Bobby Maxwell
Philadelphia +120 at L.A. DODGERS
Improved to 6-2 with our last eight FREE selections from the diamond as the A's got the job done against the Orioles. Today we've got another comp winner for you as we play the Phillies on the road in Los Angeles.
Tough ways to lose the last two days for the Phillies who still have the best road mark in the big leagues. Look for them to respond well tonight with a strong performance and finish off this four-game series with a victory to salvage a split.
Philadelphia lost 4-3 on Friday after giving up two ninth-inning runs and lost 3-2 on Saturday after giving up a tying homer in the ninth and a game-winning homer in the 12th. Despite those two games, the Phils have won seven of nine overall and five of seven on the road. They are still 20-8 on the highway and 12-4 in their last 16 away from home. They are 17-8 against the N.L. West and 37-16 against winning teams.
On the hill for them today is rookie southpaw Antonio Bastardo (1-0, 1.50 ERA) who was magnificent in San Diego on Tuesday, allowing just one run on four hits in six innings and recording five strikeouts as Philly got a 10-5 victory.
The Phillies are 10-5 in the last 15 meetings with the Dodgers.
On the hill for Los Angeles is Randy Wolf (3-1, 3.21) who got drilled against the D'Backs on Tuesday, giving up five runs on seven hits in six innings and left trailign 5-1.
They've come so close the last two days, we expect the Phillies to finish this one like they've been doing all season on the road - with a win. Enjoy the plus-money and play Philadelphia in this one.
3♦ PHILADELPHIA
Jeff Benton
Baltimore at OAKLAND -115
Finally scored a free-play winner Saturday as the White Sox got the job done against Cleveland. For Sunday, we’ll stay in the American League and back the surging A’s against the slumping Orioles.
Oakland has pounded Baltimore in the first two games of this series, winning by scores of 9-1 and 9-4. And while the O’s have dropped four straight games on their current road trip and six of the last seven – the only W was a 1-0 triumph in Seattle on Monday – the A’s have won five in a row. Most impressively, Oakland has busted out the sticks during this season-best winning streak, tallying 35 runs in all and scoring at least five times in every game. Meanwhile, the pitching staff has been solid, surrendering just eight runs during the win streak.
Also, to say that the A’s own Baltimore is an understatement. Oakland is now 47-16 in the last 63 meetings, including 23-8 in the last 31 battles in the Bay Area. And since the start of the 2008 season, the A’s are riding a seven-game winning streak against the Orioles, outscoring Baltimore 46-16, including 30-13 in five contests in Oakland.
Easy call here, folks, as we’ll look for the host, behind rookie pitcher Vin Mazzaro – who got the winning streak going by pitching 6 1/3 scoreless innings in his big-league debut at the White Sox on Tuesday – to keep on rolling.
3♦ OAKLAND
Sports Gambling Hotline
Orlando at LA LAKERS
NBA total tonight, and we will once again come with the UNDER in the NBA Finals.
On Thursday we told you there simply wouldn't be enough offense for the Magic-Lakers to go OVER the total, and you saw the results, as the teams stayed UNDER by some 30-points.
With Thursday's UNDER, these teams have played LOW in 5 of the last 6 played at Staples Center.
Also consider the Lakers are on a 9-2 UNDER run their last 11 this post season, with their last 6 home games going LOW.
Throw in the Lakers 16-5 home UNDER run their last 21, and their 28-9 UNDER run when laying points, and we are once again looking at a LOW-SCORING game in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
Play on the UNDER.
4♦ UNDER
Matt Rivers
For Sunday lay a little bit with the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine.
If you have been following me over the past few weeks then you know that I have been very high on the World Champion Phillies. Charlie Manual's squad has been phenomenal on the road, save blowing the last two games, and is playing as if they want to repeat. Today though I am reversing course and will take my chances with former Phillie Randy Wolf and the home Dodgers.
Wolf has resurrected his career this season after a few mediocre at the very best seasons. The southpaw has been dealing this season and about a month ago went to Philadelphia and looked great in dispatching his former team with relative ease. I do think that guys like Howard, Utley, Ibanez and Rollins are awesome and will make some adjustments learning from that game but Antonio Bastardo will not have it as easy today as he did in his first start against the dreadful offense known as the Padre and that factor will prove to be too much for the visitors. Plus you have a guy in Brad Lidge who is fairly awful right now and cannot be trusted at all in closing games.
Los Angeles has been phenomenal at home this season. Certainly not having Manny Ramirez makes the blue worse than if they had him but this is a great spot to believe that Furcal, Ethier, Pierre, Kemp, Martin and the Dodgers and expect them to bust out a bit with the bats and take care of business.
It's tough to lay anything to the champs and that's why I do this in a semi hesitant manner but things are going to be a lot tougher for Bastardo than that first start in PETCO and in the end I expect Wolf and the Dodgers to be too stout overall tonight!
Jake Timlin
Nailing the total in game 1 of this series I look for yet another low scoring game tonight.
Supporting number on Los Angeles, the Lakers are now on a 9-2 UNDER run in their last 11 postseason games. Included in there run the last 6 postseason games at Staple Center has stayed low as had the total in 28 of the Lakers last 27 games when laying points. Plus, with game 1 staying low the UNDER is now 5-1 in the last 6 series games in Hollywood.
Well don’t expect much of a change from the trends tonight as both teams will try to slow the tempo down resulting in a low scoring game.
Take the UNDER tonight in game 2 of the NBA Finals.
3♦ Orlando & Los Angeles UNDER
DAVE COKIN
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES at LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Take LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Nice debut for Antonio Bastardo, and the Phillies newest southpaw will try and beat the Dodgers tonight. Bastardo is yet another Philly southpaw with marginal heat, but a very effective changeup, and he joins Hamels, Happ and Moyer in a rotation that's definitely lefty-loaded. Tough draw tonight for the rookie, however, as the Dodgers have rallied to win the last two in this series and Randy Wolf can be very tough at Dodgers Stadium. The late inning situation should favor the hosts again, so I'll go with LA as moderately priced home chalk
Rocketman
Minnesota Twins vs. Seattle Mariners
Play: Minnesota Twins
Minnesota is 28-28 on the season while Seattle comes in with a 26-29 record this year. Minnesota bullpen has a 3.32 ERA on the road this year. Seattle is scoring only 3.8 runs per game overall, 3.5 runs per game at home and 3.7 runs per game against right handed starters this year. Kevin Slowey is 8-1 with a 3.97 ERA overall this year, 1-1 with a 2.89 ERA on the road and 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA his last 3 starts. Erik Bedard is 0-5 overall vs Minnesota since 1997. We'll recommend a small play on Minnesota today!
DUNKEL
Philadelphia at LA Dodgers
The Phillies look to bounce back from yesterday's 3-2 extra-inning loss and build on their 11-1 record in their last 12 road games when the total is set between 7 and 8 1/2 runs. Philadelphia is the pick (+120) according to Dunkel, which has the Phillies favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+120).
Game 901-902: Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Wells) 15.102; Cincinnati 16.351
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-125); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+115); Under
Game 903-904: Milwaukee at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Parra) 15.173; Atlanta (Hanson) 15.271
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-145); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-145); Under
Game 905-906: NY Mets at Washington
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Hernandez) 14.218; Washington (Stammen) 13.368
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Washington (-115); 10
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (+105); Under
Game 907-908: Pittsburgh at Houston
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Snell) 13.763; Houston (Paulino) 15.141
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Houston (-125); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Houston (-125); Under
Game 909-910: Colorado at St. Louis
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Jimenez) 14.695; St. Louis (Pineiro) 14.942
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-130); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-130); Over
Game 911-912: Arizona at San Diego
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Haren) 14.682; San Diego (Geer) 15.006
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Arizona (-160); 7
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+150); Over
Game 913-914: San Francisco at Florida
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Lincecum) 15.640; Florida (Nolasco) 16.875
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-150); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida (+140); Under
Game 915-916: Philadelphia at LA Dodgers
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Bastardo) 17.101; LA Dodgers (Wolf) 15.882
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1; 8
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-130); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+120); Under
Game 917-918: LA Angels at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Suanders) 16.015; Detroit (Porcello) 14.800
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit (-125); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (+115); Under
Game 919-920: Tampa Bay at NY Yankees
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Garza) 16.341; NY Yankees (Chamberlain) 17.748
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-150); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-150); Over
Game 921-922: Kansas City at Toronto
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Davies) 12.716; Toronto (Halladay) 14.384
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Toronto (-265); 8
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-265); Over
Game 923-924: Texas at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Padilla) 17.179; Boston (Matsuzaka) 16.181
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston (-175); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Texas (+165); Under
Game 925-926: Cleveland at Chicago White Sox
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Huff) 14.700; White Sox (Colon) 15.595
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-130); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (-130); Under
Game 927-928: Baltimore at Oakland
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Hill) 14.915; Oakland (Mazzaro) 15.638
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Oakland (-125); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-125); Over
Game 929-930: Minnesota at Seattle
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Slowey) 15.663; Seattle (Bedard) 16.697
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1; 7
Vegas Line: Seattle (-130); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (-130); Under
NBA
Orlando at LA Lakers
The Lakers look to follow up their 25-point win in Game One and build on their 8-2 ATS record in their last 10 games when playing on 2 days rest. Los Angeles is the pick (-6 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Lakers favored by 7. Dunkel Pick: LA Lakers (-6 1/2).
Game 703-704: Orlando at LA Lakers
Dunkel Ratings: Orlando 126.527; LA Lakers 133.305
Dunkel Line & Total: LA Lakers by 7; 198 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: LA Lakers by 6 1/2; 202 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Lakers (-6 1/2); Under
Drew Gordon
Another solid Free Play winner with the Chicago White Sox over the Indians 4-2 Saturday! Now 9-2 roll with my last 11 Freebies AND COUNTING...
True, the Orioles are not playing well, but there's light at the end of the tunnel, and they've got a great oppurtunity for the bounce back today, and here's why:
First, the pitching match up gives them a solid edge, as lefty Rich Hill takes the mound for the O's. Not only are they 4-0 when he starts, but he's coming off his best start of the season, tossing 7 scoreless at the Mariners Monday. He's proven rock-solid on the highway, going 2-0 with a stellar 1.96 ERA in 3 starts! Look for continued success today, as the A's average only 2.8 runs per game against lefties at home, batting .212 in the process.
Second, I'll admit his Debut was impressive, tossing 6 1/3 scoreless against the White Sox Tuesday, but let's not get too carried away with Mazzaro just yet! Orioles bats may have cooled recently, but they clearly prefer to hit righties, averaging 5.1 run per game against them. Look for them to get back on track today, as they test the hard-throwing rookie early and often.
Finally, make no mistake, the Orioles are desperate for a win here, and they know Hill gives them their best chance in this spot. A's are 0-4 against lefties in day games at McAfee Coliseum, and you can make 0-5 after this afternoon. In the end, Baltimore snaps out of its funk, exposing the rookie in only his second Major League start.
Take Baltimore behind Hill over Oakland and Mazzaro in this MLB match up.
2♦ BALTIMORE
Scott Delaney
Now on a 14-4 run with the complimentary releases after the Red Sox took care of business last night. were rained out. Today it's the Nationals over the Mets.
Nationals got it done yesterday against the Mets when two pitchers reunited, so we’ll look for another revenge win once again. Washington’s Craig Stammen lost to the Mets’ Livan Hernandez on May 26, and will be out to avenge his setback with a solid showing in this one.
Now I know that Hernandez is 5-0 his last five starts against Washington, but the last time he pitched in D.C. he gave up six earned runs over six frames. So even though we’re talking about the worst team in baseball, we’re also capable of scoring the win with it since it won yesterday over the seemingly invincible John Maine.
Stammen made his Major-League debut on a couple weeks back against the Pirates and, as mentioned, has already pitched against this lineup once. Thus, I’m thinking the second time around will benefit us because he’ll be much more comfy against familiar faces.
Hernandez, who has an ERA of 4.89 on the highway this season, has watched right-handed hitters rattle him for a.322 batting average when he’s toed the road slab; on the other hand, left-handed guest hitters are batting .289.
Look for Washington to shock the Mets once again, and come to hit the ball – well – while scoring another win in this NL East rivalry.
1♦ WASHINGTON NATIONALS
LT Profits
San Francisco Giants @ Florida Marlins
This is a rather high total when you consider that reining Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants is pitching in a spacious stadium vs. the Florida Marlins, and we will bite on the Under here.
Tiny Tim has followed up his Cy Young year by going 4-1 with a 3.01 ERA and 1.23 WHIP thus far, with an amazing 91 strikeouts in 71.2 innings. Furthermore, he has lowered those numbers to a 1.27 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over his last three starts with 25 strikeouts in 21.1 innings, and he has eight Quality Starts in his last nine starts. As if he needs a bigger advantage, this will also be the first time that the Marlins have ever faced him!
The reason that this total is on the high-ish side is that Ricky Nolasco has been bombed in his last two starts, raising his ERA for the season to a horrific 9.07. However, he is a much better pitcher that those numbers and he looked downright dominant in his only start vs. the Giants last season, tossing a Complete Game two-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts. He is facing a San Francisco lineup that is batting just .240 in the road this season.
Besides, if Lincecum is his usual self, Nolasco will not need to be great for this to stay Under.
Pick: Giants/Marlins Under 8.5
Jr Tips
Philadelphia (32-22) had won seven in a row, including the series opener, when Lidge blew the save two days in a row. Lidge already has blown six of 19 chances this year and has a 7.27 ERA.The Dodgers (39-19), meanwhile, will be looking to become the first team in baseball to reach 40 wins. Los Angeles' offensive pace has slowed lately and the team's pitchers have picked up the slack. The staff's 3.57 ERA is the best in the majors, and Randy Wolf (3-1, 3.21 ERA) has helped that number.The left-hander was impressive at Citizens Bank Park, allowing three hits and a run and striking out eight in six innings of the Dodgers' 9-2 win May 13. He has a 2.25 ERA in two starts against the Phillies, who dropped two of three to the Dodgers last month. The Phillies will combat with Bastardo who is (1-0, 1.50) allowed four hits, one walk and one run, striking out five to give the Phillies a 10-5 victory. Both these teams offensives have slowed down in this series and today's starting pitchers both allow under 3 runs a game.
TAKE UNDER 8 RUNS
Mr A
Los Angeles Lakers -7
Boston Red Sox -175
San Francisco Giants -145
MLB Computer Picks
Toronto Blue Jays -260 * * *
Boston Red Sox - 175
Philadelphia Phillies +115
Best Bet ***
Bryan Leonard
3* Milwaukee at Atlanta Under
The Braves trot out rookie sensation Tommy Hanson to make his major league debut. He is expected to be an all time great pitcher for Atlanta. He has dominated at every level and we expect him to have great success today against a team that has never faced him.
Milwaukee counters with struggling Manny Parra who himself has never faced the Braves. He's in an ideal situation as Atlanta hasn't scored in 22 consecutive innings.
History shows that pitching has dominated this series as of late. The first two games of this series were 3-0 and 4-0 scores. In fact, these teams have played each other 11 times in the past two seasons. In those 11 games they have combined for just 60 total runs, just 5.45 runs per game. In addition the highest scoring game saw 9 players cross the plate, the same total as set in today's game. With two starters having the advantage of never facing these opponents we can expect another low scoring affair.
Tom Freese
Baltimore at Oakland
Oakland starter Vin Mazzaro is off his first Major League win. He figures to be a little flat here. The A's are 1-5 their last 6 home games vs. lefty starters and they are 12-26 when playing Game 3 of a series. Oakland is 6-15 their last 21 Sunday games. Baltimore starter Rich Hill has allowed 2 or less runs in 3 of his 4 starts this year and the Orioles have been on the Winning Side in all 4 of his starts this year. PLAY ON BALTIMORE - (Hill vs. Mazzaro)