Matt Fargo
San Diego Padres @ Pittsburgh Pirates
PICK: San Diego Padres
The Padres have taken the last two games of this series as the offense has exploded for 15 runs in those victories. They go for the series win and they will try and do it with their ace on the bump. San Diego is a dismal 17-35 away from home and this little two-game run in just the third time that it has won back-to-back road games the entire season. This will be the first three-game road winning streak on the year. This would be the perfect end of a dreadful roadtrip before heading home.
The Pirates were cruising along with four straight victories before this little bump in the road. It has been about streaks all season for Pittsburgh as it has 10 different streaks of three games or more whether it is winning or losing runs. The pitching looked good for the first game of this set but it has shut down the last two games and the ERA from the starters over the last 10 games is a whopping 8.19. The Pirates have won just five of the last 21 meetings in this series.
Pittsburgh sends its most consistent and reliable start to the mound as Paul Maholm gets the nod. He has been solid on the season and at home where he is 5-1 with a 3.33 ERA in 10 starts. He is coming off another quality start which was his 10th in 20 starts and that is actually pretty average. As is his 1.26 WHIP. He has started five games during the daylight hours and the early starts to not sit well as he has a 5.03 ERA. Surprisingly, the Pirates are 3-7 in Maholm’s last 10 starts against a team with a losing record.
The ace mentioned before was Jake Peavy. Peavy is not having his best season away from home as he has a 4.54 ERA with San Diego going 3-4 in his seven road starts. Things have gotten better and he is coming off a quality outing at Cincinnati, despite the Padres taking the loss. The Padres are 8-2 in his last 10 starts as a road favorite between -110 to -150 and they are 23-10 in his last 33 road starts against a team with a losing record. In six starts against Pittsburgh, Peavy is 4-1 with a 1.94 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. Play San Diego Padres 1.5 Units
JB's Computer Picks
Los Angeles Angels -150
Tampa Bay Rays -140
New York Yankees +145
Las Vegas Sports Advisors
4* LAA
4* Blue Jays
3* DBacks
TRIPLE THREAT SPORTS
Angels over Orioles
Better team laying a reasonable number here, that is the first, most basic aspect of the play, Looking closer, notice that the Halos have gone 15-5 this month (46-24 in July L3Y) with a 9-1 record in their last ten games whereas the Orioles are 7-15 in July with a 3-9 record of late.
Jim Feist
HOU Astros and MIL Brewers
Take Over
New team, new city for Randy Wolf, who moves over from the Padres to the Astros. Wolf has pitched more like a sheep this season, going 6-10 with a 4.74 era. On the road the Padres lost nine of his 10 stars and Wolf had a 6.63 era. Jeff Suppan goes for the Brewers today and while he's 5-6 on the season with a 4.65 era, he historically has had his troubles with the Astros. Suppan is 2-6 in his career against the Astros with a 4.83 era and a 3.08 opponent batting average. We don't expect to see either of these pitchers last long in today's contest. Take the OVER
JEFF BENTON
Very quietly, Los Angeles has assumed the best team in baseball mantle with a 64-39 record, which includes a major-league-best 33-18 road mark after taking the first two games of this series. Today, the Halos hand the ball to All-Star right-hander Ervin Santana, who continues to prove that he's turned the corner on his big-league career he's now 11-4 with a 3.37 ERA in 2008, but most impressively, he's 8-1 with a 3.44 ERA on the road. This from a guy who was one of THE worst road starters in all of baseball the past two seasons.
On the flip side, there's Baltimore left-hander Garrett Olson, who has been a train wreck in his last four starts, going 0-4 with a 10.53 ERA (23 earned runs allowed in 19 2/3 innings). Three of those outings against the Blue Jays, Tigers and Royals came at home. Now Olson runs up against an Angels offense that's just tattooing left-handers right now (.333 batting average over the past 10 games).
Throw in the fact that Los Angeles is 11-3 in this last 14 meetings in this rivalry and 3-0 in Santana's last three starts against the O's, and there's no doubt the Angels are a strong play and should roll to a multi-run win.
5♦ L.A. ANGELS -1 1/2 runs
TONY WESTON
New York comes into this game as a huge dog, but were a slight dog yesterday and destroyed the Sox 10-3. Consider that through the first seven meetings between these teams Boston was 5-2 against New York. But since the Yankees lost 6-4 to the Sox on July 4, New York is 4-0 their last four meetings against Boston.New York also comes into this game on an eight-game winning streak.The Yankees will make it nine in a row and five in a row over the Sox.Go with New York on the road tonight.
3♦ YANKEES
MATT RIVERS
I do not expect Rick Vandenhurk to look as good as he did in that unreal last start against the Braves but the Dutchman at least should be somewhat confident after that gem and who is Jason Marquis to be laying such a price!?!?!? The Cubs are obviously the better team when compared to the Marlins but the fish are not bad at all with a total star in Ramirez along with solid bats including Willingham, Jacobs, Uggla, Hermida and a few others. Florida continues to stick around in the NL East despite everybody continually thinking they are going to fade away. The fish have not floundered yet this season overall and have a great shot to win this game at Wrigley. Lee, Ramirez, Soriano, Fukudome and the Cubbies are very tough at Wrigley and do win this game more times than not but not at the rate that the oddsmakers seem to believe. Marquis does not scare me at all and in the end could get smacked around here by this Florida offense for sure. We may lose here but we may win and that's certainly good enough for me with this takeback.
FLORIDA MARLINS
DUNKEL
LA Angels at Baltimore
The Angels go for the sweep in Baltimore today and look to build on their 9-2 record when favored between -125 and -150 on the road. Los Angeles is the pick (-140) according to Dunkel, which has the Angels favored by 2 1/2. Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-140). Here are all of today's games.
SUNDAY, JULY 27
Game 951-952: St. Louis at NY Mets
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Lohse) 15.228; NY Mets (Santana) 17.014
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 2; 7
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-180); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-180); Under
Game 953-954: Colorado at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Jimenez) 15.921; Cincinnati (Fogg) 16.219
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Colorado (-125); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+115); Over
Game 955-956: San Diego at Pittsburgh
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Peavy) 15.471; Pittsburgh (Maholm) 13.710
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: San Diego (-120); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (-120); Under
Game 957-958: Atlanta at Philadelphia
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Campillo) 16.093; Philadelphia (Blanton) 14.400
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-135); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+125); Under
Game 959-960: Houston at Milwaukee
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Wolf) 14.592; Milwaukee (Suppan) 14.332
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-170); 9
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+160); Over
Game 961-962: Florida at Chicago Cubs
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (VandenHurk) 14.265; Cubs (Marquis) 15.519
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-170); No Run Line
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-170); N/A
Game 963-964: Arizona at San Francisco
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Johnson) 14.549; San Francisco (Zito) 15.017
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Arizona (-140); 8
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+130); Over
Game 965-966: Washington at LA Dodgers
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Bergmann) 15.015; LA Dodgers (Kershaw) 15.095
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-155); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-155); Over
Game 967-968: Minnesota at Cleveland
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Blackburn) 15.072; Cleveland (Sowers) 16.056
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-105); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-105); Over
Game 969-970: Seattle at Toronto
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Washburn) 15.261; Toronto (Marcum) 15.343
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Toronto (-165); 9
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-165); Under
Game 971-972: Chicago White Sox at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago White Sox (Vazquez) 17.011; Detroit (Miner) 15.429
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1 1/2; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit (-120); 10
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (+110); Over
Game 973-974: LA Angels at Baltimore
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Santana) 16.698; Baltimore (Cabrera) 13.907
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 2 1/2; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-140); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-140); Over
Game 975-976: Tampa Bay at Kansas City
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Sonnanstine) 15.647; Kansas City (Davies) 13.994
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-130); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-130); Over
Game 977-978: Texas at Oakland
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Hurley) 14.719; Oakland (Eveland) 14.501
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Oakland (-135); 9
Dunkel Pick: Texas (+125); Under
Game 979-980: NY Yankees at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Ponson) 16.230; Boston (Lester) 16.364
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Boston (-160); 10
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-160); Under
Tom Freese
Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants
Arizona is 31-14 the last 45 road starts made by Randy Johnson vs. losing teams and they are 5-1 his last 6 Sunday starts. The Diamondbacks are 5-1 their last 6 games as favorites and they 4-0 their last 4 games at San Francisco. The Giants are 9-22 their last 31 home games and they are 7-19 their last 26 games as underdogs. San Francisco is 6-14 in the last 20 starts made by Barry Zito and they are 4-22 their last 26 games as home dogs
Play on: Arizona
GINA
Los Angeles Angels at Baltimore Orioles
The hot Angels are 9-1 in their last ten games and have won six of the last seven games versus the Orioles, five of the last six in Baltimore. The Orioles have lost 14 of their last 18 games.
Los Angeles will send Ervin Santana (11-4, 3.37 ERA) to the hill. The right-hander is 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA in his last three starts, 8-1 with a 3.44 ERA in his last 12 on the road. Santana is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in five career starts against the Orioles.
Baltimore counters with Garrett Olson (6-5, 6.11). The rookie lefthander is 0-2 with a 11.30 ERA in his last three starts, just 1-4 with a 8.62 ERA in his last eight.
Go with Angels to hand the struggling Orioles their sixth straight defeat.
Los Angeles Angels -150
Mr A
Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants
The Diamondbacks have won six of the last nine meetings versus the Giants and the last four in San Francisco.
Arizona's Randy Johnson (7-7, 4.89) is 3-0 with a 2.33 ERA in his last three starts.
San Francisco's Barry Zito (5-12, 5.56 ERA) is 2-0 with a 3.50 ERA in his last three starts.
Look for Arizona hot bats to pound the struggling Giants and grab a three-game sweep at AT&T Park. San Francisco has lost 11 of their last 15 games and dropped four of lefty Barry Zito's last five starts versus the Diamondbacks.
Arizona Diamondbacks -145
Jeff Alexander
1 Unit on NY Mets -130
The Cards are struggling and the Mets are rolling so we won't hesitate to pull the trigger on the Mets at home for a decent price. The Cardinals are 0-5 in their last 5 overall and 0-7 in their last 7 vs. a team with a winning record. The Mets are 10-1 in their last 11 home games, 16-5 in their last 21 overall, and 6-0 in their last 6 games as a home favorite of -110 to -150. Take New York.
Winners Edge
Florida Marlins + 155 , 2 unit
SF Giants + 125 , 2 units
Padres /Pirates Under 7½ , -120 , 1 unit
Yankees/Redsox Over 10 -105 , 1 unit
Larry Ness 20* AL Game of the Month
The Rangers entered their three-game series with Oakland a half-game behind the A's in the AL West but behind Josh Hamilton (two-run HR and a double on Friday plus a three-run HR on Saturday), have moved 1 1/2 games ahead of Oakland (and to within 5 1/2 games of Boston in the wild card race) with 14-6 and 9-4 wins (reached Duchscherer for nine hits and eight ERS in six IP). The Rangers, who have taken EIGHT of 11 games from the A's this season, will go for the three-game sweep this afternoon, against an Oakland team which has lost four straight and NINE of 10. So why am I playing Oakland? Here's why. Let's not forget that the Rangers own the AL's worst team ERA (5.20) or that the team has allowed an average of 5.87 RPG through its 104 games (54-50) this season. Rookie Eric Hurley (1-1, 3.57 ERA) comes off the DL today to make his first start since June 29. The 22-year-old right-hander has been on the DL since July 8 with a strained left hamstring and does have four June starts under his belt. However, let's note that his ERA in his two home starts was 2.53 but 4.50 in his two road starts. He'll take on an Oakland team (52-51) in this one which is in danger of falling to .500 for the first time since April 8. While the A's are just barely over .500 vs right-handed starters this season, Hurley is catching them in their best situation in this game. The A's are a terrific 8-2 in home day games vs righties, averaging 4.9 RPG. Conversely, Oakland lefty Dana Eveland is catching the Rangers in one of their worst situations. Texas does lead the majors in team batting average (.280) and runs scored (5.58 per) but the Rangers are an unimpressive 12-20 vs left-handed starters in '08, including a poor 5-12 mark on the road (averaging just 3.2 RPG!). Eveland has really been good for the A's this year (came from Arizona in the Haren trade). His record may be just 7-7 with a 3.65 ERA in 20 starts (team is 10-10) but he's allowed more than three runs in just THREE of his 20 starts (read that slowly!). Few pitchers can make that claim in '08! The A's are struggling right now but the game situations plus the pitching matchup (or mismatch!) makes them the play in this one.
AL Game of the Month 20* Oak A's.