PHIL MAXWELL
DOLPHINS
SAINTS
BLUE JAYS
Dave Cokin
SOLID GOLD PLAY
Matchup: San Diego at New Orleans
Time: 8:00 PM EDT (Fri)
Play: San Diego (+3.5 -110)
The Chargers are far from perfect going into this game as they continue to have issues on the offensive line and at wide receiver. But I mostly like the look of this team right now and it's been all business in training camp for the Bolts. A big key in making this play is the QB rotation for the Saints. The info I have is that Patrick Ramsey will be taking over in the second quarter and will likely go the rest of the way. That means less time for Drew Brees and also for Chase Daniel, who was absolutely terrific last week in the win over the Texans. I'm not big on Ramsey, and even though he'll work with the first-team offense for at least a few series, I see him as the third best QB on this roster. That gets me interested in the road team, as they will have the better signal caller throughout the second half with Rivers and/or Volek. Should be a good football game, and the points I'm getting convinces me that the Chargers are the way to play.
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Matchup: Chi. Cubs at Cincinnati
Time: 7:10 PM EDT (Fri)
Listed pitchers must go: (L) GORZELANNY, T vs. (R) CUETO, J
Play: Chi. Cubs (ML +164)
Lou who? Since the resignation of Lou Piniella, the lowly Cubs have caught fire. They're off an impressive road sweep at Washington and that momentum is big as they head to Cincinnati. The Cubs have gotten several solid outings from Tom Gorzellany, who has pitched better than his record indicates. Johnny Cueto has been a little ragged lately for the Reds and even though Cincy is the contender, I think this number is inflated considering Cueto's recent showings. The new skipper is 3-0 for the Cubs, and I'll give him a play tonight at the big price. Go with the Cubs to notch the upset.
The Duke's Sports
Detroit (+110) for 2 Units
The Tigers are heating up and we'll ride them here. Detroit is batting a healthy .330 over their last 7 games; over the same span, they sport a strong 1.50 ERA from their starters. We'll ride Justin Verlander who has been steadily consistent in throwing strikes and eating innings virtually all season. Verlander beat Toronto July 22nd in a strong outing allowing 2 ER over 8 innings. And the Tigers are 19-9 in Verlander's last 28 when the 'total' is set between 7 to 8'. On the other hand, Shaun Marcum can be inconsistent. He's coming off back-to-back strong outings after getting lit up by Boston.The Blue Jays are 0-5 in Marcum's last 5 following a quality start. The 'Jays are 0-5 in their last 5 game 2 of a series. Detroit the call.
Bob Balfe
Philadelphia Eagles -2.5
This is a very important game for the Eagles as their first-team offense has failed to generate anything, particularly in the red zone. They will need to get Kolb some confidence going into the season. Kolb will most likely not play next week so this has to be the night that he steps up. The same can be said tonight for the offensive line, which has looked pretty atrocious. Kansas City is going to be a better football team, but the Eagles destroyed them last year and the talent gap is still very far between both teams. Look for Philly to get the easy cover. Take the Eagles.
Padres / Phillies Under 6.5
The Phillies have been slumping with their bats, but have produced more than decent starting pitching over the last few nights. Roy Oswalt has pitched very well in his last few starts and he actually has better numbers on the road than at home. Matt Latos has been on fire this season (especially at his home park), allowing only 3 runs in his last 19 innings. Look for this to be a classic pitchers duel. Take the Under.
The Asian Executive
He hit his 12* last night. When there is a small amount of games he wins but when the card is large he loses. He is a square.
8* Eagles
7* Jets
5 STAR SPORTS
3* Washington + 144
3* Oakland + 130
3* NY Yankees - 133
ATS LOCK CLUB
5 Units NY Jets -5.5
4 Units SD Chargers +3
5 Units NY Yankees -135
5 Units Padres/Phillies UNDER 6.5
4 Units TB Rays -130
KELSO
5 Units NO Saints -3
3 Units Philadelphia Eagles -2.5
25 Units Texas Rangers -130
15 Units Philadelphia Phillies +120
10 Units Colorado Rockies -150
BEN BURNS
CFL Conference GOY - Edmonton +6
Jeff Benton
20 DIME Blue Jays
10 DIME Astros / Mets Under
Blue Jays
Playing the percentages here. The Tigers pounded the Blue Jays 7-1 last night, giving them their sixth win in their last seven games. However, the first five of those victories came at home. That’s important for this reason: Detroit is still a whopping 18 games under .500 on the road at 21-39, and only three times in those 60 road games have the Tigers won conseautive games in the same road series. Think about that: We’re almost in September and Detroit has won back-to-back road games in the same city on just three occasions!
Yes, Detroit ace Justin Verlander is on the bump here, but he’s been average (at best) on the road, going 5-5 with a 4.76 ERA in 13 starts (the Tigers are 6-7, including 0-4 in the last four). Same holds true for Verlander’s numbers in night games (7-7, 3.79 ERA, compared with 7-1, 3.49 in day starts). Yes, Verlander beat the Blue Jays at home 5-2 on July 22 (two runs allowed in eight innings). But prior to that outing, he had posted an 11.40 ERA in his first three starts against the Blue Jays, including a 12-5 loss in his only career start in Canada (eight runs allowed in 3 2/3 innings).
Verlander’s counteerpart tonight is Shaun Marcum, who has been outstanding in his last two starts, giving up four runs, five hits and one walk in 16 innings (2.25 ERA), winning 3-1 at Oakland and suffering a tough-luck 5-0 loss at Boston. And even though he got lit up in his last home start (eight runs in four innings, also vs. the Red Sox), Marcum had a 2.30 ERA in his first 10 home starts. Also, Marcum has pitched well in his last two starts against the Tigers (one in 2008, one on July 24 of this season), giving up two runs and eight hits in each game, with Toronto winning 7-2 and 3-2 (both on the road).
Finally, despite last night’s result, the Tigers are still in slumps of 9-22 as an underdog, 24-52 as a road underdog, 4-11 against the A.L. East and 7-21 versus right-handed starters, while Toronto is on runs of 39-18 as a favorite, 28-11 as a home chalk, 27-13 against right-handed starters, 5-0 on Friday, 10-4 when Marcum works on Friday and 9-2 versus the A.L. Central.
Astros / Mets Under
Let’s start with Houston: It rolls into Queens with a five game winning streak, starting with a 2-1 win at Florida on Sunday followed by a stunning four-game road sweep of the Phillies. Not only did the Astros pull off the four-game sweep, they did so despite scoring a grand total of 15 runs … and that’s because the pitching staff held Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and the Phillies to just seven runs.
The Astros have held 12 of their last 14 opronents to three runs or less, while the offense has produced three runs or less in nine of the last 13 games. Not surprisingly, the under is 11-3 over Houston’s past 14 games (5-0 in the last five), with final scores of 5-1, 3-2, 4-2, 3-2, 2-1, 3-2, 3-2, 4-3, 3-1, 3-2 and 4-1.
New York is coming off a high-scoring series against the Marlins, with all three games going over the total. Prior to that, though, the Mets had been on a 11-2 “under” run, with the offense averaging just 2.3 runs (scoring three or less in 10 of the 13 contests).
As for the two starting pitchers, Houston’s Nelson Figueroa (a former Met) is 3-1 with a 2.98 ERA 23 appearances (three starts) with the Phillies and Astros. Ten days ago, in his first start with the Astros, Figueroa led his team to a 4-3 home victory over Johan Santana and the Mets, allowing two runs (one earned) in five innings). Meanwhile, the Mets’ Mike Pelfrey has been outstanding lately, giving up just five runs (four earned) in his last three starts, pitching 7, 7 and 8 innings (1.67 ERA). And the last time Pelfrey faced Houston was in 2002, and he pitched a complete game, allowing just one run and six hits.
Finally, the under has cashed in six straight Astros-Mets meetings, with four games this year and the final two games of the 2009 campaign featuring following scores of 5-1, 4-0, 3-1, 4-3, 3-2 and 3-2.
Northcoast
3* Chiefs +2.5
KIKI SPORTS
2 Units Atlanta Falcons +1.5
1 Unit New Orleans -3
1 Unit Colorado -148
Mike Neri Sports
3* Miami -1.5
3* Kansas City +1.5
1 Unit NY Mets -142
Mike Lineback
Cubs
Giants RL (POD)
Anthony Redd
100 Units NY Jets
25 Units Atlanta Falcons
25 Units Philadelphia Eagles