SPORTS ADVISORS
NBA PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Cleveland (9-2 SU, 8-3 ATS) at (3) Orlando (10-6 SU, 8-8 ATS)
The Magic, looking to take full command of the Eastern Conference finals, host the suddenly struggling Cavaliers in Game 4 at Amway Arena.
Orlando kept Cleveland at arm’s length much of the night Sunday en route to a 99-89 Game 3 victory as a 1½-point home chalk, taking a 2-1 lead in this series and moving to 3-0 ATS. Dwight Howard put up 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and four of his teammates reached double figures in scoring, with Rafer Alston netting 18 and Hedo Turkoglu notching 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
LeBron James led the Cavs with 41 points in Game 3, and he also had nine assists and seven rebounds, but only two others reached double digits – Mo Williams (15 points) and Delonte West (12). In a game featuring 86 free throws, Cleveland got killed at the charity stripe, making 26 of 35 while Orlando hit 39 of 51. In their playoff sweeps of Detroit and Atlanta in the first two rounds, the Cavaliers were giving up just 78.1 points per game, but they’re allowing 100.3 ppg to Orlando.
The Magic are on a 13-1 ATS tear in this rivalry, including cashing in six of the last seven meetings in Orlando. This year, Orlando is 4-2 SU and 6-0 ATS against the Cavaliers. Also, the underdog is 10-4 ATS in the last 14 clashes.
Cleveland is 31-15 SU (25-21 ATS) on the road this year, including 4-1 SU (3-2 ATS) in the playoffs. Orlando is 37-11 SU (27-21 ATS) at home, including 5-2 SU (4-3 ATS) in the postseason.
The Magic are on ATS upswings of 9-3 overall (5-0 in their last five), 8-1 against the Central Division, 6-2 after a spread-cover and 6-2 following a SU win, and as an underdog, they are on ATS rolls of 6-2 in playoff action and 36-15-1 overall.
The Cavaliers are 32-5 SU in their last 37 starts and remain on several positive ATS runs, including 11-4 overall, 10-3 as a chalk, 40-21 after a non-cover and 5-2 on the road. However, Mike Brown’s troops are just 6-16 ATS in their last 22 starts against Southeast Division squads.
The under for Orlando is on rolls of 23-10 overall, 27-11 at home (5-1 in the last six) and 16-6 against teams with a winning percentage above .600. The under for Cleveland is on stretches of 7-3 overall, 5-0 on the highway and 4-0 with the Cavs a road chalk, but the over is 5-1 in the Cavs’ last six conference finals games.
Finally, in this rivalry, the total has stayed low in five of the last seven meetings in Orlando, including Game 3, which ended just a tick below the 189-point posted price.
ATS ADVANTAGE: ORLANDO
NATIONAL LEAGUE
St. Louis (26-18) at Milwaukee (26-18)
The Cardinals kick off a six-game road trip at Miller Park where they will send Chris Carpenter (2-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound to face the Brewers’ Yovani Gallardo (4-2, 3.83 ERA).
St. Louis had its five-game winning streak snapped on Sunday when the Royals got the 3-2 victory to salvage one game of the interleague series. The Cardinals are just 9-9 on the road this year and will head west to visit the Giants for a three-game series after their stop in Milwaukee. Meanwhile, the Brewers were swept by the Twins over the weekend, ending a nine-game road trip that started with four straight wins, including three in St. Louis.
Milwaukee has dominated the Cardinals lately, winning 13 of the last 16 meetings, including four of the last five at Miller Park.
Carpenter made his first start in more than a month on Wednesday and didn’t allow a run and only three hits in five innings of a 2-1 win over the Cubs. It was just his sixth start in more than two years of battling injuries. His last two starts against the Brewers haven’t gone so well, but they were way back in the 2005 and 2006 seasons, allowing 13 runs on 19 hits in 11 1/3 innings, losing both games.
Milwaukee has won four of Gallardo’s last five outings, but his last one wasn’t pretty, as the right-hander gave up six runs on seven hits in five innings of Wednesday’s 6-4 loss in Houston. Prior to that he’d held the opposition to three runs or less in six of his first seven starts of 2009. He faced the Cardinals twice in the 2007 season and lost both times, allowing a combined 11 runs on 13 hits in 10 2/3 innings.
St. Louis is 10-4 in its last 14 series openers, but it is just 2-5 in its last seven on the road and 2-5 in its last seven Monday contests. With Carpenter on the mound, the Cardinals are on runs of76-29 overall, 35-16 on the road and 37-15 against N.L. Central teams. Despite getting swept by the Twins over the weekend, Milwaukee is on runs of 22-9 overall, 6-1 at home, 5-0 at home against right-handed starters, 40-19 as a favorite and 36-17 against N.L. Central teams.
The Cardinals are on “under” runs of 6-0 overall, 4-0 in series openers and 7-2 against N.L. Central teams, but the over is 9-2 in Carpenter’s last 11 roadies and 28-12-3 in their last 43 on the highway against right-handed starters. Milwaukee is on “under” streaks of 8-3 at home, 7-2 as a home favorite and 12-5 in Gallardo’s last 17 starts, but the over is 5-0 in the Brewers’ last five games on Monday and 9-3-1 in its last 13 when they face a right-handed starter.
ATS ADVANTAGE: MILWAUKEE
AMERICAN LEAGUE
N.Y. Yankees (25-19) at Texas (26-17)
The two hottest teams in the American League begin a three-game set today at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington when the Yankees send Phil Hughes (2-2, 7.06 ERA) to the mound opposite Texas southpaw Matt Harrison (4-3, 4.71).
New York lost two of three to the Phillies over the weekend, including a 4-3, 11-inning loss on Sunday, but has still won 10 of its last 12 overall and six of its last eight on the highway. Meanwhile, the Rangers swept their in-state rivals in Houston over the weekend when they blanked the Astros 5-0 on Sunday. Texas has won 16 of its last 21 games overall and eight straight in front of the home fans.
The Yankees hold decisive advantages when these two clubs square off, winning 21 of the last 28 clashes overall and 21 of the last 29 in Texas.
Hughes has been inconsistent this season, including going 1-1 with a 10.80 ERA in his last three starts, and he’s 1-1 with a 9.38 ERA in his two road outings. The Yankees scored home wins over Baltimore and Minnesota in Hughes’ last two starts, but in his last roadie, Hughes allowed eight runs on eight hits in just 1 2/3 innings of a 12-5 loss to the Orioles. In his lone career start against Texas, he blanked the Rangers without a hit for 6 1/3 innings of a 10-1 victory in Texas back in May 2007.
Harrison is 2-1 with a 2.74 ERA and 15 strikeouts against just three walks in his last three starts. He threw a complete game in his last home outing, allowing two runs on five hits in a 3-2 win over the Mariners. Harrison faced the Yankees in August last season and allowed two runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings of an 8-6 Texas victory.
New York is 5-2 in Hughes’ last seven starts, but just 2-5 in his last seven on the road. The Yankees are on further streaks of 4-1 against A.L. West teams and 4-1 on the road against teams with winning records. Texas is just 1-5 when Harrison starts as a home favorite but the Rangers are 5-1 in his last six starts against A.L. East squads. Furthermore, the Rangers are on runs of 6-1 in series openers, 7-3 against winning teams and 11-3 when they face a right-hander.
For the Yankees, the under is on runs of 5-1 in series openers and 5-0 against teams with winning records, but the over is 13-6-1 in their last 20 as a ‘dog and 8-3-1 in their last 12 on Mondays. The Rangers have topped the total in 20 of their last 32 Monday games, but otherwise for Texas the “under” is on stretches of 21-8 overall, 8-3 at home, 7-3 in series openers and 5-0 in Harrison’s last five outings. However the over is 9-3 in Harrison’s last 12 starts at home.
ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. YANKEES
Free Selection from Totals4U
Tuesday's free selection: Atlanta/San Francisco under 8
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Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports
269 - 172 run 60 %
14 wins - 2 losses last 16 free picks
TUES - Blue Jays
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Maddux Sports - free pick wins 60% since 2003
NBA free Pick is Cleveland & Orlando Over 187.5
8)
DUNKEL
Cleveland at Orlando
The Cavs look to even up the series and build on their 8-0 ATS record in their last 8 playoff games as a favorite between 1 and 4 1/2 points. Cleveland is the pick (-1) according to Dunkel, which has the Cavaliers favored by 4 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-1).
Game 515-516: Cleveland at Orlando
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland 129.936; Orlando 125.483
Dunkel Line & Total: Cleveland by 4 1/2; 183
Vegas Line & Total: Cleveland by 1; 188
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-1); Under
MLB
NY Yankees at Texas
The Rangers look to bounce back from yesterday's 11-1 beating and build on their 7-1 record in Kevin Millwood's last 8 starts when their opponent allows 2 runs or less in the previous game. Texas is the pick (+105) according to Dunkel, which has the Rangers favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Texas (+105).
Game 901-902: Florida at Philadelphia
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Miller) 15.795; Philadelphia (Blanton) 14.813
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-150); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida (+140); Under
Game 903-904: Houston at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Oswalt) 15.682; Cincinnati (Owings) 14.398
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Houston (-130); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Houston (-130); Over
Game 905-906: Washington at NY Mets
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Stammen) 15.069; NY Mets (Hernandez) 14.511
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1/2; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-145); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+135); Over
Game 907-908: Pittsburgh at Chicago Cubs
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Snell) 13.287; Cubs (Marshall) 14.527
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-150); No Run Line
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-150); N/A
Game 909-910: St. Louis at Milwaukee
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Wainwright) 15.086; Milwaukee (Suppan) 16.221
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-120); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (+110); Under
Game 911-912: LA Dodgers at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Milton) 15.216; Colorado (Cook) 15.864
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Colorado (-160); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-160); Under
Game 913-914: San Diego at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Correia) 14.668; Arizona (Scherzer) 15.594
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 11 1/2
Vegas Line: Arizona (-150); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-150); Over
Game 915-916: Atlanta at San Francisco
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Medlen) 15.376; San Francisco (Lincecum) 14.604
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-170); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+160); Over
Game 917-918: Tampa Bay at Cleveland
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Garza) 15.451; Cleveland (Pavano) 16.479
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-140); 9
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+130); Under
Game 919-920: Toronto at Baltimore
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Romero) 14.485; Baltimore (Berken) 13.175
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Toronto (-125); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-125); Under
Game 921-922: NY Yankees at Texas
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Chamberlain) 16.168; Texas (Millwood) 17.062
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-115); 10
Dunkel Pick: Texas (+105); Over
Game 923-924: Boston at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Lester) 17.592; Minnesota (Blackburn) 16.367
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston (-115); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-115); Over
Game 925-926: Detroit at Kansas City
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Jackson) 14.639; Kansas City (Greinke) 15.192
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-165); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (-165); Under
Game 927-928: Chicago White Sox at LA Angels
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Colon) 15.202; LA Angels (Saunders) 16.623
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-205); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-205); Over
Game 929-930: Seattle at Oakland
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Washburn) 15.019; Oakland (Braden) 14.719
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Oakland (-140); 8
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (+130); Under
NHL
Pittsburgh at Carolina
The Penguins look to close out the series and build on their 18-5 record in their last 23 playoff games as a favorite. Pittsburgh is the pick (-130) according to Dunkel, which has the Penguins favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-130).
Game 15-16: Pittsburgh at Carolina
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh 13.987; Carolina 12.774
Dunkel Line & Total: Pittsburgh by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Pittsburgh (-130); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-130); Over
Matt Fargo
Boston Red Sox vs. Minnesota Twins
Play: Minnesota Twins
Boston took Game One of this series on Monday but still remains two games under .500 on the road yet is a surprising favorite here tonight. The Red Sox have dominated this series going back to last season with six straight wins but that should not be enough to make them a chalk especially when the starting pitching matchup is at a disadvantage. The loss Monday snapped Minnesota’s four-game winning streak as well as its six-game home winning streak. The Twins are now 17-10 at home which is the 2nd best home record in the American League. Home teams are now 31-15 in Minnesota’s 46 games on the season. The Twins send Nick Blackburn to the mound and he is having a very good but inconsistent season. Five of his nine starts this season have been quality outings including four of his last six games. He has tossed two seven-inning shutouts over his last three starts as he looks to be turning the corner following a not-so-great start to the season. The Red Sox are hitting only .241 on the season against right-handed pitching on the road. Boston counters with Jon Lester who is having a tough season. He has a 5.91 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in his first nine starts including a 6.93 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in four road outings. He has allowed five runs or more in five of his nine starts including three of his four games on the road. He faced the Twins twice last season, resulting in a split, and he put up a 5.68 ERA. Minnesota is hitting .290 on the season against left-handed pitching including .302 at home and .338 over its last 10 games. The Twins are 23-4 in their last 27 home games against a left-handed starter which is a remarkable run. Despite Boston’s recent series dominance, the Twins are 11-5 in the last 16 meetings at home and the Red sox are only 11-26 in their last 37 games on the fake stuff. This includes a 0-6 record with Lester toeing the rubber. 3* Minnesota Twins
Frank Jordan
Boston Red Sox vs. Minnesota Twins
Play: Minnesota Twins
Boston should be getting worried as Jonathan Papelbon has given up homeruns in back-to-back outings luckily Boston is 1-1 in those games and not 0-2. Boston is sending their stud left hander Jon Lester to the mound who hasn't had it much this year as he is 3-4 with an era near at 6. Minnesota looks to beat the first place Sox behind Nick Blackburn who is 3-2 with an era under 4. Look for Minnesota to get over the hump and win their 18th win against 10 loss as the under .500 on the road Sox drop to 10-13 on the road. Play Minnesota
Cajun Sports
New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers
Play: Texas Rangers
The Rangers will be looking to rebound from a poor performance on Monday against this Yankees team; they suffered an 11 to 1 loss. The Rangers had their eight-game home winning streak snapped as they managed only four hits and were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position. New York will send Joba Chamberlain to the bump with his 2-1 record and ERA of 3.70. Chamberlain was hit by a line drive off the bat of Baltimore's Adam Jones on Thursday in the first inning. The next two batters singled before the Yankees brought in relief, but the right-hander appears to be ok. He made two starts against Texas last season, going 0-0 with a 7.27 ERA. The Rangers will send Kevin Millwood to the hill with his 4-4 record and ERA of 3.12. Millwood went the distance in his last outing pitching a six-hitter in a 4 to 3 loss at Detroit; this was the second complete game loss Millwood has thrown this season. Millwood is 3-1 W/L (+1.8) at home this season with an ERA of 2.10 and a WHIP of 1.233. The Rangers are 20-8 W/L their last twenty-eight when Millwood takes the bump at home and 4-1 W/L when he is installed as a home underdog. Our TPR (Team Performance Ratings) Index projects a Rangers win in tonight’s contest by 1.1 runs over the Yankees. The Pitchers Efficiency Index predicts a quality start for Millwood in this matchup so play the host as they rebound from Monday’s performance and get the win over the boys from Gotham.
Graded Selection: 2* Texas Rangers 5 New York Yankees 4
Craig Trapp
Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland Athletics
Play: Seattle Mariners
Tearing the cover off the ball, Craig has been too hot in his 5 star MLB top plays daily going 12-4 the last two weeks. Yesterday Craig nailed his 5 star UNDERDOG of the Week as LAD won by double digits as a dog. Unfortunately did not hit our free MLB play as TB gave up a 10-0 lead late in the game. But today we will nail this free play, lets look at the records, trends and winning breakdown.
Records
Seattle Mariners 21-25, 9-13 away (Washburn 3-3, 3.86 ERA)
Oakland Athletics 17-25, 10-12 home (Braden 3-5, 3.67 ERA)
Betting Trends
-Mariners are 12-5 in their last 17 games vs. a left-handed starter.
-Mariners are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings.
-Athletics are 0-4 in their last 4 home games vs. a left-handed starter.
-Athletics are 0-8 in Bradens last 8 starts as a home favorite.
Neither one of these two are hot but love recent trends as Seattle has been good against left handers whereas the Athletics have struggled big time. Also SEATTLE is 5-2 on the year against OAKLAND and 3-1 in OAK. Washburn was good in his early appearance this month against OAK but did not get a win going 7 innings with only one earned run. On the other hand Braden historically is not good against SEA going 0-2 with a 8.07 ERA. Oakland's bats are the worst in almost every category in the league so love that we are on the +125 dog here. SCORE SEA 5 - OAK 2
LT Profits
Atlanta Braves @ San Francisco Giants
The reining Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants has dominated the Atlanta Braves throughout his brief career, and with Braves prospect Kris Medlen expected to improve off of his first outing, the Under deserves a long look here.
Lincecum is in fine form as usual, as he has six Quality Starts in his last seven outings and he now has a spectacular 76 strikeouts in 57.1 innings for the season, to go along with a 3.45 ERA. He has faced the Braves four times since entering the league two years ago, and he is a perfect four for four in Quality Starts while allowing only eight runs and 19 hits with 27 strikeouts in 26.2 innings.
Now Medlen had some natural jitters in his first Major League start last Thursday, but he actually looked good for three innings before he lost control in the fourth inning, when he failed to retire a batter. He ended up allowing only three hits, but five walks, a hit batter and two wild pitches did him in. He is certainly eligible to improve tonight vs. a Giants lineup that is batting a modest .254 while averaging just 3.83 runs per nine innings vs. right-handers this season.
Besides, if Lincecum is on top of his game vs. the Braves as he has always been, Medlen can afford to give up a couple of runs with this contest still staying Under the total.
Pick: Braves/Giants Under 8
Marc Lawrence
Play On: Houston w/Oswalt vs Owings
When Roy Oswalt takes on Micah Owings and the Reds this evening he will do so knowing he is an eye-popping 23-5 in his MLB career team starts against Cincinnati, including 11-2 in the Queen City. With Micah Owings having dropped 11 of his last 15 team starts, we'll look for Oswalt to continue his mastery over the Reds here tonight.
Tom Freese
Chicago White Sox at Los Angeles Angels
Prediction: Under
Chicago starter John Danks is 14-6 UNDER vs. winning teams and he is 11-4 UNDER as a road underdog. The White Sox are 7-2 UNDER in Game 1 of a series and they are 4-1 UNDER off a loss. The Angels are 9-0 UNDER vs. a pitcher that has a WHIP of over 1.30 and they are 6-1 UNDER their last 7 home games. Los Angeles is 8-2-1 UNDER in the last 11 starts made by Ervin Santana and they are 37-16-3 UNDER vs. AL Central teams. PLAY ON 'UNDER' (Santana vs. Danks)
Jimmy The Moose
Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies
Prediction: Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers pounded the Rockies last night and have now won 7 of their last 9 games. The Rockies have dropped 6 of their last 10. LA has won 6 of their last 7 road games. In their last 29 games following a win they are 21-8. The Rockies have lost 7 of their last 9 home games. In their last 14 games vs. a left-handed starter they are 4-10. The Rockies are 3-6 in Cook's 9 starts this season. Colorado is 3-7 in his last 10 starts vs. the Dodgers. Play on the Los Angeles Dodgers +.
Jeff Benton
St. Louis at MILWAUKEE +110
An absolutely BRUTAL loss with Monday’s free pick on the Diamondbacks, who blew a 7-0 lead to the Padres and lost 9-7 in 10 innings. Talk about being on the right side and getting the wrong result. We’ll get back on track Tuesday, though, by taking the Brewers over the Cardinals.
I sort of understand why the Cardinals are a slight road favorite in this one, because they’ve got the perceived pitching advantage with Adam Wainwright against Jeff Suppan. However, it was just 10 days ago that these two right-handers squared off in St. Louis and Suppan got the better of it in a 1-0 victory. The Brewers’ veteran pitched seven scoreless innings to one-up Wainwright, who gave up just the one run and two hits in eight innings.
Also, with yesterday’s identical 1-0 Brewers home victory over the Cardinals in 10 innings, Milwaukee is now 14-3 in the last 17 meetings in this rivalry, including 5-1 in the last six battles in Wisconsin. Think that’s impressive? Get a load of what Suppan has done to St. Louis in recent years. He’s given up three earned runs or fewer in eight consecutive starts versus the Cardinals – including two when he was with Pittsburgh in 2003 – and Suppan’s teams won all eight games. That includes six straight Milwaukee wins with Suppan facing the Redbirds since the start of the 2007 campaign!
In his last seven outings against St. Louis, Suppan has given up just eight runs in 53 1/3 innings (1.35 ERA). That includes allowing one run in each of three starts at Miller Park (1.50 ERA), with the Brewers winning those games by scores of 5-3, 9-1 and 7-1.
Finally, check out what Milwaukee has been doing lately: 23-9 in its last 32 overall, 12-3 in its last 15 at home, 37-17 in its last 54 against divisional rivals, 12-4 in its last 16 against right-handed starters and 6-1 in Suppan’s last seven trips to the mound. Easy call here, folks. Take the plus money with the Brew Crew.
4♦ MILWAUKEE
Bobby Maxwell
N.Y. Yankees at TEXAS +110
Today's FREE winner comes from Texas as we play the Rangers at home hosting the Yankees.
Tough loss for the Rangers on Monday when they opened this three-game set with the Yankees by losing 11-1. But they've got the right guy on the hill tonight to help them forget that one as Kerry Millwood (4-4, 3.12 ERA) goes for Texas against New York's Joba Chamberlain (2-1, 3.70 ERA).
Millwood is 3-1 at home this season with a 2.10 ERA and last time he was on the home mound, he held the Angels to two runs in six innings as the Rangers won 10-8. He's had good success against the Yankees, including last year when he held them to one run on five hits in five innings of a 3-2 win in July. In his last three against the Yanks, he's allowed five earned runs in 18 innings as the Rangers have won two of the three.
Meanwhile, Chamberlain saw the Rangers twice last season and lost both games, giving up five runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings of a 9-5 loss in Texas in August and losing 3-2 to Texas in New York in July.
Even with Monday's loss, the Rangers are 8-1 in their last nine at home and they are 19-7 in their last 26 Tuesday contests. They just had a great road trip and we're banking on exhaustion causing them not to show up Monday. Now they've had time to recover and they'll be ready to go tonight.
Go ahead and play Millwood and the Rangers to get this one.
2♦ TEXAS
JIM FEIST
HOUSTON ASTROS / CINCINNATI REDS
Take CINCINNATI REDS
Pitching all those innings last year AND throwing the in World Baseball Classic in March has taken a toll on Houston ace Roy Oswalt (1-2, 4.47 ERA). He may be 23-1 lifetime against the Reds, but that will mean nothing for this game. Most important, Oswalt has a 4.91 ERA his last three starts. Houston is in last place and takes on a Cincy team that just won 3 of 5 at home and is within 3 games of first place. A good spot for the home dog. Play the Reds.
DAVE COKIN
LOS ANGELES DODGERS / COLORADO ROCKIES
Take LOS ANGELES DODGERS
I'm not convinced that Eric Milton is the answer at the back of the LA rotation, but I'll give the lefty a good shot to pick up a win tonight. The Dodgers are obviously the far superior team and the Rox aren't very good against lefties. I can't see the price being justified here with Colorado being chalk, so I'll go for the value and back the Dodgers.