MLB Series Wagering- Cardinals at Reds

This is the time of the year when baseball really starts to get fun because there is attractive matchups like this one that has meaningful significance to the pennant races. Almost the entire season, the echoes have reverberated San Diego and Cincinnati (64-48, +13.7 units) were a great baseball story, but eventually they would come back to earth and be the mediocre teams most expected back in March. With eight weeks to go in the regular season, barring a Sands hotel-like collapse, the first place Reds aren’t going anywhere.

Cincinnati’s unemployment rate is hovering at 10 percent, but for the first time in years, the baseball team is providing a positive distraction, in a town known as a great baseball community. The Reds return home off a 5-1 divisional road trip and lead St. Louis (61- 49, -6.1) by one game in the loss column and are 11-4 since July 23, including winning nine of last 11, in which they’ve outscored the opposition 70-33. “It’s time,” manager Dusty Baker said. “They (the players) had been wanting us to focus on it but we had to focus on the Cubs. To come in here and get a sweep in Chicago (first time in five years) is big for us.”

The Cardinals are top heavy and manager Tony LaRussa knows it. If St. Louis is going to repeat as division champions, they have to play better on the road (23-31) and get more out of the back end of the rotation. For this series in the Queen City, St. Louis come fully prepared with Chris Carpenter, Jamie Garcia and Adam Wainwright as the scheduled pitchers for the Redbirds. This terrific trio is 45-24 in games they’ve started, the best in baseball.

Carpenter (12-3, 2.91 ERA) will look to get St. Louis off to a good start in the series and he has been on top of his game. The right-hander is 3-0 in last five starts (all Cardinals’ wins), with undersized ERA of 1.64. Carpenter has three wins already this season against the Reds and is 10-3 with 1.96 ERA lifetime against Cincy. Sportsbooks have St. Louis as -133 money line favorites with total Ov7.5 for this ESPN 7:10 Eastern telecast and Carpenter and the Cards are is 9-1 OVER as a favorite of -125 to -175 this season, winning by two runs per contest.

The Reds counter with their rookie Mike Leake (7-3, 3.86), who after a sensational start, might be tiring, having lost last two starts and been hit hard. His earned run average in those defeats is 7.94 and Cincinnati is 6-15 at home after a win by win six runs or more, like yesterday’s 11-4 crushing of the Cubs. That number overlaps Baker teams that frankly were not very good and this Reds bunch is 24-11 after allowing four runs or less three straight games this year.

Game 1 Edge: St. Louis

The second game of the series brings elements relating to both clubs. St. Louis knows it can leave town atop the NL Central with a sweep and might not have to look back in doing so. The task is fundamentally difficult since Cincinnati has not been swept at Great American Ball Park in more than a year, falling to Colorado over three days in late July over early August.

Granted, Albert Pujols hits against everybody, but coming into this series he’s hot even by his own standards, having gone 16 for 32 with five homers and 11 RBIs in the last seven contests. Against Cincy this campaign he’s hitting .381 with three homers and 12 RBIs. Left-hander Jamie Garcia (9-5, 2.53) got two extra days off between starts after his worst outing of the season (8 runs and 10 hits over five innings) and manager LaRussa hopes that is the right tonic to get the young pitcher back to form. The Cards are 5-1 in Garcia’s last six starts against winning squads.

Cincinnati has been battering lefties of late with 16-5 mark. Reds starter Johnny Cueto (11-2, 3.24) has been devastating with 5-1 record and 1.55 ERA over his past nine starts. Don’t expect St. Louis to load up with LH hitters, as they are only batting .221 against Cueto, compared to RH batters who hitting .274. The Reds are 6-1 in previous seven Game 2’s outings and have won all five in that exact same situation in which Cueto was the starting pitcher.

Game 2 Edge: Cincinnati

The final contest of the series is a day time affair, with Adam Wainwright trading pitches with Bronson Arroyo. Wainwright (16-6, 2.07) often is the second fiddle of the St. Louis staff, but know this, he’s only the second hurler in the Cardinals storied history to have 16 victories and an ERA that low in 24 starts to begin a season. The other is Hall of Fame great Bob Gibson. The Redbirds are 21-18 in day games and if they are favored by -200 or less with Wainwright the pitcher, the Cards are 8-0.

Arroyo (12-6. 3.83) is in the Top 20 of units won at +6.4 in baseball. His career shows a pitcher who runs like a Moet faucet, hot or cold. He’s being scalding with 2.62 ERA in previous 10 starts and has not given up a run in consecutive starts. His changing speeds on his curveball has been wicked, with batters hitting a meek .177 against him. He and the Reds are 6-2 as underdogs and 22-18 under natural light.

Game 3 Edge: Cincinnati

Had my string of five series wins in a row snapped last week; however I feel I get back on track here. The Cardinals have the pitching edge with their exceptional starters, yet they 2-7 in road series since May and are 9-17 in traveling gray uniforms. The play here is the excited home underdog with a lot to prove and Cincinnati builds on lead by Wednesday evening.

Sportsbooks series odds: St. Louis -135, Cincinnati +105

3Daily Winners Pick: Cincinnati

3DW Line Moves – Crucial Betting Info

A thinner baseball slate has those doing baseball betting fixated on four contests. Two of the games feature side action and the other two hone in on the totals. Take a read and see if you agree or disagree with the wagering public in Thursday’s action.

L.A. Angels at Baltimore 7:05 EDT

Buck Showalter is paying immediate benefits for the Baltimore Orioles, winning his first two games as the skipper. The Orioles offense has come to life scoring 15 total runs in back to back contests, something that has happened only twice since June 25. The O’s will face face Dan Haren (7-10, 4.42) and see if they can orchestrate their third home sweep of the season. The focus for baseball bettors has been on the total, since it began at 8.5 and has been elevated to 9. Granted, Haren was pitching for an awful Arizona club, however his ERA was still lofty 4.86 and he’s 16-7 OVER in 23 starts. While there is a little excitement in the land of crap cakes, the Orioles are 26-11 UNDER at home having won two of their last three.

Colorado at Pittsburgh 7:05 EDT

The Rockies have won five of six and Pittsburgh is playing like Pittsburgh, having lost 10 of 13, so why would online sports betting analysts be favoring the Pirates? The Bucs opened as +161 money line home underdogs and have actually wandered downward to +150 or less at various sportsbooks. The Pittsburgh bullpen was dreadful in 9-4 defeat to Cincinnati and the Pirates are 4-22 after the bullpen was rocked for six or more runs since 2008. The answer my friends is not blowing in the wind, its right here. Did you know Colorado is 4-14 in road encounters after a win and astonishing 0-9 (-9.2 Units) as visitors having won three of their last four games this season? Toss in the fact tonight’s starter Jeff Francis (4-3, 4.44) and Rockies are 0-7 (-9.7 Units) vs. an NL team with an on-base percentage of .315 or worse and just maybe this dog might have some bite.

San Francisco at Atlanta 7:10 EDT

This potential playoff matchup is strictly about perception. Tim Lincecum and the Giants were -121 ML road faves and are now -108 or lower at online sports betting outlets. Atlanta’s Major League best 36-14 home record undoubtedly is a factor, as is 17-5 mark at Turner Field playing against teams with a winning record this season. Yet, it is impossible to ignore San Francisco’s recent 13-3 joy ride on the road for exactly the last month, plus having the knowledge of Lincecum being 6-1 with 2.70 ERA against Atlanta. The outcome could be decided by how the Braves batters hit in the clutch. After batting under .200 with runners in scoring position for a 10-game stretch, Atlanta busted out eight runs in stopping New York yesterday. Taking advantage of similar opportunities probably will determine the Game 1 winner.

Cleveland at Boston 9:40 EDT

The Red Sox are doing their best to field a team with all their injuries. They’ve lost two of three to Cleveland and want to salvage a split with Daisuke Matsuzaka (7-3, 4.22) on the mound. The right-hander is 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA in his last three starts against the Indians. The wagering public was in sell mode for this matchup at total of 8.5, with the new number is 9. Matsuzaka is 33-15 UNDER when the total is 9 to 9.5; however Boston is 10-2-1 OVER after their opponent allowed two or less runs. The Tribe is 12-4-2 UNDER after a win in last 18 outings, but is 6-2 OVER playing a Game 4 of a series.

3DW Bonus Info

Money Line Nugget
The L.A. Angels are 12-0 (+13.3 Units) against the money line after a game where they had 17 or more hits over the last three seasons.

Totals Nugget
San Diego is 14-2 OVER in August road games the last two years with average score of 11.6 total runs.

Run Line Nugget
Florida is 30-11 (+19.2 Units) against the run line vs. teams outscoring opponents by 0.5 or more runs a game in the second half of the season since last year.

3DW Line Moves is copyrighted content of Impact Sports Solutions, Inc and Doug Upstone. All rights reserved.
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Cross country travel having impact on baseball betting

With the month of August now front and center, thoughts of football have started creeping into those betting on sports and fantasy football enthusiasts. The idea slipped into my head about one of the more common aspects of football betting often discussed, cross-country trips. The reasons are obvious why this situation is problematic, as players have to adjust body-clocks when changing three time zones and might not be fully prepared physically or mentally come game time.

This led to pulling out shovel and seeing if this had any impact on Major League Baseball.

The criteria set up was a team had to fly East or West thru three time zones. I neglected to worry about if there was a day off in between games and used only the initial contest as a benchmark.

At the start of this season, I disregarded the Los Angeles Dodgers beginning play in Pittsburgh, since they had ample time to arrive. I did however count teams from the East that flew West for a couple of series and traveled back towards home base, but played one more road series in their regular time zone after again jetting across the lower 48.

Baseball has differences compared to football that can be nit-picked, like starting pitcher situations are always different, making money lines more volatile. Certain divisions can be stronger or weaker, however that would also be true of football, studying an extended period of time.

Since I do not recall seeing this information in the marketplace recently, my first thought was it might be pointless, with nothing being learned one way or the other.

Started with 2009 to get a full season record and had to admit, was underwhelmed. The overall record was nondescript 31-32, -3.35 units. That season the AL West was the big loser with 3-9 record and -6 units.

Undeterred, went back one more year to 2008 and found something more worthwhile. This particular year the final record was 26-38 for -6.85 units lost. That season was all over the board, as the AL Central was 0-5, all as underdogs. The AL West was 9-8, but nicely profitable +5 units thanks to seven underdogs winning outright. The NL West was the difference-maker with 4-11 mark, losing 7.15 units.

This study moved ahead to this year’s baseball action and the results were more of what was expected. Time travelers are 16-24, -8.7 units on the season with nine weeks left in the regular season, a fairly notable figure.

In football, this is one condition that arises annually, however it is largely ignored in baseball.
A further breakdown has well-travelled road underdogs 35-66, -25.15 and visiting favorites 38-28, +6.25 units. Both numbers are about what one might expect, with the former possibly having a slightly higher loss percentage.

Our almost three-year results wind up 73-94, -18.9 units. This isn’t knowledge that will make you rich, but it can put extra cash in your pocket the next time this situation pops up for the shrewd baseball bettor.

MLB Series Wagering- Yankees at Rays

With the summer slipping into August this weekend, the baseball pennant races start to take shape with more meaningful games over the next two months. What better way to start building the momentum than with the two best teams in baseball. The first place New York Yankees (65-36, +7.8 units) head south to visit Tampa Bay (63-38, +6.5), who trails by two games in the loss column.

The atmosphere should be electric with all three games sold out and for New York; they have other side bar stories. This is the Yankees first team visit since the passing of George Steinbrenner who resided in Tampa. Alex Rodriguez will continue his elusive quest for home run No. 600. When asked if he feels pressure after failing to connect for a long ball in seven straight games, A-Rod answered this way. “We’re winning, so this is fun,” Rodriguez said. “I’m focusing on something more important: a pennant race.”

The Rays picked the right time to get hot having won six in a row and a continuation of such play would jettison them into first place by the end of the weekend. “I’m sure there’s going to be a vibe,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “They’re playing well. We’re playing well. It’s going to be interesting. I know we’re going to be excited to play.”

The pitching matchup has two young hurlers. Phil Hughes (12-3, 4.04 ERA), after a brilliant start has had rocky moments of late, being tagged for five runs or more in three of previous five starts. Location has been Hughes downfall and the Yankees are only 14-16 (-11.5 Units) against the money line with an on-base percentage of .360 or better over their last 15 games. Online sports betting outlets have New York as -107 ML wager, as the Yankees seem to thrive against top notch competition with a 12-3 record in road games when playing against teams with a 62% or higher win percentage in the second half of the season.

Tampa Bay is 100-48 in home games against right-handed starters the past three seasons and sends Wade Davis (8-9, 4.32) up the hill. Davis has gotten in a nice groove with three consecutive victories and 2.11 ERA. “Every series is important, but this is a big series for us to go out and win some games against them to stay up there with them,” Davis told the Rays’ official website. “If we can do that, then we’ll be in a good situation.” The right-hander is 1-1 with a 4.63 ERA in two starts against New York this year and A-Rod has two jacks off of him.

Game 1 Edge: New York

The Rays are hoping outfielders B.J. Upton and Ben Zobrist are close to 100 percent after missing time this week with sprained ankle and lower back stiffness respectively, getting ready for New York. The second game of the series will also feature Matt “no-hitter” Garza (11-5. 4.08), who faced the minimum 27 batters (one walk) his last time out. Garza was able to work effectively up in the strike zone against depleted Detroit lineup. Tampa Bay is 8-2 in Garza’s starts at Tropicana Field, where they have won 10 of 11 coming into the series.

The Bronx Bombers arrive in St. Pete’s having won eight of 11 and have split eight meetings with the Rays. Manager Joe Girardi’s club began the series 31-20 in the visiting gray uniforms, thanks to being victorious in 16 of last 21 contests. Javier Vazquez (9-7, 4.54) started the season on shaky ground, but has since stabilized with 8-3 mark and 3.16 ERA. The Yanks are 36-16 in last 52 and have won four of last five Vazquez road starts. The Yankees right-hander is 5-5 (4.71) in last 10 starting assignments against Tampa Bay, with Carl Crawford batting .368 against him since 2006. Garza is 1-3 (3.26) vs New York and A-Rod (.467) and Nick Swisher (.500) have been the most troublesome batters he faces from that lineup.

Game 2 Edge: Tampa Bay

The series finale from the Trop has C.C. Sabathia (13-4, 3.15) on a major roll. The big left-hander is 8-1 with 2.10 ERA in last 10 outings and is 14-4 in August of late. He’s been tough all year on right-hand hitters, as they are batting only .234 against him. New York plays great all the time including during the day, with 25-12 record as they prepare for this TBS 1:30 Eastern tilt.

Tampa Bay will start James Shields (9-9, 4.79) who also possess quality August numbers with a 12-6 record. Shields has to start missing more bats, with opponents hitting .281 against him (.266 lifetime) and he is on career path for home runs allowed, already being taken deep 22 times. The Rays are equally effective in day games with 20-10 record and are 11-9 to commence the weekend as underdogs.

Game 3 Edge: New York

New York has won 26 of last 44 conflicts between these teams and is 12-9 at the Trop the past three years. Both teams are at the top of their games, both respecting, but do not fearing the other, which makes for fascinating series.

I’ve hit five straight weekend series wagers and though I’d like to see Tampa Bay win, I’m betting New York and here is why. Sometime next season I’ll write an article about this, but the Rays have double digit hits just once in past seven tries, which has me believing they are living off of great pitching. New York can match Tampa Bay in this area and shutdown their attack. Coincidently, the Yankees have nine or more base knocks in seven of previous nine games, suggesting they will score more runs and takes the series.

Sportsbooks series odds: New York -120, Tampa Bay -110

3Daily Winners Pick: New York

Totals System totally contrarian in SoCal

There isn’t a person alive that participates in sports betting, be it a regular individual, wise guy, handicapper or the person on the other side of the counter taking the money that doesn’t love believing they have information that is different than most everyone else that can lead to winning sports wager.

This info is contrarian to your typical mainstream material and if you are convinced this places you in advantageous position to cash a winning ticket like few others will, you become more smug than a British Petroleum executive.

Out in Southern California, in the later stages of the afternoon, a very reliable total system will be put to the test when San Diego (59-40, +22.8 units) and Los Angeles (54-47, -2.3) play in a key NL West showdown.

The Dodgers have won five of seven with an offense that can aptly be described as offensive. In L.A.’s last seven trips to the ballpark, they have touched home plate a grand total of 12 times, that is 1.7 times per contest for those lacking a calculator. However, in their five victories the Dodgers pitching staff has four shutouts and permitted two runs in the other contest.

With Manny Ramirez on the DL for a third time, the Los Angeles front office did something to bolster the offense, trading for outfielder Scott Podsednik from Kansas City, who is batting .310 and can still run, having 30 stolen bases. L.A. needs something having one or zero runs on the scoreboard 23 times this season.

The Dodgers lost 6-1 last night to San Diego and trail the Padres by seven games in the loss column. San Diego is no fluke with August just around the corner. The Padres have the best record in the National League and also have the largest run differential in the senior circuit at +94.

Mat Latos (11-4, 2.48 ERA) looks to continue his exceptional pitching streak that has him winning six in a row (The Padres have won his last seven starts) and he has a Major League best 0.80 ERA since June 22.

His mound opponent is Vincente Padilla (4-3, 3.41), whose been nearly as good with 1.04 ERA in his last five outings, with 3-1 record.

Online sports betting outlets have this contest at Un6.5 and if ever a game looked like an Under, this would be it except for this baseball system.

Play OVER on road teams against the total, after scoring one or less runs in a loss to a division rival; with a hot starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.000 or less over his last five starts.
The logic behind this system is simple, the motivated visitor is expected to be extra focused off a loss to division opponent and in this case, the Dodgers could win the series and pick up ground on San Diego. It might be the year of the pitcher, yet historically in this spot, the road hurler has faltered and he and his team have allowed 5.8 runs per game. Over the past five years this total system is distinguished 37-13.

The average total score of these matchups has been 10.7 runs per game, which is 2.3 more runs than the typical line. No doubt these are two teams built for pitching, playing in a ballpark that yields runs sparingly. Could this be another 1-0 game, sure it could based on current form of the two starting pitchers.

Nevertheless, this system provokes a different kind of thinking and a 4-3 or 5-3 contest can certainly not be ruled out. Take some time to study this confrontation and determine if you are a contrarian thinker.

What would make Kansas City a good bet?

It’s been awhile since the Royals were a good team, not great, just average. The highlight of the last several seasons was a strong 18-8 finish in September of 2008, which led to 75-87 record and hope for the following season. That lasted just over a month (18-11 on May 7, 2009), before Kansas City took their rightful place in the cellar of the AL Central for the sixth time in seven years.

Will the Royals EVER be good again like the George Brett days or is this franchise doomed to be Pittsburgh of the American League?

It’s hard to find much good to say about K.C. given their more recent history. The last manager to have a winning record was Hal McRae at 286-277 from 1991 to 1994 before he was jettisoned. In his place has been a parade of eight skippers, including the last flavor Ned Yost, who was run out of Milwaukee in the heat of a pennant race in 2008.

From a wagering point of view, Kansas City isn’t all that bad at 42-57, -1.9 units. Nonetheless, they are only one of four American League teams with a losing home record in 2010 at 20-26 (-5.9 units).

Decked out in my general manager’s attire, the Royals do offer positives. Kauffman Stadium is an older park that stood the test of time beautifully and the renovations have been trumpeted throughout baseball.

The casual and even fairly serious baseball fan might not know Kansas City has and continues to lead the American League in batting with .280 average. Why than do the Royals rank 10th in runs scored (4.3) per game, no boppers. K.C. is 12th in home runs in the AL with 66, which means despite having 117 more base hits than Toronto on the season, they have touched home 37 fewer times than the Blue Jays, who lead the Major’s in long balls with 152.

A big blow to the franchise has been the lack of development of Alex Gordon. Once thought to be a cornerstone, Gordon has never really hit, been injury-prone and his third base defense has led to him being made into an outfielder. At 26, Gordon is no longer a prospect and needs to blossom immediately to hold any value.

Jose Guillen, Billy Butler and David DeJesus are all above average players; however they are complementary types, not building blocks towards division contention.

The overly sensitive Kansas City front office (how dare anyone criticize us, it takes time to rebuild) likes its minor league studs like third base prospect Mike Moustakas, first baseman Eric Hosmer and catcher Wil Myers, yet none are really thought to be ready at least until 2012 for full-time duty.

Personally, I believe it would be a huge mistake to trade Zack Grienke (6-10, 4.01 ERA) since every team, no matter how bad they might be, has to have a pitcher the rest of the players trust in which they truly believe they have a significant chance to win every five days. The rest of the of the starting staff looks very much like a collection of No. 4 or No. 5, which makes winning at best a 50-50 bet , particularly with second-rate relievers beyond closer Joakim Soria (0-2, 2.25, 27 saves).

Last night Kansas City was beaten into submission, losing 19-1 to Minnesota and the task for this evening doesn’t get a whole lot easier facing Carl Pavano (12-6, 3.26 ERA). The right-hander is 7-0 with a 2.40 ERA in nine starts and the former fragile Yankee hurler has four complete games in last seven outings (including previous two). Pavano has been in the AL Central the last two years and he is 22-10 against division opponents over the last two seasons. (Team's Record)

The Royals are +140 underdogs at online sportsbooks and ridiculously bad 48-108 against the money line in home games vs. an AL starting pitcher whose ERA is 3.50 or better. K.C. has lost eight of last 10 as dogs and is 1-7 versus right-hand pitchers. Bruce Chen (5-4, 4.38) tries to avoid a third straight loss taking the ball for his club, but is 1-6 as a Game 2 starter.

Kansas City might have great eating barbeque joints and the future of the Royals might be bright, yet the present is dimmer than a two year old energy saving light bulb.

San Francisco Giants have bettor’s attention

Yesterday went to take in Tim Lincecum and the rest of his teammates in the black and orange hats and see if this reporter could figure out why they are playing such good baseball. Having struck out and walked more than enough batters in my youth, I always appreciate outstanding pitchers and try to make it point to see as many as possible when they come to town.

It just so happens the San Francisco Giants (56-43, +7.7 units) are racking up profits faster than Major League teams selling $10 beers, winning 16 of last 20 and collecting +13.35 units of profit, moving into second place in the NL West, trailing San Diego by four games in the loss column.

What is most noticeable about the Giants of course is their pitching, the starters in particular. Lincecum didn’t begin the game with his best stuff, unable to command his curveball and Arizona batters were sitting on his fastball and tallied two runs in the second inning. However, as the game wore on, the long-haired competitive right-hander settled into a groove and never permitted another run over the final six innings of work.

This giant streak has seen Giants pitchers allow only 2.5 runs per game, which gives the offense a chance in every contest even if they don’t score many runs early on. This type of pitching has brought about something that hasn’t happened in nearly a century of Giants baseball. Among their last 15 victories is a pair of four-game sweeps (at Milwaukee and at Arizona). The last time this franchise accomplished this feat was 1912, 98 years ago. (OMG)

Another factor is this San Francisco team has been averaging 5.8 runs per game compared to 4.4 for the season (10th in the NL). Aubrey Huff is batting over .300 and is their leading home run hitter with 19. Pablo Sandoval is starting to hit despite personal issues. If you haven’t seen catcher Buster Posey swing the bat, he looks every bit as good as his .371 batting average. His 18-game hit streak (he’s hitting .472 in this stretch) is the second-longest for a rookie in Giants history, passing one Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda and chasing another in Willie McCovey, whose streak stands at 22 games. With six more games to play this week, Posey could also break the team record for runs batted in for a rookie of 24 set by Jim Ray Hart in 1964 having 23 this July.

After their 6-1 road excursion, San Francisco opens up homestand with Florida (49-49, -0.1) tonight. Manager Bruce Boche hands the ball to Barry Zito (8-5, 3.45 ERA) who has had a career resurgence to help the Giants this season and they are a combined 21-13 (+11.3 Units) against the money line after a win the last three seasons. Sportbet.com has the San Fran as -140 ML favorites and the 2002 AL Cy Young winner and his club are 11-4 against NL East squads. The left-hander is 5-0 with a 2.15 ERA vs. the Marlins.

Florida arrives in the Bay Area playing very well with seven triumphs in last nine outings and they are 20-11 as underdogs with Ricky Nolasco (10-7, 4.50) the starting pitcher. Nevertheless, it is difficult to discount the way the Giants are playing and they are 37-17 as a home favorite of -125 to -150 since 2008. The Fish on the other hand are 6-18 vs. an NL starting pitcher whose ERA is 3.50 or better this season.

Until further notice, it’s awfully hard not to back San Francisco with reasonable money lines.

MLB Series Wagerng- White Sox at Athletics

Manager Ozzie Guillen’s first place club makes the final stop on their 10-game road in the “other” city by the bay in Oakland. Chicago (52-42, +8 units) is 3-4 thus far on this sojourn and begins the weekend with a two game lead over Detroit in the AL Central. Since June 9, baseball fans and online sports betting fans alike have been amazed by the White Sox turnaround that shows them 28-9 and up +20.82 units. Chicago visits a place that was for a long time as bad as the Metrodome in Minnesota for them, but has signs of no longer as being so gruesome.

Starting in 2001, the White Sox were 6-27 at Oakland over a seven-year stretch; however the last two years they have headed the other direction with four wins in six tries. The Athletics will attempt to reverse that trend and return to supremacy over the Sox this weekend.

Oakland (48-47, +2.1) has matched their best streak of the year, winning seven of previous eight, due to scoring more runs and receiving solid pitching. The A’s are tallying 6.6 runs per contest, while permitting 2.34 earned runs. This has moved Oakland closer to second place Los Angeles and within seven games in the loss column of front-running Texas.

In spite of the top shelf pitching, the A’s ace hasn’t been as much help as presumed. All-Star Trevor Cahill (9-3, 3.19 ERA) is 1-1 with a 5.03 ERA over his last three outings, after reeling of seven straight wins and will look to get back on the beam. The talented right-hander and mates are 12-4 in his starts. SportBet.com has Oakland as -136 money line favorites and they are 9-2 in Cahill’s last 11 starts at McAfee Coliseum.

Mark Buehrle (8-8, 4.18) will provide the opposition for A’s hitters and their color scheme makes the veteran left-hander a little skittish. In his career, he is 3-12 with a 4.11 ERA vs. Oakland, including 0-6 with a 4.95 ERA in 10 career starts on the road. In fact, Buehrle and the White Sox are 4-14 in his road starts against clubs with positive records. The opener is on WGN at 10:05 Eastern.

Game 1 Edge: Oakland

The second game of the series is a FOX afternoon affair and Chicago will again unleash one of the big pitching surprises in baseball. Freddy Garcia (9-3, 4.37) was a pitcher the White Sox front office hoped could be an adequate fifth starter and chew up innings, while being a game or two over .500. Instead, Garcia is one of the best pitching bets in baseball at +9.37 units. The 35-year old right-hander no longer has the same bite on his pitches from his youthful days in Seattle, but with a sound shoulder this season, he’s pitched out of trouble continually, inducing ground ball outs. His ERA has fallen over a run since May 23 (5.68) and the White Sox are 12-1 when he takes the mound against AL West squads.

Vin Mazzaro (5-2, 3.50) toes the rubber for Oakland in the second game of the series. Mazzaro’s repertoire is built around a two-seam and four-seam low 90’s fastballs, with the former having excellent sink action. He’s a mostly pitch-to-contact hurler and if his pitches are up slightly in the hitting zone, even ground balls scoot thru holes quicker. Dating back to last season, the A’s are 2-7 in Mazzaro’s home starts and they have failed to register a victory in previous four contests against winning opponents.

Game 2 Edge: Chicago

As is the case with baseball today, bullpens play a key component day and day out. For Chicago, skipper Guillen has seen enough of closer Bobby Jenks high-wire act after blowing consecutive saves chances, sending his ERA to 5.09. “All options are open now,” Guillen said. “I get paid to win games. … I put the guy in with the best shot.” J.J. Putz and Matt Thornton are strong choices, with Putz riding franchise-record 25 consecutive scoreless appearances, holding opponents to a .140 average during that time span.

They may be called upon with Dan Hudson (1-0, 5.06) the starting pitcher to close the road trip. Hudson has mid-90’s heat, but his curveball has cement-mixer tendencies and can get hit hard. The White Sox began the weekend 20-10 in day baseball.

At press time, Ben Sheets (4-9, 4.53) was thought to be the Game 3 starter; however Oakland manager Bob Geren had not confirmed that. Whoever takes the ball from Geren likely won’t finish the game, but as long as the manager can get to Jerry Blevins and Andrew Bailey, he feels confident he can win the game. Blevins has reeled off 12 consecutive scoreless outings dating back to June 25, while the closer Bailey is 20 of 23 in save opportunities, with mini-me ERA of 1.56. Oakland can better the Sox record under natural sun light at 22-10.

Game 3 Edge: Oakland

I’d feel more secure in my selection if I knew for certain who the final game starter for Oakland was, nevertheless I like the way the Athletics are playing and they have to be brimming with confidence after taking a series against the Sox from Boston. Maybe I’ll be wrong about the middle conflict of the series and Oakland wraps this series up quicker and it won’t matter who the A’s pitch Sunday. No matter, Oakland gets the call to make the White Sox feel pale.

Sportsbook series odds: Chicago +125, Oakland -155

3Daily Winners Pick: Oakland

3Daily Winners Line Moves

The weekend is almost here and so are additional sports betting opportunities. Baseball bettors today have returned to a couple of the same matchups as yesterday as well as placing bets on what they see as winnable wagers. Let’s delve into what they are doing.

Minnesota at Baltimore 7:05 EDT

Enough sports bettors yesterday believed they had reasonable value on Baltimore and changed the odds on the Orioles as underdogs. Baltimore was shutout 5-0 and the focus has in turn changed to totals. This matchup started today at 9 and has been bumped up to 9.5.The reasons are plentiful with Jeremy Guthrie (3-10, 4.58 ERA) mostly ineffective and 9-29 in night games the last two seasons. (O’s Record) Minnesota has finally taken Nick Blackburn out of the rotation and replaced with Steve Duensing (3-1, 1.67), who has made 39 relief appearances this year. Duensing went 5-1 with a 2.73 ERA in nine starts as a rookie in 2009 and it is forecasted he will be held to a pitch count of 60-80. The Twins have pitched well lately with its spotty offense and are 15-4 UNDER in road games after three or more consecutive Under’s, while Guthrie’s is 19-8 UNDER when the total is 9 to 9.5. The action might be moving the wrong direction.

Atlanta at Florida 7:05 EDT

The Marlins were a -119 money line favorite on the overnight line and have dropped precipitously to a short fave or even an underdog at some locations. Florida sends rookie Alex Sanabia (1-1, 2.12) to stride the rubber and he’s been sharp in a couple of outings for team that is 12-3 after batting .250 or worse over a 20-game span. Atlanta has a built a seven-game lead in the NL East, thanks to their stellar play at home. They will look to continue to improve on the road (22-26) and are 23-9 as visitors vs. teams averaging 2.75 or less extra base hits per game in the second half of the season. Derek Lowe (10-8, 4.39) needs more run support not being the same ground-ball pitcher of years past, yet he and the Braves are 8-0 away from home against clubs that strike out seven or more times after playing half their schedule. Watch this line closely as the Fish are 0-10 as a home underdog of +100 to +125.

Cincinnati at Houston 8:05 EDT

The Reds Travis Wood (0-1, 2.02) has pitched well enough in his three starts to at least pick up a couple of victories, unfortunately for him; he’s been on the wrong side of a pair of 1-0 shutouts. Wood will seek elusive first “W” without the support of those betting on sports. Cincinnati was a -170 ML pick and has toppled to -150 or less. The Reds have matched up well against impatient teams like Houston and are 6-0 in visiting uniforms vs. opposing squads’ hitters who draw three walks or less a contest. With Astros starter Bud Norris 0-4, with 7.36 ERA at “Juice” Park and Cincy 13-3 facing NL teams scoring 3.8 or less runs a game, the lower ML offers greater value.

San Francisco at Arizona 7:05 EDT

Matt Cain blanked the Snakes 3-0 last night, lowering the team ERA to 2.80 in previous 17 outings (San Fran 13-4). Giants’ starter Jonathan Sanchez (7-6, 3.42) will attempt to keep pace with pitching brethren having shown glimpses of dominance lately, yet still far too inconsistent. The lefty’s up and down efforts concern sports bettors, moving San Francisco from -124 on the ML to -110 or less. Arizona’s Edwin Jackson isn’t exactly Mr. Stability, with 1-2 mark and a 7.16 ERA in three outings since his no-hitter. The D-Backs are 2-11 revenging four or more straight losses versus opponent, while Sanchez and the Giants are beleaguered 1-12 in road battles after a triumph since last season.

Chic. White Sox at Oakland 10:05 EDT

The Oakland A’s are playing their best baseball of the season having won seven of eight and moving ever closer to second place Los Angeles. The A’s are averaging almost 10 hits per game in this stretch and are 10-1 after scoring five or runs like they did against Boston in 6-4 triumph Wednesday. Terrific Trevor Cahill (9-3, 3.19) is the Oakland starter and he is 5-1 at home and the A’s are 12-4 in all his starts. The Athletics began as -124 ML play and have been bet down to -110 or lower, which is surprising. The A’s hitters have solved Mark Buehrle (8-8, 4.18) almost his entire career, with the lefty just 3-12 against Oakland. The Pale Hose and Buehrle are 4-14 in his last 18 starts against winning teams, making this look like the wagering public is backing the wrong side.

3DW Bonus Info

Money Line Nugget
Tampa Bay has lost 17 in a row at Cleveland.

Totals Nugget
Kansas City is 17-3 OVER vs. teams who strand 7.5 or more runners on base per game this season; with average total score 11.4 RPG.

Run Line Nugget
Pittsburgh is 9-26 (-26.1 Units) against the run line vs. an NL team with a batting average of .255 or worse in the second half of the season over the last two years, losing by 2.5 RPG.

L.A. Angels Season on the Brink

Coming into the year, one of the changes that were expected to take place was manager Mike Scioscia’s Los Angeles club no longer to be the dominant force in the AL West. Heavy personnel defections weakened the Angels roster at several positions and other teams in the division were showing improvement. Prognosticators looked to be accurate when the squad from Anaheim started 3-7, thanks to a lack of hitting and unstable bullpen.

The Angels (51-46, +2.2 units) at least started to hit as the season wore, but on May 30, their best hitter Kendry Morales broke a bone in his leg on a walk-off grand slam against Seattle and immediately television pundits declared the Scioscia’s squad DOA.

However, you don’t manage in big leagues as long as Scioscia has without being smart and the troops rallied and fought their way into second place in the division behind Texas (55-40, +1.1), who has played outstanding all year.

Since the baseball season is only in the latter stages of July, it sounds preposterous to call a series “extremely important”, yet that is exactly the case as the Angels travel to Arlington. Tonight opens a huge four-game series and both clubs have one aspect in mind - find a way to win three games.

For Los Angeles, they trail the Rangers by six games in the loss column (this is more important than games back, since everyone is scheduled to play 162-game season) and a series victory brings them within manageable four games, with over two months to play. Losing three of four creates an enormous burden for the Halos, being eight games back in the standings. To put this into perspective, if Texas would have 58-41 record come next Monday and they continued to play at the same pace the rest of the season, that would mean L.A. would have to close the regular season 44-17 to overtake Texas, a very unlikely scenario.

Game 1 of this battle has a distinguished pitching matchup with Jered Weaver (9-5, 3.16 ERA) facing Cliff Lee (8-4, 2.59, 0.937 WHIP). “It’s huge,” Weaver told the Angels’ official website. “We’ve been sitting four, five games back for a while now. … When you’re playing those guys, you pick up a game or lose one. Simple as that.”

Los Angeles is 10-4 in series openers most recently and will need Weaver to pitch superior baseball, which has been problematic against Texas. The 6’7 right-hander is 5-3 with 3.62 ERA vs. the Rangers, however pitching at Rangers Park has been a different story. In Weaver’s last six outings in Arlington he is 0-3, with a 6.17 ERA and his team has failed to win each contest. The Halos have lost five of six against winning teams when Weaver toes the rubber.

Cliff Lee will see the Angels for a second time this campaign, but for the first time wearing a Rangers uniform. The lefty is 6-3 (3.18) lifetime against Los Angeles and 21-7 when pitching on Thursday’s, (Team’s Record) which means he is supplying his team with a series clincher or opening game victory 75 percent of the time.

Betting on sports participants will find Texas as -169 money line favorites. Lee is remarkable 15-2 as a home favorite of -150 to -175 over the last three seasons. (Team's Record) Nearly all online sports betting outlets have the total Un8 and the much-traveled Lee is 43-17 when the total is 7 to 8.5 over the same time span.

The veteran port-sider will be taking on Angels lineup that is hitting .329 while averaging 5.8 runs over its last six tries and is 7-1 vs. starting pitchers with a WHIP less than 1.15.

Weaver and other Los Angeles hurlers will have to confront Josh Hamilton, who has hit .394 in 18 July ballgames to raise his average to a Major League-leading .353. Hamilton is a serious Triple Crown threat being third in home runs (24) and fourth in runs batted in with 70. Since the All-Star break, the left-fielder is molten 13 for 30, a .433 average.

The Angels trail in the season series to the Rangers 3-2 and have dropped eight of past 11 at Texas.

Killer MLB System yields two plays

Last night turned out to be a bad night to be a sports bettor favoring the New York Yankees and Kansas City. The Yankees were bludgeoned 10-2 by the Los Angeles Angels and Toronto laid a 13-1 beat-down on the Royals. How might either team respond today?

One characteristic to look for is the money line number. The Yankees (58-34, +5.7 units) are a -185 ML favorite and Kansas City is -160 betting choice at online sports betting destinations. The Yankees number appears less justified (it almost always is), since the Angels Joel Pineiro (10-6, 3.95 ERA) has won seven games in a row (Halos have emerged victorious in eight straight Pineiro starts) and his teammates have rapped out 56 hits in their last five outings.

New York still has beaten L.A. 10 of last 15 at Yankees Stadium and manager Joe Girardi give the ball to Javier Vazquez (7-7, 4.45), who has a 1.80 ERA and WHIP of 0.900 in his last three starts, however is only 1-1, with his teammates making hardly a whimper at the plate totaling four runs in those starts.

Kansas City (40-53, -0.9) hasn’t lost a home series to Toronto in seven years and will send the reigning AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke (5-9, 3.67) to keep the streak alive. Greinke hasn’t been nearly as effective in 2010, having difficulties locating his pitches, surrendering more walks and base hits this season.

This is an issue facing a Toronto batting order that is finding a number of empty places where fielders can’t catch the ball, with astonishing 65 base-knocks in previous five contests.

The Royals may lead baseball in batting average at .281, but they are 22nd in runs scored (4.3 RPG). Conversely, the Blue Jays have a .245 team batting average (27th), even with this hot hitting streak, yet are 11th in runs scored, thanks to leading the Majors in home runs. At least Grienke has kept the ball in the yard, having gone four starts since last being taken deep.

The Yankees and Royals both fit an incredibly profitable sports betting strategy that reads this way:

Play Against road underdogs with a money line of +150 or more, who are swinging the lumber, batting .315 or better over their last five games, playing on Wednesday.

The whole “hump day” thing is a bit of a mystery, however the results are not at 66-11, 85.7 percent the last 13 seasons. This super system has not been in play as much in recent years, nonetheless is opulent 16-3 since 2006. This sports wagering tip also comes with a certain comfort level, as the averaging winning margin over 77 plays is 2.8 runs per game.

Both of today’s contests are in afternoon action, thus if this makes sense, act expediently.

Opposites Attract for Monday Baseball Betting

The Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies did not get off to the kind of starts they wanted to begin the second half of the season. The Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals did just the opposite, racing out of the box. The American and National League teams will face off against each other tonight, each trying to extend or break the habits they began the final stage of the baseball season with.

Tigers offense needs bite

Detroit (48-42, +3.2) will attempt to take a similar path that Texas (53-39, +0.2) just completed and return to winning ways. The Rangers had lost four consecutive home games to last place Baltimore before the break and used that frustration to win a four-game series at Boston over the weekend. The Tigers will try to follow suit, after dropping four straight to cellar-dweller Cleveland.

“Shame on us,” Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. “This club appeared like it wasn’t ready to play this weekend and that’s the manager’s responsibility. That’s not the players. I’m shocked, really.”

The Tigers offense went flat, totaling eight runs against the 12th ranked team in the AL in runs allowed. Sluggers Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera were especially guilty, being five for 29 in the series. Detroit returns home where they are league-best 32-13 (+16.8) and 12-2 after scoring two runs or less two straight games since last year.

Texas was close to sweeping the Red Sox, with their only loss in extra innings Saturday and outscored Boston 21-11 in their four contests. The Rangers arrive in MoTown having won 12 of last 15 road games and will send Scott Feldman (5-8, 5.32 ERA) to the mound, whose been pounded for 14 runs (10 earned), 18 hits over two starts and six innings facing Tigers’ hitters.

Online sports betting outlets have Detroit as -120 money line favorites with total of 9.5 and they are 16-3 at home off a loss to a division rival as a favorite and 8-0 OVER, after scoring three runs or less, three battles in a row. Jeremy Bonderman (5-6, 4.79) takes the ball for the home team and Detroit is 6-1 as a home favorite when he starts.

For this 7:05 Eastern AL affair, Josh Hamilton will try to keep swinging a hot bat and win in Detroit for the first time in a dozen tries.

Redbirds are flying high

St. Louis (51-41, -5.5) was best described as being a mild underachiever in the NL the first half of the season, however they might be ready to take flight and command of the Central Division after drilling the Dodgers four straight and reclaiming first place. The Cardinals offense is scoring runs at a more familiar pace in winning five in a row (5.1 RPG). The last five runs were a confidence builder, touching home plate that many times in the eighth and ninth innings to overcome a 4-0 deficit to Los Angeles for a stirring come from behind triumph.

“The most significant thing is that we’re 10 games over .500,” Tony La Russa said.

The St. Louis starting pitchers and bullpen have been in harmony after their three day vacation and are 59-23 home games after permitting four runs or less five consecutive contests the last 13 years.

This ESPN Monday night matchup has a struggling Philadelphia club (48-43, -9.1) searching for answers. The Phillies lost three of four to the Cubs and realistically should have lost all four in the Windy City except for Carlos Marmol having wild streak that gift wrapped a four-run ninth inning rally Saturday.

“We haven’t hit for a long time,” Phils skipper Charlie Manuel told MLB.com. “We hit spurts where we come out of it. On a given night, we might score some runs, but it seems like we fall right back into it. Inconsistent play. It’s what we talk about every day.”

About the only good news for Philadelphia is 20-8 Monday record and starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick (5-3, 4.44) is 20-7 in a series opener with the help of teammates.

For those following sports betting lines, St. Louis is a -125 ML choice with Blake Hawksworth (3-5, 4.73) the announced hurler. Hawksworth has been forced into the rotation due to injuries, using deception material, relying heavily on the changeup. He’s been continually in trouble as opponents are batting .320 against him this season. He’ll have to be especially careful with St. Louis native Ryan Howard, who is batting .381 with seven homers and 29 RBIs in 17 career games in his home town.

The Cardinals are going after their six straight home win, which they haven’t accomplished since last August and are a mere 4-9 after a one run win in 2010. For whatever reason, the Philadelphia offense perks up with Kendrick on the mound (6.2 RPG) and this combination is 27-13 playing at night.

American League teams needing quick starts

The second half of the Major League Baseball season is about to begin and three games are on tap in the junior circuit for participants in sports betting. Two contests feature playoff contenders who are looking to begin the second half with a win, to set the right tone for the rest of the season, hopefully to keep building momentum from this point.

Rangers and Red Sox rumble

Boston (51-37, +3.9 units) actually has a better record than Texas (50-38, -1.8), but is in third place in the AL East behind New York and Tampa Bay, while the Rangers have the largest lead (4.5 games) among the six division leaders.

Both clubs have been slumping and are in need of a fast start to rebuild momentum. Boston has lost five of last seven games, falling behind the Rays in the standings as all their injuries apparently have caught up with them. Seven important players on are the disabled list and that includes All-Stars Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez and Clay Buchholz.

“I know it’s not perfect, I recognize that, but the level of intensity and trying to do the right thing has been off the charts,” manager Terry Francona told the Red Sox’s official website. “It’s been a challenge, but one that I think we’ve all kind of enjoyed. … Our job is to win with what we have.”

The Red Sox have not enjoyed much success versus quality clubs the last two seasons with a 5-19 record against teams with a win percentage of 54 to 62 percent in the second half of the season.

Texas starts this four game series with its confidence more shaken than Mel Gibson, having lost a four game series at home to Baltimore of all teams. The Rangers base paths looked like Dallas at rush hour in failing to beat the Orioles once, leaving a total of 37 runners on base in being swept. Those losses left the Rangers 6-15 against AL East opponents this season.

Texas opened as an underdog at online sports betting outlets, but were quickly turned around to a favorite with Tommy Hunter (5-0, 2.34 ERA) facing Tim Wakefield (3-7, 5.22). Hunter has had seven quality starts in eight outings, but was torched for nine runs in 1 2/3 innings in only Fenway Park start. The Rangers are 3-8 this month.

Boston won final game in Toronto 3-2 and is 18-2 in home games after scoring and allowing three runs or less over the last two seasons. Wakefield will especially careful with Vladimir Guerrero who is hitting .434 against him (10 for 23 with five homers). The BoSox have had little to fear from the Rangers, being winners in 11 of previous 14 in Bean Town.

Scalding Sox try to avoid Minnesota mishaps

During the All-Star telecast, FOX analyst Tim McCarver talked about asking Chicago’s Paul Konerko if he had ever played on a team that was as hot as the White Sox (25-5 since June 9) and the first basemen’s answer was direct and to the point, “Never”.

Chicago’s current eight-game winning streak and torrid play had them blasting by Minnesota (46-42, -3.4) and Detroit to the top rung in the AL Central.

The Pale Hose trailed Minnesota by 9.5 games when this scintillating streak first started and even the manager of Chicago is trying to come to grips with the situation. “I think it is a shock just because the way the team was playing, how many games we were out of first place. It’s a shock how quick we did it,” skipper Ozzie Guillen said. Chicago is 11-2 after four or more consecutive wins this season.

The White Sox (49-38, +9) make a second trip this season to Target Field with hopes of drowning past failures in the land of 10,000 lakes.

Playing in the Twin Cities is not listed as a favorite spot by the White Sox, having lost 16 of last 20; however except for 1-1 this year, the rest of the damage was done at the old Metrodome, where seemingly everything went wrong.

John Danks (8-7, 3.29) hasn’t received a great deal of run support despite being effective and he and Chicago are 19-10 on the road (1-6 lifetime at Minnesota) since 2008.

The Twins are 47-19 at home against left-handed starters the last three seasons and hand the ball to Kevin Slowey (8-5, 4.64), trying to turnaround season that has gone south with 6-13 record of late. Slowey and the Twinkies are smallish -115 money line home favorites for those betting on sports and are 14-2 in home games after he walked one or fewer hitters each of his last two outings over the last three seasons.

Having fun with the All-Star Game

Of the various All-Star events, baseball’s is the best since the game is still in its purest form compared to the others. Basketball and hockey are defenseless matches designed for entertainment, football, not really sure what that even is with its special rules. Baseball is about pitching and hitting, just like it is for 162 games during the season, only with the sports brightest stars.

This year’s “Mid-Summer Classic” returns to Anaheim for the first time since 1989, when the host team was known as the California Angels. That season the Kansas City Royals Bo Jackson was the star of stars, taking home the MVP trophy.

The All-Star contest has had unusual runs of domination during its previous 80 conflicts (AL leads 40-38-2). Starting in 1950, the National League dominated the action, winning 33 of 40 games played, with one tie. Though the American League has not approached that length of dominance, they have controlled the action with 12-0-1 mark since 1997.

It is not a coincidence the American League has made the National League it own personal punching bag for over a decade. In reviewing the two All-Star rosters, the American League has more balance in terms of creating base hits and power, while the National League is lagging in the power department. The situation is made worse as three of the senior circuit’s top vote-getters are on the disabled list. (Chase Utley, Placido Palanco and Jason Heyward)

The National League is a +110 underdog based on recent history and being the visiting team. Nevertheless, they will have a number of quality arms to toe the rubber with the likes of Ubaldo Jimenez, Josh Johnson, Tim Hudson and others.

The total of 8.5 could be a very inviting wager, as only five of the last 19 All-Star games have matched or gone below the number. However, playing in California does create different circumstances, since there will be ample sunlight early in the contest because of the start time, followed by a period in the middle innings when pitchers should have edge before the lights take full effect after dusk.

One of the best aspects of the All-Star game that few know about is Ichiro Suzuki’s pregame speech. Ichiro has always made this a personal battle and his pre-game comments are legendary in the American League locker room, both for their intensity and hilarity, trying to find the right English words to convey his enthusiasm and desire for winning.

Sports betting enthusiasts will have the opportunity to make several different wagers besides the side and total at online sports betting outlets and it can be fun to check out the various prop bet options available and pick up extra cash while enjoying the game.

Given how the AL has controlled their baseball brethren from the other league, it’s difficult to bet against the junior circuit and an Over play is also a logical conclusion to make. However, with pitching so dominant this season, I’ll suggest it carries over and make a small wager on the Under.

Enjoy the game!

MLB Series Wagering - Twins at Tigers

For the large majority of the season, Minnesota has been the best team in the American League Central, however they have been knocked off that lofty perch like a bunch of Russian spies, having lost to 11 of 16 and passed by Detroit and Chicago. Where have the Twins (45-40, -2.5 units) gone wrong, it’s simple, but it gets complicated. Minnesota is 19-10 (+4.4) in AL Central games, yet is 19-23 on the road. The Twins can still return to the top of the heap by winning division tilts; however they still have to play 40 more road contests, which will necessitate better results to climb up that ladder.

Detroit (46-37, +7.9) has jumped to the front of line, being winners of seven of last 10, thanks to flexing muscles with the heavy lumber. The Tigers have average 5.9 runs per contest in this stretch and reached double digit hits eight times, including last six outings. The always dangerous Miguel Cabrera is hotter than Jennifer Aniston in Smart Water ads, sporting a 16-game hitting streak. In his last dozen games, Cabrera is batting scorching .467, with nine extra base hits among his 21 base knocks and 13 RBI’s. “I’m looking forward to Friday,” said Cabrera. No kidding the way is swinging the bat.

The Twins trail the Tigers by two games in the standings and the opener sets up as good pitching matchup. Francisco Liriano (6-6, 3.32 ERA) gives it a go against Detroit, who is 15-9 this season against left-handed starters. Liriano however is 4-2 (3.49) lifetime vs. the Tigers and the Twinkies are tough on Friday nights with 27-12 record since last year.

Detroit ace Jason Verlander (10-5, 3.85) will toe the rubber for his club and is a -127 money line favorite at many online sports betting outlets. Verlander is just 5-7 (4.03) against Minnesota, nevertheless is 34-14 when playing on real grass (Tigers record). Detroit is 28-12 at home vs. teams averaging 2.75 or less extra base hits per game this season.

Game 1 Edge: Detroit

The biggest reason for the Tigers leapfrogging to division leadership is their play at Comerica Park. Detroit is an American League best 30-12 on home turf (MLB finest +15.9 units to start the weekend), batting .287 as a team with an on-base percentage of .354. Their play of late has been even more impressive, having won 15 of previous 17 in MoTown.

Manager Jim Leyland hands the ball to Jeremy Bonderman (4-6, 4.81), who after making seven of eight quality starts didn’t have much to show for it (2-3 record). He’s been racked in last three outings (25 hits and15 runs in 16 1/3 innings), with his slider not having usual bite and been hanging too many pitches. The Tigers have dropped last five contests at home when Bonderman faces winning club.

Minnesota will hope Justin Morneau can go for this battle if not the opener after suffering a mild concussion (loose term unless you suffered one) when he was accidentally kneed in the head Wednesday night. Morneau starts the series tied for second in hitting in the AL with .345 average and has 18 home runs along with 56 RBI’s.

For this Fox 4:10 Eastern conflict, Nick Blackburn (7-6, 6.00) will be Minny’s middle game starter. Blackburn is in danger of falling out of the rotation, allowing four or more earned runs in six of last seven starts, leading to capacious ERA of 9.28. That figure is actually lower than his 9.40 earned run average in road starts and Minnesota is languid 3-15 in Blackburn’s pitching attempts in road uniform.

Game 2 Edge: Detroit

Like Saturday, the last contest before the All-Star break will be a day game. This is an area Detroit has flourished with 22-13 record compared to Minnesota’s 14-17 mark.

Earlier this week skipper Ron Gardenhire flipped-flopped starting pitchers Carl Pavano and Kevin Slowey to give Pavano (9-6, 3.58), the club’s most consistent starter, one more outing before the break. The Twins right-hander pitches to contact, but doesn’t get into a great deal of trouble by limiting walks. Minny could likely use a strong outing from Pavano since they are 20-39 in road games vs. a good bullpen whose ERA is 3.75 or better over the last three seasons.
Detroit will go with 22-year old Andrew Oliver (0-2, 5.93) who is making just his fourth big league start and second versus the Twins. The lefty throws a late moving mid-90’s fastball and if can be more consistent around the plate with slider and change, could develop into a top quality starter.

Game 3 Edge: Minnesota

Both teams feature excellent bullpens, which suggest how the starters perform, will likely determine the series. Detroit has opening game edge and Minnesota in the closer. That leaves the middle encounter as possible decider. The Tigers are playing solid baseball, with tremendous home record and 27-20 mark in games decided by three or less runs. Though the Twins have taken six of first nine meetings in 2010, Detroit looks like the best series wager.

Sportsbooks series odds: Minnesota +110, Detroit -140

3Daily Winners Pick: Detroit

NBA Finals Game 5 – Just Win Baby

Nothing official has come forward, but expect Paul Pierce has to be pleased going back to Los Angeles and he might even fly back with his teammates leading in the series. Say what you want about the Boston Celtics, this group is buoyant and tenacious, from the starters to the bench players and their coach might be a blast at a black jack table, hitting on 16 because he feels a five coming as next card.

If Glen Davis, Nate Robinson, Rasheed Wallace and Tony Allen sound like the makeup of an NBA expansion team, that belief would likely be correct. However, this group of bench jockey’s scored on the first nine possessions of the final stanza for the Celtics and largely cemented the game away against the Lakers regular starters.

Coach Doc Rivers took a gamble, not calculated, but heart-felt and emotional, that this contingent had just a bit more to give with over 240 seconds left in Game 4 and his team leading by nine points and waved back his starting subs back to the bench.

“Hell, Rondo and all of them were begging me to keep guys in. 'Don't take them out. Don't take them out,'" Rivers recalled. "It was great. That was the loudest I've seen our bench, and it was our starters cheering from the bench. I thought it was terrific."

This enabled the Celtics to tie the series and moved their record to 8-3 SU and ATS at TD Garden in the postseason with one more to go.

Boston could be gaining some advantages as the series is wearing on. Pierce was much more efficient in running off screen and roles, getting Ron Artest out of his face, scoring 19 points and handing out five assists.

The player formerly known as “Big Baby” has been a man, as Davis’ internal flame has him continually outhustling the Los Angeles big men and he found a way to not let his height be a detriment in the paint against the taller L.A. players in making seven of 10 shots and collecting five boards (four offensive).

Going from the speed and quickness of Rajon Rondo to Nate Robinson allows the Celtics to have accelerator to the floor like a NASCAR driver in a straight away if they choose for all 48 minutes.

The Lakers give the appearance of being in control, but cracks are formulating. Andrew Bynum knee not only limits him, but forces Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom to log more minutes against the more physical Boston frontline.

Though Kobe Bryant scored 33 points in last conflict, the Allen Gang (Tony and Ray) are making life difficult, as witnessed by his seven turnovers.

Bryant said, "They got all the energy points, the hustle points, the second-chance points ... "

" ... points in the paint, beat us to the loose balls," Bryant continued. "I mean, that's how the game turned around."

For the third time in this year’s playoffs, Los Angeles is 2-2 and they are 19-6 ATS when a series is tied and 18-6 ATS in road games having lost two of their last three tilts. The extra day off should help Bynum and the exhausted looking Lakers should be fresher.

Sportsbooks have Boston as 2.5-point home faves with total slipping to 187.5 after a pair of Under’s.

The Celtics are 8-2 ATS in last 10 NBA Finals’ affairs and 5-0 ATS with two days off. They are 6-0-1 UNDER in last seven home assignments.

The Lakers are still a potent 37-21 as an underdog, including 5-2 ATS in previous seven tries. Phil Jackson must devise ways to get better looks and increase the tempo since his club is 15-6 UNDER as a road underdog of six points or less this season, which has them being outscored 3.9 points per game when this happens.

ABC will have Game 5 at 8:00 Eastern and the team that snares the most rebounds in 4-0 SU and ATS in the Finals.

World Cup Outlook

When events like this occur that garner worldwide attention, we Americans look so silly and trivial. Think back when we were the leading force globally, before the economy went around the globe; we thought the rest of the world should speak English like we do. Those days are gone and World Cup exemplifies the new world order. Thirty-two teams and 32 countries gather together to play the game of soccer for the right to be crowned World Cup champion.

I’m not going to process to be a soccer expert, but I can do the research. The first thing I learned, this is huge wagering event. Forget about betting in Nevada, small potatoes. In regulated wagering outlets worldwide, 1.5 billion will be bet and that number could go higher, given the fact the host South Africa is in similar time zone as most European markets. Plus, there will be millions more wagered at other wagering outlets that are not under the jurisdiction of various countries. The Super Bowl (83M wagered in Nevada last February) or NCAA basketball Tournament, those are American properties, the World Cup is the most wagered event in sports.

The World Cup isn’t about just who wins or loses and betting on Over/Unders, places like Sportsbook.com have an ample number of props bets as do all the various wagering outlets to entice the zealous better, just waiting to put their money down.

According to sharp soccer bettors, among the aspects studied are recent performances and the number of red cards handed out. The first point is obvious since if a team is in good or bad form, this could well carry over. The red card aspect is interesting, since as the article by Chad Millman in ESPN Magazine points out, teams that have piled up several red cards scored a half a goal less over the 90 minutes. (That factoid is from Kevin McCrystle of soccer wagering site wsn.com)

So who is favored to become the next champion, from the research nine teams are at least given a chance to claim the World Cup, though most soccer experts realistically narrow it down to four or five legitimate qualifiers.

9) Portugal +2800
Portugal was a semi-finalist in 2006 and returns the brilliant Cristiano Ronaldo and number of very good wing players. The talented Pepe is coming back from knee surgery and his performance may determine if the Portuguese can survive a tough Group G bracket that includes Brazil and the Ivory Coast.

8) France +2000
In terms of individual ability, France would almost certainly be in the semi-finals; however it’s more complicated than that. France needed Thierry Henry's infamous handball incident just to qualify and much-maligned coach Raymond Domenech has come under a great deal of fire of his handling of the team and his tactics. Talent yes, but obstacles have to be overcome in Group A.

7) Italy +1600
Betting the defending champions isn’t really a stretch and is a descent value. What most experts point to is most of the core players have returned, nevertheless they are four years older and might not hold up to the rigorous schedule. Enough people in the soccer world questioned why they didn’t bring up younger talent.

6) Germany +1200
The Germans have suffered tough personnel losses and will be without captain Michael Ballack and top goalkeeper Rene Adler. This might force Germany to use more offensive-minded 4-4-2 attack led by Mesut Ozil. Germany should move thru Group D rather easily.

5) Netherlands +900
This team has as much quality as any from the back line. Dutch winger Arjen Robben has been in tremendous form and with young Eljero Elia on the opposite flank, the Netherlands can present many problems for opponents. Why this club isn’t a true favorite is because keeper Maarten Stekelenburg is not thought of as completely reliable.

4) England +700
This squad is deep and experienced and as physically strong as any in the field. The biggest concern is if something would happen to Wayne Rooney, England lacks another game-changer. The English always bear the burden of heavy expectations from their loyal fans and have to play more freely.

3) Argentina +650
No team in the tournament has six legit goal scorers like Argentina. This could be a blessing or curse, trying to satisfy egos with proper playing time. With Argentina no better than average on the back line and in goal, the total could be most important factor in their contests.

2) Brazil +450
When one thinks of Brazilian soccer, flair and charismatic playmakers come to mind. Brazil will still have the likes of Robinho and Luis Fabiano, but coach Dunga wants to make sure defensive support is the utmost most important aspect. If Brazil plays as well as anticipated on defense, there are more than enough scorers that could lead to sixth World Cup crown.

1) Spain +375
Spain is the best and most talented team in the tournament. You can find flaws with any of the other 31 competing squads, just not the Spaniards. The reigning European champions have arguably the best netminder in the world in Iker Casillas and the rest of the defenders play stingy defense. Their midfielders are acclaimed as the best in the game and David Villa and Fernando Torres are electrifying performers. Difficult to bet against Spain.

Baseball Series Wagering - Halos at Dodgers

In Southern California, it is simply known as the I-5 Freeway Series when these two teams meet annually in interleague action. The interstate is known for its sprawling expanse and both teams play has resembled this roadway. Early in the season both Los Angeles’ teams played like they were stuck in neutral playing very ordinary baseball. However recently, both are like a car that just cleared an accident area, where the road opens up and you can punch the accelerator and take out off.

The Dodgers (36-24, +5.8 units) have been the best team in baseball since May 9, posting a 23-7 record to storm back and recapture first place in the NL West. The Dodgers offense has been relatively steady most of the season and ranks fifth in the National League; however it has been its pitching that has been the difference-maker. They have held opposing teams to three runs or less in 18 of last 30 games and moved from 14th to 8th in ERA in the senior circuit, now at 3.95. Joe Torre’s club doesn’t exactly have a collection of Golden Glover’s; nevertheless they are 15-3 after two straight games where they committed zero errors this season.

The Angels (33-30, +2.3) lost key members in the offseason via free agency and were expected to contend, not control the AL West in 2010. They met the lower expectations set for them playing below .500 since the third game of the season and even their most thrilling moment of the campaign turned into calamity, when their best hitter Kendry Morales fractured his fibula jumping on home plate after smacking walk-off grand slam home run. Baseball experts on ESPN and MLB immediately wrote off the Halos, but they forgot about the manager, Mike Scioscia. Instead of folding, the Angels have persevered; winning 10 of last 13, to move into second place, 1.5 games behind Texas. They will start this series 15-3 in road games after six consecutive starts versus division rivals.

The Blue Crew will have a decided pitching edge in the opener, with Chad Billingsley (6-3, 3.80 ERA) meeting Joel Pineiro (4-6, 5.23). Billingsley is 4-1 with a 2.77 ERA in his last six starts and versus the Angels disharmonious bullpen (4.88, 1.664 WHIP), the home team is 10-1 against a horrible pen whose WHIP is 1.650 or worse over the last two seasons.

Pineiro snapped a personal three-game losing streak, but was far from impressive in permitting nine hits and four runs over six innings at Seattle in 9-4 triumph and is a disheveled 0-8 in interleague action the last two years. (Team's Record) It stands to reason for the Dodgers to be -164 money line favorite in the opener for online sports betting activists.

Game 1 Edge: Dodgers

If the term “opposites attract”, these teams are a perfect match. Like all cities that support two baseball organizations, when one team is home the other is on the road. That is the case here as the Dodgers are 8-2 on their longest homestand of the season with three games left. This in turn has the Angels away from the Big A for 14 road contests and they’ve held up well with 8-3 record thus far.

Interleague baseball seems to bring out the best and worst of each squad, as the team from Anaheim has one of the best records since 2007 with 39-18 (+17.6) mark. The team playing in Chavez Ravine is among the weakest in baseball at 21-30 (-11.75).

Scott Kazmir (5-5, 5.40) will take the ball for the Halos, having won three of his last four starts. He’s spotted his pitches better of late, but command is his worst enemy. After having a better than 2-to-1 ratio of strikes and walks for his career, he has 39 punch-outs and handed out 27 free passes this year. He’ll be relying on his club’s history that shows 19-7 interleague road record coming into the series.

John Ely (3-2, 3.00) might not throw in the high 90’s, however has displayed pitching acumen by throwing strikes and staying out of trouble. His pinpoint location has kept his team in games and the Dodgers are 6-2 when Ely starts.

Game 2 Edge: Dodgers

Jered Weaver (5-3, 3.20) seldom has two poor outings in a row and he was rocked for 12 hits and six runs his last time out in Oakland. Weaver is tied for the AL lead in K’s with 89 and is 3-2 with a 2.94 ERA in six career starts against the Dodgers. He’s been especially fond of Dodger Stadium with a 0.55 ERA in three outings and the Angels are 14-9 in day games this season.

Rookie Carlos Monasterios (3-0, 2.27) was forced into duty when Vicente Padilla went on disabled list and the Dodgers were really hurting for a fifth starter. Despite almost no experience at this level, Monasterious has thrown better than anyone could have imagined and his .215 batting average allowed is the lowest among first year pitchers with two or more starts in a season full of rookie pitchers making big introductions. The Dodgers began this series 23-10 at home.

Game 3 Edge: Angels

This should be an entertaining series with anything possible. The teams have split 12 encounters the last two seasons with the road club taking the series each time. The Dodgers are playing better baseball, have the better bullpen (Closer Jonathan Broxton has converted 15 straight save opportunities) and have been exceptional at home. If the games are tight, the team in the white uniforms is 15-6 in one run affairs, including 9-1 at home. Give the edge to the team from L.A., the one closer to Hollywood.

Series odds: Angels +140, Dodgers -180

3Daily Winners Pick: Dodgers

2010 Record – 3-6

NBA Bettors looking for Heroes and Goats

Maybe Boston’s Paul Pierce will be right after all, the Celtics might not be going back to Los Angeles, just for all the wrong reasons. Boston was outhustled, outplayed and coughed up home court advantage quicker than a newborn baby. If you bet the Lakers to win the NBA championship, the odds are mostly certainly stacked in your favor.

After L.A. won the opening game, Phil Jackson’s imposing size and demeanor was appearing even larger with his team’s 47-0 record leading 1-0 in a series. After losing the second game at the star-studded Staples Center, the Lakers added one more to 18-6 ATS record when they are tied in a series and the team that wins the crucial third game of a NBA Finals best of seven is 28-4 to be crowned champs.

Lakers' Heroes

Think back, way back to opening L.A. and Oklahoma City series when Russell Westbrook of the Thunder was making Derek Fisher look older than Emmett Smith in the “Just for Men” commercials. Fisher overcame disastrous playoff start and has increasing become more a factor in each series. With Kobe Bryant not his usual self, Fisher took it upon himself to close-out the Celtics, scoring 11 of his 16 points in the final 12 minutes.

“He won the game for them,’’ said Boston coach Doc Rivers. “Derek Fisher was the difference in the game.’’

Another reason for why Los Angeles was able to emerge victorious at TD Garden and move to 37-20 ATS as underdogs was the continued appearance of Lamar Odom. After being saddled with five quick fouls the first two tilts, Odom scored 12 points on perfect 5-for-5 shooting and snaring five rebounds.

“I was able to get into a nice rhythm,’’ Odom said. “I stayed composed. I took what they gave me.’’

Celtics’ Goats

NBA coaches continually preach in the playoffs – The last game is the last game, put it behind you.

Ray Allen suffered that lesson the hard way and has to follow that advice moving forward. After unprecedented three-point shooting display in Los Angeles, Allen returned to Boston and put up an unlucky 13 shots, none that went thru the net. Fortunately, he missed being in the record books two games in a row, as Dennis Johnson, then with Seattle, was 0-14 in a NBA Finals game.

All of his shots looked flat,’’ Rivers said. “I don’t think he had any legs. Of his 13 shots, he had eight great looks. But all of his shots were short. And all of them were flat.’’ Allen’s inability to score left his team flat, as the Celtics fell to 18-29 ATS as a home favorite this season.

Pierce proved like the CEO of British Petroleum, talk is cheap and that actions speak louder than words. His 13 for 36 shooting in the Finals speaks volumes for Boston’s chances of winning this series.

Who’s thrown into the spotlight next?

Oddsmakers have the Celtics as 3.5-point favorites to comeback and even the series with total of 190. In order for this to occur Boston’s Big Three has to stay out of foul trouble (which could be difficult with the horrible officiating towards both teams) and be collectively productive. The C’s are 6-1 ATS after SU loss and Kendrick Perkins has to start putting in the same kind of effort Glen Davis is.

Pierce and teammates have to better execute and screen and rolls, because Ron Artest is in Pierce’s grill otherwise. Rajon Rondo was a non-factor starting halfway thru the second period, that can’t happen again. Though it seems opposite, Boston has played better at faster tempo in this series and is 17-7 OVER off an upset loss as a home favorite.

Andrew Bynum reinjured his ailing knee Tuesday and it would seem doubtful he will be much of a factor, thrusting Odom more prominently into the next contest. The Lakers are 8-4 ATS off a triumph and were somewhat fortunate Fisher was there to bail them out.

The good news is Bryant seldom has two games in a row this time of year where he isn’t clutch, but Tony Allen does give him fits. Gasol could use more than 11 shots like the last contest, but needs to work harder to demand the ball. His team is 9-1 UNDER after allowing 85 points or less this season.

ABC has Game 4 at 9:00 Eastern and the club that shoots the higher percentage is 7-1 and 6-1-1 ATS in previous eight meetings.

Baseball Systems that round the bases

On this Tuesday in baseball, believe it or not there are other baseball games as or possibly even more important than Pittsburgh at Washington. While you can still buy a ticket to Roy Halladay’s perfect game in Florida (at full price no less, go Marlins), there are four baseball systems (plus a bonus play) in place tonight for the online sports betting fan which could add to cash to wagering account.

Florida at Philadelphia 7:05E

Another lesser known rookie will be making his debut, as power hitter Mike Stanton will be in the Marlins batting order. The 20-year-old outfielder has been tearing it up Double-A Jacksonville (hitting .311 with 21 homers and 52 RBIs in 52 games) and his first big league at bat will be against Kyle Kendrick (3-2, 4.62 ERA) who has found a groove and is 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA in his last six outings.

Philadelphia (30-26, -6.4 units) still isn’t hitting the baseball, averaging two runs per contest in last 13 outings, however their fielding has been impeccable, with no errors in last five games. The Phillies are -138 money line choice and favorites with a ML of -125 to -175, after three straight games where they committed no errors, starting a pitcher whose given up one or less earned runs in his last two outings are 65-19 since 2006. (Note: The San Francisco Giants and Matt Cain also fit this system)

Toronto at Tampa Bay 7:10E

The Rays are seventh in the American League in home runs, but still manufacture runs well enough to be third in baseball at 5.2 per game. Tampa Bay (37-20, +6.5) won on Sunday 9-5 in Texas to salvage a .500 road trip and send Jeff Niemann (5-0, 2.79) up against Toronto’s (33-25, +12) power laden lineup.

The Blue Jays lead the Major’s in home runs yet only bat .245 as a team and Niemann and the Rays are 8-0 vs. an AL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse this season. Tampa Bay is a -195 ML pick and home favorites with a ML of -175 to -250, averaging 0.9 or less dingers a game on the season, after a win by four runs or more, are 27-4 the previous three years.

Kansas City at Minnesota 8:10E

Zack Grienke (1-7, 3.60) might be feeling the pressure of late with the lack of run support and trying to be too perfect. Last year’s Cy Young award winner has a 7.04 ERA in last three starts, allowing 24 hits in 15 1/3 innings. He’s received the lowest run support in the American League at 2.64 per start.

“The last month I haven’t really been myself, I guess,” said Greinke. “Everything looks tougher, like the hitters look better and the strike zone looks smaller. It just seems tougher out there at the moment.”

The Kansas City hurler will take on a Minnesota team (33-24, +3.2) scrambling for bodies with a number of injuries and not hitting the ball. With oddsmakers setting the total Un8, the play is UNDER when a ice cold hitting team is batting .200 or worse over their last five games, against opponent with a frigid starting pitcher, whose ERA is 7.00 or higher over his last three starts. In the last 13 years this system is 67-28 below the number.

St. Louis at L.A. Dodgers 10:10E

The Cardinals offense could be a Dateline mystery on NBC, ranking a pedestrian 14th overall at 4.6 runs per game. Manager Tony LaRussa gave the appearance at least that last night’s game was not particularly important using two pitchers Blake Hawksworth and P.J. Walters, in a 12-4 loss to Los Angeles (34-24, +3.6).

Evidently, LaRussa is focusing on the last two games of the series and has Chris Carpenter (7-1, 2.76) on one extra day rest taking on Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda (5-4, 3.63). Carpenter is 9-0 with a 2.42 ERA in his last 14 regular-season road starts; however has 5.21 ERA when pitching with five or more days rest.

Does it make it a wise to bet to back the underdog Dodgers at +115, since National League clubs scoring 4.3 to 4.8 runs a contest vs. a NL starter with an ERA of 3.70 or less, after allowing 10 runs or more, are 19-49?