Bob Balfe
South Africa DRAW
France should be ashamed of themselves for their poor play and unprofessional attitute towards their coach and country. South Africa is not on the same level as France but, in their last game of the World Cup, I expect them to play well and to force a draw against a lazy French team with nothing really to play for and no heart. Take the DRAW (+235).
Uruguay +300
The South American teams have been dominant so far and we are going to stick with that trend today. Mexico is a great team, but they do not have the physical strength in their lineup to be able to compete with some of the better countries. Look for Uruguay to do just enough to just sneak by for the upset. Take Uruguay.
Argentina -1
Greece played well in their second game, but the big boys of Argentina have too much speed and talent. The Greeks have a pretty good FIFA ranking, which will drop after this world cup as their talent is on the decline. Argentina has what it takes to win the World Cup and the Greeks will meet their match today. Take Argentina to win by more than a goal.
South Korea +130
The African teams have been disappointments at the World Cup, but they never really had much talent going into it. South Korea has come along way and needs a win today to advance in this group. They have the ability to upset a big powerhouse in the next round as well, so I think this is a team we need to watch out for. Take South Korea with the upset.
Texas Rangers -1.5
The Ranges are the hottest team in baseball and are facing the worst road team in the league. Pittsburgh has zero offense and even less when playing on the road. Ohlendorf has yet to win a game and I don't expect much to change today going against Hunter who has consistently pitched great. Take the Rangers runline.
JR O'Donnell
3* Padres +106
40-29 San Diego Padres +106 get JR O's G O W call as M. Latos 7-4, 3.19 ERA and quietly a 88% stat winner the last 7 as he has been light's out. He is East Coast major sharp side move! The Rays are really struggling right now as they have lost 7- 10 and limp into this series. TB Wade Davis at 5-7 and 4.94 ERA will not be the answer as the Padres have confidence to win tonight . Let's play the Padres as the T.B Rays hurler is a terrible 0-3 and close to a 9 ERA the last few weeks and he drops to 0-4 after tonight.
Executive
250% Nationals
KIKI SPORTS
2 Units Atlanta/ White Sox Under 8
1 Unit San Fran -150
1 Unit NY Mets +120
1 Unit LA Dodgers -125
NSA
20* Yanks -140
20* Red Sox -145
20* TB -135
Vince Akins
4'* Mariners -104
Seattle enters this one hot, as winners of four straight, and we look for it to keep going tonight against a middling Chicago team.
Seattle won a pitcher’s duel on Sunday, 1-0, over Cincinnati. The Mariners are 8-0 since August 25, 2009 as a favorite after scoring 3 runs or less and winning for a net profit of $800.
Each team only managed three hits in that contest. The Mariners are 8-0 since August 25, 2009 as a favorite when they are off a win in which they had at least three times as many hits as runs for a net profit of $800.
Chicago did win its last game in big fashion, 12-1, over the Angels. The Cubs are 0-7 since April 10, 2009 on the road after a 5+ run win and it is the first game of a series for a net profit of $785 when playing against.
Ryan Dempster had a solid start last outing, allowing two runs in a home win over Oakland. The Cubs are 0-10 since April 24, 2009 when Ryan Dempster starts after winning as a home favorite in his last start for a net profit of $1225 when playing against. Also, the Cubs are 0-6 since April 24, 2009 when Ryan Dempster starts on the road after his team won the last time he started for a net profit of $630 when playing against.
Frank Patron
NY Yankees -140
Paul Leiner
50* Cubs -110
25* Yankees -140
Scott Rickenbach
8* Washington / Kansas City Over
We lost with this play yesterday and the final score was just 2-1. However, we won’t hesitate to come right back with it here. The Royals had 11 hits in yesterdays game, had the leadoff man on in 7 of the 9 innings, and yet they only plated one run in the game. We certainly do not expect that to be repeated…especially since they are facing Luis Atilano. The Nationals right-hander has seen his team lose three of his four home starts this season as he’s compiled a 5.56 ERA and been pounded at a .293 clip. Overall, he’s had as many walks as strikeouts so far this season. Also, it appears things are getting worse rather than better as Atilano has given up 11 runs (8 earned) on 16 hits (including 3 homers) in his last two starts which have spanned just 9.1 innings. Look for Atilano to again get pounded today and, this time, the Royals will do more damage with all the hits they pile up!
Atilano won’t be the only starting pitcher getting roughed up today. Anthony Lerew gets the start for Kansas City and the Royals right-hander is coming off of a solid outing in his first start at the MLB level this season. However, he faced an anemic Astros offense. Though Lerew has compiled impressive numbers in the minors this season, this is still a pitcher who is winless in his 15 career MLB games (6 starts) and has compiled a 6.15 ERA at the MLB level. Additionally, the right-hander has particularly struggled on the road. Note that his start against Houston came at home and he’s now on the road facing a Washington lineup that, despite yesterday’s struggles, has been one of the top hitting teams in home games in the National League this season. Note that Lerew has an 8.87 ERA, a 2.15 WHIP, and has been hammered at a .333 clip in his nine career road games. The Royals have averaged nearly 11 hits per game in their last 11 games and should pound Atilano! The Nationals will enjoy facing an inexperienced Lerew and, keep in mind, the Royals also have one of the weaker bullpens in baseball. Yesterday’s game featured three runners caught stealing plus one runner picked off base and note that neither team had a stolen base in the game but they had those four extra outs. With two suspect pitchers, we’ll take advantage of the low total posted on this game and look for runs early and often in this one. Play OVER the total in Washington as an *8* Regular Play selection.
10* Baltimore / Florida Over
The Orioles and Marlins both have bullpens whose ERA this season ranks in the lower third of the league. There also is reason to believe that both of these starting pitchers get rocked tonight. Note that Florida’s Anibal Sanchez has been hammered at a .301 clip on the road this season. As for Baltimore’s Jeremy Guthrie, he’s going to be dealing with some hot Marlins sticks tonight. That includes Hanley Ramirez who will be back in the lineup tonight, even though he tweaked his hamstring, because even if Ramirez can’t play shortstop he can be used as the designated hitter. In that respect, the Marlins actually catch a break in this interleague match-up and note that Ramirez has 11 RBIs in his last three games against the Orioles! We get extreme line value here with the low total posted on this game as the total is an 8.5 as of early Tuesday morning and Florida is 20-7 to the over this season (and 74-39 to the over the last three seasons) when the posted total on their game is 8 or 8.5 runs. Also, the Marlins as a road favorite of -125 to -150 are a perfect 3-0 to the over this season. Against right-handed starters this season Florida is 28-17 to the over. When playing against a team with a losing record, the Marlins are 93-62 to the over the last three seasons. Florida also is 27-14 to the over in interleague action the last three seasons. Also, in terms of amazing long-term value with this low total, since 1996 Florida is 206-137 when on the road and the posted total on their game is 8 or 8.5 runs.
As for the Orioles, unlike the Marlins, they’ve mostly been an under team this season but note that five of their last seven games have gone over the total. Also, Baltimore has averaged 9.5 hits per game in their last 13 games. During this stretch they’ve scored at least 4 runs in 7 of the 13 games. Keep in mind, 4 is our magic number in this match-up because just getting each team to four runs guarantees us a win here as the game would have to end 5-4 or better and we’re working with an 8.5 on this total. The Marlins are coming off of an under in their most recent game but they had previously gone over the total in four straight games. Also, the Marlins have averaged 5.8 runs per game in their last 12 games. 8 of these dozen games have gone over the total. Sanchez has allowed 4 earned runs in each of his last two road starts and, overall, he’s allowed 24 hits and 8 walks in his last 18.2 innings of work.
Sanchez certainly has not been in top form and his road struggles this season are no fluke. In his career, Sanchez has been hit 51 points higher on the road compared to at home. Additionally, throughout his career Sanchez has been hit 75 points higher before the All-Star break compared to after the break! His counterpart tonight is Guthrie and the Orioles right-hander can also be expected to struggle here. Guthrie is just 3-8 this season and he’s allowed at least four earned runs in three of his last four starts. He’s also given up 12 homers in his last 10 starts. In his career, Guthrie is 13-24 at home and has been hit at a .277 clip – compared to just a .240 clip on the road. Also, Guthrie is 21-32 in night games in his career and he’s been hit 23 points higher under the lights compared to under the sun. The Marlins slugging percentage on the road ranks 2nd in the National League! The Orioles sticks, though it hasn’t been as prevalent this season, are known for being much more potent at home compared to on the road. Look for the road struggles of Sanchez to continue for Florida but the Orioles weak pitching insures that the Marlins sticks stay hot. Additionally, these two bullpens should provide the icing on the cake tonight. Play OVER the total in Baltimore as a *10* Top Play
Nelly
1* Giants / Astros Over 6.5
Tim Lincecum still must be respected as one of the top pitchers in the game even though he has been surpassed by a few other pitchers this season. Lincecum has great numbers, a 7-2 record with a 3.11 ERA and 106 strikeouts but he has not been as dominant as the past two seasons. Lincecum left his last start early after getting hit by a line drive but all indications are that he is fine. Over his last six starts Lincecum has allowed at least two runs in every outing and his ERA in that span is 5.20. The 'over' is also 5-1 in his last six starts as games he is involved in have to be shaded low. While the Giants have a strong pitching staff and a weaker offense the 'over' is 11-4-1 in the last 16 Giants games, including 7-3 in the last ten road games. San Francisco has scored five or more runs in seven of the past ten games to average 5.1 runs scored per game and in the last seven games the Astros are surrendering 7.1 runs per game. Roy Oswalt is still a very effective pitcher but the 'over' has hit in three of his last four starts as he has allowed 14 runs in those games. The Astros are 2-7 in Oswalt's home starts where his ERA is 4.15. Only once in the past ten games has this Houston team allowed fewer than four runs so there should be opportunities for the Giants.
KELSO
50 Units Rangers -1.5 -120
15 Units Twins -125
10 Units Reds +120
3 Units Mariners -110
Stan Liskowski
4* Mets
3* SF
3* Fla
BEN BURNS
Detroit Tigers -135
Oakland A's -123
Baltimore Orioles +1.5 -144
Dwayne Bryant
SD Padres +122
Several reasons to back the visiting Padres at this dog price tonight. First, Matt Latos is dominating lineups. Latos has gone 6-1 with a 2.05 ERA in his last eight starts. He owns a 3.59 ERA and 0.87 WHIP on the road this season, where he has struck out 42 batters in 42.2 innings. Love that 42/10 K/BB ratio on the road as well. The Rays are struggling at the plate. In their last five games, the Rays are batting just .214 and scoring 2.9 runs per game against righties. Definitely not a good time for the Rays to be running into the red-hot Latos.
Wade Davis has gone 0-3 with an 8.22 ERA in his last three starts, and 2-6 with a 6.48 ERA over his last eight starts. Davis hasn't been anything special at home either, posting a 4.83 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in seven starts at "The Trop." The Padres have been hitting righties well of late, scoring 6.1 runs per game against righties over their last 10 games.
Bottom line: Latos & the Padres lineup are hot; Davis & the Rays lineup are not. I'll be very surprised if the Padres don't have the early lead in this one, and we all know how tough the San Diego bullpen is. Just a great price on a very live dog tonight. Take San Diego/Latos over Tampa Bay/Davis.
Tony George
Seattle -105
Cheap number for the Mariners at home who are flying under the radar screen here, winning 4 in a row and getting staring showings out of Justin Vargas, who toes the rubber tonight. The Cubs are just not bankable about anywhere, especially o the road in this spot. They are 8-12 their last 20 games overall, and are 3rd in MLB in Errors on the season. Seattle off a 3 game sweep of the Reds and this is the first road game for the Cubs in 9 games. Cubbies off a win are 1-8 the next game, and while the Cubs hit left handers well, Vargas is a stud with under a 3 ERA on the season and rarely puts runners in scoring position. Play 1 Unit on the Mariners.