Wednesday's Front Page Plays (May 16)

[Willie Bee]

Giants & Lowry -115 vs. Astros

Game Time: 05/16/2007 08:05 PM -
By: Marc Lawrence | playbook.com


The Giants have dominated the Astros in Houston over the years, and with a sharp Noah Lowry having had past success vs. the ‘Stros, look for more of the same this evening.

The Astros took the series opener from San Francisco 6-5 in 10 innings last night, but look for the Giants to get some payback tonight.

The G-Men send Noah Lowry to the hill, and he has had great success vs. Houston in his career. The Giants are 3-0 in all of Lowry’s starts against the Astros, and the youngster has a stellar 1.17 ERA in those starts. Lowry is also in solid current form, with a 2.89 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in his last three stats.

San Francisco is still 21-6 in the last 27 head-to-head meeting here in Houston even with that loss last night, so look for a Giant bounce-back this evening.

Free Pick: Giants -115

[Willie Bee]

Snakes -120 with Webb on Road

Game Time: 05/16/2007 08:35 PM -
By: Al McMordie | bigal.com


Brandon Webb has some of the nastiest stuff in baseball, and he has done his best work on the road this season, so look for the Diamondbacks to prevail vs. Aaron Cook and the Rockies.

Arizona right-hander Brandon Webb is one of those starters who probably cannot wait to get his suitcase packed and head out of town to pitch on the road.

Although Webb is having another excellent season overall with a 3-2 record and 3.32 ERA, he has performed much better on the road. All three of his wins have occurred away from Arizona, and his road ERA of 2.25 is much better than his 5.14 ERA at home. Furthermore, Colorado is near the top of the list of Webb’s favorite stopping grounds, as the Diamondbacks have won four of his last six starts in Coors Field.

Rockies right-hander Aaron Cook, on the other hand, does not really want to see the Diamondbacks, be it at home or on the road. The Rockies have lost each of the last five starts he has made vs. the D-Backs, including three outings here in Colorado and two appearances already this season. Cook's strikeouts-to-walks ratio is also a very disturbing 22/19, which is not a good sign. On the flip side, Webb has pitched about six more innings this year than Cook, and has walked about the same amount of batters (21), but he also has 49 strikeouts for a nice ratio of well over 2/1.

Cook probably can't count on his bullpen the way Webb can, as the Colorado relievers have really struggled lately with an ERA over 5.00 in the last three games, so take Arizona.

Free Pick: Diamondbacks -120

[Willie Bee]

Ride CC Sabathia and the Tribe (-170)

Game Time: 05/16/2007 07:05 PM -
By: Steve Zukiel | procappers.com


Lefty C.C. Sabathia and the Indians are the right play this evening at home in Cleveland versus Carlos Silva and the slumping Minnesota Twins.

In this contest, my money is on the Cleveland Indians. For the second straight night, I am siding with the Indians for our EZ free winner.

Cleveland is a much different baseball team when they are at home. They are 12-3, and even more impressive is the fact that they are 7-1 against right-handed pitchers, averaging an unbelievable 7.08 rpg. Compare that to their 1-2 record against lefties, averaging just 3.00 rpg.

Minnesota is also just 5-9 against lefties this season, averaging a mere 3.57 rpg and now they are facing one of the best left-handers in the game in C.C. Sabathia. He is 5-1 on the season and what's even more impressive is the fact that the team has enjoyed great success with him on the hill, having won seven of his eight overall starts.

Minnesota has lost five of their last six overall and won't have an answer for the Indians for the second straight night. Take Cleveland in this one.

Free Pick: Indians -170

[Willie Bee]

Bucs & Fish: Over 8½

Game Time: 05/16/2007 07:05 PM -
By: Alex Smart | who2beton.com


The pitching matchup makes this Over an easy play. Look for the scoreboard to back the Over at the end of tonight's Marlins, Pirates game in Pittsburgh's PNC Park.

Zack Duke, the Pittsburgh Pirates' starting pitcher for this tilt against the Florida Marlins, brings a lackluster 1-4 record along with a bloated 5.61 ERA on the season. The Bucks lefty hurler has allowed 61 hits in just 43.1 innings of work.

His pitching opponent from the Marlins, Scott Olsen, has not been much better, allowing 54 hits in just 44 innings of work, for a hefty 4.87 ERA. He is backed with a bullpen that has garnered a very ugly 6.10 ERA on the road this season. Considering the current form of tonight's starting pitchers, it will be an easy decision to back this contest going over the set total. I know the Pirates have struggled offensively this season, but Florida seems to always play high-scoring games against these types of teams going over in 20 of their last 27 vs a NL team with a batting average below .250, and the average combined score ringing in at 10.6 RPG.

Final Notes & Trends: The Over is 4-0-1 in Olsen's last five as a road underdog. Olsen has seen six of his last eight road games with a total of between 7-8½ go over the total.. The Pirates have gone over in 15 of their last 21 games with a total of 7-8½. Florida is 35-18 Over in their last 53 on the road when the total is 8-8½.

Free Pick: Marlins-Pirates Over 8½

[Willie Bee]

Astros, Giants Over 9

Game Time: 05/16/2007 08:05 PM -
By: Jimmy the Moose | sportspic.com


After last night's 6-5, extra inning contest, the Over has firmly established itself as the right play when the Giants and Astros take to the diamond.

The Giants have played the Over in three of Noah Lowry's last four starts. Lowry is 1-2 on the road with an ERA of 4.12.

Houston has played over the total in four of Matt Albers' five starts this season. At home, his ERA is 11.57. The teams have played the Over in five straight meetings after last night's game, a 6-5 win in extra frames by Houston. The Over is 6-2-1 in the last nine meetings between the clubs in Houston. Play the Over.

Free Pick: Giants-Astros Over 9