Jeff Benton
I know it seems crazy to lay chalk with Chicago, considering the team's top two quarterbacks are named Orton and Grossman. However, I'll take Orton and Grossman over Croyle and Thigpen the top two signal-callers for Kansas City any day of the week. And because Chicago has a true QB competition between its two passers, both will play a full quarter, both with the first-team offense. That's huge, especially in the first week of the preseason, when first-stringers usually play little, if at all.
Finally, check out how horrific the Chiefs have been in August in recent years: 2-10 SU and ATS in their last 12 preseason games, including 0-4 SU and ATS last year. Not only that, but K.C. has lost eight straight preseason road games, failing to cover in any of those contests, and the team is 1-8 ATS in its last nine summer games as an underdog. Easy call here; go ahead and lay the points with confidence.
3♦ CHICAGO BEARS
John Fina
Colorado Rockies -1.5
Today the Washington Nationals will be on the road as they take on the Colorado Rockies. We will side with the Colorado Rockies -1.5 Runs! One reason why we will side with the Colorado Rockies is because they will be sending to the mound the much superior starting pitcher. This says it all... The Washington Nationals Starting Pitcher (Jason Bergmann) has a 5.82 ERA in his last 3 starts, while Colorado Rockies Starting Pitcher (Ubaldo Jimenez) has a 0.41 ERA in his last 3 starts. As you can see, the Colorado Rockies will be sending to the mound the much superior pitcher. In addition, the Colorado Rockies have proven they can beat the Washington Nationals. In fact, the Colorado Rockies are 8-1 in their last 9 meetings against the Washington Nationals (when playing in Colorado). We see the Colorado Rockies getting another blowout win tonight! Take the Colorado Rockies -1.5 Runs!
LT Profits
2* Ravens +4
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Ben Lewis
5* Cardinals -2.5
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St. Louis -145 POD
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Washington vs Colorado
Colorado -1.5
Players of America
Detroit Tigers vs. Chicago White Sox
The Play: Detroit Tigers +125.0
Star Value: 1* (10 Units)
Now we're heading back to a match up we nailed just yesterday with the Tigers and White Sox in Chicago. The Sox have owned the series thus far and Thursday night these two go to battle yet again. We've preached the whole story of the AL Central battle between the Twins and the White Sox...and we've even cashed in on both very recently. Let's remember one thing, though...this is baseball, not the NFC North or something like that. Tonight is a good spot to lay some wood on the Tigers.
All the talk about the two fighting for the division in this league...but Detroit isn't exactly out. These guys can make a run at any time and I think a lot of people might be expecting that. We sure are.
Right hand heaver Zach Miner will start for Detroit on Thursday. Zach comes in to tonight's dual one game over .500 at 5-4 on the season. He's only thrown 62 innings this year, but he has been pretty solid in those. He has an ERA of 3.76 which is fairly respectable when you have the firepower and defense behind you like the Tigers do. These two teams have seen each other countless times this year. They know each other, they know how one another plays and it really just comes down to execution from here on out. The Tigers are healthy all the way around line up wise and there just shouldn't be any holding back here.
The Sox will put Javier Vazquez on the mound tonight. Javier is one game shy of the even mark at 8-9 overall. His ERA is rather inflated at 4.66 and he holds a WHIP of 1.35. Javier is capable of putting together some solid innings, but the bullpen is the next worry. In their last three games, Chicago's bullpen has a combined ERA of 7.33 in 23.2 innings. We don't know how much fight is left out there after the starters. The newly acquired Ken Griffey Jr. is expected to sit on Thursday for rest and third baseman Joe Crede remains sidelined with a back injury.
This ought to be a entertaining one, too. Both teams can put up some runs and that should happen tonight with Detroit having the last blow. We'll grab some underdog value here as we're confident the Tigers hold a good spot to get the win. 10 units on the Tigs.
TREND OF THE GAME:
- The Tigers are 7-3 in Miner's last 10 road starts
Detroit 8, Chicago 6
Atlanta Braves vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
The Play: Arizona Diamondbacks -140.0
Star Value: 1* (10 Units)
Thursday we'll be hitting this one and it comes to us from Chase Field in Arizona. The Diamondbacks host the Atlanta Braves at 9:40PM EST for Game #1 of their series and we'll be leaning on the Backs here, and this is why.
Atlanta is simply atrocious on the road. At 19-36 the Braves come in one of the worst road teams in the league. They lost last night to a mediocre San Francisco team and to put it straight...things just aren't looking up for these guys. Atlanta has met the Diamondbacks four times this season so far and have had some success at 3-1 but all good things do come to an end.
The Backs are putting Yusmerio Petit on the mound. This guy is sort of under the radar, and rightfully so. He comes in at just 1-2 overall for Zona with an ERA of almost 3.00 and a WHIP of 0.91. Petit hasn't thrown too many innings for the Dbacks, but neither has his opponent (for the Braves). Petit was solid his last time few times out though going 16 strong innings in his last three games with an ERA of 2.71. In those games he was handed one win and one loss along with a no decision. Arizona is 7-3 in their last ten games. Their pitchers have combined for an averaged ERA of 3.62, while the Braves are closing in on 6.00 total.
"Gnarly" Charlie Morton will be responsible for the balls and strikes Thursday night for Atlanta. Charlie comes in a sub par 2-5 overall in 46+ innings this season. He's racked up an ERA of 6.56 in those outings and a WHIP of 1.52. The Braves bats better somehow explode because this guy isn't going to go out and shut anyone down. He's out there as a weak spot in this ATL rotation and facing this Arizona team is no light task for anyone. Chipper Jones remains sidelined for the Braves with a strained left hamstring and left fielder Matt Diaz also won't be seeing any action for his team as he is out with a left knee strain.
Heads are hanging in this Atlanta clubhouse right now. They don't know where or who to turn to and their opponents seem to know that. There is no reason not to lay some dust and cash in on this one before the line rises. We'll play Arizona here tonight for a 1*, 10 unit wager.
TRENDS OF THE GAME:
- The Braves are 3-8 in their last 11 games on grass.
- The Braves are 3-8 in their last 11 games overall.
- The Diamondbacks are 9-3 in their last 12 games on grass.
- The Diamondbacks are 9-3 in t heir last 12 games overall.
- The Diamondbacks are 10-3 in their last 13 meetings with the Braves.
Arizona 7, Atlanta 4
Florida Marlins vs. Philadelphia Phillies
The Play: Under 9.0
Star Value: 1* (10 Units)
A spectacular day and night yesterday going 3-1 and raking in some big time units. The Twins cashed early in the day for a 3* winner and we nailed both run line wagers to maximize profits. Its now time to get Thursday's action on the table.
One early one here for Thursday and this match up is between the Florida Marlins and the Philadelphia Phillies. At 1:05PM EST, Florida will leave the hotel to face the steaming hot Phillies and this should pan out to be a good one.
The side on this bad boy could go either way. Florida is fully capable of a huge underdog upset or the Phillies could straight up pound them at home. However, we're going to look into a total on this event between two pitchers who have a history of keeping things low key. For the Marlins, Christopher Volstad will be the scheduled starter. His numbers are among average at 2-2 overall with an ERA around 3.20. On the year he has been handed a decision four times, all of which have tallied up stay UNDER the total. On the other side, lefty Cole Hamels is starting for the Phillies. He's 9-7 on the season with a WHIP of 1.06 and an ERA of 3.35. He, too, is notorious for throwing games UNDER the total. He has done so 11 times already this season. Both of these teams have legit bullpens that can close a ball game.
This seems like a sure fire for some kind of bet. This will be a fun one to watch if you like defense. We'll take this game under the quoted total for a 10 unit wager in Philadelphia today.
TREND OF THE GAME:
- The UNDER is 4-0 when Christopher Volstad starts for the Marlins.
Philadelphia 5, Florida 2
Tony Mathews
San Diego Padres vs. New York Mets
Selection: New York Mets -1.5 Runs
The San Diego Padres will use starting pitcher Josh Banks. Josh Banks has been having huge pitching problems as of late. In fact, Josh Banks has a 4.91 ERA in his last 3 starts. We see Josh Banks pitching another bad game today.
The New York Mets will use starting pitcher Johan Santana. Johan Santana has been pitching very well as of late. In fact, Johan Santana has a 1.54 ERA in his last 3 starts. We see Johan Santana pitching another great game today.
The New York Mets are 8-3 in their last 11 meetings against the San Diego Padres (when playing in New York), and should be able to get another blowout win tonight!
Take the New York Mets -1.5
Craig Trapp
New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers
Play:New York Yankees
Mussina is 5-1 in seven road starts this season, including 5-0 with a 2.97 ERA since losing his first road outing of the season April 12 against Boston. He's 5-1 with a 2.47 ERA in his last nine starts against the Rangers. Yankees have struggled up until yesterday hopefully this will turn there luck. Take YANKEES HERE score 7-3 yanks.
SportsKingz
TAMPA BAY +110
Bob Balfe
Browns -3 over Jets
Cleveland will have a QB controversy again in the preseason, but Derrick Anderson looks like the starter again this year. The Browns had a great year in 2007 and still have the offense to make a playoff run. The jets just acquired Brett Favre which has to take the focus off of tonight's game just a bit for the Jets QB's who know their roster spot isn't as secure as it was last night. What I like about the Browns tonight is all three QB's have great qualities for young guys and should be productive tonight.
Ravens +3.5 over New England
After Tom Brady the Patriots backups flat out stink. The Pats also have a brittle offensive line which should limit Brady to a few snaps maybe none at all. Baltimore has upgraded their QB position with rookie Joe Flacco from Delaware. This guy is good and there is a reason why they took a Delaware product so early in the draft. We will also get our first look at Ray Rice at running back. The Ravens have a lot of positive things happening and could get back to the playoffs very soon. New England might look like they did in last year's super bowl tonight.
Chiefs/Bears Under 34
I don't think either team will light up the scoreboard tonight. The Chiefs Will start Carole who cant buy a win and the majority of the game will go with Tyler Thigpen. Sounds more like a baseball name to me. The Bears again have Orton and Grossman starting for a job. No matter what happens Grossman will end up winning the job taking his team to the playoffs and continue to get his boos from the crowd. Chicago will get a look at rookie running back Matt Forte tonight which will help milk the clock. I don't think this game has enough offensive fireworks to make it high scoring. Take the Under.
Major League Baseball
Mariners -125 over Rays
Ben Burns
Oakland Athletics at Toronto Blue Jays
Prediction: Toronto Blue Jays
Reason: The A's have lost nine straight and 18 of 20. Things don't get much easier today. Duchscherer has the better overall numbers but Burnett has been the better pitcher lately. Burnett is 3-0 with a 2.55 ERA his last three starts. Duchscherer is 0-2 (A's are 0-3) with a 5.21 ERA over his last three. Consider Toronto
DUNKEL
Detroit at Chicago White Sox
The White Sox go for the sweep today and will look to take advantage of Detroit's 3-10 record as a road underdog between +125 and +150. Chicago is the pick (-135) according to Dunkel, which has the White Sox favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (-135). Here are all of today's games.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 7
Game 901-902: San Diego at NY Mets
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Banks) 13.636; NY Mets (Santana) 15.108
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-235); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-235); Under
Game 903-904: Florida at Philadelphia
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Volstad) 15.139; Philadelphia (Hamels) 16.584
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-215); 9
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-215); Over
Game 905-906: LA Dodgers at St. Louis
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Kershaw) 15.689; St. Louis (Lohse) 16.816
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-135); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-135); Over
Game 907-908: Washington at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Bergmann) 15.799; Colorado (Francis) 14.413
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A
Game 909-910: Houston at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Oswalt) 13.846; Cincinnati (Fogg) 13.971
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: Houston (-140); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+130); Over
Game 911-912: Atlanta at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Morton) 14.444; Arizona (Petit) 15.228
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 11
Vegas Line: Arizona (-145); 10
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-145); Over
Game 913-914: Oakland at Toronto
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Duchscherer) 12.684; Toronto (Burnett) 14.821
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Toronto (-120); 7
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-120); Under
Game 915-916: NY Yankees at Texas
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Mussina) 15.358; Texas (Feldman) 16.748
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1 1/2; 11 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-145); 12
Dunkel Pick: Texas (+135); Under
Game 917-918: Detroit at Chicago White Sox
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Miner) 14.166; White Sox (Vazquez) 15.323
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1; 11
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-135); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (-135); Over
Game 919-920: Tampa Bay at Seattle
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Sonnanstine) 17.298; Seattle (Hernandez) 15.544
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Seattle (-125); 8
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+115); Over
Game 921-922: Washington at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Perez) 14.779; Colorado (Jimenez) 16.322
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A
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Ravens
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50* NY Giants
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New Orleans +3
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New York +3
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DODGERS +125
VEGAS STEAMLINE
NY GIANTS/DETROIT UNDER
Kyle Baugues
New York Mets
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Philadelphia
Insider Sports Report
Detroit +115
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TIGERS / WHITE SOX OVER
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RAYS + 110
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BEARS -3
RED ZONE
Detriot Lions
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New Orleans +3
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TB/Sea Over
HAWKEYE
New Orleans & Arizona Under
HUDDLE UP
Florida
ARTHUR RALPH
Seattle Mariners
TV HOTLINE
NO/Arizona Over
DARK HORSE
Texas +135
MIKE WYNN
Yankees -145
PLATINUM PLAYS
ASTROS + 165
Joe Gaffney
Detroit Lions ML -151
MIGHTY QUINN
Dodgers
ARMVIN SPORTS
Rays +110
RAZOR SHARP
NEW ORLEANS/ARIZONA UNDER
TOTALS 4 U
HOUSTON/CINCINNATI OVER
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NY Jets +3
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Philadelphia
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Florida
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St. Louis
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LA Dodgers +1.5
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Tampa Bay
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Braves/D-Backs Under 10
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SD/Mets Under
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Mets -1.5