SPORTS WAGERS
LOS ANGELES –7 over Phoenix
With Boston up 2-0 the NBA will be absolutely thrilled to see a Celtics/Lakers final and don’t think for a second that the refs aren’t aware of how that must happen. Besides that, the Suns are overmatched in this series and that’s all there is to it. When teams visit L.A. they appear to be completely off their game as if they know they’re going to lose and we saw it from Utah and we saw it from Phoenix in game one. Then there’s Kobe Bryant. When he drives to the bucket the refs instantly bring their whistles to their mouths in anticipation of a foul and one of two things will occur. Kobe will either hit a bucket plus one or the opposition will get hit with a foul and that’s all there is to that. Should he miss, one of the Lakers big men will be there to clean it up. The Lakers dominated the boards in game one, they’ve dominated the boards against the Suns all year and they’ll do so in game two also. The bottom lie is that the Lakers are too good for this small invader and the body language of the Suns in game one of this series said it all. They had no answers whatsoever, they were frustrated as hell and they threw up a slew of low percentage shots with virtually no chance of making it or getting the rebound. Game one was a blowout. This one could be worse. Play: L.A. Lakers –7 (Risking 2.14 units to win 2).
Tony George
BLUE JAYS +112
An underdog on the road who has been stellar. A 13-6 road record and a whopping 41 runs in their last 5 games, I like the Blue Jays on the road at Seattle tonight. As an underdog the Jays have been money in the bank winning 4 out of their last 5 underdog roles as a pup of +100 to +127. The Jays start a southpaw, and the Mariners cannot hit lefties, scoring just 2.7 runs per game on the season against southpaws. Light dog that can provide some run support, I like the Jays tonight.
Sac Lawson
SEA (-115) vs TOR
Right back to the well guys... First off, the Seattle bats finally came to life yesterday! The Mariners are definitely coming off a frustrating road trip, but this team still has some fight in em, you can just see it. If they can get similar production from their sticks again tonight, they should be sitting pretty.
Fister is a guy that we can definitely feel comfortable with on the mound for Seattle. He's not going to give free passes, and he's going to keep the ball in the park. The guy has done a fantastic job so far of getting ground ball outs and eating up innings. If you're part of the Mariners franchise, you could not be happier with the production he's given that rotation.
On the other side is a guy in Bret Cecil going for Toronto. He is coming off an absolutely terrible start his last time out where he gave up 8 runs in just two innings of work. Looking through his stats and splits, the thing that just jumps out at you is the fact that he's got a 6.32 ERA on the road over the course of his career. This is a guy that is hittable as it is, in fact, opponents hit 0.308 lifetime off him, so if he's not comfortable on the mound, which it appears he usually isn't on the road.. that spells big trouble.
Guys, I love the starting pitching advantage, and i really feel like the life that the Seattle bats showed last night is an indicator of where they're headed in this series and over the next couple of weeks. Expect Seattle to surprise some folks tonight.. and in the near future.
Seattle 1 unit!
DET (-118) vs AK
Absolutely gotta love this matchup guys. Braden has a 7.34 ERA against Detroit over 6 starts in his career, and a lot of it simply has to do with the fact that he's a lefty, and all of the Tigers power comes from that right side. He's had one hell of a time staying competitive against the Tigers without tons of run support behind him, and today, going up against Verlander, I don't expect that run support to be there.
On top of that, word on the streets is that Braden is dealing with a bit of an illness as well. Long story short, the guy won't be 100%, and struggles against Detroit as it is. On the other side, Verlander has definitely moved past his terrible first month and is starting to throw very well for the Tigers. I love the Tigers pen, and I truly believe that if Verlander can give us 7 strong of 1 or 2 run ball, this game will be in the books quite easily.
Simply a bad matchup for a left handed pitcher, this Tigers lineup is. I expect Braden to struggle, Verlander to continue his improvement, and the Tigers to grab a road win to start a west coast swing!
Nelly
Pittsburgh + over Milwaukee
While the Brewers are assumed to be the superior team in this match-up the Pirates are actually two games up in the NL Central standings. This is the seventh meetings between these teams on the year and Milwaukee has out-scored the Pirates 61-17. Pittsburgh has won the last two meetings however, including winning in Milwaukee the last time Randy Wolf pitched. While Trevor Hoffman took the loss in that game Wolf was fortunate to only allow two runs as he allowed ten hits and was generally allowing solid contact. Hoffman's struggles continue with another blown save on Tuesday and the morale of the Milwaukee team has to be at an all-time low riding an eight-game losing streak and one of the most frustrating losses of the season yesterday. While Pittsburgh owns a horrible run-differential for the year as the result of several ugly blowout losses the Pirates are playing .500 ball at home, as they did last season. Brian Burres has also pitched fairly well this season including a 1.50 ERA at home and seven innings of shutout ball in his last home start. On paper the Brewers look like the much stronger offensive team but issues in the bullpen continue to a serious problem and one of the more reliable relievers was thrown into a starting role yesterday as Manny Parra pitched well despite the loss. Pittsburgh is prone to the occasional blowout loss but beating Roy Halladay should be a big confidence booster heading into this division game.
Stan Lisowski
PHILADELPHIA
Phils are 10-2 against teams from the NL Central while the Cubs are 4-9 vs. the East. Philly goes 8-5 in game 1 of a series and stands 9-4 off of a loss on the year. Cubs are only 1-6 in Gorzelanny’s starts this season.
Hey Blade,
I have a question for you..... What is the difference between the service plays and the premium service plays?
Hey Blade,
I have a question for you..... What is the difference between the service plays and the premium service plays?
Premium plays are paid plays while the other thread are free plays which I think have lots of good info and are worth following if you like/dislike a tout.
Frank Jordan
Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees
Play: New York Yankees
The first place Rays roll into New York on a four game winning streak and a three game lead over the Yankees. The Yankees come off a two game set against the Red Sox where they twice blew 5-0 leads late in the game and last night were unable to beat Papplebon like they did on Monday. Last night they needed length from Sabathia and got 7 inning one run allowed but in the 8th Joba gave it up and in the 9th the defense let Mariano Rivera down as two unearned runs scored. Tampa Bay is 15-4 on the road best in baseball and the Yankees are 13-4 at home best in baseball. Something has to give. Look for AJ Burnett to keep things in his control and his hands as he goes deep into the game 8 or 9 innings and if anyone comes out of the pen it will be Rivera who will so the same and keep the ball in the infield. Play NY Yankees
Craig Trapp
Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees
Play: Tampa Bay Rays
Don't discount the letdown factor in coming off the Boston Redsox series. Really a big game for TB as they are out to show that they are one of the best teams in baseball. TB turns to Wade Davis who is not dominating but his usual performance is 7 innings pitched allowing only 3 runs. If he can do that today think TB will put up at least 5 runs. Too much value here as NYY are ripe for a huge letdown game.
Hollywood Sports
Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees
Prediction: New York Yankees
This would have been a high-rated play for us if it was not priced so high (over -150, which is beyond what I am generally willing to release as a Hollywood Sports' selection). However, as of this writing, the money line is back at -150 or even less. Some of the sabermetrics statistics for this matchup are very intriguing. Here is a taste. A.J. Burnett is much better at home in Yankee Stadium. Last year, he had a 3.51 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and opponent's batting average of just .229 which compares favorably to his 4.59 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and .264 opponent's batting average. And so far in 2010, Burnett has been even better with his 0.86 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and opponent's batting average of .237. Furthermore, Burnett is 5-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 1.03 WHIP against the Rays since 2009. We are very skeptical about how rookie Wade Davis will perform in his first start in Yankee Stadium. While he sports a 2.25 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and just a .182 opponent batting average at home, these numbers jump to a 4.13 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and opponent's batting average of .253 when on the road. The Yankees' lineup has seen this rookie once already -- and they scored four runs on him in 6 innings. Expect New York to benefit from having already seen this starter once. I'm sold -- even above -150 (FYI).
Sean Murphy
Detroit Tigers @ Oakland Athletics
PICK: Oakland Athletics
This appears to be a solid spot to fade the Detroit Tigers as they head to the west coast on no rest following an eight-game homestand that saw them go 5-3 against the Yankees, Red Sox, and White Sox.
The road hasn't been kind to the Tigers this season as they're just 8-11 away from Comerica Park. Meanwhile, the A's have quietly gone an exceptional 15-7 at home.
Oakland enters this series on a high note after a quick two-game sweep of the Mariners. Note that the A's have now won four consecutive series' here at home.
Justin Verlander gets the nod for the Tigers on Wednesday. He has been pitching well, but there is some reason to be concerned, as he has thrown at least 118 pitches in five consecutive starts. Detroit is just 4-4 in his eight career starts against the A's, and 2-4 in his six outings here in Oakland.
Dallas Braden is two starts removed from his perfect game against the Rays. He actually pitched quite well in his last start as well, allowing just seven hits and four earned runs over eight innings against the Angels. He has struck out 14 while walking just one in his last three outings. Braden has faced the Tigers three times here at home, with the A's winning all three of those games.
The A's are 8-2 in their last 10 home meetings with the Tigers, and with Detroit slumping a little at the plate (hitting .234 over their last 10 games) there's reason to believe Oakland can get it done here tonight. Note that the A's have shown some life offensively since recalling Jack Cust from triple-A on Saturday. Take Oakland.
Wunderdog
Chicago Cubs vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Play: Philadelphia Phillies
Getting the Phillies at home on short odds is always worth a look, especially vs a team that has struggled on the road over the recent years. Jamie Moyer isn't pretty, but at age 47 he is still getting it done and the Phillies have cashed in on five of his seven starts. The Cubs have not only struggled on the road, but they have also lost their last five vs a lefthand starter and have underachieved as a dog in this range. They are a poor 13-38 in their last 51 as a dog from +110 to +150. Moyer has handled the sub-.500 teams as the Phillies are 20-7 in his last 27 starts against them. This one belongs to Philly.
Thanks Blade, that's what I assumed but wanted to make sure. Thanks for good work and good luck!