COMPS:
Dave Cokin Comp
(929) NEW YORK YANKEES
(930) SEATTLE MARINERS
Take "(929) NEW YORK YANKEES"
JIM FEIST COMP
(927) LOS ANGELES ANGELS
(928) OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Take "Under"
Oakland is a large, pitcher-friendly park, which partly explains why the A's have no offense, 12th in the AL in runs scored. Scott Kazmir has a 1.42 ERA against light hitting Oakland this season, while veteran Ben Sheets has a 3.67 career ERA against the Angels. Oakland has been on a strong run under the total the last 3 weeks and this one shapes up as a defensive duel. Play the Angels/A's under the total.
Golden contender
On Saturday the Free MLB Play is on the San Francisco Giants. Game 905 at 7:05 eastern. The Giants qualify in a nice system here tonight. What we want to do is play on certain road favorites off a road dog loss of 5 or more runs with 4 or less hits if the total was 8 or less. These road favs have done well the past few years. The Giants have controlled the series the past years including 6-2 this year. The Giants are averaging 7 runs per game over the past 7 games. In the pitching department J. Sanchez for the Giants has better overall numbers then Washington starter C. Stammen. Look for the Giants to bounce back from last nights debacle and get the win. On Saturday I have 2 night games, including the NL Total of the Month backed with a Huge 94% Totals system. The other play is a side from a Big MLB Dominator system. Friday card sweeps,as the roll in bases continues. Jump on Saturday. For the Bonus Play take the San Francisco Giants. BOL GC
Jack Clayton
Bonus Play
Sport: MLB
Game: Red Sox at Blue Jays
Date/Time: 7/10/2010 7:00PM EST
Pick: Under the total
JIMMY BOYD
Bonus Play
1 Unit on Texas Rangers -310
I expect Cliff Lee's impact to be immediate with the Rangers in his first start for them. The Rangers already have one of the top offenses in the league, averaging 5.2 runs per game and hitting .280 as a team. At home they average 6.0 runs per game and hit .300 collectively. Now they add an Ace like Cliff Lee to the mix and they should find themselves winning Saturday, particularly against a poor offensive team like Baltimore, who averages just 3.4 runs per game and hits .249 as a team on the road. This is a huge number, but it's well worth the risk for 1 unit, as the Rangers have everything working for them in this situation.
MIKEY SPORTS
Texas Rangers-310
Free MLB Play
PURE LOCK
Milwaukee Brewers-174
Free MLB Play
R&R TOTALS
Cleveland Indians vs. Tampa Bay Rays Total
9 under-110
Free MLB Over-Under
Chuck O'Brien Comp
Saturday’s complimentary selection comes in A.L. Central action, as I’ll lay the price with the Tigers against the Twins.
Detroit pounded the Twins 7-3 last night and has now won four in a row, six of seven and 17 of 25. And going back to June 2, the Tigers are 16-2 at Comerica Park, pushing their home record to 31-12 for the season.
Going the opposite direction are the Twins, who have dropped three in a row, five of their last six and 11 of their last 16. Lately, Minnesota’s pitching has been the main culprit, surrendering 42 runs during the ongoing 1-5 slump.
Speaking of crappy pitching, Twins right-hander Nick Blackburn is 1-5 with a 9.28 ERA in seven starts since June 1 (Minnesota also dropped his one no-decision). On Sunday at home, Blackburn got torched for seven runs on nine hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings, losing 7-4 to Tampa Bay. And on the road this year, Blackburn has been a disaster, going 2-5 with a 9.40 ERA and allowing nine home runs in 37 1/3 innings.
Like Blackburn, Detroit right-hander Jeremy Bonderman has struggled lately (1-2, 8.27 ERA), but he’s been solid at home this year (3.52 ERA, 1.15 WHIP). And that includes Sunday’s 8-1 loss to Cliff Lee and the Mariners (Bonderman gave up seven runs in five innings; prior to that he had allowed only 11 earned runs in 41 home innings).
The home team has dominated this rivalry this year, going 8-2 in 10 meetings, and going back to last year, the host is 14-5 when the Tigers and Twins hook up.
4? DETROIT (LISTED PITCHERS)
Bobby Maxwell
Bonus Play
Today, I'm coming with a FREE winner on the Twins as they take on the Tigers in Detroit in Game 2 of this series.
Even with the loss on Friday, the Twins have still taken five of the last seven meetings with the Tigers and I expect them to get today’s victory behind Nick Blackburn (7-6, 6.00 ERA).
Blackburn has already faced the Tigers twice this season and gotten the win both times, pitching a complete game on May 4 in a 4-3 victory and then going seven innings in an 11-4 victory on June 29. He’s led the Twins to four straight wins over the Tigers dating back to last year, and his start in Detroit last September he gave up one run in seven innings of a 3-2 victory.
Jeremy Bonderman (4-6, 4.81 ERA) is on the hill for Detroit and he’s just 1-2 in his last three games with an 8.27 ERA. He started at home on Sunday against the Mariners and was torched for seven runs on nine hits in five innings of an 8-1 loss. He’s given up 15 runs in his last three games (16.1 innings) and he needed big offense to beat the Twins back on June 28 when he allowed four runs in 5.1 innings but Detroit won 7-5.
Minnesota is on streaks of 5-2 on Saturdays and 41-17 against A.L. Central teams. Detroit is on slides of 2-9 when Bonderman faces a winning team and 1-5 when he gets five days off.
I’ll back Blackburn in this one as Bonderman has looked just awful lately. Grab the plus-money and go with the Twins today.
2? MINNESOTA
BRETT ATKINS
Bonus Play
I'll get you back on the winning track tonight with a free winner on the Cardinals as they take on the Astros in Houston in Game 2 of this series.
Look for the Cardinals to make it two in a row over the Astros tonight, especially as easy as it was for them on Friday in the series opener.
The road team has won five straight in this series and St. Louis is coming in with streaks of 6-1 in the second game of a series, 17-6 when Jeff Suppan starts the second game of a series and 7-3 when he pitches on Saturday.
Houston is on slides of 5-22 on Saturdays, 2-6 at home against winning teams and 1-5 against teams with winning records.
Suppan has held each of his last four opponents to three earned runs or less, but his offense has let him down. He has dominated the Astros lately, leading his teams to wins in six of his last seven appearances against Houston and last year he led the Brewers to three wins against the Astros.
Play St. Louis in this one.
2? ST. LOUIS (on a 1? to 5?)
JEFF BENTON
Bonus Play
Scored my third straight freebie winner Friday as the Marlins held off Arizona. I’m now on a 102-68-2 roll with plays that I’m giving away! For Saturday, we’ll take a shot with the Indians as a huge road underdog at Tampa Bay.
First of all, the Rays have hardly been money in the bank when playing at Tropicana Field this season. After getting hammered 9-2 by the Indians last night, Tampa Bay is now just 24-20 on its own turf, and prior to sweeping the Red Sox to start this week, the Rays had lost three straight home series, one to a decent team (San Diego), one to a mediocre team (Florida) and one to a terrible team (Arizona).
Tonight, the Rays hand the ball to Matt Garza, who is in a bit of a tricky spot here. On Wednesday, Garza was called upon to close out a 6-4 win over the Red Sox, throwing 20 pitches to get two outs (he allowed a hit and a walk). Although it was regular between-starts throwing day, it was a pressure situation and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there was some lingering effects when Garza takes the mound tonight. As it is, Garza has been mediocre since the start of June – although he’s 4-1 in seven appearances (six starts), he’s given up 25 runs in 31 1/3 innings (7.18 ERA).
As for Indians lefty Aaron Laffey, he’s coming off consecutive strong outings against two powerful offenses (Texas and Toronto), allowing three runs (two earned) in 10 1/3 innings, with Cleveland prevailing 3-1 versus the Blue Jays and 9-3 at the Rangers. And while the Rays are 1-3 in Garza’s last four starts against the Indians (6.96 ERA), Laffey rolled to a 13-2 win in his lone career start against Tampa Bay in 2008, allowing both runs on four hits in six innings.
Finally, with Laffey being a southpaw, it’s interesting to note that the Rays hit just .242 against lefties this season (.246 at home).
(based on a 1? to a 10? Rating)
3? CLEVELAND INDIANS
POINTSPREAD LIGHTNING
Saturdays Bonus Play is the BoSox.
CONSENSUS AMERICA
SATURDAYS Bonus Play IS BOS-TOR game over the Total
STEVE MERRIL
Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago White Sox Total
9 over
Bonus Play
For the third straight time, Brian Bannister and Gavin Floyd will face off against each other as the White Sox host the Royals. Bannister is 1-2 with a 9.69 ERA against the White Sox so far this season. Those are approximately his career numbers against Chicago as his ERA is 7.97 in 15 outings against them. A.J. Pierzynski (13-31), Alexei Ramirez (8-20), Alex Rios (6-13), Carlos Quentin (5-12), Juan Pierre (3-9), Mark Kotsay (4-7), Andruw Jones (2-5), and Dayan Viciedo (1-2) all hit the righty well. The White Sox have scored 27 runs so far in their 5-game homestand, and they are hitting over .280 as a team in their past eight games.
Gavin Floyd is 1-2 with a 6.16 ERA in three starts against the Royals. The righty has given up 14 runs and 30 hits over 19 innings pitched against them. Floyd is 2-7 with a 5.40 ERA in 10 overall career starts against Kansas City. David DeJesus (9-32), Billy Butler (7-24), Mike Aviles (6-19), Alberto Callaspo (6-17), Yuniesky Betancourt (6-16), Scott Podsednik (3-10), Jason Kendall (2-7), Mitch Maier (2-7), Willie Bloomquist (1-3), and Chris Getz (2-3) all have the most success against Floyd. The Royals have now gone Over in 21 of their 33 games against A.L. Central opponents, and they’ve also gone Over in four of their last five games overall. We expect another high-scoring game here so we’ll recommend a play on the Over between the Royals and White Sox tonight.
Derek Mancini
Bonus Play
Easy Bonus Play winner with Boston routing Toronto 14-3 last night! N.L. action Saturday with the Arizona hosting Florida in the 3rd game of their 4-game set tonight.
Not been pretty of late for the Snakes, who are the midst of a 1-6 slide, with all those games being played at Chase Field. However, with that being said, I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel in this match up, and that's thanks to the tired arm of Nate Robertson (6-6, 4.94 ERA).
After just 49 2/3 innings last season due to injury, Robertson has managed to stay healthy this year, amassing 89 1/3 innings. But that's not necessarily a good thing, being that he's clearly starting to fatigue, and his numbers prove it: 2-2 with a 7.12 ERA over his L6 starts. He's had real trouble on the road this season (5.28 ERA away), including terrible efforts at the Mets and Orioles in the last month.
Ian Kennedy (3-7, 4.16 ERA) hasn't been much better lately, but the one thing you can hang your hat on, is he's been far more effective at Chase Field. He's posted a solid 3.47 ERA at home this season (WHIP of 1.03), and after giving up a career worst 7 runs in his last one, I expect he'll be looking to bounce back strong tonight. Prior to his implosion vs the Cubs, he posted 5 straight quality efforts at home.
Lay it with Arizona tonight, as they get a strong bounce back effort from Ian Kennedy. Snakes offense hasn't been great lately, but a match up against a tired Robertson is just what they need to get going again. Arizona (Kennedy) over Florida (Robertson) Saturday.
3? ARIZONA
Stephen Nover Comp
I am 37-22-1 on my past 60 complimentary selections following Friday's no-play on the Yankees-Mariners matchup with the traded Cliff Lee an obvious scratch.
But I did cash on my lone paid selection Friday, a 30-dime winner on the Tigers, and am looking forward to my 35-dime winner tonight.
After missing all of last season due to elbow surgery, Oakland's Ben Sheet finally is getting his stamina and fastball back. He went a season-high 7 1/3 innings versus the Yankees in his last start. He has 17 strikeouts in his past three starts.
Sheets hasn't given up more than four earned runs during any of his last 12 starts. That consistency should be enough to beat the Angels and a struggling Scott Kazmir.
Kazmir is much worse than his 7-8 record. His 5.98 ERA is indicative of that. But even that high ERA doesn't explain how bad Kazmir has become.
Kazmir has always relied on a slider that was one of the best in the American League. But he's lost that pitch, which has forced him to become more of a nibbler than a thrower. He is struggling to make that adjustment.
The last time Kazmir's average pitch per inning count was less than 17 1/2 was back in May. He has been brutal in his last three starts. During this span, Kazmir has surrendered 17 runs in just 14 2/3 innings throwing 284 pitches.
2? OAKLAND (WITH BOTH PITCHERS LISTED)
EZWINNERS COMP
(908) Philadelphia Phillies -$220
The Phillies send their ace pitcher Roy Halliday to the mound for this start against the Reds. Halladay continues to throw complete games on a regular basis and has been a work horse for Philadelphia keeping the suspect Phillies bullpen out of his games. Halliday has now thrown seven complete games this season and has lasted at least seven innings in fifteen of his eighteen starts. Halliday's ERA is only 2.33 this year and his strikeout to walk ratio is a ridiculous 119 to 17. I don't see anything changing as I expect him to pitch another outstanding game here as well. Cincinnati sends their rookie pitcher Travis Wood to the mound for this game at Philadelphia. Wood looks to have a bright future, but I don't expect him to out duel Doc Halladay in this match up. Wood's margin for error is very small and I expect the Philadelphia bats to do enough damage for the Phillies to pick up the win here. The Reds are only 5-12 in their last seventeen meetings with the Phillies. Play on Philadelphia.
MARC LAWRENCE COMP
Play On: Oakland w/Sheets vs Kazmir
Note: The A's and Angels meet in Game Two of this three-game weekend set in Oakland tonight when Ben Sheets matches serves with Scott Kazmir. Sheets takes the mound having cashed in four of his last six home team starts and 10 of his last 16 team starts during July. On the flip side, Kazmir is 3-10 in his career team starts on the road during the month of July. Back the better arm here this evening. We recommend a 1-unit play on Oakland.
BIG AL COMP
At 8:10 pm, our complimentary selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the San Diego Padres. Look up the term "smoke and mirrors" in the dictionary and you should see Wade Leblanc's picture. The 25-year-old lefthander for San Diego who is now in his third MLB season, has somehow put up an ERA of 3.10 after 15 starts, despite a K-to-BB ratio of just 58:33 and a WHIP of over 1.4. Leblanc doesn't throw hard and obviously benefits from his home ballpark, Petco, which has been one of the most pitcher-friendly venues in the Majors for the past several years. Leblanc has a won-lost record of just 4-6 and although the Padres have a 9-6 record in his 15 starts, it should be noted that four of those victories were against the Diamondbacks, Orioles, Mariners, and Astros. Righthander Jason Hammel will get the start for the Rockies and after a very rocky start (no pun intended) which saw Hammel with a 2-3 record and ridiculous 6.93 ERA through April and May, this guy has really settled down in a big way since then and has become perhaps the second ace of the staff (after All-Star Ubaldo Jimenez). It remains to be seen if he can keep it up, but the Rocks certainly don't mind putting him out there every five days to find out and this is a critical series for the Rockies heading into the break as they sit tied with the Dodgers three games behind this Padres team. Hammel just beat the Padres and Leblanc 6-3 in San Diego and now he gets to try and repeat that feat at home. Take the Rockies. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
SEAN MURPHY COMP
This play is on Uruguay +1 goal -170 in regulation time only.
The Germans are saying all the right things (most of them at least), but I think they're going to be hard pressed to stir up enough emotion to win this match handily.
The 1-0 loss to Spain was obviously an extremely bitter defeat. Germany is still pondering what could have been had it not elected to sit back and wait for a Spanish mistake rather than go on the attack.
Germany did win the third place game at the World Cup four years ago, but I feel that this edition of the squad had set a much loftier goal for itself late in the tournament. This group knows that it let a tremendous opportunity slip away, and given the youth on the team, I'm not convinced they'll regroup in time for Saturday's contest.
For Uruguay, there was disappointment in losing to the Netherlands in the semi-final, but this is a team that had already exceeded expectations. Who would have thought that they would be the last South American team standing in the semi-finals.
The Uruguayans would have needed all hands on deck to take down an attacking Holland squad on Tuesday, and the absence of Luis Suarez was certainly a major factor in their defeat. Suarez will of course be back on the pitch on Saturday, and all indications are that we'll see all hands on deck from the Uruguayan side.
By contrast, German boss Joachim Loew has indicated that he may give his reserves some additional playing time as a reward for their readiness here in South Africa.
There are injury issues on both sides, as Miroslav Klose and Diego Forlan are hoping to play, but probably won't be at 100%. There's also been rumblings that German forward Lucas Podolski is battling a case of the flu. It looks like Forlan will give it a go, which is obviously huge for Uruguay. As for the Germans, it's been very hush-hush leading up to this match, and to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a much different looking squad on the pitch today.
Another third place finish is no real consolation for the Germans, while Uruguay would love to take something away from what was certainly been a positive experience in South Africa. I expect this to be a hard-fought battle all the way. Don't count on a wide margin of victory in favor of Germany. Take Uruguay +1 goal -170.
Dave Cokin Comp
(929) NEW YORK YANKEES
(930) SEATTLE MARINERS
Take "(929) NEW YORK YANKEES"
JIM FEIST COMP
(927) LOS ANGELES ANGELS
(928) OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Take "Under"
Oakland is a large, pitcher-friendly park, which partly explains why the A's have no offense, 12th in the AL in runs scored. Scott Kazmir has a 1.42 ERA against light hitting Oakland this season, while veteran Ben Sheets has a 3.67 career ERA against the Angels. Oakland has been on a strong run under the total the last 3 weeks and this one shapes up as a defensive duel. Play the Angels/A's under the total.
Golden contender
On Saturday the Free MLB Play is on the San Francisco Giants. Game 905 at 7:05 eastern. The Giants qualify in a nice system here tonight. What we want to do is play on certain road favorites off a road dog loss of 5 or more runs with 4 or less hits if the total was 8 or less. These road favs have done well the past few years. The Giants have controlled the series the past years including 6-2 this year. The Giants are averaging 7 runs per game over the past 7 games. In the pitching department J. Sanchez for the Giants has better overall numbers then Washington starter C. Stammen. Look for the Giants to bounce back from last nights debacle and get the win. On Saturday I have 2 night games, including the NL Total of the Month backed with a Huge 94% Totals system. The other play is a side from a Big MLB Dominator system. Friday card sweeps,as the roll in bases continues. Jump on Saturday. For the Bonus Play take the San Francisco Giants. BOL GC
Jack Clayton
Bonus Play
Sport: MLB
Game: Red Sox at Blue Jays
Date/Time: 7/10/2010 7:00PM EST
Pick: Under the total
JIMMY BOYD
Bonus Play
1 Unit on Texas Rangers -310
I expect Cliff Lee's impact to be immediate with the Rangers in his first start for them. The Rangers already have one of the top offenses in the league, averaging 5.2 runs per game and hitting .280 as a team. At home they average 6.0 runs per game and hit .300 collectively. Now they add an Ace like Cliff Lee to the mix and they should find themselves winning Saturday, particularly against a poor offensive team like Baltimore, who averages just 3.4 runs per game and hits .249 as a team on the road. This is a huge number, but it's well worth the risk for 1 unit, as the Rangers have everything working for them in this situation.
MIKEY SPORTS
Texas Rangers-310
Free MLB Play
PURE LOCK
Milwaukee Brewers-174
Free MLB Play
R&R TOTALS
Cleveland Indians vs. Tampa Bay Rays Total
9 under-110
Free MLB Over-Under
Chuck O'Brien Comp
Saturday’s complimentary selection comes in A.L. Central action, as I’ll lay the price with the Tigers against the Twins.
Detroit pounded the Twins 7-3 last night and has now won four in a row, six of seven and 17 of 25. And going back to June 2, the Tigers are 16-2 at Comerica Park, pushing their home record to 31-12 for the season.
Going the opposite direction are the Twins, who have dropped three in a row, five of their last six and 11 of their last 16. Lately, Minnesota’s pitching has been the main culprit, surrendering 42 runs during the ongoing 1-5 slump.
Speaking of crappy pitching, Twins right-hander Nick Blackburn is 1-5 with a 9.28 ERA in seven starts since June 1 (Minnesota also dropped his one no-decision). On Sunday at home, Blackburn got torched for seven runs on nine hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings, losing 7-4 to Tampa Bay. And on the road this year, Blackburn has been a disaster, going 2-5 with a 9.40 ERA and allowing nine home runs in 37 1/3 innings.
Like Blackburn, Detroit right-hander Jeremy Bonderman has struggled lately (1-2, 8.27 ERA), but he’s been solid at home this year (3.52 ERA, 1.15 WHIP). And that includes Sunday’s 8-1 loss to Cliff Lee and the Mariners (Bonderman gave up seven runs in five innings; prior to that he had allowed only 11 earned runs in 41 home innings).
The home team has dominated this rivalry this year, going 8-2 in 10 meetings, and going back to last year, the host is 14-5 when the Tigers and Twins hook up.
4? DETROIT (LISTED PITCHERS)
Bobby Maxwell
Bonus Play
Today, I'm coming with a FREE winner on the Twins as they take on the Tigers in Detroit in Game 2 of this series.
Even with the loss on Friday, the Twins have still taken five of the last seven meetings with the Tigers and I expect them to get today’s victory behind Nick Blackburn (7-6, 6.00 ERA).
Blackburn has already faced the Tigers twice this season and gotten the win both times, pitching a complete game on May 4 in a 4-3 victory and then going seven innings in an 11-4 victory on June 29. He’s led the Twins to four straight wins over the Tigers dating back to last year, and his start in Detroit last September he gave up one run in seven innings of a 3-2 victory.
Jeremy Bonderman (4-6, 4.81 ERA) is on the hill for Detroit and he’s just 1-2 in his last three games with an 8.27 ERA. He started at home on Sunday against the Mariners and was torched for seven runs on nine hits in five innings of an 8-1 loss. He’s given up 15 runs in his last three games (16.1 innings) and he needed big offense to beat the Twins back on June 28 when he allowed four runs in 5.1 innings but Detroit won 7-5.
Minnesota is on streaks of 5-2 on Saturdays and 41-17 against A.L. Central teams. Detroit is on slides of 2-9 when Bonderman faces a winning team and 1-5 when he gets five days off.
I’ll back Blackburn in this one as Bonderman has looked just awful lately. Grab the plus-money and go with the Twins today.
2? MINNESOTA
BRETT ATKINS
Bonus Play
I'll get you back on the winning track tonight with a free winner on the Cardinals as they take on the Astros in Houston in Game 2 of this series.
Look for the Cardinals to make it two in a row over the Astros tonight, especially as easy as it was for them on Friday in the series opener.
The road team has won five straight in this series and St. Louis is coming in with streaks of 6-1 in the second game of a series, 17-6 when Jeff Suppan starts the second game of a series and 7-3 when he pitches on Saturday.
Houston is on slides of 5-22 on Saturdays, 2-6 at home against winning teams and 1-5 against teams with winning records.
Suppan has held each of his last four opponents to three earned runs or less, but his offense has let him down. He has dominated the Astros lately, leading his teams to wins in six of his last seven appearances against Houston and last year he led the Brewers to three wins against the Astros.
Play St. Louis in this one.
2? ST. LOUIS (on a 1? to 5?)
JEFF BENTON
Bonus Play
Scored my third straight freebie winner Friday as the Marlins held off Arizona. I’m now on a 102-68-2 roll with plays that I’m giving away! For Saturday, we’ll take a shot with the Indians as a huge road underdog at Tampa Bay.
First of all, the Rays have hardly been money in the bank when playing at Tropicana Field this season. After getting hammered 9-2 by the Indians last night, Tampa Bay is now just 24-20 on its own turf, and prior to sweeping the Red Sox to start this week, the Rays had lost three straight home series, one to a decent team (San Diego), one to a mediocre team (Florida) and one to a terrible team (Arizona).
Tonight, the Rays hand the ball to Matt Garza, who is in a bit of a tricky spot here. On Wednesday, Garza was called upon to close out a 6-4 win over the Red Sox, throwing 20 pitches to get two outs (he allowed a hit and a walk). Although it was regular between-starts throwing day, it was a pressure situation and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there was some lingering effects when Garza takes the mound tonight. As it is, Garza has been mediocre since the start of June – although he’s 4-1 in seven appearances (six starts), he’s given up 25 runs in 31 1/3 innings (7.18 ERA).
As for Indians lefty Aaron Laffey, he’s coming off consecutive strong outings against two powerful offenses (Texas and Toronto), allowing three runs (two earned) in 10 1/3 innings, with Cleveland prevailing 3-1 versus the Blue Jays and 9-3 at the Rangers. And while the Rays are 1-3 in Garza’s last four starts against the Indians (6.96 ERA), Laffey rolled to a 13-2 win in his lone career start against Tampa Bay in 2008, allowing both runs on four hits in six innings.
Finally, with Laffey being a southpaw, it’s interesting to note that the Rays hit just .242 against lefties this season (.246 at home).
(based on a 1? to a 10? Rating)
3? CLEVELAND INDIANS
POINTSPREAD LIGHTNING
Saturdays Bonus Play is the BoSox.
CONSENSUS AMERICA
SATURDAYS Bonus Play IS BOS-TOR game over the Total
STEVE MERRIL
Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago White Sox Total
9 over
Bonus Play
For the third straight time, Brian Bannister and Gavin Floyd will face off against each other as the White Sox host the Royals. Bannister is 1-2 with a 9.69 ERA against the White Sox so far this season. Those are approximately his career numbers against Chicago as his ERA is 7.97 in 15 outings against them. A.J. Pierzynski (13-31), Alexei Ramirez (8-20), Alex Rios (6-13), Carlos Quentin (5-12), Juan Pierre (3-9), Mark Kotsay (4-7), Andruw Jones (2-5), and Dayan Viciedo (1-2) all hit the righty well. The White Sox have scored 27 runs so far in their 5-game homestand, and they are hitting over .280 as a team in their past eight games.
Gavin Floyd is 1-2 with a 6.16 ERA in three starts against the Royals. The righty has given up 14 runs and 30 hits over 19 innings pitched against them. Floyd is 2-7 with a 5.40 ERA in 10 overall career starts against Kansas City. David DeJesus (9-32), Billy Butler (7-24), Mike Aviles (6-19), Alberto Callaspo (6-17), Yuniesky Betancourt (6-16), Scott Podsednik (3-10), Jason Kendall (2-7), Mitch Maier (2-7), Willie Bloomquist (1-3), and Chris Getz (2-3) all have the most success against Floyd. The Royals have now gone Over in 21 of their 33 games against A.L. Central opponents, and they’ve also gone Over in four of their last five games overall. We expect another high-scoring game here so we’ll recommend a play on the Over between the Royals and White Sox tonight.
Derek Mancini
Bonus Play
Easy Bonus Play winner with Boston routing Toronto 14-3 last night! N.L. action Saturday with the Arizona hosting Florida in the 3rd game of their 4-game set tonight.
Not been pretty of late for the Snakes, who are the midst of a 1-6 slide, with all those games being played at Chase Field. However, with that being said, I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel in this match up, and that's thanks to the tired arm of Nate Robertson (6-6, 4.94 ERA).
After just 49 2/3 innings last season due to injury, Robertson has managed to stay healthy this year, amassing 89 1/3 innings. But that's not necessarily a good thing, being that he's clearly starting to fatigue, and his numbers prove it: 2-2 with a 7.12 ERA over his L6 starts. He's had real trouble on the road this season (5.28 ERA away), including terrible efforts at the Mets and Orioles in the last month.
Ian Kennedy (3-7, 4.16 ERA) hasn't been much better lately, but the one thing you can hang your hat on, is he's been far more effective at Chase Field. He's posted a solid 3.47 ERA at home this season (WHIP of 1.03), and after giving up a career worst 7 runs in his last one, I expect he'll be looking to bounce back strong tonight. Prior to his implosion vs the Cubs, he posted 5 straight quality efforts at home.
Lay it with Arizona tonight, as they get a strong bounce back effort from Ian Kennedy. Snakes offense hasn't been great lately, but a match up against a tired Robertson is just what they need to get going again. Arizona (Kennedy) over Florida (Robertson) Saturday.
3? ARIZONA
Stephen Nover Comp
I am 37-22-1 on my past 60 complimentary selections following Friday's no-play on the Yankees-Mariners matchup with the traded Cliff Lee an obvious scratch.
But I did cash on my lone paid selection Friday, a 30-dime winner on the Tigers, and am looking forward to my 35-dime winner tonight.
After missing all of last season due to elbow surgery, Oakland's Ben Sheet finally is getting his stamina and fastball back. He went a season-high 7 1/3 innings versus the Yankees in his last start. He has 17 strikeouts in his past three starts.
Sheets hasn't given up more than four earned runs during any of his last 12 starts. That consistency should be enough to beat the Angels and a struggling Scott Kazmir.
Kazmir is much worse than his 7-8 record. His 5.98 ERA is indicative of that. But even that high ERA doesn't explain how bad Kazmir has become.
Kazmir has always relied on a slider that was one of the best in the American League. But he's lost that pitch, which has forced him to become more of a nibbler than a thrower. He is struggling to make that adjustment.
The last time Kazmir's average pitch per inning count was less than 17 1/2 was back in May. He has been brutal in his last three starts. During this span, Kazmir has surrendered 17 runs in just 14 2/3 innings throwing 284 pitches.
2? OAKLAND (WITH BOTH PITCHERS LISTED)
EZWINNERS COMP
(908) Philadelphia Phillies -$220
The Phillies send their ace pitcher Roy Halliday to the mound for this start against the Reds. Halladay continues to throw complete games on a regular basis and has been a work horse for Philadelphia keeping the suspect Phillies bullpen out of his games. Halliday has now thrown seven complete games this season and has lasted at least seven innings in fifteen of his eighteen starts. Halliday's ERA is only 2.33 this year and his strikeout to walk ratio is a ridiculous 119 to 17. I don't see anything changing as I expect him to pitch another outstanding game here as well. Cincinnati sends their rookie pitcher Travis Wood to the mound for this game at Philadelphia. Wood looks to have a bright future, but I don't expect him to out duel Doc Halladay in this match up. Wood's margin for error is very small and I expect the Philadelphia bats to do enough damage for the Phillies to pick up the win here. The Reds are only 5-12 in their last seventeen meetings with the Phillies. Play on Philadelphia.
MARC LAWRENCE COMP
Play On: Oakland w/Sheets vs Kazmir
Note: The A's and Angels meet in Game Two of this three-game weekend set in Oakland tonight when Ben Sheets matches serves with Scott Kazmir. Sheets takes the mound having cashed in four of his last six home team starts and 10 of his last 16 team starts during July. On the flip side, Kazmir is 3-10 in his career team starts on the road during the month of July. Back the better arm here this evening. We recommend a 1-unit play on Oakland.
BIG AL COMP
At 8:10 pm, our complimentary selection is on the Colorado Rockies over the San Diego Padres. Look up the term "smoke and mirrors" in the dictionary and you should see Wade Leblanc's picture. The 25-year-old lefthander for San Diego who is now in his third MLB season, has somehow put up an ERA of 3.10 after 15 starts, despite a K-to-BB ratio of just 58:33 and a WHIP of over 1.4. Leblanc doesn't throw hard and obviously benefits from his home ballpark, Petco, which has been one of the most pitcher-friendly venues in the Majors for the past several years. Leblanc has a won-lost record of just 4-6 and although the Padres have a 9-6 record in his 15 starts, it should be noted that four of those victories were against the Diamondbacks, Orioles, Mariners, and Astros. Righthander Jason Hammel will get the start for the Rockies and after a very rocky start (no pun intended) which saw Hammel with a 2-3 record and ridiculous 6.93 ERA through April and May, this guy has really settled down in a big way since then and has become perhaps the second ace of the staff (after All-Star Ubaldo Jimenez). It remains to be seen if he can keep it up, but the Rocks certainly don't mind putting him out there every five days to find out and this is a critical series for the Rockies heading into the break as they sit tied with the Dodgers three games behind this Padres team. Hammel just beat the Padres and Leblanc 6-3 in San Diego and now he gets to try and repeat that feat at home. Take the Rockies. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
SEAN MURPHY COMP
This play is on Uruguay +1 goal -170 in regulation time only.
The Germans are saying all the right things (most of them at least), but I think they're going to be hard pressed to stir up enough emotion to win this match handily.
The 1-0 loss to Spain was obviously an extremely bitter defeat. Germany is still pondering what could have been had it not elected to sit back and wait for a Spanish mistake rather than go on the attack.
Germany did win the third place game at the World Cup four years ago, but I feel that this edition of the squad had set a much loftier goal for itself late in the tournament. This group knows that it let a tremendous opportunity slip away, and given the youth on the team, I'm not convinced they'll regroup in time for Saturday's contest.
For Uruguay, there was disappointment in losing to the Netherlands in the semi-final, but this is a team that had already exceeded expectations. Who would have thought that they would be the last South American team standing in the semi-finals.
The Uruguayans would have needed all hands on deck to take down an attacking Holland squad on Tuesday, and the absence of Luis Suarez was certainly a major factor in their defeat. Suarez will of course be back on the pitch on Saturday, and all indications are that we'll see all hands on deck from the Uruguayan side.
By contrast, German boss Joachim Loew has indicated that he may give his reserves some additional playing time as a reward for their readiness here in South Africa.
There are injury issues on both sides, as Miroslav Klose and Diego Forlan are hoping to play, but probably won't be at 100%. There's also been rumblings that German forward Lucas Podolski is battling a case of the flu. It looks like Forlan will give it a go, which is obviously huge for Uruguay. As for the Germans, it's been very hush-hush leading up to this match, and to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a much different looking squad on the pitch today.
Another third place finish is no real consolation for the Germans, while Uruguay would love to take something away from what was certainly been a positive experience in South Africa. I expect this to be a hard-fought battle all the way. Don't count on a wide margin of victory in favor of Germany. Take Uruguay +1 goal -170.
COMPS:
Sean Higgs
Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB) - Jul 10, 2010 4:10 PM EDT
Play: Money Line: 139 Chicago Cubs Pick Title: Bonus Play on Cubs
Frank Jordan
Atlanta Braves vs. New York Mets (MLB) - Jul 10, 2010 4:10 PM EDT
Play: Money Line: 107 New York Mets Pick Title: FREE NL EAST pick
Atlanta used late back to back homeruns to win the opening game 4-2 and increase their lead to 3. Saturday's pitching match up is a gem as 10-3 Mike Pelfrey is going for the Mets who feels a little snubbed for not being invited to the All-Star game. It will not be easy for Pelfrey to get number 11 as he is opposed by Hudson who is 8-4 with an era under 2.50. Look for Pelfrey to show why he deserves to be on the roster if any pitcher can't go with a great 7 inning outing outdueling Hudson. Play NY Mets
Rocketman Sports
Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago White Sox (MLB) - Jul 10, 2010 7:05 PM EDT
Play: Money Line: 169 Kansas City Royals Pick Title: Rocketman Sports FREE MLB play Saturday
Kansas City @ Chicago White Sox 7:05 PM EST Play On: Kansas City +175 (Bannister/Floyd) Listed Kansas City is now 5-2 in the month of July. Kansas City has won 6 of their last 8 games overall. Brian Bannister is 7-6 overall this year. Gavin Floyd is 4-7 overall this year. Floyd is 2-7 with a 5.40 ERA overall vs Kansas City since 1997. Royals are 7-3 in Bannisters last 10 starts. Royals are 6-1 in Bannisters last 7 starts when their opponent allows 2 runs or less in their previous game. Royals are 4-1 in their last 5 road games vs. a right-handed starter. We'll recommend a small play on Kansas City tonight! Thanks and good luck, Rocky
Craig Trapp
Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB) - Jul 10, 2010 4:10 PM EDT
Play: Total: 8.5/107 Over Pick Title:
Perfect timing for Craig to get hot as he has been rolling the last 3 days going 6-1 overall including 3-0 yesterday. Only one 5 star winner today as this TOP play is even a big Underdog. Two big angles/trends that back up the very strong handicapping. Enjoy BIG WINNER here!
Over 8.5 CHC/LAD: Several angles point to a very easy over. The biggest in our favor is two average pitchers who will give up at least 7 runs over 6 innings. For the LAD they start Ely, over last month he is 1-4 with a 6.32 ERA in six starts. Even worse at home 0-3 with a 9.24 ERA in his last three starts. He will be opposed by Gorzelanny who has been average this season but does not go deep in games. Also he gives up a bunch of walks which could kill him verse hot LAD lineup. These two teams are coming off 16 runs on Friday night. Another big angle is that day games at Dodgers stadium average a full run higher as the ball carries much better. Look for this one to be in double digits and another easy cash for us.
Top Rank Sports Picks MLB Giants -105
Discount Sports PicksMLB Atlanta -120
Profit On Sports MLB Cubs +145
National Sports Service MLB Toronto -115
Primetime Sports Picks MLB Oakland -130
You Pick'Em MLB Houston -110
Doc's Picks MLB Boston -105
Insider Sports Report MLB Cubs +145
The Sports Consensus MLB Oakland over 8.5
PowerPlayWins MLB Dodgers -145
NSA
Florida @ Arizona Pick: OVER 10
1. NSA(The Legend) MLB - Cardinals -200
2. Ray "The Playmaker" Bowden MLB - Giants +130
3. VegasSI.com MLB - Braves -110
4. SportsAction365.com MLB - Yankees under 7
5. Gameday Network MLB - Yankees -110
6. William E. Stockton MLB - Brewers -150
7. Gerry "Big Cat" Andino MLB - Cubs under 7.5
8. Lou Panelli MLB - Giants +130
9. Steve "Scoop" Kendall MLB - Rays -210
10. Vincent Pioli MLB - Phillies -110
11. John Morrison MLB - Rockies under 9.5
12. Tony Campone MLB - Orioles +180
13. Chicago Sports Group MLB - Red Sox over 7.5
14. Hollywood Sportsline MLB - Cubs +125
15. VIP Action MLB - Cubs under 7.5
16. South Beach Sports MLB - Cubs +125
17. Michigan Sports MLB - Phillies over 9.5
18. NY Players Club MLB - Marlins +115
19. Charlies Sports MLB - Marlins +115
20. Fred Callahan MLB - Red Sox over 7.5
Sean Higgs
Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB) - Jul 10, 2010 4:10 PM EDT
Play: Money Line: 139 Chicago Cubs Pick Title: Bonus Play on Cubs
Frank Jordan
Atlanta Braves vs. New York Mets (MLB) - Jul 10, 2010 4:10 PM EDT
Play: Money Line: 107 New York Mets Pick Title: FREE NL EAST pick
Atlanta used late back to back homeruns to win the opening game 4-2 and increase their lead to 3. Saturday's pitching match up is a gem as 10-3 Mike Pelfrey is going for the Mets who feels a little snubbed for not being invited to the All-Star game. It will not be easy for Pelfrey to get number 11 as he is opposed by Hudson who is 8-4 with an era under 2.50. Look for Pelfrey to show why he deserves to be on the roster if any pitcher can't go with a great 7 inning outing outdueling Hudson. Play NY Mets
Rocketman Sports
Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago White Sox (MLB) - Jul 10, 2010 7:05 PM EDT
Play: Money Line: 169 Kansas City Royals Pick Title: Rocketman Sports FREE MLB play Saturday
Kansas City @ Chicago White Sox 7:05 PM EST Play On: Kansas City +175 (Bannister/Floyd) Listed Kansas City is now 5-2 in the month of July. Kansas City has won 6 of their last 8 games overall. Brian Bannister is 7-6 overall this year. Gavin Floyd is 4-7 overall this year. Floyd is 2-7 with a 5.40 ERA overall vs Kansas City since 1997. Royals are 7-3 in Bannisters last 10 starts. Royals are 6-1 in Bannisters last 7 starts when their opponent allows 2 runs or less in their previous game. Royals are 4-1 in their last 5 road games vs. a right-handed starter. We'll recommend a small play on Kansas City tonight! Thanks and good luck, Rocky
Craig Trapp
Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB) - Jul 10, 2010 4:10 PM EDT
Play: Total: 8.5/107 Over Pick Title:
Perfect timing for Craig to get hot as he has been rolling the last 3 days going 6-1 overall including 3-0 yesterday. Only one 5 star winner today as this TOP play is even a big Underdog. Two big angles/trends that back up the very strong handicapping. Enjoy BIG WINNER here!
Over 8.5 CHC/LAD: Several angles point to a very easy over. The biggest in our favor is two average pitchers who will give up at least 7 runs over 6 innings. For the LAD they start Ely, over last month he is 1-4 with a 6.32 ERA in six starts. Even worse at home 0-3 with a 9.24 ERA in his last three starts. He will be opposed by Gorzelanny who has been average this season but does not go deep in games. Also he gives up a bunch of walks which could kill him verse hot LAD lineup. These two teams are coming off 16 runs on Friday night. Another big angle is that day games at Dodgers stadium average a full run higher as the ball carries much better. Look for this one to be in double digits and another easy cash for us.
Top Rank Sports Picks MLB Giants -105
Discount Sports PicksMLB Atlanta -120
Profit On Sports MLB Cubs +145
National Sports Service MLB Toronto -115
Primetime Sports Picks MLB Oakland -130
You Pick'Em MLB Houston -110
Doc's Picks MLB Boston -105
Insider Sports Report MLB Cubs +145
The Sports Consensus MLB Oakland over 8.5
PowerPlayWins MLB Dodgers -145
NSA
Florida @ Arizona Pick: OVER 10
1. NSA(The Legend) MLB - Cardinals -200
2. Ray "The Playmaker" Bowden MLB - Giants +130
3. VegasSI.com MLB - Braves -110
4. SportsAction365.com MLB - Yankees under 7
5. Gameday Network MLB - Yankees -110
6. William E. Stockton MLB - Brewers -150
7. Gerry "Big Cat" Andino MLB - Cubs under 7.5
8. Lou Panelli MLB - Giants +130
9. Steve "Scoop" Kendall MLB - Rays -210
10. Vincent Pioli MLB - Phillies -110
11. John Morrison MLB - Rockies under 9.5
12. Tony Campone MLB - Orioles +180
13. Chicago Sports Group MLB - Red Sox over 7.5
14. Hollywood Sportsline MLB - Cubs +125
15. VIP Action MLB - Cubs under 7.5
16. South Beach Sports MLB - Cubs +125
17. Michigan Sports MLB - Phillies over 9.5
18. NY Players Club MLB - Marlins +115
19. Charlies Sports MLB - Marlins +115
20. Fred Callahan MLB - Red Sox over 7.5
