I've written this on my blog, but since I'm sure no one has read it I'll put it here too 
Mariners at Rays : not for the thrill seekers
5/15/2010 11:52:01 AM by PorkyPig
There are games which keep you on the edge on your seat, with home runs, double plays, lead changes, ejections, the whole shebang. And then there are games like this one, an afternoon meeting of the Seattle Mariners and the Tampa Bay Rays. And the reason is simple : the starting pitchers.
There couldn't be a worse break for James Shields in the last game he pitched, as he and his teammates could only watch Dallas Braden pitch the 19th perfect game in Major League history. Unfortunate for him, as he presented his 5th quality start in 7 games he started this season. And he certainly knows how to pitch against Seattle, as he struck out 10 Mariners through 8.0 innings in his last start against them a week and a half ago, allowing only 2 runs in the process. With that win he is now 3-2 lifetime against Seattle with an ERA of just 2.32. But today he faces IMO one of the most underrated pitchers in the MLB today, Jason Vargas.
Vargas is coming off his best performance this season, after shutting out the Angels with only 4 hits allowed in 7.1 IP, and in that game he had something he didn't have all season long : proper run support. The Mariners drove in only 13 runs in his 5 previous starts, and that has to be frustrating for the lefty, as he had 4 quality starts in those 5 games, but some sloppy defense from his teammates are the reason why he is only 3-2 on the season. He has been rocked only once this season, in his first game, against hitting-happy Texas, where he surrendered 5 runs on 8 hits in 5.1 IP, but he has been improving ever since, dropping his ERA to 3.00. As being one of the rare bright spots in this year's struggling Mariners lineup, he must stay patient and hope his offense can assist him with more runs.
Although the Rays are nearly the best offensive team in the league, driving in 192 runs (2nd only to the Yankees) and their ballpark favors hitters, they have been in a bit of an offensive slump the last couple of games, scoring a bit more than 3 runs in average in their last 6 games. Furthermore, Seattle is struggling big time with their offense, scoring only 118 runs this season (only the Astros are worse), and they should have problems figuring out Shields, who's usually stellar at the Tropicana. Vargas has been under the radar so far, but I'm pretty confident he can contain the Rays, which is crucial for a winning effort, considering how bad his team has been on both sides of the ball. All in all this has all the makings of being a pitching duel, and with that said, the total which opened at 8.5 is just a bit too high.
Pick : Seattle Mariners at Tampa Bay Rays UNDER 8.5 @ -115 (5Dimes)
Game starts at 4:10 PM ET
Opinions are welcome.
Mariners at Rays : not for the thrill seekers
5/15/2010 11:52:01 AM by PorkyPig
There are games which keep you on the edge on your seat, with home runs, double plays, lead changes, ejections, the whole shebang. And then there are games like this one, an afternoon meeting of the Seattle Mariners and the Tampa Bay Rays. And the reason is simple : the starting pitchers.
There couldn't be a worse break for James Shields in the last game he pitched, as he and his teammates could only watch Dallas Braden pitch the 19th perfect game in Major League history. Unfortunate for him, as he presented his 5th quality start in 7 games he started this season. And he certainly knows how to pitch against Seattle, as he struck out 10 Mariners through 8.0 innings in his last start against them a week and a half ago, allowing only 2 runs in the process. With that win he is now 3-2 lifetime against Seattle with an ERA of just 2.32. But today he faces IMO one of the most underrated pitchers in the MLB today, Jason Vargas.
Vargas is coming off his best performance this season, after shutting out the Angels with only 4 hits allowed in 7.1 IP, and in that game he had something he didn't have all season long : proper run support. The Mariners drove in only 13 runs in his 5 previous starts, and that has to be frustrating for the lefty, as he had 4 quality starts in those 5 games, but some sloppy defense from his teammates are the reason why he is only 3-2 on the season. He has been rocked only once this season, in his first game, against hitting-happy Texas, where he surrendered 5 runs on 8 hits in 5.1 IP, but he has been improving ever since, dropping his ERA to 3.00. As being one of the rare bright spots in this year's struggling Mariners lineup, he must stay patient and hope his offense can assist him with more runs.
Although the Rays are nearly the best offensive team in the league, driving in 192 runs (2nd only to the Yankees) and their ballpark favors hitters, they have been in a bit of an offensive slump the last couple of games, scoring a bit more than 3 runs in average in their last 6 games. Furthermore, Seattle is struggling big time with their offense, scoring only 118 runs this season (only the Astros are worse), and they should have problems figuring out Shields, who's usually stellar at the Tropicana. Vargas has been under the radar so far, but I'm pretty confident he can contain the Rays, which is crucial for a winning effort, considering how bad his team has been on both sides of the ball. All in all this has all the makings of being a pitching duel, and with that said, the total which opened at 8.5 is just a bit too high.
Pick : Seattle Mariners at Tampa Bay Rays UNDER 8.5 @ -115 (5Dimes)
Game starts at 4:10 PM ET
Opinions are welcome.
