Ben Burns
Ben Burns CRUSHED THE BOOKS with his baseball picks in 2007 and all signs point towards more of the same in 2008. Join this RED HOT handicapper today!
As a private consultant to some of the biggest players in the industry, Ben Burns enjoyed incredible success throughout the mid-1990s. Encouraged by his good fortune, Ben took his picks "public" in 1998. Since then, Ben has become one of the most honored handicappers on the planet.
Indeed, competing against 150 of the nation's most well known handicappers at BigGuy.com, one of the nation's most well known sports monitors, Ben is the undisputed No. 1 NFL Handicapper of all time. That's over a course of nine seasons and more than 900 selections!
While football is clearly his forte, Ben has also fared very well with the rest of the major sports achieving documented championships in college football, college basketball, baseball and hockey.
If you're looking for a consistent winner, you owe it yourself to check out Ben Burns today!
All Football 120-105-5
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NCAAF 61-49-2
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Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves (MLB) - 7:10 PM EDT
Premium Pick
Pick: Money Line: -128 Atlanta Braves Pick Title: ***BIG GAME ALERT*** Burns' Divisional GOM *3-0 L3
Loss
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I'm laying the price with ATLANTA. The Braves are finally getting healthy and they're at home for this huge game. Its "huge" because they're already 1-6 against the Phillies on the season and can't afford to keep falling further behind them in the division race, particularly as they know that the Mets are also likely to be much better in the second half. Yesterday was a bit of a tough spot, as it marked the Braves first game back home from a trip to Canada and also the return of Chipper Jones (and center fielder Mark Kotsay) to the lineup. Sometimes the return of a star can have an uplifting effect on the entire team. However, it can also work the other way, as players often tend to 'letdown' a little, thinking that their star is back now and that he will now be carrying the load. More importantly, the Phillies ended up with an advantage on the mound, as Kendrick was much better than Atlanta's Morton. The Braves have that "first game" under their belts now though and tonight's pitching matchup is significantly in their favor.
Campillo is 3-2 with a stellar 2.54 ERA and 1.045 WHIP on the season. The Braves are 4-2 in his home starts, most recently a 4-2 win over Milwaukee. Campillo was extremely sharp in that game as he allowed just four baserunners and two runs through seven complete innings, recording six K's without issuing a walk. Manager Bobby Cox summed up Campillo's performance by saying: "He's been excellent every time out. He's legit." That's fairly high praise from a guy that has been around the likes of Maddux, Smoltz and Glavine while they were all in their prime.
On the other hand, Eaton has been struggling for the Phillies of late. In fact, he's 0-3 with a 5.78 ERA and 1.821 WHIP his last three starts. The Phillies lost those games by a combined score of 15-3! On the season, Eaton is 0-4 in nine road games (Phillies are 2-7) with a poor 4.92 ERA and 1.509 WHIP. Although he was relatively solid here last month, Eaton still has an ugly 5.94 ERA and 1.52 WHIP for his career vs. the Braves. As mentioned, this is a huge game for the Braves, who are still a highly impressive 28-15 at home for the year. Look for them to get to Eaton, who has a tendency to allow first-inning runs, providing Campillo with some solid run support, en route to evening up the series. *NL East GOM
San Diego Padres vs. Colorado Rockies (MLB) - 9:05 PM EDT
Premium Pick
Pick: Total: 9.5/-117 Over Pick Title: **GO YARD** Ben Burns' "BLUE CHIP" Total BLOWOUT!
Loss
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I'm playing on the Padres and Rockies to finish OVER the total. After the Padres and Rockies combined for 23 runs in their opener, the offenses cooled down significantly last night. That was with Cook and Banks on the mound though. Cook is a sinker-ball pitcher who has fared very well at Coors Field this season and those two pitchers have now seen the UNDER go a combined 16-7-1 in their 24 starts. Tonight's two starters, Wolf and Jimenez have also been profitable for 'under' bettors so far this season. However, unlike Cook and Banks, they haven't been pitching particularly well.
Indeed, Jimenez is 2-8 and has a 4.78 ERA and 1.591 WHIP on the season. Wolf's 4.13 overall ERA is somewhat respectable. However, his 5.84 ERA and 1.523 WHIP on the road is not. Additionally, he's been brutal lately. In his last three starts, he's 0-3 with a 6.08 ERA and 2.326 WHIP! After allowing five walks in just 3 1/3 innings last time out, Wolf was quoted as saying: "My stuff was fine, but I just didn't have a clue where it was going. There is no way to candy-coat it."
It's true that the Padres often don't hit well and that they got blanked yesterday. However, it should also be remembered that they scored 15 runs on Monday and that they've also seen the OVER go 4-1 the last five times they were shutout in their previous game. It's also worth mentioning that they've still scored five or more runs in eight of their last 15 visits to Coors Field. Speaking of Coors Field, looking back to last season and we find that seven of the last dozen games played here in July have finished above the total. Those 12 games saw 140 combined runs scored, or an average of 11 2/3 per game. Look for this evening's game to be higher-scoring than most are expecting once again. *Blue Chip
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Arizona D-Backs (MLB) - 9:40 PM EDT
I'm laying the price with ARIZONA. Enough is enough! The Diamondbacks started off the season by going 1-2 and they haven't fallen below 500 since. They have been right at the 500 mark a couple of times since then though, each time responding with a victory. Last night's loss brought them back to 500 once more and once again I expect them to respond with a convincing victory.
The Diamondbacks were originally expected to send Micah Owings to the mound. Owings isn't expect to go though, which is probably a good thing, as he had been struggling. Instead, Yusmeiro Petit will get the call. After getting a handful of starts last season, Petit hasn't gotten many innings yet this year. Petit, listed at more than 250 pounds, was once a top prospect and he knows that he needs to make the most of this opportunity. I look for him to be better than most are expecting and to keep the Diamondbacks in the game. I also expect him to get some solid run support.
Despite a win yesterday, the Brewers are still just 2-4 their last six games and they're still a dismal 79-128 on the road since 2006, costing their backers well over 40 net units vs. the moneyline. That includes a 1-2 mark in road games started by Seth McClung this season, most recently a 7-6 loss at Minnesota on 6/27. McClung gave up nine hits and five earned runs in just 4 2/3 innings in that outing. His road ERA as a starter is now a poor 5.17.
Even after yesterday's game, the Brewers are still only averaging 4.4 runs per game on the road, hitting just 2.44. On the other hand, the Diamondbacks are averaging a 5.3 runs per game at home, hitting a respectable .279. The Diamondbacks are a profitable 14-7 this season when playing a home game with an over/under line of either nine or 9.5. Look for them to bounce back and stay above the 500 mark once again. *Annihilator