Chopping Lines: Peavy’s Big Adventure

READ MORE: Chopping Lines, Chris Carpenter, Jake Peavy, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals

1 p.m.

St.Louis Cardinals

Best Line: SD +184, STL -178

It’s a glorious afternoon for baseball. If only it were a bit colder outside, then we’d be absolutely perfect. The first game of the second season features the aformentioned Chris “Gamer” Carpenter versus Jake Peavy. If there’s a game the Padres can take, this is it. Peavy’s all gutsy and gritty, whereas Carpenter has taken the last month off because, well, he could. And what does he have to prove anyway? After two good seasons, he’s a Hall of Famer. Ahem. He’ll prove something if he can switch gears today. Unfortunatley, the Padres lineup has really nothing to fear—unless you’re of the mindset that Ryan Klesko is still “scary” and not in the Scott Engel sense, either. The Padres have as much momentum as they’ve had all year and the Cardinals are primed for a first game let-down. Even the drooling Cardinal kids with leg-braces and hockey helmets are worried. One ape says Padres.

PICK!: SD +180

MLB Betting: If I Were a Chris Carpenter…

READ MORE: Chris Carpenter, Jake Peavy, MLB Betting, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals

With St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter pitching extraordinary throughout 85% of the year, it’s a little foolish to think that his September fart-bubbles should impact how most people are betting the first game of the Cardinals/San Diego Padres game tonight. But that is the case, according to Covers, which says the somewhat reasonable -190 pricetag on the Cardinals this evening is a sign that something’s up. Covers’ expert Brian Gabrielle admits he’s a little chafed by the drop in price.

“I’m a little surprised how low the line is. I’d have put [his odds] at –250. The only think that scares me is that he might be hurt and as a bettor, I’m just worried that someone knows something that I don’t.”

We can only assume it’s two factors: 1.) Padres starter Jake Peavy is a stud; 2.) Chris Carpenter pretty much admitted he’d been mailing it in throughout September—“Granted, as a competitor, the games mean a lot to you. But we clinched, and there was nothing on the line anymore, everybody was talking about who we’re going to play and what day we’re going to play and where, all that stuff. You lose a tiny little edge and you get beat.”

Wow, he sounds like a gamer. Just like Pete Rose, only without the hustle and pride part.

Carpenter’s Collapse Puzzles Sharps [Covers]
The Very Huge Major League Baseball Playoff Preview [BlackTable]