Sport Spies: Thursday MLB Insider Report - Best You'll Find Anywhere!

[Sport Spies]

Pittsburgh Pirates

-The Pirates have gone 3-5 in their last eight games after losing five straight and have logged a 5-14 record in their last 19 overall.
-Pedro Alvarez has homered three times in his last seven games and ranks sixth among NL rookies with 10 home runs this season despite not making his MLB debut until June 16.
-Pittsburgh will look to end its six-game road losing streak today. In the club’s last six games away from PNC Park, the team has scored a total of 11 runs. During this stretch, the Pirates have faced Ubaldo Jimenez, Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and a San Diego staff that has a MLB-best 3.27 ERA.
-SP Zach Duke has gone 2-1 in his last five starts since coming off the disabled list during the All-Star break. He has allowed three earned runs or less in all but one of those outings.
-Duke has received more than three runs of support in just one of his eight starts on the road this year.

[Sport Spies]

Colorado Rockies

-The Rockies will end their seven-game, eight-day road trip this afternoon, as they are 3-3 thus far. Colorado is 2-4 all-time at Citi Field.
-Enter today’s game with a 13-16 record in 29 games versus the NL East this season, after going 17-16 against the division in 2009.
-Improved to 25-17 in games started by left-handed starters with last night’s victory. Colorado’s .271 average versus southpaws is still the 2nd-best average in the NL behind the Chicago Cubs.
-The Rockies have won four-straight day games and their .590 winning percentage (23-16) in day games is the third-best winning percentage in the NL.
-SP Jason Hammel is 8-4 with a 3.53 ERA in his 16 starts since being reinstated from the DL on May 15. He was 0-2 with a 9.16 ERA in his four starts prior.
-Hammel is 5-6 with a 5.20 ERA in his career in August.

[Sport Spies]

Toronto Blue Jays

-The Blue Jays are 2-9 against the Red Sox this year, including 1-7 at home. Seven of the 11 games have been decided by two runs or less.
-Jose Bautista has now hit a HR in 11 straight series which sets a new Blue Jay record. Since the All-Star, he leads the majors in home runs (11) and RBI (31).
-Toronto is 30-24 at the Rogers Centre this season, having won seven of their last 11 contests.
-SP Brad Mills is 25-17 with a 3.10 ERA in 64 minor league games (30 starts) in his career, after attending the University of Arizona. He has not faced the Red Sox.
-Since July 6, Mills is 5-0 with a 3.44 ERA in six starts (2 MLB / 4 AAA).

Boston Red Sox

-Boston continues its 10-game, 10-day road trip with the final of three games in Toronto and then head to Texas. It’s the second-straight road trip that is 10 games in 10 days, as they went 6-4 on its recent trip to OAK, SEA, LAA.
-The Red Sox have won 11 of their last 16 games and 13 of their last 20.
-Knocked four home runs last night, which marked the club’s ninth game with four or more homers this season.
-Bullpen has posted a 1.57 ERA over the last 15 games, holding opponents to a .161 average.
-3B Adrian Beltre has hit safely in 23 of 26 games since the All-Star break and is hitting .350 over that span.
-SP John Lackey has tallied a 4.01 ERA over five starts since the All-Star break. He owns a 1-5 record and 6.86 ERA during the day.
-Lackey makes his third start of the season against the Blue Jays, taking the loss in his last start at Toronto on July 10. Before that defeat, he was 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA in his previous four starts at the Rogers Centre.

[Sport Spies]

Top Play: Chicago White Sox -123

[Sport Spies]

Chicago Cubs

-Chicago has dropped seven of its last eight getaway games, including six straight. The Cubs have gone 3-13 in their last 16 games, getting outscored by a 109-65 margin.
-Look to avoid losing a fifth-consecutive series, as the club has lost a season-high five-straight series twice this season.
-The Cubs are 12-10 against the NL West division, tied for the fifth-best winning percentage against the division (.545). Since 2000, the North Siders are 20-19 at AT&T Park.
-Surrendered 78 first-inning runs this season, including three last night, which is the fifth-most in the majors. Tonight’s starting pitcher Randy Wells has allowed 16 of his 68 runs in the first frame this year.
-Chicago (1-5) is in game seven of a 17-game stretch in which they face teams that either rank first or second in their division.
-The Cubs have gone 9-for-24 (.375) with runners in scoring position in the first three games of this series, after hitting .201 with RISP in the 17 games prior.
-Wells is looking to avoid dropping four straight starts for the first time in his career.
-The right-hander produced a 1.83 ERA in five July starts.

[Sport Spies]

Los Angeles Dodgers

-Los Angeles was shutout for a Major League-leading 13th time. The last time the Dodgers have been shutout 14 times in a season was 1992.
-The Dodgers are in the middle of a 10-game stretch against opponents from the NL East (3-2) and have posted an 11-14 (.440) record against the division this season.
-Team has a 21-15 record in series finales and own a record of 17-16-3 in their 36 series this season.
-OF Scott Podsednik has a eight-game hitting streak, batting .324 with four runs scored.
-SP Clayton Kershaw is 0-3 with a 6.64 ERA in four career starts against the Phillies.

[Sport Spies]

San Francisco Giants

-San Francisco defeated the Cubs by a 5-4 count last night and have won two of the first three games of this four-game series.
-Beginning on July 5, the Giants have posted a 24-10 record which is the best winning percentage in the majors over that span (.706).
-Posted a 21-8 record this season against NL Central opponents, which is the fourth-highest winning percentage against that division among MLB teams.
-SP Matt Cain owns a 5-2 record and 2.41 ERA and .168 average against in eight career starts against Chicago. He’s dominated the Cubs over his last four starts, yielding just one earned run in 30.0 innings (0.30 ERA).
-Cain has posted a 5-1 record with a 1.95 ERA over his last seven starts at AT&T Park.

[Boudreaux]

great info, thanks SS

[Sport Spies]

Originally Posted by Boudreaux

great info, thanks SS

Thanks - Glad people are reading it