Two Tilts Highlight MLB Monday Slate
Two Tilts Highlight MLB Monday Slate
With only nine games on the baseball beat this Monday at Sportsbook.com, some games take on greater importance than others. Two games in particular standout for today, Detroit at Los Angeles Angels and the final game between San Francisco and Colorado. Here is a betting outlook at each conflict.
Tigers at Angels.
Detroit (65-58, -1.2 units) is three games clear in the loss column of Chicago, thanks to its efforts at home. The Tigers have had nothing to roar about with 25-38 road record, scoring just four runs per game, which is 25th in baseball. Detroit just lost a series to an appalling Oakland club and are now off to LA to face an Angels squad that loves to run. The Tigers are 3-14 in road games vs. good base-running teams averaging 0.85 or more stolen bases a game over the last three seasons.
Justin Verlander (13-7, 3.29 ERA) takes the mound against Angels, having 2.70 ERA in his last eight starts. The only knock on Verlander is an 0-2 record with a 4.55 ERA in five starts (Tigers 1-4) against the Angels.
The Halos (74-48, +24.1 units) are six games ahead of Texas in the AL West and will send their best pitcher to the mound in Jered Weaver (13-4, 3.89). Weaver's been a little spotty in the second half of the season, but is coming off a complete game road shutout at Cleveland. Weaver is 5-1 in his last nine starts, with an ERA of 5.43, however that has gone somewhat unnoticed with Angels batters scoring 8.2 runs in that stretch. Weaver is 8-1 at the Big A this season) and his ERA is more than a full run lower at home.
Sportsbook.com has the Angels as -125 money line favorites with the total at 8.5, in part because how effective they have been at home against Detroit. L.A. has won eight of 10 and 27 of last 35 at home against the Tigers and are 15-5 having lost three of their last four games this season. The Angels are 10-2 OVER after seven or more consecutive road games and Verlander and the Tigers are 10-1 OVER playing on Monday's.
The opening pitch is set for 7:05 Pacific with Detroit 17-36 in road games when playing against a team with a winning record.
Giants at Rockies
The Rockies (70-54, +13 units) turned a deficit into an advantage with one swing of the bat yesterday and are positioned to win three of four against their closest wild card competitor. Colorado's Seth Smith homered a hanging changeup from Tim Lincecum, giving the Rockies the lead and they went on to win 4-2. Colorado is now three games ahead of San Francisco (67-57, +10.1 units) and would like to build on that lead before traveling to the Bay Area next week to play three at San Fran.
Colorado is 20-9 after a win by two runs or less and will send Jason Marquis (14-8, 3.58) to the mound trying to become the National League's first 15-game winner. The Rocks will face a rejuvenated Barry Zito (8-11, 4.26), who has allowed three or less runs in his last seven starts. The left-hander has been victimized by an offense that has produced a league-low 2.9 runs for a regular starting pitcher.
The Rockies are -165 money line favorites with total Un9.5. Colorado is 16-4 (+14.6 Units) against the ML playing against a good team (Win Pct. 54% to 62%) this season and 21-12 OVER as a home favorite of -125 to -175. San Francisco is looking for the split and is 12-6 vs. a starting pitcher who throws more than 6.5 innings per start and Zito and the Giants are 13-3 UNDER in August games since 2007.
This NL West confrontation is 5:40 Pacific start.
