MLB Picks: April 30th 2012
Seattle Mariners vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Pick: Seattle Mariners +118
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Free Play from Doc’s Sports: Take #971 Seattle over Tampa Bay (7:10pm est): Alarms are going off everywhere right now for Seattle starter Felix Hernandez, one of the game’s best starting pitchers the last five plus years or so. Hernandez velocity is way down from years past to start this season but his results have not been effected despite this. In fact Hernandez has been better than usual to start his season with 33 strikeouts to only 8 walks given up and jas an ERA of just 2.48. The Mariners usually struggle in any type situation because of their lack of offensive production but they are 5-1 in the last six Hernandez starts and an even harder to believe 17-8 when they have gone up against the AL East the last 25 times.

Tampa Bay comes into this one off another tough series as they not only battled the A.L. champions and arguably the best team in baseball, the Texas Rangers this past weekend but they did so late into last night and now are being asked to turn around, jump on a plane after that game and play this contest here tonight back at home in less than 24 hours. That is never an easy thing to do as the schedule maker wasn’t very kind here in this spot, making the Rays play in this one without a day off for travel here after playing late into last night. They go with the one guy that just seems to defy all logic in Jeremy Hellickson in this one. Hellickson doesn’t strike many guys out, he walks way more than he should and he also tends to leave the ball up in the zone too much. Despite all of this he has pitched well again this season but in my eyes he is playing with fire to say the least.

Getting one of the game’s best pitchers not only at this price but in a spot where the home team had to travel late last night and then play today, is as good as it gets from a scheduling spot in MLB. Play Seattle here in this one. Do not miss Doc’s Sports NHL and NBA card on Monday. We have been on a nice run of late and these are must have selections for any big game hunter.