BASEBALL MLB ARTICLES

Bud Norris probably didn't know at the time when he was lifted out of May 10's game against the New York Yankees (33-26 SU, +4.39 Units) that he wasn't going to pitch again until the beginning of June.He'll look to post a second straight great start since returning from the DL for the Baltimore Orioles (28-30 SU, -1.98 Units) against the Bronx Bombers on Saturday.... 

Jon Lester has had a really rough go of it of late for the Chicago Cubs (31-26 SU, +2.15 Units).He hasn't had a good go of it this season against Sunday's opponent, the Cincinnati Reds (27-31 SU, -5.89 Units).... 

To say that things are falling apart at the seams for the Boston Red Sox (27-33 SU, -12.14 Units) is a bit of an understatement. The team hasn't been pitching well, and the batting order has started to decay in recent weeks to the point that John Farrell has had to make some drastic changes to his lineup.... 

The Chicago Cubs (31-26, $215) wrap up a four game weekend set against their divisional rivals in the Cincinnati Reds (27-31, -$589) on Sunday night by sending their ace to the hill.That alone should give Chicago the edge, despite his lackluster numbers, but their most healthy and talented young lineup adds to the advantage.... 

With their offense struggling badly once again, the Boston Red Sox (27-33 SU, -12.14 Units) will hope to get out of their slump when they take on the Atlanta Braves (29-30 SU, +3.03 Units) in the first game of a four-game home-and-home series.... 

A trio of games will be on tap on FOX Saturday Baseball this weekend, and the West Coast game could be a fun one between the division rival Arizona Diamondbacks (27-32 SU, -2.41 Units) and the San Francisco Giants (34-26 SU, +5.78 Units).... 

The New York Yankees (33-26, $439) currently sit atop the AL East with the Baltimore Orioles (28-30, -$198) among the teams chasing them down.The O’s will look to gain a game in this pivotal middle game of three.... 

ODDS ANALYSISIf the Phillies could play all their games at Citizens Bank Park they would be a .500 team. Unfortunately that doesn’t happen and the Phils have been a train wreck on the road. A loss Wednesday at Cincinnati was their seventh straight, dropping them to 7-23 in away games. It’s the worst road record for the club since before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Needles to say the Phils are the least profitable road team in baseball, down 13.71 units.... 

ODDS ANALYSISThe Blue Jays have played themselves right into the thick of the AL East race by winning eight straight games, the final six coming during a perfect homestand. Toronto scored 57 times during their streak and leads the Majors in runs scored. The over is 4-2-2 during the eight games and 17-10-2 in Toronto’s 29 road games. The teams split their six earlier meetings with each winning twice at home... 

ODDS ANALYSISWhile the Dodgers revel in their three-game sweep of Arizona, enjoy an off-day Thursday and make the short trip down I-5 to San Diego, the Padres finish up a seven-game road trip Thursday with an afternoon contest in Atlanta.... 

The last time Mike Leake pitched against the Chicago Cubs (31-26 SU, +2.15 Units), he had a great outing which was spoiled by his bullpen in a 7-3 loss.He and his Cincinnati Reds (27-31 SU, -5.89 Units) will hope to get a better effort when they meet again on Saturday as a part of regional coverage on FOX.... 

ODDS ANALYSISThe Giants have been a solid play on the road all season and started their road trip taking two of three games in Philadelphia moving to 16-12 in away games up 4.89 units. The Giants are also strong on the over in away games, playing all three in Philly above the scoreline with the over at 8-2 in their last 10 and 18-8-2 overall while going 3-0-1 in Tim Lincecum’s last four road starts.... 

ODDS ANALYSISThe Angels just can’t seem to handle prosperity. Last week the Halos knocked off the Rays in the first of a three-game set for their fifth straight win and they were ready to make their mid-season move back into contention in the AL West. Hold on, not so fast.Tampa Bay turned around to win the final two games of that series and the Angels were embarrassed in New York over the weekend. The Halos broke a five-game skid with Tuesday’s 8-2 win in the series opener matching a season-high with 15 hits. Monday’s game went over the scoreline and the over is 3-0-1 in the first four meetings between the clubs and 6-3-1 in LA’s last 10.... 

For a man who is supposed to be the ace of the Baltimore Orioles (27-30 SU, -2.98 Units) staff, it should be stunning to see Wei-Yin Chen sitting on just one win this season. He'll look for his second victory on Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox (27-32 SU, -11.08 Units).... 

ODDS ANALYSISThe Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles continue to occupy the bottom of the AL East standings, but recent success has them thinking of better things.The Sox swept the Oakland A’s over the weekend to complete a 5-2 homestand ending in the black 2.05 units. The Sox have stumbled for most of the season in the red 9.95 units, but the homestand has inspired the Boston faithful. The Sox are 0-3 in Rick Porcello’s last three outings cashing the over twice.... 

ODDS ANALYSISArizona bettors should be cautious about the series in Los Angeles. The Dbacks are just 1-11 in their last 12 games at Dodger Stadium following Monday’s 9-3 loss and lost the first four games played there this season.Arizona plated only four runs while getting swept in LA earlier this season and didn’t face aces Clayton Kershaw or Zack Greinke. They miss the two again this time around. The Dbacks have been money behind Jeremy Hellickson lately, going 4-0 up 4.71 units over his last four starts with the under at 2-1-1 in that span.... 

ODDS ANALYSISThe Cardinals own the best record in the Majors and are the most profitable team in baseball up 17.41 units on the year. The Cards handled the Dodgers rather easily taking three of four games over the weekend ending in the black 2.6 units, and conclude their road trip in Colorado where the best pitching staff got roughed up for 11 runs and 16 hits in Monday’s loss.
St. Louis hasn’t scored a lot of runs this season but they don’t need to with a staff ERA at 2.58 after limiting LA to six runs in four games. The combination has made the Cards a strong play on the under as they finished below the scoreline in each of the last three games at Los Angeles with the under at 7-3 in their last 10 games. Overall the under is 34-22-2 through the Cards’ first 58 games.... 

With the AL East still knotted up, the Boston Red Sox (27-31, -$995) and Baltimore Orioles (26-30, -$402) will look for some traction in their three game set, with the middle game on Wednesday.
Neither team has played particularly inspired ball of late, though perhaps each team is beginning to turn things around.... 

The Detroit Tigers (28-26 SU, -1.20 Units) are lugging around a seven-game losing streak heading into their weekend series with the Chicago White Sox (24-27 SU, -4.09 Units). They'll hope that their skid will be over by the time Sunday's series finale comes around.... 

The St. Louis Cardinals (35-18, $1,481 ) have kicked the Los Angeles Dodgers (31-22, $59) out of the NL playoffs the last few years, the Dodgers will look for revenge as they host them in a four game weekend set in what may be yet another playoff preview with each team sitting atop their respective division.... 

The New York Yankees (29-25 SU, +1.65 Units) have had a history of whipping up on the Los Angeles Angels (28-26 SU, -1.14 Units), having won 22 of the last 30 games between these two in the Big Apple and eight of the last 11 overall.... 

The Pittsburgh Pirates (29-24, $154) are rolling and have elevated themselves to one of the league’s best teams as they head to Atlanta to take on the Braves (26-27, $297) with the middle game slated for Saturday.... 

The Detroit Tigers (28-26 SU, -1.20 Units) have scored two runs or fewer in 48 percent of their games this season.They're really in need of some run production on Saturday, even with arguably their best pitcher on the mound, when they take on the Chicago White Sox (24-27 SU, -4.09 Units).... 

ODDS ANALYSISThe Pittsburgh Pirates are the hottest team in baseball following a three-game sweep of the Giants gave them 11 wins in their last 13 games. The Pirates have been good at home, but the last seven games of their successful streak have taken place on the road where they are 5-2 over their last seven in the black 3.16 units on the moneyline. The Bucs improved to 14-15 overall in away games and are still in the red 1.22 units. They continue their road swing with a weekend set in Atlanta after going 4-0-3 on the over in their last seven.... 

ODDS ANALYSISBaltimore has not been a good bet on the road and that trend continued Wednesday when the Orioles dropped their third straight in Houston to the Astros. The 3-1 loss left the O’s at 6-16 in away games this season and dropped them into last place in the AL East, a season-high six games below .500. It was also their fifth straight loss on the road, putting them in the red 5.11 units in that span. The O’s are down 9.5 units overall in away games, leaving them as the least profitable road team in the AL....