Wunderdog Comp
Game: Utah at Los Angeles Lakers (10:35 PM Eastern)
Pick: Game Total OVER 213 -110
The Lakers have showed the ability to score inside and out in the playoffs, especially at home. It has equated to an uncharacteristic 120 points per game at home in the playoffs! It isn't just a playoff thing for this Lakers team however. They have topped the century mark at home in 18 of their last 19 games. These last 19 games at home has shown the Lakers averaging 114 ppg, and they have cranked it up a notch in the playoffs. Utah is certainly not immune to scoring on the road vs the Lakers. They have played four games here this season, having posted 109+ in three of the four. This one should be played at a fast pace, and both teams over the century mark, and should have little difficulty topping this total.
Game: Utah at Los Angeles Lakers (10:35 PM Eastern)
Pick: Game Total OVER 213 -110
The Lakers have showed the ability to score inside and out in the playoffs, especially at home. It has equated to an uncharacteristic 120 points per game at home in the playoffs! It isn't just a playoff thing for this Lakers team however. They have topped the century mark at home in 18 of their last 19 games. These last 19 games at home has shown the Lakers averaging 114 ppg, and they have cranked it up a notch in the playoffs. Utah is certainly not immune to scoring on the road vs the Lakers. They have played four games here this season, having posted 109+ in three of the four. This one should be played at a fast pace, and both teams over the century mark, and should have little difficulty topping this total.
THE SPORTS ADVISORS
MLB
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Atlanta (19-19) at Philadelphia (22-18)
Tom Glavine (0-1, 4.03 ERA) tries once again for his first victory of 2008 ? and the 304th of his career ? when he leads the Braves against the Phillies and Brett Myers (2-3, 5.33) in the middle game of a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies snapped a modest two-game slide with Tuesday?s 5-4 victory, overcoming a 3-0 first-inning deficit. Charlie Manuel?s club has still been lacking consistency the last few weeks, going 8-7 in its last 15 games, but it is 6-2 in its last eight home contests and 6-1 in its last seven as a favorite. On the downside, Philadelphia is 2-4 in its last six divisional games and 1-6 in its last seven on Wednesdays.
Atlanta has followed up a season-best six-game winning streak by losing four of its last five. Bobby Cox?s club has one of the biggest home-road splits in the majors, going 14-4 at home, but 5-15 on the road. Also, the Braves are on further negative runs of 0-6 as a road underdog, 0-5 against the N.L. East and 1-4 on Wednesdays.
This is the first meeting of the season between these rivals, who split their 18-game season series last year. However, the Phillies are now 10-5 in the last 15 battles.
With Myers on the hill, the Phillies are 30-12 when he pitches on five days? rest, but they?re 3-10 in his last 13 starts overall, 3-9 in his last 12 at home, 1-7 in his last eight as a favorite and 2-12 in his last 14 against the N.L. East. Meanwhile, going all the way back to Glavine?s first stint in Atlanta, the Braves are 8-1 when he pitches on Wednesdays, but 1-7 in his last eight starts overall (1-5 this season) and 0-5 in his last five on the highway (0-4 this season).
Glavine is coming off his longest outing of the season, as he went seven innings at Pittsburgh on Friday, giving up two runs on five hits and four walks. But it wasn?t enough, as the veteran southpaw got a no-decision in a 3-2 Braves loss. Glavine has a 2.79 ERA in four road starts, but his team has lost all four.
Glavine is 28-17 with a 3.68 ERA in 64 lifetime starts against Philadelphia, including 2-2 with a 4.06 ERA in seven games at Citizens Bank Park. Going back to the 2006 season, Glavine has tossed seven consecutive quality starts against the Phillies (at least six innings pitched and three or fewer earned runs allowed), and his ERA during this seven-game stretch is 2.64.
Myers got rocked in Arizona on Thursday, yielding seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and three walks in five innings of an 8-3 defeat. The Phillies are 0-3 in his last three efforts, and the righthander has registered a 6.75 ERA in his last four starts. Myers has also given up 12 home runs in 49 innings, allowing at least one big fly in each of his last seven trips to the bump.
Myers is 4-6 with a 4.16 ERA and four saves in 24 career appearances (17 starts) against the Braves. On the bright side, he?s 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in four home starts in 2008.
The under is 5-1 in Glavine?s last six starts overall, 4-0 in his four road starts this season and 6-0-1 in his last seven against the Phillies. The under is also 4-2 in Myers? last six outings against Atlanta, but 7-3 in his last 10 overall and 14-6 in his last 20 efforts on Wednesday.
For Atlanta, the under is on streaks of 37-16-2 overall, 19-5-1 on the road, 17-5 as an underdog and 18-4-1 on the road against right-handed starters. Conversely, the over is 5-3-1 in Philly?s last nine overall and 7-4 in its last 11 as a favorite.
ATS ADVANTAGE: PHILADELPHIA and UNDER
AMERICAN LEAGUE
N.Y. Yankees (19-21) at Tampa Bay (23-16)
The red-hot and record-setting Rays go for their seventh consecutive win overall and their 12th straight win at home when they send ace James Shields (4-2, 3.14) to the mound opposite New York?s Mike Mussina (5-3, 4.36) at Tropicana Field
After pounding out a 7-1 victory in Monday?s series opener, Tampa Bay needed 11 innings to pull out a 2-1 win Tuesday. Not only have the Rays won six in a row overall and 11 straight at home, but they?re 15-5 in their last 20 and have climbed seven games over .500 for the first time in team history. The Rays have outscored their opponents 29-9 during their six-game winning streak, and they?re now 15-7 at home.
The Yanks have followed a three-game winning steak by going 2-5 in their last seven to fall back below .500. New York entered this series having won four straight against the Rays ? all in Tampa ? before losing the last two, so the season series is now tied 4-4.
Shields is coming off the best start of his career, as he pitched a complete-game, one-hitter against the Angels on Friday night, getting the 2-0 when rookie Evan Longoria hit a one-out, two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth. Tampa Bay is 3-1 in Shields? last four outings, with the righthander giving up two earned runs or fewer in all three victories. In fact, Shields has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 13 of his last 16 outings.
Shields has thrived at Tropicana Field this season, going 3-0 with a 1.16 ERA in four starts, with the Rays also prevailing in his one no-decision at home. The one negative for Shields: He?s been horrific against the Yankees in his career, going 0-5 with a 7.83 ERA in six starts, including a 2-0 road loss on April 6, when he gave up two runs on eight hits in five innings. That was easily Shields? best outing against the Yankees in his career.
Mussina has seemingly turned back the clock over the last three weeks, going 4-0 with a 3.13 ERA in his last four starts, including a pair of road wins over the Indians (5-2) and White Sox (6-4). He?s 2-1 with a 4.08 ERA in three starts on foreign turf this season.
Mussina dominated the Rays in a 6-1 home win on April 7, giving up just the one run on two hits and one walk in six innings. He?s now 17-7 with a 3.44 ERA in 30 starts versus Tampa Bay, but only 7-5 with a 4.29 ERA at Tropicana Field. The Yanks have won seven of his last nine starts against the Rays.
The under is 6-2 in Mussina?s eight start this season, including 3-0 in the last three, but the over is 4-1 in his last five starts against the Rays (2-0 in Tampa Bay). Also, the over is 4-2 in Tampa?s last six overall.
The under is 6-1 in the last six meetings between these rivals overall (2-0 in this series), but the over remains 9-4-2 in the past 15 clashes at Tampa Bay. Other than that, the under is on runs of 10-1 for the Rays at home, 28-10-1 for the Yankees overall, 8-0 for the Yankees against right-handed starters, 7-1 for the Yankees on the road, 14-5 for the Yankees against A.L. East rivals and 42-18 for the Yankees on Wednesdays.
ATS ADVANTAGE: TAMPA BAY and UNDER
MLB
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Atlanta (19-19) at Philadelphia (22-18)
Tom Glavine (0-1, 4.03 ERA) tries once again for his first victory of 2008 ? and the 304th of his career ? when he leads the Braves against the Phillies and Brett Myers (2-3, 5.33) in the middle game of a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies snapped a modest two-game slide with Tuesday?s 5-4 victory, overcoming a 3-0 first-inning deficit. Charlie Manuel?s club has still been lacking consistency the last few weeks, going 8-7 in its last 15 games, but it is 6-2 in its last eight home contests and 6-1 in its last seven as a favorite. On the downside, Philadelphia is 2-4 in its last six divisional games and 1-6 in its last seven on Wednesdays.
Atlanta has followed up a season-best six-game winning streak by losing four of its last five. Bobby Cox?s club has one of the biggest home-road splits in the majors, going 14-4 at home, but 5-15 on the road. Also, the Braves are on further negative runs of 0-6 as a road underdog, 0-5 against the N.L. East and 1-4 on Wednesdays.
This is the first meeting of the season between these rivals, who split their 18-game season series last year. However, the Phillies are now 10-5 in the last 15 battles.
With Myers on the hill, the Phillies are 30-12 when he pitches on five days? rest, but they?re 3-10 in his last 13 starts overall, 3-9 in his last 12 at home, 1-7 in his last eight as a favorite and 2-12 in his last 14 against the N.L. East. Meanwhile, going all the way back to Glavine?s first stint in Atlanta, the Braves are 8-1 when he pitches on Wednesdays, but 1-7 in his last eight starts overall (1-5 this season) and 0-5 in his last five on the highway (0-4 this season).
Glavine is coming off his longest outing of the season, as he went seven innings at Pittsburgh on Friday, giving up two runs on five hits and four walks. But it wasn?t enough, as the veteran southpaw got a no-decision in a 3-2 Braves loss. Glavine has a 2.79 ERA in four road starts, but his team has lost all four.
Glavine is 28-17 with a 3.68 ERA in 64 lifetime starts against Philadelphia, including 2-2 with a 4.06 ERA in seven games at Citizens Bank Park. Going back to the 2006 season, Glavine has tossed seven consecutive quality starts against the Phillies (at least six innings pitched and three or fewer earned runs allowed), and his ERA during this seven-game stretch is 2.64.
Myers got rocked in Arizona on Thursday, yielding seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and three walks in five innings of an 8-3 defeat. The Phillies are 0-3 in his last three efforts, and the righthander has registered a 6.75 ERA in his last four starts. Myers has also given up 12 home runs in 49 innings, allowing at least one big fly in each of his last seven trips to the bump.
Myers is 4-6 with a 4.16 ERA and four saves in 24 career appearances (17 starts) against the Braves. On the bright side, he?s 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in four home starts in 2008.
The under is 5-1 in Glavine?s last six starts overall, 4-0 in his four road starts this season and 6-0-1 in his last seven against the Phillies. The under is also 4-2 in Myers? last six outings against Atlanta, but 7-3 in his last 10 overall and 14-6 in his last 20 efforts on Wednesday.
For Atlanta, the under is on streaks of 37-16-2 overall, 19-5-1 on the road, 17-5 as an underdog and 18-4-1 on the road against right-handed starters. Conversely, the over is 5-3-1 in Philly?s last nine overall and 7-4 in its last 11 as a favorite.
ATS ADVANTAGE: PHILADELPHIA and UNDER
AMERICAN LEAGUE
N.Y. Yankees (19-21) at Tampa Bay (23-16)
The red-hot and record-setting Rays go for their seventh consecutive win overall and their 12th straight win at home when they send ace James Shields (4-2, 3.14) to the mound opposite New York?s Mike Mussina (5-3, 4.36) at Tropicana Field
After pounding out a 7-1 victory in Monday?s series opener, Tampa Bay needed 11 innings to pull out a 2-1 win Tuesday. Not only have the Rays won six in a row overall and 11 straight at home, but they?re 15-5 in their last 20 and have climbed seven games over .500 for the first time in team history. The Rays have outscored their opponents 29-9 during their six-game winning streak, and they?re now 15-7 at home.
The Yanks have followed a three-game winning steak by going 2-5 in their last seven to fall back below .500. New York entered this series having won four straight against the Rays ? all in Tampa ? before losing the last two, so the season series is now tied 4-4.
Shields is coming off the best start of his career, as he pitched a complete-game, one-hitter against the Angels on Friday night, getting the 2-0 when rookie Evan Longoria hit a one-out, two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth. Tampa Bay is 3-1 in Shields? last four outings, with the righthander giving up two earned runs or fewer in all three victories. In fact, Shields has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 13 of his last 16 outings.
Shields has thrived at Tropicana Field this season, going 3-0 with a 1.16 ERA in four starts, with the Rays also prevailing in his one no-decision at home. The one negative for Shields: He?s been horrific against the Yankees in his career, going 0-5 with a 7.83 ERA in six starts, including a 2-0 road loss on April 6, when he gave up two runs on eight hits in five innings. That was easily Shields? best outing against the Yankees in his career.
Mussina has seemingly turned back the clock over the last three weeks, going 4-0 with a 3.13 ERA in his last four starts, including a pair of road wins over the Indians (5-2) and White Sox (6-4). He?s 2-1 with a 4.08 ERA in three starts on foreign turf this season.
Mussina dominated the Rays in a 6-1 home win on April 7, giving up just the one run on two hits and one walk in six innings. He?s now 17-7 with a 3.44 ERA in 30 starts versus Tampa Bay, but only 7-5 with a 4.29 ERA at Tropicana Field. The Yanks have won seven of his last nine starts against the Rays.
The under is 6-2 in Mussina?s eight start this season, including 3-0 in the last three, but the over is 4-1 in his last five starts against the Rays (2-0 in Tampa Bay). Also, the over is 4-2 in Tampa?s last six overall.
The under is 6-1 in the last six meetings between these rivals overall (2-0 in this series), but the over remains 9-4-2 in the past 15 clashes at Tampa Bay. Other than that, the under is on runs of 10-1 for the Rays at home, 28-10-1 for the Yankees overall, 8-0 for the Yankees against right-handed starters, 7-1 for the Yankees on the road, 14-5 for the Yankees against A.L. East rivals and 42-18 for the Yankees on Wednesdays.
ATS ADVANTAGE: TAMPA BAY and UNDER
Chicago White Sox +1.21 (3 Unit Play) - The White Sox look to win in a game in this series as they have dropped the first two so far and will put Jose Contreras on the mound this evening. Contreras has been pitching quite well so far this season as on the road he has recorded a 3.33 ERA in 27 innings pitched and has struck out 17 compared to only 6 walks for a 1.19 WHIP. The Angels are welcoming back John Lackey as he makes his first start of the season tonight but he should be on a pitch count this evening as the Angels will be careful in bringing him back. Lackey started three starts in Single A and although he only pitched 9 innings he did have a 4.00 ERA. In Lackey's last 10 starts against the White Sox the Angels have only went 4-6 and he has worked one game with Tim Welke behind the plate and he is 0-1 in that start. Contreras meanwhile is 1-0 with Welke behind the plate and the White Sox are 6-4 in their last 10 games with Welke while the LA Angels are 4-6. All this adds up to a play on the White Sox for me.
Oscarxena Sports
Oscarxena Sports
Winning points had FL short yesterday-loser & San Antone 95-90; been on a bad streak. Today it's Celtics 90-75, Bos. & un, & in bases LAD ag. Lefty Parra. Alhough I have Detroit big in the series, I can't see Dallas folding their tent +160 @ home might be a slight hedge if you already have the Wings in the series. Yesterday most cappers were on the same 5 or 6 teams, only winners were NO Hornets & KC Royals. Today they are dividing up as usual so I quess take your preferred pick. BOL
