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  • Willie Bee
    SBR Posting Legend
    • 02-14-06
    • 15726

    #1
    Front Page MLB Picks (Tue., Sep 9)
    Nationals, Mets bats to struggle Under 8½ at Shea

    Game Time: 09/09/2008 07:10 PM -
    By: LT Profits Sports Group | who2beton.com

    Oliver Perez has pitched as well as any pitcher in baseball over the last two months, as his early-season battles with wildness appear to be a thing of the past. He has gone 13 straight starts without allowing more then four runs, with 11 Quality Starts during this span. John Lannan has a surprising 3.88 ERA for the Nats, and he gave the Mets fits earlier this year. Look for a low scoring affair at Shea Stadium here tonight.

    Oliver Perez of the New York Mets and John Lannan of the Washington Nationals have both been pleasant surprises this season, and each has had some success vs. their respective opponents tonight.

    Perez has been plagued by inconsistency in recent seasons, and truth be told, that carried over into the first part of this year. However, as if someone flipped a switch, Perez has suddenly become a model of consistency over the last two months.

    He has 11 Quality Starts in his last 13 outings, and he allowed only four runs in each of the two non-quality outings, both against the Houston Astros. The Mets are 10-3 as a team in those Perez starts the last two months, with the Under going 8-4-1. On of these Quality Starts came against these Nationals, where he allowed three runs and six hits in 6.2 innings of a 9-3 win.

    Now Lannan may be just 8-13, but he deserves a much better fate than that considering his very good 3.88 ERA. He has allowed two runs or less in four of his last six starts, and he just may have had they best start of his major league career vs. these Mets earlier this season, when he allowed just one run and three hits in six innings with a whopping 11 strikeouts.

    Finally, while both bullpens have struggled for most of this year, each has shown tremendous improvement lately, with the Washington bullpen posting a 2.83 ERA in the last 10 games and the Mets pen performing even better, with a 1.14 ERA over this same span.

    Free Pick: Nationals, Mets Under 8½ (+100)
  • Willie Bee
    SBR Posting Legend
    • 02-14-06
    • 15726

    #2
    Cubs -123 at St. Louis Cardinals

    Game Time: 09/09/2008 08:15 PM -
    By: Al McMordie | bigal.com

    Both Ryan Dempster of the Cubs and the Cardinals' Kyle Lohse have had solid seasons, but it's Dempster and Chicago with the hotter hand in Tuesday night's tilt at St. Louis.

    Our Tuesday niht MLB selection is on the Chicago Cubs on the road in the Show Me State over the St. Louis Cardinals.

    This pitching matchup features two of the biggest veteran surprises of the 2008 season in the National League going up against one another. Chicago's Ryan Dempster is a converted reliever who used to be a successful closer after coming into the league as a starter with the Marlins 10 years ago. In his early years, Dempster never had more than 15 wins in a season or an ERA lower than 3.66. But this season, Dempster has already matched that high in wins and has an ERA of 2.99 going into this game.

    Even a bigger surprise than Dempster, the Cardinals' 30-year-old righthander Kyle Lohse has been a journeyman starter on three prior teams and since breaking into the league in 2001, he has never had more than 14 wins or an ERA under 4.18 and he has a career record of 76-80 and career ERA of 4.68. But this season he already has 13 wins (and only six losses) and an ERA of only 3.76.

    So both of these pitchers are putting up career numbers it would seem, but only Dempster has found a way to win games lately. Despite having the better ERA over his last three starts (2.25 vs. 3.54), Lohse can't seem to buy a trip to the winner's circle. Lohse hasn't won a game since the end of July, and the Cards have lost each of his last six starts, and eight of Lohse's last nine. The Cubs are 15-7 in the last 22 meetings of these two teams. Take Chicago.

    Free Pick: Cubs -123
    Comment
    • Willie Bee
      SBR Posting Legend
      • 02-14-06
      • 15726

      #3
      Toronto Blue Jays +106 vs White Sox

      Game Time: 09/09/2008 02:05 PM -
      By: Bob Harvey | bobharveysports.com

      After yesterday's rainout, the Blue Jays and White Sox will play a doubleheader today. Take Toronto in the afternoon matinee with A.J. Burnett facing Chicago's Javier Vazquez.

      The Chicago White Sox begin a crucial series today looking to add to, or at least maintain, their 2½-game lead over the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central. The first order of business will be a doubleheader against a red-hot Toronto club.

      The Blue Jays have won eight straight and have had very little trouble against the White Sox this season. They swept a four-game home series from them back in May and will be looking for their first five-game winning streak over Chicago in over 19 years. The Blue Jays also outscored the White Sox 12-5 in their series in May, posting two shutouts.

      Both teams will use Monday's scheduled starters in the first game of the doubleheader. Toronto will turn to 16-game winner A.J Burnett who also leads the league in strikeouts with 201. Burnett is 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in his last three outings. Chicago counters with Javier Vazquez who has 11 wins on the season. Vazquez has pitched well at home lately, but hasn’t received much help from his offense. In his last five starts at U.S. Cellular Field, Vasquez is 1-4 with a 3.55 ERA, as eight total runs of support in those four losses have backed him. The offense doesn’t figure to be much better against a hard thrower like Burnett.

      Take the Jays and take a look at a possible Under play in this one.

      Free Pick: Blue Jays +106
      Comment
      • Willie Bee
        SBR Posting Legend
        • 02-14-06
        • 15726

        #4
        Seattle Mariners -149 vs. Rangers

        Game Time: 09/09/2008 10:10 PM -
        By: Marc Lawrence | playbook.com

        The Mariners have won four of Felix Hernandez' last six starts while the Rangers have dropped the last three outings by Vicente Padilla. Side with Seattle against Texas. on Tuesday.

        The Mariners send ace righthander Felix Hernandez to the mound against Vicente Padilla and the Texas Rangers in Seattle this evening knowing King Felix is 3-1 in his last four home starts in September with one walk and 23 strikeouts in those games.

        The M's are 4-2 in Hernandez' last six starts overall. With Padilla 5-9 in his last 14 starts on Tuesdays, look for Seattle to improve to 12-5 at home in this series here this evening.

        Free Pick: Mariners -149
        Comment
        • Willie Bee
          SBR Posting Legend
          • 02-14-06
          • 15726

          #5
          Detroit Tigers -140 to score early & often against Oakland A's

          Game Time: 09/09/2008 07:05 PM -
          By: Jimmy the Moose | sportspic.com

          The Tigers clubbed five home runs in last night's 14-8 drubbing of the Athletics, and the offense will once again outscore Oakland tonight. Get down on Detroit at home.

          The Oakland A's scored runs last night but were roughed up on the road by the Detroit Tigers who banged five home runs.

          In their last 53 games overall, the A's are 16-37. Oakland is 9-25 in their last 34 road games. In their last 27 road games vs. a team with a winning home record the A's are 7-20.

          Detroit has now won three straight. The Tigers offense can outscore an offensively challenged A's squad and they will again tonight. The Tigers are 13-5 in Nate Robertson's last 18 home starts vs. a team with a losing record.

          The A's are 3-8 in their last 11 trips to Detroit. Play on Detroit.

          Free Pick: Tigers -140
          Comment
          • Willie Bee
            SBR Posting Legend
            • 02-14-06
            • 15726

            #6
            Rays, Kazmir +155 to upset Red Sox

            Game Time: 09/09/2008 07:05 PM -
            By: LT Profits Sports Group | who2beton.com

            The Rays may be slumping, but Scott Kazmir is in great form right now, and his key numbers match up quite well with Daisuke Matsuzaka besides Dice-K’s 16-2 record. This is great value on Kazmir.

            Yes, the Tampa Bay Rays are showing signs of wilting under pressure and the Boston Red Sox have the 16-2 Daisuke Matsuzaka on the mound, but the effect of this has given tremendous value to Scott Kazmir in this spot.

            After all, Kazmir has a comparable ERA to Dice-K (2.99 vs. 2.88) over the entire season, a better WHIP (1.22 vs. 1.33) and a much lower ERA over the last three starts (1.56 vs. 3.60). Kazmir is in raging form right now, as he has allowed three runs or less in eight of his last nine starts, and has allowed a miniscule four hits and posted 13 strikeouts in 11.1 innings over his last two outings.

            Now, Boston has won each of the last seven games started by Matsuzaka, but this is the first time in that span that his statistics are not vastly superior to his mound opponent. Also, do not forget that the Red Sox are just 1-4 as a team in his last five starts vs. Tampa Bay since last season.

            All things considered, Kazmir seems to ooze value at better that +150 here.

            Free Pick: Rays +155
            Comment
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