Saturday, June 16th

9:05 Arizona @ Los Angeles Angels

Arizona was able to take the first game of the series last night winning 5 – 0 with Trevor Cahill going 7 innings and allowing no runs.  Tonight we are expecting the same outcome as last night.

Joe Saunders is on the mound tonight for the Arizona Diamondbacks.  He has had a rollercoaster of a year which results in a 4 – 4 record and a 3.48 ERA.  Saunders started the year giving up only 3 earned runs in his first for starts which included a complete game shut out at Miami on April 27^th.  In May it was a completely different story going 1 -2 and posting a 6.12 ERA.  Saunders has started to get back on track though recently with a 2.50 ERA in his last three starts.

Ervin Santana seems to be going in the wrong direction as the year progresses.  In his last three starts he has given up at least 5 runs and in his last two starts he has given up 7 earned runs.  His ERA in his last five games is an 8.54, giving up 25 runs in 26 1/3 innings pitched.

With the pitchers heading in opposite directions this presents us with a prime opportunity to pounce a bad line.  Joe Saunders will continue to improve on his ERA that took a huge hit in May and Ervin Santana should continue to struggle recording outs.  This would normally be categorized as an Underdog Special, but with the higher degree in certainty in this game I am upgrading the play to a Best Play. 

Projected score: Arizona 7 – Los Angeles Angels 4

Pick: Best Play Arizona Diamondbacks (+131)

Let's get a victory! -DC