Mlb Baseball Pick Online - August 23, 2007
Took a big step back yesterday. After a 9-3 run we went 1-3 yesteray. We look to get back to winning tonight with two picks.
Today's MLB Baseball Picks:
Game: Cleveland at Detroit (1:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Cleveland -105 (risk 3 to win 2.9)
It has been a tale of two seasons for both these starting pitchers in today's game. Nate Robertson started off the season like he had turned the corner in his career. He was pitching to a sub-3 ERA in early May. Then the wheels fell off. He has since worked 86 innings, allowing an unbelievable 121 hits and pitching to an ERA of 6.38. The Tigers are just 4-9 in those 13 starts, and now just 8-14 overall in Robertson's starts on the season. Jake Westbrook has been just the opposite. He was injured and tried pitching through it but the numbers couldn't hide it. He sported a 7.90 ERA through May 2nd, and was subsequently put on the DL. He returned in late June, and has been a very solid starter for the Tribe since. Westbrook has logged 73 innings allowing just 66 hits, for an ERA of 3.45. The Indians have been a plus team vs. LHP on the season, and light up when they see Robertson on the hill. The Tribe has a collective team average of 49-118 or .415 against Robertson. They have owned him, and he is pitching poorly. The Tigers have a losing record on the season against RHP. The value lies with the Tribe here.
Game: Chicago Cubs at San Fransisco (3:30 PM Eastern)Pick: 3 units on San Fransisco +111 (risk 3 to win 3.3)
What has happened to Matt Cain? The answer is, he has gotten better! The win-loss numbers are ugly, as he stands at 5-13. But he has been an extremely hard-luck pitcher all season. The Giants are just 6-19 when he takes the hill, bad enough on paper for a ticket back to AAA. But, Cain is a top pitcher (3.78 ERA), and has been improving (2.70 ERA his last three). He won a lot of games last year, but this year he has drawn the short straw on run support, getting the least support in his starts of any pitcher in baseball. Cain has allowed 3 runs or less in 18 of 25 starts (72%) which ranks near the top of the league, and with an ERA in the 3's, hardly a pitcher on the verge of demotion. Signs of a luck change have been taking place as the Giants have now won three of his last five starts. Will the real Carlos Zambrano please stand up! The Cubs were 5-7 in Zambrano's first 12 starts, and his ERA was 5.62. Then they were 9-2 in his next 11 starts, and his ERA was 1.40. The Cubs are now 0-3 in his last three starts, and his ERA has been 7.13. When he is not on, he gets pounded. When he is on he is unhittable. Zambrano did the same last year, the Cubs were 5-7 in his first 12 starts, then 12-4 in his next 16, then 2-3 to finish. We have a pitcher in Cain that has been consistently good all year, vs. a pitcher in Zambrano that is either in lights out mode, or hammer time mode. He is currently in hammer time mode, so we will ride the home dog here.
MLB Baseball Picks Resources:
Check out the last five MLB Baseball Picks Newsletters:
MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-22-2007
Jose Contreras was 9-0 at the All-Star break last season and then the wheels came off. After the All-Star break he was anything but an All-Star pitcher. He limped through the second half with a 4-9 re...
MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-21-2007
Chris Young has had a Cy Young year so far. He has an ERA of 1.93 and has been dominating hitters all season. Young has now allowed just 15 earned runs in his last 16 starts. He is actually a better p...
MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-20-2007
Sometimes even bad teams get on a little roll. The Giants have now won the first three games of this series, and four in a row overall. The same can't be said for the Marlins right now, who have n...
MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-19-2007
The starting pitcher matchup doesn't always decide a game but in this one it will. Roy Halladay starts for the Blue Jays who are 17-6 with him on the mound this season. He has been amazing at home...
MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-18-2007
The Nationals continue to be a good play in the second half of the season as they stand above the .500 mark, and have been equal to the Mets. They have been the best team when coming off a loss securi...
