**Dodgers (Penny) at Brewers (Villanueva)**
-Caesars Palace lists Los Angeles as a $1.15 road ‘chalk’ over Milwaukee, with the total set at 8 ½ ‘over’ (minus $1.20). This National League contest is scheduled to start at 8:05 p.m. ET.
-Los Angeles pitcher Brad Penny (5-3, 4.79 ERA) was enjoying a personal four-game winning streak before falling to New York Wednesday as a $1.15 home favorite, 12-1. The veteran right-hander was blasted for 10 runs on 10 hits with three walks and two strikeouts over just 4 2/3 innings.
-The combined 13 runs eclipse the 8 ½-run closing total, enabling the ‘over’ to cash his sixth straight start.
-The 29-year-old beat the Brewers last year as a $1.32 home ‘chalk,’ 5-1, tossing seven scoreless innings on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts. The combined six runs went ‘under’ the 7 ½-run closing total.
-Milwaukee’s Carlos Villanueva (1-4, 6.46 ERA) dropped to 0-3 his last five starts after Thursday’s setback to Florida as a road ‘pick,’ 7-2. The three-year veteran went five innings, allowing seven runs on 10 hits (two home runs) with two walks and six strikeouts.
-The combined nine runs slithered below the 9 ½-run closing total, helping the ‘under’ improve to 3-1 his last four starts.
-Villanueva has not started against the Dodgers the past few seasons.
**Astros (Backe) at Giants (Cain)**
-Caesars Palace opened San Francisco as a $1.25 home favorite over Houston, with the total listed at eight ‘under’ (minus $1.15). First pitch is scheduled for 10:15 p.m. ET.
-Houston hurler Brandon Backe (2-4, 4.64 ERA) heads to the hill for the first time since falling to Washington Thursday as a $1.25 home ‘chalk,’ 8-3. The Texas native went six innings, surrendering four runs on six hits (one home run) with three walks and nine strikeouts.
-The combined 11 runs went ‘over’ the 9 ½-run closing total, ending back-to-back ‘under’ outings for the right-hander.
-Backe, a seven-year veteran, has not started against the Giants the last few years.
-San Francisco right-hander Matt Cain (1-3, 4.50 ERA) is off Thursday’s setback to Pittsburgh as a $1.10 road underdog, 5-4. The 6-foot-3 hurler lasted 6 1/3 innings, yielding five runs on nine hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
-The combined nine runs eclipsed the 7 ½-run closing total, ending a string of three straight ‘under’ outings. Incidentally, the Giants won all three of those low-scoring affairs.
-Cain, in the league since 2005, has not started against the Astros the past few seasons.
**Blue Jays (Litsch) at Twins (Slowey)**
-Caesars Palace installed Minnesota as a $1.20 home ‘chalk’ over Toronto, with the total set at nine. This American League contest is scheduled to begin at 8:10 p.m. ET.
-Toronto hurler Jesse Litsch (4-1, 4.24 ERA) picked up a no-decision in Thursday’s matchup with Tampa Bay. The 23-year-old was reached for three runs on five hits (two home runs) with no walks and two strikeouts over seven innings.
-The Blue Jays eventually dropped that contest as a $1.20 home favorite, 8-3, while the combined 11 runs went ‘over’ the 9 ½-run closing total. The ‘over’ is 5-2 this season when Litsch is pitching.
-The right-hander went 1-0 versus the Twins last year in two starts, going a combined 11 1/3 innings while surrendering four runs on 13 hits (one home run) with two walks and four strikeouts. The Blue Jays prevailed as a $1.15 home ‘chalk,’ 13-1, while losing as a $1.33 road underdog, 4-3.
-Minnesota’s Kevin Slowey (0-2, 6.48 ERA) is still searching for his first victory of the year after Thursday’s loss to Chicago as a $1.30 road underdog, 6-2. The Winthrop product went five innings, allowing three runs on four hits (two home runs) with no walks and four strikeouts.
-The combined eight runs failed to topple the nine-run closing total, helping the ‘under’ cash in both of his starts this season.
-The right-hander received a no-decision against the Blue Jays last year despite tossing a subpar five innings. Slowey was reached for five runs (four earned) on six hits (two home runs) with no walks and five strikeouts. The Twins ended up dropping that contest as a $1.35 home underdog, 8-5, while the combined 13 runs eclipsed the 8 ½-run closing total.
**White Sox (Danks) at Angels (Weaver)**
-Caesars Palace opened Los Angeles as a $1.30 home favorite over Chicago, with the total listed at 8 ½ ‘over’ (minus $1.20). This matchup is slated to start at 10:05 p.m. ET.
-Chicago southpaw John Danks (3-3, 3.18 ERA) snapped out of a personal two-game losing skid by beating Minnesota Thursday as a $1.40 home ‘chalk,’ 6-2. The two-year veteran surrendered two runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts over five innings.
-The combined eight runs went ‘under’ the nine-run closing total, helping the ‘under’ improve to 6-1 his seven starts.
-Danks has never started against the Angels in his brief major league career.
-Los Angeles counters with Jered Weaver, hoping the right-hander can improve on his 2-5 record and 5.59 ERA in eight outings. The Long Beach State product has dropped his last two starts after Wednesday’s setback to Kansas City as a $1.15 road underdog, 9-4.
-The right-hander was reached for eight runs on 10 hits (two home runs) with a walk and a strikeout over just 3 1/3 innings. The combined 13 runs eclipsed the eight-run closing total, ending back-to-back ‘under’ outings for the 25-year-old.
-Weaver went 2-0 against the White Sox last year in two starts, going a combined 11 2/3 innings while yielding just one run on 10 hits with a walk and 13 strikeouts. The Angels triumphed as a $1.10 road underdog, 3-0, and as a $1.33 road ‘chalk,’ 2-1. The ‘under’ occurred in both meetings.
Brad Young can be reached at byoung@vegasinsider.com.
