SPORTS ADVISORS
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee (44-37) at Arizona (41-41)
Right-hander Dave Bush (4-7, 4.94 ERA) leads the surging Brewers into a four-game series at Chase Field against the Diamondbacks, who will counter with left-hander Doug Davis (2-3, 3.68). On Sunday, the Brewers were dealt a 5-0 road setback against the torrid Twins. However, Milwaukee beat Minnesota 5-1 on Saturday night and is still on a 9-4 tear in its last 13 games. The Brew Crew is also 10-4 in its last 14 against the N.L. West and 7-1 in its last eight against left-handed starters.
Arizona, which has been in a tailspin for weeks, is currently in a 2-7 funk after Sunday’s 4-3 loss at Florida in which the Snakes blew a 3-2 ninth-inning lead. The DBacks are just 7-20 in their last 27 games against winning teams, but behind Davis, they are on runs of 18-5 at home and 11-5 against winning teams.
These two teams played a three-game set the first week of June in Milwaukee, with the Brewers sweeping the series by a combined tally of 21-5. Milwaukee is 8-3 in the last 11 head-to-head battles over the past two seasons and 4-0 in the last four with Bush going against Arizona.
Bush is coming off his best two-start stretch of the season, as he held the Braves and Blue Jays to a combined two runs and six hits in 15 innings, winning 4-3 at Atlanta and 8-7 over Toronto at home. Despite Tuesday’s win in Atlanta, though, the Brewers are still 7-21 in Bush’s last 28 starts on the highway.
Davis hasn’t notched a win since May 23, going 0-2 with four no-decisions, and Arizona has gone 2-4 in those contests. On Tuesday at Boston, he threw a respectable seven-plus innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, but he got his third straight no-decision as the D-Backs lost, 5-4.
Bush has struggled on the road this year, going 1-5 with a 6.92 ERA in eight appearances (seven starts). However, he is 4-0 with a 3.55 ERA in his four career starts against Arizona. Meanwhile, Davis is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in four home starts this year. The 32-year-old former Brewer will face his ex-team for the first time in his career.
The under for Milwaukee is on runs of 5-1 overall, 12-3-1 against lefties, 11-4-1 in series openers and 5-2-1 with Bush working on the road. For Arizona, the under has cashed in six of its last eight games and is 5-0-1 in Davis’ last six Monday starts. Finally, the under is 6-3-1 in the last 10 clashes between these teams since the start of last season.
ATS ADVANTAGE: ARIZONA and UNDER
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Boston (50-34) at Tampa Bay (49-32)
In a matchup pitting the top two teams in the American League, the Red Sox will send rookie right-hander Justin Masterson (4-1, 3.43 ERA) to the mound at Tropicana Field against the Devil Rays and James Shields (5-5, 3.76). Boston wrapped up a three-game interleague set at Houston on Sunday with a 3-2 loss. The Sox have split their last eight games, and they’re just 17-35 in their last 52 games on an artificial surface. However but they have won nine of their last 13 against winning teams.
Tampa Bay, which continues to surprise by continuing to win, held on for a 4-3 victory at Pittsburgh on Sunday to improve to 5-1 in its last six games and 9-3 in the last 12. The Rays are also on hot streaks of 13-3 in series openers and 39-19 at Tropicana Field dating to last season, including 26-6 in the last 32 at home. They are also a stunning 14-3 in their last 17 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600.
These two Eastern Division rivals have already hooked up for three series this year, and Boston has swept the last six games, all at Fenway, after Tampa swept a three-game home series in April. The Red Sox are a dominant 98-43 in the last 141 clashes between these teams, but they have lost four straight at Tampa.
The Red Sox have won in five of Masterson’s seven starts in his debut season, including the last two. In Tuesday’s 5-4 home victory against Arizona, Masterson got a no-decision after allowing four runs on seven hits in six innings. The 23-year-old has gone at least six innings in six of his seven outings.
Shields finally nabbed a win in his last outing, allowing one run on four hits in seven innings as the Rays routed host Florida 15-3 Wednesday. It was Shields’ first victory since May 9, a stretch that included three losses and four no-decisions. However, Tampa went on to win those four contests and is 11-1 in Shields’ last 12 home starts and 6-1 when Shields starts a series opener.
Masterson is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in two road starts this season, and he has yet to face Tampa in his career. Shields is 3-1 in eight home starts with a solid 1.99 ERA, but he’s 1-2 against Boston this season. On April 27, he threw a two-hit, complete-game shutout in a 2-0 home victory, but he got roughed up for seven runs on 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings in a 12-4 road loss May 3 and lasted only an inning at Boston on June 5, allowing four runs on three hits before getting ejected in an eventual 7-1 loss.
The Rays are 1-6 in Shields’ seven career starts against Boston, with the righthander posting a 5.66 ERA.
The under is 5-1-1 in Boston’s last seven games, 21-8-3 on Monday for the Sox and 7-3-2 in Boston’s last 12 against winning teams. The under is also 22-8-1 in Tampa’s last 31 home starts, and in this rivalry, the under has cashed the last four meetings at Tropicana Field.
ATS ADVANTAGE: TAMPA BAY and UNDER
Oakland (44-37) at L.A. Angels (49-33)
Right-hander Jon Garland (7-4, 4.05) will toe the slab for American League West-leading Angels when they open a three-game home series against the division rival Athletics and left-hander Greg Smith (4-6, 3.69). After getting shutout on back-to-back nights at Dodger Stadium – including losing a 1-0 decision on Saturday despite not giving up a single hit in the game – the Angels turned the tables and blanked their regional rival 1-0 on Sunday behind another strong outing from ace John Lackey.
The Halos, who halted a three-game losing skid with Sunday’s win, return home where they are 22-8 after a road trip lasting seven or more days. They’re also on streaks of 8-2 at home against left-handed starters and 16-5 overall versus southpaws.
Oakland completed a three-game interleague home set against San Francisco on Sunday by getting clobbered 11-1, this after losing 1-0 on Saturday night. The back-to-back losses for the A’s come on the heels of a 9-4 run. The A’s have won their last five series openers and are 5-2 in their last seven roadies, but they are just 9-19 in their last 28 games inside the division.
These teams have hooked up for two series so far this year, with L.A. holding a 4-3 edge after taking two of three at home and two of four on the road. Last year, the A’s held a narrow 10-9 edge in the season series.
Garland is 4-1 over his last 10 starts, with the Angels going 2-3 in his five no-decisions. On Tuesday at Washington, he allowed three runs on six hits in seven innings en route to an 8-3 victory. Los Angeles is 6-2 in Garland’s last eight starts against winning teams.
Smith is just 2-6 with three no-decisions in his last 11 starts, but the A’s have given him little run support in the losses, getting shut out three times and scoring three or less runs in Smith’s other three setbacks. On Wednesday against Philadelphia, he allowed four runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings as Oakland got blanked 4-0 at home. The A’s are 2-6 in his last eight starts against winning teams.
Garland is 2-3 with a 4.88 ERA in nine home outings this year, and he’s 1-1 in two starts against Oakland this season. On April 28 at home, he got lit up for seven runs on 10 hits in six innings as L.A. lost 14-2, but on June 7 at Oakland, he gave up just two runs on five hits in seven innings in a 5-3 victory.
Meanwhile, Smith is 2-3 with a 4.05 ERA in eight road starts this season, including a solid effort against the Angels on April 29 that still resulted in a loss. In that game, he yielded just two runs on three hits in eight innings but got no offensive support in a 2-0 defeat, giving him an 0-2 mark with a 3.77 ERA in two career starts versus Los Angeles.
The A’s saw a 5-0 under streak end in Sunday’s loss to San Francisco. Still, the under is 8-2 in the team’s last 10 series openers and 9-1-1 in Smith’s last 11 starts. Also, for Los Angeles, the under streaks include 7-2 overall (3-0 last three), 14-5-2 at home, 7-1-2 overall with Garland starting and 5-0-1 when Garland works at home. Finally, the under is 39-17-3 in the last 59 clashes in this rivalry and 28-10 in the last 38 meetings at Angel Stadium.
ATS ADVANTAGE: L.A. ANGELS and UNDER
DUNKEL
Kansas City at Baltimore
The Orioles look to bounce back from yesterday's loss in Washington and take advantage of KC's 2-4 record as a road favorite between -125 and -150. Baltimore is the underdog pick (+115) according to Dunkel, which has the Orioles favored straight up by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (+115). Here are all of today's games.
MONDAY, JUNE 30
Game 951-952: NY Mets at St. Louis
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Maine) 15.798; St. Louis (Lohse) 15.656
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-105); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-105); Under
Game 953-954: Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Maholm) 15.169; Cincinnati (Harang) 14.132
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-150); 9
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+140); Over
Game 955-956: Washington at Florida
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Redding) 13.386; Florida (Tucker) 14.199
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Florida (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: Florida (-130); Under
Game 957-958: LA Dodgers at Houston
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Stults) 16.142; Houston (Oswalt) 15.326
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Houston (-135); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (+125); Over
Game 959-960: San Diego at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Maddux) 14.769; Colorado (De La Rosa) 14.352
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Colorado (-120); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+110); Under
Game 961-962: Milwaukee at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Bush) 14.612; Arizona (Davis) 15.232
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Arizona (-120); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-120); Under
Game 963-964: Chicago Cubs at San Francisco
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Lilly) 16.103; San Francisco (Zito) 15.005
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-140); 9
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-140); Over
Game 965-966: Kansas City at Baltimore
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Greinke) 15.623; Baltimore (Burres) 17.041
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-125); 9
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (+115); Under
Game 967-968: Texas at NY Yankees
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Feldman) 14.363; NY Yankees (Mussina) 15.831
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-165); 10
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-165); Under
Game 969-970: Boston at Tampa Bay
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Masterson) 16.588; Tampa Bay (Shields) 15.815
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-140); 9
Dunkel Pick: Boston (+130); Over
Game 971-972: Detroit at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Galarraga) 17.149; Minnesota (Perkins) 16.505
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit (-125); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-125); Under
Game 973-974: Cleveland at Chicago White Sox
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Sowers) 14.975; White Sox (Floyd) 14.815
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1/2; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-145); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+135); Over
Game 975-976: Oakland at LA Angels
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Smith) 15.700; LA Angels (Garland) 14.626
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1; 9
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-115); 8
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (+105); Over
Game 977-978: Toronto at Seattle
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Halladay) 16.336; Seattle (Dickey) 15.205
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Toronto (-150); 8
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-150); Over
James Patrick Sports
Indians vs. White Sox
This Central Division Showdown carries significant importance to the Tribe if they entertain thoughts of climbing back into the Division Race this season. Our Monday Major League selection is Cleveland – Chisox Over the Total as this series has surpassed the posted total in four of five meetings.
Robert Ross
New York Mets at St Louis Cardinals
Prediction: St Louis Cardinals
Cheap price on the home squad with the Mets having to travel after their big four-game set with the Yanks while the Cards have a much shorter hop back from Kansas City. The Mets are 9-17 against the money line vs. teams who strand 7.5 or more runners on base per game this season.The average while the Cards are 11-5 against the money line vs. a starting pitcher whose gives up 5.5 or less hits/start this season and starter Lohse is 7-1 against the money line vs. good baserunning teams - averaging 0.85 or more SB's/game this season. (Team's Record) Take St. Louis!
Jimmy The Moose
Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins
Prediction: Detroit Tigers
Two hot team's meet up in Minnesota tonight. The Tigers are 17-5 in their last 22 games overall. In their last 10 road games vs. a left-handed starter the Tigers are 8-2. Detroit is 6-0 in their last 6 games as a road favorite. The Tigers send Galarraga, 7-2 with a 3.33 ERA, to the mound tonight. Detroit is 10-2 in the game's he's started this season. Detroit has won his last 5 starts overall and 5 of his last 6 road starts. The Twins have beat up on the Tigers of late taking 5 of the last 6 meetings but with Detroit playing so well right now, I'll take them to win the series opener. Play on the Detroit Tigers -.
Big Al Mcmordie
Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays
Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays
At 7:10 pm, our member selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over Boston. The Rays will hand the ball to James Shields, who is 3-1 at home this season with a spectacular 1.99 ERA (and 0.92 WHIP). Meanwhile, Boston is a dreadful 1-9 this season on artificial turf, and 14-22 in road games this year vs. right-handed starters (compared to 23-9 at home vs. righties). The Rays are 29-9 their last 38 games at home at Tropicana Field, and we'll ride all these trends tonight in this big American League East battle. Take Tampa Bay
LUCKY LEPRECHAUN SPORTS
LA Dodgers/ HOUSTON under 8.5
The Under is 8-1 in Astros last 9 during game 1 of a series and 5-1 in Oswalts last 6 starts overall, while the Under is 7-0 in Dodgers last 7 games with the total set at 7.0-8.5 and 12-3 in Dodgers last 15 vs. National League Central. The LA Dodgers are having really problems at the plate right now as they come in hitting just .198 and scoring just 2.5 rpg in their last 8 games. Those 8 games averaged just 4.8 total rpg. For the year the Dodgers score just 4.1 rpg overall and 3.8 rpg vs righties. Today they take on Roy Oswalt who seems to be getting his act together a bit. Roy comes in with a solid 3.34 ERA in his last 5 starts, including a 3.20 ERA in his last 3 home starts, plus he has a 3.86 ERA in 6 career starts vs LA, including a 1.46 ERA in his last 2 home starts vs them. Erik Stultz has made only 2 starts for the Dodgers this year and they have been pretty good one as he has an 0.60 ERA in those starts, allowing just 10 hits and 2 walks in 15 innings of work. In his last start, vs the White Sox, he pitched a complete game shutout, allowing just 4 hits and 1 walk in the 9 innings. Like LA, The Astros have been struggling to score lately, as they come in scoring just 4 rpg in their last 11 games, plus on the year they average just 4.4 rpg overall and 4.4 rpg at night. With neither team hitting the ball much right now and with a solid pitching matchup on the mound, I'll look for this game to put about 5 or 6 runs on the board, giving me a nice solid play on the Under.
Jeff Hochman
Chicago Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants
Play: Chicago Cubs
Take the Cubbies as they just got swept by the White Sox and are quite pissed! Chicago is 16-8 vs. Left-handed starters, scoring 6.5 runs per game. That ranks #1 in the NL. The Giants took two of three from the A's but Oakland has trouble scoring. The Cubs do not esp. against lefties. I doubt that Barry Zito will be able to keep the Cubs from scoring early and often.
Sports Gambling Hotline
Los Angeles at HOUSTON
Tonight a total winner for you, as we like the Dodgers and Astros game to feature plenty of goose eggs on the scoreboard.
LA played another 1-0 game on Sunday, as they held UNDER the total for their 7th game in a row, while Houston played LOW against Boston on Sunday to put their UNDER run at 1-7-1 the last 9 games.
Hard to buck those numbers, but to add fuel to the fire, Los Angeles starter Eric Stults has worked 15 innings of 1 run ball since being called up, while Houston starter Roy Oswalt has been throwing the ball much better of late, and is coming off a 7 inning, 3 run stint against Texas.
2 of the 3 earlier season meetings between the clubs stayed UNDER, and we like this one to stay UNDER as well.
Play the LOW!
4♦ UNDER
Karl Garrett
Kansas City at BALTIMORE +105
Back to regular league play tonight, and this Kansas City-Baltimore meeting has the G-Man jumping for joy.
Not too many teams have been as dominant as Baltimore has been against Kansas City, as the Orioles are already off to a 3-1 start in this year's season series. Dating back to the 2006 campaign, the O's are a monster 15-2 against the Royals, and are a perfect 7-0 in games played at Camden Yards!
Now that is "dominance".
I see it going Baltimore's way once again, as the Royals come in having dropped their last pair, and are just 18-24 away from home.
Baltimore starter Brian Burres is 2-0 his last 2 times to the mound, and the Orioles are a positive 22-12 at home this year.
The dominance continues, take the O's.
3♦ BALTIMORE
PlusLineSports Daily Baseball Selection
NYY-1.5
Chicago White Sox -1.5
Jim Feist
MIL Brewers and ARI D'backs
Take MIL Brewers
Milwaukee's Dave Bush has been throwing well, at 2-1 with a 2.14 ERA his last three starts. They take on an Arizona team that should be a bit tired with jetlag. The Diamondbacks played Sunday in south Florida, flew all the way across the country changing 3 time zones and now have to play a game. Arizona has been slumping on offense because of injuries, on a 4-9 run. Lefty Doug Davis walks a little too many batters, 26 in 51 innings and has a career 5.79 ERA against the Brewers. Play the Brewers!
Dave Cokin
OAK Athletics and LA Angels
Take LA Angels
The Angels had all kinds of trouble generating any offense over the weekend, scoring only one run in their series with the Dodgers. But here's a good chance for the Halos to get healthy. Greg Smith has had some command issues recently, and this is now the third look for the Angels against the A's rookie southpaw. They've already handled him pretty well in the two prior games, and should do even better here. I'll back Jon Garland to get the win as the Angels get tge best of Oakland.
Ted Sevransky
5* Cleveland Arena League
JOHN FINA
Milwaukee/Arizona Under 9.5
Reason: Put us down on the Milwaukee Brewers/Arizona Diamondbacks Under 9.5 for our Free MLB Selection on Monday. Today we expect a low-scoring game as the Milwaukee Brewers do battle with the Arizona Diamondbacks. One reason why we expect a low-scoring game is because both these teams will be sending to the mound solid starting pitchers. This says it all... The Milwaukee Brewers Starting Pitcher (Dave Bush) has a 2.14 ERA in his last 3 starts, while Arizona Diamondbacks Starting Pitcher (Doug Davis) has a 1.80 ERA in his last 3 starts. In addition, these teams have been known to play low-scoring games when they meet. In fact, the Under is 3-1 in the last 4 meetings between these teams. We expect to see another low-scoring game today.
Take the Milwaukee Brewers/Arizona Diamondbacks Under 9.5