NL Tip Sheet
By Judd Hall
Baseball?s final weekend before the All-Star break gets underway with a full slate of 15 games. It all starts off with a traditional Friday afternoon tilt in Wrigley Field between bitter rivals. We?re also going to see a battle for supremacy in the Keystone State and another contest between a pair of teams trying to stay relevant to the playoff race.
Cardinals at Cubs ? 2:20 p.m. EDT
The Cubs are finding out just how hard it is to repeat success in Major League Baseball this season. Chicago was able to capture the National League Central title in 2008, but are just breaking even at the halfway point of this year?s campaign. The Cubbies come into this series having dropped their last two games, scoring a single run in each contest.
Chicago has been lucky enough to see Aramis Ramirez come back swinging after an extended stay on the disabled list. Ramirez is hitting .250 since returning to the Cubs? lineup on July 6, but has yet to push a run past the plate. That shouldn?t be anything unusual for fans and bettors since they?ve scored more than two runs just twice in their last six games. That futility at the plate has helped the ?under? go 8-3 in Chicago?s last 11 contests.
The Cubbies will send Rich Harden (5-5, 5.35 ERA) out to the mound to snap this little skid. Harden will no doubt be looking to redeem himself in this outing. He gave up seven earned runs on eight hits in two innings of what Harden called ?batting practice? on July 4 at home against the Brewers. Gamblers would do well to either fade or take a pass on Chicago here as they?re 2-4 in his last six starts.
It?s not like things will be much better for St. Louis sending Brad Thompson (2-5, 4.92 ERA) out to start. Tony LaRussa installed Thompson into the starting rotation because of injuries to Kyle Lohse and Todd Wellemeyer. All the young right-hander has done is drop four of his last six starts with an earned run average of 5.44. The Cards aren?t exactly helping him out at the plate, scoring just two runs in his last three starts.
The Cubs have done well against St. Louis at the friendly confines, going 6-3 in their last nine home tilts against their heated rivals. The ?under? is on a 4-1-1 run in the last six head-to-head meetings.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants has installed the Cardinals as $1.20 road favorites (risk $120 to win $100) with no total as of yet.
St. Louis has won its last four games in which they were listed as a road ?chalk.?
Pirates at Phillies ? 7:05 p.m. EDT
The Pirates will be closing out their nine-game road trip in Philadelphia this weekend and it?s not a moment too soon for them. Pittsburgh have come up short in four of its first six tilts on this trek.
Pittsburgh?s biggest issue has been its offense. The Bucs are hitting a paltry .211 with 25 runs scored over the last week. In their 5-0 loss at Houston on July 8, the Pirates pulled in five hits, but they were all singles.
The Bucs will try to get off the schneid with southpaw Zach Duke (8-7, 3.28 ERA) getting the starting nod. Duke holds the team lead in victories, despite losing three of his last four starts this season.
Citizens Bank Park has been a house of horrors for the Phillies for much of 2009. However, Philadelphia is on a roll right now by winning five of its last six at home.
Philly will be sending Joe Blanton (5-4, 4.69 ERA) to the mound on Friday. Blanton will be looking to build up some momentum here giving up just four hits in 7.1 innings of work last Sunday in the Phils? 2-0 win over the Mets. The Philadelphia right-hander has only faced the Pirates once during his career. Blanton tossed seven innings of one-hit ball, but the Phils lost the game at home 2-0 last August.
Philadelphia has owned this series when they play at home, posting a 7-2 mark over the last three series. The ?under? is 7-2 during that stretch as well.
Pittsburgh has lost six straight games that Duke has started on the road. The ?under? is 5-1 in those matches.
The Phillies have been tabbed as heavy $1.60 home favorites with the total setting up at nine.
Reds at Mets ? 7:10 p.m. EDT
You aren?t hearing much about them, but the Reds are very much alive in the NL Central race. They sit just 3 ? games out of first place right now, which is pretty good considering they have lost four of their last six matches.
What?s more impressive about Cincinnati?s success this year is that they?re doing it without production out of Bronson Arroyo (8-8, 5.85 ERA). Cincy?s No. 2 starter had a fantastic 2008 campaign with a 15-11 mark. He started this year on a high as well with a 7-3 record. Since the calendar turned to June, however, Arroyo has hit a rough patch by going 1-5 with an ERA of 7.11.
Normally you might just say ?What the hell, I?ll play him today?at least on the run line.? The problem is Cincinnati has covered the run line as an underdog just once in the six times they were listed as such at the betting shops.
New York appear to be sending out Fernando Nieve (3-2, 2.73 ERA) in what could be his swan song as a starter?at least for the time being. Nieve was placed in the rotation for Oliver Perez, who was put on the DL back on May 2 with a bad right knee.
Perez?s replacement provided some solid efforts in winning his first three decisions. However, Nieve has dropped his last two starts while giving up six earned runs in the process.
LVSC has made New York a $1.20 home fave with the total coming in at 8 ?.
All the signs point towards the Mets walking away with a series opening ?W.? New York has won three of the last four games versus the Reds. And they are 5-2 against Cincy in the Big Apple since 2007. Also, Nieve has won his last two starts at Citi Field, giving up a combined six hits and one earned run.
By Judd Hall
Baseball?s final weekend before the All-Star break gets underway with a full slate of 15 games. It all starts off with a traditional Friday afternoon tilt in Wrigley Field between bitter rivals. We?re also going to see a battle for supremacy in the Keystone State and another contest between a pair of teams trying to stay relevant to the playoff race.
Cardinals at Cubs ? 2:20 p.m. EDT
The Cubs are finding out just how hard it is to repeat success in Major League Baseball this season. Chicago was able to capture the National League Central title in 2008, but are just breaking even at the halfway point of this year?s campaign. The Cubbies come into this series having dropped their last two games, scoring a single run in each contest.
Chicago has been lucky enough to see Aramis Ramirez come back swinging after an extended stay on the disabled list. Ramirez is hitting .250 since returning to the Cubs? lineup on July 6, but has yet to push a run past the plate. That shouldn?t be anything unusual for fans and bettors since they?ve scored more than two runs just twice in their last six games. That futility at the plate has helped the ?under? go 8-3 in Chicago?s last 11 contests.
The Cubbies will send Rich Harden (5-5, 5.35 ERA) out to the mound to snap this little skid. Harden will no doubt be looking to redeem himself in this outing. He gave up seven earned runs on eight hits in two innings of what Harden called ?batting practice? on July 4 at home against the Brewers. Gamblers would do well to either fade or take a pass on Chicago here as they?re 2-4 in his last six starts.
It?s not like things will be much better for St. Louis sending Brad Thompson (2-5, 4.92 ERA) out to start. Tony LaRussa installed Thompson into the starting rotation because of injuries to Kyle Lohse and Todd Wellemeyer. All the young right-hander has done is drop four of his last six starts with an earned run average of 5.44. The Cards aren?t exactly helping him out at the plate, scoring just two runs in his last three starts.
The Cubs have done well against St. Louis at the friendly confines, going 6-3 in their last nine home tilts against their heated rivals. The ?under? is on a 4-1-1 run in the last six head-to-head meetings.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants has installed the Cardinals as $1.20 road favorites (risk $120 to win $100) with no total as of yet.
St. Louis has won its last four games in which they were listed as a road ?chalk.?
Pirates at Phillies ? 7:05 p.m. EDT
The Pirates will be closing out their nine-game road trip in Philadelphia this weekend and it?s not a moment too soon for them. Pittsburgh have come up short in four of its first six tilts on this trek.
Pittsburgh?s biggest issue has been its offense. The Bucs are hitting a paltry .211 with 25 runs scored over the last week. In their 5-0 loss at Houston on July 8, the Pirates pulled in five hits, but they were all singles.
The Bucs will try to get off the schneid with southpaw Zach Duke (8-7, 3.28 ERA) getting the starting nod. Duke holds the team lead in victories, despite losing three of his last four starts this season.
Citizens Bank Park has been a house of horrors for the Phillies for much of 2009. However, Philadelphia is on a roll right now by winning five of its last six at home.
Philly will be sending Joe Blanton (5-4, 4.69 ERA) to the mound on Friday. Blanton will be looking to build up some momentum here giving up just four hits in 7.1 innings of work last Sunday in the Phils? 2-0 win over the Mets. The Philadelphia right-hander has only faced the Pirates once during his career. Blanton tossed seven innings of one-hit ball, but the Phils lost the game at home 2-0 last August.
Philadelphia has owned this series when they play at home, posting a 7-2 mark over the last three series. The ?under? is 7-2 during that stretch as well.
Pittsburgh has lost six straight games that Duke has started on the road. The ?under? is 5-1 in those matches.
The Phillies have been tabbed as heavy $1.60 home favorites with the total setting up at nine.
Reds at Mets ? 7:10 p.m. EDT
You aren?t hearing much about them, but the Reds are very much alive in the NL Central race. They sit just 3 ? games out of first place right now, which is pretty good considering they have lost four of their last six matches.
What?s more impressive about Cincinnati?s success this year is that they?re doing it without production out of Bronson Arroyo (8-8, 5.85 ERA). Cincy?s No. 2 starter had a fantastic 2008 campaign with a 15-11 mark. He started this year on a high as well with a 7-3 record. Since the calendar turned to June, however, Arroyo has hit a rough patch by going 1-5 with an ERA of 7.11.
Normally you might just say ?What the hell, I?ll play him today?at least on the run line.? The problem is Cincinnati has covered the run line as an underdog just once in the six times they were listed as such at the betting shops.
New York appear to be sending out Fernando Nieve (3-2, 2.73 ERA) in what could be his swan song as a starter?at least for the time being. Nieve was placed in the rotation for Oliver Perez, who was put on the DL back on May 2 with a bad right knee.
Perez?s replacement provided some solid efforts in winning his first three decisions. However, Nieve has dropped his last two starts while giving up six earned runs in the process.
LVSC has made New York a $1.20 home fave with the total coming in at 8 ?.
All the signs point towards the Mets walking away with a series opening ?W.? New York has won three of the last four games versus the Reds. And they are 5-2 against Cincy in the Big Apple since 2007. Also, Nieve has won his last two starts at Citi Field, giving up a combined six hits and one earned run.
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