Hey Dave: Some of my own thoughts and a question or two:
I see the Yankees are stocking their lineup full of lefties and switch hitters even though Tomlin has fared better against lefties when you look at his career splits (although I realize the Yanks 'normal' lineup is rather lefty-heavy). Still, he's even been better against lefties this year and he's actually faced more lefties than righties this year in terms of PAs. And there's simply no denying the Indians home/road splits. It goes beyond their record in my opinion. Their body language in the games I've seen them play both at home and on the road this year varies considerably. If you toss out Masterson's huge fart on Monday, I'd think they be going for 3 straight. I like the pick.
Tomlin career vs. righties: .271/.303/.457
Tomlin career vs. lefties: .261/.297/.468
Tomlin 2014 vs. righties: .305/.328/.511
Tomlin 2014 vs. lefties: .215/.235/.389 Not bad...
And a question for you Dave: I know you're very vigilant when it comes to watching for the opportunity to fade teams (or being careful with teams) at the end of a lengthy road trip or on the first game back at home - especially if there's no off day in between. Well, the Royals are playing the 9th game of lengthy road trip that has seen them go 4-4 thus far. How do you feel about this particular travel situation? Does this make you lean more towards the Rays or are there certain situations when you don't 'weigh' travel spots as heavily as other times? When Yost managed the Brewers it always seemed like they didn't end their road trips particularly focused (he's always been known as a so-called 'players manager'). I realize that kind of comment can seem very arbitrary/circumstantial (can't think of the word I'm looking for), but the thought did come to my mind. Difference between a winning road trip and a losing one. And while Cobb hasn't been particularly sharp lately, he has faced some stiffer competition on the road his last couple starts and didn't come out horribly. He's been victimized by the long ball in a few of his worse games, something not as likely to happen against KC. Wondering your thoughts on the travel in particular?
Lastly, I've been on the White Sox ML the last two nights because I thought no matter who was on the mound for Chicago, the Red Sox didn't deserve being -190 against anyone at this point the way they've been playing. And now I find myself chickensh*t to take them for a 3rd straight game when they have Sale on the mound vs. Rubby De La Rosa? I just find that funny. For me, it all comes down to the prices we can get on these teams for me and road faves are just something I try to avoid. And I never want to be on the opposite side of sharp money so thanks for passing that along since I don't often have the time to check Sportsbook Spy and line movement during the week.
Dave: ALWAYS appreciate the extra content in terms of your leans and thoughts about all the games. Looking forward to a strong next few days to bring us to the AS break on a high note.