David Malinsky
4* SAN FRANCISCO over L.A. DODGERS
The Giants are simply much better than the Dodgers right now, and while the sting of that major * shift from last night’s 9th inning Run Line reversal will linger for us for a while, we can at least recoup a major part of that in this setting, as one of the hottest teams in the Major Leagues (the San Francisco run is at 18-5) takes on a floundering side that has gone 5-10 since the All Star break, including 1-7 on the road, and only maintaining that weak pace because the pitching staff threw a shutout in four of the wins. One of those shutouts came from Chad Billingsley against these Giants, but instead of a repeat performance today we see a major turnaround.
Because of the suspension to Clayton Kershaw, Billingsley is going on three days rest for the first time in his career, and that issue is magnified in going from a night start on Tuesday to this afternoon affair, making his rest even shorter. A San Francisco offense that leads the N.L. in runs in July was productive on Friday, and gets the third look at Billingsley in less than five weeks, which means some good swings at an arsenal that will not be at 100 percent.
Meanwhile Barry Zito suffered the loss against Billingsley in Los Angeles last week, but performed well, holding the game at 1-0 into the 8th inning. Zito has come out with a sharp 2.08 in three starts since the All Star break, with his command showing in a sharp ratio of 17 K’s vs. only six W’s, and for the full season it has been a 6-2/2.65 from this mound. The Dodgers do not bring much right-handed punch to the park without Manny Ramirez, scoring just 12 runs in six games vs. left-handed starters since the All Star break, and the momentum for each of these teams continues in the same direction this afternoon.
Al DeMarco
10 Dimes White Sox
5 Dimes Blue Jays
KEITH FREDRICK
Dodgers at Giants
Pick: Giants -110
Dodgers come in losers of three in a row while the Giants are 7-2 in their last nine games, but the real reason I am taking the Giants here is that Barry Zito deserved a lot better than he got in his last start, as he made just two mistakes the whole night, and it cost him three runs, and after that the usually reliable Giant bullpen could not hold down the fort enough for the offense to come all the way back. Things even out in a baseball season, and see Barry get the better end of things here tonite.
Jeff Benton
20 DIME - HOUSTON ASTROS
In Wandy Rodriguez I trust.
After a rough start to the season – he was 3-10 with a 6.09 ERA as of June 18, Rodriquez has turned his season around in a big way, posting a 5-1 record and a 2.31 ERA in his last six trips to the mound. And if you eliminate a five-run, six-inning performance against the Cubs at Wrigley Field – he won that game 11-5 after Houston staked him to an 8-0 run lead in the third inning, giving Rodriguez the green light to serve up fastball after fastball – he surrendered just five runs in his other five starts covering 33 innings (1.36 ERA).
Rodriguez is coming off a dominating 4-0 home victory over the Reds – and when I say dominating, I mean Cincinnati managed just one run and two walks while striking out seven times in seven innings. In fact, the southpaw’s strikeout-to-walk ratio during his 5-1 run is 34-9!
Rodriguez is just 6-6 with a 4.48 ERA in his career against Milwaukee (16 games, 15 starts), but those numbers are pretty misleading. For one thing, he schooled the Brew Crew in Wisconsin back on June 30, rolling to a 5-1 win after yielding just a run and seven hits in seven innings. For another thing, he’s been lights out against the Brewers in Houston the last few years, giving up just two runs in 19 innings in three starts.
As much as I trust Houston’s starting pitcher in this contest, I do not trust Milwaukee’s Dave Bush. He’s been walking a tightrope all season. As a matter of fact, he’s lucky that he’s ONLY just 5-8 with a 4.27 ERA on the season, as he’s got a 1.51 WHIP and his batting average-against is .285 (meaning he’s not missing many bats).
Finally, the Astros are swinging the better sticks, batting .275 over its previous 10 games (including .288 against right-handed pitchers), while the Brewers are hitting just .246 over a 10-game stretch (.222 vs. lefties). Also, Milwaukee had dropped three straight and is just 2-7 in its last nine games against left-handed starters, while Houston has won three in row and four of five.
Al DeMarco
5 Dimes Blue Jays
Should be 5 Dimes Blue Jays -1.5
KELSO
50 Units Chicago White Sox -155
10 Units Arizona Diamondbacks +135
10 Units New York Yankees +105
10 Units San Francisco Giants -110
5 Unit PARLAY: New York Yankees & San Francisco Giants
ATS LOCK CLUB
5 Units Minnesota Twins
4 Units New York Yankees
EXECUTIVE
400% Tampa Bay Rays
BOB BALFE
Philadelphia Phillies -126
The Phillies were on a huge winning streak until last night, but they still are a much better team than Washington and should continue to gain ground on the Braves in the NL East. Look for the Phillies to jump out to an early lead behind Joe Blanton and never look back. Take the Phillies.
Power Play Wins
SD Padres
DAVID BANKS
Reds -109
Giants -110
White Sox -145
Mariners -107
Rockies -139
Padres -107
The Duke's Sports
Cincinnati (-105) for 2 Units
The Reds have won their last 4 in game 2 of a series and won 9 of their last 12 on Saturday; today, we'll look for Bronson Arroyo to come through with a solid performance; after all, he has held opponents to a .190 average in the month of July with a respectable 3.38 ERA. And his ERA in daytime play is a decent 3.37. On the other hand, Jair Jurrjens has experienced trouble in daytime action (7.27 ERA) and the road has not been kind to him with a 7.88 ERA. Furthermore, the Great American Ball Park has been his nemesis with a 9.95 ERA there in 2 starts. And throw in the fact that the Braves are just 1-4 with him on the mound on Saturdays, we'll look for the Reds to deliver here.
Lenny Del Genio
Vegas Icon - White Sox
The Sox won the first game of the series last night 6-1, making it five straight wins. The loss by the A’s saw them slip back to the .500 mark on the season. Tonight a pair of lefties square off in Chicago with Braden for the A’s and Danks for the Sox. Braden has a decent 3.77 ERA on the season but has only a 7-10 team start record. He’s had his troubles on the road this season with a 5.03 ERA and 1-5 team start mark. Danks has been consistent all season with a 3.23 overall ERA, but at home he’s been very tough posting a 2.54 ERA and impressive 0.974 WHIP. The Sox are hitting the baseball and finally giving Danks some support as he has posted a 3-0 team start record in his last three starts. Danks has faced these A’s three times here in Chicago and he’s a perfect 3-0 allowing only 3 earned runs in 20 innings of work. As mentioned Danks has a very good WHIP and the A’s struggle against pitchers who’s WHIP is 1.20 or less posting an awful 9-31 record. Meanwhile, the Sox love playing teams like Oakland that don’t hit very many home runs. Chicago is 18-4 this season against teams hitting less than one homer per game. Danks pitches the Sox to another winner today.
Larry Ness
Run-Line Rout - Red Sox -1.5
AL GOY - White Sox
Anthony Redd
75 Dime Phillies -1.5