I haven’t posted a free opinion here in a while. Here’s a short write-up in support of a big underdog that looks live tonight; just missing the cut for an ‘official’ play on my card this evening.
Tuesday, April 21
Cincinnati @ Chicago (Owings vs. Harden)
Recommendation: Take Cincinnati
Rich Harden and the Chicago Cubs look more than a little bit overpriced today as big home favorites against Micah Owings and the streaking Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs are 0-2 with Harden on the mound this year, including a loss as a -200 favorite against the lowly Colorado Rockies in his last outing. The Cubs went 0-2 in Harden’s last two starts last year as well, including a poorly pitched playoff defeat at the hands of the LA Dodgers.
Harden needed 92 pitches to get through three innings of work, allowing five hits, four walks and four runs in the process. Harden: “I might have felt too good and tried to do too much. I have to pace myself and learn to slow things down. Sometimes I start getting too quick.”
Cincinnati is in great current form, an emerging young team playing with confidence early in the season. The Reds have won six of their last eight; with Joey Votto delivering the game winning hit in Houston last night. Votto, talking about the team’s newfound confidence: “It feels great to beat a team in our division and to win on the road. The best part of it was I don’t think a single player on the bench was concerned when we were behind.”
Cincinnati’s Micah Owings has been inconsistent through two seasons as a Diamondback. But Owings has nasty stuff, with eight quality starts in his first ten trips to the hill last year before his season went south. Owings also started ’07 in great form, allowing only ten runs in his first five starts. No surprise here if Owings puts the Reds in position to cash a big underdog ticket tonight.
Take Cincinnati +200
