Thursday 9/4 Service Plays
top dollar (GOLD MEMBER) 2 months ago // 33 responses // TopSportsBets.com Other Service Plays

Jimmy The Moose

Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds
Prediction: Over

Gorzelanny has struggled all season long with a 6.61 ERA and his team is 13-5 over in his 18 starts. Fogg for the Reds has not fared better with a 2-7 record and a 7.29 ERA on the season. Pirates a profitable 39-23-4 over mark on the road this season. Look for a high scoring affair tonight. Play the Over.

Karl Garrett

South Carolina at VANDERBILT

Last week, South Carolina led NC State just 3-0 at the half before pulling away from the Wolfpack in a 34-0 win and cover. That game did stay UNDER the posted total, and I see a similar combined total tonight, as both defenses appear to be ahead of the curve at this point in the season.

Vanderbilt just beat Miami-Ohio 34-13 last Thursday night on the road, so you can see the Commodores defense is also up to snuff early on.

Last year, these teams played to a 17-6 final at Columbia, and a similar result this evening would not be a surprise.

Going to look for the defenses to pretty much blanket the offenses tonight, and for this Thursday night SEC battle to play UNDER the posted price.

G-Man expecting the LOW to be the way to go!

2♦ UNDER

Sports Gambling Hotline

Washington at NY GIANTS

We have a few reasons why we like the UNDER in the NFL tonight.

Let’s start with the fact that both series meetings last year stayed UNDER the posted total. That makes 3 of the last 4, and 6 of the last 9 overall meetings between these division rivals having played LOW.

Then you have the fact that Washington is breaking in a new coach in Jim Zorn who is busy implimenting his new coaches, and sytems, and you kind of get the feeling that starting quarterback Jason Campbell, who is now on his third new offensive coordinator in his first four years in the league, is going to struggle getting his offense into the end zone.

The Giants finished the season last year, by playing UNDER in 6 of their final 9 games, including 3 of their 4 in the postseason.

The Giants do like to pound away with their running game, so expect the clock to keep moving in this game, and for the Redskins and Giants to hold UNDER the posted price this Thursday night.

Play the LOW.

3♦ UNDER

DUNKEL

MLB

Minnesota at Toronto
The Twins look to conclude a rocky road trip (5-8) with a solid performance from starter Kevin Slowey, who is 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA over his last five starts. Minnesota is the underdog pick (+105) according to Dunkel, which has the Twins favored straight up by 1. Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+105). Here are all of today’s games

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

Game 901-902: Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Gorzelanny) 14.079; Cincinnati (Fogg) 15.709
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-135); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (-135); Under

Game 903-904: Washington at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Martis) 14.319; Atlanta (Reyes) 14.741
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 905-906: San Diego at Milwaukee
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Estes) 14.513; Milwaukee (Suppan) 16.482
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-230); 9
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (-230); Over

Game 907-908: LA Angels at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Santana) 15.748; Detroit (Rogers) 14.035
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-150); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-150); Over

Game 909-910: Minnesota at Toronto
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Slowey) 16.791; Toronto (Litsch) 15.718
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Toronto (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+105); Over

Game 911-912: NY Yankees at Tampa Bay
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Rasner) 16.070; Tampa Bay (Kazmir) 16.704
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-180); 9
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-180); Over

Game 913-914: Oakland at Kansas City
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Meyer) 14.133; Kansas City (Davies) 14.906
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 915-916: Oakland at Kansas City
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Eveland) 14.921; Kansas City (Bannister) 14.192
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

NCAAF

South Carolina at Vanderbilt
The Commodores got strong play from senior QB Chris Nickson (166 yards rushing, 2 TDs) in a 34-13 road win at Miami (OH) and will look to take advantage of a South Carolina team that is 1-5 ATS in its last six games as double digit road favorites. Vanderbilt is the underdog pick (+10) according to Dunkel, which has the Gamecocks favored by just 4 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Vanderbilt (+10). Here are all of Thursday’s games.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

Game 301-302: South Carolina at Vanderbilt
Dunkel Ratings: South Carolina 97.756; Vanderbilt 93.109
Dunkel Line: South Carolina by 4 1/2; 46
Vegas Line: South Carolina by 10; 42
Dunkel Pick: Vanderbilt (+10); Over

NFL

Washington at NY Giants
Jim Zorn takes over the helm of a Washington team that upset the Giants on the road (22-10) in Week 14 of last season. The Redskins are the underdog pick (+3 1/2) in the opener according to Dunkel, which has the game even. Dunkel Pick: Washington (+3 1/2). Here are all of this week’s picks.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

Game 451-452: Washington at NY Giants
Dunkel Ratings: Washington 135.248; NY Giants 135.636
Dunkel Line: Even; 37
Vegas Line: NY Giants by 3 1/2; 40
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+3 1/2); Under

Bobby Maxwell

N.Y. Yankees at TAMPA BAY

Got rained out in Kansas City on Wednesday so no FREE winner there leaving us at 53-44 with our last 97 comp selections. Tonight we’ve got a free winner on the Rays to easily handle the Yankees so we’re going Runline with this one.

The Yankees have taken the first two games of this series but you can bet the Rays are going to come out fighting for a win in the finale when they send their ace, Scott Kazmir (10-6, 3.13) to the hill in front of the home fans.

New York still trails the Rays by 10 games in the A.L. East race but you know Tampa doesn’t want the veteran Yankees to get any confidence or momentum going with a three-game sweep. That’s where Kazmir comes in as he’ll deliver for his team tonight.

Tampa is 16-5 in his last 21 starts and 20-8 the last 28 times he’s pitched in front of the home fans. And at home, these youngsters are tough to beat, having gone 48-14 in their last 62 in Tampa. The Rays are also on streaks of 23-9 overall, 36-19 against winning teams and 5-2 against A.L. East foes.

Kazmir has a 2.76 ERA in 11 games against the Yankees and this season he’s got a 1.64 ERA in two starts against them. Darrell Rasner (5-9, 5.08) goes for New York and he’s been hit hard, giving up 10 runs in his last 9.1 innings. And on the road he is just 2-6 with a 5.53 ERA.

Play the Rays to salvage this last game and Kazmir to pitch a gem leading to an easy Runline winner.

2♦ TAMPA BAY (Runline)

Las Vegas Sports Advisors

Milwaukee -1.5 (5)

NY Giants -3.5 (5)

Steve Janus

South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt
Play: South Carolina -10

Two teams that got off to their 2008 seasons on the right foot in Week 1 of the College Football season, meet Thursday night in SEC action. The Vanderbilt Commodores host the 24th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks in the SEC opener for both squads. Both teams routed their opponents last week, but only one will walk away with a conference win and a 2-0 record.

South Carolina was off to a rough start in their opener against NC State as starting QB Tommy Beecher threw four interceptions and looked sluggish on offense. Chris Smelley was able to come in, control the ball and keep it in his team’s hands.

It couldn’t have gone better for the Gamecock defense last week. They held the NC State defense under 100 yards rushing and 100 yards passing on their way to a shutout performance. The defense will be a key component again on Thursday against a more potent Vanderbilt offense.

The Vanderbilt Commodores did most of their damage on the ground in week one, but it didn’t come from their running backs, it came from quarterback Chris Nickson, who rushed for 166 yards. Nickson also added 91 yards through the air. Nickson accounted for 3 of the 4 touchdowns Vanderbilt scored against Miami-Ohio, so he is obviously the key to making this offense click.

Defensively Vandy was strong against the run, allowing just 96 yards. They struggled a little against the Miami-Ohio passing attack, but managed to nab three interecpetions on their way to an impressive victory. Defense has not been traditionally strong for the Commodores, but they were impressive in their first appearance of 2008.

There’s a lot to consider in this game. Both defenses looked fine in week one, but they will both be facing a more potent offense this time around. That says a lot for the Gamecocks, who are on the road against a team coming off of an impressive win. With that being said, South Carolina is the better team overall. Their offense should hit their stride in their second game and if their defense plays even close to the way it did in their first game, we’re looking at a blowout.

Game Prediction: South Carolina 34, Vanderbilt 13

Bob Harvey

San Diego Padres vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Play: Under 9½

Both teams are coming off being swept. The Mets took the broom to the Brewers, while the Padres failed to win a game during their three-game set against the Dodgers. The common thread in both series was lack of offense. So who gets the advantage between two sliding team’s? In this case, I’ll side with Milwaukee. The Brewers played a day-game at Shea Stadium on Wednesday and got back home in plenty of time to rest and prepare for the Padres.

San Diego meanwhile had a night game in Los Angeles followed by the long trip to Wisconsin. The Padres arrived early this morning so they’ve got to be dragging. Both teams have been struggling offensively. The Brew Crew scored a total of nine runs in the New York series while the Padres have scored a total of 12 runs in their last four outings. This will be the fourth meeting of the year between these two teams with the previous three games staying well UNDER the total. Jeff Suppan goes for the Brewers while the Padres will counter with Shawn Estes. I never been a believer in what day of the week you play makes a big difference. However, for what it’s worth, the Padres are 14-3 to the UNDER on Thursday’s. Overall this year San Diego has played to low side 72-62 while the Brewers have posted a record of 59-72. Milwaukee’s totals mark is a bit misleading considering all the high numbers they’ve faced this season.

The bottom line? You’ve got two tired teams that have a history of playing close, low scoring games. Look for that trend to continue tonight.

Marc Lawrence

Game: Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves
Play: Washington

The Nationals open a 4-games series with the Braves in Atlanta Thursday evening when they send Jason Bergmann to the hill against Jo Jo Reyes. Bergmann’s 3.99 ERA on the road is nearly a run and a half better than his 5.41 home ERA. ON the flip side, Reyes’ 7.14 ERA at home is almost three and a half runs worse than his 3.74 ERA on the road this year. With Bergmann 5-1 in his last six starts in this series, look for Reyes to dip to 0-3 in his career team starts against the Nats tonight.

Carlo Campanella

Game: South Carolina at Vanderbilt
Prediction: South Carolina

Reason: Both of these SEC squads opened their seasons with a victory- South Carolina defeated NC State, 34-0, while Vanderbilt won at Miami-OH, 34-13. South Carolinas performance was even more impressive then the score indicates, as they turned the ball over on 4 drives and still won in a shut-out! South Carolina Head Coach Steve Spurrier is one of the best offensive minds in College Football and expect him to make the necessary adjustments so his offense doesnt continue to give the ball away. With a game under their belts, South Carolina plays error free football and routes an over-matched Vandy squad that returns just 9 starters from last year’s team. Lay the lumber with this road Favorite, knowing that Spurrier is 9-2 ATS as road Favorite against fellow SEC opponents as SC’s Head Coach.

7* Play On South Carolina

Jeff Benton

We will turn to American League action and look for the Blue Jays to complete a three-game sweep of the Twins.

Minnesota has picked a horrible time to go into one of its worst slumps of the season. With the A.L. Central title there for the taking, the Twins have dropped eight of their last 11 games, including the first two of this series north of the border. Last night’s 5-4, 11-inning setback was especially crushing, as Minnesota closer Joe Nathan blew a ninth-inning lead.

Meanwhile, as the Twins have floundered, the Blue Jays have caught fire. They’ve won four straight games overall (scoring 25 runs in the process), and they’re 13-7 in their last 20. What’s more, the Blue Jays have flat owned Minnesota, winning eight straight meetings since last summer, including all five battles this year.

As for this matchup of starting pitchers, it’s a virtual wash with Toronto’s Jesse Litsch opposing the Twins’ Kevin Slowey – both are pitching very well. However, it’s hard to ignore what Litsch has done in three starts since being recalled from the minors: three earned runs allowed in 19 2/3 innings (1.37 ERA), and that was against three solid offensive clubs (Detroit, Tampa Bay and Boston). Also, Litsch’s ERA at home (3.18) is almost a full run less than Slowey’s ERA on the road (4.13).

Finally, Litsch is 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA in three career starts against Minnesota, while Slowey is 0-1 with a 5.91 ERA in two starts against Toronto. In fact, these two pitchers squared off on May 13 in Minnesota, and the Jays prevailed 5-3. Same thing happens again tonight!

4♦ TORONTO BLUE JAYS

Matt Rivers

Thursday take the underdog Yankees.

Scott Kazmir is a stud and certainly much better than Darrell Rasner but to get Arod and the fellas plus this price anytime is too good to pass up. I am the first to admit that Joe Girardi’s team is garbage and will not make the playoffs but that statement still needs the qualifer of “relatively speaking” as New York is still an ultra dangerous team and one that will make Kazmir work hard in building up his pitch count.

The Tampa Bay southpaw is awesome but he has struggled over the past few months with his innings as he has thrown too many pitches limiting him to five or six frames. Today the lefty is up against a very patient team that will not be overly anxious. Arod, Jeter, Abreu, Matsui, Damon and the rest of the Yankees can beat any team at anytime. Therefore when getting a handsome price like this it is an absolute no-brainer.

The Rays have been insane at the Trop this season and will be in the playoffs unless they have a monumental collapse but they are still a semi banged up club without Longoria and Crawford and to get the Yanks plus this money is the only side today!

Tony Weston

OK, the slide continues as the White Sox couldn’t come through for us last night. Damn them and damn the baseball gods. Well, tonight is the night. We’re turning around our fortunes and getting back to winning.

We’re starting the winning tonight as we’re going with the Oakland Athletics over the Kansas City Royals.

The Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals have played each other seven times this season with the K.C. holding a slight 4-3 advantage due to last night’s win.

Even though the Royals got over last night consider that they are still only 3-8 their last 11 games, including a 2-5 mark their last seven. Kansas City is also only 2-5 its last seven games in front of the home fans.

Also consider tonight’s pitching matchups. The A’s Dana Eveland has been pretty decent his last few outings. He’s only 1-1 his last four starts, but the A’s are 3-1 in that stretch. And over his last two starts he’s given up only three earned runs in 14 innings of work.

On the other side, the Royals’ Brian Bannister has been horrid. He’s lost five straight starts coming into tonight and is 0-7 his last 10 starts.

Bannister will lose his sixth straight game and the Athletics will break this losing funk of ours.

3♦ ATHLETICS

POINTWISE

VANDERBILT 20 – South Carolina 19

Spurrier suddenly has a QB controversy, with Beecher tossing 4 INTs in his debut, but Smelley filled in nicely (5-of-5), & that “D” is solid (10 FDs). But ‘Dores also impressive with their throttling of decent Miami-O squad (269-96 RY edge), with Nickson doing it all (166 RYs). Carolina 0-3 ATS away lately, by 1, ½, & 6½ pts. It should go to wire.

NEW YORK GIANTS 22 – Washington 20

Defending champs must go it without brilliance of both Strahan & Umenyiora on that defensive line which dominated LY’s playoffs. Manning obviously improved as the season wore on, so that is a huge plus, but NY played its best ball on the road in ‘07, losing to the ‘Skins 22-10, as hosts LY (16½ pt ATS loss). As a matter of fact, NY lost its last 4 HGs SU. Jim Zorn takes over as head man for Washington, with consistency from QB Campbell his main concern, with a bevy of quality WRs to throw to. The ‘Skins are a solid 13-5 ATS on the division road, so call this under spot.

Winning Points

South Carolina over Vanderbilt* by 8

A major revenger here for the Old Ball Coach after being embarrassed 17-6 at home vs. the Commodores last year, and Spurrier’s defense can do their share against that young Vandy OL. But laying points with the Gamecock offense on the road is out of the question at this juncture.

SOUTH CAROLINA 24-16

*New York Giants over Washington by 7

The Giants may be in for a Super Bowl hangover after a banquet-filled offseason and contract squabbles. But they still should handle Washington at Giants Stadium, where they have beaten and covered against the Redskins three of the past four years outscoring them, 85-39. Redskins first-year coach Jim Zorn, like former Redskins novice coach Steve Spurrier, is going to find out the hard way that preseason is much different than regular season.Redskins QB Jason Campbell is learning a new offense.The Giants have the pass rushers to hinder that development.

NY GIANTS 23-16

The Sports Reporter

SOUTH CAROLINA over VANDERBILT by 11

NY GIANTS over WASHINGTON by 6

The Zorn-for-Gibbs move means a more efficient offense for the Redskins, even if they haven’t shown it yet. Nor would anyone be surprised to see Redskins’ veteran Todd Collins come off the bench at some point of this game, to give the Washington offense a lift if Jason Campbell still can’t spark a unit filled with decent offensive talent. But that would mean that Washington is trailing, and attempting a comeback against an opponent that has a well-balanced offense with an ability to control the clock and make coming from behind harder than it normally would be. The Giants’ defense got 58 sacks when it had Omenyiora and Strahan at the ends last year. Neither is there now, but defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuola is liable to blitz from anywhere, the Giants secondary is pretty good in coverage, and Washington’s best wide receivers won’t be out-jumping anybody. Redskins have a nice defense, too, but Jason Taylor’s absence offsets the Giants’ DE woes. The Giants sobered up from a Super Bowl hangover when they watched tape of their mistake-filled, weather-blown Week 15 home loss to Washington last season.

NY GIANTS 27-21

Lou Diamond

So Carolina / Vanderbilt
Take Under

South Carolina Under is 4-0 in Gamecocks last 4 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game. Under is 4-1 in Gamecocks last 5 games following a S.U. win. Under is 25-9 in Gamecocks last 34 road games. Under is 20-8 in Gamecocks last 28 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. Under is 5-2 in Gamecocks last 7 games overall. Vanderbilt Under is 8-1 in Commodores last 9 conference games. Under is 7-1 in Commodores last 8 home games. Under is 6-1 in Commodores last 7 games on turf. Under is 6-1 in Commodores last 7 games in September. Under is 4-1 in Commodores last 5 games following a S.U. win. Under is 4-1 in Commodores last 5 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game. Under is 4-1 in Commodores last 5 games following a SU win of more than 20 points. Under is 4-1 in Commodores last 5 games following a ATS win. Under is 7-2 in Commodores last 9 vs. a team with a winning record. Under is 10-3 in Commodores last 13 games overall. Under is 5-2 in Commodores last 7 games after accumulating more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game. Under is 5-2 in Commodores last 7 games after accumulating less than 170 yards passing in their previous game.

Dave Cokin

PIT Pirates / CIN Reds
Take PIT Pirates

Tough year for both starters in today’s Pirates-Reds hookup, as Gorzelanny and Fogg have each battled injury issues. Both seem to be rounding into better form of late, and I was impressed with Gorzy in his last effort against Milwaukee. He’s the better pitcher in this matchup. Plus, the Pirates would love to complete a rare road sweep with one more win against the Reds. I think they’ve got a good shot to accomplish the feat, and I’ll back the Bucs in this one.

Jim Feist

WAS Nationals / ATL Braves
TakeWAS Nationals

Atlanta is favored here, despite being in a second half slump because of injuries. Chipper Jones twisted his right knee taking groundballs in batting practice Tuesday and had to be scratched from the lineup. Jones has been on the disabled list this year with a hamstring injury and missed time with a sore quadriceps, back spasms. The Braves are 8-21 in games Jones misses. It also doesn’t help to go with starter Jo-Jo Reyes, who is 3-10 with a 5.49 ERA. He’s winless in his last 3 starts with a 6.32 ERA. Play the Nationals.

John Fina

Selection: Oakland/Kansas City Over 9 [Game #2]

Put us down on the Oakland Athletics/Kansas City Royals Over 9 [Game #2] for our Free MLB Selection on Thursday. Today we see a high-scoring game as the Oakland Athletics do battle with the Kansas City Royals. One reason why we see a high-scoring game is because both these teams will send to the mound struggling starting pitchers. This says it all… The Oakland Athletics Starting Pitcher (Dan Meyer) has a 6.94 ERA in his last 3 starts, while Kansas City Royals Starting Pitcher (Kyle Davies) has a 5.17 ERA in his last 3 starts. As you can see, both these pitchers have been having huge pitching problems as of late. To say the least, we should see a high-scoring game. Take the Oakland Athletics/Kansas City Royals Over 9 [Game #2]!

Tony Mathews

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds
Selection: Pittsburgh/Cincinnati Over 9.5

The Cincinnati Reds will use starting pitcher Tom Gorzelanny. Tom Gorzelanny has been having huge pitching problems this season. In fact, Tom Gorzelanny has a 6.61 ERA on the season. In addition, Tom Gorzelanny has a 8.82 ERA in his last 3 starts. We see Tom Gorzelanny pitching another bad game today.

The Cincinnati Reds will use starting pitcher Josh Fogg. Josh Fogg has also been having huge pitching problems this season. In fact, Josh Fogg has a 7.29 ERA on the season. We see Josh Fogg also pitching another bad game today.

The bottom line, we see both teams scoring many runs today!

Take the Pittsburgh Pirates/Cincinnati Reds Over 9.5

Brian Marshall

Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves
Play: Washington/Atlanta Over 10

The Washington Nationals will be lead by starting pitcher Jason Bergmann. Jason Bergmann has been struggling as of late. In fact, Jason Bergmann has a 6.88 ERA in his last 3 starts. We see Jason Bergmann giving up many runs once again today.

The Atlanta Braves will be lead by starting pitcher Jo Jo Reyes. Jo Jo Reyes has also been struggling as of late. In fact, Jo Jo Reyes has a 6.32 ERA in his last 3 starts. We also see Jo Jo Reyes giving up many runs today.

The Over is a perfect 6-0 in the last 6 meetings between these teams, and we see another high-scoring game today!

Take the Washington Nationals/Atlanta Braves Over 10

Vegas Experts

South Carolina at Vanderbilt

When these two SEC rivals met last year, they combined for a scant 23 points and we look for a similar low-scoring battle tonight, noting that the “other USC” has #2 Georgia on deck and won’t look to do anything remarkably new on offense here. We also don’t forsee another 21-point 4th Quarter explosion from the Gamecocks on the horizon. Spurrier’s team is also 8-2 Under in the road favorit role.

Play on: Under

Matt Fargo

Minnesota Twins vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Play: Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto picked up yet another big come from behind victory last night over Minnesota giving it four straight wins and keeping slim hopes alive. The Blue Jays are now 39-29 at home and after getting shutdown for a three-game stretch, the offense has come alive with 6.3 rpg over the last four games. The pitching remains the constant as Toronto has a 3.61 ERA on the season including 3.22 at home, 1st and 3rd respectively in baseball. The 1.25 WHIP is also best in the bigs.

Minnesota is now a game back of the White Sox in the American League Central as it has been on a rough stretch as this roadtrip may finally be catching up. After winning the first two road games in Anaheim, the Twins are 3-8 over their last 11 to drop to 31-39 away from home on the season. Pitching has been the problem on the road as Minnesota has a 5.01 ERA which is 6th worst in all of baseball. The Twins have now lost all five meetings with Toronto this year and eight straight dating back to last season.

Kevin Slowey is pitching some fantastic baseball right now and that is the main reason for this favorable line. However more should go into it than that and that is why this price is so good. Slowey has allowed two runs or fewer is five straight starts and his K:BB ratio has been silly at 42:3 over his last seven starts. Despite his last two outings on this trip, he has had trouble on the road with a 4.13 ERA and 1.22 WHIP and I don’t see him making it three straight quality performances on the road.

While Slowey has been excellent, Jesse Litsch has been pitching nearly as good. After a stint down in the Minors to fix some things, he is back to his early season form that saw him post a 3.18 ERA through his first 11 starts of the season. Since being promoted, he has tossed three straight quality starts, while putting up a 1.37 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. He has been solid at home, going 5-2 with a 3.18 ERA in 10 starts, six of which were quality. He is 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA in three career starts against Minnesota. Play Toronto Blue Jays 1.5 Units

Drew Gordon

Minnesota at TORONTO -110

Looking for the Blue Jays to break out the brooms here tonight at home, as they continue their recent dominance of the Twins, adding to their already impressive 8 straight wins in this series tonight!

How do they do it? Well, it all starts with Jesse Litsch, who’s been downright nasty over his last 3 starts, going 1-1 with a lockdown 1.37 ERA! That includes his last home start, where he tossed 6 scoreless innings against the high-powered Red Sox offense! Litsch is also 5-2 with a 3.18 ERA at the Rogers Centre this season AND 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA in 3 career starts against the Twins!

We already saw this match up once, with Litsch squaring off against Kevin Slowey back on May 13th, and although it was close, Litsch was clearly the winner. Same goes for tonight, as despite pitching well in his last 3 starts, Slowey has not pitched well against the Blue Jays, going 0-1 with an ugly 5.91 ERA in 2 career starts against them. Also, his ERA is almost a run higher on the highway, jumping from 3.23 at the Metrodome to 4.13 anywhere else!

Besides the fact Minnesota is winless in their last 8 tries against the Toronto, there’s also the bullpen factor, which we saw play a prominent role in the first two games of this series. Joe Nathan is struggling bad, as is the rest of Twins bullpen, posting 5.33 ERA over their last 10 games, compared to a 1.75 ERA over the same span for the Blue Jays. In the end, the Twins have obviously lost focus on this long road trip and its paid dividends for the Blue Jays… More of the same tonight, as Litsch and the Jays ‘pen once again outdo the Twinkies in this one!

Take Toronto behind Litsch over Minnesota and Slowey in this MLB match up.

2♦ TORONTO

The Gold Medal Club

Washington @ Atlanta
PLAY OVER 9.5

On a very short card tonight we found a play that deserves considering.We are not exactly dealing with dominant pitchers in tonight’s match up.Bergman who goes for the Nationals is 0-1 in his last 3 starts with an era of 6.89. Jo Jo Reyes has been horrid in his last 3 starts, going 0- in his last 3 starts with an era of 6.32, but even more disturbing is his season long record of 2-7 with an era of 7.74! We take note that 4 of 5 played this season in Atlanta between these teams has gone OVER.
Expect lots of runs in this game.

Allen Eastman

Take Vanderbilt (+10) over South Carolina

Vanderbilt brings back just three offensive starters from 2008 and is just 3-14 and 5-11-1 ATS against the Gamecocks. But they managed a road upset, 17-6 as 13-point underdogs, last season and it was their highest win over a ranked opponent in 70 years. This should be a close game so we’ll take the points.

EZWINNERS

1 STAR: (908) DETROIT (+$141) over LA Angels
(Listing Rogers only)
(Risking $100 to win $141)

1 STAR: (901) PITTSBURGH (+$114) over Cincinnati
(Action)
(Risking $100 to win $114)

Sports Advisors

NFL

Washington at N.Y. Giants

The defending Super Bowl champion Giants kick off the NFL’s 2008 season at home against the NFC East rival Redskins, who are looking for a return trip to the playoffs, this time under first-year coach Jim Zorn.

New York (10-6 SU and ATS in 2007) won three of its last five regular-season games to earn a wild-card spot, then left the Big Apple for four straight weeks en route to four straight playoff upsets. The Giants capped their stunning run with a 17-14 Super Bowl victory over previously unbeaten New England as a 12½-point underdog, the franchise’s third Super Bowl title.

Washington (9-7, 7-7-2 ATS in 2007) was a surprise guest at the 2007 playoff party, closing the season with four straight wins to steal a wild-card spot. However, the Redskins’ postseason stay didn’t last long, as they went scoreless for three quarters in an opening-round game at Seattle, then gave up three fourth-quarter TDs in a 35-14 loss to the Seahawks as a three-point underdog.

Giants QB Eli Manning, who had a serviceable regular season (3,336 passing yards, 23 TDs, 20 INTs), threw just one INT in the playoffs versus six TD tosses, including the title winner to Plaxico Burress in the final minute of play. Manning and Burress return to an offense that averaged 23.3 points and 331.4 yards per game, both of which ranked in the middle of the NFL’s pack.

Defensively, New York yielded 21.9 points and 305 yards per outing, the latter ranking fifth-best in the league. However, gone are defensive line stalwarts Michael Strahan (retirement) and Osi Umenyiora (season-ending injury), who combined for 22 sacks last year.

After starting QB Jason Campbell (knee) went down late last year, journeyman Todd Collins took over the offense and helped the Redskins to their late-season flourish. Campbell, who will return to his starting role, completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,700 yards in 13 games last year, with a TD-to-INT ratio of 12-11. Washington put up 20.9 points and 333.4 yards per game in 2007, and yielded 19.4 points and 305.2 yards per outing.

Including the playoffs, the Giants were a moneymaking machine away from home last year, going 10-2 ATS in road/neutral site games. In East Rutherford, however, they were 3-5 SU and 4-4 ATS, failing to cash in three of their last four home games. New York was also 6-4 ATS laying points last year and split the cash in its six division games. On the positive end, Tom Coughlin’s club enters 2008 on ATS streaks of 6-0 overall (playoffs included), 16-6 since late 2006, 5-1 in conference play and 9-4-1 inside the NFC East.

The Redskins went 4-4 SU and 4-3-1 ATS on the road last year, though they did cash in back-to-back roadies against the Giants and Vikings in December en route to making the playoffs. Washington is on a 4-1 ATS run overall but is just 9-19-4 ATS in its last 32 September games and 2-6-2 ATS in its past 10 season openers.

These two teams split last year’s season series, with the road team scoring an upset in each contest. The favorite is on a 5-2 ATS run in the last seven clashes.

Defending Super Bowl champs are 6-0-1 ATS the last seven years in these season-opening prime-time affairs.

For Washington, the under has cashed in five straight season openers and is on further runs of 6-1-1 in September and 17-8-3 against the NFC East. Meanwhile, for New York, the under is on streaks of 5-1 in division play and 5-1 inside the conference. Finally, the under has been the play in five straight series meetings at Giants Stadium.

ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. GIANTS and UNDER

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

(24) South Carolina (1-0 SU and ATS) at Vanderbilt (1-0 SU and ATS)

Two teams coming off impressive blowout wins open the SEC campaign against one another, as Steve Spurrier takes South Carolina to Vanderbilt for a battle with the Commodores in a nationally televised affair.

The Gamecocks looked sluggish in taking just a 3-0 first-half lead last Thursday against N.C. State, but then exploded for 31 points after the break en route to a 34-0 victory as a 14-point home favorite. South Carolina, which snapped a five-game SU and six-game ATS losing skid with the win and cover, was dominant on defense, allowing just 138 total yards (49 passing) while forcing four turnovers.

Vanderbilt went to Miami (Ohio) last Thursday as a 3½-point road underdog and rolled to a 34-13 upset victory, snapping a four-game slide (1-3 ATS) that dated to the end of the 2007 campaign. The Commodores had just a 20-yard edge in total offense (360-340), but they had 269 rushing yards, while the defense picked off three Miami (Ohio) passes.

South Carolina will have revenge in mind tonight after last season’s stunning 17-6 loss to Vandy as a 13-point home favorite – a defeat that started the Gamecocks’ season-ending five-game slide and snapped a seven-game winning streak over the Commodores. The visitor has dominated this rivalry from a pointspread perspective, going 5-0 ATS in the last five clashes, and South Carolina has won five straight at Vandy.

The Gamecocks are on ATS streaks of 9-3 against winning teams, 10-3-1 on the road, 5-1 in September and 4-0 on Thursday nights. However, they failed to cash in their last four SEC games in 2007. Meanwhile, the Commodores are 10-2 ATS in their past 12 in September, but 5-11 ATS in their last 16 at home and 3-6 ATS in the last nine as a home pup.

After a shaky outing from starting QB Tommy Beecher last week (12 completions, 4 INTs), Spurrier has turned his offense over to sophomore Chris Smelley, who went 5-for-5 for 92 yards and two TD passes in relief of Beecher versus N.C. State. However, last year at Vandy, Smelley finished 14-for-24 for just 154 yards with no TDs and two INTS.

For Vanderbilt, the under is on runs of 10-3 overall, 7-1 at home, 8-1 in SEC play and 6-1 in September. Meanwhile, the under is 5-2 in South Carolina’s last seven overall and 25-9 in its last 34 on the highway.

ATS ADVANTAGE: SOUTH CAROLINA and UNDER

AMERICAN LEAGUE

N.Y. Yankees (75-64) at Tampa Bay (84-53)

The Yankees gun for an important three-game sweep of the first-place Rays, but to do so they’ll need Darrell Rasner (5-9, 5.08 ERA) to outpitch Tampa ace Scott Kazmir (10-6, 3.13).

Despite cruising to wins of 7-2 on Tuesday and 8-4 on Wednesday, New York still trails the first-place Rays by 10 games in the A.L. East and wild-card-leading Boston by 6½ games. The Yankees have won six straight on the road, scoring 50 runs in the six contests. However, they’re 5-11 in Rasner’s last 16 starts overall and 2-7 in his last nine on the highway.

Tampa Bay has followed up a five-game winning streak with consecutive losses, and its A.L. East lead over Boston is down to three games. The Rays are still on impressive runs of 23-9 overall, 48-14 at home, 55-27 against right-handed starters, 36-19 against winning teams and 5-2 versus A.L. East rivals. Tampa is also 16-5 in Kazmir’s last 21 trips to the mound overall and 20-8 in his last 28 outings at home.

New York has now won nine of the last 12 meetings with the Rays, including the last four in a row.

Rasner has just one quality start in his last 10 outings, and he’s surrendered 10 runs (seven earned) in his last two outings spanning 9 1/3 innings, with the Yankees beating Baltimore 8-7 on the road and losing to Toronto 7-6 at home. The right-hander is just 2-6 with a 5.53 ERA on the road, and tonight marks his first career start against Tampa Bay.

Kazmir is 2-0 with a 2.60 ERA in his last three starts, allowing five runs in 17 1/3 innings, with Tampa Bay beating the Rangers (7-4 on the road), White Sox (5-3 on the road) and Orioles (14-3 at home). The Rays are 7-1 in Kazmir’s last eight trips to the hill, with the southpaw yielding two earned runs or fewer in six of those contests.

Kazmir is 6-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 11 home starts, and the Rays have won 10 of those outings. Also, even though he’s just 3-4 in 11 career games (10 starts) against the Yankees, he’s got a 2.76 ERA. In two starts versus the Bronx Bombers this season, he’s 1-1 with a 1.64 ERA.

The first two games of this series have flown over the posted total. The over is also 8-2 in New York’s last 10 games overall (5-0 last five), 6-1 in New York’s last seven on the road, 7-2 in Tampa’s last nine overall (5-0 last five, all at home) and 9-3-1 in Rasner’s last 13 trips to the bump.

ATS ADVANTAGE: N.Y. YANKEES and OVER

Matt Foust

Washington Redskins @ New York Giants Under 41.0

The NFL season ramps up tonight with a NFC East division battle between the Giants and Redskins. New York will play host as they celebrate last season’s Super Bowl Championship. It should be an exciting game, but we are going to go with a play on the under 41.

The Washington Redskins have a number of offensive weapons and one of those is quarterback Jason Campbell. However, Campbell, along with his offensive teammates, will be working Jim Zorn’s offense for the first time in a game that counts. They will be doing so in front of a fired up capacity crowd. It will not be an easy task for them to move up and down the field, and they will need to establish the running game if they are to do so. If they get the ground game rolling, they will eat more clock, if they do not, Campbell and the offense will be in for a long night. They Giants secondary can be exploited, but if Campbell is under pressure, that possibility remains remote. Despite the loss of Strahan and Umenyiora, the Giants defensive line is still solid, and Justin Tuck is a game changing force.

The Giants, like the Redskins, will be working against a solid run defense, but I look for them to go right after Washington’s defensive line. Coughlin wants to control the clock and get Eli Manning in a comfort zone; the best way to do that is to pound the ball on the ground. The Giants will be looking to win the same way they did in the post-season: shut down the other team’s passing game with pressure on the quarterback, control the clock by pounding the ball on the ground, and take advantage of big play opportunities when they present themselves. This is also a good formula for going under the total.

Things to consider: The under was 4-2 last season when the Giants played a division opponent, the under is 5-9-1 in the Giants last 15 games as a home favorite versus an NFC East foe, the under is 4-10-1 in the Giants last 15 as a home favorite against any team, the under is 3-10-2 in Washington’s last 15 games as a road dog versus an NFC East team, and the under is 7-0-1 in the last eight games between these two teams at New York (average game score 25.6).

Pick: Take the UNDER 41

FRANK ROSENTHAL

901 PIRATES OVER 9.5 SB+
907 ANGELS-150 SB
912 RAYS-165 SB

NFL – WEEK 1
452 GMEN-4 SB
UNDER 41.5 SB

COLLEGE FOOTBALL THURSDAY
301 SO CAROLINA-9.5 SB

Chris Jordan

Anaheim -140 at DETROIT

How this team is laying this cheap a price is beyond me, but okay, let’s take Ervin Santana and lay the chalk against Kenny Rogers. While Santana has seemed to regain his form lately, stifling the Devil Rays, Twins and Rangers in his last three starts, Rogers has been rocked by the lowly Royals twice by identical numbers – six innings and six earned runs. And Detroit’s southpaw is 3-5 at home on the season with a 4.79 ERA, while he’s 1-6 since July 28, having given up 33 earned runs over 40-1/3 innings for an ERA of 7.36. It’s almost tempting to play this one on the run line.

Instead, though, let’s just lay the chalk with Santana, as he’s comes in after pitching brilliantly against the Rangers last Friday, allowing just one run on five hits over eight innings. He was spot on with his 97 mile-per-hour fastball, which was complimented nicely by an assortment of devastating sliders and an occasional changeup. His command of the zone was phenomenal, as he struck out seven and walked just one. And since he’s 4-2 with a 4.62 ERA in six career starts against Detroit, I’d say he’ll be confident in this one.

3♦ ANGELS

WILD BILL

Pirates +120 (5 units)
Reds-Pirates Over 9 1/2 (5 units)
Washington +115 (5 units)
Padres +210 (5 units)
Twins +105 (5 units)
Twins-Jays Over 8 1/2 (5 units)
A’s +105 game 1 (5 units)
A’s game 2 (5 units)

Vanderbilt +10 (5 units)