MLB August 8th picks

[kattis]

Could have talked about a perfect day had the Mets come through last night but it was just bad luck from the getco. Jose Reyes pulled out in the first inning, Dillon Gee unravelling and uncharacteristically giving up three home runs, when in all his previous outings he had never given up more then one and Murphy getting injured late in the game. Mets faught back from 2-5 to tie the game, but Chipper Jones delivered the blow in the 9th for a 6-5 Atlanta win. Other than that, good job from both Peavy and Santana which brought nice wins for the Chicago White Sox and LA Angels respectively, thus nice wins for us too :lol On to today: CWS @ BAL: White Sox win @ 1,85 (bet365)...8/10 After being swept by the New York Yankees last week, the Chicago White Sox recovered nicely with a three game sweep in Minnesota over the weekend, completed by yesterday’s 7-0 blanking behind the excellent performance from Jake Peavy. These three wins allowed Chicago to stay relatively close as far as the race is concerned in the AL Central (both Detroit and Cleveland lost yesterday) and this series against mediocre Baltimore is key if they are to look for more. Frankly, winning this series is a must, given that at the same time Detroit and Cleveland, the two teams Chicago are chasing, will be playing each other. Looking to continue on their good pitching the last few days, the White Sox will send the lefty John Danks to the mound. Now, Danks is coming off a 6-0 loss to the Yankees his last time out (he gave up 4 of those runs) but it must be noted that it was just his first loss suffered since…May. Overall, he has posted a stellar 1.69 ERA over his latest 7 starts, looking pretty much like an ace on the mound; if you actually take out that last game against the Yankees, in his previous six starts he posted a remarkable 0.69 ERA. Aside from pitching, the White Sox bats also warmed up during the weekend series in Minnesota and what can be concerned as a positive note is the fact that Alex Rios finally came through with some hitting; his bat finally coming alive will certainly boost the teams offense. It basically appears to be all in place for the Chicago White Sox to make it four straight tonight against mediocre Baltimore, who will oppose with Jeremy Guthrie (5-15, 4.34 ERA). With the White Sox coming to town with plenty of momentum and Guthrie being very hittable, it feels like it’s going to be another long (or should I say short) night for Guthrie, more so with guys like Quentin, A.J Pierzynski and Rios having traditionally hit him hard. This alone shall be my main play for the night… Elsewhere, I fancy the Cubs to bounce back after their 7 game win streak was snapped yesterday. They will have Matt Garza on the mound, who has been pitching very well for a long time and you shouldn’t let his record fool you. As a matter of fact, I suggested the Cubs last time Garza started and he indeed came through with 7 shutout innings against the Pirates; once more the Cubs gave him little run support, but that one lone run was enough to earn him a long due win. Facing the Washington Nationals seems like a good opportunity for Garza to record a second straight W, with opposing pitcher Chien Ming Wang still struggling since his return. Wang was rocked in both of his outings since his return and Wrigley Field doesn’t feel like the best place to visit right now, more so when the Cubs bats are as hot as they’ve been this past week. More or less the Cubs are the obvious favorites and of course the odds are set around 1,50-1,55 which, at least for me, is only combo material (I never play or suggest singles for anything lower 1,80; that’s just my style). Gave the Bo-Sox some thought, with Wakefield taking the mound in search of his 200th career win but his latest memories there aren’t the best and in all fairness, Baker has been pretty good for the Twins so, despite the decent odds on Boston, this may get tricky. So, in order to make my small combo, I am adding Texas in the mix. They got a nice win last night over Cleveland end enter tonight’s opener on a high note behind their lefty pitcher Matt Harrison, one of their most reliable guys overall. He pitched a gem last time he faced Seattle (7 and 2/3 scoreless innings) and even though Seattle starter Charlie Furbush looked very impressive in his debut last time against Oakland, I think he is in for a…warm welcome in Arlington. So Chicago Cubs (1,53) + Texas Rangers (1,45) in a 2,21 combo @ will hill with medium stakes. Cheers and good luck :ok

[blackcrow]

Re: MLB August 8th picks Chicago White Sox -1.5 @ 2.33 pinnacle Danks is 4-9, with a 3.90 ERA but had allowed 2 runs or less in winning 4 of his 6 starts (allowed ut 4 runs) before giving up 4 runs on 9 hits in the 6-0 loss to the New York Yankees last Tuesday. Like him to bounce back here, as well as from his last start against Baltimore, where he allowed 5 runs in the 10-4 loss to them in April, but prior to that he was 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA in starts against them. Guthrie is 5-15, with a 4.34 ERA as he has allowed at least 3 runs in 7 of his last 10 starts (total of 37 runs) and averages 3 walks in these game. He has given up 15 runs in his last 4 home starts, and is 0-2 with a 6.59 ERA in last 2 starts against the Chicago White Sox, as he allowed 4runs in the 6-2 road loss to them in May this year. With the White Sox bats in good form, like them to give Danks some run support here. Minnesota @ 2.05 pinnacle Baker is 8-6, with a 3.01 ERA as he should be rested after only throwing 77 pitches in giving up 4 runs in the 11-4 road win over the Los Angeles Angels last Wednesday. He has allowed just 1 run in winning his last 5 home starts, and in his last start against Boston, he allowed 2 runs in the 9-2 road win over them in May this year. Wakefield was opposite him that day, as he gave up 8 runs in the loss, and is 1-3 with an 8.38 ERA in his last 4 starts against Minnesota. He is 6-5, with a 4.99 ERA for the season, and has allowed at least 3 runs in 9 of his last 10 starts (total of 38 runs) with 16 runs allowed in his last 4 road starts. Florida @ 2.07 pinnacle Hand is 1-3, with a 2.86 ERA as he has allowed 3 runs or less in his 7 starts this season (total of 11 runs) with 4 runs in his 3 home starts. He allowed just a home run in the only start against Atlanta, which ended up being a 1-0 loss, so he is pitching well but just needs some run support. Like him to get some here, as Lowe is 6-10, with a 4.86 ERA, and has allowed at least 3 runs in 9 of his last 10 starts (total of 39 runs) and at least 7 hits in 7 of these 10 starts (total of 74 hits). He has given up 30 runs in his last 7 road starts, and though he has allowed just 1 run in his last 2 starts against Florida, hard to take him in his present form. San Diego -1.5 @ 2.56 pinnacle Stauffer is 7-8, with a 2.96 ERA as he has allowed 2 runs or less in 8 of his last 10 starts (total of 16 runs) with 10 runs in his last 5 road starts. He has faced the Mets once before, but that was in August 2009 where he allowed 1 run on 5 hits in the 5-1 loss to them. Like him to do well here as the Padres are coming off socring 35 runs in the recent series with Pittsburgh. Pelfrey is 6-9, with a 4.48 ERA and has allowed 2 runs or less in 6 of his 10 starts (total of 25 runs) with 7 runs in his last 3 home starts. He is 2-0 with a 2.60 ERA in 5 starts against San Diego, so while he has played his part, he faces a hot hitting side with a pitcher in very good form, while his own batting line up is missing some good hitters. August picks: 14-18 (+0.02) July picks: 54-62 (+3.14) June picks: 53-72 (-2.95) May picks: 31-73 (-30.18) April picks: 45-56 (+2.52)