Stu Feiner
Writeups, Sunday 7/20/2008
American League
Oakland Athletics at New York Yankees
We like the Yankees here tonight against the Athletics. We know that Justin Ducscherer is on the hill for Oakland but we look for him to come back to earth in the second half of the season.
The Yankees were able to pull out the victory yesterday and we look for them to do the same here today at home. The Yankees send Andy Pettitte to the hill and it is now his time of the year. Andy has lost just two games in his last ten starts.
The Yankees have begun to roll and that is in big part due to the fact that Robinson Cano has caught fire. Most of us out there know that Cano isn?t a .250 hitter. Look for him to continue to swing the bat well.
New York Yankees (-)
Detroit Tigers at Baltimore Orioles
We don?t see the same type of game as we had last night. We will have two starters that will do a much better job of pitching here today in Baltimore. We like the Tigers behind their ace to get the job done. Both of these starting pitchers have been throwing the ball well as of late.
One starter has really been dominant over his last few starts. That starter is Justin Verlander. If you look at Justin?s record and statistics you would think he hasn?t pitched that well. Well Justin did start off the season slow, he was experiencing dead arm. His last three starts he has been more than healthy.
Justin has won his last three games. All told he has pitched 20 innings while allowing just 14 hits and a few runs. We see what the Tigers offense can do, now behind their ace they will put it all together.
Detroit Tigers (-)
Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays have showed a lot in their few games since the all-star break. Tampa has come out and not only won the first two games since the all-star break but they have beaten two top pitchers. First they were able to score a few runs off of A.J. Burnett. Then yesterday they came on and beat Roy Halladay and held on for the win.
Tonight the Rays will be able to take this third game and they will sweep the series. The Jays send John Parrish to the hill. Make no mistake about it Parrish is a relief pitcher. His numbers are good but this is a guy that has made twelve career starts in his eight year career. Even if John throws well he will not be able to pitch deep in to the game. He has pitched more than six innings just one time all season. Look for Tampa to get the sweep at home, this price is very fair.
Tampa Bay Rays (-)
Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox
Last night was just one loss and we look for the Sox to bounce back in a hurry. This is a team that has played so well this season folks. They do not get the credit they should, but that is just fine for us.
The White Sox are one of the few teams in all of baseball to be ranked high in both pitching and hitting. In fact it goes much further than that. The White Sox have the second best pitching staff statistically speaking. Their team ERA is just 3.60 and they have more quality starters from their starters than any team in the league.
In edition to their great pitching, they average close to five runs per game and are fifth in the league in runs scored. They have also hit 130 home runs which ranks third in all of baseball. It just shows us how balanced the Sox are. Look for them to take the series here in Chicago.
Chicago White Sox (-)
Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins
How good are the Minnesota Twins? This is a team that is the real deal in every sense of the word. This isn?t a fluke folks, this isn?t a mirage what they are doing. This is a team that is now 55-42 on the season. At home they are better than that folks.
Just look at their last two games. What have they not done to impress you or to prove to Vegas they are for real? They keep giving us these cookie cutter lines and we keep jumping all over them. The Twins are now 34-18 at home this season. Last night the Twins were just awesome. They scored thirteen runs in the final five innings. All told the Twinkies scored fourteen runs and pounded out sixteen hits. The night before they scored six runs and won in a white-washing 6-0.
Scott Baker is 6-2 on the season and is more than capable of winning especially at home. Both teams will score runs, but the Twins will find a way to win as they do most of the time.
Minnesota Twins (-)
Cleveland Indians at Seattle Mariners
Cliff Lee?s amazing start of the season will continue here tonight. That is right folks, this is a guy that hasn?t done it with smoke and mirrors. This is a guy that has deserved each and every one of his victories this season. Cliff has been great all season no matter where he has pitched.
Sure Cliff is 5-0 at home with a low ERA, but how about his numbers away from Cleveland? Is there a pitcher better on the road this season than Cliff? He has seven road victories to just two road losses. He also has an ERA of just 2.77. Cliff has allowed just five home-runs all season to go along with his great WHIP.
There are plenty of reasons why he started the all-star game, you didn?t think they just picked him out of a hat do you? Take the Indians on the road they proved yesterday they can win there no problem.
Cleveland Indians (-)
Boston Red Sox at LA Angels
We like the Angels to go for the sweep here tonight. Don?t fall in to the trap, don?t think that the Red Sox have to get a game. The Angels are just as good a baseball team as the Boston Red Sox. If you won?t take our word for it, look at their records.
The Red Sox are two different teams this season. There are the home Red Sox, that pound the baseball and pitch to a top five ERA. They are a home team that is 25 games over the .500 mark.
Then there is the other Boston Red Sox team. A Red Sox road team that is now more than ten games less than .500 on the season. They don?t pitch as well and they are just an average offense away from the friendly confines of Fenway park.
The Angels were able to win yesterday even though Josh Beckett was on the mound. The Angels will scrap together enough runs off the knuckle-baller and win the game and sweep the series here tonight.
LA Angels (-)
National League
Philadelphia Phillies at Florida Marlins
We like the Phillies to bounce back tonight. Philadelphia came out flat yesterday and did not play well against the Marlins. Tonight we expect play like they did in the first game of the series and take care of business.
The Phillies are one of the best teams on the road this season. Philadelphia is 26-22 on the road this season. Don?t look at that number and sneeze on it. Considering how dominant teams have been at home, 26-22 is more than solid. The Phillies send their best pitcher to the mound tonight as well.
Cole has just nine wins but he has pitched better than that. The Phillies are 13-7 in his twenty starts this season. Winning at a 65% clip is something that can?t be ignored. Cole has just filthy no-hit stuff. 142 innings this season and he has allowed just 112 hits. Those numbers are incredible. Just compare his totals to any of the best pitchers in the league and you will see he is even a cut above them.
Philadelphia Phillies (-)
New York Mets at Cincinnati Reds
This line is just too good to pass up for the home team tonight. There is no way we will pass up getting the games best young pitcher as a low line favorite. Edinson Volquez has been great all season. There hasn?t been a better pitcher at home this season either folks. That is why we really don?t understand this line, we feel Vegas has it all wrong.
Volquez overall this season is 12-3 and he is actually 12-2 as a starting pitcher. At home he has been un-touchable. Volquez is 6-0 on the season at home with a 2.43 ERA. What is there not to love about him?
The Mets winning streak is over and they haven?t played well since that loss. They played a sloppy ball game last night and we don?t expect them to get it back tonight against an ace like Edinson.
Cincinnati Reds (-)
Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves
We know that this line is high, but we don?t mind. The line is supposed to be high. The Washington Nationals are the worst team in all of baseball folks. This is not a term we just throw around, calling a team the worst in the league is something we don?t take lightly. The Nats are exactly that though.
Sure Washington was able to get one yesterday, they aren?t going to go winless the entire season. They are a team that has a shot to loss 100 games. On the road the Nationals are a brutal 16-32 on the road.
The Nationals are just 2-10 in their last twelve road games. Atlanta has always played well against Washington. They are actually 33-14 in their last forty seven meetings. Look for them to improve on those numbers here tonight.
Atlanta Braves (-)
Chicago Cubs at Houston Astros
We like the Astros to take care of business once again here tonight. The Astros have been very impressive against the Cubs so far in this series. They won a tight ball game two to one in the first game of their series. Last night they won another low scoring affair.
The Astros were able to win 4-1 yesterday. Not only did they win the game, but they beat all-star Carlos Zambrano. Carlos actually hit better (home run) then he pitched. The Astros got three runs in the first three innings and never looked back. Jose Valverde picked up his 25th save.
Ryan Dempster hasn?t pitched well on the road. Ryan is 10-1 at home with an ERA under three. No doubt that is fantastic. On the road though Ryan has yet to win a single game. Ryan is win-less and has an ERA over 4. Don?t be surprised when the Astros win this game.
Houston Astros (+)
Pittsburgh Pirates at Colorado Rockies
We love the Rockies to get the job done tonight behind their ace. Believe it or not the Rockies are actually rolling. You have heard us say before that the Rockies aren?t out of this NL West. The NL West is the worst division in all of a baseball. The Rockies were able to go on an incredible run last season, we don?t know if they can do that, but guess what? They don?t have too.
The Rockies still have a big home-field advantage. They have struggled away from Coors but does that really matter tonight? They are 28-21 at home this season, not bad for a team that has been hit with the injury bug badly.
Aaron Cook was fantastic in the all-star game and he will be great again tonight. Cook leads the Rockies in all major pitching categories, including: wins, ERA and whip. Look for him to shut down the Pirates tonight. Pittsburgh hasn?t hit well in this series and they won?t begin tonight.
Colorado Rockies(-)
Milwaukee Brewers at San Francisco Giants
Just like a similar line in the New York Mets at Cincinnati Reds game, this line is too good to pass up. When you can get an ace, at home, for cheap you have to jump on it. We aren?t saying it will win every time but over the long run the investments will come through in fine fashion.
Tim is 11-2 on the season with an ERA of just 2.57. In his last start before the break he was dominant as usual. Against the best NL team in the league he was brilliant. Eight innings pitched just six hits and one earned run. Also throw in nine strikeouts to just one walk. His strikeouts are only part of his game. His location has been great. How about just seven home runs allowed all season? 129 innings and just seven gopher balls. Look for the Giants to win again tonight as they did last night.
San Francisco Giants (-)
Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks
We know these two teams are very similar. Both teams even send out a sinker-ball pitcher tonight. A couple advantages for the Diamondbacks though. First off they are coming off of a big win yesterday. A game they were up 3-0 early and held on to win 3-2.
The Arizona Diamondbacks also have the ?better? sinker-baller pitcher here tonight. Lowe is just 7-8 on the season with an ERA over 3.84. Brandon Webb on the other hand as a 13-4 mark. He also has pitched 131 innings and has an ERA of 3.37.
The Dodgers also haven?t proved they can win consistently on the road. Sure they won one game in this series, but their record is still terrible on the road. They are also without their closer, look for Arizona to win a tight ball game.
Arizona Diamondbacks (-)
Writeups, Sunday 7/20/2008
American League
Oakland Athletics at New York Yankees
We like the Yankees here tonight against the Athletics. We know that Justin Ducscherer is on the hill for Oakland but we look for him to come back to earth in the second half of the season.
The Yankees were able to pull out the victory yesterday and we look for them to do the same here today at home. The Yankees send Andy Pettitte to the hill and it is now his time of the year. Andy has lost just two games in his last ten starts.
The Yankees have begun to roll and that is in big part due to the fact that Robinson Cano has caught fire. Most of us out there know that Cano isn?t a .250 hitter. Look for him to continue to swing the bat well.
New York Yankees (-)
Detroit Tigers at Baltimore Orioles
We don?t see the same type of game as we had last night. We will have two starters that will do a much better job of pitching here today in Baltimore. We like the Tigers behind their ace to get the job done. Both of these starting pitchers have been throwing the ball well as of late.
One starter has really been dominant over his last few starts. That starter is Justin Verlander. If you look at Justin?s record and statistics you would think he hasn?t pitched that well. Well Justin did start off the season slow, he was experiencing dead arm. His last three starts he has been more than healthy.
Justin has won his last three games. All told he has pitched 20 innings while allowing just 14 hits and a few runs. We see what the Tigers offense can do, now behind their ace they will put it all together.
Detroit Tigers (-)
Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays have showed a lot in their few games since the all-star break. Tampa has come out and not only won the first two games since the all-star break but they have beaten two top pitchers. First they were able to score a few runs off of A.J. Burnett. Then yesterday they came on and beat Roy Halladay and held on for the win.
Tonight the Rays will be able to take this third game and they will sweep the series. The Jays send John Parrish to the hill. Make no mistake about it Parrish is a relief pitcher. His numbers are good but this is a guy that has made twelve career starts in his eight year career. Even if John throws well he will not be able to pitch deep in to the game. He has pitched more than six innings just one time all season. Look for Tampa to get the sweep at home, this price is very fair.
Tampa Bay Rays (-)
Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox
Last night was just one loss and we look for the Sox to bounce back in a hurry. This is a team that has played so well this season folks. They do not get the credit they should, but that is just fine for us.
The White Sox are one of the few teams in all of baseball to be ranked high in both pitching and hitting. In fact it goes much further than that. The White Sox have the second best pitching staff statistically speaking. Their team ERA is just 3.60 and they have more quality starters from their starters than any team in the league.
In edition to their great pitching, they average close to five runs per game and are fifth in the league in runs scored. They have also hit 130 home runs which ranks third in all of baseball. It just shows us how balanced the Sox are. Look for them to take the series here in Chicago.
Chicago White Sox (-)
Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins
How good are the Minnesota Twins? This is a team that is the real deal in every sense of the word. This isn?t a fluke folks, this isn?t a mirage what they are doing. This is a team that is now 55-42 on the season. At home they are better than that folks.
Just look at their last two games. What have they not done to impress you or to prove to Vegas they are for real? They keep giving us these cookie cutter lines and we keep jumping all over them. The Twins are now 34-18 at home this season. Last night the Twins were just awesome. They scored thirteen runs in the final five innings. All told the Twinkies scored fourteen runs and pounded out sixteen hits. The night before they scored six runs and won in a white-washing 6-0.
Scott Baker is 6-2 on the season and is more than capable of winning especially at home. Both teams will score runs, but the Twins will find a way to win as they do most of the time.
Minnesota Twins (-)
Cleveland Indians at Seattle Mariners
Cliff Lee?s amazing start of the season will continue here tonight. That is right folks, this is a guy that hasn?t done it with smoke and mirrors. This is a guy that has deserved each and every one of his victories this season. Cliff has been great all season no matter where he has pitched.
Sure Cliff is 5-0 at home with a low ERA, but how about his numbers away from Cleveland? Is there a pitcher better on the road this season than Cliff? He has seven road victories to just two road losses. He also has an ERA of just 2.77. Cliff has allowed just five home-runs all season to go along with his great WHIP.
There are plenty of reasons why he started the all-star game, you didn?t think they just picked him out of a hat do you? Take the Indians on the road they proved yesterday they can win there no problem.
Cleveland Indians (-)
Boston Red Sox at LA Angels
We like the Angels to go for the sweep here tonight. Don?t fall in to the trap, don?t think that the Red Sox have to get a game. The Angels are just as good a baseball team as the Boston Red Sox. If you won?t take our word for it, look at their records.
The Red Sox are two different teams this season. There are the home Red Sox, that pound the baseball and pitch to a top five ERA. They are a home team that is 25 games over the .500 mark.
Then there is the other Boston Red Sox team. A Red Sox road team that is now more than ten games less than .500 on the season. They don?t pitch as well and they are just an average offense away from the friendly confines of Fenway park.
The Angels were able to win yesterday even though Josh Beckett was on the mound. The Angels will scrap together enough runs off the knuckle-baller and win the game and sweep the series here tonight.
LA Angels (-)
National League
Philadelphia Phillies at Florida Marlins
We like the Phillies to bounce back tonight. Philadelphia came out flat yesterday and did not play well against the Marlins. Tonight we expect play like they did in the first game of the series and take care of business.
The Phillies are one of the best teams on the road this season. Philadelphia is 26-22 on the road this season. Don?t look at that number and sneeze on it. Considering how dominant teams have been at home, 26-22 is more than solid. The Phillies send their best pitcher to the mound tonight as well.
Cole has just nine wins but he has pitched better than that. The Phillies are 13-7 in his twenty starts this season. Winning at a 65% clip is something that can?t be ignored. Cole has just filthy no-hit stuff. 142 innings this season and he has allowed just 112 hits. Those numbers are incredible. Just compare his totals to any of the best pitchers in the league and you will see he is even a cut above them.
Philadelphia Phillies (-)
New York Mets at Cincinnati Reds
This line is just too good to pass up for the home team tonight. There is no way we will pass up getting the games best young pitcher as a low line favorite. Edinson Volquez has been great all season. There hasn?t been a better pitcher at home this season either folks. That is why we really don?t understand this line, we feel Vegas has it all wrong.
Volquez overall this season is 12-3 and he is actually 12-2 as a starting pitcher. At home he has been un-touchable. Volquez is 6-0 on the season at home with a 2.43 ERA. What is there not to love about him?
The Mets winning streak is over and they haven?t played well since that loss. They played a sloppy ball game last night and we don?t expect them to get it back tonight against an ace like Edinson.
Cincinnati Reds (-)
Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves
We know that this line is high, but we don?t mind. The line is supposed to be high. The Washington Nationals are the worst team in all of baseball folks. This is not a term we just throw around, calling a team the worst in the league is something we don?t take lightly. The Nats are exactly that though.
Sure Washington was able to get one yesterday, they aren?t going to go winless the entire season. They are a team that has a shot to loss 100 games. On the road the Nationals are a brutal 16-32 on the road.
The Nationals are just 2-10 in their last twelve road games. Atlanta has always played well against Washington. They are actually 33-14 in their last forty seven meetings. Look for them to improve on those numbers here tonight.
Atlanta Braves (-)
Chicago Cubs at Houston Astros
We like the Astros to take care of business once again here tonight. The Astros have been very impressive against the Cubs so far in this series. They won a tight ball game two to one in the first game of their series. Last night they won another low scoring affair.
The Astros were able to win 4-1 yesterday. Not only did they win the game, but they beat all-star Carlos Zambrano. Carlos actually hit better (home run) then he pitched. The Astros got three runs in the first three innings and never looked back. Jose Valverde picked up his 25th save.
Ryan Dempster hasn?t pitched well on the road. Ryan is 10-1 at home with an ERA under three. No doubt that is fantastic. On the road though Ryan has yet to win a single game. Ryan is win-less and has an ERA over 4. Don?t be surprised when the Astros win this game.
Houston Astros (+)
Pittsburgh Pirates at Colorado Rockies
We love the Rockies to get the job done tonight behind their ace. Believe it or not the Rockies are actually rolling. You have heard us say before that the Rockies aren?t out of this NL West. The NL West is the worst division in all of a baseball. The Rockies were able to go on an incredible run last season, we don?t know if they can do that, but guess what? They don?t have too.
The Rockies still have a big home-field advantage. They have struggled away from Coors but does that really matter tonight? They are 28-21 at home this season, not bad for a team that has been hit with the injury bug badly.
Aaron Cook was fantastic in the all-star game and he will be great again tonight. Cook leads the Rockies in all major pitching categories, including: wins, ERA and whip. Look for him to shut down the Pirates tonight. Pittsburgh hasn?t hit well in this series and they won?t begin tonight.
Colorado Rockies(-)
Milwaukee Brewers at San Francisco Giants
Just like a similar line in the New York Mets at Cincinnati Reds game, this line is too good to pass up. When you can get an ace, at home, for cheap you have to jump on it. We aren?t saying it will win every time but over the long run the investments will come through in fine fashion.
Tim is 11-2 on the season with an ERA of just 2.57. In his last start before the break he was dominant as usual. Against the best NL team in the league he was brilliant. Eight innings pitched just six hits and one earned run. Also throw in nine strikeouts to just one walk. His strikeouts are only part of his game. His location has been great. How about just seven home runs allowed all season? 129 innings and just seven gopher balls. Look for the Giants to win again tonight as they did last night.
San Francisco Giants (-)
Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks
We know these two teams are very similar. Both teams even send out a sinker-ball pitcher tonight. A couple advantages for the Diamondbacks though. First off they are coming off of a big win yesterday. A game they were up 3-0 early and held on to win 3-2.
The Arizona Diamondbacks also have the ?better? sinker-baller pitcher here tonight. Lowe is just 7-8 on the season with an ERA over 3.84. Brandon Webb on the other hand as a 13-4 mark. He also has pitched 131 innings and has an ERA of 3.37.
The Dodgers also haven?t proved they can win consistently on the road. Sure they won one game in this series, but their record is still terrible on the road. They are also without their closer, look for Arizona to win a tight ball game.
Arizona Diamondbacks (-)
