Firday Freak-Out

Unusually, we have two day games taking place on this July Friday. But first let's recap what proved to be a mixed bag on Thursday night. The Locks performed well nailing 4 out of 5 contests as the Angels came up just short of making it a perfect 5 for 5. In the end, we netted another $24 for the BAT, pushing us into triple digits for the first time this season at +$118.

In other news, the 70s Style Bush absolutely mailed in a bomb of an effort and were thoroughly demoralized in a 3-1 defeat. Yes, that is the score of a real slow-pitch softball game. And, it took a scorching single from Timmy Crvarich in the bottom of the 7th to even get us on the board. A gem of a game pitched by KP went for naught as the Bush's bats never showed up. That drops the defending D-League champs to 1-2 and places them in a dangerous early-season position with the very real prospect of missing the playoffs. Stay tuned to see if the Bushmen turn this thing around.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO SUBMIT ENTRIES IN THE NFL OVER/UNDER CHALLENGE. I'VE RECEIVED A FEW SO FAR. IF YOU WANT IN, GET ME YOUR PICKS BY THE END OF THE DAY. tbrons@vidallc.com

Here's a breakdown of today's two day games:

Chicago vs. Detroit - The afterglow of Mark Buehrle's perfect game wears off quickly as the Sox run into the buzzsaw that is Justin Verlander. I know as well as anyone the schizophrenic nature of a Jose Contreras start. He looks like Bob Gibson one day and Debbie Gibson the next. He'll need to be the former today to keep this game close. We're not convinced. Count on hearing some "Only in My Dreams" before long in this one. Verlander dominates and the Tigers set the tone for this series early on. Take Detroit minus 1.5 runs (+115) to win 7-2. LOCK IT UP

Cincinnati @ Chicago - This Reds team has been scuffling badly of late, starting with a horrendous performance against the Pets heading into the All-Star break. On the road, their struggles have been colossal and that includes today's starter Aaron Harang. He's 0-5, 5.94 in his last 8 road starts. The Locks is a big fan of Chicago's young gun Randy Wells. Count on him to provide another quality start. This game is determined by the unpredictable Cubs' offense. Can they get to Harang and push him further into his downward road spiral? We say yes with Aramis Ramirez leading the charge. Take the Cubs minus 1.5 runs (+130) to win big. Final score is 8-4. LOCK IT UP

See you this afternoon with all the night games.