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August, 05 2008 10:15pm EST
TOTAL: Over 8.5 (100)
WIN for +5 unit(s)

Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants

At 10:15pm our selection is on the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants 'over' the total.  The two lefthanded starters taking the hill, Braves' veteran Mike Hampton, and Giants' youngster Jonathan O. Sanchez have ERAs over ten runs in their last three starts, although to be fair to Hampton, one of his "last three starts" was in 2005.  But his two comeback starts this season are pretty much right in that territory (10 ER in 9 innings in two starts since coming back from a three-year injury-related hiatus).  With the recent trade of 1B Mark Teixeira to the Angels, the Braves have thrown in the towel on the season, and since they gave up several top prospects to get Teixeira last year, it could be a long time before they are competing for a division title again.  It's unclear what has happened to Sanchez, who earlier in the season looked like he would become the last piece of what we might be calling "the big three" of strikeout starters (along with Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum).  But Sanchez's last few starts have to be a cause for concern for San Francisco (the Giants have lost each of his last five starts).  The good news is that, with the Giants not going anywhere this year, there is plenty of time to figure out what is going wrong and correct it.  The Braves continue to be one of the worst road teams in baseball with an 18-36 record and the Giants have been absolutely putrid at home lately, going 10-24 in their last 34 games at AT&T Park.  The over is 8-4 in Atlanta's last 12 overall and 11-6 in the last 17 meetings between these two clubs.  With both pitchers in very poor form, we'll look for a high-scoring game on Tuesday night.  NL Total of the Week on the 'over'.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

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Colorado Rockies @ Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday August 19, 2008 10:10 pm
At 10:10pm our selection is on the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers 'over' the total. It's still less than a month after the trade deadline, but the early returns would seem to indicate that the ... read more

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Detroit Tigers @ Texas Rangers Tuesday August 19, 2008 8:05 pm
At 8:05pm our complimentary selection is on the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers 'under' the total.  Detroit's 26-year-old righthanded starter Armando Galarraga has not only tossed his hat into the ... read more

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New York Mets @ Pittsburgh Pirates Monday August 18, 2008 12:35 pm
At 12:35pm our selection is on the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates 'under' the total.  If Pedro Martinez is going to start pitching like the Pedro of old (as he did on Friday night here at PNC ... read more

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Colorado Rockies @ Washington Nationals Sunday August 17, 2008 1:35 pm
At 1:35pm our selection is on the Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals 'under' the total.   Although they have a very short history (if you don't include their years as the Montreal Expos), ... read more

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Toronto Blue Jays @ Boston Red Sox Sunday August 17, 2008 1:35 pm
At 1:35pm our complimentary selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox 'over' the total.  Not having made a move to acquire a top-flight starting pitcher at the trade deadline at the ... read more

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Arizona D-Backs @ Houston Astros Saturday August 16, 2008 7:05 pm
At 7:05pm our complimentary selection is on the Houston Astros over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The D-Backs have made what they hope is a significant move to light a fire under their sagging offense by ... read more

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Chicago White Sox @ Oakland Athletics Saturday August 16, 2008 3:55 pm
At 3:55pm our selection is on the Chicago White Sox over the Oakland Athletics.  If the White Sox are going to win their division and make a run in the postseason, they're going to have to win games ... read more

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San Francisco Giants @ Houston Astros Thursday August 14, 2008 2:05 pm
At 2:05pm our selection is on the San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros 'under' the total.  36-year-old righthander Brian Moehler doesn't seem to mind that his team is out of contention with a ... read more

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Toronto Blue Jays @ Detroit Tigers Thursday August 14, 2008 1:05 pm
At 1:05pm our complimentary selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Detroit Tigers.  The 2008 version of the Toronto Blue Jays could feature one of the weakest hitting lineups of this franchise ... read more

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Tampa Bay Rays @ Oakland Athletics Tuesday August 12, 2008 10:05 pm
At 10:05pm our selection is on the the Tampa Bay Rays and the Oakland Athletics 'over' the total.  The Oakland A's must be glad to be returning home after a brutal 10 game road trip that saw them ... read more

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