7-9-11

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Today's CFL Picks

SATURDAY, JULY 9
Time Posted: 8:00 p.m. EST (7/4)

Game 495-496: Montreal at Saskatchewan (4:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Montreal 117.406; Saskatchewan 113.504
Dunkel Line: Montreal by 4; 58
Vegas Line: Montreal by 2; 54
Dunkel Pick: Montreal (-2); Over

Game 497-498: Hamilton at Edmonton (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Hamilton 113.420; Edmonton 110.106
Dunkel Line: Hamilton by 3 1/2; 48
Vegas Line: Edmonton by 1 1/2; 51 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Hamilton (+1 1/2); Under

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MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Cliff Lee, Phillies Host Charging Atlanta Braves
By: Michael Robinson



Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies (-155, 6.5)

The Atlanta Braves are making a hard charge at the Philadelphia Phillies as the teams meet in Saturday’s Game 2, their final series before the All-Star break.

The afternoon affair from Citizens Bank Park will begin at 1:10 p.m. (PT). Cliff Lee will oppose the visiting Tommy Hanson.

Atlanta (53-36) trailed Philadelphia by six games in the NL East standings on June 19, but is 14-3 since and has cut the lead to 2.5.The Phillies are actually a solid 10-6 in that span, winning their last five series.

Friday night’s opener is still pending with Philadelphia a hefty 170 favorite behind Roy Halladay.

Hanson (10-4, 2.52 ERA) is officially an All-Star snub at fourth in the NL in ERA and among the leaders in wins. He’s been even better the last five starts, going 5-0 with a 1.97 ERA. Pitching in the shadow of teammate Jair Jurrjens (12-3, 1.87 ERA) hasn’t helped.

The 24-year-old right-hander does have a higher ERA away (2.81) than at home (2.23). However, the team is 6-0 in his last six road starts with just a 2.08 ERA.

Hanson has somehow avoided the Phillies in the three series this year. His final two starts against them last year were 11 shutout innings, although Atlanta lost both. He has six career starts against them (1-2, 2.45 ERA), going 0-1 with a 1.13 ERA in the two at Citizens Bank Park.

The ‘under’ is 5-1 in Hanson’s starts against Philadelphia.

Philadelphia (55-33) hit well in its recent six-game road trip (6.17 runs per game). The ‘over’ went 5-1.

The Phillies surprisingly struggled hitting in both May and June (3.73 runs per game combined). Fortunately, the pitching staff has come through all year (3.05 ERA). Atlanta leads the NL with a 3.02 ERA.

Lee (9-6, 2.92 ERA) was selected to pitch in his third All-Star game in addition to teammates Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels. That’s what Phillies brass was expecting when it signed Lee this offseason to form a dream rotation including Roy Oswalt.

Lee struggled with a 3.94 ERA through May with Philadelphia going 6-6. He was tremendous in five June starts (5-0, .21 ERA), before getting roughed up at Toronto (six earned runs over 7 1/3 innings) last Sunday in a 7-4 loss.

The 32-year-old is 0-2 with a 7.84 ERA in two starts against Atlanta this year. The one in Philly was decent on May 6, three earned runs over seven innings in a 5-0 loss.

The crafty lefty will be pitching on an extra day’s rest. He has an incredible 0.57 ERA in his last six starts in that situation, with the ‘under’ going 6-0.

There rivals have already played nine times this season with the Braves winning five. They took two of three at the Phillies in May, holding them to five total runs and the ‘under’ going 2-0-1. The ‘under’ is 12-3-2 in the last 17 meetings overall in Philadelphia.

Philly has baseball’s second-best home record at 32-14, (+10.9 units). The ‘under’ is 6-0-1 in its last seven home games.

Atlanta is a very respectable 25-18 on the road (+6.3 units) after going 10-3 in its last 13. However, none of the last four road series came against winning teams.

A thumb injury landed Philly outfielder Shane Victorino on the disabled list Friday while Placido Polanco (back) was questionable. Atlanta still has outfielder Martin Prado (calf) on the DL.

Weather will be clear and warm in the 80s. Sunday’s afternoon finale will be another good pitching matchup of Cole Hamels against Derek Lowe.

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Saturday's Streaking and Slumping Starting Pitchers

STREAKING

Tommy Hanson, Atlanta Braves (10-4, 2.52 ERA)

The Braves budding ace has won five straight starts heading into the weekend, boasting an ERA under 2.00 in that span. Hanson’s most recent gem was a one-run, seven-inning effort in which the young righty struck out six and walked only one batter.

Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals (4-7, 3.74 ERA)

The Cardinals ace started slow but is finding his Cy Young form in recent starts. Carpenter has won three outings in a row after starting the year 1-7, posting a trim 0.75 ERA over his last 60 2-3 innings of work. He’s coming off eight shutout innings versus the Reds, giving up six hits and striking out three batters.


SLUMPING

Rubby De La Rosa, Los Angeles Dodgers (3-4, 4.31 ERA)

The Dodgers’ struggles are in part to poor pitching from the backend of their rotation, but also a lack of run support. De La Rosa has taken four straight losses but didn’t pitch poorly in his past two trips to the bump. He has give up only four runs in 14 innings but received only two runs of support in that span.

John Lackey, Boston Red Sox (5-8, 7.47 ERA)

It’s been a rough summer for Lackey, on and off the field. The veteran right hander is dealing with his wife’s battle with breast cancer while struggling on the hill. He has dropped three straight outings, lugging a chunky 9.45 ERA in that span. Lackey, who has taken a few shots from the Boston media for his closed-off demeanor, is coming off a brief appearance, giving up seven runs on nine hits in just 2 1-3 innings before getting the hook in a 9-7 loss to Toronto Monday.

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HOT LINES

Saturday's Best MLB Bets

Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies (-155, 6.5)

It’s easy to get caught up in the Braves’ recent run. They had won 9 of 10 heading into Friday’s series opener in Philadelphia. But that streak was filled with series against the Padres, Orioles and Rockies, not the three most intimidating teams in the majors. None of those teams have anything close to the pitching staff of the Phillies, so the Braves will have their hands full this weekend in Philadelphia, especially today.

Cliff Lee goes for the Phillies against the Braves’ Tommy Hanson. We all know how good Lee was in June, and he got touched up a little bit in his last start, but has always been a bounce-back pitcher.

Hanson has been great of late, and we feel that he’ll be popular with the public. So we’ll wait a little bit to see if we can get Lee at a much more attractive price. Is -145 too much to hope for?

PICK: Phillies


New York Mets at San Francisco Giants (-166. 6.5)

Tim Lincecum takes the bump for the Giants against the Mets’ Chris Capuano.

With an 11 mph wind forecast to blowing straight out to center at AT&T Park, we’re going to go over 6.5 runs in this spot.

Lincecum hasn’t been himself as of late. In fact, the Giants have lost four of his last five starts.

Plus, the Giants absolutely rake off of Capuano. Current Giant players are hitting .414 off him.

The 6.5 total seems like a little bit of an overreaction to Mets shortstop Jose Reyes being out.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see this number go up to 7 or, at a minimum, we’ll see extra juice on the over. So we recommend grabbing it early, because 6.5 is just too low with the weather conditions and Lincecum’s recent trends.

PICK: Over

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LADY LUCK

Saturday's Best WNBA Bets

Washington Mystics at Indiana Fever (-11.5, 146.5)

The Fever are the hottest squad in the WNBA, winning five straight games while staying a perfect 5-0 against the spread in that stretch.

Indiana extended this streak and officially made its case for the WNBA title after knocking off defending champ, Seattle, 78-61 as a 5.5-point home favorite Tuesday.

The Fever, who boast the third-best defense in the league, locked the Storm down for their second-lowest offensive output of the season, forcing Seattle to commit 20 turnovers. Indiana turned those careless plays into an easy 20 points.

During this winning streak, the Fever have forced opponents to cough the ball up 81 times – that’s more than 16 turnovers per game. That doesn’t bode well for the 2-7 Mystics, who average more than 17 turnovers per game.

The last time Washington faced Indiana, it gave the ball away 14 times in an 89-80 loss as a 2-point home underdog.

PICK: Indiana


Los Angeles Sparks at Seattle Storm (-6.5, 146)

One of the best rivalries in the WNBA will be short on star power Saturday. Former MVP’s Candace Parker and Lauren Jackson are both out of action for their respective teams.

Los Angeles has lost four straight contests, going 1-3 ATS, with the past two defeats coming without Parker in the lineup. She injured her knee on June 26, suffering a torn lateral meniscus that could have her sidelined for up to six weeks.

"We’ve played without her before, so we just have to focus on getting to the next game and playing hard and having people step up,” Los Angeles head coach Jennifer Gillom told reporters following the injury.

Parker has been rehabbing the injury for nearly three hours a day and was relieved when X-rays showed the injury was not as severe as once feared. But that still means L.A. must carry on without Parker, losing almost 18 points per game.

The Storm have stumbled a bit without their standout center, going 2-2 SU and ATS in that span. Jackson has been out with a hip injury since June 21 and decided to undergo surgery, which will keep her sidelined at least until the playoffs.

Seattle has played under the total in all four of those games without Jackson. And with Los Angeles looking for answers on the offensive end, WNBA fans hoping for another Western Conference classic could be left coming up short.

PICK: Under

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CFL NEWS AND NOTES
CFL: CFL Week 2 Picks: Alouettes-Roughriders Preview
By Adam Markowitz



Montreal Alouettes at Saskatchewan Roughriders (+3, 54.5)

Every time the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Montreal Alouettes get together in CFL betting action, sparks are inevitably set to fly. The NFL Network will have live coverage of the latest clash of these titans on Saturday night at 4:00 ET from Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

Montreal has figured out how to win four of the last five games in this series, but the one bugaboo that it always seems to have is that it can’t find a way to beat the CFL odds in the process. The Alouettes are winless ATS in their last five against the Riders, and they hope to change all of that around on the road in Week 2. Of course, it was the same old story for the Als in Week 1. They were beaten on the CFL lines by the BC Lions, but in the end, they did enough to grab the 30-26 victory on the night in which they raised their second straight Grey Cup banner. It is very clear that this offense still has the potential to be incredibly lethal even though RB Avon Cobourne has moved on to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Even without the always dangerous WR Kerry Watkins in the fold, Montreal still tallied the most yards in the league in Week 1 with 447. QB Anthony Calvillo threw for 312 yards on a virtually perfect 22-of-30 passing, and he had three scores, two of which went to WR Jamel Richardson. Richardson finished the night with nine grabs for 162 yards. WR SJ Green had six catches for 88 yards and a TD.

The Riders have a lot of explaining to do after losing on opening weekend at home in very rare fashion. Had it been a different team doing the deed, perhaps we wouldn’t have been so surprised. However, the two time defending West Division champs should not have gotten beaten down by two TDs by the lowly Edmonton Eskimos, who many think is the worst team in the league by a country mile this year. QB Darian Durant just needs to find some more consistency taking care of the football. He turned it over four times in total on the day against an Edmonton defense that had a difficult time forcing turnovers a year ago. Those bad marks ruin an otherwise fantastic day for the former North Carolina Tar Heel. Durant did throw for 339 yards and had a pair of TDs. Those turnovers consistently put the defense in bad spots, and the end result was very apparent: Edmonton scored a whopping 42 points and had five offensive majors. If this doesn’t improve this week, the Alouettes could be putting just a boatload of points on the board when push comes to shove.

Montreal might be the best team in the league, and it very well could be on its way to the Grey Cup once again this year, but this is one of the hardest places to play football in Canada. Off of the embarrassment that the Riders suffered last week, we just don’t see it happening again. If the Als win this one, they definitely got their money’s worth. But for our Week 2 picks, we have no choice but to take the Roughriders -2.

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CANADIAN BACON

Saturday's Best CFL Bets

Montreal Alouettes at Saskatchewan Roughriders (+3, 54.5)

Turnovers and a soft defense cost the Riders a loss against the surprising Edmonton Eskimos in their first game. Darian Durant proved once again he can help the team as much as hurt it. He was picked off three times, although gained 339 passing yards with two TDs. But to be honest, he will need better protection from his offensive line.

On the other side of the ball, DB John Eubanks, who replaced the injured Chris McKenzie, got burned for two touchdowns while the pass defense was almost non-existent. Safety James Patrick was caught off balance more than once.

None of this is good news with the Montreal Alouettes visiting. Anthony Calvillo completed 22-of-30 passes for 312 yards, three TDs and no interceptions, while Brendan Whitaker ran 17 times for 117 yards, in a 30-26 win over the Lions.

The Alouettes did lose excellent DB Jerald Brown early in that game (ankle) but they reactivated De Audra Dix and do have depth in the secondary starting with the resilient Jeff Hecht.

PICK: Montreal


Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Edmonton Eskimos (-1, 52)

The Tiger-Cats played poorly and deserved to lose against Winnipeg at home last week. Quarterback Kevin Glenn completed only 18-of-31 attempts for 187 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Head coach Marcel Bellefeuille pulled him out of the game and Glenn felt disrespected.

Another possible crisis to manage involves talkative RB Avon Cobourne, who was seen speaking his mind to Arland Bruce after the latter took a stupid penalty.

The only positive note coming out of the opener is that the Tiger-Cats defense is once again a force to be reckoned with. It recorded five sacks and allowed fewer first downs and total yards than any other team in Week 1.

The Tiger-Cats probably have more talent but these Eskimos seemed to have better unity, despite the fact that they have 21 newcomers on the 42-player active roster.

Jason Barnes, whose career seemed in jeopardy because of serious injuries last year, caught five passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns in the 42-28 win against the Riders. Ricky Ray also showcased his skills with 294 yards passing with three TDs.

The Eskimos, who finished dead last in the West last year, showed great poise and lot of opportunism in Week 1. They actually dominated and all aspects of the game against Saskatchewan and CFL bettors should see them in a new light.

PICK: Edmonton

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Saturday's Betting Tips: Significant Line Move In CFL Tilt

Weather To Watch

A 14 mph wind is forecast to be blowing in from right field at The Rangers Ballpark in Arlington today, when Texas hosts Oakland.

Who’s Hot

MLB: Mariners rookie starter Michael Pineda has allowed just one earned run in his past 13 innings on the road.

CFL: The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are 11-2 ATS in their last 13 meetings against the Edmonton Oilers.

WNBA: The Dream are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 road games.

Who’s Cold

MLB: Red Sox starter John Lackey is 0-3 with a 9.45 ERA in his past three starts.

WNBA: Sparks are 5-11 ATS vs. the Storm in Seattle.

MLB: The Astros head into the weekend as the worst bet in baseball. They’re down 23.4 units, nearly five units worse than the next team, Colorado.

Injury To Note

The Rockies are expected to get shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (leg) back in the lineup Saturday at the Nationals.

Game of the Day

Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees, 1:05 p.m.
David Price takes the hill for the Rays against A.J. Burnett and the host Yankees

Betting Tips

Inclement weather caused havoc with Friday night’s games on the East Coast.

Friday’s second round of The Barclay’s Scottish Open was suspended due to dangerous weather and will be resumed at 7 a.m. Scott Jamieson, Graeme McDowell and Peter Whiteford are tied for the lead at 11-under.

There was a significant line move in today’s early CFL tilt between Montreal and Saskatchewan. The Alouettes opened as 1.5-point road favorite but have been bet up all the way to 3.5 for the 4 p.m. kickoff.

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Arthur Ralph Sports

671- 509 57 % Run over 3 YEARS

Free one Sat: White Sox -155

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Hondo

Hondo, whose deficit is grew to a season-high 1,700 houghs after Thursday night's setback with the Chisox, had his Yankee investment -- a key move in his deficit- reduction plan -- rinsed last night in The Bronx.

Today, who's your Padre? Mr. Aitch says its Harang, whom he expects to bother the Dodgers -- 10 units on San Diego. Also, Simon says he can handle the menial task of beating Lackey -- 10 units on the Orioles.

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Gamblers Data

Free Play Saturday

Reds -105

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Baseball Crusher

Play of the Day:
Giants -170 over Mets

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Soccer Crusher

Play of the Day:
FortLauderdaleStrikers + AtlantaSilverbacks OVER 2.5
This match is happening in United States

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Today's MLB Picks
Tampa Bay at NY Yankees

The Yankees look to build on their 4-0 record in A.J. Burnett's last 4 Saturday starts. New York is the pick (-115) according to Dunkel, which has the Yankees favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-115). Here are all of today's picks.

SATURDAY, JULY 9
Time Posted: 7:30 a.m. EST

Game 901-902: Atlanta at Philadelphia (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Hanson) 14.938; Philadelphia (Lee) 15.603
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-160); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+140); Over

Game 903-904: NY Mets at San Francisco (9:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Capuano) 16.340; San Francisco (Lincecum) 15.199
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1; 6
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-175); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (+155); Under

Game 905-906: Colorado at Washington (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Jimenez) 15.288; Washington (Marquis) 14.487
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Colorado (-115); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-115); Over

Game 907-908: Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Dempster) 15.596; Pittsburgh (Correia) 14.626
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Pittsburgh (-120); 8
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (+100); Under

Game 909-910: Houston at Florida (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Myers) 13.918; Florida (Nolasco) 15.375
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Florida (-155); 8
Dunkel Pick: Florida (-155); Under

Game 911-912: Cincinnati at Milwaukee (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Cueto) 15.563; Milwaukee (Marcum) 14.546
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-110); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (-110); Over

Game 913-914: Arizona at St. Louis (7:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Hudson) 15.016; St. Louis (Carpenter) 14.521
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-140); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+120); Over

Game 915-916: San Diego at LA Dodgers (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Harang) 15.239; LA Dodgers (De La Rosa) 16.068
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1; 6
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-125); 7
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-125); Under

Game 917-918: Tampa Bay at NY Yankees (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Price) 16.026; NY Yankees (Burnett) 17.213
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-115); Under

Game 919-920: Minnesota at Chicago White Sox (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Duensing) 15.552; White Sox (Buehrle) 13.911
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-155); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+135); Over

Game 921-922: Toronto at Cleveland (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Morrow) 15.038; Cleveland (Tomlin) 16.582
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-115); 8
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-115); Over

Game 923-924: Detroit at Kansas City (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Furbush) 15.798; Kansas City (Hochevar) 14.933
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-115); 9
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-105); Under

Game 925-926: Baltimore at Boston (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Simon) 14.565; Boston (Lackey) 14.147
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 927-928: Oakland at Texas (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (McCarthy) 14.279; Texas (Lewis) 15.910
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Texas (-165); 9
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-165); Under

Game 929-930: Seattle at LA Angels (9:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Pineda) 15.897; LA Angels (Pineiro) 15.116
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1; 5 1/2
Vegas Line: Seattle (-115); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (-115); Under