SPORTS KINGZ
PHILLY +110
MINNY -130
COLORADO -150
COBS EV
Jorge Gonzalez
Detroit Tigers vs. Minnesota Twins
Play: Minnesota Twins
The Twins have been playing solid baseball of late wining 14 their last 18 games. The Twins have won their last six out of their last seven games at home. Going into Monday’s the Twins are allowing just three runs a game over the last seven. Minnesota will be sending pitcher Scott Baker (4-2, 3.57 ERA) to the mound to face the Tigers. The Twins are 14-4 against teams with a winning record when they are playing them in the dome. The Tigers have lost their last six games a road dog as well. If the Twins get a lead, don’t expect them to give it up. The twins have an ERA of 1.89 and have saved 15 of 16 games. Take the Twins to bounce back here and even up the series.
Louie Mayo
MLB
(5*) Yanks -1½ +103
(3*) Boston +106
(1*) Arizona -128
WNBA
(50*) LA -9 1/2
(50*) S. Antonio -2
C Jordan
600 Reds RL
200 Astros
EZWINNERS
5 STAR: (908) HOUSTON (-$128) over LA Dodgers
(Listing Rodriguez and Kershaw) (Risking $640 to win $500)
2 STAR: (926) MINNESOTA (-$126) over Detroit
(Listing Baker only) (Risking $252 to win $200)
2 STAR: (920) BALTIMORE (-$129) over Kansas City
(Action) (Risking $258 to win $200)
1 STAR: (923) CLEVELAND (+$111) over Chicago
(Listing Lee only) (Risking $100 to win $111)
Players of America
Cleveland Indians vs. Chicago White Sox
The Play: Cleveland Indians +115.0
Star Value: 3* (30 Units)
New York Mets vs. St. Louis Cardinals
The Play: New York Mets +135.0
Star Value: 3* (30 Units)
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Houston Astros
The Play: Los Angeles Dodgers +120.0
Star Value: 1* (10 Units)
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves
The Play: Atlanta Braves -105.0
Star Value: 1* (10 Units)
JEFFERSONSPORTS
Hit 19 of last 26 (73%) 5 dog wins
MLB TUES
ST.LOUIS-138
HOUSTON-127
SAPKOWSKI 8-2 premium picks run
Premium
STL Cardinals
HOU Astros
Free picks
PHI Phillies
CHI White Sox
TOM FREESE
Chicago at San Fransisco
Chicago starter Jason Marquis is 4-0 with a 2.10 ERA in 4 career starts vs. the Giants. The Cubs are 14-7 off a win and they are 19-7 vs. NL West foes. Chicago is 7-3-in Game 2 of a series. San Francisco is 8-20 their last 28 home games and they are 8-20 their last 28 games vs. righty starters. The Giants are 15-37 in the last 52 starts made by Matt Cain and they are 1-5 their last 6 games vs. the Cubs. PLAY ON CHICAGO
Bryan Leonard
Texas Rangers @ New York Yankees
PICK: Texas Rangers
The price is right to take a shot with a Texas team who has pounded right-handed starters on the road. The Rangers average 5.16 runs per game away from home vs righties and the price on young Joba is simply too high to pass up. The Yankees are only 22-19 a home this season and they dropped the opening game of the series last night. The host is also in an offensive funk having scored just five total runs the past three games. New York has made the likes of Oliver Perez and Scott Feldman look like All-Stars the past two nights.
Veteran Kevin Millwood takes the mound for the visitors tonight. While his starts have been feast or famine this season the Texas bullpen is clicking on all cylinders. The pen has a 1.16 ERA in the past nine games and Ron Washington has no qualms about using them early tonight.
The Yankees are a sizable favorite tonight for a reason but this line shows no value on the host. Texas won as a good sized dog last night, they are worthy of another shot with an inflated price tonight.
PLAY TEXAS
The Prez
Los Angeles Dodgers @ Houston Astros
PICK: Houston Astros
LA Dodgers at Houston Astros
Pitchers: Clayton Kershaw vs. Wandy Rodriguez
Umpire: Fieldin Culbreth
Conditions: 94 degrees at first pitch with winds blowing in from center field at 5-10 mph
Clayton Kershaw (0-2, 4.36 ERA) has yet to win a major league start, and tonight's task against the Astros will take a near perfect effort to record that first win. The 20-year-old left-hander struggled in his last outing, allowing two runs, six hits and four walks in four-plus innings Thursday in a 2-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Kershaw is winless in 16 professional starts dating to Aug. 20, 2007, with Double-A Jacksonville. The rookie hasn't received much run support - getting only eight runs in his seven starts -- and isn't likely to get much tonight against the Houston left-hander (Wandy Rodriguez) who is stellar when pitching at home.
Kershaw has an advantage with a generous strike zone from home plate umpire Culbreth tonight, and no Houston hitter has any first hand experience against the Dodgers rookie. (advantage Kershaw the first 2-to-3 times through the batting order).
Wandy Rodriguez (3-3, 2.58) looks to win consecutive starts for the first time this season. The left-hander matched a career high with nine strikeouts and limited Texas to one run and five hits over a season-best eight innings Thursday in a 7-2 victory. Rodriguez is 2-2 with a 1.89 ERA pitching in Minute Maid Park. He has yielded one earned run or none in five of six starts at home.
Rodriguez versus the LAD hitters:
Angel M. Berroa is 0-for-3
Andre Ethier is 0-for-2
Matt Kemp is 1-for-2
James Loney is 0-for-3
Russell Martin is 0-for-3
Jason Repko is 1-for-3
The only bat in the Dodgers lineup that has had any success against Wandy is Jeff Kent who is 3-for-5 with two doubles and a home run. Expect Rodriguez to pitch carefully to the ex-Astro.
Both teams have been more productive against left-handed starters, however, tonight's umpire and conditions should keep both offenses honest.
Fieldin Culbreth has always been pitcher-friendly, but fair. The hitters in the Bigs know he has a wide zone and go to the plate with the understanding they have to swing the bat. Culbreth gives both starters room to work tonight, but he is especially a good fit with the veteran Rodriguez.
3 UNIT Play on Houston and Rodriguez
Dave Malinsky
LA Dodgers (HT) @ Astros (HT)
PICK: Astros First 5 Innings
Last night we cashed an easy ticket at Minute Maid Park with a play-on Houston pitcher vs. the decrepit Los Angeles offense, and an Astro offense with the right-handed punch to knock down an unimposing left-hander. Change a few names here, and we have the same game. We only take a different method to cash the ticket.
Wandy Rodriguez has worked to a 1.89 tune at home this season, despite the fact that five of the six outings came against teams that currently sport winning records. But that is not exactly news - he worked to a 6-3/2.94 from this mound LY. And his last two starts bring us exactly the form we are looking for, with 15 strikeouts vs. only 10 hits and two walks allowed, continuing his command of the strike zone - how about 51 strikeouts vs. 16 walks for the season? Now he gets a chance to step way down in class against a Dodger offense having one of the worst cycles in memory, having been held to one run or none 17 times in their last 36 games. With Rafael Furcal, Nomar Garciaparra and Andrew Jones all playing at AAA Las Vegas on rehab assignments right now, and Juan Pierre also sidelined, it is easy to see why.
Meanwhile the for the second night in a row Los Angeles sends out a lefty that is not ready for prime time just yet. Eventually Clayton Kershaw will be; he has the physical tools to be a winner. But the necessary polish to be successful at this level is a long way off. Although his 4.50 ERA through 33 innings is respectable his 1.67 WHIP is not, especially the 22 walks. A lineup that has faced Jon Lester and Eric Stults over the last four days is more than ready to take on another lefty, and Kershaw will find the Berkman-Lee-Tejada trio in the middle of the lineup a particular challenge.
So why the focus on the First Five innings? It is a case of the marketplace not adjusting properly at all for the setting. While Rodriguez and the Houston offense rate a substantial edge over Kershaw and the Dodger bats, the same can not be said of the bullpens. Los Angeles has a deep and talented group, with all key arms rested and ready. Meanwhile Jose Valverde has worked three straight days for the Astros, and will have to be given this night off. That will not be a concern of ours; by the time Cecil Cooper begins to work his bullpen our mission will already be accomplished. The fact that the line for the first five innings is almost a mirror of the full game shows the extreme value that this brings.
Stephen Nover
Los Angeles Dodgers @ Houston Astros
PICK: Houston Astros
The Los Angeles Dodgers are hoping to get back three of their injured starters by the weekend. Until then, though, the Dodgers are struggling on offense.
Struggling is putting it kindly. Los Angeles has scored one or fewer runs in six of its last eight games. The Dodgers have managed just three runs in their last four games.
Since being without Rafael Furcal, the Dodgers have gone 12-24. Now they are without their main table setter, Juan Pierre. He's out four-to-six weeks with a knee injury.
Now the Astros have to face Wandy Rodriguez at Minute Maid Park, a place where Rodriguez pitches like an all-star. Rodriguez has a 2.64 home ERA the past two years. He's allowed one or fewer runs in five of his six starts this season at Minute Maid Park with a home ERA of 1.89.
Rodriguez has given up two earned runs or less in seven of his 10 overall starts this year. He's 2-1 with a 2.29 in four career appearances versus the Dodgers.
Rookie Clayton Kershaw gets the start for Los Angeles. Kershaw is a top prospect, but the 20-year-old is paying his dues, learning to pitch in the majors. The lefty has put 55 base runners on in 33 innings. He has yet to master certain command issues that have resulted in 22 walks. The Astros also hit lefties very well, batting close to .300 against them.
Houston is playing well, too, winning seven of its past 10. This includes four wins in six games against the Red Sox and Rays. The Dodgers have lost in their last five games to the Astros and are 5-13 in their last 18 overall road contests.
Ben Burns
Milwaukee Brewers @ Arizona Diamondbacks
PICK: Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks grabbed yesterday's series opener and I feel that tonight's matchup gives them a solid shot at another victory. It's true that "The Big Unit" isn't quite as intimidating as he once was. Contrary to popular current opinion, he's still capable though. Despite losing, he's coming off a quality effort against Boston in his most recent start. In that outing, Johnson held the defending champions to just two runs through six innings.
Suppan also lasted six innings in his last start, a loss at Atlanta. He wasn't quite as sharp as Johnson though, as he gave up nine hits and four runs. That was actually a big improvement from his previous start. In that outing, Suppan gave up six runs (3 earned) in just 1 2/3 innings, en route to an 8-5 loss vs. Baltimore. Not surprisingly, the Brewers are 0-3 in his last three starts. Looking back further and we find that the Brewers are just 7-13 the last 20 times that Suppan started on the road. This season, Suppan has a 5.73 ERA and 1.685 WHIP on the road. He wasn't much better on the road last season either, going 3-9 with a 5.38 ERA.
While Suppan's teams are 0-2 his last two visits to Arizona, the Diamondbacks are 4-1 the last five times that Johnson started at home against the Brewers, most recently a win here in 2004. Johnson had 10 K's and just one walk in that game, outpitching Sheets en route to a 3-1 victory. Look for him to get the better of Suppan tonight, as the D-Bax improve to 15-6 when playing a home game with an over/under line of either nine or 9.5.
BIG AL's TUESDAY NIGHT BASEBALL TOTALS WINNER
Dodgers / Astros Under