SCOTT FERRALL'S PAY PICKS:
NHL PICKS FOR THURSDAY PICKS ARE IN ALL CAPS AND RANKED IN ORDER OF CONFIDENCE ( )
Money Line
Columbus
DETROIT -235 (1)
Montreal
BOSTON -210 (2)
Calgary
CHICAGO -155 (3)
ANAHEIM +205 (4)
San Jose
OVER/UNDER
Montreal / Boston OVER 5 ½ (1)
Columbus / Detroit OVER 5 ½ (2)
Anaheim / San Jose UNDER 5 ½ (3)
Calgary / Chicago UNDER 5 ½ (4)
Puck Line
ANAHEIM +1 ½ AT -160 (1)
San Jose
Columbus
DETROIT -1 ½ AT +120 (2)
Calgary
CHICAGO -1 ½ AT +185 (3)
Montreal
BOSTON -1 ½ AT +150 (4)
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NHL PICKS FOR THURSDAY PICKS ARE IN ALL CAPS AND RANKED IN ORDER OF CONFIDENCE ( )
Money Line
Columbus
DETROIT -235 (1)
Montreal
BOSTON -210 (2)
Calgary
CHICAGO -155 (3)
ANAHEIM +205 (4)
San Jose
OVER/UNDER
Montreal / Boston OVER 5 ½ (1)
Columbus / Detroit OVER 5 ½ (2)
Anaheim / San Jose UNDER 5 ½ (3)
Calgary / Chicago UNDER 5 ½ (4)
Puck Line
ANAHEIM +1 ½ AT -160 (1)
San Jose
Columbus
DETROIT -1 ½ AT +120 (2)
Calgary
CHICAGO -1 ½ AT +185 (3)
Montreal
BOSTON -1 ½ AT +150 (4)
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tonyosports
The Toronto Blue Jays have definitely been one of baseball's hottest surprises so far during the week & a half-old new season. They will look to keep the good times rolling tonight in their 4-game finale at the Metrdome against the Minnesota Twins.
Toronto ace Roy Halladay (2-0, 3.86) will be opposed by Minnesota righthander Francisco Liriano (0-2, 6.94).
Over his 12-year career, Minnesota is the only AL team Halladay has never lost to, as he is 7-0 in 9 career starts with a 2.92 ERA & .217 opponents' batting average. (lowest among all opposing AL teams).
Liriano has just 1 previous appearence against Toronto, which was on April 5th, 2006.
In that game, Liriano pitched 2 scoreless innings from the bullpen during the Twins' 13-4 win.
I look for Halladay to have another dominating outing to help Toronto take 3 out of 4 in this series finale.
All BLUE JAYS.
The Chicago White Sox will face the Tampa Bay Rays tonight in a rematch of the 2008 ALDS, which Tampa won in 4 games.
Lefty John Danks (0-0, 0.00) will start for the White Sox while the Rays will go with righthander Joe Niemann (0-0, 10.13).
Danks has good career numbers against Tampa Bay, as he is 3-1 against them in 4 starts with a 2.96 ERA.
Niemann lost his only career start to Chicago on April 18th, 2008 as he gave up 8 runs (5 earned) on 5 hits in just 3 & 1/3 innings during the White Sox's 9-2 win.
Tampa will play tonight without Evan Longoria, who is away from the team due to a death in the family. Longoria is off to a scorching start as he ranks 5th in batting average (.441), leads the majors in home runs (5), & is tied for 2nd in the AL in runs batted in (12).
Look for the White Sox to take advantage of Longoria's absence & pick up a road win to snap their 5-game skid vs the Rays.
All WHITE SOX.
The Toronto Blue Jays have definitely been one of baseball's hottest surprises so far during the week & a half-old new season. They will look to keep the good times rolling tonight in their 4-game finale at the Metrdome against the Minnesota Twins.
Toronto ace Roy Halladay (2-0, 3.86) will be opposed by Minnesota righthander Francisco Liriano (0-2, 6.94).
Over his 12-year career, Minnesota is the only AL team Halladay has never lost to, as he is 7-0 in 9 career starts with a 2.92 ERA & .217 opponents' batting average. (lowest among all opposing AL teams).
Liriano has just 1 previous appearence against Toronto, which was on April 5th, 2006.
In that game, Liriano pitched 2 scoreless innings from the bullpen during the Twins' 13-4 win.
I look for Halladay to have another dominating outing to help Toronto take 3 out of 4 in this series finale.
All BLUE JAYS.
The Chicago White Sox will face the Tampa Bay Rays tonight in a rematch of the 2008 ALDS, which Tampa won in 4 games.
Lefty John Danks (0-0, 0.00) will start for the White Sox while the Rays will go with righthander Joe Niemann (0-0, 10.13).
Danks has good career numbers against Tampa Bay, as he is 3-1 against them in 4 starts with a 2.96 ERA.
Niemann lost his only career start to Chicago on April 18th, 2008 as he gave up 8 runs (5 earned) on 5 hits in just 3 & 1/3 innings during the White Sox's 9-2 win.
Tampa will play tonight without Evan Longoria, who is away from the team due to a death in the family. Longoria is off to a scorching start as he ranks 5th in batting average (.441), leads the majors in home runs (5), & is tied for 2nd in the AL in runs batted in (12).
Look for the White Sox to take advantage of Longoria's absence & pick up a road win to snap their 5-game skid vs the Rays.
All WHITE SOX.
ANDRE GOMES
FLORIDA (7 - 1) at ATLANTA (5 - 3)
Thursday, 4/16/2009 7:10 PM ANIBAL SANCHEZ (R) vs. KENSHIN KAWAKAMI (R)
The Braves had a great start against the Phillies and then crushed the lowly Nationals in the last week… this fact makes them an overrated team for the present and for this contest the value is on the Marlins' side.
Japonese Kawakami takes the mound today and he made a quality start in his debut vs. the Nationals. However early on the game he didn't look so sharp and luckily for him it was against the dismal Nationals' offense otherwise Kawakami could have been in trouble. Well, the Marlins aren't the Nationals' and already in this series they batted .286 and .316 BA so I expect him to struggle facing a more potent lineup.
Meanwhile in the first start of the season Marlins' RHP Sanchez was solid against the Mets. He gave up four hits and three walks while striking out five in five scoreless innings. His command was phenomenal as 59 of 93 pitches were strikes and I expect Sanchez to perform fine today. Remember that slugger 3B Chipper Jones is out for this contest and catcher Brian Mccann is out as well so the Braves are without a considerable amount of power today. This is problematic for them as they struggled badly in the first two games of the series by batting only .133 and .188 BA.
Saying that I think that the wrong team is favored as the Marlins are the better team right now and the pitchers duel is slightly favorable for the Marlins as well. Take the Marlins in here
Pick: 2 units on Florida ML @ 2.18 on 5Dimes
Pick: 1 units on Florida RL -1.5 (Alternate Run Line) @ 2.80 The Greek
HOUSTON (2 - 6) at PITTSBURGH (4 - 4)
Thursday, 4/16/2009 12:35 PM RUSS ORTIZ (R) vs. JEFF KARSTENS (R)
The Astros' offense finally snapped their slump and scored 4 runs yesterday. It was a bad stretch of 4 consecutive games where they scored 3 or less runs but for today's game they are bringing some momentum and confidence…that's the consequences of winning. Today they send Russ Ortiz to the mound and he is underrated for this game. Ortiz had a relief appearance on April 8 after Moehler was knocked from the game in the second inning against the Cubs and Ortiz showed some stuff allowing three runs on four hits over three innings but striking out 6 Cubs' batters. Already in the spring training Ortiz impressed after going 2-1 with a 2.97 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings! I expect him to perform fine today, he really wants a spot in the struggling Astro's rotations and he's doing for it.
Meanwhile the Pirates send Karstens to the mound. Karstens last season made 2 huge quality starts with a Pirates uniform but then he struggled badly the rest of the way. He didn't look sharp in the spring training. He has a stellar command however in the spring training he had 10SO and 8BB and definitively these numbers doesn't impress anyone. I think that the value is with the Astros in this contest. Ortiz can outduel Karstens and the Astros' offense will carry on yesterday's performance. Take the Astros in here.
Pick: 3 units (Regular Play) on Houston ML @ 2.16 on Pinnacle
SAN FRANCISCO (2 - 6) at LA DODGERS (6 - 3)
Thursday, 4/16/2009 10:10 PM BARRY ZITO (L) vs. ERIC STULTS (L)
Last night the Dodgers had some problems to beat the Giants and it wasn't any surprise for me as I had a bet on the Giants as Matt Cain is really in great form early in the season. Cain finished the game with a 2.08 ERA but the Dodgers still had 13 hits! Now the Giants send southpaw Barry Zito to the mound and there isn't any possible comparison between Cain and Zito.
Zito started awfully the season facing the Padres. He allowed four runs and seven hits and once again he is struggling in April like last season. This can be even worst for him as he faced the weak Padres' lineup…still he couldn't perform. Against a top class offense like the Dodgers I expect him to struggle even more. The Dodgers are red hot in this series with .395 and .371 BA and in the only game that they faced a LHP they crushed the Big Unit Randy Johnson with 7 runs and 8 hits in just 3 innings! The Dodgers have also crushed left-handed pitchers this season, batting .353 as a team versus LHP and averaging 12.9 runs per nine innings.This trend of the Dodgers vs. LHP is well documented as last season they were dominant vs. LHP when compared vs. RHP's.
Meanwhile the Dodgers send to the mound LHP Eric Stults who is coming from a good start. Stults allowed only one run over 5 1/3 innings @ Arizona while fanning 5 batters. He made a quality start last season when he faced the Giants allowing 2 runs in 4 innings but I have to say as well that at home Stults looked impressive with a 2.75 ERA and .197 BA allowed so we can expect a solid outing from him.
I like the Dodgers to roll tonight. They face a struggling LHP and this is great for them as Zito can't be compared to Matt Cain. Last night the Dodgers won by just one run in the 9th inning but today I expect a solid win. I was made a bet in the Over 4.5 runs for the Dodgers. I expect them to score at least 6/7 runs in this contest. Take the Dodgers in here.
Note: this is a double dime play so split the bet:
Pick: 2 units on LA Dodgers RL -1.5 @ 2.25 on Pinnacle
Pick: 2 units on LA Dodgers Over 4.5 (Team Total) @ 1.833 on Pinnacle
FLORIDA (7 - 1) at ATLANTA (5 - 3)
Thursday, 4/16/2009 7:10 PM ANIBAL SANCHEZ (R) vs. KENSHIN KAWAKAMI (R)
The Braves had a great start against the Phillies and then crushed the lowly Nationals in the last week… this fact makes them an overrated team for the present and for this contest the value is on the Marlins' side.
Japonese Kawakami takes the mound today and he made a quality start in his debut vs. the Nationals. However early on the game he didn't look so sharp and luckily for him it was against the dismal Nationals' offense otherwise Kawakami could have been in trouble. Well, the Marlins aren't the Nationals' and already in this series they batted .286 and .316 BA so I expect him to struggle facing a more potent lineup.
Meanwhile in the first start of the season Marlins' RHP Sanchez was solid against the Mets. He gave up four hits and three walks while striking out five in five scoreless innings. His command was phenomenal as 59 of 93 pitches were strikes and I expect Sanchez to perform fine today. Remember that slugger 3B Chipper Jones is out for this contest and catcher Brian Mccann is out as well so the Braves are without a considerable amount of power today. This is problematic for them as they struggled badly in the first two games of the series by batting only .133 and .188 BA.
Saying that I think that the wrong team is favored as the Marlins are the better team right now and the pitchers duel is slightly favorable for the Marlins as well. Take the Marlins in here
Pick: 2 units on Florida ML @ 2.18 on 5Dimes
Pick: 1 units on Florida RL -1.5 (Alternate Run Line) @ 2.80 The Greek
HOUSTON (2 - 6) at PITTSBURGH (4 - 4)
Thursday, 4/16/2009 12:35 PM RUSS ORTIZ (R) vs. JEFF KARSTENS (R)
The Astros' offense finally snapped their slump and scored 4 runs yesterday. It was a bad stretch of 4 consecutive games where they scored 3 or less runs but for today's game they are bringing some momentum and confidence…that's the consequences of winning. Today they send Russ Ortiz to the mound and he is underrated for this game. Ortiz had a relief appearance on April 8 after Moehler was knocked from the game in the second inning against the Cubs and Ortiz showed some stuff allowing three runs on four hits over three innings but striking out 6 Cubs' batters. Already in the spring training Ortiz impressed after going 2-1 with a 2.97 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings! I expect him to perform fine today, he really wants a spot in the struggling Astro's rotations and he's doing for it.
Meanwhile the Pirates send Karstens to the mound. Karstens last season made 2 huge quality starts with a Pirates uniform but then he struggled badly the rest of the way. He didn't look sharp in the spring training. He has a stellar command however in the spring training he had 10SO and 8BB and definitively these numbers doesn't impress anyone. I think that the value is with the Astros in this contest. Ortiz can outduel Karstens and the Astros' offense will carry on yesterday's performance. Take the Astros in here.
Pick: 3 units (Regular Play) on Houston ML @ 2.16 on Pinnacle
SAN FRANCISCO (2 - 6) at LA DODGERS (6 - 3)
Thursday, 4/16/2009 10:10 PM BARRY ZITO (L) vs. ERIC STULTS (L)
Last night the Dodgers had some problems to beat the Giants and it wasn't any surprise for me as I had a bet on the Giants as Matt Cain is really in great form early in the season. Cain finished the game with a 2.08 ERA but the Dodgers still had 13 hits! Now the Giants send southpaw Barry Zito to the mound and there isn't any possible comparison between Cain and Zito.
Zito started awfully the season facing the Padres. He allowed four runs and seven hits and once again he is struggling in April like last season. This can be even worst for him as he faced the weak Padres' lineup…still he couldn't perform. Against a top class offense like the Dodgers I expect him to struggle even more. The Dodgers are red hot in this series with .395 and .371 BA and in the only game that they faced a LHP they crushed the Big Unit Randy Johnson with 7 runs and 8 hits in just 3 innings! The Dodgers have also crushed left-handed pitchers this season, batting .353 as a team versus LHP and averaging 12.9 runs per nine innings.This trend of the Dodgers vs. LHP is well documented as last season they were dominant vs. LHP when compared vs. RHP's.
Meanwhile the Dodgers send to the mound LHP Eric Stults who is coming from a good start. Stults allowed only one run over 5 1/3 innings @ Arizona while fanning 5 batters. He made a quality start last season when he faced the Giants allowing 2 runs in 4 innings but I have to say as well that at home Stults looked impressive with a 2.75 ERA and .197 BA allowed so we can expect a solid outing from him.
I like the Dodgers to roll tonight. They face a struggling LHP and this is great for them as Zito can't be compared to Matt Cain. Last night the Dodgers won by just one run in the 9th inning but today I expect a solid win. I was made a bet in the Over 4.5 runs for the Dodgers. I expect them to score at least 6/7 runs in this contest. Take the Dodgers in here.
Note: this is a double dime play so split the bet:
Pick: 2 units on LA Dodgers RL -1.5 @ 2.25 on Pinnacle
Pick: 2 units on LA Dodgers Over 4.5 (Team Total) @ 1.833 on Pinnacle
DWAYNE BRYANT
906 CHC (-111) Bookmaker.com vs 905 STL
Analysis:
The Cubs' Sean Marshall earned the team's fifth starting spot out of spring training and has not allowed a run in two relief appearances this season. After starting in his first two seasons, Marshall was the team's long reliever in 2008 and appeared in 34 games and made seven starts, finishing 3-5 with a 3.86 ERA. He is 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA in his career against the Cardinals and took a win in his only start last season against St. Louis on July 6, giving up just one run over six innings.
St. Louis' Adam Wainwright is 1-3 with a 6.10 ERA in 15 lifetime appearances - six starts - against the Cubs.
The Cards' bullpen already has two blown saves to go along with a 4.70 ERA. The Cubs' pen owns a solid 3.00 ERA overall and a stellar 1.08 ERA and 1.08 WHIP at home.
If you just look at the overall numbers, St. Louis (.296, 5.8 rpg) is hitting much better than the Cubs (.258, 5 rpg). But St. Louis is hitting just .239 (3.6 rpg) against lefty starters, while the Cubs are hitting .269 (5.4 rpg) against righty starters.
I'll take the Cubs with Marshall over St. Louis and Wainwright.
917 TOR (-140) BetUS vs 918 MIN
Analysis:
Roy Halladay allowed one run and five hits while striking out seven in seven innings to outpitch Cliff Lee in the Blue Jays' 5-4 win over the Indians on Saturday. "That's Doc," Toronto manager Cito Gaston said of the right-hander. "You kind of expect that out of him." Halladay is 7-0 with a 2.71 ERA in nine starts against the Twins.
That history doesn't bode well for the Twins, whose inconsistent offense was held to four hits Wednesday and has been outscored 22-11 by Toronto in this series. Justin Morneau is just 1-for-9 with three strikeouts against Halladay.
906 CHC (-111) Bookmaker.com vs 905 STL
Analysis:
The Cubs' Sean Marshall earned the team's fifth starting spot out of spring training and has not allowed a run in two relief appearances this season. After starting in his first two seasons, Marshall was the team's long reliever in 2008 and appeared in 34 games and made seven starts, finishing 3-5 with a 3.86 ERA. He is 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA in his career against the Cardinals and took a win in his only start last season against St. Louis on July 6, giving up just one run over six innings.
St. Louis' Adam Wainwright is 1-3 with a 6.10 ERA in 15 lifetime appearances - six starts - against the Cubs.
The Cards' bullpen already has two blown saves to go along with a 4.70 ERA. The Cubs' pen owns a solid 3.00 ERA overall and a stellar 1.08 ERA and 1.08 WHIP at home.
If you just look at the overall numbers, St. Louis (.296, 5.8 rpg) is hitting much better than the Cubs (.258, 5 rpg). But St. Louis is hitting just .239 (3.6 rpg) against lefty starters, while the Cubs are hitting .269 (5.4 rpg) against righty starters.
I'll take the Cubs with Marshall over St. Louis and Wainwright.
917 TOR (-140) BetUS vs 918 MIN
Analysis:
Roy Halladay allowed one run and five hits while striking out seven in seven innings to outpitch Cliff Lee in the Blue Jays' 5-4 win over the Indians on Saturday. "That's Doc," Toronto manager Cito Gaston said of the right-hander. "You kind of expect that out of him." Halladay is 7-0 with a 2.71 ERA in nine starts against the Twins.
That history doesn't bode well for the Twins, whose inconsistent offense was held to four hits Wednesday and has been outscored 22-11 by Toronto in this series. Justin Morneau is just 1-for-9 with three strikeouts against Halladay.
Brandon Lang
Wednesday ...
5 Dime Cardinals - Red-hot offense this early in the season means something, and in this matinee clash, you can expect to see the Redbirds continue their hot hitting against arch-rival Chicago, which has won four of the past five meetings. That streak won’t matter much, as St. Louis has scored in double digits twice in their last five games, and is averaging almost six runs per game. The Cardinals also stroll into Wrigley having won six of their last seven – including two of three in Arizona against a rather good staff. The Cubbies, meanwhile, have put up a mere six runs in their last two games after scoring 28 in their previous four. And if the Rockies can pull out a 5-2 win over Rich Harden, I don’t see any trouble with a bigger rival out of St. Louis getting it done today.
5 Dime Padres - San Diego traveled across the country to play in the inaugural game at Citi Field on the second of back-to-back nights, and still knocked off the Mets. Though New York did notch its first win at their new home in their latest game, tonight it gets to face San Diego-ace Jake Peavy, who is 4-2 with a respectable 3.32 ERA in nine career starts against the Mets. The 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner is 1-1 on the young season, and has posted a rather decent 3.52 ERA thus far. And dating back to last season, the Mets are a disappointing 1-4 in Maine’s last five starts, and 2-5 when he starts against a winning team. The Pads have won eight the last 11 meetings, so I’ll look for the road team to get it done tonight in this one.
5 Dime Giants - I know that Barry Zito had a disappointing start to the new season, but he is 5-4 with a 4.27 ERA in 10 starts against Los Angeles and even more impressive 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA at Dodger Stadium. And after being up late in last night’s game and failing to hold a two-run lead, the Giants will be fired up for their rivals tonight. The Giants also have the motivation of avoiding a six-game road trip without a win. Hey, I know we’re going against a four-game win streak, but Eric Stults? Against Barry Zito? Aaron Rowand is batting .375 and has belted a couple of homers, including one yesterday, and has 7 RBI. I think he’s going to have a field day with Stults tonight.
FREE - Mariners (See daily video for your analysis)
Wednesday ...
5 Dime Cardinals - Red-hot offense this early in the season means something, and in this matinee clash, you can expect to see the Redbirds continue their hot hitting against arch-rival Chicago, which has won four of the past five meetings. That streak won’t matter much, as St. Louis has scored in double digits twice in their last five games, and is averaging almost six runs per game. The Cardinals also stroll into Wrigley having won six of their last seven – including two of three in Arizona against a rather good staff. The Cubbies, meanwhile, have put up a mere six runs in their last two games after scoring 28 in their previous four. And if the Rockies can pull out a 5-2 win over Rich Harden, I don’t see any trouble with a bigger rival out of St. Louis getting it done today.
5 Dime Padres - San Diego traveled across the country to play in the inaugural game at Citi Field on the second of back-to-back nights, and still knocked off the Mets. Though New York did notch its first win at their new home in their latest game, tonight it gets to face San Diego-ace Jake Peavy, who is 4-2 with a respectable 3.32 ERA in nine career starts against the Mets. The 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner is 1-1 on the young season, and has posted a rather decent 3.52 ERA thus far. And dating back to last season, the Mets are a disappointing 1-4 in Maine’s last five starts, and 2-5 when he starts against a winning team. The Pads have won eight the last 11 meetings, so I’ll look for the road team to get it done tonight in this one.
5 Dime Giants - I know that Barry Zito had a disappointing start to the new season, but he is 5-4 with a 4.27 ERA in 10 starts against Los Angeles and even more impressive 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA at Dodger Stadium. And after being up late in last night’s game and failing to hold a two-run lead, the Giants will be fired up for their rivals tonight. The Giants also have the motivation of avoiding a six-game road trip without a win. Hey, I know we’re going against a four-game win streak, but Eric Stults? Against Barry Zito? Aaron Rowand is batting .375 and has belted a couple of homers, including one yesterday, and has 7 RBI. I think he’s going to have a field day with Stults tonight.
FREE - Mariners (See daily video for your analysis)
