Jeff Benton
30 Dime Indians
Doug Upstone
3* N.Y. Jets -2.5
The Jets under Rex Ryan love to talk the smack, especially when it can draw attention in the media. This is exactly the opposite of how the Giants Tom Coughlin prefers to run his ship, being more disciplined and under the radar as much as you can be in the Big Apple. For whatever reason the Flyboys have always placed greater emphasis on this conflict and have been on the winning side of 12 of last 15 and are 13-4-1 ATS since 1993. The Jets will have plenty to say after they jet to another win and cover.
Rocketman
5* Philadelphia -143
Philadelphia is an amazing 83-46 overall this year while Cincinnati comes in with a 67-66 overall record on the season. Philadelphia is 81-41 the past 3 years when playing against a team with a winning record in the 2nd half of the season. Philadelphia is 35-10 after a loss this year. Philadelphia bullpen has a 3.44 ERA overall this year. Cole Hamels is 13-7 with a 2.62 ERA overall this year, 6-2 with a 2.82 ERA on the road this season and has a 2.70 ERA his last 3 starts. Philadelphia is 16-5 overall vs Cincinnati the past 3 years. Hamels is 8-0 with a 1.23 ERA overall vs Cincinnati in his career. Bailey is 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA overall vs Philadelphia in his career. We'll play Philadelphia for 5 units tonight!
Vince Akins
Pirates at Astros
Pick: Under 8
We have two solid pitcher’s going against some very shakey offenses. This total is a run to high for the situation.
Yesterday, Pittsburgh lost to St. Louis, 7-4. The Pirates are 12-25-3 OU since May 31, 2010 as a dog after a loss and it is the first game of the series for a net profit of $1205 when playing the under.
Meanwhile, Houston is the favorite here, something that’s been rare. The Astros are 3-10-1 OU since April 23, 2010 as a favorite and it is the first game of the series for a net profit of $670 when playing the under.
They won 4-3 in 11 innings yesterday, using six pitchers in the process. The Astros are 7-20 OU since June 04, 2010 after a win in which they used 5+ pitchers for a net profit of $1225 when playing the under.
Ross Ohlendorf goes for the Pittsburgh and he is known for keeping scoring down on the road. The Pirates are 0-13-2 OU since May 23, 2009 when Ross Ohlendorf starts on the road vs a team that has hit more grounders than fly balls season-to-date for a net profit of $1300 when playing the under.
Meanwhile, Wandy Rodriguez gets the chance to go as a favorite. The Astros are 2-8-1 OU since April 06, 2010 when Wandy Rodriguez starts as a favorite for a net profit of $570 when playing the under. Also, the Astros are 1-11-1 OU since August 30, 2005 when Wandy Rodriguez starts as a home favorite in the first game of a series for a net profit of $980 when playing the under.
SPORTSBOOK BREAKERS PREDICTION: HOUSTON 4, Pittsburgh 2
Derek Mancini
30 Dime Oakland Athletics
Do not sleep on the A's here, even though they lost both games at Fenway Saturday. They've been hot at the plate and should benefit from the day off thanks to moving up Sunday's game due to Hurricane Irene.
Pitching match up is also closer than bettors are anticipating, as McCarthy (7-6, 3.72 ERA) has been hot of late (6-1 since the Break), and has had plenty of past success against the Tribe, going 5-1 with a 3.55 ERA in 7 career starts. Granted, he hasn't seen them since 2009, but he's been fantastic over his L2 roadies, allowing 3 combined runs over his L15 2/3 inning away, and it wasn't against cupcakes either (at Tampa, at Yankees).
Moreover, despite his 2.70 ERA on the season, it's still too small a sample size to trust David Huff in this spot. He was terrible at the Tigers, allowing 5 runs in 2 1/3 innings at Comerica August 20th, and the extra rest could actually be counterproductive. Pitchers are creatures of habit, and he's had little continuity this season.
Finally, there's no question the Indians injuries are beginning to mount. We already now about Sizemore, Kipnis and Hafner, while Shin-Soo Choo will be out a couple of days and now Michael Brantley is out (for the season). Look guys, I'm the first to warn against a knee-jerk reaction when an injury happens, but Cleveland is now severely short-handed, and it'll show. Long story short, look for McCarthy to deliver against this less-than-full-strength Tribe offense, while the A's surging offense (39 runs L6 games) add to Huff's woes. Take Oakland with McCarthy over Cleveland and Huff Monday.
King Creole
2* Jets / Giants Over