SPORTS WAGERS
USA -108 OVER ALGERIA
The Americans are in control of their own destiny, as a win here would punch their ticket to the 2nd round. They managed a draw against one of the early tournament favorites, England, after English goalkeeper Robert Green fumbled the ball into his own net. Many felt that their 2nd match against Slovenia would surely generate a victory. However, the Americans came out flat and looked like they thought victory would find them somewhere on the field. Slovenia pounced all over this and jumped out to a two-goal lead by halftime. With their backs against the walls and elimination starring them directly in the face, the Americans were a completely different team in the 2nd half. They were moving the ball at will, generating scoring chance after scoring chance. After Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley scored a goal each to tie the game at two, horrible officiating would rear it's ugly head once again at the this World Cup. Maurice Edu scored to complete one of the best comebacks in the history of the World Cup, but referee Koman Coulibaly decided to make a phantom foul call on the USA that would negate the goal. The play has been shown thousands of times in the last few days and there was absolutely nothing there that even resembled a foul. The best part of all of this is that the incident will only motivate the Americans and their supporters to the utmost level on Wednesday. They had their scare last week and you can expect them to turn up the tempo for the whole game this time. Algeria is coming off a Draw with England, but don't put too much emphasis into that match. It was more of a case of the English playing horrendous football than anything else. England was boring, predictable and void of any real effort. Algeria is in a position where they will have to play out of their element and attack if they want any chance of advancing. That should be just what the doctor ordered for Team USA, as they will have multiple opportunities to counterattack. The Americans are the superior team in this match and they will accept nothing less than an emphatic victory. Play: USA -108 (Risking 2.16 units to win 2).
DUNKEL
Detroit at NY Mets
The Tigers look to bounce back from yesterday's 14-6 loss and build on their 5-1 record in their last 6 games after allowing 5 or more runs in the previous game. Detroit is the pick (-105) according to Dunkel, which has the Tigers favored by 1/2 a run. Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-105)
Game 951-952: San Francisco at Houston (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Zito) 14.613; Houston (Myers) 15.192
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-125); 8
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+105); Under
Game 953-954: Cincinnati at Oakland (3:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Cueto) 13.801; Oakland (Mazzaro) 15.265
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-115); 8
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-115); Over
Game 955-956: Kansas City at Washington (4:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Bannister) 13.516; Washington (Strasburg) 15.012
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Washington (-260); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (-260); Under
Game 957-958: Florida at Baltimore (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Nolasco) 15.987; Baltimore (Matusz) 13.030
Dunkel Line: Florida by 3; 8
Vegas Line: Florida (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: Florida (-130); Under
Game 959-960: Cleveland at Philadelphia (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Westbrook) 13.831; Philadelphia (Kendrick) 15.003
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1; 11
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-180); 10
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-180); Over
Game 961-962: St. Louis at Toronto (7:07 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Carpenter) 14.803; Toronto (Romero) 15.277
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-115); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-105); Under
Game 963-964: Detroit at NY Mets (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Bonderman) 15.864; NY Mets (Dickey) 15.762
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-105); Over
Game 965-966: San Diego at Tampa Bay (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Correia) 14.589; Tampa Bay (Shields) 15.560
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-180); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-180); Under
Game 967-968: Pittsburgh at Texas (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Maholm) 13.843; Texas (Nippert) 16.921
Dunkel Line: Texas by 3; 11
Vegas Line: Texas (-175); 10
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-175); Over
Game 969-970: Minnesota at Milwaukee (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Liriano) 16.694; Milwaukee (Parra) 16.569
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Minnesota (-145); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (-145); Under
Game 971-972: Atlanta at Chicago White Sox (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Hudson) 15.892; White Sox (Buehrle) 16.925
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-125); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (+105); Over
Game 973-974: Boston at Colorado (8:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Lackey) 15.388; Colorado (Jimenez) 16.677
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Colorado (-175); 8
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-175); Under
Game 975-976: NY Yankees at Arizona (9:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Vazquez) 15.772; Arizona (Willis) 14.449
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-200); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-200); Over
Game 977-978: LA Dodgers at LA Angels (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Ely) 16.436; LA Angels (Pineiro) 16.236
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (+110); Under
Game 979-980: Chicago Cubs at Seattle (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Wells) 15.087; Seattle (Lee) 15.342
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: Seattle (-170); 7
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (-170); Under
WNBA
Tulsa at Atlanta
The Dream look to take advantage of a Tulsa team that is 0-4 ATS in its last 4 road games. Atlanta is the pick (-11 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Dream favored by 15 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-11 1/2)
Game 601-602: Tulsa at Atlanta (12:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tulsa 100.100; Atlanta 115.609
Dunkel Line & Total: Atlanta by 15 1/2; 174
Vegas Line & Total: Atlanta by 11 1/2; 178
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-11 1/2); Under
BRETT ATKINS
Come along for an interleague FREE winner tonight as I go with the Braves on the road in Chicago to take on the White Sox.
Look for the Braves and ace Tim Hudson (7-2, 2.34 ERA) to dominate today in Chicago as they take out the White Sox and lefty Mark Buehrle (5-6, 4.71 ERA).
Hudson is 3-1 on the road this season with a 2.61 ERA and on Thursday he allowed one run in seven innings of a 3-1 victory. In his last road start, Hudson gave up two runs in eight innings in Minnesota.
Buehrle has a 5.11 ERA at home and he’s allowed 12 runs on 20 hits in 8.1 innings over his last two home outings.
Atlanta has the National League’s top record and they are on runs of 5-1 in interleague play, 19-7 overall, 21-8 when Hudson gets five days off and 7-2 when he’s a road favorite.
Chicago has dropped eight of Buehrle’s last 10 as an underdog and four of five when he faces a winning team. Play the Braves and Hudson tonight to get this winner.
4♦ ATLANTA
Chris Jordan
Nice win with Florida as my complimentary play last night, completing a 4-0 Tuesday night sweep with my 3-0 paid-play sweep highlighting my Tuesday.
To go along with the 600♦ winner I have for you tonight, I am playing the Twins as my freebie tonight, and want you listing both Francisco Liriano and Manny Parra in this one.
Liriano is in after a great pitching matchup against Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez. And though he struggled in the first inning of what was being billed as a pitchers' duel, he gave up three runs on four hits in that inning as well as hit two batters and give up a walk.
To his credit, he did settle down after that and gave up only one more hit and two walks in the last six innings of his outing.
He's still overpowering batters, as he's recorded 93 total strikeouts in his 13 starts, while he's walked just 24 batters this season.
I'd much rather side with Liriano and that sharp, late-breaking slider he challenges batters to hit, not to mention that fading changeup he serves up so well against right-handed hitters, instead of Parra, who is 1-5 with a 3.91 ERA on the year.
Make note, the last time he scored a won was in Minnesota, when he was coming out of the bullpen. Thus, I think the Twins might be out for a bit of revenge in this one, not to mention for the pure and simple fact the Brewers won last night's series-opener.
Take the road team, as I have the better team and better pitcher on my side.
2♦ MINNESOTA
Bobby Maxwell
My FREE play record is a whopping 112-95-3 and tonight I'm adding to the win column with a play on the Mets as they host the Tigers in interleague action.
The Mets are playing some fantastic baseball and just delivered a beating to the Tigers and ace Justin Verlander, winning 14-6 on Tuesday and knocking him out after two innings as he gave up five runs on five hits.
Today, New York has R.A. Dickey (5-0, 2.82 ERA) on the mound, and this guy has been red-hot since joining the rotation. The Mets lost his first start this season but have won the last five. On Thursday in Cleveland he gave up two earned runs in six innings of a 6-4 win over the Indians. In his two home starts this season, he has blanked the Phillies and beaten the Marlins.
On the other side, it’s Jeremy Bonderman (3-4, 4.06 ERA) on the mound. He is just 1-2 on the road with a 6.03 ERA and in his last roadie, the Royals got to him for seven runs on 11 hits in 5.2 innings and beat the Tigers 7-2. Bonderman has faced the Mets twice in his career, allowing 10 runs in 11 innings since 2004.
Detroit is just 3-9 in interleague roadies and 1-4 in its last five road games overall, plus they are 1-8 when Bonderman faces a team with a winning record. For the Mets, they are on streaks of 20-7 overall, 8-1 in interleague games against right-handed starters, 11-5 against winning teams, 21-5 at home, 10-2 in interleague games and 9-1 at home against winning teams.
These two teams have a history against each other, with the Mets taking five of the last seven clashes and four straight in the Big Apple. Play the Mets to take this one tonight with Dickey on the mound.
2♦ N.Y. METS
Karl Garrett
For Wednesday night, go with the Giants over the Astros.
San Francisco took the series opener last night, 3-1 behind Tim Lincecum, as they improved to a perfect 7-0 in the season series this year against the Astros.
Since last season, the Giants have won 11 of the 13 meetings against the 'Stros, and the way Houston is playing right now, the G-Man doesn't see much changing this Wednesday night.
Houston enters this one with losses in 5 in a row, and 9 of their last 10, while San Francisco boasts wins in 10 of their last 15.
Barry Zito is already 2-0 in as many starts this season against Houston, working 13 innings of 3 run ball, while his counterpart Brett Myers not only has lost his last pair of starts on the season, but is also 0-1 in his 2 starts against the Giants, working 14 innings while allowing 8 runs to score.
Giants to continue their mastery of the Astros.
3♦ SAN FRANCISCO
Stephen Nover
Tonight I'm attracted to the Houston Astros opening as a home 'dog with Brett Myers on the hill for today's matchup versus San Francisco.
There is justification for the oddsmaker to make the Giants chalk. The Astros are 26-45 and have lost five in a row. The Giants have beaten Houston nine consecutive times, including all seven meetings this season.
Giants starter Barry Zito is 7-3 with a 3.13 ERA. He's in solid form again.
So why the Astros besides being attracted to the price?
Myers is the main reason. He is 3-0 with a 2.89 in seven starts this season at Minute Maid Park. He hasn't allowed more than four earned runs during any of his 14 starts this year. The Astros are 6-0 the past six times Myers has pitched at home.
This will be the Astros' third look at Zito this year. Houston should get a boost with the recent promotions of catcher Jason Castro and third baseman Chris Johnson. These are upgrades at these positions.
2♦ HOUSTON
JIM FEIST COMP
PITTSBURGH PIRATES / TEXAS RANGERS
PLAY: PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Texas is a big favorite here, but starter Dustin Nippert has been awful, with a 2-3 record and a 5.01 ERA. His control is a big problem, walking 23 in 32 innings. Allowing free passes is a death knell to all pitchers. The Pirates have a quality arm on the hill in Paul Maholm (3.77 ERA), and he's getting better with a 3.32 ERA his last three starts. An excellent matchup for the big dog. Play the Pirates.
Tom Freese
Minnesota Twins at Milwaukee Brewers
Prediction: Minnesota Twins
Minnesota starter Francisco Liriano has allowed 5 runs total in his last 5 starts. The Twins are 61-24 their last 85 Interleague games. The Twins are 37-14 their last 51 Interleague games as favorites. The Twins are 8-2 in the last 10 Interleague starts made by Liriano. Milwaukee starter Manny Parra has not pitched past the sixth inning in any start this year. The Brewers are 7-16 their last 23 games as underdogs. Milwaukee is 5-14 with Parra as an underdog. The Brewers are 9-20 their last 29 games vs. the Twins.
Hollywood Sports
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Pirates at Rangers
Prediction: Under
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With a Total set at 10, that's a big number for two lackluster offenses entering this situation. The Pirates are hitting only .238 on the season. And while the Rangers' are hitting .281 against right-handers, this number drops to .268 when facing lefties. Pittsburgh's Paul Maholm is in a good position to pitch well against this lineup. While 4-5 with a 3.77 ERA overall, Maholm has a 2.80 ERA on the road this season versus his 4.71 ERA at home. Texas sends out Dustin Nippert who is 2-3 with a 5.01 ERA for the season. Nippert is making his second start of the season after working out of the Rangers' pen to begin the year.
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Additionally, both of these pitchers share a very promising deeper sabermetric statistic that bodes well for their respective futures: batting average for line-drives put into play (LD BABIP). Line-drives typically are the result of the batter winning the "hitter-versus-pitcher" battle since the typical goal for a batter is to produce line-drive contact with the baseball. Hitters also have the most control in placing their line-drives (as opposed to groundballs or flyballs) in areas where there is open space for base hits. The MLB average for line-drives that go for base hits is typically in the .715-.730 range. Maholm and Nippert have .556 and .600 LD BABIPs respectively which indicates that batters are having a difficult time dominating at-bats with these hurlers.The importance for sabermetric statistics like this is that it helps expose a deeper picture regarding the expected future performances of starting pitchers. Most bettors evaluate pitchers based on a starters Won-Loss record and ERA. By analyzing statistics like LD BABIP, we can get a better sense of why a pitcher has a certain W-L record or ERA which helps produce a more sophisticated perspective regarding evaluating this pitcher's future. A Total of 10 is just too high here. Take the Under while listing both of these pitchers.
MTi Sports
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Reds at Athletics
Play: Under
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The Athletics are 0-9 OU at home after a loss in which they allowed 12+ hits and it is the last game of a series and the Reds are 0-7 OU on the road after a win in which they had 12+ hits and it is the last game of a series and 0-6 OU on the road in the last game of a three game series when they won the first two. Consider these two UNDER.
Matt Fargo
Cleveland Indians vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Play: Cleveland Indians
The Phillies were able to sneak one out last night over the Indians behind another solid performance from Jamie Moyer who continues to give good efforts to the team. The win snapped a two-game skid but it was also the second straight game without no production from the offense. This was a problem around a week ago that was a three-week issue and they cannot afford it again but something still is not right. Tonight it may need offense as the starter pitching takes a big step down. The Tuesday loss was the third straight for the Indians and the seventh in eight games but the value here is outstanding. Cleveland sends Jake Westbrook to the mound and it has certainly been a trying season for the veteran righty. He has been up and down all year as he has been unable to string together a good run but he has shown the ability to bounce back from poor outings and he will look to do it again here. He is coming off a game where he allowed five runs against the Mets and in his two previous games where he allowed at least five runs, he followed those up with quality efforts the next time out and both resulting in Cleveland wins. The Phillies counter with Kyle Kendrick and he is the big step down referred to earlier. Overall his numbers are hot horrible but he has been extremely inconsistent and because of that alone, he should have no business laying this kind of number. He has been favored this big only twice and it resulted in one good outing and one bad outing, posting a combined 7.45 ERA. Cleveland also falls into a very solid underdog situation. Play against National League teams that are averaging between 4.3 and 4.8 rpg and have posted an on-base percentage of .300 or worse over their last 10 games going up against an American League starter with an ERA between 4.30 and 5.70). This situation is 42-18 (70 percent) since 1997. 3* Cleveland Indians
Tony George
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Los Angeles Dodgers vs. LAA Angels
Play: LAA Angels
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Play a half unit on the LA Angels -123 who are destroying the Dodgers right now, and are red hot going 19-7 their last 26 games and on a massive 8-2 run. John Ely for the Dodgers has struggled and is in bad form, with over a 9 ERA his last 3 starts. The Dodgers are NOT a Good Interleauge team, winning just 26 out of their last 84 Interleauge games. The Angles OWN the Dodgers and will prevail tonight.
Cajun Sports
San Francisco Giants vs. Houston Astros
Play: San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants took Game 1 of this series on Tuesday night behind Tim Lincecum 3 to 1. Lincecum outpitched Houston’s Roy Oswalt for the Giants seventh consecutive victory over the Astros this season. San Francisco will send Barry Zito to the bump with his 7-3 record and ERA of 3.13 on the year. Houston’s Brett Myers will attempt to turn the tables and give the home team a win for the first time this season versus the Giants. Houston is 7-20 as an underdog of +100 to +150 this season. San Francisco is 56-31 when the money line is -100 to -150 over the last 2 seasons. We will back the better team and take San Fran to the bank on Wednesday night as they grab another victory over the Astros.
PROJECTED FORECAST: 2* San Francisco Giants 5 Houston Astros 3
Rocketman
New York Yankees vs. Arizona D-Backs
Play: New York Yankees -1.5
NY Yankees are 43-27 overall this year while Arizona is now 28-43 on the season. Arizona is 2-13 since 1997 as a home underdog of +175 or more. NY Yankees bullpen has a 2.98 ERA on the road this year. Arizona bullpen has a 7.15 ERA overall this year and a 6.36 ERA at home this season. Javier Vazquez is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA his last 3 starts and I feel he's about to turn his season around as he is 6-6 overall but has a high ERA. Vazquez is 5-3 with a 3.74 ERA overall vs Arizona since 1997. NY Yankees are due for a BLOWOUT. We'll recommend a small play on NY Yankees on the runline tonight!