7월22일 best MLB bets

Colorado Rockies at Florida Marlins (-200, 7)

The mile-high Rockies have come back to sea level in the second half and may be wearing down after playing for a week in the heat of Miami and Cincinnati.

They run into buzzsaw tonight in Josh Johnson, who has pitched 12 consecutive games without allowing more than two earned runs in a game. He leads the league in ERA (1.63) and has allowed only one earned so far in July. He has an unshakable "next-pitch" mentality.

"You just go out there and give your team a chance to win," said Johnson, who struck out seven without issuing a walk in his last outing. "That's all you can do. You can't do anything else. You can't do anything more. When you try to do more, that's when you might get yourself in trouble."

Colorado's Jorge De La Rosa has struggled with his fastball and breaking ball since coming back from a finger injury. The Marlins are batting 31 points higher against lefties than righties.

Pick: Marlins

Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers (140, 8)

Cliff Lee seems to get stronger the longer he stays with a team, which makes it a shame he is suiting up for his third different squad in less than a year.

Lee is 0-2 in his first two starts with the Rangers following his trade from Seattle, but you may recall it took him a while to get rolling with the Mariners in April too. The veteran doesn't seemed to be fazed by the slow start.

"I would have liked to come in and done a better job right off the bat, but it is what it is," Lee said. "It's a done deal now. All I can do is come in and prepare for the next time. Hopefully the results are better."

The Angels counter with Jared Weaver who has not been at his best lately. The Rangers are batting .282 against righthanders and have won five of their last six since the All-Star break.

Pick: Rangers

Streaking

C.C. Sabathia, New York Yankees (12-3, 3.13 ERA)

New York’s hefty lefty has not tasted defeat since May 23, going 8-0 in his 10 starts since. Sabathia is coming off a no-decision against the Tampa Bay Rays in his last start, allowing three runs on eight hits in seven innings of work. He has a 2.48 ERA and 61 total strikeouts in his last 10 appearance.

Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals (14-5, 2.02 ERA)

The Cardinals' budding right hander has won four straight starts heading into Thursday. He hasn’t allowed a run in his past two appearances, limiting opponents to only 11 hits over 14 innings pitched. Wainwright has been stellar inside Busch Stadium this year, posting a 10-0 mark with a slim 1.31 ERA.

Slumping

Jorge De La Rosa, Colorado Rockies (3-2, 6.16 ERA)

De La Rosa hasn’t been the same since a finger injury in April. In his two starts back in the bigs, the Rockies lefty has gotten pounded. He’s given up 11 runs on 14 hits in just under eight innings of work. His last start lasted only 3 1-3 innings, allowing six runs and three homes runs.

Ryan Rowland-Smith, Seattle Mariners (1-9, 6.18 ERA)

Rowland-Smith hasn’t won a game since mid-June and is 0-3 in his last five starts. He’s given up nine runs in just over seven innings during his last two trips to the bump, most recently getting lit up for five runs on eight hits in a no-decision to the Los Angeles Angels. The Aussie hurler gave up a home run in the 7-6 loss, giving him 18 dingers allowed in 2010.

Returning

Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee Brewers (8-4, 2.58 ERA)

The Brewers' All-Star pitcher missed the Midsummer Classic due to a left oblique strain that found him on the 15-day DL. He hasn’t pitched in the bigs since July 4, going 2-1 in his last four starts. The righthy is 2-0 vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2010, posting 11 shutout innings and 14 strikeouts during those two starts.