SPORTS WAGERS
Baltimore +1.07 over WASHINGTON
Of all the pitchers in the majors that are winless, Kevin Millwood is the least deserving of them all. Here’s a guy that has not won a game in nine starts but he’s pitched well enough to win them all. With a little runs support he could easily be 6-1 or something like that. Millwood has struck out 48 batters and walked just 15 in 61 frames. He comes in with an ERA of 3.65 and in his nine starts he’s allowed three runs or less in seven of them. Over his last two starts he’s struck out 12 and walked one batter. Meanwhile, John Lannan rarely comes up with a good start. He allows a ton of runners and most of them get cashed in. Lannan has walked 23 batters and struck out just 15 in 43 innings and he’s also surrendered 56 hits for a BAA of .318. At home his BAA is .352 and he’s getting progressively worse. In fact, Lannan’s ERA this month is up to 6.89 in three May starts. John Lannan offers up nothing as a favorite and thus, win or lose, we’re absolutely going with the best of it. Play: Baltimore +1.07 (Risking 2 units).
Boston +2.16 over PHILADELPHIA
At the price it’s definitely worth taking a chance on the Red Sox. At least these Red Sox hitters are as familiar with Roy Halliday as anyone. Now, after making nine starts against NL opponents, Halliday will make his first start against an AL opponent this year and he might now have such great success. He’s just 14-14 against the Red Sox in his career with a 4.28 ERA, which suggests he almost always has difficulty with this intruder. He’s also coming off a 132-pitch performance against the Pirates in which the Phillies lost as a 3½-1 favorite. Halliday has surrendered 26 hits in his last three starts covering 22 innings and his pitch count over those three games has been 119, 121 and 126. It’s just May and Charlie Manuel is keeping Halliday in there way too long and at this rate he’s going to burn out his arm by September. Halliday has great numbers as usual but he’s also been fortunate with a very high 85% strand rate and he’s definitely a big risk here at better than 2-1. Tim Wakefield needs no introduction. He’s going to be throwing knucklers all day and he could come up with a gem, he could get smoked or he could be somewhere in the middle. You just never know what you’re going to get from Wakefield. However, we’ll live with whatever Wakefield delivers because the price on the Red Sox is just too good to pass up on. Play: Boston +2.16 (Risking 2 units).
TEXAS –1½ +1.27 over Chicago
Carlos Silva is 5-0 and the fact that this guy has not lost a game pitching for the Cubbies is a minor miracle. Now Silva will finally pitch in a hitter’s park and chances are he’ll get ruined. In three May starts he’s allowed 31 hits in 22.1 innings for a BAA of .337. He has an unsustainable 78% strand rate this year and his charmed life is going to end sooner rather than later. Silva has always been one of the most hittable pitchers in the game and it’s not going to take much to open the floodgates. The Rangers have won five of its last six games and C.J. Wilson has been a rock for them all season long. The Rangers are 6-2 when Wilson starts and overall he’s allowed just two bombs in 53 IP. Silva has allowed six in 48 IP. Wilson has tremendous numbers right across the board that include a BAA at home of just .215, a BAA in May of just .212, an ERA of 2.55 and an impressive 1.15 WHIP. Wilson also induces a ton of ground balls, he doesn’t walk many ands his chances of success are about 10 times better than Silva’s. Play: Texas –1½ +1.27 (Risking 2 units).
