Wednesday MLB Picks
The 2008 MLB Season wages on with a full list of games on Wednesday. Our team of writers and handicappers gathered three of their top picks for the day.
Texas Rangers (61-59) at Boston Red Sox (69-51)
The Boston Red Sox bolstered their rotation so they won’t have to outslug opponents as they did in their last contest.
One day after acquiring a veteran starting pitcher, the Red Sox hope reliable Jon Lester can help them to a seventh straight victory over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.
Texas’ Luis Mendoza (3-5, 7.50) hopes for a better outing than Scott Feldman, who allowed 12 runs in 2 2-3 innings Tuesday.
Mendoza, 2-5 with an 8.78 ERA in 10 starts, allowed five runs and six hits in three innings of a 9-1 loss at Baltimore on Friday. The right-hander yielded seven runs in three innings of an 11-3 loss to Boston on April 18 in his only appearance versus the Red Sox.
Pick: Boston – View game matchup | Best line -235 SBG Global
Seattle Mariners (45-74) at Los Angeles Angels (75-43)
As a rookie three seasons ago, Ervin Santana was hit hard in losing two outings against the Seattle Mariners. Santana must have learned something, though, as he hasn’t lost to them since.
He’ll try to win his third straight start Wednesday and improve to 3-0 against the Mariners this season as the Los Angeles Angels go for a sixth straight win and two-game sweep in Anaheim.
Seattle’s Felix Hernandez (7-7, 2.94) is 0-1 in his last four outings despite a 2.88 ERA. He was outstanding Thursday against Tampa Bay, yielding one run in eight innings of a 2-1 victory.
Hernandez has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 11 straight starts.
The right-hander won his lone start against Los Angeles this year, giving up four runs in 6 2-3 innings of an 8-5 win April 11. He improved to 3-4 with a 4.79 ERA in nine starts versus the Angels.
Pick: LA Angels – View game matchup | Best line -145 SBG Global
New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins
Avoiding a season-high fifth straight loss was a start for the New York Yankees. Stringing some wins together, however, is the only way baseball’s most expensive team is going to make up ground in the playoff race.
The Yankees look to finish a disappointing road trip on a positive note Wednesday afternoon when they conclude a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins.
Should Mauer return, he will be looking for his first career hit against New York’s Darrell Rasner (5-8, 5.28 ERA), who moves back into a starting role. The struggling right-hander gave up three runs and five hits over 4 1-3 innings in the Yankees’ 10-5 loss to the Angels on Friday in his first relief appearance since Sept. 24, 2006.
Rasner is 1-4 with a 6.82 ERA in his last six starts, failing to pitch more than six innings in any of those outings. He was tagged for five runs and seven hits over four innings in his most recent start, a 14-9 loss to the Angels on Aug. 3.
Rasner faced the Twins on July 22, yielding two runs, four hits and four walks in 5 2-3 innings of his team’s 8-2 victory. He is 1-1 with a 3.71 ERA in three career starts against Minnesota.
Pick: Minnesota – View game matchup | Best line -110 SBG Global
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