Monday Madness
The next few days in baseball will feature fantastic series in each league involving playoff teams. Whether it's for the division lead, or trying to get that extra step on the team ahead of you in the Wild Card race, Monday's slate is a great one for the gambler. The AL East-leading Yankees head south to battle the reigning AL Champion Rays, which will highlight this edition of Monday Madness.
Yankees at Rays (7:10 PM EST)
The scorching-hot Bronx Bombers are slowly taking control of the AL East, winning 22 of their last 28 games, heading into Tropicana Field. The Yankees lead the Red Sox by 2 ? games, and the Rays by 6 ? games inside the division heading into Monday's action . The Rays have endured plenty of cardiac finishes since the All-Star Break, going 6-4. Tampa Bay rallied in all three wins at Kansas City, while forging comebacks at Chicago and Toronto in the final innings. The only black eye on the road trip was the perfect game tossed by Mark Buehrle on Thursday, 6-0.
James Shields (6-6, 3.70 ERA) takes the mound for the Rays, as his numbers have been less than stellar against the Yankees. Tampa Bay is 1-7 in Shields' eight career starts versus the Bombers, but just to limit the numbers to when the Rays were finally relevant (last year), the Rays are 1-2. In 2008, Shields went eight scoreless innings in a 7-1 pounding of the Yanks in the Bronx, while compiling a pair of starts in which he allowed four earned runs, but lost.
Shields has always been known as nothing less than dominant at home, but the Rays are 7-4 in his 11 starts at the Trop this season, compared to a 14-3 mark in '08.
A.J. Burnett (9-4, 3.74 ERA) has been on fire recently, going 4-0 in his last five decisions. Each of those outings were quality ones, and all five of them finished 'under' the total. In fact, Burnett's last five road starts have all gone 'under' the total, dating back to the middle of May. Burnett's numbers against Tampa Bay aren't spectacular, going 3-6 dating back to the start of 2007 as a member of the Blue Jays. The right-hander did strike out at least eight batters in seven of those starts, but lost by one run on four occasions.
The two teams have split the eight meetings this season, but the road team has won five times.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants has listed the Yankees as a short road favorite at $1.15, with the total set at 8 ?.
Dodgers at Cardinals (7:10 PM EST)
Two of the National League's best meet up for the first time in 2009, as the Cardinals continue to run the gauntlet, after dropping two of three at Philadelphia. The Dodgers, meanwhile, are on cruise control inside the NL West, while owning the best record in baseball. Busch Stadium should be an electric atmosphere, not only showcasing Albert Pujols and Manny Ramirez, but also the home debut of recently acquired Matt Holliday.
Chris Carpenter (8-3, 2.26 ERA) looks to rebound after the Cardinals bullpen blew a chance at his ninth win of the season. St. Louis squandered a 3-2 lead at Houston, only to allow the Astros to score two runs in the final inning to pull off a three-game sweep. Carpenter's home numbers are fantastic, compiling a 4-1 mark, with an ERA of 1.85, allowing one run or less in four starts. Due to Carpenter's dominance at Busch, the 'under' has cashed in four of five home outings.
Randy Wolf (5-4, 3.45 ERA) is the perfect pitcher to try and slow down this Cardinals attack. St. Louis ranks second-to-last in the league against left-handed pitching, batting just .229. The Dodgers southpaw owns a solid 4-2 road mark, and is fresh off five straight quality starts. There has been a bit of inconsistency lately with Wolf, as the Dodgers have alternated wins and losses in his last seven starts, coming off a victory over the Reds his last time out.
The Cardinals are 8-2 the last ten meetings at Busch Stadium, and 14-5 the last 19 overall against the Dodgers.
The Cards are a $1.55 home favorite according to LVSC, with the total listed at 7 ?.
Astros at Cubs (8:05 PM EST)
The Cubs are slowly coming alive at the right time, winning eight of ten games since the All-Star Break, to move into first place inside the NL Central. The Astros, meanwhile, were looking good after sweeping the Cardinals, but then dropped two of three to the woeful Mets at home.
Lou Piniella gives the ball to the man that no-hit the Astros last season, Carlos Zambrano. The Cubs fiery right-hander (7-4, 3.48 ERA) has won his last three starts, including a victory over the Phillies last Thursday. Zambrano picked up a no-decision in a 2-1 loss in his previous outing against the Astros in Houston on June 10, scattering three hits and one run in eight innings of work.
The hurler on the opposite side of that pitcher's duel in mid-June takes the mound Monday, Wandy Rodriguez. The Astros southpaw (10-6, 2.72 ERA), who has been known to struggle on the road throughout his career, is 5-4 away from Houston this season. Rodriguez has decent career numbers against the Cubs, but two horrible outings at Wrigley Field have derailed a nice run. Rodriguez's July is nothing short of spectacular, winning all four starts, while allowing two earned runs.
The Cubs have captured six of ten meetings this season, despite only two of those games being played at Wrigley Field. LVSC has installed the Cubs as a $1.40 home 'chalk.'
Tigers at Rangers (8:05 PM EST)
Detroit looks to continue its winning ways, as they head south to Arlington, to take on the Rangers. Texas is coming off a series victory at Kansas City, despite losing starter Kevin Millwood to flu-like symptoms in Sunday's win.
The Tigers will send out disappointing right-hander Armando Galarraga (5-8, 4.82 ERA) to the mound. Galarraga was fantastic last season, putting together a 13-7 campaign, with an ERA of 3.73. This season has been a much different story, with the Tigers winning eight of his 19 starts. Nighttime is the worst time to back Galarraga, as Detroit is just 2-11 when the righty gets the ball after the sun goes down. Galarraga is 2-0 in his career against the Rangers, with the Tigers averaging 13 runs/start.
Tommy Hunter (2-1, 2.17 ERA) has turned into a nice addition to the Texas rotation. The Rangers righty is coming off a solid start against the Red Sox, beating Boston by allowing four hits and one run in six innings of work. Hunter has struck out only 15 batters in five starts, but has allowed just seven earned runs in this stretch.
The 'under' has hit consistently with each of these pitchers. Galarraga has nailed the 'under' in seven of eight road starts, while Hunter has finished 'under' in all five of his starts.
The Rangers are a $1.30 favorites, with the total set at 10, according to LVSC.
The next few days in baseball will feature fantastic series in each league involving playoff teams. Whether it's for the division lead, or trying to get that extra step on the team ahead of you in the Wild Card race, Monday's slate is a great one for the gambler. The AL East-leading Yankees head south to battle the reigning AL Champion Rays, which will highlight this edition of Monday Madness.
Yankees at Rays (7:10 PM EST)
The scorching-hot Bronx Bombers are slowly taking control of the AL East, winning 22 of their last 28 games, heading into Tropicana Field. The Yankees lead the Red Sox by 2 ? games, and the Rays by 6 ? games inside the division heading into Monday's action . The Rays have endured plenty of cardiac finishes since the All-Star Break, going 6-4. Tampa Bay rallied in all three wins at Kansas City, while forging comebacks at Chicago and Toronto in the final innings. The only black eye on the road trip was the perfect game tossed by Mark Buehrle on Thursday, 6-0.
James Shields (6-6, 3.70 ERA) takes the mound for the Rays, as his numbers have been less than stellar against the Yankees. Tampa Bay is 1-7 in Shields' eight career starts versus the Bombers, but just to limit the numbers to when the Rays were finally relevant (last year), the Rays are 1-2. In 2008, Shields went eight scoreless innings in a 7-1 pounding of the Yanks in the Bronx, while compiling a pair of starts in which he allowed four earned runs, but lost.
Shields has always been known as nothing less than dominant at home, but the Rays are 7-4 in his 11 starts at the Trop this season, compared to a 14-3 mark in '08.
A.J. Burnett (9-4, 3.74 ERA) has been on fire recently, going 4-0 in his last five decisions. Each of those outings were quality ones, and all five of them finished 'under' the total. In fact, Burnett's last five road starts have all gone 'under' the total, dating back to the middle of May. Burnett's numbers against Tampa Bay aren't spectacular, going 3-6 dating back to the start of 2007 as a member of the Blue Jays. The right-hander did strike out at least eight batters in seven of those starts, but lost by one run on four occasions.
The two teams have split the eight meetings this season, but the road team has won five times.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants has listed the Yankees as a short road favorite at $1.15, with the total set at 8 ?.
Dodgers at Cardinals (7:10 PM EST)
Two of the National League's best meet up for the first time in 2009, as the Cardinals continue to run the gauntlet, after dropping two of three at Philadelphia. The Dodgers, meanwhile, are on cruise control inside the NL West, while owning the best record in baseball. Busch Stadium should be an electric atmosphere, not only showcasing Albert Pujols and Manny Ramirez, but also the home debut of recently acquired Matt Holliday.
Chris Carpenter (8-3, 2.26 ERA) looks to rebound after the Cardinals bullpen blew a chance at his ninth win of the season. St. Louis squandered a 3-2 lead at Houston, only to allow the Astros to score two runs in the final inning to pull off a three-game sweep. Carpenter's home numbers are fantastic, compiling a 4-1 mark, with an ERA of 1.85, allowing one run or less in four starts. Due to Carpenter's dominance at Busch, the 'under' has cashed in four of five home outings.
Randy Wolf (5-4, 3.45 ERA) is the perfect pitcher to try and slow down this Cardinals attack. St. Louis ranks second-to-last in the league against left-handed pitching, batting just .229. The Dodgers southpaw owns a solid 4-2 road mark, and is fresh off five straight quality starts. There has been a bit of inconsistency lately with Wolf, as the Dodgers have alternated wins and losses in his last seven starts, coming off a victory over the Reds his last time out.
The Cardinals are 8-2 the last ten meetings at Busch Stadium, and 14-5 the last 19 overall against the Dodgers.
The Cards are a $1.55 home favorite according to LVSC, with the total listed at 7 ?.
Astros at Cubs (8:05 PM EST)
The Cubs are slowly coming alive at the right time, winning eight of ten games since the All-Star Break, to move into first place inside the NL Central. The Astros, meanwhile, were looking good after sweeping the Cardinals, but then dropped two of three to the woeful Mets at home.
Lou Piniella gives the ball to the man that no-hit the Astros last season, Carlos Zambrano. The Cubs fiery right-hander (7-4, 3.48 ERA) has won his last three starts, including a victory over the Phillies last Thursday. Zambrano picked up a no-decision in a 2-1 loss in his previous outing against the Astros in Houston on June 10, scattering three hits and one run in eight innings of work.
The hurler on the opposite side of that pitcher's duel in mid-June takes the mound Monday, Wandy Rodriguez. The Astros southpaw (10-6, 2.72 ERA), who has been known to struggle on the road throughout his career, is 5-4 away from Houston this season. Rodriguez has decent career numbers against the Cubs, but two horrible outings at Wrigley Field have derailed a nice run. Rodriguez's July is nothing short of spectacular, winning all four starts, while allowing two earned runs.
The Cubs have captured six of ten meetings this season, despite only two of those games being played at Wrigley Field. LVSC has installed the Cubs as a $1.40 home 'chalk.'
Tigers at Rangers (8:05 PM EST)
Detroit looks to continue its winning ways, as they head south to Arlington, to take on the Rangers. Texas is coming off a series victory at Kansas City, despite losing starter Kevin Millwood to flu-like symptoms in Sunday's win.
The Tigers will send out disappointing right-hander Armando Galarraga (5-8, 4.82 ERA) to the mound. Galarraga was fantastic last season, putting together a 13-7 campaign, with an ERA of 3.73. This season has been a much different story, with the Tigers winning eight of his 19 starts. Nighttime is the worst time to back Galarraga, as Detroit is just 2-11 when the righty gets the ball after the sun goes down. Galarraga is 2-0 in his career against the Rangers, with the Tigers averaging 13 runs/start.
Tommy Hunter (2-1, 2.17 ERA) has turned into a nice addition to the Texas rotation. The Rangers righty is coming off a solid start against the Red Sox, beating Boston by allowing four hits and one run in six innings of work. Hunter has struck out only 15 batters in five starts, but has allowed just seven earned runs in this stretch.
The 'under' has hit consistently with each of these pitchers. Galarraga has nailed the 'under' in seven of eight road starts, while Hunter has finished 'under' in all five of his starts.
The Rangers are a $1.30 favorites, with the total set at 10, according to LVSC.
