THE SPORTS ADVISORS
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Atlanta (32-33) at Chicago Cubs (41-24)
The Braves send 22-year-old right-hander Jair Jurrjens (6-3, 3.77 ERA) to the hill at Wrigley Field to take on the Cubs and right-hander Ryan Dempster (7-2, 2.90) in the middle game of a three-game series.Chicago overcame a 3-0 first-inning deficit and pounded out a 10-5 victory in Tuesday?s series-opener. The Cubs are 12-3 in their last 15 outings, and they improved to 27-8 at Wrigley this season. Meanwhile, the Braves have dropped four in a row, eight of 11 and 10 of 14.
This is the first series of the season between these two teams. Atlanta won the season series last year 5-4, taking two of three in the lone series at Wrigley, and the Braves are still 19-8 in their last 27 contests in Chicago and 19-8 in their last 27 overall against the Cubs.
Jurrjens hasn?t lost in the past month, going 2-0 with three no-decisions, and Atlanta has gone 4-1 in those contests. However, Jurrjens has gotten roughed up in his last two outings against the Reds on the road and Marlins at home, yielding a total of 11 runs on 20 hits and eight walks in 10 1/3 innings (9.58 ERA). The Braves lost 8-7 in Cincinnati, but rebounded to beat Florida 7-5 on Thursday, with Jurrjens getting the victory despite allowing five runs on 11 hits in six innings.
Jurrjens is 1-3 with a 4.84 ERA in six starts on the highway this year, and this will mark the rookie?s first career start against the Cubs.
Dempster has helped the Cubs post a 10-3 record in his 13 outings this year, giving up three earned runs or fewer in 11 of the contests, and he?s 3-1 with a no-decision in his last five outings. On Thursday at Dodger Stadium, he gave up three runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings and left with a 4-3 lead, but he ended up with a no-decision in a 5-4 Chicago victory.
Dempster has been a monster at Wrigley this season, going 7-0 with a 3.10 ERA, with one no-decision in a game the Cubs won. However, Atlanta has been a thorn in his side over the years, as the veteran has gone 1-10 with a 5.65 ERA in 24 career appearances (13 starts).
The Braves are mired in several losing funks, including 16-36 in their last 52 on the road (7-22 on the highway this year), 8-23 on the road against right-handed starters, 1-5 against winning teams, 1-6 against the N.L. Central and 1-5 in Jurrjens? last six road starts. But with Jurrjens hurling, they are on a 5-0 tear against winning teams.
The Cubs sport a perfect 9-0 mark with Dempster starting at home and they?re 5-1 in his last six starts overall. Furthermore, Chicago is 41-16 in its last 57.
The under for Atlanta is 5-1 in Jurrjens? last six road starts, but the over is on a 4-0 run in his last four outings overall. With Dempster going for Chicago, the under is 4-1 in the last five overall, but the over is 4-1 in his last five Wednesday stints.
With last night?s game easily topping the total, the over is now 10-4-1 in the last 15 contests between these two teams. On the other hand, for Atlanta, the under is on streaks of 39-18-3 overall, 24-7-1 on the road, 21-5-1 on the highway against right-handers, 4-1-1 in the second game of a series and 17-6-2 against the N.L. Central. Likewise, the under for Chicago is on runs of 5-1 against the N.L. East, 5-1 at home against righties and 6-3 overall at Wrigley.
ATS ADVANTAGE: CHICAGO CUBS and UNDER
AMERICAN LEAGUE
N.Y. Yankees (33-32) at Oakland Athletics (34-30)
Rookie right-hander Darrell Rasner (3-3, 2.58 ERA) is set to toe the slab for the Yankees against fellow righty Justin Duchscherer (5-4, 2.32) and the Athletics in the second game of a three-game set at McAfee Coliseum.
New York grinded out a 3-1 victory at Oakland on Tuesday, improving to 5-2 in its last seven games. As for the A?s, they?ve lost three of their last four, but they?re still 9-5 in their last 14 home contests.
This is the first series of the season between these two teams. Oakland took four of six from New York in 2007, going 2-1 at home and 2-1 on the road in a pair of three-game series. The A?s are still 8-3 in the last 11 clashes with the Yanks, and they are 4-2 in the last five at home against New York.
Rasner, who has only been in the rotation since May 4, has lost three in a row after winning his first three starts. On Friday against the Royals, he pitched eight solid innings, allowing two runs on nine hits, but the Yanks gave him little offensive support in a 2-1 loss. Rasner has gone at least six innings in five of his six starts, with Friday?s outing being his longest of the year.
Rasner is 1-2 with a 3.63 ERA in three road starts this season. Also, he got a no-decision in his lone career start against Oakland, a 4-3 New York road win last season in which he allowed all three runs (all unearned) on five hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Duchscherer has gotten a decision in all nine of his starts this year. Last Wednesday against Detroit, he yielded two runs on three hits in 6 2/3 innings in a 10-2 blowout win, curbing a 1-3 slide in his previous four starts. Duchscherer has given up two runs or fewer in eight of his nine start this season, and he?s got a 1.74 ERA in his past three outings (four runs allowed in 20 2/3 innings).
Duchscherer is 4-0 with a minuscule 1.69 ERA at the Coliseum this season, but he?s 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in seven career relief appearances against New York.
The Yankees are on a 9-0 tear against the American League West and are on further hot runs of 5-1 in Game 2 of a series, 39-15 on Wednesday and 8-3 against winning teams. However, they are 1-4 in Rasner?s last five road starts dating to 2007.
The A?s are 11-5 in their last 16 against the A.L. East, but they are 2-7 in their last nine against right-handers and 1-5 in their last six at home against righties.
The ?under? has been the play in each of Rasner?s last five outings overall and five of his last six on the road. Also, the under is 5-1 in Duchscherer?s last six starts for Oakland.
Additionally, for New York, the under is on runs of 13-5 on the road, 20-8-3 on Wednesday and 6-2 against winning teams. The under is also 7-3-1 in Oakland?s last 11 Wednesday contests, but the over is 5-3-1 in its last nine overall. Finally, the over is 9-5 in the last 15 head-to-head clashes between these squads at the Coliseum, though last night?s battled stayed well under the total.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OAKLAND
