Only one afternoon ballgame will lead into the rest of the 10-game card slated to begin at 6:40 p.m. EDT between the Angels and Mariners. Are we looking at an AL dominated day in hardball or can the much lighter, three NL games pave the way for heavier betting action?
Chicago White Sox at Detroit – 1:05 p.m. EST
The White Sox discovered that timely hitting supported by decent pitching was just enough to take last year’s series lead against Detroit, going 12-6 in the annual 18 games played. Batting .255 may not seem like an effective number on offense but scoring 6.1 runs per game and working for a 3.75 ERA were the right ingredients to take advantage of a demoralized Tigers’ club in '08.
Starting on Tuesday will be White Sox hurler, John Danks. His first outing this season was nothing short of surgical, going six innings, giving up a lone three hits, three walks and striking out five. But his team hasn’t been very supportive of the left-handed weapon. In 34 starts last year, Chicago produced 3.9 runs per game when Danks took the hill. Putting this in perspective, the Sox produced more then three runs in only 17 of Danks’ 33 regular season starts.
Detroit has found its mojo inside the batters box early on. In the five games played, the Tigers' Miguel Cabrera and Placido Polanco have combined for five doubles and 13 RBIs. Team wise, the club is batting .284 and is averaging 5.6 runs per game. A three-game sweep over the offensive oriented Rangers was convincing as the Tigers outscored their opponent, 25-9 over the weekend.
Top draft pick, Rick Porcello will handle pitching duties in this contest. Although coughing up nine hits and four runs in a 6-2 loss against Toronto on Apr. 9, it should be noted that the 20-year-old out of Morristown, New Jersey showed promising stuff in terms of strike zone coverage.
Update: Coming off a 10-6 win on Monday, the White Sox enter this contest as a $1.30 visiting favorite. Sportsbetting.com has listed the total at 9 1/2-runs.
L.A. Angels at Seattle – 6:40 p.m. EDT
Although premature, Seattle’s 5-2 start on the season is indication of a club traveling on the right path to success. For starters, the Mariners swept their three-game series in Oakland, increasing its winning streak to four. Pitching has been the name of the game, holding opponents’ bats down to scoring 2.3 runs per game in the same four-game stretch.
However the bad news remains. Starting pitcher Carlos Silva is looking to pick up the pieces from a 6-5 loss in Minnesota last week. The righty was tagged for six runs on six hits in a bleak, five innings. And nothing is guaranteed for the seven-year veteran in this year’s starting rotation. Silva is coming off 2008 with a 4-15 record and a 6.46 ERA. If things don’t change soon for Silva expect a pitching staff averaging just over 26 years of age to reflect the new rule in Seattle. In other words, Silva won’t be long in his starting roll if he continues to disappoint.
The ‘over’ is 10-2 in the last 12 head-to-head meetings.
L.A. skipped over Shane Loux’s planned start over the weekend but will call the pitcher to the hill on Tuesday. The right-hander threw in only 16 innings last season, earning himself a 2.81 ERA by allowing 16 hits and six runs in seven games. Loux has been described as nothing more then a journeyman who will look to provide the Angels help until the rotation can repair itself from various injuries.
The Halos are 15-5 in the last 20 meetings against the Mariners. L.A. has outscored Seattle 5.3 versus 4.4 runs per game. The last three games have resulted in the total going ‘over’ the given amount of runs while the ‘over’ is 8-4 in the last 12.
Update: Most books have listed the Mariners anywhere from a $1.10 to $1.30 visiting favorite with a total of 9 1/2-runs attached.
Boston at Oakland – 10:05 p.m. EDT
The Red Sox will finish up its six-game road trip on the West Coast when it pits Daisuke Matsuzaka against the Athletics’ starting slinger, Dana Eveland.
Dick-K has excelled in his short career against Oakland, building up a 2-1 record with a 2.55 ERA and a .174 BAA in four starts. It was back in August of last year that Matsuzaka earned his last ‘W’ against Oakland, tossing in six innings and surrendering two hits, two runs and two base on balls. Eight strikeouts proved to be a positive as the Red Sox bats did the rest of the job, tacking on five runs for the victory.
Boston’s offense has yet to hit an early stride. Scoring just three runs per game in the four total defeats have paved the way for a weak, .242 team BA. And grounding into double plays seven times thus far has been an inning killer let alone game threatening.
The news gets worse for Boston backers as a 4-11 record in the Red Sox last 15 meetings in Oakland demonstrates. The ‘under’ has been the play in recent games, going 7-3 in the last 10 head-to-head meetings held in Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (known as McAfee Coliseum from 2004-2008).
Logging in 5.6 Ks per nine innings ranks second worst in the Majors for the A’s. But take into account that Oakland is attempting to balance pitching duties with a staff that’s the youngest in the league (averaging 25.9) and the road is predicted to remain bumpy. Although the season is in its infancy we have to spread a lot of the blame on an offense supplying the pitching staff with only 3.5 runs per game of support.
And so young Dana Eveland will toe the slab for the Athletics. His six innings of work against the Angles on Apr. 8 resulted in a 6-4 win. But a no decision was awarded to the lefty as Oakland posted six runs in the eighth and ninth innings.
Update: The Red Sox dropped yet another game on the West Coast on Monday, losing to the A's in Game 1, 8-2. Reguardless, Sportsbetting.com has listed Boston as $1.42 favorites.
Extra Bases
-- The Yankees and Rays will mix the action up beginning at 7:08 p.m. EDT. New York does hold a 6-2 edge over Tampa Bay in the last eight head-to-head clashes. The Rays are 4-7 in the last 11 home games versus the Pinstripes.
-- New York heads into Game 2 after an embarrising performance on Monday. Chien-Ming Wang was socked for eight runs on six hits in an unholy, one inning of labor. Wang's pitch count was at 61 before manager Joe Girardi finally yanked the starter from the game. Tampa ended up taking Game 1 by the final, 15-5.
-- A.J. Burnett will make his second start of the season on Tuesday after coming off a solid first outing in Baltimore last week. His 5.1 innings of labor equated to giving up seven hits and two earned runs after tossing 98 pitches. When Burnett left the game in the fifth, New York proceeded to tack on eight more runs, finishing off the day beating Baltimore, 11-2.
-- Tampa will counter by fielding starting slinger, Matt Garza. His 107 pitches in seven innings were accompanied by giving up just four hits and one earned run against Boston last Thursday. Garza was 2-1 with a 3.96 ERA in his post-season campaign through four starts in October of last season.
-- The Yankees are coming off a 6-4 loss in Kansas City, closing out the weekend series. New York was closed the books as a $1.33 favorite while the total went above the posted, eight runs. The ‘over’ is 4-2 in the Yanks first six games of the season.
-- Tampa has been an ‘under’ play in the last four games, going 3-1. This comes on the heels of books posting the total anywhere from a high, 10 runs down to a low, 8 ½.
-- Bodog.com has installed the Rays as $1.25 home faves. A total of 8 1/2 has been set in this contest.
Joshua Jacobs can be reached at jacobs@vegasinsider.com.
