Free MLB Baseball Betting Picks: August 8th 2009: ATS Consultants

Below are Free MLB Picks for August 8th 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.

OVER 9.5 Baltimore Orioles/Toronto Blue Jays:
A battle of two rookies today at Rogers Centre as the Orioles look to take their second straight against the Jays.

Chris Tillman (0-0, 6.75) is one of the top pitching prospects in Baseball and should be a star one day. His first two big league starts however, have not been great. He’s allowed 14 hits in just 10 2/3 innings pitched with 4 walks and 7 K’s. He’s a huge part of the Orioles future, which finally looks bright after years of losing.

Brett Cecil (5-1, 4.36) has done a nice job in spots this year for the Jays. The rookie lefty out of the University of Maryland was not expected to help the Jays much this year, but has been thrust into the rotation after injuries to Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan. Cecil did struggle in his last start, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits in 6 innings against the A’s last week.

OVER 8 Tampa Bay Rays/Seattle Mariners:
After a wild one last night, the Rays and Mariners battle in game 2 of a three game set. James Shields takes on Ian Snell as two teams desperately holding on to playoff dreams go at it.

Shields (6-8, 3.75) has been one of those “every other start” guys for a while now. His last start was brilliant, going 7 1/3 allowing one run on two hits. However, his previous start he was tagged for 9 hits and 5 runs in just 5 innings. The trend continues farther back, and he’s due for a bad one tonight. Shields is 0-2 with a 5.23 ERA in his last 5 starts.

Snell (0-0, 3.00) will be making his second start as a Mariner, and his first at home. Oddly enough, 3 of his last 4 starts when he was with the Pirates came against American League teams in interleague play. He’s 1-2 with a 4.23 ERA in his last 5 starts combined as a Pirate and a Mariner. Clearly, he is part of the M’s future as they’ve already traded Jarrod Washburn to Detroit and Erik Bedard has probably pitched his last game as a Mariner due to injury and his impending free agency.

ATS Consultants is a featured sports handicapping firm on Touthouse.com