Editor's Note: Scott Rickenbach has gone on a 10-4 run in baseball. Pick up his latest winners here!
There are 10 series' going this weekend in the bases that run from Friday through Sunday - all three-game series'. There are five others – the Orioles/Royals, the Red Sox/Twins, the Blue Jays/Indians, the Braves/Pirates and the Cardinals/Brewers - that are four-gamers. The Orioles/Royals runs from Thursday to Sunday with the other four four-gamers running from Friday through Monday.
I'll examine them all in a quick run-down and point out any particular value to consider.
New York Yankees at Detroit – These teams met just over a week ago in New York and the Tigers swept the Yankees and outscored them by 10 runs in the process! It was the Tigers first three-game sweep of the Yanks since 1966. Will it be revenge time for the Yanks in Detroit this weekend? The injuries to Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada are not helping the Yanks. Also, the Yankees start off the series by throwing Kei Igawa and Darrell Rasner who have combined to make just one start for the Yankees this season. A lot of uncertainty surrounds this series as the Tigers sticks have been inconsistent and the Yankees do have a big bullpen edge.
Toronto at Cleveland – Toronto is only 7-10 on the road this season but Cleveland is just 8-11 at home. As a matter of fact, the American League is full of mediocrity so far this season. Only three teams are more than two games above .500 as it’s been a strange season thus far. Starting pitching will be on display throughout this four game series as both teams are starting hurlers who have been pitching very well of late. The Under could be a big winner throughout this series.
Los Angeles Angels at Tampa Bay – The Angels are one of the three AL clubs that is more than just two games above .500 alluded to above. Los Angeles is also a stellar 12-6 on the road! However, Tampa Bay is 10-7 at home but the Angels could take two of three here as neither Kazmir nor Sonnanstine is likely to shut down Angels lineup. Also, Friday’s match-up would not surprise us if Garland comes up with another strong outing for the Halos. He’s a much better pitcher than his full season numbers show.
Oakland at Texas – The A’s have won four straight and, to most everyone’s surprise, they are currently tied with the Angels for first place in the AL West! They have a huge bullpen edge in this match-up as their relievers rank as the top bullpen in the AL based on ERA while the Rangers pen ranks as dead last! Also note that Oakland is 10-5 on the road while the Rangers are just 6-8 at home this season. Texas took two of three at Oakland last weekend so this appears to be an ideal revenge setting for the A’s with Smith, Eveland, and Harden slated to get the starts!
Baltimore at Kansas City – The 'under' might be worth a look throughout this series as, other than that, this match-up certainly does not excite. Both of these teams have been struggling to score runs and the Orioles have struggled on the road while the Royals have struggled at home. Ugly match-up!
Boston at Minnesota – Boston has the best record in the American League heading into this weekend but note they are just 9-9 on the road. This is noteworthy because even though the Twins are only playing .500 ball, Minnesota is a rock solid 11-6 at home! The Twins also have a big bullpen edge in this match-up. However, the starting pitching has to be a concern for Twins backers this weekend. Bonser has struggled at home, Perkins is making his first ever start, Blackburn is in his first year as a starter, and only Hernandez has come up with quality starts on a consistent basis.
Chicago White Sox at Seattle – A lack of offense should be the story here so keep the Under in mind throughout this series. The White Sox have scored three runs or less in eight of their last ten games. The Mariners continue to provide lessons in offensive futility as they have scored a total of just 17 runs in their last nine games! Ugly stuff here unless you’re cashing in Under tickets all weekend long!
Arizona at Chicago Cubs – Arizona has faltered some recently as a tough schedule has really tested them. A weekend trip to Wrigley Field is going to test them once again as the Cubs are 11-6 at home this season! However, Chicago is just 3-7 in their last ten games overall. Just like last year’s NLDS the Diamondbacks pitching is likely to be the difference this weekend and they should win this series just like when they knocked the Cubbies out of the postseason last fall.
Atlanta at Pittsburgh – The Braves are suddenly hot but don’t overlook Pittsburgh here. Even though the Braves have won six straight games they are an ugly 4-11 on the road this season. The Pirates are a respectable 9-7 at home and the Bucs just got done sweeping the Giants. Granted, San Francisco is a weak team but it’s series sweeps like that which can give a team like the Pirates a big boost in confidence. Look for some value spots with the Pirates this weekend. Pittsburgh’s starting pitching is not near as poor as their ERA numbers would lead you to believe. Good young arms are on this Pirates staff!
Cincinnati at New York Mets – Tough match-up for the Reds here as they trudge into New York with a 6-12 road record while the Mets are a solid 9-5 at home. The concern for Mets fans though is that Pelfrey has been very inconsistent and he gets the start Friday while Sunday’s match-up features the Reds Cueto who has already come up with some big starts for Cincinnati this season. Also, before Wednesday’s big win at Los Angeles, the Mets offense had been struggling.
Florida at Washington – You would have never expected this or, if you did, consider yourself gifted: The Marlins enter this weekend as the top team in the NL East AND the Nationals have been hot as they’ve gone 9-4 in their last 13 games! As bad as they’ve been on the road, the Nats certainly haven’t let it impact them at home where they’re a respectable 10-8 so far this season. Tim Redding continues to surprise for the Nationals while O’Connor is much better as a starter than his 3-8 record from last season would indicate. Additionally, having Hill back in the rotation is a big boost for the Nats and they should take two of three in this weekend set!
St Louis at Milwaukee – The Brewers are in a miserable slump while the Cardinals have been a surprise this season. The Cards sat at 22-12 before dropping their last two games and they should bounce right back at Milwaukee. The Brewers offense just is not producing right now as they’ve scored four runs or less in 10 of their last 13 games. This is why, even though the Brewers have some decent starting pitching going this weekend, they will be a tough team to invest in. One would have to look at the Cardinals in this match-up until the Brewers show signs of turning their anemic offense around.
Colorado at San Diego – The Padres are easily the worst team in baseball right now but, getting this series at home and taking the Rockies out of their hitter-friendly surrounding at Coors Field, makes this a very tough series to call. The Padres are still quite capable of winning tight, low-scoring ballgames and with Peavy, Maddux, and Young slated to get the starts you should be careful about fading San Diego this weekend!
Philadelphia at San Francisco – These teams played tight games last weekend in Philly and the Phillies took two of those three match-ups. While tight games could again be on tap in pitcher friendly San Francisco you’ll be hard pressed to find our money on the Giants this weekend. San Fran has lost four straight games and they’ve scored four runs or less in 16 of their last 21 games! The Phillies have the much stronger offense and their bullpen ERA ranks their relief corps as the top in all of baseball!
Houston at Los Angeles Dodgers – Home/road dichotomy is at the forefront of this match-up. The Dodgers are a rock solid 11-6 at home while the Astros are just 7-11 on the road! Also, before getting crushed by the Mets 12-1 on Wednesday, Los Angeles had been featuring one of the hottest lineups in all of baseball. Facing a Houston starting pitching staff featuring Moehler, Sampson, and Chacon is highly unlikely to slow down this Dodgers offense. The key here is that Houston’s offense has also been productive and, although Dodger Stadium is a pitcher’s park, the offense of each of these teams could be what ends up grabbing some headlines this weekend. LA and the Over looks like the way to go for much of this series if the price is right!
