nikeairx, just a FYI, you apparently missed Ben Burns' Personal Favorite pick early in this thread & you double-posted. No biggie, just letting you know it was there.
P.S. BTW, I accidentally posted the football plays in the MLB thread but labeling it tomorrow's plays (Service Plays Thurs Aug 9th).
* CalvinTy
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Scott Spreitzer's American League GOM! *14-2, 88% GOM Run!
My AL GOM is a play on the Indians. White Sox righty Jon Garland has been giving up runs 'o plenty. It all started with his July 6 outing, allowing 11 ER in 3 1/3 IP in a 20-14 loss to the Twins. Since then, and including that game, Garland has been smacked for 33 ER & 65 BR in just 29 2/3 IP. That's a pathetic 10.00 ERA & 2.19 WHIP. Even when we take out the July 6 start, Garland still owns a 7.53 ERA & 1.94 WHIP in his last five starts. It doesn't help that he's facing the Indians. Cleveland has whipped Garland throughout his career. Meanwhile, C.C. Sabathia has no such trouble with the White Sox, including a 2.70 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and .198 BAA in 10 starts at U.S. Cellular Field. The big southpaw has shut the Sox down in both meetings this season. He's also allowed just seven ER and 31 BR in his last four starts, overall, spanning 26 2/3 IP. Jake Westbrook ate a ton of innings (8 full) last night for the Tribe, just one night removed from Paul Byrd's complete game. I expect more of the same from Sabathia. And, if needed, we've got a well-rested bullpen behind him. The Indians are my AL GOM. Thanks! GL! Scott.
My AL GOM is a play on the Indians. White Sox righty Jon Garland has been giving up runs 'o plenty. It all started with his July 6 outing, allowing 11 ER in 3 1/3 IP in a 20-14 loss to the Twins. Since then, and including that game, Garland has been smacked for 33 ER & 65 BR in just 29 2/3 IP. That's a pathetic 10.00 ERA & 2.19 WHIP. Even when we take out the July 6 start, Garland still owns a 7.53 ERA & 1.94 WHIP in his last five starts. It doesn't help that he's facing the Indians. Cleveland has whipped Garland throughout his career. Meanwhile, C.C. Sabathia has no such trouble with the White Sox, including a 2.70 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and .198 BAA in 10 starts at U.S. Cellular Field. The big southpaw has shut the Sox down in both meetings this season. He's also allowed just seven ER and 31 BR in his last four starts, overall, spanning 26 2/3 IP. Jake Westbrook ate a ton of innings (8 full) last night for the Tribe, just one night removed from Paul Byrd's complete game. I expect more of the same from Sabathia. And, if needed, we've got a well-rested bullpen behind him. The Indians are my AL GOM. Thanks! GL! Scott.
Brandon Lang
15 DIME
Orioles - Specify Pitchers - Hernandez vs Guthrie
This rookie right hander is the real deal. Mark my words, he will be Rookie of the Year if he keeps up these solid starts. Guthrie, (7-3, 2.98) is third in the league in ERA, and is 3-1 in his last four decisions. Although he did not win his 4th consecutive start against the potent Boston offensive he only gave up 3 run and nine hits in 5 1/3rd innnings. This was only the 3rd time in 18 starts that Guthrie failed to pitch at least 6 innings.
Guthrie limited the Mariners to two runs and six hits over six innings in an 8-3 victory at Seattle on July 17 in his one and only appearance against them, In-addition, Baltimore has won seven of its last nine home games, One night after letting a close game slip away, the Orioles will go for revenge here.
Felix Hernandez (7-6, 3.89 ERA) has not beat the Orioles in three starts this season. The right-hander is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA against Baltimore this year, . Hernandez is 2-2 with a 5.65 ERA in five career starts against the Orioles, who are hitting .345 off him. The O's Melvin Mora is 6-for-10 against Hernandez while Nick Markakis is batting .545 (6-for-11). Seattle finally snapped a six-game road losing streak, but I dont see them making it two in a row. Take Baltimore behind Guthrie.
5 DIME
Blue Jays - Specify Pitchers - Wang vs Halladay
If you thought the rivalry between the Yanks and Bluejays was forgotton, think again. Benches and bullpens emptied twice after Towers hit Rodriguez yesterday. Now we have ace Roy Halladay (12-5, 4.13) who has won 5 consecutive home starts, having posted a 3.00 ERA while doing it The 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner was outstanding at Yankee Stadium on July 17, yielding one run and five hits in seven innings, Halladay is 9-4 with a 2.96 ERA in 22 starts against New York. We are getting the ace at home at a great price.
Now, Yanks Chien-Ming Wang (13-5, 3.49 ERA) has been solid this year for the Yanks and has won three straight starts and 10 of his last 11 decisions but he did give up three runs and seven hits over 7 1-3 innings in a 3-2 home loss on July 19 against the Jays.
Yanks had too easy of a win yesterday and see Blue Jays taking this game behind their ace at home. Bottom line we are getting the ace at home at a great price. Take Blue Jays.
15 DIME
Orioles - Specify Pitchers - Hernandez vs Guthrie
This rookie right hander is the real deal. Mark my words, he will be Rookie of the Year if he keeps up these solid starts. Guthrie, (7-3, 2.98) is third in the league in ERA, and is 3-1 in his last four decisions. Although he did not win his 4th consecutive start against the potent Boston offensive he only gave up 3 run and nine hits in 5 1/3rd innnings. This was only the 3rd time in 18 starts that Guthrie failed to pitch at least 6 innings.
Guthrie limited the Mariners to two runs and six hits over six innings in an 8-3 victory at Seattle on July 17 in his one and only appearance against them, In-addition, Baltimore has won seven of its last nine home games, One night after letting a close game slip away, the Orioles will go for revenge here.
Felix Hernandez (7-6, 3.89 ERA) has not beat the Orioles in three starts this season. The right-hander is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA against Baltimore this year, . Hernandez is 2-2 with a 5.65 ERA in five career starts against the Orioles, who are hitting .345 off him. The O's Melvin Mora is 6-for-10 against Hernandez while Nick Markakis is batting .545 (6-for-11). Seattle finally snapped a six-game road losing streak, but I dont see them making it two in a row. Take Baltimore behind Guthrie.
5 DIME
Blue Jays - Specify Pitchers - Wang vs Halladay
If you thought the rivalry between the Yanks and Bluejays was forgotton, think again. Benches and bullpens emptied twice after Towers hit Rodriguez yesterday. Now we have ace Roy Halladay (12-5, 4.13) who has won 5 consecutive home starts, having posted a 3.00 ERA while doing it The 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner was outstanding at Yankee Stadium on July 17, yielding one run and five hits in seven innings, Halladay is 9-4 with a 2.96 ERA in 22 starts against New York. We are getting the ace at home at a great price.
Now, Yanks Chien-Ming Wang (13-5, 3.49 ERA) has been solid this year for the Yanks and has won three straight starts and 10 of his last 11 decisions but he did give up three runs and seven hits over 7 1-3 innings in a 3-2 home loss on July 19 against the Jays.
Yanks had too easy of a win yesterday and see Blue Jays taking this game behind their ace at home. Bottom line we are getting the ace at home at a great price. Take Blue Jays.
Larry Ness' 20* AL Game of the Month (4-1 start this week / now 185-98 Y-T-D!)
My 20* play is on the Cle Indians at 8"10 ET. The Indians beat the White Sox last night 2-1 and cling to a half-game lead over the Tigers in the AL Central. Cleveland has won two straight but the team has just four victories in its last 10. However, the Indians are in a GREAT spot tonight! CC Sabathia looks to become the majors' first 15-game winner tonight in Chicago. After a shaky three-game patch, Sabathia is back "hitting on all cylinders." He opened the season at 12-2 with a 3.20 ERA in his first 18 starts (team was 15-3) but then went 1-2 with a 8.47 ERA in three starts from July 5-19. However, he's posted a 1.74 ERA in his last three outings and only a lack of run support has left him with a 1-2 record in those games. Getting run support WON'T be a problem for the Indians tonight. Jon Garland, an 18-game winner in both '05 and '06, is hardly the same pitcher this year. He's just 8-7 with a 4.60 ERA in 22 starts this year (team is 9-13) and is off one of the worst starts of his career. He was pounded for eight runs and nine hits in just 1.3 innings (matching the shortest start of his career) last Thursday against the Yankees. That leaves him with a 10.01 ERA and a .381 opponent batting average in his last six starts, making that 2.29 ERA in his previous five starts, nothing but a distant memory. Garland has not recorded a decision in his two starts against Cleveland this season, allowing eight runs in 11.1 innings. He is 7-10 with a 5.83 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) lifetime against the Indians. Getting back to Sabathia, he's won four straight starts over the White Sox and is 6-0 with a 1.88 ERA in his last seven outings against them. He has not beaten any team more than Chicago, going 14-3 in 22 career starts (Indians are 16-6) and has been particularly good at U.S. Cellular Field with a 7-0 record and 2.70 ERA in 10 games! Let's also note that the White Sox are 11-22 (minus-$1,230) vs left-handers in '07, including 4-11 (minus-$960) at home. AL Game of the Month 20* Cle Indians.
Good Luck...Larry
Scott Spreitzer's American League GOM! *14-2, 88% GOM Run!
My AL GOM is a play on the Indians. White Sox righty Jon Garland has been giving up runs 'o plenty. It all started with his July 6 outing, allowing 11 ER in 3 1/3 IP in a 20-14 loss to the Twins. Since then, and including that game, Garland has been smacked for 33 ER & 65 BR in just 29 2/3 IP. That's a pathetic 10.00 ERA & 2.19 WHIP. Even when we take out the July 6 start, Garland still owns a 7.53 ERA & 1.94 WHIP in his last five starts. It doesn't help that he's facing the Indians. Cleveland has whipped Garland throughout his career. Meanwhile, C.C. Sabathia has no such trouble with the White Sox, including a 2.70 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and .198 BAA in 10 starts at U.S. Cellular Field. The big southpaw has shut the Sox down in both meetings this season. He's also allowed just seven ER and 31 BR in his last four starts, overall, spanning 26 2/3 IP. Jake Westbrook ate a ton of innings (8 full) last night for the Tribe, just one night removed from Paul Byrd's complete game. I expect more of the same from Sabathia. And, if needed, we've got a well-rested bullpen behind him. The Indians are my AL GOM. Thanks! GL! Scott.
Bryan Leonard's Baseball Game of the Month! (Rare 4-Star)
4* GOM Devil Rays at Tigers (968)
This is too cheap a price on the home team. Detroit finally got the offense going in a 6-4 win over Tampa, with Guillen taking over at DH and Fernando Rodney is back to stablize the pen. Gary Sheffield is expected back this game, too. So at least the Tigers are beginning to see the door potentially swinging the other way. Instead of losing players, they're getting some of them back. Starter Chad Durbin has been very consistent (7-3, 4.36 ERA) and has a 3.06 ERA the last three starts. Tampa Bay�s James Shields is 0-2 with a 9.60 ERA the last three starts and the team is 16-36 on the road.
PLAY THE TIGERS
Big Al's Division Game of the Month; 15-6 L21 Here
At 8:35pm our AL West Game of the Month is on the Oakland Athletics over the Texas Rangers. It seems like only yesterday that Kevin Millwood was an elite starter in the National League, dominating hitters first with Atlanta and then with Philadelphia. But since coming to the American League, and more accurately since coming over to the Rangers (after a year in Cleveland), Millwood has fallen from elite to below average as he now toils on one of the worst teams in the AL and has very little supporting cast around him. Make no mistake, Millwood is a talented pitcher, but there is only so much a seven-inning starter can do when there is almost no offense behind him and a very poor bullpen backing him up. It's nights like tonight when the Rangers face a lefty - in this case Oakland youngster Lenny DiNardo - that they will no doubt miss the switch-hitting bat of first baseman Mark Teixeira who was shipped out to Atlanta right before the deadline. DiNardo's recent stats are a bit tainted by his start-before-last on July 29 when he gave up seven earned runs in only three innings at Seattle. Other than that, DiNardo has been very solid in his last five outings and he already has a shutout this season against this Ranger team back on July 18. Take the A's. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
My 20* play is on the Cle Indians at 8"10 ET. The Indians beat the White Sox last night 2-1 and cling to a half-game lead over the Tigers in the AL Central. Cleveland has won two straight but the team has just four victories in its last 10. However, the Indians are in a GREAT spot tonight! CC Sabathia looks to become the majors' first 15-game winner tonight in Chicago. After a shaky three-game patch, Sabathia is back "hitting on all cylinders." He opened the season at 12-2 with a 3.20 ERA in his first 18 starts (team was 15-3) but then went 1-2 with a 8.47 ERA in three starts from July 5-19. However, he's posted a 1.74 ERA in his last three outings and only a lack of run support has left him with a 1-2 record in those games. Getting run support WON'T be a problem for the Indians tonight. Jon Garland, an 18-game winner in both '05 and '06, is hardly the same pitcher this year. He's just 8-7 with a 4.60 ERA in 22 starts this year (team is 9-13) and is off one of the worst starts of his career. He was pounded for eight runs and nine hits in just 1.3 innings (matching the shortest start of his career) last Thursday against the Yankees. That leaves him with a 10.01 ERA and a .381 opponent batting average in his last six starts, making that 2.29 ERA in his previous five starts, nothing but a distant memory. Garland has not recorded a decision in his two starts against Cleveland this season, allowing eight runs in 11.1 innings. He is 7-10 with a 5.83 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) lifetime against the Indians. Getting back to Sabathia, he's won four straight starts over the White Sox and is 6-0 with a 1.88 ERA in his last seven outings against them. He has not beaten any team more than Chicago, going 14-3 in 22 career starts (Indians are 16-6) and has been particularly good at U.S. Cellular Field with a 7-0 record and 2.70 ERA in 10 games! Let's also note that the White Sox are 11-22 (minus-$1,230) vs left-handers in '07, including 4-11 (minus-$960) at home. AL Game of the Month 20* Cle Indians.
Good Luck...Larry
Scott Spreitzer's American League GOM! *14-2, 88% GOM Run!
My AL GOM is a play on the Indians. White Sox righty Jon Garland has been giving up runs 'o plenty. It all started with his July 6 outing, allowing 11 ER in 3 1/3 IP in a 20-14 loss to the Twins. Since then, and including that game, Garland has been smacked for 33 ER & 65 BR in just 29 2/3 IP. That's a pathetic 10.00 ERA & 2.19 WHIP. Even when we take out the July 6 start, Garland still owns a 7.53 ERA & 1.94 WHIP in his last five starts. It doesn't help that he's facing the Indians. Cleveland has whipped Garland throughout his career. Meanwhile, C.C. Sabathia has no such trouble with the White Sox, including a 2.70 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and .198 BAA in 10 starts at U.S. Cellular Field. The big southpaw has shut the Sox down in both meetings this season. He's also allowed just seven ER and 31 BR in his last four starts, overall, spanning 26 2/3 IP. Jake Westbrook ate a ton of innings (8 full) last night for the Tribe, just one night removed from Paul Byrd's complete game. I expect more of the same from Sabathia. And, if needed, we've got a well-rested bullpen behind him. The Indians are my AL GOM. Thanks! GL! Scott.
Bryan Leonard's Baseball Game of the Month! (Rare 4-Star)
4* GOM Devil Rays at Tigers (968)
This is too cheap a price on the home team. Detroit finally got the offense going in a 6-4 win over Tampa, with Guillen taking over at DH and Fernando Rodney is back to stablize the pen. Gary Sheffield is expected back this game, too. So at least the Tigers are beginning to see the door potentially swinging the other way. Instead of losing players, they're getting some of them back. Starter Chad Durbin has been very consistent (7-3, 4.36 ERA) and has a 3.06 ERA the last three starts. Tampa Bay�s James Shields is 0-2 with a 9.60 ERA the last three starts and the team is 16-36 on the road.
PLAY THE TIGERS
Big Al's Division Game of the Month; 15-6 L21 Here
At 8:35pm our AL West Game of the Month is on the Oakland Athletics over the Texas Rangers. It seems like only yesterday that Kevin Millwood was an elite starter in the National League, dominating hitters first with Atlanta and then with Philadelphia. But since coming to the American League, and more accurately since coming over to the Rangers (after a year in Cleveland), Millwood has fallen from elite to below average as he now toils on one of the worst teams in the AL and has very little supporting cast around him. Make no mistake, Millwood is a talented pitcher, but there is only so much a seven-inning starter can do when there is almost no offense behind him and a very poor bullpen backing him up. It's nights like tonight when the Rangers face a lefty - in this case Oakland youngster Lenny DiNardo - that they will no doubt miss the switch-hitting bat of first baseman Mark Teixeira who was shipped out to Atlanta right before the deadline. DiNardo's recent stats are a bit tainted by his start-before-last on July 29 when he gave up seven earned runs in only three innings at Seattle. Other than that, DiNardo has been very solid in his last five outings and he already has a shutout this season against this Ranger team back on July 18. Take the A's. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
