Jack Clayton Guaranteed Selections

5* Red Sox at Nationals

The Washington Nationals have been rotten on defense (a league-high 64 errors) and a league-high 16 blown saves. They may have garnered some attention last week by taking two of three from the Yankees and Jays, but this is an awful team. We saw that in the opener of this series with an 11-3 Boston rout, feasting on the terrible Washington pen. The first-place Red Sox have a deep pen and are the best team in the AL. John Smoltz may make just his first start here, but I am not concerned with that, as the Sox pen is so strong. Justin Masterson, Okajima, Saito, DelCarmen and Papelbon could combined for 6-7 innings, if needed. Washington started the season 12-24 at home and starter Jordan Zimmermann allows more hits than innings pitched. In fact, the Nationals are 1-6 his last 7 starts, yet he is getting some respect with this number. I don't see it. Play the Red Sox

5* NY Yankees at Braves

Atlanta is a weak offensive club, ranked 21st in runs scored in baseball. This NY offense may have been in a rut the last week, but let's no kid ourselves: This is a deep and talented offensive lineup that will hit. Fourth place Atlanta is a .500 team at home, yet opened as a favorite here. The Yankees catch a break facing a struggling Atlanta pitcher Derek Lowe, who is 36 years old. His last three starts he has been awful with a 7.47 ERA. In face, despite having the reputation as an ace, especially after a hot April, the Braves are 1-4 his last five starts. NY lefty Andy Pettitte has been on a quiet role, 2-1 his last three starts with only four walks. The old veteran has been sharp with 17 strikeouts in those last 18 innings. In fact, all time he is 5-1 against Atlanta with a 3.13 ERA. Lowe may have pitched well against NY in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS, but he still has a 6.06 ERA in 102 career innings against NY. Play the Yankees

Rocketman Sports

3 Unit Twins

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Drew Gordon

1. 100,000♦ Rays
2. 50,000♦ Reds

1. Rays- Solid spot to back the Rays, as they look for redemption against their former World Series foe tonight at the Trop. There's a couple strong reasons to like Tampa Bay here, but let's start with the most obvious - the pitching match up.Although rookie southpaw Antonio Bastardo was impressive in his debut, its gone all downhill from there. He's gotten tagged for 8 runs over his last 8 innings as a starter, and has looked every part a wet-behind-the-ears rookie in the process. He was better in his last start, lasting a career-high 7 innings, but things are going to be a lot tougher against a very good Rays offense tonight.Speaking of the Rays offense, there's almost no comparison between the two clubs, at least in the short-term. The Phillies have struggled mightily at the plate in losing 9 of their last 11 games, and yesterday was a perfect example: 1 run on just 4 hits, wasting an excellent effort by Joe Blanton. The Rays on the other hand, have been great, batting .291 as a team over their last 10, and while they don't particularly hit lefties well at home, they still average 5.0 runs overall against them on the season. The final piece of the puzzle is Andy Sonnanstine, who's flourished at the Trop, going 4-0 with a 4.15 ERA there this season. He's been terrible on the road (1-7, 8.22 ERA), but put him in friendly surroundings and he's been a totally different pitcher. He's allowed a grand total of 5 runs over his last 14 innings at home (two starts), and quite frankly, the Phillies offense is anything but dangerous right now. Finally, not only are the Phillies just 2-6 in their last 8 meetings in Tampa, but the Rays have been excellent following a win (9-3 L12 in that spot) AND have been rock-solid as a favorite (10-4 L14 games as a fav)... So, underestimate the Rays at your own risk here! One final note, the Phillies pen is in total disarray, posting a disgusting 8.12 ERA over their L3 games, and while they're expected to activate Brad Lidge tonight, he's been anything but consistent this season. Rays roll at the Trop, getting a little redemption in the process!Take the Rays behind Sonnanstine over the Phillies and Bastardo as your top-rated play of the day.

2. Reds- Nice spot to grab a little plus money behind the Reds and "road warrior" Johnny Cueto in this one. Cincy's stud righty is having a solid season, but he's been especially good on the highway, going 5-2 with a lockdown 1.53 ERA! True, he got roughed up at home in his last start by the White Sox, but that was after tossing 4 straight quality road starts, so let's cut him some slack! Look for Cueto to have a solid bounce back effort tonight.Opposing Cueto is the Blue Jays rookie lefty Brett Cecil, who has been up-and-down this season. True, he looked good in his return to the Majors, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits over 7 innings at the Nationals, but c'mon guys, a lot of pitchers look good against the sorry-ass Nats! Cecil will have very little room for error vs Cueto, who's been a virtual lock for a quality effort every time he pitches on the road. That brings me to my next point...Of course, we give the edge at the plate to the Blue Jays, who've had a far more potent offense than the Reds. But before you go unloading on Toronto, consider that the Reds do prefer to hit lefties over righties, batting .251 against southpaws as compared to just .240 against righties. Not only that, but Cincy is a solid 5-3 against lefty starters on the road. Cueto will have his work cut out for him against this Toronto offense, but make no mistake, the Reds will test Cecil early and often.Bottom line, the Reds are desperate for a win, and Johnny Cueto is the man to go and get it for them, pitching where he's at his best - on the highway! Look for the Reds to come out sharp, as they try and avoid the sweep, and there's nothing like facing a vulnerable young lefty to help their cause. In the end, Cueto throws some cold water on the Blue Jays red-hot offense Thursday night .Take the Reds behind Cueto over the Blue Jays and Cecil in this MLB match up

RON RAYMOND

5* MLB O/U GAME OF THE NIGHT!
Pick # 1 Cincinnati Reds/ Toronto Blue Jays Over 8.5 -115

Jamie Tursini

St Louis Cardinals vs. New York Mets
Play: New York Mets +110

As dominating as C.Carpenter has been I just don't think he should be the road favorite vs J.Santana.At home Santana is 5-2 with an ERA of 2.18 having allowed only 39 hits in 53.2 innings while striking out 56! Combine Santana with the struggles that the Cardinals have vs lefties. Who bat only .220 averaging only 2.75 runs on the road per 9 innings. And this is just a "live home dog" well worth taking.

Trace Adams

1000♦ - NY Yankees w/Pettitte over Lowe

♦♦Note: Both listed pitchers must start, or no action on the play!♦♦

No doubt the Red Sox know what they are doing starting John Smoltz tonight against Washington, as Smoltzie has owned the Nats from his long tenure in the senior circut, but I am not so sure Smoltz will be on target in this start tonight.Boston has won 4 straight, and I feel they are about due for a loss in this spot, as Washington has been playing some competitive baseball, and starter Jordan Zimmerman has allowed just 4 runs over his last 17 innings of work but is 0-1 in those 3 starts. Zimmerman deserves some support, and tonight against a pitched that hasn't started in almost a year, he will get that support.
Take the Nationals to spring the upset.
500♦ - Washington w/Zimmerman over Smoltz

♦♦Note: Both listed pitchers must start, or no action on the play!♦♦

Trace Adams PAY-AFTER-YOU-WIN - 500*
Baltimore w/Hill over West Baltimore has been cooled off, as the O's had come to Florida winners of 5 in a row, and now they have lost the first 2 of their 3 game set with the suddenly hot Marlins who are on a 4 game win streak.I like Baltimore to salvage the series with the win tonight, as starter Rich Hill looked very solid in his last effort, a 7 inning, 2 run win at Philadelphia. Hill is 3-1 this season, and all 3 of the wins have come on the road, so why not make it 4-1 after tonight's start?Sean West has struggled against the AL East, as he is 1-1 in 2 starts against Toronto, and New York, but he has allowed 9 runs in just 10 innings of work.
Baltimore avoids the sweep in this one.

PAY-AFTER-YOU-WIN
500♦ - Baltimore w/Hill over West

♦♦♦NOTE: Both listed pitchers must start, or no action on the play!♦♦♦

Erin Rynning

toronto/playmaker

IndianCowboy

4 Unit Play. Take Washington Mystics -3.5 over Phoenix Mercury

4 Unit Play. Take the Cincy Reds Under 8.5 @ Toronto Blue Jays

Chris James Sports

2* Chicago Cubs -112

Stu Feiner

Stu's 100 Dime Baseball #1
METS PICKEM FOR 100 DIME SELECTION
WILL BACK SANTANA HERE AS HE WILL GET HIS 9TH VICTORY FOR THE YEAR. HE IS 5-2 AT HOME AND 1-0 LIFETIME AGAINST THE CARDS. CARPENTER IS 1-3 LIFETIME AGAINST THE METS AND WILL LOSE TODAY.

Stu's 100 Dime Baseball #2
YANKEES PICKEM FOR A 100 DIME SELECTION
PETTITE WILL GET HIS 8TH WIN OF THE YEAR. HE IS 5-1 LIFETIME AGAINST THE BRAVES AND 4-1 ON THE ROAD THIS YEAR. LOWE IS 8-10 LIFETIME AGAINST THE YANKS AND IS 1-2 WITH AN ERA 7.80 THE LAST THREE STARTS. ALL YANKS HERE.

Stu's 100 Dime Baseball #3
RANGERS PICKEM FOR A 100 DIME SELECTION
FELDMAN KEEPS ROLLING ALONG. 5-2 SO FAR THIS YEAR. HIS TEAM IS 7-4 IN HIS ELEVEN STARTS AND HE IS 4-1 ON THE ROAD. GARLAND IS ONLY 4-7 SO FAR THIS YEAR, 5-8 LIFETIME AGAINST TEXAS AND 2-4 AT HOME THIS YEAR. TEXAS GETS THE WIN

Seabass:

20* Tigers
20* Royals

100* "steam" - Boston

The Baseball Prophet

POD - Toronto Blue Jays -125

Maddux Sports

#906 - MLB - 3 units on Chicago White Sox +135
#908 - MLB - 3 units on Houston -115
#916 - MLB - 3 units on Pittsburgh +147
#920 - MLB - 3 units on Tampa Bay -135
#926 - MLB - 3 units on Arizona -101

KBHoops

5* Whitesoxs +136 **POD**
5* Kansas City +106
5* San Diego +168
5* Milwaukee +120
5* Washington +110
5* Pittsburgh +149