BEN BURNS
7* Padres
10* Magic Under
9* Spurs
7* Montreal PL
Larry Ness
Oddsmaker's Error - White Sox -110
Billy Coleman
4* SA/Dal Under 194.5
4* LAD -130
3* Det +150
3* Clev/Minn Under 8.5 or 9
3* Buff/Bos Under 5
Rocketman
4* Fla -150
4* NYY -145
Seabass
200* Steam Spurs
David Malinsky
4* #CHICAGO WHITE SOX/TAMPA BAY Under
In cashing that 5* Under ticket between these teams on this field last night there was not a whole lot of drama – there were only 10 hits in the game, with 16 K’s, and only nine runners left on base. This is more of the same, on yet another cold spring evening on the South Side.
The last time the Rays faced Mark Buehrle from this mound it was a warm and sunny afternoon last July, and they did not get a hit. While it was an extreme level of domination, they had also been hand-cuffed by him in a home loss earlier in the season, and it is flat-out a tough matchup for them – last night’s starters have a significant count of 190 career at-bats against him, which makes the tally of a single home run through those swings, and just 16 rbi’s even more meaningful. And as we noted yesterday, a White Sox bullpen that will be among the best in the Majors this season is on a spectacular run, allowing just one run over 28 innings of the last 10 games, with excellent options from both the left and right side.
As we also noted yesterday, the Chicago offense is not in a slump; there simply is not much there. Juan Pierre is a platoon player being forced into the starting leadoff spot, and his .192 opening is setting a dismal tone throughout the lineup. Carlos Quentin fell off from .288 with 36 home runs to .236 with 21 LY, and his dismal .191 opening is a sign of further decline. And on and on. Andruw Jones was the only starter hitting over .269 when last night’s game ended, and there is no reason to believe that will last. That opens the door for the promising stuff of Wade Davis, who gets to step way down in class after facing the Yankees and Red Sox to open the campaign. He allowed only nine hits through 11 innings in those games, with twice as many ground ball outs (14) as fly outs (7), and with Grant Balfour carrying the only hint of a fatigue rating in the bullpen the latter stages are in good hands as well.
Joseph D'Amico
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves
Play: Philadelphia Phillies -138
Despite a 3-game skid, Philadelphia is tied for first in the N.L. East with Atlanta. A win today will put them ahead of their rival. Two words…Roy Halladay. That’s all that needs to be said. Halladay is a force. He is 3-0 on the season with an ERA of just 1.13. I have watched the right-hander pitch 3 times this year to a near perfection. In their first 10 games, Philly has averaged over 7.5 RPG. In their L3, they mustered a mere 3 runs total. They will break out today. Even without Jimmy Rollins in the lineup, the Phillie’s are deadly. Polanco, Utley, Howard, and Victorino have combined for over 52 RBI’s already. The mighty lineup goes up against Tim Hudson. The right-hander has started the season with a 1-0 record, but is just 4-6 when starting against Philadelphia in his career. I believe Atlanta to be a good team, but I feel that they are playing above themselves at the moment. They have combined for just 12 home runs and outside of Jason Heyward, they don’t have a single hitter with double-digit RBI’s. The Phillie’s are 13-6 their L19 games played in Atlanta, 5-2 their L7 road games, and 59-29 their L88 as a favorite. The Brave’s are 1-6 their L7 vs. the N.L. West, 0-4 their L4 as a ‘dog, and 0-4 in Hudson’s L4 home starts. Take Philadelphia.
Chip Chirimbes
Bobcats at Magic
Pick: Magic -8.5
The Charlotte Bobcats made the NBA Playoffs for the first time in franchise history and coach Larry Brown and played tough down the stretch of their Game One loss to Orlando, but, for the most part the game had already been decided. Until the Finals last season the Magic were without point-guard Jameer Nelson who had 32 points in Game One and he really may be the difference this year. Take ORLANDO!
MTi Sports
4* CHW -106
4* Stl/Arz Under 9
3* Cinn +116
3* Hou +137
3* Arz +140
KIKI SPORTS
1 Unit San Diego -125
1 Unit Milwaukee/Pitt UNDER 8
1 Unit Atlanta +135
Maddux Sports
10 Units Atlanta +131
10 Units Houston +138
10 Units Oakland +137
ATS LOCK CLUB
5 Units LA Dodgers -135
4 Units NY Mets -110
4 Units Washington -105
SPORTS UNLIMITED
3* MILWAUKEE BUCKS -128
1* CHARLOTTE/ORLANDO UNDER 186.0
BIG AL
Roadkill - TB Rays
Erin Rynning
SA Spurs +3.5