6-29-11

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

Note:

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Wednesday’s Betting Tips: Buehrle Owns Interleague

Who’s Hot

MLB: The over is 20-7 in Baltimore’s last 27 interleague games.

MLB: Atlanta was 6-2 in its last eight heading into Tuesday’s action.

Who’s Not

MLB: Houston has won only five of its last 22 and only 13 home games all season.

MLB: Florida is 1-10 in its last 11 road games.

Key Stat

10-0 – Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle is 10-0 in his last 14 interleague starts and his 25 career wins in interleague play are an all-time best in the bigs. Buehrle and the White Sox are up against Ubaldo Jimenez and the Colorado Rockies Wednesday.

Injury That Shouldn’t Be Overlooked

Shaun Marcum, Milwaukee Brewers: Marcum will reportedly make his scheduled start Wednesday against the Yankees, but the club will keep him on a tight leash after his strained hip flexor limited him to just three innings of work in his last start. Manager Ron Roenicke says they’ll take it “inning by inning.”

Game Of The Day

Cincinnati Reds at Tampa Bay (N/A)

Notable Quotable

"He was the guy I kind of expected to come through in that section. It happened, so it's going to be a tough match. I think he's got the weapons to be a huge threat on grass and make a run here. It's a tough draw, but I'm ready for it." – Roger Federer on Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, his opponent in the quarterfinals. Oddsmakers currently list Federer as a -715 favorite.

Tips And Notes

Rafael Nadal says he’s fit to go up against Mardy Fish in the Wimbledon quarterfinals after injuring his left foot in Monday’s win over Juan Martin del Porto. An MRI came back negative and he was able to make it through an hour-long practice on Tuesday, though it wasn’t the most strenuous of workouts. "We couldn't do much today because the court was quite damp and it was dangerous, but everything's fine," coach Toni Nadal told reporters. "For tomorrow, there will be no problem.”

The Boston Red Sox will change their lineup to make sure they have David Ortiz in action against the Phillies. Adrian Gonzalez is expected to move into the outfield so that Big Papi can play first base. Gonzalez has played just one MLB game in right field but Boston wants to have all of its big bats in the lineup against Philadelphia’s arms.

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HOT LINES

Wednesday's Best MLB Bets

Pittsburgh Pirates at Toronto Blue Jays (N/A)

Heading into Tuesday night’s action, the Cleveland Indians still sat atop the league’s money standings, but not by much.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have earned their supporters 9.87 units so far, just behind the 10.14 units Cleveland has earned. The Pirates continue to surprise teams – especially on the road, scoring 9.70 of those units as visitors.

Wednesday could provide another payday for Bucs bettors with Paul Maholm on the hill. He’s allowed just five runs over the last four starts.

There has been a bit of trade speculation swirling around Maholm now that he’s really hitting his stride, but it doesn’t sound like he wants to go anywhere.

"Now that we've gone through the rough times and it's starting to get good, it'd be tough to not be here whenever it turns over," Malholm told reporters.

PICK: Pirates


Cincinnati Reds at Tampa Bay Rays (N/A)

If you’re a fan of dominant pitching, you ought to try to knock off work early to get a look at James Shields as his Rays take on the Reds in a matinee affair.

Shields has fired three consecutive complete games, allowing just one earned run while striking out 24 batters during that stretch. That adds up to some quiet days for the Rays bullpen.

"The other day we tried to knock down some cups of water," reliever J.P. Howell told reporters about what the pen does when Shields is on the mound. "Do some abs maybe. There's nothing much for us to do. He kills our incentives, I'll tell you that. If you've got any [appearance] incentives [in your contract] he's taking them all from us. He's an incentives killer for the bullpen, but that's definitely a beautiful thing."

It certainly is – especially for under bettors. We’re banking on Edinson Volquez calming down and Shields continuing to roll.

PICK: Under

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Sportsbook Investing

Play of the Day:

Rays -160 over Reds

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Soccer Crusher

Play of the Day:

GremioRS + Avai OVER 2.5
This match is happening in Brazil

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Baseball Crusher

Play of the Day:

Rays -160 over Reds

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Mighty Quinn

Mighty was on the Phillies Tuesday night.

Wednesday it's the Indians.

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Gamblers Data

Free Play Wednesday

Mets +125

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Hondo

Hondo posted a slight gain last night because he did not go winless in Seattle, scoring with the Braves to offset a setback with the dreaded Bosawx. That wonderful turn of events pruned the IOUs to 1,585 shorts.

Tonight, Mr. Aitch will give the Phillies the menial task of beating Lackey -- 10 units on Worley over the Sawx. Also, he expects the Chisox to beat Ubaldo by a hair -- 10 units on Buehrle.

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Arthur Ralph Sports

Free Pick

666- 504 57 % Run over 3 YEARS

Free one WED: Tigers -140

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Today's MLB Picks

Chicago White Sox at Colorado

The White Sox look to bounce back from a 3-2 extra-inning loss yesterday and take advantage of a Colorado team that is 3-12 in its last 15 games after allowing 2 runs or less in the previous game. Chicago is the pick (+135) according to Dunkel, which has the White Sox favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (+135). Here are all of today's picks.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29
Time Posted: 6:00 a.m. EST
Game 901-902: San Francisco at Chicago Cubs (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Lincecum) 16.206; Cubs (Dempster) 13.843
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 2 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-140); No Run Total
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-140); N/A

Game 903-904: Cincinnati at Tampa Bay (12:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Volquez) 16.164; Tampa Bay (Shields) 17.088
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-170); 8
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-170); Under

Game 905-906: LA Dodgers at Minnesota (1:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (De La Rosa) 15.486; Minnesota (Baker) 14.270
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Minnesota (-145); 8
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (+125); Over

Game 907-908: Kansas City at San Diego (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Chen) 14.422; San Diego (Stauffer) 16.131
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: San Diego (-150); 7
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (-150); Under

Game 909-910: Atlanta at Seattle (3:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Lowe) 15.912; Seattle (Hernandez) 14.694
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1; 5 1/2
Vegas Line: Seattle (-145); 6
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+125); Under

Game 911-912: Cleveland at Arizona (3:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Carrasco) 14.647; Arizona (Duke) 15.491
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-115); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-105); Over

Game 913-914: Washington at LA Angels (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Zimmermann) 14.866; LA Angels (Haren) 16.065
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1; 6
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-145); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-145); Under

Game 915-916: NY Mets at Detroit (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Capuano) 16.747; Detroit (Coke) 15.316
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Detroit (-140); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (+120); Over

Game 917-918: St. Louis at Baltimore (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Carpenter) 15.296; Baltimore (Jakubauskus) 14.076
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1; 8
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-140); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-140); Under

Game 919-920: Boston at Philadelphia (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Lackey) 14.992; Philadelphia (Worley) 15.987
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-130); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-130); Over

Game 921-922: Pittsburgh at Toronto (7:07 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Maholm) 15.347; Toronto (Morrow) 15.057
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Toronto (-170); 8
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+150); Under

Game 923-924: Milwaukee at NY Yankees (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Marcum) 15.798; NY Yankees (Burnett) 16.822
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-140); 9
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-140); Over

Game 925-926: Texas at Houston (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Lewis) 14.882; Houston (Myers) 13.551
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Texas (-145); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-145); Over

Game 927-928: Chicago White Sox at Colorado (8:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Buehrle) 16.375; Colorado (Jimenez) 15.252
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Colorado (-155); 9
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (+135); Under

Game 929-930: Florida at Oakland (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Nolasco) 14.117; Oakland (Moscoso) 15.283
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Oakland (-110); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-110); Under

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MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Cleveland Indians Close Series At Arizona Diamondbacks
By: Willie Bee

Cleveland Indians at Arizona Diamondbacks (+100, 9.5)

Arizona has lost both of Zach Duke’s starts this season at Chase Field.

Two of the baseball season's best surprises complete their 3-game series in Phoenix on Wednesday when the Arizona Diamondbacks host the Cleveland Indians in a matinee at Chase Field. First pitch is set for 12:40 p.m. (PT) with Carlos Carrasco starting for the Tribe against Zach Duke of the D-Backs.

Cleveland took Monday's opener getting +155 from MLB betting shops. Orlando Cabrera's 9th-inning homer lifted the Indians to a 5-4 victory. Tuesday's second game was still pending with Arizona priced at -155 behind right-hander Daniel Hudson.

Long shots to be in the postseason hunt when the 2011 schedule opened, the Indians and Diamondbacks have each enjoyed time atop their division standings and entered Tuesday's game close seconds to current leaders. Both squads are among the top money winners on the MLB odds board as well, Cleveland second with 9.8 units of profit and Arizona fifth at 8.2 units.

Manny Acta's crew has struggled recently at the plate. The Indians averaged 5.42 runs per game through April in getting off to a fast 18-8 start but are scoring just 3.24 per contest in their first 25 games of June (9-16 record). Cleveland has been blanked five times this month.

Cleveland also recently lost right-fielder Shin-Soo Choo to the disabled list, something that could further frustrate the team's recent offensive woes. Choo broke his left thumb and could require surgery. He's not expected to return to action until early August.

Carrasco (8-6, 3.62) will be making his 15th start of the season, and fourth against an NL club. He's been tougher on the road than at home, posting a 4-1 record on his ledger with a 2.59 ERA. The Indians are 5-3 in his eight starts away from Progressive Field.

Poor fielding played into a loss in Carrasco's most recent start, a 4-3 defeat to the Giants at AT&T Park. A +105 underdog, the Venezuelan righty was staked to an early 3-0 lead but ended up allowing all four San Fran runs, three of them unearned, in his eight innings.

Arizona carried a 3-game losing skid into Tuesday's game but does own one of the better interleague marks among National League clubs. The D-Backs were 8-5 against their AL counterparts before Tuesday's contest, though just 4-6 against the Tribe all-time following Monday's defeat.

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson would likely prefer sending someone else to the hill but Duke (3-3, 5.73) to snap the current losing streak. Arizona has dropped both of the left-hander's home starts and Duke has been anything but sharp his last three outings.

Arizona's offense bailed Duke out in two of the three recent assignments while the former Pirates hurler worked 14 combined innings and surrendered 16 earned runs.

Duke has one previous appearance against the Indians while he was with Pittsburgh, picking up the win in a June 2009 game at PNC Park. He tossed the first six innings of that 10-6 triumph, allowing just five hits and one run.

Another factor that doesn't run in Arizona's favor is scheduled plate umpire Mike DiMuro. The 12-year veteran will be calling pitches for a 17th time this season with home teams a woeful 4-12 in the previous 16. The 'over' has a slight 9-7 lean.

Expect the roof to be shut for this afternoon clash. Daytime highs are expected to climb to 111ºF.

Both clubs take Thursday off before opening weekend series. The Diamondbacks travel to Oakland to begin their final interleague set of the season while the Indians head back to Ohio for a second season series in Cincinnati against the Reds.

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MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Cleveland Indians Close Series At Arizona Diamondbacks
By: Willie Bee

Cleveland Indians at Arizona Diamondbacks (+100, 9.5)

Arizona has lost both of Zach Duke’s starts this season at Chase Field.

Two of the baseball season's best surprises complete their 3-game series in Phoenix on Wednesday when the Arizona Diamondbacks host the Cleveland Indians in a matinee at Chase Field. First pitch is set for 12:40 p.m. (PT) with Carlos Carrasco starting for the Tribe against Zach Duke of the D-Backs.

Cleveland took Monday's opener getting +155 from MLB betting shops. Orlando Cabrera's 9th-inning homer lifted the Indians to a 5-4 victory. Tuesday's second game was still pending with Arizona priced at -155 behind right-hander Daniel Hudson.

Long shots to be in the postseason hunt when the 2011 schedule opened, the Indians and Diamondbacks have each enjoyed time atop their division standings and entered Tuesday's game close seconds to current leaders. Both squads are among the top money winners on the MLB odds board as well, Cleveland second with 9.8 units of profit and Arizona fifth at 8.2 units.

Manny Acta's crew has struggled recently at the plate. The Indians averaged 5.42 runs per game through April in getting off to a fast 18-8 start but are scoring just 3.24 per contest in their first 25 games of June (9-16 record). Cleveland has been blanked five times this month.

Cleveland also recently lost right-fielder Shin-Soo Choo to the disabled list, something that could further frustrate the team's recent offensive woes. Choo broke his left thumb and could require surgery. He's not expected to return to action until early August.

Carrasco (8-6, 3.62) will be making his 15th start of the season, and fourth against an NL club. He's been tougher on the road than at home, posting a 4-1 record on his ledger with a 2.59 ERA. The Indians are 5-3 in his eight starts away from Progressive Field.

Poor fielding played into a loss in Carrasco's most recent start, a 4-3 defeat to the Giants at AT&T Park. A +105 underdog, the Venezuelan righty was staked to an early 3-0 lead but ended up allowing all four San Fran runs, three of them unearned, in his eight innings.

Arizona carried a 3-game losing skid into Tuesday's game but does own one of the better interleague marks among National League clubs. The D-Backs were 8-5 against their AL counterparts before Tuesday's contest, though just 4-6 against the Tribe all-time following Monday's defeat.

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson would likely prefer sending someone else to the hill but Duke (3-3, 5.73) to snap the current losing streak. Arizona has dropped both of the left-hander's home starts and Duke has been anything but sharp his last three outings.

Arizona's offense bailed Duke out in two of the three recent assignments while the former Pirates hurler worked 14 combined innings and surrendered 16 earned runs.

Duke has one previous appearance against the Indians while he was with Pittsburgh, picking up the win in a June 2009 game at PNC Park. He tossed the first six innings of that 10-6 triumph, allowing just five hits and one run.

Another factor that doesn't run in Arizona's favor is scheduled plate umpire Mike DiMuro. The 12-year veteran will be calling pitches for a 17th time this season with home teams a woeful 4-12 in the previous 16. The 'over' has a slight 9-7 lean.

Expect the roof to be shut for this afternoon clash. Daytime highs are expected to climb to 111ºF.

Both clubs take Thursday off before opening weekend series. The Diamondbacks travel to Oakland to begin their final interleague set of the season while the Indians head back to Ohio for a second season series in Cincinnati against the Reds.

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BASEBALL PROPHET

Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 RL

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Insider Sports Report

5* Cleveland (Carrasco) -110 over Arizona (Duke)
Range: +110 to -130

3* Minnesota (Baker) -140 over L.A. Dodgers (De La Rosa)
Range: -125 to -160

3* Washington (Zimmermann) +135 over L.A. Angels (Haren)
Range: +150 to +115