Who’s hotMLB: Giants are 8-0 in Ryan Vogelsong’s last eight starts.
MLB: Over is 31-15-3 in Mets last 49 overall.
WNBA: Washington has covered in four of its last six.
Who’s notMLB: Athletics are 6-13 in their last 19 games as an underdog.
MLB: Reds are 0-8 in their last eight games with Ron Kulpa behind home plate.
WNBA: Tulsa is 1-9 straight up this season and is riding a 2-4 slide against the spread.
Key stat87.1 – The Phoenix Mercury are allowing 87.1 points per game, easily the worst average in the WNBA this season. They have covered just once in eight games and are set as 1-point favorites at home to Washington on Wednesday.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlookedJeremy Hellickson, Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays placed Jeremy Hellickson on the 15-day DL with shoulder fatigue, which opens the door for Chris Archer to make his MLB debut Wednesday against the Washington Nationals. Hellickson, the AL Rookie of the Year last season, is only expected to miss a couple of turns in the rotation. Meanwhile, Archer joins the big league club after going is 4-8 with a 4.81 ERA in 14 starts this year for Triple-A Durham. Archer is set to face off against Stephen Strasburg.
Game of the day San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Angels (-162, N/A)
Notable quotable “It's clear who the favorites are. But we'll be trying to prove that the favorites don't have to necessarily always win. This is a particularly strong opponent but we haven't lost yet.” – Czech Republic keeper Petr Cech about Thursday’s Euro 2012 quarterfinal matchup with Portugal, which is set as a -150 favorite. The Czechs are priced as +400 underdogs and the draw is at +250.
Notes and tipsThe Colorado Rockies expect to have Carlos Gonzalez back in the lineup Wednesday. He has been sidelined with a strained right knee since Sunday, but told reporters he felt much better when he woke up Tuesday. CarGo’s hitting .335 with 17 homers and 51 RBI.
Veteran running back Cedric Benson could be a viable backup option to Raiders starter Darren McFadden. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that Benson, who turns 30 in December, is on the Raiders' radar. Benson is likely to come at an affordable price. He had 895 carries the past three seasons with the Bengals, more than Ravens' starter Ray Rice (852) and Falcons' workhorse Michael Turner (813). He'd replace Michael Bush, McFadden's former backup who left via free agency and signed a four-year deal with the Bears.