KING CREOLE

Monday's 3*** SIDE PLAY Winner is on the house!

The HOUSTON ASTROS dropped the ball for us yesterday... as they lost at home to the lowly New York Mets by a final score of 8 to 2. As a result of that loss, tonight's SIDE PLAY Winner from the King is 'on the house'.

3*** PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES with MOYER vs arizona diamondbacks with garland / 9:40pm ET

HOT Phillies vs poor home underdog Diamondbacks equals Game One WIN.
The Phillies have been priced in a reasonable manner since coming out of the play stoppage of the All-Star break. In eight of its nine games, Philadelphia has been a favorite of -130 or less. This run is a continuation of a trend that has been established for the entire month of July for the Phillies. In a strong sign that Philadelphia is a confident squad with plenty of swagger, the Phillies are beating up on mediocre opponents. From July 3 through July 23, Philly went 15-2 with nine of the victories coming by three runs or more. They've been outstanding as 'chalk' lately, going 17-4 in their last 21 FAVORITE roles.

With southpaw JAMIE MOYER on the hill, there's B-I-G trouble in store for the hosts. Arizona is already 9-18 vs left-handed starters on the season (.239 team batting average)... including 6-14 'Under the Lights'. MOYER has actually done his BEST work on the road in the 2009 season. He's won TWICE as many road decisions as he has lost. Since the start of June, his ERA in road games is only 2.90 and the W/L record is 4-1. He's also done very well "In THIS Park".... going a PERFECT 2-0 on the road vs the D'Backs since the 2007 season. In the role as ROAD FAVORITE, he's gone a PERFECT 6-0 dating back to last season. Also 10-3 when pitching on 4 days rest... 24-8 in Game One of a series... and 20-7 vs LOSING teams.

JON GARLAND enters tonight's game with a high ERA of 6.38 in his home starts so far in the 2009 season (opponents are hitting .383). He's in a great 'fade' position as he has gone 2-10 in his last 12 overall starts dating back to late May. He has performed poorly vs the Phillies, going 0-2 with an ERA of 9.90 in his two team starts. Garland is also a very POOR Underdog, going 1-10 in his last 11 DOG roles. His Diamondback teammates are a PERFECT 0-5 in their last 5 roles as a home underdog... 1-4 in their last 5 vs southpaws... and 1-4 when playing off a win.