Free Picks: Service Plays for Tuesday, September 7,2010

Rocketman
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
San Francisco Giants vs. Arizona D-Backs
Play: San Francisco Giants
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
San Francisco is 77-61 overall this year and sits one game behind NL West Division leader San Diego, while Arizona comes in with a 56-82 overall record on the season. San Francisco is 6-1 this year as a road favorite of -120 to -150. San Francisco has now won 5 of their last 6 games overall. Arizona has lost 3 games in a row heading into tonight's contest. San Francisco bullpen has a 3.35 ERA overall this year. Arizona bullpen has a 5.87 ERA overall this year and a 5.47 ERA at home this season. Tim Lincecum has struggled lately but still owns a 3.68 ERA overall this year and a 3.49 ERA on the road this season. I'm looking for Lincecum to break this slump here tonight. His last outing he did pitch 8 innings and got the win over Jiminez and Colorado allowing only one run. Lincecum is 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA overall vs Arizona since 1997. We'll recommend a small play on San Francisco tonight!

BIG AL
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Rangers @ Blue Jays
PICK: Over: 9
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Many of the American League teams who face tough pennant battles down the stretch made moves within the past several weeks to shore up their pitching staffs. Other than acquiring lefthander Cliff Lee at the trade deadline (and some very minor signings like Jesus Colume), the Rangers have not been one of those teams and they head into September with pretty much the same staff with which they went into the season. This strategy could prove costly as Texas has seen numerous injuries to its staff with a total of eight hurlers either injured, on the DL, or lost for the rest of the season at this point and its staff ERA has been the worst in the league over the past seven days at 5.75. One of those injured pitchers gets to try to prove that he can come back tonight as righthander Scott Feldman makes his 26th appearance (21st start), and first start since July 24th. Feldman was moved into the bullpen after struggling in the first half of the season and then was placed on the DL, but will try to put all that behind him as he fills in for the injured Lee (back pain). It's a tough comeback assignment for Feldman who is 0-3 with a 5.94 ERA in eight appearances (five starts) against the Jays. Righthander Shaun Marcum would like to improve on his numbers against the Rangers as the current ace of the Toronto staff has a 5.33 ERA in just over 25 innings pitched against Texas. This has all the makings of a high-scoring contest. Take the 'over.'

Jim Feist
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Cleveland Indians vs. Los Angeles Angels
Take: Los Angeles Angels
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Last place Cleveland is a long way from home, with the third worst offense in the AL. Erratic Justin Masterson (5-12, 5.01 ERA) is getting too much respect with this betting line. Masterson's start was pushed to Tuesday, as he had to go home to deal with a family matter. This could be Masterson's final start of the season, as the club is mulling moving him to the bullpen to limit his innings count. Trevor Bell of the Angels has been very good, with a 3.63 ERA his last three starts and the Indians haven't seen him in 2010. Play the LA Angels.

Bryan Leonard
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox
Play: Tampa Bay Rays
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Similar to the Angels, the Red Sox are a team that is used to playing in the postseason but will be sitting on the sidelines this year. They have bravely battled through tremendous injuries that would have devastated a weaker club. But now that Dustin Pedroia is out for the year the Sox have folded the tent. They have dropped 6 of their last 8 games with wins over the Orioles being the only saving grace from a complete collapse.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Tampa Bay has taken 6 of the last 7 meetings in this series as they continue to run the Red Sox ragged. The Ray's speed has been too much for Boston to compete with and the Sox just don't have the same offense without their injured stars.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Tampa continues to battle the Yankees for the division title while the Sox plan their early vacations.

BRAD DIAMOND SPORTS
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Chicago Cubs over Houston
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Astros use retread RHP Figueroa in a battle at Wrigley with Carlos Silva hitting the bump for the Cubs. Cubs are 8-2 at home versus a losing team and 4-1 home against a strong side hurler. Finally, we find Chicago 4 of 5 in game #2 of a series. Just a light play for Chicago on Tuesday night.

Tom Freese
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Indians at Angels
Play: Under
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Angels starter Trevor Bell has allowed 6 runs total in his last 3 starts. Los Angeles is 30-14-1 UNDER vs. AL Central teams and they are 9-3 UNDER vs. a team with a losing record. The Angels are 0-5 UNDER their last 5 games as home favorites. The Halos are 7-3 UNDER their last 10 games. Cleveland starter Justin Masterson has allowed 3 or less runs in 3 of his last 4 starts. The Indians are 37-18-3 UNDER off a win. Cleveland is 8-3 UNDER their last 11 games vs. righty starters are 5-2 UNDER vs. the Angels and they are 5-2 UNDER with Masterson as a dog.

Lenny Del Genio
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins
Prediction: Minnesota Twins
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
You probably don't need our advice to play a favorite of the magnitude, so consider it simply a reassurance. The Royals have been simply terrible on the road vs. left-handers this year, losing 10 of 13 games and starter Brian Bannister isn't likely to help as he brings in a 0-3 TSR and 8.04 ERA his last three starts. Counterpart Francisco Liriano has a 2.51 ERA in 13 starts at Target Field, where Minny has won two-thirds of its games this season. Take Minnesota.

VEGAS EXPERTS
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamonbacks
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Arizona's Barry Enright has been on an incredible run these last three starts (1.31 ERA), beating Ubaldo Jiminez, Matt Latos and the man he will face again tonight Tim Lincecum. If you're keeping score at home, that's the staff ace of three main division rivals! However, the price is too tempting to pass on Lincecum here, especially with the revenge angle in play and considering the Giants have won 11 of 12 down the stretch away from home against teams with a losing record.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Play on: San Francisco

John Ryan
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees
Play: Baltimore Orioles
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
3* graded play on Baltimore as they take on the Yankees set to start at 7:05 EST. Sabathia will go for his 20th win tonight, but he is going to have work very hard for that win tonight. Our proprietary sports handicapping model and simulator shows a meaningful probability that Baltimore will win this game. Baltimore has produced offensively since Showalter took over the team. Over the most recent seven games they have batting 292 with a 350 OBP scoring 5.1 RPG. Orioles are also 5-0 (+10.9 Units) against the money line versus AL teams scoring 5.2 or more runs per game in the second half of this season; 16-8 (+20.3 Units) against the money line versus teams outscoring opponents by 0.5 or more runs per game in the second half of this season. Showalter is also 32-15 (+24.5 Units) against the money line in road games versus teams averaging 2.75 or less extra base hits per game in the second half of the season in all games he has managed since 1997. This is clearly an opportunity get down with a small chuck of change and get paid better than 3/1 for a dog whose team members have had success against Sabathia. Orioles starter Arrieta did very well in his only start against the Yankees allowing just three earned on four hits and worked six complete innings on June 10. Take the Orioles.

Steve Janus
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Cincinnati Reds vs. Colorado Rockies
Pick: Cincinnati Reds
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
I really like the Reds to come through with a nice win on the road over the Rockies on Tuesday. The Reds will start Johnny Cueto, who is 12-4 on the season with a 3.41 ERA. Cueto has been pretty good on the road this season, going 6-2 with a 3.17 ERA in 13 starts. The Reds offense will have to get something going against Jhoulys Chacin of the Rockies, who has been pitching well of late. Even though this will be the first time the Reds have faced Chacin, I think they are going to find a way to put plenty of runs on the board in this one, especially with the game being played at Colorado.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Reds have lost two straight heading into todays game, and have no managed to hit a single home run in those two losses, but that is a good thing for today, as the Reds are 15-4 against the money line after 2 straight games with no home runs this season. The Reds have also played pretty well on the road this season, as they are 25-14 against the money line on the road when the money line is +125 to -125 this season.

Jimmy Boyd
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
1 Unit on Philadelphia Phillies -155
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
With a chance to take the lead in the NL East, look for the Phillies to take care of business tonight. The Phillies have won 9 of their last 12 overall and 11 of their last 15 against the NL East. They certainly have the advantage at home tonight against Volstad when you consider that Florida has lost 4 straight and 6 of his last 7 starts against the Phillies. Blanton has quietly been pitching some very good baseball. The Phillies are 5-1 in his last 6 starts overall, 7-1 in his last 8 home starts and 5-0 in his last 5 starts vs. a team with a winning record. I'll take the Phillies at home tonight.

SPORTS WAGERS
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
San Francisco –1½ +1.47 over ARIZONA THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
After a terrific run, the D-Backs have slowed down with three straight losses and during that stretch they’ve scored a total of nine runs. Barry Enright is on a serious FLUKE ALERT and his ERA and other stats are headed for a correction real soon. Enright is 6-2 with a 2.45 ERA and that’s why looking under the hood is so important. Those numbers do not match Enright’s skill level. Enright has had everything fall into place and has caught a bunch of teams at precisely the right time in that they were struggling offensively when they faced him. The Giants will see now see him for the third time this season and his charmed life could very well come to an end here. Enright’s xERA of 4.82 is almost 2½ runs higher than his actual ERA and that screams a loud warning. His strand rate is off the charts at 85% and over the last month, it’s even higher at 87%. That strand rate is unsustainable and it’s not like he’s a groundball pitcher either. In fact, Enright has a groundball rate of 36% and what we have here is a guy who has been incredibly lucky. Those flyballs will start finding gaps at this park and those runners will begin to cash in. If you watched Tim Lincecum shut down the Rockies for his 12th win of the season Wednesday, you saw vintage Lincecum. Five hits, one earned run with nine strikeouts is what we have grown to expect from Lincecum, yet this was his first win since July and the first time he allowed fewer than two runs in a start since July 15. Lincecum's ERA (3.68) is a far cry from the last two years, but the xERA (3.51) isn't. Take away the month of August (7.82 ERA) and this is still an elite skill set that’s very worthy of a wager. Play: San Francisco –1½ +1.47 (Risking 2 units).

FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
TORONTO –1½ +1.31 over Texas THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The season keeps getting worse and worse for Scott Feldman. Poor performance forced him from a rotation spot to the bullpen at the end of July, where he’s continued to struggle (xERA of 5.32 and BPV of -21). He’ll now take his spot back in the rotation for at least one start but don’t expect much. Feldman has allowed 165 hits in 129 innings for a BAA of .313. He’s been just as ineffective on the road with a BAA of .306. He’s appeared in four straight games out of the pen and in four combined innings he’s thrown 72 pitches, walked three and didn’t strike out a single batter. This guy is BP out there and let’s also note that the Rangers are going bad. In fact, Texas has now dropped four in a row, five of six and seven of its last nine games. Every pitcher they face lately has made them look very ordinary and that includes guys like Nick Blackburn, Bryan Bullington, Matt Fox and Carl Pavano. Now they’ll face a pitcher that is reliable and that can dominate a team that is struggling. Shaun Marcum has been rock solid all year. His surface stats are good and his under the surface stats are dynamic. Marcum has elite control with just 37 walks and 137 K’s in 163 frames. The Jays continue to play well and you can triple that at home against right-handers, where they’re 33-19. Play: Toronto –1½ +1.31 (Risking 2 units).

EZWINNERS
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
New York Yankees -1.5FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia has dominated the Orioles this season and in his career. Sabathia is 4-0 with a 2.43 ERA in four starts against the Orioles this season and he is 13-1 with a 2.59 ERA in eighteen lifetime starts against Baltimore. Baltimore's rookie starting pitcher Jake Arrieta is 1-0 against New York this season as he allowed three runs in six innings against the Bronx Bombers in his only start against them this season. I look for the Yankees to get to him this time around. Fatigue could begin to be a problem for Arrieta who has already surpassed his career-high in innings, throwing 161 this year between Triple-A and the majors this season. Baltimore pulled off the win yesterday, but they are still only 23-55 in their last games as a road underdog. The Yankees are 22-4 in Sabathia's last twenty six starts as a home favorite. Play New York on the run line.

Sean Higgs
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Astros vs. Cubs FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Play: Under 10½FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Under is 6-2-1 last 9 in Chicago and 3-1-1 last 5 overall. Silva has gone 9-4-1 under in his last 14 starts while Figueroa has gone under in 4 straight. Astros as a team have gone 21-5 under in their last 26 overall.