Nick BookieKiller" Parsons
Oakland vs. Angels
For a number of different reasons I believe the value in this contest is on the home side:
Trevor Cahill gets the nod for the A's; Cahill has been unremarkable so far this year and got a no-decision his last time out; he allowed two earned runs on four hits and two walks with one K Tuesday vs. the Rangers; he's 1-1 with a 4.60 ERA.
He's made three starts for Oakland; last year Cahill went 3-6 on the road with a 5.10 ERA.
In the other dugout: Joel Pineiro heads to the mound for the Angels; after starting slowly, Pineiro bounced back in his last outing and I expect the right-hander to build off that performance.
Pineiro allowed no runs on five hits and one walk in 6 1/3 innings with seven K's.
He has five quality starts in seven attempts this year but his team has let him down; he's 2-4 with a 4.50 ERA thus far.
Bottom line: The Angels are looking to complete the 3-game sweep; Pineiro gets to face a club thats produced just five total runs during its second four game losing streak of the season.
Cahill vs. Pineiro = advantage ANGELS; *6* "PUNISHER" ANGELS.
Marc Lawrence
3 Units Magic -6.5
Lenny Del Genio
ORLANDO MAGIC -6.5
The Celtics are in Orlando to take on the Magic in Game 1 of the EC Finals. Boston was dismissed by most as Cleveland was supposed to be here facing Orlando. But the Celtics dumped the Cavs in six games. Orlando has swept through the first two games of the playoffs winning eight straight games and covering the point spread in seven of the eight games. It’s been over a month since this Magic team lost a ball game as they have reeled off 15 straight wins and beat the line in 14 of those 15 contests. The Celtics and Magic have played four times this season with Orlando winning three of the four. The only Boston win was here in Orlando on Christmas afternoon when the Celtics upset the Magic 86-77. Three of the four have been low scoring games with three of the four going under the number. Do the Celtics have a chance to stop this powerful Orlando squad? They shut down the Cleveland offense by allowing the Cavs to shot 41% or less in four of the six games. However, this Orlando team has too many weapons and we think the Celtics won’t be able to stop them in this opening game. Orlando is shooting 49% from the field in the playoffs and scoring 101 points. There defense has been suffocating as they are allowing opponents to hit only 41% from the floor and only 84 points per game. That margin of victory in the playoffs is a whopping 17 points per game. Boston has been playing good, but Orlando have their way with them today. Play on Orlando.
Rocketman
SAN DIEGO PADRES +105
San Diego has been very surprising this year with a 22-13 overall record. LA Dodgers is 3-7 this year against left handed starters. San Diego is 9-1 this year when playing against a team with a winning record. LA Dodgers is scoring only 3.6 runs per game against left handed starters this year. San Diego is a decent 11-6 at home this year. San Diego bullpen has been very good with a 2.79 ERA overall this year and a 2.53 ERA at home this season. Wade LeBlanc is 2-0 with a 1.61 ERA overall this year, 1-0 with a 1.56 ERA at home and 1-0 with a 2.12 ERA his last 3 starts. We'll play San Diego for 4 units today!
Executive
250% Magic
250% Rockies
Dwayne Bryant
ATLANTA BRAVES -120
Arizona's Dan Haren has not been pitching the way we're used to seeing him. Sure, he still strikes out a lot of batters, but he's also giving up more runs. Haren owns an un-Haren-like 4.23 ERA on the season, but it's his numbers against these Braves that really get my attention. Haren owns a 5.40 ERA in four career starts against Atlanta. Several Braves hitters have had success against Haren, including Nate McLouth (3-for-6, 1 HR), Omar Infante (4-for-9), Melky Cabrera (4-for-10), Brian McCann (3-for-8, 1 HR), and Chipper Jones (3-for-8, 1 HR). Troy Glaus only has 2 hits in 9 at-bats against Haren (.222 BA), but one of those hits was a homer. And Yunel Escobar has a hit in 3 AB's against Haren.
On the flip side, Tim Hudson is having a solid season, sporting a 2.64 ERA that dips to 2.13 at home. He's been especially tough lately, posting a 1.83 ERA in his last three starts. Hudson hasn't faced the D'backs since '07, so his 4-0 record and 1.61 ERA in six career starts versus Arizona was not factored into my decision. But what did factor into my decision to back Atlanta today is the fact that only two current D'backs hitters have faced Hudson, which gives him the edge at least the first time through the lineup. And the way Hudson is pitching, I suspect it'll take Arizona's hitters more than one AB to get a feel for him. Those two hitters who have faced Hudson? Chris Snyder (1-for-5, 2 K's) and Adam LaRoche (1-for-6, 1 K).
What also factored into my decision is the bullpens. Arizona's bullpen is absolutely horrible, sporting a 7.03 ERA overall and a 7.95 ERA on the road. The 'Zona pen has been even worse than that lately, posting a bloated 10.06 ERA and 2.06 WHIP in their last three outings. The Atlanta pen owns a respectable 3.27 ERA and 1.21 WHIP on the season, and a very solid 2.36 ERA at home.
Bottom line: I feel we have the edge in starting pitchers based not only on season stats, but also on how the opposing team's hitters have fared against them. Most of the D'backs will be facing Hudson for the first time, which also works in our favor. And let's not forget our HUGE edge in the bullpen. With the Braves getting embarrassed 11-1 last night, I expect a very solid performance from them tonight. Take Atlanta/Hudson over Arizona/Haren.
Bob Balfe
ANAHEIM ANGELS -155
Oakland has not faced Piniero since 2006 and the Angels have been picking up their offense recently, with the exception of Thursday. The Angels are a team that has a lot of potential to climb over .500 and pose as a real threat towards the end of the season. Look for Piniero to have a decent outing and enough run support for the W. Take Los Angeles.
KELSO
25 Units Magic -6.5
ATS FINANCIAL
4 Units Magic/Celtics OVER 189
Teddy Covers
Celtics
Braves
Padres
Power Play Wins
Boston Celtics +6.5
Ben Burns
10* O/U Rout - Braves Under
NSA
20* Celtics +7
20* Montreal +125
20* Yankees -135
Antony Dinero
Celtics at Magic
Pick: Celtics +7
Look for a race to 95 to win out early on in these Eastern Conference finals as both teams feel one another out and wind up bringing a physical nature to a first game in what's expected to be a tightly-contested series. Look for a little rust to affect the Magic against the toughest defensive test its faced this postseason, resulting in a Celtics cover +7.
Billy Coleman
5* Chicago/S. Jose Over 5