The Chicago White Sox made it clear on Sunday that they were going to be aggressive in going for the AL Central title as the Pale Hose traded for Boston Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis, and he is expected to start at the hot corner on Monday night at Minnesota. The Sox are -110 favorites on Bovada’s MLB baseball odds.
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Chicago got Youkilis for what seems like a song: utilityman Brent Lillibridge and Triple-A pitcher Zach Stewart. The Red Sox also will pay $5.6 million of the $8.1 million Youkilis is still owed this season. Youkilis is a career .286 hitter with 133 home runs and 563 RBIs. He won a Gold Glove in 2007 as a first baseman, and he was an All-Star in 2008, 2009 and 2011. But he was expendable in Boston because of the emergence of rookie Will Middlebrooks and the fact Youkilis is hitting just .233 with four homers in 42 games. He has spent time on the disabled list with lower back tightness.
But even Youkilis’ numbers represent an upgrade for Chicago as the White Sox’s third basemen this season have combined to hit .167 with one homer. The Sox started the season with Brent Morel at third base until he experienced back trouble. They also picked up 34-year-old Orlando Hudson after the Padres released him, but he is hitting just .170. Youkilis is also considered a clubhouse leader. Manager Robin Ventura said he wasn’t yet sure where Youkilis would hit in the lineup.
The Sox enter tonight’s game leading the AL Central by a half-game over Cleveland. The preseason division favorite Detroit Tigers are just three games back. Chicago starts Jake Peavy (6-3, 2.74) tonight. The former NL Cy Young award winner is 2-2 with a 3.72 ERA in his career vs. the Twins. Minnesota goes with lefty Francisco Liriano (1-7, 5.74). He has a 2.67 ERA over his last five starts since rejoining the rotation on May 30. Liriano is 4-3 with a 4.60 ERA in his career vs. the White Sox. The Twins have the worst winning percentage in the American League.
It’s a potential National League playoff preview on Tuesday evening in Washington, D.C., as the NL West-leading San Francisco Giants visit the NL East-leading Nationals, with Washington a -125 favorite on Bovada’s baseball odds for the series opener.
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This is the first meeting of the season between the two teams with the best records in the NL – the Nats then visit San Francisco in mid-August. At one point this season the Giants were 7.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the West but now surging San Francisco has a one-game lead over skidding L.A. The Giants stopped a mini-two-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory Sunday over Cincinnati.
Washington, which has a 3.5-game lead in the East, just won two of three games in Atlanta and won’t head back on the road until after the All-Star break. Ryan Zimmerman has been raking for Washington. He went 3-for-5 with four RBIs on Sunday and has driven in 13 runs over his last eight games to match the most RBIs he's ever had over any eight-game span of his career. Zimmerman has 14 hits in his past 37 at-bats (.378) with three home runs and those 13 RBIs.
San Francisco starts two-time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum (3-8, 5.60) on Tuesday. The right-hander has been uncharacteristically lousy this season but perhaps is about to turn things around. He ended a stretch of 10 consecutive winless starts last time out when he allowed four hits in seven innings in a 3-0 victory over the Dodgers, recording his first win since April 28. It was just Lincecum’s fourth quality start in 16 appearances but he has now thrown 12 straight scoreless innings. Lincecum is 1-2 with a 4.14 ERA career vs. Washington. The Nats’ Ian Desmond is hitting .778 in his career vs. Lincecum.
Washington counters with right-hander Jordan Zimmermann (4-6, 2.77). He got his first win since May 22 last time out, allowing just one run in seven innings at Colorado. Zimmermann, who gets some of the worst run support in the league, hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his past five starts and has a better ERA than All-Star teammates Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez. Zimmermann is 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA in his career vs. San Francisco.
The Giants are 2-9 in Lincecum's past 11 road starts and 1-9 in his past 10 starts in Game 1 of a series. Washington is 1-4 in Zimmermann's past five home starts.
The American League Central is looking like a weak division so far this season, but that suits the Cleveland Indians just fine as they head into the week as contenders for a playoff spot despite their middling record through the first three months of 2012. Bet on MLB at Bovada.
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Bunched in with the Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals behind the division-leading Chicago White Sox, the Indians will be at home for a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels starting on Monday night.
And the Indians have already managed to take care of business against the Angels in a series this season, beating them two of out three times at home back in late April. All three of those contests were UNDER results for totals bettors on the MLB betting lines at Bovada as the teams scored a combined 12 runs in the series.
Ubaldo Jimenez didn't face the Angels in that series in Cleveland back in April, but the righthander will get the ball for the Tribe on Monday night. Jimenez wasn't sharp against the Yankees in his most recent start, giving up four runs on four hits and four walks over six innings in a loss. The Indians, however, have won six of his last 10 starts.
Los Angeles had their six-series winning streak come to an end against the Blue Jays over the weekend, and although they still trail the Texas Rangers in the AL West standings they're back in the hunt for the AL Wild Card – and several games better than the Indians.
The key to the Angels' improvement? Electrifying hitting from Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo, and an Albert Pujols who looks to finally be returning to form. That trio will be trying to tee off on Jimenez and the rest of the Indians' pitchers over the next three days.
Monday's series opener is set to get underway at 7:05pm ET at Cleveland's Progressive Field. Tuesday will be a night game as well, while Wednesday's Fourth of July contest will feature a first pitch of 4:05pm ET.
In one of the most hard-to-fathom statistics of the 2012 Major League Baseball season, Philadelphia Phillies lefty Cliff Lee, a former Cy Young winner and considered one of a handful of the best pitchers in baseball, is still winless on the season. He tries yet again for win No. 1 in Wednesday afternoon’s matinee at the New York Mets. Philadelphia is a slight -120 favorite on Bovada’s baseball odds.
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The Phillies are simply a mess, having lost five straight entering Tuesday’s game and last in the NL East, a whopping 11 games behind Washington. They are nine games under .500 for the first time since July 25, 2006, when they were 44-53. There’s talk that Philadelphia might start a fire sale by trading pitcher Cole Hamels and outfielder Shane Victorino, among possibly others. Jim Thome and Chad Qualls already have been dealt.
Lee (0-5, 4.13) allowed six runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Marlins last time out. He has allowed five or more earned runs in three consecutive starts, carrying an 8.64 ERA in that span. He has a 5.68 ERA in his last eight starts. The Phillies are 3-10 when he starts. Lee, who got a five-year, $120 million deal from the Phils in December 2010, says he is healthy. And he has had bad starts before. He had three consecutive starts of five or more earned runs (9.33 ERA) with the Rangers in August 2010. He had a career-high four consecutive starts with five or more earned runs (11.70 ERA) with the Indians in July 2007. Lee hasn't earned a victory since Sept. 26, 2011, in a 4-2 win over the Braves.
Lee is 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA in his career vs. the Mets. He has faced them three times this season, going 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 19 innings. New York counters with right-hander Chris Young (2-1, 3.30). He has allowed three runs or less in all five starts this year but hasn’t faced Philadelphia. Young is 3-2 with a 3.35 ERA in his career vs. Philly. Phillies second baseman Chase Utley loves facing Young, hitting .364 with two homers and five RBIs in the past five years against him.
The Phillies are 1-6 in their past seven road games vs. a right-handed starter. They are 12-2 in Lee’s past 14 road starts vs. teams with a winning record. The Mets are 10-2 in their past 12 home games vs. teams with a losing road record.
At the start of the season when the Philadelphia Phillies pictured the NL East standings heading into the All-Star Break they likely saw themselves at the top. Instead, however, they drag a wallet-emptying, last-place record in the final week of the first half of the year. Bet on Major League Baseball with Bovada.
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And on Tuesday night the Phillies will begin a three-game road series against the New York Mets, one of the four teams ahead of them in the NL East standings after three months of play and a club that has given them plenty of trouble already this season.
The Phillies and Mets have met nine times through three series so far in 2012, with New York going 6-3 in those contests. Eight of those nine games were OVER results for totals bettors on the MLB lines at Bovada, including each of the last seven matchups.
For Tuesday's series opener the Phillies are slated to hand the ball to righthander Vance Worley, who sits at 4-4 on the season with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. The Phillies had lost four straight Worley starts until he beat the Pirates last time out, allowing three runs on six hits over six innings of work while fanning five batters.
Overall Worley is 3-2 in seven career appearances against the Mets with a 3.60 ERA.
Getting the ball for the Mets on Tuesday is lefthander Jonathon Niese, who is 6-3 on the season with a 3.55 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. Niese took a no-decision against Philadelphia back on May 28 (four runs over five innings), and he's 4-4 in 11 career starts against the Phillies with a 3.86 ERA.
First pitch for Tuesday night is scheduled for 7:10pm ET, with the teams then set for a 1:10pm ET Fourth of July matinee on Wednesday. The series will conclude with a 7:10pm ET game on Thursday night.
It’s one of the best pitching matchups of the season on Thursday in New York as Mets ace R.A. Dickey faces off against Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels, with the Mets as slight -120 favorites and the total at 7 on Bovada’s baseball odds.
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Dickey (12-1, 2.15) leads the National League in wins, complete games (three) and WHIP (0.88), is second in strikeouts (116) and third in ERA. In June, the veteran right-hander was a ridiculous 5-0 with a 0.93 ERA, 55 strikeouts, three complete games and two shutouts in being named the no-brainer NL Pitcher of the Month. Not bad for a knuckleballer.
Dickey faced the Phillies back on April 13 and got the win, allowing just one run and striking out seven in seven innings. It’s likely that NL All-Star manager Tony La Russa will go with Dickey as the starter for next Tuesday’s game, although that won’t be decided until Monday. And it appears that soon after the ASG, the Mets are going to start pitching Dickey on three days’ rest instead of four because he can take it because he throws mainly knuckleballs.
Hamels (10-4, 3.08) also would be a candidate to start in the ASG and will be the most-sought after pitching free agent this offseason. With the Phils going nowhere, it’s likely that Hamels will get dealt before the July 31 trade deadline. Hamels wasn’t quite as good in June, going 2-3 with a 4.20 ERA. He has faced the Mets twice this season. On May 28 at Citi Field, Hamels got the win, allowing four runs in eight innings. On April 15 vs. the Mets he also got the win, allowing two runs in seven innings. Hamels struck out a season-high 10 in that one. For some reason, the Mets’ Scott Hairston owns Hamels, going hitting .420 with three homers and six RBIs in his past 20 at-bats vs. the lefty.
The Washington Nationals have never been close to being the National League's representative in the World Series, but after wrapping up a strong first half of the season over the weekend they sit atop the Bovada MLB futures odds to win the league's pennant this fall.
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The Nationals have the lead in the National League East at the break, and on the odds to win the NL Pennant at Bovada they sit as the 9/2 favorite – well ahead of the 9/1 Philadelphia Phillies, who were the preseason chalk to win the pennant but have fallen on hard times so far in 2012.
In fact, the Phillies head into the All-Star Break in last place in the NL East, although they're still ahead of both the Miami Marlins (15/1) and the New York Mets (16/1) on the NL Pennant futures despite their standing. The Atlanta Braves are ahead at 7/1 odds.
The San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers will continue their tight battle for first place in the National League West when action resumes on Friday, and on the NL Pennant futures at Bovada they sit at 5/1 and 6/1 odds, respectively, heading into the break.
Also at 6/1 odds are the Cincinnati Reds, with the St. Louis Cardinals at 9/1, and the Pittsburgh Pirates at 15/1. Those three teams are currently competing for top spot in the National League Central, with the Pirates one of the biggest surprises of the season; Pittsburgh was a true longshot to win the NL Pennant prior to the start of this year.
The Arizona Diamondbacks round out the upper tier of NL Pennant contenders at 16/1 right now despite their sub-.500 record, with the Milwaukee Brewers floundering at 40/1 odds in fourth place in the NL Central.
The Colorado Rockies (150/1), Houston Astros (150/1), Chicago Cubs (200/1), and San Diego Padres (200/1) have the fewest wins in the National League heading into the break, and they're the longshots on the NL Pennant futures list at Bovada.
The New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers have the most victories in the American League heading into the All-Star Break, and on the MLB futures at Bovada they're also listed as the top two clubs on the odds to win the AL Pennant this fall.
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The Yankees were jostling with the other four teams in the American League East over the first two months of the season for top spot in that division, but they've been coming on strong over the past few weeks and have a comfortable lead heading into the break.
That has the Bronx Bombers tied with the Rangers at 11/4 odds to win the AL Pennant this season. Texas hit a rough patch over the past week, but they still hold the lead in the American League West at the end of the first half of the season. Plus, the Rangers have the pedigree – they've been the AL Pennant winner in each of the past two seasons.
The Los Angeles Angels were considered a good bet to knock off the Rangers and win the AL West this season after they made their big offseason acquisitions, but it took some time for Albert Pujols and company to get on a roll this year. Nonetheless, the Angels are third at 6/1 on the current AL Pennant futures at Bovada as they sit in second in the AL West.
The Detroit Tigers also spent freely over the winter, but they trail the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central at the break; on the AL Pennant odds at Bovada, though, it's the Tigers at 15/2 and the White Sox back at 10/1.
All five AL East teams have looked competitive at points this season, but it's the Tampa Bay Rays (9/1) and the Boston Red Sox (10/1) who sit the closest to the Yankees on the AL Pennant futures right now. The Toronto Blue Jays are back at 18/1, and the Baltimore Orioles sit tied with the AL Central's Cleveland Indians at 20/1 on that list.
Longshots on the AL Pennant odds heading into the break are the Kansas City Royals (50/1), Oakland Athletics (80/1), Minnesota Twins (150/1), and Seattle Mariners (250/1).
Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano won the Home Run Derby at baseball's All-Star festivities last season and he's back to defend his title Monday in Kansas City – but he's not the favorite on the MLB props heading into the event.
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Cano defeated Adrian Gonzalez in the Derby in 2011, hitting 12 home runs in the final round to claim the title with 32. Gonzalez ended up with 31 home runs, followed by both Prince Fielder and David Ortiz at nine. Jose Bautista (four) and Matt Kemp (two) were both eliminated in the first round of the Derby last year.
Toronto's Bautista, though, leads the league in home runs heading into the break, and on the props at Bovada he's the 13/4 favorite to win the event. That puts him just ahead of Cano and the Angels' Mark Trumbo at 5/1.
Kemp is also at 5/1 odds, but he'll be coming off the disabled list for Monday's Derby; Kemp suffered a hamstring injury back on May 30 and has been out of action since then.
The Cardinals' Carlos Beltran (11/2), the Tigers' Fielder (11/2), the Rockies' Carlos Gonzalez (13/2), and the Pirates' Andrew McCutchen (7/1) are also in the field for the Home Run Derby.
McCutchen (a replacement for the Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton), Trumbo, Beltran, and Gonzalez are competing in the Derby for the first time. Kemp, Bautista and Cano are making their second appearances, while Fielder was in the field in 2007, 2009, and 2011.
And while Fielder had just nine home runs at the Derby in 2011 and three in 2007, he was the champion at the event in 2009 when he belted 23 home runs. Fielder, though, has just 15 home runs for the Tigers so far in 2012.
Bautista has 27 home runs so far this season, with Trumbo at 22, Cano and Beltran at 20, McCutchen at 18, and Gonzalez at 17. Kemp had hit 12 home runs in just 36 games for the Dodgers before suffering his hamstring injury.
The National League All-Stars have come out on top against their American League counterparts in each of the last two years, but they're still pegged as underdogs on the MLB lines at Bovada for the 2012 contest at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City on Tuesday.
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The opening line for the 2012 All-Star Game had the American League pegged as the -125 favorite to put an end to their two-year losing streak at the event and reclaim home-field advantage in the World Series for this fall. The National League was listed as the +105 underdog on the opening line, with the game's OVER/UNDER set at 8.5 runs for the night.
And that OVER/UNDER would have paid off for UNDER bettors in each of the past four All-Star Games, and in five of the last six contests. In 2007 the American League and National League put up a combined nine runs in a 5-4 win for the Junior Circuit; the teams haven't combined for double-digit runs since the AL won a 7-5 contest back in 2005 in Detroit.
The NL has claimed the All-Star Game in each of the past two seasons, stopping the bleeding after the American League won every one of the contests from 1997 to 2009 – except for the tie in 2002. The NL won the All-Star Game three straight years from 1994 to 1996, with the AL winning each of the matchups from 1988 to 1993.
Getting the starting assignment for the National League on Tuesday will be Giants right-hander Matt Cain, who heads into the All-Star Break with a 9-3 record, a 2.62 ERA, and a WHIP of 0.96. Cain has also struck out 118 batters while walking only 24 through his 120 1-3 innings of work on the season.
Tigers righthander Justin Verlander has been selected as the American League's starter for Tuesday night, and he boasts a 9-5 record, a 2.58 ERA, and a 0.95 WHIP through the first half of the season. Verlander has fanned 128 and walked 30 over his 132 2-3 innings.
The Tigers' Justin Verlander and and the Giants' Matt Cain will be on the mound to start the All-Star Game at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday night, and their strikeout totals highlight the MLB props menu for the contest
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Verlander is tied with Felix Hernandez and Stephen Strasburg with a league-high 128 strikeouts so far this season, while Cain has managed to fan 118 batters over his 120 1-3 innings of work. On the MLB props for the All-Star Game Verlander is pegged as the -140 favorite to record more strikeouts than Cain (+110) in the first inning on Tuesday.
Props bettors can also wager on the total strikeouts for each of Verlander and Cain in the first inning on Tuesday night, with the OVER/UNDER for both starters listed as 1/2.
On offense, Tigers first baseman Prince Fielder is pegged at -1200 odds to not hit a home run on Tuesday night, and he's coming off a win in the Home Run Derby on Monday night in which he slugged 28 longballs. Fielder is also at +650 to hit a home run on Tuesday.
Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista, who finished second to Fielder in Monday's Home Run Derby, is then at -1000 to not hit a home run on Tuesday night and at +600 to put one over the fences at Kauffman Stadium. Bautista leads MLB with 27 home runs this year.
Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, who also has 27 home runs on the season, is set at +500 to hit one on Tuesday night; he's at -800 to be kept in the yard in the contest.
On the head-to-head matchups for the All-Star Game, Fielder is the -105 underdog against the Brewers' Ryan Braun (-125) to get more hits + runs + RBIs on the night, while the Tigers slugger is tied with the Cardinals' Carlos Beltran at -115 in their head-to-head odds.
The updated odds for the All-Star Game have the American League set as the -136 favorites to win the contest, with the National League the +126 underdogs on the night.
The New York Yankees have the highest winning percentage in baseball at the All-Star Break, and they're also listed as the favorites on the Bovada World Series futures right now.
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With a record of 52-33 (.612) the Yankees are seven games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East standings at the break, and they own a half-game lead on the Texas Rangers for the best record in baseball.
That has the Yankees as the 9/2 favorites on the odds to win the World Series at Bovada, putting them just ahead of the 5/1 Rangers – who own a four-game lead on the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West standings. The Chicago White Sox, at 47-38 on the season, have a three-game lead on the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central and sit at 18/1 odds.
The Angels are pegged at 11/1 on the current World Series futures, with the Detroit Tigers at 14/1 despite sitting 3.5 games behind the White Sox in the AL Central. The Tampa Bay Rays, 7.5 games back of the Yankees in the AL East, are at 18/1, with the Red Sox at 22/1, the Blue Jays at 35/1, the Indians at 45/1, and the Orioles at 50/1.
Over in the National League the top World Series odds are owned by the San Francisco Giants and the Washington Nationals, who are both set at 11/1. The Nationals have a league-high 49 wins atop the NL East standings at the break, while the Giants are a half-game behind the Dodgers in the NL West – Los Angeles is at 16/1 on those futures.
The Pittsburgh Pirates, who lead the NL Central at the break, are at 30/1 to win the World Series, which also puts them behind the Reds (14/1), Braves (16/1), and Cardinals (20/1). The Philadelphia Phillies, the preseason favorites, are back at 30/1 on those odds now.
The Detroit Tigers were expected to be sitting in first place in the AL Central at the All-Star Break, but instead they've made their supporters on the MLB futures at Bovada nervous by going just 44-42 in the first half of the season.
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That has the Tigers sitting in third place in the AL Central as they get set to start the second half of their campaign on Friday night in the opener of a three-games series on the road at Camden Yards against the Baltimore Orioles.
However, the Tigers are riding a five-game winning streak into Friday's contest, which now has them just 3.5 games behind the division-leading Chicago White Sox. Detroit is also in a dead heat with the White Sox at +120 on the odds to win the AL Central this season.
The Orioles actually have one more win than the Tigers on the season heading into Friday, an unexpected record for the historically-moribund club. Baltimore, though, has won just four of its last 10 games as it tries to stay in the AL playoff picture, and the Birds are fourth at +1200 (behind the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox) to win the AL East this season.
Friday's pitching matchup is schedled to be Detroit's Doug Fister vs. Baltimore's Jason Hammel; Fister is 2-6 with a 4.75 ERA on the season, while Hammel has been effective for the Orioles with an 8-5 record and solid 3.47 ERA so far in 2012.
This weekend's series will mark the first meetings of the season between the Tigers and Orioles, with the teams having split their 10 most recent matchups last year 5-5; the OVER/UNDER went 7-3 for totals bettors at Bovada in those contests.
The opener for Friday is set to get underway at 7:05 p.m. ET, with the middle contest starting at 4:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, and the finale of the series seeing a first pitch of 1:35 p.m. ET on Sunday. Tigers ace Justin Verlander, who got knocked around at Tuesday's All-Star Game by the NL hitters, is in line to start on Sunday.
The top two teams on the odds to win the NL Central will meet on the diamond in Cincinnati this weekend, with both clubs looking to pay off on the MLB betting lines at Bovada and make their move in the division race.
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And while the Reds and Cardinals occupy the top two spots on the NL Central futures, it's the Pittsburgh Pirates that headed into the All-Star Break a game up on Cincinnati and 2.5 games up on St. Louis in first place in the division.
The Pirates, however, are listed at 5/2 on the odds to win the NL Central, with the Reds leading the way at 11/10, the Cardinals next at 21/10, and the Brewers a distant 16/1.
The weekend series between the Reds and Cardinals opens with a 7:10 p.m. ET contest on Friday night, with St. Louis right-hander Adam Wainwright expected to get the start against Cincinnati right-hander Mat Latos.
And while Wainwright has had just middling success against the Reds in his career (a 3-5 record with a 4.25 ERA over 14 appearances), Latos has been a disaster against the Cardinals; in four career starts against St. Louis, Latos is 1-3 with an ugly ERA of 11.37.
The Cardinals and Reds have already met six times this season, with St. Louis managing to win four of those games – two each at home and on the road, all in April. Totals bettors on the MLB lines at Bovada saw the OVER/UNDER go 2-4 in those six contests.
The Cards/Reds series continues on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. ET, and the teams will then get the spotlight treatment on Sunday night in an 8:05 p.m. ET contest on ESPN; projected pitching matchups are Lance Lynn vs. Mike Leake on Saturday and Jake Westbrook vs. Johnny Cueto on Sunday.
Two of the top three teams in the American League will hit the diamond at Yankee Stadium starting Friday night as the New York Yankees play host to the Los Angeles Angels in a three-game series to kick off the second half of the MLB season.
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The Yankees entered the All-Star Break with the biggest division lead in baseball, as they sit seven games up on the Orioles and 7.5 games ahead of the Rays – with the rival Red Sox 9.5 games back of them in the standings.
That has the Bronx Bombers pegged as the big -400 favorites on the MLB futures at Bovada to win the AL East division title this season, putting them well ahead of the Rays (+750) and Red Sox (+800) on that list.
The Angels trail the Texas Rangers in both the AL West standings and the AL West futures heading into the weekend; they're four games behind Texas in the division race, and listed at +300 compared to the Rangers' -400 on the division futures.
That still has Los Angeles in position to earn at least a Wild Card berth in the AL playoffs this season, with their offense looking like it will power them to the postseason; rookie Mike Trout entered the All-Star Break hitting an AL-leading .341 with a dozen home runs, 40 RBI, and 26 stolen bases to sit third at 11/4 on the odds to win the AL MVP award at Bovada.
Trout, though, is behind the Yankees' Robinson Cano on that list, as Cano is tied with Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton as the 5/2 AL MVP favorite. The second baseman is batting .313 on the season with 20 home runs, 51 RBI, and 57 runs scored.
First pitch for Friday's game is set for 7:05pm ET at Yankee Stadium, with Saturday's contest a 1:05 p.m. ET start, and Sunday's matchup getting underway at 1:05 p.m. ET as well. The Yankees and Angels have split their six meetings so far this season 3-3, with the OVER/UNDER going 3-3 as well for totals bettors at Bovada in those contests.
The Tampa Bay Rays will be trying to fend off the Boston Red Sox this weekend as those two clubs take the field in Florida in a battle of American League East Division rivals.
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Both the Rays and the Red Sox put up middling results over the first half of the season, and now they find themselves in a hole as they try to catch the division-leading Yankees in the AL East. Tampa Bay is 7.5 games back of New York in the AL East standings heading into the weekend, while Boston is 9.5 games behind the rival Yankees in the division.
And that has both those clubs as big underdogs on the current odds to win the AL East at Bovada as well, with the +750 Rays and the +800 Red Sox well behind the -400 Yankees on that list. The +1200 Orioles are a half-game up on Tampa Bay in the AL East as well.
So the winner of the three-game set in Tampa Bay this weekend will get a leg up on the other club in that division race, and so far this season the Red Sox hold a slight edge on the Rays with a 5-4 record in games between the teams. The OVER/UNDER went 4-5 for totals bettors on the MLB lines at Bovada in those contests.
The series opener on Friday has a probable pitching matchup of Boston left-hander Franklin Morales vs. Tampa Bay right-hander Jeremy Hellickson. Morales has made 12 career appearances against the Rays – all in relief – and posted a 1.64 ERA in those games. Hellickson is 3-1 with a 4.26 ERA in his career against the Red Sox.
Friday and Saturday's contests between the Red Sox and Rays in Tampa Bay are both set to get underway at 7:10 p.m. ET, with the Sunday matchup having a scheduled first pitch of 1:40 p.m. ET as the teams conclude the three-game set.
Two teams that need to pay off on the MLB moneyline to make up ground in their division standings will meet on the diamond in Detroit on Monday night as the Los Angeles Angels open up a four-game road series against the Tigers.
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And the Angels will catch a break in this series as they won't have to face Tigers ace Justin Verlander over the next four days; Verlander took the mound on Sunday against Baltimore.
Los Angeles is coming off a series loss over the weekend at Yankee Stadium, which didn't help them in their quest to catch the Texas Rangers in the AL West standings. Despite owning one of the top records in the American League the Angels could be wild-card bound this year if they can't get on a hot streak and overtake the Rangers in the division.
The Tigers are trailing in their division race as well, with the Chicago White Sox perched atop the AL Central and the Cleveland Indians jostling with Detroit for second place. Detroit has failed to meet expectations this season and finds themselves mixed in with most of the second-tier AL clubs in the hunt for the league's second Wild Card berth.
Monday's scheduled pitching matchup has Detroit's Rick Porcello taking on Los Angeles' Ervin Santana. Right-hander Santana is coming off a terrible outing against the Indians in Cleveland in which he allowed eight runs on six hits and three walks in just 1 1-3 innings of work. That dropped Santana to 4-9 on the season, and his ERA now sits at 5.75.
Porcello wasn't sharp in his last outing either, giving up three runs on 12 hits over 3 2-3 innings against the Twins – in a game the Tigers eventually won 7-3. The right-hander has a 6-5 record this season, and his ERA is at 4.47.
Monday's opener is set to get underway at 7:05 p.m. ET in Detroit, with the Tuesday and Wednesday matchups having the same start time. The series will come to a close on Thursday with a 1:05 p.m. ET matinee contest. This will be the first meeting of the year between the Angels and Tigers; Los Angeles won six of the 10 most recent matchups.
Leading the way in the NL West standings, the San Francisco Giants will be trying to keep that division lead intact this week when they play on the road in a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves that gets underway on Tuesday night.
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Having overtaken the Dodgers in the NL West standings, the Giants are tied with the Washington Nationals as the 9/2 favorites to win the National League Pennant this season. The Braves, who trail the Nats in the NL East, are fourth at 6/1 odds on that list.
Atlanta, though, has won seven games in a row heading into Tuesday's series opener, and they're coming off back-to-back sweeps of the Phillies and the Mets. They'll send Jair Jurrjens to the mound on Tuesday to take on Giants probable pitcher Barry Zito.
Jurrjens is 3-2 with a 4.97 ERA on the season, but he's won two straight starts and has allowed three or fewer runs in each of his last four outings. In his career against the Giants the right-hander is 2-3 with a 3.58 ERA in five starts, with 23 strikeouts in 32 2-3 innings.
Zito is 7-6 with a 4.01 ERA so far in 2012, and he's coming off a win over the Pirates in which he gave up four runs on seven hits in his five innings pitched. The left-hander has lost four of his past six starts; he's 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA over five career starts against Atlanta.
Tuesday's game is set to get underway at 7:10 p.m. ET in Atlanta, with the same start time for Wednesday and a 12:10 p.m. ET first pitch on Thursday.
The projected starters for the rest of the series are San Francisco's Ryan Vogelsong (7-4, 2.36 ERA) vs. Atlanta's Mike Minor (5-6, 5.97 ERA), and San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner (11-5, 3.15 ERA) vs. Atlanta's Tim Hudson (7-4, 3.80 ERA). This will be the first series of the season between the Giants and Braves.
The Washington Nationals will play host to the New York Mets once again on Wednesday night as those two National League East clubs continue their three-game MLB series.
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And the Nationals will hand the ball to the consistent Jordan Zimmermann on Wednesday, as he looks to turn in yet another solid game for the team. The right-hander has pitched 18 times this season, with 16 of those outings being quality starts. As well, Zimmermann has gone at least six innings in each of his starts so far in 2012.
Zimmermann has already faced the Mets once this season, picking up a no-decision against them on June 5 despite allowing just two runs on five hits over his six innings of work that day – the Nationals went on to win that game 7-6. In his eight career starts against the Mets Zimmermann is 2-2 with 3.56 ERA, and he's 6-6 so far in 2012 with a 2.48 ERA.
The Mets are going with Chris Young on Wednesday, and he's 2-3 with a 4.28 ERA on the season in limited action – he's made just seven starts in 2012. The right-hander took the mound against the Nats in that June 5 contest, also getting a no-decision after allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits over his five innings pitched.
Young is 3-1 over his seven career starts against Washington with a solid 2.74 ERA.
Wednesday's game has a scheduled first pitch of 7:05 p.m. ET, with the series then coming to a close on Thursday afternoon with an All-Star pitching matchup of New York's R.A. Dickey (12-1, 2.66 ERA) and Washington's Gio Gonzalez (12-4, 2.93 ERA).
Heading into Tuesday's series opener the Nationals were 4-2 against the Mets this season, with the OVER/UNDER going 3-3 for totals bettors on the MLB lines at Bovada. Washington is the 9/2 favorite to win the NL pennant, with New York set at 16/1 on that odds list.
The Chicago White Sox have a key series against the Detroit Tigers on tap for this weekend, but first they'll finish up a four-game set against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Thursday night.
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Chicago is trying to stave off both the Tigers and the Indians in the AL Central standings, and they're at 8/1 on the Bovada odds to win the American League pennant. That has them just ahead of the 11/1 Red Sox, who have been hovering around the .500 mark and losing ground to the Yankees in the American League East Division race.
The Red Sox will be facing Chicago's Jose Quintana on Thursday, with the left-hander looking to bounce back from a poor outing against the Royals last time out. Quintana gave up five runs on eight hits over five innings in that no-decision, which Chicago won 9-8. Quintana has allowed two or fewer runs in nine of his 10 appearances for Chicago this year, putting him at 4-1 with a 2.60 ERA over 62 1-3 innings of work.
Boston turns to Clay Buchholz for Thursday's start, and he had a string of four straight wins snapped last time out when he allowed four runs on three hits over 6 1-3 innings of work in a loss to the Rays. That put the right-hander at 8-3 with a 5.54 ERA on the year.
Buchholz has made four career starts against the White Sox, going 1-2 in those contests with a 6.53 ERA. In addition, Boston is expecting second baseman Dustin Pedroia to return Thursday from the disabled list. He hasn’t played since July 3 because of a thumb injury.
Thursday's game has a start time of 7:10 p.m. ET, with the White Sox then opening their set in Detroit on Friday night. The Red Sox will host the Blue Jays this weekend.
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Chicago got Youkilis for what seems like a song: utilityman Brent Lillibridge and Triple-A pitcher Zach Stewart. The Red Sox also will pay $5.6 million of the $8.1 million Youkilis is still owed this season. Youkilis is a career .286 hitter with 133 home runs and 563 RBIs. He won a Gold Glove in 2007 as a first baseman, and he was an All-Star in 2008, 2009 and 2011. But he was expendable in Boston because of the emergence of rookie Will Middlebrooks and the fact Youkilis is hitting just .233 with four homers in 42 games. He has spent time on the disabled list with lower back tightness.
But even Youkilis’ numbers represent an upgrade for Chicago as the White Sox’s third basemen this season have combined to hit .167 with one homer. The Sox started the season with Brent Morel at third base until he experienced back trouble. They also picked up 34-year-old Orlando Hudson after the Padres released him, but he is hitting just .170. Youkilis is also considered a clubhouse leader. Manager Robin Ventura said he wasn’t yet sure where Youkilis would hit in the lineup.
The Sox enter tonight’s game leading the AL Central by a half-game over Cleveland. The preseason division favorite Detroit Tigers are just three games back. Chicago starts Jake Peavy (6-3, 2.74) tonight. The former NL Cy Young award winner is 2-2 with a 3.72 ERA in his career vs. the Twins. Minnesota goes with lefty Francisco Liriano (1-7, 5.74). He has a 2.67 ERA over his last five starts since rejoining the rotation on May 30. Liriano is 4-3 with a 4.60 ERA in his career vs. the White Sox. The Twins have the worst winning percentage in the American League.