MLB Betting: Chopping Mini-Lines
READ MORE: Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Cincinatti Reds, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, MLB Betting, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics
1:05 p.m.
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Detroit Tigers
The White Sox have been hanging on for dear life to that once comfortable lead in the AL Central, but today they can finally clinch. That is if they can get passed the Detroit Tigers and a person named Jason Grilli who pitched a great game against the Seattle Mariners in his only other start this year. It seems unlikely that the White Sox will boot this one. However, the theory about young pitchers applies here and the White Sox seem like a team to come up short and frustrate the crap out of their faithful fans.
PICK!: DET +160
2:05 p.m.
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Milwaukee Brewers
Yick. Eric Milton’s season has been gawd awful all year(accept, OF COURSE, when he pitched against the Phillies last week), and there doesn’t seem to be any reason he should win this game today. Especially since Milwaukee is trying to end out their season above.500 for the first time since 1992. There’s a loser’s motivation on both sides here that makes it a tough call. But we love sausage races.
PICK!: MIL -137
3:35 p.m.
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Oakland Athletics
Obviously, the books are expecting a phone-in game from the Angels, with their division already clinched and the rest of the team in decompress-mode. Angels’ starter Bartolo Colon may be on a pitch count and Barry Zito may be in the middle of writing a song about ponies or some shit. It’s a tough call considering the Angels’ lineup today could be a little thin, but we’ll still take the Angels with some change.
PICK!: LAA +108
Chopping Lines: Oaktown 357
READ MORE: A.J. Benza, Chopping Lines, Cleveland Indians, MLB Betting, Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics (80-63,K. Saarloos)
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Cleveland Indians (82-62,K. Millwood)
With the Angels, Yankees, Indians and A’s so close together these days, the Wild Card race reminds me of a Friday night at The Vault, more than a baseball league. But, with 19 games left before the big money shot, Oakland looks sexiest to me. And tonight’s match-up with Cleveland seems pretty easy to handicap. A team in a Divisional/Wild Card race comes to rely on their No. 5 pitcher as much as their ace. But when that No. 5 guy hits a hot streak, they can practically book their post-season hotel rooms ahead of time. The A’s Kirk Saarloos, who lost for the first time in six starts his last time out, will be pitching on nine days of rest. The long layoff ain’t shit for Saarloos, though. As Oakland’s fifth starter, he’s gone as long as 11 days between starts and worked out of the bullpen on occasion. And that unselfish attitude around is like the flu in a clubhouse: When one guy has it, everyone else gets it. And after snapping the Indians’ 7-game win streak last night, the A’s look they’re about to make another solid run.
BENZAPICK!: OAK +152
Chopping Lines: Ride the Fat Man With a Halo
READ MORE: Chopping Lines, Los Angeles Angels, MLB Betting, Oakland Athletics
10:05 p.m.
Oakland Athletics (74-56, B. Zito)
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Los Angeles Angels (73-57, B. Colon)
It’s time everybody just stata zita with this Barry Zito already. I know about the 1-6 start and how his turnaround sparked the Oakland A’s turnaround into hopes of winning their division. And I know there are some who say he’s a lock for Comeback Player of the Year Award. Call me crazy, but I see a unreliable, streaky pitcher who has always had his way with the cock-massaging media. Listen, anybody who fucked Alyssa Milano is good copy. But up against the Angels, and Bartolo Colon (17-6) no less, I just see Zito looking like the 12-10 pitcher he is. Colon is red hot, giving up just three runs in his last six starts. And he hasn’t lost since mid July. I’d take Chuck Zito over Colon here. Not Barry Zito. The play here is Los Halos.
BENZAPICK!: LAA -113
(YTD 7-4)
Chopping Lines: Beware of the Bedard Trap
READ MORE: Baltimore Orioles, Chopping Lines, MLB Betting, Oakland Athletics
3:05 p.m.
Oakland Athletics (73-56, K. Saarloos)
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Baltimore Orioles (61-68, E. Bedard)
What the frig is this line about? Has Oakland fallen this quickly that they are now dogs against the lowly Orioles and pitcher Erik Bedard? This is what happens when you win five straight games, lead the AL West, and trot out a pitcher in Kirk Saarloos who’s won his last five decisions? Smell the trap game, kiddies. We’re taking the Oakland plus the money just because we’re suckers, but won’t be surprised at all if Bedard goes nuts and pitches a gem. Can you spell waffle? Fine, we won’t be pussies. Steal your sister’s dowry and throw it on the A’s. Make Monday interesting.
PICK!: OAK +110
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Chopping Lines: Saarloos Means “Tiger Rapist” in Swedish
READ MORE: A.J. Benza, Chopping Lines, Detroit Tigers, MLB Betting, Oakland Athletics
7:05 p.m.
Oakland Athletics (68-56, K. Saarloos)
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Detroit Tigers (61-62, J. Bonderman)
Best Line: OAK +135, DETROIT -139
Pop Quiz time: Is Kirk Saarloos A.) A Finnish skateboarder; B.) The boyfriend of Iceland superstar Bjork, or C.) The Oakland A’s pitcher who will stop the team’s current swoon. The answer is C, but that’s not to say he’ll never ride rails in Finland or if he’ll ever bang Bjork one day.
Although manager Ken Macha kinda pitches Saarloos in spots, he has already beaten the Tigers this season and he’s won his last three decisions. On the other hand, Tigers ace, Jeremy Bonderman, still throws up in his mouth whenever anyone mentions Oakland, and how that team traded him to Detroit three years ago. He’s had some of his best outings at Oakland’s expense, but the A’s pounded out four runs and eight hits in six innings off of him July 31 and tonight will be more of the same. With the Yankees overtaking Oakland for the top Wild Card spot, the real season begins now. And besides, the Tigers are way too shitty to win six straight games.
BENZAPICK!: OAK +135
(YTD 5-2)
MLB Betting: Three Teams to Look at For Future World Series Payouts
READ MORE: Baseball, Betting, Futures, Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals
Oakland Athletics, +8000: Sure they always fall apart in the playoffs, but their pitching is always solid, the Angels are starting to fall apart and the Yankees and Red Sox could always wear each other out. And MC Hammer was once their bat boy.
Washington Nationals,+2000: Window may be closing, but stranger things have happened. Look at the Marlins two years ago for a prime example of a team from nowhere going all the way. With Hernandez hurt(but playing), it may be too late for the Nats, but still a solid investment at +2,000. However, all of this depends on how the Supreme Court nomination hearings play out. Judge John G. Roberts is allegedly a Braves fan.
St. Louis Cardinals, 15 to 4: So, apparently you can still make money off of this team that is seemingly going to dominate throughout the entire year and could very well dominate in the World Series as well. Can we really make money off betting on the Cardinals? Not enough to pay for our daughter’s wedding, but we could possibly get her a limo for prom night.
World Series Odds (Left Side of Page) [Gambling 911]
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