Post by Gooba on Jul 1, 2016 5:56:31 GMT -5
Friday's Diamond Notes
By Tony Mejia
Hottest team: Indians (13-0 last last 13)
The Tribe takes the field for a Canada Day matinee against the Blue Jays, looking to set a new franchise record for consecutive wins at 14. Standing in the way is a Toronto squad that has a 4-0 record on the holiday under manager John Gibbons, winning three straight in this his second tenure. The Jays will wear special red uniforms and should be energized by a sellout crowd, so this one could have a postseason feel in a game where the home team has been installed as a slight favorite despite Cleveland’s hot streak. Staff ace Marcus Stroman has won just once in his last six starts and his ERA has ballooned from 3.89 to 5.33 since May 22, so he’ll be looking to start hitting his stride against a Indians squad against whom he has a career 27.00 ERA against, getting rocked four earned runs in 1.1 innings in his rookie season of 2014. Josh Tomlin will look to try and help Cleveland make more history by improving to 10-1, which would tie likely All-Star Danny Salazar for the team lead in wins. The Indians are 12-2 in Tomlin’s starts this season. They’ve outscored teams 80-26 during their current run of victories.
Coldest team: Angels (0-3 last 3, 1-9 last 10)
After being swept at home by Houston by a combined margin of 21-7, the Angels held a closed-door meeting before heading East for a 10-game road trip. Mike Scioscia’s team is on pace for the worst record in franchise history after an 8-19 June record that their worst in the month since 1980. That team lost 95 games, one less than this current team is on pace for. Yunel Escobar has missed the last few games with a knee injury and hopes to return here to provide some help for Mike Trout, who went 18-for-30 with three homers despite their 1-6 homestand. Friday’s starter, Jhoulys Chacin, has failed to get out of the sixth in any of his last five starts, surrendering nine earned runs while walking nine and striking out a single batter over his last 6.2 innings. The Red Sox will turn to Steven Wright, who leads the team with a 2.18 ERA and 12 quality starts. The knuckleballer went 3-1 with a 1.62 ERA in June despite struggling in his last outing at Texas, lasting just 4.2 innings. Trout and Albert Pujols have each homered despite just five career at-bats against him. These teams will close July with a four-game set in Anaheim.
Hottest pitcher: Michael Fulmer (7-2, 2.40 ERA)
Detroit’s 23-year-old rookie went 3.1 with a remarkable 0.61 ERA in June, giving up just two earned runs and one homer in 29.2 innings. He lasted just 4.1 innings on June 22 against the Mariners, leaving after a wild stretch that the Tigers chalked up to arm fatigue. With extra rest under his belt, he’ll look to bounce back against a Rays offense he held to just one run over seven innings in Detroit on May 21, striking out a career-high 11. Considering his teammates completed an epic comeback from a 7-2 ninth-inning defict by scoring eight runs, it’s no surprise the Tigers have been bet up to a heavier favorite over host Tampa Bay, which turns to lefty Drew Smyly.
Coldest pitcher: Nathan Eovaldi (6-5, 5.19 ERA)
“Nasty” Nate opened the season 6-2 and was arguably New York’s most consistent starter over the first two months, but the bottom fell out in June. The Yankees won just one of his five starts, needing to score 13 runs to do so. In all, Eovaldi completed six innings only once, closing the month with an 8.65 ERA and surrendering a home run each time out, giving up 10 in all. For the season, he’s already given up 17, a career-high despite having worked just 86.2 innings, barely half his expected workload if he stays healthy. The Padres will look to tee off on Eovaldi, who in turn hopes the turning of the page on the calendar can get him back on track.
Biggest UNDER run: Mets (8-3 last 11)
The Mets benefited from a Javier Baez throwing error to pull off a 4-3 win in the series opener against the Cubs, snapping a four-game losing streak in the first meeting with Chicago since last season’s NLCS. Chicago had runners reach second and third against closer Jeurys Familia in the top of the 9th on Thursday, but Kris Bryant and Willson Contreras struck out while Baez popped up to end it. Chicago hasn’t beaten New York since last July 2, losing its last six in this series. The Mets have scored more than four runs in a single game just once in their last 13 and turn to Jacob deGrom (3-4, 2.67) against Jason Hammel (7-4, 2.58) in what might set up a pitcher’s duel. Oddsmakers have set the total at 7.
Biggest OVER run: Twins (17-4-2 last 23)
Despite the worst record in baseball, the Twins have been involved in an astounding amount of high-scoring games since May 23. In a 35-game stretch, either Minnesota or its opponent has scored at least five runs in 30 of them, leading to the ‘over’ going 26-7-2. The ‘under’ came in three straight times from June 25-28, but each of the last two meetings in Chicago produced double-digit runs. The Twins will face the Rangers seven times between now and the All-Star break, which could lead to plenty of fireworks since Texas had scored at least six runs in seven consecutive games before losing 2-1 in the Bronx on Thursday. Lefty Martin Perez (7-4, 3.44) will pitch for the Rangers against Minnesota’s Ervin Santana (2-7, 4.64). The total has been set a 9.5.
Matchup to watch: White Sox at Astros
After a rough stretch that saw a White Sox (40-39) team that had the second-best record in baseball on May 9 slip under .500 by June 8, Chicago looks to be righting its ship entering a critical stretch before the All-Star break. Since being swept by Cleveland to fall to a season-worst 33-36, the White Sox have won seven of 10 and are right back in the Wild Card mix. The Astros (42-37) are in that mix too thanks to victories in 10 of the last 11. Houston has outscored opponents 75-37 in that span and begin a 10-game homestand here. You get the feeling that the entire season can swing for both of these teams based on how they fare over the first part of July, setting up an intriguing series. Miguel Gonzalez (1-3, 5.17) will start the opener for Chicago, who won five of six meetings between these teams last season. Mike Fiers (5-3, 4.41) will go for Houston.
Betcha didn’t know: Bud Norris (3-7, 4.22) takes Clayton Kershaw’s place in the Dodgers rotation after being acquired from Atlanta for a pair of minor leaguers Thursday once L.A.’s lefty ace went on the disabled list. Ironically, his resurgence started against the Dodgers on June 4 after he was reinserted in the Braves rotation due to injuries following a demotion to the bullpen for all of May. In Norris’ first five starts, he went 1-4 with an 8.74 ERA. After being given a second chance, he allowed just seven earned runs over 29.1 innings, highlighted by his most recent outing where he blanked the Mets on four hits over seven frames, striking out eight batters while making just 88 pitches. L.A. is banking on him bringing that form with him from Atlanta as he joins his fifth major league team. Norris, a Bay Area native who attended Cal Poly, has had just two winning seasons in his eight years in the bigs, is 0-2 in six career appearances at Dodger Stadium, compiling a 3.10 ERA. He’s 2-1 in 10 career appearances against the Rockies, who he hasn't faced yet this season.
Biggest public favorite: Giants (-160) at Diamondbacks
Biggest public underdog: Orioles (+105) at Mariners
Biggest line move: A's (-140 to -157) vs. Pirates
By Tony Mejia
Hottest team: Indians (13-0 last last 13)
The Tribe takes the field for a Canada Day matinee against the Blue Jays, looking to set a new franchise record for consecutive wins at 14. Standing in the way is a Toronto squad that has a 4-0 record on the holiday under manager John Gibbons, winning three straight in this his second tenure. The Jays will wear special red uniforms and should be energized by a sellout crowd, so this one could have a postseason feel in a game where the home team has been installed as a slight favorite despite Cleveland’s hot streak. Staff ace Marcus Stroman has won just once in his last six starts and his ERA has ballooned from 3.89 to 5.33 since May 22, so he’ll be looking to start hitting his stride against a Indians squad against whom he has a career 27.00 ERA against, getting rocked four earned runs in 1.1 innings in his rookie season of 2014. Josh Tomlin will look to try and help Cleveland make more history by improving to 10-1, which would tie likely All-Star Danny Salazar for the team lead in wins. The Indians are 12-2 in Tomlin’s starts this season. They’ve outscored teams 80-26 during their current run of victories.
Coldest team: Angels (0-3 last 3, 1-9 last 10)
After being swept at home by Houston by a combined margin of 21-7, the Angels held a closed-door meeting before heading East for a 10-game road trip. Mike Scioscia’s team is on pace for the worst record in franchise history after an 8-19 June record that their worst in the month since 1980. That team lost 95 games, one less than this current team is on pace for. Yunel Escobar has missed the last few games with a knee injury and hopes to return here to provide some help for Mike Trout, who went 18-for-30 with three homers despite their 1-6 homestand. Friday’s starter, Jhoulys Chacin, has failed to get out of the sixth in any of his last five starts, surrendering nine earned runs while walking nine and striking out a single batter over his last 6.2 innings. The Red Sox will turn to Steven Wright, who leads the team with a 2.18 ERA and 12 quality starts. The knuckleballer went 3-1 with a 1.62 ERA in June despite struggling in his last outing at Texas, lasting just 4.2 innings. Trout and Albert Pujols have each homered despite just five career at-bats against him. These teams will close July with a four-game set in Anaheim.
Hottest pitcher: Michael Fulmer (7-2, 2.40 ERA)
Detroit’s 23-year-old rookie went 3.1 with a remarkable 0.61 ERA in June, giving up just two earned runs and one homer in 29.2 innings. He lasted just 4.1 innings on June 22 against the Mariners, leaving after a wild stretch that the Tigers chalked up to arm fatigue. With extra rest under his belt, he’ll look to bounce back against a Rays offense he held to just one run over seven innings in Detroit on May 21, striking out a career-high 11. Considering his teammates completed an epic comeback from a 7-2 ninth-inning defict by scoring eight runs, it’s no surprise the Tigers have been bet up to a heavier favorite over host Tampa Bay, which turns to lefty Drew Smyly.
Coldest pitcher: Nathan Eovaldi (6-5, 5.19 ERA)
“Nasty” Nate opened the season 6-2 and was arguably New York’s most consistent starter over the first two months, but the bottom fell out in June. The Yankees won just one of his five starts, needing to score 13 runs to do so. In all, Eovaldi completed six innings only once, closing the month with an 8.65 ERA and surrendering a home run each time out, giving up 10 in all. For the season, he’s already given up 17, a career-high despite having worked just 86.2 innings, barely half his expected workload if he stays healthy. The Padres will look to tee off on Eovaldi, who in turn hopes the turning of the page on the calendar can get him back on track.
Biggest UNDER run: Mets (8-3 last 11)
The Mets benefited from a Javier Baez throwing error to pull off a 4-3 win in the series opener against the Cubs, snapping a four-game losing streak in the first meeting with Chicago since last season’s NLCS. Chicago had runners reach second and third against closer Jeurys Familia in the top of the 9th on Thursday, but Kris Bryant and Willson Contreras struck out while Baez popped up to end it. Chicago hasn’t beaten New York since last July 2, losing its last six in this series. The Mets have scored more than four runs in a single game just once in their last 13 and turn to Jacob deGrom (3-4, 2.67) against Jason Hammel (7-4, 2.58) in what might set up a pitcher’s duel. Oddsmakers have set the total at 7.
Biggest OVER run: Twins (17-4-2 last 23)
Despite the worst record in baseball, the Twins have been involved in an astounding amount of high-scoring games since May 23. In a 35-game stretch, either Minnesota or its opponent has scored at least five runs in 30 of them, leading to the ‘over’ going 26-7-2. The ‘under’ came in three straight times from June 25-28, but each of the last two meetings in Chicago produced double-digit runs. The Twins will face the Rangers seven times between now and the All-Star break, which could lead to plenty of fireworks since Texas had scored at least six runs in seven consecutive games before losing 2-1 in the Bronx on Thursday. Lefty Martin Perez (7-4, 3.44) will pitch for the Rangers against Minnesota’s Ervin Santana (2-7, 4.64). The total has been set a 9.5.
Matchup to watch: White Sox at Astros
After a rough stretch that saw a White Sox (40-39) team that had the second-best record in baseball on May 9 slip under .500 by June 8, Chicago looks to be righting its ship entering a critical stretch before the All-Star break. Since being swept by Cleveland to fall to a season-worst 33-36, the White Sox have won seven of 10 and are right back in the Wild Card mix. The Astros (42-37) are in that mix too thanks to victories in 10 of the last 11. Houston has outscored opponents 75-37 in that span and begin a 10-game homestand here. You get the feeling that the entire season can swing for both of these teams based on how they fare over the first part of July, setting up an intriguing series. Miguel Gonzalez (1-3, 5.17) will start the opener for Chicago, who won five of six meetings between these teams last season. Mike Fiers (5-3, 4.41) will go for Houston.
Betcha didn’t know: Bud Norris (3-7, 4.22) takes Clayton Kershaw’s place in the Dodgers rotation after being acquired from Atlanta for a pair of minor leaguers Thursday once L.A.’s lefty ace went on the disabled list. Ironically, his resurgence started against the Dodgers on June 4 after he was reinserted in the Braves rotation due to injuries following a demotion to the bullpen for all of May. In Norris’ first five starts, he went 1-4 with an 8.74 ERA. After being given a second chance, he allowed just seven earned runs over 29.1 innings, highlighted by his most recent outing where he blanked the Mets on four hits over seven frames, striking out eight batters while making just 88 pitches. L.A. is banking on him bringing that form with him from Atlanta as he joins his fifth major league team. Norris, a Bay Area native who attended Cal Poly, has had just two winning seasons in his eight years in the bigs, is 0-2 in six career appearances at Dodger Stadium, compiling a 3.10 ERA. He’s 2-1 in 10 career appearances against the Rockies, who he hasn't faced yet this season.
Biggest public favorite: Giants (-160) at Diamondbacks
Biggest public underdog: Orioles (+105) at Mariners
Biggest line move: A's (-140 to -157) vs. Pirates