RudyNYCSports MLB Play of the Day - 5/10/2011 Season Record: 16-13, +2.28 units
----------------------------------------
[B][U]Play for Tuesday Night:[/U]
07:10 PM EDT
919 Tampa Bay Rays – A. Sonnanstine +122
920 Cleveland Indians – J. Tomlin -132
The play: [U]Indians -132[/U] (2.0 Units)[/B]
----------------------------------------
The Indians starter Josh Tomlin is quietly one of the best young pitchers in the game without the same fanfare as others. Why? Cleveland! Tomlin has mastered a 4-1 record with a 2.43 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and a .174 BAA. He is 3-0 at home. He has the lowest WHIP of any starter in MLB and the third lowest BAA. The Rays starter, if that is what we have to call him, Andy Sonnanstine has been a reliever this season as he gets the start for an injured Jeff Niemann. Sonnanstine has been miserable against the Indians in the past when he was predominately a starter. His stats against the Indians look like this: 3-3, 9.51 ERA, 1.77 WHIP and .343 BAA. Sonnanstine will be on an 80 pitch count and then turn the ball over to a relief staff that at first glance appears to have done a fine job. But we believe they have not been tested. Rays manager Joe Maddon has been allowing his starters to go long and for good reason as Price, Shields, Davis and Hellickson have all been superior. Now he will have to rely on his ‘untested’ bullpen to help clean a potential mess left behind by Sonnanstine against a red hot Indians team who are returning home to a 13-2 record on their field. The Tribe beat the Rays 18 straight in Cleveland before dropping two late last season and has won 21 of the last 28 against the Rays in Cleveland. Expect a huge crowd welcoming home the first place Indians on a beautiful night in Cleveland. They will be cheering on this 2011 surprise team and so will we.
GL,
Rudy
