Mlb Game Predictions - August 15, 2008

We split our picks yesterday 2-2, giving back a couple of units. Five more picks today.

Today's MLB Baseball Picks:

Game: Los Angeles Angels at Cleveland (7:05 PM Eastern)
Pick: 2 units on Game Total OVER 8 -110 (risk 2 to win 1.8)

The Cleveland Indians did almost nothing for most of the season, but they certainly have come alive over the last 19 games where they have averaged 5.6 runs a game. The Indians seem like a team really swinging the bats, and they are, but not compared to what this Angels’ offense has been producing over their last 19 games. The Angels have scored 133 runs or seven per game, so combined these teams have been scoring at the rate of 12.6 runs a game for the last three weeks. We have two of the hottest offenses in baseball right now playing to a total of eight runs. It is quite possible to see one of these teams reach that total on their own, so we will play the OVER in this one.

The Astros are a team that is on fire right now as they notched their eighth straight win last night, and have now won 16 of their last 19 games. The Astros’ offense has been explosive, producing 6.1 runs a game this 19-game stretch. They have produced runs against some very top-notch pitching as they tallied a game total of 12 against Lincecum and the Giants, seven against Rich Harden and the Cubs, five against Johan Santana and the Mets. They also plated seven against Pedro Martinez and five against Edinson Volquez, so they have been scoring against the top pitchers in the league, and they will get one today in Brandon Webb. These odds are way too high based on how the Astros have hit even the elite pitchers, and how hot the team is right now, so we will grab them as a live home dog here.

If there is a team that looks like they have packed it in, the A's are that team. Management showed they were done with this season when they dealt Rich Harden to the Cubs and the players have followed suit. The A's have now gone from wildcard contender to laughing stock, as they are now just 4-23 in their last 27 games. Those 27 games have seen the offense produce just 74 runs or just 2.7 per game. To put that in perspective, the opponents in their highest-scoring games in this stretch have scored 77 runs in just nine games. Oakland hasn't reached that total in 27 games! What else needs to be said here? The White Sox will be in charge of this one.

Despite their one-run loss to Jake Peavy and the Padres yesterday, Milwaukee remains a very hot team as they have won eight of their last nine. They have outscored opponents 51-15 over this nine-game stretch, or 5.7 to 1.7, that is a full four runs a game. The pitching has not only been outstanding, but the bullpen has been absolutely terrific as well. Only one pitcher in one outing over the last nine games has given up any runs. Otherwise the Brewers’ pen has been perfect in the other 16 innings they have worked. The Dodgers are off a four-game sweep of the Phillies, and may have a bit of a mental letdown. With the Brewers winning by big margins we will take the value here and play the Brewers on the road as a nice, sizeable dog.

As you can see from our moneyline write-up, we like the Brewers, but we also see a lot of value against the runline. The Brewers are hot, and as mentioned above, they have outscored the opponents by an average of four runs a game over their last nine and getting +1.5 runs is too much value to pass up here, so we will back them on the runline as well.

MLB Baseball Picks Resources:

• Here we show our blog mlb.
• View our MLB odds here.
• Read our MLB ATS standings here.
• Don't forget to visit our 2008 MLB pick results.
• Hop over to our 2008 season MLB baseball handicapping preview here.
• Updated today: how to bet mlb baseball.
• View our mlb baseball picks here.
• Check out our updated mlb sportsbook reviews.
• Read our MLB Baseball Game-of-Day-Preview here.
• Check out MLB prior picks here.

Check out the last five MLB Baseball Picks Newsletters:

MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-14-2008
Until there is a NY logo or a B logo on the caps of the Rays, this team will continue to offer value. If the Red Sox or the Yankees were on the road represented by a 72-47 record, this moneyline would...

MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-13-2008
This game is about who's hot and who's not. The Birds certainly aren't the hot team coming into this one. They have dropped three straight including the first two in this series. They have...

MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-12-2008
No one could have predicted that Kyle Lohse would be sitting at 13-4 for the Cardinals at this point. The Cards took a flier on him as a free agent and it has paid huge dividends for them. Lohse had a...

MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-11-2008
If the Nats were going to steal one in this series they missed their opportunity. They took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth, and ended up on the losing end, dropping their third straight here...

MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-10-2008
We were on the Red Sox last night as they notched the win. We're flipping over to Chicago for game three in this four game series. Yesterday's loss was costly for Chicago as they lost Jose Con...