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BASEBALL — May 18

SEATTLE at OAKLAND

(Hernanderz vs. Sheets: Mariners -120, Oakland +100, Total 7) — [private] We all know what Felix Hernandez can do – after all, he was runner-up in the Cy Young voting last year – but there is also a reality, and that is that Hernandez is giving up a full run more per game and one more hit per nine innings, so he isn’t as dominant. Ben Sheets has had a big mountain to climb, but he’s a big guy. Two disastrous starts muddied up his ERA, but he has come back with two very good outings, where he has allowed just seven hits and struck out 16 in twelve innings. That means he is blowing it by people right now. Seattle is in last place because the M’s once again can’t score runs (3.29 per game, last in the AL). The dog is well worth a look.

THE PLAY: OAKLAND (+100) ***

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)
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BASEBALL — April 25

N.Y. YANKEES at L.A. ANGELS

(Yankees -120, Angels +100, Total 9.5) — [private] The Angels have had some problems scoring runs this season, and Andy Pettitte simply schooled them on Saturday, giving up a single run in eight innings. One area of concern for the Yankees, however, is that they aren’t getting what they hoped out of Javier Vazquez, who has an ERA over 8.00 and is leaving a lot of questions about his ability to handle things in the Big Apple. Scott Kazmir, who performed so admirably for the Angels after coming over from Tampa Bay, got hit hard by the Yankees last time out but offered some hope last time, as he struck out seven batters in six innings.

THE PLAY: L.A. ANGELS (Even) **

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)
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BASEBALL — November 4

PHILADELPHIA at N.Y. YANKEES
World Series – Game 6
(Martinez vs. Pettitte: Yankees -200, Phillies +170, Total 9.5) — The Phillies try to hang on for one more day of battle in this World Series. [private] They will oppose the guy who comes in billed as the “winningest pitcher in post-season history” as Andy Pettitte takes the hill. Pettitte’s record in October (and now November, I guess) is impressive, but don’t let that get blown out of proportion. He’s had the advantage of more post-season series to pitch in than any other pitcher of his time, or any time, for that matter. And guess what? Pedro Martinez has a lower ERA and WHIP ratio in post-season play than Pettitte does. Martinez has had a 2.08 ERA and 0.77 WHIP in two post-season starts, and he’s doing it basically without a fastball. He is a Hall of Famer and this is the biggest start he’s had in his life. It’s also the game that will define him for the rest of this “second act” in his career. We know that the Yankees have probably been the team that has played smarter, they have the better bullpen, and they have more legitimate bats in the lineup than they had the other night. By the same token, the Phillies may have more hitters who are in a good place (Chase Utley, Jayson Werth) right now and can turn a game around with on swing of the bat. However, one factor you have to figure in is that Pettitte is pitching on three days rest and that is something he has not done all year. At this price, you have to go with the great old pitcher over the good old pitcher, especially as the all-time great is more capable of a performance of dominance. The Phillies get to play another day.

THE PLAY: PHILADELPHIA (+170) ***

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)
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BASEBALL — November 2

N.Y. YANKEES at PHILADELPHIA
World Series – Game 5
(Burnett vs. Lee: Phillies -145, Yankees +125, Total 8.5) — It’s simply do-or-die for the Phillies tonight. [private] They won’t soon forget Cliff Lee’s performance in Game 1 that gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead in this series, but if he doesn’t come through with another one in Game 5, that gem will become a lot more forgettable. Lee went the full route in the opener, allowing one run, which wasn’t earned, and struck out ten Yankees without issuing a walk. That means he has gone 28 innings against the Bronx Bombers over the last couple of seasons and has allowed just five earned runs. Lee, who got off to an unfortunate start this season with no run support in Cleveland before landing with the defending world champions, has been so good in the post-season that it’s not even funny, with an 0.57 ERA and ratio of 10 strikeouts for every walk. Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel was criticized by some for leaving Lee in the game for the eighth and ninth innings, because he wasn’t able to come back with him for Game 4, but Lee has never pitched on three days rest. Now he comes into this game with his teams having won 15 of their last 19 games that he’s started. He’ll carry something of a burden into this game, as his big hitter, Ryan Howard, can not put his bat on the ball, it seems. In the last three games of the World Series, Howard is now one-for-12 and has struck out eight times. Jimmy Rollins is just 2-for-11 with one RBI and no extra base hits during that time. The go-to guys now are Chase Utley, who homered twice in Game 1 and homered again on Sunday night; Pedro Feliz, who is 4-for-8 in the last two games and hit a homer on Sunday; catcher Carlos Ruiz, who has a .469 on-base percentage in the post-season, and of course, Jayson Werth, who may have gone 0-for-3 against the Yankees last night but who has slammed seven home runs since the playoffs started. Brad Lidge picked the wrong time to revisit his 2009 regular season struggles, and that is pretty much the story of the shaky bullpen, but perhaps Lee, with that extra day of rest, won’t need it. Can the Phillies avoid doing some of the stupid things that have plagued them, like not covering third base in the ninth inning when a guy (Johnny Damon) is trying to steal.

THE PLAY: PHILADELPHIA (-145) ***

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)
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BASEBALL — November 1

N.Y. YANKEES at PHILADELPHIA
(Sabathia vs. Blanton: Yankees -170, Phillies +150, Total 8.5) — Ladies and gentlemen, re-introducing….baseball in November. [private] The Yankees go with CC Sabathia again here in Game 4, although the Phillies will not send their Game 1 starter, Cliff Lee, out to the mound. Charlie Manuel decided it was too risky to use Lee, who has a 0.57 ERA in this post-season but has never pitched on three days of rest; meanwhile, Sabathia has indeed done that, and with aplomb, as he beat the Angels in Game 4 of the ALCS. Sabathia, by the way, has a 1.52 ERA since the playoffs began. Joe Blanton, who gets the start for Philadelphia (Lee will probably go tomorrow) went against the Dodgers in the series that got the Phils back here, and went a so-so six innings, giving up four runs. He did not pitch against the Yankees this season, but he is 0-3 lifetime against them, giving up 20 runs (and five homers) in 22 innings. That’s no good, but the Phillies, despite Saturday’s defeat, have still racked up an 11-2 record in the post-season the last two years on their home grounds. Ryan Howard hops to get untracked in Game 4. And he better, because he’s the guy who can wreak some havoc, but since he doubled twice off of Sabathia in Game 1 of the World Series, he has gone hitless in eight at-bats and struck out seven times. Because Howard hit only .206 against lefties this season, history does not point toward a “get well” in this game, as it’s likely Sabathia will have learned a lesson or two from what Andy Pettitte did against him. Blanton may have to hit another World Series home run to bail his team out of this one.

THE PLAY: N.Y. YANKEES (-170) **

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)
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BASEBALL — October 31

N.Y. YANKEES at PHILADELPHIA
World Series – Game 3
(Pettitte vs. Hamels: Yankees -120, Phillies +100, Total 9) — Interesting pitching matchup between the guy who has more post-season wins than anyone (Andy Pettitte) and the MVP of last year’s World Series (Cole Hamels). [private] Both of these teams have been excellent against left-handed pitching. The Yankees posted a 34-18 record during the regular season, while the Phillies were 29-16. Philadelphia’s record at Citizens Bank Park was 45-36, which could have been better. If you are simply comparing these pitchers right now, we’d have give the advantage to the Yankees. Pettitte has put forward three strong efforts in the playoffs, and on his last one, the clincher against the Angels, as he allowed just a single earned run on seven hits. Over Hamels’ last six starts, he’s had a 6.90 ERA, and in 14-2/3 playoff innings he’s allowed 11 earned runs (6.75 ERA). Alex Rodriguez (six strikeouts so far) should be able to climb out of his slump sooner or later, and Hideki Matsui, who drove in 46 runs against southpaws this season (a major league high) will likely be in the lineup.

THE PLAY: N.Y. YANKEES (-120) ***

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)
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BASEBALL — October 29

PHILADELPHIA at N.Y. YANKEES
World Series – Game 2
(Martinez vs. Burnett: Yankees -210, Phillies +175, Total 9) — Now the guys with the best record in baseball are in a position where they have to bounce back. [private] For the Yankees, Wednesday night was an unfortunate experience as they had to face Cliff Lee, who shut them down with ten strikeouts en route to a 6-1 victory. Now, with the Bronx Bombers staring a 2-0 deficit at home in the face, the drama gets bigger as Pedro Martinez takes the mound. Martinez tossed a seven-inning scoreless gem against the Dodgers in his last start, allowing just three hits, and he is relishing the opportunity to pitch at Yankee Stadium, where he perceives himself to be hated. If you look at his last two post-season starts, Martinez has gone 14 scoreless innings and allowed just five hits, striking out nine and walking two. We are certainly not saying that he has been consistent ever since he joined the Phils, but he is perfectly capable of giving the team five or six innings of quality work. Philadelphia is more likely to need the bullpen here than the Yankees, but that’s okay, since Charlie Manuel probably handles his pitchers a little better than Joe Girardi, who has a tendency to over-manage. AJ Burnett has walked ten batters in 18-1/3 innings in the post-season. Prior to his last start, he had gone six straight without allowing more than two runs. We saw last night that in many respects, the Phillies can match the Yankees’ pop in the lineup. For Game 2, New York’s lineup is weakened, as Jose Molina must catch for Burnett, leaving Jorge Posada out, and Nick Swisher has been benched in favor of Jerry Hairston. Pedro is worth the price here.

THE PLAY: PHILADELPHIA (+175) **

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)
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BASEBALL — October 28

PHILADELPHIA at N.Y. YANKEES
World Series – Game 1
(Lee vs. Sabathia: Yankees -170, Phillies +150, Total 7.5) — The Yankees bought it, so they deserve it, and now they try to dethrone the reigning world champs. [private] Both teams send their best pitcher to the mound, and they’re both lefties who won Cy Young Awards with the Cleveland Indians. Cliff Lee has been a great acquisition for the Phillies, and not only finished strong, but has blitzed the opposition in the post-season, with a 0.74 ERA. CC Sabathia has been almost as good, with a 1.19 ERA against playoff opponents. These guys are doing just what they were acquired to do. Actually, one of the interesting sidelights to this game is that Ryan Howard, the biggest offensive threat the Phillies have, has been consistently shut down against left-handed pitching. Howard’s lifetime average against southpaws is just .226, and he is hitting just .207 this season against them. He also swings with less power against lefties. The Yankees not only have Sabathia ready to go seven or eight innings, they have people like Phil Coke and Damaso Marte (.120 average vs. left-handed hitters this year). The guy who has made a little comeback for the Phillies is reliever Brad Lidge, who had a 7.21 ERA in the regular season, but has given up just one hit in his last seven appearances. The Yankees probably have an edge in this game, because their closer (Mariano Rivera) has a 0.77 ERA in the post-season, and a 1.16 in the World Series. Our faith lies in the ability of these two aces rather than one of the two teams.

THE PLAY: UNDER 7.5 (-115) ***

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)
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BASEBALL — October 24

L.A. ANGELS at N.Y. YANKEES
AL Championship Series – Game 6
(Saunders vs. Pettitte: Yankees -190, Angels +160, Total 9.5) — Okay, we do it all over again, but it’s the same story, basically. [private] The Yankees didn’t mind the rainout, considering they are going with a three-man rotation in the post-season. It gave CC Sabathia more rest in case he has to go in Game 7. Of course, using Sabathia, Burnett and Pettitte means that Joba Chamberlain and Chad Gaudin are available for bullpen duty, and that makes this team better. They are rested, and that isn’t the best of news for the Angels, who had more than their share of anxiety as the Yankees turned a 4-0 deficit into a 6-4 advantage before L.A. had another rally to go ahead and force this game. Andy Pettitte has been relatively potent in the playoffs thus far, giving up four runs and ten hits in 12-2/3 innings. He surrendered only two free passes, which is important against a team that can move people around the bases. Pettitte, we’re told, can set the record for most post-seasons win in this one (he’s 15-9), which doesn’t mean a whole lot in this era of expanded playoffs. Mark Teixeira got a huge hit to drive in three runs for the Yanks in their seventh-inning explosion, so he appears out of his slump, doesn’t he? Another questionable managerial move by Mike Scoscia in removing John Lackey for the sake of Darren Oliver, prompting one writer to say, “Girardi out-overmanages Scoscia” which is pretty much the case. Joe Saunders, the left-handed starter for the Angels, has gone through a period of nine starts where he has allowed as many as three runs only once. However, the guy has been prone to giving up homers, doing so on 29 occasions. That sounds like something that may fit into the Yankee game plan.

THE PLAY: OVER 9.5 (Even) **

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines come from BetUS.com and are subject to change)
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BASEBALL — October 22

N.Y. YANKEES at L.A. ANGELS
AL Championship Series – Game 5
(Burnett vs. Lackey: Angels -115, Yankees -105, Total 8.5) — The Angels look to keep their slim hopes alive tonight as they send their Game 1 pitcher to the mound again. [private] The Yankees will have a lot to say about it. With five homers and 11 RBI’s in the playoffs, Alex Rodriguez is demonstrating that he is the type of player who can take a team and put it on his shoulders. One New York sportswriter put it in an interesting way, when he said that A-Rod was “acting like the biggest kid in Little League.” Only one of the Yankee regulars has better than a .300 career average against Angels’ starter John Lackey, but that could be trumped by the fact that the Angels went out there on Tuesday night and really looked like a beaten team. In the series, they are batting only .201. What’s impressive about what the Yankees are doing is that they are not getting anything substantial out of Mark Teixeira, who has hit just .111. CC Sabathia has dominated the Angels in his two starts, but AJ Burnett has been a tough customer to get to, giving up just six hits ion 12-1/3 innings in the post-season. Sure, these are desperate times for the Angels, but I think you’ve got to go with the underdog price with a team that not only looks like it’s on a roll, but looks to have some upside too.

THE PLAY: N.Y. YANKEES (-105) ***

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)
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