Steve Janus
St Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds
Pick: St Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have something imporant in this game that the Reds do not, and that is motivation. The Cardinals are still very much in the race for the NL Wildcard and a chance for the playoffs. The Reds are deep into rebuilding mode without much to prove with the rest of their 2008 campaign. St. Louis is riding into this game on some nice trends. They are 8-2 in their last 10 overall and 7-2 on the road against right-handed starters. The Cards also have a starter in Brad Thompson that they are 6-0 behind when he starts against NL Central opponents. When I said the Reds were ready to move on, I meant it. Cincinnati has lost 19 of their last 26 overall including 10 of their last 11 against right-handed starters, plus they've lost 6 in a row at home. You simply can't underestimate the motivation factor in this game, and that's why the Cards are an easy play on Friday.
Vegas Experts
San Francisco Giants at Atlanta Braves
Atlanta really got beaten up by the Cubs over the past two days, but the Giants are a far less formidable foe, particularly with Matt Cain on the hill in the underdog role. While Cain has been better in '08 than previous years, his TSR in the dog role remains 6-20, including 3-15 on the road. The Giants average just 3.8 runs/game away from home and have to be demoralized after blowing late leads each of the past two days against Houston.
Play on: Atlanta Braves
SPORTS ADVISORS
NFL PRESEASON
Oakland (1-0 SU and ATS) at Tennessee (1-0 SU and ATS)
The Raiders make the lengthy trip to Nashville for a nationally televised Week 2 preseason meeting against the Titans at LP Field.
Oakland rolled to an 18-6 victory over crosstown rival San Francisco in Week 1, easily cashing as a one-point home favorite. The Raiders are 7-3 SU and ATS since the start of the 2006 preseason, but they are 1-5 SU and ATS in true preseason road games since 2005 (0-2 SU and ATS last year).
Tennessee opened up with an impressive 34-13 rout of the Rams, covering as a three-point home chalk. The Titans, who went 2-6 SU and ATS in August from 2005-06, have since posted a 4-1 SU and ATS preseason mark.
QB JaMarcus Russell will start for the Raiders and is expected to play the first half, followed by Andrew Walter, Marques Tuiasosopo and possibly rookie Sam Keller. Russell threw just five passes last week, completing two for 13 yards, with one sack. But the Raiders finished the game with 248 rushing yards, led by rookies Louis Rankin (eight carries, 91 yards, including a 71-yard dash) and Darren McFadden (12 carries, 48 yards).
QB Vince Young, who went 3-for-6 for 17 yards and also ripped off a 35-yard run last week, will start for the Titans and should see more time this week, playing with the starters well into the second quarter. Kerry Collins is expected to relieve Young, likely followed by Ingle Martin. Last week, Tennessee racked up 495 total yards, including 340 rushing yards, while holding the Rams to just 241 total yards.
The Raiders have now stayed under the total in 11 of their last 14 preseason games, including five of the last seven away from home. Conversely, Tennessee is on a 4-0 “over” roll in August.
ATS ADVANTAGE: TENNESSEE
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Chicago (74-47) at Florida (63-59)
The red-hot Cubs send ace Carlos Zambrano (12-5, 3.22 ERA) to the hill at Dolphin Stadium to open a three-game series against the Marlins, who will counter with Josh Johnson (3-0, 3.19) in a battle of right-handers.
Chicago dumped Atlanta 11-7 Thursday night on the road to complete a three-game sweep. The Cubs outscored the Braves 29-9 in the series, and they’ve now won eight straight road games. They are also on runs of 13-3 overall and 6-0 with Zambrano starting a series opener.
Florida was shut out by St. Louis on Thursday, losing 3-0, and has dropped five of its last seven games overall. However, the Marlins are 6-0 in Johnson’s six starts this season, and they are 12-2 in the last 14 clashes with the Cubs overall, including 6-0 in the past six meetings in South Beach.
The Cubs had won three straight and five of six behind Zambrano before the right-hander got shelled Saturday against St. Louis. Zambrano allowed nine runs on 10 hits in just 4 1/3 innings of a 12-3 home loss. In his six starts prior to that, Zambrano yielded just eight runs in 40 1/3 innings (1.79 ERA).
Florida has been perfect behind Johnson since his July 10 return to the rotation after Tommy John surgery. On Sunday at Shea Stadium, he allowed two runs on five hits in seven innings to notch his third straight winning decision in an 8-2 rout of the Mets.
Zambrano is 6-4 with a 3.38 ERA in 10 road starts this year, and he’s 4-1 with a 2.55 ERA in eight career starts against Florida. Johnson is 1-0 with a 4.05 ERA in two home starts this season, and he’s 0-1 with a bloated 8.53 ERA in two career appearances (one start) against Chicago.
The over for Chicago is on a 4-0 run and has cashed in eight straight road games, and it is also 4-0 in Zambrano’s last four starts and 10-3 in Johnson’s last 13 outings. Furthermore, the over is 17-8 in the last 25 meetings between these two teams and 7-2 in the last nine contests in Miami.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OVER
Milwaukee (70-52) at L.A. Dodgers (62-59)
Southpaw Manny Para (9-5, 4.02 ERA) leads the streaking Brewers into a three-game weekend set against the equally hot Dodgers, who will start right-hander Chad Billingsley (11-9, 3.07).
Milwaukee finally cooled off after eight straight wins, losing 3-2 Thursday to complete a three-game series at San Diego. The Brewers are on runs of 6-1 against the N.L. West and 20-8 on the highway.
Los Angeles completed a four-game sweep of Philadelphia with a 3-1 home win Thursday night. The Dodgers are on surges of 6-2 overall, 11-3 at home (6-0 in their last six) and 7-1 against left-handed starters. In this rivalry, L.A. is 41-20 in the last 61 meetings overall and 20-8 against the Brew Crew in the past 28 battles at Dodger Stadium.
The Brewers had lost three in a row and six of seven behind Parra before earning a 5-4 home win Sunday against Washington. Parra allowed one run on six hits in seven innings, bouncing back from a string of five starts in which he’d allowed 20 earned runs in 31 1/3 innings (5.74 ERA).
The Dodgers have lost two straight behind Billingsley, including a 5-4 loss Sunday at San Francisco in which he allowed three runs on nine hits in six innings en route to his second straight no-decision.
Parra is 4-3 with a 5.00 ERA in 10 road starts this season, and he’s 0-0 with a 1.35 ERA in one career start against Los Angeles – a 6-4 home victory earlier this season. Billingsley is 7-4 with a 3.23 ERA in 13 home appearances (12 starts) this year, and he’s 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA in three career appearances (one start) against Milwaukee.
The under is 8-2-2 in the Brewers’ last 12 games overall and 11-1-1 tear in their last 13 road tilts. For Los Angeles, the under is on streaks of 9-4-1 overall, 19-8-1 at Dodger Stadium and 11-5 in Billingsley’s last 16 starts.
ATS ADVANTAGE: L.A. DODGERS and UNDER
DUNKEL
Arizona at Houston
Brandon Webb looks for his fifth straight win, but runs into a hot Houston team that has won eight straight and is 12-6 as a home underdog between +100 and +125. The Astros are the underdog pick (+125) according to Dunkel, which has Houston favored straight up by 1. Dunkel Pick: Houston (+125). Here are all of today's games.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 15
Game 901-902: NY Mets at Pittsburgh
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Pelfrey) 15.123; Pittsburgh (Davis) 13.544
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-140); 9
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-140); Over
Game 903-904: St. Louis at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Thompson) 14.801; Cincinnati (Arroyo) 15.310
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-115); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+105); Over
Game 905-906: Chicago Cubs at Florida
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Zambrano) 15.930; Florida (Johnson) 16.235
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-135); 8
Dunkel Pick: Florida (+125); Under
Game 907-908: San Francisco at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Cain) 13.575; Atlanta (Jurrjens) 15.088
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-135); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-135); Over
Game 909-910: Colorado at Washington
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (De La Rosa) 14.423; Washington (Redding) 13.188
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Colorado (-115); 9
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-115); Over
Game 911-912: Arizona at Houston
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Webb) 14.852; Houston (Rodriguez) 16.022
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1; 7
Vegas Line: Arizona (-135); 8
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+125); Under
Game 913-914: Philadelphia at San Diego
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Moyer) 14.959; San Diego (Maddux) 16.151
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-120); 8
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+110); Over
Game 915-916: Milwaukee at LA Dodgers
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Parra) 15.325; LA Dodgers (Billingsley) 16.916
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-135); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-135); Under
Game 917-918: Baltimore at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Waters) 16.291; Detroit (Robertson) 14.737
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1 1/2; 11 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit (-150); 11
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (+140); Over
Game 919-920: Toronto at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Halladay) 15.615; Boston (Byrd) 16.141
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Toronto (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston (+105); Under
Game 921-922: LA Angels at Cleveland
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Weaver) 15.739; Cleveland (Lee) 15.866
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-115); Over
Game 923-924: Kansas City at NY Yankees
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Meche) 14.581; NY Yankees (Pettitte) 14.443
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-190); 9
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+180); Under
Game 925-926: Tampa Bay at Texas
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Garza) 15.774; Texas (Millwood) 14.849
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1; 11 1/2
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-110); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-110); Over
Game 927-928: Seattle at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Silva) 15.491; Minnesota (Liriano) 17.249
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Minnesota (-200); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (-200); Under
Game 929-930: Chicago White Sox at Oakland
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Floyd) 15.894; Oakland (Braden) 13.662
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-110); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (-110); Under
TONY MATHEWS
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Houston Astros
Selection: Arizona Diamondbacks -145
The Arizona Diamondbacks will use starting pitcher Brandon Webb. Brandon Webb has been pitching great as of late. In fact, Brandon Webb has a 1.17 ERA in his last 3 starts. We see Brandon Webb pitching another great game today.
The Houston Astros will use starting pitcher Wandy Rodriguez. Wandy Rodriguez has been having huge pitching problems as of late. In fact, Wandy Rodriguez has a 7.71 ERA in his last 3 starts. We see Wandy Rodriguez pitching another bad game today.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are 6-1 in their last 7 meetings against the Houston Astros, and will most likely get another win tonight!
Take the Arizona Diamondbacks
Tony Weston
Forget that the Brewers dropped one in San Diego yesterday; they lost to the defending Cy Young winner in Jake Peavy. That'll happen. But consider that's the first loss in eight games for Milwaukee and puts the Brewers at 10-3 their last 13 games. Milwaukee is also 4-1 their last five games on the road.Now Milwaukee gets a shot at the Dodgers, who are 8-6 their last 14 games. While Los Angeles is on a 4-0 run, they could very well easily be 1-3. Over the Dodgers last three games they've needed runs late in each game to get over on the Philadelphia Phillies.The Brewers won't allow Los Angeles to hang around as they'll put them away early and keep them down.
Go with the Brewers on the road tonight.
3♦ BREWERS
SAPKOWSKI
Best Bet
Minnesota vs. Seattle over 4 in 1st 5IN
Premium
Chi. White Sox vs. Oakland over 4 in 1st 5IN
Free
Philadelphia vs. San Diego over 4 in 1st 5IN
Matt Fargo
Chicago Cubs at Florida Marlins
Prediction: Chicago Cubs
Why back off now? The Cubs are coming off a sweep of the Braves after another convincing win last night. Chicago is now 4.5 games in front of Milwaukee in the National League Central and it continues to get the job done. The Cubs hit a small rough patch toward the end of July but have gone 14-3 over their last 17 games. Winning at home has not been the issue this season and winning on the road is becoming a habit as they have taken eight straight games away from Wrigley.
Florida meanwhile is coming off a second straight loss last night against the Cardinals as it dropped three of four in that series. The Marlins are now 2.5 games behind Philadelphia in the National League East and this is an absolutely huge series for them. The problem is the competition is once again taking a step up in class. Florida went 4-6 against the Phillies, Mets and Cardinals over their last 10 game and it gets worse here. Florida is 1-7 in its last eight games when its opponent allows five runs or more in their previous game
Carlos Zambrano is coming off his worst start of the season and that is exactly why he is being taken here. He allowed nine runs in just 4.1 innings against the Cardinals and that game was at home. He has a 3.38 ERA on the road and he is 5-0 with a 3.00 Era in his last five starts against the Marlins. Chicago is 11-3 in his last 14 road starts against a team with a winning record. Florida counters with Josh Johnson who has been solid in his return but is overmatched here. Florida is 2-5 in his last seven home starts against a team with a winning record. Play Chicago Cubs 1.5 Units
PlayByPlayInc.
OAKLAND at TENNESSEE Under 35
Armvin Sports
Tennessee -4
Phillies -119
MIGHTY QUINN
Rockies
Cappers Access
Raiders
Cubs
Vegas Steamline
Rockies
Jack Clayton
White Sox
The Scout
Indians
lasvegassportsadvisors
NY Yankees -1.5
DutchMaster
Boston
JIM'S HOT PICKS
Chi Cubs
Templer's Sports Picks
San Francisco +1.5
JerseySteveWins
Texas
Jennifer Barry
Giants +135
THE Super SCOUT
Diamondbacks -138
Insider Sports Report
Toronto/Boston UNDER 8.5
JOE WIZ
Philadelphia
Rangers
SOUTHSIDE SPORTS
LA ANGELS
BIG TIME SPORTS
CHICAGO / OAKLAND OVER 8.5
RAZOR SHARP
ATLANTA -140
TOTALS 4 U
PHILLIES/PADRES OVER 8
#1 SPORTS
WHITE SOX
SCOUT
Cleveland -130
HUDDLE UP
Colorado -115
JH-SPORTSLINE
Rangers -105
Gamblers Data
Dodgers -135
floridabookybusters
Houston
Glen Mcgrew
Pirates
Lance's Lock
Reds -110
Priceless Picks
1 Unit on Angels/Indians UNDER 8 Runs
Big Unders situation tonight. The Under is 11-3-1 in Angels last 15 road games vs. a left-handed starter, 11-3 in Angels last 14 games vs. a starter with a WHIP less than 1.15, and 53-26-6 in Angels last 85 vs. American League Central. The Under is also 16-5-1 in Weaver's last 22 starts vs. American League Central. The Under is 6-1-1 in Lee's last 8 starts overall and 6-1 in Lee's last 7 starts vs. a team with a winning record. The Under is 11-4 in the last 15 meetings and 24-11-1 in the last 36 meetings in Cleveland . Bet the Under.
Vegas Sports Experts
The VSE NFL Power Play for Friday is
10* Take Oakland (+4) over Tennessee (NFL Power Play)
Oakland
• 3-0 SU & ATS in pre-season when playing on a Friday Night
• 4-0 SU & ATS in pre-season when the total posted is 35 points or less
• Allowed only 269 yards on defense in the 1st game of pre-season
EZWINNERS
5 STAR: (905) CHICAGO (-$132) over Florida
(Listing Zambrano only)
(Risking $660 to win $500)
3 STAR: (904) CINCINNATI (-$105) over St. Louis
(Action)
(Risking $315 to win $300)
3 STAR: (922) CLEVELAND (-$132) over LA Angels
(Listing Lee only)
(Risking $396 to win $300)
3 STAR: (919) TORONTO (-$101) over Boston
(Listing Halliday only)
(Risking $303 to win $300)
2 STAR: (912) HOUSTON (+$135) over Arizona
(Listing Rodriguez only)
(Risking $200 to win $270)
1 STAR: (923) KANSAS CITY (+$180) over NY Yankees
(Listing Meche only)
(Risking $100 to win $180)
1 STAR: (914) SAN DIEGO (+$115) over Philadelphia
(Listing Maddux only)
(Risking $100 to win $115)
CFL
3 STAR: (436) TORONTO (+3.5) over Montreal
(Risking $330 to win $300)
Steven Budin-CEO
25 DIME
CLEVELAND INDIANS
Bobby Maxwell
L.A. Angels +115 at CLEVELAND
The best team in baseball is the Angels and they head into Cleveland today with the best road record in baseball and with Jered Weaver (10-9, 4.51 ERA) on the mound. We'll gladly take the plus money with Los Angeles in this one.
The Angels have won four of six against Cleveland this season and Weaver gave up two runs in three innings on July 22 before leaving with a stiff lower back. On Friday he got the win against the Yankees thanks to his offense that got hime a 10-5 win even though he gave up five runs in six innings.
Cleveland has lost two in a row, including an 11-6 loss Thursday to Baltimore. Cliff Lee (16-2, 2.45) is on the mound for the Indians and he leads the American League in wins and ERA. He hasn't seen the Angels this season and is getting a team that is clicking on all cylinders.
Los Angeles has got newly acquired Mark Teixeira going with the bat and he's hitting .440 with three homers and 7 RBIs in his last six games to lead to the Angels to wins in five of those six.
Play the best road team in baseball. Go with the Angels
Ben Burns
Blowout GOM DETROIT
NL Personal Favorite LA DODGERS
Annihilator CLEVELAND
Main Event Tennessee/Oakland Under