Scott Rickenbach

1* (regular play) OVER the total in New York Mets vs San Diego

Taking a look at Silva and Pelfrey's first starts, they both got roughed up a bit. Of course that's what happens when you each walk four guys and only combine for three strikeouts. That's what these guys did in their first starts and this included Silva walking the pitcher twice! Keep in mind those struggles for Silva came at home and now the young right-hander has to take to the road and face a very strong Mets lineup that also includes left-handed power! Of course, the atmosphere will also be electric for this game as it's the first ever game at new Citi Field in New York! The Mets are coming off of a tight 2-1 loss at Florida but they had previously scored 27 runs in their last 4 games! Their offense, just like last season, is likely to be, when healthy, one of the better lineups in the national league. The Padres though have been a pleasant surprise so far this season and should match the Mets run for run. San Diego has won four straight games and they've averaged nearly six runs per game! The Padres offense was doing this damage in hitter friendly San Diego so that makes it even more impressive. Even though Citi Field is not expected to be hitter friendly per se, it still will be kinder to hitters than Petco Park in San Diego. Additionally, the Padres have a number of solid left-handed bats and it's left-handed hitters that have given Pelfrey the most trouble. Most importantly San Diego heads to New York with plnety of confidence. Their ability to get on a solid, early-season winning streak does wonders for the confidence of a lineup that wasn't expected to do much this season. Of course, it is also those generalized perceptions about the Padres offense that is also serving to give us some line value here! This total is just a 9 and, even though both teams are considered to have good bullpens, the Mets have already shown a tendency toward higher scoring games so far this season. Before a 2-1 loss at Florida, the Mets last 4 games had averaged about 13 runs per game. As for the Padres, their lineup has been a pleasant surprise thusfar. Tonight's starting pitching match-up pits two right-handers up against some dangerous left-handed lumber for both teams. We also feel that with an electric atmosphere at Citi Field and with decent weather (by mid April standards in NYC) we should see plenty of offense on display tonight. Silva was lucky the damage in his start was worse and, truly, the same goes for Pelfrey. Keep in mind, with this total sitting at just a 9, we need only four runs from each team to guarantee no worse than a push as the worst possible score for us at that point would still be 4-4. With the way these two teams are playing right now, we're very comfortable betting on that and we expect some lefthanded pop could lead the way tonight against these righty starters. The wind is projected to be blowing out to right this evening! Play OVER the total in the New York Mets game as a regular selection!

2* (Top Play) Chicago Bulls (+) @ Detroit

This is a classic case of two teams heading in opposite directions right now. Yes, both teams are heading to the post-season but only one team has really been playing like a play-off team over the last month and that's the Bulls! Chicago has won 11 of their last 14 games while the Pistons have lost 10 of their last 16 games! Yes Detroit recently did win three straight but they were helped by facing some weak teams and, hence, a favorable schedule. That all changes now as the Pistons face an upstart Bulls team that has a lot more jump in their step right now! Chicago is coming off of a win over Charlotte where, despite being eliminated from the playoffs, the Bobcats brought a very strong effort. The Bulls managed to weather the storm in that game and now they have a chance at something the Pistons recenlty blew: better playoff seeding! Yes, Detroit is not yet mathematically eliminated from improving their playoff seeding but, with Saturday's lost to Indiana,the Pistons know they are just about resigned to a #8 seed and a first-round match-up with the top-seeded Cavaliers. As a result, there is no doubt that the Pistons are already thinking a bit about resting up for the Cavs and trying to get guys like Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton a little bit of rest. This is in stark contrast with a Bulls team that is still battling to at least get the #7 seed, and possibly even the #6 seed in the Eastern Conference. Ever since the trade for John Salmons and Brad Miller, the Bulls have been a different team. Also, point guard Derrick Rose has shown great progress through the season and the Pistons didn't even have to contend with him the last time they faced the Bulls. Rose missed that game last month and it was a 99-91 Bulls win. Hamilton and Wallace did miss that game for the Pistons and they have since been back in the lineup. However, they are not 100% and this is a veteran Detroit team that is already starting to think more about "saving it" for the post-season rather than worry about extracting every last drop of energy to try and knock off Chicago here. In other words, there is a big motivational edge to the young, upstart Bulls here! Play Chicago plus the points as a Top Play selection!

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