Recap:
Last Night: 2-2 +0.50
Consensus Pick 4-3 +0.79----*gonna start tracking
YTD: 52-29 +28.24
MLB Wed, Aug 17, 2005
MLB Hot Lines: Wednesday`s best bets
Andrew Folkes
Boston Red Sox at Detroit Tigers – Tigers +121
With David Wells on the hill for the Boston Red Sox at Comerica Park this afternoon, the books are offering a solid payout on the Detroit Tigers. Oddsmakers seem to like Wells’ chances, but I’ll take Jeremy Bonderman over the BoSox bloated hurler any day.
The Tigers ace has allowed an average of just 2.2 runs in his last five starts. Boston’s bats are the hottest in the majors, but Bonderman loves a challenge.
“I was able to throw everything for strikes and keep guys off balance.” he told reporters after beating the Chicago White Sox 7-1 on July 19. He allowed one run in eight innings in that start. “I love it, going out and competing against the best team in baseball.”
Well, they don’t get much better than the defending World Series champs and he’s shown he can tangle with them, too. Bonderman held them to three runs in six innings when these teams met on May 2, paving the way for an 8-3
Tigers victory as +103 favorites.
Wells has also been holding his own, allowing no more than three runs in his last seven starts, but the Sox’s bullpen may waste his efforts. The pen`s posted a 9.16 ERA in Boston’s last three contests.
Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox – Twins –112
You’ll rarely find a better deal than this for a Johan Santana start.
The Twins ace has been priced lower than –130 just once this season, but he’s listed somewhere between –110 and –118 at most books today – mostly because he’s sharing the hill with White Sox hurler Mark Buehrle.
The Pale Hose’s ace may be an equal to Santana in terms of reputation, but he doesn’t have the numbers to back it up.
Santana has allowed a total of five runs in his last four outings and is fresh off of a complete game shutout of the Oakland A`s on Friday.
“You don`t get too many times when you feel like this,” he said after leading Minnesota to a 1-0 win as a -113 favorite.
While Santana’s on top of the baseball world, Buehrle probably isn’t feeling too hot. He got tagged for six runs on a dozen hits by the Red Sox his last time out and has allowed 14 earned in his last four starts. He also has a four-game losing streak going against the Twins, while Santana has cashed in three consecutive times versus the ChiSox.
You’ve also got to like Minnesota’s bullpen edge in this contest. Twins relievers have posted a 1.54 ERA in their last three compared to Chicago’s 5.49 through that span.
San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati Reds – under 10 runs
The Giants and Reds getting a 10-run total? Give me a break.
Yeah, these team put up 18 runs in last night’s slugfest, but San Francisco’s 10-run performance is about as rare as a free Barry Bonds autograph session.
The Giants hadn’t managed that many runs since July 4 and last night’s double-digit result was mostly due to freakish performances by second baseman Deivi Cruz and first baseman Pedro Feliz. Both set career highs with five hits apiece in the Giants` 10-8 win.
“Some guys were hacking. We had 10-for-10 hackers,” said Giants manager Felipe Alou. “Hitting comes and goes, but we`re together now.``
Not so fast there, Felipe.
They may have been on fire last night, but Cruz and Feliz sport overall averages of .274 and .265 and Cruz’s five RBIs on the evening account for more than one quarter of the runs he`s driven in all season. As a team, the Giants rank third last in the majors having scored 502 runs in 2005.
The Reds rank fourth in the bigs in that category and have the potential do damage at the dish, but not on Noah Lowry’s watch. San Fran’s southpaw has four shutouts in his last six outings and lasted at least seven innings in three of those performances. Six of his last seven starts fell below the total while the seventh pushed the number.
Toronto Blue Jays at Los Angeles Angels – Jays +150
It’s lines like this that have made the Toronto Blue Jays one of the top money teams in the majors.
The Jays have quietly pulled in 11.35 units this season and are five games over .500, but this club continues to get dissed by the books. Toronto was a significant underdog in five of its last six away contests and was favored in just four of is last seven home games.
A +150 payout against L.A. makes a little more sense considering the Halos have Jarrod Washburn on the hill, but he’s hasn’t made any coin against the Jays since August of 2002, posting four losses since them.
Meanwhile, Toronto hurler Josh Towers hasn’t allowed more than three earned in his last five starts. That includes a one-run outing against the Angels though 6 2/3 innings on July 27. The Jays won that contest 3-2 as +155 favorites, one of four wins they’ve notched against L.A. this season.
Last Night: 2-2 +0.50
Consensus Pick 4-3 +0.79----*gonna start tracking
YTD: 52-29 +28.24
MLB Wed, Aug 17, 2005
MLB Hot Lines: Wednesday`s best bets
Andrew Folkes
Boston Red Sox at Detroit Tigers – Tigers +121
With David Wells on the hill for the Boston Red Sox at Comerica Park this afternoon, the books are offering a solid payout on the Detroit Tigers. Oddsmakers seem to like Wells’ chances, but I’ll take Jeremy Bonderman over the BoSox bloated hurler any day.
The Tigers ace has allowed an average of just 2.2 runs in his last five starts. Boston’s bats are the hottest in the majors, but Bonderman loves a challenge.
“I was able to throw everything for strikes and keep guys off balance.” he told reporters after beating the Chicago White Sox 7-1 on July 19. He allowed one run in eight innings in that start. “I love it, going out and competing against the best team in baseball.”
Well, they don’t get much better than the defending World Series champs and he’s shown he can tangle with them, too. Bonderman held them to three runs in six innings when these teams met on May 2, paving the way for an 8-3
Tigers victory as +103 favorites.
Wells has also been holding his own, allowing no more than three runs in his last seven starts, but the Sox’s bullpen may waste his efforts. The pen`s posted a 9.16 ERA in Boston’s last three contests.
Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox – Twins –112
You’ll rarely find a better deal than this for a Johan Santana start.
The Twins ace has been priced lower than –130 just once this season, but he’s listed somewhere between –110 and –118 at most books today – mostly because he’s sharing the hill with White Sox hurler Mark Buehrle.
The Pale Hose’s ace may be an equal to Santana in terms of reputation, but he doesn’t have the numbers to back it up.
Santana has allowed a total of five runs in his last four outings and is fresh off of a complete game shutout of the Oakland A`s on Friday.
“You don`t get too many times when you feel like this,” he said after leading Minnesota to a 1-0 win as a -113 favorite.
While Santana’s on top of the baseball world, Buehrle probably isn’t feeling too hot. He got tagged for six runs on a dozen hits by the Red Sox his last time out and has allowed 14 earned in his last four starts. He also has a four-game losing streak going against the Twins, while Santana has cashed in three consecutive times versus the ChiSox.
You’ve also got to like Minnesota’s bullpen edge in this contest. Twins relievers have posted a 1.54 ERA in their last three compared to Chicago’s 5.49 through that span.
San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati Reds – under 10 runs
The Giants and Reds getting a 10-run total? Give me a break.
Yeah, these team put up 18 runs in last night’s slugfest, but San Francisco’s 10-run performance is about as rare as a free Barry Bonds autograph session.
The Giants hadn’t managed that many runs since July 4 and last night’s double-digit result was mostly due to freakish performances by second baseman Deivi Cruz and first baseman Pedro Feliz. Both set career highs with five hits apiece in the Giants` 10-8 win.
“Some guys were hacking. We had 10-for-10 hackers,” said Giants manager Felipe Alou. “Hitting comes and goes, but we`re together now.``
Not so fast there, Felipe.
They may have been on fire last night, but Cruz and Feliz sport overall averages of .274 and .265 and Cruz’s five RBIs on the evening account for more than one quarter of the runs he`s driven in all season. As a team, the Giants rank third last in the majors having scored 502 runs in 2005.
The Reds rank fourth in the bigs in that category and have the potential do damage at the dish, but not on Noah Lowry’s watch. San Fran’s southpaw has four shutouts in his last six outings and lasted at least seven innings in three of those performances. Six of his last seven starts fell below the total while the seventh pushed the number.
Toronto Blue Jays at Los Angeles Angels – Jays +150
It’s lines like this that have made the Toronto Blue Jays one of the top money teams in the majors.
The Jays have quietly pulled in 11.35 units this season and are five games over .500, but this club continues to get dissed by the books. Toronto was a significant underdog in five of its last six away contests and was favored in just four of is last seven home games.
A +150 payout against L.A. makes a little more sense considering the Halos have Jarrod Washburn on the hill, but he’s hasn’t made any coin against the Jays since August of 2002, posting four losses since them.
Meanwhile, Toronto hurler Josh Towers hasn’t allowed more than three earned in his last five starts. That includes a one-run outing against the Angels though 6 2/3 innings on July 27. The Jays won that contest 3-2 as +155 favorites, one of four wins they’ve notched against L.A. this season.