So, after last night, you got that football itch, right? Go
ahead, take a minute, scratch it, because there is money to be made today in
the MLB. See who we think holds the edge in today's slate in our MLB picks of the
day.
Texas Rangers vs. Boston Red Sox
The Rangers come into Fenway with a chance to crush Boston's playoff hopes, as the Red Sox just dropped 3 of 4 to the terrible Twins and are
now 54-55 on the year and 4.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. Texas is 23-11
against Boston since 2009, so the Sox certainly have their work cut out for them.
Yu Darvish and Aaron Cook take the mound tonight for their respective squads,
the line opening up Texas a -135 favorite, OVER/UNDER at 10.5
Is Josh Hamilton finally back?
After all the well documented struggles on the field Josh
Hamilton has been going through the past few months, it seems as if he is
finally starting to find his game again; he's on a four game hitting streak. Even better for Hamilton, he is playing at Fenway Park tonight, where he is 28 for 75 with 3 Hrs and 22 RBIs. Like Hamilton, the
Rangers' offense hit a bit of a snag for a bit, too, but it's now bouncing back
strong. It started in the third game of their series with the
Angels when they hung an 11 spot that included a dramatic come from behind victory. They haven't looked back since. In their last 5 games, Texas is hitting
.321 overall, with a .400 OBP, and averaging 8.14 runs per nine innings. Boston's
Aaron Cook is in for a world of hurt tonight going against those numbers.
Aaron Cook and Yu Darvish
Aaron Cook was a bright spot in the Red Sox rotation for a while, but he
has since turned back into the same gas can he was with the Colorado
Rockies; it was only a matter of time. In his last 3 starts, Cook is 0-3,
giving up 20 hits in 15 innings with a 9.00 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. Cook
is a classic sinkerball pitcher who pitches to contact and lately that sinker
has been up in the zone for hitters to pounce on; Cook has given up 2 home
runs in two of his last three starts, not making it past the fifth inning in any of them. In 44 innings pitched this year, Aaron has only recorded
4 strikeouts -- yes, you heard right, four! Remember those numbers we just ran by you regarding Texas' offensive prowess? The Rangers are going to eat
Cook alive.
Yu Darvish has been almost as bad as Aaron Cook with a
6.87 ERA in last three starts and a 1.57 WHIP. Darvish has struggled incredibly with
his command, walking 70 batters on the year in just 120 innings pitched. It has
gotten progressively worse as the season has gone along with 17 BB in his last
5 starts. To go along with that high walk total, Darvish has also given up 22
runs in his last five starts. The Red Sox have a very patient, deep lineup, one that
will make the opposing pitcher pay if given free bases. They are loaded
with speed at the top of the lineup and, if you walk those hitters, they are
going to get themselves into scoring position while the middle of the lineup
makes you pay.
With the starting pitchers struggling mightily of
late, we love the OVER 10.5 runs tonight. Darvish's last five starts have gone
OVER the posted total while Aaron Cook has served up 12 earned in his last two
starts alone. This one has shoot out written all over it with the first team to
each 8 runs first winning the ball game.
Pick: Take the OVER
Our next game features the New York Yankees and Detroit
Tigers. Rather incredibly, Justin Verlander and
his mates have opened a big MLB odds makers favorite of -165 favorite over one the best teams in baseball.
Verlanders recent struggles
Justin Verlander has not been himself in his last
couple of starts. There is no way he should be a -165
favorite against a heavy hitting lineup like the Yankees. In his last three
starts, Justin has an ERA of 4.05 and a 1.30 WHIP and gone just 1-2. He has
struggled with his command and the deep ball, walking 8 batters and giving up 3
HRs over that span. Now he is faced with battling, apart from the Rangers, the best
offensive lineup in the entire league.
Yankees will run out Ivan Nova
Nova has struggled lately himself, with a 7.02 ERA in his past three
starts; indeed we feel that is the reason the Yankees are such a big underdog. There is no doubt, however, that Nova is one of the most talented pitchers on the
Yankees staff and is capable of matching Verlander pitch for pitch. Nova will
be on the road tonight where, surprisingly, he has been a more complete pitcher
than at Yankee Stadium. He owns a 3.32 ERA on the road while striking
out 65 batters. We believe Nova is a classic pitch up or down to his
competition type of guy. The fact that he has faced the Orioles, Mariners and
Athletics in his last starts is why his numbers has not been so good. Going against Verlander tonight, however, he will certainly raise his game to another
level and be locked in. Nova possesses elite strikeout skills when his curveball is working and his fastball has
heavy movement. On the year, he has struck out 119 batters while walking just
43.
It's not often that we get the
Yankees at +155. The Tigers
are a middle-of-the-pack ball club and are being over-valued here just because they won three straight against an imploding Indians team. And with Verlander
not being on his A game lately, there is no way we can pass up this price. The
Yankees +155 is our final MLB Pick of the Day.
Good luck everybody!