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**StarDust Bum** · 04-19-2010, 02:28 PM

Playoff Results - First Round

First Round Results

Home teams are 7-1
Favorites are 7-1 straight up
Favorites are 6-2 against the spread
The 'over/under' tally is 2-3-3.

Home Visitor Time/Final Score ATS OVER/UNDER

Saturday Apr 17, 2010
Cleveland (-11) Chicago 96-83 FAVORITE UNDER 193.5
Atlanta (-8.5) Milwaukee 102-92 FAVORITE OVER 186.5
Boston (-4.5) Miami 85-76 FAVORITE UNDER 184.5
Denver (-6) Utah 126-113 FAVORITE OVER 209

Sunday Apr 18, 2010
L.A. Lakers (-7.5) Oklahoma City 87-79 FAVORITE UNDER 197
Orlando (-10) Charlotte 98-89 UNDERDOG PUSH 187
Dallas (-4.5) San Antonio 100-94 FAVORITE PUSH 194
Phoenix Portland (+9) 105-100 UNDERDOG PUSH 205

Monday Apr 19, 2010
Cleveland Chicago 8:00 p.m.
Denver Utah 10:30 p.m

Tuesday Apr 20, 2010
Atlanta Milwaukee 7:00 p.m.
Boston Miami 8:00 p.m.
Phoenix Portland 10:00 p.m.
L.A. Lakers Oklahoma City 10:30 p.m.

Wednesday Apr 21, 2010
Orlando Charlotte 7:00 p.m.
Dallas San Antonio 9:30 p.m.

Thursday Apr 22, 2010
Chicago Cleveland 7:00 p.m.
Oklahoma City L.A. Lakers 9:30 p.m.
Portland Phoenix 10:00 p.m

Friday Apr 23, 2010
Miami Boston 7:00 p.m.
San Antonio Dallas 9:30 p.m.
Utah Denver 10:30 p.m.

Saturday Apr 24, 2010
Charlotte Orlando 2:00 p.m.
Portland Phoenix 4:30 p.m.
Milwaukee Atlanta 7:00 p.m.
Oklahoma City L.A. Lakers 9:30 p.m.

Sunday Apr 25, 2010
Miami Boston 1:00 p.m.
Chicago Cleveland 3:30 p.m.
San Antonio Dallas 7:00 p.m.
Utah Denver 9:30 p.m.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-19-2010, 02:29 PM

Monday's NBA Tips

Following back-to-back quadruple-headers on Saturday and Sunday to start the 2010 NBA Playoffs, bettors merely have a pair of games to wager on tonight. Nevertheless, that equates to four options with sides and totals, so let’s get you ready for bets and ballgames.

**Bulls at Cavaliers**

--Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Cleveland (62-21 straight up, 39-43-1 against the spread) as an 11-point favorite with a total of 190. As of late Sunday, most betting shops had the Cavs favored by 10 ½ with the total increased to 191. Gamblers can take the Bulls to win outright for a plus-600 return (risk $100 to win $600).

--Mike Brown’s team won Game 1 over the Bulls by a 96-83 count to hook up its backers as an 11 ½-point favorite. The Cavs appeared to be on their way to an easy win when they went up 32-18 at the end of the first quarter. However, Vinny Del Negro’s squad battled back to get within seven in the fourth quarter, but a LeBron James’ jumper with 1:37 left put Cleveland ahead of the number for good.

--Shaquille O’Neal, playing for the first time since injuring his thumb on Feb. 25, gave the Cavs a big spark in the pivotal first quarter. Shaq finished with 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots in just 24 minutes of playing time. James had 24 points, six boards and five assists. After the game he said, “We have the look of a champion.”

--In the losing effort, Derrick Rose flirted with a triple-double. The Windy City native, who was a one-and-doner at Memphis, tallied 28 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Joakim Noah added 10 points, eight boards, three assists, three steals and three blocked shots.

--Chicago (41-42 SU, 42-39-2 ATS) had covered the number in three consecutive double-digit underdog spots until dropping Game 1 both SU and ATS. For the season, the Bulls are 22-20 ATS on the road.

--Cleveland owns a 36-6 SU record at QuickenLoans Arena, but it has limped to a 17-25 spread ledger at home.

--The ‘under’ is 41-39-3 overall for the Cavs, 21-20-1 in their home games. Meanwhile, Chicago has watched the ‘under’ go 48-34-1 overall, 25-16-1 in its road assignments.

--TNT will have the telecast at 8:05 p.m. Eastern.

**Jazz at Nuggets**

--LVSC opened Denver (54-29 SU, 36-41-6 ATS) as a 6 ½-point ‘chalk’ with a total of 210 ½. As of late Sunday, most spots had the Nuggets as seven-point favorite with the total up to 212 ½. The Jazz are plus-270 on the money line (risk $100 to win $270).

--Denver drew first blood by winning Game 1 Saturday at Pepsi Center, 126-113. The Nuggets took the money as 5 ½-point favorites, while the 239 combined points easily sailed ‘over’ the 208-point total. Carmelo Anthony erupted for a game-high 42 points, while J.R. Smith came off the bench to score 20 points.

--Utah (53-30 SU, 49-31-3 ATS) was led by Deron Williams in Game 1, as the Illinois product produced 26 points and 11 assists. Carlos Boozer added 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots.

--Utah was already playing without Andrei Kirilenko, who averages 11.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game. AK-47 is expected to miss the entire series with a calf injury. Now in addition to that, the Jazz must deal with the loss of Mehmet Okur, who is done for the postseason after tearing his Achilles’ in Game 1. Okur averages 13.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest.

--The 'over' is 44-37-2 overall for the Jazz, 22-19-1 in their road assignments.

--The 'under' is 44-39 overall for Denver, but the 'over' is 23-19 in its home games in the Mile High City.

--The ‘over’ is 5-1 in the last six head-to-head meetings between these Western Conference rivals.

--Tip-off is scheduled for 10:35 p.m. Eastern on TNT.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--Is it just me, or did KG start acting like such a chump only after winning an NBA ring? If you missed the news on Sunday, Garnett was suspended for Game 2 of Boston’s series with Miami. He caught Quentin Richardson with an elbow during a brief skirmish that was mostly instigated by KG. Richardson was fined $25,000.

--The favorites finished the weekend with a 7-1 SU record and a 6-2 ATS mark. Portland was the lone underdog to win outright, beating Phoenix 105-100 in Game 1 as a nine-point underdog. Playing without star guard Brandon Roy, Andre Miller took over the Trail Blazers, producing 31 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals. LaMarcus Aldridge chipped in with 22 points, while Jerryd Bayless and Nicolas Batum finished with 18 points apiece.

--For those backing the ‘over’ for Portland-Phoenix like me, we have to tip our hats to Jason Richardson for draining a fadeaway jumper that was well contested to pull the Suns within 103-100 with 12 seconds left. Most books closed the total at 205, but I got got a more generous number earlier Sunday. Therefore, Miller’s two free throws with 3.7 seconds remaining gave me a winner.

--With the exception of the Lakers’ 87-79 win over Oklahoma City that resulted in an easy ‘under,’ how about the finishes for the totals of Sunday’s three other games. Tony Parker’s meaningless late bucket for the Spurs made their loss at Dallas, 100-94. With most spots closing the total at 204, that resulted in a push. And in the Orlando-Charlotte game, a 98-89 win for the Magic, the total closed in the 186-187 range. The Bobcats posted the backdoor cover as 10-point underdogs.

--Charlotte’s Stephen Jackson sustained a knee injury in the first half of his team’s Game 1 loss. Although he sucked it up and played well while hobbling through the third quarter, Larry Brown elected to sit Jackson for most of the final stanza. He is going to have an MRI this afternoon.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-19-2010, 02:31 PM

Playoff Results - First Round

First Round Results

Favorites have gone 10-10
Home teams have gone 10-10
The 'over' is 8-8-4 through 20 games
Favorites that have won are 4-6 on the puck-line

Home Visitor Time/Final Score ATS OVER/UNDER

Wed Apr 14, 2010
Penguins Senators (+180) 5-4 UNDERDOG OVER 5.5
Devils Flyers (+145) 2-1 UNDERDOG UNDER 5
Coyotes (+100) Red Wings 3-2 UNDERDOG PUSH 5
Sharks Avalanche (+200 2-1 UNDERDOG UNDER 5.5

Thu Apr 15, 2010
Capitals Canadiens (+240) 3-2 UNDERDOG UNDER 6
Sabres (-155) Bruins 2-1 FAVORITE UNDER 5
Canucks (-185) Kings 3-2 (OT) FAVORITE UNDER 5.5

Fri Apr 16, 2010
Penguins (-300) Senators 2-1 FAVORITE UNDER 5.5
Devils (-180) Flyers 5-3 FAVORITE OVER 5
Blackhawks Predators (+210) 4-1 UNDERDOG PUSH 5
Coyotes Red Wings (-135) 7-4 FAVORITE OVER 5
Sharks (-270) Avalanche 6-5 (OT) FAVORITE OVER 5.5

Sat Apr 17, 2010
Sabres Bruins (+135) 5-3 UNDERDOG OVER 5
Capitals (-360) Canadiens 6-5 (OT) FAVORITE OVER 6
Canucks Kings (+160) 3-2 (OT) UNDERDOG PUSH

Sun Apr 18, 2010
Red Wings Coyotes (+170) 4-2 UNDERDOG OVER 5
Flyers (-110) Devils 3-2 (OT) FAVORITE PUSH
Senators Penguins (-130) 4-2 FAVORITE OVER 5.5
Blackhawks (-280) Predators 2-0 FAVORITE UNDER 5
Avalanche (+125) Sharks 1-0 (OT) UNDERDOG UNDER 5.5

Mon Apr 19, 2010
Canadiens Bruins 7:00 p.m. EDT - -
Bruins Sabres 7:00 p.m. EDT - -
Kings Canucks 10:00 p.m. EDT - -

Tue Apr 20, 2010
Red Wings Coyotes 6:30 p.m. EDT - -
Senators Penguins 7:00 p.m. EDT - -
Flyers Devils 7:30 p.m. EDT - -
Predators Blackhawks 9:00 p.m. EDT - -
Avalanche Sharks 10:00 p.m. EDT - -

Wed Apr 21, 2010
Canadiens Capitals 7:00 p.m. EDT - -
Bruins Sabres 7:00 p.m. EDT - -
Kings Canucks 10:00 p.m. EDT - -

Thu Apr 22, 2010
Penguins Senators 7:00 p.m. EDT - -
Devils Flyers 7:00 p.m. EDT - -
Predators Blackhawks 8:30 p.m. EDT - -
Sharks Avalanche 10:30 p.m. EDT - -

Fri Apr 23, 2010
Capitals Canadiens 7:00 p.m. EDT - -
Sabres Bruins 7:00 p.m. EDT - -
Canucks Kings 10:00 p.m. EDT - -
Coyotes Red Wings 10:00 p.m. EDT - -

Sat Apr 24, 2010
Blackhawks Predators 3:00 p.m. EDT - -
Senators Penguins 7:00 p.m. EDT - -
Avalanche Sharks TBD - -

Sun Apr 25, 2010
Red Wings Coyotes 2:00 p.m. EDT - -
Flyers Devils TBD - -
Kings Canucks TBD

**StarDust Bum** · 04-19-2010, 02:34 PM

Monday on the Diamond

Monday’s slate of baseball begins at the ripe old hour of 11:00 a.m. EDT when the Red Sox host Tampa Bay on Patriots’ Day. But how many of us would rather watch that over “The Price is Right?” Instead of looking at that über-early contest, let’s look at some night games that we can actually sit back and enjoy.

Rockies at Nationals – 7:05 p.m. EDT

Most betting shops have installed the Rockies as $1.60 road favorite (risk $160 to win $100) with a total of 9.5.

Colorado (6-5, -71) comes into this game with a full night of sleep after finishing up its three-game road set with the Braves on Sunday afternoon. Don’t blame the Rockies if they aren’t up for that series finale after Ubaldo Jimenez logged the franchise’s first no-hitter in a 4-0 triumph on Saturday night. That win was good enough to keep the Rox within two games of first place San Francisco in the National League West.

Jim Tracy will hand the ball off to Aaron Cook (0-1, 5.56) to open this three-game series. Cook was serviceable in his last start, giving up three earned runs on four hits in six innings of work on April 14 at home against the Mets. He didn’t get a decision for his efforts, but the Rockies did get a 6-5 win as $1.75 home favorites against New York.

Cook has had reasonable success during his career against the Nationals, going 2-1 with a 3.63 earned run average in eight appearances. Ryan Zimmerman is 1-for-6 (.167) with two strikeouts against the Colorado right-hander. The only regular in the Nats’ lineup that has done well against Cook is Adam Dunn. The former Red is 3-for-14 (.214) with a home run and three runs batted in.

Washington (6-5, +486) will be handing the ball over to Chris Stammen (0-0, 15.63). The Nationals’ No. 3 starter is going to be looking to erase the bad taste of his last start out of his mouth. Stammen lasted just 1.1 innings against the Phillies on April 14. That was long enough for Philadelphia to torch him for seven earned runs on seven hits, one of which being a four-bagger.

There is reason for Stammen to feel like he has a chance in this contest. He’s only 0-1 with an ERA of 2.19 in two starts. Brad Hawpe and Todd Helton are the only true threats to Washington’s hurler, combining to hit .300 with two RBI and one homer.

The ‘under’ is 5-3 in Colorado’s last eight games this season. On the road, however, the ‘over’ is 3-1-1 for the Rox.

Washington has seen the ‘under’ hit in two straight home contests after opening Nationals Park on a 3-0 ‘over’ run.

Nationals’ fans and bettors alike should be aware that they are just 9-16 over the last two seasons in night home games against teams out of the NL West. That includes a three-game sweep that the Rockies had against them in August of 2009. The ‘under’ cashed in all three of those tilts as well.

Tigers at Angels – 10:05 p.m. EDT

It wasn’t too long ago that we thought that Detroit (6-5, -101) was going to break out to a big lead in the AL Central. The Tigers started the season out at 5-1 after dominating Kansas City on the road and Cleveland at Comerica Park. The Royals returned the favor in Detroit, winning of two of three. Then Jim Leyland’s club has dropped two straight in Seattle.

The Tigers will look to start anew on Monday night with Dontrelle Willis (0-0, 4.91). The former Marlin has had his demons over the past few years, but appears to have gotten over the hump. Willis allowed four earned runs on nine hits in five innings of work last Tuesday. He wound up with no decision for his work, but Detroit did wind up winning 6-5 as a $1.20 home “chalk” over the Royals.

Los Angeles (5-7, -286) may still have a losing record, but that appears to be changing in the very near future. The Halos have won three of their last four games after opening the season in a mind-boggling 2-6 funk.

Joel Pineiro (1-1, 2.77) will be entrusted to keep the good fortunes of the Angels going. There is reason for LA to be optimistic about its chances in this contest after Pineiro’s last outing. He was able to surrender just one earned run on five hits in seven innings of work to beat the Yankees as a $1.80 road pup on April 14.

What could hold down LA is the fact that the Tigers have won four of their last five games against them. The ‘under’ has been a smart play as it has gone 4-2 in the last six head-to-head meetings.

Most sportsbooks have opened the Angels as $1.70 home faves with a total of 9.5.

The Tigers are 3-6 in Willis’ last nine road starts since 2008. The ‘over’ is 6-3 in those games as well.

The ‘over’ is 4-3 for the Angels’ first seven home tests. The ‘over’ is 3-2 in Detroit’s five road games this season.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-19-2010, 02:35 PM

Diamond Trends - Monday

Tigers at Angels – The Tigers are 0-8 since April 17, 2009 as a road dog after a win and it is the first game of the series for a net profit of $800 when playing against.

Royals at Blue Jays – The Royals are 0-8 since May 13, 2009 when Brian Bannister starts as a dog after going at least 6 innings and giving up 6 or fewer hits for a net profit of $800 when playing against. The Royals are 0-7 since August 09, 2009 within 20 cents of pickem when they blew a lead in their starter's last start and lost for a net profit of $710 when playing against. The League is 0-7 since September 21, 2009 after a loss in which their starter pitched at least 8 innings for a net profit of $875 when playing against.

Cardinals at Diamondbacks – The Cardinals are 6-0 since April 10, 2009 as a favorite when they are off a win in which they came back from a deficit and it is the first game of a series for a net profit of $600

Orioles at Mariners – The Orioles are 0-10 since May 05, 2009 as a road dog when they are off a win in which they never trailed for a net profit of $1000 when playing against. The Orioles are 0-7 since September 23, 2009 on the road when they lost the last two games their starter started for a net profit of $700 when playing against.

Cubs at Mets – The Cubs are 7-0 since July 01, 2009 when Randy Wells starts as a favorite after the team won his last two starts for a net profit of $700. The Mets are 0-8 since July 21, 2009 as a dog vs a team that has lost at least their last two games for a net profit of $800 when playing against. The Mets are 0-6 since August 23, 2009 after a loss in which they were shut out in the last 6 innings for a net profit of $600 when playing against.

Rockies at Nationals – The Rockies are 7-0 since April 29, 2009 as a 140+ favorite when they are off a loss in which they held the lead for a net profit of $700. The Rockies are 7-0 since April 29, 2009 as a 140+ favorite after a one run loss for a net profit of $700. The Nationals are 0-9 since June 05, 2009 at home when they are off a loss in which they never led and it is the first game of a series for a net profit of $910 when playing against.

Giants at Padres – The Giants are 6-0 since May 17, 2009 when Matt Cain starts vs a team that has won at least their last two games for a net profit of $610. The Giants are 6-0 since June 09, 2009 as a favorite after a loss in which they were shut out in the first 6 innings and it is the first game of a series for a net profit of $600

Rays at Red Sox – The Rays are 5-0 since May 07, 2009 when Jeff Niemann starts vs a team that has lost at least their last four games for a net profit of $545. The Rays are 7-0 since May 06, 2009 as a dog vs a team that has lost at least their last two games for a net profit of $925. The Red Sox are 0-7 since September 25, 2009 as a favorite vs a team that has won at least their last two games for a net profit of $955 when playing against

**StarDust Bum** · 04-19-2010, 05:00 PM

Home teams seek 2-0 edge in NBA Playoffs

Cleveland and Denver opened impressively on their own home courts in winning and covering Game 1 of the new playoff year. Each club will look to take a decided edge on Monday night, before packing for the road for the next two contests. Will each be the able to stir up another winner and beat the oddsmaker to boot? This doubleheader is on TNT starting at 8 Eastern Monday.

Play like a champion

The Cavaliers closed as 12-point point home favorites against Chicago and almost frittered away a 22-point lead before closing the deal. The Bulls got within seven points in the fourth quarter, before being visibility spent and falling 99-83.

Cleveland appeared bored after building humongous lead, yet is quite confident in their abilities, this year more than ever.

“We," LeBron James said, "have the look of a champion."

He might be right and the oddsmakers certainly think so making them the betting choice for futures wager to be NBA champions. The Cavs remade roster is back at full strength with Shaquille O'Neal, Antawn Jamison and Anthony Parker. Cleveland looked bigger, stronger and had more options coming off the bench than Chicago and is 14-3 ATS off a home win by 10 points or more this season.

The Bulls can take heart they outscored the Cavaliers by a point after the first 12 minutes and realistically had no reason to believe they could sweep Cleveland at Quicken Loans Arena.

“We can't wait to play," Derrick Rose said after scoring 28 points and handing out 10 assists. "I know I can't. This is something I live for. I think about it every minute of the day, playing against the best team in the NBA."

The loss ended Chicago’s brief three game winning streak, however they are 13-5 ATS after playing two consecutive road games this season.

Sportsbook.com took into consideration the Bulls will have turnaround revenge and opened them as Game 2 underdogs of 10.5-points, with total of 191 and they are 7-1 ATS off a loss since Mar. 12. Chicago is 18-8 UNDER revenging same season loss this year.

Cleveland knows how to turn up the defensive intensity and is 13-5 ATS after two or more Under’s this season and continues to rule the first round with 13-3 ATS mark. The Cavs are 10-2 SU and ATS at home vs. Da Bulls in this battle of Great Lakes cities and is 9-1 UNDER after a cover as a double digit favorite this season.

Carmelo chewy good for the Nuggets

Denver has been floundering for some time, but once the playoff lights came on it was show time for their two brightest stars. Carmelo Anthony scored a playoff-high 42 points in leading the Nuggets to 126-113 victory. Guard J.R. Smith is like a Maserati, able to go from zero to 100 MPH in seconds.

Smith broke open a 90-90 tie game with four 3-point baskets, scoring 18 of his 20 points in the final stanza. "It felt good to get on, period," Smith said. "I couldn't hit anything. I didn't have a rhythm. It felt good to start making shots."

Denver scored 38 points in the last quarter and Anthony and Smith combined for 30 of them. That raised the Nuggets record in 14-3 ATS in playoff games since last season.

Utah has to feel the basketball gods are conspiring against them. Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko re-injured his strained left calf in practice Thursday and won't play in the series, which is catastrophic, since he was the one player on Utah roster that could at least contain Anthony.

Jazz center Mehmet Okur aggravated his left Achilles' tendon injury in the first half, slipping on a wet spot on the floor and undergoes MRI. (Now out for the season) "I felt something pop," said Okur. Utah is 3-12 ATS as visitor revenging a road loss the last two years.

Offense ruled in the series opener, with Denver shooting 57.1 percent and Utah at 54.7 percent, however too many players had wide open looks, which was both a function of exceptional ball movement and shoddy defense.

Utah is a seven-point underdog, with its roster shrinking and will have to continue to shoot the ball well and play defense with greater urgency. At the very least the Jazz are capable of covering the number and are 13-1 ATS after a road game where both teams score 100 or more points.

Denver has shown a killer-instinct when leading in a series and is 8-0 ATS in the postseason in this precise situation. The Nuggets are now is 22-8 UNDER in the first round of the playoffs and are 44-7 SU when they have 20 or more assists this campaign.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-19-2010, 05:15 PM

Cubs road favorites in Big Apple

Lou Piniella has seen enough of the Chicago Cubs sputtering offensively. Coming off a second straight lackluster performance, Piniella is expected to make some changes to the lineup Monday night when the Cubs open a four-game series against a New York Mets team that has its own offensive problems.

Everything appeared to be going just fine for Chicago (5-7, -3.4 units) with the team plating 29 runs in its first four home games, but that production has disappeared.

After leaving eight runners on base in Saturday’s 4-3 loss to Houston, the Cubs managed one extra-base hit in Sunday’s 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Astros. Marlon Byrd had three hits and drove in the only two runs Sunday for Chicago, which is 3 for 14 (.214) with runners in scoring position the last two games after batting .342 in such situations in the previous four.

“Last couple of games we have not done much offensively,” Piniella said. “I’m going to change the lineup around a little bit and spur this offense on a little bit.”Chicago is 32-45 after two home losses in division, including losing five of last six.

Part of the problem has come from the top of the order with leadoff hitter Ryan Theriot going 3 for 19 in the last four games. Piniella said he will move Theriot to No. 8 in the batting order and shift Byrd, who is 6 for 9 with three doubles and three RBIs against left-handers this season, to the leadoff spot when the Cubs face left-handed starters.

This new lineup is expected to make its debut at Citi Field, as the Mets are sending lefty Jonathon Niese (0-1, 6.55 ERA) to the mound. Niese gave up five runs, nine hits and hit two batters in Wednesday’s 6-5, 10-inning loss to Colorado after allowing three runs and eight hits in six innings of a 3-1 loss to Florida on April 8.

This will be Niese’s 11th major league start, and second versus Chicago. Against the Cubs on Sept. 22, 2008, Niese gave up a career-worst six runs and seven hits in three innings of a 9-5 loss, his first big league defeat.

Like Chicago, the Mets are also mired in an offensive funk. New York (4-8, -5 units) has scored three runs or fewer in six of eight games, and managed a season-low four hits in Sunday night’s 5-3 loss to St. Louis, which gave New York a 41-72 record in after dark games the last couple of years.

The Mets have gone without an extra-base hit in their last two games, and have lost four straight series to open the season for the first time since 1997.Jose Reyes and Jason Bay have been in the middle of this slump. Reyes is batting .154 in eight games this season after starting the year on the disabled list, while Bay is hitting .161 in his last eight contests.

“Offensively, we’ve got to take it up a notch,” New York manager Jerry Manuel said. “We need to get that squared away.” The Mets have come up short in 11 of previous 16 Game 1’s of series.

The Mets will try to get on track against Randy Wells (1-0, 2.92). After allowing six hits in six innings of a 2-0 win in Atlanta in his season debut, Wells gave up four runs and 10 hits with seven strikeouts in Wednesday’s 7-6 home win over Milwaukee, but didn’t get a decision.

The right-hander has picked up where he left off as a rookie in 2009, pitching better on the road than at home. In 14 career starts away from Wrigley Field, Wells is 6-5 with a 2.68 ERA, yielding two runs or fewer in 10 of those outings.

One of solid those performances came at Citi Field on Sept. 6, as Wells gave up two runs and seven hits in six innings of a 4-2 loss. Chicago has 12-4 record when Wells pitches against a losing team.

Sportsbook.com has the Cubs as -125 money line favorites with total Ov8.5 and they are 9-4 as favored road team of -150 or less. Chicago is 24-11 UNDER after a loss by two runs or less. The Metropolitans will look to turn things around expediently and are 16-5 in home games against NL Central opponents.

This is the ESPN Monday Night contest, which will start a bit after 7:00 Eastern, with New York having won 13 of 19 over the Cubbies batting last and are 13-3 OVER at home playing on Monday’s the last three seasons.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-19-2010, 05:17 PM

No slow betting days in baseball

The schedule might appear lighter in baseball action with just eight games on the board; however that doesn’t mean opportunity doesn’t exist. We went thru and isolated four specific MLB systems that are thought provoking and should have a well above average chance of being profitable to start another week of baseball betting. Sides and totals from Sportsbook.com.

St. Louis at Arizona 9:40E

The Cardinals are already in first place in the NL Central, where they are expected to end up at the end of the season. You can’t blame St. Louis if they a trifle fatigued off 20-inning game Saturday and a tense come from behind effort 5-3 win over the New York Mets last evening.

St. Louis has left 32 men on base the last two contests (22 in the marathon) and are a -129 money line favorite in the desert against angry Arizona club that was swept by San Diego and has lost four in a row.

Here we look to Play Against road teams with a money line of -100 to -150 after two straight games where they stranded 10 or more runners on base, in the first half of the season. These teams are unsightly 12-33, 27.7 percent.

San Francisco at San Diego 10:05E

Even after losing series to the Dodgers, San Francisco maintained lead in the NL West with 8-4 record. The Giants continue their road trip further south down the California coast to San Diego.

The oddsmaker looked at the Matt Cain vs Clayton Richard matchup and studied two good bullpens and hung out an Un7 on this confrontation. With this setup, we found a 52-19 system that suggests to Play Over on road teams when the total is 7 to 8.5, after a loss, on a club with a winning percentage of 62% or better on the season.

Detroit at L.A. Angels 10:05E

Last week was not a good for Detroit, dropping two series and losing four of six games. Like many teams this time of year, the Tigers are attempting to put together a consistent bullpen and though the ERA of 3.21 appears more than adequate, too many runners are scoring in hold situations and they have surrendered 64 hits and walks (44-H, 20-W) in 42 innings, for WHIP of 1.524.

In the last three seasons, road clubs with bullpen WHIP between 1.450 to 1.550 on the year, who are a good fielding team, turning 1.1 or more double plays per game are 33-74.

Baltimore at Seattle 10:10E

There had to be a general sense of relief in Baltimore dugout as they ended their nine-game losing streak in being victorious for the just the second time this season yesterday in 8-3 triumph over Oakland.

Even with the offensive outburst, the Orioles are batting puny .234 as a team, with on-base percentage of .292, while scoring 3.2 runs per game.

Seattle’s return to the state of Washington has boosted their play, with two series victories. The pitching has been the difference and the bullpen has sharp with 3.29 ERA on the year (1.17 ERA at Safeco Park). The Mariners are a -148 money line favorite with total Ov8. Keep in mind, American League teams hitting less than .260, facing a bullpen with ERA under 3.33, on Monday’s, are 39-14 UNDER the last 13 years.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-19-2010, 05:18 PM

Does venue change favor NHL home teams?

Monday night has more first round playoff games that all have series tied at 1-1 moving on to new ice rinks. In each case the home squad has taken away advantage from the visitor and is three home wins away from moving on to next round of the playoffs. That thinking is further down the road, with each team having to focus on the immediate prospects, which is winning tonight and taking lead in the series. Here is what to look for this evening on the ice.

Buffalo at Boston 7:00E VERSUS

After losing opening game and down 2-0 at Buffalo with the NHL’s worst offense, Boston’s chances for a victory looked the same as Cliff Clavin being named Post Master General. However, Boston went to work the last two periods and tallied five goals and evened the series.

“I think it gives us confidence,” Boston’s Milan Lucic said Sunday. “We have to realize that we were relentless and we played like a determined hockey club and we’ve got to keep that up.” The Bruins are 18-4 off a win by two goals or more over a division rival.

Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff is stressing the basics hitting the road for the next two games. “Our execution has to be good,” he said. If “we win some faceoffs and battle hard in the circles it’ll give us the opportunity to negate some of that early energy in that building. But I’d expect there’s going to be a lot of energy. I’ve seen it in all the buildings we’ve visited in the playoffs.”

Buffalo is 4-6 in Beantown the last three years and is 1-7 after allowing five goals or more this season. The Sabres have to play better defensively and are 11-1 UNDER revenging a loss where opponent totaled five or more pucks in the back of the net.

Boston is a -140 money line favorite and they are 1-9 when tied in a playoff series.

Washington at Montreal 7:00E TSN

The Canadiens return home with the knowledge they have outplayed the best team in the regular season for five of the six periods and could well be up 2-0 over Washington.

“If I’m Montreal, I’m angry because I could have won two games,” Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said. “They’re thinking they’re the better team. We’re trying as hard as we can, believe me. They’re playing really good.”

What has helped the Canadiens cause is superior penalty killing, thwarting all seven of the Capitals power play chances and they are 8-4 against offensive teams scoring 2.85 or more goals a game.

The Capitals defense has by abysmal in permitting eight goals. They will have to attempt to tighten up in their own end and keep the pressure on offensively.

Washington is 15-5 in road games after three straight contests with 33 or more shots and is -175 money line favorite at Sportsbook.com with total of six. Back on home ice, Montreal is 11-3 UNDER after scoring three goals or more in a trio of contests over the last two seasons.

Vancouver at Los Angeles 10:00E VERSUS

The Kings are not only 1-1 in the series, but .500 in overtime against Vancouver, as the scene shifts to SoCal for rare hockey game at the Staples Center in mid-April. The Los Angeles franchise hasn’t hosted a Stanley Cup game since 2002 and in celebration; the Kings are wearing their alternate all-black uniforms.

“It’s huge we had a split in the other team’s city,” said 21-year-old Kings forward Wayne Simmonds, who looked right at home on the Kings’ top line in Game 2. “(Now) we get to go home to our fans who haven’t seen a playoff game in eight years. We are rewarding them.” L.A. will look to do better than 4-11 record in home games having won two of last three.

While several hockey gurus were calling for long series and possible upset by the Kings, Vancouver tried to remain above those thoughts. The Canucks have not proven to be better than Los Angeles and will have to show how mentally strong they are, not always a strength of this franchise. Nevertheless, Vancouver is 18-6 revenging a same season loss in 2009-10.

Los Angeles is modest +105 underdogs with Ov5 total and is 16-8 after two or more Under’s.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-19-2010, 06:15 PM

5) Utah Jazz (0-1) at (4) Denver Nuggets (1-0), 10:30 p.m.

Sports Network) - Reeling from the loss of their starting center, the Utah Jazz hope to bounce back tonight, when they visit the Northwest Division champion Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinals series.

Denver took a 1-0 advantage in the set on Saturday when Carmelo Anthony poured in a playoff career-best 42 points and the Nuggets pulled away for a 126-113 win over injury-riddled Utah at the Pepsi Center.

The Jazz lost much more than a game, however. Already without forward Andrei Kirilenko (strained left calf) for this series, Utah lost the services of Mehmet Okur in the second quarter with a left Achilles injury.

An MRI Sunday revealed Okur ruptured the Achilles and will be out for three to six months.

Denver's J.R. Smith scored 18 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter in the Game 1 victory for the Nuggets, who came into the series as the No. 4 seed and the Northwest champs thanks to Utah's home loss to Phoenix on the final night of the regular season. Smith made four three-pointers in the final quarter.

Last year, the Nuggets shed the moniker of consistently losing in the first round. This is Denver's seventh straight year in the postseason, but the Nuggets have gone past the first round just one time in that span. They made the conference finals last year before losing to the eventual world-champion Lakers in six games.

Anthony finished 18-of-25 from the field.

"'Melo was great," said Denver guard Chauncey Billups, who had 15 points and eight assists. "I could just see it early from the stuff he was hitting. He wasn't really hitting the rim. I didn't want to go to him too much because against a team like that you need two, three or four guys in double figures to be able to win."

Nene added 19 points, Arron Afflalo 12 and Ty Lawson 11 for Denver.

Assistant Adrian Dantley continues to handle the head coaching duties for Denver in place of George Karl, who is recovering from throat and neck cancer treatments.

Deron Williams had 26 points and 11 assists for the Jazz, who are trying to avoid their second straight first-round exit in the postseason.

Carlos Boozer started Saturday's game despite a strained right oblique muscle. He finished with 19 points and eight rebounds for Utah. C.J. Miles had 17 points, while Paul Millsap ended with 15 points and 10 rebounds for Utah

"I was proud of the fact that our guys played hard," Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan said. "We made some mistakes defensively. When you give up that many points it's difficult to win. But I was proud that we hung in there knowing we were shorthanded at times."

Sloan will use either Kyrylo Fesenko or Kosta Koufos to replace Okur in the lineup tonight.

Game 3 of the best-of-seven set is slated for Friday night in Salt Lake City.

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