axiumsports.com
August 15th 2010
*-Weekly System Picks. Please follow the system and do not increase your starting bet until you at least triple your account. -*
Current Bankroll=$2,547.71
Pick #18-Germany Cup Soccer-
18)Bet 32.87 to win 32.87 on Fortuna Dusseldorf -0.5 over TuS Koblenz +100
Pick #19-MLB-
19a)Bet 33.29 to win 31.11 on NY Mets ML Philadelphia -107
19b)Bet 69.03 to win 64.51 on NY Mets ML Philadelphia -107
Pick #20-MLB-
20aa)Bet 33.69 to win 31.20 on Milwaukee/Colorado UNDER 7 -108
20ab)Bet 69.91 to win 64.73 on Milwaukee/Colorado UNDER 7 -108
20ba)Bet 33.27 to win 30.81 on Milwaukee/Colorado UNDER 7 -108
20bb)Bet 146.81 to win 135.94 on Milwaukee/Colorado UNDER 7 -108
August 15th 2010
*-Weekly System Picks. Please follow the system and do not increase your starting bet until you at least triple your account. -*
Current Bankroll=$2,547.71
Pick #18-Germany Cup Soccer-
18)Bet 32.87 to win 32.87 on Fortuna Dusseldorf -0.5 over TuS Koblenz +100
Pick #19-MLB-
19a)Bet 33.29 to win 31.11 on NY Mets ML Philadelphia -107
19b)Bet 69.03 to win 64.51 on NY Mets ML Philadelphia -107
Pick #20-MLB-
20aa)Bet 33.69 to win 31.20 on Milwaukee/Colorado UNDER 7 -108
20ab)Bet 69.91 to win 64.73 on Milwaukee/Colorado UNDER 7 -108
20ba)Bet 33.27 to win 30.81 on Milwaukee/Colorado UNDER 7 -108
20bb)Bet 146.81 to win 135.94 on Milwaukee/Colorado UNDER 7 -108
Jimmy Boyd
Bonus Play
1 Unit on Colorado Rockies -1.5 -115
This is a pretty decent price to back the Rockies on the run line with the ace Jimenez on the bump. Jimenez has been dealing all season, and his record stands at a perfect 8-0 at home in 10 starts. The Rockies have won 9 of those 10 outings, and all 9 of those wins have come by at least 2 runs. In addition, Jimenez has had great success against the Brew Crew, posting a 2-0 career mark (3-0 on the money line) with an ERA of 2.37. Parra gets the ball for Milwaukee looking to snap a 3-game losing streak (on the money line). But I don't see it happening here considering he is 0-2 lifetime against Colorado with an ERA of 7.27. The Rockies have the big edge on the mound, and I'll take them on the run line this afternoon.
Nelly Comp
Oakland + over Minnesota
Kevin Slowey missed his last start with an elbow issue and while he is jumping back in the rotation there are concerns. In five of his last nine starts Slowey has allowed four or more runs and while he is one of the best pitchers in baseball at limiting walks allowed he is also quite hittable. Slowey has struggled in day games this season with a 5.44 ERA and the A's are one of the best performing team in baseball in day games. Aside from one bad start in Texas Vin Mazzaro has emerged as a top pitcher for the A's delivering quality starts in eight of his last nine outings. In four of those games he allowed just one run and in five games he allowed five or fewer hits. In day games his ERA is 2.84 and this will be the first time the Twins have faced the talented young pitcher. Oakland's pitching staff has a dominant 1.97 ERA over the last ten games including great numbers from the bullpen and the A's are a better hitting team than most realize. Minnesota has won 20 of the last 27 games but the schedule has been light and the A's are 7-1 in the last eight Sunday games.
Bonus Play
1 Unit on Colorado Rockies -1.5 -115
This is a pretty decent price to back the Rockies on the run line with the ace Jimenez on the bump. Jimenez has been dealing all season, and his record stands at a perfect 8-0 at home in 10 starts. The Rockies have won 9 of those 10 outings, and all 9 of those wins have come by at least 2 runs. In addition, Jimenez has had great success against the Brew Crew, posting a 2-0 career mark (3-0 on the money line) with an ERA of 2.37. Parra gets the ball for Milwaukee looking to snap a 3-game losing streak (on the money line). But I don't see it happening here considering he is 0-2 lifetime against Colorado with an ERA of 7.27. The Rockies have the big edge on the mound, and I'll take them on the run line this afternoon.
Nelly Comp
Oakland + over Minnesota
Kevin Slowey missed his last start with an elbow issue and while he is jumping back in the rotation there are concerns. In five of his last nine starts Slowey has allowed four or more runs and while he is one of the best pitchers in baseball at limiting walks allowed he is also quite hittable. Slowey has struggled in day games this season with a 5.44 ERA and the A's are one of the best performing team in baseball in day games. Aside from one bad start in Texas Vin Mazzaro has emerged as a top pitcher for the A's delivering quality starts in eight of his last nine outings. In four of those games he allowed just one run and in five games he allowed five or fewer hits. In day games his ERA is 2.84 and this will be the first time the Twins have faced the talented young pitcher. Oakland's pitching staff has a dominant 1.97 ERA over the last ten games including great numbers from the bullpen and the A's are a better hitting team than most realize. Minnesota has won 20 of the last 27 games but the schedule has been light and the A's are 7-1 in the last eight Sunday games.
EZWINNERS COMP
Texas Rangers -142
The Texas Rangers starting pitcher CJ Wilson is having a great season. Wilson is 10-5 this season with an ERA of 3.30 and he has dominated this Boston lineup this season. In two starts against the Red Sox this season Wilson is 2-0 with an ERA of 0.68. Wilson has allowed only one earned run and seven hits in thirteen and one third innings and has struck out twelve Boston batters in that span. The Red Sox send Daisuke Matsuzaka to the mound for this start. Dice-K has been pitching okay recently, but the high amount of batters that he walks is a concern and I expect the Rangers to capitalize on that in this game. Dice-K doesn't eat up a lot of inning and I expect him to make an early exit in the hot Texas heat in this game. The Rangers are 17-4 in Wilson's last twenty one starts and I expect him to pitch another strong game here. The Red Sox are only 1-8 in the last eight meetings between these two teams in Arlington. Play on Texas.
JR O'Donnell
Redzone sports
Bonus Play
CLE (+130) vs SEA
Ugly and nasty today goes the Oster as the Cleveland Indians spin a gem today home vs the Seattle M's who check in @ 46-71 over all. The Indians are dangerous in this spot and we will fade King Felix and the right-handers 0-3 mark & with a 3.27 ERA as of late. Winning boys is all spots and feel and we will fire away on the Masterson lead tribe! The Jr O power stats have this baby @ a pickem and the Vegas lines makers are over valuing the M's . Here is a huge hidden stat! Masterson is a smooth 2-0 with a 1.56 ERA is 5 starts vs. those Pesky M's, The Seattle M's are 2-8 in Hernandez's last 10 road starts. 2- 9 after today.Cleveland is the razor sharp side today
Gill Alexander
Bonus Play
FLA (+110) vs CIN
Sanchez has a 3.24FIP (15th best in MLB) and 4.28xFIP w a .319BABIP. He also has a 0.33 HR/9IP (3rd best in MLB) which is a key metric against a potent offensive club like the Reds. He has 4 quality starts in his last 5 outings. Bailey has a 4.70FIP and 4.65xFIP w a .316BABIP. He hasn't pitched since May 23rd. When he did pitch earlier this season, he had a terrible 6.91ERA at home. More than that, right-handed batters hit .288 off of him. Whenever a club sends out a starter v Fla that gets raked by righties, the Marlins have the edge, as Hanley Ramirez, Cody Ross, Dan Uggla, Mike Stanton, Gaby Sanchez, and more all are right-handed batters. Unlike Friday night when Josh Johnson arrived in Cincy at 4:30am the morning of the game, Sanchez has no such issues in this one. Let's confidently play the numbers and grab the Marlins as a slight dog.
Texas Rangers -142
The Texas Rangers starting pitcher CJ Wilson is having a great season. Wilson is 10-5 this season with an ERA of 3.30 and he has dominated this Boston lineup this season. In two starts against the Red Sox this season Wilson is 2-0 with an ERA of 0.68. Wilson has allowed only one earned run and seven hits in thirteen and one third innings and has struck out twelve Boston batters in that span. The Red Sox send Daisuke Matsuzaka to the mound for this start. Dice-K has been pitching okay recently, but the high amount of batters that he walks is a concern and I expect the Rangers to capitalize on that in this game. Dice-K doesn't eat up a lot of inning and I expect him to make an early exit in the hot Texas heat in this game. The Rangers are 17-4 in Wilson's last twenty one starts and I expect him to pitch another strong game here. The Red Sox are only 1-8 in the last eight meetings between these two teams in Arlington. Play on Texas.
JR O'Donnell
Redzone sports
Bonus Play
CLE (+130) vs SEA
Ugly and nasty today goes the Oster as the Cleveland Indians spin a gem today home vs the Seattle M's who check in @ 46-71 over all. The Indians are dangerous in this spot and we will fade King Felix and the right-handers 0-3 mark & with a 3.27 ERA as of late. Winning boys is all spots and feel and we will fire away on the Masterson lead tribe! The Jr O power stats have this baby @ a pickem and the Vegas lines makers are over valuing the M's . Here is a huge hidden stat! Masterson is a smooth 2-0 with a 1.56 ERA is 5 starts vs. those Pesky M's, The Seattle M's are 2-8 in Hernandez's last 10 road starts. 2- 9 after today.Cleveland is the razor sharp side today
Gill Alexander
Bonus Play
FLA (+110) vs CIN
Sanchez has a 3.24FIP (15th best in MLB) and 4.28xFIP w a .319BABIP. He also has a 0.33 HR/9IP (3rd best in MLB) which is a key metric against a potent offensive club like the Reds. He has 4 quality starts in his last 5 outings. Bailey has a 4.70FIP and 4.65xFIP w a .316BABIP. He hasn't pitched since May 23rd. When he did pitch earlier this season, he had a terrible 6.91ERA at home. More than that, right-handed batters hit .288 off of him. Whenever a club sends out a starter v Fla that gets raked by righties, the Marlins have the edge, as Hanley Ramirez, Cody Ross, Dan Uggla, Mike Stanton, Gaby Sanchez, and more all are right-handed batters. Unlike Friday night when Josh Johnson arrived in Cincy at 4:30am the morning of the game, Sanchez has no such issues in this one. Let's confidently play the numbers and grab the Marlins as a slight dog.
Karl Garrett Comp
It is a 13-7-1 comp play run from the G-Man the last 3 weeks.
For Sunday, take Tampa Bay on the Run Line over Baltimore.
Yeah, I know Buck Showalter has the Orioles off and running at 9-3 through his first 12 games at the helm, but the O's have dropped 2 of their last 3, and yesterday's 7-3 final seems more indicative of where Baltimore really is.
Tampa trailed 3-0 yesterday, then scored 7 unanswered in recording just their 3rd win in their last 10 games. Still, Jeremy Hellickson has proven his worth thus far, going 2-0 in as many starts, while allowing just 2 runs through his first 14 innings of work.
Expect Hellickson to give the Rays another solid outing this afternoon.
Baltimore will go with Jacob Arrieta who was lucky to win his last start, as he gave up 5 runs in a 6 inning win over the White Sox. In Arrieta's lone start against Tampa this season, he allowed 5 runs in 5 innings but escaped with a no decision.
Tampa is 19-7 their last 26 at home versus Baltimore, and I like them to roll over the Orioles today.
4? TAMPA BAY RUN LINE
Stephen Nover Comp
I'm on a 55-36-1 roll with my baseball free picks. I will put my 60 percent mark on the line with underdog Oakland as my complimentary selection today.
The Athletics come in with a solid 7-1 run in their last eight Sunday games.
Oakland starter Vin Mazzaro is one of those who plays better during daylight. He's 4-2 with a 2.84 ERA in sunshine.
Mazzaro has allowed three earned runs or less in eight of his past nine starts. He has gone at least seven innings during four of his last seven outings.
The Twins are going with Kevin Slowey, who has a 5.44 day time ERA. Slowey last pitched 10 days ago. He has been sidelined by a sore elbow, but is going to give this start a go.
Slowey has a 5.33 ERA during his past 10 starts.
At this 'dog price, the A's are worth backing.
2? OAKLAND
Bobby Maxwell
Bonus Play
I delivered two big FREE winners on Saturday as the Red Sox got the job done in Texas on the diamond and the Cardinals took care of the Texans on the gridiron. Today I'm scoring a comp winner on the Angels as they will score the win over the Blue Jays in Southern California.
The Angels have taken six of eight from the Blue Jays this season and I’m banking on them to get today’s contest behind right-hander Dan Haren, who looked great in his last outing with the Angels.
Haren delivered on Wednesday at home when he held the Royals to one run on five hits in seven innings of a 3-1 victory over the Royals. He hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his three home starts with the Angels. He also faced the Blue Jays once already this season, back in May as a member of the D’Backs when he allowed four runs in eight innings and struck out eight in an 8-6 victory.
Lefty Ricky Romero (9-7, 3.53 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Blue Jays and he is 1-2 in three career outings against the Angels with a 4.66 ERA. He also pitched on Wednesday and got a no-decision against the Red Sox, giving up five runs on eight hits in six innings of a 7-5 loss. He’s got a 4.33 ERA on the highway this season and other than a decent start in New York, he’s been shelled on the highway in his last five roadies.
The Angels scored the 7-2 winner on Saturday and are now 5-1 in their last six home games. The blue Jays are just 3-8 on Sundays while the Angels are 75-36 in the third game of a series the last few seasons.
Go with Los Angeles to finish this series with a victory and Haren to deliver a gem. Play the Angels.
3? L.A. ANGELS
BRETT ATKINS
Bonus Play
I'm handing out a free winner in the NFL preseason schedule today as I go with the Niners on the road in Indianapolis.
San Francisco is one of those teams on the verge of a something special. They made some strides last season and they are about to make some noise this year and possibly earn themselves a playoff spot and challenge the Cardinals in the NFC West.
Niners' QB Alex Smith has plenty of weapons to use on offense with RB Frank Gore, TE Vernon Davis and WR Michael Crabtree. They are going to move the ball. Tonight, backup QB David Carr will see a lot of action and he is a known quantity that will lead the Niners to some points as well.
Indianapolis has long been one of the teams to go against in the preseason as they just don’t play their stars much in the exhibition campaign. There will be one series with the starters and then they’ll take a seat and let the likes of Curtis Painter run the team.
I like the Niners in this matchup and look for them to win this one by 10. Play San Francisco.
2? SAN FRANCISCO (on a 1? to 5?)
TRACE ADAMS
SUNDAY'S Bonus Play - Denver Broncos
JAY MCNEIL
Bonus Play
The Twins are off an running once again, and the dominating pitching has me sold for this game today.
Minnesota's 2-0 win yesterday, coupled with Chicago 3-2 loss to the Tigers, and the Twins are now two games ahead of the second-place White Sox in the American League Central.
I won't list either pitcher, cause this one is based on pure momentum, but I do like my chances with Kevin Slowey on the hill, as he's 10-5 on the year, and comes in with a 6-3 mark and 3.73 ERA at home.
Play the Twins in this AL showdown.
2? MINNESOTA
(on a 1? to 5? scale)
JOEL TYSON COMP
A-Rod exploded last night as the Yankees came back to win 8-3 over the Royals.
I like another over today between the Yanks and Royals, as Burnett and Bullington are likely to be serving them up to the batters this afternoon.
Burnett's road ERA stands at 5.35 this season, and his overall ERA still stands at 4.87, Seems likely that he will give up a few more runs this afternoon in the hot midwestern air.
Bryan Bullington is making just his second start of the season for Kansas City, and he did give up 3 runs in 6 innings in a loss to the Angels his last time out. I doubt this converted reliever will be around much past the 5th inning today as I fully expect the New York bats to get cranking early in this one.
Take the OVER in the Yankees-Royals contest.
4? OVER
(on a 1? to 5? basis)
Hollywood Sports
Bonus Plays
San Francisco 49ers at Indianapolis Colts
Prediction: San Francisco 49ers
Coach Mike Singletary wants to instill a winning atmosphere in San Fran as they feel they can make a major push to win the NFC West this season. It is telling that the 49ers were 3-1 in Singletary's first preseason as head coach. On the other hand, coach Jim Caldwell felt no pressure to prove himself or test his new systems as Indy was just 1-3 in the preseason before making their run to the Super Bowl. The Colts are now on cruise control which helps explain why they are the underdog despite being at home. Don't expect to see too much of Peyton Manning in this game as Indy averaged only 12.5 PPG in the '09 preseason. With QBs David Carr along with 2nd-year man Nate Smith (Ball State) and rookie Jarrett Brown (West VA), San Fran enjoys a backup QB edge here as well. Lay the points with San Fran.
Edmonton Eskimos at Calgary Stampeders
Prediction: Edmonton Eskimos
While the Eskimos are reeling with their 1-5 mark that has drastically dampened preseason expectations of a possible Grey Cup run, Edmonton has been competitive in most of their games before collapsing in the 4th quarter. Against Saskatchewan, Montreal and British Columbia, the Eskimos were collectively outscored 29-0 in the 4th quarter. Last week against Toronto, Edmonton blew a 28-19 lead to lose 29-28. But perhaps Edmonton has been a victim of bad luck. While the league leading Montreal Alouettes (and defending Grey Cup Champs) have lost only one of their seven fumbles this season, the Eskimos have lost seven of their eight fumbles. Sometimes its just a small difference between making a run for a championship and overhauling a franchise. But we take note of the fact that Edmonton has covered four of their last five games against their rivals in the West Division. And this team ranks #3rd in the CFL in passing yards behind QB Ricky Ray and #1st with their passing defense that holds their opponent's to just 231 yards per game. Now they are getting 8.5 points (as of this writing) against a Calgary team (5-1) that has won their last two games by a collective eight points. While this may look like a mismatch on paper, the Eskimos are a dangerous team as a big underdog. Take the points with Edmonton.
Gill Alexander
Bonus Play
SFX -3.0 (-115) vs IND
The 49ers might be reeling from the completely sudden and unexpected retirement of #2 running back Glen Coffee, but for preseason purposes, it just feels like an opportunity to me. Expect a whole bunch of Michael Robinson for the Niners in this one, or as Joe Paterno calls him, the greatest football player to ever play at Penn State. But this one is about much more than that. It's the super intense Mike Singletary against the barely alive Jim Caldwell. While that makes for a nice sound bite, it does reflect an approach to this game, as Singletary will have an opportunity to evaluate many things against the much more solidified Colts.
A whole bunch of Colts are out of this one, including Jeff Saturday, Pierre Garcon, Dallas Clark, Anthony Gonzalez, and Dwight Freeney. And those are just the first teamers. The Colts will be working with Curtis Painter, Tom Brandstater, and Tim Hiller (after Peyton Manning's token appearance) while the Niners will have full-fledge quarterback party with Alex Smith, the named starter this year in SF if you're scoring at home, David Carr, and Nate Davis, all three more than capable of making things happen Sunday afternoon, not to mention Jarrett Brown in his debut.
Normally in this situation I would write that the Colts are just trying to stay healthy in this one, but they have so many people out that even that mentality is out the window for Indy. But the horses left for them won't be able to keep up with a gun-to-gun effort from a Niners team who have bought into a head coach who says he wants to be known as the best of all-time when all is said and done. The NFC West sets up nicely for the Niners this season and Singletary and the 49ers staff will make sure that winning mentality begins here and now.
It is a 13-7-1 comp play run from the G-Man the last 3 weeks.
For Sunday, take Tampa Bay on the Run Line over Baltimore.
Yeah, I know Buck Showalter has the Orioles off and running at 9-3 through his first 12 games at the helm, but the O's have dropped 2 of their last 3, and yesterday's 7-3 final seems more indicative of where Baltimore really is.
Tampa trailed 3-0 yesterday, then scored 7 unanswered in recording just their 3rd win in their last 10 games. Still, Jeremy Hellickson has proven his worth thus far, going 2-0 in as many starts, while allowing just 2 runs through his first 14 innings of work.
Expect Hellickson to give the Rays another solid outing this afternoon.
Baltimore will go with Jacob Arrieta who was lucky to win his last start, as he gave up 5 runs in a 6 inning win over the White Sox. In Arrieta's lone start against Tampa this season, he allowed 5 runs in 5 innings but escaped with a no decision.
Tampa is 19-7 their last 26 at home versus Baltimore, and I like them to roll over the Orioles today.
4? TAMPA BAY RUN LINE
Stephen Nover Comp
I'm on a 55-36-1 roll with my baseball free picks. I will put my 60 percent mark on the line with underdog Oakland as my complimentary selection today.
The Athletics come in with a solid 7-1 run in their last eight Sunday games.
Oakland starter Vin Mazzaro is one of those who plays better during daylight. He's 4-2 with a 2.84 ERA in sunshine.
Mazzaro has allowed three earned runs or less in eight of his past nine starts. He has gone at least seven innings during four of his last seven outings.
The Twins are going with Kevin Slowey, who has a 5.44 day time ERA. Slowey last pitched 10 days ago. He has been sidelined by a sore elbow, but is going to give this start a go.
Slowey has a 5.33 ERA during his past 10 starts.
At this 'dog price, the A's are worth backing.
2? OAKLAND
Bobby Maxwell
Bonus Play
I delivered two big FREE winners on Saturday as the Red Sox got the job done in Texas on the diamond and the Cardinals took care of the Texans on the gridiron. Today I'm scoring a comp winner on the Angels as they will score the win over the Blue Jays in Southern California.
The Angels have taken six of eight from the Blue Jays this season and I’m banking on them to get today’s contest behind right-hander Dan Haren, who looked great in his last outing with the Angels.
Haren delivered on Wednesday at home when he held the Royals to one run on five hits in seven innings of a 3-1 victory over the Royals. He hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his three home starts with the Angels. He also faced the Blue Jays once already this season, back in May as a member of the D’Backs when he allowed four runs in eight innings and struck out eight in an 8-6 victory.
Lefty Ricky Romero (9-7, 3.53 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Blue Jays and he is 1-2 in three career outings against the Angels with a 4.66 ERA. He also pitched on Wednesday and got a no-decision against the Red Sox, giving up five runs on eight hits in six innings of a 7-5 loss. He’s got a 4.33 ERA on the highway this season and other than a decent start in New York, he’s been shelled on the highway in his last five roadies.
The Angels scored the 7-2 winner on Saturday and are now 5-1 in their last six home games. The blue Jays are just 3-8 on Sundays while the Angels are 75-36 in the third game of a series the last few seasons.
Go with Los Angeles to finish this series with a victory and Haren to deliver a gem. Play the Angels.
3? L.A. ANGELS
BRETT ATKINS
Bonus Play
I'm handing out a free winner in the NFL preseason schedule today as I go with the Niners on the road in Indianapolis.
San Francisco is one of those teams on the verge of a something special. They made some strides last season and they are about to make some noise this year and possibly earn themselves a playoff spot and challenge the Cardinals in the NFC West.
Niners' QB Alex Smith has plenty of weapons to use on offense with RB Frank Gore, TE Vernon Davis and WR Michael Crabtree. They are going to move the ball. Tonight, backup QB David Carr will see a lot of action and he is a known quantity that will lead the Niners to some points as well.
Indianapolis has long been one of the teams to go against in the preseason as they just don’t play their stars much in the exhibition campaign. There will be one series with the starters and then they’ll take a seat and let the likes of Curtis Painter run the team.
I like the Niners in this matchup and look for them to win this one by 10. Play San Francisco.
2? SAN FRANCISCO (on a 1? to 5?)
TRACE ADAMS
SUNDAY'S Bonus Play - Denver Broncos
JAY MCNEIL
Bonus Play
The Twins are off an running once again, and the dominating pitching has me sold for this game today.
Minnesota's 2-0 win yesterday, coupled with Chicago 3-2 loss to the Tigers, and the Twins are now two games ahead of the second-place White Sox in the American League Central.
I won't list either pitcher, cause this one is based on pure momentum, but I do like my chances with Kevin Slowey on the hill, as he's 10-5 on the year, and comes in with a 6-3 mark and 3.73 ERA at home.
Play the Twins in this AL showdown.
2? MINNESOTA
(on a 1? to 5? scale)
JOEL TYSON COMP
A-Rod exploded last night as the Yankees came back to win 8-3 over the Royals.
I like another over today between the Yanks and Royals, as Burnett and Bullington are likely to be serving them up to the batters this afternoon.
Burnett's road ERA stands at 5.35 this season, and his overall ERA still stands at 4.87, Seems likely that he will give up a few more runs this afternoon in the hot midwestern air.
Bryan Bullington is making just his second start of the season for Kansas City, and he did give up 3 runs in 6 innings in a loss to the Angels his last time out. I doubt this converted reliever will be around much past the 5th inning today as I fully expect the New York bats to get cranking early in this one.
Take the OVER in the Yankees-Royals contest.
4? OVER
(on a 1? to 5? basis)
Hollywood Sports
Bonus Plays
San Francisco 49ers at Indianapolis Colts
Prediction: San Francisco 49ers
Coach Mike Singletary wants to instill a winning atmosphere in San Fran as they feel they can make a major push to win the NFC West this season. It is telling that the 49ers were 3-1 in Singletary's first preseason as head coach. On the other hand, coach Jim Caldwell felt no pressure to prove himself or test his new systems as Indy was just 1-3 in the preseason before making their run to the Super Bowl. The Colts are now on cruise control which helps explain why they are the underdog despite being at home. Don't expect to see too much of Peyton Manning in this game as Indy averaged only 12.5 PPG in the '09 preseason. With QBs David Carr along with 2nd-year man Nate Smith (Ball State) and rookie Jarrett Brown (West VA), San Fran enjoys a backup QB edge here as well. Lay the points with San Fran.
Edmonton Eskimos at Calgary Stampeders
Prediction: Edmonton Eskimos
While the Eskimos are reeling with their 1-5 mark that has drastically dampened preseason expectations of a possible Grey Cup run, Edmonton has been competitive in most of their games before collapsing in the 4th quarter. Against Saskatchewan, Montreal and British Columbia, the Eskimos were collectively outscored 29-0 in the 4th quarter. Last week against Toronto, Edmonton blew a 28-19 lead to lose 29-28. But perhaps Edmonton has been a victim of bad luck. While the league leading Montreal Alouettes (and defending Grey Cup Champs) have lost only one of their seven fumbles this season, the Eskimos have lost seven of their eight fumbles. Sometimes its just a small difference between making a run for a championship and overhauling a franchise. But we take note of the fact that Edmonton has covered four of their last five games against their rivals in the West Division. And this team ranks #3rd in the CFL in passing yards behind QB Ricky Ray and #1st with their passing defense that holds their opponent's to just 231 yards per game. Now they are getting 8.5 points (as of this writing) against a Calgary team (5-1) that has won their last two games by a collective eight points. While this may look like a mismatch on paper, the Eskimos are a dangerous team as a big underdog. Take the points with Edmonton.
Gill Alexander
Bonus Play
SFX -3.0 (-115) vs IND
The 49ers might be reeling from the completely sudden and unexpected retirement of #2 running back Glen Coffee, but for preseason purposes, it just feels like an opportunity to me. Expect a whole bunch of Michael Robinson for the Niners in this one, or as Joe Paterno calls him, the greatest football player to ever play at Penn State. But this one is about much more than that. It's the super intense Mike Singletary against the barely alive Jim Caldwell. While that makes for a nice sound bite, it does reflect an approach to this game, as Singletary will have an opportunity to evaluate many things against the much more solidified Colts.
A whole bunch of Colts are out of this one, including Jeff Saturday, Pierre Garcon, Dallas Clark, Anthony Gonzalez, and Dwight Freeney. And those are just the first teamers. The Colts will be working with Curtis Painter, Tom Brandstater, and Tim Hiller (after Peyton Manning's token appearance) while the Niners will have full-fledge quarterback party with Alex Smith, the named starter this year in SF if you're scoring at home, David Carr, and Nate Davis, all three more than capable of making things happen Sunday afternoon, not to mention Jarrett Brown in his debut.
Normally in this situation I would write that the Colts are just trying to stay healthy in this one, but they have so many people out that even that mentality is out the window for Indy. But the horses left for them won't be able to keep up with a gun-to-gun effort from a Niners team who have bought into a head coach who says he wants to be known as the best of all-time when all is said and done. The NFC West sets up nicely for the Niners this season and Singletary and the 49ers staff will make sure that winning mentality begins here and now.
Karl Garrett Comp
It is a 13-7-1 comp play run from the G-Man the last 3 weeks.
For Sunday, take Tampa Bay on the Run Line over Baltimore.
Yeah, I know Buck Showalter has the Orioles off and running at 9-3 through his first 12 games at the helm, but the O's have dropped 2 of their last 3, and yesterday's 7-3 final seems more indicative of where Baltimore really is.
Tampa trailed 3-0 yesterday, then scored 7 unanswered in recording just their 3rd win in their last 10 games. Still, Jeremy Hellickson has proven his worth thus far, going 2-0 in as many starts, while allowing just 2 runs through his first 14 innings of work.
Expect Hellickson to give the Rays another solid outing this afternoon.
Baltimore will go with Jacob Arrieta who was lucky to win his last start, as he gave up 5 runs in a 6 inning win over the White Sox. In Arrieta's lone start against Tampa this season, he allowed 5 runs in 5 innings but escaped with a no decision.
Tampa is 19-7 their last 26 at home versus Baltimore, and I like them to roll over the Orioles today.
4? TAMPA BAY RUN LINE
Stephen Nover Comp
I'm on a 55-36-1 roll with my baseball free picks. I will put my 60 percent mark on the line with underdog Oakland as my complimentary selection today.
The Athletics come in with a solid 7-1 run in their last eight Sunday games.
Oakland starter Vin Mazzaro is one of those who plays better during daylight. He's 4-2 with a 2.84 ERA in sunshine.
Mazzaro has allowed three earned runs or less in eight of his past nine starts. He has gone at least seven innings during four of his last seven outings.
The Twins are going with Kevin Slowey, who has a 5.44 day time ERA. Slowey last pitched 10 days ago. He has been sidelined by a sore elbow, but is going to give this start a go.
Slowey has a 5.33 ERA during his past 10 starts.
At this 'dog price, the A's are worth backing.
2? OAKLAND
Bobby Maxwell
Bonus Play
I delivered two big FREE winners on Saturday as the Red Sox got the job done in Texas on the diamond and the Cardinals took care of the Texans on the gridiron. Today I'm scoring a comp winner on the Angels as they will score the win over the Blue Jays in Southern California.
The Angels have taken six of eight from the Blue Jays this season and I’m banking on them to get today’s contest behind right-hander Dan Haren, who looked great in his last outing with the Angels.
Haren delivered on Wednesday at home when he held the Royals to one run on five hits in seven innings of a 3-1 victory over the Royals. He hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his three home starts with the Angels. He also faced the Blue Jays once already this season, back in May as a member of the D’Backs when he allowed four runs in eight innings and struck out eight in an 8-6 victory.
Lefty Ricky Romero (9-7, 3.53 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Blue Jays and he is 1-2 in three career outings against the Angels with a 4.66 ERA. He also pitched on Wednesday and got a no-decision against the Red Sox, giving up five runs on eight hits in six innings of a 7-5 loss. He’s got a 4.33 ERA on the highway this season and other than a decent start in New York, he’s been shelled on the highway in his last five roadies.
The Angels scored the 7-2 winner on Saturday and are now 5-1 in their last six home games. The blue Jays are just 3-8 on Sundays while the Angels are 75-36 in the third game of a series the last few seasons.
Go with Los Angeles to finish this series with a victory and Haren to deliver a gem. Play the Angels.
3? L.A. ANGELS
BRETT ATKINS
Bonus Play
I'm handing out a free winner in the NFL preseason schedule today as I go with the Niners on the road in Indianapolis.
San Francisco is one of those teams on the verge of a something special. They made some strides last season and they are about to make some noise this year and possibly earn themselves a playoff spot and challenge the Cardinals in the NFC West.
Niners' QB Alex Smith has plenty of weapons to use on offense with RB Frank Gore, TE Vernon Davis and WR Michael Crabtree. They are going to move the ball. Tonight, backup QB David Carr will see a lot of action and he is a known quantity that will lead the Niners to some points as well.
Indianapolis has long been one of the teams to go against in the preseason as they just don’t play their stars much in the exhibition campaign. There will be one series with the starters and then they’ll take a seat and let the likes of Curtis Painter run the team.
I like the Niners in this matchup and look for them to win this one by 10. Play San Francisco.
2? SAN FRANCISCO (on a 1? to 5?)
TRACE ADAMS
SUNDAY'S Bonus Play - Denver Broncos
JAY MCNEIL
Bonus Play
The Twins are off an running once again, and the dominating pitching has me sold for this game today.
Minnesota's 2-0 win yesterday, coupled with Chicago 3-2 loss to the Tigers, and the Twins are now two games ahead of the second-place White Sox in the American League Central.
I won't list either pitcher, cause this one is based on pure momentum, but I do like my chances with Kevin Slowey on the hill, as he's 10-5 on the year, and comes in with a 6-3 mark and 3.73 ERA at home.
Play the Twins in this AL showdown.
2? MINNESOTA
(on a 1? to 5? scale)
JOEL TYSON COMP
A-Rod exploded last night as the Yankees came back to win 8-3 over the Royals.
I like another over today between the Yanks and Royals, as Burnett and Bullington are likely to be serving them up to the batters this afternoon.
Burnett's road ERA stands at 5.35 this season, and his overall ERA still stands at 4.87, Seems likely that he will give up a few more runs this afternoon in the hot midwestern air.
Bryan Bullington is making just his second start of the season for Kansas City, and he did give up 3 runs in 6 innings in a loss to the Angels his last time out. I doubt this converted reliever will be around much past the 5th inning today as I fully expect the New York bats to get cranking early in this one.
Take the OVER in the Yankees-Royals contest.
4? OVER
(on a 1? to 5? basis)
Hollywood Sports
Bonus Plays
San Francisco 49ers at Indianapolis Colts
Prediction: San Francisco 49ers
Coach Mike Singletary wants to instill a winning atmosphere in San Fran as they feel they can make a major push to win the NFC West this season. It is telling that the 49ers were 3-1 in Singletary's first preseason as head coach. On the other hand, coach Jim Caldwell felt no pressure to prove himself or test his new systems as Indy was just 1-3 in the preseason before making their run to the Super Bowl. The Colts are now on cruise control which helps explain why they are the underdog despite being at home. Don't expect to see too much of Peyton Manning in this game as Indy averaged only 12.5 PPG in the '09 preseason. With QBs David Carr along with 2nd-year man Nate Smith (Ball State) and rookie Jarrett Brown (West VA), San Fran enjoys a backup QB edge here as well. Lay the points with San Fran.
Edmonton Eskimos at Calgary Stampeders
Prediction: Edmonton Eskimos
While the Eskimos are reeling with their 1-5 mark that has drastically dampened preseason expectations of a possible Grey Cup run, Edmonton has been competitive in most of their games before collapsing in the 4th quarter. Against Saskatchewan, Montreal and British Columbia, the Eskimos were collectively outscored 29-0 in the 4th quarter. Last week against Toronto, Edmonton blew a 28-19 lead to lose 29-28. But perhaps Edmonton has been a victim of bad luck. While the league leading Montreal Alouettes (and defending Grey Cup Champs) have lost only one of their seven fumbles this season, the Eskimos have lost seven of their eight fumbles. Sometimes its just a small difference between making a run for a championship and overhauling a franchise. But we take note of the fact that Edmonton has covered four of their last five games against their rivals in the West Division. And this team ranks #3rd in the CFL in passing yards behind QB Ricky Ray and #1st with their passing defense that holds their opponent's to just 231 yards per game. Now they are getting 8.5 points (as of this writing) against a Calgary team (5-1) that has won their last two games by a collective eight points. While this may look like a mismatch on paper, the Eskimos are a dangerous team as a big underdog. Take the points with Edmonton.
Gill Alexander
Bonus Play
SFX -3.0 (-115) vs IND
The 49ers might be reeling from the completely sudden and unexpected retirement of #2 running back Glen Coffee, but for preseason purposes, it just feels like an opportunity to me. Expect a whole bunch of Michael Robinson for the Niners in this one, or as Joe Paterno calls him, the greatest football player to ever play at Penn State. But this one is about much more than that. It's the super intense Mike Singletary against the barely alive Jim Caldwell. While that makes for a nice sound bite, it does reflect an approach to this game, as Singletary will have an opportunity to evaluate many things against the much more solidified Colts.
A whole bunch of Colts are out of this one, including Jeff Saturday, Pierre Garcon, Dallas Clark, Anthony Gonzalez, and Dwight Freeney. And those are just the first teamers. The Colts will be working with Curtis Painter, Tom Brandstater, and Tim Hiller (after Peyton Manning's token appearance) while the Niners will have full-fledge quarterback party with Alex Smith, the named starter this year in SF if you're scoring at home, David Carr, and Nate Davis, all three more than capable of making things happen Sunday afternoon, not to mention Jarrett Brown in his debut.
Normally in this situation I would write that the Colts are just trying to stay healthy in this one, but they have so many people out that even that mentality is out the window for Indy. But the horses left for them won't be able to keep up with a gun-to-gun effort from a Niners team who have bought into a head coach who says he wants to be known as the best of all-time when all is said and done. The NFC West sets up nicely for the Niners this season and Singletary and the 49ers staff will make sure that winning mentality begins here and now.
It is a 13-7-1 comp play run from the G-Man the last 3 weeks.
For Sunday, take Tampa Bay on the Run Line over Baltimore.
Yeah, I know Buck Showalter has the Orioles off and running at 9-3 through his first 12 games at the helm, but the O's have dropped 2 of their last 3, and yesterday's 7-3 final seems more indicative of where Baltimore really is.
Tampa trailed 3-0 yesterday, then scored 7 unanswered in recording just their 3rd win in their last 10 games. Still, Jeremy Hellickson has proven his worth thus far, going 2-0 in as many starts, while allowing just 2 runs through his first 14 innings of work.
Expect Hellickson to give the Rays another solid outing this afternoon.
Baltimore will go with Jacob Arrieta who was lucky to win his last start, as he gave up 5 runs in a 6 inning win over the White Sox. In Arrieta's lone start against Tampa this season, he allowed 5 runs in 5 innings but escaped with a no decision.
Tampa is 19-7 their last 26 at home versus Baltimore, and I like them to roll over the Orioles today.
4? TAMPA BAY RUN LINE
Stephen Nover Comp
I'm on a 55-36-1 roll with my baseball free picks. I will put my 60 percent mark on the line with underdog Oakland as my complimentary selection today.
The Athletics come in with a solid 7-1 run in their last eight Sunday games.
Oakland starter Vin Mazzaro is one of those who plays better during daylight. He's 4-2 with a 2.84 ERA in sunshine.
Mazzaro has allowed three earned runs or less in eight of his past nine starts. He has gone at least seven innings during four of his last seven outings.
The Twins are going with Kevin Slowey, who has a 5.44 day time ERA. Slowey last pitched 10 days ago. He has been sidelined by a sore elbow, but is going to give this start a go.
Slowey has a 5.33 ERA during his past 10 starts.
At this 'dog price, the A's are worth backing.
2? OAKLAND
Bobby Maxwell
Bonus Play
I delivered two big FREE winners on Saturday as the Red Sox got the job done in Texas on the diamond and the Cardinals took care of the Texans on the gridiron. Today I'm scoring a comp winner on the Angels as they will score the win over the Blue Jays in Southern California.
The Angels have taken six of eight from the Blue Jays this season and I’m banking on them to get today’s contest behind right-hander Dan Haren, who looked great in his last outing with the Angels.
Haren delivered on Wednesday at home when he held the Royals to one run on five hits in seven innings of a 3-1 victory over the Royals. He hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his three home starts with the Angels. He also faced the Blue Jays once already this season, back in May as a member of the D’Backs when he allowed four runs in eight innings and struck out eight in an 8-6 victory.
Lefty Ricky Romero (9-7, 3.53 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Blue Jays and he is 1-2 in three career outings against the Angels with a 4.66 ERA. He also pitched on Wednesday and got a no-decision against the Red Sox, giving up five runs on eight hits in six innings of a 7-5 loss. He’s got a 4.33 ERA on the highway this season and other than a decent start in New York, he’s been shelled on the highway in his last five roadies.
The Angels scored the 7-2 winner on Saturday and are now 5-1 in their last six home games. The blue Jays are just 3-8 on Sundays while the Angels are 75-36 in the third game of a series the last few seasons.
Go with Los Angeles to finish this series with a victory and Haren to deliver a gem. Play the Angels.
3? L.A. ANGELS
BRETT ATKINS
Bonus Play
I'm handing out a free winner in the NFL preseason schedule today as I go with the Niners on the road in Indianapolis.
San Francisco is one of those teams on the verge of a something special. They made some strides last season and they are about to make some noise this year and possibly earn themselves a playoff spot and challenge the Cardinals in the NFC West.
Niners' QB Alex Smith has plenty of weapons to use on offense with RB Frank Gore, TE Vernon Davis and WR Michael Crabtree. They are going to move the ball. Tonight, backup QB David Carr will see a lot of action and he is a known quantity that will lead the Niners to some points as well.
Indianapolis has long been one of the teams to go against in the preseason as they just don’t play their stars much in the exhibition campaign. There will be one series with the starters and then they’ll take a seat and let the likes of Curtis Painter run the team.
I like the Niners in this matchup and look for them to win this one by 10. Play San Francisco.
2? SAN FRANCISCO (on a 1? to 5?)
TRACE ADAMS
SUNDAY'S Bonus Play - Denver Broncos
JAY MCNEIL
Bonus Play
The Twins are off an running once again, and the dominating pitching has me sold for this game today.
Minnesota's 2-0 win yesterday, coupled with Chicago 3-2 loss to the Tigers, and the Twins are now two games ahead of the second-place White Sox in the American League Central.
I won't list either pitcher, cause this one is based on pure momentum, but I do like my chances with Kevin Slowey on the hill, as he's 10-5 on the year, and comes in with a 6-3 mark and 3.73 ERA at home.
Play the Twins in this AL showdown.
2? MINNESOTA
(on a 1? to 5? scale)
JOEL TYSON COMP
A-Rod exploded last night as the Yankees came back to win 8-3 over the Royals.
I like another over today between the Yanks and Royals, as Burnett and Bullington are likely to be serving them up to the batters this afternoon.
Burnett's road ERA stands at 5.35 this season, and his overall ERA still stands at 4.87, Seems likely that he will give up a few more runs this afternoon in the hot midwestern air.
Bryan Bullington is making just his second start of the season for Kansas City, and he did give up 3 runs in 6 innings in a loss to the Angels his last time out. I doubt this converted reliever will be around much past the 5th inning today as I fully expect the New York bats to get cranking early in this one.
Take the OVER in the Yankees-Royals contest.
4? OVER
(on a 1? to 5? basis)
Hollywood Sports
Bonus Plays
San Francisco 49ers at Indianapolis Colts
Prediction: San Francisco 49ers
Coach Mike Singletary wants to instill a winning atmosphere in San Fran as they feel they can make a major push to win the NFC West this season. It is telling that the 49ers were 3-1 in Singletary's first preseason as head coach. On the other hand, coach Jim Caldwell felt no pressure to prove himself or test his new systems as Indy was just 1-3 in the preseason before making their run to the Super Bowl. The Colts are now on cruise control which helps explain why they are the underdog despite being at home. Don't expect to see too much of Peyton Manning in this game as Indy averaged only 12.5 PPG in the '09 preseason. With QBs David Carr along with 2nd-year man Nate Smith (Ball State) and rookie Jarrett Brown (West VA), San Fran enjoys a backup QB edge here as well. Lay the points with San Fran.
Edmonton Eskimos at Calgary Stampeders
Prediction: Edmonton Eskimos
While the Eskimos are reeling with their 1-5 mark that has drastically dampened preseason expectations of a possible Grey Cup run, Edmonton has been competitive in most of their games before collapsing in the 4th quarter. Against Saskatchewan, Montreal and British Columbia, the Eskimos were collectively outscored 29-0 in the 4th quarter. Last week against Toronto, Edmonton blew a 28-19 lead to lose 29-28. But perhaps Edmonton has been a victim of bad luck. While the league leading Montreal Alouettes (and defending Grey Cup Champs) have lost only one of their seven fumbles this season, the Eskimos have lost seven of their eight fumbles. Sometimes its just a small difference between making a run for a championship and overhauling a franchise. But we take note of the fact that Edmonton has covered four of their last five games against their rivals in the West Division. And this team ranks #3rd in the CFL in passing yards behind QB Ricky Ray and #1st with their passing defense that holds their opponent's to just 231 yards per game. Now they are getting 8.5 points (as of this writing) against a Calgary team (5-1) that has won their last two games by a collective eight points. While this may look like a mismatch on paper, the Eskimos are a dangerous team as a big underdog. Take the points with Edmonton.
Gill Alexander
Bonus Play
SFX -3.0 (-115) vs IND
The 49ers might be reeling from the completely sudden and unexpected retirement of #2 running back Glen Coffee, but for preseason purposes, it just feels like an opportunity to me. Expect a whole bunch of Michael Robinson for the Niners in this one, or as Joe Paterno calls him, the greatest football player to ever play at Penn State. But this one is about much more than that. It's the super intense Mike Singletary against the barely alive Jim Caldwell. While that makes for a nice sound bite, it does reflect an approach to this game, as Singletary will have an opportunity to evaluate many things against the much more solidified Colts.
A whole bunch of Colts are out of this one, including Jeff Saturday, Pierre Garcon, Dallas Clark, Anthony Gonzalez, and Dwight Freeney. And those are just the first teamers. The Colts will be working with Curtis Painter, Tom Brandstater, and Tim Hiller (after Peyton Manning's token appearance) while the Niners will have full-fledge quarterback party with Alex Smith, the named starter this year in SF if you're scoring at home, David Carr, and Nate Davis, all three more than capable of making things happen Sunday afternoon, not to mention Jarrett Brown in his debut.
Normally in this situation I would write that the Colts are just trying to stay healthy in this one, but they have so many people out that even that mentality is out the window for Indy. But the horses left for them won't be able to keep up with a gun-to-gun effort from a Niners team who have bought into a head coach who says he wants to be known as the best of all-time when all is said and done. The NFC West sets up nicely for the Niners this season and Singletary and the 49ers staff will make sure that winning mentality begins here and now.
Dave Cokin Comp
(957) LOS ANGELES DODGERS
(958) ATLANTA BRAVES
Take "(958) ATLANTA BRAVES"
JEFF ALEXANDER
Bonus Play for August 15, 2010
1 Unit on Colorado Rockies -1.5 -114
Bottom Line: The Rocks have the big edge on the hill with Jimenez, who is a perfect 8-0 (9-1 on the money line) in 10 home starts this season. It is also worth noting that all 9 of those victories have come by 2 or more runs. Jimenez has also been extremely dominant in day starts, going 10-2 with a 1.97 ERA in day games this season. Compare that to the Brewers' Parra, who is 1-3 (1-4 on the money line), with an ERA of 9.12 in day starts. Parra also enters this contest at 0-2 (0-3 on the money line) with an ERA of 6.06 over his last 3 outings. The Rockies are 17-1 with Jimenez on the mound as a home favorite of -150 or more over the last 2 seasons, winning these games by an average score of 7.1 to 2.7. Take the Rockies on the run line.
Bonus Play from Doc’s Sports
#277 Take San Francisco over Indianapolis (Sunday 1 pm NFL Network) Very seldom do you see a road team favored by this many points during the preseason. The reason is the quarterback rotation and the 49ers have a major edge once the Colts replace Peyton Manning in the first quarter of this afternoon game. After Manning expect to see a combination of Curtis Painter, Tom Brandstater, and Tom Hiller. Longtime back-up QB Jim Sorgi has moved onto the Giants to play under Eli Manning and that leaves a major void for the Colts once Manning is out of the game. Curtis Painter had limited action late during the regular season last year and played terrible. The 49ers have Alex Smith and David Carr as their first two quarterbacks and both of them have started many games in the league. That will allow them to be up at halftime and coast to a victory in the second half. Mike Singletary is 3-1 in preseason action during his tenure. Jim Caldwell is 1-3 in his four preseason games.
BRAD DIAMOND
Bonus Play
Play on: Houston (Happ) over Pittsburgh
The Pirates behind RHP Karstens are 0-6 in his last six outings. Plus the struggling Bucs are 2-7 on Sunday’s with Karstens. More important, Pittsburgh has been decimated by lefties as documented by their 14-44 record of late. A. J. Happ (2-1, 3.45) has been in fine form with Houston and actually may have found a club he can pitch for the next 10 years. Finally, the Astros are 5-0 at home versus a team with a losing road mark of under .400. Lay the wood with the Astros.
TOM FREESE
Bonus Play
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Los Angeles Angels Total
7½ under
Since coming over to Anaheim Dan Haren has allowed 9 runs total in his 4 starts. The Angels are 9-3 UNDER their last 12 games vs. lefty starters and they are 5-2 UNDER their last 7 home games. The Halos are 5-2-1 UNDER off a win and they are 5-1-2 UNDER when their opponent allows 5 or more runs in their last game. Toronto starter Ricky Romero has allowed 3 or less runs in 4 of his last 5 starts. The Blue Jays are 5-1-1 UNDER in game 3 of a series. Toronto is 45-21-6 UNDER their last 72 meetings with the Angles. The Blue Jays are 5-1-1 UNDER in game 3 of a series. PLAY ON 'UNDER' (Haren vs. Romero)
STEVE MERRIL
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Houston Astros Total
8 under
Bonus Play
J.A. Happ has enjoyed his time in Houston so far. He's 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in three outings for the Astros. The lefty will make his fourth start against the Pirates on Sunday afternoon. He faced Pittsburgh twice last season giving up just four runs and 11 hits in 15 innings pitched. Andy LaRoche (1-7), Garrett Jones (1-7), Delwyn Young (1-6), Ryan Doumit (0-5), Lastings Milledge (0-4), and Chris Snyder (0-2) all struggle with the lefty. The Pirates have scored just nine runs in their last five games on the road. As a team, they are hitting just .233 on the road while averaging slightly below 3 runs per game. This series has produced six Unders in the nine meetings so far this season.
Pittsburgh’s Jeff Karstens has pitched well as of late. The righty is 0-2 with a 2.65 ERA giving up just five runs over his last 17 innings of work. Karstens faced the Astros three times last season. He gave up 11 runs and 19 hits over 16.7 innings pitched in those games. Jeff Keppinger (2-10), Carlos Lee (2-8), Michael Bourn (2-8), Geoff Blum (0-4), and Pedro Feliz (0-1) all struggle with Karstens. Houston has scored just 11 runs in their last four games. They have gone Under the total in 31 of their 60 home games where they are averaging just over 3.5 runs per game. We expect a low-scoring game here so we’ll recommend a play on the Under between the Pirates and Astros this afternoon.
SEAN HIGGS
Bonus Play on the MARLINS
BIG AL COMP
At 2:05 pm, our complimentary selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros 'under' the total. Add Pittsburgh's little-known righthander Jeff Karstens' name to the list of starters who are getting ridiculously low run support in 2010. Karstens, who stepped into a full-time starting role somewhat unexpectedly - as many Pirate hurlers do - has been getting very little respect from the Pirate batters this season as they have scored only about 2.7 runs on average for Karstens in his games as a starting pitcher. The problem has gotten more severe lately as in his last six starts, Pittsburgh has only managed a total of 11 runs, or an average of less than two per game. Not surprisingly, the Pirates are 0-6 in his last six times to the mound, mostly through no fault of Karstens, as the 27-year-old has pitched pretty well in almost all of those. Lefthander J.A. Happ gets his fourth start in an Astros uniform since being acquired in the deal that sent ace Roy Oswalt to the Phillies and don't let Happ's 5.40 ERA with his new team fool you. Happ has had two great starts at home and one very bad one on the road, and it was against the tough Cardinals to boot. This afternoon should see Happ return to the form that he displayed in his prior three 2010 starts at Minute Maid Park (he had his first start of the season there when he was still with Philadelphia and pitched five innings of shutout ball). He also has a 2.40 career ERA against the Bucs. The under is 7-1-2 in the last 10 meetings of these two teams in Houston heading into Sunday. Take the 'under.' As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
(957) LOS ANGELES DODGERS
(958) ATLANTA BRAVES
Take "(958) ATLANTA BRAVES"
JEFF ALEXANDER
Bonus Play for August 15, 2010
1 Unit on Colorado Rockies -1.5 -114
Bottom Line: The Rocks have the big edge on the hill with Jimenez, who is a perfect 8-0 (9-1 on the money line) in 10 home starts this season. It is also worth noting that all 9 of those victories have come by 2 or more runs. Jimenez has also been extremely dominant in day starts, going 10-2 with a 1.97 ERA in day games this season. Compare that to the Brewers' Parra, who is 1-3 (1-4 on the money line), with an ERA of 9.12 in day starts. Parra also enters this contest at 0-2 (0-3 on the money line) with an ERA of 6.06 over his last 3 outings. The Rockies are 17-1 with Jimenez on the mound as a home favorite of -150 or more over the last 2 seasons, winning these games by an average score of 7.1 to 2.7. Take the Rockies on the run line.
Bonus Play from Doc’s Sports
#277 Take San Francisco over Indianapolis (Sunday 1 pm NFL Network) Very seldom do you see a road team favored by this many points during the preseason. The reason is the quarterback rotation and the 49ers have a major edge once the Colts replace Peyton Manning in the first quarter of this afternoon game. After Manning expect to see a combination of Curtis Painter, Tom Brandstater, and Tom Hiller. Longtime back-up QB Jim Sorgi has moved onto the Giants to play under Eli Manning and that leaves a major void for the Colts once Manning is out of the game. Curtis Painter had limited action late during the regular season last year and played terrible. The 49ers have Alex Smith and David Carr as their first two quarterbacks and both of them have started many games in the league. That will allow them to be up at halftime and coast to a victory in the second half. Mike Singletary is 3-1 in preseason action during his tenure. Jim Caldwell is 1-3 in his four preseason games.
BRAD DIAMOND
Bonus Play
Play on: Houston (Happ) over Pittsburgh
The Pirates behind RHP Karstens are 0-6 in his last six outings. Plus the struggling Bucs are 2-7 on Sunday’s with Karstens. More important, Pittsburgh has been decimated by lefties as documented by their 14-44 record of late. A. J. Happ (2-1, 3.45) has been in fine form with Houston and actually may have found a club he can pitch for the next 10 years. Finally, the Astros are 5-0 at home versus a team with a losing road mark of under .400. Lay the wood with the Astros.
TOM FREESE
Bonus Play
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Los Angeles Angels Total
7½ under
Since coming over to Anaheim Dan Haren has allowed 9 runs total in his 4 starts. The Angels are 9-3 UNDER their last 12 games vs. lefty starters and they are 5-2 UNDER their last 7 home games. The Halos are 5-2-1 UNDER off a win and they are 5-1-2 UNDER when their opponent allows 5 or more runs in their last game. Toronto starter Ricky Romero has allowed 3 or less runs in 4 of his last 5 starts. The Blue Jays are 5-1-1 UNDER in game 3 of a series. Toronto is 45-21-6 UNDER their last 72 meetings with the Angles. The Blue Jays are 5-1-1 UNDER in game 3 of a series. PLAY ON 'UNDER' (Haren vs. Romero)
STEVE MERRIL
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Houston Astros Total
8 under
Bonus Play
J.A. Happ has enjoyed his time in Houston so far. He's 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in three outings for the Astros. The lefty will make his fourth start against the Pirates on Sunday afternoon. He faced Pittsburgh twice last season giving up just four runs and 11 hits in 15 innings pitched. Andy LaRoche (1-7), Garrett Jones (1-7), Delwyn Young (1-6), Ryan Doumit (0-5), Lastings Milledge (0-4), and Chris Snyder (0-2) all struggle with the lefty. The Pirates have scored just nine runs in their last five games on the road. As a team, they are hitting just .233 on the road while averaging slightly below 3 runs per game. This series has produced six Unders in the nine meetings so far this season.
Pittsburgh’s Jeff Karstens has pitched well as of late. The righty is 0-2 with a 2.65 ERA giving up just five runs over his last 17 innings of work. Karstens faced the Astros three times last season. He gave up 11 runs and 19 hits over 16.7 innings pitched in those games. Jeff Keppinger (2-10), Carlos Lee (2-8), Michael Bourn (2-8), Geoff Blum (0-4), and Pedro Feliz (0-1) all struggle with Karstens. Houston has scored just 11 runs in their last four games. They have gone Under the total in 31 of their 60 home games where they are averaging just over 3.5 runs per game. We expect a low-scoring game here so we’ll recommend a play on the Under between the Pirates and Astros this afternoon.
SEAN HIGGS
Bonus Play on the MARLINS
BIG AL COMP
At 2:05 pm, our complimentary selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros 'under' the total. Add Pittsburgh's little-known righthander Jeff Karstens' name to the list of starters who are getting ridiculously low run support in 2010. Karstens, who stepped into a full-time starting role somewhat unexpectedly - as many Pirate hurlers do - has been getting very little respect from the Pirate batters this season as they have scored only about 2.7 runs on average for Karstens in his games as a starting pitcher. The problem has gotten more severe lately as in his last six starts, Pittsburgh has only managed a total of 11 runs, or an average of less than two per game. Not surprisingly, the Pirates are 0-6 in his last six times to the mound, mostly through no fault of Karstens, as the 27-year-old has pitched pretty well in almost all of those. Lefthander J.A. Happ gets his fourth start in an Astros uniform since being acquired in the deal that sent ace Roy Oswalt to the Phillies and don't let Happ's 5.40 ERA with his new team fool you. Happ has had two great starts at home and one very bad one on the road, and it was against the tough Cardinals to boot. This afternoon should see Happ return to the form that he displayed in his prior three 2010 starts at Minute Maid Park (he had his first start of the season there when he was still with Philadelphia and pitched five innings of shutout ball). He also has a 2.40 career ERA against the Bucs. The under is 7-1-2 in the last 10 meetings of these two teams in Houston heading into Sunday. Take the 'under.' As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
Dave Cokin Comp
(957) LOS ANGELES DODGERS
(958) ATLANTA BRAVES
Take "(958) ATLANTA BRAVES"
JEFF ALEXANDER
Bonus Play for August 15, 2010
1 Unit on Colorado Rockies -1.5 -114
Bottom Line: The Rocks have the big edge on the hill with Jimenez, who is a perfect 8-0 (9-1 on the money line) in 10 home starts this season. It is also worth noting that all 9 of those victories have come by 2 or more runs. Jimenez has also been extremely dominant in day starts, going 10-2 with a 1.97 ERA in day games this season. Compare that to the Brewers' Parra, who is 1-3 (1-4 on the money line), with an ERA of 9.12 in day starts. Parra also enters this contest at 0-2 (0-3 on the money line) with an ERA of 6.06 over his last 3 outings. The Rockies are 17-1 with Jimenez on the mound as a home favorite of -150 or more over the last 2 seasons, winning these games by an average score of 7.1 to 2.7. Take the Rockies on the run line.
Bonus Play from Doc’s Sports
#277 Take San Francisco over Indianapolis (Sunday 1 pm NFL Network) Very seldom do you see a road team favored by this many points during the preseason. The reason is the quarterback rotation and the 49ers have a major edge once the Colts replace Peyton Manning in the first quarter of this afternoon game. After Manning expect to see a combination of Curtis Painter, Tom Brandstater, and Tom Hiller. Longtime back-up QB Jim Sorgi has moved onto the Giants to play under Eli Manning and that leaves a major void for the Colts once Manning is out of the game. Curtis Painter had limited action late during the regular season last year and played terrible. The 49ers have Alex Smith and David Carr as their first two quarterbacks and both of them have started many games in the league. That will allow them to be up at halftime and coast to a victory in the second half. Mike Singletary is 3-1 in preseason action during his tenure. Jim Caldwell is 1-3 in his four preseason games.
BRAD DIAMOND
Bonus Play
Play on: Houston (Happ) over Pittsburgh
The Pirates behind RHP Karstens are 0-6 in his last six outings. Plus the struggling Bucs are 2-7 on Sunday’s with Karstens. More important, Pittsburgh has been decimated by lefties as documented by their 14-44 record of late. A. J. Happ (2-1, 3.45) has been in fine form with Houston and actually may have found a club he can pitch for the next 10 years. Finally, the Astros are 5-0 at home versus a team with a losing road mark of under .400. Lay the wood with the Astros.
TOM FREESE
Bonus Play
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Los Angeles Angels Total
7½ under
Since coming over to Anaheim Dan Haren has allowed 9 runs total in his 4 starts. The Angels are 9-3 UNDER their last 12 games vs. lefty starters and they are 5-2 UNDER their last 7 home games. The Halos are 5-2-1 UNDER off a win and they are 5-1-2 UNDER when their opponent allows 5 or more runs in their last game. Toronto starter Ricky Romero has allowed 3 or less runs in 4 of his last 5 starts. The Blue Jays are 5-1-1 UNDER in game 3 of a series. Toronto is 45-21-6 UNDER their last 72 meetings with the Angles. The Blue Jays are 5-1-1 UNDER in game 3 of a series. PLAY ON 'UNDER' (Haren vs. Romero)
STEVE MERRIL
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Houston Astros Total
8 under
Bonus Play
J.A. Happ has enjoyed his time in Houston so far. He's 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in three outings for the Astros. The lefty will make his fourth start against the Pirates on Sunday afternoon. He faced Pittsburgh twice last season giving up just four runs and 11 hits in 15 innings pitched. Andy LaRoche (1-7), Garrett Jones (1-7), Delwyn Young (1-6), Ryan Doumit (0-5), Lastings Milledge (0-4), and Chris Snyder (0-2) all struggle with the lefty. The Pirates have scored just nine runs in their last five games on the road. As a team, they are hitting just .233 on the road while averaging slightly below 3 runs per game. This series has produced six Unders in the nine meetings so far this season.
Pittsburgh’s Jeff Karstens has pitched well as of late. The righty is 0-2 with a 2.65 ERA giving up just five runs over his last 17 innings of work. Karstens faced the Astros three times last season. He gave up 11 runs and 19 hits over 16.7 innings pitched in those games. Jeff Keppinger (2-10), Carlos Lee (2-8), Michael Bourn (2-8), Geoff Blum (0-4), and Pedro Feliz (0-1) all struggle with Karstens. Houston has scored just 11 runs in their last four games. They have gone Under the total in 31 of their 60 home games where they are averaging just over 3.5 runs per game. We expect a low-scoring game here so we’ll recommend a play on the Under between the Pirates and Astros this afternoon.
SEAN HIGGS
Bonus Play on the MARLINS
BIG AL COMP
At 2:05 pm, our complimentary selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros 'under' the total. Add Pittsburgh's little-known righthander Jeff Karstens' name to the list of starters who are getting ridiculously low run support in 2010. Karstens, who stepped into a full-time starting role somewhat unexpectedly - as many Pirate hurlers do - has been getting very little respect from the Pirate batters this season as they have scored only about 2.7 runs on average for Karstens in his games as a starting pitcher. The problem has gotten more severe lately as in his last six starts, Pittsburgh has only managed a total of 11 runs, or an average of less than two per game. Not surprisingly, the Pirates are 0-6 in his last six times to the mound, mostly through no fault of Karstens, as the 27-year-old has pitched pretty well in almost all of those. Lefthander J.A. Happ gets his fourth start in an Astros uniform since being acquired in the deal that sent ace Roy Oswalt to the Phillies and don't let Happ's 5.40 ERA with his new team fool you. Happ has had two great starts at home and one very bad one on the road, and it was against the tough Cardinals to boot. This afternoon should see Happ return to the form that he displayed in his prior three 2010 starts at Minute Maid Park (he had his first start of the season there when he was still with Philadelphia and pitched five innings of shutout ball). He also has a 2.40 career ERA against the Bucs. The under is 7-1-2 in the last 10 meetings of these two teams in Houston heading into Sunday. Take the 'under.' As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
(957) LOS ANGELES DODGERS
(958) ATLANTA BRAVES
Take "(958) ATLANTA BRAVES"
JEFF ALEXANDER
Bonus Play for August 15, 2010
1 Unit on Colorado Rockies -1.5 -114
Bottom Line: The Rocks have the big edge on the hill with Jimenez, who is a perfect 8-0 (9-1 on the money line) in 10 home starts this season. It is also worth noting that all 9 of those victories have come by 2 or more runs. Jimenez has also been extremely dominant in day starts, going 10-2 with a 1.97 ERA in day games this season. Compare that to the Brewers' Parra, who is 1-3 (1-4 on the money line), with an ERA of 9.12 in day starts. Parra also enters this contest at 0-2 (0-3 on the money line) with an ERA of 6.06 over his last 3 outings. The Rockies are 17-1 with Jimenez on the mound as a home favorite of -150 or more over the last 2 seasons, winning these games by an average score of 7.1 to 2.7. Take the Rockies on the run line.
Bonus Play from Doc’s Sports
#277 Take San Francisco over Indianapolis (Sunday 1 pm NFL Network) Very seldom do you see a road team favored by this many points during the preseason. The reason is the quarterback rotation and the 49ers have a major edge once the Colts replace Peyton Manning in the first quarter of this afternoon game. After Manning expect to see a combination of Curtis Painter, Tom Brandstater, and Tom Hiller. Longtime back-up QB Jim Sorgi has moved onto the Giants to play under Eli Manning and that leaves a major void for the Colts once Manning is out of the game. Curtis Painter had limited action late during the regular season last year and played terrible. The 49ers have Alex Smith and David Carr as their first two quarterbacks and both of them have started many games in the league. That will allow them to be up at halftime and coast to a victory in the second half. Mike Singletary is 3-1 in preseason action during his tenure. Jim Caldwell is 1-3 in his four preseason games.
BRAD DIAMOND
Bonus Play
Play on: Houston (Happ) over Pittsburgh
The Pirates behind RHP Karstens are 0-6 in his last six outings. Plus the struggling Bucs are 2-7 on Sunday’s with Karstens. More important, Pittsburgh has been decimated by lefties as documented by their 14-44 record of late. A. J. Happ (2-1, 3.45) has been in fine form with Houston and actually may have found a club he can pitch for the next 10 years. Finally, the Astros are 5-0 at home versus a team with a losing road mark of under .400. Lay the wood with the Astros.
TOM FREESE
Bonus Play
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Los Angeles Angels Total
7½ under
Since coming over to Anaheim Dan Haren has allowed 9 runs total in his 4 starts. The Angels are 9-3 UNDER their last 12 games vs. lefty starters and they are 5-2 UNDER their last 7 home games. The Halos are 5-2-1 UNDER off a win and they are 5-1-2 UNDER when their opponent allows 5 or more runs in their last game. Toronto starter Ricky Romero has allowed 3 or less runs in 4 of his last 5 starts. The Blue Jays are 5-1-1 UNDER in game 3 of a series. Toronto is 45-21-6 UNDER their last 72 meetings with the Angles. The Blue Jays are 5-1-1 UNDER in game 3 of a series. PLAY ON 'UNDER' (Haren vs. Romero)
STEVE MERRIL
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Houston Astros Total
8 under
Bonus Play
J.A. Happ has enjoyed his time in Houston so far. He's 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in three outings for the Astros. The lefty will make his fourth start against the Pirates on Sunday afternoon. He faced Pittsburgh twice last season giving up just four runs and 11 hits in 15 innings pitched. Andy LaRoche (1-7), Garrett Jones (1-7), Delwyn Young (1-6), Ryan Doumit (0-5), Lastings Milledge (0-4), and Chris Snyder (0-2) all struggle with the lefty. The Pirates have scored just nine runs in their last five games on the road. As a team, they are hitting just .233 on the road while averaging slightly below 3 runs per game. This series has produced six Unders in the nine meetings so far this season.
Pittsburgh’s Jeff Karstens has pitched well as of late. The righty is 0-2 with a 2.65 ERA giving up just five runs over his last 17 innings of work. Karstens faced the Astros three times last season. He gave up 11 runs and 19 hits over 16.7 innings pitched in those games. Jeff Keppinger (2-10), Carlos Lee (2-8), Michael Bourn (2-8), Geoff Blum (0-4), and Pedro Feliz (0-1) all struggle with Karstens. Houston has scored just 11 runs in their last four games. They have gone Under the total in 31 of their 60 home games where they are averaging just over 3.5 runs per game. We expect a low-scoring game here so we’ll recommend a play on the Under between the Pirates and Astros this afternoon.
SEAN HIGGS
Bonus Play on the MARLINS
BIG AL COMP
At 2:05 pm, our complimentary selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros 'under' the total. Add Pittsburgh's little-known righthander Jeff Karstens' name to the list of starters who are getting ridiculously low run support in 2010. Karstens, who stepped into a full-time starting role somewhat unexpectedly - as many Pirate hurlers do - has been getting very little respect from the Pirate batters this season as they have scored only about 2.7 runs on average for Karstens in his games as a starting pitcher. The problem has gotten more severe lately as in his last six starts, Pittsburgh has only managed a total of 11 runs, or an average of less than two per game. Not surprisingly, the Pirates are 0-6 in his last six times to the mound, mostly through no fault of Karstens, as the 27-year-old has pitched pretty well in almost all of those. Lefthander J.A. Happ gets his fourth start in an Astros uniform since being acquired in the deal that sent ace Roy Oswalt to the Phillies and don't let Happ's 5.40 ERA with his new team fool you. Happ has had two great starts at home and one very bad one on the road, and it was against the tough Cardinals to boot. This afternoon should see Happ return to the form that he displayed in his prior three 2010 starts at Minute Maid Park (he had his first start of the season there when he was still with Philadelphia and pitched five innings of shutout ball). He also has a 2.40 career ERA against the Bucs. The under is 7-1-2 in the last 10 meetings of these two teams in Houston heading into Sunday. Take the 'under.' As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
Nick “The BookieKiller” Parsons
Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals
PICK: Cincinnati Bengals -3.5
For a number of different reasons I believe the value in this contest is on the home side:
Denver went 2-2 ATS in the pre-season in 2009.
The best phrase to describe the Broncos training camp this year would be: "injury plagued".
In fact they are the most injured team in the NFL right now; the biggest loss is that of star LB Elvis Dumervil; other notable losses include RB's Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter, WR's Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker, S Brian Dawkins and LB's D.J. Williams and Jarvis Moss; also remember that LT Ryan Clady is out until sometime in September
We should be getting a look at Tim Tebow in this one, especially in short-yardage situations; that means that Denver will be using a three QB system on game days; Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn and Tebow.
Orton will be the No. 1 guy during the regular season, and Tebow should eventually be his successor, but Quinn is expected to be his immediate backup; that's bad news for Broncos backers in this one as Quinn will see the majority of snaps in Cincinnati.
I believe Denver will once again struggle this season; it started a surprising 6-0, and then lost eight of its final ten down the stretch in 2009.
At the other end of the field: The Bengals went 2-2 ATS in the pre-season in 2009.
I of course had a play on Cincinnati in the "Hall of Fame Game" last week, and it was unable to muster any type of offense except for a meaningless TD at the end of the game.
Dallas picked off three passes and recovered a fumble; Cincinnati also recovered a fumble.
The best thing the Bengals had going for them last week was their defense; Tony Romo led the Cowboys to the Cincinnati 2 yard line, but was held to just a FG.
The Bengals also had five sacks, including two by linebacker Michael Johnson.
Rookie Jordan Shipley ran back a punt 63 yards in the closing moments of the game and Jordan Palmer connected with rookie TE Darius Hill for a 1-yard TD with under a minute remaining.
Bottom line: Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said it best at the end of the ugly and penalty prone 2010 "HOF" Game; “The best thing about it,” Phillips said, “is you see what you did and what you need to improve on.”
That could not ring more true in this case as the Bengals have already had the advantage of playing their first pre-season game and will be able to make key and necessary adjustments to be more productive the second time around; when coupled with the home field advantage factor, you may want to consider a second look at the CINCINNATI BENGALS in this situation.
Marc Lawrence
Florida Marlins at Cincinnati Reds
Prediction: Florida Marlins
The Marlins and Reds wrap up a three-game series in Cincinnati this afternoon when Anibal Sanchez opposes Homer Bailey in the Queen City. Sanchez enters today's contest in solid current form having cashed in four of his last six road starts while also delivering the goods in three of his last four road starts during the month of August. Meanwhile, Bailey returns off a long stint off the DL knowing he is just 1-3 in four career home team starts during August. The Reds are also winless (0-2) behind Bailey in this series against the Fish. With that, look for the Marlins to capture the finale here today. We recommend a 1-unit play on Florida.
Lee Kostroski
Toronto Blue Jays @ Los Angeles Angels
PICK: Los Angeles Angels
Dan Haren has pitched well in his starts as an Angel even though Los Angeles has just one win behind him and the odds of Los Angeles climbing back into the AL West race seem remote. Going back to his time in Arizona Haren has allowed three or fewer runs in eight of his last ten starts and so far he owns a 2.18 ERA at Angel Stadium with 0.97 WHIP. For the year Haren owns a 5:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and he should be in a favorable match-up against a strikeout prone Blue Jays lineup that is reliant on the home run.
The Angels have won five of seven meetings between these teams even though Toronto currently features the superior record between these teams. Los Angeles sputtered on offense right after the All Star break but the team has topped four runs scored in eight of the last 13 games. The Angels still maintain a strong winning record at home at 32-26 and for the year the Blues Jays are batting .241 away from home. Toronto’s pitching staff continues to deliver inconsistent results, allowing five or more runs in six of the last ten games, including double-digits twice. Toronto is remarkably 7-3 in the last ten games despite allowing 4.7 runs per game.
Ricky Romero has delivered several great starts this season but the Blue Jays are only 3-6 in his last nine games. In three of those games Romero has allowed five or more runs and his ERA over his last seven starts is 5.40. Romero is a pitcher that has far better numbers in his home starts, featuring a 2.62 ERA at home but a 4.33 ERA on the road. Romero owns a 1.43 WHIP in road games while Toronto has gone 6-7 in his road starts. Romero also had one of his worst starts of the season in Los Angeles, allowing eleven hits and seven runs in a 3-8 loss in late May.
JIM FEIST
CHICAGO CUBS / ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
PLAY: CHICAGO CUBS
Tona LaRusa returns to the bench after a 2-game suspension. This is good news for the Cards who have the majors 2nd best home record at 39-19, though they have lost three of their last five at home. Also returning today is pitcher Kyle Lohse, who hasn't pitched since May 22. Lohse is 1-1 this year with a 5.89 ERA. Lohse looked good in his triple-A rehab so he's brought up for the start today. The Cubs have handled Lohse pretty well, going 3-1 against him in nine starts. In fact, Lohse hasn't beaten the Cubs since 2007. Ryan Dempster has been one of the shining stars for the Cubs with his 10-8 record and 3.66 ERA. Dempster is going for his third straight win. Nice little dog here today with the Cubs and I'm not convinced Lohse is ready for big league ball quite yet. I'm going to take a shot with the underdog Cubs and see if Dempster can continue his fine pitching.
Gill Alexander
SFX -3.0 (-115) vs IND
The 49ers might be reeling from the completely sudden and unexpected retirement of #2 running back Glen Coffee, but for preseason purposes, it just feels like an opportunity to me. Expect a whole bunch of Michael Robinson for the Niners in this one, or as Joe Paterno calls him, the greatest football player to ever play at Penn State. But this one is about much more than that. It's the super intense Mike Singletary against the barely alive Jim Caldwell. While that makes for a nice sound bite, it does reflect an approach to this game, as Singletary will have an opportunity to evaluate many things against the much more solidified Colts.
A whole bunch of Colts are out of this one, including Jeff Saturday, Pierre Garcon, Dallas Clark, Anthony Gonzalez, and Dwight Freeney. And those are just the first teamers. The Colts will be working with Curtis Painter, Tom Brandstater, and Tim Hiller (after Peyton Manning's token appearance) while the Niners will have full-fledge quarterback party with Alex Smith, the named starter this year in SF if you're scoring at home, David Carr, and Nate Davis, all three more than capable of making things happen Sunday afternoon, not to mention Jarrett Brown in his debut.
Normally in this situation I would write that the Colts are just trying to stay healthy in this one, but they have so many people out that even that mentality is out the window for Indy. But the horses left for them won't be able to keep up with a gun-to-gun effort from a Niners team who have bought into a head coach who says he wants to be known as the best of all-time when all is said and done. The NFC West sets up nicely for the Niners this season and Singletary and the 49ers staff will make sure that winning mentality begins here and now.
Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals
PICK: Cincinnati Bengals -3.5
For a number of different reasons I believe the value in this contest is on the home side:
Denver went 2-2 ATS in the pre-season in 2009.
The best phrase to describe the Broncos training camp this year would be: "injury plagued".
In fact they are the most injured team in the NFL right now; the biggest loss is that of star LB Elvis Dumervil; other notable losses include RB's Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter, WR's Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker, S Brian Dawkins and LB's D.J. Williams and Jarvis Moss; also remember that LT Ryan Clady is out until sometime in September
We should be getting a look at Tim Tebow in this one, especially in short-yardage situations; that means that Denver will be using a three QB system on game days; Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn and Tebow.
Orton will be the No. 1 guy during the regular season, and Tebow should eventually be his successor, but Quinn is expected to be his immediate backup; that's bad news for Broncos backers in this one as Quinn will see the majority of snaps in Cincinnati.
I believe Denver will once again struggle this season; it started a surprising 6-0, and then lost eight of its final ten down the stretch in 2009.
At the other end of the field: The Bengals went 2-2 ATS in the pre-season in 2009.
I of course had a play on Cincinnati in the "Hall of Fame Game" last week, and it was unable to muster any type of offense except for a meaningless TD at the end of the game.
Dallas picked off three passes and recovered a fumble; Cincinnati also recovered a fumble.
The best thing the Bengals had going for them last week was their defense; Tony Romo led the Cowboys to the Cincinnati 2 yard line, but was held to just a FG.
The Bengals also had five sacks, including two by linebacker Michael Johnson.
Rookie Jordan Shipley ran back a punt 63 yards in the closing moments of the game and Jordan Palmer connected with rookie TE Darius Hill for a 1-yard TD with under a minute remaining.
Bottom line: Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said it best at the end of the ugly and penalty prone 2010 "HOF" Game; “The best thing about it,” Phillips said, “is you see what you did and what you need to improve on.”
That could not ring more true in this case as the Bengals have already had the advantage of playing their first pre-season game and will be able to make key and necessary adjustments to be more productive the second time around; when coupled with the home field advantage factor, you may want to consider a second look at the CINCINNATI BENGALS in this situation.
Marc Lawrence
Florida Marlins at Cincinnati Reds
Prediction: Florida Marlins
The Marlins and Reds wrap up a three-game series in Cincinnati this afternoon when Anibal Sanchez opposes Homer Bailey in the Queen City. Sanchez enters today's contest in solid current form having cashed in four of his last six road starts while also delivering the goods in three of his last four road starts during the month of August. Meanwhile, Bailey returns off a long stint off the DL knowing he is just 1-3 in four career home team starts during August. The Reds are also winless (0-2) behind Bailey in this series against the Fish. With that, look for the Marlins to capture the finale here today. We recommend a 1-unit play on Florida.
Lee Kostroski
Toronto Blue Jays @ Los Angeles Angels
PICK: Los Angeles Angels
Dan Haren has pitched well in his starts as an Angel even though Los Angeles has just one win behind him and the odds of Los Angeles climbing back into the AL West race seem remote. Going back to his time in Arizona Haren has allowed three or fewer runs in eight of his last ten starts and so far he owns a 2.18 ERA at Angel Stadium with 0.97 WHIP. For the year Haren owns a 5:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and he should be in a favorable match-up against a strikeout prone Blue Jays lineup that is reliant on the home run.
The Angels have won five of seven meetings between these teams even though Toronto currently features the superior record between these teams. Los Angeles sputtered on offense right after the All Star break but the team has topped four runs scored in eight of the last 13 games. The Angels still maintain a strong winning record at home at 32-26 and for the year the Blues Jays are batting .241 away from home. Toronto’s pitching staff continues to deliver inconsistent results, allowing five or more runs in six of the last ten games, including double-digits twice. Toronto is remarkably 7-3 in the last ten games despite allowing 4.7 runs per game.
Ricky Romero has delivered several great starts this season but the Blue Jays are only 3-6 in his last nine games. In three of those games Romero has allowed five or more runs and his ERA over his last seven starts is 5.40. Romero is a pitcher that has far better numbers in his home starts, featuring a 2.62 ERA at home but a 4.33 ERA on the road. Romero owns a 1.43 WHIP in road games while Toronto has gone 6-7 in his road starts. Romero also had one of his worst starts of the season in Los Angeles, allowing eleven hits and seven runs in a 3-8 loss in late May.
JIM FEIST
CHICAGO CUBS / ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
PLAY: CHICAGO CUBS
Tona LaRusa returns to the bench after a 2-game suspension. This is good news for the Cards who have the majors 2nd best home record at 39-19, though they have lost three of their last five at home. Also returning today is pitcher Kyle Lohse, who hasn't pitched since May 22. Lohse is 1-1 this year with a 5.89 ERA. Lohse looked good in his triple-A rehab so he's brought up for the start today. The Cubs have handled Lohse pretty well, going 3-1 against him in nine starts. In fact, Lohse hasn't beaten the Cubs since 2007. Ryan Dempster has been one of the shining stars for the Cubs with his 10-8 record and 3.66 ERA. Dempster is going for his third straight win. Nice little dog here today with the Cubs and I'm not convinced Lohse is ready for big league ball quite yet. I'm going to take a shot with the underdog Cubs and see if Dempster can continue his fine pitching.
Gill Alexander
SFX -3.0 (-115) vs IND
The 49ers might be reeling from the completely sudden and unexpected retirement of #2 running back Glen Coffee, but for preseason purposes, it just feels like an opportunity to me. Expect a whole bunch of Michael Robinson for the Niners in this one, or as Joe Paterno calls him, the greatest football player to ever play at Penn State. But this one is about much more than that. It's the super intense Mike Singletary against the barely alive Jim Caldwell. While that makes for a nice sound bite, it does reflect an approach to this game, as Singletary will have an opportunity to evaluate many things against the much more solidified Colts.
A whole bunch of Colts are out of this one, including Jeff Saturday, Pierre Garcon, Dallas Clark, Anthony Gonzalez, and Dwight Freeney. And those are just the first teamers. The Colts will be working with Curtis Painter, Tom Brandstater, and Tim Hiller (after Peyton Manning's token appearance) while the Niners will have full-fledge quarterback party with Alex Smith, the named starter this year in SF if you're scoring at home, David Carr, and Nate Davis, all three more than capable of making things happen Sunday afternoon, not to mention Jarrett Brown in his debut.
Normally in this situation I would write that the Colts are just trying to stay healthy in this one, but they have so many people out that even that mentality is out the window for Indy. But the horses left for them won't be able to keep up with a gun-to-gun effort from a Niners team who have bought into a head coach who says he wants to be known as the best of all-time when all is said and done. The NFC West sets up nicely for the Niners this season and Singletary and the 49ers staff will make sure that winning mentality begins here and now.
Nick “The BookieKiller” Parsons
Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals
PICK: Cincinnati Bengals -3.5
For a number of different reasons I believe the value in this contest is on the home side:
Denver went 2-2 ATS in the pre-season in 2009.
The best phrase to describe the Broncos training camp this year would be: "injury plagued".
In fact they are the most injured team in the NFL right now; the biggest loss is that of star LB Elvis Dumervil; other notable losses include RB's Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter, WR's Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker, S Brian Dawkins and LB's D.J. Williams and Jarvis Moss; also remember that LT Ryan Clady is out until sometime in September
We should be getting a look at Tim Tebow in this one, especially in short-yardage situations; that means that Denver will be using a three QB system on game days; Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn and Tebow.
Orton will be the No. 1 guy during the regular season, and Tebow should eventually be his successor, but Quinn is expected to be his immediate backup; that's bad news for Broncos backers in this one as Quinn will see the majority of snaps in Cincinnati.
I believe Denver will once again struggle this season; it started a surprising 6-0, and then lost eight of its final ten down the stretch in 2009.
At the other end of the field: The Bengals went 2-2 ATS in the pre-season in 2009.
I of course had a play on Cincinnati in the "Hall of Fame Game" last week, and it was unable to muster any type of offense except for a meaningless TD at the end of the game.
Dallas picked off three passes and recovered a fumble; Cincinnati also recovered a fumble.
The best thing the Bengals had going for them last week was their defense; Tony Romo led the Cowboys to the Cincinnati 2 yard line, but was held to just a FG.
The Bengals also had five sacks, including two by linebacker Michael Johnson.
Rookie Jordan Shipley ran back a punt 63 yards in the closing moments of the game and Jordan Palmer connected with rookie TE Darius Hill for a 1-yard TD with under a minute remaining.
Bottom line: Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said it best at the end of the ugly and penalty prone 2010 "HOF" Game; “The best thing about it,” Phillips said, “is you see what you did and what you need to improve on.”
That could not ring more true in this case as the Bengals have already had the advantage of playing their first pre-season game and will be able to make key and necessary adjustments to be more productive the second time around; when coupled with the home field advantage factor, you may want to consider a second look at the CINCINNATI BENGALS in this situation.
Marc Lawrence
Florida Marlins at Cincinnati Reds
Prediction: Florida Marlins
The Marlins and Reds wrap up a three-game series in Cincinnati this afternoon when Anibal Sanchez opposes Homer Bailey in the Queen City. Sanchez enters today's contest in solid current form having cashed in four of his last six road starts while also delivering the goods in three of his last four road starts during the month of August. Meanwhile, Bailey returns off a long stint off the DL knowing he is just 1-3 in four career home team starts during August. The Reds are also winless (0-2) behind Bailey in this series against the Fish. With that, look for the Marlins to capture the finale here today. We recommend a 1-unit play on Florida.
Lee Kostroski
Toronto Blue Jays @ Los Angeles Angels
PICK: Los Angeles Angels
Dan Haren has pitched well in his starts as an Angel even though Los Angeles has just one win behind him and the odds of Los Angeles climbing back into the AL West race seem remote. Going back to his time in Arizona Haren has allowed three or fewer runs in eight of his last ten starts and so far he owns a 2.18 ERA at Angel Stadium with 0.97 WHIP. For the year Haren owns a 5:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and he should be in a favorable match-up against a strikeout prone Blue Jays lineup that is reliant on the home run.
The Angels have won five of seven meetings between these teams even though Toronto currently features the superior record between these teams. Los Angeles sputtered on offense right after the All Star break but the team has topped four runs scored in eight of the last 13 games. The Angels still maintain a strong winning record at home at 32-26 and for the year the Blues Jays are batting .241 away from home. Toronto’s pitching staff continues to deliver inconsistent results, allowing five or more runs in six of the last ten games, including double-digits twice. Toronto is remarkably 7-3 in the last ten games despite allowing 4.7 runs per game.
Ricky Romero has delivered several great starts this season but the Blue Jays are only 3-6 in his last nine games. In three of those games Romero has allowed five or more runs and his ERA over his last seven starts is 5.40. Romero is a pitcher that has far better numbers in his home starts, featuring a 2.62 ERA at home but a 4.33 ERA on the road. Romero owns a 1.43 WHIP in road games while Toronto has gone 6-7 in his road starts. Romero also had one of his worst starts of the season in Los Angeles, allowing eleven hits and seven runs in a 3-8 loss in late May.
JIM FEIST
CHICAGO CUBS / ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
PLAY: CHICAGO CUBS
Tona LaRusa returns to the bench after a 2-game suspension. This is good news for the Cards who have the majors 2nd best home record at 39-19, though they have lost three of their last five at home. Also returning today is pitcher Kyle Lohse, who hasn't pitched since May 22. Lohse is 1-1 this year with a 5.89 ERA. Lohse looked good in his triple-A rehab so he's brought up for the start today. The Cubs have handled Lohse pretty well, going 3-1 against him in nine starts. In fact, Lohse hasn't beaten the Cubs since 2007. Ryan Dempster has been one of the shining stars for the Cubs with his 10-8 record and 3.66 ERA. Dempster is going for his third straight win. Nice little dog here today with the Cubs and I'm not convinced Lohse is ready for big league ball quite yet. I'm going to take a shot with the underdog Cubs and see if Dempster can continue his fine pitching.
Gill Alexander
SFX -3.0 (-115) vs IND
The 49ers might be reeling from the completely sudden and unexpected retirement of #2 running back Glen Coffee, but for preseason purposes, it just feels like an opportunity to me. Expect a whole bunch of Michael Robinson for the Niners in this one, or as Joe Paterno calls him, the greatest football player to ever play at Penn State. But this one is about much more than that. It's the super intense Mike Singletary against the barely alive Jim Caldwell. While that makes for a nice sound bite, it does reflect an approach to this game, as Singletary will have an opportunity to evaluate many things against the much more solidified Colts.
A whole bunch of Colts are out of this one, including Jeff Saturday, Pierre Garcon, Dallas Clark, Anthony Gonzalez, and Dwight Freeney. And those are just the first teamers. The Colts will be working with Curtis Painter, Tom Brandstater, and Tim Hiller (after Peyton Manning's token appearance) while the Niners will have full-fledge quarterback party with Alex Smith, the named starter this year in SF if you're scoring at home, David Carr, and Nate Davis, all three more than capable of making things happen Sunday afternoon, not to mention Jarrett Brown in his debut.
Normally in this situation I would write that the Colts are just trying to stay healthy in this one, but they have so many people out that even that mentality is out the window for Indy. But the horses left for them won't be able to keep up with a gun-to-gun effort from a Niners team who have bought into a head coach who says he wants to be known as the best of all-time when all is said and done. The NFC West sets up nicely for the Niners this season and Singletary and the 49ers staff will make sure that winning mentality begins here and now.
Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals
PICK: Cincinnati Bengals -3.5
For a number of different reasons I believe the value in this contest is on the home side:
Denver went 2-2 ATS in the pre-season in 2009.
The best phrase to describe the Broncos training camp this year would be: "injury plagued".
In fact they are the most injured team in the NFL right now; the biggest loss is that of star LB Elvis Dumervil; other notable losses include RB's Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter, WR's Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker, S Brian Dawkins and LB's D.J. Williams and Jarvis Moss; also remember that LT Ryan Clady is out until sometime in September
We should be getting a look at Tim Tebow in this one, especially in short-yardage situations; that means that Denver will be using a three QB system on game days; Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn and Tebow.
Orton will be the No. 1 guy during the regular season, and Tebow should eventually be his successor, but Quinn is expected to be his immediate backup; that's bad news for Broncos backers in this one as Quinn will see the majority of snaps in Cincinnati.
I believe Denver will once again struggle this season; it started a surprising 6-0, and then lost eight of its final ten down the stretch in 2009.
At the other end of the field: The Bengals went 2-2 ATS in the pre-season in 2009.
I of course had a play on Cincinnati in the "Hall of Fame Game" last week, and it was unable to muster any type of offense except for a meaningless TD at the end of the game.
Dallas picked off three passes and recovered a fumble; Cincinnati also recovered a fumble.
The best thing the Bengals had going for them last week was their defense; Tony Romo led the Cowboys to the Cincinnati 2 yard line, but was held to just a FG.
The Bengals also had five sacks, including two by linebacker Michael Johnson.
Rookie Jordan Shipley ran back a punt 63 yards in the closing moments of the game and Jordan Palmer connected with rookie TE Darius Hill for a 1-yard TD with under a minute remaining.
Bottom line: Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said it best at the end of the ugly and penalty prone 2010 "HOF" Game; “The best thing about it,” Phillips said, “is you see what you did and what you need to improve on.”
That could not ring more true in this case as the Bengals have already had the advantage of playing their first pre-season game and will be able to make key and necessary adjustments to be more productive the second time around; when coupled with the home field advantage factor, you may want to consider a second look at the CINCINNATI BENGALS in this situation.
Marc Lawrence
Florida Marlins at Cincinnati Reds
Prediction: Florida Marlins
The Marlins and Reds wrap up a three-game series in Cincinnati this afternoon when Anibal Sanchez opposes Homer Bailey in the Queen City. Sanchez enters today's contest in solid current form having cashed in four of his last six road starts while also delivering the goods in three of his last four road starts during the month of August. Meanwhile, Bailey returns off a long stint off the DL knowing he is just 1-3 in four career home team starts during August. The Reds are also winless (0-2) behind Bailey in this series against the Fish. With that, look for the Marlins to capture the finale here today. We recommend a 1-unit play on Florida.
Lee Kostroski
Toronto Blue Jays @ Los Angeles Angels
PICK: Los Angeles Angels
Dan Haren has pitched well in his starts as an Angel even though Los Angeles has just one win behind him and the odds of Los Angeles climbing back into the AL West race seem remote. Going back to his time in Arizona Haren has allowed three or fewer runs in eight of his last ten starts and so far he owns a 2.18 ERA at Angel Stadium with 0.97 WHIP. For the year Haren owns a 5:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and he should be in a favorable match-up against a strikeout prone Blue Jays lineup that is reliant on the home run.
The Angels have won five of seven meetings between these teams even though Toronto currently features the superior record between these teams. Los Angeles sputtered on offense right after the All Star break but the team has topped four runs scored in eight of the last 13 games. The Angels still maintain a strong winning record at home at 32-26 and for the year the Blues Jays are batting .241 away from home. Toronto’s pitching staff continues to deliver inconsistent results, allowing five or more runs in six of the last ten games, including double-digits twice. Toronto is remarkably 7-3 in the last ten games despite allowing 4.7 runs per game.
Ricky Romero has delivered several great starts this season but the Blue Jays are only 3-6 in his last nine games. In three of those games Romero has allowed five or more runs and his ERA over his last seven starts is 5.40. Romero is a pitcher that has far better numbers in his home starts, featuring a 2.62 ERA at home but a 4.33 ERA on the road. Romero owns a 1.43 WHIP in road games while Toronto has gone 6-7 in his road starts. Romero also had one of his worst starts of the season in Los Angeles, allowing eleven hits and seven runs in a 3-8 loss in late May.
JIM FEIST
CHICAGO CUBS / ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
PLAY: CHICAGO CUBS
Tona LaRusa returns to the bench after a 2-game suspension. This is good news for the Cards who have the majors 2nd best home record at 39-19, though they have lost three of their last five at home. Also returning today is pitcher Kyle Lohse, who hasn't pitched since May 22. Lohse is 1-1 this year with a 5.89 ERA. Lohse looked good in his triple-A rehab so he's brought up for the start today. The Cubs have handled Lohse pretty well, going 3-1 against him in nine starts. In fact, Lohse hasn't beaten the Cubs since 2007. Ryan Dempster has been one of the shining stars for the Cubs with his 10-8 record and 3.66 ERA. Dempster is going for his third straight win. Nice little dog here today with the Cubs and I'm not convinced Lohse is ready for big league ball quite yet. I'm going to take a shot with the underdog Cubs and see if Dempster can continue his fine pitching.
Gill Alexander
SFX -3.0 (-115) vs IND
The 49ers might be reeling from the completely sudden and unexpected retirement of #2 running back Glen Coffee, but for preseason purposes, it just feels like an opportunity to me. Expect a whole bunch of Michael Robinson for the Niners in this one, or as Joe Paterno calls him, the greatest football player to ever play at Penn State. But this one is about much more than that. It's the super intense Mike Singletary against the barely alive Jim Caldwell. While that makes for a nice sound bite, it does reflect an approach to this game, as Singletary will have an opportunity to evaluate many things against the much more solidified Colts.
A whole bunch of Colts are out of this one, including Jeff Saturday, Pierre Garcon, Dallas Clark, Anthony Gonzalez, and Dwight Freeney. And those are just the first teamers. The Colts will be working with Curtis Painter, Tom Brandstater, and Tim Hiller (after Peyton Manning's token appearance) while the Niners will have full-fledge quarterback party with Alex Smith, the named starter this year in SF if you're scoring at home, David Carr, and Nate Davis, all three more than capable of making things happen Sunday afternoon, not to mention Jarrett Brown in his debut.
Normally in this situation I would write that the Colts are just trying to stay healthy in this one, but they have so many people out that even that mentality is out the window for Indy. But the horses left for them won't be able to keep up with a gun-to-gun effort from a Niners team who have bought into a head coach who says he wants to be known as the best of all-time when all is said and done. The NFC West sets up nicely for the Niners this season and Singletary and the 49ers staff will make sure that winning mentality begins here and now.
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BWD
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