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Our Wednesday night MLB predictions take us to AT&T Park where the NL West rival Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants will close out their three-game baseball betting set.
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After Colorado stole the series opener by a 2-1 final tally in a fabulous pitching duel, the Giants evened the series up with some late game heroics from the offense to capture the 5-2 victory. The Rockies hold an 8-6 season series advantage and 10 of the 14 games have combined to go ‘under’ the closing number.

This will be the final match-up of the regular season in tonight’s venue between these clubs. The Giants have been one of the better home teams this season capturing baseball betting odds victories in 41 of 68 tries ($459), while ‘under’ bettors have made a modest profit overall (33-29-6). Manager Jim Tracy’s club has been a woeful visitor securing victories in just 26 of 67 overall attempts (-$1649); it has however been a solid ‘under’ bet away from Coors Field (39-26-2).

Colorado Rockies (69-62, -$491) vs. San Francisco Giants (73-60, $595)
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, September 1st, 9:15 ET
Game Location: AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA
TV/Radio Broadcast: FOX – Rocky Mountain, Comcast (Bay), XM

MLB Odds: Colorado Rockies -1.5 +150 -120 (Ubaldo Jimenez – R) vs. San Francisco Giants +1.5 -170 +100 (Tim Lincecum – R): Total 6.5 O -125 6.5 U +105

Though Ubaldo has churned out quality starts in each of his L/6 outings, the potential NL Cy Young Award winner has just two wins to show for it. He failed to pick up the 18 th win of his 2010 campaign his last time out at home against the Dodgers who got to him for nine hits and three ER’s through his seven innings of work. The defeat dropped him to 17-5 overall.

He’ll toe the AT&T Park bump for the second time this season having last tossed a complete game 4-0 shutout there back on May 31 st. The power righty has allowed just 10 ER’s through his L/28 innings of work, and has beaten the Giants twice in his three 2010 starts.

Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum has to be ecstatic that the month of August has come to a close. He dropped each of his five outings and posted an unheard of 7.82 ERA in doing so. He enters his 28 th start of the season 11-9 with a rather un-Lincecum-like 3.80 ERA & 1.35 WHIP.

He got shelled by the Diamondbacks his last time out to cost baseball bettors a pretty penny after going off the board as a -180 MLB betting odds favorite. He’s surprisingly had his roughest go at it at home in the pitcher friendly venue where he stands 7-6 with a 4.12 ERA & 1.41 WHIP through 87.1 total IP. San Fran has dropped his pair of starts vs. Colorado this season, and in his career, he’s 5-5 with a 3.79 ERA in 13 overall starts.

MLB Insider Tip : With these clubs separated by just three-games in the NL West standings, the pitching has really stepped to the forefront in this series. That’s normally the case in a playoff atmosphere, and I look for that trend to carry over into tonight’s finale.

I’m not exactly sure what Lincecum’s problem has been, but never underestimate the power of a new month; especially in the game of baseball. I look for him to bring his “A” game tonight but also expect Ubaldo to continue bringing it as well.

Home plate Ump Jerry Layne has been decent for ‘under’ bettors this season with his games playing to the low side of the baseball betting odds ‘total’ 14 of 24 times. With oddsmakers posting this number so low even though Lincecum has been severely struggling, it sounded alarms off for me immediately! Take the plus-money return and look for yet another pitcher’s duel to close out the series.

My MLB Prediction: Colorado/San Francisco Under 6.5 +105 (Jimenez/Lincecum)

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Our Tuesday night MLB predictions take us to Sun Life Stadium in beautiful Miami, Florida, where a pair of NL East dregs in the Washington Nationals and Florida Marlins partake in the second game of their current baseball betting series.
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The Nationals powered their way to the 9-3 victory in last night’s series opener launching a pair of long balls and 11 overall hits. Jason Marquis secured his first victory of the season after tossing 5.2 innings of three-run ball, and the Nats now have a nice little three-game winning streak in the works after swiping a pair from the Redbirds.

Since letting go of clubhouse sparkplug Cody Ross, the Marlins have dropped four of seven and enter tonight’s contest losers of three in a row. The pitching staff has surrendered a whopping 28 runs during that stretch. Now playing with a rag tag lineup with just a few notables, the Fish have seemingly given up on the season.

Washington Nationals (57-75, -$493) vs. Florida Marlins (65-65, $123)
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, August 31st, 7:10 ET
Game Location: Citi Field, Flushing, NY
TV/Radio Broadcast: FOX – Florida, SNY, XM

MLB Odds: Washington Nationals +160 (Jordan Zimmerman – R) vs. Florida Marlins -190 (Anibal Sanchez- R): Total 8.5 O -115 8.5 U -105

Jordan Zimmerman’s first start since returning from Tommy John surgery hardly went as planned. The righty surrendered seven hits (1 HR) and five ER’s while K’ing four and walking one through just four total innings of work. He said he felt strong throughout the outing, but just left a few pitches up that St. Louis batters teed off on.

There are simply no trends backing the youngster in this spot! The Nationals have lost each of his L/6 road starts, and each of his L/5 when installed a road underdog. He did however pick up a no decision against the Marlins in his lone career start against them tossing six innings of two-run ball with a 6/1 K/BB ratio last season.

Opposing the flamethrowing righty will be Anibal Sanchez who sports the second best starting ERA on the team at 3.29. Florida’s won three of his L/4 MLB predictions outings which includes a shellacking of the Mets his last time out after limiting NY to four runs through five innings of the Marlins 11-4 road victory.

He’s been at his best at home where he sports a 4-3 record with a 2.69 ERA & 1.26 WHIP through 73.2 innings of work; Florida’s just 6-6 in his 12 starts in front of the home crowd. He earned a no decision and a win in a pair of outings against the Nats this season, and in his career, he’s a perfect 4-0 with a 2.66 ERA in 11 starts vs. Washington.

MLB Insider Tip: This line is simply absurd for a pair of teams going nowhere this season. Yes, Sanchez is yet to suffer a defeat against the Marlins throughout his career, but Florida’s a .500 team with him leading its charge at home and the Nats have been playing some decent ball of late.

Washington’s gotten the better of each of the L/4 right-handers its opposed, and the Marlins are just 1-4 the L/5 times they were favored and 0-fer in Sanchez’ L/4 Game 2 starts.

Washington knows exactly what to expect with Sanchez as it’s opposed him numerous times. That’s simply not the case with Zimmerman, so both MLB bettors and the Marlins don’t fully know what to expect tonight. With that being the main reason for tonight’s MLB predictions against the heavily favored Marlins, take a stab with the Nats as they simply don’t deserve to be dogs of this magnitude to the Fish at this point in the season!

My MLB Prediction: Washington Nationals (Zimmerman)

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Our Monday night MLB betting predictions take us to Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio where the Chicago White Sox will look to embark on that final push of the regular season against the putrid Cleveland Indians.
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The weekend was one filled with excitement and frustration for Palehose fans, as they dropped two of three to the hated New York Yankees, but picked up Manny Ramirez from the Dodgers in the hopes that he’ll fill the void left at the DH position.

Manager Ozzie Guillen’s squad now sits 4.5-games off the pace set by the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central.

For them to even get back into the playoff discussion, the Twins are going to have to slump while the Sox are going to have to go on another winning streak similar to the one they rattled off around the All Star Break.

Though Cleveland has been putrid overall, it’s been a nemesis to divisional opponents scratching out wins in 24 of the 50 meetings this season ($410). Most of those victories have come against the White Sox, as they’ve won eight of the 12 MLB predictions meetings this season; that mark includes a 4-1 tally at home.

Chicago White Sox (70-60, $627) vs. Cleveland Indians (53-77, -$642)
Game Date/Time: Monday, August 30th, 7:05 ET
Game Location: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
TV/Radio Broadcast: WGN, SportsTime Ohio, XM

MLB Odds: Chicago White Sox -1.5 +120 -140 (Mark Buehrle – L) vs. Cleveland Indians +1.5 -140 +120 (Mitch Talbot – R): Total 9 O -105 9 U -115

The last time Mark Buehrle toed the Progressive Field bump, he was given the heave-ho after arguing a pair of balk calls against him. He had his two game winning streak snapped his last time out at home against Baltimore.

What bothered him most about the defeat was walking a pair of leadoff hitters; both came around to score and Chicago ended up losing by two.

He’s been pretty solid throughout the month of August allowing just 33 hits and 12 ER’s with a K/BB ratio of 12/9. He’s 3-2 during that stretch with a 3.09 ERA. Though his record doesn’t reflect it, he’s been at his best away from US. Cellular Field where his ERA is a run+ lower than his home ERA (3.33).

He has had problems with the Tribe in the past however, but Chicago’s won three of his four outings against them this season.

Mitch Talbot has had a rough go of it since returning from the DL. The righty has allowed 22 hits and 15 runs (12 ER) over his L/3 starts. He was just plastered by the Oakland A’s his last time out allowing five ER’s in the first inning.

In 13 overall home starts, Talbot has allowed 86 hits and 47 ER’s in just under 73 total innings pitched.

Cleveland has secured MLB predictions victories in only three of his L/10 overall starts and just five of his 13 Progressive Field outings. He has however experienced great success against Chicago throughout his career going 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA & 0.91 WHIP.

MLB Insider Tip: If the White Sox are truly serious about making a run at the Twins, they have to start winning every series played from this point forward. Times a ticking, but lucky for them, they get to start off with the Tribe before heading to Boston and Detroit to close out this 10-game road trip.

I expect Chicago to come out 110% motivated to take it to the Tribe in this series. They’ve won each of the L/4 times Buehrle toed the bump in a series opener, and have treated MLB wagering fans kindly in the first game of a series winning 17 of the L/22 times.

The Tribe has come out on the short end of the scoreboard each of the L/5 times they opposed a lefty, and my MLB predictions have them keeping that trend intact in this spot.

Talbot is tossing batting practice right now, and if the Palehose can’t make him pay with the game being served up on a silver platter, their 2010 future looks bleak at best.

My MLB Prediction: Chicago White Sox (Buehrle)

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Our Friday night MLB predictions take us to the Great American Ball Park where the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds will lock horns in the opener of the division rivals final series of the 2010 season.
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A funny thing happened after Manager Lou Piniella decided to take an early retirement from the sinking ship otherwise known as the Chicago Cubs; they started winning. Maybe it was because they were matched up against another stiff of a ball club in the Washington Nationals, or maybe the team loosened up after the Hall of Fame Skipper vacated the premises. Either way, the Cubs took a solid step forward in attempting to close their 2010 campaign off on the right foot.

The Reds blasted their way to an impressive 5-1 showing throughout the first six legs of their nine game west coast road trip. However, they ended up 6-3 overall after dropping the first two of their series with the San Francisco Giants and needed to go to extras in their marathon 12-11 win in the series finale. Luckily for Manager Dusty Baker’s squad, it had the day off on Thursday to rest up after the long road trip. Now they get to embark on a six-game home stand against division rivals where they sit 10-games over .500 (36-26, $558) for those that made MLB predictions backing them as a host.

Chicago Cubs (54-74, -$2860) vs. Cincinnati Reds (73-54, $1773)
Game Date/Time: Friday, August 27th, 7:10 ET
Game Location: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH
TV/Radio Broadcast: WGN,FOX – Ohio, XM

MLB Odds: Chicago Cubs +1.5 -130 +155 (Tom Gorzelanny – L) vs. Cincinnati Reds – 1.5 +110 -175 (Johnny Cueto – R): Total 9 O Even 9 U -120

Tom Gorzelanny has thrown a ton of pitches entering his 20 th start of the season on Friday night. He tossed 120 pitches for the second consecutive outing in a 5-4 Cubs win his last time out to move Chicago to 7-12 with him leading their charge this season.

He’s been at his best away from Wrigley Field where he sports a 3-2 record with a solid 3.27 ERA, but Chicago Cubs stands just 3-5 in his eight road starts. The Cubs are 1-6 in his L/7 starts vs. NL Central opposition, and he owns a personal mark of 3-4 with a 4.74 ERA in nine lifetime appearances vs. the Reds.

Johnny Cueto’s first start since serving his seven-game suspension didn’t go all too well. The righty was pumped to say the least, and because of it, his control suffered. The righty walked three and served up four home runs through just three innings of an 8-5 MLB predictions defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Now he returns to the “GAB” where he owns a 5-2 record with a 4.12 ERA & 1.36 ERA on the year; the Cincinnati Reds won six of his 11 home outings. He was outdueled by Randy Wells in his lone 2010 start against the Cubs and stands just 2-5 with a 4.17 ERA & 1.43 WHIP in nine career starts vs. Chicago.

MLB Insider Tip : Cincinnati has gotten the better of the Cubs this season winning 10 of the 13 overall meetings ($750); that mark includes a 4-2 ($190) mark at the Great American Ball Park. However, there’s just something about this spot for the Redlegs that I just don’t like at all.

Chicago looked to be playing much looser in its most recent series with Washington. Having traded away a number of players over the last month and capping it off with the departure of “Sweet Lou” might have been the exact elixir this club needed to start eating into its outrageous MLB betting deficit.

Gorzelanny has been one of the Cubs most dependable starters since he returned to the starting rotation, and Chicago is currently in the midst of a five-game road winning streak. Cincy could come out a bit rusty in this spot returning from an extended road trip, and they’ve played to an even 6-6 record after an off day to date. Go ahead and take a stab with the barking dog in the series opener!

My MLB Prediction: Chicago Cubs (Gorzelanny)

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The Reds were dropped out of first in the National League Central division but they’ve won three straight games to regain the top spot. A three-game series against the bottom-dwelling Arizona Diamondbacks could be what Cincinnati needs to give some breathing room between them and second place St. Louis Cardinals. Arizona is near the bottom of the money standings having cost baseball bettors -21.13 units on the moneyline and another -16.50 on the runline.
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The line for tonight’s game is closer than their records would suggest with the MLB odds setting the Reds as -115 favorites, the comeback on the Diamondbacks is -105 and the game total is set at 9 runs.

The Reds were bounced from first by the St. Louis Cardinals in a series that had as much animosity as anything the Yankees and Red Sox ever had. Players were kicked out after a bench clearing brawl, there was genuine hate happening and as it happens in these situations, the team that fired the first shot had their butts handed to them. It all began with Brandon Phillips calling the Cardinals a bunch of whiney B’s (I’m paraphrasing). The Cardinals came out motivated and took all three games from the Reds.

The Reds took their lumps but bounced back with a sweep of their own against the Florida Marlins to retake the top spot. Until the Brandon Phillips comment, the rivalry and race in the NL Central was the best story that nobody was talking about.

On the mound tonight for the Reds is Bronson Arroyo. Arroyo has been solid but not spectacular with a 12-7 record and a 3.94 ERA. His numbers have been excellent on road over the past six starts, as Arroyo is 4-1 with 1.90 ERA.

The Diamondbacks have been showing improvement lately, and they just finished a seven game road trip where they won four games. It’s a marked improvement over early in the season but they are still 25 games under .500.

Taking the mound for the Diamondbacks is Daniel Hudson. Hudson was acquired from the White Sox at the trade deadline and it’s been so far so good for the young right-hander. Since the trade he’s 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA including a 7 inning, 8-2 win over the Brewers, he struck out nine in the win.

Both players have been excellent lately, and if Hudson can keep his fine pitching ways about him and combine that with Arroyo’s hot road streak, this game should stay way under the nine run baseball betting total.

MLB Betting Free Pick – Cincinnati Reds/Arizona Diamondbacks Under 9 Runs
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Our Wednesday night MLB predictions take us to Citizens Bank Park for the second game of the non-divisional NL series battle between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies; first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 ET.
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Tuesday night’s series opener was a slugfest right from the onset as both clubs managed to combine for 11 runs through the first five innings of play. Unfortunately for Philly, it was the Dodgers that tallied seven of those runs, and they ultimately cruised to the impressive 15-9 road victory to increase their winning streak to three in a row.

The triumph also halted Manager Joe Torre’s clubs road losing streak at five in a row to move them to 23-30 (-$797) as a visitor to date. With Tim Lincecum and the Giants falling as hefty favorites to the Chicago Cubs, LA now trails the NL Wild Card leaders by five-games.

The defeat was only the Phillies second in their L/8 overall games played ($385), but with the Braves scoring the 4-2 home victory against the Houston Astros, Manager Charlie Manuel’s defending NL Champs fell 2.5-games back in the NL East standings.

Los Angeles Dodgers (59-54, -$564) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (62-50, -$183)
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, August 11th, 7:05 ET
Game Location: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
TV/Radio Broadcast: FOX – Prime Ticket, Comcast (Philadelphia) XM

Chad Billingsley has been stuck on win #9 since the end of July as the righty just hasn’t gotten any run support to complement his fine pitching. He’s allowed just nine hits and three ER’s through his L/12.2 innings of work, but his teammates managed to plate him a grand total of one run during that stretch. He’s been at his best away from Dodgers Stadium where he stands 5-2 with a stellar 2.95 ERA & K/BB ratio of 53/21.

Los Angeles Dodgers is 6-2 in his L/8 road starts and he’s fared well at ‘CBP’ throughout his career going 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA while K’ing 19 through 20 IP and allowing zero long balls.

Roy Oswalt’s arm picked a heck of a time to die out on him. In a pair of starts since coming over from the Houston Astros at the trade deadline, the righty is 0-1 with a no decision and has allowed 10 hits and six ER’s with a K/BB ratio of 9/6 through 12.1 total IP. He says he goes through this “dead arm” period every season.

If ever a team presented him with a chance to tally his first career victory as a member of the Phillies, it would be the Dodgers. The Astros won each of his L/4 starts against them dating back to 2007, and in his career, he’s 6-2 with a 3.39 ERA & 1.13 WHIP in nine overall appearances.

MLB Insider Tip : The City of Brotherly Love has waited patiently for Roy-O to show them why they traded a number of solid prospects for him a couple weeks ago. I feel with the weather being of the hot and sticky variety, it will loosen the righty’s arm up and help him toss some of his nastiest stuff in weeks.

Billingsley’s been locked in ever since he got bludgeoned for seven runs on 10 hits in St. Louis back on July 16 th, and he’s churned out quality outings three of the four times he’s pitched in the Philadelphia Phillies.

Seven of his 11 road outings have come in under the closing ‘total’ while 13 of Oswalt’s 21 ‘total’ decisions have stayed on the low side of the number. My MLB predictions have the starters ruling the night with the bullpens keeping things in order to cash this ‘under’ ticket.

My MLB Prediction: Los Angeles/Philadelphia Under (Billingsley/Oswalt)
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Our Tuesday night MLB predictions take us to The Ballpark in Arlington where a pair of division leaders will collide in the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers; first pitch for tonight’s series opener is set for 8:05 ET.
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The month of August hasn’t treated the defending World Series champs very kindly as they stand just 4-5 (-$340) overall and enter this brief two-game set with the Rangers having either lost or split each of their L/3 series played. Because of it, manager Joe Girardi’s ballclub now holds just a 1.5-game lead atop the AL East standings over Tampa Bay.

The Rangers return home from a nine-game divisional road trip that saw them tally victories just four times; they most recently dropped two of three to the resurgent A’s in Oakland. Though they hold a healthy eight-game lead in the AL West, the Rangers know they need to play better than .500 ball at this point of the season to make a trip back to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Texas will enter this brief five-game home stand vs. the Yankees and Red Sox confidently knowing they’re 36-21 in front of the home crowd this season.

New York Yankees (69-42, +$404) vs. Texas Rangers (64-47, $313)
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, August 10th, 8:05 ET
Game Location: Ballpark in Arlington, Arlington, TX
TV/Radio Broadcast: My9, FOX – Southwest, XM

A.J. Burnett was pummeled back into reality his last time out at Toronto where the Blue Jays bludgeoned him to the tune of eight hits (2 HR) and eight ER’s through just 4.2 innings of work. The 5th inning was one he won’t soon forget after giving up seven-runs on six extra-base hits. The defeat dropped him to an even 9-9 on the year with a 4.93 ERA & 1.49 WHIP, and snapped a personal two-game winning streak.

The Yankees have split his 12 road games where he sports a bloated 5.50 ERA & 1.57 WHIP, but he’s fared very well against the Rangers in nine career starts going 4-2 with a 3.34 ERA & 1.15 WHIP. He shut them out at home through seven innings of work in the Yankees 7-3 win back in mid April, but NY has dropped each of his L/5 starts vs. winning ball clubs.

Taking to the bump for the 23rd time this season will be lefty C.J. Wilson who stands 10-5 on the year with a 3.30 ERA & 1.26 WHIP. Texas stands 16-6 with him leading their charge and its tallied victories in each of his L/4 outings. He hasn’t pitched much of late however (8.2 IP L/2 starts) lasting just three innings against the Mariners his last time out to receive his seventh no decision of the season.

He has however been at his best at home for MLB bettors where he stands 8-2 with a stellar 3.28 ERA & 1.19 WHIP; the Rangers are 10-3 in his 13 overall Arlington starts and a perfect 4-0 his L/4 home outings vs. a +.500 opponent. He made his first career start against the Yankees back in April and lost to C.C Sabathia by a 5-1 count allowing seven hits and three ER’s through six IP.

MLB Insider Tip: This is a huge statement game for the Rangers! With Cliff Lee matched up against Javier Vazquez Wednesday, it’s all but a foregone conclusion that Texas wins tomorrow night as well as he’s currently throwing. That said; to pull off the short series sweep of the Yankees would not only bolster the Rangers self confidence, but it would also let it be known to the rest of the World Series contenders that they have the goods in place to do some real damage in the playoffs.

Burnett has been hit or miss for the better part of the L/2 months, while Wilson’s dropped just one of his L/7 home starts over that same span. I’m well aware of Burnett’s mastery of the Rangers of late, but he certainly looks ripe to get walloped this evening coming off that sick display north of the border.

My MLB predictions for this series opener have the Rangers making a huge statement to the Yankees and the rest of baseball! Nolan Ryan’s squad is primed and ready for a serious run in October.

My MLB Prediction: Texas Rangers (Wilson)

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Our Friday night MLB predictions take us to Yankees Stadium where it’s do or die time for the Boston Red Sox when they meet up with the New York Yankees in the Bronx for only the third time this baseball betting season.
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The BoSox enter this three-game series in better current form than its division rivals having secured wins in seven of its L/10 games played ($70). New York returns to action of just its fourth home series loss after dropping two of three to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees currently hold a half-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East, while Boston trails the Yanks by six-games and sits 5.5-games out in the AL Wild Card race.

Boston Red Sox (62-47, -$26) vs. New York Yankees (67-40, +$458)
Game Date/Time: Friday, August 6th, 7:05 ET
Game Location: Yankees Stadium, Bronx, NY
TV/Radio Broadcast: NESN, My9, MLB Network, XMrev

Clay Buchholz has been nothing short of fantastic within the Red Sox starting rotation this season. Boston stands 13-5 in his 18 starts to date and is a perfect 11-0 the L/11 times he’s led them to battle in the opening game of a series.

Though he sports a 5-3 record at home to date, he’s really thrived as a visitor posting a 6-2 record with an insane 2.36 ERA & 1.18 WHIP having served up just 14 ER’s through 53.1 total innings of work. He’s had his troubles with the Yankees however; Boston’s failed to win any of his four career starts and his career ERA is a robust 6.53.

Javier Vazquez will look to improve his undefeated streak to six in a row when he toes the rubber for the 21st time looking to acquire his 12th win of the baseball betting season. He’s coming off a no decision effort at home against the Tampa Bay Rays after giving up eight hits (1 HR) and four ER’s through 6.1 total IP. NY’s 5-1 the L/6 times he toed the bump for a series opener.

He’s 4-3 with a 4.87 ERA & 1.30 WHIP in eight Yankees Stadium starts this season; NY’s 4-4 in those games. He’s had major problems against the Red Sox throughout his career regardless of whichever team he’s pitched for while opposing them. In 10 lifetime starts vs. the BoSox, he’s 2-7 with a 4.34 ERA & 1.38 WHIP.

MLB Insider Tip: The Yankees closed out their 2009 season series with the Red Sox winning nine of the final 12 meetings; that solid work has carried over into the 2010 baseball betting season as they hold a 5-3 advantage heading into tonight’s battle.

As stated earlier, it’s now or never for the Red Sox to make up some ground in the NL East and Wild Card races. Boston enters this series in very fine form, and they have one of their most dependable hurlers leading their charge.

Boston is 3-1 as a road underdog in the +125 to +150 range this season, and it’s a $$$-making 31-26 ($260) vs. +.500 opposition overall. I’m not solid on Vazquez’ recent turnaround and my MLB predictions foresee the Red Sox touching him up once again to snag Game 1 of this weekend set.

My MLB Prediction: Boston Red Sox (Buchholz)
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Our Thursday night MLB predictions take us to Turner Field where a pair of World Series contenders will take the field in the form of the San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves; first pitch for tonight’s MLB Network telecast is set for 7:10 ET
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After a brief two-game stop in Colorado, the Giants continue on their six-game road trip to battle the NL East leading Braves. With the split at Coors Field, manager Bruce Bochy’s squad sits three-games over .500 (29-26) as a visitor making MLB bettors a shade under 4400 on the year. The current NL Wild Card leaders trail the division leading Padres by a single game after they once again fell to the Dodgers last night.

As for the Braves, their once 5+ game lead in the division has shrunk to just two-games after managing to win just four of their L/10 games while the Phillies rattled off an 8-2 mark during that same stretch. That said; the Braves 36-14 ($1494) record comes in as the second best mark in the National League as well as all of baseball.

San Francisco Giants (62-46, $1094) vs. Atlanta Braves (61-46, +$728)
Game Date/Time: Thursday, August 5th, 7:10 ET
Game Location: Turner Field, Atlanta, GA
TV/Radio Broadcast: MLB Network, XM

MLB Betting Odds: San Francisco Giants -1.5 +150 -115 (Tim Lincecum – R) vs. Atlanta Braves +1.5 -170 -105 (Jair Jurrjens – R) Total 7 O EVEN 7 U -120

Two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum gets the call to the bump for the fifth time since the All Star Break this evening. He’s 2-0 with a no decision since having last picked up his 11th win of the season his last time out at home against Los Angeles. He limited the Dodgers to just a pair of ER’s while striking out nine through his seven innings of work. The Giants have won each of his L/5 outings and stand 8-1 the L/9 times he pitched on five-days rest.

What’s been most impressive about the Giants ace this season is the way his team has performed in his road starts. San Francisco stands 9-2 in his 11 road outings where he boasts a 3.14 ERA & 1.27 WHIP. He’s experienced much success throughout his young career vs. the Braves going 6-1 with a 2.70 ERA & 1.11 WHIP in seven lifetime starts.

Jair Jurrjens enters this crucial start off his first loss since returning from the DL at the end of June. Cincinnati got to him for eight hits (1 HR) and five ER’s through his 6.2 IP to hand him his fourth defeat of the baseball betting season. He stands 3-4 on the year with a 4.62 ERA & K/BB ratio of 47/23 through 62.1 total innings of work; the Braves are 6-5 with him leading their charge this season.

Though he’s had a rough go of it on the road (0-4, 7.63 ERA), the righty has been perfect at home going a perfect 3-0 with a 1.71 ERA & 1.17 WHIP through 31.2 total innings pitched. His offense has only scored an average of 3.40 RPG in his five overall home starts, but he’s surrendered just six ER’s in front of the home crowd. He’s 1-2 with a 2.61 ERA in three career starts vs. San Francisco, and the ‘under’ cashed easily in all three outings.

MLB Insider Tip: Runs have been very hard to come by for both the Giants and Braves of late. Save for the 10 run outburst vs. the Rockies on Tuesday night, SF has tallied more than two runs only one other time in their L/6 games played. As for Atlanta, it’s scored an average of just 3.30 RPG their L/10 contests.

With Lincecum and Jurrjens getting the starting nods, runs will certainly be at a premium. The ‘under’ has cashed 14 of the L/20 times the Braves took on a +.500 opponent, and it’s 5-2 in Tim’s seven career starts vs. Atlanta. My MLB predictions call for a solid pitcher’s duel in tonight’s MLB Network telecast!

My MLB Prediction: San Francisco/Atlanta Under (Lincecum/Jurrjens)
Source: BetUS Locker Room Featured on: Handicapperspicks.com

Two teams that are in dire straits for their playoff lives duke it out in MLB betting action at Fenway Park on Sunday, as the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox wrap up a three game set in Beantown.
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The Tigers are in a whole boat load of trouble with the trade deadline looming, as they are just barely holding over .500 and are six games back of the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.

Boston isn’t in much better shape, as it is 5.5 games out of the AL Wild Card chase. The difference is, the Red Sox aren’t chasing a Chicago team that has looked vulnerable at points during the year. They are heading after the team with the second best record in baseball in the Tampa Bay Rays.

Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox
Game Date/Time: Sunday, August 1st, 1:35 ET
Game Location: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
TV/Radio Broadcast: Fox Sports Detroit, NESN, XM

The Tigers are going to be throwing RHP Justin Verlander on Sunday afternoon. Verlander has thrown eight innings in each of his L/2 starts, but he only has a 1-1 record to show for it. For the season, Verlander is already 12-6 with two complete games. His 3.74 ERA is the best in the Detroit rotation. A 1.21 WHIP is fantastic as well. Verlander has an excellent 2.65 K/BB ratio. His 8.50 K/9 is great, and that’s up from his 8.07 K/9 for his career. For his career, Verlander is 2-2 with a 3.90 ERA in four career starts against the Red Sox.

Verlander might not be the only Cy Young Award hopeful on the mound on Sunday. Boston is going to throw RHP Clay Buchholz. After spending a few weeks on the DL right around the All-Star Break, Buchholz has had a mixed bag of two starts. He allowed five runs in four innings in Oakland on July 21st, but he fired back with just one earned run allowed in seven innings for his 11th victory of the season on July 26th. For the season, Buchholz has a 11-5 record and a 2.71 ERA. He has already reached a career high in strikeouts at 73, but manager Terry Francona would love to see more starts like his last one with more than a handful of punch outs. Buchholz has already beaten Detroit once this season, and he is 1-1 with a 3.63 ERA in his three starts against the Tigers for his career.

MLB Insider Tip: The Tigers are just 3-13 in their L/16 games overall coming into this weekend. The Red Sox haven’t fallen apart at this point, while Detroit really has. Unless the Tigers nail down a bat or two at the trade deadline before Sunday, we tend to believe they are going to be a great fade here. Backing Boston is the way to go in MLB betting action on Sunday.

My MLB Prediction: Boston Red Sox (Buchholz)
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The balance of power in the AL East could swing quite a bit one way or the other this weekend, as the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays crack skulls in MLB betting encounters. The first of these duels is on Friday night at Tropicana Field.
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The Rays enter this evening’s tussle just two games back on the Bronx Bombers in the AL East. New York holds a comfortable lead on the other division leaders for the best record in baseball, while Tampa Bay, who has the second best record in the bigs, is a whopping 5.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox for the AL Wild Card race.

New York Yankees (65-36, +$848) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (63-38, +$741)
Game Date/Time: Friday, July 30th, 7:10 ET
Game Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
TV/Radio Broadcast: YES, Sun Sports, XM

MLB Wagering Odds: New York Yankees -1.5 +150 -110 (Phil Hughes – R) vs. Tampa Bay Rays +1.5 -170 -110 (Wade Davis – R): Total 9 O -105 9 U -115

Things have certainly not gone well for RHP Phil Hughes to say the least of late. Even though he is 12-3 with a 4.04 ERA and was a deserving All-Star, his performances over the last two months haven’t been up to stuff. Hughes has watched his ERA balloon from 2.54 up to where it is now since in just eight starts, and in the L/6, it has risen from 3.11 up almost a full run. The righty “only” allowed three runs in 5.1 innings of work, but thanks to the fact that the bats really came to play on that night, Hughes escaped with a win over the Kansas City Royals. It was just his second victory since June 19th. Hughes has allowed at least three earned runs in four of his L/5 starts and at least five runs in three of his L/5.

Though RHP Wade Davis isn’t going to be the Rookie of the Year in the American League, he is certainly one of the most feared fifth starters in baseball. He is 8-9 on the season with a 4.32 ERA. Davis has won three straight starts and is pitching quite well, as he has only allowed a total of five runs to cross the plate over 21.1 innings of work in that stretch. Davis has faced the Bronx Bombers three times in his career, going just 1-2 with a 4.86 ERA.

MLB Insider Tip: The Rays are suddenly 10-1 in their L/11 games at Tropicana Field to improve to 30-20 there on the season. This series is just too important for Tampa Bay to lose. A sweep would be devastating for a club that is just trying its best to stick around in the race for the playoffs in spite of the fact that it has the second best record in baseball. The road team might have captured five of the eight meetings this season, but that all ends tonight. Bank on the Rays to go bananas on the slumping Hughes in this MLB betting affair.

My MLB Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays (Davis)
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Our Wednesday night MLB predictions take us to the Ballpark in Arlington where the Texas Rangers will look to secure their 60th win of the 2010 baseball betting season against the division rival Oakland A’s.
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Last night’s 3-1 extra innings Rangers win saw Texas snag its third win in a row in the 2010 series; they hold a 4-3 advantage in the AL West rivals seven meetings heading into Game 2 of the teams current three-game series; three of the L/4 overall meetings were decided in extras.

Once Nelson Cruz launched the walk-off bomb last night, the Rangers had greatly improved upon their positioning in the division. With the Angels once again falling to the Red Sox at home, manager Ron Washington’s club now enjoys a healthy 8.5-game lead in the AL West. That said; while they sit 15-games over .500 at home, the Rangers have cost MLB bettors some coin as a host losing $62 on the year.

The A’s now sit a game over .500 on the year (50-49) and have made their MLB betting backers upwards of $200 overall. They sit seven-games under .500 as a visitor (20-27, -$455), but have won seven of their L/10 road games capturing series wins at Baltimore, Cleveland, and Kansas City; not the stiffest of competition.

Oakland A’s (50-49, $205) vs. Texas Rangers (59-41, $475)
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, July 28th, 8:05 ET
Game Location: Ballpark in Arlington, Arlington, TX
TV/Radio Broadcast: Comcast (California), FOX – Southwest, XM

MLB Odds: Oakland A’s +135 (Trevor Cahill – R) vs. Texas Rangers -155 (Colby Lewis – R) Total: Over/Under 8.5

The A’s have been very successful with Trevor Cahill leading their charge having won 12 of his 17 overall starts on the year. He enters his 18th test of the season off a loss however after getting outdueled by Chicago’s Mark Buehrle in the A’s 5-1 defeat last Friday night. He’s been at his best in the comfy confines of Oakland-Alameda County Stadium where he stands 5-2 with a 2.19 ERA, but the A’s have won seven of his nine road outings where he’s 4-2 with a 4.07 ERA & 1.07 WHIP. The A’s have won each of his L/6 road starts, and he’s been exceptional against the Rangers throughout his career going 4-1 with a 2.23 ERA & 1.10 WHIP in six overall starts.

Getting his 20th overall call to the bump will be Rangers righty Colby Lewis. He’s 9-6 on the year with a 3.52 ERA & 1.14 WHIP having allowed 99 hits and 48 ER’s with a K/BB ratio of 117/41 through 122.2 total IP. Texas has been around a .500 team behind him winning 10 of his 19 overall starts. Max Scherzer and the Detroit Tigers got the best of him his last time out. Lewis has been at his best at home where he sports a 5-1 mark with a 3.40 ERA. He’s been matched up against Cahill twice already this season and has a loss and no decision to show for his efforts. In six career starts vs. Oakland, he’s 2-1 with a 4.05 ERA & 1.68 WHIP.

MLB Insider Tip: I’m expecting runs to continue to be hard to come by in tonight’s battle after Game 1 of this series fell comfortably ‘under’ the closing number. Both Trevor Cahill and Colby Lewis are in very fine form. Cahill has had nothing but success against the Rangers throughout his career, and I firmly expect Lewis to come out real fired up so as not to get defeated by Trevor for the third straight time this season.

‘Under’ bettors have made mad bank with both of these starting hurlers this season as its 11-4-2 in Cahill’s outings and 12-6-1 in Lewis’. Pitching and defense have reigned supreme when these division rivals have hooked up in Texas with it cashing in 9 of the L/13 overall meetings. My MLB predictions have that trend holding suit this evening!

My MLB Prediction: Colorado/Texas Under (Cahill/Lewis)
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Our Tuesday night MLB predictions take us to Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum where the Boston Red Sox and Oakland A’s will continue their three-game set. Pitching stole the show in the series opener last night, but it was the Red Sox that ended up on top by a 2-1 final tally.
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The victory was much needed for manager Terry Francona’s club who most recently dropped three of four-games at home to the AL West leading Texas Rangers right out of the break. Boston’s played second fiddle to the Rays and Yankees all season long, but only finds itself six-games out of first in the division and 3.5-games out in the AL Wild Card chase.

Oakland has battled injuries all season long, but nonetheless, it still finds itself around the .500 mark coming into tonight’s baseball betting battle going 46-47 ($48) on the year. They trail the aforementioned Rangers by eight-games in the division and trail the Rays by 10.5-games for the Wild Card. The A’s have played five-games over .500 at home (26-21); good for a $400+ return on the season.

Boston Red Sox (53-40, $235) vs. Oakland A’s (46-47, $48)
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, July 20th, 10:05 ET
Game Location: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, CA
TV/Radio Broadcast: NESN, Comcast (CA), XM

MLB Odds: Boston Red Sox Even (Tim Wakefield – R) vs. Oakland A’s -120 (Dallas Braden – L): Total 8 O -120 8 U Even

Knuckler Timmy Wakefield enters his 16th start of the year off his most humiliating effort of the season last time out against Texas. The Rangers lit him up for eight hits (1 HR) and seven runs through just two innings of work; six of the runs were tallied in the 1st inning. The defeat dropped him to 3-8 on the year and raised his ERA to 5.65. He has however been better away from Fenway where he stands 2-3 with a 4.40 ERA & 1.29 WHIP through 45 innings of work. Boston had won his previous three starts against the A’s up until June 3rd of this season when he got roughed up for eight hits and six ER’s in the Red Sox 9-8 home loss. He’s 8-7 with a 4.81 ERA & 1.38 WHIP lifetime vs. Oakland.

Dallas Braden will be making his first start for the A’s since getting raked for 10 hits and four runs at home by the Cincinnati Reds back on June 22nd. He’s been saddled with an elbow injury since, but most recently made an appearance in the Minors to get him ready for tonight’s start. Oakland’s 4-5 with him leading its charge at home this season. He’s 4-7 overall with a 3.83 ERA, and that number falls to 3.15 at home. He led the A’s to a carefree 8-2 win in his only career home start vs. the BoSox last April. He’s 1-1 with a 5.79 ERA in his career vs. the Red Sox.

MLB Insider Tip: These teams split their 2009 season series at five games apiece, but the BoSox hold a 3-1 advantage after scoring the solid win last night. Both of these clubs look to be in disarray with the plethora of injuries incurred on both sides. That said, I still have to go with the Red Sox line-up in this one as I just don’t trust the A’s to get to Wakefield even though he enters this outing in very poor form. Boston’s 17-13 ($120) vs. southpaws and has gone 6-3 ($360) when installed road underdogs in the +100 to +125 range to date. Oakland’s just 19-30 (-$910) vs. +.500 opposition on the year, and my MLB predictions have them falling into an 0-2 hole in this series tonight.

My MLB Prediction: Boston Red Sox (Wakefield)
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Our Friday night MLB predictions take us to the shores of the Ohio River at the Great American Ball Park where the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds will partake in the series opener of their baseball betting weekend set.
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Though they dropped their final game before the All Star Break, the Rockies rattled off victories in eight of their previous 10 games ($463) to tie the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL Wild Card lead. Manager Jim Tracy’s club currently sits just two-games in back of the NL West leading San Diego Padres. The Rockies have reeled in upwards of $345 on the year, but sit five-games under .500 as a visitor (18-23) where they’re in the red for $444.

Cincinnati ended up going into the break with a one-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central Division race, but it finished up their final series before the Midsummer Classic on a major downer having gotten swept in their four-game series at Philadelphia. Still, the Reds are $760+ in the green for MLB bettors to date, and they’ve been a better host (27-19, $501) than visitor (22-22, $266) overall.

Colorado Rockies (49-39, $347) vs. Cincinnati Reds (49-41, $767)
Game Date/Time: Friday, July 16th, 7:10 ET
Game Location: The Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH
TV/Radio Broadcast: FOX – Rocky Mountain & Ohio, XM

MLB Odds: Colorado Rockies +1.5 -190 +110 (Jason Hammel – R) vs. Cincinnati Reds -1.5 +160 -130 (Bronson Arroyo – R): Total 8.5 O -105 8.5 U -115

Jason Hammel enters his 16 th start of the season having not been defeated since getting blitzed by the Kansas City Royals way back on May 21 st. Since then, the righty has rattled off wins in six of his L/9 starts to go along with three no decisions; Colorado’s gone an impressive 8-1 during that stretch. However, only one of his L/7 starts has come on the road where his numbers have dramatically tapered off this season. He’s 1-2 with a 6.11 ERA & 1.50 WHIP having allowed 36 hits and 19 ER’s through 28 overall IP. He fared well in his lone career start against the Reds last season lasting 7.1 innings and allowing just three hits and a pair of ER’s.

Opposing the recently red hot Hammel will be Cincy’s Bronson Arroyo who enters his 19 th start of the 2010 MLB betting season 9-4 with a 4.04 ERA & 1.23 WHIP. He earned victories in his final two starts before the break having last tossed a gem in Citi Field limiting the Mets to just one run through eight innings of work. Cincinnati is 12-6 with him leading its charge this season, but stands an even 4-4 in his eight home starts. He has however been at his best under the lights going 6-1 overall while serving up just 62 hits through 67 total innings of work. In six lifetime starts vs. the Rockies, the righty is 1-2 with a 3.89 ERA & 1.41 WHIP.

MLB Insider Tip : Even though the Reds sit atop the NL Central standings, they aren’t being taken seriously. Oddsmakers are disrespecting them as well installing them very manageable chalk at the open before JQP came in and lowered the vig even more. Granted the Rockies went into the break red hot, the ASB was more than enough time to cool them off. On top of that, Cincy’s got to be stark raving mad after getting swept by the Phillies their last time out. It should also be taken into account that Colorado currently holds a nine-game winning streak in the series and a six-game winning streak at the “GAB”.

With the Rockies a bankroll depleting 3-10 (-$680) as road underdogs up to +125 and all the reasons already mentioned for the Reds to make a statement, my MLB predictions for tonight have Cincy humbling the Rox in a big way!

My MLB Prediction: Cincinnati Reds (Arroyo)
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Our Thursday night MLB predictions take us to Target Field in the Twin Cities where the Minnesota Twins will look to get out of their funk against the division rival Chicago White Sox.
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Only time will tell if the All Star Break messed with manager Ozzie Guillen’s clubs mojo. Regardless, the Palehose are a scorching hot ball club that closed the first half of the season out on an insane 25-5 mark to snag a half-game lead in the AL Central. They enter tonight’s series opener winners of eight in a row and have won 22 of their 41 road games on the year ($710).

The Twins have not been able to hold their ground throughout the month of July having registered wins in just three of their 10 (-$656) overall ballgames. Manager Ron Gardenhire’s club went from leading the division by 1.5-games on July 1st to trailing tonight’s opponent by 3.5-games entering the break. Minnesota’s done a decent job protecting its house on the year by winning 26 of its 43 overall match-ups($63).

Chicago White Sox (49-38, $948) vs. Minnesota Twins (46-42, -$309)
Game Date/Time: Thursday, July 15th, 8:10 ET
Game Location: Target Field, Minneapolis, MN
TV/Radio Broadcast: Comcast (Chicago), FOX – North, XM

MLB Odds: Chicago White Sox -110 (John Danks – L) vs. Minnesota Twins -110 (Kevin Slowey – R): Total 8.5 O -115 8.5 U -105

John Danks snapped his personal two-game losing streak his last time out against the Angels by tossing a complete game two-hit shutout; he took a no-hitter into the 6th inning. He’s 8-7 on the year with a 3.29 ERA & 1.13 WHIP having allowed 90 hits and 41 ER’s with a K/BB ratio of 86/37. Chicago’s won four of his seven overall road starts where he carries a 4.29 ERA & 1.38 WHIP giving up just 37 hits through 42 total IP. He’s been real tough on the opposition of late serving up just 13 hits and eight ER’s over his L/20 total innings of work. He’s come up on the short end of both his 2010 MLB betting starts against the Twins this season giving up 15 hits but just three ER’s through 13 combined innings of work.

Opposing the crafty lefty will be Minnesota’s Kevin Slowey who’s been one of the many Twins starters to struggle recently. He’s 8-5 on the year with a 4.64 ERA but has tallied just one victory in his L/5 outings. The Twins carry a winning mark with him leading their charge this season (10-8, $214). He’s been at his best pitching in front of the home faithful going 5-3 with a 3.54 ERA & 1.20 WHIP; Minny’s 6-3 in his nine overall home starts. He was pounded in his lone appearance against the White Sox this season giving up eight hits and five ER’s through just 4.2 IP.

MLB Insider Tip: The Twins have dominated the White Sox winning 12 of the L/15 overall meetings and 20 of the L/26 times they hooked up in Minnesota; they hold a 3-2 season series advantage against them in 2010. Having said that, the Twins are battling way too many injuries right now, mainly to major contributors Mauer and Morneau, and I just don’t see them continuing their domination of the Palehose in this series and beyond. The Twinkie Dome used to terrorize the White Sox in their sleep. With it now a thing of the past, the Palehose will look to improve upon their wretched record against the Twins away from “The Cell”.

My MLB predictions for this series opener have the visitors improving upon their impressive 11-1 record against the L/12 +.500 opponents they faced; look for the White Sox to add to the Twins current frustration level!

My MLB Prediction: Chicago White Sox (Danks)
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