Free Picks: Service Plays for Wednesday, June 26

Steve MerrilFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Minnesota vs. MiamiFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Play: Under 8FOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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The Twins and Marlins wrap up a brief 2-game interleague series in Miami on Wednesday afternoon. Tom Koehler got his first victory his last time out after beating the Giants in San Francisco. Koehler is 1-5 in eight starts with half of those games going Under the total. He’ll face a Miami offense that is hitting .238 in the daytime while going Under in 18 of those 29 games. The Marlins’ bullpen has just two blown saves at home this season.
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Scott Diamond is 5-6 in 13 starts with seven of those games going Under the total. The Marlins’ offense has perked up recently, but they are still hitting .211 against left-handed starters while putting up 2.2 runs per game in those contests. They have gone Under in 16 of 23 games against southpaws. Miami has gone Under the total in six of their last eight games overall. Minnesota’s bullpen has a 2.88 ERA and 1.18 WHIP on the year. We’ll recommend playing the Twins and Marlins Under the total in this game on Wednesday afternoon.

Art Aronson

Giants vs. Dodgers
Play: Under 6½

Tim Lincecum (4-7, 4.52 ERA) gets the call for the visitors; Lincecum gave up three runs off four hits and one walk while striking out eight over seven innings in a no-decision vs. the Fish on Friday. The right-hander now has four-straight quality starts under his belt, giving up just eight runs over his last 24 2/3's innings of work. While past success guarantees nothing in the future, Lincecum will be throwing with the added confidence today in knowing that when he last faced the Dodgers back on April 3rd he put together a great effort by allowing two unearned runs over five innings. Lincecum will be opposed by Clayton Kershaw (5-5, 2.06 ERA) who will be looking to rebound tonight after a sub-par showing vs. the Friars on Friday, giving up four runs off seven hits with one walk while striking out seven over six innings of work. I think it's safe to say that Kershaw hasn't been horrible this season, but he certainly hasn't been throwing up to his incredibly high standards. If history is any precedence though then Kershaw has to be loving his chances in returning to prominence tonight as he's 1-0 with a minuscule 0.56 ERA in two starts vs. the Giants. The O/U is 2-4-1 so far in this 2013 series and I believe the stage is once again set for a low-scoring pitchers duel between these two veteran hurlers. How about you? What do you think? Will Kershaw and Lincecum be the main storyline in tomorrow's recap, or do these lineups light it up?

Jeffrey BrandesFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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St. Louis Cardinals -167FOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Pitchers:FOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS: LANCE LYNN (R) ERA: 3.42 W/L: 10-1
HOUSTON ASTROS: ERIK BEDARD (L) ERA: 4.77 W/L: 2-3
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The Cardinals destroyed the Astros yesterday with a 13-5 victory, and Houston has now lost three of its last five. Going for the Cardninals in this game will be LANCE LYNN who is 4-0 with 1.42 ERA in his career against the Astros. He has the opportunity to become the NL's first 11-game winner against the Astros tonight.
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In the Astros' favor is the fact that the Cardinals have struggled against left-handers. Entering Tuesday night's game, St. Louis was batting .232 vs. lefties as opposed to .288 vs. righties. The Cardinals had back-to-back losses at the hands of Rangers left-handers Derek Holland and Martin Perez last weekend. However, these are the Astros!
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Lefty ERIK BEDARD gets the call for the Astros and he has figured in a decision in just a third of his starts. He's 2-3 with a 4.43 ERA in 15 games. He is is coming off an excellent one-run, four-hit start against the Brewers. However, I think he will have his hands full facing Lynn and the Cardinals tonight.

Rob VincilettiFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Detroit Tigers -143FOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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The Tigers are 8-1 off 1 home loss this season and 5-0 since 2003 as a home favorite off a home loss of 5 or more runs where they scored 5 or more runs. They are scoring over 5 runs per game at home this season while hitting over .300 here. The Angels exploded last night scoring 14 runs and helped us mail the over between these two. LA is 0-4 this season as a road dog from +125 to +150. There is also a Power System in this game that has won 35 of 48 times the last 10 seasons. We want to play on home favorites of -140 or more off a home favored loss by 5 or more runs, while scoring 5 or more runs on 10 or more hits, vs an opponent off a road dog win by 5+ runs and scored 10 or more runs. The Angels have Tommy Hanson on the mound and he has a 6.75 era over his last 3 starts. He will oppose Young Lefty Alvarez who has been impressive in his 2 home starts this season allowing just 3 runs in 11 innings with the Detroit winning both. Look for Detroit to revenge last nights home blowout loss. Take the Tigers tonight.

Jim Feist

Angels at Tigers
Pick: Under

Comerica Park in Detroit is huge, great for pitchers. LA starter Tommy Hanson doesn't allowed free passes, with 17 walks in 47+ innings, so he will like this park. Detroit starter Jose Alvarez (2.45 ERA) has been sharp in 11 innings and the Angels have never seen him before. The under is 9-1 in the Tigers last 10 vs. a team with a losing record. When these teams meet the under is 7-2-2 in the last 11 meetings, including 4-0-1 under the total in the last five meetings in Detroit. Play the Angels/Tigers under the total.

Marc LawrenceFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Atlanta Braves at Kansas City RoyalsFREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Pick: Atlanta BravesFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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The Braves battle the Royals in the wrap up of this two-game Interleague series at Kaufmann Stadium where Mark Minor matches serves with Luis Mendoza Wednesday evening. Minor toes the slab with wins in eight of his last nine-team starts, including a sparkling 6-1 mark with a 2.38 ERA away this season. On the other side of the coin, Mendoza's 5.88 ERA at home is more than two full runs worse than his 3.54 away ERA this season. With the Royals 3-7 at night behind Mendoza this campaign, look for Minor to improve to 9-4 in his June career team starts here tonight. We recommend a 1-unit play on Atlanta.

Jesse SchuleFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee BrewersREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Pick: Milwaukee BrewersFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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This is a Free play on the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers punished the Cubs at Miller Park last night, powered by a five run outburst in the fifth inning, chasing the embattled Edwin Jackson from the game. Milwaukee went on to win by a score of 9-3, and Rickie Weeks had a pair of home runs. These teams meet again in Game 2 of this series tonight, and the Brewers will get an added boost at the plate in this one. Who's the slugger coming in with the big bat? None other that starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo, who's proven to be very handy with the bat in his career. He's hitting .250 with a pair of home runs in just 17 games this season, which is pretty impressive when you consider he's only had 32 at bats in those 17 games, and he was probably asked to bunt on more than a few occasions. Gallardo (6-6, 4.09 ERA) has been pitching well in recent outings, including a solid performance his last time out. He allowed three runs (all unearned) on just five hits over seven innings in a no decision versus the Astros. He hasn't faced them yet this year, but considering he's 6-1 with a 2.05 ERA in his last 10 starts versus Chicago, he's probably been looking forward to a meeting with the Cubbies. The Cubs hand the ball to Scott Feldman, who's already lost once at Miller Park this season. Feldman (6-6, 3.39 ERA) has pitched reasonably well this season, but he hasn't had as much success on the road as he's had at home. He's 2-4 with a 4.11 ERA in eight starts away from Wrigley. He was really beat up by the Cardinals his last time out, allowing five runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings. His only two wins on the road come against the Nats and the Mets, two of the worst offensive teams in the National League. The Cubs are in a tough spot again tonight, and it's more than likely they find a way to lose.

Bruce MarshallFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Cincinnati Reds at Oakland AthleticsFREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Pick: Oakland AthleticsFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Perhaps the return to the Coliseum was just what the doctor ordered for an Oakland side that had endured a difficult road trip last week to Texas and Seattle when losing 5 of 7 games. But back home, the A's were able to rev up the engines once again in last night's 7-3 romp in a rematch of 1972 and 1990 World Series action vs. the Reds. Tuesday's win marked the 13th in the last 15 at home for Oakland, which has allowed only 29 runs in those last 15 home games. The return home should also do wonders for A.J. Griffin, on the mound for Oakland this afternoon after making five of his last six starts on the road. Note that the Reds have also lost in four of Homer Bailey's last five starts.

Ben BurnsFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Texas vs. NY YankeesFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Pick: OverFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Yesterday's game featured Darvish vs. Kuroda, a rematch of a 2-0 Texas win last spring. Both those starters were in excellent current form. So, it wasn't too surprising to see only seven runs scored. Today, however, I expect the bats to come alive.
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Grimm has been worse than grim on the road all season. In seven starts away from Texas, he's 2-3 with a 7.01 ERA and 1.759 WHIP, averaging just five innings. Not surprisingly, the "over" was 4-2-1 in those games.
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Pettitte hasn't been particularly dominant at home either. In fact, in six home starts, he's 1-3 with a poor 5.94 ERA and 1.65 WHIP. Four of those six games finished above the total.
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Pettitte's most recent outing produced 11 combined runs, while Grimm's last start finished with 13. I won't be surprised to see double-digits once again. Consider the Over.

Jimmy Boyd

Miami Marlins +103

It is almost hard to believe the Marlins are coming into this game as an underdog. They face Minnesota's Scott Diamond and he has looked horrible this season. Diamond has a 7.47 ERA in his last three starts and he has given up 22 hits with just six strikeouts in the 15.7 innings pitched during that three game span.

Miami comes into tonight's game having won four of their last five games. That includes a 4-2 victory over the Twins last night. Minnesota has a .230 batting average on the road and they will struggle to score runs on Tom Koehler. While Koehler's ERA has been an average 4.65 this season the Twins will be one of the worst teams he has faced. Miami is hot right now and there is too much value to pass up with the Marlins playing as an underdog in this game.

Ray Monohan

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Play: Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays were red hot but it is no surprise that they are having trouble in Tampa. Believe it or not but the Blue Jays have not won a series at the Trop since 2007 and they won't win this one either. At this point they are just looking to take a game from the Rays and they have 2012 Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey on the mound to try and do so. Also back in the lineup tonight is shortstop Jose Reyes. If Dickey is truly an ace now is the time to show it as the Jays look to get back on track while Reyes supplies the spark to a lineup that the Rays pitching has dominated over the last couple of games. This is an early one so don't forget about it.

Will RogersFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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LA Angels vs. DetroitFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Pick: DetroitFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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The Tigers were surprisingly whipped at home last night by the Angels, 14-8, dropping to 0-4 this season vs. LA in the process. As a result, I expect them to bounce back with a strong effort at Comerica Park tonight. Regardless of yesterday's result and what's happened between these teams so far in 2013 and beyond (LA now 7-0 L7 meetings), I simply view Detroit as the much better team.
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Here are my keys to the game:FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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1. Tommy Hanson - The Angels starter is coming off a poor outing where he allowed seven runs in just two innings, yet the team still managed to beat Seattle (with Felix Hernandez pitching!). He has a 5.10 ERA in nine starts this season. While he pitched well earlier in the season vs. the Tigers, that was at home.
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2. Homefield Advantage - Last night notwithstanding, Detroit is typically an outstanding home team. They are 26-14 at Comerica Park this year, averaging 5.7 runs/game. Tonight's starter Jose Alvarez has made both his starts in 2013 here at home, and the team is 2-0 with him allowing just three earned runs in 11 innings.
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3. X-Factor - The Tigers committed six errors in yesterday's loss. That's not something that's going to happen every day. Several Tigers miscues resulted in an eight-run fifth inning for the Angels Tuesday. Detroit is 5-0 this season following a game where 15 or more total runs were scored.

Stephen NoverFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Houston +1.5FOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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The Cardinals are great against right-handers going 40-19. However, they are just 8-10 versus southpaws and batting only .232 against them. Now they take on a hot lefty in Erik Bedard.
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Bedard has surrendered just one earned run in his last two starts spanning 13 1/3 innings. He's struck out 14 during this span. Bedard began the year with an 8.20 ERA through five starts. He's settled down since then going 2-1 with a 3.06 ERA during his last eight starts.
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The Astros have been playing better posting a winning record during their last 12 games. Cardinals starter Lance Lynn is a strong first-half of the season pitcher, but we're to the halfway point of the year now where Lynn begins to regress. Lynn also has a much higher road ERA at 4.73 compared to 2.42 at Busch.

Game Plan

Braves vs. Royals
Play: Under 8

KANSAS CITY is 24-8 UNDER (+14.4 Units) vs. a good bullpen whose ERA is 3.75 or better this season.
KANSAS CITY is 16-3 UNDER (+12.7 Units) vs. teams outscoring opp by 0.5 or more runs/game on the season this season.
ATLANTA is 11-3 UNDER (+7.5 Units) in road games after 2 straight games where the bullpen gave up no runs this season.
KANSAS CITY is 14-5 UNDER (+8.3 Units) after having lost 3 of their last 4 games this season. Take the under today.