Monday Service Plays

[Thor]

Michael Cannon

Monday's Plays:

15 Dime –

BRONCOS
Take the points with the Broncos tonight in their preseason opener against the 49ers.
Denver coach Mike Shanahan is a coach who takes the preseason seriously. He’s 37-15 SU in his career with Denver, including 7-1 SU (5-3 ATS) the last two years. Denver is also 10-2 SU in its last 12 preseason openers under Shanahan.
Shanahan will start with Jay Cutler at quarterback and he’ll depart after the first two series along with the rest of the first-team. From there, Patrick Ramsey will play for most of the remainder of the game and that bodes well for the Broncos chances.
Ramsey is a former starter with the Redskins who will benefit from going against the second and third-stringers of San Francisco.
Denver is 8-1 against the 49ers in preseason action going back to 1995, and 6-1 ATS in its last seven.
Take the points with Denver and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least bit to see them win outright.

5 Dime –

BLUE JAYS (With Litsch and Perez as listed pitchers)
Take Toronto as the small road chalk over Kansas City.
The Blue Jays will start Jesse Litsch tonight and the right-hander has been on a nice little roll lately. He’s 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA over his last three games. His recent performance allowed him to remain in the rotation when A.J. Burnett returned from the DL, while Josh Towers was moved to the bullpen.
Kansas City will counter with Odalis Perez. The left-hander has lost three of his last four starts, posting a 6.00 ERA during that span. He left his last start after three innings due to leg soreness, so there’s no telling how effective he’s going to be tonight.
Take the Blue Jays as they grab the road win.

RAVENS
Buy the ½ point if your line is -3 ½.
Lay the points with the Ravens tonight over the Eagles.
Philadelphia will be without the services of quarterback Donovan McNabb, who continues to rehab his surgically repaired knee. I really don’t see A.J. Feeley, Kelly Holcomb or Kevin Kolb doing anything tonight.
Philly coach Andy Reid really doesn’t concern himself too much with preseason outcomes, as he’s just 12-20 SU in the preseason. Over the last three seasons, the Eagles are just 1-5 SU and 3-3 ATS on the road in August.
The Ravens have the definite edge at quarterback tonight, where Steve McNair will start and give way to Kyle Boller, who will get most of the playing time the rest of the way.
Baltimore is 4-2 SUATS at home the last three preseasons.
Lay the points with the Ravens and don’t forget to buy the ½ point if your line is -3 ½.

[Thor]

Cappers Access

Sport Favorite Underdog Line Pick
(Mon) NFL 49ers Broncos 2- 49ers
(Mon) MLB Dodgers Astros 110 Dodgers

[Thor]

Big Al (free)

BIG AL MCMORDIE

Boston Red Sox (Wakefield) and Tampa Bay (Shields) 'under' 9.5 runs

Pittsburgh Pirates game 2

[Thor]

Big Al McMordie

Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB)
Aug 13, 2007 10:10 PM EDT

Play: Under

At 10:10pm our selection is on the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers 'under' the total. Although the Astros' season is for all purposes over, righthanded ace Roy Oswalt is really hitting his stride now and is back to the form that has made one of the Majors' elite hurlers over the past six years. Earlier this year, Oswalt's command was off and he was walking too many batters (he already has fourteen more walks in 2007 than he had all of last year). But over his last eight starts, the Astros have a record of 7-1 and Oswalt has only issued eleven free passes during that span. Dodger righthander Chad Billingsley has had a major problem in the run support department lately. In his last pair of outings, the Dodgers have failed to score any runs for Billingsley, and if it makes him feel any better, it's not just Billingsley that the team isn't scoring for. In their last seven games, including Sunday's 12-2 blowout at the hands of the St. Louis Cards, the Dodgers have only scored a total of ten runs. That's an average of well under two runs per game. Take the 'under'. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

[Thor]

Sports Advisors

THE SPORTS ADVISORS


NFL PRESEASON

Philadelphia (0-0) at Baltimore (0-0)
The Eagles will travel down Interstate 95 for their regular preseason game with the Ravens tonight, but will be without the services of injury-plagued QB Donovan McNabb.
This is the 10th time in the last 11 summers that Philadelphia and Baltimore have met in a preseason contest, not including a scheduled meeting in 2001 that was canceled due to problems with the Veterans Stadium turf. The Ravens are 6-3 SU in the last nine battles, but Philly has won and covered two of the last three.
Philadelphia coach Andy Reid is in his ninth season with the franchise, and clearly the August games don’t mean much to him, as he is 12-20 SU in the preseason. In the last three seasons, the Eagles are 1-5 SU and 3-3 ATS on the road in exhibition games.
A.J. Feeley gets the start at QB in this contest as McNabb continues to nurse his surgically repaired knee. Kelly Holcomb is slated to play in the second quarter, with rookie Kevin Kolb playing the entire second half. Reid has said his first-string units will likely play two series.
The Ravens get their first look at newly acquired RB Willis McGahee, who comes over from Buffalo to replace Jamal Lewis, who left for Cleveland in the offseason. McGahee will take the field with QB Steve McNair and the rest of the starters and play the first two series.
Baltimore coach Brian Billick said the second string, led by QB Kyle Boller, will get much of the playing time the rest of the way. Rookie QB and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith will likely see playing time in the fourth quarter.
The Ravens went 13-3 and cruised to the AFC North title a year ago, but were knocked out of the playoffs with a 15-6 loss to the Colts in the divisional playoff round. Baltimore is 4-2 SU and ATS at home the last three preseasons, but a mediocre 10-10 SU and ATS overall in the last five Augusts.

ATS ADVANTAGE: BALTIMORE





Denver (0-0) at San Francisco (0-0)
The Broncos travel to San Francisco tonight to face the team that knocked them out of last season’s playoffs in the final week of the season.
San Francisco’s 26-23 overtime victory in Denver on Dec. 31 prevented the Broncos from clinching a playoff berth, as they finished 9-7 for the fifth consecutive year.
Mike Shanahan is in his 13th year in Denver, and he is clearly a coach who takes the preseason seriously, compiling a 37-15 SU mark in exhibition play, including 7-1 (5-3 ATS) the last two years. Also, the Broncos are 10-2 SU in their last 12 preseason openers under Shanahan, though they did fall 20-13 to the Lions as a two-point home chalk in Week 1 of the 2006 exhibition campaign.
Second-year QB Jay Cutler is the Broncos’ starter and will play the first two series along with the rest of the first-stringers. When Cutler departs, Patrick Ramsey will lead the offense and play most of the remainder of the game, with Preston Parsons possibly seeing mop-up action. At RB, newly acquired Travis Henry is the starter, with Mike Bell and Cecil Sapp running second and third, respectively, on the team’s depth chart.
The QB rotation is clear for the Niners and third-year head coach Mike Nolan, who has Alex Smith as the starter, followed by Trent Dilfer. Shaun Hill will replace Dilfer and is expected to play most of the second half.
San Francisco RB Frank Gore broke a bone in his right hand in training camp and probably won’t play in the preseason. That leaves the ball-carrying duties to the unheralded trio of Michael Robinson, Maurice Hicks and Thomas Clayton.
Going back to 1995, the Broncos are 8-1 against the 49ers in preseason action. In the most recent meeting in 2005, Denver won 26-21, but San Francisco got the cash as a seven-point road dog.
San Francisco is 4-0 SU and ATS at home under Nolan and 7-3 SU and ATS in front of the home fans the last five Augusts.
ATS ADVANTAGE: DENVER





AMERICAN LEAGUE

Minnesota (58-59) at Seattle (65-50)

The Twins turn to ace Johan Santana (12-9, 2.98 ERA) to end their four-game slide in Seattle today against the Mariners’ Felix Hernandez (8-6, 3.97).
Minnesota has dropped four in a row after Sunday’s 6-2 loss to the Angels in Anaheim, Calif., making the Twins losers in six of their last seven. Minnesota is 3-0 against Seattle this season, sweeping a three-game set in the Pacific Northwest in mid-April.
Santana is 8-3 on the road with a 2.51 ERA and on Wednesday he held the Royals to two runs on eight hits in six innings of an 11-4 win in Kansas City. He has absolutely dominated the Mariners in his career as the Twins have gone 9-0 against Seattle with Santana on the hill.
The southpaw held Seattle to two runs (one earned) on four hits in seven innings of a 6-5 win back on April 19. Santana has never allowed more than four earned runs in any of his nine starts against the Mariners.
Hernandez is 2-0 in his last three starts and 4-3 with a 3.82 ERA at home. The Mariners are 5-2 in his last seven outings and last time he pitched at home he gave up four runs on six hits in eight innings of an 8-7 win over the Angels.
Seattle has lost two of his last three starts against Minnesota but back on April 18 he lasted just a third of an inning, giving up three runs on two hits, before leaving with an injury.
Seattle has gone 10-3 in its last 13 Monday contests and the Mariners are 20-8 in their last 28 home games.
The over was the play in the three games these two played in April, but the under is 20-7-3 in Minnesota’s last 30 overall. The over is 7-3 in the Mariners’ last 10 overall.

ATS ADVANTAGE: MINNESOTA

[Thor]

Kelso Sturgeon

Kelso Preseason NFL 8/13
5 units Eagles +3 @ Balt
5 units Denver +3 @ SF
1 unit Parlay on both above

[Thor]

Wunderdog


Game: San Francisco at Pittsburgh (5:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: Pittsburgh +103

Pittsburgh has to be confident here after sweeping the Giants at AT&T, while outscoring them 26-10 in the process. They handled San Francisco on the road, and they can definitely handle them here at home. The Giants, a terrible road team, will be without Barry Bonds today. That's not good for an offense that scores 4-runs per game (RPG) against lefties and is averaging 3.6-rpg over their last seven games. Paul Maholm starts for Pittsburgh and a win keeps him from becoming the NL's first 15-game loser. He'll be facing Matt Cain who has been quite good this season although the Giants are 5-18 with him starting this season. That record tells you what kind of run support he's getting. San Francisco is just 11-22 this season on the road at -125 to +125 and 3-9 so far in August. We'll fade the Bonds-less Giants here in game one.

[Thor]

Ben Burns

Ben Burns Afternoon "TOTAL" Annihilator

UNDER giants/pirates (Game 1)

Game: San Francisco Giants vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Game Time: 8/13/2007 5:05:00 PM Prediction: under Reason: I'm playing on GAME 1 of the San Francisco / Pittsburgh Double-Header to finish UNDER the total. The UNDER is 8-4-2 the last 14 times these teams faced each other and 8-5 the last 13 times they met here in Pittsburgh. Cain comes off three straight strong starts, recording a stellar 2.21 ERA. During that stretch he had an impressive 21 K's to just four walks. He also has a solid 3.04 ERA in seven daytime starts this season, holding opposing hitters to a mere .208 batting average. Maholm has been strong in each of his last two home starts, holding the Cardinals to two runs through six innings after limiting Houston to two runs through 6 2/3 innings in his previous start. Looking back further and we find that Maholm has allowed four earned runs or less in eight striaght home starts, going a minimum of six complete innings in each of the last seven of those. He'll face a Giants' lineup which has seen the UNDER go a highly profitable 15-5 its last 20 games against left-handed starters. Cain has seen the UNDER go a perfect 4-0 his last four starts and I'm expecting another relatively low-scoring affair this afternoon.


Ben Burns' PERSONAL FAVORITE

DODGERS

Game: Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Game Time: 8/13/2007 10:10:00 PM Prediction: Los Angeles Dodgers Reason: I'm playing on the LA DODGERS. Granted, Oswalt has been excellent lately. However, he still has a 4-5 road record with an ugly 5.52 ERA, allowing opposing hitters to bat .300 against him. His opponent, Chad Billingsley is also in fine current form. Indeed, Billingsley allowed only two combined runs in his last two starts and he's now allowed four earned runs or less in eight straight starts. For the season, he has a highly respectable 3.08 ERA underneath the lights and a 3.43 ERA at home, allowing opposing hitters to bat a mere .228. In his lone start against Houston, Billingsley tossed a complete game 5-hitter and the Dodgers won by a score of 10-2. The Dodgers remain above 500 (30-29) at home while the Astros are a horrible 20-38 (-1592) on the road, the worst mark in the National League. That includes an 0-4 record the last four times they faced a right-hander on the road. The Dodgers are also 6-2 the last eight times they hosted the Astros and 13-7 the last 20. I feel the price is very fair and I look for the Dodgers to continue that homefield series dominance, bouncing back from yesterday's embarrassing loss by grabbing tonight's series opener. *Personal Favorite


Ben Burns NFL Total of the Month

OVER ravens/eagles

Game: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Baltimore Ravens Game Time: 8/13/2007 7:00:00 PM Prediction: over Reason: I feel the Eagles and Ravens total, which sits below several key numbers, is too low and I'm playin on the OVER. Eight of this weekend's 14 games produced a minimum of 33 points. Those 14 games averaged 34.36 points. These teams faced each other in the preseason last year and managed only 30 points. A closer look shows that both teams moved the ball effectively (and both used a no-huddle offense at times) and that the game could have easily finished with more points though. At the very minimum, the game should have seen at least another three points scored when the Ravens moved down to the 15 with 18 seconds left in the first half. However, they inexplicably ran a third-down play without any timeouts left and the clock ran out before they could try a field goal. The teams also faced each other in the 2005 preseason and combined for 34 points. Looking back to 2004 and we find that they combined for 43 points in a 26-17 Eagles' victory. That's a 3-year average of 36 points in this "preseason rivalry." The Ravens saw last season's opener (vs. the Giants) produce 33 combined points. The Eagles scored 20 points in their preseason opener last season after scoring 31 (and gaving up 38) the previous season. Both teams have solid QB rotations and I look for them to effectively move the ball again this evening. Look for the final combined score to finish above the low number.


**BLOWOUT ALERT** Burns' Monday Night ESPN WINNER

49ers

Game: Denver Broncos vs. San Francisco 49ers Game Time: 8/13/2007 8:00:00 PM Prediction: San Francisco 49ers Reason: I'm playing on SAN FRANCISCO. Its true that Mike Shanahan does put more emphasis on winning preseason games than many other coaches. However, San Francisco coach Mike Nolan has also shown that he likes to establish a winning attitude during August. In fact, the 49ers have gone 75% ATS (6-2) in Nolan's first two preseasons. Looking back to last year and we find that the 49'ers convincingly won their preseason opener, defeating Chicago by 14 points here in San Francisco. On the other hand, the Broncos played their opener on the road (at Detroit) and lost by a touchdown. I feel that the 49ers QB rotation (Smith, Dilfer and Hill) gives them a significant advantage over the Broncos' young group (Cutler, Ramsey, Hackney, Parsons). The 49ers have big expectations this season and will be motivated by the chance to face a top tier team from the AFC and by the chance to play on "Primetime." I expect them to start the preseason with a solid win and cover.

[Thor]

Mr A's

Mr A's
Monday, August 13th, 2007, 7:05 p.m. est.

Boston's (R) Tim Wakefield

Tampa Bay Devil Rays (45-72) at Boston Red Sox (70-47)
(R) James Shields (9-7) vs. (R) Tim Wakefield (13-10)


Boston sends Tim Wakefield to the hill (13-10, 4.81 ERA) The right-hander has won his last four starts against Tampa Bay, including two this season. Wakefield is 17-2 with a 2.96 ERA in 34 career games against Tampa Bay. The Red Sox have won six of Wakefield's last 8 starts and seven of his last 8 at home.

Tampa Bay’s counters with James Shields (9-7, 4.32), The right-hander is 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA in three career starts against Boston. The Devil Rays are 3-8 in Shields' last 11 starts, 5-14 in his last 19 on the road. Shields is 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA in three career starts versus Boston.

Boston is glad to be back at home. They have played sound at Fenway Park, 5-1 in their last 6, going 36-20 this season. The Red Sox have won eight of the last 9 battles versus Tampa Bay in Beantown and Wakefield's last 4 starts against the Devil Rays. Go with the Red Sox at home with Tim Wakefield on the mound. Boston is 5-1 against the Devil Rays thus far this season and has taken 27 of the last 32 meetings in Boston.

Oddsmakers:
Boston as a -175 home favorite with the total listed at 9½ 'over'.

Boston Red Sox

[Bluemyboy]

thanks Thor, appreciate it!

[Thor]

No Problem Blue!! I will try and post them when I can!!