6-25-11

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Don’t be afraid to post services if you come across any. Anything you contribute will be appreciated, and your user reputation will grow (the green dots under your name.)

Note:

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Blasscyk WINS

*Guaranteed +20 UNIT WEEKEND or MLB SEASON FOR FREE*

Game #1
Arizona (43-34) at Detroit (40-36) 7:05pm est
914 Detroit Tigers RL -1½ (+125) *3 UNITS* (The Greek)

J Collmenter -R vs J Verlander -R Both Pitchers Must Start For Action

Game #2
Tampa Bay (42-34) at Houston (28-49) 7:05pm est
919 Tampa Bay Rays ML (+105) *5 UNITS* (The Greek)

Game #3
Oakland (34-43) at Philadelphia (48-29) 7:05pm est
916 Philadelphia Phillies RL -1½ (+120) *5 UNITS* (The Greek)

T Cahill -R vs C Hamels -L Both Pitchers Must Start For Action

Game #4
NY Mets (37-39) at Texas (41-36) 4:10pm est
910 Texas Rangers RL -1½ (+125) *5 UNITS* (5dimes)

J Niese -L vs A Ogando -R Both Pitchers Must Start For Action


FREE PLAY,

LA Angels (38-39) at LA Dodgers (34-43) 4:10pm est
906 Los Angeles Dodgers OVER 7½ (even) *3 UNITS* (The Greek)

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ULTIMATE SPORTS

1 UNIT* MLB* Chicago White Sox ML

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CHASE DIAMOND

22 UNIT* Yankees -1.5

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SPORTS WAGERS

N.Y. Mets +150 over TEXAS

On paper this one looks like another easy win for the Rangers with Alexi Ogando and his 1.91 home ERA going up against Jonathan Niese. Not so fast. Ogando is a converted outfielder that came up in mid- June and pummeled hitters. A closer look though reveals an enviable hit %/strand %/ hr/f trifecta that has carried into this year. There are more warning signs too. Ogando has never pitched more than 72 innings in a season and that includes four minor-league years prior to his call-up last June. This year he’s already thrown 88 innings and he needed intravenous fluids after Sunday’s loss to the Braves. In his last two starts he’s lasted a combined 6.2 innings and his strikeout rate is slowing way down. His BPV** (for explanation of BPV see bottom of these write-ups) over his last eight starts by time through lineup (119, 84, 38) suggests he’s wearing out quicker than earlier in the year. His sub-3.00 ERA is sure to rise once his 22% hit rate and 83% strand rate normalize, so he's got plenty of short-term risk. Finally, his 36%/21%/43% GB/LD/FB/ profile is unfavorable, especially at this park and when you put all these things together Ogando is a big sell high candidate with his unsustainable 1.91 home ERA. Thanks to an arsenal that includes a low 90s fastball, curve, change and cutter (which some have deemed a "slutter"), Niese has recovered nicely after a slow start in April. The xERA suggests that expectations of a sub-4.00 ERA are reasonable. Following his rough month of April, Niese has had an ERA of 3.05 for May/June. Niese has also shown big growth in his strikeout rate over the past two months and a LHP with a solid K rate is an appealing target to be sure. Play: N.Y. Mets +150 (Risking 2 units).


Washington +144 over CHICAGO

Wagering on a hot team is seldom a bad idea. The Nats won again last night in dramatic fashion to push their current run to 12 wins in 13 games. This team can’t wait to get back to the park and a young team that gets on a roll is indeed a dangerous one. Tom Gorzelanny makes his second start since coming off the DL and his first start back was an ugly one. However, Gorzelanny was showing skills growth, with a good strikeout rate (48 K’s in 58 IP), good control (21 BB) and a 67 BPV before being sidelined by elbow inflammation in late May. Skill swings make him a moving target and he’s probably the second best pitcher on the mound today but that doesn’t mean he’ll lose. The South Side has struggled all year vs southpaws with a .234 BA. After a night game that went 14 innings there’s a good chance that Ozzie may be forced to sit A.J Pierzynski and maybe even another 33-yr-old+ regular, as this is a day game after a night game. And then there’s John Danks. Danks received a lot of attention for his slow start and things really fell apart for him in May in which he posted a 6.89 ERA, 1.72 WHIP and a 5.63 xERA. He’s had three great starts in June, posting a 1.23 ERA with 17 K’s, three walks, a 0.95 WHIP and allowing just 18 hits in 22 frames. That said, he faced the D-Backs, M’s and A’s in his last three starts and two of those three teams can’t hit. Don’t rack up his poor start to bad luck. No one thing stands out as the sole cause of his O-7 record. A 31%/74% hit%/strand% are not out of the ordinary, and his xERA was nearly an ERA match. It's not any core skills change either, as his control/SO rate/command are each off a bit when compared to years previous, but outside of some strikeout rate erosion, there's only standard year-to-year fluctuation. The key might just lodge in expectations. Coming into 2011, Danks' career-low xERA was 3.91 in 2008, the only time he's finished a season with a sub-4.00 xERA. While he still has usefulness and some growth upside at age 26, Danks shows no signs of a performance spike. What you see in 2011 is what you get because nothing in his arsenal stands out. The Nats are too hot to ignore against the mediocre skills of Danks taking back a tag like this one. Play: Washington +144 (Risking 2 units).

[timbob]

JOE WIZ SPORTS

DAILY FREE PICK
Under 7.5 runs bet. Seattle and Florida

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CAPPERS ACCESS

NY Yankees RL
Boston Red Sox RL
KC Royals ML

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TODAY'S MLB PICKS

Tampa Bay at Houston
The Rays look to build on their 10-1 record in Wade Davis' last 11 road starts against teams with a losing record. Tampa Bay is the pick (+100) according to Dunkel, which has the Rays favored by 1 1/2.
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+100) Here are all of today's picks.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25
Time Posted: 8:00 a.m. EST

Game 901-902: Atlanta at San Diego (8:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Jurrjens) 16.472; San Diego (Moseley) 15.549
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1; 5 1/2
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-130); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-130); Under

Game 903-904: Colorado at NY Yankees (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Cook) 15.812; NY Yankees (Sabathia) 15.561
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-210); 9
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+180); Over

Game 905-906: LA Angels at LA Dodgers (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Chatwood) 14.504; LA Dodgers (Kuroda) 14.995
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-140); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-140); Under

Game 907-908: Washington at Chicago White Sox (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Gorzelanny) 16.629; White Sox (Danks) 15.428
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-150); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+130); Over

Game 909-910: NY Mets at Texas (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Niese) 14.839; Texas (Ogando) 15.567
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Texas (-170); 9
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-170); Over

Game 911-912: Cincinnati at Baltimore (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Arroyo) 14.507; Baltimore (Matusz) 15.940
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-115); 9
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (-105); Under

Game 913-914: Arizona at Detroit (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Collmenter) 16.147; Detroit (Verlander) 15.119
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Detroit (-175); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+155); Over

Game 915-916: Oakland at Philadelphia (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Cahill) 15.099; Philadelphia (Hamels) 15.521
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-200); 7
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-200); Under

Game 917-918: Boston at Pittsburgh (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Wakefield) 15.607; Pittsburgh (Karstens) 15.228
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Boston (-140); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-140); Under

Game 919-920: Tampa Bay at Houston (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Davis) 16.189; Houston (Norris) 14.468
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Houston (-120); 8
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+100); Over

Game 921-922: Minnesota at Milwaukee (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Liriano) 15.690; Milwaukee (Gallardo) 15.316
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-150); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+130); Under

Game 923-924: Chicago Cubs at Kansas City (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Zambrano) 15.249; Kansas City (Duffy) 13.455
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-115); 9
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-115); Over

Game 925-926: Toronto at St. Louis (7:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Villanueva) 14.469; St. Louis (Garcia) 14.215
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-145); 8
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+125); Over

Game 927-928: Cleveland at San Francisco (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Masterson) 15.276; San Francisco (Cain) 16.467
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1; 5 1/2
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-135); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-135); Under

Game 929-930: Seattle at Florida (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Vargas) 15.202; Florida (Volstad) 13.661
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: Seattle (-140); 7
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (-140); Under

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TODAY'S WNBA PICKS

Connecticut at Indiana
The Sun look to take advantage of an Indiana team that is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 home games. Connecticut is the pick (+4) according to Dunkel, which has the Fever favored by only 1.
Dunkel Pick: Connecticut (+4). Here are all of today's picks.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25
Time Posted: 8:00 a.m. EST

Game 601-602: Connecticut at Indiana (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Connecticut 114.023; Indiana 114.755
Dunkel Line & Total: Indiana by 1; 148
Vegas Line & Total: Indiana by 4; 152
Dunkel Pick: Connecticut (+4); Under

Game 603-604: Phoenix at Chicago (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Phoenix 108.187; Chicago 115.778
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 7 1/2; 178
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago by 4; 175 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago (-4); Over

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WINNING SIDE SPORTS

10* MLB* Boston Red Sox -130 ML
10* MLB* Atlanta Braves -125 ML
7* MLB* Cincinnati Reds -115 ML

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Handicapper Sports

10 Units Boston Red Sox -135
10 Units Chicago Cubs -105

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Sportsbook Investing

Play of the Day:

Giants -145 over Indians

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Soccer Crusher

Play of the Day:

SanJoseEarthquakes + LosAngelesGalaxy UNDER 2.5
This match is happening in United States

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Baseball Crusher

Play of the Day:

Giants -145 over Indians

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Gamblers Data


Free Play Saturday

Twins +130

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Hondo

Hondo split last night as K.C. canceled out his triumph with the Rays.

Today gunning for the trifecta with Jurrjens, Cain and Liriano -- 10 units apiece.

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Mighty Quinn

Mighty missed with the Tigers Friday night.

Saturday it's the Tigers again. The deficit is 2,542 sirignanos.

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MLB News and Notes Saturday
Saturday's Fox Tip Sheet
By Micah Roberts

Los Angeles Angels at Los Angeles Dodgers (-140 & 7.5) - 4:10 pm (EDT)

The Dodgers and Angels are both struggling at the plate but have each been getting decent pitching to help them be competitive near the .500 mark over the last two weeks. However, all the stats go out the window when these two teams meet in the Freeway series. It may not have the luster on a national level like the Mets and Yankees squaring up, but there is animosity here that makes it attractive for any baseball fan to watch.

The Angels have always been kind of the second city team to the Dodgers, but when they had the audacity to begin calling themselves the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2005, it struck a nerve with the Dodgers and their fans. Since winning the World Series in 2002, something that has eluded the Dodgers since 1988, the Orange county Angels have been a much better brand of baseball making the playoffs six times to the Dodgers four appearances.

Since interleague play began in 1997, the Angels have gotten the best of the Dodgers in the series with a 46-34 record, including going 5-1 last year and they posted a sweep at Dodger Stadium for the first time. In all, the Angels have gone 7-3-4 in the series with the Dodgers last winning a series against them in 2006.

In Saturday’s game the Dodgers will rely on Hiroki Kuroda (5-8) with hopes that he can recreate his last outing, a no-decision 1-0 win over the Astros. It was another game in a long line of Kuroda starts that the bats never helped him out. In his three previous starts he took the loss in all of them, yet never gave up more than two runs. He’s been a tough luck pitcher, but he still keeps his head up and pitches well.

Tyler Chatwood (4-4) has been brilliant at times this season, but on the same note, has had other games where he implodes. In his last two road starts he went seven strong innings and didn’t allow a run. In between those two games, he gave up five runs at home to the Rays and Royals.

If looking for a total angle, Chatwood has gone OVER the total in four of his five road starts while Kuroda has gone OVER the number in five of his home starts with one push.

Washington Nationals at Chicago White Sox (-147 & 8.5) - 4:10 pm (EDT)

Who can say that they don’t have Nationals fever right now? Winning 11 of 12 games and being over .500 won’t get a contract extension for a manager as Jim Riggleman found out, but it sure has a lot of baseball fans every where rooting for the upstart team to continue their run waving the flag for small-money teams everywhere.

It’ll be interesting to see how big of an impact that Riggleman really had over this team in the next few weeks. The Nats have the talent and the pitching has been terrific making this look like a prime job for the next few seasons, not to mention the loads of prospects ready for next year and beyond. What was Riggleman thinking? Not only was a dumb move for his career, but to bail on his team during this stretch says a lot about his character.

The one pitcher on the Nationals who can say he’s had nothing to do with the team’s recent success in Tom Gorzelanny (2-5), who was out for most of June with a sore left elbow until last week against the Orioles. His start against Baltimore was much of the same as his previous three before taking the injury and got hit hard for 10 hits and five runs in a loss, the Nats fourth in a row with him starting.

John Danks (3-8), meanwhile, is pitching better than ever having won his last three decisions in a row after his team had lost his first 10 of 11 starts. He didn’t pitch poorly in many of those losses, but his perseverance has paid off.

Between the Gorzelanny’s woes and Danks streak, taking the Nationals -- despite their great June run -- is a tough sell Saturday.

New York Mets at Texas Rangers (-165 & 9) - 4:10 pm (EDT)

The Mets are visiting Arlington for the first time since 2003 and will have a tough task ahead of them as they try to stop one of the best interleague teams over the last two seasons. After losing the series to Philadelphia last month, the Rangers have come back to take the last two series against the Braves and Astros.

Josh Hamilton has been the biggest reason for the Rangers success as he has hit safely in 17 straight interleague games including hitting .375 with two homers and eight RBI’s in six games this season.

Trying to stop Hamilton and the Rangers will be Jonathan Niese (6-6). He comes off a rocky start against the Angels where he lasted only four innings, giving up eight hits and five runs. However, there’s a silver lining that comes with Niese. He was outstanding in his previous four starts before the Angels game where he gave up only five runs combined in the 27.2 innings that resulted in him getting three of the wins.

Alexi Ogando (7-2) takes the mound for Texas having lost his last two starts, one of which was a thrashing from the Yankees where he lasted only 1.2 innings giving up six runs. However, both of those losses came on the road. At home, Ogando has been amazing with a 5-0 record and sparkling 1.91 ERA. The Rangers are 6-1 behind Ogando at home.

The major question you have to ask yourself is whether the Texas rookie is tiring now or is just a matter of being more comfortable at home. And then, where does Niese fit into that equation because he’s been pretty good himself. Betting the total OVER could be a nice option just because of their last starts and the uncertainty of each coming in.

Cleveland Indians at San Francisco Giants (-135 & 7) - 4:10 pm (EDT)

This matchups brings up memories from the 1954 World Series with Willie Mays making his famous catch of Vic Wertz’ drive in the Polo Grounds. The memories are of course from television, but that's the best thing about interleague play matchups because it allows us to relive and reflect on baseball’s glorious past.

The Indians last visited San Francisco in 2005 and swept the Giants, but things may be a little different this time around considering how stingy the Giants are at home. If we throw out the eight-run inning the Twins had Monday, the Giants have allowed only eight runs in 56 innings of interleague play this season.

What’s even worse for the Indians is that they’ll have to play without designated hitter Travis Hafner because of NL park rules. Hafner hasn’t played in the field since 2007, but he’s been smoking the ball all season when healthy and the Indians have been a drastically different team with him in the lineup.

Taking the mound for Cleveland will be Justin Masterson (5--5) who last won April 26, which at the time made him 5-0. He’s currently on a stretch that has seen the Indians lose seven of his last nine starts, but the good news is that they won his last start, a 5-2 win against the Pirates. Perhaps that’s a good sign. And if looking at his recent performances during his slump, he’s really only been bad in two starts. He just didn’t get any run support, part of which was the time when Hafner was out of the lineup.

Matt Cain (6-4) has been a different pitcher at home, but only has six starts there compared to his nine on the road. The Giants are 5-1 in those six home starts and he has an ERA of 2.68. That low ERA has contributed to five of his starts staying UNDER the total which could be a nice side to look at Saturday considering the Indians collectively hit .51 points lower without Hafner in the lineup.

Another angle to look at is taking the Indians with +1.5 runs because the Giants are 20-11 in one run games this season. It’s a higher price differential from the game line of any other team in baseball, but there’s good reason for it, because it almost always happens to be the winning side.

[timbob]

MLB News and Notes Saturday
Saturday's Fox Tip Sheet
By Micah Roberts

Los Angeles Angels at Los Angeles Dodgers (-140 & 7.5) - 4:10 pm (EDT)

The Dodgers and Angels are both struggling at the plate but have each been getting decent pitching to help them be competitive near the .500 mark over the last two weeks. However, all the stats go out the window when these two teams meet in the Freeway series. It may not have the luster on a national level like the Mets and Yankees squaring up, but there is animosity here that makes it attractive for any baseball fan to watch.

The Angels have always been kind of the second city team to the Dodgers, but when they had the audacity to begin calling themselves the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2005, it struck a nerve with the Dodgers and their fans. Since winning the World Series in 2002, something that has eluded the Dodgers since 1988, the Orange county Angels have been a much better brand of baseball making the playoffs six times to the Dodgers four appearances.

Since interleague play began in 1997, the Angels have gotten the best of the Dodgers in the series with a 46-34 record, including going 5-1 last year and they posted a sweep at Dodger Stadium for the first time. In all, the Angels have gone 7-3-4 in the series with the Dodgers last winning a series against them in 2006.

In Saturday’s game the Dodgers will rely on Hiroki Kuroda (5-8) with hopes that he can recreate his last outing, a no-decision 1-0 win over the Astros. It was another game in a long line of Kuroda starts that the bats never helped him out. In his three previous starts he took the loss in all of them, yet never gave up more than two runs. He’s been a tough luck pitcher, but he still keeps his head up and pitches well.

Tyler Chatwood (4-4) has been brilliant at times this season, but on the same note, has had other games where he implodes. In his last two road starts he went seven strong innings and didn’t allow a run. In between those two games, he gave up five runs at home to the Rays and Royals.

If looking for a total angle, Chatwood has gone OVER the total in four of his five road starts while Kuroda has gone OVER the number in five of his home starts with one push.

Washington Nationals at Chicago White Sox (-147 & 8.5) - 4:10 pm (EDT)

Who can say that they don’t have Nationals fever right now? Winning 11 of 12 games and being over .500 won’t get a contract extension for a manager as Jim Riggleman found out, but it sure has a lot of baseball fans every where rooting for the upstart team to continue their run waving the flag for small-money teams everywhere.

It’ll be interesting to see how big of an impact that Riggleman really had over this team in the next few weeks. The Nats have the talent and the pitching has been terrific making this look like a prime job for the next few seasons, not to mention the loads of prospects ready for next year and beyond. What was Riggleman thinking? Not only was a dumb move for his career, but to bail on his team during this stretch says a lot about his character.

The one pitcher on the Nationals who can say he’s had nothing to do with the team’s recent success in Tom Gorzelanny (2-5), who was out for most of June with a sore left elbow until last week against the Orioles. His start against Baltimore was much of the same as his previous three before taking the injury and got hit hard for 10 hits and five runs in a loss, the Nats fourth in a row with him starting.

John Danks (3-8), meanwhile, is pitching better than ever having won his last three decisions in a row after his team had lost his first 10 of 11 starts. He didn’t pitch poorly in many of those losses, but his perseverance has paid off.

Between the Gorzelanny’s woes and Danks streak, taking the Nationals -- despite their great June run -- is a tough sell Saturday.

New York Mets at Texas Rangers (-165 & 9) - 4:10 pm (EDT)

The Mets are visiting Arlington for the first time since 2003 and will have a tough task ahead of them as they try to stop one of the best interleague teams over the last two seasons. After losing the series to Philadelphia last month, the Rangers have come back to take the last two series against the Braves and Astros.

Josh Hamilton has been the biggest reason for the Rangers success as he has hit safely in 17 straight interleague games including hitting .375 with two homers and eight RBI’s in six games this season.

Trying to stop Hamilton and the Rangers will be Jonathan Niese (6-6). He comes off a rocky start against the Angels where he lasted only four innings, giving up eight hits and five runs. However, there’s a silver lining that comes with Niese. He was outstanding in his previous four starts before the Angels game where he gave up only five runs combined in the 27.2 innings that resulted in him getting three of the wins.

Alexi Ogando (7-2) takes the mound for Texas having lost his last two starts, one of which was a thrashing from the Yankees where he lasted only 1.2 innings giving up six runs. However, both of those losses came on the road. At home, Ogando has been amazing with a 5-0 record and sparkling 1.91 ERA. The Rangers are 6-1 behind Ogando at home.

The major question you have to ask yourself is whether the Texas rookie is tiring now or is just a matter of being more comfortable at home. And then, where does Niese fit into that equation because he’s been pretty good himself. Betting the total OVER could be a nice option just because of their last starts and the uncertainty of each coming in.

Cleveland Indians at San Francisco Giants (-135 & 7) - 4:10 pm (EDT)

This matchups brings up memories from the 1954 World Series with Willie Mays making his famous catch of Vic Wertz’ drive in the Polo Grounds. The memories are of course from television, but that's the best thing about interleague play matchups because it allows us to relive and reflect on baseball’s glorious past.

The Indians last visited San Francisco in 2005 and swept the Giants, but things may be a little different this time around considering how stingy the Giants are at home. If we throw out the eight-run inning the Twins had Monday, the Giants have allowed only eight runs in 56 innings of interleague play this season.

What’s even worse for the Indians is that they’ll have to play without designated hitter Travis Hafner because of NL park rules. Hafner hasn’t played in the field since 2007, but he’s been smoking the ball all season when healthy and the Indians have been a drastically different team with him in the lineup.

Taking the mound for Cleveland will be Justin Masterson (5--5) who last won April 26, which at the time made him 5-0. He’s currently on a stretch that has seen the Indians lose seven of his last nine starts, but the good news is that they won his last start, a 5-2 win against the Pirates. Perhaps that’s a good sign. And if looking at his recent performances during his slump, he’s really only been bad in two starts. He just didn’t get any run support, part of which was the time when Hafner was out of the lineup.

Matt Cain (6-4) has been a different pitcher at home, but only has six starts there compared to his nine on the road. The Giants are 5-1 in those six home starts and he has an ERA of 2.68. That low ERA has contributed to five of his starts staying UNDER the total which could be a nice side to look at Saturday considering the Indians collectively hit .51 points lower without Hafner in the lineup.

Another angle to look at is taking the Indians with +1.5 runs because the Giants are 20-11 in one run games this season. It’s a higher price differential from the game line of any other team in baseball, but there’s good reason for it, because it almost always happens to be the winning side.

[timbob]

MLB News and Notes Saturday 6/25
Detroit Tigers Send Ace To Mound Against Arizona
By: Willie Bee

Justin Verlander aims for his sixth consecutive win Saturday when the Detroit Tigers continue their set at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The contest is scheduled to get started at 4:05 p.m. (PT) from Comerica Park with the D-Backs sending rookie Josh Collmenter to the mound.

The clubs entered the weekend interleague series battling for the lead in their respective division standings. Arizona held a slim half-game advantage over the Giants in the NL West while Detroit was a game behind the Indians in the AL Central.

Friday's matchup was still in progress with the Tigers listed at -150 on the Don Best odds screen behind Phil Coke with the Snakes countering with Zach Duke. Game 1's total was 9½-runs.

The two squads are meeting in Detroit for a second consecutive season and squaring off for the third time in the last four years. The Tigers won two of three last June, the 'over' also going 2-1. It's the ninth series between the teams with Arizona owning a 14-10 edge before Friday's clash.

Arizona started the weekend 20-17 on the road after completing a 3-game sweep in Kansas City on Thursday. Detroit was coming home following a 2-4 interleague road trip through Colorado and Los Angeles. The Tigers were 22-14 at Comerica heading into the series opener.

Few if any starting hurlers have been as tough as Verlander (10-6, 2.54) this season with all but one of his 16 assignments going in the books as a quality start. Detroit has won eight of his last nine trips to the mound, including his only outing that didn't go down as a quality start.

The right-hander is coming off consecutive complete-game efforts, including a beauty in Colorado this past Sunday. Verlander allowed just four hits and one run as 135 chalk, a Ty Wiggington solo shot keeping him from a second straight shutout.

Detroit is up a bit more than two units with Verlander on the hill this season, the 'over' 8-6 with a pair of 'pushes' in his matchups. The Tigers were down about four units while winning just four of the former Old Dominion star's first 10 starts, but have since cashed in each of his last six.

Collmenter (5-3, 2.09) enters the tilt having dropped his last two assignments. A 15th-round pick in 2007 out of Central Michigan, the righty will be making his second successive interleague appearance in Saturday's contest.

A couple of solo homers plus a leaky bullpen did him and the Diamondbacks in at home last Sunday as 130 favorites against the White Sox. Collmenter worked seven and allowed just three runs in the 8-2 loss, the second straight 'over' after five of his first six assignments stayed below the MLB betting totals.

Arizona is 3-1 in his four road starts with Collmenter sporting a 1.93 ERA away from Chase Field.

Saturday's Motown weather looks great after a possibly damp Friday. Afternoon highs are expected to only climb into the upper-70s under sunny skies. A WNW wind of 12-16 mph is on tap (out to LF).

Sunday's finale is a matchup of veterans with the D-Backs slated to start left-hander Joe Saunders opposite Detroit's Brad Penny. The Tigers welcome the Blue Jays to town on Monday while Arizona heads home to begin a 3-game set with the Indians.