Wunderdog
New England at Philadelphia
Pick: New England +3
This exhibition game offers substantial history to follow as it relates to coaching philosophies. This year marks the 10th for Andy Reid as head coach of the Eagles and the ninth for Belichick leading the Pats. Coach Reid has never been about winning in the exhibition season, but rather about testing and evaluating new personnel. That is evidenced by the fact that Philadelphia has not had a winning record during the preseason for each of the last six seasons. His teams are 15-25 during the NFL-X under his tenure. His record gets even worse in week one, where Reid's Eagles are just 3-8. It is tough to lay points with a team that has a long history of winning very little under their current coach - especially in week one. Coach Belichick actually has a winning record since taking over at New England with a 20-17 mark. In week one preseason action, his Patriots teams are 6-4. In addition, normally Tom Brady could care less about playing in the preseason. But, this is not a normal year for him. Coming off a year of inaction, he's chomping at the bit and will play in this game. He wants to show everyone, including himself, that he's back. Coming off an 0-4 preseason last year, I look for the Pats to try to have added incentive win this year. I have an NFL-X system that backs teams that had a bad preseason last year that applies in this game. The system is 15-4 ATS including 5-1 the past three seasons. I'll take New England with the points in this one.
Vernon Croy
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Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox
Play: Detroit Tigers
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We are getting great value here with the Tigers who have Justin Verlander (12-6, 3.45 ERA) on the mound since he is the superior pitcher in this match-up. The Tigers are 13-5 when Verlander has started as a favorite this season and the Tigers are 4-1 in their last 5 games as a favorite. The Tigers are 16-6 in Verlander's last 22 starts against an AL East division opponent and I look for Verlander to have a solid start Thursday afternoon. The Red Sox are just 5-16 in Clay Buchholz's (1-2, 5.33 ERA) last 21 starts and they are also just 0-6 in Buchholz's last 6 starts against a team with a winning record. The Tigers were hitting .309 as a team over their last 7 games before last night's game while the Red Sox were hitting just .212 as a team over their last 7 games. Take the Detroit Tigers as my MLB Free Play for Thursday afternoon.
Marc Lawrence
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Houston Astros at Florida Marlins
Prediction: Over
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The Astros and Marlins close out their four-game series Thursday night when Mike Hampton opposes Sean West at Land Shark Stadium in Miami. Both pitchers enters tonight's fray in rocky KW form - Hampton with 8 walks and 7 strikeouts and West with 9 walks and 7 strikeouts in each of their last three starts. With these teams averaging 14 total runs per game in this park in the last four meetings, look for a well-lit scoreboard once again here tonight.
Jim Feist
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Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox
Play: Boston Red Sox
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Detroit still hasn't bounced out of its offensive season-long slump. Even coming to Fenway hasn't help much, getting beat the first two games of the series. Detroit is great at home, but terrible on the road. The Red Sox offense is clicking now that they are home, and their super-tough bullpen depth makes it difficult on visitors to steal wins. Justin Verlander is 1-2 with a 5.49 ERA in his career against Boston, and he has a 5.57 ERA his last three starts. Red Sox righty Clay Buchholz hasn't seen the Tigers this season and has a terrific bullpen to help him out, if needed. Play the Red Sox.
Robert Ferringo
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Take ‘Under’ 9.5 Boston at Texas
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This is a projected number, but I like the ‘under’ at 9.0 as well. The Rangers have struggled with left-handed pitching all season and Jon Lester is one of the best in the business. Kevin Millwood toes the slab for the home team and he is 5-15-2 against the total this year. He has been one of the top ‘under’ arms in the game and I think he’ll have a solid outing against a Sox lineup that has been struggling. All six meetings this year have stayed ‘under’, with an average of just 7.2 runs per game on the board.
Doc's Sports
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Take Milwaukee -130 over San Diego
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The Brewers have not been playing well of late and we look to earn the victory on getaway day at Miller Park. They will send Manny Parra to the mound and he has not lost a game since June 13th. He is 4-0 since then and has improved his record to 7-8 on the season. San Diego does not have much firepower offensively and if Parra can stop Gonzalez, he will earn the victory.
Allen Eastman
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Take Colorado over Pittsburgh
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The Pirates continue to just play out the string on their season and they are just 9-23 in their last 32 games overall (15-37 on the road). Colorado has been one of the best teams in the game at home and one of the top teams in baseball since bringing Jim Tracy on board. I like them to close out Game 3 and take the series win with this one.
SPORTS ADVISORS
NFL PRESEASON
Washington at Baltimore
Ravens coach John Harbaugh and Redskins coach Jim Zorn begin their second seasons at the helm of their respective teams when these regional rivals clash at M&T Bank Stadium.
Washington starting QB Jason Campbell is expected to play only a series or two and Zorn said all three of his backup passers – veteran Todd Collins, second-year pro Colt Brennan and rookie Chase Daniel – are “likely” to play, but he refused to reveal “all the things we have planned.”
Harbaugh said his starters, including second-year QB Joe Flacco, will play “in the neighborhood of one quarter.” Troy Smith and John Beck will follow Flacco, with rookie Drew Willy possibly getting mop-up duty.
The Redskins went 3-2 (2-3 against the spread) in Zorn’s first preseason in 2008. However, going back to 2004, Washington is mired in a 5-11 SU and ATS slump in August, including 2-6 SU and ATS on the road.
The Ravens won Harbaugh’s debut last year, upsetting New England 16-15 as a four-point road underdog, then proceeded to drop their final three summer outings both SU and ATS. Baltimore is in a 2-5 SU and ATS funk in preseason play since 2007, including 1-3 SU and ATS at home and 1-4 ATS as a favorite.
The under is 11-4 in Baltimore’s last 15 exhibition contests, including 3-1 last year. Washington also stayed low in six of its last nine preseason games. Finally, the under is 7-1 in the last eight regular season and preseason contests between these rivals.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
New England at Philadelphia
Tom Brady is expected to see game action for the first time in 11 months as the Patriots travel to Lincoln Financial Field for their preseason debut against the Eagles.
Brady, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opening quarter of the first game of last year, said this week that he expects to play tonight. However, as usual, New England coach Bill Belichick was non-committal on playing time for any of his players. Brady would be followed by second-year pro Kevin O’Connell, rookie Brian Hoyer and veteran Andrew Walter.
Philadelphia coach Andy Reid said Donovan McNabb and his starters will play 1½ quarters. However, Reid will be without the services of second-string QB Kevin Kolb, who was injured in practice this week and is out for this contest. That means veteran A.J. Feeley will follow McNabb and likely finish up, though Adam DiMichele, who was signed this week, may see fourth-quarter action.
The Patriots went winless in August last year both SU and ATS, including a 27-17 loss to the Eagles as a three-point home chalk in Week 3. New England hasn’t had a winning preseason since going 4-0 SU and ATS in 2003, and it has lost five of its last six preseason road games (1-4-1 ATS) and three consecutive preseason openers (0-2-1 ATS).
The Eagles have had just one winning preseason in Reid’s decade-long tenure at the helm, also managing just three .500 campaigns during this stretch. One of those came last year when Philadelphia split its four games in August, going 1-1 SU and ATS both at home and on the road. The Eagles are 4-2 SU and ATS in their last six exhibition games at Lincoln Financial Field, but they’ve dropped five straight preseason openers (0-5 ATS) dating to 2004.
The over is 7-2 in Philadelphia’s last nine preseason games (3-1 at home).
ATS ADVANTAGE: OVER
Arizona at Pittsburgh
The Cardinals and Steelers return to the field for the first time since their thrilling Super Bowl matchup in February, with Arizona traveling to Heinz Field for this preseason opener.
Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said his starters will probably play just a couple of series, including starting quarterback Kurt Warner. Once Warner departs, Matt Leinart and Brian St. Pierre, both of whom are battling for the No. 2 job, will take over, possibly followed by fourth-stringer Tyler Palko.
Ben Roethlisberger will start under center for Pittsburgh, but like Warner only will play a couple of series. Coach Mike Tomlin said he hopes that the other three QBs on his roster – veteran Charlie Batch and youngsters Dennis Dixon and Mike Reilly – will all see some action, but he didn’t specify in what order or for how long.
The Cardinals followed up a winless preseason in Whisenhunt’s first year with a 2-2 SU and ATS mark last year. Arizona is 8-4 SU and ATS as a visitor in August since 2003 (1-3 SU, 2-2 ATS on the highway under Whisenhunt), but it has lost its first two preseason games in each of the last two years.
The Steelers began their run to their six Super Bowl title by beating instate rival Philadelphia 16-10 as a one-point home favorite in their preseason opener a year ago, improving to 2-0 SU and ATS in Week 1 under Tomlin. Although Pittsburgh failed to cover in its final three exhibition contests last year, it did finish 3-1 SU and is 7-2 SU in August since Tomlin took over as coach (4-5 ATS).
Pittsburgh rallied for a last-minute 27-23 victory over Arizona to win Super Bowl XLII, but failed to cash as a 6½-point favorite.
The Cardinals are on a 11-4 ATS run as an underdog in preseason action, while the Steelers are 7-12 ATS as preseason chalk since 2002.
The under is 11-2 in Pittsburgh’s last 13 summer contests, but the Cardinals have topped the total in seven of their last 10 in the preseason.
ATS ADVANTAGE: ARIZONA
Dallas at Oakland
The Raiders officially christen the Tom Cable era as the new coach leads the silver-and-black against the Cowboys at the Oakland Coliseum.
Dallas coach Wade Phillips indicated that his starters on both sides of the ball will play “around a quarter or so,” although last year, the first-string offense played just one drive in the opener. Once top QB Tony Romo departs, veteran Jon Kitna will take control of the offense, with rookies Stephen McGee and Rudy Carpenter playing most, if not all, of the second half.
Former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell, now in his third season, will start at QB for the Raiders and play about one quarter with the rest of the first string. However, veteran backup Jeff Garcia (injury) will not play, meaning Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye, who are battling for the No. 3 job, will see significant action.
The Cowboys have split their four preseason games in coach Wade Phillips’ first two years (3-5 ATS), winning all four at home (3-1 ATS) while losing all four on the road (0-4 ATS). Those four road defeats were by a total of 45 points, including three double-digit losses and a nine-point setback.
The Raiders were a mediocre 3-5 SU and 4-4 ATS in two preseasons for former coach Lane Kiffin. However, they’ve been a moneymaker at home in August over the last three years, going 5-1 SU and ATS. Oakland is also 4-1 ATS as an exhibition chalk during this span and 3-0 SU and ATS in its last three preseason openers.
Dallas went 4-0 SU and ATS against the Raiders in preseason play from 2001-2004, the most recent exhibition battles between the legendary NFL squads.
The under is 13-4 in Oakland’s last four preseasons.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OAKLAND
AMERICAN LEAGUE
N.Y. Yankees (71-43) at Seattle (60-54)
The Yankees take baseball’s best record to the Pacific Northwest for the first time this season, with ace CC Sabathia (12-7, 3.76) slated to toe the slab at Safeco Field against the Mariners’ Ian Snell (0-0, 6.14).
New York wrapped up a successful seven-game homestand with Wednesday afternoon’s 4-3, 11-inning victory over the Blue Jays. The Yankees won five of seven on the homestand and they’re 9-1 in their last 10 (3-0 on the road). Additionally, the Bronx Bombers are on sensational runs of 36-16 overall, 35-17 against right-handed starters and 10-3 in series openers.
Seattle got a two-out RBI single from Ken Griffey Jr. in the bottom of the 14th inning Wednesday night to put away the White Sox 1-0. The Mariners are 6-2 in their last eight at home and 4-1 in their last five against the A.L. East, but they’ve dropped seven of 10 when facing left-handed starters.
New York is on an 11-3 roll against the Mariners, but it has lost five of its last seven at Safeco Field.
Sabathia improved to 4-1 in his last five starts with Saturday’s dominating 5-0 victory over the Red Sox, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out nine over 7 2/3 scoreless innings. The hefty lefty pitched at least seven innings in all four victories and has gone into the seventh inning in six of his last seven outings. However, Sabathia has won three straight games just once this season, back in mid May.
Sabathia is 7-5 with a 3.89 ERA in 13 road starts this year and 4-4 with a 3.42 ERA in 12 career starts against the Mariners, including an 8-4 home loss on July 2 when he gave up six runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings in his second worst start of the season. On the bright side, Sabathia is 4-1 with a 2.83 ERA in seven games at Safeco Field.
Snell lasted just 1 1/3 innings on Saturday’s against the Rays, giving up three runs on two hits and six walks, and though he escaped with a no-decision, Seattle lost 10-4 at home. The veteran right-hander, who was acquired from the Pirates at the trade deadline, is a combined 2-8 with a 5.42 ERA in 17 starts this year. Snell, whose first career start at Safeco Field came on Saturday, has never faced the Yankees.
For New York, the “over” is on runs of 4-0-1 on the road, 6-1-1 versus the A.L. West, 4-1-1 on Thursday, 5-1 in Sabathia’s last six road outings and 4-0-1 in Sabathia’s last five versus A.L. West foes. Similarly, Seattle is on “over” streaks of 7-2 overall, 4-2 at home and 5-1-1 in series openers. Finally, seven of the last 10 clashes between these squads have topped the total, but the “under” is 6-1 in the last seven meetings at Safeco Field.
ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. YANKEES and OVER
DUNKEL
Detroit at Boston
The Tigers look to bounce back from yesterday's 8-2 loss and build on their 7-1 record in Justin Verlander's last 8 starts when their opponent allows 2 runs or less in the previous game. Detroit is the pick (-110) according to Dunkel, which has the Tigers favored by 1/2 a run. Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-110).
Game 901-902: San Diego at Milwaukee
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Carrillo) 14.952; Milwaukee (Parra) 14.214
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1/2; 12 1/2
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-175); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+165); Over
Game 903-904: Philadelphia at Chicago Cubs
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Lee) 14.966; Cubs (Dempster) 13.516
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-130); No Run Line
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-130); N/A
Game 905-906: Pittsburgh at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Maholm) 14.676; Colorado (Marquis) 14.461
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1/2; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Colorado (-230); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+210); Over
Game 907-908: Houston at Florida
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Hampton) 15.415; Florida (West) 15.068
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1/2; 13
Vegas Line: Florida (-160); 10
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+150); Over
Game 909-910: Washington at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Balester) 14.663; Cincinnati (Arroyo) 15.833
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-150); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (-150); Under
Game 911-912: Texas at Cleveland
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Feldman) 16.876; Cleveland (Sowers) 16.359
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Texas (-110); 9
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-110); Under
Game 913-914: Kansas City at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Meche) 14.193; Minnesota (Pavano) 15.444
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1 1/2; 11 1/2
Vegas Line: Minnesota (-160); 9
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (-160); Over
Game 915-916: Detroit at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Verlander) 15.168; Boston (Buchholz) 14.631
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1/2; 11 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit (-110); 9
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-110); Over
Game 917-918: NY Yankees at Seattle
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Sabathia) 16.829; Seattle (Snell) 15.037
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 2; 7
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-200); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-200); Under
CFL
Calgary at Edmonton
The Stampeders look to build on their 5-2 ATS record in their last 7 games in Edmonton. Calgary is the pick (+1) according to Dunkel, which has the Stampeders favored by 7. Dunkel Pick: Calgary (+1).
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13
Game 401-402: Calgary at Edmonton
Dunkel Ratings: Calgary 116.134; Edmonton 109.161
Dunkel Line: Calgary by 7; 62
Vegas Line: Edmonton by 1; 59
Dunkel Pick: Calgary (+1); Over
FRIDAY, AUGUST 14
Game 403-404: BC at Toronto
Dunkel Ratings: BC 109.082; Toronto 106.942
Dunkel Line: BC by 2; 38
Vegas Line: BC by 3; 46 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+3); Under
SATURDAY, AUGUST 15
Game 405-406: Montreal at Winnipeg
Dunkel Ratings: Montreal 121.352; Winnipeg 106.813
Dunkel Line: Montreal by 14 1/2; 52
Vegas Line: Montreal by 8; 48
Dunkel Pick: Montreal (-8); Over
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16
Game 407-408: Hamilton at Saskatchewan
Dunkel Ratings: Hamilton 108.868; Saskatchewan 112.156
Dunkel Line: Saskatchewan by 3 1/2; 48
Vegas Line: Saskatchewan by 5 1/2; 52 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Hamilton (+5 1/2); Under
WNBA
Indiana at Minnesota
The Lynx look to build on their 9-3 ATS record in their last 12 games against the Eastern Conference. Minnesota is the pick (+2 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Lynx favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+2 1/2).
Game 651-652: Seattle at Connecticut
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle 111.038; Connecticut 112.157
Dunkel Line & Total: Connecticut by 1; 140
Vegas Line & Total: Connecticut by 3; 143 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (+3); Under
Game 653-654: Detroit at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit 109.520; Atlanta 110.686
Dunkel Line & Total: Atlanta by 1; 163 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Atlanta by 4; 162
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (+4); Over
Game 655-656: Indiana at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Indiana 112.510; Minnesota 113.477
Dunkel Line & Total: Minnesota by 1; 162
Vegas Line & Total: Indiana by 2 1/2; 160 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+2 1/2); Over
Game 657-658: San Antonio at Phoenix
Dunkel Ratings: San Antonio 109.431; Phoenix 114.873
Dunkel Line & Total: Phoenix by 5 1/2; 176 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Phoenix by 6 1/2; 177 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Antonio (+6 1/2); Under
Frank Jordan
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New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Play: New England Patriots +3
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The Patriots fans had their hearts ripped out their chests in week one last year as Tom Brady went down, but stepping up was Matt Cassel who lead the team to an 11-5 record, but lost out in making the playoffs due to tie breakers. Philadelphia had a run all the way to the NFC Conference championship game going into Minnesota and New York to win, but couldn't continue things out West in Arizona. With Tom Brady eager for some action look for the entire Patriot team to rally around that and win their opening game of preseason in Philadelphia. Play New England
Craig Trapp
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Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox
Play: Boston Red Sox
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Detroit is trying to avoid being swept as they have lost two in a row in Fenway. In fact DET is just not very good on the road this season going only 23-26. Verlander tries to save the day for DET but he has struggled recently also giving up 13 runs in 3 games. On the other side BOS is in a must win as they can't afford to lose games on the 1st place Yankees. They turn to young ace Bucholtz who was really good in his last start against the Yankees going 6 innings and only allowing 2 runs. Love the matchup of a strikeout pitcher against a team that is prone to a ton of strikeouts. Great value today take a very good BOS team that plays great at home. SCORE BOS 5 - DET 2
Nick “The BookieKiller” Parsons
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Washington Nationals @ Cincinnati Reds
PICK: Washington Nationals
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For a number of different reasons, I feel we have a good shot for an underdog victory and believe we're getting good value on the visiting side: Both teams are out of the playoff race, however both are playing better these days. Although the Reds are turning things around, they haven't had much success with Bronson Arroyo (10-11, 5.04 ERA) on the mound, losing 10 of his last 13 starts. Washington counters with Collin Balester (1-1, 5.21), who tries to bounce back from a difficult outing. After recording a 3.68 ERA in his first three starts, Balester permitted five runs and eight hits - including three home runs - in 4 1-3 innings of a 7-6 win over Arizona on Friday; however I look for Balester to return to the form which has seen him go 1-0 with a 3.09 ERA on the road. Look for the Nationals to improve to 9-2 (+10 units) in the month of August!
Scott Rickenbach
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New England Patriots @ Philadelphia Eagles
PICK: New England Patriots + 3.5
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The Eagles training camp has already been ravaged by injuries. First it was linebacker Stewart Bradley (a starter!) and rookie tight end Cornelius Ingram. They were each lost to season-ending ACL injuries. Now, more recently, QB Kevin Kolb and defensive end Trent Cole were each lost to injury and are out for the pre-season opener. Quarterback Matt Nagy, who was with the Eagles as a coaching intern in camp, has now been signed for this week’s game.
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It’s truly a mess in Philly but, as of Monday morning, they’re still laying three points in this match-up. That’s offering a lot of line value to the Patriots. This is especially true when you consider that the Eagles have failed to cover the number in their preseason opener five straight times! As for the Patriots, they are 5-1 ATS in their last six preseason openers! Also, Bill Belichick is known as a coach who likes to win – even in Pre-season – while the Eagles Andy Reid is 15-25 in preseason. Helping the winning “hunger” for New England here is the fact that Philadelphia beat them 27-17 in Foxboro in last year’s pre-season. It’s payback time on Thursday! Consider a small play on the PATRIOTS on Thursday evening.
MATT FARGO
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New England Patriots @ Philadelphia Eagles
PICK: Philadelphia Eagles -2.5
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Two main factors when betting the preseason NFL is motivation to win and quarterback rotations. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick loves to win and win big at times as we all know but when it comes to the preseason that is not the case. The Patriots are 4-8 over the last three seasons including a 1-5 record the first two weeks and a 0-3 record in week one. The Patriots are catching points and with Tom Brady back after missing last season with a knee injury, the public seems to be lining up behind New England. Brady will start but don’t expect him to stay in long, especially what happened after last year, as he is going to get in one or two series only. He will be replaced by Kevin O’Connell who played in two mop-up series last season and he will likely finish the first half. After that it will be former Raiders failure Andrew Walter and rookie Brian Hoyer splitting time in the second half. Walter said that the terminology of the Patriots’ playbook has been a bit demanding. “It’s a process,” Walter said. “There is no question about it. It’s a process and there’s still tons of work on my end that I need to do like get caught up on a lot of things.” To this point, none of the three quarterbacks jockeying for position behind Brady has done much to distinguish himself at camp. The quarterback situation is not very solid for the Eagles if this was the regular season however this is the preseason and for us, they have a big advantage. Philadelphia will go with starter Donovan McNabb and he could play into the second quarter which is significant for the first preseason game. Backup Kevin Kolb will not play because of a knee injury so that means third stringer A.J. Feeley will play the remainder of the game. Not only is he a veteran but he has been in this system for four years and he has the ability to tear apart the second, third and even fourth string defenses. The Eagles did sign free agent quarterback Adam DiMichele this week, his second stint with the team after getting released in May. He likely will not play but if he goes, it will be on a very limited basis. Head coach Andy Reid is not known for winning preseason records either but the quarterback rotations gives his team a huge edge and that will result in a big win.
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3* Philadelphia Eagles
MTi Sports
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New York Yankees at Seattle Mariners
Prediction: Seattle Mariners
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In his last start, CC Sabathia was the key to a 5-0 shutout of the Red Sox. He went seven and two-thirds and allowed only 2 hits, while striking out nine. In Snells last start he was a mess. He could not find the plate, and walked six and allowed two hits in only one and a third innings. His excuse was that it was his first home start for his new team and he was nervous. We?ll give him another chance here.
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The Yankees have to feel very confident because of the pitching matchup, but since Sabathia joined the Yankees, they are 0-5 in franchise history as a 160+ favorite when he is off a start in which his WHIP was less than one. In these five games, the Yankees have lost by an average final score of 7.2 to 3.6 runs and Sabathias WHIP is a bloated 1.91. If they were a 200+ favorite, they are 0-3 losing every game by at least four runs. Thats right, the Yankees are 0-3 in franchise history as a 200+ favorite with Sabathia when his WHIP was less than one in his last start, losing by scores of 10-2, 8-4 and 8-4.Take the Mariners at this BIG price.