Jimmy BoydFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Red Sox/Yankees Under 8FOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Jon Lester and CC Sabathia will take the mound in today’s Red Sox vs Yankees matchup. The under is 4-0-1 in Lester’s last 5 road starts and 6-0 in his last 6 starts against AL East teams. The Yankees also trend towards the under when playing against AL East teams as they are 4-0 to the under in their last four. The Yankees are also 4-0 to the under in their last 4 games against left handed starters.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Sabathia won 17 games last season and he had a 2.55 ERA when playing at home. Even more impressive was the fact that he had a 0.925 WHIP in his 14 home starts and averaged 7.6 innings per start. While Lester may not go as deep as Sabathia in this game, he still has a 3.2 ERA and averages 6.6 innings per start. Both bullpens were solid last season and made offseason moves to improve so this game should have no problem staying under today’s total.
Dave PriceFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Santa Clara -7½ FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
I'll lay the points with this experienced Santa Clara team at home in the first game of the CBI Championship Series. The Broncos are 3-0 ATS in the CBI and have pulled off impressive upset wins at Purdue and Wright State in the last two rounds. Their success in this tournament comes as no surprise considering what Kerry Keating has been able to accomplish since arriving on the job. His Broncos are now 8-0 SU and ATS in post-season tournament games (not including conference tournament games) under his watch, and they have won these by an average score of 80.4 to 71.5. Santa Clara is 15-5 at home on the season and has won its last 4 at home by 9 points or more. The Broncos are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games. The Patriots are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games following a SU win and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS win. Lay the points.
Jack JonesFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Utah Jazz -9FOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Utah Jazz are currently tied with the Los Angeles Lakers at 38-36 for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. While they have a ton to play for tonight, the Portland Trail Blazers essentially have nothing to play for.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Portland (33-40) is 4.5 games behind the Jazz for that 8th spot, and it would have to leapfrog three teams with only nine games to play to get it. Its chances are slim to none, and it is starting to play like it realizes its season is done for.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Blazers are 0-4 SU & 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games overall with blowout losses to Oklahoma City (83-103), Brooklyn (93-111), Utah (95-105) and Golden State (98-125). It certainly appears that this team has quit. Making matters worse is the fact that they will likely be without their best player tonight in LaMarcus Aldridge (ankle), who is listed as doubtful.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Utah is 27-9 at home this season, while Portland is just 11-27 on the road. The Blazers are 1-11 ATS in road games after 2 or more consecutive overs this season. Portland is 0-6 ATS in its last 6 games following a SU loss of more than 10 points. The Jazz are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 games overall. Bet Utah Monday.
Andre GomesFREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Boston Red Sox -102FOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Red Sox have in my opinion a good chance to make some noise in the AL East this season, but for that they will need monster seasons from Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz. And the truth is that these two pitchers showed some great stuff in Spring Training. Lester was very inconsistent last season, but he seems to be very focused right now, as he was fantastic in the preseason with a .101 BA and 0.50 WHIP allowed, while having a ridiculous 20/4 K/BB ratio. He will face a shorthanded Yankees's roster, who is struggling to find healthy batters let alone competitive ones.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Yankees will use Sabathia today as their SP and unlike Lester, Sabathia is still dealing with some elbow issues and he played just 10 innings during the Spring Training and without good results. Despite facing a ridiculous Red Sox last season, CC still struggled against Boston in two starts with a 5.14 ERA and the Red Sox seem to be better and especially more focused at the start of this season. Therefore, I believe Boston is the favorite to win today's contest and so, I'll be taking them in here.
SPORTS WAGERSFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
N.Y. Islanders +121 over NEW JERSEYFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
OT included. We can’t get on board with this Devils team as the favorite without the services of Ilya Kovalchuk and the shaky goaltending of Martin Brodeur. The Devils have dropped three in a row (all in extra time) to Tampa, Florida and Ottawa. New Jersey has just two wins over its past eight games and those two victories occurred against Florida and Carolina. Only twice during that span did the club manage to score more than two goals in a game and it occurred against two shaky defenses in Carolina and Tampa. Winless without Kovalchuk and returning home from a three-game trip against a team that is sniffing a playoff spot for the first time in six years is not the right time to be spotting a price with the Devils.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
The Islanders are so much more dangerous from an offensive standpoint than the Devils and they’re in better form too. The Isles have won three of their past four games with only loss over that span occurring at Pittsburgh on Saturday in a game the Islanders outshot Pittsburgh 35-27. The Islanders may have a chance to gain sole possession of eighth place with a win here and they’re primed to do so with superior goaltending, offense and a power-play that ranks among the league leaders. For what it’s worth, the Devils are 1-10 in their last 11 Monday games.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
MINNESOTA -½ +143 over St. LouisFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Regulation only. The Blue Notes have had nothing but misery playing in Minnesota with just three wins in their past 16 meetings here. That’s when the Wild weren’t so good. This is the most dangerous Wild team the Blues will face in some time and the Blues current form and history suggests another unpleasant visit. St. Louis has dropped three in a row to Calgary, Edmonton and Los Angeles. They scored four times in those three games while allowing 10. St. Louis also has just three road wins in its past nine games with losses in Calgary and Colorado among others. The Blues are not getting enough production and they aren’t getting the goaltending to compensate. That’s a big problem against the suddenly potent offense of the Wild.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Minnesota has scored 38 goals over its past nine games to lead the NHL over that span. In six of those nine games they Wild scored four times or more. The Wild have also won four in a row at home and eight of their past nine. Overall, Minnesota has won 11 of its past 13 games. We could go on and on about how potent and dangerous this team has become but we’re sure you get the point. The best news, however, is that Minnesota played its worst game of the season in St. Louis on January 27th, just five games into the season. The Wild lost that game 5-4 in OT but were outshot 36-16 and they looked like a second rate club that night playing their fifth game in eight days to open the season. Things are much different this time around with the Wild being in great form and the Blue Notes heading in the opposite direction.
NellyFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Tigers / Twins OverFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
As great as Justin Verlander has been the past two seasons he has not had brilliant starts to the season. In his 2011 MVP season Verlander allowed at least three runs in six of his first seven starts including 11 runs combined allowed in his first three road starts. Last season he allowed 10 runs in his first three road starts of the season. Intuitively the chilly opening day conditions in Minneapolis would provide an advantage to pitchers and low scoring but this is an incredibly low number and the Minnesota pitching staff could really struggle this season. Vance Worley was a key acquisition for the Twins but he struggled last season and this spring and remains a huge gamble for Minnesota and certainly one of the least accomplished opening day starters for this franchise, even amongst a group that includes Pete Redfern, Bob Tewksbury, and Scott Baker. Target Field was a very low scoring park in its first few seasons but that all changed last year as batters hit .270 in Minneapolis with nearly 9.7 runs scored per game. Minnesota and Detroit were both among the top seven hitting teams in the American League last season and both should be capable at the plate again this year. Conventional wisdom suggests playing 'under' in many situations early in the year but this total has been greatly deflated and value is with the 'over'. Starting pitchers are not likely to go deep into the game in these conditions and both teams have bullpen questions to address this April. Don't expect Verlander to be in his mid-season form just yet and this Minnesota lineup has had plenty of experience against the Detroit ace.
Wunderdog
Colorado at Detroit
Pick: Detroit -170
The Avalanche had a shinning moment when they ended the Blackhawks long streak, but that was on home ice and the shinning moments on the road have been few and far between. Colorado heads to Detroit and they are a dismal 2-12-3 on the road on the season. Detroit has a long standing reputation, well earned at home, where they have accrued a 348-155-16 record. Put them on any ice vs. a bad team, one that is less than .400, and the Wings have reigned supreme at 149-69-12 over their last 230. The odds here are very short under the circumstances, so lay the chalk and play on Detroit, who has taken 24 of the last 35 in this series.
Bruce Marshall
Cleveland vs. Atlanta
Pick: Atlanta
After dropping two of three vs. Cleveland earlier this season, Atlanta might finally have the advantage over the Cavs, who are a depleted bunch these days with key Gs Kyrie Irving (shoulder) and Syracuse rookie Dion Waiters (back) both on the shelf, perhaps for the rest of the regular season. Their losses appear to be the last straw for Byron Scott’s now-shorthanded bunch, who have completely fallen part in their absence the last two weeks, losing eight in a row SU, including blowing a 14-point lead deep in the 4th Q vs. the Celtics on March 27. Irving’s absence could be particularly felt by Cavs vs. this foe after Kyrie scored a whopping 61 points combined over the last two meetings vs. Hawks. Atlanta has clinched its sixth straight playoff berth, although Larry Drew’s team probably isn’t content to settle for sixth seed in East and should continue to play hard with 4th seed and homecourt edge in first round of playoffs still a possibility. Late word is that C Al Horford should also give it a go after being sidelined by illness over the weekend, but even if big Al's contributions are minimal, Atlanta worth a look vs. stumbling Cavs.
Will Rogers
Anaheim vs. Dallas
Pick: Anaheim
Anaheim is mired in its worst stretch of the season having dropped five of six, including a 2-1 overtime loss in Columbus Sunday. With no rest, they have to head into Dallas tonight where they'll find a Stars team also coming off a loss yesterday, theirs coming at the hands of the Kings 3-2 in regulation time. This will be the third time these division foes have met this season, all in Dallas, and they have split the first 2.
Here are my keys to the game.
1. Previous Result - While both teams lost yesterday, I liked what I saw from the Ducks (who I had). They outshot the Blue Jackets 30-18, including 17-1 in the third periord, they just couldn't find the back of the net. And don't sleep on what Columbus is doing right now; they're at hot home team right now. Meanwhile, the Stars were pretty thoroughly dominated by the Kings, getting outshot 40-15 (34-9 until final 5:00). Making matters more depressing is that LA was in the second night of back to backs and still controlled the game from start to finish.
2. Rankings - Anaheim is a top 10 team in both goals scored and against, while Dallas ranks 12th and 23rd in those respective departments. That's why these two teams are currently separated by 16 points in the standings.
3. X-Factor - Look for the Ducks power play to get back on track here. They are in a 1 for 23 slump with the man advantage. Ranking 6th in league with a 22.1 percent conversion rate, they are due.
Jeff Alexander
Atlanta Braves -106
The Braves have won 11 of their last 15 meetings with the Phillies, and I expect them to continue their success in the series on Opening Day with Hudson on the hill. The Braves have won 8 of his last 11 starts versus Philly and are 5-0 in the last 5 meetings when Hudson faces Hamels. Bet the Braves on the money line.
Michael Alexander
San Francisco Giants +138
The Giants send Matt Cain to the hill today. Cain was their ace last season sporting a 2.79 ERA in 32 starts. He is going up versus a Dodgers team that was horrible versus right handed starters. Last season the Giants crushed left handers going a stellar 22-9 outside of ATT park. Nice price to take a chance on