Clippers vs Grizzlies Free Post May 12, 2012
The first round quarterfinal series between the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies will be decided Sunday in Memphis. Game seven will send one team into the second round, while one team will go home for a long summer. Memphis has won two straight games to get to the seventh game, including a 90-88 win Friday night at Los Angeles.
Memphis took advantage of the hobbled Clippers in the sixth game. Superstars Blake Griffin and Chris Paul played, as everyone knew they would, but their games were not 100% and that showed. The Clippers however, were up by as many as eight points in the fourth quarter, but give the Grizzlies credit they clawed their way back into the game and gave themselves an all or nothing shot Sunday on their home court. With Paul nursing his hip flexor injuring, Eric Bledsoe played a key role for the Clippers scoring 14 points and dishing out six assists to offset Paul’s problems offensively.
Paul only managed 11 points on the night and seven assists and it was evident his explosiveness was no there, but Paul at 75% is better than most at 100%. Memphis did what they do best, hit the boards and got the ball down low to Zach Randolph and Mark Gasol. Mike Conley helped to run the offense and Rudy Gay, as always scored for Memphis when they most needed it.
The last game is on the line, players are injured, tempers are short and the next round is a game away. The current line has the Grizzlies as a 6 ½-point favorite after opening at 5 ½. The total is 182. With the injuries the Clippers have and the last game being played in Memphis, smart money takes the Grizzlies SU and ATS in this game, with the UNDER cashing out.
Rockies vs Dodgers Free Pick May 11, 2012
The Colorado Rockies meet the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second game of their three game set in Los Angeles. Colorado has had problems scoring on the road. The Rockies are 13-18 on the season and average 5. 1 runs per game, but on the road they are only averaging 3.2. In their loss Friday night in the opening game of the series with the Dodger, the Rockies scored only three runs in the game.
Juan Nicasio will go on the mound for the Rockies. Nicasio is 2-1 on the season with an ERA of 5.35. He gave up just two runs in six innings on April 30 at home against the Dodgers in a 6-2 Rockies win.
Los Angeles has opened the season playing very good baseball. The Dodgers are 21-11 on the season and have the best home record in the major leagues at 13-3. Los Angeles will start Aaron Harang. Harang is 1-2 on the season with an ERA of 5.24. He is coming off one if his better starts of the season. He allowed only two runs in six innings on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs, but did not get a decision as the bullpen blew the lead.
Colorado is just 3-8 over their last 11 games in Los Angeles and in his only start in Dodger Stadium the Rockies’ Nicasio allowed five runs in just 5 2/3 innings last July.
Andre Ethier is one of the Dodgers’ leaders offensively. He leads the NL in RBIs with 32. Against Nicasio, he has 4 hits in 7 at bats including a home run. Matt Kemp, who has struggled for his last five games after starting out on fire, is batting .500 in his career against Nicasio with two home runs. Carlos Gonzalez is leading the Rockies hitting and has hit .385 in the last 13 games.
The line has the Dodgers as the favorite at -130 with Colorado at +120. The total is 7.5. Take the Dodgers in this game, as the Rockies will continue having a difficult time scoring runs on the road. The total will end OVER.
Nuggets vs Lakers Free Pick May 12, 2012
The first round best of seven series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets will end May 12 in Los Angeles. The two teams meet for game seven in the Staples Center, with the winner moving on to the second round and the loser going home for the summer.
In game six, the Denver Nuggets dominated from the start and won 113-96 in Denver. Ty Lawson who scored 32 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished off six assists led the Nuggets. The Lakers were led in scoring by Kobe Bryant who was ill with a stomach virus, but scored 31 points.
Los Angeles has now lost two straight after leading the series 3-1. Andrew Bynum pulled down 16 boards for the Lakers but missed 6 of 9 shots from close range. The Nuggets in game six played exceptionally well on the perimeter. Denver shot 57% from beyond 20 feet, making 16 of their 28 shots from that range.
Denver needs just one more win to knock Bryant and his teammates out of the playoffs. Along with the fine play of Lawson, the Nuggets were helped by 18 points from Corey Brewer. Bryant scored 31 over three plus quarters. He was sick most of the day prior to the game, could not attend the team shoot around and had to take fluids intravenously all day.
His teammates failed to help him as Bynum only managed 11 points and Pau Gasol, the team’s second leading scorer missed 9 of his 10 shots and scored just three points and grabbed only three rebounds.
The line for the seventh and final game opened with the Lakers as the favorite at home by 5 ½ points and remains at that amount. The total is at 198. Look for a healthy Bryant to come back big in this game, along with his teammates. Take the Lakers less the points and the total to end OVER.
Braves vs Cardinals Free Pick May 11, 2012
The Atlanta Braves visit the St. Louis Cardinals Friday night for the first of three games. The Cardinals have played very well of late and have an overall record of 20-11, while the Braves are tied for first place with the Washington Nationals with a record 19-13.
The Cardinals have won their last four games and are 3 ½ games in front of Cincinnati in the National League Central. St. Louis beat Arizona on Wednesday to sweep the Diamondbacks. Rafael Furcal who has an average of .361 leads the Cards in batting. David Freese and Allen Craig also are hot at this time for the Cardinals.
Mike Minor will start on the mound for the Braves. Minor is 2-2 with an ERA of 5.97 and was hit hard in his last game. The Braves beat the Rockies 13-9 but he gave up 10 hits and allowed 8 runs in just five innings. Jaime Garcia will start for the Cardinals in Friday’s game. Garcia is 2-2 with an ERA of 3.76. He also was hit hard in his last game. He gave up six runs in a loss to Houston.
St. Louis is 6-1 against starters who are left handed, while the Braves are 7-7 against southpaws. The Cards have a home record of 8-4 and the Braves are 11-8 playing on the road. Both the Braves and Cardinals lead the National League in hitting.
For the Cardinals the UNDER is 16-14-1 this season, but at home the OVER is 9-3 in 12 games. The OVER for the Braves is 16-14-2 and 10-8-1 on the road. This week the UNDER paid out in the three games they played against the Cubs.
The current line has the Cardinal as the favorite at -145 and the Braves at +135. The total is at 8. Take the Cardinals at home to beat the Braves, with the total ending OVER.
Grizzlies vs Clippers Free Pick May 11, 2012
The western conference quarterfinal series between the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies will continue Friday night in Los Angeles. Memphis beat the Clippers in game five 92-80. The series is now 3-2 in favor of the Clippers. One of the Clippers best players, Blake Griffin, their leading scoring and rebounder was injured in game five. He sprained his right knee.
The play that injured Griffin was a physical play by Grizzlies big man Marc Gasol. Griffin did not stay on the floor long after he was hurt and the entire Clippers bench came out on the court to see what happened.
Griffin was able to finish the third quarter and play some of the fourth quarter on the knee. He actually helped the Clippers come back from a 24 deficit to be down by just six at one point. On Thursday, Griffin will get an MRI on his knee to see if there is any damage.
Chris Paul, the Clippers other superstar also hurt himself in the game. He jammed his middle finger on his shooting hand, but said it did not affect his game. However, he only had five points at halftime and was quiet for most of the game. He also slightly sprained his hip flexor but said he would be fine.
The Grizzlies were able to hit the boards with Zach Randolph and Gasol. On the defensive end, the Grizzlies tied up the strong side of the Clippers offense. Game six will be important to the Clippers, as they will be at home to face the Grizzlies and can eliminate them without worrying about returning to Memphis to play in a seventh game.
The line opened with the Clippers as 2-point favorites at home with the total at 183. That line could change once both Griffin and Paul have been checked medically and a determination is made on their playing status. Nevertheless, the Grizzlies plus the points is where smart money will be placed.
Indians vs Red Sox Free Pick May 10, 2012
The Cleveland Indians open a four game series with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park tonight. The Red Sox have had some controversy this season with new manager Bobby Valentine. Tonight’s starter for the Red Sox, Josh Becket also had controversy swirling around him as he was reportedly seen playing golf while everyone though he was injured last week.
Nevertheless, Beckett will try to stop the bleeding for the Red Sox. The right-hander is 2-3 on the season with an ERA of 4.45 and will try to end the Sox five-game losing streak at home. This will be his first start since April 29. In that start he gave up three runs in 6 2/3 innings, in a loss to Chicago on the road. In that game he threw a career high 126 pitches.
The Indians are 17-13 on the season and have two former Red Sox players that will play for them during the series. Johnny Damon will lead off the Indians lineup and the probable starter for tonight’s game is Derek Lowe. Both players held key roles for the Red Sox during their 2004 season in which they won the World Series.
Lowe is 4-1 on the season with an ERA of 2.39. He has only played against the Red Sox on one occasion. He lost 3-0 against them in June of 2009 at Fenway. In four of the first six games Lowe started this season, he gave up two or fewer runs. He was acquired by Cleveland in the offseason from the Atlanta Braves. Damon has just a .167 batting average since he joined the Indians eight games ago. He was hitless in four at bats in Cleveland’s loss 8-1 against the White Sox Wednesday.
The Red Sox are favored at home -150, while the Indians are at +140. The total is at 8.5. The Indians will take the first game of this series behind the strong pitching of Lowe in just his second game against his former club. The total will cash out to UNDER bettors.
Bulls vs 76ers Free Pick May 10, 2012
The Chicago Bulls pulled out a win Tuesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers to stave off elimination. The Bulls won 77-69 in a very low scoring game. The series is now 3-2 in favor of Philly and returns to Philly for the sixth game. Both teams shot terribly from the field with Chicago only making 41% of their shots and the 76ers only hitting on 32%.
The Bulls are still playing shorthanded, but hope to have top rebounder Joakim Noah back from his ankle injury for this game. Picking up the slack for the Bulls has been Luol Deng who scored a game high 24 points and had eight rebounds. The 76ers got a great overall game out of Stephen Hawes who scored 11 points but grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked two shots. Jrue Holiday once again led the Sixers in scoring with 16.
The Bulls experimented with Taj Gibson and Ronnie Brewer on the court at the same time for over 20 minutes in the game and it seemed to work, as the Bulls outscored the 76ers in that span by 12 points and the 76ers could only manage to shoot 19% from the field. Over the entire game, the 76ers had 80 half court sets on offense and could only score on 22 of them.
The 76ers will have to do something about the Bulls’ defense if they hope to win one of the last two games in the series to move to the next round. Carlos Boozer has come up big for Chicago as he scored 19 points and led the team with 13 rebounds in Tuesday’s win.
The line opened shortly after the Bulls win Tuesday night with the 76ers as a 2 ½-point favorite and is holding there. The total is at just 172. Smart money will take the Bulls to pull out another victory and take the series to a seventh game at home. UNDER bettors will cash out on this defensive struggle.
Rays vs Yankees Free Pick May 9, 2012
The season is only 30 games old and the cream has not risen to the top as of yet, but two teams that have played well this season meet tonight as the Tampa Bay Rays visit the New York Yankees. This is the second game of the series and the Yankees won the first game 5-3 on Tuesday night. One thing worrying Yankees supporters is who will take over the closing duties for the injured Mariano Rivera, who has handled that job for close to an entire generation. David Robertson may be that person, as he saved the game last night.
The Yankees are 16-13 on the season and will have rookie David Phelps on the mound tonight. Phelps is 0-1 with an ERA of 3.74. This will most likely be his last turn in the Yankee rotation, as veteran Andy Pettitte will start his season on Sunday. Phelps made his debut as a starter when Rivera tore his ACL. He allowed two runs over four innings but did not get the decision. He has appeared twice in long relief stints, with six strikeouts over 8 1/3 innings.
The Rays are 19-11 on the season and will send Jeff Neimann to the mound. Neimann is 2-3 on the season with an ERA of 4.05. He is 0-3 away from Tampa, but his teammates have only produced four runs in those three starts. Neimann however, has pitched well in New York. He is 2-0 at Yankee Stadium with an ERA of 3.00.
The line has the Yankees as the favorite at home -125, while Tampa is +115. The total is sitting at 9.5. This game will be a hitters game, as both pitchers have proven they are not playing at their top levels as of yet. Take the Yankees to win with the total ending OVER.
Knicks vs Heat Free Pick May 9, 2012
The Miami Heat is back at home and will try for a second time to finish off the New York Knicks. Miami Heat leads the best of seven series against New York by a 3-1 margin. New York pulled out a tough win on Sunday night against Miami 89-87 to move the series back to Miami for at least one more game.
In the first three games, the Heat completely dominated the Knicks on both ends of the court. LeBron James and Dwayne Wade scored nearly at will and the defense was able to hold Knick star Carmelo Anthony to below his season scoring average. In game four however, the Knicks were able to hold both James and Wade in check to play for another game.
New York has been devastated by injury as they have lost Iman Shumpert and Baron Davis to torn ACLs and Amare Stoudemire injured his hand in a freak act of aggression after the team’s loss in game two.
Anthony has had to step up his game, play positions that are not normally his and run the team on the court. For the most part, Anthony has done everything coach Mike Woodson has asked of him.
In Wednesday’s matchup, the Heat will bring the same offense and defense against the Knicks. James will look to penetrate when he can, while Wade will take his defender down low and post him on offensive. The Knicks will look to slow the tempo of the game down, while working the shot clock so Miami has fewer chances to score.
The current line has the Miami Heat favored by 11 points after opening with them favored by 12 ½ points. The total is at 183 for the game and 92 ½ for the first half. The Heat would like to end the series tonight to get a day or two additional rest before their semifinal matchup. Take the Heat in this less the points and the total to end UNDER.
Marlins vs Astros Free Pick May 8, 2012
The Miami Marlins are now playing the baseball manager Ozzie Guillen knew they could. The Marlins have won seven straight and even though they inaugurated a beautiful new park earlier this season, the Marlins are playing better on the road than at home. With their seven straight wins, the Marlins are now 15-14 on the season. They will take on the Houston Astros, who are just 13-16 on the season, tonight in the second game of their three game series.
The Marlins defeated the Astros 4-0 in game one of the series Monday night. The Marlins received a great pitching performance from Carlos Zambrano Monday as he threw a three hitter striking out nine. Hanley Ramirez added his sixth home run and Giancarlo Stanton hit in his tenth consecutive game.
Ramirez has a hit in 7 of his last 18 at bats and in that span has hit two homers and knocked in seven runs. During his ten game hitting streak, Stanton is hitting .333 with six home runs and 12 RBIs.
Anibal Sanchez will go for the Marlins in this game. Sanchez is 2-0 on the season with an ERA of 2.43. He has given up two or fewer runs in all five starts this season and over his last three starts, he has lasted to at least the seventh inning.
The Astros have called up Aneury Rodriguez from their Triple A affiliate in Oklahoma City to pitch tonight. Last season the right-hander had a record of 1-6 with an ERA of 5.27 with Houston. He is 1-3 thus far in Triple A.
The current line has the Marlins as the favorite -155 while the Astros are at +140. The run total is 8. The Marlins will continue their hot streak and win this game behind the pitching of Sanchez and with the bats of Ramirez and Stanton. Look for the total to be OVER, as Rodriguez will be hit hard by the Marlins.
