DUNKEL
Cleveland at Orlando
The Magic return home and look to take advantage of a Cleveland team that is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 meetings in Orlando. Orlando is the pick (-1 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Magic favored by 3. Dunkel Pick: Orlando (-1 1/2).
Game 511-512: Cleveland at Orlando
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland 127.132; Orlando 130.156
Dunkel Line & Total: Orlando by 3; 185
Vegas Line & Total: Orlando by 1 1/2; 190
Dunkel Pick: Orlando (-1 1/2); Under
MLB
Toronto at Atlanta
The Braves go for the sweep and look to take advantage of Toronto's 1-7 record in its last 8 interleague road games. Atlanta is the pick (-155) according to Dunkel, which has the Braves favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-155).
Game 901-902: Chicago Cubs at San Diego
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Lilly) 15.082; San Diego (Young) 14.298
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1; 6
Vegas Line: San Diego (-115); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (+105); Under
Game 903-904: Philadelphia at NY Yankees
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Hamels) 17.478; NY Yankees (Sabathia) 16.284
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1; 10
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-170); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+160); Over
Game 905-906: Colorado at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Hammel) 15.788; Detroit (Willis) 15.371
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit (-155); 10
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+145); Under
Game 907-908: Cleveland at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Lee) 14.518; Cincinnati (Cueto) 15.896
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-110); 8
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (-110); Over
Game 909-910: Tampa Bay at Florida
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Shields) 14.598; Florida (Johnson) 14.770
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Florida (-110); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida (-110); Over
Game 911-912: Baltimore at Washington
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Bergesen) 13.208; Washington (Martis) 15.811
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Washington (-145); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (-145); Under
Game 913-914: Toronto at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Richmond) 14.385; Atlanta (Jurrjens) 15.581
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-155); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-155); Under
Game 915-916: NY Mets at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Redding) 17.014; Boston (Wakefield) 15.784
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston (-180); 10
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (+170); Under
Game 917-918: Pittsburgh at Chicago White Sox
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Karstens) 14.800; White Sox (Buehrle) 13.656
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-200); 9
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+180); Over
Game 919-920: Texas at Houston
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (McCarthy) 15.617; Houston (Hampton) 16.386
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Houston (-115); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Houston (-115); Under
Game 921-922: Kansas City at St. Louis
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Bannister) 14.510; St. Louis (Pineiro) 14.790
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-135); 9
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-135); Under
Game 923-924: Arizona at Oakland
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Garland) 16.181; Oakland (Outman) 14.711
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Oakland (-135); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+125); Under
Game 925-926: San Francisco at Seattle
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Zito) 14.189; Seattle (Hernandez) 15.161
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1; 5 1/2
Vegas Line: Seattle (-160); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (-160); Under
Game 927-928: Milwaukee at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Bush) 16.262; Minnesota (Baker) 15.279
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Minnesota (-125); 9
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (+115); Over
Game 929-930: LA Angels at LA Dodgers
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Palmer) 17.162; LA Dodgers (Billingsley) 16.012
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-200); 8
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (+180); Under
Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports
267 - 172 run 60 %
12 wins - 2 losses last 14 free picks
Sun Florida Marlins
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Free Selection from Totals4U
Sunday's free selection: Milwaukee/Minnesota over 9
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EZWINNER'S FREE SELECTION
Game: Colorado Rockies @ Detroit Tigers
(906) Detroit Tigers -$155
(Listing Willis and Hammel)
The Tigers lost a one run game yesterday, but I expect them
to bounce back today and win the series against the Rockies.
Dontrelle Willis is pitching well and I like the Tigers offense to
do some damage against Jason Hammel who is 0-3 in his
last three starts with an ERA of almost 6.
Lay the juice with Detroit
2009 Free Selections Record 77-63 (55.0%)
8)
BIG AL
At 2:15 pm our member selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Kansas City Royals. Despite the recent dominance of the American League over the Nationals in interleague play, this matchup clearly favors the Cards, who over their last half-dozen games have played perhaps their best ball of the season. They are going for a three-game sweep against the Royals, and although they were able to avoid KC's incredible ace Zack Greinke as well as its second best starter (Gil Meche), the Cardinals have been completely dominant in the first two games of the set, shutting out the Royals both times by identical 5-0 scores. Sure, it would have been great to see them have to face Greinke in this series (although perhaps not for them), but the fact that they didn't really should not diminish their great performance on both sides of the ball right now. One of their big surprises for the season, righthander Joel Pineiro, gets the call this afternoon for the Cards, and Pineiro is coming off of his best start of the season, a complete-game shutout at home vs. the Cubs. The near-flawless three-hitter was Pineiro's first complete game since 2006 and he has now gone three straight starts without issuing a walk. In fact, Pineiro only has issued seven walks all season in over 54 innings pitched. Like the Royals, righthander Brian Bannister seemed to be performing over his head earlier in the season and now is perhaps coming back down to earth as his last start was sub-par against a weak Cleveland team. Bannister faced the Cards twice last season, going 1-1 with a 6.94 ERA. Take the Cardinals.
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on Houston Astros -105
Houston avoids the sweep today against the Rangers' Brandon McCarthy, who brings in an ERA of 6.95 on the road. The Rangers are 1-7 in McCarthy's last 8 road starts and 0-4 in his last 4 starts with 4 days of rest. The Astros' Hampton has had good success in interleague play as the Astros are 4-0 in Hampton's last 4 interleague starts. Plus, the Astros are 31-11 in Hampton's last 42 starts overall and I like his chances here as the Rangers are 2-5 in their last 7 interleague road games vs. a left-handed starter. Here are the clinchers: Hampton is 23-2 against the money line in home games when pitching on Sunday since 1997 and 37-8 against the money line in home day games since 1997. Bet the Astros.
Mr. A
Orlando Magic -1½
Detroit Tigers -155
Chicago White Sox -185
Johnny Guild
Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic
I believe we will see another close gung ho clash tonight at Amway Arena. Orlando will get through their painful buzzer defeat in game 2 and even the score against the Cavaliers on their home court. The Magic have won nine of the last 13 clashes against Cleveland at home and are 5-1 ATS in its last 6 home games versus the Cavaliers. Take Orlando! Lay the 1.5point with the home favorite in this rivalry.
Orlando Magic -1.5
Gina
Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic
Go with Orlando to beat the Cavaliers for the third straight time this season at Amway Arena. The Magic are 5-0 ATS against the Cavaliers in the last five meetings and 5-1 both straight-up and against the spread in its last 6 games against them in the Sunshine State.
Orlando Magic -1½
New York Mets at Boston Red Sox
Go with the Red Sox with their knuckleballer on the hill to avoid a three-game sweep against the Mets at Fenway Park. Boston will send veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield to the hill. The right-hander is 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his last six starts at home and the Red Sox have won six of Wakefield's last 7 starts, nine of his last 11 interleague starts.
Boston Red Sox -180
OC DOOLEY
Brewers at Twins UNDER 9
This is my second baseball pick of the day where INJURY news comes into play. Milwaukee starting shortstop J.J. Hardy (back) and outfielder Corey Hart (hand) both were unable to play yesterday. Due to injuries, the robust Milwaukee lineup has been able to generate only FOUR runs combined in the past couple of days. Minnesota's lineup also is ailing as designated hitter Jason Kubel (.336, 23 RBI) is out of the lineup with a knee problem. I am aware that tonight's Twins starter Scott Baker has a rather high ERA, but he was effective at the major league level a year ago and is going against a depleted Brewers lineup. The big story in tonight's pitching matchup is Milwaukee's Dave Bush who has had QUALITY starts (6+ innings/3 or less earned runs allowed) in SEVEN of his 8 season assignments. With the free-agent losses of C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets, it was imperative for the Brewers to have someone in the rotation step up to the plate so to speak. My database research indicates that Minnesota is 21-8 UNDER after batting at least .315 at the plate in a 5-game span. That statistic tells us not to be fooled by Minnesota's recent high offensive outputs
VEGAS EXPERTS
Baltimore Orioles at Washington Nationals
It takes a lot for the Washington Nationals to be favored, let alone actually win, but all the right factors may be in play this afternoon. Over the last two seasons, Baltimore is an atrocious 5-26 in Sunday games and that includes a 7-4 loss to KC last week. Coincidental? Possibly, but the O's must also deal with Nats starter Martis, who is 3-0 at home this year with a solid 3.29 ERA. Look for Washington to avoid the sweep.
Play on: Washington
Tom Freese
Milwaukee at Minnesota
Milwaukee is 8-2-1 UNDER in the last 11 road starts made by David Bush and he has a better that 6-1 strikeout to walk ratio in his last 3 starts. The Brewers are 16-5-1 UNDER off a loss and they are they are 22-8 UNDER vs. an opponent who scored 5 or more runs in their last game. Minnesota is 40-16-5 UNDER on Sunday and they are 7-3 UNDER last 10 Interleague games. The Twins are 11-5 UNDER with Scott Baker when the Total is 9.0 to 10.5 and they are 4-1 UNDER in Interleague home games vs. righty starters. PLAY ON 'UNDER' (Baker vs. Bush)
Scott Rickenbach
Florida vs Tampa Bay
Play Over
One of the key reasons this didn't make our card for Sunday is the weather concerns in Florida. In other words, with less of a threat of thunderstorms, we quite likely would have pulled the trigger here with a guaranteed play. Even though Shields has some great numbers for Tampa Bay he also has shown a knack - throughout his career - for being much stronger at home than he is on the road. That said, don't be surprised if he plays a factor in rejuvenating a Marlins offense that has only scored five runs so far in this series.
As for the Rays offense, they have exploded for 25 runs so far in this series and they are unlikely to slow down today. Tampa Bay's lineup is simply "in the zone" right now and that means they're bringing a special confidence to the ballpark. Johnson has solid numbers but he's facing a very tough test here and that's why we're calling for both teams to enjoy some success at the plate in this one. And, with such a low total posted on this game, it really doesn't take much to cash this ticket! Consider a small play on OVER the total in Florida on Sunday afternoon.
Jimmy The Moose
Toronto Blue Jays at Atlanta Braves
Prediction: Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays are on a 4-game losing streak and they are just hanging on to top spot in the AL. This afternoon they send Richmond to the mound to end the losing. Richmond is 4-2 on the year and the Blue Jays are 6-2 when he starts. Atlanta is 5-11 in their last 16 games as a home favorite. In their last 14 games vs. a right-handed starter they are 4-10. In Jurrjens last 5 starts vs. a team with a winning record the Braves are 1-4. The Jays are 12-5 in the last 17 meetings. Play on the Toronto Blue Jays +.
Larry Ness
Toronto Blue Jays @ Atlanta Braves
PICK: Atlanta Braves
The Jays have been a huge surprise this year but at 27-19, they now lead the Red Sox and Yanks by just a half-game in the AL East. The Jays began a nine-game road trip by losing all three games at Fenway (Tuesday-Thursday) and have lost 1-0 and 4-3 the last two nights, here in Atlanta. Toronto has been held to seven hits or less three times during its five-game slide, has batted only .241 as a team and worst of all, has scored a grand total of just eight runs (that's 1.6 per game!). Meanwhile, the Braves are heading in the opposite direction. Atlanta concludes its nine-game homestand with this game and enters this series finale 5-3, so far. That's good news for Braves fans, as the team had opened the homestand as owners of MLB's worst home mark (5-9). Better yet, the Braves have won 11 of 16 since losing four straight from May 2-5. Toronto will start Scott Richmond. He was 1-3 with a 4.00 ERA in five starts in 2008 but got off to an excellent start for the Jays in 2009. He began the season with four wins in his first five starts, getting 30 runs of support to go 4-0 with a 2.67 ERA (team was 5-0). However,he hasn't won since May 8 and has allowed five ERs in an outing twice in his last three starts, including making it through just 1.2 innings vs the Yankees. His ERA of 5.40 ERA in that span hasn't been helped by the fact that he's gotten just six runs to work with. Jair Jurrjens will start for Atlanta. He had a nice first season with Atlanta in 2008, going 13-10 with a 3.68 ERA (team was 17-14 in 31 starts, including 11-5 in Atlanta). He's been even better this year and has even pitched better on the road than at home. However, he hasn't been bad anywhere in 2009, allowing two ERs or less in EIGHT of his nine starts. His ERA is 1.96 and he's allowed just 42 hits over 55 innings (he's 4-2 and the team 5-4). Jurrjens should own a better record and I expect him to add a much-deserved win to his 2009 record here, vs the slumping Jays. Take Atlanta.
John Ryan
San Francisco Giants vs. Seattle Mariners
Play: San Francisco Giants
Ai Simulator 3* graded play on SF as they face Seattle. Supporting this graded play is a system that has gone 43-8 since 1997 making 33.5 units since 1997 for 84% winners. Play against any team that is a poor AL hitting team hitting <=.260 facing a good NL starting pitcher posting an ERA <=3.70 and is a cold hitting team batting .240 or worse over their last 15 games. Seattle is just 3-13 (-16.0 Units) against the money line in home games vs. an NL starting pitcher whose ERA is 3.50 to 4.20 since 1997. Take SF.
Vernon Croy
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Atlanta Braves
Play: Atlanta Braves
Take the Atlanta Braves to complete the sweep at home today against this Blue Jays line-up that is struggling after being swept out of Boston. The Jays are just 5-11 in their last 16 interleague games including just 1-7 in their last 8 road interleague games and the Braves are 6-1 in their last 7 games against a team with a winning record. Jair Jurrjens (4-2, 1.96 ERA) has pitched solid over his last 3 starts with an ERA of just 2.08 while lasting an average of 7.2 innings per start and the Braves are 4-1 in Jurrjens last 5 starts in game 3 of a series. Jurrjens faced the Jays last season and allowed just 3 hits and no earned runs over 8 innings and I look for him to have another solid start Sunday afternoon. Scott Richmond (4-2, 3.64 ERA) was solid in his last start allowing no earned runs but he has allowed 5 earned runs in each of his previous 2 starts and I look for the Braves to have success against him today. Take the Atlanta Braves as my MLB Free Play for Sunday.