The Sports Advisors:
SATURDAY, MA& 17th
INTERLEAGUE
N.Y. Mets (20-19) at N.Y. Yankees (20-22)
It?s a battle of southpaws in the Big Apple, as the Mets send Johan Santana (4-2, 3.10 ERA) to the hill opposite Yankees? veteran Andy Pettitte (3-4, 4.40) as the teams try to get their Subway Series under way at Yankee Stadium. Friday night?s series-opener was rained out, so the Mets enter the Bronx having lost four of their last six games, including dropping three of four at home against Washington this week. The Yanks, meanwhile, just lost three of four games at Tampa Bay, including Thursday?s 5-2 setback to cap the series, and they are 3-6 in their last nine games. These two teams split their two series in 2007, with each winning three games and each taking one contest on the road. In fact, over the last three years, the series is tied 9-9, with the home team going 10-8. However, the Yankees are 18-7 in the last 25 head-to-head clashes in the Bronx. Santana, who will make his ninth start of the season, has helped the Mets to wins in each of his last five starts, going 3-0 with a pair of no decisions. On Saturday against Cincinnati, he scattered 10 hits and allowed three runs in six innings as New York won 12-6 at home. Santana is 3-1 with a more-than-respectable 2.38 ERA in five starts on the highway this season, and he is 3-0 with a 2.66 ERA in five lifetime starts (eight appearances) against the Yankees. The Yankees have lost Pettitte?s last four starts, including Monday when he gave up five runs on eight hits over just four innings of a 7-1 loss in Tampa Bay. He?s given up an identical five runs in three of his last four outings. On the bright side, the veteran is 7-3 with a 3.42 ERA in 16 career starts against the Mets. A year ago, though, he gave up three runs on five hits in seven innings of a 3-2 loss at Shea Stadium. The Yankees are 7-1 in Pettitte?s last eight starts against the Mets, 65-26 with him as a home favorite, 41-19 when he goes off as a favorite and 14-4 when he faces the N.L. East. The only positives for the Mets is they are 7-3 in their last 10 against lefties and 9-4 in their last 13 as a road favorite. Otherwise they are in slumps of 10-26 in interleague road games, 2-5 as a road ?dog, 3-8 against A.L. southpaws and 1-5 against A.L. teams with losing records. The Yankees are on negative runs of 2-9 as a favorite, 1-5 vs. lefties, 1-5 in interleague games and 2-5 as a home favorite. On the flip side, they are 23-5 against N.L. southpaws, 47-14 in interleague home games, 13-6 on Saturdays and 14-6 at home against teams with a losing record. The over is 5-0 in Santana?s last five starts, but the under is 4-0 the last four times Pettitte has faced the Mets. The ?over? trends run heavy for the Mets, including 6-3 overall, 4-1 in interleague road games, 8-3 against losing teams and 18-6 on the highway against losing teams. The under, though, is 11-4-1 in the Mets? last 16 interleague games against losing teams. For the Yankees, the under is on streaks of 40-10-1 overall, 5-0 in the Bronx, 6-1 with the Yanks as a ?dog, 8-2 in interleague play against winning teams and 13-5 against winning teams.
ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. YANKEES
Houston (24-19) at Texas (21-22)
The battle for the Lone Star State continues when the Astros send ace Roy Oswalt (4-3, 5.05 ERA) to the mound at the Ballpark in Arlington to face the Rangers? Vicente Padilla (5-2, 3.23). The Astros have won eight of their last 11 and 18 of their last 25 overall, and on their current 10-game road trip they?ve rattled off six wins in eight tries. Meanwhile, the Rangers have won eight of their last 11 and are 5-2 on their current nine-game homestand.
The Rangers pounded out 16 runs on 17 hits in a 16-8 slugfest victory over the Astros Friday. Texas won four of six from Houston last season but over the last two seasons these two squads were all knotted up at 6-6 heading into this series. Houston has won five of Oswalt?s last six starts and in each of the six outings he?s held the opposition to three earned runs or less. On Monday, he gave up three runs on five hits in eight innings of a 7-3 victory in San Francisco. Against the Rangers, Oswalt is 4-3 with a 3.53 ERA in nine career starts. Last season he gave up three runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings, but lost 7-2. In seven of his nine starts in this rivalry, he has held the Rangers to three earned runs or less, and the Astros are 6-3 in the nine outings. Texas has won Padilla?s last four starts and he?s allowed three earned runs or less in seven of his nine outings this season. However, on Monday he got tattooed for six runs (three earned) on seven hits over five innings, but his offense bailed him out in a 13-12, 10-inning win against the Mariners. Padilla has struggled in 11 appearances against Houston, going 1-4 with a 4.76 ERA. Back in 2006, he gave up one run on four hits in eight innings of a 3-1 win, but when Padilla was with the Phillies, the Astros went 5-0 in five tries against the right-hander, who allowed four or more earned runs in three of the five. Houston is 13-5 with Oswalt on the hill in interleague games, 77-34 in his last 111 as a favorite and 38-18 in his last 56 against a team with a losing record. Texas is 6-1 in Padilla?s last seven home outings and 6-1 with him as an underdog, but just 1-5 with him going on Saturday. Overall, the Astros are on streaks of 9-3 against losing teams, 6-3 as a road favorite and 50-25 as an interleague favorite. The Rangers are on rolls of 8-1 as an underdog, 8-2 against right-handed starters and 18-7 against righties in interleague play. While the over is 6-2 in the last seven head-to-head matchups, the under is 5-0 in Oswalt?s last five outings against Texas. Meanwhile, the over is on streaks for Houston of 8-1 in interleague games, 7-1-1 as a favorite, 10-3-1 against teams with a losing record and 14-3 against the A.L. West. For the Rangers, the under is on rolls of 10-5-2 as a home ?dog, 5-3-1 overall and 4-1-2 on Saturdays.
ATS ADVANTAGE: HOUSTON
