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Thursday's MLB Tip Sheet
June 11, 2008
By Brad Young VegasInsider.com
I t isn’t officially summer yet until June 21, but the Boys of Summer are starting to take center stage. The Stanley Cup Finals are over, and the NBA Finals will be over in another week leaving baseball as the main summertime attraction. Here is breakdown of Thursday’s four main matchups, two each in the National and American Leagues.
**Giants (Sanchez) at Rockies (Reynolds)**
-Caesars Palace installed Colorado as a $1.25 home ‘chalk’ over San Francisco, with the total set at 9 ½. This National League West contest is slated to start at 3:05 p.m. ET.
-San Francisco hurler Jonathan Sanchez (5-3, 3.70 ERA) is riding a personal three-game winning streak after blanking Washington Saturday as a $1.10 road underdog, 6-0. The Puerto Rico native went seven innings on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
-The six runs failed to eclipse the eight-run closing total, helping the ‘under’ improve to 4-2 his last six starts.
-Sanchez has a pair of no decisions against the Rockies this season, going a combined 12 innings while surrendering four runs on 13 hits with eight walks and nine strikeouts. The Giants prevailed as a $1.10 home favorite, 3-2, and as a $1.40 road underdog, 3-2. The ‘under’ cashed both times.
-Colorado right-hander Greg Reynolds (1-3, 5.24 ERA) is off Saturday’s victory over Milwaukee as a $1.10 home ‘chalk,’ 7-2. The Stanford product was reached for two runs on four hits with two walks and no strikeouts over six innings.
-The combined nine runs failed to topple the 10 ½-run closing total, helping the ‘under’ improve to 4-2 his six starts. The Rockies are 3-0 when he’s pitching at home, but 0-3 when he starts on the road.
-Reynolds, a rookie, has never started against the Giants in his brief major league career.
**Phillies (Moyer) at Marlins (Olson)**
-Caesars Palace opened Philadelphia as a $1.15 road favorite, with the total set at 10. This NL East contest is slated to start at 7:10 p.m. ET.
-Philadelphia’s Jamie Moyer (6-3, 4.56 ERA) picked up a no-decision against Atlanta Friday in a 5 1/3-inning stint. The veteran southpaw allowed two runs on five hits (one home run) with three walks and four strikeouts.
-The Phillies eventually won that affair as a $1.37 road underdog, 4-3, while the combined seven runs went ‘under’ the nine-run closing total. The ‘over’ had cashed his previous six starts.
-Moyer slipped past Florida June 1 as a $1.40 home favorite, 7-5, tossing seven innings while yielding five runs on seven hits (two home runs) with no walks and three strikeouts. The combined 12 runs eclipsed the 10 ½-run closing total. The 45-year-old went 4-0 against the Marlins last year in four starts.
-Florida pitcher Scott Olsen (4-2, 3.44 ERA) has picked up four no decisions his last five starts after Saturday’s effort against Cincinnati. The left-hander went six innings, allowing four runs (zero earned) on four hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
-The Marlins ended up winning that contest as a $1.25 home ‘chalk,’ 8-7, while the combined 15 runs eclipsed the nine-run closing total. The ‘over’ has cashed his last five starts.
-Olsen went 2-0 against the Phillies last year in three starts, tossing a combined 14 1/3 innings while surrendering 11 runs on 15 hits (three home runs) with 10 walks and 12 strikeouts. The Marlins prevailed as a $1.20 home favorite, 6-4, as a $1.20 home ‘dog, 5-3, and as a home ‘pick,’ 7-6. The ‘over’ went 2-1 during those three games.
**Orioles (Guthrie) at Red Sox (Lester)**
-Caesars Palace lists Boston as a $1.55 home ‘chalk’ over Baltimore, with the total set at 9 ½. This American League East contest is scheduled to start at 6:05 p.m. ET.
-Baltimore pitcher Jeremy Guthrie (3-6, 3.40 ERA) got back on the winning track by upending Toronto Saturday as a $1.40 road underdog, 9-5. In seven innings, the five-year veteran was reached for one run on six hits with no walks and six strikeouts.
-The combined 14 runs eclipsed the eight-run closing total. The ‘under’ had gone 3-0-1 his previous four starts.
-Guthrie is 1-0 against the Red Sox this year in two starts, going a combined 12 1/3 innings while yielding five runs on 16 hits (one home run) with two walks and 12 strikeouts. The Orioles triumphed as a $1.50 home underdog, 5-4, and as a $1.20 home favorite, 6-3.
-Boston counters with Jon Lester, hoping the left-hander can improve his 4-3 record and 3.50 ERA in 14 starts. The 6-foot-2 hurler beat Tampa Bay last Thursday as a $1.15 home favorite, 7-1, going 6 1/3 innings while allowing the lone run on eight hits with no walks and five strikeouts.
-The combined eight runs went ‘under’ the nine-run closing total.
-The 24-year-old has two no decisions against the Orioles this season, tossing a combined 11 innings while yielding five runs on 12 hits (one home run) with five walks and eight strikeouts. The Red Sox prevailed as a $1.30 road favorite, 6-3, while losing as a $1.20 road ‘chalk,’ 6-3.
**Yankees (Pettitte) at Athletics (Blanton)**
-Caesars Palace opened New York as a $1.15 road favorite over Oakland, with the total listed at 8 ½. First pitch is slated for 10:05 p.m. ET.
-New York’s Andy Pettitte (5-5, 4.99 ERA) is off back-to-back no decisions after escaping Saturday’s effort against Kansas City. The veteran left-hander was tagged for 10 runs on 10 hits (two home runs) with two walks and three strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings.
-The Yankees eventually won that contest as a $2.10 home ‘chalk,’ 12-11, while the combined 23 runs soared ‘over’ the nine-run closing total. The ‘over’ has gone 4-1 his last five starts.
-Pettitte went 0-1 against the Athletics last year in two starts, going a combined 8 2/3 innings while allowing 10 runs (eight earned) on 15 hits (two home runs) with a walk and five strikeouts. The Yankees dropped those games as a $1.00 road selection, 5-4, and as a $1.35 home favorite, 11-5. The ‘over’ cashed both times.
-Oakland right-hander Joe Blanton (3-8, 4.15 ERA) has dropped consecutive contests after falling to Los Angeles Saturday as a $1.00 home selection, 3-1. The former Kentucky Wildcat went seven innings, surrendering three runs (two earned) on seven hits (one home run) with a walk and three strikeouts.
-The combined four runs failed to topple the 7 1/2-run closing total, ending a string of three straight ‘over’ outings.
-The five-year veteran picked up a no-decision against the Yankees last year after tossing 6 2/3 innings, yielding three runs on five hits (one home run) with three walks and five strikeouts. The Athletics ended up dropping that contest as a $1.10 home underdog, 4-3, while the combined seven runs went ‘under’ the 9 ½-run closing total.
Brad Young can be reached at byoung@vegasinsider.com.
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