Free MLB Baseball Betting Picks: July 9th 2009: ATS Consultants

Below are Free MLB Picks for July 9th from ATS Consultants. Do you want to receive more free expert MLB predictions on a daily basis, be sure to sign-up for the ATS Consultants Newsletter.

Cleveland Indians +120 over Chicago White Sox:
A battle of young lefties this afternoon in Chicago as David Huff takes on Clayton Richard in the finale of this three game series. The White Sox have won the first two and Cleveland will look to avoid the sweep. Huff (4-3, 6.06) hasn’t pitched nearly as bad as his record would indicate. He got off to a terrible start, losing his first two starts and being rocked in each. His last 5 starts he is 3-1 with a respectable 4.31 ERA. It’s been a terrible 2009 so far the Indians, but Huff’s semi emergence has been a bright spot. Clayton Richard (3-2, 4.75), on the other hand has struggled lately so his numbers are a bit deceiving as well. In his last 5 starts he’s 1-1 with a 6.14 ERA, and one of them was 5 shutout innings. Take that effort away and it’s safe to say he’s been pretty awful lately. He does have a bright future, but the White Sox need him to step up now if they want to catch the Tigers in the AL Central.

UNDER 9 Washington Nationals/Houston Astros:
Ok, let’s face it, the Nationals are terrible. They should really consider trading all of their veterans before the trade deadline and start to rebuild around some pretty decent young pitching. The leaded of that youth movmement on the pitching side is lefty John Lannan (6-5, 3.45). Lannan keeps the Nats in every game as evidenced by his ERA and is 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in his last 5 starts. He’s the closest thing they have to an “ace”, and should be a staple for years to come. Houston counters with veteran Russ Ortiz (3-4, 4.11). Ortiz was out of Baseball for the most part of 2008 but has really done a nice job for Houston in 2009. He’s 0-2 with a 4.31 ERA in his last 5 starts, but almost always pitches deep into the game and gives him team a chance to win every time out. Expect a low scoring affair tonight at Minute Maid Park.

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