The Spread
Boston Red Sox at Washington Nationals
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Washington is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston
Washington is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games
Pick: Boston
Texas Rangers at Arizona Diamondbacks
Texas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Texas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Arizona
Arizona is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Arizona is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games at home
Pick: Arizona
Cincinnati Reds at Toronto Blue Jays
Cincinnati is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Toronto
Cincinnati is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Toronto is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cincinnati
Toronto is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
Pick: Toronto
Yankee Capper
Chicago Cubs -110
Boston Red Sox -125
Cincinnati Reds +115
Wunderdog
Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago White Sox
Pick: Chicago White Sox +1.5
The White Sox own an 8-2 mark vs the Dodgers in the last ten meetings and the White Sox are also 6-1 to a would be +1.5 runline in their last seven played at home. The White Sox offense has shown the most life they have all season as they have now produced 50 runs in their last nine games, or 5.6 a game, and that has been against some top notch pitchers. The Dodgers have a losing mark on the season when posted as a road favorite. I like the White Sox on the runline here.
GREG SHAKER
San Diego Padres at Seattle Mariners
Play: Under 9
This is a very Trendy Play as these two teams have played UNDER the Total 8 of the last 10 times they have played. In addition to that, Seattle is UNDER at 8-2 the last 10 Interleague Games they have played. And Seattle is 24-6-1 UNDER the Total last 31 regardless of where they have played. We can look at Trends all day but what do they mean? Sometimes not doodly squat. Sometimes they do mean something. They mean something today I think. The Mariners are not a prolific scoring team, but they do have two things going for them. They have relatively good starting pitching, and they have a VERY GOOD BULLPEN. In fact they are ranked #4 ERA-Wise in Major League Baseball. That Pen is performing better here at this park than on the road, allowing a full run less when they throw here. They are also doing quite spiffily of late with an ERA right at the 2.2 mark over the last 10 played. Washburn has been magic at this park with 5 of his last 6 going UNDER the Total and he will be facing a team that does not hit lefties very well. Actually both squads are in their worst hitting posture for this one facing Southpaws. LeBlanc has good stuff and nobody doubts that. He does have control issues from time to time but perhaps not as much today with Home Plate Ump Hudson working the game. Hudson has a larger than usual strikezone and a K/BB Ratio of over 2-1 this year. It is no surprise that his 15 chances behind the plate have resulted in just 7.4 Runs Per Game. I don't think that it is going to be often that we see more than 9 runs in this affair and it will take 10 to beat us. I am game.
Jr Tips
PHILADELPHIA vs. TAMPA BAY
The Phillies (37-32) have lost nine of 11 after falling 7-1 on Wednesday to Tampa Bay. Pat Burrell hit a two-run homer against his former team and Jason Bartlett had two RBIs while extending his hitting streak to 18 games for the Rays (38-35), who've won nine of their last 13 games. Burrell is batting .382 with 20 RBIs during his hitting streak. It's uncertain if the Rays will have third baseman Evan Longoria available after he left Wednesday's game with slight soreness in his hamstring and the Phillies will activate struggling closer Brad Lidge off the disabled list who is 0-3 with a 7.27 ERA with 13 saves in 19 chances. Tampa Bay will start Andy Sonnanstine (5-7, 6.60 ERA) allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings of a 5-3 loss to the New York Mets on Friday and the right-hander is 1-7 with an 8.22 ERA in nine road starts. Philadelphia's starter Antonio Bastardo (2-2, 5.21) has had his own striggles giving up four runs and five hits in a career-high seven innings of a 7-2 loss to Baltimore on Friday.The 23-year-old left-hander has allowed eight earned runs in eight innings over his last two starts. Both starting pitchers are struggling giving up an average of 8 runs a piece in their last two starts combined. With each teams bullpens having their own problems, especially Philadelphia, this will be a long game and the last team that scores will win.
PHILADELPHIA/TAMPA BAY OVER 10
Tony George
New York Yankees vs. Atlanta Braves
Play: New York Yankees
Andy Pettittie on the hill with a solid ERA, as the ageless wonder continues to win games and pitch deep into games. He is 7-3 on the year and apparently the inconsistent Yanks are heating up at the plate which is bad news for opponents. Yanks off a big win last night, where the score was much higher than I thought (I had the Under last night) with only 1 run in the top of the 6th. I expect more of the same tonight if the Braves bullpen fails them again and Pettittie is 4-1 on the road this season. The Braves just hitting a paltry .217 as a team against southpaws their last 10 games, not a good sign for them against a very good leftie tonight. NY owns an 11-5 edge in this series the last 16.
Mike Rose
Los Angeles Dodgers -150
The Dodgers ace failed to become the first 10-game winner in the National League his last time out against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. His wildness was the main culprit as he walked five while only striking out three during his 112-pitch six innings effort. That said; the fireballer has been dominant throughout his 15 starts this year compiling a 9-3 record with a 2.83 ERA and K/BB ratio of 96/44. The kids nearly untouchable when hes able to limit his walk total. The Dodgers are 5-2 in his seven road starts this season, and this will be his first look at a White Sox offense.
Lefty Clayton Richard failed to pick-up a decision in his third straight start his last time out against the Cincinnati Reds. He only managed to go three innings giving up six hits and five runs (3 ER), but the White Sox offense bailed him out with a huge comeback to rip him off the losing hook. Richard has failed to go six innings in each of his L/3 starts, and hes almost walked as many as hes Kd (9/11). Chicago is 1-2 in his three US Cellular Field starts this season, and this will be his first career start versus the Dodgers.
With the Dodgers losing last night and the fact that there a tremendous 17-7 (+$1000) after doing so, I like their chances of winning their third straight three-game series with their ace on the mound. LA has feasted upon lefties all year (16-7, +$840), and Clayton Richard has been real shoddy in each of his L/3 starts. Chicagos been unable to protect its house in 09 the way it did a year ago, so back the best team in baseball with its ace on the mound in the finale of this baseball betting series.
IndianCowboy
Take Under 8.5 Cleveland Indians @ Pittsburgh Pirates
Cliff Lee is one of my favorite pitchers and he starts today's matchup on the road as despite the Indians not playing well as a team, Lee still has a 2.94era. He comes off a quality start in Chicago where he gave up 3 runs in 7 innings but the Indians failed to score any runs as they lost 0-3 at Wrigley. Lee has produced 9 of 10 quality starts and although he comes off a ND, he usually does well whenever his team does not win his last contest as he pitches well to the under off such an occurence. Ohlendorf comes off one of his worst starts of the year giving up 6 runs in 5 innings at Coors Field. Having followed the Princeton grad, he has yet to have back to back non-quailty starts this year and I expect him to bounce-back well today as well. The Under is 8-1 when the Indians are favored by this margin on the road and the Under is 4-0 for the Pirates when they face lefties at home of late.
Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports
282 - 184 run 60 % 32-14 run here
Thurs Chi CUBS
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Free Selection from Mike Wynn
Free Play: MLB Toronto w/Cecil -110 Over Cincy
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Free Selection from Platinum Plays
MLB: BOSTON RED SOX - 120
Over the Washington Nationals
8)
Lenny Del Genio
Cincinnati Reds at Toronto Blue Jays
Prediction: Cincinnati Reds
Nice price on Reds ace Johnny Cueto, who leads a team that is 8-0 following a loss by 6+ runs or this season alone. With a 1.53 ERA in eight road starts, Cueto should have little difficulty outpitching Brett Cecil, who has a 7.13 ERA over his last three outings. Take Cincinnati.
GINA
New York Yankees at Atlanta Braves
New York's bats came alive yesterday with an 8-4 win over Atlanta. Look for the Yankees with Andy Pettitte on the hill to take another victory over the Braves. Pettitte is 6-2 in his last 8 starts, 5-1 last 6 on the road and has won his last 4 starts versus Atlanta. The Braves will counter with Derek Lowe. The veteran is 3-1 with a 2.75 ERA in his past five home starts, but 1-2 with a 7.47 ERA in his last three starts. Atlanta is 1-4 in Lowe’s last 5 starts, while the Yankees 6-2 in Pettitte's last 8 starts and 5-2 in the last 7 meetings in Atlanta.
New York Yankees +100
Karl Garrett
San Diego at SEATTLE
Now on a 7-2 comp play run the last 9 days!
Another total late this afternoon from Safeco Field as the Padres and Mariners stay LOW once again.
These teams played UNDER the total last night, and Diego has now played UNDER in 2 of their last 3, and 6 of their last 10, while the M's have played LOW in 8 of their last 10 contests.
Seattle starter Jarrod Washburn has a season ERA just over 3, and 5 of his 7 home starts this year, and 9 of his 13 overall starts have ended up staying UNDER the posted total.
4 of the 5 interleague meetings played between the clubs have played UNDER the total, and this one will as well.
Take the Padres and Mariners UNDER today at Safeco.
2♦ UNDER
Chris Jordan
Boston -130 at WASHINGTON
While the Yankees take on his former team tonight, I’m going to side with John Smoltz makes his long-awaited Red Sox debut. He spent the first 20 seasons of his Major League career in Atlanta, and after undergoing a deliberate rehabilitation program with Boston following shoulder surgery last June, the career 210-game winner will take on a franchise he’s very familiar with.
Smoltz is 21-12 lifetime with a 2.55 ERA in 68 appearances against the Montreal/Washington franchise, and since Boston put an abrupt end to Washington’s mini-run, and has found some offensive prowess the last two nights, I’ll side with the BoSox in this one and bank on Smoltz to pitch a gem.
1♦ RED SOX