If I Can't Pronounce His Name, He Sucks!

Our first MLB series play of the postseason. This one was a no-brainer:

Milwaukee Brewers +164 (Matchbook), 2 units to win 3.28 units.

Let's pretend an extremely promising young pitcher has missed most of the regular season due to injury. His team's fanbase (not to mention fantasy owners everywhere) was crushed when he went down early in the season, with some even writing off the season. Despite the setback, the team rallied to make the playoffs, and the elite young pitcher returned just in time for the postseason.

If the player in question was, say, 22 year old Joba Chamberlain, and he was coming back to rejoin the New York Yankees, we'd be hearing all about how he will provide a huge boost, how this changes the dynamic of the series, and how he could well be the "X Factor" that pushes his team to the top.

But if the player in question is 22 year old Yovani Gallardo, we get articles about how he's the youngest Game One starter ever.

Everyone is falling all over themselves to pick the Phillies. Meanwhile, Myers has been in a tailspin for the last month, and the best thing you'll ever hear about Moyer is that he's "reliable." There are two days off in this five-game set, meaning that the Brewers will start Sabathia twice and may even get two starts (or one start and one or two bullpen appearances) out of Gallardo. That doesn't even account for the possibility that Ben Sheets might return at some point.

I see this series as a push, maybe slightly favoring the Phillies (they have a bullpen edge, although not as substantial an edge as people think, and a small hitting edge). +164 is significant value no matter how you slice it.