Friday 8/29 Service Plays
top dollar (GOLD MEMBER) 3 months ago // 40 responses // TopSportsBets.com Other Service Plays

Lucky Lester

Temple Owls (-7) @ Baylor Bears

Temple, amazingly, won 4 of their last 7 games, have three Pre-Seasons All Conference players returning, and were voted “Program on the Rise� by the MAC conference. They return their leading passer and an offensive line that found cohesion late last year. Defensively, Temple is better than expected, as Army will find out. Army switched their entire offense around this summer, moving from a no-huddle spread to an option based rushing attack. When that happens originally, teams seem to struggle because of the recruiting differences for offenses like that. I never thought I’d consider taking a Temple team on the road and favored by a touchdown, but that’s exactly what I’m doing and I’m confident about it.

Scott Ferrall

NFL Pre-Season WEEK 4 (Friday’s games)

San Francisco 1 to San Diego-The Chargers just played Monday, so they’ll be gassed and get beat in the Bay—UNDER 37

Oakland +3 from Seattle-same thing here for the Seahawks-they had to play Monday night so they won’t be fresh—UNDER 36

Cardinals 2.5 to Broncos-Arizona puts on a show and takes out Denver in the last tune up for the season-the Cards havent’ looked half bad in the games that don’t count-OVER 38

Scott Ferrall

Temple 7 to Army-The Cadets always suck—let’s face it !

Rice 3.5 to SMU-June Jones isn’t going to start winning right off the bat

WINNING POINTS

PREFERRED

Rice* over S.M.U. by 14

WILD BILL

Arizona -3 (5 units)
Broncos-Cardinals Over 38 (5 units)

Jimmy The Moose

Denver Broncos at Arizona Cardinals
Prediction: Over

The Broncos offense has looked really good in the preseason. Denver is averaging 21.7 PPG while giving up 19.7 PPG. Arizona has played over the total in 2 of their 3 preseason games. The Cardinals are averaging 20.3 PPG while giving up 13.7 per contest. Kurt Warner is expected to start tonight and although the starters won’t see much action expect him to connect on a few good plays putting up some points. The team’s have played the over in 8 of the last 10 meetings. With the backups playing most of the game expect a high scoring game. Play the over.

SCOTT FERRALL

NFL Pre-Season WEEK 4 (Friday’s games)

San Francisco 1 to San Diego-The Chargers just played Monday, so they’ll be gassed and get beat in the Bay—UNDER 37

Oakland +3 from Seattle-same thing here for the Seahawks-they had to play Monday night so they won’t be fresh—UNDER 36

Cardinals 2.5 to Broncos-Arizona puts on a show and takes out Denver in the last tune up for the season-the Cards havent’ looked half bad in the games that don’t count-OVER 38

NCAA First Weekend FreeBees for the Cheapees!

Temple 7 to Army-The Cadets always suck—let’s face it !

Rice 3.5 to SMU-June Jones isn’t going to start winning right off the bat

BASEBALL FREE B’s FOR FRIDAY

TORONTO and AJ Burnett -120 at Yankee Stadium over the Bombers

Cleveland 110 over Seattle at the Jake-Sowers over King Felix

Colorado 170 at San Diego-Cook has been tough lately for the Rockies

Arizona +105 over the Dodgers and Kuroda in the desert

Houston +125 over the Cardinals at Minute Maid—Wolf beats Lohse

Washington +150 over the Braves in DC—Perez over Campillo

Gator

e-Report 70% Super Situation:

MLB Friday: Play Under MLB road teams where the total is 7 to 8.5 revenging a loss where opponent scored 10 or more runs, starting a pitcher who is working on 5 or 6 days rest, 54-18 Under last five seasons (75%)

PLAY: San Francisco / Cincinnati UNDER 8.5 (-105)

e-Report Top Angle:

MLB Friday: CLEVELAND is 9-0 against the money line with an on base percentage of .350 or better over their last 20 games this season

Sports Gambling Hotline

Toronto -115 at NY YANKEES

Tonight in baseball, we feel it is a no-brainer to ride Toronto and AJ Burnett over the Yankees.

The Jays did drop their last pair at Tampa, while the Yankees kept their pulse barely beating with a 3-2 win yesterday over Boston to avoid a home 3-game sweep.

We expect the Yankees to be right back in the loss column in this game, as they have not been able to touch AJ Burnett at all in his 3 previous starts against them, as Burnett is a perfect 3-0, allowing just 4 runs in 22 innings of work.

Dating back to last season, Burnett is 4-0 with 5 runs allowed in 37 innings of work!

Carl Pavano counters with his second start of the season. Yes, he did get the win at Baltimore a few days ago, but he only lasted 5 innings, while allowing 3 runs.

We just don’t see the Yankees winning this game against Burnett.

Play on Toronto.

5♦ TORONTO

Karl Garrett

Temple -7 at ARMY

Another college winner tonight, as Temple finds a way to get the cover at Army.

The Owls may be 2-29 straight up on the road their last 31, so there has to be a reason they are laying a touchdown tonight. First off, this is a revenge spot for a Temple team that out-first downed Army 25-14 in last year’s 37-21 loss at West Point!

Temple does return 21 starters to Army’s 8, and the G-Man is thinking Owls’ revenge all the way here.

The points haven’t helped Army that much, as the Black Knights are a dismal 2-6 against the spread as a home underdog their last 8, and went only 3-5-1 overall last season when catching points.

Look for the Owls to nab the revenge spread win here.

4♦ TEMPLE

Jim Feist

Chw/Bos UNDER the Total

A couple of fine pitching staffs meet here: The White Sox are 5th in the AL in pitching, the Red Sox are 6th. It’s nice to give the bullpen a rest before a series, as well. With Gavin Floyd’s eight-inning outing Tuesday and Thursday off, the bullpen rested before it regroups for the weekend series at Boston. “Our bullpen has been criticized from time to time, but those guys pick it up for us very well,” Ozzie Guillen said. “Linebrink makes the bullpen a lot better. [D.J.] Carrasco went out and did a great job, and [ Adam] Russell is doing an outstanding job. I don’t have any complaints about the bullpen. Those guys have been great.” Starter Javier Vazquez has quietly had a strong season, with 163 Ks in 171 innings. He’s also on a roll, with a 1.96 ERA his last three starts. Chicago’s offense is great at home, but drops by 1.4 runs per game on the road. It’s not clear what Boston ace Josh Beckett will bring after missing time with a shoulder problem, but he has a 1.13 ERA against the White Sox this season and 3.68 in 29 career innings against them. Don’t look for many runs, play the White Sox/Red Sox under the total.

Dave Cokin

Blue Jays @ Yankees
Play: Blue Jays -125

Nice comeback win for the Yankees Thursday, but they’re not very good right now. I watched Carl Pavano’s start last Saturday and it’s kind of a miracle he didn’t get smoked, as he was leaving way too many pitches up in the zone. The Blue Jays are playing hard, AJ Burnett has a shot at 20 wins, and they rate the favorite’s role here. I’ll spot the price with the Blue Jays.

Marc Lawrence

Play On: San Francisco

At first glance this is not a popular pick but one that is warranted, nonetheless. For openers Barry Zito has been black-and-white on the road as opposed to home this season. That’s confirmed by his 3.95 road ERA as opposed to a 6.57 ERA in San Francisco this year. Toss in the fact that Zito lost to Edison Volquez in a head-to-head matchup earlier this season in Frisco and we’ve suddenly got a motivated dog in a great spot here tonight. The clincher is Zito’s 11-1 record in his last 12 road starts during August. You know what to do – back Zito and the Giants here tonight.

Big Al McMordie

MARINERS / INDIANS OVER 8½

Who’s the hottest team in the American League? The Red Sox? Rays? Angels? Believe it or not, with 10 straight wins and 11 out of their last 12, the Cleveland Indians have been playing the best ball in the league recently. And during this improbable 10-game win streak, the Indians have scored seven or more runs seven times, and have scored at least four runs in each of the 10 contests. Cleveland generally needs this type of run support as its bullpen has been less than stellar in 2008. Seattle’s bullpen has struggled as well lately, as have its starters and the Mariners are only 5-13 in their last 18 games as a result. You know things are going bad when your ace starter, righthander Felix Hernandez starts getting roughed up. Despite his 3.28 ERA on the season, Hernandez is 1-1 with a six run ERA in his last three starts. Cleveland’s southpaw Jeremy Sowers has been even worse, with a 6.47 ERA on the year and 7.02 ERA in his last three starts. In games played under the lights, Sowers is winless (0-5) with a 7.93 ERA and 69 hits in less than 48 innings. The over is 8-1 in Seattle’s last nine road games and 7-2 in Cleveland’s last nine overall. Take the ‘over’.

Tony Matthews

CHICAGO CUBS -1½ RL

We will side with the Chicago Cubs -1½ Runs as they face-off against the Philadelphia Phillies in Friday’s MLB contest. The Philadelphia Phillies will use starting pitcher Joe Blanton. Joe Blanton has struggled as of late. In fact, Joe Blanton has a 5.06 ERA in his last 3 starts. We see Joe Blanton pitching another bad game today. The Chicago Cubs will use starting pitcher Rich Harden. Rich Harden has been pitching great as of late. In fact, Rich Harden has a 0.47 ERA in his last 3 starts. We see Rich Harden pitching another great game today. The bottom line, the Chicago Cubs should be able to get a blowout win today. Take the Chicago Cubs -1½ Runs!

John Fina

MILWAUKEE BREWERS -1½ RL

Today the Milwaukee Brewers will be on the road as they take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. We will side with the Milwaukee Brewers -1½ Runs! One reason why we will side with the Milwaukee Brewers is because they will be sending to the mound the much better starting pitcher. This says it all… The Milwaukee Brewers Starting Pitcher (David Bush) has a 2.66 ERA in his last 3 starts, while Atlanta Braves Starting Pitcher (Tom Gorzelanny) has a 8.80 ERA in his last 3 starts. As you can see, the Milwaukee Brewers will be sending to the mound the much better starting pitcher. The Milwaukee Brewers are 15-6 in their last 21 road games, while the Pittsburgh Pirates are 1-7 in their last 8 home games. The Milwaukee Brewers are 19-7 in their last 26 meetings against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and should be able to get another blowout win tonight! Take the Milwaukee Brewers -1½ Runs!

Jeff Benton

SMU / RICE

This is first game SMU is playing under new coach June Jones, formerly of Hawaii, and while I don’t doubt that he’ll get the Mustangs program turned around, it’s not going to happen overnight, especially given Jones’ complex offensive system. It’s the kind of system that requires certain kinds of recruits, which Jones doesn’t have right now. In fact, he doesn’t even have his starting quarterback tonight, who has been suspended for this contest. As for the Owls, they’re in the second season under coach David Bailiff, meaning his returning players – including multidimensional QB Chase Clement (3,377 passing yards, team-leading 535 rushing yards, 37 total TDs last year) – should be a lot more comfortable with the offensive and defensive schemes than they were a year ago. Finally, Rice has been a very solid home bet over the last decade (29-15-2 ATS), and this in-state rivalry has belonged to the home team (9-2-1 ATS last 12 meetings) in recent years. Lay the small price with Rice.

3♦ RICE

Tony Weston

SMU / RICE

Rice comes into this game set to take on an SMU team that’s coming off a 1-11 season SU and 4-8 season ATS. One of those losses came against Rice as SMU lost 43-42 as a 6 1/2-point favorite. Including that game SMU is 1-5 SU and ATS against Rice over their last six meetings. Over the last decade Rice holds a strong 7-3 record SU and ATS against SMU. June Jones, new SMU head coach, was also only 7-12 ATS as a dog at since the 2003 season. Jones has also decided to go with freshman quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell to lead this team. Also, despite only going 3-9 SU last season, Rice was pretty solid ATS, going 5-6 ATS. However, after starting the season 0-3 ATS, the Owls went 5-3 ATS to finish the year. It’ll be tight early, but Rice will pull away. Go with the Owls at home tonight.

3♦ RICE

Chip Chirimbes

BOSTON RED SOX

Daisuke Matsuzaka (15-2, 2.98 ERA) will try to pick up the slack Friday, pitching on a full four days’ rest thanks to Monday’s off day. David Pauley, a callup from Triple-A Pawtucket, is set to start Saturday. Matsuzaka will take his second shot at his 16th victory, surpassing the total from his 2007 rookie season. The Red Sox are 19-4 when the Japanese right-hander pitches this year.One of those wins came on Sunday, though Matsuzaka didn’t receive a decision after giving up five runs in six innings of Boston’s 6-5, 11-inning victory over Toronto.That was part of a 6-3 road trip for the Red Sox, who won all three series to maintain a slim lead over Minnesota in the wild-card standings. They now play 20 of their final 29 games at Fenway Park, where they are 43-18.The White Sox (76-57) are also jockeying for position with the Twins in the Central, and this weekend’s series takes on extra weight knowing that Boston and Chicago could end up in a race for the wild card – or could meet in the postseason.

Greg Daraban

METS / MARLINS UNDER

907 New York 74-60 at 908 Florida 68-65. Perez 9-7 ERA 4.00 vs Volstad 3-3 ERA 3.56. Opening game of a very important series at Miami. The Metropolitans and the Fish both had the night off to get ready for the series. Perez has found his best stuff of late. Volstad is one of the best rookie pitchers in the bigs. Take NY/Fla Under.

Bobby Maxwell

Temple -7 at ARMY

Tonight we’ve got another in Temple as the Owls travel to West Point to take on Army.

Temple is a much-improved team and showed it is on the right path by finishing the year winning four of seven games (5-2 ATS) and going 4-4 in the Mid-American Conference. The Owls are making strides under third-year coach Al Golden and they’ve got a defense that can hang with any team in the country.

Temple’s defense was the top-ranked squad in the red zone and ranked No. 14 in third-down situations. Even though Army beat Temple a year ago, Owls’ DT Terrance Knighton was a monster in the game, making six tackles, recovering two fumbles and blocking a 54-yard FG attempt.

On offense the Owls have QB Adam DiMichele returning after suffering a broken leg in the eighth game last year. he completed 61.9 percent of his throws and picked Army apart for a season-high 314 yards.

Army was pathetic a year ago, averaging just 87.5 yards per game. Things are changing at West Point as they got to an option-based attack but it’s going to take a while for it to sink in. The Knights have lost 11 straight season openers and is just 7-16 ATS in its last 23 overall.

Temple is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games and 6-2 ATS in its last eight against independents. Play the Owls to score a rare road win with ease tonight.

4♦ TEMPLE

SPORTS ADVISORS

Temple at Army

Army tees it up against one of the three teams it was able to beat last season when the Owls come calling at Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y.

Army went just 3-9 SU (4-6-1 ATS) last season but scored a 37-21 win over Temple in late September, covering as a six-point home chalk. These two have only met four times in the last 21 years with the Black Knights holding a 3-1 SU and ATS advantage.

Temple (4-8, 7-5 ATS in 2007) is in its third year under coach Al Golden and is coming off an inspired 4-4 Mid-American Conference campaign a year ago, going 4-3 SU (5-2 ATS) to end the season. The Owls’ offense improved from No. 117 in the nation in 2006 to No. 44 last year. Meanwhile their defense was ranked No. 1 in the country in the red zone and No. 14 in third-down situations.

Returning for Temple on defense is tackle Terrance Knighton, who was a third-team all-MAC selection a year ago and was a beast against Army, making six tackles, recovering two fumbles and blocking a 54-yard field-goal attempt. Offensively, the Owls return QB Adam DiMichele, who completed 61.9 percent of his throws and torched Army for a season-high 314 yards before suffering a broken leg in the eighth game last year

Army coach Stan Brock is installing an option-based offense after last season’s disaster that saw the Knights average just 87.5 yards per game. Brock is giving junior QB Carson Williams (1,770 yards passing last year) the responsibility to pitch or run with the new offense, and leading the way at RB is the duo of Tony Dace (330 rushing yards in 2007) and sophomore Patrick Mealy (302 rushing yards).

Army has lost 11 straight season-openers is just 7-16 ATS in its last 23 games overall. Meanwhile Temple has lost 29 of its last 31 road games and hasn’t been a road favorite since 2002 at Rutgers. The Owls are 5-8-1 ATS on the highway since Golden took over in 2006, including 3-3 ATS last year, but they’re 6-2 ATS in their last eight against independents.

For Temple, the under is on runs of 7-0 overall, 5-2 on the road and 4-1 in non-conference games. On the flip side, the over is 5-2 in Army’s last seven home games and 8-2 in its last 10 on turf.

ATS ADVANTAGE: NONE

SMU at Rice

The June Jones era begins at Southern Methodist University as the Mustangs travel to Rice Stadium in Houston to take on the Owls in a Conference USA opener.

Rice won a 43-42 shootout over SMU last season when the Owls hit a 31-yard field goal with no time left to get the home win as 7½-point underdogs. Rice has won seven of the last 10 series meetings (7-3 ATS) and six in a row SU and ATS at home. The straight-up winner is 10-0 ATS in those 10 clashes, and the home team is on a 10-2 SU and ATS roll in this rivalry.

Jones brings his run-and shoot offense with him from Hawaii to SMU, which went 1-11 last year (4-8 ATS), including 10 straight losses to finish the season. Jones has stirred up his troops by sending returning QB Justin Willis to the third team. Willis is the school’s all-time leader with 51 TD passes and was an honorable mention all-Conference USA selection last year with 3,643 yards and 25 TDs.

Getting the nod at QB tonight in place of Willis is freshman Bo Levi Mitchell who led his high school team to the Texas Class 5A championship last year. His top target with the Mustangs will be junior WR Emmanuel Sanders who has 18 career TDs and finished on a high note last season by catching 13 balls for 118 yards and three TDs in the season finale against Memphis. On the other side of the ball, the Mustangs look to fix a group that ranked 116th in total defense and 117th in scoring defense in 2007.

Rice (3-9, 5-6 ATS) opened last year with four straight losses (0-3 ATS), including an embarrassing 16-14 setback to Division I-AA Nicholls State in an unlined contest to open the season. The Owls finished the year losing five of eight, but they went 8-5 ATS.

David Bailiff enters his second year at Rice and is hoping to improve a defense that ranked last in the nation in passing yards allowed (312.4 per game) and second to last in points allowed (42.9 per game). Offensively, the Owls have a dynamic duo in QB Chase Clement and WR Jarett Dillard, who have combined for 32 TD passes, six shy of an NCAA record.

Clement is the first player in NCAA history to throw for more than 300 yards and rush for more than 100 in back-to-back games, accomplishing the task in the win over SMU when he threw for 364 yards and two TDs and rushed for 124 yards and two more scores. Dillard is the active NCAA leader in catches, receiving yardage and TDs, and he’s scored at least one TD in 17 of his last 18 conference games.

Rice is 0-3 ATS in its last three in the rare role of favorite, but the Owls are 29-15-2 ATS at home since 1998 and 11-3 ATS in their last 14 conference matchups. Meanwhile, SMU is 9-5 ATS on the highway since 2005, including 4-2 ATS in its last six as a road pup, but overall the Mustangs are just 4-9 ATS in their last 13 overall.

The over is 21-4 in Rice’s last 25 Conference USA games, 21-5 in the Owls’ last 26 in front of the home fans and 40-11 in their last 51 games overall. Also, four of the last five head-to-head clashes between these in-state rivals have flown over the total.

ATS ADVANTAGE: OVER

NFL Preseason

San Diego (2-1 SU and ATS) at San Francisco (2-1 SU and ATS)

The Chargers wrap up preseason play by trekking up the Pacific coast to Monster Park to take on the 49ers in a game that, like most in the final week of exhibition play, won’t have starters seeing much action.

San Diego put up a late TD and a two-point conversion to top Seattle 18-17 on Monday, but failed to cover as a 5½-point home chalk. The Chargers have been a middling preseason team since 2003, with a 12-11 ATS mark (13-10 SU), going 2-2 ATS each year from 2003-2007. The Chargers have also gone just 2-4 ATS in their last six preseason road games (1-0 ATS this year).

San Francisco held off Chicago 37-30 last week as a 3½-point road underdog for its second straight win and cover. Under fourth-year coach Mike Nolan, the 49ers are 6-1 SU and ATS at Monster Park in preseason play, and they are 8-3 SU and ATS at home in August since 2003.

Second-year Chargers coach Norv Turner said no starters will play more than a few series, and QB Philip Rivers, who sat out Week 2, once again likely won’t play at all. While Turner didn’t divulge who would start at QB, backup Billy Volek figures to get the nod, followed by Charlie Whitehurst and possibly Casey Bramlet. Volek relieved Rivers late in the third quarter last week and went just 3 of 9 for 33 yards.

Nolan has already named J.T. O’Sullivan the starting quarterback for the 49ers’ regular-season opener, but it’s unlikely that O’Sullivan will play against the Chargers. Former first-round draft pick Alex Smith should see plenty of action, followed by Shaun Hill. Smith went 6 of 17 for 83 yards and a TD last week, and Hill was 6 of 7 for 60 yards.

These teams meet every summer, with San Diego having the upper hand of late, going 4-1 dating to 2003 (3-2 ATS). Last year in Week 4, the Chargers won 16-13, barely cashing as a 2½-point home favorite.

The over has cashed in four of San Francisco’s last six preaseason outings and is 6-3 in San Diego’s last nine August contests. In addition, the over is 3-1 in the past four preseason clashes between these instate rivals.

ATS ADVANTAGE: SAN FRANCISCO and OVER

Denver (1-2, 1-1-1 ATS) at Arizona (2-1 SU and ATS)

The Cardinals, who still haven’t resolved their quarterback controversy, finish the exhibition season by taking on the Broncos at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Arizona pounded Oakland 24-0 last week, winning and covering as a 3½-point road pup. However, the Cardinals are 0-4 SU and 1-3 ATS in their last four home preseason games, and they’re 0-3 SU and ATS in their last three preseason finales – all against Denver.

The Broncos fell to Green Bay 27-24 last week laying three points at home. Mike Shanahan’s troops are 15-9 SU in preseason play dating to 2003, with a 7-3-1 SU and ATS mark on the highway. In addition, the Broncos are on a 6-1 ATS tear in their last seven preseason finales, and they’re 7-1-1 ATS in their last nine as an underdog in August.

Second-year Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt hasn’t officially named his regular-season starting QB, but he did say Kurt Warner will start tonight. Last week, Warner played a couple of possessions late in the first half and early in the second half, going 2 of 4 for 40 yards and leading a TD drive. Meanwhile, former first-round pick Matt Leinart had nearly as many INTs as completions against Oakland, going 4 of 12 for 24 yards with three picks.

Whisenhunt said Leinart, who started in Weeks 1 and 3, might not play against the Broncos. If not, look for Brian St. Pierre to relieve Warner, followed by rookie Anthony Morelli.

The Broncos have no such QB issues, with third-year pro Jay Cutler entrenched as the starter – meaning he likely won’t see a down of action in the preseason finale. Patrick Ramsey is expected to get the start, followed by Darrell Hackney.

Denver hammered the Cardinals 21-3 as a 3 ½-point home favorite in last year’s finale, and the Broncos are 6-1 SU and ATS against Arizona in August since 1999.

The over has cashed in five of the last seven preseason meetings between these squads.

ATS ADVANTAGE: DENVER

NATIONAL LEAGUE

L.A. Dodgers (65-69) at Arizona (68-65)

Two teams that have struggled lately square off at Chase Field as the host Diamondbacks hand the ball to southpaw Doug Davis (5-8, 4.53 ERA) to open a key three-game series against the Dodgers, who will send Hiroki Kuroda (7-9, 3.87) to the hill.

Arizona, trying to hold off L.A. atop the N.L. West, comes in flat, having lost four straight games before taking Thursday off. On Wednesday at San Diego, the D-Backs built a 4-0 lead, only to lose 5-4 as the Padres swept the three-game series. Arizona is on further slides of 1-5 overall, 2-8 with Davis on the bump and 3-7 in Friday games.

Los Angeles has fared even worse lately, dropping seven straight games, all on the road. On Wednesday night in Washington, the Dodgers got hammered 11-2 as the lowly Nationals completed a three-game sweep. The Dodgers are in a 1-9 funk overall and are 2-13 in their last 15 road games.

Arizona has won seven of 12 clashes in this rivalry this season, including four of six meetings at Chase Field.

The Diamondbacks have lost in four of Davis’ last five starts, including Sunday’s 5-2 home setback against Florida as Davis allowed three runs on seven hits in seven innings. The veteran is just 3-5 with a 4.85 ERA in 11 home starts this year, and he’s 4-3 with a 2.98 ERA in eight career starts versus Los Angeles. However, Davis has gotten shelled in his last two starts against the Dodgers – at home July 18 and on the road Aug. 3 – allowing a combined 10 runs (nine earned) on 11 hits in just 4 2/3 innings, for an eye-popping 17.36 ERA.

L.A. wasted a solid effort by Kuroda on Sunday at Philadelphia, as he allowed just one run on two hits in six innings, but got a no-decision in a 5-2 loss. The Dodgers are just 2-5 in Kuroda’s last seven outings, losing the last two in a row. The rookie right-hander is 2-7 with a 4.48 ERA in 13 road starts this season, and he’s 1-1 with a 4.80 ERA in three outings against Arizona.

The under is on a 10-2 roll in Kuroda’s last 12 road starts and is 9-3 in the Dodgers’ last 12 division games. Conversely, the over has cashed in Davis’ last four starts against L.A.

ATS ADVANTAGE: NONE

Priceless Picks

1 Unit on S.F. Giants +169

The Reds have already cashed this season in while the Giants have shown some fight. The Reds are just 8-23 in their last 31 overall, 1-8 in their last 9 home games, and 0-7 in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a losing record. The Giants have won 6 of their last 8 and are 9-4 in their last 13 road games vs. a team with a losing home record. The Giants are 6-0 in Zito’s last 6 starts vs. a team with a losing record and 4-0 in Zito’s last 4 road starts vs. a team with a losing record. He’s been earning his contract of late and we’ll back him here. Take the Giants.

Rocketman Sports

4* Best Temple -7.0

Tommy Rider

Rice / SMU Over 69.0

The key to winning overs is that both teams need to score. If that’s the case, this may be the easiest over you play all year. Both of these offenses are light years ahead of the defenses. As some of you may know, I’m a huge SMU fan and I talk to some boosters down there. They tell me that this freshman quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell is the real deal. Plus, the Ponies have two stud receivers to wreak havoc on an undermanned Rice secondary. The other misconception out there is that the Run ‘n’ Shoot takes a long time to learn. That’s totally untrue. The routes are mostly digs and outs. It’s actually an easy offense to pick up compared to something like the spread. On the other side of the ball, SMU is terrible. June Jones will need to outscore people for a couple of seasons until he gets some decent recruits on defense and he knows it. Chase Clement and Jarett Dillard will do anything they want against the Ponies defense. This line has dropped and I guess people thought it was too high. I disagree. I think this is one of the few totals with some value in Week 1. I had the total set at 73, so I’ll be more than happy to take it at 69. Both of these teams should easily score in the 30’s in what will be an offensive track meet from start to finish.

COMP

Army +7

Some teams just shouldn’t be a touchdown favorite on the road and Temple is at the top of that list. I keep hearing all this hype about the Owls but I’ll believe it when I see it. How about this stat: Temple is 2-29 SU in its last 31 road games. I’m sorry but I’m not excited about them all of a sudden covering a touchdown, even if they are playing Army. The Black Knights have gone back to the wishbone and that’s a nightmare for a team like Temple to open up against. Throw in the fact that Army Head Coach Stan Brock is recovering from cancer and I think you will have a motivated team here. Hey, Temple may win the game but getting seven points with Army at home is just too good to pass up.

LT Profits

San Francisco 49ers -3.0

As we have oftentimes said, preseason is all about finding situations where one teams want to win and the other could not care less, and such is the case when the San Francisco 49ers host the San Diego Chargers Friday night.

Not much is expected from the 49ers this season, so they better get their wins when they can. They have actually looked good since and opening loss to the Oakland Raiders, first crushing the 34-6 here and then going on the road and beating the Chicago Bears 37-30. A 3-1 preseason finish would certainly boost the confidence of this club, so look for them to accomplish just that.

On the other hand, the Chargers have held out LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates the entire preseason and will do so again, while how long Shawne Merriman will be out is a total guess at this point. As if that is not enough, San Diego is playing with just three days rest after narrowly edging the Seattle Seahawks 18-17 at home Monday night, so this game will be filled with third and fourth stingers as the Chargers could ill afford more injuries to key players.

San Diego nipped the Niners 16-13 during preseason last year, but look for San Francisco to return the favor by a safer margin this time around.

Pick: 49ers -3

Great Lakes Sports

Seattle at Cleveland
Play on: Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians are the hottest team in all of baseball winning ten games in a row, and they are 4-2 vs the Seattle Mariners this year. The Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Sowers is a perfect 2-0 with a nice 1.80era in his career vs the Seattle Mariners, and the Indians is a very solid 18-7 record in August this year. We look for the Cleveland Indians to keep rolling as they will grab the home win tonight.

Matt Fargo

New York Mets at Florida Marlins
Prediction: New York Mets

This is a crucial series for both teams as the Mets and Marlins are fighting for a spot in the playoffs. New York earned a split with the Phillies in that small two-game set to remain in first place by a game in the National League East. The road has been kind of late as the Mets have won seven of their last nine games away from home, outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 53-27. New York is 15-6 over its last 21 games overall and the offense has been solid, averaging 5.4 rpg over that stretch.

This could very well be the last stand for the Marlins who are coming off a very disappointing roadtrip. Florida went 4-5 but two series losses came against teams well out of the playoff hunt and those were not the games that should have gone down. Overall, the Marlins are 7-12 over their last 19 games and the offense has been extremely unproductive over this stretch, scoring four runs or fewer 11 times while averaging only 3.8 rpg. Florida has dropped 13 of the last 17 meetings at home in this series.

Pitching has been inconsistent this season for the Mets but Oliver Perez has been as consistent as they come over the last couple months. After getting hit hard by the Mariners on June 24th, he had an ERA of 5.29. In 11 starts since then, he has put up a 2.50 ERA with nine of those starts being quality outings. The Mets are 4-0 in his four starts against the Marlins this year as he has a 2.16 ERA including 0.75 in two starts at Dolphin Stadium. The Mets are 7-1 in his last eight starts against a team with a winning record.

Florida counters with Chris Volstad who is coming off a rough outing at Arizona last time out. He has been solid this season with a 3.42 ERA but he has allowed a lot of baserunners and that can certainly be an issue against an offense such as the Mets. He has a 1.42 WHIP on the season including 1.68 in four home starts. Florida is averaging only 2.3 rpg in his starts on the season and that drops to 2.0 rpg in those home outings. New York is 8-1 in its last nine games against a right-handed starter and will take advantage here. Play New York Mets 1.5 Units

Frank Jordan

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Play: Milwaukee Brewers

Both teams were off on Thursday as the division foes square off in Pittsburgh for an old fashion NL Central clash. Milwaukee is sending Dave Bush to the hill as he lookes to even up his record at 9-9 with the road win. Pittsburgh is running Tom Gorzelanny who is 6-8 with an era North of 6.50. Look for the Brewers to have an easy time of it in Pittsburgh in this match up. Play Milwaukee

WILD BILL

NFL
Arizona -3 (5 units)
Broncos-Cardinals Over 38 (5 units)

NCAAF
Rice-Smu Over 69 (5 units)

Ron Raymond

5* CFL GAME OF THE WEEK
Edmonton Eskimos +5.0

5* CFB GAME OF THE WEEK
SMU +3.5

Steve Janus

SMU vs. Rice
Play: SMU

SMU and Rice have some very close games in their recent history. Their last two meetings have been decided by a total of 5 points. Playing in the same state and in the same conference usually makes for those types of close games. So what do we have to look forward to Friday? One thing you can count on is that there will be a lot of offense in this game. It’s not that both teams field a great offense, far from it, both teams had some of the worst defenses in the entire nation last year. SMU was ranked 116th in total defense, while Rice’s defense gave up 42.9 points per game and over 500 yards of total offense per game.

SMU is looking to put their recent past failures behind them. They hired Hawaii’s former coach, June Jones to come in and re-tool their offense. There’s certainly going to be a learning curve in picking up a new offensive scheme for the Mustangs, but the good news is that they get a chance to test out their new strategy against a very poor Rice defense.

Rice is returning a couple of its star offensive players in QB Chase Clement and WR Jarret Dillard, but offense is not really the concern for this team. The Owls were able to score over 30 points per game last season, it was just that they couldn’t keep their opponents under 40 points per game. Unfortunately for the Owls, it looks like they are in for more of the same in 2008.

There is a definate possibility that this game could be decided by whichever team is holding the ball last. There won’t be much of a defensive struggle, so it’s going to come down to who can stop who in key situations and who can take the ball away from the other team’s offense. SMU doesn’t get a clean slate just by hiring a new head coach, but it is a step in the right direction and I think they come out in their first game of the year and make a statement about the direction they are heading.

Prediction: SMU 41 Rice 33

Jeff Alexander Sports

Texas Rangers vs. LAA Angels
Play: Over

The Over is 12-4-2 in the last 18 meetings between these two AL West rivals and 7-1-1 in the last 9 meetings in Los Angeles. The Over is 8-1 in the Rangers last 9 vs. the American League West. The Over is 10-3-1 in the Angels last 14 games vs. a right-handed starter and 4-0-1 in Santana’s last 5 starts vs. the Rangers. We saw 12 runs yesterday and I think we’ll see at least that many again today. Take the OVER.

Ben Burns

Denver at Arizona UNDER (play at 37 or better)

Knowing how low-scoring Week 4 was last year and again yesterday, I feel that the current number of 37 is too high. Yes, it’s true that the Cardinals still have some question marks at quarterback. However, even if both Warner and Leinart see action they aren’t going to have all their weapons available. Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Edgerrin James are all expected to make only brief appearances and center Al Johnson won’t play at all. Looking back to last preseason and we find that these teams also met for their preseason finale. That game had the highest over/under line (40) of any Week 4 game, yet it produced only 24 combined points. Don’t be surprised if this one is lower-scoring than expected once again. Consider a play on the UNDER

Vegas Experts

New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays

AJ Burnett has made the Yankees pay for not acquiring him by posting a 5-0 team start record the last two years against New York, including a recent performance where he allowed just one run and five hits over eight innings and struck out 13 Yankee hitters. Even better news for the Jays is that they are 16-5 after allowing three runs or less in three straight games.

Play on: Toronto

Tom Stryker

St Louis Cardinals vs. Houston Astros
Play: St Louis Cardinals

St. Louis picked up a nice come-from-behind win over Milwaukee in its last contest and the Cardinals will look to ride that momentum at Houston on Friday night.

On the hill for the Redbirds will be veteran Kyle Lohse. The big right-hander has been a pleasant surprise for the Cards this year. With 168.0 frames in the bank, Lohse has been touched for only 74 earned runs and 178 hits. That adds up to a stellar 13-6 record and a blistering 3.96 ERA. Kyle’s best work this season has been with the lights shining. At night, Lohse has been nicked for only 28 earned runs and 84 hits in 83.0 innings of work. That equates to a sensational 9-1 mark and a powerful 2.82 ERA.

Houston will counter with southpaw Randy Wolf. In his last two starts against the Mets and Brewers, Wolf was roughed up pretty good. Randy pitched 10.0 innings and was tagged for 10 earned runs and 12 hits and allowed six walks. That equates to a dismal 9.00 ERA!

The Cards have cashed eight of 12 in this series and nailed 14 of their last 19 coming off a day of rest. With the Wild Card still a possibility, manager Tony LaRussa will have the Redbirds playing hard. Take St. Louis with listed pitcher Lohse. Thank you and best of luck, Tom Stryker.

Chad Jordan

600 Temple
100 Nationals
100 Astros
100 Diamondbacks

DCI

Conference USA
RICE 51, Smu 45

FBS Non-Conference
Temple 22, ARMY 21

Maddux Sports

San Diego +2.5

Vegas Steamline

Temple

Jack Clayton

White Sox

The Scout

Astros

ARMVIN SPORTS

INDIANS -113

Tippster

Cardinals -140
Rice -3

PlayByPlayInc.

ARMY

MJP Sports

SMU

Lance’s Lock

SMU/Rice Over 69

C-Stars Guaranteed Plays

Temple/Army Over 41

lasvegassportsadvisors

Boston

Vegas Vet

San Francisco

JerseySteveWins

NY Mets

floridabookybusters

LA Angels

PERRY’S PREMIER PICKS

Temple Owls -7

ARTHUR RALPH

Army/Temple Under

Cappers Access

Army
Broncos

Vegas Hotsheet

Rice

Joe Wiz

49’ers
Chargers/49’ers Under

Glen Mcgrew

Rockies

Donald Tran

SMU at Rice Under 69.5
Florida Marlins +120

Chad Jordan

Chicago White Sox +140

ELPsports

San Francisco Giants

EASY MONEY SPORTS

TORONTO -115

HUDDLE UP

SF Giants

DARK HORSE

Philadelphia +210

MIKE WYNN

Tampa Bay

PLATINUM PLAYS

Army/Temple Over 41

RAZOR SHARP

TEMPLE/ARMY OVER

TOTALS 4 U

DODGERS/DBACKS UNDER

1. SPORTS

DIAMONDBACKS

Winning Points

SMU @ Rice
Play: Rice

The move of June Jones to S.M.U. is creating a lot of attention, including the ESPN cameras showing up for his debut. It has also led to the oddsmakers setting this one in a rather short range, assuming that the public buys into the notion of Jones turning the downtrodden Mustangs around. That may happen, later, but for now we may see a team actually get worse before they can get better, the usual result when a young and inexperienced team that lacks a winning history has to adjust to new systems. Exacerbating matters is that freshmen Bo Levi Mitchell and Braden Smith will be sharing the snaps at QB, which means zero experience not only in running the Jones playbook, but also in working with their teammates in the WR corps. The Owls see plenty of spread tactics in Conference USA, which helps to set their own game plan, and Chase Clement is the kind of veteran that can take control of this one in the latter stages, especially against a Mustang defense that returns only four starters.