Johnny Cueto was pulled from the Reds lineup today and I believe this will have a dramatic effect on the outcome and here's why. Current Red's starter Homer Bailey has been one of baseball's jeckyll & hyde pitchers, solid at times but certified zippo lighter on other occasions. The one strong factor I see here which supports us taking the Cards is Bailey's form after he returns from a long road trip.
In Bailey's last eight starts, every time he returns home from a road start, he immediately gives up a gas can outing. He gave up 6 runs in only three innings at home vs Pittsburgh following his road trip, and 4 runs in five innings vs the Twins after that road trip. Bailey's last two starts were on a grueling west coast swing and the same situation presents itself tonight against the Cards. On top of that, you'll notice that Bailey is a very unstable pitcher at Great American Ball Park overall this year. He's sporting a dreadful 5.86 ERA this year at home.
On the offensive front, an important factor to examine is Joey Votto's recent performance at the plate. Votto hasnt been his normal dominant self since his knee inflammation injury. For the last two months, Votto
looked like arguably the best hitter in all of baseball. Lately, he's been in a slump with no home runs and only 5 hits and 1 rbi in his last 25 at bats. This may or may not come into play tonight BUT it's an important factor to consider if you plan on backing the Reds tonight.
Westbrook has been steady his last six starts. What's more impressive though is his ERA away from Busch stadium, a very solid 2.94 in 52 innings of work on the road.
Against any other team Bailey might be able to escape with a win but the Cards are stacked with too many hitters tonight. Expect them to score a big win against the Reds. Oddsmakers are holding steady on giving the Reds as slight favorites. However, I believe they are looking at Bailey's last solid two starts which were both on the road. They are overlooking how Bailey performs on a return road trip. This gives us an excellent opportunity to score a big win on the CARDS.
Best of Luck!
-------------------ST LOUIS CARDINALS -101 -------------------------
Wager Type : Money Line
Wager Status : PendingRisk / To Win Amount : 1,000.00 / 990.10(USD)
Accepted : 7/15/2012 2:22PM - PST
Sport / Period : MLB Baseball / Game
Selection : St Louis Cardinals
Time : 7/15/2012 5:05:01PM - (PST)
Line : -101
Pitchers : J. Westbrook - R - Must Pitch / H. BAILEY - R - Must Pitch
Game Notes : Cincinnati - H. Bailey for J. Cueto - Overnight Change.
In Bailey's last eight starts, every time he returns home from a road start, he immediately gives up a gas can outing. He gave up 6 runs in only three innings at home vs Pittsburgh following his road trip, and 4 runs in five innings vs the Twins after that road trip. Bailey's last two starts were on a grueling west coast swing and the same situation presents itself tonight against the Cards. On top of that, you'll notice that Bailey is a very unstable pitcher at Great American Ball Park overall this year. He's sporting a dreadful 5.86 ERA this year at home.
On the offensive front, an important factor to examine is Joey Votto's recent performance at the plate. Votto hasnt been his normal dominant self since his knee inflammation injury. For the last two months, Votto
looked like arguably the best hitter in all of baseball. Lately, he's been in a slump with no home runs and only 5 hits and 1 rbi in his last 25 at bats. This may or may not come into play tonight BUT it's an important factor to consider if you plan on backing the Reds tonight.
Westbrook has been steady his last six starts. What's more impressive though is his ERA away from Busch stadium, a very solid 2.94 in 52 innings of work on the road.
Against any other team Bailey might be able to escape with a win but the Cards are stacked with too many hitters tonight. Expect them to score a big win against the Reds. Oddsmakers are holding steady on giving the Reds as slight favorites. However, I believe they are looking at Bailey's last solid two starts which were both on the road. They are overlooking how Bailey performs on a return road trip. This gives us an excellent opportunity to score a big win on the CARDS.
Best of Luck!
-------------------ST LOUIS CARDINALS -101 -------------------------
Wager Type : Money Line
Wager Status : PendingRisk / To Win Amount : 1,000.00 / 990.10(USD)
Accepted : 7/15/2012 2:22PM - PST
Sport / Period : MLB Baseball / Game
Selection : St Louis Cardinals
Time : 7/15/2012 5:05:01PM - (PST)
Line : -101
Pitchers : J. Westbrook - R - Must Pitch / H. BAILEY - R - Must Pitch
Game Notes : Cincinnati - H. Bailey for J. Cueto - Overnight Change.
