2012 MLB O/U Record: 337-313-40, -$1,702 (Was making much bigger bets earlier in the year, with countless fluke bad breaks, obviously. I also undoubtedly lead the country in half-run/one-run losses)
2011MLB O/U Record: 366-270-42, +$1,104
Well, an unfortunate 1-2 performance yesterday (The Norris vs Garcia matchup doesn’t register as a loss because, like I advised everyone to do, I also had the over in a parlay with Cardinals ML, which won back just about everything from the lost under, meaning I knew exactly how it would play out. Had that lost, it would be tacked onto the total with the original bet, but it’s basically a wash. It was more of a strategic wager than an individual over/under bet), capped off by a rough bad beat when I was 100-percent right in the Buchholz vs Price under, which was a very nice pitcher’s duel that was even 2-0 in the 8th, and when dominant closer Andrew Bailey came on to close out the 4-1 lead in the bottom of the 9th, he uncharacteristically blew it instead, costing me a $100 swing. Ugh, just another typical bad beat in my 2012 season, but I won’t complain too much because this isn’t like the first half of the year when fluke occurrences were costing me seemingly every single day. The second half has been relatively FAIR with little bad breaks throughout so that’s all I’ll comment on that. Let’s just get this thing turned around on this second-to-last weekend of the season…
St. Louis Cardinals @ Chicago Cubs - $39 for $35
Chris Carpenter vs Chris Volstad
UNDER 9
It’s always refreshing to see the return of a formerly successful veteran pitcher, let alone a legitimate ace, and that’s exactly what we have here. Welcome back, Chris Carpenter! It’s a very unique scenario because all along, everyone has been saying that Carpenter would miss the entire 2012 season, but “maybe” have a chance at pitching in the playoffs if St. Louis advanced that far, but here we are just before the season comes to a conclusion, and the Cardinal ace is set to take the mound. It’s quite an interesting story because I remember reading in July that he underwent “season-ending" surgery! As a result, put yourself in the mind of Chris Carpenter. You make the unlikeliest of comebacks and have a chance to make a statement when everyone else previously wrote you off. It has to be an incredible feeling, doesn’t it? Much like my logic in getting five shutout innings from Andy Pettitte the other day, I feel Carpenter is of a similar breed, in that he’s a battle-tested, proven pitcher with a tremendous track record that can succeed in just about predicament. That includes being sprawled into action at Wrigley Field, where the winds will be blowing out. I mean, that’s actually something I was hoping for it, as it leads to the characteristic high Wrigley over/under line, and you have to believe that Carpenter is going to go out there this afternoon and pitch to his full potential, especially when he wants to prove that he should be in the postseason rotation (And we know what a warrior Carpenter is so this is a very important start to him). I was 6-4-1 in over/unders with ChrisCarpenter last year so I hope my vibes related to him aren’t rusty. They’re certainly not rusty with Chris Volstad, as I’ve written about him a fair amount of times this year, most specifically in great detail concerning his extensive time with a sports psychologist a couple of months ago when he was dealing with that almost-year-long losing streak. Since snapping it (He won two games in a row to break it, including that +180 victory over Madison Bumgarner on a Friday afternoon that I even boldly predicted), he has pitched very respectably with an ERA just over 4, meaning that with his head straight and no losing streak in his mindset, we’ve been able to see the normal Chris Volstad at work every five days, which is a good thing because he’s really a solid pitcher. The best part about nabbing a Volstad start in these games with heavy winds blowing out is that he’s an extreme sinker-baller who gets a ton of ground balls, so wind blowing fly balls out isn’t as relevant to him, unless of course he serves one up and lets it snowball, which is more than possible with a mentally-oriented pitcher like Mr. Volstad. Still, with the line as high as 9, there’s room for error from one of these starters (I actually do anticipate there being one crooked number on the scoreboard), so it’s a solid bet to kick your Friday off. I hope we get the Chris Carpenter of old today.
**Will Add More Over/Under(s) Throughout Day Leading Up To Gametime**
**Remember that if you have a question concerning an over/under, I will gladly assist you with it if I see it before the game starts, even the ones I don't bet on, as I have at least a small vibeo n every single over/under from studying this stuff every single day and night**
2011MLB O/U Record: 366-270-42, +$1,104
Well, an unfortunate 1-2 performance yesterday (The Norris vs Garcia matchup doesn’t register as a loss because, like I advised everyone to do, I also had the over in a parlay with Cardinals ML, which won back just about everything from the lost under, meaning I knew exactly how it would play out. Had that lost, it would be tacked onto the total with the original bet, but it’s basically a wash. It was more of a strategic wager than an individual over/under bet), capped off by a rough bad beat when I was 100-percent right in the Buchholz vs Price under, which was a very nice pitcher’s duel that was even 2-0 in the 8th, and when dominant closer Andrew Bailey came on to close out the 4-1 lead in the bottom of the 9th, he uncharacteristically blew it instead, costing me a $100 swing. Ugh, just another typical bad beat in my 2012 season, but I won’t complain too much because this isn’t like the first half of the year when fluke occurrences were costing me seemingly every single day. The second half has been relatively FAIR with little bad breaks throughout so that’s all I’ll comment on that. Let’s just get this thing turned around on this second-to-last weekend of the season…
St. Louis Cardinals @ Chicago Cubs - $39 for $35
Chris Carpenter vs Chris Volstad
UNDER 9
It’s always refreshing to see the return of a formerly successful veteran pitcher, let alone a legitimate ace, and that’s exactly what we have here. Welcome back, Chris Carpenter! It’s a very unique scenario because all along, everyone has been saying that Carpenter would miss the entire 2012 season, but “maybe” have a chance at pitching in the playoffs if St. Louis advanced that far, but here we are just before the season comes to a conclusion, and the Cardinal ace is set to take the mound. It’s quite an interesting story because I remember reading in July that he underwent “season-ending" surgery! As a result, put yourself in the mind of Chris Carpenter. You make the unlikeliest of comebacks and have a chance to make a statement when everyone else previously wrote you off. It has to be an incredible feeling, doesn’t it? Much like my logic in getting five shutout innings from Andy Pettitte the other day, I feel Carpenter is of a similar breed, in that he’s a battle-tested, proven pitcher with a tremendous track record that can succeed in just about predicament. That includes being sprawled into action at Wrigley Field, where the winds will be blowing out. I mean, that’s actually something I was hoping for it, as it leads to the characteristic high Wrigley over/under line, and you have to believe that Carpenter is going to go out there this afternoon and pitch to his full potential, especially when he wants to prove that he should be in the postseason rotation (And we know what a warrior Carpenter is so this is a very important start to him). I was 6-4-1 in over/unders with ChrisCarpenter last year so I hope my vibes related to him aren’t rusty. They’re certainly not rusty with Chris Volstad, as I’ve written about him a fair amount of times this year, most specifically in great detail concerning his extensive time with a sports psychologist a couple of months ago when he was dealing with that almost-year-long losing streak. Since snapping it (He won two games in a row to break it, including that +180 victory over Madison Bumgarner on a Friday afternoon that I even boldly predicted), he has pitched very respectably with an ERA just over 4, meaning that with his head straight and no losing streak in his mindset, we’ve been able to see the normal Chris Volstad at work every five days, which is a good thing because he’s really a solid pitcher. The best part about nabbing a Volstad start in these games with heavy winds blowing out is that he’s an extreme sinker-baller who gets a ton of ground balls, so wind blowing fly balls out isn’t as relevant to him, unless of course he serves one up and lets it snowball, which is more than possible with a mentally-oriented pitcher like Mr. Volstad. Still, with the line as high as 9, there’s room for error from one of these starters (I actually do anticipate there being one crooked number on the scoreboard), so it’s a solid bet to kick your Friday off. I hope we get the Chris Carpenter of old today.
**Will Add More Over/Under(s) Throughout Day Leading Up To Gametime**
**Remember that if you have a question concerning an over/under, I will gladly assist you with it if I see it before the game starts, even the ones I don't bet on, as I have at least a small vibeo n every single over/under from studying this stuff every single day and night**
