[FONT=times new roman,serif]Well, the Rockies as a +135 underdog had a 3-2 lead going into the 8<SUP>th</SUP>, but their most reliable reliever failed to keep the Giants in check. Nevertheless, we did manage a small profit. With every passing day, I am more confident that we can salvage a, thus far, disappointing season. It will take time, but we've got another five months to do it.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]2007 RECORD: 15-17-0 -1.25 Units [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][FONT=times new roman,serif]T[FONT=times new roman,serif]hursday[/FONT] [/FONT]5/3/2007: ONE PLAY[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]Minnesota Twins (R. Ortiz) @ Tampa Bay DevilRays (J. Shields)[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]PLAY ON: TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS (Moneyline, +105) [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]D-Rays Writeup [/FONT]
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[FONT=times new roman,serif]Let's put ourselves in the shoes of the Minnesota Twins. The Twins have won four of their last six games. [/FONT][FONT=times new roman,serif]With a fluke loss last night, the Twins should waltz into tonight's game with a quite a swagger. Minnesota has always been near the top of the AL Central. They come into tonight's game with Ramon Ortiz on the mound, a pitcher hotter than Johan Santana. Not only that, but they're facing James Shields, a virtually unknown pitcher with a career 10.39 ERA against them. So, what could possibly go wrong? On paper, this game certainly seems like a lock for the Twins. After all, the Devil Rays are bona fide losers.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]I guess I'll start with Ramon Ortiz, a guy who has only put up one good season back in 2002. The fact is, he's overrated. At +105, this is some of the best value we will get against Ortiz all season because of his recent dominance. Ortiz has always had control problems, and those issues came back to haunt him in his last start as he walked four batters in six innings. With such a low ERA, there is a tendency to overthrow and pick the corners. Everyone wants to be perfect. However, being too picky against a pesky Devil Rays team can end in disaster. I expect Ortiz to run into loads of trouble tonight, especially if he walks runners on base. While Ortiz does throw hard, he is unrefined, and should be a lot easier to hit than some of our recent opponents. Only Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford have more than 5 at-bats against Ortiz, and they hit him at .412 and .375 respectively. [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]James Shields is the D-Ray of the future. While Shields started off hot last season, he tapered off towards the later months. This is most likely because he's never pitched such a long, grueling season. The fact that the D-Rays were so far out of contention last season can also have some negative mental effects on a young pitcher. In his second season, Shields has put together a respectable 2-0 record with a 3.75 ERA. His last two starts have been most impressive, giving up 6 hits in 16 innings of work. On top of his flat-out dominance, Shields has exhibited pristine control, never walking more than 2 batters in a start. All in all, Shields represents the total package of what I look for when playing on a young under-the-radar pitcher. [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]While the Rays bullpen is one of the worst in the league, Shields is an inning-eater. He has gone over 6 innings in all of his starts, and I don't see tonight playing out any differently. If Shields can go seven, six outs shouldn't be too much to ask from the D-Ray pen. [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]Good Luck[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]Chase [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]2007 RECORD: 15-17-0 -1.25 Units [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][FONT=times new roman,serif]T[FONT=times new roman,serif]hursday[/FONT] [/FONT]5/3/2007: ONE PLAY[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]Minnesota Twins (R. Ortiz) @ Tampa Bay DevilRays (J. Shields)[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]PLAY ON: TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS (Moneyline, +105) [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]D-Rays Writeup [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]Let's put ourselves in the shoes of the Minnesota Twins. The Twins have won four of their last six games. [/FONT][FONT=times new roman,serif]With a fluke loss last night, the Twins should waltz into tonight's game with a quite a swagger. Minnesota has always been near the top of the AL Central. They come into tonight's game with Ramon Ortiz on the mound, a pitcher hotter than Johan Santana. Not only that, but they're facing James Shields, a virtually unknown pitcher with a career 10.39 ERA against them. So, what could possibly go wrong? On paper, this game certainly seems like a lock for the Twins. After all, the Devil Rays are bona fide losers.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]I guess I'll start with Ramon Ortiz, a guy who has only put up one good season back in 2002. The fact is, he's overrated. At +105, this is some of the best value we will get against Ortiz all season because of his recent dominance. Ortiz has always had control problems, and those issues came back to haunt him in his last start as he walked four batters in six innings. With such a low ERA, there is a tendency to overthrow and pick the corners. Everyone wants to be perfect. However, being too picky against a pesky Devil Rays team can end in disaster. I expect Ortiz to run into loads of trouble tonight, especially if he walks runners on base. While Ortiz does throw hard, he is unrefined, and should be a lot easier to hit than some of our recent opponents. Only Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford have more than 5 at-bats against Ortiz, and they hit him at .412 and .375 respectively. [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]James Shields is the D-Ray of the future. While Shields started off hot last season, he tapered off towards the later months. This is most likely because he's never pitched such a long, grueling season. The fact that the D-Rays were so far out of contention last season can also have some negative mental effects on a young pitcher. In his second season, Shields has put together a respectable 2-0 record with a 3.75 ERA. His last two starts have been most impressive, giving up 6 hits in 16 innings of work. On top of his flat-out dominance, Shields has exhibited pristine control, never walking more than 2 batters in a start. All in all, Shields represents the total package of what I look for when playing on a young under-the-radar pitcher. [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]While the Rays bullpen is one of the worst in the league, Shields is an inning-eater. He has gone over 6 innings in all of his starts, and I don't see tonight playing out any differently. If Shields can go seven, six outs shouldn't be too much to ask from the D-Ray pen. [/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]Good Luck[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,serif]Chase [/FONT]
