If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
8-Unit Play. Take #951 Washington (-130) over Arizona (3:40 p.m., Wednesday, May 13) I’m going right back to my good friend Gio Gonzalez. It took him a couple weeks to get going but now he is showing again why he is one of the best lefties in baseball. Gonzalez has been dominating in three of his last four starts, posting an ERA of just 0.90 with just two earned runs in 20 innings. He has struck out 17 guys, to just three walks, in his last two starts, and I think he will chew up the Diamondbacks today. Washington got embarrassed last night, 14-6. But prior to that they had won 11 of 13 games. So I think they will bounce back quickly and decisively.
Gonzalez has gone 10-2 against teams from the N.L. West and he is 33-14 against teams with a losing record. He has won four of five starts.
On the other side is Jeremy Hellickson, one of the worst starting pitchers in baseball. That’s not an opinion: that’s a cold, hard fact backed up by the stats. Over the last three seasons – and over his last 270 innings – he has an ERA of 5.10. That ranks No. 90 out of 92 starters in that time period. He hasn’t had a calendar month in which he had an ERA below 3.50 since 2012. Not a season – a month. His teams are 1-9 in his last 10 starts and he has produced just two quality starts in that time frame. Hellickson was supposed to be given new life out in Arizona after flaming out with Tampa Bay. But the Rays don’t dump prospects with real talent. And Hellickson has been a wreck with his new team. His ERA is 5.85 this year and 7.90 at home and he has only had one good outing this year (at San Fran back on April 19). He is a pet project of the new front office, so Hellickson is going to get more chances than he should to succeed. But he has given up 12 runs in his last 15 innings and he is going to struggle against a tough Washington lineup.
The Diamondbacks are just 5-12 against a left-handed starter and they are a woeful 5-21 in their last 26 series finales. Arizona is 19-43 against teams above .500 and they are just 17-37 as a home underdog.
Washington is 45-21 after allowing more than five runs in the previous game and they are 10-2 in their last 12 as a favorite. The Nationals are 19-8 against teams from the N.L. West and have still had the upper hand in this series, winning six of seven. The Nationals are the better team and they are the more motivated team, looking to bounce back after getting hammered last night. (And the only reason they got wrecked last night is because Stephen Strasburg is awful right now.) There is a severe pitching mismatch and all of the trends point toward the road team. This line should be around -165 and it is short. We will take advantage.
1-Unit Play. Take #955 Atlanta (+120) over Cincinnati (7 p.m., Wednesday, May 13)
2-Unit Play. Take #960 Chicago Cubs (-105) over N.Y. Mets (8 p.m., Wednesday, May 13)
1-Unit Play. Take #962 Oakland (-145) over Boston (3:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 13)
2-Unit Play. Take #964 Baltimore (-120) over Toronto (7 p.m., Wednesday, May 13)
2-Unit Play. Take #965 Minnesota (+130) over Detroit (7 p.m., Wednesday, May 13)
4-Unit Play. Take #969 Kansas City (-115) over Texas (8 p.m., Wednesday, May 13)
1-Unit Play. Take #971 St. Louis (+125) over Cleveland (6 p.m., Wednesday, May 13)
Today’s Totals
2-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 8.0 Atlanta at Cincinnati (7 p.m., Wednesday, May 13)
2-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 8.5 Toronto at Baltimore (7 p.m., Wednesday, May 13)
2-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 8.5 Minnesota at Detroit (7 p.m., Wednesday, May 13)
2-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 8.0 Kansas City at Texas (8 p.m., Wednesday, May 13)
1-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 8.0 Chicago at Milwaukee (8 p.m., Wednesday, May 13)
8-Unit Play. #960. Take Chicago Cubs -100 over NY Mets (Wednesday @ 8:05pm est)
We're aware that Matt Harvey is on the mouond for the Mets and we're ok with that. Much in the same way we were ok with the juice on the Reds yesterday as we knew the Reds had a good chance at winning against Folty with revenge. And that's what you roll with - your research. Much the same way why would Matt Harvey be an Underdog after being 5-1 in a dominating season already, in a bounce-back season for him, against the Cubs as he comes off his worst start of the year? It's because he probably will struggle against the Cubs who will get up to play him. Sometimes the line tells you everything you need to know about the contest. And of course, 68% of the public is on the Mets and Harvey on the road but rather the real value and ability to win rests on the Cubs. A team that is 17-15 is favored over the 20 win team who has their Ace and a Cy Young Contender at that. Note the Cubs have consistently gotten up to face the best pitchers in the league this year and this game should be no different as its a benchmark game and Coach Joe gets his guys always up to face the Aces of opposing squads even from his Tampa Bay days. And Hammel is no slouch. The Mets don't have that much experience against him and after two shaky first starts he has settled in nicely in his last 3 starts including beating the Brewers on the road in his last game. This is a game that he will get up for, the Mets are 1-5 in Havey's last 6 starts when the total is set at 6.5 or lower and the Cubs are a sound 8-1 when Hammel faces a team with a winning record to boot. Great public fade to boot as well as we roll with Hammel and the Cubs today as we keep looking to pad what could be a huge season in Baseball for us and a higher total than the +3924 quality season we had last year
Comment