Baseball has been very tough the last 5 days with only one winning day and it was not even a full unit. Today I concentrated on hot teams and even pitching match ups, along with hot hitting. Should be a very big day. Wednesday was so tough with two 1-0 losses and two 2-1 losses and a extra inning loss.
Baseball Overall 44-59 -7.70 units Most handicappers would not put their real record when things are going bad but It Is what It Is. I have not had a losing baseball season in 12 years and I do not plan on losing this year. The All-Star break is coming at the right time for the players and myself.
Philadelphia Phillies +145 Kendrick can hold his own with a 4-4 record and a 3.23 E.R.A. On the other side of it Romero is coming off his best outing of the year but it was deceptive, their were a lot of base runners and the other team could not cash in. Romero has a 7-7 record and a very nice E.R.A of 2.74. With a 7-7 record he is not getting a lot of run support. Philadelphia is 6-4 last 10, while the Blue Jays are 4-6 last 10. Toronto has a home record of only 18-20, and Philadelphia is two games over .500 on the road. This looks like a nice situation play for the fighting Phils.
Pittsburgh Pirates +130 Davey Johnson doesn't seem to have that old Mets magic. He arrived with a team that was the hottest in all of baseball and now they have lost 3 in a row. What can you say about Pittsburgh? Two games over .500 and only 2 games out of first. Morton for Pittsburgh has a very nice 7-4 record and another pitcher with a solid E.R.A of 3.77. Washington has Gorzelanny on the bump and he has been snake bit. He is only 2-6 with a 4.18 E.R.A and he has deserved a better record. Going against the team in a little bit of turmoil and playing the hot hand.
San Francisco Giants +120 The Giants have lost two tough games in a row but have a very nice 7-3 record over the last 10. Amazingly the Giants are 2 games over .500 since Buster Posey went down for the season, how good would they be if he had been healthy. The Tigers bullpen is chewed up right now giving up 24 runs in two games to a weak hitting team. The Tigers only 5-5 last 10 and as the season has gone along Brad Penny is getting hit a little harder with every start. Penny has a 5-6 record and a 4.66 E.R.A. Bumgarter has a 4-9 record but a respectable E.R.A of 3.84. That E.R.A is that low after Minnesota 2 starts ago put 9 earned runs up against him. He came right back in his next start, threw a shutout and punched out 11 for a career high. I am going with the better pitcher but more important then that is the fact that Tigers Stadium is much like the park that the Giants pitchers are used.
Cleveland Indians +120 This is a very nice match up with a two teams in the same state and surprisingly both teams are fighting for a division title. It looked like the Indians were folding the tent about 2 weeks ago but have stayed in the race, only half a game back of the Detroit Tigers. The Indians have the upper hand on the mound today, with Masterson and his smooth E.R.A of 2.98. For the Reds Arroyo is not having a good year in the E.R.A department with a 5.01, but a very lucky record of 7-6.
ST Louis Cardinals +125 I think many people were counting the Cards all but done for the year, and what do they do? Get hot that is what. Winning 3 in a row while the Brewers lost 3 in a row and your looking at a tie on top of the National League Central. The strange Part about the Tampa Bay Rays is that they are under .500 at home and crushing it on the road by going 26-16. The Cardinals on the other hand are a solid 23-20 on the road, and seem to have the advantage by playing at Tampa. Westbrook had a very bad stretch but in his last start was like the Westbrook of old. I will take the hot team with their ace on the mound looking to keep his team rolling.
Atlanta Braves -170 This is a rarity for me, playing such a big favorite. The situation dictates that I play this game though. Atlanta has won 3 in a row and are favored at home which is a very strong angle by itself. When you add in the fact that Baltimore has lost 3 in a row, the play becomes that much stronger. The two teams are going in different directions, with the Braves being 8-2 over the last 10 and Baltimore only going 4-6 over the same span of games. The pitching, Bats and bullpen all favor the Braves.
Florida Marlins +165 For the Marlins they have their only pitcher who has not been hard luck johnny. Sanchez has a solid 6-1 record and a respectable E.R.A of 2.82. The fish have won two in a row and they are another team that plays better on the road then at home. All things being even the plus 165 catches the eye.
Kansas City Royals/Colorado Rockies Over 10 -110 It seems to me that a first time team going to Colorado has a difficult time learning how to pitch there. Going to Colorado also has a knack for getting visitors to put up more runs then they usually score. Both starters have been beat up and the bullpens have been beat up, so I look for about 13 or 14 runs to be scored here.
Minnesota Twins +110 Every time I count the Twins out they go on a winning streak. It is only a 2 game streak right now but they are catching the Brewers at the right time. Milwaukee has lost 3 in a row and are only 4-6 in the last 10 games. Milwaukee also has one of the worst road records in all of baseball, going 15-27.
Arizona Diamond Backs -115 Another Favorite but again a worthy one. It is indeed rare when I take a team that hits well over a good pitching team. Oakland is just plain sick with the sticks, and that will not do against this Arizona team.
Los Angeles Angels +100 Hot verses cold again, with the odds being in favor of the hot team. The Angels have won 3 in a row and will probably be a slight favorite by game time. A very strong angle. The Dodgers have lost two in a row and are only 5-5 in their last 10 games. Kuroda has been very good E.R.A wise with a solid 3.10 but gets little to no run support. His record of 5-9 shows that the Dodgers just do not hit for Kuroda.
San Diego Padres +125 If you are going to play the Padres this is the time to do it. San Diego has won 4 in a row and have a 7-3 over their last 10 games. Seattle has lost 3 in a row with their best pitchers on the mound so that tells us that the bats have gone cold. The Mariners are only 3-7 their last 10 games. Take the hot dog.
Best plays....Atlanta...Angels.....Padres.....
I know most people do not like playing 12 games but to me a play is a play. If that is one play in a day or 12.
Have a great day
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