300♦ N.Y. YANKEES (LIST Chamberlain over Richmond) - The Yankees are the hottest team in baseball, they entered this series on a 31-10 run and quite frankly, I don’t know if the Jays stand a chance in this entire series. In sending Joba Chamberlain to the hill, the Yanks now begin with the same foursome that swept the Red Sox over the weekend. And Chamberlain is going to be out to avenge a so-so start against the Red Sox, who worked him for a 108 pitches over five innings. Of course he earned the victory thanks to the now infamous eight-run fourth inning that arguably sparked the sweep of the Sox.
Chamberlain allowed four runs on six hits to Boston while walking a season-high seven as he appeared to be too strong for his own good, pitch off of extra rest. Now, on four days rest, he should be just right in making an attempt at his fifth consecutive win. The power right-hander, who hasn’t lost since June 18, has that extremely quick arm and comes straight over the top with the two- and four-seam fastballs that range from about 92 miles per hour and 97.
Since the All-Star break he is 4-0 with a 2.02 ERA in four starts, and he’s getting it done by keeping hitters off balance with that quick, late-biting slider that has tremendous depth, plus his tightly spun curveball.
He’ll get plenty of run support, as Toronto’s Scott Richmond toes the slab for the first time since July 31, which was his first outing after a month-long stint on the disabled list with a sore right arm. In that return outing, against the A's, the 29-year-old rookie allowed six runs - four of them earned - on seven hits over just three innings. This isn’t exactly the best spot to come back either, as the red-hot Yankees will be looking to pound the ball. Lay the run line here.
300♦ TWINS (LIST Blackburn over Davies) - While Nick Blackburn is 0-2 in his last three starts, all of which the Twins have lost, it’s hard to ignore the fact Kansas City starter Kyle Davies has a sky-high 14.29 ERA in his last three starts. It goes deeper than that, which I’ll get to in a minute, but the fact is he’s been horrible for the Royals and the Twins will take full advantage of the mismatch today.
Okay, so what exactly am I talking about when I say it goes deeper, well, Davies is 1-7 in his last eight starts. And while that stretches back to June because the right-hander spent some time at Triple-A Omaha, his return to the Royals wasn’t exactly what they hoped for. He lasted just 3-2/3 innings and allowed a season-high eight runs on eight hits. So while he was 4-2 with a 2.14 ERA in eight starts with Omaha, his season in the bigs has been a disaster.
Davies is a flyball pitcher and that’s never a good thing inside the Homer Domer. All it will take is an early-inning surge by the Twins, because it’s no secret Davies doesn’t trust his stuff at times and will tend to run up his pitch counts.
Nah, I’m going to put my faith in the right-handed Blackburn, who made huge strides in the right direction after opening the second half with three sub-par outings in Oakland, in Anaheim and at home against the Angels. He had given up 17 earned runs in his previous three starts, which spanned 15-1/3 innings.
Fast track to last Thursday, against the Indians, Blackburn looked as if he regained the dominating form he displayed in the first half, tossing 6-1/3 innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and striking out two. He should have plenty of confidence in this one, as Blackburn is 1-1 with a stifling 2.25 ERA in three career starts against Kansas City.
Love the Twins tonight, as they continue their drive in the Wild Card race and quite possibly the AL Central Division.
300♦ ROCKIES (LIST Cook) - The Pirates hit the road for the first time since July 29, and have to start the trip in Denver, where the Rockies have declared war in the National League with fellow West Division member San Francisco for the Wild Card lead. And while the Giants are hosting NL-leading Los Angeles, the Rockies will see this as an opportunity to gain some ground.
The Pirates have lost eight straight – a skid that began with two losses to lowly Washington – and again, all of these losses came at home. Now they take on Aaron Cook, who left his last start - a 3-1 loss to the Phillies - after five innings and 73 pitches with a hyperextended right big toe. In that contest, Cook faced off against the Phillies' Cliff Lee, but threw two bad pitches that proved to be the difference. Fact is this will be a game the right-hander will be looking to dominate, while avenging that last outing.
Confidence should abound at Coors Field, where Cook is 4-1 with a 4.35 ERA. Keep in mind, he’s a strike thrower, and he pounds the zone with a heavy sinker that ranges in the mid 90s. He’s talented enough to command it to both sides of the plate, and when you’re taking on a lethargic offense like this one, you tend to dominate by toying with hitters and setting them up easily. His curve is a decent out pitch, he has a solid change and the best thing about a guy like this, especially at Coors, is he keeps the ball in the park. Lay the run line tonight, as I love the Rockies to destroy Pittsburgh.
Chris Jordan 8/11
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