DENVER — Slumping Nolan Arenado is due back in the Colorado Rockies‘ lineup Sunday for the rubber game of their series with the Los Angeles
Dodgers.Arenado did not play Saturday when the Rockies increased their lead over
the Dodgers in the National League West to 1 1/2 games with a 4-2 victory.In the
race for the second NL wild-card spot
Mookie Wilson Jersey , the Dodgers trail the St. Louis Cardinals by one game.Article continues below ...Two left-handers will oppose each other Sunday —
Tyler Anderson (6-7, 4.80 ERA) of the Rockies against the Dodgers’ Rich Hill
(7-5, 3.73).Rockies manager Bud Black said giving Arenado a breather was “the
right thing to do” even though it is September and the Rockies and Dodgers are
battling for first place in the division.Arenado, an all-star third baseman, is
5-for-39 in his past 10 games, with three doubles and three RBIs, and hitless in
his past 13 at-bats.“We felt giving Nolan this start off might help him move
forward,” Black said. “Offensively, he just doesn’t feel right. The timing’s
off. There’s some other things going on.”Namely lingering soreness in his right
shoulder, which Arenado said he feels only when throwing.“It doesn’t hurt
hitting,” Arenado said. “Throwing, it does. It’s not 100 percent throwing. It’s
not going to be good throwing probably until the year is over
http://www.metsfanproshop.com/authentic-lenny-dykstra-jersey , until next season. Those questions (about the shoulder), hopefully we can stop
with those ones. I have to deal with it. I can play through it, and I’m going to
continue to play through it.”Black told Arenado that he would not start Saturday
after Friday night’s game in which he went 0-for-4 with a walk and two
strikeouts, and didn’t hit the ball out of the infield.“I don’t make those
calls,” Arenado said of Black’s decision to rest him for a day. “I don’t want
it. But I’m not playing well. That’s why I’m not playing today.“It’s obviously
extremely disappointing. I don’t make the lineup. I want to be out there. I
voiced that. But at the same time, I’m not performing. It is what it is.”Before
Monday, the Rockies had lost seven straight games started by Anderson, and he
was 0-4 with an 8.31 ERA in those outings. That losing streak ended in
Anderson’s no-decision Monday when the Rockies beat the San Francisco Giants
9-8. Anderson allowed six hits and three runs in 5 1/3 innings with no walks and
seven strikeouts.Anderson has made 10 straight starts without a win since his
last victory July 4. The Rockies are 11-17 when he takes the mound.Anderson is
1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in three starts against the Dodgers this year, the last Aug.
9 at Coors Field in a no-decision when he held them to one run and four hits in
six innings in Colorado’s 8-5 loss. In 10 career starts against the Dodgers,
Anderson is 3-3 with a 3.81 ERA.The Dodgers were originally scheduled to start
left-hander Alex Wood on Sunday and pitch Hill on Monday in Cincinnati but
flipped those assignments. Hill will be working on regular rest after winning
his last start Tuesday against the New York Mets when he gave up four runs in
six innings of the Dodgers’ 11-4 victory.The Dodgers are 9-10 in starts this
season by Hill. Two of the losses came against the Rockies, and Hill was 0-1
with a 2,13 ERA in those games
Gary Carter Jersey , one of which was at Coors Field. He is 0-4 with a 5.45 ERA in six career starts versus Colorado, including 0-2 with a 7.17 ERA in four
career starts.Like Hill, Wood has a poor history at Coors Field, where his
career ERA is 9.75. But he has a 1.32 ERA in two starts at Cincinnati’s Great
American Ball Park, where he will start on extra rest for the 20th time in 27
starts this season.“This is obviously a hitter’s ballpark,” Dodgers manager Dave
Roberts said of Coors Field, “but the swing-and-miss still plays here. Where the
other ballpark (Cincinnati), to be able to put it on the ground, which Alex
does, is a benefit.” The New York Yankees (98-61) will wrap up the regular
season with a potential playoff preview on Friday, when they visit the Boston
Red Sox (107-52) as small road favorites. The Yankees still have something to
play for, as they are hoping to clinch home-field advantage in the American
League Wild Card Game against the Oakland Athletics
Dwight Gooden Jersey , while the Red Sox could then meet them in the AL Division Series.MLB betting line: The Yankees opened as -130 favorites (wager
$130 to win $100); the total is at nine runs, according to sportsbooks monitored
by OddsShark. Line updates and matchup report.MLB betting pick, via OddsShark
computer: 5.8-4.8, Red Sox.MLB picks on every game.Check out the OddsShark
podcast on iTunes or at OddsShark.libsyn.com for more odds information, betting
picks and a breakdown of this week's top sports betting news.Why the Yankees Can
Pay on the MLB LinesNew York is treating this series opener like a playoff game,
sending J.A. Happ (16-6, 3.57 ERA) to the mound in a huge spot. Happ has not
lost as a member of the Yankees, going a perfect 6-0 with a 2.18 ERA in 10
starts for them and giving up three runs or less nine times during that stretch.
Surprisingly, Happ is 0-1 in three outings versus Boston this season despite
posting a minuscule 0.54 ERA in 16.2 innings of work. One of the main reasons he
was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays was his mastery of the Red Sox, going
4-0 with a 1.98 ERA in eight starts the previous three years.Why the Red Sox Can
Pay on the MLB LinesBoston has gone 9-7 against New York in the first 16
meetings between the teams this season, according to the OddsShark MLB Database,
and would love nothing more than for Oakland to have home-field advantage in the
wild-card matchup.Five of the nine wins in this year's series for the Red Sox
took place in seven games played between August and September
Keith Hernandez Jersey , when the Yankees still had hopes of winning the division.Boston will counter Happ with southpaw Brian Johnson (4-4, 4.11 ERA),
who has started in just 12 of his 37 outings. In his past three relief
appearances, he has allowed only one run and three hits in 7.2 innings, walking
six batters and striking out five. Smart Betting PickNew York is rightfully
favored here, and Happ could easily end up starting the AL Wild Card Game as the
team's most reliable pitcher. The magic number for the Yankees to clinch home
field over the A's is one, and this is the game to do it. Look for New York to
get off to a strong start and cruise to an easy victory.MLB Betting TrendsNew
York is 5-2 in its past seven games.The total has gone over in four of New
York's past five games.The total has gone over in six of Boston's past eight
games.All MLB odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official
odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to
YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can
also download the free odds tracker app.
