JIM FEIST
If there's one team Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield has struggled against its Texas. The Rangers like to run, which is something you can do on a knuckleballer. Wakefield is 9-14 with a 5.66 career ERA against the Rangers. In addition, when Wakefield pitches, star catcher Jason Varitek sits and Wakefield's new personal catcher is young Kevin Cash, brought in for his defense, not his offense. Texas starter Kevin Millwood has his sharp sinker going early in the season, with a 2.42 ERA.
Play the Texas Rangers
DAVE COKIN
So far, so good for Hiroki Kuroda and he'll look for another solid start here against the Braves and Jair Jurrjens. The Atlanta rookie has also looked pretty good. I think there's a good chance this game gets decided by the late inning relievers and that's where the Dodgers have to be accorded a good sized edge right now, as the Braves have significant injury issues in their pen. The Dodgers are the choice in this contest.
TONY WESTON
Twenty-nine games separated the Celtics and Hawks in the regular season standings as Atlanta lost nearly three times as many games as Boston (45 to 16).
Still, the number for this game is set in the double-digit area, some places setting it at around 15. Of course that number is subject to change, but I doubt by much before tip-off.
Either way, I?m pretty certain the Hawks have no chance of beating the Celtics outright. However, in three meetings this season Boston averaged beating Atlanta by 14.3 points. And in their last two meetings on March 2 and April 12 the Celtics beat the Hawks by only 10 points each time out.
And over the Hawks last seven losses, only one has been by more than 15 points, a 121-105 loss against the Orland Magic. In that seven-game stretch Atlanta lost only by an average of 10.8 points per game.
So, obviously the Hawks are putting up somewhat of a fight.I think Atlanta has enough to hang within that number.
Take the points and take the Hawks on the road.
2* HAWKS (1* to 5* Scale)
DCI
NHL
Playoffs: 13-10 (.565)
Season: 427-333 (.562)
Western Conference Quarterfinals
Game 6, best-of-7
Anaheim vs. DALLAS: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Detroit 3, NASHVILLE 2
San Jose vs. CALGARY: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
NBA
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
Game 1, best-of-7
ORLANDO 107, Toronto 97
BOSTON 104, Atlanta 88
DETROIT 96, Philadelphia 87
Western Conference Quarterfinals
Game 1, best-of-7
L.A. LAKERS 118, Denver 112
MATT RIVERS
For Sunday take the points with the Raptors
Orlando had a great season and Stan Van Gundy has once again proven himself to be a very good coach. This number though is still a bit much for an inexperienced Orlando group.
Dwight Howard is certainly a beast and the Magic have other quality pieces with Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson and others but to be honest with you I really do not trust those guys to just go out there, even in the Magic Kingdom, and dominate.
The Raptors clearly scuffled down the stretch but a lot of that had to do with the injury to Chris Bosh along with the terrible loss in Atlanta where the refs stole a win and basically turned the victory into an overtime loss. That was the game where TJ Ford slammed the inbounds pass in with under .5 remaining but the officials somehow started the clock early and therefore wiped out the basket. It really was highway robbery and the Raptors did not recover for a week or so which is a little understandable as these guys are still Human Beings with emotions. .
Bosh is an All-Star and a great player and along with TJ Ford, Andrea Bargnani, Anthony Parker and a few others there is no reason why Toronto will not only being able to compete but have a chance for the outright.
All in all the dinosaurs played better last season but with more experience now I believe these guys will be just fine and prove they are a lot better than the last six or so weeks showed.
A pair of similar teams and in the end I'll grab a dozen plus for sure
John Fina
Today we expect a high-scoring game as the Seattle Mariners do battle with the Los Angeles Angels. One reason why we expect a high-scoring game is because both these teams will be sending to the mound struggling pitchers. The Seattle Mariners will send to the mound Miguel Batista. Miguel Batista has a very poor 6.35 ERA on the season. The Los Angeles Angels will send to the mound Dustin Moseley. Dustin Moseley also has struggled this season which is shown by his 7.80 ERA. In addition, these teams have a history of playing high-scoring games when they meet. With all this said, it's safe to say we should see a high-scoring game today. Take the Seattle Mariners/Los Angeles Angels Over 9.5
JEFF BENTON
For Sunday, we stay on the diamond and look for Atlanta to complete the three-game sweep of the Dodgers.
Let's play a numbers game with this one:
Two that's the number of runs the Dodgers have scored in the first two games of this series, despite facing a rookie starter (Jeff Bennett) and an inconsistent hurler (Chuck James) who was about to be (and may actually still be) about to get sent down to Triple-A.
Two that's the number of wins the Dodgers have through eight road games this year (they've been outscored 40-24 have lost five in a row on the highway).
Three ? that's the number of consecutive games the Braves have won (their first three-game winning streak of the season). And Atlanta, which is now 5-2 at home, has won those three games by a combined 18-2 score!
Four that's the number of consecutive victories the Braves have over the Dodgers (who are also just 1-5 in their last six in Atlanta)
So why is this a pick-em game? Beats me. I know the Braves have never seen Japanese import Hiroki Kurdoa, who's been decent in his first three starts. But L.A. has never seen prized Atlanta phenom Jair Jurrjens. And with the way the Dodgers are not swinging the bats right now and with the way the Braves are I gotta take the value with the home team.
5* ATLANTA BRAVES (Based on a 1* to 10* rating system)
Purelock
MLB
NY METS @ PHILADELPHIA
PLAY ON: PHILADELPHIA (PELFREY/EATON) LISTED
Comp Pick
CHICAGO WHITE SOX @ TAMPA BAY
PLAY ON: CHICAGO WHITE SOX (DANKS/JACKSON) LISTED
Karl Garrett
Denver at LA LAKERS
Today I like the UNDER in the Nuggets-Lakers game.
Everyone is under the assumption that because the Nuggets play little if any defense, they automatically wager on the OVER when they hit the court. That is nice in theory, but the linesmakers are well aware of this, and they usually jack up the total.
You need evidence?
Denver finished the regular season by going UNDER in their last 5 games!
In the three regular season meetings between the teams this year, the last pair held UNDER the posted price, and 7 of the last 9 series meetings contested at the Staples Center have also gone low.
The G-Man is calling for another UNDER this afternoon in the City of Angels.
4* UNDER
Winning Way Sports
Selection: Seattle/Los Angeles Over 9.5
Today we expect a high-scoring game as the Seattle Mariners do battle with the Los Angeles Angels. One reason why we expect a high-scoring game is because both these teams will be sending to the mound struggling pitchers. The Seattle Mariners will send to the mound Miguel Batista. Miguel Batista has a very poor 6.35 ERA on the season. The Los Angeles Angels will send to the mound Dustin Moseley. Dustin Moseley also has struggled this season which is shown by his 7.80 ERA. In addition, these teams have a history of playing high-scoring games when they meet. With all this said, it's safe to say we should see a high-scoring game today. Take the Seattle Mariners/Los Angeles Angels Over 9.5
Cappers Access
Braves
WSOX
Raptors
Rocco Spacamuro
100* Toronto Raptors +7
DUNKEL
MLB
Washington at Florida
The Nats blew a three-run lead yesterday for their eighth loss in 10 games and have to face Florida starter Scott Olsen, who is 2-0 with a 3.05 ERA in his three starts this season. Florida is the pick (-130) according to Dunkel, which has the Marlins favored by 2. Dunkel Pick: Florida (-130). Here are all of today's games.
SUNDAY, APRIL 20
Game 901-902: Washington at Florida
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Perez) 13.120; Florida (Olsen) 14.847
Dunkel Line: Florida by 2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Florida (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: Florida (-130); Under
Game 903-904: Milwaukee at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Gallardo) 14.987; Cincinnati (Harang) 14.461
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-140); 9
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (+130); Under
Game 905-906: LA Dodgers at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Kuroda) 15.105; Atlanta (Jurrjens) 16.038
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-110); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+100); Under
Game 907-908: Colorado at Houston
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Jimenez) 15.770; Houston (Chacon) 14.896
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Houston (-125); 9
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+115); Under
Game 909-910: San Francisco at St. Louis
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Sanchez) 14.677; St. Louis (Looper) 15.505
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-155); 8
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-155); Under
Game 911-912: Pittsburgh at Chicago Cubs
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Duke) 13.901; Chicago Cubs (Dempster) 15.083
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-175); No Run Line
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-175); N/A
Game 913-914: San Diego at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Wolf) 14.338; Arizona (Johnson) 16.190
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Arizona (-145); 9
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-145); Over
Game 915-916: NY Mets at Philadelphia
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Pelfrey) 15.764; Philadelphia (Eaton) 15.202
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-110); 10
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-110); Under
Game 917-918: Detroit at Toronto
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Robertson) 14.935; Toronto (Burnett) 14.699
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Toronto (-130); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (+120); Over
Game 919-920: Texas at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Millwood) 15.073; Boston (Wakefield) 16.470
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston (-160); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-160); Under
Game 921-922: NY Yankees at Baltimore
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Pettitte) 16.408; Baltimore (Trachsel) 14.738
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-160); 10
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-160); Under
Game 923-924: Chicago White Sox at Tampa Bay
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Danks) 15.447; Tampa Bay (Jackson) 15.463
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-125); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-125); Under
Game 925-926: Cleveland at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Byrd) 14.508; Minnesota (Baker) 14.922
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-110); 9
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+100); Under
Game 927-928: Seattle at LA Angels
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Batista) 15.847; LA Angels (Moseley) 15.873
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-145); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (+135); Under
Game 929-930: Kansas City at Oakland
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Hochevar) 14.287; Oakland (Eveland) 15.226
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1; 10
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A
NBA
Toronto at Orlando
The Raptors, who were just 4-11 ATS when playing against winning teams in the second half of the season, open up against an Orlando team that went 7-2 ATS down the stretch of the regular season. The Magic are the pick (-6 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has Orlando favored by 11 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Orlando (-6 1/2). Here are all of today's games.
SUNDAY, APRIL 20
Game 709-710: Toronto at Orlando
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto 116.044; Orlando 127.723
Dunkel Line & Total: Orlando by 11 1/2; 194
Vegas Line & Total: Orlando by 6 1/2; 196 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Orlando (-6 1/2); Under
Game 711-712: Denver at LA Lakers
Dunkel Ratings: Denver 118.906; LA Lakers 130.074
Dunkel Line & Total: LA Lakers by 11; 227
Vegas Line & Total: LA Lakers by 8 1/2; 224
Dunkel Pick: LA Lakers (-8 1/2); Over
Game 713-714: Philadelphia at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia 114.987; Detroit 126.201
Dunkel Line & Total: Detroit by 11 1/2; 177
Vegas Line & Total: Detroit by 9 1/2; 179 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-9 1/2); Under
Game 715-716: Atlanta at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta 113.588; Boston 131.214
Dunkel Line & Total: Boston by 18; 180
Vegas Line & Total: Boston by 15; 189
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-15); Under
ATS Basketball Lock Club
4 units Celtics
3 units Orlando
ATS Hockey Lock Club
4 units San Jose
3 units Dallas
JB's COMPUTER PICKS
Florida Marlins - 140
Boston Red Sox - 165
Chicago Cubs -175