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MLB News and Notes Tuesday 4/27

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NATIONAL LEAGUE

Philadelphia (11-8) at San Francisco (11-8)

Fresh off a dominating effort in his last start at Atlanta, the ageless Jamie Moyer (2-1, 5.00 ERA) hits the road for the third time in four games this season when he leads the Phillies against Todd Wellemeyer (0-3, 8.16) and the Giants in the middle game of a three-game series at AT&T Park.

San Francisco became the first team this season to rough up Phillies ace Roy Halladay, scoring five runs in six innings against the right-hander en route to Monday’s 5-1 series-opening victory. The Giants have followed up a four-game losing skid (all on the road) by winning four of five (all at home. Bruce Bochy’s bunch has won 11 of 14 at AT&T Park going back to last season.

Philadelphia, which is in the midst of a nine-game road trip, has dropped three of its last four, and since starting the season 8-2 (including 5-1 on the road), the Phillies have lost six of their last nine games. However, the two-time defending N.L. champs remain on positive runs 37-19 versus the N.L. West, 9-4 against right-handed starters and 5-2 on Tuesday.

The Giants edged Philly in the season series last year, winning four of seven meetings, and they’re 7-3 in the last 10 series clashes, including 6-1 in the last seven at AT&T Park.

Moyer toyed with the Braves on Tuesday, scattering four hits, two walks and two unearned runs in six innings, leading Philadelphia to an 8-3 victory. Moyer has pitched exactly six innings in all three of his starts this season, and the 47-year-old has 11 strikeouts against just four walks in 18 innings. Dating to last season, the Phillies have won seven of Moyer’s last nine road starts, but they’re still 2-6 in his last eight outings overall.

Moyer is 4-6 with a 3.31 ERA in 11 career starts against the Giants, but 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA in two games in San Francisco. He last faced the Giants in 2008, giving up six runs in four innings of an 8-2 road loss.

Wellemeyer’s first season in San Francisco hasn’t gotten off to a very good start, as the right-hander has allowed 13 runs on 13 hits (five home runs) and 11 walks in 14 1/3 innings. On Wednesday, he held the Padres to two runs in four innings, but still lost 5-2 in San Diego. In his first home start, Wellemeyer gave up four runs in 6 1/3 innings of a 7-2 loss to the Braves.

Going back to last July when he was pitching for the Cardinals, Wellemeyer has gotten out of the fifth inning just twice in his last seven starts, giving up four runs or more in six of those seven games. Over this seven-start stretch, Wellemeyer’s teams are 1-6 and he has a 6.68 ERA, and he’s allowed 11 home runs in 32 1/3 innings. Wellemeyer is also 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in eight career games against the Phillies, and his teams have lost all four of his starts against Philadelphia by a combined score of 41-12.

Philadelphia is on a slew of “over” runs, including 30-12-2 overall, 21-10 on the road, 5-2 against the N.L. West and 17-8 against right-handed starters, but the under is 10-4-1 in the Phillies’ last 15 Tuesday contests and 5-2 in Moyer’s last seven road outings. Conversely, the Giants have stayed low in eight straight games overall, and five straight games at home.

Finally, six of the last seven clashes between these teams have stayed under the posted total.

ATS ADVANTAGE: SAN FRANCISCO and UNDER

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Minnesota (13-6) at Detroit (11-9)

The top two teams in the A.L. Central hook up for the first time since the Twins won a one-game playoff for the division title last October, as red-hot Francisco Liriano (2-0, 1.29) takes the mound for the visitors opposite Justin Verlander (1-1, 6.95) in the opener of a three-game series at Comerica Park.

Minnesota began a nine-game A.L. Central road trip by taking two of three in Kansas City over the weekend, winning the first two contests before losing 4-3 on Sunday. The Twins haven’t lost consecutive games all season, and they’re 13-5 overall and 7-2 on the highway since losing at the Angels on Opening Day. Additionally, Ron Gardenhire’s team is on surges of 41-20 in divisional contests, 19-7 in series openers, 30-12 against right-handed starters and 22-6 on Tuesday, though the Twins have lost four of five after a day off.

Detroit jumped out to a 4-0 first-inning lead at Texas on Monday but eventually gave it all up and had to rally for an 8-6 victory to earn a split of the four-game series. The Tigers have played just six home games, winning four of them, and they’re 9-3 in their last 12 versus southpaw starters, 21-6 in their last 27 at home against lefties and 5-2 in their last seven divisional games. However, Detroit has dropped four straight series openers.

Minnesota staged a furious rally over the final week of the 2009 season to catch the freefalling Tigers in the divisional race. Then in an epic one-game playoff in Minneapolis, the teams went into the 12th inning tied at 4-4 when Detroit scored in the top of the 12th to take the lead, only to see the Twins answer with two in the bottom of the inning to steal the 6-5 victory and the division title.

Including the one-game playoff, the Twins went 12-7 against Detroit last year, with the home team winning 13 of the final 18 contests.

Liriano has delivered three straight quality starts to begin 2010, and is coming off two outstanding performances at home, leading the Twins to shutout wins over the Red Sox (8-0) and Indians (6-0). In the two victories, Liriano allowed just 10 hits and four walks while striking out 14 in 15 scoreless innings. His only road effort so far came at Chicago on April 9, and he gave up three runs on four hits and five walks in six innings, failing to get a decision in his team’s 4-3 win.

The Twins are 3-0 with Liriano on the hill this season after losing six of his final seven starts of 2009. Also, Minnesota is just 1-5 in Liriano’s last six road starts, but 4-1 in his last five on Tuesday and 5-0 in his last five when he comes off five days of rest. For his career, the 26-year-old is just 12-14 with a 5.17 ERA on the road compared with 14-8 with a 2.77 ERA at home.

Liriano has faced the Tigers 11 times (seven starts), going 3-1 with a 4.56 ERA, including 1-1 with a 5.75 ERA in five games (three starts) in Motown. In his last three starts against Detroit (two last year), he’s given up seven runs in 21 1/3 innings (2.95 ERA), walking six and whiffing 26. In fact, Liriano has a career 64-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio versus the Tigers.

Verlander is coming off Thursday’s 5-4 victory at the Angels, though he wasn’t particularly sharp as he surrendered all four runs on six hits and four walks in five innings. The hard-throwing right-hander has lasted just five innings in three of his first four starts, but Detroit won all three games. In fact, with Verlander pitching, the Tigers are on positive runs of 6-1 overall, 44-20 at home, 5-0 versus A.L. Central rivals and 5-1 on Tuesday.

Verlander’s worst start of 2010 came in his only home game to date, and he got rocked for six runs in five innings against the Indians, but his offense bailed him out, rallying for a 9-8 victory. Still, he’s 35-17 with a 3.82 ERA in his career at home. Against the Twins, he’s 5-6 with a 4.28 ERA in 14 starts, including 1-2 with a 5.20 ERA in four contests last year. Detroit has lost seven of Verlander’s last 10 starts against Minnesota.

Minnesota is on “over” runs of 12-5-2 versus A.L. Central foes and 5-2-1 against right-handed starters, but it also carries “under” trends of 13-6-2 in series openers, 4-0 against winning teams, 3-0-2 following an off day, 4-0 with Liriano on the mound and 5-0-1 with Liriano facing divisional rivals. Meanwhile, Detroit is on “over” stretches of 4-0-1 overall, 4-0 at home, 4-0 versus A.L. Central foes, 4-0 on Tuesday, and with Verlander on the bump the “over” is on surges of 7-1-1 overall, 4-0 at home, 5-0-1 versus divisional rivals and 8-0 on Tuesday.

The over was 3-0-1 in the final four Twins-Tigers battles last year, and the over is also 5-1-1 in the last seven clashes in Detroit and 4-0-1 in Verlander’s last five starts against Minnesota.

ATS ADVANTAGE: OVER

 
Posted : April 27, 2010 7:13 am
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MLB RoundUp For 4/27
By Dan Bebe

National League

Dodgers @ Mets (gm 1); H. Kuroda vs. J. Santana;
Reed Johnson is 8-for-15 with a HR off Santana;
Matt Kemp is 3-for-7 off Santana;
David Wright is 4-for-7 with 3 RBI off Kuroda;
Jose Reyes is 3-for-5 off Kuroda.
For whatever reason, Kuroda has struggled with the Mets, though he's healthy this year, and has really been doing a nice job of keeping the Dodgers big bats in the game. However, Johan has destroyed LA, going 2-0 with a 0.61 ERA against the Dodgers. I don't have a line on this game just yet, but you have to at least take a peek at the Under with the damp field, thick air, and solid starters.

Dodgers @ Mets (gm 2); C. Haeger vs. O. Perez;
Garret Anderson is 3-for-5 with a HR off Perez;
Jamey Carroll is 4-for-5 off Perez;
Matt Kemp is 4-for-11 with a HR and 2 RBI off Perez;
Russ Martin is 5-for-11 off Perez.
Oliver Perez has had a knack for wiggling out of jams against the Dodgers, despite putting plenty of cats on base, and here, the Mets will get to face knuckleballer Haeger, a pitch that's about as tough to catch as it is to handicap. Haeger gives the Dodgers innings, which is about all Torre can ask, though he'd love to see the ERA get under 6, I'm sure, and Perez has been serviceable so far this season. Honestly, though, the best bet is probably to take the team that lost game one.

Padres @ Marlins (-135) with a total of 9
Jorge Cantu is 5-for-10 off Garland;
Mike Lamb is 3-for-8 off Garland.
No real experience on the Padres side against Sanchez, which certainly gives an edge to Anibal. That being said, Garland has actually been solid against the Marlins in his career, going 2-1, 2.28 ERA against the Fish. That's a pretty darn low number against a team with a lot of strong bats. The Padres are slightly overvalued right now, but this is a winnable game. Pass.

Reds @ Astros (-115) with a total of 9
Geoff Blum is 8-for-14 with a HR off Harang;
Carlos Lee is batting nearly .400 off Harang with a HR and 8 RBI since '05;
Kaz Matsui is 4-for-11 off Harang, and Berkman has homered 4 times off Harang since '05.
Bud Norris is off and running, a huge success at AAA that's just starting to find a little rhythm in the Bigs. How he handles the Reds should be an interesting situation. Aaron Harang has been awful, going 0-3 this season with a 8.31 ERA. This line is almost fishy, considering how bad Harang has been, but I still can't look past Norris.

Nationals @ Cubs (-160) with a total of N/A
Adam Dunn and Christian Guzman are each 2-for-5 off Gorzelanny;
Ryan Zimmerman is 3-for-4 off Gorzelanny;
Willy Taveras is 3-for-10 off Gorzelanny;
Jeff Baker is 3-for-7 off Hernandez;
Marlon Byrd is 2-for-5 off Hernandez;
Xavier Nady is 4-for-9 with a HR and 2 RBI off Hernandez;
Aramis Ramirez is 5-for-14 with 2 HR and 4 RBI off Hernandez since '05.
Hernandez and Gorzelanny are both pitching better than expected to start 2010, but this ultra-high line for the Cubbies is a little odd. I know the Nats are still considered bottom-feeders, but they're playing decent ball, and if Hernandez can keep the ball in the yard, this could easily be another low-scoring tilt. Nats or nothin'.

Pirates @ Brewers (-240) with a total of 9
As we saw last week, the Pirates have had virtually no success against Randy Wolf throughout his career, and the Brew Crew proceeded to dominate Pittsburgh by about 100 runs in 3 games. Okay, slight exaggeration, but you get the idea. This one is way too expensive to play on Wolf, and there's no real edge in playing the underdog. Pass.

Braves @ Cardinals (-185) with a total of 7.5
Yunel Escobar is 2-for-3 off Carpenter with 2 RBI;
Chipper Jones is 2-for-3 off Carpenter;
Matt Holliday is batting .586 off Lowe since '05 with a HR and 9 RBI;
Ryan Ludwick is 6-for-10 with 2 HR and 6 RBI off Lowe;
Yadier Molina is 5-for-15 off Lowe;
Albert Pujols is 7-for-20 off Lowe with a HR and 8 RBI since '05.
Derek Lowe has been crushed by the Cardinals throughout his career, going 1-6 with a 6.69 ERA against them. I never advocate playing a home team on the run line, and I rarely advocate playing a home favorite of this much chalk, but damn if this doesn't look like a game that should be up over -200, which means that we are, in fact, getting some small value. I know it's nuts, but the Cardinals are cheap at -185.

D'backs @ Rockies (-205) with a total of 8.5
Stephen Drew is 6-for-20 off Jimenez;
Adam Laroche is 4-for-8 with 2 RBI off Jimenez;
Miguel Olivo is 3-for-6 with 2 HR and 5 RBI off Jackson;
Jason Giambi is 5-for-16 with a HR and 5 RBI off Jackson.
Edwin Jackson got rocked by Colorado the few times he's seen them. Jimenez might be the best pitcher not named Halladay, and we learned our lesson going against him the last time out. There isn't much value here, even though Arizona tends to play relatively tough at Coors. Pass.

Phillies (-115) @ Giants with a total of 9.5
Ross Gload is 2-for-4 with 2 HR and 3 RBI off Wellemeyer;
Ryan Howard is 4-for-7 with 2 HR and 4 RBI off Wellemeyer;
Placido Polanco is 3-for-8 off Wellemeyer;
Chase Utley is 7-for-11 with 3 HR and 6 RBI off Wellemeyer;
Shane Victorino is 3-for-6 off Wellemeyer;
Mark DeRosa is 5-for-13 with a HR and 2 RBI off Moyer;
Bengie Molina is 7-for-20 with 3 HR and 6 RBI off Moyer since '05.
Todd Wellemeyer has been downright awful so far this season, so I almost expected Moyer to open up as a bigger favorite, even on the road. I'm torn, just a bit. We saw Moyer settle in in his last start and actually perform relatively well, but something smells funny, here. Still, given Wellemeyer's issues with Philadelphia, I have to look in their direction, first.

American League

Twins @ Tigers (-115) with a total of 8
Jason Kubel is 9-for-25 with 7 RBI off Verlander;
Joe Mauer is batting .378 with 3 HR and 9 RBI off Verlander since '05;
Justin Morneau is 6-for-20 off Verlander with 2 HR and 4 RBI since '05;
Denard Span is 9-for-20 off Verlander;
Miguel Cabrera is 3-for-9 with a HR off Liriano;
Magglio Ordonez is 8-for-21 with 2 HR and 9 RBI off Liriano.
Verlander has never been able to fully solve the Twins, and while in the midst of a bit of an early-season struggle, this is probably not who he wanted to see. Liriano is dominating to start 2010, and again, maybe I haven't been keeping up with the Tigers well enough, but this is a pretty cheap price on the Twinkies.

Yankees (-165) @ Orioles with a total of 8.5
Robinson Cano is 6-for-18 with a HR and 3 RBI off Millwood since '05;
Derek Jeter is 6-for-18 off Millwood since '05;
Alex Rodriguez is also 6-for-18 off Millwood with a HR and 2 RBI since '05;
Randy Winn is 9-for-15 with 2 HR and 5 RBI off Millwood;
Nick Swisher is 10-for-29 with 3 HR and 7 RBI off Millwood;
Adam Jones is 4-for-8 with a HR and 3 RBI off Hughes;
Nick Markakis is 6-for-14 off Hughes with 3 RBI;
Luke Scott is 4-for-7 off Hughes.
A ton of offensive numbers, and despite both pitchers starting the year strong, we might be able to get this one to squeeze up and over the total. I'm not sure I can back the Orioles, though their offense is starting to wake up just a little bit. Not tonight, at least.

Red Sox (-120) @ Blue Jays with a total of 8.5
Adrian Beltre is 6-for-13 with 2 HR and 5 RBI off Marcum;
Mike Lowell is 5-for-13 with 3 RBI off Marcum;
Victor Martinez is 4-for-8 off Marcum with a HR and 2 RBI;
Jason Varitek is 4-for-10 off Marcum;
Adam Lind is 5-for-14 with 2 HR and 3 RBI off Buccholz;
Lyle Overbay is 6-for-14 off Buccholz.
As we know, Boston doesn't play all that well in Toronto, and here we're seeing a line that reflects that. Marcum has had trouble with a few of the new Red Sox, which might change how he pitches against them, but we're seeing Boston really struggle to put all the pieces together, as well. I want to back Toronto, here, but Buccholz is basically the only Red Sox starter with nice numbers against the Jays. Probably a pass, looking at Toronto for something to make me take them.

Athletics @ Rays (-170) with a total of 8.5
Pat Burrell is 4-for-12 with 2 HR off Sheets.
That's actually it. No one else has faced the other, at least not in the last 5 years, and I'm thinking probably not before that, either. Ben Sheets has pitched very well so far for Oakland, but Tampa is the hottest team in the Majors, and Davis is a big piece of the puzzle for them, looking ahead. This line is probably accurate. Pass.

White Sox @ Rangers (-133) with a total of 8.5
Carlos Quentin is 1-for-3 with a HR off Wilson;
Ryan Garko is 12-for-25 off Buerhle with a HR and 5 RBI since '05;
Vlad Guerrero has 4 HR off Buerhle since '05, and is batting .318;
Mark Buerhle is a career 11-3 pitcher against the Rangers, and even though he's struggled in his last couple starts, I'm not sure this is the right time to fade him. Maybe it is, though, considering Wilson's success so far this year. Texas is coming off a tough series with Detroit, so I'm inclined to think the hot Sox keep the momentum going, and for me, it's Buerhle or nothin'. Probably nothin'.

Mariners @ Royals (-180) with a total of 8
Ichiro is 5-for-13 off Greinke;
Scott Podsednik is 3-for-4 off Snell.
Zack Greinke is a perfect 3-0 with a 2.14 ERA against the Mariners in his career, and I know his current 0-2 record isn't all that mind-boggling, this steep price is on the nose for this one. Ian Snell can't be trusted, so there's no real value in the dog, here, despite the Royals pen. If the Mariners aren't patient, Greinke could go 9.

Indians @ Angels (-160) with a total of 9
Jhonny Peralta is 6-for-15 with 2 HR and 4 RBI off Saunders;
Shin-Soo Choo is 2-for-2 off Saunders.
Anaheim hasn't seen Talbot, who continues to impress more each time out to the hill. Saunders is a lifetime 2.84 ERA pitcher against Cleveland, but given his struggles so far this season, I'm not sure he deserves to be a -160 favorite against anyone. I would at least take a peek at the Indians, but the Angels can really hit, and I worry Talbot's overdue for one more bad start.

 
Posted : April 27, 2010 7:41 am
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Diamond Trends - Tuesday
By Vince Akins

Indians at Angels – The Indians are 0-7 since May 16, 2009 as a 140+ dog when they won the last two games their starter started for a net profit of $700 when playing against. The Angels are 5-0 since July 22, 2009 when Joe Saunders starts after the team won their last two games for a net profit of $535.

Reds at Astros – The Reds are 0-8 since May 06, 2009 vs a team that has won at least their last three games and it is the first game of a series for a net profit of $815 when playing against. The Reds are 0-5 since June 21, 2009 when Aaron Harang starts within 20 cents of pickem for a net profit of $515 when playing against. The Astros are 6-0 since July 06, 2009 at home after a 5+ run win for a net profit of $600.

Red Sox at Blue Jays – The Red Sox are 5-0 since August 19, 2009 when Clay Buchholz starts on the road for a net profit of $550. The Red Sox are 0-7 since May 22, 2009 within 20 cents of pickem vs a team that has lost at least their last three games for a net profit of $715 when playing against..

Pirates at Brewers – The Pirates are 0-7 since June 09, 2009 after a loss in which they had more than ten team-left-on-base for a net profit of $725 when playing against. The Brewers are 7-0 since September 12, 2009 after a win in which they left 18+ men on base and it is not the first game of a series for a net profit of $880.

Braves at Cardinals – The Braves are 5-0 since August 29, 2009 when Derek Lowe starts on the road for a net profit of $585. The Cardinals are 0-4 since August 27, 2009 when Chris Carpenter starts after winning as a home favorite in his last start for a net profit of $630 when playing against. The Cardinals are 8-0 since May 23, 2009 as a home 140+ favorite after a win in which they had fewer team-left-on-base than their opponent for a net profit of $800.

Nationals at Cubs – The Nationals are 0-7 since June 23, 2009 when their starter went at least eight innings in his last start after a loss for a net profit of $710 when playing against.

Phillies at Giants – The Phillies are 0-6 since May 01, 2009 within 20 cents of pickem after a loss in which they left 18+ men on base for a net profit of $610 when playing against.

Padres at Marlins – The Padres are 7-0 since July 18, 2009 after a loss in which they left fewer than 10 men on base and it is not the first game of a series for a net profit of $870. The Marlins are 9-0 since August 21, 2006 when Anibal Sanchez starts at home vs a team that has averaged 7+ strikeouts per game for a net profit of $900.

Yankees at Orioles – The Orioles are 0-7 since May 10, 2009 as a home 140+ dog when they blew a lead in their starter's last start and lost for a net profit of $700 when playing against.

White Sox at Rangers – The White Sox are 0-6 since July 12, 2009 when Mark Buehrle starts as a dog vs a team that has hit more grounders than fly balls season-to-date for a net profit of $600 when playing against. The White Sox are 0-6 since June 08, 2009 within 20 cents of pickem after a win in which their starter pitched at least 8 innings for a net profit of $600 when playing against.

Athletics at Rays – The Athletics are 0-6 since May 18, 2009 as a dog vs a team that has won at least their last two games and it is the first game of a series for a net profit of $600 when playing against.

Diamondbacks at Rockies – The Diamondbacks are 0-6 since May 03, 2009 as a road dog when they are off a win in which they never trailed and it is not the first game of a series for a net profit of $600 when playing against. The Rockies are 9-0 since May 06, 2009 when Ubaldo Jimenez starts as a home 140+ favorite after a quality start for a net profit of $900. The Rockies are 8-0 since May 06, 2009 as a 140+ favorite when they scored two or fewer runs for their starter in his last start for a net profit of $800

Mariners at Royals – The Mariners are 0-7 since May 07, 2009 as a road dog after a loss in which their opponent left 18+ men on base and it is not the first game of a series for a net profit of $700 when playing against.

Twins at Tigers – The Tigers are 6-0 since July 29, 2009 when Justin Verlander starts within 20 cents of pickem for a net profit of $625. The Tigers are 7-0 since April 27, 2009 at home within 20 cents of pickem and it is the first game of the series for a net profit of $750

 
Posted : April 27, 2010 8:16 am
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Tuesday's Best Probable Starters
By: Freddy Willis

Hot Starters: Johan Santana (2.59 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 22K's IN 24.1 IP)Santana is certainly not the hottest pitcher on Tuesday, but the others have been the poster boys already for our article and I do not like to repeat myself to you guys with information. I like to keep this fresh with stuff you can use when handicapping your own games. Johan will start the first game of the double header on Tuesday and that's probably the game he'd like to start. Johan over the last three years has an ERA during the day of 2.47 compared to his 3.34 night ERA. Johan has just one start against the Dodgers in that time as he went 7.2 IP giving up just 1 ER and 6 hits. He'll face a Dodgers line up that is without Manny Ramirez. The Dodgers have really struggled vs. Left Handed starters and their stats and record show as they are 1-7 in their last 8 road vs. a LH starter. Dodgers have a season average of .254 while averaging 2.60 runs per 9 innings vs. LHP. That's bad news with an ace like Santana going early. Even worse when you consider Johan is backed by a Mets bullpen that has a 2.66 ERA. Ubaldo Jimenez (28.1 IP, 0.95 ERA, 25K's, 1.10 WHIP)It would be insulting not to talk about Jimenez as he already has a no hitter this year. However, he is still not leading the National League in ERA as Mets starter Pelfrey holds that edge over him by 0.01 ERA. He'll be going for that honor against the Dbacks. The 26 year old had 4 starts a year ago against the Dbacks going 26.1 IP and holding them to 8 runs which is good for a 2.74 ERA. It won't be as easy for him as the Diamondbacks are really starting to swing the bats well especially vs. RHP. However, Jimenez is supported by a bullpen even better than the Mets as the Rockies have a 2.29 BP ERA.

Honorable Mention: Livan Hernandez (24 IP, 0.75 ERA,) Francisco Liriano (2-0, 21 IP, 1.29 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) Brian Talbot (20 IP, 2.25 ERA)

Cold Starters: Joe Saunders (21.2 IP, 5.82 ERA, 4HR)I like to give you guys info that's going to help you and I believe this match up will. Despite Saunders facing Talbot one of our hot starters I believe he holds a considerable edge. Not only does he have a great record and ERA in 5 starts with a 2.93 against the Indians, but the Indians are struggling big time. Cleveland is 4-23 in their last 27 road games, but more importantly they have not hit LHP. They have a .192 overall average against LHP and are scoring only 2.02 runs per 9 innings vs. LHP. Maybe they are due to come out of this slump, but with Saunders slumping early in the year this is a perfect opportunity for him to come out of it and feel good. After all the Angels are 20-8 in Saunders L28 starts as a favorite.

Ice Cold: Aaron Harrang (0-3, 21.2 IP, 8.31 ERA, 6HR) Todd Wellemeyer (0-3, 14.1 IP, 5 HR, 8.16 ERA) Justin Verlander (1-1, 22 IP, 6.95 ERA, 1.50 WHIP)

 
Posted : April 27, 2010 8:30 am
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