7/10/14<o
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Nationals @ Orioles <o></o>
Recommendation: Nationals -106<o></o>
TheNationals are hot right now, winning 8 of their last ten with a 2.13 ERA. They’restarting to come into their own, and now have sole possession of 1[SUP]st[/SUP]place in the division. No one has been hotter as of late than Gio Gonzalez.Gonzalez hasn’t allowed a run in his last 22 innings pitched. His command looksgreat, and every pitch in his arsenal seems to be working right now. He alsohas a 1.38 ERA in 4 starts since being injured. Things are clicking on all cylindersfor this team. <o></o>
Baltimorehas the ability to put up runs in bunches, but they certainly didn’t show itWednesday night as they struggled to get good looks off of Doug Fister. NelsonCruz, the major’s home run leader, does not own a hit in his career vs.Gonzalez. The O’s will need a strong performance out of Wei-Yin Chen if theyhope to have more offensive success Thursday. Chen has a 5.39 FIP against thecurrent Nationals roster to go along with a .308 average and .370 BABIP againsthim. Those numbers don’t point to good signs considering the way the Nat’s areplaying right now. Take the Nationals -106.<o></o>
Braves @ Mets <o></o>
Recommendation: Braves +100<o></o>
I’mgoing against the trends in this matchup as we have two teams that on thesurface seem to be headed in opposite directions. New York will try to make it5 straight wins at Citi field and finish off a sweep of the Braves tonight.This short term success can be directly credited to starting pitching, whichhas been absolutely superb for the Mets recently. I don’t think that successfigures to continue tonight with Bartolo Colon on the mound. <o></o>
Colonhas had some serious 1[SUP]st[/SUP] inning struggles in his last few outings.He’s allowed the most first inning runs in the entire major’s with 16,including 4 in the opening frame in his last start against Texas. He simply can’tfind his command out of the gate, and it takes him some time to settle down. It’sparamount that the Braves take advantage of this and look to come out swinging.<o></o>
Atlantadoesn’t have good plate discipline at all, but this is a rare case where thatmay work to their advantage. They are stocked with a ton of power, though theyoften go out of the strike zone and help pitchers out. I’m guessing that Colonwill be intent on throwing strikes right away, possibly overcompensating whilelooking to avoid early trouble. Also keep in mind that the Braves were on a 9game winning streak less than a week ago before dropping their last 4. Thisminor bump in the road can be directly attributed to the lack of hitting withRISP. Atlanta simply needs to take advantage of the opportunities that cometheir way.<o></o>
AaronHarang will be on the bump for ATL. He’s looking to win his 4[SUP]th[/SUP]straight start. Also worth noting that he will be facing his former team,something that always gives a pitcher that extra bit of juice. Look for theBraves to avoid the sweep here and knock Colon around a bit. Take the Braves. <o></o>
Indians vs. Yankees<o></o>
Recommendation: Indians -122<o></o>
SouthpawT.J. House will make another start Thursday as the Indians play host to theYankees. House has posted a solid 3.00 ERA in his last 3 starts, but the eyetest indicates to me that his ERA should he better than it is. House has a low90’s fastball with flashes of 95 on the gun. His slider is a very strong secondoption as it has late break and can be tough for hitters to get a beat on. He’schanged up his mechanics by lowering his arm slot which gives him more commandand also adds some sink to his fastball. It also helps that the Yanks haven’tseen much of this guy, and coming from the left side, he figures to beproblematic for them. <o></o>
Theinjury bug just continues to hit the Yankees. With practically the entirestarting rotation out with the injury bug, Carlos Beltran was added to the listWednesday as he was hit with a foul ball during batting practice. He sustaineda broken nose and no word on how long he’ll be out, but he almost certainly won’tsuit up tonight. That takes one of New York’s most lethal bats out of thelineup. Then you throw in Jacoby Ellsbury having to hit off a semi unknownpitcher from the left side, and things begin to look bleak when it comes tooffensive production. <o></o>
Lastly,the Yankees have one of the worst defenses in the AL, particularly in the infield.Jeter isn’t half the player he used to be and it sure wouldn’t hurt the Yanksto grab a 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] baseman before the trade deadline. David Phelps haspitched alright for NY. He has an ERA north of 4 and has consistently lackedrun support. I’ll look for the Indians to avenge last night’s loss and helpHouse out with some solid offensive production. Take the Indians. <o></o>
<o></o>
></o>Nationals @ Orioles <o
></o>Recommendation: Nationals -106<o
></o>TheNationals are hot right now, winning 8 of their last ten with a 2.13 ERA. They’restarting to come into their own, and now have sole possession of 1[SUP]st[/SUP]place in the division. No one has been hotter as of late than Gio Gonzalez.Gonzalez hasn’t allowed a run in his last 22 innings pitched. His command looksgreat, and every pitch in his arsenal seems to be working right now. He alsohas a 1.38 ERA in 4 starts since being injured. Things are clicking on all cylindersfor this team. <o
></o>Baltimorehas the ability to put up runs in bunches, but they certainly didn’t show itWednesday night as they struggled to get good looks off of Doug Fister. NelsonCruz, the major’s home run leader, does not own a hit in his career vs.Gonzalez. The O’s will need a strong performance out of Wei-Yin Chen if theyhope to have more offensive success Thursday. Chen has a 5.39 FIP against thecurrent Nationals roster to go along with a .308 average and .370 BABIP againsthim. Those numbers don’t point to good signs considering the way the Nat’s areplaying right now. Take the Nationals -106.<o
></o>Braves @ Mets <o
></o>Recommendation: Braves +100<o
></o>I’mgoing against the trends in this matchup as we have two teams that on thesurface seem to be headed in opposite directions. New York will try to make it5 straight wins at Citi field and finish off a sweep of the Braves tonight.This short term success can be directly credited to starting pitching, whichhas been absolutely superb for the Mets recently. I don’t think that successfigures to continue tonight with Bartolo Colon on the mound. <o
></o>Colonhas had some serious 1[SUP]st[/SUP] inning struggles in his last few outings.He’s allowed the most first inning runs in the entire major’s with 16,including 4 in the opening frame in his last start against Texas. He simply can’tfind his command out of the gate, and it takes him some time to settle down. It’sparamount that the Braves take advantage of this and look to come out swinging.<o
></o>Atlantadoesn’t have good plate discipline at all, but this is a rare case where thatmay work to their advantage. They are stocked with a ton of power, though theyoften go out of the strike zone and help pitchers out. I’m guessing that Colonwill be intent on throwing strikes right away, possibly overcompensating whilelooking to avoid early trouble. Also keep in mind that the Braves were on a 9game winning streak less than a week ago before dropping their last 4. Thisminor bump in the road can be directly attributed to the lack of hitting withRISP. Atlanta simply needs to take advantage of the opportunities that cometheir way.<o
></o>AaronHarang will be on the bump for ATL. He’s looking to win his 4[SUP]th[/SUP]straight start. Also worth noting that he will be facing his former team,something that always gives a pitcher that extra bit of juice. Look for theBraves to avoid the sweep here and knock Colon around a bit. Take the Braves. <o
></o>Indians vs. Yankees<o
></o>Recommendation: Indians -122<o
></o>SouthpawT.J. House will make another start Thursday as the Indians play host to theYankees. House has posted a solid 3.00 ERA in his last 3 starts, but the eyetest indicates to me that his ERA should he better than it is. House has a low90’s fastball with flashes of 95 on the gun. His slider is a very strong secondoption as it has late break and can be tough for hitters to get a beat on. He’schanged up his mechanics by lowering his arm slot which gives him more commandand also adds some sink to his fastball. It also helps that the Yanks haven’tseen much of this guy, and coming from the left side, he figures to beproblematic for them. <o
></o>Theinjury bug just continues to hit the Yankees. With practically the entirestarting rotation out with the injury bug, Carlos Beltran was added to the listWednesday as he was hit with a foul ball during batting practice. He sustaineda broken nose and no word on how long he’ll be out, but he almost certainly won’tsuit up tonight. That takes one of New York’s most lethal bats out of thelineup. Then you throw in Jacoby Ellsbury having to hit off a semi unknownpitcher from the left side, and things begin to look bleak when it comes tooffensive production. <o
></o>Lastly,the Yankees have one of the worst defenses in the AL, particularly in the infield.Jeter isn’t half the player he used to be and it sure wouldn’t hurt the Yanksto grab a 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] baseman before the trade deadline. David Phelps haspitched alright for NY. He has an ERA north of 4 and has consistently lackedrun support. I’ll look for the Indians to avenge last night’s loss and helpHouse out with some solid offensive production. Take the Indians. <o
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