Wednesday 5-9-18 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

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Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics Preview and Predictions 05-09-2018

8th May 2018 by Gracenote
the boston celtics are one victory away from reaching the eastern conference finals for the second straight season when they host the philadelphia 76ers on wednesday. philadelphia remained alive in the semifinal series by winning game 4 and boston now looks for the clinching win that will set up a rematch against the cleveland cavaliers.

the celtics were outplayed by the 76ers in monday's 103-92 loss but the postgame mood wasn't overly somber. "it's 3-1, we get a chance to go back to boston," forward marcus morris told reporters. "nobody's head is down. we're all motivated. we're happy. it would've been better to end it (monday), but so be it. we go back to boston and play." the 76ers are still maintaining hope that they can become the first team to rally from a 3-0 deficit and win a playoff series. "this thing can be done," philadelphia forward robert covington told reporters. "we've done it before as far as finishing the season strong so why can't we do this? we're playing against history, but we've played against history before so why can't we do something great?"
tv: 8 p.m. et, tnt
about the 76ers: pesky point guard t.j. mcconnell will draw his second straight start after posting 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 39 minutes in game 4. mcconnell started just one game during the regular season but he provided a tone for monday's win by making 9-of-12 from the field and not committing any turnovers. "he changed everything," 76ers center joel embiid told reporters. "he was pressing full court the whole time doing his job, running the offense, getting guys involved, making shots, layups."
about the celtics: postseason hero terry rozier will be aiming to bounce back from his first subpar game of the series as he had just two assists and scored only 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting in game 4. rozier averaged 22.3 points over the first three games of the series and has scored 20 or more points on five occasions during the postseason. "i feel like we just have to come out, be aggressive and try to make them quit," rozier told reporters in reference to game 5. "other than that, the coaches have the game plan for us. we just follow it."
buzzer beaters

1. celtics sf jayson tatum is averaging 23.3 points in the series and has extended his rookie franchise postseason record of consecutive 20-point games to six.

2. philadelphia f dario saric scored 25 points in game 4 after averaging 12.3 points over the first three games.

3. boston reserve g shane larkin (shoulder) is doubtful after being injured in game 4.

prediction: celtics 106, 76ers 101

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Handicapped by The Walker Group at Delta Downs
Always check program numbers.
Odds shown are morning line odds.

Race 3 - Maiden Claiming - 440y on the Dirt. Purse: $10000 Class Rating: 64

QUARTER HORSE 440Y, FOR ACCREDITED LA BRED MAIDENS, THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD. THREE YEAR OLDS, 124 LBS.; OLDER, 126 LBS. CLAIMING PRICE $5,000.


RECOMMENDED CHOICES
The Walker Group Picks

# 6 STREAKIN BC 9/5

# 8 RENO 14 6/1

# 5 JESS FORTUNE 9/2

STREAKIN BC looks to be a very good contender. Robbins has him trained well to break sharply out of the gate. Shows strong speed figures on average overall when matched with the rest of this group. RENO 14 - He has recorded competitive numbers under today's conditions and will almost certainly fare well versus this field. Put up a strong speed figure last time out. JESS FORTUNE - Should expect a sound outing with the class drop. I like Alberto on this gelding to give him a very strong chance to hit the wire first.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Handicapped by The Turf Club Analysts

Bar

Evangeline Downs - Race #1 - Post: 5:50pm - Claiming - 5.5 furlongs on the Dirt. Purse: $8,000 Class Rating: 76

Rating: Golden DollarGolden DollarGolden DollarGolden Dollar

#6 HOT YANKEE (ML=2/1)
#4 PI (ML=5/1)


HOT YANKEE - Looking at the information on all of these horses, this is the only one to stalk. Worth a serious look at this horse. Ran last time around the track against better company at Fair Grounds. The move to a lower level should suit her well. PI - Faced tougher last out at Delta Downs. Based on class ratings, this is a weaker group, so I will put this horse on my list of contenders. The most recent speed figure of 73 is the highest last race speed figure in the bunch.

Vulnerable Contenders: #5 OLE BLACK MAGIC (ML=7/2), #2 SECRETS OF SUMMER (ML=4/1), #7 TIZMYDAY (ML=5/1),

SECRETS OF SUMMER - 4/1 is not worth the risk for any horse in a sprint of 5 1/2 furlongs that hasn't hit the board in a sprint event lately. TIZMYDAY - Can't wager on this vulnerable equine in today's sprint of 5 1/2 furlongs. Hasn't even hit the board in a sprint race lately. 63/55/51, are the deteriorating speed ratings for this entrant. Finished fourth in her most recent effort with a pedestrian speed fig. When I look at today's Equibase class figure, it would take an improved performance to win after that in this field.



STRAIGHT WAGERS:
#6 HOT YANKEE is going to be the play if we are getting 6/5 or better

EXACTA WAGERS:
Box [4,6]

TRIFECTA WAGERS:
None

SUPERFECTA WAGERS:
Skip

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Handicapped by The Walker Group at Indiana Downs
Always check program numbers.
Odds shown are morning line odds.

Race 10 - Maiden - 300y on the Dirt. Purse: $16000 Class Rating: 63

QUARTER HORSE 300Y, FOR REGISTERED INDIANA BREDS MAIDENS, TWO YEARS OLD. WEIGHT, 124 LBS.


RECOMMENDED CHOICES
The Walker Group Picks

# 2 I LIKE BEER 9/2

# 8 CRUISIN THE BEACH 6/1

# 4 SURFER GIRL SAMMIE 12/1

I think I LIKE BEER is a competitive choice. Ought to be worth a wager based on the sire's (Escondido Beach) offspring respectable win rate - 15 percent. This gelding could improve on Lasix. Brown has a strong win percentage of 22 in two-year old races. CRUISIN THE BEACH - First time starters out of this trainer's stable have produced some of the best returns for 1st time starters in this group. SURFER GIRL SAMMIE - Maybe a little hazardous in this two-year old race, but there are strong historic results for players on this bloodline. Bettors should probably note that this equine runs on Lasix today. Players may be making a very dangerous move ignoring this trainer working with a maiden first time starter.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

F.A.S.T. Sheets Free Race for Louisiana Downs
Louisiana Downs - Race 7

Exacta / .50 Trifecta / .10 Superfecta / .50 Super High Five


Claiming $12,500 • 1 Mile • Turf • Ages 3 and up • CR: 65 • Purse: $7,000 • Post: 6:15P
FOR FILLIES AND MARES THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON TWO RACES. THREE YEAR OLDS, 118 LBS.; OLDER, 124 LBS. NON-WINNERS OF A RACE SINCE APRIL 9 ALLOWED 3 LBS. CLAIMING PRICE $12,500, IF FOR $10,000, ALLOWED 2 LBS. (IF DEEMED INADVISABLE BY MANAGEMENT TO RUN THIS RACE OVER THE TURF COURSE, IT WILL BE RUN ON THE MAIN TRACK AT 1 MILE AND 70 YARDS).
Contenders

Race Analysis
P#
Horse
Morn
Line

Accept
Odds


Race Type: Lone Front-runner. CORLUNA is the Lone Front-runner of the race. * KEY ANGLES * CORLUNA: Horse has run a Good Race within the last 30 days. Horse ranks in the top three in TrackMaster Power Rating. ULM: Horse ranks in the top three in TrackMaster Power Rating. Horse ranks in the top three in average Equibase Speed Figure at the distance/surface. CHRISTINE SIXTEEN: Horse has the highest average Equibase Speed Figure at the distance/surface. Horse has the highest average Equibas e Class Rating at the distance/surface. AND SHE SCORES: Horse had a bullet workout within the last seven days. Horse has a TrackMaster "+" designation or an "L" designation.
8
CORLUNA
3/1

5/1
1
ULM
7/2

5/1
2
CHRISTINE SIXTEEN
6/1

7/1
9
AND SHE SCORES
9/2

8/1




P#

Horse (In Running Style Order)

Post

Morn
Line

Running Style

Good
Class

Good
Speed

Early Figure

Finish Figure

Platinum
Figure
8
CORLUNA
8

3/1
Front-runner
69

66

63.4

61.0

53.0
1
ULM
7

7/2
Stalker
69

73

77.4

65.3

54.3
6
KITT
5

8/1
Alternator/Stalker
55

51

62.0

59.4

49.4
5
WESTEX
4

20/1
Alternator/Stalker
57

61

60.7

56.9

38.9
9
AND SHE SCORES
10

9/2
Trailer
66

63

59.1

59.1

57.1
2
CHRISTINE SIXTEEN
1

6/1
Trailer
67

68

50.0

68.9

59.4
3
GRAND FAIS DO DO
2

20/1
Trailer
52

35

35.1

41.7

25.7
7
LITTLE DIXIE K
6

10/1
Trailer
57

54

33.1

48.4

36.9
10
STAR TOO
11

6/1
Alternator/Non-contender
64

54

54.0

42.7

33.2
4
DIABLO GRIS
3

20/1
Alternator/Non-contender
55

47

46.5

39.0

25.0
1A
NATONA LADY
9

7/2
Alternator/Non-contender
47

40

15.2

36.0

18.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

F.A.S.T. Sheets Free Race for Mountaineer Park
Mountaineer Park - Race 4

First Half $2 Mid Daily Double (Races 4 &5) $.50 Trifecta $1 Exacta Box ($.20) Superfecta


Maiden Claiming $4,000 • 5 Furlongs • Dirt • Ages 3 and up • CR: 41 • Purse: $6,100 • Post: 8:06P
FOR MAIDENS, THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD. THREE YEAR OLDS, 116 LBS.; OLDER, 123 LBS. CLAIMING PRICE $4,000.
Contenders

Race Analysis
P#
Horse
Morn
Line

Accept
Odds


Race Type: Paceless Race. There is no true early speed in this race. * KEY ANGLES * I KNOW THATS RIGHT: Today is a sprint and the horse is carrying at least 120 lbs. WHATSHAPPINGBIGBOY: Horse ranks in the top three in TrackMaster Power Rating. H orse has the highest average Equibase Speed Figure at the distance/surface. ZONEMAN: Horse has a TrackMaster "+" designation or an "L" designation. Horse ranks in the top three in average Equibase Speed Figure at the distance/surface.
7
I KNOW THATS RIGHT
3/1

5/2
4
WHATSHAPPINGBIGBOY
7/2

4/1
3
ZONEMAN
15/1

10/1




P#

Horse (In Running Style Order)

Post

Morn
Line

Running Style

Good
Class

Good
Speed

Early Figure

Finish Figure

Platinum
Figure
7
I KNOW THATS RIGHT
7

3/1
Alternator/Stalker
46

53

47.2

39.4

29.4
4
WHATSHAPPINGBIGBOY
4

7/2
Alternator/Stalker
59

37

22.4

36.8

30.8
3
ZONEMAN
3

15/1
Alternator/Trailer
0

0

13.4

27.8

20.8
2
CALLHIMFIRST
2

4/1
Alternator/Non-contender
56

41

59.2

26.6

22.1
6
A FIERCE FIGHT
6

8/1
Alternator/Non-contender
0

0

42.8

13.9

3.4
1
SPRING GAME
1

2/1
Alternator/Non-contender
0

0

42.3

23.5

19.0
5
HOUSE KEY
5

15/1
Alternator/Non-contender
37

34

24.8

26.0

16.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Handicapped by The Turf Club Analysts

Bar

Thistledown - Race #2 - Post: 2:10pm - Allowance - 5.5 furlongs on the Dirt. Purse: $31,800 Class Rating: 77

Rating: Golden DollarGolden DollarGolden DollarGolden Dollar

#2 WISDOM OF THE DUKE (ML=7/2)


WISDOM OF THE DUKE - This gelding likes to be near the lead. Today's affair is a shorter distance and should promote his likelihood of winning. The recent bullet 35.4 work should put this gelding on track for today's race. Getting a weight break of 6 pounds from last race at Mahoning Valley Race Cour on Feb 26th. Could be helpful in this event.

Vulnerable Contenders: #1 FUSAICHI'S WIND (ML=5/2), #7 INDIAN FEVER (ML=3/1), #4 OFTEN ENOUGH (ML=6/1),

FUSAICHI'S WIND - The morning-line favorite is vulnerable here with the lack of drills. INDIAN FEVER - Finished third in his most recent effort with a disappointing speed figure. When I look at today's class rating, it would take an improved performance to win after that in this bunch. OFTEN ENOUGH - The lack of works has to make one concerned despite the nice effort in the last race. This gelding earned a fig in his last affair which likely isn't good enough in today's event.



STRAIGHT WAGERS:
#2 WISDOM OF THE DUKE is going to be the play if we are getting 1/1 or better

EXACTA WAGERS:
2 with 4

TRIFECTA WAGERS:
Skip

SUPERFECTA WAGERS:
Pass

[Can'tPickAWinner]

New York Mets vs. Cincinnati Reds Preview and Predictions 05-09-2018

8th May 2018 by Gracenote
the new york mets and cincinnati reds have split the first two of their three-game set, but managed to conduct some business off the field that could fill a need for each team. the mets traded pitcher matt harvey to the reds in exchange for catcher devin mesoraco, who could start for visiting new york in wednesday afternoon's rubber match.

cincinnati entered tuesday's game with a major league-worst 5.32 era so it was willing to gamble on harvey, who was demoted to the bullpen and designated for assignment last weekend. eugenio suarez is 5-for-8 in the series and knocked in four runs in tuesday's 7-2 victory as the reds snapped a three-game skid and improved to 2-6 on their nine-game homestand. the mets, who have lost seven of eight, needed help behind the plate with travis d'arnaud out for the season and kevin plawecki (broken hand) sidelined and hope 2014 all-star mesoraco can stay healthy. "i think that brings a little more consistency to the position," new york special assistant j.p. ricciardi said. "since we lost the two guys, we have probably lacked a little of that, so i think he will help us in that area."
tv: 12:35 p.m. et, mlb network, sny (new york), fs ohio (cincinnati)
pitching matchup: mets rh zack wheeler (2-2, 5.79 era) vs. reds rh sal romano (2-3, 4.21)

wheeler is coming off a woeful performance in a home loss to colorado, giving up five runs before his teammates even batted, and wound up charged with eight runs on 10 hits in six-plus innings. he struck out nine and allowed two runs over five innings in winning his previous turn at san diego. wheeler faced the reds once in his career, tossing six innings of one-run ball at great american ball park.
although he rarely pitches deep into games, romano turned in another solid effort by limiting miami to one run on three hits over 5 1/3 innings to earn the victory last time out. he has allowed two earned runs or fewer in his last four turns but has surrendered seven homers in as many starts, including one in each of the last five. romano has made two starts against the mets, going 1-0 with a 4.09 era.
walk-offs

1. reds 2b scooter gennett has homered and collected two rbis in each of the first two games of the series.

2. the mets put 3b todd frazier (hamstring) on the 10-day disabled list and rhp hansel robles had his knee x-rayed after tuesday's game.

3. the reds called up c tony cruz from triple-a louisville to replace mesoraco, who struck out as a pinch hitter tuesday.

prediction: reds 5, mets 4

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Cleveland Indians vs. Milwaukee Brewers Preview and Predictions 05-09-2018

9th May 2018 by Gracenote
the milwaukee brewers can move into first place in the national league central when they host the struggling cleveland indians for the finale of their two-game interleague set on wednesday afternoon. the brewers received homers from travis shaw and pitcher brent suter in the first three innings of the series opener on tuesday and held on for a 3-2 victory to improve to 5-2 over their last seven contests.

christian yelich recorded three hits on tuesday and is 12-for-32 over his last eight games for milwaukee, which is 17-4 when scoring first but carries a 5-8 record in day games into wednesday's matinee. junior guerra hopes to continue his strong start to the season when he takes the mound for the brewers against carlos carrasco, who posted a career-high 18 victories last season, in a battle of venezuelan hurlers. the indians dropped under .500 at 17-18 with their fourth consecutive loss in which they managed just one hit over the final six innings. francisco lindor is riding a 10-game hitting streak during which he has gone 20-for-47 with five homers and 11 rbis.
tv: 1:10 p.m. et, mlb network, sportstime ohio (cleveland), fs wisconsin (milwaukee)
pitching matchup: indians rh carlos carrasco (4-1, 3.95 era) vs. brewers rh junior guerra (2-2, 2.33)

carrasco has struggled in his last two starts, allowing 11 runs - 10 earned - and 14 hits (three homers) across 8 1/3 innings after opening the season 4-0 in five outings. the 31-year-old gave up a total of four runs in a four-start stretch before a suffering a loss to seattle on april 28 and giving up six runs over 5 1/3 frames in a no-decision thursday versus toronto. lorenzo cain is 11-for-32 against carrasco, who faces milwaukee for the first time but is 5-4 with a 3.21 era in interleague play.
guerra permitted five runs on six hits (two homers) and four walks to take the loss last time out against pittsburgh after starting the season with four straight strong outings. the 33-year-old yielded just three runs - two earned - over 22 innings in his first four starts of 2018 without serving up a home run. guerra, who faces cleveland for the first time in his career, is 2-0 with a 3.63 era in four appearances (three starts) during interleague play.
walk-offs

1. indians 3b jose ramirez is 8-for-20 with three homers and six rbis over his last five contests.

2. brewers inf nick franklin was recalled from double-a biloxi on tuesday and went 0-for-2 before leaving the game with a quadriceps strain.

3. cleveland activated rhp oliver drake on tuesday after acquiring him from milwaukee and rhp alexi ogando was optioned to triple-a columbus.

prediction: indians 5, brewers 3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Detroit Tigers vs. Texas Rangers Preview and Predictions 05-09-2018

9th May 2018 by Gracenote
adrian beltre returned to the lineup in style but couldn't prevent the texas rangers from losing for the seventh time in 10 games. beltre looks to help texas win the deciding contest of its three-game series against the visiting detroit tigers on wednesday afternoon.

beltre went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs to tie tony perez for 30th place on the all-time rbi list with 1,652 after missing 12 games with a hamstring injury. the 39-year-old third baseman has recorded nine multi-hit performances in just 25 games and is batting a stellar .330. detroit is 2-4 on its seven-game road trip after jeimer candelario, victor martinez and jose iglesias all homered during tuesday's 7-4 victory. candelario and dixon machado each recorded two hits as the tigers halted a five-game slide against texas to win for just the fifth time in the last 20 meetings between the teams.

tv: 2:05 p.m. et, fs detroit, fs southwest (texas)
pitching matchup: tigers lh francisco liriano (3-1, 2.97 era) vs. rangers rh bartolo colon (1-1, 3.29)
liriano settled for a no-decision against kansas city in his last turn despite allowing just one run and three hits over a season-high seven innings. the 34-year-old has allowed three runs or fewer in all six of his starts and is holding opponents to a .187 batting average. liriano is 5-3 with a 4.03 era in 14 career appearances (nine starts) against the rangers and has limited nomar mazara to one hit in six at-bats, although the hit was a home run.

colon suffered his first setback of the season in his last turn as he served up four solo homers among five overall hits in seven innings against boston. the 44-year-old has posted a stellar 0.83 whip and is holding opposing batters to a .212 average but has allowed seven blasts over his last three outings and eight overall. colon is 9-10 with a 5.25 era in 28 career appearances (27 starts) against the tigers but produced a strong start on oct. 1, when he gave up one run and three hits over 6 1/3 innings in a victory while with minnesota.
walk-offs
1. tigers cf leonys martin (knee) is slated to undergo an mri exam after missing tuesday's game following a stretch of three straight two-hit efforts.

2. the rangers optioned inf eliezer alvarez to double-a frisco to open the roster spot for beltre.

3. detroit rhp jordan zimmermann (shoulder) received a cortisone shot and hopes to be activated to start on may 16.

prediction: rangers 7, tigers 5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago White Sox Preview and Predictions 05-09-2018

9th May 2018 by Gracenote
the pittsburgh pirates aim to continue their interleague mastery when they finish a two-game series at the chicago white sox on wednesday afternoon. with a 10-6 win in tuesday's series opener, the pirates improved to 7-2 against the american league, giving them three more wins than any other team in the majors in interleague play.

corey dickerson had four of pittsburgh's 16 hits tuesday as it overcame an early 4-0 deficit to win for the third time in the last four games. welington castillo slugged a pair of home runs for the white sox, losers of four straight and eight of their last nine. yolmer sanchez chipped in three hits and an rbi and he is 12-for-26 with three doubles and two triples during a six-game hitting streak for chicago. sanchez and his teammates will face off with pirates starter trevor williams, who opposes reynaldo lopez in a matchup of two young right-handers ranked among the top 20 in the majors in era entering tuesday.
tv: 2:10 p.m. et, at&t sportsnet pittsburgh, nbcs chicago
pitching matchup: pirates rh trevor williams (4-2, 2.63 era) vs. white sox rh reynaldo lopez (0-2, 2.43)

williams opened the year with six straight starts with two or fewer runs allowed before giving up three in 5 2/3 innings of a loss at washington on thursday. he allowed two home runs in the outing after giving up just one over 35 1/3 frames in april. the 26-year-old, who has held opponents to a .193 batting average, carries a 3-1 record and an era of 1.69 in interleague action into his first career start against chicago.
lopez entered tuesday ranked ninth in the american league in era but was the only hurler in the top 34 in that category who had yet to pick up a win. he is coming off his worst start of the year after giving up five runs (four earned) in 6 2/3 innings with zero strikeouts in a no-decision against minnesota on thursday. the dominican republic native spun 5 1/3 scoreless innings in a win over the pirates in 2016 while still a member of the washington nationals.
walk-offs

1. dickerson is 7-for-10 with four rbis over the last two games.

2. white sox 1b jose abreu has six rbis over a four-game stretch after producing just one over his previous nine contests.

3. pittsburgh is 23-9 against the al central dating to june 15, 2015.

prediction: pirates 5, white sox 4

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Miami Marlins vs. Chicago Cubs Preview and Predictions 05-09-2018

9th May 2018 by Gracenote
The Chicago Cubs look to continue their dominance over the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field when they try to complete a three-game home sweep on Wednesday afternoon. The Cubs have won nine of their last 10 home games against the Marlins, outscoring Miami 58-22 in those contests.

After routing the Marlins 14-2 in the series opener, the Cubs were able to grind out a 4-3 victory Tuesday after falling behind by three runs in the first inning. The Cubs had to lean heavily on their bullpen Tuesday, as six relievers combined for seven scoreless innings after spot starter Jen-Ho Tseng lasted only two frames. Chicago will need left-hander Jose Quintana to go deep into the game Wednesday to preserve the bullpen. Miami has lost four of its last six following a four-game winning streak and has been held to three or fewer runs in five of its last seven contests.
TV: 2:20 p.m. ET, FS Florida (Miami), WGN (Chicago)





PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins LH Wei-Yin Chen (1-1, 4.82 ERA) vs. Cubs LH Jose Quintana (3-2, 4.99)
Chen will make his third start of the season as he continues to build his pitch count after starting the season on the disabled list. The 32-year-old had a rough outing Friday at Cincinnati, issuing four walks and giving up two home runs as he was charged with four runs in four innings. Chen faced the Cubs in 2016 and allowed two runs over seven innings with seven strikeouts in a no-decision.

Quintana had won three straight decisions before suffering some bad luck Friday in a 3-2 loss at St. Louis. The 29-year-old lasted only four frames thanks to four walks and gave up a three-run homer after he would have been out of an inning if not for an error. Quintana's only previous start against the Marlins came in the opening weekend of the season, when he gave up six runs over six innings in a loss.
WALK-OFFS

1. Chicago 3B Kris Bryant had his seven-game hitting streak snapped Tuesday but was hit by a pitch for a league-leading eighth time and scored a run for his third consecutive game.

2. Marlins 3B/RF Brian Anderson has eight multi-hit games, three of which have come against the Cubs.
3. Cubs INF Javier Baez (groin) was held out of the starting lineup Tuesday but singled as a pinch hitter to extend his hitting streak to six games and made a sparkling defensive play at third base in the ninth inning.

PREDICTION: Cubs 6, Marlins 4

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Los Angeles Angels vs. Colorado Rockies Preview and Predictions 05-09-2018

9th May 2018 by Gracenote
after ending april with three straight losses, the colorado rockies have been unbeatable thus far in may. colorado looks to extend its month-opening winning streak to seven games when it hosts the los angeles angels on wednesday afternoon for the finale of their two-game interleague series.

the rockies finished their 6-3 road trip with five consecutive victories before returning home to post a 4-2 win over the angels on tuesday. dj lemahieu returned from a stint on the disabled list due to a strained right hamstring and recorded an rbi single while trevor story doubled, tripled and drove in two runs for colorado, which hopes to stretch its franchise-record streak to 10 straight quality starts behind tyler anderson on wednesday. los angeles managed only six hits and was kept off the scoreboard for the first seven innings as it dropped to 2-2 on its five-game road trip. justin upton notched two of those hits, including a two-run homer in the eighth that gave him three blasts and 10 rbis in seven games this month.
tv: 3:10 p.m. et, mlb network, fs west (los angeles), at&t sportsnet rocky mountain (colorado)
pitching matchup: angels rh jaime barria (2-1, 3.46 era) vs. rockies lh tyler anderson (2-0, 3.78)

barria bounced back from a difficult outing to defeat baltimore on thursday as he allowed two runs and four hits over six innings in his third major-league start. the 21-year-old panamanian rookie lasted only two-plus frames against san francisco in his previous turn, throwing 77 pitches while yielding two runs and five hits. barria also has made three starts for triple-a salt lake but did not record a decision while posting a 2.92 era.
anderson has registered only two decisions in seven starts this season, but both are victories - including one against the cubs in chicago last wednesday. the 28-year-old native of las vegas recorded a season-high nine strikeouts while giving up only two runs and three hits over seven innings. anderson will be facing los angeles for the first time but is 1-2 in four career interleague starts.
walk-offs

1. angels rhp kenyan middleton (elbow) began a rehab assignment with triple-a salt lake on tuesday and started against sacramento, walking two and striking out two while throwing 19 pitches in one inning.

2. colorado optioned inf pat valaika to triple-a albuquerque to make room on the roster for lemahieu.

3. los angeles of kole calhoun, who is hitting just .165, was kept out of the starting lineup for a third straight game tuesday in order to work on his swing but appeared as a pinch hitter and hit into a double play.

prediction: angels 7, rockies 4

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics Preview and Predictions 05-09-2018

9th May 2018 by Gracenote
the houston astros appear to have corrected themselves after a rough start to may and look to complete a series sweep when they visit the oakland athletics on wednesday afternoon for the finale of their three-game set. houston lost five of its first six contests this month but has collected 32 hits while outscoring oakland 20-4 in the first two games of the series.

george springer followed a 6-for-6 effort in the opener with a pair of hits, including a two-run double in the fifth inning that put the astros ahead for good. the 2017 world series mvp has recorded four multi-hit performances in his last five games, going 13-for-25 in that span. the athletics managed only six hits in tuesday's setback as they fell to 3-2 on their six-game homestand. marcus semien recorded a pair of singles and is 6-for-21 during his five-game hitting streak.
tv: 3:35 p.m. et, mlb network, at&t sportsnet southwest (houston), nbcs california (oakland)

pitching matchup: astros rh gerrit cole (3-1, 1.42 era) vs. athletics rh daniel mengden (2-3, 4.30)
cole's first season in houston has been a smashing success thus far as he has allowed only nine runs - eight earned - and 26 hits while registering 77 strikeouts and issuing only nine walks over 50 2/3 innings in seven starts. the 27-year-old californian is coming off his second career complete game and first shutout as he fanned a season-high 16 batters and walked just one while tossing a one-hitter at arizona on friday. cole has yet to defeat oakland, going 0-1 with a 3.29 era in two career starts.
mengden has allowed one run in three of his last four starts but has won only one of those turns. all three of those outings took place at home, where the 25-year-old texan is 1-10 with a 5.32 era in 16 career starts. mengden is winless in five career turns against houston, going 0-3 with a 7.23 era.

walk-offs

1. athletics dh khris davis recorded his 31st rbi of the season on tuesday to tie teammate jed lowrie for the american league lead.

2. houston of marwin gonzalez is 7-for-14 with a homer and six rbis over his last three games.
3. oakland of stephen piscotty was back in the lineup tuesday, just two days after the death of his mother, and went 1-for-3 but is expected to be placed on the bereavement list this weekend.

prediction: astros 6, athletics 0