Zcode Baseball predictions Sept 29 – Oct 1
[FONT="]Arizona Diamondbacksversus Kansas City Royals[/FONT]<o
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Taking a look at the teams in this inter league match up, playoff boundArizona Diamondbacks take on the Kansas City Royals, looking to finish at .500.According to the Power Ranking Indicator, the Diamondbacks hold a +22 to +15advantage. They also hold a +6.62 to -4.31 advantage in the MLB Team StrengthOscillator. Neither teams ranks in the top 10 in Team Volatility, therefore thefavorite and underdog status will play a deciding factor in my predictions thisweek.<o
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Pitching match ups:<o
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Friday, September 29: Taijuan Walker versus Ian Kennedy<o
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Walker comes in at 9-9 with a 3.54 ERA and is 0-2 over his last twodecisions. Generally an excellent bet, Walker comes in high on the PitcherProfit Oscillator at +1611. Kennedy has been moving quickly in the opposite direction,at 4-13 with a 5.50 ERA and 0-7 over the last ten starts. He’s been a terriblebet, at -1098 on the Pitcher Profit Oscillator. The Diamondbacks should easilytake the first game.<o
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Saturday, September 30: Patrick Corbin versus Jake Junis<o
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Corbin has mediocre overall numbers at 14-13 with a 4.09 ERA and is 1-2 overthe last four starts. He’s been up and down in terms of profit, currently at+554. Junis is also 1-2 over the last four and is 8-3 with a 4.39 ERA for theseason. A decent bet overall, Junis is at +236 on the Pitcher ProfitOscillator. The Diamondbacks have the overall edge in team strength and on themound in this one. Give game two to the Diamondbacks to go up 2-0 in theseries.<o
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Sunday, October 1: Zack Godley versus Jason Vargas<o
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Godley is 8-9 with a 3.40 ERA for the season and has allowed only 124 hitsin 153 1/3 innings. A good overall bet, Godley is +893 in terms of profit.Vargas is the Royals best overall starter, coming in at 18-10 with a 3.94 ERA.He’s been excellent lately, winning his last four decisions. He’s at +1816 onthe Pitcher Profit Oscillator, up nearly 900 since the start of the season. Isee the Royals winning the final game to avoid a sweep.
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[FONT="]Houston Astros versusBoston Red Sox[/FONT]<o
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In what could be a playoff preview, the Astros and Red Sox come inrelatively evenly matched. The Red Sox hold a +29 to +24 edge in the PowerRanking Indicator. The Astros hold a +5.43 to -0.4 advantage in the MLB TeamStrength Oscillator. In what could be a deciding factor in picking these games,the Astros are third in Team Volatility. This means they generally win as thefavorite and lose as the underdog.<o
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Pitching match ups:<o
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Friday, September 29: Charlie Morton versus Doug Fister<o
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Morton comes in at 13-7 with a 3.63 ERA and is 3-1 in the last four games.He’s struck out 159 and allowed only 121 hits in 141 1/3 innings. Despite thegood overall numbers, Morton has been a relatively poor bet, at -115 on thePitcher Profit Oscillator. Fister enters the game at 5-8 with a 4.87 ERA. Upand down in terms of profit, Fister is a poor bet at -260. The edge goes to theAstros and is my pick for the series opener.<o
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Saturday, September 30: Lance McCullers Jr versus Drew Pomeranz<o
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McCullers Jr has missed significant time due to injury as has allowed fiveearned runs in 8 2/3 innings since coming off the disabled list. Overall, he’s7-3 with a 4.01 ERA and is at -230 on the Pitcher Profit Oscillator. Pomeranzhas better overall numbers with a record of 16-6 with a 3.38 ERA. However, interms of a bet, he’s been terrible, at -1085 in terms of profit. The Astrosdon’t have the edge on paper in this one, but the wide difference in profitleans me towards Houston in game two.<o
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Sunday, October 1: Collin McHugh versus Chris Sale<o
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In the series and season finale, McHugh comes in at 4-2 with a 3.45 ERA.He’s won his last four decisions and has been profitable at +516 on the PitcherProfit Oscillator. Sale has been excellent this season, with a 17-8 record, 308strikeouts and a 2.90 ERA. To my surprise, he’s been a very marginallyprofitable bet, at +8 on the profit oscillator. It’s hard to bet against Sale,so I take the Red Sox in the finale.<o
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