Rockies -164 (3* Early Bird Special)
Barry Zito going for the Giants is never a good sign and the lefty has a 9.31 ERA in his last two starts vs. the Rockies who return home where they had the 6th best OPS last year .796 and that was despite having injuries. The offensive additions of Scutoro and Cuddyer are going to be huge in my opinion. Jhoulyis Chacin makes his first start and he could be the best pitcher on this staff. Chacin had a 2.91 ERA in 5 starts in April last year and has 3.57 ERA at home where he seemed to be more consistent. Chacin also had 3 starts in 2011 vs. the Giants posting a 3.38 ERA and in 6 career starts posts a 2.79 ERA. Giants have 89 AB a .213 average and .652 OPS vs. Chacin. Zito wonât be as lucky vs. the Rockies.
Zito had a 7.91 ERA this spring and as we mentioned he had a couple rough starts in 2010 at Coors Field and we donât see it getting any easier today. When the Rockies are healthy they can bop lefties good at home. The addition of Scutoro and Cuddyer only solidifies that. I see Rockies winning easily.
Brewers -126 4.5* MLB POD
Marcum who struggled in just 2 starts this spring, but he has a career ERA over 5 I Spring and has always been solid in April posting a 2.21 ERA last year and 2.80 over the last 3 years combined. He also had a MLB best 2.21 ERA in 16 road starts last year. Cubs have a combined 63 AB with a .143 average and a .460 OPS vs. Marcum who had 8 IP and 1 ER at Wrigley last year. I expect a similar game considering the Cubs offense which was ranked 18th last year in OPS vs. RHP.
Brewers on the other hand should be in good shape as they face off against Chris Volstad. Volstad has a career 5.63 ERA in 3 starts at Wrigley and he had a 5.32 ERA last April. Volstad has never been good early in the year and I expect the Brewers to jump on him early today. Aramis Ramirez returns to Wrigley after playing nearly a decade. Ramirez is a big key considering he is 6-12 with a HR vs. Volstad.
