Mlb sunday card

[Renojaguar]

More than a few that I like today. So here they are

GAME 1
Todd Helton may be sparking the Colorado Rockies to another late-season playoff push. Long the face of the Rockies franchise, Helton's .260 average this year is a far cry from his .325 mark in 2009, when the Rockies went 18-10down the stretch to claim a wild-card spot, or his .320 average in 2007, when they closed the season 14-1 en route to their only NL pennant. The 37-year-old veteran has rediscovered his hitting stroke recently, though, going 9 for 19 with two homers and five RBIs as Colorado has won four of five to move within 4 1/2 games of Philadelphia for the NL wild card. Helton has homered in each game of this series, including a solo shot in Saturday's 5-3 victory. Probable Rockies starter Jason Hammel (8-7, 4.35) is 6-1 with a 3.43 ERA at home but has only one win in his last five starts at Coors Field. He did not record a decision Monday against Atlanta after being reached for three runs in 6 1/3 innings of a 5-4 victory.The right-hander also failed to receive a decision Aug. 18 at Los Angeles, giving up two runs in six innings of a 3-2, 10-inning Rockies win. Colorado has been a bit shaky with their bullpen especially at home posting an ERA well over 4.00 and has blown 11 of their 26 save opportunities, at Coors Feild this season.Ramirez is 1 for 8 lifetime against Hammel, but Casey Blake 10 for 28 with two homers during a seven-game hitting streak is 5 for 13 with a homer and double.
Ted Lilly may be the perfect foil for the Los Angeles Dodgers to kickstart their own run to the postseason. Since departing the Chicago Cubs Lilly had dropped 4 of his last 5 starts, with the Windy City team, But it has been a complete turn around for him at his LA home. Few have been successful against the left-hander since the Dodgers (67-63) acquired him from the Chicago Cubs at the July 31 trade deadline. Lilly has gone 5-0 with a 1.34 ERA since the trade and picked up his most recent win Tuesday at Milwaukee despite allowing three runs in 6 1/3 innings. Lilly's best outing of the year came at home against the Rockies on Aug. 19, when he threw a two-hitter with a season-high 11 strikeouts. He is 4-1 in six lifetime starts versus Colorado, including a 1-1 mark at Coors. With the demotion of Jonathan Broxton as the closer for the Dodger, LA's bullpin has been below average as well posting an ERA over 4.50 and a 7-11 record but has been able to salvage some save opportunities in this spot saving 16 out of 24 games on the road this year leaving them with an almost 68% chance of saving the game, but with Lilly on the hill, they may not need the pin until deep in the game. I'm riding the Dodgers today

2* LOS ANGELES DODGERS +117

[Renojaguar]

GAME 2
Superb pitching is compensating for the Philadelphia Phillies' offensive shortcomings. They'll likely need another strong effort on the mound with their struggling line. The Phillies lead the NL wild-card race and are second in the East, trying to close in on Atlanta. However, they're batting .199 during a 4-6 stretch, scoring three runs or fewer nine times.lack of offense has been offset by strong pitching in the first two games of this series. The Phillies have held the Padres to three runs and 13 hits in two games after Philadelphia was outscored 15-7 while getting swept in four straight at home by Houston. Cole Hamels could use some help from his offense if the Phillies are to complete a three-game sweep of the NL-leading San Diego Padres on Sunday.Hamels (7-10, 3.47) is all too familiar with his team's offensive struggles. The left-hander has pitched to a 3.16 ERA while striking out 85 over 79 2/3 innings in his last 12 starts but is only 1-5 during that span. Dispite the 3.89 road ERA Hamels has, he still has a poor 3-6 record in that situation and the Phillies are just over .500 on the road when Hamels takes the hill with a 7-6 record. The left-hander is 0-3 with a 2.83 ERA in eight starts since a 1-0 victory over Cincinnati on July 11. The Phillies have supported him with nine total runs in those games, including a streak of 25 2/3 scoreless innings over his previous three outings.That streak came to a halt Tuesday, as Hamels allowed two runs over seven innings of a 4-2, 16-inning loss to Houston. The Bullpen has done fairly well on the road posting a 14-9 save opportunity record but has not been able to be consistant holding a 9-9 record with an ERA of 4.18. Hamels is 3-2 with a 3.18 ERA in eight starts against the Padres, going 1-1 with a 2.18 ERA in three at Petco Park. The Phillies have won six straight and 10 of 11 at Petco Park. They are 17-4 at the downtown ballpark since it opened in 2004.
The Phillies face Richard (12-5, 3.55 ERA) for the first time. The left-hander is 5-0 with a 3.48 ERA in his last six starts, and has won three in a row behind a 1.45 ERA. He was impressive again Tuesday, allowing three hits over six innings with eight strikeouts and five walks in a 5-0 win over Arizona. Playing at Petco Park has been a good thing for Clayton Richards as he has a promising 6-3 record with an ERA of a firm 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.23. The Padres are 8-5 behind Richards this year in San Diego. The Padres are trying to avoid its first four-game slide since Aug. 13-16 of last year. The club has had its own offensive problems all season with a .250 batting average that ranks near the bottom of the NL. The Padres have been great in the Bullpen department dropping only 6 of 20 save opportunities. They also have an outstanding record at 12-6 with a 2.43 ERA and a WHIP at .91. This will no doubt be a pitchers duel, but the chances of the Padres to save this game is far great than the Phillies whos offense has struggled and Bullpen has not been the greatest. San Deigo should get the win here in thsi low scoring affair.

1* SAN DIEGO PADRES +100