G Carapellucci's Free Pick
Atlanta vs. San Francisco, Take San Francisco Giants
Young Noah Lowry has shown great promise in his brief career, and he has pitched very well in this ballpark since being called up two years ago. Lowry may be just 11-8 in his 25 career home starts, but he deserves a better fate than that given his 3.12 ERA and fantastic 1.17 WHIP at home. Opposing batters are hitting just .240 against him in this stadium, as well as only .237 when Lowry pitches in the afternoon. Finally he received credit for a Quality Start the last time he faced the Braves allowing three earned runs in seven innings, albeit in a 4-1 Giants loss. Now Sosa had a breakout season last year going a surprising 13-3 with a 2.55 ERA, but we feel that he may have overachieved a bit and he could be in line for a correction this year. Sosa is not known for his stamina as he had NO Complete Games out of 20 starts last season, and that spells trouble here given the shaky start the Atlanta bullpen has had. Finally the Braves have had surprising trouble piecing together wins on the road lately, going just 11-29 in their last 40 road games when coming off of a win as they are here!
Scott Spreitzer's Free Pick
Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati, Take Cincinnati Reds
I'm laying the price with the Reds and Claussen on Thursday over the Pirates and Snell. Pittsburgh righty Ian Snell made 15 MLB appearances last season, including 5 starts. He didn't do too well, finishing with a 1.60 WHIP and a 5.14 ERA. He allowed 67 base runners in 42 IP, (14.36 MBA), including 24 walks. Obviously, control was not a part of his vocabulary. Adding to his problems in this park is that he relies on flyballs for outs. That's a scary thought when taking the mound at Great American Ball Park! Brandon Claussen counters for the Reds. While his overall numbers don't look too hot, he does love pitching against the Bucs. In 5 career starts, he owns a 2.70 ERA against Pittsburgh, and an even better 1.83 ERA in 3 starts at home! He dominates the anemic Bucs because he owns a very deceptive delivery that they cannot catch up to. Also, his late-breaking slider hamstrings lefties. Two of the top 3 batters in the Pirate lineup hit from the left side of the plate. It all adds up to a win for Claussen's squad. I'm laying the price with the Reds.
These picks are by courtesy of ProCappers Free Picks Chick
Atlanta vs. San Francisco, Take San Francisco Giants
Young Noah Lowry has shown great promise in his brief career, and he has pitched very well in this ballpark since being called up two years ago. Lowry may be just 11-8 in his 25 career home starts, but he deserves a better fate than that given his 3.12 ERA and fantastic 1.17 WHIP at home. Opposing batters are hitting just .240 against him in this stadium, as well as only .237 when Lowry pitches in the afternoon. Finally he received credit for a Quality Start the last time he faced the Braves allowing three earned runs in seven innings, albeit in a 4-1 Giants loss. Now Sosa had a breakout season last year going a surprising 13-3 with a 2.55 ERA, but we feel that he may have overachieved a bit and he could be in line for a correction this year. Sosa is not known for his stamina as he had NO Complete Games out of 20 starts last season, and that spells trouble here given the shaky start the Atlanta bullpen has had. Finally the Braves have had surprising trouble piecing together wins on the road lately, going just 11-29 in their last 40 road games when coming off of a win as they are here!
Scott Spreitzer's Free Pick
Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati, Take Cincinnati Reds
I'm laying the price with the Reds and Claussen on Thursday over the Pirates and Snell. Pittsburgh righty Ian Snell made 15 MLB appearances last season, including 5 starts. He didn't do too well, finishing with a 1.60 WHIP and a 5.14 ERA. He allowed 67 base runners in 42 IP, (14.36 MBA), including 24 walks. Obviously, control was not a part of his vocabulary. Adding to his problems in this park is that he relies on flyballs for outs. That's a scary thought when taking the mound at Great American Ball Park! Brandon Claussen counters for the Reds. While his overall numbers don't look too hot, he does love pitching against the Bucs. In 5 career starts, he owns a 2.70 ERA against Pittsburgh, and an even better 1.83 ERA in 3 starts at home! He dominates the anemic Bucs because he owns a very deceptive delivery that they cannot catch up to. Also, his late-breaking slider hamstrings lefties. Two of the top 3 batters in the Pirate lineup hit from the left side of the plate. It all adds up to a win for Claussen's squad. I'm laying the price with the Reds.
These picks are by courtesy of ProCappers Free Picks Chick
