8-27-14

[Can'tPickAWinner]

STATSYSTEMS SPORTS MLB REPORT

***** Wednesday, 8/27/14 MLB Information *****
(ALL RESULTS VS. ML) - Against The Money-Line - and most recent, unless noted otherwise. Each and every day during the 2014 Major League Baseball season we will analyze all of your daily baseball action, featuring on hot and cold pitchers, hot and cold teams, over/unders and home plate umpire trends. We will also highlight some of our Highly-Rated (Situational & Match-up) Power Trends, along with some of our Situational Analysis (Betting Systems) that pertain to some of that days match-ups.
__________________________________________________ ___

MLB Betting News and Notes - Week #22
•MLB Denies Rays' Protest: Major League Baseball on Tuesday denied the formal protest filed by the Tampa Bay Rays regarding their Aug. 23rd game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto. The Rays lost the game, 5-4 in 10 innings. But Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon protested the game because of a fourth inning decision by umpiring crew chief Bob Davidson. Davidson allowed Toronto manager John Gibbons to challenge a call at first base on an attempted picked off of Wil Myers. The call was overturned and Myers was call out. Blue Jays pitcher Mark Buehrle was standing on the rubber and Yunel Escobar was standing in the batter's box before Gibbons left the dugout to challenge the safe call. Maddon argued that because the players were in place, the challenge should not have been allowed.

"It's a legitimate protest," Maddon said. "Hitter in box, pitcher on the rubber, that locks the mechanism, period." On Tuesday, Joe Torre, executive vice president for baseball operations, denied Maddon's protest. Davidson stood by his decision after the game. "I've got everything in front of me," he said. "I see Buehrle, he's on the rubber, and as I'm seeing Escobar getting ready from my judgment to get into the box, now I see Gibbons giving the thumbs up that he's coming out. So I thought, in my judgment, that it was in time to file a challenge on the play. I'm looking at Gibbons and he's coming out, and he's not a speed merchant, and I thought, it's on time. We want to get the play correct, that's what we're out here for, so that was my thinking on that."

•Eaton Rejoins White Sox From DL: The Chicago White Sox activated outfielder Adam Eaton from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday after a rehab stint in the minor leagues. Eaton suffered a strained oblique muscle earlier this month and was sidelined for nearly three weeks. In two weekend minor league rehab games with Triple-A Charlotte, Eaton went 3-for-10 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base. The 25-year-old Eaton was in the midst of a good first season with the White Sox before the injury, batting .304 with one home run and 32 RBIs and a .370 on-base percentage in 94 games. Eaton came to the White Sox during the offseason in a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks involving pitcher Hector Santiago.

•Cubs Set To Bring Up OF Soler: One of the talented young players in the well-stocked Chicago Cubs' farm system is expected to be called up to the big leagues. According to reports, Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler will join the Cubs before Wednesday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. The 22-year-old Soler is batting .338 this season in the minor leagues with 15 home runs and 54 RBIs for Triple-A Iowa, Double-A Tennessee and the Cubs' rookie league team in Mesa, Ariz. Soler was removed from Iowa's game against Tacoma on Monday night after belting a three-run homer, his eighth home run of the season for the Triple-A team, off Seattle Mariners pitching prospect Taijuan Walker.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Soler, called a "freakish athlete" by one of his teammate, defected from Cuba in 2011 and signed a nine-year, $30 million contract with the Cubs in June 2012. The Cubs, in last place in the National League East and trailing the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers by 14 1/2 games, have started to bring some of their top prospects to the majors. The most recent of the call-ups was outfielder Matt Szczur, a fifth-round draft pick in 2010. Other young players on the Cubs' roster include Javier Baez and Arismendy Alcantara.

•Giants Demote Lincecum To Bullpen: Tim Lincecum was demoted to the bullpen Monday. The question is: For how long? In announcing that the two-time Cy Young Award winner would be replaced by Yusmeiro Petit in the rotation effective immediately, San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy noted the new look will be re-evaluated after Petit's start Thursday against the Colorado Rockies. Bochy said he believes Lincecum's recent struggles -- he has 8-1, 7-4 and 6-2 losses among his last six starts -- are mostly mechanical and can be worked out in a series of bullpen sessions.

Skipping Lincecum at least once in the rotation gives him ample opportunity to space out three or four such sessions, Bochy noted. Petit, who has retired 38 consecutive batters in relief, is assured just one start. However, it is interesting to note his second start would be Sept 2 at Colorado, and Lincecum has been particularly bad (3-6 with a 6.33 ERA) on the road. The Rockies won the series opener between the teams Monday, taking a 3-2 win due in large part to a sloppy Giants defense that committed four errors.

•Mariners Give Hernandez Two Extra Days Of Rest: Lloyd McClendon's habit of shuffling his rotation to match up his best arms with playoff contenders continued Monday. The Seattle Mariners manager pushed Felix Hernandez's next start back two days -- from Wednesday to Friday. Rather than throwing Hernandez in Wednesday's series finale against the struggling Texas Rangers, the right-hander will get two extra days of rest -- Seattle has Thursday off -- before taking the mound Friday in the first game of a series against the Washington Nationals. McClendon has tried to cut back on his ace's innings, and he weighed pitching matchups since before the All-Star break, but his latest move might have the longest-lasting implications. It just so happens that Hernandez's revised five-day rotation would put him in position to be available for the Tuesday after the regular season -- meaning he could pitch the one-game wild-card matchup.

The biggest factor in moving Hernandez back is to provide some kind of in-season maintenance on an arm that has already thrown 191 innings this season. McClendon has been proactive in carefully monitoring Hernandez's pitch counts and giving him extra days of rest on several occasions. Friday would mark the 14th time this season that Hernandez starts on more than the typical four days of rest. He owns a 6-0 record and 1.83 ERA in 11 starts on five days rest and a 1-0 record and 1.38 ERA in two starts on six days or more of rest. The Mariners have yet to name a Wednesday starter, but Triple-A Tacoma right-hander Erasmo Ramirez appears to be a likely candidate. He has already started 13 times over four stints with Seattle this season. Twice over the past five weeks, he was recalled for spot starts and sent back to the minors immediately after. Ramirez's scheduled Tuesday start for Tacoma easily could be scratched to accommodate a start in Seattle the following afternoon.

•Boston Closer Uehara Not Getting Job Done Of Late: Koji Uehara is proving to be human after all. His success last season after he took over the closer's role for the Red Sox was a major reason Boston won the World Series. This year as the Red Sox continue to struggle and as they sit in last place in the American League East, recently Uehara has started to struggle also. In his past four games, he has allowed 10 hits and seven runs over 3 2/3 innings. He has blown saves in each of his past two appearances, including an epic five-run outing in which he allowed five ninth-inning runs in two-thirds of an inning in a 5-3 loss last Friday to the Seattle Mariners. That meant he had allowed runs in three consecutive games for the first time in his career as a reliever.

He did not allow a run in Monday's game but allowed all three of the runners he inherited from Clay Buchholz to score, two on a booming double by Edwin Encarnacion, the Blue Jays' designated hitter. Uehara got the win when the Red Sox scored in the 10th to beat Toronto 4-3. He does not think the reason is fatigue. "I'm not making the pitches that I need to," he said. "It's nothing about fatigue. It's about my split. All I can say is that I'm not finishing the pitches as I want to." "Maybe not as consistent finish to his stuff, whether it's the life to his fastball or the depth to his split, more the later action to both pitches," manager John Farrell said about a pitcher he has leaned upon heavily. "When he's been on the plate, that's when he hasn't been able to get away with a pitch that's been slightly mis-located."

When asked if Uehara might be shut down. "Not at this point," Farrell said. "I think what we're being very conscious of is the frequency of the use. There's nothing physical that is a restriction for him. We check in with him every day, he goes through his normal throwing program. I wouldn't rule it out, but at this point, we haven't considered shutting him down." Farrell admitted fatigue could be a factor. "I'm sure that's part of it," he said. "There's no denying the number of appearances he's had over a very extended year last year and the number of appearances this year. We try to give him ample rest between outings but he's been in a little bit of a tough stretch of late."

•Cardinals C Molina Might Return This Week: Yadier Molina might be back in the St. Louis Cardinals' lineup by the end of week, much sooner than originally expected. The star catcher is scheduled to report to Double-A Springfield on Tuesday to work out with the farm club. If all goes well, he will begin a rehab assignment Wednesday night against Arkansas in a Texas League game. When Molina tore ligaments in his right thumb July 9 and had surgery two days later, it was expected that he would be out until mid-September. Instead, his rehab has gone without a hitch, and he could return to the Cardinals as soon as Friday night when they open a four-game home series against the Chicago Cubs.

"I hate to put timetables on injuries, but if he is medically cleared, then it's a possibility," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of getting Molina by the weekend. "We have to make sure he feels comfortable swinging a bat and throwing before that decision can be made." Molina is hitting .287 with seven home runs in 87 games this season. He was selected to his sixth consecutive All-Star Game, though he was unable to play because of the injury. He has also won six National League Gold Gloves in a row. Veteran A.J. Pierzynski is doing the bulk of the catching with Molina sidelined. Signed by the Cardinals on July 26 after he was released 10 days earlier by the Boston Red Sox, Pierzynski is hitting .277 with one homer in 19 games with St. Louis.
____________________________________________

Betting Notes - Wednesday

National League
•Cardinals-Pirates - 12:35 PM
--Wainwright is 2-3, 6.03 in his last five starts.
--Locke is 3-0, 3.42 in his last four starts.

--Cardinals won nine of their last thirteen games.
--Pirates lost nine of their last thirteen games.

--Over is 5-2-1 in last eight Wainwright starts.

•Nationals-Phillies - 7:05 PM
--Fister is 2-1, 2.31 in his last four starts.
--Kendrick is 1-0, 7.71 in his last three starts.

--Nationals won 12 of their last 15 games, but lost last two.
--Phillies are 13-6 in their last nineteen home games.

--Last four Fister starts went over the total.

•Braves-Mets - 7:10 PM
--Teheran is 2-0, 1.50 in his last two starts.
--Wheeler is 5-0, 2.54 in his last ten starts.

--Atlanta lost its last three games, scoring five runs.
--Mets lost five of their last eight games.

--Five of last six New York games went over total.

•Cubs-Reds - 7:10 PM
--Wood is 0-5, 6,71 in his last nine starts.
--Cueto is 5-1, 2.45 in his last six starts.

--Cubs won seven of their last nine games.
--Cincinnati lost 11 of its last 14 games.

--Seven of last nine Chicago games stayed under; over is 8-4-1 in Cincinnati's last thirteen games.

•Brewers-Padres - 9:10 PM
--Gallardo is 3-2, 3.48 in his last five starts.
--Despaigne is 1-4, 7.04 in his last six starts.

--Brewers won seven of their last eleven games.
--San Diego lost six of its last nine games.

--Under is 7-1 in Gallardo's last eight road starts.

•Dodgers-Diamondbacks - 9:40 PM
--Kershaw is 4-1, 1.62 in his last six starts.
--Miley is 0-1, 2.29 in his last three starts.

--Dodgers won four of their last five games.
--Arizona lost eight of its last ten games.

--Eight of last eleven Dodger games went over the total.

•Rockies-Giants - 10:15 PM
--Morales is 0-3, 6.23 in his last five starts.
--Hudson is 1-3, 4.86 in his last six starts.

--Colorado won six of its last eight games.
--Giants lost three of last four games, are 11-24 in last 35 home games.

--Five of last six Morales road starts stayed under total.
___________________________________________

American League
•Rangers-Mariners - 3:40 PM
--Lewis is 0-3, 7.41 in his last three starts.
--Ramirez is 0-1 in his last six starts, despite a 1.15 RA (total of 31.1 IP).

--Rangers lost 13 of their last 19 road games.
--Seattle won 15 of its last 20 games.

--Under is 5-1-1 in last seven Lewis starts.

•Rays-Orioles - 7:05 PM
--Smyly is 2-1, 1.55 in four starts for Tampa Bay.
--Gausman is 1-2, 3.94 in his last three starts.

--Tampa Bay won four of its last six games.
--Orioles lost four of their last five games.

--Eight of last eleven Baltimore games stayed under.

•Yankees-Tigers - 7:05 PM
--Greene is 1-0, 2.37 in his last three starts.
--Price allowed two runs in 16 IP in splitting his last two starts.

--Yankees won five of its last six games.
--Detroit won seven of its last nine home games.

--Eight of last eleven New York games stayed under total.

•Red Sox-Blue Jays - 7:05 PM
--Kelly is 0-1, 4.09 in his four starts for Boston.
--Stroman allowed 11 runs in 5.2 IP in losing his last two starts.

--Boston lost eight of its last ten games, but won last two.
--Toronto lost ten of its last thirteen games.

--Five of last seven Boston games went over total.

•Indians-White Sox - 8:10 PM
--Kluber is 4-1, 1.32 in his last seven starts.
--Noesi is 2-2, 5.29 in his last five starts.

--Cleveland won ten of its last fourteen games.
--White Sox lost last seven games, allowing 41 runs.

--12 of last 14 Cleveland games stayed under total.

•Twins-Royals - 8:10 PM
--Hughes is 4-0, 1.32 in his last four starts.
--Hendriks was 1-0, 6.08 in three starts for Toronto earlier this spring; he was on the Twins from 2011-13, going 2-13 in 28 starts for them.

--Minnesota lost seven of its last ten games.
--Royals won 20 of their last 26 games.

--Seven of last ten Minnesota games went over total.

•Athletics-Astros - 8:10 PM
--Pomeranz was 0-2, 5.71 in his last three starts before punching chair on June 16 and breaking his non-throwing hand- this is his first start back.
--Peacock is 0-2 with a 7.90 ERA in three starts against Oakland this year.

--Oakland lost eight of last ten road games.
--Astros lost four of their last six games.

--Six of last seven Houston games stayed under total.

Interleague
•Marlins-Angels - 10:05 PM
--Alvarez is 4-0, 2.25 in his last four starts.
--Santiago is 0-0, 1.59 in his last three starts; Angel bullpen is 1-5 in his last six starts.

--Miami is 10-7 in its last seventeen games.
--Angels won ten of their last fourteen games.

--13 of last 19 Angel games stayed under the total.

•Incredible Stat of the Day
Cleveland Indians Corey Kluber is 22-6 in his team starts (78.5%) against the money line versus teams who strand 6.9 or less runners on base per game, including a spot-less 12-0 ledger for the Indians in the second half of the season over the last two seasons. Looking to continue his success at U.S. Cellular Field, Kluber tries to help Cleveland extend the White Sox's season-high skid to eight games Wednesday night.

The former 2009 fourth-round pick of the San Diego Padres allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings of a 7-4 home win over the White Sox on July 11, he improved to 1-0 with a 2.95 ERA against them this season. His first meeting of 2014 came April 13th, when he yielded two runs in 7 1/3 innings of a 4-3 loss at Chicago, where he is 2-0 with a 2.79 ERA in three assignments. The right-hander was 6-0 with a 1.31 ERA in eight starts prior to allowing three runs and walking four in seven innings of a 4-1 loss at Minnesota on Thursday.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Ecks and Bacon


Ben lee won on Tuesday in MLB in the National League with the Padres -$122/Brewers.

E&B have a futures play in College Football for the ACC Costal Division winner North Carolina at 4-1.

For Wednesday in MLB in Interleague play "Mr Chalk" likes the Angels -$145/Marlins.

Ben lee is 1-0 +$50 for week forty four 196-224-5 -$2847

"Mr Chalk" is 68-50 -$380 for the 2014 MLB season.

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

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Ben Burns


Boston vs. Toronto - August 27, 2014 - 7:07 PM
Pick: @ -139 Toronto
Expert: Ben Burns
Evaluation: Aug 27 - 7:07 PM
Reason For Pick:
9* Personal Favorite, Toronto Blue Jays


NY Yankees vs. Detroit - August 27, 2014 - 7:08 PM
Pick: @ -168 Detroit
Expert: Ben Burns
Evaluation: Aug 27 - 7:08 PM
Reason For Pick:
7* Blue Marlins, Detroit Tigers



Colorado vs. San Francisco - August 27, 2014 - 10:15 PM
Pick: @ Over 7 -117
Expert: Ben Burns
Evaluation: Aug 27 - 10:15 PM
Reason For Pick:
10* Blue Chip, OVER Giants

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Game of the Day: Yankees at Tigers

New York Yankees at Detroit Tigers (-172, 7.5)

David Price made a much-ballyhood change of address from Tampa Bay to Detroit at the trade deadline, but he will be facing a familiar foe when the Tigers host the New York Yankees on Wednesday night in the second of a three-game set. Price will oppose the Yankees for the fifth time this season, having posted a 1-1 record against them - including a no-decision in his Detroit debut on Aug. 5. The Tigers are 1 1/2 games out of first in the American League Central.

The Yankees had their five-game winning streak snapped with Tuesday's 5-2 defeat to drop 3 1/2 games behind Seattle for the second wild card and three back of Detroit. Jacoby Ellsbury, batting leadoff due to an injury to Brett Gardner, put up a week's worth of production in the past two games with six hits, three homers, five RBIs and four runs scored. Ellsbury, who reached 60 RBIs for the third time in his career, is 9-for-19 with four RBIs versus Price this season.

TV: 7:08 p.m. ET, ESPN, FSN Detroit.

LINE HISTORY: The Tigers opened as -168 home favorites and now sit at -172. The total is currently set at 7.5.

INJURY REPORT: Yankees - 1B Mark Teixeira (Probable, hamstring), LF Brett Gardner (Questionable, ankle), SP Masahiro Tanaka (15-day DL, arm), SP David Phelps (15-day DL, elbow). Detroit - 1B Miguel Cabrera (Probable, ankle), Anibal Sanchez (Early Sept, pectoral), Joakim Soria (15-day DL, oblique).

POWER RANKINGS: Yankees (-157), Tigers (-173) .

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RHP Shane Green (3-1, 3.17 ERA) vs. Tigers LHP David Price (11-8, 3.11 ERA).

Greene turned in the best performance of his brief-major league career against the Tigers on Aug. 7, earning the victory with a season-high eight scoreless innings of five-hit ball. He followed that up with a pair of no-decisions, striking out 10 and permitting two runs over six innings at Tampa Bay and allowing three runs and nine hits over five innings versus the Chicago White Sox last time out. He is 2-0 with a 2.59 ERA away from home.

Price suffered a gut-wrenching 1-0 defeat against his former team on Thursday, allowing a first-inning RBI triple and nothing more before setting down the final 23 batters of a one-hit, nine-strikeout masterpiece. He is 1-1 with in four outings with the Tigers, the lone win coming when he gave up one run in eight innings to beat Seattle on Aug. 16. Yankees catcher Brian McCann has tormented Price this season, going 5-for-12 with three home runs.

TRENDS:

* Under is 5-0 in the last five meetings.
* Over is 3-1-1 in the last five meetings in Detroit.
* Yankees are 1-5 in their last six meetings in Detroit.
* Tigers are 5-1 in their last six home games against a right-handed starter.

CONSENSUS: Sixty-two percent of wagers are behind Price and the Tigers at -172.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Wednesday's Tip Sheet
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider

Rays at Orioles

Probable Pitchers:
TB: Smyly (8-10, 3.42 ERA)
BAL: Gausman (7-5, 3.81 ERA)

Series recap: The Orioles bounced back after getting swept by the Cubs, as Baltimore has taken the first two games of this set. Following a 9-1 rout in Monday’s opener, the Orioles held off the Rays on Tuesday, 4-2 as short favorites, as Baltimore has won five of the past eight meetings against Tampa Bay.

What to watch for: Tampa Bay owns an impressive 8-1 record in its last nine Game 3’s of a road series, as this series concludes on Thursday. In four starts since joining the Rays’ rotation, Drew Smyly has cashed the ‘under’ all four times, while not allowing a run in his last two road outings. The Orioles are a perfect 6-0 in Kevin Gausman’s six night starts this season, while the right-hander has split a pair of outings against Tampa Bay.

Yankees at Tigers

Probable Pitchers:
NYY: Greene (3-1, 3.17 ERA)
DET: Price (12-9, 3.00 ERA)

Series recap: The Yankees saw their five-game winning streak disappear in Tuesday’s opener at Detroit in a 5-2 setback. New York played in its third different city in three days after winning a make-up game at Kansas City on Monday, while the Tigers improved to 2-3 this season against the Yankees.

What to watch for: The Tigers have compiled a 2-2 record in David Price’s four starts since coming over from the Rays, with one of those victories coming in the Bronx, 4-3 in extra innings. Detroit owns a 6-2 record in its last eight Game 2’s of a home series, while going 8-1 this season after winning the opener of a series at Comerica Park. Since the All-Star break, the Yankees have won all four road starts made by Shane Greene, as the right-hander tossed eight shutout innings the last time he faced the Tigers in a 1-0 victory.

Braves at Mets

Probable Pitchers:
ATL: Teheran (12-9, 2.96 ERA)
NYM: Wheeler (9-8, 3.48 ERA)

Series recap: The Mets found a way to edge the Braves last night, 3-2 even without David Wright and David Murphy in the lineup. New York has won five of the past six home meetings against Atlanta, as the Mets cashed on Tuesday as +140 underdogs.

What to watch for: The Braves are 2-3 in Julio Teheran’s previous five road starts, which includes an 8-3 setback at Citi Field as -145 favorites in early July. Since July, the Mets have won seven of Zack Wheeler’s last nine starts, with the only two losses coming in walk-off fashion by one run each. Wheeler has seen plenty of success against the Braves at home in his short career, winning all three times, each in the underdog role.

Indians at White Sox

Probable Pitchers:
CLE: Kluber (13-7, 2.46 ERA)
CHW: Noesi (7-9, 4.86 ERA)

Series recap: The White Sox dropped their seventh straight game after falling in extra innings to the Indians, 8-6 as -150 home favorites. Chicago erased an early 3-0 deficit by grabbing a 6-5 lead, but the Indians scored two runs in the top of the 10th inning to win their third consecutive contest.

What to watch for: For the first time since late June, Corey Kluber suffered a loss in his last start, a 4-1 defeat at Minnesota as a -135 road favorite. The Indians have dropped two of Kluber’s three outings against Chicago this season, as the right-hander struck out a career-high 13 in a 4-3 setback on May 4 in which the Cleveland bullpen allowed three runs in the ninth inning. Hector Noesi saw a four-game home winning streak in his starts snapped against Baltimore in his past trip to the mound, as the right-hander allowed six runs in a 7-4 defeat at Progressive Field in mid-July.

Brewers at Padres

Probable Pitchers:
MIL: Gallardo (8-7, 3.38 ERA)
SD: Despaigne (3-5, 3.44 ERA)

Series recap: The Brewers routed the Padres in Monday’s opener, 10-1 as -140 favorites, but followed that performance up with a clunker last night. San Diego cruised past Milwaukee, 4-1 as short favorites, as the Padres improved to 11-2 in their past 13 games at Petco Park.

What to watch for: Milwaukee has won each of Yovani Gallardo’s last three road starts, which includes victories as heavy dogs at Los Angeles (+170) and Tampa Bay (+155). Rookie Odrisamer Despaigne is coming off two rough road starts against the Diamondbacks and Cardinals, but the Padres have won three of his five outings at Petco Park. Four of the five meetings between these teams have finished ‘under’ the total, while the Padres have scored three runs or less four times.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

PAUL LEINER

100* Cardinals -135
50* Blue Jays -145

[Can'tPickAWinner]

EZWINNERS

MLB

3* (954) Phillies +$140
3* (978) Astros +$135

[Can'tPickAWinner]

ADVANCED SPORTS INVESTMENTS

PJ' TENNIS CORNER (+2.05)

ATP - US OPEN @ NEW YORK, U.S.A.
1105AM- F LOPEZ -150 vs I DODIG

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Advanced sports investments

perry's soccer club (+1.60)

england - league cup
245pm- queens park rangers @ burton albion - under 2.5 +100

[Can'tPickAWinner]

J.R Stevens/SMOOTH44

(962) Arizona +190

[Can'tPickAWinner]

BeatYourBookie

WEDNESDAY

MLB BASEBALL


10* Play Kansas City -140 over Minnesota (MLB TOP PLAY)

Minnesota is 22-45 when playing on a Wednesday
Minnesota is 32-49 when playing in the month of August
Kansas City is 51-32 when playing in the month of August



10* Play Oakland -125 over Houston (MLB TOP PLAY)

Houston is 45-83 vs. left-handed starting pitchers
Houston is 27-43 when playing on a Wednesday
Houston is 44-93 when playing as a home underdog of +125 or higher

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

5* Play NY Yankees +180 over Detroit (MLB BONUS PLAY)
5* Play Miami +145 over Los Angeles Angels (MLB BONUS PLAY)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

XpertPicks

WEDNESDAY BASEBALL

• Play Oakland -145 over Houston----Top Play (Risk 5% of your Bankroll)

8:00 PM EST

Houston has lost 83 of the last 128 games vs. left-handed starting pitchers and they have lost 43 of the last 70 games when playing on a Wednesday. Houston has lost 93 of the last 137 games when playing as a home underdog of +125 or higher and they have lost 66 of the last 105 games when the total posted is between 7 and 8.5 runs.

• Play Kansas City -140 over Minnesota---Top Play (Risk 5% of your Bankroll)
  8:00 PM EST

Minnesota has lost 45 of the last 67 games when playing on a Wednesday and they have lost 49 of the last 81 games when playing in the month of August. Kansas City has won 50 of the last 82 games when playing in the month of August and they have won 42 of the last 70 games when playing on a Wednesday.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

FantasySportsGametime

MLB Baseball

1000* Play LA Dodgers -175 over Arizona (TOP MLB)

Clayton Kershaw has won 15 of the last 18 games when the total posted is 7 runs or less and he has won 8 of the last 9 games when pitching in the 2^nd half of the season.Clayton Kershaw has won 8 of the last 10 games vs. division opponents and he is 8-1 in road games this season with an ERA of 1.76.

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

50* Play Cleveland -160 over Chicago White Sox (MLB BONUS PLAY)
50* Play San Francisco -190 over Colorado (MLB BONUS PLAY)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jimmy Boyd

2014-08-30 (3 days)

MLB Premium Picks

Top Pick

MLB	Aug 27 ,2014	12:35p	[951] St. Louis Cardinals [952] Pittsburgh Pirates	St. Louis Cardinals -120 at 5dimes
5* NL Central Game of the Month on Cardinals - St Louis has split the first two games of their 3-game set with division rival Pittsburgh and I look for them to finish off the series with a win behind their ace Adam Wainwright. There's no denying Wainwright hasn't been up to his standard of late, but I like his chances of snapping out of his funk. Wainwright is 4-1 with 0.80 ERA over his last 6 starts against Pittsburgh. Andrew McCutchen is the one Pirate that's hit Wainwright well and there's a good chance he won't play after leaving yesterday's contest early with discomfort in his ribs. Pittsburgh will counter with Jeff Locke, who allowed just 2 runs on 2 hits over 6 innings of work in his last start against the Brewers. However, there's two concerning things with that start that leave me to believe he could be in for a rough outing. Locke didn't record a single strike out and walked a season-worst 6 batters. Locke is 7-15 in his last 22 starts in the second half against NL teams who are scoring 4.3 or less runs/game and 1-4 in his last 5 starts against a team with a winning record. Pittsburgh is also 1-4 in their last 5 during game 3 of a series and 0-4 in their last 4 against a starter with a WHIP less than 1.15. St Louis is 36-16 in Wainwright's last 52 starts during game 3 of a series, 22-8 in his last 30 against a division opponent and 8-2 in his last 10 as a road favorite of -110 to -150. These trends combine to form a 73% (93-35) system in favor of the Cardinals. Take St Louis!

MLB	Aug 27 ,2014	7:05p	[967] Tampa Bay Rays [968] Baltimore Orioles	Tampa Bay Rays +105 at Pinnacle
3* Rays/Orioles AL East Main Event on Rays + The Rays are showing great value as a small road dog on Wednesday. Tampa Bay will send out starter Drew Smyly, who has a dominant 0.76 ERA and 0.549 WHIP over his last 3 starts. Smyly's last outing was a complete game shutout at Toronto. In his only career start against the Orioles earlier this season, Smyly held Baltimore to just 1 run on 5 hits over 6 innings of a 4-1 win. The Orioles will counter with Kevin Gausman, who has a not so impressive 4.38 ERA and 1.333 WHIP over 7 home starts. Gausman also has an ugly 7.05 ERA and 1.826 WHIP over 3 career starts against the Rays. Tampa Bay is 21-8 in their last 29 road games, 14-5 in their last 19 against a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30 and 12-4 in their last 16 road games in the second half against AL teams scoring 4.7 or less runs/game. These trends combine to form a 73 % (47-17) system in favor of the Rays. Take Tampa Bay!

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sportswagers

St. Louis @ PITTSBURGH
PITTSBURGH +114 over St. Louis

12:35 PM EST. Adam Wainwright was whacked in the All-Star game and since then his 30% line-drive rate is the highest mark in the majors among pitchers with six or more starts. Wainwright's strikeout rate is also trending the wrong way. Over his last 39 frames, he's only whiffed 26 batters while walking 13. That's supported by a low 6% swing and miss rate over his last six starts in which he's posted a 4.35 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. In fact, all of Wainwright's skills have been nothing more than mediocre since the All-Star game but his overall ERA of 2.52 has this labouring pitcher well overpriced. Wainwright's xERA since the break is sitting at 5.17, which is 2½ runs higher than his actual ERA. Furthermore, current Pirates have 63 hits (7 jacks) in 221 career AB's against Wainwright for a combined BA of .285. Adam Wainwright may be the most overvalued starter in the league right now and absolutely does not warrant this billing in Pittsburgh.

Jeff Locke emerged from seemingly nowhere last year, making the NL All-Star team and helping the Bucs to the post season. But his second-half ERA was over 5.00 compared with a 2.06 in the first half, leading to the conclusion his early success was a fluke. Yet, he's at least holding his own after an oblique injury shelved him early in 2014. Unlike the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde show last year, Locke has pitched true to his skills this season: His control has been elite and he's walking about one-third of the hitters per game as he did a year ago. Locke doesn't miss a lot of bats, but he's maintained a good command rate thanks to his pinpoint control. Pitching to contact is more his game and it's working with his nice 51% groundball tilt. In his last start, Locke went into Milwaukee and two-hit the Brewers in 6 innings. In 15 starts, he has lost just three games. Still only 25, Locke isn't the power arm that will seize headlines, and pitching in Pittsburgh keeps him further under the radar. The control gains are of such magnitude and beyond even his best seasons in the minor leagues, so it warrants skepticism. But even if his walks rise a little and Locke lacks the prospect status and upside of other names, he at least merits some consideration as a dog in his own barn and that's precisely how we'll proceed, even with Andrew McCutcheon likely sitting this one out.

NOTE: There were several games off the board at the time of this writing and it's possible we may add a game or two a bit later. If so, we'll tweet it out when posted.

Our Pick
PITTSBURGH +114 (Risking 2 units - To Win: 2.28)