LARRY NESS
Oakland Athletics @ Atlanta Braves
PICK: Atlanta Braves
REASON FOR PICK: The A's used a solo HR from Jack Cust and a three-run HR from Ryan Sweeney to end a four-game losing streak on Saturday, beating the Braves 5-4. The A's bats had been very silent during their four-game slide, scoring a total of just four runs with only three extra-base hits. They'll get to face Jo-Jo Reyes of Atlanta today and while Reyes allowed 11 hits and five ERs in his last outing (6.2 innings), he is a lefty and the A's are 7-9 vs left-handed starters this year. The 7-9 part is not so terrible but they've averaged just 3.1 RPG in those 16 games. What's more, they are 0-3 in day road games vs lefties, totaling just four runs (1.3 per!). That's hardly good news when one considers that the Braves are a ML-best 15-5 at home this year, averaging 5.85 RPG. Justin Duchscherer will get the start for Oakland and so far, his move into the starting rotation has looked to be a smart one. All 188 of his appearances the last four years with Oakland had been out of the bullpen but his only appearances this year have been as a starter. He's made five starts and while he did give up six runs in a game at Anaheim on May 1, FIVE of those runs were unearned. A look at his stat sheet reveals he's allowed a total of just seven ERs all season, for a 2.20 ERA. However, as mentioned earlier, the Braves are an excellent home team and despite yesterday's 5-4 loss, are 9-2 vs right-handed starters at home in '08, including a perfect 4-0 mark in day games, averaging 8.8 RPG. I don't expect the right-handed Duchscherer to IMPROVE on his ERA in this one. Take the Braves.
Stevie Y
Cleveland Indians vs. Cincinnati Reds
Play: Under
We find that both pitchers are just thowing flat out phenomenal & we find these teams bats silent right now especially the Cleve Indians...Looking at Cliff Lee's last starts he has gone 22+ inning allowed only 21 hits and has a 1.23 ERA on the flip side Volquez's last 3 starts hes gone 19 innings allowing 15 hits with a 0.95 ERA we find these two pitchers on fire here and stevie y on the UNDER
Sportsbettingstats
New York Mets at New York Yankees
In yesterday's game between these two teams from the Big Apple the Mets beat the Yankees 7-4. This is the 3rd game of a 3 game series with the first game postponed and the Mets winning game 2. There are grumblings in New York for both teams, especially the Yankees right now, who have lost 2 in a row, are 3-7 in their last 10 games, and are in last place in the AL East. The Mets are 5-5 in their last 10 games and in 3rd place in the NL East, but they are hovering around .500 and Mets fans expected more from this team, which is favored to win the division. Taking the mound for the Yankees is Chien-Ming Wang (6-1 2.90 ERA), who has been the ace of the staff so far this year and will try to end the slump of the Bronx Bombers. Wang has been great this year and in his last outing went 7 innings giving up 1 earned run in a no decision. In yesterday's game the Yankees scored 4 runs on 9 hits and left 5 men on base. Derek Jeter, Jason Giambi, and Bobby Abreu all homered for the Yanks in the loss. Taking the mound for the Mets is Oliver Perez (3-3 4.61 ERA), who has pitched decent this year and in his last outing went 6 innings giving up 3 earned runs on the win. In yesterday's win the Mets scored 7 runs on 13 hits and left 9 men on base. Jose Reyes and David Wright homered for the Mets in the game.
Staff Pick: In this game the pitching match up has to go to the Yankees, who have their ace starting the game. It could not be a better time for Wang to take the mound, as the Yanks are in a tailspin and now 5 games back of the first place Rays in the AL East. This big inter-league game is one that both teams need to win, as both team's fans are letting their teams know they are not happy with how they are playing. The big bat in the Mets lineup is David Wright, who is batting .324 with eight RBIs in his last 9 games and is 4th in the NL in RBI's (34), but is 0-4 life time against Wang. The Yankees are hitting home runs, but captain Derek Jeter said after yesterday's loss, "We hit the three home runs, that was about it. We need to get some things going." The crowd will be rowdy for this game, but if Wang has pitched like he has for the season the Yankees will have a great chance to win. Look for Wang to have another strong outing and for the Yankees to end their 2 game losing streak and beat the cross-town Mets.
Yankees 8 Mets 2
MONEY LOCK OF THE DAY
DIGGER'S PICK
TAKE THE INDIANS -115
JUNIOR'S PICK
CHICAGO WHITE SOX -110
TONY MATTHEWS
15 Stars: Cleveland/Boston Over 173.5
WUNDERDOG
Game: Cleveland at Cincinnati
Pick: Cincinnati +108
We were on the Reds yesterday on both the moneyline and -1.5 runline and they came through. As they go for the sweep today, we like them again when they face Cliff Lee. Lee has been outstanding with a spotless 6-0 record and 0.67 ERA. He's gotten 11 strikeouts for every walk. So why do we like the Reds here? Well, they are at home and sport their own ace in Edinson Volquez who is 6-1 with a 1.12 ERA. He hasn't allowed more than one earned run in any start and has posted 57 strikeouts already. Backing up Volquez is a Reds pen that has posted a 2.88 ERA at home this season. And, of course, baseball is not just about pitching. The Indians are managing just 4.2 runs per game (3.9 per game on the road and 2.6 per game over their last seven). We'll take the hot home team with their ace on the mound in a live dog role.
Brian Marshall
Cleveland Indians vs. Cincinnati Reds
Plays On: Cleveland/Cincinnati Under 7.5
Game Analyses: Sunday's MLB game between the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds will feature two pitchers who have been pitching very good this season.
The Cleveland Indians will be lead by starting pitcher Cliff Lee. Cliff Lee is having a great season. In fact, Cliff Lee is a Perfect 6-0 with a 0.67 ERA this season. We see Cliff Lee giving up very few hits and runs today.
The Cincinnati Reds will be lead by starting pitcher Edinson Volquez. Edinson Volquez is also having a great season. In fact, Edinson Volquez is 6-1 with a 1.12 ERA this season. In addition, Edinson Volquez has a 0.95 ERA in his last 3 starts. We see Edinson Volquez giving up very few hits and runs today.
These teams have a history of playing low-scoring games when they meet. In fact, the Under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings between these teams.
Take the Cleveland Indians/Cincinnati Reds Under 7.5
MTi
4-Star Cleveland at Boston UNDER 174
Every single possession matters in a game seven. These two will pass it around looking for the best shot. The defense will be brutal on both ends of the floor. The final of the first game of this series was 76-72 and game six was decided by a final of 74-69. These two have proven that there's a lot of room under 177, and that's the way to go here.
As evidence, Boston is 0-18-1 OU when they held their previous opponent to fewer than 80 points, as long as they are not laying more than double-digits - including two double-digit unders this playoffs. In addition, the Celtics are 0-9 OU (-14.2 ppg) as a favorite of less than 14 points after a game on the road in which more than 70% of their baskets were assisted.
In game six, the Celtics actually made more baskets than the Cavs, but lost due to a large disparity from the free throw line. This strongly points to the UNDER here.
Cleveland is 3-23 OU after a win in which they made fewer baskets than their opponent - including 0-5 OU their last five. The last over in this situation came in the 2007 playoffs when the Cavs and Pistons went into double OT in game 5. The over before that came on March 23rd 2003 when the Cavs and Magic went into overtime tied at 97 with the total at 196. We should avoid the overtime here.
The player-based trends cememt this as a solid play. The Cavs are 0-4 OU (-15.0 ppg) as a road dog after winning the previous matchup in which Lebron James played more than 45 minutes and 0-7 OU (-13.6 ppg) on the road after a win in which Aleksandar Pavlovic had more turnovers than assists.
For the Celtics, we note that they are 0-6 OU (-8.0 ppg) when seeking revenge for a road loss in which Paul Pierce had at least 5 turnovers and 0-5 OU (-24.4 ppg) after a loss on the road in which Rajon Rondo took fewer than 10 shots - including 0-4 last season.
The UNDER is the side on which to be here.
MTi's FORECAST: BOSTON 86 Cleveland 73
FRANK ROSENTHAL
NBA PLAYOFFS
CELTICS-7 SB+
UNDER 175.5 SB+
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
KC-105 SB
TRIBE-115 SB
PHILLY OVER 9 SB+
TWINS+135 SB
DODGERS+115 SB
GIANTS+105 SB
NYM+155 SB
AAA Sports Handicapping
Chicago White Sox at San Francisco Giants Under 8 (Danks/Cain) -115
Note: This is not the WhiteSox of old as they have turned to pitching to give them wins this year. It certainly is not because of their hitting skills which has been down once again for the 2008 campaign. They are getting outstanding work with both their starters and their Pen though. In fact, they have the third lowest ERA in the majors at 3.65. The Bullpen alone has an ERA of Under 2 runs over the last 10 games. Their starter for today has been nothing but Magic, currently ranked within the Top 10 throwers in his league. Danks possesses great ratios and the combination of his times on the mound and his team's offense, has resulted in 7 of his 8 games going UNDER this posted mark. The Giants are one of the premier hitting squads in baseball today and while they have hit Southpaws better than righties, they have seldom faced one as good as Danks is throwing. Danks pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday, allowing seven hits while striking out five in a 2-0 loss. Chicago failed to provide him with any run support for the third time in his last four starts. That is the way things are going for Chicago and one reason why they are 17-9 UNDER playing away from home. Meanwhile Cain is starting to get back to form at 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA in his last five starts. Cain pitched a season-high eight innings on Tuesday against Houston, allowing two runs and seven hits in the 4-2 win. In those last 5 he is 4-1 UNDER the mark and the only one going over being a 9 run affair with Pitt. We do have two good throwers today and we do have a less than stellar hitting lineup for both teams. We have already seen 2 runs and 4 runs in the first two of this series, the Sox are 5-0 UNDER their last 5, the Giants are 3-1-1 their last 5. When handicapping Major League Baseball Totals, it is important to do so based on how many runs it will take to beat you. In this case it will take 9 and that is not going to happen often with at least one of these guys more than likely giving us a good effort. That is probably all that we are going to need.
DAVE MALINSKY 4*
Detroit Tigers @ Arizona Diamondbacks
PICK: Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers got a win that they needed in the worst way last night. We think they can get another against Randy Johnson, and the fact that they are underdogs in this setting gets us in play.
Johnson’s 3-1 individual W/L mark is one of the biggest flukes of this baseball season. He has allowed 24 runs in 31.2 innings, 19 earned, and is merely a shell of what he once was. An even better indicator is his last three starts, were he has worked to an 8.40 tune over 15 innings, allowing 24 hits, four of which left the park. Yet he went 2-0 in those games, and Arizona won the no-decision. Keep winning, and your reputation does not take such a huge hit, but a pendulum swinging like that begs for a reversal, and note that as bad as Johnson statistics appear, he has been most fortunate in terms of scheduling - there are 74 National League pitchers that have worked at least 30 innings so far; Johnson’s difficulty of batters faced checks in at #72 (as always, we use On Base + Slugging as the barometer). There is little that he can show the veteran Tiger lineup that they have not seen before, and the way that they have been mashing left-handers should continue.
We have dealt before with the anomalies in Nate Robertson’s statistics so far this season - despite being right around his career levels in all key peripheral categories he sits at 1-4/6.04, but that suits our purposes just fine - it helps us to be able to play in an underdog price range. He is not a super talent, but over time will get his base ERA will revert back near the 4.34 level that he worked over 583 innings in the last three seasons prior to this one. And with only Orlando Hudson and Chris Burke having faced him before, he carries the usual advantages of a left-hander against an opponent getting a first look.
Keep in mind that while the Diamondbacks are 27-16 so far, that breaks down to 20-5 against N.L. West opponents, but just 7-11 against all others, including 2-8 against non-division opponents without Brandon Webb or Danny Haren on the hill. Plenty of value here on a day in which we are backing the Tigers at the right time.
Jimmy The Moose
Game: San Diego Padres at Seattle Mariners
Prediction: Seattle Mariners
The Padres are 8-18 on the road. San Diego is 5-16 in their last 21 games as an underdog. In their last 17 interleague road games vs. a team with a losing record the Padres are 5-12. The Mariners are 10-3 in their last 13 interleague home games vs. a team with a losing record. Seattle is 20-8 in their last 28 interleague home games. The Padres are 3-7 in their last 10 trips to Seattle. San Diesgo has lost 4 of the last 5 meetings overall. Play on the Seattle Mariners -.
Maddux Sports
Cleveland +8
Jack Clayton
Indians
Global Sports Picks
WHITE SOX -110
TheLockline
Blue Jays
Totals4u
Nym/Nyy Over
Vegas Steamline
Indians
Easy Money Sports
Giants
ARTHUR RALPH
LA Angels
Scott Spreitzer
Nationals
Dark Horse Sports
Brewers
Joe Wiz
Giants
Angels
Platinum Plays
Royals
Glen Mcgrew
Chisox/ SF Under
Computer Sports
Phillies
Bob Donahue
Tigers
Huddle Up Sports
Orioles
Razor Sharp Sports
Oakland
Redzone Sports
Flyers
Mike Wynn
DRays
Ross Benjamin
Tigers/ DBacks Over
2-Minute Warning
Boston Celtics
The Scout
Rangers
Consensus America
Blue Jays
#1 Sports
Mets
Armvin Sports
Atlanta Braves -115
Play By Play Inc.
CLEVELAND/BOSTON Over
MIGHTY QUINN
Royals
Greg Shaker
Chisox/SF Under
DARK HORSE
Milwaukee
HUDDLE UP
Baltimore -125
SuperSportsPix
Cavaliers +8
TRACE ADAMS
Cleveland-Boston UNDER
Stevie Y
Cle/Cincy Under
Fast Eddie
Cetics -8
Reds +110
PlusLineSports
Boston Red Socks -1.5
Nick Parsons
Flyers + 1.5 Goals
Charlie Sports
Philles
MustWinSportsPicks
Indians
Templer's Sports Picks
CUBS
floridabookybusters
Philadelphia/Pittsburgh Under 5.5
Frank Patron
Ny Yankees
Paul Leiner
10* Yankees -160
Vernon Croy
Orioles
Vegas Insider Capping
Cavs/ Celtics Over
Computer Crushers Guaranteed Selections
500,000 UNIT BASEBALL COMPUTER CRUSHER WINNER
Chicago Cubs w/Marquis -160
Bob Balfe
NBA Basketball
Cavs +8 over Celtics
It seems as if the NBA is scripted now of days. You have the face of the NBA in LeBron James playing in a game seven. The NBA wants so badly for the Cavs to win a title. If you look at game six you would see that there was no way the Celtics were going to win that game. Every call went against them. Cleveland also goes to the line a lot more than the Celtics. In a game seven situation you have to figure they will knock down their foul shots a lot better. I just think it is bad for the NBA to see King James get crushed and not make it a close game seven. He is their most marketed player. Take the Cavs
Major League Baseball
Whitesox/Giants Over 8.5 runs
Danks/Cain