Wild Bill
Suns +4 (1 unit)
Over 193 Mavs-Hornets (1 unit)
Over 187 Wizards-Cavs (1 unit)
Ben Burns
SJS -200 vs CAL
Analysis: The Flames have proven to be a more formidable opponent than most people expected them to be. However, the Sharks are the stronger team and they've seized the momentum in thes series, with a huge comeback victory in Game 4. The Flames seemingly had that game under control only to see the Sharks score the tying goal late in the third and follow it up with the winner in the closing seconds. While losing in that manner was devastating enough, additional bad news for the Flames was San Jose's top sniper and leader(Joe Thornton) was the one who scored the winning goal. Look for Thornton and co. to build momentum from that big win and seize control of this series.
THE VEGAS BEARD
Year to date
W-L 5-1
Units +11.0
Saturday
ROYALS -110
MLB DUNKEL
Cleveland at Minnesota
The Tribe got its second straight win behind a solid pitching effort from starter Cliff Lee last night and look to make it three in a row today behind starter Jake Westbrook, who has a 2.38 ERA in his three starts this season. Cleveland is the pick (-115) according to Dunkel, which has the Indians favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-115). Here are all of today's games.
SATURDAY, APRIL 19
Game 951-952: Pittsburgh at Chicago Cubs
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Gorzelanny) 15.020; Cubs (Marquis) 14.958
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1/2; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-135); No Run Line
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+125); N/A
Game 953-954: Milwaukee at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Suppan) 15.443; Cincinnati (Cueto) 14.517
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-125); 9
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (+115); Under
Game 955-956: San Francisco at St. Louis
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Lincecum) 14.686; St. Louis (Pineiro) 15.523
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-110); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-110); Over
Game 957-958: LA Dodgers at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Billingsley) 15.064; Atlanta (James) 15.813
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A
Game 959-960: NY Mets at Philadelphia
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Perez) 15.584; Philadelphia (Moyer) 15.382
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-110); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-110); Under
Game 961-962: Colorado at Houston
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Cook) 16.181; Houston (Rodriguez) 15.091
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Houston (-115); 9
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+105); Over
Game 963-964: Washington at Florida
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Hill) 13.677; Florida (Badenhop) 13.454
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Florida (-110); 10
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+100); Under
Game 965-966: San Diego at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Young) 14.457; Arizona (Gonzalez) 16.491
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 2; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Arizona (-105); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-105); Over
Game 967-968: Detroit at Toronto
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Bonderman) 15.141; Toronto (McGowan) 14.493
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Detroit (-105); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-105); Over
Game 969-970: Cleveland at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Westbrook) 14.988; Minnesota (Blackburn) 14.144
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-115); Under
Game 971-972: Kansas City at Oakland
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Greinke) 14.307; Oakland (Smith) 15.114
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-110); 8
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (+100); Over
Game 973-974: Texas at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Jennings) 14.675; Boston (Lester) 16.395
Dunkel Line: Boston by 2; 10
Vegas Line: Boston (-175); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-175); Under
Game 975-976: NY Yankees at Baltimore
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Kennedy) 15.143; Baltimore (Burres) 15.718
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-140); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-140); Over
Game 977-978: Chicago White Sox at Tampa Bay
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Buehrle) 16.277; Tampa Bay (Sonnanstine) 14.632
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1 1/2; 10 1.2
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-110); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (-110); Over
Game 979-980: Seattle at LA Angels
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Washburn) 15.847; LA Angels (Santana) 15.532
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-140); 9
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (+130); Under
NBA DUNKEL
Phoenix at San Antonio
The Suns went 2-0 against the Spurs after acquiring Shaq, including a 17-point victory at San Antonio on April 9. Phoenix is the underdog pick in Game One (+4) according to Dunkel, which has the Spurs favored by only 1. Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (+4). Here are all of today's games.
SATURDAY, APRIL 19
Game 701-702: Washington at Cleveland
Dunkel Ratings: Washington 117.287; Cleveland 120.431
Dunkel Line & Total: Cleveland by 3; 184
Vegas Line & Total: Cleveland by 3 1/2; 188
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+3 1/2); Under
Game 703-704: Phoenix at San Antonio
Dunkel Ratings: Phoenix 125.083; San Antonio 125.706
Dunkel Line & Total: San Antonio by 1; 191
Vegas Line & Total: San Antonio by 4; 194 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (+4); Under
Game 705-706: Dallas at New Orleans
Dunkel Ratings: Dallas 122.699; New Orleans 127.050
Dunkel Line & Total: New Orleans by 4 1/2; 198
Vegas Line & Total: New Orleans by 5; 192 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Dallas (+5); Over
Game 707-708: Utah at Houston
Dunkel Ratings: Utah 127.454; Houston 126.353
Dunkel Line & Total: Utah by 1; 181
Vegas Line & Total: Houston (-1); 187
Dunkel Pick: Utah (+1); Under
NHL DUNKEL
Montreal at Boston
The Bruins come home after staving off elimination in Montreal with a solid 5-1 win in Game Five. Boston is the underdog pick (+110) according to Dunkel, which has the Bruins favored straight up by 1. Dunkel Pick: Boston (+110). Here are all of today's games.
SATURDAY, APRIL 19
Game 23-24: Philadelphia at Washington
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia 11.721; Washington 12.372
Dunkel Line & Total: Washington by 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Washington (-130); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (-130); Over
Game 27-28: Montreal at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: Montreal 10.746; Boston 11.980
Dunkel Line & Total: Boston by 1; 4
Vegas Line & Total: Montreal (-130); 5
Dunkel Pick: Boston (+110); Under
Game 29-30: Minnesota at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota 12.106; Colorado 11.914
Dunkel Line & Total: Minnesota by 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Colorado (-165); 5
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+145); Over
Players of America
3* Philadelphia Phillies
1* Pittsburgh Pirates
1* Cleveland Cavaliers
1* Phoenix Suns
Cappers Access
Cubs
Rays
Suns
THE POWER INDEX
NHL
Washington* (-134) .5 over Philadelphia (+134)
Montreal (-101) even with Boston* (+101)
Colorado* (-146) .5 over Minnesota (+146)
NBA
Cleveland* 3.5 over Washington
San Antonio* 4.5 over Phoenix
New Orleans* 5 over Dallas
Houston* 2.5 over Utah
FRANK ROSENTHAL
SATURDAY'S EARLY LEADS
NBA PLAYOFFS
CAVS-2.5 SB
SUNS+4.5 SB
MAVS+5 SB+
OVER 192 SB+
ROCKETS-1 SB
OVER 186 SB+
Sportsbettingstats
Los Angeles Dodgers (7-9) at Atlanta Braves (7-9)
The L.A. Dodgers come into this game after losing to Atlanta 6-1 in the series opener. This is a game between two rivals that used to be division rivals before realignment of the divisions. Both teams are struggling at 7-9, as the Dodgers are in 4th place in the NL West and the Braves are in 4th place in the NL East. Taking the mound for the Dodgers is Chad Billingsley (0-2 5.59 ERA), who has not pitched well in the beginning of the season, but was solid in his last outing going 5 innings and giving up only 1 earned run and still received the loss. In the loss to the Braves in the series opener the Dodgers scored 1 run on 5 hits and left 8 men on base. Taking the mound for the Braves is Chuck James (0-1 18.00 ERA) who is also struggling and in his last outing gave up 6 earned runs in only 3 innings pitched getting the loss. In the win against the Dodgers last night the Braves scored 6 runs on 11 hits and left 10 men on base. Chipper Jones hit 2 homers for the Braves in the win.
Staff Pick: This game will feature two struggling pitchers although the Dodgers' Chad Billingsley was solid in his last outing he received no run support. The Dodgers will have to figure out how to get Chipper Jones out, as he is off to a torrid start leading the NL in batting average (.455), RBI's (18) and home runs (6). The game was an ugly one last night, as both teams committed 2 errors in the field. This will be a homecoming for Andrew Jones, who is in his first season with the Dodgers after spending over a decade in Atlanta. Jones has not started the season well only hitting .167. This may be a high scoring game with two good hitting teams facing bottom of the rotation starters. Chad Billingsley came into the season with high expectations and he turned the corner in his last start, even though he did get the loss. Look for the Dodgers to jump on Braves starter Chuck James and for Chad Billingsley to have another solid outing, as the Dodgers will take this game in Atlanta.
Dodgers 8 Braves 2
Brandon Lang
25 Dime - Suns
25 Dime - Suns in Series
25 Dime - Red Sox Run Line
10 Dime - Suns on Money Line
10 Dime - Indians
10 Dime - Cubs
Free Pick - Dodgers and Rockets
JEFF BENTON
For Saturday, well stay on the diamond and play the DBacks in a virtual pick-em game against the Padres.
Theres no question that in terms of overall talent, the Padres rate the pitching edge in this one with Chris Young opposing Edgar Gonzalez. But theres also no question that as solid as Youngs stuff is, hes terrible when he goes on the road and hes not very good against the DBacks. Consider: Last year, Youngs ERA was nearly three times higher on the road (4.52) than at home 1.69), and in his very first road start this year a week ago at Dodger Stadium, a pitcher-friendly ballpark, no less he lasted just three innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits and four walks in an 11-1 defeat. Now he goes up against the highest-scoring team in baseball, one that?s batting better than .325 at home
Now look at what Young has done in his last four outings against the DBacks: 4 innings pitched (IP), five runs allowed, 9-1 loss; 4 1/3 IP, five runs allowed, 8-7 loss; 6 IP, one run allowed, 5-4 loss; 5 1/3 IP, six runs allowed, 7-4 loss. Thats right: San Diego is 0-4 in his last four efforts against the Snakes. What?s more, the Padres are 0-7 in Young?s last seven road starts!
As for Gonzalez, hes nothing special, but then again, neither are the Padres? hitters, who have been held to two runs or fewer in six of their last eight games, including scoring a total of three runs the last three nights. And in his one start against San Diego last month, Gonzalez was terrific, going seven innings and allowing one run on six hits and no walks in an 8-2 road win.
Add to all of that the fact the Padres, with last night?s 9-0 loss, are now 25-55 ? not a misprint! in their last 80 games at Chase Field in Arizona, and Ill back the home team here without any issue whatsoever!
(Based on a 1* to 10* rating system)
8* ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
JAKE TIMLIN
Saturday selection is the San Francisco Giants.
Afternoon baseball I like for the Giants to get at least one series win today. Yep even against the red hot Cardinals I look for the Giants get the win all thanks to Tim Lincecum who lets face it is the Giants best option on the mound. I mean thanks to Lincecum posting a 2-0 record with a 2.25 ERA this season as the Giants have won all three of his starts there is something special about the righty as he is responsible for half of the Giants wins this season. Well thanks to Lincecum having won his last two starts against the Cardinals, including a 7-4 victory just one week ago and against the same Cardinals pitcher in Pineiro look for history to repeat its self as San Francisco steals one on the road. All San Francisco behind Lincecum this afternoon!
Tony George
Utah Jazz vs. Houston Rockets
Play: Utah +1
Slight upset here considering Utah's road record, which is not good and will hurt them in any playoff series, but the Jazz are 7-1 ATS their last 8 games, with the lone loss being a throw away game at Dallas in their last regular season game. The backcourt favors Utah here and I like their up tempo style. The Jazz have shot 49% from the floor on the season, play defense better than you might think and have a rebounding edge here. Houston's guard Alston is out for this game as well which is a key 13 ppg they will miss.
Play on Utah in a small upset.
Bob Balfe
NBA Basketball
Dallas +4.5 over New Orleans
The Mavs appear to be over their slump. Dirk and Kidd are two players that any coach would love to have in the playoffs. Dallas did just win the other night against this same team and they do have the momentum. This is a game that can come right down to the last shot.
Houston -1 over Utah
The Rockets know how good the Jazz area at home. Houston needs Game one or they can pretty much kiss the series goodbye. This Houston team did win 22 in a row. This should be another good one. McGrady has some key players around him that are really stepping up their game. Take Houston.
Major League Baseball
Phillies +100 over MetsSavannah Sports
Moyer/Perez
Savannah Sports
2 Units on Arizona -116
King Creole
BOS -15.0 vs ATL
Analysis: The NBA's 'second season' begins on Saturday (4-18-08) and when it comes to the Playoffs.... it's 'GOOD to be the KING"! Preliminary handicapping in the Playbook NBA database has revealed some great ATS Systems for ROUND ONE and for the ENTIRE Playoffs. Most of these numbers apply in the first round... but SAVE the rest for down the road. Courtesy of KING CREOLE!
ROUND ONE / Good and Bad SYSTEMS by Seed:
#1 seeds 7-2 ATS as home favs off BB SUATS wins
#1 seeds 0-6 ATS off SU loss vs opp off BB SU losses
#2 seeds 4-0 ATS off SU loss vs opp off SU losses
#2 seed 2-8 ATS away off BB SU wins (last by DD)
#3 seeds 6-2 ATS off 3+ SUATS wins
#3 seeds 3-7 ATS off SU loss 15 > pts
#4 seeds 6-2 ATS as dogs off SU fav loss
#4 seeds 1-4 ATS off 3+ SUATS wins
#5 seeds 3-1 ATS with W/L percentage > .666
#5 seeds 1-6 ATS w/ > 3 rest vs div opponents
#6 seeds 4-1 ATS off SU dog win 15 > pts
#6 seeds 1-5 ATS as dogs vs opp off BB SUATS wins
#7 seeds 4-1 ATS off BB SU dog wins
#7 seeds 1-5 ATS off SU win vs opp off SU win
#8 seeds 8-2 ATS as DD dogs w/ double Revenge off SU loss
#8 seeds 2-7 ATS away vs opp off BB SUATS wins
ROUND ONE:
16-9 ATS favs > 6 pts off 3+ SUATS wins (8-1 ATS L6Y)
DD DOGS 5-1 ATS off 3+ SUATS losses
16-9 ATS dogs pts (10-4 ATS vs non-div opp)
16-35 ATS home favs off SU win 20 > pts (3-10 ATS as DD
favs) (2-11 O/U since 2003)
Overall PLAYOFF Systems:
Play ON #1 seeded teams at Home when the series is tied (18-3 SU)
Play AGAINST teams off a playoff victory by 33 or more points (9-0 ATS)
Play ON desperate teams at home down 0-2 in the series (30-9 SU / 28-11 ATS / 20-9 ATS as dogs)
Play ON teams with 4 - 6 days rest in the 1st game or a series versus an opponent with 1 day rest (12-3SU L4Y / 11-4 ATS)
Play ON the Home Team in Game 7 when each team won at home the first six games of the series (19-2 SU)
Play ON teams that are leading the series 3-0 in Game 4 (10-2 SU L5Y)