Things finally boiled over for the reeling Mariners. The club is just 4-16 over its last 20 games and manager Don Wakamatsu and infielder Chone Figgins got into each other’s business on Friday night.
In the middle of the fifth inning, Wakamatsu took Figgins out of because for failing to back up Jack Wilson on a ball that got away from the shortstop.
“I didn’t think there was much effort on that backup, and I made a decision to take him out of the ballgame,” Wakamatsu told the Seattle Times after the 2-1 loss to Boston. “One thing people have got to understand is that everybody in that dugout cares. And tempers fly a little bit.”
Now does Figgins care about winning or about getting pulled in an embarrassing fashion from a ballgame?
Bettors might think this spillover would lead to some inspired play but we’re not sure if the M’s have strong enough leadership in their clubhouse to expect that kind of response.
Pick: Red Sox
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs (+110, N/A)
The Cubs are well below .500 and fighting for third place the NL Central. They’re well behind the Cards and Reds for the division lead or Wildcard spot but St. Louis manager Tony La Russa isn’t ready to write of the Baby Bears.
"The only time that you would ever say that a team is not in the race is if you're talking about the last six weeks or even maybe the last month,'' La Russa told the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday. ''But look what the White Sox did. They got back in it in two weeks. The Cubs have a nice club, and Lou does a really good job.''
Chicago is trying its best to vindicate La Russa’s assessment. The Cubbies are 6-3 in their last nine games after taking the first two from the Cards in the weekend series.
We’re not buying the Cubs pulling off any type of miraculous hot streak to get them back in the NL Central race. Chicago’s a flawed team that has swept one home series – and that was a two-gamer back May – all season.
Pick: Cards
Streaking
Jair Jurrjens (3-3, 4.25 ERA), Atlanta Braves
This young righthander’s productive return has been a huge lift to the Braves five-man rotation. Jurrjens, Atlanta’s most consistent arm in 2009, went on the shelf for two months at the start of the season but he seems to have put the injury behind him.
The Braves are 4-0 in his four appearances since rejoining the big club at the end of June, and he sports a 2.19 ERA over the same period.
Daisuke Matsuzaka (7-3, 4.29 ERA), Boston Red Sox
Dice-K’s control has been an issue since the talented righty first joined the big leagues. This season has been no different (17 walks in his first 34 2/3 innings).
But the Japanese import has shown better accuracy recently. He’s walked just two batters – compared to 11 strikeouts – in his last two starts and the Red Sox are 5-2 overall in his last seven trips to the bump.
Slumping
Kevin Slowey (8-5, 4.94 ERA), Minnesota Twins
Minnesota’s pitching staff looks pretty ugly these days outside of Carl Pavano and Francisco Liriano. Kevin Slowey is one of three starting hurlers who've been consistently terrible over the last month and a half.
Slowey’s 8.37 ERA over his seven starts is only half the problem for Twins backers. Minnesota’s bullpen routinely has to work long innings on Slowey’s scheduled starts because he’s pitched less than six innings in four of those seven trips to the mound.
The Twinkies are 0-4 and the over is 3-1 in his last four appearances.
Anthony Lerew (1-4, 8.54 ERA), Kansas City Royals
It stands to reason that the fifth man on the Royals’ rotation is one of the worst starting pitchers in baseball. Lerew is so bad he makes Brian Bannister and Kyle Davis look like aces.
The 27-year-old righty has allowed 18 earned runs in his last nine innings pitched. That’s an 18.00 ERA for those of you scoring at home.
He’s pitched less than three innings in each of his last two starts and the over has cashed in his last three appearances.
| GAME | 승 | 무 | 패 | 오버 | 언더 | 2K10 | ||
| Tampa Bay at Cleveland | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | ||||
| Kansas City at NY Yankees | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | ||||
| Toronto at Detroit | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||||
| Atlanta at Florida | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | ||||
| Minnesota at Baltimore | 3 | 2 | 10 | 5 | ||||
| Colorado at Philadelphia | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6 | |||
| San Diego at Pittsburgh | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | ||||
| Cincinnati at Houston | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||||
| Washington at Milwaukee | 2 | 1 | 7 | 4 | ||||
| Chicago White Sox at Oakland | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | ||||
| Boston at Seattle | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |||
| NY Mets at LA Dodgers | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||||
| San Francisco at Arizona | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| Toronto at Detroit | 1 | 17 | 10 | |||||
| LA Angels at Texas | 2 | 8 | 6 | |||||
| St. Louis at Chicago Cubs | 3 | 4 | 1 | |||||
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