Philadelphia Phillies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Odds & Pick: April 24th 2010

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Free MLB Pick: Philly +110 MLB odds
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Arizona got off to a good start this year in large part due to a favorable opening week schedule, drawing Pittsburgh and San Diego at home. Since winning those two series, the D-backs have gone 3-7, and they look very much like a team that could go 3-7 in their next ten games as well. Yet, the betting markets overvalued this team right from the get-go, giving us ample opportunity to fade the D-backs here against superior competition.

Arizona starter Ian Kennedy won his first big league start, back on September 1, 2007. He’s failed to notch a single victory since that game. The Yankees gave up on him this past offseason, and his first two starts of 2010 were not pretty: nine earned runs allowed in 9.1 innings of work.

Even a solid showing against the light hitting Padres in Kennedy’s last outing didn’t equate with a victory for the D-backs Arizona’s struggling bullpen, ranked dead last out of 30 MLB teams in ERA, blew yet another late inning lead. Manager AJ Hinch: “It takes 27 outs, not 21, not 24. It’s no fun down there right now. It’s going to take some resilience from us to get through this.” Facing a potent Phillies lineup (top 5 in MLB in runs scored this year), look for the D-backs woes to continue on Saturday. 2* Take Philadelphia.