SPORTS ADVISORS
Milwaukee (37-29) at Detroit (35-31)
The surging Brewers will send right-hander Braden Looper (5-3, 4.62) to the mound at Comerica Park for the opener of a three-game interleague set against the Tigers, who will counter with right-hander Armando Galarraga (3-7, 5.56).
Milwaukee is coming off a three-game road sweep of Cleveland, piling up 30 runs but also allowing 25, capped by a 9-8, 11-inning victory Wednesday night. The Brewers are on positive streaks of 5-1 on the highway, 14-3 in series openers and 20-6 against winning teams, but despite their success against the last-place Indians, they remain just 4-9 in their last 13 interleague roadies.
Detroit avoided a three-game sweep at St. Louis by posting a 6-3 victory Thursday night, halting a four-game skid in the process as it wrapped up an 11-game road trip with a 5-6 record. The Tigers, who lead the A.L. Central, are on upswings of 46-21 in interleague play and 37-14 in home interleague contests, but they are also on slides of 14-29 in series openers, 2-6 at home overall and 3-6 against winning teams.
These two squads last met in 2007, with visiting Milwaukee taking two of three, after Detroit took two of three on the road in 2006.
Looper got no-decisions in his last two starts, both Milwaukee losses, including Sunday’s 5-4 home setback to the White Sox. Despite an inflated 6.89 career ERA against Detroit, Looper is 3-1 in eight appearances (two starts), and the veteran is 2-2 with a 5.19 ERA in five road starts this season. On the bright side, the Brew Crew is 6-1 in Looper’s last seven starts against winning teams.
Detroit has dropped seven of Galarraga’s last nine starts, with the righty failing to record a win since April 26. Galarraga is 0-7 in those nine outings, allowing 38 runs in 45 1/3 innings, for a bloated 7.54 ERA. In his lone career start against St. Louis, he allowed five runs (four earned) in 4 2/3 innings last June, though Detroit posted an 8-7 home win. The 27-year-old is 2-3 with a 5.17 ERA in six home starts this year.
The Tigers are 4-1 in Galarraga’s last five starts against winning teams, but they’re 1-5 in his last six series openers.
The over for Milwaukee is on surges of 4-0 overall (all in interleague play), 4-0 on the road, 7-2 as an interleague pup and 5-1 with Looper facing a winning team. On the flip side, Detroit carries “under” runs of 21-9 overall, 10-2 at home, 9-3 against winning teams and 20-8-1 in interleague play.
ATS ADVANTAGE: MILWAUKEE
L.A. Dodgers (44-23) at L.A. Angels (35-29)
The streaking Angels trot out southpaw Joe Saunders (7-4, 3.66 ERA) to open their three-game Freeway Series with the neighborhood rival Dodgers, who will start ace right-hander Chad Billingsley (9-3, 2.72).
The Angels have swept their last two series, both against the National League West. Last weekend, they took three straight from San Diego at home, then went north to San Francisco where they scored three more victories against the Giants, capped by Wednesday’s 4-3 victory. During the six-game winning streak,, the Angels’ offense has been explosive, racking up 47 runs while allowing just 18. The Angels have won their last four series openers and are on further streaks of 4-0 at home, 18-5 against the N.L. West and 38-17 in interleague play.
The Dodgers have won four of their last five, most recently taking two of three from Oakland, including Thursday’s 3-2 victory to close out a three-game home set. The Dodgers are on upswings of 42-20 overall and 11-4 on the road, but they are on purges of 20-43 in their last 63 interleague contests and 14-37 in their last 51 interleague roadies. They are also on a 5-17 slide against left-handers from the American League.
The Angels took two of three at Dodger Stadium last month and are on further runs in this rivalry of 12-5 overall and 20-7 on their home field.
Saunders shut down the visiting Padres in his last start, allowing one run (a solo homer) on seven hits and a walk in 8 1/3 innings of a 9-1 home win Saturday. In three starts prior to that, the lefty gave up 13 earned runs over 19 1/3 innings (6.05 ERA), with the Angels losing all three contests. Saunders is 3-2 with a 2.74 ERA in six home starts this year, and he’s 1-1 with a 2.92 ERA in two career starts against the Dodgers.
With Saunders taking the ball, the Angels are on runs of 52-24 overall, 5-1 in interleague play, 20-6 in series openers and 28-13 at home.
Billingsley has followed up a two-game slide – including a loss to the Angels – with three straight victories, allowing a total of five runs in 18 2/3 innings (2.41 ERA). On Sunday at Texas, he yielded three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk as the Dodgers notched a 6-3 victory. The 24-year-old is 3-1 with a solid 1.94 ERA in six road starts this season.
Billingsley dropped to 1-2 with a 2.45 ERA in five career appearances (three starts) against the Angels with last month’s 10-7, series-concluding loss, yielding five runs (four earned) on nine hits and a walk in six innings. Still, the Dodgers are on several strong runs behind Billingsley, including 11-3 overall, 5-1 on the road and 4-1 in interleague play.
The over is 5-2-1 in the Angels’ last seven games, all against the N.L. West. However, the Halos are also on ‘under” runs of 10-3 against righties and 5-1 in Saunders’ last six interleague starts. In addition, the under for the Dodgers is on rolls of 6-1 on the road, 6-1 against winning teams, 12-4 in interleague games and 4-0-2 in Billingsley’s last six road outings.
Finally, the total has stayed low in nine of the last 13 meetings overall in this rivalry and is 9-3-1 in the last 13 battles in Anaheim.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
DUNKEL
St. Louis at Kansas City
The Cards come in just 3-8 in their last 11 games against teams with a losing record and face a Kansas City club (29-36 SU) that is 7-3 in Kyle Davies' last 10 starts. The Royals are the pick (+120) according to Dunkel, which has Kansas City favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+120).
Game 901-902: Pittsburgh at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Ohlendorf) 16.403; Colorado (Marquis) 15.826
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Colorado (-180); 10
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+170); Under
Game 903-904: Cleveland at Chicago Cubs
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Lee) 15.794; Cubs (Harden) 15.174
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-115); No Run Line
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+105); N/A
Game 905-906: Baltimore at Philadelphia
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Hill) 14.910; Philadelphia (Bastardo) 16.319
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-155); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-155); Under
Game 907-908: Toronto at Washington
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Tallet) 14.431; Washington (Zimmerman) 16.107
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Toronto (-120); 9
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+110); Under
Game 909-910: Milwaukee at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Looper) 15.610; Detroit (Galarraga) 14.480
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit (-135); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (+125); Under
Game 911-912: NY Yankees at Florida
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Pettitte) 14.761; Florida (West) 15.887
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1; 10
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-135); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida (+125); Over
Game 913-914: Tampa Bay at NY Mets
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Sonnanstine) 15.733; NY Mets (Nieve) 15.645
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-130); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+120); Over
Game 915-916: Chicago White Sox at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Contreras) 13.980; Cincinnati (Arroyo) 14.225
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-115); 9
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+105); Under
Game 917-918: Atlanta at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Kawakami) 14.889; Boston (Matsuzaka) 15.961
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Boston (-150); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-150); Under
Game 919-920: Houston at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Oswalt) 15.761; Minnesota (Slowey) 15.280
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Minnesota (-150); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+140); Under
Game 921-922: St. Louis at Kansas City
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Thompson) 13.413; Kansas City (Davies) 14.786
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+120); Under
Game 923-924: Oakland at San Diego
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Outman) 13.893; San Diego (Leblanc) 14.624
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Oakland (-145); 8
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+135); Under
Game 925-926: LA Dodgers at LA Angels
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Billingsley) 16.282; LA Angels (Saunders) 15.737
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-120); 8
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodges (-120); Over
Game 927-928: Arizona at Seattle
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Garland) 16.214; Seattle (Washburn) 14.977
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Seattle (-155); 8
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+145); Under
Game 929-930: Texas at San Francisco
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Feldman) 15.773; San Francisco (Johnson) 14.509
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Texas (-120); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-120); Over
WNBA
Chicago at Connecticut
The Sky look to take advantage of a Connecticut team that is 3-10 ATS in its last 13 games overall. Chicago is the pick (+5) according to Dunkel, which has Connecticut favored by 2. Dunkel Pick: Chicago (+5).
Game 601-602: Chicago at Connecticut
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago 109.061; Connecticut 111.253
Dunkel Line & Total: Connecticut by 2; 142
Vegas Line & Total: Connecticut by 5; 146 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago (+5); Under
Game 603-604: San Antonio at New York
Dunkel Ratings: San Antonio 109.239; New York 112.380
Dunkel Line & Total: New York by 3; 132
Vegas Line & Total: New York by 5 1/2; 137
Dunkel Pick: San Antonio (+5 1/2); Under
Game 605-606: Indiana at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: Indiana 111.338; Detroit 117.460
Dunkel Line & Total: Detroit by 6; 149
Vegas Line & Total: Detroit by 4; 143
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-4); Over
Game 607-608: Washington at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: Washington 107.870; Atlanta 108.508
Dunkel Line & Total: Atlanta by 1; 148
Vegas Line & Total: Atlanta by 2; 151
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+2); Under
Game 609-610: Los Angeles at Phoenix
Dunkel Ratings: Los Angeles 110.145; Phoenix 118.599
Dunkel Line & Total: Phoenix by 8 1/2; 177
Vegas Line & Total: Phoenix by 4; 171 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (-4); Over
Game 611-612: Minnesota at Seattle
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota 108.673; Seattle 119.465
Dunkel Line & Total: Seattle by 11; 160
Vegas Line & Total: Seattle by 9; 153
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (-9); Over
Craig Trapp
Atlanta Braves vs. Boston Red Sox
Play: Boston Red Sox
Records
Atlanta Braves 31-34, 16-17 away (Kawakami 3-6, 4.54 ERA)
Boston Red Sox 40-26, 23-9 home (Matsuzaka 1-4, 7.55 ERA)
Betting Trends
-Braves are 1-4 in their last 5 overall.
-Braves are 2-5 in their last 7 interleague games as a underdog of +110 to +150.
-Red Sox are 7-1 in their last 8 overall.
-Red Sox are 28-6 in their last 34 interleague home games vs. a team with a losing record.
-ATL are 2-8 in the last 10 meetings.
Love betting on interleague games as you get to see some nice matchups that you won't get to see rest of the year. The Boston Red Sox are almost unbeatable in interleague play with the best record over the last few years (57-19 in their last 76 interleague games). Neither one of these pitchers have been very good lately so don't be surprised for the scoreboard to get used early and often. BOS has a much better lineup and at home are almost unbeatable. This one is too easy!! SCORE BOS 9 - ATL 5
Red Dog Sports
Cleveland at Chicago
Play Cleveland
Lee is 3-0 with an ERA of 1.96 in his last 3 starts while Harden is -12 in his last 3 with a decent ERA of 4.00. The Cubs are just 1-7 in their last 8 Interleague games. Go with the hot pitcher on Friday. Look for Cleveland to win.
Marc Lawrence
Play On: Chicago White Sox
The White Sox take on the Reds in the Queen City in the opener of this three-game weekend series when they send Jose Contreras to the mound. Since coming back off the DL, Contreras has been on his game, hurling 16 innings without allowing an earned run. He is also 2-0 in his career team starts against Cincinnati. With that, look for the Reds to lose for the 4th week in a row on Fridays here tonight.
Scott Spreitzer
Texas Rangers at San Francisco Giants
Prediction: Under
I attended the Giants three-game series against the Angels earlier this week in SFO. The offense is a bit anemic, and you get a true idea just how poorly they can be when you see them in person. They're averaging just 4.0 rpg in their last 16 games. Tonight, they'll face a true "road warrior" in Texas starter Scott Feldman. The righthander is 4-0 in five road appearances, including four starts. He owns a 3.51 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and .215 BAA away from home. While I expect Feldman to throw well again tonight, I don't believe he'll get much help at the plate. The Rangers have scored an average of just 3.3 rpg in their last 21 road night games against southpaws, going back to last season. They'll face Randy Johnson tonight and the "Big Unit" has been on a tear. Johnson has allowed just seven earned runs and 31 base runners in his last five starts, spanning 29 1/3 IP. That's a 2.15 ERA & 1.06 WHIP. Finally, Texas and their opponents are a perfect 10-0 to the Under when Feldman toes the rubber in 2009. I expect that trend to remain perfect thru' Friday. I'm playing the Under between the Rangers & Giants.
LARRY NESS
Arizona Diamondbacks @ Seattle Mariners
PICK: Over 8
on Garland helped lead the White Sox to their World Series title in 2005, winning 18 games. He followed with another 18-win season in '06 but in 2007, finished 10-13 with a 4.23 ERA in 32 starts (White Sox were 12-20). He left as a free agent prior to the '08 season, signing with the Angels. While Garland finished 14-8 last season and the Angels were able to go 20-12 in his 32 starts, he was hardly an effective pitcher. Garland allowed 237 hits in 196.2 innings, while posting a 4.90 ERA. He signed with Arizona this off-season and he hasn't been any better. He's 4-7 with a 5.45 ERA through 13 starts (D'backs are 6-7) and he's really struggled recently. Garland is winless since defeating Florida on May 19, going 0-5 with a 6.67 ERA in his last five starts. What bodes well for him is that he's 8-3 lifetime against Seattle and the typically light-hitting D'backs are coming off back-to-back 12-5 wins over the Royals, as Arizona batted .356 with 14 extra-base hits. It marks the first time the D'backs have scored double digits in consecutive games since Aug 15-16 of last season at Houston. Like Garland, Seattle's starter tonight (Jarrod Washburn) is looking to break into the win column after a long drought. Washburn, a MAJOR flop since leaving the Angels, won his first three games of 2009 but has since gone 0-5 with a 3.90 ERA in nine starts (Mariners are 1-8). We have a very low total here and I expect this game to be over BEFORE the teams get into their bullpens. Go Over!
JIM FEIST
OAKLAND ATHLETICS / SAN DIEGO PADRES
Take OAKLAND ATHLETICS
After playing the Dodgers this week, the A's now head to the bottom of the NL West to face the pitiful Padres. San Diego's offense is terrible and Oakland has a terrific young arm in Josh Outman. He's 4-1 with a 3.43 ERA in the AL, with 53 Ks in 65 innings. Lefty Chris Young of the Padres is in a huge slump, at 0-3 with an 8.78 ERA his last three starts. San Diego has had a tough week, losing 5 in a row to the Angels and Mariners. Play the A's.
DAVE COKIN
TEXAS RANGERS / SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Take TEXAS RANGERS
Scott Feldman is looking to stay perfect on the road as the Rangers visit San Francisco. Feldman has made four road starts and has won them all. There's nothing wrong with Randy Johnson right now, as the Big Unit has been sharp lately. But there's not much doubt about which team has the better offense, and with Feldman continuing to register mostly quality starts, I'll look the Rangers way tonight.
Bobby Maxwell
Milwaukee at DETROIT -135
Today's FREE play comes from Detroit as we go with the Tigers to get the job done over the visiting the Brewers.
Armando Galarraga (3-7, 5.56 ERA) is on the hill for the Tigers today and this guy has some amazing potential but he's just been inconsistent this season. We're going to back him, however, in this spot, pitching against a team that's never seen him in his home park.
Two of Galarraga's three wins have been at home this season and he pitched well in his last home start, giving up just three runs to the Red Sox but in the end Boston came out on top 10-5. The young hurler had a stretch of three straight games where he kept the Tigers in it, allowing three runs in each outing.
The Tigers wrapped up a series with the Cardinals Thursday by scoring a 6-3 victory.
Detroit is a whopping 37-14 in interleague home games and an amazing 41-11 as an interleague favorite. Throw in the fact they are 21-8 against National League right-handers and this game has all the makings of a Tigers' victory.
Milwaukee is just 3-8 in its last 11 as a interleague underdog and 4-9 in its last 13 interleague road games. They are just 1-4 in their last five against a right-handed starter and 2-9 on the road against right-handers.
Braden Looper (5-3, 4.62 ERA) is on the mound for the Brewers today and his ERA is 5.19 on the highway. Last time he pitched on the road, Looper allowed five runs in 4.2 innings at Florida and five runs in six innings at Minnesota. In his career, Looper has faced the Tigers twice and he's allowed a combined 11 runs on 16 hits in 10 innings of work.
Play the home team Tigers in this one.
2♦ DETROIT
Jeff Benton
N.Y. Yankees at FLORIDA +130
Tough loser with Thursday’s free play on the White Sox, who blew a 5-1, eighth-inning lead at the Cubs. We’ll bounce back Friday and take the Marlins at a nice plus price at home against the Yankees.
How bad are things for the boys in pinstripes? They just lost two of three at home to the lowly Nationals, including last night’s 3-0 shutout loss to a team that hadn’t recorded a shutout in 75 games. In fact, even with a 5-3 win over Washington on Tuesday, the Yankees managed just seven runs against the worst pitching staff in baseball.
New York has now lost six of its last nine overall and is batting under .240 as a team in its last 11 (and that includes Sunday’s 15-0 rout of Mets). The biggest drag on the Yankees’ lineup? None other than Alex Rodriguez, who went 0-for-4 last night to drop his average to .212 on the year. He’s hitless in his last four games (0-for-14) and is batting a woeful .146 in June.
Yes, on paper, New York appears to have the pitching edge with veteran lefty Andy Pettitte facing rookie southpaw Sean West. However, I’m not buying it. Pettitte’s been inconsistent all season and is 1-2 with a 6.19 ERA in his last three starts (in which his offense supported him with a total of nine runs), while West is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in five starts, including 1-1 with a 2.60 ERA at home.
Also, with both pitchers coming from the left side, it’s interesting to note the following: The Marlins, who officially beat lefty Jon Lester and the Red Sox 2-1 in a rain-shortened game last night, are now 7-1 in their last eight against southpaw starters and batting .315 against southpaws the last two weeks. Meanwhile, New York is hitting a woeful .224 in its last 11 games against lefties.
Throw in the fact that Florida just finished a six-game road trip in which it went 4-2 against A.L. East opponents, and I’ll take a shot with a live home ‘dog here.
3♦ FLORIDA
Chris Jordan
Chicago White Sox -105 at CINCINNATI
Short and sweet with this one, as I’m banking solely on Jose Contreras. The heavy-armed right-hander turned in his second consecutive strong outing since returning to the rotation after a stint with Triple-A Charlotte. Contreras threw eight shutout innings in a 7-1 win over the Brewers on Saturday, and will take on a Cincinnati team the White Sox have dominated.
The South Siders are 12-2 all-time against the Reds, and outscored them 28-11 in sweeping the only series they’ve ever played in Cincinnati, three seasons ago.
True, that was then and this is now … so let’s focus on the now. Cincinnati lost 7-0 to Atlanta yesterday, it has lost five of its last seven and it is struggling miserably at the plate. Just in the last two days the Reds have seen their top six batters go 2-for-21 (yesterday) and their top five hitters go 0-for-17 (Wednesday night).
Contreras has allowed a mere three hits and three walks over 16 scoreless innings since returning to the rotation on June 8, so I expect him to continue this surge and stifle the futile Reds lineup tonight.
1♦ WHITE SOX
Matt Fargo
Texas Rangers vs. San Francisco Giants
Play: Texas Rangers
The Rangers are holding on in the American League West as they are coming off a series win at home over Houston. Playing on the road has been a huge challenge in previous years for Texas but it is a game over .500 away from home. The Giants brought in a 21-9 home record into their series with the Angels but were swept and they have dropped three straight heading into this weekend series. The Rangers send Scott Feldman to the hill and he has been a huge asset to the rotation. He has been as consistent as they come as he has posted a 3.70 ERA and 1.17 WHIP through his first 10 starts and three relief appearances. His work out of the bullpen was not very good actually and just looking at his starts shows a very solid 2.72 ERA that includes six quality starts as well as nine games allowing three runs or fewer. He is a perfect 4-0 in four road starts. San Francisco has gotten some good work out of Randy Johnson this season as he has been very solid since getting hammered by the Mets back on May 16th. His ERA in his last five starts is 2.15 but he has faced some very weak offensive teams in that stretch. The Rangers offense has been up and down but it is important to note that they are 15-9 on the season against left-handed starters. The Rangers are 16-5 in their last 21 games after allowing five runs or more in their previous game so the team has been able to bounce back well. Texas is 8-2 in its last 10 Interleague games as a favorite while the Giants are a disappointing 1-10 in their last 11 Interleague home games against teams with a winning record. 3* Texas Rangers
Vernon Croy
Atlanta Braves vs. Boston Red Sox
Play: Boston Red Sox
This pick falls into one of my MLB systems and the Red Sox are 12-2 in Daisuke Matsuzaka's (1-4, 7.55 ERA) last 14 starts at home against a team with a losing record. The Braves are just 1-4 in Kenshin Kawakami's (3-6, 4.54) last 5 starts on the road and the Braves are just 5-16 in their last 21 road games against a team that has a winning record at home above .600. The Atlanta Braves are just 1-4 in their last 5 interleague road games and the Boston Red Sox are 21-5 in their last 26 interleague home games against a team with a losing record. The Red Sox are 7-1 in their last 8 games after scoring 2 runs or less in their previous game and they are a perfect 4-0 in their last 4 games after a loss. The bullpen will likely play a major role in this game for both teams tonight and Boston's bullpen has been solid at home this season with an ERA of just 2.72 over 92.7 innings. Take the Boston Red Sox Friday night.
Nick Parsons
Baltimore Orioles @ Philadelphia Phillies UNDER 10
The Philadelphia Phillies may be tired of explaining their struggles at home, but it’s hard to ignore the defending World Series champs’ poor play in their own yard. Philadelphia looks to snap a three-game slide at Citizens Bank Park on Friday night when it hosts a Baltimore Orioles club looking to win its fourth straight interleague series; I expect the home team to struggle at the plate again as the under offers great value in this situation. Baltimore has seen the total go under the posted number in 11 of 18 games against left-handed starters; play on the UNDER!