Sebastian Sports
30* St. Louis
30* Minnesota
30* Houston
20* Colorado
20* Texas
20* Oak/Cleve Over
20* Phil/Wash Over (NBA)
20* Utah (NBA)
10* Nashville +230
10* Montreal -1.5 +145
100* Baltimore Orioles
Tom Freese NBA No Brainer
UTAH JAZZ
Ferrall
Mavs -3.5
Ethan Law
2% CINCINNATI +$105
2% MILWAUKEE +$125
1% HOUSTON -$130
1% HOUSTON (-1.5) +$155
1% NEW YORK +$145
1% NEW YORK/BOSTON OVER 9.5 -$105
The Hitman Guaranteed Selections
1000 LARGE AFTERNOON BASEBALL WINNER
Arizona w/Haren -130
INDIAN COWBOY
2 MORE PLAYS LATER
Cards/Giants Under 7.5
apologize for getting this play out a bit late, so I will keep the write-up short, I have ridden Well twice now as he is one of the best starters for the Cardinals pitching staff right now and I like Cain off a bad start here against the Padres as he is on a bounce-back, I also enjoy the fact a game finally went over in San Fran last night and look for this game to dip under tonight in a 4-2 type of ballgame with the Cards likely winning - more importantly, I like the under here.
Larry Ness
Everyone (me included) keeps waiting for those Colorado bats to 'wake up.' Maybe they never will? The Rockies led the NL with a .280 team BA last year and scored 860 runs (only the Phillies scored more in the NL). However, through 10 games of the '08 season, the Rockies are hitting just .225 and have scored just 30 runs (only the Giants have scored less with 27, in all of MLB!). The Rockies are 4-6 overall, which includes an 0-4 mark against the D'backs (who they swept in LY's NLCS). After last night's 8-2 loss, the Rockies have been outscored 28-7 and ouhit 47-23 by the D'backs in the four games. Why should anything change this afternoon. Lefty Franklin Morales goes for the Rockies and he did pitch well last Sunday against Arizona, going six innings while allowing just two hits and no runs (Rockies blew a 1-0 9th-inning lead and lost in 10 innings, 5-2). However, we know little about Morales, who made his ML debut last August for the Rockies and was a big part of the team's strong finish. He's got a tough assignment here, facing an Arizona team which is red-hot, entering this game on a seven-game winning streak. The D'backs are 8-2 overall and 4-0 at home. Success at home is something the team had a lot of last year, going 50-31 at Chase Field (plus-$1,326). What's been different so far this year, is that Arizona is not only getting good pitching (2.53 ERA is No. 1 in MLB to-date) but good hitting as well. Now that's new! Despite winning the NL West in 2007, the D'backs hit an NL-low .250 (ranked 29 of 30 teams in MLB), while scoring only 712 runs (also 29th). However, so far in 2008, the D'backs are batting .277 (3rd-best in MLB!) and have scored a ML-high 62 runs. Getting the starting nod is Dan Haren, who Arizona acquired in the off-season (from Oakland) for a slew of prospects (I think it was six?). He was a "star in waiting" for the A's, going 43-34 with a 3,62 ERA these past three years and LY started the All Star game for the AL. He struggled somewhat in the second half and despite a 15-9 record (3.07), the A's were just 19-15 in his starts. They were however, 11-6 in his home starts, where he posted a very good 2.82 ERA. He was not overpowering in his Arizona debut (4/2 at Cincy), going six innings while allowing four hits and three ERs (Az lost 6-5). However, in his home debut last Monday, he went six innings and allowed just one ER in a 9-3 win over the Dodgers. I had him in that game and will back him again here, as I believe he's the "real deal" and the D'backs on "hitting on all cylinders." Meanwhile, the Rockies are "stuck in neutral." TV Game of the Week 15* Az D'backs.
This total is too low! Ian Snell is considered Pittsburgh's best pitcher (and he probably is) but I believe he's a little overrated. He's made 32 starts in each of the last two seasons, going 23-23 overall with an ERA of 4.23 (the Pirates are 34-30 in his starts). He's allowed more hits (407) than innings pitched (394) in the last two years and in '06, his home ERA was 5.60 (it was 3.89 LY). He opened '08 with a mediocre start at Atlanta (6 IP / 7 hits / 4 ERs) and then pitched very well at Florida (6 IP / 4 hits / 1 ER with a 10-0 ratio). However, he's had little luck against the Reds, posting a 5.32 ERA in seven career starts. Last year, he pitched very well against Cincy the first time he met them but then in three more starts against them in '07, allowed 25 hits and 16 ERs in 17.1 innings (8.31 ERA). Bronson Arroyo gets the start for Cincy. He won 14 games for the Red Sox in '05 and then 14 for Cincy in his first season with the club in '06. However, he went 9-15 with a 4.23 ERA for the Reds last year, allowing 232 hits in 210.2 innings. Of bigger concern was his propensity to allow HRs, as he followed an '06 season in which he allowed 31, by allowing 28 last year. He's made two starts this year (both at home) and has allowed 13 hits and nine runs (seven earned) in 10.2 innings (5.91 ERA). And in case you were wondering, he's allowed five HRs, four in his last outing alone! Now he makes his first road start of the year and let me point out that the Reds went 3-15 in his road starts in '07! Cincy owns a team ERA of 3.02 in '08 but Arroyo has not "helped the cause." These pitchers are getting "way too much respect" with an opening total of 8 1/2. Spectacular Saturday Total on Cin/Pit Over
HITMAN
ARIZONA/W Haren
California Sports
MLB
5* Arizona
3* Florida
NBA
4* Utah UNDER
3* Memphis
Wolkosky Milan
10* CHARLOTTE +9
10* DALLAS -3½
10* UTAH -6
10* GOLDEN STATE -16½
Docs AFL
4 Unit Play. #101 Take Colorado +3 over Cleveland (Friday 7:00 pm) It is a rematch of famous quarterbacks John Elway and Bernie Kozar. Unfortunately they will be owners in this affair and not players, but much like their past meetings Elways’s team will come out on top. The Crush have dominated the series winning four of five meetings and are coming off a double-digit victory against Los Angeles. They have the better defense and will emerge victorious on Friday starting off a successful week for us.
4 Unit Play. #106 Take Los Angeles -2 ½ over Utah (Saturday 10:30 pm FSN Tape Delayed) The Blaze have yet to win a game this AFL season and have the worst defense in the league, evident by the posted total being in the 120s. LA has played pretty well at Staples Center this season with their only loss coming against Philadelphia, the best AFL team in the league. This will be a high scoring game that belongs to home team, as Utah losses in another hard fought game.
4 Unit Play. #109 Take Orlando -2 ½ over Grand Rapids (Sunday 2:00 pm) All the experts were impressed by the Predators victory last week against Chicago despite receiving terrible quarterback play. They won that game in overtime and will follow that up with a victory in Michigan on Sunday. Orlando is well coach and does whatever is necessary to win games and most of the time it is not pretty. That being said, they do have a rock solid defense and the Rampage will have trouble moving the football against them (if that is possible with offensively innovated rules). Rampage have a terrible defense allowing over 60 points per game and Orlando wins for the fifth time in six games.
8 Unit Play. #114 Take Over 93 in Columbus @ New York (Sunday 3:00 pm) AFL Game of the Year. We used the Dragons as a big favorite last year for our Game of the Year and they laid an egg in a high scoring game against Austin losing 82-54. We have learned our lesson and cannot trust the Dragons as a favorite but fell that this total is way too low considering this is Arena Football. This is an important game for both since they are 2-4 in the league and need this victory to improve their playoff stock. Since the line is low we expect a close game that goes back and forth and thus there will not be any sitting on the lead. The Dragons still have the stay quarterback in Aaron Garcia and were a huge over team in 2007 going over today’s posted number in 14 of their 16 games (Dallas both times was the only unders). Scoring has been down a little for both teams this year by the Dragons put up 63 last week and if either team hits sixty this will be an easy winner. Sit back and enjoy the game as we do not care who wins as long as it goes way 93 points!
Bet these games early, as AFL lines tend to move over the weekend. Next week's picks will not be posted until Saturday morning, April 19th @ 9 am eastern time. Sorry for the delay.
Kbhoopsfanatics 22-8 YTD on 4 unit plays
Final Card
4 units NBA 76ers +4
4 units MLB Arizona -130
4 units MLB Pitt/Cincy U/8.5
4 units MLB Sea/Ana O/9
4 units MLB Houston -120
MTI Sports
5* Under Denver
Michael Cannon
15 Dime -
ORIOLES (With Cabrera as listed pitcher)
5 Dime -
WHITE SOX (With Verlander and Floyd as listed pitchers)
ROYALS (With Bonser and Tomko as listed pitchers)
MARINERS (With Garland and Silva as listed pitchers)
Sports Lock
Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz
The Denver Nuggets head to EnergySolutions Arena for their match up with the Utah Jazz. Denver is in the heat of a 3 team battle for the finals playoff spot in the West so every game is a must win for them. The last trip to Utah was not to kind for the Nuggets but this is a different team as they have seem to have found a rhythm. Winners of 3 of their last 5 they have covered in each of their wins. Denver will look to Anthony and Iverson to lead the scoring charge as they will look to flat outscore Utah. The Nuggets have the leagues most explosive offense averaging over 110 points a game. And if their game against Golden State was any indication they can play some defense too. Utah will struggle to keep up inside as they give up the most rebounds of any team in the league at 37.8 a game. Denver will keep this close throughout as they have too much on the line. Take the points.
Lock = Denver Nuggets +7