The Indians have been at or near -200 for four straight days and have failed to win on three of those occasions. We might as well jump into the pool before someone pees in the water and hope we can swim around for a little while.
But this pick isn't all based on simply the Indians recent home woes. Granted, Cleveland has lost five of its last six at home, but the Indians are 17-13 overall at Jacobs Field while the Brewers are just 12-18 on the road. We need something a little stronger to back this pick.
And here it is -- Allan Levrault has just pitched too well to be this big of a dog. You may not have heard of Levrault because (A) he pitches for the Brewers and (B) he is a youngster. He won't turn 24 until August. But the righty is a touted Brewers prospect and has worked his way into the rotation this season after starting in the bullpen. His overall numbers show him with 32.1 IP, 32 hits allowed, a 23/11 K/BB ratio and a 3.90 ERA. But take out his first start on 5/15 at Philly when he gave up eight runs and eight hits in 3.1 IP and you have a guy with just six ER allowed in 29 IP -- that's a 1.86 ERA. In his three other starts he gave up just three ER and 15 hits in 17 IP. Clearly the kid can start, he just had a bad outing the first time around this year.
Meanwhile, while highly touted, Bartolo Colon has not pitched like a 2/1 favorite this year. His overall numbers are good, but the results aren't there. He's tossed 89.1 innings, given up just 84 hits, and has a 77/32 K/BB ratio. Still, his at 4.33 and he comes up with awful outings at times. In four of his 13 starts, he's given up five runs or more. That's not the material of a 2/1 starter. He hasn't dominated a game since 4/29 against Texas, when he allowed just one run in eight IP. Since then, in May and June, Colon has a 5.18 ERA and a 2-4 record. The Indians were so worried they had Colon undergo an MRI on his pitching elbow last week, which proved negative.
But also negative from this corner are any plans to back Colon and the Tribe in their current state. This is a risk, but based on the way both teams are playing, it's worth the reward. spt pre.
But this pick isn't all based on simply the Indians recent home woes. Granted, Cleveland has lost five of its last six at home, but the Indians are 17-13 overall at Jacobs Field while the Brewers are just 12-18 on the road. We need something a little stronger to back this pick.
And here it is -- Allan Levrault has just pitched too well to be this big of a dog. You may not have heard of Levrault because (A) he pitches for the Brewers and (B) he is a youngster. He won't turn 24 until August. But the righty is a touted Brewers prospect and has worked his way into the rotation this season after starting in the bullpen. His overall numbers show him with 32.1 IP, 32 hits allowed, a 23/11 K/BB ratio and a 3.90 ERA. But take out his first start on 5/15 at Philly when he gave up eight runs and eight hits in 3.1 IP and you have a guy with just six ER allowed in 29 IP -- that's a 1.86 ERA. In his three other starts he gave up just three ER and 15 hits in 17 IP. Clearly the kid can start, he just had a bad outing the first time around this year.
Meanwhile, while highly touted, Bartolo Colon has not pitched like a 2/1 favorite this year. His overall numbers are good, but the results aren't there. He's tossed 89.1 innings, given up just 84 hits, and has a 77/32 K/BB ratio. Still, his at 4.33 and he comes up with awful outings at times. In four of his 13 starts, he's given up five runs or more. That's not the material of a 2/1 starter. He hasn't dominated a game since 4/29 against Texas, when he allowed just one run in eight IP. Since then, in May and June, Colon has a 5.18 ERA and a 2-4 record. The Indians were so worried they had Colon undergo an MRI on his pitching elbow last week, which proved negative.
But also negative from this corner are any plans to back Colon and the Tribe in their current state. This is a risk, but based on the way both teams are playing, it's worth the reward. spt pre.
