Mulder, Astacio

[Valuist]

Some interesting splits on these two:

Mulder (home) 17-5 3.21 (road) 13-13 5.19
6.16 ERA vs Texas

Astacio (home) 15-15 6.74 (road) 22-19 3.85--of course these numbers are distorted by Coors Field but a sub 4.00 ERA on the road is pretty good. Also, he's 5-1 the past 3 seasons vs the Cubs.

 

[loophole]

i'm still a novice at baseball capping, but i also like texas and the mets today. on the flip side of the stats you note above, davis is 5-1 overall vs oakland, and cruz has never made it past the 6th in his short career. with farnsworth out with a stress fracture in his foot, cubbie's bullpen will be shorthanded when the inevitable call comes this afternoon. good luck with your plays today.

 

[Valuist]

You're exactly right about Cruz. He's got great stuff but apparently little stamina and I expect him not to finish the 6th inning. Farnsworth was really the key guy in the Cubs pen last year. Fassero looks finished.

 

[johnnyonthespot]

Be careful with this one . . .

Be careful with this one . . .

Yes, Farnsworth was the guy last year for the Cubs, and Fassero IS finished, but I doubt we'll see him 2 days in a row. Borowski and Osborne have looked good thus far and when Cruz left after 4 and a third in his last start, the bullpen didn't allow another run (granted it was against the Reds). Also, the Mets have never seen Cruz before.

I think the better bet is under 11.5, as the Cubs offense is just plain horrible right now and you're right that they haven't had much recent success against Astacio, so the only way I see the total going over is if Cruz just gets absolutely shelled or the bullpen completely collapses. I think this game will follow suit of the 2 previous, with each team maybe scoring in the 4-5 run area, but no more.

 

[Valuist]

Hey Johnnyonthespot--

Are you near the track? I've spent many, many days there. Actually I'm not too far away myself (Mt. Prospect).

 

[johnnyonthespot]

Small world

Small world

Yeah, I'm about 5-10 minutes north. I've only lived there since January but I grew up in Glen Ellyn, so I have also spent my share of days there.

Don't have too much luck there, though, and every year I vow not to return. And every year, I break that vow . . .

 

[BIG GAME HUNTER]

If i am correct Farnsworth is out two weeks, i thought i saw that this morning, and as for the under looks good, i am just worried the mets bats are about to explode. just a thought.

 

[Valuist]

Mulder definitely is a different pitcher on the road; and there could still be some value on Astacio since his stats are deceiving thanks to those years at Coors. He looked pretty good today.