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It's shaping up to be a really nice 4th of July for me. Unrated winner with the Devil Rays +193, and rated play winner with the Royals +149. The Rockies currently have a 5-0 lead and a dominant pitching performance in the works. I'll update the record once that goes final.
Baseball Plays (43-45, +2.61* - Rockies +111 pending)
Atlanta Braves -125 (James/Suppan)
The Cardinals road record and the Braves home record are both slightly below .500. But, the Braves are starting to look like a team that will make a run, and the Cardinals have been dreadful lately. But this is one of those scenarios I love - a no-name pitcher favored over a pitcher people recognize.
Don't get me wrong, Chuck James won't be a no-name for long. He isn't considered the ace of this staff right now, but he is pitching as well as anyone they have. His career minor league numbers were absolutely sparkling, but he has continued those numbers in two major league starts. In two starts, he has gone 14 innings, and given up only 10 hits and 4 runs (2.57 ERA). His WHIP is 1.0, so this ERA should be relatively stagnant.
Suppan is a journeyman pitcher who is having another poor season. His ERA is 5.18, his last 5 starts ERA is 5.44, but his road ERA is 7.73 - even worse, in those 7 road starts, his WHIP is over 2.00 - WOW! It's hard to fathom that a pitcher with these numbers can remain in the starting lineup of a team considered a contender.
The Cardinals are 13 games over .500 against RHSP - soon to be 14 if they don't blow their lead tonight. But, they are 6 games under .500 against LHSP. I don't mind the short price here.
Strong opinions:
NYY -115 - No play for me unless I can get better than -110, but I love playing a team that was humiliated the day before, and Mussina's road ERA is 2 runs better than Byrd's home ERA.
Devil Rays + anything better than 110 - The worst starting pitcher in baseball shouldn't be a road favorite (Who in the world thought it was a good idea to sign him?). The Red Sox are finding the going much more difficult against the AL - last 6 games, 0-6, after they killed the sisters of the poor in the NL.
Good luck everyone!
Baseball Plays (43-45, +2.61* - Rockies +111 pending)
Atlanta Braves -125 (James/Suppan)
The Cardinals road record and the Braves home record are both slightly below .500. But, the Braves are starting to look like a team that will make a run, and the Cardinals have been dreadful lately. But this is one of those scenarios I love - a no-name pitcher favored over a pitcher people recognize.
Don't get me wrong, Chuck James won't be a no-name for long. He isn't considered the ace of this staff right now, but he is pitching as well as anyone they have. His career minor league numbers were absolutely sparkling, but he has continued those numbers in two major league starts. In two starts, he has gone 14 innings, and given up only 10 hits and 4 runs (2.57 ERA). His WHIP is 1.0, so this ERA should be relatively stagnant.
Suppan is a journeyman pitcher who is having another poor season. His ERA is 5.18, his last 5 starts ERA is 5.44, but his road ERA is 7.73 - even worse, in those 7 road starts, his WHIP is over 2.00 - WOW! It's hard to fathom that a pitcher with these numbers can remain in the starting lineup of a team considered a contender.
The Cardinals are 13 games over .500 against RHSP - soon to be 14 if they don't blow their lead tonight. But, they are 6 games under .500 against LHSP. I don't mind the short price here.
Strong opinions:
NYY -115 - No play for me unless I can get better than -110, but I love playing a team that was humiliated the day before, and Mussina's road ERA is 2 runs better than Byrd's home ERA.
Devil Rays + anything better than 110 - The worst starting pitcher in baseball shouldn't be a road favorite (Who in the world thought it was a good idea to sign him?). The Red Sox are finding the going much more difficult against the AL - last 6 games, 0-6, after they killed the sisters of the poor in the NL.
Good luck everyone!
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