bloodhound
Sniffing out wins
Thanks for all of the very nice responses in Tuesdays thread. All are appreciated!!
1-1-0 -0.45 last
I am not a contrarian by nature and I hate contradicting the prevailing wisdom here But I'm rejecting the consensus on TB tonite.
Tampa Bay went 13-5 since Sept. 12 to get here and they're 8-3 in last 11 games on foreign soil. Cleveland won 10 games in row and 15 of last 17 to get here. They both beat some good teams. They are both hot teams.
Cobb made 22 starts, missing two months when he was hit in the head by a line drive He is 3-0, 1.16 in his last three starts. Cobb blanked Tribe in his first start this season April 6, allowing four hits in 7.1 IP but that was a long time ago and I dont rank that to hi with the way Clev is playing now.
Rookie Salazar made 10 starts this year, hitting 90-pitch mark once and he is 1-1, 2.52 in his last five starts, and did not face Tampa Bay. Francona has no hesitation in handing the ball to Salazar, an unflappable 23-year-old who began the season at Double-A Akron but zoomed to the majors and carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning of his debut. The Rays have never faced him.While still learning, Salazar has been brilliant since joining the rotation in July, boasting a 3.12 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 65/15 K/BB ratio over 52 innings. He pitched to a 2.53 ERA in five September starts and recorded 33 strikeouts over 25 innings in that span.
If there's one drawback to Salazar it's the fact that the 23-year-old has pitched more than six innings in only one of his 10 starts. So, Francona's bullpen will have to be ready and it's a unit without a leader at the moment, as the Indians will likely employ a closer-by-committee arrangement after Chris Perez was demoted from the closer's role following an awful final month that saw him pitch to a 9.64 ERA. TB pen has a 4.44era,4.41whip and Clev pen has a 3.62/1.32.Masterson, once the ace of the rotation, injured his oblique Sept. 2, and has returned as a reliever. In 3 2/3 innings of relief, he has allowed one hit, no runs, walked one and struck out seven. Remember, Masterson was an effective reliever for Francona when both were in Boston. His hard sinker, and the rest of his stuff, plays very well in relief. I like this scenario
I think this is a great price to get for a home team with a great manager. They are rested while the Rays played in Texas just two nights ago in a very high octane game. The crowd in this game will be much the same as it was in Pittsburgh last night and the Tribe will be as high as a kite.
all for one
Cleveland Indians* +104 vs Tampa Bay Rays
Cleveland Indians* +1½ -165 vs Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays/Cleveland Indians* Over 6 -180
and a small parlay with runs bought 100/174
Cleveland Indians* +2 -230
Pittsburgh Pirates* +2½ -275
Atlanta Braves* +2½ -250
GLTA
1-1-0 -0.45 last
I am not a contrarian by nature and I hate contradicting the prevailing wisdom here But I'm rejecting the consensus on TB tonite.
Tampa Bay went 13-5 since Sept. 12 to get here and they're 8-3 in last 11 games on foreign soil. Cleveland won 10 games in row and 15 of last 17 to get here. They both beat some good teams. They are both hot teams.
Cobb made 22 starts, missing two months when he was hit in the head by a line drive He is 3-0, 1.16 in his last three starts. Cobb blanked Tribe in his first start this season April 6, allowing four hits in 7.1 IP but that was a long time ago and I dont rank that to hi with the way Clev is playing now.
Rookie Salazar made 10 starts this year, hitting 90-pitch mark once and he is 1-1, 2.52 in his last five starts, and did not face Tampa Bay. Francona has no hesitation in handing the ball to Salazar, an unflappable 23-year-old who began the season at Double-A Akron but zoomed to the majors and carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning of his debut. The Rays have never faced him.While still learning, Salazar has been brilliant since joining the rotation in July, boasting a 3.12 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 65/15 K/BB ratio over 52 innings. He pitched to a 2.53 ERA in five September starts and recorded 33 strikeouts over 25 innings in that span.
If there's one drawback to Salazar it's the fact that the 23-year-old has pitched more than six innings in only one of his 10 starts. So, Francona's bullpen will have to be ready and it's a unit without a leader at the moment, as the Indians will likely employ a closer-by-committee arrangement after Chris Perez was demoted from the closer's role following an awful final month that saw him pitch to a 9.64 ERA. TB pen has a 4.44era,4.41whip and Clev pen has a 3.62/1.32.Masterson, once the ace of the rotation, injured his oblique Sept. 2, and has returned as a reliever. In 3 2/3 innings of relief, he has allowed one hit, no runs, walked one and struck out seven. Remember, Masterson was an effective reliever for Francona when both were in Boston. His hard sinker, and the rest of his stuff, plays very well in relief. I like this scenario
I think this is a great price to get for a home team with a great manager. They are rested while the Rays played in Texas just two nights ago in a very high octane game. The crowd in this game will be much the same as it was in Pittsburgh last night and the Tribe will be as high as a kite.
all for one
Cleveland Indians* +104 vs Tampa Bay Rays
Cleveland Indians* +1½ -165 vs Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays/Cleveland Indians* Over 6 -180
and a small parlay with runs bought 100/174
Cleveland Indians* +2 -230
Pittsburgh Pirates* +2½ -275
Atlanta Braves* +2½ -250
GLTA
