There are 13 series going this weekend in the bases that run from Friday thru Sunday and, of course, all of these are three-game series. The other two series (the Orioles/White Sox plus the Yankees/Indians) run from Friday through Monday and are four-game series. We will write a very quick piece on each one as being concise here is the key in covering all the weekend series in one fell swoop! However, note the betting angle here; if we see any particular value we will point it out as something to consider. Now, “Let’s Play Ball”:

New York Yankees @ Cleveland – After a 13-2 home loss to Detroit last Wednesday, Indians manager Eric Wedge called for a closed door meeting. Since then the Indians are 5-2 and they’ve averaged over 8 runs per game in the 5 wins! The Yankees offense is also heating up as they’ve scored 63 runs in their last 10 games However, they’ve also allowed 57 runs over that same stretch. However, their bullpen still holds an edge over that of the Indians and this series would not surprise if it ended up being a 2-2 split. Look for plenty of offense though in this one, at least until the weather turns ugly Monday (according to forecasts).

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Los Angeles Angels @ Detroit – Another match-up of two solid offenses. The Tigers have finally got their offense going and it’s been in a big way! Detroit, after back to back shutouts on the 12th and 13th, has scored an average of nearly 8 runs per game in their last 11 games! Not surprisingly, their 8-3 during this red hot offensive run! As for the Angels, they’re also on an 8-3 run. Los Angeles has done more of their damage with the pitching but there’s nothing wrong with averaging 5.5 runs per game which is exactly what their offense has done during this stretch. Their bullpen also seems to have settled down finally too. A slight lean toward the Angels taking two of three in this series but, the way the Tigers are hitting, a look at the Overs throughout this series may be the better way to go.

Boston @ Tampa Bay – Even though the Red Sox have lost two straight, this is another red hot offense. Boston had gone 10-1 before losing two straight. In their last 13 games they’ve averaged 6.5 runs per game but they could be surprised by the pitching down in Tampa Bay. Believe it or not, the Rays bullpen has a 2.49 ERA this season which is good enough for the top spot in all of baseball. Tampa Bay comes into this series 4-1 their last 5 and has allowed an average of just 3.3 runs per game in these five games. The Red Sox could have their hands full this weekend.

Minnesota @ Texas – This one could turn into a battle of attrition. The Twins have lost 7 of their last 11 and have scored just 3.3 runs per game as their anemic offense continues to disappoint. Things are no better for the Rangers as Texas has lost seven straight and averaged just 3.4 runs per game. We are not likely to be too involved with this “ugly” series.

Toronto @ Kansas City – After being an early season surprise and sitting at 9-6 on the season, it take long for the Royals to return to their losing ways! Kansas City has now lost seven straight and their bullpen, earlier ranked #1 among the 30 teams, has quickly fallen off and now ranks in the lower third of MLB! The Royals have allowed an average of over 8 runs per game in their 7 game losing streak! Can Toronto take advantage? It’s actually unlikely. They’ve lost 7 of their last 9 games as the whole Frank Thomas incident certainly didn’t help the clubhouse! The Jays have averaged just 3.3 runs per game in their last 9 games and this one, just like the Twins and Rangers, could be another “ugly” series.

Baltimore @ Chicago White Sox – The Orioles, unlike the Royals, have managed to maintain consistency after their strong start to the season. They’ve won six of their last ten and their bullpen ranks 5th among the 14 AL teams in terms of their relievers ERA so far this season. However, the Orioles have been held to five runs or less in 13 of their last 18 games! They will be facing a White Sox team that has been “clutch” this season as the ChiSox have hit .326 (tops in all of baseball) with runners in scoring position so far this year! Look for the White Sox to take 3 of 4 in this series as, home field edge and clutch hitting will be the key advantages. The pitching of these two teams is roughly equal.

Oakland @ Seattle – Like the White Sox, the Athletics hitting has been “clutch” this season as they are 2nd among all 30 teams in terms of batting average with runners in scoring position. The A’s are red hot on offense right now and that, coupled with the winning, breeds a lot of confidence a the plate. It would not surprise if the A’s take two of three in Seattle. Oakland is 13-06 after starting the season just 1-3. Once they recovered from opening the season in Japan, the A’s have been a pleasant surprise this season. Their offense was expected to be a significant weakness but they’ve now averaged over 5 runs per game in their last 19 games. The Mariners are 5-6 their last 11 and they’ve been held to five runs or less in eight of those games. However, they did sweep a two game set in Oakland earlier this week and that means it’s “revenge time” for the A’s up in Seattle this weekend. As noted previously, it would not surprise if the A’s take two of three here. They are playing very well right now!

Philadelphia @ Pittsburgh – The Phillies have won four of their last five and how hot will they be when Rollins and Victorino are back? Plus, what about when Howard starts hitting? The fact is this team is simply loaded offensively and not many teams would be surviving as well with two speedy starters out of the lineup plus a slumping slugger. The Phils have averaged nearly six runs per game in their last eight games and their bullpen is the tops in the National League! The Pirates bullpen ranks as 2nd to last in the NL and this series should see the Phillies easily take two of three. Pittsburgh has lost 7 of their last 9 and they’re averaging just 3.1 runs per game during this poor stretch. Phillies will take advantage! Friday’s game is a little tough to call but Phils should take this series and might possibly get the sweep.

Atlanta @ New York Mets – Key NL East battle but the Mets are slumping. New York has lost four of their last five and they’ve averaged just 3.6 runs per game during the slide. The Braves have won six of their last eight and could take two of three in this series but we’ll probably remain in the dugout on this one as this one is a little tough to call based on the projected pitching match-ups.

Chicago Cubs @ Washington – The Nationals have now won two of their last three but they previously had lost 15 of their last 17. In other words, we have very little faith in Washington at this point! The Cubs have won 14 of their last 18 and, on the surface, this looks like the mismatch of the weekend. The key here is that there will be some line value with Chicago because they’re on the road. However, tread carefully here, Odalis Perez and John Lannan are both capable of giving strong outings for the Nationals and, at home, the Nats could possibly have upset potential in this series.

Florida @ Milwaukee – Good luck to the Brewers pitchers in this one. Florida is second only to Philadelphia in terms of home runs this season. They also are second only to Arizona in terms of slugging percentage so far this season. As you can see, the Marlins have established themselves as one of the most powerful offenses in the league so far this season. A surprise? Yes! Something we should brush off as a fluke? Absolutely not. Even without Miguel Cabrera, there are some solid young hitters in this lineup! However, the Marlins could have their hands full with the Brewers this weekend. Milwaukee is 6-4 at home and they’ve also been getting the job done in recent games as they’ve won five of their last eight overall.

Houston @ St Louis – You may look at their lineup and scratch your head but, the fact is, the Astros offense is suddenly one of the hottest in all of baseball! Houston has won five straight and averaged over 8 runs per game. However, they are now running into a St Louis team whose team ERA ranks them at 4th among all 30 MLB teams. The Cardinals though have suddenly run into some pitching difficulties as they’ve allowed 7 or more runs in three of their last five games. That makes this a tough series to call because it’s difficult to go against the Cardinals at home but the Astros offense is too hot to fade. Looks like a “stay away” for us.

Arizona @ San Diego – These teams just met in Arizona and not a single game was close. The Diamondbacks took two out of three and the winning team scored at least nine runs in every game. However, things tend to be much different in pitcher friendly San Diego. The Padres generally can rely upon their pitching to win them games at home. However, this season their bullpen has been rocked and San Diego just doesn’t have the offense to overcome that. Looks like the better offensive team (the Dbacks) should take two out of three here. Webb versus Peavy on Sunday should be a great pitchers’ duel!

Cincinnati @ San Francisco – Another ugly series match-up here like a couple of others we’ve noted above. The Reds have lost 10 of 13 and the Giants have won two straight but previously had lost five of their last seven. Even though San Francisco is now 4-5 their last 9, they’ve averaged LESS than 3 runs per game during this stretch. We will be hard pressed to get involved at any point in this series. It’s just too tough to trust either team!

Colorado @ Los Angeles Dodgers – The Rockies are coming off of a win Thursday but they had previously lost four straight games. The Dodgers have won two straight just once this season since winning their first two games of the year. While there is not a lot of consistency with the Dodgers, the Rockies have been very streaky. The key this weekend could be the pitching match-ups which seem to favor the Dodgers. Even though Los Angeles isn’t known for its run production, before yesterday’s loss the Dodgers had scored 8 runs or more in 5 of their last 11 games. The Rockies pitching staff should fare better in Los Angeles but it’s hard to ignore the fact that, before yesterday’s win, Colorado had allowed 7.5 runs per game in losing four straight games here. The Dodgers should win two of three in this series!

Good luck this weekend as, in addition to enjoying the second weekend of the NBA Playoffs (plus Round Two of the NHL Playoffs), we will also have much to enjoy at the diamonds with these series match-ups! Best of luck always – Scott Rickenbach