I like CC and I still think the power left-hander is one of the best in the business, despite a rather mediocre 4-3 record and 3.31 ERA. CC pitches very well in his next outing after getting the loss. And if there is anywhere he can do it, it could very well be here, as he has shined against National League opponents since signing with the Yankees. In 16 starts since 2009, he has a 2.83 ERA, with 11 Interleague Wins. I like the Yankees here on Thursday afternoon to get us the win and the cash. 5*

Aaron Harang knows both the Pirates and PNC Park from his days pitching in Cincinnati for the Reds, and while Harang is just 1-3 with an ERA over 8, a trip back to his comfort again will work for him. Pittsburgh comes into this one off back-to-back weekend losses at home to Washington, and starter James McDonald is just 2-2 with a 5.76 ERA this season, so it is not like the M's bats are likely to get shutdown this Tuesday evening in the Steel City. Good value backing the M's here, so back'em over Pitt on Tuesday night. 5*

Bartolo Colon gave up five runs in six innings in his last start, but he's been consistently good overall. He's pitched at least six innings in each of his first five starts and the A's are 5-0 when he starts. Now facing one of his old teams, he should have no problem against this weak Yankees offense. 10*

Lefty Wei-Yin Chen will take the mound for Baltimore and he is 2-2 on the season with a 2.53 ERA, .211 OBA and 1.00 WHIP. Chen has been impressive so far this year as he has faced Tampa Bay, Boston, Yankees, Dodgers, and Oakland. Over his last 3 starts he has pitched 20 innings of work giving up just 4 earned runs.
The Orioles are 6th in the Majors in team batting average, while Seattle is 22nd. Note that Baltimore has won 9 of their last 13 games overall, and are 4-0 in Chen's last 4 starts as a favorite between -110 to -150. Baltimore is 9-1 in their last 10 meetings with Seattle and 6-1 in their last 7 in Seattle. Chen is pitching great right now and not getting enough credit here and I will happily take the line we are getting on the Orioles tonight vs a struggling Seattle pitcher.
10* AL GAME OF THE WEEK

It is a matter of time before the Angels go on a run, as they are too talented to continue struggling. Oakland made its mark early in the season as they rattled off nine straight wins, but otherwise they have been bad. Over their last 10 games they stand at just 2-8 and have fallen to .500 at home. Dan Straily has had problems with the Angel's lineup a year ago, as he pitched to a 6.35 ERA against them. The Angels have thrived after a great pitching performance, as they are 12-3 in their last 15 after allowing 2 or less runs in their previous game. Take the Angels here on Monday night as a small underdog.

5*

Doug Fister is 10-4 for the Tigers in his last 14 starts and has been great early for Detroit. The righty is 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA, delivering three straight quality starts. He had his shakiest start to open the season, giving up three runs and six hits in five innings of work against the Yankees. Fister then allowed just three earned runs over his next three starts against Toronto, Seattle, and the Angels. Fister has displayed sufficient control, yielding only a total of six free passes in those four outings. The Detroit team has the better bats and pitching and they'll get us the win on Sunday night. 10* AL GAME OF THE WEEK

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These two teams met last night with the Mariners winning 7-1 and out hitting the Astros 12-7. Seattle enters tonight's game 8-13 on the season and 4-7 on the road, while the Astros are 5-14 on the year and just 2-8 at home. Tonight the Mariners will send their second starter, Hisashi Iwakuma, to the mound to follow Felix Hernandez as they look for back to back wins. Iwakuma is 2-0 on the season over 4 starts with a 1.69 ERA, .135 OBA and 0.52 WHIP. His low OBA is 3rd in the Major Leagues and his WHIP is 1st well ahead of the next pitcher who is at 0.66. What I love about Iwakuma's start is that he has faced some tough opponents in Oakland, Chicago White Sox, Texas and Detroit. He has 18 strike outs on the season and just 2 walks.
The Astros are just 28-78 in their last 106 games overall and probably the worst team in baseball and Norris is 1-9 in his last 10 starts as an underdog between +110 and +150. Iwakuma has been one of the best pitchers in the Major Leagues and this Astros team will most likely struggle to produce anything tonight. I'm on the Mariners here Tuesday night!

5*

These two teams met 3 times in Texas, with the Rangers taking 2 of the 3. Rangers starter tonight, Derek Holland, pitched in one of those games with the Rangers winning 3-2. Holland is 1-1 on the season with a 1.64 ERA, .171 OBA and 0.77 WHIP.

The Angels send Joe Blanton to the rubber who is 0-3 on the season with a 8.59 ERA, .377 OBA and 2.05 WHIP. He has given up 26 hits in 14.2 innings of work, lasting 5 or less innings in all three starts. Tonight we have one of the best AL starters so far against one of the worst. Give me Texas with Holland on the mound in a pick'em situation.
5*

Toronto was picked to win their division and is now just 6-9 on the season. The Blue Jays have been without their slugger Jose Bautista due to some back problems, and without him or Jose Reyes it has really hurt them offensively. They are averaging just 3.6 runs per game. Brett Lawrie is back in the lineup but it seems his timing is off coming back from an injury. Tonight won't get any easier for the Blue Jays hitters as they face Chris Sale. Although he struggled his last time out and is 1-1 with a 5.21 ERA on the season, he went 17-8 with a 3.05 ERA last season. The Blue Jays will have their ace RA Dickey on the mound who pitched his first good start of the season in Kansas City last time out. he is 1-2 with a 5.82 ERA on the season. Chicago is 5-1 in their last 6 meetings in Toronto and I like the WSox lineup here tonight a bit more. 10*

Cliff Lee allowed eight hits, two earned runs and struck out six in 8 2/3 innings Tuesday in a victory over the Mets at Citizens Bank Park. He has been the rotation's bright spot so far this year and I expect him to take care of the Reds hitters and the Phillies bats to wake up in hitter friendly Great American Ballpark.
10* NL GAME OF THE WEEK!

During Monday's start at St. Louis, Latos struggled and lacked command early and was not locating his slider. He rarely has back-to-back poor outings and I expect a big game from him Sunday afternoon. He faces a Pirates lineup who is throwing out a AAA pitcher and first time MLB starter. I'll back the better hitters and pitcher with the REDS. 5*

5*

Doug Fister wasn't spectacular in the home opener, but he picked up the win after allowing six hits and three earned runs against the Yankees. His control was off, walking two batters, hitting two and throwing a wild pitch. I expect a much better performance this afternoon as he'll be focused.
Doug Fister's best month is April in terms of ERA (2.00) and Josh Johnson has never pitched at Comerica so I can see him getting lit up by the Tigers lineup. Take the Tigers to bounce back at home Thursday afternoon.
10* AL GAME OF THE WEEK!

The Padres played an afternoon game on Thursday in NY, then flew to Colorado, while the Rockies lay in wait after taking two of three in Milwaukee. Clearly the play is to hop on Francis in Colorado's home opener. Teams that start on the road and than make their home debut normally play great in game one. Jeff Francis takes the bump for the Rockies with a lot of confidence after his tremendous March. Jason Marquis is 18-26 with a 5.15 ERA over the last three years. Colorado has the better bats in their lineup and I'll grab the nice home price here with the Rockies. 5*

The Mets are playing good at home and the entire lineup is hitting the ball. Mets starter Gee was enjoying a career-best campaign when a blood clot in his right shoulder forced him to undergo emergency surgery over the All-Star break last July, ending his season. New York again has an advantage on the hill with Dillon Gee, who is 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA against San Diego lifetime. The Mets can complete an unexpected series sweep to start the season. He is fully healthy once again entering the year and I like him and the Mets to get the win on Thursday afternoon. 10* NL GAME OF THE WEEK

The Chicago White Sox took a chance on the injured Jake Peavy, with modest success. Peavy did well for awhile, but in the end he showed why he has become a journeyman pitcher. The Sox went 6-14 over his last 20 starts. One team that got a good look at him in those 20 games was Kansas City. The Royals pounded him, winning all three games he faced them. The total was 12 runs in 19 innings of work. The Royals will go with Ervin Santana, who has won 28 games over the last two seasons. Santana has a winning record against the White Sox in his career, while Peavy is just 4-7 vs. the Royals with an ERA of 4.85. Play the dog, and go with KC Wednesday afternoon. 5*

I think the Brewers will struggle without Corey Hart in the lineup. The Brewers have one of the worst bullpens in baseball (still) and Gorzellany is probably their best relief pitcher. With everyone healthy the Rockies ARE going to score runs, no matter where they play or what time of year it is. Chacin was scratched from his last Spring Training start, but the team said he's good to go here. He's always been a much better pitcher away from Coors Field (who hasn't) and he's much tougher on Rightys, which is what the Brewers are loaded with. I don't usually trust Gallardo a whole lot, and the Rockies have seen and hit him enough for me to think this is our first LIVE dog of the season.
5*

Its been 36 postseason series since New York has been swept, dating to the 1980 ALCS against Kansas City. With CC Sabathia on the mound in Game 4, I believe the Yankees are worth a shot. CC has been

Last game certainly didn

I look for the San Francisco Giants to get a win in Game 2 of the NLCS. The Giants have yet to win at home this postseason, but I feel tonight is the night they break through. San Fran starter Ryan Vogelsong has really settled in, allowing just two earned runs to score his last 22 innings pitched. The Giants righty has a nice ERA of 2.86.
St. Louis will go with Chris Carpenter who has only made four starts this season. I look for the GIANTS to even up the series here on Monday night.
5*

The Washington Nationals are hoping the momentum of a dramatic victory in front of a raucous crowd will carry over into another must-win game.
Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez has not allowed an earned run over his last 23 innings.

The Cardinals were limited to three hits Thursday and its up to Gonzalez to hold St. Louis in check Friday. He made his playoff debut Sunday in Game 1, allowing two runs and walking seven over five innings in a 3-2 road victory.
I expect him to have much better control and demand at home.

He'll also be more confident at home, where he has won his last four outings including his 23-inning stretch without yielding an earned run. He dominated St. Louis by striking out eight in a five-hitter during a 10-0 home victory Aug. 31.
Look for Washington to come out on top in a low scoring game behind their ACE on the mound. 5*

Things are about to get rough for the Nats and their fans. They

Chris Carpenter is one of the best big-game pitchers of all-time. Carpenter is 9-2 with a 3.05 ERA in post-season and very fresh this year.

He is also 6-1 versus Washington and tuned-up for the playoffs. He didn't give up more than three earned runs in his last 3 outings.

The Cardinals bats going going in the last meeting scoring 12 runs. They face Edwin Jackson, who is the weak link in Washington's excellent starting rotation. Jackson has a 4.91 post-season ERA. Washington was 12-19 in Jackson's starts this season.

I could see the Nationals being tight for this matchup, too, since this is the first time they are hosting a playoff game since 1933.
PLAY THE STL CARDS as our 10* play Wednesday afternoon.

Oakland is returning home hoping to pull off another improbable sweep like the one against Texas last week to capture the AL West crown, that controversial smooch was still plenty talked about in both clubhouses. Oakland is very good at home where they have won 8 of their last 9 games.
The A's throw lefty Brett Anderson who looked strong in six starts after a 14-month absence. Oakland will try to get its offense going after striking out 23 times in the first two games, including 14 in Saturday's 3-1 loss in Game 1. The A's hit a majors-leading 112 home runs after the All-Star break. A's manager Bob Melvin isn't worried and Josh Reddick has six of the strikeouts after hitting a team-best 32 home runs during the regular season. Tigers start Anibal Sanchez struggled away from home in his American League starts, going 1-4 with a 3.99 ERA since coming over from the Miami Marlins. Look for the Oakland A's to get the victory on Tuesday night here at home.
5*

STL is the more experienced team at home. This is a pivotal game historically in series. The Cards are in a MUST WIN game here and Zimmerman has a poor history versus the Cards with a 9.00 ERA. The Cardinals have been down this road before while this is all new to Washington. . Until they prove they are a playoff team by putting a strangle hold on the Cardinals you have to take the more experienced team and the better bats in the lineup at home. These 2 teams have alternated wins in the last 7 games and I like STL to bounce back here at home Monday afternoon. 10*

5*

The White Sox are expecting their biggest crowd of the season tonight. The biggest reason though to support the White Sox here in this one is the pitching of Gavin Floyd of late. Floyd was shelved for a few weeks back in late August/early September but since his return has looked like a whole new pitcher. Floyd's fastball has had some extra pop of late with extra velocity and he is averaging over a strikeout per inning. He also seems to have found his control during this time with only three walks in the three games. All of this has come against three of the top hitting offenses against right-hand pitching in baseball, the Angels, Royals and Tigers. Floyd is also 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA versus Tampa Bay. The White Sox have won six of Floyd's last eight home starts and I like them in this spot tonight after their 3-4 hitters went hitless last night. 5* MLB PLAY OF THE DAY!

With the NL West title locked up and little chance of catching the NL's other two division champions, San Francisco's biggest priority over the next week is getting its postseason roster ironed out and resting some starters.



Paul Goldschmidt, who is batting .344 with 11 RBIs during a nine-game hitting streak, is 2 for 10 with a pair of doubles off Zito.

The Diamondbacks counter with Patrick Corbin (6-7, 4.36), who'll be facing San Francisco for the third time this month.

Corbin has a 1.80 ERA in winning his two home starts against the Giants this year.
He struggled in his last start in Colorado, and I expect a solid effort from him this afternoon.
Arizona hasn't lost back-2-back games in 13 days and seem to always bounce back strong after getting shutout. 5*

The Los Angeles Angels still have work left in order to reach the postseason, but at least they're having fun trying to get there.

Looking for a fifth consecutive victory, the Angels hope C.J. Wilson can bounce back from a rough start and help them continue their recent success versus Seattle's Felix Hernandez on Wednesday night.
Mariners starter Felix Hernandez is a very good pitcher, but one thing he hasn't been able to do is mow down the Los Angeles Angels bats. He is just 6-11 and 3.89 vs. the Angels since he came into the league. And those struggles have continued this season as in three starts vs. L.A. coming into tonight, Hernandez is 0-2 with a 5.75 ERA and he has allowed 24 hits in just over 20 innings versus them. Since his no hitter, Hernandez hasn't been great and I'll take the home team team to get the win. 5*

The Brewers are still 2.5 games back of the Cardinals for the last playoff spot. There are still plenty of games to go which can help the Brewers move up in the standings. Frankly, they are one of the hottest teams in the playoffs and a 1 game playoff could be all this team needs to propel them.
The Brewers continue their push to a N.L. Wild Card as they wrap up a 4-game series with Washington on Monday afternoon. Marco Estrada is one of the hottest pitchers for Milwaukee. He has allowed just 4 runs and 14 hits in his last three starts. The starter has allowed 1 earned run or less in five of his last six starts.

Milwaukee made a nice late run at one of the NL Wild Cards, thanks in large part to the best record in baseball since August 20. The Brewers won again on Sunday over the Nationals, 6-2. That makes seven wins in their last eight games and 10 of their last 12. The Nationals have clinched their playoff spot, so look for some players to get some extra rest especially in these day games.
The Brewers are 17-4 when facing a team with a winning record and they are also 6-1 in Estrada's last 7 starts as well. I like them again here on Monday to keep their hot streak and playoff hopes alive! 10* Underdog Sleeper

10*

Guthrie has turned his season around. He is 4-0 with a 1.78 ERA in his past eight outings - all Royals' victories. Guthrie was traded after going 3-9 with the Colorado Rockies to Kansas City on July 20 and promptly lost his first three starts. He has not lost since, and is especially tough at home where he owns a 1.22 ERA in his past five outings. Guthrie toes the rubber at Kauffman Stadium against the White Sox and I'll back this red hot pitcher. 5*

Washington is 10-3 in Ross Detwiler's home starts this season, including 7-1 in his last eight. He's personally 7-2 at home with a 2.67 ERA. Detwiler enters tonight's game with a 2-0 record and 2.66 ERA in his last four turns in the rotation, no matter the location.

LA's Chris Capuano has a 4.30 ERA in 15 prior road starts this season. He's 0-2 overall in his last five trips to the mound with a 6.26 ERA.

The Nationals are 31-12 in their last 43 games as favorites and they turn to Ross Detwiler tonight. He has a 3.16 ERA through 24 starts and six relief appearances including a 2.67 ERA in 13 home starts with the Nationals going 10-3 in those games. The Nats clearly have the major edge here and I'll back them tonight! 5*

5*

The Brewers are only 2.5 games back from the Playoffs and they continue to make a strong push. Ever since the addition of Carlos Gomez and as they have brought up more and more young pitching, it has translated into an increase in attitude and excitement for the ballclub.
Milwaukee has won 7 of their last 9 and they have not lost back to back games in weeks. Gallardo was roughed up by Pittsburgh by giving up 7 runs in less than 5 innings in his last start and he looks to rebound against them with some revenge here.The Pirates have lost the last 5 games Burnett and its not the fault of his offense but due to a lack of offense. I like the Brewers behind Gallardo here as I think the pitching matchup is even but I like the Brewers offense more and I think that makes the difference here as we ride the hot team to continue making their playoff push.
5*

TB got swept by Baltimore and this is a MUST WIN game for them to stay in playoff contention.
The Yankees are banged up with pitching and hitting and Derek Jeter is now a GTD to play tonight.
Tampa has the hotter pitcher and more speed and I like them to get the win in NY Friday night. 5*

The Padres (68-75) are probably too far back to make a serious run, sitting 7 1/2 games behind St. Louis, but they've been one of baseball's most dangerous teams lately, compiling an NL-best 16-5 record since Aug. 19. The Padres have won 10 of 12 in San Diego, and things appear unlikely to get any easier for the Cardinals on Wednesday. They'll face new dad Clayton Richard (12-12, 3.78 ERA), who has won his last four starts at Petco and has a 0.38 ERA in his last three there.
SD has been hot as they are 6-1 their last 7 and the Padres have won 3 in a row at home versus STL. Clayton Richard has been better at home and I like the Padres here to get the sweep.
5*

The New York Yankees likely expected a tight race in the AL East, but the Boston Red Sox are surprisingly not one of their challengers.


The Yankees will try to maintain sole possession of first place during a three-game series with their sputtering archrivals beginning Tuesday night at Fenway Park.

Boston (63-78) has dropped 11 of 12 and was swept at home by Toronto this past weekend.
It

The Astros send Dallas Keuchel to the mound and the Lefty who is a former Arkansas Razorback pitches against the Cubs who have never faced him which is to his advantage. Keuchel had a stint at Triple A and I like taking pitchers who come back from Triple A who get the call up and make their first start after being demoted. The Cubs come off an impressive sweep over the Pirates over the weekend and I think they have a bit of a let down here. Volstad does have a 4.79 era lifetime against the Astros and with the Astros sending Keuchel to the mound who typically pitches well at home, I like the Astros as a small home favorite tonight. The Astros are 11-2 in their last 13 games as a small favorite and the Cubs are 0-7 in Volstad's last 7 road starts. 5*

4*

The Milwaukee Brewers are red-hot and they're not planning to go away.
Rickie Weeks is a major reason for that surprising surge.

Weeks will try to continue helping the Brewers creep back into the NL wild-card race by beating the last-place Miami Marlins for the third straight time Thursday in the finale of this four-game set.

Milwaukee is on a stunning 13-3 run after sitting 12 games below .500 on Aug. 20, when it was seemingly all but eliminated from postseason contention.

Now, the Brewers are 6 1/2 games back of St. Louis for the league's second wild-card spot, and they'll visit the Cardinals for a three-game set this weekend.

Milwaukee has averaged 6.6 runs while hitting .296 with 29 homers over the past 16 games, getting at least 10 hits while totaling six homers in the first three games of this series.

Reigning NL MVP Ryan Braun is also hitting the ball hard, as half of his 18 hits in his last 44 at-bats have gone for extra bases while totaling 13 RBIs. He owns a .362 average during a 14-game hitting streak at Miami.

Marco Estrada will get the nod in an effort to keep Milwaukee rolling, and his last four starts have ended in Brewers victories.

The right-hander has been impressive over his last three, going 2-0 while allowing one earned run with 27 strikeouts in 18 innings.

Marlins starter Johnson is 0-4 with a 3.94 ERA in his last five starts and we'll ride the RED HOT BREWERS on Thursday afternoon. 5*

5*

The New York Yankees got Alex Rodriguez back from the disabled list while losing Robinson Cano to injury in their opener with the Tampa Bay Rays. In the process they lost, further tightening the AL East. The first-place Yankees, who could have company atop division for the first time in nearly three months with another setback, expect to get the injured Curtis Granderson back in the starting lineup Tuesday night. His return might not be a huge advantage, tough, considering his struggles with the Rays.
TB is 9-1 their last 10 versus the Yankees in Tampa. The Yankees captain Derek Jeter is 0 for 9 with three walks in three September games. The Rays have won Cobb's last 6 starts and giving him plenty of run support.Longoria is 7 for 14 in four games against the Yankees this season -- all wins -- and Jeff Keppinger is batting .545 (12 for 22) in his last six games overall. We'll back the hot Rays here on Tuesday night.
5*

SF starter Barry Zito has been serving them up of late as well. Zito's ERA stands at 5.65 over his last three starts, and 10 of his last 14 starts this season have been terrible.I like Arizona in this spot here Monday afternoon. 5*

The Brewers are actually one of the hottest teams in the league coming into this game. With the addition of Carlos Gomez and getting some timely pitching, they come off a series of wins including winning their last 8 out of 10 including sweeping the Pirates at home in what was an important series for the Pirates. The Brewers scored 24 runs in those 3 games and in fact, they have scored 35 runs over their last 4 games. Miami starter Nolasco comes off a brilliant complete game performance against the Nationals where he shut them down in what was a 9-0 win over the division rivals. Look for a letdown here for him as prior to that he had given up 20 runs over his last 5 starts and I can see him going back to his old ways.
Play on the Brewers here Monday afternoon. Sadly for Ricky Nolasco he may not get the
same protection given how atrocious he has been in his career vs. Milwaukee. He has a 9.47 ERA in 25.2 innings vs. the Brew Crew which is simply awful. 10*

The Phillies have not packed it in and they are working hard to put together a solid run in the second half for what it's worth. There are plenty of guys competing for attention and spots on this team for the following year and the pitching staff including the likes of Kyle Kendrick who picked up a 3-2 win yesterday and others are still making an impact. After being plagued by injuries early, the Phillies are just 7 games back of being .500 right now and they have won their last 5 of 7. Doc Halladay hasn't shut it down as he pitched a gem against Washington beating them 4-2 at home and he remembers the 2-6 loss he took at the hands of Atlanta earlier this year. He is still the first one to the park training and trying to improve his pitching.
I like the Phillies behind Halladay with the revenge today as I do think Minor has a bit of a let down from the solid San Fran start he had in his last effort. The Phillies are 22-5 in Halladay's last 27 starts with 5 days of rest and the Braves are 1-4 when facing a pitcher with a WHIP less than 1.15 of late.
10* NL Game of the Month

Kendrick makes his first start against the Mets. In two relief appearances against New York this season, he has allowed five earned runs with four walks in 2 1/3 innings. He has blossomed in his return to the rotation, going 3-1 with a 3.10 ERA in five starts this month including 3-0 his last 3 starts and looked unhittable. The Mets have scored over 3 runs only once in their last 11 games and I'll back the Phillies this afternoon. 5*

These TB Rays (70-58) have dropped three straight for the first time in 2 months and Adrian Beltran has been on fire with a .520 BA lately. TB had a late collapse. Lets go with James Shields to cool off Texas and Beltran as he checks in 9/34 last 43 AB'S... Shields also checks in at aperfect 4-0 with a 2.15 ERA over his last five starts. 5*

The Pirates have to be wondering which A.J. Burnett (15-4, 3.63) will show up against the Cardinals based on his two 2012 outings against them. The right-hander was brilliant with seven strikeouts over seven innings in a 2-0 home win April 21. He was then tagged for a career-worst 12 runs over 2 2/3 innings as Carlos Beltran homered twice off him in the Cardinals' 12-3 rout May 2. Burnett, the Pirates' first 15-game winner since Todd Ritchie in 1999, is 8-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 12 home starts. Look for Burnett to bounce back and be focused at home after his worst career outing against the Cardinals in his last outing against them. Dont expect many runs, but I look for the Pirates to get the win after getting shutout 7-0 on Sunday. 5*

Scherzer tossed seven innings of five-hit, one-run ball while striking out eight on Tuesday in a win over the Jays. He is now 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in four August starts, and took over the Major League lead in strikeouts, with 186. Ervin Santana has struggled on the road and I like the Tigers at home to hit him hard on Sunday afternoon. 5*

Pittsburgh has lost 3 in a row and their pitching has been struggling. The Pirates are 6-16 their last 22 and I really like the Brewers in this spot tonight with the hotter bats in their lineup! The Brewers and hot winning 4 in a row and have owned the Pirates over the years. PLAY THE BREW CREW here. 5*

The surging Washington Nationals have opened a seven-game lead atop the NL East - the franchise's largest in 18 years - by taking the first two contests in their home series with the suddenly slumping Atlanta Braves.
Can you say SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP! Medlen is another of these great Braves starters, but also another who has been facing light competition. Wins against the Mets, Pads and Astros. Detwiller has been pitching okay of late. Lets get 6 or 7 innings out of him and take it to the pen for a shutdown. Washington gets a rest day on Thursday, so all starters will be playing and looking to get the win here.

The Nationals, winners of three straight and 14 of 17, improved to 10-4 on the season against Atlanta (70-54), one of the biggest reasons they have the franchise's largest division leads. Flores has played a surprising role in Washington's dominance over Atlanta this year, batting .344 with three home runs. He is hitting .204 with one homer against everyone else. Michael Bourn is having the opposite effect for the Braves. Atlanta's leadoff hitter is batting .186 against Washington, compared to a .301 mark versus all other opponents.Braves starter Medlen was at his best Thursday against San Diego, tossing a five-hitter - his first career complete game and I look for a major letdown from his tonight.

10* NL Game of the Week

The RedSox will be playing without Carl Crawford and David Ortiz. Also the Angels fit a nice system here tonight that plays on road favorites off a home 4-game sweep, if they scored 4 or less runs in their last loss, and are taking on an opponent off a road dog loss. These road warriors have won 7 of the last 8 times. The Angels have Santana on the mound and he has pitched well here in Boston going 31 innings allowing just 7 earned runs the past few seasons. Look for the LA Angels to get a win here as Boston's starter Cook does not get strikeouts and the Angels should hit him well.
Look for The Angels to take game one Tuesday night. 10* AL GAME OF THE WEEK!

10*

I love the Angels here at home to avoid the 4-game sweep against the Rays. Zach Greinke has given up two runs or fewer in four straight and six of his past seven starts against the Rays and loves to pitch at home. Greinke has just four starts since joining the Angels, and he's done much better in Anaheim than elsewhere, posting a 3.85 ERA. At home in Anaheim, Greinke has 13 strikeouts and just two walks in his two starts With Greinke's teams going 25-1 good for 96% his last 26 home gamestarts when their favored, I'll take the Angels here on Sunday to get us the win.

The KC Royals have started to play a bit better winning their last 7 of 10 and overall it's been a very respectable year for this team. Sure, 51-65 doesn't seem that respectable but for this organization it is. KC starter Hocehvar comes off one of his worst starts of the year giving up 7 runs in just over 5 innings against Baltimore in a 1-7 loss. He also has revenge from the A's beating him earlier this year giving up 6 runs in under 5 innings. I like Hochevar to bounce-back here as I believe the oddsmakers have him favored for a reason at home over the young Srailey and Oakland. The A's are just 1-5 in their last 6 road games and the Royals are 5-1 in Hochevar's last 6 home starts. 5*

The Bucs adjusted their rotation to keep their ace on his regular fifth-day schedule, and he will try to rebound from his only loss in 11 home starts. AJ Burnett matched his season high of 10 K's in that game against the Padres and I look for the Pirates to win this afternoon and avoid the sweep. 5*

As bad as the RedSox offense has been they are only 6.5 games out of the Wild Card race with 45 games to go, so plenty of time to regroup and put a winning streak together. These 2 teams have alternated wins in Baltimore their last 11 games and Orioles starter Gonzelez is coming off his best performance of the year and his highest pitch count. Adrian Gonzelez was 0-4 last night stranding runners on base each time for Boston and he couldn't be much hotter right now with hits in nine of his last 10 games. Gonzalez has homered three times over that span to go with seven doubles, 18 RBI and eight runs scored. After struggling early in the season, Gonzalez is now above .300 with 13 homers and 80 RBI so look for him to have a big game tonight and the REDSOX to get the win. Boston stranded 12 runners overall and went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position last night.
10* AL Game of the Week!

The Giants are very good at home and rarely lose back-to-back games in their ballpark. They are coming off one of their worst losses of the year losing to the Nationals 14-2. The Giants do have revenge coming in as they have seen Zimmerman and his pitches already this year which is to their advantage. Combine that with Bumgarner on the mound today who comes off a loss to St. Louis on the road giving up 3 runs in 6 innings, despite yielding just 3 hits, he is looking to bounce-back today. Bumgarner has put together 6 straight quality starts and last time he faced the Nationals he gave up 7 runs in his worst outing of the year back in July. Play with major revenge the Giants also look to bounce-back as a team from getting pummeled 14-2 yesterday and they do have revenge against Zimmerman as well. PLAY THE SF GIANTS here a home late Tuesday night. 10*

I like the Yankees here on Saturday and they should hit Aaron Laffey. He has given up four or more runs in all but one of his last five starts. If the weather is nice, I will feel more confident as the roof should be open and the balls will be flying out with the Yankees leading the league in HR's. The Blue Jays have struggled without Jose Bautista going 8-15 without him. The Yankees are also 10-4 in the last 14 meetings and we'll back Nova here on Saturday afternoon. 10* AL GAME OF THE MONTH!

Ian Kennedy finally appears to be living up to expectations for the Arizona Diamondbacks.


Kennedy looks to extend his personal winning streak to five games while Johnson attempts to continue his offensive barrage Wednesday night when the Diamondbacks face the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Kennedy (10-8, 4.15 ERA) finished fourth in the NL Cy Young voting last year, going 21-4 with a 2.88 ERA while Arizona (56-54) won the NL West.
Lately, Kennedy is doing his part to change that, winning four starts in a row behind a 2.54 ERA after going 1-3 with a 5.84 ERA over his previous six.

He was solid again Friday, yielding two runs in six innings of a 4-2 win at Philadelphia.

Kennedy is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three career starts against Pittsburgh, and loves pitching at this ballpark.

Pirates starter
Correia is 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA in his past three starts against the Diamondbacks, and he's struggled versus 3rd basemen Johnson, who is 3 for 5 with two doubles against him.
PLAY THE DIAMONDBACKS on WEdnesday evening. 5*

Johnny Cueto has given up 18 hits in just over 13 innings and combine that with 2 walks and that makes for 21 baserunners over 13 innings against the Padres and Rockies on the road. He faces a Milwaukee team that he has now beat twice this year
I suspect that the Brewers will be anxious to do well against him today with some revenge. The Brewers Fiers is 5-4 this year with a solid 1.88 era. This is also a decent public fade as well. The home team also is favored to a tune of 20-8 when Umpire Guicciano is behind the plate as well.

5*

Texas has won 6 of 8 versus the Redsox and the Rangers are still 4-1 in their last five games. Boston snapped it's four game losing streak with a win over the Twins on Sunday. Yu Darvish starts for the Rangers with a 11-7 record and 4.38 ERA and off his worst outing of the year. He has never faced Boston, so the advantge is to the pitcher.


I expect him to bounce back.



Aaron Cook (2-5, 5.24) is scheduled to take the mound against the Rangers for the first time, and he's 0-4 with a 5.79 ERA in his last five starts. He has a 9.00 ERA in losing his last three starts while giving up six home runs.Cook is 0-3, with a 9.00 era allowing 15 runs over 15 innings including six home runs. OVERALL Texas has the advantage here and I'll back TEXAS on Monday night! 10*

The Mets are on the verge of completing a much needed successful road trip. They enter today

The Angels bullpen took its share of hits over the last few days. Needless to say, the Angels definitely missed injured reliever Scott Downs as a set-up man and even filling in for Ernesto Frieri as a closer when the former Padre needs a night off.

I expect the White Sox to plate their share of runs, whether it's early against Santana or later against the Angels pen. Meanwhile, the Sox will counter with Gavin Floyd who has allowed only 7 earned runs in his last 6 starts, spanning 39 innings of work and has looked great! Play the WHITESOX this evening as our Saturday BEST BET. 5*

Oakland sends top prospect Daniel Straily to the hill tonight. The right hander will be making his MLB debut after dominating the minors, posting a 2.60 ERA in 22 starts this season. The BlueJays have never seen him and I like Oakland tonight!
Straily has 175 strikeouts in 138 1/3 IP this season...an average of 11.39 K's per 9 IP! As a talented pitcher making his debut, Straily owns a definite advantage over the Jays who have yet to face him. I expect Straily to hold Toronto in check and get the win for us tonight! 5*

I like the Phillies here over the Nationals on Thursday night.
Hamels struggled in his last 2 starts after signing the new contract. I expect him to bounce back in this spot against the 1st place Nationals. The Phillies have now won 3 straight over Washington.
Hamels has always pitched well against Washington and is having a great year.
He is 12-4 with a 2.40 ERA in this career against Wash.
Phillies as a small underdog is my 5* BEST BET PLAY OF THE DAY!

The Indians have lost 4 in a row, but that streak ends today. The Kansas City Royals are trying to win back-to-back games for the first time in a little more than a month Wednesday night.Indians starter Zach McAllister (4-2, 3.18 ERA), who has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his last three starts is pitching very well. 5*

Jered Weaver has a fly-ball bias profile and has been greatly aided by an 81% strand rate. With a fly-ball bias profile, it

It is hard to believe that this Red Sox team is in last place despite the second-best run differential in the division. They are certainly are good enough to go on a run to get back in to the thick of the wild card standings. Coming off a nice series win vs. the Yankees, this could be it. The RedSox offense will likely be chomping at the bit in this game vs. not only a fellow wild card contender but also a pitcher in Max Scherzer that they have thoroughly handled. The Boston production is off the charts vs. Scherzer, as they have racked up 37 hits and eight walks in only 22 innings with an unreal 24 runs scored.
Clay Buchholz has come on to be respectable of late, allowing two runs in his last 15 innings and should give us a good enough effort for a win and at a cheap price.
5* BEST BET PLAY OF THE DAY!

10* NL GAME OF THE MONTH!
Wolf notched his second consecutive quality start, holding the Phillies -- his former club -- to just two runs on five hits in his last outing. He pitched well enough to get the win,and the Brewers have owned the Nationals at home going 9-1 their last 10 against them. Washington third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is 1 for 12 with six strikeouts in his last three games overall and I'll take Randy Wolf here at home to notch the victory.

5*

5*

I like Baltimore here at home as the O's have the edge as they return to Camden Yards. Wei-Yin Chen had been one of our favorite play-on pitchers at the start of the season and we'll back him again here against a Tampa Bay team that lost back to back 2-1 games to last place Seattle over the weekend. The Rays really struggle vs. lefties overall this season, going 11-19 and averaging just 3.8 runs per game with a .225 batting average.
The Rays are just 14-22 since June 11th when they were actually tied for first place in the AL East. Their offensive numbers are pretty woeful as they rank near the bottom of the league in both runs scored and team batting average. Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson has not won a decision since May 16th and his team is just 2-7 in his nine starts. Adam Jones has hit him well going 6 for 19 with 2 homers off. Lets play BALTIMORE here at home on Tuesday night!
10* AL GAME OF THE WEEK

The Oakland Athletics pitching staff carried them to a 4-game sweep of the Yankees winning each game by just 1 run. I expect their offense and pitching to struggling here on the road in Toronto. This BlueJays team is thriving even without its best slugger and very good at home.
Toronto's success without Jose Bautista, who went on the disabled list last Tuesday with a sore left wrist, has been pretty startling as well. The Blue Jays outscored Boston 28-11 and completed a three-game sweep at Fenway Park with the help of a season high-tying 18 hits in Sunday's 15-7 victory. The Blue Jays can match a season high with a fourth straight victory - done three previous times - when Brett Cecil takes the hill Tuesday. Cecil (2-2, 6.34) allowed three runs in six innings of a 6-1 loss to the Yankees last Tuesday. The left-hander has been solid against the A's, going 2-2 with a 2.79 ERA in four career starts. I like Toronto here at home.
5*

The Phillies lineup is finally healthy and I like them in this spot on Sunday. Blanton takes the mound in terrific KW form with 20 strikeouts and 3 walks in his last three starts. For the Giants, Barry Zito has been having trouble finding the plate with 10 strikeouts and 10 walks in his last three efforts. With Zito 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA in his last two starts in this park, look for the Phillies to avoid the series sweep here today and get the win this afternoon. 5*

Cincinnati is a hitters ballpark and Gallardo has experienced mixed results against the Reds (53-40), going 4-4 with a 4.95 ERA over 13 starts. He allowed eight runs over five-plus innings during an 8-4 loss at Cincinnati on Aug. 31, 2010. Gallardo will need to be wary of Jay Bruce, who is 10 for 23 (.435) with a pair of home runs in their matchups. Bruce entered Friday in an 0-for-18 slump before going 2 for 3 with his 19th homer in Cincinnati's series-opening 3-1 win. The slugging right fielder has given Milwaukee (44-48) fits over the course of his career, hitting .305 with 21 homers - his most against any opponent - and 46 RBIs in 54 matchups. The Reds have won nine of 11 thanks largely to compiling a 2.61 ERA. Cincinnati is a season-high 13 games above .500 and remains one-half game ahead of second-place Pittsburgh in the division.
Arroyo has held his own versus the Brewers of late, going 4-2 with a 2.73 ERA while limiting them to a .196 average over his last eight starts. His 12 victories over Milwaukee are tied for his most against any opponent. Arroyo has made things difficult on Aramis Ramirez and Rickie Weeks, who are 11 for 60 (.183) and 6 for 39 (.154) against him. Look for the Reds to get the win here on Saturday night!
10* HAMMER PLAY

Miami is only 4 games out of .500 and 4th in the division and although they are a much better team than last year, they are still in an extremely tough division as any one of the five teams are good enough to make it to the playoffs including the wildcard with the likes of the Nationals, Braves, Mets, Phillies and Marlins. Nolasco had a difficult start in his last effort giving up 4 runs against Washington at home and losing the game 0-4 and he looks to bounce-back against the Pirates today. Nolasco has a 5-3 record with a 2.10era against the Pirates. Correia has a lifetime 7+ era against the Fish. There are also at least three batters in the Marlins lineup that have batted 12 times against him with a .333 avg or better. Marlins are 9-1 when Nolasco is a road favorite of any kind and with the line slowly moving the other way, the Pirates are 2-6 when Correia is a home underdog. 5*

WhiteSox starter Jose Quintana is one of my favorite young pitchers this year. The guy was a beast and has posted a 4-1 record with a 2.60 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP, but he's been even better overall and posts a 2.51 ERA on the road this year. He'll go up against Clay Buchholz who is 8-3 with a 5.54 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP this season. The right-hander has particularly struggled at home in Fenway Park where he has a 1.51 WHIP and a .291 opponent's batting average. I like the WhiteSox big here on Thursday evening. 10* AL GAME OF THE WEEK!

Detroit lost by 13 runs on Tuesday night, but bounced right back with a rather easy win last night and they're now on a 9-2 run, overall. Detroit's bats have been red-hot during the run, averaging 5.73 rpg in their last 11, including their scoreless effort two nights ago. Jerome Williams has been knocked around on the road in 2012 with a 5.95 ERA & 1.49 WHIP and his team is on a 1-6 slide when he toes the road rubber. The Tigers enter on a 7-1 run at Comerica and they're on a 6-0 run when Scherzer takes the hill on four days rest. The Angels are a little sluggish right now and I like the Detroit Tigers at home this afternoon. 5*

Look for Atlanta to bounce back here on Wednesday night. The Braves team trying to bounce back from its first loss in two weeks. The Braves (49-40) entered Tuesday's game averaging 6.1 runs during a season-high seven-game winning streak, but they were five-hit by Barry Zito and a pair of relievers. Two-time All-Star Michael Bourn, batting .409 with five runs in his previous five games, was hitless in four at-bats, while Jason Heyward and Chipper Jones were a combined 0 for 7. Look for them to get back on track here tonight! Minor was sharp in his only career start against the Giants on Aug. 18, yielding four hits while striking out nine in six innings of a 1-0 victory. 5*

The Cubs are playing very good ball right now and they are 22-20 at home as they are above .500 at home which has not happened in an eternity and they have won 4 in a row and 6 of their last 10 and they have not lost back to back games in quite some time. This pitching staff has given up just 3 runs over the last 4 games. One of the reasons is the solid pitching of guys like Ryan Dempster and now the emergence of Travis Wood. Wood has been pitching solid at the tail end of this year giving up 6 earned runs over his last 6 starts. He has also won his last 4 starts. He has a great deal of revenge against the Marlins as the last time he pitched against them he did not last more than 4 innings.
The Marlins go with Sanchez who is 1-2 and has a 5.66 era lifetime against the Cubs and as he comes off a quality start, he has had trouble putting together back to back quality efforts. I like the Cubs here behind Wood to likely keep it rolling on Tuesday night.
10* NL GAME OF THE WEEK

Baltimore has won 7 in a row over the Twins, but I expect a change tonight. Losers of five straight, the Twins will need some strong innings out of their starter Scott Diamond knowing he is 5-1 with a 2.01 ERA in this park this season. Twins starters Brian Duensing and Cole De Vries combined to allow 13 runs over seven innings in the final two contests of a three-game weekend sweep to Oakland. 'Our offense is doing the job, our bullpen is doing the job,' Duensing said after Sunday's 9-4 defeat. 'The starting pitching right now is really struggling and not putting our team in a good spot.' Justin Morneau singled for Minnesota on Sunday, and is batting .315 (17 for 54) during a 13-game hitting streak.
On the flip side the Birds enter with a dismal 2-6 log in their last eight games against American League Central division foes. With the Orioles 1-6 in their last seven road series openers and the Twins 1-8 on Mondays, their worst day of the week this season, look for Diamond and the Twins to get the win on Monday night.
5*

A.J. Burnett has had his problems on the road. He has a 6.54 ERA on road games and in his last three starts, his ERA is 5.50. The Brewers start Yovani Gallardo, who is not bad himself, going 7-6 with a 3.74 ERA and a 3.37 ERA at home. In his last three starts, he is 1-1 with a 1.45 ERA. With Burnett struggling on the road and Gallardo pitching well at home, it

Tommy Milone is simply a different pitcher away from the cavernous Oakland Coliseum. He has a 5.98 road ERA, which could be worse if you factored in his last road start. He escaped vs. The Rangers with one earned run in five innings. Unfortunately, he also allowed five unearned runs in a rare start which featured more home runs allowed than earned runs.
Minnesota will send undrafted rookie right hander Cole De Vries to the mound Saturday to take on Milone and the Athletics. De Vries has a record of 2-1 on the year with an ERA of 3.00, a WHIP of 1.10, and a BAA of .225. He has been decent as a starter, allowing 8 runs over 28 innings of work for an ERA of 2.56. De Vries is also coming off a start vs. Texas, but he got the job done, allowing no runs in seven innings with only three hits. This is a very poor Oakland offense and considering they scored 6 runs last night, expect a clunker tonight from one of the worst hitting and scoring teams in baseball. PLAY THE TWINS!
10* AL GAME OF THE WEEK!

WhiteSox starter Jose Quintana is one of my favorite young pitchers this year. The guy was a beast and has posted a 3-0 record, 0.91 WHIP and a 2.86 ERA over his last three starts, but he's been even better overall and posts a 2.51 ERA on the road this year. He'll go up against the Royals who are ranked 22nd in OPS vs. LHP and come off hosting the All-Star game and plenty of partying with their friends. Quintana will face a Royals team that is only scoring 2.94 runs per 9 vs. LHP and is 19-39 in their last 58 following an off day. I expect there bats to be a bit rusty/hung over after the break.KC Royals starter Bruce Chen has also been terrible in July in his career posting a 6.33 ERA, his worst month by far over the last three years combined. 5*

The Yankees have won 10 of 15 on the road against lefties and they

The Cubs go with Ryan Dempster on Sunday afternoon and he has had one of the longest scoreless streaks of 22 innings for a Chicago Cubs starting pitcher in the last 17 years before going on the DL.
The last time Jonathon Niese the Mets starter pitched against the Cubs, the Mets won 17-1. The Cubs rememeber that game clearly. Also, in the last 16 matchups between these 2 teams, the Mets have NOT won back-to-back games. The Mets are off a win last night, but I expect the Cubs to get the Win here Sunday afternoon.
10* Underdog Diamond in the Rough.

Strong starting pitching has helped pace the Chicago White Sox during their latest winning stretch. Gavin Floyd hopes to continue that trend while trying to end his own struggles against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays and lead the White Sox to a fifth consecutive victory Saturday. Jake Peavy allowed a run in 7 1-3 innings and A.J. Pierzynski hit his 16th homer to lift Chicago (46-37) to a 4-2 win over Toronto on Friday. Winners in 10 of 13, the White Sox have outscored Texas and Toronto 30-9 during their four-game winning streak. Chicago starters have posted a 2.22 ERA against the Rangers and Blue Jays.
Toronto

This should be one of the best pitching matchups of the day, but we see the Giants coming out on top. The Giants are 6-2 their last 8 games at Pittsburgh. Both pitchers have been nice surprises this year, with Vogelsong proving That last year was no fluke. He pretty much never has a bad start, allowing more than two runs just twice since May 14th. He also has done a great job limiting hits, allowing 81 in 103.2 innings. McDonald has been just as good but it is hard offense getting much done against Vogelsong. Look for SF to notch another win Behind their pitching edge on Saturday afternoon. 5*

Barry Zito is winless in his two career teams start in the Steel City. He is also 0-3 away with a 10.98 ERA in his last three July road team starts.

The Pittsburgh Pirates scored more runs, and hit more home runs that any other team in baseball last month. So far in July, much of the same, coming off a four game sweep of the Astros, and scoring 27 runs in their last four games.


Erik Bedard has been horrible on the road this year but very good at home. Zito allows a lot of walks and the Pirates will take advantage. Look for Pittsburgh to get the win on Friday night. 10* NL GAME OF THE WEEK!

The WhiteSox have taken 5 of the their last 6 at home versus the Rangers. Chicago (44-37) is in search of its first three-game sweep of Texas (50-32) since Aug. 14-16, 2001. The White Sox have already ended the Rangers' hopes of winning an eighth straight series. Jose Quintana has been a nice surprise for the Sox, posting a 2.19 ERA while going weeks at a time without a walk. Look for Chicago to get the 3-game sweep here at home. 10*

The Marlins and Brewers celebrate the 4th of July at Miller Park Wednesday afternoon where Josh Johnson opposes Milwaukee's Randy Wolf. Johnson enters the fray knowing he has cashed in 11 of his last 14 team starts during July, posting a 2.82 ERA in this games. On the flip side, Wolf is 3-7 with a 5.13 ERA in his home career starts against the Marlins. With that look for Johnson to improve to 5-1 in his career team starts in this series here today. Play the MIAMI MARLINS on Wednesday afternoon. 10* SLAMMER!

Boston is among the top offensive teams in the majors, ranking second to Texas with 5.09 runs per game. Jon Lester and the Red Sox take on the Athletics in Game Two of this three-game series in Oakland Tuesday evening knowing Lester enters the game in solid KW form with 38 strikeouts and 5 walks in his last six starts. The left-hander is 3-1 with a 2.92 ERA in his last four games as the visitor. Lester is also 8-3 away in his career team starts during July. With Lester's road ERA (3.28) more than two runs a game better than his home ERA (5.60) this season, look for the Boston RedSox to grab a win tonight and the A's to fall to 11-17 against lefties this season here tonight. 10*

The Oakland A's send Jarrod Parker to the mound against Daiskue Matsusaka knowing Parker owns a sterling 1.58 ERA, and a splendid 1.08 WHIP, at home this season. With the Red Sox just 1-4 in Matsusaka's last five road starts this year, and the Athletics 10-4 the last 14 games as a host in this series, look for the A's to improve on those numbers here tonight. 5*

I like the SF Giants to get back in the win column here with Vogelsong on the mound. The Giants are 9-1 in his last 10 starts, including 6-0 at home during this stretch. Vogelsong is also 3-1, 1.90 in his last six starts. The Reds Arroyo may be in some trouble today. The right-hander is 0-4 with a 4.34 ERA in five starts at San Francisco. Arroyo is 1-3, 5.66 in his last six starts. THe Reds may also be without Joey Votto who injuried his knee on Saturday. The Giants are 27-10 in their last 37 games as a home favorite and 18-4 in their last 22 games as a home favorite when favored by -110 to -150. Take the San Francisco here on Sunday afternoon. 10*

A home run quickly ended the San Francisco Giants' bid for a fifth consecutive shutout. Their late long ball did nothing more than prevent them from being blanked. I like the strong hitting Reds chances against Barry Zito (6-5, 4.00 ERA) Saturday afternoon. The Reds have won 7 of their last 9 against these Giants and Latos loves pitching at this ballpark. Latos has a 2.35 ERA in 10 starts against the Giants.
Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips, who returned to the lineup Friday after sitting out the series opener following a blow to the head he received Wednesday against Milwaukee, has seven hits in 17 at-bats along with four walks against Zito. Right fielder Jay Bruce, who had four hits and three RBIs Friday, is 4 for 11 with a homer in the lefty-lefty matchup. Look for Cincinnati to get another win over the SF Giants on Saturday.

10* NL GAME OF THE MONTH

Cliff Lee is bound to win a game sooner or later. Off back to back losses, the Phillies take the field Friday in Miami. Cliff Lee gave up a season worst-tying five runs and struck out nine over seven innings of a 7-3 loss to Tampa Bay in the nightcap of Sunday's doubleheader. Lee had a 3-0 team start record vs. the Marlins last season, including two complete games. Miami has been ineffective vs. lefties to say the least, scoring less than four runs per game and batting .228. With Chase Utley back in the lineup and Lee off his worst outing of the year, I like the Phillies here on Friday night. 5*

5*
After the Mets scored 17 runs on Wednesday plus had to travel to the West Coast facing a Dodgers team who just got shutout in 3 straight games and had a players only meeting last night, I really like LA here at home.
Chris Capuano on the hill against his former team. Capuano looks to stay unbeaten at home and the Dodgers try to avoid being shut out for a fourth straight game Thursday night in the opener of a four-game set with the New York Mets. Los Angeles has never been blanked in four straight. The left-hander has been especially good at Chavez Ravine, where he's compiled a 1.57 ERA and a 5-0 record over seven starts. He's allowed two runs or fewer in each of those outings while striking out 46 in as many innings. Look for the Dodgers to get back on track tonight.

I take the Mets behind the strong day time pitching of Jon Niese to avoid the sweep at Wrigley Field. New York has dropped four in a row now, with their last win coming when Niese was on the hill at home against the New York Yankees last week. For the season, Niese is 3-0 when he makes the start during day time, and his day time ERA is a slender 1.99.
Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija has been getting rocked the last few times he has trotted to the hill, as Samardija has allowed 16 runs and 20 hits his last 14 innings of work, and is on an 0-3 slide. This afternoon the Mets have the right pitching matchup to get a victory here. Take New York to avoid the three game sweep at Wrigley Field.
5*