The White Sox let me and a number of people down as we suffered a 1-2 day and lowered our impressive record to 136-77 on our plays. Our Best System contains info about the month of August and is 87.5 percent. The Top Trend is an AL affair in the Land of 10,000 Lakes and likely three times as many mosquitoes. Good Luck
What I letting you know today – I had just flipped on the end of the Colorado and Cubs game in the bottom f the ninth, tied at 5-5, when the Rockies TV announcer said Carlos Gonzalez needs a home run to hit for the cycle and wouldn’t that be a welcome sight at this point of the game. The first pitch of the half inning Gonzalez swings and hits a walk off home run and becomes the six Colorado player to hit for the cycle. ''I heard everyone saying I was going to do it,'' Gonzalez said. ''You just believe in yourself. I guess it was meant to be. It was my night, it was the Rockies' night.''
The GUARANTEED Playswere profitable as promised with 2-1 record. Look to conclude the week with another winning day and have Guaranteed Winner in tonight's NL West rivalry game between the Dodgers and Giants. This is supported with a 100 percent winning angle you can count on.
Free Baseball System -1) Play Against road underdogs with a money line of +125 to +175 like Cleveland, an AL team with a low on-base percentage of .320 or lower, against a team with a good bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 or below, playing in August games. Heck of a way to start the month with a 35-5 MLB system.
Free Baseball Trend -2) Seattle is 8-33 as a road underdog of +100 or higher this season, losing by 2.4 runs per game.
Free Baseball Pick -3) Kyle of the LCC is 15-4 in all wagers the last three days, he's on the Mets to continue making money.
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The Rockies scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth to blow our system play and give us a 1-2 Friday, as we look to rebound. A number of top line pitchers are scheduled to throw today and two of them have unreal records as favorites and are listed as Top Trends. Our Best System is a winner 84.1 percent of the time and Ron thinks he has another Free Winner on tap. Good Luck
3Daily Winnersis No.7 in units won in MLB at Cappers Watchdog the last week.
What I saw yesterday – Kuroda of the Dodgers had nothing last night against the D-Backs, throwing 66 pitches in less than two innings. The rest of the bullpen was not much better. I just tire of watching Matt Kemp, he just doesn’t play hard. For a guy who should be approaching the prime of his career, getting benched by your manager doesn’t show a willingness to help your team.
It was just one game, but Arizona went the other way with pitches (instead of trying to pull everything like usual) and was aggressive on the base paths. I have no idea if Kirk Gibson is a good manager, but I expect he will push the Snakes to be more assertive and sit those who are not.
Free Baseball System -1) Play On home favorites with a money line of -175 to -250 like Detroit, averaging 0.9 or less long balls per game on the season, after a win by six runs or more. Dating back to when the movie “Good Will Hunting” was hit, this system is 53-10.
Free Baseball Trends -2) Ubaldo Jimenez and the Rockies are 14-0 as a home favorite of -150 or more over the last two seasons and Jon Lester and Boston are 17-0 as a home favorite of -200 or more in his career.
Free Baseball Pick -3) Ron of the LLC continues to shine with 28-8 MLB record and is taking the Red Sox to pulverize the O’s on the run line.
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I mean it; let these baseball players start taking something again. O.K. roids are illegal in baseball but some chemist dude has to cooking up something with a masking agent that could bring the power back to baseball. Jose Bautista of Toronto leads the big leagues with 18 home runs. Back when Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Jose Canseco played, those guys and even a freakin’ Brady Anderson could hit that many in a month. In the National League, Cory Hart leads with 15 homers, that is less than 45 for the entire season from the leading masher.
I used to watch Sports Center and Baseball Tonight religiously knowing I’d get my fill of long blasts of 400+ feet with guys having bulging biceps, necks bigger than their oversized 8 ¾ hats and enough acne that Clearsil could carry my stock portfolio.
Now you get the occasional long ball, hitters going the other way with a pitch for a single and even the worst of all, showing guys moving the runner to another base to help SET-UP another run to be scored. No wonder I bought Captain Morgan’s Long Island Iced Tea.
Betting baseball totals has become a joke. The oddsmakers spotted the trend last year and immediately began posting lower numbers from a season ago. Theaverage posted total is more than five percent lower than a year ago and runs scored and home runs are their lowest in over a decade. Even with the reduction of totals numbers, the Under is still 842-784, 51.7. I know San Diego’s pitching has been incredible this year with the fewest runs allowed at 3.3 per game and they play in the second largest expanse other than the Grand Canyon, but come on, they have had more totals of six (2) than anything above 7.5 (none) at Petco (Death Valley) Park.
Remember the good old days when you wagered against the oddsmakers at Coors Field? Totals of 11.5 to 13 were common before humidors. Sadly, Colorado has only had three games of 10.5 or higher all season at their Rocky Mountains home. I know the Rockies are better with the likes of Troy Tulowitzki and Ubaldo Jimenez, but I sure miss Dante Bichette, Larry Walker and 1,000 Colorado pitchers who never got anybody out. Let the baseball’s breathe and dry out in Colorado for more runs to be scored.
Besides where did all the hitting stars disappear to? Bautista and Hart leading their respective leagues in home runs, where is Albert Pujols, Mark Reynolds, David Ortiz and A-Rod. I understand they are close, but who is talking about Alex Rodriguez catching Barry Bonds for the all-time home run lead let alone Hank Aaron as the former long ball king.
I admit it, I used to be a juicer, I had the machine where you put all the fruits and vegetables in it and made it a drink, but after a few months, though I felt better, a friend pointed out to me that I’ll live six months longer than him in a nursing home by doing this.
I like seeing second sacker Kelly Johnson of Arizona with 13 home runs already (16 is career high), that means he’s doing something right to make himself stronger. In fact the D-Backs are my favorite team at 38-19 Over. They are way better than any reality TV show with people screwing up their lives. All the Arizona hitters swing WAY harder than they should, strikeout a ton while hitting enough home runs. And their pitching is so bad the Phoenix Fire Department is a new stadium sponsor with their 7.22 bullpen ERA.
Maybe I’m over-reacting, but when Carlos Silva is 8-0 with a 2.93 ERA and the Cubs are +10 units with him pitching with their sickly offense, something isn’t right in baseball.
While baseball celebrates the end of the steroids era with the likes of Jimenez, Tim Lincecum, Roy Halladay, Chris Carpenter and now Stephen Strasburg, plus countless other pitchers that are taking over the game, I’ll be rooting for youngsters like Atlanta’s Jason Heyward and Florida’s Michael Stanton to be the next hitting stars, while dreaming about Harry Caray saying this about another Sosa bomb, “It could be, it might be, IT IS another home run for Sosa!”
With the Memorial Day holiday weekend about to go into full swing, the race in the National League West starts to heat up also. The unofficial beginning of summer marks when television and radio announcers can no longer say “it’s still early”, with a third of the season soon to be completed. The Dodgers and Rockies meet for a second time in 2010, this time in Colorado.
Both clubs are chasing confounding San Diego, with Los Angeles (26-21, -1.2 units) two games back in the standings and Colorado (25-22, +0.7) three behind.
The Rockies have been ravaged by injuries to their pitching staff, but have started to overcome them riding a five-game winning streak. The Colorado offense has started to hit its stride in winning six of seven, scoring 5.4 runs per game and moving up to sixth overall in the National League. In their last four games the Rocks have launched 11 home runs.
The Dodgers offense has been feast or famine this season. Los Angeles is fourth in the NL at 4.9 RPG, but they were shut out twice at Wrigley Field this week, giving them seven zeros already, after being held scoreless just nine times in 2009.
As per usual Colorado is enjoying the benefits of Coors Field and are 14-7 (+4.8) at home and will start Jeff Francis (1-0, 0.68 ERA), who missed all of 2009 with shoulder surgery. In his two starts this year, Francis looks very much like the pitcher that won 17 games and led Rockies to World Series. Sportsbooks have Francis and teammates as -152 money line favorites and they are 18-3 as a home chalk of -150 to -175 over the last two seasons.
The Dodgers are still looking for another starting pitcher and give the ball to Carlos Monasterios (1-0, 1.90) for a second time. Monasterios has 10 other relief appearances but is excited about another opportunity. “I like starting,” said the rookie right-hander. With the total at 9.5, Monasterios will attempt to do his part and improve L.A.’s 40-20 record when the total is 9 to 9.5.
Game 1 Edge: Colorado
Colorado is feeling really good about their recent play coming into the series. “We’re definitely playing better,” said Troy Tulowitzki, who’s homered four times in five games. “We’re playing defense, pitching a little better and getting some timely hitting, mixed in with some power.” Since last season the Rockies are 41-16 at home after three or more consecutive Coors contests and will have Aaron Cook (1-3. 5.40) on the hill. Cook’s strength as a pitcher is nibbling on the corners and keeping his heavy fastball low in the strike zone. To date he has lacked his usual efficiency and has as many walks as strikeouts (25). He’s going to need more control to extend his team’s 5-0 record when he starts at home.
The Dodgers have certainly held the upper hand against Colorado recently. Los Angeles is 17-5 against the Rocks since the beginning of last year and has won eight consecutive series dating back to Sept. 2008. Joe Torre’s club has also emerged victorious nine of previous 12 at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Hiroki Kuroda (5-2, 3.03) has been most effective this season, pitching at least into the sixth inning in all his starts and allowing more than three runs just once. Manager Torre moved Kuroda back a day in the rotation and he and his blue-capped team are 11-3 when he pitches with five days of rest.
Game 2 Edge: L.A. Dodgers
The series finale is a solid pitching matchup featuring lefty Clayton Kershaw (4-3, 2.90) against Jhoulys Chacin (3-2, 3.09). Kershaw has been living up to all the potential heaped on him the last few years and has 0.64 ERA in his last four starts with 27 K’s in 28 1/3 innings. Coors Field hasn’t been his favorite place to pitch with 2-2 record and 6.92 ERA. The Dodgers are 7-8 in day games and Kershaw has to command the strike zone with his 91-95 mph fastball to set up his “Uncle Charley” curve.
Like Kershaw, Chacin is also 22 years old and has a five pitch arsenal that can baffle hitters. He’s harnessed his control (13 W, 30 K) and only permitted 22 hits over 32 innings with opposing batters nicking him for .188 batting average. He'll be facing the Dodgers for the second time, having pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings against Los Angeles on May 8. Colorado is much better in day games with 12-7 record and with these two young starters, the Rockies might add another UNDER to 13-5-1 mark in day baseball.
Game 3 Edge: L.A. Dodgers
Haven’t been very good in picking series winners thus far and instead will follow a little football logic of never better against a strong trend. The Dodgers have owned Colorado the last few seasons and not have to face Ubaldo Jimenez has me leaning with Torre’s troops.
The weather is heating up across most of the country, which makes going a baseball a very comfortable experience. On the topic of hot, this Wednesday we have four smokin’ systems in the big leagues that begging to be considered for online sports betting.
Oakland at Baltimore 7:05E MASN
After smacking the ball around the yard for 31 hits in two games early last week, the Athletics offense has gone nearly dormant with more than seven base hits once in last six outings. Oakland is 12th in runs scored in the American League at 3.8 per game and will face Baltimore’s Brian Matusz (2-4, 5.26 ERA), whose last three outings have been like the stock market. (3 2/3, six runs allowed -seven shutout innings – 2 1/3, seven runs allowed)
Sportsbooks have total on this tilt of Ov8.5, but history shows AL teams that score 4.5 or less runs a contest after three consecutive games of seven hits or fewer, against a starting pitcher with ERA in 4.70 to 5.70 range, have a strong tendency to play UNDER with 39-13 record since 1997.
Boston at Tampa Bay 7:10 E NESN
For the last several years the Red Sox have scuffled in Tampa Bay with 6-16 record coming into the series. They are starting to turn that around with a pair of wins to begin three-game set. Boston will go for the sweep of the AL East division leaders having won four in a row and eight of nine.
The Red Sox have been swinging hot bats and are now second to Toronto in home runs in the big leagues with 62 and they’ve received excellent pitching, holding the Rays to one run in the first two games. John Lackey (4-3, 5.07) continues to struggle with his new club and will take on Matt Garza (5-2, 2.37) who is 8-2 against the BoSox.
Oddsmakers have made Boston +144 road underdogs and teams averaging 1.25 or more home runs game after allowing two runs or less and are visiting dogs of +125 to +175, are 26-86 the last five seasons.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati 7:10E
While San Diego and Tampa Bay have garnered most of the attention for their early season exploits, one team has quietly gone about their business, yet is surprisingly tied for a division lead. The Cincinnati Reds are 26-20 (+6.5), with seven wins in their last 11 contests. The Reds strength has been their offense, averaging 5.6 RPG since May 4.
Tonight, Cincy is a -166 ML choice and home favorites of -125 to -175, batting .290 or better over their last 20 games, in May, are 45-13 since 2006.
Arizona at Colorado 8:40E
On the baseball card for Hump Day, one of the biggest presumed mismatches is this NL West battle. The reason is simplistic, National League Cy Young Award candidate, Ubaldo Jimenez (8-1, 0.99) is pitching, leading baseball in wins and earned run average.
How dominant has Jimenez been; he’s the second major league starter in the past 90 years to begin a season with nine starts of six or more innings while giving up three or fewer runs. The Rockies are -240 ML faves against Arizona’s up and down offense and road underdogs of +175 to +250, batting .250 or worse over their last 20 games, against opponent with a hot starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.000 or less over his last five starts are beggarly 3-47. Ouch!
Picked up three more winners on Saturday taking us to 33-15, yippy-skippy. Let’s begin with Top Trend in totals area that is unbeaten. Kendall is blazing coming into Mother’s Day and has NL West Free selection. The Best System is 83.3 percent in the land of 10,000 or more lakes. Good Luck
What I thought today- It’s hard to go wrong listening to your mom.
Free Baseball System -1) Play Against road underdogs with a money line of +125 to +175 like the O’s, an AL team batting .260 or less, against a team with a good bullpen (ERA of 3.75 or less), with a starting pitcher whose gives up less than home run every two starts. Since 2006 this baseball system is 40-8, 83.3 percent.
Free Baseball Trend -2) The Royals Luke Hochevar is 11-0 OVER vs. teams averaging 2.75 or less extra base hits per game over the last two seasons with average score 13.1 runs per contest.
Free Baseball Pick -3) Kendall’s on a 16-4 roll and has the Rockies to continue winning despite being injury plagued.
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It’s the first full week of May baseball action and on this Tuesday a number of high quality baseball systems standout. A number of underdogs are really up against solid situations that in the past have been very profitable by playing against them. Will this happen again, read on and make your own decisions.
Baltimore at N.Y. Yankees 7:05E
The Orioles swept Boston over the weekend, but reality came calling in the form of Yankee pinstripes, ending Baltimore’s brief euphoria. The O’s are 10th in the American League in batting at .246 and they will face A.J. Burnett (3-0, 2.43 ERA) as +220 money line underdogs. Here we find road underdogs of +150 or more, batting .260 or less against a good AL starting pitcher (ERA <=4.20) , with a starting hurler that gives up 0.5 or less home runs a start are unbecoming 18-84 since 1997.
N.Y. Mets at Cincinnati 7:10E
The Mets have lost three in a row after their eight game winning streak was snapped and are +130 road dogs in the Queen City. Other than last night, the starting pitchers have been roughed up forcing a top notch New York bullpen (2.60 ERA) to start piling up the innings. Surprisingly, underdogs with ML of +100 to +150, with an excellent bullpen whose ERA is 3.00 or better on the season, having worked three straight games throwing four or more innings, are 30-9.
L.A. Angels at Boston 7:10E
The Angels of Anaheim are having serious pitching problems. Among their 15 losses on the year, nine have been by four runs or more, including last night’s 17-8 pasting to the Red Sox, their fourth consecutive road loss. The Halos are +175 dogs and non-favorites being outscored by 0.5 or more runs a game on the season after allowing 15 runs or more are alarming 7-39.
Detroit at Minnesota 8:10E
Joe Mauer might be out of the line-up, yet Minnesota keeps punching the ball around the yard and is second in the AL in batting average (.279) and third in runs scored at 5.4 per contest. In game two of their series with division rival Detroit, the Twins are -135 favorites and home chalk of -125 to -175, batting .290 or better over their last 20 games in May, are sharp 43-10 since 2006.
Colorado at San Diego 10:05E
The Rockies got a much needed win last night in San Diego. Colorado’s pitching staff has been ravaged by injuries. Though the bullpen has a fine 2.48 ERA, they are three of six in save opportunities.
Colorado acquired Greg Smith to be a left-handed starter and thus far his results are atrocious with 7.33 ERA. The Rockies have lost Smith’s last three outings since he has performed even worse with 9.53 ERA and bloated WHIP of 2.471.
Colorado might be catching +135 on the ML, however road underdogs of +100 to +150 with a bad bullpen that blows 38 percent or more of their save opportunities, using a nasty starting pitcher whose WHIP is 2.250 or higher over his last three starts are 7-33, 17.5 percent the previous five seasons.
Went down with 1-2 day with the Giants losing in extra innings. The Best System is on the diamond at 36-7 and Free Play is also in baseball, seeking an elusive winner. The Top Trend is on the frozen pond and involves a total. Good Luck
What I thought yesterday- Though I didn’t trust the situation, I was impressed with Utah last night winning at Denver. Guts and determination.
My math MLB underdogs are 12-6 the last four days (why am I not playing these more?) and today I have Texas, Washington, Pittsburgh, Philly, St. Louis and San Diego.
Free Baseball System -1) Play Against AL road underdogs with a money line of +100 to +150 like Cleveland, with a low on-base percentage (.320 or less) against a team with a good bullpen WHIP of 1.350 or less, with a crummy bullpen whose WHIP is 1.550 or worse on the season. This system is winner, winner chicken dinner at 36-7, 83.7 percent the last five years.
Free Hockey Trend -2) The Phoenix Coyotes are 16-3 UNDER after a win by two goals or more this season.
Free Baseball Pick -3) I told Steve of the LCC we need a winner in this slot and he tells me Colorado Rockies will be the one.
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A good quality 2-1 Sunday brings us to today and a notch NHL system arises at 82 percent. The Top Trend was a winner against yesterday and peeks in on NL West this evening. The Free Pick hasn’t been so hot of late, but Ron gives it go in the NBA. Good Luck
What I thought yesterday- How interesting it was to watch the last two innings Ubaldo Jimenez no-hitter and watch him throw out of the stretch. Good for him for swallowing his ego and doing what was right for him and the team and just “drop and drive” his way to history books.
I did think it was sort of stupid however the Rockies TV announcers didn’t say he was pitching a no-hitter, like they were being superstitious like the players about it. Kind of a reach, just report the action.
Free Hockey System -1) Play On a favorite against the money line like Boston with a goalie having 91.5 percent or higher in the second half of the season, whose team has five straight games with 30 or more shots on goal. This winning system has lit the lamp with 41-9 record, 82 percent.
Free Baseball Trend -2) Matt Cain and the Giants are 11-2 after a loss over the last two seasons.
Free Basketball Pick -3) Ron of the LCC is 7-2 in last nine NBA selections and sees Denver continuing to roll against Utah.
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It’s the rubber game of the series near the waterfront in downtown San Diego, where the Padres host Atlanta. The Braves bounced back from 17-2 debacle in the first game and handcuffed San Diego 6-1 behind Tommy Hanson and three relievers yesterday.
Atlanta may be only 4-4, however offensively they have been quite patient at the plate, drawing over four walks a game, helping set up of batters to drive in runs. Bobby Cox team hasn’t capitalized as often as they should yet, batting .229 as a group.
The Braves are -124 money line favorites at Bookmaker.com with Tim Hudson back in the rotation. The 34-year right-hander had Tommy John surgery a season ago and made six appearances at the end of last year. In his first effort of the new campaign, Hudson gave two runs and three hits in seven innings against San Francisco last Friday, in which his team eventually lost 5-4 in extra innings.
Hudson will be challenged by Mat Latos of San Diego. Latos is considered the crown jewel of the new Padres organization at 22 and throws in the mid-90’s, along with having a good slider and big breaking curveball. Like many young pitchers, command is an issue and he conceded three home runs in six innings at Colorado, yet he limited the damage to just four runs by not walking any Rockies hitters and his team ended up winning 5-4.
San Diego is picked again to finish last in the NL West, having limited talent in the field except at first base with Adrian Gonzalez, nonetheless draws a favorable position as an underdog in today’s super situation.
Play Against road teams with a money line of -100 to -150, when their team's hitters draw four walks or more a game on the season, against opposing starting a pitcher who did not walk a hitter in his last outing.
The last three years this system has been spellbinding at 24-4, 85.7 percent.
Other factors to consider for the 6:35 Eastern matchup are Atlanta is 2-6 in Hudson’s most recent starts and the Bravos are 1-7 when the former Oakland hurler is a -140 or less favorite. San Diego is a resilient bunch, 16-5 off a loss and 6-1 after a scoring two runs or less in previous contest.
With Latos sporting a 1.29 ERA in two appearances totaling 14 innings against Atlanta, he has the “stuff” to limit Braves hitters and who knows, the road club might be thinking ahead on getaway day looking forward to getting home with bigger series against Colorado and Philadelphia.
The pressure, the intensity and the drama all ratchet up in the Major Leagues with post-season baseball. The National League picture has really changed in the last 45 days. The Los Angeles Dodgers were thought to be a lock to win the National League West, when they seemingly lost interest. From August 28 on, the Dodgers only played nine of last 34 games against teams with winning records and yet didn’t clinch NL West crown until the next to last day of the regular season. In fact, Los Angeles had six straight days to wrap up the division and lost five in a row before finally defeating Colorado this past Saturday. The Dodgers were less than inspiring 19-14 against the below average competition to finish the regular season and are +123 underdogs despite home field advantage.
How could that be one might wonder, it’s because they are playing St. Louis. Most baseball experts are saying forget the fact they lost six of last seven games, that was just a team setting up rotation and preparing for the playoffs. No team in baseball was more aggressive before the trade deadline in adding quality players to their roster. Matt Holliday was really the most important acquisition, as he brought a potent bat to help Albert Pujols batting cleanup. From July 24 until Sept.22, St. Louis was baseball best 37-17.
The Cardinals appear to also have two distinct advantages in this series, superior starting pitching and better bullpen. Chris Carpenter (17-4, 2.24 ERA) would have two starts in this series if it goes the distance. Carpenter led the National League with the lowest ERA and he’s been ridiculous of late with sick 0.45 earned run average in his last three starts. Adam Wainwright (19-4) was fourth in ERA at 2.63. Only once in 18 times did Carpenter and Wainwright lose back to back games and that hasn’t happened in over three months.
Offensive – National League Runs scored Dodgers 4th St. Louis 7th Home Runs Dodgers 11th St. Louis 6th Slugging Ptc. Dodgers 7th St. Louis 6th Walks Dodgers 4th St. Louis 12th On base Ptc. Dodgers 1st St. Louis 10th Pitching & Defense ERA Dodgers 1st St. Louis 4th Bullpen ERA Dodgers 1st St. Louis 4th Strikeouts Dodgers 2nd St. Louis 14th Walks Dodgers 8th St. Louis 1st On base Ptc. Dodgers 1st St. Louis 3rd Putouts Dodgers 1st St. Louis 10th Errors Dodgers 4th St. Louis 9th
Key Numbers- The Cardinals have won five of seven this season and is 5-4 at Dodger Stadium the last three years. With the Dodgers having to face two stud pitchers in the first two games, note they are 8-16 vs. a starting pitcher whose throws more than 6.5 innings per start this season.
Bookmaker.com Series Odds: Cardinals -150, Dodgers +130
In the other NLDS, it is more old-school traditional baseball. The defending World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies have ability to score runs by the bushel-full and have strong starting pitching. The Phillies topped the National League in runs scored at 5.1 per game, which was just ahead of second place Colorado at 5.0. Need a game changing home run, look no further than these two clubs with Philly going yard 224 times (1st in NL) and Rocks batters sending the ball over the fence 190 times (2nd).
No team can live on hitting alone and Colorado had five different starting pitchers win 10 games or more, led by Jorge DeLa Rosa 16 wins. The Phillies have Cole Hamels who pitched much better the last two months than the first four and knows what it takes in the postseason. The addition of Cliff Lee gave the Phillies a wonderful a chance to win every fifth day and placed Joe Blanton in better position as a solid starter.
Both lineups have the ability to explode at any time, which sets up the potential for a great deal of second guessing by the managers in this series when it comes to making pitching changes. When has a starter had enough or can he work out of jams?
This leads to the late inning bullpen situations for both teams. Closer Brad Lidge was given every opportunity to succeed by manager Charley Manuel and he failed. Ryan Madison is now the closer, but his mental makeup is unproven in this pressure packed role. Huston Street has only allowed runs once in his last 10 appearances, yet nobody is convinced he’s Mariano Rivera material.
Offensive – National League Runs scored Colorado 2nd Philadelphia 1st Home Runs Colorado 2nd Philadelphia 1st Slugging Ptc. Colorado 2nd Philadelphia 1st Walks Colorado 1st Philadelphia 7th On base Ptc. Colorado 2nd Philadelphia 8th
Pitching & Defense ERA Colorado 7th Philadelphia 5th Bullpen ERA Colorado 13th Philadelphia 9th Strikeouts Colorado 8th Philadelphia 9th Walks Colorado 4th Philadelphia 2nd On base Ptc. Colorado 6th Philadelphia 7th Putouts Colorado 12th Philadelphia 4th Errors Colorado 5th Philadelphia 2nd
Key Numbers- Philadelphia won four of six meetings this year and tied for the best record in baseball on the road at 48-33. Colorado’s mission is to earn split and return home where they had the second best record in the senior circuit on home turf with 51-30 record. The Rockies are only 6-18 vs. NL teams scoring 4.8 or more runs a game on the season, while the Phillies are 17-7 when facing the same kind of offense.
Bookmaker.com Series Odds: Phillies -170, Rockies +145
The Colorado Rockies lost last night to San Diego 6-3 and all wanna-be contenders for the wild card in the National League did not. That left Colorado with a four game lead in the loss column over San Francisco and Atlanta, with 10 games to play. The Rockies understand what it’s going to take to wrap up their second playoff berth in two years at this juncture.
If we win the rest of our series, nobody catches us,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said.
They will attempt to stay on that course today in the deciding game of the series again the Padres. Colorado (86-66, +13.5 units) is seeking its fourth straight series win and is sending Jason Hammel (9-8, 4.35 ERA, 1.402 WHIP) to nail it down. The Rockies have won seven of Hammel’s last 10 starts and the right-hander has an ERA of 3.38 over his last seven outings, yet he is only 2-1 during that stretch. “He’s been much better than a 9-8 pitcher for us,” Tracy said.
San Diego (70-83, +1.1 units) has had a miraculous season considering traditional baseball facts. The Padres are the only team in the Major League’s that has allowed 4.8 or more runs per game and tallied less than four runs per game. That means on average, they have lost almost a run per game on a nightly basis.
Compare that to Arizona, whom San Diego is four games ahead in the standings in the NL West, who also has given up 4.8 runs per game, but has scored 4.5 runs per contest. In the bigger picture, the D-Backs have a -60 run differential, while San Diego has more than doubled Arizona’s figure at -133, yet trail the Pads.
How could this be, it’s surprisingly simple and rather random. The Padres are 22-17 in one run games and the Snakes are 20-27.
San Diego will send Clayton Richard (4-2, 4.76, 1.500) to throw off the slap and Bookmaker.com has installed the Friars as +175 road underdogs with a total of 9.5. According to today’s best system, San Diego is in trouble.
Play Against NL road underdogs with a money line of +150 or more, allowing 4.8 or more runs a game on the season, against opponent with a starting pitcher who has WHIP of 1.000 or less over his last five starts.
Since 2005, this system has roared to 86-20 record, which is 81.1 percent. There is a comfort level to playing against the Padres, as teams in their situation have lost by 2.6 runs per game when placed in this position.
It’s a fact any system can lose, especially when a team is feeling the pressure of pennant chase, yet even the most skeptical sports bettor has to like the fact Colorado is 25-6 as a home favorite of -150 or more and San Diego is 4-15 off an upset win over a division rival as an underdog this season.
A pretty sorry day with 1-3 record, victimized by “The Sheriff” as John Gruden called Peyton Manning. The Best System was a winner yesterday and we’ll look for another that is 88.7 percent and has come up only twice this year. The Top Trend is dead perfect in an AL Central matchup. Kendall has Free Play loaded. Good Luck
What I thought yesterday – After watching the Colts defense on the field for over 80 plays, how do you not play against Indy on a short week going on the road to Arizona?
Free Baseball System-1) PLAY ON all favorites like Colorado with a money line of -175 to -250, with a rested bullpen, which has thrown two innings or less in each of the last two games, against opponent after a game where the bullpen threw six or more innings. This seldom seen system is 47-6, 88.7 percent over the last dozen years.
Free Baseball Trend -2) The Cleveland Indians are 0-10 after scoring four runs or less six straight games since last year and have lost these contests by 3.7 runs per game.
Free Baseball Pick -3) Kendall is a start to finish baseball bettor and is just over 60 percent on the season, making himself a great deal of cash. His play today is Colorado on the run line.
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Like I said, baseball is in its “doesn’t make sense” period and we were 1-2 yesterday and easily could have been 0-3. The Best System would have essentially been a repeat of yesterday, so instead we look ahead to college football with 26-5 system. The Top Trend is near perfect in tonight Angels/Red Sox meeting. Today I just offer information for Free Picks. Good Luck
What I learned today: Barry Zito had nine strikeouts in his win over the Rockies, including three against Todd Helton. The only other pitchers to strike out Helton three times in one game were Darren Dreifort (June 13, 1998) and Dontrelle Willis (May 6, 2005). Thanks Elias
Free Football System-1) All the best systems of 80 percent or higher involve the Dodgers over Pittsburgh again. Instead of being redundant, we’ll look to Saturday where we look to PLAY AGAINST road teams like UL –Lafayette, off an upset win as a home underdog, with 16 total starters returning. Dating back nine years, this system is 26-5 ATS, 83.9 percent.
Free Baseball Trend -2) Joe Saunders and the Angels are 11-1 after two or more consecutive losses over the last two seasons.
Free Baseball Pick -3) No official play today, with most guys still betting baseball hanging around .500 the last week or so. From the Left Coast Connection, Florida was chosen by 75 % over the Cards. In tonight’s big games, Colorado rates 55 % and the Angels 71 percent.
Check out Guaranteed Football Picks for this next week. We were 3-0 in the NFL and Paul Buck was 7-4 for the entire week.
The Platinum Sheet doing big numbers in New York area with satisfied customers.
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I was thoroughly disgusted with how Twitter didn’t perform yesterday. Couldn’t load analysis consistently and had to try several times just to get one part in numerous times. After four hours, finally gave up, will look for another method this week. One thing I was disappointed in was 4-1 record in CFB over two days, with only Washington State letting us down, which wasn’t a real shocker.
Today its back to baseball and have Top Trend from Coors country. A dearth of best systems and went with the best I could find at 73.1 percent. Mike is sizzling and has Free MLB play. Good Luck
Free Baseball System-1) PLAY AGAINST road teams like Minnesota with a money line of -100 to -150, with a starting pitcher whose gives up seven or more hits a start vs a terrible starting pitcher who has ERA of 6.50 or higher over his last 10 starts. First time for this MLB system all season and it is 38-14 since 1997.
Free Baseball Trend -2) Jorge De La Rosa and the Rockies are 18-5 when playing against a team with a losing record over the last two seasons winning by 1.9 runs per game.
Free Baseball Pick -3) Mike was 4-1 yesterday and will try his luck with Florida to wallop Washington.
Paul Buck hit both his plays here yesterday on Texas A&M and Auburn, while I missed on Illinois, but picked up winners on Cal and the Aggies from College Station. Check our Guaranteed Picks regularly.
Both Atlanta and Florida are on the outer reaches of the race for the wild card chase, nevertheless, both still have a chance if they could put together a significant winning streak and Colorado would falter. The Braves have placed themselves in the better position having won the last two nights against the Marlins at Land Shark Stadium, leaving them three games behind the Rockies.
Atlanta (70-62, -3.5 units) is chasing first postseason berth in four years and have helped themselves immensely winning eight of last 11 games on the road, moving them to 35-32 on the season as visitor’s. The Braves are 19-9 after five or more consecutive road games this season and have named Javier Vazquez (11-9, 3.02 ERA) as starter, who will be seeking his fifth straight road win.
Atlanta has won Vazquez’s last five starts on the road and he is 7-2 with 2.96 ERA in Braves traveling uniforms and the linemakers at DiamondSportsbook.com have made this combination a -150 money line favorite.
Florida (68-64, +0.9 units) has been in a tailspin at just the wrong time, losing nine of last 13 games. The bats haven’t been able to keep up with the Florida weather and have averaged a cool four runs per game in the process, compared to 4.7 on the season.
The Marlins failed to take advantage of a favorable situation last night facing Tim Hudson, who was making his first start in 13 months after elbow surgery, but scored only two runs in 5 1/3 innings against him and three on the night in a frustrating 4-3 defeat.
Rich VandenHurk (2-2, 5.12) gets the ball for Florida after being a September call-up from the minors, having had success against the Braves with 2-0 record and 3.91 ERA in five lifetime starts. While that makes Fish fans hopeful, the fact remains VandenHurk was sent back down to the minors in mid-August after posting 7.98 ERA in three previous starts.
This leads to a potentially lucrative system for the baseball sports bettor that reads this way.
Play Against home underdogs with a money line of +125 to +175, who are average NL offensive team scoring 4.3 to 4.8 runs a game, against a good starting pitcher (ERA of 3.70 or less), after a loss by two runs or less.
Dating back to 1997, this superb system is 53-14, 79.1 percent, with the average margin of victory being 2.6 runs per game. This profitable system is enhanced with Vazquez and the Braves 13-3 as road favorite of -110 or higher. Consider this as potential play in Wednesday baseball action.
It may not be “How the West was won” but for San Francisco, it’s a critical weekend to get back into the wild card race in the National League. With 34 games remaining, the Giants trail Colorado by three games for the last playoff spot in the senior circuit. Last week San Francisco (69-59, +10 units) lost three of four near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and cannot afford a similar fate or postseason dreams could be washed out to sea by the Bay.
Manager Bruce Boche has the pitching aligned exactly how he wants it to give San Francisco its best chance of winning. In order, its Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito and Matt Cain, this at least sounds daunting for Colorado. Lincecum (12-4, 2.43 ERA) lost last Sunday at Colorado 4-2, giving up room service pitch for home run and walking a season high five batters. Last year’s Cy Young winner is 4-0 with a sterling 1.36 ERA at AT&T Park in his last six outings and the Giants are 8-3 when the right-hander is pitching on four days rest.
Colorado (72-56, +12.6 units) has to quickly put behind the disappointment of losing series to front-running Los Angeles and refocus on the task at hand. The Rockies are 17-9 in August road games the last couple of years and have what they believe is the right pitcher to combat Lincecum in Ubaldo Jimenez (12-9, 3.36). The righthander has pitched a minimum of eight innings in four of his last five starts, not allowing more than two runs and winning each game. He relishes the challenge of facing “The Freak”.
“I love challenges," Jimenez said. "I'm positive when I have a challenge. I can't wait to be in that position. Hopefully, everything's going to be OK this time." Jimenez has made nine straight starts allowing three or fewer runs and Colorado is 21-6 on the road against a right-hand starter.
DiamondSportsbook.com has the Giants as -125 money line favorites, with the total Un6.5. San Fran is 8-2 when Lincecum pitches as a favorite and has won 41 of last 58 in favorite role. The Rockies have won just one of last seven as an underdog and are 7-20 when Jimenez is pitching as road dog and 1-5 if the opponent has winning record.
Game 1 Edge: San Francisco
San Francisco knew coming into the season, they would have to build this team around pitching and defense and the front office has been prophetic. The Giants are 14th in the National League scoring runs, a paltry four runs per game. Nobody knows this better than Barry Zito (8-11, 4.09). Though Zito has been criticized and dismissed as a non-talent more than Heidi Montag, this season Zito has looked like the pitcher the Giants spent 126 million for several seasons ago. In his last eight starts, the lefty has ERA of 2.08, yet is just 3-2, as he has received the poorest run support in the NL at just under three runs a game. Zito made a decision to stop worrying about avoiding bats and instead has gone after hitters, which has paid dividends for a pitcher needing confidence. The Giants have won five of his last six starts at home.
Colorado counters with Jason Marquis (14-8, 3.47), making this a rematch from Monday, when neither starting pitcher figured in decision. Marquis has ended being a key acquisition for the Rockies, pitching well when they were still trying to settle in and rock solid once they turned the corner playing outstanding baseball. Colorado comes into the series 52-25 in last 77 outings and they are 8-2 when Marquis faces a club with winning record.
Game 2 Edge: Colorado
As if things aren’t hard enough for San Fran, the status of their top two hitters Pablo Sandoval and Bengie Molina is day to day for this series. The Giants could certainly use them for the final game of the series, which is afternoon affair. San Francisco is 24-19 playing matinees and will have Matt Cain (12-4, 2.39) taking the ball. It easy to be judgmental and see Cain hasn’t won a game since July 24, yet he has 2.72 ERA in that span and allowed 36 hits in 46 1/3 innings, with 4-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio. The Giants are raising cane on opponents at home when Cain pitches with 11-2 record and they are 13-4 when favored. The Rockies will use Jason Hammel (8-7, 4.43) who pitches dramatically better away from Coors Field. Hammel is 6-4 on the road with 2.88 ERA, thought the team is .500 (6-6). Colorado is 25-18 in day ball and un-Rockies like 36-30 coming into the series on the road.
Game 3 Edge: San Francisco
Had my four series winning streak snapped last week, however feel good about this week’s selection. As good as Colorado has been since Jim Tracy took over as skipper, San Francisco could have just as easily won three of four last week in Denver. Sporting a National League-best 41-21 home record, the Giants are the play this weekend to close the gap in wild card race.
DiamondSportsbook.com series odds: Colorado +120, San Francisco -150
Exactly one month ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers were as close to a lock to win the division as there was in baseball. Manager Joe Torre’s club led the National League West by nine games and was running smoother than a brand new Nissan 370Z on the Pacific Coast Highway. However, baseball’s fortunes can shift gears quickly and over a 162-game schedule, very few teams in the history of the game have managed to avoid rough patches and run wide open all season.
Los Angeles (74-51, +12.4 units) has seen their lead in the division diminish to three games for two reasons, one of their own doing. The Dodgers are 12-16 since July 25, and have a faulty offense to blame. L.A. has scored three or less runs in 13 of its recent 16 losses and it doesn’t seem to be a coincidence that without Juan Pierre in the lineup on a regular basis, with Manny Ramirez back patrolling leftfield, there are fewer scoring chances with runners in scoring position. Though the Dodgers won three of four over the Chicago Cubs, they managed to score five total runs in last three contests and are 27-45 after scoring two runs or less three straight games.
The Colorado Rockies (71-54, +14 units) have been the other reason for the club from La-La Land hasn’t been able to get away with playing undistinguished baseball. Since former Dodger manager Jim Tracy took over, Colorado is 53-26, proving not to be the mercurial club like in the past. The Rockies have won 18 of last 28 to close the gap to present number and came from behind three times against San Francisco, their nearest wild card competitor, to win the series 3-1, which included last night’s improbable walk off grand slam by Ryan Spilbroghs in the bottom of the 14th. Colorado comes into this series 15-4 after consecutive wins by two runs or less.
The Rockies will be tested mentally, since they have lost 10 of 12 to Los Angeles, including five of six at Coors Field. Jason Hammel (8-7, 4.54 ERA) will be the game one hurler for the Rocks and they have won seven of his last 10 starts. Los Angeles will counter with Clayton Kershaw (8-7, 2.96) who’s needed a directional-finder this month. The young lefty had been pitching brilliantly this season, however since August; he’s walked 15 batters in 19 innings. The increased wildness and the lack of run support (2.3 RPG) have seen the Dodgers lose Kershaw’s last six starts, after winning the previous seven.
This NL West affair opened with the Dodgers as -125 money line favorites at Bookmaker.com and the number has moved against L.A. to -110, with total Un9.5. Colorado is on 26-10 roll at home and has punished lefties, winning 11 of last 12 at Coors. The Rockies are 9-1-1 OVER against teams with a winning record.
The Dodgers have experience in handling Colorado and are 14-5 on the road when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season and is 15-5 UNDER when the money line is -100 to -150, with Kershaw pitching.
This anticipated conflict and series will be available in local markets and on MLB.TV starting at 8:40 Eastern.
With only nine wagering opportunities on the baseball beat this Monday, some games take on greater importance than others. Two games in particular standout for today, Detroit at Los Angeles Angels and the final game between San Francisco and Colorado. Here is a betting outlook at each conflict.
Tigers at Angels
With football programming taking over the mother-ship on Monday’s, baseball gets moved to the side slightly, over to ESPN2 (remember when they tried to make it sound cool by calling it “The Deuce”). For real baseball and sports fans, that should not detract from the fact that two American League division leaders matchup, with a superb pitching matchup.
Detroit (65-58, -1.2 units) is three games clear in the loss column of Chicago, thanks to its efforts at home, not on the road. The Tigers have had nothing to roar about with 25-38 road record, scoring just four runs per game, which is 25th in baseball. Detroit just lost series to appalling Oakland club and will take on team from Anaheim that loves to scoot. The Tigers are 3-14 in road games vs. good base-running teams averaging 0.85 or more stolen bases a game over the last three seasons.
Justin Verlander (13-7, 3.29 ERA) will be entrusted with limiting the Angels, having 2.70 ERA in his last eight starts and has pitched at least eight innings in four of his last six outings. The only knock on Verlander is 0-2 record with a 4.55 ERA in five starts (Tigers 1-4) against the Angels.
The Halos (74-48, +24.1 units) are six games ahead of Texas in the loss column in the AL West and will send their best pitcher to the mound in Jered Weaver (13-4, 3.89). Weaver’s been a little spotty in the second half of the season, but is off complete game road shutout at Cleveland. Weaver is 5-1 in his last nine starts, with an ERA of 5.43, however that has gone somewhat unnoticed with the Angels batters scoring 8.2 runs in that stretch. Weaver is 8-1 at the Big A this season (Halos 11-2) and his ERA is more than a full run lower at home.
DiamondSportsbook.com has the Angels as -125 money line favorites with total Un8.5, in part because how effective they have been at home against Detroit. L.A. has won eight of 10 and 27 of last 35 at home against the Tigers and are 15-5 having lost three of their last four games this season. The Angels are 10-2 OVER after seven or more consecutive road games and Verlander and the Tigers are 10-1 OVER playing on Monday’s.
The opening pitch is set for 7:05 Pacific with Detroit 17-36 in road games when playing against a team with a winning record.
San Francisco at Colorado
The Rockies (70-54, +13 units) turned a deficit into an advantage with one swing of the bat yesterday and is positioned to win three of four against their closest wild card competitor. Colorado’s Seth Smith homered a hanging changeup from Tim Lincecum, giving the Rockies the lead and they went on to win 4-2. Colorado is now three games ahead of San Francisco (67-57, +10.1 units) and would like to build on that lead before traveling to the Bay Area next week to play three at San Fran.
Colorado is 20-9 after a win by two runs or less and will send Jason Marquis (14-8, 3.58) to the mound trying to become the National League’s first 15-game winner. The Rocks will face a rejuvenated Barry Zito (8-11, 4.26), who has allowed three or less runs in his last seven starts. The left-hander has been victimized by offense that has produced a league-low 2.9 runs for a regular starting pitcher.
The Rockies are -165 money line favorites with total Un9.5. Colorado is 16-4 (+14.6 Units) against the ML playing against a good team (Win Pct. 54% to 62%) this season and 21-12 OVER as a home favorite of -125 to -175. San Francisco is looking for the split and is 12-6 vs. a starting pitcher who throws more than 6.5 innings per start and Zito and the Giants are 13-3 UNDER in August games since 2007.
The Washington Nationals are like the dimmest bulb on a set of outdoor lights, they standout for not shining brightly. While the Nationals have a comfortable lead as the worst team in baseball with 43-76 record (-24.1 units), they do deserve props for playing like paid professionals and not throwing in the towel. Even with last night’s loss, Washington has won eight of 12, thanks to a potent offense that has average 6.6 runs per game, compared to season average of 4.5 runs per contest.
In spite of playing better baseball, the Nationals have earned their stripes as the worst team in the game. Washington has the highest earned run average in the National League at 4.98. When the starting pitchers fail, which is often the case, a collection of less than desirable relievers take their place, with an even worse ERA (5.07). Washington’s non-starters have brought little relief as 17-33 record proves and the recent spike in run production has helped the closers get over the .500 mark (.533) since the first week of the season.
The Nats were 4-3 losers to Colorado last night in Game 1 of the series and will face the ace of the Rockies staff, Jason Marquis (13-8, 3.55 ERA). The veteran right-hander has embraced pitching for Colorado and has spearheaded a staff which has contributed mightily to the Rockies leading the wild card race in the senior circuit, while within striking distance of the division leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
Colorado (66-53, +10.6 units) is giving no indication of fading away, winning seven of last 11 and continuing to play surprisingly well on the road with 34-30 record, despite a team batting average of .238.
Colorado is 30-14 (+21.5 Units) against the money line after three or more consecutive road games this season and will face starter Collin Balester (1-2, 6.00), who has been allowing the long ball early and often. The rookie right-hander has surrendered three homers and five runs in each of his last two outings. Washington comes into this contest 13-34 revenging a one run loss to opponent over the last two seasons.
If this doesn’t sound like a great situation for Washington, it’s not and Colorado is a -160 money line favorite at DiamondSportsbook.com. Here is the situation the Nationals face tonight.
Play Against home underdogs with a money line of +125 to +175, who are ordinary offensive team scoring 4.3 to 4.8 runs per game, against a good NL starter (ERA of 3.70 or less), after a loss by two runs or less.
This system has been a reliable winner for a dozen years at 52-14, 78.8 percent. For the most part, these games have not been close, opening the door for potential run line action, with a score differential 2.6 runs. Take a closer look at this contest, the odds lineup in the bettor’s favor on the road favorite.
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