Free Picks: Service Plays for Friday, July 2,2010

SPORTS WAGERS
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Netherlands +½ -1.04 over Brazil PINNACLE
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Netherlands +3.54 over Brazil PINNACLE
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
These two teams have met three times in the history of the World Cup, with all 3 matches being worthy of "classic" status. In 1974 the Dutch perfected "Total Football" as Johan Cruyff tore apart the Brazilian side en route to a 2-0 victory and a spot in the final. In the 1994 quarterfinals Netherlands did the unthinkable in erasing a two-goal Brazilian lead in the 2nd half. However, it was all for not when Branco scored the match-winning goal in the 81st minute to propel the 'Samba Kings' to a 3-2 victory. In the 1998 installment of the tournament the Brazilians sent the Dutch packing in the semi-finals via penalty kicks. The Netherlands has failed to return to the semis since that 1998 shootout loss but this year could be a very different story.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
The Netherlands hasn't been out of 3rd gear yet in the 2010 World Cup. They cruised through the group, sweeping their foes with three victories in near effortless performances. They cranked up the tempo in the 2nd half against Denmark to win 2-0 without the services of Bayern Munich star Arjen Robben. It was another sluggish start for the Dutch in their second match vs. Japan. Despite being outshot 10-7, Wesley Sneijder scored in the 53rd minute to propel the Dutch to a 1-0 win. They only needed a draw to win their group against Cameroon but they did better than that scoring two goals on 14 shots winning 2-1. In their Round of 16 match they topped a Slovakian squad with all kinds of momentum after eliminating the defending World Cup champions, Italy. The 2-1 score line in that game is very deceiving. Arjen Robben took total charge of the match, scoring in the 18th minute. Wesley Sneijder also made his way onto the score sheet with a goal of his own in the 84th minute. A two-goal victory and a clean sheet was ripped away from the Netherlands when the referee called a ridiculous penalty kick in favor of Slovakia in what was literally the last 10 seconds of stoppage time. It was a call that may not have effected the outcome of the match, but surely had gamblers ripping up tickets all around the world. Holland has won their last eight games and they’re also riding an impressive 23-game unbeaten streak. The Netherlands has not fielded a squad with so much talent in their prime in a very long time, if ever. Robben and Sneijder are one of the best combos in international play and you can rest assure they will leave an impression on this match win or lose.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
The Brazilians haven't done much wrong themselves in this World Cup. They beat the North Koreans 2-1, playing about 70% of what they are capable of. They followed that up with a 3-1 thrashing of the Ivory Coast and then played for a draw vs. Portugal to win their group. They ended up having to play one of the most exciting teams of the tournament for their Round of 16 match in the Chileans. However, people are putting way too much stock into Brazil's 3-0 victory over Chile. The Chileans were without their best two defenders and still opted to play an attacking style of football. The Brazilians sport one of the best counter-attacks on the planet and Chile played right into their hand. Chile came out firing on all cylinders but couldn't overcome their losses on defense. Brazil's leader, Kaka, will also be up against it today after getting another yellow card in that match. He has already been suspended for one match and now is just a careless challenge away from another. The Brazilians will also have to deal with the expected absence of Elano, who scored in first two contests but should be sidelined with an ankle injury. The 'Samba Kings' certainly sport an impressive squad that is undefeated in 10 games. They have also outscored their opponents by 28 goals (36-8) in World Cup matches with Lucio on the field. However, the value in this contest is solely on the side of the Dutch. The betting line clearly overrates the Brazilians and underrates one of the best teams in Holland's history. The Netherlands' defense will prove their naysayers wrong and their attack lead by Sneijder, van Persie and Robben will hit full stride. History dictates that this will be a very tight contest and it seems prudent to take the value on the team that seems ready to peak at precisely the right time. Hup, Holland, Hup! Play Netherlands -½ -1.04 (Risking 1.08 units to win 1) Play Netherlands +3.54 (Risking 1 unit).

FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Uruguay –1.83 (to advance) over Ghana
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
The beauty about this match is that our future play on Uruguay (To Reach the Semi's) is now Uruguay (To Advance) over Ghana at juicy price of +1.37. If the price on Ghana +½ was a little higher it might have been worthwhile to attempt a middle here. That's not the case, so it makes more sense just to roll with our original play and hope that Uruguay is as good as we think they are. The Uruguayans were in fine form early against the South Koreans but were happy to defend after Luis Suarez scored in just the 8th minute. As soon as South Korea netted their equalizer, Uruguay went back onto the attack and it was only a matter of time before Suarez would strike again. With Forlan and Suarez leading the charge, Uruguay sports one of the best 1-2 punches in this World Cup and they’ve also put on a defensive clinic in the tournament. They share an auspicious honor with only Portugal in keeping a clean sheet throughout the group stage. Ghana has played inspired football on their home continent in this World Cup. They were able to advance out of a very difficult Group D, where they had to do battle with Germany, Serbia and Australia. It's amazing that they are faring so well considering they are doing it without the face of Ghana Football, Michael Essien. Asamoah Gyan is nursing an ankle injury but is expected to play. He is crucial to the Ghanaian attack, as he has three of their four goals with two of them coming off penalty kicks. Before their 2-1 winning effort against the Americans in the Round of 16 their offence was snakebitten. They only mustered two goals in the group stage and both were the aforementioned penalty kicks. They are certainly stepping up in class today from an American team that surrendered five goals in four games to this South American team that allowed just one goal in the same amount of matches. South American teams make up half of the remaining nations in the quarterfinal stage of this tournament. They also have a massive historical edge over African teams with a record of 13-3-4 in World Cup play. All roads point to Uruguay in this match but we will ride our existing wagers on them, as just getting by Ghana gives us a nice score at plus money. Play Uruguay –1.83 to advance.

DUNKEL INDEX

Oakland at Cleveland
The Indians look to build on their 9-3 record in Mitch Talbot's last 12 starts as an underdog. Cleveland is the pick (+105) according to Dunkel, which has the Indians favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+105)
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Game 901-902: Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs (2:20 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Arroyo) 15.293; Cubs (Dempster) 14.345
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-130); No Run Total
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+110); N/A

Game 903-904: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Moyer) 13.854; Pittsburgh (Ohlendorf) 15.401
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-160); 9
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+140); Under
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Game 905-906: NY Mets at Washington (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Niese) 14.950; Washington (Atilano) 14.137
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-120); 9
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-120); Over

Game 907-908: Florida at Atlanta (7:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Johnson) 14.016; Atlanta (Medlen) 15.485
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: Florida (-135); 7
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+115); Under
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Game 909-910: San Francisco at Colorado (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Lincecum) 14.868; Colorado (Chacin) 14.611
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-125); 8
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+125); Under

Game 911-912: Milwaukee at St. Louis (8:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Narveson) 14.762; St. Louis (Garcia) 15.341
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-180); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-180); Under
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Game 913-914: LA Dodgers at Arizona (9:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Kuroda) 15.416; Arizona (Jackson) 15.630
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Arizona (-110); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-110); Under

Game 915-916: Houston at San Diego (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Oswalt) 15.627; San Diego (Latos) 15.862
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1/2; 5
Vegas Line: San Diego (-165); 6
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (-165); Under
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Game 917-918: Toronto at NY Yankees (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Cecil) 13.578; NY Yankees (Burnett) 15.173
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1 1/2; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-155); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-155); Over

Game 919-920: Seattle at Detroit (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Fister) 14.947; Detroit (Scherzer) 15.801
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Detroit (-145); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-145); Under
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Game 921-922: Oakland at Cleveland (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Gonzalez) 15.081; Cleveland (Talbot) 15.925
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Oakland (-125); 8
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+105); Under

Game 923-924: Baltimore at Boston (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Bergesen) 14.812; Boston (Wakefield) 14.601
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston (-240); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (+200); Under
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Game 925-926: Chicago White Sox at Texas (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Garcia) 16.540; Texas (Lewis) 15.670
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Texas (-180); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (+160); Under

Game 927-928: Tampa Bay at Minnesota (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Price) 16.602; Minnesota (Baker) 15.767
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1; 7
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-120); 8
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-120); Under
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Game 929-930: Kansas City at LA Angels (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Davies) 16.580; LA Angels (Saunders) 15.478
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-165); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+145); Under

CFL

Hamilton at Winnipeg
The Bluebombers look to build on their 6-1-1 ATS record in their last 8 Friday games. Winnipeg is the pick (+3) according to Dunkel, which has Hamilton favored by only 1. Dunkel Pick: Winnipeg (+3)
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Game 405-406: Hamilton at Winnipeg (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Hamilton 110.955; Winnipeg 109.745
Dunkel Line: Hamilton by 1; 47
Vegas Line: Hamilton by 3; 50 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Winnipeg (+3); Under

Marc Lawrence
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Chicago White Sox at Texas Rangers
Prediction: Texas Rangers
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Rangers and White Sox meet at Friday night when Colby Lewis matches serves with Freddy Garcia at the Ballpark in Arlington. Lewis takes the mound looking to avenge a 4-3 loss he suffered in Chicago against Garcia and the Pale Hose a month ago knowing he is 3-1 in his last four team starts with five walks and 28 strikeouts in those games. With Garcia just 3-7 in his last 10 games in this series, look for the Rangers to improve to 5-2 all-time at home behind Lewis here this evening. We recommend a 1-unit play on Texas.

Cajun Sports
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Minnesota Twins
Play: Minnesota Twins
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Rays took the first game of their four-game set versus the Twins on Thursday night by a score of 5 to 4. Minnesota will look to rebound and capture a victory in Game 2 on Friday night with Scott Baker taking the bump to face the Rays left-hander David Price. Tampa Bay is 22-37 (-23.4 Units) when playing against a team with a win percentage of fifty-four to sixty-two percent over the last two seasons. Minnesota is 60-32 (+22.1 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last three seasons. The Twins are 40-17 in home games versus teams whose hitters strike out seven or more times per game, 28-12 in home games versus a starting pitcher who strikes out five or more batters per start and 37-17 in home games versus an AL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.300 or better the last three seasons. Our TPR Index projects a Twins victory by 1.1 runs and our Math Model favors the host as well with a 1.04 run advantage. We will back the home underdog here as the Twins even this series at a game apiece on Friday night.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
PROJECTED FORECAST: 2* Minnesota Twins 3 Tampa Bay Rays 2

Craig Trapp
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Cincinnati Reds vs. Chicago Cubs
Play: Cincinnati Reds
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
As we always stress its about betting value and with a super hot Reds team (8-2 L10) against the worst scoring team in the NL its way too good to pass up. Reds turn to Cubs stopper Arroyo 4-1 with a 2.77 ERA in his last six outings at Wrigley, and 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA in his past three starts overall versus Chicago. Dempster goes for Cubs and he has not won back to back games this year. Even worse his daytime ERA is plus 4.00! Cubs just can't score runs and this Reds team is the NL leader in a ton of offensive categories. Great value on hot Reds team.

Rob Vinciletti
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Blue Jays vs. Yankees
Play: Under 9.5
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
This game fits a nice totals system that averages just over 6 runs per game. What we want to do is play under for home favorites off a home favored win at -200 or higher, if they are taking on an opponent off a road favored loss. Toronto is struggling at the plate of late. They have averaged 2.4 rpg on .225 hitting the past week and are not even hitting the long ball of late. In divisional play they hit .230 and just .220 on the road. They have played under 2 of the 3 times the total was 10 or higher. The Yankees have gone under 6 of 7 times at home when the total is 10 to 10.5. In the pitching matchup both pitchers have struggled of late. However Burnett has a 3.46 home era and B. Cecil has a 3.11 road era.. A struggling Jays team could be just what the doctor ordered for AJ. Burnett. He has gone under in all 5 recent starts vs Toronto. Look for this one to stay under the total today.

BIG AL
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Philadelphia Phillies @ Pittsburgh Pirates
PICK: Philadelphia Phillies
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
What's a team to do when, right after they get one of their top offensive stars back from the disabled list (Jimmy Rollins), they lose three other valuable hitters (Chase Utley, Placido Polanco, Carlos Ruiz) as well as their best middle reliever and season leader in holds (Chad Durbin)? And add to those woes a loss in the first game of this series to one of the worst teams in the League? Naturally, all they need to do now is turn to their 47-year-old lefthanded starter! It's hard to believe, but Jamie Moyer has as many wins (nine) and fewer losses (six vs. seven) than ace Roy Halladay, and he's been their most effective starter over the last two weeks, going 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA and 0.57 WHIP over his last three starts. And in the second game of this series, Moyer's opposing pitcher is a guy (righthander Ross Ohlendorf) who has yet to find a win in his first 11 starts of the season (0-6) and he has an ERA of 4.90 to go along with the losing streak. Despite their run of recent bad luck, Philadelphia still has one of the best road records in the National League and they still have to be considered one of the favorites to not only win their division, but to go deep into the playoffs once again. Take the Phillies.

Jim Feist
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Blue Jays vs. Yankees
Take: Over
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The new Yankee Stadium is even more of a home run happy park than the old Yankee stadium. The Bronx Bombers are tops in baseball in runs scored, while Toronto is tops in home runs. A pair of struggling pitchers take the hill, too. Brett Cecil is 0-3 with a 9.19 ERA his last three starts, while NY righty A.J. Burnett is in one of his downward trends, at 0-3 with a 16.55 ERA his last three. Burnett has walked 12 batters in his last 10 innings! Both bullpens are wearing down, too. Play the Blue Jays/Yankees Over the total.

Tom Freese
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Houston at San Diego
Play: San Diego
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
San Diego starter Mat Latos has allowed 3 or less runs in 11 straight starts. Latos is 10-5 in 15 team starts this year. The Padres are 35-16 off a loss and they are 41-15 their last 56 games as favorites of -151 to 200. San Diego is 29-11 in Game 2 of a series. Houston starter Roy Oswalt 6-10 this year and could be on the trading block. The Astros are 24-54 their last 78 road games and they are 16-42 their last 58 road games vs. righty starters. Houston is 4-11 their last 15 Friday games. The Astros are 0-6 with Oswalt when the total is 6.5 or lower

EZWINNERS
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Philadelphia Phillies -151
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Phillies 47 year old starting pitcher Jamie Moyer just continues to get craftier and craftier the longer that he pitches. Moyer has succeeded this year with superb control and an increased ground ball rate. Moyer has won four of his last five starts, and he has not given up more than two runs in any of those four wins and over his last three starts Moyer is 3-0 with an ERA of just 1.96! The Pirates starting pitcher Ross Ohlendorf is a minor league talent that remains in the starting rotation for a lack of a better alternative. Ohlendorf remains winless on the season with an 0-6 record and an ERA of 4.90 in eleven starts and I expect the Philadelphia offense to knock him around in this game. The Pirates are only 3-13 in Ohlendorfs last sixteen starts and the Phillies are 8-3 in the last eleven meetings between these two teams. I look for that success to continue here. Play on Philadelphia.

Brad Diamond
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Play Los Angeles over Arizona
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
A classic pitching affair unfolds out in the desert this evening in Arizona, it’s Kuroda (7-5, 3.27) of Los Angeles versus Jackson (5-6, 4.63) of Arizona. Our choice is the red hot Dodgers who just won three straight against the hated Giants, out scoring them 16-6. In addition, we show Los Angeles at 24-8 in the series overall, while the Snakes are 0-6 in the divison behind RHP Jackson.

Scott Spreitzer
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Giants at Colorado
Pick: Giants
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
This is a solid spot to ride the arm of Tim Lincecum. The young righthander has normally followed a bad outing with a solid one. After four solid starts in a row, Lincecum lasted just three innings in his last outing. But the last eight times Lincecum has been pulled before reaching five full innings, he's been able to bounce back, more often than not. The last eight times in this situation, he has allowed just 14 earned runs in 52 1/3 innings, for a 2.41 ERA, to go along with a 9.64 K's per 9 IP ratio. The Giants are on a 36-17 run when Lincecum is favored, including 6-1 in the last seven on the road. Meanwhile, Jhoulys Chacin has been doing his best "Houdini" of late. The righthander owns a hefty 1.53 WHIP in his last three starts, but owns a 2.04 ERA over the same span. That's not going to last. I expect SFO to make him pay for allowing so many base runners. And this will be a start for Chacin on four days rest. The Rockies are on a 0-5 slide when he pitches this soon after a previous start. I'm backing the Giants to handle Colorado on Friday night.

Steve Merril
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Oakland Athletics vs. Cleveland Indians
Play: Cleveland Indians
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Cleveland has won five straight games as they continue their homestand with the Oakland Athletics. Mitch Talbot gets the start for the Indians. He's 8-6 with a 3.88 ERA in 15 starts this season. The righty has been improving; he has given up just three runs and seven hits over his last 14 innings. Coco Crisp is the only A’s hitter to have faced Talbot which gives the pitcher a nice advantage here. Oakland is 15-25 on the road where they average less then four runs per game. Oakland’s Gio Gonzalez is not a fan of road games. While he's been successful at home this season, he's just 2-3 with a 5.44 ERA on the road. Gonzalez has faced Cleveland three times in his career with Shin-Soo Choo (3-8), Mike Redmond (2-2), and Jayson Nix (1-2) hitting Gonzalez well. The Tribe has won six of the last nine meetings between these two in Cleveland. They are hitting .265 against left-handed pitching, and since they are getting plus money here, we’ll recommend a play on the Indians in this game tonight.

SPORTS WAGERS
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Los Angeles –1½ +1.46 over ARIZONA
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
One has to figure this to be a huge letdown spot for Edwin Jackson after throwing that unlikely no-hitter against the Rays in his last start. It’s also worth noting that he threw 149 pitches in that game and even before that he was averaging 113 pitches per game. There are most certainly workload concerns surrounding Jackson for the remainder of the year and it’s also worth noting that he’ll face the Dodgers for the third time this year and that, too, is unfavorable for him. Jackson has had 4½-years of mediocrity and his second half stats have always been worse than his first half stats. The Dodgers are hearting up again with four wins in its last five with only loss over that stretch being that bizarre loss to the Yanks in which they blew a four-run lead in the ninth. Furthermore, the Dodgers have scored 42 runs over its last seven games and this park caters to their slew of line drive hitters. In fact, when the Dodgers were here back in mid-may, they swept the D-Backs and scored 26 times in the three-game set. Hiroki Kuroda is quietly establishing himself as a reliable asset. Since coming to the U.S. in 2008, Kuroda has turned in two remarkably consistent seasons, posting ERAs of 3.73 and 3.76. Are his skills as good as his surface stats? Yes. In fact, there are a number of reasons to believe Kuroda really is this good. He had elite control in both of his seasons in the majors and prior ownership of that skill in Japan. He had an increase in skills in his second season, even as MLB hitters got a longer look at him and he had good-to-great xERA and BPV marks (see explanation of BPV and PQS at the bottom of this page) in three of his last four professional seasons. Kuroda is coming off a brilliant June with a 3.47 xERA and a 104 BPV. The Dodgers laying about 11 cents is a cheap lay but chances are if they win they’ll win going away, thus the run-line wager. Play: Los Angeles –1½ +1.46 (Risking 2 units).

FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Winnipeg +3 over HAMILTON
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
The Blue Bombers will have their fifth head coach in seven years but at least Paul LaPolice brings with him from Saskatchewan a pedigree that promises to provide Winnipeg with some offensive prowess. Winnipeg also places a competent, when healthy, quarterback, as the Bombers were willing to take on Buck Pierce and his history of injuries. However, this being the first game and Pierce being a threat when he's right, the Blue Bombers could be a dangerous foe for any oncomers. The new regime went to work right away and rebuilt the offensive line, which is one of the beefiest in the league. The Ti-Cats are also a team on the rise and could easily contend for this division. These two closed out the pre-season with a 38-20 win by Hamilton and while we don't put a lot of merit into that one, it certainly could have influenced the price here. Canada Inns will be rocking and the Bombers have enough talent to stay close, even during the learning curve. Be sure to keep an eye on Winnipeg slotback Terence Jeffers-Harris, as combined with RB Fred Reid, we may some tricks that the Tabbies may not be prepared for. Play: Winnipeg +3 (Risking 2.02 units to win 2).