SPORTS WAGERS
Boston +1.25 over PHILADELPHIA
The Flyers definitely have momentum but that can change at any time and much like the Blackhawks last night, the B’s are going to show a lot more desperation tonight. When you go up 3-0 in a series you believe it’s over and the last game was a great wake-up call for the Bruins. One can’t help but question just how effective Michael Leighton will be either. He was good last game but was thrown into the mix in the middle of the game and didn’t have a minute to think about it. Now he’s had a few days to think about it and we all know just how crucial goaltending is in the playoffs. In fact, it could be argued that it’s the number one factor in deciding the outcome of games. So, ask yourself, would you rather wager on Rask plus a price or Leighton laying a price. Of course the Bruins can win here and likely will. Play: Boston +1.25 (Risking 2 units).
Montreal +2.10 over PITTSBURGH
We’ve all seen upsets by much lower seeded teams in all sports and then that team usually gets destroyed in the second round. The Canadiens are on the verge of a double miracle that would see them knock off Washington and Pittsburgh and nobody in their right mind could have predicted that. Call it fate or call it whatever you want but the fact is the Habs are right there and a win tonight would not be surprising. All the pressure in the world is on the Pens and if goaltending is the deciding factor in this game than the Canadiens have a significant edge. Jaroslav Halak has turned into a legend overnight while Marc-Andre Fleury is a huge liability. Based on the goaltenders alone, one cannot count out the Canadiens. Should they score first like they did in game seven in Washington, things will really get interesting and don’t think it can’t happen. Give all the credit in the world to the Habs for pushing two great teams to the limit and knocking off one of them. Yeah, the Pens could win here and they could win going away. However, they’re also in trouble and in a one-game playoff where anything could happen and with a big edge in net, the Habs can pull it off and at this price they’re absolutely worth a bet. Play: Montreal +2.10 (Risking 2 units).
Nelly
Los Angeles Dodgers + over Arizona Diamondbacks
Hiroki Kuroda is not getting much line respect despite being off to a fantastic start to the season. Kuroda is 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA on the year and his numbers are even better away from home. Against Arizona earlier this season Kuroda allowed just two earned runs over seven innings without allowing a home run or a walk and the Dodgers have had great success in this series, winning 20 of the last 28 meetings. Los Angeles won the first two games of this series by a combined total of 20-6 and Arizona is now on a five game losing streak, all at home. With a 7.32 ERA Edwin Jackson has been one of the worst regular starters in baseball this season and he will face his former team. Jackson oddly had very little success with the Dodgers before finding himself in the AL. The transition back to the NL has not been a smooth one and Jackson is also backed up by the worst bullpen in baseball. Arizona relievers have an ERA of 7.55 on the season and the numbers are even worst in the last ten games. While Los Angeles has struggled a bit in the early going, the Dodgers have been more than capable offensively and this should be a play-on team with Kuroda pitching, particularly at this price.
Roz Juarbe
Rays at Angels
Sure that Tampa Bay offense struggled a little bit on this West Coast trip. But that was in Seattle and Oakland, two huge parks that are better for pitchers. Last night they went to Anaheim and busted out, blasting the Angels with 7 runs. There is nothing wrong with this Rays offense, except against lefties at times. They face a righty here and go with their own hard throwing young ace in David Price (1.99 ERA) against a struggling LA lineup. Play the Rays.
O.C. Dooley
Indians -105
ne of the intangibles is that the USA Today national newspaper just today had a large feature article on the recent resurgence of Minnesota hurler Francisco Liriano who has finally recovered from tommy-john elbow surgery. Cleveland just happens to have another “comeback” story on the mound this evening as Fausto Carmona is seeking to improve to 5-2 lifetime against Kansas City. To give you an idea how solid Carmona has been this season he has twirled at least 6 innings in all of his mound assignments. Entering this series the Cleveland offense ranked “second to last” in overall American League homers hit along with slugging percentage. Last night for the first time in almost a solid month Cleveland got a “multi homer” effort as Russell Branyon cleared the fence twice. This is the same Branyon who a year ago swatted a career-high 31 homers as Seattle gave him a chance to be an everyday player. Due to injuries Branyon has yet to discover his stroke in 2010 but last night must have given him confidence. What excites me is the fact that Branyon’s career batting average against tonight’s Kansas City starter (.429) is through the roof. One of the biggest problems with the Royals rotation has been issuing too many walks and Kyle Davies has 17 free passes in 34.2 innings of work. That is significant because my database research indicates that Cleveland is a whopping 12-2/ROAD the past couple of years when facing an opposing starter that has a high WHIP indicating that he walks too many batters. Kansas City was humiliated last night at home by an 8-2 count so one would think this is a big revenge play. But the fact of the matter is that in the past three years Kansas City is a horrible 5-19/HOME when off a “margin loss” of 6+ runs. In near “pick em” games so far this season Kansas City is an equally awful 2-12