Joe Blanton (7-4, 4.11 ERA) looks to continue his stellar pitching as he leads the Phillies against Tim Lincecum (11-3, 2.30) and the Giants as these squads continue their four-game series at AT&T Park.
Cliff Lee threw a gem in his first start with his new team Friday, guiding the Phillies to a 5-1 victory over San Francisco. The win snapped Philadelphia’s modest two-game losing skid – its first such slide since dropping three in a row from June 30-July 2. Since that skid, the Phillies are 20-5 overall, including 6-2 on the road. The defending champs still own baseball’s best road record (32-17), and they’re on additional positive runs of 22-10 against the N.L. West, 13-3 versus right-handed starters and 4-0 on Saturday, but they have lost five of their last seven as an underdog.
San Francisco four-game winning streak came to halt with last night’s loss. However, the Giants are still on upticks of 36-16 at home and 47-21 as a favorite.
The host has won seven of the last 11 meetings in this rivalry, and Philadelphia has lost five of its last eight games at AT&T Park.
Blanton was spectacular in July, going 3-0 with a 1.21 ERA in four starts, with the Phillies winning all four games at home, including Sunday’s 9-2 rout of the Cardinals with the burly right-hander giving up the two runs in eight innings. Blanton, who surrendered just four runs in his four July starts while pitching at least seven innings in each contest, has yielded three runs or fewer in six straight starts and 10 of his last 11.
Blanton is 3-2 with a 4.21 ERA on the road and 1-2 with a 5.74 ERA in five career starts against the Giants (all in interleague play when he was with Oakland). Also, while the Phillies have won four straight games behind Blanton, they’re 0-3 in his last three on the highway and 0-4 in his last four as an underdog.
Lincecum bounced back from a 4-2 loss at Atlanta with Monday’s dominating 4-2 complete-game home win over Pittsburgh, allowing two unearned runs on four hits while striking out a career-high 15. The reigning Cy Young winner has given up three earned runs or fewer in 18 of his 21 starts. With Lincecum on the bump, San Francisco is on tears of 5-2 overall, 5-1 at home and 5-2 on Saturday.
Lincecum is now 6-1 with a 2.13 ERA in 10 home starts and 1-0 with a 4.68 ERA in four career starts against Philadelphia. However, in two outings last year versus the Phillies, Lincecum yielded six runs (only two earned) in 14 innings (1.29 ERA).
The under is 4-1-1 in Blanton’s last six starts overall, 4-0 in his last four on Saturday, 7-3 in Lincecum’s last 10 starts overall and 6-2 in his last eight against the N.L. East.
Philadelphia carries team “under” streaks of 5-1 on the road and 10-3 against the N.L. West, while the Giants are on “under” runs of 5-1 overall, 6-2 at home, 10-4-1 versus the N.L. East, 6-1 against right-handed starters and 13-3 in the third game of a series. Conversely, four of the last six meetings in this rivalry have gone over the total, as have five of the last seven clashes in San Francisco, and the “over” is 4-0 in Lincecum’s four career starts against the Phils.
ATS ADVANTAGE: SAN FRANCISCO and UNDER
AMERICAN LEAGUE
N.Y. Yankees (62-41) at Chicago White Sox (53-51)
The Yankees send red-hot right-hander A.J. Burnett (10-4, 3.53 ERA) to the mound opposite White Sox southpaw John Danks (8-7, 3.89) in the continuation of a four-game series at U.S. Cellular Field.
Chicago followed up Thursday’s 3-2, walk-off victory with a 10-5 blowout win on Friday, quickly overcoming a 3-0 first-inning deficit. Despite winning the first two games of this series, the White Sox have still dropped six of their last nine overall, six of their last nine as an underdog and four of six versus righty starters, but the Pale Hose are on positive runs of 5-1 at home, 5-1 as a home pup, 5-1 against the A.L. East and 8-2 on Saturday.
The Yankees have lost consecutive games for the first time in three weeks, but remain on lengthy upticks of 47-24 overall, 35-17 against the A.L. Central, 18-8 against lefty starters and 41-20 as a favorite. However, they’ve lost six of their last eight on the road and six straight as a road chalk.
New York is still 10-5 in the last 15 meetings in this rivalry (5-3 in Chicago).
Burnett has been dominant over his last six starts, going 5-0 with a 2.00 ERA, and the Yankees won all six games by a combined score of 35-16, including Monday’s 11-4 win at Tampa Bay with Burnett giving up just one unearned run and two hits in seven innings. Additionally, Burnett is 6-1 with a 1.68 ERA in his last eight starts, including 3-1 with a 1.01 ERA in four games on the road. For the season, the veteran hurler is 6-3 with a 3.38 ERA as a visitor.
Not only have the Yankees won six straight games with Burnett on the mound, but they’re 12-2 in his last 14 starts as a favorite and 4-0 in his last four against the A.L. Central. In five career starts against the ChiSox, he’s 2-2 with a 2.78 ERA.
Danks suffered a 4-3 loss at Minnesota on Monday, allowing all four runs (two earned) in seven innings. It was the seventh time in his last eight starts that Danks gave up three earned runs or fewer. He’s just 3-4 on his home turf despite a solid 3.52 ERA, and he’s 2-0 with a 1.78 ERA in four daytime outings.
With Danks pitching, Chicago sports trends of 4-0 on Saturday and 4-1 against the A.L. East, but 2-5 as a home underdog. The lefty has faced the Yankees just twice – both in 2007 – going 0-1 with a 6.10 ERA.
The under is 6-1 in Burnett’s last seven starts overall, 5-1-1 in his last seven on the road, 4-0 in his last four against the A.L. Central, 7-2 in Danks’ last nine outings overall, 4-1 in his last five at home and 6-2 in his last eight on Saturday.
For New York, the “under” is on runs of 10-4-1 overall, 5-2 on Saturday, 9-3-1 as a favorite and 4-1 against the A.L. Central. Similarly, Chicago carries “under” streaks of 35-18-2 overall, 38-17 at The Cell, 23-9-2 as an underdog, 7-1 against right-handed starters and 5-1 versus the A.L. East. Lastly, the under is 4-2 in the last six clashes between these teams, but five of the last six battles in the Windy City have gone over the total.
Neither of these clubs will set the world on fire with their bats. But between the starters they trot out on Saturday and the way these teams have been playing, expect plenty of runs.
The Reds are one of the worst hitting teams in baseball, batting a meager .244 as a team. But at home, the Reds have an over/under mark of 23-23-2. Also, pitcher Homer Bailey will be on the mound for the home nine, and each of his past three starts have gone over the total.
The Rockies don’t swing nearly as good a stick away from Coors Field, but still are batting .257 as a team to go along with 116 homers. And again, two of the past three starts by Colorado pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez have surpassed the number.
Pick: Over
Toronto Blue Jays at Oakland Athletics (+107, 9)
The Blue Jays haven’t managed to do much consistently this season, but one thing they have excelled at is beating the Athletics.
Toronto entered the weekend have won four of six against Oakland this year, including two of three on the West Coast. The key for the Blue Jays has been their dominant pitching, as the Athletics average just over three runs per game againt Toronto. The A’s also are hitting just .201 (37-for-184) in those games.
The Blue Jays also are a decent road pitching team, posting a 4.44 ERA away from home to go with 354 strikeouts. Meantime, Oakland is hitting only .251 overall at home to go with a meager 82 doubles in their own park.
The Blue Jays aren’t a bunch of road warriors, but against Oakland, they don’t have to be.
The trade deadline is about to be behind and with that, the division and wild card races will take the forefront again.
Let’s focus in on the top two series on both the American and National League slate this edition of the MLB Weekend Cheat Sheet.
Remember, all results are within the series and all pitcher records are ‘team starts’ (the team’s record in games in which the pitcher starts) versus this opponent.
National League
Chicago Cubs at Florida Marlins
Most recent series result: Cubs are 6-2 in their last eight games (3-1 this season)
Most recent series result at the site: Marlins are 7-2 in their last nine games home
Key day/month stat: Cubs are 7-2 on Fridays; Marlins are 3-8 on Fridays
Best arm in the series: Cub pitcher Zambrano is 8-0 with a 3.17 ERA in his last eight starts
Worst arm in the series: Florida hurler Volstad is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA at home
Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves
Most recent series result: Braves are 6-2 in last their eight games
Most recent series result at the site: Braves are 6-1 in their last seven games home
Key day/month stat: Dodgers are 17-5 on Saturdays; Braves are 1-8 on Saturdays
Best arm in the series: Braves’ Jurrjens is 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA
Worst arm in the series: Dodgers’ Schmidt is 1-4 with a 6.73 ERA in his last six games away
American League
New York Yankees at Chicago White Sox
Most recent series result: Yankees are 10-3 in their last 13 games
Most recent series result at the site: Yankees are 5-1 in their last six games away
Key day/month stat: Yankees are 6-4 on Fridays; White Sox are 5-12 on Fridays
Best arm in the series: Yankees’ Burnett is 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA in his last three games
Worst arm in the series: White Sox’ Buerhle is 1-7 with a 6.11 ERA career
Los Angeles Angels at Minnesota Twins
Most recent series result: Angels are 12-7 in their last 19 games (3-4 this season)
Most recent series result at the site: Twins are 3-0 in their last three games home
Key day/month stat: Twins are 12-4 on Fridays
Best arm in the series: Twins’ Perkins is 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA
Worst arm in the series: Twins’ Baker is 1-5 with a 5.89 ERA
NY YANKEES vs. CHI WHITE SOX
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Yankees's last 6 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
NY Yankees are 10-5 SU in their last 15 games when playing Chi White Sox
Chi White Sox are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi White Sox's last 6 games at home
KANSAS CITY vs. TAMPA BAY
Kansas City is 3-14 SU in its last 17 games
Kansas City is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Kansas City
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Kansas City
LA DODGERS vs. ATLANTA
LA Dodgers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Dodgers's last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Atlanta is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games at home
BOSTON vs. BALTIMORE
Boston is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
Baltimore is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Baltimore's last 18 games
DETROIT vs. CLEVELAND
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Detroit is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Cleveland
Cleveland is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Cleveland's last 7 games at home
WASHINGTON vs. PITTSBURGH
Washington is 7-16 SU in its last 23 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Pittsburgh's last 13 games when playing at home against Washington
ARIZONA vs. NY METS
Arizona is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arizona's last 6 games
NY Mets are 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of NY Mets's last 9 games when playing at home against Arizona
CHI CUBS vs. FLORIDA
Chi Cubs are 6-3 SU in their last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games on the road
Florida is 8-2 SU in their last 10 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Florida's last 13 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
COLORADO vs. CINCINNATI
Colorado is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
Colorado is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
Cincinnati is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Cincinnati's last 8 games at home
LA ANGELS vs. MINNESOTA
LA Angels are 11-2 SU in their last 13 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Angels's last 5 games
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing LA Angels
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing LA Angels
HOUSTON vs. ST. LOUIS
Houston is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Houston is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
St. Louis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing at home against Houston
SEATTLE vs. TEXAS
Seattle is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games
Texas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Texas's last 7 games when playing at home against Seattle
PHILADELPHIA vs. SAN FRANCISCO
Philadelphia is 16-4 SU in its last 20 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Francisco's last 7 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco's last 6 games when playing Philadelphia
TORONTO vs. OAKLAND
Toronto is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Oakland
Toronto is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing Oakland
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oakland's last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oakland's last 5 games
MILWAUKEE vs. SAN DIEGO
Milwaukee is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 5 games
San Diego is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
San Diego is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Milwaukee
Inside the lines 8/1
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