Gator Report
MLB 70% Super Situations (MLB Record 12-4 +760 units)
MLB (12-4 +760) Monday: Play Over MLB home teams where the total is 7 to 8.5 with a team outscoring opponents by 0.5 or more runs per game on the season against an opponent starting a pitcher who gave up <=1 earned runs in his last 2 outings.53-21 Over last 5 seasons (71.6%)
PLAY: Cincinnati / LA Dodgers OVER 8.5 (-110)
Jim Feist
CIN Reds/LA Dodgers
Take Under
The Reds are 11th in the NL in runs scored...and they play in a hitter friendly park. Now they head way out to the West Coast to play in a big, pitcher friendly park, Dodger stadium. LA is 5-3 under the total the last 6 games while Cincy is on an 8-5 under run. Both veteran starting pitchers know how to throw strikes, which is key in a big park like this. Play the Reds/Dodgers under the total.
Dave Cokin
TEX Rangers/MIN Twins
Take TEX Rangers
Scott Feldman has been a nice surprise for the Rangers. While I doubt he maintains his present form, he's a better bet right now that Minnesota righty Boof Bonser. Bonser simply cannot or will not trust his stuff enough to attack the inner half of the plate, and the results have been predictable. The Rangers are the choice to top the Twins."
Karl Garett
For Monday, I will ride the streaking Cubs to pick up the road win in Houston.
Chicago has been a winner in 8 of their last 10 games, and starter Ted Lilly has come on strong with 3 straight wins, while recording a whopping 22 strikeouts in his last 13 innings of work!
Houston was lucky to dodge the broom yesterday in Texas, as the Astros nearly blew a 5-0 lead. The problem for the 'Stros is they went through a ton of pitchers this past weekend, and tonight's starter Brian Moehler has not worked past the 5th in either of his first 2 starts this season.
Chicago has won 2 of 3 off Houston already this season, and the G-Man likes the Cubbies to open this set with the win tonight.
Take the Cubs to continue their uptick.
4* CUBS
DCI
Western Conference Semifinals
Game 7, best-of-7
NEW ORLEANS 95, San Antonio 90
Western Conference Finals
Game 6, best-of-7
DALLAS 3, Detroit 2
John Fina
Selection: San Francisco/Colorado Over 10.5
Today we expect a high-scoring game as the San Francisco Giants do battle with the Colorado Rockies. One reason why we expect a high-scoring game is because both these teams will be sending to the mound starting pitchers who have struggled as of late. This says it all... The San Francisco Giants Starting Pitcher (Patrick Misch) has a 6.19 ERA in his last 3 starts, while Colorado Rockies Starting Pitcher (Jorge De La Rosa) has a 9.42 ERA in his last 3 starts. As you can see, both these pitchers have struggled as of late. To say the least, we will most likely see a high-scoring game today!
Take the San Francisco Giants/Colorado Rockies Over 10.5
Sports Gambling Hotline
Here we go, Game Seven from the Big Easy, and we don't see anything easy about this game featuring a bevy of points.
The first three games in this series saw the OVER come through at a 2-0-1 clip, but the last three games have ALL stayed UNDER the posted price, as the defense has risen to the occasion.
We like tonight's game to be a low-scoring game, as the few extra days off should mean the teams come out of the gate a little rusty, and the points are hard to come by.
The Hornets are on a 2-6-1 UNDER run over their last 9 playoff games, while the Spurs are on a 2-5-1 UNDER run their last 8 playoff contests.
We will stick with the UNDER to come through one last time in this best-of-seven set.
Play the LOW.
1* UNDER
THE POWER INDEX
NBA
New Orleans* 4 over San Antonio
NHL
Dallas* (-108) even with Detroit (+108)
Bobby Maxwell
Today we go with the Cubs as they invade Houston to take on the Astros.
The Astros are coming home off a long 10-game road trip and even though they went 7-3, it was still a long time to be away from home and they will have some weary legs today. Chicago was home for a while and have Ted Lilly (4-4, 5.33 ERA) on the hill who has been red hot of late. So let's play the Cubs to get this series opener.
Chicago just went 8-2 on the 10-game homestand and got a 4-3 win Sunday over the Pirates. The Cubs took two of three against Houston earlier this season and they've won six of the last eight meetings with the Astros.
The Cubs have won each of Lilly's last three starts and in four of his last five starts has he allowed more than three runs. Chicago is 4-1 when Lilly pitches a series-opener and he split two outings against the Astros last season when he allowed a combined four runs on 10 hits in 14 innings against them.
Houston has Brian Moehler (1-0, 4.58) on the hill for just his third start with the team and first at home. He is 1-0 with a 3.91 ERA in 23 innings of work against Chicago for his career.
Let's go ahead and play the Cubs in this one as they come in with some fresh legs as opposed to the Astros. You know the rule, play against the team coming off a road trip for their first game back home. So lay the chalk with Lilly and the Cubs.
4* CHICAGO CUBS
Tony Mathews
Cincinnati Reds vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Selection: Cincinnati/Los Angeles Over 8.5
Explanation: We expect a high-scoring game as the Cincinnati Reds face-off against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Monday's MLB contest.
The Cincinnati Reds will use starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo. Bronson Arroyo has struggled this season. In fact, Bronson Arroyo has a 6.08 ERA on the season. We see Bronson Arroyo giving up many runs today.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will use starting pitcher Brad Penny. Brad Penny has also struggled this season. In fact, Brad Penny has a 5.09 ERA on the season. In addition, Brad Penny has a 10.34 ERA in his last 3 starts. We see Brad Penny giving up many runs today.
The "Over" has been a smart investment in Los Angeles Dodgers home games. In fact, the "Over" is 10-4 in the Los Angeles Dodgers last 14 home games.
Take the Cincinnati Reds/Los Angeles Dodgers Over 8.5
Jack Clayton
Red Sox
Templer's Sports Picks
Phillies
Kosmo
Dodgers/Under 8.5
Tampa Bay/Under 7.5
Charlies Sports
Giants
Joe Wiz
Oakland +120
TheLockline
Cubs
Athur Ralph
Red Sox
Totals4u
STL/SD Over
Scott Spreitzer
TB/Oak Under
Razor Sharp Sports
Phils/Nats Over
Huddle Up Sports
Giants
Glen Mcgrew
KC/Bos Under
PlusLineSports
Boston Red Socks -1.5
MIGHTY QUINN
Hornets
Red Wings
Joe Wiz
Cards
Twins
Tv Hotline
TBay
Bob Donahue
Twins
Philly Connection
Padres
Mike Wynn
Texas
The Scout
Minnesota
BIG TIME
DETROIT/DALLAS UNDER 5
PLATINUM PLAYS
RED WINGS - 135
Gamblers Data
Nationals
NEVADA SHARPSHOOTER
NATIONALS +115
RAZOR SHARP
PHILADELPHIA/WASHINGTON OVER 9
#1 SPORTS
OAKLAND ATHLETICS + 110
THE VEGAS STEAMLINE
ST LOUIS/SAN DIEGO OVER 7
JEFF BENTON
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Rocco Spacamuro
100* Hornets -4
ARMVIN SPORTS
PHILLIES -123
HotLocksports
Cardinals +146
Insider Sports Report
Cincinnati +135
Paul Leiner
10* Twins -115
LT Profits Sports Group
The Red Wings were overconfident when losing Game 5, but it should be business as usual tonight when the NHL’s top seed advances to the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Dallas Stars deserve a ton of credit for extending this series to six games after being down 3-0 in games, but look for the Detroit Red Wings to finally close them out on the road tonight.
We simply feel that the Wings committed the cardinal sin of just assuming they would wrap up the series at home in Game 5 after losing Game 4 here in Big D, and not surprisingly, they paid the price for it. However, Detroit should return to business as usual tonight, and remember that this is still the team that had the best record in the NHL this season, and they closed out each of the first two rounds of the playoffs on the road. Also, that Game 4 loss notwithstanding, the Wings have still lost just four of their last 19 trips to Dallas.
The Stars won the last two games the way they have been winning games all season, behind tight checking, great defense and the goaltending of Marty Turco. However, the Wings have loads of firepower and playoff experience, and we look for them to solve that Dallas defense here just like they did in Game 3 in this building, when they won 5-2. That marked the second time in the first three games of this series that Detroit scored at least four goals. A repeat performance would mean lights out for Dallas, as the Stars are not equipped to come from behind, averaging just 2.80 goals per game this year.
Finally, a little history lesson may be in order right now. There have been 153 NHL Playoff series where a club has gone up 3-0. Only 13 of the trailing teams have come back to force a Game 6, and only five have gone on to win this game.
Pick: Red Wings -135
Phillies -125 at Washington Nats
Bret Myers has been a disappointment, but he is facing a struggling Washington lineup and he has the support of the best bullpen in baseball. Meanwhile, Tim Redding has not been strong at home.
The Philadelphia Phillies currently own the best bullpen ERA in the Major Leagues, and we look for that unit to key a road win when they visit the Washington Nationals tonight.
This is not to say that Phillies starter Brett Myers is not capable of tossing a gem, as he was widely considered the second best pitcher on the Philadelphia staff behind Cole Hamels coming into this season. For whatever reason though, Myers has been a bust so far with a 5.91 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. However, this seems like a nice spot to get himself going, as he is facing a National lineup that is batting a disgusting .205 as a group over their last 10 games. Even if Myers does struggle again, it is reassuring to have an excellent bullpen with a collective 2.89 ERA behind him.
Now Washington starter Tim Redding is off to a nice start, as he is 5-3 with a 3.55 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. Oddly though, he has not been nearly as effective here at home, where he has suffered all three of his losses while winning just twice, and he has a 4.26 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in his own stadium. Also, the Washington bullpen is struggling along with a 4.19 ERA, ranking 21st in the majors.
The Phillies are also 6-2 in their last eight trips to Washington, and we look for them to build on that streak tonight,
Phillies -125
Dr. Bob
NBA
2 Star Selection
NEW ORLEANS (-4) over San Antonio
The home team has won every game in this series by double-digit margins and I expect the trend of home teams covering the spread in this series to continue. Home teams are 22-12-2 ATS as a home favorites of more than 3 points in game 7 and the Hornets rarely play poorly in consecutive games. In fact, New Orleans is now 21-5 ATS in their last 26 games after not covering the spread, 11-0 ATS in their last 11 games as a favorite after a spread loss or tie. The Hornets are also 11-0 ATS this season in home revenge games while the Spurs are just 16-30 ATS on the road this season, including just 6-18 ATS against the NBA’s top 12 teams. My ratings favor New Orleans by 6 ½ points in this game and I’ll take New Orleans in a 2-Star Best Bet at -4 points or less and I’ll consider the Hornets a Strong Opinion at -4 ½ or -5 points.
I also lean with the Under at 181 points or more.
2-Stars at -4 or less.
Ferrall's FAVORITES
TAMPA -125 on ML over Oakland--The Rays send James Shiels to the mound against the A's. Oakland is coming off a 2-7 road trip. The Rays have quicly dropped two straight. Blanton goes for the A's, coming off a loss in Cleveland last Wed. He's 2-3 in seven starts against the Rays. Tampa has won 71% of games they are favorites.
St.Louis over San Diego--Take the OVER and the CARDS WELLMEYER(4-1) against San Diego. Jake Peavy was supposed to start but was scratched because of elbow stiffness. The Padres are last in baseball in runs scored and 29th in batting average (.236) San Diego has only 8 wins in their last 31 games. The Cards have won 4 of 7 against the Padres this yr.
CINCINNATI +140 on ML over Dodgers--The Reds have won 6 straight games and are coming off a sweep of the Indians. They've dropped six straight at Dodgers Stadium though. Brad Penny was supposed to start on Sunday, but had arm stiffness. He's vulnerable and has dropped two straight. Bronson Arroyo has allowed only one earned run in his last 15 innings.
Ben Burns
Kansas City Royals @ Boston Red Sox
PICK: Boston Red Sox
REASON FOR PICK: At first glance, this price appears a little on the steep side. However, when considering that the Red Sox are 17-4 against teams with a losing record, 17-5 at home on the season and 13-5 the last 18 times that they were a host in this series, the price starts to seem much more reasonable. Additionally, it's worth noting that the Red Sox are a perfect 7-0 the last seven times that they were listed as home favorites in the -150 to -175 range.
Both pitchers have fared well of late. However, Hochevar has a 6.75 ERA and 1.781 WHIP in two road starts while Lester has a 3.52 ERA at home with a 1.435 WHIP. Lester will be supported by a Boston lineup which has scored 5.9 runs per game at home, while hitting a healthy .309. He'll faed a KC lineup which bats a collective .264 on the season, managing a mere 3.8 runs per game. Those numbers are even worse when the Royals have faced a southpaw as they've averaged only 3.6 runs in those games, hitting a mere .258. Since 2006, the Royals are 41-70 (-10.3) vs. left-handers. Therefore, it's no real surprise that they lost 1-0 the only time they faced Lester here at Fenway. Lester, a -270 favorite in that games, allowed just a single hit through eight complete innings. Look for him to get the better of Hochevar as the defending champs win their fourth straight.