Picks And Parlays

Ervin Santana has been razor sharp of late and the Royals have been red hot and while I have always though Ubaldo Jimenez has goten a little bit of a bad wrap, he makes a few too many mistakes to hold up against a team who the ball is bouncing for like the Royals. Mitch's Pick: Kansas City Royals

The Yankees are tough at home and didn't play well on their West Coast trip and the low odds on the Dodgers make this one a little less attractive but not less attractive enough to ignore the pitching mismatch with Ryu against Hughes. It'sa big spot for Ryu but he should be able to handle it if he gets the support. Mitch's Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers

Cliff Lee is rolling and we have been rolling along with him and no reason not to roll with him again at home. I considered the run line here but would rather just take the win as runs here could be scarce for both teams. Mitch's Pick: Philadelphia Phillies

The Rockies held the Jays nearly hitless yesterday but they had no offense themselves. I lie the Rockies at home but on the road they are going to have problems without Tulowitzki who is the guy who always seems to be the difference maker. Mitch's Pick: Toronto Blue Jays -1.5 (+120)

The Oakland A's hurt us last night as they fell behind early, took the lead, blew the lead and then in the 9th inning scored a run but left the bases loaded. Yu Darvish is on the mound for Texas here but he has four no decisions in a row meaning this one is likely to be decided by the Rangers pen and I like the A's chances against hem. Parker started the season poorly but he has been solid in his last four starts and is the far hitter hand. Got to like this price. Mitch's Pick: Oakland A's +160

This has been some miserable basketball as outside of game one not one game has been close. WHile the series total is what keeps this intriguing, tonight is the time where we get an exciting game as the series will be decided tonight one way or another. Few give the Spurs a chance of winning a game 7 in Miami and tonight is their best chance as it was for Dallas two years back when they made it count while for Miami the best player int he game has his back to the wall. This is a lot of points for a game which of all of the games looks like it comes right down to the end and that end could even be in OT though that is less likely, we should be in good shape with the points here. Mitch's Pick: San Antonio Spurs

Don't let James Shields' record fool you as while he is 0-0 in his last three starts the Royals are 3-0 in those games and he has a 2.14 ERA over that span and the Royals have just been very hot of late as as one point they lost nine of 10 or worse and they are now a handful of games out of the lead in the AL Central. Meanwhile Carrasco has been awful with his ERA around 15, though of course with limited action that number is inflated as well. Look for the Royals to pound the Tribe here. Mitch's Pick: Kansas City Royals

The Blue Jays are starting to heat up and while the Rockies are still one of the better teams at home on the road it is a different story. Josh Johnson is starting to look like his old self and without Tulowitzki things aren't going to get easier for the Rockies. Mitch's Pick: Toronto Blue Jays

Two of the better teams in baseball face off as the Reds are 2.5 games out in the NL Central and the Pirates are 3 games out. Mike Leake has been simply outstanding this season and looks like the pitcher who is one of the few in baseball history to go straight to the Majors without going to the Minors first. For Pittsburgh Liriano is looking like the hot prospect he was years ago and surgeries ago with the Twins when he threw his No Hitter but he is tailing off just slightly and that is enough to give the Reds an edge here at home. Mitch's pick: Cincinnati Reds

The A's are red hot and the Rangers simply are not getting swept at home by the Jays this past weekend. Strally has turned it around and while his record reads 4-2, the A's are 8-2 in games which he has started and his ERA is headed in the right direction. Tepesch has been tepid at best and the Rangers look to be reeling. Mitch's Pick: Oakland A's

The Giants get back home and while the Padres are playing better baseball right now, Edison Volquez never seems to be a good answer and the Giants should take advantage of that here. Mitch's Pick: San Francisco Giants

Gerit Cole was absolutely outstanding living up to all of the hype and he gets the Dodgers at home today and while Cole looks to have what it takes to stack up with Greinke, the Pirates are the better team here though look for the Dodgers to start to play better with Hanley Ramirez back in the lineup, if he can stay healthy more than a weekend. Mitch's Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates

The Orioles didn't get the win yesterday but they were coming hard at the end and look for that momentum to carry over against Jon Lester who has been bombed early of late. The Orioles are the better team and while they have several motivators, they don't need them to win this one. Mitch's Pick: Baltimore Orioles

Some pitchers just can't buy a win as Doug Fister's numbers are outstanding but he gets no help at all, look for him to see more of the same here as the Twins are playing decent ball and the Tigers, one of the more over rated teams, aren't good on the road. Mitch's Pick: Minnesota Twins

Cole Hamels has been one of the worst pitchers in all of baseball and while the Rockies pen has burned us so many times I couldn't give them out yesterday when it all added up to a big win. THe Rockies should bomb the Phils again here as Hamels looks for answers. Mitch's Pick: Colorado Rockies -1.5

Colon and Iwakuma have a COMBIINED 0.74 ERA in their last three starts so the chances of both of them giving up enough to get this one over the number look slim. Mitch's Pick: Under 7

Teheran and Lincecum both have the ability to get tagged and these teams score in bunches lately so with the low number this looks like easy pickings. Mitch's Pick: Over 7.5

This hasn't been a great series with a lot of one sided games and I see this one being that way as well with the Spurs saying goodbye to their home crowd for the season they walk out a winner here. Mitch's Pick: San Antonio Spurs

The Mets and Cubs have both been dreadful overall this season but the Cubs are playing decent baseball in spots and with Feldman pitching it is going to be tough sledding for the Mets and Niese just has been at has best lately on the other end of the pitching matchup. Mitch's Pick: Chicago Cubs

The Rangers are looking like a tired beaten team right now and while they still have some punch we are starting to see the Blue Jays play to the level where most expected during the offseason when they made a ton of big money moves. The Jays have had their way with the Rangers this series and it continues here. Mitch's Pick; Toronto Blue Jays

The Red Sox play poorly against teams with winning records and we are seeing it once again this series and now that the O's have sliced into the lead with back to back wins they smell blood in the water and look for Baltimore to continue having their way with Boston in this series. Mitch's Pick: Baltimore Orioles

The White Sox have been horrible on the road this season but over the years the one guy who can get the Sox out of a funk has been John Danks and while he was injured over the past two years the last few times we saw hi he has looked a lot better than he has in a while and look for hom to put an end to the madness here. Mitch's Pick: Chicago White Sox

The Yankees are having a miserable West Coast road swing but this looks like a spot where they can do some damage. While the Yanks haven't won recently it's always tough to lay off of a team with a winning record as a dog when playing a team with a losing record. Mitch's Pick: New York Yankees

It took the Orioles extra innings to get it done on Thursday but it all still counts as a win but I don't think it takes the O's extras here as they are simply the better team and have the pitching edge as well in this one. Mitch's Pick: Baltimore Orioles

THe Indians like just about everyone in the AL Central are streaky and they are looking a little better these days as they are heating up after a real rough stretch. THe Indians get back home here while the Nats continue their road trip crossing the country. Mitch's Pick: Cleveland Indians

The Reds let us down on THursday in Chicago after winning three in a row but they get back to winning here as Arroyo just gets it done and while Milwaukee seems to be out of their funk Lohse is still in his. Mitch's Pick: Cincinnati Reds

THe Tigers just aren't a good road team and with Porcello on the mound they are even worse so while I wouldn't call this a strongest play or anything like that I would say it is strong enough to take a shot at . Mitch's Pick: Minnesota Twins

We have Joe Saunders on the hill for Seattle and while we haven't been fading him as often as we were earlier this season this looks like a logical spot at the A's can seem to do no wrong. Mitch's Pick: Oakland A's -1.5

The San Diego Padres aren't getting much attention but they are playing well and with Stults here against Cahill it's a logical spot for them to continue their sharp play. Mitch's Pick: San Diego Padres

We have two pitchers in Marcum and Jackson who have two wins between them and who have been giving up runs in bunches. Both of these teams leave a lot to be desired but it is Major league hitting against subpar pitching with a low total. Mitch's Pick: Over 7.5