JOHN CHANG
---Start Time 3:35 PM EST---
New York Yankees (-130, list both pitchers) over LA ANGELS, 10 dimes
Bartolo Colon has been superb on the hill for the Yanks this season, and he's starting to show signs of returning to his CY Young winning form. Especially on the road. In five starts away from Yankee Stadium this year, Colon is 2-0 with a ERA of 2.57 and an even more impressive WHIP of .914. Not bad for an overweight, washed up righty. On the other side of the bill, Pineiro's effectiveness has started to dip at this point in the season, going winless in his last 4 starts with an ERA above 5.00. His luck doesn't look to get any better against the streaking Yankees, who have won 4 out of their last 5.
---Start Time 4:10 PM EST---
SEATTLE MARINERS (-140, list both pitchers) over Tampa Bay Rays, 10 dimes
Erik Bedard has been throwing about as well as you could ask a pitcher to throw. He's won his last three decisions with a crazy low .89 ERA and a sub 1.00 WHIP! Virtually unhittable, and he's had plenty of success against the Rays in the past. In fact, several of the Rays top hitting threats have been left scratching their heads when facing Bedard in the past. Wade Davis is going to the bump for the visitors, and his performance as of late has been terrible. Over his last 4 starts, Davis is sporting an 0-3 record with a hefty ERA of 7.48. The home team is the logical choice here.
---Start Time 8:00 PM EST---
DALLAS MAVERICKS/Miami Heat over 188.5, 10 dimes
Miami Heat +2.5 over DALLAS MAVERICKS, 20 dimes
Interesting to me that this total is virtually the same as it was for games 1 and 2 in Miami. When the Heat have the ball in their court, defense runs supreme. They work each possession by pounding the ball into the hardwood and moving the ball, attacking the basket as the shot clock wears down. But, in Dallas things are likely to work different. The Mavericks are no slouches on defense, but they definitely put more energy into the offensive end on their homecourt. Miami has been more susceptable to go over the total in these types of away games as well. I like this game to get close to 200 by the end
As for the side, I don't think Dallas can compete with Miami in this game three situation. Miami knows they are far superior to Dallas, and that they were the ones who let Dallas take game 2, not the other way around. Lebron James chalked up fouls early, and this forced him to play a bit more tentative than Erik Spoelstra would have liked. Chris Bosh never really got going, and D-Wade was the only serious scoring threat. I doubt this will happen two games in a row. Miami has shown a remarkable ability to bounce back in a big way after a loss. In fact, it's been about 3 months since they've lost two games in a row. Their intensity level on the road is better than at home. I'll take these 2.5 points right to the bank with a 20 dime selection.