Art AronsonFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Dallas vs. AnaheimFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Pick: DallasFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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These teams have played each other four times this year: Dallas won 3-1 at home on February 8th. Anaheim would then go on to take the next three: 2-1 in Dallas on March 14th, 4-1 in Dallas on April 1st, and 5-2 at home on April 3rd. With that setback on Wednesday, the Stars have lost three in a row. It certainly doesn't get any easier for them after tonight either: after three straight vs. the Ducks, Dallas plays San Jose three times to end the season; LA twice; also Nashville, Chicago, Vancouver, St. Louis and Detroit. Here's a perfect opportunity for the Stars to get untracked and make a serious push to end the year, in what has to considered one of their most difficult stretches of the season. Anaheim's path to the playoffs is a little easier, with opponents such as the Oilers three times, Columbus, Colorado and Calgary. Divisional battles are always the toughest, and that's doubly so at this time of year. The truncated season has caused scheduling anomalies like this, and I simply feel that the Stars will be sick and tired of losing and will be playing with an extreme sense of desperation, as if their playoff hopes were on the line (which in fact they pretty much are). And it's this hunger and focus that I believe justifies in paying the price for the extra 1.5 goals of insurance for the Stars, in what will turn out to be a highly competitive affair.
Bruce MarshallFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Arizona vs. MilwaukeeFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Pick: MilwaukeeFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Milwaukee has some real concerns with its bullpen that was routed in the openign series vs. Colorado. In fact, Rockies bats seemed to feast on all Brewer pitchers, who conceded 8 homers in the opening series and at least 12 hits in all three games vs. Colorado's bats. But riding to the rescue today for Milwaukee is vet hurler Kyle Lohse, who signed late in spring and could well wind up as the ace of the staff alongside Yovani Gallardo. The Brew Crew and manager Ron Roenicke are expecting Lohse, who recorded an 0.77 ERA in two starts vs. Arizona last season, to step up on Friday. Also note how D-backs starter Wade Miley had his problems last year vs. Milwaukee, posing a 10.24 ERA in two starts vs. the Brew Crew.
Charlie SportsFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Arizona Diamondbacks at Milwaukee Brewers
Play: Milwaukee BrewersFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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The (2-1) Arizona Diamondbacks of the National League West division will take on the (1-2) Milwaukee Brewers of the National League Central division in 2013 MLB action. The Arizona Diamondbacks will send Left Handed Wade Miley to the pitcher mound vs. Right handed Kyle Lohse of the Milwaukee Brewers. The teams went 3-3 head to head last season. Brewers gets the home win.
Brett Atkins
My free winner for tonight is going to be on the Colorado Rockies minus the money against the incoming San Diego Padres, who salvaged a series with the New York Mets at Citifield in Queens yesterday, but hasn't made it quite home yet, and now will play in Denver. That's quite a climate change, and altitude.
The Padres now have to roll into Coors Field, and take on a surging Rockies team that will be celebrating two decades of baseball in Denver in a pre-game honor. Members of the original 1993 roster will be on hand for the ceremony before the home opener.
Make note Colorado's last home-opening win came in 2009, against the Padres.
Don't worry about listing the pitchers in this one. It's a hype job for the Rockies, and they'll get it done.
3♦ COLORADO
Brad Wilton
For Friday, go with Golden State to trounce Phoenix.
The Suns have not shown much resistance heading down the stretch, losing 7 in a row straight up, while getting bested by double-digits in 3 of their last 4.
Golden State has gone 8-3 straight up their last 11, and they have been able to cover the impost in 6 of their past 8.
The Warriors have also won all 3 series meetings this season against the Suns, and are on a 5 game overall series win and cover streak.
Phoenix just playing things out, Golden State getting ready to take that next step in a few weeks come playoff time.
The choice seems obvious...Warriors to roll.
2♦ GOLDEN STATE
Jeff Benton
Friday freebie is the Boston Celtics as the home favorite over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Boston was able to clinch a playoff spot on Wednesday with the win (but no cover) at home over Detroit, but the Celtics would still like to avoid being the #8 seed if at all possible, so expect them to take advantage of a Cleveland team that is now riding the longest losing streak in the NBA at 10 games in a row.
The Cavaliers have gone just 3-7 against the spread in those 10 games, and have been beaten by double-digits 6 times during their current 10 game slide.
Boston has gone 4-1 against the spread at home the past five series meetings versus Cleveland, and I will back them to up that mark to 5-1 with the win and cover tonight at home.
1♦ BOSTON
Craig Davis
Siding with the Jazz as your free play of the day because there's too much at stake for them to not play tough.
After blowing a rare home win vs. Denver the other night, the Jazz dropped a half-game behind idle Los Angeles in the Western Conference playoff race for the 8th spot.
Tonight, however, they draw the struggling New Orleans Hornets in a game that they absolutely must win.
With Dallas losing a heartbreaker in Denver last night by one point, the Jazz feel like the Lakers are their only true competition for the final spot, and a loss tonight will put them in a bad situation.
They simply must win if they want a shot... and I believe they'll get it done.
Going to be tough the for Hornets to get a lot of stops on Al Jefferson, who seems to be having his way in the paint these days.
If the Jazz can shoot, at home, like they're capable of, they should win this game going away. If not, it could be close and we'll be dealing a nail-biter that shouldn't have gotten that close.
Take Utah as your free play of the day.
1♦ UTAH
Scott Delaney
My free pick is a rather early play, as I take the Philadelphia Phillies minus a cheap price at home against the Kansas City Royals in Interleague play. Though I will touch on the two pitchers - K.C.'s Wade Davis and Philadelphia's Kyle Kendrick - I'm not listing either simply because I think the Phillies are the better play tonight.
Philadelphia warmed up for the season a bit luke-warm, with a 1-2 series against the Atlanta Braves. The hils won the series-finale yesterday, 2-0. That was in Atlanta. Now they're home for the weekend and take on a Royals team that also started the season 1-2.
Kansas City beat the White Sox yesterday, but the Royals have been on the road all week and now have to spend the weekend in Philadelphia, prolonging their home opener until next week. Given this is the home opener for the Phillies - and it's a matinee game - I think they're going to feed off the momentum from yesterday's win over the Braves.
The Phils will jump on Davis early on in this one, as the righty makes not only his debut in a Royals uniform, but his first start since 2011. Last season with the Rays he came out of the bullpen, and even pitched once in Philadelphia. He allowed three runs over 2-2/3 innings in that game.
Kendrick has been a model of consistency for the Phils the past two seasons, methodically pitching his way to a 3.62 ERA over 40 starts, serving in the shadows of Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt.
Let's play the Phils here.
5♦ PHILADELPHIA
Chris Jordan
Scored a free winner in baseball finally, as the Washington Nationals - my pick to win the World Series - took care of business on the Run Line for me yesterday against the Miami Marlins. Tonight my free winner is on the home underdog Houston Astros, against the Oakland Athletics.
Has it sunk in the Astros are in the American League yet? It might for starting right-hander Brad Peacock tonight, as he faces and Oakland team that traded him to the Astros after a mediocre campaign with its Triple-A club. He has a couple of games under his belt as a big leaguer, throwing for the Nationals in 2011, when he appeared in three games, started two and went 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA. He won the fourth spot in the rotation after a stellar showing during Spring Training.
But neither Peacock, nor Oakland starter Dan Straily matter in this one, cause I am not listing pitchers here. I'd much rather you concentrate on the fact the A's just finished up a series with the Seattle Mariners in Oaktown, and are now headed into unfamiliar territory for the newest membet of the junior circuit. Oh, it won't take long to get used to playing such a dismal organization that is less than 10 years removed from a National League pennant, but tonight I think the Astros have the edge at Minute Maid Park.
I know the Astros aren't going to be anything like the Nationals, but let me tell you something about the city of Houston, it's one of the most humid places I've ever been. And tonight at gametime, when the temperature is 75 degrees, the 45 percent humidity may feel normal to the Astros, but to a team from Northern Cali, it's going to be thick and nasty.
Take the home team here, as the series-opener treats it kindly.
3♦ HOUSTON
WunderdogFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Orlando at ChicagoFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Pick: Orlando +8.5FOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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The Chicago Bulls fell behind early last night in Brooklyn, but slowly chipped away and came away with a 2-point win. They spent a lot of energy in that game, and now have to travel home on no rest vs. an Orlando team that isn't going to garner their full attention. While the win column has not been a busy place for the Magic, they are taking advantage of a couple of things. Their opponents aren't putting forth a full effort, and they have not packed it in by still playing hard. They own a winning ATS record over their last 16, and have taken three of their last four. The Magic are a surprising 49-23-2 ATS in their last 74 when following a 10+ point loss, while the Bulls home woes continue where they are 12-25 ATS in their last 37. Play on Orlando.
NellyFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Raptors / Timberwolves OverFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Minnesota has become a late season offensive force with at least 97 points in eight of the last nine games and triple-digits in five of the last six contests. There was 205 points scored in Minnesota's game Wednesday in Milwaukee and that was with an incredibly low scoring 37-point 4th quarter. Toronto has surrendered at least 99 points in seven of the last nine games and in road games the Raptors have allowed 103 points per game on the year. Minnesota's defense has also slipped after strong early season numbers and the Wolves have given up at least 98 points in six of the last nine games. Minnesota is still putting together strong late season performances despite the bad overall record, beating playoff teams in three of the last four games. This is a team to be reckoned with as the offense is coming together even in a season that has been filled with injuries. This will be a tough game for the Raptors to get up for emotionally and when that happens, Toronto can be highly vulnerable on defense.
John RyanFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Washington at CincinnatiFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Prediction: UnderFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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The simulator shows a high probability that fewer than 10 runs will be scored in this game. These two teams will certainly be contenders to win the very competitive AL West division this season. Texas started out losing the road opener surprisingly to Houston, but then responded with two straight shutout wins. Angels had a far more difficult assignment playing in Cincinnati where they did spoil their home opener. Reds didn?t like that too much as they then won the next two games both by 5-4 results. Washington is a solid 15-4 UNDER (+10.4 Units) after shutting out a division rival as the manager of Texas. Both teams have very powerful offensive lineups, but the line as more than accounted for that fact. This will also mark the first time that josh Hamilton returns to Arlington. Keep in mind he was booed in his last game playing for Texas. Vargas is another new player on the Angels roster and will be making the start today. He is coming off an exceptional season where he posted career highs in wins and starts. He went 14-11 with a 3.85 ERA on an anemic hitting Seattle team. His 1.18 WHIP was by far his best of his career and reflects his strong command of the strike zone with several pitches. He has allowed a .200 batting average to the current members of the Rangers in their respective careers. Holland will pitch for Texas. He has struggled as many do =when playing in Arlington. Yet, this is the first week of April and the Texas temps have yet to reach the boiling rate, which makes the Stadium a launching pad for home runs. He had a very strong Spring and I believe both starters will be quit effective. Take the UNDER.
Freddy WillsFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Los Angeles Angels vs. Texas RangersFREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Play: Los Angeles AngelsFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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I like for the Angels to come to Texas and make a statement that this is now their division and no longer the Rangers. They send their newly acquired Jason Vargas to the mound to face a depleted Rangers line up that no longer features Michael Young or Josh Hamilton. Hamilton is now ont he Angels as we all know. Vargas had a 5.06 ERA vs. the Rangers last year which is not much to get excited for, but the fact that the Rangers don't have the same team is inspiring for me. IN 175 AB on their active roster Vargas has limited them to a .200 average and .616 OPS. He does have a higher HR/FB rate, but produces less HR/FB than his counter part today. Derek Holland is not a good guy to back when the Rangers are at home where he posted a 5.55 ERA a year ago. Over the last 3 years he also posts a 5.12 ERA in 10 April starts. Holland struggles mightily against the Angels in 177 AB they have a .333 average and a .976 OPS with 10 HR. I think +109 is enough value to make this our free play of the day.
Steve MerrilFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Los Angeles vs. TexasFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Play: Over 10FOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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There are many storylines to the matchup between the Rangers and Angels on Friday afternoon. Josh Hamilton returns to Texas in a Los Angeles uniform and Jason Vargas stayed in the division to join the Angels. The southpaw went 1-2 with a 5.04 ERA in four starts against the Rangers last season. He's also coming off a rough Spring as he allowed 19 runs and 30 hits in just over 22 innings. Texas averaged 4.3 runs per game in their series against the Astros and they are hitting .262 early this season. Derek Holland goes for the home team and he's been torched by the Angels in his career. He is 7-5 with a 5.58 ERA in 13 starts against Los Angeles. He gave up 21 earned runs in 27 innings pitched against the Halos last year. Erick Aybar (11-35), Alberto Callaspo (11-31), Howard Kendrick (12-38), Albert Pujols (6-13), Mike Trout (5-14) and Mark Trumbo (8-25) all have had success against the Rangers starter. They will be glad to have a full complement of players for this game as they had to scrap the DH in Cincinnati for the first series of the season. These two teams have played 13 of 19 games Over the total in Arlington, and we expect that trend to continue on Friday afternoon.
Larry NessFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Seattle vs. ChicagoFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Pick: ChicagoFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Seattle split a four-game series at Oakland to start the season (not bad) but since the Mariners won the first two games of that series, it felt a little flat. Now it's off to Chicago to take on the White Sox, who took two of three against the Royals to open 2013.
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Blake Beavan (2012: 11-11, 4.43 ERA) takes on Jose Quintana (6-6, 3.76) in tonight's series opener. Beavan moved into the Mariners’ rotation last season, making 26 starts (team was 13-13). However, the 24-year-old righty got hit hard in spring training, allowing 29 hits and 15 runs in 19.1 innings plus struggled against Chicago last season, going 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA in two starts.That spells bad news against the White Sox, who were 35-23 at home vs righties in 2012, averaging 5.4 RPG.
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Chicago left-hander Jose Quintana filled in admirably when John Danks was hurt last year, although he did struggle down the stretch, as his ERA increased a full run in his final eight starts. However, prior to that fade, he pitched six innings 11 times in 13 starts during the mid-summer. Quintana struck out 17 in 13.1 innings this spring and should feel confident knowing that Chicago has won 24 of 28 meetings with Seattle since the start of 2010 and hasn't dropped a series to the Mariners since 2009.