Sportsadvisors
Philadelphia (1-0 SU and ATS) at Dallas (1-0 SU and ATS)
A matchup between bitter NFC East rivals caps Week 2 of the NFL season, as the Eagles visit Texas Stadium for a prime-time battle with the Cowboys.
Philadelphia throttled the Rams in its season-opener, rolling 38-3 as a 9½-point home favorite, rolling up 526 total yards (414 passing) and 28 first downs while limiting St. Louis to 218 yards and eight first downs. QB Donovan McNabb looked in midseason form, completing 21 of 33 passes for 361 yards with three TDs and no interceptions as the Eagles won their fourth straight regular-season game (3-1 ATS) dating to last December.
Dallas was just as impressive as Philly in Week 1, hammering the Browns 28-10 and easily cashing as a six-point road favorite to halt an 0-5 ATS slide in regular-season and playoff games. Tony Romo (24-for-32, 320 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) was sharp, and the Cowboys amassed 487 total yards while holding the Browns to 205.
Dallas crushed the Eagles 38-17 as a three-point road favorite in last year’s first meeting, but the Philadelphia turned the tables late in the season with a 10-6 upset victory in Dallas as a 10-point underdog. In fact, the Eagles are 3-1 SU and ATS in their last four visits to Texas Stadium, including back-to-back outright upsets the last two years. Going back further, Andy Reid’s team has covered the number in nine of its last 12 trips to Dallas.
Also in this rivalry, the underdog is on a 6-1 ATS roll, and the visitor is 4-1 ATS in the last five.
Philadelphia has thrived in the underdog roll going back to 2006, cashing in eight of its last 10 as a pup, including going 4-1 ATS as a ‘dog last season. Also, the Eagles have cashed in six consecutive road games, and they’re 19-8 ATS in their last 27 as a road pup.
Dallas has covered in six consecutive September contests and five of its last six Week 2 affairs. On the flip side, Wade Phillips’ squad is mired in ATS funks of 0-4 against the NFC East, 0-5 versus the NFC and 1-4 on Monday nights. In fact, the Cowboys are only 9-17 ATS (14-12 SU) all-time in Monday night games at Texas Stadium.
The straight-up winner went 12-1-1 ATS in Sunday’s 14 contests and is now 27-2-1 ATS through the first two weeks of the season.
For the Eagles, the under is on streaks of 4-1 overall, 4-1 in September, 6-2 versus the NFC East and 13-5-2 on Monday night. The under is also 5-0 in Dallas’ last five overall, but otherwise the Cowboys are on over streaks of 6-2-1 on Monday nights, 5-2-1 in September and 6-1 following a spread-cover. Finally, the under is 3-0 in the last three series meetings at Texas Stadium.
ATS ADVANTAGE: PHILADELPHIA
Chicago White Sox (83-65) at N.Y. Yankees (79-70)
Clinging to a one-game lead in the N.L. Central, the White Sox open a critical four-game series at Yankee Stadium, with Mark Buehrle (13-11, 3.88 ERA) set to oppose New York rookie Alfredo Aceves (1-0, 1.29).
After having three home games against the Tigers rained out on Friday and Saturday, Chicago finally got back to work Sunday and swept a doubleheader from Detroit, winning the opener 4-2, then taking the nightcap 11-7 as the Sox scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning after blowing a 7-2 lead in the top of the frame. Chicago, which had lost four of five prior to Sunday, leads the Twins by one game in the Central Division race.
The White Sox are 6-1 in Buehrle’s last six starts overall, but they’re 0-4 in his last four on the road, 2-5 in their last seven overall on the highway and 2-6 in their last eight against the A.L. East.
The Yankees got home runs from Derek Jeter, Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez to blow past the first-place Rays 8-4 on Sunday. Still, New York has dropped six of its last 10 overall and currently sits in fourth place in the A.L. East, nine games back of wild card-leading Boston.
New York took two of three in Chicago back in late April in the only other series between these clubs in 2008. The Yanks have won seven of the last nine head-to-head clashes overall and six of the last seven in the Bronx.
Buehrle is coming off two dominating performances, giving up a total of one run and 10 hits in 13 1/3 innings, beating the Angels 10-2 on Sept. 5 and the Blue Jays 6-5 on Wednesday. However, both of those games were in Chicago, where the southpaw is 10-3 with a 2.74 ERA, compared with 3-8 with a 5.34 ERA on the road. The Pale Hose are 3-11 in his 14 road starts.
Buehrle has not fared well against the Yankees in his career, going 1-5 with a 6.58 ERA, including 0-3 with a 16.36 ERA in his last three outings dating to 2004.
Aceves, a right-hander, was outstanding in his major-league debut at the Angels on Tuesday, yielding just one run on five hits and no walks in seven innings.
The over is 4-0-1 in Buehrle’s last five starts overall and 5-1-1 in his six career outings versus the Yankees. The over is also 6-1 in the last seven series meetings between these teams (3-0 this year), 5-3 in Chicago’s last eight overall and 5-1 in the Yanks’ last six on Monday
ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. YANKEES and OVER
Boston at Tampa BayBoston (88-61) at Tampa Bay (88-59)
First place in the A.L. East once again is on the line as the Rays and Red Sox play their second three-game series in the past week, this time at Tropicana Field. As was the case on Tuesday in Boston, Red Sox right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka (16-2, 2.97) is matched up against Rays ace Scott Kazmir (11-6, 2.99) in tonight’s opener.
The Red Sox took three of four against the Blue Jays over the weekend, including Sunday’s 4-3 victory, to close to within a game of Tampa Bay in the division race. Boston has won 14 of its last 20 games since Aug. 24, going 5-2 on the road during this stretch. Additionally, Terry Francona’s team is on runs of 40-19 behind Matsuzaka, 4-0 on Mondays, 8-0 in series openers and 10-4 versus the A.L. East.
The Rays gave two games back to the BoSox the past two days, losing to the Yankees 6-5 in the nightcap of a doubleheader Saturday, then falling 8-4 in the Bronx on Sunday. Tampa went just 3-6 on its road trip, but now returns to the Trop where Joe Maddon’s club is 49-14 in its last 63 games. Also, the Rays are on positive runs of 20-9 against right-handed starters, 20-8 behind Kazmir overall and 21-8 behind Kazmir at home.
The Rays took two of three in Boston last week, losing the opener 3-0 on Monday before rallying to win 5-4 on Tuesday and 4-2 in 14 innings on Wednesday. Those latter two victories snapped 14-game winning streak by the home team in this rivalry. This season, the Rays are 6-0 against Boston in Tampa Bay.
Kazmir got the best of Matsuzaka last week, giving up just two runs on five hits in six innings, while Dice-K went just five innings after yielding three runs on eight hits and four walks. Neither was involved in the decision, as Tampa prevailed 5-4, improving to 5-0 in Kazmir’s last five starts overall and 9-1 in his last 10 outings. Kazmir has allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight of those 10 starts.
Kazmir is 7-1 with a 2.10 ERA in 12 starts at home, with Tampa winning 11 of those contests. He’s also 10-2 with a 2.17 ERA in 17 night games this year, but 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in three starts against Boston in 2008. For his career, Kazmir is 6-6 with a 3.02 ERA in 20 starts versus the Sox, with the Rays winning six of his last eight against Boston at Tropicana Field.
The Red Sox had won seven straight games behind Matsuzaka prior to Tuesday’s loss, and they’re still 21-5 when the Japanese native pitches this season, including 9-2 on the road, where Matsuzaka is 7-0 with a 2.67 ERA.
On the downside for the Red Sox, they’re 1-5 in Matsuzaka’s last six starts against Tampa Bay, including 0-2 this year with the right-hander giving up four runs in 10 innings (3.60 ERA). For his career, Matsuzaka is 1-3 with a 3.98 ERA against Boston.
For the Rays, the over is on streaks of 6-0 at home, 11-4 overall (all against the A.L. East), 4-1 behind Kazmir overall and 4-0 when Kazmir faces the Red Sox. Also, the over is 7-3 in Boston’s last 10 road games, but otherwise the Sox sport under streaks of 5-0 in series openers, 11-5-1 overall, 8-3-1 overall with Matsuzaka on the mound and 6-2-2 when Dice-K toils on the road. Also, the under is 5-2 in the last seven head-to-head clashes at Tropicana Field.
ATS ADVANTAGE: NONE
John Fina
San Francisco/Arizona Over 9.5
Reason: Put us down on the San Francisco Giants/Arizona Diamondbacks Over 9.5 for our Free MLB Selection on Monday. Today we see a high-scoring game as the San Francisco Giants do battle with the Arizona Diamondbacks. One reason why we expect a high-scoring game is because both these teams will be sending to the mound poor starting pitchers. This tells it all... The San Francisco Giants Starting Pitcher (Brad Hennessey) has a 9.64 ERA on the season, while Arizona Diamondbacks Starting Pitcher (Doug Davis) has a 4.53 ERA on the season. As you can see, both these teams will be sending to the mound poor starting pitchers. The Over is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings between these teams, and we expect to see another high-scoring game tonight! Take the San Francisco Giants/Arizona Diamondbacks Over 9.5
Jimmy The Moose
Detroit Tigers at Texas Rangers
Detroit has played over the total in 5 of their last 8 games. Willis is back on the mound for the Tigers tonight and he's been horrible for quite some time. This season he's 0-1 with a 10.32 ERA. Over his last 3 starts his ERA is 15.19. The over is 6-1 in the Rangers last 7 games to open a series. In their last 41 games vs. AL Central opponents the over is 29-11-1. The over is 10-4-1 in teh Rangers last 15 games vs. a left-handed starter. In the last 6 meetings between the clubs, the over is 4-1-1.
Play on: Over
Vegas Experts
Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays
Dice-K is unbeaten in 11 road starts this season and carries in a sterling 21-5 overall team start record. However, the Rays' Scott Kazmir has nearly matched him with a 18-6 TSR on the year, including 14-2 in night games. Boston is just 1-9 in domes this season and most of that damage has been done here in Tampa where they are 0-6. The Red Sox are just 6-14 this year in league play against pitchers with a 3.20 ERA or better.
Play on: Tampa Bay
Greg Daraban
Chicago WS at 962 New York Yankees
The White Sox swept the Tigers Sunday in Doubleheader. The Yankees beat Tampa which helped their hated rival Boston.Tonight the Sox send out Buehrle who who is 13-11 and avery solid 3.88 ERA. Aceves goes for NY he is just 1-0.
Take Chicago WS
Jimmy Moore
Philadelphia @ Dallas
Pick:Philadelphia +7
I like the Eagles since they are an awesome division road dog and they have covered 3 of the last 4 in Dallas. Take the points in the Monday nighter.
Sean Higgs
New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals
Play: Over
Tonight, I am backing the over in the Mets/Nats match-up. These two teams have over in 9 of the last 10 in Washington, and in 4 straight. Lannan has gone 6-1-1 over his last 8 starts. The Nats as a team have gone 13-4 over their last 17 and 7-1 over last 8 at home. Pedro has gone 8-1 over in his last 9 road games vs teams with losing records. The over is 20-6-1 in Pedro's last 27 road starts.
Dunkel Index - MLB
Boston at Tampa Bay
The Rays head home after a rough road trip and look to take advantage of a Boston team that is just 10-14 on the road with the line between -100 and -125. Tampa Bay is the underdog pick (+105) according to Dunkel, which has the Rays favored straight up by 1 1/2.
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+105).
Here are all of today's games
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
Time Posted: 7:30 a.m. EST
Game 951-952: LA Dodgers at Pittsburgh
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Kuroda) 15.284; Pittsburgh (Ohlender) 15.746
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-185); 9
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+175); Under
Game 953-954: NY Mets at Washington
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Martinez) 16.845; Washington (Lannan) 14.424
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 2 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-180); 9
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-180); Over
Game 955-956: San Diego at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Leblanc) 15.418; Colorado (Jimenez) 13.995
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: Colorado (-180); 10
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+170); Over
Game 957-958: San Francisco at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Hennessey) 14.528; Arizona (Davis) 15.244
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Arizona (-170); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-170); Under
Game 959-960: Minnesota at Cleveland
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Slowey) 15.961; Cleveland (Lewis) 13.581
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 2 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Minnesota (-120); 9
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (-120); Under
Game 961-962: Chicago White Sox at NY Yankees
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Buehrle) 15.801; NY Yankees (Aceves) 17.430
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-125); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-125); Under
Game 963-964: Boston at Tampa Bay
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Matsuzaka) 15.785; Tampa Bay (Kazmir) 17.021
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+105); Under
Game 965-966: Detroit at Texas
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Willis) 13.888; Texas (McCarthy) 16.452
Dunkel Line: Texas by 2 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: Texas (-145); 12
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-145); Under
Game 967-968: Seattle at Kansas City
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Silva) 14.988; Kansas City (Davies) 16.567
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-140); 10
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (-140); Under
Game 969-970: Chicago Cubs vs. Houston (N)
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago Cubs (Lilly) 16.832; Houston (Moehler) 15.733
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-135); 9
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-135); Over
Dunkel Index - NFL
Philadelphia at Dallas
The Cowboys have enjoyed fast starts in recent years and come into this NFC East showdown looking for their seventh straight ATS win in September. Dallas is the pick (-7) according to Dunkel, which has the Cowboys favored by 10.
Dunkel Pick: Dallas (-7).
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
Time Posted: 8:00 a.m. EST (9/11)
Game 221-222: Philadelphia at Dallas
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia 131.742; Dallas 141.659
Dunkel Line: Dallas by 10; 42
Vegas Line: Dallas by 7; 47
Dunkel Pick: Dallas (-7); Under
Heisman Trophy Club
10* Eagles
Scott Spreitzer
Chicago White Sox at New York Yankees
Prediction: Chicago White Sox
I'm taking the price with the White Sox on Monday. Chicago is in the thick of a pennant race, while the Yankees are already focusing on next season. Normally, the public overrates "must win" teams at this time of year. That doesn't happen when those teams play the Yankees though, because the public always overrates the win potential of the Yankees! New York did get a couple of victories against division leader Tampa Bay in its last two games. That just sets up a nice value spot on the visitor on Monday. New York will throw Mexican League pitcher Alfredo Aceves. Chicago is throwing veteran Mark Beurhle, a pitcher who wants to make his final appearance at historic Yankee Stadium a memorable one. Weather wreacked havoc with Chicago's schedule this past weekend. They'll be ready to play some baseball, and in a "live dog" spot to boot. The White Sox plus the price is the play.
Dennis Macklin
Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays
Prediction: Under
The Red Sox are 9-2 in BoSox roadies, the Rays 11-1 in Kazmir home starts. Somthing has to give so ... we'll back Rays and their 53-21 home record that includes 6-0 in the series this year. Kazmir is a nasty 7-1 with 2.10 ERA at the Trop and has allowed just two earned (1.05) on nine hits in his L17 2/3 innings work. Boston is a pedestrian 35-38 away from Fenway, 1-10 in domes, and 3-13 on the funny stuff. Take the Rays.
Jim Feist
NYM Mets @ WAS Nationals
Take Under
Washington is a large pitcher friendly park, which is obvious when you see that the Nationals have the second worst offense in the National League. For this game, two pitchers who know how to throw strikes take the mound. NY righty Pedro Martinez has just 33 walks in 91 innings. He also loves facing this light-hitting Washington lineup, at 5-2 in his career against them with a 2.40 ERA. Washington lefty John Lannan is not bad and has allowed fewer hits than innings pitched. NY is off two low scoring tilts, 5-0 and 3-2, against the Braves and now heads to Washington. The Mets are going to use their best relievers, if needed, as they are in a heated pennant race. The Mets limited the damage to their NL East lead on a day when Philadelphia beat Milwaukee. Manager Jerry Manuel's club now leads the Phillies by 2.5 games with 14 to play. Don't look for a lot of offense in this park with these veteran hurlers. Play the Mets/Nationals under the total.
Dave Cokin
SEA Mariners @ KC Royals
Take KC Royals
I'm no fan of Kyle Davies, but the KC righty has a great chance to be a winner tonight. That's because he's lined up against the pathetic Mariners and the absolutely brutal Carlos Silva. No one has been worse than Silva this season, and there's nothing at all misleading about his ugly 4-14 ledger. The Royals are back home off a couple of nice wins at Cleveland, and should pick up another victory tonight.
Al DeMarco
30 Dime - Eagles
I had both the Eagles and Cowboys as free pick winners in Week One. True, it can be said Philadelphia had the much easier time of it, playing at home against an overmatched foe in St. Louis while Dallas visited the Browns, who did win 10 games a year ago. But the thing that struck me the most was how effortlessly the Eagles rolled over the Rams.
This is a different Philadelphia team than we've seen the past couple of years. First, Dononvan McNabb is the healthiest he's been in three seasons. Second, he's finally got a game-breaking receiver with speed - his first since T.O. left town - in rookie DeSean Jackson, who had 6 catches for 106 yards versus St. Louis in addition to a 60-yard punt return. Throw in a healthy Brian Westbrook, who has always been tough on the Cowboys, and you've got an offense that has quick-strike potential, and a unit that amassed 522 yards versus the Rams.
Defensively, the Birds are better as well as they've added depth to their line plus gotten younger and more athletic at linebacker, a position that was a sore spot just two seasons ago. Plus, the signing of free agent Asante Samuel only bolsters one of the league's best secondaries. His arrival means Lito Sheppard, who held T.O. to two catches in Philadelphia's upset win at Dallas last season, is now the team's nickel back and a dangerous cover man off the bench.
Not to discount the Cowboys at all as they're a talented offensive team with Romo (24-for-32, 320 yards) coming off a big game against a pathetic Cleveland secondary, but now he will be facing a stiff challenge with Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's variety of blitz packages from all angles. And Romo has shown that if he's hit, he is turnover prone and his production can be affected.
The Eagles have covered three of the last four in the series overall plus picked up the cash in three of their last four visits to Dallas. The Monday night lights have not bothered them either as they're 11-6 SU and ATS in such prime-time outings under Andy Reid, including 6-2 when getting points. On the other hand, Dallas has covered just once in seven Monday night outings since Wade Phillips took over and the Cowboys are 5-10 ATS as a MNF home chalk since 1980.
From the moment the first line was posted on this game I thought the Cowboys were overpriced; I was stunned to see them laying a touchdown in what I thought was going to be a three-or-four point game. Who wins is inconsequential; this line is too big and I'm grabbing the Eagles with the points. It was my favorite game on the board this week and thus my biggest play in terms of a rating and wager as well.
Steven Budin
50 DIME
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES