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Re: 7-1-09
Ben Burns
**9** PERSONAL FAVORITE!
CLEVELAND INDIANS(Sowers)-120 over Chicago White Sox (Contreras)
Reason: I'm playing on CLEVELAND. Having lost the first two games of this series by a combined score of 17-7, the Indians are looking to avoid getting swept in front of their home fans. Note that Cleveland has only been swept at home two times this season and that the White Sox have only swept one road series so far. I expect "the Tribe" to have an edge on the mound and I look for them to bounce back in a big way. Jeremy Sowers gets the call for Cleveland. Sowers' overall numbers are disappointing. However, a closer look shows that he's allowed two earned runs or less in five of his last seven starts, while pitching at least five innings in six of his last seven. Last time out, Sowers allowed just six hits and two runs in seven innings. He didn't allow any home runs and he had six K's to just one walk. That's certainly the type of start that a pitcher can "build" from. Sowers has admittedly had some trouble beating the Sox. However, he hasn't gotten much help either - he's held them to a .253 batting average overall - most recently holding Chicago to two earned runs in six innings but getting no run support and losing by a score of 4-2. I expect the Indians to provide Sowers with considerably more support this evening. The White Sox, who are just 29-48 as a road dog of up to +125 over the last three seasons, send Jose Contreras to the mound. Contreras gave up five runs (4 earned) last time out, losing 5-4 vs. the Cubs. Including that result, the White Sox have lost eight of the ten starts that he's made this season. Dating back to last season, they're a money-burning 2-10 in Contreras' last 12 starts & 2-8 his last 10 on the road. Contreras, who has walked 24 in 37 career innings at Cleveland, has a 4.97 ERA on the road and a 4.80 ERA in night games. Both of those numbers are inferior to what he's produced at home and in day games. This season, he's 1-4 with a 6.43 ERA and 1.501 WHIP away from Chicago. Additionally, Contreras is 1-5 in night games this season while compiling a 6.61 ERA under the lights. Despite the results from the first two games, the Indians are still 98-78 (+6.4) against divisional opponents over the last three seasons and 8-6 the last 14 in this series. During that stretch, they're also 20-14 after allowing double-digits in their previous game. I expect them to bounce back and improve on those stats with a much-needed victory. *Personal FavoriteComment
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