Yesterday 1 1 0 +1.38 Units
Last 30 Days 1 1 0 +1.38 Units
Season To Date (Since March 2011) 1 1 0 +1.38 Units
All games are listed pitchers unless stated otherwise.
HOME TEAM IN CAPS
Boston –1½ +140 over TEXAS
Playing in the ultra-competitive American League East, Boston finished seven games behind division-winner Tampa Bay last season so it should come as no surprise that general manager Theo Epstein pushed all of his chips to the middle of the table this past winter and helped Boston become the AL's clear-cut offseason winner. Epstein traded for San Diego Padres' slugger Adrian Gonzalez. Just a few days later he signed free agent outfielder Carl Crawford. Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler were also added to bolster the pen. Nice additions to a lineup that already features guys like Kevin Youkillis, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Jacoby Ellsbury. Jon Lester starts the opener and he ranks amongst the leagues best. Lester’s ground-ball profile continues to improve every year. Last season he struck out 220 batters in 203 IP. He had an outstanding ERA and an even more impressive WHIP of 1.20. Lester is consistently dominant on the mound. Today, he’ll face C.J. Wilson. Wilson effectively made the transition from a relief role to the starting rotation last season, though his skills were not as impressive as his surface stats. His ERA outperformed his xERA (expected ERA) and that’s a sure sign that his surface stats were very misleading. His 74% strand rate is high and reason for concern, as is his receding ground-ball rate. While Wilson showed improvement in the second half, his pedestrian skills inspire skepticism in his ability to repeat his 2010 performance. The 130-IP increase in workload merely adds to that skepticism. Buyer beware. Boston gets out of the gate impressively here. Play: Boston –1½ +140 (Risking 2 units).
Last 30 Days 1 1 0 +1.38 Units
Season To Date (Since March 2011) 1 1 0 +1.38 Units
All games are listed pitchers unless stated otherwise.
HOME TEAM IN CAPS
Boston –1½ +140 over TEXAS
Playing in the ultra-competitive American League East, Boston finished seven games behind division-winner Tampa Bay last season so it should come as no surprise that general manager Theo Epstein pushed all of his chips to the middle of the table this past winter and helped Boston become the AL's clear-cut offseason winner. Epstein traded for San Diego Padres' slugger Adrian Gonzalez. Just a few days later he signed free agent outfielder Carl Crawford. Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler were also added to bolster the pen. Nice additions to a lineup that already features guys like Kevin Youkillis, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Jacoby Ellsbury. Jon Lester starts the opener and he ranks amongst the leagues best. Lester’s ground-ball profile continues to improve every year. Last season he struck out 220 batters in 203 IP. He had an outstanding ERA and an even more impressive WHIP of 1.20. Lester is consistently dominant on the mound. Today, he’ll face C.J. Wilson. Wilson effectively made the transition from a relief role to the starting rotation last season, though his skills were not as impressive as his surface stats. His ERA outperformed his xERA (expected ERA) and that’s a sure sign that his surface stats were very misleading. His 74% strand rate is high and reason for concern, as is his receding ground-ball rate. While Wilson showed improvement in the second half, his pedestrian skills inspire skepticism in his ability to repeat his 2010 performance. The 130-IP increase in workload merely adds to that skepticism. Buyer beware. Boston gets out of the gate impressively here. Play: Boston –1½ +140 (Risking 2 units).
