Month: July 2012

The Detroit Tigers (53-45, 25-24 away) have been tearing up Major League Baseball since coming off the All-Star break. Going 9-3 since the midsummer classic, Detroit has pulled even with division foes the Chicago White Sox, and now looks forward to an opportunity tonight to nab 2 games out of 3 in their series against fellow AL Central rivals the Cleveland Indians (49-49, 26-25 home), who are starting to show signs of fading away as the season progresses towards the playoffs. Nonetheless, with a rubber match for the 3-game series set for tonight between the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio, and a tough 9-game road stretch coming up for The Tribe ahead, Game 3 will be a pivotal showdown that may have a lasting impact on both teams as they look to build confidence for sustained time away from their home ballparks.

Tonight’s pitching matchup is a beauty, with the Detroit Tigers’ ace Justin Verlander (11-5, 2.42 ERA) set to hit the mound against Cleveland’s Zach McAllister (4-2, 3.21 ERA). There isn’t much that needs to be said about Verlander that you probably don’t already know, aside from the fact that once again he’s one of the most dominating pitchers in the Major Leagues, and looks to be fully back on top form with three straight wins, all quality starts, in the last 3 appearances. In this match-up, there is no question Verlander will be looking for more run support, as his last outing saw him pitch very well to the tune of 8 innings with 2 runs allowed, but also saw the Tigers fall in a 2-1 game as he was outdueled by Justin Masterson. Verlander has no difficulties finding success at Progressive Field, where he’s 5-2 with an ERA hovering around 3.30 in his last 8 starts there. Cleveland has been unable, much like most MLB clubs, to find good contact against the fireballer, with the Indians batting just .192 against him over those past 8 starts. Therefore, in order for Cleveland to stay in this game tonight, given the advantage on offense also going to the Tigers and their big bats, the Indians are going to have to get a huge, standout performance from Zach McAllister, who is certainly capable enough of producing a big game with few runs put up for the opposition.

McAllister, while being a rookie call-up this season, has continued to show poise that even the most veteran pitchers in the league would be envious of. Since debuting in the majors back on May 7th and starting 9 games, he’s just once given up more than 3 runs in an outing, and has held his opponents to 5 or fewer hits in his last 3 starts. McAllister is 2-1 with a 2.49 ERA in the month of July, and has seen his win total increase and his ERA fall over each month he’s pitched. He pitched very well in his lone outing against Detroit back on May 23rd, contributing 6 1/3 innings of work with just 2 runs given up, but took no decision in a 4-2 victory. The big factor in that game, and in tonight’s match-up is McAllister’s control. He gave up no walks against the Tigers, and despite allowing 8 hits, he stayed balanced enough to not get in trouble with runners on base. Key for him tonight is recognize that a good-hitting team like Detroit will get on base, but preventing runners in scoring position, and preventing unnecessary free passes on the base paths will be critical to his success. There will be plenty of pressure on the 24 year old kid tonight against a former Cy Young award winner, but if the Indians can get 6+ innings out of McAllister and have him hold Detroit to 2 or less runs, they will most certainly be in contention come time to hand the ball off to Cleveland’s pen.

On the hitting side of things tonight, the usual suspects will be the ones to watch for on the Detroit side, as Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera and Austin Jackson are always on their hitting game it seems. Fielder walks in hitting .343 for July, and as he’s yet to hit off Zach McAllister (0-for-3 in his only game against him), there is likely the chance that the big guy will find success tonight. However, the biggest bat in the Tigers lineup to be wary of is that of Miggy Cabrera, who is having another ridiculous season hitting .328 with 24 home runs and 82 RBIs. He went 2-for-5 against McAllister in his only chance seeing the rookie back in May, and is hitting .382 for the month of July with 8 homers and 20 RBI. He has 6 homers since the All-Star break, and with McAllister having a tendency to be a fly-ball pitcher, this could be a scary situation for the rookie on a number of occasions. Expect Cabrera to be pitched around a lot tonight, but don’t be surprised if he puts one over the fences, having taken Cleveland pitching deep 3 times already this season. Lastly, Austin Jackson should be a contributor at the plate tonight, as he gets on base even when he doesn’t get hits, and is bound to get back on a hot streak of run scoring (up until July 17th he scored in 12 straight games).

For Cleveland, their bats have actually had plenty of experience against Verlander, with varying degrees of success over a combined 383 plate appearances. Michael Brantley has hit exceptionally well in his 3-year stint against Verlander, compiling a .474 batting average (9-for-19) against the Tigers ace. Brantley is hitting .327 for the month of July, and despite slumping in the last week (5-for-26), he could be a key contributor against a pitcher that is hard for anyone to hit. Cleveland could sure use a boost from Jason Kipnis, their leading run producer with 53 RBIs on the year, but he’s just 0-for-6 against Verlander. However, with Kipnis often finding hits coming in pairs after an 0-fer night, this could be a game in which he busts out with some success. Other Cleveland hitters to keep in mind are Shin-Soo Choo, who is keeping on pace batting .305 for the month (but just .214 against Verlander in 42 at-bats) and Asdrubal Cabrera, who is another key run producer for The Tribe. While neither player has had much success against Justin Verlander, they’ll both need to find a way to get on base, and/or help produce a run or two if Cleveland is to avoid their 9th loss in their last 14 games.

Betting Lines for the Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Indians at TopBet sportsbook.

With Justin Verlander on the mound against rookie Zach McAllister, the Detroit Tigers take the advantage on the money line getting -180 odds to win straight up. Cleveland is a +160 underdog at home, as the bookmakers put big odds against them being able to overcome a surging former Cy Young award winner. With Verlander itching to get back at Cleveland for his loss against them earlier this season, and hitting top form coming off the All-Star break, it’s safe to presume that the easy bet will be taking Detroit straight up on the road to nab 2 out of 3 from the Indians this evening.

Against the spread, the Indians will get 1 ½ runs to play with as underdogs, with EVEN money going to those willing to bank on Cleveland being able to keep this game close. After two close games in this series before tonight, it’ll be a tough call banking either way here, with Detroit getting decent odds at -120 price to cover 1 1/2 runs as favorites. However, with Verlander likely to give up less than 2 runs this evening, and with a rookie being seen by the Detroit lineup for the second time around. Chance grow exponentially that Detroit’s bats will be the difference maker here this evening, and push the young McAllister out of the game earlier than expected.

For the over/under, there’s a tight 7 runs available for the total runs, which could entirely hinge on how many runs Detroit is able to put up themselves. We don’t expect hardly anything being given up by Verlander this evening, so if the rookie McAllister can have another decent outing against Detroit, this game will be staying under the total runs, giving EVEN money odds to under pickers. Though the bookmakers show that -120 odds are going towards the over bet, indicating a slightly higher chance of a breakout, we’re awfully reluctant to take the over wager on any game in which Justin Verlander is involved in. Detroit could blow up for certain, but the smart money might be on a low-scoring affair here this evening.

The St. Louis Cardinals (51-46, 27-21 home) were finally able to shake off an 8-game losing streak to the Los Angeles Dodgers (53-45, 24-25 away) last night, as the Cards’ bats came alive to put up 8 runs against Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw in an 8-2 victory for Game 2 of the 4-game series between the two storied franchises. Tonight however St. Louis will be the ones looking to start a new, positive trend with a second consecutive win over Los Angeles, as they put out their staff ace Kyle Lohse (10-2, 2.71 ERA) for a great pitching battle with LA’s Aaron Harang (7-5, 3.46 ERA). Expect great betting lines, and an exciting Game 3 showdown at Busch Stadium tonight as game time is set for 8:00 PM ET in St. Louis, Missouri.

After dropping 5 of their first 6 games coming off the All-Star break by way of a dismal 6-game road trip, the Cardinals have completely reversed their fortunes at home, compiling 4 wins in their last 5 games there. Interestingly enough tonight’s starter for the Cardinals, Kyle Lohse, was the pitcher who pulled St. Louis out of their post-break funk, by winning 4-1 at home against the Chicago Cubs on July 20th. Tonight, he’ll seek a 4th straight win at home and a 5 consecutive victory overall, as well as a 10th straight quality start. There is no question that with Lohse on the mound at home (5-1, 2.61 ERA), who has helped St. Louis win 10 times in his last 13 starts there, the Cardinals should have the upper hand in this ballgame, especially is the St. Louis bats can contribute run support like they did last night against the Dodgers’ ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw.

Run support has been one thing very much lacking for Aaron Harang in this series, as he’s winless over his last 5 appearances against St. Louis (0-4, 3.94 ERA) due mostly to only getting 5 total runs of support in those outings. But fortunately for the Dodgers, Harang has been very sharp in his 3 starts this month (2-0, 2.37 ERA), and has typically gotten much more run support on the road than he has at home. One area of concern is the fact that St. Louis has been able to hit him pretty hard in his appearances against them either at home or away, as the STL lineup has amassed a .283 average in the last 6 starts he’s had, and is hitting .288 against him at Busch Stadium, where he’s 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA over the last 3 seasons. There is no question that command is going to be essential to Harang’s success tonight, as there is a tendency for him to give up a number of walks (he’s issued as many as 8 in one game this season). Harang can’t afford to put base runners on against a hard-hitting team like St. Louis, which ranks 1st in the MLB for on-base percentage, 2nd in batting average and 4th in runs scored this season. However, if Harang can keep his pitch count, as well as the ball, down tonight, and work around some key hitters that have tagged him in the past, there is a big potential for a low-scoring game that just may give way towards the Dodgers. That is of course with the provision that they can find some early runs against the dominating Kyle Lohse.

Luckily for Aaron Harang, it appears as though Lance Berkman won’t be in the line-up to face him, as Berkman has pounded Harang for 7 homers and 10 RBI in 58 career at-bats against the right-hander. That said though, there are a lot of other weapons in the STL line-up that could pose problems for Aaron Harang tonight, including the likes of Carlos Beltran, David Freese, and Rafael Furcal, who have all had plenty of success against tonight’s starter for the Dodgers. Carlos Beltran is working on a 6-game hitting streak and is .345 lifetime against Harang with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs, and should be one hitter that Harang will try to work around. David Freese is another key ingredient to the Cardinals success at the plate lately, as he’s been on fire in July hitting .429 for the month, and is 4-for-6 with a home run against Harang already. The former World Series MVP raised his batting average 16 points during a 7-game hitting streak, and will be a factor in this game one way or another. Lastly, watch out for the veteran shortstop Rafael Furcal to be a contributor for the Cardinals this evening at the plate. He is 10-for-21 (.476) against Harang over his career, and has 3 multi-hit games in his last 4 outings. While Furcal hasn’t hit very well at home this season (.243), he could very well be in line for another multi-hit game against a pitcher he’s been hugely successful against.

For the Dodgers in the past, they’ve actually had decent success hitting Kyle Lohse, with Lohse compiling a 1-1 record in 3 starts against them in the past few years, sporting a 6.06 ERA and a .284 opponent batting average. In his lone start against them at Dodger Stadium this season, he was tagged for 11 hits in 5 2/3 innings, giving up 3 runs in a 6-5 loss for the Cards back on May 20th. In his last outing against the Dodgers at Busch Stadium, Lohse fared even worse, allowing 8 runs in just 3 innings of work in a 13-2 loss back on August 23rd, 2011. So, while Kyle Lohse has certainly been dominant this season in general and at home specifically, the Dodgers do have some confidence that they can produce hits tonight, as the current batting line-up for LA sports a .299 average against him. Andre Ethier is hitting .357 against Lohse, and is due to get back on form after having his 9-game hitting streak snapped last night. James Loney has tagged Cardinals pitching this year (8-for-16), and has a .313 lifetime average against Lohse. Lastly Matt Kemp, who has propelled the Dodgers back into the race for the NL West, has caught fire hitting .341 for July with 4 multi-hit games in his last 5 starts. After going 0-for-3 last night, the .352 hitter for the season is certainly due to be a contributing factor this evening.

Betting Lines for the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals at Bovada Sportsbook.

With the St. Louis Cardinals finally breaking through and stopping an 8-game losing skid to the LA Dodgers, the bookmakers have fully turned towards the Cardinals as the favorite in Game 3 tonight, giving them -150 odds to win straight up on the money line behind Kyle Lohse. With Aaron Harang’s history of no run support in this series, the money line has the Dodgers as +135 underdogs, which could be enticing for riskier bettors who expect to see LA come back strong against a St. Louis pitcher they’ve had plenty of success against.

Against the spread, there is likely going to be plenty of wagers aimed at the Cardinals, as their big bats at home are easily capable of pulling away with a +2 run victory. With the Cards getting +135 odds to cover 1 ½ runs tonight, expect the majority of spread picks going here. With -155 odds on the Dodgers to stay within 1 ½ runs as underdogs, the odds just don’t seem worth it considering the lack of run support historically given to Harang in this series.

For the over/under, the total runs stand at 9 for tonight’s match-up, with EVEN money going to the under pickers and -120 odds going to the over takers. The onus for over bettors has to be the Dodgers, and whether or not they can produce enough runs to help push the total runs over the mark. Expectations should be high though that while a few runs will inevitably creep up, this solid pitching duel should produce a low run total that runs close to, but not quite over the total runs line. Look out for a 4-3 or 5-3 result, with the St. Louis Cardinals taking another win tonight at home.

Two teams fully entrenched in the AL Wild Card race this season get set to do battle in an AL East divisional clash tonight, as the Baltimore Orioles (51-45, 23-22 home) prepare to host the visiting Tampa Bay Rays (49-47, 21-22 away) for a three game series at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. With two outstanding pitchers on the mound set to duke out an important showdown starting at 7:05 PM ET tonight, this is one of Major League Baseball’s key match-ups you won’t want to miss out on for online sports betting at one of the best online sportsbooks reviewed at CR.

Tonight’s pitching match-up is certainly a good one, with Baltimore’s Wei-Yin Chen (8-5, 3.80 ERA) facing Tampa’s Jeremy Hellickson (4-6, 3.55 ERA), but perhaps the most pressure for the game lies on the shoulders of Hellickson and the Rays, who come off a poor home stand and head into the first game of a 9-game road trip. In fact, the Rays have been on a steady downward turn since losing the division lead back on June 11th, and have compiled just a 14-22 since then. They dropped the last 2 games at home against the lowly Seattle Mariners coming into tonight’s contest to finish 4-6 on a 10-game homestand, and badly need a boost in confidence and a quality performance from their starter on the road. Against the Orioles, who just lost for the first time in 6 games, Tampa must find a way to get scoring on the board early in the first game of a long road trip, and fortunately they’ve already had some success against Wei-Yin Chen, who was tagged for 5 runs over 5 2/3 innings in a 5-0 loss to Tampa Bay in his only career start against them back on June 1st. Perhaps just as important for the Rays tonight is to get Jeremy Hellickson back in a groove once again, who is in a 0-6 slump over his last 9 starts, despite 3 straight quality appearances leading into tonight. Luckily for the Rays, Hellickson has been impressive against Baltimore during his short career, posting a 4-2 record with a 2.36 ERA. The Orioles are batting just .210 off of him, and if he can keep the Orioles to a very low scoring output, the Rays may just have a chance in a tight game on the road.

Run support will be huge for both pitchers this evening, with both teams equally unable to produce runs (tied for 19th at 396 runs apiece) this season, and unable to raise their batting averages out of the bottom quarter of the league (26th for the O’s at .241, 28th for the Rays at .232). It’s truly interesting to note though how the Baltimore pitching rotation is carrying the load this season, as Baltimore still manages to hang on to second place in the AL East despite a -46 run differential. They are the only team in the AL East with a negative run differential this season, and their standing at a half game out of the Wild Card spot is truly a testament to how good their pitching has held up, and how savvy of a manager Buck Showalter is at getting the best out of his starting rotation and his bullpen. Facing a team that hasn’t been able to produce runs, Baltimore has to have an upper hand in this match-up tonight, just as they did in the previous series between the two teams in Baltimore, in which the O’s took 2 out of 3 games from the Rays between May 11th-13th.

Looking across key contributors at the plate for this evening’s game, the stand out for the Baltimore Orioles lately is Nick Markakis, who is hitting .362 in July (17-for-47), but has yet to break out with scoring production, having no homers and just 1 RBI so far this month. While he’s hit just .190 for his career against Hellickson (4-for-21), two of those 4 hits have been home runs, and he’s driven in 5 of the Orioles 9 RBIs against the Tampa Bay pitcher. Another key O’s player to keep an eye out for is Adam Jones, who is having a tremendous season already with a .292 average, 22 homers and 50 RBIs. Jones is 6-for-19 (.316) against Jeremy Hellickson, and also sports a pair of home runs against him. Though Baltimore doesn’t have a huge power section, and doesn’t hit for a great average, often times all they need is one big blast, or a couple of clutch hits early on to keep them ahead. This is notable in the fact that during their most recent 5-game winning streak, only once did the team score more than 4 runs in a game, and 4 out of 5 of those games were decided by 2 runs or less.

For Tampa Bay on the other hand, there’s very little experience hitting against Wei-Yin Chen, but that didn’t stop them from clutching up with a victory the last time they met up against him. It’s likely tonight that 4 runs may be the mark to reach for in this game, as neither team has been able to produce very many runs lately, and both pitchers are coming off back-to-back quality starts, so base runners will be key for the Rays this evening. That’s easier said than done with a lineup that has just one player hitting over .277 (Jeff Keppinger, .325), and points to Tampa’s inability to string together back-to-back hits and clutch hitting with runners in scoring position. Guys that have to step up tonight include Carlos Pena, who leads the team with 14 home runs, but has a .191 batting average, and Matt Joyce, who is coming off some back tightness but has a 4-game hitting streak going. B.J. Upton is another figure that manage Joe Maddon would love to see get going. Upton is due to have some improvement in his form against Baltimore, as he’s hitting just .143 against them this season, and was 0-for-3 in his only outing against Wei-Yin Chen. After two straight games with no hits, look for a bounce back from Upton to possibly be a difference maker for the visiting Rays.

Betting lines for the Baltimore Orioles vs. Tampa Bay Rays at Betonline Sportsbook.

The Baltimore Orioles at home tonight get -140 odds to win straight up on the money line, while the visiting Tampa Bay Rays are at +130 odds to win as underdogs. Both these teams have won 2 out of 3 games at home in the two series this year, with Baltimore winning the first 2 games of a 3-game series against Tampa at Camden Yards back in May. Tampa however should be consider a heavier underdog, considering the run of bad luck Hellickson has had, combined with the fact that they were held to just 2 runs in 2 games at home by the Seattle Mariners. With Baltimore seeking a 6th win in their last 7 games, and Wei-Yin Chen likely to have another solid start, the Orioles should be receiving plenty of bets on them to win straight up tonight.

Against the spread, Baltimore pickers will get +140 odds to see the O’s cover 1 ½ runs as favorites, while Tampa Bay pickers will be faced with a tough challenge to see Tampa stay within 1 ½ runs as underdogs at -160 odds. Despite Tampa’s two recent losses, both came by only 1-run margins, so in a good pitching match-up with two teams that are struggling at the plate, this could very well be a good opportunity to take Tampa to cover as underdog. The odds aren’t very worthwhile however, so we’d push on for better betting lines elsewhere.

Looking to better betting lines, the total runs line for the over/under is enticing at 8 ½ runs, with +105 odds going for the under wagers and -125 odds taking the over bet. With neither starting pitcher giving up more than 3 runs in their last 2 starts, and both struggling to get good run support lately, we are loving the opportunity to take the under wager at favorable odds here at Betonline sportsbook.

Keep all these wagering options in mind for what should be a tight, low-scoring game between two AL East teams battling it out for the AL Wild Card spots, and expect a great pitching duel to provide you with some good options for wagering on this match-up today at Betonline sportsbook!

The National League East division is heating up in the second half of the season, and the Atlanta Braves (49-39, 23-22 home) are the team on the move this week, as they prepare for a big 3-game series this week with the visiting NL West-leading San Francisco Giants (49-40, 20-24 away). Seeking their 8th straight win in a row, the longest run of the season, the Braves turn to the surging arm of Jair Jurrjens (3-2, 4.97 ERA), who will face off against the Giants’ Barry Zito (7-6, 4.01 ERA) in an important Game 1. First pitch is set to come just after 7:10 PM ET from Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia, so get set for a great clash tonight, and a great 3-game showdown between two teams that should make for some exciting options when betting on sports at one of the top reviewed online sportsbooks found at CR.

Tonight’s pitching match-up features two starters that are moving in very different directions at the moment, with Barry Zito having a great start to the season but slipping due to some recent control issues, and Jair Jurrjens finding a return to form after spending some time in the minors back in June. At the beginning of June, Barry Zito’s numbers were highly impressive, considering everyone had written him off as one of the worst deals ever made by the San Francisco Giants organization. Through June 3, Zito was 5-2 with a 2.98 ERA, and well on his way to becoming the comeback pitcher of the year. Since then however, things have gotten rocky for the 12-year veteran, as control has gone out the window, and the ERA has started to mount up significantly. Since June 3rd, Zito has lost 4 out of his 6 starts, has seen his ERA swell by more than a full point to 4.01, and has only once issued less than 3 walks in those last 6 outings. Fortunately for Zito, he’s had success against Atlanta in the past, going 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA in his last 4 starts against them (all at Turner Field), however for betting on this game, many will have hesitation chasing a pitcher that is 2-4 with a 6.12 ERA in his last 6 starts, and ranks 3rd in the majors with 5.27 walks per 9 innings pitched from May forward.

Jair Jurrjens is the complete flip-flop of Zito entering tonight’s game, after suffering through an uncharacteristically bad first half of the season. Just 4 starts into the 2012 campaign, Jair Jurrjens had an 0-2 record with a 9.37 ERA, and was promptly sent down to the minors in order to recover his form. This was quite simply one of the biggest shocks in the MLB pitching world, as last year Jurrjens finished 13-6 with a 2.96 ERA, but fortunately for the Braves it appears that the time away from the majors did the 26 year-old well. Since his return, Jurrjens has been on fire, posting a 3-0 record in his last 4 starts while producing a 2.13 ERA in the process. His control and delivery has been markedly improved, evident by the fact that he’s allowed just 5 walks and 6 earned runs in 4 starts since his return (10 walks, 18 runs in his first four starts). Interestingly enough for this series however, he’s the only Braves pitcher to lose to the San Francisco Giants in the last 9 games between the two clubs, and has posted a 2-3 record with a 3.58 ERA against tonight’s foes. That said, with Atlanta currently on a surging 7-game winning streak, and in a favorable match-up against Barry Zito, retribution may only be about 3 hours away from the first pitch for Jurrjens, who is clearly the more confident, more accurate pitcher in this match-up tonight.

If Barry Zito does have one thing going for him tonight, it is that the Atlanta Braves simply haven’t seen that much of him, at least as far as the current roster goes. Atlanta is a much younger team these days, and has amassed just 68 at-bats against Zito, with just a .206 combined batting average against him. Dan Uggla, who should be back in the starting line-up tonight, is the only player with any success at the plate against Zito, going 6-for-20 (.300) with one home run and 2 RBIs. That’s not to say that there aren’t some hot Braves hitters that could do damage against Zito, especially with the likes of Freddie Freeman on his hottest streak of the season, batting .462 during a 7-game hitting streak. Hitting a 3-run shot last night to help Atlanta sweep the Mets, the 2nd year player has seen his average jump nearly 20 points since the Braves’ winning streak started, and you can be sure he’ll be a factor again tonight, especially if Zito’s control isn’t there. Another Braves hitter to watch for is Chipper Jones, as the wily veteran has been on a tear of his own lately hitting .429 in July, and is now hitting .317 for the season. He’s hit safely in 9 out of his last 10 starts, and should be a factor tonight. Also keep an eye out for Brian McCann, who has a 7-game hitting streak and is pulling out of a first-half hitting slump, as well as Michael Bourn, who is putting on another impressive season hitting .311 and is currently on a 5-game hitting streak of his own. There is no doubt that the Atlanta batting order has plenty of weapons, and with them starting to peak right now, San Francisco will be hoping to steal a game away from the Braves tonight before turning to a pair of their staff aces (Vogelsong and Bumgarner) for games 2 and 3 in this series.

For the Giants, Melky Cabrera has been the talk of San Francisco since the All-Star break, having earned the MVP for the All-Star game by scoring the game’s opening (and decisive run) and by blasting a 2-run homer to seal the deal. Cabrera has been so impressive at the plate, accumulating 122 hits on the season for a .353 average, and is hitting .371 thus far for the month of July. The Giants certainly hope he can keep it going this evening, as their power section is limited and they’ll likely need to produce to support Barry Zito on the mound. Other Giants hitters who may come into effect though are Pablo Sandoval, who has a 4-game hitting streak and is 4-for-9 against Jurrjens, and Ryan Theriot, who is 3-for-6 against Jurrjens and has hit successfully in 5 out of his last 6 games. Buster Posey has also seen a surge lately, going 3-for-4 on Sunday night to help the Giants sweep the Houston Astros, and is rapidly approaching a .300 batting average on the season. He’s hitless against Jair Jurrjens (0-for-3), but could be due to ante up tonight on the road.

Betting Lines for the Atlanta Braves vs. San Francisco Giants at Bookmaker sportsbook.

For tonight’s match-up, the Atlanta Braves own the advantage on the sports betting lines behind Jair Jurrjens, getting -153 odds to win straight up. With Atlanta beating San Francisco in 8 out of the last 9 meetings, and Atlanta on a hot streak wining their last 7 straight, there’s bound to be some money pushed towards the Braves even at higher odds on the money line. That said, if Barry Zito can find some control, the Giants, who’ve won 3 straight of their own, could be an interesting underdog bet at +133 odds at Bookmaker.

Against the spread, the Atlanta Braves will need to cover 1.5 runs to earn spread pickers +145 odds. This should be the most wagered on betting line for this match-up, as Atlanta has been hitting so well during their 7-game winning streak, and Barry Zito could be in for trouble early on in the game if his control isn’t there. For the Giants, there is simply too much risk involved to take them to stay within the 1.5 runs as underdogs, considering the lofty -165 odds it will take to see that through.

Lastly for the total runs tonight, the mark for the over/under stands at 9, with -120 odds for the under wager, and EVEN money for the over. So far, 75 percent of the wagers at Bookmaker are going with the under bet, but it could be worth a little risk to chase the even money to see this game push over. Once again, if Zito gets in trouble against a hot-hitting Braves lineup, the runs could balloon very quickly and push over, regardless of how good Jurrjens is in opposition tonight.

A four-game series between the Washington Nationals (51-35, 27-19 awa) and the Miami Marlins (42-46, 23-24 home) will come to close tonight at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida, as the visiting Nationals make an attempt to take 3 out of 4 games from their National League East foes. With an intriguing pitching match-up between Washington’s Edwin Jackson (5-4, 3.73 ERA) and Miami’s veteran Carlos Zambrano (4-7, 4.20 ERA), this closing showdown should make a fine option for online sports betting at one of the top reviewed online sportsbooks found right here on our website.

For the Washington Nationals, their impressive season continues to unfold behind a superb starting pitching rotation, which in this series so far has held the struggling Marlins’ bats to just 3 runs through three games played. Coming off last night’s combined 7-hit shutout for the Nationals’ ace Stephen Strasburg and his backing bullpen, Washington now is tied for the most road wins of any team in the Majors, and will look to secure win number 28 away from home if they can get another solid outing from Edwin Jackson. That goal may be in question though, considering the recent slump in form for Jackson, who has struggled in his last two starts, giving up 12 runs over just 8 2/3 innings of work against two relatively mediocre offenses (San Francisco and Colorado). With a 1-4 mark and a 5.33 ERA in 5 starts against the Marlins, some concern has to be present for Washington backers in this match-up, but with the Miami bats failing to produce any power and provide clutch hitting with runners on base, Jackson could be in line for a quality start on the road this evening.

The struggles of the Marlins with Carlos Zambrano on the mound could be even more cause for concern tonight, as the wily veteran pitcher has seen his team lose six straight games in which he’s pitched over the course of the last month and a half. Interestingly enough, it seems as though Miami simply hasn’t been able to get that one clutch hit when Zambrano is pitching, as his last 4 starts have all resulted in 1-run losses for the Marlins. Since that has been the issue with Miami in this series as well, it’s safe to say that placing any wagers on Miami to win outright tonight should come with some serious reservations. That is especially true when considering Zambrano’s recent form, which finds him with an 0-4 record and an 8.00 ERA in his last 5 starts. What will make this match-up interesting however, is the fact that Zambrano has had plenty of success against Washington in the past, holding a 7-2 record with a 2.83 ERA against them in his last 9 starts against them, and is 1-1 this year with a 2.77 ERA in two starts this season. He won his last start against Washington at home back on May 28th, throwing 6 innings while giving up 3 runs in a 5-3 win for the Fish. It’s been evident that aside from more run support, Zambrano’s control is a key issue, as he’s allowed an absurd 21 walks in his last 5 starts. With a low-scoring series like this, and with Miami struggling to produce at the plate, Zambrano can ill-afford to put runners on base with a free pass, lest he wish to make history and earn a 7th straight defeat for the Marlins while he’s on the mound.

In order for the hot-headed Zambrano to be effective, it’s essential that his supporting cast be on the ball at the plate, and jump on Edwin Jackson as early as possible. That points to the power section of the Marlins lineup, which has been non-existent in this series as Hanley Ramirez has gone 2-for-11, Emilio Bonaficio has hit 2-for-9, Logan Morrison has gone 1-for-8, and Omar Infante 1-for-11. The Miami order has struck out 30 times, and yesterday alone left 13 runners on in scoring position. It’s interesting to note here that Washington, despite being the best pitching team in the majors this season, has really not had much success at the plate, however they are clutch when they need to be and are often producing runs early in the game to give their starters a cushion to work with. Miami has to take that cushion out of play for Edwin Jackson, who hasn’t been as confident in his last few outings. Looking to the top players who could have a positive effect at the plate, Omar Infante is 7-for-13 against Jackson, and Carlos Lee is 4-for-10, but no matter who is hitting tonight, if there’s runners on base, the Marlins have to capitalize. Otherwise Zambrano will find himself quickly frustrated once again, and that will give Washington all they need to squeeze out a few runs and take this series away from the home team Marlins.

The Washington hitters haven’t really been too successful in this series either, as Bryce Harper is 1-for-12, Danny Espinoza is 2-for-11, and Michael Morse is 2-for-12, and against Zambrano most have not fared well either this year. However, again it’s the clutch hitting that comes into play especially with a struggling Miami batting order failing to do much damage, and a number of Nationals players could be in line for a breakout game in the final showdown between these two teams in this series. Adam LaRoche has the most experience against Zambrano, and while he’s struck out 12 times in 35 career at-bats against him, he’s also been on base 16 times in total, with 9 hits (3 doubles) and 7 walks. Ryan Zimmerman, despite his struggles against Zambrano during his career (5-for-26), could be in for a breakout game with a six-game hitting streak heading into tonight’s contest. Ian Desmond is another Nationals player worth keeping an eye on, as he’s 5-for-12 in this series, and has 3 multi-hit games in his last 4 starts. He’s hit safely in 9 out of his last 10 games, and is due against Zambrano going 0-for-6 against him so far in his short career. Desmond is on a tear in July so far, hitting .394 with 4 home runs and 9 RBIs, so look out for this kid to potentially figure into the scoring line tonight.

Betting Lines for the Miami Marlins vs. Washington Nationals at Oddsmaker sportsbook.

The lines are moving around quite a bit on this game today, with the Washington Nationals getting the nod as the slight favorite straight up on the money line at -109 odds to win behind starter Edwin Jackson. Though Carlos Zambrano has failed to produce a win for the Marlins in his last 6 starts, his strong record against Washington has Miami at just slight -101 underdogs. After getting swept by Miami in a 3-game series earlier this month, Washington has a good chance here to take 3 out of 4 from their NL East division rivals, and should be a good option for sports betting straight up at decent -109 odds.

Against the spread, Washington is getting +1.5 runs at -220 price, while Miami is allowed -1.5 runs at +180 odds today. With Zambrano pitching, the Marlins have been within 1 run in his last 4 starts, and with neither team producing a lot of offense, this could possibly be another close match-up. It’s going to be very hard to take the Marlins to cover the spread here though, considering they’ve only average 1 run per game in the 3 previous contests during this series, but a breakout may occur against a struggling Edwin Jackson, who has not pitched well against the Marlins generally.

Lastly, the total runs set for the over/under line stands at 8, which has not been reached in the previous 3 games of this series (Game 1 was 5-1, the highest run total thus far). There’s definitely potential for the over bet to be an interesting pick today, considering the recent struggles of both starting pitchers, however the lack of offense for both teams has to be a concern. The bookmakers however are leaning over with -120 odds for a break out, and EVEN money set for the runs total staying under. We’re figuring for the onus to be on the mound this evening, and for both pitchers to step up their form in a crucial Game 4, which should keep the runs below the O/U mark.