Baseball Prediction - September 09, 2008

We dropped our pick yesterday. Today we are back on the MLB daimond with four more plays. Over the last three weeks our MLB picks are up +9.2 units.

Today's MLB Baseball Picks:

Game: Washington at New York Mets (7:10 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Washington +199 (moneyline) (risk 3 to win 6)

John Lannan has pitched admirably for a poor team all year, posting an ERA in the 3's on the season. He has allowed three runs or less in 20 of 27 starts, and should be able to keep the Nats in this one. Oliver Perez has had bouts with location problems all season, and you never know what to expect when he is on the mound. Recently he has walked at least five in three of his last four starts - which is always his undoing. He has never bee a mystery to the Nats where he owns a 5.45 career ERA. Lannan can keep the Nats around, and the Mets’ pen has been shaky to say the least. I think this is an overlay, so I will back the Nats here.

The Astros may have played themselves out of the division race early on, but their recent play makes them a viable wildcard candidate. The Astros are on fire, winning 11 of 12 and 23 of their last 31. Randy Wolf is one of the reasons. The Astros have won seven of his last eight starts, winning them handily by an average of 2.3 runs a game. The Pirates sent off the core of their lineup and best bullpen piece for prospects. One of those, Russ Olendorf, has not been looking good as he has a 6.26 ERA on the season. There will be plenty of runs to be had for the Stros and I like them in this one on the runline.

The Rockies have proven one thing: they do very well at home and have been at their best against left-handed pitching. They are 39-33 at home and 23-17 over lefthanders. Unfortunately for them, neither will be the case tonight when they travel to Atlanta. The Rockies are a money burning 44-60 against right-handed pitching and 28-44 on the road, so they face their worst situation in this one. The Braves, losers of two of every three on the road, are above .500 at home, and Jorge Campillo might finally find himself in a winning situation. Campillo has "plus" stuff and this will be a place for him to shine. I like the Braves here as a virtual even-money home favorite.

The Twins are falling apart at the worst time down the stretch. They are just 3-7 over their last 10 and falling fast. They have also only won four of their last 15. Nick Blackburn has pitched well most of the season, but the Twins have now lost his last five starts. The Royals expected big things out of Brian Bannister, but he has disappointed, until recently where he has pitched well. Bannister owns a 3.21 ERA in his last three starts and is more than capable of pitching effectively against a cold Twins team. After a long losing skid, the Royals have now won four of six, and I like them against a cold Twins team.

Results: 2-2

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Check out the last five MLB Baseball Picks Newsletters:

MLB-Baseball-Picks-September-08-2008
The AL East race gets the top two teams squaring off at Fenway tonight when the Tampa Bay Rays invade Boston. The Sox have cut the Rays margin to 1.5 games, and tonight becomes a pivotal game. Jon Les...

MLB-Baseball-Picks-September-07-2008
Chris Young, a losing pitcher with an ERA pushing 5.00 goes today for the Padres. Young hasn't won since May 16 and has lasted more than six innings just twice in his last 14 starts. The Pads have...

MLB-Baseball-Picks-September-06-2008
Brandon Webb has been searching for that 20th win, and is finding it quite elusive. The D-Backs looked like they were in control as the Dodgers went into the tank dropping eight straight. Now the pres...

MLB-Baseball-Picks-September-05-2008
The Pirates unloaded the middle of their lineup and the heart of their bullpen. Well the fire sale has taken its toll on this season, as they have now gone 8-22 over their last 30, and a 20-loss Septe...

MLB-Baseball-Picks-September-04-2008
This is a matchup of two teams where the season can't end fast enough. Both finished August reaching the unsightly 20 loss plateau as neither team has been able to generate offense. How bad has it...