PowerPlayWins
New York Yankees -140
Maddux Sports
3 units on LA Lakers / Orlando Under 201
Free Pick Orlando -2.5
Rated Picks
Orlando Magic -2
St Louis Cardinals +110
Detroit Tigers -120
Detroit Tigers/Chicago WhiteSox UNDER 9
Chicago Cubs/Houston Astros OVER 9.5
Jim Feist
NBA Finals 5-Star Inner Circle "Total" Crusher!
NBA (707) LAKERS VS (708) MAGIC.
Take: UNDER THE TOTAL.
Reason: Inner Circle: Under the total.
Game 3 went over the total as Orlando shot a sizzling 63%. Can they do that again? No. Furthermore, look at the second half of the game: each team scored 49 points, as the defenses were much better and the pace was slower. The under is 2-1 in this series and the pace has been super-slow in the first two games, with two coaches who are preaching intense defense. That's not uncommon this time of the season, either. Orlando shot 30% and 41% in Games 1 & 2. The Laker defense has been effective, attacking Orlando on the three-point line while rotating and double-teaming Dwight Howard down low, who has been contained. In fact, the Lakers are on a 14-5 run under the total, so this committment to defense is nothing new. Look for another defensive battle with so much at stake.
Play Game 4 Lakers/Magic Under the total.
Line Now at Pinnacle Sportsbook ( 201 )
khaliagent
*St Louis Cardinals ML +100 (large)
Craig Davis
Thursday's Lineup
40 Dime ---- LAKERS
(If the line is +2 1/2, buy the half point up to +3.
If your line is +3, buy it up to +3 1/2)
25 Dime ---- RANGERS -1 1/2 RUN LINE
(Must list Millwood as starting pitcher)
5 Dime ---- BREWERS -1 1/2 RUN LINE
(Must List Gallardo as starting pitcher)
LAKERS
(Buy the 1/2 point if your line is +2 1/2 and also if it's +3)
I can't really add anything to the massive analysis I had on the Lakers in Game 3 of the series. I still believe the Lakers are the better overall team and if Kobe Bryant could have hit his free throws, we might be talking about a Lakers 3-0 lead instead of a 2-1 advantage.Kobe personally blames himself for the Game 3 loss for a few reasons... all of which I don't see happening in Game 4 tonight. First, he blames himself for the missed free throws. Honestly, there's no excuse for him to miss as many free throws as he did in Game 3, and I read where he spent much of Wednesday shooting free throws on both ends of the floor. Like him or hate him, he's a hard worker.Secondly, turnovers. His crucial fourth quarter turnover to Michael Petrius could have been the back breaker. The Lakers had a chance to take the lead, but instead sent the Magic to the line on the other end. He must, and will, clean up the errors for the Lakers to grab a 3-1 lead.Third, points in the second half. Kobe simply wore down, scoring just ten points in the second half of Tuesday's game, likely due in large part to his performance in the second half and overtime of Game 2 in L.A. Bryant looked sluggish down the stretch and could have cost his team the game. You can bet, without a doubt, he will "will" this team to a win in Game 4.As I mentioned in my analysis Tuesday, the Lakers (aside from Game 3) have really started to step up their defensive intensity. In the first two games of this series, L.A. held the Magic to less than 89 points in regulation and they still didn't allow Orlando to score triple digits despite giving them five extra minutes during overtime. Orlando isn't invincible at home, and the road team (and underdog) when these two meet is covering ATS nearly 80% of the time. Play the Lakers PLUS tonight.
TEXAS RANGERS (on the run line) (must list Kevin Millwood) --- Are you kidding me? Am I to believe the Blue Jays have actually gone into Texas and taken the first two games of this series? Well, that's exactly what has happened and the buck stops here. Kevin Millwood won't let his team drop another game at home, especially against a team they have OWNED over the years at home. Toronto pitched a shutout last night, beating the Rangers 9-0. The night before saw Toronto beat Scott Feldman 6-3 (yes, I was on the Rangers that night too). Tonight, there's no chance Texas allows Toronto to get another win on their home turf.Kevin Millwood is sizzling right now, allowing just five earned runs in his last three starts (18 2/3 innings). For the season, his record might only be 5-4, but his ERA is 2.96 and his WHIP is 1.26, not to mention the fact he hasn't suffered a loss since May 21st, a 4-3 loss at Detroit. You see, it's actually beneficial for us that Millwood is pitching at home. For the season, his home ERA is 2.59 in eight games, with a 3-1 W/L record. For his career, Millwood is a better pitcher at home too with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.27 in 170 games started. In his last start, Millwood had his best game of the year, blanking the Boston Red Sox for 7 innings, allowing just seven hits in a 5-1 Texas win.
Toronto counters with Ricky Romero... a lefty who is about to face a powerful right-handed hitting lineup. Romero has allowed 13 earned runs in his last three starts and knowing the Rangers have only scored three runs in two games vs. Toronto in this series, he could be run out of the game by the 4th inning. Texas still dominates at home despite the losses, especially when listed as a favorite. Toronto, conversely, is still not a good road team and has dropped 9 of their last 11 away from Toronto. Play the Rangers on the run line as your top rated baseball play of the day.
BREWERS -1 1/2 RUN LINE (Must list Gallardo as starting pitcher) --- Sorry Rockies fans, but it's just not happening today. There's NO WAY the Rockies will sweep the Brewers in Miller Park, especially not with Yovani Gallardo on the hill. The guy has been absolute money much of the year, touting a 2.84 season ERA, winning 6 games while dropping just two, but the Brewers are 8-3 in his 11 games started so far. When he pitches, they win. His season WHIP is 1.08 which is absolutely incredible, but it's even better in his last three starts (0.98). Oh, and get this... Gallardo has allowed just one earned run in his last three starts and we're talking about 23+ innings of work. Folks, that's less than a 0.50 ERA.Colorado counters with Aaron Cook. The problem with Cook is that he's too erratic, sometimes dominating and other times getting dominated. So I checked it out... and it appears the guilty culprit is his walk total. When Cook has command of his fastball, he's very good.... like his last outing where he nearly blanked the St. Louis Cardinals. When he doesn't have command, he starts to struggle, putting base runners on via walks and then a few timely hits. The next thing you know, Cook is down 3-0, and if that happens today, Colorado has very little chance of mounting a comeback. Bottom line here is that Gallardo is on fire and Cook is average...
Gallardo dominates again today as the Brewers win going away.
Al DeMarco
Thursday's Play
5 Dime - Los Angeles Lakers
Note: I'm instructing you to buy up the 1/2 point - see below
Resiliency defined: The Lakers have lost six games straight-up in the playoffs. They are 6-0 SU and ATS in the following game winning by 14 at Utah, by margins of 13, 30 and 19 at home versus Houston, by 6 at Denver and 9 at home against the Nuggets. Orlando, playing in a must-win situation on Tuesday, shot a blistering 63% from the field and still barely held on for a 108-104 win.The Magic barely won Game Three despite Kobe Bryant, who had 17 points in the final 5:41 of the first quarter and 21 at halftime, fading down the stretch, missing 10 of his final 13 shots.The Magic barely won Game Three despite outrebounding LA for the first time in the series, holding Pau Gasol to just three boards.Was Orlando's Game Three triumph surprising? Not really considering the law of averages was bound to go in the Magic's favor after they shot a miserable 29.9% in Game One and a slightly better - but still pathetic - 41.8% in Game Two. That same law of averages dictates they will not shoot 75% from the field in the first half tonight, as they did in Game Three, or finish at 63% overall for the contest. Nor will LA miss 10 critical free throws, as the Lakers converted just 62% from the charity stripe on Tuesday. Same goes with Kobe shooting 2-for-6 in the fourth quarter, missing all three of his shots from beyond the arc.Depending on when and where you placed your bet for Game Three, the final result was either a push or an LA victory. Even counting it as a push, the Lakers are on a 22-8-3 roll as a road dog; 16-7-1 when getting five points or less as they are for the second straight time in this series. Plus, the underdog is on a 7-1-1 ATS run in this series.If I was getting a greater potential return, I'd consider playing LA on the moneyline tonight, but at +115, it's not a wise financial strategy. Instead, I'll grab the 2 to 2 1/2 points. In fact, I encourage you to BUY UP the extra 1/2 point in either situation, making the Lakers either +2 1/2 or +3; thus we're protected should this one go down to the wire like Game Three. By purchasing the extra hook, should Orlando win by a bucket, we get the win at +2 1/2 or +3. A three-point Magic victory leaves us with a push at +3 if your original line was +2 1/2.
Anthony Redd
5 Dime Indians
5 Dime Yankees run line
5 Dime Phillies run line
igz1 sports
MLB
3* Philadelphia (Moyer) -110
3* Under 9 (-125) Detroit (Jackson) vs Chicago W.Sox (Floyd)
3* Under 9 (-130) Cinncinnati (Owens) vs Washington (Lannann)
Wednesday 3-0
Winning Way Sports
MLB - 2 units on Cleveland Indians (+125)
- Greinke & Sowers
MLB - 2 units on Tampa Bay Rays (-140)
- Santana & Price
MLB - 2 units on Baltimore Orioles (-150)
- Olson & Uehara
Steve Budin
25 DIME RELEASE
From The New York Crew
NBA Finals Game of the Year
Lakers +2 1/2
SportsOddsAndPicks
NBA Finals
LA LAKERS (+2.5) over Orlando
Major League Baseball
DETROIT -115 (with Jackson) over Chicago
TAMPA BAY -140 (with Price) over LA Angels
OVER 9.5 RUNS Yankees at Boston
Seabass
Day Baseball:
100* Florida
100* Detroit
100* Minnesota
WeCoverSpreads
Mariners+147
We look for Garret Olson to be motivated today to face his old team Baltimore for the first time. He was touted as one of the top pitching prospects in the Baltimore farm system but last season struggled with a 9-10 record for the O's before heading off to Seattle this year. He has a good fastball in the low' 90's. His best pitch scouts have bragged over is his over-powering curveball that proves to be difficult for both left and right handed batters. He also has a third pitch which is a decent change up that he has been working on throughout his career. Olson has a solid upside and is still projected to be a mid rotation starter one day at this level as he matures through his learning curve.
He is facing Koji Uehara who is coming off of the DL. Uehera hasn't pitched in three weeks. It's a known fact that most pitchers struggle their first game back from the DL as we've seen with guys this year like Ervin Santana,etc. It takes a few outings to work the kinks out even after being on the DL 15 days or so. Baltimore has lost 7 of his 10 starts this season and there is no way they should be favored this heavy. They are a 25-34 team with a pitcher who is fresh of the DL who has been struggling all season laying big chalk against a solid team like Seattle. We'll grab the dog value here and love the revenge factor with Olson looking to show up his old organization.
Nationals Under 9
Micah Owings get the start for the Reds today as he has held the Nats to a .173 batting average the past three seasons. John Lannan who will be starting for the Nationals has pitched very well vs. the Reds in the past. Over the past three seasons he has given up just two earned runs and 10 hits in two meetings with Cincinnati. He should do well vs. a Reds team who is batting just .196 vs southpaws in their last 10 games. The Nationals batters are struggling as well batting just .222 vs. right handed pitchers in their last 10 games.
The first two games of this series have finished with low scoring games (4-2 and 3-2). We are working with a 9 run total this afternoon and seven of the past nine meetings between the two teams have fallen below this number. The Under is 4-2 this season when Lannan is pitching at home. The under is 16-5-1 in the Reds last 22 road games vs. a lefty.
Scott Rickenbach
Game: Toronto Blue Jays at Texas Rangers Jun 10 2009 8:05PM
Prediction: over
Grade: Push (0)
Reason: Scott Rickenbach’s MLB Regular Play: OVER the total in Texas vs Toronto @ 8:05 PM ET: Millwood vs Romero – Kevin Millwood has impressive numbers so far this season but much of that was compiled early on. Note that recently, the Rangers right-hander has slowed down some. He’s walked four batters in three of his last four starts. He’s allowed 11 homers in his last 9 starts. Millwood has allowed 61 hits in his last 55 innings on the mound. Now he must deal with a Toronto team that has roughed him up in his career. Millwood has a 1-4 record with a 6.25 ERA in his career against the Blue Jays. Also, he certainly seems to be facing the Jays at the wrong time. They’ve averaged about 5.5 runs per game in their last dozen games and they’ve already feasted on Rangers pitching so far in this series. The Rangers have a 4.67 ERA at home this season and that’s among the worst in the league. As for the Blue Jays, they have a 4.74 ERA on the road and that’s among the worst in the league too. While Toronto stays hot at the plate against Millwood and the Texas pen, the Rangers should stay close in this game thanks to their own offensive prowess.
While Texas has, surprisingly, struggled at the plate so far in this series, the Rangers should have no problems with the offerings of Ricky Romero of the Blue Jays. The rookie Toronto southpaw is still trying to recover from an injury and, although his last start was better it should be noted that it came at home against the struggling Royals. Now he must deal with the powerful Rangers and he’s on the road where he’s struggled so far. Romero has given up eight homers in his last 16.1 innings on the mound. Yes, that averages out to a homer every two innings. Also, before enjoying some success against Kansas City, the left-hander struggled with his command against the Red Sox as he walked five in just four innings of work. He also gave up some big hits in that match-up. Speaking of big hits, Romero was throttled by the Orioles in his start prior to facing the Red Sox. The Rangers are 47-35 to the over after getting shutout. The Blue Jays are 7-1 to the over on Wednesdays this season. We’ll put this combined 54-36 trend to work for us here as the Rangers offense bounces back from yesterday’s shutout while the Blue Jays offense remains red hot.
Play OVER the total in Texas as a regular selection.