What have MLB odds makers left for us today? There's always value out there somewhere, so hopefully we've found it. With some prety heavy lines floating around, which ones have we jumped on, and which are we willing to let pass?
The biggest chalk of Monday finds its home in one of the
most disappointing teams in the major leagues this season. Ironic, right?
R.A. Dickey is pitching for the Mets at home against
Colorado and that just proves how dominant Dickey has been. With him leading
the way, New York is listed as high as -222 at the sportsbooks. Capper John Ryan is going out on a limb on this one, as he posted an argument in favor of the Rockies. For those of you who like to take risk, be sure to read John's pick on Colorado.
I'm steering clear of that game today, but as John points out, the Rockies are
actually playing pretty well right now. I have decided to turn my focus elsewhere, and am going with these two MLB picks today.
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Cincinnati Reds
Call me crazy, but I'm going against the red-hot Reds
tonight as I feel confident in Roy Halladay at home.
Cincinnati may have won eight of ten, but it must be said
that all eight of those wins came over the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets.
Hardly the best competition there.
You may be thinking the Phillies aren't much better, but
they did close out their series against Milwaukee with two straight wins. Maybe
that momentum will carry over, especially with Halladay pitching as well as he
has all season.
Halladay has finally hit a groove, going 2-1 with a 1.64 ERA
in three August starts so far. He's allowed just 11 total hits over his last 22
innings of work.
It's never that easy to side against a surging team like the
Reds, but I'm really fond of this value on Halladay and I'm hoping he can
continue to shut down teams like he's been doing lately.
This is another one of today's matchups where John Ryan has decided to go against the odds makers, as he is also backing his hometown Phillies to pull off the upset.
Pick: Philadelphia Phillies -141
Seattle Mariners vs. Cleveland Indians
The Mariners are barely favored in the MLB odds for their
series opener against Cleveland. I just touched on value and I think this is a
good representation of that too.
Coming in, the Indians have lost five in a row and are 4-18
over their previous 22 games overall. Making matters worse, they're also a
miserable 24-38 away from home.
With Ubaldo Jimenez on the mound for Cleveland, another
defeat seems likely. This is a guy that's 9-12 with a 5.62 ERA and 1.63 WHIP
this season – he went 1-4 with a 6.09 ERA in July and is 1-2 with a 9.98 ERA in
three starts this month. Ouch.
The Mariners meanwhile are enjoying their best stretch of
the season, having won five straight and seven of their last eight.
Kevin Millwood, despite a 4-10 record, hasn't been nearly as
ineffective as those numbers may suggest. He has a 4.13 ERA at home this season
and has given up three or fewer runs or four straight starts at Safeco.
Pick: Seattle Mariners -109
What do you think about the slate of baseball games
today? Give us your picks at SBR's MLB Handicapping Forums and see what other
cappers have to say as well.
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order to track live lines and find the best possible value out there. Check it
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