[Ruden]

Segertåget har idag diskuterat och kommit fram till följande Officiella-spel:

Philadelphia Phillies (R. Halladay) - St. Louis Cardinals (K. Lohse)
Spelstopp: 6/5 19.05
Spel: Philadelphia Phillies (R. Halladay) -1,5
Odds: 2.03 @ Pinnacle
Insats: 5u

Resultat:

Philadelphia Phillies (R. Halladay) 7 - 2 St. Louis Cardinals (K. Lohse)

Philadelphia Phillies 2010: 16W-11L, Hemma: 7W-5L
St. Louis Cardinals 2010: 18W-10L, Borta: 8W-7L

Philadelphia Phillies runs 2010: snittar 5.37 runs per match
St. Louis Cardinals runs 2010: snittar 4.43 runs per match

K. Lohse 2010: 5.28 ERA, 29.0 innings, 31 hits, 17 earned runs, 15 strikeouts
R. Halladay 2010: 1.47 ERA, 49.0 innings, 39 hits, 8 earned runs, 39 strikeouts

Vi finner stort spelvärde i Phillies -1,5 eftersom dom har vunnit de två senaste mot Cardinals med en betydligt sämre pitcher än vad dom ställer upp med i dagens möte.

Preview

Spoiler:

It's been only six starts, but it appears that Roy Halladay has already turned the National League into a league of his own.
So far, the Phillies starter is 5-1 with a 1.47 ERA and has thrown three complete games, including two shutouts. He leads the Majors in shutouts, complete games, innings with 49 and strikeout-to-walk ratio with 9.75.

He'll look to add to his resume on Thursday, when he takes on Kyle Lohse and the Cardinals in the final game of their four-game series.

"Roy is one of the best pitchers in baseball," second baseman Chase Utley said. "You know what you're going to get out of him every game."

As good as Halladay has been, the most important component of the pitching staff at this point could be the bullpen. Brad Lidge is back. Ryan Madson is out, but Jose Contreras and J.C. Romero are filling in .

"We talk about consistency," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "It's a real good time for our guys, like last year Contreras did good, he did a good job, that's a good sign. If we get guys in the bullpen to start showing consistency, you can kind of see how it plays out and define what your role is and keep doing it. We're not there right now."

Lidge, when he is completely healthy, will pitch in the ninth inning.

"We signed Lidge three years ago to be our closer and nothing has changed," Manuel said. "When we went to Spring Training, we had in mind that he was our closer, and it's the same. I look at him as he's our closer. He's still got the talent."

The setup role belongs to Contreras -- for now.

"He's going to get a lot of time in the eight-hole," Manuel said. "When we get Romero going an inning or four outs, I know Romero can get lefties. And I think when we get him really going right he can throw in the seventh and eighth inning for us, too."

As for Lohse, he's coming off his best start in nearly a year, going seven innings against the Reds with eight strikeouts. Lohse got ahead, threw strikes and kept the ball down, which is a pretty good plan for nearly anybody.

"The goal is for the team to win," Lohse said. "I just want to go out there and pitch well, pitch well enough to get the win. Sometimes you don't. Sometimes you do. Doesn't matter as long as we walk away winners."

Cardinals: Streaking in Philadelphia
Albert Pujols extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single in the fourth on Wednesday. ... David Freese also extended his hitting streak to nine with a single in the seventh inning.

Phillies: Feeling historic
The last time a Phillies pitcher had three or more complete games in his first six starts was in 1981, when Steve Carlton threw four and started the season 5-0 with a 2.65 ERA. In 1972, Carlton threw five complete games -- including two shutouts -- in his first six starts.

Worth Noting
Brad Penny (six innings, three earned runs) extended the Cardinals' streak of 14 consecutive quality starts Wednesday. It's the club's longest stretch since May, 20, 1973, when they also had 14 in a row.

The home run allowed by Penny in the fourth inning was his first of the season, a span of 37 2/3 innings. He had pitched 54 2/3 innings since allowing his last home run, which came on Sept. 9, 2009.

Pitchers

Kyle Lohse - St. Louis Cardinals

Spoiler:

If Lohse has really found something, an already good year may be about to get even better for the Cardinals. He's coming off his best start in nearly a year, seven excellent innings against the Reds with eight strikeouts. Lohse got ahead, threw strikes and kept the ball down, which is a pretty good plan for nearly anybody. He'll be returning to a park he briefly called home, but it's worth noting that pitching away from Busch Stadium has not suited Lohse well since he joined the Cardinals.

Roy Halladay - Philadelphia Phillies

Spoiler:

Halladay has been the real deal since he joined the Phillies. He is 5-1 with a 1.47 ERA. He has thrown three complete games, including two shutouts. He leads the Majors in wins, shutouts, complete games, innings (49) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (9.75). He is fourth in strikeouts (39). Halladay has delivered, but so far he has not rubbed off on the rest of the rotation. He can't help that, but he can continue to win. They hope he does that Thursday against the Cardinals.

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Seattle Mariners (R. Rowland- Smith) - Tampa Bay Rays (J. Niemann)
Spelstopp: 7/5 04.10
Spel: Tampa Bay Rays (J. Niemann)
Odds: 1.735 @ Pinnacle
Insats: 5u

Resultat:

Seattle Mariners (R. Rowland- Smith) 0 - 8 Tampa Bay Rays (J. Niemann)

Seattle Mariners 2010: 11W-16L, Hemma: 7W-7L
Tampa Bay Rays 2010: 20W-7L, Borta: 11W-1L

Seattle Mariners runs 2010: snittar 3.37 runs per match
Tampa Bay Rays runs 2010: snittar 5.93 runs per match

R. Rowland-Smith 2010: 5.28 ERA, 29.0 innings, 27 hits, 17 earned runs, 9 strikeouts
J. Niemann 2010: 2.76 ERA, 29.1 innings, 21 hits, 9 earned runs, 18 strikeouts

Rays har vunnit de två senaste i denna matchserie. Idag ställer dom upp med betydligt bättre pitcher än Mariners och bör har goda chanser till att ta sin tredje raka vinst. All statistik talar för Rays inatt.

Preview

Spoiler:

After dropping their fifth consecutive game with Wednesday's 8-3 loss to the Rays, the Mariners will be looking for more offense in the finale of a three-game series on Thursday at Safeco Field.
Seattle has scored nine runs in those five losses, and center fielder Franklin Gutierrez is the only Mariners position player with a higher batting average this season than in his career.

Seattle will try to improve on that on Thursday against Tampa Bay right-hander Jeff Niemann, while left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith will start for the Mariners.

"For us, it's trying to get guys back to their career averages, and the toughest thing is looking at that board every night, especially the guys that are not used to that," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said. "There is no excuse for that. To us, it's not trying to focus so much on getting 10 or 12 hits a game, but to play the game the right way, get a sac bunt down when we need to, can we drive in a run when we have to?"

Meanwhile, the Rays have won eight of their past 10 games and currently have the best record in baseball. They're riding a three-game winning streak that has seen them score easily, with 14 runs in those three contests. Wednesday's win improved Tampa Bay's road record to 11-1 and was its 20th victory of the season, tops in the Majors.

First baseman Carlos Pena also has a chance to set a franchise mark in Thursday's game, as he needs two walks to tie Fred McGriff for the all-time club mark. Pena has walked 303 times with the Rays, which is two fewer than McGriff's 305 free passes from 1998-2001 and '04.

"If I'm walking, I'm hitting," Pena said. "[Rays manager] Joe [Maddon] says that, and I'm agreeing with him 100 percent of the time. And if you think about it, a walk is just as good as a hit. You're on first. You heard that, right? That's a very popular line. It's true. ... You're on first base, and you're helping your team out."

Rays: Jaso gets the start
Despite the fact the Rays are facing a left-hander in Rowland-Smith, left-handed-hitting catcher John Jaso will get the start in place of Dioner Navarro. Jaso is batting .357 with a home run and 10 RBIs, and the club is 8-1 in games he has started this year. Jaso also currently leads American League rookies with a .513 on-base percentage and a .571 slugging percentage, while walking nine times and striking out just once.

Mariners: Kelley recalled
Reliever Shawn Kelley rejoined the Mariners prior to Wednesday's 8-3 loss to the Rays after being sent to Triple-A five days earlier to make room on the roster for left-hander Cliff Lee. Kelley, who has a 2.57 ERA in seven innings this season, replaced Mark Lowe on the roster after he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with lower back disc inflammation. "It was short, and you never want to see anything happen to someone else, but I'm glad to be back here," Kelley said. "I was there five days and pitched twice. I was disappointed and a little bit shocked when they sent me down, but I understand the business side and [general manager] Jack [Zduriencik] was very up front with me. He told me what the process was, that I was young and had options left. He laid it out there and told me face-to-face what the decision was, and I appreciated that."

Worth noting
Mariners shortstop Jack Wilson, who beat out a bunt for a one-out single in the third inning, was forced to leave the game at the end of the frame because of tightness in his right hamstring. ... Rays reliver J.P. Howell, who has been battling an injured left shoulder, has thrown breaking pitches, and throwing back-to-back side sessions is next on his ladder of progression. There is still no timetable for his return, but he said he expects to be back by the end of May. ... Rays reliever Grant Balfour is friends with the Mariners' scheduled starter, Rowland-Smith, who is also from Australia. When asked about his friend, Balfour noted: "He's a pretty good surfer."

Pitchers

Jeff Nieman - Tampa Bay Rays

Spoiler:

Niemann will make his sixth start of the season against the Mariners, following up his 7 1/3-inning, three-hit performance on Friday against the Royals. The big right-hander gave up just one earned run to Kansas City while striking out three batters and walking four, one of which was intentional. Niemann benefited from some great defense behind him in that outing, including three inning-ending double plays. He works quick, as he is averaging only 13.6 pitches per inning -- putting him just below Minnesota's Francisco Liriano, who led the American League in that category before Friday's game with 13.9.

Ryan Rowland-Smith - Seattle Mariners

Spoiler:

After a lackluster start, Rowland-Smith seemed a good candidate to get bumped to the bullpen upon Cliff Lee's return. But manager Don Wakamatsu is showing confidence in the Australian, who has a reputation for being a slow starter. He lived up to that so far, going 0-1 in five starts, and he hasn't made it through the sixth inning in any of his outings on the road. He fares better at home, as his fly-ball-inducing style (69 fly balls and 32 ground balls) fits better at Safeco Field. He has struck out just nine of the 127 batters faced, putting him in the Doug Fister category of pitching to contact and letting the Mariners' defense do the heavy lifting.

Segertågets Officiella-spel blir därför följande:

Philadelphia Phillies (R. Halladay) -1,5 @ 2.03 5u - WIN

Tampa Bay Rays (J. Niemann) @ 1.735 5u - WIN