Dave Cokin
(969) TORONTO BLUE JAYS
(970) CLEVELAND INDIANS
Take "(969) TORONTO BLUE JAYS"
Cliff Lee was the nuts last season for Cleveland, but he looks pretty hittable right now. The Indians are stumbling out of the gate once again, and things get no easier here as they have to try and get to Roy Halladay. Toronto is off to a good start and I see the Blue Jays having a solid shot at recording another win today.
(969) TORONTO BLUE JAYS
(970) CLEVELAND INDIANS
Take "(969) TORONTO BLUE JAYS"
Cliff Lee was the nuts last season for Cleveland, but he looks pretty hittable right now. The Indians are stumbling out of the gate once again, and things get no easier here as they have to try and get to Roy Halladay. Toronto is off to a good start and I see the Blue Jays having a solid shot at recording another win today.
Jim Feist
(965) SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
(966) SAN DIEGO PADRES
Take "(965) SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS"
San Diego has a weak all around team, with no speed and below average defense. They lost opening night as a favorite behind Jake Peavy. Peavy played in the World Baseball Classic, a tough opening stretch to deal with for pitchers. The Giants go with Jonathan Sanchez, one of the many talented young arms on this staff. He struck out six over 4.2 innings against the Dodgers on Sunday evening. A nice price on a very live dog. Play the Giants.
(965) SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
(966) SAN DIEGO PADRES
Take "(965) SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS"
San Diego has a weak all around team, with no speed and below average defense. They lost opening night as a favorite behind Jake Peavy. Peavy played in the World Baseball Classic, a tough opening stretch to deal with for pitchers. The Giants go with Jonathan Sanchez, one of the many talented young arms on this staff. He struck out six over 4.2 innings against the Dodgers on Sunday evening. A nice price on a very live dog. Play the Giants.
Comps
Big Al McM0rdie
Boston Red Sox vs. LAA Angels (MLB)
Apr 11, 2009 5:10 PM EDT
Play: LAA Angels
At 4:10pm our selection is on the Los Angeles Angels over the Boston Red Sox. It's still unclear whether the Red Sox really lost out in the off-season pitching sweepstakes when they failed to sign either CC Sabathia or AJ Burnett and had to settle instead for John Smoltz and Brad Penny. After all, Sabathia got crushed in the opener against the Orioles and Burnett has a long history of injury problems. And even though Smoltz is out until at least late May, Penny is apparently healthy and ready to go. The problem is that his first assignment as a starter outside of the National League is on the road against the high-powered Angel offense and a team that is playing with a lot of emotion right now following the tragic death of its pitcher Nick Adenhart. Ex-Los Angeles Dodger Brad Penny may feel like this is a homecoming, since he will be getting his first start for the Red Sox back in the L.A. area, but it is unlikely he will get a warm welcome upon his return to southern California. He'll be faced by Angel lefty Joe Saunders, who won on opening day vs. Oakland. Saunders held the Oakland bats to just three hits in 6 2/3 innings, so he looked just as good as he did last season when he won a career-high 17 games. Take the Angels
Big Al McM0rdie
Boston Red Sox vs. LAA Angels (MLB)
Apr 11, 2009 5:10 PM EDT
Play: LAA Angels
At 4:10pm our selection is on the Los Angeles Angels over the Boston Red Sox. It's still unclear whether the Red Sox really lost out in the off-season pitching sweepstakes when they failed to sign either CC Sabathia or AJ Burnett and had to settle instead for John Smoltz and Brad Penny. After all, Sabathia got crushed in the opener against the Orioles and Burnett has a long history of injury problems. And even though Smoltz is out until at least late May, Penny is apparently healthy and ready to go. The problem is that his first assignment as a starter outside of the National League is on the road against the high-powered Angel offense and a team that is playing with a lot of emotion right now following the tragic death of its pitcher Nick Adenhart. Ex-Los Angeles Dodger Brad Penny may feel like this is a homecoming, since he will be getting his first start for the Red Sox back in the L.A. area, but it is unlikely he will get a warm welcome upon his return to southern California. He'll be faced by Angel lefty Joe Saunders, who won on opening day vs. Oakland. Saunders held the Oakland bats to just three hits in 6 2/3 innings, so he looked just as good as he did last season when he won a career-high 17 games. Take the Angels
Craig Trapp
New York Yankees vs. Kansas City Royals (MLB)
Apr 11, 2009 8:10 PM EDT
Play: New York Yankees
Horacio Ramirez looks to continue that trend when he makes his first start in more than a year. After starting 20 games for Seattle in 2007, the left-hander worked out of the bullpen for Kansas City and the Chicago White Sox last season, going 1-4 with a 4.34 ERA in 32 relief appearances. Ramirez didn't have a spectacular spring allowing 32 runs including 25 earned and 44 hits in 25 innings but was still awarded a spot in the Royals rotation, which was without a lefty. Ramirez struggled in two relief outings against New York last season, allowing three runs and five hits in one inning. He has been solid against the Yankees as a starter, though, going 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA in three career starts.
Sabathia got smoked in his debut in NY but today will face a very poor offensive team. Sabathia made three starts against Kansas City last season before being traded to Milwaukee in July, going 1-2 with a 3.54 ERA. He is 14-10 with a 3.40 ERA lifetime versus the Royals, and 2-2 with a 2.79 ERA in four starts in Kansas City since 2007.
The big difference between these two teams is the offensive fire power of the NYY. Also Sabathia can be dominating and Ramariez had a horrible spring. Enjoy big free winner from Craig Trapp. SCORE NYY 6 - KC 1
New York Yankees vs. Kansas City Royals (MLB)
Apr 11, 2009 8:10 PM EDT
Play: New York Yankees
Horacio Ramirez looks to continue that trend when he makes his first start in more than a year. After starting 20 games for Seattle in 2007, the left-hander worked out of the bullpen for Kansas City and the Chicago White Sox last season, going 1-4 with a 4.34 ERA in 32 relief appearances. Ramirez didn't have a spectacular spring allowing 32 runs including 25 earned and 44 hits in 25 innings but was still awarded a spot in the Royals rotation, which was without a lefty. Ramirez struggled in two relief outings against New York last season, allowing three runs and five hits in one inning. He has been solid against the Yankees as a starter, though, going 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA in three career starts.
Sabathia got smoked in his debut in NY but today will face a very poor offensive team. Sabathia made three starts against Kansas City last season before being traded to Milwaukee in July, going 1-2 with a 3.54 ERA. He is 14-10 with a 3.40 ERA lifetime versus the Royals, and 2-2 with a 2.79 ERA in four starts in Kansas City since 2007.
The big difference between these two teams is the offensive fire power of the NYY. Also Sabathia can be dominating and Ramariez had a horrible spring. Enjoy big free winner from Craig Trapp. SCORE NYY 6 - KC 1
Carlo Campanella
KC ROYALS
Yankees improved to 2-2 yesterday after they opened this series at Kansas City with a solid 4-1 win. They Yankees have struggled to this point of the season and are now heavily favored on the road because they start ace-picther, CC Sabathia on the mound. We're will to go against this large road Favorite as we find Sabathia losing his last 2 starts against these Royals, getting shelled for 18 Hits and 8 Earned Runs in just 14 Innings Pitched! He'll need better numbers than those to get a win today against a 2-2 Kansas City team that sends Horacio Ramirez to start on the mound. Ramirez is 2-1 against the Yanks and has held them to 5 Earned Runs in 20 Innings Pitched.
7* Play On Kansas City
KC ROYALS
Yankees improved to 2-2 yesterday after they opened this series at Kansas City with a solid 4-1 win. They Yankees have struggled to this point of the season and are now heavily favored on the road because they start ace-picther, CC Sabathia on the mound. We're will to go against this large road Favorite as we find Sabathia losing his last 2 starts against these Royals, getting shelled for 18 Hits and 8 Earned Runs in just 14 Innings Pitched! He'll need better numbers than those to get a win today against a 2-2 Kansas City team that sends Horacio Ramirez to start on the mound. Ramirez is 2-1 against the Yanks and has held them to 5 Earned Runs in 20 Innings Pitched.
7* Play On Kansas City
Marc Lawrence MLB Bonus Play! - Saturday 4/11
Play On: Houston with Oswalt
Note: Roy Oswalt looks to get untracked today when he takes the hill in St. Louis in Game Two of this 3-game set. Oswalt came up empty in Houston's season opener when he dropped a 4-2 decision to the Cubs on Monday. He's been especially sharp in this park where he owns a super sharp 1.96 ERA in 13 career team starts. Look for Oswalt to get back on the win track here today.
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Play On: Houston with Oswalt
Note: Roy Oswalt looks to get untracked today when he takes the hill in St. Louis in Game Two of this 3-game set. Oswalt came up empty in Houston's season opener when he dropped a 4-2 decision to the Cubs on Monday. He's been especially sharp in this park where he owns a super sharp 1.96 ERA in 13 career team starts. Look for Oswalt to get back on the win track here today.
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Sat, 04/11/09 - 3:05 PMNick "BookieKiller" Parsons | NHL Total
free pick56 COL / 55 VAN Under
Analysis: Member Play: Roberto Luongo saved the Canucks Tuesday. They repaid him with an easier night Thursday. After relying almost exclusively on Luongo's stellar 46-save outing for a 4-1 win over Calgary two nights earlier, the Canucks only needed 20 saves from their star goaltender and a second-period power play goal from Ryan Kesler, to beat Los Angeles 1-0 on Thursday. Against the 13th-place Kings, Luongo faced one fewer shot all game than he did in the first period in a 46-save, 4-1 win over Calgary on Tuesday night; expect another similar effort this evening! The Av's have seen the total go under the posted number in all four games they've played in April while the Canucks have seen it go under the number in 10 of 16 games after playing 3 consecutive home games; look for these trends to continue and for the situation the Canucks find themselves in to play significant rolls in the outcome of this game; play on the UNDER!
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free pick56 COL / 55 VAN Under
Analysis: Member Play: Roberto Luongo saved the Canucks Tuesday. They repaid him with an easier night Thursday. After relying almost exclusively on Luongo's stellar 46-save outing for a 4-1 win over Calgary two nights earlier, the Canucks only needed 20 saves from their star goaltender and a second-period power play goal from Ryan Kesler, to beat Los Angeles 1-0 on Thursday. Against the 13th-place Kings, Luongo faced one fewer shot all game than he did in the first period in a 46-save, 4-1 win over Calgary on Tuesday night; expect another similar effort this evening! The Av's have seen the total go under the posted number in all four games they've played in April while the Canucks have seen it go under the number in 10 of 16 games after playing 3 consecutive home games; look for these trends to continue and for the situation the Canucks find themselves in to play significant rolls in the outcome of this game; play on the UNDER!
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Greg Shaker
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MLB: Toronto Blue Jays at Cleveland Indians - Under 8 (Halladay/Lee) -115
Game Date: 4/11/2009
Note: Everything about this game today in Cleveland points to an Over at least as far as recent play and pitching goes, and certainly the woes of the Indians throwing staff. Both Throwers did not look very smart in their first outing this year with Halladay allowing 2 Homers and 5 runs in his first performance, and Lee getting pounded hard at Texas. Yesterday's action saw 20 runs by these two teams and once again, Cleveland saw some seriously bad throwing by their relievers. But these two guys are two of the best and they both have a very competitive nature. They will have the benefit of a wind that is blowing in from center and they both also have the benefit of doing well verses their opponent. Lee was also fantastic against the Blue Jays last season, throwing 17 scoreless innings over two starts. Halladay's lifetime mark verses Cleveland has been very good despite faltering last year when he faced the Tribe. We can discount the Indians poor start partly due running into a strong hitting and motivated Texas Squad and I was very happy about that with 2 wins on Texas this week. All of these things have given us a pretty good opportunity today with a much better betting line than we normally would have and that means it is time to jump. It is going to take 9 to beat us, and that may be a hard thing to accomplish, because the likelihood of at least of these hurlers getting back ontrack is very good. Let's forget all stats concerning past history though because that means much less than what is going on now, and what is going on now is two very good starting pictchers sitting in their Hotel Room right now and focusing on a good Saturday effort. Winning Baseball Totals is all about putting ourselves in good situations and this is one of those.
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MLB: Toronto Blue Jays at Cleveland Indians - Under 8 (Halladay/Lee) -115
Game Date: 4/11/2009
Note: Everything about this game today in Cleveland points to an Over at least as far as recent play and pitching goes, and certainly the woes of the Indians throwing staff. Both Throwers did not look very smart in their first outing this year with Halladay allowing 2 Homers and 5 runs in his first performance, and Lee getting pounded hard at Texas. Yesterday's action saw 20 runs by these two teams and once again, Cleveland saw some seriously bad throwing by their relievers. But these two guys are two of the best and they both have a very competitive nature. They will have the benefit of a wind that is blowing in from center and they both also have the benefit of doing well verses their opponent. Lee was also fantastic against the Blue Jays last season, throwing 17 scoreless innings over two starts. Halladay's lifetime mark verses Cleveland has been very good despite faltering last year when he faced the Tribe. We can discount the Indians poor start partly due running into a strong hitting and motivated Texas Squad and I was very happy about that with 2 wins on Texas this week. All of these things have given us a pretty good opportunity today with a much better betting line than we normally would have and that means it is time to jump. It is going to take 9 to beat us, and that may be a hard thing to accomplish, because the likelihood of at least of these hurlers getting back ontrack is very good. Let's forget all stats concerning past history though because that means much less than what is going on now, and what is going on now is two very good starting pictchers sitting in their Hotel Room right now and focusing on a good Saturday effort. Winning Baseball Totals is all about putting ourselves in good situations and this is one of those.
Tom Freese
Oklahoma City at Milwaukee
Oklahoma City is 5-0 UNDER off an ATS Win and they are 7-2 UNDER as underdogs of 5.0 to 10.5 points. The Thunder are 4-1 UNDER off a straight up win and they are 9-3 UNDER vs. an opponent that allowed 100 or more points in their last game. Milwaukee is 4-1 UNDER when playing with two days of rest and they are 5-2 UNDER their last 7 home games. The Bucks are 11-5 UNDER their last 16 games vs. the Thunder including going 5-2 UNDER the last 7 meetings in Milwaukee. PLAY ON 'UNDER'
Oklahoma City at Milwaukee
Oklahoma City is 5-0 UNDER off an ATS Win and they are 7-2 UNDER as underdogs of 5.0 to 10.5 points. The Thunder are 4-1 UNDER off a straight up win and they are 9-3 UNDER vs. an opponent that allowed 100 or more points in their last game. Milwaukee is 4-1 UNDER when playing with two days of rest and they are 5-2 UNDER their last 7 home games. The Bucks are 11-5 UNDER their last 16 games vs. the Thunder including going 5-2 UNDER the last 7 meetings in Milwaukee. PLAY ON 'UNDER'
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on Kansas City Royals +175
We'll grab the Royals showing excellent value as a home underdog today in this bounce back spot. Sabathia was awful in the opener at Baltimore and this is a Royals team that has seen plenty of him when he was pitching at Cleveland. After scoring just 1 run yesterday, I expect the Royals to be aggressive against the big lefty today. The Royals counter with a lefty and that has been the way to go against the Yankees as they are just 15-30 against the money line in road games against left-handed starters over the last 3 seasons. The Royals are 6-0 in their last 6 during game 2 of a series, 15-3 in their last 18 games vs. a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30, and 13-5 in their last 18 games vs. a left-handed starter. Bet the Royals at a great price tonight.
1 Unit on Kansas City Royals +175
We'll grab the Royals showing excellent value as a home underdog today in this bounce back spot. Sabathia was awful in the opener at Baltimore and this is a Royals team that has seen plenty of him when he was pitching at Cleveland. After scoring just 1 run yesterday, I expect the Royals to be aggressive against the big lefty today. The Royals counter with a lefty and that has been the way to go against the Yankees as they are just 15-30 against the money line in road games against left-handed starters over the last 3 seasons. The Royals are 6-0 in their last 6 during game 2 of a series, 15-3 in their last 18 games vs. a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30, and 13-5 in their last 18 games vs. a left-handed starter. Bet the Royals at a great price tonight.
Drew Gordon
Oklahoma City +7 at MILWAUKEE
Solid Bonus Play winner with the Marlins over the Mets 5-4 Friday! We switch gears to the Hardwood with this FREE winner Saturday night...
Sorry, but there's no way in hell a team playing as badly as the Bucks should be favored by this many over ANYONE. Milwaukee has all but put up a white flag, losers of 9 of their last 10 games (2-8 ATS over that span), and playing like a team that just doesn't care anymore. They mustered one nice home win over the Celtics in Mid-March, but since then, have lost 5 straight at home, including an ugly outright home loss to sorry-ass Memphis last Saturday!
While the Thunder also have nothing to play for, at the very least, they're still playing competitive basketball, beating the Bobcats outright 84-81 yesterday as 3'-point home pups! True, they're playing in the tail end of a back-to-back, but that hasn't been a problem for this young Thunder team, going 11-5 ATS with no rest this season! Also, its no secret this Thunder team has been a solid bet on the road, going 23-14 ATS away on the season! And as a final note on trends, the Thunder are an outstanding 13-4 ATS in their last 17 meetings with the Bucks!
From a match up standpoint, Durant/Green and Villanueva/Jefferson all but cancel each other out, but its Krstic and Westrbook who give the edge to the Thunder. Bell, Sessions, and Gadzuric wouldn't start on 90% of NBA teams, and it'll show tonight, as the younger, hungrier Thunder throughly outplay them. Of course, its late in the season and with nothing to play for, you expect this game to feature little defense, which benefits the Bucks. However, in the end, even if the Bucks do win, covering the bloated number is another story entirely!
Take Oklahoma City plus the points over Milwaukee in this NBA match up.
2? OKLAHOMA CITY
Seattle (-110) at OAKLAND
Did you see King Felix in his season opener?! Despite twisting his ankle in the 1st, he still locked down the Twins over 8 innings, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits, striking out 6 in the process! More of the same today, as Hernandez has been downright nasty against the Athletics recently, going 6-2 with a 2.17 ERA in 8 outings over the last 2 seasons! The fact they hit just .217 off of him over that span cannot be good news for A's-backers!
Opposing Hernandez is the A's rookie Josh Outman, who's been just about average since joining their staff, going 1-2 with a 4.56 ERA in six appearances last season. The southpaw is hardly overpowering, and I'm just not convinced by a guy who was a virtual "no-name" this Spring. He's going to take his lumps this season, and it all starts today against a Mariners offense that took future star Brett Anderson behind the woodshed yesterday.
Finally, we know from last season that the M's are pretty fond of hitting lefties, ranking 12th in runs socred off of them, and batting a solid .279 against them (good for 5th in the Majors)! In the end, the last time they faced Outman, they collected 8 hits off of him, scored 4 runs, and got the win... More of the same today, as King Felix holds down his end of the bargain, while the M's offense takes care of the rest.
Take Seattle behind Hernandez over Oakland and Outman in this MLB match up.
3? SEATTLE
Oklahoma City +7 at MILWAUKEE
Solid Bonus Play winner with the Marlins over the Mets 5-4 Friday! We switch gears to the Hardwood with this FREE winner Saturday night...
Sorry, but there's no way in hell a team playing as badly as the Bucks should be favored by this many over ANYONE. Milwaukee has all but put up a white flag, losers of 9 of their last 10 games (2-8 ATS over that span), and playing like a team that just doesn't care anymore. They mustered one nice home win over the Celtics in Mid-March, but since then, have lost 5 straight at home, including an ugly outright home loss to sorry-ass Memphis last Saturday!
While the Thunder also have nothing to play for, at the very least, they're still playing competitive basketball, beating the Bobcats outright 84-81 yesterday as 3'-point home pups! True, they're playing in the tail end of a back-to-back, but that hasn't been a problem for this young Thunder team, going 11-5 ATS with no rest this season! Also, its no secret this Thunder team has been a solid bet on the road, going 23-14 ATS away on the season! And as a final note on trends, the Thunder are an outstanding 13-4 ATS in their last 17 meetings with the Bucks!
From a match up standpoint, Durant/Green and Villanueva/Jefferson all but cancel each other out, but its Krstic and Westrbook who give the edge to the Thunder. Bell, Sessions, and Gadzuric wouldn't start on 90% of NBA teams, and it'll show tonight, as the younger, hungrier Thunder throughly outplay them. Of course, its late in the season and with nothing to play for, you expect this game to feature little defense, which benefits the Bucks. However, in the end, even if the Bucks do win, covering the bloated number is another story entirely!
Take Oklahoma City plus the points over Milwaukee in this NBA match up.
2? OKLAHOMA CITY
Seattle (-110) at OAKLAND
Did you see King Felix in his season opener?! Despite twisting his ankle in the 1st, he still locked down the Twins over 8 innings, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits, striking out 6 in the process! More of the same today, as Hernandez has been downright nasty against the Athletics recently, going 6-2 with a 2.17 ERA in 8 outings over the last 2 seasons! The fact they hit just .217 off of him over that span cannot be good news for A's-backers!
Opposing Hernandez is the A's rookie Josh Outman, who's been just about average since joining their staff, going 1-2 with a 4.56 ERA in six appearances last season. The southpaw is hardly overpowering, and I'm just not convinced by a guy who was a virtual "no-name" this Spring. He's going to take his lumps this season, and it all starts today against a Mariners offense that took future star Brett Anderson behind the woodshed yesterday.
Finally, we know from last season that the M's are pretty fond of hitting lefties, ranking 12th in runs socred off of them, and batting a solid .279 against them (good for 5th in the Majors)! In the end, the last time they faced Outman, they collected 8 hits off of him, scored 4 runs, and got the win... More of the same today, as King Felix holds down his end of the bargain, while the M's offense takes care of the rest.
Take Seattle behind Hernandez over Oakland and Outman in this MLB match up.
3? SEATTLE
Sports Gambling Hotline
Orlando -6 at NEW JERSEY
Comp play winner last night on Cleveland as the road favorite over Philadelphia. Now 9-3 the last 12 days with our Bonus Plays.
Another road favorite that will cover tonight, as we like Orlando over New Jersey.
The Magic lost by double-digits last night at home to the Knicks, as Orlando has now dropped 2 of 3, and have failed all 3 against the spread. They need to step it up as they close the regular season, and they will be able to do just that against the tired Nets tonight.
New Jersey lost last night at Detroit, but were able to cover their 3rd in a row. A look at the Nets last 5 games shows each of those games came against playoff-bound teams, the last pair of games on the road!
The Nets will hit the wall in tonight's home game we feel sure of it.
Series numbers show Orlando having won the last 4 meetings, while covering in 3 of those 4.
No issue laying a few road points, as the Magic need to get their act together, while the Nets are just thinking about getting to the finish line on Wednesday.
Play on the Magic.
5? ORLANDO
Orlando -6 at NEW JERSEY
Comp play winner last night on Cleveland as the road favorite over Philadelphia. Now 9-3 the last 12 days with our Bonus Plays.
Another road favorite that will cover tonight, as we like Orlando over New Jersey.
The Magic lost by double-digits last night at home to the Knicks, as Orlando has now dropped 2 of 3, and have failed all 3 against the spread. They need to step it up as they close the regular season, and they will be able to do just that against the tired Nets tonight.
New Jersey lost last night at Detroit, but were able to cover their 3rd in a row. A look at the Nets last 5 games shows each of those games came against playoff-bound teams, the last pair of games on the road!
The Nets will hit the wall in tonight's home game we feel sure of it.
Series numbers show Orlando having won the last 4 meetings, while covering in 3 of those 4.
No issue laying a few road points, as the Magic need to get their act together, while the Nets are just thinking about getting to the finish line on Wednesday.
Play on the Magic.
5? ORLANDO
Chris Jordan
Golden State at UTAH
Golden State suffered a rough home loss last night, against a gritty and physical Rockets team, and now must go into Salt Lake City and take on a pissed-off Utah team that lost in San Antonio.
The Jazz are 2-1 against Golden State so far this season, including a road win, and though it’s always a good idea to be careful of Nelly's run-and-gun team, I don’t know how wound up it will be on the road after last night’s 222-point affair.
The Warriors are 2-6 ATS the last eight meetings with Utah, while they’ve dropped four of their last five to the books when playing in Salt Lake City. I’ll lay the home chalk here and look for a huge, double-digit win.
1♦ UTAH JAZZ
Seattle (-110) at OAKLAND
Side with the M’s and Felix the Cat tonight in this AL West clash, as they’ll notch a second-straight road win behind who is likely their ace this season. He comes in off a rather strange season-debut, in which he twisted his ankle in the first inning and though bothered by it off and on over eight frames, he still held the Twins to one run in the season-opener. Impressively, he escaped a first-and-second, no-out jam in the first inning without allowing a run and proceeded to dodge another bullet – an even bigger predicament - in the fifth, when the Twins loaded the bases with none out. Yet the crafty northpaw surrendered just one run.
He should get the run support he’ll need against young Josh Outman, who was considered a longshot to win a spot in the starting rotation this spring, but secured the No. 5 job with a solid outing in his final start, against the Royals. Let me be the first to say this, I think Ken Griffey Jr. will welcome the lefty to the 2009 campaign with at least one bomb today.
And once the M’s secure the lead, look for Hernandez to handcuff the A’s with a live arm that fires both a two- and four-seam fastball, power sliders, two-plane curveballs and a stunning change. Easy winner boys, as the M’s dominate in this one.
1♦ MARINERS
Golden State at UTAH
Golden State suffered a rough home loss last night, against a gritty and physical Rockets team, and now must go into Salt Lake City and take on a pissed-off Utah team that lost in San Antonio.
The Jazz are 2-1 against Golden State so far this season, including a road win, and though it’s always a good idea to be careful of Nelly's run-and-gun team, I don’t know how wound up it will be on the road after last night’s 222-point affair.
The Warriors are 2-6 ATS the last eight meetings with Utah, while they’ve dropped four of their last five to the books when playing in Salt Lake City. I’ll lay the home chalk here and look for a huge, double-digit win.
1♦ UTAH JAZZ
Seattle (-110) at OAKLAND
Side with the M’s and Felix the Cat tonight in this AL West clash, as they’ll notch a second-straight road win behind who is likely their ace this season. He comes in off a rather strange season-debut, in which he twisted his ankle in the first inning and though bothered by it off and on over eight frames, he still held the Twins to one run in the season-opener. Impressively, he escaped a first-and-second, no-out jam in the first inning without allowing a run and proceeded to dodge another bullet – an even bigger predicament - in the fifth, when the Twins loaded the bases with none out. Yet the crafty northpaw surrendered just one run.
He should get the run support he’ll need against young Josh Outman, who was considered a longshot to win a spot in the starting rotation this spring, but secured the No. 5 job with a solid outing in his final start, against the Royals. Let me be the first to say this, I think Ken Griffey Jr. will welcome the lefty to the 2009 campaign with at least one bomb today.
And once the M’s secure the lead, look for Hernandez to handcuff the A’s with a live arm that fires both a two- and four-seam fastball, power sliders, two-plane curveballs and a stunning change. Easy winner boys, as the M’s dominate in this one.
1♦ MARINERS
Bobby Maxwell
Orlando -6 at NEW JERSEY
Delivered our second straight FREE winner on Friday when the Orioles got the win at home over the Rays. Today we've got a comp play coming on the hardwood as we go with the Magic visiting New Jersey.
The Magic have won four straight over the Nets and the games haven't really been close, so we'll take our chances with them tonight in New Jersey.
Orlando has won its last two trips to Jersey, winning 102-92 last February as a six-point favorite and winning 95-70 as a four-point chalk back in 2007. These two teams have met twice this season, both in Orlando, and the Magic won them both, but came up short on March 6, winning 105-102 but failing to cover as 9 1/2-point home favorites.
The Nets just have no answer for Dwight Howard in the middle and he usually dominates this matchup. The Magic are 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings in New Jersey and the chalk is 8-2 ATS in the last 10.
Jersey is just 7-20 as a home 'dog of 5 to 10 1/2 points and just 17-37-2 ATS against teams with a winning percentage above .600. Meanwhile the Magic are 59-29-3 ATS on the road, 42-19-1 ATS on Saturdays and 9-4 ATS on the second night of a back-to-back.
We'll lay the chalk with Orlando tonight and play them in New Jersey. The Magic are strong on the road and they perform well on the second night of a back-to-back.
3♦ ORLANDO
Orlando -6 at NEW JERSEY
Delivered our second straight FREE winner on Friday when the Orioles got the win at home over the Rays. Today we've got a comp play coming on the hardwood as we go with the Magic visiting New Jersey.
The Magic have won four straight over the Nets and the games haven't really been close, so we'll take our chances with them tonight in New Jersey.
Orlando has won its last two trips to Jersey, winning 102-92 last February as a six-point favorite and winning 95-70 as a four-point chalk back in 2007. These two teams have met twice this season, both in Orlando, and the Magic won them both, but came up short on March 6, winning 105-102 but failing to cover as 9 1/2-point home favorites.
The Nets just have no answer for Dwight Howard in the middle and he usually dominates this matchup. The Magic are 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings in New Jersey and the chalk is 8-2 ATS in the last 10.
Jersey is just 7-20 as a home 'dog of 5 to 10 1/2 points and just 17-37-2 ATS against teams with a winning percentage above .600. Meanwhile the Magic are 59-29-3 ATS on the road, 42-19-1 ATS on Saturdays and 9-4 ATS on the second night of a back-to-back.
We'll lay the chalk with Orlando tonight and play them in New Jersey. The Magic are strong on the road and they perform well on the second night of a back-to-back.
3♦ ORLANDO
Craig Davis
Let’s keep it going with another easy Bonus Play winner on Colorado/Philly OVER the total this afternoon. Why go against a good thing when it continues to hit? The Rockies have gone OVER the posted total in three of their four games so far this year while the Phillies have gone OVER in their last two. Someone please tell me how Brett Myers is going to be able to slow down the home team today when their ace, Cole Hamels, wasn’t able to? Myers opponent today is Jorge De La Rosa, and let me be the first to say this guy alone could help us get to the OVER. His ERA last season was 4.92… his SECOND BEST career ERA for a season since his career started in 2004. It was 5.82 in 2007 and 8.60 in 2006. On the bright side, it has gotten better, but if we’re being honest with each other, this guy is lucky to be starting in Major League Baseball. It says a lot when you’re #5 in the Colorado Rockies rotation… it says you’re not very good.
The OVER is 11-2-1 in the last 14 Rockies games in which they are listed as the underdog and it’s 7-3 in the last 10 Rockies games on natural grass. This game should be OVER by the 6th inning, and we’re glad to list it here for you today as our 6th Bonus Play winner in seven days.
3? OVER
Let’s keep it going with another easy Bonus Play winner on Colorado/Philly OVER the total this afternoon. Why go against a good thing when it continues to hit? The Rockies have gone OVER the posted total in three of their four games so far this year while the Phillies have gone OVER in their last two. Someone please tell me how Brett Myers is going to be able to slow down the home team today when their ace, Cole Hamels, wasn’t able to? Myers opponent today is Jorge De La Rosa, and let me be the first to say this guy alone could help us get to the OVER. His ERA last season was 4.92… his SECOND BEST career ERA for a season since his career started in 2004. It was 5.82 in 2007 and 8.60 in 2006. On the bright side, it has gotten better, but if we’re being honest with each other, this guy is lucky to be starting in Major League Baseball. It says a lot when you’re #5 in the Colorado Rockies rotation… it says you’re not very good.
The OVER is 11-2-1 in the last 14 Rockies games in which they are listed as the underdog and it’s 7-3 in the last 10 Rockies games on natural grass. This game should be OVER by the 6th inning, and we’re glad to list it here for you today as our 6th Bonus Play winner in seven days.
3? OVER
