Insider Sports Report
4* St. Louis Cardinals- 1.5
3* Boston Red Sox
DESTROY THE BOOK SPORTS
15* A.L. TOTAL OF THE MONTH
LAA/SEA OVER 8
10* Florida +130
10* Oakland -160
7* TB -113
7* Pitt. +110
5* Wash. +120
Fantasy Sports Gametime
100* Play Texas (-180) over Toronto
Toronto has lost 13 of the last 17 games as an underdog of +150 or higher and they have also lost 19 of the last 26 road games when the total posted is between 9 and 9.5 runs. Scott Richmond has lost 3 consecutive games as an underdog of +150 or higher and he is also 0-4 when pitching in the 2nd half of this season.
50* Play LA Dodgers (-170) over Arizona
Chad Billingsley has won 8 of the last 10 games vs. division opponents and he has also won 3 consecutive games when pitching on a Wednesday. Max Scherzer has lost 8 of the last 11 road games when the total posted is between 7 and 8.5 runs and he is also 1-2 over the last 3 starts with an ERA of 6.75.
Kiki Sports
1* Washington
1* Seattle
1* Boston
Wunderdog
Game: Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
3 units Cincinnati -130 (risk 3 to win 2.3)
Game: Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
3 units Cincinnati -1.5 runs +160 (risk 3 to win 4.8)
Game: Kansas City at Oakland
3 units Kansas City +145 (risk 3 to win 4.4)
PAT HAWKINS
Royals at A's
Pick: Royals
Kansas City starter brain bannister has been a great day time pitcher, most if not all of his good outings have occured with the sun shining. Look for bannister to give the Royals another quality start as they get knock around right handed starter Tomko, the Royals have made some September call up for the their bullpen and are checking out young talnet that could help them in this contest.
Craig Davis
100 DIME - WHITE SOX (With Buehrle and Duensing as listed pitchers)
Here it is... I'm stepping up today to put an end to this bullcrap. I don't take kindly to losing streaks and neither do the Chicago White Sox. Do you think Ozzie Guillen is going to take this sitting down? Not a chance. This is not a reach, this is not a ploy, this is a cold-blooded absolute winner with the Chicago White Sox in this afternoon affair. I realize that every single sign points to the Twins pulling off the sweep. I've heard it all, trust me. But I'm telling you right now there's no chance in heck Chicago lays down like they did the first two games of this series. Folks, Minnesota's pitching is simply not as good as they've shown lately and I think we're getting a very fair price against a young pitcher who has just three starts to his resume. This is just too good to pass up.
I am doing something today I have never done, but I feel that strongly about it. I have never (till this day) backed a team three nights in a row, but there's always an exception to everything if you absolutely know you're on the right side. If I wasn't on the right side, you tell me why Vegas has Chicago listed as a -130 favorite?? They clearly know Mark Buehrle is the better of the two arms today despite the losses in the first two games. Shoot, the Twins have taken the first two games of this series against Gavin Floyd and John Danks, they've won six straight home games in this series and 7 of 8 there this year vs. Chicago, and they've won 9 of their last 11 games overall. Meanwhile, the White Sox are in a tailspin, having dropped 8 of their last ten and are completely in danger of falling completely out of contention in the AL Central. Let's just put it this way.... if they lose today, they are done, finished, history. Today's game is absolutely pivotal in surviving this losing streak and getting back to a "fighting chance" to keep pace with Detroit and Minnesota. In their defense, the White Sox are finishing a brutal road trip that included games in New York and Boston... the two best teams in the American League in my opinion. Today they put it all together and leave Minnesota for the final time in 2009 with a win under their belt.
Let's not forget it wasn't too long ago that Mark Buehrle was tossing a no-hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays... a 9-inning, 5-0 win. What he (or anyone else for that matter) didn't know was that would be his last win of the 2009 season (at least before today). At that point in the season, Buehrle was 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA and he was being considered in the "AL Cy Young Award" talk. Now he's 11-7 with a 3.89 ERA and some have said he's lost confidence. I don't believe that for a minute. In my opinion, he's gotten too confident at home since that no-hitter and has actually pitched much better on the road. In fact, his last two road starts have seen him allow just two earned runs (vs. the Yankees, mind you) in 14 innings of work but he wasn't able to get a decision in either of those games. And if you're worried about how he pitched in August carrying over to September, don't be. August has been his kryptonite, with a career 4.26 ERA (his worst career month). September, on the other hand, has been much better for Buehrle... and only May and June have been better to him over his career.
The Twins, as previously mentioned, will send Brian Duensing to the hill in an attempt to earn the sweep of the series. Unfortuantely for him, the White Sox bats have been extremely quiet in this series, but all that's about to change this afternoon as I see Chicago getting to Duensing early and often. Look, I appreciate what he's done in his last two starts, but let's not forget something... he's a long reliever who is just now figuring out how to be a starter. He's raw, inexperienced, and facing a team that's really pissed off. On another note --- the White Sox have hit an AL-high .285 vs. lefties on the season and this will be the first time in this series the White Sox will have seen a lefty. Obviously it doesn't bode well for the Twins or the rookie pitcher, does it?
Back to Buehrle, he's seen the Twins four times this season and after dominating them in two separate appearances in April and May, he was roughed up pretty bad in a July start and then faced them again later in July, pitching 6 shutout innings before giving up four earned runs in the 7th. Consider this the rubber game for Buehrle, and my money would be on him every time. For his career, Buehrle has faced the Twins 39 times, winning 23 times while dropping 15. It's hardly a dominating record, but it's good enough for me and I fully expect it to improve to 24-15 after this afternoon. The White Sox are 11-2 in Buehrle's last 13 starts as a road favorite, 7-1 in his last 8 starts as a road favorite of between -110 and -150 and 7-3 in his last 10 starts following a Chicago loss. Meanwhile, the Twins are 1-5 in their last six games as a home dog, 1-5 in their last 6 vs. a lefty, and 4-9 in their last 13 during game 3 of a series. I don't tell you to play these games if I don't believe in them, and trust me, I believe in this one. Top play of the day on the Chicago White Sox over Minnesota.
HalfBets
8* Marlins +140
Tony Salinas
24* La Angels (+115) over Mariners
Partly cloudy. Winds blowing from left to right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game-time temperature: Around 75.
23* Redsox (+105) over Devilrays
25* Braves (-150) over Marlins
Partly cloudy with a 40-percent chance of rain. Winds blowing out to center field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game-time temperature: Around 80.
HalfBets
8* Marlins +140
7* Indians +130
7* SF/Philadelphia Under 8.5
Mike Rose
3* Seattle Mariners -125
Jimmy Boyd
5* A.L. East Game of the Year Rays -110
The Rays are one of the best home teams in baseball at 42-22, and I like them to bounce back strong against a Red Sox team that is 1 game below .500 on the road. The Rays are 5-2 at home against the Red Sox this season and 16-5 over the last 21. Tampa Bay has the edge on the hill tonight with Garza against Beckett. While Beckett has had a terrific season, he has struggled of late. The right-hander is 0-1 with a 9.82 ERA and 10 home runs allowed in 18 1-3 innings over his last three starts and the Red Sox are 1-4 in his last 5 road starts vs. the Rays. Garza is at his best at home and has been an absolute Red Sox killer. The Rays are 6-0 in Garza's last 6 home starts vs. the Red Sox. In fact, Garza is 7-1 (10-2 against the money line) lifetime against Boston with an ERA of 2.66 and a WHIP of 1.076. The Red Sox are 2-12 in their last 14 road games vs. a team with a winning record, 1-9 in their last 10 games as a road underdog, and 1-4 in Beckett's last 5 starts vs. a team with a winning record. The Rays are 5-1 in their last 6 games following a loss, 72-25 in their last 97 home games vs. a right-handed starter, and 9-3 in Garza's last 12 home starts. Take the Rays.
Robert Ferringo
1-Unit Play. Take N.Y. Yankees (-1.5, -135) over Baltimore
1-Unit Play. Take Colorado (-1.5, -130) over N.Y. Mets
1-Unit Play. Take Detroit (-150) over Cleveland
1-Unit Play. Take St. Louis (-1.5, -125) over Milwaukee
Today's Totals
1-Unit Play. Take ‘Under’ 9.0 Cleveland at Detroit
1-Unit Play. Take ‘Under’ 8.0 Arizona at L.A. Dodgers
1-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 8.5 Atlanta at Florida
0.5-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 9.5 N.Y. Yankees at Baltimore
Chris Jordan
All three plays are on the Run Line
100♦ COLORADO ROCKIES (Jimenez over Redding)
100♦ ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (Carpenter over Bush)
100♦ N.Y. YANKEES (Sabathia over Berken)
JACK JONES
15* Giants/Phillies UNDER 9
Jump on the under in the Angels/Mariners game on Tuesday night. Ervin Santana has been up and down this year for LA, but has four straight quality starts. The under has hit in eight of his 11 starts against the Mariners. Seattle has been a solid under team all year long and I think that this number is inflated due to the fact that the Angels have great offensive numbers this season. The fact is that they won't score as much in this pitcher-friendly park.