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Short and sweet. I normally avoid the Yankees lkke the plague, but value presents itself. Dallas Braden is hot, so was Trevor Cahill. In any event, CC Sabathia is a raging inferno to Braden’s campfire.
And so I will bite on the Yanks -1.5 at plus money (for now, at least), and if I get burned, I won’t be calling the wambulance.
Isn’t it a bit strange that the game I picked before this one shapes up to be a better pitchers’ duel than Lincecum vs. Jimenez?
This is still a must-see matchup, if for no other reason than to see who busts their slump first.
It makes for tough reading to see Lincecum’s numbers over his last five starts: 0-5,7.88 ERA. Ouch.
Jimenez has been better, but he’s winless over his last four starts, going 0-3. At one point, he looked set for 25 wins. Now 20 isn’t even a sure thing.
For some reason the Rockies are favprites, when, to be frank, it should be -110 for both sides.
There’s no real reason to bite on the Giants, especially when you add in how Lincecum has pitched against Colorado this season (not well).
But at some point, the Giants have to notice that they’re still well within touching distance of the Phillies in the wild card race and that the Padres are doing their best to give them a chance to make the NL West race interesting.
Perhaps last night’s 8th inning was where the light came on. In any event, I’ll bite on the team who’s good at home vs. the team who isn’t good on the road, especially when those tasty plus odds are involved. Giants ML it is.
One good thing about games at Arizona is that, no matter who’s pitching, the total will be inflated for three reasons: 1) the hitter-friendly ballpark, 2) what the D-Backs’ strikeout-prone band of ashers can do when they connect with pitches, and 3) the fact that Arizona’s bullpen isn’t particularly good (to put it mildly).
So, when presented with this matchup and a favorable total that, were this game at Petco Park, would be at least a run lower, if not more, I will gladly oblige.
Now, it is inevitable that both Mat Latos and Barry Enright will get shelled, and with that I just jinxed myself, but I’m aware of the risk, especially in the setting.
But when you have a second-year pitcher who’s pitching well beyond his 22 years (13 straight starts in which he hasn’t allowed more than two runs) and a rookie who’s not pitching like one (nine straight starts with three runor less allowed to start his career), I have plenty of reason to feel confident.
Under 8 for the game. Under 4 first five. And as an added tip, a bit on the D-Backs on the +1.5 and for the W. Good teams don’t often get swept by bad teams, but here’s a spot where the matchup presents an opportunity, especially the effect the first part of this sentence will have on the home team’s value.
Picking the Astros last night resulted in a winner, and it will tonight as well.
Sure, the Cardinals have an excellent chance to get the W everytime their ace takes the hill.
However, the Cards aren’t playing like winners right now, and that sets them up to get knocked back down by the ‘Stros again tonight.
If you got the Astros on the moneyline and/or runline earlier, kudos, as the line has dropped drastically over the last several hours. Dropping as it may be, both the ‘Stros moneyline and runline are both in my sights tonight.
Manny Ramirez’ stint with the Dodgers ended as only Manny could make it happen, with an ejection after arguing a called first strike in a single pitch hitting appearance on Saturday. First off, who argues a first strike? Yes, it was a little outside the zone, but its not worth the ejection for a first strike, he should’ve stayed in there until at least the third strike. But Manny is Manny, and he’s always done things his own way, so this sendoff was somewhat fitting for a character like him. It almost seemed as if he did this on purpose to speed up his move to the White Sox, but we’ll never know that for sure.
One cannot argue that Ramirez is one of the all time great hitters, with a career batting average of .313, 546 home runs, and 1,788 RBIs. More telling, he has the most all time postseason homeruns and RBIs at 28 and 74 respectively. So yes, Manny can hit, and can be great when he wants to be, but at 38 he’s starting to falter (as anyone would.) He joined the Dodgers mid year in 2008 and played as well as ever, batting .396 with 17 home runs and 53 RBI in his short stint with the team. But since then (and after signing a hefty 2 year deal worth $45 mil) he missed 50 games in 2009 for a suspension and 33 so far this year with various injuries. He still has an okay year by most standards in ’09, and his numbers aren’t downright awful in the 66 games hes played this year, but they’re certainly un-Manny like, and don’t warrant the 20 million he’s still owed on his contract. Not to mention he’d become a liability in the outfield and in his last several games as a Dodger he was reduced to a pinch hitting role. I guess this is why he approached manager Joe Torre about moving to the AL to DH somewhere (which solidifies my view that his ejection was intentional) and why the Dodger placed him on waivers.
But for the White Sox, this move makes sense in a way. Eccentric outspoken manager Ozzie Guillen could be the right manager for the job, as his personality is larger than life just like Ramirez’. If they can get along, they could compliment one another. (rumor has it that Manny will have to cut his trademark dreads per team policy) At this point in his career, a DH position is really all Manny needs so moving back to the AL is exactly what the doctor ordered. It will allow Manny to do the one thing he does best: hit. He had long since given up being a valuable outfielder, so only showing his face in the batting order makes sense. Chicago isn’t expecting a savior, or even the 2008 Manny. They’re just expecting a boost in offensive production and are hoping his history of clutch playoff performances will come to fruition if they can make a postseason push. He is batting .311 with 8 homers and 40 RBIs in his 66 games this year, so their realistic expectations could be met.
I’ve always like Manny; fans have always loved Manny; and when Manny is on, it is something to behold. But the man is getting old, his body is breaking down, and I just don’t know how much left he has in the tank. He’ll never hit like he once did, but he’s still good for the occasional clutch hit and like Frank Thomas or Griffey (except this year) before him, he’ll remain a home-run threat at any given at-bat even as his consistency falls. I think he has found the best possible fit in this DH role with only moderate expectation. It’ll allow him to relax and focus on swinging the bat, plus I think it’ll give Guillen some fodder for more than a few quotable remarks, which is always a plus. Time will tell if Manny can make a difference, or if Chicago will add a brick to its new reputation as the ballpark where aging stars go to die, a’la Griffey. I’m hoping Manny can surprise us, but we shall see. For all we know, being required to stretch with teammates and be on the field for the National Anthem (as Guillen requires all his players) may prove too much for the enigmatic all-star. Goodbye Mannywood, hello Chi-town.
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