*3 Star Monday MLB Play of the Day* It will be Andy Pettite vs. Cliff Lee in Game Three on Monday evening. Lee has been great against the Yankees and Pettite has been great in the playoffs. We are getting even money on the over 7.5 here because of their great track records. Why do I like the over? The wind is expected to be howling out to center field at 15 to 20 mph in this. Both Pettite and Lee often give up a lot of fly balls. Both of these offenses are very strong, and it would only take one or two big innings to get to this total. Jim Reynolds is behind the dish and he is one of the biggest "over" umpires in all of baseball. The over is 56-32 in his 88 games behind home plate the last three years. Reynolds won't be doing the pitchers any favors in this one, and I think these lineups will put some runs on the board. Take the over.

*3 Star NFL Total Domination Play* The Houston Texans defense has been terrible this year, but if you take a look at the stats, it doesn't appear the Chiefs have the personnel to take advantage of that. The Texans allow 330 yards per game through the air, but the Chiefs only get 158 through the air each game. The Texans are actually the fifth best defense against the run, and that is all KC does most of the time. Houston is a run first team with Arian Foster, and I think the clock will be ticking quite a bit in this one. Expect both teams to run often, and expect to see a lot of drives end in field goals instead of touchdowns. The Chiefs simply don't have much offensive firepower, and the Texans offense has produced only 23 points in their last two home games combined. Take the under here.

*3 Star Smash the Books Total* Betting on the over in San Diego's games has been the way to go of late. The Chargers put up tons of points, but find a way to give away games on the road by allowing special teams touchdowns or turning the ball over. The Rams were thrashed last weekend by Detroit and I expect them to come out with much more intensity in this one. The Chargers have the top ranked pass offense in the league, and St. Louis has a ton of trouble stopping the pass. Look for the Chargers to allow the Rams to get some points on silly mistakes, but look for San Diego to run up a huge amount of yards in this one. At the end of the day I'm lookin for this one to sail over the posted total.

*3 Star Hidden Gem of the Week* The Troy Trojans are the class of the Sun Belt Conference, but their defense isn't up to par this year. Both Troy and La. Lafayette like to hurry to the line and air it out early and often. This game may take a while, and I fully expect a lot of points to be scored. Troy allows 272 passing yards per game and opponents are averaging 29 points per game on their defense as well. Louisiana Lafayette allows 276 passing yards per game and a ridiculous 39 points per game. Both offenses have a strong passing game and both defenses are weak against the pass, so this appears to be a great matchup for a ton of points to be scored. The over is 5-1 in Lafayette's last 6 and 7-2 in Troy's last 9 games overall. Take the over here.

*3 Star SEC Showdown Total Shocker Alert* The Arkansas Razorbacks can air it out as well as anyone in the country. Auburn struggles mightily against the pass. Auburn can run the football as well as anyone in college football. Arkansas struggles to defend the run. Cam Newton and Ryan Mallett are both stars at the quarterback position and I fully expect them to shine on Saturday. Both of these teams have plenty to play for in the SEC West, so this should be a heck of a battle. Last year's game finished with a total of 67, and these offenses are probably a little better this year! The winner of this game is going to have to put up quite a few points! I like the value on the over in this one!

*3 Star Big East Total* The Pitt Panthers have been a major disappointment so far this year and the Syracuse Orange have been a big surprise. Syracuse has a stout defense and Pitt also has a pretty solid defense. The Panthers are allowing just 95 yards per game on the ground, and Syracuse is a team that likes to run the ball first. On the other side, Syracuse is allowing just 14.8 points per game, and they have held their opponents in single digits in four of their five games this season. The under is 5-1 in Syracuse's last 6 home games. The under is 4-1 in Pittsburgh's last 5 road games. Expect both offenses to struggle to get into the end zone in this one. The value is on the under here.

*3 Star Monday Night Football Guaranteed Winner* The Minnesota Vikings acquired Randy Moss last week and I believe that will help their offense in a HUGE way. Favre has been needing someone to throw the deep pass to and Moss is the perfect guy for that. A lot of people are looking at this game as a very low scoring defensive battle, but I think many will be surprised. The Jets have been impressive on offense the last couple weeks, and I think they are fully capable of putting up plenty of points. With a guy like Moss on the outside, it will be much tougher to bring safeties and help out against the run. Adrian Peterson will benefit greatly. I think this will be an intriguing game, and I also think the offenses will fare better than most believe. Take the over here.

*3 Star MLB Play of the Day* The Braves fell apart at the end of Game Three, but the under still cashed in. Madison Bumgarner will face Derek Lowe in Game Four. Bumgarner is only 21 years old, but he has amazing stuff. Bumgarner has proven his toughness on the road all year long. In 10 road games this year Bumgarner has a record of 6-3 and an ERA of 1.91. Derek Lowe started twice in the regular season against the Giants and was 2-0. He gave up just one run in Game One, and I believe he will pitch will again. The Braves struggle mightily against pitchers they haven't faced before, and Bumgarner fits that billing. These two lineups are probably the weakest lineups remaining in the playoffs and both bullpens are tremendous. I like the under here.

*3 Star MLB Play of the Day* The Braves and Giants hit the ball a little more in Game Two, but I think there is a solid chance Game Three is a low scoring game once again. Jonathan Sanchez has quietly been brilliant for the Giants this year. Sanchez has been at his best on the road, as he has an ERA of 2.86 on the year. Tim Hudson has been superb at home all year for the Braves, and he gets the ball in this one. Hudson has a 2.48 ERA at home in 2010. The under is 15-7 in Hudson's last 22 starts overall and the under is 6-1 in Sanchez's last 7 starts overall. Both bullpens are solid and these are probably the two weakest lineups in the MLB playoffs. A solid under umpire also helps our cause in this one. I think the under is the play here!

*3 Star NFL Total Play of the Day* The Indianapolis Colts can obviously air it out better than anyone in the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs have the 25th ranked pass defense in the NFL. The Colts defense struggles mightily to stop the run. The Chiefs have the third best rushing attack in the NFL. In this game the strengths of the offenses will work to their advantage nicely and it should help plenty of points be scored. The Chiefs defense has looked very good so far this year, but this is easily their toughest test yet. I think the Colts will put up a pretty big number on them. The over is 8-3 in the Colts last 11 games overall. Expect a big game out of Manning and KC to stay in it for a while with some nice production on the ground. Take the over.

*3 Star Break the Bookies Total* The Rice Owls have been an over machine for the last few years. The over is a stunning 52-17 in their last 69 games. This year the Rice offense is a little worse than some years, but UTEP has a horrific defense and they'll allow the Owls to score plenty. At the same time, Rice has what may be the worst defense in the country. UTEP has a good running back in Buckram and Trevor Vittatoe is plenty capable of picking apart this Rice secondary. The over is 7-3 in UTEP's last 10 overall. The over is 21-5 in Rice's last 26 road games. The over is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings between these two. Two bad defenses and teams that can score points in bunches means the over is a great play here!

*3 Star Ugly Football Moneymaker* It doesn't have to be pretty to make cash. I'll be the first to tell you that there is no way I would go see these two teams play football against each other. These two are both horrific on offense and I just don't see them being able to put up this many points. The biggest concern I have here is that the offenses and special teams are so bad that they may give up a punt block or an interception return for a touchdown. Even if they do, I think at this level we have enough of a cushion for a nice play on the under. Last year they played to a 20-17 final and I think a similar score this year is quite likely. Expect a sloppy game with penalties and two terrible rushing attacks trying to get going. I like the under here.

*3 Star Pac 10 Total Play* The UCLA Bruins are not nearly as good on defense as they were a year ago. They are allowing 24 points per game and 366 total yards per game. While UCLA has almost no passing game, the Bruins do have a very good running back in Johnathan Franklin. Cal's defense is decent, but stopping the run is a problem for them at times. Kevin Riley has been much better at home and this Cal offense as a whole does have some pretty good play makers. Shane Vereen should have a big day. In the last six meetings between these two, the total has hit at least 51 points every single time. I think this is the type of game where some points could be scored on special teams or by the defense, which is a nice perk. The total is set quite low at just 48 points, so I'm taking the over as a great value bet here.

*3 Star CFB Early Bird Special* The Ball State Cardinals don't have much an offense. The Cardinals can't throw the ball hardly at all, but they can control the ball by running it fairly often. Western Michigan is having serious problems breaking in their new quarterback and they have absolutely no running game. Last year these two put up 39 points, and both teams had a better offense then than they do this season. This is the type of game where Ball State will likely try to control the football and take some time off the clock, while Western Michigan will struggle in the red zone as they have all year long. This one should be close all the way to the end, but I don't think they'll put up this many points. Take the under.

*3 Star Braves/Giants Guaranteed Winner* The Giants started off this series with a 1-0 victory last night. I think we can count on there being more than one very low scoring game when these two teams meet. Both teams have a great pitching staff, but lack in the hitting department. Matt Cain is a very good number two pitcher, and the under is 4-0 in his last four starts against Atlanta. Tommy Hanson has been pitching brilliantly of late, with an ERA of 0.48 in his last three starts. For the season, Hanson actually pitched better on the road than he did at home. Paul Nauert is a nice under umpire behind the plate. The under was 19-12 in his 31 games behind the dish this year. The under is 7-2 in Atlanta's last 9 and 13-3 in San Francisco's last 16. This is a low number, but it deserves to be. Take the under here and expect another pitcher's duel.

*3 Star MLB Playoff Opener Winner* The playoffs are finally here and it is time for teams to win or go home. Cliff Lee and David Price are two of the best pitchers in baseball right now, and I fully expect them to bring their "A" game on Wednesday afternoon in Tampa Bay. Price has been superb at home, and the under is 15-5-1 in his last 21 home starts. The Rangers have struggled all year against left handers and this is a very tough test for them. Cliff Lee showed how good of a postseason pitcher he can be last year when he looked absolutely amazing every single game for the Phillies. I think he'll be ready for this one and give the Rays lineup all sorts of trouble. Game One favors the pitchers to start with in my opinion because of the jitters of playoff baseball, and with these two pitchers going, this could be a very low scoring game. I like the under here.

*3 Star MLB Finale Play of the Day* The Mets and the Nationals will square off in the season finale for both of these teams. Mike Pelfrey and Livan Hernandez have both had strong seasons on the mound. Pelfrey has been terrific at home. Pelfrey has a 10-3 record and a 2.92 ERA at home this year. He has four straight quality starts. Livan Hernandez has been an under machine this year. The under is 24-7 in Hernandez's 31 starts this season. The under is 4-0 in his last 4 starts against the Mets as well. We have a bit of an under umpire here and the wind is expected to be blowing in from center field at about 10 mph. The trends look great here and the two lineups should be pretty weak with guys like Beltran, Bay, and Zimmerman missing. I like the under here.

*3 Star NFL Total Domination Play* The San Francisco 49ers have been abysmal to start the season. This team isn't nearly as good as they were predicted to be, but they also aren't as bad as they have looked lately. The Falcons had a huge win last week over the Saints and might let down a little in this one. I expect both teams to try to establish the running game in this one and keep the clock ticking. The under is 3-1-1 in the Niners last 5 road games, and the one loss for the under was last week on a fluke last second play that simply shouldn't have happened. Atlanta doesn't have the best defense in the NFL, but they probably won't need to in order to slow down this confused 49ers offense. The under is 7-2 in Atlanta's last 9 games overall as well. I think the under is a good value here.

*3 Star Ravens/Steelers Guaranteed Play* The Ravens and the Steelers will meet in Pittsburgh on Sunday, and this should be a heck of a battle. These are probably the two hardest hitting teams in all of football. Big Ben is out so the Steelers are more of a run oriented team, and Flacco has struggled this year. The Steelers defense looks like one of the best in the NFL again with a healthy Troy Polamalu on the field. The Ravens secondary is dinged up, but the front seven is very strong. This is the type of game where everyone involved will be hurting on Monday morning. I would expect to see field goals kicked in this one and not many touchdowns. The defenses should rule in this one and I think the under is the play here.

*5 Star CFB Late Night Gem* The UNLV Rebels have one of the worst rushing defenses in the nation. In 2009 the Rebels gave up 221 yards per game on the ground, and Nevada ran up a ridiculous total of 559 yards on the ground! In 2008 at UNLV, Nevada rolled up 444 yards on the ground. This Rebels defense has absolutely no answer for the Nevada running game engineered by Colin Kaepernick. Nevada's pass defense isn't that great, and UNLV has a decent passing offense. I expect the Rebels to put up a solid amount of points at home, primarily through the passing game. Nevada will likely get ahead early and UNLV will throw constantly to try to come back. Both offenses are far better than the defenses, and I think 70 points or more between the two is quite likely. Take the over here!

*3 Star Stanford/Oregon Huge Winner* The Stanford Cardinal and the Oregon Ducks have been as impressive as anyone in the country so far this year. Oregon leads the nation in points per game at 57.8 and Stanford is fourth at 48. Oregon's uptempo rushing offense has yet to be stopped and I don't think Stanford will be able to stop it either. Stanford's Andrew Luck may be the best quarterback in the nation and he can beat a team by running or throwing the football. Jim Harbaugh's team is playing inspired football this year and they will definitely come ready for this huge game. Oregon has the edge in the speed category, but Stanford has amazing offensive chemistry. The stats point strongly to the over in this one. The over is 9-2 in Oregon's last 11 games. The over is 7-2 in Stanford's last 9 games. The over is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings between these two. This should be an etertaining game, and I fully expect a high scoring shootout. Take the over here.

*3 Star Smash the Books Total* In the last three games Toledo has been able to put quite a few points on the board. If you just looked at the final score you would assume the offense has been impressive. That actually hasn't been the case at all. The defense is forcing all kinds of turnovers and putting the offense in great position. The Toledo offense is ranked 116th in the nation in total yards per game. I find it hard to believe that Toledo will keep scoring a ton of points without hardly any consistent offense. Wyoming has the 119th ranked offense in the country, and they have scored just 27 points in three games against Division One opponents. I think this line is inflated because of Toledo's recent high scoring games that were a bit of a fluke. I like the under in this one.

*3 Star CFB Totals Terrorizer* The Idaho Vandals are a much improved football team, but their defense is just terrible. Last week they allowed Colorado State, who had scored a combined 19 points in their first three games, to score a ridiculous total of 36 points. Western Michigan has the fourth ranked passing offense in the nation and Idaho can't defend the pass. Idaho can score proficiently though, and Nathan Enderle is one of better quarterbacks you haven't heard of. The oddsmakers still haven't caught up to the Idaho trends. The over is 31-11 in Idaho's last 42 games. The over is 20-8 in Idaho's last 28 games. These two teams met two years ago and the final was 51-28. It wouldn't surprise me a bit to see a total of 70 points or more scored here. I love the value on the over 57 here.

*3 Star MLB Play of the Day* The Reds and Brewers will face off in a quite meaningless game for both teams on Saturday afternoon. The Reds are in the playoffs and won't have home field advantage, while the Brewers will be done after Sunday's game. This is expected to be a cool breezy day in Cincinnati, with the wind blowing in toward home plate. Homer Bailey will be pitching for Cincinnati, and he has been solid against the Brewers throughout his career. The under is 5-1 in Bailey's last 6 against Milwaukee and 9-3 in his last 12 starts overall. Chris Capuano has quietly been pitching very well of late. He has five straight quality starts and the under is 4-1 during that time. I expect the Reds to rest some of their regulars in this one and both pitchers should pitch well. Take the under.

*3 Star MLB Play of the Day* The Padres and Giants are playing a pivotal three game series in San Francisco. One thing I know well about these two teams is they are built on terrific pitching. Matt Cain is on the hill for San Francisco and he has been superb of late. Cain has an ERA of 0.82 in his last three starts. For the year, Cain has an amazing WHIP of just 0.95 at home. Clayton Richard is pitching for the Padres. Richard has been very good this year, and he has fared well against the Giants. He has four starts against the Giants this year and the most runs he has allowed has been two. The under is 4-0-1 in Richard's last 5 against the Giants. The under is 4-1-1 in Cain's last 6 against the Padres. The under is 20-8-1 in the last 29 meetings between these two. Take the under here.

*3 Star MLB Play of the Day* The Cincinnati Reds clinched their first playoff berth on Tuesday. The team rested all of its starters Wednesday and they will likely rest some of them on Thursday. Brett Myers is on the hill for Houston. Myers has been excellent all year long. Myers has an ERA of 2.89 for the season. Bronson Arroyo is the starter for Cincinnati in this one. Arroyo has a 2.65 ERA in his last three games. Arroyo has owned Houston in the past. The Reds are 6-0 in his last 6 starts against them and the under is 7-1 in his last 8 starts against the Astros. The under is 6-2 in his last 8 home starts. The under is 18-7-3 in Myers' last 28 starts overall. The Astros have a light hitting lineup and the Reds will be resting some key players. It sounds like a great time to take the under.

*3 Star Tuesday Total Domination* The Orioles have been playing much better baseball since Showalter took over. Brad Bergesen has been looking like a whole new pitcher over the last couple months. In his last five starts he has allowed just six earned runs. David Price is pitching for the Rays and he has been superb all year, especially at home. The left hander has an ERA of 2.11 at home on the season. The under is 18-7-1 in the Orioles last 26 road games. The under is 4-1 in Bergesen's last 5 road starts. The under is 4-0 in Price's last 4 home starts. I expect Price to shut down the Orioles and Bergesen to escape with minimal damage. I like the under in this one.

*3 Star Monday MLB Play of the Day* The Angels and the Athletics are both fairly light hitting teams, especially of late. The under is 19-5-3 in the Angels last 27 games overall. The under is 16-7 in Oakland's last 23 road games. Ervin Santana will be pitching for the Angels, and he has been great in his last few starts. Santana has an ERA of 1.85 in his last three starts and the under is 13-5 in his last 18 starts against Oakland. Brett Anderson is on the hill for Oakland, and he is dealing right now as well. Anderson has a 1.77 ERA in his last three starts and he will be facing an Angels team that hits just .242 against left handed pitchers. I like the matchup here and I think this will be a pitcher's duel. Take the under.

*3 Star NFL Total Play of the Day* The San Francisco 49ers defense showed me something last Monday in their loss to New Orleans. The defense did a very nice job slowing down the Saints attack, and had it not been for the turnovers from their offense, the 49ers would have won the game. The line is solid and Patrick Willis leads a great group of linebackers. What about Kansas City? The Chiefs have some terrific young talent on the defensive side in Eric Berry, Tamba Hali, and Glenn Dorsey. The Chiefs offense has struggled mightily this year. Matt Cassel has less than 250 yards passing through two games, and the running game has been sporadic at best. Kansas City has relied on special teams to do the heavy lifting as far as their point output. The under is 6-1-1 in the 49ers last 8 games and the Chiefs defense appears to be much better this season than last. This looks like a game where the best defense will win out, and the ball will be kept on the ground quite often by both teams. Take the under.

*3 Star Hidden Gem Special* The New Mexico Lobos are giving up exactly 60 points per game in their first three games this year. Their "best" defensive showing so far was when they allowed 52 points against Texas Tech. UNLV's defense is allowing "only" 36.33 points per game this year. UNLV's offense has been much better at home over the last few years, and I would expect their passing attack to get going some in this one. New Mexico has been playing uptempo and they will likely put up several points as well against a horribly weak UNLV front seven. This is the type of game where there could easily be several turnovers that lead directly to touchdowns as well. It will be an ugly game and you won't want to watch, but it is a hidden gem to make some money off of! Take the over.

*3 Star MLB Total Domination Play* The White Sox are out of the race in the AL Central, which should mean they'll start playing a lot of inexperienced youngsters to give them a chance. The Angels are on a big run of under games lately. The under is 10-2-1 in their last 13 home games, and 20-7-2 in their last 29 games overall. Scott Kazmir was awful earlier in the year, but he has pitched pretty well of late as he has gotten better control of his pitches. John Danks has pitched well historically against the Angels. The under is 6-2 in his last 8 starts against the Angels, including a game in which he pitched a shutout earlier this year. All signs point to the under being the play in this one!

*3 Star CFB Terrific Total* The Rice Owls had the worst defense in all of college football last year. For the entire year in 2009 they allowed 43 points per game. The Owls defense has fared a little better so far this year, but I think Baylor will be the best offense they have faced yet. Robert Griffin III is a terrific play maker at the quarterback spot, and I fully expect him to hurt this Rice defense in a big way. The fact that Baylor was embarrassed last week against TCU makes me feel even more confident that the Bears will come out ready to go in this one. Rice should be able to put up some points here as well, but I fully expect Baylor to get most of the way to the over by themselves. I like the over in this one.

*3 Star SEC Super Total* I really think these teams match up very evenly, especially with this game being played at Mississippi State. Mississippi State's strength is their strong run defense, and Georgia's strength is their run game. Georgia's defense has struggled against the run this year, but Mississippi State doesn't appear to have the players to take advantage of that weakness. Mississippi State held Auburn to just 17 points at home and Auburn has a much better offense than Georgia at this point. Georgia's defense held South Carolina to just 17 points. I think in the end this will be a very tight contest where both teams do quite a bit of running the football. Expect this to go down to the wire and expect it to stay under the posted total.

*3 Star CFB Total Domination* The Air Force Falcons and Wyoming Cowboys met last year and Air Force won 10-0. I fully expect them to score more points than that this time around, but the matchup between these two is perfect for a low scoring game. Air Force has a great pass defense which should slow down the Cowboys in a big way, and Wyoming really has no running game at all. Air Force will run the ball well, but that also means the clock will roll consistently. In the last three years the highest total in a matchup of these two teams was 32 points. I think Air Force will get the lead here and then absolutely grind this game away by running it every single play. I like the under a lot in this one.

*3 Star Early Bird College Football Play* The Connecticut Huskies and the Buffalo Bulls have both adopted a faster paced offense this year. Both teams like to get to the line quickly and try to catch the defense off guard. Connecticut has a great offensive line and a great running back in Todman. I fully expect the Huskies to be able to score early and often against Buffalo. At the same time, UConn's defense has underperformed and their inability to avoid turnovers on offense will likely lead to some points for the Bulls. The pace of the game should help this one get over the posted total. I like the over here.

*3 Star TGIF Total Domination* Brett Myers has been one of the best pitchers in the National League this year. For the year, Myers has an ERA of 2.76. In his last three starts his ERA is just 0.43. Myers has not allowed more than 3 runs in a game since August 7th, a span of eight starts. During that time he has pitched three shutouts. On the other side, James McDonald is quietly pitching very well for the Pirates. McDonald has pitched a shutout in two of his last three starts and he has allowed just two home runs in 54 innings this year. The Astros and the Pirates are both teams with a weak offense, especially now that both teams have many injuries. The under is 14-3 in Houston's last 17 road games. The under is 13-3-1 in Myers' last 17 road starts. The under is 4-1 in McDonald's last 5 home starts. The under is the play here.

*3 Star Tantalizing Total Play* This is a matchup of two pitchers that are absolutely struggling in a huge way right now. Talbot has struggled all year at home and he is battling a nagging injury right now. On the year Talbot's ERA at home is 6.37. The Royals have been hitting the ball well lately and the over has cashed in nine of their last ten games. Sean O'Sullivan starts for the Royals and his ERA is 11.57 in his last three starts. He hasn't had a quality start in the last month. The over is 5-0 in the Indians last five games as well. We have two teams who are hitting very well and two pitches who are struggling in a big way, so I love the over in this one.

*3 Star MLB Early Bird Special* Felix Hernandez is on the hill and that usually means two things: the opposition won't score many runs, and the Mariners won't put many on the board to support Felix. The under is 16-4-2 in Felix's last 22 starts overall. In his last 8 games on the mound he has given up 0 earned runs five times and allowed only one earned run 2 times. The Blue Jays bats have cooled down a bit and the under is 4-1 in their last 5 overall. These get away days are usually solid under plays, and Mike Estabrook is a very solid under umpire behind the plate. I think this will be a low scoring game and the under is the way to go here!

*3 Star MLB Totals Terrorizer* The Colorado Rockies offense is absolutely on fire of late. The over is 6-0 in the Rockies last 6 games and they are averaging 7.3 runs per game during that span. Troy Tulowitzki is the hottest hitter in baseball and Carlos Gonzalez continues to tear it up. Joe Saunders is on the hill for Arizona and he hasn't been very good of late. He allowed 7 runs in 2 and 1/3 at Colorado just ten days ago. The Diamondbacks tend to put up some nice offensive numbers at home, so I expect some runs out of them as well. We all know the DBacks bullpen is absolutely horrendous, so if Saunders is gone early then the Rockies should do even more damage. Take the over here.

*3 Star MLB Bookie Basher* The Yankees and Rays are playing a crucial series in the Bronx this week. In Tuesday evening's game it will be Shields vs. Hughes on the mound. Shields has struggled of late, with a 6.32 ERA in his last three starts overall. On the road Shields has an ERA of 5.40 for the entire year. The over is 6-2 in Shields' last 8 road starts. Phil Hughes started the season great for the Yankees, but he has tailed off as the season has gone along. Hughes has strangely been much worse at home this year. Hughes has an ERA of 4.88 at home this year. In his last 15 starts at home the over is 12-3. These two teams tend to play high scoring game when they get together. The over is 11-4 in the last 15 meetings and 5-0 in the last 5 at Yankee Stadium. Take the over here.

*3 Star NFL Total Dominator* The Houston Texans have a dynamic offense, but they are much less dynamic on the road. In their last 11 road games the under is 9-1-1. Washington's defense has been great at home, and the under is 12-4 in their last 16 home games. I don't believe Donovan McNabb has the weapons he needs to air it out against Houston, and the Texans run defense is actually very good. Arian Foster was great in week one, but he'll likely found it much tougher sledding in this one. I think Washington will play solid defense like they did in week one and this game will be tight all the way to the finish. I think there is a lot of value on the under in this one!

*3 Star MLB Total Dominator* Joe Blanton is pitching for the Phillies and he has been an over machine this year. The over is 9-1-1 in his last 11 home starts. Blanton has an ERA of 6.45 in his career against the Nationals and the over is 21-7-2 in his last 30 starts overall. The Nationals are starting youngster Yuneski Maya. Maya has plenty of potential, but this Phillies team has really started to hit the ball of late. The Phillies have the best offense in the NL and they are rolling of late. Maya doesn't have a big strikeout pitch and I think the Phillies will get to him in this one. I like the over in this game.

*3 Star NFL Smash the Books Play* The Steelers won their first game without Big Ben with their stout defense and I fully expect that defense to show up again this weekend in Nashville. The Steelers front seven is absolutely tremendous, and I think they'll do as good of a job as anyone can at stopping Chris Johnson. In fact, in both of Chris Johnson's career meetings against Pittsburgh he has finished with less than 70 yards. With Dennis Dixon at the quarterback you can definitely expect the Steelers to keep their offense very vanilla and try to run the football often. This is the type of game that will be very hard hitting and the clock should be rolling almost constantly as both teams try to run the ball as often as possible. Take the under here.

*3 Star CFB Total Dominator* The Thundering Herd of Marshall had West Virginia beat last weekend, but let them off the hook. Marshall's defense looks very solid and I think their offense looks very shaky so far this year. Brian Anderson can't be trusted to throw the ball too often, so I expect Holliday and the Herd to run it here. Bowling Green lost a ton of star power from last year's squad and they only put up 20 points against a terrible Tulsa defense last weekend. I look for Marshall's experienced defense to give BG trouble here and the Marshall offense to continue to struggle with inconsistency. The under looks like the play here.

*3 Star Break the Books Back Play* The Rockets of Toledo have offensive issues this year. Austin Dantin has struggled mightily at the quarterback spot and they don't have any star running backs on their squad. Toledo has scored just 22 points in their first two games combined. Western Michigan was high flying offense in recent years with Tim Hiller at the helm, but Alex Carder is there now. Carder is a solid player, but he is more of a dual-threat quarterback rather than a drop back passer. I believe the line on this one is inflated based upon the teams offensive outputs from last year. These are very teams this year, and I think the under is a solid play here.

*3 Star ABC Showdown Big Play* The Cornhuskers of Nebraska have their first test of the season as they travel to Washington and take on the Jake Locker led Huskies. Nebraska's defense and running game are their two biggest strengths, and they know it. With a freshman quarterback don't expect the Huskers to air it out often. Washington's defense has looked decent against the run thus far this year, and this crowd will help pump them up in a big way on Saturday. I think Nebraska is the better team, but this is definitely a tough spot for them. Expect Nebraska's defense to hold Locker down better than most and expect the Huskers to play it safe on offense. I like the under.

*3 Star Super Value Play* I nominate Colorado State as quite possibly the worst offense in all of college football. The Rams have played two below average defenses in Colorado and Nevada, and have put up a total of 9 points! The Redhawks of Miami (OH) showed against Florida that they have a gritty defense. I really don't think the Rams have a big game here. The Rams defense is decent, with a solid linebacker unit and plenty of veterans on the field. I think Miami wins this game, but I don't think they have the offense to run up the score. This one should be an ugly game, but the under looks like a super value!

*Saturday NCAA FB Early Bird Special* The Temple Owls have turned into a decent team over the last couple years as Al Golden has really made this team believe. Connecticut is still the team with more talent here, but Temple will play with a ton of pride on their home field. In 2007 and 2008 these teams played and the score finished well under the posted total. In fact, in 2008 it was a 12-9 final in overtime. Temple's defense is defenitely its stronger unit, and UConn has a strong defensive line that will keep Temple from getting big gains in the running game. Both teams will want to run the ball as much as possible, which will definitely help the clock tick away quickly. Expect a ball control type of game with both defenses stepping up. Take the under.

*3 Star TGIF MLB Play of the Day* The Reds and Astros will kickoff their weekend series with their best pitchers pitching. Wandy Rodriguez has been absolutely dealing for the Astros of late, and Johnny Cueto has had a very good year for the Reds. Rodriguez gave up just one hit in his last game against Cincinnati, and Cueto shut out the Astros in his last start against them. The under is 5-0 in Rodriguez's last 5 home games against the Reds. Wandy hasn't given up more than 3 runs in any of his last 10 starts and his ERA is just 1.71 in his last 3. Cueto has a spectacular ERA of 1.89 in his last three starts as well and the under is 4-0 in his last 4 starts overall. The under is 24-6 in the Astros last 30 games overall. All signs point to the under behing a great play here.

*3 Star MLB Total Domination Play* In the last four games the Giants have played, three of those games have finished with a final score of 1-0. That really is an amazing stat and it shows both how well they are pitching and how poorly they are hitting. Matt Cain is the Giants best starter, and he has shut down LA the last couple times he has faced them. Chad Billingsley is starting for the Dodgers and the under is 8-1-1 in his last 10 starts overall. The under is 9-4 in the last 13 meetings between these two teams. I think Wednesday night's meeting will once again be a pitcher's duel. Take the under here.

*3 Star Total Domination* Shawn Hill looked decent in his first start as a Blue Jay last week, but I am very skeptical that he will be able to stick around in the major leagues for too long. Jacob Arrieta has an ERA of 5.40 at home and I think the Blue Jays bats will get to him quite a bit in this one. The wind will be blowing out slightly throughout the game. The over is 4-1 in Toronto's last 5 road games and it is also 4-1-2 in Arrieta's last 7 home starts. I'm not overly impressed with either pitcher and I think the scoreboard will light up quite frequently in this one. Take the over.

*3 Star MLB Total Domination Play* The Blue Jays are not a team that you want to face if you are struggling with your control and keeping the ball in the ballpark. Jeff Niemann has a 20.70 ERA in his last three starts, which is almost unheard of. The over is 6-2 in the Jays last 8 games and the over is 6-0 in the Rays last 6 games. As you might expect with his troubles, the over is 5-0 in Niemann's last 5 starts as well. Mike Reilly is behind the dish, and his small strike zone makes him the friend of an over bettor. The over is the value play in this game between two teams with strong lineups! Take over 9.

*5 Star NFL Sunday Top Play* The Indianapolis Colts have more of their offensive weapons back and I look for them to be just as good if not better than they were last year on the offensive side of the football. The Texans have a budding star in Matt Schaub at quarterback and a terrific wide receiver in Andre Johnson. I fully expect both teams to air it out early and often in this one, and they should be quite successful. In their matchup last year in Houston the final score was 35-27. Both of these teams have a much stronger offense and a little bit of a weakness on defense. I think this number is set a little lower because it is the opening game, but that just gives us even more value on the over. Take over 47 in this one!

*3 Star NFL Total Dominator* The Bears and Lions played two games last year and the total points scored were 72 and 60. I know it is highly unlikely that the teams will score that many in this one, but I do think over 43 is a very nice value. The Lions and Matt Stafford have been able to throw the ball successfully against the Bears in the past and I expect that to continue this weekend. Jay Cutler may not have lived up to the hype yet in Chicago, but he has lit up the Lions in the past. The Lions secondary is below average and the pass rush won't be great either, so Cutler should have time to throw. In Chicago you always worry about the weather, but the forecast is looking nice and sunny with fairly calm winds. The conditions are right for the over in this one!

*3 Star Total Value Play* The New Mexico Lobos are one of the worst teams in all of college football. The Lobos have one single area of their team where they are decent, and that is the defensive line and stopping the run. If you know Texas Tech very well at all, then you know they are all about airing it out. This Lobos secondary will get torched week in and week out, and this might be the biggest mismatch they'll have all year. How did New Mexico fare last week? They were CRUSHED 72-0 against Oregon. Oregon actually led 59-0 at halftime! The Ducks had 351 passing yards in the game. Texas Tech might not give up many points against this horrific offense, but I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see them get into the 50's by themselves here. Take the over.

*3 Star No Doubt Total Play* The Aggies have what may be the worst offense in all of college football. I fully expect this team to struggle to get to 10 points in quite a few games this year. The Aggies want to run the ball all the time, but with absolutely no passing game it will be tough against a defense stacked in the box. New Mexico State's secondary is strong, which should help them hold down the Aztecs numbers in this game. San Diego State has a solid offense, but they struggle when forced to run the football. On the road I think they'll move the ball fairly well, but they won't put up huge numbers against a decent defense. The Aggies will struggle to score hardly anything no matter where the game is played. Take the under in this one.

*3 Star Saturday Bookie Smasher* The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are a program that has a long ways to go to being competitive against anyone from a major conference. The Hilltoppers didn't win a single game last year and they'll struggle to win more than one or two this year. Kentucky has a solid team and a defense that should exceed expectations. I fully expect Kentucky to run for a ton of yards in this one, but that will keep the clock rolling. Western Kentucky will struggle mightily on offense and I think Kentucky will end up putting the second and third string players in. The value looks like it is on the under in this game.

*5 Star Top Play CFB Saturday* The Baylor Bears are a totally different team this year with Robert Griffin under center. Griffin is one of the best play making quarterbacks in the entire country. Baylor's offense was back to its old ways with Griffin at the helm in Week One and I fully expect them to continue that this week. Buffalo has transitioned to a new no huddle offense under Jeff Quinn and that should keep the pace of this game flowing nicely. I expect both teams to put up plenty of points here. The books have given us a nice value based on these teams from last year, and they are very different teams in 2010. I really like the over in this one!

*3 Star CFB Total Dominator* The Arkansas Razorbacks will definitely have one of the best offenses in the entire country this year. Ryan Mallett is a terrific quarterback and the rest of the offense around him is setup extremely nicely this year. The UL Monroe Warhawks are definitely not accustomed to seeing a quarterback or an offense with even close to this much ability. The Razorbacks defense is still a bit of a weakness, so don't be surprised if Frank Goodin does some damage for Monroe on the offensive side of the football. I think Arkansas will put up a very high total here and Monroe will get just enough to make it get over the posted total. Take the over here.

*3 Star Bookie Crusher Deluxe* I must admit it scares me a little bit to bet on an under that is set so low, but I still think this play has a lot of value. If you take a close look at the numbers of the two starters, this has a very solid chance of staying under 6.5. Trevor Cahill has been unhittable at home this year, with an ERA of 1.71. The under is 13-2-1 in his last 16 home starts. Clay Buchholz has been amazing all year for the Red Sox. The under is 4-0 in his last four starts overall. Both of these teams have some very key hitters down with injuries right now, so the pitchers should have even more of an edge than normal in this one. Take the under 6.5 here.

*3 Star Thursday Total Domination Play* The Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays are both hitting the baseball very well right now. The over is 5-0 in Toronto's last 5 games overall and 4-0 in Texas' last 4 games overall. Colby Lewis starts for the Rangers and his ERA is over 9 in his last three starts. The Rangers have lost eight of his last nine starts. On the mound for the Blue Jays is Shawn Hill. Hill hasn't been able to stay in the majors in his earlier stints with other teams and he has an 8-16 lifetime record with an ERA above 5. I think both teams will be hitting the ball hard again on Thursday night. The trends say over and so does the pitching matchup. Take the over in this one.

*3 Star Crush the Books Play* The Marlins and Phillies will meet on Tuesday evening in a key game for the Phillies. The Phillies have gotten healthy and this lineup is as tough as you'll find in the National League. Chris Volstad is pitching for the Marlins and his road ERA this year is 5.79. The over is 4-1-1 in his last 6 starts overall. Joe Blanton is starting for the Phillies and the over is 19-7-2 in his last 28 starts overall. The umpire here is a solid over umpire and the wind is expected to be blowing straight out to center at about 15 mph. I like the over in this one.

*3 Star Total Dominator* The Nationals have started absolutely crushing the baseball of late. In their last five games they have scored: 10,5,9,8, and 13 runs! Both teams have a starting pitcher making their MLB debut in this game. The bad news for these pitchers is Jim Reynolds is the umpire behind the dish for this one. Reynolds is the top over umpire in all of baseball over the last few years, and he'll definitely pinch the strike zone. A total set this low with two first-time MLB starting pitchers and an umpire that pinches the zone is a great formula for an over. Take the over 8.5 here.

*Sink the Books Play of the Day* Both of these teams are hitting the baseball well right now. Detroit has scored at least 6 runs in each of their last three games and Kansas City is averaging more than 5 runs per game in their last four games. Armando Galarraga has been pitching well of late, but he has struggled mightily on the road this year. The over is 6-1-1 in his last 8 road starts and his road ERA is 5.86. Kyle Davies is pitching for the Royals and he hasn't been very good all year long. Davies has an ERA of 5.23 for the year and the Tigers torched him for 7 runs less than two weeks ago. The over is 9-2-1 in the last 12 meetings. How about the weather forecast for Sunday? The wind is forecast to be blowing out at 20 mph, with gusts of 25 mph. The pitching matchups and the data point the over being a great value here. Take over 9 in this one.

*3 Star Play* The Northwestern Wildcats are a team that is in transition after losing their key man on offense in Mike Kafka. Dan Persa will be a decent mobile quarterback for their offense, but they'll miss the ability to spread out the field through the passing game. Vanderbilt has one of the worst offenses in all of football. The passing game is non-existent and the running game was decent, but they are dealing with multiple injuries in the backfield. The Commodores defense is actually pretty good, but this team will struggle mightily to put points on the board. Northwestern is the better team, but they will likely struggle with new players in the key skill positions on offense. I expect this to be a pretty ugly game where both teams are out of rhythm. Take the under here.

*3 Star Play* The Oklahoma Sooners are coming off an extremely disappointing season, but things are looking up for them in 2010. Landry Jones got plenty of playing time and should be ready for a big year and they have play makers are all over the place on offense. Ryan Broyles and DeMarco Murray can take it to the house at any time. This Utah State team was 100th in the nation in sacks last year, so Jones should have all day to throw. Combine that with the fact that Utah State has had serious trouble in their secondary, and you get what should be a ton of points for the Oklahoma Sooners in this game. Utah State is a pretty good offensive team with a dual-threat quarterback in Borel, and I think they could put up a few points to help out as well. Oklahoma will score early and often and this one should go over the total. Take the over here.

*3 Star MLB Total Dominator* The under has been a masterful play when Trevor Cahill is on the mound of late, especially at home. The under is 12-3-1 in his last 16 home games. The under is 21-8-1 in the Athletics last 30 games overall. The Angels will have Jered Weaver on the hill. The under is 5-0-1 in his last 6 road starts and 9-2-1 in his last 12 starts against Oakland. The under is also 5-1 in the Angels last 6 games overall. Both offenses are struggling and both pitchers have great numbers against the opposing team. The umpire is favorable for an under as well. The under is the play in this afternoon game.

*3 Star Play* The Florida Gators are starting a new era, and while there is a ton of inexperience, there is also a ton of talent. John Brantley has all the tools needed to sling it around and be a prolific passer for the Gators. The Redhawks of Miami won just one game a year ago, and I think they'll be in for a very long season opener at the Swamp. Urban Meyer and the Gators aren't known for taking their foot off the gas when they are way ahead, so I'll assume they don't do it on Saturday either. This game will be extremely one sided, and it really is the type of game where the Gators could probably get to 52 by themselves. I like the value on the over in this one.

*3 Star Opening Night Great Catch* The Northern Illinois Huskies are a solid football team that could make some noise in the MAC this year. The offense is a grind it out type of offense that will use the clock and run the football consistently. Iowa State is a similar type of offense. I think both teams could gain quite a few yards in this one, but I think the clock will keep rolling and this will shorten this game considerably. Both defenses are pretty good at bending, but not breaking. I look for some long drives to end in field goals. This should be a hard fought game and I believe the right side to be on is the under. Take under 48 here.

*3 Star Thursday Night Top Total* The South Carolina Gamecocks have struggled to get their offense going in a big way the last few years. Southern Miss is on my radar of very underrated teams going into 2010. Southern Miss is very talented on defense and should be able to stop the run well. I believe both defenses are better than the offenses in this one. Southern Miss will make Garcia beat them with the pass by stuffing the run and the South Carolina secondary should do well stopping the pass attack of the Golden Eagles. Add in the fact that this is the first game of the year for both teams and there will be plenty of jitters, and I think we have found a great value on the under in this one. Take under 47 in this Thursday night matchup.

*3 Star MLB Totals Terrorizer* Mat Latos has quietly had an absolutely terrific year. He really is worthy of Cy Young consideration. In Latos' last 10 starts he has allowed a total of 11 runs! He has been the ultimate picture of consistency this year for the Padres. On the other side, Barry Enright has been brilliant in his short stint with Arizona thus far in 2010. Enright has an ERA of just 2.44 for the year and has been good in every start this season. The under is 4-1 in his last 5 home games. The under is 4-1-1 in Latos' last 6 games overall. This appears to be a very nice spot for the under with two pitchers who really have their act together right now! Take under 8 here.

*3 Star Early Bird Special* Freddy Garcia has gotten amazing run support from the White Sox this year, which is the only reason he is 11-5 on the season. If you take a look at Garcia's numbers, they aren't impressive. Garcia has a WHIP of 1.44 and his strikeout to walk ratio is just 1.93 after being 3.08 last year. Simply put, he doesn't appear to have the strikeout pitch going. Carrasco is a prospect for Cleveland that has struggled in AAA this year, and had an ERA of 9 last year in his short time in the major leagues. He hasn't been in good form of late. The over is 10-4 in the White Sox last 14 overall and 8-0 in Garcia's last 8 starts. It doesn't hurt that the wind is expected to be blowing out at 10-15 mph. The over is the play here.

*3 Star Total Domination Play!* Hurricane Earl is spinning slightly closer to south Florida and while it isn't expected to make a direct hit, it will cause some weather changes. What does this have to do with this game? The weather forecast is calling for steady wind of 15 mph with gusts of 20-25 mph in from center in this one. We have a great under umpire behind the dish in Jim Wolf as well. These two factors combined with the fact that Anibal Sanchez has been brilliant at home this year make the under look very enticing. Sanchez has an ERA of just 2.69 at home this year and he has allowed just 6 runs in his last four starts. The under is the play in this one.

*3 Star Total Dominator* Clayton Richard is great at home and Cole Hamels has been solid all year long. The two left handers should have a good old fashioned pitchers duel in San Diego. The wind is expected to be blowing in at about 10 mph here and the home plate umpire is very favorable for the under. The under is 16-5 in Hamels last 21 starts. The under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings between these two teams. This game means a ton to both teams and I fully expect both pitchers to bring their best stuff in this one. Take the under.

*3 Star Total Domination* Tim Hudson has been great this year, especially at home. Hudson has a 2.28 ERA overall for the year and a 1.87 ERA at home. The under is 4-0 in his last four starts at home. Ricky Nolasco started the seasn slowly, but he has come on nicely of late for the Marlins. The under is 6-2-1 in Nolasco's last 9 games. Nolasco is 10-2 on the road this year with an ERA of just 3.35. The Braves lineup has cooled off of late without Chipper Jones in the middle of the order. The wind is expected to be blowing in about 10 mph. The under looks like a solid play in this one!

*3 Star Late Night Fast Cash* Trevor Bell is naturally a reliever who the Angels are trying to get some starts out of, and the results haven't been good. Bell struggles with control and doesn't have a strikeout pitch. Brad Bergesen is pitching for the Orioles and he has an ERA of 5.98 on the road this year. The wind is expected to be blowing out on a nice warm night in LA, so the ball should carry. The over is 6-2-2 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams. I think both starters are below par here and the scoreboard should light up on Friday night in LA. Take the over!

*3 Star TGIF Totals Terrorizer* The Brewers can really hit the ball, especially at home. James McDonald is not a starter by nature, and he is young. The Brewers are the type of offense that can really feast on a youngster like this. Starting for Milwaukee will be Chris Narveson. Narveson is terrible at home, with a 6.18 ERA. THe over is 5-0 in Narveson's last 5 home games. The Pirates should be able to push across a few runs and I think the Brewers could score a bunch here. The over definitely looks like the value play. Take the over.

*3 Star TGIF Bookie Smasher* Justin Verlander is a very good pitcher, but in his career against the Blue Jays he has been bad. Verlander has an 8.22 ERA in his four starts against Toronto. Shawn Marcum is solid, but his ERA is over 5 in the last three starts. The Tigers bats have been heating up quite a bit in the last week or so. Jerry Crawford, who has the smallest strike zone in the league, is behind the dish. Given the pitcher splits and the great umpire for the over, I think this low number makes the over a great play.

*3 Star Totals Terrorizer* Randy Wolf has really been in good form of late, and the Dodgers really aren't hitting the ball very well right now. Kuroda has pitched quite well most of the year for the Dodgers, but hasn't received very good run support. Andy Fletcher is behind the plate, and he has one of the top three or four under umpires in the league today. Corey Hart is also injured and may miss this game. I think both pitchers will fare well. The under is a solid value.

*3 Star Totals Terrorizer* Rick Porcello simply has not had his best stuff in the last couple of months. The over is 4-1 in his last 5 home starts and he has been giving up way too many hits in his last few starts. Kyle Davies has a 5.30 ERA on the road this year. The best news may be that the home plate umpire is Jim Reynolds. Reynolds is known for having one of the smallest strike zones and being one of the biggest over umpires in the game today. Two pitchers that aren't pitching very well and a small strike zone equals a nice value on the over here!

*3 Star Total Domination* Scott Kazmir has been terrible this year and James Shields has been bad on the road. Both of these teams have shown they can put runs in the board in bunches when given opportunities. Kazmir has a WHIP of 1.60 and Shields has a WHIP of 1.39, so they are both allowing a ton of base runners this year. Kazmir is facing his old club, so he will be fired up, but that could mean he will be wild. Kazmir has allowed 19 home runs already this year and Tampa Bay can definitely hit the ball out of the park. The wind will be blowing out at game time as well. Shields has an ERA of almost 8 in his two starts in LA. I think both of these pitchers will allow too many base runners and the hitters will cash in. Take the over 9 in this game!

*3 Star Total Play of the Day* The Diamondbacks are my favorite team in the majors to play an "over" with. This is a team that plays in a hitter friendly ballpark and has the worst bullpen in the majors by a huge margin. Hudson has been good in his first few starts with the DBacks, but I feel like he is due for a bad game, and he isn't likely to be around past the sixth inning or so. Chacin has good stuff, but is inconsistent at this point. These two teams haven't scored much in the first two of the series, but I think that changes here. Take the over.

*3 Star Total Dominator* Max Scherzer has been excellent of late and the Indians lineup shouldn't be able to do much with his amazing stuff. In his last 10 starts Scherzer has allowed just 15 runs total, and in his last 3 starts he has an ERA of 1.35. The under is 8-3 in his last 11 starts overall. Joel Tomlin has started out his career with the Indians very nicely, and the under is 4-0 in his first four starts. Tomlin has very good stuff and can keep the batters guessing. The Tigers bats have gone much colder of late. The under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between these teams as well. The under looks like the play here. Take under 8.5.

*3 Star TGIF Bookie Smasher* Andy Fletcher is behind home plate in this one, and that is great news for the under. The under is 11-5 in his last 16 games behind home plate and he is historically one of the best under umpires in the game. The Orioles have played much better of late since Buck Showalter took over, and the main reason is they are pitching much better. The under is 12-5-1 in their last 18 games. C.J. Wilson is pitching for the Rangers and the Orioles have had serious trouble hitting left handers this year. Baltimore is averaging just 3.01 runs per game against left handers. This looks like a great spot for the under in this one.

*3 Star Total Play of the Day* Carl Pavano has been very good all year for the Twins, which is one of the main reasons they are at the top of the AL Central Standings. Mark Buerhle has pitched very well on the road this year, and the Twins aren't nearly as good offensively against left handers. The under is 7-3 in Buerhle's last 10 starts against Minnesota. This game is extremely important to both teams, and I think these pitchers will bring their best stuff and the defenses will be solid. I like the under here.

*3 Star East Coast Special* Jered Weaver has had a terrific season and the Boston Red Sox lineup is severely hurting right now. Without Youk, Ellsbury, and Pedroia they lose a lot of their pop. Clay Buchholz has been outstanding all year long for the Red Sox, and in his last 3 starts his ERA is just 1.54. The under is 21-8-4 in Weaver's last 33 games overall. Weaver and Buchholz are both pitching their best baseball of the season right now, and I think this has a good chance of becoming a pitcher's duel. Take under 8 here.

*3 Star Bookie Basher* The Yankees look like they will be a little short handed as Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher both left with injuries on Monday. The under is 6-0 in Justin Verlander's last 6 starts, and in his career against the Yankees he has pitched well. Sabathia has been great, especially at home. Bill Miller is behind the plate in this one and he has the highest percentage of called strikes in the major leagues, so that will definitely help the under. These two offenses struggled Monday, and I think they will once again on Tuesday. Take under 7.5.

*3 Star Smash the Books Total* I'm really liking taking the over anytime Chris Volstad is pitching, especially on the road. Volstad has a road ERA of 6.19 on the year. McDonald is a young starter for the Pirates who started out hot, but doesn't have terrific stuff. The wind will be blowing out a little bit in this one. Florida's bats are hot, and the over is 14-6-1 in their last 21 games. The over is 5-1 in Pittsburgh's last 6 home games. With these two pithcers on the mound I think this is a nice value on the over.

*3 Star Total Play of the Day* Vicente Padilla has had a very solid year for the Dodgers, and Jair Jurrjens appears to be getting good and healthy for the Braves. If there is a perfect umpire for an under it is Mike Estabrook. The under is 23-9-2 in his last 34 games behind home plate. The first couple games in this series have been very low scoring, and I expect this will be the same. The slight breeze from center will help keep the ball in the park as well. The under is 6-0 in Jurrjens last 6 home starts and 6-1 in the last 7 meetings between these two in Atlanta. I think the value here is on the under.

*3 Star Bookie Crusher Special* Trevor Cahill has not given up an earned run in his last 3 starts. Brian Duensing has an ERA of 1.99 at home this year. The under is 13-3-1 in the A's last 17 games. The under is 5-0-1 in the Twins last 6 home games. The under is 5-0 in Duensing's last 5 home starts and the under is 20-7-2 in Cahill's last 29 starts overall. All of this adds up to a nice looking bet on the under in this one. Neither team is hitting particularly well and both pitcher's are dealing right now. Take the under here.

*3 Star Total Play of the Day* Jason Marquis and Ian Kennedy is a great pitching matchup to take the over here. Kennedy has struggled mightily on the road of late and Marquis has been on the DL and isn't showing good form. Kennedy has an ERA of 7.31 in his last 3 starts, which means we'll probably see a lot of the worst bullpen in the major leagues. The Nationals should be able to score several on the DBacks here and I fully expect Marquis to get hit around some by Arizona as well. The over looks like a great value here.

*3 Star Total Play of the Day* The Twins have to be thrilled with how well Carl Pavano has been pitching this year. Pavano looks like the dominant pitcher of old. Gio Gonzalez is having a breakout year with the Athletics as well. Gonzalez has an ERA of just 3.51 on the season. The Twins struggle against left handers, and Oakland's offense has been very quiet of late. The under is 12-3-1 in Oakland's last 16 games. I think this will be a well-pitched game on both sides. I think the under is the play here.

*3 Star Total Play of the Day* Livan Hernandez has been an absolute under machine this year. The under is 19-3 in his 22 starts this season. At home his ERA is just 2.77 this year. Ricky Nolasco has struggled overall this year, but his numbers are actually much better on the road. Nolasco's ERA on the road sits at 3.86. The wind is expected to be blowing in from center at about 10 mph and we have a bit of an under umpire here as well. Both of these teams have been scoring quite a bit recently, but the pitching match up makes me think the value is on the under here. Take under 8.

*3 Star Early Bird Play of the Day* Angel Campos is behind the dish here, and that is great news for the over. Campos has the smallest strike zone in the big leagues so far this year. It doesn't hurt that both teams are hitting the baseball well right now either. The DBacks are a much better team against left handers, so they should get to Randy Wolf some in this one. Rodrigo Lopez has been struggling quite a bit of late, so I expect the Brewers to put several runs on the board. The match ups and the umpire make this one a strong play on the over.

*3 Star Tasty Total Play of the Day* The game time temperature is expected to be in the mid 90's with moderate humidity, which will help the ball fly out. Chris Volstad has been horrendous on the road this year, with an ERA of 6.08. Scott Olsen has been pretty good at home, but the Marlins hit left handers very well. Both teams are swinging hot bats right now. The over is 4-0 in Florida's last 4 and 3-1-1 in Washington's last 5 games. The value in this one appears to be on the over. Take over 9 here.

*3 Star Early Bird Special* The Tigers have been falling apart over the last couple of months, but Justin Verlander is on the hill on Wednesday afternoon. Verlander is their ace, and he has been great at home. Verlander has an ERA of just 2.88 in his home starts this year. Matt Garza threw a no hitter against these Tigers just a couple of weeks ago, so he knows how to get through this lineup. The under is 5-0 in Verlander's last 5 starts. I believe Verlander will quiet the Rays offense and Garza will shine once again. This has the looks of a game that will be decided by a run or two in a low scoring affair. Take the under here.

*3 Star Total Play of the Day* The Phillies have continued to produce on offense even without Howard, Utley, and Victorino. The weather is expected to be hot, with fairly low humidity, which should help the ball fly out of Citizens Bank Park in Philly on Tuesday. The over is 41-20 in Kyle Kendrick's last 61 starts overall and 9-4-1 in Padilla's last 14 starts. Padilla isn't nearly as good on the road, and Kendrick has struggled at home. I think the value is on the over in this one. Take over 8.5.

*Fantastic Five Star Total* The Brewers bats are on fire right now and Arizona's pitching staff is the worst in the big leagues. Ian Kennedy is on the hill for Arizona in this one and his ERA in his last three games is 7.02. Chris Narveson is pitching for the Brewers and his ERA at home sits at 6.20 on the year. Arizona is actually a much better team against left handers, so they should have that as an added advantage over Narveson as well. This really looks like a game that could light up the scoreboard. I expect both starting to pitchers to struggle, and then when the bullpen's come in they will provide very little relief. I really like the over in this one!

*3 Star Total Knockout Play* Joe Saunders has been settling in very nicely in Arizona, and he appears to be much improved from earlier this year. Mat Latos has been amazing all year long. The under is 8-3 in Latos' last 11 starts. I expect Latos to keep the DBacks bats at bay, and Saunders to pitch well again in front of his new home crowd. The Padres struggle against left handers, which should make Saunders even more effective. The value is on the under in this one.

*3 Star Total Value Play* Trevor Cahill is quietly having a very impressive season. Cahill has an ERA of just 1.88 at home this year and his daytime ERA is just 1.60 as well. Colby Lewis is on the hill for the Rangers and he has been very solid all year long. The under is 20-7 in Lewis' last 27 road starts and 18-7-2 in the Rangers last 27 overall. The under is 8-0-1 in Cahill's last 9 home starts and 5-0-1 in the Athletics last 6 games overall. Expect a pitcher's duel here and take the value on the under.