[Matthew Regaw]

Friday Night Baseball best Bets

Oakland +121

Huff is a decent pitcher and has done well this season considering he plays for the tribe but he has an issue with strikes, he throws too many of them. What I mean by that is he tends to keep throwing over the plate instead of making the hitter wait and it leaves the opportunity for the batter to connect. This was his biggest problem in his last start against the Reds. The A’s do struggle against left handed pitching but the Tribe’s bullpen is the cure all for a good start. Ever since they dumped DeRosa the tribe has been in a tail spin, I will take my chances with Cahill and the A’s. Indians are 0-7 in their last 7 games as a home favorite and the Athletics are 4-1 in Cahills last 5 starts. I will go against the tribe tonight.

Tampa Bay -140

It seems like I am asking too much to drop this kind of chalk on the road, but Tampa is one of the best teams in baseball and they are making a run. After taking a break on the DL Kazmir came back to pitch well against the Marlins and will get the start tonight. Even in a down year he has pitched well on the road posting a 3-1 record. In his last seven starts against the Rangers he has yet to give up more than two earned runs. Hunter starts for the Rangers tonight and he has looked okay, but have you really looked into this guy? He pitched against the A’s and the Padres and those two teams do not even come close to the fire power that the Rays have at the plate. The Rays also have a huge edge in the pen. Rangers are 1-6 in their last 7 games as an underdog of +110 to +150 and the Rays are 18-6 in Kazmirs last 24 starts vs. American League West. Take the Rays on the road tonight.

Philadelphia -150

I am playing the phillies tonight and they should cover the run line although I am staying with the straight play. The Phillies have some pressure to win at home since they have the same amount of home wins as the lowly Nationals and this series could not be any more important as they face off against the Mets. Rollins finally broke out of his slump with two hits last game and that is a good sign of things to come for this club. The home team has a slight edge in the series this year and the mets are still injured with many of the key players out. The Philles are off a day of rest while the Mets had to go to Pittsburgh for a make up game that went into a rain delay and then went to extra innings and the will make K-Rod ineffective for this game. Lopez gets the start for tonight and this will be his only chance to show he can still pitch in the majors. He should get plenty of run support as the Phillies jump on Hernandez. Mets are 0-6 in Hernandezs last 6 starts as an underdog and the Phillies are 14-5 in their last 19 home games following a road trip of 7 or more days. Philly gets an important home win in a pivotal series.

Rest of Friday’s Action:

Baltimore/Angels Over 10 +100

Santana is just coming back and won’t go long and so the Halo bullpen will give up some runs and Hernandez will get touched up. Dreckman behind the plate is an over umpire this year. Over is 40-17-2 in Orioles last 59 road games vs. a team with a winning home record and the Over is 8-3 in Angels last 11 games vs. a right-handed starter. This one sails over the total.

Arizona +121

The bus stops here for the Rockies. They are off a huge series against the Dodgers and face some tough pitching tonight. De La Rosa has done well in his last couple of starts but still has an ERA over 8. Diamondbacks are 7-3 in Scherzers last 10 starts and Diamondbacks are 18-6 in the last 24 meetings. Take the D-Backs tonight.

Seattle Mariners +105
King Felix at plus money is a good bet anytime, Seattle has been playing reasonably well and the sox send Wakefield to the mound. He has done well this year but the weather is not good for a knuckleball tonight. Hernandez is 5-1 on the road and has not allowed an earned run in his last 15 innings pitched at Fenway. Mariners are 9-2 in their last 11 when their opponent allows 5 runs or more in their previous game and the Red Sox are 1-7 in Wakefields last 8 starts vs. Mariners

~Matt