outings. The Nationals are 0-7 in Gio Gonzalez's past seven outings, and 1-4 in his past five home outings. So something's gotta give. The Nats are also 0-4 in their past four against southpaws. So something's gotta give. Looking at past history in this series, the Reds have dominated. Cincinnati is 7-2 in the past nine matchups, and 5-2 in their past seven trips to our nation's capital.

Biggest public favorite: Nationals (-200) vs. Reds

Biggest public underdog: Rangers (+135) at Yankees

Biggest line move: Athletics (+160 to +145) vs. Giants

Announcement

MLB Betting Info. 6/30

MLB Betting Info. 6/30

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment