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**Milwaukee
-118 over PHILADELPHIA (7:05 EST)
*Milwaukee/PHILADELPHIA UNDER 8.5 Runs
Sheets
hurls tonight for the Brew crew who really have
had a nice season all things considered. Milwaukee bats
are hot and the Brewers are 20-8 after batting .350
or better over a 3 game span
since 1997. Philadelphia
is 8-25 when
playing against a marginal losing team (Win Pct. 46%
to 49%) over the last 2 seasons.
Milwaukee
has the small nod here in the bullpen and their lineup
is superior at this point in the season. Abreu had
gone missing until yesterday, when he finally dropped
a bomb on the Cubs. Sheets enters in awesome form, winning
his last two starts while holding his opponents to
only 3 Earned Runs in 16 Innings Pitched. We find Sheets
going UNDER in 12 of 14 games when he starts
on the road after allowing 1 Earned Run or less in
his previous starts. In fact, 5 of the last 7 games
in this series have gone UNDER the Total,
including the last four times in which Sheets or Lidle
has started on the mound. Expect more of the same as
both of them take the mound on Friday, especially as
this Philadelphia squad has struggled against Sheets,
even though they had defeated him the last two times
they've squared off, they've scored just 3 Earned Runs. We
side with the Brewers for two stars and the UNDER for
one star here.
**WASHINGTON
-185 over San Diego (7:05 EST)
What
in the lords name has happened to the Padres?
The hapless Giants are only 4.5 out in the West, which
is a disgrace. Washington looks like it has sanpped
out of its considerable funk and looks to keep it
rolling this weekend. San Diego is 1-9 when playing
against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to
54%) this season. Look
for a low scoring game here, with the Nationals
getting just enough hits to get a narrow victory. Two
stars on the Nats here.
*Atlanta/ST.
LOUIS UNDER 8 Runs (8:10 EST)
Great
pitching duel here with Smoltz vs. Mulder. In his last
three against the normally explosive Cardinals, Smoltz
has allowed just seven runs in 22 innings. He comes
in with a 2.66 ERA that drops to 2.25 at home. Mulder
sports a 2.45 ERA over his last three starts and both
of these teams have very solid bullpens. Atlanta's
has a 3.62 road ERA while St. Louis' pen has a 3.30
ERA at home. Atlanta's entering their fourth straight
road game tonight and they are 25-12 UNDERthis season
after 3 or more consecutive road games. The Braves
bat just .247 on the road. Both teams will struggle
to score in this one. One star on the UNDER.
***Boston
-127 over MINNESOTA (8:10 EST)
The
Twins limp into this series having lost Torii
Hunter, their lifeline, for the majority of the rest
of the regular season, basically dashing any hopes for
a playoff run. Hunter is the team's best defensive
player and the igniter on offense as well. Underdogs
with
an on base percentage of
.310 or worse over their last 20 games, starting a
pitcher who did not walk a hitter last outing are 11-49
(18%) since 1997.
The Red Sox
just mash right handed pitching and should
feast on Radke tonight in the Homer Dome. Boston
comes in having won their last eight, while the Twins
are 1-6 over the same time period. Three stars on the
Red Sox here.
**Houston
-115 over SAN FRANCISCO (10:15 EST)
After
watching the Giants against the Rockies this week, seeing
them nearly give a road sweep the the league's worst
road team, we gotta fade 'em here. Simply put, they are
not hitting the
ball. Outside of a 5-run inning last night, they could
barely score against Colorado's terrible road pitching.
Gotta wonder where this team would be if Bonds and Alou
were
healthy but without them, they are pretty bad.
Pettite has been the best
pitcher in baseball over the past two months and
should have little trouble mowing down the Giant
batters tonight. Home teams at +125 to -125 off 3 consecutive
game versus a division riva are only 26-58, in August
games over the past five seasons. Despite a few recent
setbacks, Houston is still 23-8 in the second half of
the season this season. Two stars on the Astros
here.
Check
up-to-the-minute lines on these games:
MLB
Lines & Odds
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