Scott Pritchard
Matchup: Atlanta at Pittsburgh
Time: 7:05 PM EDT (Fri)
Listed pitchers must go: (R) HUDSON, T vs. (R) OHLENDORF, R
Play: Pittsburgh (ML +148)
Major league baseball Friday, the Pittsburgh Pirates are in Atlanta taking on the Braves. I like Pittsburgh as a very respectable dog. This price is simply too high as the Pirates will give Atlanta all they want and then some. The value is with Pittsburgh. Play the Pirates and see the cashier.
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Matchup: Tampa Bay at Houston
Time: 8:05 PM EDT (Fri)
Listed pitchers must go: (R) GARZA, M vs. (R) MYERS, B
Play: Houston (ML +170)
Major league baseball Friday, the Houston Astros are at home vs. the Tampa Bay Rays. I like the home team Astros to pull off the upset. I love what the Rays have done on the road up to this point. This is an overlay as the Rays are simply getting too much respect. Play the Astros and see the cashier.
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Matchup: L.A. Angels at St Louis
Time: 8:15 PM EDT (Fri)
Listed pitchers must go: (R) PINEIRO, J vs. (R) PENNY, B
Play: L.A. Angels (ML +145)
Major league baseball Friday, the Los Angeles Angels are in St. Louis taking on the Cardinals in interleague play. I like the Angels on the money-line. This will be a good game between these two teams and there is real value on the money-line with Los Angeles. Play the Angels and see the cashier.
Tim Trushel
Whitesox Under
NSA
20* SF -115
20* TB -165
20* Blackhawks -145
10* Philly -140
10* Yanks -155
10* Twins -165
Billy Coleman
3* SF/Oak under 7'
Bryan Leonard
Blue Jays at Diamondbacks
Pick: Blue Jays +155
Dan Haren continues to be priced as an elite starter even though his numbers clearly show he's off to a slow start. In his last seven starts he owns a less than impressive 5.09 ERA. At home this year he has a 5.88 ERA with a .290 opponent batting average against. His last five starts against Toronto haven't been any better, as witnessed by his 6.19 ERA against the Jays.
Toronto is a free swinging team that has had great success on the road this year. The Blue Jays are 14-7 away from home and 22-12 on the season against right-handed starters. After facing the pitching of Texas, Minnesota and Seattle the Jays won't be intimidated by Haren tonight.
The Diamondbacks are just 9-11 at home and 14-18 this season vs righty starters. Brandon Morrow has permitted three earned runs or less in 5 of his last 6 starts. He should find success against this young Arizona lineup.
PLAY TORONTO
John Ryan
Red Sox @ Phillies
Pick: Under 9
25* graded play Under Boston/Philadelphia set to start at 7:05 EST. Our proprietary sports handicapping model and simulator shows a high probability that 8 or fewer runs will be scored in this game. Let’s take a look at some of the game situations that reinforce the model grading for this play. Remember too, that the systems, game situations, and fundamentals MUST support/confirm the grading otherwise their is no play made. Boston is 17-5 UNDER (+11.0 Units) in road games versus a starting pitcher whose strikes out 5 or more batters per start over the last 2 seasons; 20-7 UNDER (+11.6 Units) vs. an AL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.400 to 1.500 since 1997. Boston starter Lackey is a solid 19-5 UNDER (+13.2 Units) in an inter-league game since 1997. Philies are 19-6 UNDER (+12.4 Units) as a home favorite of -125 to -150 over the last 2 seasons. Boston offense is batting just 258 and have not had a stolen base over the past 7 games. The ability of speed teams - like TB for example - to get on base puts significantly more pressure on the pitcher and defense. In this case, the lack of that speed and a LH starter in Hamels on the hill will make it near impossible for Boston to steel a base. That keeps the force and DP available for a very strong Phillies infield. Both bullpens are very strong with Philadelphia posting a season ERA of 3.78 and 2.84 over the past 7 games. Boston bullpen has posted a 3.20 ERA over the past 7 games and have one of the best closers in the game available tonight. The model projects that the starters (Lackey and Hamels) will complete a minimum of 12 or more innings. Should 12 innings be attained then there is a near certainty that the UNDER will win based on the model projections. Lackey has done well against LH batters this season and is expected to contain Utley/Howard/Ibanez tonight. Hamels will certainly have a lot of confidence entering this game knowing that the current members of the Red Sox have his just 213 spanning 61 AB. LH batters are hitting just 143 against Hamels. Take the UNDER.
Tom Freese
This is NOT his 15* INTERLEAGUE GAME OF THE WEEK (that play is bewteen Fla and White Sox) but his plays are still documented winners and this is a premium play. If I locate the play I of course will post.
Matchup: San Francisco at Oakland
Time: 10:05 PM EDT (Fri)
Listed pitchers must go: (L) ZITO, B vs. (R) CAHILL, T
Play: San Francisco (ML -105)
San Francisco starter Barry Zito has allowed 3 or less runs in all 8 of his starts this year. Zito has been on the winning side in 6 of those 8 starts this year. The Giants are 5-1 their last 6 Interleague games and they are 7-1 their last 8 games with Oakland. The A's pitcher Trevor Cahill has pitched past the sixth inning in just one start this year. The Athletics are 14-42 their last vs. a starter with WHIP of less than 1.15 and they are 0-5 their last 5 Interleague home games. PLAY ON SAN FRANCISCO (Zito vs. Cahill)
Jeff Benton
20 Dime: Royals
I’m not sure how long it’s going to last, but the managerial change the Royals made last week seems to be working. Since the day Trey Hillman got canned and Ned Yost took over, Kansas City has won six of its last eight games, and believe it or not a big reason has been pitching. The Royals have given up just 27 runs during this eight-game span (or 3.4 runs per game), and they’ve held eight of their last nine opponents to four runs or fewer, with a team ERA less than 3.70 during this stretch.
Granted, the schedule hasn’t been all that daunting over this span (Indians, White Sox and Orioles), but it’s not like the Rockies are anything special. Colorado has been the very definition of mediocre (20-20 overall this season; 9-11 last 20 games; 9-13 on the road). And if you take away stud pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez – who dominated the Astros in a 4-0 victory last night to improve to 8-1 in nine starts and end Colorado’s four-game road losing streak – the Rockies’ record drops to 12-19.
As for this pitching matchup, I’ll take Brian Bannister over Jason Hammel in a heartbeat. Bannister has been pretty inconsistent this season (5.09 ERA), but Hammel has been downright dreadful (7.71 ERA). And while Bannister has been solid at home (2-1, 3.70 ERA, including a 5-3 victory over the White Sox on Sunday), Hammel got destroyed in his two road starts (11 runs allowed in 8 2/3 innings at the Braves and Nationals).
Also, Bannister faced the Rockies twice in interleague play in 2007 and 2008 and gave up a combined three earned runs and eight hits in 12 innings, winning 10-5 in Denver and 8-4 at home. In fact, the Royals won five of six contests in those two series, including a three-game home sweep in ‘08.
Kansas City has the better offense right now (.282 batting average last 10 games vs. .243 for Colorado) and the better pitching staff (3.79 overall ERA, 3.24 bullpen ERA last 10 games vs. 3.92 overall ERA, 5.88 bullpen ERA for Colorado). So to get the Royals at a slight underdog is great value.
Chris Jordan
100 Dime Triple Play
Rays -1½
Twins -1½
Nationals -1½
TRACE ADAMS
1500♦ Highest-Rated MLB RUN LINE Game of the Year is to go with the Yankees -1 1/2 Runs over the Mets at Citi Field this Friday night. I have Vazquez and Takahashi as the listed starters. Both must start, or there is NO action on the relose.
500♦ Bonus Best Bet is Florida over the White Sox. Nolasco and Buehrle are schedoled to go, and again, both must start, or no action on the release.
The Yankees are plenty banged-up right now, with Posada, Johnson, and Granderson all sidelened with injuries, but this game tonight is ALL about Javier Vazquez showing the New York faithful that he belongs in pinstripes.
Even though he lost, Vazquez turned in a fine start on the 12th against the Tigers, working 7 innings of 2 run ball. He then earned a save on Monday against the Red Sox. Since that time, the Yankees have lost 3 in a row, and I just don't see the streak ballooning to 4 in a row against the Mets.
Yeah, New York got the win last night in Washington, but are still just 2-7 their last 9 games overall. The Mets will also give Hisanori Takahashi his first start of the season, as Takahashi has been used exclusively out of the bullpen up until tonight.
The Yanks went 5-1 against the Mets last season in IL ball, winning all 3 at Citi Field, I see no reoson not to think they can't roll in this game, as Vazquez comes to deal this evening, and the Yankees get their licks in against Takahashi in a big way, snapping their losing streak at 3.
RUN LINE play for 1500♦s on the Yankees with Vazquez over the Mets with Takahashi.
Your bonus 500♦ play is to go with the Marlins over the White Sox.
I have a feeling the Ozzie Guillen era is nearing its final days on the South Side, as the White Sox just continue to play middling at best baseball this season.
Starter Mark Buehrle was pushed back a day, and both of his wins this season have come at home, but the southpaw is just 2-5 for the year with an ERA over 5. Can't back him with the utmost confidence these days.
Florida has put the Hanley Ramirez flap behind them now, and they have been getting some solid results of late, winning 6 of their last 8 games.
Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco is a blistering 3-0 with a 1.76 ERA on the road this season, and he is also coming into this start off a home win to improve to 4-2 on the campaign.
I will side with the senior circuit on the road in this interleague contest on Friday.
AL DeMARCO
15 Dime play on the Dodgers and Billingsley -1 1 /2 Runs over the Detroit Tigers and Willis. Specify both starting pitchers in this contest, otherwise the play is null and void. As this play is released at around 10:00 AM Pacific, I see the Dodgers are between +110 and +115 on the run line here in Vegas and offshore.
5 Dime play on the Yankees and Vazquez - 1 1/2 Runs over the Mets and Takahashi. Again, specify pitchers. As I release this selection, the Yankees are around -120 on the run line.
5 Dime play on the Nationals and Olsen - 1 1/2 Runs over the Orioles and Hernandez. Again, specify the starters. Here the price is around Washington +130.
The Dodgers are on a 12-2 overall run and enter tonight's game against Detroit on a 9-4 tear at home. They've also won three of Billingsley's last four starts. His last two have been among his best - if not his best - of the season as he's allowed just two runs on seven hits while fanning 12 in 12.2 innings of work.
More importantly, this is a play AGAINST Dontrelle Willis, whose control problems have resurfaced again as he's walked 17 in his last three starts, a span covering 14.2 innings pitched. His last two outings he's lasted just 8.2 frames, allowing seven runs.
Willis never fared well against the Dodgers while pitching for the Marlins, going 1-5 with a 6.93 ERA in seven starts.
Javier Vazquez's second go-round with the Yankees has been just as rocky as his first, but I'm looking for him to put together a strong effort tonight against the Mets as he makes his first start in 10 days. His last was one of his best of the season, a seven-inning, five-hit, two-run effort against Detroit.
Vazquez's last start against the Mets, pitching for the Braves at the time, came last July and it was a gem as he worked seven innings and allowed just one run on six hits.
Both of these teams are struggling as the Yankees have dropped three straight and 8 of 12 while the Mets have lost eight of nine. But the differences between these two is huge in terms of talent and I've got to take the Yankees in this one. Plus, they're the proven Interleague performer going 133-95 versus the National League, the best record of any A.L. squad. By comparison the Mets were 5-10 verus the American League last season.
Scott Olsen has pitched well for the Nationals of late, going 2-0 in his last five starts with a 1.11 ERA, allowing just four earned runs in 32.1 innings, a stretch in which he's fanned 32 while walking only four.
Olsen's mound opponent tonight, David Hernandez, missed his last scheduled turn in the rotation because of a sore shoulder. The O's have dropped five of his seven outings this season and he's personally dropped 11 straight decisions dating back to last year. Hernandez is also 0-3 in four road starts with a 7.20 ERA. In seven starts overall this season his earned run average is 5.84 and he's allowed 61 baserunners in 37 innings worked.
The Orioles have been hitting the ball well, but they've still dropped five of their last six and I'll go against them tonight.
Scott Sprietzer
5* Angels
ATS Lock Club
12 Units Phillies -140
4 Units White Sox pk
4 Units Indians +105
KIKI SPORTS
1 Unit Cincinnati -125
1 Unit NY Mets +155
1 Unit Texas/ Cubs OVER 9
igz1 sports
3* Cincinnati -120