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Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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08-03-11 | Baltimore Orioles v. Kansas City Royals OVER 9 | 2-6 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 3 m | Show | |
Baltimore/Kansas City over 9 runs
Jeff Allen continued his unprecedented run on the diamond with his eighth straight cash Tuesday with another easy under as the Marlins and Mets never threatened the posted total. Jeff has dug deep into the information well today again and has once again uncovered a hidden gem that is sure to get the money for his loyal clients. After checking the lines at oddsfathercom, Jeff noticed one total stood out so much it seemed the odds makes had completely missed the boat. The Kansas City Royals play host to the Baltimore Orioles Wednesday in what should be a humid high scoring affair. Both Kansas City and Baltimore have gone over the total in 6 of 10 and both offenses have been heating up as of late. If history tells us anything about today, then this pitching matchup is hitter friendly for both teams. Baltimore right-hander is the lone remaining starter from the opening day rotation, much to the dismay of Oriole fans who have grown tired of Guthrie and his 5-14 record and his 4.18 ERA. In his last four starts Guthries has allowed 12 walks while striking out the same number. An even strikeout to walk ratio is horrible, which essentially describes Guthrie for most of the season. Tonight's opponent has given Guthgrie problems in the past. The righty is 2-0 with a 5.22 ERA in seven career meetings, four of which have been starts, against Kansas City. As Bad as Guthrie has been, Royals right-hander Luke Hochevar has been every bit his equal in the horrible department. Hochevar is 7-9 with a 5.15 ERA! He has a horrible 72-45 strikeout to walk ratio and essentially he is only still part of a major league rotation because it's the Royals and winning is not a priority. Just like Guthrie, Hochevar has struggled mightily against tonight's opponent. Hochevar lost at Baltimore back on May 25 and allowed eight runs, seven of which were earned, and eight hits in seven innings of a 9-2 loss. He is winless (0-4) in five career starts against the Orioles, compiling a less- desirable 7.98 ERA in that stretch. Play the Orioles/Royals to fly over the posted total of nine runs tonight in Kansas City. |
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08-01-11 | Cincinnati Reds v. Houston Astros UNDER 8 | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 7 h 56 m | Show | |
Cincinnati/Houston under 8 runs
Jeff is red hot on the diamond again having logged six straight huge wins and he has uncovered another gem Monday. Another easy victory yesterday as the Tampa Rays got out to a quick 7-0 lead and coasted home to a blowout victory. When the Houston Astros host Reds on Monday, fans should buy a program if they want to identify the players on the field. After an absolute fire sale before the trade deadline, the youth movement has officially begun. The Astros traded leadoff hitter Michael Bourn, who was batting over .300 and was a run scoring machine on a bad team and All-Star RF Hunter Pence, who led team in almost every other important offensive category. With Pence and Bourn in the lineup the Astros had hit the second fewest home runs in baseball ahead of just lowly San Diego and were 25th in runs scored in the majors. The Reds send right-hander Bronson Arroyo to the mound Monday. Arroyo has been a disaster this season pitching to a 7-9 record and an inflated 5.58 ERA. Arroyo's main problem this season has been the long ball as he has allowed a league worst 30 home runs this season. When he keeps the ball in the yard he has had some success. He has a very good 73-30 strikeout to walk ratio and has had a lot of success against Houston in recent years. Arroyo has yet to face the Astros this year, but has limited the club to a pair of runs or less in six of the games during his current winning streak in this series. The 34-year-old hasn't lost to Houston since Aug. 9, 2008 and won all three of his starts against the franchise last season with a 1.83 earned run average. Right-hander Bud Norris has been the best of a really bad starting rotation for Houston this season. Despite a poor 5-7 record, Norris has put up some really impressive numbers in a division that includes heavy hitting teams like Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Milwaukee. Norris has allowed just 117 hits in 130 innings pitched and has an extremely impressive 128-48 strikeout to walk ratio. Norris has allowed two earned runs or less in three of his last four starts. Norris is pitching like the ace of the Astros staff that he has become and Arroyo, despite all of his recent struggles matches up perfect against a Houston lineup that lacks power. Take the Reds/Astros game to go under the posted total of eight runs Monday. |
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07-29-11 | New York Mets -119 v. Washington Nationals | 8-5 | Win | 100 | 4 h 6 m | Show | |
New York Mets -125
I am still trying to figure out why this line is as low as it is. Thus as you know any time a line seems suspicious to me I dig deeper and deeper. Yet the deeper I dug with this one the more the information put me on the New York Mets at what appears to be an extremely generous price. Washington right-hander Chien-Ming Wang will take a major league mound for the first time since 2009 Friday when the National's host the red hot New York Mets. After winning 19 games in 2006 and '07, Wang's once promising career was derailed by injuries. In fact he has won just nine times in 27 appearances since the start of the 2008 campaign. Wang has worked his way back through injuries. He allowed five runs in five innings at Syracuse on July 24 in his final rehab game, striking out five batters and walking one. That is not exactly the minor league tune up performance you look forward to jump back into the majors after two years. This is a tough spot to make a return to the majors as the New York Mets are healthy and hitting the ball better than they have all season. This was proved by the fact they scored 30 runs in the four game series they just finished in Cincinnati. So why bring Wang back today? While no one would publicly admit this, the answer is simple. Wang has been a major disappointment and in two years with the Nationals he has made exactly zero starts. It is no coincidence that Wang will make his first start in two years right before the trade deadline. With so many contending teams in desperate need of pitching help if Wang was able to have a good start then the National's may be able to trade him and put this major bust signing behind them. On the other side, the Mets will counter with rookie right-hander Dillon Gee, who has compiled an impressive 9-3 record with and solid 3.75ERA. Gee has pitched 100 innings this season and has allowed just 82 hits, which would be a great number for any pitcher never mind a rookie pitching in the Big Apple. Gee has dominated the Nationals winning both career starts against the Nationals while allowing a run on four hits in 14 2/3 innings. The Mets have won five of eight from the Nats this season. With a healthy Jose Reyes and Davis Wright back the Mets lineup has been on fire, and one has to wonder if Reyes, Wright, Beltran, and Ike Davis were all healthy all season if this team wouldn't be right in the thick of a pennant race. Take the Mets right-hander Dillon Gee to continue his dominance over a Washington team really struggling at the plate and possibly throwing a sacrificial lamb out on the mound today. |
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07-27-11 | Arizona Diamondbacks +107 v. San Diego Padres | 4-3 | Win | 107 | 9 h 54 m | Show | |
Arizona Diamondbacks +105
The Diamondbacks are one of the hottest teams in baseball having won three straight, four of their last five and seven of 11 since the All Star break. They continue to close the gap between themselves and the NL West leading Giants. Wednesday's matchup with San Diego appears to be a matchup of polar opposites and there are several areas they heavily favor the Diamondbacks today. Sporting one of the top winning percentages in the National League thus far, Arizona's Ian Kennedy is slated to take the hill for the visitors tonight. Kennedy, facing the Padres for the first time in 2011, already has a career mark of 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in four career appearances versus the club. Kennedy struggled in back-to-back interleague starts vs Cleveland and Oakland but has once again regained that dominant form since going back to facing National League foes. In his last three starts, which includes starts vs Milwaukee and at St. Louis, he has allowed a total of five runs over three starts that span 20 innings against some of the top hitting teams in the NL. Kennedy has a terrific 118-39 strikeout to walk ratio. Left-hander Cory Luebke will be handed the ball for the hosts tonight. The two-year man out of Ohio State was used primarily as a reliever the first three months of the campaign, but has since stepped into the starting rotation. Last week he was tasked with shutting down the Philadelphia Phillies but was touched for two earned runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out four through five innings of what turned into a 3-1 loss for the Padres. Luebke has already confronted a number of Arizona hitters who have gotten after him for two runs on three hits and a couple of walks over just a full inning of work. While his ERA is good there are two important things to remember. First is that he was a reliever for most of the season and second that he has not shown a lot of ability to go deep into ball games yet. The Padres bullpen, which was a strength for most of the season has not been as good lately. They seem fatigued and it looks like the long season of losing and a big workload with struggling starting pitching has taken its toll on this bullpen. San Diego continues to struggle at the plate this season and is now tied with the Washington Nationals for the lowest batting average among NL clubs at a mere .234. The squad has lacked power up and down the lineup and is still last in the league in home runs with a mere 54 through 104 contests. As for the Diamondbacks, their collective average is a decent .250, but where they've really excelled is in the home run department, now with a league- leading 115 long balls over 103 games. Leading the charge for the Diamondbacks is OF Justin Upton, who leads the team in batting average .301, home runs 18, RBI 59, OBP .378 and hits 117. Upton is one of the hottest hitters in the league and the D-Backs continue to show power from all spots in the lineup. The odds makers have the wrong team favored in this game. Bet early as all the money is likely to come to Arizona today. As odds makers continue to ignore this D-Backs team I will continue to make money off them when they have favorable matchups as they do today at more than generous prices. |
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07-25-11 | Detroit Tigers v. Chicago White Sox UNDER 9 | 3-6 | Push | 0 | 6 h 27 m | Show | |
Detroit/Chicago under 9
The White Sox continue their march back into AL Central race Monday when they start a crucial three game set with AL Central leading Detroit. The White Sox have series with Boston and New York following this series so to say that this is a huge series for Chicago would be an understatement. The White Sox have gotten back into contention by riding solid pitching. The White Sox have been involved in seven straight games that have gone under the posted total and their pitching staff has allowed just 14 total runs in their last seven games. They have combined to score over nine runs just once in their past 10 games. These two teams just played each other last week July 15-17 and here were the scores. July 15 Chicago 8 Detroit 2 July 16 Chicago 5 Detroit 0 July 17 Chicago 3 Detroit 4 Detroit has also been an under team lately and have gone 6-4 under in their last 10 games. Chicago will send their ace, veteran left-hander Mark Buehrle to the hill Monday. Buehrle is 17-9 with a 3.22 ERA in his career vs Detroit. Buehrle has not allowed more than three runs in an amazing 14 straight starts heading into tonight's tilt. The last time he faced the Tigers he held them to three runs over six innings. The veteran has a fantastic 68-28 Strikeout to walk ratio and his 28 walks allowed in 128 innings pitched is one of the lowest walks per inning ratio of any starter in the league. The Tigers will counter with 25-year old right-handed rookie Duane Below, who made his major league debut last Wednesday vs Oakland allowing three runs and five hits over 5 1/3 innings. The Michigan-born lefty will make his first road start and went 9-4 with a 3.13 ERA in 18 starts with Triple-A Toledo before joining the big-league club. The White Sox have never faced Below and that usually favors the pitcher. Both teams know how important this series is and may be a little tighter than normal. Take the White Sox/Tigers to go under the posted total of nine runs. |
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07-22-11 | Detroit Tigers v. Minnesota Twins +100 | 8-2 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 24 m | Show | |
Minnesota Twins +105
The Minnesota Twins have dropped 10 straight games to the Detroit Tigers, yet there is high hope that they will avoid 11th straight loss to Detroit tonight. While Minnesota's playoff hopes dwindle a little more with each passing game they are still in striking distance and are known for huge second half runs. There is not a player on the Twins team that isn't aware of the current losing streak to the Tigers and I expect they will be focused on ending the Detroit drought tonight and pitching matchup seems to weigh heavily in their favor of doing just that. Despite a good 10-5 record Detroit right-hander Max Scgerzer has been less than dazzling this season, especially on the road. He has given up 130 hits in 119 innings pitched and has been trending down over the past two months. His ERA was 3.86 on May 26 and has gone up over 1/2 run per game over the past two months. Scherzer has been terrible on the road with a 5.87 ERA in eight road appearances. He has also been terrible against Minnesota going 0-1 with a miserable 9.13 ERA in four starts vs the Twins. Minnesota left-hander Brian Duensing has been terrific as of late. In his last three starts he has allowed just five total runs over 22 1/3 innings pitched. On May 31 Duensing's ERA was 5.37. Six weeks later he has shaved over a run per game off his ERA and has been the most consistent starter for the Twins over the past two months. Duensing has a 3.94 ERA in 14 lifetime appearances versus the Tigers, including five starts. The Twins could have Jason Kubel back in the lineup tonight after activating off the disabled list following last night's loss. Kubel has been out since late May with a sprained left foot. Kubel's return should be a huge lift for the lineup. Take the Minnesota Twins Friday to end their 10 game Detroit drought at a very generous price. |
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07-20-11 | Milwaukee Brewers v. Arizona Diamondbacks -110 | 5-2 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 30 m | Show | |
Arizona Diamondbacks -106
Only two teams in the NL have fewer road wins than the Milwaukee Brewers, who are just 19-32 on the road. The fascinating thing about the brewers is that despite having such a horrible road record they have the second most wins in baseball at home and sit just 1/2 game behind first place Pittsburgh in the NL Central. Yet it is hard to ignore the night and day approach to this team on the road vs at home. Milwaukee southpaw Chris Narveson has emulated the team |
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07-18-11 | New York Yankees v. Tampa Bay Rays +131 | 5-4 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 41 m | Show | |
07-12-11 | American League v. National League -114 | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 7 h 7 m | Show | |
07-08-11 | Chicago Cubs v. Pittsburgh Pirates -122 | 4-7 | Win | 100 | 5 h 21 m | Show | |
Pittsburgh -120
While it would seem as though Jeff Allen has a crystal ball that allows him to see into the future this incredible streak he is on in baseball is simple credited to the hard work and extensive hours Jeff puts into his research every day. Jeff scored again yesterday with a huge plus money winner on the Arizona Diamondbacks at +135. While Jeff's backers are too busy counting money, sportsbooks everywhere are dreading what will come next. Once again after extensive research Jeff has isolated one game on the diamond that will keep the streak alive and continue to build the skyscraper size bankrolls of his loyal followers. The Pittsburgh Pirates are starting to become this season's media darling, and for that reason Jeff has taken a more careful approach with this team. Yet despite all the media attention they get on Sportcenter and sports talk radio, it is not yet eased it's way into the betting lines. Bettors are still flocking to the windows to bet the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies and Rangers at -200 every day and ignoring one of the best young teams in the game. Today's game is a perfect example and here is why. Pirates right-hander James McDonald is 5-4 with an average looking 4.40 ERA. If we stopped there we would miss what's really going on. McDonald was 2-3 with a 6.20 ERA on May 13. Since that time he has held opponents to three runs or less in NINE straight starts and lowered his ERA almost two full runs. McDonald is 2-1 with a 2.98 in eight home starts this season. ERA The 26-year old has gained confidence with his secondary pitches and has been a major factor in the Pirates recent surge. The Cubs will counter with veteran right-hander Rodrigo Lopez, who despite pitching in 12 games this season for the Cubs, has made only three starts. While he made a fantastic start against the all or nothing White Sox offense in his last start, his ERA going into the game was 5.40 and only because he has pitched so few innings did it lower his ERA to 3.91. Lopez is a journeyman, who has never been able to string together any consistency. He has not had an ERA under 5.00 in any season since 2007 (4.48) and he has had a season ending ERA over 5.00 in six of his ten major league seasons. There have been two full seasons 2008, and 2001 where he was so bad that he never made on to the bog league squads but toiled in the minors for entire seasons. With that being said the Cubs desperately need for Lopez to go deep into this game as they used six pitchers in last night's come from behind 10-9 win over the Nationals. If Lopez cannot give the Cubs extended innings then bullpen fatigue may very well become a factor as the Cubs have not had an off day since June 23 and they played a tough series with the Nationals that included four close games and an extra-inning game. Then after playing such a long game yesterday and using six pitchers they have to travel again and take on of the hottest teams in the NL with a spot starter in Lopez. The Pirates |
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07-07-11 | Arizona Diamondbacks +129 v. St. Louis Cardinals | 4-1 | Win | 129 | 6 h 17 m | Show | |
Arizona Diamondbacks +135
Call him whatever you want Hector the projector, Victor the predictor, but know one thing, Jeff Allen is the hottest baseball handicapper in America right now and he continued that dominance again yesterday with plus money under that stayed under by FIVE RUNS! Thursday Jeff has an underdog that will crush your man and explode your bankroll! LOL The week leading up to the All-Star break is one of the tougher weeks to handicap for many people, because it takes the extra effort to be successful this week. Every team seems to have its own agenda. Many are tired or beat up and just need the break. Many others are fringe contenders looking to play as hard as possible to win every game they can before the break to convince ownership that they are real contenders so they can be buyers and not sellers at the trade deadline. One of those teams that is on fringe contender status is the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are 47-41 and sit two games behind the Giants in the NL West. Normally a team with that record and that close to the division leaders would be considered a contender. Yet with the Diamondbacks recent history it is likely that management will watch very closely over the next couple weeks before making any moves to improve this team for a second half run. Thus it is critical right now that if Arizona and their fiery new skipper Kirk Gibson are to make a run they will need to keep pace over the next couple weeks before the trade deadline. The St. Louis Cardinals are a team on the exact opposite end of the spectrum. The Cardinals management treats them as contenders every season. and they usually are. They are currently in first place in the NL Central and cannot wait for the All-Star break. The have had serious injuries to two of the big three (Pujols, Holiday, Berkman) that saw Pujols and Holiday land on the DL. Their inexperienced starting staff is fading and can desperately use the break. The Cardinals just played, and lost a 13 inning game to the Reds last night so their already taxed bullpen is likely to be fatigued and Pujols is playing his second game off the DL when most think he was rushed back. The two starting pitchers also are a credit to how their team is going right now. On May 19 Cardinals starter Kyle McClellan was 6-1 with a 3.43 ERA. Six weeks later he is 6-5 with a 4.27 ERA. He has already thrown more innings this season than he has in any major league season and fatigue seems to have caught up with the young right-hander. McClellan has allowed a horrid five runs or more in four of his last five starts and he also has walked multiple batters in four of his last five starts. He has also surrendered five of the 12 home runs he has allowed all season in his last five starts. In essence McClellan is obviously fatigued, has lost his control, and is keeping his pitches up. While most of the betting public is going to be all over the St. Louis Cardinals tonight, we will take the Arizona Diamondbacks at an ex |
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07-06-11 | Seattle Mariners v. Oakland A's UNDER 7.5 | 0-2 | Win | 100 | 2 h 4 m | Show | |
Seattle/Oakland under 7
The two worst offenses in the American League and two of the three worst offenses in all of baseball face off Wednesday in Oakland. The Mariners are last in all of baseball in runs scored and are the only American League team yet to surpass 300 runs scored. The A's have not fared much better at getting runners across the plate as they are 2nd worst in the AL and 28th of 30 in MLB in runs scored. The A's have hit the fewest home runs in MLB with only 46, which is almost 1/3 of the home runs hit by the New York Yankees (122). The Mariners have not been much better having hit just 55 home runs, good for 24th in MLB. Seattle also has the worst team average in baseball hitting just .226 as a team while Oakland is almost as bad hitting just .236 as a team. You get the point, these are two worst hitting teams in baseball and a couple of the worst hitting AL teams all-time. The pitching matchup is much more encouraging for both teams and for our under play. Seattle southpaw Jason Vargas is 6-5 this season with a respectable 3.57 ERA. Vargas has allowed over ten less hits than innings pitched and has a 2 1/2 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio on the season. In his last four starts Vargas has walked just six batters while striking out 23. In his first season as a Major League starter Oakland right hander Guillermo Moscoso has been a pleasant surprise. He has pitched to a 2.51 ERA this season and has really been coming on as of late. In his last two starts he has pitched 13 innings allowing one earned run and striking out 10. His win loss record does not indicate how well he has pitched, but most of that is due to lack of run support. Oakland has managed just seven total hits while getting shut out in Moscoso's last two starts. Take Seattle and Oakland to go well under the posted total of seven runs. |
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07-05-11 | Philadelphia Phillies v. Florida Marlins +150 | 14-2 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 24 m | Show | |
07-01-11 | Pittsburgh Pirates v. Washington Nationals -135 | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 6 h 53 m | Show | |
Washington Nationals -130
The Nationals are looking for their first win under new manager Davey Johnson. After winning 13 of 15 before Johnson took over the Nats just got swept by the Angels in a series that saw them lose two of the games by one run. Friday looks like a perfect spot to get the new skipper his first win when the Nationals host the Pirates in the only non-interleague game of the night. The Nationals finally got a day off Thursday and a chance to catch their breath after a stretch that saw them win 13 of 15 and have three different managers in the span of three days. Now they have had a chance to rest, get acquainted with the new skipper and get back on track. National's left-hander Tom Gorzelanny has been a tough luck pitcher of late. He has lost four straight decisions but he went seven innings allowing one run and walking one while striking out eight in his last start but the Nationals lost the game. Gorzelanny will be making his sixth appearance against the team that drafted him and he is 1-0 with a 3.02 ERA against the Pirates. Pirate |
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06-30-11 | St. Louis Cardinals -127 v. Baltimore Orioles | 9-6 | Win | 100 | 5 h 2 m | Show | |
St. Louis Cardinals -130
There may be no hotter baseball handicapper on the planet right now than Jeff Allen as he scored again last night with the Texas Rangers to continue this unbelievable month of June. Jeff has a huge play tonight to cap off this monumental month. My initial reaction to seeing the Cardinals witch to left-hander Jaime Garcia was that this guy may be going on unregularly rest and I thought I remembered some recent struggles after an amazing start to the season. So I got down in the dirt and started digging and once again, may have found gold. My guess that Garcia had not pitched as well lately was confirmed but I was reminded just how dominant he was the first six weeks of the season. Garcia was 5-0 with a 1.89 ERA on May 12. There is nowhere to go but down from there. He is now 6-3 with a very good 3.06 ERA. While he has not been as dominant lately I would not go as far as to label him a struggling pitcher. He is 0-2 with a 3.09 ERA in his last four starts. There are not a lot of pitchers in the league who can pitch to a 3.09 ERA in a four game stretch and it raises your ERA. The simple facts are that Garcia's numbers are still very good as he has walked just 26 batters in 100 innings pitched while striking out 88, good for a better than three to one strikeout to walk ratio and has surrendered just five home runs in 16 starts. He has not pitched since June 25 so rest is not an issue. Orioles left-hander Brian Matuszz started the season on the DL and did not make a start for the birds until June 1. He is 1-3 with a horrid 6.85 ERA in five starts this season. Matusz is on a personal three-game losing streak in which he has posted an 11.12 earned run average. Matusz was banged around for six runs and nine hits through 4 2/3 innings of a 10-5 loss to Cincinnati last Saturday Matusz numbers have been awful everywhere and if not for the fact the Orioles are going nowhere he likely would have been sent back to the minors to figure things out. He has allowed 31 hits in 22 innings pitched and walked 10 batters as well. So he has allowed 41 base runners not including errors in 22 innings. This is topped off by the fact that he has allowed seven home runs in five starts and all seven home runs allowed have come in his last four starts. Matusz's only win of the season came against the offensively challenged Oakland A's and he has yet to pitch six innings in any start this season. Matusz will not catch any breaks tonight as the Cardinals are second in the NL in runs scored and first in the NL in team batting average. Take the Cardinals to complete the three game sweep of the struggling Orioles and there young pitcher Matusz who may likely end up back in the minor leagues after this one. |
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06-29-11 | Texas Rangers -136 v. Houston Astros | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 6 h 23 m | Show | |
Texas Rangers -135
Jeff remained red hot with yet another easy plus money winner yesterday as the Cardinals routed the Baltimore Orioles. We have another easy road winner today and look to keep the bankroll climbing. The American and National league leaders in home runs allowed will face off for the second time in just over a week as the Houston Astros host the Texas Rangers Wednesday. Texas right-hander Colby Lewis has allowed 19 home runs this season but there is a lot of reason for optimism heading into Wednesday's game. First of all Lewis has allowed no home runs in four of his last six starts, including his last start against the Astros last week where he shut them out for seven full innings, surrendering just three hits and a walk while striking out eight batters. Despite the lofty home runs allowed total, Lewis has pitched to some impressive numbers. He has walked only 27 while striking out 77 in 93 1/3 innings pitched. In his last two starts he has held opposing batters to eight total hits and two total runs while striking out 18 batters. Some of his home run difficulties can be attributed to playing in Texas where the ball flys out of the park. Astro's right-hander Brett Myers does not offer the same level of optimism as Lewis. Myers has allowed 20 home runs this season and has allowed a home run in seven straight games. He has also walked at least one batter in six straight games and has allowed 104 hits in 16 starts. Quite frankly he allows way to many base runners per game for a guy that serves up the long ball with such frequency. The Rangers have won four straight Silver Boot trophies, awarded annually to the victor in the interleague matchup between the two clubs each year. The Rangers have won the series by a 5-1 margin the past two seasons and took two of three from the Astros earlier this season. The Rangers have also won seven straight games in Houston. Lewis has faced the Astros six times (three starts) and is 1-1 with a 1.78 ERA. Myers has yet to receive a decision in two starts versus the Rangers, but has pitched to a lofty 7.88 ERA in those outings. Compounding the home run numbers are the fact that Texas is 2nd in all of baseball hitting 93 home runs this season. The Astros are 2nd worst in all of baseball having hit just 44 home runs. Myers will be hard pressed to not continue his league worst home runs allowed total vs Texas. The more we look at this game the bigger a mismatch it appears to be. Play the Rangers to continue their dominance over the Astros Wednesday ar a very generous price. |
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06-28-11 | St. Louis Cardinals +129 v. Baltimore Orioles | 6-2 | Win | 129 | 5 h 56 m | Show | |
St. Louis Cardinals +130
Two pitchers who had red hot starts to the season but have cooled off the last month will face off Tuesday when St. Louis right-hander Kyle Lohse faces off with Baltimore rookie left-hander Zach Britton. There are several reasons why a pitcher struggles after a hot start. By examining these reasons we can make reasonable predictions about the immediate future of a pitcher. Kyle Lohse is 7-4 with a 2.91 ERA, which is very impressive, but on May 29 he was 7-2 with a 2.11 ERA. So let's take a look at what's going wrong for Lohse this month. He is still maintaining a fantastic 3-1 strikeout to walk ratio as he has walked just five batters while striking out 15 in his last five starts. He has allowed a couple more hits per game than prior but nothing astronomical. So where has it gone wrong for Lohse lately? Simple, Lohse has allowed seven home runs in his last four starts after only allowing three in the prior 11 starts. Home runs tend to come in bunches sometimes and Lohse has been on a bad run of allowing home runs. Yet he still has maintained great control and has yet to allow more than four runs in any starts. Thus like a poker player, sometimes you play well and lose well it appears as though Lohse has been pitching OK and being made to pay with the long ball for minor mistakes. Orioles rookie Zach Britton presents a whole different set of issues than Lohse does. On May 1st Britton was 5-1 with a 2.63 ERA. He is now 6-5 with a 3.19 ERA. His ERA has gone up half a run while he has lost four of his last five decisions. Britton is a rookie and like most rookies, he has never pitched as many innings in so short a span as he has this season. MLB does a really bad job of preparing young pitchers for the amount of innings they will pitch while they are in the minor leagues. Minor league managers are often instructed to keep young prospects on strict pitch counts and they don't start as regularly, they switch levels and teams in the minors and frequently miss starts. Britton has allowed 23 runs in his last five starts and has allowed at least four runs in four of his last five starts. He has faced some soft hitting squads as of late and is still getting shelled, which is a very bad sign. He gave up five runs to Pittsburgh, and six runs to offensively challenged Oakland. If Britton has another poor outing today I would not be surprised to see Baltimore to place him on the DL with some type of arm fatigue or soreness. Britton is still having a fine season for a rookie but his strikeout to walk ratio is down to 56-32, which is less than 2-1. So as we can see there are definitive advantages to going with Lohse at this point over the rookie Britton. If Lohse can keep the ball in the yard today I expect St. Louis to win this game at a very generous plus price. |
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06-27-11 | Washington Nationals +126 v. Los Angeles Angels | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 54 m | Show | |
Washington Nationals +135
National's left-hander John Lannan has been the best pitcher in the National League over his last six starts. He has allowed just five total runs in his last six starts. In his last start Wednesday he outdueled Seattle's Eric Bedard, allowing just three hits and a single run in six innings of the National's 2-1 victory. Angel's right-hander is having one of his worst seasons as a major league starter. He is just 3-8 with a 4.22 ERA on the season. In his last six starts he has allowed 40 hits and walked 18 batters. Without errors and wild pitches being included Santana has allowed 58 base runners in his last six starts. Not surprisingly he is 1-4 in his last six starts. He has also been touched by the long ball allowing seven home runs in his past six starts. Despite having won 13 of 15 and two games over .500, and having recorded their first winning month of June since 2005, the Nationals will be led by their third Manager in five games when Davey Johnson takes over as skipper Monday. All the turmoil of their manager resigning and an interim manager over the weekend didn't slow them down a bit as they won a hard fought series on the road in Chicago against the White Sox. The Nationals are red hot, have proved they are resilient and have the hottest pitcher in the National League going tonight at a plus price against a struggling pitcher and struggling Angels offense. This one is a no brainer and on paper it would appear as though the odds makers may have missed the boat here with this price. Take the National at a very generous plus price Monday. |
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06-20-11 | Toronto Blue Jays v. Atlanta Braves -118 | 0-2 | Win | 100 | 6 h 48 m | Show | |
Atlanta Braves -120
The Braves are starting to get healthy and with CF Nate McClouth and RF Jason Heyward both returning from the DL this weekend. This should be good news for a braves team that struggled to score runs in their absence. The Braves have still hit the third most home runs in the month of June but have scored the fourth fewest runs. Hopefully McClouth and Heyward can add a spark at the top of the order. Tim Hudson is 10-3 with a 3.00 earned run average in 105 previous innings vs Toronto, allowing 88 hits and 39 runs with 67 strikeouts. Hudosn has allowed just two walks while striking out 13 batters in his last three starts as ha appears to have put his control struggles behind him. While Toronto's Jose Bautista still leads the majors with 21 home runs, he has homered just once in his last 70 at bats and the Blue Jays offense has been stale as of late. They were held to one run yesterday, which came on an Adam Lind solo home run. They have not been able to sustain any rallies lately. Atlanta swept a three-game series from Toronto at Turner Field the last time these clubs met from May 22-24, 2009. Take the suddenly healthy Braves at home Monday at a generous price to win for the second straight day at Turner Field. |
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06-17-11 | Baltimore Orioles v. Washington Nationals -114 | 4-8 | Win | 100 | 5 h 27 m | Show | |
Washington Nationals -108
The Washington Nationals are the hottest team in the National League right now and enter interleague play fresh off their first sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals since 2007. They open a three game series with their adjacent interleague rival Baltimore Orioles Friday Night. The Nationals send red hot right-hander Jason Marquis to the mound Friday in search of win number 7 in a row. Marquis enters this game fresh off serving a five game suspension for hitting Arizona outfielder Justin Upton. Marquis has allowed just three runs combined in his last three starts including 5 1/3 shutout innings at Arizona on June 5. Marquis sports a better than 2-1 strikeout to walk ratio and has given up just six home runs in 13 starts this season. This is great news for Nationals fans as the long ball has plagued him in past seasons. he has surrendered 19 or more home runs five times in his career and allowed a whopping 35 home runs in 2006. Now that Marquis is keeping the ball down and keeping it in the yard he has regained that dominant form. After a red hot start to the season Baltimore rookie left-hander Zach Britton has struggled as of late. He has allowed 15 runs in his last three starts. In his last three starts he has allowed 20 hits and walked eight. Baltimore has struggled mightily on the road this season going just 11-17 in 28 games away from Camden Yard. The Orioles are 110-140 in interleague games since its inception. Take the scorching hot Nationals at home to continue the current win streak at a very generous price against a struggling road team with a struggling rookie pitcher. |
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06-16-11 | St. Louis Cardinals +101 v. Washington Nationals | 4-7 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 10 m | Show | |
St. Louis +102
The Cardinals will look to avoid being swept by the Nationals for the first time since 2007 when the two teams face off Thursday in our nation |
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06-15-11 | San Francisco Giants +104 v. Arizona Diamondbacks | 5-2 | Win | 104 | 8 h 30 m | Show | |
San Francisco +104
Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner is most likely the best 2-8 pitcher in the majors. Bumgarner has been a victim of lack of run support the like of which we have not seen in some time. The Giants have scored a total of one run over his last two starts. The young left-hander has not allowed more than three runs since April 22. Bumgarner has made nine straight quality starts and has only two wins to show for his terrific efforts. He has struck out 59 while walking only 23 batters in 78 innings. He has allowed just two home runs all season, which is a remarkable feat in 13 starts. Bumgarner has made five appearances (four starts) against Arizona and he is 2-0 with a 2.28 earned run average in those games. The Diamondbacks will counter with Joe Saunders Wednesday. Saunders squared off with San Francisco for the first time in his career in a 5-3 loss on April 16. The lefty surrendered five runs and 12 hits through 6 2/3 innings. He is 2-2 in seven home starts this season. San Francisco has won six of seven matchups with Arizona this season and swept a three-game series at AT&T Park from May 10-12. The Giants are 19-4 in the past 23 meetings with the D'Backs. Take the defending World Series Champions at a very generous plus price on Wednesday. |
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06-14-11 | Texas Rangers +130 v. New York Yankees | 4-12 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 12 m | Show | |
06-13-11 | Milwaukee Brewers v. Chicago Cubs -105 | 0-1 | Win | 100 | 7 h 28 m | Show | |
Chicago Cubs -105
Milwaukee has won 8 of 10 and is in first place for the first time all season. Yet despite all the recent home success they have had they remain one of the worst road teams in the NL with a 13-19 mark away from home. Cubs right-hander Ryan Dempster has won three of his last four starts. The Cubs right-hander is 6-0 with a 2.11 earned run average in his last seven starts versus the Brewers and is also riding a seven-game winning streak at home over the Brewers, pitching to a 2.80 ERA at Wrigley Field over that seven-start span. Randy Wolf will start for the Brewers and has posted three straight no- decisions since a victory on May 22.Wolf has lost each of his last three starts against the Cubs with a 5.30 ERA. He gave up six runs -- two earned -- on nine hits over six frames of a home setback to them on April 8, falling to 5-10 with a 4.40 ERA in his career in this matchup. Take the Cubs at home to continue to ride the hot pitching of Dempster and extend Milwaukee's road woes at a generous price Monday. |
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06-10-11 | New York Mets +108 v. Pittsburgh Pirates | 8-1 | Win | 108 | 3 h 13 m | Show | |
New York Mets +106
These same two teams and same two pitchers just faced off May 30 at Citi Field with the Mets rolling to a 7-3 home victory over the Pirates. In many cases an astute handicapper might look to use the revenge factor, but in this case we expect more of the same and here is why. Mets right-handed rookie Dillon Gee is 6-0 with a 3.33 ERA. He defeated Pittsburgh on May 30 in a 7-3 victory, as he held the Pirates to three runs in seven innings with a season-high eight strikeouts. Gee is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA in two career games (1 start) against the Pirates and is the only undefeated starting pitcher in the NL, which means a lot to Gee who is a rookie. One of the major keys to success for Gee this season is that opponents don't hit the ball. Gee has allowed just 40 hits in 54 innings pitched and has twice carried no-hitters past the fifth inning this season. The Mets bats are heating up lately and this surge can be credited to the spark at the top of the lineup that has seen Jose Reyes return to his All-Star form. 28-year old right-hander Charlie Morton takes the hill for the Pirates Friday in this rematch from two weeks ago. At first glance it appears Charlie Morton is having the best season of his career, and he is. Yet I have taken a close look at Morton's numbers several times and believe that his 6-2 record and 2.54 ERA are sort of a baseball anomaly and that he is bound to return to closer to his 5.18 career ERA very soon. Morton's career strikeout to walk ratio is a poor 138-211, and last season he was 2-12 with a 7.57 ERA. While his ERA and wins totals are significantly better this season, his strikeout to walk ratio remains poor. He has walked 31 batters while striking out only 42. he has also allowed 71 hits in 11 starts this season. Without including errors, Morton has allowed 102 base runners in 11 starts. That doesn't seem like the numbers of a guy that has a 6-2 record with a 2.54 ERA. He has obviously done a great job pitching out of some jams this season and has also gotten a little lucky. In the May 30 game against the Mets Morton allowed 11 hits in just six innings of the Pirates 7-3 loss. Take the Mets at a generous plus price Friday to have a repeat performance of this same matchup. |
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06-09-11 | Cincinnati Reds -103 v. San Francisco Giants | 3-0 | Win | 100 | 8 h 4 m | Show | |
06-08-11 | Colorado Rockies -107 v. San Diego Padres | 5-3 | Win | 100 | 6 h 41 m | Show | |
06-07-11 | Seattle Mariners -114 v. Chicago White Sox | 1-5 | Loss | -114 | 6 h 12 m | Show | |
06-06-11 | Oakland A's +100 v. Baltimore Orioles | 2-4 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 27 m | Show | |
Oakland A's +105
Two last place teams face off in Baltimore Wednesday when the Orioles host the A's. Oakland will send left-hander Gio Gonzalez to the mound Monday looking to end a six game losing streak for the A's. Gonzalez who leads the team in ERA 2.41 and strikeouts 67, has made three career starts against Baltimore. In three career starts, Gonzalez has allowed 18 hits and four earned runs across 17 1/3 innings against the Orioles, striking out 18 batters while posting a 2.08 earned run average. For Baltimore, lefty Brian Matusz makes his second start of the season after beginning the year on the disabled list with a strained left intercostal muscle. Matusz, who won 10 games last season in 32 starts, has three career meetings with Oakland and is 1-2 with a 6.11 ERA, having allowing 23 hits and 12 runs in 17 2/3 innings. Oakland swept a three-game set from the O's earlier in the year and is 20-4 in the series since the start of the 2008 campaign. Take the A's Monday to end the losing streak at a very generous plus price. |
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06-03-11 | Milwaukee Brewers v. Florida Marlins OVER 7.5 | 6-5 | Win | 100 | 6 h 44 m | Show | |
Milwaukee/Florida over 7 1/2 runs
The history between these two teams suggests a high scoring affair in South Beach Friday. Marlins right-hander Ricky Nolasco has given up 31 hits in his last three starts, his worst stretch of the season. He is 1-1 with an awful 8.66ERA in four career starts vs the Brewers. Milwaukee left-hander Randy Wolf takes the mound for the visitors against a Marlins team he hasn't fared too well against in his career, going 4-12 with a 5.93 earned run average in 20 starts. Both teams have been getting players back from the DL recently and those players have been sparks to their respective lineups. Marlins slugger Logan Morrison is riding an eight-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in all 18 games since returning from the disabled list on May 13. Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez has batted .409 during a 17-game hitting streak versus the Brewers (30-26), and has gotten at least a hit in 25 of his 27 career games against them. The Brewers' Nyjer Morgan has gone 7 for 18 since coming off the disabled list. Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun is hitless in his last nine at-bats, but he is batting .367 during a seven-game hitting streak at Miami. Take the Milwaukee/Florida game to fly over the posted total of 71/2 runs Friday. |
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06-02-11 | San Francisco Giants +115 v. St. Louis Cardinals | 12-7 | Win | 115 | 7 h 53 m | Show | |
San Francisco Giants +115
San Francisco will aim for a series win in the finale of a four game set Thursday at St. Louis. The Giants won 7-5 in 11 innings last night and both teams bullpens have been used heavily throughout the series. This is where the Giants will have a major advantage tonight. The Giants send left-hander Jonathan Sanchez to the mound Thursday. Sanchez is 3-3 with a 3.38 ERA this season. Sanchez last pitched Saturday and thus will be making the start on normal rest. Sanchez will face the Cardinals for the second time this season and did not record a decision in a 5-4 win back on April 8 at AT&T Park. Sanchez held the Cardinals in check by allowing just a run and four hits in five innings with eight strikeouts and three walks. In four career appearances (3 starts) against the Cardinals, Sanchez is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA. The Cardinals will counter with rookie Lance Lynn, who will not only be making his major league debut against the defending World Series Champions but he pitched Sunday for Memphis of Triple-A League. Thus he will be making his major league debut against the defending champions on short rest. Lynn was not exactly mowing down hitters in the minors either. Lynn went 5-3 with a 4.06 ERA in 10 starts with the ball club |
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06-01-11 | Cleveland Indians +105 v. Toronto Blue Jays | 13-9 | Win | 105 | 6 h 42 m | Show | |
Cleveland Indians +115
Indians right-hander Josh Tomlin has emerged as the unlikely ace of the staff. Tomlin is 6-2 with a 2.74 ERA and has posted some amazing numbers thus far in 2011 and has broken some club records in the process.Tomlin is the only player in Indians history to go at least five innings in each of his first 22 appearances with the club. walked one batter or less in eight straight starts, an astonishing number. He has walked just 10 batters in 10 starts this season while striking out 34.Tomlin has allowed more than three runs just once all season and has limited opponents to just 49 hits in 65 2/3 innings pitched. The Blue Jays send rookie starter Kyle Drabek to the mound for the series finale Wednesday. Drabek has been inconsistent and he has had control problems at times this season. He has walked (42) the same amount of batters that he has struck out. That is a glaring bad stat and one that usually spells doom for young pitchers. The more walks you allow, the more pressure pitches you have to make with men on base. Drabek has jad to make a lot of pressure pitches already this season.The Indians have won seven of their last nine versus the Blue Jays and took two of three in the lone meeting at Rogers Centre last year. The Blue Jays get a lot of attention due to home run king Jose Bautista. Take the Indians Wednesday at a very generous plus price. |
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05-31-11 | Milwaukee Brewers -124 v. Cincinnati Reds | 7-2 | Win | 100 | 5 h 50 m | Show | |
05-27-11 | New York Yankees -108 v. Seattle Mariners | 3-4 | Loss | -108 | 9 h 40 m | Show | |
NY YANKEES +108
It has become common practice for many baseball bettors to open up the newspaper or click on ESPN on the internet and start and complete their handicapping by simply looking at the records and ERA's of the starting pitchers and making their choices. This is wrong on so many levels and today's play is a perfect example of digging a little deeper. We have all seen the ESPN Sports center highlights of Seattle rookie sensation Michael Pineda, who is 6-2 with a dazzling 2.16ERA in his rookie season. He has gotten so much respect and media attention that the Mariners are favorites Friday over the New York Yankees. Yet after digging deeper I will show you why the wrong team is favored and the Yankees are a tremendous value at this price. Let's start with Pineda. While his numbers are very impressive this season, a deeper look shows that out of his nine starts this season the five best starts, where he really shines came against San Diego, Minnesota, Kansas City, Oakland, and Toronto. The other four starts which were not so good were against Texas (twice) Detroit, and Baltimore. So it is fair to say based on Pinedas stats that he has been stellar against bad hitting teams and struggled against good hitting teams. He will be facing the best hitting team in the AL on Friday. Let's now look at a forgotten tool when handicapping baseball in this era, Hitting!. The New York Yankees are 1st in the American league in runs scored (250) while Seattle is second worst in the AL (176). The New York Yankees lead the Majors with 75 home runs this season. The Mariners are last in MLB with just 27 home runs. The Mariners are last in the AL in batting average with just a .232 average. So a deeper look into Friday's matchup shows us that Pineda struggles against good hitting teams, the Mariners team doesn't hit for average, hit for power, or score runs and they are favored against the best offense in baseball and a right hander with a better than two-to-one strikeout to walk ratio in AJ Burnett. Take the Yankees with an extremely generous plus price on Friday vs Seattle. |
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05-25-11 | Arizona Diamondbacks +117 v. Colorado Rockies | 2-1 | Win | 117 | 7 h 14 m | Show | |
ARZ DBACKS +105
Arizona will look to climb over the .500 mark for the first time since opening the season with a win over Colorado, when they face the Rockies for the third time in two days Wednesday. The Diamondbacks have won 10 of their last 12 and had their six game win streak snapped yesterday in the first game of the doubleheader. Arizona will send right-hander Ian Kennedy to the mound in search of his fifth straight win. Kennedy is 5-1 with a 3.24 ERA this season. Kennedy has a fantastic 56-17 strikeout to walk ratio and has allowed just 52 hits in 66 2/3 innings pitched. He last pitched against Colorado on May 5 and allowed just two runs in six innings while striking out five. The Rockies will counter with struggling right-hander Jason Hammel, who after a hot start to the season is just 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA in his last three starts and is winless in his last four. After giving up a combined 10 runs over consecutive defeats, he yielded three runs over 6 2/3 innings during a 7-6 loss in Milwaukee. Arizona has won four of seven meetings with NL West-rival Colorado this season and is 7-3 in the past 10 encounters between the two ballc. |
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05-24-11 | New York Mets v. Chicago Cubs -119 | 1-11 | Win | 100 | 6 h 7 m | Show | |
05-23-11 | Boston Red Sox v. Cleveland Indians +111 | 2-3 | Win | 111 | 5 h 59 m | Show | |
Cleveland Indians +104
The Cleveland Indians take aim at a fourth straight win this evening when they open a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. The Indians swept a three game series with in-state rival Cincinnati over the weekend to extend their MLB best record to 29-15. A big part of Cleveland's success this season has been its play at home where it is 18-4, matching the club's best start through 22 home games in the franchise's 111-year history. Tonight, the Tribe turns to a hurler very familiar with Boston in righty Justin Masterson, who started his career with the Red Sox before being dealt to Cleveland as part of the Victor Martinez deal in 2009. The sinker baller his 5-2 with a 2.53 ERA this season and has allowed more than three runs just once all season. Masterson has struck out at least five opposing batters in five straight starts and sports a 48-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Another reason for Masterson's success has been keeping it inside the park, having allowed just one home run all season. Masterson has beaten his former team both times he has faced them, allowing just a run in 14 innings of those outings. Boston right-hander Clay Buchholz has faced the Indians twice in his brief career and is 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA in those two starts. The Indians swept a three game series from Boston earlier in the year at Progressive Field. This is obviously s case where public perception of the mighty Boston Red Sox and sports books anticipation of taking Boston action has affected the line. All the statistical advantages point towards Cleveland in this one. Take the Indians Monday at an extremely generous plus price at home vs Boston. |
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05-20-11 | Oakland A's -112 v. San Francisco Giants | 1-2 | Loss | -112 | 8 h 7 m | Show | |
05-19-11 | Atlanta Braves -106 v. Arizona Diamondbacks | 1-2 | Loss | -106 | 8 h 55 m | Show | |
Atlanta Braves -116
Atlanta right-hander Jair Jurrjens has the chance to become the senior circuits first six game winner tonight when he takes on the Arizona Diamondbacks. After spending the first two weeks of the season on the disabled list Jurrjens has been nothing short of remarkable. Jurrjens is 5-0 with a 1.66 ERA on the season and has recorded wins in four straight starts. Jurrjens has an almost four-to-one walk-to-strikeout ratio, seven walks, 26 strikeouts, and has only allowed 36 hits through 43 1/3 innings pitched. He has also surrendered just one long ball on the season. The Diamondbacks will turn to rookie reliever turned starter Josh Collmenter, who is 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA in eight games (1 start). He made his first professional start against the soft hitting L.A. Dodgers and pitched six shutout innings. He should find the opposition a little tougher tonight. The Braves took four of seven from Arizona a year ago and it is hard to determine if fatigue may become a factor for a rookie pitcher making only his second career start against this very professional Braves lineup. Jurrjens has been on fire since coming off the DL and the Braves are 3rd in the majors in home runs. Take the Braves Thursday at a very generous price to defeat the Diamondbacks in the first meeting of the season for the two teams. |
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05-18-11 | San Francisco Giants v. Los Angeles Dodgers -130 | 8-5 | Loss | -130 | 9 h 35 m | Show | |
L.A. Dodgers -128
The Dodgers/Giants rivalry has rapidly become one of the most emotional rivalries in baseball. With extreme fights in the stands and outside the stadiums already this season, the hatred seems to continue to grow in this west coast rivalry. Los Angeles will begin the final stretch of its seven-game home stand with the Giants in town for two games. Big blue will send out Left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who has won his last three starts and will put his unbeaten streak on the line tonight for LA. Kershaw improved to 5-3 with a 2.75 ERA in nine starts this season and is 3-1 in five trips to the home mound. The left-hander has beaten San Francisco twice already this season, going 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA over 13 2/3 innings. In eight career games (7 starts) against the Giants, he is 3-1 with a 1.07 ERA. Giant |
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05-17-11 | San Diego Padres v. Arizona Diamondbacks UNDER 8.5 | 1-6 | Win | 100 | 8 h 29 m | Show | |
Arizona/San Diego under 8 1/2
The Padres and Diamondbacks rank 23rd and 26th in the majors in batting average. The Padres are 25th in home runs and 25th in doubles. They also both rank in the bottom five in strikouts by batters. The Padres have wiffed 332 times this season, 28th in the majors. While the Diamondbacks have struck out 315, 24th in the majors. This will not bode well for batters in this game as both teams starters are equiped at getting swings and misses. ,In eight starts this season Arizona starter Daniel Hudson has walked only 16 while striking out 48 batters. Hudson has allowed less hits than innings pitched and has surrendered just two home runs in eight starts. The right-hander recently beat San Diego in a 6-0 rout on May 7 at Petco Park, where he fired seven scoreless innings and struck out six batters. Hudson has fanned at least five batters in four straight outings and is 2-0 with a 0.61 ERA in two career starts against San Diego. San Diego starter Tim Stauffer has been the biggest bad luck pitcher in the majors this season. Stauffer is 0-1 with a 3.47ERA through eight starts. He has been a victim of lack of run supports every time out so far. He has only walked 11 batters in eight starts while striking out 38.Stauffer tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a 4-3 win over Arizona on May 6 and is 0-1 with a 1.35 ERA in eight career games (2 starts) against the Diamondbacks. Take the San Diego/Arizona game under the posted total of 8 1/2 runs Tuesday. |
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05-16-11 | Cleveland Indians -110 v. Kansas City Royals | 19-1 | Win | 100 | 7 h 20 m | Show | |
Cleveland Indians -125
The Indians hope they can do something tonight that they have not done since Friday and that is play. They fell victim to this weekends Midwest storms and had both Saturday and Sunday games postponed. So, instead of going on Sunday, right-hander Josh Tomlin was pushed back to today. Tomlin, who is 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA on the year, beat the Royals back on April 27 and is 3-1 lifetime against them with a 4.18 ERA. Tomlin has been stellar all season and has the stats to back it up. He has allowed just 31 hits in 46 2/3 innings pitched and has a walk to strikeout ratio of 9-26. Tomlin has surrendered one walk or less in five straight starts. The lack of free passes is a major reason for the young right-hander's success. The Royals will send struggling right-hander Kyle Davies to the hill Monday. Unlike Tomlin Davies has been awful and he has the stats to go along with that. He has surrendered 57 hits in 40 innings pitched and has walked 14.Davies lost his fourth straight start on Tuesday to the New York Yankees, as he allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings, dropping him to 1-5 on the year to go along with a 7.08 ERA. Davies was hammered by the Indians for eight runs in just 3 1/3 innings back on April 28. He is only 3-6 in 11 starts against them and has pitched to a 6.46 ERA in those outings.Take the well-rested Indians to increase the best record in baseball Monday against one of the worst pitchers in the AL at a generous price. |
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05-10-11 | St. Louis Cardinals -114 v. Chicago Cubs | 6-4 | Win | 100 | 7 h 38 m | Show | |
05-09-11 | Philadelphia Phillies -103 v. Florida Marlins | 6-4 | Win | 100 | 6 h 2 m | Show | |
Philadelphia Phillies -105
After three straight solid seasons with at least 200 strikeouts many experts simply explained right-hander Javier Vazquez's horrible 2010 with the pressure of the Yankees excuse. Whatever the problem was it seems to have followed Vazquez to south Florida. The first-year Marlin is 0-2 with a 7.56 ERA in his two home starts in 2011 and 2-2 with a 6.39 ERA in six starts this season. Vazquez has already walked 21 batters while striking out only 16. Any expert will agree that you don't have success in the majors walking more guys than you strike out. Phillies starter Joe Blanton is 5-2 with a 3.12 earned run average in eight career games versus the Marlins and has won all three of his starts at Sun Life Stadium with a 1.50 ERA. Though these two clubs split a weather-shortened two-game set in mid-April, the Phillies have still won 10 of the past 12 meetings and are 15-3 in Florida since the start of the 2009 season. Take the Phillies to get back on track tonight in south Florida. |
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05-06-11 | Los Angeles Dodgers +117 v. New York Mets | 3-6 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 7 m | Show | |
Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodgers' right-hander Hiroki Kuroda is quietly becoming the steady ace of L.A.'s rotation. Kuroda is 3-2 on the season with a 3.10 ERA and an amazing 7 walk to 30 strikeout ratio. He is averaging almost seven innings per start and has not walked a single batter in three of six starts this season. The Dodgers are expected to get Andre Ethier and his MLB leading 29-game hitting streak back in the lineup tonight after he was scratched Wednesday with a sore elbow. Ethier is hitting .387 (43-for-111) over his hitting streak, which has tied Zack Wheat (1916) for the second-longest in club history. Mets southpaw Jon Niese will be making his first career start vs Los Angeles tonight. Niese is 1-4 with a 4.71ERA this season. Kuroda is the quiet leader of this staff and I expect him to have another solid performance tonight. The Dodgers should manufacture some runs and get back in the win column tonight at a generous plus price. |
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05-05-11 | Milwaukee Brewers +122 v. Atlanta Braves | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 59 m | Show | |
Milwaukee Brewers +125
The Brewers and Braves enter Thursday's series finale going in exact opposite directions. Atlanta has won four in a row, including the first three of this series after sweeping Wednesday's doubleheader with an 8-3 victory in the opener and an 8-0 win in the nightcap behind Tim Hudson's one-hit gem. The Brewers are on a season-high five-game slide, yet they send their stopper to the mound tonight. Sending Shaun Marcum (3-1, 2.21 ERA) to the mound gives Milwaukee a good chance to end its losing streak. The right-hander is 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA over his last five starts, a run that started with a 4-2 wins in his first meeting with the Braves on April 7. Marcum also brings an excellent 1.06 WHIP into this game there is a reason that this current five-game losing streak is the longest of the season for Milwaukee. They are too talented with All-Stars at both corner infield spots, and power up and down the lineup. They are currently tied for third in the NL with 32 home runs. Despite the cool streak by the hitters Milwaukee is still batting .259 as a team which is 19 points higher than the Braves who hit.240 as a team this season. Take the Brewers with their new found ace on the mound to end the losing streak at five Thursday at a generous plus price. |
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05-04-11 | Cleveland Indians v. Oakland A's UNDER 7 | 1-3 | Win | 104 | 8 h 24 m | Show | |
Oakland/Cleveland under 7
A pair of undefeated hurlers square off this evening as Trevor Cahill's Oakland Athletics again play host to the Cleveland Indians and Josh Tomlin in the second of three straight at the Coliseum. Both Cahill and Tomlin bring perfect 4-0 records into this start, while the Oakland right-hander's 1.88 earned run average is good enough for third best in the American League. Tomlin isn't too far down the list with an excellent 2.45 ERA through five starts. The 23-year-old Cahill has yielded more than one earned run in an outing just once in six starts this season Tomlin has also been excellent and has surrendered just 22 hits in 33 innings pitched. He posts a better than 2-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and if not for allowing five home runs this season he would be challenging for league best ERA. Oakland ranks 28th out of 30 in runs scored this season and Oakland Coliseum is an under park. The A's are also 28th in home runs with just 16 on the season and are hitting a dismal .240 as a team. Play this game under the posted total of 7 runs. |
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05-03-11 | Colorado Rockies -125 v. Arizona Diamondbacks | 3-4 | Loss | -125 | 9 h 38 m | Show | |
Colorado Rockies -130
Arizona southpaw Joe Saunders has had as tough a start to the 2011 season as any pitcher in the nL that has made five starts. Saunders is 0-3 with a 5.93 ERA and has surrendered 35 hits in just 27 1/3 innings pitched. His strikeout to walk ratio is a miserable 18-14, and he has been prone to giving up the ddep ball. Saunders dropped to 0-3 for the first time in his career with an 8-4 loss to Philadelphia last Wednesday when he yielded six runs on 10 hits and a walk with a season-best eight K's over 5 2/3 innings. The Rockies will send unbeaten left-hander Jorge De La Rosa to the mound Tuesday and he's 4-0 with a 2.61 earned run average in five starts. He is riding a personal three-start win streak and previously defeated the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 26. He held the hosts to a pair of runs -- one earned -- with a season-best nine strikeouts and no walks. DE La Rosa has lasted at least seven innings in back-to-back starts and is 2-0 in three road outings this season. He beat Arizona in his season debut on April 2 with 5 1/3 shutout innings and is 6-3 with a 2.04 ERA in 14 matchups (10 starts) with the D'Backs. The Diamond Backs have played well this season and their 31 home runs has them third in the National League in this category. Despite their positive turnaround at the plate this season, they have been undone by poor starting pitching, especially from Saunders. Take the Colorado Rockies to start this road trip off with a win Tuesday vs Arizona. |
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05-02-11 | New York Yankees v. Detroit Tigers -125 | 5-3 | Loss | -125 | 5 h 19 m | Show | |
Detroit Tigers -125
The Tigers look to end a seven game losing streak Monday when they host the New York Yankees and 38-year-old right-hander Bartolo Colon, who has given up just three runs in winning his two starts. Facing the Tigers, though, could be a problem for the former American League Cy Young Award winner. He gave up half of his eight earned runs on the year to them in a relief outing back on April 3 and is 0-6 with a 7.33 ERA in his last 10 outings against the Tigers since beating them in April of 2003, with the White Sox. He has faced the Tigers 23 times (22 starts) and is 8-9 against them with a 5.32 ERA. Despite a modest 2-3 record Justin Verlander is the unquestioned ace of the Detroit Tigers. Verlander did not get a decision against the Yankees back on Opening Day, but gave up just three runs and three hits and struck out eight in six innings. He is 4-3 lifetime against them with a 3.91 ERA in nine starts. May, though, has always been kind to Verlander, who is 18-8 lifetime in the month with a 2.75 ERA. Verlander sports a better than three to one strikeout to walk ratio and has allowed only 30 hits in 42 innings pitched. Take the Tigers to end a season long losing streak with their stopper on the hill Monday. |
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04-30-11 | Baltimore Orioles v. Chicago White Sox -127 | 6-2 | Loss | -127 | 6 h 14 m | Show | |
Chicago White Sox -128
Baltimore right-hander Chris Tillman has been bothered by soreness in his right groin and did not make it out of the second inning two starts ago vs New York Yankees and again took the loss vs soft hitting Minnesota April 18. His record now stands at 0-2 with a 6.16 ERA. Tillman has now allowed 13 runs in 19 innings pitched. He started off the season pitching well both as a starter and out of the bullpen, yet since being bothered by a lingering groin injury, he has really struggled as of late and he will get no breaks today vs the power hitting South Siders.In his first full season as a starter Phil Humber has been a pleasant surprise for Chicago. He is 2-2 with a 3.20 ERA and has improved in each one of his starts. In his last start he took a no hitter into the seventh inning against the vaunted New York Yankees offense before surrendering a single to Alex Rodriguez to break up the historic attempt. The key to Humber's success has been simple, he is not allowing |
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04-29-11 | Minnesota Twins v. Kansas City Royals UNDER 8.5 | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 7 h 20 m | Show | |
Kansas City/Minnesota under 8 1/2
The Minnesota Twins played 18 innings yesterday and got hammered all 18. They lost both games of the doubleheader vs Tampa Bay by a combined score of 21-4. They traveled yesterday after playing 18 innings and their best player and team leader, catcher Joe Mauer is still on the disabled list. Just to add fuel to an already inferno sized fire the Twins are the worst hitting team in the league vs Lefties and Kansas City will send veteran left-hander Bruce Chen to the mound tonight. The 33-year old southpaw has had a roller coaster career to say the least but he has had five full season with an ERA under 3.85. Chen is 3-1 this season with a 3.86 ERA and a very steady stat line walking 10 while striking out 18. The Twins hope to get another effective start from the right-handed Baker, who has given up just a total of two runs in his last 14 innings. The 29-year-old is 1-2 with a 3.24 ERA in four starts this year as well as 8-4 with a 3.44 ERA in 15 career starts against the Royals. The twins and Royals seem to mirror one another right now. They are both struggling to score. They both come into this game on losing streaks, and they both send their stoppers to the mound tonight. Play this game under the posted total of 8 1/2 runs. |
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04-25-11 | Washington Nationals +114 v. Pittsburgh Pirates | 2-4 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 0 m | Show | |
Washington Nationals +122
The Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates are in action tonight because the opener of their three-game series on Friday at PNC Park was postponed due to rain. After throwing 6 2/3 shutout innings against the Cubs in his season debut, left-hander Paul Maholm has lost three straight starts and been roughed up in each outing. In his last start he allowed six runs and sevn hits in only 3 2/3 innings vs Florida. Maholm is 0-4 with a 6.26 ERA in seven career appearences vs Washington. The Nationals will counter with left-hander John Lanan who is 2-1 with a 3.43 ERA in four starts. Lannan recently defeated St. Louis at Busch Stadium last Wednesday and limited the Cardinals to two runs on seven hits in five innings. The Nationals took five of sox from Pittsburgh last season. Take the Nationals Monday at a generous plus price to defeat Pittsburgh and win the series. |
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04-21-11 | Philadelphia Phillies -106 v. San Diego Padres | 3-0 | Win | 100 | 9 h 48 m | Show | |
Philadelphia Phillies -108
There has always been an unwritten rule amongst the sharper players that you fade a team that plays at least 18 innings in one day and then travels that same night and plays the next day. That is exactly the case today for the San Diego Padres, who actually played 20 innings in Chicago yesterday vs. the Cubs and then traveled across two time zones back home to San Diego, where they will host the Philadelphia Phillies. Philly send red-hot right-hander Roy Oswalt to the mound Thursday. Oswalt is 2-0 with a 2.50ERA in three starts and has surrendered only four walks while striking out 14 in those three starts. Oswalt is 10-2 with a 2.45 ERA in his career vs. San Diego. After beginning the season on the disabled list due to a right shoulder injury, the Padres' Mat Latos tries to avoid a third straight defeat tonight. The right-hander is is 0-2 with a 5.84 ERA in two starts since coming off the DL and is not getting many swings and misses. After 20 innings yesterday, the Padres can ill afford to have to go to their pen early today. Philadelphia has won seven in a row at San Diego and has won 10 of the past 12 meetings overall. Take the Phillies Thursday at an extremely generous price. |
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04-20-11 | Minnesota Twins v. Baltimore Orioles -140 | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 5 h 56 m | Show | |
Baltimore Orioles -135
After allowing just one run in winning his first two starts, 23-year-old left-hander Zach Britton was banged around by the Cleveland Indians, who touched him for five runs and eight hits in six innings. Despite that last start Britton is till touting an impressive 2.75ERA and has a 2-1 strikeout to walk ratio. Minnesota has scored the fewest runs in all of baseball and is terrible against lefties. Adding to the problem, with C Joe Mauer on the DL, is that All-Star 1B Justin Morneau missed Yesterday's game with the flu and is questionable to play today. Twins starter Nick Blackburn has come back towards his career marks his last two starts, was hit hard his last time out and absorbed the loss on Friday against Tampa Bay, as he gave up five runs and 10 hits in six innings, dropping him to 1-2 on the season. He has faced Baltimore four times and is 1-2 with 5.79ERA against the O's. All signs point toward an easy win for the Orioles Wednesday. |
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04-19-11 | Boston Red Sox v. Oakland A's -112 | 0-5 | Win | 100 | 8 h 6 m | Show | |
TAKE Oakland A's -112
In most cases it would be wise to throw out two bad starts by a pitcher with the career numbers of a John Lackey, but in this case there are several red flags. First of all despite having an ERA of 3.83 or better for five straight seasons Lackey's ERA shot up to 4.40 in his first full season with Boston and he surrendered 233 hits and 72 walks in 215 innings pitched. Many experts wondered why the Angels made no attempts to keep Lackey following the 2009 season and he looked the part of a worn down pitcher last season and those troubles followed him into this season. The simple fact is that Lackey is getting very few swings and misses. He has only five strikeouts and four walks through his first two starts and has surrendered a staggering 17 hits in just 8.2 innings pitched. A's lefthander Brian Anderson (0-1) is still searching for his first win of the season but has pitched well thus far with a 2.29ERA in three trips to the mound this season. The left-hander has fared well in his career against Boston, going 3-1 with a 2.61 ERA in five starts. Boston Marathon Day is always hectic in Beantown and the Sox had to travel from coast-to-coast after yesterday's victory. There is a reason Terry Francona decided to skip Lackey's turn in the rotation following a rain postponement last week. Expect Anderson to get himself an overdue first win of the season and the A's to get the cash today vs Boston. |
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04-18-11 | Minnesota Twins v. Baltimore Orioles OVER 8.5 | 5-3 | Loss | -108 | 6 h 51 m | Show | |
Baltimore Orioles/Minnesota Twins over 8 1/2
Both teams come into this tilt struggling and one of the major issues for both sides has been starting pitching. Francisco Liriano gave up eight runs over 9 1/3 innings in losing his first two starts; Liriano was shelled by Kansas City on Wednesday for seven runs and eight hits in five innings, dropping him to 0-3 on the year, while raising his earned run average to 9.42. Liriano's biggest problem this year is the second time through the lineup. Liriano has allowed batters to hit .545 against him the second time through the order. Chris Tillman, has been awful since throwing six scoreless, hitless innings in his season debut. Tillman's worst outing came on Wednesday in New York, as the Yankees battered him for six runs and nine hits in just 1 2/3 innings, dropping him to 0-1 on the year, while raising his ERA to 7.30. Tillman has lost his only prior start against the Twins. Baltimore has a good lineup that may cause Liriano fits and the Twins have been much better offensive team vs right handers than southpaws. Expect this game to fly over the posted total of 8 1/2 runs. |
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04-15-11 | Baltimore Orioles +100 v. Cleveland Indians | 2-8 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 41 m | Show | |
Take Baltimore +105
24-year old Baltimore left-hander Zach Britton entered the season with high expectations after being one of the most highly touted Orioles prospects ever. He has more than live up to the hype thus far. In two starts Britton is 2-0 with a 0.66 ERA. He has surrendered just one run in 13.2 innings pitched and has allowed just seven combined hits in his first two starts. The Orioles have been one of the best teams in baseball since making the switch to manager Buck Showwalter late last season. With the additions of Vladimir Guerrrero and Derek Lee, the Orioles have a great mix of veterans and young talent in their lineup. Indians starter Justin Masterson is 2-3 with a 6.14 ERA in eight career games versus the Orioles. The 8-4 Indians have played above their talent level thus far and while Zach Britton may not be a household name yet, the young phenom soon will be. It would appear that the sports books are also not familiar with Britton yet as there will not be many more opportunities to get plus money with him if he continues to pitch this well. |
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04-14-11 | Milwaukee Brewers -105 v. Pittsburgh Pirates | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 6 h 3 m | Show | |
TAKE Milwaukee Brewers -110
Brewers starter Randy Wolf is 8-3 lifetime vs Pittsburgh and The Brewers lineup is heating up. 1B Prince Fielder brings a six-game hit streak into Thursday's matchup and has three homers in his last four games. Fielder has 14 RBI in 11 games thus far. Fellow All-Star Ryan Braun has four homers this season and is on a three game hit streak himself including three RBI in his last three games. Pirates southpaw Paul Maholmwill be making his 18th career start against the Brew Crew today but he is just 3-6 with a 4.53 ERA vs Milwaukee in 17 career starts. Dating back to the 2007 season, the Brewers have compiled a 40-17 record versus the Pirates. They won 13 of 18 matchups in 2010. |
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04-13-11 | Chicago Cubs v. Houston Astros -104 | 9-5 | Loss | -104 | 7 h 55 m | Show | |
Astros lefty Wandy Rodriguez is off to a tough start this season surrendering 17 hits in just 11 innings pitched. Yet there are several reasons to believe it will all turn around tonight against the Chicago Cubs.
Despite the 17 hits allowed Rodriguez has not allowed a home run and only allowed eight runs. This is an indicator that many of the hits were probably singles. Rodriguez has also only walked one batter while fanning seven in his first two starts. Rodriguez has had three straight seasons with an ERA of 3.60 or less. All things considered this is where a square player will just look at a pitchers ERA and assume he is struggling. Yet after looking further at his stat line it appears the first two starts were an anomaly, with a lot of singles. He has had good control walking only one batter and a seven -to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio thus far. Rodriguez looks primed for a big start and today seems like a great spot against a familiar foe. Rodriguez is 5-4 lifetime against Chicago with a 3.70ERA. Despite a horrible record last season the Astros defeated the Cubs 11-of-18 last season. Take the Astros at home plus money as Rodriguez backs back on track tonight. |
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04-12-11 | Cincinnati Reds +107 v. San Diego Padres | 8-2 | Win | 107 | 9 h 43 m | Show | |
04-11-11 | St. Louis Cardinals v. Arizona Diamondbacks UNDER 9.5 | Top | 8-2 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 18 m | Show |
St. Louis/Arizona Under 10 runs
While this doesn't exactly look like a pitchers duel on paper, this total may be misguided by the lack of a quality starter for either team. Yet there are several key reasons this game will likely stay under the posted total of 9 1/2 or 10. While people always look at starting pitching first and often stop there when handicapping baseball. That can be a costly mistake. Looking at the offenses and the the way they are performing is also extremely important. There is no team in the National League who has scored less runs this season than the St. Louyis Cardinals. They have managedan NL low of 27 runs in nine games thus far. That in cludes facing the Pittsburgh Pirates three games and facing their number four and five starter.The Cardinals have hit a league low three home runs and no player has more than one. Albert Pujols is hitting .143 without fellow All-Star Matt Holliday protecting him in the lineup. Their big offeseason pickup, Lance Berkman is hitting .214 with no home runs and one RBI. Arizona starter Barry Enright pitches to contact, and the way the Cardinals are hitting that may not be a bad thing.On the flip side, 26 year-old Cardinals starter Kyle McClellan has been a releiver for his entire three year big league career. He got the opportunity to start this season with the injury to ace Adam Wainwright. McClellan has made well of the opportunity thus far. He allowed just two runs over six innings in his first start and struck out seven batters while walking only one. Ther is no reason to think McClellan will falter here as he was sucessful as a releiver with a creer ERA of 3.22 and an impressive 2.27 ERA last season in 68 appearances. Look for this game to land well below the posted total. |
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04-08-11 | Toronto Blue Jays +116 v. Los Angeles Angels | Top | 3-2 | Win | 116 | 8 h 23 m | Show |
Toronto Blue Jays +118
Most people have already forgotten the prize prospect that everyone made such a big deal about in the trade that sent Roy Halladay from Toronto to Philadelphia. That prospect was Kyle Drabek. Drabek looked every bit the future phenom people described him as in his first start for the Blue Jays this season. He allowed just one run and one hit, while striking out seven in seven sterling innings. Drabek will be matched up against an Angels squad that last year scored over 200 runs less than in 2009 and did not get much help in the offseason. This Angels team struggled to score all season thus far and I look for those struggles to continue against a blossiming star in Drabek. The Angels will counter with talented but eratic right-hander Ervin Santana, who gave up seven hits, two walks, and a wild pitch with runners in scoring position in his first start vs the Royals. Santans may find the going tougher today against a good Blue Jays lineup that gets Home Run champion Jose Bautista back after missing the Jays last series to take care of a personal matter. Take the plus money with the Blue Jays and future All-Star Kyle Drabek tonight. |
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04-08-11 | Oakland A's v. Minnesota Twins UNDER 8 | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 2 h 29 m | Show | |
Minnesota/Oakland under 8
While Carl Pavano had a horrible opener it was the vaunted New York Yankees lineup he faced. Today he should have a much easier time with a timid Oakland A's lineup. Pavano's first start stat line is a little bit better than it would seem at first glance. He only surrendered six hits and two walks, but yielded eight runs. So basically that stat line says that every player that reached base scored. His defense didn't do him any favors making two errors in key spots that lead to runs. Brian Anderson has been great to start his career. Last season in just his second full season as a starter he had a better than three-to-one strikeout to walk ratio and a 2.80 ERA. He has continued that sucess early on this season allowing only one run while striking out five and walking only one batter in his only start this season. The twins lineup is loaded with Left-Handers in C Joe Mauer, 1B Justin Morneau, DH Jason Kubel, OF Dernard Span, DH Jim Thome. Lefties have trouble hitting Anderson and this looks like a bad pitcher/hitter matchup for the Twins. Expect this game to be a low scoring pitching duel and stay under the posted total of 8 runs. |
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04-07-11 | Detroit Tigers v. Baltimore Orioles -127 | 5-9 | Win | 100 | 5 h 21 m | Show | |
Baltimore Orioles -125
In an extremely rare situation Baltimore P Chris Tillman did not allow a hit in his first start but was pulled after six innings due to a high pitch count. It is rare that a starter is pulled with a no hitter going. Tillman walked three and struck out five while throwing 105 pitches through six innings. There were quite a few question marks surrounding Tigers P Brad Penny coming into the season. Many experts had written off Penny as being done last season yet he suprised everyone and went 3-4 with a solid 3.23 in nine starts last season for the St. Louis Cardinals. His season was once again shortened due to injuries. In his first start this season he looked like the experts predicted last season surrendering eight runs, seven hits, and four walks injust four innings pitched. The Orioles lineup is red hot, Tillman should be beaming with confidence after not allowing a hit in his first start and Penny is a huge question mark. This sets up well for the Orioles, who appear to still be slightly undervalued, to get a win at a bargain price Thursday. TAKE THE ORIOLES |
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04-06-11 | Houston Astros +180 v. Cincinnati Reds | 4-12 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 27 m | Show | |
Houston +180
The undefeated Cincinnati Reds send opening day starter Edinson Volquez back to the mound in search of their fifth straight win to start the season. Volquez got a very lucky no decision on opening day when the Reds rallied for four runs in the bottom of the ninth to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Lost in the talk of that game was how innafective Volquez, who is still recovering from ligament replacement surgery in his right elbow was. He allowed Home Runs to the first to batters he faced and surrendered seven hits, and five runs overall while struggling with his control all day. Nelson Figueroa is 2-1 with a 3.55 ERA in 13 career appearances against the Reds, including a Sept. 29 win at Cincinnati in which he allowing six hits and struck out five in six scoreless innings. The Astros have a solid young lineup and have played hard every game despite losing all four games thus far. They blew two late leads in their opening series vs Philadelphia. Volquez does not appear to be full strength yet after a serious offseason surgery and the Reds are laying a steep prive today. I'll continue to fade him until he shows that he has fully recovered and take the Houston Astros at a huge plus. TAKE THE ASTROS |
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04-05-11 | Atlanta Braves v. Milwaukee Brewers -114 | Top | 0-1 | Win | 100 | 7 h 21 m | Show |
Milwaukee -115
The Brewers send out ace Yovani Gallardo Tuesday still searching for the teams first win of the season. Gallardo was a bad luck no decision in the Brewers Opener as he pitched well and departed with a 5-2 lead only to have the Reds score four runs in the bottom of the ninth of the Brewers struggling bullpen. Braves starter Derek Lowe pitched five shutout innings in the season opener but was the recipient of some crucial double plays and pitched out of a few jams. The Braves won the season opener 2-0 vs Washington despite being outhit. The Btaves supoosed new high potency offense has yet to live up to it's hype as the Braves (3-1) have scored 3 runs or fewer in 3-of-four games thus far. Milwaukee will be amped up to get into the win column and if Gallardo pitches as well as he did in the opener then the Brewers should crack the win column at a very reasonable price. TAKE MIL BREWERS |
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04-04-11 | Butler v. Connecticut -3 | Top | 41-53 | Win | 100 | 7 h 53 m | Show |
TAKE UCONN -3,,,less of a cinderella team this year are the bulldogs,, head coach stevens on the short list of whos hot, guard mack has been sensational, marshall stepping up and mr ice, matt howard, wow what a year,, but finally hc coach stephens meets another master hc jim calhoun, who called his team out 12 games ago and said we cant rebound,, we dont rebound we wont win,, what happens, huskies wake up call, boards boards and more boards oriaki, smith, olander, player for player pound for pound uconn is the better team and overall athleticism with an equal head coach, oooooooo
lets not forget,, the best player in college hoops plays for uconn,, kemba walker can take over this game if need be. UCONN WINS |
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04-03-11 | Minnesota Twins +118 v. Toronto Blue Jays | 4-3 | Win | 118 | 1 h 32 m | Show | |
04-02-11 | Kentucky v. Connecticut +2.5 | 55-56 | Win | 100 | 8 h 7 m | Show | |
TAKE UCONN PLUS THE POINTS,, 9 wins in 19 days pretty impressive for jim calhoun and staff,, keep in mind part of that was a 5 game back to back to back to back to back sweep of the big east tournament including several game winning baskets in that span, actually it started late february when calhoun called out his bigs and said " we cant rebound we cant win after a 3 game skid",, oriakhi has really picked it up,, keep in mind he dominated harrelson back in december,,lamb and napier have take some pressure of kemba,, but lets face it on the court if we need a hoop with 7 seconds
who u gonna call? kemba walker and UCONN WIN! |
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04-02-11 | Virginia Commonwealth v. Butler -2.5 | 62-70 | Win | 100 | 5 h 11 m | Show | |
TAKE,, BUTLER MINUS POINTS,,,,what a difference a week makes,, as red hot vcu lighting up 3 balls from every where hitting close to 50 percent vs the likes of purdue and kansas,, skeen, rodriguiz,rozell and burgess wow impressive,,fast forward new week,, head coach brad stephens (mr cool on the sidelines) and bulldogs experienced final 4 group, has 7 days to get the D set and they will, 1 key will be super D guard nored easly the best on the floor to shut down the disher rodriguiz, matt howard has really stepped up,,and lets not forget mr clutch shelvin mack,, 30 vs pitt and 27 vs florida,, nice run rams but its over,, BUTLER WINS
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04-01-11 | Chicago White Sox -105 v. Cleveland Indians | 15-10 | Win | 100 | 2 h 6 m | Show | |
Chicago White Sox +105
Buehrle has been the steady ace of this staff for a decade. The White Sox lineup is loaded with the addition of Adam Dunn joining a lineup that already includes Carlos Quentin, Paul Konerko, Alex Rios, and Alexi Ramirez. After posting an unbelievable 19-8 record with a 3.06era in 2007 Fausto Carmona has never been the same pitcher again. The Indians let Cliff Lee go because they thought Carmona was a prodigy. Well it seems that the 2007 season was more of an anomally than anything. Carmona was 8-7 with a 5.44 ERA in 2008 and 5-12 with a 6.32ERA in 2009. Last season he rebounded slightly to finish 13-14 with an ERA of 3.77. Carmona has walked at least 70 batters in each of the past 3 seasons and if he doesn't have good control Friday the White Sox have the sticks to make him pay. Take the White Sox |
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03-31-11 | Wichita State v. Alabama UNDER 129 | 66-57 | Win | 100 | 6 h 33 m | Show | |
TAKE ALABAMA/ WICHITA UNTER THE TOTAL,,,,.. hard nose perimeter defense a bama mainstay.. wichita actually prefers that style,, this game is a war and refs letting them play it,,, TAKE NIT FINAL UNDER THE TOAL
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03-29-11 | Alabama -2.5 v. Colorado | 62-61 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 19 m | Show | |
ALA,,, kudos to head coach tad boyle for pumping life back into the colorado buffs as they have embraced the uptempo style and 3 wins over kstate plus victories vs tx and missouri,,
but fact is away from home u must bring the D and there is ahuge disparity, while the buffs give up 75 plus the bama gang,, just 38% fg's and only 58 per game.alabama can win it with solid d and balanced offense,, and even if the tide has an off night shooting,, green and mitchell will wipe up the offensive glass,,, TAKE ALABAMA |
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03-29-11 | Wichita State -2.5 v. Washington State | 75-44 | Win | 100 | 6 h 54 m | Show | |
03-27-11 | Virginia Commonwealth v. Kansas -11.5 | Top | 71-61 | Loss | -100 | 2 h 16 m | Show |
TAKE KANSAS JAYHAWKS,, head coach smart for vcu has done an outstanding job with the rams, we have cashed 3 st, and 3 straight m/ls' on vcu,, but they do have 5 dd losses this year and the unbelievable hot shooting will end, vs very fast and bigger kansas team, florida state took 71 shots on friday, the morris twins will dominate and kansas peaking at the right time,, BILL SELF AND KANSAS ROLL TO THE FINAL 4,
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03-26-11 | Butler +4.5 v. Florida | 74-71 | Win | 100 | 5 h 36 m | Show | |
TAKE BUTLER PLUS POINTS,, workman like program getting it done for butler,sources confirm several high end programs seeking services of hc brad stevens, now 15-2 su march record,, yes gators 2-0 su vs butler in march last decade, but its time, parsons and co. with find the going little tougher vs interior of howard and smith,sr stoppers mack, vansant, and all defensive player of year ron nored,, to frustrate the gator perimetor, no butler is not a flashy gator operation,, THEY JUST GET IT DONE,,TAKE BUTLER PLUS POINTS AND SMALL PLAY MONEYLINE
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03-25-11 | Virginia Commonwealth +4 v. Florida State | 72-71 | Win | 100 | 9 h 44 m | Show | |
TAKE V C U PLUS POINTS,,rams on a bit of a hot streak here,, knocking off easily USC gtown and purdue,, 3 very solid defense units,, fsu falls into same category, but with less offfensive firepower,, only 32% from the arc and 66% from the line, vcu again lights up the perimeter (41%) tourney,, TAKE VCU PLUS POINTS AND A SMALL PLAY MONEYLINE
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03-24-11 | Arizona v. Duke -8.5 | 93-77 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 23 m | Show | |
TAKE DUKE MINUS POINTS,,sure mich took duke to the wire last weekend,, but a magical gameplan and nuetralizing defense was key,, not the case here vs zona,, with irving getting more and more,, dukes penetrating offense and kick 3 will extend margin of victory,, COACH K,, dif maker as look for the duke bigs to foul up with williams,, DUKE WINS BIG
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03-23-11 | Central Florida v. Creighton -4 | 64-82 | Win | 100 | 7 h 47 m | Show | |
TAKE CREIGHTON AT HOME,, deep team,, as blu jays keeping legs fresh 9 players saw dd minutes monday led by mcdermott and young combined had 53 pts and a solid 17-20 from the line, UcF little dif team on the road,, TAKE CREIGHTON AT HOME
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03-21-11 | New Mexico v. Alabama -6 | 67-74 | Win | 100 | 6 h 5 m | Show | |
TAKE ALABAMA AT HOME,,bama virtually unbeatable at home 17-0 su 11-2 ats,,pg gary gone for new mex, floor leader and 14 per game, real problem for steve alfords crew will be dealing with double threat interior game of green and taylor,, size strength and combined 31 per game,,TAKE ALABAMA AT HOME
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03-20-11 | Virginia Commonwealth +9 v. Purdue | Top | 94-76 | Win | 100 | 7 h 17 m | Show |
TAKE VCU PLUS POINTS,, AND YES THEY CAN WIN IT
rams playing 8 deep,, and launching 3 bombs from all over court,, beat down usc then gtown,, purdue ,, the workman d interior game with johnson, and moore outside ,, rams game plan.. force purdue to play their game,, then they are done, TAKE VCU PLUS POINTS,, AND A SMALL PLAY MONEY LINE |
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03-19-11 | Gonzaga -1 v. Brigham Young | 67-89 | Loss | -108 | 8 h 59 m | Show | |
ZAGS,,,certainly we recognize the jimmer, top 3 players in the country,, but with davies gone,, this is the game where it will show,, zags off a shutdown of the jonnies, ripped 43 boards and 85percent from the line,, fredette can go for 40 it wont be enough with with inside ,outside game, to much GONZAGA
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03-19-11 | Temple v. San Diego St -5.5 | 64-71 | Win | 100 | 6 h 13 m | Show | |
03-19-11 | Morehead St. +5 v. Richmond | 48-65 | Loss | -110 | 5 h 18 m | Show | |
03-18-11 | Georgia +6 v. Washington | 65-68 | Win | 100 | 10 h 46 m | Show | |
03-18-11 | Illinois v. UNLV -2.5 | 73-62 | Loss | -105 | 9 h 53 m | Show | |
03-18-11 | St Peter's +15 v. Purdue | 43-65 | Loss | -105 | 7 h 0 m | Show | |
03-18-11 | St Peter's v. Purdue UNDER 122 | 43-65 | Win | 100 | 7 h 60 m | Show | |
03-18-11 | Boston U. +23 v. Kansas | 53-72 | Win | 100 | 7 h 30 m | Show | |
03-17-11 | Michigan State v. UCLA UNDER 128.5 | 76-78 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 8 m | Show | |
03-17-11 | Bucknell +10 v. Connecticut | 52-81 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 12 m | Show | |
03-17-11 | Richmond v. Vanderbilt -2.5 | 69-66 | Loss | -110 | 4 h 18 m | Show | |
VANDY....dynamic duo jenkins 20 per game and 40% 3pt shooting and sr center ezli,, form a monster inside outside game,, defensive star all sec taylor figure to slo down harper for rich,, vandy also outstanding at line 75% TAKE VANDY
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03-16-11 | Texas Southern +19.5 v. Colorado | 74-88 | Win | 100 | 7 h 28 m | Show | |
03-16-11 | Wisc-Milwaukee +9 v. Northwestern | Top | 61-70 | Push | 0 | 6 h 29 m | Show |
WI MIL..panthers could be dancing big if not for the setback vs butler,, (beat them twice regular season),, but still 10-2 su 9-3 ats run to finish pf anthony hill 15.5 per will run the blocks and maturing g williams attacking the paint,6 assists per game late surge,,, CLOSE GAME TAKE WI MILWAUKEE
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03-15-11 | Northern Arizona +4.5 v. Santa Clara | 63-68 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 33 m | Show | |
03-15-11 | Murray State +8 v. Missouri State | Top | 76-89 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 34 m | Show |
MURRAY STATE,,, the racers play lockdown defense allowing just 42% fgs and 26 boards for the year,, murray is 9-3su on the road.. pressure defense and player rotation keeps the racers fresh beyond the starters 5 players see 10 min or more all contributors.. TAKE MURRAY ST
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03-15-11 | Vermont +10 v. Cleveland State | 60-63 | Win | 100 | 7 h 33 m | Show | |
03-11-11 | Texas A&M +6 v. Texas | 58-70 | Loss | -105 | 9 h 26 m | Show | |
03-11-11 | UC Riverside +10 v. Long Beach State | 63-74 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 15 m | Show | |
03-11-11 | Tennessee +3.5 v. Florida | 74-85 | Loss | -105 | 7 h 15 m | Show | |
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