R & R Totals
Chicago/New Jersey Under 196
Power Play Wins
Minnesota Twins +100
BILLY COLEMAN
3* Dal +4
3* Phil/Mil Under 194.5
4* LAD -120
3* Bos -1.5 +105
4* Spokane -10
TEDDY COVERS
SF Giants
Pacers +1.5
Larry Ness
9* Total of the Day - Was/NYM Under
The Nationals will look to build off yesterday's 6-5 win over the Phillies and hand the ball to Garrett Mock; “The expectations are high,” Mock said. “I expect a lot out of myself. It goes a lot deeper. There are a lot of things I expect out of myself. I don’t feel any pressure. I know (the Nationals) believe in my stuff. It’s time to get started and it’s time to win," (note: Mock went 2-3 with a 4.47 ERA on the road last season). The Mets send Mike Pelfrey to the mound and both are expecting a rebound after a tough season a year ago; Pelfrey went 4-0 in his first six starts last year, but then imploded (along with the rest of the Mets starters), going 6-12 with a 5.06 ERA in the following 25 contests. Pelfrey feels he's in a much better position coming into this season, and especially this game; “I had a really, really bad year - not what you look for from a No. 2 starter,” Pelfrey said. “But I’m better for it now. It was tough struggling every fifth day. But now I feel good, I feel comfortable. I know I’m prepared to have the kind of season they expect from me.” Pelfrey will be looking to stop a two game slide after that Mets fell 3-1 to Florida yesterday (note: Pelfrey threw six scoreless innings in his final outing of the spring on Friday as he held the Rays to just three hits while striking out four). New York has won nine of 11 home games against the Nationals and went 7-2 against them in front of the home town crowd last year. Both starters have something to prove this year and tonight's game is especially important; as a result of all of the above factors, play on the "under".
8* Oddsmaker's Error - TB Rays
The Yanks have a tough opening to the 2010 season. They started with a three-game series at Fenway (won two of three) and must now play three games at Tropicana Field vs the Rays. New York sends reacquired starter Javier Vazquez, making his first appearance as a Yankee since Game 7 of the ALCS against Boston (year Yanks blew 3-0 series lead to the Sox!). Vazquez has pitched for Arizona, the White Sox and Atlanta since (went 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA last season with the Braves). We'll see how he handles the pressure of being back in New York. He faces a Rays team which has gone 109-53 (plus-$3,584) at home in 2008 and 2009 (opened 2-1 so far in 2010). Tampa Bay has been awesome vs right-handers at home in night games, going 62-22 (.738) in both '08 and '09, combined. David Price (young phenom from '08 postseason), opens the year in the majors in 2010, after making 23 starts (10-7 with a 4.42 ERA) in 2009. The team went 14-9 in those starts, including an impressive 9-3 here at Tropicana Field. Take the Rays.
9* Situational Mismatch - Chi White Sox
The Twins lost Monday night at Anaheim but took the final three games of that series against the Angels. They now visit the White Sox, who dropped back-to-back 5-3 decisions to the Indians after riding Mark Buehrle's outstanding pitching to a 6-0 Opening Day win. The pitching matchup features Francisco Liriano vs John Danks (two lefties). We all know about Liriano, as he tries to recapture the 'magic' of his 2006 rookie season (12-3 with a 2.16 ERA, striking out 144 batters in 121 innings). However, arm troubles limited him to 14 starts in 2008 (6-4 with a 3.91 ERA) and last season he made 29 appearances (24 starts), going 5-13 with a 5.80 ERA (team was 9-15 in those starts, minus-$702 vs the moneyline). Danks was 6-13 with a 5.50 ERA for the White Sox in 2007 but has posted consecutive solid seasons. He went 12-9 with a 3.32 ERA in '08 and followed that with a 13-11 (3.77) mark last season. The Twins were awful vs left-handers on the road last year (8-20, minus-$1,220), although they did beat Joe Saunders on Tuesday night, 5-3. However, I have little faith in Liriano until I see something WAY DIFFERENT than I saw last year.
10* AL West Game of the Month - LA Angels
The Angels will remember (and honor) Rick Adenhart tonight on the anniversary of his death. They could also sure use a win, as they dropped three straight games to the Twins after winning their season-opener on Monday. The A's lost their season opener to the Mariners but then won back-to-back one-run games before winning a third straight game over Seattle 6-2 on Thursday afternoon. Gio Gonzalez gets the start for Oakland, as the third-year player opens a season in the majors for the first time in his short career. He earned a spot in the Oakland rotation after going 1-2 with a 2.96 ERA in six exhibition games. However, let me note that Gonzalez was 1-4 with a 7.68 ERA in 10 appearances (seven starts) in 2008 and went 6-7 with a 5.75 ERA in 20 appearances (17 starts) last season. The Angels counter with Matt Palmer who went 11-2 with a 3.93 ERA in 40 games (13 starts) last season. The Angels went 11-2 in those 13 starts and his moneyline mark of plus-$1,264 ranked him second in all of MLB among starters. He was particularly good at home, going 6-1 with a 3.75 ERA in eight starts (team was 6-2). This is his first-ever start vs Oakland (0-0 with a 3.86 ERA in five relief outings against the A’s) and let's NOT forget that the A's finished 22 games behind the Angels in 2009. LA won 12 of 19 meetings with Oakland last year and while the Angels are best-known for their recent record vs right-handed starters, they were a superb 37-17 vs lefties last year, putting even more pressure on Gonzalez. The Angels used Adenhart's memory as inspiration to reach the ALCS last year and tonight will break their three-game losing streak after honoring their fallen teammate.
10* Oddsmaker Error - Houston Rockets
Charlotte clinched a playoff spot with a 104-103 victory over New Orleans on Wednesday night and I expect a "letdown" here. The Bobcats led by as many as 26 at one point, but fell apart down the stretch and needed to be bailed out by DJ Augustin to secure the victory. The win is also means the franchise will finish with a winning record for the first time in its history; “I’m not a happy man,” coach Larry Brown said. “I’m happy for our fans. I’m happy for our franchise. I’m a coach. I always say, ‘Celebrate the wins because the losses hurt.’ That (performance) hurt.” The Bobcats now have to travel to Houston; a place its historically struggled in having lost its last four contests there (note: Charlotte is just 2-4 ATS its last six overall; just 2-3-1 ATS its last six on the road; 3-6 ATS its last nine vs Houston). Houston was eliminated from post-season contention a while back, but has been playing great ball of late; Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin each scored 28 and Luis Scola had 24 in the Rockets 113-96 crushing of the Jazz on Wednesday night. With Martin’s help, Houston is averaging 111.8 points in four games this month - 9.7 above its season mark (note: Houston is 8-7 ATS this year off an upset win as an underdog; 3-1 ATS in the month of April). This is a classic "letdown" spot; expect the Rockets to continue their strong play to end the season; lay the points.
9* SHOOTOUT NY/Orl Over
Three straight seasons New York will be on the outside looking into the playoffs after its loss to Indiana on Wednesday. Al Harrington underwent season ending surgery on his shoulder yesterday; with his loss the Knicks are down to 10 healthy players. Earl Barron had 15 points and nine boards against the Pacers and is averaging 14.6 points and 11 rebounds in three games as a Knick; Toney Douglas came off the bench for a third straight game behind Chris Duhon and scored 20 points, playing mostly an off-guard role. New York continues to struggle on the offensive end and is going to be in trouble tonight against a determined Orlando team (note: New York has seen the total go "over" the number in three of its last five). The Magic crushed the Wizards 121-94 last time out; and coach Stan Van Gundy has decided his team will play strong till the end of the season as Orlando makes its run into the playoffs. Van Gundy is concerned about his teams lack of defensive focus; "It may take us a while, but we're going to try and get back (to our previous level)," Van Gundy said. "There has been some slippage that we need to correct." Even the Magic players are ready to keep the "pedal to the metal"; "This is no time to coast," said guard Jameer Nelson. Mickael Pietrus is finishing the season with a hot hand when it comes to three-point shooting; in the last four games, Pietrus has made a combined 13 of 19 from behind the arc (note: Orlando has seen the total go "over" the number in two of its last three overall). The fact that New York is unable to play defense and that Van Gundy is going to push his team hard until the end of the regular season and into the playoffs leads to a play on the "over" here.
9* REVENGE ROUT - Portland Trailblazers
That Mav's have a shot to lock up the division tonight but must first do something its been unable to all season long; beat the Portland Trailblazers. They are battling three other teams for the No. 2 overall spot, but beating the Blazers has been a tough task so far. Dallas has been held to just over 43% shooting in three games this year against Portland; it lost 101-89 on March 25th. “They’ve beat us three times so for us it’s about getting better,” point guard Jason Kidd said. Dallas though avoided a third straight loss in a 110-84 crushing of Memphis on Wednesday night and I expect this team to build off that victory; the 84 points was the fewest points allowed by Dallas this year; “We needed to play better basketball,” coach Carlisle said. “Any win you can get right now is precious. It’s a positive step. I thought we were more solid (defensively) than we’ve been the last few games," (note: Dallas is 4-2 ATS its last six overall; 7-2 ATS its last nine on the road). Portland is coming off a 93-85 road win over the Clippers on Wednesday but I'm expect a "letdown" this evening (note: Portland is just 6-7 ATS after allowing 85 points or less in its previous contests; which of course means that after a superior defensive performance, this team is highly susceptible to a "letdown"). “We’ve got to get them all,” forward Dirk Nowitzki said. “But we can’t get ahead of ourselves. It’s Portland next.” It's that type of attitude, combined with the "revenge factor" here that leads to a play on Dallas; grab the points.
MICHAEL CANNON
25 DIME - REDS
10 DIME - TWINS
Matt Fargo
5* Astros +140
5* Dallas +4
4* New Jersey +5.5
4* Jazz -6.5
Tim Trushel
20* Brewers
Celtics Under
FANTASY SPORTS GAMETIME
100* Mets -145
50* Tampa Bay +110
50* Kansas City +140
JR O'Donnell
3* Dallas +4
CRAIG TRAPP
UTAH/OKC Over 222
Both games this year went over the posted total and today will do the same. Durant can outscore any single player but also can get his teammates a bunch of easy shots. OKC does have trouble stopping really quick teams like PHO. We saw this issue against another great guard team in the Jazz on Tuesday. In that game they scored over 230 in regulation. Look for the same today as this one will be an absolute shoot out.
JOYCE STERLING
Houston +147
Oakland +118
Pittsburgh +143
BOSTON BLACKIE
Seattle @ Texas UNDER 9
Oakland @ LAA OVER 9
Houston +147
KELSO
25 Units San Antonio Spurs -10.5
5 Units Portland Trail Blazers -5
4 Units Chicago Bulls -5.5
3 Units Miami Heat -11.5
3G Sports
4* ATL/SF UNDER 8
4* NY Yankees -110
5* NJ Nets +5.5
5* Oklahoma City -4
ICEMAN HOCKEY
5* NY Rangers -135