TOM STRYKER’S FREE BASEBALL SELECTION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15TH
#929 ARIZONA with Bumgarner (+129) over LA Angels with Teheran at 9:40 PM EST
Off back-to-back home losses to the M’s, the Diamondbacks will travel to LA on Tuesday night and pull off this minor upset. The Angels come into this contest eight-games under the .500-mark and they really shouldn’t be favored over anyone right now.
Veteran left-hander Madison Bumgarner will toe the rubber for the road team. In a pair of September starts against the Dodgers and Giants, No. 40 pitched better allowing only four earned runs and 10 hits in 9.0 innings. Bumgarner fanned four and walked four and posted an 0-1 mark with a 4.00 ERA. Overall, with 12 years in the Bigs, Madison has been one of MLB’s best surrendering just 664 earned runs and 1,652 hits in 1,872.1 innings. Bumgarner has struck out 1,811 and walked 439 en route to a 119-96 mark with a solid 3.19 ERA.
Struggling right-hander Julio Teheran will take the bump for the Halos. With seven appearances in the books this year including six starts, No. 49 was blasted for 25 earned runs and 32 hits in 27.1 frames. Teheran fanned 17, walked 11 and served up seven dongs on his way to an ugly 0-3 tally with a nasty 8.23 ERA. Pitching at home hasn’t helped Julio either. In his own backyard, Teheran was zapped for 11 earned runs and 14 hits in just 10.1 innings. That’s bad enough for an 0-1 mark with a woeful 9.58 ERA.
A number of reliable team trends support this wager. Arizona has tasted victory in 18 of its last 26 coming in off a day of rest and five of its last six on the American League road facing a foe that owns a team won/loss percentage less than .500. On the other side of the grass, Los Angeles has dropped 12 of its last 17 interleague battles, five of its last seven in the first game of a series and 11 of its last 15 coming off a day of rest.
The Diamondbacks have a veteran lefty on the mound that is still in search of his first victory of the season. “Bum” has thrown well in his last two starts and he will finally get over the hump in this contest. Take Arizona with Bumgarner. Thanks and best of luck, Tom.
BIG AL’s NBA TOTAL OF THE YEAR (110-69 LAST 179)
Al McMordie’s an AWESOME 110-69 his last 179 Totals releases. And Big Al’s releasing the BIGGEST TOTALS PLAY of the entire season today, on Tuesday. It’s Big Al’s NBA TOTAL OF THE YEAR, and it’s backed by 21-9, 87-47 and 63-33 angles. If you enjoyed Big Al’s NBA Total of the Year Winner last season in the Raptors/Bucks series, then you KNOW what’s in store here. Don’t miss out.