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.
Inside the Board Room:
With the Phillies playing a bit better you would think comes an offensive explosion. It just hasn't happened and is unlikely to occur at Petco Park. 11 of 18 games in this series have gone under the total over the last 3 seasons, including both meetings so far this weekend. Richard Clayton has an ERA well under 2 in his last 3 games and the Phillies have struggled to score runs this year when Hamels pitches.
Take the under this afternoon
Padres are 14-4 at home against lefties. They stand 10-3 in Game 3 if off of a loss. San Diego has not lost 4 in a row this season. Richard has been hot of late with a great 1.45 ERA in his past 4 outings. The Padres hit close to .300 at home vs southpaws. Nice value with this price.
We do not believe that the markets are correct here, and now that the 7’s are being cemented it is time to get in play. Yes, we understand someone using the full-season numbers of Josh Johnson to try to force this Total down. But those are not the proper measurements for what he brings today.
When half of your games are in the heat and humidity of South Florida, it is a long MLB summer for a pitcher, especially a power guy. That is becoming a factor for Johnson, but the fact that injuries made his limited 2007-08 cycles meaningless from a fatigue standpoint keeps the real impact from showing. As such, the fact that he was at 9-3/1.70 prior to the All Star break this season, and a 2-2/3.99 since then, may only look like a short-term slump. Instead, it is a real pattern. If we eliminate the 2007-08 seasons from the charting, the Johnson career path is at 2.23 in all games before the All Star break, and 4.05 afterwards. That is significant. It is not just bad luck right now, but rather the fact that he is laboring – over his last six starts his W’s per 9 are at 4.03, after a 1.95 previously. And three times in those six games he has been at 19.2 PPI or higher, a plateau that he had not reached since his first start of the season. The bottom line? His full-season numbers are not the proper identifier, and on a hot and humid afternoon in Atlanta it will not be easy to snap back to form, especially against a patient offense that leads the N.L. in both W’s and W’s per plate appearance by a wide margin, which means high early pitcher counts.
Meanwhile the Marlins get a favorable transition here – is there a better way to get the rhythm and timing of a right-handed sinkerball down than by facing a guy with similar stuff the night before? Derek Lowe becomes much easier to read and time if you just saw Tim Hudson, especially since he brings lesser stuff, and note that the two key cogs in the heart of the Florida lineup, Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla, particularly like the matchup – they are a combined 22-50 lifetime against him, with 10 extra-base hits.
I really see this game coming down to defense. Denver has a lot of offensive issues going on, which is never good when facing a very solid Steelers defense. Pittsburgh has three solid quarterbacks who probably will all see some action in tonight's game. Look for a low-scoring result with Pittsburgh sneaking by in a tune-up game, before the real action starts in two weeks! Take the Steelers.
San Diego Padres +106
Cole Hamels has pitched well for the Phillies, but his team has not given him any run support. Clayton Richards has pitched just as well this year, but has been awesome in his last 3 starts. The Padres will avoid the sweep today. Look for another low-scoring game as well. Take San Diego.
Comment