Saturday's MLB Betting Cheat Sheet
Good Day for Road Dogs
A half-dozen road underdogs prevailed in Friday's action - led by the red-hot San Francisco Giants (+136), who battered St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright en route to a 9-4 victory over the Cardinals. Other road dogs to win included Minnesota (+127) and Kansas City (+118).
Back to Even
The Milwaukee Brewers (-165) evened their O/U record for the season at 26-26-3 with an 11-5 drubbing of the Chicago Cubs on Friday night. The Brewers were the hottest Under play in the early going - opening the season 7-16 O/U - but have gone 19-10-3 since, including four straight Overs.
Masa a Massive Fave
The New York Yankees are by far the biggest favorite of the day, entering at -235 against the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees will roll with rookie sensation Masahiro Tanaka, who is 7-1 with a 2.29 ERA and ranks 13th in the majors in units won ($+476).
Pitching Notes
* Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu will look to end his home struggles in Saturday's showdown with visiting Pittsburgh (+130, 7). Ryu is 1-2 with a 7.08 ERA in four home outings despite being a favorite of -120 or better in each of them.
* Houston Astros lefty Dallas Keuchel is a favorite for the first time this season as he prepares to face visiting Baltimore (+111, 8). Keuchel has fared well as an underdog so far in 2014, going 7-3 against the moneyline; he's also on an 0-3-1 O/U streak following five consecutive Overs.
Hitting Notes
* Cincinnati slugger Jay Bruce is mired in a 7-for-57 slump with just one RBI over his last 17 games. The Reds are 8-9 S/U and 8-9 O/U over that stretch as they prepare to face the host Arizona Diamondbacks (-103, 7.5).
* Oakland third baseman Josh Donaldson is heating up; he went deep twice Friday night and has five home runs and 10 RBIs over his last six games. The Athletics are 3-3 S/U and 4/2 O/U in that span as they resume their series with the visiting Angels (+110, 7.5).
Totals Streak
Detroit Tigers (11-1-0 O/U): There has been no hotter over play over the past two weeks than the Tigers. Detroit has scored five or more runs in three of its last four games while the pitching has improved since allowing 34 runs over a three-game span.
Prop of the Day
The Cincinnati Reds may be a strong runline play Saturday, coming in at +400 to beat Arizona (-109, 7.5) by four or more runs. Reds starter Johnny Cueto ranks second in the majors with a 1.83 ERA while Arizona counterpart Brandon McCarthy has lost five games by four or more runs in 2014.
Injury Notes
* Oakland first baseman Brandon Moss will miss at least one game with tightness in his right calf. Moss is hitting just .179 over his last 11 games, during which the Athletics are 5-6 S/U and 4-6-1 O/U.
* Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams is headed to the disabled list with tightness in his left calf. St. Louis is 11-1 S/U on the season in games in which Adams records at least one RBI.
Weather Watch
* Wind at Fenway Park will blow in from center field at 6 mph for Saturday's game between the Red Sox (-105, 9) and the Tampa Bay Rays. Teams averaged 6.72 runs while hitting .223 in seven games under similar conditions in 2013 - well below the stadium averages of 9.04 runs and .261.
Umpire Note of the Day
Over is 8-0 in umpire Lazaro Diaz's last eight interleague games behind home plate. Diaz will call the balls and strikes for Saturday's matchup between the visiting Texas Rangers (+131, 7) and the Washington Nationals.
Good Day for Road Dogs
A half-dozen road underdogs prevailed in Friday's action - led by the red-hot San Francisco Giants (+136), who battered St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright en route to a 9-4 victory over the Cardinals. Other road dogs to win included Minnesota (+127) and Kansas City (+118).
Back to Even
The Milwaukee Brewers (-165) evened their O/U record for the season at 26-26-3 with an 11-5 drubbing of the Chicago Cubs on Friday night. The Brewers were the hottest Under play in the early going - opening the season 7-16 O/U - but have gone 19-10-3 since, including four straight Overs.
Masa a Massive Fave
The New York Yankees are by far the biggest favorite of the day, entering at -235 against the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees will roll with rookie sensation Masahiro Tanaka, who is 7-1 with a 2.29 ERA and ranks 13th in the majors in units won ($+476).
Pitching Notes
* Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu will look to end his home struggles in Saturday's showdown with visiting Pittsburgh (+130, 7). Ryu is 1-2 with a 7.08 ERA in four home outings despite being a favorite of -120 or better in each of them.
* Houston Astros lefty Dallas Keuchel is a favorite for the first time this season as he prepares to face visiting Baltimore (+111, 8). Keuchel has fared well as an underdog so far in 2014, going 7-3 against the moneyline; he's also on an 0-3-1 O/U streak following five consecutive Overs.
Hitting Notes
* Cincinnati slugger Jay Bruce is mired in a 7-for-57 slump with just one RBI over his last 17 games. The Reds are 8-9 S/U and 8-9 O/U over that stretch as they prepare to face the host Arizona Diamondbacks (-103, 7.5).
* Oakland third baseman Josh Donaldson is heating up; he went deep twice Friday night and has five home runs and 10 RBIs over his last six games. The Athletics are 3-3 S/U and 4/2 O/U in that span as they resume their series with the visiting Angels (+110, 7.5).
Totals Streak
Detroit Tigers (11-1-0 O/U): There has been no hotter over play over the past two weeks than the Tigers. Detroit has scored five or more runs in three of its last four games while the pitching has improved since allowing 34 runs over a three-game span.
Prop of the Day
The Cincinnati Reds may be a strong runline play Saturday, coming in at +400 to beat Arizona (-109, 7.5) by four or more runs. Reds starter Johnny Cueto ranks second in the majors with a 1.83 ERA while Arizona counterpart Brandon McCarthy has lost five games by four or more runs in 2014.
Injury Notes
* Oakland first baseman Brandon Moss will miss at least one game with tightness in his right calf. Moss is hitting just .179 over his last 11 games, during which the Athletics are 5-6 S/U and 4-6-1 O/U.
* Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams is headed to the disabled list with tightness in his left calf. St. Louis is 11-1 S/U on the season in games in which Adams records at least one RBI.
Weather Watch
* Wind at Fenway Park will blow in from center field at 6 mph for Saturday's game between the Red Sox (-105, 9) and the Tampa Bay Rays. Teams averaged 6.72 runs while hitting .223 in seven games under similar conditions in 2013 - well below the stadium averages of 9.04 runs and .261.
Umpire Note of the Day
Over is 8-0 in umpire Lazaro Diaz's last eight interleague games behind home plate. Diaz will call the balls and strikes for Saturday's matchup between the visiting Texas Rangers (+131, 7) and the Washington Nationals.
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