Matt Fargo
San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants
Prediction: San Francisco Giants
I see no reason to get off this one. San Diego has now dropped six straight games and it is now 32 games under .500 and 21 games under .500 on the road. The Padres offense was stymied again last night and that came against Barry Zito who has had his share of struggles this season. San Diego is hitting .246 on the season which is 4th worst in all of baseball. It has scored the third fewest runs in the Majors and it is 12-29 in their last 41 games following a loss.
The Giants are playing better as they have been able to take care of the poor teams, winning seven of their last eight games against a team with a winning percentage below .400. San Francisco has now won four straight games at home which is now the longest winning streak at AT&T Park this season. Pitching has been solid of late as the Giants have allowed three runs or fewer in six of their last nine games while posting a solid 3.48 ERA over their last 10 games.
Kevin Correia had a great run in the beginning of the season but then the wheels fell off with a horrible July. He has since gained back some of that early season form in August. In four starts he has a 3.42 ERA which includes three quality outings. He has not been able to pick up a win during this stretch but has pitched well enough to be at least 3-1. He is struggling with getting wins but a lot of that has to do with no offense behind him and that will change tonight.
Josh Banks has been dreadful of late, posting a 10.80 ERA over his last three starts and he has just two quality outings over his last 10 starts. Even worse has been his control. He has walked 13 batters over his last two outings and that has pushed his WHIP to 1.46 on the season. Two of his best starts this season have come against the Giants but with this being the third time the San Francisco offense has seen him, adjustments will be made. The Padres are 2-6 in his last eight road starts. Play San Francisco Giants 1.5 Units
Tony Mathews
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Selection: Pittsburgh/Milwaukee Under 7.5
The Pittsburgh Pirates will use starting pitcher Paul Maholm. Paul Maholm has been pitchuing great as of late. In fact, Paul Maholm has a 1.64 ERA in his last 3 starts. We see Paul Maholm pitching another great game today.
The Milwaukee Brewers will use starting pitcher CC Sabathia. CC Sabathia has also been pitching great as of late. In fact, CC Sabathia has a 1.08 ERA in his last 3 starts. We see CC Sabathia also pitching another great game today.
The bottom line, we should see a low-scoring game today!
Take the Pittsburgh Pirates/Milwaukee Brewers Under 7.5
Brian Marshall
Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Plays On: St. Louis Cardinals -1.5
The Atlanta Braves will be lead by starting pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes. Jo-Jo Reyes has been struggling as of late. In fact, Jo-Jo Reyes has a 7.30 ERA in his last 3 starts. We see Jo-Jo Reyes giving up many runs once again today.
The St. Louis Cardinals will use starting pitcher Braden Looper. Braden Looper has been pitching great as of late. In fact, Braden Looper has a 1.71 ERA in his last 3 starts. We see Braden Looper giving up very few hits and runs today.
The St. Louis Cardinals are 6-2 in their last 8 meetings against the Atlanta Braves, and should be able to get another blowout win today!
Take the St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 Runs
JEFF BENTON
Philadelphia has torched Los Angeles in the first two games of this weekend set, winning 8-1 on Friday and 9-2 yesterday. And even though I’m hardly a Joe Blanton fan, I still think the Phillies find a way to get the sweep tonight – and get a little payback against the Dodgers, who took four games from the Phils in L.A. less than two weeks ago.
One of the reasons to like the home team is the fact they’re getting their second look at Dodgers right-hander Hiroki Kuroda, who absolutely dominated the Phillies on May 14 in a 3-1 victory. You gotta figure that now that they have a book on Kuroda – and they’re playing at home – that the Phillies will be much more successful against the Japanese right-hander this time around. They also figure to be successful because Kuroda stinks on the road – he’s 2-7 with a 4.75 ERA, compared with 5-2 with a 3.32 ERA at home.
What’s more Kuroda has been dreadful in day games, going 0-4 with a 5.08 ERA in six starts, five of which Los Angeles has lost.
Philadelphia comes into this one having won five of its last seven overall and four straight at home. Plus, the team is 18-8 the last 26 times it has faced the Dodgers in Philadelphia. Lay the small price and ride the Phillies to the sweep!
5♦ PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
MATT RIVERS
For Sunday take the Pirates plus the huge number.
Am I banging my head against the wall right here by going against the insane and unreal CC Sabathia? Quite possibly. The lefty has been as good as almost any pitcher in the history of the game over the past nine or so starts but Paul Maholm is a quality lefty as well who has been pretty solid over the last few months and to get such a hefty price back is too good to totally say no to.
The Pirates are obviously a banged up team going nowhere who just traded away their better players but they are still a professional organization with a quality hurler goinmg to the mound. Plus closer Matt Capps is back from the DL which can't hurt.
We will need Maholm to be totally on his game and give us seven or eight great innings as we can expect nothing less from Sabathia but at this price it's a no lose situation because if we do lose we should have lost.
I'm hoping that we can get Sabathia to throw a lot of pitches as Ned Yost cannot keep him in the game for another 130 pitch performance like last start, he just can't. In the end hopefully we'll see a low scoring 2-1 type of a game in the 8th where we have a chance against possibly the mediocre Milwaukee bullpen.
JAKE TIMLIN
Milwaukee Brewers -1 1/2
Take the Brewers as they earn the home sweep over the Pirates with yet another blowout win. After all given the fact the Milwaukee has won the last 11 series games at home against the Pirates and 6 of the 7 overall meeting this season it’s clear that the Brewers own Pittsburgh. Especially at home this year with all 5 wins coming by 2 or more runs. Well thanks to Sabathia who has been hittable since joining the Brewers rotation I expect for Milwaukee to continue their dominance today as they easy work of Pittsburgh.
All Milwaukee -1 ½ Runs!
TONY WESTON
We’re going after four of five tonight and we’re going to nail it as we’re taking a surprise home dog as we’re taking the Blue Jays at home over the Red Sox.
After losing Game 1 of this series on Friday 8-4, the Jays bounced back in tremendous fashion last night destroying the Sox 11-0. With that win Toronto is now 4-1 against the Sox their last five meetings and is 7-3 in 10 meetings this season.
And it’s not like this is something new. Going back to last season the Blue Jays are 13-6 against the Sox and are 11-3 their last 14 meetings.
Also consider that Toronto’s scheduled starting pitcher, A.J. Burnett, comes into this game on a six-game winning streak and is 8-0 his last eight starts at home. In his last two starts against the Sox he’s 2-0 and has given up only three earned runs and struck out 16 in 16 1/3 innings of work.
Pencil in Burnett as your starting pitcher and go with Toronto at home.
3♦ BLUE JAYS
PlusLineSports
Atlanta vs St. Louis
St Louis -1.5
Beat Your Bookie
100 - St.Louis
50 - Milw
50 - Seattle
100 - Buffalo Bills
WILD BILL
Pirates +300 (5 units)
Pirates-Brewers Under 7½ (5 units)
Washington +380 (5 units)
Reds +175 (5 units)
Reds-Rockies Over 9½ (5 units)
Padres +115 (5 units)
Florida +120 (5 units)
Florida-Dbacks Over 9 (5 units)
Red Sox-Jays Under 8½ (5 units)
Red Sox -130 (5 units)
Tampa +165 (5 units)
Angels -150 (5 units)
A's +185 (5 units)
Indians +120 (5 units)
Indians-Rangers Under 11½ (5 units)
Dodgers +115 (5 units)
Bills-Colts Over 38 (5 units)
Vegas Sports Experts
The VSE NFL Power Play for Sunday is
10* Take Buffalo (+5.5) over Indianapolis (NFL Power Play)
Buffalo
5-0 ATS in pre-season road games the last 3 years
6-0 ATS in pre-season as an underdog the last 3 years
3-0 SU & ATS in pre-season when playing in a dome stadium
Tom Freese
Florida at Arizona
Florida is 13-3 vs. an opponent that allowed 2 or less runs in their last game and they are 11-4 off a loss. The Marlins are 13-5 in the last 18 starts made by Ricky Nolasco. Arizona is 3-8 their last 11 Sunday games and they are 2-5 their last 7 games vs. AL East foes. The Diamondbacks are 2-7 the last 9 starts made by Doug Davis and they are 2-6 their last 8 games vs. the Marlins. PLAY ON FLORIDA +
Sports Pro Unlimited
5 unit play on CWS -159 (POD)
5 unit play on Toronto +136
5 unit play on DET/KC Under 10.5
5 unit play on ATL +192 (Daily Dog)
Ron Raymond
The Red Sox and Blue Jays have been involved in some slugfests lately, but the home-away splits for today’s two starters suggest a different type of game. Go Under.
From a handicapping point of view, this is one of the best opportunities to take the Under in the Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays matchup, after an 11-0 game, as the Over is still fresh in the public’s minds.
How can you blame them, as the Blue Jays have scored 29 runs in their the last three games, which is an average of 9.67 runs per game, and the Red Sox have allowed 8.67 runs against in their last three.
However, you have two pitchers who are having solid seasons and will look to keep their teams in a tight scoring game this afternoon. Matsuzaka is 15-2 on the season with a 2.17 ERA on the road. Jays’ right-hander A.J. Burnett is 10-3 at the Rogers Centre this season and 3-0 in his last three starts.
Here’s a few trends for the Toronto Blue that backs up our Under selection today: When a Toronto team played at home the last five years during a day game and they faced a left-handed pitcher the game prior and won that game, the Under is 11-2-0. Furthermore, this is the rubber match of the series, and when the Jays are a +100 to +120 home underdog the last five years and it’s the third game of the series; the Under is 21-5-2.
Play the Under in today’s Red Sox vs. Blue Jays game.
Pick: Red Sox, Blue Jays Under 8½
EZWINNERS
5 STAR: (968) TORONTO (+$128) over Boston
(Listing Burnett only)
(Risking $500 to win $640)
3 STAR: (970) BALTIMORE (+$114) over NY Yankees
(Listing Cabrera only)
(Risking $300 to win $342)
3 STAR: (975) MINNESOTA (+$139) over LA Angels
(Listing Slowey only)
(Risking $300 to win $417)
1 STAR: (959) WASHINGTON (+$350) over Chicago
(Listing Bergmann only)
(Risking $100 to win $350)