8-14-14

[Can'tPickAWinner]

::clap::

[Can'tPickAWinner]

MLB betting cheat sheet: Shark Attack

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

Dickey Digs the Road

R.A. Dickey brings his knuckleball to the Pacific Northwest Wednesday as he leads the Toronto Blue Jays (+148, 7) into Seattle for a date with the Mariners. Dickey is just 3-8 away from the Rogers Centre, but he has a respectable 3.79 road ERA while allowing just six homers in 76 innings.

A.J. Not AOK

A.J. Burnett will try to end an ugly string of appearances Wednesday as the Philadelphia Phillies (+181, 7.5) visit the Los Angeles Angels. Burnett is 1-8 SU and 7-2 O/U over his last nine appearances, and has surrendered five or more runs in three of his last five.

Shark on the Attack

Jeff Samardzija will look to extend his recent hot streak Thursday as he guides the Oakland Athletics into Kansas City. Samardzija is 5-0 SU over his last five starts - all as a considerable favorite - while the Athletics have scored nearly 7 1/2 runs per game for him over that span.

Pitching Notes

* Baltimore right-hander Chris Tillman brings an 11-game quality-start streak into Wednesday's encounter with the New York Yankees (+115, 8). That stretch includes a pair of outings against the Yankees, against whom Tillman is 5-5 with a 5.64 ERA for his career.

* Detroit righty Max Scherzer is hoping for a little run support Thursday as the Tigers entertain the Pittsburgh Pirates. Scherzer has given up just three earned runs over his previous two starts - but the Tigers lost both games, managing just three runs combined in those contests.

Hitting Notes

* Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez has had trouble making contact against San Diego righty Ian Kennedy, who gets the call for the Padres (-162, 6.5) on Wednesday. Gonzalez is a .138 career hitter vs. Kennedy, with 13 strikeouts in just 29 at-bats.

* Tampa Bay Rays newcomer Nick Franklin hopes a change of scenery will change his fortunes against Texas righty Yu Darvish, who takes the hill Thursday. Franklin is just 1-for-6 against Darvish for his career, while striking out four times.

Totals Streak

Chicago Cubs (0-5-1 O/U): Low-scoring games have become the norm at Wrigley Field, with teams combining to score more than five runs just once during the first five games of a seven-game homestand. Chicago is 59-52-7 O/U for the season.

Prop of the Day

The Mariners are a strong bet to win Wednesday by more than three runs, a bet that pays +390. Dickey's 4.72 career ERA at Safeco Field is the third-highest of any stadium where Dickey has thrown at least 50 innings, while Seattle counterpart Hisashi Iwakuma has a 2.76 career ERA at home.

Injury Notes

* Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips (thumb) is expected to begin a minor-league rehab assignment Friday. Phillips has missed 32 games this season, during which the Reds are 13-19 SU, 13-18-1 O/U and -789 units.

* The Cleveland Indians are expected to activate outfielder Michael Bourn (hamstring) from the 15-day disabled list this weekend. The Indians are 25-24 SU, 23-25-1 O/U and -220 units with Bourn out of the lineup in 2014.

Weather Watch

* Wind at Turner Field will blow from left to right field at 8 mph for Wednesday's game between host Atlanta (-109, 6.5) and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves were 17-4 SU in 21 games under similar conditions in 2013, with teams combining to hit .276 - well above the stadium average of .246.

Umpire Note of the Day

The home team is 10-2 in umpire Ted Barrett's last 12 games behind home plate involving Pittsburgh. Barrett will call the balls and strikes Wednesday when the Pirates (-103, 8.5) visit Detroit.

** Odds, stats, weather forecast and probable pitchers as of 12:40 p.m. ET Wednesday.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Rangers' pitcher wrecking Rays during his career
Justin Hartling

Yu Darvish has faced the Tampa Bay Rays four times in his career and he has dominated them. Darvish and the Rangers are 4-0 in his four starts against the Rays.

Darvish has allowed three hits over those four games and has 28 strikeouts (average seven per game).

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Nationals not happy when this umpire calls the game
Justin Hartling

The Washington Nationals have not been able to figure out Brian Gorman's calls. The Nats are have lost four straight with Gorman behind the plate.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Umpire not been kind for National League team
Justin Hartling

Tim Timmons has spelled bad things for the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers are 1-7 in their last eight games with Timmons behind the plate.

The Brewers will be playing at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs Thursday.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

I would like to welcome everyone to the 2014 Wyndham Championship.


Last week Rory McIlroy once again came out on top.It was one of the most exciting Major championship in recent history (though we would have rather had a Fowler victory). To have that group of talent all within two shots on the Final hole is pretty amazing. We move onto the Wyndham Championship this week, an event that saw us win on Patrick Reed at 70 to 1 last season.


This week the Touring Professionals will be tee it up in gorgeous North Carolina at Sedgefield Country Club. Tensions will be high as this is the player's final tune up prior to the Fed Ex Cup Playoffs. The first leg of the playoffs allows the Top 125 players in the Fed Ex Cup Rankings to compete in the tournament. Look for plenty of putts on Sunday to be extremely important on the 18th hole.


Players will have the opportunity to make plenty of birdies this week, as Sedgefield has been one of the easiest courses on Tour over the past 3 years. At only 7117 yards in length, and playing as a Par 70, players have the ability to go very low at this North Carolina golf course. Greens in Regulation are extremely high due to shorter rough and moderately difficult fairways. The greens are particularly receptive and allow players to even spin the ball out of the rough. Look for a winning score this week to be around 20 under.


Many of the Tour's big dogs are sitting this week out as they have already secured their spot in the Fed Ex Cup Playoffs. Some of the Top players competing this week include Webb Simpson, Bill Haas, Ernie Els, Hideki Matsuyama, Brandt Snedeker, and Fred Couples. With not much top-end talent this week, we have an excellent opportunity to get some great value out of players who are not as well known to the average fan.


Here are the 5 players I see having both excellent value and a great shot at winning this week. Enjoy the picks.


*Note there will be no write ups this week as I am under the weather for the 2nd day in a row.


STEVE'S SELECTIONS


2 UNITS on WEBB SIMPSON 18 TO 1


NICK WATNEY 35 TO 1


BROOKS KOEPKA 38 TO 1


FRANCESCO MOLINARI 45 TO 1


MICHAEL PUTNAM 65 TO 1


72 HOLE HEAD TO HEAD


(2 Units on Each)


BROOKS KOEPKA (-115) OVER TIM CLARK


FRANCESCO MOLINARI (-120) OVER BRENDON DE JONGE


We will get some bounces and have a great fall. Enjoy this week in golf and we will be back next week with full write ups again.


Steve


1146 Baird Street, London, ON N6H 0G5, CANADA


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[Can'tPickAWinner]

StatSystemsSports
Inside The Huddle – Thursday

AFC Battles Of Week: Trench Warfare Gets A Nod
Systems Analyst William Stillman

With National Football League training camps entering their final phase, the incessant hype surrounding quarterbacks and other big name players is being trumped by struggles for survival in the sizzling heat of August. A survey by StatSystemsSports.net Systems Analyst William Stillman covering every AFC team shows that most camps are now featuring lesser-known names just trying to maintain their honorable anonymity as a first- or second-team offensive lineman in their brutal, but often overlooked trench wars.

Even the New England Patriots seem more curious about who will handle the ball on every snap even before quarterback Tom Brady does his thing. Ryan Wendell, the starting center for two years, is being challenged by Dan Connolly for the honor of having Brady's hands on his butt. Ditto in Indianapolis, where starting center Khalid Holmes is sidelined, leaving two undrafted rookies -- Jonothan Harrison and FN Lutz -- fighting recently re-signed Thomas Austin for the chance to snap the ball to quarterback Andrew Luck. And of course, the New York Jets wouldn't be the New York Jets without a big-name quarterback controversy, and regardless of the team's party line to the contrary, Geno Smith is only a couple of ill-timed hiccups away from being replaced by the talented Michael Vick.

Here is a closer look at AFC Battles of the Week (teams listed alphabetically within each division) :

•Buffalo Bills
Strong Safety - Da'Norris Searcy vs. Duke Williams

Searcy is No. 1 on the depth chart, but Williams is giving him a strong run for the starting job. Searcy started the first preseason game against the Giants, and then had a personal situation that forced him to leave camp for a couple days prior to the game against Carolina. Thus, Williams was given the start against the Panthers. Both players have made plays. Searcy made an interception and a tackle for loss against Carolina, while Williams had a crunching hit in run support. Against the Giants, Williams was in on three tackles and Searcy two.

"When we feel that we have players that can play, we'll rotate them around and I don't want to get into reps," said coach Doug Marrone. "We may be looking at different things, but right now Da'Norris is the starting safety."

•Miami Dolphins
PR/KOR - Marcus Thigpen vs. Jarvis Landry

This could be a crucial battle for Thigpen because he probably won't make the roster solely as a wide receiver. In Friday's game at Atlanta, Thigpen, the veteran who has held the return job for Miami for the last two seasons, had two punt returns for 41 yards and one kickoff return for 31 yards. Landry, the rookie second-round pick from LSU, had one punt return for 48 yards and one kickoff return for 26 yards. Landry will make the team as a wide receiver. Thigpen needs to make the team as a wide receiver/return man, and if Landry can handle that job, Thigpen is in trouble.

•New England Patriots
Center - Dan Connolly vs. Ryan Wendell

Wendell has been the starter for the Patriots the last two seasons and re-signed as a free agent this spring with an $850,000 bonus as part of a two-year deal. Connolly has been the starter at right guard the last two seasons and is in the final year of his contract with a cap number of just over $4 million. Connolly started the preseason opener in Washington at center and played the first half; Wendell played the second half.

Cutting Wendell would mean an $850,000 hit of dead money on the cap, and he has no real value as a backup given he's limited to playing center. Cutting Connolly would save $3 million against the cap, but he's a versatile guy who can play all three interior line spots. One of the two is likely to win the starting center job, and Connolly could still return to the right guard spot. But there is a battle going on in the interior mix and the two veterans are literally at the center of it all.

•New York Jets
Quarterback - Geno Smith vs. Michael Vick

The Jets have a bigger hole at cornerback, but nobody is ready to provide legitimate competition to the underwhelming Dimitri Patterson. At quarterback, however, Michael Vick proved he's not going to be just another clipboard holder by leading the Jets to their only touchdown in Thursday's 13-10 win over the Colts. Geno Smith, who directed the Jets to three points in two drives on Thursday, will almost surely open the season as the starter. But Vick began putting the heat on him on Thursday.

•Baltimore Ravens
Wide Receiver - Kamar Aiken

Wide receiver Kamar Aiken is quietly making his move as he tries to climb the depth chart. Aiken caught a team-high four passes for 46 yards in reserve duty. Aiken, who was on the Ravens' practice squad last season, is big and fast. He's drawn praise recently from coach John Harbaugh and is competing for the sixth and final wide receiver roster spot.

•Cincinnati Bengals
No. 4 Defensive Tackle - Devon Still vs. Christo Bilukidi

The defensive line is the most talented position group on the team as well as the deepest. Still was a second-round pick three years ago, but he missed six games with injuries last year and was excused for most of this spring's OTAs and minicamp when his 4-year-old daughter Leah was diagnosed with a rare form of pediatric cancer. He's been back since the start of training camp, but he admitted it's impossible to give football his full focus.

Bilukidi signed with the Bengals in December last year after being waived by the Raiders, and he has been impressive in practice and in the preseason opener at Kansas City, where he recorded one of the team's six sacks. Still played twice as many snaps as Bilukidi (22 to 11) against the Chiefs, but Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis signaled Bilukidi out as one of the bright spots in the game. With Geno Atkins, Domata Peko and Brandon Thompson locks to make the roster, Still and Bilukidi are likely fighting for the final defensive tackle spot.

•Cleveland Browns
Running Back - Ben Tate vs. Terrance West

Tate dominated early in training camp when the pads went on, but West has shown he will not go meekly. Even if Tate does win the starting job, West has showed he deserves more than a handful of carries. West showed a burst and slick moves on a 10-yard run against the Lions. Tate will get most of his yardage between the tackles. He shot through left guard for an eight-yard gain in the first quarter. Tate finished the preseason opener with 25 yards rushing on six carries. West rushed for 22 yards on 10 carries and caught a pass for eight yards. However it plays out, the Browns are far, far ahead of where they were last year when Willis McGahee was their leading rusher.

•Pittsburgh Steelers
Left Tackle, although this seems to be decided

The job apparently belongs to Kelvin Beachum, who started 11 games there last season after beating out Mike Adams, who started the first four games of 2013. Adams, a second-round draft pick in 2012, was expected to mount a challenge for the job this summer but it never materialized. Beachum, their seventh-round draft pick in 2012, has improved and Adams has not. Beachum (6-3, 300) is a lot smaller than Adams (6-7, 323) but uses technique and his hands and feet to better advantage.

•Houston Texans
Running Back - Jonathan Grimes vs. Alfred Blue

Grimes, a veteran running back in his third season, originally came to the Texans as an undrafted free agent. With Arian Foster on the sideline, he's worked with the first team. He started against Arizona and ran 10 times for 39 yards. Blue, a sixth-round pick who averaged six yards a carry at LSU, came off the bench behind Grimes and carried five times for 30 yards. He also had two catches for 14 yards. Blue is pressuring Grimes for the spot behind Foster.

•Indianapolis Colts
Center - Jonothan Harrison vs. FN Lutz and Thomas Austin

With Khalid Holmes sidelined for at least three weeks with an ankle injury, a pair of undrafted rookies - Jonothan Harrison and FN Lutz - along with recently re-signed Thomas Austin are all battling for a roster spot. Harrison played pretty well in relief of Holmes against the Jets Thursday night. And Lutz got work for the entire fourth quarter. Austin was with Indianapolis last season and already has a good working knowledge of the offense. Rookie guard Jack Mewhort is also getting looks at center, a position he played in college at Ohio State.

•Jacksonville Jaguars
Interior Line -- RG/C Jacques McClendon vs. C Mike Brewster vs. RG Brandon Linder

This 3-way battle began during OTAs and has carried over to training camp and may not be decided until the week of the regular season opener against Philadelphia. Three players are contending for two spots on the offensive line. McClendon has the advantage in that he's been playing both the guard spot and center position. Brewster has played guard in the past, he started a couple games at guard last year, but has been strictly used at center thus far this season. Linder has only been employed at the guard spot. Brewster had two costly bad snaps in the Tampa Bay game, twice sending the ball past quarterback Chad Henne and costing the Jaguars a chance to attempt a pair of field goals. Linder was a third-round draft pick in May, fueling speculation that he would eventually be the starter.

•Tennessee Titans
Kicker - Maikon Bonani vs. Travis Coons

Neither of the Titans inexperienced kickers seem to have completely gained an upper hand (foot) in the kicking competition, but Coons has been the better of the two. Bonani missed an extra point in the monsoon conditions Saturday night, while Coons converted his only try.

•Denver Broncos
Backup Middle Linebacker

On a team with few positions up for grabs, this is one of the most intriguing, behind starter Nate Irving, whose first contract expires after the season. Rookie Lamin Barrow is the likely successor; the fifth-round pick has improved so much in his reading of run plays that defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio said he "wasn't even the same player" he was when camp began.

But right behind Barrow is Steven Johnson, arguably the Broncos' best special-teamer. Johnson intercepted a pass against the Seahawks, but his key statistic was on special teams, where he played more snaps than any other Bronco. He blocked a punt last year and was one of the few stable presences on a unit that was rocked by injuries. There may only be room for one of them to be on the game-day active roster, and Johnson's special teams work may give him an edge.

•Kansas City Chiefs
Middle Linebacker

The spot playing next to Pro Bowl inside linebacker Derrick Johnson has been a revolving door for several seasons now. Last year, after he was released by Philadelphia, Akeem Jordan was signed to handle the spot. This year it's seven-year veteran Joe Mays. But in training camp practices, Mays is getting competition from James-Michael Johnson. The third-year pro joined the Chiefs off the waiver wire from Cleveland before the 2013 regular-season opener and was largely a special teams performer. He has elevated his level of performance and has caught the coaching staff's eye due to his ability in pass coverage.

Mays and J-M Johnson may end up sharing the linebacker spot next to Derrick Johnson. He was released by Philadelphia, Akeem Jordan was signed to handle the spot. This year it's seven-year veteran Joe Mays. But in training camp practices, Mays is getting competition from James-Michael Johnson. The third-year pro joined the Chiefs off the waiver wire from Cleveland before the 2013 regular-season opener and was largely a special teams performer. He elevated his level of performance and has caught the coaching staff's eye due to his ability in pass coverage

•Oakland Raiders
Wide Receiver - Denarius Moore vs. Andre Holmes

Holmes opened as the starter and is listed as first on the depth chart on his side as the Raiders love his size and ability to fight for the ball. In a game situation, however, Round 1 went to Moore. He caught three passes for 28 yards but two of them were impressive because they came on throws when he had to reach back for passes from Carr that were behind him and he made the catch anyway.

•San Diego Chargers
Wide Receiver - Seyi Ajirotutu vs. Dontrelle Inman

The back end of the wide receiving unit continues to be interesting with a spirited competition. Ajirotutu has long been a favorite of Philip Rivers in previous stints with the Chargers. He is trusted in big situations -- he won the game with his final-minute catch in Kansas City last year -- and is a dynamite special- teams player. Ajirotutu had a catch for 10 yards and played well on the coverage units against the Cowboys. But he needs a good showing with Inman pushing him.

Inman, who played two years in the CFL, is making some great catches in practices. But any coach wants to see an unproven player perform in games. Inman did his part, racing 70 yards for touchdown after exposing the Cowboys' single outside coverage. There's also a speedy rookie in Tevin Reese with a game-seeking consideration. This could come down to the player showing the most in the games counting the least to others. So far, Inman is up 1-0.
______________________________________________

NFC Battles Of Week: Fierce Feuds For #2 Spots
Systems Analyst James Vogel

Once again, as most National Football League teams head into their final week of training camp - and into Game #2 of the 2014 Preseason, battles for starting jobs are becoming clear and many of the more intriguing duels are for backup spots -- where the loser may be odd man out. That was a constant theme in a survey by StatSystemsSports.net Systems Analyst James Vogel on the key Battles of the Week on NFC team.

Best example: the Trojan war in Philadelphia, where quarterback Mark Sanchez seems to have an edge over fellow USC alum Matt Barkley for the No. 2 spot behind starter Nick Foles. Sanchez put distance between himself and Barkley with an impressive performance in Friday's 34-28 preseason loss to the Chicago Bears. Barkley is now feeling a little heat from the team's fourth quarterback, G.J. Kinne, who completed 8 of 10 passes for 88 yards against the Bears, albeit against third- and fourth-stringers. Other NFC teams with intriguing competition for backup quarterback are Green Bay, San Francisco and Seattle.

Here is a closer look at NFC Battles of the Week (teams listed alphabetically within each division):

•Dallas Cowboys
No. 3 Running Back

Joseph Randle is out front in the battle for the third running back spot with Ryan Williams. Randle has had a strong start to training camp and continued that with an impressive effort in the preseason opener, rushing 13 times for 50 yards. Williams had had carries for 29 yards. Randle was a disappointment as a rookie last season and has come to camp a more mature player with a better attitude. It has showed in his work ethic, attention at meetings and ability to pick up the blitz and handle the teams one-cut concepts.

•New York Giants
Fullback

After a lop-sided showing in the team's preseason opener, fullback John Conner turned in a strong showing on Saturday against the Steelers. Conner, who came into the game in the second quarter, got a chance to work with the majority of the starting offense, and contributed a three-yard run for a first down. He is currently competing against Henry Hynoski, listed as the starter on the Giant's unofficial depth chart in a battle that remains too close to call and which could go down to the wire.

•Philadelphia Eagles
Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley for the backup quarterback job

They entered training camp essentially even, but Sanchez has pulled away. He completed 7 of 10 passes and led the Eagles to two touchdowns Friday against Chicago. Barkley was 7-for-16 with an interception.

•Washington Redskins
Kicker

Kai Forbath connected on 35 of 40 field-goal attempts during his first season-plus with Washington. However, a relatively small percentage of Forbath's kickoffs went for touchbacks, putting pressure on the Redskins' poor special teams. In response, Washington drafted strong-legged Arkansas kicker Zach Hocker in the seventh round in May. The competition in camp has been close. However in the preseason opener, Forbath missed from 34 -- the errant kick was negated by a penalty -- and 46 yards while making a 39-yarder and recorded one touchback in three kickoffs, sending another out of bounds. Hocker converted a 27-yarder and had one touchback in three tries while also making a tackle on one of his other two kickoffs.

Forbath said, "Obviously things didn't go quite as planned," seemingly leaving Hocker a leg up, pun intended, but neither the rookie nor Gruden saw it that way. "The hang time was OK and the tackle was cool, but one touchback out of three kickoffs ain't gonna cut if I'm going to try to make this team," Hocker said. "That's a decision that's going to come after the fourth preseason game," Gruden said. "There's really nobody leading right now, it's going to be down to the wire I'm sure." Each kicker went 4-for-4 on field goal tries during the first practice after the Patriots' game.

•Chicago Bears
Third Wide Receiver

Coach Marc Trestman said the broken collarbone suffered by second-year wide receiver Marquess Wilson will most likely keep him sidelined into the regular season, so the battle for the third receiver position was thrown wide open. Eric Weems and Josh Morgan both made quick statements. Morgan has more experience than many of the candidates, but Michael Spurlock is a player who had a touchdown catch in the preseason opener and also is on the roster because he is a return man. Players who can show the added special teams dimension will get priority.

The Bears also gave Santonio Holmes a workout but signed inexperienced Greg Herd instead. The cost of signing Holmes could be too high. The battle for this spot could actually become more of a battle for two spots since they'll need to keep an extra receiver until Wilson is ready to return. None of the candidates have the combination of size (6-4) and speed that Wilson has.

•Detroit Lions
Outside Linebacker

After the Lions drafted BYU's Kyle Van Noy in the second round, general manager Martin Mayhew said he expected the outside linebacker to start. It makes sense for the 6-foot-3, 243-pound linebacker to start because of his combination of pass rush and coverage abilities, but so far, veteran Ashlee Palmer hasn't relinquished the job. Palmer started in Saturday's preseason game against the Browns and had a tackle. Van Noy, who was in with the starters for a four-linebacker set, had a pass defended, which was nearly a forced fumble. He also whiffed on a sack of quarterback Johnny Manziel. Van Noy's upside makes him the favorite to still start, but it might wait for a few games..

•Green Bay Packers
No. 2 Quarterback

With a healthy Aaron Rodgers given the night off, head coach Mike McCarthy followed through on his intention to take a long look at incumbent backups Matt Flynn and Scott Tolzien in the first preseason game at Tennessee on Saturday. Conditions for handling the football and throwing it were far from ideal because of heavy rain that fell at the outset of the game. Yet, Tolzien fared much better than Flynn did from a statistical standpoint. Flynn made the start in Rodgers' absence but completed just five of 10 passes for 49 yards and had a subpar passer rating of 64.2 before exiting late in the first half. In turn, Tolzien went 8-of-12 throwing for 124 yards with a strong efficiency rating of 100.7 before he gave way to undrafted rookie Chase Rettig in the final quarter.

Since McCarthy wanted Rettig to get some in-game work, the coach acknowledged afterward that he probably short-changed Tolzien on playing time. Hence, Tolzien, a fourth-year pro who made a good impression on McCarthy with his tempo and footwork in running the no-huddle offense against the Titans, may wind up working ahead of Flynn in the playing rotation with Rodgers expected to start Saturday's game at the St. Louis Rams. Conditions in the dome will be more favorable for getting a better gauge on whether Tolzien has a viable shot to overtake Flynn, a seventh-year pro with some big fill-in performances for Rodgers to his credit, for the No. 2 job.

•Minnesota Vikings
Middle Linebacker - Jasper Brinkley vs. Audie Cole

Brinkley was a fifth-round pick of the Vikings in 2009. After spending the 2011 season on injured reserve, he replaced the highly-respected E.J. Henderson, starting 15 of 16 games, but wasn't impressive. So he was allowed to walk in free agency. After starting just three games in a failed season in Arizona, the desperate Vikings brought him back to compete as a two-down middle linebacker. He's a thumper against the run, but is limited laterally and of little use in pass coverage. He has a slight edge on Cole because the Vikings shift Chad Greenway to the middle in the nickel and are experimenting with rookie Anthony Barr as the lone linebacker in their dime packages.

Cole, however, is gaining momentum on Brinkley. Cole is faster, a better athlete and, at 6-5 with long arms, he's tougher to throw over and around. Cole, a seventh-round pick in 2012, surprised everybody when he played so well in place of Erin Henderson last season. Not long after being released and re-signed in a procedural move to adjust the game-day active roster, Cole made his NFL starting debut and responded with 18 tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss at Green Bay. His upside is higher than Brinkley's. Cole also is a strong special teams player and can play the weak-side linebacker spot. He was moved there to start camp, but was shifted back to the middle to give Brinkley stiffer competition.

•Atlanta Falcons
Free Safety - Dwight Lowery vs. the Field

With Lowery recovering from a concussion and third-round pick Dezmen Southward coming back from a knee injury, third-stringers Kemal Ishmael and Sean Baker received extensive action against the Dolphins. The Falcons are trying to replace Thomas DeCoud, who was released this offseason, and the injuries to Lowery and Southward have muddled the competition. Ishmael, a second-year player drafted in the seventh round in 2013 out of Central Florida, has shown flashes of spectacular play. "Kemal has had a good camp," defensive coordinator Mike Nolan said. "He is one of the guys who has been able to take advantage of the front line being stouter, just from the standpoint of coming up and closing the gap." Baker has "stepped up his game," Nolan said.

•Carolina Panthers
Nickel Cornerback - Charles Godfrey vs. Bene Benwikere

The Panthers are trying to convert Godfrey from safety to nickel corner, and it has not gone well. The seven-year veteran has not only had trouble at a new position, but he may still have lingering effects from last year's torn Achilles. Benwikere, the team's fifth-round pick, has been one of the most-impressive players in camp. The San Jose State product is also getting some work in on punt return. It will be interesting to see how long the Panthers keep Godfrey out there with the ones if he continues to struggle.

•New Orleans Saints
Right Cornerback - Corey White vs. Stanley Jean-Baptiste

With Champ Bailey out for more than a week and Patrick Robinson leaving practice early Sunday with an unknown injury, White and Jean-Baptiste will be given extra reps in the three practices that will wrap up the Saints' training camp stay in West Virginia. White, a physical three-year veteran, has shown flashes when he's gotten a chance in his first two seasons. But he's also given up big plays at times. Jean-Baptiste, the Saints' second-round draft pick this spring, has not really distinguished himself so far -- especially in training camp -- but will have to step up to push White for opportunities.

•Tampa Bay Buccaneers
No. 2 Running Back - Bobby Rainey vs. Charles Sims

Rainey has the experience, having led the Bucs in rushing a year ago after being claimed off waivers from the Browns. He also could be a more valuable special teams players. But the coaching staff really loves Sims, who at 6-feet, 217-pounds gives the Bucs a bigger back with superb hands. Slight edge to Rainey after Friday's game at Jacksonville.

•Arizona Cardinals
Kicker - Rookie Chandler Catanzaro vs. incumbent Jay Feely

Catanzaro took a large step to winning the job with his performance in the preseason opener. Catanzaro made all three extra points and all three field goals. Just as important, all of his five kickoffs were impressive. Two were touchbacks. The other three went well into the end zone, and the Texans started inside their 20-yard line each time. Feely will have his turn this week in Minnesota. He's reliable but his leg isn't as strong as Catanzaro's, at least not on kickoffs. Feely's advantage is experience, and he's made clutch kicks. But coach Bruce Arians has never been enamored with Feely, and the Cardinals wouldn't mind getting much younger at the position. The competition will go throughout the preseason, and Catanzaro will be tested in the finale in San Diego. That will be outdoors as opposed to last week's game in Glendale.

•St. Louis Rams
Third/Fourth Tight End Or Practice Squad

Undrafted free agent Alex Bayer is making a move to win the job as the team's fourth tight end. His main competition is Justice Cunningham, who had a drop against New Orleans. Bayer, meanwhile, had five receptions for 71 yards, including one for 42 yards. Coach Jeff Fisher said, "We felt like he had a chance. We liked what we saw, the athleticism, the pass catching ability, he was well-coached there (Bowling Green). (Tight ends coach) Rob Boras went out and had a private workout with him a week before the draft. We were kind of hoping he would fall, he did and so far it's worked out for us. He takes a lot of snaps here at camp and played a lot of snaps yesterday. I think he played over 40 snaps yesterday, 45 snaps. He's hanging in there and continues to make the plays, so reliable. He's getting to the right spot and the young quarterbacks trust him."

•San Francisco 49ERS
No. 2 Quarterback

After an uninspiring 3-for-11 performance from Blaine Gabbert in the first half of Thursday's loss, the 49ers' No. 2 quarterback job might still be up for grabs. "I think all the quarterbacks...are coming out of this thinking there are a few (throws) they want back," Harbaugh said. "I think they all did about the same. A couple of good throws and runs and extending the play, and a few they'd like to have back, too."

Gabbert struggled with his accuracy and making reads in the preseason opener. He starred down tight end Derek Carrier before throwing an interception to a Raven defensive back in basic zone coverage. He also overthrew a wide open Quinton Patton on two occasions. Reserve quarterback Josh Johnson fared much better, completing 6 of 8 passes for 63 yards and didn't throw an interception. He did, however, fumble a snap on the reserve unit's most promising drive of the evening in Baltimore's territory. The key caveat to the backup quarterback situation is Gabbert's fully-guaranteed $2 million contract for 2014.

•Seattle Seahawks
No. 2 Quarterback

This may not be the most critical spot for the Seahawks, especially with Russell Wilson as the starter, but Seattle has an intriguing battle on it is hands between veteran Tarvaris Jackson and former Ohio State star Terrelle Pryor, whom the team acquired in April. Jackson got two series against Denver and led a field-goal drive at the end of the first half. Pryor got three series and led two field-goal drives (one after an interception gave the Seahawks the ball at the Denver 24) and led a potential game-winning drive in the final minutes before throwing an interception that sealed the game. Seattle could make it easy and just keep both, though the Seahawks haven't often had three quarterbacks on its roster the last two seasons.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

#401 JACKSONVILLE @ #402 CHICAGO - 8:00 PM
Line: Bears, Total: 42.5

The Chicago Bears will play their second home preseason game in less than a week when they host Blake Bortles and the Jacksonville Jaguars at Soldier Field on Thursday. Chicago opened exhibition play on a positive note last Friday when tight end Zach Miller caught two touchdown passes and the Bears upended the Philadelphia Eagles, 34-28, in the preseason opener for both teams. Jay Cutler threw a 10-yard pass to Miller in the back of the end zone late in the first quarter, and Miller caught another touchdown pass from Jordan Palmer in the second.

Cutler finished with 85 yards on 9-of-13 passing for the Bears, whose backups also proved effective. Palmer completed 8-of-11 throws for 104 yards with an interception, while Jimmy Clausen tossed for two scores. Clausen connected with Chris Williams and Micheal Spurlock for TDs after Matt Barkley's scoring strike to David Fluellen had given the Eagles a 28-17 lead early in the second half. "It was a good win," Bears coach Marc Trestman said. "It took all 90 guys and all four quarters to win this game. I'm really excited about that. It's going to take all 60 minutes to win games all season."

The Jaguars, meanwhile, also started in the black thanks to Denard Robinson's touchdown run in the fourth quarter which lifted Jacksonville to a 16-10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bortles, the third pick in this year's draft, went 7-for-11 passing for 117 yards in his first NFL action, leading the team on one scoring drive in about two quarters of action. Chad Henne started under center for the Jaguars and was 4-for-7 for 30 yards. "The main thing is we're all excited to be here," said Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny. "We just need to work on improving our communication and getting better each day."

Henne will get the nod again in Chicago but Jacksonville coach Gus Bradley indicated he might change plans and enable Bortles to take reps with the first team before the final preseason game, his original intention. "I wouldn't count on it this week," Bradley said before gushing about his young QB: "He's tough He'll stand in there. We believe that he'll have the poise in pressure situations when teams are applying pressure." Running back Toby Gerhart, who signed a three-year deal with the Jags as a free agent in the offseason, missed the preseason opener with a hip flexor but could return against the Bears. "I don't know what the whole process is to (be able) return to the field, but each and every day, the workouts we've done, I've felt good and (the hip has) felt better," Gerhart told the Florida Times-Union.

The Bears and Jaguars will be meeting for just the second time in the preseason. The two teams originally squared off in 2002 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. with Jacksonville winning 24-16.

StatSystemsSports.net has searched its database for all past games where the posted line or total were similar to this game's and where the final game statistics were comparable to the estimator's projections. (Yards/Play and turnovers) Here are the results against the spread, against the total, and straight up:

--In past games, the favorite covered the spread 11 times, while the underdog covered the spread 7 times. *No EDGE. In past games, the favorite won the game straight up 13 times, while the underdog won straight up 5 times. 5 games went over the total, while 3 games went under the total. *No EDGE.

--In past games, the favorite covered first half line 31 times, while the underdog covered first half line 17 times. *No EDGE. 10 games went over first half total, while 3 games went under first half total. *No EDGE.

•SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS: Play On - Favorites of 2 to 6 points versus the first half line (CHICAGO) - after a game where they committed 3 or more turnovers against opponent after a game with a turnover margin of +2 or better.
(25-6 since 1993.) (80.6%, +18.4 units. Rating = 2*)

The average first half line posted in these games was: Team favored by 3
The average first half score in these games was: Team 15.1, Opponent 5.5 (Average first half point differential = +9.5)

The situation's record this season is: (0-0).
Over the last 3 seasons the situation's record is: (2-0).
Over the last 5 seasons the situation's record is: (3-0).
Over the last 10 seasons the situation's record is: (11-1).

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NFL Betting: Jacksonville at Chicago August 14, 8:00 EST

Blake Bortles was the first quarterback taken in this year's draft, and so far through one preseason game it looks as if the Jacksonville Jaguars made the right call as the rookie completed seven-of-11 passes for just over 100 yards. This coming Thursday Bortles and the Jaguars will take on the Chicago Bears, a traditional team that has turned more offensive than defensive-minded in recent years, making it likely Bortles has a strong second outing and further makes his case to be the team’s starting quarterback.

Players We're Watching

Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars- Bortles' rookie debut could hardly have gone better, but the rookie still has a long way to go and this second preseason game will be a telling one. If he continues to look the part of a franchise signal caller in the preseason it's more likely he'll get a start early in the season, but if he tapers off and shows he's in fact not ready for the spotlight he could be buried on the depth chart like originally planned.

Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears- Martellus Bennett was a nice surprise for the Bears last season as the veteran tight end set career highs in receptions, targets, and yards, and was a dangerous third option for quarterback Jay Cutler. Bennett has been reinstated by the Bears after being suspended for a scuffle in practice, but if he can prove last season was no fluke this is a Bears offense that could be one of the best in the entire league with Bennett showing the potential to double his five touchdowns from last year.

Preseason Coaching Trends

Both Gus Bradley of the Jaguars and Marc Trestman of the Bears are entering their second NFL season as a head coach, and neither seemed to care all that much about preseason games last year as Trestman went 2-2 and Bradley 1-3 in the early season scrimmages. This year may be a bit different, however, as both teams won their first preseason game with the Bears putting up 34 points on the Philadelphia Eagles and the Jaguars scoring 16 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Prediction

The Bears were impressive in their first preseason game as they had two quarterbacks pass for over 100 yards, neither being starter Jay Cutler. The Bears offense is built to move the ball down the field, and against a rebuilding Jaguars defense they very well could repeat their performance against the Eagles and score a total of four offensive touchdowns. The only thing stopping the Bears from an easy victory will be their defense, which struggled at times last week but ultimately held an explosive Chip Kelly offense to just one touchdown. The Jaguars have a quietly good first-team offense, but it's not on the same level as the Bears' which is why Trestman should remain undefeated in the 2014 preseason.

NFL Betting Pick: Bears

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NFL Football Trends

NFL Preseason Betting Trends for Thursday, 8/14/14

Jacksonville at Chicago, 8:00 ET
Jacksonville: 16-6 ATS on the road off a home game
Chicago: 12-2 UNDER at home off a home game


NFL Preseason Betting Trends for Friday, 8/15/14

Philadelphia at New England, 7:30 ET
Philadelphia: 15-30 ATS in games where the line is +3 to -3
New England: 5-1 OVER after playing a non-conference game

Tennessee at New Orleans, 8:00 ET
Tennessee: 23-10 OVER in road games
New Orleans: 9-1 ATS in all games

Detroit at Oakland, 10:00 ET
Detroit: 6-3 ATS in all games
Oakland: 3-6 ATS in all games

San Diego at Seattle, 10:00 ET
San Diego: 20-7 OVER after allowing 14 points or less last game
Seattle: 7-0 ATS as a favorite


NFL Preseason Betting Trends for Saturday, 8/16/14

Green Bay at St Louis, 4:00 ET
Green Bay: 5-1 UNDER as an underdog
St Louis: 1-3 ATS as a home favorite

NY Giants at Indianapolis, 7:00 ET
NY Giants: 4-0 UNDER off an ATS Win
Indianapolis: 3-0 ATS as a home favorite of 3 points or less

Baltimore at Dallas, 7:00 ET
Baltimore: 28-14 UNDER in games where the line is +3 to -3
Dallas: 21-42 ATS after playing a non-conference game

NY Jets at Cincinnati, 7:00 ET
NY Jets: 8-1 ATS after a win by 3 or less points
Cincinnati: 2-5 ATS off an extremely close road loss by 3 points or less

Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7:30 ET
Buffalo: 14-4 UNDER after a win by 6 or less points
Pittsburgh: 1-7 ATS in all games

Miami at Tampa Bay, 7:30 ET
Miami: 0-8 ATS in non-conference games
Tampa Bay: 14-3 ATS off a road loss

Atlanta at Houston, 8:00 ET
Atlanta: 19-6 OVER after allowing 14 points or less last game
Houston: 3-11 ATS after going under the total

Arizona at Minnesota, 8:30 ET
Arizona: n/a
Minnesota: n/a


NFL Preseason Betting Trends for Sunday, 8/17/14

Denver at San Francisco, 4:00 ET
Denver: 7-2 O/U WK-2
San Fran: 6-1 ATS home WK-2

Kansas City at Carolina, 8:00 ET
Kansas City: 1-3 ATS following WK-1 win
Carolina: 5-1 O/U home favorite


NFL Preseason Betting Trends for Monday, 8/18/14

Cleveland at Washington, 8:00 ET
Cleveland: 6-3-1 Under after scoring 14 or less points
Washington: 8-2 ATS home favorite

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Recently traded pitcher meaning wins for new team
Justin Hartling

When the Oakland Athletics acquired Jeff Samardzija they expected to have a dominate ace to guarentee wins. The A's have gotten what they wished for as they are 6-1 in Samardzija's seven starts for the team.

Samardzija has only allowed 17 runs since wearing the A's uniform which equals 2.4 runs per game.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Win Total Update

The 2014 pro baseball regular season is coming to a close as teams enter the final quarter of the 162-game season. Before the season began the Las Vegas Hotel & Casino SuperBook (LVH) posted win totals for all 30 teams.

Prior to the All-Star break in late June, we looked at the win totals and forecasted the pace for every team in the majors. To figure out a team’s pace, you take their win percentage and multiply by 162. (Ex. Baltimore Orioles are on pace to win 93 games (162 x .576) based on their record as of Aug. 13)

In the below table, we looked at the latest projections and you can see that certain teams have turned up the heat in the past six weeks while other clubs have melted away in the summer.

In late June, the Giants and Brewers were on a torrid pace to win close to 100 games. As of mid-August, San Francisco is projected to win 84 games while Milwaukee is on pace for 89 victories.

Other clubs that have struggled in the second-half are the Rockies and Rangers, who are both on pace to have more than 90 losses.

Even though San Diego and Tampa Bay won’t be playing in the playoffs this October, the two teams have been very competitive in the second-half.

The Padres were projected to go ‘under’ their win total of 78 ½ at the midway point and now they’re on pace to win 77 games, which gives some win total bettors a chance. Despite the Rays’ second-half surge, they’ll likely go ‘under’ their season win total (87 ½).

Contenders that have picked up the pace the past eight weeks include Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Oakland.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Wide-Open Wyndham

Tournament: 2014 Wyndham Championship
Date: Aug. 14-17
Venue: Sedgefield Country Club
Location: Greensboro, North Carolina
2013 Winner: Patrick Reed

This week the PGA Tour will play its final official event of the season before the FedEx Cup playoffs begin. The Wyndham Championship is sandwiched between some huge tournaments with two majors and a WGC event coming before it, and the playoffs immediately following for the next month. With that said the field is extremely thin, as it contains only one player (Hideki Matsuyama) from the top 25 of the World Golf Rankings.

This will be the final week in which some players have a chance to join the top 125 players in the FedEx Cup standings for The Barclays next week; the first of four events in the playoffs. Last season, Patrick Reed won his first career PGA event here as he defeated fellow young stud Jordan Spieth on the second playoff hole.

Spectators should expect plenty of action this week as the winning score has been 14-under or better in all six years since having the tourney at Sedgefield CC, which is a par-70, 7,130-yard course. This event is certainly open to all who are competing this week with names like Arjun Atwal, Brent Geiberger and Shigeki Maruyama taking home the trophy in the last decade.

Let’s take a look at a few players who have a chance to move up the FedEx Cup standings with a strong showing this week.

Golfers to Watch

Hideki Matsuyama (17/1): Matsuyama is the top player from the World Golf Rankings playing this week and while he has not been doing too well against the tremendous fields the past few weeks, he took a victory in the last event he played (the Memorial) where the talent was not quite as strong. The Japan-born player has the 17th-best scoring average on tour (69.96) and has scored a birdie or better 50.5% of the time on par-5’s this year (5th on tour). Matsuyama is poised to add to his six career professional victories (1 PGA, 5 Japan Golf Tour) this week.

Patrick Reed (20/1): He was the victor in this event last season and has won another two times since. The 26th-ranked player in the world is on the brink of being one of the young studs in the sport, as Reed has placed in the top-26 three times in his last five tournaments. He has been inconsistent this season, but has proven that he can catch fire in a moment’s notice and dominate the field.

Brandt Snedeker (11/1): It has been a down year for Snedeker in 2014, as his 69th-place ranking in the FedEx Cup standings is his lowest of his career by a wide margin. The six-time winner on the tour has been playing well in his past two events, nailing down a 12th-place finish at the Bridgestone Invitational followed by placing 13th last week at the PGA Championship. His solid putting (.467 strokes gained putting, 16th on tour) and pedigree should keep him among the leaders this week. Snedeker is also due for a win with at least one victory in each of the past three seasons.

Martin Laird (55/1): Laird has a lot to play for this week as he ranks 136th in the FedEx Cup standings and already has four top-25 finishes this year in his 19 starts. He has made the playoffs in each of the past four years and even made it to a playoff at The Barclays in 2010 that he eventually lost to Matt Kuchar. Laird is ranked 33rd in total driving (146), a stat that looks at both accuracy and distance off the tee, and this mark should allow him to have plenty of scoring opportunities on the week.

Kevin Kisner (140/1): He is in the midst of a career year and comes into this event with some momentum after two strong finishes, a T-20th at the John Deere Classic and a T-9th at the RBC Canadian Open, in his past two times out. Kisner has gained .401 strokes putting (23rd on tour) this year and could compete for his first career victory this week amongst a poor field.

Wyndham Championship Betting Odds

Brandt Snedeker 25/2
Webb Simpson 17/1
Hideki Matsuyama 17/1
Patrick Reed 20/1
Bill Haas 24/1
Ernie Els 27/1
Tim Clark 28/1
Charles Howell III 35/1
Brooks Koepka 35/1
Nick Watney 40/1
Francesco Molinari 40/1
Robert Karlsson 40/1
Carl Pettersson 40/1
Brian Harman 40/1
Billy Horschel 40/1
Justin Hicks 50/1
Paul Casey 55/1
Brendon De Jonge 55/1
Bud Cauley 55/1
Martin Laird 55/1
Chad Campbell 60/1
Kyle Stanley 60/1
Bo Van Pelt 60/1
Michael Putnam 60/1
John Huh 65/1
Freddie Jacobson 65/1
Matteo Manassero 70/1
Peter Hanson 70/1
Robert Garrigus 70/1
William McGirt 75/1
Andres Romero 75/1
Aaron Baddeley 80/1
Stephen Gallacher 85/1
Scott Piercy 85/1
Joe Durant 95/1
Camilo Villegas 95/1
Scott Brown 95/1
Retief Goosen 95/1
Rafael Cabrera Bello 95/1
Luke Guthrie 95/1
David Toms 100/1
Jonathan Byrd 100/1
Michael Thompson 100/1
Shawn Stefani 100/1
Scott Langley 100/1
Johnson Wagner 110/1
Morgan Hoffmann 110/1
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 110/1
Fred Couples 120/1
Jhonattan Vegas 120/1
Boo Weekley 130/1
Ryo Ishikawa 130/1
Padraig Harrington 130/1
Billy Hurley III 130/1
Sang-Moon Bae 130/1
Brian Stuard 130/1
Jamie Lovemark 130/1
Ricky Barnes 130/1
Pat Perez 140/1
Martin Flores 140/1
Bryce Molder 140/1
Brad Fritsch 140/1
Andrew Svoboda 140/1
Chesson Hadley 140/1
Richard Sterne 140/1
Stuart Appleby 140/1
Robert Streb 140/1
Greg Chalmers 140/1
David Lingmerth 140/1
Scott Stallings 150/1
J.J. Henry 150/1
Danny Lee 150/1
Will Wilcox 150/1
Tommy Gainey 150/1
Charlie Beljan 160/1
Troy Merritt 180/1
Steven Bowditch 180/1
Hudson Swafford 180/1
Will MacKenzie 180/1
Roberto Castro 190/1
Sean O' Hair 190/1
Lucas Glover 190/1
James Hahn 190/1
Jeff Maggert 190/1
Ben Curtis 220/1
Trevor Immelman 220/1
Robert Allenby 220/1
Nicholas Thompson 220/1
Alex Prugh 250/1
Chad Collins 250/1
David Duval 250/1
Derek Ernst 250/1
Jim Herman 250/1
D.H. Lee 250/1
Eric Axley 250/1
Rocco Mediate 250/1
Glen Day 250/1
Andrew Loupe 250/1
Charlie Wi 250/1
Arjun Atwal 250/1
D.A. Points 250/1
John Peterson 250/1
Josh Teater 250/1
Ken Duke 250/1
Tyrone Van Aswegen 250/1
Matt Bettencourt 250/1
Steve Marino 250/1
Troy Matteson 250/1
Davis Love III 250/1
Dicky Pride 250/1
James Driscoll 250/1
Miguel Angel Carballo 250/1
Peter Malnati 250/1

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Arthur Ralph Sports

Free play Thurs

SL Cards w/ Lackey -165

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Hitters' wind at this stadium Thursday
Andrew Avery

Sluggers in the lineups for both the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers will be licking their chops Thursday as forecasts are calling for wind blowing out to left field at 12 mph at Comerica Park.

When wind blows out to left at Comerica Park, the Over has gone 5-1 thus far in the season. Furthermore, there is an average of 1.67 home runs per game when the wind blows out to left between 10 and 20 mph.

Oddsmakers have tabbed the game with a total of 7.5.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

MLB

'Mets avoid sweep'

Washington Nationals and New York Mets conclude a three-game set at Citi Field Thursday night. Righthander Stephen Strasburg toes the rubber for Washington, entering the game with a 8-10 record, 3.68 ERA over 25 starts with a 12-13 TSR. In his last outing in Atlanta, he was slammed for 7 runs over 5 innings bringing his mark to 1-8 on the road with 5.25 ERA in 12 trips to the mound (4-8 TSR). Mets counter with Dillon Gee carrying a 4-4 record, 3.54 ERA (6-8 TSR). The New York hurler is off a sharp 7 innings of 3 hit 1 run ball tagged with a ND in Mets' 2-1 victory at Philadelphia. Gee is 2-2 with a 3.79 ERA on home field over 8 starts (3-5 TSR). Mets are the inferior club in this matchup but Strasburg's home (7-2) road (1-8) dichotomy raises a red flag. This being the final game of the three-game series is yet another nod towards the Mets. The team has thrived at home in game three of a series going 12-4 including 3-0 handing the ball to Gee. Final betting nugget. Mets are 4-1 at home avoiding a three game sweep, Washington is 0-2 away w/Strasburg attempting a three game sweep.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Hondo

Kemp failed miserably at crunch time Wednesday night, which gave Hondo a loss in Atlanta that boosted the accounts payable to 1,580 morrises.

Thursday: Mr. Aitch will try again with sure-as-shootin’ Scherzer — 10 units on the Big Cats to scratch out a victory over the Bucs.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

EZWINNERS

EZ's Plays For Thursday

Six Major League Baseball plays on my card for Thurday. Best of luck!

-EZ


3* (914) Kansas City Royals -$115

3* (904) Chicago Cubs +$110

3* (908) New York Mets +$125

3* (915) Houston Astros +$125

3* (909) San Diego Padres +$140

3* (904) Colorado Rockies -$120

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Maddux

NFLX

10* Jacksonville Jaguars +4 -110

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Today's MLB Picks Washington at NY Mets The Mets look to bounce back from last night's 3-2 loss as they host a Nationals team that is 1-5 in Stephen Strasburg's last 6 road starts. New York is the pick (+120) according to Dunkel, which has the Mets favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (+120). Here are all of today's MLB picks.


THURSDAY, AUGUST 14
Time Posted: 7:30 a.m. EST


Game 901-902: LA Dodgers at Atlanta (1:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Hernandez) 15.110; Atlanta (Harang) 16.263
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1; 7
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-120); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-120); Under


Game 903-904: Milwaukee at Chicago Cubs (2:20 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Fiers) 16.404; Cubs (Jackson) 13.987
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 2 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-135); No Run Total
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (-135); N/A


Game 905-906: Arizona at Miami (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Anderson) 15.623; Miami (Penny) 14.504
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Miami (-130); 8
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+110); Over


Game 907-908: Washington at NY Mets (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Strasburg) 15.122; NY Mets (Gee) 16.322
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Washington (-140); 7
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (+120); Over


Game 909-910: San Diego at St. Louis (8:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Stults) 16.504; St. Louis (Lackey) 15.032
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-165); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+145); Over


Game 911-912: Cincinnati at Colorado (8:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Simon) 15.802; Colorado (De La Rosa) 14.414
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Colorado (-125); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+105); Over


Game 913-914: Oakland at Kansas City (2:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Samardzija) 16.782; Kansas City (Shields) 18.322
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-115); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (-115); Under


Game 915-916: Houston at Boston (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Feldman) 13.677; Boston (Webster) 15.144
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Boston (-150); 9
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-150); Under


Game 917-918: Tampa Bay at Texas (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Odorizzi) 16.422; Texas (Ross) 13.875
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 2 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Texas (-140); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+120); Under


Game 919-920: Pittsburgh at Detroit (1:08 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Liriano) 17.421; Detroit (Scherzer) 16.552
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1; 7
Vegas Line: Detroit (-185); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+165); Under

[Can'tPickAWinner]

WNBA Basketball Picks New York at Indiana The Liberty head to Indiana tonight to face a Fever team that is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 home games. New York is the pick (+6) according to Dunkel, which has the Fever favored by only 2. Dunkel Pick: New York (+6). Here are all of today's WNBA picks


THURSDAY, AUGUST 14
Time Posted: 7:30 a.m. EST


Game 651-652: New York at Indiana (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: New York 108.110; Indiana 110.318
Dunkel Line & Total: Indiana by 2; 138
Vegas Line & Total: Indiana by 6; 143 1/2
Dunkel Pick: New York (+6); Under

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Gamblers Data

Free Plays Thursday

Royals -119

Dbacks/Marlins under 8

[Can'tPickAWinner]

WinBetNFL

NFL - Pre-season

Chicago Bears - Jacksonville Jaguars

Pick: Over 41

[Can'tPickAWinner]

GiLzTips

. [907] Nationals -1 (-107)

. [912] Rockies -1 (+120)

PARLAY: A's ML / Nats ML / Rockies ML / Rays ML (+1225)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

SPORTSWAGERS

MLB

Oakland @ KANSAS CITY

Oakland +102 over KANSAS CITY

(Risking 2.00 units - To Win: 2.04)

2:10 PM EST. We have no idea what is going to happen in this game and neither does anyone else. What we do know is that the A's hold some tremendous value here based on information readily available to anyone that looks. We all know what James Shields brings to the table, as he's been bringing the same game to almost every start over that past seven years. A's starter, Jeff Samardzija was having a solid year in Chicago before being traded to Oakland and he's been just as good or better in his new digs. Samardzija has increased his first-pitch strike rate more than any starter from 2013 to 2014. It has jumped from 60% to an elite 67%, a mark that gives full support to his excellent control and strikeout totals. He remains a solid bet to be a legit rotation anchor down the stretch.

The value here can be found back in a game on August 3 in Oakland when Kansas City played there with James Shields starting against Scott Kazmir. Let us preface that by saying that the Royals have a better road record than they do at home. In that game in Oakland on August 3, Kazmir was a -165 favourite over Shields and now, 11 days later, Shields is -110, a difference of 78 cents against a better pitcher than Kazmir. The value on Shields was in that game. In this game, based on that line 11 days ago, there is huge value in betting against him here.


Arizona @ MIAMI

Arizona +119 over MIAMI (1st 5 innings)

(1st 5 innings) (Risking 2 units - To Win: 2.38)

Chase Anderson is a rookie pitcher that has made 14 starts since being called up on May 11. Pitching exactly half his games at hitter-friendly Chase Field, Anderson has allowed two runs or less in 11 of his 14 starts and that includes starts at Colorado and U.S. Cellular against the South Side. He's allowed one run in four of his past five starts and in the other start over that span he allowed two runs. Anderson comes in with 22 strikeouts, a 12% swing and miss rate and a 1.80 ERA over his last 25 innings. Since the All-Star break, the opposition is hitting .195 against him. The Diamondbacks played a DH yesterday and so their bullpen could be a little taxed. Add the fact that this one is based solely on the starters, thus the five-inning play. At the time of this writing the 5-inning line had not been posted yet but expect it to be in this range. We'll update it a little later.

On August 9, Brad Penny earned a win by allowing only one earned run over five innings in his first MLB start since 2011. The Marlins are rolling the dice with this 36-year old, but that does not mean you should. His skill set was borderline at his peak, so taking a flier here and spotting a price is not a smart idea. In that start against Cincinnati, Penny's swing and miss rate was 5%. We also like the situation against the Fish here. Miami has played 16 straight games against either Washington, Cinci, Pittsburgh or St. Louis, all teams that were within their grasp before that stretch started. They talked about that crucial 16-game stretch before it began and here we are in the first game after it.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

StatFox Super Situations

MLB | TAMPA BAY at TEXAS
Play Against - Home teams (TEXAS) terrible offensive team - scoring <=4.2 runs/game on the season (AL), after allowing 9 runs or more
246-158 since 1997. ( 60.9% | 80.9 units )
19-16 this year. ( 54.3% | 4.4 units )

StatFox Situational Power Trends

MLB | LA DODGERS at ATLANTA
LA DODGERS are 18-3 (+16.2 Units) against the money line in Road games vs. an NL team with a batting average of .245 or worse in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
The average score was: LA DODGERS (4.4) , OPPONENT (2.0)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jaguars vs. Bears Betting Preview and Pick
By: Craig Williams

The Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars kick off the second full week of NFL preseason action Thursday night at Soldier Field (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Line: Bears -4; Total: 42

Chad Henne (4-for-7, 30 yards) started in Jacksonville's first preseason game, but it was rookie quarterback Blake Bortles who made headlines in his pro debut. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft -- and the first quarterback off the board -- finished 7-for-11 for 117 yards and a 99.4 QB rating in the Jags' 16-10 win vs. Tampa Bay.

Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley remains adamant that Henne will be his starter in 2014 while Bortles soaks the game up from the sidelines in his first year. But he's also confirmed that Bortles will receive first-team reps at some point this summer.

Also worth noting is the potential Jacksonville debut of free agent running back Toby Gerhart, who has been out of action with a hip flexor injury. The ailment wasn't considered serious, but it still held him out for two weeks. He's returned to practice and could get on the field against Chicago.

The Bears were clicking -- offensively at least -- in their first taste of live football this season, outscoring the Eagles 34-28 in a preseason shootout. Big things are expected from Jay Cutler, who finished 9-for-13 for 85 yards and a touchdown, in his second year running Marc Trestman's offense. Backup Jimmy Clausen (7-for-13, 150 yards, 2 TDs) was impressive in relief last week.

Preseason records and trends: The strongest identifiable preseason trend related to this game is the Bears' 4-1 record to the OVER in Trestman's two seasons at the helm. The Jags were 3-1 O/U last preseason, Gus Bradley's first with the team, but last week's game with the Bucs stayed well UNDER the total. Jacksonville dropped its first three exhibition games last season, both SU and ATS, while the Bears are now 2-2-1 ATS in the preseason under Trestman.

The Linemakers' lean: If this were a Week 1 regular-season matchup, the Bears would be favored in the 12.5-13 range, and while the preseason is a different beast, the spread here still feels light to us. Sure, we noticed Bortles' performance last week, but Chicago's QB rotation is still superior. In terms of the total, despite the aforementioned trends to the OVER, we're not ready to trust the Jags' offense, so we'll stick to a play in the side. Chicago -4 is the play.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Bookiemonsters

POD Texas Rangers -135

Money Generators

Oakland Athletics -105

San Diego Padres +145

[Can'tPickAWinner]

StatFox Super Situations

WNBA | NEW YORK at INDIANA
Play On - Home favorites (INDIANA) after having lost 4 or 5 of their last 6 games, with a winning percentage of between 40-49% after 15 or more games
102-54 since 1997. ( 65.4% | 42.6 units )
1-9 this year. ( 10.0% | -8.9 units )

WNBA | NEW YORK at INDIANA
Play Against - Underdogs vs the money line (NEW YORK) off a home loss by 10 points or more against opponent off a road win
101-24 since 1997. ( 80.8% | 0.0 units )
3-1 this year. ( 75.0% | 0.0 units )

WNBA | NEW YORK at INDIANA
Play Under - Home teams where the first half total is between 65.5 and 70.5 points vs. division opponents
533-350 since 1997. ( 60.4% | 148.0 units )
24-12 this year. ( 66.7% | 10.8 units )

[Can'tPickAWinner]

RICH SPORTS

NFLX

2* Over 41 Jacksonville/Chicago

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Paul Leiner

100* Royals -110
50* Marlins -130

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Ecks and Bacon


Ben lee lost on Wednesday in MLB in the National League with the Marlins -$120/Cardinals.

"Mr Chalk" has Np for Thursday.

Ben lee is 0-3 -$160 for week Forty Two 187-220-5 -$3012 through Forty One Weeks.

"Mr Chalk" is 61-46 -$405 for the 2014 MLB season.

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

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Bob balfe

mlb
boston redsox/houston astros – over 9

nflx
chicago bears/jacksonville jaguars – over 43

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Game of the Day: Jaguars at Bears

Jacksonville Jaguars at Chicago Bears (-3.5, 42.5)

Jacksonville's quarterback situation takes center stage Thursday night as the Jaguars resume their NFL preseason schedule with a game against the Bears in Chicago. The Jaguars have already laid out who will play when, with incumbent Chad Henne expected to take the snaps in the first half and rookie Blake Bortles playing the entire second half. Jacksonville had a multitude of errors on the offensive end in its exhibition opener, a 16-10 win over Tampa Bay.

The Bears have their own storylines playing out under center, though Jay Cutler's starting job is quite safe. The battle of the backups will be front and center against the Jaguars, with former high school phenom Jimmy Clausen expected to see plenty of time Thursday as he competes with Jordan Palmer for the No. 2 spot behind Cutler. The Bears were also victorious in their preseason opener, outslugging the Philadelphia Eagles 34-28 at Soldier Field.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

LINE HISTORY: The Bears opened -4, but the line has since dipped a half-point. The O/U has risen a half-point to 42 1/2.

INJURY REPORT: Jaguars: LB Paul Posluszny (biceps), WR Cecil Shorts (hamstring), DT Roy Miller (shoulder) and CB Aaron Colvin (knee) are all expected to miss the game; Bears: WR Marquess Wilson (collarbone) and T Jordan Mills (foot) aren't expected to play; S Chris Conte (shoulder) is questionable.

WHAT CAPPERS SAY: "This is the second year in the system under head coach Marc Trestman and after improving last season, things could be even more explosive in 2014. Jay Cutler had his best passer rating since his rookie season in 2006 and got a new contract to prove his worth. The defense can only get better with the additions of Jared Allen and D.J Williams." Covers Expert Matt Fargo

ABOUT THE JAGUARS (1-0): For as much attention is being paid to the battle between Henne and Bortles, the Jaguars are also paying close attention to the running game. Offseason acquisition and probable Week 1 starter Toby Gerhart will see his first in-game action in a Jacksonville uniform, and will get some sense of what he's dealing with on the offensive line. That cast of characters - featuring a host of inexperienced run-blockers - struggled against the Buccaneers to the point where they asked for - and were granted - an extra series to work out the kinks.

ABOUT THE BEARS (1-0): It isn't enough that Chicago has one of the top wide receiver tandems in the league in Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey, but a new weapon may have emerged in last week's victory over Philadelphia. Tight end Zach Miller stole the show with a pair of touchdown catches versus the Eagles, and has looked sensational in practice leading up to the game against the Jaguars as he looks to provide Cutler with one more pass-catching weapon. Miller - not to be confused with Seattle tight end Zach Miller - was a sixth-round pick in 2009 who is now on his third NFL roster.

TRENDS:

* The Bears are 2-2-1 ATS in five preseason games under head coach Marc Trestman.
* The Jaguars have won two straight exhibition games SU and ATS after dropping their previous three.
* Chicago is 4-1 O/U in the preseason with Trestman at the helm.
* Jacksonville went 3-1 O/U in the 2013 exhibition season but was an Under in its 2014 opener.

COVERS CONSENSUS: 64.79 percent of wagers on Covers Consensus are backing the host Bears.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

STATSYSTEMS SPORTS NL PITCHING REPORT
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14th 2014
INFORMATION WORTH BETTING ON EACH DAY
_____________________________________

#901 LA DODGERS @ #902 ATLANTA - 12:10 PM
•Dodgers RH Roberto Hernandez (6-8, 3.83 ERA, WHIP: 1.307) - Hernandez won his Los Angeles debut Friday in Milwaukee, giving up two runs on three hits in six innings. It continued a strong stretch the 33-year-old began prior to his trade from Philadelphia, during which he has posted a 2.08 ERA in four outings. Hernandez went 1-1 against the Braves in two starts for the Phillies in June, giving up seven earned runs in 13 frames.

--KEY STAT: HERNANDEZ is 28-47 (-19.0 Units) against the money line versus teams whose hitters strike out 7 or more times/game since 1997. (Team's Record)
The average score was HERNANDEZ 3.7, OPPONENT 4.7.

•Braves RH Aaron Harang (9-6, 3.31 ERA, WHIP: 1.386) - Harang has been stuck on nine wins for more than a month, drawing five consecutive no-decisions despite a 2.53 ERA. He gave up four runs on nine hits at Los Angeles on July 29. Harang, who is 4-6 lifetime against the Dodgers with a 4.40 ERA, has held right-handers to a .230 batting average while left-handers are hitting .306.

--KEY STAT: HARANG is 2-14 (-15.2 Units) against the money line in home games versus teams whose hitters strike out 7 or more times/game in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was HARANG 2.6, OPPONENT 4.9.

--HARANG is 29-57 against the run line (-29.8 Units) in home games in the second half of the season since 1997. (Team's Record)
The average score was HARANG 3.5, OPPONENT 4.4.

--HARANG is 2-14 against the run line (-13.2 Units) in home games versus teams whose hitters strike out 7 or more times/game in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was HARANG 2.6, OPPONENT 4.9.

#903 MILWAUKEE @ #904 CHICAGO CUBS - 2:20 PM
•Brewers RH Mike Fiers (1-1, 1.80 ERA, WHIP: 0.500) - Fiers' return to the big leagues marked a return to the strong form he showed in 2012. The 29-year-old limited the Dodgers to one run and three hits over eight innings to earn his first major-league win since May 21, 2013, and his first as a starter since Sept. 8, 2012. Fiers has made one start and one relief appearance against the Cubs, going 1-0 with a 1.08 ERA.

•Cubs RH Edwin Jackson (6-12, 5.61 ERA, WHIP: 1.557) - Jackson has posted consecutive quality starts for the first time since May, but was on the wrong end of a shutout Saturday against Tampa Bay. The 30-year-old allowed four runs (three earned) over six innings and lost for the fifth time in his last six decisions. Jackson is 5-6 with a 3.38 ERA in 13 starts against Milwaukee.

--KEY STAT: JACKSON is 18-37 (-18.4 Units) against the money line versus National League teams scoring 4.3 or less runs/game on the season over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was JACKSON 4.0, OPPONENT 5.3.

--JACKSON is 20-42 (-20.6 Units) against the money line versus an National League team with an on base percentage .325 or worse over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was JACKSON 3.9, OPPONENT 5.0.

--JACKSON is 28-40 against the run line (-22.4 Units) versus teams whose hitters strike out 7 or more times/game over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was JACKSON 4.0, OPPONENT 5.1.

#905 ARIZONA @ #906 MIAMI - 7:10 PM
•Diamondbacks RH Chase Anderson (7-4, 3.06 ERA, WHIP: 1.261) - Anderson continued his strong pitching Friday, limiting Colorado to one run and four hits over six innings in a 5-3 victory. The 26-year-old has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last five starts, going 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA in that span. Anderson won his only career outing against Miami on July 7, allowing one run and seven hits in six frames.

•Marlins RH Brad Penny (1-0, 1.80 ERA, WHIP: 1.600) - Penny made his first major-league appearance since 2012 on Saturday and was impressive, allowing two runs - one earned - and four hits in five innings of a 4-3 victory at Cincinnati. The 36-year-old had his contract purchased from Triple-A New Orleans, where he went 2-2 with a 2.28 ERA in five starts. Penny has been superb against Arizona over his career, going 10-3 with a 1.97 ERA in 23 games - 19 starts.

--KEY STAT: PENNY is 22-8 OVER (+13.8 Units) in home games when playing against a bad team (Win Pct. 38% to 46%) since 1997. (Team's Record)
The average score was PENNY 6.5, OPPONENT 3.9.
________________________________________

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#907 WASHINGTON @ #908 NY METS - 7:10 PM
•Nationals RH Stephen Strasburg (8-10, 3.68 ERA, WHIP: 1.228) - Strasburg suffered his fourth loss in five outings on Friday after tying a career high by allowing seven runs on as many hits in five innings in a 7-6 setback to the Braves. The 26-year-old served up four homers to match his sum total of the previous seven games. Strasburg, who owns a 2-1 career mark versus New York, struck out 10 but walked away with a no-decision after yielding four runs in six innings against the club on March 31.

--KEY STAT: STRASBURG is 7-14 (-13.3 Units) against the money line when working on 5 or 6 days rest over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was STRASBURG 3.4, OPPONENT 4.1.

--STRASBURG is 14-4 OVER (+10.2 Units) versus an National League team with a team batting average of .245 or worse over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was STRASBURG 4.5, OPPONENT 4.2.

•Mets RH Dillon Gee (4-4, 3.54 ERA, WHIP: 1.101) - Gee pitched well in a pair of no-decisions after dropping his previous three contests. The 28-year-old deserved a better fate in his last outing, allowing one solo homer and two other hits in seven innings against Philadelphia on Saturday. Gee owns a 7-3 career mark versus Washington but also yielded four runs on as many hits in 6 2/3 innings to earn a no-decision on March 31.

--KEY STAT: GEE is 11-2 UNDER (+9.1 Units) versus an National League team with a batting average of .255 or worse in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was GEE 2.4, OPPONENT 3.1.

--GEE is 13-4 UNDER (+9.0 Units) versus teams whose hitters strike out 7 or more times/game in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was GEE 2.6, OPPONENT 3.3.

#909 SAN DIEGO @ #910 ST LOUIS - 8:15 PM
•Padres LH Eric Stults (5-13, 4.76 ERA, WHIP: 1.407) - Stults has rebounded nicely from a rough outing at Atlanta on July 27, allowing a total of two runs - one earned - and nine hits over 12 2/3 innings in his last two starts - both victories. The 34-year-old, who has gone three straight turns without yielding a home run, had won only one of his previous 13 starts. Stults is 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA in two career outings against St. Louis.

--KEY STAT: STULTS is 8-0 OVER (+8.0 Units) versus terrible power teams - averaging 0.75 or less HR's/game in the second half of the season since 1997. (Team's Record)
The average score was STULTS 6.9, OPPONENT 4.8.

•Cardinals RH John Lackey (12-8, 3.98 ERA, WHIP: 1.279) - Lackey was pounded in his second start since being acquired from Boston, surrendering season highs of nine runs and 13 hits over five innings of a 10-3 defeat at Baltimore on Saturday. The 35-year-old served up three home runs, the most he has allowed since yielding four against the Yankees in New York on April 12. Lackey has numbers against San Diego that are identical to Stults' versus St. Louis, giving up six runs over 11 1/3 frames while splitting two starts.

--KEY STAT: LACKEY is 11-0 UNDER (+11.0 Units) versus an National League team with a team batting average of .250 or worse since 1997. (Team's Record)
The average score was LACKEY 2.6, OPPONENT 2.0.

#911 CINCINNATI @ #912 COLORADO - 8:40 PM
•Reds RH Alfredo Simon (12-7, 3.08 ERA, WHIP: 1.147) - Simon received a no-decision after allowing two runs, four hits and five walks while striking out five in a 4-3 loss to Miami on Saturday. The 33-year-old Dominican, who has appeared in 200 major-league games (42 starts - 23 this season), may be feeling the rigors of his first full season in the starting rotation. Cincinnati took two of three from Colorado in May, with the loss coming when Simon was roughed up for five runs and eight hits in three innings of an 11-2 verdict.

--KEY STAT: SIMON is 11-2 (+9.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season. (Team's Record)
The average score was SIMON 4.5, OPPONENT 2.3.

--SIMON is 15-4 (+11.8 Units) against the money line versus an National League team with an on base percentage .325 or worse this season. (Team's Record)
The average score was SIMON 3.8, OPPONENT 2.4.

--SIMON is 16-6 (+11.1 Units) against the money line versus teams whose hitters strike out 7 or more times/game this season. (Team's Record)
The average score was SIMON 3.9, OPPONENT 2.9.

•Colorado LH Jorge De La Rosa (11-8, 4.34 ERA, WHIP: 1.255) - De La Rosa allowed four runs and six hits for the second straight start - both losses - in six innings of a 14-4 setback in Arizona on Saturday and is winless in his last three outings. The 33-year-old Mexican, though, is a different pitcher at home as he is an eye-popping 42-14 at hitter-friendly Coors Field, including 7-2 this season. De La Rosa is 2-3 with an 8.49 ERA in 10 games (four starts) against the Reds, including a 9-6 victory last Aug. 30 when he yielded three runs and eight hits in six frames.

--KEY STAT: DE LA ROSA is 18-5 (+13.3 Units) against the money line versus teams averaging 2.75 or less extra base hits per game over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was DE LA ROSA 5.7, OPPONENT 3.8.

--DE LA ROSA is 25-5 (+19.1 Units) against the money line in home games versus teams whose hitters strike out 7 or more times/game in the second half of the season since 1997. (Team's Record)
The average score was DE LA ROSA 8.1, OPPONENT 5.5.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

WinMatchDay

England Conference
Eastleigh vs Aldershot Town
Eastleigh (-0.5)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

STATSYSTEMS SPORTS AL PITCHING REPORT
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14th 2014
INFORMATION WORTH BETTING ON EACH DAY
_____________________________________

#913 OAKLAND @ #914 KANSAS CITY - 2:10 PM
•Athletics RH Jeff Samardzija (5-8, 2.91 ERA, WHIP: 1.110) - Samardzija improved to 3-1 since being acquired from the Chicago Cubs after allowing two runs in six innings in a 9-4 victory over Minnesota on Saturday. The 29-year-old has worked at least 6 2/3 frames in each of his seven starts with the Athletics, although he has yielded six homers with his new team. Former Milwaukee player Nori Aoki has enjoyed success versus Samardzija from their days in the National League, going 7-for-16 (.438) against him.

--KEY STAT: SAMARDZIJA is 9-21 (-12.0 Units) against the money line versus teams whose hitters draw 3 walks or less/game over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was SAMARDZIJA 3.5, OPPONENT 4.6.

•Royals RH James Shields (11-6, 3.25 ERA, WHIP: 1.208) - Shields collected his second straight win in impressive fashion Saturday, scattering four hits to secure his first complete game and shutout of the season in a 5-0 victory over San Francisco. The 32-year-old improved to 6-4 in his career versus Oakland after permitting two runs on four hits in eight innings in a 4-2 win Aug. 3. Shields allowed two homers against the Athletics after yielding the same total in his previous seven contests.

--KEY STAT: SHIELDS is 41-19 (+15.9 Units) against the money line versus an American League team with an on base percentage .330 or worse over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was SHIELDS 4.8, OPPONENT 3.2.

--SHIELDS is 19-9 (+10.5 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was SHIELDS 4.6, OPPONENT 3.3.

--SHIELDS is 8-30 against the run line (-21.1 Units) in home games versus an American League team with they batting average of .255 or worse since 1997. (Team's Record)
The average score was SHIELDS 4.0, OPPONENT 3.8.

--SHIELDS is 14-5 against the run line (+11.5 Units) versus an American League team with an on base percentage .330 or worse in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was SHIELDS 4.5, OPPONENT 2.8.

--SHIELDS is 20-8 against the run line (+13.7 Units) in day games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was SHIELDS 4.6, OPPONENT 3.3.

--SHIELDS is 7-1 against the run line (+7.6 Units) after giving up <=2 earned runs in his last 2 outings this season. (Team's Record)
The average score was SHIELDS 5.6, OPPONENT 3.4.

#915 HOUSTON @ #916 BOSTON - 7:10 PM
•Astros RH Scott Feldman (6-8, 4.14 ERA, WHIP: 1.395) - Feldman is completely recovered from a rough stretch that marred most of July and is looking for his fourth straight quality start. The veteran struck out six while allowing three runs over 6 1/3 innings to beat Texas on Saturday and has surrendered a total of five runs in his last three outings. Feldman did not have much luck against Boston on July 11, when he was lit up for seven runs on 11 hits and three walks in 5 1/3 frames to absorb a loss.

--KEY STAT: FELDMAN is 22-43 (-27.9 Units) against the money line versus an American League team with a team batting average of .260 or worse since 1997. (Team's Record)
The average score was FELDMAN 4.1, OPPONENT 5.1.

--FELDMAN is 31-49 (-26.2 Units) against the money line versus American League teams scoring 4.7 or less runs/game on the season since 1997. (Team's Record)
The average score was FELDMAN 4.4, OPPONENT 4.9.

--FELDMAN is 18-4 against the run line (+15.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was FELDMAN 5.0, OPPONENT 3.4.

•Red Sox RH Allen Webster (2-1, 4.91 ERA, WHIP: 1.500) - Webster bounced back from a disastrous turn and earned himself another chance by holding the Los Angeles Angels to two runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings to pick up a win on Friday. The 24-year-old issued just two walks in that start after handing out six free passes in 2 2/3 frames is his previous turn. Webster owns an 8.10 ERA in six career games - five starts - in Boston.
_______________________________________

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#917 TAMPA BAY @ #918 TEXAS - 8:05 PM
•Rays RH Jake Odorizzi (8-9, 3.89 ERA, WHIP: 1.304) - The Rays send Jake Odorizzi to the hill as they look for a sixth win in their last eight. The right-hander is 6-3 with a 2.63 ERA over 11 starts since June 10, a stretch in which he's gone 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA in four road outings.
Odorizzi was impressive as the visitor again Saturday, striking out nine while allowing three hits in six innings of a 4-0 win over the Chicago Cubs. He yielded three hits in six scoreless innings of an 8-1 home win in his only career meeting with Texas on April 4.

--KEY STAT: ODORIZZI is 8-0 OVER (+8.3 Units) versus teams outscored by opponent by 0.5 or more runs/game on the season over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was ODORIZZI 6.6, OPPONENT 6.1.

•Rangers LH Robbie Ross Jr. (2-4, 5.61 ERA, WHIP: 1.551) - Ross began the season in the rotation but was roughed up often in nine starts and was demoted to the bullpen. He continued to struggle and was eventually demoted to Triple-A Round Rock in mid-June and went 4-4 with a 5.10. Right-handed hitters are batting .349 and slugging .482 against the left-hander. Ross has allowed two hits in 5 2/3 innings over five scoreless relief appearances against Tampa Bay.

Interleague
#919 PITTSBURGH @ #920 DETROIT - 1:05 PM
•Pirates LH Francisco Liriano (3-8, 3.82 ERA, WHIP: 1.292) - Liriano is 0-1 with a 10.38 ERA in two interleague outings this season after going 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA in 2013. He suffered his lone interleague loss last season in Detroit on May 27, giving up four runs in five innings of a 6-5 defeat. After a rocky, injury-plagued first half in 2014, Liriano is 2-1 with a 1.69 ERA in five outings since the All-Star break. The left-hander, though, has received a combined two runs of support in his last two games. He took a 2-1 loss to San Diego on Saturday despite yielding two runs, three hits and one walk in seven innings.

--KEY STAT: LIRIANO is 39-18 UNDER (+18.3 Units) in day games since 1997. (Team's Record)
The average score was LIRIANO 3.7, OPPONENT 4.0.

•Tigers RH Max Scherzer (13-4, 3.13 ERA, WHIP: 1.161) - Scherzer was superb in his last outing but ended up with a no-decision against Toronto. He allowed one run and four hits in eight innings and struck out 11 while walking none. Scherzer is 2-2 with a 3.78 ERA in six career appearances (five starts) against the Pirates. The right-hander will try to become the AL's first 14-game winner in his first start against Pittsburgh since June 23, 2012. He last faced the Pirates at Comerica Park a month before that, striking out a career-high 15 over seven innings in a 4-3 win.

--KEY STAT: SCHERZER is 31-10 (+15.6 Units) against the money line versus teams whose hitters strike out 7 or more times/game over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was SCHERZER 5.3, OPPONENT 2.9.

--SCHERZER is 15-1 (+13.2 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -175 to -250 over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was SCHERZER 5.9, OPPONENT 2.9.

--SCHERZER is 12-0 (+12.5 Units) against the money line when playing on Thursday over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was SCHERZER 6.8, OPPONENT 2.8.

--SCHERZER is 19-3 (+12.2 Units) against the money line in home games in day games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was SCHERZER 5.9, OPPONENT 3.5.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

UNDER Umpire Streakers

#913 UN 7 -110 OAK/KC 1.10u to win 1.00u
TGibson 80v/16un L24gms 66.7%

[Can'tPickAWinner]

BONES BEST BET

DODGERS ML +110 *2*

There is good value in the Dodgers as an underdog here. Before last nights 3-2 loss the Dodgers had won 7 straight vs the Braves. They are also 39-26 on the road this year. The Dodgers have won 7 of 10 while the Braves have won 3 of 10. Hernandez has better numbers than Harang this year and he has been hot pitching to a 1.71 ERA and 0.62 WHIP his last 3 starts. Harang has lost his last 3 starts and has struggled with a 1.47 WHIP.

PIRATES @ TIGERS F5 UNDER 4 -125 *3*

Scherzer looking like himself again now with 9 straight quality starts allowing 1 run in 5 of those, 2 runs in 3 starts and 3 runs just once. Meanwhile, Liriano after a rough start to his season has also come into his own. He also has not allowed more than 3 runs in 9 straight starts dating all the way back to May 30th

[Can'tPickAWinner]

livewebpicks

KC Royals

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Joe Gavazzi

4% Arizona Diamondbacks +110
3% Tampa Bay Rays -135

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Northcoast

TV play Jax +3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

SPORTS INSURANCE ADJUSTERS

3* Tampa Bay RL-1.5 +120
3* Detroit RL-1.5 +110
3* Milwaukee RL-1.5 +125
3* St. Louis RL-1.5 +135
3* Boston RL-1.5 + 140

Free play – Cincinnati +105 vs Colorado

[Can'tPickAWinner]

GOODFELLA

Thursday Early Game MLB Team Total

DETROIT TIGERS – OVER 4 RUNS (-125 @BOL)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

STATFOX DAVE'S BEST BET

JACKSONVILLE (401) AT CHICAGO (402)
Latest Line: BEARS -3.5; Total: 41

Gonna fade the line movement in tonight's contest and lay the points with the Bears. Chicago is bringing to much to the table versus low-scoring Jaguars and this trend is in our favor: Play On Favorites (CHICAGO) - after gaining 400 or more total yards in their previous game. (27-9 over the last 5 Pre-Seasons.)
BEARS -3.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Wunderdog Sports

Complimentary MLB Pick for August 14th, 2014

Game: Cincinnati Reds @ Colorado Rockies
Time: Thursday 08/14 8:40 PM Eastern
Pick: Colorado -116 (moneyline) at 5Dimes

The Colorado Rockies are well known for the fact that they simply can't hit on the road, and usually take their lumps. They are off a road trip where they went 1-5, scoring just 19 runs. It runs their road record to a dismal 18-44 on the season, but alas, they return home again where they are a completely different team. The Rockies are just two games below .500 at home, and take on Cincinnati who actually has a worse road record than that at three games under the .500 mark. The Reds send struggling all-star Alfredo Simon to the mound. Simon since the all-star break, is 0-4 with a no decision, has not won in the second half of the season. The Reds are 0-7 in their last seven road games vs. a losing team. The Rockies have been lights-out at home behind DeLaRosa where they are a masterful 44-8 in his last 52 home starts. Take Colorado.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

newworldinsiders

detroit insider -- pirates +160

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sean Michaels
50 Dimer
St Louis Cardinals RL

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Art Aronson

7* Det -162
8* Under 9 Red Sox / Astros

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Danny B

Milwaukee Brewers -125

[golden contender]

Thursday card has the 21-2 MLB Total of the Week, the NFLX ESPN Power system Play and a 5* MLB Blowout system NFLX Sides 33-15 last 3 years. Free plays 26-14. MLB Live dog below. NFL Seasonal Pack 75% off. FREE Play below


On Thursday the free MLB Dog with Bite is on the NY. Mets. Game 908 at 7:15 eastern. The Mets will look to salvage the last game of the series here tonight against Washington. They have Dillon Gee on the Mound and he has a 7-3 record and 3.23 era vs Washington and has been solid at home with a 3.37 era this year. The Nationals are favored here with S. Strasburg on the mound but he is 1-8 with a 5.25 road era this year and has allowed 8 runs in 12 innings with 3 home runs in his last 2 starts here. So this looks like a good spot to fade him and take the Mets. There is also a solid data base system in this game that plays on home dogs with a total that is 8 or less that are off a 1 run home dog loss where they scored 2 or less runs and had 1 or less errors, vs an opponent off a 1 run road favored win that scored 4 or less runs on 5 or more hits. These home dogs are 7 games over .500 since 2004. Look for the Mets to take the finale. On Thursday its another Powerful Card with an Early 21-2 MLB Total of the Week, a 5* Blowout system at night that wins by 3 runs on average and a Powerful ESPN NFLX Side in the Jacksonville at Chicago game. NFLX Sides are 33-15 the last few seasons. Jump on and win big with the finest data available. For the free Play take the NY.Mets. GC

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sports Cash System

extra bonus system for today:

Washington Nationals -145 over the New York Mets (Bet Level 3) (Money Line Bet) (MLB Baseball) - Game Starts at 7:10 PM EST

[Can'tPickAWinner]

BURNS early play Tigers

[Can'tPickAWinner]

THE FACTSMAN

NFLx Thursday Video Pick

Chicago Bears -3.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Indian Cowboy
7* Under 143 Indiana vs. New York

[Can'tPickAWinner]

BEN BURNS early play Tigers


10* MLB BLUE CHIP SUPER TOTAL!
Under 7 – Washington vs New York Mets

Thursday MLB ROAST!
Washington Nationals ML-133

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Dr. Ed Meyer | MLB Money Line

dime bet – 907 WAS (-133) vs 908 NYM

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Maddux

10* Colorado -110
10* KC Royals -109

[Can'tPickAWinner]

BONES BEST BET

ATHLETICS @ ROYALS – UNDER 7 +100 *4* BEST BET

These teams have went under in 4 of 6 meetings. The As have went under in 6 of 10 overall and the Royals in 7 of 10 overall. Samardzija has been lights out since joining the As and has pitched to a 3.08 ERA and an even better 0.91 WHIP. Shields has been solid too giving up only 9 runs in his last 7 starts and 6 of those starts have went under.

PADRES ML +152 *1*
PADRES – TT OVER 3 -120 *1*

While the Padres have struggled on the road this season, they seem to have turned a corner and there is plenty of value here with the way Lackey has been pitching. Lackey has NOT been good of late. Over his past 8 starts he owns a 6.36 ERA. The Padres have wins in 11 of their past 14 games – including a 3-2 record on the road and a 2-1 series in San Diego against these same Cardinals. Stults meanwhile has been putting some solid starts together allowing more than 3 runs just once in his past 9 outings. For the team total, San Diego has scored more than 3 runs in each of their past 4 games and are averaging 5.25 in that span. Meanwhile just twice in Lackey’s last 8 starts has the opposing team scored less than 3 runs.

RAYS ML -135 *2*
RAYS F5 ML -134 *2*

With Robbie Ross on the mound for the Rangers, we expect a similar offensive output as what we saw yesterday against Mikolas. Ross owns a 1.66 WHIP and a 5.61 ERA on the season and the Rangers are just 2-7 in his starts. Tampa is on fire with wins in 5 of 7 outscoring their opponents 36-13 in that span.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Topshelfpicks

Carson K

2* Rockies

1* Diamondbacks

I have made a few dollars betting against Simon the last couple of weeks. He's like my own little ATM machine. Now he gets to face the Rockies tonight, this should be fun. He couldn't beat them when he was pitching well in his own park. What's he gonna do in Colorado now that he's falling apart? The last time they faced(@Cincy) he went 3in, 8h, 5r & gave up 3 home runs. Now the Rockies will see him at home were they are batting .317 & hit 80 HRs. (Road .236 & 54HRs)

The Rockies send out De la Rosa. At 1st glance you my say, "he isn't much better, just look at his last 3 starts". Well, they were all on the road and the run support wasn't the greatest. But he still managed to only walk 2 & strike out 15 in those starts, so there was an up side. At home this year he is 7-2 with a 3.23era & .239oppBA.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Against the Number

402 Chicago Bears -3

Yes this is the chalky popular side. That doesn’t mean it’s not the right side. The Bears are coming of a shootout win over the Eagles that involved the entire offensive roster from top to bottom. While the defense didn’t have many highlights, there is some expectation that a Chip Kelly offense will give you some trouble when you’re playing a lot of rookies and 3rd stringers. The Jags don’t have Chip Kelly in case you hadn’t noticed. The Jags did squeak by another disappointing team from Florida in the Bucs in week one but there was nothing pretty about that game. Bortles showed that he may have some promise in the future but with so few weapons around him it may be awhile. Henne is supposed to play most if not all of the first half, and while he is experienced, he is far from effective. The entire Jags roster is scattered with rookies and first year starters, and while the Bears defense is far from being a veteran unit one you get past the 1st string, their offense is pretty deep and should have no trouble moving the ball again tonight. I know it’s preseason and all sorts of weird things happen but I am looking at a Bears win going away here. Lets look for 27-13 Chicago and cash that ticket.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Brandon Watson

Dodgers/BravesUNDER 7.5 -110

Athletics +103

[Can'tPickAWinner]

NonStopSportsPicks

1* Jaguars

One small play in football tonight. Think the Bears will come out and score with Cutler likely, but from there, it’s a full-blown QB battle in Jacksonville. BOTH QBs will be looking to move the ball. Henne playing with starters for the 1H & Bortles 2H. Taking the points with the Jags here.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

ROOSTER

early play

Under 3.5 – (1st 5innings) – Milwaukee vs Chicago Cubs

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BIG MONEY DOGS

Jim's Pick
Tampa Bay Rays ML-120

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Chris Jordan

800* Red Sox Run Line

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Craig Davis

NFL

30* Jaguars

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Gabriel Dupont

50* Chicago Bears

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Scott Delaney

40* Bears/Jags Under

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Paul Leiner

100* Royals -110
50* Marlins -130
1500* Jaguars +4

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Doc Sports

4* Houston Astros ML

[Can'tPickAWinner]

GAMBLING GOD

League: MLB
Team A: Brewers
Team B: Cubs
Pick: Brewers moneyline
Risk:$122 to win $100
Time: 11:00 AM PT

[Can'tPickAWinner]

ADVANCED SPORTS INVESTMENTS

PJ’S TENNIS CLUB
ATP – WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN @ CIN, OHIO, USA

7:05PM- M YOUZHNY +150 vs D FERRER

*MATCHUPS MUST BE FULLY COMPLETED FOR ACTION *

[Can'tPickAWinner]

HARRY BONDI

NFL Preseason Free Pick
JACKSONVILLE (+3.5) over Chicago
8 p.m. ET — ESPN

The Bears looked great last week in a 34-28 victory over Philadelphia, but the results of that game have this week’s pointspread a little inflated. After such a good showing, don’t expect the Chicago coaching staff to game plan too much on offense this week. The team has already suffered a decent amount of injuries and will be looking to simply survive tonight and escape without any more unnecessary bumps and bruises. Jay Cutler will get limited snaps and then the majority of playing time at QB will go to Jimmy Clausen and Jordan Palmer. The Jags, meanwhile, didn’t look great on offense last week in a 16-10 yawner over Tampa Bay. Look for QB Chad Henne to get more reps with the first-team offense in the first half and then turn the offense over to rookie Blake Bortles in the second half. Let’s take the generous points with the team that has more to prove and will play its starters and second-stringers much longer.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

RIVER CITY SHARPS

Lots of reasons to like the UNDER 7.5 here tonight in St. Louis. We are going to trust that the Cardinals are going to get a solid home performance from Lackey and the Padres continue to struggle to score runs on the road. With that said, the Cardinals do struggle to consistently hit left-handed pitching and the Padres will give the ball to lefty Eric Stults, who has lots of positive trend lines working in our favor. How about the fact that in Stults last 23 games as a road dog between +110 and +150, the UNDER is 17-4-2 in those contests, while the UNDER is 18-7-1 in the Cardinals last 26 home games vs. a left-handed starter. There are lots more trend lines pointing towards a low scoring affair, so we’re going to fire on this one. The Sharps say…

3 UNITS – STL/SD – UNDER 7.5 (-110)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

DAVE COKIN

Super Trend: 44-8 Situation Colorado Rockies ML

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Anthony Michael (YouWinNow)

#401 Jacksonville Jaguars +4 (8:00 edt) ESPN

Many great trends here pointing to the Jags. Jacksonville is 13-1 ATS on the road against NFC teams and they are 11-3 ATS on the road off of a home game. The Bears are 1-11 ATS in the second of back to back home games and they have only covered 3 of their last 18 times when playing their second pre-season game at home. Jacksonville is 19-12 ATS as a pre-season dog and Chicago is 19-26 ATS as a pre-season favorite. Take the Jags and the points here.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

LineCatchers

NFL Preseason Week 2!

It’s not often the Jacksonville Jaguars appear on national TV but they will get some national exposure as they meet the Chicago Bears on ESPN on Thursday night.

The Bears looked good in last weeks 34-28 win over the Eagles but I believe this line (-3) is slightly inflated. I fully expect the Bears to sit their starters for the majority of tonight’s game with QB Jay Cutler getting limited snaps. Jimmy Clausen and Jordan Palmer will do most of the play calling behind centre with backup players at WR and TE. It is worth noting that the Bears are only 1-3 ATS in Week 2 of the preseason the last four years.

The Jags beat the Bucs 16-10 last week and looked solid defensively in a low scoring game. QB Chad Henne should play a lot more series tonight with the first-team offense especially in the first half. Rookie QB Blake Bortles went 7-11 for 117 yards last week in two quarters of playing time and looked fairly comfortable in the pocket. The Jaguars are the team with a lot more to prove this season and winning is something they need to focus on even in preseason.

Jacksonville Jaguars + 3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

XpertPicks

THURSDAY

TOP NFL FOOTBALL PLAY



Play Jacksonville +3.5 over Chicago----NFL THURSDAY PRESEASON GOY


Jacksonville has covered the spread in 11 of the last 16 preseason games when playing as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points and they have covered the spread in 20 of the last 31 preseason games coming off a win against the spread in their last game.Jacksonville has covered the spread in 14 of the last 20 preseason games coming off a game with a turnover margin of +2 or better and they are only allowing an average of 10 points a game on defense in preseason this year.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Doc's Sports
2014-08-16 (2 days)


MLB Premium Picks



League
Date
Time (ET)
Matchup
Pick


MLB
Aug 14 ,2014
7:10p
[915] Houston Astros[916] Boston Red Sox
Houston Astros +141
at BMaker


4-unit Play Take #915 Houston Astros over Boston Red Sox (7:10pm EST) It's hard to believe how sharp the decline has been for the Boston Red Sox. After winning the World Series last season, they find themselves in last place in the AL East at 54-65. And it's not like they've been unfortunate with tons of injuries or lots of losses in close games. This team has just played terrible baseball and they've deserved what they have gotten. As of today, they are only five games better than the Houston Astros - their opponent in this one. The Astros actually have a better record than the Red Sox from May on and are getting better by the day with all of their young talent. Tonight we see two bad starting pitchers in Scott Feldman for the Stros and Allen Webster for the BoSox. Feldman is a cagey veteran that doesn't have great stuff but always seems to keep his team in the game. He own s a respectable 4.14 ERA but his peripheral numbers are nothing special. Webster is a complete mess at the moment. He comes with a 4.93 ERA, but he has a horrific 8-13 K/BB ratio. That's as bad of a ratio as you will, and is ERA is going to continue to climb if he can't improve. Webster had a decent season in Triple-A, but the pressure is clearly getting to him in the majors. Until he figures that out, Webster is fade material. We get a great price on Houston and will gladly take it.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jack Jones
2014-08-16 (2 days)


MLB Premium Picks

Top Pick


League
Date
Time (ET)
Matchup
Pick


MLB
Aug 14 ,2014
8:40p
[911] Cincinnati Reds[912] Colorado Rockies
Cincinnati Reds +110
at bovada (http://www.bovada.lv/)


20* MLB Underdog GAME OF THE MONTH on Cincinnati Reds +110

Great value here for a Cincinnati Reds team that needs to make a run. At 60-60, they trail the Brewers by 5.5 games for first place in the NL Central and the Cardinals by 3.5 games for the final NL wild card spot. They should get right against the league-worst Colorado Rockies (46-74).

Alfredo Simon is having a tremendous season in Cincinnati this year. The right-hander has gone 12-7 with a 3.08 ERA and 1.147 WHIP in 23 starts, including 7-3 with a 2.89 ERA and 1.098 WHIP in 12 road starts. He'll be up against a Rockies team that is without their two best players in Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez.

Jorge De La Rosa has been the best starter in Colorado's rotation this year, but that's not saying much. The left-hander has gone 11-8 with a 4.34 ERA and 1.255 WHIP in 23 starts. De La Rosa hasn't had any success against tonight's opponent, going 2-2 with a 7.64 ERA and 1.924 WHIP in four career starts against the Reds.

Cincinnati is 34-8 (+25.1 Units) against the money line vs. an NL starting pitcher whose ERA is 4.20 to 4.70 over the last three seasons. The Rockies are 12-43 in their last 55 games vs. a right-handed starter. Colorado is 5-22 in its last 27 during game 1 of a series.

Simon is 9-0 (+10.0 Units) against the money line on the road when the money line is +125 to -125 this season. The Reds are 9-1 in their last 10 games vs. a left-handed starter. The Reds are 7-0 in Simons last seven road starts vs. a team with a losing record. These three trends combine for a 25-1 system backing Cincinnati. Bet the Reds Thursday.




[ back to top (https://us-mg5.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.rand=5sgda55ccu9k7#top_label) ]
NFLX Premium Picks



League
Date
Time (ET)
Matchup
Pick


NFLX
Aug 14 ,2014
8:00p
[401] Jacksonville Jaguars[402] Chicago Bears
Jacksonville Jaguars +4-115
at bovada (http://www.bovada.lv/)


15* Jaguars/Bears NFLX Thursday No-Brainer on Jacksonville +4

No Analysis For Preseason. Picks are based off of team depth, especially QB depth, and coaching strategies among other situations.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Kevin's Pick(s):
Last night's pick start off pretty good, but quickly went downhill as the game ended up well over the total. Two system plays today...
2 UNIT = Pittsburgh Pirates @ Detroit Tigers - TIGERS -1.5 (+115)
Listed Pitchers: Liriano vs Scherzer
(Note: I'm risking 2.00 units to win 2.30 units)
2 UNIT = Washington Nationals @ New York Mets - METS TO WIN (+140)
Listed Pitchers: Strasburg vs Gee
(Note: I'm risking 2.00 units to win 2.80 units)


Kyle's Pick(s)
2 UNIT = Oakland Athletics @ Kansas City Royals - UNDER 7.5 RUNS (-125)
Listed Pitchers: Samardzija vs. Shields
(Note: I'm risking 2.00 units to win 1.60 units)
Last night certainly went according to plan. Mikolas got torched like expected and our bet was never in doubt. The only thing I didn't do right was put 5 units on it.
Afternoon start here in Kansas City, which is typically the norm for Thursday around the league. Two well known commodities will duel one another, as Jeff Samardzija will go up against James Shields. Samardzija has come a long way from playing football and baseball at Notre Dame. Most people knew him as Jeff Samardzija the football player, not baseball back then. Now with a steady career in baseball, Samardzija has made a name for himself, and now will be counted on to take the A's deep into the playoffs. With an ERA of 2.83 the pressure on him will be elevated once we hit that time of year. He's been okay lately, for his standards, with a 3.18 ERA his last three starts. However, his last two he only allowed 2 runs each. The Royals haven't faced Samardzija as a starting pitcher in his career, advantage to the pitcher. He'll need to contend with James Shields who has been money for the Royals the past few weeks. He's gone eight starts not allowing more than 3 runs. In addition, his ERA is stellar at 1.17 in his last three starts, and the WHIP is good as well with a 0.83. This equates to Shields being one of the hottest pitchers in the majors currently. He only gave up 4 hits and 2 runs in his last outing against the A's. Shields is on a 4-0 run to the UNDER and 6 out of his last 7. In their last ten games, both teams haven't looked good against right-handed pitching, .238 for the A's and .233 for the Royals. Both pitchers should be able to make quick work of the opposing lineups. I see a 3-2, 4-2 type ballgame, so in my opinion the UNDER 7.5 looks good. A number that I thought was going to be 7.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jimmy Boyd
2014-08-16 (2 days)


MLB Premium Picks

Top Pick


League
Date
Time (ET)
Matchup
Pick


MLB
Aug 14 ,2014
7:10p
[907] Washington Nationals[908] New York Mets
Washington Nationals -135
at BetOnline (http://www.betonline.ag/)


5* NL East Game of the Month on Nationals -
Washington has taken the first two games of the series and I'm confident they will finish off the sweep Thursday. The Nationals have simply owned the Mets over the last 3 years. They are 35-13 overall and a dominant 20-4 in New York.
The Nationals will send out Stephen Strasburg, who has a 4-1 team record with a 2.70 ERA and 1.000 WHIP over 5 career starts against the Mets. Strasburg was rocked for 7 runs in his last start, but he's got a strong history of bouncing back from a bad outing like that. In the 4 previous times he allowed more than 5 earned runs, he's came back in his next start and allowed 2 runs or less.
New York is just 4-18 in the second half of the season over the last 3 years against teams who are outscoring opponents by 0.5 or more runs/game and 1-7 in Gee's last 8 home starts as an underdog of +110 to +150. Washington is 37-17 in their last 54 games as a home favorite and 18-8 in Strasburg's last 26 starts in game 3 of a series. All these trends combine to form a 73% (80-30) system in favor of the Nationals. Take Washington!

[Can'tPickAWinner]

XpertPicks

THURSDAY BASEBALL




Play Miami -120 over Arizona----Top Play (Risk 5% of your Bankroll)

7:00 PM EST

Brad Penny has won 70 of the last 115 games when pitching as a favorite of -125 to -175 and he has won 98 of the last 161 home games. Brad Penny has won 77 of the last 145 games when pitching in the 2nd half of the season and he has won 61 of the last 99 games after giving up one or less earned runs in his last outing.





Play Washington -130 over New York Mets----Top Play (Risk 5% of your Bankroll)
7:00 PM EST


Dillon Gee has lost 15 of the last 20 games after giving up one or less earned run in his last outing and he has lost 14 of the last 21 games when the total posted is seven runs or less. Dillon Gee has lost 7 of the last 8 games when pitching as a home underdog of +125 or higher and he has lost 23 of the last 38 night games.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

BeatYourBookie

THURSDAY

MLB BASEBALL


10* Play Miami -120 over Arizona (MLB TOP PLAY)

Arizona is 38-52 vs. NL East Division Opponents
Arizona is 64-84 in road games when the total posted is between 7 and 8.5 runs
Arizona is 59-74 in road games when playing as an underdog of +100 to +150


10* Play Washington -130 over New York Mets (MLB TOP PLAY)

Washington is 41-26 when playing in the month of August
Washington is 32-18 when playing on a Thursday
Washington is 72-40 when playing as a road favorite of -110 or higher

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

5* Play Texas -130 over Tampa Bay (MLB BONUS PLAY)
5* Play Kansas City -105 over Oakland (MLB BONUS PLAY)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

FantasySportsGametime

THURSDAY NFL FOOTBALL

5000* Play Jacksonville +3.5 over Chicago (TOP NFL PLAY)

Chicago has lost 25 of the last 42 preseason home games against the spread and they have lost 20 of the last 34 preseason games against the spread when playing as a favorite.Chicago has lost 30 of the last 49 preseason games against the spread when playing with six or less days of rest and they have lost 18 of the last 30 preseason games coming off a win in their last game

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Teddy Covers

San Diego +152

[Can'tPickAWinner]

King Creole

Jax Over 42

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jeff Clement

Oakland +108 Underdog of the Day

10* Miami -130

Cincinnati/Colorado UNDER 9.5 (-102)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Trev Rogers

Houston/Boston OVER 9 (-110)

Washington -135

St. Louis -1.5 (+140)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Worlds Worst Picker

Cincy
Boston game over

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Behind The Bets

Reds +109
Rays -133

[Can'tPickAWinner]

USA sports monitor MLB
Alpha omega (2nd in MLB)

Cubs +115
NY Mets +130

[Can'tPickAWinner]

DHAYES2

1* Jacksonville Jaguars +3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Mike Rose

Padres

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Diamond Dog Sports

#915: Astros: +125 (1*)
Listed Pitchers: Feldman/Webster


#915/916: Astros/Red Sox: Over 9.0 (-105) (2.5*)
Listed Pitchers: Feldman/Webster

#401/402: Jaguars/Bears: Over 43.0 (-110) (.5)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Stu Feiner

Jaguars

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Betting As A Business
MLB (7:10 et)
Washington (Strasburg) -150 / NY Mets (Gee) 7:10 ET 1.50 Units
(Play ON WASHINGTON)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

INSIDE VEGAS / CORY KLUGE
2 MLB Sharp Plays
Colorado Rockies -119ML
NY Mets +135ML

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Joe Gavazzi

3% Jacksonville Jaguars +3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

EXECUTIVE

PRE-SEASON

150 Jacksonville Jaguars

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sheep

JAX +3.5 1000*

COL -130 F5 1000*

[Can'tPickAWinner]

RickJ's Handicapping Picks Thursday MLB Play
1 Unit
Texas +120
1/2 U
Colorado O9.5+101

[Can'tPickAWinner]

SPORTS BANK
NFLX
under

[Can'tPickAWinner]

THE WAGER WIRE / Joey Buckets

Jaguars vs Bears - Under 42 (-110) 1u

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Human factor
Over bears

[Can'tPickAWinner]

VEGAS RUNNER

NFAC Late MLB Move = 1910) ST LOUIS -170 (1st 5 Innings)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

BigBetTiger

* NFLx (402) TOTAL UNDER 42-110 (JAC JAGUARS vrs CHI BEARS)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

BONES BEST BET

added

REDS ML +112 *3*

[Can'tPickAWinner]

SPORTS PICK PREDICTIONS

Houston Astros RUNLINE +1.5 -135 (1 unit)
Arizona Diamonbacks +114 (1 unit)
New York Mets +135 (1 unit)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

WAYNE ROOT

millionaire jacksonville