Bob Balfe
MLB
7:00 PM EST
Rotation #952
Nationals +105 over Phillies
Gray/Suarez
Ranger Suarez is not a guy that’s going to give the Phillies many innings so after he departs they will go to their bullpen which hasn’t been exactly good this year. The Nationals are a great at hitting the ball at home and against left handers. The Phillies numbers are down on the road and against right handed pitching and their late inning bullpen is always an adventure. I will take the more established starting pitcher in this type of spot. Take the Nationals.
MLB
7:00 PM EST
Rotation #952
Nationals +105 over Phillies
Gray/Suarez
Ranger Suarez is not a guy that’s going to give the Phillies many innings so after he departs they will go to their bullpen which hasn’t been exactly good this year. The Nationals are a great at hitting the ball at home and against left handers. The Phillies numbers are down on the road and against right handed pitching and their late inning bullpen is always an adventure. I will take the more established starting pitcher in this type of spot. Take the Nationals.
JM Sports
Game: (957) San Francisco Giants at (958) Arizona Diamondbacks
Date/Time: Aug 2 2021 9:40 PM EDT
Play Rating: D units
Play: San Francisco Giants -180 A Desclafani (RHP), T Widener (RHP) Must Start
D unit San Francisco Giants (-180) over Arizona Diamondbacks (DeSclafani/Widener) —
Coming off a 13-0 L to LAD, Arizona is going to have to try and bounce back in game 1 of a new series. The D-Backs are 0-9 in the L9 games after getting shutout, they are 3-8 after allowing 9+ runs, 3-12 after losing by more then 5, and Arizona is 6-33 as a dog following a game where they never led. This team has allowed 6 or more runs in B2B games, they are 2-10 in the game to follow, they are 1-10 after B2B L’s by 3 or more runs, 2-14 after allowing 5+ runs in the L3 H2H meetings, and Arizona is 0-9 after B2B games w/ 5 or less hits. The Diamondbacks are 7-31 vs. a SP w/ ERA < 3.50 (including 4-13 @ H), and they are 3-27 vs. SP w/ WHIP < 1.10, so going up against a pitcher like DeSclafani is no walk in a park. DeSclafani has a 3.10 ERA on the year, which is nothing to shake off, but in 13 starts on the road he is 5-3 w/ 2.50 ERA, and a 2.53 ERA in 17 starts in night games. The Giants have been hot regardless of the pitcher but they can’t be complaining with the pitching matchup. San Fran is 23-11 in the FGS (including 11-6 on the road), 15-5 in FGS vs. RHP, 4-1 as an away favorite in the FGS, and they are 10-2 as a favorite in the FGS w/ a line > -175. The Giants are also 7-2 on the road off B2B W’s, 19-5 off B2B games w/ 5+ runs, and they are 9-1 vs. ARI TY (17-2 in L20, 14-4 in the L18 @ ARI). San Fran can always fall back on a record of 11-4 in DeSclafani’s starts (including 7-2 in his 9 road starts).
Game: (957) San Francisco Giants at (958) Arizona Diamondbacks
Date/Time: Aug 2 2021 9:40 PM EDT
Play Rating: D units
Play: San Francisco Giants -180 A Desclafani (RHP), T Widener (RHP) Must Start
D unit San Francisco Giants (-180) over Arizona Diamondbacks (DeSclafani/Widener) —
Coming off a 13-0 L to LAD, Arizona is going to have to try and bounce back in game 1 of a new series. The D-Backs are 0-9 in the L9 games after getting shutout, they are 3-8 after allowing 9+ runs, 3-12 after losing by more then 5, and Arizona is 6-33 as a dog following a game where they never led. This team has allowed 6 or more runs in B2B games, they are 2-10 in the game to follow, they are 1-10 after B2B L’s by 3 or more runs, 2-14 after allowing 5+ runs in the L3 H2H meetings, and Arizona is 0-9 after B2B games w/ 5 or less hits. The Diamondbacks are 7-31 vs. a SP w/ ERA < 3.50 (including 4-13 @ H), and they are 3-27 vs. SP w/ WHIP < 1.10, so going up against a pitcher like DeSclafani is no walk in a park. DeSclafani has a 3.10 ERA on the year, which is nothing to shake off, but in 13 starts on the road he is 5-3 w/ 2.50 ERA, and a 2.53 ERA in 17 starts in night games. The Giants have been hot regardless of the pitcher but they can’t be complaining with the pitching matchup. San Fran is 23-11 in the FGS (including 11-6 on the road), 15-5 in FGS vs. RHP, 4-1 as an away favorite in the FGS, and they are 10-2 as a favorite in the FGS w/ a line > -175. The Giants are also 7-2 on the road off B2B W’s, 19-5 off B2B games w/ 5+ runs, and they are 9-1 vs. ARI TY (17-2 in L20, 14-4 in the L18 @ ARI). San Fran can always fall back on a record of 11-4 in DeSclafani’s starts (including 7-2 in his 9 road starts).
Play the San Fran Giants -1.5 runs (run-line play good with juice at -140 or less)
3% confidence rating
List Pitchers: Desclafani and Arizona action
HP Umpire: yet to be announced
Weather: Feels like 100-plus (roof will be closed due to temps in the Valley of the Sun)
I took part in a couple of Monday Major League Baseball programs, one with WagerTalk and another with a partner of the sports portal. In both, I talked about who the Arizona starter was tonight, not just two years ago.
Widener was hamstrung by a groin ailment early to mid-July. He has since been recalled from the farm after a rehab assignment and has had two starts. Unfortunately, neither of the two appearances was good.
In April, the righty was good. In fact, I didn't believe he was being talked about enough. Widener had a 2.82 ERA in June after four starts. All four of his outings found him working at least five innings. His game-day work that was the shortest was a five-inning start vs. the Redlegs. His May start was only an out longer than one Run-walkinginnings, and he left with some pain to his core, the groin injury that recently put him on the IL. Before he was placed on the injured list, the Arizona righty started against the Dodgers and worked 4.1 innings of three-hit and one-run baseball. 10 days later, he has made two starts that resulted in five earned runs in an average of 4 innings per start.
The 26-year-old faired well after his first call up to the big leagues but has struggled since rejoining the rotation last week. Widener currently owns a 4.42 ERA and 5.31 xFIP in 36.2 innings this season. All reports inside my circle have told me that Widener isn't quite right, or the groin injury is not 100 percent, affecting his delivery, Velo, and spin rate.
The Diamondbacks originally acquired widener in the three-team trade that also brought Steven Souza Jr. to Arizona. After a breakout 2018 campaign with the team’s AA affiliate, Widener was only a good couple of months away from makinggetting an opportunity to contribute to the MLB rotation.
Know that when Widner is healthy, and not a long period ago, before the COVID era, the right-hander had nothing short of a plus-plus fastball, averaging just under 95 MPH with a spin rate averaging around 2400 RPM, which would put him around the 70th percentile in that metric. Batters have had a tough time picking up his 4-seamer, as batters are swinging through the pitch or hitting lazy fly balls to the outfield. His change-up has developed into an out-pitch, showing some late fade and about 9 MPH slower than the fastball. His slider is a distant third pitch, showing average movement with below-average spin, which makes it more or less only usable against right-handed batters.
The forbidden fruit is that foreign substance of choice for pitchers has been outlawed and has morphed into a capital offense for those caught using it this 2021 season. The cold turkey of having to abandon the “stuff” that allowed pitchers to have a better grip and Widner's injury has resulted in the Diamondbacks simply putting him on the mound with the hope he will work through the injury. It will take more than a start tonight, one that isn't likely to be an effective one, to get Widener right again.
The Giants Disco D will get the ball for the first inning in tonight's Valley of the Sun event. His last start, against the Dodgers, was painful. Desclafani worked only 2.2 innings allowing four earned runs, walking two, and striking out just three. His turn in the rotation before the last start in San Fran was a start at Chavez Ravine, in which Desclafani tossed a quality effort of six innings of three-run baseball.
The San Fran starter has faced many, almost all of the Arizona player personnel, in truth. And in those 75 official at-bats, the Diamondback crew is hitting just .117 against him. of the 14 hits against Disco D; the Dbacks have just one home run and only 6 RBI. The Arizona brethren have also only drawn three walks against Desciafani. run-walking.
The Giants have not missed a beat since the All-Star break ended the first half of the season. They own the best record in baseball and continue to get elite performances from their pitching staff, including the pen and the lineup.
That doesn't change tonight at Chase, and the Giants not only earn a victory tonight, but they also do it in fashion from start to finish.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS -1.5 (-126)
3% confidence rating
List Pitchers: Desclafani and Arizona action
HP Umpire: yet to be announced
Weather: Feels like 100-plus (roof will be closed due to temps in the Valley of the Sun)
I took part in a couple of Monday Major League Baseball programs, one with WagerTalk and another with a partner of the sports portal. In both, I talked about who the Arizona starter was tonight, not just two years ago.
Widener was hamstrung by a groin ailment early to mid-July. He has since been recalled from the farm after a rehab assignment and has had two starts. Unfortunately, neither of the two appearances was good.
In April, the righty was good. In fact, I didn't believe he was being talked about enough. Widener had a 2.82 ERA in June after four starts. All four of his outings found him working at least five innings. His game-day work that was the shortest was a five-inning start vs. the Redlegs. His May start was only an out longer than one Run-walkinginnings, and he left with some pain to his core, the groin injury that recently put him on the IL. Before he was placed on the injured list, the Arizona righty started against the Dodgers and worked 4.1 innings of three-hit and one-run baseball. 10 days later, he has made two starts that resulted in five earned runs in an average of 4 innings per start.
The 26-year-old faired well after his first call up to the big leagues but has struggled since rejoining the rotation last week. Widener currently owns a 4.42 ERA and 5.31 xFIP in 36.2 innings this season. All reports inside my circle have told me that Widener isn't quite right, or the groin injury is not 100 percent, affecting his delivery, Velo, and spin rate.
The Diamondbacks originally acquired widener in the three-team trade that also brought Steven Souza Jr. to Arizona. After a breakout 2018 campaign with the team’s AA affiliate, Widener was only a good couple of months away from makinggetting an opportunity to contribute to the MLB rotation.
Know that when Widner is healthy, and not a long period ago, before the COVID era, the right-hander had nothing short of a plus-plus fastball, averaging just under 95 MPH with a spin rate averaging around 2400 RPM, which would put him around the 70th percentile in that metric. Batters have had a tough time picking up his 4-seamer, as batters are swinging through the pitch or hitting lazy fly balls to the outfield. His change-up has developed into an out-pitch, showing some late fade and about 9 MPH slower than the fastball. His slider is a distant third pitch, showing average movement with below-average spin, which makes it more or less only usable against right-handed batters.
The forbidden fruit is that foreign substance of choice for pitchers has been outlawed and has morphed into a capital offense for those caught using it this 2021 season. The cold turkey of having to abandon the “stuff” that allowed pitchers to have a better grip and Widner's injury has resulted in the Diamondbacks simply putting him on the mound with the hope he will work through the injury. It will take more than a start tonight, one that isn't likely to be an effective one, to get Widener right again.
The Giants Disco D will get the ball for the first inning in tonight's Valley of the Sun event. His last start, against the Dodgers, was painful. Desclafani worked only 2.2 innings allowing four earned runs, walking two, and striking out just three. His turn in the rotation before the last start in San Fran was a start at Chavez Ravine, in which Desclafani tossed a quality effort of six innings of three-run baseball.
The San Fran starter has faced many, almost all of the Arizona player personnel, in truth. And in those 75 official at-bats, the Diamondback crew is hitting just .117 against him. of the 14 hits against Disco D; the Dbacks have just one home run and only 6 RBI. The Arizona brethren have also only drawn three walks against Desciafani. run-walking.
The Giants have not missed a beat since the All-Star break ended the first half of the season. They own the best record in baseball and continue to get elite performances from their pitching staff, including the pen and the lineup.
That doesn't change tonight at Chase, and the Giants not only earn a victory tonight, but they also do it in fashion from start to finish.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS -1.5 (-126)
