EZWINNERS
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Arizona Diamondbacks @ San Francisco Giants
Play: San Francisco Giants -132
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Over his last 8 starts San Francisco's starting pitcher Jonathon Sanchez has pitched very well. Sanchez is 3-2 with a 3.09 ERA and 0.94 WHIP during that span and has struck out 53 batters in 46 Innings. Arizona's starting pitcher Doug Davis has pitched okay, but he walks way too many batters. His lack of control gets him into trouble and he has a very small margin of error with his team facing the lefty Sanchez. Arizona is only 3-14 in their last 17 road games against a left-handed starter and 0-7 is Davis' last seven road starts against a team with a winning record. The Giants are 7-2 in their last 9 home games against a left-handed starter and have won five out of the last seven meetings with the Diamondbacks. Play on San Francisco.
VEGAS EXPERTS
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Baltimore Orioles at Minnesota Twins
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Two struggling pitchers meet tonight in Minnesota, where once again homefield advantage will be the deciding factor. Baltimore is a hideous 19-42 as a road dog this year and has lost 33 of its last 49 games overall. The Twins are more than 30 games over .500 in this building over the last three seasons and they are red hot right now with wins in seven of their last eight. Starter Blackburn is much more effective at home as well.
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Play on: Minnesota
LEE KOSTROSKI
Los Angeles Dodgers @ Colorado Rockies
PICK: Los Angeles Dodgers
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Randy Wolf only has eight wins on the season and that includes picking up wins in each of his last three starts. Wolf has been on a great roll with only nine hits allowed in his last three starts and for the season he has pitched much better than his record suggests. Wolf owns a 3.39 ERA and nearly a 3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Despite Wolf’s mediocre record, the Dodgers are 17-10 when he starts and his road ERA is just 3.01 with a 1.08 WHIP. Over the last ten games the Dodgers bullpen has gotten back on track as well featuring a 1.19 ERA.
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Colorado could letdown following a huge series win against the Giants capped off with a 14-inning dramatic win on Monday. The Rockies may be hyped for the opener of this series but this could be a much tougher follow-up following the intensity of the past several games. Josh Fogg has strong numbers as a long reliever this season but he has rarely pitched in meaningful situations. Fogg has not made a start since last season when he bombed with the Reds, featuring a 7.58 ERA for the year. Starting against the division leading Dodgers will be a much different scenario than Fogg’s typical mop-up duty and he has not proved he is up to the challenge.
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The Dodgers have already won ten games against the Rockies this season and Colorado is batting just .230 over the last ten games despite winning several big games. Los Angeles is 34-26 in road games this season 20-7 in Wolf’s last 27 starts as a favorite. Colorado’s bullpen will likely be called to duty early in this match-up and although the unit has had some success it will be a taxed group after playing a 14-inning game on the typical off-day Monday while the Dodgers rested.
Sports Gambling Hotline
Detroit at LA ANGELS -115
Easy winner last night on Texas-New York OVER the total. Now 24-10-1 the last 35 days with our comp play selections.
Afternoon action at the Big "A" today, we will look for the slumping Angels to avoid the broom at home against the Tigers.
Detroit has won the first 2 games of this 3 game set between division leaders, and while Edwin Jackson certainly rates the edge of Joe Saunders, we have to believe that Los Angeles is about due for a bust-out victory.
LA has dropped 3 straight, and 5 of their last 6, but the fact remains they are still 36-24 at home this year, while Detroit is still just 27-38 on the road this season.
In fact, Detroit is just 6-14 their last 20 on the highway, and prior to this season, the the Tigers were just 2-6 in their last 8 visits to Anaheim.
Play on the Angels to avoid the sweep.
3♦ LA ANGELS
SPORTS ADVISORS
NATIONAL LEAGUE
L.A. Dodgers (74-52) at Colorado (72-54)
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The top two teams in the N.L. West continue their three-game series at Coors Field, with the Dodgers’ Randy Wolf (8-6, 3.34 ERA) slated to toe the rubber against Josh Fogg (0-1, 2.25), who is making his first big-league start in nearly a year.
Colorado got a second walk-off win in as many nights on Tuesday, following up a miraculous 6-4, 14-inning victory over San Francisco with a 5-4, 10-inning win over the Dodgers. The Rockies have now won four in a row and eight of thier last nine overall and they’ve has used a 52-23 run to close to within two games of Los Angeles, which has led the N.L. West virtually the entire season. Jim Tracy’s club is on additional streaks of 27-10 at Coors Field, 12-1 at home against left-handed starters, 6-1 in divisional play, 4-1 on Wednesday and 26-12 as a home underdog.
Los Angeles is now just 13-18 in its last 31 games, going 6-8 on the highway. On a positive note, Joe Torre’s troops are still 49-23 in their last 72 against the N.L. West and, but they have lost four straight Wednesday contests.
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L.A. remains in first place thanks largely to its dominance of Colorado this season, winning 10 of 13 meetings, including five of seven at Coors Field. Dating to last September, the Dodgers are on a 13-4 roll in this rivalry (7-3 in Denver).
Wolf beat the Cubs 2-1 in his last outing on Friday, combining with two relievers on a one-hitter while also driving in both of his team’s runs. The veteran lefty is 3-0 with a 1.99 ERA in his last three starts, striking out 18 and walking just three in 22 2/3 innings. With Wolf pitching, Los Angeles is on positive surges of 4-0 overall, 5-1 against the N.L. West, 20-7 as a favorite, 4-1 as a road chalk and 11-3 against winning teams.
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Wolf is 6-4 with a 3.01 ERA in 14 road starts, including 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA in his last two. He’s made 11 career starts against the Rockies, going 4-2 with a 4.36 ERA. That includes a pair of solid six-inning home outings versus Colorado this year, allowing a combined five runs and eight hits with 13 strikeouts in those 12 innings, as Los Angeles won by scores of 4-3 and 4-2.
Fogg has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen this season, tossing 40 innings in all including 20 1/3 at home, where he has posted a 2.21 ERA. He’s coming off a three-inning stint on Friday against San Francisco, giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits. The veteran right-hander is 3-5 with a 4.34 ERA in 16 career games (10 starts) against the Dodgers, though his last start against them was in the final week of the 2007 season.
Going back to last season, the Rockies with Fogg starting are on runs of 4-1 overall, 9-3 at Coors Field, 6-0 against the N.L. West, 12-2 versus winning teams, 5-1 as an underdog and 7-1 as a home pup.
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The over is 5-2 in Wolf’s last seven road starts, 5-1 in his last six on Wednesday and 4-1 in his last five against the N.L. West, and with Fogg starting, the “over” is on stretches of 4-1 at home, 11-2-1 as a home underdog and 6-2 on Wednesday.
L.A. carries “under” trends of 5-1-1 overall, 9-3 on the road, 4-0 on Wednesday and 6-2 against righty starters. The under is also 5-2-1 in the Rockies’ last eight overall and 4-0 in their last four on Wednesday, but otherwise Colorado is on “over” runs of 6-2-2 at home, 9-1-1 against winning teams and 6-1-1 at home against southpaw starters.
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Finally, the over is 4-2 in the last six Dodgers-Rockies battles at Coors Field.
ATS ADVANTAGE: NONE
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Texas (69-54) at N.Y. Yankees (78-47)
After suffering a rare loss on Tuesday, the Yankees hand the ball to Andy Pettitte (10-6, 4.25 ERA), who will pitch opposite Rangers rookie Derek Holland (7-7, 4.72) as this three-game series between playoff contenders resumes at Yankee Stadium.
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Texas barely held on for a 10-9 upset victory in Tuesday’s series opener. The Rangers, who remain in the hunt for the A.L. wild card, are on runs of 15-6 against teams with a winning record, 11-3 against the A.L. East and 7-3 on Wednesday, but they’ve lost 37 of thier last 53 on the road against left-handed starters. Also, the Rangers are still just 10-25 in their last 35 meetings with the Yankees (3-4 this season).
New York owns baseball’s best record thanks to an incredible 40-15 overall run that has given the Bronx Bombers a six-game lead over Boston in the A.L. East. The Yanks are on additional positive spurts of 49-20 at The Stadium, 53-26 as a favorite, 6-3 against the A.L. West, 60-24 on Wednesday and 35-17 against lefty starters.
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Holland is 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA in his last three starts, beating the Angels 7-0 at home followed by a pair of blowout home wins over Boston (7-2) and Minnesota (11-1). The Rangers are 6-2 in Holland’s last eight trips to the bump overall, including 5-0 against teams with a winning record, but prior to his shutout win at the Angels, Texas had lost four straight games with Holland pitching on the road.
Holland is 2-3 with a 3.65 ERA in 14 appearances (six starts) on visiting mounds this year, and in his lone career start against New York back on May 27, the southpaw got rocked, allowing six runs (five earned) on 10 hits in five innings of a 9-2 home loss.
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Pettitte struggled at Fenway Park on Friday, allowing seven runs (five earned) on seven hits in five innings, but he hung around long enough for the victory as the Yankees pounded out a 20-11 win. New York has prevailed in each of Pettitte’s last four starts, and prior to Friday, the veteran lefty had allowed just five runs (four earned) in his previous four outings covering 26 innings (1.39 ERA).
Behind Pettitte, the Yankees are on lengthy runs of 76-37 at home, 78-37 as a chalk and 28-9 on Wednesday. However, he’s just 4-4 with a 4.83 ERA in the Bronx this year and 9-9 with a 5.56 ERA in 21 career starts against Texas, including a 4-2 home loss on June 3 in which he gave up all four runs on seven hits and six walks in five innings.
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The Rangers are riding “under” streaks of 64-27-5 overall, 35-17-2 on the road, 22-7-1 as a road pup, 21-7-2 against the A.L. East, 5-1-1 with Holland starting and 4-0-1 with Holland pitching on the road. Similarly, New York is on “under” runs 5-2 at home, 6-1 on Wednesday and 6-0 against southpaw starters, and with Pettitte starting, the “under” trends include 40-17-2 overall, 25-10-1 at home, 8-2 against the A.L. West, 8-1 when he pitches on Wednesday and 4-1-1 when he faces Texas.
ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. YANKEES and UNDER
Tom Freese
Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants
Prediction: San Francisco Giants
San Francisco is 40-16 their last 56 games as home favorites. Starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez has allowed 4 or less runs in 8 straight starts. The Giants are 7-2 their last 9 games vs. lefty starters and they are 37-18 their last 55 home games. Arizona is 10-25 in the last 35 starts by Doug Davis as a road underdog. Arizona is 18-37 their last 55 games as underdogs. The Diamondbacks are 3-14 their last 17 games vs. lefty starters and they are 20-42 their 62 games as the Giants. PLAY ON SAN FRANCISCO
MTi Sports
San Diego Padres at Atlanta Braves
Prediction: Atlanta Braves
The Braves are 8-0 since June 28, 2009 as a favorite when they are off a loss in which they never led and the Padres are 0-5 since April 19, 2009 on the road after a win in which they used 5+ pitchers. Consider the Braves.
BIG AL
Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels
It's getaway day in Anaheim as the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels conclude their three-game series with a strong matchup on the mound.
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Our Wednesday afternoon MLB selection is on the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels staying under the total at the Big A in Anaheim.
This series just could be a preview of a playoff matchup as Detroit is likely to win the AL Central crown while the Angels are the leading candidate to take home the AL West title. However if the Angels hope to go much beyond the AL playoffs and make another serious run at the World Series (they won it all in 2002), then they will need lefthanded veteran Joe Saunders to come back from his shoulder problems and pitch like the ace he was for them last season when he won 17 games and had a 3.41 ERA.
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This is a critical start for Saunders as he is coming back from his DL stint to start his first game since August 7, and he was in a serious slump before going down. But all indications are that he is recovered and ready to go as his bullpen sessions have been "exceptional" according to manager Mike Scioscia.
Speaking of exceptional, that's a perfect word to describe Tigers starter Edwin Jackson this season. Jackson has done everything his team could have hoped for, going 10-5 with a 2.86 ERA and the seven-year veteran shows no signs of slowing down.
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Jackson had a complete game gem against the Angels already this season back on June 6 in a game that ended with a 2-1 Detroit victory and the Tigers would be more than happy if he could duplicate that performance on the road this afternoon. Take the Under.
Pick: Tigers-Angels Under 9½
ROCKETMAN
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Tampa Bay @ Toronto
Play: Tampa Bay
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Tampa Bay is 69-56 overall this year while Toronto comes in with a 57-67 overall record this season. Toronto is 16-33 against division opponents this year. Tampa Bay has won 8 of their last 10 games overall this year. Toronto has lost 8 of their last 10 games overall this year. Tampa Bay bullpen has a 3.65 ERA overall this year and a 3.82 ERA on the road this season. Tampa Bay is 11-3 overall vs Toronto this year including 6-2 at Toronto this season. Rays are 22-8 in their last 30 vs. a team with a losing record. We'll recommend a small play on Tampa Bay tonight!
Tom Stryker
Detroit Tigers vs. LAA Angels
Play: LAA Angels -1.5
Detroit has quietly won four straight in this series including two in a row at LA. Rest assured, the Halos will come to play on Wednesday afternoon.
Returning to the Los Angeles starting rotation will be veteran southpaw Joe Saunders. The Angels welcome back Saunders off a two-week stint on the DL and they're hoping his wing has successfully healed. Before needing a few weeks to rest a sore shoulder, Joe had pitched well in his own backyard allowing 37 earned runs and 78 hits in 72.0 innings of work. That breaks down to a 4-3 overall record and a respectable 4.62 ERA. With No. 51 on the hill, the Halos have been very good cashing 58 of their last 86 overall including 25 of their last 33 provided they check in off a straight up loss.
Detroit will counter with right hander Edwin Jackson. In two starts against LAA this season, Jackson has been dominant allowing just four earned runs and 13 hits in 14.0 innings of work. Respect is certainly given to those two performances. However, it will be extremely difficult for Edwin to hold down the Halos high octane offensive attack a third time. To make matters worse, No. 36 hasn't had his best stuff lately. In his last three starts, Jackson has been tagged for nine earned runs and 24 hits in 16.0 frames. That adds up to a lofty 5.06 ERA!
Technically speaking, the Tigers have been at their worst on foreign soil posting a dismal 6-14 record in their last 20 games. Meanwhile, the Halos have been tough to beat after dropping the first two games of a series notching a stellar 24-7 record in game three situations. A solid effort from Saunders combined with some reliable bullpen work will key this victory. Take the LA Angels with listed pitcher Saunders.
Craig Trapp
NY Mets at Florida Marlins
Play: FLA -1.5
FLA is a must win scenario they can't afford to fall any further behind COL in the wildcard race. Today they send Johnson to the mound and hoper there ace is ready to dominate. He's 6-0 with a 2.05 ERA in eight starts against the METS, including a 3-0 mark and 1.63 ERA in four outings at Land Shark Stadium. On the other hand Pelfrey goes for NYM and he looks to turn around a rough road record. The right-hander has struggled through 10 road starts, going 4-5 with a 5.93 ERA. He has an 8.33 ERA while losing his last three. Pelfrey is 1-5 with a 5.36 ERA in nine starts against the Marlins. When it comes to lineups FLA is far superior to NYM and lets hope they keep up the hot bats, if they do R/L will be no problem. SCORE FLA 5 - NYM 1
ALEX SMART
Los Angeles Dodgers @ Colorado Rockies
PICK: Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies continue to surge and are playing some great baseball at the moment and are 18 games above 500 on the season, and have knocked 13 and half games off their competitors ( LA Dodgers) lead since June 3rd and are now just 2 games behind. I know the Rockies will replace starter Aaron Cooke with long reliever Josh Fogg tonight, but he has pitched admirably since getting recalled back in late May allowing just 26 hits in 40 innings of work. I expect Foog will do just enough vs a LA Dodgers team that is in a big time funk since the all star break ranking 19 out of 30 teams in offense, which is high lighted behind Manny Ramirez light hitting since returning to the majors from a drug suspension. It must be noted that the Dodgers have lost 11 of their L/19 games, and have scored three runs or less 11 times. The Rockies continue to find ways to win behind a clutch hitting offense that is averaging 5.9 RPG at home in 2009 and I like them at a value price against any pitcher the Dodgers offer up including tonights starter Randy Wolf..... Play on Colorado Rockies
LT Profits
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Francisco Giants
Jonathan Sanchez of the San Francisco Giants has always had good stuff, but he has finally gained some consistency lately. Meanwhile, Doug Davis of the Arizona Diamondbacks had been pitching well until his last start, and he is fully capable of bouncing back vs. this Giants offense.
Sanchez gained national notoriety by tossing a no-hitter July 10, but the real story has been that he has allowed three runs or less in six of his eight starts beginning with that no-no, including four of his last five outings. He has been downright nasty his last two efforts, allowing a total of two earned runs and only six hits with 15 strikeouts in 12 innings. Perhaps most importantly, Sanchez has allowed one run and five hits in 12.1 innings his last two starts vs. Arizona.
As for Davis, he had allowed two runs or less in five consecutive starts before getting touched up for five earned runs in five innings by the red-hot Philadelphia Phillies in his last start. Davis has allowed two runs or less in four if his last five starts vs. the Giants though, and it also helps his cause that San Francisco is batting only .229 vs. southpaws over the last 10 games.
In fact, the Diamondbacks have been even worse vs. lefties the last 10 games at .193, so we look for the pitchers to dominate in this battle of southpaws.
Pick: Diamondbacks/Giants Under 7.5
Bob Harvey
Chicago White Sox vs. Boston Red Sox
Play: Over 9.5
I’ve never been crazy about backing a pitcher who is coming off a lengthy stint on the disabled list and today will be no different.
Tim Wakefield makes his first start in more than a month as the Red Sox host the White Sox. The 43-year old knuckleballer is back after suffering from lower back and leg problems. Those are the types of injuries that are tough on young pitchers but are magnified when you’re the age of Wakefield.
Wakefield comes in with a season record of 11-3 and an ERA of 4.31. His career numbers against Chicago are less than impressive. He’s 7-11 with a 5.11 ERA but has won three of his last four starts against the Chi Sox.
The White Sox will send Gavin Floyd to the hill as he looks to improve on his 10-8 record and 3.98 ERA. Floyd is 2-0 with a 5.74 ERA lifetime against the Red Sox.
Boston has taken the first two games of this four-game series by scores of 12-8 and 6-3. The Red Sox are 9-0 to the OVER when favored, 11-1 to the high side when favored and 14-2 to the over when favored.
Over their last ten games the Boston pitching staff has been rocked. Their ERA is 6.47 and opposing batters are feasting to the tune of an even .300 average. During that stretch the over is an impressive 7-3. The White Sox have actually pitched better over that same period (4.12 ERA) but their hitting just .259.
I’m banking on both bullpens being a little tired heading into tonight’s game. With Wakefield on a pitch count tonight we could see the Red Sox sooner rather than later.
Boston still leads the wild card race by 1.5 over Texas while Chicago has lost three straight to drop into a second place tie with the Twins. Both teams are 4.5 games behind the front-running Tigers.
Wakefield will be rusty and likely to give up a few runs early. The key will be Floyd and the Red Sox ability to get to him. I say ride the strong trend: when favored Boston has been favored they’ve been a pretty reliable OVER machine.
Roz Juarbe
Rays at Blue Jays
Tampa Bay has a strong offense, 5th in the AL. They come into Toronto, a terrific offensive park. Starter Scott Kazmir is wild again, walkin! g 49 in 105 innings, which explains a 6.17 ERA. Toronto starter Marc Rzepczynski also walks a few too many (23 in 49 innings). An excellent spot for an offensive show,
Play the Rays/Blue Jays Over the total.