6-25-14

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::handshake::

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World Cup Game of the Day: Argentina vs. Nigeria

Argentina vs. Nigeria (-188, +750, Draw +290)

Argentina looks to complete a perfect run through Group F on Wednesday afternoon as it faces a Nigerian side in must-win mode. Narrow victories over Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iran have some fans clamoring for a more aggressive style, but Argentina head coach Alejandro Sabella isn't expected to make any major changes. Nigeria is in the hunt for a berth in the second stage following an impressive 1-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina last time out.

Argentina has just three goals through the first two games - a development midfielder Angel Di Maria attributes to opponents playing to prevent scoring. "It's not easy when your opponent sits back and there are too many defenders to beat," he told reporters earlier this week. That trend should continue Wednesday at Porto Alegre's Estadio Beira-Rio against a Nigerian roster that has yet to allow a goal in the tournament, an approach that has earned it four points.

TV: 12 p.m. ET, ESPN

WORLD RANKINGS: Argentina: No. 5; Nigeria: No. 44.

INJURY REPORT: Argentina: None. Nigeria: D Godfrey Oboabona returned to training after suffering an ankle injury against Iran and hopes to play.

WHAT THE SHARPS SAY: "Nigeria come into this game against Argentina with a very poor record against South American sides at the World Cup (L4), and an equally poor record against Argentina in all competitions(L4 D1). Expect Lionel Messi to pile on the misery for the Nigerians here, he's hitting form with eigh goals in his last seven appearances for the National side." Covers Expert Footy Tipster.

WHAT THE BOOKS SAY: "Big game for Nigeria, as a win or a draw will put them through to the next round, it won’t be easy facing a tough Argentinean squad looking to wrap up first spot in group F and move on to the knock out stage. Argentina is a big favorite in this matchup and is seeing 49% of the action, while the action on the 2.5 goal is seeing split action with 46% on the under and 54% on the over." Michael Stewart, CarbonSports.ag.

ABOUT ARGENTINA: Fixing what has been a moribund offense starts with a simple step: hitting the target. Argentina has had a dreadful time doing that so far, combining for 33 attempts in its first two victories but managing to land just six on target, good for an 18.1 percent success rate. With Argentina expected to use the 4-3-1-2 formation that worked wonders against Iran, the pressure to convert will once again fall on the shoulders of all-world talent Lionel Messi; he has two of Argentina's three goals and has been the best player on either side in both games.

ABOUT NIGERIA: The Super Eagles' super defense should come as no surprise to those following the team; it allowed just four goals in eight qualification matches leading into the World Cup. The task of dealing with Argentina's talented forwards falls on Vincent Enyaema, the only remaining starting 'keeper yet to allow a goal in the tournament. Nigeria had great success pressuring the Bosnian side in their last game - firing nine shots on target - but should expect more resistance from a stout Argentina defense.

TRENDS:

* Nigeria is winless in four all-time World Cup appearances against South American clubs - including three losses to Argentina.
* Argentina is 11-1 with two draws in its last 14 World Cup group matches, outscoring opponents 27-5 over that span.
* Messi has eight goals in his previous seven World Cup games.
* Nigeria is 1-4 with a draw in its last six showdowns with Argentina.

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No Limit Sports

Nigeria +1 (+112)

Bosnia & Herzegovina -.5 (+104)

Ecuador/France Under 2.5 (+110)

Honduras +1 (+124)

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Under trending with this starter on the road
Stephen Campbell

San Diego Padres starter Ian Kennedy has been a solid Under play on the road lately with the Under going 7-0 in his last seven outings away from home. Kennedy gets the ball Wednesday when he and the Padres visit the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.

The Giants are currently -127 faves with a total of seven according to BetOnline (http://www.betonline.ag/)

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Here's your hottest umpiring trend for Wednesday
Stephen Campbell

The Tampa Bay Rays love playing with umpire Lance Barksdale behind home plate. Tampa is a perfect 7-0 in their last seven with the ump calling balls and strikes. They'll reunite when Tampa hosts the Pittsburgh Pirates at the Trop Wednesday.

BetOnline (http://www.betonline.ag/) currently has the Rays as -147 faves with the O/U at seven for the interleague matchup.

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Steve's Six Pack

Jordan Spieth 13/1 - Spieth is the best golfer in the world right now in my opinion and will be on this list for the foreseeable future. He has posted Top 20 finishes in six of his last seven starts and returns to a course that he looked great on last season. Through the first two rounds Spieth was tied for the lead, but unfortunately shot a 3rd round 74 and would go onto finish in 6th place. Jordan made just three bogeys in his 1st, 2nd and 4th rounds combined here last season.
Jordan has a ridiculous 14 Top 25 finishes in just 18 starts this season. He puts himself in position to win almost every week and it is his putting that has a large part to do with it. Jordan is 29th on Tour for Stokes Gained through Putting, and 7th on Tour for putting between 15 and 20 feet. A key this week will be players ability to scramble as Congressional is difficult around the greens, and Jordan is excellent at getting the ball up and down (sits 8th on Tour in Scrambling 63%).
Brendon Todd 30/1 - Todd is really playing some great golf right now. Following his win at the HP Byron Nelson Championship he has finishes of Crowne Plaza (T5), Memorial (T8) and US Open (T17). He would have actually contended for the US Open on Sunday if he hadn't shot a 79 during his third round, as he was -5 in his other three rounds. The University of Georgia Alum is riding this excellent momentum right into a tournament he has a good history at.
Todd placed T13 here last season and that was after an opening round 74. During Todd's second and third rounds here last season he made an impressive 9 birdies and just two bogeys. Todd loved shooting at these greens as he hit an impressive 78% of them in Regulation last season at Congressional. He will want to work on his bunker play though as he was just 33% last year at getting the ball up and down out of them. Look for Todd to ride his momentum right into a great Maryland finish.
Webb Simpson 29/1 - It just feels like Webb Simpson is going to win very soon. He placed T3 just three weeks ago at the St. Jude Classic and will be playing a course this week that he loves. Simpson stated during the 2011 US Open here that he loves the layout of Congressional and likes how it challenges the players. He placed T14 that year at the US Open, so he really did enjoy the course.
Simpson has only played in this event once before and he finished T35. Though that doesn't seem impressive it should be noted that he did have rounds of 67 and 68 that week (it was his Par 4 performance that hurt him as he played them +5 for the week). Simpson is 9th on Tour in Strokes Gained Through Putting and an impressive 31st in Scrambling. Simpson is 2nd on Tour for putting between 10-15 feet and is 3rd on Tour for putting between 20-25 feet. This North Carolina native is going to be on the first page of the leaderboard all week at Congressional.
Hunter Mahan 45/1 - we go with another great putter in Hunter Mahan as our next selection. No one is talking about Hunter this week because he has missed the Cut in his past two starts. They are over looking his terrific record here though (2007 - T8, 2008 - T12, 2009 - 2nd, 2012 - T8, 2013 -MC). I would say that four finishes inside the Top 15 out of five chances should get him some recognition.
Mahan has worked very hard this season on his scrambling but he still relies very heavily on his putting. A key for Hunter will be to hit plenty of Greens in Regulation this week, something he has done in the past at Congressional. On the season Hunter hits more than 65% of his Greens in Regulation. The one thing I love that Hunter does well is his ability to drive the ball long and straight off the tee. Hunter ranks 10th on Tour in Total Driving, and his ability to hit fairways this week should help vault him up the leaderboard.
Kevin Chappell 75/1 - Chappell is a name the we see every few months near the Top of leaderboards. I feel that it will be a more common name on the first page of leaderboards in the next few years. Chappell was playing well until he struggled the past two tournaments, but Congressional should help get him back on track. Many will remember Kevin finishing in a tie for 3rd at the 2011 US Open (at Congressional). In his two editions of this tournament he has finished 2012 - T58 and 2013 - T28.
On the season Kevin ranks 20th on Tour in Total Driving and that allows him to rank 25th on Tour for Greens in Regulation (68%). Putting will be the key to Chappell's success this week as he ranks 159th on Tour for Strokes Gained through Putting. Look for him to draw on those emotions from 2011 at the US Open and get that flat stick working.
Nick Watney 60/1 - Watney is my pick this week and that is even surprising for me to say. Nick posted his first Top 20 of the season last week at the Travelers Championship when he finished T11 (17 Tournaments). I have been waiting for him to start playing well because he is one of the more talented players on Tour. Watney has won 5 times during his career on the PGA Tour ( 2007 - Zurich Classic, 2009 - Buick Invitational, 2011- WGC Caddillac, 2011 - AT&T National, 2012 - Barclays).
Watney won this event the year it was held at Aronimink because of the United States Open being played at Congressional. He did enjoy a good tournament at Congressional in 2012 though when he finished 10th. You know Watney wants to get back to being one of the best players on Tour and he must think about the Ryder Cup coming up this season. To make that team Watney will probably need a win, and this week seems like a great place for that to happen.
HEAD TO HEAD

We have been dominating the HEAD to HEADS recently to help minimize the damage from the outright selections. We go with another big head to head.
4 Units - Jordan Spieth (-1.5) -135 over Tiger Woods - will will take Spieth on the spread against Woods as the ML is as high as -160. He will have no trouble beating Tiger by 2 strokes this week as we all know Woods will be rusty. Spieth will be in the Top 10 yet again this week and will win us some nice Units on this match up.
Steve

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BeatYourBookie

WEDNESDAY

MLB BASEBALL


10* Play New York Yankees +110 over Toronto (MLB TOP PLAY)

New York is 40-24 when playing on a Wednesday
New York is 41-34 when playing in the month of June
New York is 98-84 vs. division opponents the last three seasons


10* Play Miami +110 over Philadelphia (MLB TOP PLAY)

Philadelphia is 32-46 when playing in the month of June
Philadelphia is 24-38 when playing on a Wednesday
Philadelphia is 13-20 at home when the total posted is between 7 and 8.5 runs


=============================================

5* Play Houston +110 over Atlanta (MLB BONUS PLAY)
5* Play San Diego +120 over San Francisco (MLB BONUS PLAY)

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XpertPicks

WEDNESDAY BASEBALL




Play Miami +110 over Philadelphia----Top Play (Risk 8% of your Bankroll)
7:00 PM EST


Henderson Alvarez has won 4 consecutive games when pitching in the month of June and he has won 10 of the last 13 games after giving up two or less earned runs in his last two outings. Henderson Alvarez has won 9 of the last 14 games when the total posted is between 7 and 8.5 runs and he has an ERA of 1.45 in his last three starts.





Play Houston +110 over Atlanta----Top Play (Risk 8% of your Bankroll)
8:00 PM EST


Alex Wood has lost 4 of the last 5 games when the line posted is between -100 to -150 and he has lost 6 of the last 8 games when pitching in the 1st half of the season. Alex Wood has lost three of the last four games when pitching as a road favorite of -110 or higher and he is 0-3 over the last three starts with an ERA of 5.00.

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Carlos Salazars Wednesday Night MLB Bookie Crusher

Boston +127

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Today's MLB Picks

Detroit at Texas

The Tigers look to follow up on their 8-2 win in last night's series opener as they face a Texas team that is 1-11 in its last 12 games as a home underdog. Detroit is the pick (-150) according to Dunkel, which has the Tigers favored by 2. Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-150). Here are all of today's picks.


WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25
Time Posted: 6:30 a.m. EST


Game 901-902: Washington at Milwaukee (2:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Strasburg) 16.026; Milwaukee (Estrada) 15.086
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1; 7
Vegas Line: Washington (-135); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (-135); Under


Game 903-904: St. Louis at Colorado (3:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Gonzales) 15.936; Colorado (Flande) 14.410
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-115); 11
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-115); Under


Game 905-906: San Diego at San Francisco (3:45 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Kennedy) 16.424; San Francisco (Lincecum) 13.978
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 2 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-145); 7
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+125); Under


Game 907-908: Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Latos) 14.161; Cubs (Jackson) 15.696
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-140); No Run Total
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (+120); N/A


Game 909-910: Miami at Philadelphia (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Miami (Alvarez) 17.241; Philadelphia (Burnett) 15.510
Dunkel Line: Miami by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-125); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Miami (+105); Under`


Game 911-912: Chicago White Sox at Baltimore (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Noesi) 14.073; Baltimore (Jimenez) 13.173
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Baltimore (-160); 9
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (+140); Under


Game 913-914: NY Yankees at Toronto (7:07 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Kuroda) 15.823; Toronto (Hutchison) 17.473
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Toronto (-125); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-125); Over


Game 915-916: Detroit at Texas (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Sanchez) 16.740; Texas (Saunders) 14.960
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 2; 10
Vegas Line: Detroit (-150); 9
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-150); Over


Game 917-918: Minnesota at LA Angels (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Pino) 15.110; LA Angels (Richards) 16.805
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-200); 8
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-200); Under


Game 919-920: Boston at Seattle (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Buchholz) 13.126; Seattle (Iwakuma) 15.390
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 2 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: Seattle (-150); 7
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (-150); Under


Game 921-922: Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay (12:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Morton) 17.332; Tampa Bay (Price) 15.794
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-160); 7
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+140); Over


Game 923-924: Oakland at NY Mets (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Mills) 14.092; NY Mets (Wheeler) 15.666
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Oakland (-115); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-105); Over


Game 925-926: Atlanta at Houston (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Wood) 16.344; Houston (McHugh) 14.681
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-120); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-120); Under


Game 927-928: LA Dodgers at Kansas City (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Haren) 16.745; Kansas City (Shields) 18.409
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-135); 8
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (-135); Under


Game 929-930: Cleveland at Arizona (9:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Kluber) 16.641; Arizona (Anderson) 18.270
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-130); 8
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+110); Under

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WNBA Basketball Picks

Chicago at Connecticut

The Sun play host to a Chicago team that is 7-0 ATS in the last 7 games between the two teams. Chicago is the pick (+2) according to Dunkel, which has the Sky favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Chicago (+2). Here are all of today's WNBA picks.


WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25
Time Posted: 7:00 a.m. EST


Game 651-652: Tulsa at Indiana (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tulsa 109.975; Indiana 111.579
Dunkel Line & Total: Indiana by 1 1/2; 159
Vegas Line & Total: Indiana by 4 1/2; 153 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tulsa (+4 1/2); Over


Game 653-654: Chicago at Connecticut (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago 110.369; Connecticut 108.752
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 1 1/2; 160
Vegas Line & Total: Connecticut by 2; 156 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago (+2); Over

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Hondo

Hondo made a modest gain Tuesday night when his triumph with the Pirates more than offset his setback with the Royals to trim the filthy figure to 1,435 sanfords.

Wednesday: Mr. Aitch will freak out if Lincecum doesn’t show the Padres who their daddy is — 10 units on the Giants.

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Gamblers Data

Free Plays Wednesday

Nationals -130

Marlins/Phils under 7.5

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Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports

Free Play WED Cinci Reds -125

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Wednesday's WCup Tips
By Toby Maxtone-Smith


Argentina vs. Nigeria (ESPN, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Argentina face Nigeria in one of two simultaneous Group F games, happening at 1 o’clock Brazil time. Argentina have been dealt an extremely favourable draw: not only are they in an easy group, they are also playing all their matches in friendly conditions. This match takes place at the Estadio Beira-Rio, in the far south of Brazil. Hundreds of thousands of Argentines are crossing the border to be in Porto Alegre for the game.

The game is meaningless for Argentina in terms of qualification, but Nigeria still have lots to play for. They need a point to guarantee progress, otherwise they will be sweating on whether or not Iran can beat Bosnia.

Argentina have been underwhelming so far, and needed a last minute piece of Lionel Messi magic to beat Iran. They are heavy favourites here at 11/25 with sportsbook.ag, and despite two iffy performances, I see little from Nigeria to suggest that they can trouble Alejandro Sabella’s side. Backing Argentina +1.5 looks the best option at quotes of 27/20. I expect Argentina, like Brazil, to take this opportunity of a third group game to really kick-start their tournament. Nigeria, because they may not even need a point, make little appeal at either 15/2 to win the match, or 3/1 to take a draw from it.

In the first goalscorer market, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero have been very disappointing so far for Argentina, in contrast to the majestic Messi, who is stupidly short at 5/4 to score first. I’m going to stick with fancying Higuain at 5/2 - he has the ability to punish a dodgy Nigerian defence.

Top bet: Argentina -1.5 at 27/20


Iran vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina (ESPN2, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Iran meet Bosnia-Herzegovina at the spectacular Fonte Nova stadium in Salvador. Only one side has anything to play for, but surprisingly that side is Iran, not the fancied debutants Bosnia, who have crashed out after two defeats. Iran were stubborn in a 0-0 with Nigeria, and then suffered last minute heartbreak against Argentina after a wonderfully dogged defensive performance. Carlos Queiroz’s men could even have won the match.

Iran need to win this match, and hope that Nigeria do not beat Argentina, in order to qualify. However they could find it difficult against a Bosnia side who, despite a short-lived visit to this major tournament, look well set for the future. They gave Argentina a good game first up, while bad finishing let them down against Nigeria.

Bosnia play best when given freedom, and the freedom of having nothing to play for makes them appealing at 6/5 to win the game. They will be bolder than in previous matches, where they sacrificed some attacking threat for more defensive solidity, and it didn’t really work. Iran are 11/5 to claim the win they need, while a draw is 12/5.

Surely this time Safet Susic will field the two strikers who were so key in getting them to Brazil together. Vedad Ibisevic and Edin Dzeko scored 18 between them in just 10 games in qualifying, and are 7/2 and 5/2 respectively to break the deadlock. The market leader for Iran is Charlton Athletic striker Reza Ghoochannejhad at 11/2.

Top bet: Bosnia-Herzegovina to win at 6/5


France vs. Ecuador (ESPN, 4:00 p.m. ET)

France play Ecuador in one of two Group E matches on Wednesday evening. This game takes place at the famous Maracana in Rio de Janeiro. France only need a point to fully guarantee winning the group, while Ecuador need to equal Switzerland’s result against Honduras to progress to the last 16, where they would likely face an all-South American tie with second-favourites Argentina.

In 3-0 and 5-2 wins over Honduras and Switzerland, France have arguably been the most impressive side at the World Cup so far. They have not been hampered at all by the injury to Franck Ribery, with Mathieu Valbuena admirably taking full control of the creative side of the job. Karim Benzema has scored three times already.

They are the strong favourites to win at 69/100, and given their last two performances there seems little reason to doubt that the French steamroller will come to a halt. Ecuador are 7/2 to claim a win that would 99.9% guarantee their progress, while a draw is a 3/1 chance. Bookies are right in predicting a high-scoring encounter given both sides’ games so far. Over 2.5 is 77/100.

The first goalscorer market for this match is an interesting one. Benzema’s form is stellar, but 3/2 is short enough on him for me to look elsewhere. Ecuador’s centre-backs, Guagua and Erazo, are a potential weakness, and it is easy to foresee 7/2 shot Olivier Giroud bullying them. He links up well with Valbuena and is a good shout. The 7/1 on Enner Valencia, scorer of all three Ecuador goals in Brazil, isn’t as skinny as it might be either.

Top bet: Olivier Giroud to score first at 7/2


Honduras vs. Switzerland (ESPN2, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Honduras, despite two defeats from two, still stand a tiny chance of getting to the knockout stages, but all the attention in Manaus will be on Switzerland, who only need to better Ecuador’s result against France to get through. After a fine opening day win, Ottmar Hitzfeld’s Swiss side were brought crashing back down to earth as their French neighbours spanked them 5-2. Honduras were also outplayed by France, before surrendering a 1-0 lead to lose to Ecuador.

The conditions in Manaus, a city almost unreachable by road in the heart of the Amazon, favour Honduras greatly. Of the three matches at the Arena Amazonia so far, only one favourite has won. The humidity and the heat are testing, particularly to teams like Switzerland who are a) European, and b) reliant on a high-energy style of playing.

All this means 2/5 on Switzerland looks too short, with 333/100 on a draw the best bet, given that if, as expected, France beat Ecuador, it would be enough for Switzerland to qualify. A Honduras win is 6/1.

By far the best bet here is Over 3.5 at evens (1/1) in the Total Cards market (yellow = 1, red = 2, max 3 per player). Before the tournament, Honduras kicked lumps out of England in a friendly; against France they had Wilson Palacios sent off and had three other yellows, while between them Ecuador and Honduras had five yellows last time out. They are a team that is highly aggressive, and relies on fouling to break up the rhythm of their opponents.

Top bet: Over 3.5 Total Cards at 1/1

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Argentina aims to clinch Group F Wednesday
By: Brian Graham - StatFox


2014 WORLD CUP SOCCER

NIGERIA vs. ARGENTINA

Kickoff: Wednesday, 12:00 p.m. EDT
Estadio Beira-Rio – Porto Alegre, Brazil

Line:
Argentina -196, Nigeria +625, Tie +275
Over/Under: 2.5 Goals (Over -114, Under -114)

Group F play of the World Cup wraps up on Wednesday when the top two teams in the group, Argentina and Nigeria both look to claim the top spot.

Nigeria has yet to allow a goal in the World Cup, drawing 0-0 with Iran before prevailing 1-0 over Bosnia-Herzegovina. If the heavy underdog can defeat Argentina in this matchup, it will win the group, but if Iran beats Bosnia-Herzegovina and surpasses a losing Nigeria team in goal differential, Nigeria will be eliminated. If both Iran and Nigeria finish tied in points, goal differential and total goals, the second-place team would be determined by drawing lots, something this tournament has never had to resort to. Argentina already knows they are moving on, taking out Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-1 before a narrow 1-0 victory over Iran. Argentina needs only a draw to win the group, and will finish second with a loss to Nigeria.

The Super Eagles played a very even game with Bosnia-Herzegovina, holding the advantage in shots by a 20-18 margin, including 13-10 in shots on goal. Nigeria held the ball for 46% of the time, while corner kicks were even at 4-4. Goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama recorded seven saves in the shutout victory, after needing to save only three shots in the scoreless draw with Iran. Nigeria also trimmed its fouls from 16 versus Iran to nine against Bosnia-Herzegovina, with John Obi Mikel becoming the club's lone player with a yellow card at the 81st minute. Striker Peter Odemwingie was the team's lone goal-scorer 29 minutes in, but the Super Eagles know that star forward Emmanuel Emenike, who netted 15 goals in 32 games at the club level this season, will have to be heard from to earn a point in this match.

Argentina will be playing a virtual home match, as this venue is close to their country's border and it will be packed with Maracana faithful. Lionel Messi has carried his club this tournament with two goals, while the team's other tally came on a fortunate own goal by Bosnia-Herzegovina. Messi has already surpassed his total of one goal in his first two World Cup tournament appearances. Although Argentina has not dominated as expected, they did possess the ball for 55% against Bosnia-Herzegovina and a whopping 70% versus Iran. The Maracana fired 19 shots against Iran, but only nine were on net. However, this was a huge improvement from its 11 shots (5 on goal) in their tournament opener. Argentina also produced 10 corner-kick chances versus Iran, compared to only two against Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Maracana have played a very clean tournament as well, with zero offsides calls and only 18 total fouls. Their lone yellow card was issued to defender Marcos Rojo in the opening match, so they will want to make sure nobody picks up a card in this match for a team that has legitimate aspirations of winning this entire tournament.

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Iran tries to advance with big win on Wednesday
By: Brian Graham - StatFox


2014 WORLD CUP SOCCER

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA vs. IRAN

Kickoff: Wednesday, 12:00 p.m. EDT
Arena Fonte Nova – Salvador, Brazil

Line:
Bosnia-Herzegovina +120, Iran +220, Tie +240
Over/Under: 2.5 Goals (Over +105, Under -135)

Underdog Iran needs a big win over Bosnia-Herzegovina and some help on Wednesday to move onto the Round of 16.

Iran has played a mostly defensive World Cup, opening their tournament with a 0-0 tie with Nigeria before losing 1-0 to Argentina on an extra-time goal by superstar Lionel Messi. With only one point and a minus-1 goal differential, Iran has to win to stay alive and then hope Nigeria loses to Argentina by more than one goal. If Iran and Nigeria wind up being tied in points and goal differential, the team moving on to the next round would be determined by drawing lots, which is something the World Cup has never had to do to break a tie between two teams. Bosnia-Herzegovina has lost both of its matches in its first-ever World Cup to eliminate themselves, falling 2-1 to Argentina and 1-0 to Nigeria. But they want to leave the tournament on a high note, and are favored to knock off Iran and send them home too.

Bosnia-Herzegovina has had plenty of chances in the World Cup, with 18 total shots (10 on goal) versus Nigeria to give them 34 shots (21 on goal) for the tournament. They also held a 54% possession edge and committed only seven fouls in the heart-breaking defeat to Nigeria, which got its lone tally in the 29th minute. Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Haris Medunjanin picked up a yellow card in the sixth minute of that match, but that was the team's only card in that defeat. Forward Edin Dzeko has missed plenty of scoring chances during this tournament, but his disallowed goal against Nigeria that was incorrectly ruled offsides could have been a huge difference maker for his team, and would've given them a chance at advancing with a victory in Wednesday's match. Dzeko may not play in the tournament finale for Bosnia-Herzegovina, as coach Safet Susic is expected to utilize his reserves more to give the team a spark.

Iran has been thoroughly dominated in time of possession in both World Cup matches, holding the ball for 37% of the time versus Nigeria and only 30% of the time versus Argentina. They have taken just 15 shots in the two matches combined, and only seven of those attempts have been on goal. With a win being the only desirable result on Wednesday, look for Iran to really set the tone on offense and abandon it's strictly defensive game plan. Carlos Queiroz knows this could be his last match as the team's coach, as he is stepping down after the tournament because the Iranian government is not giving him proper financial backing. Iran has been whistled for only two offsides all tournament, but have committed 32 fouls, including three yellow cards by midfielders Andranik Timotian, Javad Nekonam and Masoud Shojaei. Winning the match is obviously Iran's top priority, but it cannot afford to have any of these three players pick up that second yellow card and be disqualified for their potential Round of 16 match.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

France tries to stay unbeaten Wednesday vs. Ecuador
By: Brian Graham - StatFox


2014 WORLD CUP SOCCER

ECUADOR vs. FRANCE

Kickoff: Wednesday, 4:00 p.m. EDT
Estadio Do Maracana – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Line:
France -140, Ecuador +385, Tie +270
Over/Under: 2.5 Goals (Over -120, Under -109)

France looks to continue its impressive World Cup run when it wraps up Group E play Wednesday versus an Ecuador team with hopes of advancing to the knockout stage.

France had little problem with Honduras to begin their World Cup quest, winning easily by a 3-0 score, and followed that up with a 5-2 pummeling of Switzerland. Ecuador began its World Cup with a 2-1 loss to Switzerland, but came back with a 2-1 victory over Honduras to give them three points that ties the country with Switzerland for second place in Group E. These teams last met in a friendly in 2008 that resulted in a 2-0 win for France.

Ecuador showed great courage coming back from a 1-0 deficit to beat Honduras with a pair of Enner Valencia goals, but they were still badly outshot 16-8, including 9-5 on goal. Ecuador did have a slight edge in possession at 51% to 49% and took 12 corner kicks compared to four corners for Honduras. But some key players picked up yellow cards, including goal-scoring hero Enner Valencia, as well as speedy midfielders Jefferson Montero and Antonio Valencia. Ecuador has committed 32 fouls in the World Cup, while their opponents have committed just 24 against them.

France star Karim Benzema has three of his team's eight goals so far in the World Cup, with one goal apiece for Olivier Giroud, Moussa Sissoko, Blaise Matuidi and Mathieu Valbuena. Although France throttled Switzerland, they did allow two goals after the 80th minute of that game and got out-possessed 57% to 43%. France did fire 22 shots though, with 16 of those shots on goal. That gives the club 42 shots for the tournament, with 26 of those on net. But Les Blues also has 29 fouls and four yellow cards during their two wins. And a silly yellow card in the 88th minute of a 5-2 match by Yohan Cabaye will keep him off the field for Wednesday's contest.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Switzerland looks to roll past Honduras Wednesday
By: Brian Graham - StatFox


2014 WORLD CUP SOCCER

HONDURAS vs. SWITZERLAND

Kickoff: Wednesday, 4:00 p.m. EDT
Arena Amazonia – Manaus, Brazil

Line:
Switzerland -250, Honduras +600, Tie +333
Over/Under: 2.5 Goals (Over -144, Under +115)

Switzerland looks to move forward to the knockout stage of the World Cup when it takes on winless Honduras on Wednesday in the Brazilian rainforest in Manaus.

The Swiss began the tournament with a narrow 2-1 victory over Ecuador in extra time, but was steamrolled 5-2 by France in its follow-up game. Honduras also got pounded 3-0 by Les Blues, but played much better in a 2-1 defeat to Ecuador, with their tally ending a 32-year, goal-less drought in World Cup play. With France virtually assured to move on to the Round of 16 with six points and a +6 goal differential, Switzerland needs at least a draw plus an Ecuador loss to France to keep playing in the 2014 World Cup. This match takes place exactly four years to the day these teams last met in the World Cup when the clubs played to a 0-0 tie that eliminated both teams from the tournament.

Honduras will once again be a huge underdog, but key midfielder Wilson Palacios will be able return after picking up two yellow cards in the first half versus France, which kept him out of the Ecuador match. Honduras actually got on the board first in the 31st minute of that game when Carlo Costly scored the country's first World Cup goal since 1982, ending a drought of five straight goal-less games. Even though Enner Valencia tallied at both the 34-minute mark, and 65 minutes in for the game-winner, Honduras still held the edge in many statistics. They outshot Ecuador 16-8 in total shots, including 9-5 in shots on goal. Ball possession was nearly even though (49% Honduras, 51% Ecuador), but Honduras had three times fewer corner kicks (four) than Ecuador did (12). Honduras also picked up a couple of yellow cards in the first half with Victor Bernardez and Jerry Bengtson. Honduras continues to be led on defense by Maynor Figueroa, who played an outstanding match four years ago in the scoreless draw with Switzerland. But Honduras needs to win by a wide margin to have any shot of moving to the next round, so expect them to attack much more than usual.

Switzerland has to be extremely concerned with their defense, especially with the loss of Steve von Bergen for the rest of the tournament after he fractured his cheekbone. He is arguably their best defensive player. His substitute Philippe Senderos had a brutal showing versus France, and was a big reason why Les Blues netted five goals. Despite that result, Switzerland could pack it in for a low-scoring tie on Wednesday and hope France rolls past Ecuador. The Swiss really need Xherdan Shaqiri to provide some offense for this club, which does have a little momentum with goals in the 81st minute (Blerim Dzemaili) and 87th minute (Granit Xhaka) against France. They wound up with a ton of shots (17), but put only eight of those on goal. In their Cup opener, they attempted 18 shots with 12 of those on target. But the Swiss did hold the edge in possession over France (57% to 43%) and had more corners (5-3), but less fouls (12-16) and no cards. Switzerland are the more experienced and quicker team in this matchup, and should be confident they can bounce back from the debacle versus France.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

MLB

Wednesday, June 25


Dodgers' SS Hanley Ramirez, probable Wednesday

Ramirez is dealing with shoulder irritation and did not play on Tuesday however he is expected to be in the lineup on Wednesday against the Royals.


Blue Jays' RF Jose Bautista, questionable Wednesday

Bautista has a Grade 1 hamstring strain and has missed the last two games. He is questionable to return on Wednesday against the Yankees.


Plenty of runs last night, but did that mean overs?

There were plenty of runs scored on the diamond in Tuesday's Major League action, with teams crossing the plate a staggering 150 times, making it a good night if you betting over game totals.

Teams went 11-4 over/under in 15 games last night, a success rate of neatly 74 percent. Much better than the season average for overs, which is just over 50 percent.


What trend came through big time Tuesday night?

Another night of Major League Baseball action and another night of success for underdogs against the runline.

Underdogs went an impressive 11-4 against the runline Tuesday night, hitting at a mark of almost 74 percent. Both home and road dogs did well, going 5-2 and 6-2 respectively.

Dogs have been one of the most solid bets in baseball all year, coming in at almost a 62 percent success rate for the season.


Price trade speculation continues

David Price admits he is not immune to the speculation. It's beginning to affect his mood, but not his preparations.

The left-hander has been the source of increasing trade speculation as the Tampa Bay Rays' season sinks into morass and each day brings the 28-year-old closer to arbitration eligibility this offseason and free agency after 2015. The media hum grew louder on Monday as ESPN's Buster Olney proclaimed the "climate" primed for the club to deal the 2012 American League Cy Young Award-winner "right now."

Price, who is 5-7 with a 3.81 ERA this season, is scheduled to start on Wednesday in the conclusion of a three-game set against Pittsburgh and has worked in front of a bank of opposing scouts in recent outings. He's impressed, striking out at least 10 in four consecutive starts, and he leads the majors with 133 strikeouts while walking just 13.

Price is set to earn $14 million this season and would expect a huge increase through arbitration next season. He deflected a question about whether Wednesday could be his last start at Tropicana Field, saying he thought he would have been traded in the offseason. But he admitted to thinking about things.

"That's why I've been in a bad mood the last week and a half," he said.


Pirates LF Marte could miss time after collision at second base

Pittsburgh left fielder Starling Marte underwent a CT scan on Tuesday night after complaining of "concussion-like symptoms" following a second-base

collision at Tropicana Field.

Results were not immediately available and it is unknown how much time the 25-year-old could miss. Stringent Major League Baseball concussion protocols make a seven-day

disabled list stint available and dictate that a player cannot participate in baseball activities until symptom-free for three days.

Marte's helmeted head struck the knee of Rays second baseman Sean Rodriguez violently as he was tagged out trying to steal second base in the fifth inning. Marte's head appeared to bow backward slightly and he lay over top of second base for several seconds, though never appeared to lose consciousness. Marte seemed unsteady on his feet after being attended to by manager Clint Hurdle and eventually walked off the field with assistance.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

StatFox Super Situations – FoxSheets

MLB | ST LOUIS at COLORADO
Play Against – Any team (COLORADO) with a bad bullpen that blows 38% or more of their save opportunities, with a team batting average of .280 or better on the season (NL)
94-61 over the last 5 seasons. ( 60.6% | 41.6 units )
33-24 this year. ( 57.9% | 6.8 units )

StatFox Situational Power Trends – FoxSheets

MLB | MINNESOTA at LA ANGELS
MINNESOTA is 54-43 (+28.5 Units) against the money line after batting .240 or worse over a 10 game span over the last 2 seasons.
The average score was: MINNESOTA (4.3) , OPPONENT (4.4)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

StatFox Super Situations – FoxSheets

WNBA | CHICAGO at CONNECTICUT
Play Under – Home teams where the total is greater than or equal to 140 off 2 consecutive wins against division rivals, playing with 3 or more days rest
54-23 since 1997. ( 70.1% | 28.7 units )
2-0 this year. ( 100.0% | 2.0 units )

WNBA | TULSA at INDIANA
Play Against – Home teams vs. the money line (INDIANA) after allowing 75 points or more in 3 straight games against opponent after scoring 90 points or more
26-10 over the last 5 seasons. ( 72.2% | 0.0 units )
1-0 this year. ( 100.0% | 0.0 units )

WNBA | CHICAGO at CONNECTICUT
Play Against – Home teams vs. the 1rst half line (CONNECTICUT) hot team – having won 6 or 7 of their last 8 games, well rested team – playing 3 or less games in 10 days
46-18 over the last 5 seasons. ( 71.9% | 26.2 units )

[Can'tPickAWinner]

MLB

National League

Nationals-Brewers
Strasburg is 0-1, 4.97 in his last two starts.
Estrada is 1-2, 8.74 in his last four starts.

Washington won its last four games.
Brewers won six of their last nine games.

Four of last five Strasburg starts went over total.

Cardinals-Rockies
Gonzales is making first MLB start; he was 3-2, 2.33 in seven starts in the AA Texas League; his dad coaches in the Rockies' minor league system.
28-year old rookie Flande makes MLB debut here; he is 2-9, 4.42 in 13 starts at AAA this season.

Cardinals won 11 of their last 16 games.
Colorado lost seven of its last eight games.

Over is 10-2-2 in last 14 Colorado games; under is 6-1-1 in Cards' last eight.

Padres-Giants
Kennedy is 0-2, 6.75 in his last three starts.
Lincecum is 1-2, 6.85 in his last four starts.

San Diego lost eight of its last eleven road games, but won last two.
Giants lost 11 of their last 14 games overall.

Nine of last eleven San Diego games stayed under.

Reds-Cubs
Latos is 0-0, 3.86 in his first two starts this year.
Jackson is 1-4, 8.40 in his last six starts.

Cincinnati won nine of its last thirteen games.
Cubs lost four of their last six home games.

Five of last six Jackson starts went over the total.

Marlins-Phillies
Marlins won last six Alvarez starts (2-0, 0.91).
Burnett is 2-1, 2.22 in his last three starts.

Marlins lost five of their last seven games.
Phillies lost three of their last four games.

Five of last seven Miami games stayed under total.


American League

White Sox-Orioles
Noesi is 1-1, 7.16 in his last three starts.
Orioles were outscored 50-7 in losing all seven of Jimenez' home starts.

White Sox lost eight of their last nine road games.
Baltimore is 9-6 in its last fifteen home games.

Eight of last nine Baltimore home games stayed under.

Bronx-Blue Jays
Kuroda is 0-2, 4.08 in his last three starts.
Hutchison is 1-2, 5.65 in his last three starts.

Bronx lost last four games, outscored 29-10.
Blue Jays won four of their last five home games.

Last four Kuroda starts stayed under the total.

Tigers-Rangers
Sanchez is 2-0, 2.05 in his last four starts.
Saunders is 0-2, 6.75 in his last three starts.

Detroit won four of its last five games.
Rangers lost their last six games.

Six of last seven Detroit road games went over total.

Twins-Angels
Pino allowed two runs in seven IP (94 PT) in his first MLB start.
Richards is 3-0, 0.67 in his last four starts.

Minnesota won four of last five games, but lost six in row on road.
Angels won 13 of their last 15 home games.

Under is 5-2-1 in last eight Angel home games.

Red Sox-Mariners
Buchholz was 0-2, 10.00 in his last four starts before the DL; his last start was May 26.
Iwakuma is 2-1, 2.93 in his last four starts.

Red Sox lost 12 of their last 15 road games.
Seattle won eight of its last ten games.

Seven of last nine Iwakuma starts stayed under the total.

Interleague games

Pirates-Rays
Morton is 3-1, 3.96 in his last four starts.
Price is 1-3, 3.77 in his last four starts.

Pirates won ten of their last fourteen road games.
Tampa Bay is 6-11 in its last seventeen home games.

Last four Morton starts went over; four of last five Price starts stayed under.

A's-Mets
Mills allowed three runs in four IP (94 PT) in his first '14 start.
Wheeler is 0-3, 3.98 in five home starts.

Oakland won five of its last seven games.
Mets won five of their last six games.

Five of last six Wheeler starts stayed under the total.

Braves-Astros
Wood is 0-4, 3.81 in his last four starts, last of which was May 4.
McHugh is 0-2, 5.28 in his last three starts.

Atlanta lost five of its last eight games.
Astros lost seven of their last eight games.

Three of McHugh's last four home starts went over.

Dodgers-Royals
Haren is 2-0, 4.15 in his last three starts.
Shields is 2-0, 4.26 in his last three starts; Royals are 8-1 in his last nine.

Dodgers won eight of their last eleven games.
Kansas City lost five of its last six games, scoring 10 runs.

Nine of last eleven Shields starts went over the total.

Indians-Arizona
Kluber is 0-1, 2.92 in his last two starts.
Anderson is 0-1, 4.09 in his last two starts.

Cleveland lost five of its last six games.
Arizona lost nine of its last thirteen games.

Seven of last nine Kluber starts went over the total.


Pitchers allowing runs in first inning:
-- Strasburg 5-16; Estrada 5-15
-- Gonzales 0-0; Flande 0-0
-- Kennedy 5-16; Lincecum 6-15
-- Latos 0-2; Jackson 6-15
-- Alvarez 4-15 (0 of last 6); Burnett 5-16

-- Noesi 5-15; Jimenez 5-15
-- Kuroda 5-15 (0 of last 5); Hutchison 3-15
-- Sanchez 4-12; Saunders 1-6
-- Pino 0-1; Richards 3-15
-- Buchholz 4-10; Iwakuma 1-10


-- Morton 2-15; Price 7-16 (5 of last 8)
-- Mills 0-1; Wheeler 5-15
-- Wood 4-7; McHugh 1-11
-- Haren 7-15 (7 of last 10); Shields 4-16 (3 of last 5)
-- Kluber 4-16; Anderson 0-8

Umpires
-- Wsh-Mil-- Favorites won ten of last eleven Segal games.
-- StL-Col-- Eight of last twelve TBarrett games went over.
-- SD-SF-- Road team won last eight Hamari games; last four went over.
-- Cin-Chi-- Five of last seven Bucknor games stayed under.
-- Mia-Phil-- Over is 4-1-1 in last six Wolf games.

-- Chi-Balt-- Over is 6-0-1 in last seven Emmel games.
-- NY-Tor-- Eight of last eleven Barry games stayed under.
-- Det-Tex-- Over is 9-4 in last thirteen Tichenor games.
-- Minn-LA-- Last three Wolcott games stayed under.
-- Bos-Sea-- Home team won seven of last eight Reyburn games.

-- Pitt-TB-- Eight of last ten Barksdale games went over.
-- A's-NY-- Five of last seven West games went over.
-- Atl-Hst-- Underdogs won 10 of last 13 Davidson games.
-- LA-KC-- Road team won six of last seven Knight games.
-- Cle-Az-- Since 2011, under is 49-41 in Fairchild games; this is just his second game behind plate this season.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

MLB

Miami Marlins vs Philadelphia Phillies

The matchup between Philadelphia and Miami at Citizens Bank Park Wednesday night looks to be a pitcher's duel. For Philadelphia, the starter is A.J. Burnett off a 9 inning 1 run gem in a victory over Cardinals moving the right-handers record to 5-6 on the year with a 3.89 ERA and a 2-1 record the past three with a solid 2.22 ERA. On the other side, Henderson Alvarez carries a 4-3 record, 2.39 ERA to the hill and is undefeated in seven, a stretch that has seen the hurler give up 2 or less runs in six of the seven with Marlins 7-0 over the span. Marlin's along with it's steady member of the starting rotation seem like the best choice. But, digging deeper to get a better take on the pitching matchup has us leaning Philadelphia. The Phillies have thrived after Burnett tosses a quality starts surrendering =< 2 runs posting a 3-1 record. Phillies are 7-3 under the light's with Burnett and 2-0 vs Miami since his arrival. The clincher, Marlins' struggle in Philadelphia (4-11) and take to the field 1-5 as a road underdog following a Quality Start by Alvarez allowing =<2 runs, 1-3 on the road in game-three w/Alvarez, 2-7 as a road underdog w/Alvarez following a team loss the previous night.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

FantasySportsGametime

MLB Baseball

1000* Play Los Angeles Angels -180 over Minnesota (MLB TOP PLAY)

Los Angeles has won 24 of the last 32 games when the total posted is between 8 and 8.5 runs and they have won 53 of the last 92 games vs. AL Central Division Opponents.Los Angeles has won 79 of the last 141 games after having won four or five of the last six games and they have won 70 of the last 117 games when playing as a favorite of -150 or higher.

================================================== ===



50* Play Miami +110 over Philadelphia (MLB BONUS PLAY)
50* Play New York Yankees +110 over Toronto (MLB BONUS PLAY)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Tigers seek 6th straight win Wednesday
By: Freddy Wander - StatFox


DETROIT TIGERS (41-32) at TEXAS RANGERS (35-41)

First pitch: Wednesday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: Detroit -135, Texas +125, Total: 9

The Tigers look to extend their five-game winning streak on Wednesday night when they visit the struggling Rangers, losers of six in a row.

Detroit was not looking good earlier this month when it relinquished its AL Central lead, but has now rattled off five straight wins to reclaim a three-game lead in the division. The Tigers' 8-2 victory on Tuesday night marked their fourth straight game where they scored at least five runs, as Detroit tallied 16 hits in the win with two leaving the park. 2B Ian Kinsler hit one of the homers against his former team, and has been hot over his past 10 games, going 17-for-43 (.395) with four doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and eight runs. Texas has struggled with big injuries to many of its key players this year and enters this game as losers in the past six contests. The Rangers have also struggled offensively in their past five games, scoring just 11 runs (2.2 per game). 3B Adrian Beltre has not been struggling though, and went 4-for-4 in Tuesday’s loss to make him 11-for-27 (.407) with two doubles and 5 RBI over his past seven games. Looking to extend the Tigers winning streak in this one will be RHP Anibal Sanchez (4-2, 2.33 ERA) and he will be going up against 33-year-old veteran LHP Joe Saunders (0-3, 4.11 ERA). With Tuesday’s win, Detroit pushed its road record to an incredible 22-13 and is the favorite to earn its 23rd victory against a Texas team that is just 16-20 at home this year. While this season has not gone well for the Rangers, they have gone 14-8 in this particular series over the past three years (3-2 this year) and are 7-4 at home over that time. Bettors should take notice that Texas is just 5-15 (.250) at home when the money line is +125 to -125 this season, but also consider that Anibal Sanchez’s teams are a woeful 9-21 (.300) after he gave up one or less earned runs in his previous outing over the past two seasons. On the injury side of things, OF Torii Hunter (hamstring) is day-to-day for Detroit while Texas is still without the services of plenty of offensive players (Prince Fielder, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Jurickson Profar, Mitch Moreland) and key pitchers (Matt Harrison, Derek Holland, Alexi Ogando, Martin Perez, Tanner Scheppers) for this contest.

Anibal Sanchez has continued to be an extremely effective pitcher this year despite seeing his strikeout rate drop from 10.0 K/9 last season to just 7.6 per nine innings over 12 starts in 2014. He has been amazing at keeping the ball in the park, allowing just one home run (0.13 HR/9) in his 69.2 innings. Part of his success has been luck though, as batters are hitting just .232 BABIP. Sanchez's great consistency has led to him having six straight quality starts coming into this contest while posting a solid 32:6 K/BB ratio in that time (41.2 IP). Sanchez’s last game was against the Royals when he earned his fourth win of the year after going seven innings and giving up just one run on five hits and one walk while failing to record a strikeout. He has not done well in four career starts against the Rangers though, going 1-3 with a 6.98 ERA and 1.86 WHIP, but has been solid in his past two outings against them, throwing 12.2 frames while allowing 11 hits and four runs with 11 strikeouts and only two walks. Stud 3B Adrian Beltre has gone 6-for-8 with a double and 3 RBI in his career versus Sanchez, while SS Elvis Andrus is just 3-for-13 (1 triple, 2 RBI, 3 K’s) over his time against the veteran righty. Detroit’s bullpen has continued to be its weakest link, going 9-9 with a 4.75 ERA while saving 20-of-28 (71%) games. Closer Joe Nathan (6.18 ERA, 15 saves) is only 15-for-20 in his save opportunities and has already walked 13 batters in 27.2 frames (4.2 BB/9) this year

Joe Saunders found his way into the Rangers’ rotation due to plenty of injuries to their top guys, and so far he has done just about as well as expected. He has yet to earn his first win of the year, but has allowed two or fewer earned runs in four of his six outings. Saunders has never been a swing-and-miss type pitcher, whiffing just 5.2 batters per nine innings over his career, and it has not been too different this season with 5.3 K/9. On the other hand, his control has suffered, as he is walking 3.8 batters per nine innings. He earned his third loss of the year in his last outing, going just 4.2 frames against the Angels while surrendering seven runs (4 ER) on 10 hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Saunders has had plenty of experience against Detroit, and he is 1-3 (4-6 team record) with a 5.21 ERA and 1.43 WHIP against them, while he hasn’t started a game that his team has won when facing them since 2009. Some of the Tigers batters have been great in this matchup with 2B Ian Kinsler (12-for-36, 3 doubles, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 4 walks), OF Rajai Davis (12-for-39, 4 doubles, 1 RBI) and 1B Miguel Cabrera (6-for-17, 2 doubles, 3 RBI, 5 walks) all having success. Meanwhile, OF Austin Jackson (1-for-7, 3 K’s) has not done well against the 33-year-old starter. The Rangers’ relievers have really struggled this season, going 14-13 with a 4.51 ERA, while converting only 16-of-25 (64%) save chances. Joakim Soria (1.75 ERA, 15 saves) has been tremendous in his return to the closer role this year though, and has blown just one save while posting an impressive 35:3 K/BB ratio over 25.2 innings on the mound.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Cappers Access

Nationals -135

Braves -130

[Can'tPickAWinner]

SPORTSWAGERS

MLB

Oakland @ N.Y. METS

N.Y. METS +102 over Oakland

(Risking 2 units - To Win: 2.04)

Indeed the A's are a top tier team with a 47-30 record but they've lost two straight and they've cooled off considerably after a torrid start. In fact the A's are just 17-13 over their past 30 games and seven of those wins occurred against the reeling Yanks and Red Sox. Oakland dropped the opener of this series last night by a score of 10-1 and that was Scott Kazmir against Bartolo Colon. Things do not get easier here with Brad Mills against Zack Wheeler. Mills has made one start this season against the weak hitting Red Sox and gave up three runs in four innings. He also walked four batters and posted a groundball/line-drive/fly-ball rate of 45%/45%/9%. The soft-tossing Mills relies on command and varying speeds on his curve-ball and change-up while spotting an 86 MPH fastball when least expected. Notwithstanding Friday's performance, a career 7.53 ERA (and 10 HR in 57.1 IP) points to his inferior stuff and what happens when his command is off. Mills is clearly not recommended until he shows more consistency and in no way can this stiff ever be favored over Wheeler.

Zack Wheeler has a mediocre 3.93 ERA and 1.32 WHIP after 14 starts and he's the reason we put more emphasis on skills as opposed to surface stats. Wheeler's 94-mph four-seam fastball velocity is the sixth-highest among qualified NL SP. An unlucky 33% hit rate is the reason for his elevated WHIP but a correction to the good is coming in both his ERA and WHIP. Wheeler has 87 K's in 87 innings. His elite swing and miss rate of 12% over his last six starts fully supports his strikeouts. Wheeler also has an elite 58% groundball rate over that same span to go along with an xERA of 2.39. Wheeler is the straight goods and his surface stats are likely the most misleading of any starter in baseball. We now get one of the best “buy-low” opportunities of the year and we're not going to pass it up. Invest.


Los Angeles @ KANSAS CITY

Los Angeles +120 over KANSAS CITY

(Risking 2 units - To Win: 2.40)

James Shields is a pitcher in peril. He's getting himself into several jams every game and in fact has allowed 34 hits over his last 24 innings. Shields' strikeout rate is way down and his oppBA this season of .274 is almost 20 points higher than his career oppBA. Shields' has been a workhorse for years but those 1800 career innings at the age of 32 are taking a toll. Constant skills erosion, notably strikeout and groundball rates have deteriorated to red-flag levels. Regression analysis says to expect a partial skills rebound but even a return all the way to '11-'12 levels--which may have well been his peak--nets worse stats in a luck-neutral season. James Shields' 8-3 record is the direct result of outstanding run support but that can't last. His xERA of 4.40 over his last eight starts tells the real story of an overpriced and overrated pitcher.

For his entire 12-year, Dan Haren has consistently posted eye-catching strikeout-to-walk ratios. Last year was no exception, but the 4.67 ERA that went along with it was disappointing. He appears back on track this season in terms of ERA. Is it just better luck or is there some other reason for the improvement? Haren has succeeded thus far with a slightly different skill set than previous years. A high strand % of 77% and lower hr/f is what separates Haren's from last season but it is NOT all luck. Haren is once again displaying excellent control but his K rate and swing and miss rate are at the lowest level in a decade. He's inducing more ground balls than he did a year ago and now carries the highest groundball % of his career to this point in the season. The drop in swings and misses and rise in groundball % raises a key question: Is he intentionally pitching to contact and trying to induce more ground balls or will the loss of velocity and strikeouts come back to bite him? Time will tell. One thing we should count on is an increase in strand % and at least a slight rise in hr/f that will cause Haren's ERA to slightly rise. However, Haren's xERA of 3.67 and his 10 pure quality starts in 15 tries suggests that would probably be an acceptable outcome. In summarizing, Haren throws strikes, he rarely walks a batter, he's inducing more groundballs than ever and he's a far better option taking back a tag than Shields' is spotting one.


Atlanta @ HOUSTON

Atlanta -1 +100 over HOUSTON

(Risking 2 units - To Win: 2.00)

Alex Wood returns to the rotation after 11 straight appearances out of the pen. Wood is not a reliever and is much better suited as a starter and we should see immediate results from this talented second-rounder. Wood brings a 5-6 record with a 3.43 ERA into this game but his xERA of 2.77 as a starter is a better barometer from which to judge him. In five April starts, Wood lost three games by scores of 1-0, 1-0 and 2-1. In 60 innings overall he has an elite BB/K split of 15/63. As a starter, he had a 59% groundball rate and an elite 13% swing and miss rate, Wood can downright dominate and his swing and miss stuff should bode well here against an Astros team that has struck out more than any team in MLB.

Collin McHugh is a rags-to-riches story.Formerly Colorado's waiver fodder and NYM farm-hand, Houston picked up McHugh -- owner of a career 8.94 ERA at the MLB level -- in December, and inserted him into the rotation in April following a Scott Feldman injury. So, color us surprised that he's pitched like an ace since then. McHugh has been quite the reclamation project: He boasted 8 k's per nine and 2.7 walks per nine in three Triple-A seasons but has amped it up to elite territory, supported by a robust 12% swing and miss rate. It's perhaps a byproduct of a revamped repertoire featuring more sliders and curveballs. He was torched in his previous MLB stints with his line-drive rate approaching 30% on both occasions. Hitters aren't seeing such juicy offerings this time around (23% LD%), which has also helped to keep his hit % in check. McHugh's hr/f% has corrected to a more palatable level, but he still serves up too many fly-balls, which could turn out to be an issue at Minute Maid Park (+5% LHB HR). It will be interesting to see how McHugh holds up his second time around the league, as his performance thus far is mostly unprecedented. And his success has coincided with another one of Houston's break-out arms, Dallas Keuchel, to form one of the more improbable 1-2 punches in the league. It's worth noting that in 27 IP in June McHugh's swing and miss rate fell to a more reasonable 9% with more walks than he was issuing previously. We knew he'd come back down to Earth eventually, but how hard he crashes will determine whether he's more than just a flash in the pan. Now that he's no longer flying under the radar, MLB hitters will and probably have studied him more extensively. McHugh may not be fooling hitters much longer and now is the time to sell high.



FIFA World Cup

Pass on Wednesday's FIFA World Cup games. We'll have one game posted for tomorrow and plenty more in the round of 16.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Paul Leiner

100* Washington Nationals -135

50* Atlanta Braves -120

[Can'tPickAWinner]

EZWINNERS


1 STAR SELECTION

Game: Pittsburgh Pirates @ Tampa Bay Rays

(921) Pittsburgh Pirates +$137

(Risking $100 to win $137) (Action)


1 STAR SELECTION

Game: Chicago White Sox @ Baltimore Orioles

(911) Chicago White Sox +$134

(Risking $100 to win $134) (Action)



1 STAR SELECTION

Game: Minnesota Twins @ Los Angeles Angels

(917) Minnesota Twins +$166

(Risking $100 to win $166) (Action)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Footy Tipster

Nigeria vs. Argentina

Free Pick - Both Teams To Score Yes -101

This play may suprise and divide a lot of opinion but it's one I really like for this fixture!

I do feel Argentina will win this game, but their defence has a tendency to be caught high up the field a lot a the Nigerians may make them pay for this.

Nigeria will look to defend and exploit the pace of their wingers on the counter.

Both teams have scored the last 2 times these sides have met!

Nigeria will also be aware that a win here sends them top of the table in Group F!

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jeff Clement

Interleague 8 Unit Play!

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Kansas City Royals (MLB) - Jun 25, 2014 8:10 PM EDT

Kansas City Royals Money Line: -130

Los Angeles Dodgers(43-36) vs. Kansas City(40-37). D.Haren(7-4) ERA 3.62 vs. J.Shields(8-3) ERA 3.70. The Dodgers are 2-9 last 11 games as an underdog and 1-4 last 4 Haren road starts. Kansas City is 8-2 last 10 Inter League games and Shields is 4-1 last 5 Inter League starts. Kansas City is a 8 Unit Play!

[Can'tPickAWinner]

MySystemPicks

3* Detroit Tigers -145

2* Houston Astros +119

1.5* Under 9 New York Yankees/Toronto Blue Jays

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Wednesday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers


Yankees at Blue Jays

Probable Pitchers:
NYY: Kuroda (4-5, 4.23 ERA)
TOR: Hutchison (5-5, 3.86 ERA)

Series recap: After getting swept at Yankee Stadium last week, the Blue Jays have exacted revenge through the first two games of this series with home victories. Toronto squandered a 6-0 lead on Tuesday night before scoring a run in the bottom of the ninth in a 7-6 triumph as -125 favorites. Through eight meetings this season, the Yankees have won five times, while going 2-3 at Rogers Center.

What to watch for: The Jays are riding a 6-1 stretch to the ‘over’ in the last seven games, while Toronto is 5-2 in Hutchison’s past seven starts overall. Each of Kuroda’s last four starts have finished ‘under’ the total, as the Yankees have struggled in his seven road outings this season by compiling a 2-5 record.

Dodgers at Royals

Probable Pitchers:
LAD: Haren (7-4, 3.62 ERA)
KC: Shields (8-3, 3.70 ERA)

Series recap: The Royals and Dodgers split the first two games of this series, as Clayton Kershaw pitched another gem last night in a 2-0 win as a -150 road favorite. Kansas City has lost five of its past six contests following a 10-game winning streak, while scoring one run or less in three of the previous four games.

What to watch for: In Shields’ last 10 starts, the Royals have gone ‘over’ the total, while Kansas City is a perfect 3-0 in his three outings against National League foes this season. The Dodgers have dropped five of Haren’s last seven trips to the mound, while Los Angeles has compiled a 4-1 record in the past five road series finales.

Indians at Diamondbacks

Probable Pitchers:
CLE: Kluber (6-5, 3.30 ERA)
ARZ: Anderson (5-2, 3.18 ERA)

Series recap: In one of the wildest games of the season, the Diamondbacks erased several deficits to shock the Indians in 14 innings, 9-8 to cash as -130 favorites. Arizona overcame a 4-1 deficit, while tying Cleveland in the 11th inning after the Tribe grabbed an 8-6 lead. The D-Backs walked off with the win in the 14th, snapping a two-game skid.

What to watch for: The Indians have lost four straight games since winning four of its previous five, while Cleveland has currently cashed the ‘over’ in four consecutive contests. Arizona won each of Anderson’s first five starts this season, but the D-Backs lost his last two outings against the Brewers and Dodgers.

Twins at Angels

Probable Pitchers:
MIN: Pino (0-0, 2.57 ERA)
LAA: Richards (7-2, 2.79 ERA)

Series recap: The Angels jumped out to a 5-0 lead after one inning last night before the Twins rallied for five runs in the next inning. Los Angeles eventually held off Minnesota, 8-6 as heavy -170 home favorites, while securing its fourth consecutive victory.

What to watch for: Richards has been dynamic for the Angels of late, allowing two earned runs in his last four starts, as L.A. has won each of those outings. Minnesota looks to snap a six-game road losing skid tonight, while the Twins have beaten the Angels in five of the past seven meetings in spite of Tuesday’s defeat.

Red Sox at Mariners

Probable Pitchers:
BOS: Buchholz (2-4, 7.02 ERA)
SEA: Iwakuma (5-3, 3.04 ERA)

Series recap: The Mariners stayed red-hot with their fifth straight win last night, 8-2 as short home favorites over the Red Sox. Seattle’s offense continues to swing that bat well, scoring 20 runs in the first two victories of this series. Meanwhile, Boston has stumbled on this West Coast swing by losing five of the first six games at Oakland and Seattle.

What to watch for: Buchholz makes his first start since May 26 at Atlanta, as the righty spent time on the disabled list with a hyper-extended knee. Iwakuma is coming off his worst start of the season, allowing five earned runs in five innings, but Seattle held off Kansas City, 7-5. The Mariners are 1-4 in his last five home starts, while Seattle looks for its first three-game home sweep of the season.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Chase Diamond

New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays

15* New York Yankees +105

This game features the 39-37 Yankees at the 44-35 Jays. Yankees have lost 4 straight so will be determined to put up some runs today as they know they will need them since Hiroki Kuroda hasn't been the pitcher he used to be he is 4-5 with a 4.23 ERA so the Jays should be able to get to him. Kuroda's lifetime ERA in Toronto is 5.65. Drew Hutchison has not pitched well at home at all with a ERA near 8. Public is on the Yankees and so will we as this line is really moving fast and alot of my big time guys are telling me Yankees.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Robert Ferringo

World Cup Soccer


3* Bosnia-Herzegovina +110

1* Ecuador +475

1* Ecuador/France Draw +330

1* Honduras +750

1* Honduras/Switzerland Draw +400

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Behind The Bets

MLB

Miami Marlins

New York Yankees

[Can'tPickAWinner]

HM Sports

Milw over 7.5 +111
white sox +141
KC over 8 -102
NYY over 9
Mets +102
Pitates +136
Padres +112
KC -130
Atl -132

[golden contender]

THIS COULD GET MESSI!- Argentina vs Nigeria



Hump day top plays include the Triple Perfect Total of the Week, a 5* MLB Blowout system that wins by 3 runs per game and the 1st 5* World Cup play. Top plays on an 11-2 run after cashing with Detroit on Tuesday. Free World Cup play below



On Wednesday in World Cup play the free selection is on Argentina at noon eastern. This one could get Messi. Argentina was bailed out by an extra time game winning goal in their last game and will look to show their worth against a Nigeria team that have defeated 4 of 5 times. Argentina rode their luck in their 1-0 win over Iran but they have superior talent extra up front which will should prove decisive. They have not played their best game yet despite the two wins. Nigeria has injuries to overcome and despite 2 points in the first 2 games they were aided by the refs which disallowed a goal for Bosnia. Nigeria also did not score on the weakest team in the tournament in Iran. Look for Argentina to emerge with the win. On Hump day we have a Powerful slate of games led by the MLB Triple Perfect total of the Week and a Huge 5* Blowout system with an average win by 3 runs per game. There is also the first 5* World Cup play going. Top plays have hit 11 of the last 13 after the Tigers won easy last night. Jump on Now and Bang your book good on Hump day. For the free Play take Argentina. GC

[Can'tPickAWinner]

MLB betting cheat sheet: Lincecum punishes the Padres


Here's a comprehensive look at betting notes for the mid-week major-league schedule:

The Overs Have It

Over was a strong play Tuesday night, with teams combining to go 11-4 O/U. That included a 7-4 defeat by Miami in Philadelphia, improving the Marlins to a major league-best 43-28-6 O/U for the season.

Lincecum Loves San Diego

Right-hander Tim Lincecum has had San Diego's number of late and will look to continue that trend Wednesday as the Giants (-129, 7) host the Padres. Lincecum is 5-1 against the moneyline in his last six starts against the Padres, including a 13-strikeout no-hitter last July 13.

Hamels' Familiar Foe

Veteran lefty Cole Hamels looks to improve his standing against his most familiar opponent Thursday as he leads the Philadelphia Phillies against visiting Miami. Hamels has racked up 198 innings against the Marlins - more than any other club - and is 9-12 with a 3.18 ERA lifetime.

Pitching Notes

* Consider Washington's Stephen Strasburg a strong Over candidate as he and the Nationals (-131, 7.5) face Marco Estrada and the host Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday. Strasburg is tied for second in the majors among starters with 11 Overs, and is 4-1 O/U over his last five outings.

* St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright is back to being his usual stingy self as he prepares to lead the Cardinals against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. Wainwright is 0-2-1 O/U and has allowed just three runs in three starts since getting tagged for seven in a one-sided loss to San Francisco.

Hitting Notes

* The Colorado Rockies will try to take better advantage of first baseman Justin Morneau's hot streak as they entertain St. Louis (-110) on Wednesday. Morneau has 13 RBIs over his past five games, but the Rockies are 1-4 SU in that span.

* Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout is hitting .348 with six homers, five steals and 18 RBIs in 66 June at-bats. The Angels are 12-8 SU and 10-8-2 O/U for the month; they tangle with visiting Minnesota on Thursday.

Totals Streak

Colorado Rockies (4-1-1 O/U): Colorado has been full value on the Over tip the past week, surpassing double-digit totals three times while earning a push in another. The Rockies are a robust 42-29-6 O/U for the year despite facing the highest totals in the league.

Prop of the Day

Bettors should consider taking extra innings (+725) between the Oakland Athletics and the host New York Mets. The Athletics have played the most extra inning games in the majors at 13 - going 8-5 in those contests - while the Mets are tied for third with 11 extra-inning games to their credit.

Injury Notes

* The San Francisco Giants will place outfielder Angel Pagan on the 15-day disabled list with a back injury. The Giants are 5-7 SU, 6-6 O/U and -419 units for the season with Pagan out of the lineup.

* Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Mark Trumbo will begin a base-running program later this week as he continues his recovery from a foot injury. Trumbo has appeared in just 21 games with the Diamondbacks, who are 4-17 SU and 13-7-1 O/U in those contests.


Weather Watch

* Wind at Wrigley Field will blow in from center field at 7 mph for Wednesday's tilt between the host Cubs (+115) and the Cincinnati Reds. Teams averaged 7.7 runs and two homers while batting a collective .246 in 10 games under similar conditions in 2013 - well below stadium averages.

* Fans at AT&T Park will be treated to winds blowing out to center field at 14 mph for Thursday's game between the Giants and the Reds. That friendly breeze didn't help San Francisco much last season; it averaged just 3.33 runs in 30 games with the wind blowing out to center at between 10-20 mph.

Umpire Note of the Day

Tampa Bay is 7-0 in umpire Lance Barksdale's last seven games behind home plate. Barksdale will work the balls and strikes Wednesday afternoon when the Rays host Pittsburgh.

** Odds, stats, weather forecast and probable pitchers as of 10:20 a.m. ET Wednesday.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Doc Sports

MLB

4* St. Louis Cardinals -135

3* Houston Astros +115

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Tiger

Under 7 -115 Pittsburgh Pirates/Tampa Bay Rays

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Ecks and Bacon

Ben lee won on Tuesday in MLB in the American League with the Mariners Ev/Red Sox

E&B likes two plays in World Cup Soccer for Thursday but he is posting them today.


(1) $100 on the Draw USA/Germany

(2) $100 Germany/USA

For Wednesday in MLB in the American League "Mr Chalk" likes the Angels -$190/Twins.

Ben lee is 2-0 +$100 for week thirty five 155-184-5 -$3356

"Mr Chalk" is 37-33 -$681 for the 2014 MLB season.

All E&B selections will be for $50 unless noted

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Wunderdog Sports

Complimentary MLB Pick for June 25th, 2014

Game: Detroit Tigers @ Texas Rangers
Time: Wednesday 06/25 8:05 PM Eastern
Pick: Detroit -145 (moneyline) at 5Dimes

The Detroit Tigers were sailing along, looking to be on their way to clinching the AL Central crown early. That all changed when they slumped for a month, and relinquished first place to Kansas City. That seemed to be a wake up call for this team that has gotten back on their feet and are playing championship-caliber baseball once again. The Tigers have won five straight games, and have gotten their pitching back in order as they have allowed just 17 runs over their last six games. The offense is also back in gear, scoring 6 runs per game over their last 10. The Tigers are also 9-2 behind Sanchez when he works on five days rest. The Rangers are getting hammered at home as a dog where they are 1-11 in their last 12, and simply aren't the same team we have seen over the past few seasons. Play on Detroit.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

ADVANCED SPORTS INVESTMENTS

SOCCER
PERRY’S SELECTIONS
(June Results -1.15)
FIFA WORLD CUP
1X- IRAN/BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA – UNDER 3 -235 (12PM)
1X- ARGENTINA/NIGERIA – OVER 2 -270 (12PM)
1X- FRANCE -170 ECUADOR (4PM)
1X- SWITZERLAND -240 HONDURAS (4PM)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

ADVANCED SPORTS INVESTMENTS

TENNIS
PJ’S SELECTIONS
(June Results +4.10)
ATP – WIMBLEDON @ WIMBLEDON, GREAT BRITAIN
2:00PM B Tomnic +290 vs T Berdych
WTA – WIMBLEDON @ WIMBLEDON, GREAT BRITAIN
11:00am C Garcia -119 vs V Lepchenko

[Can'tPickAWinner]

INDIAN COWBOY (World Cup Soccer)

3-Unit Play. Take Switzerland -1 (-150) over Honduras (Wednesday @ 4 pm est)

3-Unit Play. Take Switzerland First Half Line (-110)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

ANDRE GOMES

12PM EST game – Soccer World Cup : Argentina vs. Nigeria

Some notes I’ve made in that play:

“I expect Iran to completely be focused in defending in here… they will “park the bus”, but by playing so close of their GK… they will be prone to commit individual defensive errors, something normal when you are facing such skillful players like Messi, Aguero or Di Maria.

Iran indeed put all their men in front of the line and Argentina struggled big time to create scoring chances. I really don’t know why Argentina’ NT coach keeps playing Mascherano and Gago at the same time in the midfield… both players are slow footed and don’t offer much verticality and creativity to the team. It looks like we are dealing with two broken units: their defensive line + these two players and then, 4 isolated players on the front (Di Maria, Messi, Aguero and Higuain! It appears that coach Sabella will make some changes for today…I’m looking forward to see if Mascherano and Gago will be on the starting lineup…

Nigeria is in a good spot to achieve the qualification w/ 4 points after defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0 in the last game – a game where I had plays Under 2.5 + Nigeria (+0.5), both winners plays.

Despite playing w/ a conservative mindset, I can’t ignore the fact that Bosnia had an absurd number of scoring chances but ultimately, they failed to capitalize. Note also that one legal goal was disallowed to them, so Nigeria was really “lucky” in not allowing at least one goal. I just can’t imagine being so “lucky” today against Argentina’s forwards.

On the other side, Argentina defensive line didn’t impress me at all. Actually, Iran had some great chances to score @ 2nd half in counter attack moves! Nigeria is build to play in counter attack using the amazing speed and pace of their forwards so, I expect Nigeria to do some damage as well.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on Over 2.5 Goals @ -130



Soccer World Cup Play: Bosnia Herzegovina vs. Iran

NOTE: no detailed write up for this play

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on Bosnia Herzegovina (-0.25) @ -106

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Mr. Parlay King (early game)

Pirates/Rays - OVER 6.5 @ -120

[Can'tPickAWinner]

River City Sharps

We have been curiously watching the overnight and early moves here and we're ready to pull the trigger now. The Phillies took last night's game 7-4 and will give the ball to A.J. Burnett tonight to face off with the Marlins Henerson Alvarez. Burnett has been really solid for the home team over his last seven outings with just two wins to show for it, mainly from a lack of run support. We still really struggle with looking hard at the Fish on the road, especially at Citizens Bank, where they are 9-27 in their last 36 games there. We have a really good offshore source that tipped us off to a few whales that have already hit the Phillies hard today and we are going to follow suit. The Sharps say...

3 UNITS - PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES ML

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Vegas SI
WEDNESDAY'S PICKS(HIGH ROLLERS CLUB)

20* MLB Rays -170 and 10* MLB OVER 6.5
20* MLB Reds -130 and 10* MLB UNDER 7.5
20* MLB Athletics -115 and 10* MLB OVER 7.5
20* MLB Braves -130 and 10* MLB UNDER 8
20* MLB Red Sox +125 and 10* MLB OVER 7

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Baseball Crusher
Washington Nationals -130 over Milwaukee Brewers
(System Record: 48-0, lost last game)
Overall Record: 48-37

Soccer Crusher
Argentina + Nigeria OVER 2.5
This match is happening in FIFA
(System Record: 595-21, won last game)
Overall Record: 595-496-85

Here are the rest of his baseball plays for today...


Baseball
Cincinnati Reds -125 over Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox +144 over Baltimore Orioles
Kansas City Royals -130over Los Angeles Dodgers

[Can'tPickAWinner]

PowerPlayWins

Power Play of The Day

Cincinnati Reds(-120)
Pitcher: Latos
Game time: 4:00:00 PM (PST)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

GOODFELLA

Wednesday Night MLB Team Total

CHICAGO WHITE SOX - OVER 4 RUNS (@BOL)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

MLB

Wednesday, June 25


Pirates' 3B Pedro Alvarez, doubtful Wednesday

Alvarez is not expected to play Wednesday against the Rays as he will likely be given the day off.


Pair of leftys make debut in Rockies-Cards matchup

A pair of left-handers make their major-league debuts when the Colorado Rockies host the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday in the rubber match of their three-game series.

St. Louis' Marco Gonzales, went 3-2 with a 2.33 ERA while striking out 46 over 38 2/3 innings in seven starts with Double-A Springfield of the Texas League.

While Yohan Flande, was 2-9 with a 4.42 ERA while allowing 82 hits and 26 walks and striking out 52 in 71 1/3 innings with Triple-A Colorado Springs.

The total has not yet been released for the game, as oddsmakers won't be sure what to expect from the rookies. Expect it to come later in the day.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Dave Essler

San Francisco Over 7

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Indian Cowboy

WNBA

7-Unit Play. #654. Take Connecticut PK over Chicago (Wednesday @ 7:05pm est)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Umpire Streakers

1 Unit #923 OAK/NYM OV 7.5 -120

West 11Over/3 Under L14gms 78.6%

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Ray Dunavant

Afternoon play

Washington Nationals ML -133

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Gil Umpire Streakers

• [1914] TOR/NYY '1st 5' U5 (-110) *S*
• [1920] SEA/BOS '1st 5' O3.5 (-105) *S*
• [911] BAL/CWS O9 (-110) *S*

• [923] Athletics ML (-115) = [2U]
• [923] NYM/OAK O7.5 (+100) = [2U]

• [915] Tigers -1 (-111) = [2U]

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Primetime Sports Picks


5 Unit Detroit (Sanchez) -140 over Texas (Saunders)

3 Unit Washington (Strasburg) -130 over Milwaukee (Estrada)

3 Unit Houston (McHugh) +105 over Atlanta (Wood)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Bob Balfe

Seattle -140

Iwakuma/Buchholz
Clay Buchholz is not a worthy starter in this league. This guy gets rocked start after start and will be going against a far superior pitcher in Iwakuma tonight. Buchholz has control issues while Iwakuma does not. If you walk guys in this league you will get burned. Take Seattle

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Mr. Parlay King

Cardinals/Rockies UNDER 11

San Francisco Giants ML @ -120

Yankees/Blue Jays UNDER 9

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Matt Fargo

Fargo's MLB TRIPLE DOG PLAY

9* (916) Texas Rangers

9* (927) Los Angeles Dodgers

9* (930) Arizona Diamondbacks

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Diamond Dog

MLB

Sides

#902 Milwaukee (2*)


#930 Diamondbacks (2*) +115 Kluber/Anderson


Totals

#911/912 Under Orioles 9 (3*)
Noise/Jimenez

#915/916 UNDER Rangers 9 (3*)
Sanchez/Saunders

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Members Area

PSYCHIC
(1-5)

5 unit Philadelphia -121 (WISEGUY)


WIIZARD
(1-10)

10 unit LA Angels +120 (MLB Game of the Year)
17-4 run in MLB


JT WALKER
(all units same one unit)

1 unit Seattle -146


The Statman
(1-10)

9 unit NY Yankees +105 (MLB underdog game of the year)
(10 straight winners)


Michael Cash Money
(1-10)

10 unit Tulsa +3.5 (WNBA Game of the Year)
(5-0 WNBA plays)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

BookieMonster

POD
Washington/Milwaukee UNDER 7.5 (already went off)


Money Generator Plays

Colorado/St. Louis UNDER 11.5 -120
Colorado +119
San Diego +107

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Indian Cowboy

MLB

5* Oakland Athletics -120

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Robert Ferringo

MLB

2* St. Louis Cardinals
2* Cincinnati Reds
2* Oakland Athletics
2* Under 7.5 Miami Marlins/Philadelphia Phillies
2* Over 11 St. Louis Cardinals/Colorado Rockies

1* Washington Nationals -145
1* Detroit Tigers

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Dave Aquino

Advantage MLB - San Francisco, Miami, Seattle


Today's Selections

MLB: Tigers/Rangers Under 9

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sports Junkies

Game: Reds vs Cubs

Pick: Cubs ML +116

5 Units

Key TRENDS for this game:

Reds are 3-9 in their last 12 games as a road favorite of -110 to -150.

Reds are 1-4 in Latos' last 5 road starts.

Reds are 1-4 in Latos' last 5 starts following a team loss in their previous game.

Reds are 1-4 in Latos' last 5 starts as a road favorite.

Reds are 1-4 in Latos' last 5 starts during game 3 of a series.

Reds are 1-4 in Latos' last 5 starts vs. a team with a losing record.

Reds are 1-4 in Latos' last 5 starts.

Reds are 1-4 in Latos' last 5 starts on grass.

Reds are 1-4 in Latos' last 5 road starts vs. a team with a losing record.

Reds are 0-4 in Latos' last 4 road starts with the total set at 7.0-8.5.

Reds are 0-4 in Latos' last 4 starts with the total set at 7.0-8.5.

Cubs are 5-1 in their last 6 games as a home underdog.

Cubs are 4-1 in their last 5 games as an underdog.

Cubs are 15-6 in their last 21 home games with the total set at 7.0-8.5.

Cubs are 4-1 in Jacksons last 5 home starts with the total set at 7.0-8.5.

Cubs are 4-1 in Jacksons last 5 starts vs. National League Central.

Cubs are 4-1 in Jacksons last 5 starts as a home underdog of +110 to +150.

Cubs are 4-1 in their last 5 Wednesday games with Bucknor behind home plate.

Cubs are 8-2 in their last 10 games with Bucknor behind home plate.

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Sports Picks Portfolio

MLB

Miami Marlins +104

Over 9 +100 New York Yankees/ Toronto Blue Jays

Under 9 -115 Detroit Tigers/Texas Rangers

Atlanta Braves -124

Under 8 -112 Atlanta Braves/Houston Astros

Minnesota Twins +150

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Jeff Clement

7* St. Louis Cardinals -115

10* Cincinnati Reds -125

10* Detroit Tigers -144

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Dr. Ed Meyer | MLB Money Line

double-dime bet – 925 ATL (-122) vs 926 HOU

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Marc Lawrence

Double Perfect MLB Top Key Play

Miami Marlins +105

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HARRY BONDI

MLB FREE PLAY

OAKLAND (-110) over NY Mets
7 p.m. ET

Easy winner here last night on Detroit and tonight we look to cash in again on the underrated A’s, who, despite a two-game losing skid, are ahead nearly nine units this season and if you had bet $100 blindly on them in every game the last three years you’d be ahead $6,290! We always like to be on young left-handers who are facing a team for the first time and that’s the case here with Oakland’s Brad Mills, who is making just his second start for the A’s. The Mets have struggled against left-handers at home and come in on a three-game winning streak. But that’s bad news for Mets backers since they have yet to win four in a row all season and over the last three seasons they are 10-23 after three or more wins. Lay the short price on the road.

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HOT CHICKS PICKS / Britney DeLuca

In Baseball…
Take MIAMI +100 to eat cheesesteaks for dinner!
Take TEXAS +135 to tame the cats!
Take BOSTON +125 to have tea party on the left coast tonight!

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VEGAS RUNNER

Added

RLcrew Late Steam Moves

905 PADRES +115

1905 OVER 3.5 (-110) – SD/SF (1st 5 Innings)

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Larry Ness

10* total Boston/ Seattle over 7

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Sports Cash System

extra bonus system for today:

Atlanta Braves / Houston Astros UNDER 8 (Bet Level 1) (Total Runs Scored) (MLB Baseball) - Game Starts at 8:10 PM EST

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Sports Cash System Play of The Day

MLB Baseball

New York Yankees -102 over the Toronto Blue Jays
(Money Line Bet)

Overall Record: 277-247
(System Record: 277-13, Won last 2 games)

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Tony George - MLB Trifecta

Short and Sweet today - Half Unit Each


Reds -125 - HUGE advantage on the hill tonight for them, cheap number

Detroit -143 - Fading Saunders in this one - like Sanchez on the mound for the Tigers

Kansas City -141 - Shields on the hill, KC off a loss against Kershaw - Shields is in good form - Revenge bounce back spot.

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Topshelfpicks

Carson K - 1* Twins +157

I'm going with value with this one. Garrett Richards has pitched well his last 4 starts. But seeing 3bb in each of his last 2 tell me he may be heading backwards a little. He is also known to throw a clanker or two at home this year.
The bats for the Twins have been hot. They have scored 25 runs their last 5 games. In those 5 games, they are hitting .290 has a team.
I had Yohan Pino when he made his first start, going 7in, 5h, 2r 1bb & 7Ks. He is not your normal rookie that you bring up from AAA. He is 30yrs old and he can throw the ball.

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Steven Nover


Cincy

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Jimmy Boyd Undervalued Underdog

Chicago Cubs

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Rochestertitans

BREWERS+125
METS+101
YANKEES UNDER 9 RUNS

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Greg Shaker
Twitter Play #1: #918 Minnesota Twins/LA Angels UNDER 4 105 1st 5 Innings

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RickJ's Handicapping Picks Wedn MLB PLay
1 Unit
Cubs +129

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Gavazzi

5% St Louis RL +135
5% Tigers RL +120
4% Seattle -135
3% Washington -130

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Topshelfpicks

Carson K (Adds)

1* Athletics

Mets are winners of 3 straight, 5 of last 6.
A's lost 2 in a row.
Mets just scored 21 runs in their last 2 games.
A's scored 9 runs in their last 3.
Mets just beat Oakland 10-1.
Wheeler just went 9in of shut out ball in his last start.
Brad Mills is making his 2nd start of the season, 3rd since July 8th 2012.
Why is Oakland -115? Because they are going to WIN!!!

1* White Sox

Ubaldo Jimenez is having some major control problems right now. In his last 4 starts he has struck out 12 & walked 20. At this price I'll take my chances Hector Noesi. Hector's last 2 road starts, 13in 11h & 5r. Why Not? @ +138.

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Greg Shaker

OVER METS
Atlanta

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NonStopSportsPicks

2* Phillies

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Rooster

Texas +135
Cubs under 7
Reds -145 1st 5

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Kelso

100 KC