SPORTS WAGERS
Philadelphia +103 over LOS ANGELES
The Phillies were once again favoured to win the NL East but they currently find themselves in last place, 12 games below .500. They start the second half as an undervalued squad and that allows us an opportunity to watch them closely and play them when warranted. They’ve won two in a row and although he isn’t pitching today, Roy Halladay returns to the rotation for this series. Knowing that has a positive effect on everyone in the Philadelphia clubhouse. The Phillies will come into this series with a chip on their shoulder after being swept by these Dodgers in a four-game set in June. Joe Blanton has flashed an elite skill set (16 BB – 95 K’s -3.41 xERA in 110 IP) this year but has been victimized by a 66% strand rate and a 17% hr/f. Chavez Ravine suppresses HR’s by a large margin so expect Blanton to take full advantage. Nathan Eovaldi skills are not close to the same level as Blanton’s. He has ju! st 24 K& rsquo;s in 47 frames with 17 walks issued. Over his last four starts, Eovaldi has an xERA of 5.64 and his prospect status is diminishing with each passing start. The Dodgers hot start is a distant memory, as they’ve won just six of their past 23 games and just lost two of three at home to the Padres to open the second half.
Blade,
Sean's Sports PicksNY Yankees over 5.5 runs - 120
Alot of sharp's will be on the Yankees tonight and with good reason, but I prefer not to lay a big tag. The better value is to go with the Yanks to score more than 5.5 runs. It might seem high but one thing the Yankees do better than anyone is hit the longball. It's going to be another hot night in the Bronx and balls should be flying out again. Throw in the inconsistency of Henderson Alvarez vs. the stacked Yankee line-up, Cano riding an 18 game hitting streak, and even A-rod is starting to heat up. Yankees soar over 5.5 runs.
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Hollywood Sports
Baltimore Orioles at Minnesota Twins
Prediction: Minnesota Twins
Baltimore (46-42) has lost 7 of their last 10 games on the road. The Orioles have also lost 7 of their last 9 games as an underdog in the +110 to +150 price range. They send out Tillman who is making his second start of the season after holding the Mariners to just two hits and two runs (neither earned) in 8 1/3 innings of work in Seattle. But Tillman had a 6.30 ERA, 1.93 WHIP and a .333 opponent's batting average on the road last season. Baltimore has lost 4 straight road games with Tillman pitching as an underdog. The Orioles have also lost 4 straight games when Tillman was an opening game of a new series. Minnesota (36-52) counters with Diamond who is 7-3 with a 2.62 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP this year. Diamond has been particularly tough at home where he owns a 2.01 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and .237 opponent's batting average as compared to his 3.26 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and .294 opponent's batting average when on the road. The Twins have won 5 of their last 6 home games with Diamond on the mound. And in his last three starts, Diamond has not allowed more than three runs in any of those contests.