Posted Wednesday, July 27, 2011 04:31 PMEverything about this site is great, it really is - all but the select few, of course. I understand that forums are an open-door policy to where each can preach their individual opinions freely, but there has got to be some kind of limit.
I feel as if Covers needs to definitely come up with some kind of "Ignore", "Block" or "Flag" option at the very least on some people's posts. Just like the other day, these hopeless losers all get on my thread and post close to 30 comments, bashing away at nothing but my avatar and one of my picks for the given night. Seriously?! It's the same group of virgins who just keep posting moronic insults over and over and over again... keeping sports bettors away and true knowledge and talk of the game as far as possible. Oh, and they have a nickname for their little "club", too. Cute.
With that being said, I will no longer be following the site. I'm not attempting to act like I'm something special and say, "Well, fine... I'll just leave!" because I'm not, at all. The fact of the matter is, when people troll around the site, it reflects poorly on the product. I hope you all hear me out, even just a bit. Have a good one and thank you for the fun and great features the site has to offer, but enough is enough from the peanut gallery - enough to keep me and the other hundreds of people I speak for, at least.
Best of luck to you all.
- Pricetopher
Indians/Angels (Under, 8.5) Regardless of today's starters for both the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Indians pitching staffs, the bats simply have not been there for either squad. It seems that each team loves to creep out to a 1-run lead and hold on to it the entire game until the opposing side attempts a last-second, bases loading comeback in the 9th inning. Regardless, the over of 8.5 has only hit 1 time in the last 10 match-up between these two teams and 6 times out of the last 25. Just trust me on this one, my valued play of the day, ok?!
Mariners/Yankees (Under, 8.5) I'm a New York Yankees fan through and through and one thing I can tell you is that Felix Hernandez (8-9, 3.47 ERA) finds a way to own the Pinstripes! He literally throws pitches that keep batters guessing, definitely earning him the renowned "King Felix" nickname - his problem is the offensive production is beyond lacking for his Seattle Mariners. Seattle's crappy offense could help starter Phil Hughes (1-2, 9.47 ERA) breathe a sigh of relief as he's looking to drop those numbers a bit today. Oh, one more thing (and you didn't hear this from me) - M's value play looks damn sweet! Shhhh!
Detroit Tigers (+110) I genuinely can not figure out why the Detroit are dogs to the Chicago White Sox today? The Tiger's bats are far superior to Chicago's and the day's starter Max Scherzer (11-5, 4.35 ERA) is definitely far superior and posts better numbers than his counterpart John Danks (3-8, 3.92 ERA) on a consistent basis, not to mention, Chicago's left-hander is 0-2 in his last 3 starts against the Tigers. He allowed 3 runs and 9 hits in 6 innings of a 3-0 loss to, yep... guess who - Scherzer! Take Detroit and their red-hot pitcher, who has gone 2-1 with a 1.66 ERA in his last three starts. This guy has allowed only 4 runs in his last 24 innings by the hand of the Sox, striking out 24 and walking only 5 over his last three. Seriously, all kidding aside - tell me again why the White Sox are favored?!
Orioles/Blue Jays (Over, 8.5) I thought the bats would open up last night for the Toronto Blue Jays and they did. The problem was the fact that apparently the Baltimore Orioles got the memo, too! Look for another high-scoring ballgame tonight when the O's look to exploit starter Ricky Romero's (7-9, 3.27 ERA) shaky last few games. The Orioles are starting pitcher Alfredo Simon (2-3, 4.08 ERA) who will have to have a little luck on their side when the Jays step to the plate, bringing back slugger Jose Bautista with a bit of a chip on his shoulder after leaving last night's game after taking a fastball to the helmet. Watch for a slug-fest tonight, double-digit runs in back-to-back games, in my opinion.
Milwaukee Brewers (-160) Granted, -160's a bit of juice to give up on a team like the Milwaukee Brewers... but they're playing at home versus the Chicago Cubs, c'mon! The Brewers are an amazing 34-14 in home games while the major's-worst Cubs are only 17-30 away from Wrigley. Put Brewers starter Zack Greinke (7-4, 4.84 ERA) on the mound against Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano (7-5, 4.70 ERA) and I see a recipe for success. Yes, Big Z got the "W" last week when he threw against the Astros at home, but luckily. Those of you who read my entries often read about my anger due to the fact that Zambrano kept loading the bases up with no outs and the half-assed Houston hitters would bail him out each and every time, leaving double-digit runners left stranded on base. Thanks again, Hunter Pence... idiot. I see the Cubs pitchers making the same mistakes - but the Brewers bats won't let them off so easily, especially at home. Watch for the Brew Crew to lead themselves to a rather easy win in a high-scoring affair tonight.
Giants/Phillies (Under, 8) With Philadelphia Phillies starter Vance Worley (6-1, 2.02 ERA) pitching like a mad man all season, especially lately where his numbers in his last 3 games are a 3-0 record with a staggering 0.89 ERA, I see the NL West-leading Giants and Barry Zito (3-2, 4.78 ERA) getting shut down, limited to a maximum of 2 runs... easy. However, I don't see the Phillies putting up much more than a handful of runs themselves, letting the bats cool a bit in the first game of the series. (Continued, Pk. 2)
Philadelphia Phillies (-120) I don't generally handcuff bets together like I am tonight, but I see ample evidence why I feel you have got to take the Philadelphia Phillies, who are looking to bounce back in this match-up since dropping their last, heavily-favored game to the Padres - and especially given San Francisco starter Barry Zito's previous outing where he gave up 8 runs in just over 3 innings to San Diego. Phillies and under - bang!
Los Angeles Angels (-135) Although the fake Los Angeles Angels cost me real money last night by gaining the lead very late in the game (just enough to wake me up and get me excited) to just blow it all to hell by the bottom of the 9th inning (just enough to make me want to kick a kitten), I am backing them again tonight - one reason, Jared Weaver (13-4, 1.81 ERA). Weaver is more clutch at pitching than I am at texting ex girlfriends on a lonely, drunken Saturday morning around 3 a.m. Add to that the fact that the Cleveland Indians have giant holes in their bats at the present moment and you've got a recipe for a boring-ass, low-scoring (making me lean towards the under, as well) game. Go, Halos - don't suck... again!
Pittsburgh Pirates (+165) I took the Pittsburgh Pirates to pull the upset on the Atlanta Braves last night and I'm following through on it again tonight. In my value play of the day, I am taking red-hot Jeff Karstens (8-5, 2.28 ERA), who is 2-1 in his last 3 games with an insane 0.78 ERA, tonight when he matches up against Tommy Hanson (11-5, 3.06 ERA) in Atlanta. Karstens has literally owned both Chipper Jones and Dan Uggla, holding them hitless in a combined 9 at-bats this season. In this low-scoring affair, the value is far too great not to hop on the Pirates - I really, truly believe they pull it off.
Orioles/Blue Jays (Over, 8.5) Both the Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles bats have been a bit cold of late but I see all of that changing tonight, with or without the hot hand of Brandon Morrow (7-4, 4.34 ERA) on the mound for the Jays. I expect a lot of the help coming from Baltimore starter Jake Arrieta (9-7, 5.02 ERA) and the fact that he is pitching like absolute garbage lately (6.61 ERA in his last 16 innings pitched) - something I think Jose Bautista and friends exploit quick and early, jumping out to a 1st or 2nd inning lead, never to look back. Get ready to watch the power hitting of the Blue Jays return as they let the wind and air density help carry the ball out of the park tonight in Toronto (that part was a joke, shut up).
Padres/Phillies (Under, 7)
There is no question that the Philadelphia Phillies have dominated the San Diego Padres over the first three games of this four-game series. The real question is, can they continue to do so with the hot hand of Aaron Harang (8-2, 3.29 ERA) taking the rubber today when he goes head-to-head with Phillies starter Cliff Lee (9-6, 2.83 ERA) in Monday's only mid-day match-up? I know I'm not letting myself lay that kind of juice in this one - the Padres may steal it. Regardless, this game has UNDER written all over it - with Lee posting an insane 6-0, 0.95 ERA at Citizens Bank Park in his last seven home starts since losing to Atlanta on May 6 and Harang staying consistently good since returning from the DL, we're looking at a low-scoring pitcher's duel. Add to the fact that Padres hot-hitting CF Cameron Maybin (who is batting .422 with 6 RBI's and 11 runs scored in 10 games since the All-Star break) will likely be out due to problems arising via a hip flexor strain and you can both sleep through this one and make money simultaneously.
Los Angeles Angels (-130)
Dan Haren's (10-6, 3.10 ERA) Los Angeles Angels are playing better than they have all season. To his aid, Haren will face the slumping Cleveland Indians and Fausto Carmona (5-10, 5.63 ERA) on Monday night, a team who has only averaged 2 runs over their last 4 games. The Angels seem to own every aspect of this match-up at Progressive Field, especially since Carmona holds a career-worst 0-3 record all-time versus the Halos and Haren's last outing against the Tribe landed him a season-high 10 K's. The Indians just can not seem to plate runs lately while the Angels are reeling in the wins. Although it may be low-scoring, Los Angeles takes the first of the 3-game series on the road in my value play of the day.
Pittsburgh Pirates (+175)
Upset alert!!! So, I made a last-second decision to hop on the Jays last night (+200 at Texas) and I'm making another rather bold move tonight. Granted, maybe I got a bit lucky by the Rangers posting a goose egg, but sometimes luck is what you need in this game we call gambling, right? With the demoralizing loss in extra innings that the Atlanta Braves took last night (not to mention the lashing they took the night before that in Cincinnati), I am jumping on James McDonald (6-4, 4.15 ERA) and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Granted, the Braves are bringing veteran right-hander Tim Hudson (9-6, 3.39 ERA) to the mound, who is 4-0 with a 1.96 ERA over his last six outings overall, but McDonald has also been stellar since mid-May. The right-hander is 4-1 with a 2.84 ERA over his last 11 starts, allowing no runs while striking out 7 in just over 6 innings in Cinicnnati - a team who shut Atlanta down this past week. Look for a tight, low-scoring game where I feel the Bucs will pull it off by scoring valuable, early runs.
Rockies/Dodgers (Over, 7)
Although the Colorado Rockies bats have been struggling a bit of late, I see them waking up tonight when they face Los Angeles Dodgers and Rubby De La Rosa (3-4, 3.73 ERA). I thought long and hard on taking the Rockies ML in this one, after what was probably too much thinking, I feel the safer bet is the over. Rockies starter Juan Nicasio (4-2, 3.88) gave up a handful of runs last month, the last time he faced Los Angeles - I see the same result today, just in a close game with decent numbers crossing the plate. The total was probably right when it came out, sitting at 9 - take it at 7 for sure!
A's/Yankees (Under, 9.5) The Oakland A's have yet to beat the New York Yankees two straight times in over 4 years - a drought that I don't necessarily see ending today, although I do think they have a better chance than most given Bartolo Colon's (6-6, 3.34 ERA) descending 0-3, 6.39 ERA of late. However, the only thing that I think can help boost both Colon's ego and numbers is the sporadic hitting of the Athletics hitters - inconsistency being a big reason behind Oakland dropping 11 out of their last 12 games. A bright point will be A's starter Gio Gonzalez (9-6, 2.32 ERA) who has been pitching well in recent games, giving him a 2-1, 2.00 ERA throughout his last 3 starts. I see New York getting off to an early but slim lead and becoming complacent with their bats, leading them to a handful of runs, keeping the A's off the board until relief comes in to give up 1 or 2 towards the end.
White Sox/Indians (Under, 8) With Chicago White Sox starters Edwin Jackson (6-7, 3.97 ERA) coming off a complete game shutout of the Tigers this past week and Cleveland Indians starter Justin Masterson (8-6, 2.64 ERA) giving up no runs in 7.2 innings against the Twins just a few days later, I expect both pitchers to come in with high confidence and their pitches on command. It's hard to pick a side in this match-up, given the fact that their offensive consistency is about as reliable as an Enron pension plan - leading me to take the under. Hell, I'd take the under in this one if it were set at 5 to be honest. Ok, ok... 5.5 maybe.
Pittsburgh Pirates (+105) This game is far too important for the Pittsburgh Pirates to let slip away in the form of a sweep. Although the St. Louis Cardinals have had their way at PNC Park in the last two games, I see Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse's (8-7, 3.45 ERA) woes continuing today in Pennsylvania. Lohse is 0-2 with an awful 7.88 ERA in his last 3 starts versus the Pirates. Don't expect another 9-run outing by St. Louis today (their month's best offensive outing) when Charlie Morton (8-5, 3.62 ERA) comes to the rubber as he has been improving throughout the season, holding Cincinnati to no runs through 5 innings in his last outing.
Boston Red Sox (-150) Although the Boston Red Sox (and anyone laying the kind of juice they did yesterday) took a scare late into the game, they surged when it was needed. Break out the brooms today as I see Boston laying a smack down on the Seattle Mariners to put an exclamation point on this series! With the Knuckleball King Tim Wakefield (5-3, 4.80 ERA) throwing against this horrid hitting offense in Seattle, it won't matter if he throws a shutout or gives up a handful because I see the bats of Boston putting up double-digits against Michael Pineda (8-6, 3.24 ERA) and the Mariners to close out the series in style.
Padres/Phillies (Under, 7) Even though the Philadelphia Phillies needed an "offensive explosion" (for the Phillies, 8 runs is considered just that to me) to beat the San Diego Padres yesterday, they'll need far less thanks to ace Roy Halladay (11-4, 2.57 ERA) starting today. Add that with a decent starter in his own right, Tim Stauffer (6-6, 2.83 ERA) and I see a recipe for a snoozing pitcher's duel (unless you're into that sort of thing). Take the under in my value pick of the day and watch this game stay under 5 runs all throughout.