Okay, I got a round of golf in this afternoon, which explains why this is a few hours later than I generally like it. But due to J.A. Happ restoring my faith in the human race, and an effort to keep the pain train rollin', I'm back with action for tomorrow. Who do I like?
Jeremy Guthrie (R), BAL (36% Owned) @ Dallas Braden (L), OAK (30% Owned)
Now we're gamblin'! But not really; not in my opinion at least. Guthrie's strung two nice outings together consecutively against the Blue Jays and Tigers, and he's got a nice career line facing the Athletics, who also just so happen to have the MLB's worst team OPS (.672). Braden's been rock solid with the exception of one start in Detroit this entire season, and while his season totals may not be indicative, he's been a quality spot start on several occasions, including once previously for Spot * On. Baltimore has the MLB's 26th ranked OPS (.671) on the Road, and 24th ranked (.704) vs LHP. All signs point to a low scoring affair all the way around, with the usual downside of only one possible Win, if that, but I like both of these guys to limit his opposition offensively, with very strong shots at Quality Starts, and a few Ks for good measure. It's no surprise Vegas has this thing juiced at -120 on Under 8.5 Total Runs, with Braden's line being -130, and Guthrie's being +110.
There's a few other starts that caught my eye tomorrow, but I'll let some of my faithfuls fill you in if they choose to do so. Otherwise, it's a clash of coasts and anemic offenses tomorrow for me. Big question facing us this weekend -- do we roll the dice on Sir Thomas Hanson for his first start on Saturday against Milwaukee? Time will tell...
Until then...
Tommy Hanson is so good that he'll likely win Friday, the night before his major league debut. 8 innings, 1 ER, 10 Ks on Friday, and then hang on to him for his "official" debut Saturday, which should be the first of many perfect games for the kid.
But no pressure.
I would spot start Zach Grienke, if you're in one of the 4% of leagues where he's available.
Doug Davis makes a great play in SD. Guthrie is a near lock. Ricky Romero gets back on the right track against KC.
And last but definitely not least, Chad Gaudin (home vs Arizona) is such a good pick that I almost want to make it twice. As a team, the D-Backs have a .241/.314/.399 slash line. That's essentially an offense made entirely of Daniel Murphys.