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.
Florida Marlins (52-51) at San Diego Padres (60-41)
(R) Ricky Nolasco (11-7) vs. (R) Kevin Correia (7-6)
The Florida Marlins have lost five of six home games to the Padres this season, but are 6-1 in their last seven games versus the Padres in San Diego, including Friday’s 4-2 victory. Look for the Marlins with Ricky Nolasco on the hill to continue whipping the Padres in their house and seize their sixth straight victory over the Padres at Petco Park. The Marlins are 6-1 in Nolasco’s last 7 starts, 4-0 in his last 4 on the road.
Florida’s right-hander Ricky Nolasco (11-7, 4.35 ERA), is 2-1 with a 3.20 ERA in his last three starts. Nolasco is 2-2 with a 3.94 ERA in six career outings, including five starts against the Padres.
San Diego’s right-hander Kevin Correia (7-6, 5.09 ERA), is 2-0 with a 5.29 ERA in his last three starts. Correia is 2-2 with a 6.94 ERA in 12 career appearances, including five starts against the Marlins.
The Reds have won their last 4 in game 2 of a series and won 9 of their last 12 on Saturday; today, we'll look for Bronson Arroyo to come through with a solid performance; after all, he has held opponents to a .190 average in the month of July with a respectable 3.38 ERA. And his ERA in daytime play is a decent 3.37. On the other hand, Jair Jurrjens has experienced trouble in daytime action (7.27 ERA) and the road has not been kind to him with a 7.88 ERA. Furthermore, the Great American Ball Park has been his nemesis with a 9.95 ERA there in 2 starts. And throw in the fact that the Braves are just 1-4 with him on the mound on Saturdays, we'll look for the Reds to deliver here.
Tampa -115 vs NY Yankees
Washington +115 vs Philadelphia
Milwaukee even vs Houston
Mets +145 vs Arizona
Florida/San Diego Under 7
Baltimore +210 vs Kansas City
This is a great chance to use some more advanced thinking when handicapping baseball. One of the best pitchers in baseball, Felix Hernandez, takes the month for Seattle, so the first thought is to back him or not bet on the game at all from a side perspective. However, baseball is all about momentum because of the length of the season and amount of games during the week. The Twins are one of the hottest teams in baseball right now, winning six games in a row and eight of their last ten games. Hernandez rarely has a bad outing, but some of the Twins best hitters have had tremendous success against him. Minnesota starter Kevin Slowey was going through a rough stretch, but he has quietly turned things around recently with two good starts. He has also pitched well against Seattle this season. The Mariners are a complete mess right now with nothing to play for, while Minnesota has all of the momentum. Look for the Twins to get the win.
3 Units LA Angels -145
Rich Harden returns to the Texas pitching rotation tonight after being in the minor leagues. He really didn't do very well, except for his last start, and I don't think he's a quality pitcher anymore, especially for the American League. He pitched fairly well for Chicago but hasn't panned out for Texas. They are giving him another try tonight though. Angels starter Dan Haren will be anxious to put his last start behind him where he got hit in the arm by a hit. The doctors have cleared him to play, so I expect him to do well. He's used to pitching in the American League and showed good stuff in his last start, despite giving up more hits than I'd like to see. However, he did strikeout 8 batters over just 4.2 innings. The Angels want this series bad after getting embarrassed in Texas just a few days ago. They won last night, and I expect them to win tonight against a Rangers team that is just 24-22 away from home. They also don't have much experience against Haren either. Look for the Angels to get the win.
Comment