Pair of Pitching Phenom's On Display In Atlanta
By SportsPic
Mike Leake (4-0) vs. Tommy Hanson (3-3)
Leake vs. Braves Hitting
Mike Leake has no doubt been one of the big surprises of the 2010 season. A Top-10 draft pick in last year’s draft, Leake impressed management enough during spring training that he got a job with the big club, completely bypassing the minor leagues. It’s a rare feat, especially for a pitcher. All Leake has done in his first professional season is go 4-0 with a 3.09 ERA. Those who bet sports know he has six quality starts in seven career outings. He’s never pitched less than six innings in a game. He could use a little work in ball control (20 walks in 46 2/3 innings), but you’re not going to find many people in the Reds organization complaining about Leake’s performance this season.
This will be the first time the young right-hander has faced the Braves in his young career. The Braves aren’t exactly offensive powerhouses; Leake has the advantage because no one on the team has faced him before. If you’re betting, a fun matchup to watch will be Leake against the Braves’ own rookie star, Jason Heyward. Heyward is enjoying a solid start to the year, with a .275 average, 8 home runs and 28 RBI’s. This season Leake is holding left-handers to a .217 batting average; however all four of the home runs Leake has allowed this season have come from southpaws. By the way, Heyward is a lefty.
Hanson vs. Reds Hitting
Tommy Hanson has been billed as a “can’t-miss-prospect” for years, and this season the only people missing are the batters that are striking out (yes, that was a pun). Hanson got rocked in his last start, allowing five runs in seven innings. However, he did strike out 10, and in his start before last he threw eight innings of shutout ball. Trust those who bet MLB, the bad start is a rarity, not the start of a trend. Hanson is damn talented.
Hanson has very little experience against Cincinnati; definitely not enough to draw any kind of conclusion. Hanson is much more effective against right handed hitters than lefties (righties hit .190 against Hanson, as opposed to .286 for lefties). That’s unfortunate for Hanson, as the Reds two best hitters (Joey Votto and Jay Bruce) are both lefties. Votto leads Cincinnati in most offensive categories, including batting average (.297), home runs (8) and RBI’s (25).
Bullpen Comparison
Arthur Rhodes (0.60 ERA in 15 innings pitched) is the best reliever in a Reds bullpen that’s struggling to find consistency. Closer Francisco Cordero has 13 saves on the season, but his low strikeout numbers and high WHIP are cause for concern. The Braves, however, have a bullpen stacked with power arms. Seven relievers for Atlanta has seen significant time this season, and six boast an ERA under 2.51. Most of them are averaging close to a strikeout per inning as well. Advantage, Atlanta.
Outlook
The future of baseball is on display in this one; Leake, Hanson, Heyward and Votto are all future all-stars. As for the present day, if you’re the kind of person who likes to bet MLB, I’d go with Cincinnati. It’s no accident they’re at the top of the NL Central; this is a talented, young team that’s finally coming into their own. Neither pitcher will pitch poorly, but somebody’s gonna have to win this game; might as well be the team that’s leading a division.
Pick: Cincinnati Reds