Major League Baseball Pick - August 27, 2007

Dropped a pair yesterday. Today we have four, 4-unit plays.

Today's MLB Baseball Picks:

Game: Tampa Bay at Chicago White Sox (2:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 4 units on Tampa Bay -107 (risk 4 to win 3.7)

Not sure if there is a team in baseball worse than the White Sox right now. They are just 2-13 in their last 15 games. We are also not sure if there is a worse pitcher in baseball right now than Jose Contreras. The White Sox are just 1-13 in his last 14 starts, and have allowed an amazing 114 runs in those 14 games good for 8.42 a game. The opponent has scored 5+ runs in all but one of them. We are also not sure if there is a bullpen that is as spent and as bad as the White Sox pen right now. They have worked 16.2 innings in the last five games, allowing 30 hits, 27 runs, and 14 walks. That is 44 baserunners in less than 17 innings. It is also a 14.04 earned-run average. The D-Rays meanwhile, come into Chicago as a hot team. They have won three straight averaging 11 runs a game in the process, and have also won four of five. Edwin Jackson has really turned his season around. He has a 3.45 ERA over his last 13 starts, and has not allowed a HR in his last seven. The Rays take the opener.

The Twins have to be feeling good about themselves. They have won 9 of 12, and five in a row, and just became the first team to beat Eric Bedard in a couple of months. The Twins have out-scored the opponent in this five-game streak 39-14, which means they are getting it all around, hitting, starting pitching and bullpen. Tonight their hottest pitcher Carlos Silva takes the mound. Silva has worked seven innings or more in each of his last five starts, 36 innings, just 28 hits and an ERA of just 1.75. He has walked just two batters in these games, so his control and location have been nearly perfect. The Indians have gotten some good pitching, but have really struggled on offense. The Tribe has scored three runs or less in 18 of their last 31 games, and it is the sole reason why they have managed a sub-.500 record over the last month. Paul Byrd has been roughed up lately. His last three starts have produced just 13.1 innings of work, 22 hits and 14 earned runs good for a 9.45 ERA. This is a crucial series for the Twins, as they have worked themselves to within 5.5 games of the Tribe, and we look for them to take game one.

The Angels are a night and day team once they leave Anaheim. They leave behind their 44-20 mark at home, for a mediocre 32-34 mark on the road. Seattle works the same way. They have compiled a terrific 41-24 mark at home. John Lackey has hit the wall. He has allowed nine or more hits in each of his last four starts, or 39 in 25.2 innings. To put that in perspective, Lackey allowed nine hits or more just two times in his first 22 starts! The Mariners are 15-8 the last 23 times Batista has taken the hill. Batista was pounded for eight earned runs in his last start, but that is when he has been at his best. There have been five occasions when Batista has allowed 5+ runs in a start this season, and he has followed it up by allowing 3, 2, 1, 0 and 0 runs in his next start! He has been a great bounce-back starter. His ERA after allowing 5+ is 1.92. We will ride the M's as they try to displace Anaheim for the AL West lead.

Toronto is at their best at home (39-27), and against LHP (21-14), put those ingredients together and they are a pennant contender. They are at their worst on the road (26-38) and against RHP (44-51), put those together and they are going nowhere. The difference is dramatic. They have seven hitters over .300 against LHP and two others .293+. They are completely helpless against RHP as they feature no .300 hitters and just three hitters as high as even .250. Estaban Loaiza made his debut and dominated this Jays lineup last week. He worked 7.2 innings allowing just three hits and a single run. A.J. Burnett has pitched well since returning, but the problem is that the Jays are in a bad situation on the road and against a RHP, where they have been awful all season. The A's swept this team at Toronto, and look to continue that success in the opener.

MLB Baseball Picks Resources:

• View MLB ATS standings here.
• View our updated Baseball odds lines and spreads.
• Don't forget to read our free mlb baseball picks here.
• Hop over to our MLB Baseball Game-of-Day-Preview here.
• View our updated baseball gambling philosophy.
• Check out our updated 2007 baseball picks results.
• View our baseball sportsbook here.
• Don't forget to read our 2007 season MLB baseball betting preview here.

Check out the last five MLB Baseball Picks Newsletters:

MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-26-2007
The Phillies got a lift from Kyle Kendrick when he was called up from AAA. They won five of his first six starts, but have since dropped three of four. Lately he has been prone to the long ball, allow...

MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-24-2007
Oakland has won nine of their last eleven and sixteen of their last twenty-two and they're riding a season-high five game winning streak. Stick a fork in the D-Rays who are now 31 games below...

MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-23-2007
It has been a tale of two seasons for both these starting pitchers in today's game. Nate Robertson started off the season like he had turned the corner in his career. He was pitching to a sub-3 ER...

MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-22-2007
Jose Contreras was 9-0 at the All-Star break last season and then the wheels came off. After the All-Star break he was anything but an All-Star pitcher. He limped through the second half with a 4-9 re...

MLB-Baseball-Picks-August-21-2007
Chris Young has had a Cy Young year so far. He has an ERA of 1.93 and has been dominating hitters all season. Young has now allowed just 15 earned runs in his last 16 starts. He is actually a better p...