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New Day, Same Old Story: Celebration On A Saturday

Spending the day celebrating my daughter's birthday (she loves her Daddy no matter how poorly his wagers have been), so no selections today.

Last Night:  Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago White Sox
Under 8 +105
Dodgers 6, White Sox 4 in 10 innings

Rationale:  Phil Humber (3-3, 3.18 ERA) continued his solid season Friday, beating Oakland 4-3 after allowing 3 runs in six innings.  Although Ted Lilly (3-4, 4.83) had struggled to find consistency this season, I though that facing Chicago may be just what he needed to get back on track.  Lilly was 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA in his last 4 starts against the White Sox. He pitched 1 hit ball over 8 innings in his last start against them, winning 1-0 with the Chicago Cubs last June.  The Dodgers were Under in 8 of their last 10 games and 9 of Lilly's last 12 starts.  The White Sox were Under in 6 of their last 10 games.
These 2 teams had not faced each other since 2009, but the Under was 7-2 in the last 9 meetings between them.  Both teams had been pitching very well in their last 10 games overall (LA: 2.73 ERA; CHW: 2.93 ERA) and neither team was hitting (.224 AVG; CHW: .248 AVG).  Andre Ethier had seen his average drop from .371 on May 8 to .318, and was 0 for 21 over his last 6 games.

Realty:  Once again, I was fairly accurate in my assessment as to how this game would play out.  Humber pitched seven solid innings, allowing a two-run homer to Matt Kemp in the first, and left with a 3-2 lead.  My Under wager looked great as the Dodgers. No. 9 hitter, Russell Mitchell, came to bat with two outs in the ninth against White Sox closer Sergio Santos, who hadn't given up a run in 20 innings or blown a save all season.  Even better, Mitchell had entered the game batting .091 and was 0-for-3 before coming to the plate in the ninth.  So, if you've been following my blog this season, you knew what was about to happen.  Mitchell delivered a clutch homer to force extra innings.  One inning and four runs later, the Dodgers had a 6-4 victory and I had another loss.

SEASON RECORD: 6-10 (38|PERCENT|) – 520

Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago White Sox; Under 8 +105
Dodgers 6, White Sox 4 in 10 innings