Coach Fletcher’s
Monday MLB Scouting Edge
1:35 pm Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Angels
Heaney Tries to Keep Angel Streak Alive (1st game of double header)
The Red Sox have been blanked by Angel pitching in the first 2 games of the series. Andrew Heaney will try to make it 3 straight for the 1st place Halos who are on a roll. The Angels have won 6 of their last 8 and overtook the Astros for 1st place in the AL West at the break. Andrew Heaney is one of the reasons why. Since coming up to the Angels Heaney has gone 3-0 with an overall era of just 1.32 and a whip of 0.84. Heaney’s era at home is 1.38 and 1.27 in his last 3. He has only given up 3 runs in 27 1/3 innings. Opponents have collected 19 hits, 4 of them bombs, in those 27 1/3. Heaney’s K/BB ration is 23/4. The Halos have won all 4 of Heaney’s starts, 2 at night and 2 during the day. Heaney has also registered a quality start in each of the 4 games he’s started and has allowed only 1 run or fewer in 3 of the 4 starts. The Red Sox are calling up Steven Wright, not that comedian Steven Wright, to face Heaney. Wright pitched well against the Angels in his only start.
Note: There is some confusion as to which game Heaney and Wright will go in this double header necessitated by the 1st rainout since 1988. At any rate, we also took the Angels and Hector Santiago as our Free Pick of the Day. We like the Angels in both.
4:05 pm Tampa Bay Rays at Philadelphia Phillies
Buchanan Back for Another Try as Phillies Go for 4th Straight
Two pitchers with horrible earned run averages will go at it in the City of Brotherly Love today. Matt Moore, 1-0 with an era of 7.07 and a whip of 1.93 will go for the Rays against David Buchanan and his record of 0-5 and an era of 7.58 and a whip of 1.85. The Phillies are going for their 4th straight win, something they haven’t done in 2 months. Despite Buchanan’s presence on the mound, the Phils are going against a team in shambles. The Rays have lost 5 of their last 6, 15 of their last 18, and 9 of their last 11 on the road. Moore, returning from an almost 2 year layoff from Tommy John surgery, actually won his last start but it wasn’t pretty. Moore gave up 3 runs and 5 hits to the Astros in 5 innings. Prior to that he allowed 8 runs and 15 hits in 2 starts and 9 innings of work. Buchanan was sent to the minors, an understandably so, when he started 0-5 for the Phils. In his last 2 starts before his demotion, he gave up 10 runs in 11 innings. However, in his first start back from the minors, Buchanan pitched 5 innings against the Giants and gave up only 1 run and 8 hits. Neither pitcher has faced the opponents.
5:40 pm Texas Rangers at Colorado Rockies
Rockies Take MLB’s Worst Interleague Record Home Looking for 5th Straight Victory
The Rockies are just 1-10 in Interleague play but have won 8 of their last 9 at home and carry high hopes into their interleague match-up with the Rangers. Colorado outscored Texas 29-10 while taking 3 of 4 last year from the Rangers. The Rockies have won 4 straight home games which is the longest home streak they have had since closing last season with 6 straight. The Rockies will hand the ball to Chris Rusin, 2-0, 3.98 era, in 3 home starts at Coors Field. Rusin is 2-3 with a 4.53 era overall this year. He’s given up just 5 runs in his last 18 1/3 innings and has a 2.45 era in his last 3 starts. Unfortunately, Rusin’s interleague mark pretty much fits in with the Colorado record. He is 0-1 with an era of 8.10 in 3 interleague starts. The Rangers counter with Nick Martinez who started out strong but was demoted to the minors after posting a 6.27 era in his last 3 games. Martinez has never faced the Rockies.
7:10 pm San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres
Hudson Will Try to Keep Tired Bullpen Rested – But It’s Not Likely
The Giants swept 2 three game series on either side of the All-Star break to keep the heat on the Dodgers. The SF crew just finished cleaning out the D-backs but they used up their bull pen in doing so. The Giant pen allowed only 1 run over the series, but pitched a total of 13 2/3 innings. They had to go 4 innings on Sunday. Unfortunately Giant starter Tim Hudson is just off the disabled list so the Giant pen will no doubt log even more innings. Hudson went on the DL with a strained right shoulder in late June after giving up 5 runs in 6 2/3 innings against Colorado. Hudson, 5-7, 4.68 era, has a 5.35 era on the road and isn’t expected to go more than 6 innings. Hudson has had success vs the Padres with a 7-4 record and a 2.92 era against the Friars. The good news is that reliever Jeremy Affeldt will come off the DL with Hudson for Monday’s game. Ian Kennedy, loser of 4 straight, tosses for the Padres.
