MLB Picks: June 5th 2011
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Pick: Chicago White Sox -145
The White Sox saw their 4-game winning streak snapped yesterday. With Jake Peavy on the mound, they’ve got a solid shot at bouncing back with a victory. Peavy has been superb of late. Indeed, he’s got a 2.37 ERA and 0.789 WHIP his last three starts. The Sox won all three of those and are 4-0 in his four starts overall. In his lone home start, Peavy tossed a complete game 3-hit shutout. He didn’t walk a batter and had eight K’s. On the other hand, Penny got rocked in each of his last two starts. Last time out, facing lowly Minnesota, he gave up 10 hits and five runs. Before that, in his last road start, he gave up six hits (and walked five) and five runs, en route to taking a 10-1 loss at Pittsburgh. Including that result, Penny is 1-3 (Tigers are 1-4) with a brutal 7.71 ERA in five road starts. Penny is supported by a Detroit bullpen which has an awful 6.78 ERA and 1.727 WHIP on the road this season. Peavy is supported by a Chicago bullpen which has a more respectable 3.96 ERA at home. With the Tigers at just 14-28 (-9.2) the past few seasons, when listed as road underdogs in the +125 to +150 range, consider “laying the wood” with Peavy and the home team.

Pick: Chicago Cubs +1.5 -152
Despite 5 straight defeats, including a 1-run extra innings loss Saturday, the Cubs are worth a shot catching a 1.5 runs with ace Carlos Zambrano on the bump. Big Z is one of the best competitors in the game, and he’ll do everything in his power to make sure his team isn’t swept. Giving the ball to Zambrano in the 3rd game of a series has worked out well for the Cubs as they are 5-1 in his last 6 starts in these spots. Also, the Cubs are 10-3 in their last 13 when Zambrano takes the mound following a team loss. Plus, Big Z has long been one of the best road warriors in the bigs. The Cubs are 59-25 in his last 84 road starts and 15-5 in his last 20 starts overall. And there’s more. Zambrano has been Chicago’s only answer against the Cards. In fact, the Cubs are 16-5 in his last 21 starts vs. St. Louis and 7-0 in his last 7 road starts vs. the Cards. The Cubs are even 5-1 in the last 6 meetings when Zambrano faces Carpenter. The Cardinals are just 4-13 in Carpenters last 17 starts and even 1-10 in his last 11 starts vs. a team with a losing record. They are also 0-5 in his last 5 starts in the 3rd game of a series. We’ll take the Cubs on the run line. -Jimmy Boyd (Handicapperspicks.com)

My Tuesday night MLB predictions head to Wrigley Field where the San Francisco Giants will embark upon the first of their six-game road trip against the Chicago Cubs.
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By taking two of three at Petco and splitting their next six-games, the Giants have overtaken San Diego in the NL West and enter tonight’s series opener holding a slim half-game lead in the standings. Unfortunately for them, they’re running into a red hot Cubs squad that enters tonight’s game winners of six in a row after sweeping the Florida Marlins over the weekend.

San Francisco Giants (84-66, +$1082) vs. Chicago Cubs (68-81, -$1902)
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, September 21st, 8:05 ET
Game Location: Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
TV/Radio Broadcast: Comcast (Bay + Chicago), XM

MLB Odds: San Francisco Giants -1.5 +140 -120 (Matt Cain – R) vs. Chicago Cubs +1.5 -160 +100 (Carlos Zambrano – R): Total 8.5 O -120 8.5 U +100

Matt Cain enters his 31st start of the season throwing some fantastic ball leading the Giants to victories in each of his L/5 outings while picking up three himself to move to 12-10 with a 3.08 ERA & 1.10 WHIP on the year. He picked up his 12th win of the season his last time out after tossing seven shutout innings against the Dodgers.

The righty has managed to go at least six innings in nine of his L/10 outings giving up three runs or less in nine of those starts as well. Before his August 12th start against Chicago, he had shut the Cubs out in each of his three previous starts against it. Lifetime, Cain sports a 5-2 mark with a 2.61 ERA & 0.98 WHIP in nine overall outings.

Opposing one of the Giants top hurlers will be Carlos Zambrano whose looked every part of the Cubs ace since seeking help for his anger issues. Since being reinserted into the Cubs starting rotation full time back at the beginning of August, the Cubs have won six of his eight MLB predictions starts and he enters his 18th start of the season 9-6 with a 3.75 ERA.

Big Z has allowed two ER’s or less in every one of those starts, and has managed to pitch through six in four of his L/5. He allowed just four hits and a pair of ER’s in a no decision effort at San Francisco in his first start back in the rotation in August. He’s 5-1 with a 2.92 ERA & 1.35 WHIP in nine career starts vs. the Giants.

MLB Insider Tip: Tonight’s series opener has a pair of finely tuned starters going at it in a pressure packed situation for the visitors. These teams have notoriously played to low scoring affairs when they hook up on the Northside with the ‘under’ going 11-5-2 the L/18 meetings.

With the ‘under’ 5-2-1 the L/8 times Big Z was installed an underdog, and the ‘under’ 14-5 the L/19 times Cain was installed a road favorite, my MLB predictions for this spot have both clubs playing true to form with runs being very hard to come by. Wrigley will have a playoff atmosphere to it tonight, unfortunately for Cubs fans, it’s not their team in the running. Still, look for them to continue their recent excelled level of play and give the giants a run for their money in a very low scoring tilt.

My MLB Predictions: San Francisco/Chicago under 8.5 +100 (Cain/Zambrano)

Source: BetUS Locker Room Featured on: Handicapperspicks.com

The second round of the Crosstown Classic takes our MLB predictions to US Cellular Field where the White Sox will look to at the very least assure itself of a tie to bring home the inaugural “BP Crosstown Cup” – talk about bad timing!
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Regardless, the Cubs enter this series after securing a pair of finale victories at both Seattle and Anaheim to move manager Lou Piniella’s squad to a dismal 14-22 (-$927) as a visitor this season. The Cubs have been unwatchable throughout the month of June tallying a 7-12 (-$740) mark while dropping seven of their L/8 overall series.

If you were to identify the Chicago Cubs as Jerry Seinfeld, the White Sox would check in as “Bizarro Jerry” as things couldn’t be any different on the Southside right now. Manager Ozzie Guillen has currently got the Palehose playing some phenomenal baseball with the team just sweeping the Atlanta Braves out of “The Cell” to register their ninth straight win and 13th in their L/14 tries; the lone defeat coming at the hands of Ted Lilly who almost no-hit them at Wrigley 12-days ago.

Chicago Cubs (32-40, -$1722) vs. Chicago White Sox (37-34, +$72)
Game Date/Time: Friday, June 25th, 4:05 ET
Game Location: US Cellular Field, Chicago, IL
TV/Radio Broadcast: FOX – Comcast (Chicago), WGN, XM

MLB Odds: Chicago Cubs +1.5 -160 +120 (Carlos Zambrano – R) vs. Chicago White Sox -1.5 +140 -140 (Jake Peavy – R): Total 8.5 O -105 8.5 U -115

Making his fifth start since returning to the starting rotation will be Carlos Zambrano who will look to improve upon his stellar 10-1 record against the L/11 +.500 opponents he’s faced. He’s coming off his best outing since getting removed from the bullpen allowing a single ER through seven innings against the Los Angeles Angels to register his first MLB betting win at Wrigley Field since July of 2009. The Cubs have won two of his L/3 starts and he carries a 5-3 record with a 4.42 ERA & 1.31 WHIP entering the 12 th start of his career against the White Sox.

Opposing the righty will be the White Sox Jake Peavy whose tallied victories in three of his L/4 starts with one of them coming against the Cubs. He’s allowed just 15 hits and four ER’s over the course of his L/23 innings pitched, but the offenses all ranked in the bottom third of the league during that stretch. The Southsiders are only 2-4 the six times he’s led them into battle at home this season, and opponents are batting .247 against him on the year. In nine career starts vs. the Cubs, Peavy’s 6-3 with a solid 2.72 ERA & 1.26 WHIP.

MLB Insider Tip : While the Cubs have been an absolute train wreck for MLB bettors this season (-$1722), they’ve held their own against +.500 ball clubs cashing in 10 of 18 overall times (+$210). They also enter this set vengeful after the Chicago White Sox made it almost darn near impossible to beat them in their own house. While the White Sox are scorching hot, I feel they’re being asked to lay an unreasonable amount of chalk in this spot. Throughout their current nine-game winning streak, they were never asked to lay this type of price. Why ask them to now against their most hated rival? Sucker line here folks! My MLB predictions for the opener have the Cubs putting up a big fight to bust their rivals winning streak regardless of how putrid a form they enter the series in.

My MLB Prediction: Chicago Cubs (Zambrano)
Source: BetUS Locker Room Featured on: Handicapperspicks.com

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs
Prediction: Over 11.5 Runs
Courtesy of Mike Rose of handicapperspicks.com
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The Cubs will look to sweep their first series of the season when they lock horns with the Milwaukee Brewers in the final game of their three-game set this afternoon from Wrigley.

Getting the call for his first start of the year is RHP Jeff Suppan. “Soup Can” was awful for the Brew Crew a year ago compiling a 7-12 record and 5.29 ERA through 30 overall starts.

Opposing him will be Carlos Zambrano who will be making his first home start of the season. Big Z’s home/road splits are shocking! He hasn’t fared nearly as well at home as he has as a visitor; especially last season where he went 7-2 with a 2.73 ERA on the road and a sickening 2-5 with a robust 5.03 ERA in 13 starts.

Yesterday’s dramatic victory improved the Cubs to 7-3 the L/10 times they squared off against their division rivals.

That said; I don’t trust either of today’s starting pitchers to back either side in this one. Instead, I’m looking at the total and I like the over to cash for the seventh time in the L/10 overall meetings (7-2-1) and sixth straight time at Wrigley Field.

The wind will once again be blowing out this afternoon, and the fact that Suppan comes into this one not at 100 percent and Zambrano’s historically poor at home, I look for both offenses to once again flex their muscles.

This one’s up for grabs and the victor will be the team that outslugs their opponent.