Pittsburgh Pirates (-101) - Click Here for Baseball Odds
Tue June 3 ‘08 7:05p - Courtesy of Alex Smart
The Pittsburgh Pirates most consistent starter Phil Dumatrait (2-2, 3.52 ERA) takes to the hill today to face the Houston Astros. He is surprising the pundits, with some some top notch efforts, as was the case last time out, allowing 2 hits , and a no runs in 7 innings of work. The right hander in two outings at PNC Park in 2008 has garnered a minuscule 0.79 ERA. I expect he will carry the momentum of his last effort into this tilt against a Astros team that is hitting just .244 on the road this season. Houston returns fire with southpaw starter Wandy Rodriguez , who is 0-1 along with a bloated 6.51 ERA in two road starts this season. Note: Rodriguez was 0-2 along with a ugly looking 7.20 ERA in 4 starts against the Pirates last season. Thats not a good omen for his team chances, against Bucks team that has been explosive against lefties during their current camapign , averaging 5.6 RPG, winning 5 of their L/6 vs unorthodox throwers.. Final notes & Key Trends: Pirates are 5-1 in Dumatraits last 6 starts . Play on Pittsburgh

Toronto Blue Jays (110)
Tue June 3 ‘08 7:05p - Courtesy of LT Profits
Joba Chamberlain mkes his highly anticipated first start for the New York Yankees tonight, but not only are we not convinced this is such a good move, but he also has the misfortune of being matched up with one of the best pitchers in baseball, Roy Halladay of the Toronto Blue Jays. Our main problem with converting Joba into a starter is that he was arguably the best set-up man in baseball, and we feel he is much more valuable assuming that role every two days or so than he is starting every five days. Besides, he will obviously be on a pitch count tonight, and he there is not a real suitable replacement for him once the seventh and eighth innings roll around. Of course, facing Halladay may be the biggest disadvantage of all. The Cy Young candidate looked like his old self in his last start allowing just one run in eight innings with nine strikeouts vs. the Oakland Athletics. Halladay’s 6-5 record can be attributable to the Jays’ offensive struggles earlier in the season, as he still has a 2.93 ERA with a spectacular 0.99 WHIP in 89 innings. Furthermore, Toronto has snapped out of its offensive slump, hitting .287 as a team while averaging 5.30 runs over their last 10 games. Halladay has also allowed a grand total of five earned runs over 37 innings in his last five starts at Yankee Stadium, so look for him to lead the Blue Jays to victory here. MLB Free Pick: Blue Jays +110

Chicago Cubs (-120)
Tue June 3 ‘08 10:05p - Courtesy of LT Profits
The Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres are certainly on the opposite side of the spectrum in regards to their standings this season, and even with possibly their weakest link on the mound, the Cubs still get the call at this modest price here. The Cubs in fact have the best record in baseball at 37-21 after taking the series opener 7-6 here last night. They reached that point by going a sparkling 19-7 in their last 26 games overall. Meanwhile, the same Padres team that was a tiebreaking game loss away from the playoffs last year is 23-36 this season, including an uncharacteristic 13-16 here at home. Now Jason Marquis has struggled for the Cubs, going 2-3 with a 4.98 ERA and a high 1.64 WHIP. However, the Cubs have still managed to go 5-5 in his starts this season, as he has been bailed out a few times by a Cub bullpen that ranks third in the National League with a 3.14 ERA, and which shut down the opposition and allowed the Cubs to come back late. That said, Marquis has allowed three runs or less in his last three starts, although he did fail to go more than six innings in any of them. Still, that may be good enough here, as we trust the fine Chicago pen to shut down the normally weak San Diego offense. The Padres counter with Wilfredo Ledezma, who is 0-2 with a 4.25 ERA and a high 1.53 WHIP. Ledezma has yet to record a Quality Start this season, and unlike Marquis, he does not have a reliable bullpen to support him, as San Diego ranked 12th out of 14 National League teams with a 4.29 pen ERA. Also, the Padres may have used up their run supply for a week with their six runs last night, given that they are still batting just .229 as a team at home this year. Look for both of these teams’ fortunes to continue as they have been, which should result in another Cubs victory. MLB Free Pick: Cubs -120