Monday, April 16, 2012

Philadelphia Phillies at San Francisco Giants
Suggestion: Philadelphia Phillies (-108)

Two immensely talented power pitchers square off in this late game. While the reputations for both hurlers are nearly equal, I'm taking the one who is playing his best right now, and fading one who has quietly put up some average stats of late. Over his last two games, San Francisco starter Tim Lincecum has pitched incredibly poorly (11 ER, 14 hits over 7.2 innings). And while some of that can be attributed to the fact that the games were played in Coors Field and Chase Field, let's not forget that Lincecum put up a pedestrian 6-7 record at home in 2011. In his last 10 starts dating to last season, the Giants have lost 8 games, burning those who consistently bet on him. While many pitchers tend to start well in April, Lincecum isn't one of them. But Roy Halladay is, going 4-1 with a 47-7 strikeout to walk ratio in April of 2011. He has been flat-out dominant over his last two starts, giving up a single run in 15.0 innings, allowing only 7 hits in two Philadelphia wins. And tonight, we have a chance to back him for nearly even money, and take advantage of the fact that both the Philles (50-31 in 2011) and Halladay (11-3 last year) are more than comfortable playing on the road. Additionally, the Giants have serious concerns with their bullpen, making this investment even more attractive. Invest in the Philadelphia Phillies (-108)