TOM STRYKER’S FREE BASEBALL SELECTION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7TH
#951 MILWAUKEE with Lauer (-142) over Colorado with Freeland at 3:10 PM EST
After blowing a 6-1 lead and eventually falling to the Rockies 10-7 yesterday, the Brewers will bounce back with a strong performance here. Milwaukee is 3.0-games back in its hunt for an NL Wild Card spot and 8.5-games behind in the race for the NL Central title and manager Craig Counsell’s boys can’t afford a loss to a Colorado squad that is currently 21.0-games under the .500 mark.
Southpaw Eric Lauer will take the mound for the visitors. With 25 starts in the bank this season, No. 52 has been touched for only 56 earned runs and 123 hits in 142.1 innings of work. Lauer struck out 134 and walked 51 on his way to a 10-6 record with a 3.54 ERA. Eric is in good form too. In his last seven outings, Lauer was nicked for just 13 earned runs and 36 hits in 41.2 frames. After the math, that adds up to a 4-3 mark with a strong 2.81 ERA.
Left-hander Kyle Freeland will counter for the home team. So far this year, No. 21 has made 26 starts and been slapped for 78 earned runs and 163 hits in 147.2 innings. Freeland fanned 104 and issued 45 free passes on his way to a 7-9 tally with a soft 4.75 ERA. Pitching inside Coors Field has been a problem for Kyle too. In his own backyard, Freeland has been smashed for 49 earned runs and 91 hits in 72.1 frames. That’s bad enough for a 4-4 record with a feeble 6.10 ERA.
Several respectable team trends support this investment. Milwaukee has won eight of its last 11 as a guest facing a left-handed starter, four of its last five in the third game of a series, nine of its last 11 against the Rockies, and four of its last five coming off a loss. On the other side of the field, Colorado has slipped in 12 of its last 15 coming off a win and 16 of its last 21 in the third game of a series.
With 11 of their next 13 games at home, the Brew Crew need to finish with a dub over the Rocks in order to build a little steam going into that huge scheduling advantage. Take Milwaukee with Lauer. Thanks and best of luck, Tom.
TOM’S 35-17 MLB GRAND SLAM DIVISION SUPERPLAY
Stryker scooped up another nice payday on the M’s last night and he’s back with one more diamond investment that will deliver the cash. Solid pitching supports this Best Bet along with powerful history and one reliable 35-17 trend. Grab Tom’s MLB Grand Slam Division Superplay for $30.