Drew Gordon
Cleveland +105 at KANSAS CITY
Solid Bonus Play winner with the Royals (+115) over the Indians 6-5 Tuesday! I'm staying with the same series tonight, except this time I'm taking the other side, and here's why:
This is one of those match ups that at first glance seems to favor the Royals, as Meche carries the better ERA, and the Royals 13-8 record at Kauffman is nothing to sneeze at. However, upon further review, Meche hasn't been nearly as solid of late, going 1-2 with a 6.29 ERA over his last 3 starts, AND with the Royals going 2-7 over their last 9, its clear the entire team isn't playing well of late either.
I know full well Fausto Carmona has had his ups and downs this season, and it all begins and ends with his control. Although he walks way too many for my liking, you can't argue with the fact he's shown flashes of his 2007 form, when he went 19-8 with a 3.06 ERA. Carmona is 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA over his last 3 starts, a solid jump from his early season struggles. Expect to see a much better effort than the last time he faced the Royals at Kauffman, back in April, where he allowed 4 runs in 5 innings for the loss. He's not showing the same inconsisteny he was earlier this season, and it'll show tonight.
Finally, getting back to Meche, I'm not convinced his back is right. He says publicly that it is, but you don't allow 16 runs in your last 19 2/3 innings unless something is wrong. Look for the Indians offense, which pounded righty Brian Bannister yesterday for 5 runs on 9 hits, to add to Meche's misery in this one. In the end, Carmona is getting back to form, just when Meche is seemingly starting to fall apart... Play here rests squarely on the Tribe.
Take Cleveland behind Carmona over Kansas City and Meche in this MLB match up.
2? CLEVELAND
Cleveland +105 at KANSAS CITY
Solid Bonus Play winner with the Royals (+115) over the Indians 6-5 Tuesday! I'm staying with the same series tonight, except this time I'm taking the other side, and here's why:
This is one of those match ups that at first glance seems to favor the Royals, as Meche carries the better ERA, and the Royals 13-8 record at Kauffman is nothing to sneeze at. However, upon further review, Meche hasn't been nearly as solid of late, going 1-2 with a 6.29 ERA over his last 3 starts, AND with the Royals going 2-7 over their last 9, its clear the entire team isn't playing well of late either.
I know full well Fausto Carmona has had his ups and downs this season, and it all begins and ends with his control. Although he walks way too many for my liking, you can't argue with the fact he's shown flashes of his 2007 form, when he went 19-8 with a 3.06 ERA. Carmona is 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA over his last 3 starts, a solid jump from his early season struggles. Expect to see a much better effort than the last time he faced the Royals at Kauffman, back in April, where he allowed 4 runs in 5 innings for the loss. He's not showing the same inconsisteny he was earlier this season, and it'll show tonight.
Finally, getting back to Meche, I'm not convinced his back is right. He says publicly that it is, but you don't allow 16 runs in your last 19 2/3 innings unless something is wrong. Look for the Indians offense, which pounded righty Brian Bannister yesterday for 5 runs on 9 hits, to add to Meche's misery in this one. In the end, Carmona is getting back to form, just when Meche is seemingly starting to fall apart... Play here rests squarely on the Tribe.
Take Cleveland behind Carmona over Kansas City and Meche in this MLB match up.
2? CLEVELAND
