7-8-11

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Note:

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Today's CFL Picks
Toronto at Winnipeg

The Argonauts look to build on their 5-1 ATS record in their last 6 road games. Toronto is the pick (+1 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Argonauts favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+1 1/2). Here are all of this week's CFL picks.

FRIDAY, JULY 8
Time Posted: 8:00 p.m. EST (7/4)

Game 491-492: Toronto at Winnipeg (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto 112.418; Winnipeg 110.895
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1 1/2; 44
Vegas Line: Winnipeg by 1 1/2; 48
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+1 1/2); Under

Game 493-494: Calgary at BC (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Calgary 112.452; BC 115.472
Dunkel Line: BC by 3; 57
Vegas Line: BC by 1 1/2; 53
Dunkel Pick: BC (-1 1/2); Over

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Hondo

The Pale Hose socked it to Hondo last night as they were thrashed by the Twins to push the soaring deficit to a season-high 1,700 kellers.

Tonight, Mr. Aitch is counting on steady Freddy to be ready to slay the Rays -- 10 units on the Yanks.

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MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Cleveland Indians Battle Blue Jays, MLB Odds
By: Matty Simo



Toronto Blue Jays at Cleveland Indians (-110, 9.5)

Cleveland starting pitcher Mitch Talbot will look to break a personal four-game losing streak and earn his first win at Progressive Field this season when the Indians host the Toronto Blue Jays in the second game of a four-game series on Friday. Game time is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. (PT).

Talbot (2-5, 5.60 ERA) has gone winless in his last six outings with an 0-4 record and two no-decisions. He is 0-2 in four home starts with a 6.86 ERA but has only pitched there once over the last month.

The last time Talbot pitched at Progressive Field came on June 21, when he went 6 1/3 innings and gave up three runs and eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Cleveland lost that game 4-3 as a +120 home underdog, and Talbot has not been a favorite in any of his 10 starts so far this year.

Ironically, the last win for Talbot came against the Blue Jays back on May 31. He allowed just one run and six hits in 6 2/3 innings of a 6-3 victory at Toronto.

The Blue Jays will send 26-year-old southpaw Jo-Jo Reyes (3-7, 4.85) to the mound searching for his first win in four starts. Reyes is 0-2 in his past three outings, surrendering 14 runs in 15 innings over that stretch. He has been an underdog in five of his last six starts.

A former member of the Braves, Reyes started just five games combined during his previous two seasons in Atlanta, He is five starts away from setting a career high he achieved there in 2008 when he started 23 games.

Reyes is also only one victory away from totaling a career-high four wins, which does not necessarily say much for a pitcher who owns a lifetime record of 8-22.

The one major accomplishment Reyes can hang his baseball cap on this season is the first complete-game victory of his career which he earned at home against Cleveland on May 30. He allowed just one run to the Indians on eight hits over nine innings with four walks and four strikeouts in an 11-1 rout.

The only mistake he made was serving up a solo home run to Shelley Duncan in the fourth inning.

The ‘over’ has cashed in the last two starts for Reyes – both at home – while his past two road outings have gone ‘under’ the total. Similarly, Talbot’s last two starts have gone ‘over’ though they were both on the road while his last two at home have each gone ‘under’ the total.

This series marks the second and final meeting between the two clubs this season. The Indians won two of three in Toronto (May 30-June 1), all three contests going 'over' the total. Cleveland won four of the seven played at Progressive Field a season ago, the 'under' going 4-3 in those matchups.

Friday’s weather forecast in Cleveland calls for a high temperature of 82 degrees under partly cloudy skies and a low of 65.

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Friday's Streaking And Slumping Starting Pitchers

STREAKING

Gio Gonzalez (8-5, 2.31 ERA), Oakland Athletics

Not long after being named to the AL All-Star team, Gonzalez put out another ho-hum seven-inning shutout of the Arizona Diamondbacks, striking out seven and walking three. That effort dropped his ERA to 2.31 on the year and to just 0.82 over his last four starts.

Oakland catcher Kurt Suzuki says the lefty is controlling his emotions better this season.

"Emotions aren't bad," Suzuki told MLB.com. "If you can control them and use them the right way, the way he does, it works. His emotions are because he cares so much. He wants to do so well and be so successful that sometimes they get the best of him. But now he's learning how to control them and express them in the right way."

Javier Vazquez (4-8, 5.64 ERA), Florida Marlins

The bad news is Vazquez gave up a couple of homers in his last outing. The good news is those are the only two runs he’s allowed over his last three starts.

We’ve seen solid stretches from the veteran in the past, though it’s hard to know when it may all fall apart for him.

“The life of my fastball is back, and I feel a lot better,” he told reporters this week. “Sometimes because my velocity wasn’t there, I would try to trick people. Now that my fastball is back, I’m trying to stay more aggressive, mix it up better.”


SLUMPING

Jason Hammel (4-8, 4.31 ERA), Colorado Rockies

Hammel is coming off a terrible outing that saw him give up seven hits and five earned runs over just 3 2/3 innings in a 16-8 blowout loss to the Kansas City Royals. He labored through 67 pitches and gave up a pair of homers while walking a pair and striking out one.

Hammel has just a 53:39 strikeout-to-walk ratio, so when he’s missing his spots, he’s in big trouble. He has allowed at least four runs in three of his last four and is a pegged as a +115 underdog Friday.

Nick Blackburn (6-6, 4.02 ERA), Minnesota Twins

It’s hard to know what to expect from Blackburn this season. He started the year by losing four of his first five starts, then won five of six between the middle of May to the end of June and now he’s struggling again.

He has allowed 13 earned runs over his last 8 1/3 innings, giving up 19 hits over that span. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder has struck out more than four batters just once in his last seven starts.

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HOT LINES

Friday’s Best MLB Bets

Colorado Rockies at Washington Nationals (-125, 8)

The Colorado Rockies couldn’t be happier to get the heck out of Atlanta after taking a four-game sweep on the chin and even though shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will likely be out for a few more days, Carlos Gonzalez may return from his wrist injury Friday.

The Rockies could certainly use the boost. They may have won eight of their last 10 in Washington, may have their work cut out for them in D.C. this time around.

The Nationals are doing a great job winning the games they’re supposed to, riding a 12-3 run in games in which they are favored. They’ve also managed to win 20 of their last 29 at home and are 8-1 in Jason Marquis’ last nine in front of the home crowd.

For now at least, it looks as though Davey Johnson is the right man for the Nats’ clubhouse.

"Davey's been wonderful for this team," F.P. Santangelo, the Nationals' TV color commentator, told ESPN recently. "The one thing he's done is make everyone feel included. I think the atmosphere in the clubhouse is different now."

PICK: Nationals


Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels (-160, 6)

Seattle Mariners rookie Blake Bevan did exactly what he was told in his first big-league start and ended up with a dominant seven-inning performance that saw him give up just a single run on three hits in a win over San Diego.

It helped that he was throwing to catcher Josh Bard, who also caught him in the minors. Word has it Bevan didn’t shake the veteran backstop off all night.

“Sometimes, you make it so complicated trying to trick guys and do all the stuff, you can throw the perfect trick pitch but if you throw it down the middle and it’s hanging, it doesn’t matter,” Bard told reporters. “We really talked to him about execution with his heater. He pitched in, he pitched out. He probably only threw 20 off speed pitches the whole game, and did a good job.”

It’s probably not going to be that easy every time he takes the hill, but with Ervin Santana sharing the mound with him, we’ll play under the tiny total.

PICK: Under

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LADY LUCK

Friday's Best WNBA Bets

New York Liberty at San Antonio Silver Stars (-7.5, 163.5)

Both teams have had a week off after the Liberty handed San Antonio its second loss of the season with an 81-75 victory in the Big Apple. That’s more than enough time for the Silver Stars to get back on track.

They hit only 34 percent of their shots from the floor in that loss, down for their 45-percent season average. These Silver Stars are a deep bunch that can beat you a lot of different ways.

Take Danielle Adams for example. She just won Rookie of the Month honors for June, putting up 16.2 points and 4.7 rebounds off the bench.

"Defensively for a rookie, she really moves her feet and positions very well," San Antonio coach Dan Hughes said of Adams. "And offensively she gives you a unique weapon from the standpoint of you can really challenge post players to guard her away from the basket, yet she's strong enough inside to get some things done at the basket."

New York’s on a nice roll here, but we can’t back the Liberty with the Silver Stars returning home.

PICK: San Antonio


Phoenix Mercury at Tulsa Shock (9.5, 182.5)

Before we tackle this matchup, let’s recap the Shock’s last two games.

They were absolutely hammered 83-63 at Washington as a 7.5-point underdog and then came back to the comforts of home to get drilled 101-71 by Minnesota as a 8.5-point underdog, which put the club 5-12 against the spread in their last 17 games at home.

Now they have to take on Phoenix, which just hung 101 points on the board against Los Angeles and has covered in six of its last seven games overall.

This has the makings of a blowout written all over it and while you might be a bit worried about a backdoor cover after the Mercury regulars do their thing, it should still end up as a double-digit Phoenix victory.

And if you're feeling really sassy, we wouldn't scold you for throwing an over bet in a tasty little parlay.

PICK: Phoenix

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CANADIAN BACON

Friday's Best CFL Bets

Toronto Argonauts at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (+1, 48)

Winnipeg quarterback Buck Pierce was hit hard on the blind side in the third quarter of the Bombers’ 24-16 win over the Tiger-Cats. But the injury-prone Pierce got back up, finished the game and will play Friday.

The Bombers, however, weren’t able to avoid the injury bug altogether. Receiver Kito Poblah (knee), SB Terrence Edwards (arm), WR Greg Carr (hamstring) are all hurt, although only Poblah is expected to miss Friday’s game. Defensive end Odell Willis (groin) and DB Jovon Johnson (hip) will play despite injuries, while LB Henoc Muamba (knee) and S Brady Browne (biceps) will miss at least a few weeks.

Toronto’s top offensive weapons Corey Boyd and Chad Owens picked up where they left off last year, helping the Argos steal a 23-21 win in Calgary last week. But unfortunately for Toronto bettors, the Argos still must rely on Cleo Lemon at pivot. He only completed 16-of-30 passes with 186 yards, one TD and one pick.

To keep things in perspective, if Calgary hadn’t miss three of four field goal opportunities, it would have won against the Argos.

PICK: Winnipeg


Calgary Stampeders at B.C. Lions (-2.5, 53.5)

The Stampeders are coming to Vancouver with the firm intent to rebound from a loss to the Argos. Calgary has its share of injuries after one week. Defensive tackle Justin Phillips (toe), K Rob Maver (leg), G Dimitri Tsoumpas (hamstring) and S Malik Jackson (concussion) are probably all out against the Lions. Receivers Ken-Yon Rambo and Jabari Arthur are questionable.

British Columbia lost its first game of the season, 30-26 in Montreal, and dropped both home games against Calgary last year. The Lions will have DB Stanley Franks and of S J.R. LaRose back in action for Week 2. Slot back Nick Moore, who dropped three passes, two of them possibly for TDs, is out with an elbow injury. Rookie Steven Black will replace him and showed great potential during training camp.

In any case, with Geroy Simon, Paris Jackson and youngsters Shawn Gore and Akeem Foster, QB Travis Lulay has many options when it comes to throwing the ball. In the loss against the Alouettes, Lulay completed 26-of-45 attempts with 366 yards and a TD.

The Stampeders secondary still must prove itself and that could play in the favor of B.C. The Lions have also shown some pop on special teams, especially with newcomer Tim Brown (191 yards on nine returns, one of them being a 97 yard TD).

PICK: B.C.

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Friday’s Betting Tips: Mets Open Beltran Sweepstakes

Who's Hot

MLB: 21 of San Francisco’s last 30 home games have played under.

MLB: Atlanta has won 21 of its last 29.

WNBA: The over is 8-3 in the New York Liberty’s last 11 games overall.

Who’s Not

MLB: Oakland is 7-20 in its last 27 road games.

MLB: Toronto is 8-20 in its last 28 games in Cleveland.

WNBA: Tulsa is just 5-12 against the spread in the team’s last 17 home games.

Key Stat

20.7 – The Tulsa Shock have lost their last three games by an average of 20.7 points, all of which turned out to be losses against the spread. The Shock have just one win on the year and rank 11th in points per game (72.3) and points allowed per game (85.2).

Injury That Shouldn’t Be Overlooked

Johnny Damon, Tampa Bay Rays – Damon is expected to be out of the lineup until at least Saturday with a sore left hand. He has been out of the lineup since getting hit on the hand with a pitch in Wednesday’s game.

Game Of The Day

Tampa Bay at New York Yankees (-150, 9)

Notable Quotable

“We will fight for the first place. I am glad because we showed that Peru has the attitude to play against any team. We are going to beat Mexico. We believe in what we have and in the unity of the team.” – Peru forward Paola Guerrero on his team’s Copa America match against Mexico on Friday. Peru is set as a +135 favorite with the draw at +205 and Mexico at +180.

Tips And Notes

The New York Mets have reportedly opened up the Carlos Beltran sweepstakes. According to a New York Post report, the Mets are now fielding offers for their star outfielder who will be a free agent at the end of the season, as well as closer Francisco Rodriguez. Beltran is hitting .285 with 13 homers and 57 RBIs while Rodriguez has 22 saves with a 3.24 ERA. Apparently , the Red Sox are among the teams interested in Beltran.

Oddsmaker Joey Oddessa has released odds for UFC 136, which is headlined by a bout between Chael Sonnen and Brian Stann on Oct. 8 in Houston. Sonnen, who hasn’t fought since a UFC 117 title loss to Anderson Silva is pegged as a -215 favorite with Stann at +175. Sonnen has been serving a suspension regarding testosterone-replacement treatment.

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WNBA Basketball Picks
New York at San Antonio

The Liberty look to build on their 4-1 ATS record in their last 5 meetings in San Antonio. New York is the pick (+6 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Silver Stars favored by only 3 1/2. Dunkel Pick: New York (+6 1/2). Here are all of today's picks.

FRIDAY, JULY 8
Time Posted: 7:30 a.m. EST

Game 651-652: Phoenix at Tulsa (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Phoenix 115.015; Tulsa 102.042
Dunkel Line & Total: Phoenix by 13; 178
Vegas Line & Total: Phoenix by 10; 182
Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (-10); Under

Game 653-654: New York at San Antonio (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: New York 110.910; San Antonio 114.294
Dunkel Line & Total: San Antonio by 3 1/2; 167
Vegas Line & Total: San Antonio by 6 1/2; 164 1/2
Dunkel Pick: New York (+6 1/2); Over

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Today's MLB Picks
Arizona at St. Louis

The Cardinals look to bounce back from last night's loss and build on their 6-0 record in Kyle Lohse's last 6 starts against NL West teams. St. Louis is the pick (-125) according to Dunkel, which has the Cardinals favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-125). Here are all of today's picks.

FRIDAY, JULY 8
Time Posted: 7:30 a.m. EST

Game 951-952: Atlanta at Philadelphia (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Beachy) 16.181; Philadelphia (Halladay) 15.360
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-175); 7
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+155); Over

Game 953-954: Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Lopez) 14.842; Pittsburgh (McDonald) 15.380
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Pittsburgh (-130); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-130); Under

Game 955-956: Colorado at Washington (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Hammel) 14.988; Washington (Lannan) 13.787
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Washington (-130); 8
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+110); Over

Game 957-958: Houston at Florida (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Lyles) 14.111; Florida (Vazquez) 15.182
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Florida (-140); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida (-140); Under

Game 959-960: Cincinnati at Milwaukee (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Leake) 14.748; Milwaukee (Greinke) 14.361
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-130); 8
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+110); Over

Game 961-962: Arizona at St. Louis (8:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Kennedy) 13.944; St. Louis (Lohse) 15.593
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-125); 8
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-125); Under

Game 963-964: San Diego at LA Dodgers (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Latos) 15.452; LA Dodgers (Billingsley) 14.856
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-125); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+105); Under

Game 965-966: NY Mets at San Francisco (10:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Dickey) 15.074; San Francisco (Vogelsong) 16.465
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-135); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-135); Over

Game 967-968: Toronto at Cleveland (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Reyes) 16.202; Cleveland (Talbot) 15.418
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-115); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-105); Under

Game 969-970: Tampa Bay at NY Yankees (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Hellickson) 16.105; NY Yankees (Garcia) 17.023
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-145); 9
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-145); Over

Game 971-972: Baltimore at Boston (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Britton) 12.743; Boston (Beckett) 15.970
Dunkel Line: Boston by 3; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston (-210); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-210); Over

Game 973-974: Oakland at Texas (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Gonzalez) 15.450; Texas (Wilson) 14.739
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Texas (-155); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (+135); Under

Game 975-976: Minnesota at Chicago White Sox (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Blackburn) 14.358; White Sox (Floyd) 15.105
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-165); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (-165); Over

Game 977-978: Detroit at Kansas City (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Porcello) 14.636; Kansas City (Davies) 16.095
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit (-125); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+105); Under

Game 979-980: Seattle at LA Angels (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Beavan) 15.866; LA Angels (Santana) 15.147
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-165); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (+145); Over

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Baseball Crusher
Play of the Day:

Yankees -150 over Rays

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Silver Key Pick for Friday ML Baseball

ANGELS SANTANA -R -160 over Seattle

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Sport System Specialists
Yesterday 3-3 -2,75

PHI -1,5 +135 risking 6,75

NYY -1,5 +135 risking 6,75

BOS -1,5 +105 risking 6,75

CIN ml +128 risking 15,19

TEX -1,5 +140 risking 3

STL -1,5 +170 risking 15,20

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Soccer Crusher
Play of the Day:

Portuguesa + Salgueiro OVER 2.5
This match is happening in Brazil