PADRES/GIANTS Under 8.5 ?110 - I believe that both of these starting pitchers have more ability than their early season numbers would suggest, and they will both be helped by facing an opposing offense tonight that has struggled against their respective arms. Wells actually pitched great in his Padres debut vs. these Giants, hurling 7 shutout innings while allowing 4 hits. However, the clunker he threw in his second start vs. the surprising Dodgers where he allowed 8 earned runs on 10 hits in 4 innings account for his current 6.55 ERA. I feel that his effort against San Francisco was a better indication of his true ability, and he is facing a Giants offense that is batting just .217 vs. left-handed pitching overall including an anemic .167 here at home! Similarly, the Padres are hitting substantially lower vs. right-handers (.250) than vs. left-handers (.395) on the road, which should benefit Williams here. Also, Williams pitched very well in 3 starts vs. the Padres last season, posting a 2.25 ERA with an excellent 1.05 ratio in 20 innings of work.
