Bobby Maxwell
Milwaukee -125 at CHICAGO CUBS
Big goings on in Milwaukee who dumped their head coach Ned Yost while sitting in playoff contention. The Brewers were swept in a four-game set in Philadelphia this weekend and pulled the plug on Yost.
The Brewers have lost 11 of their last 14 and seven of eight but we're playing them today after the big firing, mainly because they've got C.C. Sabathia (9-0, 1.59 ERA) on the hill. Since coming over from Cleveland, Sabathia has allowed three earned runs or less in all 13 of his starts with Milwaukee. The Brewers are 12-1 behind the lefty hurler, including eight straight. In five road outings.
Sabathia is 5-0 with a 0.85 ERA, giving up just four runs in 42 1/3 innings.
Ryan Dempster (15-6, 3.02) goes for the Cubs and they have lost his last two outings, losing 4-0 to Houston and 4-3 at St. Louis as he gave up three runs in both starts.
The firing of Yost shows the young Brewers how crucial it is they perform on the field. With Sabathia on the mound, they will deliver big tonight in Chicago. Play Milwaukee in this one.
2♦ MILWAUKEE
The Gold Medal Club
Philadelphia @ Atlanta
PLAY PHILADELPHIA -125
Winners of 4 in a row Philly heads into Atlanta on a roll. We all know how Atlanta falters against left handed pitching 19-27, and tonight they take on one of the best. Moyer is 9-3 on the road, with an awesome 2.61 era! The Philly bats are there for support as we note in the last 7 games in which they are 5-2 they are averaging 6.5 runs game.Lastly we note Philadelphia is 10-2 vs Atlanta this year including a PERFECT 6-0 @ Atlanta!
JB's Computer Picks
Toronto Blue Jays -170
Philadelphia Phillies -130
Chicago Cubs +105
Los Angeles Angels - 155
Info Plays
3* on Washington Nationals +155
The Washington Nationals will continue to kick the Mets while they are already down. New York is falling to pieces right before our eyes again in 2008. They simply don’t have the players with the guts to finish out the season. Washington is a scary opponent for any team to face when the Nationals play at home. This is especially the case with Odalis Perez on the mound. In 14 home starts, Perez has come away with a 2.76 ERA on the season at home. We’ll Play Against - All favorites with a money line of -150 or more (NY METS) - average hitting team (AVG = .255 to .269) against an average starting pitcher (ERA=4.20 to 5.20) -NL, with a starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.250 to 1.350 on the season-NL. This is a 32-20 ML System hitting 61.5% over the last 5 seasons.
Matt Rivers
For Tuesday take the Brewers in Wrigley.
The Cubs may be the best team in the National League, if not all of baseball, and are at home with a very competent pitcher in Ryan Dempster. The Brewers are floundering after that dismal series in Philadelphia and just fired their manager in Ned Yost. So how can I lay money in this spot? Two letters, CC.
CC Sabathia has been insane ever since the horrible first six or so weeks of the season. The guy is the best pitcher on the planet right now and to not lay much of a price anywhere with the big lefty is good enough for me. Sure today's spot is tough and he is due for a rare loss but I cannot help but roll with Sabathia in this spot.
Lee, Ramirez, Soriano and the Cubbies shook off the slump in Miller Park over the last few days and appear to be headed in the right direction once again. Lou's boys have been great at Wrigley and could win this game but it will take a gem for sure from Dempster as Sabathia is just that good right now.
I expect Braun, Prince, Hardy, Hall, Weeks and the talented Brewers to step up after the rough little go of it as they are fighting for their playoff lives and with their absolute horse on the bump here should at least feel somewhat confident.
Tony Weston
The Twins obviously didn’t get the memo that they were pretty good against the Cleveland Indians. Well, Minnesota doesn’t show up and we end up taking a loss.
We’re switching leagues and going to the National League as we head to Chicago where we’re taking the Brewers over the Cubs.
With two weeks left in the season Milwaukee decided to make a managerial move and fire Ned Yost. Third-base coach Dale Sveum was promoted and will take over the Brewers’ ship to close out the season.
Milwaukee comes into tonight’s game having lost seven of its last eight games, but will win tonight in Chicago behind star pitcher CC Sabathia.
Over their last 15 games the Brewers are only 4-11. However, of those four wins, three have come with Sabathia on the mound. In that three-game stretch Sabathia has a 1.57 ERA. The Brewers are also on an 8-0 run in Sabathia’s starts and are 9-1 in his last 10.
Also, Sabathia is 6-4 on the road this year with a 2.31 ERA.
Pencil in Sabathia as your starter tonight as he’ll get the Sveum era started with a victory. Go with the Brewers on the road tonight.
3♦ BREWERS
Dennis Macklin
St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds
To their credit, the Reds have not quit and the kids are playing hard down the stretch. The Reds have won nine of Bronson Arroyo's last twelve home starts and face the slumping Cards (losers of five straight) with slumping (1-3, 4.97 L5) Braden Looper. The Reds are 7-3 in L10 and are playing at home vs team headed in the wrong direction.
Play on: Cincinnati
Vegas Experts
Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs
The Milwaukee Brewers have lost just one time with CC Sabathia on the mound and that was against the team they face tonight, the Chicago Cubs. Ironically, the Cubs just got done doing what the Brew Crew has struggled to do over the last two weeks - win at Miller Park. The Cubbies counter with Ryan Dempster, who is a phenomenal 12-3 at Wrigley this season with a 2.90 ERA. He's also a perfect 3-0 vs. Milwaukee this season.
Play on: Chicago Cubs
Mr A
Baltimore Orioles at Toronto Blue Jays
Baltimore's Chris Waters (2-3, 5.73) is 0-2 with a 7.63 ERA in his last three starts. The Orioles are 0-4 in Waters' last 4 starts.
Toronto's Shaun Marcum (9-6, 3.38 ERA) is 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA in his last three starts. The Blue Jays are 5-1 in Marcums last 6 starts.
The hot Blue Jays have won their last eight games and have beaten the Orioles in seven of the last 8 meetings, six straight at home. Take Toronto at Rogers Centre. The struggling Orioles have lost 17 of their last 21 games.
Toronto Blue Jays -170
MJP
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES -127 Best Bet!
WASHINGTON NATIONALS +150
FLORIDA MARLINS +135
NEW YORK YANKEES -135
CLEVELAND INDIANS +155
BOSTON RED SOX -134
Tom Freese
Houston at Florida
Houston is 26-7 vs. a pitcher with a WHIP of over 1.30 and they are 9-2 their last 11 games vs. righty starters. The Astros are 38-18 their last 56 overall and starter Roy Oswalt has allowed 4 runs total in his last 6 starts! Florida is 3-7 their last 10 games vs. Roy Oswalt and they and they are 2-6 their last 8 home games vs. winning teams. The Marlins are 2-8 vs. an opponent who scored 2 or less runs in their last game. PLAY ON HOUSTON -
Gina
Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves
The Phillies have been successful against Atlanta. They have won 10 of the 12 meetings versus the Braves this year, 19-7 in the last 26. Go with Philadelphia to grab their sixth straight win in Atlanta. Philadelphia’s Jamie Moyer is 3-0 with a 2.50 ERA in his last three starts and the Phillies have won the southpaw's last 4 starts.
Philadelphia Phillies -130
Jimmy Boyd
New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals
Play: New York Mets
I like the Mets to come storming back today after getting crushed 7-2 by the lowly Nats yesterday. The Mets are a dominant 23-6 in the last 29 meetings in Washington, 14-4 in Pelfrey's last 18 starts, and a perfect 8-0 in Pelfrey's last 8 starts vs. a team with a losing record. The Nationals are just 16-37 in their last 53 vs. a team with a winning record, 14-37 in their last 51 during game 2 of a series, and just 1-5 in their last 6 vs. the National League East. The Mets will have their revenge tonight.
Marc Lawrence
Play On: Houston w/Oswalt
The Houston Astros open a three game series with the Marlins tonight when ace right hander Roy Oswalt takes the hill in Miami. Aside from being in outstanding KW form with 2 walks and 13 strikeouts in his last three starts, Oswalt is a mind-boggling 26-7 in games from September 1st out - the best in MLB history. Can't fade numbers like those and we won't. Oswalt and the Astros come up big tonight.
LT Profits
Chicago White Sox @ New York Yankees Under 9.5
This is the final home stand in the history of Yankee Stadium, but unfortunately the New York Yankees are no longer the Bronx Bombers and we look for another rather low scoring affair vs. the Chicago White Sox tonight.
The Yankees took the series opener 4-2 here last night, and look for more of the same here with Andy Pettitte opposing Gavin Floyd. Pettitte is not what he once was, but he is still more than serviceable, having allowed three runs or less in five of his last seven starts. Also, the Yankees bullpen has been better than at any other part of this year lately, with a nice 2.97 ERA over the last 10 games.
Floyd is having a breakout season for the Sox, currently sitting at 15-7 with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP in 181.1 innings. He has almost always kept his team in the game, as Chicago is 20-9 in all of his starts this year, and he has not minded pitching on the road, with a 3.93 ERA away from US Cellular Field.
Finally, neither of these offenses has been tearing the ball up lately, and we do not expect that to change vs. these pitchers tonight.
Pick: White Sox, Yankees Under 9.5
Houston Astros @ Florida Marlins Under 7.5
Roy Oswalt of the Houston Astros is the hottest pitcher in baseball right now and Chris Volstad of the Florida Marlins has been very solid in his own right, so do not look for any fireworks in Miami tonight.
All that Oswlat has done is toss 26.1 scoreless innings in his last three starts, allowing just eight hits and two walks over those outings. For those of you keeping score at home, that translates to a 0.00 ERA and an unheard of 0.38 WHIP. Furthermore, if we go back one more start, Oswalt has allowed one run in his last 33.1 innings pitched, and he has reeled off eight consecutive Quality Starts including four scoreless outings and two starts where he allowed one run.
Now do not sell Volstad short here either, as he has a 3.31 ERA in 11 starts since being recalled from the minors, and he has been very consistent, allowing three runs or less in nine of those 11 outings. He also has the advantage of facing the Astros for the first time ever, and remember that he is facing a Houston offense has managed one measly hit over the last two games.
The Under is 11-5 in the last 16 Houston games overall and 14-6-2 in the last 22 Florida games, and we see no reason why those streaks will not continue tonight.
Pick: Astros, Marlins Under 7.5