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*RED ALERT* Burns' Monday Night GAME OF THE MONTH!
Ben Burns has enjoyed success in games involving the Super Bowl champs again this season, incl. a winner ON the Giants over the Skins & a winner AGAINST the Giants when they failed to cover vs. the Bengals, a game that went to OT. Burns returns with another BIG play involving the defending champs. It's his HIGHEST RATED MNF play in October!

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August, 06 2008 4:40pm EST
TOTAL: Under 8.5 (-120)
LOSS for -3 unit(s)

Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners

I'm playing on Seattle and Minnesota to finish UNDER the total. The bats have come to life in the first two games of this series. Those games both came at night though and they featured Seattle's worst two pitchers. The series finale features a pair of quality starters, both of which have pitched well lately and both of which should enjoy some matchup advantages here. It also goes in the afternoon, which I believe will be significant.

The Twins entered yesterday's game hitting .284 in their evening games, averaging a healthy 5.4 runs per game. Including last night's result, the 'over' is now a highly profitable 48-28-2 when then they've played at night. It's been a completely different story when they've played during the afternoon though. Indeed, in their 35 day games, they've hit .261 while averaging just 3.8 runs per game. Not surprisingly, it's been the UNDER which has primarily 'gotten the cash' in those games, going a profitable 22-12-1, which is just shy of 65%. The Mariners have also struggled to score runs in the afternoon. They entered last night's game averaging 4.3 runs per game in the evening. However, like the Twins, the Mariners enter this afternoon's game averaging just 3.8 runs per game when playing during the day. The UNDER has shown a modest profit, going 19-15-1 in their day games.

Washburn gets the call for the home team and he's had plenty of success against the Twins over his career. In fact, his teams (Angels and Mariners) are 10-5 in his 15 career starts against Minnesota and he allowed four earned runs or less in 14 of those games. The last time that he faced them was August of last year (08/21/07) which means that the Minnesota hitters haven't seen him in quite some time. In that game, which came at Minnesota, he allowed just two runs through six complete innings. A week earlier, on 08/15, he faced them here at Seattle. Despite suffering a loss, he also pitched very well in that start, allowing only one earned run through seven complete innings. Including that result, which slipped below the total with a final score of 8.5, the UNDER is 9-3 the last 12 times that he faced the Twins and 10-5 for his career.

Washburn struggled in his last start. However, we can cut him a bit of slack, as he had expected to be traded to the Yankees or another contender and therefore may not have been as focused as he normally might have been. Additionally, he had previously allowed two runs or less in eight of his past nine starts and four earned runs or less in all nine of them. During that nine-game stretch, he had an outstanding 2.44 ERA. Even with his last game finishing above the number, the UNDER is still a lucrative 9-2 his last 11 starts. Lastly, note that Washburn has been exceptional when pitching during the day this season. In four daytime appearances (3 starts) he has an excellent 2.14 ERA, holding opposing hitters to a mere .216 batting average.

Blackburn gets the call for the Twins and he's coming off back to back stellar outings. Last time out, he allowed just six hits and one run though seven complete innings, en route to a 4-1 Minnesota victory. In his previous start, which was his most recent road start, he was even better. In that game, which finished with a final score of 4-2, he allowed a mere four hits through seven complete innings, again allowing only a single run. Like Washburn, he's been outstanding when pitching during the afternoon. In fact, in his seven daytime starts, he has an exceptional 1.80 ERA! Opposing hitters are batting .237 against him in the day but better than .300 when facing him under the lights. Lastly, it's important to note that he'll have the advantage of facing the Mariners hitters for the first time. Look for the bats to go quiet this afternoon, as this pitcher's duel falls below the number. *Getaway Day Total of the Month