Let 'Em Pop, Bro

It's about time. The Locks finally got a weekend off to a solid start. We put together a 9-5 Friday and since most of our wins were in the +120 to +130 moneyline range (that's what happens when you bet against aces such as Halliday, Santana and Greinke), we added a whopping $57 to the BAT. With cumulative numbers of 123-107 (53%) and +$175, the Locks hasn't felt this good all year. We're going to look to keep the bills falling from the money tree with a full slate of games today.

Update: For all of you who had Vicente Padilla in your swine flu pool, get ready to collect your money. That dirty dog is the first Major Leaguer to contract the pig virus. Congratulations Vicente.

Cincinnati @ Chicago - This is a battle of two teams heading in two different directions. The Cubs are finding their groove now that Aramis Ramirez is back in action. They look more like the potent offense that everyone expected as opposed to the JV hitters that have been wearing Cubs' uniforms for most of the year. The Reds on the other hand have fallen off a cliff. They can't get out of their own way at this point. They should have a reasonable shot in this game based on the pitching match-up (Cueto vs. Hart) but I'm going to value momentum more than anything in this one. I think Chicago will continue to steer their ship in the right direction while Cincy continues to take on water. We'll take Chicago minus 1.5 runs (+150) to win 6-3. LOCK IT UP

Oakland @ NYY - Speaking of momentum and teams heading in different directions. Unless you live in the Bay Area, you might not be able to name more than 3 or 4 batters in Oakland's lineup. They have a young catcher (Landon Powell) who might be slower Joe Torre. You have to see some video of this kid trying to leg out a double. It is a joke. I'm still not convinced that my man Andy Pettite is completely back to normal but his last start was certainly a major relief for Yanks' fans. Last time out, Gio Gonzalez gave up 11 runs in less than three innings. For those beginners out there, that is not very good. The way the Yanks are swinging the bats, it might get worse for Gio before it gets better. Take NY minus 1.5 runs (-165) to continue their impressive run. By the way, the moneylines on these A's/Yanks battles are absurd. NY prevails 7-3. LOCK IT UP

Tampa Bay @ Toronto - TAMPA BITCHES! One day after beating the incomparable Roy Halladay, the Rays get to face the very, very comparable (I'm thinking Greg Cadaret) Brian Tallet. Tallet didn't have much success against this lineup earlier this year (24.00 ERA). TB counters with the young, the wild David Price. He'll be good enough against a lineup that is a shell of the group that had fans north of the border thinking playoffs in early May. There is still enough time in this season for Toronto to drop below Baltimore and into the AL East cellar. Don't be surprised when that happens. The Jays take a step in that direction with a miserable effort today. Take Tampa (-105) to win this one easily - 7-3. LOCK IT UP

For those of you who are still just visiting this site for fun and not betting these games, I have some words for you directly from the mouth of the wise man himself, Kenneth Powers:

"I know that deep inside you there's a humongous set of testicles just waiting to pop out. Let 'em pop, bro."

We'll be back in a bit with the rest of today's games.