Analysis:1* Take Seattle (#965).
We’re not going to find James Paxton at an underdog price
for much longer; let’s take advantage while we can. Paxton ranks among the most promising
pitching prospects in baseball, only in his second start back off a three month
stint on the DL with a ‘lat strain’. He
was dominant in his first start back, needing only 77 pitches to get into the
seventh inning while allowing just a single run. That’s picking up right where he left off
before his injury; now 5-0 with a
1.93 ERA in eight starts over the last two seasons. Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon: “I'm so
excited about Paxton. I think he's going to be special for us down the stretch.”
The Tigers have
lost six of their last nine to fall out of first place in the AL Central. One of those losses came with Rick Porcello
in an ultra-rare relief appearance when he was forced into action in the Tigers
19 inning marathon against the Blue Jays last Sunday, a game where he took the
loss. That takes Porcello completely out
of his normal rhythm between starts. His quote: “I've come out of the bullpen
before, (but) not really on a day where I'm sitting there watching the game not
prepared to pitch at all."
And, of course,
there’s no comparison between these bullpens if this game is tight late. The Mariners bullpen ranks #1 in the AL in
ERA, a dominant unit all year. The
Tigers bullpen has been a consistent problem area, ranked #13 in the AL in ERA;
a unit that just lost their trade deadline upgrade when Joakim Soria went on
the DL.
Very quietly, the Mariners have been inching up in the
standings, now just a half game behind Detroit and the LA Angels in the Wild
Card race. They’ve won four straight and
eight of their last nine; an emerging, surging team here in August. They’re worthy of support at this attractive underdog
price. Take the Mariners.
Pick Made: Aug 15 2014 7:27AM PST