Bob Akmens
3* ACTION: DETROIT / NASHVILLE OVER 5.0
3* ACTION: DALLAS -135 vs Anaheim
Michael Cannon
NBA Playoffs: 1-1, -10 dimes
Sunday's Plays...
25 Dime –
LAKERS
Take the Lakers minus the points over the Nuggets in their Game 1 matchup at Staples Center.
Los Angeles is 15-2 SU against Denver in Staples since it opened in 1999. They shouldn’t have any problem improving on that mark today.
The Lakers certainly benefited from the addition of center Pau Gasol. They went 22-5 with him in their lineup and his presence only makes Kobe Bryant that much more dominant.
I love Kobe’s drive and competitiveness, which in my opinion is second to none in the league. Since Gasol was brought on board, you just knew this Lakers team was going to be a force in the West.
The Nuggets don’t exactly have any playoff success to build on in recent years, as they’ve been eliminated 4-1 in the first round each of the last four years.
The Lakers balance and star power will be too much for Denver to overcome here.
Take the Lakers minus the points for the win and cover.
10 Dime –
ROCKIES (With Jimenez as listed pitcher)
Take the Rockies as the small road dog today over the Astros.
Colorado is rolling right now. They’ve won four straight and will be going for the sweep this afternoon over Houston.
It’s funny, but that 22-inning marathon they played Thursday night against the Padres seems to have jump started this team after a lackluster start.
The Astros are the polar opposite of the Rockies right now. They’ve lost three straight and are off to their worst start since 1983.
Ubaldo Jimenez will get the start for Colorado and he’s had some control issues, but I expect him to settle down and revert back to the form that saw him help the Rockies to the World Series last year.
Shawn Chacon will start for Houston and he hasn’t received much run support in his three starts.
Take the Rockies for the road win.
INDIANS (With Byrd as listed pitcher)
Take the Tribe for the road win this afternoon over the Twins.
Cleveland starter Paul Byrd has been money against the Twins, especially in the Metrodome.
The right-hander is 10-3, with four straight wins, against the Twins in his career and is 6-1 with a 2.11 ERA in nine starts at the Metrodome.
Minnesota has struggled offensively, scoring only 69 runs, ranking ahead of only Kansas City in the AL.
Twins starter Scott Baker is just 2-4 with a 4.35 ERA in seven career starts against the Indians.
Take the Tribe as they grab the road win.
Vegas Insider Capping
NBA Playoffs
15 units Los Angeles Lakers/Denver Nuggets Under 223.5
10 units Detroit Pistons -9.5
Arena Football
10 units Chicago Rush -15
MLB Sunday 4 Pack
New York Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles
Pettitte (2-1 3.38 era) vs Trachsel (1-2 5.65 era)
10 units New York -170
10 units New York -1.5 run line -110
Texas Rangers vs Boston Red Sox
Millwood (1-2 2.42 era) vs Wakefield (1-0 3.18 era)
10 units Total Under 10.5
San Diego Padres vs Arizona Diamondbacks
Wolf (1-2 1.42 era) vs Johnson (0-0 0.00 era)
10 units Total Over 8.5
Bryan Leonard
4* Arizona over San Diego
The Diamondbacks continue to dominate the league and today's pitching matchup looks to be a perfect fit for the host. San Diego will send lefty Randy Wolf to the mound and the Diamondbacks have pounded lefties to the tune of a .311 batting average and scoring 6.84 runs per game this season. In the last four home games against San Diego Arizona has scored 37 combined runs. They hit Wolf well last year when he was with the Dodgers as they posted a .311 batting average to go along with a .467 slugging percentage.
While the Arizona offense has been red hot the Padres sticks are ice cold. San Diego has managed just 2 total runs or less in 7 of their last 10 games. Only twice did they score more than 3 total runs in those games. San Diego is hitting just .177 vs left-handed pitching this year averaging just 1.97 runs per game. Now they must take on the most intimidating lefty in baseball in Randy Johnson. In the last 10 games in Chase Field the Padres have averaged just 2.7 runs per game against this Arizona pitching staff. That simply won't get it done against these red hot hitters.
PLAY ARIZONA
3* New York at Philadelphia Under
Mike Pelfrey has been the starter of the future for New York for the past few seasons. Last time out he showed glimpses of why the brass is so excited about his future. He held the Nationals scoreless in a seven inning stint. His prior start showed promise as he held this Philadelphia lineup to just 2 runs in 5 innings of work. According to the Met's management he is gaining confidence each time out which was really his only drawback to his success. In his only start against the Phillies a year ago he held them to a .200 average and a .304 on base percentage.
Philadelphia counters with Adam Eaton who has pitched well this year allowing just 3 earned runs in each of his 3 starts including a game earlier against these Mets. Last year in four starts against New York he held them to a .253 batting average. The Mets have struggled vs right-handed starters this season producing a .238 batting average.
We don't expect either starter to go deep in the game which puts more pressure on the bullpens. But thus far each bullpen has been very good holding the opposition in check. In the five meetings between these two this season no game has exceeded tonight's posted total of 10. With scoring coming at a premium in night games at Shea Stadium we will look for a low scoring affair.
PLAY UNDER