Satyr
Paster of Muppets
I rarely say that the losing side was the "right side", but yesterday's over in Cleveland definitely was. 21 hits, plenty runners LOB, plenty of scoring chances, nice setups, etc...but nothing.
Anyways, I had to take the loss. Let's try to bounce back tonight with a few plays.
I like several for tonight:
Angels (Lackey) (1.80 @ Pinnacle) 7 units
Love it. Lackey (6-3, 2.43 ERA) is an ace, no doubts about that. He also fares well against the Tigers, with a stellar 5-0 record combined with ERA of 3.47.
The Angels are winners of 10 out of last 12 games, they're definitely becoming a legitimate force in the AL, and are one of the biggest candidates for WS, alongside Boston and their tonight's opponents, Detroit.
They'll send out a guy who gave them wins so far.
Mike Maroth (3-0, 4.69) is back to the mound after he missed his last start on Thursday with flu-like symptoms. Detroit is 7-0 in games started by the left-hander this season. However, his ERA is quite high, and his numbers against the Halo lineup aren't the best either. (small samples (less than 20 AB) but you can't disregard these monster digits: Matthews .417, Guerrero .385, Hillenbrand .429, Figgins .368)
Combine that with the fact he's coming off an illness, and you have yourself a play.
The Halos are a lineup that can feast off left handed pitching and Lackey has limited Tiger bats to somewhat .210 in his career.
Giants (Lincecum) (2.02 @ Pinnacle) 5 units
This Lincecum (1-0, 3.44 ERA) kid is already showing how good he is. He didn't need a lot of time to shake off the stage fright.
He only had 14 innings of work so far, but he already has fantastic numbers.
Oswalt is obviously an ace but we're talking road game here, and his stats are less impressive on the road (5.68 ERA).
The Astros are generally not a compelling bet on the road for years now, even though this year there's no obvious discrepancy between their home and away numbers, at least not as drastic. I expect that to start occurring, at least to some extent.
I can't see beyond a super talented pitcher (who already beat Houston last week) at home at a dog price, against a team that isn't known for putting runs on the boards anyway. Apart from Lee, and that Pence streak, they just don't have as consistent hitting this year. Biggio is batting .167 in last 7 days (30 AB), and Berkman has a .160 BA (25 AB) in the same span.
I think the Giants will provide support for the kid and tag Oswalt for a few runs early.
Tampa Bay (Kazmir) (1st 5 innings) (1.83 @ Pinnacle) 5 units
Not the biggest fan of 1st 5 innings bet, but I have to make an exception here, just can't stand that Devil Rays' middle relief any more, nor put my money in their hands at ANY point in the game.
Everyone in TB pen before Reyes are a huge gamble, and are more than prone to let in a few runs and more often than not, lose the game.
Kazmir however, has been solid. Even though he's had some troubles in recent starts, I expect him to come out strong here, and would expect the same from the Devil Rays' offense.
A large part of this play is based on poor schedule Mariners have been stuck in recent days. After traveling across country yesterday (for a makeup game) where they actually had 12 hits despite scoring only 2 runs, I expect them to run out of steam tonight, even if it is left handed pitcher they're facing, and they're hitting above .320 off LHPs this year.
However, Mariners' main problem this season has been the lack of effective cleanup hitting, which is essential if you want to win on a consistent note. Sexson has been awful (BA around .180), and despite the fact they do put runners on base, and they do hit the ball, they have problems taking advantage of it.
Jarrod Washburn (3-4, 3.35 ERA) has been quite successful this year and has a 9-2, 2.61 ERA record against TB in his career, I expect him to slow down a bit. After all, despite a rather solid ERA, he is only 3-4, combine that with the fact they traveled A LOT in the last few days, and you might have a classic letdown spot here facing a team in need of wins, who are sending out their ace.
Kazmir (2-2, 3.83 ERA) is 2-0, 1.47 ERA against the Mariners in his career.
I'm putting my money on Kazmir, not TB pen.
Leans/could promote to plays later on:
White Sox (Danks)
Mets (Sosa)
Good luck guys. :cheers: :shake:
Needless to say, all comments and feedback are welcome.
Anyways, I had to take the loss. Let's try to bounce back tonight with a few plays.
I like several for tonight:
Angels (Lackey) (1.80 @ Pinnacle) 7 units
Love it. Lackey (6-3, 2.43 ERA) is an ace, no doubts about that. He also fares well against the Tigers, with a stellar 5-0 record combined with ERA of 3.47.
The Angels are winners of 10 out of last 12 games, they're definitely becoming a legitimate force in the AL, and are one of the biggest candidates for WS, alongside Boston and their tonight's opponents, Detroit.
They'll send out a guy who gave them wins so far.
Mike Maroth (3-0, 4.69) is back to the mound after he missed his last start on Thursday with flu-like symptoms. Detroit is 7-0 in games started by the left-hander this season. However, his ERA is quite high, and his numbers against the Halo lineup aren't the best either. (small samples (less than 20 AB) but you can't disregard these monster digits: Matthews .417, Guerrero .385, Hillenbrand .429, Figgins .368)
Combine that with the fact he's coming off an illness, and you have yourself a play.
The Halos are a lineup that can feast off left handed pitching and Lackey has limited Tiger bats to somewhat .210 in his career.
Giants (Lincecum) (2.02 @ Pinnacle) 5 units
This Lincecum (1-0, 3.44 ERA) kid is already showing how good he is. He didn't need a lot of time to shake off the stage fright.
He only had 14 innings of work so far, but he already has fantastic numbers.
Oswalt is obviously an ace but we're talking road game here, and his stats are less impressive on the road (5.68 ERA).
The Astros are generally not a compelling bet on the road for years now, even though this year there's no obvious discrepancy between their home and away numbers, at least not as drastic. I expect that to start occurring, at least to some extent.
I can't see beyond a super talented pitcher (who already beat Houston last week) at home at a dog price, against a team that isn't known for putting runs on the boards anyway. Apart from Lee, and that Pence streak, they just don't have as consistent hitting this year. Biggio is batting .167 in last 7 days (30 AB), and Berkman has a .160 BA (25 AB) in the same span.
I think the Giants will provide support for the kid and tag Oswalt for a few runs early.
Tampa Bay (Kazmir) (1st 5 innings) (1.83 @ Pinnacle) 5 units
Not the biggest fan of 1st 5 innings bet, but I have to make an exception here, just can't stand that Devil Rays' middle relief any more, nor put my money in their hands at ANY point in the game.
Everyone in TB pen before Reyes are a huge gamble, and are more than prone to let in a few runs and more often than not, lose the game.
Kazmir however, has been solid. Even though he's had some troubles in recent starts, I expect him to come out strong here, and would expect the same from the Devil Rays' offense.
A large part of this play is based on poor schedule Mariners have been stuck in recent days. After traveling across country yesterday (for a makeup game) where they actually had 12 hits despite scoring only 2 runs, I expect them to run out of steam tonight, even if it is left handed pitcher they're facing, and they're hitting above .320 off LHPs this year.
However, Mariners' main problem this season has been the lack of effective cleanup hitting, which is essential if you want to win on a consistent note. Sexson has been awful (BA around .180), and despite the fact they do put runners on base, and they do hit the ball, they have problems taking advantage of it.
Jarrod Washburn (3-4, 3.35 ERA) has been quite successful this year and has a 9-2, 2.61 ERA record against TB in his career, I expect him to slow down a bit. After all, despite a rather solid ERA, he is only 3-4, combine that with the fact they traveled A LOT in the last few days, and you might have a classic letdown spot here facing a team in need of wins, who are sending out their ace.
Kazmir (2-2, 3.83 ERA) is 2-0, 1.47 ERA against the Mariners in his career.
I'm putting my money on Kazmir, not TB pen.
Leans/could promote to plays later on:
White Sox (Danks)
Mets (Sosa)
Good luck guys. :cheers: :shake:
Needless to say, all comments and feedback are welcome.
. GL tonight. :cheers: 
. Good luck. :shake:
. But the difference is, they are in a lousy schedule spot. Hence the play.
