MLB Free Pick: Cleveland (-163)
Saturday May 31 ’08 7:10p – Courtesy of Alex Smart
CC Sabathia the Cleveland Indians ace and stater today against the struggling KC Royals , is currently in top form after some early season inconsistencies, and has now reverted back to last years Cy Young award status. The lefty stopper, is 2-1 along with a minuscule 1.20 ERA in his L/4 starts .With momentum and a great deal of talent on his side , I expect he will be one of the catalysts behind a Indians road victory tonight. Final notes & Key Trends: KC is in a free fall having lost 12 straight games. Indians are 9-3 in Sabathias last 12 starts vs. Royals . The Tribe have won 5 straight road games in this series. Play on the Indians

MLB Free Pick: Chicago White Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays u7.0 (105)
Saturday May 31 ’08 6:10p – Courtesy of LT Profits
Both Scott Kazmir of the Tampa Bay Rays and Javier Vazquez are having great years and both are in peak form, so runs should be at a premium in this contest.cvKazmir lost his seasonal debut vs. the Boston Red Sox after beginning the year on the Disabled List, but he has since won four straight starts while allowing either one or no runs on each occasion! He has allowed only 20 baserunners in 26 innings over those last four outings, which translates to a magnificent 0.77 WHIP, and he is facing a White Sox lineup that is batting just .236 vs. left-handed pitching this season. Meanwhile, Vazquez is 5-3 with a 3.52 ERA and 1.23 WHIP overall, and he has three Quality Starts in his last four outings, allowing two earned runs or less in two of those outings. He also already owns a Quality Start vs. Tampa Bay this season where he allowed two runs and six hits in 6.1 innings. Furthermore, the Chicago bullpen now ranks second in the American League with a 2.98 pen ERA, which should keep late tack-on runs at a minimum. The end result should be a very low scoring affair. MLB Free Pick: White Sox, Rays Under 7 (+105)

MLB Free Pick: Toronto Blue Jays (120)
Saturday May 31 ’08 9:05p – Courtesy of LT Profits
The Toronto Blue Jays are coming on offensively, and they exploded for a 10-4 win here over these Los Angeles Angels last night. Look for their success to continue behind Shaun Marcum tonight. Marcum has been one of the biggest surprises in baseball this season with his 2.64 ERA and remarkable 0.87 WHIP in 71.2 innings. He has allowed two runs or less in eight of his ten starts, and he allowed just four earned runs in each of the other two outings. He also pitched well in his only career starts in Anaheim last season allowing two runs in six innings of a 9-2 win, and he now has the support of an improving offense and a bullpen that leads the Major Leagues with a collective 2.72 ERA. Now John Lackey has pitched very well in his three starts this year after coming off of the Disabled List, but he did come up short vs. the White Sox last Sunday and his stamina still appears to be a concern. That could be bad news considering that the Angels rank 28th out of 30 Major League teams with a 4.43 bullpen ERA. All things considered, the Blue Jays and Marcum offer nice value at this underdog price. MLB Free Pick: Blue Jays +120

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It’s the battle of the Big Men for the NBA Finals! The No. 1 seeded Lakers took care of business, knocking off the defending champion Spurs in 5 games. Their frontcourt of 6-10 Lamar Odom and 7-foot Paul Gasol offers matchup problems on both ends of the floor. In the Game 5 clincher, a 100-92 LA victory, Gasol didn’t shoot well, just five for 15 with 12 points. But he had 19 rebounds, one shy of his career best, and took a whopping nine offensive rebounds, tying his career high. Throw in five assists and four blocked shots and Gasol was a force even on a bad shooting night. He also played defense, holding San Antonio star forward Tim Duncan to a subpar shooting night: 19 points on seven-for-19 shooting.

This season must seem like a dream for Gasol, playing with the miserable Memphis Grizzlies before a Feb. 1 trade to the Lakers. For the record, the trade was for Kwame Brown and Jarvis Crittendon, easily one of the most lopsided in NBA history. What was Memphis GM Chris Wallace thinking? He’s the same guy who ran the Celtics into the ground before Danny Ainge turned things around.

Anyway, the Lakers are playing their best basketball at the right time, riding a 16-3 SU, 14-3-1 ATS run into the Finals. Not having home court for the Finals against Boston or Detroit might not be that big of a deal: They will focus only on a split for the first two games in the East, then come home for three straight in LA. Picture the pressure on the Celtics or Pistons: They HAVE to win the first two games at home, or risk a huge uphill climb on the road.

Taking a look at the regular season matchups between the Lakers and the top two teams in the East, we find that the contests really don’t mean that much, other than the outstanding defense played. On November 23rd, the Lakers lost at Boston 107-94, as Kevin Garnett scored 21 points with 11 rebounds, and Kendrick Perkins had 21 and nine for Boston. The Celtics shot 50%, the Lakers 42%. Kobe Bryant was 9-of-21 shooting (30 points). The Lakers played with center Andrew Bynum, who is now on the shelf, but without Gasol, who was still in Memphis.

On December 30th in LA, the Celtics whipped the Lakers again, 110-91. Paul Pierce scored 33, Garnett had 22 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and Ray Allen scored 19. The Lakers shot just 34%, but played without Gasol or Bynum. Bryant scored 22 for Los Angeles, going just 6-of-25 from the floor. Boston won the rebounding battle both games, but let’s say the Lakers are much better now.

The Lakers won 103-91 at home over Detroit back in November, even though they shot 38% (the Pistons shot 43%). Bryant wound up with 19 points and seven assists despite starting 2-for-14 shooting (he finished 6-of-18). But the Pistons were missing Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess, both of whom were hurt. The Pistons won the rematch, 90-89, on January 31st in another defensive game: Detroit shot .439%, the Lakers .426%. LA dressed just 11 players because of injuries, which is why Kobe had 39 points on 12-of-25 shooting. Bryant had an unusual triple-double, adding a career-high 11 turnovers and 10 rebounds to his scoring total. Don’t read too much into these meetings, as there were a lot of injuries and shorthanded benches. The Lakers play better when Kobe is passing and getting others involved, rather than taking all the shots. All four of the games were played with ferocious defense intensity, which isn’t surprising as they are outstanding defensively. Note that all five of the Spurs/Lakers games just played went under the total. In fact, the Lakers are now 10-5 under the total in the postseason. Matched up against one of the top two defenses in the league, the Finals should prove an extremely interesting and hard-fought affair.

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Pittsburgh Pirates (150) – Click Here for MLB Odds
Fri May 30 ’08 8:15p – Courtesy of LT Profits
The Pittsburgh Pirates surprised the Cincinnati Reds 7-2 on the road last night, and we look for a second straight upset by the Bucs when they visit the St. Louis Cardinals tonight. Maybe Zach Duke has struggled since his great rookie season, but the youngster has continued to be tough on the Cardinals. Duke now has three Quality Starts in his last four outings vs. St. Louis, and the last time he faced them he allowed only one run on eight hits in seven innings. Also, while Pittsburgh is ranked 18th in the majors with a 4.08 bullpen ERA, it should be noted that much of that damage was done by pitchers no longer with the club, and that the current active bullpen actually has a very respectable 3.85 ERA cumulatively. Now Todd Wellemeyer has pitched out of his mind this season with a 3.36 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 11 starts, but that is exactly the problem, as we feel Wellemeyer has pitched over his head. He did not last past the sixth inning of a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in his last start though, so maybe his descent back to earth has begun. Look for more regression today vs. a Pirates lineup that actually has a higher team batting average over the last 10 games (.270) than the Cardinals do in that same span (.258). That makes the Pirates worth a long look at this generous price. MLB Free Pick: Pirates +150

Colorado Rockies (142) – Click Here for MLB Odds
Fri May 30 ’08 2:20p – Courtesy of Alex Smart
The Colorado Rockies are struggling , there is not doubt about it, but this afternoon, with Aaron Cooke(7-3, 2.82 ERA) their most stable starter taking to the hill, they have a good chance of pulling off a victory at a value price vs the Cubbies. Chicagos starter Ted Lilly despite of a winning record this season owns a bloated 5.23 ERA on the year, and has almost always looked susceptible to a beat down. With the pitching matchup favoring the Rockies, I recommending we back them on the moneyline . Final notes & Key Trends: Cook has had success against the Cubs in the past as s evident by a 3-1 record along with a 2.32 ERA, and had a top notch effort against the Cubs this season, giving up two runs on four hits in a win. Play on Colorado

Oakland Athletics (-110) – click Here for MLB Odds
Fri May 30 ’08 8:05p – Courtesy of LT Profits
This looks like a pitching mismatch for the Oakland Athletics when they visit the Texas Rangers tonight, so the A’s get the call even on the road. Justin Duchscherer has been terrific this season despite his modest 4-3 record, as he has an excellent 2.16 ERA and a sensational 0.98 WHIP in seven starts covering 41.2 innings. He has yet to allow more than three earned runs in any start, and he only did that once, allowing two earned runs or less in his other six starts. Duchscherer is coming off of the best start of his career, as he allowed only one hit in eight scoreless innings vs. the Boston Red Sox last Saturday. Best of all, if he is in need of relief, Oakland is ranked fourth in the American League with a 3.32 bullpen ERA, making them a Bullpen System play vs. the dismal Rangers pen. Meanwhile, Kevin Millwood is making his first start off of the Disabled List for Texas, and he has been horrible to this point with a 4.88 ERA and a poor 1.69 WHIP in 48 innings. His last appearance came against these A’s, but he was pulled after 0.2 innings after injuring his groin and hasn’t been seen in a game since. In his last start vs. Oakland last season, Millwood was lit up for seven earned runs and nine hits in just three innings. Also, do not expect much help from a Texas bullpen that ranks dead last in the Major Leagues with a collective 4.81 ERA. Finally, there is virtually no difference between the Athletics’ road record (12-12) and the Rangers’ home mark (12-11), so it is not as if Texas enjoys a huge home field advantage here. MLB Free Pick: Athletics -110

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The biggest betting story in the AFL over the past few weeks has been the remarkable run of Unders, particularly in games with the highest totals on the board.  Seven of the eight games in Week 13 went Under the total, the lone exception (Orlando-Dallas) squeaking over by a single score.  Dallas was the only team in the league to eclipse the 60 point barrier, while ten different teams were held below 50.  Only one AFL quarterback threw for more than 300 yards last week, a season low.
 
The trend towards Unders has been particularly noticeable in the games expected to be higher scoring contests, with totals of 110 or higher.  In the last three weeks, games with these high totals have gone Under at a 12-2 clip.  The betting marketplace is adjusting on the fly, with only two games (San Jose @ Los Angeles and Utah @ Grand Rapids) totaled at higher than 110 this week, although Arizona-Chicago (109.5) and Tampa Bay-Georgia (108.5) aren’t far away.
 
Monday Night’s ESPN affair featured a pair of teams headed in opposite directions right now.  Three weeks ago, New Orleans was looking at a Southern Division championship and a first round playoff bye.  Now the VooDoo are locked in a serious battle just to earn a playoff spot, tied for sixth place in the ultra-competitive National Conference.  Head coach Mike Neu has seen his offense struggle mightily during their three game skid, held under 40 points in each of the losses.  Quarterback Danny Wimprine was able to guide his team to only a single touchdown after halftime on Monday Night, against a defense that had allowed 67 points the previous week against New York. 
 
Georgia, on the other hand, is streaking in a positive direction right now, winners of four straight.  The key to Georgia’s recent success has been the development of their offensive line.  Georgia has allowed only three sacks all season, holding their opponents sack-less nine times in their last ten games.  James Clark, Shane Grice, Ben Nowland and fullback Bruce McClure certainly aren’t household names, even among diehard AFL fans, but that quartet has allowed QB Chris Griesen to attempt his last 243 passes without a sack.  Griesen struggled early in the season, but his numbers of late remind many of his performance last year, when he led the league in quarterback efficiency.  During the Force’s four game winning streak, Griesen has thrown 24 touchdown passes with only two interceptions, completing at least 70% of his pass attempts in every ballgame.
 
This past weekend was full of upsets, with 2-9 Columbus knocking off 6-5 New York and 2-10 Utah pulling off the shocker against 9-2 Chicago.  But none of the upsets was bigger than 2-9 Kansas City’s surprise win in Philadelphia as 17.5 point underdogs against the 10-2 Soul.  Philly became only the fourth team in AFL history to start 9-0 after their impressive Monday Night domination of Dallas, but they are just 1-3 SU since, 0-4 ATS, losing those four games by a combined 57 points against the spread.  The last two defeats were decided on the final play of the game, losses by a combined eight points.  It’s worth noting that of the three previous teams to start 9-0 or better, all three reached the Arena Bowl.
 
Another front line contender for the Arena Bowl championship, the Dallas Desperados, bounced back nicely from their own huge upset loss at home to Arizona the previous week, taking out their frustrations on the Orlando Predators in the Jungle.  Tied 28-28 at halftime, Dallas stepped up their defensive intensity after the break, forcing five Predators stops in the second half alone, including a pair of safeties and a net recovery on a kickoff.  Head coach Will McClay: “IF we get a lead, now we’re able to hunt.  The pass rushers are able to go; we can mix up some coverages.  That’s kind of the recipe that you’ve got to have.  Desperados QB Clint Dolezel suffered a flare up of his old hip injury that could give him trouble in the weeks to go.  Dolezel : “I’ve got a little bone-on-bone in there, and it just got irritated really bad.”

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Toronto Blue Jays @ Oakland Athletics u8.0 – Free Baseball Picks
Thu May 29 ’08 3:35p – Courtesy of Alex Smart
The Blue Jays starting pitcher today Jesse Litsch(6-1,3.57 ERA) is currently in top form, after a complete game shut out in his last outing. The young throwers, best attribute is his control, as is evident by allowing only 1 walk in his L/38 innings of work. In two outings against the As in his career he has garnered a stingy 1.38 ERA. His pitching opponent from the Athletics, Dana Eveland (4-3, 2.90 ERA) is another quality young pitcher, who is also off a top notch effort, allowing just ,one run on 3 hits, in a complete game performance vs the TB Rays. Both these throwers are backed by strong bull pens. Considering the pitching matchup, and both teams documented offensive inefficiencies it will be an easy decision to back this contest to go under the set total. Final notes & Key Trends: The As Eveland has seen only one of his L/10 starts eclipse the number. Under is 11-4 in Litschs last 15 road starts. Under is 10-2 in umpire Jerry Laynes last 12 games behind home plate. Play under

Los Angeles Dodgers (105) – Baseball Betting Picks
Thu May 29 ’08 7:10p – Courtesy of LT Profits
Manager Joe Torre makes his first return to New York since leaving the Yankees when his Los Angeles Dodgers visit the New York Mets tonight. Now Dodgers starter Bred Penny has not pitched well in his last four starts, and this skid started with his started vs. these Mets in Los Angeles where he was charged with allowing 10 earned runs in 4.2 innings! He subsequently allowed five, five and four earned runs in his next three starts, but Penny is simply not this bad, and he did post three consecutive Quality Starts vs. the Mets prior to that last shellacking. Besides, should Penny struggle again, at least the Dodgers have the second lowest bullpen ERA in the National League at 3.00, making them a Bullpen System play here. Now Claudio Vargas of the Mets has been the antithesis of Penny, in that he has actually pitched better than he really is in recent starts. Vargas has allowed exactly two runs in each of his two starts since being recalled by the Mets, but we feel a return to reality is in order here, and Vargas did not pitch particularly well in his last three starts vs. the Dodgers, allowing 11 earned runs in 15 innings. Besides, would you have expected Penny to be a small underdog to Vargas if this game had taken place a month ago? MLB Free Pick: Dodgers +105

Minnesota Twins (100) – MLB Betting Odds
Thu May 29 ’08 8:10p – Courtesy of LT Profits
The Minnesota Twins have taken the first two games of this series at rather gift prices considering that the Kansas City Royal have now lost 10 straight games, and we look for the Twins to complete the sweep at another cheap price here. Minnesota starter Kevin Slowey has yet to allow more than three runs in any of his five starts since being recalled from the minors, and his last outing was his best yet as he tossed six scoreless innings while allowing just four hits vs. the potent Detroit Tigers lineup. He should be tough on a Kansas City lineup that is hitting only .232 during the losing streak and has never faced Slowey before. Luke Hochevar has had a couple of good starts for the Royals, but he has tailed off recently, recording just one Quality Start in his last four outings. He has a high 1.56 WHIP in his last three appearances, which is bad news vs. a Minnesota lineup that is showing signs of life lately, hit,ing .287 vs. right-handed pitching the last 10 games. Look for Minnesota to score enough run here to extend the Kansas City losing streak. MLB Free Pick: Twins +100

Toronto Blue Jays @ Oakland Athletics u7.0 – MLB Betting Odds
Wed May 28 ’08 10:05p – Courtesy of Alex Smart
Roy Halladay (5-5, 3.11 ERA) the ace of the Toronto Blue Jays pitching staff has been in consistent form this season, and has been one of the best work horse performers in all of baseball in the early part of the 2008 campaign, as is evident by 5 complete game performances. The big right handers May starts have seen him garner a 3-1 record along with a stingy 2.87 ERA and 31 strike outs, allowing just 3 walks in 31 1/3 innings of stellar work. His pitching opponent from the Oakland As Rich Harden(3-0,2.93 ERA), has also looked good this season, in limited action, and in his last effort after being activated from the DL on May 11, came out with a top notch effort, allowing 2 runs and 4 hits in 6 innings against the hard hitting Red Sox. Both these quality hurlers are supported by strong bullpens. The Jays BP owns a 2.94 ERA and the As pen owns a solid 2.41 ERA in home games. Considering the pitching matchup, and the fact both these teams offenses are far from explosive with team batting averages, hovering right around the Mendoza line, it will be an easy to back this tilt to go under the number! Play on the UNDER

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Chicago White Sox (115) – Baseball Odds
Wed May 28 ’08 12:05p – Courtesy of LT Profits
Jake Westbrook of the Cleveland Indians is making his first Major League start in a month today, and we look for the hot Chicago White Sox to take advantage of his rustiness. Sure, the Indians finally broke through for an 8-2 win here last night, but that still leaves the White Sox at 10-3 in their last 13 games. Their starter Gavin Floyd is starting to come into his own this season, as he has an excellent 2.93 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in nine starts covering 58.1 innings. He now has seven Quality Starts out of those nine outings, and he allowed only two earned runs in 6.1 innings in his only career starts vs. Cleveland last season. He has the support of a Chicago bullpen that is now up to fourth in the Major Leagues with a collective 3.07 ERA. Now Westbrook had a fine April, but there is no telling how the month-long layoff will affect him. He has made six starts vs. the White Sox since the beginning of last season, and he has a poor 5.06 ERA in 37.1 innings in those appearances. Also, the Cleveland bullpen ranks second to last in all of baseball with a 4.55 ERA, ahead of only Texas. Also the Indians are still 2-9 in their last 11 games even with last night’s win, and we look for a new losing streak to begin today. MLB Free Pick: White Sox +115

Atlanta Braves (110) – MLB Odds
Wed May 28 ’08 8:05p – Courtesy of LT Profits
The Atlanta Braves have been like night and day at home and on the road, but we do look for them to steal a road win at an underdog price when they visit the Milwaukee Brewers tonight. First of all, the Brewers have not exactly been tearing things up at home, going a modest 12-9. Secondly, their starter Jeff Suppan has had just one Quality Start in his last five outings. Suppan has a mediocre 4.47 ERA and a poor 1.54 WHIP overall, and he has allowed 12 earned runs and 16 hits in just 9.1 innings in his last two starts vs. Atlanta. Also, the Milwaukee bullpen is in disarray with a collective 4.23 ERA and Solomon Torres serving as the closer. Now Jo-Jo Reyes has been no great shakes of the Braves either, but at least he has allowed two earned runs or less in four of his last six starts, albeit in limited innings. A repeat performance would do just fine, considering that the Atlanta bullpen has been on a roll lately and has now climbed to 10th in the Major Leagues with a 3.46 pen ERA, making the Braved a Bullpen System play here. We could easily see this game being decided by the pens, which would give the Braves the advantage. MLB Free Pick: Braves +110

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Free Baseball Betting Pick: Chicago Cubs (-108)
Tue May 27 ’08 7:05p – Courtesy of Mike Rose
The Cubs had their hands full with Chad Billingsley in Game 1, but things might just be even tougher for them in tonight’s match-up with Hiroki Kuroda getting the starting nod for the 11th time this season. He only sports a 2-3 overall mark, but he’s coming off his best start of the season against the Cincinnati Reds that saw him throw eight innings of two-run ball in the Dodgers 5-2 victory. He’s been fabulous in his five road starts only allowing opponents a total of 11 earned runs, but the Dodgers offense just hasn’t shown up which is why he sports a 1-3 mark as a visitor. This will be his first career start against the Chicago Cubs franchise.

Sean Gallagher got beat up in a number of ways by the Houston Astros in his third start of the season his last time out. Houston pounded him for eight hits ands five runs in just 4 2/3rd innings of work in the loss, and he also took a line drive off the bat of Miguel Tejada that nailed his right shin to add injury to insult. Chicago’s won each of his Wrigley Field starts this season, so management is hoping he’ll settle down within the comfy confines and lead his team to another solid home victory.

With yesterday’s win in the books, the Cubs are now a fantastic 9-1 SU as a home favorite in the –100 to –125 range, and they’re 9-6 when playing against a team with a winning record. The Dodgers sit one game under .500, 13-14, against winning teams this season, and they’ve only managed victories in 16 of their 36 battles against right-handers on the year. The Cubs have been a fabulous investment at home this season, and it looks as if that trend should hold up once again in this spot this evening. For Current MLB Baseball Betting Odds, Visit Touthouse.com