Yesterday was a fat no-play, despite some strong leans. Something just never felt right about yesterday's card, so we dodged it altogether. Hopefully, those who normally check out my picks, moseyed on over to Goodfella's or Spartan's top plays. In any case, Friday's a bunch of evening games, so we'll take our time and get all the facts posted, then make some picks soon enough!
NL
Christian Guzman - Guzman is 6-for-12 lifetime off Jon Garland with a pair of RBI, and now Washington suddenly looks competent!
Albert Pujols - Yes, I realize putting Albert on here is redundant, but he's 10-for-19 against Maholm in his career, with a homer
Nick Johnson - Perhaps the acquisition of Nick Johnson will turn the Marlins fortune in this series with Philly, as he's 5-for-10 against Joe Blanton, who shut down Florida for 7 innings earlier this year.
Chase Utley - Utley is batting .350 (7-of-20) with a homer against Ricky Nolasco.
Miguel Tejada - Just 7 AB against Carlos Villanueva, but he has 3 hits, including a dinger.
Aramis Ramirez - Hopefully the Cubs won't look baked in this one, as Aramis is 3-for-5 off Jimenez with a home run.
David Wright - A blistering .750 average against Kevin Correia, with 2 home runs in just 8 AB.
Adam Laroche - Billingsley retired him twice in Atlanta, but previous to that, Laroche had been 2-for-4 with both hits leaving the yard.
Russ Martin - Russ is batting .444 off Jurrjens; it doesn't seem like a fluke the Dodgers spanked him in Hotlanta.
Dodgers Starting 8 - Besides Rafael Furcal. Might not be a bad game to give Furcal or Casey Blake a rest, as they're combiend 0-for-12 off Jurrjens, but the others are doing just fine. Ethier (3-for-5), Hudson (2-for-6, homer), Kemp (2-for-6, homer), Loney (3-for-9), Manny (1-for-3), and Russ Martin, above, have hit Jurrjens well.
Tim Lincecum - Willy Taveras is the only Reds regular to have even seen Lincecum more than a couple times; advantage, Giants.
AL
Offense in the Bronx - On both sides of the ball. Despite historically succeeding against the Sox, Burnett has been terrible this year, going 0-1 with a 12.91 ERA against Boston, and most of the Sox regulars hit around .275 against him. On the other side, Beckett is 2-0 against the Yanks this year, but with an ERA of almost 6. Melky Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, A-Rod and Nick Swisher all bat over .290 against Beckett.
Denard Span - Batting .357 in 14 AB against Galarraga.
Joe Mauer - Same average, same number of AB as Span, but Mauer's got a homer to his credit.
The Jays - It's not every day you get to face a guy named Berken in your home building after performing poorly against him twice at his house.
Kurt Suzuki - 5-for-12 off Brian Bannister.
Adam Kennedy - Kennedy went 2-for-2 off Bannister earlier this year to raise his career numbers to 4-for-8 against him.
Jim Thome - Sowers may want to alert the bomb squad, as Thome is 6-for-13 off him, with half of those hits leaving the yard.
Scott Podsednik - 5-for-14 off Sowers. It'll be interesting to see how the new Sowers pitches against a team that has beat him 4 times this year, already.
Jhonny Peralta - 15-for-50 equates to a .300 average against Buehrle, with 2 homers.
Michael Young - Batting .348 against Joe Saunders, a guy the Rangers have clubbed all over hell and back.
Mike Napoli - Batting .500 in 14 AB against Feldman.
Hurlers in Seattle - Felix Hernandez blanked the Rays over 7 innings earlier this year, and Niemann held the Mariners to a team .167 BA earlier this season. This could very well be a 2-1 victory for somebody. Jose Lopez is the only player with an RBI on either team against the opposing starter.
TOP PLAYS COMING SOON!
1)
Philadelphia Phillies (-138) vs. Florida Marlins - Nolasco has been dominant, but the Phils generally put up 2-4 runs against him, even when he's on his game, and the Marlins are coming off a supremely disappointing series in Washington. The Phils, after a sad trip to the West coast, lost the first game at home before taking the last 2 from the Rockies. Today, Joe Blanton, winner of every start he's ever made against the Marlins and red hot pitcher, will try to put a little more distance between the Phils and any competitors. Truth be told, a good showing in this series, and the Phillies might be in danger of coasting to the finish, even with this much time left.
2)
San Francisco Giants (RL -1.5, -135) vs. Cincinnati Reds - I know the Reds beat the Cubs one time, but one victory does not a season change. They need to face Tim Lincecum against the team with the best home record in the Majors returning to San Francisco after winning a road series. The Giants are flying high, Lincecum has fanned 8 batters or more in every start since the dawn of time, and it took a masterful performance from Justin Lehr for the Reds to snap an 8-game losing streak. They've lost that many in a row on the road, too, so the Reds aren't out of the woods just yet. The Giants, with new additions Freddy Sanchez and Ryan Garko, are hitting the ball better, and get to attack Homer Bailey tonight. Cincinnati played relatively well in San Francisco last year, but this is a different team with zero confidence. This game might be over by the 2nd inning.
3) Los Angeles Angels vs.
Texas Rangers (First 5 Innings, +121) - The Rangers have delivered a stern beating to Joe Saunders both times they've seen him this year, and despite trailing the Angels in the AL West, have taken 7 of 9 from the Halos this year. Scott Feldman has pitched very well against the Angels, which gives us a nice starting pitcher advantage in this one. At the dog price, I might be inclined to play the Rangers for the first 5 innings, since the Angels have been scoring a ton of runs late in games, and with the way Saunders has been stinking, this is a great opportunity for the Rangers to take an early lead.
4)
Under 8, Seattle Mariners vs. Tampa Bay Rays - This is really a matchup of pitchers in top form, though many don't know the name Jeff Niemann...yet. The line is dropping to 7.5 at a lot of books, so you may have to buy back the half point, and I would do it, since we'd like to push on the rare chance this thing gets to 8. Felix Hernandez shut down Tampa earlier this year, and Niemann shut down Seattle earlier this year. Both teams have bullpens pitching very well, and the big concern is that Tampa puts up a big number, which they very rarely do on the road. Prediction, Seattle wins the game by the final score of 3-2.
5) Detroit Tigers vs.
Minnesota Twins (+105) - Swarzak has been excellent on the road, and Galarraga has been pretty bad everywhere. The Twins hit him hard, and this is a big chance for the Twins to, once again, try to gain some ground on Division-leading Detroit. They are 6-2 against the Tigers this year, and they know that after today, they will have to face the better Tigers starters. Expect Minny to wake up from their mini-slump and steal the first game of this series while the Tigers struggle against a team they do not enjoy playing.