MLB Bettor’s Box
Looks like Eric Wedge is going to get the chop. The skipper of the 33-50 Cleveland Indians – last in the American League and 21.50 units in the red – got the kiss of death from GM Mark Shapiro on Sunday, in the form of a public vote of confidence. “The responsibility is spread equally throughout the players, the front office, Eric and his staff,” Shapiro told MLB.com.
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This statement appears to have mollified the Indians clubhouse after an especially nervous stretch of 14 losses in 18 games. But in reality, Wedge has moved to the top of the endangered species list, along with Manny Acta of the last place Washington Nationals (24-55, -26.16 units). We’ll follow the Nats out west in this week’s betting preview; all stats are at press time, and the freshest lines are available at sports.bodog.com.
Series: Oakland Athletics at Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox (49-32, +8.70 units) may be a public team, but they’re rolling in money, and they’re one game up on a 48-33 New York Yankees team that’s 2.56 units in the hole. They should have a relatively easy time of it against the visiting Oakland A’s (34-46, -9.74 units), the only losing team in the AL West. However, Oakland did take two of three at the Coliseum back in April. The Sox still have that remarkable home/away split, going 26-12 (+7.61 units) at Fenway Park. The A’s are 15-25 (-5.48 units) on the road.
Series: Washington Nationals at Colorado Rockies
You’re only as good as your starting pitching. Wedge’s Indians are last in the majors with a team 5.28 ERA; Acta’s Nationals are second from the bottom with a 5.23 ERA. And they’ll be at the back of the rotation when they head into Coors Field, the home of baseball’s highest park factor for runs at 1.332.
Colorado (42-39, +4.64 units) has cooled off a little bit, dropping two of three to the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks.
Series: San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants
The Padres (35-46, -5.34 units) were hoping this wouldn’t turn into another rebuilding year, but injuries have shredded the team, so San Diego is already in “sell” mode. They’ve shipped OF Scott Hairston (.911 OPS) to the A’s for a pair of minor league pitchers and a player to be named later. The Giants (44-37, +7.86 units) might not have Randy Johnson (4.70 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) for Friday’s Game 2 after he strained his pitching shoulder on Sunday.
Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets (Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. Eastern, ESPN)
Gotta hand it to the Dodgers (52-30, +17.76 units) for staying on top of the NL West while Manny Ramirez (1.123 OPS) served his 50-game drug suspension. They won two of three against the Padres after his return; Manny went 1-for-7 (a solo shot in Game 2) and was used only as a pinch-hitter Sunday. The Mets (39-42, -4.66 units) have lost eight of their last 10, and Oliver Perez (9.97 ERA, 2.26 WHIP) will be asked to stop the bleeding as he returns from a rehab stint in the minors.
New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels (Saturday, 4:10 p.m. ET, FOX)
New York is still in the red despite winning 10 of the last 11 games. The lineup is as healthy as it’s been in some time; pitching remains an issue, but Saturday’s projected starter is Andy Pettitte (4.25 ERA, 1.50 WHIP), and the Yanks have won 12 of his 16 starts for 5.61 units of profit. The Angels (45-35, +10.97 units) are likewise driven by their batting order, giving Joe Saunders (4.44 ERA, 1.33 WHIP) 5.71 runs of support per game and an over record of 11-6.
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs (Sunday, 8:05 p.m. ET, ESPN)
At least the Cubs are back over .500 at 40-39 (-8.01 units) after taking three of four from the Brewers. The NL Central-leading Cards are 2.5 games up on Chicago at 45-39 (-0.70 units); they’re hoping to have recently acquired Mark DeRosa (.799 OPS with Cleveland) back in action at some point this week after he has his sprained left wrist looked at. Sunday’s starters had yet to be officially named at press time, since this is the second game of a day-night doubleheader.
