<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width=500 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=rs_value vAlign=top align=left width="50%">Yesterday</TD><TD class=rs_value vAlign=top align=right width="10%">2</TD><TD class=rs_value vAlign=top align=right width="10%">2</TD><TD class=rs_value vAlign=top align=right width="10%">0</TD><TD class=rs_value vAlign=top align=right width="20%">+0.16 Units</TD></TR><TR><TD class=rs_value vAlign=top align=left width="50%">Last 30 Days</TD><TD class=rs_value vAlign=top align=right width="10%">3</TD><TD class=rs_value vAlign=top align=right width="10%">3</TD><TD class=rs_value vAlign=top align=right width="10%">0</TD><TD class=rs_value vAlign=top align=right width="20%">+0.16 Units</TD></TR><TR><TD class=rs_value vAlign=top align=left width="50%">Season To Date (Since March 2009)</TD><TD class=rs_value vAlign=top align=right width="10%">3</TD><TD class=rs_value vAlign=top align=right width="10%">3</TD><TD class=rs_value vAlign=top align=right width="10%">0</TD><TD class=rs_value vAlign=top align=right width="20%">+0.16 Units</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
HOME TEAM IN CAPS
All games are listed pitchers unless stated otherwise.
FLORIDA -½ +1.04 over Washington (1<SUP>st</SUP> 5 innings)
Not a good match-up for the Daniel Cabrera as he has a big time propensity for walking guys and walking Marlins is going to cost him. No one is ever going to deny that Cabrera has a live arm, but he has never been able to control his pitches on a consistent basis and that is one of the main reasons why Baltimore had enough of him. He’s capable of walking two guys an inning and if he’s not sharp against Florida he’s going to get punished. The Marlins have looked extremely sharp at the plate and after two blowout wins over this guest they have a big psychological edge too. Furthermore, the Fish are loaded with speed and walks will quickly turn into doubles. The Marlins third starter, Chris Volstad could be a #2 starter on most teams and a #1 starter on others. Volstad was Florida's top draft pick in 2005 who went 6-4 with a 2.88 last season after a July call-up. He allowed just 76 hits in 84 frames for a BAA of .240. He has wicked stuff and he now has a half-year under his belt. Oh, the Nats have yet to see him and that, too, works to our advantage. Play: Florida -½ +1.04 in the first five innings (Risking 2 units). <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
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Milwaukee -½ +1.26 over SAN FRANCISCO (1<SUP>st</SUP> 5 innings)
The Big Unit had a great spring finishing up strong with a 2.20 ERA over five starts covering 16 innings. That’s nice, it really is but the fact is that Randy Johnson will be 46 years old in September and the real season is nothing like spring. He’s mot a finesse guy, he’s a hard-throwing lefty that is pretty much done blowing it by hitters. The real reason he’s still playing is that he’s five games away from 300 wins in his career and we all know this guy has an ego as big as his frame. He wants those 300 wins as bad as any pitcher ever has. This is a good park for him at but it won’t be easy, as I’m suggesting he’s going to get lit up big time in most of his outings. Randy Johnson has a worn-out arm and seriously, at the age of 46, how good can he be? The Brewers are going to be one of the more dangerous offenses in the NL and if they got to Tim Lincecum yesterday, they should have little trouble getting to Johnson today. Of course it doesn’t work that way but man, Johnson is likely to run into big trouble here. Yovani Gallardo has had nothing but bad luck. He had a couple of fluke knee injuries (which has no impact on his arm) and made just five starts last season. Overall in the majors he’s made just 21 starts but ignoring this guys talents would be a big mistake. In those 21 major-league starts, Gallardo has been extremely effective going 9-4 with a 3.38 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 8.14 strikeouts per nine innings. He’s a big talent waiting to happen, he’s healthy and he’s coming off a strong spring as well. The Giants might not get any today. Play: Milwaukee -½ +1.26 in the first five innings (Risking 2 units). <o></o>
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Chicago -½ +1.03 over HOUSTON (1<SUP>st</SUP> 5 innings)
Pitching mismatch here, as Brian Moehler has lived a rather charmed life as a starter and his luck cannot continue for an extended period of time. Moehler is one of the more hittable pitchers in the game and somehow managed to escape jam after jam after jam last season. He allowed opposing hitters to bat .291 against him last season and he was actually just supposed to fill in for Wandy Rodriguez. Now he comes in with expectations and that’s a whole different ball game. Moehler is a 38-year-old stiff that has virtually no chance of having a good year. When Ted Lilly’s career is over he finally might get the accolades he deserves. This guy has been one of the most reliable and consistent pitchers in the business over the last eight or nine years. His career BAA is an impressive .247. Last year it was .239. He has great control, he’s poised out there, he’s experienced and at the age of 33, he might have his best year ever. This is a pitching mismatch and I expect the Cubs to get to Moehler early and often. Play: Chicago in the first five innings -½ +1.03 (Risking 2 units). <o></o>
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Colorado +1.20 over ARIZONA (1<SUP>st</SUP> 5 innings)
Doug Davis is an enigma for sure. You watch this guy pitch and you expect him to get bombed every time, as his velocity is low, he walks too many hitters and he throws way too many pitches. The older he gets the less effective he’s becoming and this could be the year that everything implodes on him. His WHIP over the last three seasons has been over 1.5 and that does not spell success. He was shaky as hell in the spring and he could be in for a long year. Franklin Morales was a highly regarded pitching prospect entering the 2008 season, but rumors persisted as early as spring training that he was hurt. As it turned out, he was hiding back issues that affected his mechanics; he wound up walking almost seven batters per nine innings at Triple-A. An off-season regimen got him back to feeling 100 percent, and he looked reasonably sharp in a stint in winter ball. He also looked sharp in his final preseason game, allowing three runs on just seven hits and it was reported that he was pitching into a fierce wind that was blowing out. Morales has a ton more upside than Davis and thus, the Rockies get the call. Play: Colorado in the first five innings +1.20 (Risking 2 units). <o></o>
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BALTIMORE +1.58 over NY Yankees
You always have to look to wager against the Yanks, especially early in the year, as they’re always grossly overvalued and this one is no different. The Yanks picked up CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett but that still leaves a ton of holes, especially in the bullpen and their hitting isn’t so great either. This is a team that has a bunch of aging vets (Jeter, Damon, Posada, Matsui) to go along with a couple of unproven rookies (Gardiner and Ransom) and I just don’t see where the Yankees are so great. Fact is, they’re not and as long as these ridiculous prices keep coming in against them, I’m going to play against them. Besides, Chien Ming Wang could be the weak link in the starting rotation. Wang missed last year with a serious foot injury and has not looked sharp at all in the spring. He doesn’t strike out many, he throws a lot of pitches and his control has been declining every year. Ming and the Yankees do not warrant this price against the Orioles on the road, period. Baltimore will send out Koji Uehara. Uehara is a bit of a wild card considering he has pitched well when healthy this spring and most MLB teams have not seen him throw yet. He’s a 34-yr-old veteran of the Japan league and he possesses good control and a craftiness that could see him succeed here, especially in his first few starts. Play: Baltimore +1.58 (Risking 2 units).
HOME TEAM IN CAPS
All games are listed pitchers unless stated otherwise.
FLORIDA -½ +1.04 over Washington (1<SUP>st</SUP> 5 innings)
Not a good match-up for the Daniel Cabrera as he has a big time propensity for walking guys and walking Marlins is going to cost him. No one is ever going to deny that Cabrera has a live arm, but he has never been able to control his pitches on a consistent basis and that is one of the main reasons why Baltimore had enough of him. He’s capable of walking two guys an inning and if he’s not sharp against Florida he’s going to get punished. The Marlins have looked extremely sharp at the plate and after two blowout wins over this guest they have a big psychological edge too. Furthermore, the Fish are loaded with speed and walks will quickly turn into doubles. The Marlins third starter, Chris Volstad could be a #2 starter on most teams and a #1 starter on others. Volstad was Florida's top draft pick in 2005 who went 6-4 with a 2.88 last season after a July call-up. He allowed just 76 hits in 84 frames for a BAA of .240. He has wicked stuff and he now has a half-year under his belt. Oh, the Nats have yet to see him and that, too, works to our advantage. Play: Florida -½ +1.04 in the first five innings (Risking 2 units). <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
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></o>Milwaukee -½ +1.26 over SAN FRANCISCO (1<SUP>st</SUP> 5 innings)
The Big Unit had a great spring finishing up strong with a 2.20 ERA over five starts covering 16 innings. That’s nice, it really is but the fact is that Randy Johnson will be 46 years old in September and the real season is nothing like spring. He’s mot a finesse guy, he’s a hard-throwing lefty that is pretty much done blowing it by hitters. The real reason he’s still playing is that he’s five games away from 300 wins in his career and we all know this guy has an ego as big as his frame. He wants those 300 wins as bad as any pitcher ever has. This is a good park for him at but it won’t be easy, as I’m suggesting he’s going to get lit up big time in most of his outings. Randy Johnson has a worn-out arm and seriously, at the age of 46, how good can he be? The Brewers are going to be one of the more dangerous offenses in the NL and if they got to Tim Lincecum yesterday, they should have little trouble getting to Johnson today. Of course it doesn’t work that way but man, Johnson is likely to run into big trouble here. Yovani Gallardo has had nothing but bad luck. He had a couple of fluke knee injuries (which has no impact on his arm) and made just five starts last season. Overall in the majors he’s made just 21 starts but ignoring this guys talents would be a big mistake. In those 21 major-league starts, Gallardo has been extremely effective going 9-4 with a 3.38 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 8.14 strikeouts per nine innings. He’s a big talent waiting to happen, he’s healthy and he’s coming off a strong spring as well. The Giants might not get any today. Play: Milwaukee -½ +1.26 in the first five innings (Risking 2 units). <o
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></o>Chicago -½ +1.03 over HOUSTON (1<SUP>st</SUP> 5 innings)
Pitching mismatch here, as Brian Moehler has lived a rather charmed life as a starter and his luck cannot continue for an extended period of time. Moehler is one of the more hittable pitchers in the game and somehow managed to escape jam after jam after jam last season. He allowed opposing hitters to bat .291 against him last season and he was actually just supposed to fill in for Wandy Rodriguez. Now he comes in with expectations and that’s a whole different ball game. Moehler is a 38-year-old stiff that has virtually no chance of having a good year. When Ted Lilly’s career is over he finally might get the accolades he deserves. This guy has been one of the most reliable and consistent pitchers in the business over the last eight or nine years. His career BAA is an impressive .247. Last year it was .239. He has great control, he’s poised out there, he’s experienced and at the age of 33, he might have his best year ever. This is a pitching mismatch and I expect the Cubs to get to Moehler early and often. Play: Chicago in the first five innings -½ +1.03 (Risking 2 units). <o
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></o>Colorado +1.20 over ARIZONA (1<SUP>st</SUP> 5 innings)
Doug Davis is an enigma for sure. You watch this guy pitch and you expect him to get bombed every time, as his velocity is low, he walks too many hitters and he throws way too many pitches. The older he gets the less effective he’s becoming and this could be the year that everything implodes on him. His WHIP over the last three seasons has been over 1.5 and that does not spell success. He was shaky as hell in the spring and he could be in for a long year. Franklin Morales was a highly regarded pitching prospect entering the 2008 season, but rumors persisted as early as spring training that he was hurt. As it turned out, he was hiding back issues that affected his mechanics; he wound up walking almost seven batters per nine innings at Triple-A. An off-season regimen got him back to feeling 100 percent, and he looked reasonably sharp in a stint in winter ball. He also looked sharp in his final preseason game, allowing three runs on just seven hits and it was reported that he was pitching into a fierce wind that was blowing out. Morales has a ton more upside than Davis and thus, the Rockies get the call. Play: Colorado in the first five innings +1.20 (Risking 2 units). <o
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></o>BALTIMORE +1.58 over NY Yankees
You always have to look to wager against the Yanks, especially early in the year, as they’re always grossly overvalued and this one is no different. The Yanks picked up CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett but that still leaves a ton of holes, especially in the bullpen and their hitting isn’t so great either. This is a team that has a bunch of aging vets (Jeter, Damon, Posada, Matsui) to go along with a couple of unproven rookies (Gardiner and Ransom) and I just don’t see where the Yankees are so great. Fact is, they’re not and as long as these ridiculous prices keep coming in against them, I’m going to play against them. Besides, Chien Ming Wang could be the weak link in the starting rotation. Wang missed last year with a serious foot injury and has not looked sharp at all in the spring. He doesn’t strike out many, he throws a lot of pitches and his control has been declining every year. Ming and the Yankees do not warrant this price against the Orioles on the road, period. Baltimore will send out Koji Uehara. Uehara is a bit of a wild card considering he has pitched well when healthy this spring and most MLB teams have not seen him throw yet. He’s a 34-yr-old veteran of the Japan league and he possesses good control and a craftiness that could see him succeed here, especially in his first few starts. Play: Baltimore +1.58 (Risking 2 units).
