SPORTS ADVISORS
L.A. Angels (32-29) at San Francisco (34-28)
The Angels head up the California coast to AT&T Park in San Francisco to open a three-game set with veteran John Lackey (1-2, 6.61 ERA) on the hill opposite Giants lefty Barry Zito (3-6, 4.09) in a rematch of the 2002 World Series.
Both teams completed interleague sweeps over the weekend against nearby rivals. Los Angeles wiped out the Padres three straight in Anaheim, outscoring San Diego 26-8, including Sunday’s 6-0 victory. Meanwhile, the Giants pummeled the A’s 7-1 Sunday to cap a three-game sweep in which they outscored their Bay Area rivals, 15-3.
The Angels are on runs of 7-1 against N.L. West squads, 10-4 in National League parks, 7-1 in interleague road games against lefty starters and 5-2 on Mondays. San Francisco is on streaks of 6-1 overall, 5-1 in series openers and 7-1 against teams with winning records, but despite sweeping Oakland over the weekend, it remains just 5-8 in its last 13 interleague home games.
These teams haven’t met since 2006, but the Giants are 4-1 against the Angels in their last five meetings in northern California.
Lackey is coming off his worst start of the season, allowing nine runs (eight earned) on 11 hits in five innings of Wednesday’s 9-5 loss in Tampa Bay. The Angels are just 2-7 in his last nine outings dating back to last September (playoffs included). In three career starts against the Giants, including two in the 2002 World Series, Lackey has allowed five earned runs in 17 innings of work (2.65 ERA).
With Lackey pitching, the Angels are on runs of 16-5 when against National League teams, 6-2 versus N.L. West opposition and 6-2 on Monday, but they are just 1-5 in his last six when opening a series and 1-6 in his last seven when facing a team with a winning record.
Zito got roughed up in Arizona on Wednesday, allowing four runs on seven hits in five innings, but his offense rallied for the 6-4 victory. Zito is 0-2 despite a strong 2.70 ERA at AT&T Park this season, though he’s made just two starts at home since May 4, allowing a combined seven runs on 18 hits in 13 innings in losses to the Cardinals and Nationals.
Zito is 12-9 with a 3.55 ERA in 28 career starts against the Angels, all when he was with the A’s. San Francisco is 7-3 in Zito’s last 10 Monday outings but just 2-7 in his last nine against teams with a winning record and 1-7 in his last eight interleague starts.
With Lackey on the hill, the Angels’ are on “under” runs of 13-3-3 in interleague games, 10-2 against the N.L. West, 8-2 on Mondays and 9-4 in the opener of a series. With Zito toeing the rubber, the Giants have stayed below the total in four of six at home and four of five interleague contests.
As a team, the Angels are on “over” streaks of 4-1 overall, 7-3-1 on the road 4-1 in interleague action and 5-1 against southpaws. San Francisco is on “under” runs that include 7-3-2 overall, 8-3-1 in interleague action, 5-2-2 in interleague home games, 5-2 against right-handed pitching and 21-9-3 against A.L. West opposition. Finally, in this rare California rivalry, the under is 8-3-1 in the last 12 meetings in San Francisco.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
DUNKEL
LA Angels at San Francisco
The Giants (34-28) look to take advantage of an Angels team that is 1-6 in John Lackey's last 7 starts versus a team with a winning SU record. San Francisco is the pick (+105) according to Dunkel, which has the Giants favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+105).
Game 901-902: Milwaukee at Cleveland
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Bush) 15.010; Cleveland (Pavano) 16.594
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-120); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-120); Under
Game 903-904: LA Angels at San Francisco
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Lackey) 15.791; San Francisco (Zito) 17.455
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+105); Over
Scott Rickenbach
San Francisco vs Los Angeles Angels
John Lackey of the Angels had a very rough start in his last outing but that was indoors at Tropicana Field. The Angels right-hander has never been a big fan of pitching in domes but he has been a big fan of inter-league action and we expect Lackey to bounce back in this pitchers' park. His only career start at AT & T Park was a very strong one and we expect a repeat here. Lackey is a "gamer" and he'll be fired up to get back on track after struggling at Tampa Bay. However, he's opposed by Barry Zito of the Giants and the San Francisco southpaw is also in strong bounce back mode here.
Zito actually pitched quite well (again) in his most recent start until things came unraveled in the sixth inning. That ended up being Zito's undoing but, overall, he's been rock solid this season since getting over some shakiness in his first two starts this year. That means this one has all the makings of a pitchers duel and one should consider a small play on UNDER the total in San Francisco on Monday night.
Rob Vinciletti
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Cleveland Indians
Play: Under 9½
Both of these teams have struggled offensively of late.The Indians especially.They are hitting under .240 in all interleague games.The Brewers have been anemic of late as well hitting a shade over .240 vs the NL.For the Brewers its righty D.Bush on the hill.In his road starts this year the Brewers have gone under the total in all 5 starts.The Indians have inconsistent righty C.Pavano going tonight.Pavano was roughed up in his last start allowing 9 runs.However he has been up and down in his starts all year and may be sitting on a soild performance tonight.
Red Dog Sports
Milwaukee at Cleveland
Play Cleveland
Carl Pavano gave up 9 runs in his last start but only gave up 0,3,1 and 3 before that. I look for him to bounce back and pitch well at home. Look for the Indians to win on Monday night.
Michael Cannon
LA Angels at SAN FRANCISCO +105
Take the Giants for the home win over the Angels tonight.
Barry Zito will start for San Francisco and he hasn’t been all that bad recently. The left-hander is 2-1 with a 4.32 ERA in his last three starts and since the Angels aren’t the most feared hitting team in the majors Zito should fare well tonight.
It doesn’t hurt that Zito has mucho experience against the Angels’ lineup from his days with Oakland. He’s 12-9 with a 3.55 ERA in 28 career games against the Halos.
John Lackey will start for the Angels and he just hasn’t been able to get it going this year. The right-hander is 1-2 with a 6.61 ERA in six starts so far. Lackey has issued seven walks in just 19 1-3 innings over his last three starts which tells me he doesn’t trust his stuff right now.
Take the Giants as they grab the home win.
2♦ SAN FRANCISCO
Bobby Maxwell
L.A. Angels -115 at SAN FRANCISCO
Not too many options when it comes to Monday's FREE play, but we do love the Angels tonight going up against the Giants.
After absolutely dominating the Padres over the weekend, the Angels head up the coast to San Francisco for a three-game set against the Giants. We love the way the Angels have been playing lately, as the offense certainly broke out of its slump with 28 runs against San Diego.
Los Angeles closed out its three-game sweep with a 6-0 victory on Sunday and they looked like the Angels everyone expected to see all season. They were hitting with power, getting timely RBIs and had the pitching staff everyone feared when the season opened.
On the hill for Los Angeles tonight is John Lackey (1-2, 6.61 ERA). He hasn't faced the Giants since 2006 when he he held them to one earned run in seven innings but lost 3-2 on two unearned runs. Lackey dominates interlegue play, as the Angels are 16-5 in his last 21 starts against National League teams and they are 6-2 in his last eight against N.L. West teams.
Barry Zito (3-6, 4.09 ERA) is on the mound for the Giants and he is 0-2 in front of the home fans. San Francisco is just 2-7 in Zito's last nine starts at home against teams with winning records, 1-7 in his last eight interleague starts and 0-4 when he faces teams from the A.L. West.
We expect Lackey to continue his domination of National League teams with today's start. Even though he's been a little off this season, he still shut down the Dodgers when he faced them last month. Let's play the Angels in this one behind the pitching of Lackey.
4♦ L.A. ANGELS
JIM FEIST
MILWAUKEE BREWERS / CLEVELAND INDIANS
TAKE OVER
The Cleveland Indians have allowed 339 runs so far this season, that's second worst in the AL (only Baltimore's 344 is worse). Conversely, while the Tribe is allowing a lot of runs, they score a lot too, in fact most in the AL Central (328). Much traveled Carl Pavano starts tonight and he's 6-5 this year with a lofty 5.40 ERA. Pavano is coming off a outing he'd like to forget where he allowed nine earned runs in just 4 2/3 innings. The Milwaukee Brewers are tied for first in the NL Central with St Louis. The Brew Crew isn't playing well though, having lost two straight games and seven of their last 10. Dave Bush starts tonight and he's been average at best with a 3-3 mark and 4.58 ERA in 13 starts. Don't expect either pitcher to dominate here as both teams will get in their licks. Take the over and enjoy the show.
DAVE COKIN
LOS ANGELES ANGELS / SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Take LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Both the Angels and Giants enjoyed the weekend as each team swept its respective series. John Lackey is off one of the worst starts he'll ever suffer through, and I would imagine the Halos righty will want to rectify things here. Barry Zito has had a pretty good campaign for the Giants, but he's still without a win at home. I'll lean the Angels way in this contest.
LT Profits
Los Angeles Angels @ San Francisco Giants
John Lackey of the Los Angeles Angels does not seem fully recovered since coming off of the Disabled List, and while Barry Zito seems improved, he is still putting too many men on base, so we look for a higher scoring game tonight then some people think.
Lackey did not make his season debut until May 16, and he is just 1-2 with a 6.61 ERA and a horrible 1.60 WHIP in six starts. He is one of the best pitchers in baseball when he is on, but that is just not the case right now as he was bombarded for eight earned runs on 11 hits in only five innings by the Tampa Bay Rays in his last start. Now the Giants may not have the best offense in the world, but they have put up 12 runs in their last two games.
As for Zito, he has a 4.09 ERA and 1.43 WHIP, which is actually an improvement over recent years. However, he has just one Quality Start in his last four outings, surrendering 13 earned runs and 40 baserunners in 23 innings over those appearances. He now has the misfortune of facing a red-hot Angels offense that just scored 26 runs in a three-game weekend sweep of the San Diego Padres.
Look fir this contest to reach a combined output of double-digits.
Pick: Angels/Giants Over 8.5
Tom Freese
Milwaukee at Cleveland
Cleveland is 9-3 their last 12 home games vs. righty starters and they are 28-13 in Game 1 of a series. The Indians starting pitcher Carl Pavano is off his worst outing this year in his last start. We expect him to bounce back in a big way tonight. Milwaukee is 3-7 their last 10 road games and they are 1-6 their last 7 games vs. losing teams. The Brewers are 0-4 their last 4 games vs. righty starters and they are 16-35 in the last 51 road starts made by Dave Bush. PLAY ON CLEVELAND - (Pavano vs. Bush)
Karl Garrett
Milwaukee at CLEVELAND -125
For Monday night, take the Indians over the Brewers.
Milwuakee has been stumbling of late, as the Brewers got edged yesterday against the White Sox, and have now lost their last pair of games, and 6 of their last 7 overall.
Starter Dave Bush has been a loser the last 2 times he has started, and the righty has allowed 12 runs to score in his last 15 innings of work.
Cleveland blanked St. Louis last night to improve their home mark to an even 16-16 for the year, and the Tribe have quietly won 6 of their last 9, and are thinking about first place in the mediocre AL Central.
Carl Pavano had a rough start his last time out, but he has been better than expected for the Indians this season.
Go with the Tribe to down the Brewers.
2♦ CLEVELAND
Sports Gambling Hotline
LA Angels at SAN FRANCISCO +105
We scored on Sunday with a comp play on the Lakers-Magic UNDER the total.
Now 9-2 the last 11 days with our comp plays!
Limited action tonight, but we do like the Giants to continue their winning ways against the Angels.
LA comes into this one riding a 3-game winning streak, but the Angels are just 15-17 away from home this season.
San Francisco is also riding a 3-game win streak, and the Giants have won 7 of their last 10 overall. Also note the Giants are an outstanding 21-9 at home this season!
Barry Zito has won his last pair of starts, and sports a 2.70 ERA in his home park this season.
John Lackey counters coming off an 8-run bombing in just 5 innings of work at Tampa Bay, and his season ERA stands at 6.61.
Go with The Giants to continue their hot play at home.
2♦ SAN FRANCISCO
IndianCowboy
Take the Cleveland Indians over the Milwauke Brewers
Small docket of games in baseball tonight as just two interleague games are on showcase. As per this game in the midwest, it is likely to be low scoring, but I like Pavano on the bounce-back at home after his latest bruising effort. Pavano was coming off his best start of the year - possibly his career - and gave up 3 hits in a complete game at Chicago. Of course, as all pitchers, he had a huge let down in his next contest where he didn't even last 5 innings and gave up 9 runs to the Royals at home. He was rocked for 11 hits in less than 5 innings in that contest. Prior to that though, Pavano had gone 6-1-1 with 6 of 8 quality starts. He was doing very well and give the Indians a lot of credit for having faith in him and taking a shot on him in the off-season. Bush is 0-3 with a 6.75 era in his last 3 starts and I expect him to likely have a decent start today as he needs a strong start for the division leading Brewcrew or his spot in the rotation could be in danger post all-star break. The Wake Forrest alum is 0-3 in his last 4 starts although he does have a 3 era against the Indians in his one start against them. I'll take Pavano on the bounce-back at home here as the Indians are 6-1 when the total is set at this range when Pavano starts and the Brewers are 1-6 in their last 7 interleague games.
Jake Timlin
Bad pitching equals a lot of runs tonight in Cleveland.
In a match up teams that have some pitching, both teams are known for their offense which will be on full display tonight as combined both teams’ average 9.5 runs per game. Now mix in the poor pitching of both starting pitchers tonight and it’s easy to expect a high scoring game.
Pitching for the Indians will be Pavano whose ERA is 5.40 thanks to allowing 9 earned runs in his last start. Bush, meanwhile, will counter with an ERA of 4.58 in twelve starts on the season and an even higher ERA of 7.20 over his last three starts.
In a slugfest take the OVER tonight at Progressive Field.
2♦ Milwaukee & Cleveland OVER