William Kidd Guaranteed Selections
QUADRUPLE DIME BASEBALL CRUSHER
Boston w/Beckett -175
The Experts Guaranteed Selections
ULTIMATE EXPERTS BASEBALL DIAMOND WINNER
Arizona w/Haren -135
Tom Stryker Guaranteed Selections
MILWAUKEE -109 over Chicago
Off back-to-back home losses to Chicago and with a date against Rich Harden and the Cubs on deck for tomorrow, Milwaukee's best chance for a victory in this series is tonight.
To stop the bleeding, the Brew Crew will turn to southpaw Manny Parra. Over his last three starts, Parra has been in a zone. Versus the Astros, Giants and Reds, Manny was nicked for only eight earned runs and 21 hits in 20.0 innings of work. Parra's work at Miller Park is noteworthy too. With 65.2 frames in the bank in Milwaukee, No. 43 has been touched for 24 earned runs and 54 hits. That adds up to a solid 5-1 overall mark and a respectable 3.02 ERA!
Chicago will counter with right hander Ryan Dempster. So far this season, Dempster has picked up a couple of wins over the Brewers on April 3rd and 30th in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. On the road, Ryan has a history of poor performances and he'll have his hands full here. On foreign soil, Dempster owns a dismal 1-3 record and a 3.42 ERA. He's been tagged for 20 earned runs and 44 hits in 52.2 frames. Compared to his home numbers (10-1 overall with a 2.72 ERA) that is a big difference.
With Dempster on the mound and Chicago priced as a pup, the Cubs have dropped six of their last seven. Meanwhile, the Brew Crew has cashed 15 of their last 20 battling an opponent that carries a won/loss percentage of .500 or better. Take Milwaukee with Parra.
Plus10Club
Ethan Law
Pick: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Opposite Action Plays
Pick: Rockies / Pirates OVER 8.5
Sunday Selections
Pick: PITTSBURGH PIRATES
LT Profits
Pick: Cadinals/Braves UNDER 8.5
Mike Rose
Pick: DETROIT TIGERS
Rocketman Sports
Pick: L. A. ANGELS
Alex Smart
Pick: Diamondbacks/Padres OVER 6.5
Yankee Capper
3 Units - Pittsburgh Pirates +150
2 Units - Phillies/Nationals Under 8.5
Players of America
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Atlanta Braves
The Play: Atlanta Braves -115.0
Star Value: 3* (30 Units)
Well, not much to say about yesterday. It took the Yankees eight full innings to show up and it cost us. As we stated yesterday, we could afford placing that type of wager from the current season, but the result surely was unfortunate. It happens. Moving forward and keeping a positive mind is vital here. We drop to 6-4 on the season on 5* rated plays, 1-0 on 10* rated plays. No time to sit back and dwell, or chase down a big loss, so on to Wednesday action and it really is a great ticket to bounce back on so we're going to go after it hard.
Our first release throws its first pitch at 7:05PM EST Wednesday. The Atlanta Braves host the red hot St. Louis Cardinals at Turner Field tonight. We like the Braves here. They've dropped four straight and whether or not their in the hunt for anything in October is subjective, but we like the position and value here on them.
The Braves put right hander Jair Jurrjens on the mound. His numbers are pretty solid all the way around this season and he really does seem like the perfect guy to get this Braves team a win tonight. He comes in at 10-5 on the season pitching over 125 hard earned innings. In those innings he's accumulated an ERA of 3.00 and WHIP of 1.26. His last three outings have been pretty stellar too at 2-1 overall with a WHIP of 1.03 and an ERA of 2.65. It's now time for the bats to wake up for the Braves.not the pitching. There are a couple significant injuries out there for both teams tonight. The Braves will be without all-star Chipper Jones as he's sidelined with a strained left hamstring. Joining him on the DL is catcher Brian McCann who came out of last night's event with a mild concussion and is likely to miss the new few games. We still like Atlanta here.don't be scared away. There are plenty of bats and defensive skills still in the line up to get the job done. Some of those include Escobar, Blanco, Francoeur, Kotsay, Infante, and so on who are all contributing greatly to this team's success (or lack of).
The Cardinals are going to put Chris Carpenter on the mound for his first appearance of the season. In our opinion, this guy is hit or miss-especially with all the hype coming off the list and all of that. He's capable of putting together a pretty decent game or getting completely shelled by his opponent. The Cards are without Chris Duncan, Brian Barton and Juan Encarnacion all sidelined with injuries too.
The Braves have dropped four straight. It's time for a turnaround. This team has too much class and too much pride to just piss a season away like they have been. They've been referred to as "America's Team" frequently in the past, and tonight they need to get back on the track and start living up to that title. We're going to play the Braves minus the small juice for 30 units here.
TRENDS OF THE GAME:
-The Braves are 8-2 in Jurrjens' last 10 home starts.
-The Braves are 9-3 in Jurrjens' last 12 starts.
-The Braves are 8-3 in Jurrjens' last 11 starts on grass
Atlanta 5, St. Louis 2
Cincinnati Reds vs. Houston Astros
The Play: Cincinnati Reds +110.0
Star Value: 3* (30 Units)
Next we're going back to a team we lost on a few days back. The streaky Reds are still in Houston Wednesday night for their last game of the series. The Reds are winless in Houston and the Stros are playing pretty solid ball as of late. But wait.
This one comes down to the pitching match up. The stud Edinson Volquez is starting for the Reds and his numbers are astonishing for the team he plays on. He comes in at 12-4 overall with an ERA of 2.76. Playing for the Reds in the NL.that's pretty darn impressive. Volquez hasn't faced Houston yet in his career but he's going to set a statement tonight. Despite the Reds woes as of late, they really haven't been playing horrific. For example, in their last three games the Cinci bullpen has an averaged ERA of 3.43 compared to the 7.98 of Houston. Bullpens WILL play a big role in this one. We've noted so many times in the past the capabilities of this Red's team. They are young and each game (won or lost) they are building something up here for the future.
Wandy Rodriquez is on the mound for Houston. He comes in at 6-3 on the year handing over a lot of decisions with an ERA of 3.18. There isn't much to say about Wandy. He has yet to face the Reds this season, but when he did last year, games were extremely close knit. One runs games left and right between these two and they were hard fought battles to the end. The Reds are going to get the edge this time and you don't hear this often, but it might come down to Dusty Baker's decisions.
There's some pretty good value on this team today. At +110, we feel they are just as much the favorite tonight as the Astros with this young man on the rubber. We're laying 30 more units on this one here with the Reds, and looking to get more back than we risked, cashing this dog.
TRENDS OF THE GAME:
-The Reds are 13-5 in Volquez's last 18 starts on grass.
-The Reds are 13-6 in Volquez's last 19 starts.
-The Astros are 1-7 in their last 8 Wednesday games.
Cincinnati 6, Houston 4
Chicago White Sox vs. Minnesota Twins
The Play: Chicago White Sox -105.0
Star Value: 3* (30 Units)
Yet another 3* is going to take place tonight for us. We're laying a lot out there tonight but we do feel we're managing our bankroll very efficiently here with three 30 unit wagers and a 10 unit wager on teams all capable of pulling things off. This one takes place in that dome in Minnesota and it is between the hosting Twins and the visiting White Sox.both of which in a tight battle for the AL Central.
This is too much of a dual for one team to just dominate the whole series. Both of these teams are somewhere that NO ONE thought they would be right now and neither wants to let that slip out from underneath of them. Detroit and Cleveland were supposed to run this division and the exact opposite has happen. Chicago needs to grab this one from the Twins to salvage something, and that's what is going to happen.
Righty Gavin Floyd is starting for Chicago and comes in at 10-6 overall with an ERA of 3.56. Maybe not an ace, but the kid can pitch. When the Sox get this win, they'll have over a game up on the Twins in the division. This series is nearly level at 7-6 on the season, favoring Chicago. The Sox have blown these guys out of the water in numerous occasions, though. With 12-2, 11-2, 10-5, 7-1, 7-2 type wins, they are capable of beating these guys for sure. There are no significant listed injuries for the White Sox that should hold back any of that potent offense tonight.
On the other side, Livan Hernandez is the scheduled starter for Minny. Hernandez comes in 10-7 overall with an ERA of 5.32 and a WHIP of 1.60. Eek. Livan has gone 1-2 in his last three appearances with an ERA well over 6.00 in just 19 innings thrown. The Twins will continue to be lacking full force as second baseman Matt Tolbert will remain on the DL awaiting surgery. Also, starting right fielder Michael Cuddyer is listed as OUT while awaiting an MRI to reveal a sprained knuckle on his right index finger. Adam Everett joins the two on the list.
There is no shorting either team here. Both are playing very solid baseball right now but this price is too good to pass up, once again. Vegas is in essence saying this game is virtually a coin flip. Well, we'll take it at that and ride the Sox then. 30 units on Chicago at just about even money to top off our last 3* of the night.
TREND OF THE GAME:
-The White Sox are 8-2 in their last 10 Wednesday games.
Chicago 8, Minnesota 2
Los Angeles Angels vs. Boston Red Sox
The Play: Boston Red Sox +120.0
Play Description: Run Line (-1.5)
Star Value: 1* (10 Units)
Finally, we're ending things with a nice little 1*. What is this, Super Sweep Wednesday? No, it's not.come on. This is baseball, not the NBA Playoffs. Boston didn't get swept by the Yankees last week and their not getting swept by the Halos.its just not happening. Vegas knows that and that is exactly why this line is astronomical tonight in Fenway. With that being said, we're going to play the RUN LINE on this one tonight in Boston to give us a little better price.
Boston is going to give it to Josh Beckett Wednesday to start the game. Josh comes in a little under the radar stat wise with people expecting a lot more. He does have a winning record at 9-7 this year, and an ERA around his Wednesday opponent of 3.83. Josh has lost two of his last three outings but don't think for a second he's going to let that throw him off. This is a big game. A prime time game between two of the leagues absolute best. Anaheim has been "the better team" these last couple but tonight the tides turn. Terry Francona will REFUSE to let this team of his lie down and play dead. He has more heart than that and so does Boston who is looking for a repeat of last season.
The Angels have flat out OWNED Boston this season at 7-1 heads up. Don't think a sticky note of that isn't posted up on the bulletin board inside the Boston clubhouse today. They know they've got something to play for and they want to win more than any other team tonight. Joe Saunders and this entire Anaheim team has an incredible nucleus. He's won 13 games already this year and really has some fire power behind him offensively. Similarly, so does Boston, so expect a battle.
This one comes down to pride. Boston needs to prove to their fans, the media and most importantly themselves that they belong in the same ballpark as these world beating Angels. Boston has the ability to pour it on tonight, but regardless their going to get the win. Let's not fork over all that chalk again and just play the (-1.5) RUN LINE tonight at Fenway for 10 units. Boston takes care of business.
TRENDS OF THE GAME:
-The Red Sox are 44-16 in their last 60 home games.
-The Red Sox are 8-3 in Beckett's last 11 home starts.
Boston 5, Anaheim 1
Akmens
TOP 20* OAKLAND (GALLAGHER) / KANSAS CITY (BANNISTER) OVER 8.0
10* NY METS (PELFREY) -119 vs Florida (Johnson)
10* NY METS (PELFREY) / FLORIDA (JOHNSON) OVER 9.0
10* TEXAS (PADILLA) -185 vs Seattle (Batista)
Oskeim Sports
Colorado Rockies (-142) over Pittsburgh Pirates
Despite losing last night, Colorado remains one of the hottest teams in the league as the Rockies have won nine of their last twelve games, including a three-game sweep over the Reds in Cincinnati. Moreover, the Rockies are batting .292 with a .364 on base percentage versus left-handed starters (5.6 runs per game), .379 with a .432 on base percentage over their last seven games (7.4 runs per game) and .278 with a .342 on base percentage at night. Now, the Rockies have the opportunity to feast on Zach Duke who is 4-8 with a 5.04 ERA and 1.599 WHIP this season, including an alarming 10.06 ERA and 1.824 WHIP over his last three starts. In addition, Duke has a career 6.50 ERA and 1.778 WHIP versus the Rockies, including two starts this season wherein he allowed a combined 13 earned runs and 17 hits over 11 innings of work.
Meanwhile, Aaron Cook toes the rubber for Colorado and he is a profitable 7-3 on the road this season with a 3.48 ERA and, more importantly, takes the mound in excellent form with a 2.14 ERA and 0.857 WHIP over his last three starts. Let's also note that Cook secured an 11-3 win over the Pirates earlier this season in a game where he allowed three runs and five hits over seven innings. Finally, Cook is supported by a Colorado bullpen that has garnered an impressive 3.61 ERA and 1.274 WHIP on the road this season.
Rating: 3/4*
Oscarxena Sports
Seattle +1.77 (3 Unit Play)
The Mariners fell behind big last night and could have folded up the tents but they kept battling and went ahead 10-9 before JJ Putz blew the game in the bottom of the ninth and they fell 11-10. The Mariners will turn to Miguel Batista another time to try and gain a victory and he will have his hands full with this tough Ranger lineup tonight. Batista has a high ERA when taking on the Rangers of 5.43 but he has went 4-3 against them in those starts. The Rangers will hand the ball to Vicente Padilla and he has pitched well against the Mariners this year but overall against them he has went 3-4 with a 4.58 ERA against them. Again not a large discrepancy but the difference maker in this game for me was that HP umpire Paul Nauert has a 12-10 record for the road teams this year but Batista is 5-0 with Nauert behind home plate while Padilla is 2-3. This large price has me taking a shot on the Mariners here tonight.
USA Sports Consulting
Brian Smith
Baltimore (D.Safarte) +1.5 +125 at NY Yankees (J.Chamberlain), 1:05 ET - 1 unit
Milwaukee (M.Parra) -115 hosting Chicago Cubs (R.Dempster), 8:05 ET - 3 units
Cincinnati (E.Volquez) +104 at Houston (W.Rodriguez), 8:05 ET - 1 unit
Earl Morgan
Toronto (S.Richmond) +101 hosting Tampa Bay (E.Jackson), 12:35 ET - 1 unit
LA Angels (J.Saunders) +169 at Boston (J.Beckett), 7:05 ET - 2 units
St Louis (C.Carpenter) +112 at Atlanta (J.Jurrjens), 7:10 ET - 2 units
Florida (J.Johnson) +109 hosting NY Mets (M.Pelfrey), 7:10 ET - 2 units
Minnesota (L.Hernandez) -101 hosting Chicago White Sox (G.Floyd), 8:10 ET - 2 units
Westcoast Sports
Kansas City Royals +120
Chicago Cubs +100
Los Angeles Angels +165
Cincinnati Reds +110
Root
Chairman- Astros
Millionaire- DBacks
Money Maker- Twins
No Limit- Brewers
John Ryan
Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Indians
Pick: Tigers
Ai Simulator 5* graded play on Detroit – Supporting this graded play is a system that has gone 30-16 making 18.3 units since 1997. Play against AL home teams with a money line of -100 to -150 with a starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.100 or better on the season and with a struggling bullpen whose ERA is over 6.00 the last 10 games. Detroit is in a strong role noting that they are 21-7 (+12.7 Units) against the money line versus a bad bullpen that blows 38% or more of their save opportunities this season. Detroit has been a very good investment when facing a LH starter posting an 83-43 record and making 32.6 units over the past 3 seasons. Take Detroit.
Colorado Rockies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Pick: Pirates
Ai Simulator 5* graded play on Pittsburgh – Supporting this graded play is a system that has gone 47-30 making 31.7 units since 1997. Play against road favorites with a money line of -125 to -175 after a game where their bullpen blew a save facing opponent after 2 straight games where the bullpen gave up no runs. Colorado is just 4-15 (-9.9 Units) against the money line in road games vs. an average bullpen whose ERA is 3.75 to 4.50 this season. Plus, Rockies starter Cook is a poor role noting he is just 2-12 (-12.0 Units) against the money line vs. NL teams scoring 4.8 or more runs/game in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons. Take Pirates
Arizona D-Backs vs. San Diego Padres
Pick: Padres
Ai Simulator 5* graded play on SD – Supporting this graded play is a system that has gone 46-18 making 34 units since 2002. Play against all teams with a money line of -100 to -150 below average hitting team batting <=.255 and is now facing an average NL starting pitcher sporting an ERA=4.20 to 5.20 and with a starting pitcher whose gives up 5.5 or less hits/start. Here is a second system that has gone 44-19 making 26.8 units since 2002. Play on home teams when the money line is +125 to -125 starting a pitcher who walked <=1 hitters each of his last 2 outings and is now facing an opponent with a hot starting pitcher posting a WHIP <= 1.000 over his last 5 starts. SD starter Baek pitched against Arizona – the only time he faced them – and went 6 innings allowing ZERO earned runs and just 2 hits, walked 1 and recorded 7 K’s. The same will happen again. Plus, he is a strong 6-1 making 7.7 units when installed as a +125 to +175 dog over the past 3 seasons. Take SD
Steve Zukiel Guaranteed Selections
Second Ever Guaranteed 80 Unit MLB Game Of The Year
Seattle vs Texas
In this contest, my money is on the Texas Rangers.
Texas can flat out mash a baseball. They are averaging 5 1/2 rpg, which is pretty damn good, but folks, when they are playing at home it goes up to 6.17 and when they are made the favorite, it's all the way up to 6.88. That's almost 7 rpg. That doesn't bode well for Seattle's starter Miguel Batista, who has been getting lit up like a Christmas tree all season long, especially as of late. Batista is just 3-9 on the yeaer and owns an ERA close to 7.00. Things are even worse over his last three starts as he has lasted just 9 1/3 innings and his ERA is at 10.61. He pitched against Texas already once this season and if that outing was any indication, he and the Mariners are in for a very long night. He allowed six earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings of work. Now Texas has Vincente Padilla on the hill and his ERA might be a little high, but folks, he gets a ton of run support. Hence why his won/loss record is at 12-5 and the team has won 15 of his 20 overall starts. His ERA isn't high however when he has been facing the Mariners this season. He has faced them three times, and he is a perfect 1-0, the team has won all three outings and his ERA is at 2.00. Look for another rout on Wednesday. Take the Rangers in this one. STEVE ZUKIEL TAKES THE TEXAS RANGERS OVER THE SEATTLE MARINERS AS MY SECOND EVER GUARANTEED 80 UNIT MLB GAME OF THE YEAR
LARRY NESS
Weekly Wipeout - Arizona
Vegas Insider - Minnesota