Mike Rose
B.C. Lions @ Toronto Argonauts
Play Under 46.5
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The Lions finally their struggles last week by beating Saskatchewan 35-20 at BC Place in Week 6. QB Buck Pierce had an efficient game, completing 26 of 34 passes for 215 yards, but the offence was consistently paced by RB Martell Mallett, who has had a tremendous rookie season. The Lions have been desperately searching for a running game since RB Joe Smith fell off in the middle of last season. Mallett may be just the answer that the Leos are looking for. He has also chipped into the passing attack when needed, and last week he caught five balls for 22 yards and a touchdown.
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Meanwhile, the Argonauts hit a low like they havent seen in years in their Week 6 CFL betting affair. Not only were they held by the Alouettes to 125 total yards of offence, but they were completely shut out. QB Cody Pickett provided a small spark when he entered the game in place of QB Kerry Joseph, but the bottom line is that neither signal-caller will stand a chance if the offensive line plays as poorly as they did against Montreal. The unit gave up seven sacks and couldve given up plenty more if not for the elusiveness of Joseph. Pickett will be the man under centre on Friday night for the first time as an Argo.
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BCs offence still really isnt as strong as it could be, and with Pickett running the show, dont expect to see many points on the board. This total is low, but its hard to see either team approaching the high 20s in this one.
ATS Consultants
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Denver Broncos +3 over San Francisco 49′ers
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It’s a new era in Denver for Broncos football. Gone is Mike Shanahan, the most successful coach in franchise history. Gone is Jay Cutler, the young QB who was jettisoned to Chicago after complaining about management trying to acquire another QB. In is young coach Josh McDaniels, the Offensive coordinator for the past few years in New England, and Kyle Orton at QB. These guys will certainly look to make a good first impression. They should be able to tonight in the preseason debut against the Niners.
Boston Red Sox/Texas Rangers UNDER 9
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Great pitching matchup tonight as the top 2 teams in the American League wild card race begin an important 3 game series in Arlington.
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Jon Lester (9-7, 3.67) takes the hill for the BoSox, and he’s been terrific of late after a rough start to the 2009 season. He’s only given up 2 runs in his last 13 innings of work while striking out 17. He pitched a complete game in his only start against the Rangers in ‘09, allowing 1 run on 2 hits and 11 strikeouts.
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Kevin Milwood (9-7, 3.38) has also bounced back after a bit of a rough patch. He’s allowed just 4 runs in his last 14 innings of work and seems to have recovered from a terrible bout with the flu a few weeks back. He’s 2-0 against boston this season with a 1.38 ERA in 13 innings pitched. Should be a great weekend of Baseball in Texas.
TEDDY COVERS
Los Angeles Dodgers @ Arizona Diamondbacks
PICK: Los Angeles Dodgers
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Dan Haren’s overall numbers indicate that he is one of the best pitchers in baseball. Haren enters tonight’s game with an 11-7 record and a 2.57 ERA. Last year, he won 16 games with a 3.33 ERA. In ’07, he won 15 games with a 3.07 ERA. Haren is on pace for his fifth consecutive season pitching more than 200 innings. Opposing batters are hitting just .202 against him this year; an average that drops to .179 at home. He’s averaging nearly a strikeout per inning. All of these are tremendous numbers; the reason we’re getting to bet against Haren in a pick ‘em price range tonight.
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Haren’s long term numbers look great. His short term numbers do not. Haren had a 2.01 ERA going into the All Star break. Since the break, in five starts, Haren’s got a 4.94 ERA, without a single quality outing in his last four trips to the hill. This is nothing new for Haren. Last year, he enjoyed a 2.72 pre-break ERA, but a 4.18 ERA post break. In ’07, the splits go 2.30/4.15. In ’06, it was 3.52/4.91. I think you get my point. All of those innings that Haren has pitched tend to take their toll on him in post All Star break play.
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The Dodgers have won both previous games against Haren this season. LA’s starter, Clayton Kershaw, has pitched as well as any ace in baseball during the hot summer months, allowing a grand total of eight earned runs in his last eleven starts, striking out 71 batters while allowing only 40 hits. LA is nine games over .500 on the highway; Arizona is eight games under .500 at home. Put it all together and the Dodgers are a clear choice on Friday Night. 2* Take the LA Dodgers.