Oakland +1.20 over BOSTON
Once again we find a game that really doesn’t need much thought and offers tremendous value. The Red Sox are not a team you want to be wagering on these days. They’ve lost 5 of their past 6 with their only victory during that stretch coming with Curt Schilling on the mound. Boston is 20-26 this season when someone other than Curt Schilling or Pedro Martinez starts, and the Red Sox will send Tim Wakefield to the mound here. Wakefield usually keeps the Red Sox close, however, he’s also capable of a very early exit as we’ve seen throughout his career. The A’s have won 5 of their past 6 and will send Barry Zito to the mound. Zito is not having a Zito like year, however, it’s also no secret that this guy has been one of the majors best lefthanders since he came up 5 years ago. Furthermore, he’s showing signs of returning to top form as indicated by his 3.22 ERA over his last 3 starts. Zito is a quality pitcher playing for a quality team while the Red Sox are reeling badly. Hot versus cold, one of the leagues best southpaws, plus a tag, has us leaning heavily to this visitor in what is one of the liveliest pooches we’ve seen all year. Play Oakland +1.20
NY Mets +1.05 over Philadelphia
There are certain pitchers in this league that are simply too good to pass up on when being offered a price and Al Leiter of the Mets is one of them. Leiter has been outstanding all year and in fact, has allowed just 51 hits in 76 innings of work. Over his last 6 starts his ERA is an amazing 1.70. Leiter comes in here with a puny 2.12 ERA this year and in 13 starts he has just 2 losses. The Mets lost a tough one yesterday, however, it came on the heels of a 3 game sweep over the Yanks and we expect this team to get right back on track here. Mets are swinging some hot bats right now with 52 runs scored in the teams last 8 games. All Leiter needs is a little bit of run support and we’ll be at the cashiers booth when this one is in the books. Don’t care who the Phillies are sending out there today, a take-back on Leiter is worthy of our attention. Play NY Mets +1.05
Pittsburgh +1.45 over FLORIDA
It would be too simple to look at the pitchers and make your selection based solely on that. The better pitcher doesn’t always win and if they did, there would be no wagering lines in baseball. That brings us to this game and if Josh Beckett lost to the Pirates last night, well, no reason to believe that Dontrelle Willis and the Fish aren’t headed for the same fate. You see, the Marlins are about the coldest team in the game right now. They just keep losing and losing and losing. Florida, which has lost five of its last six and 12 of 17, have scored just 10 runs in their last 51 innings. The Marlins have not gotten a hit in their last 28 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile, the Pirates have won 10 straight and have outscored the opposition during that stretch 61-19. Furthermore, Willis has been brutally awful recently with a 9.88 ERA over his last 3 games. This whole team, from top to bottom, is completely out of focus right now and while we missed this live pup last night, we’re not about to pass them up tonight. Big overlay. Play Pittsburgh +1.45
Houston +1.10 over SAN DIEGO
Ismael Valdez has just one win in his last 5 starts. Over that stretch, he’s faced the coldest teams in the majors with the exception of the Devil Rays in which the Padres lost 9-6. The other 4 opponents have been the D-Backs twice, the Red Sox and the Mariners. Valdez has struck out just 11 batters over his last 26 innings, which is a strong indication of a tired, worn out arm. We’ve said it before and it’s worth repeating again. Valdez is a worn out pitcher that will not be in this rotation much longer. The days of his electric sinking fastball are long gone and he remains one of the most hittable pitchers in the game. In his last start the Diamondbacks torched him for 6 earned runs in 4 innings and we suggest that things won’t be much different here. The Astros, despite their mediocre 42-40 record, are a quality team with a good line-up and have an excellent chance to get to the winners circle here. In addition, the Padres lost hot hitting first baseman Phil Nevin for about 3 weeks and that can’t hurt our chances either. A take-back against Valdez with the Astros in town is a must play. Play Houston +1.10
Once again we find a game that really doesn’t need much thought and offers tremendous value. The Red Sox are not a team you want to be wagering on these days. They’ve lost 5 of their past 6 with their only victory during that stretch coming with Curt Schilling on the mound. Boston is 20-26 this season when someone other than Curt Schilling or Pedro Martinez starts, and the Red Sox will send Tim Wakefield to the mound here. Wakefield usually keeps the Red Sox close, however, he’s also capable of a very early exit as we’ve seen throughout his career. The A’s have won 5 of their past 6 and will send Barry Zito to the mound. Zito is not having a Zito like year, however, it’s also no secret that this guy has been one of the majors best lefthanders since he came up 5 years ago. Furthermore, he’s showing signs of returning to top form as indicated by his 3.22 ERA over his last 3 starts. Zito is a quality pitcher playing for a quality team while the Red Sox are reeling badly. Hot versus cold, one of the leagues best southpaws, plus a tag, has us leaning heavily to this visitor in what is one of the liveliest pooches we’ve seen all year. Play Oakland +1.20
NY Mets +1.05 over Philadelphia
There are certain pitchers in this league that are simply too good to pass up on when being offered a price and Al Leiter of the Mets is one of them. Leiter has been outstanding all year and in fact, has allowed just 51 hits in 76 innings of work. Over his last 6 starts his ERA is an amazing 1.70. Leiter comes in here with a puny 2.12 ERA this year and in 13 starts he has just 2 losses. The Mets lost a tough one yesterday, however, it came on the heels of a 3 game sweep over the Yanks and we expect this team to get right back on track here. Mets are swinging some hot bats right now with 52 runs scored in the teams last 8 games. All Leiter needs is a little bit of run support and we’ll be at the cashiers booth when this one is in the books. Don’t care who the Phillies are sending out there today, a take-back on Leiter is worthy of our attention. Play NY Mets +1.05
Pittsburgh +1.45 over FLORIDA
It would be too simple to look at the pitchers and make your selection based solely on that. The better pitcher doesn’t always win and if they did, there would be no wagering lines in baseball. That brings us to this game and if Josh Beckett lost to the Pirates last night, well, no reason to believe that Dontrelle Willis and the Fish aren’t headed for the same fate. You see, the Marlins are about the coldest team in the game right now. They just keep losing and losing and losing. Florida, which has lost five of its last six and 12 of 17, have scored just 10 runs in their last 51 innings. The Marlins have not gotten a hit in their last 28 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile, the Pirates have won 10 straight and have outscored the opposition during that stretch 61-19. Furthermore, Willis has been brutally awful recently with a 9.88 ERA over his last 3 games. This whole team, from top to bottom, is completely out of focus right now and while we missed this live pup last night, we’re not about to pass them up tonight. Big overlay. Play Pittsburgh +1.45
Houston +1.10 over SAN DIEGO
Ismael Valdez has just one win in his last 5 starts. Over that stretch, he’s faced the coldest teams in the majors with the exception of the Devil Rays in which the Padres lost 9-6. The other 4 opponents have been the D-Backs twice, the Red Sox and the Mariners. Valdez has struck out just 11 batters over his last 26 innings, which is a strong indication of a tired, worn out arm. We’ve said it before and it’s worth repeating again. Valdez is a worn out pitcher that will not be in this rotation much longer. The days of his electric sinking fastball are long gone and he remains one of the most hittable pitchers in the game. In his last start the Diamondbacks torched him for 6 earned runs in 4 innings and we suggest that things won’t be much different here. The Astros, despite their mediocre 42-40 record, are a quality team with a good line-up and have an excellent chance to get to the winners circle here. In addition, the Padres lost hot hitting first baseman Phil Nevin for about 3 weeks and that can’t hurt our chances either. A take-back against Valdez with the Astros in town is a must play. Play Houston +1.10
