SJ is locked and loaded for Saturday with a full list
of MLB picks.
Season
Record:
2012 MLB: 35-21-1 (+40.65 units)
2011 NFL: 48-33-7 (+34.75 units)
2011 NBA: 4-4-1 (-1.8 units)
2011
NCAA: 18-15-1
(-6.8 units)
*All bets
are weighted between 1 and 5 units.
Last Week
(2-2, -1.80 units)
Saturday morning and my coffee is getting colder by the minute as I
review last week's 2-2 split and ponder today's slate of games. It's been a few weeks now since we added to
our bankroll, and the natives are getting restless. I feel your pain for I am eager to duplicate
some of my early season heroics which have landed us over 40 units to the good
thus far in Major League Baseball.
Last week, I should have stopped writing after my first two selections. I picked the Yankees (-140) over the Angels
for 3 units and the Braves (-110) over the Mets for 2 units. Good job, 'nuff said. Should've taken my 5 unit payday and hit the
road. But, no, I had to back the Tigers
(-120) for 4 units over the Orioles, which flamed after the Cats dropped an 8-6
decision and then I came back with a juicy underdog as the Red Sox were
actually getting +140. Alas, we
learned the timeless lesson once again that there is no value in losing. Boston bowed 5-3 to their AL East rivals, the
Tampa Bay Rays.
So, we lost 1.80 units for the day but we're back at it today. I just realized I've been researching now for
over two hours and my head phones are still on with no sound. I am like the retarded kid who walks around
with a bicycle helmet on his head but no bike to ride. Well, it's time to plunge into the MLB waters
and wash this little losing streak right off. Good luck, boys, here we go.
4:05 PM
ET San Francisco Giants vs. Philadelphia
Phillies (MAX PLAY)
It appears the Phillies are going to sign Cole Hamels to a monster
contract within the next day or two, so if the rumors are true, today's game
will feature two pitchers in the hundred million dollar club. Big Matty Cain is chuckin' for the Giants and
he is proving that their $112 million investment back in April may just be
worth the enormous price tag.
The obvious choice here is to play Under 7 total runs, but it looks too easy, doesn't it? In the last three
games that Cain has locked horns with Hamels, which would be once in 2010 and
twice in 2011, a total of three runs was scored each and every time. It should also be noted that Hamels was a
favorite in each contest, but his Phillies only came away with the victory once
on those three occasions. Cain pitched brilliantly in those three games, but his most recent outing against the
Phillies (not included in those three) was an absolutely dazzling performance
in which he outdueled Cliff Lee back on April 18th of this
year. He pitched 9 innings, allowed no
runs and only two hits in a 1-0 victory for the Giants.
Sometimes when it walks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a
duck, then you know what? It's probably a
duck. This has all the markings of a
pitcher's duel, so why fight it? If
you're a contrarian by nature, then be my guest; if it goes OVER you can gloat
it about it later but for right now I will play UNDER 7 (-115) for my
maximum 5 unit play!
Pick: Play the UNDER
4:05 PM
ET Chicago White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers
Sure, the White Sox are slumping but they've got a good one on the hill
today who, at the very least, could stop the slide and maybe even turn things
around. Chris Sale takes the bump, and he
has been lights out this season for the White Sox. Despite dropping a 5-2 decision to the Tigers
in April, Sale has sparkled throughout this campaign with an 11-2 mark to go
along with a 2.13 ERA and an outstanding 0.97 WHIP.
My unbridled enthusiasm for Sale is tempered by the fact that the White
Sox have been struggling as a team. They
have lost 4 of their last 5 while the Tigers are finally living up to the lofty
expectations people had for them in spring training. Detroit has won 11 of 13 and have been led by
the offensive prowess of Miguel Cabrera (hitting .400, 5 HR's and 12 RBI's
during the thirteen game stretch) and Prince Fielder who has been an RBI
machine with 15 during the same time frame.
Nevertheless, the White Sox haven't won 50 games this season on sheer
luck. They are a good team and they are
playing a good team. As a matter of fact, both teams have virtually identical records heading into this matinee in
Detroit, so we will simply hang our hats on the superior pitcher and keep our
fingers crossed.
Pick: Play the White Sox -115 for 3 units.
8:35 PM
ET Colorado Rockies at San Diego Padres
There are some teams and some pitchers that play over their heads for a
period of time, and Jeff Francis happens to be one. Francis has worked six full innings just once
since being rescued from Triple-A and signed by the Rockies. This is what to expect from Francis: he works
5 innings, allows six hits and somehow his team still manages to win. Well, not this time, as the Rockies bullpen is
reeling, and the team dropped their third game in a row as they fell 9-5 to the
Padres last night.
While the Rocks are near the bottom of the barrel with a 35-57 record, San
Diego is heating up, winning four straight and looking for number five at Petco
tonight. I realize the Padres' Kip Wells
will not conjure notions of Roger Clemens in his prime, but he's a serviceable
starter who throws too many pitches but still has a respectable 2.82 ERA in
four starts this season.
Here is an opportunity to catch a bad team playing
good baseball against a lousy team playing lousy baseball.
Let's take a chance with the home dog and
play San Diego +105 for 3 units.