It's 4th of July and you know what that means; fireworks, hot dogs, and some baseball.

I went a perfect 2-0 with another major underdog hitting, making my "dog record:" 8-4. I also had another strong lean that hit which is 2 out of 2. Let's kick some butt and may the winning continue.

We'll only be looking at late games due to the time of print but that's okay as there's still opportunity out there.

Texas Rangers at Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox have been making a statement lately and they're a team that's a major contender as they reside at the top of the American League Central Division standings with a 43-37 record and two game lead over the Cleveland Indians.

The White Sox made a monstrous statement on Tuesday as they defeated the Texas Rangers 19-1!. The question is, can a powerful Rangers lineup bounce back from a game that saw the Sox hit four home runs in total and had a 9 run 5th inning? 

All of the Sox key hitters got in on the demolition as Youkilis, Dunn, Rios, and Pierzynski all went deep. The White Sox are at an all time high this season and this game will be a good measuring stick to see if they can keep a good team down.

On the Rangers side, after such a huge defeat, starting Scott Feldman (2-6, 6.13) couldn't come at a worse time.

Feldman hasn't been the same pitcher for years and the Rangers bats will have to pickup the slack in this spot. However, Feldman has been at least average in his last two starts. In those starts, he's pitched 11 innings while giving up 6 earned runs. Amazingly in those starts, he picked up his first two wins of the season. The pitching matchup is subpar on both sides and we could see a lot of offense in this contest.

I like the momentum of Chicago here. I can't possible see them retreat after handing Texas a 19-1 beating. There's also the added bonus of facing Scott Feldman and for the betting public, the odds are favorable in taking Chicago at home. Take the White Sox as the slight underdog in this spot as part of your Wednesday MLB picks.

Pick: White Sox +104


Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers



The Detroit Tigers have been a major enmbarrassment this season with the great talent that they possess at 39-42.

In their series against the red hot Minnesota Twins it has been rightfielder Trevor Plouffe and star Josh Willingham who have provided the Twins with the offense. It's like they're a different team as they come into this game with a 5 game winning streak and Plouffe hitting 4 HR and 8 RBI in his last 5 games.

This is a major dilemma as you know that I love to be the hero and come up with the huge underdog when the odds makers priced something wrong. In this game the odds were placed astronomically too high, even with Verlander starting.

Don't get me wrong, Justin Verlander is one of the best pitchers in the game but his team has been vulnerable and he's been hittable at times. The question is "is it worth taking a risk with a Twins team that's won 5 in a row and dominated the Tigers at +230 odds?".

THE ANSWER: If I was running cold, I might play it conservative but I've been hot (no ego intended) and this allows me the slack to take the measured risk. Look for Joe Mauer, Trevor Plouffe, and Josh Willingham to make it six straight as the Twins blast Verlander and the Tigers on the 4th of July with a huge BANG and make a major statement to the league that the Twinkies are back.

Pick: Twins +230 - Play according to your bankroll as I always advise (there's also the next day to bet). Let's get'em folks!

Small Leans: Nothing major here but Ian Kennedy starts for Arizona against a weak Padres team. Kennedy hasn't pitched great lately but did bounce back in his last outing, giving up just 1 run in 7 innings for a victory against the Brewers.

There you have it. A slight underdog and one huge underdog. Let's nail this sucker as usual. Happy 4th of July everyone!!!!