DOC
4 Unit Play. Take Phoenix Coyotes +130 over the St. Louis Blues
This is the fourth meeting between the Blues and Coyotes this year with St. Louis winning all three. The Blues, in a tight race for the last spot in the West for the playoffs appear to have a leg up schedule wise over Nashville with the Blues facing Phoenix here tonight and then returning home to face playoff bound Columbus and close out the season on the road vs. lowly Colorado. The Predators on the other hand have to face Chicago at home and close out their season on the road vs. Detroit and Minnesota all around or in the playoffs. My point being looks can be deceiving as Phoenix can prove to be a tough opponent with a fairly young team playing for jobs. St. Louis could be tight here with every point being crucial and the odds maker knowing their desperation installs them as 50 cent favorite knowing the public will follow teams like this at this time of the year. The last time these two teams meet was in Phoenix were the Coyotes were a twenty cent favorite in 3-1 loss. This creates a ton value (a 70 cent adjustment) for us as this line adjustment is flat out outta whack for two teams that have played each tight this year and Phoenix playing good at home where they haven't lost since March 19th.
2 Unit Play. Take Under 6.5 Washington Capitols/Atlanta Thrashers
These two teams meet on Sunday with Atlanta blowing a third period lead and losing 6-4 to shatter the 6.5 total. Its no secret that these two teams have high powered offense, it has been proven in the five previous times they have meet with four going over the total and combining for 42 two goals in 15 periods of hockey. Both teams will be starting young goalies as the Capitols will give Theodore a rest and start Simeon Varlamov and Atlanta is going to give top prospect Ondrej Pavelec a look. This total is sky high and with two goalies looking to prove something along with the fact an adjustment should be made to each team playing each other with this quick turnaround has me holding my nose and going under.
Pat Hawkins
Pittsburgh at St. Louis
Pick: Pittsburgh +140
Wow! Did the Cardinals blow that game yesterday or what? Up by two runs two outs and the flood gates opened; look for yesterday’s win to be confidence booster for the Bucs. They got big hits when they needed them; I like their line-up as well, very under rated but timely.I don’t like cardinals starter Kyle Lohse, he pitched decent for the card’s last season because he was on a contract year, now that he is settled I expect him to reform back to the average pitcher he truly is. Snell has struggled as a started of late but I think he can give the Pirates some decent innings in this spot
Ross Benjamin
MLB Total of the Day
Washington Nationals vs. Florida Marlins
Play: Over 8.5
These 2 teams have had a recent history of playing on the high side going under the total in just 16 of the last 57 meetings. The Nationals have gone under the total in just 11 of their last 41 division games. Washington has gone under the total in just 7 of their last 28 as an underdog. The Marlins have now gone over the total in their last 7 as a favorite dating back to last season. The early sharp money has gone on the over and rightfully so. Play on over the total.
EZ Winners
2* Atlanta +104
1* Kansas City +117
1* Houston +100
1* Minnesota -110
Free NBA- Orlando pk
Maddux Sports
Basketball
3 units on New York +8
Hockey
3 units on Florida +145
3 units on Nashville -110
Free Pick: Philadelphia +5
Brandon Lang
10 Dime Houston Rockets
FREE - Memphis Grizzlies
Erin Rynning
MLB Division Rival Playmaker
Chicago Cubs -115
Coglye West
Atl/Phl Under 8.5
BIG Al
At 8 pm, our selection is on the Portland Trail Blazers minus the points over Memphis.
At 7:05pm our High Roller selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves 'over' the total.
At 8:10pm our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Minnesota Twins.
At 8:05pm our selection is on the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros 'under' the total.
BEN BURNS
I'm playing on Kansas City and Chicago to finish UNDER the total.
With yesterday's game postponed, Meche and Buerhle get to square off against each other for this afternoon's "opener." I expect that to result in a "pitcher's duel." Buehrle, who has been one of the most consistent starters in the league over the last decade, was 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA against the Royals at home last season. He's seen the UNDER go 7-2-1 his last 10 starts against KC. Note that the Chicago southpaw has seen the UNDER go 12-6-1 his last 19 April starts. Buehrle goes up against Royals' ace Gil Meche, who has seen the UNDER go 3-1 his last four starts against the White Sox. The Royals have seen the UNDER go 78-60-6 their last 84 games against divisional opponents, including 2-0 their last two vs. the White Sox. Meche has pitched each of KC's last two season openers. He allowed just four runs in those games, while going 13 1/3 innings. Not surprisingly, both stayed below the total. Overall, he's seen the UNDER go 11-7 his last 18 April starts. On a chilly afternoon in Chicago, look for Meche and Buehrle to "cool" off the bats once again.
I'm laying the small price with SAN DIEGO.
I lost with the Padres in yesterday's opener. Peavy pitched relatively well but the Padres didn't give any run support. What else is new? The Padres send another high-quality starter to the mound today, as Chris Young was an All-Star in 2007. This time, I expect the bats to provide him with significantly more run support. Former Padre Randy Wolf gets the call for the Dodgers. The veteran southpaw has a very poor 5.94 ERA as starter against the Padres. His last start against San Diego came when he was also a member of the Dodgers, in June of 2007. In that outing, he allowed eight hits, three walks and five runs in just five innings. While he finished last year on a high, note that Wolf has seen his various teams go just 8-12 his last 20 road starts in April, including 2-4 his last six. While Young missed a couple of months (due to getting hit in the face with a line drive) last season, he still finished with a respectable 3.96 ERA. He's even tougher than those stats reveal though. In fact, since the start of the 2006 season, opposing hitters are batting a mere .204 against him. How good is that? That's the best mark in the majors during that span, for any pitcher that has thrown a minimum of 300 innings. While the 6-foot-10 Young struggled in spring, that's not necessarily cause for concern as he's never fared well in spring training. As Young noted, "I feel good, and I get to go home..." Note that Young began last year by allowing just one run through 5 2/3 innings, en route to a 2-1 San Diego victory over Houston on 04/01. In fact, a closer look shows that he's allowed a mere five earned runs over this last five home starts in April, going 33 1/3 innings during that span. That's a 1.35 ERA! The price on this game has dropped substantially, which I feel provides us with excellent line value. I expect Young to get the better of Wolf this evening and look for the Padres to even up the series. *Personal Favorite
I'm taking the points with MEMPHIS.
With the Blazers battling for playoff seeding and the Grizzlies playing strictly for pride, this game is more important to Portland. Don't tell that to the Grizzlies though, as they're currently playing some of their best basketball of the season. In fact, they're a perfect 4-0 SU/ATS their last four games, including an upset win over the Mavericks in their last game here at Memphis. Playing with "triple revenge," they'd love to keep that winning streak in tact for another day. While the Blazers certainly want to bounce back with a victory, I feel that this will prove to be a tough spot for them. They're coming off a big game (102-88 loss) at Houston and they've got another really big one (at San Antonio) on deck tomorrow, followed by a game vs. the Lakers after that. In other words, it should be easy to overlook the lowly Grizzlies. Note that the Blazers are just 3-6 ATS the last nine times that they played the front end of back to back games. In addition to potentially looking ahead, the Blazers are still feeling very happy just to be in the playoffs. After losing at Houston, Joel Przybilla commented: "Of course, we would have rather won, but we're still in the playoffs. For guys that have been here a while ?K through a lot of the downs, it's very gratifying for us to know we're going to get in the playoffs..." Note that Portland hasn't been nearly as strong on the road. Indeed, the Blazers are 31-7 at home but just 17-21 when playing away from the Rose Garden. The Grizzlies, who are now a highly profitable 20-10 ATS their last 30 games, are 11-4 ATS the last 15 times that they were coming off a game in which they scored 105 or more points. Look for them to keep their positive momentum going for another day, improving to 8-3-1 ATS the last dozen times that they played a home game with a total in the 190 to 194.5 range. *Best Bet
I'm playing on Toronto and Atlanta to finish OVER the total.
The Hawks are off a low-scoring (88-82) home loss vs. the Magic on Sunday. Facing a defensively-challenged Toronto team which is now offiically eliminated from playoff contention, they should be able to score significantly more points this evening. Despite Sunday's loss vs. the Knicks slipping beneath the total (still had 215 points) the Raptors have seen the OVER go 3-1 their last three home games and 7-4 their last 11 games here. The Raptors have reached triple-digits in five straight home games and in 10 of their last 12 here. However, they've also allowed opposing teams to score a minimum of 99 points in nine of those 12 games. The Raptors last four games here have all produced greater than 200 combined points and they've averaged a whopping 226.8. It's true that the Hawks can be pretty tough on the defensive side of the ball. However, their defense isn't typically as strong on the road, as it is in Atlanta. Indeed, they allow an average of only 92.7 at home but they allow a much higher 99.8 points when playing away from Atlanta. A closer look shows that the Hawks have allowed a minimum of 98 points in nine of the last 10 road games. Not surprsingly, four of their last five road games have finished above the total. The Raptors, who are currently very slight underdogs, have seen the OVER go 8-2 the last 10 times that they were coming off an upset loss. They've also seen the OVER go 4-2 this season when listed as home underdogs of three points or less. Meanwhile, we find the OVER go a perfect 4-0 when the Hawks were listed as road favorites of three points or less. Looking back a little further and we find the OVER at 7-1 the last eight times that the Hawks were in that role. Additionally, it's worth noting that the Hawks have seen the OVER go 37-16-1 the last 54 times that they faced a team with a losing record, during the second half of the season. I look for tonight's game to also prove higher-scoring than most are expecting with the OVER improving to 8-2 the last 10 times that the Hawks traveled to Toronto. *Blue Chip
I'm laying the points with CHICAGO.
The Knicks managed to split their home and home series with the Raptors over the weekend. That doesn't mean that they're playing well though. Indeed, they're just 2-10 their last 12 games. Tonight, they'll face a Bulls team which is coming off a 9-point win over the Nets and which has now won four straight home games. Note that they won those games by an average of 10.5 points per game. Looking back further and we find the Bulls at an extremely impressive 11-1 their last 12 games here. The lone loss during that stretch came vs. the Lakers. Still looking to wrap up a playoff berth, I expect the Bulls recent homecourt dominance to continue this evening. These teams did split a pair of close games against each other in December and January. However, as evidenced by their recent winning streak at the United Center, the Bulls are currently playing a lot better now than they were then. While the Knicks score a ton of points, they give up even more. Heading into tonight's game, they're allowing 108.2 per game. The Bulls are 10-4 ATS their last 14 games against teams which average 99 or more points per game. Looking back further and we find them at a profitable 18-9 ATS on the season, when matched up against a team which scores 99 or more. The recent win and cover vs. the Nets brought the the Bulls to an outstanding 16-4 SU and 15-5 ATS their last home games played in the month of April. Look for them to improve on those stats here with a highly motivated effort leading to a double-digit victory. *Annihilator
The Prez
Detroit Tigers (+110) / 3 units
Los Angeles Dodgers (+100) / 5 units
Oakland Athletics (+106) / 4 units
Stephen Nover
Atlanta at Toronto Over 197
The Raptors haven't been interested in playing defense and they aren't going to change now that they're officially eliminated from playoff contention following a 112-103 loss to the Knicks on Sunday in which the Raptors allowed New York to make 51 percent of its shots from the floor, including 52 percent from 3-point range.The Raptors, though, can score a lot of points with offensive talents Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon and Shawn Marion. They are up-tempo and three-point oriented.Toronto is averaging 109.2 points in its last seven games. Atlanta isn't nearly as good defensively away from Philips Arena.In their last five road games, the Hawks have yielded 104 points to Boston minus Kevin Garnett, 98 to the 76ers, 102 to the Cavaliers, 98 to offensively-challenged Charlotte and 109 to the Knicks.
New Orleans at Miami Over 189
Dwayne Wade makes Miami a very potent offensive team. The Hornets have been having trouble stopping strong offensive clubs because of injuries to Tyson Chandler and James Posey, both of whom will be out again for this matchup.New Orleans has surrendered triple-digits in all but two of its last seven games. Fatigue is bothering the Hornets on the defensive end.Miami can take advantage, especially with 3-point gunners Yakhouba Diawara and James Jones now getting minutes. They combined for seven 3-pointers in a 118-104 win on Saturday against the Wizards.Out for Miami is rugged forward Udonis Haslem, which helps the over since he's a good defender and weak shooter.Chris Paul said the Hornets have to play aggressive. It's their only hope of ending their slump. I'm expecting the Hornets and Paul to attack the basket and play up-tempo.Finally back in the New Orleans lineup is long range marksman Peja Stojakovic. This is his third game back from a back injury so he shouldn't be rusty anymore.
Philadelphia +5
The 76ers are off an embarrassing 96-67 loss to lowly New Jersey on Sunday. It was their worst loss of the season. The 76ers were flat having just clinched a playoff berth.I see the 76ers rebounding here in an effort to try to catch Atlanta for the important No. 4 seed spot in the East. They trail the suddenly struggling Hawks by 2 1/2 games.The 76ers are 17-6-1 against the spread after scoring less than 75 points in their previous game. Philadelphia had won and covered in its three previous game prior to New Jersey, beating the Hawks, Bucks and Pistons.The Bobcats made a nice effort at making the playoffs for the first time. But their lack of stars, youth and long season have caught up to them. Charlotte has blown three straight fourth-quarter leads in losing three in a row.The Bobcats are three games out of the final playoff spot in the East with just five games left. They conclude with four consecutive road games. So they realize they aren't going to make the post-season this year.Raja Bell, the Bobcats' top defender, is going to miss his third straight game because of a calf injury. That's a huge loss for the Bobcats.
Atlanta -1
Toronto figures to be mentally down after having its six-game winning streak snapped on Sunday with a home loss to the Knicks. That defeat also ended any playoff hopes for Toronto.The Raptors' winning percentage is just 22 percent versus teams with a winning record. Their six-game winning streak came versus five foes that had a combined average winning percentage of less than 38 percent.The Hawks are the better defensive club and have a far greater sense of urgency. They desperately want to hold on to the important No. 4 seed in the East while avoiding a season-high four-game losing streak. They also must prove they can win on the road just from an important mental standpoint.The Hawks are the superior club and catch Toronto in a flat spot.
BobbyClarkeSports
Royals (Meche) Wager 500 to Win 600
Rays / Red Sox Under 8.5 Wager 880 to Win 800
NCAA Womens
Louisville +17 Wager 660 to Win 600
C-Stars Sports
5000 Units - NBA Total of the Year! Atlanta/Toronto UNDER the total
1000 Units Top Play Colorado/Arizona OVER the total
50 Units Angels over Oakland
50 Units Florida over Washington
Beat Your Bookie
100* Play New Orleans (+4) over Miami (NBA)
Miami is 4-13 ATS coming off a win by 10 points or more the last 2
seasons
Miami is 28-48 ATS when playing in April home games since 1996
Miami is 11-22 ATS after having won two of the last three games
Miami is 0-5 ATS vs. New Orleans over the last 3 seasons
Other Hoops & Hockey Plays
30* Play Carolina (-320) over NY Islanders (NHL)