by WINNERS_ONLY
Game of the Day: Warriors at Rockets
*** Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets (-1.5, 215.5)
Warriors lead series 2-0
The Houston Rockets have their backs against the wall and hope to begin a comeback when they host the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday. Houston dropped the first two games on the road and failed to earn a split when James Harden fumbled the ball in the final seconds and didn’t get a shot off in a 99-98 defeat.
League MVP Stephen Curry is waging a major showdown with Harden and paced Golden State with 33 points in Game 2 and has made 11 3-pointers while averaging 33.5 points over the first two games. Harden is averaging 33 points, 10.5 rebounds, nine assists and 3.5 steals in the series but his 38-point effort in Game 2 was stained by the costly turnover at the finish. “Frustrating to give the game away like that for myself but my teammates and coaches were behind me, just saying that we’re going home to secure home now,” Harden said in his postgame press conference. “Ten out of 10 times we’ll take that play. It gave me confidence but it’s still frustrating when I know I could have at least got a shot up.” The Warriors have dominated the Rockets this season by winning all six meetings.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
LINE HISTORY:The Rockets opened at 1-point underdogs before shifting to -1.5 by Friday. The total has been bet down from 216 to 215.5 since open.
INJURY REPORT: Warriors – C Ognjen Kuzmic (Ques-Ankle) Rockets – C Dwight Howard (Prob-Knee)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Center Andrew Bogut has bought into Golden State’s up-tempo offensive approach by accepting a role as a defender and rebounder and seldom puts up the solid offensive numbers he did earlier in his career. Yet he was a huge factor in Game 2 with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting and also produced eight rebounds, five blocked shots and four assists. Bogut also put his typical strong defense on display and earlier in the week was named to NBA All-Defensive second team while teammate Draymond Green was a first-team choice.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS: Center Dwight Howard is listed as probable for Game 3 and will again wear a brace on his injured left knee after a surprisingly solid performance on Thursday. Howard sprained knee ligaments in the opening game and his availability for Game 2 was in question but he played 40 minutes and contributed 19 points and 17 rebounds. “I just tried to play as hard as I could,” Howard told reporters afterward. “I didn’t think about it at all. We’ll see how it feels. I just went out there and gave my teammates all that I could give them despite what happened with my knee.”
TRENDS:
*Warriors are 4-9 ATS in the last 13 meetings in Houston.
*Rockets are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
*Under is 8-1 in Warriors last 9 overall.
*Over is 11-3 in Rockets last 14 home games.
CONSENSUS: 68.8 percent are backing the Rockets with 55.2 percent on the over.
NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
Warriors are 6-0 vs Houston this year, but won first two games of this series by total of five points; eight of last nine series games went under the total. Warriors won Game 2 despite having three of its starters at -7 or worse- they shot 53% from floor but got to line only 13 times. Rockets are just 15-45 from arc in first two games of series- whatever their best shot is, they’ll give it here. Golden State is 3-1 in last four visits here, with all three wins by 11+. Six of last nine Rocket games went over total; eight of last nine Golden State games stayed under.
StatFox Super Situations™ – FoxSheets
NBA | GOLDEN STATE at HOUSTON
Play Against – Favorites (GOLDEN STATE) when leading in a playoff series, a top-level team (>=75%) playing a team with a winning record
65-31 since 1997. ( 67.7% | 30.9 units )
4-2 this year. ( 66.7% | 1.8 units )
NBA | GOLDEN STATE at HOUSTON
Play On – Home teams vs. the money line (HOUSTON) after beating the spread by 42 or more points total in their last five games against opponent after going under the total by 48 or more points total in their last seven games
93-38 since 1997. ( 71.0% | 41.4 units )
8-3 this year. ( 72.7% | 5.1 units )
NBA | GOLDEN STATE at HOUSTON
Play Under – Road teams where the first half total is greater than 100 excellent shooting team (>=47.5%) against an average shooting team (43.5-45.5%), in a game involving two average rebounding teams (+/-3 reb/game) after 42+ games
55-24 since 1997. ( 69.6% | 28.6 units )
2-4 this year. ( 33.3% | -2.4 units )
Five To Follow MLB Betting: Saturday, May 23, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews
There can be no argument that there are “letdown” games in the NFL, NBA and NHL. But those games are much more physically and emotionally taxing and a baseball game. So can there be such a thing as letdown series in MLB? I think we may find out this weekend when the San Francisco Giants visit Colorado. Why would I worry about the Giants? They just swept the arch-rival Dodgers and didn’t allow a single run in the series. It was capped on Thursday with a 4-0 win over Clayton Kershaw, the third time this season the Giants and Madison Bumgarner have beaten him. And Bumgarner even homered off him! How can the Giants players not be a little flat heading to Coors Field against a bad team?
♦♦ Giants at Rockies (+100, 10)
San Francisco will catch a break in that it appears the Rockies won’t have first baseman Justin Morneau for this series. He was eligible to come off the seven-day concussion disabled list on Friday but is still having some symptoms. That’s scary because concussions cut short one of his seasons with the Twins a few years ago, and Morneau really was never the same until he came to Colorado. Chris Heston (3-3, 3.72) goes for the Giants. He is 0-2 with a 5.11 ERA in two starts against the Rockies this season, allowing 18 hits in 12.1 innings. DJ LeMahieu is 4-for-6 with two RBIs off him. Charlie Blackmon is 4-for-6 with a homer. The Rockies have lost the past four starts of Jordan Lyles (2-4, 4.53), and he has a 5.14 ERA this month. He hasn’t yet faced the Giants. Gregor Blanco is 4-for-7 with a homer and two RBIs off him. Buster Posey is 2-for-9 with a solo homer.
Key trends: The Rockies are 1-5 in Lyles’ past six vs. teams with a winning record. The “over/under” has gone under in four of his past five.
Early lean: This is Game 1 of a doubleheader. Rockies and over.
♦♦ Mariners at Blue Jays (-121, 8.5)
Earlier this week, the Blue Jays said they expected that second baseman Devon Travis would avoid the disabled list with a shoulder injury, but he was placed on it Thursday retroactive to May 17. He is one of your early AL Rookie of the Year favorites, hitting .271 with seven homers and 26 RBIs. It’s lefty James Paxton (2-2, 3.59) for Seattle. He has really turned things around after a rough April. Paxton has not allowed a run in his past two outings and only eight hits spanning 14 innings. His ERA was 5.08 before that. He’s from Canada, so this probably means quite a bit to him. Jose Bautista is 2-for-2 with an RBI off him. Lefty Mark Buehrle (5-3, 5.36) goes for Toronto. He is 3-0 with a 3.71 ERA in three home starts. I think we may see Willie Bloomquist get a spot start here as he is 20-for-44 with nine extra-base hits career off Buehrle. Robinson Cano also hits him well with three homers and 11 RBIs.
Key trends: The Mariners are 0-6 in Paxton’s past six on the road. The Jays are 6-1 in their past seven against lefties. The Jays are 6-2 in Buehrle’s past eight vs. teams with a losing record. The under is 5-0 in Seattle’s past five against lefties.
Early lean: Blue Jays and under.
♦♦ Rangers at Yankees (-166, 8.5)
Tell me who the ace of the Texas Rangers is this season. Willing to wager you didn’t say Nick Martinez (3-0, 1.88) as he is second in the AL in ERA and Texas has lost just one of his eight starts overall. He might be coming back to earth, however, with a 3.68 ERA this month and having failed to go more than five innings in two of his four starts. The Yankees’ Brett Gardner is 4-for-5 with two doubles and a homer off him. It’s CC Sabathia (2-5, 4.67) for the Bombers. He has been sharp in winning back-to-back starts, allowing four earned over 14 innings and striking out 14. Those were both on the road. He is 11-3 with a 4.45 ERA in 18 career starts vs. Texas, but has not faced the Rangers since 2012. Adrian Beltre is 7-for-30 with three doubles, a homer and five RBIs off him.
Key trends: Texas is 5-0 in Martinez’s past five on the road. The Yanks are 0-4 in Sabathia’s past four against teams with a losing record. The over is 4-1 in Martinez’s past five on the road.
Early lean: Yankees and over.
♦♦ Mets at Pirates (-108, 6)
The clear pitching matchup of the day is this game, a second straight stellar matchup on the mound in this series. It’s Matt Harvey (5-1, 1.98) for the Mets, and he’s certainly an NL Cy Young favorite thus far. Harvey brings a 16-inning scoreless streak into this one and has struck out 18 combined over his past two starts. This will be his first look at Pittsburgh. Few Pirates have faced him. Andrew McCutchen is 1-for-2 with a walk. Pedro Alvarez is 1-for-3 with a double. A.J. Burnett (3-1, 1.38) goes for the Bucs. That Harvey is dominating is not surprise, but a 38-year-old Burnett? He is second in the NL in ERA and has yet to allow more than two runs in a game. Plenty of Mets have seen him. Michael Cuddyer hits just .194 with 11 strikeouts in 31 at-bats. Juan Lagares hits Burnett the best, going 5-for-14 with two doubles and three RBIs.
Key trends: The Mets are 0-4 in Harvey’s pas four road starts vs. teams with a losing record. The Pirates are 8-2 in Burnett’s past 10 at home vs. teams with a winning record. The under is 6-1 in Harvey’s past seven vs. the NL Central.
Early lean: To no surprise the lowest total on board. I trust the Pirates offense and bullpen more than the Mets’. Go Bucs and under.
♦♦ Reds at Indians (-188, 7.5)
A few weeks ago, I began one of these daily stories asking what was wrong with reigning AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber of the Indians. The answer: clearly nothing. He followed up an 18-strikeout, one-hit masterpiece of the Cardinals by holding the White Sox to a run and striking out 12 over nine innings last time out but got a no-decision. Those 30 strikeouts are just three off the MLB record for consecutive games. The Reds’ Jay Bruce is 2-for-4 off him. Todd Frazier is 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Joey Votto has never faced him. The Reds will add the DH in this series. Cincinnati’s Anthony DeSclafani (2-4, 3.80) comes off his worst outing, allowing six runs and six hits over three innings against the Giants. He has never faced Cleveland.
Key trends: The Indians are 8-1 in Kluber’s past nine interleague starts. The under is 7-3 in his past 10 against teams with a losing record.
Early lean: Indians on runline (+110) and under.
2015 BASEBALL
National League
Phillies @ Nationals
Hamels is 3-0, 1.69 in his last three starts; under is 4-0-1 in his last five.
Strasburg is 2-2, 7.54 in his last five starts; six of his last eight went over.
Phillies lost five of last six games with Washington; three of last five went over the total. Philly won seven of its last ten games (under 7-3). Nationals won last six games, scoring 37 runs; eight of their last 11 went over.
Mets @ Pirates
Harvey is 1-1, 0.98 in his last four starts, all of which stayed under– bullpen blew 1-0 leads for him in last two starts.
Burnett is 3-0, 1.33 in his last four starts; under is 6-2-1 in his last nine.
Mets lost four of last five games with Pittsburgh; nine of last eleven in series stayed under total. NY lost three of last four overall- they’re 7-13 away from home. Pirates lost six of last eight games; eight of their last 11 games stayed under the total.
Brewers @ Braves
Fiers is 0-1, 4.76 in his last three starts; three of his last four stayed under.
Miller is 2-0, 0.36 in his last three starts; seven of his last eight went under.
Milwaukee lost six of last eight games with the Braves; over is 4-1-1 in his last six. Brewers are 3-2 in last five games- three of their last four went over total. Atlanta won five of their last seven games, with five of last seven going over the total.
Giants @ Rockies
Heston is 1-1, 6.19 in his last three starts, all of which went over. Petit has made 56 big league starts, but this is his first this year; he allowed eight runs in 22 IP in his 13 relief stints this season.
Lyles is 0-3, 7.11 in his last four starts; four of his last five stayed under. Hale is making first ’15 start; he is 0-3, 6.33 in six minor league starts this season. Hale is 5-5, 3.57 in 47 MLB games (8 starts).
Giants won last seven games, with three of last four staying under; they lost five of last seven games vs Colorado- under is 4-1-1 in last six. Colorado is 4-7 in its last eleven games.
Cubs @ Diamondbacks
Arrieta is 1-1, 1.20 in his last two starts; under is 3-0-1 in his last four.
de la Rosa is 2-0, 2.35 in his last three starts (over 2-0-1).
Cubs won eight of last 11 games, with four of last six staying under total, but they’ve lost their last six games with Arizona. D’backs won their last five games overall, with four of last six staying under.
Padres @ Dodgers
Kennedy is 0-2, 10.24 in his last two starts; his last five went over.
Bolsinger is 2-0, 1.04 in his last three starts; five of his last seven stayed under the total.
Dodgers lost four of last six games, scoring total of four runs. LA won eight of last 11 games with the Padres- seven of the 11 games went over. San Diego lost six of its last seven games overall.
American League
Astros @ Tigers
21-year old McCullers allowed one run in 4.2 IP (93 PT) in his MLB debut.
Lobstein is 1-3, 5.25 in his last four starts, all of which stayed under.
Houston lost five of last five games in Detroit; under is 4-2-1 in last seven series games. Astros won seven of last ten games; under is 3-1-1 in their last five. Tigers are 6-3 in last nine games; under is 4-2-1 in their last seven.
Rangers @ Bronx
Martinez is 1-0, 5.32 in his last four starts; four of his last five went over.
Sabathia is 2-1, 3.76 in his last four starts; five of his last seven went under.
Texas won three of last four games with Bronx; eight of last ten stayed under the total. Rangers won four of last five games overall, with four of last five staying under total. Bronx lost eight of last nine games, with six of the nine staying under the total.
Mariners @ Blue Jays
Paxton is 2-2, 1.29 in his last four starts; five of his last seven went over.
Buehrle is 2-1, 3.32 in his last three starts; over is 5-3 in his last eight.
Seattle lost three of last five games with Toronto; seven of last ten got over the total. Mariners are 4-5 in last eight games (under 7-2). Blue Jays lost eight of last ten games; three of their last four stayed under.
Angels @ Red Sox
Wilson is 1-1, 2.97 in his last six starts; five of his last six stayed under.
Wright allowed three runs in five IP (83 PT) in his first ’15 start.
Boston lost eight of last ten games with the Angels; six of last nine went under total- Sox lost four of last five games overall, with eight of last nine staying under total. Boston lost eight of its last ten home games. Angels are 8-3 in their last 11 games (under 8-3).
A’s @ Rays
Graveman comes back from AAA to replace injured Pomeranz; he is 1-2, 9.37 in four starts, three of which went over.
Karns is 2-0, 2.12 in his last three starts; three of his last four stayed under.
A’s lost 22 of last 28 games; under is 3-1-1 in last five. Oakland is 7-4 in last 11 games with Tampa Bay, with under 7-1-2 in last ten. Rays won last five home games, allowing seven runs; six of their last seven home games went under.
Twins @ White Sox
May is 0-2, 6.06 in his last three starts; five of his last six went over.
Sale is 1-0, 1.69 in his last two starts; over is 5-3-1 in his last nine.
White Sox lost four of last five games with Minnesota; three of last four series games stayed under total. Twins won four of last six games. Chicago lost three of last four games, scoring nine runs; their last five games stayed under.
Interleague
Reds @ Indians
DeSclafani is 0-4, 7.88 in his last five starts; under is 5-2-2 in his last nine.
Indians are 1-8 in Kluber starts; he allowed one run in 17 IP (30 Ks) in his last two starts.
Reds won three of last four games with Cleveland; last five series games went over total. Cincinnati lost its last six games overall, scoring 16 runs; five of those six went over. Indians won six of last eight games, with five of last six staying under.
Orioles @ Marlins
Wright blanked the Angels for 7.1 IP (90 PT) in his first MLB start.
Haren is 3-1, 3.56 in his last five starts; over is 7-1-1 in his last nine.
Miami lost its last eight games (four of last six stayed under) but they’ve won six of last eight games with Baltimore- seven of those eight went over total. Orioles are 4-1 in last five games; three of their last four went over.
Cardinals @ Royals
Lackey is 1-1, 2.73 in his last four starts; his last five stayed under.
Volquez is 1-0, 3.86 in his last three starts.
St Louis lost five of last six games with the Royals; under is 4-1-1 in those games. Cardinals are 3-5 in last eight games- seven of their last ten stayed under. Kansas City won six of its last seven games; four of last five stayed under.
Win-loss records this year for team with this starting pitcher:
Phil-Wsh- Hamels 5-4; Strasburg 3-5
NY-Pitt– Harvey 6-2; Burnett 4-4
Mil-Atl– Fiers 4-4; Miller 7-1
SF-Colo– Heston 5-3 Petit 0-0; Lyles 2-6 Hale 0-0
Chi-Az– Arrieta 4-4; de la Rosa 5-3
SD-LA– Kennedy 2-4; Bolsinger 2-1
Hst-Det– McCullers 0-1; Lobstein 3-4
Tex-NY– Martinez 7-1; Sabathia 3-5
Sea-Tor– Paxton 3-5; Buehrle 5-3
A’s-TB– Graveman 2-2; Karns 4-4
LAA-Bos– Wilson 4-4; SWright 0-1
Min-Chi– May 4-3; Sale 5-2
Cin-Clev– DeSclafani 4-4; Kluber 1-8
Balt-Mia– MWright 1-0; Haren 5-3
StL-KC– Lackey 4-4; Volquez 5-3
Times this starting pitcher allowed a run in first inning:
Phil-Wsh- Hamels 2-9; Strasburg 2-8
NY-Pitt– Harvey 2-8; Burnett 0-8
Mil-Atl– Fiers 1-8; Miller 0-8
SF-Colo– Heston 1-8 Petit 0-0; Lyles 2-8 Hale 0-0
Chi-Az– Arrieta 2-6; de la Rosa 2-8
SD-LA– Kennedy 2-6; Bolsinger 1-3
Hst-Det– McCullers 0-1; Lobstein 5-7
Tex-NY– Martinez 1-8; Sabathia 3-8
Sea-Tor– Paxton 3-8; Buehrle 5-8
A’s-TB– Graveman 3-4; Karns 2-8
LAA-Bos– Wilson 1-8; SWright 0-1
Min-Chi– May 3-7; Sale 5-7
Cin-Clev– DeSclafani 1-8; Kluber 4-9
Balt-Mia– MWright 0-1; Haren 0-8
StL-KC– Lackey 2-8; Volquez 2-8
Umpires
NY-Pitt– Underdogs won three of last four Muchlinski games.
Phil-Wsh– Five of last seven Bellino games stayed under.
Mil-Atl– Four of last six Joyce games went over total.
SF-Col– Last five Demuth games went over total. Favorites won five of six Nauert games this season.
Chi-Az– Four of six Conroy games stayed under total.
SD-LA– Three of last four Fagan games went over.
Sea-Tor– Road team won five of seven Davis games.
Tex-NY– Four of last five Knight games went over.
Hst-Det– Oer is 4-1-1 in Wendelstedt games this year.
A’s-TB– Five of seven Drake games stayed under.
Min-Chi– Underdogs won six of seven Eddings games.
LAA-Bos– Last four Hoye games went over the total.
Cin-Cle– Four of last five Barber games stayed under.
StL-KC– Five of last seven Baker games went over.
Balt-Mia– Underdogs won five of last seven HGibson games.
StatFox Super Situations™ – FoxSheets
MLB | NY METS at PITTSBURGH
Play On – Home teams (PITTSBURGH) with an excellent bullpen whose ERA is 3.00 or better on the season against opponent with a starting pitcher whose ERA is 2.70 or better on the season (NL)
193-122 since 1997. ( 61.3% | 67.3 units )
10-5 this year. ( 66.7% | 5.4 units )
StatFox Situational Power Trends™ – FoxSheets
MLB | HOUSTON at DETROIT
HOUSTON is 17-6 (+12.8 Units) against the money line vs. good defensive catchers – allowing 0.5 or less SB’s/game this season.
The average score was: HOUSTON (5.1) , OPPONENT (3.9)
MLB Betting Cheat Sheet: Nationals churning out runs, wins
By Doc Sports
Here’s a comprehensive look at betting notes for this weekend’s major-league schedule:
National pride
The Washington Nationals have won five in a row (3-2 O/U) and have an 11-2 record in their last 13 games. They are also 11-2 O/U in those 13 outings. Washington has scored 205 runs on the season, second most in Major League Baseball (no other National League team has crossed the plate more than 186 times). Bryce Harper has 23 hits in his last 44 at-bats plus 10 homers and 23 RBIs since May 6.
Road woes
In his previous outing against the Chicago White Sox on May 1, Minnesota Twins’ right-hander Kyle Gibson allowed no runs in eight innings. But that came at home, where Gibson is 3-1 with a 1.40 ERA. On the road he is 0-2 with a 4.76 mark in four starts. Gibson will pitch at the White Sox on Sunday.
Brandishing the Brandons
First baseman Brandon Belt and shortstop Brandon Crawford are on fire for the San Francisco Giants. Belt has nine hits, three home runs, and seven RBIs in his last four games. Crawford has 12 hits in his last five (five-game hitting streak) and has driven in five runs during this current stretch. San Francisco has won five in a row (3-2 O/U) to surge into second place in the NL West.
Pitching Notes
* Felix Hernandez may dominate the headlines garnered by the Seattle Mariners’ starting rotation, but don’t sleep on James Paxton. The 26-year-old southpaw has turned in four straight quality starts and has not given up a single run in his last 20 innings. Paxton’s next outing will come on Saturday at the Toronto Blue Jays.
* Colorado Rockies’ righty Jordan Lyles got hit in the hand by a comebacker in his previous start, left after the first inning, and did not fare well five days later. He gave up four runs on seven hits and two walks in a Tuesday loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Lyles, who will take the mound on Saturday against San Francisco, has seen his ERA balloon from 2.92 to 4.53 over the course of four outings.
Hitting Notes
* Pittsburgh Pirates’ third baseman Josh Harrison is on an eight-game hitting streak and has a ridiculous 16 hits in his last six contests. But he is not getting much help. The Pirates are 1-6 in their last seven overall, 1-3 O/U in their last four, and 3-7 O/U in their last 10.
* The New York Yankees have lost three straight games and are 1-7 (2-6 O/U) in their last eight. Five of their regulars are hitting .217 or worse over the past seven days. Catcher Brian McCann (.234, 4 HR, 22 RBI) has two hits in his last 17 at-bats.
Totals Streak
Miami Marlins (23-16-2 O/U): The Marlins, who fired manager Mike Redmond last weekend, are 0-4 O/U in their last four overall. They have scored a grand total of four runs in their last five games and they have also lost six in a row. This weekend’s series will pit Miami against the Baltimore Orioles, who are 1-5 O/U in their last six.
Injury Notes
* Los Angeles Angels’ first baseman Albert Pujols got drilled in the hand during the fourth inning of Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Pujols (.231, 7 HR, 15 RBI) left one inning later. There are no fractures and the veteran slugger is listed as day-to-day with a contusion.
* The San Diego Padres have placed center fielder Wil Myers (left-wrist tendinitis) on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 11. Myers (.291, 5 HR, 19 RBI) has not played since May 10. He is eligible to return next Tuesday, but that may be wishful thinking.
Biggest MLB betting Day/Night splits this Memorial Day Weekend
By Jason Logan
It’s the Memorial Day Weekend, which means time to blow the dust off the ole rusty beer tub, scare the squirrel nest out of the BBQ and put your feet up for a baseball betting schedule loaded with afternoon action.
Saturday, Sunday and Monday feature 34 of the total 46 MLB games tossing out a first pitch between 1:05 p.m. ET and 4:15 p.m. ET. And with that in mind, we take a look at which clubs have been night and day when it comes to playing in either the day or night.
Day Teams
Baltimore Orioles (9-4 Day/9-16 Night)
Perhaps the Orioles are on the Superman diet, getting their power from earth’s yellow sun. How else can you explain such a drop in success when the sun goes down? Baltimore is hitting .292 BA and averaging nearly six runs a game over its 13 day games but just .243 BA and plating 3.8 runs an outing in the evening. The O’s play a night game in Miami Saturday, then during the day Sunday before returning home to host Houston for a Memorial Day matinee Monday.
Detroit Tigers (16-4 Day/9-13 Night)
The Tigers’ powerful bats have pushed 123 runs past home plate during day games (6.15 per game) this season – that’s just 13 runs less than what the Philadelphia Phillies have scored in all of their 43 games. Sun’s out, guns out for Detroit, which is smashing the ball with a .317 BA and .516 slugging percentage in day games, hitting 26 of their total 36 home runs under the sun. But when night creeps in, the Tigers lose their claws and are hitting just .241 BA and averaging only 2.8 runs – less than half of what they score during the day. Detroit plays three straight days games this long weekend at Houston Saturday and Sunday, then at Oakland Monday.
New York Mets (10-2 Day/14-13 Night)
Not all teams rely on offense to get the job done during the day. The Mets and their pitching staff love them some Vitamin D with a 2.36 ERA during their 12 day games. Opposing batters are swatting a .196 BA against and the Mets have given up just five home runs in those matinee contests. New York’s ERA does go up about a run during night games but it’s been its bats that haven’t lived up to their end of the bargain in the evening. The Mets hit just .227 BA and average only 3.3 runs of support in night games. New York, which is 7-5 O/U during day games, is at Pittsburgh for day games Saturday and Sunday then back home hosting Philadelphia during the day Monday.
Night Teams
Minnesota Twins (9-11 Day/14-6 Night)
It’s right there in the team name. Minnesota has a split personality when it comes to day and night games. The Twins are the vampires of the major leagues, especially when it comes to working on the mound. Their staff holds a 2.60 ERA in night games – lowest in the bigs – and limits opposing hitters to a .245 BA under the lights. During the day, Minnesota’s pitchers transform back into noodle-armed hurlers with that ERA ballooning to 5.81 – worst in the bigs. That’s right, the Twins have the worst day ERA and best night ERA in the majors. They have two dreaded day games in Chicago Saturday and Sunday and host the Red Sox at 2:10 p.m. ET on the holiday.
Los Angeles Angels (4-9 Day/17-11 Night)
The Halos shine brightest at night with just four wins in 13 day games heading into the weekend. Los Angeles is struggling to get its bats swinging no matter the time of day, ranked 29th in the majors in runs per game (3.68), but it’s more about the pitching staff when it comes to this decisive split between game times. The Angels have a 4.15 ERA in day games with two blown saves in five save opportunities. At night, the Halos staff boasts a 3.34 ERA – third lowest in night games across the leagues. Los Angeles is all the way in Boston this week, playing Saturday night and then earlier Sunday afternoon, followed by cross-country trip back home to host San Diego Monday evening.
Cincinnati Reds (3-10 Day/15-12 Night)
The Reds aren’t exactly tearing it up in night games but they’re doing a hell of a lot better than their day game sked. Cincinnati is dreading the long weekend, with three straight day games on deck Saturday, Sunday and Monday. It’s a perfect storm of underperformances during the day, hitting just .230 BA (3.5 rpg) with a bulky 4.79 ERA. At night, things get a little more respectable for the Reds. They have a 4.19 ERA with a 1.24 WHIP in the evening – fourth lowest WHIP in the National League at night. Cincy is at Cleveland Saturday and Sunday before hosting Colorado on Memorial Day.
It’s time NHL bettors started taking the Anaheim Ducks seriously
By Jon Campbell
The sharpest puck bettors can tell you what the rest of the hockey world took some time warming up to these playoffs: the Anaheim Ducks are the real deal.
It wasn’t until the Ducks took a 2-1 lead over the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference finals that Anaheim finally moved into the favorite spot to win the Stanley Cup, where they sit at +160 (bet365) to win it all.
If we’d been paying attention, the signs have been there this postseason that this team was a lot better than we’d been giving them credit for. The Ducks are by far the most profitable team for bettors these playoffs of the four teams still alive.
If you’d been betting with a $100 unit every game this postseason – which means risking $100 in an underdog situation or risking enough to win $100 in a favorite situation – the Ducks would’ve won you $802 heading into Game 4 against Chicago. Chicago is a somewhat distant second at $582 and the East is way behind with the Lightning returning $256 and the Rangers having a profit of $142.
Despite this, the Ducks opened as the same hefty +130 underdogs for Game 4 as they opened for Game 3 in Chicago. Anaheim has lost only two games these playoffs and yet the club has been an underdog four times and has been favored at -140 or less six times.
That’s incredible value for a team that leads the playoffs in goals per game (3.58), goals against per game (1.92), best power play of any team remaining by a mile (27.8 percent) and best penalty kill (86.4 percent).
The Ducks face the Blackhawks Saturday night and will return to Anaheim with home ice advantage in the series no matter what happens in Game 4.
The not-so-friendly Sunshine State?
The Tampa Bay Lightning have taken some fire this postseason for taking unusual measures to ensure they have home ice advantage.
The team has a home ice policy that doesn’t allow fans to don visiting team garb in certain sections of Amelie Arena (about seven percent of it) and they restrict online ticket sales to residents of Florida, which they monitor via credit card addresses.
Cry penalty if you must, but there could be something to it. The Lightning had the fewest losses in regulation of any team in the NHL in the regular season and they are 5-3 at home these playoffs with the most recent home victory giving them a 2-1 edge in the Eastern finals.
Teams are also 46-29 (65.3 percent) at home these playoffs so any edge you can get might be worth something.
A turn in trends
Before the conference finals series began, the Rangers were a pretty solid under bet in recent postseasons and the Blackhawks were a pretty decent over bet. You might want to consider going the other way now.
The over in Rangers games is 13-22-9 over the last five postseasons but the last two games have seen 19 goals combined. The over is 5-1 in the six meetings between the Bolts and Rangers this year so it might be time to rethink the trend.
The Blackhawks, meanwhile, saw an over trend of 17-6-2 over the last two postseasons after Round 1 of this year. Since then, the over is 3-2-2 and 0-1-2 in their series with the Ducks. The over/under is also 0-4-2 in Blackhawks-Ducks meetings this year.
2014-15 NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
Anaheim is 10-2 in playoffs this spring, winning four of five on road- over is 5-3-2 in last ten games, 1-0-2 in this series. Chicago won five of last eight games with Anaheim, but lost four of last five played here- road team won eight of last ten series games- under is 9-2-2 in last 13 series tilts. Over is 7-3-3 in last 13 Chicago games. Ducks outhit Chicago 116-72 in last two games- they’re 1-7 on power play in this series, but scored on only chance in Game 3. Chicago is 2-13 on power play in series- they haven’t scored a third period goal yet in series.
UFC 187 Betting Preview: Who walks away with the gold?
By MMAODDSBREAKER
** Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort – Middleweight Championship Bout
Weidman is one of the most special talents to ever compete in the sport of MMA. He has only been competing in the sport for just over five years but has quickly emerged as a pound-for-pound great. Weidman is extremely well rounded and highly skilled in every aspect of MMA. On the feet he has excellent striking with big power, his wrestling is elite, and he has an incredible ground game. He has a great chin, his cardio is solid, and he has not taken much damage in his career thus far because he has such good defense. In short, he’s one of the best in the world, and one day might go down as an all-time great.
The one thing slowing the champ down is injuries. Weidman has not fought since last July, mainly due to injuries, and those may add up one day. But right now he’s healthy and ready to go, and with a win over arch-rival Belfort this weekend, it sets up a number of intriguing title defenses for Weidman in the UFC middleweight division.
Belfort is currently riding a three-fight win streak — all by knockout. That’s what Belfort does best. He looks to knock you out in devastating fashion, and he often does just that. He has 17 career knockouts and overall has finished 20 opponents. He is one of the most dangerous fighters in the first round in the history of MMA. He has massive power in his hands and feet, making him one of the most dangerous standup fighters out there. He also is very skilled with his submissions on the floor.
The problem with Belfort has historically been his cardio. He always comes out guns-a-blazin’, but he can’t keep up the pace for a full fight. That means if he can’t get you out of there early, he’ll slow down and tire and eventually get finished himself, which isn’t a good recipe when fighting a young stud like Weidman. Still, with the recent improvements he’s made and with the amount of knockout power he has, Belfort is certainly capable of beating anyone in the division, so while he is a big underdog this weekend, he’s still someone you can’t count completely out because he can knock out anyone in the world.
My concern is with the betting line. While Weidman should win, -525 is really high. It’s not like Belfort is some chump. He’s a great fighter in his own right with a ton of power in all of his limbs. However, he’s extremely old and off of TRT now, and overall most of the edges go to the champ, which is why I will pick him. But Belfort absolutely has a striker’s chance, and there’s no way I’d lay that kind of juice on the Weidman moneyline because of the threat of a Belfort KO. The champ should come through, but there’s no betting value in the current line as far as I’m concerned, so this is a pass.
** Anthony Johnson vs. Daniel Cormier – Light Heavyweight Championship Bout
Cormier comes from an Olympic freestyle wrestling background and he has transitioned his wrestling over extremely well to MMA, having proven he can take down bigger and heavier opponents time and time again. He has excellent technique and he uses his wrestling to take guys down and control them, and he’s also good at pushing guys against the fence and not letting them break free from his clinch. Cormier also has very solid striking, particularly with his hands — he also has good dirty boxing in the clinch — and on the ground he has an underrated submission game.
His cardio at 205lbs is not as good as it used to be at heavyweight, and he was taken down by Jones in their matchup, but other than that he has looked great since moving to light heavyweight.
Everyone knows Johnson’s story by now. At one point he was a solid welterweight, but he was cut by the UFC after missing weight in three fights. Since being cut by the UFC three years ago, Johnson has won nine fights in a row since moving up to light heavyweight. He is a different fighter now and his career turnaround has been nothing short of stunning.
He also was big and strong and powerful, but now that he isn’t cutting so much weight he’s able to sustain his attack for the full 15 minutes. Johnson has tremendous knockout power. He has 13 career wins by T/KO, and is coming off of a huge upset KO win over Gustafsson, a win that really opened up eyes to his talents. Aside from having tremendous KO power, Johnson also has very good wrestling, particularly his takedown defense, and that ability to dictate where his fights take place makes him ultra dangerous.
We have not seen him be put in much danger since moving up to 205lbs, but in the past his cardio and submission defense were the knocks against him. Now, though, it’s hard to say, because he’s just so much different as a light heavyweight.
I actually thought Johnson had a very good shot of upsetting Jones, and I think he has a good shot at getting the mini upset here against Cormier. Ultimately I just believe Johnson’s striking and takedown defense will lead him to victory and I will be picking him to win the title.
Having said that, I wouldn’t bet this fight. It’s just too close to call as far as I’m concerned, and with so many other fights on the card to choose from, I think this is a fight to pass on, watch as a fan, and enjoy, because it should be a really good fight, one that will determine a new light heavyweight champion.
NEWSLETTER MLB Baseball Prediction From Strike Point Sports
Take ‘Under’ 6.5 New York at Pittsburgh (4 p.m., Saturday, May 23)
AJ Burnett has been everything and more than the Pirates could of hoped for after he resigned with Pittsburgh following a year in Philadelphia. Burnett, who didn’t pitch well last season in Philadelphia, has flourished returning to the Pirates going 3-1 with a 1.38 ERA not allowing more than 2 runs in any of his eight starts so far this season. The Mets have come back to Earth following a 15-8 opening month of the season and have already lost 8 games in May through their first 15 contests. The offense is averaging nearly a run less in May, but they probably won’t need many to get the win with Matt Harvey toeing the rubber for them. Harvey has been awesome this year, going 5-1 with a 2.31 ERA, and he has done his best work on the road. Harvey has allowed 5 earned runs over 27.2 innings in four starts striking out 29 batters with a WHIP of 0.87 away from Citi Field. Pittsburgh is sitting a few games under .500, and the struggles of Andrew McCutchen and Josh Harrison haven’t helped. Either pitcher could throw shutouts, and that’s why I think this game will go under. Runs will be at a premium and both of these pitchers will know they will have to do their best because of the other guy on the mound. Play the ‘under’ in this one.
NEWSLETTER MLB Baseball Prediction From Allen Eastman
Take Pittsburgh (+105) over New York Mets (4 p.m., Saturday, May 16)
This one will be an obvious pitchers’ duel. We have Matt Harvey going up against A.J. Burnett in this one, and they are two of the best in the National League. But I am going to side with the home team here as long as the Pirates are an underdog. I think that Burnett will be able to match Harvey. But I think that the Mets are going to struggle in Pittsburgh this weekend. The Mets are coming off a big series against St. Louis, and they could have a letdown here against a Pirates team that needs to get itself over .500. The Mets have gone 23-16 on the season and are a surprise team. But they are 15-4 at home and have not been nearly as effective away from home. They are hitting just .238 as a team, and overall their pitching numbers are weaker than Pittsburgh’s, too. Overall I think that the Mets will be overvalued going into this series. That will create a nice opportunity to pick up some cash on the home underdogs. Play Pittsburgh.
NEWSLETTER MLB Baseball Prediction From Doc’s Sports
Take ‘Under’ 6.5 Philadelphia at Washington (4 p.m., Saturday, May 23)
We’ll have a great pitching duel on Saturday afternoon in Washington D.C. as Cole Hamels goes up against Max Scherzer. Everyone knows that these two guys are top-notch aces, but it’s some of the other areas of these teams that give us confidence that this will be a lower-scoring game. First off, the Phillies have great eighth and ninth inning options in Ken Giles and Jonathan Papelbon. Hamels likely goes seven innings or more, so we won’t see any bad pitchers taking the mound for Philadelphia. The Nationals offense is also heavily dependent on Bryce Harper, as the production of their team has been almost nil when Harper hasn’t put up big numbers. Hamels likely pitches around Harper and makes the rest of the team beat him. The Phillies offense is a complete disaster and could set franchise records for futility if they maintain this pace. They are currently averaging a hair over three runs a game and are batting just .240 collectively as a team. With two aces pitching in this one, it’s hard to imagine either offense getting anything going. Take the UNDER.
NEWSLETTER UFC Prediction From Raphael Esparza
Donald Cerrone (-400) over John Makdessi (8 p.m., Saturday, May 23)
This pick is from UFC 187. Yes, you have to lay some heavy wood, but if you have followed my UFC picks you know I’m a big fan of “Cowboy” Cerrone. I told myself if this number was less then -600 you have value because I see John Makdessi having a long night in the octagon. Cowboy Cerrone has won seven straight fights in the UFC, and he is probably one of the hottest fighters. And if he can have another great showing at MGM Saturday night he will be in talks for a title shot. He knows that, and that is why I see Cowboy Cerrone not messing around with Makdessi. Makdessi does have some KO power, but he hasn’t faced a competitor like Cerrone and Cerrone does not have a weak chin, so I believe he will be able to handle anything Makdessi throws at him. Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone finishes Makdessi in the late second round and we start talking about title shots for the Cowboy.
ANDRE RAMIREZ
Free MLB 50 DIMES GOLD GAME
TODAY’S WINNER: TIGERS/ASTROS 8.5 OVER
The Astros have been averaging 5.5 RUNS on the road this year. Today they will face the hard hitting Tigers, who average 6.1 RUNS in day games. The key in this game is the pitching. The Tigers will bring Lobstein who has just 1 year under his belt. Lobstein has not been stable, and has surrendered 13 earned runs in 22 innings. The Astros will send a rookie to the mound, and I expect things to get rough against this massive Tigers lineup. Lay the money on the over for today’s free winner!
BEN BURNS
10* *Big TV Winner* NHL MAIN EVENT! — CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS ML
10* BLUE CHIP NBA Super Total! — OVER – Golden State vs Houston Rockets
9* MLB BREAKFAST CLUB! — NEW YORK YANKEES ML
10* MLB BLUE CHIP Super Total! — UNDER 7 – Philadelphia vs Washington
10* MLB PERSONAL FAVORITE! — ATLANTA BRAVES ML
POWER PLAY WINS
Power Play Of The Day
MLB: Atlanta Braves -120 (Miller)
EZWINNERS
MLB – (ACTION)
2* (968) Tigers -$119
(Line from Americasbookie.com)
TONY STOFFO
3 Units Phillies vs Nationals – Over 7
Philadelphia hands the ball to Cole Hamels. The leftie will be going for his fourth straight win after being charged with 5 runs in 6 innings of work against the Nationals last month. Hamels is 0-3 with a 3.35 ERA in his last 6 starts against Washington. The Nats comes in with a 18-4 record, batting .299 as a team and averaging 6.3 runs a game in the last 22 games. Right-hander Stephen Strasburg (3-4, 5.98) will toe the rubber today. In Philadelphia’s games this season the Over is….8-4 in day games….6-2 on the road when the total is 7 or less….11-6 in all road games….17-14 against right-handed starters. In Washington’s games this season the Over is….12-4 when playing against a team with a losing record….6-2 against left-handed starters….12-6 in last eighteen games….11-7 in home games. The Over is the Play here. 3 Unit Play
SOCCER BETTING MASTERS
Spain » Primera Division » Barcelona – Dep. La Coruna
Barcelona -1 (Asian handicap)
VICTORY INVESTMENT CAPITAL
German Bundesliga (Soccer Games)
201 Hertha Berlin vs Hoffenheim – Over 3 goals (+112)
227 Hannover vs Freiburg – Over 3 goals (+118)
219 Schalke vs Hamburg – Over 3 goals (+108)
207 Mainz vs Bayern – Over 3.5 goals (-145)
213 Suttgart vs Paderborn – Over 3 goals (-130)
CRUSHER
Baseball Crusher
Chicago Cubs -129 over Arizona Dbacks
(System Record: 22-1, lost last game)
Overall Record: 22-22
Hockey Crusher
Chicago Blackhawks -145 over Anaheim Ducks
(System Record: 105-4, lost last 2 games)
Overall Record: 105-88-11
Basketball Crusher
Houston Rockets +1 over Golden State Warriors
(System Record: 93-2, lost last game)
Overall Record: 93-97-5
Soccer Crusher
Colon + San Martin – UNDER 2
This match is happening in Argentina
(System Record: 764-25, won last game)
Overall Record: 764-614-116
Here are the rest of his baseball, hockey and basketball plays for today…
Baseball
Houston Astros +108 over Detroit Tigers
Baltimore Orioles + Miami Marlins – OVER 7.5
New York Mets -104 over Pittsburgh Pirates
Hockey
none
Basketball
none
ANTHONY MICHAEL
Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals!!!
#510 Houston Rockets +1 (9:00 edt) ESPN
Have to like the Rockets here after their tough loss in game 2. They had a real chance to win both game 1 and game 2 so look for a big time effort from them here to get a win to stay alive in this series. The home crowd will be fired up big time and the Warriors will not shoot as well in the unfamiliar arena. Take the Rockets here to watch and win with Anthony.
BOB BALFE
Red Sox/Angels Under 8.5 runs
Wright/Wilson
(24-22 YTD Record)
FRANK PATRON
20,000 Unit NBA Move
Houston Rockets +1 over Warriors
LA Syndicate
3* Warriors/Rockets Over 214
3* Giants GM 1
3* Blue Jays
3* Rays
2* Cubs
2* Angels
1* Angels/Red Sox Over 8.5
1* Dodgers/Padres Under 7.5
2* Ducks/Blackhawks Over 5
Chicago Syndicate
3* Rockets +2
3* Cubs
3* Nationals
2* Mets
2* Rays
1* White Sox/Twins Over 7.5
1* Cardinals
3* Blackhawks
Sports Nostradamus
3* Rockets
5* Blue Jays
3* Angels/Red Sox Over 8.5
2* Marlins/Orioles Over 8.5
1* Rays
1* Mets
1* Nationals
2* Ducks
PAUL LEINER
100* MLB – Rays -145
100* MLB – Blue Jays -115
GREG SHAKER
TRIPLE DIME MLB TOTAL DESTROYER! — OVER 8 – CUBS vs D’BACKS
Rockdeman Sports – MLB
Phillies
Mets
Braves
Royals
SLEEPY J
NBA 3*** / “Saturday Bomb” !! — HOUSTON ROCKETS +1
NHL Money Line – Dime Blackhawks ML
Analysis: Blackhawks losing back to back games at home is almost unthinkable..So we won’t even think about it with this one today..Chicago is almost impossible to beat at home and in the playoffs they only lost 1 game..That being the last game in this series…Ducks are playing very well, but the Blackhawks more often then not love a pressure test..They step up big in these spots and they will get it done with Crawford and the boys tonight..Chicago will put a hurting on the Ducks in this one…Plain and simple the Ducks pissed off Blackhawk nation..Payback will be sweet.
MLB RunLine – Dime White Sox RL-1.5 runs
Analysis: Chris Sale is a beast on the mound and his numbers for the year just don’t show how good he has been..He had a few rough outings but overall he can shutdown any lineup..I like the fact that the White Sox will face May today..His road starts have been very very bad this year..In two game s on the road he has last a total of 7.1 innings. He has given up 12 hits and 8 ER…He is low strikeout pitcher as well…..Last time he faced the WhiteSox he picked up a win..It is a bit masked though as he gave up 10 hits and 2 ER in 5 innings of work..Minnesota just so happened to go off in that game against Sale…That won;t happen again and Sale will be looking for some revenge here today. Sale has gone deep in his last two games and has not lost a game since April 30th..he is starting to gain some steam right now…He has 18 strikeouts in two games and has only allowed 3 runs in 16 innings of work…Chicago is coming off a win yesterday after losing 3 straight games in a row..This team has been playing much better as they have won 10 of 14…I’ll back Sale here on the home mound with some revenge for this Twins lineup..I think he shuts them down and May gets lit up early and often in this one today..Lopsided outcome here.
MLB RunLine – Dime Indians RL-1.5 runs
Analysis: Kluber has been nothing short of a straight killer his last two trips to the mound..Coming up short in a game against Sale a few days back should fuel his fire..He is hitting the mark over and over again..I wouldn;t be shocked if he pitched another gem here today..i’m rolling with kluber as his numbers do no justice to how he is pitching right now.
Carson K (MLB)
1* Pirates, Brewers
SOCCER CREW
Mirandes – Alaves
OVER 2 goals -125
Leganes – Osasuna
Osasuna PK +106
Metz – Lille
OVER 2.5 goals -108
all flat bets.
PREDICTEFORM
ARLINGTON PARK
RACE #7
Value Plays:
P# 1, Stand Up Guy
P# 9, Supa
P# 6, Away Westward
P# 11, Broken In.
LARRY NESS
10* 3rd Rnd Game of the Year (the ‘Big One!’) — CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS ML
10* Daytime Dominator… (9*) Daytime Dominator — TORONTO BLUE JAYS ML
10* ‘Signature’ 31-Club Play-MLB (100% winning spot) — ATLANTA BRAVES ML
H&H Sports
3* Rockets
2* Rockets/Warriors – Over
5* Braves
3* Blue Jays
3* Rays
2* Mets/Pirates – Under 6.5
2* Cubs/Diamondbacks – Over 8
2* Red Sox/Angels – Over 8
1* Nationals/Phillies – Under 7
1* Yankees/Rangers – Over 8
3* Ducks/Blackhawks – Over 5
WAYNE ROOT
MILLIONAIRE – GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS
SOCCER CREW
Added
Juventus vs Napoli
Juventus TT Over 1.5 @ +138
SPORTS LOCKSMITH
MLB
Texas +143 3* (1:05 Eastern)
Chairman’s Play:
Milwaukee +105 5* (4:10 Eastern)
Cincinnati/Cleveland Under 7 6* (4:10 Eastern) (Total of The Month)
NBA
Houston/Golden State Over 214.5 3* (9:00 Eastern)
NHL
Chairman’s Play:
Chicago -149 5* (8:00 Eastern)
Geoff Weigel
Risk 3.00 to win 2.73 [964] Toronto Blue Jays -110 vs Seattle Mariners
Risk 4.00 to win 3.88 [951] New York Mets -103 vs Pittsburgh Pirates
Risk 4.00 to win 3.36 [968] Detroit Tigers -119 vs Houston Astros
Risk 3.00 to win 2.48 [959] Chicago Cubs -121 vs Arizona Diamondbacks
Risk 5.00 to win 4.46 [509] Golden State Warriors ML-112 vs Houston Rockets
HOT CHICKS PICKS / Britney DeLuca
In baseball…….
Take ST. LOUIS +105 to fly high above the royal ones!
Take MILWAUKEE +105 to be more brave today!
In NBA……
Take GOLDEN STATE -1 to keep the rockets on the launch pad again today as my biggest play this week!
Dave Essler | MLB Money Line Sat, 05/23/15 – 4:05 PM
dime bet – 951 NYM (-105) vs 952 PIT
Analysis: Too good a price on Harvey, who the Pirates haven’t hit or seen much of, surprisingly. The Mets pen has been good lately (all season, really) and I simply trust Harvey more than Burnett – who the Mets have hit. I don’t get the uptick in the total (I like the under) but one could reasonably conclude it’s not Harvey who’s going to give up runs in bunches. F5 under, perhaps, and Mets F5, too.
TONY FINN
Finn Factor Sharp Money Play – Toronto Bluejays ML
GOODFELLA
3* MLB False Favorite GOM! — LA ANGELS ML
Mid American Sports (Raiderman) (MLB)
Houston ML +108
St Louis ML +105
WISE GUY REPORT
Couple of sides drawing Sharp Action this morning:
Brewers
Rockies (Game One)
BRUCE MARSHALL
CHICAGO CUBS ML
INSIDER SPORTS REPORT
5* St. Louis Cardinals ML
3* Atlanta Braves ML
3* Golden St vs Houston – OVER
JASON SHARPE – MLB
Saturday May 23rd 2015-
Passing today in MLB action.
MIKE DAVIS – MLB
No play today in MLB. Check back Sunday. Best of luck — Mike
ROBERT FERRINGO – MLB
3-Unit Play. Take #957 San Francisco (-115) over Colorado (4 p.m., Saturday, May 23)
5-Unit Play. Take #981 San Francisco (-125) @Americasbookie.com over Colorado (9 p.m., Saturday, May 23)
NOTE: THIS IS A DOUBLEHEADER CHASE. What that means is you bet Game 1 but don’t bet Game 2. If we win the first game the chase is over. If we lose the first game then make the 5-Unit Play on San Francisco in Game 2. We are simply betting that San Francisco does not get swept today. If you don’t understand this bet then do not make it. There is other action on the board today.
3-Unit Play. Take #959 Chicago Cubs (-125) over Arizona (10 p.m., Saturday, May 23) Just a total screw-job yesterday as we lost our top play. The Cubs had a two-run lead with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning and blew it. That’s the third big play this year that we’ve lost in which we had at least a two-run lead and with the opponent down to the final out. (We have zero comebacks like that in our favor, by the way.) The Diamondbacks stink. They’ve won five straight but they haven’t played well to get there. There’s just no way that they should’ve won last night and I think their luck will run out today. Jake Arrieta can be unhittable at times and he is quietly having an excellent season to this point. I think he’ll get the better of erratic Rubby De La Rosa today.
2-Unit Play. Take #973 L.A. Angels (-105) over Boston (7 p.m., Saturday, May 23) The Red Sox are awful. They are just a bad baseball team. The Angels are not much better than them. But they are playing better and they have the better starter. This is a pretty easy call in a relative coin-flip game. I’ll go with C.J. Wilson over a relatively unproven starter for the Sox.
2-Unit Play. Take #979 Baltimore (-105) over Miami (7 p.m., Saturday, May 23) I said it yesterday: we have to bet against the Marlins until they win a game. And it is ridiculous that they aren’t a +140 underdog just about every day right now. These guys simply do not care at all and they aren’t playing to win.
1-Unit Play. Take #951 N.Y. Mets (-105) over Pittsburgh (1 p.m., Saturday, May 23)
1-Unit Play. Take #953 Philadelphia (+140) over Washington (4 p.m., Saturday, May 23)
Today’s Totals
1-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 10.0 San Francisco at Colorado (4 p.m., Saturday, May 23)
2-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ San Francisco at Colorado (9 p.m., Saturday, May 23)
NOTE: THIS IS A DOUBLEHEADER CHASE. What that means is you bet Game 1 but don’t bet Game 2. If we win the first game the chase is over. If we lose the first game then make the 2-Unit Play on the ‘over’ in Game 2. We are simply betting that one of the two games in Coors goes ‘over’ today. And with the starters on the docket I think that’s a given.
ALLEN EASTMAN – MLB
5-Unit Play. Take #956 Atlanta (-115) @Americasbookie.com over Milwaukee (4 p.m., Saturday, May 23)
This is an easy call. Shelby Miller has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this year. The Braves are right around .500. So they are not a bad team backing him up. Miller almost threw a no-hitter his last time out and he has been awesome this year. The Braves are 7-1 in his eight starts. Miller has just a 1.33 ERA on the season and he has only allowed 29 hits in 54 innings. Over his last three starts he has won all three, has a 0.48 WHIP and a 0.36 ERA. He has been outstanding. The Braves won the first game 10-1 but then they got blown out 11-0 last night. They are going to want revenge for that embarrassment last night. I think this sets up well for the home team and this price is too good to pass up on one of the best in the game right now. Take Atlanta.
2-Unit Play. Take #963 Seattle (+110) over Toronto (1 p.m., Saturday, May 23)
The Mariners won yesterday for me as I released that as a free play. I am going to go right back to them today. Toronto has really been struggling. Even Mark Buehrle admitted this week that the team ?stinks?. That is not a good way to get your teammates behind you. Seattle has won six of the last nine meetings in this series and I like their starter better. James Paxton has been great his last three starts. He is averaging seven innings per start with just a 0.86 ERA. Buehrle has struggled this year and has just a 5.36 ERA. Seattle will scratch out enough to get this win.
NATIONAL SPORTS SERVICE
4* Atlanta (Miller) -140 over Milwaukee (Fiers)
3* Houston +1 over Golden St. (NBA)
BRANDON LANG
60 DIME – HOUSTON ROCKETS+1
XpertPicks
BASEBALL
Play Los Angeles Dodgers -140 over San Diego—Top Play
Ian Kennedy has lost 21 of the last 35 road games and he has lost 20 of the last 33 games vs. division opponents. Ian Kennedy has lost 23 of the last 38 games when pitching in the 1st half of the season and he has lost 26 of the last 45 games when the total posted is between 7 and 8.5 runs.
Play Atlanta -130 over Milwaukee—Top Play
Shelby Miller has won 23 of the 37 home games and he has won 41 of the last 66 games when the total posted is between 7 and 8.5 runs. Shelby Miller has won 25 of the last 41 games when pitching in the 1st half of the season and he has won 14 of the last 20 day games.
================================================== ======
BONUS MLB BASEBALL PLAYS
Play Miami -110 over Baltimore (MLB Bonus Play)
Play NY Yankees -140 over Texas (MLB Bonus Play)
JAMES JONES
MLB -Baltimore Orioles ML+104…(2*)
NHL -Anaheim Ducks ML+137…(2*)
NBA -Under 215 – Golden State Warriors/Houston Rockets -105…(2*)
What Bettors Need to Know: Ducks at Blackhawks
*** Anaheim Ducks at Chicago Blackhawks (-151, 5)
Ducks lead series 2-1
After bouncing back from a triple-overtime loss to hand Chicago its first