EZWINNER'S FREE SELECTION
Game: Pittsburgh Pirates @ Houston Astros
(955) Houston Astros -$157
(Listing Oswalt and Maholm)
The Astro's ace Roy Oswalt is starting to show signs
that he is rounding into form and the Astros bats are
starting to heat up. The Pirates just traded away their
best player and their starting pitcher Paul Maholm has
an ERA of almost five in his last three starts. The Astros
should pick up the win here.
2009 Free Selections Record 83-69 (54.6%)
Game: Pittsburgh Pirates @ Houston Astros
(955) Houston Astros -$157
(Listing Oswalt and Maholm)
The Astro's ace Roy Oswalt is starting to show signs
that he is rounding into form and the Astros bats are
starting to heat up. The Pirates just traded away their
best player and their starting pitcher Paul Maholm has
an ERA of almost five in his last three starts. The Astros
should pick up the win here.
2009 Free Selections Record 83-69 (54.6%)
Dennis Macklin
Game: #6 at Belmont Stakes
Prediction: #6
Calvin Borel looks to make history in tomorrow?s 141st running of the Belmont as the first jockey to sweep the Triple Crown Races on different horses. Borel was brilliant in guiding Mine That Bird to a 50-1 upset win in the slop at the Derby then begged off ?The Bird? to cash the Preakness with super amazon Rachel Alexandra. Saturday, Borel is reunited with Mine That Bird and is the 2-1 favorite breaking from post seven.
DMack likes #6 Charitable Man to spring a minor upset and take down the Belmont trophy. Why ??? Several reasons.
Charitable Man was considered a top two-year-old and was thought to be a major player in this year?s Triple Crown before a minor fracture set his training back to where he was unable to compete in the Derby despite having enough money on his card to qualify.
Trained by the formidable Kiaran McLaughlin who won the Blemont with Jazil, Charitable Man was clearly short finishing seventh in the Blue Grass before crushing eight opponents in the Peter Pan. He?s a big horse with excellent tactical speed and ridden by the white-hot Alan Garcia.
Not much bad to say bad about Mine That Bird but the Triple Crown Trifecta is a real grind (War Emblem, Funny Cide, Smarty Jones, Big Brown) and the recent history of the race has not been favorable to late closers. In fact, since 2000, just one horse worse than second with a quarter-mile to go went on to win the race and that horse was third and less then a length back.
IMO, hard to see Mine That Bird at least getting a piece so lets play Charitable Man to win and over a box of Miner?s Escape, Dunkirk, and Mine That Bird for your exotics.
Game: #6 at Belmont Stakes
Prediction: #6
Calvin Borel looks to make history in tomorrow?s 141st running of the Belmont as the first jockey to sweep the Triple Crown Races on different horses. Borel was brilliant in guiding Mine That Bird to a 50-1 upset win in the slop at the Derby then begged off ?The Bird? to cash the Preakness with super amazon Rachel Alexandra. Saturday, Borel is reunited with Mine That Bird and is the 2-1 favorite breaking from post seven.
DMack likes #6 Charitable Man to spring a minor upset and take down the Belmont trophy. Why ??? Several reasons.
Charitable Man was considered a top two-year-old and was thought to be a major player in this year?s Triple Crown before a minor fracture set his training back to where he was unable to compete in the Derby despite having enough money on his card to qualify.
Trained by the formidable Kiaran McLaughlin who won the Blemont with Jazil, Charitable Man was clearly short finishing seventh in the Blue Grass before crushing eight opponents in the Peter Pan. He?s a big horse with excellent tactical speed and ridden by the white-hot Alan Garcia.
Not much bad to say bad about Mine That Bird but the Triple Crown Trifecta is a real grind (War Emblem, Funny Cide, Smarty Jones, Big Brown) and the recent history of the race has not been favorable to late closers. In fact, since 2000, just one horse worse than second with a quarter-mile to go went on to win the race and that horse was third and less then a length back.
IMO, hard to see Mine That Bird at least getting a piece so lets play Charitable Man to win and over a box of Miner?s Escape, Dunkirk, and Mine That Bird for your exotics.
Nelly
San Francisco + over Florida
Andrew Miller has not quite lived up to his billing as a former top prospect. The Marlins are 3-8 in his last eleven starts Miller only has two more strikeouts than walks this season and he has averaged just over five innings per start. Miller owns a 4.76 ERA and an extremely high 1.68 WHIP on the season. Florida's bullpen has blown nine saves this season so it has not been a completely reliable unit. Recall that the Marlins started the season as the hottest team in baseball, and now is 15-29 since. San Francisco is above .500 and the Giants are a team on the rise. A good rotation and bullpen has kept the Giants in the mix early in the year and the young offense is now starting to help out as well. San Francisco is hitting .298 in the last ten games. The Giants do not have a great road record but many of those losses came early in the year and there should be an evening out of those marks in the coming weeks as the offense has shown so much improvement. Jonathan Sanchez has made three consecutive solid starts and he is perfect for facing a free-swinging Marlins team that strikes out a lot. Sanchez allows a lot of walks but Florida is not a patient team that will be able to take advantage.
San Francisco + over Florida
Andrew Miller has not quite lived up to his billing as a former top prospect. The Marlins are 3-8 in his last eleven starts Miller only has two more strikeouts than walks this season and he has averaged just over five innings per start. Miller owns a 4.76 ERA and an extremely high 1.68 WHIP on the season. Florida's bullpen has blown nine saves this season so it has not been a completely reliable unit. Recall that the Marlins started the season as the hottest team in baseball, and now is 15-29 since. San Francisco is above .500 and the Giants are a team on the rise. A good rotation and bullpen has kept the Giants in the mix early in the year and the young offense is now starting to help out as well. San Francisco is hitting .298 in the last ten games. The Giants do not have a great road record but many of those losses came early in the year and there should be an evening out of those marks in the coming weeks as the offense has shown so much improvement. Jonathan Sanchez has made three consecutive solid starts and he is perfect for facing a free-swinging Marlins team that strikes out a lot. Sanchez allows a lot of walks but Florida is not a patient team that will be able to take advantage.
Jake Timlin
In early afternoon action I like the Bluejays bury the Royals once again.
Fresh off their 9-3 win last night against Zack Greinke I fully expect for another easy win for Toronto this afternoon as Kansas City continue to suck big time.
Paving the way for the Bluejays today will be the poor play of Kansas City who with last night’s lost have dropped their last 8 games overall and 7 of their last 10 against Toronto. Also helping will be the awful pitching of Hochevar who is winless in three starts this season as the righty carries a 10 plus ERA into the Roger Center today. Richman will counter with his 4-2 record on the year which includes a 8-1 win against the Royals back in last April.
Staying true to what we know I say take the Bluejays minus the Run Line as they blast the Royals this afternoon.
3♦ Toronto Bluejays -1 ½
In early afternoon action I like the Bluejays bury the Royals once again.
Fresh off their 9-3 win last night against Zack Greinke I fully expect for another easy win for Toronto this afternoon as Kansas City continue to suck big time.
Paving the way for the Bluejays today will be the poor play of Kansas City who with last night’s lost have dropped their last 8 games overall and 7 of their last 10 against Toronto. Also helping will be the awful pitching of Hochevar who is winless in three starts this season as the righty carries a 10 plus ERA into the Roger Center today. Richman will counter with his 4-2 record on the year which includes a 8-1 win against the Royals back in last April.
Staying true to what we know I say take the Bluejays minus the Run Line as they blast the Royals this afternoon.
3♦ Toronto Bluejays -1 ½
LT Profits
Tampa Bay Rays @ New York Yankees
C.C. Sabathia is starting to live up to his fat (no pun intended) contract for the New York Yankees, while David Price is handling his transition to a starting pitcher well, so look Under in the Bronx Friday evening.
After a slow start with his new team, Sabathia is again up to his old habits, reeling off five consecutive Quality Starts. Perhaps just as importantly, he has been a workhorse, pitching at least seven innings in those five starts, which takes the shaky Yankees middle relief out of the equation here. He has been brilliant vs. the Rays, tossing seven straight Quality Starts against them.
Price was a vital member of bullpen during the amazing Rays World Series run last season, even picking up s few saves. He has always been groomed to be a starter however, and after going just 3.1 innings in his first starts this season due to a high pitch count caused by six strikeouts and five walks (he still allowed only two runs and four hits), he was stretched out a bit vs. the Minnesota Twins last Saturday.
Price went 5.2 innings that day, allowing only one run and five hits with an impressive 11 strikeouts. Sure, he will probably not go beyond six innings until he is stretched out fully, but that is not necessarily a bad thing as the Tampa Bay bullpen ranks fourth in the American League with a 3.97 ERA.
Given that Sabathia should eat up enough innings to nullify the biggest threat to this Under, the New York long relief, Under looks like the play tonight.
Pick: Rays/Yankees Under 9
Tampa Bay Rays @ New York Yankees
C.C. Sabathia is starting to live up to his fat (no pun intended) contract for the New York Yankees, while David Price is handling his transition to a starting pitcher well, so look Under in the Bronx Friday evening.
After a slow start with his new team, Sabathia is again up to his old habits, reeling off five consecutive Quality Starts. Perhaps just as importantly, he has been a workhorse, pitching at least seven innings in those five starts, which takes the shaky Yankees middle relief out of the equation here. He has been brilliant vs. the Rays, tossing seven straight Quality Starts against them.
Price was a vital member of bullpen during the amazing Rays World Series run last season, even picking up s few saves. He has always been groomed to be a starter however, and after going just 3.1 innings in his first starts this season due to a high pitch count caused by six strikeouts and five walks (he still allowed only two runs and four hits), he was stretched out a bit vs. the Minnesota Twins last Saturday.
Price went 5.2 innings that day, allowing only one run and five hits with an impressive 11 strikeouts. Sure, he will probably not go beyond six innings until he is stretched out fully, but that is not necessarily a bad thing as the Tampa Bay bullpen ranks fourth in the American League with a 3.97 ERA.
Given that Sabathia should eat up enough innings to nullify the biggest threat to this Under, the New York long relief, Under looks like the play tonight.
Pick: Rays/Yankees Under 9
