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Bit of a massive pitching mis-match on view today, though Buckner's last start was't quite as bad as his season ERA suggests, and we'll see if his cut fastball is as effective as it occasionally seemed in his previous outing. Well, I use the word "see" in a collective sense: it's IZW tonight, so that means Sprankton is on the recap. We're not at The Sets - the venue closed abruptly last week - so I'll not even be able to peek at it on TV and will have to remain distressingly sober, as the new location for IZW is also dry. Sheesh.
Anyway, back at Chase may not be the best place for Buckner to pitch, and that's putting it mildly. In seven games (four starts) in Phoenix, here is his combined line:
Buckner: 21.1 IP. 39 H, 8 HR, 9 BB, 18 K, 34 ER, 14.34 ERA
Opposing him is Kershaw who, curiously, has exactly the same result and record (1-1, four runs allowed over twelve innings) in his two starts against Arizona this season - both also in Chavez Ravine. This will be the first time he's pitched in Chase, but his home and road ERA are almost identical. I can't say I am feeling particularly confident here, even though he's on my fantasy roster, which would normally be the kiss of death. I am quite willing to take one for the (rotisserie) team and accept a loss - we'll need some hits with runners in scoring position for that - and those have been notable by their absence lately.
Line-up
- Stephen Drew SS
- Gerardo Parra LF
- Justin Upton RF
- Mark Reynolds 3B
- Miguel Montero C
- Chris Young CF
- Brandon Allen 1B
- Augie Ojeda 2B
- Billy Buckner P