All bets at Pinnacle
CLEVELAND/Cincinnati under 10 +1.06 <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
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The first thing to note here is that both of these teams are struggling at the plate and it’s a rare day when either one of them puts up a big inning. The Indians have scored just 11 runs in their past four games while the Reds have scored just 10. Only once in their past seven games have the Reds scored more than four runs in a game and only once in their past eight games have the Indians scored more than four. Than we have Elizardo Ramirez going for the visitor and he brings a misleading 2-6 W/L record with him. However, Ramirez could just as easily be 6-2 or even better. His ERA is a very impressive 3.69 and one of the best things about him is that he throws strikes, as his 16 walks in 61 innings would attest to. He’s allowed just 59 hits in those 61 frames and the opposition is hitting just .251 against him. Ramirez has not allowed more than four earned runs in any of his 10 starts. For the Tribe, it’ll be highly touted rookie Jeremy Sowers. Sowers went 9-1 with two complete-game shutouts and a 1.39 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 15 starts for Triple AAA Buffalo. In 97 innings of work he allowed just one jack and that bodes well here against this invader that relies heavily on the long ball and strikes out far too often. Play: Under 10 –1.02 (Risking 1.5 units).
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BALTIMORE –1 -1.04 over Washington<o></o>
We’ve maintained all year just how good Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera is and in terms of difficulty to hit, Cabrera may just be the majors best in that department. He’ll face an offensively challenged Nationals team here that is seeing BB’s at Camden Yards and can’t wait to get out of here. The Nationals have scored three runs in the first two games of this set and that came against starters Rodrigo Lopez and Adam Loewen, two guys that couldn’t crack the Braves bullpen. Now they’re asked to score some runs against a true stud that has allowed 54 hits in 64 innings while striking out 72. If Cabrera stays in the strike zone the Nats have no shot here, if he doesn’t they have a very slim shot. The opposition has gone yard on Cabrera just five times in 64 frames, a true testament to just how tough he is. Livan Hernandez is Cabrera’s opposite. He’s allowed 121 hits in 99 innings and has allowed 16 bombs. In is last three starts, he’s 0-3 with an ERA of 8.22 and with all the injured relievers the Nationals have, there’s very little help in the pen. This one is as good as any and we’d truly be shocked if we lost this wager. Play: Baltimore –1 -1.04 (Risking 2.08 units to win 2).
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LOS ANGELES –1½ +1.01 over Pittsburgh<o></o>
Throw out Brad Penny’s last start and attribute it to a bad outing; it happens and no pitcher is immune to it. However, prior to that start Penny allowed a total of three runs in four outings and he’s been as good as any pitcher in the business. Penny comes in with an ERA of 2.83 and should have little trouble disposing of this horrible road team that has lost 30 of 38 away from home. They’ve also lost 11 of their last 12 at Chavez Ravine and will have to rely on Kip Wells to get right-sided. We don’t think so. Wells came off the DL for his first start of the year on Tuesday only to get torched by the Royals. Getting torched by the Royals is not an easy thing to do. Wells not only was hit hard, he also walked six batters in 3.1 innings and the Dodgers offense is definitely a formidable one. It’s not customary for us to lay 1½ runs with a home team because they may not bat in the ninth but frankly, we highly doubt that’ll matter here. This looks like one of those 9-0 games. Play: Los Angeles –1½ +1.01 (Risking 1.5 units).
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Florida +2.12 over NY YANKEES (Game 2)<o></o>
Guys like Curt Schilling, Johan Santana, Roy Halliday and Pedro Martinez are worthy of being a huge favorite but to put Shawn Chacon in that category is absolutely ludicrous. Chacon is without doubt one of the most vulnerable and ineffective pitchers in the game. He doesn’t strike out many and he’s always in a jam because the man cannot throw strikes. Chacon has not won in his last four games and his ERA over that span is 9.98. He failed to get out of the fifth inning in his last start after the Yanks vaulted him into a seven run lead and that came against the offensively challenged Nationals. Forget what happens in game one, it does not matter; forget about who is pitching for the Marlins, that doesn’t matter either. What matters is that Shawn Chacon is a 2.20 favorite and the only way we don’t take back this tag is if the books let us bet it when the game was final and even than we’d have to think about it. Play: Florida +2.12 (Risking 1.5 units). <o></o>
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Chicago +1.47 over MINNESOTA<o></o>
Brad Radke close to being a 3-2 favorite is almost as ludicrous as Chacon being better than a 2-1 choice. The good news here is that not only will Radke be chucking but Derek Lee will be back in the line-up for the Cubs and that’s huge, not only for his bat but for team morale too. The Cubbies went 9-5 before Lee's injury, 19-40 after he was hurt. Alright, let’s get back to Brad Radke for a moment. Radke has surrendered 122 hits in 86 innings and that’s not a typo. In those 86 frames he’s allowed 17 long balls and his ERA is 5.84, which is very flattering indeed. He has a WHIP (walks and hits to innings pitched) of 1.69, which is unbelievable for a guy that doesn’t walk many. The opposition is hitting a hefty .344 off him. Sean Marshall has pitched well enough to keep his spot in the rotation. He’s getting better with each start as he continues to learn his craft at this level. Marshall is a rather intimidating sight on the mound with his 6’7” frame and it doesn’t hurt that he’s a southpaw. Cubs not only get a shot in the arm today but they also get a decent tag against one of the majors most hittable pitchers. Play: Chicago +1.47 (Risking 1.5 units).
CLEVELAND/Cincinnati under 10 +1.06 <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
fficeffice" /><o></o>The first thing to note here is that both of these teams are struggling at the plate and it’s a rare day when either one of them puts up a big inning. The Indians have scored just 11 runs in their past four games while the Reds have scored just 10. Only once in their past seven games have the Reds scored more than four runs in a game and only once in their past eight games have the Indians scored more than four. Than we have Elizardo Ramirez going for the visitor and he brings a misleading 2-6 W/L record with him. However, Ramirez could just as easily be 6-2 or even better. His ERA is a very impressive 3.69 and one of the best things about him is that he throws strikes, as his 16 walks in 61 innings would attest to. He’s allowed just 59 hits in those 61 frames and the opposition is hitting just .251 against him. Ramirez has not allowed more than four earned runs in any of his 10 starts. For the Tribe, it’ll be highly touted rookie Jeremy Sowers. Sowers went 9-1 with two complete-game shutouts and a 1.39 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 15 starts for Triple AAA Buffalo. In 97 innings of work he allowed just one jack and that bodes well here against this invader that relies heavily on the long ball and strikes out far too often. Play: Under 10 –1.02 (Risking 1.5 units).
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></o>BALTIMORE –1 -1.04 over Washington<o
></o>We’ve maintained all year just how good Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera is and in terms of difficulty to hit, Cabrera may just be the majors best in that department. He’ll face an offensively challenged Nationals team here that is seeing BB’s at Camden Yards and can’t wait to get out of here. The Nationals have scored three runs in the first two games of this set and that came against starters Rodrigo Lopez and Adam Loewen, two guys that couldn’t crack the Braves bullpen. Now they’re asked to score some runs against a true stud that has allowed 54 hits in 64 innings while striking out 72. If Cabrera stays in the strike zone the Nats have no shot here, if he doesn’t they have a very slim shot. The opposition has gone yard on Cabrera just five times in 64 frames, a true testament to just how tough he is. Livan Hernandez is Cabrera’s opposite. He’s allowed 121 hits in 99 innings and has allowed 16 bombs. In is last three starts, he’s 0-3 with an ERA of 8.22 and with all the injured relievers the Nationals have, there’s very little help in the pen. This one is as good as any and we’d truly be shocked if we lost this wager. Play: Baltimore –1 -1.04 (Risking 2.08 units to win 2).
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></o>LOS ANGELES –1½ +1.01 over Pittsburgh<o
></o>Throw out Brad Penny’s last start and attribute it to a bad outing; it happens and no pitcher is immune to it. However, prior to that start Penny allowed a total of three runs in four outings and he’s been as good as any pitcher in the business. Penny comes in with an ERA of 2.83 and should have little trouble disposing of this horrible road team that has lost 30 of 38 away from home. They’ve also lost 11 of their last 12 at Chavez Ravine and will have to rely on Kip Wells to get right-sided. We don’t think so. Wells came off the DL for his first start of the year on Tuesday only to get torched by the Royals. Getting torched by the Royals is not an easy thing to do. Wells not only was hit hard, he also walked six batters in 3.1 innings and the Dodgers offense is definitely a formidable one. It’s not customary for us to lay 1½ runs with a home team because they may not bat in the ninth but frankly, we highly doubt that’ll matter here. This looks like one of those 9-0 games. Play: Los Angeles –1½ +1.01 (Risking 1.5 units).
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></o>Florida +2.12 over NY YANKEES (Game 2)<o
></o>Guys like Curt Schilling, Johan Santana, Roy Halliday and Pedro Martinez are worthy of being a huge favorite but to put Shawn Chacon in that category is absolutely ludicrous. Chacon is without doubt one of the most vulnerable and ineffective pitchers in the game. He doesn’t strike out many and he’s always in a jam because the man cannot throw strikes. Chacon has not won in his last four games and his ERA over that span is 9.98. He failed to get out of the fifth inning in his last start after the Yanks vaulted him into a seven run lead and that came against the offensively challenged Nationals. Forget what happens in game one, it does not matter; forget about who is pitching for the Marlins, that doesn’t matter either. What matters is that Shawn Chacon is a 2.20 favorite and the only way we don’t take back this tag is if the books let us bet it when the game was final and even than we’d have to think about it. Play: Florida +2.12 (Risking 1.5 units). <o
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></o>Chicago +1.47 over MINNESOTA<o
></o>Brad Radke close to being a 3-2 favorite is almost as ludicrous as Chacon being better than a 2-1 choice. The good news here is that not only will Radke be chucking but Derek Lee will be back in the line-up for the Cubs and that’s huge, not only for his bat but for team morale too. The Cubbies went 9-5 before Lee's injury, 19-40 after he was hurt. Alright, let’s get back to Brad Radke for a moment. Radke has surrendered 122 hits in 86 innings and that’s not a typo. In those 86 frames he’s allowed 17 long balls and his ERA is 5.84, which is very flattering indeed. He has a WHIP (walks and hits to innings pitched) of 1.69, which is unbelievable for a guy that doesn’t walk many. The opposition is hitting a hefty .344 off him. Sean Marshall has pitched well enough to keep his spot in the rotation. He’s getting better with each start as he continues to learn his craft at this level. Marshall is a rather intimidating sight on the mound with his 6’7” frame and it doesn’t hurt that he’s a southpaw. Cubs not only get a shot in the arm today but they also get a decent tag against one of the majors most hittable pitchers. Play: Chicago +1.47 (Risking 1.5 units).
