{"id":3438,"date":"2010-05-20T09:26:55","date_gmt":"2010-05-20T14:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.madduxsports.com\/blog\/?p=3438"},"modified":"2010-05-20T17:17:49","modified_gmt":"2010-05-20T22:17:49","slug":"thursday-mlb-handicapper-report-520","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.madduxsports.com\/blog\/thursday-mlb-handicapper-report-520-3438\/","title":{"rendered":"Thursday MLB Handicapper Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Thursday MLB Handicapper Report &#8211; (Final)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Atlanta Braves<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Since snapping a season-high nine-game losing streak on 4\/30, the Braves have gone 12-6 and have evened their record at 20-20.\u00a0 Atlanta is .500 for the first time since 4\/23 (8-8).<\/li>\n<li>Tied with the Brewers and Rockies for the fewest home games (18) in the National League so far this season.\u00a0 Atlanta is 12-6 at home.<\/li>\n<li>Tonight the Braves will depart on a six-game, seven-day road trip, opening a stretch in which they will play 17 of 23 games on the road.<\/li>\n<li>INF\/OF Eric Hinske is batting .464 with two home runs and 10 RBI in his last eight starts, spurring the Braves to pick up victories in six of those eight games.<\/li>\n<li>Atlanta batters have collected a major-league-best 181 walks this season (NYY &#8211; 175), but rank just eighth in the majors with a .342 on-base percentage.<\/li>\n<li>SP Tommy Hanson has just one career start against the Reds, picking up a victory while allowing just three hits.<\/li>\n<li>The right-hander is 8-4 with a 3.35 ERA in 15 career starts at home, striking out 101 batters and walking just 28 over 94 innings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<strong>Chicago Cubs<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Cubs have won a season-high, four-straight games for the second time this year and look to win five-straight for the first time since July 22-27 of last season.\u00a0 The current stretch follows a period in which the team went 2-9 from May 8-15.<\/li>\n<li>Chicago is 5-9 against the NL East this season and have dropped the last five series against the division.<\/li>\n<li>Starting pitchers have recorded five-straight quality starts with a 2-1 record and 2.43 ERA in their last five games &#8211; the club has gone 4-1 in those contests.\u00a0 The Cubs rank third in the majors with 27 quality starts, trailing only St. Louis (32) and Tampa Bay (29).<\/li>\n<li>Faced three left-handed starters in their last six games, including Philadelphia&#8217;s Jamie Moyer last night.\u00a0 The team is hitting .275 off left-handed pitching this season and a .266 average off righties.<\/li>\n<li>This is the fourth (3-0) of a 10-game stretch in which Chicago plays teams outside its own division.<\/li>\n<li>SP Ryan Dempster owns an 0-1 record and 2.57 ERA in two starts against the NL East this season.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<strong>Cincinnati Reds<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In the last 11 games, Cincinnati pitchers are 9-2 with a 2.46 ERA, including a 8-1 mark and 2.37 ERA by the starting staff.<\/li>\n<li>The Reds are 13-4 within the division in their last 17 games.<\/li>\n<li>SP Mike Leake leads all NL rookies with a four-game winning streak.\u00a0 The 22-year-old right-hander is making his eighth Major League start, as he leads the pitching staff with six quality starts in seven appearances.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>In Leake&#8217;s starts, the Reds have gone 6-1 and scored 32 runs (4.57 rpg).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Cleveland Indians<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Indians have turned 51 double plays this year, which are the most in the majors.\u00a0 Cleveland is T-4th for the fewest errors in the AL to date (24).<\/li>\n<li>Team average has gone from .223 to .248 over their last 19 games.<\/li>\n<li>Cleveland is fifth in the AL in on-base percentage (.334) and 10th in the league in average at .248 thanks to the sixth-highest walk total in the league (153).<\/li>\n<li>Offense has scored three runs or less in 19 of 38 games (50%) and are the only team in MLB that has not scored 10 or more runs in a game this year.<\/li>\n<li>SP Mitch Talbot is making his eighth start and appearance of the 2010 season.\u00a0 Right-handed batters are batting .316 off him and left-handed hitters are batting .129.\u00a0 He is the only rookie pitcher in the Majors with five wins and ranks tied-2nd overall in the AL in wins (5).\u00a0 His ERA is 15th in the AL overall.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<strong>Colorado Rockies<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Rockies are currently on a three-game losing streak, as the club has lost the first three games of this seven-game road trip.<\/li>\n<li>Colorado is 1-5 against the NL Central to begin the 2010 season.\u00a0 Colorado is in the middle of a 13-game stretch in which the team plays all non-NL West teams.\u00a0 The Rox are 7-8 against their division and 12-13 against all others.<\/li>\n<li>Currently on a five-game losing streak to NL Central clubs with the only win coming on opening day against the Brewers.<\/li>\n<li>With the loss last night in Greg Smith&#8217;s start, the Rockies dropped to 1-7 in eight games he has started.\u00a0\u00a0 Colorado is 18-14 when anyone else starts and 7-1 with tonight&#8217;s starter Ubaldo Jimenez.<\/li>\n<li>1B Todd Helton has begun the road trip by going 5-for-9 (.556) with his first home run of the season.<\/li>\n<li>Jimenez makes his fifth career appearance against Houston, as he&#8217;s yet to allow a home run in 24.2 innings against them.\u00a0 The Rockies are 2-2 all-time in his starts against the Astros.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Kansas City Royals<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Royals rallied for five runs in the ninth inning last night to pick up a 8-4 road win against the Indians.\u00a0 The victory was Kansas City&#8217;s fifth in its last seven games and gives manager Ned Yost a 4-2 record since taking over control.<\/li>\n<li>SP Luke Hochevar has posted a 3-2 record thus far due to great offensive support by the offense.\u00a0 The Kansas City bats have backed him with 34 runs while he&#8217;s been in the game, good for 7.12 runs per 9.0 innings, the third-highest mark in the AL.<\/li>\n<li>Hochevar is looking to snap a three-start losing streak to Cleveland, as he&#8217;s allowed 12 earned runs in 16.1 innings of work over that stretch.<\/li>\n<li>The club has scored 32 runs for Hochevar on the road (6.4 rpg).\u00a0 He is 8-16 in his career on the road with a 7.18 ERA in 29 games (28 starts)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Philadelphia Phillies<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Phillies have lost back-to-back games for the first time since April 25-27 (3 losses).<\/li>\n<li>Despite having the highest team batting average in the National League (.276), the Phillies have scored a total of two runs over their last two games (0-2).<\/li>\n<li>During the month, Phillies starters have pitched six or more innings in that time frame in all but one of those outings.<\/li>\n<li>Philadelphia is 8-6 in day games so far this season (4-3 home, 4-3 road).\u00a0 The Phillies are hitting an NL-best .289 during the day.<\/li>\n<li>The Phillies are 19-8 (.704) in games against right-handed starters this season, which is the most wins among all NL teams.<\/li>\n<li>SP Joe Blanton is 9-6 with a 3.82 ERA in 25 career starts at Citizens Bank Park.\u00a0 The Phillies are 16-9 in those games.<\/li>\n<li>Blanton is 9-2 with a 3.45 ERA in 17 career starts against NL Central opponents.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<strong>Pittsburgh Pirates<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pittsburgh has won two straight games and four of their last six overall.\u00a0 The Pirates have gone 11-10 in their last 21 games.<\/li>\n<li>A victory today would give the Pirates their third series sweep of the season &#8211; all coming at PNC Park.\u00a0 The team had a total of three series sweeps last year, all coming at PNC Park.<\/li>\n<li>Won the last three games played against the Brewers after dropping the first four.<\/li>\n<li>Bullpen has the best winning percentage in the Major Leagues (.800; 8-2) and has struck out an MLB-high 142 batters in 1482. innings of work.<\/li>\n<li>OF Andrew McCutchen has 11 hits in his last 19 at-bats against left-handed pitchers and is hitting .440 against southpaws this season.<\/li>\n<li>Closer Octavio Dotel has gone 6-for-6 in save opportunities this month since suffering his last blown save on 4\/28.\u00a0 He has held opposing batters to a .080 average in May.<\/li>\n<li>SP Paul Maholm tossed just 3.1 innings in his last start at home, a career-low for the lefty at PNC Park.\u00a0 He has gone 25-16 with a 3.62 ERA in 68 career stats in Pittsburgh.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Seattle Mariners<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Mariners have had six of their last six games decided by one run (1-5).\u00a0 Seattle is 4-11 in one-run decisions this season.<\/li>\n<li>Seattle is 3-14 this month, after entering the month one game under .500 at 11-12.<\/li>\n<li>OF Ichiro Suzuki is batting .349, ranking third in the AL.<\/li>\n<li>Recorded 10 hits in back-to-back games, marking the fourth time this season to log double-digit hits in consecutive games.\u00a0 They have lost the last two instances, after starting the season 9-0 when reaching double-digit hits.<\/li>\n<li>Rank 12th in the AL batting .236 (79-335) with men in scoring position.\u00a0 They are hitting .197 RISP over the last nine games.<\/li>\n<li>SP Jason Vargas is 3-1 with a 3.23 ERA in 14 career games (8 starts) in the month of May.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>St. Louis Cardinals<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Came up short in a 5-1 loss to the Washington Nationals last night, having lost four of their last five games at home and six of their last nine overall.<\/li>\n<li>SP Adam Wainwright has a career 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA in five career starts versus Florida.\u00a0 He was 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in two starts against Florida last year.<\/li>\n<li>The Cardinals won the game in each of his first five appearances versus the Marlins in his career.<\/li>\n<li>Bullpen has compiled a 5-6 record and 2.98 ERA this season.\u00a0 The unit has allowed 93 hits in just over 105 innings of work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Tampa Bay Rays<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>At 29-11 (.722), the Rays have the majors best record by 100 percentage points and own the best 40-game record by a major league team since the 2002 Red Sox (also 29-11).<\/li>\n<li>Opened their five-game road trip last night with their fifth-straight win, already their fourth win streak of five or more games this season.\u00a0 The Rays are 7-2 since they fell to Oakland&#8217;s Dallas Braden in a perfect game.<\/li>\n<li>Lead the majors with a road ERA of 2.36 and have outscored opponents 121-53 on the road overall (+68).<\/li>\n<li>Tampa Bay has stolen 16 bases out of 17 tries in their last eight games, including six last night.<\/li>\n<li>The Rays are 13-5 this season when the opposition starts a lefty, including 9-1 in the last 10 games.<\/li>\n<li>SP James Shields leads the AL with a 9.8 strikeouts-to-IP ratio and a 5.36 strikeout-to-walks ratio.\u00a0 He has gone winless in his last two outings, after wining four straight starts.\u00a0 The Rays offense has managed just three runs in those two starts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thursday MLB Handicapper Report &#8211; (Final) Atlanta Braves Since snapping a season-high nine-game losing streak on 4\/30, the Braves have gone 12-6 and have evened their record at 20-20.\u00a0 Atlanta is .500 for the first time since 4\/23 (8-8). Tied with the Brewers and Rockies for the fewest home games (18) in the National League [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":181,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1444],"tags":[1524,243,180,78,86,38,1503,1523,1525,428,982,841,150,958,1450],"class_list":["post-3438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-headlines","tag-adam-wainwright","tag-atlanta-braves","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-cincinnati-reds","tag-james-shields","tag-kansas-city-royals","tag-mike-leake","tag-mlb-handicapping","tag-paul-maholm","tag-pittsburgh-pirates","tag-ryan-dempster","tag-st-louis-cardinals","tag-tampa-bay-rays","tag-tommy-hanson","tag-ubaldo-jimenez"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madduxsports.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madduxsports.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madduxsports.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madduxsports.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/181"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madduxsports.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3438"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.madduxsports.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3441,"href":"https:\/\/www.madduxsports.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3438\/revisions\/3441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madduxsports.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madduxsports.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madduxsports.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}