10-4-11

[timbob]

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[Mr. IWS]

Tuesday’s Best Mound Match-up

Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Jaime Garcia, St. Louis Cardinals

Cole Hamels (14-9, 2.79 ERA)

Philadelphia rolls out another dominant starting pitcher for Game 3 in Cole Hamels, who is 6-4 with a 3.33 ERA in 12 career postseason starts since 2007.

The 27-year-old is coming off another solid regular season campaign that saw him allow just 169 hits while striking out 164 batters in 216 innings of work. He hasn’t climbed the mound since throwing a three-inning relief stint against Atlanta on Sept. 28. Hamels gave up four hits and two earned runs and hasn’t recorded a win since he went the distance in a win over Milwaukee back on Sept. 9.

The good news is he has been pretty tough on Albert Pujols, who is 4-for-23 against him lifetime with two homers. However, Lance Berkman has seven hits in 21 at bats against Hamels over his career.

Hamels has had some problems with the longball lately, allowing nine homers over his last six trips to the mound.

Jaime Garcia (13-7, 3.56 ERA)

The Cardinals feel pretty good about giving the ball to Jaime Garcia for Game 3 even though this will be his first postseason start.

Garcia is dominant at Busch Stadium, going 16-9 in 35 career appearances while boasting a 2.31 ERA. He has held batters to just a .231 batting average in St. Louis and has two complete games under his belt this season.

"He's a guy that likes to get ahead in the count, and his command definitely plays big in order for us to be successful on him," Phils manager Charlie Manuel said.

"We've got to make him bring the ball up and be patient with him, and our right-handed hitters have to definitely have some success against him."

Garcia gave up four runs over four innings in a 5-4 loss at Houston when he last took the ball on Sept. 26.

[Mr. IWS]

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Phillies At Cardinals Playoff Betting Preview
By: Willie Bee

Philadelphia Phillies at Saint Louis Cardinals (+125, 7)

Scoring first is usually a very good thing in baseball, or just about any sport for that matter. But it hasn't worked out for either the Philadelphia Phillies or St. Louis Cardinals in the first two games of their NLDS.

The Phils and Cards head west to St. Louis for Games 3 and 4 knotted a win apiece. Both teams failed to protect 3-0 first-inning leads in the City of Brotherly Love over the weekend, St. Louis watching that advantage evaporate in an 11-6 Game 1 loss while Philadelphia saw the same edge slip away in a 5-4 Game 2 defeat.

Action resumes Tuesday at 5:07 p.m. (ET) at Busch Stadium. TBS will provide the telecast that features a matchup of southpaws, Cole Hamels (18-13, 2.79) for the Phillies and Jaime Garcia (19-13, 3.56) for the Redbirds.

The MLB odds sent Philadelphia out on a -141 line with seven runs for the Game 3 total.

That the Phillies battled back from the early 3-0 hole on Saturday behind ace Roy Halladay was one thing. Seeing the Cards overcome an eventual 4-0 deficit against Cliff Lee on Sunday was quite another, and the Game 2 win should give St. Louis the momentum in front of the home fans.

The Cardinals are going to need it. Busch Stadium wasn't all that favorable for the boys in the birds-on-bat jerseys. Tony La Russa's lads were 45-36 on their home diamond this season, sixth best in the National League but nothing to really crow about. The Phillies were the best road club in the big leagues, meanwhile, winning 50 of their 81 games away from Citizens Bank Park.

If there was one statistical weakness the Phils had during the regular season, it was facing left-handers. Philadelphia went level against lefties, 24-24, and that might play well alongside the Cardinals' 11-4 mark at home in Garcia's 15 starts. The 25-year-old hurler posted a 2.55 ERA at Busch, more than two runs lower than out on the road, and served up just six long balls in 99 innings.

Garcia didn't seem to care where he pitched against the Phils this season, helping the Cardinals to a 2-0 record in his two outings. He allowed just one unearned run in eight innings at Busch in mid-May, and went seven frames in Philly a little more than two weeks ago, surrendering just a single run in that appearance.

Philadelphia lost four of Hamels' last five starts, three of those on the road and the other at home to these Cardinals in his only appearance against them this campaign. He's actually pitched pretty well vs. St. Louis the past few seasons, but doesn't have a win on his personal ledger to show for the efforts.

The playoff experience edge definitely goes to Hamels who will be making his 13th postseason start and Garcia on the October stage for the very first time. Hamels allowed just nine hits while walking one and striking out 17 in his 15 innings of playoff pitching last year.

Matt Holliday is officially listed as doubtful for Tuesday's game, the slugger still nursing a hand injury. He did pinch hit in Game 1, striking out to end the game, and could be playing that role off the bench in Game 3.

Jerry Meals, working his seventh postseason series and sixth LDS, has the plate for this one. The last two times he's worked a Phillies playoff game, Charlie Manuel's crew came out on top.

No worries about the weather for this game. Clear skies, temps in the mid-70s at game time and a light southeast breeze should make for an excellent night for the crowd.

The teams will be right back in action on Wednesday for Game 4. Neither manager has officially named his starter, but it's expected to be Roy Oswalt for Philadelphia against St. Louis' Edwin Jackson.

[Mr. IWS]

Tuesday’s Betting Tips: D-Backs Rookie SP Owns Brewers

Who’s Hot

MLB: Milwaukee has won eight of its last 10 games in Arizona.

MLB: Detroit is 19-7 in Rick Porcello’s last 26 starts.

Who’s Not

MLB: The over is 0-7 in Tampa Bay’s last seven home playoff games.

MLB: The over is 6-16-1 in Philadelphia’s last 23 contests.

Key Stat

0 – Arizona Diamondbacks rookie starting pitcher Josh Collmenter heads into his first MLB postseason start Tuesday against Milwaukee, a club he has dominated in his short career. The 25-year-old kept the Brewers off the scoreboard in two starts against them back in July. He threw 14 scoreless innings, allowing six hits while striking out 10 with one walk. The Diamondbacks are set as +105 home underdogs.

Injury That Shouldn’t Be Overlooked

Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers - San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates was scheduled to run Tuesday to test his injured foot. Gates has sat out the past two games with a plantar fascia injury that caused him to miss the final six games last season. Chargers coach Norv Turner on Monday said his Pro Bowl tight end is making progress but his status for this weekend’s game at Denver. The Chargers are early 4-point favorites.

Game Of The Day

Texas Rangers at Tampa Bay Rays (-120, 8.5)

Notable Quotable

"It's over already. (Tigers starter Justin) Verlander has it (Monday). Next day, have the celebration in Detroit ... 100 per cent. The Yankees have a good team, but I think that's it for them." – Detroit Tigers closer Jose Valverde following Sunday’s win over the Yankees. Valvarde later told reporters he was joking.

Tips And Notes

Ohio State running back Dan Herron, wide receiver DeVier Posey and offensive lineman Marcus Hall have been suspended for Saturday's game against No. 14 Nebraska for accepting extra money while working summer jobs near Cleveland. Herron and Posey, along with left tackle Mike Adams and defensive end Solomon Thomas, were suspended for the first five games of the Buckeyes' season for various infractions, including accepting cash and tattoos in exchange for game memorabilia and autographs. The Sooners moved from 9.5-point underdogs against Nebraska to 11-point pups Monday evening.

If the Philadelphia Phillies want to re-sign shortstop Jimmy Rollins, they'll have to pay market value. Rollins says he won't give the Phillies a hometown discount when he becomes a free agent at season's end. Rollins made the comments following Sunday's loss to St. Louis in Game 2 of the National League Divisional Series. The 33-year-old infielder said he will seek a five-year deal when he hits the open market. Rollins remains one of the top shortstops in the NL. He batted .268 with 16 homers, 63 RBIs and 30 stolen bases in 567 at-bats in the regular season.

Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin left the team Monday to fly to Moscow following the death of his uncle. A team spokesman told the Washington Post that the Capitals are hopeful Ovechkin will be back in time for Saturday's regular-season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes. The two-time league MVP had 32 goals and 53 assists last season for a career-low 85 points. Ovechkin had reeled off three consecutive seasons of at least 50 goals, including a career-high 65 in 2007-08, and last season marked the first time he scored fewer than 46 in six seasons with the Capitals.

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan lashed out at his team following a humbling 34-17 loss at Baltimore on Sunday night, telling the team it is going back to a grind-it-out offense. The Jets have lost two straight games and failed to score an offensive touchdown in the loss to the Ravens. Quarterback Mark Sanchez was 11 of 35 for 119 yards and committed four turnovers - three of which were returned for touchdowns by the Ravens. Sanchez had thrown for a career-high 369 yards in a loss to Oakland the previous week. The Jets opened as 9.5-point underdogs at New England.

[Mr. IWS]

HOT LINES

Tuesday's Best MLB Bet

Milwaukee Brewers at Arizona Diamondbacks (+105, 9)

Unless you contain Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, you’re going to have a pretty tough time against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Arizona Diamondbacks are finding that out the hard way.

Braun continued his hot streak with a home run and three hits in Sunday’s 9-4 win in Game 2, pushing his batting average in the series to .750 (6 for 8). Meanwhile, Fielder has three hits and three RBIs in the series heading into Tuesday’s game at Arizona.

"We try to keep perspective," Braun told reporters. "We're excited that we won the first two games, but we could just as easily come home tied, 2-2.

"The goal is not just to get to the postseason. The goal is to advance through the postseason. We haven't accomplished that yet, so we're not overly excited but we feel good about the way we played in these two games.”

Diamondbacks rookie starter Josh Collmenter has his work cut out for him, but the 25-year-old’s quirky over-the-top delivery has puzzled a lot of batters, including the Brewers’ lineup in the regular season.

In two starts against Milwaukee back in July, Collmenter held the Brewers to three hits over six innings and then shut them out over eight innings in his next outing.

"I'm excited," Collmenter told reporters after Game 2. "That's what you pitch all the games during the regular season for, to get to these games that matter, that count. I'm looking forward to the opportunity. We'll be back at home and the game time is close to a normal game, so it's as close as it could be to a normal start."

This time around could be different. With Milwaukee smelling blood in the water and having seen Collmenter twice already we’re jumping on the Brew Crew as short road favorites.

PICK: Brewers

[Mr. IWS]

Baseball Crusher
Play of the Day:

Dbacks +102 over Brewers

[Mr. IWS]

Mighty Quinn

Mighty missed with the Yankees Monday night.

Tuesday: Yankees. Deficit: 2,724 sirignanos.

[Mr. IWS]

Hondo

Hondo gave some back last night when the Bucs showed little regard for the point spread, which caused the deficit to grow to 1,895 berenguers.

Today, Mr. Aitch isn't cool with Cole, so he will drop 20 units on Garcia and the Cards. Tonight, he expects the Snakes to avoid the sweep, so mark him down for an anti-Marcum play -- 20 on Collmenter. Also, he will try the Porcello in Detroit -- 20 units on the Tigers to KO A.J. & Co.

[Mr. IWS]

Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports

728- 535 57 % Run over 3 YEARS

Free one for 23-10 run TUES Brewers -110

[Mr. IWS]

Today's MLB Picks

Philadelphia at St. Louis

The Phillies look to bounce back from their Game 2 loss and build on their 8-2 record in Cole Hamels last 10 starts as a road favorite of -110 to -150. Philadelphia is the pick (-135) according to Dunkel, which has the Phillies favored by 1/2 a run. Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-135). Here are all of today's picks.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4 Time Posted: 6:00 a.m. EST

Game 971-972: Texas at Tampa Bay (2:05 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Harrison) 15.862; Tampa Bay (Hellickson) 16.859 Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1; 9 Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-115); 8 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-115); Over

Game 973-974: NY Yankees at Detroit (8:35 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Burnett) 16.793; Detroit (Porcello) 15.905 Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1; 9 Vegas Line: Detroit (-110); 9 1/2 Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-110); Under

Game 975-976: Philadelphia at St. Louis (5:05 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Hamels) 15.754; St. Louis (Garcia) 15.213 Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1/2; 6 1/2 Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-135); 7 Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-135); Under

Game 977-978: Milwaukee at Arizona (9:35 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Marcum) 15.081; Arizona (Collmenter) 15.684 Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1/2; 9 1/2 Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-115); 9 Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-105); Over

[Mr. IWS]

Cappers Access

Rays
Yankees
Brewers

[Mr. IWS]

JOE WIZ DAILY FREE PICK

Under 9 runs bet. Milwaukee and Arizona.

[Mr. IWS]

MLB
Write-Up


Tuesday, October 4

Collmenter is 3-3, 2.88 in his last nine starts; he threw 14 consecutive scoreless innings vs Milwaukee in starts July 6-18 (back/back starts that were wrapped around All-Star break), winning 3-0 here (Arizona bullpen lost other game). Brewers much better at home (59-24) than on foreign soil (39-42), can they wrap up series on road? Marcum is 1-2, 7.03 in his last four starts; he allowed four runs in six IP vs Arizona July 4, in a game Diamondbacks later won 8-6. Milwaukee won six of Marcum's last seven road starts.

Garcia is 3-0, 4.11 in his last five starts; he was 0-0, 1.20 in two starts vs Philly this season (two runs/15 IP). Cardinals are 7-4 vs Philly this year, holding Phils to four or less runs in all seven wins, with five of those seven staying under total. Phillies scored 10-4-9-11 runs in their four wins. Hamels is 0-2, 4.74 in his last three starts; he allowed four runs in seven IP Sept 18, in meaningless game for the Phils.

Hellickson is 3-2, 2.38 in his last eight starts; he allowed two runs in 6.2 IP in 2-0 loss at Texas August 30. Rangers are 7-5 vs Tampa Bay this year, with three of seven wins via shutouts; Rays scored 5-4-5-5-9 runs in their five wins, 5-0-0-2-0-6-3 in the seven losses. Harrison is 4-0, 2.64 in his last five starts; he beat Rays 11-4 Sept 4, allowing two runs in seven IP. Under is 5-5-1 in eleven series games, 3-3-1 in this park.

Home team won seven of ten Detroit-Bronx games, as Tigers won four of five at home- Tigers are 6-4 in season series this year, as Detroit held them to three or less runs in four of six series wins. Bronx scored 6-10-5-9 runs in its four series wins. Burnett is 2-0, 4.08 in his last three starts; Bronx is 16-16 in his 32 starts this season. Burnett split pair of starts vs Detroit early in season, allowing eight runs in 12 IP. Porcello is 2-1, 3.55 in his last five starts; he beat Bronx here 6-3 back in May, allowing two runs in seven IP. Over is 6-4 in series games, 2-3 in Comerica Park, a more spacious ballpark.

[Mr. IWS]

bookiemonsters

9-3 run

mlb texas +1.5

[timbob]

Benjamin lee Eckstein "Mr Chalk" 2011 MLB AL/NL Playoffs
"Mr Chalk" 2011 MLB AL/NL Playoffs

Ben lee won (3 in a row) on Monday with the Tigers -$130/Yankees.

For Tuesday "Mr Chalk" likes the Diamondbacks +$105/Brewers "Thats Right" "Mr Chalk" Likes A Dog!

Mr Chalk" is 3-1 + $125 for the 2011 MLB AL/NL Playoffs.