Jim Feist

METS / PHILLIES OVER

It's been a tough road for Pedro Martinez since his return from the DL in June. Martinez is 2-2 on the season with a 7.39 era. In his last three starts he is 0-2 and has allowed 17 earned runs in just 15 innings. Adam Eaton goes for Philly. Eaton is 3-6 on the season with a 4.79 and snapped a three game losing streak with a win over Atlanta las time out. Both these teams can hit and neither pitcher has enjoyed much success this season. We'll go with the OVER here on Monday!!

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Dave Cokin

LA DODGERS

The Braves look to be in a really tough spot tonight as they open a series with the Dodgers. Not only has Atlanta been absolutely terrible on the road, but they're having to travel coast to coast off a 17-inning Sunday marathon. The Dodgers are playing well right now, and would seem to have a pretty substantial advantage tonight.

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Ross Benjamin

ROYALS / DEVIL RAYS UNDER 8

The Rays starter Matt Garza has seen 7 of his 8 starts at home this season go under the total while posting a stellar 2.16 ERA in the process. Garza has seen his last 4 starts overall go under the total while posting a terrific 1.86 ERA and a 6:1 strikeout to walk ratio. The Kansas City starter Gil Meche enters the game in good form off of his last 3 starts posting a 2.89 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. Meche has seen 6 of his last 7 starts as a road underdog go under the total. Play on under the total as my free selection of the day.

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Marc Lawrence

LA DODGERS

The Dodgers host the Braves in the first of a three game series in Los Angeles Monday night as they look to avenge a three game series weep suffered at Atlanta in April earlier this year. Mondays have been good to the Dodgers as evidenced by their 13-5 mark of late, including 5-1 their last six at home. With Hiroki Kuroda 4-2 at home with a 3.00 ERA, as opposed to 3-6 away with a 4.29 ERA, we'll stay at home with Kudoda and the Dodgers here tonight.

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Tom Freese

NEW YORK METS

Philadelphia starter Adam Eaton is in terrible KW form with more walks than strikeouts in his last 3 starts. Eaton is off a phony win in his last start where he allowed twice as many baserunners than innings pitched and still game away with the win. New York is 7-0 their last 7 games as underdogs of +110 to +150 and they are 9-4 in the last 13 starts made by Pedro Martinez if he has 4 days of rest. The Mets are 5-2 their last 7 road games vs. righty starters and they are 5-2 with Martinez in Game 4 of a series.

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Rocketman Sports

PITTSBURGH PIRATES -130

Pittsburgh is 68-49 the past 3 years at home when the total is 9 to 9 1/2. Houston has lost 5 of their past 6 games overall. Houston is scoring only 4.0 runs per game on the road this year. Pittsburgh bullpen has a 3.51 ERA at home this year. Hernandez is 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA overall this year. Dumatrait is 2-1 with a 1.96 ERA at home this year. We'll recommend a small play on Pittsburgh tonight! Thanks and good luck, Rocky

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Matt Fargo

MINNESOTA TWINS +165

The Twins did it again yesterday so there is no reason to jump off this train. Minnesota has won five in a row and 18 of its last 21 games to remain the hottest team in baseball. Trailing 3-0 on Sunday, the Twins rallied again, scoring three runs in the 7th inning to take the lead for good. Heading to Boston will be a tough task and winning on the road has been rare since 15 of the last 18 games were at home but Minnesota has won three straight five of its last six away from the dome. Letdowns in baseball are not very common but Boston is in one now. After back-to-back series against Tampa Bay and New York, the Red Sox are in cool down mode right now and it is even worse after the loss last night in extra innings against the Yankees. Boston is a different team at home but the last homestand saw it go an average 3-3. The bullpen comes in as a beaten unit as it has posted a putrid 6.29 ERA over the last 10 games. The Red Sox are now 1-5 in their last six games following a loss. The pitching staff for the Twins has been the most pleasant surprise and one of those arms comes from Scott Baker. Since returning from the disabled list in June, he has been in control, allowing three runs or less in all six starts with the last five being quality outings. That includes three straight on the road where his ERA is 3.31 compared to his season ERA away from home of 4.58 which was due to one bad outing at Texas. Baker has never started against Boston which is a big edge for the pitcher. The Red Sox counter with Daisuke Matsuzaka who has not been the same pitcher since returning from the disabled list. He was absolutely shelled in his return against the Cardinals and even though he has allowed only two hits in each of his last two starts, he made in only five innings in each outing and the bullpen ended up blowing one of those. This will be his first game at Fenway since that start against St. Louis and he faces and offense that is hitting .321 over its last 10 games.

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Tony Karpinski

ASTROS / PIRATES UNDER 9½

The Houston Astros enter Monday knowing their best pitcher is not all right. They just hope their top hitter is. While Roy Oswalt is unlikely to start in this series, the Astros hope Lance Berkman will as they meet the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-game set matching the NL Central's worst teams. Berkman has been one of the few bright spots for the Astros (41-48), but was held out of the starting lineup Sunday due to an irritated left eye after feeling discomfort in Saturday's game at Atlanta. The Pirates dont have much of an offense either and I lean to the UNDER in this battle. Play the UNDER.

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Alex Smart Sports

FLORIDA MARLINS +102

The Florida Marlins enter into todays tilt against the struggling San Diego Padres off a 10-5 win against the Colorado Rockies in Coors Canaveral yesterday, and will be primed to gain ground on the Phillies in the National League east race. The Padres have lost 8 straight at home in Petco, getting out scored by an average 5.6 RPG during that negative span. Things may not get much better for the Padres in spot as the the Marlins send the red hot Ricky Nolasco (9-4, 3.94 ERA) to the hill to tame the NLs second worst offense . The right hander is capable of doing just that , behind the momentum of four straight wins in which he has quality outings, allowing three earned runs or less in each of those starts , while garnering a 1.96 ERA during an impressive current 5 game run. The Padres send will respond with a frustrated Greg Maddux (3-6, 4.04 ERA) who has not won since notching his 350th career win 10 starts ago. The veteran southpaw has also been smashed in his last two outings , as is evident by allowing 15 runs, in 10 innings of work. Turning things around will not come easily here today, against a Marlins team, that he is 0-4 against along with a 4.36 ERA in his last 5 starts. I know the Marlins are not a reliable road team , to back, but the Padres are in a huge funk, and have been unable to take advantage of home field advantage. With the pitching matchup favoring the Marlins, they look like a viable side to back. Final notes & Key Trends: Marlins are scoring an average of 5.7 RPG on the road this season. Padres are scoring 3.6 RPG at home.

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Jimmy The Moose

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Mets are 4-8 in their last 12 games vs. NL East opponents. New York sends Pedro Martines to the mound and he hasn't been sharp of late. Over his last 3 starts, all Mets losses, his ERA is 10.20. NY is 1-4 in his last 5 road starts. The Mets have lost 8 of his last 10 road starts vs. a team with a winning record. The Phillies have won 4 of their last 6 games. In their last 15 games vs. a team with a losing record the Phillies are 12-3. The Phillies have won 5 of Eaton's last 7 home starts. In his last 8 starts vs. a team with a losing record Philadelpia is 6-2. The Mets are 4-7 in their last 11 trips to Philadelphia. The Mets have lost Pedro's last 4 starts vs. the Phillies. Play on the Philadelphia Phillies -.

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Stu Feiner

TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS

Not much left to say about the Rays. This team is just on a fantastic run. This isn’t a run that should be taken lightly. This is a run that shows how strong of a team they have become. The Tampa Bay Rays are on a seven game winning streak. Even better than that record is the fact that this team is coming off an 11-1 mark. The Rays haven’t done it with any smoke and mirrors either. They have pitched well, they have played solid defense and they sure have hit. So far in these first three games against the Royals they have scored a total of 23 runs. They have actually out-scored the Royals 23-4 in these first three games. Matt Garza is more than a capable starter. He is 7-4 on the season and has one of the lower ERA’s in the American League. A 3.47 mark and a whip of just 1.17 shows us how real this guy is. Take the home team, it doesn’t matter how high the line is.

BOSTON RED SOX

Sure the Red Sox played late last night but they return to the place where they do just one thing and that one thing is winning. The Red Sox still sport the best home record in all of baseball. This team has found a way despite their injuries to still be the second best team in baseball. At home this team is 31-10 and they pour it on. The Red Sox average over 5.60 runs per game in their building. They are also hitting an amazing .290 as a team in Fenway. Don’t you think for a second they are just a team that scores runs and does nothing else in Boston? They have an ERA of just 3.38 and allow less than four runs per ball-game. The Twins have been great there is no question about that but the Red Sox at home with Dice K on the mound is too good to pass up. This is a guy that has lost a total of one game all season. The Sox are 11-3 in his starts and he will get the job done here tonight.

TEXAS RANGERS

This line is just too good to pass up. The Rangers are coming off a big win yesterday against the Orioles. In a slugfest they came out victorious. They put up 11 runs and held on to win that game 11-10. That is the Rangers M-O. They are a big time offensive team and they don’t hide that fact. They go out there and they give up runs but they can put them up with the best of them. The Rangers lead all of baseball in runs scored and they are top three in almost all important statistics. This line-up hits over .280 as a team. They have hit almost 110 home-runs. They have an OPS that leads all of baseball .806. We could go on and on about their offense but we think you get the hint. The Angels can’t match the Rangers offense. The Angels are just 22nd in the league in runs scored and they hit just .257 as a team. Look for this game to be high-scoring and look for the Rangers to take care of business at home.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

Real tough loss for the Mariners yesterday. They had to play fifteen innings against the Tigers and came up on the losing side of things. In fifteen innings the Mariners managed just one run and six hits. The Tigers didn’t do much better but they were able to win a tight one run game. After that game you expect them to fly to Oakland and beat a tough left-handed pitcher? We just don’t see it. The Athletics are coming off a tough loss themselves. They head home though and they will bounce back. The Athletics sport a 27-21 mark in Oakland. The Mariners on the other hand are just 16-26 on the road. Jarrod Washburn goes for the Mariners. He is just 4-7 on the season and the Mariners are just 5-11 in his sixteen starts. Dana Eveland has been throwing the ball exceptional all season. Look for him to get his seventh win and the Athletics bounce back from a tough loss to a first place team.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

This line is just too good to pass up for the Pirates. The Astros are coming in here and they are exhausted. Houston was part of a 17 inning game last night. The Astros used everyone on their team (outside of their starting pitchers). They ended up using seven pitchers in this contest. These pitchers didn’t throw a batter or two. Each and every pitcher threw over 20 pitches and over an inning. Some of the relievers even threw two or three innings. With no off night the Astros have to head in to Pittsburgh. The Pirates are as under-rated as any team at home. This is a team 25-19 at home this season and they have been able to have a very positive return this season. The Pirates can hit folks, make no mistake about it. Even last night in a game the Pirates lost, but they pounded eight hits and six runs. The Pirates are the third best offense in the National League. They have hit 90 home runs this season. Look for the Buckos at home to take care of the Astros. Houston is not a bad team, but they aren’t a team that makes you profits on the road.

NEW YORK METS

A big game from the New York Mets last night. In fact the Mets have played three straight solid games against the Phillies. They lost a tough game 3-2 opening night, but they then bounced back to win the game Saturday 9-4 and then followed that up with an impressive extra inning win 4-2 on Sunday. Pedro hasn’t been great this season, there is no doubt about that, but it is time for him to turn it around. Pedro always takes a while to get going during a season, well this is no different. Pedro didn’t have April or May to get in to his groove. His groove is about to hit right now. Last start against the Cardinals he did allow seven hits and five runs, but most of that damage came in the first inning. Pedro cruised after the first inning allowing just one solo home run and one run in total. The Mets are better than a .500 baseball team. They will take the game and the series.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

Have to like the Brewers here tonight at home. This is a team that is starting to pick up their play as of late. Sure all the talk is about the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals but that is all about to change. Late last night the word came down that the Brewers are making a big push for it this season. The Brewers have agreed in principal for starter C.C. Sabathia. They are giving up their best prospect but it will be well worth it. A trade like this lifts the entire team each and every day. It is not just the games where C.C. Sabathia gets the ball. He immediately brings a cache to the Brewers and he makes them from pretenders to contenders in just a few moments. The Brewers have been playing solid baseball for a while now. In their last 26 games as a favorite (23 home games) they are 19-7. When these guys are supposed to win, they do win. Seth McClung goes tonight for the Brew Crew. He is 5-3 on the season and he hasn’t lost a start in close to a month.

SAN DIEGO PADRES

Look for the Padres to get the job done here tonight. They are coming off an impressive series against the first place Diamondbacks. They were able to take two of three from those Diamondbacks. They did it with timely hitting and good pitching. There only loss came yesterday and that was a 3-2 game that they were in to the entire time. The Padres are still a very capable baseball team especially at home. Greg Maddux goes for the Padres here tonight and he has been pitching excellent. Don’t look at his record, because at 3-6 it is very deceiving. The Padres are 9-9 in Maddux’s 18 starts. Greg has an ERA right around 4. The Padres haven’t played well at home, but that will all change tonight. Take the bull dog and the Padres.

LA DODGERS

All over the Dodgers here tonight. The Dodgers return home after a week long road trip. They really have picked it up lately. You aren’t going to know by their record but Los Angeles is in prime position to win this NL West. On the road trip they went 5-2. That included four straight victories against the Giants and the Astros. The Dodgers were able to win both series. Two against the Giants and three against the Astros. The Dodgers bats was what needed to get going and they did. We all know the Dodgers can pitch. After all they have an ERA that is ranked fourth in all of baseball. On the road trip though they had run outputs of: Seven, Four, Five, Ten and Five. Those are incredible numbers for the Dodgers who rank 24th in the league in runs scored. We all know the Dodgers have a ton of talent. LA is also starting to get healthy. Getting back Nomar and Andruw Jones will only help this team. Look for LA to rattle off a nice winning streak before the all-star break.

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BLUE JAYS / ANGELS UNDER

A pair of aces on the mound here in Roy Halladay and John Lackey. Both are workhorses and on a roll. Halladay has a 1.99 ERA his last three starts and is leading the league in innings pitched. Lackey has a 0.74 ERA his last three starts and just 1.44 for the season. The Angels have been an under the total machine this season with that weak offense and great pitching, starting 52-29 under. Look for that trend to continue with these two aces throwing goose eggs. Play the Blue Jays/Angels under the total.

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Dave Cokin

TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS

Zack Greinke is doing a stellar job for the Royals, and when he's on his game he's tough as nails. But there just doesn't seem to be a way to beat this Rays team at home these days, and they usually garner lots of support when Andy Sonnanstine takes the mound. Considering how dominating this team is at home, I see the number here being too low and I'll look for the Rays to win yet again.

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Marc Lawrence

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

The Brewers take on the Pirates in Game Two of this three-game set in Milwaukee when Dave Bush battles Pat Maholm in Suds City tonight. Bush has been much stronger at home this season with a 3.18 ERA as opposed to a 7.11 ERA in the road in 2008. On the flip side, Maholm's 5.53 ERA on the road is more than two full runs worse than his 3.47 ERA at home this year. Stay at home with the steadier serves of Bush and the Brewers as Milwaukee improves to 12-4 at home on Saturdays here this evening.

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Jake Timlin

MINNESOTA TWINS

Big winner on the Twins yesterday as my top rated selection I now look towards Minnesota for an easy freebie winner today. After thanks to the Indians continuing to suck having now lost their last 6 games and 12 of their last 16 it’s pretty easy to go against the Tribe right now. Especially when you factor in that Minnesota is red hot winning their last 4 and 17 of their last 21. Even better it’s the Twins who will have the edge on the mound as Slowey 2-0 over his last 3 starts with an ERA of 0.46 goes up against Laffey who is winless over his last 3 starts. Flat out the Twins are playing their best baseball of the season and I see them continuing to shine today at home against a struggling Cleveland team.

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Chris Jordan

CHICAGO WHITE SOX -130

Play the White Sox over the visiting Athletics Saturday night, as there shouldn't be any issue with Gavin Floyd toeing the rubber for us in this one. The crafty right-hander comes in off a solid showing looked Monday against the Indians, much better than he had in either of his previous two starts, as he struck out a career-high 10 batters. Anyone who watched his quality start against the Tribe saw the return of his offspeed command, as he his changeup was hitting the zone with ease. Also, Chicago comes in on winning runs of 5-0 in Floyd's last five home starts, 6-1 in his last seven starts overall and 7-2 in its last nine overall. On the other hand, the A's are 7-13 in their last 20 as an underdog and 1-4 in Greg Smith's last five starts as the pup. Take the South Siders in this one, as they'll roll the A's tonight.

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Jimmy The Moose

ATHLETICS / WHITE SOX UNDER

The A's have played under the total in 8 of their last 11 games. The under is 5-1 in their last 6 games as an underdog. The under is 6-2 in their last 8 vs. NL Central opponents. The under is 10-1-1 in Smith's last 12 starts. The A's have played the under in 7 of his last 8 road starts. The under is 7-1-1 in Smith's last 9 starts vs. a team with a winning record. The under is 15-5 in the White Sox last 20 games vs. a team with a winning record. The under is 5-2 in their last 7 vs. a left-handed starter. The team's have played the under in 7 of their last 8 meetings. The under is 5-0 in the A's last 5 trips to Chicago. Play the under.

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Stu Feiner

NY YANKEES

Have to like the Yankees to bounce back here tonight at home. They have had a tough stretch, but that is not new to this team in 2008. The Yankees have been up and down all season. Today they send their most reliable starter to the hill. It is hard to imagine that Mike Mussina would be the Yankees best starting pitcher this season but that is the truth. Mike Mussina has earned his ten wins this season. Mike has thrown 95.1 innings this season and has a whip under 1.24. Mike hasn’t bee getting lucky by any stretch of the imagination. In fact he has been very good. Mike Mussina has allowed more than four runs one time all season. In his last five starts he has allowed either 3, 2 or 1 in four of them. Mike feels rejuvenated. Mike is healthy and Mike knows how to beat the Red Sox. The Yankees still have a big offense and can put up a big total in any game. Mussina normally gets solid run support.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

The Orioles do not get enough credit. We have told you time and time before that the Orioles are a good play and especially at home. The Orioles are 25-14 at home. That is not a good record that is a great record. Remember that the Orioles play one of the toughest schedules in all of baseball. After all they play the: Yankees, Rays, Blue Jays and Red Sox time after time. Eric Hurley goes for the Rangers today. He has made just two starts on the road and four all season. Those two road starts were not good though. He has allowed 15 base runners in just 12 innings and allowed six earned runs. He also allowed a home-run in each of his starts. The Rangers have a big offense but the Orioles put runs on the board as well. Just look at last night’s game, the Orioles pounded out 12 hits and 10 runs. The Orioles will score runs again tonight.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

The Athletics are a good baseball team. In fact they are right there in the AL West and have a shot at another division crown. The White Sox are still red hot though. The White Sox are another team that doesn’t get enough respect. Everyone thought the White Sox were dead after they lost that three game set to the Cubs in Wrigley. Since then the White Sox have been on a tear. They took two of three games against the Dodgers in LA. After that they went on to sweep the next two series. They swept their rival Chicago Cubs at home, and then swept the Indians at home. A loss or two against the Athletics does not change that this team is a very solid baseball team. Don’t forget that the White Sox have both offense and pitching. They rank first in pitching and they are sixth in runs scored. Put those two factors together and a great closer and it adds up to a lot of wins. Tonight behind Floyd the Sox will win again.

TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS

What is there not to love about the Rays right now? How many people thought that they would be the best team in baseball on July 4 weekend? Yes you can all lie and say you did but we will just move past that. Tampa is not doing this with smoke and mirrors folks. They are this good. The Rays protect their home field. That is so important for a young team looking to get in to the playoffs. Overall they are 34-13 at home. 34-13!!! Twenty games over .500 is no easy accomplishment. The Rays are a balanced team. That is one of the reasons they haven’t had a long losing streak and why they are a first place team. They are fourth in the league in pitching and they are eighth in the league in runs scored. One last stat, they have 96 stolen bases. Remember that speed doesn’t slump.

MINNESOTA TWINS

How hot are the Twins right now? This is a team that is steam rolling through the American league. Tonight we get the Twins hottest pitcher. Kevin Slowey has been very reliable this season. Kevin has gone 2-0 in his last three starts. 21 innings pitched in those three starts and he has allowed just 14 hits. Over those 21 innings he has allowed just one earned run. Kevin has actually been great his last four starts. In his last four starts he has allowed a total of three runs. His last two starts he didn’t allow a single run. One road win against the Padres and a complete game shutout at home against the Brewers. Look for Kevin to keep the ball down in the zone and win another ball game at home.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

Too good of a line to pass up here tonight in Anaheim. John Lackey has been great, but Roy Halladay is still the crème of the crop. Roy has been especially strong as of late. Roy’s last start was his best all-season. Roy and the Blue Jays were on the road but they got the job done. Roy went the distance for another complete game shutout. Roy threw nine innings, allowed just four hits, had six strikeouts and didn’t walk a batter. How about Roy’s control this season? Would you believe Roy has thrown 130 innings and walked just 19 batters all season. 106 strikeouts to 19 walks. Roy is one of the few pitchers that doesn’t mind being on the road. Roy has five road wins and an ERA of under 2.50 (2.43). He just doesn’t get intimated. He goes out there and wins ball games regardless of run support, regardless on location and regardless against the competition. Look for the Blue Jays to steal one here tonight.

DETROIT TIGERS

Look for the Tigers to bounce back here tonight. They had a tough game yesterday. They scored just one run and looked flat. There is a reason why that was the case though. Yesterday they faced Erik Bedard. Erik has electric stuff. A southpaw that is capable of shutting down any line-up. Tonight the Tigers are going to have a much easier shot at scoring runs. R.A. Dickey goes the Mariners tonight. R.A. is a converted knuckle-baller that gets hit hard. On top of allowing 54 hits in just 47 innings Dickey struggles with his control. On the season as a starter the Mariners have won just one of his five starts. Galarraga on the hand has been great for the Tigers. Armando is 7-2 and the Tigers are 11-2 in his thirteen starts. He has pitched 82 innings and allowed just 64 hits. He has electric stuff. He will shut down a weak line-up.

ATLANTA BRAVES

Solid match-up here tonight in Atlanta. It is hard to believe but Jo-Jo Reyes is the more reliable pitcher. Roy Oswalt is just 7-8 in 2008. In his 18 starts the Astros are just 8-10. The Braves on the other hand are an even 6-6 in Jo-Jo Reyes starts. Jo-Jo has not gotten the run support he has needed. He will get them tonight though. Roy is not the same pitcher as the Roy of "old". Roy has thrown 115 innings this season and he has allowed 132 hits. Those numbers are scary high for Roy. When Roy was dominating he was barely allowing a hit per inning. Roy’s strikeouts are also dramatically down. He has struck out 206, 184, 166 and 154 the last few years. This season he has just 94 in this 115 innings thrown. On the road Roy has his struggles. Roy is just 3-5 with an ERA in the mid 4’s. The Braves still have that power in their line-up.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

The Brewers have already put their terrible loss behind them. On Thursday the Brewers lost their worst game all season. This was a team that was winning 5-0 in the bottom of the ninth inning in Arizona. It was a terrible loss, there is no denying that. The Brewers did the best thing though, they bounced back. Yesterday the Brewers pounded out 14 hits. Not only fourteen hits but they scored nine runs and hit two home-runs. The Brewers took advantage of two Pittsburgh Pirates errors. Paul Maholm is just an average starter for the Pirates. He is 5-5 on the season with a high earned run average. The Brewers bats are heating up and they will knock this guy out of the game early.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Mets just can’t figure it out right now. Last night they couldn’t win with their ace on the hill. Two nights ago they couldn’t win with their number two on the hill. Tonight they won’t win with there number three on the mound. John Maine has just been average this season. There was a lot made out of his spring and he could be a 20 game winner. Well John is just 8-6 on the season. The Mets are just 9-8 in his seventeen starts. On the other hand Jamie Moyer has been pitching and winning. The Phillies are 10-7 in his seventeen starts. Jamie has his best ERA since 2004. This guy just finds ways to win ball games. Jamie has three wins at home already this season. Tonight his record will improve to 8-6 and the Phillies will continue their winning ways against the lowly Mets.

CINCINNATI REDS

You have to look at Tim Redding from a step back. Sure Tim is 6-3 on the season. We are not here to knock him. Tim has been the Nationals best pitcher. He has already thrown 102 innings and he is the Nationals most reliable starter. He hasn’t been great lately though. Redding’s last start was a tough one. Time threw just five innings and allowed eight hits and four earned runs. Tim walked two batters and let up another long ball. The long ball has been a real problem with Tim this season. Heading to Cincinnati is not the place to help those long balls. Tim has let up 13 home-runs this season. The Reds took care of business yesterday. They will take care of business again tonight.

COLORADO ROCKIES

Jorge De La Rosa is better than his numbers indicate. This is a guy that has electric stuff. Jorge is a 6"1 left-hander that can flat out deal. He has thrown 48 innings on the season and he has 51 strikeouts. Just a few starts ago at home Jorge pitched against the Indians. Jorge went out there and throws six innings, allowed four hits, one walk and struck out ten batters. The start before that he faced one of the best teams in the league, the White Sox and threw five innings of just one hit ball. That included eight strikeouts. The Marlins are an ultra-aggressive baseball team folks. They are top three in the league in strikeouts. They will be free swinging here tonight in Colorado, especially after their outburst last night. The Rockies can still score. Just look at last night’s game. The Rockies scored in the first six innings of the ball game, and scored double-digit runs. Look for the Rockies to win again tonight.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Big game here tonight for Arizona. The Diamondbacks are a team that has struggled for a long time. Don’t forget that this team was red hot right out of the gate. There was not a better team in baseball during the first two weeks of baseball. With that said the Diamondbacks are still a first place team and they still are a team with a ton of talent. This pitching match-up is a lot closer than you would think. Sure Jake Peavy goes tonight for the Padres and he is great, but on the season he is just 5-5. The Padres are just 5-8 in his thirteen starts. Doug Davis on the other hand has the same .500 mark and his team is .500 in his starts. The Diamondbacks at home are still a tough beat. They will be able to put a few runs on the board, and will take this Saturday affair.

LA DODGERS

When the Dodgers hit they are almost un-beatable. Would you believe that the Dodgers are within just a few games of first place? With all of their struggles they have managed to stay around and hang in the race. In fact if you ask our staff we like the Dodgers to take the NL West division crown and head to the playoffs. After all they do have the calming influence of Joe Toree on their side. Last night the Dodgers got the bats going early and they got them going often. LA ended up putting ten runs on the board and thirteen hits. Andre Either has been swinging the bat well and he hit his tenth home run of the season. Tonight the Dodgers face a soft-throwing left-handed pitcher. LA will be able to knock him around. The Giants are not a great home team, and do not protect their ball park the way they should.

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Jim Feist

INDIANS / ROCKIES OVER

The Indians have very good starting pitching....with the exception of Jeremy Sowers, today's starter. He has an ERA over 7 giving up 28 hits in 18 innings. At least Cleveland's offense is getting better, on a 14-5-1 run over the total. Colorado is an excellent hitter's park and struggling lefty Jorge De La Rosa takes the hill for the Rockies with his 6.89 ERA. Play the Indians/Rockies over the total!

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Dave Cokin

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

The 2007 Baltimore Orioles were about as awful as it gets in one-run results, staggering to the finish line at 13-31. Their extra-inning Wednesday win puts the O's at a stellar 17-10 in '08 one-run decisions. This surprising team has also snared 16 wins in games where they've trailed by two runs. Dave Trembley has energized the Orioles and they're worth backing again Thursday against the poor traveling Astros.

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Marc Lawrence

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

The Orioles close out their three game series with Houston in Baltimore Thursday evening when they take on Shawn Chacon and the Astros. With the O's one of the few teams scoring runs on a regular basis these days and Chacon in rocky KW form with 9 walks and 6 strikeouts in his last three starts, look for Chacon to fall to 1-8 in his last nine team starts in June here tonight.

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Brad Diamond Sports

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

You know quite well that lefty Greg Smith is one of my favorite young hurlers in baseball. In fact, recently the Diamond has used the youngster as a profit center in this column. Thursday should be no different as he goes up against hurler Davis (Arizona) who has suffered serious health issues this season. Recall, the Oakland club is 5-1 versus LHP, 5-0 on the road and 4-0 (before Wednesday night) last four Inter-League encounters. Finally, the pesky A’s have owned the Snakes of late, taking 4 straight.

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Matt Rivers

KANSAS CITY ROYALS

I am certainly not going to call this a value as the Cardinals have been the better team this season when compared with the Royals, with ot without the great Albert Pujols but I will take my chances here today on the visitors from Kansas City with the much much better pitcher. Zach Greinke started the season in fine fashion and then seemed to tail off a little. But that last start in Arizona was awesome and the righty appears to be back on the right track. Opposing Greinke is Anthony Reyes who will be making his first start of the season. I have always liked the potential of Reyes as he has at times had electric stuff but last season was a total abortion as the guy had lost it a bit losing game after game after game. Could Reyes show his potential here? I guess there is a small chance of that but if the Redbirds were to have a chance he has to as Greinke should be more than ok today against the Pujols-less Cardinals, even on the road. The Royals have been pretty good of late as this kid Mike Aviles has made a big splash, David DeJesus has been on fire and a few others like Mark Teahan, Mark Grudzielanek, etc. are not that bad at all. Big-time pitching advantage for us here and it may sound crazy but I like the Royals here on the road!

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Jeff Benton

CINCINNATI REDS -1½ RL

First off, I just don’t see Cincinnati getting swept by this mediocre, banged-up Dodgers club, which had lost five straight games and 17 of 23 prior to arriving in Ohio. In fact, L.A. hasn’t won three in a row since sweeping the Reds in Los Angeles from May 19-21. Mostly, though, I like the Reds because they’re handing the ball to ace Aaron Harang in this one, while the Dodgers were forced to call up rookie lefty Eric Stults because of injuries to starters Brad Penny and Hiroki Kuroda. Harang bounced back from his worst start of the season at Florida and dominated the mighty Red Sox on Friday, allowing a single run on four hits in seven innings, walking none and striking out seven in a 3-1 home victory. Harang has been money at home this year (3.40 ERA) and, despite a 1-3 record, he’s shined in day games (2.98 ERA in seven starts). Meanwhile, Stults hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since late September, and he went 1-4 with a 5.82 ERA in 12 games (five starts) last season. Throw in the fact that the Reds are hitting left-handed pitching very well at home this year (.298 team average) and are 14-7 in their last 21 as a favorite, and it’s obvious why Cincy is such a big favorite today. But rather than lay the big price, take the Reds on the run-line and look for a comfortable multi-run win by the home team.

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Sports Gambling Hotline

LA DODGERS +160

We understand LA has been sliding of late, but this series in the Queen City has been exactly what they have needed to get back on track. Los Angeles has won the first two games, and are now 6-1 in the season series against the Reds. Cincinnati is now mired in a 4-game slide, and have seen losses in 6 of their last 8. Reds starter Aaron Harang is off a nice win over Boston, but the fact remains he is just 3-9 for the season, and to lay this kind of wood is not the kind of "value" we can get behind this Thursday afternoon. Eric Stults will make his first start of the season for Los Angeles, and we feel with the season series results being so heavily slanted in the Dodgers' favor, we have no choice but to side with the big dog in this game. Play on LA.

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Chris Jordan

NY YANKEES -1½ RL

I will take a shot with Joba Chamberlain here, as it’s taken some time, but he’s found the rhythm the Yanks were hoping he’d have on the rubber and comes in off a stellar performance in Houston. The power right-hander was clocked at 97 miles per hour on his final pitch of the outing, as he tossed six strong innings, scattering six hits and allowing just one run and striking out two. He still doesn’t have a decision as a starter, and has a 2.48 ERA this season. With the Friars still enduring a long road trip, a matinee is not going to do them any good in the Bronx Zoo.

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Karl Garrett

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS -110

The Diamondbacks came out firing early last night, as they were able to snap a 3-game slide, and stop the A's 4-game winning streak. I like the D-Backs again today over the Athletics, as Doug Davis has turned in a couple of quality outings over his last three trips to the mound. His counterpart Greg Smith has been adequate, but he usually doesn't last much past the 6th inning, and he is just 2-3 away from home with an ERA of 4.32. Arizona is now 23-15 at home this season, and with the Dodgers starting to inch a little closer in the NL West standings, expect the Snakes to come out strong in this one, and capture the rubber game of this three game set. Take 'Zona!

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Bobby Maxwell

CHICAGO CUBS +145

Can the Rays sweep the Cubs out of Tampa Bay? These two have played two tight games in this series as Tampa has won 3-2 and 5-4. We don't think the sweep is there and we're playing the Cubs to get the road win in this one. Sean Gallagher (3-3, 4.54 ERA) is on the mound for Chicago tonight against the Rays' James Shields (4-5, 3.91). Gallagher has given up three runs or less in five of his first seven big-league starts. He lasted five innings in both of his last two starts, giving up a total of five runs on 10 hits and looked poised even though the Cubs lost both outings at the Dodgers and at Toronto. Shields hasn't pitched since June 10 when he gave up six runs on 10 hits in eight innings of a 6-1 loss to the Angels. He was suspended for fighting during the Rays' brawl with the Red Sox earlier this month. Even with losses in the first two games of this series, the Cubs are on a 26-12 roll overall and 6-3 in their last nine. They haven't had a three-game losing streak all season and it won't start tonight. We're playing Lou Pinella's boys to at least get him one win against his old team. Play Chicago.

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John Fina

INDIANS / ROCKIES OVER 10½

Today we expect a high-scoring game as the Cleveland Indians do battle with the Colorado Rockies. One reason why we expect a high-scoring game is because both these teams will send to the mound struggling starting pitchers. This says it all... The Cleveland Indians Starting Pitcher (Jeremy Sowers) has a 7.23 ERA this season, while Colorado Rockies Starting Pitcher (Jorge De La Rosa) has a 6.89 ERA this season. As you can see, both these starting pitchers will give up many runs today. We expect to see another high-scoring game today! Take the Cleveland Indians/Colorado Rockies Over 10½!

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Stephen Nover

BLUE JAYS / BREWERS OVER 8½

Toronto's A.J. Burnett is one of those Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde type pitchers. Lately he's been a lot more Hyde. Burnett has been tagged for 10 earned runs and 14 hits in his past two starts, spanning just 9 1/3 innings. Just as ominious is Burnett has issued eight walks during this time frame, while throwing 211 pitches. Milwaukee ranks among the top five clubs in home runs. The Brewers are averaging 5.8 runs during their last nine home games. A day game at Miller Park isn't usually a pleasant afternoon for hurlers. Toronto, though, should be able to score frequently against Milwaukee starter David Bush, who has been so ineffective this season that he was sent to the minors for a spell. Bush is 2-7 with a 5.73 ERA. Brewers closer Salomon Torres could be fatigued after picking up a tough save last night by going 1 1/3 innings. Guillermo Mota, the Brewers' top setup man, had a rough eighth inning last night. It's certainly not asking much for each team to score four runs.

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Matt Fargo

ATLANTA BRAVES +100

Atlanta recorded a win in Texas last night to get the road winning on the right track once again. We all know the Braves are the worst road team in baseball as their 11-26 record shows but they have been playing better. They have won four of their last six away from home after getting swept in Chicago. Atlanta has a 3.93 ERA over its last 10 games so the pitching has been the key part of the turnaround. The solid pitching has been contagious as Atlanta is 13-6 in its last 19 games after allowing two runs or less. Texas meanwhile has dropped four of six and while it is just a game under .500, its 18-17 record at home is nothing to be intimidated by. The pitching has been the problem as the team ERA is now at 5.06 on the season which is worst in the American League and worst in baseball. It is a combination of the starting pitching with a 4.92 ERA and the bullpen with a 5.26 ERA. The offense has had to carry the load but even that is struggling now with just four rpg being scored over the last five games. The good pitching for Atlanta has come from surprise places with both Tom Glavine and John Smoltz on the shelf. We can add Charlie Morton to that list. His Major League debut was solid as he allowed three runs in six innings in a win against the Angels and posting a quality start. Don’t think it was a fluke as this kid is the real deal as he posted a 2.05 ERA while going 4-2 in 12 starts at Richmond. His 6’4” frame allows a lot of heat as well as a devastating curveball. Scott Feldman is coming off his worst start of the season and that is saying a lot since there has been some bad ones. After starting the season with four straight quality outings, his ERA has risen from 3.45 to 4.84 thanks to allowing five runs or more in three of his last five outings. He has an ERA of 6.30 over this five games span with the Rangers going 0-5 in those games. Texas is 1-8 in his nine starts on the season and the offense has mustered just 3.7 rpg in those outings.

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