DAVE MALINSKY
Cincinnati Reds @ Atlanta Braves
PICK: Cincinnati Reds
At 11-2 in their last 13 games, and having won six straight, the Reds bring one of those classic late-season stories that the oddsmakers are forced to miss – the public simply does not acknowledge weak teams that get hot in September, and that explains the exorbitant price being offered for this one. The fact that we get excellent timing behind Johnny Cueto adds the gravy.
Cueto’s stuff is better than the 0-10/4.51 he shows for the full season, but he ran into a post-break cycle in which fatigue took a toll, and the Reds decided to shut him down for a couple of passes through the rotation. He responded with a lot of spark in beating Pittsburgh in the first game back, and while that in and of itself is no big deal (who hasn’t shut the Pirates down lately?), the fact that he had more strikeouts than hits + walks combined is a sign of life in his arm, and also a confidence boost for a guy that needed one. Now he can pick up where that outing left off against a struggling Atlanta team that has only scored two runs so far in this series, and is mired in an 0-4 drought that has drastically reduced their Wild Card hopes.
This line also assumes much more than we are ready to yet concerning Tim Hudson. They are pricing him as though he really is Tim Hudson, and not a 34-year old coming back from major surgery that just pitched from a Major League mound for the first time in over 13 months. Hudson did manage to win at Florida in that return but was nothing all that special, allowing six hits and three walks over 5.1 frames, but managing to escape with only two earned runs being tagged against him. He may never again be what he once was, much less reach that plateau here, and that means a prime opportunity to cash a ticket in a game that has been driven beyond the realities of the setting.
ALEX SMART
Seattle Mariners @ Oakland Athletics
PICK: Seattle Mariners
Seattle enters this tilt against the Oakland As having won 9 of their L/13 games, and have been playing fairly well of late behind super star Ichiro Suzuki who is hitting .442 in his last 9 contests. Despite of losing yesterday the Mariners have for the most part had the Athletics number this season , winning 11 of 15 meetings, and I expect them to garner more positive results this afternoon behind under rated hurler Dough Fister (2-1,2.94 ERA). The right hander performed admirably vs the AL West-leading Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday. The product of Fresno State limited one of the majors most explosive offenses to one run and five hits in a career-high 7 1/3 innings for a 2-1 win. Meanwhile, the As return fire with the very hittable , rookie Gio Gonzalez who is 0-3 along with a 7.29 ERA in 21 innings over his past four starts. He's faced Seattle twice this year, and was roughed up , as is evident by allowing seven runs on 12 hits over 10 innings. Gonzalez has been particularly unstable at home where he has garnered a ugly 8.20 ERA (31 Ers in 34 innings). Final notes & Key Trends: Athletics are 9-25 in their last 34 games following a win. .......Play on the Seattle Mariners
MTi Sports
Arizona Diamondbacks at Colorado Rockies
Prediction: Colorado Rockies
The Diamondbacks are 1-21 as a 170+ dog when they lost the last time they faced this starting pitcher and 4-18 on the road and it is the last game of a three game series when they lost the first two. The Rockies are 52-26 after a win and it is the last game of the series. Consider Colorado.