<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
fficeffice" /><o
> </o>
Planned on taking it easy in the MLB as football will soon be getting going, but after having a profitable last few nights I decided to test the waters again today. Plus I was sick and at home all day so I had plenty of time to look over the games and even post some thoughts.<o></o>
<o> </o>
Here goes:<o></o>
<o> </o>
<o> </o>
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:City><st1lace>Cincinnati</st1lace></st1:City> Reds (Lohse) over <st1:City><st1lace>Houston</st1lace></st1:City> Astros (Hirsh)<o></o>
<o> </o>
The Cincinnati Red’s have been on a tear as of late winning three games in a row to narrow their deficit in the NL Central division to only two games back of the Cardinals. Rich Aurilia is helping to carry the offensive load for the team, and went 4-4 last night including a game tying 3 run homer. On the other hand, the Houston Astros have gone ice cold in the second half of the season. They have only two wins in their last ten games, and as their pitching staff is no longer keeping them in games, their offence is having a hard job winning games for them. <o></o>
<o> </o>
Tonight’s pitching match-up also heavily favours the Red’s. Kyle Lohse has yet to pick up a win since coming from <st1:State><st1lace>Minnesota</st1lace></st1:State>, but he has had three consecutive quality starts. In his last outing he received no decision in a game against the Cardinals in which he gave up only one run on five hits over seven innings. In his three starts with the Red’s Lohse has posted a 1.96 ERA and opponents are only batting .224 against him. The Astro’s bats have been cold lately (batting .216 over their last 10 games) and I do not see them getting to Lohse on the road. Taking the mound for the Astros tonight will be the rookie Jason Hirsh. He will be looking to build off of his first career win, which he recorded his last time out against the struggling Milwaukee Brewers. He has had success with his slider, but as he is not overpowering batters with his fast ball I see him having trouble tonight with the Red’s big bats. Hirsh went 13-2 in Triple A ball at Red Rock, but tonight he will realise that pitching on the road in a hostile environment is a tough job; and this is a team that I can see getting to him early.<o></o>
<o> </o>
-122 6.1/5 (ml)<o></o>
+170 3/5.1 (rl)<o></o>
<o> </o>
<o> </o>
St.Louis Cardinals (Weaver) over <st1:State><st1lace>New York</st1lace></st1:State> Mets (<st1:State><st1lace>Maine</st1lace></st1:State>)<o></o>
<o> </o>
It is quite possible that this series will take place later on this season with more meaning (in the play-offs). The NL Central leading Cardinals will be traveling to <st1:State><st1lace>New York</st1lace></st1:State> to take on the NL East leading Mets. Although the Met’s are leading the NL at 27 games above .500, they appear to be suffering from the injury bug as they have lost 3 starting pitchers due to various injuries. The Cardinals are finally starting to get healthy, but will need to play more then .500 baseball to maintain their 2 game lead over the Red’s in their division. This series will be an important one, and I like the Cardinals price in the opener.<o></o>
<o> </o>
Jeff Weaver is a hit or miss pitcher, and after missing for the majority of the season it appears that he is settling in, and he couldn’t have found a better time to do so. The right hander is coming off of his best start of the season where he allowed only 1 run on hit hits in 7 1/3 innings. He is 1-1 with a 2.41 ERA over his last three starts, and Delgado is the only player on the Met’s roster that has been successful against him in the past (batting .486). The Met’s will be relying on John Maine to handle an increased pitching load as their ace Pedro Martinez and number two starter Tom Glavine are both on the DL. So far he has done a solid job going 3-3 on the season with an impressive 2.68 ERA. He has been having great control with his pitches, but it always gets to be a question mark when these inexperienced pitchers are getting into the late part of the season. The Cardinals have getting a lot of help on the offensive side of the game from the youngster Chris Duncan who has now hit a home-run in three consecutive games. Combine that with Pujols, <st1:City><st1lace>Edmonds</st1lace></st1:City>, and Rolen; and I believe <st1:State><st1lace>Maine</st1lace></st1:State> will have some troubles tonight.<o></o>
<o> </o>
+138 3/4.14 (ml)<o></o>
<o> </o>
<o> </o>
<st1:City><st1lace>Seattle</st1lace></st1:City> Mariners (Meche) over <st1:State><st1lace>New York</st1lace></st1:State> Yankees (Karstens) <o></o>
<o> </o>
I never would have thought I would be betting on a team that has lost 11 straight games, against a red hot Yankees team that is coming off of a very impressive 5 game sweep of the Boston Red Sox. However, I believe this is a solid spot for the Mariners, and they are undeserving of being such underdogs. After playing 5 games in 72 hours and traveling from <st1:City><st1lace>Boston</st1lace></st1:City> to <st1:City><st1lace>Seattle</st1lace></st1:City> the Yankees have to be worn down. The Mariners are well rested and playing at home against the AL East leading Yankees. Prior to their series against <st1:City><st1lace>Boston</st1lace></st1:City>, <st1:State><st1lace>New York</st1lace></st1:State> was fighting hard to stay atop their division, but now they have room to breathe with their 6.5 game lead. <o></o>
<o> </o>
Tonight the Yankees are forced to chuck the rookie Jeff Karstens into a starting spot and I do not see him being very successful. He was recalled Saturday from Triple A Columbus, where is posted a 5-5 record with a 4.28 ERA. If he was only a mediocre pitcher in Triple A, it is hard to see him becoming a valuable addition to Joe Torre’s ball-club. I believe he will not last deep into the game, and that spells trouble for an overworked Yankee’s bull-pen. Although they done a great job in the <st1:City><st1lace>Boston</st1lace></st1:City> series allowing only 8 runs in 20 innings, they were greatly overworked. Jaret Wright was forced into a relief appearance over the weekend, but he will not be available tonight incase Mike Mussina can not make his start on Friday. Gil Meche will be taking the mound for the Mariners tonight with hopes to get the money off of their back which is a horrific 11 game losing skid. He has already tasted victory against the Yankees earlier in the season in a 3-2 victory in which he through six solid innings. Meche is a veteran pitcher and he understands these are the types of games that he has to bring his best stuff. The burden of breaking the slump is on his shoulders, and if it is going to be done in this series, I believe it will be tonight.<o></o>
<o> </o>
+119 3/3.57 (ml)<o></o>
+207 1/2.07 (-1.5)<o></o>
<o> </o>
<o> </o>
<st1:State><st1lace>Florida</st1lace></st1:State> Marlins (Johnson) over <st1:State><st1lace>Washington</st1lace></st1:State> Nationals (Bergmann) <o></o>
<o> </o>
Josh Johnson was sure a pleasant surprise in the Florida Marlins rotation this season. Although the Marlins are currently in forth place in their division and have basically no chance of making the playoffs this season, things are starting to look up for them for future years. They have a very solid young team that will only get better with time. They have won their last two games, and have been playing .500 ball over their last ten games. Johnson is 11-6 on the season, with a NL leading 2.84 ERA. He has pitched 126 innings this season, striking out 111 while only walking 59. The Nationals have already seen him twice, but with no success as he is 1-0 against the with a 2.57 ERA. <o></o>
<o> </o>
The Washington Nationals are in a world of trouble right now, losing 3 in a row, and 7 of their last 10 games. They are 22 games back in their division, and the only player who is on top of his game is Alfonzo Soriano who has 41 homers on the year. Tonight they will be sending Jason Bergmann to the mound, and he is not going to right the ship for them. This is only his third start since being recalled from Triple A New Orleans, and so far he is 0-1, with an ERA over 7! The Marlins have had success against him before in a few relief appearances, and I believe they will have little trouble forcing the Nationals bullpen into an extended role tonight.<o></o>
<o> </o>
-164 6.56/4 (ml)<o></o>
+127 2/4.54 (-1.5)<o></o>
<o> </o>
<o> </o>
<st1:City><st1lace>Los Angeles</st1lace></st1:City> Angels (Saunders) over <st1:City><st1lace>Boston</st1lace></st1:City> Red Sox (Snyder) <o></o>
<o> </o>
Right now the Boston Red Sox are in a world of hurt. They got swept in a 5 game series by the Yankees and are now trailing them by 6.5 games in the AL East. Also, after playing 5 games in 72 hours and having to fly across the country you would have to expect them to be physically and emotionally worn down heading into this game. It is expected that some players will be rested for tonight’s game, and that will not help things as the Red Sox are a far worse team on the road against left handed pitching. Varitek and Nixon are both nursing injuries and it is expected that Manny will be out tonight as he is dealing with a hamstring injury. Tonight Joe Saunders will be taking the mound for <st1:City><st1lace>Los Angeles</st1lace></st1:City> and he has been pitching great as of late. He is 4-1 on the season, and is coming off of his first loss where he got smoked by some hot <st1:State><st1lace>Texas</st1lace></st1:State> bats. Tonight he will be facing the Red Sox for the first time in his career, and that typically gives an advantage to the pitcher. Also, with the Red Sox being fatigued, and facing a depleted line-up I expect Saunders to have success at home tonight. <o></o>
<o> </o>
<st1:City><st1lace>Boston</st1lace></st1:City> will be sending Kyle Snyder to the mound tonight, but I do not believe he is the guy to turn to in order to break out of a skid. He is 3-2 on the season, but also has a pathetic 6.25 ERA. His fastball is far from overpowering, and I believe Vlad and the Angels should be able to get to him in the early innings, and give their bullpen some room to work. Speaking of bullpens, the Angels should have a great advantage in that category tonight. Kevin Gregg will be coming back from suspension, and the Red Sox will be dealing with an over-used bullpen from the Yankees series. The Angels are getting a good price tonight, and the line is continuing to move in their favour. <o></o>
<o> </o>
-134 5.36/4 (ml)
:toast: <o></o>
fficeffice" /><o> </o>Planned on taking it easy in the MLB as football will soon be getting going, but after having a profitable last few nights I decided to test the waters again today. Plus I was sick and at home all day so I had plenty of time to look over the games and even post some thoughts.<o
></o><o
> </o>Here goes:<o
></o><o
> </o><o
> </o><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
ffice:smarttags" /><st1:City><st1lace>Cincinnati</st1lace></st1:City> Reds (Lohse) over <st1:City><st1lace>Houston</st1lace></st1:City> Astros (Hirsh)<o></o><o
> </o>The Cincinnati Red’s have been on a tear as of late winning three games in a row to narrow their deficit in the NL Central division to only two games back of the Cardinals. Rich Aurilia is helping to carry the offensive load for the team, and went 4-4 last night including a game tying 3 run homer. On the other hand, the Houston Astros have gone ice cold in the second half of the season. They have only two wins in their last ten games, and as their pitching staff is no longer keeping them in games, their offence is having a hard job winning games for them. <o
></o><o
> </o>Tonight’s pitching match-up also heavily favours the Red’s. Kyle Lohse has yet to pick up a win since coming from <st1:State><st1
lace>Minnesota</st1lace></st1:State>, but he has had three consecutive quality starts. In his last outing he received no decision in a game against the Cardinals in which he gave up only one run on five hits over seven innings. In his three starts with the Red’s Lohse has posted a 1.96 ERA and opponents are only batting .224 against him. The Astro’s bats have been cold lately (batting .216 over their last 10 games) and I do not see them getting to Lohse on the road. Taking the mound for the Astros tonight will be the rookie Jason Hirsh. He will be looking to build off of his first career win, which he recorded his last time out against the struggling Milwaukee Brewers. He has had success with his slider, but as he is not overpowering batters with his fast ball I see him having trouble tonight with the Red’s big bats. Hirsh went 13-2 in Triple A ball at Red Rock, but tonight he will realise that pitching on the road in a hostile environment is a tough job; and this is a team that I can see getting to him early.<o></o><o
> </o>-122 6.1/5 (ml)<o
></o>+170 3/5.1 (rl)<o
></o><o
> </o><o
> </o>St.Louis Cardinals (Weaver) over <st1:State><st1
lace>New York</st1lace></st1:State> Mets (<st1:State><st1lace>Maine</st1lace></st1:State>)<o></o><o
> </o>It is quite possible that this series will take place later on this season with more meaning (in the play-offs). The NL Central leading Cardinals will be traveling to <st1:State><st1
lace>New York</st1lace></st1:State> to take on the NL East leading Mets. Although the Met’s are leading the NL at 27 games above .500, they appear to be suffering from the injury bug as they have lost 3 starting pitchers due to various injuries. The Cardinals are finally starting to get healthy, but will need to play more then .500 baseball to maintain their 2 game lead over the Red’s in their division. This series will be an important one, and I like the Cardinals price in the opener.<o></o><o
> </o>Jeff Weaver is a hit or miss pitcher, and after missing for the majority of the season it appears that he is settling in, and he couldn’t have found a better time to do so. The right hander is coming off of his best start of the season where he allowed only 1 run on hit hits in 7 1/3 innings. He is 1-1 with a 2.41 ERA over his last three starts, and Delgado is the only player on the Met’s roster that has been successful against him in the past (batting .486). The Met’s will be relying on John Maine to handle an increased pitching load as their ace Pedro Martinez and number two starter Tom Glavine are both on the DL. So far he has done a solid job going 3-3 on the season with an impressive 2.68 ERA. He has been having great control with his pitches, but it always gets to be a question mark when these inexperienced pitchers are getting into the late part of the season. The Cardinals have getting a lot of help on the offensive side of the game from the youngster Chris Duncan who has now hit a home-run in three consecutive games. Combine that with Pujols, <st1:City><st1
lace>Edmonds</st1lace></st1:City>, and Rolen; and I believe <st1:State><st1lace>Maine</st1lace></st1:State> will have some troubles tonight.<o></o><o
> </o>+138 3/4.14 (ml)<o
></o><o
> </o><o
> </o><st1:City><st1
lace>Seattle</st1lace></st1:City> Mariners (Meche) over <st1:State><st1lace>New York</st1lace></st1:State> Yankees (Karstens) <o></o><o
> </o>I never would have thought I would be betting on a team that has lost 11 straight games, against a red hot Yankees team that is coming off of a very impressive 5 game sweep of the Boston Red Sox. However, I believe this is a solid spot for the Mariners, and they are undeserving of being such underdogs. After playing 5 games in 72 hours and traveling from <st1:City><st1
lace>Boston</st1lace></st1:City> to <st1:City><st1lace>Seattle</st1lace></st1:City> the Yankees have to be worn down. The Mariners are well rested and playing at home against the AL East leading Yankees. Prior to their series against <st1:City><st1lace>Boston</st1lace></st1:City>, <st1:State><st1lace>New York</st1lace></st1:State> was fighting hard to stay atop their division, but now they have room to breathe with their 6.5 game lead. <o></o><o
> </o>Tonight the Yankees are forced to chuck the rookie Jeff Karstens into a starting spot and I do not see him being very successful. He was recalled Saturday from Triple A Columbus, where is posted a 5-5 record with a 4.28 ERA. If he was only a mediocre pitcher in Triple A, it is hard to see him becoming a valuable addition to Joe Torre’s ball-club. I believe he will not last deep into the game, and that spells trouble for an overworked Yankee’s bull-pen. Although they done a great job in the <st1:City><st1
lace>Boston</st1lace></st1:City> series allowing only 8 runs in 20 innings, they were greatly overworked. Jaret Wright was forced into a relief appearance over the weekend, but he will not be available tonight incase Mike Mussina can not make his start on Friday. Gil Meche will be taking the mound for the Mariners tonight with hopes to get the money off of their back which is a horrific 11 game losing skid. He has already tasted victory against the Yankees earlier in the season in a 3-2 victory in which he through six solid innings. Meche is a veteran pitcher and he understands these are the types of games that he has to bring his best stuff. The burden of breaking the slump is on his shoulders, and if it is going to be done in this series, I believe it will be tonight.<o></o><o
> </o>+119 3/3.57 (ml)<o
></o>+207 1/2.07 (-1.5)<o
></o><o
> </o><o
> </o><st1:State><st1
lace>Florida</st1lace></st1:State> Marlins (Johnson) over <st1:State><st1lace>Washington</st1lace></st1:State> Nationals (Bergmann) <o></o><o
> </o>Josh Johnson was sure a pleasant surprise in the Florida Marlins rotation this season. Although the Marlins are currently in forth place in their division and have basically no chance of making the playoffs this season, things are starting to look up for them for future years. They have a very solid young team that will only get better with time. They have won their last two games, and have been playing .500 ball over their last ten games. Johnson is 11-6 on the season, with a NL leading 2.84 ERA. He has pitched 126 innings this season, striking out 111 while only walking 59. The Nationals have already seen him twice, but with no success as he is 1-0 against the with a 2.57 ERA. <o
></o><o
> </o>The Washington Nationals are in a world of trouble right now, losing 3 in a row, and 7 of their last 10 games. They are 22 games back in their division, and the only player who is on top of his game is Alfonzo Soriano who has 41 homers on the year. Tonight they will be sending Jason Bergmann to the mound, and he is not going to right the ship for them. This is only his third start since being recalled from Triple A New Orleans, and so far he is 0-1, with an ERA over 7! The Marlins have had success against him before in a few relief appearances, and I believe they will have little trouble forcing the Nationals bullpen into an extended role tonight.<o
></o><o
> </o>-164 6.56/4 (ml)<o
></o>+127 2/4.54 (-1.5)<o
></o><o
> </o><o
> </o><st1:City><st1
lace>Los Angeles</st1lace></st1:City> Angels (Saunders) over <st1:City><st1lace>Boston</st1lace></st1:City> Red Sox (Snyder) <o></o><o
> </o>Right now the Boston Red Sox are in a world of hurt. They got swept in a 5 game series by the Yankees and are now trailing them by 6.5 games in the AL East. Also, after playing 5 games in 72 hours and having to fly across the country you would have to expect them to be physically and emotionally worn down heading into this game. It is expected that some players will be rested for tonight’s game, and that will not help things as the Red Sox are a far worse team on the road against left handed pitching. Varitek and Nixon are both nursing injuries and it is expected that Manny will be out tonight as he is dealing with a hamstring injury. Tonight Joe Saunders will be taking the mound for <st1:City><st1
lace>Los Angeles</st1lace></st1:City> and he has been pitching great as of late. He is 4-1 on the season, and is coming off of his first loss where he got smoked by some hot <st1:State><st1lace>Texas</st1lace></st1:State> bats. Tonight he will be facing the Red Sox for the first time in his career, and that typically gives an advantage to the pitcher. Also, with the Red Sox being fatigued, and facing a depleted line-up I expect Saunders to have success at home tonight. <o></o><o
> </o><st1:City><st1
lace>Boston</st1lace></st1:City> will be sending Kyle Snyder to the mound tonight, but I do not believe he is the guy to turn to in order to break out of a skid. He is 3-2 on the season, but also has a pathetic 6.25 ERA. His fastball is far from overpowering, and I believe Vlad and the Angels should be able to get to him in the early innings, and give their bullpen some room to work. Speaking of bullpens, the Angels should have a great advantage in that category tonight. Kevin Gregg will be coming back from suspension, and the Red Sox will be dealing with an over-used bullpen from the Yankees series. The Angels are getting a good price tonight, and the line is continuing to move in their favour. <o></o><o
> </o>-134 5.36/4 (ml)
:toast: <o
></o>
