FLORIDA MARLINS vs. New York Mets

Pitching Matchup: Josh Johnson vs. Pat Misch

Here’s what you need to know: Well besides the fact that Misch has struggled in his last few starts and was absolutely clobbered in his last start on Tuesday against the Braves, Johnson has been pretty darn good at home this season. He lost his last start at home against the Phillies, but he did strike out 10 in just five innings. Take the Marlins and the -1.5 runs today.

GOOD BETS

KANSAS CITY ROYALS vs. Minnesota Twins

Pitching Matchup: Zack Greinke vs. Francisco Liriano

Here’s what you need to know: In case you hadn’t heard, Zack Greinke is really, really good. That is all.

UPSET SPECIALS

Toronto Blue Jays vs. SEATTLE MARINERS

Pitching Matchup: Brian Tallet vs. Ryan Rowland-Smith

Here’s what you need to know: Rowland-Smith has all but secured his place in Seattle’s rotation for next season by being a pretty consistent performer and producing some good outings against a few of the better teams in the league. He’s had a string of solid road starts, and I like him to pitch the Mariners to the won today.

Obviously, Federer is the HUGE favorite in this match, as he has only dropped one set so far in this tournament. Federer took care of the 6’10” Croatian Ivo Karlovic is straight sets while Haas upset 4th seed Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. Haas was up 2 sets on Federer in the French Open and he was only 5 points away from a win before Federer found his game and came back to win in 5 sets. Haas has had a solid season and he won in Halle, which is a Wimbledon tune up. Haas will have to have an excellent match to pull of the huge upset. If he goes to the net he has to be solid, as Federer had many awesome passing shots in his quarterfinal win.

If Federer serves like he did in the quarters he will be almost impossible to beat, as he only dropped 11 points on his serve in the whole match. Haas will have to be consistent on his ground-strokes and win long rallies, which will not be easy against grass stud Federer. Haas will have to take chances in this match and use his stellar one-handed backhand to force the issue on Federer.

Haas will have to play a near-perfect match to beat Federer and that simply will not happen, as I see King Roger winning this match in 3 sets.

Andy Roddick (+250) vs. Andrew Murray (-400)

Roddick is the underdog in this match, as he faces the best hope that Great Britain has had in Wimbledon since Tim Herron came close a couple of times. Roddick needed 5 sets to take out a pesky Lleyton Hewitt and he will have to cut down on his unforced errors against Murray. Murray’s toughest match came in the 4th round when he beat Stanislas Wawrinka in 5 sets. In the quarterfinals he steamrolled over Juan Carlos Ferrero in 3 sets.

Murray leads Roddick 6-4 in their head to head match ups. Roddick will have to hold his serve, as even if he does not break and it goes to a tiebreak he is in good shape since he is 24-4 in tiebreakers this season. Murray is great at mixing up his shots and he will have to do that against Roddick has a better power game. This match may come down to how Roddick can come back from a long 5 set match against Hewitt and if he can limit his unforced errors. Roddick tend to make mistakes with his forehand when he is under pressure and if he does that tomorrow he will not be playing in his 3rd Wimbledon final.

Murray will have the crowd on his side and he is favorites, but I see Roddick having a great match, as this may be the tournament he can finally get his second major.

Now, attention turns to the second legs of the UEFA Cup semifinals, where Hamburg SV and Shakhtar Donetsk are in the driver’s seat for a meeting in the final in Istanbul. However, both ties still do hang firmly in the balance, and things could go the other way in a matter of moments.

The latest UEFA Cup betting odds favor the home sides to go through to the final, but that doesn’t mean I necessarily have to follow suit, does it?

Hamburg SV (1) v. Werder Bremen (0)

Hamburg SV are in as good of a position as can be after a 1-0 win away to Werder Bremen in the first leg.

I thought that it was going to be all Werder Bremen at home, but HSV put in an excellent performance, and a 28th minute goal from midfielder Piotr Trochowski netted them a fantastic away win.

Is it all over? Nothing less than victory will do for Werder Bremen, and they aren’t exactly the most fear-inspiring away side you’ll ever see. However, they’ve had no problem scoring goals away from home in the UEFA Cup knockout rounds, netting seven in their three away knockout ties against AC Milan (2), St. Etienne (2), and Udinese (3). However, draws like they got in each of those ties won’t do this time around, and a little defensive fortitude will be required to see them through to the final.

These two have to turn around and face each other in Bremen on Sunday in a clash that will be vital for HSV’s hopes to make the Champions League and stay in the Bundesliga title race, so one of these sides will have a quick chance for revenge. I’m going to remain bullish about Werder Bremen, even though they

Shakhtar Donetsk (1) v. Dynamo Kiev (1)

After getting a vital away goal and a draw in Kiev, Shakhtar go into the second leg against their domestic archrivals with a decided advantage.

I expected Dynamo to take care of business at home, but Shakhtar, who won at Marseille in the quarterfinals, overcame a first-half deficit to earn a draw through Fernandinho’s 68th minute equalizer.

Shakhtar have won each of their home matches in the UEFA Cup knockout rounds, beating Tottenham, CSKA Moscow, and Marseille, so there’s good reason for them to be regarded as favorites to go through.

But, Dynamo will be confident about being able to get the 1-1 draw they need to force extra time, as they got a 2-2 draw in the round of 32 at Valencia that saw them through on away goals, and in the second leg of their quarterfinal tie against PSG, they left Paris with a resounding 3-0 triumph and a place in the semis.

Shakhtar haven’t allowed a single goal in their home knockout ties, and if they can do it again, they’ll have a place in the final. I see them getting the result they need, and even though Dynamo will run away with the Ukrainian Premier League title, Shakhtar will be the one with a chance to get their hands on a European trophy this season.

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