TOM STRYKER’S FREE BASEBALL SELECTION MONDAY, JULY 11TH
#910 SAN FRANCISCO with Cobb (-164) over Arizona with Kelly at 9:45 PM EST
With plenty of steam off a pair of road wins over the Padres, the Giants will stay hot and scoop up another victory at home against the Diamondbacks. Arizona enters this NL West battle on a 1-4 run, and this will be a tough spot for manager Torey Lovullo and his boys.
Hitting the hill for the host will be right-hander Alex Cobb. So far this season, No. 38 has made 12 starts for the Gints and allowed 30 earned runs and 62 hits in 57.0 innings. Cobb whiffed 59 and walked 16 on his way to a 3-3 record with a 4.74 ERA. Alex’s efforts in his own backyard have been solid. At home, Cobb has been nipped for 12 earned runs and 31 hits in 31.1 frames. That shakes down to a 2-3 tally and a respectable 3.45 ERA.
Righty Merrill Kelly will counter for the visitors. With 17 starts in the books, No. 29 has allowed 37 earned runs and 86 hits in 97.1 innings. Kelly whiffed 80 and walked 34 on his way to a 7-5 record with a 3.42 ERA. Merrill’s last three outings (all D’Backs losses) against the Giants haven’t gone well either. According to our database, Merrill has been ripped for seven earned runs and 16 hits in 16.1 frames. That shakes down to an 0-1 mark with a 3.86 ERA.
History will be all over the home team in this battle. San Francisco has won 43 of its last 62 in this series including a stunning 17 of the last 21 in its own backyard. On the other side of the field, Arizona has dropped 99 of its last 144 coming off a loss, 70 of its last 96 when matched up against division foes, and 46 of its last 59 as a guest fighting a foe that holds a team won/loss percentage greater than .500.
Resting 2.0-games over the .500 mark and 12.5-games back in the NL West, the Giants need to pick up the pace at home (21-20 this year) or they won’t come close in the race for the division title. Take San Francisco with Cobb. Thanks and best of luck, Tom.
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