SPORTS ADVISORS
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Minnesota (51-41) at Detroit (46-45)
The Twins are scheduled to send left-hander Glen Perkins (5-2, 4.27 ERA) to the mound for the second game of a four-game set against the A.L. Central rival Tigers at Comerica Park. Minnesota, which had been scorching hot before dropping three straight at Boston earlier this week, opened this series with Thursday’s come-from-behind 7-6, 11-inning victory, winning on Justin Morneau’s solo homer. Minnesota is on streaks of 17-5 overall, 6-0 inside the division and 7-2 in the second game of a series.
Detroit, which will counter with rookie right-hander Armando Galarraga (7-2, 3.27), has also climbed back into the division race thanks to a 20-8 run in its last 28 games. In addition, despite Friday’s setback, the Tigers have won 20 of their last 27 at Comerica and are on runs of 40-17 at home against left-handers and 44-19 overall against lefties.
These two teams have already met a dozen times this season, with Minnesota holding an 8-4 advantage, thanks to winning eight of the last 10 clashes. Detroit, though, is still 5-3 in the last eight meetings at Comerica in this rivalry.
The Twins are 4-1 in Perkins’ last five starts, with the 25-year-old getting the decision in a 4-3 home win over Cleveland on Sunday, allowing three runs on seven hits in seven innings. Perkins hasn’t given up more than three runs in any of his last six starts, going six or more innings four times in that span.
The Tigers have won six of Galarraga’s last seven starts and are 7-0 against winning teams behind the 26-year-old. Galarraga had a solid outing Saturday at Seattle, allowing one run on five hits in six innings before exiting with a 2-1 lead, but he got his third straight no-decision as the bullpen couldn’t hold up in a 3-2 loss.
Perkins is 2-0 with a 3.75 ERA in four road starts this year, and he’s 1-0 with a 2.33 ERA in five career appearances (two starts) against Detroit. In a June 30 matchup against Galarraga, he got a no-decision at home after allowing two runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 5-4 loss.
Galarraga, meanwhile, is 2-1 with a 4.46 ERA at home this season and 0-2 with a 4.71 ERA in four career appearances (three starts) against Minnesota, also getting a no-decision in the June 30 game after giving up four runs on nine hits in six innings. But the Tigers are 1-2 this season against the Twins when Galarraga starts, with Minnesota outscoring Detroit 24-10 in those three contests.
Minnesota has a bevy of “over” trends, including 14-3 in the second game of a series, 10-2 on the highway against winning teams, 12-5 overall on the road, 23-8-2 on Friday, 10-4 in division play and 6-2 in Perkins’ last eight starts. The over is also 16-6-3 for Detroit at home against left-handed starters, and in this rivalry, the over is on a 6-1 run in Detroit. However, the under is 6-1 in Galarraga’s last seven starts.
ATS ADVANTAGE: MINNESOTA
L.A. Angels (55-37) at Oakland (50-42)
Right-hander Jon Garland (8-5, 3.76 ERA) is set to take the hill at McAfee Coliseum when the A.L. West-leading Angels open a three-game weekend series against the division rival Athletics. Los Angeles is coming off a four-game split at Texas, winning a shootout Thursday night 11-10 in 11 innings. Even though the Angels are just 3-5 in their last eight as a visitor, they still have the best road record in the majors at 29-17, and they are 9-3 in their last 12 games against winning teams and 16-7 in their last 23 versus the A.L. West..
The A’s will waste no time getting right-hander Sean Gallagher (3-4, 4.45) into the rotation after acquiring him as part of the trade that sent Rich Harden to the Chicago Cubs earlier this week. Oakland comes into this one after taking three of four at home against Seattle, capped by Thursday’s 3-2, 11-inning victory, with Emil Brown hitting a walk-off solo shot to win it. The A’s have won eight straight series openers – including a 6-1 road win over the Angels on June 30 – and they’re on further upticks of 4-0 on Friday and 6-2 against winning teams, but they are 7-15 in their last 22 as an underdog.
These teams have clashed 10 times so far this season, with Anaheim holding a 6-4 edge, winning the last two games in the three-game series that concluded July 2. The Angels are 5-2 in the last seven meetings in Oakland.
Garland is coming off a complete-game six-hitter against Toronto on Sunday. In that outing, he allowed just one run – a solo homer – on six hits in a 7-1 home victory. However, Garland hasn’t earned back-to-back winning decisions in more than two months, since beating Kansas City at home and Boston on the road in April. That said, in his last 12 games, he’s allowed three earned runs or less 11 times, and the Halos are 4-1 in his last five road starts.
The 22-year-old Gallagher, inserted into the Cubs’ starting rotation on May 11 after two relief appearances, hasn’t won since a 5-3 home victory over Colorado on June 1. The Cubs went 0-5 in his last five outings (all on the road), with Gallagher taking three losses and two no-decisions. Last Friday at San Francisco, the youngster allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits in five innings of an 8-3 loss.
Garland is 5-1 with a solid 3.06 ERA in seven road starts this season, but he’s a dismal 4-10 with a 4.70 ERA in 16 career starts against Oakland. He’s 1-2 with a 5.21 ERA in three starts against the A’s this season, getting a 5-3 road win on June 7, when he allowed two runs on five hits in seven innings. But he took a beating in two home starts, allowing seven runs on 10 hits in six innings in a 14-2 smackdown April 28, and four runs (two earned) on eight hits in the aforementioned 6-1 loss June 30.
Gallagher, meanwhile, will have to adjust to a new home stadium, but with the Cubs, he was 3-0 with a 3.52 ERA in four home starts this year.
In this divisional rivalry, the under is on a 40-19-3 tear in the last 62 meetings overall, including 5-1-2 in the last eight battles at the Coliseum. Furthermore, the under for Los Angeles is 23-9-2 in its last 34 road games, 8-4 against winning teams, 14-6 in series openers, 4-0 behind Garland in a series opener and 9-1-2 in his last 12 starts overall. Finally, for Oakland, the under is on a 7-1 spree and is 8-2 at home, 20-7 with the A’s a pup and 19-7 in series openers.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
Tampa Bay Rays at Cleveland Indians
How about those Indians last night? You have to just face facts. Tampa is almost two totally different teams. The Rays are 36-14 at home. They fly at home they just go and beat up on teams. It doesn’t matter if it is the Royals or if it is the Red Sox Tampa just gets the job done at home. On the road is a different story.
You don’t have to look much further than last night’s game to get a sense of the Rays road struggles. They went in to Cleveland and played a team that lost ten straight ball games. Ten games in a row and what happened? Tampa got blitzed. They allowed 13 runs and scored a measly two runs.
The Rays are three games under .500 at home. The Indians actually still have a winning record at home. Make the smart play and go with the Indians “ace”. Cleveland will win again here tonight.
Cleveland Indians (-)
Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox have it going once again. Boston hasn’t been as consistent as they were earlier in the season. The Red Sox have started to get it going though. They just played a recent three game stretch against the Twins. The Twins were one of the hottest teams in baseball. They came in to Boston playing their best baseball all season. It sure didn’t turn out how Minnesota wanted it too.
The Sox didn’t just win all three games, they broke the Twins hearts. The first two games the Red Sox won by one run. A 1-0 shutout in the opener and than they had a wild come-back and won the second game 6-5, but they weren’t done yet. The third game was something special. They scored eighteen runs and pounded out 23 hits. 23 hits! The Red Sox are the best in the AL at home and that trend will continue tonight.
Boston Red Sox (-)
Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers
Look for the Tigers to bounce back from last nights loss. The Tigers offense did their part last night. The Tigers pounded out thirteen hits and scored six runs. The Tigers were on base all day along. Along with their thirteen hits, they also walked seven times. Tonight they may score twelve runs. They won’t need too though because they send their most consistent starter to the hill.
Armando Galarraga is 7-2 on the season. He has earned those seven wins folks. He has pitched eighty eight innings this season and he has allowed just 69 hits. Armando hasn’t made a bad start in almost two months. The last time he has allowed more than four runs was on May 23.
Armando was great in his last start. Six innings, five hits and just one run. That is a very common line from Galarraga. Look for the Tiger arm to get it going again tonight.
Detroit Tigers (-)
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Make sure to get on board with the Blue Jays tonight. We know the Yankees are in town but if there is one pitcher that doesn’t have a problem with that it is Mr. Halladay. Roy has been in his best groove all season. For the season his numbers are CY Young material. He has a 10-6 mark and an ERA of 2.88. It doesn’t end there though.
Roy has been dominating time and time again. In the month of June he lost one game. Roy made six starts in June and of course had four quality starts. Roy has been especially great in his last two starts. On the road he threw a complete game shut-out and won 2-0. In his last start Roy went seven innings allowing just two runs and striking out seven.
Roy gets it done anywhere but he has lost just two home games all season. There is a reason why he is ten games over .500 every year. He pitches in the toughest division in baseball and still wins ball games. The Yankees were bad last night against Pittsburgh and their slopping pitching, tonight they will get shutdown again.
Toronto Blue Jays (-)
Chicago White Sox at Texas Rangers
Like the White Sox to win another road game. The White Sox are coming off a series in which they proved two things. They can win tight ball games and they can also win on the road. Sure the Sox still have a sub .500 record on the road but they have been better as of late. Sure they lost last night but that was the final game. In the first game they won 8-7 and in the second game they won 7-6.
The White Sox are arguably the most balanced team in the American League. They are a top ten offensive team and they are a top three pitching team. The White Sox out score their opponents by over a 1.25 runs per game. That is a huge number folks. Over the course of a season they score 200 runs more than the opposition.
Gavin Floyd has been great all season. He is 2-1 in his last three and has ten wins already on the season. Look for him to pitch well on the road tonight.
Chicago White Sox (-)
Seattle Mariners at Kansas City Royals
Big bounce back win from Kansas City last night. They had two tough losses at home against the White Sox. Both games they lost by one run, but just as we said here yesterday the Royals bounced back and won the final game.
We are just dumfounded by this line tonight. How can the Seattle Mariners be favored in this spot? How can the Mariners who are 12 games under .500 on the road be the favorites? We don’t care if Sandy Koufax was pitching, the Mariners just don’t have enough talent to win. Now they have to all answer questions about the release of Richie Sexson. It is just one of those years for the Mariners. They are twenty games under .500. The Royals will get the job done at home.
Kansas City Royals (+)
LA Angels at Oakland Athletics
The Angels are the best road team in baseball. This is a team that is actually better on the road than at home. Would you believe this team is ten games over .500 away from Anaheim? The Angels have the right formula for winning on the road folks.
The Angels have one of the best bull-pens in baseball. Francisco Rodriguez has been the best closer in all of baseball. This closer has 35 saves before the all-star break. He has appeared in 42 games and he has an ERA of just 2.54. His top set-up man has been just as good. Shields is 4-2 on the season and has a sparkling ERA.
The Angels send a capable starter every night to the hill. All five pitchers are .500 or above. Garland already has eight wins and is a solid play on the road.
LA Angels (-)
National League
San Francisco Giants at Chicago Cubs
Love the Cubs to bounce back here at home. The Cubbies are still the best home team in all of baseball. The Cubs are not just five games over .500 or ten games over .500, heck the Cubs aren’t even twenty games over .500 at home. The Cubs are 35-11 at home on the season. There is no question they have had their road struggles. If they want to become a real threat to win a championship they will have to get their act together. None of that matters tonight though.
The Giants come in to Chicago in a bad way. This team has now dropped four straight games. They went to Queens and played the Mets and scored a total of three runs in the three game set. That includes two shutouts. The Giants hit .100 as a team in their three game road series. Now they must continue on the road and play the best the National League has to offer.
Matt Cain has not been throwing well and will not be able to shut-down this line-up. Get back on the Cubs here tonight, the price is right.
Chicago Cubs (-)
Arizona Diamondbacks at Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are a team that just plays better when their backs against the wall. When this team had a big lead in the division they started to struggle. Just take a look at last season. It took them almost 150 games to get their act together but when they had to win, they won folks. This year they won’t have the luxury of picking it up in September, the time to pick it up is right now.
The Phillies just won two big games against the Cardinals. Philadelphia sends their hottest pitcher to the hill tonight. Sure we all know Cole Hamels and we aren’t here to tell you that Kyle is the same pitcher but he has been awfully good. Kyle is 8-3 on the season with an ERA steadily decreasing. Not only is Kyle 8-3 but the Phillies are 13-5 in his eighteen starts. He puts the team in a position to win.
Kyle’s last three stats have been real good. In fact five of his last six starts have been very strong. No more than three earned runs in five of those six starts. His last start he shut-down a very good hitting Mets club. Look for the Phillies to take care of business in game one of this important series.
Philadelphia Phillies (-)
St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates
The Cardinals are coming off a tough series against the Phillies. They were able to just get one of the three games. They beat Cole Hamels but then they had a tough time scoring. The Cardinals just don’t have a strong enough offense. The Cardinals don’t have a ton of power and they don’t have a ton of speed either. The Cardinals are sixteenth in the league in runs scored. They are just thirteenth in the league in home-runs and they are 25th in stolen bases.
Even in there one win against the Cardinals they scored just two runs. They scored a total of five runs in the three games. The Cardinals have begun to come back to earth and will continue to do so. The Brewers and Cubs have showed everyone that they are going for it. Those two teams have proved they want to win and want to win it all.
The Pirates win balls game at home. This is a team that is solid at home. Pittsburgh has the offense to win games. They may not have a ton of well known names but these guys have four or five legitimate hitters. Look for the Pirates to play well again tonight.
Pittsburgh Pirates (-)
Colorado Rockies at New York Mets
They have finally got it going. People have been waiting for the Mets to get going and they are now here. We all know that the Mets have a ton of talent. This is a team that has under-achieved for a long time, but that is now over. Sometimes when a manager gets fired the team responds. Sometimes change is good and that is what the Mets did.
The New York Mets are now 25-18 at home this season. Overall they are four games over .500 on the season. The Mets send Oliver Perez to the mound. His season has taken shape just as the whole teams season has gone along. He has been up and down for most of the season but he has now turned the corner.
Perez has been dominant in his last two starts. That is the thing about Perez, when he has his stuff working, when he is on his game he doesn’t lose. This is a guy that has no hit-stuff every time he takes the mound.
He has allowed just one earned run in his last two starts. Those two starts were against the Yankees and the Phillies. This guy is that good. Look for him to win again and lower his ERA in the process.
New York Mets (-)
Houston Astros at Washington Nationals
If there is one pitcher on the Nationals that is worth getting on board with it is this guy tonight. Tim Redding is 6-3 on the season. That may not look like anything real special but the Nationals are a last place team. It is not easy to be over .500 on a last place team with no offense.
Not only is Redding 6-3 on the season but the Nationals win when he takes the hill. The Nationals are 14-5 in his nineteen starts this season. The Nationals are playing .700 plus baseball with Tim on the hill. You can’t ignore those numbers.
Tim has earned his record as well. Some pitchers go out there and do it with smoke and mirrors but not Redding. He has an ERA of just 4.06 and he hasn’t lost a start since back in the second week of May. The Nationals showed a ton of fight last night, they will do the same here tonight at home.
Washington Nationals (+)
Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers bounced back the exact way they were supposed to in their day game on Thursday. David Bush went out there and threw a gem folks. Eight innings just three hits and no earned runs. Along with some relief pitching the Brewers staff yesterday struck out 15 Colorado Rockies.
It wasn’t just their pitching, their hitting came up and scored runs early and often. This team scored eleven runs yesterday. Sometimes run totals tend to get over-examined because of the home-runs. We like to see teams’ string together hits and get on base and rally to score. Yesterday the Brewers did score those eleven runs and they did hit two home-runs but they rallied and scored seven runs on nine hits without long balls. That is getting the job done folks.
Manny Para has been real well and now slides in to the three spot in the rotation, look for the Brew Crew to win again at home.
Milwaukee Brewers (-)
Atlanta Braves at San Diego Padres
Jake Peavy is arguably the only pitcher you can trust on the San Diego Padres. Very often the pitching match-up is the only item looked at. That is a crucial mistakes that players and investors make. There is much more to a game then just the pitching match-up. Sure people look at the teams as well, but it also goes beyond that. From the umpire to the stadium to the trends there are a lot of factors in deciding who has the statistical edge. Well tonight that pitching match-up does matter.
Jake Peavy goes for the Padres. Sure Jake is just 6-5 on the season but he has pitched fantastic and is now throwing the ball as well as he has in the entire 2008 campaign. Just check out Jake’s last five starts if you need more proof. A total of seven runs in those five starts.
Jakes’ last start was one of his best. He went on the road and beat the first place Diamondbacks’ Seven innings of shutout ball, allowing three hits and striking out six. Jake has nasty stuff and also posses’ impeccable control. How about 86 strikeouts to just 26 walks this season? Take the Padres.
San Diego Padres (-)
DUNKEL
St. Louis at Pittsburgh
The Cardinals look to snap a two-game slide and build on their 6-1 record on the road as a favorite between -100 and -125. St. Louis is the pick (-110) according to Dunkel, which has the Cardinals favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-110). Here are all of today's games.
FRIDAY, JULY 11
Game 901-902: San Francisco at Chicago Cubs
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Cain) 13.590; Cubs (Marquis) 15.938
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 2 1/2; 12 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-140); No Run Line
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-140); N/A
Game 903-904: St. Louis at Pittsburgh
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Lohse) 15.205; Pittsburgh (Duke) 13.571
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-110); 9
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-110); Under
Game 905-906: Arizona at Philadelphia
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Davis) 14.560; Philadelphia (Kendrick) 14.249
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-145); 10
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+135); Under
Game 907-908: Colorado at NY Mets
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Cook) 15.616; NY Mets (Perez) 16.384
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1; 8
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-135); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-135); Under
Game 909-910: Houston at Washington
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Oswalt) 13.505; Washington (Redding) 15.021
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Houston (-130); 8
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+120); Over
Game 911-912: Cincinnati at Milwaukee
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Fogg) 14.226; Milwaukee (Parra) 16.443
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 2; 11
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-175); 9
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (-175); Over
Game 913-914: Atlanta at San Diego
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Reyes) 13.752; San Diego (Peavy) 15.231
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: San Diego (-150); 7
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (-150); Under
Game 915-916: Florida at LA Dodgers
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Volstad) 13.910; LA Dodgers (Stults) 15.769
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-145); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-145); Under
Game 917-918: Baltimore at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Burres) 14.560; Boston (Buchholz) 16.775
Dunkel Line: Boston by 2; 11
Vegas Line: Boston (-185); 10
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-185); Over
Game 919-920: Tampa Bay at Cleveland
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Shields) 15.789; Cleveland (Lee) 13.708
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-115); 8
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+105); Under
Game 921-922: Minnesota at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Perkins) 14.999; Detroit (Galarraga) 16.906
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 2; 11
Vegas Line: Detroit (-160); 9
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-160); Over
Game 923-924: NY Yankees at Toronto
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Chamberlain) 14.612; Toronto (Halladay) 15.980
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Toronto (-120); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-120); Under
Game 925-926: Chicago White Sox at Texas
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Floyd) 16.146; Texas (Mendoza) 14.069
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 2; 10
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-120); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (-120); Under
Game 927-928: Seattle at Kansas City
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Hernandez) 16.322; Kansas City (Hochevar) 14.606
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 2; 8
Vegas Line: Seattle (-120); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (-120); Under
Game 929-930: LA Angels at Oakland
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Garland) 14.500; Oakland (Gallagher) 16.261
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-110); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (+100); Over
Alex Smart
Atlanta Braves -143
The Atlanta Braves enter into todays tilt against the San Diego Padres , off a heart breaking 2-1 loss to LA Dodgers last time out , which was their 24th straight away set back, in games decided by one run. The Padres have, some hard luck stories of their own to tell,as is evident by losing 10 of their L/11 at home. Neither of these teams inspires a whole lot of confidence. But tonights pithing matchup does very much favor the host Padres as they send the ace of their pitching staff, Jake Peavy ( 6-5, 2.67 ERA) to the hill to face a Atlanta team that is hitting just .241 on the road while producing just 3.8 RPG. The Fathers hard throwing right hander is rounding in to form, after starting his season out slowly, and than landing on the disabled list. Since coming of the DL he is 2-2 along with a stingy 2.17 ERA in 5 starts, and is off, one of his best efforts of the season last time out, allowing just 3 hits in 7 innings of work against Arizona.
Meanwhile , his 23 year old pitching opponent from the Braves, Jo-Jo Reyes(3-7, 4.40 ERA)is a hurler that is still experiencing growing pains, as he learns to deal with mlb hitters, while at the same time struggling with his command. He could be a pretty good pitcher one of these days, but for now , he is fade material. It must be noted that Reyes , made his his debut in the majors right here in PETCO, last July 7, giving up 5 runs , including 2 home runs in a 8-5 loss. Im predicting those bad memories come back to haunt the lefty again tonight.
Final notes & Key Trends: Atlanta has lost 21 of 32 games against right handed starters like Peavy this season.
Play on San Diego
Tom Freese
Houston at Washington
Houston is 6-1 off a day off and they are 40-16 vs. a team that allowed 5 or more runs in their last game. The Astros are 50-17 after scoring 5 or more runs in their last game and they are 37-18 with Roy Oswalt in Game 1 of a series. Oswalt is in awesome KW form with a 9-1 strikeout to walk ratio in his last 3 starts. Washington is 18-41 their last 59 home games when the total is 7.0 to 8.5 and they are 5-11 their last 16 as home dogs. The Nationals are 7-20 their last 27 games vs. righty starters and they are 0-8 their last 8 home games vs. losing teams. PLAY ON HOUSTON
Marc Lawrence
Play On: Seattle w/Hernandez
Note: the Mariners open a three game set with Kansas City when they send Felix Hernandez to the hill against the Royals. This marks Hernandez' first start since turning his ankle on a play at the plate three week ago. At the time he was in season peak form as he enters tonight's fray in terrific KW form 2 walks and 19 strikeouts in his last three starts. Sporting a 1.90 ERA on the road this season, we'll back King Felix and the Mariners here tonight.
Jimmy The Moose
Colorado Rockies at New York Mets
Prediction: New York Mets
Colorado is 6-22 in their last 28 road games. The Rockies are 2-6 in their last 8 road games vs. a left-handed starter. They are 7-20 in their last 27 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. Cook is having a good season for the Rockies but Colorado is 9-24 in his last 33 road starts vs. a team with a winning record. New York has won 6 straight and have climbed back in the division race. The Mets have won 4 of Perez's last 5 starts. The Mets have also won 4 of his last 5 home starts. The Rockies are 6-22 in their last 28 trips to New York. Play on the New York Mets -.
Big Al Mcmordie
Arizona Diamondbacks at Philadelphia Phillies
Prediction: Philadelphia Phillies
At 7:05pm our member selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Arizona Diamondbacks. 23-year-old righthander Kyle Kendrick is building very nicely on his rookie campaign with the Phillies in 2007 when he went 10-4 with a sub-four ERA. He is having a very similar season in 2008, winning the majority of his games, even if he rarely overpowers his opponents and sometimes gets himself into trouble. It would seem that Kendrick is a perfect fit for this club, as he complements the strikeout artistry of Cole Hamels and the crafty lefthandedness of 40-something Jamie Moyer with his own version of no-nonsense control pitching. Kendrick already has close to double-digit wins on the season (8-3) and you'd probably be even more surprised to find out that he is responsible for more wins than any other Philly starter, with his team logging a very impressive 13-5 record in games which he's started so far this season. Arguably, Diamondback lefthander Doug Davis' accomplishments have been much more impressive than those of his team as all Davis has done in the first half is come back from Thyroid cancer surgery to perform very effectively with a 3.74 ERA and 54 strikeouts in only 65 innings. The fact that Davis has a losing record at 3-4 is not so much his fault as that of the hitting of his teammates, and if Davis has a problem this year, it's in the walks department where he has given up far too many in most of his starts. He can't afford to do that against a Philly team that will surely make him pay whenever they have a chance to get a baserunner. His miraculous cancer recovery aside, Davis probably wins the award for tough-luck starter of the first half as he has been in position to win most of his starts, until fate seems to intervene in some way. Take the Phillies. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
Scott Ferrall
KANSAS CITY +105 over Seattle--You know I'm crazy right ? My boy Hochevar is gonna throw some 98 MPH GAS at the Mariners and top FELIX THE KING. The M's top gun is coming off the DL. UNDER 8.5 RUNS
Chicago -120 over Texas--Gavin Floyd steps up and stops the Rangers bats. UNDER 10.5 RUNS
YANKS +105 over Jays--JOBA TIME IN TORONTO BABY ! He'll beat Halladay as the Bombers get it done at Rogers for the young gun. UNDER 7.5 RUNS
MINNESOTA +150 over Detroit--Here's for taking chances. Perkins on the road over the Tigers Galarraga. Both these guys are having great seasons so far and it won't be easy getting hits. UNDER 9.5 RUNS
Dodgers -150 over Marlins--Stoltz has been lights out and his ERA is 2.22. He handles Florida and Chris Volstad, who's making his first career start. He's looked good out of the bullpen but I say OVER 8.5 RUNS as LA gets the stciks going and the fans partying at the Revine
SAN DIEGO -150 over Atlanta--Peavy goes off against the Braves. Reyes is the Braves starter and he's had absolutely no luck. UNDER 8.5 RUNS
Sports Gambling Hotline
St. Louis at PITTSBURGH
Tonight we back the Redbirds to get back into the win column against the Pirates.
Pittsburgh is feeling good about themselves after taking care of the Yankees last night, while the Cards are scuffling at 2-5 their last 7 games.
St. Louis has been able to go 8-3 at PNC Park since last season, and Kyle Lohse continues to impress, as the righty is now 10-2 with a 3.61 ERA for the year.
Zack Duke can't seem to right his ship, and is still below .500 for the year at 4-5 with an over 4 ERA.
Lohse is 2-0 over his last 4 starts against Pittsburgh, while Duke is on an 0-3 run his last 4 starts against the Cards.
We will side with the Cardinals to snap their losing streak at 2 with the win in the Steel City in the weekend opener.
Play on St. Louie.
2♦ ST. LOUIS
Bobby Maxwell
Arizona at PHILADELPHIA -145
The slumping D'Backs now head to Philadelphia and have to play a team that has way toom uch firepower in the lineup. We're playing the Phillies in this one even though they haven't been stellar in front of the home crowd lately.
Arizona is just 3-8 in its last 11 road games and 5-22 in their last 27 road games against teams with a winning record.
On the hill is Doug Davis (3-4, 3.74 ERA) for the D'Backs going up against the Phillies' Kyle Kendrick (8-3, 4.39). Davis has given up three runs in each of his last three starts and lost his last one 4-2 to the Padres in Arizona.
Meanwhile Kendrick has been strong lately, giving up three runs or less in five of his last six outings, including one run in six innings on Sunday against the Mets. He faced the D'Backs back on May 7 and gave up three runs in six innings of a 6-5 Philadelphia victory.
The Phillies have gone 12-3 against teams with a losing record and 10-4 against southpaws. And for some reason these guys dominate series openers, going 36-15 in their last 51. We'll take our chances and lay the chalk with them in this one.
4♦ PHILADELPHIA
Karl Garrett
White Sox -120 at TEXAS
The G-Man continues to shine with his comp plays, as the Cards-Phils UNDER last night made it 8 straight comp play winners!
Tonight I am going with Chicago at Texas to make it winner #9 in a row.
The White Sox were cooled off a tad last night at Kansas City, but I expect the bats to do some serious damage to Luis Mendoza who has not had a good time of it in his recent call up to the big club.
Mendoza worked on Monday and could not finish 2 innings, as the Angels got to him got 8 earned runs! For the season, Mendoza is 0-3 with a 10.91 ERA.
After being held down at the plate last night, the Sox hitters should have a field day with Mendoza who is likely making his last start in the rotation in this spot.
Gavin Floyd is 10-4 for the year with an ERA just over 3, and he should be able to give Ozzie Guillen's club what it needs tonight.
Take the Pale Hose to get back into the win column.
2♦ WHITE SOX
Priceless Picks
1 Unit on Detroit Tigers -156
After going down in 11 innings Thursday, the Tigers will be in bounce back mode Friday. The Tigers are an impressive 20-6 in their last 26 home games, 8-2 in their last 10 during game 2 of a series, and 36-16 in their last 52 games as a favorite. Galarraga gives us some added confidence as the Tigers are 7-0 in Galarraga's last 7 starts vs. a team with a winning record. He has been toughest on the best teams in the league and that's why you see the Tigers as a decent sized fave here, but they are worth the price.
Jeff Alexander Sports
1 Unit on St. Louis Cardinals -107
Lohse has been a thorn in the side of nearly every lineup he has faced in the N.L. this season. The Cardinals are 9-1 in Lohse's last 10 starts and 5-0 in their last 5 games as a road favorite. The Pirates are a pathetic 3-13 in their last 16 during game 1 of a series, 1-7 in their last 8 Friday games, and 4-13 in Duke's last 17 starts vs. a team with a winning record. The Cardinals are 47-18 in the last 65 meetings in Pittsburgh . Take the Red Birds.
Locksmith Sports
1 Unit on Washington Nationals +118
Oswalt has not has the kind of season we have come to expect from him. The Astros are just 3-8 in Oswalt's last 11 road starts. We'll back Redding at home at a great price Friday. The Nationals are 5-0 in Redding 's last 5 home starts, 9-2 in Redding 's last 11 starts overall, and 8-1 in Redding 's last 9 starts vs. a team with a losing record. The Astros are also jusr 1-5 in their last 6 meetings in Washington . Take the Nats against the struggling 'stros.