Daily Sports Roundup April 27
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Yankees take on the Orioles, the D-Backs seek a victory in Colorado, and the Thunder and Lakers hit the hardwood.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
There are four games on the NBA's playoff schedule for Tuesday, with Miami at Boston, Chicago at Cleveland, San Antonio at Dallas, and Oklahoma City at the Lakers. The Celtics, Cavaliers, and Spurs all hold 3-1 series advantages heading into Tuesday night, while the Thunder and Lakers are tied 2-2 in their best-of-seven set. Oklahoma City pulled even in their series with a 110-89 home win over the Lakers on Saturday. Kevin Durant led the way for the Thunder with 22 points in that contest, while Russell Westbrook picked up 18 points and eight rebounds. Kobe Bryant was limited to just 12 points for the Lakers in that defeat.
Meeting up on the diamond . . .
The American League's full slate of games on Tuesday has Minnesota at Detroit, Boston at Toronto, Oakland at Tampa Bay, the White Sox at Texas, Seattle at Kansas City, Cleveland at the Angels, and the Yankees at Baltimore. New York is expected to send Phil Hughes (2-0, 2.19 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday night; righthander Hughes has won both of his starts so far this season, allowing three earned runs over 12 1-3 innings vs. the Athletics and Angels. The Orioles will counter with Kevin Millwood (0-3, 3.38 ERA); righthander Millwood was beaten by Seattle in his last outing, giving up four earned runs over eight innings pitched.
Over in the National League on Tuesday it's then San Diego at Florida, the Dodgers at the Mets, Cincinnati at Houston, Washington at the Cubs, Pittsburgh at Milwaukee, Atlanta at St. Louis, Philadelphia at San Francisco, and Arizona at Colorado. Edwin Jackson (1-1, 3.81 ERA) will take on Ubaldo Jimenez (4-0, 0.95 ERA) in that Diamondbacks/Rockies contest. Righthander Jackson took a no-decision against the Cardinals last time out, allowing four earned runs over his eight innings. Righthander Jimenez followed up his no-hitter with a win over the Nationals last time out, tossing 7 1-3 scoreless innings while giving up five hits.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, there's just one game on the National Hockey League schedule for Tuesday with Detroit at Phoenix in Game 7 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series. The Coyotes staved off elimination on the road on Sunday afternoon with a convincing 5-2 win despite the absence of injured captain Shane Doan (upper body). Lauri Korpikoski, Mathieu Schneider, Radim Vrbata, Wojtek Wolski, and Taylor Pyatt all scored for Phoenix in that win, while Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 31 shots. Brad Stuart and Darren Helm had the goals for the Red Wings.
Tuesday's Wagering Tips
Lines off the board
Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers – The Pirates starting pitcher has yet to be announced.
The total in the Nationals-Cubs game hasn’t been posted because the wind speed and direction at Wrigley Field is tough to predict in advance.
Lines to keep an eye on
The Lakers were humbled in Oklahoma City and the series heads back to L.A. on Tuesday tied 2-2. Kobe and Crew opened up as 5-point favorites but that spread has been bet up to 6 at most shops.
An opening total of 7.5 in the second game of the Dodgers-Mets game has been bet up to 8. If the bullpens are used heavily in Game 1 then there could be some runs in the latter part of Game 2.
The total in the Yankees-Orioles game has dropped a half run from its opener and now stands at 8.5. These two teams have played to the over in four straight.
Most books are offering a total of 8.5 for the Red Sox-Blue Jays matchup after opening at 9. The last three games in this series prior to Monday had gone over.
The total in the Padres-Marlins game has elevated a half run from its opener and now stands at 8.5. The last three games in this series prior to Monday had gone over.
Texas surfaced as a -118 home favorite over the White Sox but that number can be found as high as -133 in some markets now.
Weather report
The forecast calls for a 90 percent chance of rain in the Phillies-Giants game Tuesday. Wind will be blowing out to left field at 17 mph. San Francisco had played to six straight unders going into Monday.
Rain postponed the Dodgers-Mets Monday night game and it has been rescheduled for 4:10 p.m. (ET) Tuesday as the first leg of a doubleheader.
Who’s hot
Oklahoma City has covered the spread in three consecutive games and is getting 6 points Tuesday.
The Coyotes haven’t been favored once in the playoff series versus Detroit and earned 4.71 units in three upset wins.
The Mets are on a four-game winning streak, collecting 4.44 units on the moneyline.
Who’s not
Miami has gone 1-3 ATS during its playoff series with Boston.
The Pirates have dropped six straight, losing a total of 6.00 units as the underdog in each.
Atlanta was 0-5 SU in its last five games heading into Monday’s action.
Key stat
8 – Number of NBA teams out of 189 that have come back to win a playoff series after falling behind three games to one. The Mavericks, Nuggets, Heat and Bulls are in that situation this postseason.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
The Rockies placed outfielder Brad Hawpe on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday. Hawpe has a strained left quadriceps that forced him out of the opener of saturday's doubleheader. He is hitting .357 with three homers and seven RBI this season but has been limited to 42 at-bats. Seth Smith filled in for Hawpe on Sunday and drove in four runs behind 2-of-3 hitting and scored twice. Colorado recalled second baseman Eric Young Jr. from Triple-A to take Hawpe’s spot on the roster.
Games of the Day
Detroit Red Wings at Phoenix Coyotes (+100, 5)
Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers (-6, 194.5)
Notable quotable
"If [Ryan] Howard is worth $25 million, [Albert] Pujols is worth $50 million a year."
-- ESPN's Keith Law on the five-year, $125 million Ryan Howard contract extension the Phillies completed Monday.
Tips and notes
- The Mavericks face a 3-1 playoff series deficit and you know the odds against them after reading the key stat above. But Dallas has two team members that were a part of two of those eight teams to come back and win a series down 3-1. Shawn Marion did it in 2006 with the Suns and Rick Carlisle did it in 2003 when he was head coach of the Pistons. Marion’s Suns were favored by seven points in Game 5 of that series and won by 17 while Carlisle’s Pistons were 6-point home chalk and won by 21. Both of those teams went 3-0 ATS in their three wins to take the series.
- The Tigers are considering adding a 13th pitcher to the staff. Heading into Monday’s action, Detroit’s bullpen had pitched 33.2 innings over the last 10 days (10 games). Manager Jim Leyland said, "We've taxed our bullpen way too much," which could lead to a demotion of a position player and a callup of a relief pitcher. If you’re looking to back Justin Verlander and the Tigers on Tuesday, it might be wise to look at a fifth-inning line so the bet doesn’t end up in the hands of the bullpen.
- After Zack Greinke’s last start, it was reported that the Royals ace threw 75 percent fastballs in the game. He was effective, striking out eight and giving up two earned runs in the win, but Greinke had never pitched more than 65 percent fastballs in a start prior to that. This suggests that the reigning AL Cy Young winner isn’t confident throwing his other pitches right now and opposing lineups will take notice. Kansas City is a -165 favorite at home Tuesday.