SPORTS WAGERS
U.S.A. +1.15 over Slovenia
Last week I raved about Slovenia's tight defensive style and as a result they duly delivered with a 1-0 victory and first place in the group. This match will be different unfortunately for Slovenia as they will lose this one to a better American squad. USA loves attacking and will certainly bring it in this crucial match, as they look to gain further momentum after drawing 1-1 with England and take over the group lead from Slovenia. Slovenia will sit back and look to counter, however will do so without success as this American side is too fast and as a result will do enough to put a goal or two past Slovenian's tight defense. Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore will prove to be too much and in the end will propel the U.S. to victory. Play: USA +1.15 (Risking 2 units).
England –1½ -109 over Algeria
England came out with a flying start in the 2010 World Cup, with a quick goal by Steven Gerrard. However, the wind was completely taken out of their sails when its goalkeeper Robert Green allowed the worst goal of the tournament thus far. The English squad looked very strong early but that goal left them demoralized and the match ended in a 1-1 draw against the USA. Off of that disappointing result you can expect them to come out extremely motivated. In all honesty, they couldn't handpick a better opponent to face in this must win situation. Algeria may have played Slovenia tough (they ended up losing 1-0), but they are taking a massive step up in class here. You can rest assure that England will be leaving nothing to chance, playing a complete 90 minutes. Robert Green's gaffe prevented the English from defeating the USA with relative ease. Sharp gamblers always know to ignore miraculous plays in sports going forward, whether good or bad. Expect the English to put on a clinic in this match and fill the net with multiple goals on their way to a convincing win. Play England –1½ -109 (Risking 2.18 units to win 2).
DUNKEL INDEX
LA Angels at Chicago Cubs
The Angels look to build on their 8-0 in their last 8 games as a road underdog. LA is the pick (+130) according to Dunkel, which has the Angels favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (+130)
Game 901-902: Milwaukee at Colorado (9:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Parra) 15.914; Colorado (Hammel) 16.880
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Colorado (-160); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-160); Over
Game 903-904: LA Angels at Chicago Cubs (2:20 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Kazmir) 16.370; Cubs (Silva) 15.132
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-150); No Run Total
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (+130); N/A
Game 905-906: Minnesota at Philadelphia (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Blackburn) 16.348; Philadelphia (Blanton) 15.514
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1; 11
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-125); 10
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+105); Over
Game 907-908: NY Mets at NY Yankees (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Takahashi) 15.495; NY Yankees (Vazquez) 15.589
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-180); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-180); Under
Game 909-910: Chicago White Sox at Washington (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Floyd) 14.262; Washington (Strasburg) 14.361
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Washington (-180); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (-180); Under
Game 911-912: Cleveland at Pittsburgh (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Carmona) 13.740; Pittsburgh (Maholm) 13.898
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-115); 8
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-105); Under
Game 913-914: Arizona at Detroit (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Willis) 14.525; Detroit (Galarraga) 15.441
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit (-200); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-200); Over
Game 915-916: San Francisco at Toronto (7:07 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Zito) 15.684; Toronto (Morrow) 15.101
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Toronto (-125); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+105); Over
Game 917-918: LA Dodgers at Boston (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Monasterios) 16.936; Boston (Doubront) 16.236
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Boston (-145); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (+125); Under
Game 919-920: Tampa Bay at Florida (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Garza) 15.958; Florida (Robertson) 15.530
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-160); 9
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-160); Under
Game 921-922: Kansas City at Atlanta (7:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Bannister) 16.489; Atlanta (Lowe) 16.232
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-180); 9
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+160); Under
Game 923-924: Texas at Houston (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Feldman) 15.765; Houston (Rodriguez) 15.306
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Texas (-135); 9
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-135); Under
Game 925-926: Oakland at St. Louis (8:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Mazzaro) 14.926; St. Louis (Carpenter) 15.963
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1; 7
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-250); 8
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-250); Under
Game 927-928: Baltimore at San Diego (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Matusz) 14.617; San Diego (LeBlanc) 15.051
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: San Diego (-160); 7
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (-160); Over
Game 929-930: Cincinnati at Seattle (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Cueto) 14.953; Seattle (Lee) 14.208
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: Seattle (-145); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+125); Under
WNBA
Seattle at New York
The Liberty look to bounce back from an 82-65 loss to Washington and build on their 8-2 ATS record in their last 10 games following an ATS loss. New York is the pick (+1) according to Dunkel, which has the Liberty favored by 3. Dunkel Pick: New York (+1)
Game 601-602: Seattle at New York (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle 114.099; New York 116.947
Dunkel Line & Total: New York by 3; 154
Vegas Line & Total: Seattle by 1; 150
Dunkel Pick: New York (+1); Over
Game 603-604: Tulsa at Minnesota (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tulsa 103.359; Minnesota 108.709
Dunkel Line & Total: Minnesota by 5 1/2; 170
Vegas Line & Total: Minnesota by 7; 174
Dunkel Pick: Tulsa (+7); Under
Game 605-606: San Antonio at Phoenix (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Antonio 108.346; Phoenix 113.519
Dunkel Line & Total: Phoenix by 5; 181
Vegas Line & Total: Phoenix by 7; 178
Dunkel Pick: San Antonio (+7); Over
Game 607-608: Connecticut at Los Angeles (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Connecticut 110.529; Los Angeles 114.024
Dunkel Line & Total: Los Angeles by 3 1/2; 159
Vegas Line & Total: Los Angeles by 1; 155 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Los Angeles (-1); Over
Frank Jordan
LAA Angels vs. Chicago Cubs
Play: LAA Angels
The La Angels come into to this series of a win in their last game and having won 6 of 10. The Cubs have gotten great pitching so far out of Carlos Silva who is 8-1 and an era under 3 but that one loss did come last time out against an AL team. As Silva and the Cubs take on another AL team look for more of the same result as the Angels win the open game of the series. Play LA Angels
Tony Karpinski
Cincinnati Reds vs. Seattle Mariners
Play: Cincinnati Reds
Gotta love the underdog value with the Reds on Friday night. THey have the top offense in the NL and playing against a Seattle team who has no power in their lineup. The punchless Mariners are second worst in the AL in runs and last in HR's. Cincy starter Johnny Cueto is healthy again and a budding young ace, with a great fastball (65 Ks in 78 innings) and a 6-1 record. I like the better offense with the nice young pitcher on the hill in the final game on the board in Interleague action Friday night.
Steve Merril
LAA Angels vs. Chicago Cubs
Play: LAA Angels
The Angels begin a series in Chicago with a familiar foe in Carlos Silva who gets the start for the Cubs. Silva is 8-1 with a 2.89 ERA this season for the Cubs. However, Los Angeles faced Silva twice last year and he gave up five runs and 10 hits in 12 innings of work. Bobby Abreu (11-20), Mike Napoli (4-12), Howard Kendrick (5-10), Erick Aybar (3-6), Brandon Wood (1-3), and Juan Rivera (1-2) have good numbers against Silva. The Angels are 20-17 on the road hitting .262 as a team. They have won three straight road games and eight of their last 10 away from home. Meanwhile, the Cubs are in the middle of a nine-game homestand during which they are just 3-3. They'll face a suddenly improving Scott Kazmir who is 3-0 with a 2.12 ERA in his last three starts. Kazmir has given up just a total of four runs in those outings. The lefty faced the Cubs in 2008 giving up one run and three hits in 4.7 innings of work while striking out seven. Alfonso Soriano (1-6), Xavier Nady (1-5), Geovany Soto (0-2), and Derrek Lee (0-1) all struggle against Kazmir. Chicago is just 17-16 at home, and since they’ve scored just 25 runs in their last seven games, we’ll recommend a play on the Angels in this spot, especially getting a generous plus price.
Cajun Sports
San Francisco Giants vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Play: San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays open a three-game Interleague series north of the border on Friday night. The Giants are 65-41 (+24.8 Units) after having won 2 of their last 3 games the last 2 seasons and 27-15 (+12.8 Units) during the month of June the last 2 seasons. San Fran will send Barry Zito to the bump with his 7-2 record and ERA of 3.10. Since 1997, Zito is 5-2 versus Toronto with an ERA of 3.52. The Blue Jays will counter with Brandon Morrow who is 4-5 on the year with an ERA of 5.14. He is 4-1 at home this season while the team has a record of 4-2 in his starts. Toronto is 38-60 (-22.5 Units) after two or more consecutive road games the last 2 seasons and 44-59 (-22.0 Units) on a good fielding streak, fifteen straight games with one or less errors over the last 3 seasons. The Blue Jays are 4-9 versus left-handed starters, 2-5 their last seven interleague games versus teams with a winning record, 3-8 their last eleven interleague games overall, 1-4 in Morrows last five home starts and 0-4 in Morrows last four starts following a team loss in their previous game. The Giants are 10-4 in Zitos last fourteen starts, 8-3 in his last 11 starts as an underdog, 6-2 in his last 8 road starts and a perfect 7-0 when Zito starts versus an opponent who scored five or more runs in their last game. We will back the visitor here as San Francisco takes the first game of their weekend set north of the border.
PROJECTED FORECAST: 2* San Francisco Giants 5 Toronto Blue Jays 3
Craig Trapp
Baltimore Orioles vs. San Diego Padres
Play: San Diego Padres
SD is a really solid team that plays so much better at home. BALT on the other hand has only been the worst team on the road 7-27! Huge pitching mismatch as well. Leblanc goes for SD as he won last two going 2-0 over 13 innings with only one ER! BALT turns to Matusz who has been really bad this year going 0-7 with a 5.19 ERA in nine starts since May 29. Even worse when he pitches the Orioles just don't score averaging less than 3 runs in those games. SD is the much better team and we will see a very easy win.
Rob Vinciletti
San Francisco Giants vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Play: San Francisco Giants
The Giants have some solid edges here tonight. They have cashed 6 of 8 this season when playing with a day off and have won 7 of 10 On Fridays. Tonight they take on Toronto team that is terrible vs left handed pitching. They are 1-5 at home vs leftys and are averaging 2.7 runs per game on .198 hitting so far this season.In the pitching matchup the Giants have B. Zito who looks to have regained his form from years past. Zito has a solid 3.10 era and the Giants have cashed 9 of his 13 team starts. In his career vs Toronto he is 8-2. Tonight he opposes bright young righty B.Morrow who can bring it with a fastball that approaches triple digits. Morrow has problems at times with location and will not reach his peak until he resolves his control issues. He has a 5.41 era this season. Look for the Giants to get game 1 tonight.
MARC LAWRENCE
Los Angeles Angels @ Chicago Cubs
PICK: Chicago Cubs
The Cubs host the Angels in this unlikely Interleague matchup when they send Carlos Silva to the hill Friday afternoon at Wrigley. Silva enters with wins in 10 of his last 11 team starts, with the loss a 2-1 setback in his most recent effort here Saturday against the White Sox. With Silva in commanding KW form with three walks and 22 strikeouts in his last three starts, look for Silva to improve to 7-2 in his home career team starts against the Halos here today. We recommend a 1-unit play on the Cubs.
LEE KOSTROSKI
Brewers @ Rockies
PICK: Under 9.5
Jason Hammel may appear to have rather average numbers for the year but after a tough April he has been very sharp in his recent outings. Hammel is just 4-3 with a 4.53 ERA but over his last four starts he has allowed a total of just three runs. Colorado is 4-0 in his last four outings and the ‘under’ is 5-2 in his last seven starts. While Coor’s Field is considered a hitter’s park, Hammel owns far better statistics in his home park with a 3.35 season ERA and the ‘under’ is actually 5-1 in the six games he has started in Denver. In his last two home starts Hammel has allowed just nine hits in over 15 innings without giving up a run.
The ‘under’ is 18-13 in Colorado home games this season and the Rockies have been one of the top ‘under’ teams in baseball. Projected as one of the best offensive teams in baseball, Colorado is getting it done with strong pitching so far this season as the team is batting only .257. The Rockies have a team ERA of just 3.62 and the season bullpen ERA of 3.24 is one of the best marks in the league even though closer Huston Street has been on the disabled list. Hammel and the Rockies will face a Milwaukee lineup that is batting only .207 against right-handed pitching in the last ten games.
The Brewers started the season as a great ‘over’ team as the lineup has power and the pitching staff, particularly the bullpen, was really struggling in the first six weeks of the year. There still are some issues with the pitching staff but the bullpen has delivered better results of late and Manny Parra has proven to be effective in his move back to the starting rotation. The ‘under’ is 3-1 in his four starts and he has not allowed more than three runs in any outing. Over his last two starts Parra has pitched over eleven innings while allowing only nine hits and striking out 18. Parra’s overall numbers this season as a starter and a reliever are almost identical whether at home or on the road so he should be able to deliver a solid outing today.
Milwaukee has several home run threats in the lineup but the offense is not consistently producing runs. Even with 20 runs scored in three games in Anaheim earlier this week the Brewers have averaged just four runs per game over the last 13 contests. The ‘under’ 8-4-1 in that span as well as in only three of those games did Milwaukee allow more than five runs. The ‘over’ did go 2-0-1 in three games between these teams this season but it was the first series of the year and all three games barely missed staying ‘under’. The ‘under’ is actually 6-2-2 in the last ten Milwaukee Friday games and 12-5 in the last 17 Colorado games overall and this should be another lower scoring game.
Jack Jones
Atlanta Braves -172
With the way Royals starter Brian Bannister has pitched of late and with his struggles on the road, this is an easy choice backing the Atlanta Braves Friday night. Bannister has posted an 8.05 ERA and 1.660 WHIP in his last 3 starts. In 6 road starts this season, Bannister has gone 1-3 with an 8.22 ERA and 1.729 WHIP. The righty has allowed 28 earned runs and 53 base runners in 30.2 innings away from home.
Derek Lowe sports a solid 5-2 record with a 3.74 ERA and 1.177 WHIP in 7 home starts this season. Lowe has given up just 51 base runners in 43.1 innings at home, also allowing only 3 home runs. Bannister has served up 8 long balls on the road this year, including 3 in his last start at Cincinnati where he gave up 11 runs (9 earned) in 3 innings of a 5-11 loss. Knowing that Atlanta is 20-4 against the money line as a home favorite of -110 or higher this season, I'm willing to lay the juice as we fade Bannister tonight. Roll with the Braves Friday.
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on San Diego Padres -152
The O's are just 3-10 in Matusz's starts this season, and he is carrying an ERA of 5.75 on the road. In fact, the Orioles are 1-9 in Matusz's last 10 starts and 0-5 in his last 5 road starts. In addition, the Orioles are just 11-41 in their last 52 road games and 12-39 in their last 51 series openers. Baltimore has really struggled against lefty starters (hitting just .235), and it is 13-38 in its last 51 games vs. a left-handed starter. This means the Padres should be in good hands with LeBlanc, who is boasting an ERA of just 1.47 over his last 3 starts. The Padres are 35-16 in their last 51 games as a home favorite of -151 to -200 and 6-1 in their last 7 interleague games as a favorite of -151 to -200. Take the Padres.
Jeff Alexander
1 Unit on Giants/Blue Jays UNDER 8.5
I expect a pitcher's duel to result in the Under in Toronto this evening. Zito is having a terrific season, going 7-2 with a 3.10 ERA. His success should continue in Toronto against a Blue Jays club that has been atrocious against lefty starters. The Jays are only hitting .198 and scoring just 2.7 runs per game against lefty starters. The Jays send Morrow to the mound and he has been money at home all season, going 4-1 with an ERA of 3.41. He has especially been dialed in recently, posting an ERA of only 1.35 over his last 3 starts. Zito is 9-1 Under on the road when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons, and we are only seeing 4.1 total runs scored in these games on average. Plus, the Under is 4-0 in Morrow's last 4 starts vs. a team with a winning record. Bet the Under.
Tom Freese
Baltimore Orioles vs. San Diego Padres
Baltimore starter Brian Matusz has allowed 5 runs total in his 3 starts. The Orioles are 6-1 UNDER in the last 7 starts made by Matusz vs. a team with a winning record. The Orioles are 36-14-2 UNDER their last 52 games following a loss. Baltimore is 11-4-2 in game one of a series. San Diego starter Wade Leblanc has allowed 7 runs total. The Padres are 5-0 UNDER following a day off. The Padres are 10-4-1 UNDER their last 15 Interleague games as favorites. San Diego is 19-8 UNDER after allowing 5 runs or more in their last game. PLAY ON 'UNDER'
Jim Feist
Cincinnati Reds vs. Seattle Mariners
Take: Cincinnati Reds
The Reds comes to town with the top offense in the NL, the punchless Mariners are second worst in the AL in runs. Cincy starter Johnny Cueto is a budding young ace, with a great fastball (65 Ks in 78 innings) and a 6-1 record. Ace Cliff Lee is the favorite, but the punchless Mariners are only 5-4 in his nine starts. The visitors have a terrific arm on the hill and the far better offense. Play the Reds.