Baseball picks: Diamondbacks, Sox clash; Subway Series begins
Posted on 6/23/2008 9:36:46 AM
By T.J. Kendrick
With this week's pitching match-ups released, it's time to make some baseball picks. There's lots to pick from in MLB Interleague play, including a battle between World Series contenders and the Subway Series.
Arizona Diamondbacks at Boston Red Sox (June 23-25)
Boston has continued its winning ways throughout June, posting a 13-7 record heading into action on Friday, June 20. The pitching has been superb, yielding a 3.83 ERA this month heading into Monday. The hitting hasn't been so bad either. Many thought the Red Sox would suffer a big drop off with the loss of David Ortiz to a wrist injury, but J.D. Drew has been an excellent fill in. In his last 20 games, Drew is hitting over .394 with 10 homers and 22 RBIs. He's not a good bet to keep this going all season, especially considering his injury history, but in the meantime Boston's offense has continued rolling. Against Arizona, the Sox are expected to send Josh Beckett, Justin Masterson and Tim Wakefield to the mound.
The Diamondbacks have cooled since their blistering start. After losing three straight to Minnesota on the weekend, Arizona is below .500 in June, putting up an 8-12 record. They're still the favorites to win the division but they'd better get their act together. The Diamondbacks are struggling to both pitch and hit right now, a disastrous combination, so they're probably happy to be hovering where they are. They've got a solid staff and lots of young talent with plenty of juice. Once everyone settles down they should be rolling again.
New York Mets at New York Yankees (June 27-29)
The Mets are in complete disarray. Considered by many to be favorites to win the World Series, they've struggled to stay afloat all year long. Things finally boiled over this week when the team fired manager Willie Randolph?in the middle of the night after a road win, no less, which critics blasted and deemed out of line. Heading into this week the Mets are 5-2 in their last seven games, so at least they had something positive to draw from. Overall, there's no specific cure this team needs. It just needs to live up to its potential. Mike Pelfrey, Johan Santana and Oliver Perez are expected to pitch.
The Yankees have finally caught fire, winning seven straight before going 1-2 against Cincinnati over the weekend. During the winning streak New York's offense woke up, scoring 45 runs. The pitching hasn't been excellent too, giving up just 12 runs in that same span. This team is loaded with talent so it was only a matter of time before they found their groove. There's no telling how long the Bronx Bombers can keep things rolling (the offense scored just six runs against the Reds), but we'd wager they can make some noise in the Subway Series and carry some momentum into the All-Star Break. The Yanks are expected to send Andy Pettite and Darrell Rasner to the hill. A third starter hasn't been determined.
Make sure to frequently check in with BetOnline.com's Sportsbook and the Bettor's Edge for all your pitching match-ups and baseball picks.
T.J. Kendrick is the biggest baseball nut and a
brilliant MLB handicapper. His love of the game borders on obsession, and he
takes every chance he gets to make excellent predictions, frequently
contributing to industry handicapping sites as well as BetOnline.com. Thoughts or questions? Email Comments@BetOnline.com.
