Mr Vegas
New York vs Tampa Bay
Play: Tampa Bay
Fifth straight road game for New York, with the Mets 9-20 in their last 29 road games vs. a right-handed starter. 22-year old lefty Noah Syndergaard goes for the Mets and the kid is great at home but 0-4 on the road with a 4.34 ERA. The Mets are 1-6 in Syndergaard's last 7 road starts. Tampa Bay is home and the Rays are 9-2 in their last 11 interleague games vs. a team with a winning record. Nathan Karns has excellent stuff, with opponents hitting .228 off him. Tampa Bay has won his last three starts allowing 2, 1 and 0 runs.
Sleepyj
Blue Jays / Yankees Over 8
The Yankees are the best hitting team in the league against the LHP..I know it's Price and he has looked very good this year..He is also coming off a very exciting win at home in his debut for Toronto..I think we see a little wind come out of the sails here for Price today..I think he will give up some hits and runs in this one today..Yankees can't afford to lose games right now, and taking care of business against Price is a tall task..Yankes have been rather cold int he last three games however..Yanks will look to attack Price early in the count today..Look for them to get off to a fast start in this one...It's hard to poke holes in Price though..He has allowed a total of 5 HR's in his last 4 games. He also has allowed a total of 9 walks in his last 5 games...Price hasn't been unhittable, but he has gotten some decent run support..My gut feeling says the Yanks get after him today in a game most will back Price..Yanks will send out Ivan Nova...Nova is a pretty good pitcher and facing this Bluejays lineup will be a test..Bluejays havent seen him all year, but a few things worry me about Nova..#1. Walks, he has allowed a total of 7 walks in his last 3 games. Strikeouts can be rather low as well..Ya never know what you might get form a guy like Nova..This is the type of lineup that will give him trouble however. He hasn;t hit the 7th inning all year and the Yanks bullpen will come into play here today...I think the same applies for the Bluejays as well..This number very well may come down to 7.5, but i think we see a slugfest for today..It goes against what most may think for this one today..They need to come out swinging today.
Scott Rickenbach
Orioles vs. Angels
Play: Over 7
With yesterday's 8-4 victory, the Angels are now 8-4 to the over in their last 12 games. The Orioles are 5-2-1 to the over in their last 8 games. The Orioles have averaged 5.4 runs per game during this stretch and they will remain hot at the plate against Garrett Richards of the Angels. The right-hander is 1-2 in his last 3 starts and has given up 4 homers during this stretch. The Orioles have a powerful lineup fully capable of taking advantage of balls left up in the zone and certainly the long ball has been a problem recently for Richards. The LAA hurler is also winless in his 3 career starts against the Orioles and he's compiled a 6.16 ERA in those outings. The O's Ubaldo Jimenez also can't be too excited about tonight's match-up! Jimenez is 0-5 with a 5.34 ERA in his career starts against the Angels. The Orioles right-hander comes into this outing in awful current form. Jimenez has a 9.64 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP in his last 3 starts. He's given up a homer in each of his last 3 starts and with Richards also struggling with allowing homers plus the fact that 4 homers were hit in yesterday's game, don't be suprised if there is another "power surge" in Anaheim tonight.
Chris Jordan
Latos, who looked splendid in his first Dodgers start and allowed one run in six innings, returns to the hill to face a familiar foe - these Pirates. He is 5-1 with a 3.13 ERA against the Pirates lifetime, as he's saw them regularly while he pitched for the Cincinnati Reds. He won't be intimidated by his surroundings.
Nor will be Liriano, who is unbeaten in three career starts against the Dodgers - including two last season - and comes in with a lifetime ERA against L.A., of 1.37. He will accept the challenge here, and certainly will be ready to defend his home turf.
Play this one low, as this one stays under on the strength of these arms.
1* Dodgers/Pirates Under
Gabriel DuPont
Free play for tonight: Cincinnati at ARIZONA (-140)
The SMART INTANGIBLE for my play today - Cincinnati is in the desert for the weekend. That's how I'm looking at this. After losing their last two in their previous series, with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Reds have now lost three in a row after losing last night's lid-lifter. Arizona won 2-0 on Friday, and carries the momentum into tonight at Chase Field.
The X-FACTOR in making this choice on this game - The x-factor here is the climate. Believe it or not in some parts of the country the climate is cooling nicely, and in some areas, at night, a light jacket is needed. The Reds coming from Ohio country, to the desert heat where it still reached triple digits, no bueno for the guests. And I think that's the biggest difference for this series. Wouldn't be surprised to the Snakes sweep.
In SUMMARY, why this is the SMART PLAY with this game - Overall, the D'backs are 8.5 back of the N.L. West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, and seven back in the Wild Card race. But the Dodgers are on the road, as are the slumping Giants, and this is a good opportunity for Arizona to possibly gain ground in the division. Lots of intangibles to consider when looking at this game. Take the home team here.
5* ARIZONA
Scott Delaney
My free play for tonight will be out of the American League West, with the Houston Astros getting it done over the Oakland Athletics. And in this game, be sure you're listing Collin McHugh over Jesse Chavez, as this is a complete mismatch on the rubber.
McHugh - who has won his last four starts, going 4-0 with a 3.24 ERA - works quickly against hittes with a solid four-seam fastball that ranges between 90 and 92 miles per hour, with life up and down. But what I like about this kid has been his improvement with his off-speed stuff. He has a plus-curveball and a slider he runs in on lefties. He's been accused of telegraphing his changeup, and maybe at times he still does, but when his junk is on, he is lights out.
He'll outclass Chavez, who struggled terribly in his last start, allowing six earned runs in 3-2/3 innings in a loss to the Orioles last Monday. Trying to bounce back against a potent Astros lineup is not necessarily a good thing. The right-hander is going to make one too many mistakes in this one, and the Astros will pounce when he does.
Take the road team and list both.
5* HOUSTON
Brad Wilton
Friday night did end in a push, as the Detroit Tigers kept their Over roll close to being in tact.
With last night's PUSH, Detroit is still a whopping 30-11-3 Over the total their last 44 games played. The Over is also 14-5-1 their last 20 games played in the Motor City, and starter Alfredo Simon is the un-proud owner of a 4.55 season ERA and has seen the Over go 11-8-1 in his 20 season starts.
Boston has also done their part in playing some downright offensive games, as the Over for the BoSox is now 8-3-1 their last dozen games contested. Starter Wade Miley also owns a season ERA of 4.55, and over his last 3 that ERA tips a little closer to 5, standing at 4.91.
2 of Miley's last 3 starts have landed Over the total, so my suggestion is to stick with the established Over trends, and play Over the total in Boston-Detroit for Saturday night.
2* BOSTON-DETROIT OVER
Jeff Benton
Your Saturday freebie is the Mets and Rays Under the total.
I know the Mets have a bevy of live young arms, but there has been one pitcher on the staff who has been Mr. Automatic when it comes to his games holding Under the total, and that is Noah Syndergaard.
Thor as they like to call him in Queens has started 15 games this year, and the Under is 3-10-2. The Under is on a 5-1-1 run the last 7 times Syndergaard has climbed hill.
Nathan Karns may not get the publicity Syndergaard gets pitching for Tampa Bay, but the righty is on a 2-0 roll his last 3 starts with an ERA of 1.65. The Under happens to be 5-3-1 the last 9 times he has taken the mound.
Even though last night's game played Over the total, the Rays are still 5-2-3 Under their last 10 games played at Tropicana Field.
Saturday holds Low between New York and Tampa Bay.
4* N.Y. METS-TAMPA BAY UNDER
Cajun Sports
St. Louis Cardinals -135
The Cardinals won easily on Friday night over the Brewers with a 6 to 0 victory which moves their road record against Milwaukee to 18-6. St. Louis has cashed six of their last eight games overall and no reason to think they will not get another victory on Saturday night. We note teams coming off a game as an underdog are only 52-73 SU for a profit of +1096 Units playing against them. The Cards will send Jaime Garcia to the bump with his 1.98 ERA over nine starts including a 1.67 ERA in his four road starts this season. We want to play ON MLB road teams coming off a game as a road favorite because these teams are 35-22 SU for 61.4 percent winners and a profit of +1153 Units. The Cardinals are 7-1 SU their last eight games when installed as road chalk. With significant support on the bump and at the plate we will back the Birds in this one as they grab another victory against the Brewers on Saturday night.
Zack Cimini
Rangers at Mariners
Play: Mariners
The Rangers look to get back into this series after losing last night with Cole Hamels as the favorite on the road. Perez gets the start and is coming off a sound two-hit gem against the San Francisco Giants. We're going to take Seattle here in which I believe they'll get the proper balance for nine innings with their bats against Perez, a steady performance from Montgomery, and enough from their bullpen. Grab the Mariners who will get another win against the Rangers.
Jeffrey James
Seattle Mariners -130
Montgomery has been good at home and the Mariners have beaten the Rangers 5 of the last 6 times they have played them. Perez goes for Texas and he has been terrible lately so look for the Mariners to take advantage of his struggles to score enough to get this win.
Wunderdog
Toronto @ New York
Pick: Under 8
The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays are starting to look like the teams to beat in the AL East. The Jays and Yankees are the top two run-producing teams in MLB. Toronto went out and got themselves a big arm in David Price prior to the trade deadline. Price has been as steady as they come, as he has allowed 2 or fewer runs in 12 of his last 14 trips to the mound. Nova has been getting stronger after coming off Tommy John surgery, and his last outing saw him work six innings, allowing a single run. The Blue Jays have played to a 23-9-2 mark to the UNDER in their last 34 games as a favorite from -110 to -150. This game also fits one of my top UNDER situations, one that has gone 550-409 over the last 12 years for an +8.4% ROI. Play on the UNDER.
Vegas Butcher
Miami Marlins -115
Going to fade Foltynewicz in this one as he has a terrible 2.0 HR/9 rate and has already allowed 14 HR's in 66 innings of work. Koehler is coming off a few poor outings in a row but he has an excellent slider and curveball, two pitches that Atlanta has had a lot of trouble with this year. Koehler typically bounces back from poor starts and I like his chances to do so today. Atlanta's new closer has pitched in 2 straight games and I don't like Foltynewicz' chances of going deep in this one. Marlins end their 5-game losing streak tonight.
SPORTS WAGERS
Saskatchewan +9½ over TORONTO
The Argonauts finally return home after a grueling five weeks on the road that saw them open the season in Northern Alberta, play three more games on the West Coast and close it out with a tough game in Hamilton’s home opener last week. One has to like what the Argonauts have accomplished. They are in a great position at 3-2 overall after five tough games on the road. The Double Blue has also covered four of their five contests and now they get the 0-6 Riders in. Thing is, the propensity for a lethargic performance in this type of situation is huge. These are guys that have been traveling around together for two months on the road. It started on June 18th when Toronto played their final exhibition game in Montreal. Their last game locally was on June 9th. Now the routine completely changes after two months of hanging out with teammates every day. Furthermore, the atmosphere at the Rogers Centre is like a morgue. It’s seems as though you’re watching a practice instead of a game when you’re there. Forget about the difficulty of winning in these conditions in an unfavorable situation but the Argonauts are being asked to win by a significant margin. Hell, they may not even win outright.
We absolutely love this spot for the Roughriders. Here’s a team that is 0-6 and has been home for four of those six games. For the past month, the entire team and coaching staff has been under heavy local media and fans scrutiny. CFL football is the only game in town for Saskatchewan. The Riders are to that region what the Canadiens are to Montreal or what the Packers are to Green Bay. The timing of this trip to Toronto could not be better. The Riders are now under no pressure whatsoever. They can relax and focus on football and it’s not like this team is without talent. In fact, they are loaded with talent that is capable of beating any team in this league on any given day. Another issue here is that the Riders are forced to use their third string QB Brett Smith. Smith now has his feet wet after starting in Edmonton last week in a 30-5 defeat. That performance may not be as bad as it seems. Smith started out by completing 9 of his first 12 passes. He had a 34-yard completion to Ryan Smith down to the Edmonton nine-yard line wiped out by a holding penalty. He rushed twice for 18 yards. By the time he was replaced by Tino Sunseri in the fourth quarter, Smith was 15-for-22 passing for 132 yards and had three runs for 21 yards. The reports out of Regina are that the Roughriders had a great week of practice. They like what they see in Smith and frankly, we did too. This now becomes a great opportunity for the Riders to come in here and steal a win. Saskatchewan has rarely been outplayed this year. They outgained the Argos by 220 yards in Saskatchewan and they did a similar thing to the Lions. They’ve lost four of their six games by four points or less so they could easily be 4-2 instead of 0-6. With some breaks they would be 4-2 and we’d be writing about a point-spread of -4½ and not -9½. What we have here is a grossly inflated number because of the Riders 0-6 record and because they are down to their 3rd string QB. Our position is to always take back inflated numbers in favorable spots and we absolutely make no exception here.