Free Picks: Service Plays for Saturday August, 11

David Chan

Ben Henderson v Frankie Edgar
Pick: Ben Henderson

Ben Henderson (16-2-0) will defend his UFC lightweight belt for the first time on August 11th, against the very man he took it from. Frankie Edgar (14-2-1) is looking for a little revenge after relinquishing his title at UFC 144.

It's interesting to note that Edgar will be fighting a third-straight rematch, having faced both BJ Penn and Gray Maynard twice each.

Henderson is a former WEC champion, and looks to remain perfect in the UFC, having already defeated Mark Bocek, Jim Miller and Clay Guida, before toppling Edgar.

The loss to Henderson is just the second in Edgar's career.

The fight went the distance, and ultimately Henderson would land a series of dominant blows to Edgar, earning him the unanimous decision.

These two fighters like to let their hands go early and often, and their first fight was fast paced throughout.

Henderson landed a devastating upkick that rocked and dropped Edgar early, his nose exploding on impact.

Edgar recovered, and hung tough into the championship rounds, but his face definitely looked busted up at that point, while Henderson looked fine.

The fourth round was very even, with each fighter trading heavy blows, but when Edgar went for a take down midway through the round, Henderson was able to slap on a deep guillotine choke. Once again Edgar recovered, but was in fact a bit lucky to escape that one in my estimation.

Henderson was the aggressor in a pretty even fifth round in which each fighter scored some heavy shots.

"I wanted to use my size to my advantage," said Henderson after. "I want to make sure my opponents feel that pain."

Henderson was the better fighter, and deserved to win the title. I look for him to once again utilize his size to his advantage. Whether by KO, TKO, submission or decision, you may want to consider laying what I deem to be a very reasonable price on the defending lightweight UFC Champion

Nick "BookieKiller" Parsons

Tennessee / Seattle Under 34.5

As anyone who has been to the Pacific Northwest in the summertime can tell you, sitting right on the ocean, it gets cold in the evenings. Something the southern boys who have been in the 90 degree plus heat in Tennessee may not get used to so quickly, especially in the first pre-season game. In a game that will feature many inexperienced quarterbacks, we will take the UNDER.

Matt Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson are somewhat in a battle for the starting position and in this first game will likely see very few series. Josh Portis and rookie Russell Wilson will both likely see a quarter or more of action and we don't expect them to lite up the scoreboard. One thing the Seahawks have is a very deep wide receiver group in camp, Golden Tate, Sidney Rice, Doug Baldwin along with vets Braylan Edwards and the recent signing of Terrell Owens, its hard to see any of the other eight names on the roster having a chance. Other than a possible score form the first team, the scoring will come at a minimum.

It is almost the same situation on the other side as Matt Hasselbeck makes his return to Seattle in a battle for the number one spot with second year man Jake Locker. Six foot five Rusty Smith and rookie Nick Stephens will see the third and forth quarters, and will have to move the ball with the other 3rd and 4th stringers.

With inexperienced names like those, we will take the clock, and the weather and put our wager on the UNDER.

Jim Feist

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Miami Marlins
Play: Los Angeles Dodgers

Joe Blanton was a good pickup for the Dodgers, a veteran who throws strikes. He has a 3.00 ERA his last three starts and is at his best in big ball parks like the one he is in here. He faces a slumping Miami offense that is 28th in runs scored and 24th in slugging and on base percentage. Ricky Nolasco goes for Miami and is 0-3 his last three starts with a 7.71 ERA. Against the Dodgers he's 0-2 with a 7.33 ERA and the Dodgers are 7-3 in their last 10 road games. Play the Dodgers.

Marc Lawrence

St Louis Cardinals at Philadelphia Phillies
Prediction: Philadelphia Phillies

When Cliff Lee and the Phillies take on Jake Westbrook and the Cardinal in Philadelphia Saturday night knowing Lee is in strong KW form with 35 strikeouts and 5 walks in his last six starts. With Westbrook 0-2 with a 5.42 career ERA in his team starts in Philly, look for Lee to improve to 5-2 in his career team starts against the Redbirds this evening. We recommend a 1-unit play on Philadelphia.

Rob Vinceletti

Cincinnati Reds vs. Chicago Cubs
Play: Cincinnati Reds

The Reds fit a tight road system here that plays on certain road favorites off a road favored win and scored 10 or more runs and left 10 or more men stranded on base, vs an opponent off a home dog loss if they scored 5 or more runs and had 10 or more hits in the loss. These road teams have won 9 of the last 11 times. The Cubs have lost 10 of 11 and are playing out the string in another disappointing season. The Reds have won 18 of the last 26 vs losing teams. The Cubs have lost 14 of 18 on Saturday. Reds starter Arroyo has a 3.74 road era this season, and that looks impressive when compared to Cubs starter Wood and his 5.74 home era. Arroyo has a decent 3 era in his career vs the Cubs. Look for the Reds to take another from the Cubs.

Scott Spreitzer

Rays at Twins
Play: Over

Yes, David Price has been pitching well for the most part, but he will walk a few batters. That could be dangerous in this one, facing a Twins' lineup that averages over 5 rpg at home against southpaws. Then again, we may not need much run production from the Twins with Nate Blackburn on the hill. The Minnesota righty has allowed 39 earned runs in his last 49 innings of work for a hefty 7.16 ERA. Blackburn has allowed over 2 HR's per 9 IP over his last eight starts and will face a Rays' offense that plates nearly 5 rpg in road night games against righthanders. The Rays have crushed Blackburn in six career meetings, saddling him with a 7.20 ERA, 1.97 WHIP, and a .364 BAA. Tampa Bay has scored 19 runs on .346 hitting over the last two games and I expect more of the same against one of the worst pitchers in baseball. I'm playing the Over between the Rays & Twins on Saturday night.

Ross Benjamin

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Miami Marlins
Play: Los Angeles Dodgers

The Miami starter Ricky Nolasco is a terrible 0-5 in his last 5 starts with a lofty 7.16 ERA and 1.83 WHIP. In 4 career starts Versus the Dodgers Nolasco has been rocked as indicated by his 7.33 ERA and 1.89 WHIP in those outings. Miami is a miserable 12-33 as a home underdog over the last 2 seasons including 9-27 as an underdog of +125 or less. The Dodgers starter Joe Blanton has been sharp over his last 4 starts posting a stellar 2.79 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, and a 5:1 strikeout to walk ratio. The Dodgers are a perfect 8-0 on the road this season versus teams from the NL East. Play on the Los Angeles Dodgers as my free selection of the night.

Jesse Schule

Seattle vs. LA Angels
Pick: LA Angels

The Mariners only had one chance to steal a game here in Los Angeles against the Angels, and that was last night with Felix Hernandez on the mound. A wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth saw the winning run cross the plate in a 6-5 victory for the Angels at home.

Tonight's starter for the Mariners will be Hisashi Iwakuma, who lost in his last start. Iwakuma (2-3, 4.20 ERA) allowed a run in each of the first four innings, in a 6-2 loss in New York to the Yankees his last time out. He has allowed a home run in each of his last nine appearances, that includes coming out of the bullpen for an inning here or there. He is winless on the road this season, posting a record of 0-1 with a 6.12 ERA in two starts.

The Angels will give Dan Haren the nod, and he's had back to back quality starts since coming back after a back injury. Haren (8-8, 4.44 ERA) allowed a single run on four hits in six innings, but didn't get a win after the bullpen blew a lead, with the Angels losing 4-2 in Chicago his last time out. Prior to that he allowed a single run on five hits, over six innings, defeating Tampa Bay at home by a score of 3-1.

The Angels bats came to life against Felix Hernandez last night, despite the fact that Felix appeared to be pitching well. This lineup is tough to keep down, and it isn't likely that Iwakuma, who has had troubles allowing the longball, will be successful tonight.

Chris Elliott

Houston vs. Carolina
Pick: Carolina

Chris has been a rock solid 4-1 (80%) with his last 5 free play picks. He is hitting the NFL PRESEASON with this match up. With a record of 4-1 (80%) with his last 5 NFLX picks, he is red hot and has no plans of slowing down in this game! Hop on board this beauty and cash in! Good luck betting!
This Saturday night NFL Preseason matchup has the visiting Houston Texans taking on the Carolina Panthers.

The Texans are coming off a 10-6 season finishing first in the AFC South. They are the early favorite to win the division again this year.

QB Matt Schaub will lead the Texans offence but will likely only see a couple series on Saturday as he returns from a foot injury suffered late in the season last year. Look for backup TJ Yates and possibly 3rd stringer John Beck to get the majority of the snaps.

Houston has a great running back with Arian Foster and he will lead the ground game along with fullback James Casey. Backups Ben Tate and Derrick Ward will likely see significant action on Saturday as well.

Veteran WR Andre Johnson will be the main target for Schaub but will likely not see much action against the Panthers. Rookie Keshawn Martin and Devier Posey should get a good look from the coaches in this game.

Houston has a strong DL that should only get better in its second season under DC Wade Phillips. JJ Watt had a solid rookie year in 2011 and Antonio Smith set a career high with 6.5 sacks last season. Look for rookie Jared Crick on Saturday as well as Earl Mitchell and Tim Jamison as the game progresses. After finishing last in the league in 2010 the defensive backs climbed 29 spots to #3 last seasons as they allowed an average of 190 PPG. The addition of corner back Jonathan Joseph made a huge impact last season and he and Daniel Manning will be counted on heavily again in 2012. Brandon Harris, Quintin Demps and Troy Nolan should all see playing time on Saturday against the Panthers.

The Panthers finished 3rd in the NFC South with a record of 6-10 in their first season with #1 draft pick Cam Newton at the helm.

Newton will look to pick up where he left off after putting up some great numbers and winning offensive rookie of the year. He will be backed up by veteran Derek Anderson and 3rdstringer Jimmy Clausen who should both get some snaps against the Texans.

Carolina has a good 1 2 puch at running back with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. They are joined by fullback Mike Tolbert who came over from San Diego in the off season and 2nd year Richie Brockel and Josh Vaugn could also see time on Saturday.

Steve Smith will again be the favorite target of Cam Newton joined by fellow wideout Brandon Lafell and tight end Greg Olsen. Backups Kealoha Pilares, David Gettis and Gary Barnidge should all draw in as well in this one.

The DL was a weak spot for Carolina in 2011. The likes of Greg Hardy, Sione Sue and company will have a lot of work ahead of them this season. The team will likely take a good look at rookie Frank Alexander as well as Eric Norwood and Ron Edwards on Saturday night. Cornerback Chris Gamble leads the group of defensive backs that includes Darius Butler, Brandon Hogan, Jordan Pugh and possibly Haruki Nakamura.

Although Houston is the better of the 2 teams on paper in this game, the presence of rookies and backups fighting for a spot on their respective teams gives the Panthers a good shot in this one. Take the “Panthers” at home to win.

Jack Jones

Los Angeles Dodgers -125

The Los Angeles Dodgers are loaded on offense right now after making the huge trades they did to get Hanley Ramirez and Shane Victorino before the trade deadline. This team is going to be a force the rest of the way.

They also picked up Joe Blanton from the Phillies, and he's posted a 1.199 WHIP in 22 starts this season. Blanton is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 1.000 WHIP in his last three starts as well.

Blanton and the Dodgers have a huge edge on the mound over Miami starter Ricky Nolasco. The right-hander is 8-11 with a 4.95 ERA and 1.435 WHIP in 22 starts this season, and 0-3 with a 7.72 ERA and 1.960 WHIP in his last three outings.

Blanton is 7-4 with a 3.58 ERA and 1.260 WHIP in 12 career starts against Miami, while Nolasco is 0-2 with a 7.33 ERA and 1.886 WHIP in four career starts against Los Angeles. Bet the Dodgers Saturday.

Dave Cokin

Atlanta Braves vs New York Mets
Pick: Atlanta Braves

Kris Medlen has been outstanding for Atlanta, and this is the first start off the DL for Mets lefty Johan Santana. Good situation to play the Braves.

Ross King

New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Play: New York Yankees

Ny Yankees have won 6 of the last 9 and starting pitcher Nova is 0-3 8.36 e.r.a but his opponent Laffey has an e.ra of 6.04 in his last 5 starts but 0-1 with an 11.34 e.r.a versus New York Yankees.Take New York as your freeplay winner to get your winning Saturday started as Toronto has lost 10 of their last 12 and the injury list continues to get longer.

Ben Burns

St. Louis vs. Philadelphia
Pick: Philadelphia

I won with the Phillies yesterday and have done well with picking my spots in their games. Riding Cliff Lee recently has helped. This looks like another solid spot to do so.

The victories still aren't coming for Lee - but the Phillies are at least winning his starts. That was the case in his lone start against the Cardinals this season. Lee pitched fairly well in that 5/25 start, allowing three runs through seven innings. He got a no-decision but the Phillies won 5-3. In six career starts vs. St. Louis, Lee's teams are 4-2 and he's got a 2.70 ERA.

The previous day, on 5/24, Westbrook got pounded by the Phillies. He lasted only 3 2/3 innings and gave up six runs. He was fortunate to escape with a no-decision, as the Cards lost 10-9. His teams are 1-3 in his four career starts vs. Philadelphia and he's got an ugly 5.68 ERA to go along with a horrible 1.895 WHIP.

Despite their poor record, the Phillies are still a powerful team - and the same can be said of Lee as a pitcher. They've remained profitable as home favorites in the -125 to -150 range and are worth another look today. Consider Philadelphia.

Bryan Leonard

Red Sox / Indians Under 8.5

The immovable object meets another immovable object in Cleveland on Saturday. Franklin Morales, a lefty, takes on Zach McAllister, a righty. The Indians are an atrocious 12-24 against left handed starters this season, while the Red Sox are just 33-44 against right handed starters (22-14 v. LHP). Left handed hitters have exactly one extra base hit in 98 plate appearances against Morales and are hitting just .188 as a group. Even with bouncing back and forth between the rotation and the pen, Morales has a 3.06 ERA in six starts and is still going six innings per start. Indians hitters looked awful on Thursday night against Felix Doubront's breaking stuff and Morales is getting 10.3% swinging strikes compared to 8.7% for Doubront.

Zach McAllister has been the victim of bad defense this season, allowing 18 unearned runs. With the Indians more focused now that they're out of their 11-game funk, the defense should be better than it has been for McAllister. He pitched well against the Red Sox back in May, allowing four runs over seven innings, but struck out eight. It was just his second start of the season with the Indians. McAllister is due for a good start as he was the Indians' most consistent pitcher for a while throughout June and early July before this latest stretch. His biggest problem has been finishing off innings, as opposing hitters are batting .286 with two outs. Part of the reason the Red Sox have struggled is because they're hitting just .249 with two outs and .233 with two outs and runners in scoring position.