PRICELESS PICKS
1 Unit on D-backs/Red Sox OVER 9.5
After a night when only 3 runs were scored in Fenway and only 1 by the home squad, I expect an offensive explosion in game 2. The Over is 8-1-1 in the Diamondbacks last 10 vs. the American League East, 8-3-1 in the Diamondbacks last 12 Tuesday games, and 5-2 in the Diamondbacks last 7 games as a road underdog. The Over is 4-1 in the Red Sox last 5 interleague games vs. a left-handed starter and 7-3 in the Red Sox last 10 home games vs. a left-handed starter. We'll bet the OVER!
Jeff Alexander Sports
1 Unit on Cardinals +142
The Cardinals are one of the better road teams in baseball and they are showing good value tonight behind Looper. The Cardinals are 4-1 in their last 5 interleague road games, 7-2 in their last 9 interleague road games vs. a team with a losing record, 9-3 in their last 12 games following an off day, and 5-1 in Looper's last 6 road starts vs. a team with a losing record. The Tigers are 3-7 in their last 10 games following an off day, 0-5 in their last 5 home games following a road trip of 7 or more days, and 10-21 in their last 31 vs. a team with a winning record. Expect Detroit to be rusty tonight. Bet the Red Birds.
STEPHEN NOVER
Minnesota Twins @ San Diego Padres
PICK: Minnesota Twins
REASON FOR PICK: It's nice to take a big underdog when that team is playing their best ball. That's the case tonight with the Minnesota Twins.
The Twins are 8-1 in their last nine games. They have won six in a row. During these past nine games, they've averaged 6.8 runs per game and a .308 batting average.
San Diego, on the other hand, has dropped six of its last seven. The Padres are 13 games below .500. We're not talking about a good team here.
The price is skewed high, though, because the Padres are home and the pitching matchup is Kevin Slowey versus Jake Peavy. On paper, that's a huge pitching mismatch.
But Slowey should pitch very well at spacious Petco Park. He's a control pitcher prone to the longball, which shouldn't hurt him as much pitching at Petco. He's 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA in five interleague starts for his short career. The Padres have yet to face him.
The Padres rank 29th in runs scored and 28th in batting average. Slowey's 1.18 WHIP speaks to his excellent control.
Peavy is making his third start since missing 28 days due to an elbow strain. He had trouble in his last start against a patient Yankees lineup. The Twins are a patient, well-managed team, too. They can cause irritating problems for Peavy.
The Padres haven't been very good hosting American League clubs, having dropped 10 of their last 13 interleague games at home.
BEN BURNS
Tampa Bay Rays @ Florida Marlins
PICK: Florida Marlins
The Rays won two of three games when these instate rivals met at Tampa. That's no real surprise though as both teams have been significantly better when playing at home. The Rays are a terrific 30-13 at home but are just 14-18 on the road. That includes a 3-7 mark their last 10 away from Tropicana Field, a stretch which saw them score two runs or less five times. The Marlins are also below 500 on the road (18-20) but are a respectable 22-15 at home. That includes a terrific 8-1 record when playing at home with a line ranging from +100 to -125 and a profitable 17-8 mark when playing a home game with an over/under line of either nine or 9.5.
Sonnanstine has been fortunate to receive a lot of run support but his 4.92 ERA and 1.416 WHIP show that he hasn't pitched particularly well. That includes a 5.23 ERA his last two starts. Olsen, on the other hand, has pitched well recently and has a 3.51 ERA on the season. That includes a stellar 2.89 mark at home. Olsen is 3-3 with a 2.93 ERA in nine interleague starts, including a 0.77 ERA in two starts against Tampa. consider backing the home team.
BRYAN LEONARD
Los Angeles Angels @ Washington Nationals
PICK: Under
Neither team is hitting on all cylinders offensively as of late. In fact, both teams have had disappointing offensive seasons. Tonight John Garland takes to the mound in Washington to face Shaun Hill. Hill has pitched four times from this mound in 2008 and he has yet to allow more than two earned runs in any start. In fact he has only allowed 28 base runners in 27.1 innings of work at home. He owns an excellent 2.30 ERA pitching in front of the home fans.
John Garland has been at his best when taking the hill away from home. He owns a 2.92 ERA on the road and he has pitched quality starts in his last three away games.
Angel games have gone under to the tune of 41-16-5 and this is a tough stadium to score in. Washington has gone under 17 of 21 at home vs right-handed starters. The line looks to be a bargain with two questionable offenses in this low scoring ballpark.
PLAY UNDER
Alex Smart
Cincinnati Reds @ Toronto Blue Jays Over 8.5
AJ Burnett the Toronto Blue Jays, starting pitcher here tonight against the Cincinnati Reds is currently in a funk , as is evident by a 3 game run that has seen his garner, 11.30 ERA. Burnett has allowed 18 runs on 22 hits, and 12 walks in a little over 14 innings. The right hander has also struggled at home going 3-3 along with a bloated 8.16 ERA. The Reds starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo(4-6,5.55 ERA)has also struggled, recording a ugly 6.33 ERA during a winless four game stretch. Bottom line: I know both these offenses have been less than consistent this season, but both batting orders still have a great deal of talent, and are more than capable of breaking out with an explosive effort, especially against the type of starting pitching they will face in this spot. Final notes & Key Trends: The Jays have gone over in 7 of their L9 interleague home games.
Play OVER
Stevie Y
New York Yankees vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Play: Over
Darrell Rasner. He is 4-4 on the year with a 3.64 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP and a .264 batting average against. But here's the thing. When the season started he was NOT one of the Yankees' young guns. Injuries caused his call up, and I think the hitters are starting to figure him out. On the road this year he is 1-3 with a 5.57 ERA and a .302 batting average against. In his last 3 starts he has allowed 21 hits and 6 walks in 16.2 innings, for an ERA of 5.63 and a WHIP of 1.666. For the entire month of June his ERA is 5.73 and his batting average against is .319. The Bucs will hit him tonight. Meanwhile, the Pirates start lefty Tom Gorzelanny. He is 5-6 on the year with a 6.59 ERA, a 1.75 WHIP and a .273 batting average against. He is 2nd in the NL in walks allowed with 50. It is NEVER a good thing to issue free passes to a team like the Yankees. Over his last 3 starts he has allowed 16 hits and 10 walks in 18.2 innings, for an ERA of 5.00 and a WHIP of 1.428. Despite several unders in a row, the Yankees are batting a solid .284 over the past 7 days. Watch as they open up a can of whoop-ass on Gorzelanny tonight.
Tony Karpinski
Minnesota Twins vs. San Diego Padres
Play: San Diego Padres
Minnesota at San Diego (Baseball action) 10:05pm ET Since coming off the DL Jake Peavy is 1-1 allowing just 4 runs in 10 innings striking out 8. Minnesota took two of three at home from Arizona as they head out West to San Diego. The Twins are a much different team when they play away from the Homer Dome. Look for Jake Peavy's third start back to be the charm as he puts it all together for a dominating deep start and win over Minnesota at home. Play San Diego
Winners Inc. Guaranteed Selections
5000* BASEBALL WINNER
LA Angels w/Garland -143
Charlies Sports
Tampa Bay @ Florida
The Tampa Bay Rays could certainly use improved production at the plate on the road. Perhaps sending Andy Sonnanstine to the mound will give their lineup a boost.The Rays, who have given Sonnanstine strong run support all season, look to end their slump at the plate away from Tropicana Field when they begin a three-game interleague series with the Florida Marlins tonight, Marlins win-120.
Locksmith Sports
1 Unit on Rangers +110
The Rangers have taken 5 of the last 7 in this in-state rivalry and I expect their domination to continue in this series. The Astros are 0-5 in their last 5 home games, 2-7 in their last 9 interleague games, and just 7-19 in their last 26 overall. The Rangers are 5-0 in their last 5 games following an off day, 4-0 in their last 4 Tuesday games, and 23-9 in their last 32 games vs. a right-handed starter. The public doesn't here much about the Rangers outside the Texas area, but this team can hit and they especially crush righties, averaging 6 runs per game against righty starters. Bet the Rangers.
Wunderdog
St Louis at Detroit
Pick: Game Total OVER 9 -110
The Tigers were a dormant team that everyone was waiting on to explode at some point in the season and that time is now. The Tigers' offense has come alive and over the last 15 games they have posted a 12-3 mark. They have also been producing 5.8 runs per game during that stretch. St. Louis has been an improved offensive team, carrying run production of 4.7 rpg over their last 24 games. The Cards have also been 16-5-3 in interleague road games over their last 24, and the Tigers are 10-4 with Rogers on the mound in a favorite's role. Like the OVER in this one.
WNBA
Detroit at Connecticut
Pick: Game Total UNDER 156
This game should be a good one tonight in Connecticut as the Sun host the Detroit Shock in Uncasville. These teams are both tied for the best record in the WNBA at 10-3, and the winner will stand alone with the best record and also atop the Eastern Conference standings. Top matchups like this often get the defensive juices flowing as games of this magnitude are won on the defensive end of the court. This is the first of two games in three days for these teams and you can bet the intensity level will be running high, and defense is going to be the calling card for both teams. The Eastern Conference lead will be on the line as they will meet three times in the next six games, adding a lot of meaning here. Expect this one to be of playoff intensity and that has us feeling good about the UNDER here and that is our play.
Gavazzi Bases
3% St Louis Cards
Larry Ness
Today's Pick: BOSTON RED SOX
The D'backs were "sitting pretty" at the end of April, the proud owners of MLB's best record (20-8). Things have not been as 'pretty' since, as the D'backs will limp into Fenway Park tonight (on ESPN), having gone 19-29 since May 1, including only 6-17 on the road. That hardly bodes well here, as only the Cubs (32-8) own a better home mark in '08 than the Red Sox, who are 29-9 (plus-$1,580) in Fenway this season.The pitching matchup is a good one, with Dan Haren going for Arizona and Josh Beckett for the defending champs. Beckett has not dominated in '08 like he did last year but he is 4-0 in his five Fenway starts (team is 4-1), despite a surprisingly high home ERA of 4.81. Haren has pitched well in Chase Field this year (7-1 with a 2.41 ERA in eight starts / team is 7-2) but he's struggled on the road, going 0-3 with a 4.62 ERA in six starts (team is 2-4). Boston does well vs righties here in Fenway (23-8, averaging 5.7 RPG), while Arizona has struggled on the road vs right-handers, going 6-14 (averaging just 3.7 RPG). The price is a little high but the D'backs are struggling away from home and having to beat Beckett in Fenway is not exactly the easiest way out of a slump. Lay the price with the Red Sox.
FRANK ROSENTHAL
955 YANKS OVER 9
959 CARDS UNDER 9.5
963 RAYS+105
971 COOKIES+120
974 KC UNDER 9
977 PHILLY+105
OVER 8.5
979 CWS+110