BIG AL
100% ATS TUESDAY NIGHT NBA WINNER.
Toronto Raptors
Chris Copeland
BLUE JAYS / DEVIL RAYS UNDER 8½
James Shields has the potential to be a perennial All-Star, but has yet to live up to his hype so far this season as he's allowed 5 runs in two of his four starts. However, I think he turns it around tonight as he is facing a Blue Jays team that has lost five of its last seven. Litsch pitched well in his only road appearance this season, surrendering only 2 runs in 5.2 IP. Look for him to give his club another solid 5-6 innings here.
Terron Chapman
ST LOUIS CARDINALS +111
Kyle Lohse outpitched Manny Parra but his team couldn't capitalize last thursday and those two will oppose each other again today when the Cardinals look to take the second game of a two game series with the Brewers this afternoon. I like Lohse and company in this spot, with him going seven strong innings allowing only five hits in the process last Thursday in St. Louis. Manny Parra was shaky in that game dishing out five walks, five hits and three runs in only four innings and has yet to have a quality start this year. The Cardinals have won four out of the last five in this series and are 10-3 in their last 13 road games. Milwaukee's bullpen has allowed nine hr's this year, tied for third most in the majors, and blew another save opportunity last night, it's second in a row and have an ERA of 4.10.
Chip Chirimbes
BOSTON RED SOX
The Los Angeles Angels were shut down by Josh Beckett to open last year's playoffs and things never got any better. Actually, they have never enjoyed seeing him on the mound. Beckett looks to continue his mastery of the Angels and help the Boston Red Sox post their longest winning streak in nearly two years as these clubs meet Tuesday for the first time since last year's AL division series. That matchup saw Beckett (2-1, 5.12 ERA) get Boston off to a great start, throwing a four-hitter with no walks and eight strikeouts in a 4-0 victory. Los Angeles ended up being swept, getting outscored 19-4, and the Red Sox went on to win the World Series.
Purelock
Comp Play
MLB
MINNESOTA @ OAKLAND
PLAY ON: OAKLAND (HERNANDEZ/BLANTON) LISTED
Premium Play
MLB
PHILADELPHIA @ COLORADO
PLAY ON: PHILADELPHIA (MYERS/FRANCIS) LISTED
Nick Parsons Tuesday NHL Pick
Play ON the Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Washington
The Flyers really let us down last night by blowing a 2-0 lead. Its the second time in this series that theyve blown a two goal lead and gone on to lose. The last time that happened they followed it up with a 2-0 shutout AT Washington. Thats why we have little doubt that they are capable of winning Game 7 on the road. As weve written previously about this series, it would be surprising to see the Flyers come up short as they simply were undervalued coming into this match-up and they appear to be the much more complete team. They are more well-rounded than the Capitals. Washington came from a Southeast Division where they were the only team to make the playoffs while the Flyers came from an Atlantic Division where they were one of FOUR teams to make the postseason. The difference in level of competition is huge and should not be overlooked here. Philly has dominated for much of this series. After the Capitals came back from a 4-2 third period deficit in Game 1, the Flyers proceeded to win three straight games. So, what happened in Game 5 at Washington on Saturday? The Flyers simply went into it overconfident and it cost them the game. In Game 6 last night, the Capitals managed to pull off the shocker. Before last nights 3rd period, Washington had provided stifling defense against the Capitals Alexander Ovechkin. Look for the Flyers to bounce right back for the road win tonight. They have the better defense and they will go back to the hard work that has seen them winning most of the little battles on the ice throughout this series. Look for a physical and defensive game from the Flyers (similar to Game 2 in Washington, PHI won 2-0) to result in a big road win for Philadelphia as they advance!
Locksmith Sports
1 Unit on Detroit Tigers -158
(listing Verlander)
I normally don't like to lay this much juice, but it's worth the squeeze tonight with Verlander who is long overdue for a quality start. The Tigers are 12-0 in Verlander's last 12 home starts vs. a team with a losing record and 22-6 in Verlander's last 28 starts vs. a team with a losing record overall. The Tigers are 21-6 in Verlander's last 27 starts with 4 days of rest, 4-0 in Verlander's last 4 starts vs. the American League West, and 13-3 in Verlander's last 16 home starts with the total set at 9.0-10.5. The Rangers are 0-4 in their last 4 overall, 0-5 in their last 5 vs. the American League Central, and 6-18 in their last 24 games as a road underdog. Take the Tigers.
EZWINNERS
MLB
5 STAR PARLAY: (920) DETROIT (-$163) and (912) SAN DIEGO (-$155)
(Listing Peavy and Verlander)
(Risking $500 to win $827)
3 STAR: (907) LA DODGERS (+$101) over Cincinnati
(Listing Kuo and Volquez)
(Risking $303 to win $300)
2 STAR: (914) COLORADO (-$120) over Philadelphia
(Listing Francis and Myers)
(Risking $240 to win $200)
1 STAR: (917) LA ANGELS (+$153) over Boston
(Listing Weaver only)
(Risking $100 to win $153)
1 STAR: (924) KANSAS CITY (+$114) over Cleveland
(Listing Meche and Sabathia)
(Risking $100 to win $114)
NBA
2 STAR: (505) DALLAS (+3.5) over New Orleans
(Risking $220 to win $200)
Alex Smart
Game: Los Angeles Angels vs. Boston Red Sox
Prediction: Boston Red Sox
Josh Beckett the ace of the Red Sox staff, started his season a little slowly , after being on the disabled list, but is now shaping into to form, delivering 16 strikeouts over his L/ 19 1/3 innings work , while holding opposition batters to a .200 average. I expect Beckett will continue his upward momentum and be hard on a inconsistent LA Angels offense that he has performed well against in the past, as is evident by a 3-0 record and 1.59 ERA in five appearances in this series, striking out 30 batters in the process. Final notes & Key Trends: Becket when he starts has seen his team win 16 of 20 , against a above .500 opponents like the Angels . Play on the Red Sox
Tom Freese
Blue Line Club
San Diego at Houston
San Diego starter Jake Peavy has allowed 4 runs total in his 4 starts this year. The Padres are 31-15 after losing 4 or 5 of their last 6 games and they are 23-6 as road favorites of -$151 to -$200. Houston starter Brandon Backe has allowed 22 baserunners in his last 8 innings of work in his last two starts. The Astros are 3-10 vs. a starting pitcher with a WHIP of 1.15 or less. PLAY ON SAN DIEGO - (Peavy vs. Backe)
Jake Timlin
Real simple tonight take the Padres on the road over Houston all thanks to Jake Peavy. No doubt about it the Padres are struggling, but not when Peavy takes the mound as the righty is the only positive thing going for San Diego. You see when Peavy take the hill San Diego always has a shot at a win as the righty looks to continue his 3-0 record with 1.20 ERA. Included in Jake’s record is a 4-0 win over the same Houston team to open the season where Peavy dominated the Astros and will once again tonight as San Diego will get enough run support for Peavy thanks to Backe to who has been less then impressive at 1-3 this season. Bottom line tonight is thanks to Peavy look for the Padres to get back into the win column.
David Malinsky 4*
Giants (RL) @ Diamondbacks (RL)
PICK: Diamondbacks (RL)
Last Wednesday we backed Brandon Webb straight on the road against Barry Zito, noting just how large the gap was both in pitching and on offense in that setting. It led to an easy 4-1 Arizona win, and now tonight we are able to play the Run Line in a wholesalers pick’em range. We will go to the well again.
The young Diamondback lineup has made major strides since LY’s weak offensive showing, but the marketplace has yet to adjust properly. They lead the N.L. in runs and home runs; are second in batting average; and third in doubles and walks. And it is not as though any one or two players is setting a tone - six different Arizona hitters already have three or more home runs and 10 or more rbi’s, and in a quick second look against Barry Zito we can expect their surge to continue.
This price is kept within reason by Zito sporting a respectable 4.50 ERA, but that is a mirage. As the velocity on his fastball drops it lessens the gap that made his curveball so effective for years, and he is having a real problem missing bats these days. Opponents are batting .315 against him, with four home runs in 22 innings, and he has more walks (9) than strikeouts (8). But there are six unearned runs that do not show in his base ledger, which keeps the world from fully realizing how far he has fallen. In his four starts the Giants have been beaten by 21 runs, and a guy that is almost purely finesse at this point has a difficult matchup in a quick second look against a lineup that should read him well (five walks vs. only two strikeouts last week).
Meanwhile Webb is showing Cy Young form at 4-0/1.86 and note that the ERA does not do full justice to a 0.70 WHIP. Because of his outstanding control (eight walks in 29 innings) he is not going to give anything away, and the San Francisco lineup is hard-pressed to produce when that is the case. That gives us a unique perspective for this one - of the 14 Arizona wins, 13 have come by multiple runs, while of the 12 San Francisco losses, nine have come by 2+. When making that pattern the back-drop against the extremes of tonight’s matchup, we have excellent value.
Eddie Roman
15,000 Unit Playoff Parlay Winner
Under the posted total of 193.5 (Dallas – New Orleans)
and
Phoenix +2 over San Antonio
LT Profits
San Diego Padres @ Houston Astros Over 8.0
Now Jake Peavy is obviously one of the best pitchers in baseball, but we feel that the San Diego Padres are capable of scoring at least six runs in this game vs. the Houston Astros, which would make the Over rather easily attainable at this low number.
First of all, the Over is 26-8-2 in the Padres’ last 36 road games stretching back to last season, and San Diego road contests are averaging 9.10 runs this season, more than a full run higher than this total. Secondly, they are facing Brandon Backe, who was touched up for six runs and 10 hits in only three innings in his last start. Finally, the Houston bullpen is currently ranked 22nd out of 30 Major League teams with a 4.55 ERA.
Now granted, Peavy doesn’t figure to allow much, but if the Padres grab as big a lead as we expect here, we doubt Peavy will be allowed to go more than seven innings. That means the San Diego bullpen will see some action, and that unit has actually been worse than Houston’s so far, ranking 23rd with a 4.73 group ERA.
It may be tight for a while, but we do see at least nine runs being scored by the end of this game.
Pick: Padres, Astros Over 8
Phoenix Suns @ San Antonio Spurs Under 192.0
What may have been forgotten in the Game 1 “Instant Classic” double overtime 117-115 San Antonio Spurs win over the Phoenix Suns in this series is the fact that the game was well Under, at 186 points, at the end of regulation.
Unders are nothing new for the Spurs, as their home games have still averaged just a combined 186.5 points this year even including Game 1. The team knows better than any other that defense wins championships, as they won the NBA title last season with their playoff games averaging only 187.4 points. In fact, the Spurs’ last 72 home playoff games overall have averaged just 183.3 points, with the Under going 40-32, 55.6 percent in those games.
Now the Suns are usually allergic to defense, although they have gotten somewhat better lately after Shaq arrived. Still, the Spurs are probably the only team that has been able to slow them down consistently, as the Under is 9-4 in the last 13 head-to-head meetings between these clubs with the run-and-gun Suns averaging just 95.5 points in those encounters.
We look for a similar pace as in Game 1 here, so hopefully, there won’t be any more overtimes blowing up a safe Under.
Pick: Suns, Spurs Under 192
SportsKingz
MLB
SAN DIEGO -155
SEATTLE -190
5 TEAMER: ARIZONA, SAN DIEGO, SEATTLE, ATLANTA, ST.LOUIS
NBA
ORLANDO -6
ORLANDO UNDER 199
NEW ORLEANS -4