MLB Betting News and Notes Tuesday, September 19th, 2017

MLB Knowledge

National League

Dodgers @ Phillies
Darvish is 1-3, 6.05 in his last four starts; over is 4-2 in his last six starts. Dodgers are 3-1 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 3-3-1

Nola is 2-3, 6.37 in his last six starts (over 4-2). Phillies are 8-4 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 12-6-7

Dodgers won four of their last six games (under 5-0-1). Phillies won five of last seven games, last four of which stayed under.

Brewers @ Pirates
Anderson is 3-0, 3.74 in his last four starts (over 3-0-1). Milwaukee is 6-5 in his road starts — their first 5-inning record with him: 13-7-2

Williams is 1-4, 4.81 in his last six starts; under is 8-1 in his last nine starts. Pirates are 6-6 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 10-10-3

Brewers won eight of last ten games; four of their last five games went over. Pittsburgh lost its last ten games, scoring nine runs (under 9-1).

Mets @ Marlins
Lugo is 1-3, 7.22 in his last seven starts; over is 10-3-1 in his last 14 starts. Mets are 5-4 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 7-5-3

Despaigne is 0-3, 6.40 in five starts this season (under 3-2). Miami is 1-2 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 0-3-2

Mets lost six of their last eight games; over is 6-2 in their last eight road games. Miami is 4-17 in its last 21 games, last nine of which all went over.

Cardinals @ Reds
Flaherty is 0-1, 6.08 in three starts this year (under 2-1). St Louis won both his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 0-3

Stephens beat the Cubs 5-3 in his only start July 1, allowing three runs in five IP (91 PT). Reds’ first 5-inning record with him: 1-0

Cardinals lost four of last five games; under is 9-2 in their last 11 games. St Louis is 9-6 in its last 15 road series openers. Reds won four of last five games; under is 7-2-1 in their last ten home games. Cincinnati is 6-1 in its last seven home series openers.

Nationals @ Braves
Scherzer is 1-1, 6.35 in his last three starts; over is 9-3 in his last 12 starts. Washington is 9-5 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 17-7-4

Goraga is 1-1, 7.20 in two starts (over 2-0). Braves lost his only home start— their first 5-inning record with him: 0-1-1

Nationals lost four of last six games; under is 5-1-2 in their last eight. Washington is 16-7 in road series openers. Atlanta lost three of last four games; over is 6-3 in their last nine home games. Braves are 7-10 in last 17 home series openers.

Diamondbacks @ Padres
Godley is 2-0, 1.29 in his last three starts; under is 8-4-2 in his last 14 starts. Arizona is 7-5 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 11-8-4

Wood is 0-2, 12.51 in his last four starts; over is 6-2 in his last eight starts. San Diego is 4-1 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 3-5-1

Arizona is 5-5 in its last ten games; under is 5-2-1 in their last eight. San Diego lost five of its last six games (under 4-2).

Rockies @ Giants
Marquez 0-2, 7.90 in his last three starts; under is 8-2-1 in his last 11 starts. Colorado is 7-7 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 16-6-4

Cueto is 1-1, 6.00 in his last five starts; over is 5-1 in his last six starts. Giants are 4-6 in his home starts, losing last five— their first 5-inning record with him: 9-9-4

Colorado is 9-4 in its last 13 games; under is 4-2 in its last six games. Rockies are 5-11 in their last 16 road series openers. Giants lost six of their last eight games; under is 4-1 in their last five games. SF is 4-14 in last 18 home series openers.

American League

Red Sox @ Orioles
Pomeranz is 4-1, 3.14 in his last five starts; over is 11-7-1 in his last 19 starts. Boston is 6-5 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 17-11-1

Gausman is 2.28 in his last four starts; under is 8-2 in his last ten. Orioles are 9-6 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 15-15-1

Red Sox are 9-3 in last 12 games; under is 7-3 in their last ten road games. Baltimore lost 10 of last 12 games; over is 4-1 in their last five.

Minnesota @ New York
Berrios is 1-2, 3.90 in his last five starts; under is 7-4 in his last 11. Twins lost his last nine road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 13-7-3

Sabathia is 2-0, 3.14 in his last five starts; under is 14-4 in his last 18 starts. New York is 7-3 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 13-10-1

Twins lost three of last four games; under is 5-1 in their last six. New York won five of its last six games; over is 3-2 in their last five.

Royals @ Blue Jays
Gaviglio is 1-0, 2.70 in two starts for the Royals (under 2-0). This is his first road start for the Royals. KC’s first 5-inning record with him: 2-0

Stroman is 0-2, 4.68 in his last five starts; under is 4-2-1 in his last seven. Toronto is 8-8 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 16-13-1

Royals lost four of last five games; under is 5-1 in their last six. KC is 11-13 in road series openers. Toronto won six of last nine games (under 7-2). Blue Jays are 10-14 in home series openers.

A’s @ Tigers
Gossett is 1-3, 4.15 in his last four starts; under is 6-3-1 in his last ten. Oakland is 3-7 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 5-9-1

Bell is 0-2, 9.75 in three starts this year (over 3-0). Detroit is 0-2 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 0-2-1

A’s are 9-3 in their last 12 games; under is 3-2 in their last five. Detroit is 2-8 in its last ten games; over is 8-1 in their last nine home games.

White Sox @ Astros
Giolito is 2-2, 3.13 in five starts this year (under 4-1). Chicago won his only road start— their first 5-inning record with him: 3-2

McHugh is 3-0, 2.29 in his last four starts (under 7-2). Houston is 2-1 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 5-3-1

White Sox won six of last nine games; over is 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. Chicago is 8-16 in road series openers. Houston won its last four games; under is 9-3 in their last 12 home games. Astros are 6-1 in last seven home series openers.

Indians @ Angels
Clevinger is 5-0, 1.80 in his last six starts; under is 11-3 in his last 14 starts. Indians are 6-3 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 11-5-3

Skaggs is 1-1, 6.30 in his last four starts (over 3-1). Angels are 4-2 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 3-8-2

Cleveland is 24-1 in its last 25 games; under is 8-2 in their last ten. Indians are 8-2 in last ten road series openers. Angels are 3-7 in last ten games (under 8-2). Halos are 4-8 in last 12 home series openers.

Rangers @ Mariners
Perez is 7-1, 3.88 in his last eight starts; over is 3-1 in his last four. Texas is 5-6 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 13-13-3

Leake is 3-0, 2.89 in three starts for Seattle (under 3-0). Mariners are 2-0 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 3-0

Rangers lost seven of last nine games; over is 10-5-1 in their last 16 games. Texas is 10-13 in road series openers. Seattle lost its last three games; under is 10-3 in their last 13. Mariners are 3-8 in last 11 home series openers.

Interleague

Cubs @ Rays
Montgomery is 0-2, 9.00 in his last two starts; over is 5-2 in his last seven. Chicago is 3-3 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 6-5-1

Archer is 0-3, 15.26 in his last three starts; under is 5-3 in his last eight starts. Rays are 9-6 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 17-9-5

Joe Maddon returns to St Pete with his world champ Cubs, who won their last six games. Over is 4-2 in their last six games. Chicago is 9-4 in last 13 road series openers. Tampa Bay is 3-7 in its last 10 games; under is 6-1 in their last seven. Rays are 9-14 in home series openers.

Record with this pitcher starting

National League
LA-Phil: Darvish 4-3; Nola 12-13
Mil-Pitt: Anderson 12-10; Williams 10-13
NY-Mia: Lugo 8-7; Despaigne 1-4
StL-Cin: Flaherty 2-1; Stephens 1-0
Wsh-Atl: Scherzer 19-9; Goraga 1-1
Az-SD: Godley 14-9; Wood 4-5
Col-SF: Marquez 16-10; Cueto 11-11

American League
Min-NY: Berrios 13-10; Sabathia 16-8
Bos-Balt: Pomeranz 20-9; Gausman 16-15
KC-Tor: Gaviglio 1-1; Stroman 17-13
A’s-Det: Gossett 5-10; Bell 0-3
Chi-Hst: Giolito 3-2; McHugh 4-5
Clev-LA: Clevinger 13-7; Skaggs 6-7
Tex-Sea: Perez 14-15; Leake 3-0

Interleague
Chi-TB: Montgomery 5-7; Archer 15-16

Pitchers allowing a run in first inning

National League
LA-Phil: Darvish 4-7; Nola 6-25
Mil-Pitt: Anderson 7-22; Williams 7-23
NY-Mia: Lugo 4-15; Despaigne 1-5
StL-Cin: Flaherty 1-3; Stephens 0-1
Wsh-Atl: Scherzer 7-28; Goraga 2-2
Az-SD: Godley 4-23; Wood 4-9
Col-SF: Marquez 7-26; Cueto 6-22

American League
Min-NY: Berrios 6-23; Sabathia 6-24
Bos-Balt: Pomeranz 8-29; Gausman 9-31
KC-Tor: Gaviglio 0-2; Stroman 6-30
A’s-Det: Gossett 2-15; Bell 3-3
Chi-Hst: Giolito 0-5; McHugh 2-9
Clev-LA: Clevinger 3-20; Skaggs 7-13
Tex-Sea: Perez 12-29; Leake 2-3

Interleague
Chi-TB: Montgomery 3-12; Archer 10-31

Interleague play

NL @ AL– 83-56 AL, favorites -$36
AL @ NL– 73-69 NL, favorites +$116
Total: 152-129 AL, favorites +$80

Totals in interleague games
NL @ AL: Over 70-67-4
AL @ NL: Over 74-62-7
Total: Over 144-129-11

Armadillosports.com

MLB Betting Picks & Tips
By Adam Burke
Bangthebook.com

Milwaukee (-125) at Pittsburgh; Total: 8.5

Another day, another Pirates loss. The Pirates have dropped 11 of 12 and are 15 games under .500 since August 11. They have only scored 22 runs over their last 12 games as this season comes to a close. As such, there is basically no reason to back them tonight. The only question that bettors need to answer is whether or not they want to lay the price with Milwaukee and Chase Anderson.

Anderson will make his 23rd start in what is a career year. The right-hander has a 2.88 ERA with a 3.73 FIP and a 4.60 xFIP. He missed nearly two months with an oblique injury and is making his seventh start since coming back, so he should have all of the kinks ironed out. Anderson has not allowed more than three earned runs in a start since May 21, so he has done an excellent job of keeping his team in ballgames. I would expect more of the same tonight in pitcher-friendly PNC Park.

Trevor Williams is actually ending the season on a high note. He has a 4.26 ERA with a 4.00 FIP and a 4.58 xFIP in his 139.1 innings of work. He struggled in his last outing, but had pitched pretty well prior to that. Williams has held the opposition to a .299 wOBA at home with a 3.71 ERA. On the road, he has allowed a .330 wOBA with a 4.96 ERA.

I’d be looking Brewers and under tonight. I like that Williams has had so much fortune in terms of keeping the ball in the park. He also has a 3.64 ERA in the second half of the season because he has had some better fortunes with stranding runners. I won’t touch the Pirates with their inability to hit, but I think the price on the Brewers is fairly reasonable.

Boston at Baltimore (-105); Total: 8.5

Drew Pomeranz and Kevin Gausman are both hoping for better fortunes than their rotation comrades after yesterday’s 10-8 slugfest at Camden Yards. Pomeranz has a 3.28 ERA with a 3.82 FIP and a 4.08 xFIP on the season. He’s struck out well over a batter per inning once again this year. He’s also lowered his HR/FB% this year, leading to a slightly better ERA. All in all, it has been a tremendous year for the southpaw hurler.

There are some signs of potential regression in the Pomeranz profile with a LOB% over 80 percent again this season, but he seems to be one of those guys that can just strand a high number of runners. He only has one start since mid-June with a LOB% below 70 percent, so I can understand the desire to go against him based on that. Since June 16, his LOB% is 84.6 percent. He has a 2.55 ERA with a 3.75 FIP and a 4.40 xFIP.

The concerning thing about Kevin Gausman’s 4.83 ERA for the Orioles is that he has a 76.3 percent LOB%. He has had command issues all year long with a .344 BABIP against and 27 HR allowed in 167.2 innings of work. Since July 19, Gausman has a 2.53 ERA with a 3.93 FIP and a 3.91 xFIP, so he has been in a nice groove with 70 strikeouts in 67.2 innings of work. His 91 percent LOB% could be in line for some regression, though.

Both of these guys show concerning signs. I don’t think I can pick a side as a result and would have a small lean towards the first five over, but they just have a knack for stranding a lot of runners, so maybe regression isn’t going to come in that regard.

Los Angeles (-160) at Philadelphia; Total: 8

It isn’t a bad idea to take a stab on the Phillies today. Yu Darvish has not been sharp for a while now. Dating back to July 4, Darvish owns a 5.61 ERA with a 4.43 FIP. He’s allowed 14 HR in that span and a .339 BABIP against. His command just has not been there. He worked seven shutout against the Giants last time out, but only struck out five. There are a lot of concerns about Darvish in my estimation. The extreme fly ball thing coupled with bad command could point to an injury. It could point to a mechanical problem.

With Aaron Nola on the bump for the Phillies and a Dodgers lineup that has looked very pedestrian for a while now, I think there’s some value on the dog.

Cleveland at Los Angeles (-110); Total: 8.5

Normally, teams that just won the division trot out a meager lineup for the next game. For the Indians, the situation is a little bit different. Yes, they’re still going for home field advantage, but it’s more about the fact that they clinched the division on Saturday night when the Twins lost more than six hours after Cleveland’s game was over. They celebrated on Sunday, with a pre-game flag raising and then a post-game champagne shower. Then, they boarded a plane for Anaheim and had Monday off.

I have to think that Terry Francona is still going to give some of his vets the day off, so I think we’ll see a watered-down Indians lineup tonight. That will put value on the Angels and Tyler Skaggs. I think you can get out in front of this line move with a position on Anaheim. Also, the Indians are out west late in the season. They haven’t been in the Pacific Time Zone since right after the All-Star Break. I think it’s a bad situational spot all around. The Angels still have something to fight for as well, so that helps in terms of taking a shot. The market incorporated the spot and the expectation for the lineup into the line and the Angels have still taken a bit of the first wave of money.

I think the Angels are your side tonight, but the Indians have gotten some contributions from their minor leaguers and call-ups, so you might be able to take Angels -110 and partially freeroll some of it with the Indians at a better price later as an arbitrage grab.

Colorado (-110) at San Francisco; Total: 8

The Rockies and Giants square off tonight at AT&T Park. It’ll be German Marquez against Johnny Cueto, which means that you know exactly which way I’m going here. I’ll be all over the Rockies and this is probably my favorite play of the night. Marquez is a guy that I have been looking to back for a variety of reasons this season.

I love the idea of backing Marquez in a good pitcher’s park. His peripherals are extremely solid for a dude that has to pitch his home games at Coors Field. He has a 4.41 ERA with a 4.21 FIP and a 4.13 xFIP, so there’s a tiny bit of regression in his stat line. Marquez has gotten unlucky on balls in play on the road, which has led to a higher batting average against and on-base percentage against. The nice thing here is that the Giants are bad. The right-hander might be running out of gas a bit with the big workload in his first MLB season, but I have enough faith in the stuff and the profile to take a stab tonight.

It doesn’t hurt that Johnny Cueto has been awful. The Giants right-hander has a 4.58 ERA with a 4.66 FIP and a 4.47 xFIP in his 129.2 innings of work this season. He’s shown subpar command, which is rare for him, this season. Cueto has only worked six innings in one of his last six starts. He just came back on September 1 from a prolonged absence and has allowed seven runs on 15 hits over 14 innings of work.

One team is still fighting for the playoffs. The other is fighting for the season to end. I’ll take the motivated team with an underrated pitcher this evening.

Desperate Angels host Indians
By: StatFox.com

The Angels will be hoping to stay alive in the AL wild card race with a victory over the Indians on Tuesday.

Cleveland has a pretty good claim to be considered the best team baseball, as the Indians currently have the best record in the American League and have just been playing lights-out as of late. They are certainly getting hot at the right time and have their sights set on making it back to the World Series. As for the Angels, this is a team that recently decided to go all-in on making it to the postseason. Los Angeles currently trails Minnesota for the second spot in the AL Wild Card Game, but a lot can change in the next couple of weeks. The Angels do, however, need to hold their own in this series, as they can’t afford to dig themselves a hole at this point in the season. The starters in this Tuesday night matchup are set to be RHP Mike Clevinger (10-5, 3.21 ERA, 127 K) for Cleveland and LHP Tyler Skaggs (2-5, 4.37 ERA, 65 K) for Los Angeles. Clevinger has had a breakout year for the Indians in 2017, so they will definitely be comfortable with him on the mound in this one. Skaggs, however, has been up-and-down for the Angels all season. He’ll need to bring his A-game on Tuesday.

The Indians have one of the better pitching staffs in baseball and Clevinger has been a big part of that this year. He doesn’t necessarily go out and dominate games like Kluber or Carrasco, but he is a pretty safe bet to give Cleveland six or so innings of solid pitching on a nightly basis. Over his past four starts, Clevinger has allowed a total of one earned run in 23.2 innings of work. If he can pitch into the seventh inning and allow only one or two earned runs here then the Indians will almost definitely win this game. They’re facing a starting pitcher that is prone to poor performances, and it wouldn’t be shocking if he were to be a bit nervous facing a lineup like Cleveland’s. Keep an eye on guys like DH Edwin Encarnacion, 1B Carlos Santana and OF Brandon Guyer in this one, as the three of them have combined to go 8-for-12 with three homers and nine RBI against the lefty in their careers.

Tyler Skaggs will be heading to the hill for the Angels on Tuesday and the Angels need to see more of the Skaggs that has taken the ball in each of his past two starts. The lefty has given up just three earned runs over his past 13 innings of work, and he had a K-BB ratio of 14-2 in those games. If Skaggs is missing bats like that on Tuesday then that would be huge for Los Angeles. It’d also be big if he can pitch at least six innings in this one, as the Angels are not going to want to rely too heavily on their bullpen in this series. Offensively, 1B Luis Valbuena could provide a spark at the plate for the Angels. He is 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBI against Clevinger in his career, and he is not really a consistent source of production for this team. If Los Angeles doesn’t need guys like OF Mike Trout and DH Albert Pujols to do everything then the team will be a lot better off in this one.

Tuesday's MLB Best Bet
Vegasinsider.com

Cleveland Indians vs L.A. Angels

Odds: Cleveland (-105) vs. L.A. Angels (-105); Total 8.5

Fresh off their celebration Sunday evening for clinching another AL Central crown, the Cleveland Indians have travelled out West to take on an L.A. Angels team that's still in the thick of a Wild Card race. The Indians have nothing really left to play for outside of the top record in the AL – and home field advantage throughout the AL playoffs – and they've got a 1.5 game lead on the Astros already in that regard.

With two weeks left in the 2017 regular season, that overall record stuff will eventually sort itself out, but for now the Indians are likely going to get some guys some much deserved rest after the run they've been on. Oddsmakers are leaning that way given the price they've put out on this game as even with a day off to travel between their celebration on Sunday and tonight's series opener, bettors shouldn't expect Cleveland to trot out their best lineup this evening.

Although the Indians record-breaking win streak has been over for a few days, the fact that oddsmakers have put tonight's game as a 'pick'em' line suggests they expect a few of Cleveland's studs to be on the sidelines this evening. I say that because even though it's Mike Clevinger on the hill for Cleveland – by far and away one of their bottom tier starters in the rotation – he was still getting priced as a -160ish favorite or higher in each of his last four starts when the Indians were rolling.

Heck, back in late July he was a -165 favorite against this same Angels team in an 11-7 Cleveland win. Clevinger was far from sharp in that outing having allowed six runs (5 earned) on nine hits (two HR's) in just 4.1 innings of work. That kind of performance won't cut it tonight as he's likely not going to get bailed out by all of his top guys behind him, and the Angels are the ones who need to play winning baseball as they trail the Minnesota Twins by 1.5 games for that final AL Wild Card.

From the Angels perspective, it's looking like that final Wild Card spot will be won by either themselves or Minnesota. Barring a big run down the stretch by a few other teams that should be the case, and while the Twins and Angels don't meet one another the rest of the way, the Angels have to like their chances.

Tonight's game against Cleveland is a great opportunity for them to win their fourth game in their last six outings, and the last time they had Tyler Skaggs on the hill they came away with a 9-1 win over the Houston Astros. Skaggs was roughed up badly by this Indians team a season ago (13-3 Cleveland win), but this is a scenario where he could be the one to end the Angels eight-game losing streak to this Indians organization.

Playing on MLB teams after clinching a division crown is always tough because you never really know which nine guys will be on the field until that lineup card comes out. Yet, typically in that first game after celebrating, many of the regulars get a night off and I fully expect that to be the case for Cleveland tonight. With this line suggesting it's of decent probability – Cleveland would have likely been -130 or higher if they were still playing for something – I'm taking a shot with that being the case before the lineups become official and the price on the Angels ML skyrockets.

L.A. is on a 7-2 SU run after losing in their last game, and with a great opportunity to pick up a full game on the Twins – Minnesota is a +145 underdog against the Yankees tonight – this is a game where the Angels should come out on top. Even if the Indians rest nobody, a lack of motivation still could persist for them and the Angels at -105 is still good value being at home.

But when official lineup cards do come out and Cleveland sends out their “B” or “C” lineup and the Angels price jumps up to -130 or higher, you'll be glad you got in on this ML play early.

Best Bet: L.A. Angels -105

MLB Line Drive
Covers.com

Double-Play Picks

Minnesota Twins at New York Yankees (-160, 8.5)

The Yankees and Twins continue their three-game set in the Bronx in what could be a preview of the American League Wildcard game after New York edged Minnesota 2-1 in the opener on Monday night. In Game 2 it’s old vs. new as veteran workhorse CC Sabathia gets the call for the Yankees, while Jose Berrios takes the ball for the Twins.

At 83-67 the Yankees currently hold the top spot in the AL Wildcard chase, but they are in a different class than all the other Wildcard contenders with a run differential of +175. The next closest team is the Rangers at +18.

New York also still has an outside shot at the AL East as well, sitting just three games behind the Red Sox. They hand the ball to Sabathia in hopes of inching closer to Boston and to stay hot at home. New York has won six of its last seven at Yankee Stadium outscoring opponents by 4.3 runs per game in that stretch.

It’s been a solid year for Sabathia, who has figured out how to pitch as an old guy. The veteran southpaw is 11-5 with a 3.85 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. Plus, in his last two starts at home he allowed just two earned runs, while scattering nine hits over 13 innings.

Meanwhile, it been a rough run of road starts for the Twins’ young Berrios. Minnesota has lost his last nine starts away from Target Field. In those nine starts he is 0-6 with a 6.45 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP while giving up eight home runs. The Yankees have hit the second most home runs at home in baseball this season.

Pick: Yankees -160

Cleveland Indians at Los Angeles Angels (-115, 8.5)

The Indians and Angels open a three-game series in Anaheim on Tuesday night with the Tribe still riding one of the greatest runs of success in recent baseball history.

Fresh off their historic 22-game winning streak (the longest in history because ties don't extend winning streaks), Cleveland continues to tally in the win column and has now won 24 of their last 25 games overall.

The Indians will run right-hander Mike Clevinger out to the mound tonight, and he has sneakily been the hottest starting pitch in baseball over the last month. Cleveland has won his last five starts, and in his last four outings he has only allowed one run (0.38 ERA) and owns a WHIP of 1.014. Clevinger has also been better on the road than at home this season with a 6-3 win/loss record to go along with a 2.56 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP.

Angels' lefty Tyler Skaggs is coming off his best outing of the season - seven innings of three-hit shutout pitching against the Astros - but he's been just average all season with a team win/loss of 6-7, an ERA of 4.37, and a WHIP of 1.34. His ERA at home this season is even higher than his overall number at 4.86.

In two career starts against the Indians, Skaggs owns an ERA of 7.50 and a WHIP of 1.333.

Knowing how good Clevinger has been pitching, it shocked us a little bit that the Indians were slight underdogs for tonight's game. You give us an underdog moneyline on a team that has won 24 of their last 25 games and we'll take it every time.

Pick: Indians -105

Yesterday's Picks: 2-0 (thank you Matt Harvey)
Season To Date: 147-137-15

Streaking and Slumping Starting Pitchers

Streaking: Lucas Giolito, Chicago White Sox (2-2, 2.56 ERA, $157)

It's been a while since we've had a member of the White Sox's starting rotation appear in the Streaking section of this daily article - Derek Holland may have made an appearance early in the season.

Lucas Giolito's appearance today may be slightly by default since we used Mike Clevinger in the picks section above, but he has been very good. Over his last four appearances he has a team win/loss of 3-1, an ERA of 1.75, and a WHIP of 0.935. If the young righty can get the walks under control he could have the type of stuff to anchor this rotation for many years to come.

Giolito and the Sox are big road underdogs at +200 tonight against Collin McHugh and the Astros.

Slumping: Chad Bell, Detroit Tigers (0-3, 6.42 ERA, $-316)

Left-hander Chad Bell has worked out of the bullpen for most of the season for Detroit, and we're thinking the Tigers should have continued to hide him in a low-leverage relief role.

In three starts since moving into the rotation Bell owns a team win/loss of 0-3, an ERA of 9.75, a WHIP of 2.333, and an opponent's on base percentage of .468. Yuck.

Bell and the Tigers are slight home dogs tonight against Daniel Gossett and the visting A's.

Tuesday's Top Trends

* The Pittsburgh Pirates are 1-11 in their last 12 vs. National League Central. +115 today vs. Brewers.
* The Minnesota Twins are 0-9 in Berrios' last nine road starts. +140 today @ Yankees.
* The Oakland Athletics are 12-50 in their last 62 road games vs. a left-handed starter. -123 today @ Tigers (C. Bell).
* The Cleveland Indians have won 24 of their last 25 games overall. -105 today @ Angels.

Weather To Keep An Eye On

There is a chance of thunderstorms in the area around Great American Ball Park this evening where the Reds are scheduled to host the Cardinals.

There is a very stiff wind blowing straight in from center field (17-18 miles per hour) in the forecast tonight at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia where the Philles will take on the Dodgers. The total is currently set at 8.

There will also be an 18-20 mile per hour wind blowing in from left field tonight at Yankee Stadium where the Yanks will host the Twins in a potential American League Wildcard preview. The total is currently 8.5.

Ump Of The Day

Ryan Blakney will be calling balls and strikes this evening in Detroit for the game between the Tigers and the visiting A's. Blakney is baseball's No. 2 Under umpire this season at 17-7 (70.8 percent) and the Under is 35-16-4 (68.6 percent) in his last 55 games behind home plate dating back to last season.

The total for today's game between the Tigers and the A's is set at 10.5.