College Football Free Picks - Winning College Football Picks Against the Spread

Doc's Sports MLB Run Lines Picks

Date	Match Up	Rating	Score	Result	Profit	Lead Time	Analysis
04-05-18	Orioles +1.5 v. Yankees		5-2	Win	109	24 h 7 m	Show
4-unit Play Take #971 Baltimore Orioles (+1.5 rl) over New York Yankees (6:35m EST) The New York Yankees did well in the off-season. Adding Giancarlo Stanton to an already dangerous lineup have made the Yanks the favorites in the AL East. Their bullpen is also lights out and they seem to have everything going for them at the moment. However, betting lines this big early on in the season are usually a mistake. The Orioles are a respectable team that still has one of the more potent lineups in the American League and manager Buck Showalter always manages to surprise. Masahiro Tanaka and Andrew Cashner will match up on Thursday night, which looks like a huge mismatch on paper. But the O’s can hang with the Yanks lineup and they have a pretty good bullpen of their own. I think this will be a tight game and there’s no way we are passing up this price on Baltimore. Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports
07-27-17	Cubs -1.5 v. White Sox		6-3	Win	100	9 h 19 m	Show
4-unit Play Take #915 Chicago Cubs (-1.5 RL) over Chicago White Sox (8:10pm EST) The two Chicago teams are going in completely opposite directions right now. The Sox are 1-10 since the All-Star Break while the Cubs are 10-2. Big pitching edge on the mound for the Cubs with Jon Lester squaring off against Mike Pelfrey. This one should be a laugher for the Cubs. Best of Luck - Doc's Sports
07-05-17	Padres v. Indians -1.5		6-2	Loss	-120	9 h 8 m	Show
3-unit Play Take #926 Cleveland Indians (-1.5 RL) over San Diego Padres (7:10pm EST) Not much to say here except that we have a huge mismatch. It's tough laying these type of prices, but when there's value there's value. The Indians have been playing like they did last season over the last month or so and we know that the Padres have one of the worst rosters in the sport. Best of Luck - Doc's Sports
06-15-17	Red Sox -1.5 v. Phillies		0-1	Loss	-140	7 h 26 m	Show
3-unit Play Take #919 Boston Red Sox (-1.5 RL) over Philadelphia Phillies (7:05pm EST) Yes this is a huge line, especially on the road, but it should be higher. Chris Sale is having a Cy Young season, going 8-2 with a 2.97 ERA and 0.96 WHIP thru 13 starts. Bu the scary part is that he's been a little unfortunate and should have an ERA closer to 2.00. He's struggling with runners on base and is giving up a higher BABIP than usual - two measures that should regress towards the mean and lower his ERA in the process. The Phillies will be no match for Sale today and the Red Sox should get plenty of runs to support him against Philadelphia hurler Nick Pivetta. Take Boston. Best of Luck - Doc's Sports
04-30-17	Orioles v. Yankees -1.5		7-4	Loss	-100	1 h 11 m	Show
Yankees have been on fire of late and Baltimore lost big yesterday after blowing a 9-1 lead on Friday.
04-19-17	White Sox v. Yankees -1.5		1-9	Win	100	9 h 46 m	Show
4-unit Run Line Play Take #968 New York Yankees over Chicago White Sox (7:05pm EST) Yankees lost a game they shouldn't have last night. Masahiro Tanaka will right the ship - this one shouldn't even be close.
04-16-17	Angels -1.5 v. Royals		0-1	Loss	-100	3 h 49 m	Show
3-Unit Run Line Play Take #919 LA Angels (-1.5, +140) Kansas City Royals (2:15pm EST) Angels let an easy one get away from them yesterday. They're the better team and should win this one, easily.
04-09-17	Reds v. Cardinals -1.5		8-0	Loss	-100	3 h 49 m	Show
4-unit Run Line Play Take #958 St. Louis Cards (-1.5, +100) over Cincinnati Reds (2:15pm EST) Cards should beat up on Feldman. This is not a good matchup for him. Best of Luck - Doc's Sports
04-07-17	Braves v. Pirates -1.5		4-5	Loss	-100	12 h 22 m	Show
4-unit Run Line Play Take #952 Pittsburgh Pirates (Run Line -1.5,+145) over Atlanta Braves (1:05pm EST) Pirates are due for a win and this is the place for it!
08-08-16	Reds v. Cardinals -1.5		4-5	Loss	-100	8 h 4 m	Show
7-Unit Play. Take #956 St. Louis (-1.5 RL) over Cincinnati (8 p.m., Monday, Aug. 8) The Cards gotta have it. They simply have to have this game. They are sinking like a stone in the N.L. but they are still in the Wild Card race. They just gave away a series to an awful Braves team and now the Cards have to regroup and beat back one of their most hated rivals. The Cards just lost a series to last-place Cincy last week. Now they have a chance to get some revenge here. And they are backing perhaps their best pitcher, Michael Wacha. Wacha has gone 10 straight starts allowing three runs or less. He isn't going deep into games. But we've seen this guy dominate during his four years in the Majors and he is finding his form. Cody Reed, on the other hand, is a train wreck. He is another pitcher that shouldn't be in the Majors. He has a 7.30 ERA in eight games and has allowed less than four runs exactly one time - against the putrid Braves. Reed has given up at least five runs in five of his last seven starts, while going more than five full innings just once. The Cards are one of the highest scoring teams in the Majors against lefties and they just saw him last week, touching him up for five runs in five innings. I think it is more of the same today.
07-21-16	Padres v. Cardinals -1.5	Top	5-6	Loss	-101	20 h 40 m	Show
10-Unit Play. Take #958 St. Louis (-1.5 RL) over San Diego (7 p.m., Thursday, July 21) I am going right back to them for my National League Game of the Year here on Thursday! The Cardinals pulled the sweep yesterday, hitting the runline in the first game and then winning 3-2 in the second. That's now three straight win over the Padres and I think the Cardinals will win big again today. This St. Louis team knows it needs to play great baseball down the stretch to have a prayer at catching the Cubs or making the playoffs. This is one of the best organizations in baseball and I think they are going to be strong in the second half. The Cardinals have dominated this series for nearly a decade! St. Louis has gone 48-15 at home against the Padres and are 86-40 in their last 126 games against San Diego overall. Today the Cards are going with Adam Wainwright, the staff leader. They are 40-17 in his last 57 home starts and 40-19 when he starts on regular rest. Wainwright has three straight quality starts and a 0.39 ERA in those outings. He has thrown seven of eight quality starts and has been awesome at home this year. The Padres are going with Andrew Cashner. He has been a huge disappointment and has an ERA over 5.00 on the season. Cashner has been even worse on the road! He has lost four straight road starts and has a 7.83 ERA this season away from home. Everything in this game points to the Cardinals winning and winning big. Take St. Louis.
06-20-16	White Sox v. Red Sox -1.5		3-1	Loss	-106	8 h 39 m	Show
4-unit Play Take #916 Boston Red Sox over Chicago White Sox (7:10pm EST) It's now clear that what we saw from the Chicago White Sox earlier this season was just a mirage. After leading the way in the American League in April and into May, the White Sox have gone 10-26 since. And it's not just one part of their team that's been letting them down; it's literally every component of the club. Even the once strong starting rotation is starting to falter in a big way. Miguel Gonzalez has somehow been one of the steadier guys for the starting staff lately, but that's not going to last for very long. There's a reason he was jettisoned from Baltimore earlier this season, and the White Sox don't necessarily have a reputation for turning guys' careers around (see Mat Latos and James Shields). Gonzalez comes in with a 4.74 ERA on the season and he's waking nearly four batters per nine innings. Tonight he faces the best offense in baseball and doesn't stand much of a chance of going more than five innings. That means the Chicago bullpen will get plenty of work, and they've been a disaster over the last few weeks. Knuckleballer Steven Wright goes for Boston and his having a dream season. He doesn't need to be too fine tonight, as the Red Sox should give him plenty of run support. Take Boston.
09-03-14	Los Angeles Angels v. Houston Astros +1.5		1-4	Win	100	8 h 19 m	Show
3-unit Play Take #924 Houston Astros (+1.5 RL) over Los Angeles Angels (8:10pm EST) Once again we look to back the underrated Houston Astros at a nice underdog price. Today they send their top pitcher Collin McHugh to the hill against a dangerous Angel's lineup. McHugh has been nothing short of spectacular in 2014 with a 2.99 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 21 starts. Yet he doesn't get talked about amongst the better pitchers in the AL because he pitches for a losing team. That will change sooner rather than later as the Astros are quickly improving. Since the beginning of May, Houston is 49-53 and has made great strides developing some of their youngsters. However, they are still being priced like one of the worst teams in baseball and today is a great example. Yes they are playing against the Angels tonight, but the Astros have the superior pitcher and are playing at home. The Angels go with a struggling Jered Weaver tonight and I have a feeling his results won't be much better than teammate's C.J. Wilson's effort on Tuesday. Wilson has also been struggling and he couldn't get past the fourth inning. Weaver is having one of the worst seasons of his career and he doesn't look as confident on the mound as he used to. Houston has now won nine of 15 and is one of the hotter teams around. Maybe they'll finally start getting some respect once they win this series against the Halos, but for now we'll continue firing away with Houston selections. Take the Astros here. Best of Luck - Doc's Sports
09-02-14	Los Angeles Angels v. Houston Astros +1.5		3-8	Win	100	8 h 45 m	Show
4-unit Play Take #972 Houston Astros over Los Angeles Angels (8:10pm EST) The Los Angeles Angels clearly made a statement this past weekend against the A's as they came through with a four-game sweep to build up a nice lead in the AL West. The Halos are the best teams in the majors and they've earned those honors by playing in the toughest division. However, I think this is a great spot to consider playing against them after most have elevated them to a level they won't be able to sustain. They'll play against a sneaky Houston Astros team that is much better than their record indicates. They are 48-53 since early May and their young players continue to improve by the day. The organization just let manager Bo Porter go and while I believe it may negatively affect some of the players, the Astros will be looking to impress new manager Tom Lawless for his first game at the helm. I also think the pitching matchup is closer than it appears with C.J. Wilson going against Brad Peacock. Wilson hasn't looked comfortable on the hill for over a month now and he may still be battling through injuries. His K/BB ratio over his last 10 starts is a horrid 33-27 and he owns a pitiful 6.61 ERA during that stretch. Peacock is having a rough season overall, but he's shown positive signs lately and he's certainly throwing it better than Wilson is at the moment. This is a big price for the Angels to be laying on the road, so we'll go with Houston here.
08-10-14	Minnesota Twins +1.5 v. Oakland A's		6-1	Win	100	4 h 46 m	Show
3-unit Play Take #919 Minnesota Twins over Oakland A's (4:05pm EST) The Oakland A's decided to go for it this season by making two of the biggest trades before the deadline. They added two big headliners to their starting rotation in Jeff Samardzija and Jon Lester to help them win a playoff series. They also added Jason Hammel as part of the Samardzija deal with the Cubs, and he'll get the ball today in Oakland. Hammel has been a disaster so far in an A's uniform. In five starts thus far, the right-hander is 1-4 with a 7.59 ERA and 2.20 WHIP. His control has been a huge problem as he tries to adjust to American League hitters. He's walked 14 batters in 21.1 innings of work, which is very uncharacteristic of Hammel. It could be that he's hiding an injury, as his numbers have seemingly fallen off a cliff. Whatever the case, Hammel is fade material and the Twins happen to be his opponent today. Phil Hughes goes for Minnesota in this one and he's been their best starter in 2014. He was mediocre to start the season, but over the last two months he's been one of the better pitchers in the AL. In his last start he struck out nine batters against the Padres while walking just one and allowing a single run. The A's aren't an easy lineup to navigate, but Hughes is the much better hurler on the hill today. The Twins are worth a shot at this price. Best of Luck - Doc's Sports
04-03-14	Chicago Cubs +1.5 v. Pittsburgh Pirates		3-2	Win	100	1 h 33 m	Show
3-unit Play Take #953 Chicago Cubs +1.5 runs over Pittsburgh Pirates (12:35pm EST) The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh meet for the third and final game of a crazy series. These teams played about as closely as possible in the first two games, with the first game going 10 innings and the second one 16 last night. The Cubs came up on the short end for both of those games, leaving tons of men in scoring position. In fact, they were a combined 1-27 with runners in scoring position in the first two games. Most would look at that as a huge negative, but the fact is they got way more men into scoring position than Pittsburgh did but just couldn't sequence their hits appropriately. With just normal luck, the Cubs are 2-0 right now as they have outplayed the Pirates on both occasions. Today we have Jason Hammel taking the ball for Chicago, who is coming off a terrible year with the Orioles riddled with injuries. But the Cubs have a way of turning things around for pitchers down on their luck (see Travis Wood and Scott Feldman). Wandy Rodriguez goes for Pittsburgh and he hasn't pitched in a regular season game since last June. He also didn't get much work in the spring, so he's going to be rusty and I'd be surprised if he can go deep into the game. That's going to be a problem, as the Pirates taxed the pen heavily last night. Since both games were decided by a single run last night, we'll play the Cubs on the run line here.
09-14-13	Seattle Mariners +1.5 v. St. Louis Cardinals		4-1	Win	100	8 h 40 m	Show
3-unit Play Take #931 Seattle Mariners (+1.5 RL) over St. Louis Cardinals (7:15pm EST) We typically stay away from teams that have nothing to play for this late in the season. However, the Seattle Mariners are one of the most underrated teams in baseball and the line on today's game is just too high given the starting pitchers on the mound. Two relatively unknown commodities in James Paxton and Michael Wacha will square off in this contest. I don't think there is too much difference between these two, and I think Paxton will have an easier time of it coming from the left side. The Cards have struggled with southpaws at times this season and they've never seen Paxton. The Mariners have a better offense than the numbers indicate and they should be able to put some runs on the board against Wacha. But the bottom line is we just don't know much about these starting pitchers. They could pitch well or get bombed and it wouldn't be a surprise either way. Usually when there is this much uncertainty the underdog is a great place to look. And with the line above +200, there is plenty of value with the Mariners today. Best of Luck - Doc's Sports
09-14-13	Oakland A's +1.5 v. Texas Rangers		1-0	Win	100	2 h 31 m	Show
3-unit Play Take #921 Oakland A's (+1.5 RL) over Texas Rangers (1:05pm EST) The Oakland A's have been playing excellent baseball winning 15 of their last 20 games. They dealt a big blow to the chances of the Texas Rangers yesterday to open their three game series as they won 9-8 to extend their lead in the division to 4.5 games with just two weeks remaining. The A's are a complete team with no glaring weaknesses and no big superstars taking over the limelight. They don't look like much on paper, but they have a lot of underrated players. One of those guys is today's starting pitcher Bartolo Colon. He isn't considered a great pitcher anymore, but his numbers are among the best in baseball this season. He comes in at 15-6 with a 2.85 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 27 starts this season. He has pinpoint control and rarely misses his spot, evidenced by his 1.4 walk rate per innings. He'll face a Texas lineup that has really struggled to score runs this season. They are high in rankings for several offensive categories, but they play in one of the best hitter's parks in baseball. The A's have a much better offense, but they get overlooked. Yu Darvish will get the ball for Texas today. His numbers are similar to Colon's, but he hasn't looked quite as sharp over the last month or so. He may be tiring with the 186+ innings he's already thrown or it could be a mechanical issue. He's also dealt with some cramping issues in his legs. Either way, the Rangers haven't been able to win very much recently with him on the mound, so today is going to be a challenge. Texas is just 2-9 in their last 11 games overall and they are in danger of not even making the playoffs now. The A's are the better team and the price on this game is just too high. Take Oakland.
09-08-13	New York Mets v. Cleveland Indians -1.5		2-1	Loss	-122	1 h 59 m	Show
4-unit Play Take #930 Cleveland Indians -1.5 RL over New York Mets (1:05pm EST) We'll stick with the theme of the last couple of days and take the Cleveland Indians here once again - this time on the run line. The New York Mets are looking way into the future, and their lineup shows it. The Indians are fighting for their playoff lives and it's showed. They've won five of six and have one of the best home records in baseball at 44-27. They should get the job done today in a big way. Best of Luck - Doc's Sports
08-24-13	Texas Rangers v. Chicago White Sox +1.5		2-3	Win	110	8 h 4 m	Show
2-unit Play Take #972 Chicago White Sox (+1.5 RL) over Texas Rangers (7:10pm ET) The Chicago White Sox have won 9 of 13 in what has been their best stretch of the entire season. They are still in the cellar of the AL West but seem intent on playing the spoiler role and are playing loose right now. It's not often that you see the home team at a price this big, especially when they're playing so well. But the White Sox will go up against one of the best pitchers in baseball in Yu Darvish. However, Chicago did hit Darvish pretty well earlier in the season in Arlington, scoring four runs in six innings. The Rangers aren't as good as their record indicates this season. Their hitting is only mediocre at best and they have let several games get away from them late. Obviously we'll lose this game more than we will win it, but there is value at this price. Take the White Sox today.
08-20-13	Seattle Mariners +1.5 v. Oakland A's		7-4	Win	100	11 h 45 m	Show
3-unit Play Take #979 Seattle Mariners over Oakland A's (10:05pm ET) It's veteran versus rookie on the mound in today's game between the Seattle Mariners and Oakland A's. 32-year old lefty Joe Saunders goes for the Mariners in his 26th start of the season tonight. He comes in 10-12 with a 4.86 ERA and 1.55 WHIP. Those aren't very good numbers, but Saunders does pitch well in parks where his fly ball tendencies can be forgiven and he should be fine in Oakland. Rookie Sonny Gray takes the hill for the A's. He's 1-1 with a sparkling 1.00 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in four appearances this season (two starts). Those are great numbers, but he's obviously going to come back down to earth. The M's have a few games of tape to look at and should be able to put some pressure on Gray with their underrated lineup. The line on this game is just a bit too high for an unproven rookie pitcher and I don't think these teams are as far apart talent wise as most do. This is a good spot to take the big underdog Mariners. Best of Luck - Doc's Sports
08-17-13	St. Louis Cardinals v. Chicago Cubs +1.5		4-0	Loss	-144	4 h 26 m	Show
3-unit Play Take #902 Chicago Cubs over St. Louis Cardinals (4:05pm ET) If you've been with us for any length of time, you already know of our disdain for the St. Louis Cardinals. They're markedly overrated by the betting markets and are finally coming back to earth over the last few weeks. St. Louis is just 7-15 in their last 22 games and their offense has really been the main culprit. That's not a surprise since we knew that they couldn't sustain that high batting average with runners in scoring position. Eventually it had to regress to the mean. The Cardinals are averaging just 3.27 per game runs over their last 11 contests and several guys are a mired in a slump at the plate. Today's they'll go up against a tough starting pitcher in southpaw Travis Wood of the Chicago Cubs. The 26-year old made the All-Star team this season and has a 3.00 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 24 starts. St. Louis struggles against left-handers, so Wood is in a good spot to succeed today. The Cubs are a better team than their record indicates and have a lot of young players that are trying to prove themselves for playing time next year. As a result, I think we'll see plenty of fight in this team all the way to the end of the season. Right-hander Joe Kelly pitches for St. Louis today and he's certainly hittable. He's been used more as a reliever this season, but was forced into action as a starter due to injuries. He doesn't go deep into games, never making it past the sixth inning. That means the Cubs will get several cracks at a mediocre St. Louis bullpen. Take the Cubs today as a solid home underdog.
08-16-13	New York Yankees +1.5 v. Boston Red Sox		10-3	Win	100	8 h 37 m	Show
4-unit Play Take #969 New York Yankees (+1.5 RL) over Boston Red Sox (7:10pm ET) When the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox hook up you can basically throw the records out the window. These teams hate each other and you'll see focused efforts from both dugouts today. Andy Pettitte will go for the Yanks in this one. The 41-year old veteran isn't having a great season, but he's put up good numbers against the BoSox in his career and they struggle against left-handers this season. The Red Sox counter with a lefty of their own in Felix Doubront. He's been up and down in 2013, but is probably a little bit better than most give him credit for. However, the Yankees lineup is an underrated commodity right now with the additions of Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson and Alfonso Soriano. It's a completely different look and feel and they have hit very well recently. In their four-game series against the Angels they scored 31 runs! I expect more of the same from them and I think Pettitte can hold a tough Red Sox lineup at bay. The price on this one is about 20-25 cents too high, so take New York. Best of Luck - Doc's Sports
08-16-13	St. Louis Cardinals v. Chicago Cubs +1.5		0-7	Win	100	5 h 34 m	Show
3-unit Play Take #952 Chicago Cubs (+1.5 RL) over St. Louis Cardinals (4:05pm ET) The St. Louis Cardinals have been struggling mightily of late and we've cashed in. Today they begin a new series in Chicago against the Cubs and we have another great opportunity to fade the Cardinals. St. Louis is just 7-14 in their last 21 games and today they will send their weakest starting pitcher to the mound - Jake Westbrook. Don't be fooled by the mediocre 4.11 ERA. Westbrook is one of the worst pitchers in the league and has been getting torched lately. He's walking more batters than he is striking out this season and over his last three outings things have gotten even worse. He is 0-3 in those starts with an 11.05 ERA and 2.11 WHIP while walking 10 batters and only striking out eight. This line is just too high for a guy struggling this badly, especially when he is on the road. The Cubs always get up for these games against the Cardinals and they should be able to put some runs on the board today. That's good enough to play them here.
08-14-13	Pittsburgh Pirates +1.5 v. St. Louis Cardinals		5-1	Win	100	26 h 56 m	Show
1 Unit Play. Take #959 Pittsburgh Pirates (+1.5 RL) over St. Louis Cardinals (8:15pm ET) The St. Louis Cardinals aren
08-14-13	Philadelphia Phillies +1.5 v. Atlanta Braves		3-6	Loss	-102	8 h 12 m	Show
2-unit Play Take #957 Philadelphia Phillies (+1.5 RL) over Atlanta Braves (7:10pm ET) The Atlanta Braves have been on a tear of late. However, they just saw their 14-game winning streak put to end by this Philadelphia Phillies team on Monday and I'm not sure how motivated they are at the moment. The Braves are enjoying a huge 14-game lead in the NL East and are a shoe-in to win it with less than two months remaining in the season. That could take a bit of their edge away, especially in a game like today where they are such big favorites. Brandon Beachy looked good in his last start, but this is only his fourth start since returning from the disabled list. In the two starts before this he didn't look very sharp and had an ERA of 9.00. Beachy is a good pitcher but it may take him a while to find that consistency. Left-hander John Lannan will go for the Phillies. He was torched in his last start giving up eight runs in five innings of work against the Nationals. It was an embarrassing performance for the veteran and I'm sure he'll look to make up for it tonight. Three week ago the line on this game would have been at least 30 cents lower, but the Braves current run has caused a bit of inflation in the line today. We'll take advantage of that and take a shot on a live dog with the Phillies.
08-14-13	Seattle Mariners v. Tampa Bay Rays -1.5		4-5	Loss	-123	7 h 6 m	Show
1 Unit Play. #972 Take Tampa Bay (-1.5 RL) over Seattle (7:10 pm MLB.tv) This is an early line value play from a computer program that we use.
08-12-13	Philadelphia Phillies +1.5 v. Atlanta Braves		5-1	Win	100	25 h 50 m	Show
1 Unit Play. Take #951 Philadelphia Phillies (+1.5 RL) over Atlanta Braves (7:10pm ET) The Philadelphia Phillies come to Atlanta to take on a red hot Braves team tonight. The Braves have won 15 of 16 and built up a huge lead in the National League East. While they
08-11-13	Chicago Cubs +1.5 v. St. Louis Cardinals		4-8	Loss	-120	3 h 15 m	Show
3-unit Play Take #905 Chicago Cubs (+1.5 RL) over St. Louis Cardinals (2:15pm ET) The Chicago Cubs are bringing their brooms to Busch Stadium this afternoon as they look for the sweep against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs are clearly out of contention for 2013, but they certainly are still playing hard and have lots of young guys trying to prove themselves. Plus these teams have a strong rivalry so you can almost throw out the records when they hook up. The Cardinals, meanwhile, have really been slumping of late. They are just 4-13 in their last 17 games and their confidence is a bit shaken. They are no longer catching a lot of the breaks that they were earlier on in the season and reality has hit them. They clearly have a few holes on the pitching staff and their hitting isn't quite as good as advertised. Right-hander Joe Kelly will get the ball for them today. He's not exactly the guy you want out there to salvage a series, but he's been forced into the rotation due to injuries. Kelly has spent most of the time in the bullpen and has done a decent job, but the Cards aren't sure he is starter material. Edwin Jackson goes for Chicago today. He's had a very inconsistent career and this season is no exception. He has had some major blow ups and also pitched his fair share of gems. That's the kind of pitcher that you want to back at a big underdog price as he at least has the potential to win the game for you. The Cardinals lineup has not been hitting lately, so Jackson could easily fall into a nice groove in this one. I like the Cubs to sweep the Cardinals today and the price is very nice.
08-11-13	Detroit Tigers v. New York Yankees +1.5		4-5	Win	102	2 h 5 m	Show
3-unit Play Take #924 New York Yankees (+1.5 RL) over Detroit Tigers (1:05pm ET) Justin Verlander is not Justin Verlander this season. In fact, he's not even a league average pitcher right now. In his last 17 starts, the former Cy Young winner has a 4.74 ERA and 1.49 WHIP. His K/BB ratio is just a mediocre 95-43 and he's given up for more home runs than he is accustomed to. There was some speculation earlier this week that Verlander may have been a former PED user and now is off it. That may be a stretch, but something clearly isn't right with him. The New York Yankees haven't had much offensive production this season, but their lineup has been completely transformed. They now have Curtis Granderson back, traded for Alfonso Soriano and returned A-Rod to the lineup - which is an upgrade over the mess they've been throwing out there at third base. That's a lot more pop in the lineup, and with a struggling Verlander out there, I expect the Yanks to put some runs on the board today. Southpaw Andy Pettitte starts for New York today and he's always more comfortable in Yankee Stadium, which favors left-handed pitchers. He hasn't had a great season, but the Tigers do struggle against lefties, so Pettitte should be able to keep them at bay. The Tigers clearly are the better team on the field, but there are too many question marks in today's matchup for them to be favored so highly. We'll gladly grab New York at this tall price at home. Best of Luck - Doc's Sports
08-10-13	Miami Marlins +1.5 v. Atlanta Braves		1-0	Win	100	8 h 22 m	Show
3-unit Play Take #953 Miami Marlins (+1.5 RL) over Atlanta Braves (7:10pm ET) Yes the Atlanta Braves have won 14 games in a row. But all streaks must come to an end and we're getting great value playing against them with the Miami Marlins today. Two young unproven pitchers square off today and that means there is a wide range of outcomes that can take place - a good situation for a big underdog. 23-year old Nathan Eovaldi takes the hill for the Marlins. He's 2-2 with a 3.19 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in nine starts this season. He's been a highly touted prospect the last couple of seasons and is starting to realize some of that potential. He throws into the high 90's and isn't afraid to challenge hitters. Alex Wood is a 22-year old right-hander that is one of the Brave's better prospects. He's pitched mostly out of the bullpen this season and has posted some pretty good numbers at 2-2 with a 3.20 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. As expected, his numbers haven't been as good as a starter with a 3.98 ER (versus a 2.37 ERA as a reliever). Eovaldi is definitely further along in his development than Wood is right now and should be able to give a better effort today. Today's line is definitely inflated by at least 10-15 cents because of Atlanta's streak. It's tough to pull the trigger going against them, but sometimes the toughest bets to make are the most profitable. Take Miami in this one. Best of Luck - Doc's Sports
08-09-13	Chicago Cubs +1.5 v. St. Louis Cardinals		3-0	Win	100	9 h 50 m	Show
3-unit Play Take #907 Chicago Cubs (+1.5 RL) over St. Louis Cardinals (10:10pm ET) The St. Louis Cardinals have been playing over their heads for most of 2013, but their luck is running low. The Cards are just 4-11 over their last 15 games and a majority of those were without their leader Yadier Molina. It can't be overstated just how important the 31-year old catcher is to his team. He's second in the league in hitting with a .330 batting average and is the best defensive catcher in the league. He knows how to handle big league pitchers and every other team wish that they could have a guy behind the plate like Yadier Molina calling pitches. His name has been mentioned in the NL MVP discussion and deservedly so. Lance Lynn goes for the Cardinals today against the Chicago Cubs. Lynn has been up and down this season and you never quite know what you're going to get from him. The Cubs have hit him pretty well in three games against him this season and seeing him for a fourth time can only make things better. Chicago goes with left-handed rookie Chris Rusin today. The southpaw has pretty good stuff and is 1-1 with a 3.98 ERA in four starts this year. St. Louis hasn't faced him yet, so that should give him the advantage the first couple of times through the order. The price on this game is extremely high given how the Cardinals have been playing and the absence of Molina. The Cubs are out of contention, but they should be up for a series against their hated rivals. Take the Cubs in this one.
08-08-13	Los Angeles Dodgers +1.5 v. St. Louis Cardinals		5-1	Win	100	9 h 58 m	Show
4-unit Play Take #959 Los Angeles Dodgers (+1.5 RL) over St. Louis Cardinals (8:15pm ET) The Los Angeles Dodgers look to make it three of four from the St. Louis Cardinals after an impressive 13-4 win last night in which they pounded out 18 hits. Shelby Miller had an early exit after taking a line drive off the elbow, which forced the Cardinals to go to today's originally scheduled starter Jake Westbrook in relief. That left the Cardinals with few options for today, and they ended up deciding on bullpen arm Carlos Martinez for today's start. He likely will only go five innings or less in this one, so expect to see lots of guys from the Cardinals bullpen. That could spell trouble for a pen that has certainly had its ups and down this season. The back end has been fairly solid, but the middle relief arms have been hit around from time to time. This Dodgers team just finds ways to win and is now 33-8 in their last 41 games. Even more impressively, they've won 15 of 16 on the road. Left-hander sensation Hyun-Jin Ryu gets the start today for the Dodgers. He's 10-3 with a 3.15 ERA and 1.27 WHIP this season in 21 starts, which is more than Los Angeles even expected of him. He'll have a huge advantage in today's game for two reasons. First, the Cardinals don't hit nearly as well against southpaws. But even more importantly, they've never seen Ryu before and he isn't an easy pitcher to pick up the first time you see him. The Cardinals are also just 4-10 in their last 14 and have hit a bit of a wall. Take the Dodgers today.

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