The All-Star break has come and gone, so it’s back to betting on games that really matter. The season has flown by this year, but maybe that’s because all the races are still pretty tight. There’s no runaway best team in the league in 2009, sorry Dodgers and Red Sox fans. Anyone’s beatable.

Cubs at Phillies: If the Cubs are serious about actually competing this year, it’s getting to be that put up or shut up time. And that not only starts with the manager, but with one of the team’s so-called leaders Carlos Zambrano. He’s 5-4 with a 3.8 ERA, but his most disappointing statistic has to be fewer than 90K’s so far this season. And a ho-hum 1.3 WHIP. He’s also 2-3 in his last 5 starts, so he’s heading in the wrong direction and facing a hungry and rejuvenated Phillies team. Whether you think the signing of Pedro Martinez was a good idea or not, they did get him for a steal at $1M. Pitching in this game, though, will be Cole Hamels, whose stat line looks very similar to Zambrano, but with an ERA a full point higher. I don’t think it’ll matter much, though, as the Cubs have been spinning in offensive circles lately. They’re a pathetic 14th in the NL in batting average. Wait for it….wait for it…..”wait ’til next year!” Zambrano’s primed to fall apart and you might even start to hear trade rumors. Phillies -160, Cubs +145. Take the Phillies.

Tampa Bay at Chicago: My baseball betting assessment of the Rays as a fluke still holds water, as it’s unlikely they’ll even qualify for the playoffs unless they start tearing it up in their own division the second half of the season. Odds are we’re going to see the Red Sox and Yankees from the AL East and Wild Card, and then the Central and West are anyone’s guess right now. Chicago is part of that anyone’s guess, at least for the moment. They went on quite a run leading up to the All-Star break before dropping two of three in their own private hell that is the Metrodome. We get a great pitching matchup of Shields vs. Buerhle, with big Mark looking for redemption after getting shelled by the Twins. The Sox are 4 back in the loss column, and they have the Twins gnawing at their heels. This is usually that make or break time for them, and there are rumors Quentin might make it back sometime soon. If he can stay healthy and recover his swing, the Sox will be a team to watch in their division. All isn’t lost for Tampa, they’re only 3.5 back of the Yankees themselves, but they have to play with the consistency of the last month or so than the first month of the season. The Sox tend to struggle against the Rays balanced attach, and even with their ace on the mound, it’s difficult to see them as the favorite. The line will give them a slight edge, -115 to +110, but I say bet the Rays.