Mike Lineback
White Sox
Nats/O's Over 9
Reds -1.5
Indians/Reds Over 9.5
Dodgers +1.5
Giants
POWER PLAY WINS
FLORIDA
Bob Akmens
20* Atlanta Braves
TEDDY COVERS
Indians/Reds Over 9
Andrew Powers Guaranteed Selections
POWER PLAY BASEBALL CHALK EATER BLOWOUT WINNER
Cincinnati w/Harang -190
Jeff Benton
15 DIME SAN DIEGO PADRES
San Diego just took two of three at Tampa Bay against one of the best teams in baseball and now heads south a few hundred miles to face the Marlins. The Padres continue to own the best record in the National League at 42-30, including a rock-solid 19-14 on the road. Best of all, no team in baseball has been as profitable as surprising San Diego, and that’s both overall and on the road!
At the same time, the Marlins saw their three-game winning streak snapped with last night’s 11-5 loss at Baltimore. Since an 8-2 run in mid May, Florida is just 13-18 over its last 31 games, which cost manager Freddy Gonzalez his job this week.
Not only are the Padres a superior ballclub, but they have the starting pitching edge here, too, with southpaw Clayton Richard (4-4, 2.93 ERA) matching up against Marlins right-hander Chris Volstad (4-6, 4.39 ERA). How good has Richard been this season? He has allowed more than three runs in a game just twice all season (and he gave up four earned runs each in those two “bad” outings). Put it another way, Richard has held six of his last eight opponents to two earned runs or fewer. He’s also been sensational on the road, going 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA.
What about Volstad? Here’s all you need to know: Over his last three starts, he’s allowed 11 runs (10 earned) in 15 2/3 innings (5.74 ERA). And over Volstad’s last eight starts, the Marlins have exactly one victory (losing all four of his home starts). In fact, Florida is just 4-10 with Volstad on the hill this season (2-5 at home).
The last time the Padres were in South Beach (back in late April), they took two of three from the Marlins, and San Diego is 4-2 in the last six meetings (all in Florida). That includes a 9-5 victory over Volstad last August. In fact, the visitor is 10-4 in the last 14 battles in this rivalry.
Bottom line: The oddsmakers are crazy calling this a pick-em game. Then again, the oddsmakers have missed badly on the Padres all season long – and tonight is no different.
TIM TRUSHEL
20* NY Mets Under
ERIN RYNNING
20* SF Giants Under
RAS
Mercury/Sun Under 185.5
Indiana Fever +6
Connecticut Sun -4
Bob Valentino
40 Dime New York Yankees -1½
AL DeMARCO
5 DIME Philadelphia -1.5
5 DIME Milwaukee -1.5
5 DIME NY Mets
LARRY NESS
10* Club-80 Play LA Angels
The Angels were not able to sweep the Dodgers for the second time in less than two weeks last night, losing 10-6. However, they are still an impressive 17-7 since Kendry Morales broke his leg in a home plate celebration back on May 29. That's the good news. The bad news is that the Rangers have won 11 straight and lead the AL West by 4 1/2 games. The Rockies come to Anaheim off taking two of three from Boston, although they lost a near five hour game last night (13-11 in 10 innings), in which Jason Hammel's improbable scoreless streak ended at 28.1 innings. The Rockies had entered last night's game having won five of six and eight of 11. Similar to the Angels, they are chasing division-leading San Diego by four games but unlike the Angels, have two other teams (Dodgers and Giants) in between them and the top spot in the NL West. The Rockies are in a tough spot here, traveling off last night's four hour and 48-minute game, one in which the team pounded out 18 hits while scoring 11 runs but still LOST. Note that during the current season, the Rockies are just 2-10 in games following them scoring eight runs or more in the previous game (that's an 83% "go-against stat!). Jeff Francis takes the hill for Colorado and Jered Weaver for the Angels. Francis went 17-9 with a 4.22 ERA that season, as the Rockies went 22-12 in his starts (plus-$1,094 moneyline mark was second-best in MLB). He became the first Canadian starting pitcher to win a postseason game by beating the Phillies that year and also became the first Canadian starting pitcher to pitch in the World Series. He struggled with soreness in his pitching shoulder most of 2008 and finished 4-10 with a 5.01 ERA. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder on February of 2009 and missed all of last season. He didn't get back on the mound in the majors until May 16 of this year. He opened with two excellent outings (13.1 IP / 1 ER / 0.68 ERA) but over his last five starts, has posted a 4.60 ERA (he's 1-2 and the team 3-2_. Weaver has been LA's best pitcher in 2010, going 7-3 with a 3.04 ERA. He's got a 1.85 ERA at home, where the Angels are 4-2 in his starts. So what else is new? Since 'EXPLODING' on the scene back in 2006 (11-2 with a 2.56 ERA as a rookie), the Angels are 43-19 (.694) in all of Weaver's home starts (including the postseason). He's 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in three interleague starts this year (26-3 KW ratio) and is facing a Colorado team which has been poor all season long in road night games, going 7-16 while averaging just 3.8 RPG. It all comes together here for an easy Angels win.
FREDDY WILLS
4* Giants
1* Giants +1.5