Bobby Maxwell
L.A. Dodgers -115 at ST. LOUIS
We're going with the suddenly potent offense of the Dodgers to win this one tonight in St. Louis. They've got Derek Lowe (8-9, 3.70 ERA) on the hill going against the Cardinals' Joel Pineiro (3-5, 5.04).
Los Angeles rallied for four ninth-inning runs on Tuesday but came up short 6-4 in extra innings. Since the acquisition of Manny Ramirez, this team has come alive with the bats and even beleagured Andruw Jones delivered a homer in the ninth-inning rally Tuesday.
Lowe has a 2.75 ERA in his last three starts and the opponents are hitting just .257 in those three games. The Dodgers had won four straight starts until Lowe gave up two runs in 6.1 innings on Thursday in a 2-1 loss to the D'Backs. He faced these Cardinals back on May 23 and allowed two runs on five hits in seven innings but the Dodgers' offense didn't show up and they lost 2-1.
Now the Dodgers have an offense.
Pineiro has been terrible lately, posting a 7.88 ERA in his last three starts and he's given up 10 hits or more in six of his last seven starts and four runs or more in five of those seven. Teams are running to the plate to get an at-bat against this guy as the opposition is hitting .349 against him this season and .405 against him in the last three games.
Watch as the Dodgers unload on Pineiro and the Cardinals.
3♦ L.A. DODGERS
Jeff Benton
Wednesday, we'll switch things up a bit and play the White Sox-Tigers game OVER the total.
This is a perfect storm for an over play. Not only have both teams been crushing the ball lately and pitching like Little Leaguers but last night these teams were involved in a 10-8, 14-inning thriller, with the Tigers scoring twice to take an 8-6 lead in the top of the 14th, only to give up four runs in the bottom of the frame to blow the game. Both teams used eight pitchers in the game, and the 14 relievers combined to throw 275 pitches!
Now, the workload on the relievers last night wouldn't be a big deal if you thought the starters tonight could go deep into the game. Not likely, because both John Danks (6.85 ERA last four starts) and Justin Verlander (12.10 ERA last two starts) have been terrible lately. In fact, these two pitchers squared off on July 26 in Detroit and the final score was 7-6, with both pitchers combining to give up 12 of the 13 runs!
Finally, check out these trends: The over is 4-0 in Danks last four starts 6-2-1 in Verlander's last nine starts, 6-1 in Detroit?s last seven games overall (all on the road), 8-2 in Detroit?s last 10 as an underdog, 17-5-1 in Chicago's last 23 games overall and 6-1 in Chicago's last seven at home. Got ourselves a nice shootout on our hands here. Play it OVER the total.
4♦ White Sox-Tigers OVER
Tony Weston
Well, we're switching gears and going to Tampa as we're going with the under in the Indians-Rays game today.
Despite the over coming in last night, the under is 3-2 their last five meetings and is 2-1 their last three games. Also, dating back to last season the under is on a 6-3 run and is 9-5-1 their last 16 meetings.
Keep in mind that the under is 6-4 in the Indians last 10 games and it is 10-3 in the Rays last 13 games. Also consider tonight's scheduled starting pitchers. Jeremy Sowers for the Indians has seen the under go 6-4 in his last 10 starts and Rays scheduled starter Scott Kazmir has seen the under go 8-2 in his last 10 starts. The under is also on a 5-0 run in Kazmir?s last five starts.
The total for today is set at around 8 and the teams will not come close to that. Go with the under today.
3♦ INDIANS-RAYS UNDER
Steve Janus
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Cincinnati Reds
Play: Milwaukee Brewers
A lot has been said about Homer Bailey's potential. While you have to agree that the potential is there, it just doesn't seem like he's ready to be a big-league pitcher. Bailey is yet to notch an MLB win for the Reds and his over-7.00 ERA doesn't inspire confidence in his performance. The Brewers have come out in the 2nd half and played like a team that really wants to make a run at the Central pennant, or at the very least the NL Wildcard. Brewers pick up a valuable road victory Wednesday night in Cincy.
PlusLineSports Daily Baseball Pick
Pittsburg vs Arizona
Arizona -1.5 -110
DUNKEL
LA Dodgers at St. Louis
The Cardinals look to make it two straight over the Dodgers at home and take advantage of LA's 5-9 record as a road favorite between -100 and -125. St. Louis is the underdog pick (+100) according to Dunkel, which has the Cardinals favored straight up by 1. Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (+100). Here are all of today's games.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6
Game 951-952: Milwaukee at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Suppan) 13.231; Cincinnati (Bailey) 14.164
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-120); 10
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+110); Under
Game 953-954: Houston at Chicago Cubs
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Backe) 15.371; Cubs (Marquis) 16.123
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-185); No Run Line
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-185); N/A
Game 955-956: Pittsburgh at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Karstens) 14.246; Arizona (Johnson) 15.825
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Arizona (-240); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-240); Under
Game 957-958: Atlanta at San Francisco
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (James) 13.741; San Francisco (Lincecum) 14.865
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-170); 7
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-170); Under
Game 959-960: Florida at Philadelphia
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Sanchez) 14.898; Philadelphia (Kendrick) 15.825
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1; 11 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-155); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-155); Over
Game 961-962: San Diego at NY Mets
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Baek) 14.268; NY Mets (Martinez) 15.476
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1; 8
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-190); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-190); Under
Game 963-964: LA Dodgers at St. Louis
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Lowe) 15.168; St. Louis (Pineiro) 16.337
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-110); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (+100); Over
Game 965-966: Washington at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Perez) 14.990; Colorado (Francis) 16.413
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Colorado (-190); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-190); Under
Game 967-968: Cleveland at Tampa Bay
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Sowers) 15.611; Tampa Bay (Kazmir) 17.041
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-225); 8
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-225); Over
Game 969-970: Baltimore at LA Angels
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Olson) 14.988; LA Angels (Santana) 16.354
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-210); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-210); Under
Game 971-972: Minnesota at Seattle
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Blackburn) 15.320; Seattle (Washburn) 16.389
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Minnesota (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (+105); Under
Game 973-974: Oakland at Toronto
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Duchscherer) 13.917; Toronto (Marcum) 13.588
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Oakland (-105); 8
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-105); Under
Game 975-976: NY Yankees at Texas
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Ponson) 16.011; Texas (Hunter) 17.095
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1; 13
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-115); 12 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Texas (+105); Over
Game 977-978: Boston at Kansas City
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Wakefield) 15.377; Kansas City (Hochevar) 16.053
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Boston (-135); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+125); Over
Game 979-980: Detroit at Chicago White Sox
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Verlander) 14.521; White Sox (Danks) 15.968
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-105); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (-105); Over
SPORTS ADVISORS
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Florida (60-53) at Philadelphia (61-51)
The Phillies will trot out Kyle Kendrick (9-5, 4.59 ERA) for the middle game of a three-game set against the N.L. East rival Marlins, who will counter with fellow right-hander Anibal Sanchez (1-0, 3.18) at Citizens Bank Park. In Tuesday night’s opener, Florida pounded out an 8-2 victory. Philadelphia has still won seven of its last nine games and is on further runs of 5-1 in division play, 6-3 at home and 14-5 in Kendrick’s last 19 starts.
Florida, which is now just 1½ games behind the first-place Phillies in the N.L. East race, is on a 7-3 roll in its last 10 games against right-handers. The Marlins also hold a 6-4 edge in the season series against the Phillies, but Philadelphia has still won four of the last six home contests against Florida.
Kendrick snapped a two-game skid in his last start, allowing two runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings Thursday in an 8-4 win at Washington. On July 19 at Florida, though, he got roughed up for seven runs on 10 hits in just 4 1/3 innings in a 9-5 loss.
Sanchez, who is coming back from shoulder surgery, made his first appearance in 15 months Thursday against Colorado and seemed to find his form quickly. The 24-year-old allowed two runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings as Florida rolled to a 12-2 home win.
Kendrick is 3-3 with a 4.33 ERA in 10 home starts this year, and the 23-year-old is 0-1 with an inflated 14.54 ERA in his lone career start against Florida – the aforementioned loss last month. Sanchez, who made only six starts in 2007 before being shelved with the shoulder injury, is 0-1 with a bloated 10.61 ERA in two career starts against Philadelphia.
The over for Philadelphia is on runs of 7-2-1 overall, 7-0 at Citizens Bank, 22-8 overall behind Kendrick and 10-4 when Kendrick stats at home. The over is also 40-18-6 in Florida’s last 64 roadies, and in this rivalry, the over has cashed in five straight meetings at Philadelphia.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OVER
L.A. Dodgers (56-56) at St. Louis (63-52)
The Dodgers give the ball to veteran Derek Lowe (8-9, 3.70 ERA) for the second game of a three-game series at Busch Stadium against the Cardinals, who are set to go with Joel Pineiro (3-5, 5.04) on the hill. On Tuesday night, St. Louis won 6-4 in 11 innings on Ryan Ludwick’s two-run walk-off homer. Despite the setback, Los Angeles still is in the midst of streaks of 11-6 on the highway and 6-2 against the N.L. Central.
St. Louis remains on a 6-9 slide in its last 15 games and is in additional ruts of 2-6 at home and 2-5 in Pineiro’s last seven starts at Busch. However, in this rivalry, St. Louis is on a 15-4 spree in the last 19 clashes dating to July 2005, and the Cards are also 23-7 in their last 30 home contests against the Dodgers.
The Dodgers had won four straight backing Lowe until Thursday, when they were a dealt a 2-1 home loss to Arizona. In that outing, Lowe gave up both runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. Prior to that, Lowe threw eight shutout innings of one-hit ball in a 6-0 home rout of Washington.
The Cardinals are 4-2 in Pineiro’s last six starts, but he got rocked in his last outing, allowing six runs on 10 hits in six innings of a 9-4 loss at Atlanta. In fact, in his last four starts, Pineiro has allowed 20 earned runs in 21 2/3 innings (8.31 ERA).
Lowe is 2-4 with a 5.02 ERA in 11 road starts this year, and he’s 1-5 with a 5.24 ERA in six career starts against St. Louis. Pineiro, meanwhile, is 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA in six home starts, with St. Louis losing in three of his four no-decisions. He’s also 1-0 with a 4.26 ERA in his lone career start against Los Angeles.
The under is 11-6 in the last 17 series meetings, cashing in five of the last seven contests (3-1 this year). The under is also on streaks of 5-2 overall for the Dodgers, 15-5 for L.A. against the N.L. Central, 7-2 in Lowe’s last nine outings overall and 5-2-1 for St. Louis at home.
ATS ADVANTAGE:L.A. DODGERS and UNDER
Craig Trapp
Cleveland Indians vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Play: Tampa Bay Rays -1.5
Love TB run line today!! Yesterday TB broke through to get there first win over the last place CLE Inidians. Before that they were 0-6. Now that the monkey is off their back look for them to come right back with a resounding win. Pitching for TB is Kazmir (8-5, 2.89 ERA. Last effort against the Indians the left-hander gave up a season high five runs in six innings of a 5-2 defeat July 13 -- his only outing versus Cleveland this year. He's 1-2 with a 4.43 ERA in his career against the Indians. Kazmir is 1-0 with a 2.16 ERA in three starts since that loss, failing to factor in the decision in his last two outings. He allowed two runs and three hits while walking six in 4 2-3 innings of a 5-2 win over Detroit on Friday. Look for him to show the Indians why he is the ace of the staff. Easy winner here TB 4 - CLE 1
JB's Computer Picks
Arizona Diamondbacks -240
San Francisco Giants -175
Chicago White Sox -110
Gamblers World Tip of the Day
Florida Marlins vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Prediction: Phillies -145
Rocky Atkinson
HOU (+225) vs CHC
Play On: 1* Houston +225
Houston is now 9-2 this year when playing against a team with a winning record in the 2nd half of the season. Chicago Cubs are 464-448 -103.8 units since 1997 when playing against a team with a losing record. Cubs are 132-185 since 1997 when playing in the month of August. Cubs are 127-157 since 1997 when playing on Tuesday. Houston has won 7 of their last 8 overall. Wandy Rodgriguez is 3-1 on the road this year. We'll recommend a small play the HOT BIG DOG Houston Astros today!
Vegas Experts
Florida Marlins at Philadelphia Phillies
We were off on last night's call on the Phillies as Jamie Moyer lost for the first time in 11 tries against the Marlins. Yet, we come back with Philly tonight as one of their biggest money earners, Kyle Kendrick, toes the rubber. In night starts this season, the Phills have won 15 of Kendrick's 19 starts. Florida's Anibal Sanchez has gotten rocked here twice, posting a 10.31 ERA in the City of Brotherly Love.
Play on: Philadelphia
John Ryan
Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants
Prediction: San Francisco Giants
Ai Simulator 3* graded play on San Francisco ? Atlanta is all but out of the playoff race as there are just too many strong teams for them to leap frog over. Braves starter James has been one of the worst starters in the NL before going on the DL in May. He comes back and goes 2.7 IP allowing 6 ER against Milwaukee on August 1st. Lincecum has pitched very well for a weak losing record team this year. He has posted an 11-3 mark and could easily be 15-3 on a solid team. In his last 2 starts alone, he went 7 strong innings allowing 1 ER and 2 ER respectively and received a no decision. This time around the Giants will hit James hard and often and Lincecum will get a much deserved win. Atlanta is just 9-22 (-14.8 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a losing record this season. Take the Giants.
Big Board Sports
Cleveland / Tampa Bay Under
Wild Bill
Brewers -115 (5 units)
Over 8 1/2 -10 Cubs-Astros (5 units)
Arizona RL -105 (5 units)
Under 7 Braves-SF (5 units)
Giants -175 (5 units)
Florida +140 (5 units)
Under 10 1/2 Fla-Phils (5 units)
Dodgers +100 (5 units)
Nationals +195 (5 units)
Indians +220 (5 units)
Over 9 1/2 Orioles-Angels (5 units)
Seattle +100 (5 units)
Jays -115 (5 units)
Yankees -115 (5 units)
Red Sox -135 (5 units)
White Sox -110 (5 units)