Pittsburgh Pirates (Ian Snell) ML +102
Ian Snell started the season on opening day and because of injuries and just poorly pitched games, Snell finds himself on the brink of getting sent down to AAA much like what happened to Gorzo just a month ago. There is no question Snell has the ability, as he has a 94MPH heater and a plus hard breaking slider and a tight/hard curve. He will be facing a red hot Rockies lineup, so the challenge is great. Snell is just too good of a pitcher not not be able to pull it back together. Yes the Rockies hit and hit well, but this is a Rocky lineup (still without Pirate killer Todd Helton) that has only hit .236 off of Snell in his career and that includes only three hits in 19 AB's combined from Holliday and Atkins. The key will be to keep the speedy Taveras off of base as his OBP against Snell of .588 tells you that has been no easy task. One other thing to note is that Snell actually has an ERA of under 4 this year at home (3.86) as opposed to 1-6 and 8.12 on the road. Couple that with the Rockies being on the road where they hit 35 points lower BA then they do at home and being that against a Right-hander whom they hit 24 points lower then they do lefthanders, this is a great spot for Snell to bounce back.
The Rockies called up Valerio de los Santos to make this spot start tonight as the Rockies are having difficulty finding healthy arms to start games. Santos, not be confused with current Rocky starter Jorge De la Rosa, is 16 year journeyman who has complied an 0-4 record in 7 starts this year in AAA with a 6.62 ERA. Being a soft tossing lefty, with below average stuff this is the exact type of pitcher the predominantly right-handed Pirates lineup should be able to tee off on and get the offense rolling again. The injury to LaRoche doesn’t really matter as he might not have played anyway being left-handed. Look for Rookie phoneme, Steve Pearce to get a start tonight in his place. This is Santos first MLB start since April 9, 2000, when he was with the Milwaukee Brewers. Look for the Pirates to put up some crooked numbers early in this game and should chase Santos quickly.
Ian Snell started the season on opening day and because of injuries and just poorly pitched games, Snell finds himself on the brink of getting sent down to AAA much like what happened to Gorzo just a month ago. There is no question Snell has the ability, as he has a 94MPH heater and a plus hard breaking slider and a tight/hard curve. He will be facing a red hot Rockies lineup, so the challenge is great. Snell is just too good of a pitcher not not be able to pull it back together. Yes the Rockies hit and hit well, but this is a Rocky lineup (still without Pirate killer Todd Helton) that has only hit .236 off of Snell in his career and that includes only three hits in 19 AB's combined from Holliday and Atkins. The key will be to keep the speedy Taveras off of base as his OBP against Snell of .588 tells you that has been no easy task. One other thing to note is that Snell actually has an ERA of under 4 this year at home (3.86) as opposed to 1-6 and 8.12 on the road. Couple that with the Rockies being on the road where they hit 35 points lower BA then they do at home and being that against a Right-hander whom they hit 24 points lower then they do lefthanders, this is a great spot for Snell to bounce back.
The Rockies called up Valerio de los Santos to make this spot start tonight as the Rockies are having difficulty finding healthy arms to start games. Santos, not be confused with current Rocky starter Jorge De la Rosa, is 16 year journeyman who has complied an 0-4 record in 7 starts this year in AAA with a 6.62 ERA. Being a soft tossing lefty, with below average stuff this is the exact type of pitcher the predominantly right-handed Pirates lineup should be able to tee off on and get the offense rolling again. The injury to LaRoche doesn’t really matter as he might not have played anyway being left-handed. Look for Rookie phoneme, Steve Pearce to get a start tonight in his place. This is Santos first MLB start since April 9, 2000, when he was with the Milwaukee Brewers. Look for the Pirates to put up some crooked numbers early in this game and should chase Santos quickly.
