MLB Betting News and Rumors for Week 14

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The Los Angeles Angels are getting historic numbers out of Shohei Ohtani, last year’s American League MVP. Not only was he the first MLB player to hit 30 home runs in 2023, but 15 of them came in the month of June alone. The 30th one, which came on June 30 against Arizona, traveled 493 feet. That’s the longest home run of his career and the longest by any player in 2023, eight feet better than the bomb Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton launched on April 2. For the month, he had a .392 average entering Friday’s play. With those 15 home runs, this would be enough for any star player, but remember that Ohtani is also a starting pitcher. He started five games in June, completing 30 ⅓ innings and posting a 3.26 ERA and 37 strikeouts. As a hitter, he has posted a 1.415 OPS in June; as a pitcher, he has permitted just a .670 OPS. You’d think that the Angels would be in first place in the AL West, right? Well, it’s not that simple.

All-Star outfielder Mike Trout broke his wrist to go on the 10-day injured list, and third baseman Anthony Rendon had to leave Tuesday’s game with a shin contusion. Ohtani joined the injury parade, developing a blister on his pitching hand in the sixth inning on Tuesday. As we near the All-Star break, let’s look at some other news items that could influence your MLB betting.

MLB Betting News: The Rumor Mill

Nelson Cruz may have reached the end of his Major League Baseball career, as the San Diego Padres designated him for assignment on Tuesday. He has been named to seven All-Star teams and is in the middle of his 19th major league season. In 2023, his numbers are more pedestrian as he has a .245 batting average, with five home runs and 23 RBI in 49 games. Given that the Padres also have another pure DH on their bench in Matt Carpenter, the Padres made the move to give the team another possible pinch runner and another player who could take on a utility role in the field. Cruz and Carpenter have both reached a point where they don’t have the speed to take on a role in the field, so since Cruz’s bat has waned a bit, it made sense to give him his walking papers. The team brought up left-hander Jose Castillo, right-hander Matt Waldron and infielder Matthew Batten from Triple-A El Paso after designating Cruz, sending right-hander Domingo Tapia down and putting starting pitcher Michael Wacha (shoulder inflammation) on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Sunday.

The St. Louis Cardinals have also been hit by the injury bug. Starting pitcher Adam Wainwright came out of Tuesday’s 15-2 loss to Miami in the fourth inning and was put on the injured list with a shoulder strain. This was his third straight start in which he failed to finish four innings. He has permitted 20 runs and 24 hits over his last three games, and over his last two starts, the Cards have been outscored by a combined 29-2. Wainwright’s record is 3-4 with a 7.66 ERA, and he has already indicated he plans to retire after his 18th season with the Cardinals organization. Catcher Andrew Knizner also will head tot he injured list; he came out of Tuesday’s loss after the fourth inning. He took a foul ball off the right groin, and he went to the emergency room as a precautionary measure but was released the same evening. He is hitting .227 with five home runs and 15 RBI in 15 games during 2023. The team has called up catcher Ivan Herrera and pitchers Dakota Hudson and Zack Thompson from Triple-A Memphis. The team also sent pitcher James Naile down to Memphis.

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