So we’re coming off the heels of the 17th perfect game in the history of the MLB, and it wouldn’t be fair to spotlight a game other than one where Mark Buerhle was making his next start. Will he suffer from a hangover? Not likely, not this professional. The Sox start a huge series against the Twins, again on the road (they hate the Metrodome), against struggling Scott Baker (8-7, 5.6 ERA). The home field is about all the Twins have going for themselves in this one. The Sox are playing well, their Ace will be on the mound, and their hitters are healthy (knock on wood). Buerhle will be solid here, but might not go more than 6 innings as Ozzie might rest his No. 1 titan poker guy, even though he was only on the mound for 32 minutes during his perfect game. Every series matters for the division rivals and playoff hopefuls the rest of the way, but these games against each other add that much more fuel to the competitive fire. All things considered, the Metrodome is a HUGE sportsbook.com advantage for the Twins, and given that, they’ll be a slight favorite, maybe -120 to +110. I’d take the Sox, I think they got this one in the bag.

Dodgers at Cardinals: Two first-place teams clashing in what might just be a preview of the first round of the postseason. Adam Wainwright and is sub-3 ERA go for the home team, taking on Chad Billingsley, who has a not-too-shabby 3.7 ERA and 10-5 record. The Cardinals are in the ultimate dog race with 3 other teams for division crown in the central, while the Dodgers are still cruising in the West – so technically you could say the Cards have more to play for, but in a statement game like this, nobody takes the day off. The Cards are struggling in July, and their hitting has dipped to 12th in the NL. They might be at home, but with two good pitchers going, it’ll come down to the hitting, and L.A. has a sizable edge there. Dodgers -155, Cards +135. Bet the Dodgers despite the line, they’ll pay off.
One more quickie because it has a big-name pitching matchup. Oswalt at Zambrano, I mean Astros at Cubs, who are two of those three previously mentioned teams fighting St. Louis for first place. Both pitchers have a mid-3 ERA and are a few games above .500, almost identical in the stats, except for one big one that often goes overlooked – WHIP. Oswalt’s is a good sports betting 0.2 points below Carlos’, who’s walked more and struck out less than in year’s past. Still, the fulltilt.net home team gets the edge in this one, -130 to +120. Although I’d be more inclined to take the under if it’s at 7-9 instead of the money line.