TheParlayKing
NY METS - 1.5 + 140
NY YANKEES - 1.5 + 125
PHILLIES - 1.5 - 103
BOSTON CELTICS -2.5
OVER 195
SEABASS
10 NYY
20 SD
20 Min
20 Tex
200 Bos/LAL Over 192
Comp - Tor/NYY Under
The Fat Jack
Lakers/Celtics Under
Redmon
10* Boston -2.5
With both teams fully rested, look for BOSTON to get off on the right foot at home tonight. You can't agrue with a 10-1 record at home in the playoffs. LAKERS are getting lots of public love but I don't think it is entirely warrented for tonights contest. Kobe Bryant is going to get his but the real battle will be in the low post. I give BOSTON a slight edge in the rebounding and bench play. BOSTON is 45-7 SU at home and at such a short price, I will lay the points with BOSTON tonight.
5* BOS/LA Over 191.5
As both teams look to feel each other out in the early going, I expect to see some offense tonight. LAKERS tempo ratings have been among the top 5 in the NBA all season where BOSTON's has been quite a bit lower. BOSTON has arguably played the top few defenses in the East throughout the playoffs (CLE and DET). Look for the LAKERS to try to push the ball and I feel BOSTON will join in the fun and get some easy baskets in the process.
JB
2* Celts-2½
Dave Malinsky 4*
Royals (HT) @ Chicago White Sox (HT)
PICK: First 5 Innings Under
We were all set to make a full-game play in this one until the bullpens got stretched out in a major way last night, creating fatigue ratings for all of the key arms. But that does not take us away from the early part of the contest, where we can expect Jose Contreras and Gil Meche to get the job done.
We have been going to the well often with Contreras and have been getting rewarded, including one Under ticket at the 6* level. Off of a dismal 2007 in which personal issues were hanging over his head we are seeing a rebirth - he spent much of the off-season working with a personal trainer to get him back in shape, and it shows in his velocity, which is getting into the 92-93 range again. And we know what happens when he is able to throw that hard - it sets up the rest of an arsenal that has as deep of an assortment of pitches as any starter out there. His current run is at 3-0/1.54 over his last five starts, with more strikeouts (26) than hits allowed (22) in that span, and only eight walks, and if we run it back even further he has held the opposition scoreless in 41 of his last 47 innings. The Royals lack the punch to change that.
A couple of weeks ago we wrote an “Ace Report” column about Gil Meche, and how he had found the mechanical flaws that got him off to such a slow start. That works wonders for us in terms of tonight’s value because of the true level of the Kansas City right-hander. He is a good pitcher, not a great one, and as such the steady improvement that we see are too gradual to alter the overall numbers very quickly. So while the markets see a 3-7/5.35 in the pitching forms, our focus is on a steady performer who has held the opposition to three runs or less in six of his last seven starts.
A pair of slumping offenses (each team had only 11 hits in last night’s marathon, with the Royals batting .212 and the White Sox .216 in that game) do not offer much of a challenge to either starter here, and the first few innings should roll by quickly as Contreras and Meche attack the strike zone.
Larry Ness
Tampa Bay Rays @ Boston Red Sox
PICK: Boston Red Sox
REASON FOR PICK: Fenway Park has always been a "House of Horrors" for Tampa Bay, as the Rays entered the '08 season 23-61 in all-time games played at Fenway. However, as well all know, this year's Rays are the "new and improved" ones. All that said, last night's 5-1 loss to Boston leaves Tampa with an 0-5 mark in Fenway Park this year. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Should anything be different tonight? Not really. Tampa will start one of its two best pitchers in James Shields (of course Kazmir is the other) but while Shields has been devastating to opponents at home (1.72 ERA, as the Rays are 6-1 in his seven starts), he's been quite hittable away from home. He's allowed 39 hits in 28.1 innings (over five starts) for a 6.04 ERA (team is 2-3). He faces a Red Sox team tonight which is a ML-best 23-5 at home (averaging 6.0 RPG) and enters the game on a 12-game home winning streak. Jon Lester takes the mound for Boston and the young lefty really seems to have found a groove. He's just 3-3 with a 3.67 ERA in 13 starts (team is 7-6) on the year but look a little closer. Over his first six starts, his ERA was 5.40 (team was 3-3) but over his last seven (which includes his no-hitter against the Royals), his ERA has dropped to 2.44. Surprisingly, the Red Sox are just 4-3 in those seven starts though. Lester was brought up last year after the All Star break by Boston, making 12 appearances, including 11 starts. He was 4-0 with a 4.57 overall, with the Red Sox winning NINE of those 11 starts. In a quirk of the schedule, FOUR of his 11 starts came against Tampa and while he didn't pitch very well (5.56 ERA), the Red Sox did win all four games. However, Lester is pitching well these days, while his mound opponent (Shields) has had all sorts of trouble away from Tropicana Field. The Rays may be "new and improved" in '08 but that's not been the case here in Fenway. Red Sox win, Red Sox win!
BEN BURNS
Florida Marlins @ Atlanta Braves
PICK: Atlanta Braves
REASON FOR PICK: Nolasco has a 5-3 record for the Marlins. However, his 4.94 ERA (1.445 WHIP) as a starter is far from impressive. This evening, he'll have to face an Atlanta lineup which is hitting a healthy .301 at home for the season, averaging 5.6 runs per game in this park. Note that Nolasco faced the Braves a few weeks ago and got roughed up for nine hits, four of them home runs, and six runs in just 4 2/3 innings. The Braves won that game by a score of 8-0.
Jurrjens goes for Atlanta and that should be 'just fine' with Braves' fans. Indeed, Jurrjens is 4-0 (Braves are 6-0!) in six home starts and has an outstanding 2.06 ERA in those games. Even with yesterday's loss, the Braves are still an excellent 24-8 at home for the season. They're also still 6-2 the last eight times they were a host in this series. The Braves know the importance of this game and I look for them to close out the series with another home win. Consider a play on ATLANTA
Black Magic Sports
1 Unit on Florida Marlins +150
We’ll give Florida a shot tonight against the Braves after their first 9th-inning comeback of the season yesterday over Atlanta. This team now has the confidence to get the job done when things tighten up late. Plus, you can’t beat the value Florida is showing as a big underdog. Ricky Nolasco is 3-0 with a 2.89 ERA over his last 3 starts. Florida is 12-4 against the money line in road games after batting .250 or worse over a 20 game span over the last 3 seasons. The Marlins are 24-16 against right-handed starters this season. The Marlins continue to get no respect, despite competing for the top spot in the NL East division. The Marlins are scoring 5.4 runs per game on the road this year, giving themselves a chance in every road game they enter. Cash in with Florida as the underdog.
Priceless Picks
1 Unit on Rays/Red Sox UNDER 9 Runs
I like the Under here with two strong pitchers going toe to toe. The Under is 5-0 in Shields' last 5 road starts with the total set at 9.0-10.5, 7-1 in Shields' last 8 starts during game 3 of a series, and 6-1 in Shields' last 7 starts as an underdog. The Under is also 11-4 in Shields' last 15 starts after scoring 2 runs or less in their previous game. The Under is 5-1 in Lester's last 6 home starts, 5-1-2 in Lester's last 8 starts vs. the American League East, and 11-4-2 in Lester's last 17 starts on grass. We'll make a play on the Under here.
Jeff Alexander Sports
1 Unit on Chicago Cubs +115
I like the Cubs showing good value here against a Los Angeles lineup that is hurting due to injuries. TheCubs are 8-0 in their last 8 during game 1 of a series, 16-5 in their last 21 vs. the National League West, 19-7 in their last 26 overall, and 4-0 in Dempster's last 4 starts vs. the National League West. The Dodgers are 6-20 in their last 26 games vs. a starter with a WHIP less than 1.15, 2-8 in their last 10 overall, and 1-5 in their last 6 vs. the National League Central. The Cubs have taken 4 of the last 5 in this matchup and 7 of the last 10 in LA. All Cubbies here.
Ross Benjamin
15* LAKERS / CELTICS UNDER 192.5
Both of these teams should show a lot of rust especially in the in the early going. The Lakers will enter the game on 6 days of rest and the Celtics with 5 days since eliminating the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston has gone under the total in all 14 games this season with the total 196.0 or less, they held their previous game opponent to 88 points or less, and their current opponent scored 100 points or more. The Lakers have gone under the total in all 7 games this season as a road underdog with the total 206.5 or less and when they scored 100 points or more in their previous game. The Celtics are #1 in scoring defense in the 2008 Playoffs and were #2 in the same category during the regular season. The Lakers are underrated defensively because of the fast paced style. During the regular season the Lakers were #6 in field goal percentage defense and #1 in defensive rebounding. Any NBA Finals Game 1 home team playing on 3 or more days of rest with a total of 206.5 or less, versus an opponent playing on 6 days or less of rest has gone under the total in 10 of 12 games since 1990. Any NBA Finals home favorite of 6.0 or less that has a winning percentage of .750 or better, versus an opponent with a win percentage of .840 or less has gone under the total in all 9 games since 1990.
Larry Ness Vegas Insider
LA Dodgers
Accu Picks
4* Under 192
4* Celts -2.5
MLB
Houston +125
Cleveland EV
Bob Akmens
MLB 4* Boston Red Sox