STU FINER
Texas Rangers at Baltimore Orioles
We have said this time and time again but the Orioles are for real. Baltimore is at home and they are the better baseball team. That is why we can’t understand this line. All of a sudden you want us to trust Kevin Millwood? Well we aren’t buying.
This isn’t the Kevin Millwood of five years ago folks. Kevin is very hittable now a days. In fact he is top five in the league in hits allowed. In just 90 innings this season he has allowed 116 hits. On top of that Kevin still walks batters. Millwood has a WHIP (Walks+Hits/Innings Pitched) of 1.66. Any whip over 1.30 is bad; any whip over 1.50 is terrible.
The Orioles have beaten the Rangers before at home and will beat them again. Liz is 3-0 on the season and he finds a way to keep his team in ball games.
Baltimore Orioles (-)
Kansas City Royals at Tampa Bay Rays
There is just no stopping the Rays right now. I know many people find it hard to believe but Tampa is the toast of baseball. The Rays send one of their best pitchers to hill tonight. James Shields is just 6-5 on the season but you better believe he has pitched much better than that. The Rays have won eleven of James seventeen starts.
James has been pitching fantastic the last few weeks. In fact he is 2-0 in his last three starts with an ERA of just 2.75. That includes a victory against the Red Sox, a victory against the Marlins, and a quality start against the Cubs. It is not as if this guy has had it easy at all. He pitches against big time teams and big time line-ups and comes up big. Scott Kazmir is their ace but James Shields is one of the best number two pitchers in baseball. The Rays at home have been the best play of the 2008 baseball season. Things won’t change here tonight.
Tampa Bay Rays (-)
Oakland Athletics at Chicago White Sox
Great match-up here Chicago. Two of the games best young pitchers square off face to face. Rich Harden for the Oakland Athletics and John Danks for the Chicago White Sox. These guys have been dealing all season for their teams. Not only have they been dealing the entire season but they have been red hot as of late. When you see some of these numbers you may shake your head in dis-belief.
John Danks is 1-0 in his last starts with an ERA of .90 and a whip of .90. Would you believe Rich Harden has been just as good if not better in his last three starts? Two starts ago Rich faced the potent line-up of the Phillies in Oakland. All he did there was throw 8 innings of two hit ball with eleven strikeouts. How many runs you ask? Zero.
Rich Harden is baseballs best young pitcher. His only problem has been his health. He has not lost a start all season and won’t start that trend right now either. He has proved he can win on the road (2-0 with a 3.32 ERA). Take the road team and the Athletics here today.
Oakland Athletics (+)
Cleveland Indians at Minnesota Twins
There isn’t a better team in baseball right now than the Minnesota Twins. Who would have thought that past the half way point the Twins would be eleven games over .500? Last night the Twins really came up big. They jumped out to a lead but then starter Kevin Slowey gave it right back. They were actually down 5-2 in the fourth inning when their bats came alive. The Twins just started to pound starter Aaron Laffey and reliever Tom Mastny.
All told the Indians pounded out eight hits and nine runs and won another game in their ball park. The Twins are now a staggering 31-18 in their ball park. This team has been on fire since June 11. Since that time the Twins have dropped just four ball games. Four ball games since June 11!
They are winning with good pitching, great bullpen and timely hitting. In fact their offense is now on a torrid streak. This is a team that scored nine runs last night, twelve the night before and seven the night before. If you feel that this team is a fluke, you better think again. This team delivers on and off the field.
Minnesota Twins (-)
Toronto Blue Jays at LA Angels
Have to like the Angels to bounce back here tonight at home. The Angels aren’t a great home team but they are still better than most. See the Angels are the best road team in all of baseball. That shows us how balanced they are and how well they play in close ball games. At home they are still 25-20. Still five games over .500.
Jon Garland is an under-rated arm. Jon is a starter that goes late in to games and normally comes out on top. Garland is 705 on the season. He has pitched 108 innings this season and has an ERA under the 4.00 mark. Jon has been throwing the ball very well the last two weeks. His last start he allowed just two runs, three runs the start before and just two starts last time against the Mets. Tonight the Angels will get Mr. Garland some run support and they will take care of business.
LA Angels (-)
Detroit Tigers at Seattle Mariners
This game has blowout written all over it. The Tigers bats have cooled down the last few nights, but you better believe they do not stay down for very long. With all the Tigers injuries and all of their bad play they are still a hot week away from first place in that division. This is still a team that has a top notch offense. As a team they hit .274 as that is fifth best in all of a baseball.
Dropping a game or two doesn’t mean they have cooled off folks. Just last week they were in the middle of a six game losing streak. They aren’t going to win every ball game. When they face weak pitching though they get the job done though. Ryan Rowland- Smith goes tonight for the Mariners. This is a reliever that is starting because of the rash of injuries to Mariners pitching. Ryan has made just one start all season and barely saw the fourth inning exiting after allowing four hits and three runs in 3 2/3. Look for the Tigers to knock out Smith early in this contest.
Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
Big bounce back game last night from the Yankees. They got a well pitched game from Mike Mussina and were able to push across the two runs they needed. Tonight the Yankees send another quality pitcher to hill. In fact he is probably their best arm right now.
Joba is 2-2 on the season but the Yankees are 4-2 in his six starts. For the season Joba has an ERA of 2.22. You know the guy has electric stuff when he averages close to ten strikeouts per nine innings. In Joba’s last three starts he has struck out more than a batter in an inning.
Joba put together four great starts before a sub-par outing on Monday against the Texas Rangers. Joba struggled with his control against the best line-up in baseball, that won’t happen again tonight. The Red Sox have a solid line-up but they are still without their best hitter (David Ortiz). The Yankees have to get a split in this four game set, that is exactly what will happen here tonight.
New York Yankees (-)
National League
Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Reds
This is a high line folks, but it is the correct line. We get arguably baseballs best pitcher at home, against the worst hitting team in the league. Edinson Volquez goes tonight for the Reds and he has been fantastic. His last two starts were sub-par, and that is even more of a reason to hop on the Reds this evening.
Edinson Volquez on the season is 10-3 with an era of just 2.24. At home he has been even better though. This is a guy that hasn’t lost a game at home all season. Yes folks he is 5-0. The most amazing stat may be his home-run total in his home park. We all know how many balls fly out of Cincinnati. Edinson has pitched 55 innings in his home ball-park. He has allowed just one home run! One home run in his 49 innings and his eight starts at home. That is remarkable.
The Reds will be able to knock around Balester as he is just an average rookie who still belongs in Double – A. Take the Reds on their home turf.
Cincinnati Reds (-)
Houston Astros at Atlanta Braves
Look for the Braves offense to get to work tonight. Wandy has begun to come back down to earth. His ERA is very good but he doesn’t work deep in ball games. Wandy has won just one road game. You would think that a pitcher with an ERA of just 3.08 would have a lot of victories under his belt, but that isn’t the case.
Wandy is 3-3 on the season, but the team is actually under .500 in his eleven starts on the season. On the road he has lasted just 21 innings. In those 21 innings he has allowed 32 batters and three long balls. The Astros do not have a strong bull-pen and when you turn the game over to them in the fifth, sixth, seventh inning you have a good chance of losing them.
Wandy’s last start was one of his worst. Five innings, six hits, four walks, one home run and a 7-6 loss against the Angeles. The Braves have a better offense than LA, look for them to knock Wandy out early.
Atlanta Braves (-)
New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies
The Mets are just a baseball team you can’t trust. You look at them on paper and you think they could win 95 games easily. They just don’t have the right chemistry and they don’t have the right make-up though. Another major problem for the Mets is their age. Do you realize that the New York Mets are the oldest team in all of baseball? Teams want to have a veteran presence but this is over-kill.
Tonight the Mets send their least reliable starter to the hill. We will tell you right here that we know Oliver Perez has good stuff, when he is locked and loaded he is tough to beat. The problem is you never know when Oliver Perez is going to show up. On the season he is 6-5 but the Mets are under .500 in his seventeen starts. He has walked over 40 batters already this season. He also gets hurt with the long ball.
Kendrick is coming off a big start his last time out. He won’t have to shut down the Mets, he has to keep the Phillies close and the Phils will come through.
Philadelphia Phillies (-)
Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers
Love the Brewers here today. We know that Jeff Suppan has struggled in his last few starts. In fact he has been down-right dreadful, which is all about to change though. Don’t forget though during the final weeks of May and the later part of June Jeff was great. He had pitched to an ERA in the 2’s during those six starts.
Milwaukee started off the season very slowly. Their bats have really gotten it going. Their pitching has been there pretty much all season. They are in the top 12 in earned run average.
Remember they still have a very strong line-up. Weeks, Hardy, Braun and Fielder can burn you with the long ball. In fact this team is top five in the league in home runs. In just 87 games this team has left the ball park 113 times. Look for Milwaukee to pound the Pirates and their pitching. They will carry their walk off win in to this game.
Milwaukee Brewers (-)
Florida Marlins at Colorado Rockies
The Rockies will continue their winning ways here today as they play another home game against the Marlins. Aaron Cook has just been the man for the Rockies this season. This is a guy that has 11 wins already. 11 wins on a team that isn’t even sniffing the .500 mark is more than impressive.
Aaron was lights out his last start also in Coors. Aaron threw a complete game shutout and allowed just five hits and five base-runners. Aaron threw just 79 pitches in that game. Yes a 79 pitch complete game shutout!
Aaron understands the importance of working down in the zone, especially in Coors. He is 5-2 at home with a 2.77 ERA and just four home-runs allowed. Look for him to get another victory and look for him to be an All-Star.
Colorado Rockies (-)
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals
Huge rally from the Cardinals last night. Outfielder Rick Ankiel roped a two-run, two-out single to right field in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Cardinals were down 4-2 heading in to that inning and needed multiple hits to over take the Cardinals. Ankiel ended up having three hits and three RBI’s. You better believe that carries over the next day.
Todd Wellemeyer has been more than a solid starter for the Cardinals this season. After all Todd has a 7-3 record on the season. He hasn’t been getting a ton of run support either. This is a pitcher that has an ERA of just 3.86 and has thrown 93 innings pitched. Don’t be scared off by Todd’s last bad start against the Mets. Just five days before that he threw five shut-out innings in Detroit against the Tigers.
The Cubs have a better record, but not by much. In just a few days we may see a new team leading this NL Central. The St. Louis Cardinals know how important every game is against the Cubs. This one has some extra life to it. Look for the Cardinals to beat the Cubs southpaw.
St. Louis Cardinals (-)
LA Dodgers at San Francisco Giants
Really like the way Matt Cain has been pitching as of late. Let’s all remember this is a pitcher that has immense talent. Before there was Tim Lincecum there was Matt Cain. He has finally begun to cut down on the walk total and in tern dominating teams.
Matt pitched his best game in his last start. That start wasn’t against some last place team either. Matt threw eight innings of just two hit ball. Even better than that he had ten strikeouts. Matt has not allowed a home run since June 4. That is a span of five starts and a span over a month.
The Giants will not have to score a lot of runs to win this ball game tonight, all they will have to do is just put a little rally together and then let Matt do the rest. Take the home team tonight by the Bay.
San Francisco Giants (-)
San Diego Padres at Arizona Diamondbacks
It is time for Randy Johnson to get back on track. Randy has had a few terrible starts recently. Those starts weren’t as bad as the numbers would indicate. In fact just two starts ago Randy pitched a huge ball game in Fenway park. Pitching on the road he threw six innings and allowed just two runs in Boston. Tonight he will be much better than that. He may not have to be great either.
Josh Banks has been getting hit hard recently. Josh still has a good ERA, but he is just 2-3 on the season and the Padres are just 2-4 in his six starts this season. Josh hasn’t won a game since May. He went the entire month of June and one start already in July without picking up a victory.
The Diamondbacks still lead that NL West division. They will take care of businesses at home and win this game.
Arizona Diamondbacks (-)
SPORTS ADVISORS
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Chicago Cubs (52-36) at St. Louis (50-39)
The Cubs send young lefty Sean Marshall (0-2, 4.87 ERA) to the mound at Busch Stadium in St. Louis to take on the Cardinals’ Todd Wellemeyer (7-3, 3.86) in the rubber match of this three-game weekend set between the top two teams in the N.L. Central.
St. Louis closed to within 2½ games of the Cubs with Saturday’s come-from-behind 5-4 win when Rick Ankiel delivered a two-RBI single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. Even with the loss, Chicago is still 12-6 in the last 18 series matchups versus the Redbirds and 9-5 in the last 14 at Busch Stadium. On the negative side, the Cubs are on slides of 3-9 on the road, 0-8 as a road ‘dog, 2-7 on the highway against right-handed starters and 2-5 against teams from the N.L. Central.
The Cardinals are just 3-6 in their last nine at Busch Stadium and 2-4 in their last as a favorie, but they are on mini-runs of 5-2 against teams with a winning record and 5-2 against N.L. Central Division foes.
Chicago has lost seven of Marshall’s last nine starts dating to last season, including his two starts this year, during which he’s given up seven runs on 12 hits in 11 2/3 innings this season in losses to the Orioles and White Sox. He’s made six career appearances against the Cardinals, including four starts, going 1-1 with a 4.66 ERA in 19 1/3 innings.
Wellemeyer is 0-2 with a 9.45 ERA in his last three starts, and the Cardinals have lost four of his last six including each of the last three. On Tuesday, he gave up six runs on 12 hits in five innings of a 7-4 home loss to the Mets. He started against the Cubs for the first time on May 4 and gave up two runs on three hits in five innings of a 5-3 victory.
St. Louis is 4-1 when Wellemeyer starts as a favorite and 6-2 when he pitches the third game of a series. Chicago is 1-4 in Marshall’s last five on the road, 1-6 when he faces a team with a winning record and 3-7 when he pitches the third game of a series.
The under is 7-1 in Marshall’s last eight starts overall and 5-0 in his last five on the highway. With Wellemeyer on the hill, the under is on runs of 7-3-1 overall and 4-0 on Sundays. Also, the under is 5-2-1 in the last eight head-to-head meetings between these rivals at Busch Stadium.
ATS ADVANTAGE: ST. LOUIS and UNDER
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Oakland (47-40) at Chicago White Sox (50-37)
The A’s send unbeaten Rich Harden (5-0, 2.25 ERA) to the mound in the series finale of this four-game set with the White Sox, who will trot out southpaw John Danks (5-4, 2.50) at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.
After Oakland took the first two games of this series by scores of 3-2 and 7-1, Chicago rebounded with Saturday’s 6-1 victory. The A’s have still won seven of the last nine series matchups, including four of the last six in the Windy City. And over the last few years the A’s are on a 44-19 roll versus the Pale Hose.
Chicago had won seven straight before Oakland got to town but the White Sox are just 9-20 in their last 29 against the A.L. West. But on the plus side, they are on streaks of 21-8 against right-handed starters and 38-16 at home. Meanwhile, the A’s are on runs of 9-4 against southpaws and 5-1 against the A.L. Central.
Oakland is 9-3 in Harden’s 12 starts this season and he’s 2-0 with a 3.32 ERA on the road. He hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in nine straight starts, and on Tuesday he gave up two runs over five innings at the Angels, getting a no-decision in his team’s 5-3 loss. In his career, Harden is 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA in six starts against Chicago.
Danks has pitched well of late, going 1-0 in his last three with a 0.90 ERA, including Tuesday’s eight-inning effort against Cleveland when he gave up one run on four hits in a 3-2 victory. He beat the A’s back on April 15 when he blanked them for 7 2/3 innings, yielding five hits in a 4-1 win. Danks is 2-0 with a 0.66 ERA in two career starts against Oakland.
The White Sox are just 1-5 in Danks’ last six starts against A.L. West opponents and 4-10 when he faces a team with a winning record, but they are 6-2 in his last eight as a ‘dog and 5-2 in his last seven overall. Meanwhile, the A’s are 40-15 in Harden’s last 55 trips to the hill, 42-13 with him as a favorite, 8-2 when he goes on the road and 6-0 when he pitches on Sundays.
The over is 8-2 in Harden’s last 10 road starts and 4-0 when he pitches on Sunday. Meanwhile the under is 6-2 in Danks’ last eight in front of the home crowd and 8-0 in his last eight against teams with a winning record.
As a team, the White Sox are on “under” streaks of 45-19 as a ‘dog, 40-17-3 against the A.L. West and 16-5 against teams with a winning record. The A’s are on “under” runs of 9-3 overall, 20-9-2 against lefties and 7-1 on the road against southpaws. Finally, the under is 5-0 in the five series clashes this season, 6-0 in the last six battles in Chicago and 4-1-1 in Harden’s six outings against the Sox.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OAKLAND and UNDER
Boston (52-38) at N.Y. Yankees (46-42)
The Yankees will try to salvage a split in this four-game series against their archrivals when they send young right-hander Joba Chamberlain (2-2, 2.22 ERA) to the mound to face Boston’s veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (5-6, 3.72) at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
New York survived a ninth-inning rally by the Red Sox on Saturday to score a 2-1 victory when Boston loaded the bases with nobody out and failed to push across the tying run against Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. Still, the Red Sox have won five of the last seven meetings between these two and three of four in New York.
Boston is just 2-6 in its last eight on the highway, 4-11 as a road ‘dog and 5-14 on the road against a team with a winning record. As for New York, it has lost four of six on this current homestand and five of seven overall. Also, the Yankees are just 2-5 in their last seven games as chalk, but they’re 20-6 in their last 26 Sunday outings.
Wakefield has gone exactly seven innings in each of his last six starts and hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any of those outings, including Tuesday in Tampa Bay when he gave up two runs (one earned) in seven innings but lost 3-1 to the Rays. The Red Sox are just 3-7 when Wakefield starts on the road this year, and he’s 1-4 with a 4.02 ERA on the highway. Also, he’s appeared in 45 games against the Yankees in his career and gone 9-16 with a 5.03 ERA and the Red Sox have lost his last four starts against New York.
Chamberlain is 1-0 with a 1.65 ERA in his last three starts and the Yankees have won four of his last five outings. Tuesday he gave up two runs on five hits in four innings of a 3-2 home loss to the Rangers. For his career, Chamberlain is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA in three appearances – all in just 4 1/3 innings of relief – against Boston.
Boston is 0-7 in Wakefield’s last seven against the A.L. East, 1-9 in his last 10 against a team with a winning record and 7-19 in his past 26 as an underdog, but they are 5-2 when he starts on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Yankees are 4-1 when Chamberlain starts as a favorite.
The under is 14-3-2 with Wakefield as a road ‘dog, 45-20-6 in his last 71 on the road overall and 40-18-6 when he squares off against A.L. East foes. As a team, the under is on runs for Boston of 36-16-5 in the fourth game of a series and 8-4-1 overall. For the Yankees, the under is 7-2 in their last nine overall, 14-5 in their last 19 against A.L. East rivals, 8-3 in their last 11 at home and 8-3 in their last against right-handed starters.
Finally, in this rivalry, the under is 11-4-2 in Wakefield’s last 17 starts against the Yanks and 6-0-2 in his last eight trips to the Stadium.
ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. YANKEES and UNDER
DUNKEL
Oakland at Chicago White Sox
Oakland starter Rich Harden goes for his sixth straight win today and will look to build on the A's 5-4 record as a road underdog between +100 and +125. Oakland is the underdog pick (+100) according to Dunkel, which has the A's favored straight up by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Oakland (+100). Here are all of today's games.
SUNDAY, JULY 6
Game 951-952: Washington at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Balester) 14.595; Cincinnati (Volquez) 13.590
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-200); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+185); Over
Game 953-954: NY Mets at Philadelphia
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Perez) 15.571; Philadelphia (Kendrick) 16.329
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1; 11 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-130); 10
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-130); Over
Game 955-956: Houston at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Rodriguez) 13.851; Atlanta (Morton) 14.396
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-130); Over
Game 957-958: Pittsburgh at Milwaukee
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Duke) 15.582; Milwaukee (Suppan) 14.691
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-150); 9
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+140); Over
Game 959-960: Florida at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Hendrickson) 14.487; Colorado (Cook) 14.077
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Colorado (-175); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida (+165); Under
Game 961-962: Chicago Cubs at St. Louis
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Marshall) 15.696; St. Louis (Wellemeyer) 13.959
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-125); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (+115); Over
Game 963-964: LA Dodgers at San Francisco
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Stults) 15.680; San Francisco (Cain) 15.799
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-125); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-125); Under
Game 965-966: San Diego at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Banks) 13.566; Arizona (Johnson) 14.761
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Arizona (-155); 9
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-155); Over
Game 967-968: Texas at Baltimore
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Millwood) 15.598; Baltimore (Liz) 14.130
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Baltimore (-115); 10
Dunkel Pick: Texas (+105); Under
Game 969-970: Kansas City at Tampa Bay
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Hochevar) 16.153; Tampa Bay (Shields) 15.733
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-200); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+185); Over
Game 971-972: Oakland at Chicago White Sox
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Harden) 16.094; White Sox (Danks) 14.320
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-110); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (+100); Over
Game 973-974: Cleveland at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Lee) 13.935; Minnesota (Perkins) 17.179
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 3; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-115); 8
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+105); Under
Game 975-976: Toronto at LA Angels
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Litsch) 15.159; LA Angels (Garland) 15.222
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-130); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-130); Under
Game 977-978: Detroit at Seattle
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Robertson) 16.652; Seattle (Rowland-Smith) 14.749
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit (-115); 9
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-115); Over
Game 979-980: Boston at NY Yankees
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Wakefield) 14.847; NY Yankees (Chamberlain) 15.801
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1; 8
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-150); 9
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-150); Under
Marc Lawrence
Texas Rangers at Baltimore Orioles
The Rangers and Orioles wrap up their three-game set in Baltimore Sunday afternoon when Kevin Millwood takes the hill for Texas in Camden Yards. Millwood has always enjoyed hurling against the Birds as evidence by his 9-2 3.40 ERA career team start mark against Baltimore. Look for the O's to make it 13 losses in a row on Sundays, their worst day of the week, here today. Back Millwood and the Rangers this afternoon.
Play on: Texas
John Ryan
Washington Nationals vs. Cincinnati Reds
Play:Cincinnati Reds
Ai Simulator 3* graded play on Cincinnati – Yes, this is a big favorite, but look who is on the hill for the Reds and who they are playing and the reasons become quite evident. Reds starter Volquez is 5-0 sporting a 2.17 ERA in 8 home starts. Washington is the worst offensive team in the Majors by my research. They are batting just 239 on the season and also just 226 and scoring 3.3 RPG over the past 7 games. The Reds bullpen is also in fine shape posting a 3.06 ERA in 144.3 IP in home games and also a 2.35 ERA and recording 27 K’s in 23 IP over the past 7 games. Plus, Washington is just 1-11 (-10.6 Units) against the money line versus NL teams scoring 4.3 or less runs/game on the season this season. Take the Reds
Robert Ross
Texas Rangers at Baltimore Orioles
Prediction: Texas Rangers
Looking for odds to catch up with O's starter Liz who is unbeaten in six starts (team record 5-1) despite a 5.46 ERA. TEXAS is 20-14 against the money line vs. an AL team with a team batting average of .260 or worse this season.BALTIMORE is 80-142 against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons. Take Texas!
Jimmy The Moose
Oakland Athletics at Chicago White Sox
Prediction: Oakland Athletics
Oakland has played the under in 9 of their last 12 games. The under is 7-1 in their last 8 road games vs. a left-handed starter. The under is 4-1-1 in Harden's last 6 starts vs. the White Sox. The under is 16-5 in Chicago's last 21 games vs. a team with a winning record. The under is 5-0 in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record. Chicago has played the under in Dank's last 4 starts. The under is 8-0 in his last 8 starts vs. a team with a winning record. Chicago has played the under in 5 of his last 7 starts as a favorite. The under is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings between the clubs. The under is 6-0 in the A's last 6 trips to Chicago. Play the under.
Big Al Mcmordie
San Diego Padres at Arizona Diamondbacks
Prediction: under
At 4:10pm our member selection is on the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks 'under' the total. Heading into the all-star break next week, Arizona now holds a distinction that it can't be very happy about. After starting the season as one of the hottest teams in baseball (20-8 after the first month; 27-15 halfway through May), the Diamondbacks now find themselves as the only division leader with a record below .500, heading into Sunday's games. The biggest problem for this team recently? No doubt it is its inability to score runs. In April it seemed that players like Connor Jackson and Justin Upton were headed for career seasons, and possibly spots on the National League All-Star team. But now Arizona finds itself with a team batting average of only .248 with almost all of its starting lineup struggling to get hits and score runs. Of course its opponent today, the Padres, aren't faring any better this season. They are at the bottom of the worst division in baseball with one of the worst records. The Padres have also been struggling to produce runs on a nightly basis. The under is 11-2-2 in Arizona's last fifteen overall. Take the 'under'.
Scott Ferrall
KANSAS CITY +190 over Tampa--I've got to show some nuts sometimes right ? Hochevar upsets Shields and the Royals avoid the sweep. Tampa can't win every game, can they ? UNDER 8.5 RUNS
Oakland -105 over Chicago WS--Harden is the man and will knock off the Sox and Danks on the South Side. OVER 8.5 RUNS
MINNESOTA +105 over Cleveland--They'll do it by beating Cliff Lee, and you know everyone will be betting on the Tribe here because of Lee's record (11-1). UNDER 8 RUNS
Toronto +120 over LA Angels--Litsch does the job in Anaheim and beats Garland. OVER 8.5 RUNS
Detroit -120 over Seattle--Nate Robertson handles the Mariners in Seattle. The Tigers leave the Northwest at 44-43. No one thought they would do anything this year after their start, but their back. OVER 9 RUNS
Boston +145 over NY Yanks--Wakefield has them eating out of his hands in the Bronx. Joba looked average his last time out and they'll be worried to death about him after another loss. I can hear them already--"he shouldn't be a starter". TAKE THE UNDER 9 RUNS
Sports Gambling Hotline
Houston +120 at ATLANTA
Today we will grab the plus-money, and go with Houston over the fading Atlanta Braves.
Houston was able to snap a 4-game slide last night with a dominating 6-1 win, as the Braves have now lost 6 of their last 7 games.
Atlanta will send Charlie Morton who is 1-2 through 4 starts this year with the big club. Morton has lost his last pair, allowing 7 runs in 8 innings. Both of those starts came at home where his ERA is 7.88.
Wandy Rodriguez did get tagged his last time out, but Rodriguez had been solid in his two previous starts, and we can see him giving the Astros 6 or 7 quality innings against an Atlanta attack that has suddenly forgotten how to hit the ball.
We see a chance for the underdog to cash in against a team that is just looking to make it to the All-Star break, and regroup.
Play on the 'Stros.
2♦ HOUSTON
Drew Gordon
NY Mets at PHILADELPHIA -125
Looking for the Phillies to bounce back nicely here, as they've been plenty good against lefties at Citizens Bank Park, going 10-6 there on the season against them. Granted, one of those losses came against the Mets southpaw Oliver Perez, who has pitched well against the Mets in two starts this season. However, those starts were back in April, and I say the resurgent Phillies batting order gets it right the third time around against Perez in this one. Let's not forget Perez is just 3-3 with an ugly 5.10 ERA on the highway this season.
Wondering how good the Phillies have been against lefties at home? Well offensively, you couldn't ask for a better match up, as they average a hearty 6.1 runs per game in that spot! Remember guys, this Phillies team is coming off a rough stretch through mid-June, but right now, they're looking a lot more like the team many expected to lead the NL East.
Opposing Perez is the Phillies Kyle Kendrick, and fact of the matter is, when he pitches, Philadelphia usually wins, going 13-4 in Kendrick's 17 starts this season! His last two starts have been rock-solid, allowing 3 runs over his last 14 innings pitched, winning in both Oakland and Atlanta, two of the tougher place to win in all of baseball! Kendrick is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 2 career starts against the Mets, with his last one being an ugly effort back in April... Look for him to make amends with a solid home start in this one.
Bottom line, Phillies protect their house, getting right back to their winning ways Sunday afternoon. Philadelphia's high-powered offense has excelled against southpaws at home, and today's match up will be no different, as Perez runs into trouble, while Kendrick buckles down for the win.
Take Philadelphia behind Kendrick over the NY Mets and Perez in this MLB match up.
2♦ PHILADELPHIA
Bobby Maxwell
Oakland +105 at CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Tough to go against a pitcher that hasn't lost a game this season, so let's go ahead and play the A's and back Rich Harden (5-0, 2.25 ERA) today.
Oakland won the first two games of this series before dropping a 6-1 decision Saturday. Even with the loss, the A's have won seven of the last nine against the White Sox and four of the last six in Chicago. Take this series back a few years and you'll see the A's own a 44-19 advantage inthe last 63 games.
The White Sox have struggled against the A.L. West, going just 9-20 against the division and they are 3-9 as an underdog. Meanwhile the A's are on rolls of 13-6 as a favorite, 9-4 against left-handers and 5-1 against the A.L. Central.
Oakland is 9-3 in Harden's 12 starts this season and he's 2-0 on the road. He hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in nine straight starts and he's 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA in six starts against the White Sox.
John Danks (5-4, 2.50) goes for Chicago and they are just 1-5 in his last six starts against the A.L. West and 4-10 when he faces a team with a winning record.
Oakland is 40-15 in Harden's last 55 starts and 42-13 when he's a favorite. We like the chances of Harden pulling this one off. Take the A's today.
2♦ OAKLAND
Karl Garrett
Oakland at WHITE SOX -110
Looking at the A's-White Sox once again, and I am going to play the UNDER from US Cellular.
Rich Harden, and John Danks should be setting them up, and knocking them down all afternoon long, as Harden is 5-0 with a 2.25 ERA for the year, and over his last 3 starts he has allowed just 3 earned runs over his last 19 innings of work.
John Danks counters with a 2.50 ERA for the year, and has allowed just 2 earned runs over his last 20 innings pitched.
All 3 this holiday weekend have stayed UNDER the total, and that makes all 5 season played between the teams UNDER the total as well.
How can you go against those numbers?
You can't, take the LOW in Oakland-Chicago today on the South Side.
3♦ UNDER
Chris Jordan
Toronto at ANAHEIM -130
Jon Garland may be 2-4 in his nine home starts in Anaheim, but the Tigers may be the team to spark some life into his arm at the Big A. He is 4-0 in his last five starts against the jungle stripes, and four of those starts have been labeled quality.
He comes off a trio of starts in which he deserved to win them all, having given up seven earned runs over 19 innings of work. Though the Jays got their bats going last night, they’ve still lost three of their last four, and face a challenge in hitting Garland tonight.
Toronto is mired in losing skids of 2-4 against the AL West, 3-10 on the road, 2-8 on the highway against teams that win at home and 1-5 in Jesse Litsch’s last six overall. On the flipside, the Halos are 4-1 in Garland’s last five against the AL East and 5-2 overall against their last seven against the division, no matter who’s pitching. Lay the chalk with Garland and Anaheim in this one.
4♦ ANGELS
Vegas Experts
New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies
Phillies saw their four-game win streak come to a halt on Saturday, but should get back on track today behind Kyle Kendrick, who has a 7-0 team start record when the total is 10 or higher. Furthermore, Philly has won 13 of his 17 starts this season overall, including six of the last seven. The Mets only managed to win back-to-back games four times in the month of June. Philadelphia is simply the better team here.
Play on: Philadelphia