[EaglesPhan36]

Alright! Bookmaker finally has series lines up and this is how I wanted to bet baseball, so my other threads can suck one! As if they did not already. I'll be wagering on two series at the beginning of the week & two for the weekend each week. For purposes of this thread, all bets will be expressed in dollar amounts. $10 = unit. Any input or discussion as always is welcomed. ALL SERIES BETS ARE BASED ON THE FIRST THREE GAMES OF THE SERIES.

SEATTLE@BALTIMORE: 4/4-4/6
Hard not to like Seattle here. The Ms took all three series from the Os last season. They also took 2 of 3 series in '06, splitting a four gamer - winning 2 of the first 3. Ms are off to a good start at 2-1, beating the Rangers 2 of 3, while the Os are 1-1 after splitting a pair with the Rays.

Team ERA: SEA (2.33), BAL (5.50)
Runs Scored: SEA (13), BAL (11)

Projected Pitching Match-Ups: MLB.com
FRI: Washburn vs. Trachsel
Washburn is 6-3 lifetime vs. the Os. Seattle has won 2 of his 3 starts vs. BAL in the last two seasons. Washburn is 3-0 at Oriole Park. Trachssel is 0-4 in five career starts against SEA with a 6.93 ERA. He did only give up 2 runs vs. SEA in his lone start vs. them last season, but the BAL bullpen imploded in a 10-3 SEA win.
Edge: SEATTLE

SAT: Batista vs. Loewen
Batista has not been strong vs. BAL, sporting an 0-5 record and an ERA over 7. Loewen is making just his 2nd career start vs. SEA. He was on the wrong end of a 10-5 SEA win in '06.
Edge: PUSH

SUN: Bedard vs. Guthrie
Bedard's first start against his old mates & it's hard to see him not being jacked up here. He struggled through 5 IP against TEX, but only gave up one run in a 5-2 SEA win. Guthrie is 1-1 with an ERA over 6 in 2 starts vs. SEA. Guthrie was tagged for the loss against TB in the Os opener, yielding 6 runs in 5.1 IP.
Edge: SEATTLE

Pick: SEATTLE (-160), Wagering $32 to win $20

[EaglesPhan36]

WASHINGTON@ST.LOUIS: 4/4-4/6
The Nats have to be kicking themselves after blowing a 6-1 lead to the Phils in their last game. Still, they must feel good with a 3-1 record with wins of Philly & Atlanta and an offense that is putting up runs. St.Louis meanwhile may have surprised a few as well, beating Colorado 2 of 3. The Cards pitching was fabulous in that series. Surprisingly, the Nats won 5 of 6 from the Cards in '07 and have won three straight series from STL over the past two seasons. Interesting note: STL has yet to face a lefty starter, but will see two in the first two games of this set.

Team ERA: WAS (3.72), STL (1.00)
Runs Scored: WAS (22), STL (12)

Project Pitching Match-ups: MLB.com
FRI: O.Perez vs. Looper
Perez has been brutal vs. STL in his career, going 3-4 with an 8.66 ERA. The ERA is about the same at Busch Stadium. Perez did do the job in the opener however, limiting ATL to 1 run in 5 IP. Looper was solid last year at home as a starter, going 7-4 with a 3.34 ERA compared to his road ERA of 6.81. He was downright filthy in April with a 1.91 ERA last season, but did not face WAS.
Edge: ST.LOUIS

SAT: Chico vs. Wainright
In 2 starts vs. STL, Chico has no record with a 3.00 ERA. He was effective in his first outing of '07, giving up 3 runs in 5.1 IP to Philly. Wainright has had bad luck against WAS, going 0-1 despite a 2.76 ERA in 4 career appearances vs. the Nats. Wainright had an excellent ERA of 3.68 at Busch last season, but still managed just a 7-8 record. He pitched twice vs. WAS and STL lost both games. Wainright yield just 4 runs in 14 IP in those two games, but the finals read 6-3 WAS and 7-2 WAS. Bad luck & maybe the lefty starter makes me lean slightly to WAS here, but it's pretty much a toss-up and probably the swing game for this series.
Edge: WASHINGTON

SUN: Redding vs. Lohse
Redding's resurrection from last season continued in his first game this season, a brilliant 1 hitter in 7 IP at Philly. Redding has always had a devastating curve and a solid fastball, but really seems to have harnessed everything with WAS. His career #s vs. STL are just 3-5 with a 5.28 ERA, but most of those are from his time in HOU and SD. Last year, Redding pitching 6.1 IP vs. STL, yielding one run in a 3-2 WAS win. Lohse pitched well in his first start, 5 IP giving up no runs and 3 hits vs. COL in a 2-1 loss. His #s vs. WAS are far less impressive, going 0-1 in 6 games with a 7.54 ERA. He started three games vs. WAS in '07 while with Cincy. Lohse was bombed twice, yielding 6 runs in 2 IP and 7 runs in 4.2 IP in two of those starts. The 3rd was solid, giving up 2 runs in 6+ IP. Cincy was 2-2 in those games pitched by Lohse.
Edge: WASHINGTON

Pick: Washington (+155), Wagering $15 to win $23.25