I'm feeling like the 7.5 line is a little too low today for the game between the White Sox and the Mariners. Sure, on the surface it looks great because you have Mark Buerhle and Felix Hernandez, two of the best pitchers in the game, going at it.
However, looking closer, Buerhle has an 8.35 ERA and 1.746 WHIP in his last three starts. Over the course of the season, and his career actually, Buerhle has not been as great on the road. He has just a 4.81 ERA away from Chicago and a 1.207 WHIP. Of the 62 hits he has given up in 58 road innings, 10 of those have left the yard. That's a dangerous statistic for the White Sox when you consider that the offensively challenged Mariners are swinging hot bats, scoring 6.0 runs per game and hitting .302/.346 in their past seven contests, although they were shut down last night by John Danks.
In the other dugout, Felix Hernandez, has a 5.78 ERA and 1.768 WHIP in his last three starts. He has experienced all kinds of problems from giving up 22 hits in 18.2 innings to walking 11, giving up 4 homeruns, and striking out just 11. At home, Felix's ERA is up at 4.05 while his WHIP stands at 1.380.
Neither of these two starting pitchers are in their optimal conditions. I don't expect ace-like performances from either of these two pitchers but I wouldn't expect anything awfully bad either as neither offenses are particular strong. I expect a 5-4 or 5-3 type of game tonight, but definitley not something like a 3-2 game.
Good luck.
However, looking closer, Buerhle has an 8.35 ERA and 1.746 WHIP in his last three starts. Over the course of the season, and his career actually, Buerhle has not been as great on the road. He has just a 4.81 ERA away from Chicago and a 1.207 WHIP. Of the 62 hits he has given up in 58 road innings, 10 of those have left the yard. That's a dangerous statistic for the White Sox when you consider that the offensively challenged Mariners are swinging hot bats, scoring 6.0 runs per game and hitting .302/.346 in their past seven contests, although they were shut down last night by John Danks.
In the other dugout, Felix Hernandez, has a 5.78 ERA and 1.768 WHIP in his last three starts. He has experienced all kinds of problems from giving up 22 hits in 18.2 innings to walking 11, giving up 4 homeruns, and striking out just 11. At home, Felix's ERA is up at 4.05 while his WHIP stands at 1.380.
Neither of these two starting pitchers are in their optimal conditions. I don't expect ace-like performances from either of these two pitchers but I wouldn't expect anything awfully bad either as neither offenses are particular strong. I expect a 5-4 or 5-3 type of game tonight, but definitley not something like a 3-2 game.
Good luck.