MLB Previews: 04/06/15

We return to Major League Baseball today as a relatively short 10-game schedule sees us with limited action this Thursday. Following an unpredictable slate on Tuesday, there were several more surprising result on a packed schedule yesterday. The Pirates continued their impressive run of form with yet another victory against Tim Hudson and the Giants as Francisco Liriano pitched 7 strong innings' on the way to a 5-2 win for Pittsburgh. At the bottom end, the Phillies made it 2-0 in their current series with the Reds as a dramatic 9th inning saw them come back from 4-0 down to extend the game to an 11th inning where they would eventually hit the walk off winner. The Arizona Diamondbacks also continued to pick themselves up from a league-worst record with a 2nd straight 1-run win over the Atlanta Braves, again due to some good hitting late in the game. Today's schedule is much shorter and includes three matinee games in Detroit, Houston, and Boston. Heading into the evening, we'll be returning to the contest between the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies as the home side looks to sweep its opponent through this three-game series. We'll also be taking a look at the series decider between the Cleveland Indians and the Kansas City Royals with the series tied at 1 through two cagey encounters. First though, we will take a look at one of the earlier starts of the day as Dallas Keuchel comes to the mound for the Astros with the home side looking to sweep the Orioles over 4 games in Houston.

Baltimore Orioles @ Houston Astros (1910 BST)
The 34-20 Houston Astros no longer have the best record in the Major Leagues but remain ahead in the American League and have a 6.0 game advantage over their nearest challengers in the AL West, the Los Angeles Angels. A five game losing streak, including the first three games of this series, has seen the 23-29 Baltimore Orioles slip to the foot of the AL East. Despite this, they remain just 5.0 games back from the Yankees at the top of the division and will look to avoid losing any further ground today. Both teams bring top pitchers to the mound for this final contest of the series.

Starting for Houston is Dallas Keuchel who is 7-1 from his 11 starts this season. He has a 1.76 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and .183 BAA while his 81.2 innings' have gone for 60 K, 53 H, 21 BB, and 16 ER (3 HR). He has four shutouts to date including two complete games against Oakland (2 H, 2 BB) and in his most recent start against the White Sox (4 H, 0 BB). He has given up more than 1 run on just 3 occasions and has never conceded more than four. His last start against Baltimore saw him produce numbers of 8.0 IP, 3 K, 6 H, 1 BB, and 4 ER (2 HR).

Opposite Keuchel is Wei-Yin Chen who is 1-4 for the Orioles this season through 10 starts. Chen has a 3.21 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and .248 BAA while his 61.2 innings' to date have produced 48 K, 57 H, 15 BB, and 22 ER (10 HR). His form has suffered slightly in May and his previous outing against Houston, just over a week ago, saw him pitch 5.0 innings' for 6 K, 11 H, 0 BB, and 3 ER (1 HR). On that occasion he got a no-decision but it is unlikely he will get away with those kind of numbers against Keuchel today.

Houston's batting lineup has improved on last season as it is currently hitting a .237 AVG (27th), .306 OBP (22nd), and .725 OPS (11th) while scoring 233 runs (7th) and giving up 493 K (29th). Despite a poor average and strikeout rate, the Astros' slugging has seen them develop into one of the more productive lineups in the league. In their previous 5 games (4-1) they have averaged 3.4 runs per game while this number rises to 4.1 over a 6-4 stretch.

Baltimore, on the other hand, has not been so productive this season with a .250 AVG (17th), .307 OBP (22nd), and a .709 OPS (15th) while scoring 214 runs (19th) and giving up 421 K (22nd). In their recent poor form, the Orioles have averaged 2.4 runs per game through a five game losing streak while they improved to just 2.8 runs per game over a 3-7 run.

I expect both pitchers to keep scores relatively low although, ultimately, I expect Keuchel to walk away with a victory for Houston. The Astros' ace had a poor outing last time he faced the the Orioles although it came in the hitter-friendly Camden Yards and I expect him to be much tighter at a ballpark where he has a 1.05 ERA this season. The conditions will also make it easier for Wei-Yin Chen to improve on his last encounter with Houston, but the Astros' powerful slugging should be enough to see them to victory behind Keuchel's miserly game.

Astros @ 8/13
Total Runs Under 8.5 @ 4/7
Orioles Under 4.5 Runs @ 4/11

Cincinnati Reds @ Philadelphia Phillies (0005 BST)
The 22-29 Cincinnati Reds have fallen some way behind the pack in the NL Central as they currently sit 12.0 games behind the division leading St Louis Cardinals. The Philadelphia Phillies have contributed to this slide by winning the first two games of this three-game set but remain rooted to the bottom of the NL East at 21-33. They will be hoping that their ace, Aaron Harang, can deliver them a third straight win as they look to eat into their 8.5 game deficit to the division leading Washington Nationals.

The visiting Reds bring Anthony DeSclafani to the mound today with a 3-4 record through 10 starts. DeSclafani has a 3.41 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and .228 BAA while his 58.0 innings' have produced 41 K, 49 H, 25 BB, and 22 ER (4 HR). He has two shutouts to his name earlier in the season, through 7.0 innings' against the Cubs (2 H, 2 BB) and 8.0 innings' versus the Brewers (2 H, 1 BB). However an expensive run of starts between April 26 and May 17 saw him give up 21 ER in 5 appearances as his numbers soared. Solid outings against the Indians and the Nationals have seen him appear to turn the corner and he will be looking for more stability today.

Opposite DeSclafani is the Phillies' ace, Aaron Harang, who comes to the mound with a 4-5 record through 11 starts. He has a 2.02 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and .215 BAA while his 71.1 innings'  have gone for 53 K, 56 H, 15 BB, and 16 ER (4 HR). He has two 8.0 inning shutouts to his name this season against the Braves (2 H, 1 BB) and the Pirates (5 H, 1 BB) and has conceded more than 2 ER on just two occasions - both back in April. He will look to continue his good form and secure a series sweep for the Phillies in this one.

The Reds have been a shade below average at the plate this season with a .241 AVG (22nd), .313 OBP (15th), and .709 OPS (15th) while scoring 199 runs (26th) and giving up 367 K (6th). A prolific series against Washington has seen them average 5.8 runs per game through their last 5 and 4.2 runs per game in their last 10, although this form has not been reflected in the results on a 4-6 run.

The Phillies, meanwhile, have been one of the poorest lineups in the league with a .236 AVG (28th), .287 OBP (29th), and .635 OPS (30th) while scoring 167 runs (30th) and giving up 384 K (9th). Two 5-4 victories against the Reds has done nothing to help their average of 2.8 runs per game in their last 5 outings (2-3) while they are equally poor at 3.0 runs per game over a 3-7 stretch.

Two good pitchers come to the mound tonight to face batting lineups that are average at best. I expect a low scoring game to be the result and much will depend on which Anthony DeSclafani turns up to the mound. Aaron Harang, on the other hand, has been very dependable this season and I expect his run of form to continue against Cincinnati today. Expect a relatively tight game with the Phillies having the greater chance of victory, and a series sweep, today.

Phillies +1.5 @ 4/9
Total Runs Under 9.5 @ 4/11 
Reds Under 4.5 Runs @ 1/2
Phillies Under 4.5 Runs @ 4/9

Cleveland Indians @ Kansas City Royals (0110 BST)
The Indians and the Royals complete a 3-game set in Kansas City today with the series finely poised at 1-1. The 30-20 Royals were the American League champions last season and have begun their defense well, topping the AL Central at .600 through the first 50 games. The 25-27 Indians are three places and 6.0 games behind their division leaders but can eat into that with a victory and a series win today.

The Royals start with Chris Young on the mound today who is 4-1 from just 5 starts having begun the season as a reliever. As a starter, Young has a 1.57 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and .190 BAA while his 28.2 innings' have gone for 23 K, 20 H, 9 BB, and 5 ER (2 HR). He has 4 quality starts to his name already with outings against the Tigers (twice) and the Cardinals seeing him give up 0 ER while his two starts against the Yankees have gone for 1 ER and 4 ER respectively. While he is unlikely to go past 6.0 innings', his track record as a starter to date has made for encouraging reading.

Opposite Young is Trevor Bauer who is 4-2 for the Indians from 10 starts. He has a 2.97 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and .215 BAA while his 63.2 innings' have gone for 65 K, 50 H, 25 BB, and 21 ER (5 HR). He has two early season shutouts to his name against Houston (6.0 IP, 0 H, 5 BB) and the White Sox (7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 BB) and has conceded more than 2 ER on just three occasions during a poor run at the beginning of May. In his last four starts he has given up 5 ER and collected 31 K from 29.1 IP in a fine run of form. He will hope for that to continue today.

The Royals have one of the more potent lineups in the league this season with a .276 AVG (1st), .325 OBP (7th), and .740 OPS (4th) while scoring 229 runs (12th) and giving up just 299 K (1st). Despite these numbers, their recent form has been poor with just 3.2 runs per game in their previous 5 (2-3) and 2.7 runs per game over a 4-6 stretch.

The Indians, meanwhile, have also been relatively strong at the plate this season with a .253 AVG (11th), .329 OBP (5th), and .732 OPS (8th) while scoring 229 runs (12th) and giving up just 341 K (2nd). Unlike the Royals, Cleveland has been in fine scoring form of late with 3.0 runs per game through their previous 5 (3-2) and 4.8 runs per game over a 5-5 stretch.

Despite two good batting lineups on show today I expect a relatively low scoring game as both teams bring in-form pitchers to the mound. The opening two games of the series have been very cagey and each batting lineup is averaging around 3 runs per game through the last week. I expect both starters to keep the hitters quiet early on in this one as the result of the game, and the series, comes down to the relief pitching.

Total Runs Under 9.5 @ 4/9
Royals Under 5.5 Runs @ 2/7
Indians Under 5.5 Runs @ 1/3

Elsewhere on today's shorter schedule, keep an eye out for the game between the St Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers as the two best records in the National League go head-to-head on the west coast. Michael Wacha starts for the visiting Cardinals with a 7-1 record and 2.27 ERA but will face a tough test against one of the league's most explosive batting lineups. Look for a competitive start to what should be a very enjoyable 4-game set between these two in Los Angeles. Enjoy the baseball and good luck!

MLB Previews: 02/06/15

Welcome back to our MLB previews following an extended 10-day break. Since our last post there has been plenty of action across the league as the standings continue to take shape through the first half of the season. In the American League, the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins have both found form, each on an 8-2 run, which has seen them shoot up the standings to 3rd in the West and 1st in the Central Division respectively. At the other end of the spectrum, the Tampa Bay Rays and Detroit Tigers have each fallen away from the top end of their respective division with 3-7 runs while the Boston Red Sox have had an equally poor 10 game stretch to put them bottom of the AL East. Over in the National League, the Pittsburgh Pirates are the in form side as an 8-2 run has seen them climb above .500 and 3rd in the NL Central. In the same division, the Milwaukee Brewers have been on a poor 3-7 run which has seen them take on the worst record in the Major Leagues while a 1-9 run for the Philadelphia Phillies sees them in close contention at the bottom of the NL East. Tuesday's schedule is a good one for us to return to as 4 of the 5 ERA leaders take to the mound. We shall be looking at two of these as Max Scherzer's Washington Nationals host the Toronto Blue Jays and Zack Greinke's Los Angeles Dodgers play a double header in Colorado against the Rockies. First, though, we shall take a look at Johnny Cueto as he starts for the Cincinatti Reds in Philadelphia where they take on the out-of-form Phillies.

Cincinnati Reds @ Philadelphia Phillies (0005 BST)
The 22-27 Reds have not had an ideal start to the 2015 season but a recent 3-game winning streak could well see them turning the corner in a competitive NL Central. Today they face the Philadelphia Phillies, currently rooted to the bottom of the NL East at .365 thanks in no small part to a woeful 1-9 run.

Johnny Cueto is the Red's starter today and comes in with a 3-4 record from 9 starts. He has a 3.03 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and .217 BAA to date while his 65.1 innings' have resulted in 60 K, 51 H, 12 BB, and 22 ER (7 HR). In his 9 starts to date, he has given up 2 ER or fewer on 5 occasions although he has done this only once in his previous 4 starts. He will look to get back on track against the out-of-form Phillies today.

Opposite Cueto is Sean O'Sullivan who starts for the Phillies with a 1-4 record from just 6 starts. He has a 4.81 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and .273 BAA while his 33.2 innings' have produced 18 K, 36 H, 8 BB, and 18 ER (9 HR). He has one 6.0 inning shutout to date against Arizona (5 H, 2 BB) although his other 5 starts have seen him give up an average of 3.6 ER per appearance. His last start against the Mets saw 5.2 innings' go for 11 hits and 7 runs and, like Cueto, he will be looking to turn his form around today.

The Reds batting has been just below average this season with a .241 AVG (22nd), .312 OBP (17th), and .709 OPS (16th) while scoring a low 191 runs (27th) and giving up 350 K's (5th). They have, however, improved their production lately with a 4-1 run seeing them score an average of 5.4 runs per game. Poor form before then sees their scoring average drop to 3.8 runs per game over their previous 10 outings (4-6).

The Phillies, meanwhile, have had a woeful season so far with the lineup putting up a .237 AVG (28th), .288 OBP (29th), and .634 OPS (30th), while scoring a league-worst 157 runs (30th) and giving up 369 K's (10th). A 1-9 run has seen them produce just 2.4 runs per game and their previous 5 outings have been even worse, all ending in losses with an average of 0.8 runs scored per game.

It is hard to see the Phillies having any chance of a win today as their out of sorts batting lineup faces one of the game's toughest starting pitchers. The Reds' recent form, coupled with that of O'Sullivan, suggests that Cincinnati's lineup could see more good production today. While I wouldn't bet on the score being too high it should be a comfortable victory for the visitors in the first of this three-game series.

Reds @ 4/7
Total Runs Under 8.5 @ 1/2
Phillies Under 4.5 Runs @ 2/7
Reds Over 3.5 Runs @ 8/11

Johnny Cueto left the game after 6 innings' with 4 K, 5 H, 0 BB, 2 R (1 ER, 1 HR) as the Reds held a comfortable 4-2 lead through to the bottom of the 8th. However, the game was turned on its head as Maikal Franco hit a two run homer to tie the scores with just an innings left to play. Cincinnati could make no headway at the top of the ninth and then, in the bottom of the inning, the death blow was struck as an RBI single from Darin Ruf saw the Phillies walk off with an improbable 5-4 victory. This was a cruel way for our bets to go down as the Cincinnati relief pitchers just couldn't close out the game in the final two innings'.

Toronto Blue Jays @ Washington Nationals (0005 BST - GAME 2)
Both the Nationals and the Blue Jays will consider themselves to be a major part of the respective division title races this year as each have started the season in the thick of the action. The Blue Jays are currently just 4.0 games behind the Yankees in the AL East while the Nationals share a lead of the NL East with the New York Mets. Both have been in inconsistent form of late and each will look to use today's double header to make a push in the right direction.

Starting for the Nationals in the second of today's double header is Max Scherzer who has enjoyed a wonderful start to life in Washington with a 6-3 record from his opening 10 appearances. He has a 1.51 ERA (3rd in MLB), 0.88 WHIP, and .199 BAA while his 71.2 innings' to date have produced 85 K, 53 H, 10 BB, and 12 ER (3 HR). His 10 starts have seen him gain three shutouts including 2 in his previous 3 starts with 7.0 inning efforts going for 4 H and 2 BB against San Diego and 5 H and 1 BB versus the Cubs. He has conceded more the 1 ER on just two occasions this season and has been in fine form in May, giving up just 2 ER from his previous 4 starts.

Opposite Scherzer is Marco Estrada who is 1-3 from just 5 starts to date having begun the season as a reliever. Estrada has a 3.89 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and .227 BAA while his 39.1 innings have gone for 33 K, 34 H, 14 BB, and 17 ER (6 HR). In his five starts he has given up at least 3 ER on four occasions while he has given up 2 ER or more on all of his outings as a starter to date. He will have to be tighter against a strong Nationals lineup and with Max Scherzer pitching against him.

The Nationals lineup has indeed been strong this season with a .254 AVG (12th), .324 OBP (8th), and .736 OPS (6th) while scoring 228 runs (5th) and giving up 401 K's (22nd). However, recent form has not reflected these numbers as Washington has averaged just 2.8 runs per game on a 1-4 run while a 5-5 stretch sees that average drop further to 2.6. With Scherzer on the mound, and the whole of game one to play before this one, they have a great chance to hit themselves into form today.

The Blue Jays, meanwhile, have also batted well this season with a .263 AVG (7th), .339 OBP (6th), and .768 OPS (2nd) while scoring a league-leading 268 runs (1st) and giving up 389 K's (16th). Unlike the Nationals, Toronto has been in good form lately with an average of 5.2 runs per game in their last 5 (2-3) while this rises to 5.3 runs per game over a 5-5 stretch. They will be severely tested against the pitching of Max Scherzer today.

I expect Scherzer to continue his fine run of form this season with another impressive display against one of the league's most potent lineups. The home side has been in wretched form at the plate recently but should have ample opportunity behind Scherzer's tight game to take advantage of Marco Estrada's poor form. Look for the Nationals to get a much needed win behind their ace here.

Nationals @ 1/2
Total Runs Under 8.5 @ 4/9 
Blue Jays Under 4.5 Runs @ 1/4

Max Scherzer put in a bad start at just the wrong time for us with his 6.0 innings' going for 5 K, 6 H, 2 BB, and 4 ER (2 HR). A Kevin Pillar solo home run put the Blue Jays ahead in the 2nd inning but the host came back in the 4th as a Tyler Moore RBI double and Jose Lobaton RBI single saw them into a 2-1 lead. The Nationals added another in the 5th but the end of Scherzer's stint saw the game turn on its head as Pillar once again cleared the fences with two men on base to put Toronto in charge 4-3. The visitors then put the game beyond all doubt in a chaotic 7th inning that saw three runs go in with the bases loaded. An unlikely loss for Scherzer on a sloppy evening for Washington as the NL East leaders took a 7-3 loss in game 2.

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Colorado Rockies (0140 BST - GAME 2) 
Another double header that takes place today will see the Dodgers resume a 4-game series in Colorado with each team at opposite end of the NL West. The Rockies are rock bottom at .449 but a recent 7-3 run has seen them climb back to 7.5 game behind the division-leading Dodgers. Los Angeles is top at .600 and has been in fairly good form on a recent 6-4 run. The Dodgers will be looking to extend their lead by 2 in today's double header.

Game two of the double header sees the Dodgers bring their early season ace, Zack Greinke, to start on the mound. Greinke is 5-1 through his first 10 starts with a league-leading 1.48 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and .184 BAA. His 67.0 innings' to date have seen him produce 58 K, 44 H, 14 BB, and 11 ER (5 HR). He has three shutouts to date - 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 BB vs. Arizona, 7.0 IP, 4 H, 3 BB vs. San Diego, and 7.2 IP, 2 H, 2 BB vs. Milwaukee - while he has conceded more than 1 ER on just 2 occasions and has not conceded more than 3 ER in any start to date. He is in formidable form and will look to keep it up. In two previous starts against the Rockies he has put up numbers of 6.2 IP, 3 K, 5 H,1 BB, 3 ER (1 HR) and more recently 6.0 IP, 5 K, 4 H, 1 BB, 1 ER (1 HR).

It is yet to be scheduled who will go up against Greinke in game two tonight and much will likely depend on how deep the Rockies have to go into their bullpen in game one. However, even the Rockies' ace, Eddie Butler, has not shown the form to match Greinke and, having pitched as recently as Saturday in Philadelphia, is unlikely to start.

Whoever starts for Colorado faces a tough task against a strong Dodgers batting lineup. Los Angeles has a .260 AVG (8th), .340 OBP (1st), and .789 OPS (1st) while scoring 226 runs (6th) and giving up 372 K's (11th). The Dodgers' recent form has been steady with 3.8 runs per game through their last 5 (2-3) and 4.0 runs per game scored over a 6-4 stretched. They will pose a threat to whichever Rockies pitcher faces them today.

The Rockies, meanwhile, have been no slouches at the plate with a .266 AVG (5th), .313 OBP (16th), and .739 OPS (5th) while scoring 211 runs (16th) and giving up 387 K's (14th). They have been in good form of late with an average of 4.6 runs per game over a 4-1 run and 5.3 runs per game in their last 10 outings (7-3). However, they face a tough task in matching these averages against Greinke who is yet to allow more than 3 ER against him in 2015.

I expect the Dodgers to add another win to Greinke's tally as they outhit the Rockies for the second successive day. With the uncertainty surrounding who will start for Colorado it is likely that they will have to go to their bullpen for game two. In any case, Zack Greinke's pitching should provide more than enough of a cushion for the Dodgers to claim another victory here.

Dodgers @ 1/2
Dodgers Over 3.5 Runs @ 1/4 
Rockies Under 4.5 Runs @ 8/11

Greinke put in his worst start of the season - 6.0 IP, 2 K, 10 H, 1 BB, 5 ER - as game 2 turned into a shootout in Colorado. The Dodgers took an early 4-0 lead with 3 home runs from Enrique Hernandez, Joc Pederson, and Adrian Gonzalez. The Rockies responded in the 3rd with 2 runs before adding another in the 4th. A Nick Hundley RBI double tied the scores at 4 in the 6th before Hundley himself was batted in for the go-ahead run. In the 7th inning, Joc Pederson hit an RBI triple to level things back up at 5, but Colorado got ahead once again with a 2-run home from Troy Tulowitzki. Brandon Barnes all but sealed the game for the hosts in the bottom of the 8th with an RBI single to put them 8-5 ahead. However, in a moment of high drama, Alex Guerrero hit a grand slam in the top of the 9th to turn the game around and the Rockies could not respond in the bottom of the inning as the Dodgers took a thrilling 9-8 victory. 

Finally, with two more of the top 5 ERA leaders pitching on today's schedule we have ample room for a long shot acca attempt. We had our first win of the season in our previous post and will be confident of following that up with another today. Here are 6 picks from Tuesday's MLB schedule that we feel have a good chance of success:

Dodgers (2010 BST - GAME 1)
Tigers (0008 BST)
Twins (0010 BST)
Cardinals (0115 BST)
Braves (0240 BST)
Rays @ Angels Under 9.5 Total Runs (0305 BST)

£10 stake returns £284.79

On a night when nothing seemed to go to form our acca fell woefully short. The Dodgers were comfortable 6-3 losers in their first game of the night while a 5-run 7th inning saw the Tigers go down 5-3 to Oakland. There was a pitchers' duel in Boston as the Twins went down 1-0 while the Braves were also narrowly beaten, 7-6 in Arizona. St Louis scored a tight 1-0 victory at home to Milwaukee and our only other pick to win was in Los Angeles as the Rays beat the Angels 6-1.

The pick of the action from Tuesday's MLB schedule is likely to come in the final game of the day in San Francisco as the Giants host the Pittsburgh Pirates. Both sides will have serious postseason ambitions but the visitors have the edge tonight as A.J. Burnett starts on the mound with his 1.81 ERA - the 5th best in the league. Look for the Giants' strong batting lineup to be well tested by the Pirates' ace as the visitors look to extend their excellent 8-2 run. Enjoy the baseball and good luck!

MLB Previews: 22/05/15

Our fourth and final MLB preview of the week is here as we look to take advantage of another busy night of baseball across the Major Leagues. Friday sees several in-form pitchers coming to the mound which gives us a larger choice than usual in terms of our featured games. We'll be checking in with the Los Angeles Dodgers as they look to recover from a 3-0 series sweep by San Francisco in which they failed to notch a single run. The Dodgers have a new ace this season in Zach Greinke who has stepped up in place of the inconsistent Clayton Kershaw. Tonight they are back at home to begin a 3-game set against the San Diego Padres and Greinke will be looking to get them off to the perfect start. We'll also be checking in with a familiar name from last season's previews, Felix Hernandez, as he takes to the mound for the Seattle Mariners. Hernandez has made another solid start to the season but will face a test against a potent Toronto Blue Jays lineup. First, though, we will be taking a closer look at the NL East leaders, the Washington Nationals. The Nationals acquired pitcher Max Scherzer from Detroit in the off-season and their new ace has made a superb start in his new colors. he will look to continue this vein of form against the Philadelphia Phillies today.

Philadelphia Phillies @ Washington Nationals (0005 BST)
Washington currently holds a 0.5 game lead over the New York Mets at the top of the NL East and will be looking to use this new 3-game set to establish a greater distance between the sides. They face the Phillies, currently 7.0 games behind, who will be looking to inch their way back towards .500 over the next 3 days.

Taking the mound for Washington is Max Scherzer who is 4-3 through his 8 starts to date with a 1.75 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and .207 BAA. His 56.2 innings' have produced 66 K, 44 H, 8 BB, and 11 ER (3 HR). He has two shutouts to his name in 7.2 innings against the Mets (4 H, 2 BB) and in his last start, a 7.0 inning effort against San Diego (4 H, 2 BB). He has only given up more than 1 ER on two occasions this season while Miami are the only team to score more than 2 ER from his pitching. In two starts against Philadelphia this season he has numbers of 6.0 IP, 8 K, 6 H, 2 BB, 1 ER and 8.0 IP, 9 K, 4 H, 0 BB, 1 ER. He will take more of the same today.

Opposite Scherzer is Sean O'Sullivan who has only start 4 games this season for a 1-2 record. O'Sullivan comes into the game with a 3.68 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and .238 BAA while his 22.0 innings' have produced 13 K, 20 H, 6 BB, and 9 ER (4 HR). In two previous starts against Washington he has number of: 6.0 IP, 5 K, 5 H, 1 BB, 2 ER (1 HR) and 5.0 IP, 2 K, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 ER (2 HR). He will need to do much better to compete with Scherzer today.

Washington's batting lineup has been in fine form the season with a .261 AVG (7th), .329 OBP (5th), and .751 OPS (5th) while scoring 202 runs (2nd) and giving up 333 K's (25th). That form is reflected in their most recent performances as they have averaged 7.0 runs per game on a 5-0 run while that number only drops to 6.9 per game in their previous 10 outings (8-2).

The Phillies, meanwhile, are at the wrong end of the averages with a .241 AVG (22nd), .297 OBP (28th), and .652 OPS (29th) while scoring a league-worst 136 runs (30th) and giving up 289 K's (8th). They have been in decent form of late, however, with an average of 4.0 runs per game in their last 5 (3-2) while that averaged only drops to 3.9 per game over a 7-3 run.

Both teams come into this game with a good run of wins under their belts but I expect the Nationals to take a convincing victory as their pitcher and their batting lineup have been a class above this season. Look for Scherzer to once again stifle the Philadelphia lineup as his own team piles up the runs once more in a straightforward win.

Nationals -1.5 @ 8/11
Race to 3 runs - Nationals @ 8/13
Nationals Over 3.5 Runs @ 4/7
Phillies Under 3.5 Runs @ 4/11

Sean O'Sullivan was able to keep the Washington batting lineup honest in this one despite their superb recent form. It was, in fact, the Phillies who took the lead with an Odubel Herrera RBI double in the top of the second driving in the go-ahead run. A Bryce Harper home run in the bottom of the inning leveled the scores but the Nationals were unable to build a score with as O'Sullivan put together numbers of 6.0 IP, 3 K, 5 H, 1 BB, and 2 ER (1 HR). The home side did, nonetheless, grab the win as an Ian Desmond RBI double drove in pitcher Max Scherzer in the 6th inning for what turned out to be the winning run. Scherzer pitched superbly again, with numbers of 8.0 IP, 6 K, 4 H, 1 BB, and 1 ER to help secure the 2-1 victory for Washington.

Seattle Mariners @ Toronto Blue Jays (0007 BST)
The Mariners are 4.0 games below .500 and already 8.0 games behind the AL West-leading Astros as their attempts in going one place better than last season's near postseason miss have seen them make a stuttering start. Today they face the Blue Jays who, perhaps undeservedly, sit bottom of a very competitive AL East at .442. They face a tough test in getting past Mariners' ace Felix Hernandez in the opening game of this 3-game set.

Hernandez comes to the mound for Seattle boasting an excellent 6-1 record from his 8 starts so far. He has a 2.30 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and .203 BAA while his 54.2 innings' have produced 55 K, 40 H, 12 BB, and 14 ER (6 HR). He has given up more than 2 ER on just two occasions so far while he has a superb complete game shutout of the Twins for 9 K, 5 H, and 0 BB. He is facing Toronto for the first time this season.

Opposite Hernandez is Marco Estrada who is 1-2 from just 3 starts having made 6 appearances as a reliever this season. He comes into the game with a 3.55 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and .211 BAA while his 3 starts have produced 14.2 innings' for 15 K, 16 H, 6 BB, and 9 ER (4 HR). He is yet to produce a start for less than 2 ER with the Yankees hitting him for 4 and the Orioles for 3. He faces a tough match-up with Hernandez today.

The Mariners' batting has been less than inspiring so far this season as they have a .240 AVG (23rd), .327 OBP (27th), and .705 OPS (16th) while scoring 152 (26th) and giving up 307 K's (17th). Over a recent 2-3 run they have averaged 3.8 runs per game and this figure doesn't improve by much over their previous 10 outings (5-5) to 3.9 per game.

The Blue Jays, meanwhile, have fared much better with a .258 AVG (11th), .327 OBP (7th), and .754 OPS (4th) while leading the league in runs with 223 and giving up 326 K's (22nd). They have averaged 5.0 runs per game in their previous 5 outings (2-3) and 4.9 per game over a poor 3-7 run.

I expect Hernandez to continue his good form by stifling what has so far been a pretty useful Blue Jays lineup. At the other end, Seattle's batting doesn't inspire much confidence, although they have a great chance to score today against Marco Estrasa who has put in a number of loose starts so far. I expect the Mariners to get the win, but it looks likely to be a relatively low scoring affair.

Mariners @ 4/6
Total Runs Under 8.5 @ 8/13
Blue Jays Under 4.5 Runs @ 4/11

A 4-3 victory came a lot easier than the scoreline suggests for Seattle as Felix Hernandez pitched 7.0 innings' for 8 K, 4 H, 2 BB, and 1 ER (1 HR) to leave his team with a 4-1 lead going into the final two innings'. Edwin Encarnacion put the Blue Jays ahead in the very first inning with a solo home run but that was all Toronto would get out of Hernandez. Logan Morrison scored two runners with an RBI triple in the 4th to put Seattle ahead before being driven in himself on an RBI double from Mike Zunino. Nelson Cruz added a solo home run in the 6th as Estrada began to tire to establish an unassailable 4-1 lead for the visitors. Toronto made a spirited fightback with a Chris Colabello 2-run homer in the 9th inning but, ultimately, they were stopped one short as the Mariners took a 4-3 victory.

San Diego Padres @ Los Angeles Dodgers (0310 BST)
The Dodgers remain in the lead of the NL West at .600 despite a damaging 3-0 reverse to the San Francisco Giants which saw them fail to score a single run. San Diego sit just behind the big two in this division at .476, just 5.0 games back from their opponents tonight.

The Dodgers bring Zach Greinke to the mound who has been leading the Los Angeles bullpen this season courtesy of Clayton Kershaw's struggles. Greinke is 5-1 from 8 starts with a 1.52 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and .184 BAA. His 53.1 innings' to date have produced 44 K, 35 H, 11 BB, and 9 ER (4 HR). He has three shutouts to his name and has given up more than 1 ER on just two occasions. He has two previous starts against the Padres this season which produced numbers of 6.0 IP, 4 K, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 ER and 7.0 IP, 7 K, 4 H, 3 BB, 0 ER. He will look for a similar performance today.

Opposite Grienke is Andrew Cashner who is a poor 1-7 from his 8 starts this season. He has a 3.24 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and .267 BAA while his 50.0 innings' have produced 51 K, 52 H, 13 BB, and 18 ER (8 HR). He has had an incredible 11 unearned runs scored off of his pitching which, although it could be considered bad luck, is indicative of players being in scoring positions. In his two previous starts against the Dodgers, Cashner has put up numbers of 5.0 IP, 6 K, 8 H, 3 BB, 5 ER (3 HR) and 7.0 IP, 6 K, 6 H, 1 BB, 2 ER (1 HR).

Despite their recent form, the Dodgers remain one of the most potent lineups in baseball with a .261 AVG (7th), .345 OBP (1st), and .800 OPS (1st) while scoring 186 runs (6th) and giving up 290 K's (9th). However, they have averaged just 0.8 runs per game in their previous 5 games (1-4) and 3.2 per game in their previous 10 (4-6). They will look to hit out of their cold spell today.

The Padres, meanwhile, have a .246 AVG (17th), .302 OBP (25th), and .689 OPS (22nd) while scoring 181 runs (10th) and giving up 339 K (27th). They have averaged just 2.4 runs per game in a 1-4 run while this improves to just 2.9 per game in their last 10 outings (3-7).

Neither side is in decent batting form but it is the Dodgers that are most likely to hit their way out tonight. The Padres give up a lot of strikeouts and Greinke has been collecting them with interest so far this season. This is a bad match-up for the San Diego lineup and I expect them to struggle to generate runs in this game. Look for the Dodgers to take a win while getting out of their rut with the bat.

Dodgers @ 1/2
Total Runs Under 8.5 @ 2/5
Padres Under 3.5 runs @ 4/9

The Dodgers didn't quite hit their way out of a cold spell but they did enough to grab a victory behind another excellent appearance by Zach Greinke. The Dodgers' ace pitched 7.2 innings' for 5 K, 6 H, 1 BB, and 1 ER as only a Will Venable RBI single in the 7th inning broke another superb display. The Dodgers took a lead in the 5th with an Andre Ethier RBI double scoring Justin Turner but had to wait until the bottom of the 8th for the winning run as Joc Pederson hit a home run to center field to secure a tight victory. The Dodgers' lineup still has some work to do but they will welcome a 2-1 victory with open arms after their poor week in the bay area.

Finally, with so many strong pitchers making an appearance today, we will have another attempt at the long shot accumulator. Here are 6 selections from Friday's schedule that we feel have a good chance of success:

Pirates (0005 BST) 
Nationals (0005 BST)
Orioles (0010 BST)
Angels (0010 BST)
Giants @ Rockies - Over 8.5 Total Runs (0110 BST)
Cardinals @ Royals - Under 8.5 Total Runs (0110 BST)

£10 stake returns £171.11

It didn't take us long to grab a first acca win in the new season as all six selections lit up with relative ease. The Pirates were 4-1 victors at home to the Mets while the Nationals edged past Philadelphia 2-1 in Washington. There were also wins for the Orioles (8-5 @ Miami) and the Angels (12-5 @ Boston) in high scoring road games. Up in the altitude of the Rockies there was a plethora of runs between the Giants and Colorado with the road team taking an 11-8 win while pitcher Chris Young continued his excellent start to 2015 with the Royals by shutting out the Cardinals in a 5-0 victory. 

Elsewhere today, keep an eye out for the continuation of the series between the Houston Astros and the Detroit Tigers as the top two teams in the American League resume the 3-game set with the host Tigers leading 1-0. Yesterday saw a thrilling finale as a James McCann walk-off home run clinched a 6-5 victory for Detroit in the 11th inning. Expect both batting lineups to provide more entertainment today as the visitors look to level the series at 1. Enjoy the baseball and good luck!

MLB Previews: 21/05/15

Welcome back for our third set of MLB previews this week as we continue to dive into the new season following the first six weeks of play. Patterns are beginning to be established across the league and the early standings are starting to take shape. The Houston Astros have been the surprise package to date leading the American League with a .659 record despite having been the whipping boys for the last two or three seasons. Elsewhere in the AL, the Yankees have returned in fine form to share the lead of the AL East with the Tampa Bay Rays, while the defending AL champion Kansas City Royals lead the Central division at .650. In the National League, It has been no surprise to see the Giants and the Dodgers dominate the early running in the West with Los Angeles holding a slender 2.5 game lead at the top of the division. The usual suspects are performing well elsewhere with the St Louis Cardinals topping the Central division and the Washington National taking charge of the East. Today we will look at three more games, two of which involve teams right at the top end of proceedings. The AL leading Houston Astros face a tough test as they travel to Detroit to open up a 4-game series against the Tigers. We will also check into game three of the Dodgers-Giants series as last seasons NL MVP Clayton Kershaw faces of against the World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner in what is no doubt the game of the day. First, though, we will take a look at a series lower down in the standings as the Seattle Mariners close a 3-game set in Baltimore with the series currently tied at 1.

Seattle Mariners @ Baltimore Orioles (1735 BST)
Neither Seattle at 18-21 or Baltimore at 17-20 are exactly where they want to be in the early running but both teams will believe they can claw back the deficit to those at the top of their respective divisions. The Mariners missed out on a Wild Card spot by just one game last season while the Orioles went all the way to the ALCS before being swept by Kansas City. Both will be looking to turn nearly-seasons into successes come the end of 2015.

Starting on the mound for the Orioles is Chris Tillman who comes into the game with a 2-5 record from 7 starts. He has a 6.34 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, and .297 BAA so far as he has struggled to gain control. His 38.1 innings' have produced 27 K, 44 H, 19 BB, and 27 ER (6 HR) and he has held teams to 2 ER or fewer on just three occasions to date. This is his first appearance of the season against Seattle and he will be looking for some vastly improved play.

Opposite Tillman is J.A. Happ who is 3-1 from 7 starts to date. He is enjoying life in Seattle and has begun his time with the Mariners with a 2.98 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and .243 AVG. His 45.1 innings' this season have seen 35 K, 42 H, 9 BB, and 15 ER (4 HR).He has given up more than 2 ER in just one of his seven starts against Houston at the beginning of May.

The Orioles batting has been relatively good so far this season with a .262 AVG (6th), .317 OBP (13th), and .744 OPS (7th) while scoring 167 runs (13th) and giving up 296 K (13th). Their recent form has seen them average 3.2 runs per game over their last 5 (2-3) which extends to 3.7 runs per game over a 5-5 run.

The Mariners, meanwhile, haven't fared as well with a .239 AVG (23rd), .296 OBP (28th), and .706 OPS (16th) while scoring 148 runs (26th) and giving up 295 K's (12th). They have averaged 3.4 runs per game over a 3-2 run but this rises to 4.2 per game over a 6-4 stretch.

I expect a relatively low scoring game between these two today, although one that the Mariners should have a good chance of winning. Seattle face a struggling pitcher today but has struggled themselves in generating runs to date. If the Mariners can take advantage of Tillman, who has a very high WHIP and BAA, to get on base and into scoring positions, they have every chance of claiming a win behind Happ, who I expect to do well against the Baltimore lineup. All in all, I expect runs to only come hard-earned for both sides in a tight contest.

Total Runs Under 8.5 @ 4/5
Orioles Under 4.5 Runs @ 8/13
Mariners Under 4.5 Runs @ 8/13

Steve Pearce hit a grand slam in the very first inning to put paid to any hopes we had of a low scoring game. Down 4-0, the Mariners slowly clawed their way back with a run in the 2nd and two more in the 4th. Seattle grabbed the tying run in the 7th courtesy of a Logan Morrison walk with the bases loaded. However, Baltimore was able to hit straight back in the 8th with a J.J. Hardy RBI single that proved to be the winning run in a 5-4 triumph. After the grand slam in the first J.A. Happ fell apart and was taken out of the game in the 2nd inning. Chris Tillman, on the other hand, lasted just 3.0 innings as a rain affected game threw up plenty of the weird and wonderful.

Houston Astros @ Detroit Tigers (1808 BST)
As we mentioned in the introduction to this post, the Astros have taken everybody by surprise to lead the AL through the opening stages of the season. Today they come up against the Detroit Tigers, perennial postseason contenders, in what is set to be a tough 4-game series for this upstart Houston side.

David Price is back in Detroit following a brief defection to Tampa Bay and has been enjoying life at Comerica Park with a 3-1 record through his first 8 starts. He has a 3.40 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and .258 BAA although his numbers are a little skewed from a bad outing against the Yankees in April. His 53.0 innings' to date have produced 42 K, 54 H, 12 BB, and 20 ER (6 HR). He has two shutouts to his name already this season and has conceded 1 ER or fewer in half of his starts to date.

Starting for the Astros is Scott Feldman with a 3-4 record through 8 starts. He comes into this game with a 5.06 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and .287 BAA. His 48.0 innings' so far have seen 33 K, 54 H, 10 BB, and 27 ER (6 HR). He has conceded at least 3 ER in 5 of his 8 starts so far.

The Tigers boast one of the best lineups in baseball so far this season with a .278 AVG (2nd), .345 OBP (2nd), and .768 OPS (3rd) while scoring 178 runs (12th) and giving up 313 K's (19th). Detroit has averaged just 2.6 runs per game over a 2-3 run but this improves to 4.1 runs per game in their previous 10 outings (5-5).

Houston, meanwhile, as at the other end of the averages with a .231 AVG (29th), .305 OBP (22nd), and .725 OPS (8th) while scoring 182 runs (7th) and giving up 371 K's (29th). Despite having one of the worst team batting averages and giving up a huge amount of strikeouts, the Astros have been able to generate runs through some excellent slugging which has seen them hit 61 home runs (1st). They have averaged 4.6 runs per game in their last 5 (4-1) and 4.3 runs per game over a 7-3 stretch which has seen them in fine form.

I expect a lot of runs to be scored today as neither pitcher has been completely watertight through the opening stages of the season. David Price has been solid in spells and has the better chance of a win today, but the Astros' slugging has to be accounted for here. I expect Detroit to have enough quality in the lineup to get the win but they will have to score will in order to do so.

Tigers @ 8/13
Total Runs Over 6.5 @ 4/9
Tigers Over 3.5 Runs @ 4/7

The first game of the series served up a thriller between these two as Detroit needed extra innings' to put away the Astros. The home side jumped out to a 5-0 with a 2-run homer in the 4th followed by a 2-run 5th and a RBI double from Rajai Davis in the 6th. The game looked finished but the Astros came back with a vengeance as a 3-run 7th put them right back in the contest. They added another in the 8th before a Preston Tucker home run in the 9th took the game to extra innings'. The game got to the bottom of the 11th before James McCann hit the walk-off home run to secure a 6-5 win for the hosts. 

Los Angeles Dodgers @ San Francisco Giants (2045 BST)
The final match-up of this 3-game set is without a doubt the headline act as Clayton Kershaw faces off against Madison Bumgarner with the Giants looking for a 3-0 sweep. Behind the battle of the MVP's lie too very good batting lineups and it should all make for a thrilling game in the bay area.

Clayton Kershaw is yet to find his NL MVP form of 2014 this season but has shown flashes of his quality in two previous appearances against the Giants. He is 2-2 from 8 starts this season with a 4.24 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and .251 BAA. His 51.0 innings' have produced 66 K, 49 H, 14 BB, and 24 ER (5 HR). His two previous starts against San Francisco this season have seen him put up numbers of 6.0 IP, 9 K, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 ER and 7.0 IP, 8 K, 7 H, 0 BB, 2 ER (1 HR).

Opposite Kershaw is World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner who is a more respectable 4-2 from his 8 starts to date. The Giants' starter has a 3.20 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and .241 BAA while his 50.2 innings' have gone for 46 K, 48 H, 8 BB, and 18 ER (6 HR). He also has two solid earlier appearances in this fixture which saw him produce numbers of 6.1 IP, 6 K, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 ER (1 HR) and 8.0 IP, 9 K, 5 H, 1 BB, 1 ER.

The Dodgers have had one of the most potent batting lineups in the league so far this season with a .261 AVG (7th), .346 OBP (1st), and .804 OPS (1st) while scoring 186 runs (4th) and giving up 282 K's (9th). Despite this, the Giants have shut them out in this series so far which has seen Los Angeles average just 1.6 runs per game through its previous 5 (2-3) although this improves to 4.1 per game over a 5-5 stretch.

The Giants, meanwhile, have been just as good with a .268 AVG (4th), .331 OBP (5th) and .725 OPS (8th) while scoring 151 runs (25th) and giving up 278 K's (7th). While runs were a problem to begin the season their recent form has been excellent with an average of 7.2 runs per game over a 5-0 stretch which drops only slightly to 5.5 per game in their last 10 outings (7-3).

I expect the Giants to complete a sweep despite Kershaw being on the mound today. The Dodgers' ace is yet to find his feet this season and, with the Giants lineup in fantastic form, he could struggle again today. Bumgarner faces an equally tough test in the Dodgers' lineup but is in the much better form of the two pitchers and finds his opponents in a rare cold patch. Expect lots of strikeouts all around, but for the home side to take a well earned win behind the superior batting on the night.

Giants +1.5 @ 4/7
Total Runs Under 7.5 @ 4/9 
Dodgers Under 4.5 Runs @ 2/5 

Madison Bumgarner helped the Giants shut the Dodgers out for a 3rd straight game to secure total dominance over their divisional rivals in a 3-0 series win. Not content with simply shutting down the Dodgers' batting, Bumgarner opened the Giants' scoring with a home run in the 3rd. The home side added another in the 5th to give Kershaw his 3rd loss of the season. San Francisco closed out the game with two RBI singles in the 8th to ensure a crushing 4-0 victory over their rivals.

Later on in the evening the pick of the action looks likely to come from the match-up between the Los Angeles Angels and the Blue Jays in Toronto. The visitors lead what has been a thrilling 4-game series 2-1 going into the final game but the Blue Jays will hope to salvage a tied set with R.A. Dickey on the mound. Also keep an eye out for the concluding game in the Cardinals-Mets series. St Louis has dominated the last two games to take a 2-1 lead but the Mets will bring in Jacob deGrom for the final match-up in the hope of getting a game back. Enjoy the baseball and good luck!

MLB Previews: 20/05/15

Wednesday gives us another full 15-game MLB schedule as we look to kick on into the season with our previews. Yesterday provided us with a number of high scoring games in an action-packed evening of baseball. The Nationals and the Giants extended the longest winning streaks in the American League and National League respectively to 4, while there was also another win for the surprise leaders in the AL, the Houston Astros. Today we will take in another 3 games from across the major leagues as we look to improve our success rate for the 2015 season. We will check in with four teams that we have yet to feature in the new campaign as the Arizona Diamondbacks face the Miami Marlins in a series currently 2-0 in favor of the visiting Diamondbacks. We'll also be previewing the Atlanta Braves as they host the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2nd game of a short 2-game series in which the Rays took game one. First though, we will check back in with the series between the Oakland Athletics and the Houston Astros which was featured in yesterday's post. The A's had their stud on the mound in game 2 but to no avail, as the host were able to tie up the series at 1. It is now the turn of the Astros to put in their star pitcher as they look to extend their lead at the top of the AL West in a matinee start in Houston.

Oakland Athletics @ Houston Astros (1910 BST)
The A's were hoping to take a 2-0 lead in this series last night with Sonny Gray on the mound but their stud had a rare day off and the visitors found themselves on the wrong end of a 6-4 result. They return today to face the Astros' Dallas Keuchel, who has had a fine start to the 2015 season and will be looking to help extend Houston's 26-14 record - the best in the American League.

Keuchel starts on the mound for the home side today with a 5-1 record through 8 starts and with a 1.87 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and .182 BAA. To date he has pitched 57.2 innings' for 42 K, 37 H, 18 BB, and 12 ER (1 HR). He has 3 shutouts to his name so far this season including a complete game against Oakland in which he gave up just 2 hits and 2 walks. He has given up more than 1 ER in just 3 of his starts, although 2 of those were in his most recent outings against the Angels and Blue Jays where he gave up 4 ER on each occasion.

Opposite Keuchel is Jesse Hahn of the Athletics who is 1-3 through 7 starts with a 4.42 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and .261 BAA. In his 7 starts to date, Hahn has pitched 38.2 innings' for 25 K, 40 H, 9 BB, and 19 ER (1 HR). He has given up at least 3 ER in 4 of his starts to date but does have a 5.1 inning shutout against Kansas City for just 3 hits and a walk. He is yet to face the Astros this season.

The Astros have mixed batting numbers with a .229 AVG (29th), .304 OBP (24th), and .722 OPS (12th) while scoring 176 runs (9th) and giving up 362 K's (29th). They are a slugging team and it has worked relatively well for them of late as they average 5.0 runs per game over a 4-1 run while putting up 4.3 per game over a longer 7-3 stretch. They will look to take advantage of the fact the Hahn tends to put a lot of batters on base in order to generate runs.

The A's, meanwhile, have better numbers of a .259 AVG (10th), .320 OBP (11th), and .720 OPS (14th) while scoring 184 runs (5th) and giving up just 270 K's (7th). However, their recent scoring form has been poor with just 3.6 runs per game being averaged in both their last 5 (1-4) and 10 (2-8) outings. It will certainly get no easier against Dallas Keuchel today.

I expect a win for the Astros as they take a series lead today behind the solid pitching of Dallas Keuchel. The Houston batting lineup is in good nick and I expect them to do just enough against Jesse Hahn to see the team over the line. With Keuchel on the mound, it is unlikely they will need many runs to taste victory today.

Astros @ 8/13
Astros Over 2.5 @ 1/3
Athletics Under 4.5 @ 4/9

Dallas Keuchel put in another fine display against Oakland to see the Astros on their way to a 2-1 series lead. The hosts took the lead in the bottom of 3rd with an RBI single from Jake Marisnick and held the lead through two tight innings' before Billy Butler ran in the tying run for Oakland courtesy of a fielding error. Houston hit straight back in the bottom of the inning with a 2-run homer from Evan Gattis restoring the home side's lead. The Astros then added 3 more in the bottom of the 8th to make sure of the 6-1 victory. Keuchel was the star of the show with 7.0 fine innings producing 4 K, 6 H, 2 BB, and 0 ER on his way to a 6-0 record.

Arizona Diamondbacks @ Miami Marlins (0010 BST)
Neither of these sides covered themselves in glory in 2014 with the Diamondbacks finished rock bottom of the NL West standings at 64-98 - the worst record across the Major Leagues. The Marlins were only a shade better at 77-85 which saw them finish 4th in the NL East. Both teams have struggled to begin the new season in a more positive vein as they each sit well below .500 a month into the season. Arizona has taken the first two games of the series and will look to take a 3rd, and the series win, this evening.

Chase Anderson starts on the mound for the Diamondbacks with an 0-1 through 7 starts this season. He boasts a 2.81 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and .230 BAA and can feel hard done by following a string of no-decisions so far. To date, Anderson has pitched 41.2 innings' for 32 K, 34 H, 12 BB, and 13 ER (2 HR). He has conceded 2 ER or fewer in 5 of his 7 starts so far which includes a 6.0 inning shutout of the Dodgers for just 2 hits and a walk.

Opposite Anderson is David Phelps who is 2-0 through 6 starts with a 2.68 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and .254 BAA. So far he has pitched 37.0 innings' for 27 K, 36 H, 11 BB, and 11 ER (0 HR). He has only given up more than 2 ER on one occasion as a relief pitcher against the Rays in early April and has since pitched very well, including in a 7.0 inning shutout of the Phillies for 3 hits and 2 walks.

Arizona has batted relatively well so far this season with a .266 AVG (5th), .322 OBP (10th), and .724 OPS (10th) while scoring 176 runs (9th) and giving up 284 K's (11th). The D-backs are in reasonable for having averaged 4.2 runs per game in their previous 10 outings (4-6), although that number drops to 3.0 per game in their last 5 (2-3).

Miami, meanwhile, have a .259 AVG (10th), .314 OBP (15th), and .684 OPS (23rd) while scoring 155 runs (19th) and giving up 320 K's (25th). The Marlins have been in miserable form lately with just 2.0 runs per game in a 0-5 run which imprives to just 2.7 runs per game through their last 10 outings (2-8).

I expect Arizona to make it 3-0 in the series today as they have the slightly better pitcher and the most in-form batting lineup on show. I certainly don't expect a huge number of runs scored in this contest but the visitors' greater slugging and run production should see them over the line for the series win.

Diamondbacks +1.5 @ 1/2
Total Runs Under 9.5 @ 2/5
Marlins Under 4.5 Runs @ 8/13

Chase Anderson controlled the game superbly as he put up numbers of 8.0 IP, 2 K, 4 H, 1 BB, and 1 ER to see the Diamondbacks on their way to victory. The visitors got off to a quick start with 3 runs coming in the first two innings'. With Anderson holding up the other end nicely, Arizona added extra runs in the 5th, 7th, and 9th to ensure an emphatic victory. Miami hit back with a run in the bottom of the final inning but it was far from enough as an off day for David Phelps (5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, and 4 ER) saw the home side take a 6-1 loss.

Tampa Bay Rays @ Atlanta Braves (0010 BST)
The Rays and the Braves both finished over 15 game back from their respective division winners last season and will each have been looking to come back as contenders this time around. Tampa Bay is certainly fitting the bill so far with a tie for the AL East lead currently being shared with the Yankees at 22-18. The 18-20 Braves, on the other hand, are 4.0 games back from the Mets and the Nationals at the top of the NL East. This game is the second and last of a very short series in Atlanta which the Rays currently lead 1-0.

Pitching for the visitors today is Jake Odorizzi who is 3-3 from 8 starts this season with a 2.36 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and .214 BAA. He has pitched 53.1 innings' to date for 44 K, 43 H, 8 BB, and 14 ER (2 HR). He has given up more than 1 ER on just 3 occasions (twice against the Yankees) and has a 6.2 inning shutout against Baltimore for just 2 hits and 0 walks.

Opposite Odorizzi is Williams Perez of the Braves who is yet to start a game for the Braves this season. Perez has pitched just 2.1 innings' as a reliever for a 15.43 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, and .333 BAA. From these innings' he has 2 K's, 3 H, 4 BB, and 4 ER (1 HR). He will be hoping to do better as a starter today.

The Rays' batting has been fairly mediocre so far with a .243 AVG (20th), .312 OBP (19th), and .702 OPS (17th) while scoring 161 runs (17th) and giving up 321 K's (26th). Despite this, they have been scoring well of late with an average of 5.6 runs per game over a 3-2 stretch and 4.8 per game in their previous 10 outings (6-4).

The Braves, meanwhile, have fared slightly better in the averages with a .257 AVG (14th), ,320 OBP (11th), and .702 OPS (17th) while scoring 162 runs (16th) and giving up 239 K's (2nd). In their previous 10 games they have averaged 3.7 runs per game over a 4-6 run although this has increased to 4.0 runs per game over a recent 3-2 stretch.

The pitching certainly favors the road team in this game as Williams Perez is untried and untested as a major league starter. Jake Odorizzi, meanwhile, has been in solid form to start the 2015 campaign and will be looking to gain back his winning record today. There is very little to choose between the batting lineups in terms of averages but the Rays have the better of the recent form. That form, along with the superior starting pitcher, should be enough to see them sweep this mini-series 2-0 today.

Rays @ 8/11
Braves Under 4.5 Runs @ 4/9
Rays Over 3.5 Runs @ 8/11

The Braves pitching surprised us in this one as Williams Perez recovered from giving up a run in the 1st inning to deliver a tight performance for the home team. The young starter put up 5.0 innings' for 7 K, 6 H, 1 BB, and 1 ER to leave the Braves with every chance of getting a result. The batting lineup subsequently delivered as Jake Odorizzi tired following a strong start to give up the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 6th. The Rays pitcher put up 6.0 innings' for 2 K, 4 H, 2 BB, and 2 ER but it wasn't enough as the Atlanta bullpen did a fine job in shutting out the visitors down the stretch for a 2-1 victory.

Elsewhere on today's schedule, keep an eye out for the game between the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals as they resume the series with the hosts Washington 1-0 ahead. There was a high quality of offensive baseball on show in game one yesterday and game two looks set to once again be the most entertaining action on the slate tonight. Also, it's never wise to miss a series between the Giants and the Dodgers as they resume action in San Francisco later on with the home side 1-0 up in the 3-game set. Enjoy the baseball and good luck!

MLB Previews: 19/05/15

Welcome back to our second edition of MLB previews for the new 2015 season. Our first set of pick saw us get off to a reasonable start with 5/9 correct tips, but we will look to improve from there and recapture the form we showed late in last season. Today we will be picking up a couple of the teams, and starting pitchers, that we featured in our first previews last Thursday. The New York Mets host the St Louis Cardinals with both Michael Wacha and Jon Niese returning to the mound. We'll take a closer look at that match-up as we follow the fortunes of the two pitchers closely in the early part of the season. Elsewhere on the full 15-game schedule, we'll take our first look at the American League as the Houston Astros host the Oakland Athletics with hot pitcher Sonny Gray on the mound for the A's. With all of that to come later, lets turn our attention to the Los Angeles Angels, AL West Champions in 2014, as they take on the Toronto Blue Jays on the road in the earliest of our three featured games today.

Los Angeles Angels @ Toronto Blue Jays (0007 BST)

The Angels won the Al West with room to spare last season but their campaign came to a disappointing end as they were swept in the ALDS by the Kansas City Royals. They have come back looking to go a couple of steps further this season and a steady start sees them sitting at .500 after 34 games. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, were just off the pace for a playoff spot in 2014 and continue to look like a team just outside the elite in this league. They will look to make a start at turning around an 18-22 record in the upcoming weeks.

Starting on the mound for the Angels today is Hector Santiago. The Los Angeles pitcher comes into this game with a 2-2 record from 7 starts while boasting a 2.41 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and .219 BAA. So far he has pitched 41.0 innings' for 39 K, 34 H, 18 BB, and 11 ER (4 HR). He has allowed more than 1 ER on just two occasions this season, against the Royals on April 10 and the Giants on May 2.

Starting against Santiago for the Blue Jays is right-handed pitcher Aaron Sanchez. Sanchez is 3-3 from his 7 starts this season with a 4.26 ERA  1.61 WHIP, and .229 BAA. In his 38.0 innings' to date, he has numbers of 25 K, 32 H, 29 BB, and 18 ER (4 HR). He gives up a large number of walks which have contributed to the fact that only 1 of his 7 starts has seen him give up less than 2 ER.

The Angels batting lineup has so far struggled to match last season's production as they are hitting a .235 AVG (27th), .289 OBP (29th), and .647 OPS (29th) while scoring 140 runs (26th) and giving up 274 K's (10th). In their last 5 games they are 3-2 while averaging 3.4 runs per game, an average that remains the same over an extended 6-4 run. 

The Blue Jays, meanwhile, have started the season very well on the plate and lead the league in runs with 210 to date. They have put up batting numbers of .262 AVG (7th), .331 OBP (5th), and .763 OPS (4th) while giving up 310 K's (24th). Despite a 1-4 run they have averaged 5.0 runs per game in their last 5 while averaging 4.8 runs per game over their last 10 on a 3-7 stretch. 

This game provides us with a very interesting match-up. The pitching favors the Angels as Hector Santiago is in much greater form than Aaron Sanchez. Sanchez allows a lot of walks and his 1.61 WHIP suggests the Angels are likely to get into plenty of scoring positions. However, scoring is not something the Angels have been doing well lately and we should be wary of this when making our pick. In contrast, the Blue Jays batting has been excellent of late but it has not been translating into wins for this team. Yesterday's opening game of the series demonstrated that both of these teams are able to generate scores on the night. I expect both to follow suit in game 2 today with the Angels tying the series at 1.

Angels +1.5 @ 4/9

Total Runs Over 6.5 @ 1/3 

Angels Over 3.5 Runs @ 4/7

Blue Jays Over 3.5 Runs @ 1/2

The explosion of offense that we expected from this game never came as Santiago and Sanchez both put in solid appearances on the mound. A lead-off Josh Donaldson home run got the Blue Jays off to the perfect start but the home side managed just one more score in the game as Santiago recovered to retire 9 straight batters and set a stifling tone. The Angels responded with a Kole Calhoun solo-home run in the 4th and added to it with RBI singles in the 7th and 8th to take a 3-2 lead. The Los Angeles bullpen did a solid job in closing out the game as the visitors took a hard-earned victory to level the series. Santiago finished with 7.0 IP, 5 K, 4 H, 3 BB, and 1 ER (1 HR), while Sanchez put up 7.1 IP, 5 K, 6 H, 3 BB, and 3 ER (1 HR) in a close defeat.

St Louis Cardinals @ New York Mets (0010 BST)

The defending NL Central Champion Cardinals made a good start to 2015 but have seem themselves drop into a minor slump over the last week or so. Today they are on the road against the 23-16 New York Mets, a team that has made an equally good start to the new campaign. With two strong pitchers lining up to start it looks set to be close game this evening.

On the mound for the visitors is Michael Wacha who will look to continue his strong start to the season. Wacha is 5-0 through 7 starts with a 2.06 ERA 1.08 WHIP, and .224 BAA. In his 43.2 innings' to date he has numbers of 26 K, 37 H, 10 BB, and 10 ER (3 HR). His road record has been superb so far with 4 starts seeing him give up just 5 ER for a 1.85 ERA.

Opposite Wacha is Jon Niese who was also featured in our previews last week. Niese is 3-3 from his 7 starts with a 2.49 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and .273 BAA. Over 43.1 innings' this season he has put up 27 K, 48 H, 12 BB, and 12 ER (4 HR). He has given up more than 1 ER in a game on just two occasions to date.

The St Louis batting lineup continues to be dangerous this year with a .265 AVG (5th), .329 OBP (7th), and .731 OPS (7th). They have 162 runs to date (12th) while striking out 297 times (18th). Their last 10 games have seen a slight slump in production with an average of 3.6 runs per game on a 4-6 run. This drops further to 2.4 runs per game in their last 5 (2-3).

The Mets, meanwhile, have not fared as well at the plate with a .238 AVG (24th), .302 OBP (24th), and .663 OPS (27th). They have 151 runs to date (21st) while giving up 291 K's (16th). However, since we last looked at the Mets on Thursday they have picked up their production with an average of 5.2 runs per game in their last 5 (3-2) while their previous 10 outings have seen them average 4.1 runs per game in a 5-5 stretch.

I expect the Cardinals to claim the win today as Jon Niese allows too many batters on base to keep control of the scoring against a strong lineup. The Mets, having improved their batting over their previous five games, will face a stern test against Wacha today. I expect the Cardinals starter to be miserly once again as he lays the foundation for his 6th win in 8 starts.

Cardinals @ 5/6

Cardinals Over 2.5 Runs @ 4/9

Mets Under 4.5 Runs @ 4/11

Michael Wacha gave up a couple of runs but the Cardinals lineup routed the Mets' pitching to render them insignificant to the result. St Louis scored in each of the first four innings' to take a 4-0 lead but a 2-run homer from Daniel Murphy in the bottom of the 4th halved the deficit. A devastating 6th inning from the visitors sealed the game with 6 runs going in as Jon Niese's pitching collapsed. The final 3 innings' were scoreless as Wacha made it a perfect 6-0 start to the season. He posted numbers of 7.0 IP, 5 K, 4 H, 2 BB, and 2 ER (1 HR) on his way to another fine victory.

Oakland Athletics @ Houston Astros (0110 BST)

Oakland's fall from grace in the second half of last season was epic as it lost a commanding lead of the AL West before scraping into a home Wild Card game which was promptly lost. That slide has continued into this season as the A's currently sit rooted to the bottom of their division at 14-26. At the other end of the AL West sit the Houston Astros. The Astros have been the perennial whipping boys of the AL in recent season but seem to have emerged from the mire with a superb 25-14 record to start the season. They will look to further cement the reverse in fortunes for both sides with a win today.

Pitching for the visitors is Sonny Gray who has made a fantastic start to 2015 with a 4-1 record from 8 starts while putting up a 1.61 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and .186 BAA. In his 56.0 innings' he has 53 K's, 37 H, 15 BB, and 10 ER (1 HR). He has allowed more than 2 ER in just two of his 8 starts to date and has 2 shutouts, both against Texas.

Opposite Gray is Astros pitcher Roberto Hernandez who is 1-3 from his 7 starts with a 4.12 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and .253 BAA. Hernandez has pitched 43.2 innings' to date for 20 K, 41 H, 12 BB, and 20 ER (6 HR). He has given up 3 ER or more in 5 of his 7 starts to date.

Oakland's batting lineup has not been terrible so far with a .258 AVG (13th), .319 OBP (12th), and a .716 OPS (14th) while scoring 180 runs (5th) and giving up just 264 K (6th). However, recent form has seen them hit a cold streak with an average of 2.8 runs per game in their last 5 (1-4) and 3.5 runs per game in their previous 10 (2-8). They will look to hit their way out of this against a struggling pitcher today.

Houston, meanwhile, are at the wrong end of the batting averages with a .226 AVG (30th), .301 OBP (25th), and .714 OPS (15th). Despite this, they are 11th in runs scored (170) while leading the league in home runs (57) although they also give up a lot of K's with 356 to date (29th). It won't be so easy for their sluggers today against an in-form Sonny Gray.

I expect this game to go against the form book as Oakland win behind their superb starting pitcher. The Astros' batting threat this season has been their slugging, but Gray has allowed just 1 HR this season and his BAA of .186 shows that it has not been easy to get in play from his pitches. Oakland, meanwhile, have batted reasonably well so far this season and, despite their recent slump in form, I expect them to hit their way out against Hernandez who has far from inspired with his numbers to date. Look for an Oakland win in a relatively tight game here.

Athletics @ 8/11

Total Runs Under 9.5 @ 1/2

Astros Under 4.5 Runs @ 1/2

The Athletics were always just behind the 8-ball in this game as Houston leveled the series with a 6-4 win. The Astros took the lead in the 2nd with a 2-run homer from Chris Carter. The A's hit back immediately with an RBI double to halve the deficit but the home side once again extended the lead to 2 with an Evan Gattis RBI single in the 5th. A Max Muncy home run once again put the A's back into contention at 3-2 in the 6th but two more home runs for the Astros in the 8th, scoring 3, took the game away. Oakland put up a fight in the final inning but were stopped in their tracks by a double play to end the game still two runs behind at 6-4.

Finally, we will finish today's post with our first MLB long shot attempt of the new season as the full 15-game schedule gives us plenty of scope to make picks. Here are 6 tips that we feel have a good chance of coming through today:

Pirates (0005 BST)

Orioles (0005 BST)

Nationals (0005 BST)

Tigers (0008 BST)

Rays @ Braves Over 5.5 Runs (0010 BST)

Phillies (0140 BST)

£10 stake returns £185.56

Our first acca of the new season goes south as Pittsburgh gave up a 6-run 2nd inning to lose 8-5, while there were also losses for the Tigers (8-1 vs. Milwaukee) and the Phillies (6-5 @ Colorado). The wins came for the Orioles (9-4 vs. Seattle) and the Nationals (8-6 vs. Yankees) while the Rays defeated Atlanta 5-3 to bring in the run total above 5.5. 

Elsewhere on today's full schedule we'll be keeping an eye on the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Colorado Rockies as we take an interest in Aaron Harang's pitching for the road team. Harang has made a strong start to his time with the Phillies, posting a 2.03 ERA through his first 8 starts. Today he will face the test of high altitude baseball in Colorado as he looks to maintain his excellent numbers in a tough ballpark for pitchers. Also on today's schedule, keep an eye out for Johnny Cueto as he and the Cincinnati Reds face the Kansas City Royals. Cueto has made another strong start to the season on the mound but the Royals' batting lineup has been potent in the early stages of the campaign and will provide a tough test for the stud pitcher. Enjoy the baseball and good luck!

Football Rolling Acca £10 to £1000 30 Day Challenge - Bet 9

After successfully tipping Chelsea or Draw double chance last weekend against Liverpool, we roll on to Bet 9 of our roller. We haven't encountered any stumbling blocks or close shaves as of yet, with 8 relatively straight forward winners so far. Fingers crossed my Bet 9, as shown below, can continue us on our journey.

Following last week's winner we are now up to a great total of £114.62 from our original £10 stake.

Manchester United vs Arsenal (16:00 GMT)
Bet 9 of our roller takes us to Old Trafford, and a giant match-up between two of British football's best and most successful teams. Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal has recently come out to the press and said that 'finishing fourth is not a cause for celebration, its a step in the right direction'. United missed out on Champions League football all together last season, with manager David Moyes paying the price. This season Champions League football was a must, however a club of United's stature doesn't settle for 3rd or 4th place. Both these sides are comfortably in the top 4, with Liverpool unable to catch United after a run of poor results. A run of good results for United could see them snatch 3rd place from today's visitors Arsenal.

Manchester United are unbeaten in seven home league meetings with Arsenal (W6 D1), with their last defeat coming all the way back in in September 2006. A huge loss for United, is the fact that captain Wayne Rooney is unavailable today after picking up an injury last week. Rooney has an excellent record against the Gunners. Rooney has 11 goals against Arsenal in the Premier League, his third most fruitful opponents, behind only Aston Villa (13) and Newcastle (12). Similarly, United will be without Michael Carrick and Rafael, and Marcos Rojo, Angel Di Maria and Robin van Persie are doubts.

For Arsenal, they could become only the fourth team in history to beat Man United twice at Old Trafford in the same season after their cup conquest earlier this year. Another positive for Arsenal is the fact that Manchester United have gone seven Premier League games without a clean sheet; their worst run since September 2001. Arsenal have won their last five Premier League away games; their longest winning run since September 2013 (eight wins, their joint-best in the Premier League era). Arsenal will be without ex-United academy graduate, Danny Welbeck, who will miss the chance to face his former club as he has been ruled out with a knee injury.

Their last 5 match-ups have resulted in a mix bag of results, with United winning twice, two finishing in a draw, and the Gunners coming out on top last time out in the FA Cup. 

My tip for today is for both teams to score. This may at first glance appear a slight gamble with only 3 of the last 5 matches between the two sides ending with both teams scoring, however I believe both teams will be looking to attack today. Both teams will be looking to end the season on a high, and apply pressure on Manchester City in 2nd place. There is little in the way of pressure on either side, with no real downside to a defeat, as the losers will more than likely finish 4th rather than 3rd, but still appear in next year's Champions League.

Bet 9 - Manchester United vs Arsenal

Both Teams to Score @ 8/13 

£114.62 Stake Returns £185.15

MLB Previews: 14/05/15

The month of May is perhaps the most thrilling 31 days of the sporting calendar around the world. As fans we are treated to the climax of the European football season, the NBA, NHL, and IPL playoffs all reach their long-anticipated finale's, and, of course, the weather starts to get a little better for us amateurs pulling muscles on the ballpark. Also in the month of May, we see the Major League Baseball season getting into full swing as the stars have shaken off the early rust through April and are now into the rhythms of their respective schedules. It is as good a time as any to begin our MLB previews for the summer, with an 11-game schedule giving us plenty to pick from as we analyse the teams for the first time this season. We'll begin our season previews by looking solely at match-ups from the National League. The defending champion San Francisco Giants are in action on the road as they take in the challenge of star pitcher Johnny Cueto in Cincinnati. We will also take a look at two of the early surprise packages this season as the Chicago Cubs host the New York Mets with both sitting on winning records through their first 30 games. First, though, we will have a closer look at the early game on today's schedule as the St Louis Cardinals look to extend their fine start to the season against the struggling Cleveland Indians.

St Louis Cardinals @ Cleveland Indians (1710 BST)
St Louis topped the NL Central Division in 2014 with a 90-72 record and made it to the NLCS where it went down 4-1 to the eventual champion San Francisco Giants. The Cardinals have started the season with the intent to get back to the playoffs, posting a 23-10 record in a confident start. The Indians, meanwhile, missed out on a playoff berth by 5.0 games last time around but have started poorly this year with an opening run of 12-20. They will be looking to turn around a poor 6-11 record in front of their home crowd but face a tough task in overcoming the Cards this afternoon.

Pitching for the road team is Michael Wacha who is enjoying a great start to the 2015 season. In his 6 starts to date he is 5-0 with a 2.09 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and .221 BBA. To date he has pitched of 38.2 innings' for 19 K, 32 H, 8 BB, and 9 ER (2 HR). He is an impressive 3-0 on the road so far with a 1.86 ERA. Opposite Wacha is Cleveland starter Trevor Baeur. Baeur is 2-1 from 6 starts with a 4.19 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and .240 BAA. He has pitched 34.1 innings' for 34 K, 31 H, 16 BB, and 16 ER (3 HR). Baeur is likely to find it a tough match up against the miserly Wacha this afternoon.

Both batting lineups have made relatively good starts to the season. St Louis is comfortably a top ten unit to date with a .269 AVG (3rd), .332 OBP (4th), and .732 OPS (10th) while scoring 150 runs (11th) and giving up 243 K's (11th). They have averaged 5.4 runs per game through their last 10 and 5.8 in their previous 5. Cleveland, meanwhile, has not quite performed as well but has still put up respectable numbers with a .251 AVG (17th), .323 OBP (12th), and .717 OPS (13th). The Indians have 139 runs to date (17th) while averaging 5.1 per game through their last 10 and 4.0 through their previous 5. They have given up just 205 strikeouts so far, the second lowest total in the league.

The first series of the season is currently tied at 1-1 following a 2-0 victory for the hosts yesterday while the Cardinals took game one 8-3. I expect St Louis to complete a series win today as they have the better pitcher on the mound while also holding an advantage in the batting. Baeur has a high strikeout rate but also gives up a relatively large number of walks. The visitors have been adept at getting on base and generating runs so far this season. I expect the trend to continue today.

Cardinals @ 5/6
Cardinals Over 3.5 Runs @ 4/5
Indians Under 4.5 Runs @ 4/11

Michael Wacha's impressive start to the season continued as he pitched 5 innings for 5 H, 2 BB, 1 ER (1 HR) and 7 K's. The St Louis starter did not, however, pick up the win as a Michael Brantley home run in the 6th actually put Cleveland ahead at the time Wacha was taken out. The Cardinals' bullpen proceeded to shutout the hosts and a two-run homer from Matt Carpenter at the top of the 8th was enough for the visitors to take a 2-1 victory.

New York Mets @ Chicago Cubs (1920 BST)
Our second game of the afternoon keeps us in the National League as the 18-15 Chicago Cubs host the 20-14 New York Mets. Neither side got close to the postseason last time around but both have made surprisingly good starts to this campaign. Chicago will be looking to complete a four game sweep of the Mets today.

Pitching for the Mets is Jon Niese who has gone 3-2 from his first 6 starts of the season. He from his 37.0 innings' he has a 1.95 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and .280 BAA while putting up numbers of 25 K, 42 H, 11 BB, and 8 ER (3 HR). He has improved into May with an ERA of 0.64 across his two starts this month. Travis Wood is on the mound for the Cubs as he looks to arrest a poor start to the season. He is 2-2 from 6 starts with a 4.96 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and .244 BAA. His 32.2 innings' have yielded 34 K, 31 H, 9 BB, and 18 ER (6 HR).

The Cubs haven't been the most explosive lineup in the league but have held their own through the first 30 games. They currently have a .249 AVG (19th), .326 OBP (7th), and .720 OPS (11th) while scoring 139 runs (17th). They have also struck out more than any other team in the league to date with 331 K's (30th). Chicago has averaged 4.5 runs per game through its last 10 but that has dropped to 3.6 per games in its previous 5 outings. The Mets, meanwhile, have been among the worst 10 teams in the league on offense with a .235 AVG (23rd), .302 OBP (24th), and .651 OPS (28th) while scoring just 125 runs (25th) and giving up 238 K's (22nd). They have been particularly poor on their recent 4-6 run during which they have averaged just 2.4 runs per game. This has improved slightly to 3.0 per game through their last 5.

Neither side has been flush with runs lately and I expect the trend to continue as Chicago's marginally better batting lineup is tied up by the in-form Jon Niese. The Mets have a great opportunity to score well against an out-of-sorts Travis Wood but their recent cold spell doesn't inspire me with confidence. Don't expect too much in the way of entertainment here.

Total Runs Under 8.5 @ 8/13
Mets Under 4.5 Runs @ 1/2
Cubs Under 4.5 Runs @ 1/2

Both teams hit their way out of a cold streak in a complete bust for us as the Cubs eventually prevailed 6-5 despite the Mets out-hitting their hosts 10-6. Jon Niese's recent form took a hit as he gave up 6 runs (4 ER) from just 6 hits and a walk in his 6.1 innings on the mound. The Mets held a brief 5-1 lead at the top of the 5th inning but the Cubs replied immediately with a 4-run set to level the scores. Following a scoreless 6th inning, a fielding error in the bottom of the 7th allowed Dexter Fowler to run in the eventual winner. Both teams will look to build on their run production in this game going forward.

San Francisco Giants @ Cincinnati Reds (0010 BST) 
Both sides come into this game, the first of a four-game series, with a 17-17 record following inconsistent starts to the season. Cincinnati is looking to make amends for a poor run down the stretch last season that obliterated any postseason hopes. The Giants, meanwhile, have made a tentative start to their title defense and will be looking to get comfortably above .500 sooner rather than later.

Johnny Cueto, one of the best pitchers of the 2014 season, starts for the Reds today with a 3-3 record from 7 starts. He currently has a 2.98 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and .202 BAA while his 51.1 innings' have produced 47 K, 37 H, 8 BB, and 17 ER (7 HR). He will be looking to tighten up on the big hits he has given away to date. Opposite Cueto is Tim Lincecum who comes into this game with a 3-2 record from 6 starts. Lincecum has a 2.00 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and .288 BAA to date while his 36.0 innings' have seen 28 K, 29 H, 14 BB, and 8 ER (1 HR). He will look to continue his miserly streak this evening.

Neither side has been lighting up the ballparks with their batting to date as runs have come at a premium for both. The Giants have a .260 AVG (10th), .324 OBP (8th), and .700 OPS (20th) but have scored just 112 runs (29th). The good news is they have avoided a high strikeout rate with just 233 K's to date (7th). San Francisco averages 3.87 runs per game in its last 10 but this has improved to 4.4 in the previous 5. The Reds, meanwhile, have a 237 AVG (20th), .312 OBP (17th), and .705 OPS (15th) while scoring 137 runs (20th) and giving up 265 K's (18th). They average just 3.7 runs per game in their last 10 and this has dropped to 3.0 in the previous 5.

I expect a low scoring game between these two as a pair of miserly pitchers take on two batting lineups that have struggled to consistently score runs in the opening stages of the season. Look for a pitchers duel in arguably the most high-profile game of the evening.

Total Runs Under 8.5 @ 1/2
Giants Under 4.5 Runs @ 4/11
Reds Under 4.5 Runs @ 4/7

We scraped through with 3/3 correct selections in this game as neither starter quite got hold of the opposing batting lineup as we expected. The Giants took an early 2-0 lead with runs in the 1st and 3rd inning but RBI singles in the 4th and 5th turned the game around to give Cincinnati a 3-2 lead. Each bullpen did a reasonably good job of stemming the flow of men on base late in the game and the two teams managed just a run each in the 8th as the Reds held on for a 4-3 victory.

Of the remaining 8 games on the schedule this Thursday, we'll be keeping an eye on the match-up between the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres out on the west coast. Both starting pitchers, Doug Fister and Tyson Ross, were of interest too us last season and each has made a solid start to 2015. We'll be sure to continue tracking their progress ahead of future previews. Elsewhere, the Kansas City Royals, cruelly beaten in game 7 of the World Series last season will be looking to continue their hot start to the new campaign. Currently leading the AL Central at 21-13, they take on the 15-19 Texas Rangers. Enjoy the baseball and good luck!

Football Rolling Acca £10 to £1000 30 Day Challenge - Bet 8

After 7 successful bets and over 880% profit, we now march onto bet 8 of our challenge. After 7 easy winners, our total now stands at £88.17 from our original £10.

Bet 8 of our Rolling Acca takes us to Stamford Bridge, as the newly crowned champions Chelsea host old rivals Liverpool. Jose Mourinho faces Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard for the final time, before the latter leaves on a new adventure to LA Galaxy. Mourinho famously tried signing Gerrard at all 3 of his previous clubs; Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, but the Liverpudlian couldn't be moved. Unfortunately for Gerrard, the saga has to end by Gerrard and his team-mates giving bitter rivals Chelsea a guard of honour.

This may feel like a watered down match-up due to Chelsea already wrapping up the title with 3 games to spare, however Liverpool are still desperate to cling on to any slim chance they have of snatching a top 4 spot from rivals Man Utd. After United's scrappy 2-1 victory away at Crystal Palace yesterday, the task is near impossible for Brendan Rogers' Liverpool, but they will continue to try and apply pressure on their Mancunian counterparts. Liverpool sit 7 points behind Man Utd, with a win today closing the gap to 4 points with just 2 games remaining. Therefore if United win either of their remaining games, the top 4 finish will be guaranteed

Chelsea have won six of their last seven games on their way to their fourth title of the Premier League era, but it remains to be seen whether they can maintain the same focus and desire having now achieved their goal. However, Jose Mourinho has won eight and lost just one of 10 Premier League matches as a coach against Liverpool. However it is not all bad reading for the reds, as Liverpool have lost just one of their last four Barclays Premier League visits to Stamford Bridge (W2 D1 L1).
Furthermore, after an appalling start to the season, which saw reserve keeper Brad Jones take over, Simon Mignolet has kept 13 clean sheets in the Premier League this season – only Fraser Forster (13) has kept as many.

I believe today, that there is simply no chance of a Mourinho led Chelsea letting off or slacking. Jose Mourinho has coached Chelsea in 96 Premier League games at Stamford Bridge, losing just one (W75 D20 L1). That is simply an unbelievable record, and I believe the best Liverpool can hope for is a draw. Liverpool don't boast anywhere near the attacking ferocity and prowess of last season, scoring just 47 goals this season compared to over 100 last season. Liverpool will be without star striker Daniel Sturridge who is in America having hip surgery. Deputies Balotelli, Lambert and Borini have all failed to impress, and with that Liverpool's attacking play has further diminished.

My tip for today is for Chelsea / Draw double chance. This bet means that for us to win, the result must finish either a Chelsea win or a draw at full-time.

Bet 8 - Chelsea vs Liverpool

Chelsea or Draw - Double Chance @ 3/10 WilliamHill

£88.17 Returns £114.62

WINNER