Monday 06/22/09 service plays chatter/comps/requests & gm strategy...

[Yanks]

Baseball Today

SCOREBOARD

Monday, June 22

Chicago Cubs at Atlanta (7:10 p.m. EDT). The Cubs' Ryan Dempster has gone at least six innings in all but one start this season. The Braves' Javier Vazquez is tied for the NL lead with 112 strikeouts.

STARS

Sunday

-Albert Pujols, Cardinals, hit two homers and drove in six runs, helping the Cardinals rout the Kansas City Royals 12-5 in win No. 2,500 for manager Tony La Russa.

-Nick Green, Red Sox, homered just inside the Pesky Pole in right field on the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth to give Boston a 6-5 win over Atlanta.

-Barry Zito, Giants, carried a no-hit bid into the seventh inning and helped lead San Francisco over Texas 3-2.

-Justin Verlander, Tigers, allowed two runs on five hits in 7 2-3 innings to lead Detroit to a 3-2 win over Milwaukee and improve to 8-1 since April 27.

-Lyle Overbay, Blue Jays, homered and drove in five as Toronto avoided a sweep by Washington with a 9-4 victory.

-Mark Buehrle, White Sox, pitched seven shutout innings as Chicago beat Cincinnati 4-1 and the left-hander improved to 19-6 in interleague play.

-Kevin Correia, Padres, carried a shutout into the seventh inning and combined with three relievers on a two-hitter, leading San Diego over Oakland 4-1.

POWERFUL PUJOLS

Albert Pujols hit three homers and drove in 10 runs in the St. Louis Cardinals' three-game sweep over their cross-state rivals, the Kansas City Royals. The two-time NL MVP had four hits Sunday and delivered the decisive blow in the Cardinals' eight-run fourth inning, pounding his club record-tying third grand slam of the season. He also had a run-scoring single in the first and added his major league-leading 26th homer in the fifth.

MANAGING MILESTONE

St. Louis' Tony La Russa joined Connie Mack (3,831) and John McGraw (2,763) as the only managers with 2,500 victories following a 12-5 win over Kansas City on Sunday. La Russa is 2,500-2,177 in 31 years as a big league manager with the Chicago White Sox, Oakland and St. Louis.

SLUMPING CHAMPS

The World Series champion Phillies have lost a season-worst six straight, getting swept at home in consecutive interleague series by Toronto and Baltimore, including a 2-1 loss Sunday. Philadelphia fell to 13-22 at home, but the Phillies are a major league-best 23-9 on the road.

ROCKIN' ROBERTS

Baltimore's Brian Roberts had the decisive hit for the second straight game, a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning Sunday that helped the Orioles to a three-game sweep of Philadelphia. Roberts hit an RBI single off Cole Hamels (4-3) that made it 2-1 and sent the Orioles to their fifth straight win. Roberts hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth off Ryan Madson in a 6-5 win Saturday night.

OOPS

Arizona's Tony Clark dropped a routine throw to first base Sunday, allowing Ronny Cedeno to score the winning run for Seattle with two outs in the ninth inning. Chad Qualls got Franklin Gutierrez to ground slowly toward third where Mark Reynolds charged, fielded cleanly and fired a perfect throw to Clark. The ball hit Clark's mitt in the palm and popped out for an error, giving Seattle a 3-2 win.

RED-HOT ROCKIES

Colorado completed a sweep of Pittsburgh on Sunday, beating the Pirates for their 16th victory in 17 games. Since having their 11-game winning streak snapped, the Rockies have won five straight. They improved to 18-5 under manager Jim Tracy, who took over when Clint Hurdle was fired.

OUTTA HERE ... AGAIN

Atlanta manager Bobby Cox was ejected for the 145th time - increasing his major league record - when J.D. Drew gave Boston a short-lived 5-4 lead Sunday with an RBI single in the seventh one pitch after he took a pitch that appeared to be over the plate for a third strike. Cox came out of the dugout, argued and was thrown out by plate umpire Bill Hohn. Pitcher Eric O'Flaherty and third baseman Chipper Jones were also tossed. Boston won 6-5.

WHO'S IN LEFT?

New York manager Joe Girardi protested the Yankees' 6-5 loss to Florida on Sunday because of a mixup with the Marlins lineup in the eighth inning. Chris Coghlan was removed in a double switch, but took his position in left field anyway. Leo Nunez threw a pitch, then Girardi came out to protest. After about a 5-minute delay, Coghlan was removed, Jeremy Hermida went to left field and the Yankees played the rest of the game under protest.

STREAKS STOPPED

Philadelphia's Ryan Howard sat out the Phillies' 2-1 loss to Baltimore on Sunday after spending another night in the hospital with flu symptoms, ending his streak of 343 straight games played since May 25, 2007. It was the longest active streak in the majors. ... Minnesota's Justin Morneau had his first day off since June 27, 2007, ending his streak of 319 consecutive games played that was second in the majors to Howard's. San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez played in his 275th consecutive game to take over the lead among active players.

SIDELINED

Struggling Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka went on the 15-day disabled list Sunday with a mild shoulder strain and could be sidelined much longer. ... Plate umpire Jerry Crawford left the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets in the second inning because of lower back pain. Both teams were pulled off the field during a 14-minute delay while first-base umpire Scott Barry went inside to put on protective equipment. ... CC Sabathia left the New York Yankees' game against Florida in the second inning with tightness in his left biceps. The team said Sabathia is day to day and that no tests are planned. ... St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Khalil Greene limped off the field after being hit by a pitch on the right knee against the Kansas City Royals. Following the Cardinals' 12-5 victory, Greene said he'll be fine.

SPEAKING

"He does it over and over again and it's impossible to describe how great he is. Albert's amazing.'' - St. Louis manager Tony La Russa on Albert Pujols, who hit two homers and had six RBIs in the Cardinals' 12-5 rout of Kansas City on Sunday. Pujols hit three homers and drove in 10 runs in the Cardinals' three-game sweep of their cross-state rivals.

 

[Yanks]

Marc Lawrence

Bonus Play

Colorado Rockies at Los Angeles Angels

Monday, June 22nd, 10:05 PM ET

The Rockies open a 3-game series with the Angels when they send Aaron Cook to the hill in Los Angeles Monday night. Cook enter tonight fray with a sharp 3-1 record in his last four road team starts with a 1.86 ERA, issuing 4 walks against 16 strikeouts in those games. He also won his only other start in this park against the Halos in Interleague play back in 2006. With the Angels in off a big series with their inter city rival Dodgers, we'll back Cook and the Rockies here tonight. Good luck - Marc Lawrence.

Play on: Colorado

 

[Yanks]

Platinum Plays

Free Selection

CWS: TEXAS LONGHORNS + 115 Over the LSU Tigers

 

[Yanks]

Harry Doyle Sports

Free Selection

CWS: LSU - 135

 

[Yanks]

Dominic Fazzini

Bonus Play

After a 3-6 road trip through Baltimore, Cincinnati and Boston, and eight losses in their last 11 games, the Braves probably couldn’t be happier to return home and try to regroup.

Meanwhile, the Cubs are starting a 10-game road trip after winning four straight at home, where their offense began to heat up, scoring 26 runs and batting .272 in those four wins.

But while Wrigley Field has been a friendly place for the Cubs, the road has not been as kind. Chicago has lost 10 of its last 14 on the road, and is 13-18 overall away from Wrigley.

Atlanta starter Javier Vazquez (4-6, 3.92 ERA) hasn’t won in three June starts, but his ERA is a solid 2.86 in those outings. And while Vazquez has lost his last three decisions and Atlanta is winless in his last five starts, the offense has provided just eight runs for him in that stretch.

Cubs starter Ryan Dempster (4-4, 3.92) has pitched pretty well on the road this season, with a 3.76 ERA over eight starts, and has a 1.89 ERA in his last three outings, but he is 2-10 with a 5.31 ERA against the Braves.

Today’s game is a makeup of a rained-out game from June 4, so the Cubs have to travel from Chicago to Atlanta to Detroit over three days. The Cubs are 8-4 in their last 12 games at Turner Field, but the hectic travel schedule is bound to interfere with the team’s performance. It’s time for Vazquez’s luck to change. Go with the Braves to get it going back at home.

(Based on a 1? to 5? scale)

2? ATLANTA

 

[joe361]

Dominic Fazzini or Fazini Bonus Play

After a 3-6 road trip through Baltimore, Cincinnati and Boston, and eight losses in their last 11 games, the Braves probably couldn’t be happier to return home and try to regroup.<o></o>
Meanwhile, the Cubs are starting a 10-game road trip after winning four straight at home, where their offense began to heat up, scoring 26 runs and batting .272 in those four wins.<o></o>
But while Wrigley Field has been a friendly place for the Cubs, the road has not been as kind. Chicago has lost 10 of its last 14 on the road, and is 13-18 overall away from Wrigley.<o></o>
Atlanta starter Javier Vazquez (4-6, 3.92 ERA) hasn’t won in three June starts, but his ERA is a solid 2.86 in those outings. And while Vazquez has lost his last three decisions and Atlanta is winless in his last five starts, the offense has provided just eight runs for him in that stretch.<o></o>
Cubs starter Ryan Dempster (4-4, 3.92) has pitched pretty well on the road this season, with a 3.76 ERA over eight starts, and has a 1.89 ERA in his last three outings, but he is 2-10 with a 5.31 ERA against the Braves.<o></o>
Today’s game is a makeup of a rained-out game from June 4, so the Cubs have to travel from Chicago to Atlanta to Detroit over three days. The Cubs are 8-4 in their last 12 games at Turner Field, but the hectic travel schedule is bound to interfere with the team’s performance. It’s time for Vazquez’s luck to change. Go with the Braves to get it going back at home
.

(Based on a 1? to 5? scale)​

2? ATLANTA

 

[Yanks]

Matt Fargo

Free Pick

GAME: Colorado Rockies @ Los Angeles Angels

MLB

PICK: Colorado Rockies


REASON FOR PICK: This line is on the low side for a home game for the Angels and the public is biting. Los Angeles dropped its last two games in its series against the Dodgers and that halted a seven-game winning streak. Matt Palmer gets the call for the Angels and he is looking to stay undefeated on the season. He has been pitching very well of late but his undefeated record is mostly due to good fortunes as opposed to stellar pitching. In his nine starts, only four have been quality outings while in four of his other starts he has allowed four runs or more. His last three starts have been quality outings but all have come against weak offenses which will not be the case tonight. Colorado remains red hot and it is a team that is simply finding ways to win. The Rockies have now won five straight games and are 16-1 over their last 17 games. This includes wins in eight straight road games. During this stretch, the offense has averaged 6.3 rpg but it is the pitching that has been the big catalyst as the Rockies have allowed only 3.5 rpg over those 17 games. One pitcher who has been part of this success is Aaron Cook who is starting to throw like he did in 2008. He has tossed three straight quality outings while posting a 2.14 ERA over that span. His overall ERA has come down to 4.23 and is is that high due to two rough outings in his first three starts this season. Take those out and his last 11 starts have resulted in a very healthy 3.18 ERA. The Rockies are 6-1 in Cook’s last seven starts against a team with a winning record and on the season, Colorado is 12-5 in its 17 road games against teams with a winning record.

3* Colorado Rockies

 

[Yanks]

Big Al McMordie

Bonus Play

Colorado is as hot as they come in the majors right now with 16 wins in their last 17 games, but the Angels will knock the Rockies down on Monday night in Anaheim.
Our Monday night MLB interleague selection is on the Los Angeles Angels at home over the Colorado Rockies.


The two hottest teams in Major League Baseball meet in what should be a very interesting three-game series. Colorado is the hotter of the two, as the Rockies are in the midst of a 16-1 stretch. But despite this recent run of success the edge tonight has to go to the Angels, the main reason being their starter Matt Palmer, aka Mr. Clutch.

After going winless (0-2) as a starter for the Giants in 2008, his rookie season, Palmer is unbeaten this year at 6-0, making him undefeated in his career as an AL starter. In his last game (against his former club, San Francisco), Palmer didn't get a decision but the Angels got the victory against last year's NL Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum.

Tonight's mound opponent isn't as good as Lincecum, so I expect the Angels to handle Aaron Cook despite the Rockies' current hot streak. More telling than their recent 16-1 tear is the fact that the Rockies are 2-7 in their last nine games against the Angels. Take Palmer and Los Angeles.

Free Pick: Angels +100

 

[Yanks]

IndianCowboy


Monday's Comp Selection


Back to Back Comp Winners. Take Under 9 between the Colorado Rockies @ LA Angels (Monday @ 10pm est). The Rockies are as hot as you can get right now as they have improved their record to 36-33. Part of the reason why is their pitching has been stellar as their rotation just contniues to exceed expectations. Cook is 3-0 over his past three starts during this hot streak as he has given up just 5 runs over his past 21 innings of work (Tampa Bay, @ Milwaukee, @ St. Louis). The Kentucky native has dropped his era to 4.23 and I expect him to continue to pitch well today. Matt Palmer has been lights out himself as he has still yet to pick up a loss all year as he is 6-0 with a 4.13 era. The Southwest Missouri State grad has been solid at home of late giving up just 3 runs in 13 innings and although this game features some quality hitters, I like the Under today as both pitchers are pitching well coming into this game. The Udner is 10-2-1 for the Rockies as an Underdog of this margin and the Under is 7-3 for the Halos when they face a winning team at home.

 

[Yanks]

Bob Harvey

Bonus Play

Albert Pujols just about beat the Royals singlehandedly over the weekend, and now the Cardinals slugger sets his sights on Tim Redding and the Mets at Citi Field on Monday.
Have you seen the television commercials that proclaim, "So easy a caveman can do it?" That’s exactly how I feel about suggesting playing the Cardinals tonight against the Mets.

I’ve got two words: Albert Pujols. He is a beast and is literally a one-man wrecking crew. There’s absolutely no truth to the rumor that the Kansas City Royals personally drove him to the airport and made sure he got on the first plane out of town after St. Louis' three-game weekend sweep at Kauffman Stadium.

Pujols, who went to high school in KC, shredded the Royals pitching staff hitting three home runs and driving in 10 runs in the three game series. He hit two homers on Sunday’s 12-5 Cards win, including a grand slam, his third of the year. Prince Albert has slugged eight homers in his last 10 games and teams are struggling to get him out.

Tonight it’s the Mets turn to try and slow down the Cardinals “Big Bird.” But New York starter Tim Redding is probably not the answer. Pujols is hitting .407 against Redding with one homer and five doubles. Overall Redding, is 2-5 with a 5.69 ERA against St. Louis.

New York pitchers have been getting shelled lately. The staff ERA is 5.48 over the last 16 games of which the Mets have lost 10.

St. Louis starter Todd Wellemeyer has been no great shakes either, compiling a record of 6-6 with an ERA of 5.36.

The Cards swept the first three-game series against the Mets in April with the two teams combining for 37 runs. And that was before Albert got really hot. I’ve seen the Cards at +101 to -108. I’m definitely on the Redbirds tonight hoping I can get them at even money or better. It appears the public is on the Under 9½, but I’m waiting (hoping) for a 9 to pop up somewhere later today.

Free Pick: Cardinals +101

 

[Yanks]

Rocketman

Bonus Play

Chicago Cubs @ Atlanta

Play: Atlanta

Chicago Cubs are 482-507 -116.9 units since 1997 after a win. Cubs are scoring only 3.9 runs per game on the road this year and they have a team batting average of .233 away from home. Dempster is 1-3 on the road this year. Vazquez has a 3.41 ERA overall this year and a 2.86 ERA his last 3 starts. Dempster is 2-8 with a 5.23 ERA overall vs Atlanta since 1997. We'll recommend a small play on Atlanta tonight!

 

[Yanks]

Jr Tips

Bonus Play

COLORADO ROCKIES vs. LA ANGELS

The Los Angeles Angels (36-31) cooled off slightly over the weekend after their longest winning streak of the season but the Colorado Rockies have yet to show any signs of slowing down. Tonight, the Colorado Rockies (36-33) will try to win for the 17th time in 18 games. The Rockies had their 11-game run snapped Tuesday against Tampa Bay, but have won their last five contests, including a three-game home sweep of Pittsburgh over the weekend. Colorado is 7-2 in interleague play and Aaron Cook (6-3, 4.23 ERA) won his third consecutive outing. Cook gave up three runs and eight hits over seven innings Wednesday in a 5-3 victory over the Rays tying the franchise lead in wins with 58. Los Angeles will be trying to avoid losing three straight for the first time since being swept at Texas from May 15-17. The Angels left 12 runners on base Sunday in a 5-3 loss that dropped the Angels to 9-3 in interleague play.For the Angels, Matt Palmer (6-0, 4.13) is on the hill. Palmer has won just once in his last five outings after winning his first five starts, but he was solid Wednesday at San Francisco, allowing three runs over 6 1/3 innings. Palmer has been shakey of late and he will be facing Cook who has been stellar. The hot Colorado will guarantee you at least four runs tonight and that's all they will need to get the win against the Angeles.

TAKE COLORADO +110

 

[Yanks]

Sports Gambling Hotline

Bonus Play

Cubs +130 at ATLANTA

Write-in game tonight at the Ted, and we will ride the suddenly humming Cubs to notch another win.

Call it luck, call it whatever you want, but the Cubbies have now won 4 in a row, and 5 of their last 6 as they head to HOT-lanta for this makeup game tonight.

Atlanta dropped their last pair at Fenway Park, and they have lost 6 of their last 8 overall.

Since last year, the Cubbies are 7-2 against the Braves, and starter Ryan Dempster did pitch Chicago to one of those wins, going the route last July while allowing only 2 runs to score.

The Braves will go with Javier Vazquez who has just pitched into some bad luck of late, and is 0-2 over his last 3 starts with 7 runs allowed in 22 innings of work.

For the year, Vazquez is just 1-4 at home, and his last 4 starts against the North Siders show an 0-1 mark with 15 runs allowed in 24 innings of work.

Play on the Cubs to extend the winning streak.

3* CUBS

 

[Yanks]

Bobby Maxwell

Bonus Play

Chicago Cubs +125 at ATLANTA

The Cubs finished off their homestand in style, winning the final four games before embarking on this 10-game road trip that starts tonight in Atlanta. We're going to play the Cubs to keep up the good offensive work and steal this one in Atlanta.

Chicago has scored 26 runs in their last four games and hit .272 as they capped a three-game sweep of the Indians with a 6-2 win on Sunday. Now these Cubbies go to Atlanta where they play well and average 6.2 runs per game and where they've won eight of their last 12 games.

Atlanta is coming back home after a nine-game roadie that saw them go 3-6. Overall, they've lost eight of 11 and had a heart-breaking loss Sunday in Boston, losing on a ninth-inning walkoff homer from Nick Green.

Ryan Dempster (4-4, 3.92 ERA) goes for the Cubs and he has been pitching great lately, compiling a 1.89 ERA in his last three, but not getting any suppot from the offense who has only scored two runs for him in those three games. In his lone start against the Braves last year, he threw a four-hitter with 11 strikeouts in a 7-2 win.

Javier Vazquez (4-6, 3.92) is on the mound or the Braves and he has lost his last three decisions with the Braves losing his last five starts. Career-wise, Vazquez is 3-4 with a 5.17 ERA against Chicago.

We'll play the Cubs in this one to keep their offense on fire and get us an easy winner.

3* CHICAGO CUBS

 

[Yanks]

Karl Garrett

Free Pick

Colorado +130 at LA ANGELS

Easy Sunday winner from the G-Man on the Milwaukee-Detroit game UNDER the total. Now 5-1 the last 6 days for FREE!

Small card on Monday night, but how can I go against the Colorado Rockies right now?

Colorado just swept the Pirates, as their new winning streak stands at 5 in a row. Overall, the Rockies have won 16 of their last 17 games, and starter Aaron Cook is humming along as a huge part of the uptick, winning his last 3 starts, allowing 5 runs over his last 21 innings of work.

The Angels Matt Palmer is now 6-0 since joning the rotation, but you have to wonder how much longer his perfection is going to keep up? My guess is that it ends tonight against the red-hot Rocks.

The Halos just battled the Dodgers hard over the weekend, and they were the last team on the field on Sunday. Look for LA to be just a bit fatigued, and for Colorado to make it 6 in a row, and 17 of 18 with the win on Monday.

G-Man rolling with the Rockies!

4* COLORADO

 

[Yanks]

Frank Jordan

Bonus Play

San Francisco Giants vs. Oakland Athletics
Play: San Francisco Giants

This is the battle of the bay part two. San Francisco is coming off a great weekend sweeping the Rangers in three tight games. Oakland on the other hand failed to complete the sweep of San Diego as they dropped the game yesterday 4-1. The pitching match up for this game isn't that great as the combined records are 6-12. In this one look for the bats and the bullpens to decide things with the Giants prevailing in the end to extend their winning streak.

Play San Francisco

 

[Yanks]

Red Dog Sports

Free Pick

Colorado at Los Angeles Angels

Play: Angels

The Colorado Rockies have been hot but go on the road to face the Angels. The Angels are 8-1 in their last 9 and have won 7 of the last 9 meetings. The Rockies are just 6-8 when Cook starts while the Angels are 8-1 in Palmer's starts. The Angels are 18-13 at home and look for them to improve that record on Monday night!

 

[Yanks]

MTi Sports

Bonus Play

Chicago Cubs at Atlanta Braves

Prediction: Atlanta Braves

The Cubs are 0-6 as an underdog vs a team that has a worse record and 0-7 THIS season when Ryan Dempster starts and he is off a quality start. Atlanta is 20-4 as a favorite in the first game of a series when they are off a loss in which they held the lead.

 

[Yanks]

Michael Cannon

Bonus Play

Chicago Cubs +125 at ATLANTA

That’s four straight free winners after the Red Sox get the win yesterday over the Braves!

Let’s go against Atlanta again tonight, this time with the Cubs as they visit Turner Field.

Ryan Dempster will start for the Cubs and I know he hasn’t enjoyed much success against the Braves in his career, but he’s pitching lights out recently and I expect the Cubs to come through with enough run support to get him the win.

The right-hander is 0-1 in his last three starts but has a 1.89 ERA in that span.

Besides, with Javier Vazquez starting for Atlanta it isn’t like the Braves will be knocking the cover off the ball. Vazquez has also pitched well recently, and for much of the year for that matter, but the right-hander seems to be snake bit and can’t buy a win. He’s 4-6 on the year despite a 3.41 ERA and is 0-2 in his last three starts even though he has a 2.86 ERA in that span.

Let’s take the Cubs as they grab the road win.

3* CHICAGO CUBS

 

[Yanks]

John Ryan

Bonus Play

San Francisco Giants vs. Oakland Athletics:

Oakland Athletics -152


Ai Simulator 3* graded play on Oakland as the host SF in IL play slated to start at 10:05 EST. Supporting this graded play is a system that has gone 120-46 making 50.1 units since 2003. The average play has been a -153 favorite. Play on home favorites with a money line of -110 or higher stranding 6.9 or less runners on base per game on the season facing an opponent with a cold starting pitcher whose WHIP >= 2.000 over his last 3 starts. Oakland is in a grerat role noting they are 69-29 (+27.9 Units) against the money line in home games vs. a starting pitcher with poor control (more than 2.75 BB's/start) since 1997; 14-4 (+10.4 Units) against the money line in home games versus a starting pitcher whose gives up 5.5 or less hits/start over the last 2 seasons. SF not in a good role for a win noting they are just 18-38 (-20.5 Units) against the money line after 6 or more consecutive home games over the last 3 seasons. Oakland starter Cahill has pitched well this season sporting a 3.89 ERA and allowed a 260 BA. Even better in home games posting a 3.67 ERA and a 253 BA. In 4 June starts he has posted a 2.63 ERA and 222 BA.

Take Oakland.