Sunday Service Plays 7/13/08
- Thread starter MLBKING
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- Apr 7, 2008
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THE SPORTS ADVISORS
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Arizona (47-47) at Philadelphia (51-44)
Two of the top pitchers in the National League are set to square off at Citizens Bank Park, where the Phillies? Cole Hamels matches up against Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb in the finale of a three-game series.
Philadelphia had a three-game winning streak snapped in Saturday?s 10-4 loss to Arizona. Charlie Manuel?s club is now 4-10 in its last 14 games at home, but it is still 12-4 in its last 16 against losing teams, 4-1 in its last four against the N.L. West, 10-4 in Hamels? last 14 starts overall and 20-9 in his last 29 at home.
Despite yesterday?s win, Arizona remains in the midst of a prolonged slump that has seen the team go 17-27 in its last 44 overall and 11-23 in its last 34 on the road. The DBacks are also 9-22 in their last 33 games against winning teams, but they?re 35-17 in their last 52 behind Webb.
The season series is now tied 3-3, but the road team is still 10-3 in the last 13 meetings dating to last season.
Webb scattered six hits over six scoreless innings in his most recent outing, a 2-0 victory at Washington on Tuesday. He?s gone exactly six innings in each of his last three starts, all Arizona victories. He?s now 7-3 with a 2.73 ERA on the road.
Hamels has registered a quality start in six of his last seven trips to the hill, pitching at least seven innings in every one of those seven outings. On Tuesday, he allowed just two runs on three hits (no walks) in seven frames, but came out on the short end of a 2-0 home defeat, dropping to 5-5 despite a 2.81 ERA in 11 starts at Citizens Bank.
Webb twirled a complete-game against the Phillies at home on May 8, giving up three runs (two earned) in an 8-3 victory. He?s 3-3 with a 3.68 ERA in nine career starts against the Phillies. Meanwhile, Hamels? lone start against Arizona came in the desert back in 2006, and he yielded three hits and a run in a 10-1 victory.
The teams have topped the total the last two nights and the over is 4-1-1 in the six head-to-head battles in 2008. However, the under is still on runs of 25-12 for Philadelphia overall, 8-4 for Philadelphia at home, 13-5-2 for Arizona overall, 8-3-2 for Arizona on the highway, 15-7 for Arizona on Sundays, 6-1-2 when Webb hurls on the road and 5-2 in Hamels? last seven starts overall.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
AMERICAN LEAGUE
L.A. Angels (56-38) at Oakland (51-43)
A couple of pitchers headed to New York for the All-Star game will first battle it out at McAfee Coliseum, where the Angels? Joe Saunders (12-5, 3.07) matches up with Justin Duchscherer (10-5, 1.78) as the top two clubs in the American League West cap a three-game series
Los Angeles prevailed 4-1 in Oakland last night but has been spinning its wheels of late, going 8-8 in its last 16 contests, including 4-6 on the road. Yet Mike Scioscia?s squad still possesses the best road record in baseball at 30-18. The Halos are also 8-3 in their last 11 games as an underdog, and with Saunders on the hill, they?re on runs of 13-5 overall, 13-6 on the road, 6-1 as a ?dog and 5-1 on Sundays.
Despite Saturday?s setback, Oakland has won four of its last six, all at home, and the club is 9-3 in its past 12 on Sundays.
Saunders was a tough-luck 3-2 loser in Texas on Tuesday, giving up all three runs on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts in eight innings. The southpaw has allowed just nine earned runs in his last five outings, covering 33 2/3 innings (2.41 ERA). Also, with the loss in Texas, Saunders is now 6-3 with a 2.23 ERA in nine road starts. Also, in two outings against the A?s this season (both at home), Saunders is 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA, yielding four runs (two earned) on 10 hits in 14 1/3 innings.
Duchscherer was nearly perfect on Tuesday against the Mariners, giving up just two hits (no walks) in a complete-game 2-0 victory. With that effort, he improved to 7-1 with a 1.23 ERA in eight home starts. Also, not only has the right-hander delivered a quality outing in nine straight starts, he hasn?t allowed more than two runs in any of those games, and he?s 7-2 during this stretch.
Duchscherer beat the Angels 15-8 on May 8, even though he yielded six runs (one earned) on six hits in five innings. For his career, he?s 6-0 with a 1.28 ERA in 23 appearances (two starts) versus Los Angeles.
Although the over is 4-2 in the last five meetings between these clubs, the under is still 41-20-3 in the past 64 showdowns in this rivarly, including 6-2-2 in the last 10 at the Coliseum. Furthermore, the under is 24-10-2 in L.A.?s last 46 on the road, 8-2 in Oakland?s last 10 overall, 9-3 in its last 12 at home and 15-6-2 in its last 23 against southpaw starters.. Finally, the under is 4-1 in Saunders? last five starts overall, 5-1 in his last six on the road and 8-3-1 in Duchscherer?s last 12 overall.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OAKLAND and UNDER
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Arizona (47-47) at Philadelphia (51-44)
Two of the top pitchers in the National League are set to square off at Citizens Bank Park, where the Phillies? Cole Hamels matches up against Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb in the finale of a three-game series.
Philadelphia had a three-game winning streak snapped in Saturday?s 10-4 loss to Arizona. Charlie Manuel?s club is now 4-10 in its last 14 games at home, but it is still 12-4 in its last 16 against losing teams, 4-1 in its last four against the N.L. West, 10-4 in Hamels? last 14 starts overall and 20-9 in his last 29 at home.
Despite yesterday?s win, Arizona remains in the midst of a prolonged slump that has seen the team go 17-27 in its last 44 overall and 11-23 in its last 34 on the road. The DBacks are also 9-22 in their last 33 games against winning teams, but they?re 35-17 in their last 52 behind Webb.
The season series is now tied 3-3, but the road team is still 10-3 in the last 13 meetings dating to last season.
Webb scattered six hits over six scoreless innings in his most recent outing, a 2-0 victory at Washington on Tuesday. He?s gone exactly six innings in each of his last three starts, all Arizona victories. He?s now 7-3 with a 2.73 ERA on the road.
Hamels has registered a quality start in six of his last seven trips to the hill, pitching at least seven innings in every one of those seven outings. On Tuesday, he allowed just two runs on three hits (no walks) in seven frames, but came out on the short end of a 2-0 home defeat, dropping to 5-5 despite a 2.81 ERA in 11 starts at Citizens Bank.
Webb twirled a complete-game against the Phillies at home on May 8, giving up three runs (two earned) in an 8-3 victory. He?s 3-3 with a 3.68 ERA in nine career starts against the Phillies. Meanwhile, Hamels? lone start against Arizona came in the desert back in 2006, and he yielded three hits and a run in a 10-1 victory.
The teams have topped the total the last two nights and the over is 4-1-1 in the six head-to-head battles in 2008. However, the under is still on runs of 25-12 for Philadelphia overall, 8-4 for Philadelphia at home, 13-5-2 for Arizona overall, 8-3-2 for Arizona on the highway, 15-7 for Arizona on Sundays, 6-1-2 when Webb hurls on the road and 5-2 in Hamels? last seven starts overall.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
AMERICAN LEAGUE
L.A. Angels (56-38) at Oakland (51-43)
A couple of pitchers headed to New York for the All-Star game will first battle it out at McAfee Coliseum, where the Angels? Joe Saunders (12-5, 3.07) matches up with Justin Duchscherer (10-5, 1.78) as the top two clubs in the American League West cap a three-game series
Los Angeles prevailed 4-1 in Oakland last night but has been spinning its wheels of late, going 8-8 in its last 16 contests, including 4-6 on the road. Yet Mike Scioscia?s squad still possesses the best road record in baseball at 30-18. The Halos are also 8-3 in their last 11 games as an underdog, and with Saunders on the hill, they?re on runs of 13-5 overall, 13-6 on the road, 6-1 as a ?dog and 5-1 on Sundays.
Despite Saturday?s setback, Oakland has won four of its last six, all at home, and the club is 9-3 in its past 12 on Sundays.
Saunders was a tough-luck 3-2 loser in Texas on Tuesday, giving up all three runs on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts in eight innings. The southpaw has allowed just nine earned runs in his last five outings, covering 33 2/3 innings (2.41 ERA). Also, with the loss in Texas, Saunders is now 6-3 with a 2.23 ERA in nine road starts. Also, in two outings against the A?s this season (both at home), Saunders is 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA, yielding four runs (two earned) on 10 hits in 14 1/3 innings.
Duchscherer was nearly perfect on Tuesday against the Mariners, giving up just two hits (no walks) in a complete-game 2-0 victory. With that effort, he improved to 7-1 with a 1.23 ERA in eight home starts. Also, not only has the right-hander delivered a quality outing in nine straight starts, he hasn?t allowed more than two runs in any of those games, and he?s 7-2 during this stretch.
Duchscherer beat the Angels 15-8 on May 8, even though he yielded six runs (one earned) on six hits in five innings. For his career, he?s 6-0 with a 1.28 ERA in 23 appearances (two starts) versus Los Angeles.
Although the over is 4-2 in the last five meetings between these clubs, the under is still 41-20-3 in the past 64 showdowns in this rivarly, including 6-2-2 in the last 10 at the Coliseum. Furthermore, the under is 24-10-2 in L.A.?s last 46 on the road, 8-2 in Oakland?s last 10 overall, 9-3 in its last 12 at home and 15-6-2 in its last 23 against southpaw starters.. Finally, the under is 4-1 in Saunders? last five starts overall, 5-1 in his last six on the road and 8-3-1 in Duchscherer?s last 12 overall.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OAKLAND and UNDER
- Apr 7, 2008
- 4,291
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- 36
STU FEINER
Writeups
Tampa Bay Rays at Cleveland Indians
The Rays have been awful in this series, there isn?t even a question about. They have come back to earth in a hurry. What did you expect to happen? Did you expect the Rays to just run away with the division? Did you expect the Rays to win 100 ball games this season? They skipped the baby steps and went with one big leap; they still have some ways to go.
Tonight the Rays have the exact guy to stop this losing streak. Scott Kazmir goes to the mound tonight for the Rays. This guy has been brilliant all year. Not only does this guy shut down the opposition, he does it with electric stuff.
Scott is 7-4 on the season and has an ERA of just 2.69. How about striking out 84 batters in just 77 innings? Scott has already won three games on the road and will not have a problem beating the Indians here tonight. Here is their ace.
Tampa Bay Rays (-)
Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers
How about these Twins folks? These guys are the biggest surprise in MLB outside of Tampa. Tonight they face a different caliber pitcher though. They aren?t facing Kenny Rogers or Nate Robertson. See that is the clear weakness of the Tigers team. The depth of their starting pitching is more than lacking.
Justin Verlander goes tonight for the Tigers. This guy has really had it going for about two months now. Justin spoke very openly about the fact that he had a long ?dead? arm period. He wasn?t used to throwing a ton of innings like he did last season.
Justin has allowed just ten hits in his last 13 innings pitched. Even better than that Justin hasn?t lost a game in his last six starts that includes a 4-0 mark and no more than two runs in any of those starts. The Tigers will finish off the first half on a positive note. Tigers at home.
Detroit Tigers (-)
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
You have to face facts, the Yankees are a very streaky baseball team. Their offense does come and go quite often. They have actually had more than 30 games in which they scored three or fewer runs this season! That seems like an awfully high number but that is the truth. There is a flip side to that statement of course. When the Yankees get rolling there is no stopping them.
Last night the Yankees pounded a very solid starter. Jesse Litsch was 8-5 before last night?s game with a very respectable. The Yankees proceeded to score nine runs, all in the first four innings. They hit home runs, they hit singles, and they were just on the ball as a team.
Tonight the Yankees send their most reliable starter to the mound. Everyone loves Joba but if you need to win one game you give the ball to Andy. Andy knows how important this game is for the Yankees. He will come up big and he will beat A.J. Burnett in a tight game.
New York Yankees (-)
Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox
Baltimore was able to steal one in the first game of the series. As big under-dogs they beat the Red Sox young starter (Clay Bucholz). Yesterday things returned back to normalcy. The Red Sox beat up the Orioles. This game was a blow-out before the fourth inning. By the fourth inning the Red Sox already had ten runs and had ran a few pitchers out of the building.
Look for the Red Sox to take care of business once gain here tonight. The Orioles aren?t facing just some rookie pitcher. Daisuke Matsuzaka goes tonight for the Sox. Has this guy been fantastic or what? He is 9-1 on the season and the Red Sox are 12-3 in his fifteen starts. It turns out this guy was something special huh? Anyone that jumped off him after his average first year made a big mistake. This game won?t be close. Dice K will get win number 10 before the break.
Boston Red Sox (-)
Seattle Mariners at Kansas City Royals
This line is too good to pass up here on this Sunday match-up. The Royals are the better team folks. We know that people want to still hold out hope for the Mariners. We know that people think they can still beat up on average teams. Well don?t make the same mistake as those people folks. You have to face facts, the Mariners are a dead baseball team.
The Royals flat out are a better team. They have a better offense, they pitch better and believe it or not have a better bull-pen. It almost seems as if Seattle never recovered from blowing three games in the first week of the season. They lost their closer this year. They traded their stop set-up man from last season. Both Felix Hernandez and Erik Bedard have spent time on the DL, they just don?t cut it.
The bottom line is that the Mariners don?t win on the road. Seattle is just 17-30 on the road in 2008. It isn?t worth it to jump on them, they are a team that is a constant let-down. Just look at Carlos Silva and his record. If that doesn?t show you something that we don?t know what will. He is 4-11 by the way.
Kansas City Royals (-)
Chicago White Sox at Texas Rangers
You have to step outside the box and not only look at the White Sox road record from the entire season. If you look at it from the standpoint of their 47 games on the road you will realize it isn?t very good. There is no denying that, but let?s not forget the White Sox were slow out of the gate. People didn?t even know if their manager would be around to see the all-star break. Now they may have a shot at being World Series champions.
Jose Contreras goes tonight for the Sox. This guy is having a big bounce back year, in fact he is having one of his best seasons of his major league career. Jose already has seven wins and has pitched 115 innings. It is important that Jose goes deep in to games, it allows him to factor in to more decisions and it also allows the bull-pen guys to get some rest.
The White Sox hit last night, there is no reason that won?t happen again. They are facing an average starting pitcher in a ban box of a ball park. Take the White Sox as they will get the job done.
Chicago White Sox (-)
LA Angels at Oakland Athletics
This isn?t just the best pitching match-up of the day in baseball, this is the best pitching match-up in the entire 2008 MLB season. These two AL West rivals finish up with a pivotal game before the all-star break. They both finish up sending all-star pitchers to the hill.
Joe Saunders has been fantastic all season. Joe is 12-5 on the season with an ERA just slightly above 3 (3.07). Joe has thrown 120 innings and has allowed just 105 hits. Joe does walk some batters but overall his WHIP is 1.13. Does it get any better than those numbers? Well actually yes it does.
Justin Duscherer has been the best pitcher in all of baseball. Justin is 10-5 on the season with an ERA of 1.78. Even more staggering is the fact he has pitched 101 innings and he has allowed just 66 hits. Those are scary numbers folks. Justin has a WHIP of just .86, which if he keeps it up will be in the top five best seasons of all time.
Give us the ace in his own building. He will win again and finish off the first half on a high note.
Oakland Athletics (-)
National League
St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates
We like the Pirates to bounce back here tonight at home. The Pirates have not played well at home in this series, but trust us that is a mirage. The Pirates have actually been a very good home team all season. The reason they have been so good at home has no doubt been their offense. There is no way to slice it any other way, their pitching sure hasn?t held up.
You don?t? think of the Pirates as a team that will out-slug you but that is exactly what they have done, especially at home. They are eighth in all of baseball in runs scored. At home they are top ten in batting average, home runs etc. As a team they hit .263 that is a very high number, especially in the National League. Remember they stick a guy in their each and every day that bats .100.
The Cardinals have taken the first couple games on the road, but they aren?t a strong team outside of St. Louis. Their offense erupted last night, we don?t see it happening again here tonight. Make the smart play and get on board with the Pirates.
Pittsburgh Pirates (-)
Arizona Diamondbacks at Philadelphia Phillies
We told you yesterday that we liked the Diamondbacks to steal one. We are telling you the same thing here tonight. We have a fantastic pitching match-up on tap. Brandon Webb pitches for the road Diamondbacks and Cole Hamels gets the start at home.
Both of these starts have been very good all season. The problem for Cole is the fact that he doesn?t get much run support. Cole is just 9-6 on the season and the Phillies are just 12-7 in his nineteen starts. A lot of times teams let down when their ace is on the hill. The Phillies seem to be one on of those teams.
Brandon Webb on the other hand is 13-4 on the season. Brandon has thrown 124 innings allowing just 113 hits and has an ERA of 3.41. Not only is he 13-4 but the Diamondbacks as a team is 14-5 in his nineteen starts.
Webb has been even better on the road than at home. He is 7-3 with an ERA of just 2.73. He will keep the ball down and keep the ball in the ball park here tonight.
Arizona Diamondbacks (+)
Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers
We love the Brewers to bounce back here tonight. Milwaukee sends their new found ?ace? to hill. No dis-respect to Ben Sheets but C.C. Sabathia is the horse now of this rotation. He is a proven winner, and is still the reigning Cy Young award winner.
C.C. has been on a roll for quite a while. It wasn?t as if he was pitching badly and that was the reason he was dealt. In fact C.C. hasn?t really had a bad start since early May. A span of eleven straight starts without allowing more than four earned runs. Even on a very bad Cleveland team he still won. He didn?t win earlier in the season, but once he got over those struggles and found him-self he hasn?t been losing. C.C. hasn?t lost since June 5 and that was a road start against the Rangers.
Milwaukee has the offense to provide C.C. with plenty of support. Look for Braun, Fielder and Hart to carry the offense and C.C. will do the rest. The line is high for a reason, jump on board with the Brew Crew.
Milwaukee Brewers (-)
San Francisco Giants at Chicago Cubs
There are certain games with certain pitchers that you just have to be a part of. We love this game here tonight. We love for the Giants to take care of business and win this third game. There is no denying that the offense for the Giants is as bad as it gets. It did show a ton of life yesterday.
The Giants bats were quiet early as they faced Rich Harden, but they rallied and scored seven runs in the last two innings before they actually lost in extra innings. The Cubs had to use their bull-pen though and had to sweat the game out. We really believe that the Giants will be able to build on that.
The main reason we feel the Giants will get going is because of their man on the mound. Tim Lincecum has been brilliant all first half. On the road he takes it another level. Tim is 7-1 on the road with an ERA of 2.23. You just don?t see starters do that, you don?t see them win consistently on the road, especially in this crazy 2008 season. Tim will get win number eleven in Wrigley.
San Francisco Giants (+)
Atlanta Braves at San Diego Padres
We like the Braves to steal one here in San Diego. Jorge Campillo goes for the Braves tonight. Believe it or not he has actually been there best pitcher in the first half of the 2008 season. We love Tim Hudson but Campillo has been just as good if not better.
Campillo has just three wins but don?t forget the fact that he didn?t join the rotation out of the gate. You have to look at his other numbers to realize how strong he really has been. Campillo has thrown 79 innings and allowed just 70 hits on the season.
Campillo has been a rock on the road. This is the first time in his career that a team has given him the chance to be a full time staring pitcher. You don?t have to look much further than his 1.59 ERA on the road to see he is for real.
Atlanta Braves (-)
Florida Marlins at LA Dodgers
This game is all about the staring pitchers folks. There are many times where the starting pitchers are over-rated, this is not one of those games. There is a clear and distinct advantage that just can?t be ignored.
Andrew Miller has struggled all season. Here is a young kid that has a ton of talent but just isn?t ready to put it together. On the season Andrew is just 5-8. The Marlins as a team are even worse in his nineteen starts. Andrew has been even worse recently. He hasn?t won a start in close to a month and has walked nine batters in his last 17 innings pitched.
Chad Billingsley on the other hand has been a stud. Here is a guy that has his ERA all the way down to 3.38. Remember he started off the season on hard times, but since that this guy has been dominating. In two of Chad?s last three starts he hasn?t even allowed a run. He also has allowed just one home run- since June 11. That is very important because the Marlins live and die with the long ball.
LA Dodgers (-)
Colorado Rockies at New York Mets
The Mets have finally hit their stride folks. It took them a long time but now they are right in this thing. In fact heading in to tonight?s action they actually have a shot to lead the division before the all-star break. Is that a scary proposition? That is what happens when the Phillies and Marlins didn?t pull away.
What we like about the Mets eight game winning streak is the fact they have done it in a number of ways. The Mets have won close games, the Mets have won blow-outs, the Mets have out-slugged other teams and the Mets have shut out teams.
The Rockies have scored just one run in the first two games. This Rockies team just doesn?t look like it is going to fire. They have had a ton of injuries and now may lose their best player very soon. Matt Holliday seems to be on the move, and that will be the final straw for the Rockies and their season. Look for the Mets to finish the first half in style.
New York Mets (-)
Writeups
Tampa Bay Rays at Cleveland Indians
The Rays have been awful in this series, there isn?t even a question about. They have come back to earth in a hurry. What did you expect to happen? Did you expect the Rays to just run away with the division? Did you expect the Rays to win 100 ball games this season? They skipped the baby steps and went with one big leap; they still have some ways to go.
Tonight the Rays have the exact guy to stop this losing streak. Scott Kazmir goes to the mound tonight for the Rays. This guy has been brilliant all year. Not only does this guy shut down the opposition, he does it with electric stuff.
Scott is 7-4 on the season and has an ERA of just 2.69. How about striking out 84 batters in just 77 innings? Scott has already won three games on the road and will not have a problem beating the Indians here tonight. Here is their ace.
Tampa Bay Rays (-)
Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers
How about these Twins folks? These guys are the biggest surprise in MLB outside of Tampa. Tonight they face a different caliber pitcher though. They aren?t facing Kenny Rogers or Nate Robertson. See that is the clear weakness of the Tigers team. The depth of their starting pitching is more than lacking.
Justin Verlander goes tonight for the Tigers. This guy has really had it going for about two months now. Justin spoke very openly about the fact that he had a long ?dead? arm period. He wasn?t used to throwing a ton of innings like he did last season.
Justin has allowed just ten hits in his last 13 innings pitched. Even better than that Justin hasn?t lost a game in his last six starts that includes a 4-0 mark and no more than two runs in any of those starts. The Tigers will finish off the first half on a positive note. Tigers at home.
Detroit Tigers (-)
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
You have to face facts, the Yankees are a very streaky baseball team. Their offense does come and go quite often. They have actually had more than 30 games in which they scored three or fewer runs this season! That seems like an awfully high number but that is the truth. There is a flip side to that statement of course. When the Yankees get rolling there is no stopping them.
Last night the Yankees pounded a very solid starter. Jesse Litsch was 8-5 before last night?s game with a very respectable. The Yankees proceeded to score nine runs, all in the first four innings. They hit home runs, they hit singles, and they were just on the ball as a team.
Tonight the Yankees send their most reliable starter to the mound. Everyone loves Joba but if you need to win one game you give the ball to Andy. Andy knows how important this game is for the Yankees. He will come up big and he will beat A.J. Burnett in a tight game.
New York Yankees (-)
Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox
Baltimore was able to steal one in the first game of the series. As big under-dogs they beat the Red Sox young starter (Clay Bucholz). Yesterday things returned back to normalcy. The Red Sox beat up the Orioles. This game was a blow-out before the fourth inning. By the fourth inning the Red Sox already had ten runs and had ran a few pitchers out of the building.
Look for the Red Sox to take care of business once gain here tonight. The Orioles aren?t facing just some rookie pitcher. Daisuke Matsuzaka goes tonight for the Sox. Has this guy been fantastic or what? He is 9-1 on the season and the Red Sox are 12-3 in his fifteen starts. It turns out this guy was something special huh? Anyone that jumped off him after his average first year made a big mistake. This game won?t be close. Dice K will get win number 10 before the break.
Boston Red Sox (-)
Seattle Mariners at Kansas City Royals
This line is too good to pass up here on this Sunday match-up. The Royals are the better team folks. We know that people want to still hold out hope for the Mariners. We know that people think they can still beat up on average teams. Well don?t make the same mistake as those people folks. You have to face facts, the Mariners are a dead baseball team.
The Royals flat out are a better team. They have a better offense, they pitch better and believe it or not have a better bull-pen. It almost seems as if Seattle never recovered from blowing three games in the first week of the season. They lost their closer this year. They traded their stop set-up man from last season. Both Felix Hernandez and Erik Bedard have spent time on the DL, they just don?t cut it.
The bottom line is that the Mariners don?t win on the road. Seattle is just 17-30 on the road in 2008. It isn?t worth it to jump on them, they are a team that is a constant let-down. Just look at Carlos Silva and his record. If that doesn?t show you something that we don?t know what will. He is 4-11 by the way.
Kansas City Royals (-)
Chicago White Sox at Texas Rangers
You have to step outside the box and not only look at the White Sox road record from the entire season. If you look at it from the standpoint of their 47 games on the road you will realize it isn?t very good. There is no denying that, but let?s not forget the White Sox were slow out of the gate. People didn?t even know if their manager would be around to see the all-star break. Now they may have a shot at being World Series champions.
Jose Contreras goes tonight for the Sox. This guy is having a big bounce back year, in fact he is having one of his best seasons of his major league career. Jose already has seven wins and has pitched 115 innings. It is important that Jose goes deep in to games, it allows him to factor in to more decisions and it also allows the bull-pen guys to get some rest.
The White Sox hit last night, there is no reason that won?t happen again. They are facing an average starting pitcher in a ban box of a ball park. Take the White Sox as they will get the job done.
Chicago White Sox (-)
LA Angels at Oakland Athletics
This isn?t just the best pitching match-up of the day in baseball, this is the best pitching match-up in the entire 2008 MLB season. These two AL West rivals finish up with a pivotal game before the all-star break. They both finish up sending all-star pitchers to the hill.
Joe Saunders has been fantastic all season. Joe is 12-5 on the season with an ERA just slightly above 3 (3.07). Joe has thrown 120 innings and has allowed just 105 hits. Joe does walk some batters but overall his WHIP is 1.13. Does it get any better than those numbers? Well actually yes it does.
Justin Duscherer has been the best pitcher in all of baseball. Justin is 10-5 on the season with an ERA of 1.78. Even more staggering is the fact he has pitched 101 innings and he has allowed just 66 hits. Those are scary numbers folks. Justin has a WHIP of just .86, which if he keeps it up will be in the top five best seasons of all time.
Give us the ace in his own building. He will win again and finish off the first half on a high note.
Oakland Athletics (-)
National League
St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates
We like the Pirates to bounce back here tonight at home. The Pirates have not played well at home in this series, but trust us that is a mirage. The Pirates have actually been a very good home team all season. The reason they have been so good at home has no doubt been their offense. There is no way to slice it any other way, their pitching sure hasn?t held up.
You don?t? think of the Pirates as a team that will out-slug you but that is exactly what they have done, especially at home. They are eighth in all of baseball in runs scored. At home they are top ten in batting average, home runs etc. As a team they hit .263 that is a very high number, especially in the National League. Remember they stick a guy in their each and every day that bats .100.
The Cardinals have taken the first couple games on the road, but they aren?t a strong team outside of St. Louis. Their offense erupted last night, we don?t see it happening again here tonight. Make the smart play and get on board with the Pirates.
Pittsburgh Pirates (-)
Arizona Diamondbacks at Philadelphia Phillies
We told you yesterday that we liked the Diamondbacks to steal one. We are telling you the same thing here tonight. We have a fantastic pitching match-up on tap. Brandon Webb pitches for the road Diamondbacks and Cole Hamels gets the start at home.
Both of these starts have been very good all season. The problem for Cole is the fact that he doesn?t get much run support. Cole is just 9-6 on the season and the Phillies are just 12-7 in his nineteen starts. A lot of times teams let down when their ace is on the hill. The Phillies seem to be one on of those teams.
Brandon Webb on the other hand is 13-4 on the season. Brandon has thrown 124 innings allowing just 113 hits and has an ERA of 3.41. Not only is he 13-4 but the Diamondbacks as a team is 14-5 in his nineteen starts.
Webb has been even better on the road than at home. He is 7-3 with an ERA of just 2.73. He will keep the ball down and keep the ball in the ball park here tonight.
Arizona Diamondbacks (+)
Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers
We love the Brewers to bounce back here tonight. Milwaukee sends their new found ?ace? to hill. No dis-respect to Ben Sheets but C.C. Sabathia is the horse now of this rotation. He is a proven winner, and is still the reigning Cy Young award winner.
C.C. has been on a roll for quite a while. It wasn?t as if he was pitching badly and that was the reason he was dealt. In fact C.C. hasn?t really had a bad start since early May. A span of eleven straight starts without allowing more than four earned runs. Even on a very bad Cleveland team he still won. He didn?t win earlier in the season, but once he got over those struggles and found him-self he hasn?t been losing. C.C. hasn?t lost since June 5 and that was a road start against the Rangers.
Milwaukee has the offense to provide C.C. with plenty of support. Look for Braun, Fielder and Hart to carry the offense and C.C. will do the rest. The line is high for a reason, jump on board with the Brew Crew.
Milwaukee Brewers (-)
San Francisco Giants at Chicago Cubs
There are certain games with certain pitchers that you just have to be a part of. We love this game here tonight. We love for the Giants to take care of business and win this third game. There is no denying that the offense for the Giants is as bad as it gets. It did show a ton of life yesterday.
The Giants bats were quiet early as they faced Rich Harden, but they rallied and scored seven runs in the last two innings before they actually lost in extra innings. The Cubs had to use their bull-pen though and had to sweat the game out. We really believe that the Giants will be able to build on that.
The main reason we feel the Giants will get going is because of their man on the mound. Tim Lincecum has been brilliant all first half. On the road he takes it another level. Tim is 7-1 on the road with an ERA of 2.23. You just don?t see starters do that, you don?t see them win consistently on the road, especially in this crazy 2008 season. Tim will get win number eleven in Wrigley.
San Francisco Giants (+)
Atlanta Braves at San Diego Padres
We like the Braves to steal one here in San Diego. Jorge Campillo goes for the Braves tonight. Believe it or not he has actually been there best pitcher in the first half of the 2008 season. We love Tim Hudson but Campillo has been just as good if not better.
Campillo has just three wins but don?t forget the fact that he didn?t join the rotation out of the gate. You have to look at his other numbers to realize how strong he really has been. Campillo has thrown 79 innings and allowed just 70 hits on the season.
Campillo has been a rock on the road. This is the first time in his career that a team has given him the chance to be a full time staring pitcher. You don?t have to look much further than his 1.59 ERA on the road to see he is for real.
Atlanta Braves (-)
Florida Marlins at LA Dodgers
This game is all about the staring pitchers folks. There are many times where the starting pitchers are over-rated, this is not one of those games. There is a clear and distinct advantage that just can?t be ignored.
Andrew Miller has struggled all season. Here is a young kid that has a ton of talent but just isn?t ready to put it together. On the season Andrew is just 5-8. The Marlins as a team are even worse in his nineteen starts. Andrew has been even worse recently. He hasn?t won a start in close to a month and has walked nine batters in his last 17 innings pitched.
Chad Billingsley on the other hand has been a stud. Here is a guy that has his ERA all the way down to 3.38. Remember he started off the season on hard times, but since that this guy has been dominating. In two of Chad?s last three starts he hasn?t even allowed a run. He also has allowed just one home run- since June 11. That is very important because the Marlins live and die with the long ball.
LA Dodgers (-)
Colorado Rockies at New York Mets
The Mets have finally hit their stride folks. It took them a long time but now they are right in this thing. In fact heading in to tonight?s action they actually have a shot to lead the division before the all-star break. Is that a scary proposition? That is what happens when the Phillies and Marlins didn?t pull away.
What we like about the Mets eight game winning streak is the fact they have done it in a number of ways. The Mets have won close games, the Mets have won blow-outs, the Mets have out-slugged other teams and the Mets have shut out teams.
The Rockies have scored just one run in the first two games. This Rockies team just doesn?t look like it is going to fire. They have had a ton of injuries and now may lose their best player very soon. Matt Holliday seems to be on the move, and that will be the final straw for the Rockies and their season. Look for the Mets to finish the first half in style.
New York Mets (-)
Steve Zukiel
Guaranteed Selections
Date: Sunday, July 13, 2008
$55.00 Guaranteed: Oh My God! Never Before Have I Released A Game This Big But After Studying This One I Can Only Call My FIRST EVER GUARANTEED 80 UNIT MLB GAME OF THE YEAR! That's Right Folks! 80 Unit Play! Win Or You Pay Nothing! This Game Wins By SIX!!! First Pitch Goes After 4:00 PM EST! 7/12/2008
Major League Baseball
Colorado vs New York
Sunday, July 13th, 2008
8:05 pm est 5:05 pm pacific
Line: New York(-175)
Rating: My First Ever Guaranteed 80 Unit MLB Game Of The Year In this contest, my money is on the New York Mets
This game was written before last night's games were finalized.
This game is going to be over very, very quickly. The Mets are one of the hottest teams in baseball, having won seven straight games, outscoring the opposition by a 44-19 margin. The Rockies meanwhile, have reverted back to their losing ways, having lost three of their last four, allowing 23 runs in the process. The pitching matchup also heavily favors the Mets as sizzling Mike Pelfrey looks to win his six straight start. Pelfrey doesn't have the greatest overall won/loss record, but he has a solid 3.93 ERA, and a 2.68 ERA at home. In his last six starts, he has gone a perfect 5-0 and the team has won all six. In his last two starts, he has allowed just one run and nine hits in 14 innings of work. Mark Redman goes for Colorado and he has been hit all season long. He is just 2-4 and sports an ERA of 7.37. Things are even worse on the road, where he is 1-2 and his ERA has climbed to 9.00. New York is sizzling, they are at home and they have the much better pitcher on the mound. I still can't believe they are only -175 favorites. Take them to the bank.
NEW YORK METS
Triple Threat Sports
Guaranteed Selections
Date: Sunday, July 13, 2008
$37.00 Guaranteed: It's not even the middle of July, but with this spot there is no doubt that it gets the call as our Underdog Play of the Month! This one has 24-4 team result/starting pitcher angles in effect & also some great current year team stat edges adding up to 51-29 (.638) - all in favor of a fairly sizable dog. Great value & we expect to cash a nice ticket with our Underdog Play of the Month...JOIN US!!! 7/13/2008
5* Minnesota Twins (Blackburn vs Verlander) [1:05pm]
Start with the team results this year, and as such it is noted that the Twins are 27-16 in division games in 2008 while the Tigers are just 13-24. Much of that has to do with the results of this series, as the Twins are 10-4 against the Tigers this year, 10-2 in the last dozen contests. Looking at the pitchers, it is quite notable that Verander is 0-4 in his last four starts against the Twins and that Detroit has been outscored 21-3 in the last three such meetings. Finally, note that Minnesota is 5-1 in Detroit this season and that the Tigers have dropped five of six against winning teams. Great value on the Twins here!
Guaranteed Selections
Date: Sunday, July 13, 2008
$37.00 Guaranteed: It's not even the middle of July, but with this spot there is no doubt that it gets the call as our Underdog Play of the Month! This one has 24-4 team result/starting pitcher angles in effect & also some great current year team stat edges adding up to 51-29 (.638) - all in favor of a fairly sizable dog. Great value & we expect to cash a nice ticket with our Underdog Play of the Month...JOIN US!!! 7/13/2008
5* Minnesota Twins (Blackburn vs Verlander) [1:05pm]
Start with the team results this year, and as such it is noted that the Twins are 27-16 in division games in 2008 while the Tigers are just 13-24. Much of that has to do with the results of this series, as the Twins are 10-4 against the Tigers this year, 10-2 in the last dozen contests. Looking at the pitchers, it is quite notable that Verander is 0-4 in his last four starts against the Twins and that Detroit has been outscored 21-3 in the last three such meetings. Finally, note that Minnesota is 5-1 in Detroit this season and that the Tigers have dropped five of six against winning teams. Great value on the Twins here!
BIG AL McMORDIE
BASEBALL DIVISION GAME OF THE WEEK! $20.00
Al McMordie came into this weekend off his 2 Biggest Plays of the Year! On Thursday, Big Al CRUSHED THE BOOKS with his American League Total of the Month, and on Friday, Al BURIED them with his 5* MLB Game of the Year. If you enjoyed those 2 MONSTER WINNERS, then you'll LOVE Sunday's #1 Play: It's Big Al's Division Game of the Week!
Oakland Athletics
BASEBALL DIVISION GAME OF THE WEEK! $20.00
Al McMordie came into this weekend off his 2 Biggest Plays of the Year! On Thursday, Big Al CRUSHED THE BOOKS with his American League Total of the Month, and on Friday, Al BURIED them with his 5* MLB Game of the Year. If you enjoyed those 2 MONSTER WINNERS, then you'll LOVE Sunday's #1 Play: It's Big Al's Division Game of the Week!
Oakland Athletics
Executive
250% Pittsburgh Pirates
Goodfellasports
WNBA
2 BOXES- CHI -5.5 over ATLANTA (6PM)
MLB
2 BOXES- SEATLE/KC OVER 9.5 -120 (2PM)
1 BOX- ATLANTA -109 over SD (4PM)
1 BOX- NY/TOR UNDER 8.5 -110 (1PM)
Nostradomus
Sunday's Selections
Tampa Bay -150
Detroit -150
Atl/San Diego Over 7.5 +100
250% Pittsburgh Pirates
Goodfellasports
WNBA
2 BOXES- CHI -5.5 over ATLANTA (6PM)
MLB
2 BOXES- SEATLE/KC OVER 9.5 -120 (2PM)
1 BOX- ATLANTA -109 over SD (4PM)
1 BOX- NY/TOR UNDER 8.5 -110 (1PM)
Nostradomus
Sunday's Selections
Tampa Bay -150
Detroit -150
Atl/San Diego Over 7.5 +100
- Apr 7, 2008
- 4,291
- 0
- 36
SCOTT SPREITZER 's MLB Sunday KNOCKOUT BLOWOUT! *19-8, 70%!
I'm laying the price with the Tigers on Sunday. Detroit is in a must-win spot at home against Minnesota today with the ace of their staff on the mound.
The Tigers minus the price is the play. Thanks! GL! Scott.
SCOTT SPREITZER 's 25* MLB SUNDAY SLAMMER! *9-2, 82% Run!
I'm laying the price with the Mets on Sunday.
The Mets minus the price is the play. Thanks! GL! Scott
I'm laying the price with the Tigers on Sunday. Detroit is in a must-win spot at home against Minnesota today with the ace of their staff on the mound.
The Tigers minus the price is the play. Thanks! GL! Scott.
SCOTT SPREITZER 's 25* MLB SUNDAY SLAMMER! *9-2, 82% Run!
I'm laying the price with the Mets on Sunday.
The Mets minus the price is the play. Thanks! GL! Scott
- Apr 7, 2008
- 4,291
- 0
- 36
Hondo
Hondo, still flying high over his Friday night win with the O's, bagged another beauty last night as he kept it reel with the Marlins to increase the haul to 550 waners.
Today, he'll close out the front nine with a birdie - 10 units on Cabrera and the Orioles over the Sawx. Also, 10 on the new stud of the stable, Duch scherer (or Chsch, for short).
Hondo, still flying high over his Friday night win with the O's, bagged another beauty last night as he kept it reel with the Marlins to increase the haul to 550 waners.
Today, he'll close out the front nine with a birdie - 10 units on Cabrera and the Orioles over the Sawx. Also, 10 on the new stud of the stable, Duch scherer (or Chsch, for short).
Larry Ness
LEGEND Play (won 8 of L9 MLB reports) $20.00
After winning his Superstar Triple Play on Weds, Larry followed that up by winning SEVEN of his L8 guaranteed MLB releases with Saturday's 3-0 sweep. Today, it's one of Larry's rare LEGEND Plays (2nd TY). These plays used to be reserved for only his personal clients but recently, he's made them available on the net. DON'T miss it!
Detroit Tigers
LEGEND Play (won 8 of L9 MLB reports) $20.00
After winning his Superstar Triple Play on Weds, Larry followed that up by winning SEVEN of his L8 guaranteed MLB releases with Saturday's 3-0 sweep. Today, it's one of Larry's rare LEGEND Plays (2nd TY). These plays used to be reserved for only his personal clients but recently, he's made them available on the net. DON'T miss it!
Detroit Tigers
- Apr 7, 2008
- 4,291
- 0
- 36
JR MILLER
NATIONALS -103 over Astros (Perez-Backe)
Cardinals at Pirates OVER 9.5 -105 (Pineiro-Snell)
CUBS -147 over Giants (Dempster- Lincecum)
INDIANS +137 over Rays (Sowers-Kazmir)
Twin at Tigers OVER 8.5 -112 (Blackburn-Verlander)
REDSOX -1.5 -102 over Orioles (Matsuzaka-Cabrera) (OR -196)
RANGERS -102 over Whitesox (any pitcher-Contreras)
ATHLETICS -126 over Angels (Duchscherer-any pitcher)
NATIONALS -103 over Astros (Perez-Backe)
Cardinals at Pirates OVER 9.5 -105 (Pineiro-Snell)
CUBS -147 over Giants (Dempster- Lincecum)
INDIANS +137 over Rays (Sowers-Kazmir)
Twin at Tigers OVER 8.5 -112 (Blackburn-Verlander)
REDSOX -1.5 -102 over Orioles (Matsuzaka-Cabrera) (OR -196)
RANGERS -102 over Whitesox (any pitcher-Contreras)
ATHLETICS -126 over Angels (Duchscherer-any pitcher)
