Friday?s best MLB bets

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Friday?s best MLB bets


Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays (-170, 9)

Things are starting to boil over for the once-contending Rays. Tempers fared Wednesday afternoon in the team clubhouse when left fielder Carl Crawford started yelling at teammate Pat Burrell.

James Shields got in between the two players and manager Joe Maddon met with both players.

?It was nothing,? Joe Maddon said told the Tampa Tribune. ?Honestly ? I talked to both parties everything?s good.?

Sorry Joe, but we?re going to have to call BS on that one.

The Ray have dropped 13 of their last 14 and crushed any hope of the postseason in the process.

Pick: Jays

Colorado Rockies at Arizona Diamondbacks (+130, 10)

The Rockies got a much-needed win Wednesday night and the club got some good news in the afternoon about the health of closer Houston Street.

The righty reliever, who hasn?t pitched since Sept. 1 because of a biceps tendon strain, was impressive in a bullpen session and could be back for game action as soon as Sunday.

?It was a very good day for me,? Street told MLB.com following his workout. ?I?m feeling so good that maybe after I throw on Friday they can try to find an inning for me Sunday, and if not Sunday then maybe sometime shortly after that.?

Street has been money in back for Colorado backers this season. The former Oakland Athletic is 33 for 34 in save opportunities this season.

Look for the feel-good wave to continue for the Rockies Friday night against Arizona.

Pick: Rockies

 

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Friday?s streaking and slumping starting pitchers

Friday?s streaking and slumping starting pitchers

Friday?s streaking and slumping starting pitchers


Streaking

Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox

The young righty is a big part of the BoSox postseason push. In his last four trips to the mound, Buchholz has allowed just five earned runs in over 28 innings of work.

In his most recent start, Buchholz shut down the Tampa Bay Rays for just one run on five hits. He also struck out five batters, bringing his K count to 22 during this current streak.

Buchholz is likely to earn himself a spot in the playoff rotation after watching the postseason from the sidelines last year. The team hasn?t set any pitch count for its budding ace like it did in 2008.

?I don?t think there?s any caution flags that have been thrown out right now,? Buchholz told the Boston Globe. ?They haven?t mentioned anything to me about it. I think if that?s the case, if I was getting close, I think they would take me out in the fifth or sixth inning. I feel strong. I think we?re going more on how my body feels than anything.?

Scott Kazmir, Los Angeles Angels

Life on the West Coast has been good to Scott Kazmir.

Since moving from Florida to Los Angeles, the left-hander has posted a 1.86 ERA in his first three starts for the Angels. However, those performances have earned Kazmir an unimpressive 0-1 record in that span.

The Halos power outage at the plate has prevented Kazmir from getting the win, averaging just over one run per game in those starts. In his most recent trip to the bump, Kazmir gave up just two runs in six innings while the offense scored just enough to get the 3-2 victory.

Tim Stauffer, San Diego Padres

San Diego is showing some fight in September and Stauffer is the team?s hardest punch.

The righty is 3-0 in his last four starts, allowing just six runs in that span. He has given up only one earned run in his last three, posting a 1.40 ERA in just over 19 innings pitched.

In his most recent appearance, Stauffer went six innings, striking out three batters but walked four. Known more for his breaking balls, he relied on his fastball and changeup versus the Rockies. That wide array of pitches has kept batters guessing in the second half of the season.

"It was a solid outing. What I like was that he made pitches when he needed to," manager Bud Black told MLB.com. "The four walks were unlike him. I really like the use of the changeup. I thought that was his best pitch."

Slumping

Scott Richmond, Toronto Blue Jays

The Jays young right-hander is caught in pitching hell right now.

In his last four outings, Richmond has been pounded for a total of 23 runs in just over 20 innings of so-called work. His latest nightmare was a six-run, three-home run waxing in 4 1-3 innings versus the Detroit Tigers. Somehow, Toronto overcame that and scored eight runs to give Richmond the no-decision. He hasn?t posted a win since June 24 and has an ERA north of 8.00 since the break.

When asked to sum up his troubles, which were manifested in four walks, Richmond simply stated, ?Plain and simple, it's lack of fastball command".

Luke Hochevar, Kansas City Royals

Hochevar?s recent troubles could be due to the fact the Royals righty is tipping his pitches.

?You feel like you?re pitching your game, making pitches, and getting killed,? he told the Kansas City Star. ?It?s nice, because I felt like we went through every scenario, like, ?I?m not mixing enough, maybe I need to pitch backward more. Maybe my location?s not good enough.?

?It?s human nature, you start questioning your stuff, ?Is my stuff good enough?? I even thought about canning my curveball.?

Hochevar has been bashed for 18 runs in his last three games, spawning a grotesque 11.57 ERA in just 14 innings. Against the Cleveland Indians last weekend, he allowed five runs on seven hits but struck out six batters.

The trouble is coming in bunches for the youngster. He is susceptible to big innings in recent starts, posting some three, four and five runs innings during this current funk.

 

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Top 5 Trends

Top 5 Trends

Top 5 Trends

ARI COL are 9-0 in their last 9 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
FLA
CIN CIN are 8-0 in their last 8 home games.
LAA
TEX Under is 7-0-1 in LAA last 8 when their opponent scores 2 runs or less in their previous game.
CLE
OAK CLE are 8-0 in Huffs last 8 starts after scoring 2 runs or less in their previous game.
PHI
ATL Under is 6-0-2 in Vazquezs last 8 home starts vs. a team with a winning record.