Burns
BASEBALL
REDS
Game: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds Game Time: 5/27/2008 7:10:00 PM Prediction: Cincinnati Reds Reason: I'm laying the price with CINCINNATI. I successfully played against the Reds in their tough extra-inning loss at San Diego on Sunday. The Reds rallied to take the lead in the top of the ninth, only to see the Padres tie things up in the home half of the inning. Ditto for the 11th inning, as teams each scored twice in that frame. San Diego would eventually win in the bottom of the 18th inning, dropping Cincinnati to an ugly 9-19 on the road. Thankfully, the Reds had yesterday off, as that was (obviously) a rather gruelling loss, both mentally and physically. Returning home, where they're a respectable 14-9 on the season, including a perfect 7-0 their last seven, I expect them to bounce back and start the new series and week off with an important win. Like their hosts, the Pirates have been much better at home than they have been on the road. They're a solid 15-9 at Pittsburgh but are mirror-opposites (9-15) on the road. Given how much better both teams have been in their home park, it's not all that surprising that the Pirates swept the Reds when the teams met at Pittsburgh earlier this season. However, it's been a different story when the teams have met at Cincinnati in recent seasons though. The Reds blanked the Pirates (4-0) the last time the teams faced each other here and are 12-7 the last 19 series meetings here. Like their teams, today's starting pitchers have both been better at home. Snell has been decent at home but is 1-2 with an ugly 5.85 ERA and 1.732 WHIP in six road starts. The Pirates are 1-3 in his four career starts at Cincinnati and he's 3-4 with a 5.18 ERA in eight starts against Cincinnati overall. Cueto has also struggled on the road. However, he's 2-1 with a solid 3.82 ERA and an excellent 0.939 WHIP at home, recording roughly a strikeout per inning. The Reds offense has been clicking. They banged out more than 20 hits in Sunday's loss and they've averaged greater than six runs per game during their winning streak here, outscoring opponents by a 43-25 count. They're expected to add another red hot bat to the lineup as outfielder Jay Bruce, considered one of the top prospects in baseball, is expected to get called up from Triple-A. The 21-year old has been pounding pitchers, while down at Louisville, batting .364 while adding some 'pop' to go with that average. While Bruce may not crack the starting lineup today, Snell knows that he'll surely have to deal with an old nemesis in Ken Griffey. That can't be a comforting thought, as Griffey is 6-for-14 (.429) with a homer and five walks in his career versus Snell. Look for Cueto, Griffey and co. to serve up some "payback" from the earlier sweep at Pittsburgh, winning their eighth straight home game for the first time in more than a decade. *"Revenge" GOM
ROYALS
Game: Minnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals Game Time: 5/27/2008 8:10:00 PM Prediction: Kansas City Royals Reason: I'm laying the price with KANSAS CITY. Losers of eight straight, the Royals have certainly come back to earth recently and have assumed their normal position at the bottom of the AL Central. They're still a (relatively) respectable 10-12 at home though, which is one game better than the Twins' 9-13 mark on the road. In fact, the Royals have won four straight here. Returning home, with Bannister facing a team he has dominated, I expect the Royals to break back into the win column. Bannister was dominant in defeating the Twins here six weeks ago. Bannister went the distance in that outing, allowing a mere three hits, one walk and one run. The Royals won 5-1. The Royals are now a perfect 4-0 in his four starts against the Twins, winning those games by a combined score of 23-6. Bannister was 3-0 with a highly impressive 1.45 ERA and 0.839 WHIP in those four games. He was particularly dominant the last three games, recording a superb 1.13 ERA and 0.708 WHIP. The Royals won those games by scores of 5-1, 8-1 and 5-1. Including the earlier victory vs. the Twins here, Bannister is 3-2 with a stellar 2.92 ERA and 1.019 WHIP at home on the season. Conversely, Blackburn has a 4.85 ERA and 1.483 WHIP in five road starts. The Twins were 1-4 in those games. Look for Bannister to outduel Blackburn here as the Royals snap their skid and drop the Twins to 2-11 when playing on the road with a line ranging from +100 to +125. *Annihilator
