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All games are listed pitchers unless stated otherwise.
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</td></tr></tbody></table>CINCINNATI +1.13 over Philadelphia <o
></o>
Cole Hamels is returning to his last year’s form after a very shaky start. However, there are some concerns. For one, his groundball to fly ball ratio is very average indeed and in his last start against the Dodgers he faced 27 batters and just six grounded out. This venue has a way of making pitchers that don’t keep the ball down look very bad. In that game against L.A. Hamels threw 110 pitches and for a guy that is said to have a few nagging injuries he could find himself in trouble here. His BAA is .308. Meanwhile, if he already isn’t, Johnny Cueto is well on his way to becoming one of the toughest pitchers in the business. His BAA is more than 100 points lower than Hamels at .205 and he comes in with a very impressive 1.93 ERA. His strikeout to walk ratio is very good and getting better and he’s also pitching deep into games, much the same way Roy Halliday does. Cueto has an outstanding 1.02 WHIP and with a tag on him here he’s nothing but value. Play: Cincinnati +1.13 (Risking 2 units). <o></o>
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FLORIDA –1½ +1.22 over Arizona <o></o>
John Garland has been off for nine days, as his last scheduled start was rained out and the Snakes were only too happy to push him back a few days. Garland has 16 walks and 16 strikeouts and is virtually useless in a hitter’s park because he’s one of the more hittable starters in the game. His WHIP of 1.54 is troubling. He’s possibly the most mediocre pitcher in history to put up back-to-back 18 win seasons and with no offense to support him he could be well on his way to an 18-loss season. Bottom line is that Garland stinks, end of story. Meanwhile, the Marlins are laboring big time but after facing the Dodgers and Brewers they’ll find the D-Backs much more to their liking. The Marlins are too talented to not get back to its winning ways and they have a great opportunity here with Josh Johnson facing Garland. The D-Backs own the worst offense in the league and that’s saying a lot when you consider they play in a complete hitters park. Their chances of success against Johnson are slim at best, as Johnson is the real deal with a BAA of .238, a 3-0 record, a 1.09 WHIP and an ERA of 2.50. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider that he’s accomplished that against one of the tougher schedules in the league. In fact, he’s faced the Rockies in Colorado, Washington twice, the Mets twice, Philly, Milwaukee and Cincinnati. Now, he’ll take a huge step down in class against this anemic offense and it says here this is one of the days biggest pitching mismatches. Play Florida –1½ +1.22 (Risking 2 units). <o></o>
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Toronto +1.32 over BOSTON <o></o>
Brian Tallet has filthy stuff and he’s pitching for the hottest team in the league with perhaps the league’s best bullpen behind him. Tallet is a guy that is not very well known at all and his ERA of 4.68 seems high but sometimes an ERA doesn’t tell the whole story. He’s allowed just 33 hits in 41 frames and is coming off a six-inning, four hit performance against the Yanks. Since being inserted into the starting rotation, a role he’s much more comfortable with, he’s made three starts and saw his ERA dip from 6.45 to the current one. He’s thrown six full innings in two starts and seven full in the other. In those three May starts, the league is hitting a puny .147 off him. Tim Wakefield needs no introduction, as he’s a solid knuckleballer that gets the job done, period. Thing is, the Jays are beating everyone, the offense is the best in the business, Tallet is firing BB’s and just like the Yanks, the Red Sox continue to be an overpriced proposition almost daily. Kevin Youkilis is out and he’s not a huge loss to this team. Great value on the Jays here, as they’re simply a must play. Play Toronto +1.32 (Risking 2 units).
All games are listed pitchers unless stated otherwise.
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</td></tr></tbody></table>CINCINNATI +1.13 over Philadelphia <o
></o>Cole Hamels is returning to his last year’s form after a very shaky start. However, there are some concerns. For one, his groundball to fly ball ratio is very average indeed and in his last start against the Dodgers he faced 27 batters and just six grounded out. This venue has a way of making pitchers that don’t keep the ball down look very bad. In that game against L.A. Hamels threw 110 pitches and for a guy that is said to have a few nagging injuries he could find himself in trouble here. His BAA is .308. Meanwhile, if he already isn’t, Johnny Cueto is well on his way to becoming one of the toughest pitchers in the business. His BAA is more than 100 points lower than Hamels at .205 and he comes in with a very impressive 1.93 ERA. His strikeout to walk ratio is very good and getting better and he’s also pitching deep into games, much the same way Roy Halliday does. Cueto has an outstanding 1.02 WHIP and with a tag on him here he’s nothing but value. Play: Cincinnati +1.13 (Risking 2 units). <o
></o><o
></o>FLORIDA –1½ +1.22 over Arizona <o
></o>John Garland has been off for nine days, as his last scheduled start was rained out and the Snakes were only too happy to push him back a few days. Garland has 16 walks and 16 strikeouts and is virtually useless in a hitter’s park because he’s one of the more hittable starters in the game. His WHIP of 1.54 is troubling. He’s possibly the most mediocre pitcher in history to put up back-to-back 18 win seasons and with no offense to support him he could be well on his way to an 18-loss season. Bottom line is that Garland stinks, end of story. Meanwhile, the Marlins are laboring big time but after facing the Dodgers and Brewers they’ll find the D-Backs much more to their liking. The Marlins are too talented to not get back to its winning ways and they have a great opportunity here with Josh Johnson facing Garland. The D-Backs own the worst offense in the league and that’s saying a lot when you consider they play in a complete hitters park. Their chances of success against Johnson are slim at best, as Johnson is the real deal with a BAA of .238, a 3-0 record, a 1.09 WHIP and an ERA of 2.50. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider that he’s accomplished that against one of the tougher schedules in the league. In fact, he’s faced the Rockies in Colorado, Washington twice, the Mets twice, Philly, Milwaukee and Cincinnati. Now, he’ll take a huge step down in class against this anemic offense and it says here this is one of the days biggest pitching mismatches. Play Florida –1½ +1.22 (Risking 2 units). <o
></o><o
></o>Toronto +1.32 over BOSTON <o
></o>Brian Tallet has filthy stuff and he’s pitching for the hottest team in the league with perhaps the league’s best bullpen behind him. Tallet is a guy that is not very well known at all and his ERA of 4.68 seems high but sometimes an ERA doesn’t tell the whole story. He’s allowed just 33 hits in 41 frames and is coming off a six-inning, four hit performance against the Yanks. Since being inserted into the starting rotation, a role he’s much more comfortable with, he’s made three starts and saw his ERA dip from 6.45 to the current one. He’s thrown six full innings in two starts and seven full in the other. In those three May starts, the league is hitting a puny .147 off him. Tim Wakefield needs no introduction, as he’s a solid knuckleballer that gets the job done, period. Thing is, the Jays are beating everyone, the offense is the best in the business, Tallet is firing BB’s and just like the Yanks, the Red Sox continue to be an overpriced proposition almost daily. Kevin Youkilis is out and he’s not a huge loss to this team. Great value on the Jays here, as they’re simply a must play. Play Toronto +1.32 (Risking 2 units).
hno:
