Couple of interesting games tonight in the Show.
Giants @ Reds -144
The Giant bats are, unfortunately, picking the wrong time to go cold. While Homer Bailey isn't the stuff legends are made of, he's got the goods to string together a remarkable start every now and then.
What's more important - and no stats are kept on this - is the emotional state of the Reds pitching staff right now. These guys are almost like a micro-team within the larger team, and they feed off of one another. They lose their ace in game 1, then get amazing middle relief from Latos and 3 others to take the opening game.
So the bullpen is spent. Until 35-year-old Arroyo goes 7 strong giving up 1 hit. The last time he gave up 1 hit in 6+ innings? Before 2012. The last time he held the opponent scoreless through 6+? July. Presto. Rested pen.
And the exact opposite is going on in the SF clubhouse. They've seen their top 2 throw mediocre games, and now their backs are against the wall. When you start pressing in baseball you're going to see a few things happen. Vogelsong might come out tonight with a little adrenaline. A little pissed. That extra 2 MPH he'll put on the ball in the first 3 innings will turn a low cutter into a belt high fastball. Reds hitters don't miss those very often. At the plate the Giants will be tight. Maybe taking a few pitches they wouldn't ordinarily take trying to draw a walk. Put men on base. Well Bailey doesn't walk many people, and he'll have the home field behind him. Look for a lot of 0-1 and 1-2 counts that result in easy outs. The Giants can't play small ball and manufacture runs. They're not built that way. 21 sacrifices this year from non-pitchers. 21. That's about 1 every 70 innings.
The Giants, for all the firepower in their lineup, peaked too soon. They needed at least 1 at home to have a shot at this, and I think even they know it. They're about 10 games over .500 on the road, as opposed to the Reds being 20 over .500 at home. The Giants are SUB .500 this year against teams with a winning record. The Reds are .580.
It'll be a duplicate of Saturday's game.
Giants 2
Reds 5
Break out the Champagne in Cincy.
Also love the A's @ -132. No time for a writeup on this one, but the A's are a team this year who THRIVES on emotion. Pressure. Intensity. Most teams (like the Giants tonight) would be hindered by this. A's live for it.
Detroit 3
Oakland 6
GL to all
n
Giants @ Reds -144
The Giant bats are, unfortunately, picking the wrong time to go cold. While Homer Bailey isn't the stuff legends are made of, he's got the goods to string together a remarkable start every now and then.
What's more important - and no stats are kept on this - is the emotional state of the Reds pitching staff right now. These guys are almost like a micro-team within the larger team, and they feed off of one another. They lose their ace in game 1, then get amazing middle relief from Latos and 3 others to take the opening game.
So the bullpen is spent. Until 35-year-old Arroyo goes 7 strong giving up 1 hit. The last time he gave up 1 hit in 6+ innings? Before 2012. The last time he held the opponent scoreless through 6+? July. Presto. Rested pen.
And the exact opposite is going on in the SF clubhouse. They've seen their top 2 throw mediocre games, and now their backs are against the wall. When you start pressing in baseball you're going to see a few things happen. Vogelsong might come out tonight with a little adrenaline. A little pissed. That extra 2 MPH he'll put on the ball in the first 3 innings will turn a low cutter into a belt high fastball. Reds hitters don't miss those very often. At the plate the Giants will be tight. Maybe taking a few pitches they wouldn't ordinarily take trying to draw a walk. Put men on base. Well Bailey doesn't walk many people, and he'll have the home field behind him. Look for a lot of 0-1 and 1-2 counts that result in easy outs. The Giants can't play small ball and manufacture runs. They're not built that way. 21 sacrifices this year from non-pitchers. 21. That's about 1 every 70 innings.
The Giants, for all the firepower in their lineup, peaked too soon. They needed at least 1 at home to have a shot at this, and I think even they know it. They're about 10 games over .500 on the road, as opposed to the Reds being 20 over .500 at home. The Giants are SUB .500 this year against teams with a winning record. The Reds are .580.
It'll be a duplicate of Saturday's game.
Giants 2
Reds 5
Break out the Champagne in Cincy.
Also love the A's @ -132. No time for a writeup on this one, but the A's are a team this year who THRIVES on emotion. Pressure. Intensity. Most teams (like the Giants tonight) would be hindered by this. A's live for it.
Detroit 3
Oakland 6
GL to all
n
