Free MLB Baseball Betting Picks: August 18th 2009: ATS Consultants

Below are Free MLB Picks for August 18th 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.

Seattle Mariners -120 over Detroit Tigers:
Felix Hernandez (12-4, 2.72) has been one of the best pitchers in the American League this year, and he’ll need to keep his nice season going if the Mariners are to stay in playoff contention. They’re currently 6 games back in the Wild Card Race, and while it doesn’t seem likely, they still have an outside shot. Hernandez has finally put it all together and should remain the ace of this rotation for years to come.

Rookie Rick Porcello (10-7, 4.34) has been one of the favorites for the Rookie of the Year award for most of the season, but has seemed to “hit the rookie wall” of late. He’s 2-1 with a 5.04 ERA in his last 5 starts. Detroit is leading the American League Central by 2 games over the White Sox and is in for a fight the rest of the way. Their pitching staff is their clear strength, and they’ll need Porcello to find that magic again these next six weeks if they want to make the playoffs.

OVER 10 Baltimore Orioles/Tampa Bay Rays:
A couple of rookies take the mound tonight at “The Trop” as Jason Berken and the Orioles take on David Price and the Rays. both pitchers have struggled while each team has very strong offensive clubs. Looks like an over from here.

Berken (2-10, 6.63) somehow remains in the Orioles rotation, but as soon as fellow rookie Brad Bergesen returns from a leg injury, Berken will be back in the bullpen. For now, we can just enjoy betting against him or betting the over in his starts. He’s been awful all year, but particularly worse in his last 5 starts, as he’s 1-3 with a 7.03 ERA. He’s allowed 33 hits in 24 innings including 5 home runs.

Price (5-5, 5.13) has been somewhat disappointing in his first full season, but the Rays plan on sticking with him as his upsde is still very high. Tampa Bay will just have to deal with his occasional wildness in hopes that he’ll put it all together soon. Price is 2-2 with a 5.79 ERA in his last 5 starts. He’s allowed 36 hits in his last 28 innings, with 6 home runs. Considering both teams lineups coupled with two struggling pitchers, the over should be an easy play tonight.

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