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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.
Orioles vs Red Sox Free Pick May 4, 2012
The Baltimore Orioles visit Fenway Park Friday night for game one of a weekend series against the Boston Red Sox. Baltimore has started lightning fast this season and is 16-9, their best start since 2005. This is the first time the teams have met since Baltimore took five of seven from Boston last season, when the Red Sox blew a nine-game lead in their division.
Boston is 11-13 on the season and has started slow with new manager Bobby Valentine. In the first game of the series, the Red Sox will use ace Jon Lester. Lester is 1-2 on the season with an ERA of 4.65. Lester is 14-0 lifetime against the Orioles in 18 career starts, with an ERA of 2.36. At Fenway Park Lester is 7-0 with an ERA of 2.16 against the Orioles.
Baltimore took two of their three games against the New York Yankees before arriving in Boston. On Wednesday, they shut out the Yankees 5-0. Baltimore will have Wei-Yin Chen on the mound Friday. Chen is 2-0 on the season with an ERA of 2.22. The southpaw pitched seven innings in his last outing in a 10-1 victory against Oakland. Baltimore coming into the game is winners of 8 of their last 10.
Boston started their home stand on a negative note, as they lost two of their three games against Oakland. They are 1-7 in their last eight home games. Adrian Gonzalez their key hitter was hitless in 4 at bats and struck out with the bases jammed to end a rally in the seventh. He then grounded out in the ninth to end the game on Wednesday. With runners in scoring position, the Red Sox were hitless in 13 at bats.
The current line has the Red Sox as the favorite -175 with Baltimore at +165. The run total is 8.5. Smart money takes the Red Sox in this game behind their ace Lester with the total ending UNDER.
Indians vs White Sox Free Pick May 3, 2012
The Cleveland Indians are in Chicago to take on the White Sox in the third game of their three-game series. Cleveland has played excellent on the road this season and has not lost a series on the road. Cleveland lost the first game of the three 7-2 on Tuesday night, but came back on Wednesday to defeat the White Sox 6-3 to push their AL Central division leading record to 12-10. Offensively the Indians were helped by a three-run home run from Carlos Santana and a two-run blast from Travis Hafner. The win put the Cleveland road record at 8-3.
Justin Masterson will pitch for the Indians and has a 0-2 record with an ERA of 5.40 in five starts this season. In his last outing, he allowed just two runs and scattered four hits but gave up five walks. In 11 games against Chicago, Masterson is 3-5 with an ERA of 2.37.
Chicago who is 12-12 on the season will send John Danks to the mound. Danks is 2-3 on the season with an ERA of 6.23. He beat Cleveland in early April despite allowing four runs and giving up five walks over 5 2/3 innings. At home against the Indians, Danks is 0-4 with an ERA of 6.25.
Johnny Damon made his debut for Cleveland on Wednesday night and was hitless in three at bats. He had to leave the game due to cramping and it is not certain if he will play or not in tonight’s game.
Adam Dunn for Chicago has hit well for his career against Masterson. Dunn has 6 hits in 14 at bats for a .400 average. On Wednesday night, Dunn hit his sixth homer of the season and has hit two in his last three games.
The White Sox are favored in this game -115 with the Indians at +105. The run total is at 8. The White Sox will win this game behind the pitching of Danks and the bat of Dunn. The run total will end UNDER.
Thunder vs Mavericks Free Pick May 3, 2012
The Oklahoma City Thunder will look to go up 3-0 on May 3 when they face the Dallas Mavericks in game three of their western conference quarterfinal series. The Thunder took the first two games on their home court and will look to take game three on the road. Russell Westbrook has been the leader of the Thunder thus far in the series. The young point guard is running the team, as top scorer Kevin Durant has had difficulties with his shot the first two games against the Mavericks. Westbrook has scored 28 and 29 points in each of the first two games in the series.
The Mavericks have keyed on Durant and Shawn Marion the defensive ace for Dallas, has held Durant to just 15 of 44 shooting in the first two games. Westbrook however, is taking on the likes of Jason Terry, Delonte West and Jason Kidd and getting the best of all three.
Veteran guard Derek Fisher also has helped off the bench in the second game, as James Harden and Durant only combined to hit 7 of their 24 field goals. The Mavericks will look to All Star forward Dirk Nowitzki to get back on his game and will have to see an improvement offensively from both Terry and Kidd. Big man Brendan Haywood has been lost in this series and he will have to step forward.
The first two games of the series were decided by a total of 4 points and this game should be no different. The teams match up well against one another and having played against each other on five occasions this season, the teams are familiar with the other’s tendencies.
The line opened with the Mavericks as an early 3-point favorite at home, but has come back to 1 ½ points. The total for halftime is 100 ½ and for the game is 194 ½. Take the Mavericks in this game ATS and the total to end OVER.
Dodgers vs Rockies Free Pick May 1, 2012
The Los Angeles Dodgers have jumped out of the gate early this season and have a 16-7 record after the first month of the season. Tonight they take on the Colorado Rockies who are 11-11 on the season. Colorado won the first game of the series Monday night 6-2.
Los Angeles will look to Ted Lilly to get them back on the winning track to add to their second best record in the major leagues. Lilly is 2-0 on the season with an ERA of just 0.90 and his opponents have a batting average of just .138 against the lefthander. Last Wednesday he did not get a decision against the Atlanta Braves in the team’s 4-2 loss. He only allowed one run on three hits in his seven innings.
Jhoulys Chacin will start for the Rockies. Chacin has had a bad start to the season that seems to have carried over from the end of last year. He overall record his is last 20 starts is just 3-12. He gave up five runs over just five innings in his last outing last week against Pittsburgh.
Los Angeles is getting exceptional play out of Matt Kemp. On Monday, Kemp hit his 12th home run that leads the majors and has a batting average of .417 that also leads the majors and he is tied for the lead in the majors with 25 RBIs and 24 runs scored.
Carlos Gonzalez for the Rockies has hit well against Lilly over his career. He has 6 hits in 15 at bats including four home runs. However, Troy Tulowitzki and Dexter Fowler are a combined 7 for 48 against the Dodgers’ lefthander.
The Rockies are favored in this matchup at -120, while the Dodgers are at +110. The total is at 9. Take the Dodgers in this, as Lilly will shut down the Rockies bats. The total will be low scoring and end UNDER.
76ers vs Bulls Free Pick May 1, 2012
The second game of the quarterfinal series between the Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls will get under way on Tuesday May 1 at the United Center in Chicago. The Bulls handled the 76ers in game one 103-92, but lost their star player in the process. Derrick Rose, the reigning MVP of the NBA, torn his ACL in the last few minutes of the game, while making a drive into the lane and passing off to a teammate.
His loss will be felt greatly by the Bulls, even though they have played 26 games this season without him. The Bulls have won 19 of those 27 games without Rose, but this is not just the regular season, it is the road to the finals.
Nevertheless, the Bulls will regroup and look to other players to carry the load. Joakim Noah has been their leader on the boards averaging 13 per game and he will have to pick up some of the scoring as well. Richard Hamilton is back from injury and he will be the court leader and get help down low from Luol Deng who scored 17 points in the first game.
The 76ers will look to Elton Brand for their scoring and rebounding. Brand had 19 points and 7 boards to lead the team in both categories in the first game. Andre Iguodala will also need to step up and not only dish out assists but score.
The Bulls may get through this first series without much difficulty not having Rose in the lineup, but as the competition gets tougher and teams play one another repeatedly, teams will find ways to shut the Bulls down.
The line opened with the Bulls favored by 9 points and has come back to a current line of 6. The total is at 176. The Bulls will win this game SU and ATS, with the total OVER.
Blue Jays vs Orioles Free Pick April 26, 2012
The Toronto Blue Jays play the Baltimore Orioles in the third game of a three game set at Camden Yards in Baltimore. The Orioles could sweep the series tonight with a win over the Blue Jays. Southpaw Brian Matusz will get the ball tonight for the Orioles who are 11-7 on the season. Matusz is 0-3 on the season with an ERA of 7.98. He remains the only Oriole in the rotation still looking for a win. He has lost 12 consecutive decisions and that is only one shy of a franchise record. He has given up at least five runs on ten occasions during his losing streak.
The Orioles have taken three consecutive and four of five this season against Toronto. The Blue Jays are 10-8 on the season. Drew Hutchinson will start for the Blue Jays. Hutchison is 1-0 on the season with an ERA of 8.44. He won his major league debut in his first start this season for the Blue Jays. The young 21-year old threw 99 pitches over 5 1/3 innings against the Kansas City Royals to earn the win 9-5 against the Royals.
Nolan Reimold did not play again for the Orioles on Wednesday night. The left fielder has now missed four consecutive games with neck spasms. Robert Andino, the starting second baseman, will also most likely miss tonight’s action as he is away on paternity leave. Pedro Strop helped the pitching staff over the first two wins of this series with two saves. He has taken over for Jim Johnson the closer, who was hospitalized on Monday.
The Orioles are favored in this game -115, while the Blue Jays are +105. The total is 9.5. Take the Orioles to win this game and sweep the three game series. The total will end OVER.
76ers vs Nets Free Pick April 23, 2012
The Philadelphia 76ers are desperately hanging on to the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff spot. Philly will travel to visit the New Jersey Nets April 23 in a key late season game for the 76ers. The 76ers are 33-30 on the season and are three games in front of the Milwaukee Bucks for the last spot in the playoff race. Philly is tied with the New York Knicks, but because of a tiebreaker, the Knicks are currently seeded seventh and the 76ers eighth.
On the road this season, the 76ers are 14-16 and against Eastern Conference opponents, the 76ers are 26-19. Philly has won their last two games, but only 4 of their last 10. They have had a late season slide and need to stop that slide or will be out of the playoff race.
The Nets have had a horrendous season. Injuries have taken their toll on the team and currently six players are out for the season or out indefinitely. The Nets overall record is 22-42. The Nets are 9-23 at home and have lost four straight games. The Nets are 3-7 SU over their last 10.
Head to head this matchup favors the 76ers. Over the last 10 games against the Nets, the 76ers are 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS. The total has been UNDER in 6 of the games and OVER in 4. The teams have played on three occasions this season and the Nets are 2-1 SU in those three matchups. The visiting team has won all three of the games this season.
This matchup could mean a trip to the playoff for the 76ers. If they win, they qualify for one of the last two spots, if they lose, they must lace up their sneakers for the next game and win. Their destiny is in their own hands, as they hold a three game advantage over the Bucks. Take the 76ers in this, less the points, with the total ending UNDER.
Indians vs A’s Free Pick April 21, 2012
Baseball is already three weeks into the season and many teams are trying to find the lineup that will win them the necessary games to reach the post season. Tonight the Cleveland Indians are out west to take on the Oakland A’s in the second game of a three game set. The Indians have an overall record of 7-5 and are 6-1 on the road.
The Indians started the season just 1-4 at home and have won six of their last seven, all part of a nine-game road trip. The Indians defeated the A’s in the opener Friday night 4-3. The Indians have been led by the consistent bat of Jack Hannahan. In Friday’s first game of the series, he drove in three runs and leads the team with 11 RBI’s all from either the eighth or the ninth spot in the batting order.
Jeanmar Gomez is scheduled to start for Cleveland and is 0-0 on the season with an ERA of 2.25. He pitched twice last season against the A’s and was 1-0 with an ERA of 0.79. The A’s will us Brandon McCarthy on the mound. McCarthy is 0-2 on the season with an ERA of 3.60. On Monday, he gave up 5 runs, allowing 11 hits over seven innings in a loss to the Los Angeles Angels 6-0.
Last year McCarthy made one appearance against the Indians and allowed five hits and two runs and struck out 10, but still took the loss 2-1. Friday night’s loss to Cleveland ended the A’s three game win streak. Yoenis Cespedes is continuing to pay dividends for the A’s. He was 3 for 5 last night knocking in two runs. He leads the A’s with 14 RBIs.
The total is set at 7 with the A’s favored -130 and the Indians at +110. Gomez will take control of the game on the mound and the Indians will take this with the total UNDER.
