Larry Ness
20* AL Game of the Month
Minnesota
Sean Michaels
25 DIME PLAY
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Charlies Sports
Browns / Giants Under 35½ (500*)
Giants -2 (30*)
Twins -135 (20*)
Boston -120 (20*)
Detroit +105 (10*)
Tampa Bay -115 (10*) free play
Matty O'Shea
CLE (+115) vs NYG
MIN (-140) vs OAK
Stan Sharp
Triple Dime Bet
Cleveland +3
3Daily Winners
Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles
Play: Baltimore Orioles
To say Baltimore is hitting the ball is like saying Michael Phelps is a good swimmer. The Orioles are averaging 8.5 runs per game in last 10 outings. They have banged out 136 hits in this timeframe and are 23-9 against the money line in home games after two or more consecutive road games. Boston lost last two games at home and are just 6-15 in road games against division opponents this season. Even though John Lester has been pitching well for the Red Sox, so has Jeremy Guthrie for the O's, fashioning a 1.17 ERA in last three starts. Great spot for hot hitting underdog to win series opener.
LT Profits
Cleveland Browns @ New York Giants Under 35.5
The New York Giants are playing their first game at home sine winning the Super Bowl, but while the fans may be excited at first, they may be disappointed by a lack of offense in this battle with the Cleveland Browns.
The Giants did not look sharp in their preseason opener, a 13-10 loss to the Detroit Lions. In fact, backup quarterback David Carr actually outperformed Eli Manning in that contest. That fact notwithstanding, the problem for any Giants quarterback here is that he will have no one to throw to, with Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer and David Tyree all expected to miss this contest.
The Browns looked good for three quarters last week before squandering a 20-10 lead and losing 24-20 at home to the New York Jets. Expect a somewhat similar scenario offensively here, with Cleveland doing some damage in the first half and then sputtering in the second half with their young reserves. They should improve defensively however, if for no other reason than not having to worry much about the Giants passing game.
So the question here is can the Browns score enough points by themselves in the first half to put this game in a position to go Over? We would think not.
Pick: Browns, Giants Under 35.5
Tony Karpinski
Detroit Tigers vs. Texas Rangers
Play: Texas Rangers
Veteran teams that are out of the race are teams you want to look to fade down the stretch. The Tigers definitely qualify on this count. They’re playing really sloppy ball right now, and there just doesn’t seem to be much spirit on this team and their bullpen blows it every night. The Rangers can’t pitch or catch the ball, as they are ranked in the bottom in both categories, but they sure can hit. More importantly, this team is playing hard virtually every night and they refuse to quit. I’ll take the team that wants it more on Monday night. Play on the TEXAS RANGERS
Sammy Jankus, The Reverse Barometer!
I rate my plays 3, 4 & 5 stars. Always play the OTHER SIDE of my game writeup.
Detroit at Texas 8:05 PM ET
3* DETROIT (+104)
Let's face it, folks: the Tigers are TOAST. Clearly the most disappointing team in Major League Baseball this season, Detroit currently stands a woeful 60-64 and is already playing for next year. The Striped Cats are riding a 2-7 slide and got doubled on the scoreboard, 15-30 in their just-concluded 3-game set with Baltimore. I think the Rangers will lay a TEXAS-SIZED WHUPPIN' on the tumbling Tigers tonight – so your play is on DETROIT.
Lenny Del Genio
Houston Astros at Milwaukee Brewers
Prediction: Under
CC Sabathia has been simply devastating since coming over to the National League. There is even talk he may walk away with the Senior Circuit's version of the Cy Young Award. He has the lowest ERA in baseball since July 6 and has thrown four complete games since joining the Brew Crew. He has yet to lose a single decision with his new team and won't tonight. His last home start was a complete game shutout. Over his last three starts, his ERA is 1.11. Helping out our play on the Under is the recent hot pitching of Houston's Randy Wolf, who has a 3-0 TSR and 3.00 ERA in his last three starts. Wolf is 14-3 Under in night games. We're calling for a real pitcher's duel tonight in Milwaukee. Take Under.
Frank Rosenthal
952 PIRATES OVER 8 SB
953 GIANTS OVER 8 SB+
956 BREWERS-290 SB
UNDER 8 SB+
959 ANGELS+110 SB
963 A'S OVER 7.5 SB
966 CWS-205 SB
NFL PRESEASON - WEEK 2
432 GIANTS-1 SB
OVER 34.5 SB
LARRY NESS
Boston Red Sox @ Baltimore Orioles
PICK: Under
The Red Sox played a rain-shortened series this past weekend (just two games) at home vs the Blue Jays. Boston entered the series a dominating 43-16 at Fenway but lost 4-1 on Saturday and then Beckett got clobbered on Sunday, as the Red Sox fell, 15-4. They'll now head to Baltimore for a three-game series with the Orioles, who just won two of three in Detroit against the slumping Tigers, including a 16-8 win on Sunday in which they pounded out 22 hits (five HRs)! Tonight's pitching matchup is a good one, with Jon Lester squaring off against Jeremy Guthrie. These two pitchers met at Fenway on June 12, with the Red Sox winning easily, 9-2. Guthrie pitched poorly in that game (4.2 IP / 7 hits / 5 ERs) but has been terrific since, going 7-1 with a 2.51 ERA over his last 11 starts (Baltimore is 8-3). That includes wins in each of his last four starts, where he's posted a sparkling 1.23 ERA (four ERs allowed over 29.1 innings). While that's pretty impressive, it's no more so than what Lester has accomplished. His streak actually began a few starts before that June 12 game with the Orioles, as since May 31, Lester is 8-1 with a 3.01 ERA over 13 games (Red Sox are 11-2). He's gone seven-plus innings 10 times in those 13 starts. The fact that Lester is a lefty is significant, as the Orioles have struggled against lefties in '08, going 13-20. Actually, Baltimore's struggles vs left-handed starters is nothing new, as in the '06 and '07 seasons combined, they were just 35-60 vs lefties. Considering that the Orioles are off a 16-8 win (with 22 hits, no less!), I see Lester, who owns a 4-0 mark with a 3.25 ERA against the Orioles in six career starts (Boston is 5-1), shutting them down in this one. Likewise, the right-handed Guthrie should keep Boston in check as well, as the Red Sox have struggled on the road this year vs righties at 20-30, including a 14-21 mark at night. Take Bos/Bal Under.
LEE KOSTROSKI
Boston Red Sox @ Baltimore Orioles
PICK: Baltimore Orioles
No offense is hotter than Baltimore's right now as the Orioles have scored 85 runs in the past ten games. Incredibly the Orioles are hitting .352 as a team in that span. Baltimore remains a very tough team at home with a 31-24 record and the Orioles are 12-8 in the last 20 games overall.
Boston starter Jon Lester has solid numbers overall this season but Boston is just 6-6 in his road starts and his ERA is nearly a full point higher away from Fenway Park. The Orioles are also a very good hitting team against left-handed pitching with a .281 season average, including .290 at home. This will be the fourth time that the Orioles have faced Lester this season so there will be no surprises. Boston also used six relievers yesterday in a rough game so the unit will not be fresh.
Baltimore has won four straight starts by Jeremy Guthrie and he has not allowed more than a single run in any of those starts. Baltimore is 8-4 in his home starts this season and he owns a very solid 3.18 ERA overall this year while limiting walks and consistently pitching deep into games. Boston is just 28-35 in road games this season and the Red Sox have lost each of the past two games with limited run production.
GINA
Seattle Mariners at Chicago White Sox
The struggling Mariners will have a big task against the White Sox with southpaw Mark Buehrle on the hill tonight at U.S. Cellular Field. Chicago has beaten Seattle in Buehrle's last 7 starts at home. Go with the White Sox. Seattle has lost seven of their last eight games, 1-4 in its last five on the road and lefty Jarrod Washburn hasn't looked good on the mound recently, 0-3 with a 5.09 ERA in his last three starts.
Chicago White Sox -210
Tommy Rider
NYG / CLE Under 35.5
I'm taking this game to go UNDER the total tonight. Playing unders in the preseason can be dicey because of crazy fourth quarters but I can't see either offense doing much tonight.
First off all, both teams are decimated at the receiver position. Amani Toomer, Plaxico Burress, David Tyree, Mario Manningham and Steve Smith are all out for New York tonight. That leaves Domenik Hixon and Sinorice Moss as the Giants starters, with camp fodder Michael Jennings, Brandon London, D.J. Hall and Craphonso Thorpe as the only other receivers on the roster.
For the Browns, Braylon Edwards is out, allowing little-used Travis Wilson to get the start. Wilson has looked good in camp but he's far from a No. 2 NFL receiver. The Browns are also battling through numerous injuries along their offensive line. That's not good when facing the Giants deep, talented physical front.
Eli Manning and Derek Anderson will each play into the second quarter. However, the Giants are expected to feature rookie QB Andre Woodson for a large portion of the second half. From what I've been told, Woodson has been very inconsistent in camp and he'll be playing with receivers who won't even be on an NFL roster in a couple of weeks. The G-Men also step up their defensive effort in Week 2 of the preseason, allowing a total of 12 points in this spot the last two years.
My final reason for taking the UNDER tonight is the fact that these two teams play each other in the regular season on Oct. 13. That means neither squad will want to show anything on offense, so I expect to see a lot of running and basic offensive sets. If you like boring football, tonight's game is for you. I would be surprised if this game reaches 25 points much less 35.5. Everything points to an easy UNDER tonight.