Thursday's Betting Tips
By Covers.com
Weather watch
Rain is in the forecast for both Poznan and Gdansk, the host cities for Thursday’s Euro 2012 action. Italy and Croatia play at Stadion Miejski in Poznan, where there is a 90 percent chance of rain. Spain and Ireland meet at PGE Arena in Gdansk, where there is a 70 percent chance of rain.
Who’s hot
NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder – The Thunder have won five in a row SU and ATS, including a 105-94 victory over the Miami Heat as 5-point home favorites in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Oklahoma City is set as a 5.5-point favorite for Game 2.
MLB: Washington Nationals: The Nats have won six in a row heading into Friday’s series opener with the New York Yankees, who have won five straight as of Wednesday’s clash with the Atlanta Braves. Washington swept both the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays in three-game road sets.
Who’s not
MLB: Colorado Rockies – The Rockies have lost six straight heading into Wednesday’s game with the Oakland A’s. Colorado has allowed 52 runs in that span, an average of 8.7 a night. Needless to say, the Rockies have played over in four of those six outings.
EURO: Ireland – The Irish haven’t had much luck versus Spain in international competition. They’re 4-13-7 all-time against the defending Euro and World Cup champs and are +1,200 long shots in Group C play Thursday.
Key stat
0-7-2 – The Tampa Bay Rays are 0-7-2 over/under in Jeremy Hellickson’s last nine starts. The Rays host the New York Mets in interleague action Thursday.
Injury that should not be overlooked
Kyle Drabek, Toronto Blue Jays – Drabek told reporters he felt popping in his right elbow before leaving Wednesday’s game against Washington after 4 1-3 innings. Drabek isn’t a big-name pitcher but he is the second Jays starter to leave a game with an injury in the past two days. Fellow starter Brandon Morrow hit the 15-day DL with a strained left oblique Wednesday, leaving Toronto to dig extra deep into their minor league reserves.
Game of the Day
Miami Heat at Oklahoma City Thunder (-5.5, 195.5)
Notable quotable
“We’re going to have to have more guys in there to give me and D-Wade a rest” – Heat forward LeBron James. The Heat had six played log all but 12:13 of floor time in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, getting worn down by the Thunder in the fourth quarter.
Notes and tips
Spain manager Vicente Del Bosque is expected to roll out his striker-less 4-6-0 setup against Ireland Thursday. The unorthodox formation has left star Fernando Torres to come off the bench for the defending champs.
Teams that win Game 1 of the NBA Finals go on to win the series – and the championship – 72.3 percent of the time (47-18). Oklahoma City is a -280 series favorite over Miami, which is priced at +240. Only three teams in NBA history have come back from a 2-0 hole in the finals.
The Phillies have struggled against the American League, going just 1-5 in their last six interleague games heading into Wednesday’s game with Minnesota. The Twins, on the other hand, welcome National League opposition. They’re a solid 9-3 in their last 11 interleague matchups and 43-15 in their last 58 interleague home games.