Sports Handicapping Free Mlb Picks - August 04, 2008

We dropped our lone pick yesterday. Today we are back on the MLB diamond with three picks.

Today's MLB Baseball Picks:

Game: Cleveland at Tampa Bay (7:10 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Cleveland +115 (moneyline) (risk 3 to win 3.5)

Something has to give in this one. The Rays have been lethal at home all season, but Cliff Lee has been lethal period. Lee has not produced back-to-back bad starts all season. He gave up six runs in his last start, and only three other times has he allowed four runs or more in a game this season. He has followed those three bad starts with a 3-0 mark and 2.04 ERA. On the season, Lee has won 87.5% of his decisions, so getting plus odds is too hard to ignore. Lee has allowed no runs in four road starts and two runs or less in eight of 12. When your 14-2, 12 games over .500, pitching for a team that is 34-60 otherwise, at plus odds, you have to see the value in this one. Cleveland gets the call here.

The A’s are were on a 2-15 run when they were swept by the BoSox this weekend. Any team playing that bad is bound to make anyone look good. They also put the broom on Seattle - another team playing about as bad as it gets. Those two series sandwich a 1-8 run and now the Sox turn to the road where they have not fared well all season. Clay Bucholz looked like he was going to make a huge impact for the Sox after pitching a no-hitter last September and baffling AL hitters in his four starts. This season has been completely lost. He started poorly and has not recovered, and it has to be in his head now. He is pitching to a nearly six ERA - something he has never faced in his life. The Royals send Gil Meche to the mound who is earning the big salary the Royals spent especially lately, posting a 1.33 ERA in his last three. We'll back the Royals at home in this one.

No one would believe that the Twins would be sitting in first place at this stage of the season after Santana departed for the Mets and Liriano sat out most of this season with recurring injuries, but here they are on top. The Twins are an amazing 30-9 outside a five game losing streak and are playing as well as anyone. The Mariners made a solid run last year, added Eric Bedard to put them over the top and suddenly they are the worst team in the AL. The losing on the road has been continuous and has now extended to home where they have dropped seven of eight. The Mariners are also 1-6 in Miguel Batista's last 22 starts, so the answer doesn't lie with a pitcher that has pitched to a 6.43 ERA on the season especially against a hot Twins’ team. The Twins take the opener.

Results: 2-1

MLB Baseball Picks Resources:

• Check out blog baseball picks here.
• View MLB Baseball odds and lines here.
• Take a look at our baseball ATS standings here.
• Check out 2008 MLB prior picks here.
• View 2008 MLB baseball betting preview here.
• Check out our updated betting baseball.
• Take a look at our mlb baseball picks here.
• Check out baseball sports book reviews here.
• View Baseball Game-of-Day Analysis here.
• Read our MLB prior predictions here.

Check out the last five MLB Baseball Picks Newsletters:

MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-03-2008
Does Maddux deserve this kind of respect? No! The guy is 4-8 on the season with a pedestrian 4.29 ERA. Over his last three starts he has posted a 7.54 ERA. His team averages 3.5 runs per game at home ...

MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-02-2008
Despite some good numbers, Sabathia's teams have only been 11-11 on the season when he takes the mound. This is also a Brewers’ team that has dropped five of their last six games, with oppon...

MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-01-2008
The Brewers let a big opportunity pass them by as they were swept at home by the Cubs in four straight games. We have to believe they head on the road with a damaged psyche. The Brewers didn't jus...

MLB-Baseball-Picks-July-31-2008
The Rockies have been a poor road team for years with '08 being no exception. While they have done respectfully well against the sub .500 teams posting a 10-11 mark, it has been a nightmare for th...

MLB-Baseball-Picks-July-30-2008
Oakland was right in the midst of looking like a wildcard contender a couple weeks ago as they had run out to a 51-42 mark. Those nine games over .500 have since evaporated into a 2-11 slide. This sli...