Scott Rickenbach
Detroit Red Wings at Anaheim Ducks
The Red Wings have simply taken command of this series and, through the years, they've shown a great ability to close out series like this on the road. Since the game is at Anaheim, we get decent line value with a Red Wings club whose offensive skills and depth have simply worn down the Ducks. Through the post-season, Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller did a great job but, eventually, there comes a point where there's only so much your netminder can do for you. The Ducks have reached that point. The Red Wings have worn them down and are dominating in terms of puck possession and shots on goal. It's been a valiant effort for the Ducks but the Red Wings have simply proven to be too much. Consider a small play on Detroit on the money line in the NHL on Tuesday night.
Play on: Detroit
Terron Chapman
Boston Red Sox vs. LAA Angels
Play: LAA Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are surging, winning seven of their last eight, including a three game sweep of the once red hot Kansas City Royals in their last series. They’ll look to continue that success when they begin a three game set with the visiting Boston Red Sox Tuesday evening at Angels stadium. The Red Sox will send right hander Justin Masterson to the mound in his second appearance and first start against the Angels. In his lone appearance against the Angels this season, he came out of the bullpen and was tagged for four runs and three hits in one inning. His last two starts have been shaky at best, giving up 12 runs in 12 1/3 innings, both losses. The Angels will counter with Jered Weaver who is coming off of his strongest outing of the season. He pitched his first complete game against the explosive Blue Jays, allowing one run and three hits, while striking out eight. Weaver defeated the Red Sox in his season debut at home, holding them to one unearned run in 6 2/3 innings striking out eight while walking two. He has been particularly strong at home this season, allowing just four earned runs in 29 2/3 innings, while going 3-0. I think there is plenty of value on the home team in game one with a shaky road pitcher on the mound against a quality home starter. The Red Sox will more than likely be without two key pieces in Kevin Youkilis (oblique) and Dustin Pedroia (groin) who are both listed as questionable for Tuesday’s game. The Red Sox have struggled recently with the Halos who have won 11 of the last 15 meetings. Play on the Los Angeles Angels for 2 units.
Nelly
Kansas City at Oakland
Play Under
With two unproven pitchers on the mound the total for this game is a bit elevated but given the venue and the limited offense from each of these teams this will likely be a low-scoring game. The A's and Royals have the top two bullpen ERAs in the American League and both are also two of the lowest scoring teams in the AL. Oakland has averaged less than 4.2 runs per game and Kansas City has averaged just over 4.5 runs per game. By a fairly significant margin the Royals and A's have allowed the fewest amounts of runs in the AL as well. Both teams have also averaged less than one home run hit per game. The Oakland Coliseum has the lowest OPS of any ballpark in the AL and batters own just a .247 average in this stadium. Oakland home games have averaged just 8.4 runs per game and in a small sample those numbers are even inflated a bit based on a couple of games. The 'under' has cashed in seven of the last ten Oakland home games and despite an overall surge in scoring and 'overs' in MLB at this point in the year both of these teams have been 'under' clubs. Luke Hochevar had decent results for the Royals in August last year and Trevor Cahill has pitched well in five of his six starts this season, allowing two or fewer earned runs in all but one outing.
Brad Diamond Sports
Play on: Philadelphia over Los Angeles
The guess of death with Phillies hurlers lies in the game after a good outing. RHP Park (0-1, 6.67) is coming off a decent outing up in Citi-Field in New York. If the veteran can buck that trend the series history angles point to Philadelphia. Overall, Philly has won 22 of last 30 games in the series, 8 of 9 at this writing. Just as important, the home standing club is a super 11-2 against left hand pitching.
Matt Rivers
For Tuesday take the number back with Jordan Zimmerman and the Nats.
I am the first person to boast about how good San Francisco righthander Matt Cain can be. Cain has Cy Young type stuff and more times than not can dominate an opponent. With that said this kid Jordan Zimmerman is an absolute future stud himself and has an immense upside. In what should be a low scoring game I will gladly back Zimmerman and the visitors from the nation's capital.
Zimmerman was not on in that last start (or at least in that dreaded six run first inning) at Los Angeles but the Nats were able to find a way to storm back and upset the favored Dodgers. I don't know what went wrong in that opening inning but the righty shut down Joe Torre's bats for the next five innings and has already had a huge amount of success this season including upsetting the Mets in New York and downing the Braves at home in DC.
Say what you want about these Nats but they have played a lot better of late after the miserable start and have a couple of semi stars in Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn. Granted I'm not calling Washington a good club by any means but they are not at all dreadful and it's not like San Fransisco is exactly a juggernaut.
Yes the Giants have been good at home but the hitters are still overall very light hitting and we can easily see a pitcher's duel where one bounce of the ball or one stolen base can mean a win or a loss. Plus money in this scenario with a hot team and a stud pitcher is enough for me!
Tony Weston
Today's Selection
We come through last night as the Nuggets and Mavericks hit well Over the Total. We’re making it two in a row tonight as we’re taking the Under in the Rockets-Lakers matchup in Los Angeles.
The number for tonight is set at 198 points and just like in Game 4 the Under will come in.
Consider that in their last six meetings overall - all since March 11 - the Under is on a 4-2 run and has come in 2 of the last 3 games in Los Angeles. In that 6-game stretch these two have totaled, on average, 193.5 points per. In their last 3 games in L.A. the teams have totaled, on average, 191.6 points per game.
Keep in mind also that the Under is on a 6-2 run for the Rockets and it has come in 5 of the Lakers last 7 games overall.
Tonight, the defense will dictate the game as these two play Under the total. Take the Under in this one tonight.
3? ROCKETS-LAKERS UNDER
Karl Garrett
Orlando at BOSTON
In the NBA on Tuesday, take the OVER in the Orlando-Boston series for you free winner.
Sunday's UNDER between the teams snapped a 2 game OVER streak in the series, and the bottom line is games in Boston have been sailing OVER the total with alarming frequency of late for the C's.
14 of the last 18 games played on the parquet have played HIGH, and Boston is also on a 18-5 OVER clip their last 23 when laying points.
Finally, the Celts have played 7 of their last 9 games against teams from the Southeast Division OVER the total.
Tuesday night's game will go OVER the total as well.
4? OVER
Bobby Maxwell
L.A. Dodgers +105 at PHILADELPHIA
Missed our FREE winner on Monday by half a point as the Cavs won but couldn't quite get the cover in Atlanta. Today we turn to the diamond for a comp play on the Dodgers in Philadelphia taking on the Phillies.
It hasn't been the loss of Manny Ramirez that has hurt the Dodgers lately, it's been the lack of a pitching staff that's hurt them. But today they've got the young Clayton Kershaw (1-2, 4.91 ERA) on the mound in Philadelphia and we expect him to deliver and his offense to score enough to get him a win.
Even without Manny, the Dodgers have scored 23 runs in their last four games, but they've lost three of those four. They opened the season with 13 straight home wins and they are actually still playing pretty well.
In Kershaw's latest outing, he allowed one run on four hits in five innings in a 10-3 victory over Washington on Wednesday
Chan Ho Park (0-1, 6.67 ERA) starts for the Phillies, who have dropped five of their last six games. It's the offense that has desserted Philadelphia, as they lost both weekend games to the Braves, including a 4-2 loss on Sunday as Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Chase Utley were 0-for-13. The Phils are 0-10 when they score three runs or less.
Los Angeles hasn't had trouble putting runs on the board and they'll get enough for Kershaw tonight. Play the Dodgers in this one.
2? L.A. DODGERS
Red Dog Sports
Boston at LA Angels 10:05pm
Play the LA Angels
The Angels are 19-7 in Weaver's last 26 home starts while the Red Sox are 4-11 in the last 15 meetings. Weaver's ERA is 2.66 and the team is 4-2 in his games while Masterson's ERA is 5.28 and the team is 2-2. Play the home team on Tuesday!
Nick Parsons
Detroit Redwings @ Anaheim Ducks +120
Anaheim fought back from a 3-2 series deficit to take a Game 7 win over Calgary in 2006 and avoided home-ice elimination with a Game 5 victory against Dallas last season. "This group has shown it can handle these type of situations," Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller said. "At the end of the regular season we pretty much had to win every game to make the playoffs. We are used to the situation." Look for ANAHEIM to improve to 10-5 (+4.1 units) after scoring 1 goal or less in its previous game!
Dave Price
1 Unit on San Francisco Giants -140
The Giants have the big edge at home tonight with the 3-1 Cain on hill, who brings in an ERA of just 2.61. The Giants are 11-4 at home this season and have now won 8 straight against the Nats. Washington is only 6-28 against the money line vs. an NL starting pitcher whose ERA is 3.50 or better over the last 2 seasons, 9-44 against the money line after 4 or more consecutive road games over the last 2 seasons, and 5-24 against the money line after allowing 10 runs or more over the last 3 seasons. Take the Giants.
EZWINNERS'S FREE SELECTION
(735) Houston Rockets +12
This Lakers were embarrassed by Houston in game
four as the Rockets gave all they had in the win minus
their All Star center Yao Ming. Everyone expects the
Lakers to come back with a win tonight, including myself,
but this is too many point to lay. The Rockets create
problems for the Lakers with their small lineup and they
will hang around in this game. Take the points.
Michael Alexander
San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs
Play: San Diego Padres
Jake Peavy has been red hot in his last two starts posing a 1.20 ERA. The Cubs have struggeled against righthanders this season scoring only 4 runs per game. Rich Harden has been a bit of a dissapointment posting a 4.83 ERA in his six starts.
Tom Freese
Washington Nationals at San Francisco Giants
Prediction: San Francisco Giants
San Francisco is 7-3 in the last 10 home starts made by Matt Cain and they are 7-0 after allowing 5 or more runs in their last game. Cain has allowed 2 or less runs in five of his six starts this year. The Giants are 19-7 their last 26 home games vs. righty starters. Washington is 16-35 their last 51 games as underdogs and they are 13-40 vs. winning teams. The Nationals are 15-48 their last 63 games as road underdogs and they are 16-35 on Tuesday. PLAY ON SAN FRANCISCO w/Cain
LT Profits
Cincinnati Reds +180
Now Dan Haren of the Arizona Diamondbacks may be one of the best pitchers in the National League, but his team is playing so bad right now that we feel compelled to grab this fat price with the Cincinnati Reds.
The Diamondbacks are just 2-7 in their last nine games overall, and the fact that Haren is just 3-3 despite owning a 1.84 ERA and a fantastic 0.86 WHIP should give you an idea of how bad the Arizona offense has been for the most part. The Snakes have a woeful team batting average of .234 while averaging an anorexic 3.79 runs per game. Yes, they have looked a bit better the last two games, but we do not trust them to keep that going vs. Reds starter Micah Owings tonight.
This is not because Owings is a stud, because he is not, but it is because he came up through the Arizona organization and this is the first year he has pitched for another franchise. Owings did have some good moments while with the Snakes, and he has the advantage of knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the Arizona batters first hand, giving him a huge advantage in his first start vs. his former teammates from last year.
Besides, as great as Haren is, he has allowed at least three runs in all three of his career starts vs. Cincinnati, and when you combine the Diamondbacks offensive struggles with the knowledge Owings has of that lineup, Haren would have to be better than that to cash this big chalk ticket.
Pick: Reds +180
Dennis Macklin
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Prediction: Toronto Blue Jays
Tonight's Bonus Play is on Roy Halladay and the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays are off to a white-hot MLB co-best 22 wins and a lot of that success has come behind the arm of ace Roy Halladay. "Doc" is 6-1 already with a 3.29 ERA and has owned the Bronx Bombers in the past going 15-5 and 2.83 in 30 LT starts. AJ Burnett faces ex-mates for the first time after taking the loot and has been 2-0 5.26 including a 7.50 badge in last three. Jays give Burnett a rude welcome home. Take Toronto.
Jeff Alexander
1 Unit on Toronto Blue Jays -134
I'll back the Yankee killer, Roy Halladay, in this one as he is 15-5 when starting against the NY Yanks with an ERA of 2.83 and a WHIP of 1.119 in his career. In fact, the Blue Jays are 10-1 in Halladay's last 11 home starts vs. the Yankees and 20-7 in Halladay's last 27 starts vs. the Yankees period. I also expect the Jays to crush former teammate A.J. Burnett, who has struggled with a 7.50 ERA over his last 3 starts. The Blue Jays are a ridiculous 50-15 in Halladay's last 65 home starts. Bet the Jays tonight.
Rocketman
St Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Play: St Louis Cardinals
St Louis comes in with a nice 20-12 record on the season while Pittsburgh is only 12-19 this year. St Louis is 11-3 this year when playing against a team with a losing record. Pittsburgh is 1-6 this year after 3 or more consecutive losses. Pittsburgh is 1-9 in May games this year and have lost 8 in a row. St Louis is scoring 5.4 runs per game overall this year. Wellmeyer is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA on the road this year. Wellmeyer is 4-1 overall vs Pittsburgh since 1997. We'll recommend a small play on St Louis tonight!
Jorge Gonzalez
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Play: Over 198
The Rockets will be going to a smaller line up with You Ming on the bench and the Lakers offense has bounced back in the playoffs with a vengeance when they are held to a 100 points or less. In their 88-68 lose to Utah, the Lakers scored 108 points and in game two of this series they scored 11 points after losing game 100-92. Aaron Brooks has proven to be a problem for the Laker's guards and should be able to push the ball up the court, especially against Derek Fisher. Take this game to go over the posted total. Jorge has released his Odds makers Mistake of the Year in the NBA in tonight's action!
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on Florida Marlins +145
The fish are showing excellent value tonight when you consider how they have feasted on left handed starting pitching. They will gladly welcome the 1-4 Manny Parra to the hill as they are 8-3 against southpaw starters this season and 12-4 in their last 16 road games vs. a left-handed starter. Have to like Florida's chances following an off-day as well as it is 7-1 in its last 8 games following an off day. The Brewers are now just 3-13 in Parra's last 16 starts so I'll back the Fish on the road tonight.
Jeff Benton
Came up just short with Monday’s Bonus Play on the Cavaliers, who won by 10 but were laying 10½. Still, I’m on freebie runs of 27-17, 18-11 and 6-3. For Tuesday, we’ll stay in the NBA playoffs and back the Magic plus the points at Boston.
There’s something very fishy about this pointspread. The last time these teams squared off in Boston, the Celtics hammered the Magic 112-94 as a four-point favorite in Game 2. Then on Sunday, Boston evened the series again, this time with a 95-94 buzzer-beating victory in Orlando. So why are the Celtics, back at home, such a short favorite tonight – especially when considering they’ve covered 13 of the last 17 against the Magic in Boston?
I’ve got a couple of theories that make sense. First of all, Boston has won consecutive games just once in these playoffs (Games 2 and 3 against Chicago) and it has covered the spread in consecutive games just once (Games 6 and 7 against Chicago). Also, of the Celtics’ 11 playoff games to date, a whopping seven have been decided by five points or less, including six by three points or fewer.
Meanwhile, since opening the playoffs with four straight non-covers (all as a favorite) against Philadelphia, the Magic have gotten the money in four of their last six contests. Orlando also continues to sport tremendous underdog numbers (36-16-3 last 55 as a pup, 14-5 last 19 as a road underdog and 44-18-1 last 63 when catching less than five points). On the other hand, the Celtics have failed to cover in seven of their last 22 at home (all laying points) and 11 of their last 14 Eastern Conference semifinal playoff games.
Throw in the fact that the underdog and road team are both 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings between these squads, and I’ll take my chances with the Magic, who if not for Big Baby Davis’s last-second heroics in Game 4 in Orlando would have a commanding 3-1 lead in this series. Take the points.
4? ORLANDO MAGIC
Tony Weston
Today's Selection:
We come through last night as the Nuggets and Mavericks hit well Over the Total. We’re making it two in a row tonight as we’re taking the Under in the Rockets-Lakers matchup in Los Angeles.
The number for tonight is set at 198 points and just like in Game 4 the Under will come in.
Consider that in their last six meetings overall - all since March 11 - the Under is on a 4-2 run and has come in 2 of the last 3 games in Los Angeles. In that 6-game stretch these two have totaled, on average, 193.5 points per. In their last 3 games in L.A. the teams have totaled, on average, 191.6 points per game.
Keep in mind also that the Under is on a 6-2 run for the Rockets and it has come in 5 of the Lakers last 7 games overall.
Tonight, the defense will dictate the game as these two play Under the total. Take the Under in this one tonight.
3? ROCKETS-LAKERS UNDER
Chris Jordan
New York at TORONTO -140
He's a Yankee killer, and we'll side with him at home tonight. Roy Halladay has been lights out for much of the season, and comes into this one after dominating his last start.
He absolutely shut down the Angels last Wednesday, when he tossed eight strong innings for the road victory in Anaheim. The former Cy Young winner blanked the Halos for seven frames before allowing one run, but was impressive in scattering six hits and recording six strikeouts, while inducing 13 groundouts.
Why is that significant? Well, that's 19 outs that never left the infield ... or, in regards to innings, you're looking at 6-1/3 frames worth of outs that were either on strikes or smothered by infielders.
Halladay's six wins in seven starts marks the fastest he's reached that many victories in a season in his career. Now he gets AL East-rival New York in the Rogers Center, and I'm confident in laying this price tonight. Over 32 career games against New York, the right-hander is 15-5 with a 2.86 ERA.
In 2008 he went 5-1 with a 2.40 ERA against the Bombers.
Easy winner here for you.
1? BLUE JAYS
Drew Gordon
Boston at LA ANGELS -125
Both teams are playing well, but you've got to like the Angels behind the red-hot Jered Weaver in this one. He's 2-0 with a lockdown 2.05 ERA over his L3 starts, incl. his first career complete game when he dominated the Blue Jays Thursday, allowing 1 run on 3 hits, while striking out 8! Although his career numbers against Boston aren't great (2-2, 4.46 ERA in 7 starts), Weaver has been a beast at Angel Stadium this season, going 3-0 with a miniscule 1.21 ERA!
Opposing Weaver is the Red Sox Justin Masterson, who's underachieved in trying to fill Dice-K's shoes, going 2-2 with a 5.48 ERA in 4 starts this season. He's been especially bad over his last 2 starts, allowing 12 runs in 12 1/3 innings, getting knocked around by the Rays and Indians in back-to-back efforts. Also, although he hasn't started against the Halos this year, he does have one ugly relief effort against them, back on April 10th he allowed 3 runs on 4 hits over 1 inning!
Finally, a couple things to consider, including the fact the Red Sox are just 4-11 in their last 15 meetings with the Angels. While the Sox are an excellent 13-4 at Fenway, their 7-8 road record is hardly impressive. Also, the Halos have been damn good at home with Weaver on the hill, going 19-7 in his L26 home starts! As a final note, Boston's offense takes a noticeable dip on the road, batting .244 against righties, and with neither Youkilis (questionable) or Pedroia (doubtful) likely to play, things do not bode well for the Red Sox in this one. In the end, look for Weaver to thoroughly outpitch Masterson, as the Angels win their 5th straight Tuesday night!
Take the LA Angels behind Weaver over Boston and Masterson in this MLB match up.
3? LA ANGELS
Ben Burns
Detroit Red Wings @ Anaheim Mighty Ducks
PICK: Detroit Red Wings
While the Ducks are only a win away from forcing Game 7, the Wings have dominated this series. Let's take a look at the shots on goal.
In the first game, the Wings held a "modest" 37-24 edge in total shots. In the second game, they Wings took a whopping 62 shots. Anaheim had 47. Game 3 saw the Wings enjoy a 2-1 edge in shots, as they fired 46 to Anaheim's 23. Game 4 was slightly closer. The Wings "only" outshot the Ducks by a dozen, 40-28. The most recent game saw the Wings with a commanding 38-17 edge. Add it all up and Detroit owns a significant 223-139 edge in that department. It's true that the shots on goal stat can sometimes be misleading. However, when the advantage is this lopsided, I believe it's worth paying attention to.
While the Ducks got great goaltending to begin the playoffs, all those shots on goal have finally started to take a toll - they've given up 10 goals in the last two games. Note that the Wings are now a profitable 34-13 (+12.6) when coming off a game in which they scored four or more goals.
Knowing Chicago is now already waiting for them, the Wings don't want to play a Game 7. It likely won't be as "easy" as the last two game, but they should find a way to close things out tonight. Consider Detroit
Mike Rose
Boston Celtics -2
The Magic should have considered themselves lucky to have held a late game lead in Game 4 in the first place. They shot miserably from the field (40% on 34-of-85 shooting), and shot an even more horrific 18.5% from beyond the arc. This coming after they seemingly couldn't miss in Game 3 (almost 60% from the field & 50% from 3-point land). Now they have to go back to Boston where they've managed just two SU wins in their L/5 trips. On top of that, they're a pathetic 4-13 ATS for NBA bettors the L/17 times they bumped uglies with the Celtics in Beantown. Game 4's heartbreaking defeat has to have this club out of sorts. It's hard to bounce back from gut wrenching defeats like that in the regular season let alone in the playoffs.
Boston has to be feeling good about themselves right now. They stole a game in Chicago in Round 1, and did the same on Sunday night. Big Baby's shot will be talked about forever by Celtics fanatics, but more importantly, it might have been the shot that propels this club back to the Eastern Conference finals for the second year in a row. Now having all the series momentum, the Celtics get to play another contest in front of their home fans. They've had one heck of an exciting run thus far, and it doesn't look to be over anytime soon.
Boston returned home for Game 5 in its last series against the Chicago Bulls and gutted out a 106-104 overtime victory. Though they failed to win for its betting backers, they still got the job done. The defending champs have played in a number of closely contested battles throughout the post-season, and tonight's match-up looks to be no different. That being said, they're only being asked to cover a bucket in this spot opposed to the 7.5-point spread they were tagged with in Game 5 against the Bulls. If Orlando does indeed go into the Garden and win this game, my hat goes off to them. I just don't see it happening though. I'm expecting a huge game from Ray Allen tonight after he's been held in check throughout the first four games. This will probably be a back and forth affair throughout the first three quarters, but home court advantage will rear its ugly head for Orlando supporters in the 4th and the Celtics will eek out the home win and cover to take a 3-2 series lead.
MTI Sports
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Prediction: Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays are 18-1 when Roy Halladay starts at home in the first game of a series and 15-2 as a home favorite after a win in which their opponent left fewer than 10 men on base. Consider Toronto.
John Ryan
Florida Marlins vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Prediction: Milwaukee Brewers
Ai Simulator 3* graded play on Milwaukee as they face Florida slated to start at 8:05 EST. Supporting this graded play is a system that has gone 106-44 making 48.4 units since 1997. Play against road dogs with a money line of +100 to +150 with a bad bullpen that blows 38% or more of their save opportunities facing an opponent with a NL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.650 or worse on the season. Marlins in a tough spot here noting they are 88-126 (-44.4 Units) against the money line versus an NL starting pitcher whose ERA is 4.70 to 5.20 since 1997. Milwaukee is a solid 59-23 (+25.7 Units) against the money line in home games versus a NL team with an on base percentage .325 or worse over the last 3 seasons; 56-26 (+22.1 Units) against the money line in home games after 1 or more consecutive unders over the last 3 seasons. Florida offense is nearly comatose batting just 239 on the season and 236 against 11 games facing a LH starter. Skipper Macha is a strong 70-25 (+34.6 Units) against the money line in home games after having won 6 or 7 of their last 8 games in all games he has managed since 1997. Take Milwaukee
Vegas Experts
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Roy Halladay will get a chance to face former rotation mate AJ Burnett as the Toronto Blue Jays host the Yankees. Halladay is off to another great start this year as he has a 6-1 TSR and a 3.29 ERA. He has had his way with the Yankees as he has a 15-5 record with a 2.83 ERA. He has also been outstanding in the month of May as he has a 33-12 TSR in his career. Burnett has been roughed up in his last three starts as he has allowed 15 earned runs in 18 innings. The Blue Jays are 11-4 at home this year and are a safe bet here.
Play on: Toronto
Jrtips
BOSTON RED SOX vs. LA ANGELS
The red-hot Angels look for their a fifth straight win when they face the Boston Red Sox tonight in Anaheim. Boston (20-12) will be without two of its biggest bats, Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia who are recovering from injuries. The Angels (16-14) have won seven of eight to move within one-half game of first-place in the AL allowing five total runs during their four-game winning streak. Weaver (3-1, 2.66 ERA), whose ERA and .209 opponent batting average both rank among the top five in the AL allowed one unearned run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings of a 6-3 win over Boston on April 10th. The Red Sox will start Justin Masterson (2-2, 5.28) who has given up six runs in each of his last two starts and allowed a career-worst eight hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 9-2 loss to Cleveland on Wednesday. Boston's offense ranks second in the majors with 185 runs and often has to pick up the slack for the pitchers. They've won three of four overall, scoring 29 runs but Boston went 1-8 against Los Angeles in the 2008 regular season. The Angels are hot and will get to Masterson early and often. Five runs is all the Angels will need to get the win tonight with Weaver on the Mound and two of the red sox big bats out of the lineup.
TAKE LA ANGELS-130
Rob Homyak
5 Units on New York Mets
New York swept a two-game set in Atlanta from May 4-5 and won six of nine at home versus the Braves last year.
New York going with Mike Pelfrey has won three straight starts and is 4-0 in five starts this year. Pelfrey has a 5.46 ERA this year and a 4.00 ERA over his last three starts.
ATLANTA is 87-104 (-25.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 22-9 (+11.9 Units) against the money line at home with a money line of -100 to -125 over the last 3 seasons.
Mets are 8-0 in Pelfreys last 8 home starts with the total set at 7.0-8.5.
Braves are 3-10 in their last 13 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Head-to-Head Series History
NY METS is 2-1 (+0.4 Units) against ATLANTA this season
NY Mets are 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Umpire Trends - Andy Fletcher
Home team is 6-2 in Fletchers last 8 games behind home plate.
Mets are 7-3 in their last 10 games with Fletcher behind home plate.
Braves are 0-4 in their last 4 games with Fletcher behind home plate.
Larry Ness
Washington Nationals @ San Francisco Giants
PICK: San Francisco Giants
Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals went 4-for-5 with two HRs and a season-high four RBI last night but the Nationals lost 11-7 to the Giants. And so it goes for a team with the worst record in MLB (10-20) in 2009. Meanwhile, the Giants have won 14 of their last 20 games and at , are three games over .500 for the first time since May 7, 2007. That includes an 11-4 mark at home, where San Francisco's pitching staff (owners of MLB's 5th-best ERA at 3.97), has held opponents to just 2.87 RPG. Getting the start for Washington is rookie Jordan Zimmermann (2-1 with a 5.48 ERA). He makes his first start against the Giants and the fifth of his career. He opened with back-to-back wins (2.38 ERA) but he's allowed 14 hits and 11 ERs over his last two outings (8.49 ERA), losing once with a no decision (better than he deserved). Starting for the Giants is a pitcher who has rarely gotten "more than he's deserved" in his MLB career. Matt Cain was 13-12 (4.15 ERA) in his rookie season of 2006. He then went out in 2007 and lowered his ERA by a half-run (3.64) but went just 7-16, as the Giants finished 9-23 in his 32 starts. His moneyline mark of minus-$1,803 was the worst in all of MLB. His ERA was 3.76 last year but again he went only 8-14, with the Giants going in 14-20 his starts (minus-$386). His 2009 numbers have been terrific, as he's 3-1 with a 2.61 ERA. He's had just one poor start (in six outings), allowing five ERs in a 5-1 loss to the Rockies (in San Fran). He's posted a 1.69 ERA in his other five starts, going 3-0 but "true to form," the Giants have lost both of his no decisions, despite Cain posting a 2.08 ERA in those games. However, Cain has been outstanding vs the Nationals recently, posting a 0.42 ERA in winning all three of his starts against them since 2007. The Giants are playing with confidence and are coming off an 11-run, 14-hit game. Now if only Cain could get half of that support on a regular basis? Consider this stat. Cain is 29-6 as a starter when the Giants score at least three runs for him. Take the Giants.
Arthur Ralph Sports
Tampa Bay rays
Totals4U
Tuesday's free selection: Houston/Colorado over 10
Razor Sharp
FREE PICK FOR TUESDAY:
Take BOSTON (Masterson) +120 over LA Angels
Detroit Red Wings at Anaheim Ducks
The Red Wings have simply taken command of this series and, through the years, they've shown a great ability to close out series like this on the road. Since the game is at Anaheim, we get decent line value with a Red Wings club whose offensive skills and depth have simply worn down the Ducks. Through the post-season, Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller did a great job but, eventually, there comes a point where there's only so much your netminder can do for you. The Ducks have reached that point. The Red Wings have worn them down and are dominating in terms of puck possession and shots on goal. It's been a valiant effort for the Ducks but the Red Wings have simply proven to be too much. Consider a small play on Detroit on the money line in the NHL on Tuesday night.
Play on: Detroit
Terron Chapman
Boston Red Sox vs. LAA Angels
Play: LAA Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are surging, winning seven of their last eight, including a three game sweep of the once red hot Kansas City Royals in their last series. They’ll look to continue that success when they begin a three game set with the visiting Boston Red Sox Tuesday evening at Angels stadium. The Red Sox will send right hander Justin Masterson to the mound in his second appearance and first start against the Angels. In his lone appearance against the Angels this season, he came out of the bullpen and was tagged for four runs and three hits in one inning. His last two starts have been shaky at best, giving up 12 runs in 12 1/3 innings, both losses. The Angels will counter with Jered Weaver who is coming off of his strongest outing of the season. He pitched his first complete game against the explosive Blue Jays, allowing one run and three hits, while striking out eight. Weaver defeated the Red Sox in his season debut at home, holding them to one unearned run in 6 2/3 innings striking out eight while walking two. He has been particularly strong at home this season, allowing just four earned runs in 29 2/3 innings, while going 3-0. I think there is plenty of value on the home team in game one with a shaky road pitcher on the mound against a quality home starter. The Red Sox will more than likely be without two key pieces in Kevin Youkilis (oblique) and Dustin Pedroia (groin) who are both listed as questionable for Tuesday’s game. The Red Sox have struggled recently with the Halos who have won 11 of the last 15 meetings. Play on the Los Angeles Angels for 2 units.
Nelly
Kansas City at Oakland
Play Under
With two unproven pitchers on the mound the total for this game is a bit elevated but given the venue and the limited offense from each of these teams this will likely be a low-scoring game. The A's and Royals have the top two bullpen ERAs in the American League and both are also two of the lowest scoring teams in the AL. Oakland has averaged less than 4.2 runs per game and Kansas City has averaged just over 4.5 runs per game. By a fairly significant margin the Royals and A's have allowed the fewest amounts of runs in the AL as well. Both teams have also averaged less than one home run hit per game. The Oakland Coliseum has the lowest OPS of any ballpark in the AL and batters own just a .247 average in this stadium. Oakland home games have averaged just 8.4 runs per game and in a small sample those numbers are even inflated a bit based on a couple of games. The 'under' has cashed in seven of the last ten Oakland home games and despite an overall surge in scoring and 'overs' in MLB at this point in the year both of these teams have been 'under' clubs. Luke Hochevar had decent results for the Royals in August last year and Trevor Cahill has pitched well in five of his six starts this season, allowing two or fewer earned runs in all but one outing.
Brad Diamond Sports
Play on: Philadelphia over Los Angeles
The guess of death with Phillies hurlers lies in the game after a good outing. RHP Park (0-1, 6.67) is coming off a decent outing up in Citi-Field in New York. If the veteran can buck that trend the series history angles point to Philadelphia. Overall, Philly has won 22 of last 30 games in the series, 8 of 9 at this writing. Just as important, the home standing club is a super 11-2 against left hand pitching.
Matt Rivers
For Tuesday take the number back with Jordan Zimmerman and the Nats.
I am the first person to boast about how good San Francisco righthander Matt Cain can be. Cain has Cy Young type stuff and more times than not can dominate an opponent. With that said this kid Jordan Zimmerman is an absolute future stud himself and has an immense upside. In what should be a low scoring game I will gladly back Zimmerman and the visitors from the nation's capital.
Zimmerman was not on in that last start (or at least in that dreaded six run first inning) at Los Angeles but the Nats were able to find a way to storm back and upset the favored Dodgers. I don't know what went wrong in that opening inning but the righty shut down Joe Torre's bats for the next five innings and has already had a huge amount of success this season including upsetting the Mets in New York and downing the Braves at home in DC.
Say what you want about these Nats but they have played a lot better of late after the miserable start and have a couple of semi stars in Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn. Granted I'm not calling Washington a good club by any means but they are not at all dreadful and it's not like San Fransisco is exactly a juggernaut.
Yes the Giants have been good at home but the hitters are still overall very light hitting and we can easily see a pitcher's duel where one bounce of the ball or one stolen base can mean a win or a loss. Plus money in this scenario with a hot team and a stud pitcher is enough for me!
Tony Weston
Today's Selection
We come through last night as the Nuggets and Mavericks hit well Over the Total. We’re making it two in a row tonight as we’re taking the Under in the Rockets-Lakers matchup in Los Angeles.
The number for tonight is set at 198 points and just like in Game 4 the Under will come in.
Consider that in their last six meetings overall - all since March 11 - the Under is on a 4-2 run and has come in 2 of the last 3 games in Los Angeles. In that 6-game stretch these two have totaled, on average, 193.5 points per. In their last 3 games in L.A. the teams have totaled, on average, 191.6 points per game.
Keep in mind also that the Under is on a 6-2 run for the Rockets and it has come in 5 of the Lakers last 7 games overall.
Tonight, the defense will dictate the game as these two play Under the total. Take the Under in this one tonight.
3? ROCKETS-LAKERS UNDER
Karl Garrett
Orlando at BOSTON
In the NBA on Tuesday, take the OVER in the Orlando-Boston series for you free winner.
Sunday's UNDER between the teams snapped a 2 game OVER streak in the series, and the bottom line is games in Boston have been sailing OVER the total with alarming frequency of late for the C's.
14 of the last 18 games played on the parquet have played HIGH, and Boston is also on a 18-5 OVER clip their last 23 when laying points.
Finally, the Celts have played 7 of their last 9 games against teams from the Southeast Division OVER the total.
Tuesday night's game will go OVER the total as well.
4? OVER
Bobby Maxwell
L.A. Dodgers +105 at PHILADELPHIA
Missed our FREE winner on Monday by half a point as the Cavs won but couldn't quite get the cover in Atlanta. Today we turn to the diamond for a comp play on the Dodgers in Philadelphia taking on the Phillies.
It hasn't been the loss of Manny Ramirez that has hurt the Dodgers lately, it's been the lack of a pitching staff that's hurt them. But today they've got the young Clayton Kershaw (1-2, 4.91 ERA) on the mound in Philadelphia and we expect him to deliver and his offense to score enough to get him a win.
Even without Manny, the Dodgers have scored 23 runs in their last four games, but they've lost three of those four. They opened the season with 13 straight home wins and they are actually still playing pretty well.
In Kershaw's latest outing, he allowed one run on four hits in five innings in a 10-3 victory over Washington on Wednesday
Chan Ho Park (0-1, 6.67 ERA) starts for the Phillies, who have dropped five of their last six games. It's the offense that has desserted Philadelphia, as they lost both weekend games to the Braves, including a 4-2 loss on Sunday as Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Chase Utley were 0-for-13. The Phils are 0-10 when they score three runs or less.
Los Angeles hasn't had trouble putting runs on the board and they'll get enough for Kershaw tonight. Play the Dodgers in this one.
2? L.A. DODGERS
Red Dog Sports
Boston at LA Angels 10:05pm
Play the LA Angels
The Angels are 19-7 in Weaver's last 26 home starts while the Red Sox are 4-11 in the last 15 meetings. Weaver's ERA is 2.66 and the team is 4-2 in his games while Masterson's ERA is 5.28 and the team is 2-2. Play the home team on Tuesday!
Nick Parsons
Detroit Redwings @ Anaheim Ducks +120
Anaheim fought back from a 3-2 series deficit to take a Game 7 win over Calgary in 2006 and avoided home-ice elimination with a Game 5 victory against Dallas last season. "This group has shown it can handle these type of situations," Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller said. "At the end of the regular season we pretty much had to win every game to make the playoffs. We are used to the situation." Look for ANAHEIM to improve to 10-5 (+4.1 units) after scoring 1 goal or less in its previous game!
Dave Price
1 Unit on San Francisco Giants -140
The Giants have the big edge at home tonight with the 3-1 Cain on hill, who brings in an ERA of just 2.61. The Giants are 11-4 at home this season and have now won 8 straight against the Nats. Washington is only 6-28 against the money line vs. an NL starting pitcher whose ERA is 3.50 or better over the last 2 seasons, 9-44 against the money line after 4 or more consecutive road games over the last 2 seasons, and 5-24 against the money line after allowing 10 runs or more over the last 3 seasons. Take the Giants.
EZWINNERS'S FREE SELECTION
(735) Houston Rockets +12
This Lakers were embarrassed by Houston in game
four as the Rockets gave all they had in the win minus
their All Star center Yao Ming. Everyone expects the
Lakers to come back with a win tonight, including myself,
but this is too many point to lay. The Rockets create
problems for the Lakers with their small lineup and they
will hang around in this game. Take the points.
Michael Alexander
San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs
Play: San Diego Padres
Jake Peavy has been red hot in his last two starts posing a 1.20 ERA. The Cubs have struggeled against righthanders this season scoring only 4 runs per game. Rich Harden has been a bit of a dissapointment posting a 4.83 ERA in his six starts.
Tom Freese
Washington Nationals at San Francisco Giants
Prediction: San Francisco Giants
San Francisco is 7-3 in the last 10 home starts made by Matt Cain and they are 7-0 after allowing 5 or more runs in their last game. Cain has allowed 2 or less runs in five of his six starts this year. The Giants are 19-7 their last 26 home games vs. righty starters. Washington is 16-35 their last 51 games as underdogs and they are 13-40 vs. winning teams. The Nationals are 15-48 their last 63 games as road underdogs and they are 16-35 on Tuesday. PLAY ON SAN FRANCISCO w/Cain
LT Profits
Cincinnati Reds +180
Now Dan Haren of the Arizona Diamondbacks may be one of the best pitchers in the National League, but his team is playing so bad right now that we feel compelled to grab this fat price with the Cincinnati Reds.
The Diamondbacks are just 2-7 in their last nine games overall, and the fact that Haren is just 3-3 despite owning a 1.84 ERA and a fantastic 0.86 WHIP should give you an idea of how bad the Arizona offense has been for the most part. The Snakes have a woeful team batting average of .234 while averaging an anorexic 3.79 runs per game. Yes, they have looked a bit better the last two games, but we do not trust them to keep that going vs. Reds starter Micah Owings tonight.
This is not because Owings is a stud, because he is not, but it is because he came up through the Arizona organization and this is the first year he has pitched for another franchise. Owings did have some good moments while with the Snakes, and he has the advantage of knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the Arizona batters first hand, giving him a huge advantage in his first start vs. his former teammates from last year.
Besides, as great as Haren is, he has allowed at least three runs in all three of his career starts vs. Cincinnati, and when you combine the Diamondbacks offensive struggles with the knowledge Owings has of that lineup, Haren would have to be better than that to cash this big chalk ticket.
Pick: Reds +180
Dennis Macklin
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Prediction: Toronto Blue Jays
Tonight's Bonus Play is on Roy Halladay and the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays are off to a white-hot MLB co-best 22 wins and a lot of that success has come behind the arm of ace Roy Halladay. "Doc" is 6-1 already with a 3.29 ERA and has owned the Bronx Bombers in the past going 15-5 and 2.83 in 30 LT starts. AJ Burnett faces ex-mates for the first time after taking the loot and has been 2-0 5.26 including a 7.50 badge in last three. Jays give Burnett a rude welcome home. Take Toronto.
Jeff Alexander
1 Unit on Toronto Blue Jays -134
I'll back the Yankee killer, Roy Halladay, in this one as he is 15-5 when starting against the NY Yanks with an ERA of 2.83 and a WHIP of 1.119 in his career. In fact, the Blue Jays are 10-1 in Halladay's last 11 home starts vs. the Yankees and 20-7 in Halladay's last 27 starts vs. the Yankees period. I also expect the Jays to crush former teammate A.J. Burnett, who has struggled with a 7.50 ERA over his last 3 starts. The Blue Jays are a ridiculous 50-15 in Halladay's last 65 home starts. Bet the Jays tonight.
Rocketman
St Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Play: St Louis Cardinals
St Louis comes in with a nice 20-12 record on the season while Pittsburgh is only 12-19 this year. St Louis is 11-3 this year when playing against a team with a losing record. Pittsburgh is 1-6 this year after 3 or more consecutive losses. Pittsburgh is 1-9 in May games this year and have lost 8 in a row. St Louis is scoring 5.4 runs per game overall this year. Wellmeyer is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA on the road this year. Wellmeyer is 4-1 overall vs Pittsburgh since 1997. We'll recommend a small play on St Louis tonight!
Jorge Gonzalez
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Play: Over 198
The Rockets will be going to a smaller line up with You Ming on the bench and the Lakers offense has bounced back in the playoffs with a vengeance when they are held to a 100 points or less. In their 88-68 lose to Utah, the Lakers scored 108 points and in game two of this series they scored 11 points after losing game 100-92. Aaron Brooks has proven to be a problem for the Laker's guards and should be able to push the ball up the court, especially against Derek Fisher. Take this game to go over the posted total. Jorge has released his Odds makers Mistake of the Year in the NBA in tonight's action!
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on Florida Marlins +145
The fish are showing excellent value tonight when you consider how they have feasted on left handed starting pitching. They will gladly welcome the 1-4 Manny Parra to the hill as they are 8-3 against southpaw starters this season and 12-4 in their last 16 road games vs. a left-handed starter. Have to like Florida's chances following an off-day as well as it is 7-1 in its last 8 games following an off day. The Brewers are now just 3-13 in Parra's last 16 starts so I'll back the Fish on the road tonight.
Jeff Benton
Came up just short with Monday’s Bonus Play on the Cavaliers, who won by 10 but were laying 10½. Still, I’m on freebie runs of 27-17, 18-11 and 6-3. For Tuesday, we’ll stay in the NBA playoffs and back the Magic plus the points at Boston.
There’s something very fishy about this pointspread. The last time these teams squared off in Boston, the Celtics hammered the Magic 112-94 as a four-point favorite in Game 2. Then on Sunday, Boston evened the series again, this time with a 95-94 buzzer-beating victory in Orlando. So why are the Celtics, back at home, such a short favorite tonight – especially when considering they’ve covered 13 of the last 17 against the Magic in Boston?
I’ve got a couple of theories that make sense. First of all, Boston has won consecutive games just once in these playoffs (Games 2 and 3 against Chicago) and it has covered the spread in consecutive games just once (Games 6 and 7 against Chicago). Also, of the Celtics’ 11 playoff games to date, a whopping seven have been decided by five points or less, including six by three points or fewer.
Meanwhile, since opening the playoffs with four straight non-covers (all as a favorite) against Philadelphia, the Magic have gotten the money in four of their last six contests. Orlando also continues to sport tremendous underdog numbers (36-16-3 last 55 as a pup, 14-5 last 19 as a road underdog and 44-18-1 last 63 when catching less than five points). On the other hand, the Celtics have failed to cover in seven of their last 22 at home (all laying points) and 11 of their last 14 Eastern Conference semifinal playoff games.
Throw in the fact that the underdog and road team are both 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings between these squads, and I’ll take my chances with the Magic, who if not for Big Baby Davis’s last-second heroics in Game 4 in Orlando would have a commanding 3-1 lead in this series. Take the points.
4? ORLANDO MAGIC
Tony Weston
Today's Selection:
We come through last night as the Nuggets and Mavericks hit well Over the Total. We’re making it two in a row tonight as we’re taking the Under in the Rockets-Lakers matchup in Los Angeles.
The number for tonight is set at 198 points and just like in Game 4 the Under will come in.
Consider that in their last six meetings overall - all since March 11 - the Under is on a 4-2 run and has come in 2 of the last 3 games in Los Angeles. In that 6-game stretch these two have totaled, on average, 193.5 points per. In their last 3 games in L.A. the teams have totaled, on average, 191.6 points per game.
Keep in mind also that the Under is on a 6-2 run for the Rockets and it has come in 5 of the Lakers last 7 games overall.
Tonight, the defense will dictate the game as these two play Under the total. Take the Under in this one tonight.
3? ROCKETS-LAKERS UNDER
Chris Jordan
New York at TORONTO -140
He's a Yankee killer, and we'll side with him at home tonight. Roy Halladay has been lights out for much of the season, and comes into this one after dominating his last start.
He absolutely shut down the Angels last Wednesday, when he tossed eight strong innings for the road victory in Anaheim. The former Cy Young winner blanked the Halos for seven frames before allowing one run, but was impressive in scattering six hits and recording six strikeouts, while inducing 13 groundouts.
Why is that significant? Well, that's 19 outs that never left the infield ... or, in regards to innings, you're looking at 6-1/3 frames worth of outs that were either on strikes or smothered by infielders.
Halladay's six wins in seven starts marks the fastest he's reached that many victories in a season in his career. Now he gets AL East-rival New York in the Rogers Center, and I'm confident in laying this price tonight. Over 32 career games against New York, the right-hander is 15-5 with a 2.86 ERA.
In 2008 he went 5-1 with a 2.40 ERA against the Bombers.
Easy winner here for you.
1? BLUE JAYS
Drew Gordon
Boston at LA ANGELS -125
Both teams are playing well, but you've got to like the Angels behind the red-hot Jered Weaver in this one. He's 2-0 with a lockdown 2.05 ERA over his L3 starts, incl. his first career complete game when he dominated the Blue Jays Thursday, allowing 1 run on 3 hits, while striking out 8! Although his career numbers against Boston aren't great (2-2, 4.46 ERA in 7 starts), Weaver has been a beast at Angel Stadium this season, going 3-0 with a miniscule 1.21 ERA!
Opposing Weaver is the Red Sox Justin Masterson, who's underachieved in trying to fill Dice-K's shoes, going 2-2 with a 5.48 ERA in 4 starts this season. He's been especially bad over his last 2 starts, allowing 12 runs in 12 1/3 innings, getting knocked around by the Rays and Indians in back-to-back efforts. Also, although he hasn't started against the Halos this year, he does have one ugly relief effort against them, back on April 10th he allowed 3 runs on 4 hits over 1 inning!
Finally, a couple things to consider, including the fact the Red Sox are just 4-11 in their last 15 meetings with the Angels. While the Sox are an excellent 13-4 at Fenway, their 7-8 road record is hardly impressive. Also, the Halos have been damn good at home with Weaver on the hill, going 19-7 in his L26 home starts! As a final note, Boston's offense takes a noticeable dip on the road, batting .244 against righties, and with neither Youkilis (questionable) or Pedroia (doubtful) likely to play, things do not bode well for the Red Sox in this one. In the end, look for Weaver to thoroughly outpitch Masterson, as the Angels win their 5th straight Tuesday night!
Take the LA Angels behind Weaver over Boston and Masterson in this MLB match up.
3? LA ANGELS
Ben Burns
Detroit Red Wings @ Anaheim Mighty Ducks
PICK: Detroit Red Wings
While the Ducks are only a win away from forcing Game 7, the Wings have dominated this series. Let's take a look at the shots on goal.
In the first game, the Wings held a "modest" 37-24 edge in total shots. In the second game, they Wings took a whopping 62 shots. Anaheim had 47. Game 3 saw the Wings enjoy a 2-1 edge in shots, as they fired 46 to Anaheim's 23. Game 4 was slightly closer. The Wings "only" outshot the Ducks by a dozen, 40-28. The most recent game saw the Wings with a commanding 38-17 edge. Add it all up and Detroit owns a significant 223-139 edge in that department. It's true that the shots on goal stat can sometimes be misleading. However, when the advantage is this lopsided, I believe it's worth paying attention to.
While the Ducks got great goaltending to begin the playoffs, all those shots on goal have finally started to take a toll - they've given up 10 goals in the last two games. Note that the Wings are now a profitable 34-13 (+12.6) when coming off a game in which they scored four or more goals.
Knowing Chicago is now already waiting for them, the Wings don't want to play a Game 7. It likely won't be as "easy" as the last two game, but they should find a way to close things out tonight. Consider Detroit
Mike Rose
Boston Celtics -2
The Magic should have considered themselves lucky to have held a late game lead in Game 4 in the first place. They shot miserably from the field (40% on 34-of-85 shooting), and shot an even more horrific 18.5% from beyond the arc. This coming after they seemingly couldn't miss in Game 3 (almost 60% from the field & 50% from 3-point land). Now they have to go back to Boston where they've managed just two SU wins in their L/5 trips. On top of that, they're a pathetic 4-13 ATS for NBA bettors the L/17 times they bumped uglies with the Celtics in Beantown. Game 4's heartbreaking defeat has to have this club out of sorts. It's hard to bounce back from gut wrenching defeats like that in the regular season let alone in the playoffs.
Boston has to be feeling good about themselves right now. They stole a game in Chicago in Round 1, and did the same on Sunday night. Big Baby's shot will be talked about forever by Celtics fanatics, but more importantly, it might have been the shot that propels this club back to the Eastern Conference finals for the second year in a row. Now having all the series momentum, the Celtics get to play another contest in front of their home fans. They've had one heck of an exciting run thus far, and it doesn't look to be over anytime soon.
Boston returned home for Game 5 in its last series against the Chicago Bulls and gutted out a 106-104 overtime victory. Though they failed to win for its betting backers, they still got the job done. The defending champs have played in a number of closely contested battles throughout the post-season, and tonight's match-up looks to be no different. That being said, they're only being asked to cover a bucket in this spot opposed to the 7.5-point spread they were tagged with in Game 5 against the Bulls. If Orlando does indeed go into the Garden and win this game, my hat goes off to them. I just don't see it happening though. I'm expecting a huge game from Ray Allen tonight after he's been held in check throughout the first four games. This will probably be a back and forth affair throughout the first three quarters, but home court advantage will rear its ugly head for Orlando supporters in the 4th and the Celtics will eek out the home win and cover to take a 3-2 series lead.
MTI Sports
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Prediction: Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays are 18-1 when Roy Halladay starts at home in the first game of a series and 15-2 as a home favorite after a win in which their opponent left fewer than 10 men on base. Consider Toronto.
John Ryan
Florida Marlins vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Prediction: Milwaukee Brewers
Ai Simulator 3* graded play on Milwaukee as they face Florida slated to start at 8:05 EST. Supporting this graded play is a system that has gone 106-44 making 48.4 units since 1997. Play against road dogs with a money line of +100 to +150 with a bad bullpen that blows 38% or more of their save opportunities facing an opponent with a NL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.650 or worse on the season. Marlins in a tough spot here noting they are 88-126 (-44.4 Units) against the money line versus an NL starting pitcher whose ERA is 4.70 to 5.20 since 1997. Milwaukee is a solid 59-23 (+25.7 Units) against the money line in home games versus a NL team with an on base percentage .325 or worse over the last 3 seasons; 56-26 (+22.1 Units) against the money line in home games after 1 or more consecutive unders over the last 3 seasons. Florida offense is nearly comatose batting just 239 on the season and 236 against 11 games facing a LH starter. Skipper Macha is a strong 70-25 (+34.6 Units) against the money line in home games after having won 6 or 7 of their last 8 games in all games he has managed since 1997. Take Milwaukee
Vegas Experts
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Roy Halladay will get a chance to face former rotation mate AJ Burnett as the Toronto Blue Jays host the Yankees. Halladay is off to another great start this year as he has a 6-1 TSR and a 3.29 ERA. He has had his way with the Yankees as he has a 15-5 record with a 2.83 ERA. He has also been outstanding in the month of May as he has a 33-12 TSR in his career. Burnett has been roughed up in his last three starts as he has allowed 15 earned runs in 18 innings. The Blue Jays are 11-4 at home this year and are a safe bet here.
Play on: Toronto
Jrtips
BOSTON RED SOX vs. LA ANGELS
The red-hot Angels look for their a fifth straight win when they face the Boston Red Sox tonight in Anaheim. Boston (20-12) will be without two of its biggest bats, Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia who are recovering from injuries. The Angels (16-14) have won seven of eight to move within one-half game of first-place in the AL allowing five total runs during their four-game winning streak. Weaver (3-1, 2.66 ERA), whose ERA and .209 opponent batting average both rank among the top five in the AL allowed one unearned run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings of a 6-3 win over Boston on April 10th. The Red Sox will start Justin Masterson (2-2, 5.28) who has given up six runs in each of his last two starts and allowed a career-worst eight hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 9-2 loss to Cleveland on Wednesday. Boston's offense ranks second in the majors with 185 runs and often has to pick up the slack for the pitchers. They've won three of four overall, scoring 29 runs but Boston went 1-8 against Los Angeles in the 2008 regular season. The Angels are hot and will get to Masterson early and often. Five runs is all the Angels will need to get the win tonight with Weaver on the Mound and two of the red sox big bats out of the lineup.
TAKE LA ANGELS-130
Rob Homyak
5 Units on New York Mets
New York swept a two-game set in Atlanta from May 4-5 and won six of nine at home versus the Braves last year.
New York going with Mike Pelfrey has won three straight starts and is 4-0 in five starts this year. Pelfrey has a 5.46 ERA this year and a 4.00 ERA over his last three starts.
ATLANTA is 87-104 (-25.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 22-9 (+11.9 Units) against the money line at home with a money line of -100 to -125 over the last 3 seasons.
Mets are 8-0 in Pelfreys last 8 home starts with the total set at 7.0-8.5.
Braves are 3-10 in their last 13 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Head-to-Head Series History
NY METS is 2-1 (+0.4 Units) against ATLANTA this season
NY Mets are 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Umpire Trends - Andy Fletcher
Home team is 6-2 in Fletchers last 8 games behind home plate.
Mets are 7-3 in their last 10 games with Fletcher behind home plate.
Braves are 0-4 in their last 4 games with Fletcher behind home plate.
Larry Ness
Washington Nationals @ San Francisco Giants
PICK: San Francisco Giants
Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals went 4-for-5 with two HRs and a season-high four RBI last night but the Nationals lost 11-7 to the Giants. And so it goes for a team with the worst record in MLB (10-20) in 2009. Meanwhile, the Giants have won 14 of their last 20 games and at , are three games over .500 for the first time since May 7, 2007. That includes an 11-4 mark at home, where San Francisco's pitching staff (owners of MLB's 5th-best ERA at 3.97), has held opponents to just 2.87 RPG. Getting the start for Washington is rookie Jordan Zimmermann (2-1 with a 5.48 ERA). He makes his first start against the Giants and the fifth of his career. He opened with back-to-back wins (2.38 ERA) but he's allowed 14 hits and 11 ERs over his last two outings (8.49 ERA), losing once with a no decision (better than he deserved). Starting for the Giants is a pitcher who has rarely gotten "more than he's deserved" in his MLB career. Matt Cain was 13-12 (4.15 ERA) in his rookie season of 2006. He then went out in 2007 and lowered his ERA by a half-run (3.64) but went just 7-16, as the Giants finished 9-23 in his 32 starts. His moneyline mark of minus-$1,803 was the worst in all of MLB. His ERA was 3.76 last year but again he went only 8-14, with the Giants going in 14-20 his starts (minus-$386). His 2009 numbers have been terrific, as he's 3-1 with a 2.61 ERA. He's had just one poor start (in six outings), allowing five ERs in a 5-1 loss to the Rockies (in San Fran). He's posted a 1.69 ERA in his other five starts, going 3-0 but "true to form," the Giants have lost both of his no decisions, despite Cain posting a 2.08 ERA in those games. However, Cain has been outstanding vs the Nationals recently, posting a 0.42 ERA in winning all three of his starts against them since 2007. The Giants are playing with confidence and are coming off an 11-run, 14-hit game. Now if only Cain could get half of that support on a regular basis? Consider this stat. Cain is 29-6 as a starter when the Giants score at least three runs for him. Take the Giants.
Arthur Ralph Sports
Tampa Bay rays
Totals4U
Tuesday's free selection: Houston/Colorado over 10
Razor Sharp
FREE PICK FOR TUESDAY:
Take BOSTON (Masterson) +120 over LA Angels
