April 2008 Archive

The Yankees and the Tigers square off in the second game of their series in New York. Detroit came out on top in game 1 of the series winning 6-4 behind Kenny Rogers. The Tigers are sending Jeremy Bonderman to the mound with a record of 1-2 and a 4.28 ERA. He will be squaring off against Andy Pettitte who has started the season 3-2 with a 3.23 ERA. The Tigers have the second worst defense in the league giving up 5.5 runs a game. However New York will be short-handed playing again without Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada. Behind solid pitching the Yankees will be able to even up this series. Take New York in this match-up.

The Pittsburgh Pirates will send Ian Snell to the mound this evening to take on Johan Santana and the Mets at Shea Stadium. Snell is 2-1 this season with a 4.45 ERA. His last outing was at home against St. Louis where he pitched 6 innings and gave up 4 runs in a no decision. Johan Santana is 3-2 on the season with just a 3.12 ERA. In his last outing on the road against the Nationals he pitched 7 innings and gave up just 2 runs and received the win. The Pirates come into this game with a record of 10-15 on the season but they are just 4-8 on the road. The Pirates this season have not hit well against lefties with a record of 1-6 against them. the Mets have an overall record of 13-11 this year and at home they are 8-4 at Shea. They will be sending one of the leagues best pitchers to the mound in Johan Santana to face a Pirates team that cannot his left hand pitching. The Mets have been playing great at home and they should have another big win against a bad road pirates squad.

The Cardinals head back home to start a series with the Cincinnati Reds. The Cardinals have gotten off to a surprising start at 15-10 and they are winners of 3 of their last 4. The Reds are coming off taking 2 of 3 from the Giants. Taking the mound for the Cardinals is Todd Wellemeyer who is 2-0 with a 3.77 ERA. He will be facing off against Bronson Arroyo who has struggled this year starting 0-3 while his ERA has inflated to 7.56. The Cardinals hit right handed pitching well going 11-6 so far this season. The Reds will be hard pressed to score as the only average 4.24 runs a game which is 13th in the league and the Cardinals defense is very stingy at home as they only allow 2.93 runs a game which is best in the National League. Cincinnati is also a very free-swinging team as they lead the league in strikeouts at 7.8 a game. St. Louis starts this series off with a win. Take the Cardinals.

The Houston Astros will send Brandon Backe to the mound this afternoon. Backe is 1-2 with a 4.15 ERA this season. In his last appearance against San Diego at home he pitched 7 innings and allowed just 3 runs in a no decision. The St. Louis Cardinals will have Kyle Lohse on the mound. Lohse is 2-0 with a 2.54 ERA and in his last outing at Milwaukee he pitched 4 innings and gave up 4 runs in a no decision. The Cardinals at home this season are 9-5 with an overall record of 15-10. While the Houston Astros are just 6-8 on the road with an overall record of 12-13. Kyle Lohse has pitched very well so far this season and the Cardinals have been playing good at home. Backe has been a pit inconsistent this season and hasn't gotten much run support in his outings. The Cardinals at home this afternoon is the safe play and will come away with a victory this afternoon to win the weekend series.

The Cubs look to bounce back from a tough loss at the hands of the Nationals last night. They are sending their ace to the mound in Carlos Zambrano. Zambrono has pitched well so far this season getting off to a 3-1 start with a 2.67 ERA. He is coming off a great performance against the Mets where he pitched 7 innings and only yielded 1 run. The Cubs will be facing Matt Chico who has struggled so far this year to say the least. In his last outing against the Braves he was shelled for 6 runs in 4 innings, running up his ERA to 6.04 in route to a 0-4 start. Chicago has been solid on the road going 5-4 away from Wrigley. The Nationals have a hard time winning no matter where they play going 4-6 at home. The Cubs have also done well against left-handed pitchers winning 6 out of 8. Look for Chicago, who leads the league in hits per game at 10.3, to bounce back in a big way. Take the Cubs to win with confidence.

Minnesota will be headed to Texas tonight to start a three game series. They will send Nick Blackburn to the mound and his 1-0 record with just a 2.49 ERA. Blackburn had a stellar outing against Cleveland in his last start. He pitched 7.2 innings and gave up no runs to get his first win. Minnesota is currently in 2nd in the AL Central with a record of 10-12. The Twins have lost 6 out of their last 10 games. Texas will be pitching their ace Kevin Millwood tonight with his 1-2 record and 2.53 ERA. In Millwood's last outing against Boston on the road he pitched 6 innings and allowed just 2 runs receiving a no decision. Texas is currently 4th in the AL West with a record of just 7-16. The Rangers have lost their last 7 straight games and have only won 2 out of their last 10. Minnesota will be getting back Michael Cuddyer and hist .312 batting average for tonight's game which should help spark this Minnesota offense. Millwood is one of the better pitchers in the league but he is not getting any run support from this weak Ranger line up. With Blackburn pitching like an all star and the Twins offense playing well were going to take the Twins to win tonight in Arlington.

The Detroit Tigers, everybody’s World Series pick has gotten off to a terrible start. But they have gotten healthy against the Rangers. The Tigers have beat up on the Rangers in the last two games by winning by a combined score of 29-8. The Tigers are sending Jeremy Bonderman to the mound who is 1-2. The revived Tiger offense should have another good outing as they tee off against Jason Jennings who has struggled at 0-3 with a 7.08 ERA. Texas also is giving up runs on the road at a almost 5 ½ runs a game. They are also giving up over 10 hits a game. That combined with arguably the leagues best offense finally hitting their stride leads to another Detroit victory.

The Los Angelas Angels will send John Garland and his 2-2 record and 4.81 ERA to the mound tonight to take on Masuzaka and his 4-0 record and 3.14 ERA. Both these teams are playing great baseball but Boston at home with their ace on the mound will have the upper hand in this game. Masuzaka is lights out at home and is undefeated for the season. Were going to ride the hot hand in Matsuzaka to victory this evening in Fenway.

The Padres look to rebound from a tough loss last night at the hand of the Astros. They are sending their ace Jake Peavy to the mound. Peavy has been lights out so far this year starting 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA. Houston struggles against right handed pitchers going 5-10 against them this year. Houston is sending Brandon Backe to the mound, who is 1-2 this year with a 4.26 ERA. San Diego is not known for scoring a lot of runs but with Peavy on the mound they won’t have to. Look for him to pitch well against these same Astros that he pitched 7 shutout innings against in San Diego’s 4-0 win over them on March 31st. Take the Padres to win as their pitching keeps Houston in check.

The Washington Nationals come into tonight's game just 5-14 and winning only 2 out of their last 10 games. They will put Matt Chico on the mound with his 0-0 record and a 4.81 ERA. In his last outing against the Mets he pitched 5 innings and allowed 5 runs. The Braves have a record of 9-9 on the season and they have won 6 out of their last 10. They will send Tim Hudson to the mound with his 2-1 record and 3.38 ERA. In his last outing against the Florida Marlins he only pitched 3 innings and game up 4 runs. Washington is struggling to get wins and find an identity as a team this season. The Braves on the other hand are beginning to come together as a unit. Tim Hudson is one of the better pitchers in the league and should rebound nicely after his poor outing in Florida. Look for the Braves to rough up Matt Chico and his 4.81 ERA this evening.

The Yankees continue their series with the Orioles Camden Yards. Andy Pettitte takes the mound for the yanks as they look to rebound from their 6-0 loss to Baltimore yesterday. New York hasn’t exactly been lighting up the scoreboard but the Orioles are allowing almost 5 runs a game at home. Look for Pettitte to return to form and for the bats to wake up out of a slump as New York steps up and wins an important divisional match-up.

The Boston Red Sox will host the Texas Rangers this evening at Fenway in what should be an easy victory for the 10-7 Sox. John Lester will be on the mound tonight and he is 1-2 with a 5.31 ERA. In his last three outings he has given up 4 runs, 7 runs and 0 runs in those apperances. The Red Sox are the Far superior team in this match up and they tend to play lights out in Fenway. Take the Red Sox to win this game easily against a Texas team that is struggling to win.

The Mets head the Citizens Bank Park to take on the Phillies. Both teams are off to a rocky start. But the Mets have their ace on the mound in Johan Santana. Santana may be only 1-2 but his ERA is a respectable 3.05. Expect to see him pitch well as he continues to improve. More good news for the Mets is that they will be facing lefty Cole Hamels and the Mets are 5-1 against left handed pitchers. Don’t worry about New York’s scoring on the road they average 6 runs a game on the road which is tops in the league. Look for the Mets to come away with the road win.

The Chicago Cubs are on a roll right now and they will be looking for the sweep this afternoon at Wrigley. Ted Lilly started off the season losing his first two games and we expect a big rebound in this game for him. His opponent Edison Volquez pitched great in his first appearance getting the win and posting a 0.87 ERA. The Cubs bats are starting to come alive putting up 9 runs on Tuesday and 12 runs yesterday. Look for the Cubs to keep things rolling this afternoon in Wrigley.

The Raptors head to the United Center to take on the Chicago Bulls. The Raptors currently the #6 seed in the Eastern conference playoffs look to secure that seed with a victory in Chicago. How important is the #6 seed, dropping to the 7th seed would seal a date with Detroit instead of Orlando. The Bulls on the other hand will simply be looking to end a miserable season on a positive note. The Bulls have played far below expectations all season long. Chicago has not covered well at home going 16-24 against the spread. The raptors however are a respectable 22-18 ATS away. In their last 2 games against the Bulls the Raptors won by 15 at home and 30 the last time they visited the United Center, covering easily in both games. Toronto has won 3 of their last 4 only faltering at Detroit. Even though the Bulls torched the Bucks for 151 points in their last game don’t look for a repeat performance. The stats don’t lie and the Bulls are the leagues worst shooting team at a dismal 43.5%. In a match-up like this taking the points is your best bet. Take Toronto to cover and don’t be surprised if they walk away with a win.

Tonight's game features the 26th ranked Timberwolves offense against the number 1 ranked Pistons defense. The Pistons are an impressive 25-15 against the spread at home this season. Offensively the Pistons at home are averaging 99.4 points per game ranking 17th in the NBA. The Pistons allow the third least field goal percentage against in the league at 43.8%. The Pistons also are second in three points made allowed in the league at 5 per game.

The Timberwolves are 20-20 against the spread on the road this season. Defensively they are giving up on the road 103.7 points per game ranking 19th in NBA play. With the Timberwolves having a bad road offense as well as giving up a lot of points defensively they odds will be well against them. Detroit is one of the leagues best teams and they win their games by being the best defense in the league. Detroit's defense tonight will be too much for a young inexperienced Timberwolves team to handle. Take The Pistons to win this game by double digits.

The Houston Rockets head to Utah to take on the Jazz. Both teams are playing good basketball as of late. The Jazz are excellent at home with a home record of 36-4. They not only win at home but they cover as well. They are 28-12 ATS in their Games at home. Utah is coming off an impressive victory beating the high scoring Nuggets by 27. Houston is a very good rebounding team and that should help keep them close for a while but thy only score at a clip of 95.62 points a contest on the road. They will be hard pressed to keep up a Jazz team that averages over 109 points a game at home. This is an important game for both teams as they look to get home court advantage in the playoffs. Look for Utah to continue their winning ways at home. Take Utah to cover.

The Orlando Magic are 4-2 against the spread in their last 6 games when playing Chicago and 5-1 straight up against the Bulls. The Bulls on the other hand are just 2-4 straight up in their last 6 games. Offensively the Magic are averaging 104 points per game on the road which ranks 6th overall in the NBA. Defensively they are allowing their opponents to score 100.1 points per game ranking 11th. The Bulls at home this season are scoring only 98.8 points per game ranking 20th. Defensively at home they are allowing their opponents to score 99.2 points ranking 17th overall. The Bulls have played well this season at home but they are a very streaky team. They struggle on offense but at home they hold their opponents down. Orlando has one of the best offenses in the league and they create some match-up problems for Chicago. The Magic beat the Bulls bad the last two times they met and we expect them to pull off a victory this evening. Take the Magic to cover.

The Denver Nuggets head to EnergySolutions Arena for their match up with the Utah Jazz. Denver is in the heat of a 3 team battle for the finals playoff spot in the West so every game is a must win for them. The last trip to Utah was not to kind for the Nuggets but this is a different team as they have seem to have found a rhythm. Winners of 3 of their last 5 they have covered in each of their wins. Denver will look to Anthony and Iverson to lead the scoring charge as they will look to flat outscore Utah. The Nuggets have the leagues most explosive offense averaging over 110 points a game. And if their game against Golden State was any indication they can play some defense too. Utah will struggle to keep up inside as they give up the most rebounds of any team in the league at 37.8 a game. Denver will keep this close throughout as they have too much on the line. Take the points.

New Jersey is just 1-5 straight up in their last 6 games and only 2-4-1 against the spread in their last 7 games when playing on the road against Toronto. Offensively on the road the Nets are averaging 94.3 points per game ranking 23rd overall. Defensively they are allowing their opponents on the road to score 102.3 points per game ranking 17th.

The Raptors are 15-8 straight up in their last 23 games at home and 5-1 straight up in their last 6 games when playing New Jersey at home. Toronto offensively at home this season is averaging 102.2 points per game ranking 11th overall in NBA play. Defensively they are allowing their opponents to score just 95.5 points per game ranking 10th overall.

Toronto not only has a great record against the Nets at home but they beat them in every category except rebounds. Toronto has a lot on the line as they are continually fighting for playoff positioning. The Nets are on a downward spiral and have been playing like they cant wait for the season to be over with. Toronto at home has been solid this year and tonight they will have their way with the Nets.

The battle of two L.A. teams heading in two different directions takes place at the Staples Center tonight. The Lakers are still very much in the hunt for the #1 seed in the west as they are only 2 games back. The Clippers however sit at 22-55 in what has become a season to forget. The Lakers simply have too much talent and too much to play for the Clippers to compete. Gasol and Odom will dominate the boards as the Lakers exploit their rebounding advantage as they are averaging 44 a game. Even though it is at the Staples Center, it is still considered an away game for the Lakers and the cover well on the road. This season they are 26-13-1 ATS away. The Lakers will pull ahead early and not look back.

The 51-26 Phoenix Suns enters tonight's Western Conference game 19-17-2 against the spread on the road. The Suns have the leagues third highest scoring team at 110.3. points per game. The Suns also lead the league in field goal percentage with 50% from the field. Defensively the Suns are allowing their opponents on the road to score 105.5 points per game ranking 23rd overall in the NBA. The Suns have won 3 out of their last 5 games.

The 53-24 San Antonio Spurs enters tonight's game at home inside the walls of the AT&T Center 21-17 against the spread this season. The Spurs have the leagues 22nd ranked home offense averaging just 98.2 points per game. San Antonio though has the leagues 3rd best home defense allowing their opponents just 88.8 points per game. The Spurs are third in three points made allowed in the league at 5.2 per game. San Antonio has won 4 out of their last 5 games.

Phoenix has won 2 out of the 3 match-ups between these two teams this season. The Suns out due the Spurs in every statistical category except points against and offensive rebounds. These teams rely on two polar opposite things with Phoenix relying on offense to push them through games and the Spurs depend on their defense to hold teams throughout games. The last two times the Suns offense has been able to out due the Spurs defense. Tonight's game should produce the same out come. Expect the Suns offense to pull away late in this game and maybe even come away with a Phoenix win.

The Atlanta Hawks head to Conseco Fieldhouse to take on the Indiana Pacers. This is a crucial game for the Pacers if they hope to have any chance of making the playoffs. They have the opportunity to cut a game off of Atlanta’s 3 game lead for the #8 seed in the East. Indiana is 4-1 in their last 5 going 5-2 ATS in their last 7. The Hawks are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 against Indiana managing to win only twice in their last 15 trips to Indy. Look Indy to try and exploit their advantage inside as the Hawks will be hard pressed to find an answer for Jermaine O’Neal. The Pacers come up with a much needed victory to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The 3-3 Minnesota Twins come into Chicago winning their last 2 straight games. Their averaging 3 runs per game, batting .253 and their pitching staff holds a 3.67 ERA. Nick Blackburn will step to the mound today with a 0-1 record with just a 1.29 ERA.

The 4-2 Chicago White Sox will have their home opener this afternoon at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox have won their last 4 straight games. They're averaging 5 runs a game, batting .260 and their pitching staff holds a 5.20 ERA. Javier Vazquez will take the home opener today with a record of 0-1 and an ERA of 7.20.

The Chicago White Sox are on fire right now winning their last four straight and putting a hurting on division rival Detroit Tigers. The Sox are beating the Twins in almost every statistical category except ERA and stolen bases. Today's game will favor the White Sox at home with an excited Opening Day crowd. Stick with the hot hand.

The 26-49 Milwaukee Bucks are just 14-22-1 against the spread on the road this season. Offensively they are averaging 93.9 points per game on the road ranking 25th overall in the NBA. Defensively the Bucks area allowing their opponents to score 105.2 points per game ranking 22nd in the league. Milwaukee is second worst in field goal percentage against in the league at 47.6 points per game. The Bucks have lost 3 out of their last 5 games. The 32-44 Indiana Pacers are 18-18-1 against the spread at home this season. Offensively the Pacers at home are averaging 105.4 points per game ranking 6th overall in NBA play. Defensively the Pacers are allowing their opponents inside the walls of Conseco Fieldhouse to score 104.7 points per game ranking a poor 27th overall. Indiana is the third best in the league in three points made with 9.1 per game. The Pacers have won 3 out of their last 5 games. The Pacers are dominating the statistics in this game against the Bucks. They out do them big time in three pointers averaged per game with the Pacers averaging 9.1 and the Bucks averaging just 5.5. Just this stat alone can open this game up big for the Pacers. Indiana has pretty much covered half the time at home while the Bucks have struggled to put up points on the road as well as cover. The Pacers will have no problems handling the Bucks tonight and expect this game to go over the spread.

The Sacramento Kings head to the Pepsi Center to take on the Denver Nuggets. Sacramento is coming off a victory over the LA Clippers. Denver has won 4 of 5 coming off a win against Phoenix. Denver is the highest scoring team in the league averaging over 110 points a game and the Kings just don’t have the firepower to keep pace. Look for Denver to also have an advantage on the boards as they are out-rebounding the Kings by over 5 boards a game. Sacramento also struggles on defense when they are on the road as they giving up a generous 106 points a game. Look for to come out of the gates early and finish with a convincing victory.

Tonight the 47-28 Dallas Mavericks travel to the STAPLES center to take on the 51-24 Los Angeles Lakers. Both teams have not recently done well against the spread, with Dallas going 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games and Los Angeles going 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games. But overall Los Angeles is the better team in this situation, in the last 10 games at home against Dallas the Lakers have gone 7-3 ATS. Last time these two teams met Dallas was the favorite in Dallas by 6 points and ended up losing to Los Angeles 102-100. This time the Lakers have the home court advantage where the average scoring 110 ppg and only allow their opponents 100 ppg. Take the Lakers it this should be a great game.