PREMIUM
Rogers' MLB Late Show Special ($25) - 17-9 Last 7 Days! 89-59-2 L150 Plays!
(MLB) LA Angels vs. Seattle,
Money Line: -176.00 Seattle (Home)
Result: Win
Money Line: -176.00 Seattle (Home)
Result: Win
The set-up: The 49-59 LA Angels are clearly not thinking playoffs with the season entering its final two months and the 54-53 Mariners' playoff hopes have to be fading quickly (Seattle is eight games back in the AL West five games out of the second wild card spot with two teams in front of them). The two AL West rivals open a three-games series at Safeco Field, where the Mariners are barely above .500 (27-25) and have been a losing proposition against the moneyline (minus-$578). As for the Angels, it should be noted that Los Angeles is a 12-7 since the All-Star break entering Friday's opener.
The pitching matchup: Tim Lincecum (2-5, 8.49 ERA) takes the mound for the Angels and Felix Hernandez (5-4, 3.46 ERA) is on the mound for the Mariners. Both are former Cy Young winners (Lincecum is a two-time winner) but neither player is pitching like one lately. It would kind to say that Lincecum's star has faded and truthfully, he may not get many more chances to prolong his career. He made a successful Angels debut back on June 18 (6 IP / 4 hits / 1 ER) but has struggled badly since that time. The numbers speak for themselves. He's allowed 59 hits (10 HRs) over 35 innings for an 8.49 ERA, 2.29 WHIP and opponents are batting .381 against him. However, "King Felix" has not exactly been wearing his crown proudly these days. He has shown plenty of signs that he is not the dominant pitcher he once was. His fastball has lost a few ticks, from the mid- to low-90s, and he has gone past the seventh inning only once in his past eight starts. A recent DL stint with a strained calf cost Hernandez a month and a half and he owns a 5.60 ERA in his three starts since returning from that calf injury.
The pick: Clearly, Hernandez has a long way to go to return to the form which made him an annual Cy Young contender but few doubt that he is still one of the better pitchers in the American League. However, no one believes that Lincecum is even a marginal MLB pitcher these days. Easy choice to take Hernandez in this one, as the Mariners still hope to make up ground in the American League wild-card race. This series begins a stretch in which seven of their next 13 games are against the Angels. 8* play on the Mariners.
The pitching matchup: Tim Lincecum (2-5, 8.49 ERA) takes the mound for the Angels and Felix Hernandez (5-4, 3.46 ERA) is on the mound for the Mariners. Both are former Cy Young winners (Lincecum is a two-time winner) but neither player is pitching like one lately. It would kind to say that Lincecum's star has faded and truthfully, he may not get many more chances to prolong his career. He made a successful Angels debut back on June 18 (6 IP / 4 hits / 1 ER) but has struggled badly since that time. The numbers speak for themselves. He's allowed 59 hits (10 HRs) over 35 innings for an 8.49 ERA, 2.29 WHIP and opponents are batting .381 against him. However, "King Felix" has not exactly been wearing his crown proudly these days. He has shown plenty of signs that he is not the dominant pitcher he once was. His fastball has lost a few ticks, from the mid- to low-90s, and he has gone past the seventh inning only once in his past eight starts. A recent DL stint with a strained calf cost Hernandez a month and a half and he owns a 5.60 ERA in his three starts since returning from that calf injury.
The pick: Clearly, Hernandez has a long way to go to return to the form which made him an annual Cy Young contender but few doubt that he is still one of the better pitchers in the American League. However, no one believes that Lincecum is even a marginal MLB pitcher these days. Easy choice to take Hernandez in this one, as the Mariners still hope to make up ground in the American League wild-card race. This series begins a stretch in which seven of their next 13 games are against the Angels. 8* play on the Mariners.
