Free Picks: Service Plays for Monday August, 27

Hollywood SportsFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Edmonton Eskimos at Toronto Argonauts
Prediction: Edmonton Eskimos
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Edmonton (4-3) looks to rebound from their 38-25 loss to Montreal as a 2-point favorite last week -- but they have then bounced-back to cover the point spread in 5 of their last 7 games following a defeat. The Eskimos have also covered the point spread in 4 of their last 5 games after a point spread loss. This team has also covered the spread in 9 of their last 13 games against teams with a winning record which should only help their confidence when facing an Argonauts team that they have defeated four times in a row. Toronto (4-3) has now won three of their last four games after their 22-14 upset win at Calgary as a 4.5-point underdog. Unfortunately for the Argos, they are a mere 7-18-1 ATS in their last 16 games following a victory. Toronto has also failed to cover the point spread in 12 of their last 16 games after a point spread win. This is a team that is scoring only 22.9 PPG which is second to last in the CFL -- and that does not bode well for them when facing an Eskimos defense that is 2nd in the CFL by holding teams to just 19.6 PPG. Lastly, the Argonauts have failed to cover the point spread in 11 of their last 16 home games. Take Edmonton with the points in this one.

Nick ParsonsFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Edmonton vs Toronto
Pick: OverFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Revenge is the themed dish for Monday night's CFL matchup between Edmonton and Toronto with former Eskimo Ricky Ray leading the double blue Argonauts and CFL leading rusher returning to his former home field after getting released two weeks ago and latching on with the Eskies. It was a shocking release for the Argos, but GM Jim Barker called the move “an attitude issue”, so we know that the Edmonton offense, now with two threats in the backfield in Boyd and Hugh Charles will be highly motivated to prove the doubters wrong. Ricky Ray got his re-union with his former team out of the way early, losing 19-15 on the opening night of the season in Edmonton, so he will want to take one back from his former mates. That opening night match-up showcased stingy defense on both sides and Edmonton has been nasty all season, only allowing 19.6 pts per game. However in the last three games they have given up 27 per game, and Toronto has only allowed 18. The total is the lowest it has been in the last eight match-ups and we think there is enough motivation on both offenses to get this one to creep over the total.

Marc LawrenceFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs
Prediction: Chicago Cubs
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When Milwaukee sends Marco Estrada to the mound against the Cubs at Wrigley Field Monday evening Estrada will do so knowing he is 2-9 in his MLB career road team starts, including 0-6 with a 5.45 ERA this season. With the Brew crew just 5-10 overall behind Estrada in his last 15 starts, look for the Cubs to improve to 11-5 on Mondays, their best day of the week this season, here tonight. We recommend a 1-unit play on the Cubs.

Jesse SchuleFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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LA Dodgers vs. Colorado
Pick: Colorado +1.5
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The Dodgers made a big statement acquiring Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Nick Punto and Josh Beckett from the Red Sox, and it didn't take long for the move to start paying dividends. Gonzalez belted a three run home run in his first at bat in a Dodgers uniform, and the Dodgers went on to win 8-2. Josh Beckett will get his chance to make an impression in Colorado today.
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Beckett (5-11, 5.23 ERA) is coming off a loss his last time out, he allowed four runs on seven hits, including a pair of homers, while walking three over six innings in a 4-1 game against the Yankees. He is winless in his last six starts, and he has a record of 1-4 with a 7.11 ERA in seven starts since the All Star break. A trip to Coors Field isn't likely to do him any good in his National League debut.
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Colorado will send Jeff Francis to the mound tonight, he is coming off a very solid start in his last outing. Francis (4-4, 5.79 ERA) went five innings, allowing just a single run on five hits in a 5-2 win over the Mets in his last start. Francis is 1-0 in his last four starts.
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Colorado has only lost by more than one run once in their last 13 games, while winning ten of those games outright.
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After the recent trade between Boston and LA, the newspapers in Boston were running headlines saying "Bums Away". The Red Sox fans are happy to be rid of Beckett, and they will likely relish the opportunity to see him get torched in his debut at Coors Field.

Scott SpreitzerFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Dodgers at Rockies
Prediction: Over
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Josh Beckett has truly struggled for the second season in three years. Beckett, who posted a 5.78 ERA in 21 starts in 2010, makes his first start with his new team after posting a 5.23 ERA in 2012 in Boston. In fact, Beckett has been tagged for a 7.53 ERA & 1.67 WHIP in his last 43 innings of work. The righty has allowed 7 home runs in his last three starts, spanning just 16 1/3 innings. And he'll face a Colorado lineup averaging 6.9 rpg in home night games against righthanders in 2012. His counterpart, Jeff Francis has been crushed for a 6.99 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, and a .333 BAA in eight home starts this season. I expect more of the same tonight. I'm recommending a play on the Over between the Dodgers & Rockies on Monday.

Jim FeistFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Oakland Athletics vs Cleveland Indians
Pick: Oakland Athletics
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The Oakland A's were one of the hottest teams in baseball to start the second half of the season. And, while the A's have cooled a bit in August, they still hold the 2nd AL Wild Card spot in a tie with Baltimore. However, Detroit is just a half game back and the Angels are four back, which means five clubs have a chance for the two playoff Wild Cards. The Indians will want to forget about August, going 5-18 thus far this month. In fact, the entire second half of the season has been pathetic for the Tribe with a 16-33 mark. The A's have won eight of their last 10 games including two straight. The Indians have won just two of their last 12. Brett Anderson pitches just his second game this year for the A's after holding Minnesota to just one run in his last start. Roberto Hernandez will start for the Tribe with a 0-2 mark and 6.75 ERA. The A's have four games against Cleveland and with their pitching staff I wouldn't be surprised if they take 3 or all four games starting with Monday. Play the A's

Dave CokinFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Tampa Bay Rays vs Texas Rangers
Pick: Tampa Bay Rays
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No rocket science here. The Rays are red hot and David Price is as sharp as it gets right now. I'll take Tampa Bay to keep it rolling with the win against the Rangers.

SPORTS WAGERSFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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L.A./COLORADO over 10½ -103
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The most extreme hitters' park in baseball combined with Josh Beckett making his Dodgers debut sets this one up very nicely indeed.
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Beckett is on the heels of five poor starts at the time of the blockbuster trade. Over the last month, he has an xERA of 5.47, his strikeouts are way down, his fly-ball rate of 48% is way up and his 16% hr/f% are all warning signs that he’s suffering from fatigue, not to mention a lack of confidence. Beckett’s last quality start came in Seattle way back on June 30. He’ll now face a Rockies team that is warm and that leads the NL with 5.7 runs per game and a .295 BA at home.
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Jeff Francis and the Rockies pen aren’t much better. Colorado pitchers own a 5.28 ERA since the All Star break and a 5.99 at Coors Field this season. Francis’s strikeout rate has been in decline since 2007. His ERA over the past month is 7.33 with an xERA of 4.48. In his 16 starts this season, he’s answered the bell for the sixth inning just twice. Francis is 2-3 at Coors with a 6.99 ERA. With both offenses in good form and today’s vulnerable starters, the scoreboard should be busy.

Tony StoffoFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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St Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Play: St Louis Cardinals
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Thru the years I watched AJ Burnett melt down with the Yankees when things go wrong, and it sure looks like the same scenario for the first time on Pittsburgh - as in his last 3 starts he has allowed 15 runs, and 24 hits in just 18+ innings pitched resulting in a 6.75 ERA and a Whopping 1.928 WHIP. Add in the fact that he will be matched up against Kyle Lohse who is a solid 6-1 on the road this season, and you can see why the Cardinals are the play here this evening.

Matt FargoFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Chicago vs. Baltimore
Pick: Baltimore
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This is a great price for the Orioles which continue to play exceptional baseball and the trade for Joe Saunders shows they are not going to go away. They won the first two games of their series against Toronto before rain cancelled the game yesterday. Baltimore sends Wei-Yin Chen to the mound and he looks to rebound off a bad start last time out as he allowed five runs in five innings against the Tigers. He has allowed four runs or more seven times this season and in the previous six occasions, he has followed that up with a quality start in his next outing and we can expect the same here. The White sox meanwhile have won six straight games, sweeping both the Yankees and Mariners at home. The road has not been as good though as they are riding a three-game road losing skid. Francisco Liriano looks to turn that around as he is coming off back-to-back quality outings and he has been pretty solid since coming over to Chicago. His overall road work has been suspect though as he has a 5.53 ERA and this includes a blowup in Baltimore earlier this season where he allowed six runs, five earned, on eight hits and two walks in just four innings. The Orioles are 10-3 in their last 13 home games against left-handed starters.

Andrew LangeFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Oakland at Cleveland
Play: Under 8FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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When teams have nothing to play for and have essentially quit on the season, fundamental and situational hitting take a back seat to just trying to yank it out of the park. During their August swoon (5-19) the Cleveland Indians have been a punch line for poor hitting. In 24 games, they've walked only 54 times and struck out a whopping 173 times. It has resulted in a horrific .293 on-base percentage. And tonight, they are a difficult spot having to face a lefty who throws strikes in Oakland's Brett Anderson. Anderson looked very impressive in his first start back from the DL, holding Minnesota scoreless through seven innings. Opposing him will be Roberto Hernandez who actually threw pretty well in his last start, allowing just one run before wearing down in the sixth inning in Seattle. Oddsmakers have adjusted to Cleveland's poor hitting ways, but I still see value in playing tonight's game under 8.

Jeff Scott SportsFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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4 UNIT PLAYFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Dodgers/ Rockies Over 10: I looked at today's schedule and said oh yeah we will be taking a look at the over in this game. We I did and I really like it. The Dodgers have really upgraded their offense with the additions of Ramirez, Victorino and now Gonzalez, to go along with the likes of Kemp and Ethier. Now you won't always see this offense in full bloom when they play at home, because Chavez Ravine is not a hitters park, but Coors is. Now the Dodgers new toy, Adrian Gonzalez, Has hit in this park before and he likie to as he has a .330 average with 14 HR's and 54 RBI's in 191 career AB's in this park. Matt Kemp also likes it here as he has a .322 BA, with 11 HR's and 40 RBI's in 210 AB's here. Those two, along with the rest of the LA lineup, should do some damage in this one. Overall the dodgers do score just 4.3 rpg on the road, but their offense is getting better and they should really put up more runs than that vs a Colorado team that allows 6.6 rpg at home. The Rockies will send out Jeff Francis tonight and he has struggled in his own park this year, posting a 6.99 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP at Coors this year. His home games have averaged a healthy 12.9 rpg as well. Also in his last 2 starts vs LA here (both in 2010) he allowed 9 ER's in just 8.1 innings of work). The Rockies have a potent offense at home, where they average 5.74 rpg, but even more potent with Francis on the Mound as they average 6.3 rpg in his home starts this year. Josh Beckett comes in with a 5.23 ERA on the year and a 5.20 ERA on the road this year. He has struggled even more of late, posting a 7.11 ERA and we also note that August is his worst ERA month as he has posted a career ERA of 4.79 during this month. Both offenses should put up big numbers vs these two starters and I would not be surprised to see 15+ runs scored tonight.
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Texas/ Tampa Bay Over 8.5: Google News Play I know that Price is on the mound but still when are you gonna get a Texas home game with an O/U line this low? David Price has been awesome of late, posting an 0.60 ERA in his last 4 starts, but if their is one team right now that can hit him it has to be the Rangers. The Texas offense is hot, averaging 7.3 rpg in their last 8 games, while in their last 5 (all at home) they have averaged 8.8 rpg, with those 5 games averaging 12.4 rpg. Texas overall averages 5.7 rpg at home, including 5.6 rpg when Holland pitches at home. Speaking of Holland, he has struggled in his own park with a 5.43 ERA here and 10.9 rpg being scored in his home starts. Derek has also not fared well ve the Rays, posting a 6.50 ERA in his 6 career regular season starts vs them, with those starts averaging 12.2 rpg. THe Rays have troubles scoring at home, but on the road they average 4.7 rpg and 5.2 rpg when Price takes the hill away from home. The Tampa offense has been hot of late scoring 5.8 rpg in their last 10 games. I look for both teams to hit at least 4 runs in this one with ease.FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Chicago/ Baltimore Under 8.5 Google News Play As bad as Francisco Liriano has been this year overall, he really hasn't pitched all that badly of late, allowing 2 ER's or less in 4 of his last 5 starts and 3 ER's or less in 7 of his last 9 starts. Really just 2 bad starts over that stretch. Liriano has a 5.53 ERA on the road this year, but just a 2.91 ERA in his last 2 away from home. His road starts have averaged just 7 rpg on the year, including just 8 rpg in his two road starts with Chicago. Chen has had 2 rough outings in his last 3, but those starts were around 3 other starts in which he allowed just 1 ER total. Chen has allowed 3 ER's or less in 6 of his last 8 starts and he has a solid 3.6o ERA at home. He has faced the Sox once this year and allowed just 2 ER's in 5.1 innings of work, in a game that saw just 5 runs scored. I look for around 6 runs tops in this one.
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St Louis -115 over PITTSBURGH: A little payback here for the cards after losing 2 of 3 at home to Pittsburgh last week. Since that series the Cards have won 5 of their last 6 games, including 2 of 3 at Cincinnati over the weekend. The Cards offense has been hot as they have averaged 7 rpg in their last 6 games and put up 8 runs twice in the Cincy series. Now they get to face a struggling AJ Burnett, who is finally pitching like the AJ we remember. AJ comes in with a 6.75 ERA and a 1.93 WHIP in his last 3 starts and 2 of those starts were vs the offensively challenged San Diego Padres. Aj faced the Cards once this year and allowed 12 ER's on 12 hits in just 2.2 innings of work. AJ does have a 2.81 ERA at home, but he has allowed 10 ER's in his last 12.3 innings of work at PNC Park.Kyle Lohse has had no such troubles of late as he has allowed 2 ER's or less in 9 of his last 10 starts, while posting an ERA of 2.67 over that stretch. The Cards are just 2-2 in his last 4 starts, but he has a skinny 1.01 ERA and an 0.86 WHIP in the 4 games. Kyle is also 3-0 with a solid 3.00 ERA in his last 5 starts vs the Pirates. At home the Pitt offense struggles as they average just 3.8 rpg and hit just .233 and will have problems scoring off of Kyle in this one. Pittsburgh may be setting up for a slide and while taking 5 of the last 7 played at St Louis, I look for the Cards to get some revenge behind the better starter and better offense.

Lenny Del GenioFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Atlanta vs. San Diego
Pick: San DiegoFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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We're gonna go ahead and fire on the dog Monday night as the Padres welcome in the Atlanta Braves. It was just last night we fired on the Braves as a slight underdog as they went into San Francisco and won big 7-1 in a National TV game for the ESPN cameras. Though it's not a far trip down the coast to San Diego, we often see many MLB teams suffer a letdown in this spot, particularly when on the road off a Sunday Night win. Sure enough, we find Atlanta to have a very poor 2-14 record on Mondays this season! The Padres have been a red hot team over the last week. having won seven straight, after recording back to back sweeps over Pittsburgh and Arizona. They have actually turned a pretty nice profit since the All-Star Break, going 30-20 (+$1800)! Offensively, they've really picked up the pace during the current win streak, scoring an average of 5.7 runs per game while batting a collective .329. Getting the start tonight is the organization's top prospect Casey Kelly. Look for the Padres to give him a win in his debut!

Dave PriceFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Pittsburgh Pirates +110
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The Pirates are showing value in the underdog role considering they are 11-1 in A.J. Burnett's home starts this season. They are also 7-0 in Burnett's last 7 starts vs. a team with a winning record and 4-0 in his last 4 starts as a home underdog. The Cardinals, meanwhile, are 4-12 in their last 16 road games vs. a team with a winning record and 5-17 in Kyle Lohse's last 22 road starts vs. a team with a winning record. The Cardinals are also 2-5 in their last 7 meetings against Pittsburgh. Bet the Pirates.