This is it.
Texas Rangers -130 r/l over Houston Astros.
Why?
a) - Because I preach the only time one should wager on a run line is when the side you like is a road favorite.
Why? Because a road team is guaranteed to hit in all nine innings, the ninth inning is important for a run line wager if you are on the road because if you are up one run, more times than not, a manager will play for a tack on add on run.
b) - The Astro starter, Brad Peacock is a lefty, and he is a hamburger to boot. He does not belong in the bigs. He stinks. I usually am a long winded gas bag in my writeups, but I don't have to be this time, he stinks.
Texas has plenty of hitters that smack around left handed pitchers.
Like Beltre for instance, he has been slaughtering southpaws all season.
Beltre has hit seven balls really hard that went over the fence so far this year versus lefties. He's 33 for 104 .317 ba and sports a .372 oba against port siders.
Know who else hits Cacky handers well?
Ian Kinsler, that's who.
Ian has a .310 batting average and a .381 oba. Not too shabby.
Now, besides Opie, I bet not many of you guys know the Rangers have a guy named Jeff Baker on their team that can play third base, first base, DH, or play the OF.
OK, maybe some of you guys did know about the Jeff Baker that plays for the Texas Rangers, but what nobody knows, well, maybe Opie knows, is that Jeff Baker has been feasting off of left handed pitching all season.
Pay attention to these numbers, this is what Baker has done vs. LHP's so far.
He's 21 for 58 that's a .362 battin' average. Factor in 8 walks, after all,a walk is as a good as a hit don't ya know? that equates into a .441 oba.
Baker has 8 homeruns against lefties too boot in those 58 at bats, that is one tater every seven at bats versus left handed pitching.
If manager Washington does not give Baker a start batting against this cheeseburger, than he has rocks in his head, or he has been putting rocks in his nose (again)
Alex Rios, the new kid on the block, hits .301 vs. left.
AJ hits .286 against left.
And the guys, like Andrus, who is .261, they become like .290 against double A ball pitchers like Peacock.
OK, now let's look at the flip side, shall we?
Texas trots out Mr. Holland's Opus as their starter, he is also a southpaw, the only Houston Spaceman that hits Mr. Holland is Altuve, and his .301 is 85 percent singles.
All the other Houston hitters pretty much can't touch them lefties. And Mr. Holland is a mighty fine left handed hurler, I tell ya what.
So, what do we have here?
One team that starts a real crappy lefty squaring off against a team that hits any lefty, no less, real crappy lefties well, against a team that starts a really swell left handed starter who sqaures off against a team that can't them for bupkus.
I am willing to wager the 100 Nashy dollars I just won on the first inning will there be a run scored prop wager and put it all on the Texas 'Walker' Rangers at -130, minus 1.5 runs.