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4/4/04 - 8:05 PM EST
MLB - Baltimore Orioles (+170) over Boston Red Sox
Lee Mazzilli's reign as head of the offense-heavy Baltimore Orioles begins Sunday night when Camden Yards welcomes ace Pedro Martinez and the Nomar-less Red Sox. Garciaparra, who has an Achilles injury, was placed on the 15-day disabled list on March 31st. Going up against Pedro is a tough way to start the season, but re-acquired staff ace Sidney Ponson may be up to the task on Sunday in front of what should be a sellout crowd of 48,876 on what is predicted to be a chilly Baltimore evening.
Ponson (17-12, 3.75 ERA) in 2003, who has a fastball clocked in the 92-94 MPH range and also features a pretty tough slider, held right-handers to a .243 average last year. Boston plans to send 4 righties to the plate in Sunday's lineup. Red Sox leadoff man ****** Damon has struggled against Ponson in the past, hitting just .242 in 33 at-bats. The Boston player who has had the most success against Ponson is Trot Nixon (.389, 5 RBI in 18 ABs), who is shelved for a few weeks with a herniated disk. Jason Varitek and David Ortiz have hit the Baltimore ace hard in the past. Ponson, 2-1 this spring, is facing one of the toughest lineups in the league even without Nomar, but we feel he will be up to the challenge. Also, if it comes down to the wire, Baltimore closer Jorge Julio (36 saves in 2003) has held hitters on this current Boston team to a combined .217 batting average (10-for-46, 1 HR, 3 RBI).
On the hill for the visitors is one of the best in the game. There is no denying that Pedro is as good as they come on the mound. However, tagged for two homers and six runs on Tuesday against Toronto, Martinez has had a tough spring (20 hits in 16 innings, 6.75 ERA). You can never put too much weight into spring training statistics but several scouts have reported that Pedro has lost some velocity on his fastball and may not be in tip-top form to begin the season. 1-1, 4.87 in 3 starts against the Orioles in 2003, Martinez is facing the toughest lineup that Baltimore has put on the field in several years. With the additions of Rafael Palmeiro, Javy Lopez (.318, 1 HR, 2 RBI against Pedro), and Miguel Tejada (who also has a HR off Martinez), facing the Orioles in Camden this season will be no easy task even for the likes of Pedro Martinez. With the pop in this Baltimore lineup, they should hit a great number of long balls this year, especially at home.
The Red Sox bullpen is rock-solid, but this is a Baltimore lineup that can get to anyone if they are hitting on all cylinders. With that said, expect a gutty starting performance from Ponson, who should be happy to be back in front of the Camden crowd -- a crowd which he went 6-3 with a complete game in front of last season.
We know it's Pedro and we know it's early. The money line is too heavy on the Red Sox in a matchup that we can see Baltimore coming out of the gate and suprising more than a few people.
We like the home dog here. Take the Baltimore Orioles in this opening night matchup at Camden.
CLICK HERE FOR OUR MLB SEASON PACKAGE DETAILS
MLB - Baltimore Orioles (+170) over Boston Red Sox
Lee Mazzilli's reign as head of the offense-heavy Baltimore Orioles begins Sunday night when Camden Yards welcomes ace Pedro Martinez and the Nomar-less Red Sox. Garciaparra, who has an Achilles injury, was placed on the 15-day disabled list on March 31st. Going up against Pedro is a tough way to start the season, but re-acquired staff ace Sidney Ponson may be up to the task on Sunday in front of what should be a sellout crowd of 48,876 on what is predicted to be a chilly Baltimore evening.
Ponson (17-12, 3.75 ERA) in 2003, who has a fastball clocked in the 92-94 MPH range and also features a pretty tough slider, held right-handers to a .243 average last year. Boston plans to send 4 righties to the plate in Sunday's lineup. Red Sox leadoff man ****** Damon has struggled against Ponson in the past, hitting just .242 in 33 at-bats. The Boston player who has had the most success against Ponson is Trot Nixon (.389, 5 RBI in 18 ABs), who is shelved for a few weeks with a herniated disk. Jason Varitek and David Ortiz have hit the Baltimore ace hard in the past. Ponson, 2-1 this spring, is facing one of the toughest lineups in the league even without Nomar, but we feel he will be up to the challenge. Also, if it comes down to the wire, Baltimore closer Jorge Julio (36 saves in 2003) has held hitters on this current Boston team to a combined .217 batting average (10-for-46, 1 HR, 3 RBI).
On the hill for the visitors is one of the best in the game. There is no denying that Pedro is as good as they come on the mound. However, tagged for two homers and six runs on Tuesday against Toronto, Martinez has had a tough spring (20 hits in 16 innings, 6.75 ERA). You can never put too much weight into spring training statistics but several scouts have reported that Pedro has lost some velocity on his fastball and may not be in tip-top form to begin the season. 1-1, 4.87 in 3 starts against the Orioles in 2003, Martinez is facing the toughest lineup that Baltimore has put on the field in several years. With the additions of Rafael Palmeiro, Javy Lopez (.318, 1 HR, 2 RBI against Pedro), and Miguel Tejada (who also has a HR off Martinez), facing the Orioles in Camden this season will be no easy task even for the likes of Pedro Martinez. With the pop in this Baltimore lineup, they should hit a great number of long balls this year, especially at home.
The Red Sox bullpen is rock-solid, but this is a Baltimore lineup that can get to anyone if they are hitting on all cylinders. With that said, expect a gutty starting performance from Ponson, who should be happy to be back in front of the Camden crowd -- a crowd which he went 6-3 with a complete game in front of last season.
We know it's Pedro and we know it's early. The money line is too heavy on the Red Sox in a matchup that we can see Baltimore coming out of the gate and suprising more than a few people.
We like the home dog here. Take the Baltimore Orioles in this opening night matchup at Camden.
CLICK HERE FOR OUR MLB SEASON PACKAGE DETAILS
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