Visit The Linemakers on Sporting News’ odds page for current MLB betting lines. Houston Astros +110 (@ Los Angeles Angels) Jared Weaver vs Roberto Hernandez Arguably the most surprising team so far in the season, the Houston Astros will try to add another road win to their quite impressive column. The Astros have lost only two of their 13 games on the road and already beat the Angels last night in a close affair....
Following the conclusion of the 60-game season, 16 of MLB’s 30 teams — eight in each league — will have qualified for the postseason. Under the previous setup, of course, only five teams from each league made it to October. MORE: SN’s predictions for pennant winners, World Series champ And the final three rounds of this postseason will be played in neutral-site locations, to minimize travel and — MLB hopes — eliminate the chances of a COVID outbreak that could derail the entire lucrative postseason....
And even though fans of this franchise might have trouble accepting the reality that’s unfolding in front of them — and who can blame them, after watching the past 10 trips to the postseason end in excruciating fashion short of the Fall Classic? — this is happening. For the first time since 1988, a trip to the Series seems imminent. MORE: NLCS Game 3, as it happened With their 6-1 Game 3 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night, the Dodgers have a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven NLCS....
“Not really news breaking when it comes to those three,” Hinch said Wednesday, per MLB.com. “I’m sure everybody could have predicted how we were going to go, and I wasn’t going to commit to a Game 4 [starter] quite yet. All those guys are prepared and ready to go.” Hinch added the Astros will get a boost with the return of shortstop Carlos Correa, who is expected to play Friday after missing the final week of the regular season due to a sore back....
For this final regular-season power ranking, we’re looking at how teams stacked up in regular-season competition. Once the playoff field is set, we’ll rank teams by how likely they are to win the World Series. Don’t be surprised if that list has a much different order than this one. But for now, we’re looking at actual results, not projected finishes. Cool? Let’s go. MORE: MLB standings — Magic numbers, playoff odds and more...
The Reds first baseman long ago earned his reputation as one of baseball’s more cerebral players, so when he was sitting at his table at the All-Star Game media day in Miami a couple of months ago, of course he was asked about the sharp spike in home runs in 2017. The speculation of the day — and the season, really — was about the possibility of a juiced baseball, not juiced players....
However, it’s usually not easy to identify dynasty/keeper league targets at this position, as those tend to emerge later in a player’s career. Heading into this season, there are only handful of young names worth remembering, but one them could wind up making a real impact on fantasy leagues as early as opening day. DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2019 cheat sheet MLB Top Prospects: 1B An injury to Mets veteran Todd Frazier has opened the door for slugging Peter Alonso — the No....
“They’re both special cases,” GM Rick Hahn said of Abreu and Garcia. “And there are very strong arguments for them playing roles in 2020 and beyond.” The recent rumblings of the Red Sox’s interest in Abreu seem to be less transparent than the rumors that became deals between these two teams last offseason. One team was looking for major-league ready talent, while the other was harvesting new young prospects....
Cafardo doesn’t mention what players the O’s may target, but he says 3B Adrian Beltre of the Rangers “would be the perfect solution.” Beltre, 35, is an elite defender and impact hitter who’s having an excellent year for the last-place Rangers (.323/.377/.502 with 17 home runs and 65 RBIs). And, most important, the four-time All-Star has made it through waivers already. But Cafardo thinks trading for Beltre may prove “too rich for Orioles ownership....
Leading MLB in batting average, home runs or RBIs is no easy feat. To reach that sort of consistency over the course of 162 games, a ball player needs everything — a good batter’s eye, a powerful swing, composure when runners are on base… and some luck. When batters put a season together leading in just one of those categories, it’s a big deal. For the few that can lead in a pair of them?...
New York tied a National League record by recording 26 strikeouts against Atlanta, and 13 of those came from Jacob deGrom in the 14-inning contest. Eight different Mets pitchers notched Ks. Not a single Brave got more than one hit in the game, but Freddie Freeman and Billy Hamilton each had RBIs. Atlanta has now won six straight and still sits atop the National League East with a 78-52 record....
Nashville had been tabbed as one of four finalists — along with Sacramento, Cincinnati and Detroit — for the next two expansion slots, and the league’s 24th franchise was all but finalized Tuesday when MLS announced a news conference would be held Wednesday at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Nashville Soccer Holdings LLC will own the club, with the investment group also featuring Minnesota Vikings owners Mark, Zygi and Leonard Wilf and the Turner family of Nashville’s MarketStreet Enterprises....
The visiting side was looking to recover from last week’s dramatic derby loss to the LA Galaxy but was dispatched in ruthless style, despite having more shots and possession than the host. Chris McCann was sent off for a foul on Benny Feilhaber in the first minute, but referee Ted Unkel downgraded the punishment to a booking following a video review. Atlanta did not look back from that early boost, with Julian Gressel breaking the deadlock 17 minutes in before Josef Martinez made it 2-0 with a header midway through the second half....
Commissioner Bud Selig didn’t specify which groups when he spoke at a news conference Tuesday but did say “we’re doing a lot of work ourself now” and “it’s a subject very much under scrutiny.” Esta Soler, president of Futures Without Violence, said last week that MLB reached out to her group, which works to prevent domestic and sexual violence and child abuse. Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement with players includes a voluntary treatment program for certain alcohol-related and off-field violent conduct....
For one thing, you probably haven’t heard of many (any?) of the players who will be selected in the televised portion of the draft on MLB Network. And positions really aren’t very important because the players drafted aren’t likely to reach the major leagues anytime soon. The MLB Draft is much more of a long play, more than the NFL or the NBA, where teams are looking for immediate upgrades to next year’s roster at specific positions....
MLB odds: Current baseball lines from Vegas Weaver’s velocity and correlated strikeouts have been declining since he led the American League with 233 Ks in 2010. However, the 6-foot-7 right-hander still managed to find ways to get hitters out and win 20 games in 2012 and 18 last season. So when he gave up 24 earned runs in 34.1 innings during his first six starts, when hitters were basically taking batting practice, he knew he had to mix things up and pitch smarter, and he’s done just that in his past two outings....
In today’s case, just like yesterday, we’ve got the Milwaukee Brewers – losers in 20 of their last 28, still with a heartbeat left on the season, but with reality being cruel in their last couple of games. They played well enough to win their last two critical games, but fell to hungrier teams like the Cardinals in the 13th inning Thursday and at Pittsburgh last night – after taking a 2-0 lead into the eighth inning only to lose 4-2....
In three starts against the Yankees this season, Tillman has been sharp: he’s posted a 2.18 ERA over 20.2 innings (three starts). And with the Yankees lineup not looking like a “typical” Yankees lineup these days, the chances of Tillman tossing another gem start are high. Kuroda, too, has pitched well against tonight’s opponent (2.79 ERA), but he’s coming off a rough outing against the Rays (3.1 IP, 9 H, 4 ER)....
They let Trea Turner walk and didn’t replace him with any of the top shortstops. They let Cody Bellinger and Justin Turner go and signed J.D. Martinez, which signals to Verlander that they aren’t interested in anything this offseason. He said this on the Flippin’ Bats podcast: He continued: Ohtani is expected to enter free agency after next season, the final one on his Los Angeles Angels contract. Unless the Angels can convince him to stay (which looks unlikely at this moment), he’ll have his choice of teams next year....
1. Houston Astros June 25 ranking: 1Why they’re here: The Astros responded to their rough series in Tampa Bay — they scored a total of six runs and were swept — by winning six in a row. Barring a major injury or two, it’s hard to see the reigning World Series champs falling any lower than third in these rankings the rest of the year. Definitely not lower than fourth. 2....
