Scott Delaney
Friday ...
20 DIME RED SOX - Daisuke Matsuzaka toes the slab tonight for the Red Sox in this interleague opener, as he makes his long-awaited return to the mound after being on the disabled list since April 15 with a right shoulder strain. And while I admit Johan Santana has been pitching quite impressively for the Mets, I have to believe Dice K is the value play tonight.
I know the right-hander was 0-1 with a 12.79 ERA in two starts early this season, but he’s reportedly looked sharp in his Minor League rehabilitation outings. Making his third rehab start with Pawtucket on May 15 at Toledo, he threw five innings (48 of the 70 pitches were for strikes), and yielded two runs on three hits while striking out nine. The key for us tonight against a Mets team that comes in off a West Coast road trip and still hasn’t been home in a while, is that Matsuzaka pitch in and out and back and forth with his fastballs to get the Mets chasing. And then when he has them where he wants ‘em, he can mix in his cutter, slider, changes and splits. As long as he’s comfortable with his out-pitches, there shouldn’t be much going on with New York’s lineup.
Remember, this is a guy who refuses to give in to batters, and has no problem going right after them with his slider. That works well against the Mets. And with his boys on a three-game win streak and Santana sporting a 1-3 mark and 6.89 ERA in his career at Fenway Park, I’ll take the home pup here.
10 DIME ORLANDO MAGIC - Wednesday night’s win meant nothing. It was simply an attention grabber. And make no bones about it, coach Stan Van Gundy likely told his troops there is plenty left to prove. And trust me, since the Magic are an impressive 11-1 ATS the last 12 meetings, they’re going to have no problem getting their point across in Game 2.
It shouldn’t be hard to carry the momentum over, as Orlando outscored the Cavaliers, 59-43 in the second half, by shooting 59 percent in the second half. More importantly, Orlando's bench outscored Cleveland's, 22-5.
So, rather than the Magic facing a must-win situation in Game 2, it’s the Cavaliers who will be playing under a tremendous of pressure when the two take the floor tonight. Hey, that’s two straight road games nobody expected the Magic to win: at Boston in Game 7 of the conference semis and in Game 1 of the conference finals.
And here’s an important point to make: Lebron James shined in Game 1 with a game-high 49 points, hitting 20-of-30 shots while scoring from every corner of the court. And his teammates supported him in the first half as well. But the Magic had the wherewithal to hang in there, erase the deficit and win outright.
Four of the last five outright road wins in this Eastern Conference battle has been by Orlando, so I’m taking the points tonight.
PAID AND CONFIRMED BY ME
GOOD LUCK !!!
Friday ...
20 DIME RED SOX - Daisuke Matsuzaka toes the slab tonight for the Red Sox in this interleague opener, as he makes his long-awaited return to the mound after being on the disabled list since April 15 with a right shoulder strain. And while I admit Johan Santana has been pitching quite impressively for the Mets, I have to believe Dice K is the value play tonight.
I know the right-hander was 0-1 with a 12.79 ERA in two starts early this season, but he’s reportedly looked sharp in his Minor League rehabilitation outings. Making his third rehab start with Pawtucket on May 15 at Toledo, he threw five innings (48 of the 70 pitches were for strikes), and yielded two runs on three hits while striking out nine. The key for us tonight against a Mets team that comes in off a West Coast road trip and still hasn’t been home in a while, is that Matsuzaka pitch in and out and back and forth with his fastballs to get the Mets chasing. And then when he has them where he wants ‘em, he can mix in his cutter, slider, changes and splits. As long as he’s comfortable with his out-pitches, there shouldn’t be much going on with New York’s lineup.
Remember, this is a guy who refuses to give in to batters, and has no problem going right after them with his slider. That works well against the Mets. And with his boys on a three-game win streak and Santana sporting a 1-3 mark and 6.89 ERA in his career at Fenway Park, I’ll take the home pup here.
10 DIME ORLANDO MAGIC - Wednesday night’s win meant nothing. It was simply an attention grabber. And make no bones about it, coach Stan Van Gundy likely told his troops there is plenty left to prove. And trust me, since the Magic are an impressive 11-1 ATS the last 12 meetings, they’re going to have no problem getting their point across in Game 2.
It shouldn’t be hard to carry the momentum over, as Orlando outscored the Cavaliers, 59-43 in the second half, by shooting 59 percent in the second half. More importantly, Orlando's bench outscored Cleveland's, 22-5.
So, rather than the Magic facing a must-win situation in Game 2, it’s the Cavaliers who will be playing under a tremendous of pressure when the two take the floor tonight. Hey, that’s two straight road games nobody expected the Magic to win: at Boston in Game 7 of the conference semis and in Game 1 of the conference finals.
And here’s an important point to make: Lebron James shined in Game 1 with a game-high 49 points, hitting 20-of-30 shots while scoring from every corner of the court. And his teammates supported him in the first half as well. But the Magic had the wherewithal to hang in there, erase the deficit and win outright.
Four of the last five outright road wins in this Eastern Conference battle has been by Orlando, so I’m taking the points tonight.
PAID AND CONFIRMED BY ME
GOOD LUCK !!!
