BIG AL's 4TH OF JULY UNDERDOG ANNIHILATOR!
At 4:10pm our selection is on the Detroit Tigers over the Seattle Mariners. Here is a battle of lefthanders that should be very interesting. 40+ year-old Kenny Rogers will take the mound for the Tigers to face the pitcher that many consider to be the best southpaw in the AL, Erik Bedard. Despite his very good individual numbers, Bedard has had a rough campaign with the Mariners so far (his first with this team) as he has battled injuries and inconsistencies throughout the first half. He also went from playing for a team with a some half-decent run scoring capabilites (the Orioles) to the worst offensive squad in the American League if not the Majors. Kenny Rogers has been just the opposite of Bedard. While his overall numbers are anything but spectacular, Rogers has been one of the most durable and consistent performers for his team so far in 2008. He has seventeen starts already for Detroit, and he has quality starts in six of his last seven trips to the mound. Detroit may be an underdog in this game, but you'd never know it looking at its record vs. Seattle recently. With their win on Thursday, the Tigers are now 8-2 in the last ten games vs. this Seattle squad, and they're also 16-5 vs. lefty starters this season. Take Detroit.
HEAVY HITTERS
CWS -1.5 (+130) vs OAK 2* RL WAGER
SEA (-138) vs DET 2* ML WAGER (UPGRADED PLAY)
TOR (+110) vs ANA 3* MLB BEST BET of the DAY
COL(-130) vs FLA 1* ML WAGER
CFL
WINNIPEG +8 & B.C. LIONS +1 (1*) Teaser Wager
ANTON WINS
4 units St. Louis
Bryan Leonard
Oakland Athletics @ Chicago White Sox
PICK: Chicago White Sox
Big hitting mismatch in this one as the A's have struggled mightily on the road vs left-handed starters. Oakland manages just 3.09 runs per game in this scenario. Chicago on the other hand has raked at home vs righties. They average a robust 6.55 runs per game here vs right-handed starters.
Oakland will send struggling righty Joe Blanton to the hill. The A's are just 5-13 when he has started in 2008. In his last eight starts Blanton has allowed 35 earned runs in just 45.2 innings of work. He has a 6.75 ERA on the road this season.
Chicago counters with veteran lefty Mark Buehrle who is on fire as of late. In his last nine starts eight have been quality starts. Over his last five outings he has allowed five earned runs in 39 innings of work. He is going deep in these games giving the Chicago bullpen a well deserved rest.
The White Sox had their seven game winning streak broken yesterday, but they start a new one tonight.
PLAY CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Jeffersonsports
Chicago White Sox-157
Minnesota-130
Crusher Guaranteed Selections
5000 UNIT BASEBALL CRUSHER WINNER
Chicago White Sox w/Buehrle -155
Dr Baseball Guaranteed Selections
GRAND SLAM BASEBALL WINNER
Seattle w/Bedard -140
Teddy Covers
3* Texas Rangers
Michael Alexander
Cleveland Indians vs. Minnesota
Play: Minnesota Twins
The Cleveland Indians hope to right the ship tonight as they begin a three game weekend set versus the Minnesota Twins. The Indians are in the midst of a very disappointing season as they sit in last place a full 12 games in back of the front running Chicago White Sox. They currently have lost five in a row and 8 of their last 10 posting only a 37-48 mark.
Tonight they will send veteran right-hander, Paul Byrd, to the hill in an effort to get back on the winning track. However, it looks to be a tall order as Byrd himself is having a horrible season going only 3-9 overall including a horrendous 1-7 mark on the road with an astronomical 6.89 ERA. He has had success versus the Twins in his career posting an impressive 10-4 record.
The Minnesota Twins come into this game off of a two game winning streak and have won 10 of their last 12 overall to put them into the thick of things in the AL Central. Their recent success has put them only 2 games in back of the White Sox with a 47-38 mark. Over their winning streaks the Twins have torn the cover off the ball posting a .329 team batting average.
Tonight they too will send a veteran to the hill in Livian Hernandez who has been tough at home posting a 6-1 record. He has been very tough over his last three starts going 2-1 with a very good 2.57 ERA.
SUPPORTING TRENDS: CLEVELAND is 4-17 (-17.6 Units) against the money line after a loss by 2 runs or less this season. MINNESOTA is 6-0 (+7.4 Units) against the money line with an on base percentage of .393 or better over their last 3 games this season. MINNESOTA is 12-5 (+8.8 Units) against the money line after allowing 1 run or less this season.
You have a very hot team in Minnesota, at home, taking on a Cleveland team that is struggling and is listed as a very reasonable favorite. I'm taking Minnesota in this one.
Ben Burns
4* Colorado Rockies
Ron Raymond
1 2008-07-04 RON RAYMOND'S
5* Marlins - Rockies Over 10.5
5* New York Yankees +113
5* Minnesota Twins -130
Ron Raymond's 2-Game Friday Night Pick Pack
Montreal Alouettes -1.0
Saskatchewan Roughriders - Over 51.5
LT Profits
2* Minnesota Twins
2* Toronto Blue Jays
Joe Gaffney
Oakland Athletics vs. Chicago White Sox
Pick: Chicago White Sox : 8 units
Teddy Covers
3* Indians / Twins Over 9.5
Bob Akmens
7* Minnesota Twins
4* Atlanta Braves