Recap:
Last Night: 2-2 +0.0 **Consensus Won
Consensus Pick 7-6 --1.49 ----*gonna start tracking
YTD: 62-39 +28.20
MLB Wed, Aug 24, 2005
MLB Hot Lines: Wednesday`s best bets
Covers.com staff
White Sox at Twins- under 8 ½-runs
You really can’t underestimate the impact of a good leadoff man. Just ask the Chicago White Sox.
Since speedster Scott Posednik went down with a groin injury seven games ago, the White Sox have scored just 14 runs. By my quick calculation that is an average of only two runs per game. Not surprisingly the under has cashed in six of those seven games.
The Twins may soon empathize with their AL Central foe after losing Shannon Stewart to a shoulder injury Tuesday. Stewart, leading the Twins with 66 runs scored, now joins center fielder Torii Hunter (second on the team with 63 runs scored) on the sidelines. Minnesota will also be without right fielder Jacque Jones (3rd on the team with 57 runs scored) Wednesday. He will miss the rest of the White Sox series to attend a family funeral.
It won’t help scoring that the White Sox are hitting .214 over their last 10 games while the Twins are hitting .270 but only .213 off left-handers over a similar period.
Reds at Nationals - Reds at + 160
The Cincinnati Reds are happy to hit the highway.
After a 3-4 homestand, Cincy takes the road where it has won 11 of their last 12 including a 6-2 win over the Nationals as a +130 underdog Tuesday. Reds backers are up 13.7 units during the streak.
This isn`t welcome news to the Nats who have not beaten the Reds in four tries this season. Washington has struggled mightily at home since the All-Star break, going 4-10 and costing backers 10.2 units in the process.
The Nats send John Patterson to the hill Wednesday but it`s doubtful this will intimidate the Reds. Cincinnati is hitting .300 off right-handers over their last 10 games and scored 32 runs in their three-game series against the Diamondbacks.
The Reds counter with Ramon Ortiz who has given up only three earned runs in his last three starts.
Cardinals at Pirates - under 7 ½-runs
It’s not St. Louis Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter who is the concern in this one. The right-hander has a 2.29 ERA and the over/under is 9-15-1 in 25 starts this season.
Kip Wells is the one you should worry about. But after glancing at some of his numbers, perhaps the Pirates starter is not given enough credit.
Sure he has a 4.46 ERA this season but over his last three games his ERA has dropped almost 1 1/2 runs. Wells was stellar in his last outing, a one-run, seven inning gem in Philadelphia this past Friday.
“When (Wells) is in the zone, he`s as nasty as they come,” said Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon.
The 28-year-old has pitched well against the Cardinals, giving up just four earned runs in two outings this season. Albert Pujols is hitting .267 in 30 at-bats against Wells while his teammates have been far worse. Jim Edmonds and David Eckstein are hitting just .190 and .182 respectively off of Wells.
Indians at Devil Rays - Indians -135
The Cleveland Indians have jumped to the lead in the AL wild card race on the back of their current six-game winning streak. You get the feeling they are starting one of those incredible streaks where they win something like 16 of 20 games.
The offense is averaging over seven runs during the current streak and they have a team ERA of 2.95 over the same span.
Tuesday night Coco Crisp’s two-run triple in the seventh inning carried them to a 5-4 victory as a -148 favorite and the night before five different guys homered as the Indians romped to a 11-4 victory as –155 favorites.
As much as you like to see the Devil Rays playing great baseball, the Indians are just too much right now.
Last Night: 2-2 +0.0 **Consensus Won
Consensus Pick 7-6 --1.49 ----*gonna start tracking
YTD: 62-39 +28.20
MLB Wed, Aug 24, 2005
MLB Hot Lines: Wednesday`s best bets
Covers.com staff
White Sox at Twins- under 8 ½-runs
You really can’t underestimate the impact of a good leadoff man. Just ask the Chicago White Sox.
Since speedster Scott Posednik went down with a groin injury seven games ago, the White Sox have scored just 14 runs. By my quick calculation that is an average of only two runs per game. Not surprisingly the under has cashed in six of those seven games.
The Twins may soon empathize with their AL Central foe after losing Shannon Stewart to a shoulder injury Tuesday. Stewart, leading the Twins with 66 runs scored, now joins center fielder Torii Hunter (second on the team with 63 runs scored) on the sidelines. Minnesota will also be without right fielder Jacque Jones (3rd on the team with 57 runs scored) Wednesday. He will miss the rest of the White Sox series to attend a family funeral.
It won’t help scoring that the White Sox are hitting .214 over their last 10 games while the Twins are hitting .270 but only .213 off left-handers over a similar period.
Reds at Nationals - Reds at + 160
The Cincinnati Reds are happy to hit the highway.
After a 3-4 homestand, Cincy takes the road where it has won 11 of their last 12 including a 6-2 win over the Nationals as a +130 underdog Tuesday. Reds backers are up 13.7 units during the streak.
This isn`t welcome news to the Nats who have not beaten the Reds in four tries this season. Washington has struggled mightily at home since the All-Star break, going 4-10 and costing backers 10.2 units in the process.
The Nats send John Patterson to the hill Wednesday but it`s doubtful this will intimidate the Reds. Cincinnati is hitting .300 off right-handers over their last 10 games and scored 32 runs in their three-game series against the Diamondbacks.
The Reds counter with Ramon Ortiz who has given up only three earned runs in his last three starts.
Cardinals at Pirates - under 7 ½-runs
It’s not St. Louis Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter who is the concern in this one. The right-hander has a 2.29 ERA and the over/under is 9-15-1 in 25 starts this season.
Kip Wells is the one you should worry about. But after glancing at some of his numbers, perhaps the Pirates starter is not given enough credit.
Sure he has a 4.46 ERA this season but over his last three games his ERA has dropped almost 1 1/2 runs. Wells was stellar in his last outing, a one-run, seven inning gem in Philadelphia this past Friday.
“When (Wells) is in the zone, he`s as nasty as they come,” said Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon.
The 28-year-old has pitched well against the Cardinals, giving up just four earned runs in two outings this season. Albert Pujols is hitting .267 in 30 at-bats against Wells while his teammates have been far worse. Jim Edmonds and David Eckstein are hitting just .190 and .182 respectively off of Wells.
Indians at Devil Rays - Indians -135
The Cleveland Indians have jumped to the lead in the AL wild card race on the back of their current six-game winning streak. You get the feeling they are starting one of those incredible streaks where they win something like 16 of 20 games.
The offense is averaging over seven runs during the current streak and they have a team ERA of 2.95 over the same span.
Tuesday night Coco Crisp’s two-run triple in the seventh inning carried them to a 5-4 victory as a -148 favorite and the night before five different guys homered as the Indians romped to a 11-4 victory as –155 favorites.
As much as you like to see the Devil Rays playing great baseball, the Indians are just too much right now.
