Andy Pettitte has been overshadowed in this matchup by Lee, but don

Do you really think CJ Wilson is going to be able to deliver an 8-inning masterpiece again against these rested NY Yankees? Wilson has never beaten the Yankees in his career and his ERA against the Bronx Bombers in his last outing was a paltry 12.00. New York is well-rested and ready to take care of business as usual.


Wilson held left-handed batters to a major league-low .176 slugging percentage but the Yankees have 4 switch hitters to deal with that.

Wilson was 0-1 with a 5.65 ERA in three starts against the Yankees this season. I like the rested Yankees Friday night and also in the series as a 5* play.

Cliff Lee, who was obtained from Seattle in early July with this type of situation in mind, is 5-0 with a 1.52 ERA in 6 career postseason starts. The 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner was 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA in the postseason for Philadelphia last October, including a pair of wins over the Yankees in the World Series. Road teams are 9-4 in the playoffs so far and the away side is a perfect 4-0 in the Rangers-Rays series.

Tampa Bay is trying to become only the second team to win an ALDS after dropping the first two games of the series at home. Texas will be playing their 3rd consecutive game with the opportunity of advancing to the ALCS. The Rangers starting rotation cost them victory in their past 2 games, but that shouldn't be the case tonight. Ace Cliff Lee just might be the best pitcher in all of baseball, and would easily rank as one of the top 3 pitchers you'd want on the mound in an elimination game. The Rangers are 5-0 in their last 5 road games overall. Texas is 5-0 in their last 5 games against a left-handed starter. The Rangers are 7-2 in their last 9 games against the American League East. Texas is 4-1 in Lee's last 5 starts overall. Lee doesn't walk batters and has great stuff. He loves the big stage and I am playing the Texas Rangers to advance tonight. 10*

Tampa's offense got back on track saturday night with 2 HR's and 11 hits and I expect their hitting to continue on Sunday afternoon. The Rays have already had 12 winning streaks of at least three games this season so they know how to win games. I expect Wade Davis who had an up-and-down season to continue hit hot pitching who posted a 3.21 ERA with 28 strikeouts over 33 2/3 innings and finished the season very strong. His final record for the season was 12-10 with a 4.07 ERA.Once again I'll back Tampa as they had the best road record in baseball to even up the series.

So far, Tampa's offense has been bad. The Rays are hitting .125 (8 for 64) this series and the only run came on Ben Zobrist's homer in Game 1.

The Rays have already had 12 winning streaks of at least three games this season so they know how to win games. Matt Garza knows who to win in the post-season and has the experience in pressure games. Garza is also 2-0 against Texas this season with a 2.64 ERA.
Tampa had the best road record in baseball and they'll get a win in game 3 saturday evening.

The bottom line here is if the Rangers can get to a lefty the caliber of Rays ace David Price

The Yankees were 4-2 against the Twins this year during the regular season. The Twins were also lucky and didn't face CC Sabathia.
Over the years the Yankees have been able to do one thing well and that is eliminate the Minnesota Twins in the playoffs as the Twins have lost their last 8 home playoff games covering three seasons. The Yankees are 54-18 in their last 72 against the Twins and just found out they will be without the help of Justin Morneau.
Liriano has been ill a lot lately and struggled down the finish of the regular season. Liriano has given up 15 earned runs in his last 19 1/3 innings and the Yankees should get to him with their bats and experience.
CC is 9-1 with more than 5 days rest and will shutdown the lefty bats in the Twins lineup and get a win in game 1. 10* MLB GAME OF THE WEEK

Cliff Lee squaring off against David Price and the TB hitters struggle at home against good lefties. The Rangers' Cliff Lee has had a phenomenal year with a 3.18 ERA. His K/BB ratio is an MLB best 185:18, that's over 10-1. The Rangers can play small ball and beat you by stealing a few bases. One of the best in the Big's, Texas had 123 stolen bases this season. Price allowed 13 of 20 base stealers to advance, compare that to Lee, who only 4 guys even attempted to steal on him. Lee's delivery to the plate is just too quick, and that hurts Tampa, who led the Majors in steals with 172. I like TEXAS in game 1 and TEXAS for the series here. 5* selection.

4*

5*

Carl Pavano has one more chance to equal his career high for wins in a season. To do so, he must pitch better than he did in his last outing.

The Minnesota right-hander looks to bounce back and build some momentum for the postseason when the AL Central champion Twins continue their home series with the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night.

Carol Pavano (17-11, 3.83 ERA) is about to conclude his best regular season since going 18-8 with a 3.00 ERA for Florida in 2004. The 34-year-old has thrown more than 200 innings for the first time since that same season, and his seven complete games match his previous career total.



Pavano's last start was not very gratifying. He squandered a five-run, first-inning lead, allowing seven runs and three homers in four innings of an 11-10, 13-inning loss at Detroit on Saturday.

Pavano got hammered twice this year by the BJays, but both starts were on the road. He is a much better pitcher at home.
Look for the Twins to bounce back on Friday night and get the win and us the cash. 5*

5*

5*

Colorado is 14-3 their last 17 games at home and start Jhoulys Chacin (9-9, 3.30), who has gone 4-0 in his last six starts while allowing four earned runs over 38 innings, and none in his last two outings.

The young 22-year-old rookie right-hander has been on fire and threw eight scoreless innings during Saturday's 12-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Chacin also has pitched well against San Francisco this season, going 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA. Look for Colorado to snap their losing streak and get back in the playoff hunt with a win on Friday night. 5*

The Mets are winding down a lost season and they are a terrible road team. Starter Jonathon Niese is 1-3 with a 5.66 ERA against Florida this season. The Florida offense is very good, sixth in the NL in runs scored and Alex Sanabia (4-3, 3.88 ERA) has a good arm with few walks allowed. Great value on the home team in this one as it looks like the Mets have packed it in and their manager is worried about losing his job to Joe Torre. 5*

Having already clinched the American League Central title for a second straight year last night and some partying and then having to come out and play an early day game spells trouble for the Twins.

Minnesota, which locked up the AL Central with 11 games left in the season, has played without MVP catcher Joe Mauer the last two games because of a left knee injury. He's expected to miss today's bout with the Tribe and may rest even more now that the Twins have locked up the division. The Twins may also rest other starters today.

The Twins starter Nick Blackburn is 9-10 with a 5.43 ERA in 25 games (23 starts) and lost his most recent appearance last Friday in a 3-1 setback versus Oakland. He gave up three runs in seven innings and surrendered eight hits.

Blackburn recently tossed eight shutout innings in a no-decision against the Indians on September 11 at Progressive Field and is 5-3 in 12 career games (10 starts) in this series.

Cleveland will try to put the brakes on a three-game losing streak and salvage the finale of this set. Fausto Carmona took the mound last night and did not record a decision after he limited Minnesota to a pair of runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. Justin Masterson was saddled with the loss for giving up three runs in the decisive four-run eighth inning.

Hoping to bring the Tribe back into the win today will be youngster Carlos Carrasco, who's 1-0 with a 2.70 earned run average in four starts this season. He won his first major league game the previous time out in an 11-4 triumph at Kansas City last Friday, as he yielded three runs in six innings with six K's.

Carrasco faced the Twins for the first time on September 11 this season and did not post a decision, despite pitching 7 1/3 shutout innings in a 1-0 loss.

Lets back the Cleveland Indians this afternoon.
5*

5*

The Yankees are in their worst run of the season. They have dropped four straight games for the first time this year and they are 1-7 over their last eight games as the offense has completely shut down. Arod isn't hitting, Jeter is having an off year and they aren't in sync right now.
New York has averaged 2.9 rpg over this eight-game stretch. The Yankees have dropped the first four games of this roadtrip and going back to the last series with Tampa Bay, they are 7-12 in their last 19 road games.
5* TB RAYS

The Detroit Tigers have won 3 straight games and very good at home posting a 46-26 record. Baltimore has very struggled at home and against the AL Central with a 12-18 record.
On Friday night Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga is on the mound and umpire Jim Joyce is behind the plate. He is the Ump who cost Galarraga a PERFECT GAME a few months ago and you best beleive he will get a lot of strikes called his way.
Everything points to Detroit on Friday night, so lay the juice with Detroit as our 10* MLB GAME OF THE YEAR.

My best bet for WEdnesday is on the LA Dodgers on the road in San Diego against the Padres. The Dodgers are sending righty Chad Billingsley (11-8, 3.54 ERA) to the mound at Petco Park in San Diego and they

Arizona has been playing solid ball over its last 14 games.
After getting shutout in extra innings on Monday, look for the Diamondback bats to get back on track tonight.

Arizona is throwing Enright on the mound tonight who is 5-0 with a 2.18 ERA in nine starts since a loss to Florida on July 11.

Enright's last three starts have seen him outpitch Lincecum, Jimenez and San Diego's Mat Latos, one of the top young arms in baseball.

Tonight he's also facing a San Francisco club that has won five of six despite a .181 batting average during that span.

SF plays just .500 baseball on the road and struggles against the NL West division. I think we'll steal a win tonight with Arizona at home as a small underdog. 10*

Texas' 10-game road trip has turned sour after a positive start, and a visit to Toronto could make it hard for the Rangers to get back on track.

The AL West-leading Rangers look to avoid a fourth consecutive loss overall and sixth straight to the Blue Jays on Monday afternoon.

Texas just got swept in a three-game set against AL Central-leading Minnesota over the weekend and now face Toronto without Josh Hamilton is their lineup.

Texas is already down batting just .214 and been outscored 41-22 while going 1-5 against the Blue Jays this season. Swept at Toronto in May, Texas has lost five in a row and 10 of 13 at Rogers Centre.

Ricky Romero (11-8, 3.60 ERA) has allowed two runs and struck out 22 over 22 1-3 innings while going 1-1 in three starts versus Texas. He improved to 1-0 with a 0.56 ERA in two starts this season after matching a career high with 12 strikeouts during a five-hit, 6-0 home win over Texas on May 15. Romero is very good in day starts and I love Toronto at home in this spot Monday afternoon. 5*

It

The Reds hit leftys well, play good at night and on grass, so everything lines up tonight!
STL returns home after a long 10 game road trip with series losses to Pittsburgh, Washington and Houston.


St Louis is a poor 2-7 as a home favorite vs a team that has won at least their last four games.
The Cardinals beat Arroyo 6-1 on August 11th in Cincinnati behind Adam Wainwright. Arroyo is spectacular in the 2nd half of the season and in this revenge spot, going a perfect 5-0 THIS season on the road when seeking revenge for a team loss in his last start vs this opponent.

The last time Arroyo pitched, was the last time the Reds lost.
The Reds are 8-0 with Bronson Arroyo when they scored a total of fewer than three runs in his last start. EVERY win was by multiple runs. Also, Cincinnati is 6-0 when Bronson Arroyo starts on the road after losing as a home favorite in his last start.

The Cardinals are 0-6 in franchise history with Garcia as a home favorite when they won his last start and he went at least five innings.

Cincinnati has all the momentum and we can

Roy Oswalt pitched seven scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers three weeks ago, exactly the type of outing the Philadelphia Phillies were hoping the three-time All-Star could provide down the stretch.

He hasn't slowed down since. He has historically been great in the 2nd half of the season.

Oswalt has performed like an ace in his past four outings, a standard he'll look to maintain in Wednesday's finale as he tries to lead the Phillies to a series victory at Dodger Stadium.

Oswalt is 7-2 with a 2.89 ERA in 10 starts versus the Dodgers and 2-0 with a 1.06 ERA in his last two road starts against them.

He's done an outstanding job retiring Los Angeles' 3-4-5 hitters. Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and James Loney are a combined 6 for 34 (.176) against Oswalt. If you can shut them down you shutdown the Dodgers.



Howard will be happy to see September's arrival. He's a .307 hitter with 49 homers during the month, both career bests.
Play the Phillies this afternoon to get another win and take the series before heading to Colorado. 5*

Until SD shows me they are back on track, I'll continue to play against them.
Arizona starter Ian Kennedy has 23 strikeouts and 4 walks in his last 3 starts. The Diamondbacks are 5-1 with Kennedy his last 6 home starts vs. a team with a winning record.
San Diego starter Kevin Correia has allowed 14 runs total in his last 2 starts and while SD has the better record, we'll back the hotter team right now with the Diamondback of Arizona. 5*

The Dodgers (67-64), on the other hand, won the first four games of their road trip but finished with a pair of losses after falling 10-5 in Colorado on Sunday. They're 6 1/2 games behind the Phillies in the wild-card race.
With 3 games against the Phillies, this is a chance for the Dodgers to get back into the playoff race.

The Phillies have owned SD so their sweep against them was no surprise.

Scott Podsednik, who may be one of a few Los Angeles hitters that's looking forward to facing Halladay (16-9, 2.22 ERA). Podsednik is 5 for 12 (.417) against the NL ERA leader, while Andre Ethier is 3 for 4 with a homer.


Hiroki Kuroda (9-11, 3.56), meanwhile, has had recent success versus Philadelphia. The Japanese righty went 1-0 with a 0.95 ERA in three starts against the Phillies from 2008-09, lasting at least six innings while allowing two hits or fewer each time.

He's posted a 2.89 ERA in his past four starts overall, though Wednesday's outing at Milwaukee was his first win in that span.
Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are a combined 0 for 19 against Kuroda so he has their number and I like the Dodgers at home tonight as our only play.
5*

I'm taking the Phillies and Cole Hamels to beat San Diego again and Clayton Richard.

Hamels is 7-10, but there may not be a bigger gap between performance and his highly misleading won/lost record.

Hamels has been close to brilliant in his last 11 starts, turning in a 2.74 ERA. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is 42-to-4 during his past five starts. Compare that to Richard, whose strikeout-to-walk ration in his last five starts is 19-to-14.

On the season, Hamels has allowed 117 hits in a 132 1/3 innings and has 170 strikeouts to only 50 walks, highly impressive for a power pitcher. His record isn't any better because the Phillies have scored only four runs for him during his last four outings.
The middle of the Phillies lineup went 0-16 last night despite getting the win on just 3 hits.


The Phillies are healthy now and dangerous, trying for a three-game sweep.
The Phillies have a strong history of playing well in San Diego having won 10 of their last 11 road contests against the Padres during the past four seasons.
A 10* on the Phillies as our only selection on Sunday.

Facing Tampa Bay six times over the next 12 games gives the Boston Red Sox an ideal chance to gain significant round in the playoff race.
Boston could reduce those deficits over the next 13 days. After this series ends Sunday, the Red Sox and Rays will meet for the final time in the regular season from Sept. 6-8 at Fenway Park.

John Lester is 7-3 with a 4.18 ERA in 14 starts against Tampa Bay, including 3-0 with a 3.60 ERA in five road games against the Rays. The left-hander won his last outing there May 25 by yielding one hit with nine strikeouts and five walks in six innings of a 2-0 victory.

A return to Tropicana Field could be what Lester needs to rebound from the shortest start of his five-year career. He allowed a personal-high nine runs in two innings of a 16-2 loss to Toronto last Friday. I fully expect him to bounce back tonight.
On the other hand TB starter Price has no record and a 4.50 ERA in two starts since setting the franchise record for wins in a season on Aug. 9. He was tagged for four runs and six hits in six innings of a 5-4 win over Oakland on Saturday.
I like the underdog REdSox tonight. 5*

10* NL GAME OF THE MONTH:
Colorado goes for their 4th straight win on Wednesday afternoon.
Carlos Gonzalez, 1 for 4 with a home run against Jurrjens, homered for the 26th time Tuesday as the Rockies (65-60) improved to 40-20 at home with their third consecutive victory overall. The Rockies are very good at home and play well in day games and I like them this afternoon.

Atlanta must avoid more nights like Tuesday, when Alex Gonzalez provided all the offense with a homer and two RBIs.

Derrek Lee, however, went 1 for 4 and is 2 for 19 with eight strikeouts in five games since the Braves acquired him from the Cubs last week. The big bats are struggling for Atlanta and they face a pitcher they've never seen before.



Esmil Rogers (2-2, 4.53) makes his fourth straight start for Colorado since being recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs earlier this month.

Look for Colorado to get a big win at home and sweep this series.

Tonight we are playing the Detroit Tigers. KC has to be tired as they played 3 games in a 24 hr period between Saturday evenings DoubleHeader and Sundays early game. If that wasn't enough, all 3 games went into extra innings, plus KC had to travel to Detroit.
The Royals bullpen is spent and Detroit will take advantage here at home.
5* on the Tigers.

I look for the Cardinals to stop their 4 game losing streak. They have the better offense and play very well off a day off.
The Cardinals will look to build on their 8-3 record in their last 11 games following an off day. Lets play on ST Louis on Friday night as our only selection of the day. 5*

The Marlins went 0 for 27 with men in scoring position against the Reds and that trend continued Monday, when they went 0 for 6. Florida has scored just seven runs during its four-game skid and the Pirates are ready to ambush them again tonight.Most of the Marlins players are ice cold at the plate.
Ricky Nolasco (13-8, 4.39) will try to help the Marlins snap a five-game losing streak at PNC Park. Florida has gone 7-19 in its last 26 at Pittsburgh.Play the Pirates to stick it to the fish again on Tuesday night as a nice juicy home underdog.
5*

The Mariners will try to improve to 3-0 under their interim manager Wednesday by completing their fourth sweep of the A's in the teams' last six series at Safeco Field.

A managerial change has made a different just like it did with Baltimore and the Seattle offense and pitching has looked great!

Seattle has revenge against Dallas BRaden from an earlier loss this year and the left-hander will make his first start in Seattle since Sept. 11, 2007, and is 0-1 with an 8.71 ERA in three games there. Braden is 1-1 with a 4.84 ERA in four career starts against the Mariners. Play Seattle as a 5* play to get the cash again on WEdnesday afternoon.

4*

The Yankees swept this series back in April, but it will be different this time around.

Texas was outscored 17-6 in three straight losses at Yankee Stadium in April.


AJ Burnett has been injuried lately and I beleive the Rangers bat will get to him. The Yankees will also be without Mark Texiera tonight.



Rangers scheduled starter C.J. Wilson (10-5, 3.30) is also hoping to rebound from a shaky outing. Texas is 16-6 when Wilson starts.
He has done a stellar job of shutting down Alex Rodriguez in his career, holding him hitless in 10 at-bats.
So no Tex and a pitcher who has shutdown ARod means no power in the Yankees lineup and I like Texas to get a big win here on Tuesday night as they play extremely well in night games and off a days rest.
10* TEXAS RANGERS.

5*

5*

Milwaukee has a losing record at home and has been a big disappointment all season. This high strikeout offense continues to swing at anything.
Brett Myers has already set a Houston Astros franchise record by completing at least six innings in 22 consecutive starts to begin the season.
Not only has the right-hander pitched deep into games, but he's also almost always given the Astros a chance to win, holding opponents to four runs or fewer in 21 of his 22 outings. The Astros have the hotter bats, while the Brewers look lost at the plate.

Play the visitor and the ASTROS tonight as a 5* play.

4*

5*

Free Play Winner

Matt Scherzer (7-8, 4.28) has also taken advantage of the park's spacious dimensions, posting a 1.33 ERA while winning all six of his home starts since a loss to Baltimore on May 14.

This is the right-hander's second start against the White Sox. He gave up three runs over 7 1-3 innings in a 3-0 road loss June 10.

Scherzer was sharp in his last outing, yielding one run over 6 1-3 innings of Saturday's 5-4 loss at Boston. He did not get a decision, but lowered his ERA in day games to 2.63 - compared to his 5.43 ERA at night. He is very good during the day and I really like him in this spot this afternoon.

The Tigers got third baseman Brandon Inge back and he went 3 for 4 after being activated from the disabled list. 10* play on the DETROIT TIGERS.

Anibal Sanchez was positively dominant in tossing a one-hitter his last time out, and I expect another solid performance from him tonight against the Phillies who are missing Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in the lineup.
Sanchez takes the mound and has been very good at home and is 3-1 record with an ERA of only 1.95 against the Phils since September 22, 2009. The Phillies have lost 6 of Kendrick's 10 road starts this season, and he is carrying an ERA of 4.41 in those games. I like the Marlins at home tonight! 5*

Free Play winner

The Orioles have a new manager and I like them tonight in this spot. The Angels are also ice cold right now and have lost 11 of 14 on the road.

Jeremy Guthrie has been very impressive since the All-Star Break. The right-hander is 1-1 with a 1.31 ERA in three outings since then, and rolls into this one after giving up one run and six hits over seven innings of last Wednesday

Hudson will try to help the Braves re-establish themselves as the best home team in baseball when they open a three-game series against the Mets on Monday night. Atlanta (59-45) capped a 3-6 road trip with Sunday's 2-1 loss at Cincinnati. The Braves hit .179 with runners in scoring position on the trip, going 1 for 10 on Sunday. Bobby Cox has said he will have a closed door meeting with the team and I expect some fire out of them on Monday night.
The Braves are a major league-best 34-13 at home, and Hudson has won six of nine starts there behind a 2.31 ERA. The right-hander is 3-1 with a 2.22 ERA in his last four overall games, and has a 0.61 ERA in winning the last two. Hudson is 11-5 with a 3.54 ERA in 17 starts versus the Mets (53-52). However, he's 3-0 with a 1.71 ERA in his last three against them, scattering four hits over seven innings in a 4-0 victory at Citi Field on July 10.

Santana is coming off one of his worst performances of the season. He just doesnt have the power he used to. PLAY THE ATLANTA BRAVES......

5*

Free Pick

5*

10* Oddsmaker Mistake GAME OF THE YEAR:
Last night marked the first time the Astros have beaten the Brewers in back-to-back games for the first time in 22 tries.
Saturday night I like our chances with David Bush on the hill for Milwaukee. He has been pitching great lately and the Astros just got rid of their 2 best players. THey traded Roy Oswalt to the Phillies and on Saturday Lance Berkman will be traded to the Yankees so the Astros will be without his bat in the middle of the lineup. Now their cleanup hitter is Carlos Lee and he is just batting .236. The entire Astros lineup has one player batting over .270.
Look for MIlwaukee to bounce back tonight as Corey Hart, Price Fielder, Ryan Braun, their 2-3-4 hitters went a combined 0-11 last night and The BRewers get the nod and the win here on Saturday.

The Philadelphia Phillies are red hot having won eight out of nine games and I expect them to get back to their winning ways after dropping last night's game. The Phillies starting pitcher Joe Blanton coughed up two first inning runs in his last start against the Rockies but settled down from there and picked up his first win since beating Cleveland on June 24th.
He usually has 1 bad inning and then turns it up.
I look for another solid outing by Blanton in this game and I expect the Phillies offense to provide him with plenty of run support as Washington sends Ross Detwiler to the mound who was terrible in his last start. 5*

The Reds will send Johnny Cueto to the bump with a 5-1 record at home, ERA of 3.63 and a WHIP of 0.769. Cincinnati is 12-6 in Cueto

The KC Royals just traded away their best player last night and lose their leadoff batter who does it all.

Scott Podsednik has a 15 game hitting streak with 10 HR a .310 batting average and has 60 steals on the season.

Minnesota outscored the Royals 36-7 in the lopsided series. While winning has built the Twins' confidence, losing 13 of 16 has shot Kansas Citys and they look dis-interested. Baltimore has the better bats, lineup and better pitchers.
Great underdog value tonight with the Baltimore Orioles as a 10* Underdog Game of the Month.

5*

The Boston Red Sox face an uphill climb to return to the postseason, but a roster slowly regaining its health is making that climb look more realistic.

A healthy, rejuvenated Josh Beckett would be one of the biggest pieces to the puzzle.

Making his second start since coming off the disabled list, Beckett looks to lead the Red Sox to a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels and a winning record on their 10-game road trip, which concludes Wednesday afternoon in Anaheim.

Beckett is a better pitcher on the road with fewer walks and his ERA is 1 full run lower.
I expect BOSTON to win this afternoon and get the 3-game sweep! 10* AL GAME OF THE WEEK.

Minnesota hands the ball to Duensing who will be making his second start after replacing Blackburn in the rotation. He will be on a pitch count and probably only go 5 innings.
Minnesota has totaled 40 runs and 58 hits in scoring in double digits in three straight games for the first time since June 11-13, 1967.

The last three contests for the Royals have conversely been ugly. Never in their history had they allowed this many runs (42) and hits (53) in three consecutive games. I think they'll salvage the final game of this series this afternoon with Bannister on the mound.


The right-hander should be helped by the afternoon start time since he's 4-1 with a 3.05 ERA in seven day outings compared to 2-6 with a 7.10 ERA in 11 at night.

Bannister allowed just two runs over 6 1-3 innings to earn a 4-3 win over the Twins on April 25.
5* on the KC ROYALS.

Lackey will pitch in Angel Stadium on Tuesday night for the first time since bolting from his only major league team to sign a big-money deal with the Boston Red Sox.


Jered Weaver (9-6, 3.22 ERA), who replaced Lackey as the Angels' ace this season has been very good and dominant. He has great stuff and he'll stop the RedSox 5 game winning streak against the Angels. The Angels left 20 runners on base last night and they'll get the key hits they need tonight against their former teammate in Lackey.
5* play on the LA Angels tonight.

Colorado has averaged 3.1 runs in dropping 8 of 10 on the road and several players are really struggling at the plate including Carlos Gonzalez as he is batting .188 (6 for 32) with two RBIs and 13 strikeouts thus far on the road trip.



Meanwhile, Philadelphia (52-46) has won four straight and scored 20 runs in this series. The Phillies have won seven in a row at home and I like them to complete the sweep on Monday afternoon.

Joe Blanton has historically pitched very well after the All-Star break.
The Rockies are the only NL team Blanton has never faced, and that is a huge advantage for Blanton and his pitching.

Colorado expects shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to return from his lengthy stint on the disabled list Tuesday, but it will be a day too late as the Phillies win again on Monday afternoon and the Rockies offensive problems continue.
5* selection.

4*

Free Pick

The Giants are playing very good baseball right now having won eight of their last ten games with the two losses by a total of three runs. This afternoon they send their ace Lincecum to the mound. The Giants righty is once again having a very strong season with a 14-6 team start record and 3.18 ERA. Pitching away from home he

4*

With at least 11 hits in three straight games, the Philadelphia Phillies appear to have fought through their recent offensive funk.
On the other hand Colorado is struggling and are batting .204 over their last 10 while their starters have a 5.67 ERA.
5* play on the Phillies this afternoon with JA Happ.

Tonight I'm backing the A's as they look to continue their hot streak when they host the White Sox in Oakland.

Oakland has been playing very well lately, winning five of six since the All-Star break and taking seven of eight overall. Look for them to rough up the White Sox tonight behind the pitching of Trevor Cahill (9-3, 3.19 ERA).

Cahill is a stellar 5-1 at home this season with a 2.14 ERA and in his last home outing he held the Angels to one unearned run in seven innings of a 5-2 victory.

Chicago is on slides of 2-6 when Buehrle starts on Friday, 4-14 when he faces a winning team on the road, 0-4 when they are road

Barry Zito is coming off one of his best starts of the season, giving up two hits while matching a season high with 10 strikeouts in eight innings to earn a win in a 1-0 victory over New York on Friday night. Expect him to come back down to earth as I dont see the Dodgers getting swept in two straight series.



Los Angeles will counter with Chad Billingsley (7-5, 4.61). He is 3-2 with a 3.18 ERA in 11 starts against San Francisco.
After blowing a 5-1 lead last night and Don Mattingly not knowing the rules and losing Broxton in the 9th, they'll be ready and prepared tonight and snap their losing streak. 10* play on the LA DODGERS.

No doubt, Colorado

The Detroit Tigers will try to avoid its first seven-game losing streak in more than 2 years.
I believe there is excellent value on the Tigers in this situation. Texas is just 1-11 its last 12 at Detroit.

Armando Galarraga heads to the hill for Detroit after being send down to the AAA for assignment. The Detroit pitchers seem to respond very well after being send down.
Galarraga is coming off a successful stint in the minors and has a big opportunity tonight to cement his place in the majors. Detroit also remains 17-4 its last 21 in front of the home crowd. Detroit is very good at home sporting a(32-14) record and will be desperate as it looks to avoid its first seven-game losing streak in more than two years. 5*

The Dodgers are off a 5-4 loss in St Louis in which they took a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the eighth and blew it in the 9th inning and got swept in STL.




The Giants are hot and have won 9 of their last 11 and are finally playing like the team they should be. They actually should have won on Sunday, but the umpire made a terrible call at home plate costing SF the game and they lost in extra innings.

Madison Bumgarner starts for the Giants. The young phenom has been very good in his last two starts and is clearly settling into his new role in the majors. His last three starts have been on the road, so the location won

Seattle has no POWER or consistant hitters in their lineup. They traded away their best pitcher and the clubhouse is down. Santana and the Angels are 6-1 at home. In addition, the LA Angels show at 27-10 overall in Los Angeles against the struggling Mariners. Finally, we find the Angels at 40-18 at home in Sunday affairs. LAA gets the 4 game sweep on Sunday. 5*

David Price has won 15 of the last 17 games vs. division opponents and he has also won 14 of the last 16 day games. David Price is 2-0 vs. New York over his career with an ERA of 2.39 and he is also 12-4 in all starts this season with an ERA of 2.42.
Price had gone eight consecutive starts in which he gave up three earned runs or fewer, and in his last three outings he

Carl Pavano, 5-0 with a 2.87 ERA in his last seven starts. The WhiteSox may also be without Carlos Quentin as he is questionable. Carl Pavano sports a 10-6 record with a 3.58 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. The Twins have won five of their last six games against teams with a winning record with Pavano taking the ball. The veteran faces Mark Buerhle with his 8-7 record which accompanies a 4.24 ERA and and a high 1.43 WHIP. 5*

All about 2 teams heading in opposite directions. Oakland has a nice winning streak and beats the teams under .500 while KC is struggling dropping 4 in a row. Oakland right-hander Trevor Cahill is 9-3 with a 2.94 ERA in 15 starts this season, 11 of which the A

Even though the White Sox team has won nine in a row and 26 of their last 31, I like the Twins at home in this spot tonight.
Francisco Liriano is coming off one of his worst starts ever giving up 5 walks and he gave up a career high-tying seven runs and lasted just 1 2-3 innings in Friday's 7-3 loss at Detroit.
Even though the WhiteSox are hot, I think we have a good edge tonight with the Twins and Liriano at home. 5*

The Los Angeles Dodgers travel to St. Louis for a 4-game series against the host Cardinals with game one on Thursday night.
The Cards will start Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter with his 9-3 record and ERA of 3.29. His last two starts have been awful allowing eleven earned runs against the Brewers and Rockies and he doesn't seem himself.
Manny Ramirez is expected back tonight for LA and Clayton Kershaw (9-4, 2.96), who only allowed two runs or fewer in nine of his last 12 starts.
Play the LA DODGERS tonight as a 10* play.

Nice price to only lay since the AL has dominated this game.
This is a very important game for Manager Joe Girardi, as he really has something to play for with home field advantage being on the line. The Yankees clearly had the advantage with home field last year against the Phillies and its an important game tonight!
Being in an AL stadium and have home field, I like the American League to get the cash with the stronger bats in their lineup tonight. 3*

Justin Morneau is expected to be back in the Twins lineup this afternoon and they've missed him and need his bat.
Minnesota's Carl Pavano has enjoyed his career appearances against the Tigers. He sports a 2.88 ERA & 1.06 WHIP in seven career starts against them, including a 3.34 ERA & 1.00 WHIP at Comerica. Pavano has pitched well on the road and in daytime action this season. In fact, all three of his complete games in 2010 have come in road day starts.

The Twins are on a 5-1 run when Pavano takes the hill. They have outscored the six opponents by a combined 36 to 17, an average final score of 6-3.
The Twins are also on a 44-21 run as a favorite, and they're 5-1 in Pavano's last six starts. Meanwhile, the Tigers are on a 3-8 slide as an underdog. Lets finish the 1st half with a strong 5* play on the TWINS here.

Oakland has lost 4 in a row and seem lost at times at the plate. The Angels got swept in Chicago and want to head into the All-Star Break on a nice winning note.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia talked to his team after and challenged the Angels to be better as well. Scott Kazmir has a 1.42 ERA against light hitting Oakland this season, and I think he'll get the job done again tonight.
Play the LA Angels as our 10* AL GAME OF THE WEEK.

Coming off their highest-scoring game in three years, the Giants look to sweep a four-game series from the Brewers at Miller Park in Thursday's finale. Its a hitters park and the Giants are doing just that.


Manny Parra is wild and walks too many batters.
Expect plenty of offense for San Fran once again as I like them this afternoon.
5*

A day after learning Jake Peavy will likely miss the rest of the season, the White Sox look to complete a four-game home sweep of the Los Angeles Angels for the first time in 27 years Thursday afternoon.
Chicago overcame 5 errors and moved ahead of Minnesota in the AL Central, staying one game behind first-place Detroit. The White Sox have won 21 of 26, during which the starters are 16-5 with a 2.51 ERA. They are getting great pitching and I like them Thursday afternoon again.




John Danks is a quality lefthander who is a workhorse. Expect Chicago to bounce back defensively and sweep the Angels this afternoon.
5*

The Phillies are thick in a pennant race with an offense that has been clicking the last three weeks, and off a loss in extra innings last night where they only had 3 hits.


Philadelphia starter Jamie Moyer doesn't walk anyone, which is key in a park like this and he loves to pitch against free swinging power hitters like the Braves lineup and he'll fool them with his off speed junk.
Jamie Moyer loves the heat and has a 1.71 ERA his last three starts. He is 2-0 against the Braves this season, without allowing a run! 10* NL GAME OF THE WEEK on the Phillies.

Weaver could easily be the best pitcher in the American League. He has elevated himself to ace status this season. It's a joke he wasn't named to the All-Star team and he'll show why tonight. Look for Weaver to be especially motivated after being snubbed. He's given up just two earned runs in his last three starts spanning 21 innings. He has a 28-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio during this span.
The Angels are the better hitting club ranking ninth in runs and 17th in batting average. The White Sox are 20th in runs scored and 23rd in batting average. LA came off a long home stand and had to go all the way to Chicago to play that game last night. After losing and get acclimated they

The Mets are returning home after a 7 game road trip.
Pelfrey is off a poor start at Florida and didn't have good stuff.
Jose Reyes is still banged up and the Reds are by far the much better team.
Cincinnati is like an AL team with the big bats in their lineup.
Aaron Harang has started to perform better, and his WHIP is starting to come down and he is getting strikeouts and avoiding walks.
The Reds are playing good baseball, and I like them in this spot Monday night.
5*

On Sunday afternoon Los Angeles

Cliff Lee struggles in Detroit and has a 5-9 with a 4.76 ERA lifetime against the Tigers, losing his last three starts. The Tigers have outscored the Mariners 13-2 in the first two games of the series. Detroit has scored 35 runs and hit .308 over its last 6 games and received another boost with the return of Miguel Cabrera to their lineup.

Cabrera has a 12 game hitting streak and also won 12 of 13 at home. This team is very good at home and can hit lefties.
Bonderman is coming around and I like his chances to win his 3rd straight game.
Play DETROIT as a 10* Forth of July Banger!

This matchup will see Francisco Liriano (6-6, 3.47 ERA) try to end his three-start losing streak for Minnesota. I fully expect him to bounce back from his worst outing of the year. He was off his game and tried to do too much

The left-hander is 2-1 with a 2.39 ERA in four starts against Tampa Bay.
The Twins are healthy and have the better hitters. The top of their lineup was 0-16 on Friday and they are too good not to come back hit Saturday afternoon.
Play the Twins as a 5* play.

The Dodgers have beaten the Diamondbacks 7 games in a row but I expect that streak to end tonght. Dodgers starter Kuroda is coming off a 5.1 IP, 4 ERA, 7 Hit outing v NYY. Arizona also will have a new manager in the dugout tonight to mix things up a little.

Jackson is coming off his untidy 149 pitch 1-0 no-hitter v TB in which he walked 8 batters. He will be pitching on 2 extra days

4*

Carlos Silva (8-2, 3.01 ERA) should give Chicago a solid shot at six more strong innings and a win this afternoon. The right-hander, 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA in two starts against the Reds, has gone at least six innings and allowed three or fewer runs in five consecutive outings.

The Cubs were 10-0 when Silva started from April 16-June 7, but they've dropped his last three - all interleague games. Now back in NL action we should get in the win column again.

The REds are throwing out a rookie in Travis Wood making his major league debut.Its gonna be tough for him in Wrigley Field and I like the Cubs this afternoon. 10*

The Padres will try to avoid getting swept for the first time since May 14-16th this afternoon.
San Diego starter Clayton Richard has been very solid and has great stuff. As long as he doesn't get crazy with walks.
Rockies starter Francis is 5-10 with a 5.15 ERA in 18 starts against San Diego. Colorado will most likely be without Todd Helton today with a sore back.
Play the SD PADRES as a 10* selection.

5*

This matchup will feature quite a pitching duel between the newcomer Strasburg and the veteran Hudson. Hudson gave up 2 runs on 5 hits in 7 innings of work earlier this season in Washington and posts a lifetime 1.62 ERA against the Nats. Hudson has also been lights out at home where he has only given up 7 runs in 5 starts. The Braves are 23-6 at home this season and have a lot of veteran players who dont strikeout and make contact. Strasburg likely on a pitch count again and I will back the Braves tonight! 5*

The Marlins just got swept at home against the Padres scoring a total of 3 runs in 3 games. Ricky Nolasco, who has good stuff will get them back on track tonight. 4*

Andy Pettitte loves to pitch during the day. This is a 5pm local start in LA and I love the Yankees at this price. Pettitte has an ERA of 2.48 overall, and a stunning 1.96 on the road. Pettitte won't have to be facing a DH tonight either, with an NL team hosting the game.The Dodgers just don't matchup well at all against the American League powers, despite yesterday's results. They were embarrassed by the LA Angels in their rivalry sixpack this year, and they got swept last weekend in Boston. Play the Yankees on Sunday night ESPN action. 5*

A home run hitting offenses meets a pitcher in Moyer who gives them up in a home run park. Toronto lefty Brett Cecil has never faced the Phillies so he'll have the advantage. Play the Blue Jays on Sunday. 5*

LA veteran righty Hiroki Kuroda is very underated. He has been their best pitcher, with a 3.06 ERA overall and a sizzling 0.95 ERA his last three starts, with just 3 walks. On the other hand AJ Burnett has been a grease fire allowing 12 HR's, terrible control and with an ERA over 10 in his last 6 starts.
Look for a fired up effort from Dodgers and Joe Torre to notch a win against his old team. Play a 10* play on the LA Dodgers.

We are using just 1 selection on Friday nights card.
Winning series haven't been too difficult for the Los Angeles Angels in the last month after winning their seventh series in the last nine.



The Colorado game last night lasted 4 hours, 48 minutes plus they had to travel.
Pitching has been a recent problem for the Rockies, who have given up six or more runs in four of their last five games. Angels starter

Jered Weaver (7-3, 3.04 ERA) will try to continue his solid work in interleague play after he gave up two hits and struck out 11 over seven innings of a 12-0 win over the Cubs on Saturday for his third win in four starts overall.

With the victory, the right-hander improved to 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in three interleague starts this year.I like the Angels with the better pitcher and fresher team on Friday night! 5*

Last night the Twins left 17 runners on base and could not get the clutch hits. Tonight Minnesota should be able to get the hits they need facing the Brewers Manny Parra who is just 1-5 with an 8.81 ERA in his last 6 team starts during June.
The AL Central-leading Twins have been one of the Brewers toughest tests in interleague play, winning the last 5 series between the clubs. To continue they'll need to get a win tonight. The Twins send southpaw Francisco Liriano the the hill in Milwaukee in Game 2 of this three game Interleague matchup knowing Liriano is 7-1 away in his career team starts during the month of June. He is also 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA in his career team starts against the Brewers. Minnesota is 33-15 the past 3 years in inter-league play and they'll bounce back tonight.
10*

Florida has only won more than two straight victories just once since mid-May. Guess what- they've won 2 in a row and just fired their manager.

Now it will be up to interim manager Edwin Rodriguez to try and turn the Marlins' season around.

The Marlins will face Brian Matusz (2-7, 4.67 ERA) for the first time.

The left-hander is in the midst of an 11-game winless streak but has pitched very well in four starts this month, posting a 2.39 ERA and going 0-2 in that span. The Orioles gave him five runs of support in those outings.

Matusz allowed just one run in six innings of a 3-2 loss to San Diego on Friday.

Florida will counter with Ricky Nolasco (5-6, 4.90), who lost his last two starts.
I like Baltimore in this spot at home tonight.
5*

4*