Weekend Previews

[Raji]

Weekend MLB series prices and previews


Pittsburgh Pirates (+260) at New York Yankees (-380):

Things are looking up for Yankee backers now that their team is winning and the division-leading Red Sox are losing. Roger Clemens is scheduled to make his first start this season on Saturday and Bobby Abreu is starting to hit again.

The only thing Pittsburgh is excited about is the MLB draft, which begins on Thursday.

New York Mets (-105) at Detroit Tigers (-125):

The Mets just can’t keep their outfielders healthy. Utility player Endy Chavez is the latest player to be sidelined. Shawn Green and Moises Alou are already sitting out because of various ailments. If Chavez is put on the disabled list as manager Willie Randolph suggested, the Mets will have to look for help from the minors to fill the corner spots in the outfield.

Detroit put left-handed starter Nate Robertson on the 15-day DL because of what the team is calling a tired arm. Andrew Miller has been called up and will start in Robertson’s regular rotation spot on Sunday.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays (+135) at Florida Marlins (-170):

Tampa Bay is knocking the stitching off the ball with the way they’ve been hitting. They roughed up Jays ace Roy Halladay for 12 hits and eight runs in less than four innings on Tuesday night. The problem with the Rays is you can’t depend on any kind of pitching from them unless Scott Kazmir is on the hill.

The Marlins return home after playing 11 games in 10 days and winning seven. Third baseman Miguel Cabrera sat out Wednesday night because of a tweaked hamstring but he’s not expected to miss any more time.

Cleveland Indians (-140) at Cincinnati Reds (+110):

How much is a home run worth? Not much if you look at the Reds. Cincinnati has the second-most homers (76) in the majors but they also owe the second-worse record. Reds management is bringing up some re-enforcements for the series opener. Top pitching prospect Homer Bailey will make his major league debut on Friday.

Philadelphia Phillies (-160) at Kansas City Royals (+130):

The Phillies are starting to play the way team shortstop Jimmy Rollins envisioned they would. Rollins, who declared in spring training that Philadelphia was the favorite to win the National League East division, has reason to smile these days. The Phillies are fresh off winning a series against the division-leading Mets.

Kansas City did take two of three from the Rockies in their interleague series in May. No. 1 starter Gil Meche will pitch on Saturday but he hasn’t been nearly as sharp in his recent outings compared to his first six starts.

Washington Nationals (+240) at Minnesota Twins (-360):

What can you say about the betting on the Nationals? Well, there’s always good value in it. Taking them in a series might not be as wise. Washington has won only four series so far this season. These two teams have played each other in a series only once before. In 2004 Minnesota swept the then-Montreal Expos in a three-game set.

Los Angeles Angels (-115) at St. Louis Cardinals (-115):

The defending champs have been on a bit of a run lately. Entering Thursday’s play, the Cards have won six of their last seven games. Albert Pujols and David Eckstein are hitting and Scott Rolen says he finally healthy. Still, it’s tough to bet against the Angels considering they’ve won eight of their last nine series.

Milwaukee Brewers (-170) at Texas Rangers (+135):

You can always count on Texas to score some runs, but when can you expect decent pitching from the club? The Brewers are simply not as good as many thought they were after they start the season 24-10. They’ve lost 16 of their last 25 games and have won only one of their last eight series.

Boston Red Sox (-120) at Arizona Diamondbacks (-110):

It's been a bad week for Boston backers. Before Thursday's game, the Red Sox had lost six of their last seven games and they'd scored only 11 runs in their last four games. Arizona has the best pitching staff no one's talking about. Lefties Randy Johnson and Doug Davis mesh well in the rotation with Brandon Webb and Livan Hernandez.

Raji