Yankees at Athletics – 10:05 PM EST
New York is closing May pretty much how it started the month, picking up three consecutive victories. The Yankees dominated the Royals in a three-game home sweep, outscoring the defending American League champs, 23-4. Joe Girardi’s club travels to the West Coast for the first time this season, as the Bronx Bombers have dropped seven of their last eight road games.
The Athletics are mired in last place of the AL West at 17-32, while owning the worst record in the American League. Oakland’s modest three-game winning streak earlier in the week is now a memory after the A’s lost the final two contests of their three-game set with the Tigers at home. The A’s plated just two runs in the last two defeats, while cashing the ‘under’ in all three games, a stark contrast from the 16-3 ‘over’ mark Oakland owned in its first 19 home contests.
Bay Area native CC Sabathia (2-6, 5.47 ERA) takes the mound against an Oakland lineup that is batting just .210 against left-handed pitching. The Yankees have won three of Sabathia’s past four road starts, but has lost his last two outings at the Coliseum since 2012. Kendall Graveman (2-2, 6.04 ERA) is winless in two home starts for Oakland, but the A’s are 3-0 in his three outings in the underdog role.
Tigers at Angels – 10:05 PM EST
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Detroit remains out west following its series victory at Oakland as the Tigers travel to Orange County for a four-game set with the Angels. Since a 9-1 start, Detroit has won three consecutive games three times, as the Tigers go for another three-game hot streak following a pair of one-run victories over the A’s. The Tigers own a 2-4 record in the last six road series openers, as Detroit has been listed as an underdog five times in this span.
The Angels have played better at home recently, winning seven of the past 11 games in Anaheim, while going ‘under’ the total in eight of the last 10 home contests. C.J. Wilson (2-3, 3.36 ERA) is coming off a pair of shaky starts for the Angels, allowing eight earned runs and 17 hits in last two outings, both losses. Los Angeles has won three straight home outings by Wilson, while the Halos have scored at least four runs in each of those games.
Indians at Mariners – 10:10 PM EST
All Seattle needed was to get away from the Pacific Northwest for a while, as the M’s finished off a 6-3 East coast swing with a three-game sweep of the Rays. Now, the Mariners are back at .500 and back at home to host an Indians’ squad that avoided a sweep at home by busting up the Rangers, 12-3 on Wednesday. Cleveland had won a season-high six straight games prior to consecutive losses to Texas to begin its series on Memorial Day.
Corey Kluber (2-5, 3.49 ERA) is less than one season from winning the AL Cy Young Award, as the Indians lost the right-hander’s first seven starts this season. Kluber has bounced back of late by posting a 2-0 record in his previous three trips to the mound, while striking out 37 and walking just one batter in this stretch. However, the Indians have struggled with Kluber on the hill away from Progressive Field, posting an 0-5 record, while the Cleveland offense scored two runs or less four times.
The Indians have compiled a solid 5-1 record in their last six road games against left-handed starting pitchers, as the Tribe faces southpaw James Paxton (3-2, 3.52 ERA) in the series opener. For as good as Kluber has been recently, Paxton isn’t too far off, winning three straight starts, including a pair of scoreless efforts in home victories over the Padres and Red Sox. Paxton has never faced the Indians in his short career, while the Mariners have cashed the ‘under’ in five straight games at Safeco Field.
Pirates at Padres – 10:10 PM EST
Following a pair of ugly home losses to the Twins, the Pirates finished up their homestand with six consecutive wins after sweeping the Mets and Marlins. Pittsburgh forged above the .500 mark thanks to allowing a total of nine runs in the six victories, while riding a three-game ‘under’ streak. Since sweeping Arizona in late April, the Bucs have struggled on the highway by posting a 4-9 in their last 13 away games, including five losses by one run apiece.
The Padres finished off their six-game Los Angeles road swing on a winning note by taking the final two games against the Angels, as San Diego pulled off a 5-4 victory on Wednesday as +150 underdogs. Bud Black’s team begins a seven-game homestand as the Padres have dropped five of their last six contests at Petco Park.
Two pitchers going in different directions of late take the mound in the series opener as A.J. Burnett squares off against Ian Kennedy. Burnett (4-1, 1.37 ERA) has won four consecutive starts, while tossing seven innings in each of those victories for the Pirates and allowing a total of five earned runs. Pittsburgh has cashed the ‘under’ in four of Burnett’s five road starts, as the Bucs have scored three runs or less four times. Kennedy (2-4, 6.11 ERA) is winless in his last three outings, while the Padres own just a 1-3 record in his four home starts this season.
Braves at Giants – 10:15 PM EST
Atlanta continues its road swing through California after avoiding a sweep in a 3-2 triumph at Los Angeles on Wednesday as +170 underdogs. In spite of losing the series to the Dodgers, the Braves have won eight of their last 12 contests, while sending out right-hander Shelby Miller to the mound in the opener at AT&T Park. Miller (5-1, 1.50 ERA) has turned into the most impressive arm in the Braves’ rotation this season, two starts removed from a two-hit shutout over the Marlins as a short road underdog. The Braves have won eight of Miller’s nine starts, including a perfect 5-0 record away from Turner Field.
The Giants stumbled out of the gate with a 4-10 record, but the defending World Champions have put together a 24-10 mark in the past 34 games. San Francisco finished off a seven-game road trip with a 5-2 mark, topped off by a three-game sweep over the slumping Brewers at Miller Park. Thirteen of the last 16 games for the Giants have been played on the highway, as San Francisco’s lone three home games in this stretch were all victories in the underdog role against Los Angeles last week. Christopher Heston (4-3, 4.33 ERA) is 2-0 in his last three starts for the Giants, but the righty has allowed 11 earned runs in the last two games following a complete-game, two-hitter at Houston.
Courtesy kevin rogers vegasinsider