The Milwaukee Brewers made easy work of the powerhouse Washington Nationals on Friday night 6-0, evening up the series at 1-1. With Nationals ace Gio Gonzalez pitching on Sunday; Saturday's game is a big one for the Brew Crew if they have any chance of taking this series.
The
underachieving Brewers made a nice little statement against the National League
East division leaders, as they shutdown the Nationals offense off of the
splendid pitching of Mike Fiers and a 3 for 4 day from Aramis Ramirez.
Let's
take a look at the next two games of this series and share our MLB picks.
Sunday, July 29th- 2:10 pm ET
When the odds aren't out, I usually take the 2nd game being picked from a total pitching perspective, but in this case it's a slam dunk for the Nationals.
Washington has ace Gio Gonzalez (13-5, 3.13) facing Mark Rogers of the Brewers. I say "slam dunk" from an experience standpoint, because starter Mark Rogers hasn't been a slouch in his limited time this season, pitching just 2 starts and in 10 innings, allowing just 2 runs and 2 hits with 11 strikeouts.
The Real Deal?
After such a short sampling, one can't determine whether Rogers is the real deal or not. He could go out and pitch 6 scoreless innings or he could give up 7 runs in the 1st inning. As a handicapper, you have to go with the given entity, and that's the pitching of Gio Gonzalez and a strong Washington Nationals teams that features rookie Bryce Harper, sluggers Michael Morse, Ryan Zimmerman, and Adam LaRoche
Gio Gonzalez went 7 innings and gave up just 1 run and 2 hits in his last outing against the Mets. He's also 8-2 on the road this season.
The odds
I usually attempt to project the odds and in this case the Nationals will be a moderate -140 to -150 favorite due to the inexperience of starter Mark Rogers. The total should be in the 7 run range with Gonzalez pitching.
Not definitely knowing the odds, I'd side with the Nationals in this game. They're just too strong a team with their top pitcher out on the mound for Sunday afternoon's game.
Pick - Washington ML
Review Saturday's Winning Picks
Saturday,
July 28th, 7:10 pm ET - Washington -123, total 8
Washington
is really set up nicely in the pitching department, as Jordan Zimmerman and his
dazzling 2.31 ERA take the mound against Randy Wolf (3-6, 5.46).
Despite
his poor record, Wolf has pitched well in his last 2 outings, allowing just 4
runs in 12 2/3 innings. The problem is that Wolf and the Brewers are running
into a red hot pitcher in Jordan Zimmerman.
Zimmerman
record is a bit misleading, as he rarely get's the run support that's needed to
win. All of his last 10 outings have all been considered "quality
outings" yet Zimmerman has only picked up 4 wins despite giving up 3 runs
or less in every outing.
Get
the Extinguisher!!!
Jordan
Zimmerman is only a 6-7 inning pitcher, but in his last 6 outings, he's pitched
38 innings and has given up just 5 runs! He's also avoided the longball by
allowing just 1 homer. If Corey Hart, Ryan Braun, and Aramis Ramirez are
looking to go deep, they'll be hard pressed as Jordan Zimmerman keep's
everything in the ballpark.
This
matchup looks pretty clear cut, as both pitchers have been holding their own and
superstar Ryan Braun has been held in check for the most part. The better team
win's here in a low scoring affair.
Picks
- Washington -123 and UNDER 8 (I was expecting a total in the 7 range and was
pleasantly surprised when I saw 8.).
Good
Luck everyone!