Friday’s Betting Tips
By Covers.com
Weather to watch
Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Indians – 18 mph winds are expected to blow out to right-centerfield.
Who’s hot
NBA: The Celtics are 13-6-1 ATS in their last 20 home games.
MLB: The over is 8-2-1 in the Marlins’ last 11 overall.
MLB: The Washington Nationals are 17-8 in their last 25 home games.
WNBA: The Minnesota Lynx are 39-19 ATS in their last 58 games overall.
Who’s not
WNBA: The Heat are 0-5-1 ATS in their last six games as an underdog.
MLB: The Twins are 1-10 in their last 11 meetings with the Indians.
MLB: The Pirates are 8-46 in the last 54 meetings in Milwaukee.
WNBA: The Washington Mystics are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games overall.
Key stat
13 – Udonis Haslem scored all 13 of his points in the second half to help the Miami Heat overcome a nine-point deficit in the third quarter of Game 2’s 115-111 overtime victory. The Heat failed to cover as 7.5-point favorites, but are still 9-4 against the spread in the postseason.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers - In just his second game back from the disabled list, Kemp aggravated his left hamstring injury while scoring from first base on a first-inning double by Andre Ethier. Kemp was removed from Wednesday’s game and replaced in center field by Tony Gwynn Jr. after just one inning. Kemp is batting .355 with 12 homers. The Dodgers went 9-5 while Kemp was on the DL the last time.
Game of the day
Miami Heat at Boston Celtic (-2, 180)
Notable quotable
"We're like 18-14 since that streak. It's time to forget about the streak. We've played really good baseball from that point on, and we're going to continue to get better. We've got guys coming back that are going to help us." – Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost about how his team has turned its season away since a 12-game losing streak in April.
Notes and tips
England will be without midfielder Frank Lampard in Euro 2012 after he suffered a thigh injury in training. The English side also announced midfielder Gareth Barry is out for the tournament with a stomach strain Wednesday and the team will also be without striker Wayne Rooney for the first two games of the competition as he serves a suspension. England, set a +1000 to win the tournament, faces France in its first game on June 11.
Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday after straining his left groin during Wednesday's 13-5 victory over the Astros. Tulowitzki's groin has been bothering him since the season's opening series against Houston in April. He is hitting .287 with eight home runs and 27 RBIs.
Barack Obama remains a solid favorite to earn a second term in the White House following the 2012 Presidential Election. Sportsbook.ag lists Obama as a -165 favorite with Republican Mitt Romney at +145.
Phil Mickelson withdrew from the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, on Thursday after one round, citing mental fatigue. After shooting a 79 he said he wanted to take some time to prepare properly for the U.S. Open, which is in two weeks. Mickelson had played three consecutive tournaments earlier in May, and, after that, he took his wife, Amy, to Europe to celebrate her 40th birthday. The 79 is his worst score in his 12 appearances at Muirfield Village.