5-18-09

[Mr. IWS]

Benjamin $ Burns

Pittsburgh Pirates at Washington Nationals - under 10

Carolina Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins - under 5.5

Milwaukee Brewers at St. Louis Cardinals - St. Louis Cardinals -121

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 5-18-09

Scott Spreitzer

Pittsburgh Pirates at Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals are out of pitchers! This is a bad team in the best of times. But injuries and some schedule challenges have created a mess in the rotation. Young Ross Detwiler has been called up from Double-A to start for the Nats tonight against Pittsburgh. He may have a bright future, but I don’t believe he’s ready to thrive just yet. And, even if he makes a decent debut, he’s only going to go 5-6 innings anyway, then that worn down and battered Washington bullpen has to come into the game. Pittsburgh can either win it early, or win it late. There are a lot of ways to beat the Nats! Ross Ohlendorf of Pittsburgh has a nice 3.77 ERA this season and a strong WHIP of 1.07. Ohlendorf has only allowed 9 walks in 43 innings! He’ll be leading a rejuvenated team that just busted out of a slump by taking two of three from Colorado. The Pirates are getting back on track and they’re facing a tired (off a West Coast trip and a divisional series), bad team without any pitching. I’ll gladly take the better team, better starting pitcher, and better bullpen at this price.

Play on: Pittsburgh

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 5-18-09

Larry Ness

Milwaukee Brewers @ St. Louis Cardinals
PICK: St. Louis Cardinals

The Cards will try to avoid the dreaded home sweep tonight against the Brewers. St Louis lost 1-0 on Saturday and then 8-2 on Sunday to Milwaukee and has now totaled just 10 runs in its last five games since OF Ryan Ludwick went down with a strained right hamstring. Ludwick (.274, 8 HRs / 26 RBI) had been the Cards' second-most productive player behind Pujols. The Milwaukee offense hasn't had similar problems, as the Brewers have averaged 6.5 RPG while winning 11 of their last 13 games. Since a 4-9 start, the Brewers are now 19-5 and with an overall 23-14 mark, lead the NL Central by 2 1/2 games (over the Cubs). However, winning all three in St Louis, will be no easy task. Braden Looper will get the call for the Brewers against his former teammates. Looper was chosen by the Cardinals in the 1996 draft but was traded in 1998 after appearing in only four games for them. He spent the next seven years as a reliever with the Marlins and Mets but was signed with the Cards in 2006, just in time to help them win the World Series that year as set-up man. He became a full-time starter in 2007 and 2008. The Brewers signed Looper to a one-year deal in February, hoping he could help a rotation which lost CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets to free agency. Looper got off to an excellent start in 2009, going 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in his first four starts but he's 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA in three May starts. The Cards counter with Kyle Lohse. Lohse was 27-19 back in 2002 and 2003 with the Twins but was a sub-500 pitcher over the next four years. However, he had a breakout season in 2008, going 15-6 with a 3.78 ERA (team was not quite as good as he was, going 18-15 in his starts). It earned him a new contract and like Looper, he started very well in 2009, posting a 1.97 ERA in his first five starts, going 3-0. However, he's lost his last two outings, allowing 16 hits and 13 ERs in just 10.1 innings (11.32 ERA). Lohse was due to start Friday’s opener against the Brewers before it was rained out. He has been dealing with back, knee and elbow soreness recently but he threw some pitches on Sunday without discomfort. Both starters are questionable and I realize the Brewers are playing better right now but I'm siding with Cards NOT get swept at home by this division rival.

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 5-18-09

Root
Chairman- LA Angels
Millionaire- Washington