MLB Picks: July 21st 2011
CLICK HERE FOR TODAY’S EXPERT MLB PICKS

Pick: Tampa Bay Rays +130
The Tampa Bay Rays are showing excellent value Thursday as a home underdog to the New York Yankees. Ace James Shields takes the ball for Tampa, looking to build on what has been a tremendous season to this point for the right-hander. Shields is 8-8 with a 2.60 ERA and 1.002 WHIP with 145 strikeouts in 148 2/3 innings. He faced off against C.C. Sabathia on July 10th less than two weeks ago, not allowing a single earned run in 8 innings while giving up only 5 base runners to the Yankees. While Sabathia has been solid as well, Tampa is 30-13 (+18.4 Units) against the money line vs. an AL starting pitcher whose ERA is 3.20 or better over the last 2 seasons. The Rays are 5-1 in their last 6 games vs. a starter with a WHIP less than 1.15. Tampa is 4-1 in Shields’ last 5 starts as a home underdog, while the Yankees are 1-4 in Sabathia’s last 5 road starts vs. Rays. Take the Rays on the Money Line. -Black Widow

Pick: Arizona Diamondbacks -110
Play on Arizona at 9:40 ET. Milwaukee has won 2 straight at Arizona (and 8 of 9), but they remain a bad road team at 20-32 (compared to 33-14 at home). Starter Zack Greinke has really struggled on the road this season (6.19 ERA) and the last two seasons (6-17 TSR). For his career, Grienke has a terrible 15-45 TSR as a road underdog. The team is 2-13 on the road this season after allowing 2 runs or less their previous game. Arizona’s Ian Kennedy is in fine form this year with a 113-37 KW ratio. 10* on Arizona. -Tom Freese

Pick: Yankees vs. Rays Under 7
These clubs have played to the Under in 5 of their last 7 meetings, and I expect this trend to continue with Sabathia and Shields taking the mound. These two were dominant when they faced off on July 10. Both threw 4 hitters in a 1-0 Yankees’ win. Sabathia enters in ridiculously good form, allowing 1 or fewer runs in each of his last 5 starts. Shields has allowed 2 earned runs of less in 5 of his last 7 starts. Tampa Bay’s recent drought at the plate also weighs in our favor here. The Rays have scored just seven runs over their last 42 innings. The Under is 5-1 in the Yankees’ last 6 overall and 15-3 in Shields’ last 18 home starts. Take the Under. -Jimmy Boyd (Handicapperspicks.com)

Trying to find the best pitchers in baseball to bet on isn’t as simple as looking at ERA, wins and losses, and WHIP all the time. Check out who tops our MLB betting list of the best arms in the bigs.
CLICK HERE TO OPEN A BETTING ACCOUNT AT BETUS

Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies (16-2, +$1,252) – At 16-2 for his team for the season, there is a real argument that Jimenez is the MVP in the National League. Without a doubt, he has had the best stuff amongst pitchers in baseball. Jimenez finished up his first half of the season with his 15th win, as he pitched eight strong innings and allowed just one earned run against the Cardinals at Coors Field. With 113 strikeouts, Jimenez is on a clip for 200 for the season, and his 15-1 record is self-explanatory.

Freddy Garcia, Chicago White Sox (12-4, +$1,099) – Coming into Friday night, Garcia is the only other man in baseball that can say that he has made over $1,000 for MLB wagering fans. The righty has cashed in eight straight games, and for good measure, he has led the team to four straight ‘unders’ as well. Garcia hasn’t pitched more than seven innings during this winning streak, but just like the rest of the White Sox, he is getting a ton of help and is picking up victories to show for it.

Kris Medlen, Atlanta Braves (10-1, +$970) – For those of you who didn’t know the name Kris Medlen before, perhaps you should take note. This righty for the Braves led the team to ten wins in his first 11 starts of the season. He pitched an inning in relief on the final day before the All-Star Break, but should be back and ready to go in the Atlanta rotation in the second half of the year. Medlen is going to be crucial for manager Bobby Cox to lead his team into the playoffs once again, and he is definitely someone to keep a close eye on with a 6-1 record and a 3.16 ERA.

Andy Pettitte, New York Yankees (14-3, +$966) – In the American League, only Tampa Bay’s Jeff Niemann and Pettitte have led their respective teams to 14 wins this year. Pettitte really has been the picture of consistency once again for the Bronx Bombers. He is 11-2 with a 2.70 ERA. The southpaw has only won 20+ games in his career one time, and that came way back in 2003. It would be truly remarkable to see his pick up 20 for the second time this year at the age of 38.

Mat Latos, San Diego Padres (12-5, +$882) – Latos is currently sitting on the disabled list after sneezing too hard, but he will be eligible to come off of the DL by the end of next week. A snub from the All-Star Game, Latos is 10-4 with a 2.45 ERA. He is just one strikeout away from 100 for the season and has only allowed one earned run in his L/4 starts.

Pitchers that burn holes in our pockets is just another day in the life of trying to beat the MLB odds. Here at BetUS Sportsbook, we’ve got the five worst money burning pitchers in the bigs listed for you to steer clear of in the future. Take a look at the toughest luck pitchers against the MLB odds this year.
CLICK HERE TO OPEN A BETTING ACCOUNT AT BETUS

Ryan Rowland-Smith, Seattle Mariners (3-13, -$997) – Rowland-Smith has had no luck this year with the Mariners, but then again, who really has had much luck in Seattle this year? His time in the rotation probably would have been getting cut short if not for the trade that sent LHP Cliff Lee out of town right before the All-Star Break. Rowland-Smith is just 1-9 on the season, and his 5.89 ERA leaves plenty to be desired. Allowing 36 walks against 32 strikeouts in 84 frames isn’t helping either.

Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals (6-12, -$811) – On top of everything else that has gone wrong for Greinke this year, he now has a sore shoulder and has been pushed back in the rotation from his most recent start on July 6th. Greinke still has to want to sue for a lack of support from his club, as the ’09 Cy Young Award winner in the American League has just a 3.71 ERA but a 5-8 record to show for it. He has picked up three straight wins though, which could be a sign of improvement for a man that used to be over 11 units in the hole in his starts just four weeks ago.

Dan Haren, Arizona Diamondbacks (7-12, -$810) – Having 125 strikeouts against just 26 walks for the year should be yielding a lot better than a 7-7 record for Haren. The right hander does have an uncharacteristically high ERA of 4.36, which is his highest such number since he was pitching as a youngster just coming out of the minors with the St. Louis Cardinals. The D’Backs have lost five straight starts of Haren’s in spite of the fact that he hasn’t allowed more than four earned in any of those games.

Ryan Dempster, Chicago Cubs (8-11, -$705) – If Dempster was on almost any other team in baseball, he probably wouldn’t be anywhere near this list right now. He did kick off the second half of the season with a victory on Thursday night, but with an 8-7 record and a 3.57 ERA, no pitcher should still be on a list like this one. The bullpen has yet to pick up a ‘W’ for Dempster this year, and it has conceded a whopping 14 runs in his L/4 starts.

Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants (7-11, -$704) – Again, this is a product of a team just not picking up their man. Cain has a 6-8 record and just a 3.34 ERA. He is issuing more walks this season (42) than most would prefer to see, but Cain also has 88 strikeouts and is well on his way to his fourth straight season with at least 200 innings under his belt.

Source: BetUS Locker Room Featured on: Handicapperspicks.com

Best Pitchers To Wager On
Trying to find the best pitchers in baseball to bet on isn’t as simple as looking at ERA, wins and losses, and WHIP all the time. Check out who tops our MLB betting list of the best arms in the bigs.
CLICK HERE TO OPEN A BETTING ACCOUNT AT BETUS

Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies (14-1, +$1,272) – The bad news for MLB betting fans of Jimenez’s is that the days of getting good numbers on him are absolutely gone. The good news is that he just keeps on finding ways to win games, which keeps putting money in their pockets one unit at a time. His ERA ballooned up to 1.60 in his most recent start against the Red Sox, but the team just continues to win. At 13-1, 30 wins still seems like a possibility.

Mike Pelfrey, New York Mets (11-3, +$931) – Pelfrey had his first bad start last week when the Bronx Bombers knocked him around for five earned runs in seven innings of work. It was the first time that one of the top righties for the Mets was beaten in a game since May 1st. This is going to be the first time that New York has had itself a starting pitcher in the All-Star Game that hasn’t been named Johan Santana. We still aren’t totally sure that Pelfrey can keep this pace up for the whole season, but for as long as he is winning, he is worth backing.

Philip Hughes, New York Yankees (11-2, +$764) – The man that beat Pelfrey in that game last week in the Big Apple was none other than Hughes. Who would’ve thought that the best starter that the Yankees would have right around the halfway point of the season wouldn’t be named CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, AJ Burnett, or Javier Vazquez? Hughes just continues to put up consistent start after consistent start, and though his 3.17 ERA isn’t necessarily a stud type of a number at this point in the year, that consistency with New York’s lethal lineup keeps producing wins.

Carlos Silva, Chicago Cubs (10-3, +$725) – Is the window of opportunity closing on Silva and the Cubs? His hamstring is acting up right now, which has caused manager Lou Piniella to push him back a few days for his next start. After winning games for the Cubs in ten straight starts, the last two starts haven’t worked so well. Silva has been given two straight losses, even though he only allowed five earned runs in 13.0 innings. The six inning start against the Angels only took 70 pitches, but it was cut short due to that hammy.

Freddy Garcia, Chicago White Sox (9-4, +$716) – The White Sox have won nine straight games, and Garcia is a big part of the season why the team is gaining ground quickly in the AL Central standings. Since allowing seven runs to the Marlins in just 2.1 innings on May 23rd, Garcia has won five straight starts. He has thrown exactly seven innings in four of those five starts, and didn’t allow more than three runs in any of those outings.

Worst Pitchers To Wager On
Pitchers that burn holes in our pockets is just another day in the life of trying to beat the MLB odds. Here at BetUS Sportsbook, we’ve got the five worst money burning pitchers in the bigs listed for you to steer clear of in the future. Take a look at the toughest luck pitchers against the MLB odds this year.
CLICK HERE TO OPEN A BETTING ACCOUNT AT BETUS

Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals (3-12, -$1,111) – Poor Zack Greinke still can’t figure out how to get back on track. The oddsmakers are still burying Greinke because of his name in spite of the fact that the Royals flat out stink. The good news for last year’s AL Cy Young Award winner is that he did strike out 12 batters in a complete game victory against the Reds two starts ago, but all in all, a 3.94 ERA doesn’t warrant much in the way of special treatment, especially with a 2-8 record to boot.

Ryan Dempster, Chicago Cubs (5-10, -$897) – Theoretically speaking, Dempster deserves a heck of a lot better than what he has gotten of late from his teammates. The offense continues to fail to put runs on the board on a consistent basis. As a result, the righty has ended up with plenty of starts this year like he had on Tuesday when he allowed two runs over eight innings and lost 2-0. The righty will reach 100 strikeouts in his next start, and as long as his ERA ends up staying around the 3.56 range it sits at right now, he’ll probably get off of this list sooner than later.

Brian Matusz, Baltimore Orioles (3-12, -$801) – The young lefty for the Orioles was pitching quite well in the month of June, as he had four straight starts in which he allowed three or fewer runs. That all went up in smoke against the Marlins on Wednesday when he gave up six runs in 6.1 innings in a 7-5 defeat. Unfortunately, that was the first time since May 20th that his team had given him more than four runs of support.

Jeremy Guthrie, Baltimore Orioles (3-12, -$799) – It should come as no surprise that the Orioles have a pair of starters amongst the five worst in the game considering the fact that they are on pace to break all sorts of records for futility in baseball history. Guthrie’s 4.28 ERA would look fantastic on the Yankees, and against any reasonable team in the game, that would at least post a marginal record. However, because he is an Oriole, Guthrie is just 3-9 and things aren’t looking to get better any time soon.

Charlie Morton, Pittsburgh Pirates (1-9, -$758) – The good news for Pirates bettors is that Morton hasn’t been in the lineup. He has been on the disabled list since May 27th and probably still has a week or so until he comes back from his shoulder fatigue. You never like hearing “shoulder fatigue” on a pitcher, particularly on a bad team, and particularly on one that is playing as poorly as Pittsburgh is right now. Stay away at all costs!

Source: BetUS Locker Room Featured on: Handicapperspicks.com

Pitchers that burn holes in our pockets is just another day in the life of trying to beat the MLB odds. Here at BetUS Sportsbook, we’ve got the five worst money burning pitchers in the bigs listed for you to steer clear of in the future. Take a look at the toughest luck pitchers against the MLB Betting odds this year.
CLICK HERE TO OPEN A BETTING ACCOUNT AT BETUS

Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals (2-10, -$1,011) – We have such a hard time faulting Greinke for this type of a record. His team, quite frankly, just stinks. Yes, Greinke hasn’t put up Cy Young type numbers again for a second straight year, as he has a 3.60 ERA and 17 walks against 60 strikeouts. Still, those numbers should yield a heck of a lot more than a 1-7 mark. There is major cause for concern, though. Over his L/3 starts, Greinke has only pitched 15.1 innings and allowed 24 hits and 13 runs, and has just a 10/6 K/BB ratio.

Ryan Dempster, Chicago Cubs (3-8, -$869) – The last time that the Cubs won a game that Dempster allowed more than one earned run in was back on April 12th. Yes, he hasn’t done much to help himself lately, especially allowing six earned runs in 6.2 innings against the Cardinals right before Memorial Day, but Dempster’s numbers don’t suggest that the Cubs should be just 3-8 this year in 11 starts. Dempster has a 3.72 ERA and has already fanned 72 batters this year, putting him on a pace for 200+ Ks.

Charlie Morton, Pittsburgh Pirates (1-9, -$758) – Now, here’s a case where the pitcher is just having an atrocious season. It’s pretty clear that the Pirates simply shouldn’t have Morton in the rotation. He is still a young kid and should be babied along in the minors for a bit before giving it a whack in the big leagues. At just 1-9 with a 9.35 ERA, Morton was given a bit of a blessing in the form of a free pass from his next few starts. The Pirates stuck him on the 15-day DL retroactive to May 28th for shoulder fatigue.

David Bush, Milwaukee Brewers (2-9, -$721) – Bush picked up a blister on the middle finger of his throwing hand and might not be available for his next start. It might be a good thing for the Brewers if that’s the case. They are just 2-9 in his starts this year and are 1-8 since his second outing of the year. A K/BB ratio of 30/29 for the year represents both far too many walks and not nearly enough strikeouts, while an ERA of 4.99 seems to be the punishment.

Tom Gorzelanny, Chicago Cubs (2-7, -$694) – Gorzelanny has been pitching pretty well this year, as there is no harm in a 3.66 ERA. He has only allowed more than three earned runs twice all season long, but it happens to be that both of those starts were amongst his L/3. However, in his L/5 starts, the southpaw has K’d 36 batters, and if that keeps up, his ERA should once again continue to drop, and hopefully, the Cubs will start winning some games for him.
Source: BetUS Locker Room Featured on: Handicapperspicks.com