Brandon Lang
10 Dime - Orioles
5 Dime - Rangers
VEGAS SPORTS PICS
Houston (Chacon) +120**
LA Angels (Garland) +100*
NY Mets (Santana) -160*
JAKE TIMLIN
Sunday selection is the Chicago Cubs
Take the Cubs at home for the sweep!
Yep going against the Rockies once again, but this time on the money line as there is no need to chance the Rockies killing another run line selection as I look for Colorado’s struggles to continue against the best team in the majors. You heard me right thanks to the Cubs six straight wins it is Chicago at 35-21 who has the best record in baseball. Meanwhile for the Rockies losers of their last 11 games on the road the defending champs have the worst record in baseball. Well thanks to the Rockies still depleted with four starters on the disabled list and clearly outmatched on the mound thanks to just 1-10 when Jimenez starts look for Colorado to continue their winless road swing as Chicago makes it 7 wins in a row.
All Chicago!
JEFF BENTON
We’ll try to get back on track on Sunday, playing the Astros as a small road underdog at Milwaukee
Houston has hit the skids a bit, having lost four straight games, including the first two of this weekend series in Milwaukee, and it has scored a total of five runs in the four defeats. But believe it or not, the Astros have not been swept in a series all season long.
At the same time, Milwaukee has notched just one sweep all season, and that was back in the second series of the season against the crappy Giants at home. Those are two real tough trends to ignore, even though the Brewers (5-1 last six) are playing better baseball right now.
Now, it would be one thing if the Brewers were going for the sweep today with an ace like Ben Sheets on the hill. But Sheets pitched last night’s gem. Today, the Brew Crew are going with Dave Bush, he of the 1-5 record and 6.04 ERA ‘ and that ERA is north of six despite his most recent outing on Tuesday, when he held the Braves to two runs in seven innings of a 3-2 victory. Bush has made nine starts this season, and only three have been quality starts ‘ and none were back-to-back. Also, the Brewers are just 3-6 in his nine starts, having yet to win consecutive games with Bush on the mound.
As for Houston’s Shawn Chacon, he may be a journeyman, but he’s pitched well this year (2-0, 3.95 ERA in 11 starts). And he’s gone at least six innings and allowed three earned runs or fewer in seven of his last 10, including the last two against the Cubs (5-3 win) and Cardinals (8-2 win). The Astros are 4-1 in Chacon’s last five starts and 6-2 in his last eight.
Add it all up, and throw in the fact Houston is plus-money here, and the Astros are a solid play.
5* HOUSTON ASTROS
MATT RIVERS
Sunday take the Bucos in Busch.
Why not take Ian Snell here at this price? Sure the Cardinals have been a very good team so far this season as Tony LaRussa has done a great job with not a lot of talent and Braden Looper can look good at times but the Pirates are far from terrible and Snell is pretty darn good.
Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, Freddy Sanchez and these visitors are really not that dreadful anymore. Today's visitors have a legitimate shot to finish the season right around .500 which is a huge step up from the past 10 or 15 years and after Looper's last subpar start the Pittsburgh offense has a very good chance to wreak some havoc.
Albert Pujols is no doubt a beast and Ryan Ludwick and a few others have been pretty good but all in all the Redbirds are not the most talented team out there and can easily lose this game.
Flat out, this game is not that far from being 50-50 so I'll certainly take the money and run with the scrappy Bucos
DAVE COKIN
ATL Braves @ CIN Reds
Take CIN Reds
Tim Hudson continues to do a terrific job for the Braves. But even Hudson hasn't been immune to the Atlanta miseries on the road, where they've won only seven times all season. On the flip side, Cincinnati has been a terrific home team, and the Reds have played with a great deal of energy since the recall of rookie phenom Jay Bruce. The Braves have the edge on the mound with Hudson over Johnny Cueto, but the team home/road splits are the key factors here. I can't pass up the Reds as home dogs against the poor traveling Braves.
JIM FEIST
You need to throw strikes and not walk batters if you want to avoid big innings and a high ERA. That's a problems with Colorado starter Ubaldo Jimenez, who has walked 33 in 58 innings. That's why his ERA is over 5. In fact, on the road it is 6.95! Chicago starter Sean Gallagher is no control specialist, either, with 10 walks in 26 innings and a 4.50 ERA. The Cubs are No. 1 in the NL in runs scored, so look for a high scoring game in tiny Wrigley Field. Play the Rockies/Cubs over the total
TONY WESTON
Were switching gears and focusing on some National League baseball as the San Diego Padres play at the San Francisco Giants.
Both teams have been pretty awful this season and even though the Giants have lost the first two games of this series, take San Francisco at home.
In seven meetings so far this season the Giants are 4-3 against San Diego. And San Fran has won four of their last six meetings.
The advantage today lies with Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum, who has been the lone bright spot for San Francisco this season. Lincecum is 7-1 this season with a 2.33 ERA. He is also 3-1 in his last four starts.
Lincecum has faced the Padres twice so far this season and he?s 1-0 with a no decision, while the Giants are 2-0 in those two starts. Against San Diego this season Lincecum allowed only one earned run in 12 1/3 innings of work. He?ll shut them down again today.
Take Lincecum as your starting pitcher and take the Giants at home.
3* GIANTS
DUNKEL
MLB
NY Yankees at Minnesota
The Twins look to salvage a game in the series and take advantage of New York's 2-5 record as a road favorite between -125 and -150. Minnesota is the underdog pick (+120) according to Dunkel, which has the Twins favored straight up by 1. Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+120). Here are all of today's games.
SUNDAY, JUNE 1
Game 901-902: LA Dodgers at NY Mets
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Kuroda) 13.924; NY Mets (Santana) 15.632
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-150); 8
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-150); Over
Game 903-904: Atlanta at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Hudson) 14.637; Cincinnati (Cueto) 15.372
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-120); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+110); Under
Game 905-906: Florida at Philadelphia
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Miller) 16.240; Philadelphia (Moyer) 15.755
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-145); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida (+135); Over
Game 907-908: Houston at Milwaukee
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Chacon) 15.230; Milwaukee (Bush) 14.332
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-125); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+115); Under
Game 909-910: Pittsburgh at St. Louis
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Snell) 14.421; St. Louis (Looper) 16.004
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-140); 9
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-140); Over
Game 911-912: Colorado at Chicago Cubs
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Jimenez) 14.886; Cubs (Gallagher) 14.698
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-165); No Run Line
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+155); N/A
Game 913-914: San Diego at San Francisco
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Wolf) 14.096; San Francisco (Lincecum) 16.272
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 2; 7
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-145); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-145); Under
Game 915-916: Washington at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Hill) 13.505; Arizona (Haren) 15.090
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Arizona (-200); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-200); Over
Game 917-918: Boston at Baltimore
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Colon) 14.520; Baltimore (Burres) 14.682
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston (-140); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (+130); Under
Game 919-920: Chicago White Sox at Tampa Bay
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Buehrle) 15.790; Tampa Bay (Sonnanstine) 14.975
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-120); 9
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (+110); Under
Game 921-922: Cleveland at Kansas City
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Byrd) 14.048; Kansas City (Bannister) 15.283
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-105); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (-105); Under
Game 923-924: NY Yankees at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Rasner) 14.927; Minnesota (Blackburn) 15.714
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1; 11
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+120); Over
Game 925-926: Oakland at Texas
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Smith) 16.114; Texas (Feldman) 15.209
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Oakland (-110); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-110); Under
Game 927-928: Toronto at LA Angels
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Burnett) 16.086; LA Angels (Garland) 16.106
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Toronto (-110); 8
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (+100); Under
Game 929-930: Detroit at Seattle
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Bonderman) 14.013; Seattle (Batista) 14.879
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit (-140); 9
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (+130); Under
JB's Computer Picks
Chicago Cubs -175
New York Yankees -130
New York Mets -165
LT Profits
Chicago White Sox +110
The Chicago White Sox have lost the last two games to the Tampa Bay Rays after taking the series opener, but look for Chicago to gain the series split today.
The Rays have been winning with fantastic pitching, but today’s starter Andy Sonnanstine has been their weakest link lately. Sonnanstine has just one Quality Start in his last five outings, and that came vs. the St. Louis Cardinals of the National League, meaning he hasn’t had a Quality Start vs. an American League opponent in over a month, since beating Baltimore 8-1 on April 30. He has alarmingly allowed at least eight hits in each of his last five starts, allowing double-digit hits in two of those appearances.
Now Mark Buehrle is annoyingly inconsistent, and he was awful at Cleveland in his last start. However, he allowed just a total of two runs and nine his in 13.2 innings over his previous two starts, and he is now facing a Tampa Bay lineup that is hitting a pathetic .182 vs. left-handed pitching the last 10 games.
Look for Buehrle and the fine White Sox bullpen, which ranks second behind Toronto in the American League with a 2.96 ERA, to keep the Rays in check here.
Pick: White Sox +110
Toronto Blue Jays -110
A.J. Burnett of the Toronto Blue Jays is in raging form right now, and he gives the Jays the edge over the Los Angeles Angels this afternoon.
Burnett has teased scouts for years with stretches of dominance followed by implosions, but he is certainly8-2 in “good” form right now. Burnett has reeled off four consecutive Quality Starts, and he has posted a whopping 41 strikeouts in 31.2 innings over his last five outings. He has also posted Quality Starts in both of his career starts vs. the Angels including one this season, and if he is in need of relief, Toronto now leads the Major Leagues with a 2.74 bullpen ERA.
Now Jon Garland is in fine form also, but he has not looked nearly as dominating as Burnett and his 98 miles-per-hour fastball, and Garland has also thrown a lot of pitches lately, increasing the likelihood that he could break down again as he has several times in the past around this time of year.
The Jays are also 8-2 in their last 10 games, so look for them to bounce back from the second loss in this stretch in 10 innings last night.
Pick: Blue Jays -110
Ferrall
NL FREE B's FOR SUNDAY
Cubs -165 on ML over Rockies--Gallagher finishes off the sweep for the Cubbies over Colorado and Jimenez. The Rockies blow on the road (11 L's in a row)
Giants -145 on ML over Padres--Lincecum is simply unreal this year and he'll easily beat Wolf and SD in the Bay on Sunday. TAKE THE UNDER 7.5 RUNS
Arizona -210 on ML over Nationals--The D'Backs take the series as Dan Haren gets it done in the desert over Hill and the NATS
AL FREE B's FOR SUNDAY
Oakland -110 on ML over Texas--The A's get the win behind Smith at Arlington over Feldman
Angels -105 on ML over Toronto--Garland takes out Burnett in the series finale at Anaheim
Seattle +130 on ML over Detroit--Kenny Rogers gets beat in the Emerald City by Batista and the M's.
Lenny Del Genio's MLB Major Mismatch STILL 100%
Play on San Francisco at 4:05 ET. This is a major mismatch because of who is on the hill. The Padres' Randy Wolf has put up some OK overall numbers this year (3.26 ERA L3 starts), but on the road is where he struggles (1-3, 5.94 ERA). In fact, closer inspection reveals that San Diego has lost five of Wolf's six road starts this season. The man who handed him the 1st loss, Tim Lincecum, is the man who he'll face today. Lincecum is a rock solid 7-1 on the year (2.33 ERA) and has yet to allow more than three runs in any single outing. Three times he's failed to yield a single earned run. In two starts vs. San Diego, the righty has allowed just one run in 12+ innings of work. At the plate, neither team will ever be confused for an offensive powerhouse, but the Giants do most of their damage vs. lefties (4.8 runs/game), scoring almost a full run higher than their normal average. San Diego, meanwhile, doesn't hit well regardless of location or opponent, but they are actually worse off vs. righties. Take note that the Giants have not been swept at home this season and are a perfect 6-0 when coming off a loss if Lincecum is on the hill. San Francisco is our MLB Major Mismatch.
Jimmy The Moose
Game: Atlanta Braves at Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
Reason: Atlanta is 7-22 in their last 29 road games. The Braves are 2-10 in their last 12 road games vs. a team with a losing record. In their last 9 vs. NL Central team's the Braves are 2-7. Atlanta is 2-5 in Hudson's last 7 road starts. The Reds have won 11 of their last 12 home games. The Reds are 6-2 in their last 8 games overall. In their last 11 games vs. a team with a winning record they are 8-3. The Braves are 0-5 in their last 5 trips to Cincinnati. Play on the Reds +.
Kosmo
NY Mets -165 1 unit
Cincinnati +120 1 unit
Milwaukee/Under 9.5 -110 1 unit
St. Louis -130 1 unit
Cubs -165 1 unit
Arizona -190 1 unit
Baltimore +125 1 unit
KC/Under 8.5 Even 1 unit
Minnesota +110 1 unit
Toronto -110 1 unit
Toronto/Under 8 -110 1 unit