MLB Baseball Picks: July 16th 2011
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MLB Pick: St. Louis Cardinals -120
Cardinals -116 (1.5* FREE PLAY) We back Carpenter on our last two 5.5* max plays and he sure paid off in a big way and we will look to back him here once again. Take out his poor start last time here in Cincinnati and he has dominated the Reds. Reds hitters collectively have a .218 average and a .615 OPS. Don’t think Carpenter who is hot right now with a 1.96 ERA over his last 3 starts does not remember his last trip to Cinci where he gave up 7 ER. He’s 8-2 in his last 10 vs. the Reds with every other start he’s given up 2 ER or less. I expect the same out of him on Saturday. After all he pitches big within the division the Cardinals are 60-29 vs. NL Central in his last 89 starts. Reds are just 4-10 in their last 14 vs. a starter with a WHIP less than 1.30. Bronson Arroyo makes the start for the Reds and he is clearly at a disadvantage going up against the Cardinals. In his last 5 starts he has given up 22 ER over 27.2 IP while giving up 34 hits and 12 walks that’s a WHIP of 1.66 and an ERA of 7.16. Cardinal hitters are hitting .276 with a .820 OPS in 322 AB vs. Arroyo. Arroyo really has not been solid at home posting a 3-6 record and 5.34 ERA. He is just 6-15 in his last 21 Saturday’s so either he just has bad luck on Saturday’s or he is out partying on Fridays. Either way the Cardinals are a better team vs. RHP. Ranked #4 in OPS with a .765 vs. the Reds who are 19th with a .709. -Freddy Wills

MLB Pick: Pirates vs. Astros Under 7.5
Here we have two of the lower scoring teams in Major League Baseball squaring off against one of each team’s more effective pitchers. I’ll play the total under as this game should be a pitchers duel from the start. The only thing keeping this pick from being a premium one is the fact that Houston’s bullpen has been so awful this year (10 saves vs 17 blown saves), but Pittsburgh’s offense still has me leaning hard on this total. Offensively both teams are averaging just 3.9 runs per game. Then take into account that Houston starter Bud Norris has pitched extremely well at home this year. Through 11 starts at home he’s posted a 2.66 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh’s Paul Maholm has been one of their most effective pitchers this season. He’s started 19 games for the Pirates, earning a 2.96 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in those starts. Now, he hasn’t thrown great on the road (4.35 ERA, 1.28 WHIP), but the fact that his WHIP isn’t too much higher than his season number tells me he’s had some bad luck as the visiting starter. Maholm has also pitched like an ace over his last 3 outings, posting a 1.74 ERA, which includes a game vs the Astros in which he gave up just one earned runs on 5 hits over 6 innings of work. -Jimmy Boyd

MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants +120
Last season, the roles between the Padres and Giants were reversed. MLB fans watched as the Giants climbed the NL West standings to take the division and knock the Padres out of the playoff race. This season, the standings tell a much different story. The defending World Series champion Giants lead the NL West and the Padres are dwelling in the cellar. Judging by the scores the Padres have been putting up as of late, it is doubtful that we will see them play the role of spoiler. Plus with the Giants closer’s confidence back, they could now try and defend their NL West title. As for the Padres Saturday they’ll send Dustin Moseley to the mound in the hopes that Moseley can get back on the winning track. Moseley is 2-8 on the season with a 3.21 ERA. He is 1-4 in his last 10 starts and usually starts falling apart around the fifth inning. The Giants counter with Zeto. It’s tempting to entertain the thought that Zito has recaptured that 2002 form. After a pair of trips to the disabled list, he returned in early July with a pair of solid starts that brought his season totals to a 3-1 record, 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 17/12 K/BB ratio through 34 innings. The Giants are 5-1 in their last 6 road games with the total set at 6.5 or lower, and are 5-1 in their last 6 overall, and are 4-0 in Zitos last 4 starts. I just don’t think the Padres have the punch to keep up in this game. -Ray Monohan (Handicapperspicks.com)

MLB Baseball Picks: July 6th 2011
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Pick: San Francisco Giants -148
On Wednesday the Free MLB Power System side is on Giants. Game 966 at 10:15 eastern. The Giants fit the nice Power System Below that plays on certain home favorites off a home favored loss by 2 or more runs and scored 4 or less runs on 10+ hits vs an opponent off a road dog win that scored 5 or more runs with 4 or less men left on base. The Giants will look to bounce back from 2 straight home losses to the Padres in this 4 game mid week series. They Have M. Bumgarner on the mound and have won 3 of his last 4 starts. In his only home start vs the Padres he was very effective allowing just 2 runs in 7 innings. Tonight he opposes D. Mosely who is 2-10 as a dog and lost his last four. Look for the Giants to win this one. On Wednesday the card has a late afternoon perfect angle Play and a 18-2 Power System side tonight. Jump on and cash out on Hump day. For the free Play take the Giants. -Rob Vinciletti

Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates -114
Look for Houston’s struggles to continue against Pittsburgh. The Astros are 0-7 in the last 7 meetings overall, 0-4 in the last 4 meetings in Pittsburgh ans 1-4 in Norris’ last 5 starts vs. the Pirates. The Astros are 0-4 in Norris’ last 4 starts overall. The Pirates are 5-0 in Morton’s last 5 starts vs. the National League Central. Take Pittsburgh. -Dave Price

Pick: Boston Red Sox -118
I’m fading Romero here as he has never fared well against Boston. He’s just 2-5 (2-8 on the money line) with an ERA of 7.69 in 10 career starts against the Red Sox. Plus, Boston, which has won 7 of 11 against Toronto this season, enters with all the momentum after yesterday’s thrilling one-run win. Consider that Boston is 21-3 off a one-run win over a division rival the last 3 seasons, winning by an average score of 5.8 to 2.9 in this situation. Bet Boston. -Jeff Alexander (Handicapperspicks.com)

MLB Picks: June 7th 2011
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Pick: Houston Astros +1.5 -135
The Astros are showing good value catching 1.5 runs when you consider how good starting pitcher Brett Myers has been against St. Louis. He’s 6-2 (11-4 on the money line) lifetime with an ERA of 4.38. It is worth noting that those 4 defeats all came by a single run. His teams have won 5 of his last 6 starts against the Cards. St. Louis starter Jake Westbrook, meanwhile, is 0-2 (0-3 on the ML) with an ERA of 4.67 in his three career starts against Houston. The Cardinals win a lot of 1-run ball games. In fact, 4 of their last 5 and 6 of their last 9 wins have come by a single run. The Cards are on a 4-11 slide off 2 consecutive 1-run wins over a division rival, losing these games by an average score of 6.0 to 3.7. Take Houston on the run line. -Jimmy Boyd

Pick: Chicago White Sox +107
Seattle is scoring 3.7 runs per game overall this year. Chicago White Sox bullpen has a 3.71 ERA at home this year. Philip Humber has a 2.88 ERA overall this year, 2.52 ERA at home this season and he is 1-0 with a 2.82 ERA his last 3 starts. Chicago White Sox are 10-1 at home vs Seattle the past 3 years. Humber has a 2.57 ERA overall vs Seattle. We’ll recommend a small play on the Chicago White Sox tonight! Thanks and good luck, Rocky

Pick: Colorado Rockies -1.5 +115
great value here as Jimeniz looks to have regained his dominant stuff as he goes 9 innings allowing 0 runs in last outing. To help us even more we face Stauffer for SD who is coming off really bad start allowing 5 runs over 5 innings last out. COL bats have been quiet but with the big field in SD look for a ton of hits and a daylight winner here. 4 star play -Craig Trapp

Pick: Arizona Diamondbacks -115
The Arizona Diamondbacks just won 2 of 3 against the Philadelphia Phillies, and are 16-4 over their last 20 games. That gives us amazing value on the Diamondbacks at a small -115 favorite. Arizona will start Daniel Hundson, who 6-1 in his last 8 starts against Pittsburgh’s Kevin Correia, who is 8-4 with a 3.40 ERA, but just 1-3 with a 5.70 ERA at home. Correia is also just 4-7 with a 5.09 ERA in 14 career starts against the Diamondbacks. -Info Plays (Handicapperspicks.com)

MLB Picks: June 2nd 2011
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Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates +118
I’m playing the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday. I had the Pirates on these pages yesterday and we won when the Bucs made in two straight at Citi Field. Before winning at this venue on Tuesday, the Pirates had lost eight straight at New York. But now that they have found the “sweet elixir,” I expect the Pirates to make it three in a row. Pittsburgh sends Paul Maholm to the bump tonight. The lefthander is off a complete game shutout win over the Cubs last time out. In fact, Maholm has allowed just 8 earned runs and 35 base runners in his last five starts, spanning 31 2/3 innings. That’s a red-hot, 2.27 ERA & 1.10 WHIP. And he’s been extremely stingy in his four daytime outings this season. The Mets are not exactly hitting the cover off the ball, scoring 3 runs or less in six of their last 10 games. Mike Pelfrey probably won’t receive too much help from his offense in this one…again! Low run output has been the case for the Mets in most of Pelfrey’s starts this season. And the righthander has not enjoyed daytime trips to the bump, sporting a career 5.14 ERA & 1.49 WHIP. The Bucs are the better and hotter team at this point, and I expect them to wrap up the series with their third straight win. I’m backing the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday afternoon. Thanks! GL! Scott Spreitzer

Pick: Houston Astros +120
Last place San Diego is favored here and faces a good arm in Bud Norris. Norris has a 3.76 ERA, doesn’t walk anyone and has a sizzling 76 strikeouts in 67 innings. He has owned the light hitting Padres in his career, with a 2.12 ERA striking out 19 in 17 innings while allowing just 10 hits. It’s a tough situational spot for the home team, as well, playing at Atlanta yesterday while ending a 6-game trip. Houston has a better road record than the Padres have at home. The Astros are 9-4 in Norris’ last 13 starts with 4 days of rest, while the Padres are 2-6 in Tim Stauffer’s last 8 home starts vs. a team with a losing record. Play the Astros. -Jim Feist (Handicapperspicks.com)

MLB Picks: May 30th 2011
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Pick: Chicago Cubs -133
I won with the Cubs yesterday. While I don’t feel quite as strongly about them this afternoon, I still feel that they’ve got an excellent shot at another victory. The Astros are currently really struggling. They lost again yesterday and are now an ugly 7-17 their last 24. Note that Houston’s 8-17 road record is tied for the worst in the National League. Lopez will be making his first “big league” start of the season and first as a Cub. He’s no stranger to starting in the majors though, as this will be the 200th start of his career. Lopez, who had a solid 3.46 ERA vs. the Astros last season, has been pitching well in the minors this season. Indeed, he was 6-1 with a super 2.59 ERA at Triple-A. He knows this is his chance and is excited to be here: He was quoted as saying: “I like this kind of environment – this old ballpark, people pretty close to you … I’m ready.” The Astros are 14-28 (-12.6) as road underdogs in the +125 to +150 range the past few seasons. On the other hand, the Cubs are 34-21 (+5.3) as home favorites in the -125 to -150 range, including a profitable 7-1 (+5.8) mark as home favorites in the -125 to -150 range. Consider “laying the wood” with the home team. -Ben Burns

Pick: New York Yankees +100
The Yankees have completely dominated the A’s the past two seasons, winning 16 of 19 overall and 7 of 9 in Oakland. Going back, the Yankees are 40-18 in the last 58 meetings in this series. Oakland starter Trevor Cahill is one tough cookie but he hasn’t been himself lately. The A’s have dropped his last 3 starts and he allowed 10 hits in two of those contests. Plus, New York has had no problem against him. Cahill is 0-2 with an ERA of 12.60 in 2 career starts against the Yankees. The A’s lost those games by 5 and 6 runs respectively. Take the Yanks. -Jeff Alexander (Handicapperspicks.com)

MLB Picks: May 16th 2011
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Pick: Atlanta Braves -224
At 7:10 pm, our complimentary selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Houston Astros. When things have gone well for veteran righthander Brett Myers in his career, they have gone very well, but when things have gone bad for him, they’ve gone very, very bad. It seems to be feast or famine for Myers with very little middle ground and such is the case in the first six weeks of this season. After having a very successful first season in Houston in 2010, Myers continued his solid run in an Astros uniform in his first four starts of 2011, putting up a 2.39 ERA although he only won a single start in April. But the wheels have completely fallen off in his last four starts, as Myers has gone 0-3 with an ERA around eight-and-a-half runs and he’s walked 10 batters in his last three outings. And it doesn’t get any easier for him having to head to Atlanta tonight, where the Astros are just 6-15 in their last 21 meetings and with his lineup having to face a very tough customer in righthander Tommy Hanson. Hanson is near-perfect in three career starts vs. the ‘Stros, going 1-0 with a 0.78 ERA while allowing just 11 hits and two walks in 23 innings against them. Atlanta just handled the Phillies and Roy Halladay on Sunday, so chances are the Braves can handle the Astros tonight. Take Atlanta. As always, good luck…Al McMordie. Be sure to visit our premium picks page above to purchase Big Al McMordie’s expert MLB baseball predictions for May 16th 2011. Don’t miss out on another hot streak from our professional sports handicappers.

Pick: Colorado Rockies +137
I am backing the Colorado Rockies Monday as a home underdog to the San Francisco Giants. Rarely will you get the Rockies as a home dog, so I’ll take full advantage tonight. Clayton Mortensen is scheduled to make his second start for the Rockies. His other start came at San Francisco on May 7 when he allowed one earned run in six innings of a 3-2 loss. Mortensen has posted a 0.55 ERA and 0.798 WHIP on the season while allowing just 1 earned run and 13 base runners in 16 1/3 innings. I know he’s up against Tim Lincecum tonight, but Mortensen and the Rockies are clearly undervalued here. Colorado has revenge in mind after getting swept in San Francisco earlier this month. The Rockies are 93-67 in home games with triple revenge – 3 straight losses against opponent since 1997. Colorado is 36-16 in their last 52 home games vs. a team with a winning record. The Rockies are exactly .500 at 149-149 as a home underdog of +100 or higher since 1997. Great value here. Bet the Rockies Monday. -Jack Jones (Handicapperspicks.com)