BRETT ATKINS
I’m going with the Rays to win this one as they’ve almost painted themselves into a corner and made this one a must-win.
Tampa has fallen behind by 2 ½ games in the A.L. East race and a loss here almost does them in. They have Wade Davis (12-9, 4.19 ERA) on the mound, who is 6-3 on the road this season. He has beaten the Yankees in his last two starts against them, giving up just four runs in 12.2 innings.
On the other side is A.J. Burnett who is just 5-6 at home with 4.66 ERA for the Yankees. Tampa has torched him the last two times they came to New York, getting 10 runs in 8.2 innings.
The Rays also come into this one on streaks of 8-3 with Davis on the hill, 5-1 when he’s throwing on the road and 5-2 when he’s a road ‘dog. The Yankees are just 1-8 with Burnett facing divisional foes and 0-8 when he faces a winning team.
Go with Tampa to win this one behind Davis.
3♦ TAMPA BAY
Chris JordanFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Atlanta at PHILADELPHIA (-150)
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Now on a 23-12 run with MLB free plays, and today I am rolling with the Phillies over Atlanta for a third straight day.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
This will all sound familiar if you had the Phils with me the past two nights, so bear with me. The statement game was Game 1 of this series. The statement pitcher took the mound yesterday! The two-time defending National League champion Phillies can now provide Atlanta with the knockout punch!
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Bottom line, the Phillies as a team are looking damn strong right now, as they've won nine straight and 21 of 25 since Aug. 27 - the best record in the majors over that span, and it's been based on the team's incred%k1%bly hot bats.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
And the last thing the Phils want to do is let any of that momentum to die, especially against the second-place Braves, who are five games back in the East and now play their sixth straight on the road, in as many nights. After winning the first two of this series, this one should be a no-brainer.FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
During their nine-game run, the Phils have outscored their opponents 55-23... an average final of about 6-2.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Phillies are in postseason form and finally appear to be healthy and ready to finish off the Braves to secure the division.
1♦ PHILADELPHIA
Karl GarrettFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Houston (-115) at WASHINGTON
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Wednesday night I am going with Houston to down Washington as your comp play.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Houston gave up 7 runs last night in the 8th inning to blow a 3-0 lead and the game. Still, the Astros have won 6 of their last 9 games, while the Nationals have still lost 10 of their last 13 overall.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Washington starter Jason Marquis has an ERA that is close to 8 for the season, and the G-Man can see the Astros coming out and chasing Marquis early in this contest.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Wandy Rodriguez has allowed 3 runs to score in each of his last 2 starts, but prior to that he worked 11 starts in a row with just 2 earned runs or less allowed.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
G-Man expects Rdoriguez to be his usual stingy self, and also expects Marquis to be yielding once again.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Houston gets back on track with the win tonight.
3♦ HOUSTON
Stephen NoverFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Chicago at OAKLAND (-150)
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
I am on a 71-50-2 hot streak with my baseball free picks. Normally I don't like to lay this high of a price, but I'm going to make an exception in order to back the Oakland Athletics against a completely dead Chicago White Sox team.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The White Sox have lost 12 of their last 14 games, including their last eight. These haven't been close losses either. The White Sox have been outscored by a combined 35 runs.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Their sagging morale isn't helped by the news that Minnesota officially clinched the AL Central Division title, a division the White Sox actually led at the All-Star break.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
White Sox starter Edwin Jackson hasn't been pitching bad, but he's up against lefty Brett Anderson. The White Sox are 1-7 in their last eight games versus southpaws. Oakland is 17-6 the past 23 times it has been chalk.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Anderson is 3-1 with a 1.65 ERA in four starts since recovering from a hyperextended knee injury.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Note this is a day game. The A's have the best record in the majors in day action.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
2♦ OAKLAND
Craig DavisFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Tampa Bay at NY YANKEES (-130)
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
I also nailed my free play on the Yankees last night, and the night before. So why not come right back to them again tonight?
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Curtis Granderson is on fire, leading the Yankees with two homers Monday night in an 8-6 win. It seems as if every night it's a new Yankee who comes to play, supplying all the offense the Bronx Bombers will need. With their last two wins over the Rays, the Yankees now own a 2 1/2 game lead in the AL East.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Yanks have won four of five after a 2-8 stretch dropped them one-half game behind the Rays in the East. Simply put, they're playing great baseball again, getting solid starting pitching and hitting the cover off the ball --- scoring eight runs in each of the first two games.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Tampa has lost three in a row and 10 of 16 but is really in no danger of losing their Wild Card lead over Boston. The Rays are 1-10-1 in the season series at Yankee Stadium over the last 13 years. When they lose tonight, it'll make yet another losing season in the Bronx.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Wade Davis (12-9, 4.19 ERA) takes a shot at the Yanks tonight and has actually pitched quite well over the past two months, posting a 7-0 record with a 3.62 ERA (11 outings) but is just 2-2 with a 4.48 ERA against the Yankees in his career.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
A.J. Burnett, who has been one of the weakest links in the Yankees rotation this year, is coming off his best start in over a month as he limited the Orioles to three runs on six hits over seven innings Friday in a 4-3 win. Burnett loves pitching in New York and I have no doubts he'll be up to the challenge again tonight. Yanks win again and it's your free play of the day.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
3♦ NY YANKEES
Joel TysonFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Tampa Bay at N.Y. YANKEES
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
As for your free play, have to take the Rays-Yankees to go over the total one more time.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Monday night was an over. Tuesday night was an over. All 7 meetings this year in the Bronx have gone over, and 13 of the last 17 series meetings overall have also climbed over the posted price!
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Very hard to ignore those statistics, so go with the flow here, and play tonight's game to also go over the total.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
It will be Wade Davis against A.J.Burnett, and Davis does sport a season ERA over 4, while Burnett's season ERA is still over 5.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The bats continue to boom in the Tampa-New York rivalry, as the teams make it a perfect 8-for-8 over the total at Yankee Stadium this year.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
5♦ OVER
Black WidowFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
1* on Cincinnati Reds -103
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Great price here for the Cincinnati Reds at nearly even money against the Milwaukee Brewers. Cincinnati is the only team in this match-up playing for anything as they look to lock up the NL Central in the coming days. Cincinnati is batting .306 and averaging 6.3 runs while winning nine of 10 against Milwaukee this season. "It's been miserable," said left fielder Ryan Braun, who is batting .216 against the Reds in 2010. "They dominated us." Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder is hitting .212 with one RBI against the Reds in 2010. Johnny Cueto is 12-5 wih a 3.35 ERA and 1.229 WHIP in 29 starts this season, and he's clearly been the Ace of this staff. We'll gladly back Cueto and the Reds at this price Wednesday. Take Cincinnati on the Money Line.
NellyFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Baltimore + over BostonFOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Kevin Millwood is 3-15 on the season but even he has turned things around with the rest of the team since Buck Showalter took over. Millwood has a quality start in six of his last eight outings and in four of those games he allowed one or zero runs. John Lackey has been wildly inconsistent in his first season in Boston and the Red Sox have lost his last four starts, and seven of his last nine. Lackey has allowed five or more runs in five of his last nine starts and he has not allowed fewer than three runs in any of those nine games. His ERA is actually higher at home at 4.71 and Baltimore beat him at Fenway Park in July. The Orioles are batting .312 against right-handed pitching in the last ten games while Boston is hitting .253 in that span. Losing four of the last five has effectively ruined any long shot hope that the Red Sox had to climb back into the playoff picture and with losses in the first two games of this series it is tough to trust the Red Sox for an improved performance. Baltimore is 12-4 in the last 16 games and the Orioles have turned into a great profit maker down the stretch, continuing to get underdog value almost every night out.
Sean Higgs
Kansas City Royals vs. Detroit Tigers
Play: Kansas City Royals
I will be passing tonight, but do have an opinion here on the Royals. We will back KC as our FREE PLAY tonight. Davies is 5-2 his last 7 starts and 8-3 last 11 starts listed as an underdog. Scherzer is 1-4 in his last 5 home starts. KC has beaten the Tigers all 3 times Scherzer has taken to the hill this season.
Hollywood SportsFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Rangers at Angels
Prediction: Under
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
C.J. Wilson travels to Anaheim with his 14-7 mark along with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Wilson tends to pitch better away from home given his 3.01 ERA and .204 opponent's batting average this year. Five of the Rangers' last seven road games have gone Under the Total with Wilson on the hill. He should fare very well against an Angels' lineup that is hitting only .216 versus lefties over their last ten games. The Angels' counter with Dan Haren who sports a 3-4 record along with a 3.12 ERA and 1.19 WHIP since coming over from the Diamondbacks. Haren has been particularly good over his last five starts given his 1.59 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP over that span. The Under is 5-0-1 in the Angels' last six games with Haren on the hill looking to follow a Quality Start. The Under is 12-3-1 in the Angels' last sixteen home games as a favorite. And in the Rangers last five games against a right-handed starter, the game went Under the Total four times. Look for another pitchers' duel in this one.
VEGAS EXPERTSFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
San Francisco Giants at Chicago Cubs
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Tonight’s tip is all about the pitching matchup between Sanchez and Wells. Sanchez is starting for the Giants tonight and has been pitching excellent. He has a consistent 3.22 ERA and 1.231 WHIP in all his starts this season and has a slightly better 2.94 ERA in road starts. He comes off a win against the Dodgers, only giving up two runs in seven innings and in his last three starts he managed to maintain an amazing 0.47 ERA and 0.842 WHIP. Wells is starting for the Cubs and has a 4.46 ERA in all starts this season. He is coming off a good start against St Louis, where he only gave up one run in eight innings. Wells tends to have a bad pitching performance coming off a good start. Watch for Wells to give up a lot of runs tonight while Sanchez has another great performance!
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Play on: San Francisco Giants
SPORTS WAGERS
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Colorado –1½ +1.04 over ARIZONA
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
By all accounts, 2010 will go down as a breakout season for Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez He hasn't been as dominant after the All-Star break as before, but he still owns a sub-3.00 ERA, a career best 1.16 WHIP and has a chance to win 20 games and fan 200 batters. Jimenez coaxes lots of ground balls and he's also allowed fewer line drives this year than in the past. That's helped hold down opponents' OBA and kept runs off the board and everything you see about this guy is genuine. He’s that good. To say that Troy Tulowitzki is seeing the ball well would be the understatement of the season. His September line is .371/.421/1.057 with 14 HR and 33 RBI. To put those last two numbers in proper context, his HR/RBI totals for the prior five months were 12 and 55. He is the main reason why Colorado leads the NL in runs, HR, BA, OBP, SLG, and OPS this month. Carlos Gonzalez and Ryan Spilborghs are batting over .400 this month, while Melvin Mora is batting .350, so there are a number of Rockies contributing to this late-season surge. The Rocks have seen Rodrigo Lopez three times already this season and they’re batting a combined .284 against him but that’s when they were laboring to score runs. Lopez has an xERA of 5.03 and a low groundball rate of 38%. He’s started 15 games at Chase Field this year and has three wins to go along with a BAA of .290 and he’s also been tagged for 17 jacks in 93 IP at home. This one could get ugly. Play: Colorado –1½ +1.04 (Risking 2 units).
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Houston –1.07 over WASHINGTON
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Wandy Rodriguez basically a pick’em against Jason Marquis? Regardless of how this one turns out, we’re going with the best of it and if this was a political contest it would be consider a landslide in Rodriguez’s favor. Marquis is a fill-in for the rest of the year and while his groundball percentage is good, nothing else is. In five games started at JFK this year, Marquis is 0-5 with an 8.66 ERA and a BAA of .322. He’s allowed an incredible 16% of flyballs to leave the park when the league average is 4%. In his last start he recorded one out and was yanked after allowing six earned runs. Since beating St. Louis on Aug. 31, Rodriguez has no record and a 3.15 ERA and has been one of the leagues best pitchers since June. He took a no-no into the sixth inning of his last start against the Reds and it’s been two months and 11 starts since he gave up more than three runs in a game. The Nats are just 7-10 at home against southpaws and frankly, this has to be considered a hugely undervalued favorite. Play: Houston -1.07 (Risking 2.14 units to win 2).
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
San Diego +1.22 over LOS ANGELES
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
This game features teams in totally different places. San Diego is in the middle of a three-team battle for the NL West crown. Los Angeles is in disarray from the fiasco at the ownership level, to Joe Torre’s imminent departure, to their 5-14 September that has been supported by NL lows in runs (39), BA (.195), OBA (.265), SLG (.298) and OPS (.562). Based on those facts alone, the Padres are a live pup. Ted Lilly may be tiring also. He’s allowed an alarming 30 bombs this season and that’s supported by an extremely high FB rate of 52%. His 29% groundball rate is one of the lowest in the majors. Of course, Chavez Ravine is a good place for Lilly to pitch because of that high flyball % and his control is still elite. However, his xERA over the last month is 4.46 with a GB rate of just 20%. Those are concerning numbers. By contrast, Tim Stauffer has an outstanding GB rate of 53%. In three starts since returning to the rotation, Stauffer has been near unhittable in the first five innings and he has the leagues best bullpen behind him. Having said all that, this one is more about playing against an uninterested Dodger team that checked out about five weeks ago. Play: San Diego +1.22 (Risking 2 units).