THE SPORTS ADVISORS
Chicago (40-40, 41-38-1 ATS) at Detroit (39-41, 34-46 ATS)
The streaking Bulls have won four straight and are trying to get to the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff standings and will square off with the Pistons, who are in the eighth position, a game behind Chicago and Philadelphia.
Chicago continued its winning ways with Saturday’s 113-106 victory over Charlotte, but it came up short as a 9½-point home favorite to drop to 2-2 ATS during its winning streak. The Bulls have been scoring at will lately, topping 103 points in each of their last eight games.
Detroit had a three-game winning streak snapped Saturday when it fell in Indiana 106-102 as a two-point road ‘dog. The Pistons clinched their playoff spot on Friday with a 100-93 win at home over the Nets, but failed to cover as eight-point favorites. Prior to Saturday’s loss, Detroit had held four straight opponents to 97 points or less.
The host has won five straight in this series, but the Bulls have dominated at the window, cashing in each of the last seven games and nine of the last 10. Most recently, Chicago got a 99-91 win on March 24 as a five-point home chalk, and in their December matchup in Detroit the Pistons prevailed 104-98 but came up short as seven-point favorites, the fourth straight cover for the Bulls in the Palace at Auburn Hills. The underdog is 8-3 ATS in the last 11 series clashes.
Chicago is on ATS runs of 5-2 as a ‘dog, 7-3-1 on the road against teams with a winning home mark and 9-3 following a non-cover, but it is just 1-4 ATS in its last five after a straight-up win. Detroit is on ATS slides of 1-5 against Central Division teams, 7-17 at home, 8-19 as a home favorite and 2-5 after a non-cover, but the Pistons have cashed in eight straight Monday contests.
The Bulls are on “over” runs of 9-4 as a road ‘dog, 9-4-1 after a non-cover and 19-9-1 against Central Division foes. Likewise, the Pistons are on “over” stretches of 13-5-1 overall, 10-3-1 against Eastern Conference teams, 5-1 at home, 6-1 as a favorite, 5-0 at home against teams with losing road records and 10-3-1 after getting a day off. Finally, the over is 5-1-1 in the last seven meetings between these rivals and 5-0 in the last five clashes in Michigan.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OVER
New Orleans (49-31, 34-44-2 ATS) at Houston (52-28, 39-40-1 ATS)
The Rockets are shooting for their fifth straight win when they welcome the Hornets into the Toyota Center in Houston in a matchup of Southwest Division rivals and Western Conference playoff squads.
New Orleans beat Dallas 102-92 at home on Sunday, covering as a four-point favorite. The Hornets are in the sixth spot in the Western Conference playoff race, one game ahead of Dallas and two ahead of the Jazz.
Houston got a 113-109 win at Golden State on Saturday but came up just short as six-point favorites. The Rockets are tied for the third seed in the playoff race with Portland and they’re just a half-game ahead of the Spurs in the Southwest Division standings.
The Rockets have won two of the three head-to-head meetings with New Orleans this season (2-1 ATS), including a 95-84 win in the Big Easy on March 16 as six-point ‘dogs. Houston has cashed in four of the last six meetings overall, but the Hornets are on a 7-2 ATS run in the Toyota Center.
New Orleans is on ATS slides of 2-5 on the road, 1-5 on Mondays and 1-4 against Western Conference teams. Conversely, Houston is 4-0 ATS in its last four in front of the home fans.
The Hornets enter this contest on “under” streaks of 13-4 overall, 6-2 on the road, 9-4 against Western Conference teams and 7-0-1 on the road against teams with winning home records. On the flip side, the Rockets are on “over” streaks of 5-2 overall, 4-1 at home and 5-1 against Western Conference teams.
In this series, the under is 4-0 in the last four battles overall and 6-2 in the last eight at the Toyota Center.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
AMERICAN LEAGUE
N.Y. Yankees (3-3) at Tampa Bay (3-3)
The Yankees send Chien-Ming Wang (0-1, 17.18 ERA) to the mound today to face the Rays and lefty Scott Kazmir (1-0, 1.50 ERA) in the home opener for Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field.
New York’s three-game winning streak came to an end Sunday with a 6-4 loss in Kansas City, Meanwhile, Tampa salvaged a three-game series in Baltimore by routing the Orioles on Sunday 11-3 to end its six-game, season-opening road trip. The Yankees won six of the last eight meetings with the Rays last year and they’re 6-2 in Wang’s last eight starts versus Tampa.
The Yankees are on positive streaks of 5-3 on the road, 5-1 in series openers, 5-1 as underdogs and 5-0 against southpaws. The Rays are also on a plethora of positive streaks, including 58-20 at home, 43-13 at home against right-handed starters and 48-18 as a home favorite.
Wang, making his first start since June 15, 2008, got knocked around at Baltimore on Wednesday, giving up seven runs on nine hits in just 3 2/3 innings of a 7-5 loss. He missed the second half of last season with a leg injury but the Yankees won his final five starts. The right-hander faced the Rays twice last season and allowed a combined one run on 11 hits in 13 innings but the Bronx Bombers split the two contests, winning 2-0 at home and losing 2-1 in Tampa. For his career, Wang is 7-4 with a 3.35 ERA against the Rays in 86 innings of work.
Kazmir pitched well in his first start of the year Wednesday, holding Boston to one run on five hits in six innings as the Rays rolled to a 7-2 victory. He saw the Yankees three times last season and gave up a total of two runs in 17 innings as the Rays won two of his three starts. In 12 career games against the Yankees, Kazmir is 4-4 with a 2.51 ERA in 68 innings of action.
Despite Wednesday’s ugly loss to the Orioles, New York is on several positive runs with Wang on the hill, including 41-16 overall, 21-7 when he starts on the road, 21-6 when he opens a series and 6-2 when he faces A.L. East squads. Tampa is on streaks of 22-10 in Kazmir’s last 32 starts, 19-7 when he starts at home, 20-7 when he’s a favorite and 5-2 against A.L. East competition.
New York has topped the total in six of Wang’s last seven starts, but the under has been the play in five of his last seven as a road ‘dog and the under is 6-1-2 in his last nine against Tampa. As a team, the Yankees are on “over” runs of 7-3 as a road ‘dog, 5-2 on field turf, 6-2 on Mondays and 5-1 against A.L. East foes.
Tampa Bay is on a plethora of “over” runs with Kazmir on the hill, including 9-3 overall, 6-2 at home, 7-0 against A.L. East teams, 7-1 as a favorite and 6-1 when he gets four days of rest. As a team, the Rays are on “under” streaks of 5-2 overall, 6-2 against A.L. East teams, 4-0 at home and 4-1 as a home favorite.
Finally, the over is 5-1 in the last six meetings in this rivalry.
ATS ADVANTAGE: TAMPA BAY
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Boston (2-4) at Oakland (2-4)
A pair of southpaws will take the mound in Oakland when Jon Lester (0-1, 9.00 ERA) and the Red Sox open a three-game set against Dallas Braden (0-1, 4.50) and the A’s.
Both teams lost heartbreakers Sunday, with Boston falling 5-4 in Anaheim, while the A’s got swept by the Mariners after 1-0 home defeat. The Red Sox have won nine of the last 13 meetings overall with Oakland, but they are just 4-11 in their last 15 visits to northern California.
As a team, Boston is just 3-8 in its last 11 as a favorite, but it is 13-3 in its last 16 series openers, 12-4 in its last 16 against A.L. West teams and 43-15 against teams with losing records. Oakland is mired in funks of 2-9 overall, 0-6 against southpaws and 5-18 against A.L. East squads.
Lester got knocked around at home by the Rays on Wednesday, giving up five runs on eight hits over five innings of a 7-2 home loss. He also got touched up in the American League Championship Series in his last two starts last season, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on 14 hits in 12 2/3 innings. He made four starts against the A’s last season, including three in California, with the Red Sox going 2-2. Lester is 2-2 with a 3.94 ERA in his career against Oakland.
Braden has had a week off since his Opening Day start in Anaheim when he allowed three runs on nine hits in six innings of a 3-0 loss. The A’s won five of Braden’s final seven starts last season, and he allowed the opposition three runs or less in six of the seven contests. He’s made just one career start against the Red Sox and allowed four runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings of a 5-2 loss in Boston last August.
While the BoSox are just 1-4 in Lester’s last five roadies, they are on several positive runs with the lefty on the hill, including 35-16 overall, 25-9 as a favorite, 7-1 on Mondays, 5-0 against A.L. West teams and 23-6 when he faces teams with a losing record. The A’s are 5-2 in Braden’s last seven starts as a ‘dog and 4-1 in his last five as a home pup.
The Red Sox are on several “under” runs with Lester on the hill, including 6-2-1 on the road, 6-0-1 in series openers, 5-2 as a favorite and 7-3 against A.L. West teams. As a team, Boston is on “under” streaks of 20-8-3 in series openers 11-5-1 as a favorite and 4-0 as a road chalk.
With Braden starting, the A’s are on “under” runs of 5-1 overall, 4-1 at home, 4-1 as a ‘dog and 5-2 in series openers. As a team, Oakland is on “under” streaks of 35-16 in series openers and 14-5 against A.L. East teams, but the A’s have topped the total in four of six at home and four of five overall.
In this series, the under has been the play in seven of the last 10 meetings in Oakland.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
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