7월23일 best MLB bets

Tampa Bay Rays at Cleveland Indians (+130, 8)

Rays manager Joe Maddon is about as quirky as they come. He’s shaved his head in a Mohawk-style and wears a hoodie over his uniform. Maddon’s unorthodox methods carry over onto the field as well.

Tampa Bay’s lineup card is in a constant state of change under Maddon. This year, the Rays have had six different players in the leadoff spot, five cleanup batters, 10 hitters in the No. 5 position and 12 in the six-hole. The No. 2 spot in the order, occupied by Carl Crawford, is the only position that’s remained untouched all season.

You see, Maddon goes new school when setting his lineup each night. He gets on his computer every morning (does Bobby Cox even know how to use one?) and uses advanced statistics to formulate his lineup.

"There's so much ready information now that was not available a couple years ago," Maddon said. "Being able to look over information like I'm able to now and have it be so involved and accurate, it gives you a little more confidence when doing these types of things."

Since Tampa Bay is 20 games over .500 and leading the Wild Card race, no one is about to question Maddon’s managing tactics. The Rays have the fourth-worst batting average in baseball but somehow hold the second-best run differential at +112.

Tampa is 4-0 in Jeff Niemann’s last four outings and 9-0 in his road starts this season. You know the mad man Maddon is going to construct the appropriate lineup and this is an affordable price to back the Rays against a lower-tiered team.
 
Pick: Rays

Toronto Blue Jays at Detroit Tigers (-120, 9)

The Tigers lost third baseman Brandon Inge at possibly the worst possible time. Trailing Chicago by two games in the AL Central with Minnesota in the rear view mirror, Detroit will have to manage without its clubhouse leader and elder statesman.

But it’s a good thing the Tigers have the MVP frontrunner – Miguel Cabrera. The 6-4, 240-pound Venezuelan is one of a few players in baseball who can single-handedly put a team on his back, and he might have to.

"He's one of the best players in the game, and at some point he'll probably go down as one of the best to ever play the game if he keeps his health," manager Jim Leyland said. "You don't find guys that have that kind of power and that kind of elasticity in their swings. When he's locked in, he's as good as it gets."

Cabrera is 9-for-17 over his last four games with a pair of bombs and six RBIs. His go-ahead double on Thursday proved to be the game winner and the Tigers have now won two straight after losing seven in a row.

The Jays might have the pitching edge in this game but look for Cabrera to spark Detroit’s offense while earning a third straight win to stay in the thick of the division race.

Pick: Tigers

Streaking

Jason Vargas (6-4, 2.97 ERA), Seattle Mariners

The best season in an otherwise forgettable career for Jason Vargas has been a wonderful surprise for Seattle backers. The southpaw hurler struck out nine, walked one and allowed one run in 7.2 innings of work against the Angels last week.

"I had pretty good control of the changeup and I was able to get ahead with it and with my fastball. So there's definitely more potential for me to strike more people out," Vargas told the Associated Press after the masterful performance. "But wins are the most important thing."

The M’s don’t win a lot of games even with Vargas on the hill, but bettors should look at the total. The under is 6-0 in Vargas’ last six starts.

Randy Wells (4-7, 4.33 ERA), Chicago Cubs

Wells, who’s probably best suited as a spot starter in the bigs, is holding the line in the Cubs’ starting rotation. The 27-year-old righty owns a 1.66 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP (walks + hits per inning) in the month of July and has given the Cubs four straight quality starts.

Wells, like Vargas, hasn’t gotten much run support from his teammates. It’s no surprise to see the Cubs are 1-4 in his last five appearances while the under is 4-1.

Slumping

A.J. Burnett (7-8, 4.99 ERA), New York Yankees

It’s been a season to forget for this Yankee righthander. Burnett pieced together two respectable outings after a miserable month of June, but got back to his losing ways in his latest start.

He gave up four runs in two innings of work and had to leave the game early because of cuts on his hand. He cut up his hands after slapping a clubhouse door in between innings.

That injury might have been for the best because Burnett has been terrible this campaign.

Returning

Josh Beckett (1-1, 7.29 ERA), Boston Red Sox

The former Boston ace returns to action after a two-month stint on the disabled list. He last pitched on May 18, when he gave up five runs and three walks in 4.2 innings.

He’s had two simulated starts and two rehab outings in Pawtucket, but it wasn’t until his bullpen session last weekend that Beckett looked comfortable after going down with a sore back.

“No physical ailments, no physical restrictions,” Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell told NESN. “It’s just a matter of commanding all of his stuff and making all the adjustments that any pitcher does from pitch to pitch.”