Daily Sports Roundup April 15
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Caps play host to the Habs in a playoff battle, while the Orioles meet the A's, and the Cubs get a visit from the Brewers.
Meeting up on the diamond . . .
The American League schedule for Thursday has Texas at Cleveland, Boston at Minnesota, the Angels at the Yankees, the White Sox at Toronto, and Baltimore at Oakland. The Orioles will go with David Hernandez on the road against Oakland on Thursday; righthander Hernandez took a hard-luck loss against the Blue Jays in his first start of the season, surrendering just two earned runs on six hits over six innings of work. The A's will counter with Ben Sheets on Thursday; righthander Sheets has already pitched twice for Oakland this season, giving up five earned runs on 14 hits over 11 innings against the Angels and the Mariners.
Meanwhile, over in the National League on Thursday it'll be Houston at St. Louis, Washington at Philadelphia, the Mets at Colorado, Atlanta at San Diego, Cincinnati at Florida, Arizona at the Dodgers, and Milwaukee at the Cubs. Jeff Suppan is expected to get the ball for the Brewers at Wrigley Field on Thursday; righthander Suppan began the year on the disabled list with a sore neck and would be making his season debut. The Cubs will go with Carlos Zambrano; righthander Zambrano is 1-1 with an ugly 11.88 ERA through two starts this year, but he did beat the Reds (three runs over seven innings) in his most recent start.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
The National Hockey League's playoff schedule offers up three Game 1s on Thursday, with Boston at Buffalo, Los Angeles at Vancouver, and Montreal at Washington. The Canadiens needed a point from an overtime loss in their last game of the regular season to finish 39-33-10 and lock up the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals, on the other hand, went 6-1-3 in their final 10 games to cruise to the best record in the league at 54-15-13. The oddsmakers have the Caps as big -270 favorites for Thursday, with the total set at 6 goals. Montreal and Washington split their regular-season series at two victories apiece.
Rounding out the Roundup . . .
Finally, the PGA Tour hits the links at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina starting Thursday for the Verizon Heritage. Ian Poulter and K.J. Choi are tied as the 10/1 Vegas favorites to win this week's Tour event, with Jim Furyk and Paul Casey just behind them on that odds list at 12/1. Camilo Villegas (15/1) rounds out the Top 5 contenders, with both Luke Donald and Robert Allenby at 18/1. Defending champ Brian Gay sits at 30/1 to win the tournament. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are both skipping the Verizon Heritage this year.
Thursday's Wagering Tips
Lines off the board
Texas Rangers at Cleveland Indians – C.J. Wilson was scratched from his start on Wednesday because of food poisoning. Wilson or Matt Harrison will be slipped into the rotation spot for Thursday’s game but the Rangers starter is uncertain.
The total in the Cubs game hasn’t been posted because of the wind direction being unknown.
Lines to keep an eye on
Philadelphia opened as -265 home chalk over the Nationals but that moneyline has dropped to -225 in some markets.
The Angels-Yankees total has dropped from an opener of 10 down to 9.5 at most shops.
The total in the Reds-Marlins game has dropped a half run from its opener and now stands at 8.5. The first two games in this series went over.
Weather report
There is a 30 percent chance of rain from isolated thunderstorms during the first couple hours of the Red Sox-Twins game. Wind is expected to blow out of the southwest from 15-17 mph.
Who’s hot
St. Louis is off to a 6-2 start, earning 4.02 units on the moneyline.
The Capitals are 6-1 in their last seven outings.
Who’s not
The Kings are 4-6 SU in their last 10 games, dropping 5.83 units on the moneyline.
Houston is 0-8 to start the 2010 season.
Key stat
1 – Number of errors the Twins have committed this season. Minnesota has a new double-play tandem up the middle this season with Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy. The teams is 6-3 on the season.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins was put on the 15-day disabled list with a calf strain on Wednesday. Manager Charlie Manuel said that Rollins would “be out some time” and that he’s “hurt pretty bad”. Juan Castro at 37 years young will replace Rollins at shortstop and Shane Victorino is expected to claim the leadoff spot in the Philadelphia lineup. The Phils complete their series with the Nats on Thursday.
Notable quotable
"Bill's not worth a (expletive). To get this (expletive) stadium, I needed to bring his (butt) in."
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones speaking in a video about Bill Parcells. Watch the drunken video here.
Tips and notes
Scott Kazmir will make his first start of the season on Thursday but you have to wonder if the Angels have much confidence in him. Last week, Kazmir told MLB.com that he was "very surprised" to be placed on the disabled list and that he felt ready to pitch that day. Kazmir hasn’t been the dominating pitcher he once was, posting a 3.83 ERA last year with a lower-than-normal strikeout total.
If you are looking for a darkhorse pick for this week’s Verizon Heritage golf tournament, Boo Weekley could be your man. Weekley won the event in 2007 and 2008 and finished T13 last three. Harbour Town Golf Links obviously suits his eye, and Weekley is one of Covers Expert Matt Fargo's picks to win at +3000. Weekly hasn’t been playing all that well this season but has had more than two weeks of rest and preparation for this tourney.
The Angels placed closer Brian Fuentes (0.00 ERA) on the 15-day DL and that’s the worst thing that could happen to this team. L.A.’s bullpen has been awful this season, compiling a 5.68 ERA through nine games. Fernando Rodney is now the closer and he posted a 4.40 ERA in the same role with the Tigers last year. In four inning of work this season, Rodney has given up three runs which equates to a 12.00 ERA – the highest among Angels relievers. It might be wise to take a look at the 5-inning line if backing L.A. because this bullpen cannot be trusted right now.