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Milwaukee Brewers v Washington Nationals: Branden Looper v J.D. Martin

Milwaukee will arrive at Nationals Park to open a three game set against the Washington Nationals coming off a sweep at the hands of the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. Suddenly, the contending Brewers are falling apart at the wrong time of the season, going 3-7 in their last 10 contests.

It always seems like facing the Washington Nationals will cure what ails you, but then again, the same thing could have been said about facing the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Nationals are coming off a series against the hard charging Colorado Rockies and the slumping Brewers should be a welcome prospect compared to the red-hot Rockies.

Not surprisingly, the Brewers are a favored [1.77] in the Game Winner Market and while they definitely have a better team, taking a chance on the Nats (at [2.18]) might result in a nice payoff. Braden Looper has a solid 10-5 record for the Brewers, but his 5.03 ERA and 1.44 WHIP is cause for concern, especially considering the Nationals do have big bats.

On the other side, the Nationals throw unknown J.D. Martin to the mound, who started off poorly, but has a 0.82 ERA in his last two starts with 2 wins. One of those wins came at the hands of the Brewers, so he's familiar with them. Take a chance with the Nationals and hope the Brewers continue their slumping ways.

Seattle Mariners versus the Cleveland Indians: Luke French v David Huff

Another upset I like on Friday is Seattle going to Cleveland and beating the Indians. The Indians are favored at odds of [1.45] but the Mariners have a better team and a great chance in this contest considering the Indians are throwing softy David Huff on the mound.

Despite his winning record (7-6), he has an atrocious 6.55 ERA and a tepid 1.65 WHIP. There are 5 regulars on the Mariners line up hitting .280 and over against southpaws, so Huff is likely to be in for a long night. At [2.34], the Mariners are definitely my pick in this game.

With youngster Luke French and his 5.49 road ERA pitching for the Mariners, it's probably wise to take the over the 9.5 runs currently listed in this contest at odds of [1.85].