Brandon Lang
SATURDAY
20 Dime Cubs Run Line - How nice was it of Chicago to make Rich Harden feel at home. His Wrigley Field debut comes against a team he absolutely owns, as he has a 0.81 ERA against the Giants in four career games. That includes the six shutout innings he threw against them last month. Over 21-1/3 innings, a mere five hits have been hit against him. In June, while with Oakland, he struck out nine and surrendered just one hit. Now in some instances this might not be a good thing for Chicago, as the Giants just saw him and it could be argued they’re now familiar with him. But given the situation, given the whereabouts and given the Cubbies this season, I don’t think we’ll have a problem with the right-hander toeing the slab for us.
He’s been lights out all season for Oakland, producing a 5-1 mark in 12 starts on the year, to go along with a 2.34 ERA. True he’s coming off a loss on the South Side last Sunday, but he’s pitched well enough to win his last two times out, and could very easily still be undefeated. The Cubs will give him plenty of support in facing Kevin Correia, who is 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA on the highway, and who just faced the m on July 2. So much for the familiarity theory working against us, right? What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, and if there’s any team that is working the scouting report well right now, it’s the Cubbies, who have won four of five. Bank on them to steamroll the Giants, who have lost five straight.
5 Dime Reds - Edinson Volquez regained his form his last time out, and got back on the winning track by baffling the Nationals. I know there are some who believe he’s cooled off his last three starts, but hey, he was due for a bit of a letdown. He’s over it, and in comes an impressive 5-2 road mark with a 2.36 ERA. The Brewers have dropped three of five now, while the Reds coming in on a two-game spurt, and I don’t know if Seth McClung has enough to keep the likes of Adam Dunn at bay. It all comes together for the Reds tonight, from all angles – offense and defense – as they get the best of Milwaukee.
5 Dime Cardinals - Right-hander Todd Wellemeyer will bank on a return to his earlier form, while the Redbirds will undoubtedly feed off last night’s 6-0 victory over the Bucs. I know he hasn’t won since June 5, but he really hasn’t pitched all that bad. Not when you look at the big picture. And since he’s already made three starts against the Pirates this year, and is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA against them, the confidence will be brewing when he steps on the hill. St. Louis is on a 6-0 run in its last six games as a road favorite, while it’s 7-3 in its last 10 against a right-handed starter. Not too shabby, right? Take the Redbirds here.
5 Dime Indians - We play the numbers in this one, as the demise of the Devil Rays continues. Tampa is now on skids of 0-5 overall, 1-4 in Matt Garza’s last five road starts and 0-6 the last six times he’s faced a team that is sporting a losing record. On the flipside, the Tribe comes in on a 21-7 run in its last 28 home games against winning teams, 5-2 in its last seven at home against righties and 7-3 as a home pup. But it’s not all about the stats and trends, as the fact remains the Yankees exposed the Devil Rays for the frauds they are, and the Indians are playing for pride by continuing to send Tampa in that downward spiral.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->