STU FINER
Every Game Every Day
Texas Rangers at New York Yankees
This line is big, this line is real big. We still love the Yankees and love Joba Chamberlain here tonight. The Yankees had a terrible game last night. Do you expect the Yankees offense against the Rangers to score just one run? When the Yankees have a game like this they almost always follow it up with a big offensive out- put. Not only do we get the Yankees tonight after a down night we get their best pitcher.
Joba Chamberlain is the Yankees best pitcher now folks, make no mistake about it. The Yankees are 4-1 in Joba’s five starts. Each start Joba has made he has gotten just a little bit better. His last three starts his ERA sits under 1. 18 innings, 16 hits and 21 strikeouts. Those are numbers of an ace.
For the season Joba has an ERA of 2 and allows very few long-balls. The Rangers are an aggressive team and watching Mussina last night will help Joba do the same thing tonight.
New York Yankees (-)
Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays
Look for the Boston Red Sox to bounce back here tonight in game two of this series. Last night they come up just a few feet short of tying the game in the ninth inning. The Red Sox actually knocked the Rays closer out of game, while still in a save situation. Very rarely do you see a manager pull his closer with a one run lead and two outs. J.P. Howell came in and got the save.
I know that Troy pulled up lame, but he was fine and begged to stay in the game. It sends a terrible message to the team though. They had to hang on by the skin of their teeth and they had to mix and match roles. The Rays are good, that is clear by their record, they are in first place and they have 50 wins on the season. They send just an average pitcher to the mound though tonight.
Matt Garza is just 6-4 on the season and has an ERA right near 4. Tim Wakefield has similar numbers but is a veteran and wins big games. The Red Sox have won six out of the last seven meetings with the Rays. Look for that number to be seven out of eight after tonight.
Boston Red Sox (+)
Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins
Have to like the Twins to bounce back here tonight. They lost a tough game last night but send one of the most reliable pitchers in baseball to the hill today. Don’t look at Scott Baker’s record. HE is just 4-2 but the Twins are 7-4 in his eleven starts, this guy can pitch.
2-1 in his last three starts he has really cut down on the walks. His ERA for the season sits at 3.57 and he has beaten the Tigers at home before. The Twins did lose at home last night but trust us that are the mirage and that are not the trend. On the season the Twins are 27-18 at home and they are 8-2 at home in their last ten.
Everyone wants to make a big deal of Detroit’s better play of late, and it has been better but they are still chasing the Twins and the White Sox. Look for the Twins to restore order.
Minnesota Twins (-)
Cleveland Indians at Chicago White Sox
Are the White Sox rolling or what? Just last week they were swept against the Cubs. So many people buried the White Sox. If you turned in to Chicago sports talk radio you would have thought the White Sox just traded Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye and Nick Swisher for a single a prospect.
The Sox responded and responded in a big way. They went to Los Angeles and took two of three and won the series. After that emotional tough series, they returned home and they blitzed the Cubs. They outscored the Cubs 21-9 in those three games. Each game they were medium favorites and they delivered.
The White Sox rank in the top ten in both offense and pitching. With 109 home runs and a team ERA of 3.41 this team is for real.
Chicago White Sox (-)
Oakland Athletics at LA Angels
Have the love the Angels tonight at home. How about these Angels? This is a team that just wins ball game. They have one superstar player and a ton of role players surrounding them.
Vladimir Guerrero is that superstar but there other players know how to win. Even while scoring one run they play great defense and win games. See this is the best defensive team in baseball and make no mistake about it. On the season they have committed the second fewest errors with just 40. Their outfield covers more ground than any outfield in baseball.
Ervin Santana is 9-3 on the season and should be in the Bronx next week for the all-star game. Look for the Angels to take care of business and win this game here at home.
LA Angeles (-)
Toronto Blue Jays at Seattle Mariners
Don’t be fooled by this game. People are thinking Felix Hernandez is going to start and they are deal wrong. Manager Jim Riggleman says that he doesn’t even know when Felix will be able to throw again. They surely won’t know when he can pitch. The Mariners are now down Felix and don’t forget that Miguel Batista is suffering from back spasms and he won’t be able to go. The Mariners will have to use a reliever in this contest. Whatever choice they make it isn’t going to be a strong one.
Are you going to be confident with Ryan Rowland – Smith (Most likely choice) or Roy Corcoran? How about Sean Green or Mark Lowe? The Mariners have plenty of problems winning with their best pitchers on the mound. They didn’t hit a lick last night and face another quality arm tonight. Seattle is dead and buried. Don’t think that a few wins last week all of a sudden show us they have bounced back, that is not the case.
Toronto Blue Jays (Even)
National League
Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves
Many people expect the Braves to get it going. We just don’t see it happening. This is a team that has no bullpen, no starting pitching depth and they are now without their best player. There isn’t one team in the league that depends more on their superstar player than the Braves.
Chipper Jones makes the entire Braves offense go. They do have other hitters, but pitchers have to pitch to those guys when Chipper is in the mix. Chipper's is hitting .394 on the season with 16 home runs. As we said Mark Teixeira and Brian McCann can hit, but these guys are seeing fat fastballs at bat after at bat, no longer.
The Braves dropped the final two games to the Blue Jays over the weekend. They came out strong in that series, winning the first game 4-0 but then couldn’t put it together. They lost 9-5 in the second game and were shutout by A.J. Burnett 1-0 in the final game of that three game set.
Atlanta is just 2-4 in their last six contests. They have also dropped four of their last five series. The Phillies know they can’t sputter along all season. They will want to head in to the break with a cushion.
Philadelphia Phillies (+)
Washington Nationals at Florida Marlins
The Nationals send one of their top prospects to the mound tonight. Colin Balester goes for Washington tonight. This kid has the goods. He is a 6 foot 5 starter out of California. He is only 22 years old on the season. He features three major league pitches. Fastball, curve and slider. His fastball can get up 92-93 mph.
Do not like how the Marlins have played as of late. You can’t look at their record as a whole. This team hasn’t been playing well for a while. They started off hot. They were actually division leaders for a few weeks. Now they are a few losses away from dropping under the .500 mark. Let’s be honest here this team isn’t a good baseball team. Sure the Marlins have some power, but outside of that they don’t have much. Their all-star second baseman is banged up and their stud SS had been slumping for the last 14 games.
The Marlins will have no read on this rookie and that will cause them some problems. Take the road team here tonight.
Washington Nationals (+)
Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds
This line is just too good too pass up. I know that Edinson Volquez is on the mound for the Reds tonight. He is not a machine though. He is now 10-3 on the season and the team has lost four games in which he has started. Even worse for Reds fan is the fact that Mr. Volquez is coming off his worst start of the season.
Just a few days ago Edinson traveled and went in to Toronto. The Blue Jays are not a team that has a powerful offense whatsoever. They were still able to get to him and get to him in a big way. Volquez threw just 4 and a third innings in that contest. In those 4 plus innings he walked three batters allowed six hits.
The problem for Edinson he has begun to walk more batters. In fact this season he has walked a batter each and every start. Really disturbing for Edinson is the fact that his last start he struck out zero, his start before that just five. These innings begin to add up. It will be tough for him to keep this pace all season.
The Reds won in dramatic fashion last night, tonight will be a let down. Take the Pirates.
Pittsburgh Pirates (+)
LA Dodgers at Houston Astros
The Dodgers came out last night and actually scored a run in the first inning. You may not think that is important, but for Los Angeles it is. This is a team that just can’t find their offense. Over the weekend they had just four hits in the final two games. In fact they actually had no hits on Saturday night and still managed to win a game. Last night their offense still wasn’t good.
The Astros on the other hand came out and matched them in the first inning and put up a big fourth inning. The “big puma” was back in the saddle and he hit a monster shot for his 22nd home run.
The Astros have begun to play better baseball as of late as well. The have won three straight series. Most impressive about those three series wins is the level of competition. They beat Tampa, Texas and then took care of the Red Sox. They also beat some top level pitchers. Look for Houston at home to take care of business in game two of this series.
Houston Astros (-)
NY Mets at St. Louis Cardinals
This is a high line, there is no doubting that, but it is a correct line. Anyone that watched last nights game will know exactly why this line is just due. Face it, the Mets are a bad baseball team. Almost everyone is expecting this huge turn around for the Mets. Mets management felt that it wasn’t the players but it was the manager. Well since Jerry Manuel has taken over the Mets are just 6-6. Not exactly an earth shattering record so far huh? Last night the Mets came in to St. Louis and got spanked.
John Maine didn’t even see the fifth inning. The Cardinals are a much better team now then they were just a few days ago. You want to know why? Well how about getting the best player in baseball back. Albert Pujols is back and he is crushing the ball. Sure didn’t take him long to have his first four hit game since his DL stint, now did it? The Cardinals are not going anywhere folks.
The Mets are a team that is under .500 and bad on the road, they played sloppy last night with three errors, look for St. Louis in their home ball park to win this game and win this series.
St. Louis Cardinals (-)
San Diego Padres at Colorado Rockies
Aaron Cook is under-rated folks. Make no mistake about it, but this guy can pitch. This guy has ten wins on a bad baseball team. The Rockies really missed him down the stretch last year and when he came back it was a big jolt. Not only does this guy have ten wins, but he deserves it.
Aaron has thrown 116 innings this season. The key to Aaron’s success his location and that sinker that he features. Aaron has walked just 28 batters in his 116.1 innings. Colorado is a tough park to pitch in, but this guy keeps the ball down pitch after pitch after pitch. Hitters compare it to hitting a bowling ball! Look for the Rockies ace to take care of business and win at home.
Colorado Rockies (-)
Milwaukee Brewers at Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona is so happy to be back at home. They had an unbelievable tough road stretch the last week plus. Arizona had to play nine straight games on the road. That road trip began on June 20 and did not finish until Sunday June 29. Arizona dropped seven of those nine road games and really brought them back to earth in this weak NL Central. See people think this is a bad baseball team and they are wrong.
There nine game road trip brought them all over the country. They went and played a Twins team that was/is the hottest team in baseball. After that they went and played the best team in all of baseball the Boston Red Sox and finally they flew to Florida and played a scrappy team over .500 in Florida.
Arizona is back home where they have a great record and Randy Johnson has three of his wins. Look for Arizona to rock and roll in this contest.
Arizona Diamondbacks (-)
Chicago Cubs at San Francisco Giants
The Giants are actually playing better baseball right now than the Chicago Cubs. We know that you find it hard to believe but that is the case. The Cubs are coming off a disastrous weekend. This was a team that had everyone smiling and everyone so confident about before they went to play the White Sox. After all they did just sweep the White Sox last week!
It actually started before their road series against their cross-town rivals. The Cubs got beat up by the Baltimore Orioles. They were outscored 27-16 at home. After those three games they went and played the White Sox and lost game one, game two and game three. 21-9 was the final series total.
The Giants are coming off a series win against the Athletics and are actually a decent team. When they get good starting pitcher (they will tonight with Matt Cain) they are right in every ball game.
San Francisco Giants (-)
SPORTS ADVISORS
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee (44-38) at Arizona (42-41)
Randy Johnson (4-6, 4.94) looks to snap a personal five-game losing skid and pick up his first victory since May 18 when he battles the Brewers at Chase Field. In fact, the DBacks are 0-7 in Johnson’s last seven trips to the mound (0-2), but that’s not their only issue. Despite Monday’s 6-3 win over the Brewers, Arizona is mired in funks of 3-7 overall, 8-20 against winning teams, 6-7 at home, 2-6 against right-handed starters and 3-8 versus the N.L. Central.
Milwaukee has followed an 8-1 hot streak by losing four of its last five. Still, the Brewers are on positive runs of 10-5 against the N.L. West, 7-2 versus left-handed starters and 19-7 on Tuesdays. Finally, Milwaukee is 9-3 in the last 12 head-to-head meetings between these squads, including sweeping a three-game home series in early June. The Brew Crew has outscored the DBacks 47-10 in its last six victories against Arizona.
Jeff Suppan (4-6, 4.05) takes the ball for Milwaukee looking to halt a two-game losing skid, as the right-hander gave up 10 runs (seven earned) on 16 hits over just 7 2/3 innings in his last two efforts against Baltimore (8-5 home loss) and Atlanta (4-2 road defeat). Suppan is just 2-5 with a 5.73 ERA on the road this year and 2-3 with a 3.86 ERA in seven lifetime starts against Arizona, including getting a no-decision his teams’ 4-3 home victory over the Snakes on June 2.
Johnson pitched well enough to win on Wednesday in Boston, yielding two runs on eight hits in six innings, but falling 5-0. In his three starts prior to that, though, the Big Unit had given up 20 runs (18 earned) and 27 hits in just 18 innings of work (9.00 ERA). At home this year, the southpaw is 3-2 with a beefy 6.23 ERA. Also, Johnson is 18-8 with a 3.46 ERA in 31 starts against the Brewers, including a 7-1 loss in Milwaukee on June 3. However, Arizona is 4-1 in the Unit’s last five home starts versus the Brewers.
The under is 8-2 in Suppan’s last 16 starts overall (5-0 on the road), 4-2 in his last six starts against Arizona, 27-11-2 in Johnson’s last 40 starts overall (6-2 last eight) and 4-1 in Johnson’s last five against the Brewers. Additionally, the under is on runs of 6-1 for Milwaukee overall (3-0 last three), 8-2 for Milwaukee as an underdog, 7-0-2 for Arizona overall, 11-4-1 for Arizona as a favorite and 7-3-1 in this rivalry.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Boston (50-35) at Tampa Bay (50-32)
Matt Garza (6-4, 3.76) returns to the mound for the first time since a complete-game, one-hitter against Florida when he leads the first-place Rays against Boston in the middle game of this series between the A.L. East’s top two teams. Tampa Bay held off Boston 5-4 on Monday and now leads the division by 1½ games. The Rays have won 10 of their last 13 games overall, going 6-1 in the last seven. They’re also on an incredible 27-6 roll at Tropicana Field.
The Red Sox, who hand the ball to Tim Wakefield (5-5, 3.88) tonight, have lost three in a row (all on the road), and they’re now 17-36 in their last 53 contests on an artificial surface. However, they have won nine of their last 14 against winning teams, and they’re 11-3 in their last 14 on Tuesdays.
The host is on a 11-0 run in this rivalry, with the home team winning all 10 meetings this year. Boston still owns an astounding 98-44 record in the last 142 clashes against the Rays, but it has lost five straight at Tampa.
Garza gave up only a solo home run to Hanley Ramirez in the seventh inning Thursday at Florida, walking one and striking out 10 in a 6-1 victory. The right-hander is 2-1 with a 2.05 ERA in his last three starts, and he’s 4-1 with a 2.51 ERA in seven contests at Tropicana Field. Finally, in four career starts against the BoSox, Garza is 2-1 with a 4.71 ERA. However, two of those outings came this year, and surrendered 10 runs (eight earned) in just 10 1/3 innings of work.
Wakefield was nearly as good as Garza in his most recent start, scattering two hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings en route to Wednesday’s 5-0 home win over the Diamondbacks. The veteran knuckleballer has strung together six straight quality starts (2.09 ERA), pitching eight innings in the first outing and going exactly seven frames in the last five. However, Boston is just 3-3 during this six-start stretch and 4-5 in his last nine trips to the hill.
Wakefield is 1-3 with a 4.37 ERA in nine road starts in 2008 (six of which Boston has lost), but he’s an incredible 19-3 with a 3.16 ERA in 39 career appearances (29 starts) against the Rays, including 9-1 with a 2.52 ERA at Tropicana Field. The Sox have won seven of Wakefield’s last nine starts against the Rays.
The under is 5-2-1 in Boston’s last eight overall, 7-4-2 in Boston’s last 13 against winning teams, 22-9-1 in Tampa’s last 32 home games and 10-4 in Garza’s 14 starts this year (6-1 at home). Finally, in this rivalry, the under has cashed in four of the last five meetings at Tropicana Field, with Monday’s contest barely topping the posted total.
ATS ADVANTAGE: TAMPA BAY and UNDER
Oakland (45-37) at L.A. Angels (49-34)
Rich Harden (5-0, 2.15) will try to keep his perfect record intact when he toes the rubber at Angel Stadium, hoping to carry the A’s closer to first-place Los Angeles in the A.L. West. Oakland pounded out a 6-1 victory Monday to improve to 10-6 in its last 16 games overall and 6-2 in its last eight on the road. However, the A’s are still only 10-19 in their last 29 games inside the division. On the bright side, with Harden on the bump, Oakland is on impressive streaks of 40-14 overall, 17-5 on the road and 17-4 on the road against A.L. West clubs.
The Angels, who now lead the A’s by 3½ games, are set to give the ball to Ervin Santana (9-3, 3.32), who is coming off one of his worst starts of the season. The Halos have lost four of their last five games, scoring a total of two runs in the last four. However, they are on streaks of 5-1 against winning teams, 5-2 within the division, 18-4 on Tuesdays, 61-25 in Game 2 of a series, 17-7 in Santana’s last 24 starts at home and 20-7 in Santana’s last 27 outings versus the A.L. West.
The season series is knotted a 4-4, with the road team winning five of the eight battles, including four of the last five.
Harden, who has given up two runs or fewer in nine of his 11 starts, dominated the Phillies on Thursday afternoon in Oakland, yielding just two hits and a walk while striking out a season-high 11 over eight innings en route to a 5-0 victory. The A’s are 9-2 in the right-hander’s starts this year, including 5-0 in the last five.
Santana gave up four runs on four hits and five walks on Wednesday at Washington, getting a no-decision in his team’s 5-4 loss to the Nationals. The Angels are just 3-6 in the right-hander’s last nine outings.
Harden is 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA on the road and 5-3 with a 3.99 ERA in 13 career games (12 starts) against the Angels. Meanwhile, Santana is 3-2 with a 3.27 ERA at home, but 8-1 with a 1.38 ERA in 12 lifetime appearances (11 starts) versus the A’s. All 11 of Santana’s starts against Oakland have been quality outings, including a 6-1 home victory on April 30. He also opposed Harden in Oakland on June 8, with neither getting a decision as the A’s won 7-3 on a walk-off grand slam in the 12th inning.
The under is 9-2 in Santana’s 11 career starts against the A’s and 7-1 in his last eight home starts. Also, the under is on streaks of 6-1 for Oakland overall, 38-15-3 for Los Angeles overall (8-2 last nine), 15-5-2 for L.A. at home and 40-17-3 in this rivalry, including 29-10 in the last 39 meetings at Angel Stadium.
ATS ADVANTAGE: L.A. ANGELS and UNDER
DUNKEL
Philadelphia at Atlanta
The Phillies open an important series tonight in Atlanta and look to build on their 8-3 record as a road underdog between +100 and +125. Philadelphia is the underdog pick (+110) according to Dunkel, which has the Phils favored straight up by 1. Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+110). Here are all of today's games.
TUESDAY, JULY 1
Game 901-902: Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Duke) 15.165; Cincinnati (Volquez) 14.636
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-170); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+160); Over
Game 903-904: Philadelphia at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Kendrick) 15.164; Atlanta (Morton) 14.086
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-120); 9
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+110); Under
Game 905-906: Washington at Florida
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Balester) 13.675; Florida (Hendrickson) 14.410
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Florida (-130); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida (-130); Under
Game 907-908: LA Dodgers at Houston
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Kershaw) 15.861; Houston (Rodriguez) 14.608
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Houston (-125); 9
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (+115); Under
Game 909-910: NY Mets at St. Louis
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Armas) 14.484; St. Louis (Wellemeyer) 16.971
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 2 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-150); 9
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-150); Under
Game 911-912: San Diego at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Banks) 13.699; Colorado (Cook) 15.421
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 2; 9
Vegas Line: Colorado (-150); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-150); Under
Game 913-914: Milwaukee at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Suppan) 14.064; Arizona (Johnson) 15.779
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Arizona (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-130); Over
Game 915-916: Chicago Cubs at San Francisco
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Marquis) 14.254; San Francisco (Cain) 15.354
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1; 8
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-115); Under
Game 917-918: Texas at NY Yankees
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Millwood) 13.960; NY Yankees (Chamberlain) 15.734
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 2; 10
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-205); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-205); Over
Game 919-920: Kansas City at Baltimore
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Hochevar) 14.715; Baltimore (Liz) 15.949
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Baltimore (-130); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (-130); Over
Game 921-922: Boston at Tampa Bay
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Wakefield) 16.010; Tampa Bay (Garza) 14.892
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-115); 9
Dunkel Pick: Boston (+105); Under
Game 923-924: Cleveland at Chicago White Sox
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Lee) 14.959; White Sox (Danks) 14.831
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-120); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+110); Over
Game 925-926: Detroit at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Robertson) 15.375; Minnesota (Baker) 17.279
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 2; 8
Vegas Line: Minnesota (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (-130); Under
Game 927-928: Oakland at LA Angels
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Harden) 14.605; LA Angels (Santana) 15.222
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1; 6
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-110); 7
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-110); Under
Game 929-930: Toronto at Seattle
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Litsch) 14.731; Seattle (Rowland-Smith) 15.810
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Toronto (-135); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (+125); Over
Vernon Croy
Texas Rangers vs. New York Yankees
Play: Over
This pick falls into one of my MLB systems and both of these teams are hitting the ball extremely well. Texas is hitting .286 as a team against right hand starters this season while averaging 5.9 rpg and the Yankees are hitting .273 as a team over their last 7 games while averaging 5.4 rpg. The Rangers opponents are hitting .281 against them in night games this season while averaging 5.8 rpg and Kevin Millwood (5-4, 5.08) has struggled on the road this season with an ERA of 5.25 while allowing 70 hits over just 48 innings pitched. Millwood has also struggled over his last 3 starts with an ERA of 5.68 while walking 10 batters over 19 innings and Joba Chamberlain (2-2, 2.03 ERA) has only lasted an average of 4.1 innings per start over his 3 starts at home this season. Take the Over as you free MLB play for Tuesday night.
Matt Fargo
Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Play: Boston Red Sox
Boston looks for some payback still as Tampa Bay continues its surprising assault on the A.L. East. The Red Sox are six games under .500 on the road for the season but the offense has been sufficient with a .270 average. That improves .287 over their last 10 games including a .288 average against right-handed pitching. Boston has had its success against the top teams of late, going 9-5 in its last 14 games against a team with a winning record. Contrarian players take note that the home team is 10-0 in this series year to date.
Tampa Bay has the second best home record in the American League but it remains a tough place for the home team to generate any offense. Over the last four home series, covering 13 games, the Rays have averaged only 3.7 rpg. On the season, they are averaging just 4.3 rpg while Boston is tied for 10th ion baseball, averaging 4.5 rpg on the road. Tampa Bay makes up for it with the best home ERA in baseball at 2.87 but that will be challenged from the other side tonight.
Tim Wakefield’s lifetime performance against Tampa Bay can be summed up in just one word and that is domination. He had a no-decision in his lone start against the Rays this season and over his career, he is 19-3 with a 3.16 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 29 starts and 39 overall appearances. That dominance is huge but what is ever bigger has been Wakefield’s recent form. He has tossed six straight quality starts, posting a 2.09 ERA over this stretch.
The Rays counter with Matt Garza who has had a solid run of late. He has thrown three consecutive quality starts and based on his status, this is the time to go against him, especially when in the role of favorite. Prior to that, he had two rough outing and one of those came against the Red Sox. In two starts this season against Boston, Garza has a 6.97 ERA and 1.55 WHIP and neither appearance was worth much. Despite a season ERA of 3.76, the Rays are just 7-7 in his 14 starts. Play Boston Red Sox 1.5 Units
James Patrick Sports
Dodgers vs. Astros
Joe Torre brings his Dodger Blue to Houston and the road has not been very friendly for his team as the Dodgers are 5-12 on the road and have dropped 7 of 9 overall. To add to their problems LA is just 1-4 in Texas and 0-4 on the road versus lefties. Houston is a solid 5-1 in Tuesday action and tonight’s starter Rodriguez has cashed in 14 of 20 home starts. Our Tuesday Major League selection is Houston Astros.
Marc Lawrence
Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins
Prediction: Minnesota Twins
The Red-hot Twins look to continue their winning ways when they send Scott Baker up against Nate Robertson in the Metrodome tonight. A quick check of ERA's shows Baker's 2.24 mark at home is twice as good as his 4.57 road mark, while Robertson's 6.27 mark on the road is more than two full runs worse than his 4.17 home ERA. With Baker 4-1 with a 2.39 ERA in his last five home starts, look for Robertson to dip to 4-12 away on Tuesdays here tonight.
Jimmy The Moose
San Diego Padres at Colorado Rockies
Prediction: Colorado Rockies
Prior to last night's game the Padres were 3-13 in theor last 16 games. San Diego is 17-35 in their last 52 road games. The Padres are 1-10 in their last 11 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400. The Rockies seem to be at their best when Cook is on the mound and he's tonight's starter. Cook is 10-5 on the season. Colorado has won 5 of his last 7 home starts. In his last 10 starts vs. NL West team's the Rockies are 8-2. The Rockies have won 5 of his last 7 home starts vs. San Diego. Prior to last night's game the Padres were 3-8 in the last 11 meetings. Play on the Rockies -.
Big Al Mcmordie
Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays
Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays
At 7:10pm our member selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Boston Red Sox. Starting pitchers can't get much hotter than tonight's matchup of righthanders. Tampa's young Matt Garza and Boston's veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield both have ERAs slightly over two runs and WHIPs under 1.00 in their last three starts. But for all of his success, Wakefield has continued to struggle on the road this season, going 1-3 with a ERA of 4.37 and WHIP of 1.33 away from Fenway. That's not unusual for a knuckleballer whose home park is an outdoor facility and who has to occassionally pitch in some indoor arenas like Minnesota's Metrodome or Tampa's Tropicana Field. Wakefield may be 7-2 in his last nine starts against the Rays, but he has given up fourteen runs in his last three starts against Tampa covering only fourteen innings. The Sox will continue to miss the bat of David Ortiz who, it was just announced, will miss the upcoming All Star Game in New York. They will also be without outfielder Coco Crisp who ironically is serving the suspension that he was hit with for rushing the mound against the Rays' James Shields. Crisp had been red hot before he started serving his suspension. With Tampa's win over Boston on Monday night, the home team has now won every game played between these two AL East squads in 2008, and Tampa is 30-9 its last 39 at Tropicana Field. Take the Rays.
Robert Ross
Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves
Prediction: Philadelphia Phillies
Phils have the better team. Atlanta has been abysmal in one-run games. Phils' KENDRICK is 7-1 against the money line on the road when the money line is +125 to -125 this season (Team's Record)while ATLANTA is 10-19 against the money line with a hot bullpen whose WHIP is under 1.000 the last 5 games over the last 2 seasons. Take Philadelphia!
Scott Ferrall
Baltimore -135 over Kansas City--Liz goes to 3-0 and beats Hochevar at Camden. The O's are too tough at home for KC
TAMPA -120 over Boston--Garza handles the Red Sox and Wakefield has no fun against this Rays team that is brutal to beat in St.Pete
Cleveland +115 over ChiSox--I'm on Cliff Lee over Danks. Lee is 11-1 and TAKE THE UNDER 8 RUNS. Both have low ERA's in the 2's
MINNESOTA -130 over Detroit--The Tigers roll finally coes to a halt against Scott Baker in the Homerdome
Oakland (even odds) over Angels--Harden's been unreal of late and K'd 11 Phils in his last start. I'm thinkin upset of Santana in Anaheim
YOU CAN FLIP A COIN ON THESE
Toronto -135 over Seattle--Take Litsch in Emerald City over suddenly hot Mariners
Arizona -130 over Milwaukee--Big Unit over Suppan in the desert
JB's Computer Picks
Baltimore Orioles -130
Chicago White Sox -130
St. Louis Cardinals -150
Los Angeles Angels -115
Mr A
Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay has played well at home 30-13 this season and has won all four games versus Boston at Tropicana Field thus far this season.
Tampa Bay's right-hander Matt Garza is 4-1 with a 2.51 ERA at home this season and is 2-1 with a 4.71 ERA in four career starts versus Boston. The Rays are 5-1 in Garza's last 6 starts at home.
Boston's right-hander Tim Wakefield is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his last four starts and is 17-3 with a 3.31 ERA in 29 starts versus Tampa Bay, but the Red Sox are 1-4 in Wakefield's last 5 starts on the road.
Take the Tampa Bay Rays tonight at Tropicana Field. The home team has won all 10 games in the series.
Tampa Bay Rays -120
Gina
Los Angeles Dodgers at Houston Astros
The Los Angeles Dodgers have played awful away from home, dropping 13 of their last 18 road games, including yesterdays 4-1 defeat against the Astros. To boot, they have struggle against lefthanders, just 1-10 in their last 11 games. Go with the Astros at home.
Houston has won eight of the last 10 meetings, and five of the last 6 at Minute Maid Park.
Houston Astros - 140
Chris Jordan
N.Y. Mets at ST. LOUIS -140
Bank the Cardinals to get it done over the Metropolitans tonight, as St. Louis' bats have come alive and will batter its weary visitors to win its fourth straight game.
It's been quitea turnaround for the National League Wildcard leaders, as they're hitting .310 with 15 homers over the last 10 games. All-Star Albert Pujols has been a big part of that since returning from the disabled list Thursday, as he's 9-for-19 (.474) with one home run and five RBI in the last five games after missing 13 with a strained left calf. He is currently third in the NL with a .357 batting average while hitting a team-high 17 homers and driving in 47 runs.
Meanwhile, the struggling Mets have scored six runs in their last four games - three losses - since routing the Yankees in their subway-series opener.
I don't care about the pitchers in this one, it's all about the Cardinals getting it done as a team.
4♦ CARDINALS