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Milwaukee/ORLANDO Under 201½FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Both meetings this year between these two have gone over the number but the two teams have been playing tighter ball recently, with the Bucks playing under the number in their last four games and the Magic going under in their last three. Furthermore, the previous two meetings between these two were both in Milwaukee. In Orlando however, things are bound to be quite different. Milwaukee has played under the number in its last five road games, suggesting they are paying more attention to detail when traveling. It’s also worth noting that JJ Reddick is back in Orlando for the first time since being traded so chances are he’ll be a little rusty. Milwaukee still has something to play for (they have a small chance of getting the 7 seed) and in what should be a hotly contested battle, the under comes in as the prudent choice.
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LA Lakers/PORTLAND Over 201½FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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What do you get when a team is likely to start four rookies against the most underachieving team stacked with talent, fighting for their playoff lives, with everything to play for? A lot of points for the Lakers. Yes, the Lakers are fighting it out for their playoff lives while the Blazers are starting three of four rookies and that’s something this savvy Lakers group can exploit. For Portland, Wesley Matthews, Nick Batum and Centre J.J Hickson are all likely to miss the game due to various injuries so expect the Lakers to score and score often.
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The Lakers have been giving up a fair amount of points on the road this year and have not been good on their second of back to back games so expect Portland to get their fair share of points as well. Portland is in a serious funk. They’ve dropped eight in a row with six of its opponents scoring 103 or more points and four of those racking up 111 or more. No reason the Lakers can’t add to the Blazers misery and go off for a crooked number.
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Pass NHL
Ian Cameron
Oakland at LA Angels
Play: Oakland
Joe Blanton, nor the struggling 2-5 LA Angels, are a difficult choice to fade as favorites right now. Blanton was not good in his first start of the season allowing five runs and three homers in just five innings at Cincinnati. I’m not ready to trust Blanton here against a hot Oakland Athletics squad that has won six games in a row. And unlike LA, who has scored four runs or less in five of their first seven games, the A’s are scoring runs in bunches with six or more in each game during this stretch. The Angels bullpen has also struggled quite a bit with a 4.18 ERA (25th in MLB). Coupled with Blanton, that should give Oakland plenty of run scoring opportunities.
Oakland lefty Tommy Milone was a very strict home/road dichotomy pitcher in 2012 notching a 2.74 ERA at home but a 4.83 ERA on the road. However it must be mentioned that his one road start against the Angels was one of this better road efforts: two runs on seven hits in five innings of work last April. Milone opened this season with a 6-2 victory over Seattle. He allowed two homers in the first inning but settled down to allow only two singles and a walk over his last six innings. LA’s lineup has struggled mightily against left-handed pitching already this season with a team batting average of only .244. At a plus price, I just can’t pass up a bet on the A’s.
Steve Merril
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Play: Portland Trail Blazers
The Lakers will likely be without their starting point guard again tonight as Steve Nash is listed as doubtful due to his hamstring injury. Nash suffered the injury early in the game at Sacramento on March 30th and has since missed the past four contests. The Lakers have gone 3-1 SU in those past four games, but are just 1-2-1 ATS and all four games took place at the Staples Center with three home games and an "away" game versus the Clippers on the same court. The Lakers will now be playing their first true road game without Nash since he was injured on March 30th. Los Angeles is just 15-23 SU in true road games this season, compared to 26-10 SU at home, when removing the four home/road games against the Clippers which occur on the same floor. Meanwhile, Portland has also been a much better team at home this season, going 22-16 SU, compared to just 11-28 SU away. The Blazers present value tonight as a home underdog with two days of practice and preparation time, especially against a short-handed Lakers' squad that must travel without rest after playing the Hornets last night. Portland is 6-2 ATS in the past eight head-to-head meetings and Los Angeles is playing with pressure as they try to hold onto a 1/2 game lead over Utah for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Teams in must-win situations are not good plays as the oddsmakers over-inflate the lines and these squads often underachieve due to the pressure. Keep in mind, if the Lakers were good enough to win when they had to this season, they would not be in this situation right now.
Freddy Wills
Chicago White Sox vs. Washington Nationals
Play: Washington Nationals
Zimmerman continues to be a stud and has a 1.99 ERA in 11 interleague starts. Gavin Floyd has been good in 17 inter league starts as well, but the difference will be Denard Span who has a .484 OBP to start the year. He has killed Floyd over his career going 17-35 and I don’t anticipate that changing today which should open things up for a Nationals lineup that’s hitting the ball right now. Zimmermann also does not give up HR’s which is where the bulk of the White Sox offense came from a year ago. White Sox just 8-22 in their last 30 road games vs. a RH starter. White Sox are also 7-19 in Floyd’s road starts vs. a winning team while the Nationals are 22-8 in Zimmerman’s last 30 starts as a favorite.
Sean Murphy
Vancouver vs. Calgary
Pick: Under
The last three meetings in this series have all totaled at least six goals, but I look for a different story to unfold on Wednesday night in Calgary.
The Canucks skated to a 5-2 win over the Flames on home ice last week. Note that Vancouver hasn't been nearly as potent offensively on the road this season, where it averages just over 2.2 goals per game. It's not as if the 'Nucks are firing on all cylinders offensively right now, as they've scored two goals or less in three of their last five games.
Calgary picked up a much-needed win in Colorado on Monday night, giving up just one goal in the process. That marked the second time in their last three games that the Flames held the opposition to two goals or less.
After getting embarrassed by the rival Oilers (8-2) in their most recent home game, we can expect the Flames to bring the proper level of focus and intensity to the table tonight. They've held the Canucks to exactly two goals in each of their last three meetings at the Saddledome.
While these two teams are at opposite ends of the spectrum right now, I do expect Calgary to put up a fight in what should be a rather tight-checking affair.
Will Rogers
Phoenix vs. Edmonton
Pick: Edmonton
The Oilers host Phoenix tonight, and both these teams are clinging to a slim hope that they can still make the playoffs. The Oilers are four points back of eighth place Detroit, while Phoenix sits three back of the Red Wings. Neither of these teams can afford to leave points on the table, so tonight's game should showcase two very desperate teams.
Here are my keys to the game:
1: Special Teams - The Oilers have one of the most dangerous power-play units in the league, ranking 3rd amongst 30 teams, converting on nearly 23 percent of man-advantage chances.
2: Home ice - The Oilers are 8-5-3 at home, while the Coyotes are just 4-9 away from home. Edmonton has won both of the previous meetings this season, one of those was at Rexall Place.
3: X-Factor - Taylor Hall has scored four times, and has six points in his last three home games. "We're really in a tough spot right now. We really had to win this one," forward Taylor Hall said. "It's going to take a lot for our group, and we're just going to have to stay motivated because you never know what can happen."
Jack Jones
Atlanta Hawks -2.5
The Atlanta Hawks come into this game with the Philadelphia 76ers hungry for a victory tonight. They have lost three straight coming in, and they want to make sure to get back to playing their best basketball before the playoffs.
Atlanta can also improve its seeding in the Eastern Conference as it is still alive for the No. 4 and No. 5 seed. It would be the No. 6 seed if the season were to end today, so there's no question it has a lot to play for.
Adding fuel to the fire for the Hawks is the fact that they just lost at home to these same 76ers by a final of 90-101 on April 5th less than a week ago. Philadelphia will be playing the second of a back-to-back and its 4th game in 6 days, while Atlanta will be playing on three days' rest.
The 76ers are 8-23 ATS in their last 31 games playing on 0 days rest. The Hawks are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games. Philadelphia is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games overall. Bet the Hawks Wednesday.
Dave Price
Boston Red Sox -135
Boston is out of the gate strong as it is swinging a hot bat. The Red Sox have especially lunched on right-handed starters. They are hitting .339 and scoring an average of 8.7 runs in 3 games against them. They've had little trouble conquering the righty they'll see this evening. They have never lost to Jake Arrieta, winning all 4 times they've faced him. He has an ERA of 5.73 in those 4 starts. Ryan Dempster gets the ball for Bean Town. He's 2-0 lifetime against the Orioles and held them to 1 run and 4 hits in 8 innings of a 5-1 victory last August. Bet Boston.
Jeff Alexander
Washington Wizards -1.5
Wade and Bosh are doubtful and James is questionable for this contest. With home court throughout the playoffs almost a certainty, the Heat can focus on making sure they enter the postseason as close to 100 percent as possible in terms of health. Washington will miss out on the postseason so it will treat this game against the defending champs like game 7 of the Finals. The Wizards have been tough as nails at home where they have won 9 in a row by an average of 13.0 points. They have a home win against the Heat earlier this season and have also recorded notable home victories over the Thunder, Bulls, Clippers, Knicks, Nuggets and Pacers. Take Washington.
Teddy Covers
LA Dodgers at San Diego
Play: San Diego
This is a straight fade of Chad Billingsley in his 2013 MLB debut. Billingsley came on strong after the All Star break last year following a 4-9 start to the campaign, but a torn ligament in his elbow cut his season short. Billingsley avoided surgery, but his rehab has not been without problems, including a badly bruised index finger on his throwing hand from a bunting drill in spring training. He finished the spring allowing seven runs in just 7.2 innings of work. His minor league rehab start last week was equally problematic, struggling with his control in another subpar effort. I’m not expecting vintage Billingsley tonight!
San Diego bounced back strong yesterday following a dismal 1-5 road trip to open the season – two series where they were outscored by a combined 40-14 margin. The Padres lineup pounded out nine runs; their first legitimate outburst in the reconfigured, more hitter friendly confines of Petco Field. And let’s not forget that the Padres ranked among the top eight MLB money winners at home last year, despite finishing ten games under .500 overall.
Padres’ starter Eric Stults threw seven innings of one run ball in his lone start against the Dodgers last year. The Padres have won nine of his last eleven starts, despite the fact that Stults has been the underdog eight times during that span; clearly an undervalued commodity right now. And Bud Black’s bullpen behind Stults was an elite unit last year, and shut the door on the Dodgers yesterday. Expect more of the same tonight!