Yesterday's Results: 3-1
July Record: 22-18 (55%)
7/22/14
Yankees vs. Rangers
Recommendation: OVER 9
The starting pitching is awful in this one and we should be looking at a high scoring affair tonight. Let’s start with Chase Whitley. Whitley pitched decent in his first couple of starts for the Yanks but his true colors have come to the surface. He has a low 90’s fastball which is pretty average, a slider that doesn’t fool anyone, and a well below average changeup. Throw in the fact that his command is bad and we’re looking at a guy without much upside. Even with nearly the whole starting rotation on the DL, Whitley is still in danger of being bumped from a starter’s role. He allowed 3 runs in just over 3 innings last time out against the Orioles and he’s 0-3 with a 12.86 ERA in his last 4 starts. Oh, and he hasn’t made it out of the 5th inning in any of those starts either. Yikes!
Rangers starter Nick Martinez is just as bad if not worse. This is a guy who was drafted as an infielder for Texas back in the 18th round of the 2011 draft. They converted him into a pitcher and it’s looking like that may not last for too long. Martinez is 0-5 with an 8.10 ERA since he picked up his only career victory back in May. Another guy with below average stuff who just can’t get it done at the big league level.
This game has slugfest written all over it. It should be noted though that Mark Teixeira will sit this one out with a hurt back. Tex has been injury prone for a while so it shouldn’t be much of a problem for New York, who is used to playing without him. Jacoby Ellsbury is on fire and the rest of the lineup should all have big games. The Rangers are likely to get Alex Rios back tonight. He’s hitting over .300 and will be a nice addition to the Texas order. Take the OVER.
Giants @ Phillies
Recommendation: Giants -120
My take on this game has much more to do with the teams as a whole rather than the starting pitchers. Many “public” bettors factor in the starters way too much when deciding who to wager on. That’s no to say that starting pitching isn’t important, because it most certainly is. But putting your money solely on the guy taking the hill is definitely the wrong move.
Yusmeiro Petit gets the nod tonight with Matt Cain going back to the DL. Petit has two sides to him. He looks like a polished veteran at times, and others he can completely unravel. The same can be said for Roberto Hernandez. Decent stuff at times, getting completely blown up others. Overall Petit is the slightly better pitcher overall, but the Giants will win this game collectively.
It seemed like the Giants slump was never going to end. The great start to the season was a distant memory and weeks turned into months of bad baseball. It appears that the Giants have finally found their groove again and are starting to string together some wins. The good news is that despite their lengthy poor performance, San Fran is still right in the battle for the NL West. They actually have a big advantage schedule wise through the second half, so I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this team captures the division.
The Phillies are downright awful. They’re an older club with some key veterans who aren’t accustomed to losing. Well they’re doing just that, going 9-18 in their last 27 games. Unlike some other squads such as the Cubs who play hard despite being out of the race, Philly just doesn’t show any determination. If the front office has any smarts, they unload some of their high priced talent before the trade deadline. This team is in a position where they should be calling up prospects and looking towards the future. The Giants are a much better team and have something to fight for. I’ll look for that energy to carry them to a victory tonight. Take the Giants.