Below are Free MLB Picks for July 3rd 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.

UNDER 10 Toronto Blue Jays/New York Yankees:
Afternoon Holiday Baseball at Yankee Stadium is quite a tradition. Remember Dave Righetti’s no hitter in 1983? Here’s another chance at history as the Blue Jays come to town for the weekend. AJ Burnett (6-4, 3.93) has been lights out of late for the Yankees. He’s allowed just 1 run in his last 20 1/3 innings of work while striking out 26. After a slow start, he’s become the pitcher the Yankees had hoped he’d become. He’ll face a Toronto team who isn’t the most offensively effective team in the league. Brian Tallet (5-5, 4.47) has had a nice year in his first year of starting. He was forced into the rotation because of injuries to Dustin Mcgowan and Shaun Marcum, and answered the bell nicely. His recent efforts have been good, allowing 5 runs in his last 17 innings pitched. Expect a well pitched, low scoring game this afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

OVER 9.5 St. Louis Cardinals/Cincinnati Reds:
The aptly named Great American Ballpark hosts this weekend series between the Cardinals and the Reds. Game 1 tonight should be a high scoring affair as former phenom Homer Bailey (1-0, 8.68) takes the hill for the Reds against Joel Piniero (6-9, 3.44). Bailey has been awful so far this year and is quickly falling out of favor with the Reds. He’s started twice this season and has been rocked to the tune of 9 runs in 9 1.3 innings pitched. What’s more of a concern is the 13 walks in that small time frame. Facing the league’s best hitter in Albert Pujols normally isn’t best for what ails a starting pitcher, so look for Bailey to continue to struggle. Pineiro has done a nice job for the Cards this season, and in a strange stat, actually has a decision in all 15 of his starts this year. He normally keeps his team in the game, and has pitched into the seventh inning in each of his last 4 starts. In his only outing against the Reds in 2009 he allowed 5 runs on 8 hits in 6 innings, taking the loss on May 8.

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Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Free MLB Picks: Tampa Bay Rays -140 betting odds - July 3rd 2009
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Scott Kazmir shows a 4-4 record and a 7.28 ERA. He’s a lot better than those numbers indicate though and his first start since coming off the disabled list indicates that he’s ready to “return to normal.” Kazmir looked sharp in holding the Marlins to just two earned runs in his first start May 20th. Now Kazmir’s second start is also drawn up well for success, as the Rays southpaw is 4-0 (team is 7-0!) with an impressive 2.09 ERA and a .201 BAA in seven career starts against the Rangers.

Also, even though he pitched while hurt earlier this season, Kazmir still has managed to go 3-1 on the road with a 4.29 ERA so far this season. On grass Kazmir is 3-0 with a 2.12 ERA this season. At Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Kazmir is 2-0 in three starts with a 2.70 ERA.

While one thinks of Texas being the better offensive club, it’s Tampa Bay’s offense which is ranked #2 in the majors for both slugging percentage and batting average. The Rays lead the majors in runs scored. On the other hand, the Rangers offense has struggled recently and their .257 batting average is among the worst in the American League. The Rangers’ struggles at the plate are likely to continue against an old nemesis, Kazmir.

On the other hand, the Rays hot hitting should continue against Tommy Hunter. While he’s been respectable in two starst this season, Hunter is still 0-3 in his MLB career (five starts). Hunter has a 9.93 ERA and has a .356 BAA in his first five big league outings. Left-handers have been particularly troublesome, as he’s got more walks than strikeouts against lefties plus he has a .385 BAA versus left-handed hitters. Note that the Rays will have a few lefties and a few switch-hitters in their lineup on Friday night.

The Rays are 31-20 (+7.7) units against right-handed starters this season and they’ve won 11 of their last 18 (+3.9) vs. Texas. Consider Tampa

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Florida Marlins
Free Pick: Florida Marlins (-150) - Fri July 3rd 2009 6:10p
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Pittsburgh comes in with a 36-43 overall record this year while Florida is 41-39 on the season. Florida has won 3 in a row and 8 of their last 11 games overall. Pittsburgh is only 14-26 on the road this year. Charlie Morton is 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA overall vs Florida since 1997. Pirates are 1-4 in their last 5 games with the total set at 7.0-8.5. Pirates are 1-4 in their last 5 games on grass. Pirates are 1-4 in their last 5 overall. Pirates are 0-4 in their last 4 games vs. a right-handed starter. Marlins are 8-0 in their last 8 home games. Marlins are 6-0 in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a losing record. Marlins are 6-0 in their last 6 vs. a team with a losing record. Marlins are 8-0 in their last 8 games on grass. Marlins are 5-0 in their last 5 home games vs. a right-handed starter. Marlins are 12-2 in their last 14 games as a home favorite. Marlins are 6-1 in their last 7 games following a win. Marlins are 6-1 in their last 7 games with the total set at 7.0-8.5. Marlins are 6-1 in their last 7 when their opponent allows 5 runs or more in their previous game. Marlins are 5-1 in their last 6 games vs. a right-handed starter. Marlins are 13-3 in their last 16 games as a favorite. Marlins are 4-1 in their last 5 after scoring 5 runs or more in their previous game. We’ll recommend a small play on Florida tonight! Thanks and good luck, Rocky

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Colorado Rockies
Free MLB Picks: Colorado Rockies (-125) - Fri Jul 3rd 2009 8:10p
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The Rockies return home to host Arizona after a nine game road trip thru California. Going for the Rockies is Jorge De La Rosa who is 4-7 with a 5.64 ERA this season. De La Rosa is coming off a solid effort in Oakland going six innings and giving up two runs on five hits, while striking out five and walking only two hitters. De La Rosa is 1-2 with a 3.08 ERA all time against Arizona, having lost to them 2-0 in April on the road. In that game he gave up just two runs and six hits in 6.7 innings pitched. Arizona hits .224 against De La Rosa with Chris Snyder (2-11), Stephen Drew (2-10), Chris Young (2-9), Chad Tracy (1-6) and Mark Reynolds (1-6) struggling the most. Arizona is 8-14 against lefties this season averaging just 3.6 runs per game and hitting only .224.

Arizona will send Max Scherzer to the hill where he’s 5-5 with a 3.67 ERA. In his last three starts he’s given up 7 earned runs in 16.3 innings pitched going 2-1 in that span. He’s faced Colorado once losing 3-2 to them in Colorado. In that game he gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings. Garrett Atkins (2-3), Clint Barmes (1-3), Chris Ianetta (1-3) and Brad Hawpe (1-2) had the most success against him in that game. At home Colorado averages 5.8 runs per game and hit .279 as a team. The Rockies are also a fantastic 21-5 SU in their past 26 games.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds u9.5 (-110) - Fri July 3rd 2009 7:10p
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Joel Pineiro of the St. Louis Cardinals has been pitching well all season with very little to show for it, but the key to this Under could very well be Homer Bailey of the Cincinnati Reds.

Bailey was a highly regarded prospect in the Cincinnati system, and he showed some flashes of brilliance when he was first called two years ago. However, he regressed badly last season and found himself back in the minors until finally being recalled again to take his first 2009 Major League start on May 23, when he was bombed again.

However, after a brief return to the minors, he looked decent in his second start upon his recall vs. the Cleveland Indians last week, when he got the win while allowing three runs on only three hits in five innings. Now, he has the advantage of facing a struggling St. Louis offense that is averaging just 2.30 runs per game over the last 10 games while batting a horrific .213 as a team during this time.

As for Pineiro, he is probably the most unfortunate 6-9 pitcher in baseball, given his 3.44 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. In fact, Pineiro has now allowed three earned runs or less in seven of his last eight starts, and yet he has gotten so little support for the quite Cardinal bats that they are only 2-6 as a team in those games. Naturally, that has made him a great Under pitcher, as it is 10-4-1 in all of his starts this year.

Tonight could be more of the same, especially if Bailey builds on his improved start the last time out, making for yet another Under.

MLB Free Pick: Cardinals, Reds Under 9.5 (-110)

Baltimore Orioles vs. Los Angeles Angels
Free Pick: Los Angeles Angels (-147) - Fri July 3rd 2009 10:05p
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The last place Baltimore Orioles continue to struggle on the road. The Birds are now 11-24 away from Camden Yards following a 5-2 loss to the Angels on Thursday night.

Just about everywhere you look the numbers are bad for Baltimore. They’re 0-3 against the Halos this season and 7-21 in the last 28 meetings. The Orioles are just 3-7 in their last ten outings and are hitting just .236 on the road while posting an ERA of 6.01 as a visitor.

Tonight Baltimore will face Ervin Santana who has had two stints on the DL this season. It’s amazing how things can change in a year. In 2008 Santana was a member of the AL All-Star team. This season he’s had more stints on the disabled list than he has wins. Santana has been on the 15-day disabled list since June 23rd. He experienced stiffness in his throwing arm following a start in Tampa Bay. He’ll take the mound this evening with a 1-3 record and an ERA of 7.47 in six starts.

The Orioles will counter with David Hernandez who is 1-2 on the season with a 4.19 ERA. In his last three starts he?s had as many walks as strikeouts and his ERA is just a smidge under 5.

After a slow start with the bats, the Angels have come to life offensively. Los Halos have scored 34 runs in their last five games and Bobby Abreu has been a big reason for the increased production. Abreu, who homered twice on Thursday night, has driven in 27 runs since the start of June. The only hitter in the Al who has matched Abreu’s production is teammate Juan Rivera.

The Angels have somehow kept things together in a season where lesser teams would have unraveled. Even with a rusty Santana on the mound tonight, I like the Angels to keep things rolling.

Here is a rundown of today’s baseball betting odds and MLB lines from ATS Consultants for July 3rd 2009. If you are looking for free MLB baseball betting picks on a daily basis be sure to sign-up for the ATS newsletter, featuring unmatched sports wagering information, free picks and expert analysis.

Big weekend of Baseball for the Holiday gets off to a huge start with a full day of action. Big game at Wrigley this afternoon between the Brewers and Cubs, and the Mets go to Philadelphia to try to make up some ground in the NL East.

MLB Baseball Betting Odds: July 3rd 2009
Click Here for Current MLB Baseball Odds

Date # Team Money Spread Total
07/03/09 301 Brewers(Milwaukee) Suppan +150 Over 9
14:20 ET 302 Cubs(Chicago) Zambrano -170 Under 9

07/03/09 303 Pirates(Pittsburgh) Morton +140 Over 8.5
18:10 ET 304 Marlins(Florida) Volstad -160 Under 8.5

07/03/09 305 Braves(Atlanta) Kawakami -135 Over 9.5 (even)
18:35 ET 306 Nationals(Washington) Detwiler +115 Under 9.5 (-120)

07/03/09 307 Mets(NY) Hernandez +125 Over 10 (even)
19:05 ET 308 Phillies(Philadelphia) Lopez -145 Under 10 (-120)

07/03/09 309 Cardinals(StLouis) Pineiro -125 Over 9.5
19:10 ET 310 Reds(Cincinnati) Bailey +105 Under 9.5

07/03/09 311 Diamondbacks(Arizona) Scherzer +110 Over 9.5
20:10 ET 312 Rockies(Colorado) DeLaRosa -130 Under 9.5

07/03/09 313 Dodgers(LA) Kuroda -145 Over 7 (-125)
22:05 ET 314 Padres(SanDiego) Gaudin +125 Under 7 (+105)

07/03/09 315 Astros(Houston) Paulino +105 Over 8.5 (-105)
22:15 ET 316 Giants(SanFrancisco) Sadowski -125 Under 8.5 (-115)

07/03/09 317 BlueJays(Toronto) Tallet +165 Over 9.5 (-105)
13:05 ET 318 Yankees(NewYork) Burnett -185 Under 9.5 (-115)

07/03/09 319 Athletics(Oakland) Cahill even Over 9 (-115)
19:05 ET 320 Indians(Cleveland) Huff -120 Under 9 (-105)

07/03/09 321 Mariners(Seattle) Hernandez eOFF Over 8.5 (-120)
19:10 ET 322 RedSox(Boston) Wakefield -120 Under 8.5 (even)

07/03/09 323 Rays(TampaBay) Kazmir -135 Over 10.5 (-115)
20:05 ET 324 Rangers(Texas) Hunter +115 Under 10.5 (-105)

07/03/09 325 WhiteSox(Chicago) Danks +120 Over 7.5 (even)
20:10 ET 326 Royals(KansasCity) Greinke -140 Under 7.5 (-120)

07/03/09 327 Tigers(Detroit) French +140 Over 9 (-120)
20:10 ET 328 Twins(Minnesota) Slowey -160 Under 9 (even)

07/03/09 329 Orioles(Baltimore) Hernandez +135 Over 10 (-115)
22:05 ET 330 Angels(LAA) Santana -155 Under 10 (-105)

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Houston Astros vs. San Diego Padres u7.5 (-125) - Thu July 2nd 2009 3:35p
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The Under is now on a 12-2-1 run in the last 15 Houston Astros games after the first three games of this four-game series vs. the San Diego Padres all went Under, and given that Petco Park is the most pitcher-friendly stadium in baseball, look for more of the same tonight.

Granted, it took a minor miracle for the game last night to stay Under 8.5, as Houston led 6-1 in the middle of the fourth inning, but remember that shoddy defense was a contributing factor. Only three of those early runs was earned, and the fact that the teams needed that help to score is an indication of how difficult it is to score here. In fact, all games at Petco this year have averaged on 7.56 total runs combined.

Padres starter Kevin Correia has caught fire lately, as he has now recorded five consecutive Quality Starts. More impressive is the fact that this streak is not solely a function of pitching in this stadium, as two of those starts came on the road. It is also worth noting that Correia already has a Quality Start in his only start vs. the Astros this season, and that outing came at Houston in a more hitter-friendly stadium.

The Astros counter with Wandy Rodriguez, who is 6-6 but with a very good 3.35 ERA. Sure, Wandy has continued his annoying habit of pitching extremely well at home and being very mediocre on the road, but he did toss a gem in his last road start, allowing only one run an two hits in seven innings in a 4-1 Houston victory vs. the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome. Rodriguez will also be aided by that fact that San Diego is batting .199 vs. southpaws at home.

This may look like a low total at first glance, but the Under is now 6-1 in the last seven head-to-head meetings in San Diego with five of those games producing a total runs output of seven or less.

MLB Free Pick: Astros, Padres Under 7.5 (-125)

Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Free Pick: Atlanta Braves (-136) - Thu July 2nd 2009 7:10p
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I’ve been told the key to making money with Atlanta this year is to back them every time they face a lefthander. If the Braves treatment of Cole Hamels on Wednesday night is any indication, I’m backing up the Brinks truck and throwing it all on Atlanta.

The Braves, who demolished Hamels and the Phillies 11-1, look for a repeat performance against A.J. Happ. He?s talented, he’s 5-0 but he’s also a southpaw. Happ is coming off a complete game 10-0 shutout of Toronto on Saturday and he may need an encore performance to keep the Phillies close.
Philadelphia is 4-13 in its last 17 games. That slide has a lot to due with the loss of Raul Ibanez who is on the disabled list Without him the Phils lackluster lineup has scored two or fewer runs in five of the last 11 games.

Atlanta is 6-2 against Philadelphia this season and are poised for their fist series sweep in four years. The Braves have won three straight overall and will look to extend their streak with Javier Vazquez on the hill. The veteran righthander is just 5-7 but his ERA of 3.07 ranks in the top ten in the NL. Vazquez is also 1-0 with a 3.29 ERA in his two starts against the Phils this season. Among starting pitchers this season Vasquez leads the majors with 7.96 strikeouts per 100 pitchers (K/100P).

Oh and about those lefthanders. Atlanta is hitting .272 on the season and .294 in their last ten games against southpaws.

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UNDER 9.5 Seattle Mariners/New York Yankees:
A pair of lefties go at it tonight as we try to hit the under in this matchup for a second straight day. We were right on last night with two lefty pitchers, and we like it just the same today. Seattle will send rookie Jason Vargas (3-3, 3.79) to the hill in hopes that the youngster won’t be intimidated in Yankee Stadium. He’s been pretty solid since his recall, but has struggled a bit in his last three starts, 2 of which were on the road. Hopefully he can keep the M’s in the game and hold down the Yankees bats a little. New York will send their ace, CC Sabathia (7-4, 3.55) who has really been brilliant of late after a rough beginning to his pinstripes career. Last week at Citi Field, with many concerned that he was injured, he went out and held the Mets to one run on three hits in seven innings. The Yankees are rolling and have pulled to within 2.5 games of the Red Sox in the AL East.

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