Evan Altemus
3 Units Houston +205
Houston is all of a sudden playing well to the surprise of everyone. The Astros offense has exploded lately, especially on Tuesday night against the Cardinals. They now have all of the momentum heading into Wednesday night, even though they have to face Chris Carpenter. However, he hasn't been absolutely dominant over the last few weeks. Carpenter has allowed three runs or more in six of his last ten starts, and Houston already beat him earlier this season in a 4-1 game. Left hander J.A. Happ gets his second start for the Astros after posting a 2 hit shutout of the Brewers while lasting 6 innings in his last start. This price is just too good of an opportunity to pass up considering how well Houston is playing and all of the momentum they have going into this game. I think at this price the Astros are worth backing.
Dave Cokin
Chicago White Sox
Baltimore Orioles
Paul Leiner
100* Tigers -110
50* DBacks -140
25* Cubs -145
Teddy Covers
NFL Player Prop Bets
Aaron Rodgers Under 29.5 TDs
Donovan McNabb Under 20.5 TDs
Chad Henne Over 16.5 TDs
LaDanian Tomlinson Under 7.5 TDs
Ray Rice Over 7.5 TDs
Beanie Wells Over 7.5 TDs
Larry Fitzgerald Under 88.5 Receptions
Hines Ward Under 80.5 Receptions
Sidney Rice Under 82.5 Receptions
Fantasy Sports Gametime
100* Play Oakland (-170) over Kansas City
Oakland has won 24 of the last 35 day games and they have also won 11 of the last 14 games as a favorite of -150 or higher. Kansas City has lost 15 of the last 20 games after allowing two runs or less and they have also lost 8 of the last 12 road games when the total posted is between 8 and 8.5 runs.
50* Play Colorado (-180) over San Francisco
Colorado pitcher, Ubaldo Jimenez has won 18 of the last 21 home games as a favorite of -150 or higher and he has also won 12 of the last 13 games coming off a loss. Ubaldo Jimenez has won 8 of the last 9 games when pitching with 5 or 6 days of rest and he is 7-0 at home this season with an ERA of 3.26.
50* Play Tampa Bay (-170) over Minnesota
Tampa Bay has won 10 of the last 11 games and they have also won 13 of the last 16 games when playing on a Wednesday. David Price has won 7 consecutive games as a favorite of -125 to -175 and he is 7-1 at home this season with an ERA of 2.12.
100* Play Chicago (-2.5) over Los Angeles
Chicago has covered the spread in 9 of the last 12 games and they have also covered the spread in 11 of the last 14 road games. Chicago has covered the spread in 7 of the last 8 games vs. Western Conference Opponents and they have also covered the spread in 11 of the last 14 games after having lost four of the last five games.
NSA
20* Yanks -185
20* Reds -165
20* Angels -135
Chris Jordan
600♦ TB Rays -1.5
Jeff Benton
20 DIME TAMPA BAY RAYS -1½
A month ago in Minnesota, Twins right-hander Scott Baker outdueled Tampa Bay All-Star David Price in a 2-1 victory. Tonight they meet again, only this time at Tropicana Field. Here’s why that’s a big deal and why Price will surely get his revenge:
Price is 7-1 with a 2.12 ERA in nine home starts. Baker is 2-6 with a 6.17 ERA in 10 road starts. At home, Price has given up just 70 baserunners (49 hits, 21 walks) with 60 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings. Baker has allowed 85 baserunners (74 hits, 11 walks) with 52 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings. Opposing hitters have a .281 on-base percentage against Price in Tampa Bay; opposing hitters reach base at a .340 clip against Baker on the road.
Beyond the obvious home-road splits, Price is simply a much better pitcher. He’s 14-5 with a 2.90 ERA and he’s allowed three earned runs or fewer in 18 of 20 starts. Meanwhile, Baker has given up 37 runs in 59 2/3 innings in 10 starts since the beginning of June (5.58 ERA), and he’s got a batting average-against of more than .290 during this stretch.
The Twins have lost 11 games that Baker has started this season, and eight have been by multiple runs (with the last four by margins of 10-4, 8-1, 6-0 and 7-5). Meanwhile, Tampa Bay is 14-6 when Price toes the rubber, with the last seven victories featuring final scores of 7-3, 10-1, 10-4, 5-3, 6-4, 6-3 and 4-2 – thus, all covering the run line.
Finally, Tampa Bay just continues to roll. It has won three in a row and 10 of its last 11, including the first two games of this series 4-2 and 6-4, and going back to June 3 the Rays are 23-7 (14-2 at home). They have now surged past the Yankees and back into first place in the A.L. East, and they’re 5-1 against Minnesota this season. With Price on the mound against a shaky pitcher like Baker (he’s given up five runs or more in five of his last nine starts), I expect a comfortable multi-run victory for the home team.
Teddy Covers
Rangers
Chris Torrisi
Angels at Orioles
Pick: Angels
Brian Matusz is in a huge slump right now and I can't pass up this cheap line even with an Angels team that has lost some mojo. Matusz has been lit up for 18 earned runs in his last four starts. He has a 13.17 ERA over his last four games. He is struggling to get out of innings early and often and is averaging a whopping 23.7 pitches per inning over this stretch. He is also 0-7 at home this season with a 5.55 ERA. Matusz lost his only career start against the Angels last season when he allowed 11 hits and 4 earned runs in 5.2 innings of work. His confidence is probably at a season low as he has not made it past the fifth inning in four straight go arounds.
Ervin Santana is receiving a cheap price here due to the recent woes the Angels are having. Santana has been reliable with five quality starts in his last seven appearances. He is yielding a 3.22 ERA over his last seven starts. His command is on point with a 40/16 strike out to walk ratio in the seven game span. The Angels are 5-2 in his last seven starts against Baltimore and I think he adds win number six to that total this evening. They are also 7-3 in his last 10 road starts against a team with a losing record and the Halos have won 10 of the last 14 meetings in Baltimore. I think the Angels at least catch a break for today and grab a victory over Baltimore at a relatively cheap number considering both pitchers on the hill.
Cal Sports
5* GOM Cards -1½
Billy Coleman
5* Cards Under
Young Guns
4'* Cleveland Over
Scott Rickenbach
10* Baltimore / LA Angels Over
Yesterday’s game just missed going over the total but it was a win for the Orioles with their third manager of the season. Buck Showalter’s team finally got some clutch hits and that helped lead the way to six runs for Baltimore. The Angels contributed just three runs though and that kept the game under the total. It also helped to create some extra value with today’s total. As of early Wednesday morning this posted total is sitting at just 9 runs. The Angels are favored by about -140 as of early Wednesday morning. Note that the Angels are 3-0 to the over this season when they are a road favorite priced in the -125 to -150 range! Also, yesterday was the 6th time in their last 8 games that the Angels pitching staff had combined to allow at least 9 hits in a game. As for Orioles pitchers, they have given up an average of 11.2 hits per game in their last 10 games. Also, Baltimore – even with yesterday’s win, is still just 2-8 in their last 10 games and they’ve given up an average of 6.3 runs per game during another awful ten game stretch for the O’s. A big key to the over in Wednesday night’s game is the pitching match-up.
Brian Matusz gets the start for the Orioles. Baltimore hasn’t recorded a single under in any of his last four starts. The O’s southpaw lasted just 3.1 innings in his most recent start and he got roughed up and had command issues in that outing against Baltimore. Matusz started the season with a 2-0 record. However, he’s made 18 starts since then and he’s won just one of those starts! Matusz has particularly struggled in his last four outings as he’s gone 0-2 with a 12.46 ERA and walked 13 batters in just 13 innings of work. In ten home starts this year, Matusz has gone winless and he’s compiled a 5.55 ERA in those outings. Look for the Angels lineup to add to his recent struggles. The problem for Los Angeles is their own pitching situation here. Ervin Santana had been pitching well recently but then he got rocked in his most recent start. The Angels right-hander was reached for 7 runs (4 earned) on 10 hits in 6 innings in his most recent start. This season Santana has pitched surprisingly well on the road but note that he’s compiled a 4.99 ERA away from home in his career. His tendency has been to pitch much better in Anaheim compared to on the road. Now Santana comes into this start off of a rough outing at home in his most recent game and now he’s on the road at Camden Yards where he’s compiled a 6.00 ERA in three career starts. Overall, in nine career starts against Baltimore, Santana has a less than impressive 4.81 ERA. Also, lefties have given Santana more trouble than righties throughout his career and he’s facing an Orioles lineup that will be loaded with switch-hitters and left-handed bats. Lefties have hit Santana 48 points higher than righties this season and this is simply not a good match-up for the right-hander. Also, keep in mind, it’s a match-up of two of the weaker bullpens in the majors as well. In other words, look for runs early, often, and throughout this game! Play OVER the total in Baltimore as a *10* Top Play selection.
8* Oakland / Kansas City Over
Each of the first two games in this series have stayed under the total and many will likely look that way again in the finale of this three game set on Wednesday. However, an afternoon match-up featuring Sean O’Sullivan and Brett Anderson is quite likely to play out much differently than the first two games in this series which featured better quality pitching and the chilly night air of the bay area. This afternoon, it will be two struggling pitchers and mild afternoon air that greet each of these two capable lineups and we will take advantage of the low total posted on this game. Note that as a road dog of +150 to +175, the Royals are 10-5 to the over this season. Also, in day games this season, Kansas City is 21-11 to the over this year. Also, the Royals are 4-0 to the over in their last four games against a southpaw starter.
The A’s send southpaw Anderson to the mound this afternoon and, in his first start back after returning from elbow inflammation, the left-hander certainly was not sharp against the White Sox. The A’s lost 6-1 to the ChiSox on Friday and Anderson gave up 10 hits and 5 runs in 5.1 innings. In Anderson’s last two starts, he’s allowed 7 earned runs on 15 hits in 7.1 innings of work. In his six August starts last season Anderson had just one win and he compiled a 4.66 ERA and was hammered at a .274 clip in those outings. In other words, August is a month that was not kind to him and the way his start went last week, he certainly isn’t carrying much momentum into the new month. He’s simply not been healthy this season and it’s shown. He admitted he was “rusty” on Friday. As for Royals starter, O’Sullivan, we also expect a rough outing this afternoon. In 19 career games, 13 starts, the right-hander has a 5.35 ERA. He’s struggled since coming to Kansas City from the Angels. In his first starts in a Los Angeles uniform, O’Sullivan has allowed 8 earned runs in 11 innings of work. In his career, O’Sullivan has pitched in three day games, two were starts, and he’s been clobbered to the tune of an 8.76 ERA and a .315 BAA. Look for more of the same here! Play OVER the total in Oakland as an *8* Regular Play selection.
JR O'Donnell
3* Angels / Orioles Over 9
B Matutz and the O's Over will get our top play call as the Matutz has only 1 lousy win in 18 starts since a 2-0 start how about an 0-2 a close to a 13 ERA last 5 stat and the left-hander is 0-7 with a 5.55 ERA in 11 plays at Camden yard. The Angels send out Ervin Santana 10-7, 3.65 ERA who has not been a stellar pitcher as of late! The Over is 3-0-1 in B Matusz's last 4 starts on grass and he will get bombed tonight.