Cashing In

Your "Bad Beat" for Thursday is on:

Rangers (over 9 1/2) at Boston.

Now this is good, really really freakin' good!

Texas exploded for six runs in the first inning capped by a Bengie Molina two run blast. The game was 7-1 in the fourth inning so with the home team losing and just 10 runs needed for the over things were looking really good for those over players.

Or not.

Boston left a couple of runners on base in the 9th and this game ended 7-2.

Seriously? 6-0 in the first with a pair of high level offenses and we have an under???????



Your winners for Friday are on:

3* Dodgers (plus 135) at St. Louis.

2* Mariners (plus 125) at Anaheim.

An 0-1 Thursday as the small 2* on the Red Sox never even came close.



Chad Billinglsey has lights out stuff and despite yesterday's defeat I still believe that Joe Torre's Dodgers are better than Tony LaRussa's Cardinals. That's not meant to be a slight on St. Louis because Pujols, Holliday and the Redbirds are a very very good squad. I just think this Dodger team has all of the makings of being great.

Los Angeles can bash with the best of them. Manny may not be the same guy as in the past but getting him back can't hurt and this lineup is stacked with Ethier, Kemp, Loney, Furcal, Martin and others. The Dodgers don't always play up to their capabilities and that is fairly evident but to get such a handsome price back is a no-brainer.

Jaime Garcia has had a breakthrough season for sure and is no joke right now with that tiny era but I do think the guy is going to get hit a bit and this is a solid spot for that to happen.



I dont' care that the Angels are better than the Mariners and that Mike Scioscia's club is at home and just pounded Seattle last night. If I can get some coin back with the great Felix Hernandez than I am going to go for it.

Jered Weaver is awesome himself but Hernandez has been lights out for over a month now and just shoved it up the Yankees butts twice. The King has allowed a grand total of seven earned runs in his past 50 plus innings and just seems to be in the zone right now.

The Mariners offense is challenged for sure and well inferior when compared to the Angels but Anaheim is going to have trouble scoring today and in what should be a well pitched low scoring game I'll back a hot Hernandez and take my chances with that offense.

Your "Bad Beat" for Wednesday is on:

NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not researching the WNBA on Wednesday, I'm just not.



Your winner for Thursday is on:

2* Red Sox (plus 105) vs. Texas.

One play today and it's really nothing too special at all. The Rangers are without a doubt a scary team that deseres to be in first place but to be laying money at Fenway Park is just wrong. I understand that Ron Washington's Rangers have a high quality offense led by Vlad, Hamilton, Young and Kinsler but laying money basically in Boston?

I don't care if the Sox are injured and have played some shaky ball. I also don't care if Tommy Hunter has been awesome unlike Tim Wakefield who has been mediocre and on again and off again. It's still the Texas Rangers laying money in Boston!

I would like to have Dustin Pedroia around but the MVP is injured and all in all I certainly can't call this a mortal lock but you hardly ever get this home dog type scenario and win, lose or draw I'm taking my chances with Boston tonight.

Shoot if the Rangers couldn't win any of those last four games at home against against the Orioles why can't Wake and that knuckler won today!?!?

Your "Bad Beat" for Thursday is on:

Indians (over 9) at Tampa Bay.

Michael Brantley belted a leadoff home run putting the Tribe on the board right away. Tampa came back though and plated three runs in the third inning to grab a 5-2 lead. WIth the total at 9 the over players were in, right?

Wrong.

Gooseggs across the board the rest of the way and the game somehow ended 5-2!

Yikes!!!!!!!!!



Your winners for Friday are on:

4* Reds (pk) at Philadelphia.

3* Braves (even) at New York.

Somehow the Rangers imploded yesterday against the Orioles after building the 4-0 lead and in the end an 0-2 poor day capping a poor week.



Brian Schneider smacked a game winning extra inning home run yesterday as the Phillies nipped the Reds, 4-3. Congratulations Phillies because you're in trouble today.

Charlie Manual's team is a shell of itself right now and just not right at all. Things are going on in that clubhouse, besides all of the injuries and this team is heading down the toilet I don't care if they prevailed yesterday.

The Reds are the exact opposite extreme as they are a team on the rise being led by a blossoming superstar in Joey Votto who thankfully will be in the All-Star game. Seriously, if that guy wasn't in Anaheim and Omar Infante was!?!?

I'm not deeming the Reds as the next World Series champion by any means but they have been playing great ball and deserve to be in first place. Today their young stud in Mike Leake toes the slab and should be better than the inconsistent Joe Blanton.

There is just nothing superior about the Phils right now when compared to tonight's opponent. Philadelphia, even when healthy, was awful and now without Utley, Polanco and Ruiz things just will not all of a sudden improve. The bullpen is terrible and in the end the Reds win this game.



I don't mind the Mets and RA Dickey has exceeded everybody's expectations including his, I'm sure, but Tommy Hanson and the surging Braves at around a pick against Dickey is way too good to pass up. Atlanta is a semi injured team without Jason Heyward and possibly a few others but Hanson is a star in the making and Dickey is going to wind up being just a stopgap when all is said and done.

I don't buy the knuckler of Dickey's and believe the guy is about to get smacked around a bit. Bobby Cox' squad has been lights out ever since the rough first month and even if this game is at Citi Field there is no way that the visitors don't win this game a whole heck of a lot more than they lose it.

Therefore around even money or even a pick on Atlanta is a great great price and a must play!

Your "Bad Beat" for Wednesday is on:

Yankees (over 8) at Oakland.

This game opened at 8 1/2 and moved down to 8. That would be slightly important.

The Yankees put up a five spot in the fourth inning to lead 5-1. That's already six runs through 3 1/2 innings, well on pace for those over players. The game was 6-2 after six and with the visiting team in the lead we would have a bottom of the 9th and if we didn't that meant a beyond easy over.

Nothing else happened and I mean nothing else and this game ended 6-2. losing for those at 8 1/2 and pushing for the "lucky" people who had eight.



Your winners for Thursday are on:

3* Rangers (minus 1 1/2 runs minus 130) vs. Baltimore.

2* Reds (pk) at Philadelphia.

A losing 0-1 Wednesday as the Cardinals blew the three run lead in the eighth inning to lose, not good, not good at all.



I would categorize both of these plays today as not typical me type of plays but I'm still going to back the Rangers and Reds.

The Orioles are a team that does have some talent but they are also a team that just can't get out of its own way right now. I really don't know how the O's are as bad as they are record wise because Markakis, Tejada, Jones and Wieters should form a solid enough club but they have been absolutely terrible of late.

Meanwhile the Rangers are looking like a true contender with Josh Hamilton going ballistic leading the way and Tommy Hunter has done nothing but look like Greg Maddux so far in his six or so starts this season. At some point Hunter will regress as he is only "Tommy Hunter" and at some point the birds will win a few games but until either happens I can't envision anything but a burial here at Arlington in favor of the home Rangers.



The Phillies are decimated with injuries and just terrible right now. Charlie Manual's club has played poor ball for awhile, even before the injuries especially and at this point are an inferior team when compared to the surging Reds.

I never really thought much of this Cincinnati team and believed they were half a fluke but they just keep on winning and Joey Votto when healthy really is a superstar. Throw in Philips, Bruce, Gomes, Stubbs and a few others and this team is not going to go away anytime soon.

Johny Cueto is a quality pitcher and at the very worst no weaker than Kyle Kendrick, who I do like.

This game may be in Philadelphia but the Phillies aren't Fightin' all that much anymore and the Reds have suddenly become great so at a pick I'll expect that trend to continue.

Your "Bad Beat" for Tuesday is on:

Cardinals (plus 125 also plus 1 1/2 runs and plus 2 1/2 runs) at Colorado.

It really can't get much better than this as this is exactly what my blog was made for.

Tony LaRussa's Cardinals were cruising. They owned the overwhelming 9-3 lead into the bottom of the 9th inning. Trying to do any play-by-play here would only water things down so to make a long story short the Rockies scored 9 runs in the inning capped off by a Seth Smith three run walkoff home run to cover anything and everything.

Wow!



Your winner for Wednesday is on:

4* Cardinals (minus 120) at Colorado.

A huge much needed 5* winner on the Braves on Tuesday!



One play again today and I am feeding off of that Bad Beat and taking the team that was wronged in the end in the Cardinals. Teams more times than not rally back the next day after such an event and behind what is becoming a great pitcher in Jamie Garcia I will lay this cheap price at Coors.

Aaron Cook is decent but the righty is not the same guy who was an All-Star a few seasons ago. The sinker can be very good but Cook is no Garcia and to get Pujols, Holliday and the Redbirds tonight after the debacle last night and only lay a small amount is fine with me.

Colorado is decent, but like their hurler in Cook, nothing more. I guess one could say that the home boys have the momentum here but baseball is not as much of a momentum game as other sports and in the end I think the professional Cardinals, who are definitely the superior team of these two, will rise up and take care of business today.

Your "Bad Beat" for Monday is on:

Mariners (minus 210) vs. Kansas City.

Seattle had a great pitcher in Felix Hernandez on the mound and owned the 4-1 lead into the sixth inning. The margin was 2 runs at 4-2 moving to the eighth inning.

That should have been game, set, match against the inferior Royals. But no, Kansas City was able to get King Felix out of the game and rallied with a pair in that frame and then two more in the 10th for the improbably 6-4 comeback win at Safeco.

Who would have thunk that these semi lowly Royals would rally from a fairly late three run deficit against Felix Hernandez, the same guy who just hurled a two hit shutout in New York against the big bad Yankees!?!?!?



Your winner for Tuesday is on:

5* Braves (plus 120) at Philadelphia.

A poor 0-2 Monday, no excuses.



Cole Hamels has been pretty much crap for awhile now, somewhat relatively speaking, and I think the lefty gets smacked around tonight. Both team, the Bravos and Phils, are banged up clubs missing key cogs. It just seems though that for the last few months Bobby Cox' team has been able to play much better ball and keep things afloat unlike the Phillies who have been terrible now for a few months.

Jair Jurrjens is back from the dl and the way this kid pitched last season and in that first start back a few days ago there is no reason to doubt him. The righty can bring it and should be just fine against this watered down Philadelphia lineup. Sure Rollins, Howard and Werth can be scary along with Victorino but missing Utley, Polanco and Ruiz is tough to deal with as those guys are basically the team leaders.

Atlanta is in first place for a reason as this team has been playing great ball for a few months now. Jurrjens was the team's ace a season ago and should be just fine today.

The Phils only won yesterday because they had the best pitcher in baseball on the hill yesterday in Halladay and today will resot back to the same absolute garbage they have been for awhile.

7-3 Braves!

Your "Bad Beat" for Sunday is on:

Phillies (minus 140) at Pittsburgh.

Man oh man is this Philadelphia team spiraling out of control. They are an injured club for sure but are also playing like crap with a bullpen that is horrible. And that bullpen just reared its ugly head yesterday.

Charlie Manuels' club scored a run in the seventh inning on a rare Dane Sardinha home run and had the 5-2 lead.

Then the you know what hit the fan. The lowly Pirates scored six runs in the bottom of the inning and came all the way back for the 8-5 victory.

Nothing too crazy at all but still a rough loss if you backed the Phillies.



Your winners for Monday are on:

2* Angels (plus 135) at Chicago.

2* A's (plus 145) vs. New York.

Two small plays today as nothing else is there on this slate. A couple of decent enough dogs in the Angels and A's.

Anaheim is a real solid club, not great but solid, and to get them here plus a nice chunk of change at US Cellular is fine with me. Mike Scioscia's club just lost that series to the Royals but did win going away last night and have more than enough talent to win this game as well.

Scott Kazmir has been sketchy at times and probably is inferior to Gavin Floyd but the Anaheim lefty still has potential and with Abreu, Matsui, Kendrick and Hunter swinging the sticks I can't help but back the visitors at this takeback.



Of course the Yankees are better than the A's but who ever knows what Javier Vazquez is going to do? The righty has been a lot better of late as the first month of the season was a total debacle but out west in Oakland after a couple of lousy series at home against the Jays and Mariners leads me no choice but to take this home dog.

Ben Sheets is far from the Olympian stud of years' past but the righty still has something in the tank and should be fired up for the big bad Yankees.

Jeter, Arod, Teixeira, Cano and the Bombers are coming fully loaded after a run of injuries but Joe Girardi's club has not been playing all that well and even if Oakland is very mediocre I'll back them here at home as this game is winnable.

Your "Bad Beat" for Thursday is on:

Mariners (Plus 1 1/2 +160) at New York.

Ryan Rowland-Smith pitched a rare good game and Russell Branyan smacked a two run single in the eighth inning shocking the home Yankee fans and tying up the game at two.

CC Sabathia and the Yankees were north of a $4 favorite so anybody who took the M's and the extra run was getting a handsome takeback and a one run New York victory would have been just perfect.

Fast forward to a few batters later. There were two outs in the eighth and a man on. If Joe Girardi's team plated the go ahead run which turned out to be the winner then things would have been as perfect as perfect could be.

But Alex Rodriguez didn't follow the plan and decided to go deep for the two run blast. After a Mariano Rivera scoreless 9th inning the Bombers walked off of the field as the 4-2 victor.

Bummer, big-time bummer!



Your winners for Friday are on:

3* Astros (plus 150) at San Diego.

3* Dodgers (pk) at Arizona.

A small losing 1-1 Thursday as the Orioles stunk unlike Jered Weaver and the Angels who took care of business for me.



Houston pulled the game out last night as an even bigger pup and there's no reason why they can't do it tonight.

Roy Oswalt is still an upper eschelon hurler who can get the job done. He may not be the lights out guy we have seen over the years but Oswalt is still extremely capable. Mat Latos is real good himself and I'm sure we'll see a well pitched low scoring game.

Besides Adrian Gonzalez the Padres offense is still fairly weak and I do believe that San Diego is going to come back down to Earth after the great first half.

The Astros are not good but they are playing better and Lance Berkman is still half a stud.

Just a no-brainer today on the visitors from Houston plus this price with the big O on the bump!



Edwin Jackson is back on the mound after that no-hitter and is up against a former team which is never terrible. But with that said it's still a value to back the superior Dodgers here in the desert.

LA just pummeled the Giants by the Bay and is a team that is ready to take off a bit after a poor last few weeks. Even if Manny is out the blue have a quality lineup with guys like Ethier, Kemp, Loney and Furcal and also have their most consistent hurler in Hiroki Kuroda on the mound.

Kuroda consistently throws great start after great start yes doesn't seem to get the recognition he deserves.

I'm not sure what Jackson will do with the extnded rest and coming off of that no-no. I will say though he better be really good or he can get smacked around in this spot.

Dodgers at a pick? Ok!

Your "Bad Beat" for Wednesday is on:

Royals (minus 1 1/2 runs plus 170) vs. Chicago.

The Phillies blowing a 3-0 lead with Roy Halladay on the hill is pretty bad but not really a "Bad Beat".

I'm not saying there were any Earth shattering beats on Wednesday but anybody who backed Zach Greinke and the Royals minus that run and a half has got to feel a bit snakebitten.

Kansas City plated four runs in the seventh inning to extend its lead to 7-1 over Ozzie Gullen's White Sox. The rout was on and the game at that point should have been over as Greinke was cruising.

But that was not the case as Chicago put up a five spot in the top of the eighth to get within a run and that's how this thing would end, 7-6 Royals, not good enough to cover the run and a half.



Your winners for Thursday are on:

3* Orioles (plus 135) vs. Oakland.

2* Angels (minus 125) vs. Texas.

A winning 2-1 Wednesday as both the Royals and Mets came through by a run for me.



You can never fully go wrong with a home dog and that's my theory here with the Orioles. Baltimore has not been a good team at all this season. Shoot look at that terrible record if you need any proof. But the O's are a capable team with Jones, Tejada, Wieters and a few others and without a doubt can win this game at Camden Yards after winning four of their past five.

Oakland is a very average team with the bats and until Trevor Cahill pitches this good for a longer span I am going to fade him laying a decent amount of money on the road. The guy has been great there is no debate there but I'm still not convinced.

Meanwhile Jake Arrieta has struggled in those last two starts and is possibly a start away from a ticket back to the minors but his first two starts were very good and at home here against the mediocre A's I think Arrieta will show some of that previous form.

Oakland laying money on the road is just not right and that's the story I'm sticking to.



The Angels blew yesterday's game after racing out to the 3-0 lead thanks to Vlad the Impaler going ballistic. Today though Mike Scioscia's Halos will get some revenge.

Jered Weaver is a total stud. This guy has been great from day one of his big league career about five years ago. The righty has allowed a combined two runs in his last pair of starts spanning 14 innings and has had quality starts in six of his last seven starts.

I'm not saying that CJ Wilson has not had a successful season as a starter, because he has, but I still think of the lefty as a reliever and just can't buy into him all that much. Wilson has been very solid of late as he has thrown five straight quality starts but he is no Weaver.

Anaheim has been playing very good ball for awhile, maybe not Texas good of late as Vlad, Hamilton and the Rangers are leading the division for a reason but out west and with the superstar pitcher I'll lay a little here and expect the boys from Anaheim to get a measure of revenge and stay in the divisional race.