Baseball Handicapping - August 17, 2008

We went 2-1 last night. Today we have five picks...

Today's MLB Baseball Picks:

Game: Baltimore at Detroit (1:05 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Detroit -161 (moneyline) (risk 3 to win 1.9)

Detroit is just 3-16 since the All-Star break but today they send Zach Miner to the mound. Miner has gone 3-1 during their losing streak, posting a 2.15 ERA. He's facing a Baltimore team that is just 28-39 on the road this season. They are just 2-17 in Sunday games this season and 10-27 overall in day games. We'll back the Tigers to get the win behind Miner.

The Angels are 27-11 since the All-Star break. Joe Saunders is 14-5 and has won his last five starts. On the road, he's posted a 2.45 ERA and 8-3 mark. The Angels are 23-9 this season vs. southpaws and today they get Jeremy Sowers who is 1-6 with a 6.28 ERA. He's just 2-13 the past two seasons as an underdog. LA is also 24-9 this season in day games and 25-8 after having lost two of their last three games. Cleveland on the other hadn is just 2-10 this season after a one-run loss and 7-20 after a loss by 2 or less runs. We'll back the Angels here.

Kyle Lohse has looked back of late after starting out on fire this season. The good news for him is that he's facing the Reds today who have won just four games in their last 21 tries. The Cards are 11-3 this season to a moneyline of -100 to -125. They are also 14-5 since the All-Star break vs. losing teams including 9-1 vs. teams that are getting outscored by 0.5+ runs per game. They are averaging 5.3 per game on the road and 5.2 vs. RHP while the Reds are averaging just 4.2 per game at home and 3.9 vs. RHP.

The A's have dropped 19 of their last 24 games and nine straight series. We think they make that 10 straight here today. This team just can't hit right now as they have averaged 2.8 runs per game over the losing streak. Javier Vazquez will come into this one with a lot of confidence. He's off his best outing of the season in which he went eight scoreless innings. He also pitched a complete game against this Oakland team last time they met. We'll ride the hot Sox vs. the cold A's.

Milwaukee is 11-4 this month and they face a rookie today in Clayton Kershaw. Yes, he has won two of his last four, but prior to that, it took him 10 starts to notch a single victory. Jeff Suppan goes for the hot Brewers and he has been hot himself lately, posting a 2.05 ERA over his last three starts. The Dodgers average only 4.0 runs per game at home and 3.8 vs. RHP. The Brewers have quietly amassed a 16-5 mark on the road in the second half and we will ride their momentum here as a live dog.

Results: 1-4

MLB Baseball Picks Resources:

• Take a look at our blog baseball picks here.
• Read our MLB Baseball odds lines and spreads here.
• Read our MLB ATS records here.
• View 2008 baseball prior pick results here.
• View our updated 2008 baseball gambling preivew.
• Check out our updated Baseball sports handicapping philosophy.
• Read our mlb pick here.
• Take a look at our sports betting baseball here.
• Take a look at our MLB Game-of-Day Analysis here.
• Updated today: baseball prior predictions.

Check out the last five MLB Baseball Picks Newsletters:

MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-16-2008
While Roy Halladay is one of the top pitchers in baseball, Fenway Park hasn't been kind to him. The Sox have won his last three starts here and over his career they are 11-6 when Halladay takes th...

MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-15-2008
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...

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...