Sunday Service plays 7/6/08

[the duke]

BIG AL McMORDIE

SUNDAY BASEBALL RIVALRY B-L-O-W-O-U-T $35.00
Al McMordie has one play on this Sunday, and it's a Side Selection in a HEATED RIVALRY GAME. This Winner has B-L-O-W-O-U-T written all over it, so hop on board right now, and pick up the EASY CASH with the 34-time Handicapping Champion.

San Francisco Giants



At 4:05pm our selection is on the San Francisco Giants over the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's been a frustrating season so far for some very talented young fireball-throwing starters who play on this Giants team. This team has the Major League strikeouts leader in 24-year-old righthander Tim Lincecum and one of the best young southpaw strikeout artists in the National League in 25-year-old Jonathan O. Sanchez. Almost lost in the spotlight of these two exciting young pitchers is today's starter, 24-year-old right hander Matt Cain, who has been starting for this team since 2005, which is longer than either Lincecum or Sanchez. The problem with Cain is that he continues to be very inconsistent, something that has hounded him since he came into the league and this season has certainly been no different. Going back six starts for example, the Giants have alternated wins and losses in Cain's outings. Still, Cain is coming off perhaps his best start of the season, as he threw eight shutout innings and struck out 10 in SF's 2-1 victory over the Cubs on Tuesday. Los Angeles left hander Eric Stults is a 28-year-old who has only been in the league since 2006, and has only appeared in 21 Major League Games in his career, most of those as a reliever. Stults has very good stats in limited action this season, but there is no reason to think that, at his age, he has all of a sudden become an effective starter, when in the last two seasons, Stults had gone 2-4 with an ERA around five and a half runs. He's also coming off his worst start of the season, and has a 6.75 career ERA vs. the Giants. Finally, despite an ERA of about four-and-a-half runs, Giants' closer Brian Wilson continues to be one of the most effective stoppers in the league, with 23 saves from 25 opportunities. Take San Francisco.

 

[the duke]

Ben Burns

*GAME OF YEAR ALERT* Divisional GOY *7-2 L9 $40.00
Ben Burns will be releasing six "Divisional Game of the Year" selections this season. The first of those went yesterday, a winner with the Yanks. Including that ticket, Ben is a TERRRIFIC 11-4 his L15 "GOY" releases and a sweet 7-2 his L9 MLB bets. There likely won't be another weekend all season where he has two GOYS. Take advantage!


ARIZONA DIAMONBACKS


I'm laying the price with ARIZONA. While they're still clinging to a very slight lead in the West, things are beginning to get rather urgent for the Diamondbacks. While I won't call it a "must win" game, this is about as close as it comes to being so, when facing a last place team in the first week of July. That's because the Diamondbacks are 6-14 their last 20 and after losing again yesterday are in danger of being swept at home by a division rival.

Yesterday's pitching matchup favored the Padres. That's because it was right-handed Jake Peavy for the Padres vs. left-handed Dale Davis for Arizona. Today, however, it's the Padres which send a former Cy Young award winning southpaw (Johnson has won the award 5 times) to the mound, as Randy Johnson goes against right-hander Josh Banks for the Padres. Banks has fairly solid stats on the season. However, he hasn't been that that sharp lately. Last time out, he allowed nine baserunners and four runs in five innings. That was almost identical to his performance in his previous start, when he allowed nine baesrunners in 5 1/3 innings. In fact, he hasn't pitched more than 5 1/3 innings in any of his last four starts and San Diego lost all four of those games. Banks will face an Arizona lineup which is desperate for a breakout game and which entered the weekend averaging 5.1 runs per game in this park, hitting a healthy .279.

Johnson is admittedly not the same pitcher that he once was (the line would be significantly higher if he was) and he's coming off a bad game vs. Milwaukee. However, he was solid in his previous outing, holding the defending world champs to two runs through six complete innings. Before writing the veteran lefthander off, keep in mind that he's got an impressive 41 Ks to just 11 walks in 42 innings here this season. Additionally, this is a very favorable matchup for the "Big Unit." For starters, the Padres only average 3.8 runs per game vs. southpaws, hitting .244. Not surprisingly, they're just 9-18 (-9.7) against left-handers for the season, including a 3-7 mark their last 10. Additionally, Johnson has always dominated the Padres. He faced them in his second start this season and got roughed up. However, that was the exception rather than the norm. Indeed, five days later, Johnson bounced back and beat the same Padres, holding them to a mere three hits and one run through seven complete innings, striking out seven while walking two. Johnson earned the victory in 5-1 Arizona win. That marked the 16th time in his last 20 starts against the Padres that Johnson had allowed three earned runs or less and the 13th time during that stretch that he allowed two or less.

Even with the recent results, the Diamondbacks are still a respectable 26-19 at home. They're also still an excellent 20-10 against divisional opponents. The Padres are below 500 vs. division foes and just 14-27 on the road. That includes a dismal 1-10 record when listed as road underdogs from +125 to +150, a range they currently fall into. Look for the highly-motivated Diamondbacks to bounce back with a much-needed victory, avoiding the sweep and improving to 28-18 against teams with a losing record. *NL West GOY

 

[the duke]

Brandon Lang


15 Dime - Rockies Run Line

5 Dime - A's

5 Dime - Yankees Under

 

[the duke]

Bob Balfe

07/06/2008

Major League Baseball
Yankees -160 over Redsox
Chamberlain/Wakefield

 

[the duke]

Scott Ferrall


KANSAS CITY +190 over Tampa
I've got to show some nuts sometimes right ? Hochevar upsets Shields and the Royals avoid the sweep. Tampa can't win every game, can they ? UNDER 8.5 RUNS

Oakland -105 over Chicago WS
Harden is the man and will knock off the Sox and Danks on the South Side. OVER 8.5 RUNS

MINNESOTA +105 over Cleveland
They'll do it by beating Cliff Lee, and you know everyone will be betting on the Tribe here because of Lee's record (11-1). UNDER 8 RUNS

Toronto +120 over LA Angels
Litsch does the job in Anaheim and beats Garland. OVER 8.5 RUNS

Detroit -120 over Seattle
Nate Robertson handles the Mariners in Seattle. The Tigers leave the Northwest at 44-43. No one thought they would do anything this year after their start, but their back. OVER 9 RUNS

Boston +145 over NY Yanks
Wakefield has them eating out of his hands in the Bronx. Joba looked average his last time out and they'll be worried to death about him after another loss. I can hear them already--"he shouldn't be a starter". TAKE THE UNDER 9 RUNS

 

[the duke]

LT Profits

Minnesota Twins (110)


The Minnesota Twins could seemingly do no wrong right now, and they are almost an automatic play as a home underdog vs. the Cleveland Indians today, even going up against Cliff Lee.

The Twins rallied from a early deficit to beat the Indians 9-6 here last night, making them 18-4 in their last 22 games overall and 13-3 in their last 16 at home. Remarkably, they are now third in the American League in runs scored despite the fact that they do not hot home runs like the top two scoring teams, the Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox.

Minnesota starter Glen Perkins may have a high 4.31 ERA overall, but he has pitched very well lately, allowing three runs or less in five straight starts and in eight of his last 10 outings. He should be able to take advantage of a Cleveland lineup that is hitting a terrible .212 vs. left-handed pitching on the road for the entire season and has never faced him before.

Now Lee is pitching as good as his 11-1 record, as he has a 2.26 ERA and 1.03 WHIP for the season and a 1.16 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in his last three starts. The problem here though is that he does not figure to get much run support and he is facing a scorching Minnesota lineup that is averaging 6.40 runs per game the last 10 games.

Finally, the Twins clearly have the superior bullpen here, as they rank ninth in the majors with a 3.54 pen ERA while the Indians rank dead last at 5.16!

Twins +110



Toronto Blue Jays (120)


The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Angels as underdogs here last night with ace Roy Halladay on the hill, and we look for the Jays to post their second straight upset at an even better price today.

Jesse Litsch has done a fine job in 12 starts for Toronto this season, going 8-4 with a very nice 3.69 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 102.1 innings. Litsch has allowed exactly one earned run in each of his last two starts, and he has seven Quality Starts in his last 10 outings. He also posted a Quality Start in his only career start vs. the Angels last season, allowing two earned runs on six hits in 6.1 innings, and the Angels offense was much stronger then than it is right now.

Now John Garland is also have a fine year for the Halos, but his decent 3.99 ERA and bad 1.44 WHIP actually pale when compared to Litsch this season. Oddly, Garland actually has worse numbers here at home, where he is 2-4 with a generous 4.70 ERA and 1.57 WHIP.

In fact, that performance by Garland actually mirrors the Angels as a team, as they are a mediocre 25-20 here at home compared to an outstanding 27-15 on the road.

Blue Jays +120

 

[MLBKING]

Nostradamus Predicts..... Marlins o 10.5, Zona, Arena Chicago o113, WNBA Washington u 139.5

 

[MLBKING]

GAME: Texas Rangers @ Baltimore Orioles Jul 6, 2008 1:35PM
EXPERT: Marc Lawrence
SPORT: Major League Baseball Picks
PICK: Texas Rangers
Offered at: 109 5Dimes
REASON FOR PICK: Play On: Texas w/Millwood
Note: The Rangers and Orioles wrap up their three-game set in Baltimore Sunday afternoon when Kevin Millwood takes the hill for Texas in Camden Yards.

Millwood has always enjoyed hurling against the Birds as evidence by his 9-2 3.40 ERA career team start mark against Baltimore. Look for the O's to make it 13 losses in a row on Sundays, their worst day of the week, here today. Back Millwood and the Rangers this afternoon.

We recommend a 1-unit play on Texas with Millwood.

 

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Stu Feiner Writeups

American League

Texas Rangers at Baltimore Orioles

We have said this time and time again but the Orioles are for real. Baltimore is at home and they are the better baseball team. That is why we can?t understand this line. All of a sudden you want us to trust Kevin Millwood? Well we aren?t buying.

This isn?t the Kevin Millwood of five years ago folks. Kevin is very hittable now a days. In fact he is top five in the league in hits allowed. In just 90 innings this season he has allowed 116 hits. On top of that Kevin still walks batters. Millwood has a WHIP (Walks+Hits/Innings Pitched) of 1.66. Any whip over 1.30 is bad; any whip over 1.50 is terrible.

The Orioles have beaten the Rangers before at home and will beat them again. Liz is 3-0 on the season and he finds a way to keep his team in ball games.

Baltimore Orioles (-)


Kansas City Royals at Tampa Bay Rays

There is just no stopping the Rays right now. I know many people find it hard to believe but Tampa is the toast of baseball. The Rays send one of their best pitchers to hill tonight. James Shields is just 6-5 on the season but you better believe he has pitched much better than that. The Rays have won eleven of James seventeen starts.

James has been pitching fantastic the last few weeks. In fact he is 2-0 in his last three starts with an ERA of just 2.75. That includes a victory against the Red Sox, a victory against the Marlins, and a quality start against the Cubs. It is not as if this guy has had it easy at all. He pitches against big time teams and big time line-ups and comes up big. Scott Kazmir is their ace but James Shields is one of the best number two pitchers in baseball. The Rays at home have been the best play of the 2008 baseball season. Things won?t change here tonight.

Tampa Bay Rays (-)


Oakland Athletics at Chicago White Sox

Great match-up here Chicago. Two of the games best young pitchers square off face to face. Rich Harden for the Oakland Athletics and John Danks for the Chicago White Sox. These guys have been dealing all season for their teams. Not only have they been dealing the entire season but they have been red hot as of late. When you see some of these numbers you may shake your head in dis-belief.

John Danks is 1-0 in his last starts with an ERA of .90 and a whip of .90. Would you believe Rich Harden has been just as good if not better in his last three starts? Two starts ago Rich faced the potent line-up of the Phillies in Oakland. All he did there was throw 8 innings of two hit ball with eleven strikeouts. How many runs you ask? Zero.

Rich Harden is baseballs best young pitcher. His only problem has been his health. He has not lost a start all season and won?t start that trend right now either. He has proved he can win on the road (2-0 with a 3.32 ERA). Take the road team and the Athletics here today.

Oakland Athletics (+)


Cleveland Indians at Minnesota Twins

There isn?t a better team in baseball right now than the Minnesota Twins. Who would have thought that past the half way point the Twins would be eleven games over .500? Last night the Twins really came up big. They jumped out to a lead but then starter Kevin Slowey gave it right back. They were actually down 5-2 in the fourth inning when their bats came alive. The Twins just started to pound starter Aaron Laffey and reliever Tom Mastny.

All told the Indians pounded out eight hits and nine runs and won another game in their ball park. The Twins are now a staggering 31-18 in their ball park. This team has been on fire since June 11. Since that time the Twins have dropped just four ball games. Four ball games since June 11!

They are winning with good pitching, great bullpen and timely hitting. In fact their offense is now on a torrid streak. This is a team that scored nine runs last night, twelve the night before and seven the night before. If you feel that this team is a fluke, you better think again. This team delivers on and off the field.

Minnesota Twins (-)


Toronto Blue Jays at LA Angels

Have to like the Angels to bounce back here tonight at home. The Angels aren?t a great home team but they are still better than most. See the Angels are the best road team in all of baseball. That shows us how balanced they are and how well they play in close ball games. At home they are still 25-20. Still five games over .500.

Jon Garland is an under-rated arm. Jon is a starter that goes late in to games and normally comes out on top. Garland is 705 on the season. He has pitched 108 innings this season and has an ERA under the 4.00 mark. Jon has been throwing the ball very well the last two weeks. His last start he allowed just two runs, three runs the start before and just two starts last time against the Mets. Tonight the Angels will get Mr. Garland some run support and they will take care of business.

LA Angels (-)


Detroit Tigers at Seattle Mariners

This game has blowout written all over it. The Tigers bats have cooled down the last few nights, but you better believe they do not stay down for very long. With all the Tigers injuries and all of their bad play they are still a hot week away from first place in that division. This is still a team that has a top notch offense. As a team they hit .274 as that is fifth best in all of a baseball.

Dropping a game or two doesn?t mean they have cooled off folks. Just last week they were in the middle of a six game losing streak. They aren?t going to win every ball game. When they face weak pitching though they get the job done though. Ryan Rowland- Smith goes tonight for the Mariners. This is a reliever that is starting because of the rash of injuries to Mariners pitching. Ryan has made just one start all season and barely saw the fourth inning exiting after allowing four hits and three runs in 3 2/3. Look for the Tigers to knock out Smith early in this contest.


Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees

Big bounce back game last night from the Yankees. They got a well pitched game from Mike Mussina and were able to push across the two runs they needed. Tonight the Yankees send another quality pitcher to hill. In fact he is probably their best arm right now.

Joba is 2-2 on the season but the Yankees are 4-2 in his six starts. For the season Joba has an ERA of 2.22. You know the guy has electric stuff when he averages close to ten strikeouts per nine innings. In Joba?s last three starts he has struck out more than a batter in an inning.

Joba put together four great starts before a sub-par outing on Monday against the Texas Rangers. Joba struggled with his control against the best line-up in baseball, that won?t happen again tonight. The Red Sox have a solid line-up but they are still without their best hitter (David Ortiz). The Yankees have to get a split in this four game set, that is exactly what will happen here tonight.

New York Yankees (-)


National League


Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Reds

This is a high line folks, but it is the correct line. We get arguably baseballs best pitcher at home, against the worst hitting team in the league. Edinson Volquez goes tonight for the Reds and he has been fantastic. His last two starts were sub-par, and that is even more of a reason to hop on the Reds this evening.

Edinson Volquez on the season is 10-3 with an era of just 2.24. At home he has been even better though. This is a guy that hasn?t lost a game at home all season. Yes folks he is 5-0. The most amazing stat may be his home-run total in his home park. We all know how many balls fly out of Cincinnati. Edinson has pitched 55 innings in his home ball-park. He has allowed just one home run! One home run in his 49 innings and his eight starts at home. That is remarkable.

The Reds will be able to knock around Balester as he is just an average rookie who still belongs in Double ? A. Take the Reds on their home turf.

Cincinnati Reds (-)


Houston Astros at Atlanta Braves

Look for the Braves offense to get to work tonight. Wandy has begun to come back down to earth. His ERA is very good but he doesn?t work deep in ball games. Wandy has won just one road game. You would think that a pitcher with an ERA of just 3.08 would have a lot of victories under his belt, but that isn?t the case.

Wandy is 3-3 on the season, but the team is actually under .500 in his eleven starts on the season. On the road he has lasted just 21 innings. In those 21 innings he has allowed 32 batters and three long balls. The Astros do not have a strong bull-pen and when you turn the game over to them in the fifth, sixth, seventh inning you have a good chance of losing them.

Wandy?s last start was one of his worst. Five innings, six hits, four walks, one home run and a 7-6 loss against the Angeles. The Braves have a better offense than LA, look for them to knock Wandy out early.

Atlanta Braves (-)


New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies

The Mets are just a baseball team you can?t trust. You look at them on paper and you think they could win 95 games easily. They just don?t have the right chemistry and they don?t have the right make-up though. Another major problem for the Mets is their age. Do you realize that the New York Mets are the oldest team in all of baseball? Teams want to have a veteran presence but this is over-kill.

Tonight the Mets send their least reliable starter to the hill. We will tell you right here that we know Oliver Perez has good stuff, when he is locked and loaded he is tough to beat. The problem is you never know when Oliver Perez is going to show up. On the season he is 6-5 but the Mets are under .500 in his seventeen starts. He has walked over 40 batters already this season. He also gets hurt with the long ball.

Kendrick is coming off a big start his last time out. He won?t have to shut down the Mets, he has to keep the Phillies close and the Phils will come through.

Philadelphia Phillies (-)


Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers

Love the Brewers here today. We know that Jeff Suppan has struggled in his last few starts. In fact he has been down-right dreadful, which is all about to change though. Don?t forget though during the final weeks of May and the later part of June Jeff was great. He had pitched to an ERA in the 2?s during those six starts.

Milwaukee started off the season very slowly. Their bats have really gotten it going. Their pitching has been there pretty much all season. They are in the top 12 in earned run average.

Remember they still have a very strong line-up. Weeks, Hardy, Braun and Fielder can burn you with the long ball. In fact this team is top five in the league in home runs. In just 87 games this team has left the ball park 113 times. Look for Milwaukee to pound the Pirates and their pitching. They will carry their walk off win in to this game.

Milwaukee Brewers (-)


Florida Marlins at Colorado Rockies

The Rockies will continue their winning ways here today as they play another home game against the Marlins. Aaron Cook has just been the man for the Rockies this season. This is a guy that has 11 wins already. 11 wins on a team that isn?t even sniffing the .500 mark is more than impressive.

Aaron was lights out his last start also in Coors. Aaron threw a complete game shutout and allowed just five hits and five base-runners. Aaron threw just 79 pitches in that game. Yes a 79 pitch complete game shutout!

Aaron understands the importance of working down in the zone, especially in Coors. He is 5-2 at home with a 2.77 ERA and just four home-runs allowed. Look for him to get another victory and look for him to be an All-Star.

Colorado Rockies (-)


Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals

Huge rally from the Cardinals last night. Outfielder Rick Ankiel roped a two-run, two-out single to right field in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Cardinals were down 4-2 heading in to that inning and needed multiple hits to over take the Cardinals. Ankiel ended up having three hits and three RBI?s. You better believe that carries over the next day.

Todd Wellemeyer has been more than a solid starter for the Cardinals this season. After all Todd has a 7-3 record on the season. He hasn?t been getting a ton of run support either. This is a pitcher that has an ERA of just 3.86 and has thrown 93 innings pitched. Don?t be scared off by Todd?s last bad start against the Mets. Just five days before that he threw five shut-out innings in Detroit against the Tigers.

The Cubs have a better record, but not by much. In just a few days we may see a new team leading this NL Central. The St. Louis Cardinals know how important every game is against the Cubs. This one has some extra life to it. Look for the Cardinals to beat the Cubs southpaw.

St. Louis Cardinals (-)


LA Dodgers at San Francisco Giants

Really like the way Matt Cain has been pitching as of late. Let?s all remember this is a pitcher that has immense talent. Before there was Tim Lincecum there was Matt Cain. He has finally begun to cut down on the walk total and in tern dominating teams.

Matt pitched his best game in his last start. That start wasn?t against some last place team either. Matt threw eight innings of just two hit ball. Even better than that he had ten strikeouts. Matt has not allowed a home run since June 4. That is a span of five starts and a span over a month.

The Giants will not have to score a lot of runs to win this ball game tonight, all they will have to do is just put a little rally together and then let Matt do the rest. Take the home team tonight by the Bay.

San Francisco Giants (-)


San Diego Padres at Arizona Diamondbacks

It is time for Randy Johnson to get back on track. Randy has had a few terrible starts recently. Those starts weren?t as bad as the numbers would indicate. In fact just two starts ago Randy pitched a huge ball game in Fenway park. Pitching on the road he threw six innings and allowed just two runs in Boston. Tonight he will be much better than that. He may not have to be great either.

Josh Banks has been getting hit hard recently. Josh still has a good ERA, but he is just 2-3 on the season and the Padres are just 2-4 in his six starts this season. Josh hasn?t won a game since May. He went the entire month of June and one start already in July without picking up a victory.

The Diamondbacks still lead that NL West division. They will take care of businesses at home and win this game.

Arizona Diamondbacks (-)

 

[MLBKING]

Hondo

The Tigers showed no interest in helping the citi zenry of HondoNation last night in Seattle, a costly decision that slashed the earnings to an even-Ste ven 500 mosebys.

Today, Mr. Aitch will continue to work out West with a 10-unit plunge on Litsch and the Blue Jays.

 

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Armvin Sports Mlb

7/6/2008 Philadelphia Phillies -120

7/6/2008 Pittsburgh Pirates 140

 

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SPORTS ADVISORS

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Chicago Cubs (52-36) at St. Louis (50-39)

The Cubs send young lefty Sean Marshall (0-2, 4.87 ERA) to the mound at Busch Stadium in St. Louis to take on the Cardinals? Todd Wellemeyer (7-3, 3.86) in the rubber match of this three-game weekend set between the top two teams in the N.L. Central.

St. Louis closed to within 2? games of the Cubs with Saturday?s come-from-behind 5-4 win when Rick Ankiel delivered a two-RBI single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. Even with the loss, Chicago is still 12-6 in the last 18 series matchups versus the Redbirds and 9-5 in the last 14 at Busch Stadium. On the negative side, the Cubs are on slides of 3-9 on the road, 0-8 as a road ?dog, 2-7 on the highway against right-handed starters and 2-5 against teams from the N.L. Central.

The Cardinals are just 3-6 in their last nine at Busch Stadium and 2-4 in their last as a favorie, but they are on mini-runs of 5-2 against teams with a winning record and 5-2 against N.L. Central Division foes.

Chicago has lost seven of Marshall?s last nine starts dating to last season, including his two starts this year, during which he?s given up seven runs on 12 hits in 11 2/3 innings this season in losses to the Orioles and White Sox. He?s made six career appearances against the Cardinals, including four starts, going 1-1 with a 4.66 ERA in 19 1/3 innings.

Wellemeyer is 0-2 with a 9.45 ERA in his last three starts, and the Cardinals have lost four of his last six including each of the last three. On Tuesday, he gave up six runs on 12 hits in five innings of a 7-4 home loss to the Mets. He started against the Cubs for the first time on May 4 and gave up two runs on three hits in five innings of a 5-3 victory.

St. Louis is 4-1 when Wellemeyer starts as a favorite and 6-2 when he pitches the third game of a series. Chicago is 1-4 in Marshall?s last five on the road, 1-6 when he faces a team with a winning record and 3-7 when he pitches the third game of a series.

The under is 7-1 in Marshall?s last eight starts overall and 5-0 in his last five on the highway. With Wellemeyer on the hill, the under is on runs of 7-3-1 overall and 4-0 on Sundays. Also, the under is 5-2-1 in the last eight head-to-head meetings between these rivals at Busch Stadium.

ATS ADVANTAGE: ST. LOUIS and UNDER


AMERICAN LEAGUE

Oakland (47-40) at Chicago White Sox (50-37)

The A?s send unbeaten Rich Harden (5-0, 2.25 ERA) to the mound in the series finale of this four-game set with the White Sox, who will trot out southpaw John Danks (5-4, 2.50) at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.

After Oakland took the first two games of this series by scores of 3-2 and 7-1, Chicago rebounded with Saturday?s 6-1 victory. The A?s have still won seven of the last nine series matchups, including four of the last six in the Windy City. And over the last few years the A?s are on a 44-19 roll versus the Pale Hose.

Chicago had won seven straight before Oakland got to town but the White Sox are just 9-20 in their last 29 against the A.L. West. But on the plus side, they are on streaks of 21-8 against right-handed starters and 38-16 at home. Meanwhile, the A?s are on runs of 9-4 against southpaws and 5-1 against the A.L. Central.

Oakland is 9-3 in Harden?s 12 starts this season and he?s 2-0 with a 3.32 ERA on the road. He hasn?t allowed more than three earned runs in nine straight starts, and on Tuesday he gave up two runs over five innings at the Angels, getting a no-decision in his team?s 5-3 loss. In his career, Harden is 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA in six starts against Chicago.

Danks has pitched well of late, going 1-0 in his last three with a 0.90 ERA, including Tuesday?s eight-inning effort against Cleveland when he gave up one run on four hits in a 3-2 victory. He beat the A?s back on April 15 when he blanked them for 7 2/3 innings, yielding five hits in a 4-1 win. Danks is 2-0 with a 0.66 ERA in two career starts against Oakland.

The White Sox are just 1-5 in Danks? last six starts against A.L. West opponents and 4-10 when he faces a team with a winning record, but they are 6-2 in his last eight as a ?dog and 5-2 in his last seven overall. Meanwhile, the A?s are 40-15 in Harden?s last 55 trips to the hill, 42-13 with him as a favorite, 8-2 when he goes on the road and 6-0 when he pitches on Sundays.

The over is 8-2 in Harden?s last 10 road starts and 4-0 when he pitches on Sunday. Meanwhile the under is 6-2 in Danks? last eight in front of the home crowd and 8-0 in his last eight against teams with a winning record.

As a team, the White Sox are on ?under? streaks of 45-19 as a ?dog, 40-17-3 against the A.L. West and 16-5 against teams with a winning record. The A?s are on ?under? runs of 9-3 overall, 20-9-2 against lefties and 7-1 on the road against southpaws. Finally, the under is 5-0 in the five series clashes this season, 6-0 in the last six battles in Chicago and 4-1-1 in Harden?s six outings against the Sox.

ATS ADVANTAGE: OAKLAND and UNDER


Boston (52-38) at N.Y. Yankees (46-42)

The Yankees will try to salvage a split in this four-game series against their archrivals when they send young right-hander Joba Chamberlain (2-2, 2.22 ERA) to the mound to face Boston?s veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (5-6, 3.72) at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

New York survived a ninth-inning rally by the Red Sox on Saturday to score a 2-1 victory when Boston loaded the bases with nobody out and failed to push across the tying run against Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. Still, the Red Sox have won five of the last seven meetings between these two and three of four in New York.

Boston is just 2-6 in its last eight on the highway, 4-11 as a road ?dog and 5-14 on the road against a team with a winning record. As for New York, it has lost four of six on this current homestand and five of seven overall. Also, the Yankees are just 2-5 in their last seven games as chalk, but they?re 20-6 in their last 26 Sunday outings.

Wakefield has gone exactly seven innings in each of his last six starts and hasn?t allowed more than three earned runs in any of those outings, including Tuesday in Tampa Bay when he gave up two runs (one earned) in seven innings but lost 3-1 to the Rays. The Red Sox are just 3-7 when Wakefield starts on the road this year, and he?s 1-4 with a 4.02 ERA on the highway. Also, he?s appeared in 45 games against the Yankees in his career and gone 9-16 with a 5.03 ERA and the Red Sox have lost his last four starts against New York.

Chamberlain is 1-0 with a 1.65 ERA in his last three starts and the Yankees have won four of his last five outings. Tuesday he gave up two runs on five hits in four innings of a 3-2 home loss to the Rangers. For his career, Chamberlain is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA in three appearances ? all in just 4 1/3 innings of relief ? against Boston.

Boston is 0-7 in Wakefield?s last seven against the A.L. East, 1-9 in his last 10 against a team with a winning record and 7-19 in his past 26 as an underdog, but they are 5-2 when he starts on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Yankees are 4-1 when Chamberlain starts as a favorite.

The under is 14-3-2 with Wakefield as a road ?dog, 45-20-6 in his last 71 on the road overall and 40-18-6 when he squares off against A.L. East foes. As a team, the under is on runs for Boston of 36-16-5 in the fourth game of a series and 8-4-1 overall. For the Yankees, the under is 7-2 in their last nine overall, 14-5 in their last 19 against A.L. East rivals, 8-3 in their last 11 at home and 8-3 in their last against right-handed starters.

Finally, in this rivalry, the under is 11-4-2 in Wakefield?s last 17 starts against the Yanks and 6-0-2 in his last eight trips to the Stadium.

ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. YANKEES and UNDER

 

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KM Computer Plays (SUNDAY)

Top play
New York Mets Under 10.0 5

Medium play
Toronto Blue Jays (M: 120.0) 3

Regular plays
Philadelphia Phillie (M: -134.0)
Baltimore Orioles (M: -114.0)
Tampa Bay Rays (M: -193.0)
Colorado Rockies (M: -177.0)
St Louis Cardinals (M: -125.0)
Los Angeles Dodgers (M: 116.0)
San Diego Padres (M: 146.0)
Seattle Mariners (M: 101.0)
New York Yankees (M: -152.0)
Washington Nationals Under 8.5
Texas Rangers Under 10.0
Boston Red Sox Under 9.0

Yesterday 6-2 +1.1
Last 7 Days 53-26 +36.5

 

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Dunkel Index: Baseball

Today's MLB Picks

Oakland at Chicago White Sox
Oakland starter Rich Harden goes for his sixth straight win today and will look to build on the A's 5-4 record as a road underdog between +100 and +125. Oakland is the underdog pick (+100) according to Dunkel, which has the A's favored straight up by 1 1/2.

Dunkel Pick: Oakland (+100).

Here are all of today's games.

SUNDAY, JULY 6
Time Posted: 7:00 a.m. EST
Game 951-952: Washington at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Balester) 14.595; Cincinnati (Volquez) 13.590
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-200); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+185); Over

Game 953-954: NY Mets at Philadelphia
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Perez) 15.571; Philadelphia (Kendrick) 16.329
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1; 11 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-130); 10
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-130); Over

Game 955-956: Houston at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Rodriguez) 13.851; Atlanta (Morton) 14.396
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-130); Over

Game 957-958: Pittsburgh at Milwaukee
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Duke) 15.582; Milwaukee (Suppan) 14.691
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-150); 9
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+140); Over

Game 959-960: Florida at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Hendrickson) 14.487; Colorado (Cook) 14.077
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Colorado (-175); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida (+165); Under

Game 961-962: Chicago Cubs at St. Louis
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Marshall) 15.696; St. Louis (Wellemeyer) 13.959
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-125); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (+115); Over

Game 963-964: LA Dodgers at San Francisco
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Stults) 15.680; San Francisco (Cain) 15.799
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-125); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-125); Under

Game 965-966: San Diego at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Banks) 13.566; Arizona (Johnson) 14.761
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Arizona (-155); 9
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-155); Over

Game 967-968: Texas at Baltimore
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Millwood) 15.598; Baltimore (Liz) 14.130
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Baltimore (-115); 10
Dunkel Pick: Texas (+105); Under

Game 969-970: Kansas City at Tampa Bay
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Hochevar) 16.153; Tampa Bay (Shields) 15.733
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-200); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+185); Over

Game 971-972: Oakland at Chicago White Sox
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Harden) 16.094; White Sox (Danks) 14.320
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-110); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (+100); Over

Game 973-974: Cleveland at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Lee) 13.935; Minnesota (Perkins) 17.179
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 3; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-115); 8
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+105); Under

Game 975-976: Toronto at LA Angels
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Litsch) 15.159; LA Angels (Garland) 15.222
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-130); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-130); Under

Game 977-978: Detroit at Seattle
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Robertson) 16.652; Seattle (Rowland-Smith) 14.749
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit (-115); 9
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-115); Over

Game 979-980: Boston at NY Yankees
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Wakefield) 14.847; NY Yankees (Chamberlain) 15.801
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1; 8
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-150); 9
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-150); Under

 

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Golden Contender

Game: DET-SEATTLE
Pick: DETROIT

THE TIGERS ARE 16-6 VS LEFTYS THIS YEAR 8-3 ON THE ROAD.THEY ARE AVERAGING OVER 5 RUNS PER GAME VS SOUTH PAWS HITTING OVER .290. THE MARINERS ARE A TERRIBLE 8-24 WHEN THE POSTED TOTAL IS 9 TO 9.5 THIS YEAR.TAKE THE TIGERS.FOR THE 5 STAR TOTLA JUST VISIT THE GUARANTEED PICKS PAGE AND END YOUR WEEKEND WITH A SMILE.

 

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Louie Mayo
MLB:SUN

(5*) Phillies -128

(3*) Pirates +142

(1*) Braves -132

WNBA

(50*) Phoenix +5 1/2

AFL

(50*) Chicago -9

 

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CAPPERS ACCESS

Sun (MLB) Cubs
Sun (MLB) W.Sox

 

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PLATINUM PLAYS

Colorado Rockies -180

 

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#1 Sports

sunday's Winner: Red Sox + 145

 

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VEGAS EXPERTS

New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies
Sunday, July 6th, 1:35 PM ET

Phillies saw their four-game win streak come to a halt on Saturday, but should get back on track today behind Kyle Kendrick, who has a 7-0 team start record when the total is 10 or higher. Furthermore, Philly has won 13 of his 17 starts this season overall, including six of the last seven. The Mets only managed to win back-to-back games four times in the month of June. Philadelphia is simply the better team here.

Play on: Philadelphia