Toronto +1.05 over TAMPA BAY<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
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No reason whatsoever to believe the Jays can’t get the sweep here. What ailed the Devil Rays in the first two games of this series is going to ail them all year long. The Devil Rays lack hitting and with Rocco Baldelli out for a couple of months and Roberto Alomar’s sudden retirement, it’s going to be awhile until the Devil Rays get it going. They’ll look to lefty Mark Hendrickson, a former Blue Jay, to get them into the win column. We don’t think so. Hendrickson’s only true asset is that he throws from the left side. Other than that, he’s a fifth starter or less on 90% of the teams in this league. He went 10-15 last year with a 4.88 ERA and only struck out 87 batters in 184 innings. His fastball tops out at 88 MPH but he’s usually in the mid 80’s. The opposition has a career .292 batting average against Hendrickson and he’s not about to start fooling anyone now. Josh Towers will go for the Blue Jays and he’s hit and miss. He can be brilliant or he can be awful. However, he has major league stuff and in his brief career with a club that’s been under .500 Tower has compiled a 17-10 record. The Jays are off to a nice 2-0 start and they’re getting clutch hits from a variety of sources. Jays are loose and having fun and although it’s just two games in the Devil Rays have got to be feeling pressure already while the Jays have got to be feeling pretty good. Play: Toronto +1.05 (Risking 1.5 units). <o></o>
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Cleveland +1.18 over CHICAGO<o></o>
As long as the White Sox are favored we’ll gladly take our chances against them. They got a brilliant performance out of Mark Buerhle on Monday but don’t expect the same from Freddy Garcia. After contract negotiations broke down in Seattle, Garcia became a bargaining chip in the Mariners' rebuilding plans. He was sent to the White Sox in a trade on June 28 and benefited from superior run support after the deal, going 9-4 in 16 starts with the Sox to finish the season with a winning record. However, he wasn’t that effective and his ERA after changing addresses was 4.46 He has an 85-54 career record but has been 25-25 the last two seasons. Garcia is not getting any better and he’s not going to benefit from run support this year. We’re not big fans of Kevin Millwood, however, a change in scenery and a new league where batters aren’t familiar with him can only help early on. Millwood is rattled easily but still has an extremely effective slider and curve and a fastball that’s in the 92 MPH range consistently. This wager is not about wagering on Millwood, it’s about taking back a tag with the superior team in a game in which the host as no advantages anywhere, not at the plate, not on the mound, not on the base-paths, not defensively, not anywhere. Play Cleveland +1.18 (Risking 1.5 units). <o></o>
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Milwaukee +1.13 over PITTSBURGH
The Brewers added some punch in their order when they acquired Carlos Lee from the White Sox. Lee had 31 jacks and 99 RBI’s last year and for a team that was last in just about every offensive category known to man, Lee was a good signing. Lee will thicken up the middle of the Brewers' lineup with a power stroke. Placing Lee between Lyle Overbay and Geoff Jenkins will make for a brutal trio for any opposing pitcher to get through in the course of a game. The Brewers roughed up the Pirates ace, Oliver Perez in the opener and may just do the same to Kip Wells today. Wells has decent stuff, however, he’s not very durable and seldom does he make it out of the sixth inning. He’s prone to giving up runs in bunches and the opposition hit a solid .280 against him last year. Wells pitched in just 24 games last year and pitched a total of just five innings in the final two months of the year. Doug Davis is a prototypical crafty lefthander, changing speeds and location to keep hitters off balance. His best pitches are a cut fastball and a slow curve. Last season his ERA was nearly two-thirds of a point better than any previous season, with a marked improvement in his strikeouts per inning. Most important, he was consistent, with only one rough patch right after the All-Star break. We find some more good value here on the Brew Crew in a game they can surely win. Play: Milwaukee +1.13 (Risking 1.5 units).
fficeffice" /><o></o>No reason whatsoever to believe the Jays can’t get the sweep here. What ailed the Devil Rays in the first two games of this series is going to ail them all year long. The Devil Rays lack hitting and with Rocco Baldelli out for a couple of months and Roberto Alomar’s sudden retirement, it’s going to be awhile until the Devil Rays get it going. They’ll look to lefty Mark Hendrickson, a former Blue Jay, to get them into the win column. We don’t think so. Hendrickson’s only true asset is that he throws from the left side. Other than that, he’s a fifth starter or less on 90% of the teams in this league. He went 10-15 last year with a 4.88 ERA and only struck out 87 batters in 184 innings. His fastball tops out at 88 MPH but he’s usually in the mid 80’s. The opposition has a career .292 batting average against Hendrickson and he’s not about to start fooling anyone now. Josh Towers will go for the Blue Jays and he’s hit and miss. He can be brilliant or he can be awful. However, he has major league stuff and in his brief career with a club that’s been under .500 Tower has compiled a 17-10 record. The Jays are off to a nice 2-0 start and they’re getting clutch hits from a variety of sources. Jays are loose and having fun and although it’s just two games in the Devil Rays have got to be feeling pressure already while the Jays have got to be feeling pretty good. Play: Toronto +1.05 (Risking 1.5 units). <o
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></o>Cleveland +1.18 over CHICAGO<o
></o>As long as the White Sox are favored we’ll gladly take our chances against them. They got a brilliant performance out of Mark Buerhle on Monday but don’t expect the same from Freddy Garcia. After contract negotiations broke down in Seattle, Garcia became a bargaining chip in the Mariners' rebuilding plans. He was sent to the White Sox in a trade on June 28 and benefited from superior run support after the deal, going 9-4 in 16 starts with the Sox to finish the season with a winning record. However, he wasn’t that effective and his ERA after changing addresses was 4.46 He has an 85-54 career record but has been 25-25 the last two seasons. Garcia is not getting any better and he’s not going to benefit from run support this year. We’re not big fans of Kevin Millwood, however, a change in scenery and a new league where batters aren’t familiar with him can only help early on. Millwood is rattled easily but still has an extremely effective slider and curve and a fastball that’s in the 92 MPH range consistently. This wager is not about wagering on Millwood, it’s about taking back a tag with the superior team in a game in which the host as no advantages anywhere, not at the plate, not on the mound, not on the base-paths, not defensively, not anywhere. Play Cleveland +1.18 (Risking 1.5 units). <o
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></o>Milwaukee +1.13 over PITTSBURGH
The Brewers added some punch in their order when they acquired Carlos Lee from the White Sox. Lee had 31 jacks and 99 RBI’s last year and for a team that was last in just about every offensive category known to man, Lee was a good signing. Lee will thicken up the middle of the Brewers' lineup with a power stroke. Placing Lee between Lyle Overbay and Geoff Jenkins will make for a brutal trio for any opposing pitcher to get through in the course of a game. The Brewers roughed up the Pirates ace, Oliver Perez in the opener and may just do the same to Kip Wells today. Wells has decent stuff, however, he’s not very durable and seldom does he make it out of the sixth inning. He’s prone to giving up runs in bunches and the opposition hit a solid .280 against him last year. Wells pitched in just 24 games last year and pitched a total of just five innings in the final two months of the year. Doug Davis is a prototypical crafty lefthander, changing speeds and location to keep hitters off balance. His best pitches are a cut fastball and a slow curve. Last season his ERA was nearly two-thirds of a point better than any previous season, with a marked improvement in his strikeouts per inning. Most important, he was consistent, with only one rough patch right after the All-Star break. We find some more good value here on the Brew Crew in a game they can surely win. Play: Milwaukee +1.13 (Risking 1.5 units).
