Monday Betting Card

There once was a time when Pedro Martinez was pretty much a sure thing on the mound. That time has come and gone. The Mets, though, are still hoping that the Pedro of old shows up again at some point this season, and the right-hander gets another shot at proving he has a little bit left in the tank when he takes to the hill in Philly on Monday.

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Martinez is the scheduled starter for New York in the finale of their four-game series against the Phillies on Monday night (first pitch is 7:05pm ET). Martinez's numbers over his last three starts, however, don't inspire much confidence that he'll get the job done.

The right-hander is coming off a no-decision against the Cardinals on July 2 in which he surrendered five earned runs on seven hits over five innings - fanning four batters. Martinez also gave up two home runs in that game, which the Mets eventually lost 8-7.

Martinez's previous two outings were both defeats. He allowed six earned runs on six hits over 5 2-3 innings against the Yankees on June 27, and he gave up six earned runs on nine hits in just 4 1-3 innings of work versus the Rockies on June 21. The last time the right-hander earned a win was back on June 15 in a solid outing versus the Rangers.

So Martinez will put his 2-2 record and ugly 7.39 ERA up against Philly's Adam Eaton on Monday night. Eaton has fared better than Martinez lately - he picked up a win last time out by holding the Braves to just two earned runs on five hits over five innings. Still, Eaton is just 1-3 over his last three starts, and he's 3-6 with a 4.79 ERA on the season.

Eaton has faced the Mets twice this year already, settling for a no-decision both times (the Phillies went 1-1 in those games). The righthander was only marginally effective in those two games, as he surrendered seven earned runs on 11 hits over the 11 innings.

There are four other National League matchups on the schedule for Monday, with Houston at Pittsburgh, Colorado at Milwaukee, Florida at San Diego, and Atlanta at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hiroki Kuroda will be making his second start for the Dodgers since coming off the disabled list last week; the righthander was very effective in his outing on July 2, blanking the Astros on five hits over seven innings to grab the victory.

Meanwhile, there are four American League contests on the schedule for Monday, including Minnesota at Boston, the Los Angeles Angels at Texas, and Seattle at Oakland. As well, the red-hot Rays will play host to the lowly Royals in a 12:40pm ET contest. Tampa Bay's play of late has allowed them to surge into top spot in the AL East.

There are no WNBA or Canadian Football League games on Monday, so the only other action takes place in the Arena Football League. The Georgia Force will play host to the Cleveland Gladiators at 8:00pm ET in the final game of the Divisional Round of the league's playoffs. The oddsmakers are going with Georgia in this one, as they've been listed as the 6.5-point home favorites. The total for the contest has been pegged at 114.