Sweet Action

NBX Wisegirl Lisa thinks the following hot NCAAF trends are worth considering before sending in your Play of the Day pick...
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Huskies are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 road games.
Orange are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games.
Huskies are 3-11-3 ATS in their last 17 non-conference games.
Orange are 20-7 ATS in their last 27 non-conference games.
Huskies are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games as a road favorite.
Orange are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games as a home dog.
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 For more stats on this and other NCAAF games... click here
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"Sweet Action" trends are not picks, but merely plays that may deserve a closer look. So, don't come crying to us if your bankroll shrinks as a result of riding any of these trends.

Throwin Heat - Brewers

Milwaukee's front office has worked hard to make them competitive and they've done a good job of improving this organization. It worked well the first half of the season. However, I expected this team to fade, and from what I've seen since the All-Star Break, I don't expect the Brewers to make the playoffs this year.
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Fielder and Hardy have had a good season and Braun should win Rookie of the Year. Milwaukee's starting rotation was unbelievable earlier this year and they were doing everything right. However, it's been a different story in the 2nd half. Ben Sheets is their only starter with an ERA under 4.78, and he just came off the DL. Let's put it this way... without a closer like Cordero, the Brewers would really be in trouble right now.
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When a ball club plays as well as they did in the first half of this season, and then has a second half like this, you have to look at their manager. I'm not asking for Ned Yost's head, but this team hasn't been known for strong finishes since he got the job. In '03 they ended up 68-94... '04, 67-94... '05, 81-81... and in '06 they went 75-87. If the Brewers don't at least finish above .500 this year, Milwaukee will need to make a change somewhere before '08.
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Bottom line... right now the Brewers are the kind of team that what they are is what they're going to be... and that doesn't equal contender.
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Dave Stewart is NBX's MLB analyst and enjoyed an illustrious 17 year MLB pitching career. He's the owner of three World Series rings and was named World Series MVP in 1989. He drops some serious knowledge in his Throwin Heat posts on a regular basis and sponsors a weekly baseball contest on NBX.com.

MLB and NCAAF Picks for Thursday

I will start off with the Baseball Pick, using the Detroit Tigers over the hapless Royals. The Tigers will not get Swept by the Royals in this close of a baseball race. Jeremy Bonderman is 10-7 with an ERA of 4.87. Remember when Bonderman was nearly voted into this year's All-Star Game? It certainly does seem like a long time ago that he was considered a potential All-Star pitcher. His late-season struggles continued with his sixth loss over his past seven starts on Saturday against the Yankees. Bonderman has still looked decent in stretches, but has been very inconsistent for a team that needs him to provide quality starts in the stretch run of the season. It could be another sign of a late-season slump for Bonderman. He is 18-31 after the All-Star break in his career with a 5.33 ERA. Also remember the Tigers are playing the Royals and this game means a lot for the Tigers.
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As for the Royals, they send Leo Nunez who is 2-1 with an ERA of 3.00. Nunez was stopped by a blister after three innings on Aug. 16 at Texas. He was stopped by two homers and four runs after four innings on Aug. 21 at Chicago. It was the poorest outing of his five this year for the Royals; in his previous 23 innings, he'd allowed just five runs. Home runs have plagued him -- he's given up five in 27 innings. The club is trying to decide if he's best as a starter or a reliever. Originally he was supposed to pitch in Friday's doubleheader at Minnesota but was moved to this slot. Now remember he is no ace, and we are talking about the Royals here!!!! This is quite a mismatch for me. I would even take the Tigers -1.5 on the runline so that the Tigers would be +106 with the runline and -145 on the money line. I would take both. Lock them up as winners.
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We are now talking about UNLV Football, they had 2 victories last year. Look for a few more this year. However, Utah State had 1 victory last year. This UNLV team is way better than Utah State in every category, take my word on it. Take those running rebels tonight to start 1-0 in easy fashion!!!!
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For a recap, take the Tigers in baseball, and take UNLV for just this first game on the road for them. I can almost guarantee a UNLV victory!!!! Just for tonight. There are my two picks, hope you guys continue to like them. So far I've had nothing but good comments from you guys. Thanks a lot. I do appreciate everything, and will do my best to help you guys find winners!!!!!

Sweet Action

NBX Wisegirl Lilia thinks the following hot MLB trends make the Under in San Diego and the Over in New York worth a closer look today...
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Under is 5-0 in Young's last 5 home starts vs. a team with a winning record.
Under is 6-0 in Davis' last 6 road starts vs. a team with a winning record.
Under is 13-3 in Young's last 16 starts as a home favorite.
Over is 12-2 in Schilling's last 14 starts vs. Yankees.
Over is 4-1 in Wang's last 5 starts with 4 days of rest.
Over is 36-17 in Schilling's last 53 starts following a Quality Start in his last appearance.
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 For more stats on these and other games... click here
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"Sweet Action" trends are not picks, but merely plays that may deserve a closer look. So, don't come crying to us if your bankroll shrinks as a result of riding any of these trends.

Dodgers and the Under LAA/SEA (Locks)

We will start off with the Dodgers and Brad Penny with a 14-4 record and an ERA of 2.65. Penny had trouble with the top of the Mets' order, and he was unusually wild... a bad combination when the Dodgers' offense isn't scoring. In his four losses, the offense has supported him with only four runs. He's only 5-11 lifetime against the Mets and 1-9 at Shea Stadium, so the outcome wasn't a complete surprise. He's 12-5 with a 2.21 ERA lifetime against Washington/Montreal. No matter what the organization is he owns them!!!!
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For the Nats, Shawn Hill is 3-3 with an ERA of 2.31. On Friday, the Nationals lost to the Rockies in the bottom of the ninth inning, and it spoiled a nice outing by Hill, who faced Rockies left-hander Jeff Francis. They became the first Canadian-born pitchers to face each other since July 1, 2000, when Marlins right-hander Ryan Dempster faced Expos right-hander Mike Johnson. Hill, who is from Mississauga, Ontario, pitched seven innings and gave up one run on four hits. The run scored in the first inning, when Troy Tulowitzski drove in Kazuo Matsui with a single to right field to tie the score at 1. At one point during the game, Hill retired 12 consecutive batters. Hill has been better as of late, but is no Cy Young.
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Angels throw Jared Weaver, who is 9-6 with an ERA of 3.96. Weaver pitched six shutout innings on Friday night at Angel Stadium, out-dueling Jays ace Roy Halladay in a 3-0 victory against Toronto. Weaver, who entered the start with a 1-1 record and 6.08 ERA in August, located his fastball effectively and threw his curveball for strikes. He walked one and struck out five. He pitched to contact, but kept the ball in the park, allowing nine flyouts and three groundouts. Overall, Weaver threw 103 pitches, 64 for strikes. If he can win his next scheduled start, it would mark the first time he had won consecutive starts since May 19 and May 25.
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And Seattle throws, Felix Hernandez who is 10-6 with ERA of 3.90. The out-of-the-chute Hernandez was on display in his last start, as the right-hander held the Rangers to one hit over 4 2/3 innings before a check-swing single and ensuing home run put a dent on perhaps his most overpowering outing since he one-hit the Red Sox in his second start of the season. Hernandez struck out seven before the heat of Texas cut short his outing after 84 pitches. The under the total of 8.5 looks good, even if the line drops to 8!!!!!
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And  for a recap, take a try on the Dodgers and the UNDER With Angels/Seattle!!!!!! Great picks for tonight.

Sweet Action

NBX Wisegirl Monica thinks the following hot MLB trends make the Dodgers and Rangers worth a closer look today...
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Dodgers are 8-0 in their last 8 games as a favorite.
Dodgers are 6-1 in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
Nationals are 0-5 in their last 5 in Los Angeles.
Rangers are 8-3 in their last 11 games as a home favorite.
Rangers are 6-2 in their last 8 vs. a team with a losing record.
White Sox are 0-12 in their last 12 games as an underdog.
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 For more stats on these and other games... click here
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"Sweet Action" trends are not picks, but merely plays that may deserve a closer look. So, don't come crying to us if your bankroll shrinks as a result of riding any of these trends.

Indians and Tigers GGGrowllll!!!!!!!

As for the Indians, Jake Westbrook RHP (4-7,4.40), who has been great as of late. Westbrook's resurgent month of August continued with his strongest start of the season Thursday in Detroit. He worked eight scoreless innings against the Tigers, allowing just five hits with two walks, three strikeouts and two hit batters. His sinker was on cue, as he forced 14 groundouts. The problem was he received no offensive support in that span, so he came out with a no-decision. Westbrook gave up two runs on four hits over seven innings for a no-decision in his lone start against the Twins this season.
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As for the Twins, Boof Bonser, RHP (6-10,4.76), Bonser saw his 12-start winless streak come to an end on Thursday. The right-hander allowed just one run on three hits over seven innings in his last start against the Orioles. The Twins are looking for Bonser to deliver longer outings like in this last start, and the hope is that by changing up his workout and diet plan, he will be able to do just that. Bonser is 0-1 with a 7.56 ERA in two career starts against the Tribe... nothing to be bragging about!!!!
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As for the Tigers, Nate Robertson, LHP (7-10, 4.80), who has also been playing great as of late. Robertson turned in arguably his best outing of the season Thursday against the Indians, but the Tigers' offensive struggles left him with a no-decision to show for his 8 2/3 scoreless innings. All he could take from it was some encouragement that he could efficiently work that deep into the game, expending just 91 pitches in the process. It was easily his longest outing of the season, yet his lowest pitch count since June 26.
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As for the Royals, Brian Bannister, RHP (10-7, 3.28), does not really impress me because of the pitchers he faces in the rotation, (mostly the # 4 or 5 pitchers)!!! In his last start in Chicago, Bannister became the Royals' first 10-game winner this season and the club's first rookie to win 10 since 1992. In that game and his previous outing at Oakland, Bannister had a rather rocky first inning. In each case, he quickly made adjustments and won both times... a complete game in the Oakland case. His ability to make changes on the fly has worked well, and he employs a basic that's always a plus... he throws strikes. In his last seven starts, he's 5-1 with a 2.23 ERA. But the teams he beat are teams he should beat, which don't say much, and his stuff just does not impress me or the odds-makers as well!!!!
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-Dom-

Sweet Action

NBX Wisegirl Michelle thinks the following hot MLB trends might have you considering the Under in San Diego and Philly today...
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Under is 4-1-1 in Webb's last 6 starts vs. Padres.
Under is 5-1-1 in Padres last 7 home games vs. a right-handed starter.
Under is 10-1 in Webb's last 11 starts with 5 days of rest.
Under is 4-0-1 in Glavine's last 5 starts vs. Phillies.
Under is 4-1 in Glavine's last 5 road starts with the total set at 9.0-10.5.
Under is 4-0 in Glavine's last 4 starts as a road favorite.
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 For more stats on these and other games... click here
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"Sweet Action" trends are not picks, but merely plays that may deserve a closer look. So, don't come crying to us if your bankroll shrinks as a result of riding any of these trends.

Three Big Monday Picks

Going to start with my favorite pick, which is oddly enough a preseason football game. The 3rd exhibition game of the preseason is the most important, jobs are lost and won!!! The Bengals take on the Falcons in Atlanta. The Bengals are coming off an upset loss of the Saints in which they were favored by 3 1/2 and the 46 total score went over the line of 37. The Over is a great play tonight. The starters will play more than a half. That tells me that their starters are better and reserves fighting for a job are better. Those are all the keys in preseason. And, always remember the 3rd game is the most important on coaches' minds. The Over is a nice play also.
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My second pick is the Padres. Jake Peavy, 14-5 with an ERA of 2.21, is going for the Cy YOUNG AWARD. He was dominant against the Mets on Wednesday... going 6 innings, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits and striking out 11. He leads the league in strikeouts and is 8-0 on the road. No pressure for him!!!
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He goes against Livian Hernandez, who gave up 5 runs in 6 innings of work last time out Tuesday. He tweaked a muscle in the first inning of his last start, but he claims it is not a problem. We will see???
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My third and throw in pick for an upset, will be the Oakland A's. Estaban Loaiza is 1-0 with an ERA of 1.17. He is making his 2nd start against the Blue Jays this season. It is also just his 2nd start of the season. He came back from injury Wednesday afternoon and could not be any better against his former team. He went 7 2/3 innings, giving up 1 run in his first outing going back to last season. The man is back ladies and gentleman. Look out for this pitcher. He has great stuff and is unhittable. He is definitely a dark horse when he is healthy, and he is now 100%.
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For the Blue Jays, Burnett is 7-7 an ERA of 3.85. He came away with a loss to the A's last time facing them. He allowed 4 runs on 4 hits and struck out 9 in 7 innings. but only 1 run was earned because of errors. However, he could not escape the jam like a good pitcher would have. He is 1-1 in 2 career starts against the A's.
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For a recap, in this order I suggest the Bengals, and the Over in that game if you like totals. My 2nd pick is the San Diego Padres, and my 3rd is the underdog special Oakland A's... I don't understand why they are underdogs, but eat this pick up!!!!!!!!
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-DOM SR-