Bobby Maxwell
Seattle -120 at L.A. ANGELS
Gave you a FREE winner on the diamond Thursday with the Dodgers and we've got another one for you tonight as we play the Mariners in Anaheim taking on the Angels.
The Mariners have been playing very well this season and it looks like lefty starter Erik Bedard (1-1, 1.86 ERA) has come around after missing most of last season. We're going to play him tonight in Anaheim against this Angels' team that is struggling to score runs.
Bedard has thrown 19.1 innings this year and allowed just four earned runs, striking out 23 and walking just three. While he hasn't had much luck against the Angels in the past, that was when the Angels had their full complement of offensive weapons. Tonight they definitely don't have much in the lineup with all the injuries they've endured.
Shane Loux (0-1, 3.65 ERA) is on the mound for Los Angeles and he's allowed five runs on 15 hits in 12 1/3 innings this season. His two starts this season are the first he's made since 2003 with the Tigers.
Seattle shut out the Rays on Thursday, 1-0, in the Pacific Northwest and they are 10-4 in their last 14 on grass. Look for them to get another great pitching effort from Bedard against this punchless Angels' team.
Play the Mariners.
3♦ SEATTLE
Orlando -3' at PHILADELPHIA
Tonight we've got a FREE winner on the NBA Hardwood for you as we play the Magic in Philadelphia for Game 3 of this Eastern Conference playoff series.
Orlando has seemingly dominated the first two games but it is only tied 1-1 with the Sixers in this series. The Magic have built 18-point leads in each of the first two games, but they let Philly back in both times and it cost them the win in the opener.
But we've got complete faith in Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy and how he'll get his guys prepared for the road in the playoffs. Honestly, Orlando is a much better and deeper team, but they have just gotten a little too relaxed when they've built big leads.
The Magic won 96-87 in Game 2 after losing Game 1. They the win despite getting just 11 points from center Dwight Howard. He knows he's got to be a superstar for his team to have any chance of advancing. he can't be a spectator and just cruise along and you can rest assured Van Gundy has told him that.
Orlando went 27-14 on the road this season, 26-14-1 ATS. And look at the Sixers and they went just 18-21-2 ATS in front of the home fans. Philly is also on ATS slides of 2-5 overall, 7-15-1 as a playoff 'dog and 0-5 after a straight-up loss.
Look for the Magic to play with amazing intensity tonight in Philly. This game is going to be a 10-point win for Orlando.
4♦ ORLANDO
Sports Gambling Hotline
Cleveland -4' at DETROIT
Detroit really hasn't come close to beating Cleveland in either game in this series, and we doubt a shift in venues is going to help too much. There is a definite changing of the guard in the East Conference, and Cleveland's time is now.
The Cavs have now won the last 5 series meetings, and they are a profitable 4-1 against the spread in those 5 tilts!
Detroit meanwhile, has now lost 5 in a row dating back to the regular season, and the the Pistons are just 6-15 straight up their last 21 games, sporting a money-burning 4-12 spread mark their last 16, including dropping 6 straight against the line.
With all 3 of the other Eastern Conference first rounds already having split their first pair of games, Cleveland would like nothing better than to put the Pistons out of their misery, and grab an extra day or two of rest while the other teams slug it out.
Play on the Cavaliers minus the road wood.
2♦ CLEVELAND
JIM FEIST
TORONTO BLUE JAYS / CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Take CHICAGO WHITE SOX
There's a reason Toronto has fallen quickly after a hot start: Pitching. Particularly starting pitching, as after Roy Halladay, the starters drop off a cliff. Lefty Brian Tallet has allowed 20 base runners in 14 innings against Chicago, with a 4.91 ERA. The Sox are red hot after taking three of four from the defending AL champion Rays in St. Pete. The White Sox are home and goe with ace lefty Mark Buehrle, who has been sharp with a 2-0 record and a 3.00 ERA. He also sports a 2.66 ERA against the Blue Jays. Play the White Sox.
JrTips
BLAZERS vs.ROCKETS
The Houston Rockets defenders, Shane Battier and Ron Artest know they'll have to do a better job on Brandon Roy in Game 2. Portland's star guard scored 42 points to lead the Trail Blazers to a 107-103 victory Tuesday night. Brandon Roy, the NBA's 10th leading scorer was the first player to score more than 40 points on Ron Artest in his 10 year career. He made 15 of 27 shots, and went 10-for-12 from the free-throw line. The Houston defense also struggled with Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who scored 27 points with 12 rebounds in Game 2. Houston worked on getting the ball to leading scorer Yao Ming, who scored 24 in Game 1, then took only six shots and scored 11 in Game 2. Aldridge, Joel Przybilla and Greg Oden fronted Yao and hel him to one shot in the fourth quarter.The Blazers arrived in Houston on Thursday afternoon and had a short practice at the Toyota Center in the evening. Aldridge, a Dallas native, missed the workout to attend to a family matter but will play tonight. The Blazers have lost 10 of their last 11 games in Houston, and the Rockets have watched film which make changes to keep defensive pressure on Brandon Roy. The Rockets wil lmake other players have to beat them in order for the Blazers to win. Houston will move the ball around with patience tonight and make sure they go back to their leading Yao Ming, which was successful in game one. Both teams have made defensive adjustments and will increase the defensive intensisty makinf it tougher to score for both teams.TAKE UNDER 184 1/2
Red Dog Sports
Texas at Baltimore
Play: Over 10.5
Padilla pitches for Texas and his ERA is 9.64 with 3 overs and 0 unders while Uehara has an ERA of 5.29 with 2 overs and an under for the Orioles.These two played a 10-9 game on April 13 and the last meeting in Baltimore was 15-7. Look for over 10.5 on Friday night!
Alex Smart
Baltimore Orioles -128
Vicente Padilla (1-1, 9.64 ERA) the Texas Rangers pitcher for this tilt against the Baltimore Orioles, for the most part has not looked good this season. The velocity of his fastball, has been the most troublesome thing to overcome for the veteran righty . He has not pitched past the 6th inning this season, and is getting hammered by opposing batting orders to the tune of a .359 BA. That is not a good omen for himself or his teams chances of victory vs a host, the Orioles, that has rolled him up like a cheap carpet in the recent past. Padilla is 2-6 along with a ugly looking 9.62 ERA , which includes an even more horrific 0-4 record along with a massive 16.20 ERA in his L/4 starts in this series. Meanwhile, the Orioles will return fire with Koji, Uehara, (2-1, 5.89 ERA) , a hurler that is in revenge mode, for a earlier season debacle vs the Rangers that saw him get smashed for 7 runs in a loss. The native of Osaka, Japan showed me that he is capable of avenging that above mentioned embarrassment a top notch effort, after a impressive performance vs a hotting hitting BoSox lineup in his last start, allowing them just 2 runs on 5 hits spanning 7 innings. Final notes & Key Trends: The Rangers have lost 6 of their L/7 as underdogs, and are just 2-8 L/10 vs right handers like Uehara. Orioles have won 4 of their L/5 at home vs righties.Play on the Orioles
Vega Star Sports
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Florida Marlins
Florida is 5-1 at Dolphin Stadium, averaging 6.1 runs. The Marlins, though, have seen several of their top hitters cool off. Dan Uggla is hitless in his last 21 at-bats and is batting .196 on the season. However, The second baseman has hit .344 (11-for-32) with three home runs against Brett Myers (1-1, 5.03), who gets the start for the Phillies on Friday. Myers is 1-4 with a 6.59 ERA in 11 starts and one relief appearance at Florida, and 6-10 with a 5.58 ERA in 22 starts and six relief appearances in his career versus the Marlins. The Phillies posted a 5.14 ERA last year against the Marlins, who won the season series 10-8. Even though Josh Johnson is 2-0 this season he got roughed up his last start giving up 6 ER in 6 innings. We do not suspect the powerful Phillies line-up will remain quite against rival Florida. Johnson is also 1-1 with a 7.79 ERA in three starts and one relief appearance at home versus the Phillies.
We are taking the over at 9 in this matchup
New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox
Jon Lester had a 2-0 record against New York and compiled a 1.19 ERA and 24 strikeouts in three starts versus the Yankees last year.
Look for Boston to win game one of this series at home behind Lester: Our play Boston ML -122
Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals
Additionally: Zack Greinke is 3-0 this season with 0 ER surrendered and only 16 hits allowed in 20 innings while opponents are batting only .219 off him.
Smash the under at 8.5
Undefeated's tools and consensus picks now on a 21 wins and
10 losses run after our two losses yesterday. 😡
Here are today's picks:
NY Yankees at Boston (MLB)
pick OVER the posted 9.5 points
Portland at Houston (NBA)
pick Houston -3.5 points (buy two points)
but most of these win without buying the extra points
8)
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EZWINNER'S
Game: Orlando Magic @ Philadelphia 76ers
(515) Orlando Magic -3.5
Orlando has been strong on the road all season long and I look
for that to continue in this game. The Sixers stole game one in
Orlando to swing the home court advantage into their favor, but
I look for the Magic to get that home court advantage right back
by winning this game. The Magic are 5-2 against the spread in
their last seven trips to Philly and I look for that trend to continue.
Lay the points.
2009 Free Selections Record 61-51 (54.5%)
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Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports
251 - 161 run 60 %
Friday Boston Red Sox
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Free Selection from Totals4U
Friday's free selection: Pittsburgh/San Diego over 8
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Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on Boston Red Sox -120
I'll back the BoSox at home tonight against the rival Yankees. Lester has been sensational against New York and he compiled a 1.19 ERA and 24 strikeouts in three starts versus the Yankees last year. And that stat doesn't say hardly enough as Lester is 19-3 against the money line as a home favorite of -110 or higher over the last 3 seasons and 21-4 against the money line in home games over the last 3 seasons period. But here's the clincher: Lester is a perfect 10-0 against the money line at home when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons with the Red Sox winning by an average score of 6.3 to 1.7 in these games. Chamberlain has pitched well against Boston, but he does not often go very deep into games. That gives the Sox a big advantage against the Yankee pen. In fact, Boston is 21-5 against the money line vs. a poor bullpen whose ERA is 4.50 or worse over the last 2 seasons. Bet the BoSox.
BEN BURNS
New York Rangers @ Washington Capitals
PICK: Washington Capitals
The price on Washington is too high to qualify as one of my "guaranteed" selections. However, those who have followed my complimentary plays know that we've been very successful, over the longterm, when playing games in this price range. Note that the Capitals were an even bigger favorite in Game 2 and that this game is even more important to them.
Here's the situation. The Rangers won both games here to start the series. The Caps bounced back with a convincing 4-0 victory in Game 3, at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers responded with a 2-1 win in Game 4. That brings the series to 3-1 with the Capitals now fully in "must win" mode.
While not many teams come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series, I do expect the Caps to give us a huge effort tonight. Despite being down 3-1, they've played well in the series - they've just been beaten by a red hot Henrik Lundqvist. Even in losing last game, they still held a 39-21 edge in shots on goal.
I respect the Rangers and they were good to me quite a few times this season. However, I also believe that the Caps, 22-7 (+8.6) when playing with "revenge," aren't ready to start golfing, quite yet. I expect Ovechkin to lead by example and look for the series to be extended to a sixth game. If you don't mind laying this type of "juice," consider a play on WASHINGTON.
Tom Freese
San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks
Prediction: San Francisco Giants
San Francisco is 4-1 when Tim Lincecum pitches Game 1 of a series. In Lincecum's last start vs. Arizona he pitched 8 innings striking out 13 and walking nobody. The Giants are 4-1 on Friday with Lincecum on the mound. Arizona is 1-2 in 3 starts made by Doug Davis this year and they are 0-5 off a win and they are 6-13 vs. an opponent that allowed two or less runs in their last game and they are 2-5 vs. a starter with a WHIP of over 130. PLAY ON SAN FRANCISCO (Lincecum vs. Davis)
Jimmy The Moose
New York Rangers at Washington Capitals
Prediction: Under
After playing over the total in the first game of the series the teams have played the under in the last 3 games. The Rangers have played under the total in 6 of their last 8 games overall. The under is 5-0 in their last 5 played with 1-day rest between action. The under is 6-1 in Washington's last 7 playoff games where they have been the favorite. In their last 5 vs. a team with a winning record the under is 4-1. Play the under.
FairWay Jay
Houston / Portland Under 184.5
The opening two games went 'over' the total in Portland and the series returns to Houston tied 1-1. Tonight will count on more defensive presence and contested shots. Portland totals have gone 'under' in five of their last six road games, as they ranked no. 30 in pace and should find fewer open shots against a Houston team that ranked no. 4 in defensive efficiency- an overall rank of the team's defense. The Rockets are also a more methodical offensive team, and the late season regular season contest between these two teams in Houston showed the type of pace we can expect tonight with playoff pressure making it a lower scoring game.
LT Profits
Colorado Rockies -110
The Los Angeles Dodgers avoided the sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros by winning 2-0 last night, but we look for them to struggle vs. the Colorado Rcokies tonight and their ace Aaron Cook.
Cook did not pitch well vs. the Dodgers in Los Angeles last Saturday, but historically, when a pitcher makes back-to-back starts vs. the same team, the second result is usually the opposite of the first one as the pitcher and/or hitters make the necessary adjustments.
Besides, Cook had made four consecutive Quality Starts vs. the Dodgers prior to that start last week, including a perfect three for three last season when he allowed just three earned runs in three starts covering 23.2 innings, so we feel the start last week was just an aberration. Also remember that Cook is actually one of the few pitchers that pitches better in Colorado than on the road, and he had a Quality Start in his only home outing so far this year.
While the Rockies have their ace going tonight, the Dodgers counter with the fifth starter Eric Stults. Stults has always been a fill-in type pitcher throughout his Dodgers career, so while he has been mostly serviceable, he is not the type of pitcher you want to rely on vs. the ace of the opposing team, especially when you can get the ace at a cheap price at home.
That is precisely the case here with Cook, so we will gladly grab the Rockies at this cheap price.
Pick: Rockies -110
John Martin
1 Unit on Texas Rangers +121
Texas gets the nod tonight in Baltimore as the Rangers out-slug the Orioles. The Rangers have already faced Koji Uehara once this season, putting up 7 earned runs, 2 home runs, 7 hits, and 4 walks on Uehara in 5 innings. Look for the Rangers to touch him up again, and for Vicente Padilla to have his best outing of the season in a Texas uniform. Texas is 40-24 against the money line after having lost 2 of their last 3 games over the last 2 seasons. Padilla is 14-6 against the money line as an underdog of +100 or higher over the last 2 seasons. Padilla is 10-3 against the money line as a road underdog of +100 or higher over the last 2 seasons. Texas is 18-7 against the money line vs. an AL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.300 to 1.400 over the last 2 seasons. Cash in with the Rangers as the underdog.