Matt Fargo
Washington Nationals at Philadelphia Phillies
Prediction: Philadelphia Phillies -1.5
This is one of those large late season prices that teams needed to win get hit with. Normally, the home teams would not be such a heavy favorite but being they must keep pace in the playoff race, every game counts and the books want the public to bet into these big numbers. It is far from as sign to take the underdog, especially in a spot such as this where the pitching matchup heavily favors the high-priced team. That is why we take the runline and get much better value and taking a lot of the risk out if it.
The Phillies are still right in the thick of the National League East as they trail the Mets by just a game and a half. They have been able to take care of the bad teams as they are 9-1 over their last 10 games against teams with a win percentage below .400. The Nationals certainly fall into that category as they possess the worst record in baseball as well as the worst road record. Washington is 17-41 in its last 58 games against a team with a winning record.
Tim Redding was having a spectacular season for Washington and his numbers are still decent but he has definitely fallen off. The big factor is fatigue as his 146.2 innings tossed are more than the last three years combined so a dead arm is very well a possibility. Over his last six games, he has a 7.59 ERA and after posting a 2.38 ERA through his first 12 starts of the season, he has put up a 5.49 ERA over his last 14 starts. After shutting out the Phillies twice early in the year, he was tagged for seven runs last month.
Jamie Moyer just keeps on going .He is coming off another quality start where he allowed no runs on just three hits in seven innings against the Padres. Moyer has a 2.77 ERA since June 6th covering 13 starts, all of which he has allowed three runs or fewer. While San Diego certainly possesses a weak offense, Washington is right there. Over his last eight starts against Washington, he is 6-1 with a 2.25 ERA and the Phillies are a perfect 6-0 in his six starts since he joined the Phillies. Play Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 Runs 1.5 Units
John Fina
Selection: Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 Runs
Today the Washington Nationals will be on the road as they take on the Philadelphia Phillies. We will side with the Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 Runs! One reason why we will side with the Philadelphia Phillies is because they will be sending to the mound the much superior pitcher. This says it all... The Washington Nationals Starting Pitcher (Tim Redding) has a 7.31 ERA in his last 3 starts, while Philadelphia Phillies Starting Pitcher (Jamie Moyer) has a 2.50 ERA in his last 3 starts. As you can see, the Philadelphia Phillies have the much better starting pitcher on the mound. The Philadelphia Phillies are 20-8 in their last 28 meetings against the Washington Nationals, and should be able to get another blowout win tonight! Take the Philadelphia Phillies -1.5
Jeff Scott Sports
1 UNIT PLAYS
Cleveland/ Kansas City Under 7.5
The Under is 5-1 in Greinkes last 6 road starts vs. a team with a losing record and 4-0 in Royals last 4 road games vs. a left-handed starter, while the Under is 7-1-1 in Lees last 9 starts overall and 5-1-1 in his last 7 starts following a Quality Start in his last appearance, plus the Under is 5-0-2 in Coopers last 7 games behind home plate vs. Kansas City. Cliff Lee has been simply amazing for the Tribe this year as he has a very nice 2.45 ERA overall, including a 2.38 ERA at home and a 2.42 in day games. Cliffs home starts have averaged 9 rpg, but his day starts have averaged just 6.7 rpg, while his last 3 starts have averaged just 5.3 rpg. Zach Greinke has had a nice year for the Royals with a 3.92 ERA overall and a 4.30 ERa on the road. Zach has a solid 3.62 ERA vs the Tribe. including an 0.58 ERA in his last 3 starts vs them, while his last 8 starts vs the tribe has produced just 6 rpg, with the Under going 8-0 in those games. The Royals offense comes in struggling as they are averaging just 2.9 rpg in their last 8 games, plus they score just 4 rpg on the road and 3.9 rpg vs the Central on the year.The Cleveland offense has been scoring better of late as they are averaging 5 rpg in their last 8, but they have traditionally had problems with Zach and that should keep the score down on their side, while Cliff Lee allows no more than 2 runs in this one. This will be a tight low scoring game, which will translate into the 9th Under in a row when Zach faces the Tribe.
I ALSO LIKE
CHICAGO RL over Cincinnati
The Cubs were shocked last night, but they get payback today. Big Z has struggled a bit lately but Fogg is just a horrible starter I expect the Cubs hitters to tee off on him. This should be easy. I will add the RL Juice tomorrow before the game.
JB's COMPUTER PICKS
Cleveland Indians -200
Florida Marlins -160
Arizona Diamondbacks -320 * * *
BEST BET ***
Mr A
Kansas City Royals at Cleveland Indians
The struggling Royals have dropped 11 of their 13 games and its last four on the road, 27-37 away from home this season. Meanwhile, the Indians have won nine of their last 12 and seven of its last 10 at home.
Kansas City's Zack Greinke (9-8, 3.92) is 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA in his last three starts. The right-hander is 3-6 with a 4.14 ERA in his career against Cleveland
Cleveland's Cliff Lee is is 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA in his last three starts. The left-hander is 9-4 with a 4.88 ERA in his career against Kansas City.
Take the Indians for a three-game sweep of the Royals this afternoon. Kansas City has lost 19 of the last 26 games versus the Indians in Cleveland and will be facing Cleveland's ace Cliff Lee. The southpaw is 6-0 with a 2.42 ERA in his last seven starts and looks to take his third straight victory against Kansas City this season.
Cleveland Indians -210
WILD BILL
Reds-Cubs Over (5 units)
Nationals +240 (5 units)
Mets-Braves Under 9½ (5 units)
Royals-Indians Over 7½ (5 units)
Yankees +165 (5 units)
Twins-Angels Under 8½ (5 units)
A's +105 (5 units)
Bears -3 (5 units)
Bob Harvey
Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Indians
Play: Cleveland Indians -1½
There has been no player more valuable to his team than the Indians Cliff Lee. Cleveland has won 58 games this season and Lee has accounted for almost 30% of them with his 17 victories. This afternoon he looks for his seventh straight win as the Indians go for a three-game sweep of the Royals.
In addition to his 17-2 record he has an ERA of 2.43. Lee is the AL leader in wins, winning percentage, ERA and has allowed two or fewer runs in 18 of his 24 starts. He’s 6-0 with a 2.42 ERA in his last seven starts, and is coming off his third complete game, a victory over the Angels last week.
Lee’s only shutout of the year came against the Royals in April. The lefty also beat Kansas City in May to improve to 9-4 lifetime vs. KC. He’s also unbeaten at home going 7-0 at Progressive Field this season with a 2.38 ERA in ten starts.
The Indians are going for their first home sweep of an opponent since winning four straight against Tampa Bay immediately before the All-Star break. Since the beginning of that series, Cleveland is 21-14 overall.
As has happened in years gone by, Kansas City is struggling in the second half of the season and headed perhaps to another last place finish. The Royals have dropped four straight and 11 of 13 falling behind the Indians into the basement of the AL central where they’ve resided the past four seasons.
Zach Greinke will toe the rubber looking to turn things around for the Royals but he’s just 2-4 in his last nine starts having allowed at least five runs in four of those five outings. He’s also just 3-6 lifetime vs. the Tribe.
Steve Janus
New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Play: New York Yankees +160
Taking the Yankees here in a big underdog situation. New York can be overrated, but if they can get their bats going at all against Halladay they will have a great chance to pull off a big upset.
Brian Marshall
Colorado Rockies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Plays: Colorado/Los Angeles Over 9
Do you love high-scoring games? If yes, you will love Thursday's MLB contest between the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Colorado Rockies will be lead by starting pitcher Jorge De La Rosa. Jorge De La Rosa has been having huge pitching problems as of late. In fact, Jorge De La Rosa has a 7.36 ERA in his last 3 starts. We see Jorge De La Rosa giving up many runs once again today.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will be lead by starting pitcher Derek Lowe. Derek Lowe has also been having huge pitching problems as of late. In fact, Derek Lowe has a 6.48 ERA in his last 3 starts. We see Derek Lowe also giving up many runs today.
These teams have a history of playing high-scoring games when they meet. In fact, the Over is 13-7 in the last 20 meetings between these teams.
The bottom line, we should see many runs scored tonight!
Take the Colorado Rockies/Los Angeles Dodgers Over 9
Tony Mathews
Atlanta Braves vs. New York Mets
Selection: New York Mets -1.5 Runs
The Atlanta Braves will use starting pitcher Mike Hampton. Mike Hampton has struggled this entire season. In fact, Mike Hampton has a 6.92 ERA on the season. We see Mike Hampton pitching another bad game today.
The New York Mets will use starting pitcher Pedro Martinez. Pedro Martinez has been pitching very well as of late. In fact, Pedro Martinez has a 1.86 ERA in his last 3 starts. We see Pedro Martinez pitching another great game today.
The New York Mets are a perfect 4-0 in their last 4 meetings against the Atlanta Braves (when playing in New York), and should be able to get another blowout win tonight!
Take the New York Mets -1.5 Runs
FAO Sports
49ers / Bears Over
These teams have played each other the last 2 years in preseason games. The combined scores averaged 50.5 PPG. The OVER seems like an easy play.
Yankee Capper
3 Units - Florida Marlins-RL (-120)
Ron Raymond
5* CFL GAME OF THE WEEK
Edmonton Eskimos -3.0
Dennis Macklin
Oakland Athletics at Seattle Mariners
The A's lack of offense (35 games of one run or less) is well documented. Oaktown's starting pitcher Greg Smith might be 5-12 but only for lack of run support as his ERA is 3.91 for the year and 2.83 in L3. The under is 19-3 in his 22 starts, 12-1 to the low on the road. The Mariners are 10-1 to the over in L11 but mainly due to the fact that opponents are hitting a whopping .346 in L7. The all pitch and no hit A's dictate here and force this game under the total.
Play on: Under
VEGAS EXPERTS
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
We look for the Blue Jays to take their series with the Yankees tonight as they send ace Roy Halladay to the bump. As the year moves along, Halladay is only getting stronger as is evident by a 1.14 ERA his last three starts. Also, the last time he faced the Bronx Bombers, he went the full nine innings, allowing just two hits and zero runs. With the way NY has played lately, they don't stand any better of a chance this go around.
Play on: Toronto