[trap]

30 DIME - NYY/BOS UNDER 9

Another highly anticipated showdown between the Yankees and Red Sox, but more importantly, another highly anticipated 30 dime play from yours truly. As I did with our big winner on the SF/CIN Under just three days ago, I circled tonight's game as soon as the pitching matchups were announced. And here we are in a perfect position to destroy the books again and the line is even moving in our favor! The first two games of this series were full of offensive explosions from both teams and the average bettor is forecasting a high scoring contest on Sunday night as well. However, I'm not that naive.

Sunday Night Baseball in Boston features two of baseball's premiere pitchers in C.C. Sabathia (14-7, 3.58) and Josh Beckett (14-4, 3.38), both of whom are no strangers to the national spotlight, and both of whom are no strangers to pitching in big time spots. The calender now reads August and it's make-or-break time for postseason contenders. It's the time when experienced pitchers buckle down and contain the opposition. These two AL East rivals are pulling out all the stops and strolling out elite pitchers on the national stage. This spot showcases the epitome of all the huge contracts and the millions of dollars in bonuses, and pitching in games like these brings out the competitive drive in the best players. You know damn well that both Sabathia and Beckett want the ball and they possess the swing-and-miss type arsenals that can keep the opposing hitters at bay. This game is going to be a full scale pitching battle. Expect nothing less.

Both starters are very familiar with these hitters and they've had great success against each other this season. Against the Sawx in 2009, Sabathia is 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA while Beckett is 2-0 with a 4.12 ERA versus the Yankees. It gets better though because these two aces are peaking in the dog days of summer, which is the perfect time because of all the added pressure that comes with pennant races. The last three starts for each pitcher -- Sabathia (3-0, 1.14 ERA, 0.65 WHIP) and Beckett (1-0, 4.19 ERA, 1.03 WHIP) -- perfectly indicate that these two aces continue to be successful in big spots and that they won't shy away from a challenge tonight. There is going to be so much added pressure on these two offenses to score runs that I think essentially we're going to see so many anxious swings from players that are trying to hit the ball out of the yard. Advantage: Pitchers.

Those that have been following my picks know that I'm a strong advocate of important intangibles when I see them. And today I've got another one: Boston and New York have squared off 14 times this season with the under hitting eight times and six of the last nine. This matchup has cashed the under four of eight times at Fenway Park and on Sunday Night Baseball just two weeks ago, these two clubs produced an under on national television. An added bonus, eight of the last ten Sunday Night Baseball broadcasts have sailed under the posted total as well. I'm extremely confident that Sabathia and Beckett will bring their 'A' games and make this a pitching duel for the ages. They aren't scared of the bright lights and they are used to the hype. And I fully expect a low scoring contest given the added importance of tonight's game.

Play the UNDER.

[oiler]

30 DIME - NYY/BOS UNDER 9

Another highly anticipated showdown between the Yankees and Red Sox, but more importantly, another highly anticipated 30 dime play from yours truly. As I did with our big winner on the SF/CIN Under just three days ago, I circled tonight's game as soon as the pitching matchups were announced. And here we are in a perfect position to destroy the books again and the line is even moving in our favor! The first two games of this series were full of offensive explosions from both teams and the average bettor is forecasting a high scoring contest on Sunday night as well. However, I'm not that naive.

Sunday Night Baseball in Boston features two of baseball's premiere pitchers in C.C. Sabathia (14-7, 3.58) and Josh Beckett (14-4, 3.38), both of whom are no strangers to the national spotlight, and both of whom are no strangers to pitching in big time spots. The calender now reads August and it's make-or-break time for postseason contenders. It's the time when experienced pitchers buckle down and contain the opposition. These two AL East rivals are pulling out all the stops and strolling out elite pitchers on the national stage. This spot showcases the epitome of all the huge contracts and the millions of dollars in bonuses, and pitching in games like these brings out the competitive drive in the best players. You know damn well that both Sabathia and Beckett want the ball and they possess the swing-and-miss type arsenals that can keep the opposing hitters at bay. This game is going to be a full scale pitching battle. Expect nothing less.

Both starters are very familiar with these hitters and they've had great success against each other this season. Against the Sawx in 2009, Sabathia is 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA while Beckett is 2-0 with a 4.12 ERA versus the Yankees. It gets better though because these two aces are peaking in the dog days of summer, which is the perfect time because of all the added pressure that comes with pennant races. The last three starts for each pitcher -- Sabathia (3-0, 1.14 ERA, 0.65 WHIP) and Beckett (1-0, 4.19 ERA, 1.03 WHIP) -- perfectly indicate that these two aces continue to be successful in big spots and that they won't shy away from a challenge tonight. There is going to be so much added pressure on these two offenses to score runs that I think essentially we're going to see so many anxious swings from players that are trying to hit the ball out of the yard. Advantage: Pitchers.

Those that have been following my picks know that I'm a strong advocate of important intangibles when I see them. And today I've got another one: Boston and New York have squared off 14 times this season with the under hitting eight times and six of the last nine. This matchup has cashed the under four of eight times at Fenway Park and on Sunday Night Baseball just two weeks ago, these two clubs produced an under on national television. An added bonus, eight of the last ten Sunday Night Baseball broadcasts have sailed under the posted total as well. I'm extremely confident that Sabathia and Beckett will bring their 'A' games and make this a pitching duel for the ages. They aren't scared of the bright lights and they are used to the hype. And I fully expect a low scoring contest given the added importance of tonight's game.

Play the UNDER.

i definetly like the under after all the runs they have scored