Announcement

**StarDust Bum** · 04-10-2011, 01:08 AM

LA Lakers and Thunder collide on Sunday NBA betting slate

We already know the 16 teams that are heading to the NBA's second season. What remains unclear is exactly how the first-round pairings will go as teams continue to jockey for playoff position with tight races in both conferences.

That's especially true out west where three teams – the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder – enter Saturday's action separated by just two games for spots 2-4. Two from that trio meet at LA's Staples Center Sunday night in a 6:30 (PT) tip on NBA TV.

Just a week ago there was talk about the Lakers chasing down the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the Western Conference. A four-game losing skid for LA took care of that silly notion. Phil Jackson's troops have gone from hunter to hunted quickly, and the Lakers face the very real possibility of heading into the postseason as the conference's 4th-seed.

Kevin Durant and the Thunder, meanwhile, have won three straight and 14 of their last 17 to surge into the fight for the 2nd-seed. A win Sunday in LA could leave the Western Conference with a three-way tie for second heading into the final two games of the regular season.

The Lakers have fallen into the dumps after coming out of the all-star break on a huge run. Los Angeles won 17 of its first 18 after the star-studded gala at Staples Center on Feb. 20, the lone loss in that stretch to the Heat on the road in Miami. There was even success at the NBA odds window with the Lakers covering 12 of the 18 games in the span.

There's been no joy either way the last four games, however. The latest in LA's losing streak came Friday evening in Portland. Favored by three on the road, Los Angeles fell 93-86 to a Trail Blazers team who also find themselves embroiled in a closely-bunched struggle to decide places 5-8 in the west.

The one statistical constant in the four losses has been turnovers. Los Angeles lost that battle 17-9 Friday in Portland and is averaging nearly 18 per game in the four defeats.

The Lakers have also run afoul at the foul line their last two contests, sinking just 23-of-41, over 20 ticks below their 77.5 percent season average.

Oklahoma City's push started following a loss to the Lakers to end February. The Thunder rolled through March with a 14-2 record and assured themselves no worse than fourth place in the Western Conference with a pair of wins against the Denver Nuggets this week.

Kevin Durant netted 32 in Tuesday's 101-94 win in Denver as four-point underdogs. It was the first time OK City picked up a win in the Mile High City in nearly four years, the last coming while still known as the Seattle SuperSonics.

Durant was again the scoring star with 28 Friday night when the Thunder hung a 104-89 final on the Nuggets as four-point home chalk.

Between those two games was Wednesday's victory against the Clippers. Saddled with a 10-point spread at home, Oklahoma City failed to cover in the 112-108 win that clinched the Northwest Division title for the Thunder.

The good news for Lakers fans and backers is Los Angeles has won and covered both games with the Thunder this season, and it's been nearly five years since the OKC franchise last tasted victory against the purple and gold in LA. It was Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis and the SuperSonics who beat Kobe Bryant and his pals at Staples in March 2006; the Lakers have won their eight home meetings with the Sonics/Thunder since then.

Sunday's contest is the front end of a back-to-back for Oklahoma City who will move to Sacramento for Monday's matchup with the Kings. The Thunder will then return home to host the Bucks in Wednesday's season finale.

The Lakers will remain in LA for their final home game of the regular season this Tuesday against the Spurs before traveling to Sacramento on Wednesday.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-10-2011, 01:09 AM

NY Yankees, Red Sox close MLB betting series

The ’over’ is 14-4-2 in the last 20 games between the Sox and Yanks.
If you're a fan of high-scoring affairs, make sure and tune into ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball telecast when the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees close out a three-game series (5:00 p.m. PT).

Just make sure you have a comfortable seat because chances are you're going to be there a while.

The AL East rivals have picked up just where they left off in 2010 with a pair of 'overs' to begin their first of six series this season. The Sox and Yanks have also picked up where they left off in 2010, the season before that and the season before that by dividing the initial two meetings of 2011. New York and Boston split their 18 regular season meetings from 2008-10.

Boston scored its first win of 2011 on Friday in a 9-6 win as 135 chalk. New York bounced back via the long ball Saturday with a 9-4 triumph as a plus 140 underdog.

Just in case you're looking at the marquee names on the mound Sunday evening at Fenway Park, don't be fooled into thinking it's a matchup that should stop the plate crossing. The three previous head-to-head battles between Boston's Josh Beckett and New York's CC Sabathia have all made 'over' bettors happy.

Sabathia will be looking for his first win of young campaign despite coming in with a splendid 1.38 ERA in two starts. The southpaw worked six innings, striking out seven and allowing a pair of earned runs in New York's season opener, a game the Yankees pulled ahead for a 6-3 triumph after Sabathia left the mound.

He was even better this past Tuesday against the Twins, tossing seven two-hit, shutout frames while whiffing six. Ahead 4-0 when he hit the showers, Sabathia watched his bullpen blow the lead and the game in 10 innings, 5-4.

The Yankees were 2-2 in his four starts versus the Red Sox last season, 1-1 at Fenway.

Beckett found time to face the Yankees five times a season ago despite missing about a third of the season due to injuries. Boston won three of his assignments and is 2-1 in Beckett's previous starts facing Sabathia during which 41 runs have came plateward.

Sunday will be Beckett's second start this season, the first in Cleveland earlier this week when the Indians posted a 3-1 win. Beckett allowed all three Cleveland runs in five innings, walking four and striking out the same.

The 18 meetings between the two clubs last season saw the 'over' cash 12 times with a pair of pushes. Dating back to their final 2009 series in Boston, the 'over' is 13-1 at Fenway. The Red Sox and Yankees have combined for 194 runs in those 14 games.

Boston enters Sunday evening 5-3 'over' on the young season with the Yankees 6-2.

Adding to the scoring conspiracy is Sunday's scheduled plate umpire. Mike Winters has worked a pair of games in 2011, both going 'over' the total.

Want more? Beantown weather forecasts are calling for cloudy skies and a 12-15 mph wind from the south (out to the Green Monster).

New York and Boston will meet again in mid-May. In the meantime the Red Sox continue a 10-game homestand on Monday in the opener of a three-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Yankees will head back home and, after taking Monday off, begin a six-game homestand with the Baltimore Orioles starting off a three-game set on Tuesday followed by a rematch of last year's ALCS with a visit from the Texas Rangers.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-10-2011, 01:10 AM

Dallas Stars finish NHL betting season at Wild

Dallas has beaten the Wild three times this season, including two shutouts.
Prior to Saturday night’s action, the Dallas Stars were two points behind Anaheim and Chicago for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot. So, the Stars will have one eye on the scoreboard when they step on the ice Sunday at 3 p.m. (PT) to face the Minnesota Wild in the final regular season contest for both teams.

If the Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Detroit Red Wings in regulation or overtime Sunday at 9:30 a.m. (PT), Dallas’ matchup against Minnesota will not have any meaning.

Should Chicago lose its game against Detroit, Dallas would make the playoffs as the eighth seed with a win against Minnesota thanks to the second tiebreaker (head-to-head matchups against Chicago).

Dallas has been able to battle for the final playoff spot thanks to a late season push that has seen the club capture its last four games. Unfortunately, the winning streak followed a six-game losing skid.

The latest victory occurred Friday when the Stars edged Colorado as 205 road favorites, 3-2. The win lifted Dallas’ road ledger to 20-17-1-2. The Stars are 14 games above .500 despite allowing four more goals than they has scored (224-228).

The combined five goals dipped below the 5 ½-goal closing total, enabling the ‘under’ to improve to 42-39-1 in Dallas’ first 81 encounters.

Mike Ribeiro, Brenden Morrow and Loui Eriksson each netted a goal to lead the Dallas offense, while Kari Lehtonen stopped 15-of-17 shots to register the victory.

Lehtonen, who has now played in 23 consecutive games, is 34-23-4-7 with a 2.53 GAA and .915 save percentage. He has also fashioned three shutouts.

Minnesota fell out of the playoff race quite a long time ago and is just playing out the string.

Though the Wild have dropped 11 of their last 14 outings, they did register a 3-1 victory against Edmonton on Friday in their most recent contest. The combined four goals dipped below the NHL odds, leaving the ‘under’ 41-33-7 in Minnesota’s first 81 overall efforts.

Defensemen Brent Burns and Jared Spurgeon netted power-play goals to lead Minnesota’s offense, while Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Mikko Koivu each collected three assists apiece.

Jose Theodore made 28 to register the win and raise his record to 14-11-3. However, Niklas Backstrom has received the most work in the Minnesota net. Backstrom is 22-23-1-4 in 51 games with a 2.66 GAA and .916 save percentage.

Dallas has defeated Minnesota in all three meetings this season, including a pair of 4-0 shutout victories. The Stars are now 21-6 in the last 27 matchups against the Wild.

The closest game occurred during the initial meeting this season (Dec. 4), with the Stars notching a 4-3 victory as 185 home favorites. The combined seven goals skipped above the 5 ½-goal total, which was the lone game in the season series to go ‘over.’

Dallas has outshot the Wild in the three games, 92-71, including a 31-14 advantage in the most recent meeting (March 11). The Stars are 2-for-13 on the power play, while Minnesota has failed to score during its nine opportunities with the man advantage.

Dallas backup goalie Andrew Raycroft recorded one of the shutouts against the Wild, while Lehtonen notched the other.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-10-2011, 01:13 AM

Sunday Tips

April 9, 2011

Every playoff berth is spoken for in the NBA as we sit less than a week away from the postseason. Only a handful of series are set with the rest of the matchups still up in the air. A preview of the two potential Eastern Conference semifinal showdowns takes place on Sunday afternoon with the Heat hosting the Celtics and the Magic entertaining the Bulls. We'll start in central Florida with Orlando going for the series split against Chicago.

Bulls at Magic - 1:00 PM EST

Assuming these two teams get out of the first round, this should be a grind-it-out, defensive battle in the playoffs. Orlando has struggled from a pointspread aspect recently with a 3-14 ATS mark the last 17 games, including a front-door cover in an overtime victory at Charlotte on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Chicago wrapped up the top-seed in the Eastern Conference with Friday's win at Cleveland, the sixth in a row for the Bulls.

Stan Van Gundy's team has won four straight games at home, but failed to cover each time. The last meeting between these squads came on March 4 as the Bulls built a 14-point halftime lead and cruised to an 89-81 triumph as two-point road underdogs. The Bulls have taken two of three matchups this season as the lone Orlando victory came at the United Center in early December when Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis were still a part of roster.

Since a surprising road loss at Toronto right after the All-Star break, Chicago owns a 9-3 ATS mark on the highway the last 12 games. Only twice have the Bulls been listed as underdogs in this span as Chicago swept the Sunshine State trip through Orlando and Miami in early March. For as much Tom Thibodeau's club stresses defense, the Bulls have cashed the 'over' in six of the last eight road contests.

Celtics at Heat - 3:30 PM EST

This game owns plenty of storylines starting with seed ramifications in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Boston and Miami enter Sunday's contest at the American Airlines Arena tied for the second slot in the East with a 55-24 mark. The Celtics already own the season tiebreaker over the Heat with a 3-0 series advantage, but Miami wants to prove it can beat the defending Eastern Conference champs.

What's most impressive about Boston's three victories over Miami is all three of them came in the underdog role. The C's took care of the Heat twice in the first month of the season, followed by the all-important tie-breaking win against Miami on February 13 as 2 ½-point 'dogs, 85-82. Miami's trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh combined for 62 points, but the Celtics had six players in double-figures, not including Paul Pierce's 0-10 from the floor and his one point.

Boston bounced back from a 16-point defeat at Chicago on Thursday to knock off lowly Washington, 104-88 as 13 ½-point favorites. The C's are just 5-6 SU and 3-8 ATS the last 11 road games, but Boston is 8-3 ATS as an underdog this season, which it will be listed at on Sunday. Since blowing out Sacramento right after the All-Star break, the Heat is 3-10 ATS the last 13 games as a home favorite. However, the offense has busted out by scoring at least 100 points in 11 of the last 14 games, as one of the low-scoring contests came with Wade out of Wednesday's home loss to Milwaukee due to a thigh injury.

Thunder at Lakers - 9:30 PM EST

The two-time defending champions aren't playing their best basketball at the moment with four straight losses. Luckily for Oklahoma City, it doesn't have to worry about seeing the Lakers until potentially the Western Conference Finals. In spite of locking up the Northwest Division title, the Thunder looks to get over the hump against the Lakers, as Oklahoma City is 0-2 SU/ATS in this season's series.

The Lakers lead the Mavericks by one game for the second seed in the West, as Los Angeles is coming off setbacks to Denver, Utah, Golden State, and Portland over the last week. The offense has dried up by scoring 90 points or less during this losing skid, while easily cashing the 'under' each time. Phil Jackson's team is 3-7 ATS the last 10 as a home favorite, but the defense has limited opponents to less than 100 points in 11 of the last 13 games at Staples Center.

The Thunder has quietly won eight of 10, while grabbing 17 of the last 21 games to claim the Northwest Division championship for the first time since the 2004-05 season when the franchise was located in Seattle. Oklahoma City is 6-2 ATS the last eight road contests, but the Thunder hasn't won at Staples Center in the past 11 trips dating back to 2006.

The Lakers knocked off the Thunder at home in mid-January, 101-94 as 4 ½-point favorites. Los Angeles shot 50% from the floor, while Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol each scored 21 points in the victory. The Thunder couldn't turn the trick at home a month later as Oklahoma City fell 90-87 as 1 ½-point 'dogs. Russell Westbrook led all scorers with 22, but Kevin Durant's missed three-pointer at the buzzer gave OKC its first and only three-game losing streak of the season.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-10-2011, 01:15 AM

Winners and Losers

April 8, 2011

As the NBA regular season approaches the final stretch of the NBA regular season, it's always fun to look back at the season win totals for all 30 teams. Based on the projected numbers below (see table), it looks like 14 teams will miss their mark and go 'under' their numbers. And, 12 teams have surpassed expectations with winning 'over' tickets. Of those dozen, seven of them are from the Western Conference.

There are four teams that are on the fence and a few of them could be resting starters down the stretch. If that happens, it might be time to start hedging back - if you can.

Notable 'Over' Wins

Chicago - Team should win MVP and Coach of the Year honors. You wonder if they can perform in the playoffs or are they a product of their divisional opponents.

San Antonio - Greg Popovich and the Spurs continue to get a lack of respect despite the league's best record.

Denver - Next to Pop, George Karl could be the best coach in the league. The team improved after trading their best player.

Dallas - Is it fair to compare the Mavericks to the Minnesota Twins? Just another team that wins every regular season but comes up short in the playoffs.

Notable 'Under' Wins

Cleveland - 61 wins last year, now 61 losses. Amazing how one guy changed a franchise, right?

Toronto - Chris Bosh's departure might've been just as worse as LeBron leaving the Cavs.

Milwaukee - Sometimes injuries play too much of a factor.

Washington - Another team with injury issues but the John Wall buzz certainly didn't live up to the hype.

Utah - It's really surprising how this team started 15-5.

Miami - After starting the season 9-8, this total (63.5) had no shot. Perhaps non-basketball fans can realize how impressive Michael Jordan and the Bulls (72-10) were back in the day.

Too Close to Call

Atlanta (46.5) - The Hawks sit at 44-34 with four games left
(at Indiana, at Washington, vs. Miami, at Charlotte)

Boston (55.5) - The Celtics need to win two of their last four
(vs. Washington, at Miami, at Washington, vs. N.Y. Knicks)

L.A. Lakers (56.5) - Los Angeles needs two wins in its last four
(at Portland, vs. Oklahoma City, vs. San Antonio, at Sacramento)

Sacramento (25.5) - The Kings sit at 23-55 with four games left
(at Memphis, at Golden State, vs. Oklahoma City, vs. L.A. Lakers)

2010-11 NBA Over-Under Projections
Team Win Total (Sportsbook.com) Projection
Atlanta 46.5
Boston 55.5
Charlotte 39.5
Chicago 46.5
Cleveland 32.5
Dallas 49.5
Denver 42.5
Detroit 32.5
Golden State 30.5
Houston 48.5
Indiana 33.5
LA Clippers 38.5
LA Lakers 56.5
Memphis 39.5
Miami 63.5
Milwaukee 42.5
Minnesota 22.5
New Jersey 24.5
New Orleans 41.5
New York 35.5
Oklahoma City 50.5
Orlando 54.5
Philadelphia 34.5
Phoenix 41.5
Portland 49.5
Sacramento 25.5
San Antonio 49.5
Toronto 28.5
Utah 49.5
Washington 32.5
Key - OVER | UNDER | EVEN

**StarDust Bum** · 04-10-2011, 01:18 AM

Yankees at Red Sox

April 9, 2011

The second weekend of Major League Baseball’s regular season closes out at Fenway Park as the Red Sox wrap up a three-game series with the hated Yankees. Boston was able to claim its first win of the season on Friday afternoon by outlasting the Bombers 9-6 as a $1.35 home favorite (risk $135 to win $100). New York bounced back on Saturday afternoon with a 9-4 win as a $1.35 road pup (risk $100 to win $135). The BoSox will turn to their former ace to win the rubber game of this series on Sunday at 8:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN.

Josh Beckett takes to the mound for Boston on Sunday night as he hopes to get back to his form of 2009. The right-hander opened the season with a decent outing on Tuesday night in Cleveland. Becket allowed just three runs on five hits in five innings of work as the Tribe won 3-1.

The Red Sox faced New York on five occasions with Beckett standing on the mound last season. In those contests, Boston walked away with a 3-2 mark as the ‘over’ posted an extremely solid 4-0-1 record in that stretch.

One thing that Boston will need to get the win on Sunday evening is to have a much better effort out of its batting order. The Red Sox are hitting just .205 as a team with just five home runs before Saturday’s game. They’ll need a much better effort out of Carl Crawford as he’s just 4-for-28 on the year, and one run batted in to his credit. Boston must get more production out of the former Rays left fielder to make this offense run.

Taking the ball for the Yanks on Sunday night is C.C. Sabathia for the series finale. The hefty lefty appears to be in midseason form with a 1.38 earned run average after two starts, but has yet to earn a decision. New York has gone 1-1 in those outings. Sabathia looked like he was going to get the win on Tuesday night after holding a 4-0 lead after a strong seven inning effort. His bullpen didn’t do any favors for him, giving up five runs to lose to the Twins 5-4 in 10 innings.

Sabathia is used to not getting a result for great performances, particularly when facing the Red Sox. New York’s staff ace was 1-0 with a 3.96 ERA in four starts against the BoSox last year. The Yankees went 2-2 in those four starts, coughing up two leads that Sabathia had afforded them after his outings.

The Yankees’ bats came through with six runs against John Lackey in the series opener on Friday. And it shouldn’t be that hard to do right now with the starting pitchers for the Red Sox sporting a 1-4 record to go along with an ungodly 7.23 ERA, with a .284 batting average. The Bombers’ starters have gone 3-1 with an ERA of 5.23, while the opposition is hitting .259 against them.

Last year’s battles split right down the middle with both teams winning nine of the 18 meetings. The ‘over’ went 12-4-2 in those games.

Over the last two years, the Red Sox are 26-15 at home in night games against left-handed pitching. As great as that record is, Boston has dropped five of its last six tests in this situation. The ‘over’ is 4-2 in that stretch to boot.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-10-2011, 02:10 AM

Sunday, April 10

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Kansas City - 1:05 PM ET Kansas City +140 500
Detroit - Over 9.5 500

Washington - 1:10 PM ET NY Mets -145 500
NY Mets - Under 8 500

Texas - 1:35 PM ET Baltimore +121 500
Baltimore - Over 9.5 500

Philadelphia - 1:35 PM ET Philadelphia +111 500
Atlanta - Under 7.5 500

Colorado - 1:35 PM ET Colorado -120 500
Pittsburgh - Under 7.5 500

Florida - 2:05 PM ET Houston +107 500
Houston - Under 8.5 500

Tampa Bay - 2:10 PM ET Chi. White Sox -145 500
Chi. White Sox - Over 9 500

Oakland - 2:10 PM ET Minnesota -122 500
Minnesota - Under 8.5 500

Chi. Cubs - 2:10 PM ET Milwaukee -179 500
Milwaukee - Over 8.5 500

Toronto - 3:35 PM ET Toronto +161 500
LA Angels - Over 8 500

St. Louis - 4:05 PM ET San Francisco -145 500
San Francisco - Under 8.5 500

LA Dodgers - 4:05 PM ET San Diego -121 500
San Diego - Under 7 500

Cleveland - 4:10 PM ET Cleveland +110 500
Seattle - Over 7.5 500

Cincinnati - 4:10 PM ET Cincinnati -107 500
Arizona - Over 10 500

NY Yankees - 8:05 PM ET Boston +106 500
Boston - Over 9.5 500

-----------------------------------------------------------
NBA

Sunday, April 10

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Chicago - 1:00 PM ET Orlando +3.5 500
Orlando - Under 183.5 500

Boston - 3:30 PM ET Miami -5.5 500
Miami - Under 183 500

New Jersey - 6:00 PM ET Toronto -5 500
Toronto - Over 206.5 500

Detroit - 6:00 PM ET Charlotte -2 500
Charlotte - Under 194.5 500

New Orleans - 6:00 PM ET New Orleans +4 500
Memphis - Over 185.5 500

Sacramento - 9:00 PM ET Sacramento +6 500
Golden State - Over 217 500

Oklahoma City - 9:30 PM ET L.A. Lakers -5 500
L.A. Lakers - Over 189.5 500

-----------------------------------------------------------
NHL

Sunday, April 10

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Detroit - 12:30 PM ET Detroit +177 500
Chicago - Over 5.5 500

Boston - 3:00 PM ET Boston -110 500
New Jersey - Under 5 500

Edmonton - 3:00 PM ET Edmonton +120 500
Colorado - Over 5.5 500

**StarDust Bum** · 04-10-2011, 01:02 PM

Hamels-Lowe square off in Sunday's rubber match

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (6-2)

at ATLANTA BRAVES (4-5)

First pitch: Sunday, 1:35 p.m. EDT
Line: Atlanta -115, Philadelphia +105, Total: 7.5

Cole Hamels (0-1, 20.25 ERA) looks to rebound from one of the worst starts of his career when Philadelphia aims for a series win versus Atlanta at Turner Field on Sunday afternoon.

Hamels lasted only 2.2 innings and surrendered six earned runs in a 7-1 loss to the Mets last Tuesday. The left-hander was 5-5 on the road last season, but had a sparkling 2.96 ERA in 15 starts away from home. He faced the Braves five times in 2010 and was 2-1 with a 3.97 ERA against them. He pitched 22.2 innings against Atlanta and allowed 24 hits with 22 strikeouts and 10 walks. But in two starts at Turner Field, he compiled a 10.13 ERA and an 0-1 record. One of those starts was a warm-up outing for the playoffs last Oct. 3, when he pitched two innings and allowed no earned runs. The other start in Atlanta came on June 1, and he pitched only 0.2 innings and allowed three earned runs before being forced out of the game due to a rain delay. Hamels is 9-5 in 19 career starts versus Atlanta with a 3.95 ERA. And in his past six starts against the Braves, he's 2-1 with a 3.77 ERA, surrendering four runs total in 17 innings in the past three contests. But he hasn't won at Turner Field since Sept. 18, 2008. Chipper Jones and Brian McCann have had the most success against the Phillies' ace during their careers. Jones is hitting .375 (9-for-24) against Hamels with two home runs and six RBI, while McCann is batting .324 (12-for-37) with 11 RBI and one home run. Dan Uggla is on the other end of the spectrum. Uggla owns a .162 batting average (6-for-37) versus Hamels with 11 strikeouts.

Derek Lowe (1-1, 0.77 ERA) will get the start for the Braves on Sunday. The right-hander gave up three hits and struck out six in 5.2 innings in a 2-0 win over Washington on March 31 in the season opener. In his most recent start, Lowe went six innings and allowed one run and five hits while striking out seven at Milwaukee, but lost a 1-0 decision to Yovani Gallardo. The righty was 10-5 with a 3.72 ERA in 17 home starts last season, but he struggled against the Phillies, finishing 1-3 overall with a 5.04 ERA in four starts. Prior to that, he had been 6-1 with a 2.39 ERA in his 10 previous starts versus Philadelphia. In two home starts versus the Phillies in 2010, he pitched 13 innings and allowed 12 hits and five earned runs with 10 strikeouts. Jimmy Rollins is hitting .242 (8-of-33) off Lowe, while Ryan Howard is at .243 (9-of-37) with six strikeouts, five RBI and no home runs.

The Phillies won 10-2 on Saturday after scoring nine unanswered runs. Carlos Ruiz, who was 3-for-17 (.176) coming into the series, hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the seventh inning on Saturday and is 4-for-6 in the series. The Braves took the opener on Friday, 6-3, behind Chipper Jones' 2-for-4, three RBIs night. Philadelphia lost five of nine at Turner Field last season. I expect the Braves to bounce back on Sunday behind Lowe and win the series. These two FoxSheets trends also like Atlanta to win on Sunday.

Play Against - All teams when the money line is +125 to -125 (PHILADELPHIA) - hot hitting team - batting .333 or better over their last 3 games against opponent starting a pitcher who gave up <=1 earned runs in his last 2 outings. (38-13 over the last 5 seasons.) (74.5%, +24.1 units. Rating = 3*).

Play On - Home teams when the money line is +125 to -125 (ATLANTA) - excellent fielding team - averaging <=0.5 errors/game on the season against opponent excellent speed team - averaging 1 or more SB's/game on the season. (52-27 over the last 5 seasons.) (65.8%, +26 units. Rating = 2*).

**StarDust Bum** · 04-10-2011, 01:05 PM

Rory vs. The Field

April 10, 2011

The 2011 Masters - Odds to Win after 3 Rounds

Adam Scott +2000
Angel Cabrera +1200
Bo Van Pelt +6000
Bubba Watson +5000
Charl Schwartzel +1200
Fred Couples +10000
Ge Ogilvy +6000
Jason Day +1500
KJ Choi +800
Luke Donald +1000
Phil Mickelson +10000
Rory McIlroy -160
Ross Fisher +10000
Tiger Woods +2000

Field (Any Other Golfer) +2500

Props

Rory McIlroy -160 vs. The Field (Any Other Golfer) +130

Final Round Scores

Rory McIlroy
Over 71 (even) Under 71 (-130)

Tiger Woods
Over 70 (-115) Under 70 (-115)

Angel Cabrera
Over 71 (-115) Under 71 (-115)

Charl Schwartzel
Over 71 (-120) Under 71

Jason Day
Over 71 (-115) Under 71 (-115)

KJ Choi
Over 70.5 (-115) Under 70.5 (-115)

Luke Donald
Over 70.5 (-115) Under 70.5 (-115)

Adam Scott
Over 71 (-115) Under 71 (-115)

Announcement

The Bum's Sunday's Best Bets MLB-NBA-NHL !

The Bum's Sunday's Best Bets MLB-NBA-NHL !

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment