PlusLineSports Daily Baseball Pick
Atlanta Braves vs Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins -1.5 +178
EZWINNERS
2 STAR: (952) FLORIDA (-$113) over Atlanta
(Listing Volstad and Campillo) (Risking $226 to win $200)
2 STAR: (958) ST. LOUIS (-$114) over Milwaukee
(Listing Pinero and McClung) (Risking $228 to win $200)
2 STAR: (972) KANSAS CITY (-$107) over Detroit
(Listing Hochevar and Minor) (Risking $214 to win $200)
TOM FREESE
Minnesota at New York
Minnesota is red hot winning 21 of their last 28 games. They are 16-5 their last 22 games vs. righty starters and they are 11-3 after allowing 2 or less runs in their last game. The Twins are 6-2 with Nick Blackburn on the mound vs. winning teams and he has allowed 5 runs total in his last 3 starts. New York is 2-7 their last 9 games when playing Game 1 of a series and they are 0-5 their last 5 Monday games. Starting pitcher Sidney Ponson has allowed 8 runs in his last 11 innings of work. PLAY ON MINNESOTA +
Brian Hansen
Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies
Prediction: Over
The Rockies have won four straight games since the All Star Break and they were very impressive in scoring 28 runs in those four games! Tonight their offense should stay hot as they get to face Dodgers starter Eric Stults. The Dodgers southpaw has allowed 8 earned runs in his last 15 innings and not been near as solid as he was earlier this season. The home run ball is also taking a toll on Stults and, in his first ever start at Coors Field, the homer could certainly be a problem for him! As you can see, the Rockies offense should stay hot here and also note that the Dodgers are currently without their closer, Takashi Saito. Want more? Let?s talk about how the Dodgers should also have a big night at the plate tonight! For one thing, yesterday's 9th inning rally for the win at Arizona certainly gives Los Angeles a big boost of confidence heading into this match-up! The Dodgers scored 16 runs in taking two of three from the Diamondbacks. Now they get to face Kip Wells of the Rockies and the veteran right-hander is unlikely to be 100% as he makes his first start since opening day! Wells had been hurt and even when he was still pitching with the Rockies he was being used out of the bullpen. He's been roughed up by the Dodgers in his career and he will have a hard time getting back into his groove tonight. That turns this match-up into a very high-scoring game and you'll be there to cash your over ticket!
FRANK ROSENTHAL
952 FISH-115 SB
OVER 9 SB
954 REDS OVER 9.5 SB
957 BREWERS+110 SB
961 CUBS UNDER 8 SB+
964 YANKS-125 SB
UNDER 9.5 SB
969 TEX OVER 9.5 SB+
Lee Kostroski
Minnesota Twins @ New York Yankees
PICK: New York Yankees
The Twins have greatly struggled against New York in the past few seasons and coming off a tough loss on Sunday and facing travel this could be a tough opening game. Minnesota has lost 22 of the last 30 games at Yankee Stadium and playoff failures in New York still ring for the few remaining players and coaches. New York has won 37 of the last 52 meetings between these teams overall and the Twins have not proven the ability to consistently win on the road. The Yankees remain a very tough home team and this is a team that could make a strong second half charge.
Nick Blackburn has been a great surprise for the Twins this season but he has not pitched well away from home. This will be his first appearance at Yankee Stadium and that can be a daunting challenge.The Twins are just 3-7 in his ten road starts this season and his ERA is nearly two points higher than at the Dome. Opponents are hitting .288 against Blackburn on the road and the patient New York lineup will likely force Blackburn into a higher pitch count. The Twins are rock solid with closer Joe Nathan but the bullpen has struggled in the in-between innings and Blackburn has not gone over seven innings in any of his last eight starts.
Former Twin Sidney Ponson pitched a complete game against his old teammates earlier this season and he has had remarkable success this year. Ponson’s teams are 8-4 in his starts and he pitched extremely well in two of his three starts since joining the Yankees. New York also owns some of the best bullpen numbers in the American League.Coming off a three game sweep of the A’s this will be a big series for the Yankees to pick up some more ground on the rest of the AL and given the history of this series it should be another New York win
Mr A
Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies have been tough at home, 9-1 in their last 10 games at Coors Field and have beaten the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven of the last 9 games in Colorado.
Los Angeles' Eric Stults (2-2, 2.67), is 0-2 with a 4.70 ERA in his last 3 starts. The lefthander is 1-0 with a 2.38 ERA in five career outings, (four starts) against the Rockies.
Colorado's Kip Wells (1-1, 2.29 ERA), is 0-0 with a 1.69 ERA in his last 3 starts. The right-hander is 0-3 with a 6.17 ERA in four career starts against the Dodgers.
Take the Rockies in their home run-friendly park.
Colorado Rockies -130
GAMBLERS WORLD TIP OF THE DAY
Milwaukee Brewers vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals
A winning streak will be on the line for the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday when they battle the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
Righthander Seth McClung will take the mound for the Brewers to start this game. McClung is 4-4 this season with a 4.39 ERA.
It'll be Joel Pineiro toeing the rubber for the Cardinals in this contest. Righthander Pineiro is 3-4 with a 4.52 ERA so far this season.
Oddsmakers currently have the Cardinals listed as 125-moneyline favorites versus the Brewers, while the game's total is sitting at 9.
The Brewers defeated San Francisco 7-4 as a +125 underdog on Sunday. The 11 runs scored went OVER the posted over/under total (7.5).
Ryan Braun homered and had five RBI for Milwaukee, while Manny Parra allowed two runs on seven hits, while striking out nine in seven 2-3 innings.
The Cardinals defeated San Diego 9-5 as a -130 favorite on Sunday. The 14 runs scored went OVER the posted over/under total (9.5).
Aaron Miles hit a walk-off grand slam home run in the bottom of the ninth inning for St. Louis, while Troy Glaus hit a three-run home run in the win
Jeff Scott Sports
3 UNIT PLAY
Detroit / Kansas City Over 9.5
The Over is 5-1 in Tigers last 6 vs. a team with a losing record and Over is 5-1 in Miners last 6 starts vs. a team with a losing record, while the Over is 10-4 in Royals last 14 games following a win and 7-1 in Royals last 8 during game 1 of a series. Zach Miner is making his first start for the Tigers this year and in his career as a starter he is just 7-7 with a 5.06. This year he has made 32 appearances from the pen and is 3-3 with a 4.23 ERA, plus he has a 19.31 ERA in 2 career starts vs the Royals. Luke Kochevar has been really struggling of late, posting a 7.41 ERA in his last 3 starts and a 5.59 ERA is his last 10 starts. The Detroit offense has come alive lately, hitting .288 and scoring 5.9 rpg in their last 10 games, with those 10 games averaging 10.9 rpg. Detroit also puts up 5.5 rpg and hits .287 at night. The Royals offense has also be good of late as they are averaging 5.7 rpg and hitting .270 over their last 10 games, plus they have put up 5.4 rpg in their last 18 at home. KC's home games this year have averaged just 8.8 rpg overall, but in their last 18 at home that number jumps to 10.6 rpg, while their last 35 games overall have averaged 10.1 rpg. The key here is the resurgent offenses of both squads and i see both teams easily being able to score 5 runs or more in this one, especially with the pitching that is on the mound. Should be an easy over in this one.
SAPKOWSKI
Premium
MIN Twins
CHI Cubs
Free picks
BAL Orioles over 10
PIT Pirates over 10
MICHAEL CANNON
Pittsburgh at HOUSTON
Let's take the over tonight when the Pirates visit the Astros.
This total should be closer to 20 with these two pitchers slated to start.
John Van Benschoten will start for the Bucs while Runelvys Hernandez will toe the rubber for the Astros.
Neither is capable of providing a quality inning of work, let alone a quality start.
Van Benschoten has proven he can light it up in Triple-A, but when he toes the rubber in a major league park he's the one getting lit up.
As far as Hernandez goes, I have no idea what the Astros see in giving this guy the ball. A 0-3 record with a 10.29 ERA in three games. A WHIP of 2.36 and four homeruns allowed in just 14 innings.
The guy puts up numbers that would embarrass a pitcher in a slow-pitch softball league, yet he draws a major league salary.
Makes you feel good, doesn't it?
Anyway, take the over as both pitchers get rocked and the bullpens get used up early.
5♦ OVER
CHRIS JORDAN
Cleveland at ANAHEIM -200
We are banking on Ervin Santana to shut down the travel-weary Indians, who just came out of Seattle, and certainly won't be able to withstand the pressure cooker in Anaheim.
Not when the Halos are coming off a three-game sweep of the defending champion Red Sox, and now have a chance to continue the streak against one of the worst teams in the majors.
This offense is rolling, having outscored the BoSox 20-8 in the series, and as a result the Angels have the best record in baseball. And get this, if you need motivation on your side, there's one thing Santana has yet to do in his four years in the majors - beat the Indians. The right-hander is 0-5 with a 6.59 ERA in six career starts against them, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to nab that win.
Former Angel Paul Byrd toes the slab for the Tribe, and that means nothing but another big offensive night for Anaheim. The 37-year-old veteran right-hander is mired in a personal five-game skid, he is 3-10 on the year with a 5.47 ERA, he's 0-5 with a 7.76 ERA in his last six starts and he's 0-2 with a 12.91 ERA in his last two outings at the Big A.
What else do you need, a cookie? Go get this one!!!
5♦ ANGELS RUN LINE
Wunderdog
San Diego at Cincinnati
Pick: Cincinnati -141
What a difference a year makes, as this San Diego team just keeps putting a bigger number in the loss column. After riding high on a season's best 13-6 run, the Padres have fallen back to what we have known them to be this season - a poor team that just doesn't' score, and when they do they lose anyway. Their current run is 6-23, with six-straight in the loss column. The Pads have scored five runs or more in their last three, a feat they have accomplished only twice before all season. However, both times they did, it was followed by a loss. Cincinnati enters playing very well at 12-7 over their last 19, and averaging 6.6 runs per game over their last eight. The Reds certainly have enough to get the win here.
LT Profits
Los Angeles Dodgers +110
We have never been high on Kip Wells of the Colorado Rockies, so we will gladly fade him as a favorite with the Los Angeles Dodgers in this spot.
Wells is being activated off the Disabled List to take his first start since opening day. He had a blood clot in his right hand, and will undoubtedly be n a pitch count tonight. That may be just as well, given that he has allowed a whopping 14 earned runs in 15 innings over his last three starts against the Dodgers, going exactly five innings on each occasion.
Meanwhile Eric Stults has been quite serviceable for Los Angeles, allowing three runs or less in four of his five starts since joining the rotation, He also pitched very well in his only career start vs. Colorado last season, allowing two runs on only two hits in seven innings. Should he be in need of relief, the Dodgers are now second in the majors with a 2.98 bullpen ERA, trailing only the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Rockies just swept a four-game home series from the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates, but they should have a much more difficult task here vs. a Dodgers team that is 7-2 in the last nine road games, and is riding the momentum of a ninth-inning comeback in Arizona yesterday.
Pick: Dodgers +110
Cleveland Indians @ Los Angeles Angels Under 8.5
Ervin Santana of the Los Angeles Angels has been great at home, and although Paul Byrd of the Cleveland Indians has struggled, the weak Angels offense is quite capable of keeping this game Under the total.
Santana may be just 3-2 at home, but again, that is primarily due to a lack of run support. He has a nice 3.17 ERA and an excellent 1.01 WHIP in 48.1 home innings, including a nice starts vs. these Indians when he allowed two runs and six hits in six innings. That marked his third consecutive start vs. Cleveland that he allowed three runs or less.
Now Byrd is a woeful 3-10, although his 1.35 WHIP is surprisingly decent for someone with such a poor record. He may actually have some success here vs. a lineup that is batting a modest .255 vs. right-handed pitching this season, and that ranks in the bottom 10 in the majors with 4.38 runs per game.
It is no coincidence that the Under is 56-35-7 in all Angels games this year, so look for that pattern to continue tonight.
Pick: Indians, Angels Under 8.5
Nelly
Oakland + over Tampa Bay
The Rays own an outstanding home record on the season but lost at home on Sunday and have lost eight of the last ten games overall. The two wins were both very narrow victories and this could be a problematic match-up as the Rays are batting .179 in the last ten games against left-handed pitchers. Oakland was swept to start the second half in New York but two of the games could have gone either way. Dana Eveland has allowed three or fewer runs in eight straight starts for Oakland and the A’s also feature one of the best bullpens in baseball. Scott Kazmir had to pitch in the All Star game and he has actually struggled in his last few starts. Kazmir has failed to complete seven innings in seven consecutive outings and his ERA is 5.74 over his last five games. Kazmir has excellent numbers at home but this is great value on an Oakland team that is just a few games worse than the Rays in the standings.