Thursday Service Plays

Jimmy The Moose

Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds
Prediction: Over

Gorzelanny has struggled all season long with a 6.61 ERA and his team is 13-5 over in his 18 starts. Fogg for the Reds has not fared better with a 2-7 record and a 7.29 ERA on the season. Pirates a profitable 39-23-4 over mark on the road this season. Look for a high scoring affair tonight. Play the Over.

Karl Garrett

South Carolina at VANDERBILT

Last week, South Carolina led NC State just 3-0 at the half before pulling away from the Wolfpack in a 34-0 win and cover. That game did stay UNDER the posted total, and I see a similar combined total tonight, as both defenses appear to be ahead of the curve at this point in the season.

Vanderbilt just beat Miami-Ohio 34-13 last Thursday night on the road, so you can see the Commodores defense is also up to snuff early on.

Last year, these teams played to a 17-6 final at Columbia, and a similar result this evening would not be a surprise.

Going to look for the defenses to pretty much blanket the offenses tonight, and for this Thursday night SEC battle to play UNDER the posted price.

G-Man expecting the LOW to be the way to go!

2♦ UNDER

Sports Gambling Hotline

Washington at NY GIANTS

We have a few reasons why we like the UNDER in the NFL tonight.

Let's start with the fact that both series meetings last year stayed UNDER the posted total. That makes 3 of the last 4, and 6 of the last 9 overall meetings between these division rivals having played LOW.

Then you have the fact that Washington is breaking in a new coach in Jim Zorn who is busy implimenting his new coaches, and sytems, and you kind of get the feeling that starting quarterback Jason Campbell, who is now on his third new offensive coordinator in his first four years in the league, is going to struggle getting his offense into the end zone.

The Giants finished the season last year, by playing UNDER in 6 of their final 9 games, including 3 of their 4 in the postseason.

The Giants do like to pound away with their running game, so expect the clock to keep moving in this game, and for the Redskins and Giants to hold UNDER the posted price this Thursday night.

Play the LOW.

3♦ UNDER

DUNKEL

MLB

Minnesota at Toronto
The Twins look to conclude a rocky road trip (5-8) with a solid performance from starter Kevin Slowey, who is 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA over his last five starts. Minnesota is the underdog pick (+105) according to Dunkel, which has the Twins favored straight up by 1. Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+105). Here are all of today's games

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

Game 901-902: Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Gorzelanny) 14.079; Cincinnati (Fogg) 15.709
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-135); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (-135); Under

Game 903-904: Washington at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Martis) 14.319; Atlanta (Reyes) 14.741
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 905-906: San Diego at Milwaukee
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Estes) 14.513; Milwaukee (Suppan) 16.482
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-230); 9
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (-230); Over

Game 907-908: LA Angels at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Santana) 15.748; Detroit (Rogers) 14.035
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-150); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-150); Over

Game 909-910: Minnesota at Toronto
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Slowey) 16.791; Toronto (Litsch) 15.718
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Toronto (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+105); Over

Game 911-912: NY Yankees at Tampa Bay
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Rasner) 16.070; Tampa Bay (Kazmir) 16.704
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-180); 9
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-180); Over

Game 913-914: Oakland at Kansas City
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Meyer) 14.133; Kansas City (Davies) 14.906
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 915-916: Oakland at Kansas City
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Eveland) 14.921; Kansas City (Bannister) 14.192
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

NCAAF

South Carolina at Vanderbilt
The Commodores got strong play from senior QB Chris Nickson (166 yards rushing, 2 TDs) in a 34-13 road win at Miami (OH) and will look to take advantage of a South Carolina team that is 1-5 ATS in its last six games as double digit road favorites. Vanderbilt is the underdog pick (+10) according to Dunkel, which has the Gamecocks favored by just 4 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Vanderbilt (+10). Here are all of Thursday's games.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

Game 301-302: South Carolina at Vanderbilt
Dunkel Ratings: South Carolina 97.756; Vanderbilt 93.109
Dunkel Line: South Carolina by 4 1/2; 46
Vegas Line: South Carolina by 10; 42
Dunkel Pick: Vanderbilt (+10); Over

NFL

Washington at NY Giants
Jim Zorn takes over the helm of a Washington team that upset the Giants on the road (22-10) in Week 14 of last season. The Redskins are the underdog pick (+3 1/2) in the opener according to Dunkel, which has the game even. Dunkel Pick: Washington (+3 1/2). Here are all of this week's picks.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

Game 451-452: Washington at NY Giants
Dunkel Ratings: Washington 135.248; NY Giants 135.636
Dunkel Line: Even; 37
Vegas Line: NY Giants by 3 1/2; 40
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+3 1/2); Under

Bobby Maxwell

N.Y. Yankees at TAMPA BAY

Got rained out in Kansas City on Wednesday so no FREE winner there leaving us at 53-44 with our last 97 comp selections. Tonight we've got a free winner on the Rays to easily handle the Yankees so we're going Runline with this one.

The Yankees have taken the first two games of this series but you can bet the Rays are going to come out fighting for a win in the finale when they send their ace, Scott Kazmir (10-6, 3.13) to the hill in front of the home fans.

New York still trails the Rays by 10 games in the A.L. East race but you know Tampa doesn't want the veteran Yankees to get any confidence or momentum going with a three-game sweep. That's where Kazmir comes in as he'll deliver for his team tonight.

Tampa is 16-5 in his last 21 starts and 20-8 the last 28 times he's pitched in front of the home fans. And at home, these youngsters are tough to beat, having gone 48-14 in their last 62 in Tampa. The Rays are also on streaks of 23-9 overall, 36-19 against winning teams and 5-2 against A.L. East foes.

Kazmir has a 2.76 ERA in 11 games against the Yankees and this season he's got a 1.64 ERA in two starts against them. Darrell Rasner (5-9, 5.08) goes for New York and he's been hit hard, giving up 10 runs in his last 9.1 innings. And on the road he is just 2-6 with a 5.53 ERA.

Play the Rays to salvage this last game and Kazmir to pitch a gem leading to an easy Runline winner.

2♦ TAMPA BAY (Runline)

Las Vegas Sports Advisors

Milwaukee -1.5 (5*)

NY Giants -3.5 (5*)

Steve Janus

South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt
Play: South Carolina -10

Two teams that got off to their 2008 seasons on the right foot in Week 1 of the College Football season, meet Thursday night in SEC action. The Vanderbilt Commodores host the 24th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks in the SEC opener for both squads. Both teams routed their opponents last week, but only one will walk away with a conference win and a 2-0 record.

South Carolina was off to a rough start in their opener against NC State as starting QB Tommy Beecher threw four interceptions and looked sluggish on offense. Chris Smelley was able to come in, control the ball and keep it in his team's hands.

It couldn't have gone better for the Gamecock defense last week. They held the NC State defense under 100 yards rushing and 100 yards passing on their way to a shutout performance. The defense will be a key component again on Thursday against a more potent Vanderbilt offense.

The Vanderbilt Commodores did most of their damage on the ground in week one, but it didn't come from their running backs, it came from quarterback Chris Nickson, who rushed for 166 yards. Nickson also added 91 yards through the air. Nickson accounted for 3 of the 4 touchdowns Vanderbilt scored against Miami-Ohio, so he is obviously the key to making this offense click.

Defensively Vandy was strong against the run, allowing just 96 yards. They struggled a little against the Miami-Ohio passing attack, but managed to nab three interecpetions on their way to an impressive victory. Defense has not been traditionally strong for the Commodores, but they were impressive in their first appearance of 2008.

There's a lot to consider in this game. Both defenses looked fine in week one, but they will both be facing a more potent offense this time around. That says a lot for the Gamecocks, who are on the road against a team coming off of an impressive win. With that being said, South Carolina is the better team overall. Their offense should hit their stride in their second game and if their defense plays even close to the way it did in their first game, we're looking at a blowout.

Game Prediction: South Carolina 34, Vanderbilt 13

Bob Harvey

San Diego Padres vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Play: Under 9½

Both teams are coming off being swept. The Mets took the broom to the Brewers, while the Padres failed to win a game during their three-game set against the Dodgers. The common thread in both series was lack of offense. So who gets the advantage between two sliding team’s? In this case, I'll side with Milwaukee. The Brewers played a day-game at Shea Stadium on Wednesday and got back home in plenty of time to rest and prepare for the Padres.

San Diego meanwhile had a night game in Los Angeles followed by the long trip to Wisconsin. The Padres arrived early this morning so they’ve got to be dragging. Both teams have been struggling offensively. The Brew Crew scored a total of nine runs in the New York series while the Padres have scored a total of 12 runs in their last four outings. This will be the fourth meeting of the year between these two teams with the previous three games staying well UNDER the total. Jeff Suppan goes for the Brewers while the Padres will counter with Shawn Estes. I never been a believer in what day of the week you play makes a big difference. However, for what it’s worth, the Padres are 14-3 to the UNDER on Thursday’s. Overall this year San Diego has played to low side 72-62 while the Brewers have posted a record of 59-72. Milwaukee’s totals mark is a bit misleading considering all the high numbers they’ve faced this season.

The bottom line? You’ve got two tired teams that have a history of playing close, low scoring games. Look for that trend to continue tonight.

Marc Lawrence

Game: Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves
Play: Washington

The Nationals open a 4-games series with the Braves in Atlanta Thursday evening when they send Jason Bergmann to the hill against Jo Jo Reyes. Bergmann's 3.99 ERA on the road is nearly a run and a half better than his 5.41 home ERA. ON the flip side, Reyes' 7.14 ERA at home is almost three and a half runs worse than his 3.74 ERA on the road this year. With Bergmann 5-1 in his last six starts in this series, look for Reyes to dip to 0-3 in his career team starts against the Nats tonight.

Carlo Campanella

Game: South Carolina at Vanderbilt
Prediction: South Carolina

Reason: Both of these SEC squads opened their seasons with a victory- South Carolina defeated NC State, 34-0, while Vanderbilt won at Miami-OH, 34-13. South Carolinas performance was even more impressive then the score indicates, as they turned the ball over on 4 drives and still won in a shut-out! South Carolina Head Coach Steve Spurrier is one of the best offensive minds in College Football and expect him to make the necessary adjustments so his offense doesnt continue to give the ball away. With a game under their belts, South Carolina plays error free football and routes an over-matched Vandy squad that returns just 9 starters from last year's team. Lay the lumber with this road Favorite, knowing that Spurrier is 9-2 ATS as road Favorite against fellow SEC opponents as SC's Head Coach.

7* Play On South Carolina

Jeff Benton

We will turn to American League action and look for the Blue Jays to complete a three-game sweep of the Twins.

Minnesota has picked a horrible time to go into one of its worst slumps of the season. With the A.L. Central title there for the taking, the Twins have dropped eight of their last 11 games, including the first two of this series north of the border. Last night’s 5-4, 11-inning setback was especially crushing, as Minnesota closer Joe Nathan blew a ninth-inning lead.

Meanwhile, as the Twins have floundered, the Blue Jays have caught fire. They’ve won four straight games overall (scoring 25 runs in the process), and they’re 13-7 in their last 20. What’s more, the Blue Jays have flat owned Minnesota, winning eight straight meetings since last summer, including all five battles this year.

As for this matchup of starting pitchers, it’s a virtual wash with Toronto’s Jesse Litsch opposing the Twins’ Kevin Slowey – both are pitching very well. However, it’s hard to ignore what Litsch has done in three starts since being recalled from the minors: three earned runs allowed in 19 2/3 innings (1.37 ERA), and that was against three solid offensive clubs (Detroit, Tampa Bay and Boston). Also, Litsch’s ERA at home (3.18) is almost a full run less than Slowey’s ERA on the road (4.13).

Finally, Litsch is 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA in three career starts against Minnesota, while Slowey is 0-1 with a 5.91 ERA in two starts against Toronto. In fact, these two pitchers squared off on May 13 in Minnesota, and the Jays prevailed 5-3. Same thing happens again tonight!

4♦ TORONTO BLUE JAYS

Matt Rivers

Thursday take the underdog Yankees.

Scott Kazmir is a stud and certainly much better than Darrell Rasner but to get Arod and the fellas plus this price anytime is too good to pass up. I am the first to admit that Joe Girardi's team is garbage and will not make the playoffs but that statement still needs the qualifer of "relatively speaking" as New York is still an ultra dangerous team and one that will make Kazmir work hard in building up his pitch count.

The Tampa Bay southpaw is awesome but he has struggled over the past few months with his innings as he has thrown too many pitches limiting him to five or six frames. Today the lefty is up against a very patient team that will not be overly anxious. Arod, Jeter, Abreu, Matsui, Damon and the rest of the Yankees can beat any team at anytime. Therefore when getting a handsome price like this it is an absolute no-brainer.

The Rays have been insane at the Trop this season and will be in the playoffs unless they have a monumental collapse but they are still a semi banged up club without Longoria and Crawford and to get the Yanks plus this money is the only side today!

Tony Weston

OK, the slide continues as the White Sox couldn’t come through for us last night. Damn them and damn the baseball gods. Well, tonight is the night. We’re turning around our fortunes and getting back to winning.

We’re starting the winning tonight as we’re going with the Oakland Athletics over the Kansas City Royals.

The Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals have played each other seven times this season with the K.C. holding a slight 4-3 advantage due to last night’s win.

Even though the Royals got over last night consider that they are still only 3-8 their last 11 games, including a 2-5 mark their last seven. Kansas City is also only 2-5 its last seven games in front of the home fans.

Also consider tonight’s pitching matchups. The A’s Dana Eveland has been pretty decent his last few outings. He’s only 1-1 his last four starts, but the A’s are 3-1 in that stretch. And over his last two starts he’s given up only three earned runs in 14 innings of work.

On the other side, the Royals’ Brian Bannister has been horrid. He’s lost five straight starts coming into tonight and is 0-7 his last 10 starts.

Bannister will lose his sixth straight game and the Athletics will break this losing funk of ours.

3♦ ATHLETICS

POINTWISE

VANDERBILT 20 - South Carolina 19

Spurrier suddenly has a QB controversy, with Beecher tossing 4 INTs in his debut, but Smelley filled in nicely (5-of-5), & that "D" is solid (10 FDs). But 'Dores also impressive with their throttling of decent Miami-O squad (269-96 RY edge), with Nickson doing it all (166 RYs). Carolina 0-3 ATS away lately, by 1, ½, & 6½ pts. It should go to wire.

NEW YORK GIANTS 22 - Washington 20

Defending champs must go it without brilliance of both Strahan & Umenyiora on that defensive line which dominated LY's playoffs. Manning obviously improved as the season wore on, so that is a huge plus, but NY played its best ball on the road in '07, losing to the 'Skins 22-10, as hosts LY (16½ pt ATS loss). As a matter of fact, NY lost its last 4 HGs SU. Jim Zorn takes over as head man for Washington, with consistency from QB Campbell his main concern, with a bevy of quality WRs to throw to. The 'Skins are a solid 13-5 ATS on the division road, so call this under spot.