Free Picks: Service Plays for Sunday, May 5

DUNKEL INDEX

MLB

Baltimore at LA Angels
The Orioles look to build on their 4-0 record in Jason Hammel's last 4 road starts. Baltimore is the pick (+100) according to Dunkel, which has the Orioles favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (+100)

Game 901-902: Washington at Pittsburgh (1:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Gonzalez) 15.326; Pittsburgh (Rodriguez) 15.888
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Pittsburgh (-110); 7
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-110); Over

Game 903-904: NY Mets at Atlanta (1:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Niese) 14.722; Atlanta (Hudson) 14.207
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 905-906: St. Louis at Milwaukee (2:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Garcia) 15.436; Milwaukee (Estrada) 16.004
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-110); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (-110); Under

Game 907-908: Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs (2:20 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Latos) 15.102; Cubs (Jackson) 15.464
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-155); No Run Total
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (+135); N/A

Game 909-910: Miami at Philadelphia (2:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Miami (Slowey) 14.225; Philadelphia (Halladay) 15.801
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-180); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-180); Under

Game 911-912: Arizona at San Diego (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Kennedy) 15.078; San Diego (Volquez) 15.915
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Arizona (-130); 8
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+110); Over

Game 913-914: LA Dodgers at San Francisco (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Ryu) 16.087; San Francisco (Cain) 15.139
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1; 8
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-135); 7
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (+115); Over

Game 915-916: Oakland at NY Yankees (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Straily) 14.395; NY Yankees (Pettitte) 15.780
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-145); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-145); Under

Game 917-918: Minnesota at Cleveland (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Pelfrey) 16.688; Cleveland (Kluber) 15.592
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-150); 9
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+130); Under

Game 919-920: Seattle at Toronto (1:07 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Saunders) 14.677; Toronto (Morrow) 15.456
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Toronto (-155); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-155); Over

Game 921-922: Chicago White Sox at Kansas City (2:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Quintana) 15.801; Kansas City (Davis) 14.922
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-120); 8
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (+100); Over

Game 923-924: Boston at Texas (3:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Lester) 14.989; Texas (Darvish) 16.538
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Texas (-140); 8
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-140); Under

Game 925-926: Baltimore at LA Angels (3:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Hammel) 15.249; LA Angels (Williams) 14.137
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1; 8
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-120); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (+100); Under

Game 927-928: Detroit at Houston (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Verlander) 16.647; Houston (Humber) 13.018
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 3 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Detroit (-250); 8
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-250); Over

Game 929-930: Tampa Bay at Colorado (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Cobb) 15.580; Colorado (Chacin) 16.275
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Colorado (-120); 9
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-120); Over

LEE WILLIAMS

Nationals / Pirates Over 7

These 2 Pitchers have combined to go 7-4 Over and have been shaky at best.Washington and Pittsburgh have both struggled vs left handed pitching, but we think both pitchers are reachable today.Over is a perfect 8-0 in Pittsburgh last 8 as dog.

SCOTT DELANEY

My free NBA winner for the second round is to get a jump on the price in the Western Conference semifinal between the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs, as I think the Warriors are catching a damn good number with the brand of basketball they've brought into the postseason.

I see a line of +500, as the Spurs are laying about -700 everywhere, and though I know they're motivated to keep their momentum flowing after dominating the Los Angeles Lakers, believe me when I tell you the Lakers were no challenge - as you saw in the quarterfinals. We're talking about a team that pretty much was down to its fifth and sixth guards at one point.

Such is not the case with the Warriors, who are not only led by boy-wonder Steph Curry - who in my opinion was the MVP of the first round - and coach Mark Jackson, who has done wonders for this team and has instilled a brand of confidence you don't see a lot these days.

But Jackson is old school, and he's going to know how to get to the Spurs, and will know what it's going to take to put them on their heels in San Antonio. One win at the Alamo, and the Warriors steal homecourt advantage. Then it's on to Oakland, and I don't know if the Spurs come out of Oakland with a win in this series.

I just need one road win by the Warriors, and I'm more confident in them doing so in San Antonio, than the Spurs in Oaktown.

I like the Warriors in 6!

3* GOLDEN STATE SERIES

CRAIG DAVIS

I'm backing the Knicks today as your free play of the day.

This one, to me, is pretty simple. The Knicks are dominant at home, losing there just 10 times while the Pacers aren't that great on the road.

Shoot, until the third game vs. of the Indiana/Atlanta series, it looked as if the Pacers were going to run away with that series with the Hawks.

But then Atlanta go to host two games and it was a different story.

It wasn't until Game 5 that Indiana got back on track where they used that momentum to finally win a road game vs. a team they hadn't beaten the previous 13 times at their place.

That might have changed the outcome, but it didn't change my opinion of Indiana. I still believe they have some holes and the Knicks are the type of team that can cause them fits if they don't play up to par.

In the end, New York is deeper and better overall, and they should win this game going away.

Take the Knicks as your free play of the day.

4* NEW YORK

BRETT ATKINS

Looking for my third-straight free-pick winner in as many days, and I roll with the Minnesota Twins to get it done over the Cleveland Indians.

I know the Tribe comes into this one riding a six-game win streak, and yesterday we saw Scott Kazmir earn his first win in three seasons, leading the Indians to a 7-3 victory over these same Twins.

But at some point in time when you have a mediocre team like the Indians finding ways to win like they are, you're going to see them stumble. Cleveland is hitting bloopers and duck snorts, it's not exactly blistering the ball or taking pitchers off their game in this series after doing so in the first four games of the series.

I admit, I was impresed with how the Indians looked against the Royals and Phillies, but I think in this division rivalry the Twins are capable are turning the tables.

Let's take a shot with the road pup here.

2* TWINS

JEFF BENTON

Sunday's freebie is the Red Sox-Rangers to hold Under the total.

Texas looking for the sweep today, and thus far it has been the Rangers pitching that has staked them to this 2-0 weekend series lead, as Boston has come up with a whopping 1 run in their first 18 innings played this weekend in Arlington.

I do not expect too many more runs to be added today, as the Sox will have to face Yu Darvish, owner of a 5-1 record, and a 2.33 season ERA. Over Darvish's last 3 efforts, his ERA is a lowly 1.89, so expect those Boston bats to remain quiet.

Boston will send Jon Lester to the mound, and Lester is also throwing the ball well this spring, as the southpaw is off to a 4-0 start with an ERA of 3.11.

The Red Sox have played 3 straight, and 4 of their last 6 on the low side, while the Rangers have now been under in 4 straight, and 7 of their last 9 overall.

Weekend sweep of unders is complete when this one is all said and done.

Lester and Darvish to dominate. Red Sox and Rangers under once again.

3* BOSTON-TEXAS UNDER

SCOTT DELANEY

My free winner is on the Houston Astros over the Detroit Tigers.

Take a moment to soak that in, and yes, I know Justin Verlander is on the mound.

But I don't really care, and in baseball, there are times you have to take a chance in games like this, looking for the right spots to grab the underdog cash.

This is purely speculation, but there's something that tells me the Tigers have this game locked up in their minds, knowing Verlander is on the bump and the Astros are, well, the Astros. There's a two-game trip to the nation's capital on the schedule after this, and I think Detroit is going to have one foot out of Houston and the other in D.C., looking past the lowly Astros.

That could be beneficial for the Astros' pitching staff. If it can limit Detroit's lineup, I think the Astros will get the 3 or 4 runs they'll need to challenge for this big underdog win. I'm taking the shot with the home underdog.

1* HOUSTON

BRAD WILTON

Sunday's free play winner is the Over in the Tampa Bay-Colorado interleague contest.

These teams have combined for some big runs already this weekend, as Friday's game featured 11 runs scored, while yesterday's contest saw 12 combined runs cross the plate.

Both of those games did land Over the total, and so will today's meeting.

Yes, Alex Cobb and Jhoulys Chacin sport some low ERA's, but it is hard to argue with the fact Tampa Bay is in the midst of a 7 game Over tear, while Colorado is in the midst of a 5 game Over clip.

Look for Cobb and Chacin to give up just enough to extend both team's Over runs this afternoon at Coors Field.

4* TAMPA BAY-COLORADO OVER

Marc LawrenceFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Washington Nationals at Pittsburgh PiratesSERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Prediction: Washington NationalsFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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The Nationals and Pirates put the wraps on this three-game series in the Steel City where Gio Gonzalez matches serves with Wandy Rodriguez. Gonzalez takes the mound with a sparkling 13-3 career team start mark in May, including 12-1 the last thirteen. He is also 2-0 with a 0.96 ERA in his career team starts against the Bucs. With that look for Rodriguez to fall to 6-13 in his last nineteen team start in May here today. We recommend a 1-unit play on Washington.

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Detroit Tigers -275FOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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It is no surprise that Justin Verlander is off to another amazing start this season. In 6 starts he has 41 strikeouts, has given up a single home run and earned himself a 1.83 ERA. He has averages 6.6 innings per start and has a 3-2 record on the season.
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Verlander’s opponent today is Philip Humber for the Astros. Humber is 0-6 in his 6 starts this season and he has a 7.58 ERA. He is averaging a mere 3 innings per start at home this season with 2 strikeouts. The only bright spot for Humber on the season is the fact that he has given up only 3 home runs, but instead he has given up 44 hits in a total of 29.7 innings pitched.
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Detroit is the hot team coming into this matching winning 8 of their last 9 games. It is the opposite story for Houston as they have lost 9 of their last 10 games. The Astros are batting .247 in their last 7 games compared to .295 from the Tigers. With the matchup advantage on the mound Detroit is an easy call today.

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St. Louis Cardinals +102FOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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The Cardinals are rolling. They have won 5 in a row overall, 6 straight on the road and 6 of their last 7 versus the Brewers. They are also 11-4 in their last 15 in Milwaukee. Look for their dominance over the Brewers to continue behind a solid effort from Jaime Garcia, who's 3-1 with a 2.50 ERA. The Cardinals are 7-3 in Garcia's last 10 starts. Milwaukee's Marco Estrada is 2-1 but has an ERA of 4.59. That number is up to 6.75 through 3 home starts. Also, Garcia has a 3.14 ERA in 12 starts versus the Brewers while Estrada has a 4.00 ERA in 3 starts versus St. Louis. Cards have the edge.

Rob Vinciletti

Cincinnati Reds -155

The Reds won for us as a free Play on Saturday and we are going right back to the well with them again today. The Reds are backed with another solid system. We want to play on certain road favorites the last 2 seasons that are off a road favored win by 2 or more runs, if they scored 5 or more runs and are taking on an opponent off a home dog loss by 2 or more runs that scored 4 or less runs on 4 or less hits, These road favorites are 15-3 the last 2 years and 9-1 if the total is more than 8. The Reds have M. Latos going today and he went 7 strong allowing just 2 runs in his only start here in Chicago. He has won 6 of his last 8 Road May starts and take on E. Jackson who has lost 5 of 8 home May starts and has lost his last 4 home starts overall allowing a hideous 17 run sin 15 innings. The Reds have dominated the series of late taking 13 of the last 15.

Alex Smart

Philadelphia Phillies -1½ +128

Miami gives very little run support to its pitchers as it has scored just 84 runs in 31 games. The Marlins have scored eight runs in their starter today Slowey's six outings this season, which should not inspire a lot of confidence in a Marlins win here today. Roy Halladay the Phillies veteran starter today has looked pretty good at times this season, despite of some inconsistent performances.Halladay recorded his 200th career victory at Miami on April 14 when he gave up one run and five hits in eight innings in a 2-1 win. Im looking for a little bit more run support today in a tilt that Im betting ends in a substantial victory for the Phillies.

Jesse Schule

Miami Marlins +1½ -140

First off, congrats to all those who got in on Saturday's free winner on the Rangers, and Friday with the Pirates. If you haven't been following my free plays this year, you might want to check out the history here: 2013 Free Play History.

After losing the first two games of this series in Philly, the Fish shutout the Phillies on Saturday, winning 2-0. They will look to earn a split in the series with another win on Sunday.

Philadelphia sends Roy Halladay to the mound, and it's anybody's guess whether we will see "the good Doc" or "the bad Doc". Halladay was torched for eight runs on nine hits, including three home runs in a 14-2 loss at Cleveland his last time out. Remember Progressive Field is supposed to be kind to Pitchers, while Citizen's Bank Park certainly is not.

Several players in the Miami lineup have been successful against Halladay, including Placido Palanco, Justin Ruggiano and Donovan Solano, who are all hitting better than .300 in past meetings.

Miami will hand the ball to Kevin Slowey, who has been a pleasant surprise in the rotation this year. Slowey (0-2, 2.15 ERA) is still in search of his first win, but he has put together an impressive string of quality starts. One of those came against Philadelphia, allowing just a single run on nine hits over 5 1/3 innings in a 2-1 loss.

He had his most impressive outing in his last start, going eight innings, allowing one run on four hits, striking out eight, but failing to get the decision in a 2-1 win over the Mets.

The price is right for a play on the Fish as a dog on the run line, facing a pitcher that has struggled most of the year.

Take Miami +1.5