Interleague baseball begins on Friday afternoon where the Chicago Cubs host their crosstown rival White Sox at Wrigley Field.
With the NATO Summit continuing on the southside of Chicago, baseball fans converge on the North Side for a rivalry that always creates a buzz.
“It’s not the playoffs, but it’s kind of somewhere in between the regular season and playoffs,” first baseman Paul Konerko told his team’s website. “It always kind of has that feel – it’s heightened.” Continue reading
The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t given oddsmakers much confidence in the first few weeks, but finally seem to be back on track. Favored to win the NL all along in Bovada’s National League Futures, the Phillies now own baseball’s longest winning streak at five games, and try to make it six at home against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.
Cole Hamels makes his second start since a five-game suspension for throwing at Bryce Harper. He was brilliant last week, giving up just one hit in seven innings in a 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres. Continue reading
The Miami Marlins seem to be back on track after winning the series opener against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. Once presumed to be headed for disaster, the Marlins have won 12 of their last 15 to get three games over .500 and right back in the NL East race.
They knocked the Braves around on Wednesday in an 8-4 win that brought them within three games of division leading Washington, which regained the outright lead with Atlanta’s loss. Miami’s renaissance has been highlighted by Giancarlos Stanton’s quick turnaround after a tepid start to the year. Continue reading
Not that his run was very long there, or that revered, but Carlos Beltran returns to San Francisco as his St. Louis Cardinals begin a three-game series with the Giants on Wednesday night.
Beltran spent the last half of 2011 with the Giants after being traded, but couldn’t stay in the lineup due to multiple injuries. He’s still dealing with those problems after signing with the Cardinals, but will be in the lineup tonight. Continue reading
I was searching odds today and noticed the Seattle Mariners, a road team, are favored by 1 1/2 runs against the Cleveland Indians today in Bovada’s Mariners vs. Indians Betting Lines. That, after the Mariners have dropped 10 of their last 11 away games. I took a second to think how could a team so bad on the road could actually be favored against the AL Central leaders. Then it struck me, Felix Hernandez. He has a way of making losing streaks irrelevant.
Hernandez, 3-2 with a 2.29 ERA, takes the mound against Cleveland, and will face off against Ubaldo Jimenez, who hasn’t exactly been a bargain since joining the Indians. Continue reading
David Price sure is looking forward to tonight’s opponent, carrying a terrific track record against the Toronto Blue Jays. But bettors be cautious. It was the same storyline last week against New York’s C.C. Sabathia, a pitcher he’s owned, and lost so it’s no sure thing.
Price has pitched better against the Blue Jays than any other team in his career. He’s won 10 of his 13 careeer starts with an ERA of 2.13, best against any opponent. Just under a quarter of his career wins in the majors have come against Toronto. Continue reading
Ervin Santana would probably like to pick up a bat right about now. Despite pitching well early in the season, Santana has fallen victim to his own team’s offensive woes, receiving an ML-worst 1.57 runs of support this year. Things don’t look to get any better tonight as the Los Angeles Angels face the Oakland Athletics in the second of a two-game series.
The Angels (15-21), failed to score in another loss to the A’s on Monday night, their fourth-straight loss to Oakland. Santana gets the ball tonight as Los Angeles tries to avoid a fifth-straight defeat by the A’s for the first time in five years. Continue reading
The Baltimore Orioles have sprung to the pinnacle of the AL East by compiling baseball’s best road record. But to keep that pace, they’ll have to beat the New York Yankees at home this week, something they’ve had trouble doing lately.
The Orioles and Yankees begin a two-game series Monday at Camden Yards, where the Yankees are actually favored by 1 1/2 runs, according to Bovada Continue reading
The Los Angeles Dodgers have blossomed into one of the top teams in the National League, but enter the week on edge as MVP-candidate Matt Kemp awaits news on his sore left hamstring. The All-Star center fielder, who has been battling hamstring soreness, had to leave last night’s game in the third inning to receive treatment.
It’s a good thing they’ve built such a lead in the west. After getting off to a hot start, the Arizona Diamondbacks have fallen hard back to earth Continue reading
A huge series win over the Philadelphia Phillies has the New York Mets a big mover in recent World Series Futures, going from a 70/1 longshot to 32/1 almost overnight. New York pounded out 22 runs in a three-game sweep against the Phillies, a statement win that put New York just a half game out of first place in the NL East.
Now, the Mets have to keep that momentum going as they start a weekend series against the Miami Marlins Friday night. Continue reading