Hot Lines
Today?s MLB bets
Boston at New York Yankees (-150, 9)
At first glance, this moneyline looks like a bargain for Red Sox bettors. The Sox have won four in a row, Big Papi snapped out of his slump last night, and closer Jonathon Papelbon has been lights-out.
But with Clay Buchholtz (0-1) making his Yankee Stadium debut against Chien-Ming Wang (3-0), the price doesn?t look quite so good. The young right-hander hasn?t gotten the Red Sox a win in either of his starts this year ? and one of those loses was against the Yankees and Wang at Fenway last week.
When a young pitcher?s confidence is low, a first-time start in the Bronx is probably the worst possible situation. As for Wang, he?s probably the most underrated starter in baseball, especially considering what he did to the Sox last week (a complete-game, two-hitter). This could be the best price you?ll get him at in Yankee Stadium all season.
Pick: Yankees
Seattle at Oakland (-117, 8)
Last season, the Mariners had the A?s number. They won 14 of their 19 meetings and made a ton of money for backers in the process.
But right now, the A?s are hot after winning seven of their last 10 ? and they?ve done a lot of the damage with their bats. They?ve abused a few of the league?s best pitchers in recent games, including A.J. Burnett (six runs in 4.2 innings) and C.C. Sabathia (nine runs in 3.1 innings).
Seattle?s Felix Hernandez has an impressive history against Oakland (four straight wins) but this A?s lineup looks like they can hit anyone right now. And there?s still that awful Seattle bullpen to worry about. With J.J. Putz on the DL, the Mariners have the worst bullpen in baseball, and that relief corps is even further depleted as R.A. Dickey will be moved to the starting rotation to take the place of injured starter Erik Bedard.
Pick: Oakland
Pick 'n' Roll
Today?s NBA picks
Clippers vs. Houston (-14, 186)
This game has backdoor cover written all over it. The Rockets need a win for a chance at improving their home-court playoff outlook, but they also have another worry ? injuries.
They already lost Yao for the season and they just learned they?ll be without starting point guard Rafer Alston for at least a couple of playoff games after he pulled a hamstring on Sunday. Shane Battier is banged up too, and Houston can?t afford any more bodies on the injury list.
Expect the starters to be hauled out as soon as the Rockets get a decent lead in this one, opening the door for L.A. to cover the number.
Pick: Clippers +14
Memphis vs. Denver (-15 1/2, 235)
It?s not a good sign when Carmelo Anthony is apologizing to fans and the community even before the results of his blood test come back. If you haven?t heard, he was arrested for driving under the influence about 4 a.m. Monday morning following his poor performance in a win over Houston on Sunday.
The timing couldn?t have been worse, considering the Nuggets were in the midst of a crucial battle for the final playoff spot with Golden State. The Nugs have since clinched, but this is still an embarrassment the team didn?t need.
About the only way to make people start to forget something like this is to play your way out of it. Expect Melo to bounce back with a big effort in what is technically a meaningless game tonight.
Pick: Nuggets -15 1/2
Ice Picks
best NHL bets
Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa (+145, 5 1/2)
The fourth win of a series is the toughest one to get, so they say. They apparently have not seen the 2008 Ottawa Senators.
Even with the return of captain Daniel Alfredsson last game, the Sens were outplayed for the third straight game in this series. The Pens covered the puckline for the third straight game also and Pittsburgh bettors continue to watch their bankrolls grow.
Game 4 shouldn't be much different. The Sens just look like a team that wants the season to be over, which is obvious by the abundance of silly penalties they're taking. Ottawa has taken 19 penalties through three games and Pittsburgh has scored five PP goals.
Pick: Pittsburgh -165
New Jersey vs. New York (-145, 4 1/2)
After Rangers forward Sean Avery screened goalie Martin Brodeur in an unorthodox face-first manner in Game 3, the NHL responded by altering the rulebook. Officials can now call unsportsmanlike conduct at their discretion for just such incidents.
Avery has taken a lot of flak for his actions, but we're of the opinion in the newsroom that any time you can single-handedly get the NHL to alter its rulebook, you've done something brilliant.
Avery won't get a chance to face-guard Brodeur again this series, unless he wants a penalty, but that doesn?t mean the Devils are going to have an easier time tonight. This has been an intense series between two great rivals.
Pick: Rangers
