8-22-11

[timbob]

New Guys!

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Note:

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[Mr. IWS]

NFL NEWS AND NOTES
Bears at Giants: What Bettors Need To Know
By Ashton Grewal


Chicago Bears at New York Giants (-4.5, 35)
STARTER REPORT

BEARS: Head coach Lovie Smith didn’t reveal his plan for playing time for his starters but Sean Jensen, Bears beat reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times, guessed Smith will play his first-string offense 20 to 25 snaps.

GIANTS: Giants coach Tom Coughlin said his offensive starters would get between 25 and 30 snaps in Monday’s game against the Bears, according to the Newark Star-Ledger.

QB Depth Chart

Eli Manning will start under center for the Giants but Sage Rosenfels will not be the first QB off the pine. Rosenfels, who looked good in the Giants’ first preseason game, is recovering from strep throat and won’t suit up.

That means David Carr and Ryan Perrilloux will split the rest of the offensive snaps. Carr was signed this month after getting cut by the 49ers. Perrilloux is a rookie out of Jacksonville State but was once a starter with LSU.

The Bears will open with Jay Cutler, with backup Caleb Hanie expected to run the show next. Reports indicate rookie fifth-round pick Nathan Enderle is pushing Hanie for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart.

Line Dancing

Chicago hopes to see better play from its offensive line after giving up nine sacks during last week’s 10-3 win over the Buffalo Bills. Bears lineman Frank Omiyale told the Sun-Times that he and his teammates should fare better against the Giants because they play a base 4-3 front whereas the Bills used a 3-4 last weekend.

Still, bettors haven’t forgotten what happened the last time these two faced each other last October. The Giants sacked Cutler nine times in the first half en route to an easy 17-3 victory.

Reports out of camp aren’t promising for Chicago’s offensive line. According to the Sun-Times, the unit was embarrassed on Friday in 2-on-1 blocking drills.
There is one bit of good news for the Bears. Giants defensive end and sack specialist Osi Umenyiora is on the shelf after undergoing knee surgery.

Thing To Remember

The Chicago Bears finished 31st in offense and allowed the most sacks last preseason, according to the Chicago Tribune. The Bears are 1-4 ATS in their last five exhibition games.

[Mr. IWS]

BANG THE BOOK

Monday's Best NFL Bets

Chicago Bears at New York Giants (-4.5, 35)

Monday Night Football picks are back here at Bang the Book, and we’re here with another great NFL betting showdown to preview in the preseason between the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears.

The first week of the preseason was pretty much a par for the course type of game. The Bears used a fantastic defensive effort to pick up the slack for a terrible offense to pick up a 10-3 victory. The only score came when QB Caleb Hanie rumbled for four yards and a TD in the second quarter. Needless to say, the offensive numbers were, for lack of a better term, offensive. QB Jay Cutler completed just one pass for no yards before leaving the game, and Hanie only went 3-of-7 for 32 yards. Former Idaho Vandal QB Nathan Enderle went 7-of-10 for 110 yards, but he couldn’t get the team in the end zone and was picked off once. The only bright spots came on the ground. RBs Kahlil Bell and Harvey Unga did well, combining for 22 carries and 100 yards, while the newly acquired RB Marion Barber had seven carries for 45 yards as he fights for his spot in the backfield this year alongside names like Chester Taylor and Matt Forte. The defense allowed just 13 first downs and 190 total yards in the game.

Normally speaking, losing to the Carolina Panthers is a bad sign, but with last week being the first week of the preseason, Head Coach Tom Coughlin has to be breathing a bit easier. Still, losses to teams like Carolina isn’t good for a squad’s psyche, and you have to figure that New York is going to come out with guns blazing this week. The offense was embarrassingly bad for the G-Men in NFLX Week 1, as the unit only accounted for one field goal in the 20-10 loss. LB Michael Boley had the only score when he raced a pick by QB Jimmy Clausen back 56 yards for a TD. QB Eli Manning wasn’t asked to do much, as he went just 4-of-9 for 36 yards before getting the hook. The majority of the middle of the game belonged to QB Sage Rosenfels. Rosenfels has a lot of experience in the preseason, and it showed. He went 13-of-19 for 129 yards, but he was sacked twice and only mustered one field goal out of all of his work. QB Ryan Perrilloux is battling to make the team this year, and he went 5-of-9 for 67 yards. Carolina’s defense was fairly dreadful last season, and the hope is that Coughlin and company can expect better this week.

Chicago Bears @ New York Giants Pick: Still, we have a heck of a problem laying 4.5 points with an offense that mustered only three against a 2-14 team from a year ago. Sure, the Bears’ offense is bad, but it’s not this bad that the team should get beaten by more than a TD in this one more than the half the time.

PICK: Bears +4.5

[Mr. IWS]

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
MLB: Braves Head To Wrigley, Join Cubs Party
By Joey Nowack


Atlanta Braves at Chicago Cubs (115, NA)

Jair Jurrjens is back in the Braves' rotation. Now, all he needs is to return to pre-All-Star break form.

The right-hander, who was roughed up in his first outing back from the disabled list on Wednesday against the Giants, will take the hill again for the Braves on Monday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Jurrjens was 12-3 with a sterling 1.87 ERA before the All-Star break. He hasn't won since, and owns an ERA of 6.52 in that time.

"I was a little rusty," Jurrjens said after his first start off the DL, a 7-5 loss to the Giants. "I hadn't faced a live hitter for a couple days. That might have did that. But there's no excuses. I just didn't make my adjustments when I needed to make my adjustments."

The Braves, though, have done just fine without Jurrjens lately. Atlanta, having won 13 of its last 17, owned a season-high 8 1/2-game lead in the National League Wild Card standings after their win Sunday afternoon, and are a season-high 24 games over .500. The last time they were that far above .500 was Oct. 3, 2004, when they finished the season 96-66.

The Braves will be up against Chicago's Ryan Dempster, who is more than happy to take the hill at Wrigley. The right-hander is 6-5 with a 3.71 ERA this year at home, compared to 4-3 with a 5.85 ERA on the road.

He's had trouble against the Braves, however, with a 2-11 record in 28 career games (17 starts) and a 4.76 ERA.

Dempster exited his last start -- an eventual Cubs loss -- without a decision, but was taxed to the tune of 117 pitches, two short of a season high.

"I didn't make it easy on myself early," Dempster said afterward. "I just tried to keep making pitches and see if I could get some quick outs."

Cubs: Holding It Down
Sean Marshall recorded another hold out of the bullpen on Saturday, boosting his total to 27, which is the franchise's top single-season mark by a lefty.

Carlos Marmol owns the overall single-season club record, tallying 30 in 2008.

Braves: Homer Happy
• After going yard twice on Saturday night, Braves second baseman Dan Uggla needs just one more home run to extend his own Major League record for 30-homer seasons by a second baseman (he's done it four times already).

• Braves catcher Brian McCann is no stranger to home runs, himself, having hit his 20th homer of the season on Friday to reach his fifth 20-homer season of his seven-year career. It's his fourth consecutive year with 20 long balls.

Worth Noting
• The Braves and the National League East rival Phillies are the only two clubs in the Majors who have not been swept in a series of three or more games this year.

The last time the Braves were swept in a three-game set was Sept. 20-22, 2010, in Philadelphia.

• Aramis Ramirez is batting .472 with four homers and 10 RBIs over the course of an eight-game hitting streak entering Sunday. Heading into the series finale with the Cardinals, he needed just one more homer to become just the fourth player in Cubs history to record at least six seasons with 25 doubles and 25 homers.

[Mr. IWS]

Monday's Streaking and Slumping Starting Pitchers

STREAKING

Zack Greinke (12-4, 3.92 ERA), Milwaukee Brewers

Baseball bettors know there are two profitable situations to back the Brewers: When the club is playing at home (47-16) and whenever staff ace Zack Greinke takes the hill.

Milwaukee is 15-5 on days Greinke toes the rubber and is 5-0 in his last five starts, including last week's 3-1 win over the Dodgers.

"It wasn't a great outing, but I made big pitches when they needed to be made," Greinke told AP reporters after the game.

Carl Pavano (6-9, 4.52 ERA), Minnesota Twins

This isn't a confident salute to Pavano. Mostly, we just didn't feel the need to mention to smart baseball bettors that Justin Verlander is unhittable.

Pavano is very hittable. Opponents are hitting .294 off of him this season and he carries a bloated 1.69 WHIP (walks + hits per inning) since July 26. But he still has allowed just five runs in his last three starts (22 1/3 innings), so you never know. Maybe the mustached man has a late-season charge in him yet.

SLUMPING

Jason Vargas (7-11, 4.37 ERA), Seattle Mariners

This right-handed hurler is enduring a painful summer. Vargas is 1-6 in his last eight starts and owns a 7.39 ERA over his last seven appearances.

He gave up eight runs on seven hits and four walks in his most recent outing, a 13-7 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Jair Jurrjens (12-5, 2.84 ERA), Atlanta Braves

It took a little while but this righty finally hit a bump in the road in an otherwise career-best season.

After floating along with an ERA under 2.25 for much of the campaign, Jurrjens has surrendered four or more runs in four of his last five starts.

The over is also 5-1 in his last six outings and he owns a 6.21 ERA over that span.

[Mr. IWS]

HOT LINES

Monday's Best MLB Bets

Milwaukee Brewers at Pittsburgh Pirates, Game 1 (107, 8.5)

Pardon the pun: we’re going to buck the trend and go with the Bucs against the red-hot Brewers.

We know the Pirates can’t win in Miller Park; that’s been proven over and over. But this game is at PNC Park, and Pittsburgh starter Jeff Karstens has been remarkably consistent.

He’s given up three runs or less in all but one start since April 17. In his only start against the Brewers this season, Karstens allowed two runs over five innings.

Milwaukee starter Chris Narveson (cut thumb) hasn’t pitched since August 6. He’s 2-4 with a 5.11 ERA on the road this season. Pittsburgh center fielder Andrew McCutchen is 5-for-13 (.385) against Narveson.

PICK: Pirates


Atlanta Braves at Chicago Cubs (115, NA)

Jair Jurrjens isn’t himself yet.

In his first start since coming off the DL with a strained right knee, the Braves All-Star gave up five runs on eight hits over six innings against the light-hitting Giants. He only struck out one.

His ERA has risen nearly a full run over the last six weeks. Now Jurrjens faces the Cubs, who had won seven of 10 heading into Sunday night’s game against the Cardinals.

Chicago starter Ryan Dempster has strung together three outstanding starts, allowing five earned runs over 20 innings while fanning 18.

Braves catcher Brian McCann is 0-for-10 with three strikeouts in his career against Dempster.

PICK: Cubs

[Mr. IWS]

Monday's Betting Tips: Red Sox Are Road Warriors

Who’s Hot

NFL: The Under is 3-0 in the Bears’ last three preseason games.

MLB: The Tigers are 8-1 in Justin Verlander’s last nine starts against winning teams.

MLB: The Red Sox are 39-18 in their last 57 road games.

Who’s Not

NFL: The Giants are 0-3-1 ATS in their last four preseason games.

MLB: The Dodgers are 1-7 in their last eight games against winning teams.

MLB: The Rockies are 1-9 in Jhoulys Chacin's last 10 starts.

Key Stat

91st – That’s where nominal Seahawks starter Tarvaris Jackson ranks in passer rating after two preseason games. He has a 45.0 rating while averaging a miniscule 3.4 yards per attempt. Whether coach Pete Carroll sticks with Jackson or goes with Charlie Whitehurst, the defending NFC West champs are major fade material.

Injury Not To Be Overlooked

The Giants put closer Brian Wilson on the 15-day DL Sunday with inflammation and a mild flexor strain in his throwing elbow. Wilson, 29, is 6-4 with a 3.19 ERA and 35 saves in 40 chances. Jeremy Affeldt might get a chance to close in the absence of Wilson, who’s eligible to come off the DL on Aug. 31. Sergio Romo would have gotten the job, but he’s also on the DL with elbow inflammation.

Game Of The Day

Chicago Bears at New York Giants (-4.5, 35.5)

Notable Quotable

"There is no good loss, that's for sure. The good thing is there's a week, eight days to the start of the Open. I'm confident I can recover and be ready for the U.S. Open." – Novak Djokovic after retiring with a sore right shoulder in the second set in Sunday’s final at the Western & Southern Open. The loss ended Djokovic’s 16-match winning streak. The U.S. Open starts next Monday.

Tips And Notes

Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins had to leave Sunday’s game against the Nationals after straining his right groin making a play up the middle. He is day to day. Rollins is hitting .269 with 14 homers, 58 RBIs and 28 steals for the first-place Phils.

A middle-of-the-pack defense against the run, New Orleans went out and signed DT Aubrayo Franklin. The 6-1, 317-pounder was an outstanding run-stuffer the past four years with the 49ers. But in Saturday night’s loss to the Texans, Franklin sprained his MCL. Now he has less than three weeks to recover for the Saints’ Sept. 8 opener at Green Bay.

Red Sox DH David Ortiz (right heel) hopes to return at some point during Boston’s four-game series at Texas, which starts Monday. Big Papi took batting practice on Sunday, and Monday he’ll be out of his walking boot and cleared to run. Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who has missed two games with a back contusion, could return Monday night.

[Mr. IWS]

Football Crusher

Play of the Day:
Bears +4.5 over Giants

[Mr. IWS]

Baseball Crusher

Play of the Day:
Indians -155 over Mariners

[Mr. IWS]

Mighty Quinn

Mighty hit with the Tigers Sunday.

Monday it's the Tigers. The deficit is 2571 sirignanos.

[Mr. IWS]

Hondo

Hondo lost the hard way with the Tribe yesterday -- on a flyout/throwout DP that ended it and raised the DPOs (dead presidents owed) to 2,035 otts.

Tonight, Mr. Aitch will take a shot with Carl "The American Idle" Pavano, mainly because Britton's ERA seems a whisker on the high side of late -- 20 units on the Twins. Also, he expects an investment on the red-hot Rays to be beneficial -- 20 units on Niemann.

[Mr. IWS]

Gamblers Data

Free Play MONDAY

Red Sox/Rangers under 9

[Mr. IWS]

Today's MLB Picks

Arizona at Washington

The Diamondbacks look to build on their 6-0 record in their last 6 games as a favorite. Arizona is the pick (-115) according to Dunkel, which has the Diamondbacks favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-115). Here are all of today's picks.


MONDAY, AUGUST 22
Time Posted: 6:00 a.m. EST


Game 951-952: Milwaukee at Pittsburgh (5:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Narveson) 14.969; Pittsburgh (Karstens) 15.533
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-120); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+100); Over


Game 953-954: Milwaukee at Pittsburgh (8:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Greinke) 16.969; Pittsburgh (Lincoln) 14.533
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 2 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-200); 8
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (-200); Under


Game 955-956: NY Mets at Philadelphia (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Niese) 14.518; Philadelphia (Lee) 16.365
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 2; 6
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-220); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-220);


Game 957-958: Arizona at Washington (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Saunders) 15.249; Washington (Detwiler) 14.420
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Arizona (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-115); Over


Game 959-960: Atlanta at Chicago Cubs (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Jurrjens) 15.508; Cubs (Dempster) 14.712
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-125); No Run Total
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-125); N/A


Game 961-962: LA Dodgers at St. Louis (8:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Eovaldi) 15.573; St. Louis (Carpenter) 16.667
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1; 6
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-200); 7
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-200); Under


Game 963-964: Houston at Colorado (8:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Myers) 15.668; Colorado (Chacin) 14.250
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1 1/2; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Colorado (-210); 9
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+180); Over


Game 965-966: Seattle at Cleveland (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Vargas) 14.523; Cleveland (Carmona) 14.833
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-160); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-160); Under


Game 967-968: Detroit at Tampa Bay (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Verlander) 15.732; Tampa Bay (Niemann) 16.664
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit (-150); 7
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+130); Over


Game 969-970: Boston at Texas (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Bedard) 16.661; Texas (Wilson) 15.829
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Texas (-140); 9
Dunkel Pick: Boston (+120); Under


Game 971-972: Baltimore at Minnesota (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Britton) 13.892; Minnesota (Pavano) 14.296
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Minnesota (-135); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (-135); Over

[Mr. IWS]

Today's NFL Picks

Chicago at NY Giants

The Bears look to follow up their 10-3 win over Buffalo in Week 1 as they hit the road against the Giants. Chicago is the pick (+4) according to Dunkel, which has the Giants favored by only 1. Dunkel Pick: Chicago (+4). Here are all of this week's picks.


MONDAY, AUGUST 22
Time Posted: 4:00 p.m. EST (8/16)


Game 431-432: Chicago at NY Giants (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago 119.434; NY Giants 120.241
Dunkel Line: NY Giants by 1; 31
Vegas Line: NY Giants by 4; 35
Dunkel Pick: Chicago (+4); Under

[Mr. IWS]

MLB
Write-Up


Monday, August 22

Hot pitchers
-- Greinke is 5-0, 1.59 in his last five starts. Lincoln allowed two runs in six IP in his only '11 start, at Washington.
-- Lee is 4-0, 1.75 in his last four starts.
-- Dempster is 3-0, 2.77 in his last four starts.
-- Carpenter is 2-0, 2.49 in his last three starts. Eovaldi is 1-1, 2.12 in three starts for the Dodgers.

-- Carmona is 2-2, 3.29 in his last six starts.
-- Verlander is 6-0, 2.76 in his last six starts. Niemann is 4-0, 2.05 in his last four starts.
-- Wilson is 2-0, 2.75 in his last three starts.

Cold pitchers
-- Narveson had a 4.77 RA in his last three starts before going on DL after a freak clubhouse injury (cut left hand fixing his glove). Karstens is 1-2, 6.15 in his last six starts.
-- Saunders is 0-2, 7.27 in his last three starts. Detwiler is 0-3, 3.38 in his last three starts.
-- Gee has a 5.08 RA in his last five starts.
-- Jurrjens is 0-2, 6.52 in his last five starts.
-- Myers is 0-6, 5.40 in his last ten starts. Chacin is 1-2, 5.29 in his last three starts.

-- Vargas is 1-6, 7.63 in his last eight starts.
-- Bedard is 0-2, 4.50 in three starts for Boston.
-- Britton is 0-3, 32.70 (yes, 32.70) in his last three starts. Pavano is 0-3, 6.09 in his last seven starts.

Totals
-- Over is 12-4 in last sixteen games at PNC Park.
-- Eight of last twelve Washington games stayed under total.
-- Four of Gee's last five starts went over the total.
-- Under is 10-4-1 in last fifteen games at Wrigley Field.
-- Nine of last twelve Dodger road games stayed under the total.
-- Six of Chacin's last seven home starts went over the total.

-- Under is 6-1-1 in Carmona's last eight starts.
-- Seven of last nine Tampa Bay games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 9-4 in Rangers' last thirteen games.
-- Over is 6-0-1 in last seven Britton starts.

Hot Teams
-- Milwaukee won 22 of its last 24 games.
-- Phillies won 16 of their last 21 games.
-- Washington won eight of its last eleven home games.
-- Astros won four of their last five games.
-- Braves won 13 of their last 17 games. Cubs won nine of their last 12 games at Wrigley.

-- Tampa Bay won ten of its last twelve games.
-- Red Sox won eight of their last twelve road games.
-- Angels won their last four games, scoring 26 runs.

Cold Teams
-- Cardinals lost four of their last six games.
-- Mets lost nine of their last eleven games.
-- Pirates lost 12 of their last 17 home games.
-- Arizona lost its last five games, scoring six runs.
-- Dodgers lost six of their last eight road games.
-- Colorado is 6-8 in its last fourteen home games.

-- Seattle lost 20 of its last 23 road games.
-- Rangers lost three of their last four games.
-- Baltimore lost 20 of its last 25 road games. Twins lost 11 of their last 14 home games.

[Mr. IWS]

Free Silver Key Pick for Monday NFL Pre-Season Football

Over 35 Total Points, Chicago at GIANTS

[Mr. IWS]

CAPPERS ACCESS

Bears
Cardinals(RL)

[Mr. IWS]

JOE WIZ DAILY FREE PICK

Under 9 runs bet. Houston and Colorado

[Mr. IWS]

Lockline

cardinals

[Mr. IWS]

Sportsbook Investing

Play of the Day:

Indians -155 over Mariners

[Mr. IWS]

Sports Wagers

WASHINTON +106 over Arizona Pinnacle
The saying goes, “The cream always rises to the top” and if that’s true than something has to sink. The Pirates were the first to sink and now it’s the D-Backs turn, though to a lesser extent. Arizona has two rock-solid starters in Daniel Hudson and Ian Kennedy. After that it gets shaky as hell. The offense has been overachieving for 4½ months and now what we’re seeing is the real D-Backs, which is about as mediocre a club as the Pirates or Mets or any other mediocre club. ARI's offense is hitting closer to form now. They had a league-low .193 BA, .259 OBA, .294 SLG and .553 OPS in the seven games before Sunday, when they went 5-for-29 with 10 K's in a shutout loss to the Braves. Justin Upton (.278) and Paul Goldschmidt (.269) are the only regulars batting over .260 for ARI this month and now the pressure heightens. Enter Joe Saunders. Saunders was among the best pitchers in the NL last month, posting a 4-1 record and 2.16 ERA. Saunders's skills (skills refer to (bb/9), dominance (k/9), command (k/bb), opposition on base avg (OOB), groundball/line/fly ratios (G/L/F) hit%, strand % and expected ERA (xERA) show he's the same pitcher of years past, just luckier. Saunders is walking more hitters this year and striking out fewer. He's benefiting from a high strand rate, meaning the extra walks haven't hurt him as much. Take care not to read too much into Saunders' success. While he's delivering his best season since 2008, it's been heavily influenced by luck. At his core, Saunders is the same innings eater with a poor K rate that he was before. The D-Backs luck has run out and so has Saunders in his last two starts, as he’s allowed five earned runs in both and he’s not likely to do much better here. Play: Washington +106 (Risking 2 units).

CHICAGO +118 over Atlanta Pinnacle
The Braves activated Jair Jurrjens from the DL and he got the start Wednesday against San Francisco. He had been out since August 2 with a knee strain. Jurrjens began the season with an outstanding 2.07 ERA in the first half and he appears to have been struggling a bit with a 4.03 ERA since July 1. While it's true that Jurrjens has not duplicated his first half ERA, his xERA said that a correction was coming. His second half performance has been precisely in line with expectations. His skills have actually been a tad stronger in the second half, with the only difference being an expected correction in his hr/f rate. Still, it’s hard to overlook that Jurrjens has been whacked in two consecutive starts by both the Nationals and Giants. Getting whacked by that pair is not easy. Jurrjens had one strikeout in each game and that suggests something is not right with him. Chicago boasts the league's top offense in BA, SLG and OPS in August. Ryan Dempster is outpitching Jurrjens by a large margin since the All-Star break. Dempster is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his past three starts and he’s struck out 18 in 20 IP. The Cubbies have won three of his past four starts and seven of his last 10 and there’s no reason he can’t win this one too. Pay very little attention to Dempsters 2-11 career record vs the Braves, as he’s pitched well against them with a xERA of 3.34 and it’s been mostly bad luck. Play: Chicago +118 (Risking 2 units).

[Mr. IWS]

EasyBaseballBetting
Our systems say to go for:

Rockies (-211),
Pirates (+175),
Phillies (-220),
Red Sox (+129),
Twins (-135),
Nationals (+109).

[Mr. IWS]

David Banks
5 - 2 last week

Chicago Bears vs. New York Giants
Week 2 of the NFL preseason comes to a close Monday Night from the New Meadowlands in East Rutherford New Jersey where the New York Giants will host the Chicago Bears; ESPN’s Monday Night telecast is scheduled to go at 8:00 ET.
Chicago only lost five games last season en route to winning the NFC North Division. However, one of those defeats came right here in tonight’s venue where they were manhandled by the G-Men en route to falling by a 17-3 final count. Jake Cutler was thrown around like a rag doll before ultimately getting knocked out of the game with a concussion. When the dust cleared, Chicago QBs were thrown to the turf 10 times and the offense accumulated just 110 overall yards. Unfortunately, the same problems the Bears had on the O-Line a year ago reared their ugly head in last week’s 10-3 home win and cover (-2.5) over Buffalo, as the Bills accumulated a whopping nine sacks.
New York hasn’t been the best option to back in the preseason over the course of the last few seasons under the watchful eye of Tom Coughlin. With them falling 20-10 as 2.5 point underdogs last week at Carolina, the Giants now stand 4-5 SU & 3-5-1 ATS since the 2009 exhibition season. Though the team played error free football last week, the defensive effort was sloppy at best as it allowed one of the league’s worst offensive units from a year ago gain nearly 350 yards of combined offense. With them forced to deal with the potent offensive attacks of all their division rivals this season, you can bet your bottom dollar that NY will look to shore up its defensive deficiencies under tonight’s national spotlight.
These teams last met in the preseason back in 2009. The Bears won that game 17-3 as two-point home underdogs and the combined 20 points easily went ‘under’ the closing total of 34.5. Chicago has now played five preseason games in a row without surpassing the 17 point plateau; they’ve averaged a grand total of 11.2 PPG during that stretch. That said; New York has been a miserable home favorite of 3.5 points or more in the preseason managing just a 2-4 SU & 1-5 ATS tally since 2003.

PICK: UNDER

[Mr. IWS]

FantasySportsGametime

MLB Baseball Monday

Play Colorado (-210) over Houston (Top Play of the Day)
Starts at 8:30 PM EST

Houston has lost 20 of the last 24 games as an underdog of +175 to +250 and they have also lost 34 of the last 44 games when the total posted is between 8.5 and 10 runs. Houston has lost 6 consecutive games after having won four or five of the last six games and they have also lost 25 of the last 35 games with an on-base percentage of .300 or worse over the last ten games.

-----------------------------------------------------------------


Play St. Louis (-185) over Los Angeles Dodgers (Bonus)

Play Detroit (-140) over Tampa Bay (Bonus)

[Mr. IWS]

MLBPredictions
Kevin
Milwaukee Brewers @ Pittsburgh Pirates - BREWERS TO WIN (-112)**GAME #1 @ 5:00 PM EST**
(Note: I am risking 2.24 units to win 2 units)

The Brewers and Pirates are playing a double header today, so please make sure you are betting on Game #1. In the first of the two games we will see Chris Narveson return for the DL. Narveson had stitches on his hand in a little bit of a freak accident, and I don't expect it to affect him like it might a pitcher coming off a shoulder or arm injury. Narveson is 8-6 on the year with a 4.49 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and .263 opponents batting average. Lifetime against the Pirates Narveson is 3-0 with a 3.60 ERA. On the rubber for Pittsburgh in this first game is Jeff Karstens, who is 9-6 on the year with a 3.12 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and .255 opponents batting average. Karstens has yet to beat the Brewers in his career, with a 0-4 record and 4.03 ERA in 11 appearances against them. Also note the Pirates are 1-6 in Karsten's' last 7 starts vs the Brewers. The red hot Brewers have won 22 of their last 25 games, and are looking for an amazing 13 straight win over the Pirates. Milwaukee has beaten them 8 times this year, and their 12 game winning streak against Pittsburgh goes back to July 21st. Take note that the Brewers are a perfect 9-0 in their last 9 during game 1 of a series, 8-1 in their last 9 road games, and 35-17 in their last 52 overall. They are also 49-21 in their last 70 vs right-handed starters, 36-15 in their last 51 vs NL Central teams, and 13-3 in their last 16 after scoring 5 runs or more in their previous game. Also note that they are 4-0 in Narveson's last 4 starts, 5-1 in his last 6 road starts, and 6-0 in his last 6 starts vs NL Central opponents. The Pirates who were recently in the hunt for playoffs are now just 8-22 in their last 30 overall, 3-10 in their last 13 home games, and 4-12 in their last 16 games following a loss. Head to head the Brewers are 42-10 in these two teams last 52 meetings, and 8-3 in their last 11 meetings in Pittsburgh. I don't expect the travel from New York to Pittsburgh for a little bit of an early start to affect the Brewers, who are on a tear and coming off a road sweep of the Mets. This is a team that is confident, and is showing no signs of slowing down. Showing up for the ballpark is a lot of fun for the Brewers right now, and I'm not sure we can say the same for the Pirates who have been on the losing end of a lot of games recently. Take the Brewers in Game #1 today of the double header at a generous price.

[Mr. IWS]

Todays Picks

Atlanta Braves ML -110

Arizona D´Backs ML -120

[Mr. IWS]

Paul Leiner

NFLX
50* Over 34.5 Giants/Bears

MLB
100* Arizona D´Backs ML -120

[Mr. IWS]

WUNDERDOG (MLB)
MLB 50-50 last 100 picks ($620)
1 OF 3
Game: Baltimore at Minnesota (8:10 PM Eastern)
Pick: Baltimore +125 (moneyline)

Zach Britton was pitching much worse than he was capable of, and was finally put on the DL with a shoulder strain. He is heeled and ready to show his upside, while remaining under the radar due to his ugly work before the arm strain was revealed. Carl Pavano, after surprising the Twins with 17 wins a year ago, has managed just six this season, pitching to an ERA almost a full run higher. The Twins have fared just as poorly, even at home, where they are just 2-6 in Pavano's last eight home starts. Pavano lost to the Birds 11-0 back in April, and Baltimore is 12-5 in their last 17 vs. bad teams with a winning percentage from .380 to .460. Back Baltimore in this one.

[Mr. IWS]

SHARP MOVES

OVER - Arizona / Washington 8.5

UNDER - Boston / Texas 9

[Mr. IWS]

Benjamin lee Eckstein "Mr Chalk"
"Mr Chalk" 2011 MLB Regular Season

Week 22

Ben lee won on Sunday with the Rays -$178/Mariners.

For Monday "Mr Chalk" likes the Rangers -$137/Red Sox.

"Mr Chalk" is 83-51 +$89 for the 2011 MLB regular season.

[Mr. IWS]

Sports Picks Direct

2* NY Giants -4.5

[Mr. IWS]

Winning Points

MLB TOTALS -- MONDAY

MONDAY, AUGUST 22

8:10 pm
**PREFERRED
OVER 8.5
Baltimore at Minnesota
Britton vs. Pavano
Zack Attack! Orioles’ young lefty made MLB history in late July with two consecutive starts where he didn’t make it out of the first inning, allowing 13 earned runs on 13 hits and 3 walks. He was like a reverse Johnny VanderMeer. They gave him the ball again at KC five days later and he made big improvement – only 12 hits and 4 earned runs in 5 innings. Then they sent him where he belongs, the minors. But he’s back now. To make matters worse, the Orioles' defense has contributed to an astounding 13 unearned runs against Britton in his last ten starts, probably from being depressed by watching him pitch. Meanwhile, Twins’ veteran Carl Pavano is consistent, if nothing else. He has allowed 9 or 10 hits in each of his last six starts. Both bullpens are excellent at allowing late-inning runs in case the starters’ prayers are answered by God. You’ve got the two highest bullpen ERAs in the AL right here: 4.33 for the visitor, 4.66 for the home team.

Monday, August 22, 2011

WASHINGTON (Detwiler) +105 over ARIZONA (Saunders)

The Diamondbacks are enduring a brutal road trip, coming in here after a sweep by the Braves
and losing 2 of 3 at Philadelpia. They may be flat against the fiesty Nats, who check in here with a
9-1 record in night games at home vs. lefthanders (+$885). Ross Detwiler has posted a respectable
3.38 ERA in his first four starts, while Joe Saunders is coming off a disappointing 7.50 ERA in his last
two outings. Small price on Washington looks very enticing as they fight to finish above .500.

[Mr. IWS]

Jimmy Boyd

5* *BEST BET* Cleveland ML -160

NFLX

3* "Monday Night Football SMASH" Chicago Bears +4.5

Free pick: 1* Detroit Tigers -128

[Mr. IWS]

GOODLYFESPORTS

METS RL (-110) Risk 220/Win 200
Brewers GM 1 (-115) Risk 230/Win 200
Brewers GM 2 (-195) Risk 390/Win 200
Cubs (+110) Risk 200/Win 220
OVER 8.5 Texas (-120) Risk 240/Win 200
Nationals (Even) Risk 200/Win 200

[Mr. IWS]

LT Profits

Tigers/Rays UNDER 7 -120

[Mr. IWS]

CSTARS SPORTS PICKS
Top Plays for Monday

Milwaukee Run Line -1½-125 over Pittsburgh (game #2)

Cleveland over Seattle

Atlanta over Chicago Cubs

[Mr. IWS]

Gambling Geeks

Monday, August 22nd:
BIG: Arizona -110 ov Washington, 7:05pmET
MED: OVER 9 Houston/Colorado, 8:40pmET

[Mr. IWS]

Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports

701- 523 57 % Run over 3 YEARS

Free one MON Twins -135

[Mr. IWS]

Tony Bravo

1* Arizona Diamondbacks
1* Detroit Tigers
1* Minnesota Twins
1* St. Louis Cardinals

[Mr. IWS]

jim hurley 4 unit ny giants

[Mr. IWS]

SSA 50 DIME play on the Rockies RL today -110.

[Mr. IWS]

Valley Sports

NFLX
2* NY Giants (-4.5 or better)
2* NY Giants/Chicago (Over 35.5 or better)

MLB
3* Detroit ML
3* Detroit Under
2* Pittsburgh ML
2* Chicago Cubs ML

[Mr. IWS]

ATS WINNERS

3* UNDER 35.5 Chicago Bears / New York Giants

[Mr. IWS]

john morrison mlb plays

3* texas rangers

1* clev indians

[timbob]

Millionaires club YWN

Boston Red Soxs ML
Milwaukee Brewers ML
ST. Louis Cardinals ML

[timbob]

Jack Jones

20* NL Monday No-Doubt Rout
St. Louis Cardinals ML-179

Free pick: Atlanta Braves ML -113

[timbob]

Khaliagent Sports

Adding:
Cleveland ml -157 (medium bet to win 2 units)

[Mr. IWS]

Keith Glantz

100* Rangers
50* Orioles
50* Braves

[Mr. IWS]

USA CAPPERS
bears under 10*

cards under 8*

[Mr. IWS]

BOB BALFE

Chicago Bears +4.5

Last year, both teams played excellent defense. The Bears looked clueless on offense and Jay Culter looked like a deer in headlights. I think Cutler has matured a lot more in the last year and I really like the running back situation of the Bears. This should be a pretty vanilla game and I think the Bears getting the points has pretty good value tonight. Take Chicago.

Atlanta Braves -111

The Philiies are the best team in baseball, but to me it seems like they might be on a horse out of gas just yards from the finish line. Atlanta, on the other hand, is peaking and needs to win their games against bottom of the league teams like the Cubs. The Braves play the Phillies a few more times this year and its possible they can overtake first place. Jair Jurrjens is one of the best pitchers in the NL and I expect the Braves to stay hot with him tonight on the mound. Take Atlanta.

[Mr. IWS]

Lenny Del Genio

Milwaukee Brewers -180

Milwaukee is our Absolute Annihilation.

[Mr. IWS]

Indian Cowboy

4* OVER 8.5 Pirates / Brewers

[Mr. IWS]

winsportsnow

Monday MLB Parlay
Atlanta Braves-115
Arizona Diamondbacks-105
Over 8 Brewers (Game#2)

[Mr. IWS]

LINES2WIN

3* Colorado Rockies Over 9 (-115)

[timbob]

Super Sports Group

Arizona v. Washington
10* PICK: OVER 9 Hidden Gem #1

Baltimore v. Minnesota
10* PICK: OVER 8.5 Hidden Gem #2

Detroit v. Tampa Bay
8* PICK: Rays ML


Atlanta v. Chicago
8* PICK: Braves ML

Seattle v. Cleveland
PICK: Mariners ML

[timbob]

khaliagent sports

adding:

braves ml -111 (medium bet to win 2 units)

[timbob]

JACK HOWARD

MLB: 5 Dimes
Game 2: Milwaukee(-190) Over Pittsburgh

[timbob]

RANDY BRUCE

MLB: *5 dimes
Detroit Tigers ML -130

[timbob]

Northcoast

2* NYG (-4 1/2)

FYI: they are only 4-6 this year on star-rated plays

[timbob]

DAQsports

MONEYLINE:
Brewers (game #1) -117,
Indians -164,
Twins -138,
Phillies -235,
Brewers (game #2) -195

[timbob]

Super Sports Group

NFLX
Chicago v. NY 8pm
9* PICK: OVER 35.5 Game Best bet of the day

[timbob]

SPORTS 'N' PROFITS

$100* Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Washington Nationals under 8 1/2 @ 705PM

$100* Seattle Mariners vs. Cleveland Indians over 8 1/2 @ 705PM

$100* Baltimore Orioles vs. Minnesota Twins over 8 1/2 @ 810PM

[timbob]

Chris Jordan:

400 Texas Rangers - 135 (list Wilson and Bedard)
100 Phillies run line (Cliff Lee over Dillon Gee) - line wasn't avail at time posted due to late pitching change for mets (Niese to Gee)
100 Bears/Giants under 35.5

[timbob]

Jeff Benton
Monday's Action
20 Dime A.L. Best Bet for Monday night in baseball is the Twins as the home favorete as they welcome the Baltimore Orioles to town for a series. At the time I release this winner, Minnesota is priced right around a -135 home favorite across the board both here in Vegas and offshoore. Note that you must list both Pavano and Britton as the starting pitchors when placing your action. Both must start, or this play is VOID!


10 Dime bonus best bet is the Diamondbacks as the road favorite over the Washington Nats. At the time I release this winner, I see the D-Backs priced priced right around a -120 favorite pretty much across the board both here in Vegas and offshore. Note that Saunders and Detwiler are your listed starting pitchers, and both must start or this play is VOID!

[timbob]

ROCKDEMANSPORTS

Texas Rangers

Detroit Run Line

OVER Minnesota

Free pick: Houston ML

[timbob]

The Daily Bobber

Game: Los Angeles Dodgers @ St. Louis Cardinals

Pick: Cardinals -1/2 First Five Innings