Comps
Lakers at SAN ANTONIO (-5) Sports Gambling Hotline
It is hard for us to imagine tonight's third game between the Lakers and Spurs going OVER the posted total.
The first two games played in Los Angeles in this series stayed way LOW, putting the UNDER run in this series at 4 of the last 5, and 7 of the last 10 overall UNDER the posted price.
These teams have stayed UNDER the total 7 of the last 8 meetings!
We have no doubt about the Lakers potential to crack the century mark, but the Spurs are looking like a tired, old team, and we can't see Coach Pop's team getting 100-points in this game at all.
San Antonio's last 7 games in the playoffs have ALL landed below the posted price, and we see this one landing LOW as well.
Play on the UNDER in Game Three of this series.
5♦ UNDER
Milwaukee at WASHINGTON (-120) Michael Cannon
Take the Nationals for the home win over the Brewers today.
Milwaukee comes in as a team that just flat out struggles on the road.
The Brewers are just 12-17 away from Miller Park this year, including 3-11 since May 2. They are just 3-7 in their last 10 overall.
Washington will start Tim Redding, who is a solid 6-3 with a 3.16 ERA this season. The right-hander will be trying to win his third straight start.
Redding is also 3-1 with a 2.63 ERA in four games this month and has allowed just one run in his last 12 1-3 innings.
Take the Nationals as they grab the home win over the Brewers.
3♦ WASHINGTON
Arizona at ATLANTA (-120) Karl Garrett
93-81-3 free play run from the G-Man.
Going to stick with the Braves at home this Sunday, as Atlanta won Saturday's game in dramatic fashion to make it a 6-1 run their last 7 games, and up their home mark for the season to 21-6!
Arizona is struggling on this current road swing, as they have lost 4 of their last 5, and while Micah Owings is 5-2 this season, he is coming off a road loss at Florida.
Tom Glavine is strictly a 6-inning or so pitcher these days, but the southdaw has won back-to-back starts, and threw 7 innings of 2 run ball in a no-decision the start prior.
The Bravos are getting timely hitting, and solid bullpen help during this homestand, so there is no reason to go against them at this small of a price.
Braves cop another.
2♦ ATLANTA
Chi. Cubs (-135) at PITTSBURGH Drew Gordon
With the Bucs finally getting a win over the Cubbies yesterday, you might be tempted to chase the plus money once again today, but that would be a mistake and here's why:
First off, the pitching match up isn't nearly as even as it was yesterday, as Tedd Lilly squares off against the struggling Paul Maholm. Lilly has been on point over his last 4 starts, going 4-0 with 3.55 ERA including 31 Ks to just 6 walks over that stretch! Not only that, but after struggling in his only start against the Pirates this season (April 7th), I fully expect him to come out fired up for this one.
Second, despite the fact Paul Maholm clearly prefers pitching at PNC Park, going 2-1 with a 2.76 ERA there, his last 4 starts have been garbage, and a match up against one of the better hitting teams in the Majors isn't a good thing for the Bucs lefty. His numbers at home look good, but lately he's been anything but that, allowing 8 runs on 15 hits over his last 12 1/3 innings in Pittsburgh. Note, he's also 1-1 with a lofty 5.40 ERA in day games this season.
Finally, consider the Cubs offense, which has been crushing lefties, averaging 6.7 runs against southpaws, while batting .305 against them on the season! Pittsburgh also does well against left-handed pitching, but they're nowhere near the Cubs proficiency. Also, its hard to ignore the fact the Cubs are 13-3 over their last 16 meetings with Pittsburgh, including 9-2 this season! In the end, things get back to normal in this series, as the Cubbies reassert their dominance behind Lilly Sunday afternoon.
Take the Chicago Cubs behind Lilly over Pittsburgh and Maholm in afternoon MLB action.
2♦ CHI. CUBS
Cincinnati at SAN DIEGO (-135) Chuck Franklin
Greg Maddux against the Cincinnati Reds is like money in the bank. In his last six starts against the Reds, Maddux has a 2.08 ERA and Cincinnati is only hitting .196. The future hall-of-famer is 1-0 with a 1.88 ERA in four starts at Petco Park this season. The Padres have won eight of his last 11 home starts.
The Reds have won the first two in San Diego this weekend, but with Matt Belisle on the mound I will side with them losing today. Belisle is 1-4 on the season with a 6.75 ERA. In six lifetime appearances gainst the Padres he is 0-2 with a whopping 8.56 ERA.
Cincinnati has won only nine times in the last 32 road games when listed as the underdog. They are 1-6 the last seven played against a right-handed starter and 1-5 in Belisle's last six starts.
Specify the pitchers as listed and go with the Padres.
3♦ SAN DIEGO
Cincinnati at SAN DIEGO (-135) Chris Jordan
Snakebitten with the 10-game comp run, as Arizona falls to the Braves. Now 10-1 with my last 11 freebies, today we come to the West Coast with the Padres and Greg Maddux.
There are plenty of secrets to betting baseball, plenty of intangibles to look for and plenty of old-school systems to follow. One thing along the way, over the years, I?ve learned is that you ALWAYS bet the team Maddux is pitching for when it is taking on the Cincinnati Reds.
This will be Maddux's 54th career start against the Reds, and while he?s 24-16 with a 3.46 ERA in those starts, he?s impressively won five straight starts against Cincinnati, limiting the Reds to eight earned runs over 33 innings of work. And with Maddux sporting a 1-0 mark at home in four starts, with a stingy 1.88 ERA, this looks like a bargain-basement price.
The veteran right-hander will get plenty of run support against Cincinnati?s Matt Belisle, who has lost three straight starts this month, all three of them road. In those starts, he has given up 10 earned runs over 16 innings of work. And in his last two starts against the Friars, the right-hander is 0-1 after 10 innings of work, giving up 12 earned runs
2♦ PADRES
Boston at OAKLAND (+105) Bobby Maxwell
We've hit three of our last four FREE plays on the diamond, including Saturday's delivery with the Astros over the Phillies. Today we're going with the A's to get the job done at home against the Red Sox.
We're fighting an uphill battle in this one as the Red Sox have Jon Lester (3-2, 3.41 ERA) going tonight on the heels of his no-hitter Monday at home against the Royals. But the Red Sox have lost his last two starts on the road, including in Minnesota and Baltimore.
Lester has faced the A's twice already this season, once in Tokyo when he allowed four runs in just four innings of a 5-1 loss, and then in Oakland when he blanked them for 6.2 innings of a 5-0 win.
But you'll see today that he's going to come nowhere close to following up that no-hitter. Oakland is going to get to him and score a win today.
Joe Blanton (2-6, 3.87 ERA) is on the hill for Oakland. His record is bad but his ERA isn't too shabby so you can tell his offense has let him down a few times. He's allowed two earned runs or less in four of his last five starts but the A's have won just two of those five.
Against the Sox, he's held them to three runs or less in five of his seven career starts, including two runs on seven hits in six innings of a 2-1 loss back on April 1.
The A's are 7-2 in their last eight home games and blanked the Red Sox 3-0 on Saturday. Let's take a shot with the plus-money on Oakland at home today.
3♦ OAKLAND
Jim Feist
(963) CIN Reds
(964) SDG Padres
Take "Under"
It's no secret that San Diego has the best pitcher's park in baseball, one with a huge outfield. Batters hate the park as it skews down their averages and pitchers love it. How about the Padres offense averaging less than 3 runs per game at home! That's why they started 14-5 under the total at home. Veteran Greg Maddux has an ERA over 5 on the road, but 1.42 at home! Both starters in this one know how to throw strikes. These offense are in the bottom 6 in the NL in runs scored, with the struggling Padres dead last. Don't look for a lot of offense, Play the Reds/Padres under the total! Click Here for more free picks
Dave Cokin
(963) CIN Reds
(964) SDG Padres
Take "(964) SDG Padres"
Dave cashed in with his AL Game of the Month Saturday as the home underdog A's blanked the Red Sox! Dave's 10 Star Sunday Solid Gold play is on the Cardinals-Dodgers contest. Score it now for just $25!... "Could Greg Maddux be heading back to Atlanta for one last pennant drive with old pals Smoltz and Glavine? That's the rumor, and it seems to have some foundation. The Padres are heading into a rebuilding period, and even at his advanced baseball age, Maddux remains a terrific back of the rotation fix for a team that's contending. The Braves need a fifth starter with Smoltz heading to the pen and they've got enough depth in the prospect category to make a deal that their fans would absolutely love. Meanwhile, Maddux looks like a winner on Sunday. Matt Belisle just isn't getting it done for the Reds and Maddux can handle a Reds lineup that isn't exactly setting the world on fire. Rare call on the Padres as home chalk."
James Patrick Diamond Club
Orioles vs. Rays 1:40 p.m. est.
The Rays get the call as our Sunday complimentary selection in Major League Baseball action, team #976 Tampa Bay Rays.
Marc Lawrence
MLB
Play On: Oakland w/Blanton vs Lester
Note: When the A's close out their weekend series with the Red Sox in Oakland this afternoon they'll do so knowing Joe Blanton has cashed in 7 of his last 10 teams starts on Sundays. With Boston's Jon Lester making his first start off a no-hitter in his last start, we'll stay at home with the A's here today.
Rocketman Sports
10-2 last 12
St Louis @ LA Dodgers 4:10 PM EST
Play On: 3* St Louis +110 (Wellmeyer/Kershaw) Listed
LA Dodgers are scoring only 4 runs per game against right handed starters this year. Wellmeyer is 5-1 with a 3.25 ERA overall this year, 1-0 on the road this year and 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA his last 3 starts. St Louis is 11-3 overall vs LA Dodgers last 3 years. Kershaw is making his first start and is coming up from AA ball. We'll play St Louis for 3 units today!
Tom Scott
LA Lakers at SAN ANTONIO - 8:35 PM EST
Play ON: UNDER the total points
In Friday's 30-point loss to the Lakers, San Antonio allowed LA to shoot nearly 55% from the floor. There is no team in the NBA who takes such atrocities more seriously than the Spurs. They have been the best defensive home team in the NBA for nearly a decade and nothing ruffles their feathers more than being routed because of poor defense. They will defend with more intensity in this game than in any other in this year's playoffs. In the three home games against New Orleans, each after allowing 100+ in the previous game, the Spurs held the Hornets to an average of 86 points. More of the same tonight as the Lakers struggle to find those easy shots here.
PREDICTION: TOTAL POINTS SCORED - 186