May 2008 Archive

The Nationals continue their series with the Diamondbacks in Arizona. Taking the mound for the Nationals will be Jason Bergmann who is 1-1 on the season with an ERA of 3.60. He will be squaring off against Arizona’s ace Brandon Webb. Webb is 9-2 on the year with an ERA of 3.01. Washington is the lowest scoring team in the National League as they average only 3.82 runs a game. And there will be no easy runs against Webb and a defense that only allows 4.2o runs a game. Arizona also has a solid line-up that posts 5.67 runs a game at home which is second best in the league. Washington is clearly overmatched in this game but to make any money off this match up you have to take Arizona to cover as the money line is -250. Take the Diamondbacks to cover for an easy win.

The Cleveland Indians will send left hander Cliff Lee to the mound tonight on the road. Lee has been very impressive this season going 7-1 overall with a low 1.50 ERA. In his last outing at home against Texas he pitched 6.2 innings, gave up 7 hits but allowed only 2 earned runs in the win. The Kansas City Royals will send veteran right hander Gil Meche to the mound. Meche has been a disappointing 3-7 overall this season with a high 5.35 ERA. In his last outing at Toronto he pitched 6 innings and gave up 2 earned runs in the loss. The Cleveland Indians have a line up that can explode offensively at any time. With Cliff Lee pitching lights out this season and Gil Meche struggling tonight is an easy call for the Indians to pull out a road win.

The Toronto Blue Jays wrap up their series with the Oakland Athletics tonight. Pitching for the Blue Jays is Jesse Litsch who is having an excellent year. To date he has pitched to a record of 6-1 with an ERA of 3.44. Taking the hill for the Athletics will be Dana Eveland who is currently 4-3 on the year with an ERA of 2.90. Look for this to be a close game as the pitching will control the game. Toronto struggles to score as they are second to last in the league averaging only 3.7 runs a game with that number dropping to 3.5 on the road. Oakland is very good at shutting down opponents. They are ranked 1st in the American League only allowing 3.56 runs a game with them holding opponents to 3 runs a game when they are at home. The difference in this game will be Oakland’s offense. They average 4.61 runs a game at home and if they can match that they can win this close match up.

The Colorado Rockies will send right hander Greg Reynolds to the mound tonight in Philly. Greg Reynolds is 0-1 on the season with a 4.08 ERA. The Philadelphia Phillies will send right hander Adam Eaton to the mound to try to get a big win at home. Adam Eaton is 0-3 with a 5.37 ERA on the season. The Rockies have the second weakest defense in the league at 5.4 runs per game and they allow the third most hits in the league at 9.6 per game. The Phillies are the second highest scoring team in the league at 5.3 runs per game. The Phillies statistically have the better stats at home in this match up. Colorados defense is weak and the Phillies offense can put up big numbers. Take Philly to get a big home win tonight.

The San Francisco Giants head to Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks tonight. Pitching for the Giants will be Tim Lincecum who is 5-1 on the season with an ERA of 2.16. Taking the hill for the Diamondbacks will be Danny Haren who has a record of 5-3 with an ERA of 3.39. The Diamondbacks play well at home as they have a home record of 19-8. Arizona is the second highest scoring team in the league averaging 5.24 runs a game. That number jumps to 5.96 runs a game when they play at home. The Diamondbacks are not a one-dimensional team as they play excellent defense as well holding opponents to 3.98 runs a game. San Francisco struggles to score as a team. They are the lowest scoring team in the National League as they only average 3.71 runs a game. The Giants do not play well on the road as they have an away record of 9-16. Look for their struggles to continue as they will not be able to keep up with the Diamondbacks scoring.

The Brewers continue their series in Washington against the Nationals. The Brewers will be sending their ace Been Sheets to the Mound who has a record this year of 5-1 with an ERA of 2.92. Sheets is coming off a string performance in which he pitched a complete game victory at Pittsburgh. Washington will counter by sending Jason Bergmann to the hill. Bergmann on the year is 1-1 with an ERA of 4.44. Neither of these teams are known for their scoring this year with the Brewers only score 4.37 runs a game with the Nationals only averaging 3.80 ranking them 11th and 14th in the league respectively. However there is hope for the bats as both teams are very generous when it comes to giving up runs. The Brewers allow 5.34 runs a game on the road while the Nationals allow 5.19 runs a game at home. In what should be a low scoring game you have to take the team with the strongest pitching. Take Sheets in this one as he leads rthe Brewers to a win.

The Cincinnati Reds will send 27 year old right hander Matt Belisle to the mound this afternoon on the road in San Diego. Belisle is just 1-4 on the season with a high 6.75 ERA and in his last outing on the road against the Dodgers he pitched 6 innings and allowed 3 earned runs in the loss. The San Diego Padres will send veteran right hander Greg Maddux to the mound at home. Maddux is 3-4 on the season with a low 3.94 ERA and in his last outing at home against the Cardinals he pitched 5 innings and allowed just 2 earned runs in a no decision. The Reds will be pitching one of their worst pitcher in their rotations today while the Padres will be sending a future hall of famer to the mound. San Diego doesnt have one of the better offenses in the league but with Belisles high 6.75 ERA look for the Padres bats to get some big hits. Maddux will hold the Reds in check this afternoon.

The Minnesota Twins head to Detroit to begin their series with the Tigers. The Twins are looking to end a 2 game skid at the hands of the Rangers. Detroit has been hot lately winners of 4 of their last 5 and they are coming off a sweep of the Mariners. The Tigers offense has awaken as they are averaging 10 runs a game over their last three games. Pitching for the Twins will be Kevin Slowey who has had a rough season to date. His record stands at 0-4 with an ERA of 5.49. Taking the hill for the Tigers will be Armando Galarraga who has been solid this season getting off to a 3-1 start with an ERA of 3.06. Look for Detroit’s offense to be too much for the Twins to keep up with as they average 5.59 runs a game at home. Their offense should be aided by the fact that Minnesota is very generous giving up runs on the road. They allow 5.21 a game away from home. Just too much Detroit offense in this game. Take the Tigers.

The Angels will send left hander Joe Saunders to the mound to take on the Blue Jays this evening. Saunders has been great this season with a 7-1 record and low 2.48 ERA. The Toronto Blue Jays will throw out righty AJ Burnett to try to get a big win tonight at home. Burnett is 4-3 on the season with a 4.47 ERA. The odds makers favor the Blue Jays to win this game but well disagree and go with the better pitcher in this scenario. Joe Saunders has been pitching like the front runner for the Cy Young award. The Blue Jays and Angels are pretty evenly matched statistically in this game but the Angels pitching will win this game. Where going to cash in on these odds and look for another road win for the Angels.

The Angels will send left hander Joe Saunders to the mound to take on the Blue Jays this evening. Saunders has been great this season with a 7-1 record and low 2.48 ERA. The Toronto Blue Jays will throw out righty AJ Burnett to try to get a big win tonight at home. Burnett is 4-3 on the season with a 4.47 ERA. The odds makers favor the Blue Jays to win this game but well disagree and go with the better pitcher in this scenario. Joe Saunders has been pitching like the front runner for the Cy Young award. The Blue Jays and Angels are pretty evenly matched statistically in this game but the Angels pitching will win this game. Where going to cash in on these odds and look for another road win for the Angels.

The Diamondbacks and the Marlins resume their series today in Florida. The Marlins clipped the D-backs in the first game of the series 3-2. Look for today to be a different story as Arizona sends their ace Brandon Webb to the hill. Webb is off to a perfect start as he has pitched to a league best 9-0 record with an ERA of 2.56. The Marlins will look to counter with Ricky Nolasco who is 2-3 on the season with an ERA of an even 6.00. Arizona is a well balanced team. They are currently 2nd in the league in overall scoring with 5.41 runs a game. They are also the best defensive road team in the league as they only allow 3.65 runs a game when they play away. The Marlins struggle to limit opponents scoring at home they allow an average of 5.29 runs a game which is worst in the league. Behind Webb the Diamondbacks even up the series.

The Baltimore Orioles will throw out Daniel Cabrera to face the Yankees in the first game of their series. Cabrera is 4-1 on the season with a low 3.67 ERA. The Yankees will send out veteran right hander Mike Mussina to face the Orioles this evening. Mussina is 6-3 for the season with a 3.99 ERA. Baltimore is the second worst hits stat in the league at 8.2 per game and they are also the third last in the league in strike out opponents with 5.5 per game. The Yankees are coming off a bad series against the Mets and will be looking to get back on track in tonights game. New York has a statistical advantage in this game by beating the Orioles in almost every stats category. Mussina has been pitching well for the Yankees and we expect a good performance from him tonight. Look for the Yankees to return to form and win the first game of this home series vs. Baltimore.

The Kansas City Royals Head to Fenway Park to begin their series with the Boston Red Sox. Pitching for the Royals will be Luke Hochevar who is currently 3-2 on the season with an ERA of 3.94. Taking the hill for the Red Sox will be Jon Lester who is currently 2-2 with an ERA of 3.95. Boston is looking to continue their win streak as they are coming off a 3 game sweep of the Brewers. Kansas City is also playing well as they took 2 of 3 against the Marlins. This game is going to come down to offense and the Red Sox are the highest scoring team in the league averaging 5.1 runs a game. The Royals are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum as their 3.7 runs a game is worst in the league. The Royals don’t have line-up to keep up with Boston’s scoring.

The Detroit Tigers will be throwing hurler Nate Robertson to take on the Diamondbacks on the road. Nate Robertson has been struggling bad this season with a 1-4 record and a poor 6.04 ERA for the season. The Diamondbacks will be pitching Randy Johnson this afternoon. Johnson is 3-1 on the season with a 5.40 ERA. The Detroit Tigers have the second weakest defense in the league at 5.4 runs per game and they also give up the most free passes in the league allowing 4.1 per game. The Diamonbacks are the second highest scoring team in the league at 5.5 runs per game and they also give up the fewest free passes in the league allowing 3.0 per game. The Tigers just cant find their groove this season but the Diamonbacks have established themselves as one of the best home teams in the league. The Diamondbacks win this game today.

The Washington Nationals continue their series with the Baltimore Orioles today at Camden Yards. The Orioles took the first game of the series with a 5-3 victory. Starting for the Nationals is Odalis Perez who is 1-3 on the season with an ERA of 3.71. Taking the mound for the Orioles is Brian Burres with a current record of 3-4 and an ERA of 3.67. Both teams will be facing left-handed starters with Washington at 8-10 on the season against lefties and Baltimore at an even 4-4. Washington has a hard time scoring runs as they average only 3.98 runs a game. This is due largely to the fact that they are the worst in the league in hitting averging a mere 7.7 hits per game. Baltimore however puts up a respectable 4.56 runs a game at home. Combine that with the fact that the Nationals allow 4.9 runs a game and you have the makings of an Oriole victory.

The Milwaukee Brewers will send veteran Jeff Suppan to the mound at Fenway tonight. Suppan is 2-2 overall this season with a 4.63 ERA. In his last outing against St. Louis at home he pitched 7 innings and allowed only 1 run getting him the win for the game. The Boston Red Sox will throw their ace Daisuke Matsuzaka tonight. Matsuzaka is undefeated at 6-0 for the season with a 2.45 ERA. In his last outing on the road against Minnesota he threw 7 innings and allowed 2 runs and received the win for the game. The Brewers are third last in the league in hits at 8.3 per game and they are also the third worst in base on balls allowed by allowing 4.2 per game. The Red Sox are the highest scoring team in the league at 5.0 per game and they also lead the league in hits with 10.2 per game. The Red Sox have a huge statistical upper hand in this game against the Brewers. With Suppan pitching in a hostile environment and Daisuke looking unbeatable we have to take the Red Sox to win this game by at least 2 runs tonight.

The Detroit Tigers wrap up their series against the Kansas City Royals today at Kauffman Stadium. The Tigers will be looking to avoid the sweep as the Royals won 3-2 on Tuesday and followed that up with 2-0 shut-out yesterday. Pitching for the Tigers will be Kenny Rodgers who is 3-3 with a 5.81 ERA. The Royals will be giving the start to Gil Meche who is 2-5 with a 6.31 ERA. Detroit’s strength is their offense. Despite their slow start they are still averaging 4.67 runs a game. Both teams are very charitable when it comes to allowing runs as the Tigers allow 5.26 runs a game while the Royals give up 4.34 a game. The one advantage Detroit has is that the Royals have a hard time putting up runs. They only score 3.15 runs a game at home good for worst in the league. Look for the Tigers to save face and escape the sweep.

The Colorado Rockies will be sending Jorge De La Rosa and his 1-1 record with a bad 10.24 ERA to the mound to face the Diamonbacks. Arizona will send Micah Owings with his 4-1 overall record and 4.53 ERA to the mound at home. The Colorado Rockies have the second weakest defense in the league at 5.2 runs per game and they are also second worst in the league in giving up hits, allowing 9.4 per game. The Diamondbacks on the other hand are the second highest scoring team in the league at 5.5 runs per game and they are also the second best in the league giving up hits, allowing 7.8 per game. Arizona is one of the best teams in the national league and statistically they are a lot better than the Rockies. Colorado is throwing a pitcher tonight that has struggled big time this season. With the Diamonbacks having the second best offense we like our chances that they will put up some runs against De La Rosa.

The Pittsburgh Pirates head to St. Louis to begin their series with the Cardinals. The visiting Pirates will be sending Paul Maholm to the mound who has a record of 2-3 with a 4.79 ERA. Pitching for the Cardinals will be Kyle Lohse who is 3-2 with an ERA of 4.87. The Cardinals play well at home as they are 14-7 at Busch Stadium. The key to their success at home has been their pitching and their defense. They are only allowing 3.1 runs a game at home which is best in the league. St. Louis makes opponents earn their trip to first as they give up the fewest amounts in the league at 3. The Pirates are the opposite as they are the easiest team in the National League to score against. They are giving up 6.5 runs a game on the road. The Cardinals will rely on they defense as they shut down the Pirates and take the first game of the series.

The 13-24 San Diego Padres will put Randy Wolf and his 2-2 record with a 4.14 ERA on the mound tonight at Wrigley. The 21-15 Chicago Cubs will put Carlos Zambrano and his 5-1 record with his low 1.80 ERA on the mound tonight at home. The Padres are the lowest scoring team in the league at 3.3 runs per game and they are also the second worst hits stat in the league at 7.9 per game. The Padres have the 15th overall ranked road defense allowing 5.65 runs per game. The Chicago Cubs are the highest scoring team in the league at 5.7 runs per game and they also lead the league in hits with 10 per game. Chicago allows the third least hits in the league at 8.3 per game. The Cubs dominate the Padres in almost every statistical category and with Carlos Zambrano pitching like a Cy Young award winner this game should be easily won by the Cubs. Take the number one offense in the league to beat the lowest scoring team in the league tonight!

The Red Sox and the Twins continue their series tonight on Sunday Night Baseball. The Red Sox are looking for the series win as they send Tim Wakefield to the mound. Wakefield is off to a 3-1 start with an ERA of 3.33. Taking the hill for the Twins is Nick Blackburn who has pitched surprisingly well this year starting out 2-2 with a respectable 3.65 ERA. This is going to be a battle of the Boston’s offense, which is leading the league in runs per game averaging 5.08, against Minnesota’s defense which is very stingy at home allowing only 3.53 runs a game at home. Look for this to be a tight game but the Sox come out on top tonight.

The Florida Marlins and the Washington Nationals continue their series today in Washington. This may not be your prime time Saturday match-up but it is a perfect chance to pick up a win. The Marlins are hot, they have won their last 5 games. They have played well on the road. The Marlins have a history of playing well against the Nationals as they have won 8 of the last 9 times they met. Florida is the highest scoring team in the league for road games averging 5.29 runs a game. The Nationals surrender runs at home at an alarming 5.26 runs a game rate. Look for this trend to continue as the Nationals are sending Michael O’Connor to the mound who hasn’t registered a start since 2006. Washington just does not have the bats to keep up as they are the lowest scoring team in the league only scoring 4 runs a game. Take the fish to win this one.

Tonight the New York Mets host the Cincinnati Reds at shea stadium. Starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey for the New York Mets looks to go 3-2 tonight and lower his 5.3 ERA. With the New York defense this should not be much of a problem. Cincinnati starting pitcher Matt Belisle is currently 1-2 with a 6.9 ERA. As explosive as the New York Mets offense is this year look for Belisle to have problems early on.

Tonight will be the last game of a four game series between these two ball clubs. The Diamondbacks will be sending their ace Brandon Webb to the mound. Webb is arguably the best pitcher in the National league and this season he has started off strong with a 7-0 undefeated season record and a low 2.49 ERA. Philadelphia will be sending a struggling Brett Myers to the mound. Myers is 2-2 overall record and a high 4.71 ERA. With Brandon Webb going to the mound this evening with the Diamonbacks second highest scoring offense behind him this game should be an easy victory for Arizona. Take the Cy Young winner tonight.

The 12-21 San Diego Padres and their 6-12 road record will be looking to rebound from a 5-3 loss yesterday in Atlanta. Randy Wolf will take the mound with his 2-1 overall record and respectable 3.57 ERA. Batters are only batting .227 against Wolf for the season. On the Road this year Randy is 1-0 with a 3.93 ERA and hitters are averaging .250 against him. The 16-15 Atlanta Braves and their good 12-4 home record will be looking for win number 2 of the series tonight. Tim Hudson will get the start tonight with his 4-2 overall record and just a 2.95 ERA. Opposing batters are only hitting .238 against Hudson on the season. Tim Hudson at home this year has been unbeaten at 3-0 with a low 1.66 ERA. The San Diego Padres are the second lowest scoring team in the league at 3.4 runs per game and they also have the second worst hits stat in the league at 8.1 per game. The Braves on the other hand have the second best hits stat in the league at 10.1 per game and they also have the second stingiest defense in the league at 3.8 runs per game. Atlanta is the far superior team in this match up tonight and with Tim Hudson and his undefeated record on the mound we have to take Atlanta to win this ball game.

The Chicago Cubs look to rebound from last night’s loss at the hands of the Reds. They will be sending their ace Carlos Zambrano to the mound. Zambrano is off to a solid start at 4-1 with an ERA of 2.11. He will be facing off against Aaron Harang who has pitched well having an ERA of only 2.98 but he has not gotten the run support he needed putting his record at 1-4. The Cubs also have a well rested bullpen as they have only pitched 6 2/3 innings in the last three games. The last time Zambrano faced the Reds, Chicago won convincingly 12-3. The Reds pitching staff will be put to the test as the Cubs are the highest scoring team in the league averaging 6.1 runs a game. Look for Chicago to bounce back nicely as Zambrano shuts down the Reds.

The 17-14 Phillies will send left hander Jamie Moyer to the mound this evening. Moyer is just 1-2 for the season with a 4.50 ERA. In his last outing against San Diego he pitched 5.1 innings and gave up 4 runs in the loss. The 21-9 Arizona Diamondbacks will have Max Scherzer pitch this evening. Scherzer has pitched one game this season where he went 4.1 innings and allowed 0 runs against Houston at home. Arizona has been hitting Leftys very well this season winning 8 out of their last 11 games against southpaws. Look for Jamie Moyer to have problems early with the Diamondbacks offense that has hit leftys well all season. Arizona should have an easy time with the Phillies tonight.

The Royals continue their series against the Indians at Progressive Field today. Kansas City is sending Gil Meche to the mound who has started the season 1-4 with a 7.22 ERA. He will be facing off against Aaron Laffey who currently holds a 0-1 record and a 6.35 ERA. The Royals are 3-4 against left handed pitching. And while this won’t shape up to be a pitchers duel, you have to give the nod to Cleveland’s offense. The Indians play very well at home, only yielding 4.21 runs a game which is 5th in the league. That combine with the fact that the Royals only average 3.61 runs a game is a recipe for a Cleveland victory. Not only does Kansas City not score a lot of runs they are very generous on the road allowing 5.12 runs a game. Look for the Tribe to take this divisional match-up.

The Baltimore Orioles will send Daniel Cabrera to the mound this afternoon to take on Jon Garland and the Los Angeles Angeles. Daniel Cabrera is 2-0 with a 4.14 ERA this season and in his last appearance against the White Sox on the road he pitched 6.1 innings and allowed just 2 earned runs in a no decision. The Angels will send Jon Garland and with his 3-3 record and 5.94 earned run average to the mound this afternoon. In his last appearance against Oakland at home he pitched 6 innings and allowed 7 earned runs in a loss. The Angels are one of the leagues best teams with a record of 18-13 for the season. They will be going up against a Baltimore team whom is just 5-6 on the road this season. Jon Garland has not been pitching that great as of late but the Angels offense at home has come to play as of late and we expect a big win this afternoon. Take the Angels to win big today.

The Chicago White Sox continue their road trip in Toronto taking on the Blue Jays. The White Sox are sending their ace Mark Buehrle to the mound. Buehrle has gotten off to a rough start as he currently has a record of 1-2 with a 5.65 ERA. Toronto has struggled against left-handed pitching this year going 1-4. Pitching for the Blue Jays is Shaun Marcum who carries a 2-2 record with a 3.24 ERA. This is the first meeting of these two teams this year. Chicago is looking to put a stop to a two game skit at the hands of the Twins. The Blue Jays are back home after losing 2 of 3 in Boston. Its going to be a battle of the White Sox offense, which ranks second in the league scoring 5.04 runs a game, versus Toronto’s defense which ranks second in the league only surrendering 4.00 runs a game. Surprisingly the Blue Jays actually give up more runs at home, allowing 4.67 a game which is 10th in the league. Toronto will need their offense to come alive as they are currently the third worst team as far as scoring. Look for the Chicago’s bats to come alive as they take this series opener. This is a great opportunity to cash in on a good payout by taking the underdog.

The Milwaukee Brewers will send Yovani Gallardo to the mound this afternoon at Wrigley Field to take on Carlos Zambrano and the Chicago Cubs. Gallardo is 0-0 for the season and he has just a 0.64 ERA. In his last appearance against the Marlins at home he pitched 7 innings and allowed 0 runs in a no decision. Carlos Zambrano is 4-1 with an impressive 2.21 ERA for the season. In his last outing at Washington he pitched 7 innings and allowed 0 runs in a no decision. The Cubs offense came alive last night at Wrigley Field were they beat Milwaukee 19-5! With Carlos Zambrano on the mound this afternoon they should have no problem holding the Brewers offense to minimal runs. Take the Cubs to beat the Brewers easily this afternoon at Wrigley.