The Sharp Report – July 5, 2014

Clayton Kershaw took the mound on Friday night for the Los Angeles Dodgers. After a rough streak, Kershaw has been in Cy Young form of late.

In the most lopsided match-up on Friday night between Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers against Jair Jurrgens and the Rockies there was only one move to be made, Dodgers money line. The price tag didn’t matter, sharps moved on this heavy, it was as close to a “lock” as you will find in baseball.

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday, it was a great day for most sharps out there for sure. Now back to the grind!

Please refer to my first post in this series for a list of recommended sites to aid you in your handicapping.

7/5 Early Moves:

Here are some lines that were hit by sharp groups early enough this morning to make this report. I have not had time to research games myself, so I am not recommending that you try to find these numbers and tail the plays at this time. These are listed to show you what has happened so far this morning, always do your own research on these before following along.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Atlanta Braves (Under 8)
Key Line Move @ 7:35 am EST

Tampa Bay Rays vs Detroit Tigers (TB ML)
Key Line Move @ 9:00 am EST

7/4 Recap:

Early Moves:

Milwaukee Brewers vs Cincinnati Reds (Under 8) – Win
Key Line Move @ 8:15 am EST

This was an easy move to spot based on the starters and the recent offensive struggles of the Reds. The Reds were just swept by the Padres, yes the Padres, and only scored two runs in the entire series. The Brewers’ starter Kyle Lohse was coming off of a great start against the Rockies, when he allowed just one run over seven innings. The Reds’ starter Alfredo Simon was also coming off of a great outing against the Giants, he allowed one run and three hits over seven innings in a crazy 12 inning game. Combine the starters recent outings with the Reds’ offensive struggles and this was an easy play to hop on, and a lot of groups hopped on early.

Kansas City Royals vs Cleveland Indians (Over 7.5) – Win
Key Line Move @ 8:30 am EST

This move had sharps on both sides, the case for the stronger push on the over was in no small part because of the Indians scoring 15 times combined to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the last two games of their road trip. The Royals’ starter Yodano Ventura’s last time out in a rain-shortened outing, surrendered two runs and seven hits over four innings. The Indians’ starter, Josh Tomlin, struck out a career-best 11 against Seattle in his last start and threw a season-high 111 pitches.

For me this was a no play, I could see arguments for the under just as well as the over.

Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels (Over 7.5) – Win
Key Line Move @ 11:00 am EST

The Astros’ starter Dallas Keuchel is looking for better control as he came in to this game trying to snap a two-game losing skid. Keuchel has been struggling with an issue with his pitching wrist and facing the Angels, who have had hot bats of late, you have to be on your A game. The Angels’ starter C.J. Wilson struggled mightily in his last outing versus Houston, yielding five runs and as many walks in 2 2/3 innings. Issuing free passes has been a concern for Wilson, who has allowed 44 walks in 108 1/3 innings this season. For these reasons, this was a solid move by the sharps, I could see this reaching double digits with ease.

Late Moves:

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Atlanta Braves (Under 7.5) – Win
Key Line Move @ 6:10 pm EST

This move came down to pitching all the way, both pitchers have been great of late and do very well against their Friday night opponent.The Diamondbacks’ starter Josh Collmenter allowed one run on five hits in 5 1/3 innings of a 3-1 triumph over San Diego on Saturday. Collmenter owns a 1-2 career mark versus Atlanta but has posted a 1.73 ERA while limiting the Braves to a .221 batting average in six meetings. The Braves’ starter Ervin Santana snapped a three-start losing streak by allowing two runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings at Philadelphia on Saturday. The 31-year-old Dominican settled for a no-decision in his last outing versus Arizona despite yielding one run on six hits in seven solid frames. Santana has kept the Diamondbacks at bay in three career starts, registering a 0.82 ERA while limiting the club to a .184 batting average.

Chris Sharp is a professional sports handicapper and daily contributor to BettingSports.com. He can be found on Twitter @CSharp_Picks and on his web site IvyLeaguePicks.com.