Monday's Betting Tips
By Covers.com
Weather watch
Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs: Forecasts are calling for a 60 percent chance of showers at Wrigley Field. Winds will be blowing in from left field at 14 mph.
Betting news and notes
Atlanta hurler Tim Hudson has hit his first mini-skid of the season, going 1-2 in three September starts with a 4.34 ERA. But the 37-year-old is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA against the Marlins (+122) this season.
James McDonald has been booted from the Pittsburgh Pirates' starting rotation. The righty is 3-5 with a 7.08 ERA in the second half of the season, after going 9-3 with a 2.37 ERA in the first half. Right-hander Kyle McPherson will take McDonald's place Wednesday against Milwaukee.
Rays’ starter Alex Cobb's ERA is nearly two runs lower at home (3.34) than on the road (5.19). Tampa Bay is a -185 home fave versus the Red Sox on Monday.
Mariners projected starter Hector Noesi is making his first major-league start since July 4, when he lost to the Orioles while allowing four runs and seven hits in five innings. The loss was his eighth straight and he was demoted to Triple-A Tacoma. He has made two September relief appearances since returning to the majors. Seattle is a +115 underdog when it hosts Baltimore on Monday.
The Falcons (-3) have fared well at home during Mike Smith's tenure, posting a 26-6 mark since 2008. The Broncos have won eight of the last 12 regular-season meetings - including six of the last seven contests.
Five Things You Need to Know for Monday, Sept, 17
Atssportsline.com
Five Things You Need to Know in Sports
Want to start your sports week off right? Looking for some action and the most exciting matchups of the day? The NFL is on tap tonight along with four key baseball games. Here is a brief look at the top five important matchups of the day.
1)Denver at Atlanta, 8:35pmET, Georgia Dome
Denver travels to the Georgia Dome to take on the Falcons. Both teams are 1-0. Atlanta is coming off an impressive 40-24 road win over the Chiefs, while Denver beat up on Pittsburgh, 31-19 last Sunday night. Peyton Manning goes from the friendly confines of Mile High to the loud indoors of the Georgia Dome. Atlanta looked like a Super Bowl contender last week, dominating Kansas City, Both teams love to run the no-huddle offense as Matt Ryan runs it effectively with two great receivers in Julio Jones and Roddy White. Denver is 14-6 ATS L20 vs. non-conf. teams. Atlanta is a 3-point favorite with a total of 52.
2)Detroit at Chicago White Sox, Doug Fister (9-8, 3.49 ERA) vs. Jose Quintana (6-4, 3.52 ERA)
This is a make-up game. The Tigers need this game after losing to Cleveland yesterday. That put them 2 games behind the White Sox, who swept the lowly Twins on Sunday. Chicago is 5-12 in the season series and has lost nine of the last 10 meetings. After yielding 12 runs over five innings in losing back-to-back starts, Quintana allowed a run and seven hits while striking out seven over 7 2/3 innings in a 6-1 victory. Detroit is 5-19-3 Under last 27 overall. Detroit opened as a-135 favorite with a total of 9.
3)Atlanta at Miami, Tim Hudson (14-6, 3.66 ERA) vs. Wade LeBlanc (2-4, 2.95 ERA)
The Braves are coming off a sweep against the NL East league-leading Washington Nationals. The win on Sunday cut the Nats' lead to 5.5 games. They take on a talented Miami team that took 2 out of 3 against Cincinnati. The Braves have won five of their last six games against the Marlins. Miami is 9-3-1 Over last 13 games. Atlanta opened as a -135 favorite with a total of 7.5.
4)Baltimore at Seattle, Chris Tillman (7-2, 3.39 ERA) vs. Hector Noesi (2-11, 5.54 ERA)
The Orioles clinched a winning season for the first time in 15 years. They defeated Oakland on Sunday, but lost two of three to the A's over the weekend. With the win and a Yankees win over Tampa Bay, Baltimore is one game behind the Yankees in the AL East. They also have a 2.5 game lead over the Angels for the final wild card spot..Seattle is 11-27-4 Under L42 home games. Baltimore opened as a -125 favorite with a total of 7.5.
5)Odds to win the 2012-13 NBA Championship
We are about two weeks away from the start of NBA training camp. Here are the latest odds from 5dimes. The Miami Heat are once again the favorite to win it all followed by the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard.
NBA Championship
Miami Heat +180
Los Angeles Lakers +250
Oklahoma City Thunder +525
Chicago Bulls +1300
San Antonio Spurs +1500
Los Angeles Clippers +2500
Boston Celtics +2600
Brooklyn Nets +3700
Indiana Pacers +3900
Dallas Mavericks +4000
New York Knicks +4000
Memphis Grizzlies +4500
Philadelphia 76ers +5500
Denver Nuggets +7500
Houston Rockets +8500
Atlanta Hawks +9500
Minnesota Timberwolves +9500
Portland Trail Blazers +11500
Utah Jazz +12000
Orlando Magic +13500
Milwaukee Bucks +14500
New Orleans Hornets +17500
Golden State Warriors +18000
Phoenix Suns +19000
Cleveland Cavaliers +20000
Detroit Pistons +20000
Washington Wizards +20000
Toronto Raptors +22500
Sacramento Kings +25000
Charlotte Bobcats +50000