Vic Monte
2000* Cardinals -160
Trace Adams
2000♦ Yankees -1½
Jimmy Boyd
5* Brewers -1½
3* Red Sox
Fantasy Sports Gametime
Play Tampa Bay (-220) over Baltimore (Top Play of the Day)
David Price has won 29 of the last 39 games vs. division opponents and he has also won 15 of the last 19 road games as a favorite of -125 or higher. David Price has won 11 of the last 14 games in the month of September and he has an ERA of 2.25 over the last three starts.
Play Philadelphia (-235) over Houston (Bonus)
Play Milwaukee (-220) over Colorado (Bonus)
David Malinsky
4* Nationals / Mets Over 8
We do not see a shutdown game coming from either of these starting pitchers tonight, and at a price point in which merely getting each team to four runs guarantees a win, it is easy to get in play.
In his first full season as a Major League starter Dillon Gee is coughing and wheezing his way home – a 3.76 at the All Star break, with only six HR’s over 88.2 IP, has turned into a 5.46 since then, with 11 dingers in just 56 IP, and since August first he has worked at unsightly 6.51 over seven starts, with nine HR’s in 37.1 frames. A better-run franchise would be shutting him down for the season, and the Nationals should get some excellent reads of his stuff, after tagging him for six runs in just five IP two starts back in Washington, included three HR’s. And with Gee not having finished the 7th inning since July 19, an erratic Met bullpen is squarely in play.
Meanwhile Chien-Ming Wang has been able to scratch out some ground balls, but shows absolutely no pop from his arm – an alarming count of 13 W’s vs. only 12 K’s over 44.2 IP in his eight starts. Note that in his two “second look” games those K counts got even worse, only two of them to go with seven W’s over 11.2 IP, and the Mets are in their second go-round here. With left-handers tagging Wang to a .354 average, and a .909 OPS, and New York having some quality lumber from that side, this could be a short and ugly outing for him.
Paul Leiner
250* D´Backs -130
100* Cubs/Reds Over 8.5
50* Nationals +130
Wunderdog
Minnesota at Kansas City
Pick: Kansas City -135
The Royals look to finally escape the basement in the AL Central, as Minnesota has taken up residence there this season. They have gotten a lot of mileage out of retread starter Bruce Chen. Chen has roamed baseball, finding a temporary home with 10 different teams along the way, but with very little success. He had just one season where he posted 10 wins or more, but in his last two seasons with Kansas City, he has reached the 10 win mark in both of them. Carl Pavano reached the majors in 1999, and has had two good seasons, but otherwise has been below average. Pavano was 35-19 in his two best years, but just 64-72 in all other years. This year his 4.52 ERA is in line with what he has been for the most part. The Twins have been no-shows vs. teams with a losing record posting a 1-10 mark in their last 11 against them, and they are just 3-13 in their last 16 series openers. Rejuvenated Chen has led the Royals to a 10-3 mark in his last 13 starts. Play on Kansas City.
Al DeMarco
10 Dime Brewers -1½
Jamie Tursini
Cubs at Reds
Pick: Over 8.5
Both starters have faced their opponents multiple times this season and have fared well. So I think a "due factor" comes into play. R.Dempster has a road ERA of 6.16 and a WHIP of 1.62. His road total scores average 9.15 runs. M.Leake has a home ERA of 4.18 with a solid WHIP of 1.25. His home total scores average 9.07 runs. One of the starters gets lit up and this one hits double-digits.
Joseph D'Amico
Arizona D-Backs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Play: Arizona D-Backs
The Diamondback's manager Kirk Gibson used 3 RPs in the 9th inning in Mondays 7-2 win over LA, which proves the club isn't going to let up until they clinch the AL Central. As of print, they are tied with Milwaukee in the battle for home field in the 1st round. Arizona is 17-3 their L20, perched atop the NL West with an 8 1/2 game cushion. They want home field. The offense ranks in the Top 10 in just about every category. They have 5 batters all with over 112 hits or more. Ian Kennedy takes the mound today. The RH is going for his 20th win as he is 19-4 with a 2.90 ERA this season. The teams ERA and wins leader is 3-1 in his career against LA, wining all 3 TY, with a 2.70 ERA against the Dodgers. He faces an LA squad that just lost Andre Ethier to a knee injury. Chad Billingsley takes the hill. The RH is 10-10 with a 4.30 mark TY, including a 1-2, 4.12 mark vs. Arizona. The D-Backs are 4-0 their L4 games played at the Dodgers, 42-18 their L60 games played as a road fav, and 20-7 in Kennedy's L 27 starts. The Dodgers are 1-4 their L5 as a home 'dog, 0-6 their L6 vs. teams with a winning record, and 7-15 in Billingsley's L22 starts s. the NL West. Take Arizona.
Maddux Sports
Dodgers +120
Padres +145
Blue Jays +128
Larry Cook
7* Blue Jays +132
Insider Sports Report
4* Red Sox
3* Reds
Brandon Lang
15 Dime Athletics
Big Al
Brewers