MLB Betting Cheat Sheet: Texas Showdown
Here’s a comprehensive look at betting notes for the mid-week major-league schedule:
Texas Showdown
The Rangers host the Astros in a four game set in Arlington beginning Monday, and there’s only 1.5 games separating these two teams in the standings. Houston has not played well on the road of late, losing six of it’s last nine away from Minute Maid Park. The Rangers send Cole Hamels to the hill in Game 1, and he’s won five straight starts. His last start in Texas was an impressive performance, striking out 10 while allowing one run on two hits over eight innings in a win over the Orioles.
Pirates Plundering
Pittsburgh has won five of it’s last six, and the Pirates are now hot on the heels of the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central. The Cardinals lead has been reduced to just 2.5 games with 20 games left to play. Pittsburgh will host the Cubs this week, and the Cubs are just 7-16 in their last 23 games at Pittsburgh. The Pirates have won 40 of their last 53 games at PNC Park.
Crush Davis
Orioles slugger Chris Davis has hit seven home runs in September, taking over the major league lead with a total of 42 for the season. Hot on his heels is former teammate Nelson Cruz, who has 41. Davis is batting .444 in September so far, and he could stay hot with as the Orioles host the Red Sox at Camden Yards this week. He’s hit .340 with three home runs and 10 RBIs versus Boston this year.
Hitting Notes
*The New York Mets lead the major leagues in runs scored so far in September, and the team is batting .292 in 12 games so far this month. Yoenis Cespedes is swinging a hot bat, he’s hitting .405 with six home runs and 16 RBIs over the past seven days.
*The San Francisco Giants crushed San Diego in a three game sweep at AT&T Park over the weekend, out-scoring the Padres 27-2. Buster Posey was 2-for-3 with a double and a pair of RBIs on Sunday, and he’s hitting .432 in September.
Pitching Notes
*Felix Hernandez is tied with Dallas Keuchel for first in the American League with 17 wins so far. His next start comes at home against the Angels, and he’s 3-0 with a 0.67 ERA in four starts versus LA this season.
*Dallas Keuchel will make his next start on the road in Texas, and he’s struggled on the road this season. Keuchel who is 13-0 at home, is just 4-7 with a 3.13 ERA in 13 starts on the road.
Totals Streak
The Orioles took two of three from the Royals over the Weekend, and they hit a whopping 10 home runs in the series. Baltimore has seen the total go over in nine of it’s last 12, while the Red Sox have trended over at a rate of 10-3-1 in it’s last 14 road games. We could see more fireworks at Camden Yards this week.
Injury Notes
*Troy Tulowitzki suffered a broken scapula in New York over the weekend, and he’s expected to miss at least two weeks. The Jays have acquired Darwin Barney from the Dodgers to help fill in at shortstop.
*Nate Eovaldi leads the Yankees in wins, and the Yankees will miss him as he’s expected to be out for the remainder of the regular season with an elbow injury.