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**Udog** · 04-12-2011, 07:43 AM

Daily Sports Roundup: April 12

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Lakers get a visit from the Spurs at Staples Center, while the Orioles look for a win in New York, and the Dodgers take on the Giants.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The NBA has just three games on tap for Tuesday, with Chicago at New York, Memphis at Portland, and San Antonio at the Lakers. The Spurs have clinched the top seed in the Western Conference, and they're 2-1 against the Lakers so far this season. Los Angeles, though, won the last matchup between the two teams 99-83 as a 3-point road underdog in an UNDER result on March 6. Kobe Bryant led the way with 26 points for Los Angeles in that contest, while Pau Gasol was good for 21 points, and Andrew Bynum grabbed 17 rebounds. Gary Neal scored a team-high 15 points off the bench for the Spurs in that big loss, while Tim Duncan was held to just two points for San Antonio.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The American League schedule for Tuesday has Texas at Detroit, Tampa Bay at Boston, Kansas City at Minnesota, Oakland at the White Sox, Cleveland at the Angels, Toronto at Seattle, and Baltimore at the Yankees. The Orioles' Chris Tillman (0-0, 3.37 ERA) is set to take on New York's A.J. Burnett (2-0, 4.09 ERA) in that last matchup. Righthander Tillman threw six hitless innings in his season debut against the Rays, but he allowed four runs in just 4 2-3 innings of work last time out against the Tigers. Righthander Burnett picked up his second straight win last time out against the Twins, surrendering only two runs on five hits over six innings pitched in that game, while fanning five batters.

The National League on Tuesday then offers up Milwaukee at Pittsburgh, Philadelphia at Washington, Colorado at the Mets, Florida at Atlanta, the Cubs at Houston, St. Louis at Arizona, Cincinnati at San Diego, and the Dodgers at San Francisco. Los Angeles is slated to send Chad Billingsley (1-1, 8.00 ERA) to the mound in that last contest, while Tim Lincecum (1-1, 0.64 ERA) gets the ball for the Giants. Righthander Billingsley faced the Giants in his first start of the season, allowing three runs over six innings of work in a victory on April 1. Righthander Lincecum also took to the mound in that series, giving up one unearned run on five hits over seven innings of work in a tough defeat on March 31.

**Udog** · 04-12-2011, 08:00 AM

Tuesday's betting tips: Slumping Lakers favored vs. Spurs

Weather to watch

Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees -70 percent chance of rain with light winds.

Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals – 50 percent chance of showers with winds blowing out to left field at 14 mph.

Who’s hot

NBA: Chicago is 8-3 against the spread in its last 11 road games.

NBA: Portland has covered eight of its last 10 home games.

MLB: Milwaukee has won five of its last six games.

MLB: The under is 13-4 in Baltimore’s last 17 games overall, dating back to last season.

Who’s not

NBA: The Lakers have dropped five games in a row both straight up and against the spread.

NBA: The under has cashed in just eight times in San Antonio’s last 31 games overall.

MLB: The Phillies have played under only once so far this season.

Champions League: Fernando Torres is still without a goal for Chelsea since coming over from Liverpool 10 games ago. Chelsea trails Man U 1-0 heading into Tuesday’s second leg.

Key stat

5.54 – The Chicago Bulls outrebound their opponents by an average of 5.54 rebounds per game, leading the league. They lead the show by a comfortable margin too, with Orlando checking in second at 3.04. Chicago visits the Knicks, who sit 28th in rebounding margin.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Monta Ellis, Golden State Warriors: Ellis has been ruled out of Golden State’s remaining two games of the season after suffering a grade-2 concussion. Reggie Williams will fill in for the sharpshooter.

Game of the day

San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers (-6.5, 194)

Notable quotable

"Last year we didn't know what the hell was going on.We had a lot of injuries. My knee needed to be operated on. There were a lot of question marks. This year we don't really have any question marks. These are executional things. These are correctional things. They're correctable errors so from that standpoint we feel comfortable about it. – Kobe Bryant on the Los Angeles Lakers’ recent struggles.

Notes and tips

The New York Knicks are hoping Amar’e Stoudemire will be able to play Tuesday night when the Chicago Bulls come to town. The Knicks want to get their big man in some live action before the playoffs start and he’s already missed three straight games with an ankle injury.

Meanwhile, the New York Yankees hope to have third baseman Alex Rodriguez back in the lineup on Tuesday. A-Rod missed Sunday night’s series finale with the Red Sox with flu-like symptoms and Eric Chavez took his spot at the hot corner.

The Philadelphia Flyers are keeping quiet about the status of their injured veteran defenseman Chris Pronger. It was thought Pronger (hand) might be ready for Philadelphia’s Game 1 against Buffalo, but the team isn’t so sure now. Meanwhile, Anaheim is starting to panic a little with goaltender Ray Emery dealing with a lower body injury. He’s still questionable for Wednesday’s Game 1 against Nashville.

**Udog** · 04-12-2011, 08:03 AM

Tuesday's six-pack

-- Red Sox' nightmare continues; they got spanked 16-5 by a Rays club that came in 1-8. ERA of Red Sox' starting pitchers? 7.24. Yikes.

-- Indians blanked Angels 4-0, their 8th straight win. Wow.

-- Justin Verlander lost 2-0 to Texas, but pitched all nine innings, just third CG in the major leagues so far this season.

-- Toronto led Seattle 7-0 after 6 innings, roughing up Felix Hernandez, but Mariners stormed back and stunned the Blue Jays 8-7. A double to right-center by Luis Rodriguez ended Seattle's 7-game losing skid.

-- A's scored six runs in last four games, but won three of them. What a pickup Brian Fuentes has been; he's doing great as the closer.

-- Extra Innings doesn't pick up many Padres' telecasts, but they did on Monday; its a treat to listen to the great Dick Enberg call a game.

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Tuesday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but.........

13) This is maybe my favorite note of the year so far—televised political debates scheduled for Thursday in Quebec have been moved, to avoid conflict with the Boston-Montreal NHL playoff series. There’s a country with its priorities in the right place.
12) Winner of the Masters makes $1.44M; Rory McIlroy made $128,000 this week, so his bad day Sunday cost him over $1.3M. Now that’s a bad day. A really, really bad day.
11) I’m curious as to how a golfer decompresses after such a dismal day, like young McIlroy had Sunday; does he just forget about it? Does he sit down and review the whole round and take notes for future reference? Does he go right out and hit balls to get the frustration out of his system? If not, how long before he starts hitting balls again? Does he go out and get ripped and forget about it? I really am curious to know; am guessing different people handle it differently.
10) Last ten golf majors, ten different winners, with seven of the ten winning their first major. Moral of the story, as always: “Keep your cellphone with you!!!!” If Eldrick Woods’ marriage hadn’t gone to hell, none of this would be happening.
9) Not sure this is a relevant stat, but the Lakers, who lost their last five games, have never won the NBA title in a season where they’ve lost 5+ consecutive games. Does that matter? Not sure, but its true, so I put it out there.
8) Godson update: young man is a freshman pitcher for a Division II college team; he’s appeared in five games, is 3-0, 0.84, with four hits, six walks allowed in 12.1 IP. Team is 11-14, so they’re better when he pitches. I’m biased, but numbers don’t lie; batters are 4-36 against him so far this season.
7) Cam Newton led Blinn JC to the JC national title in 2009; saw pic of him playing for Blinn today; they’ve got the same colors as the Carolina Panthers, who’ve got the first pick in the NFL Draft. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. The draft gurus aren’t high on Newton; he’ll be a fascinating case study.
My uneducated opinion? The young man can play, but I said that about Vince Young too, and he’s struggled with all that comes with being an NFL QB, maybe moreso off the field than on it. We’ll see.
6) ESPN’s Todd McShay says a minimum of 13 defensive lineman will be taken in the first round of the draft. Not the best year for QBs, from what I’m reading.
5) Mel Kiper Jr, Draft Expert, prefers Iowa’s Ricky Stanzi over Florida State’s Christian Ponder or Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick as a second day selection at QB; nothing about Stanzi or Ponder appealed to me watching them play in games, but I like Kaepernick’s mobility and he’s played in a ton of games, albeit against slightly lesser competition.
4) How screwed are the Bengals this season? No Carson Palmer, his brother is his backup, but he’s awful, so in a year that likely won’t have any offseason learning programs, Cincinnati will be breaking in at least one, and probably two new QBs. That figures to work out well.
3) Karl Malone Jr is a 6-4, 284 sophomore LT/NT down in Louisiana who prefers football to the sport that made his dad really rich. Malone’s daughter will play hoop for Louisiana Tech next fall.
2) Out of the top 56 TV markets in America, New York City ranked 45th in Masters TV ratings. Sports just don't do as well on TV in Big Apple, unless one of their own teams is playing.
1) Greedy bastard update: Gas went as high as $3.99 a gallon here in Albany last week; today, out of nowhere it goes up another 8 cents, is now $4.07. Who decides to raise the price like that? Do they have big meetings about this, and laugh up their slimy sleeves at us? Bastards.

**Udog** · 04-12-2011, 08:05 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Chicago at New York
The Knicks look to take advantage of a Chicago team that is coming off a 102-99 win at Orlando and is 0-4 ATS in its last 4 games after scoring 100 points or more in the previous game. New York is the pick (+4) according to Dunkel, which has the Knicks favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: New York (+4). Here are all of today's picks.

TUESDAY, APRIL 12

Game 701-702: Chicago at New York (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago 121.873; New York 123.266
Dunkel Line & Total: New York by 1 1/2; 206
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago by 4; No Total
Dunkel Pick: New York (+4);

Game 703-704: Memphis at Portland (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Memphis 122.335; Portland 127.012
Dunkel Line & Total: Portland by 4 1/2; 184
Vegas Line & Total: Portland by 5 1/2; 188 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Memphis (+5 1/2); Under

Game 705-706: San Antonio at LA Lakers (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Antonio 117.195; LA Lakers 129.952
Dunkel Line & Total: LA Lakers by 13; 188
Vegas Line & Total: LA Lakers by 6 1/2; 193 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Lakers (-6 1/2); Under

**Udog** · 04-12-2011, 08:08 AM

NBA
Write-Up

Tuesday, April 12

NBA regular season ends Wednesday; be careful investing in games this week, since the good teams are looking ahead to the playoffs and the bad teams........well, they're bad teams. Who wants to bet on them?

Hot Teams
-- Bulls won their last seven games (2-4 vs spread last six). Knicks won their last seven games, covered their last five.
-- Grizzlies won six of their last seven games. Portland won four of five.
-- Spurs won their last four games, by 17-7-32-9 points.

Cold Teams
-- Lakers lost their last five games (three of five at home).

Totals
-- Three of last four Chicago games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Memphis games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Laker games stayed under the total. Five of Spurs' last six games went over.

Back-to-Back
-- None

**Udog** · 04-12-2011, 08:10 AM

NBA

Tuesday, April 12

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. NEW YORK
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago's last 7 games when playing on the road against New York
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chicago's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of New York's last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of New York's last 7 games when playing at home against Chicago

10:00 PM
MEMPHIS vs. PORTLAND
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Memphis's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Memphis's last 5 games when playing Portland
Portland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Memphis
Portland is 8-16 ATS in its last 24 games when playing at home against Memphis

10:30 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. LA LAKERS
The total has gone OVER in 9 of San Antonio's last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Antonio's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 5 games when playing San Antonio
LA Lakers are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games

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**Udog** · 04-12-2011, 08:13 AM

NBA

Tuesday, April 12

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Pick 'n' roll: Tuesday's best NBA bets
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Memphis Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers (-5.5, 189)

Memphis and Portland will be jockeying for playoff position when they square off on Tuesday. The Trail Blazers (47-33) lead the Grizzlies (46-34) by one game with two to play. Portland currently sits in sixth place in the Western Conference while Memphis is tied for seventh New Orleans.

The Trail Blazers have some injury issues heading into this one, especially in the paint. Nicolas Batum is probable with a knee injury that he suffered in last Friday’s win over the Lakers, but Marcus Camby is questionable due to a neck problem. Camby was injured last Tuesday and he has missed two straight games.

That could be bad news with Portland set to go up against the Grizzlies’ Zach Randolph, who went for 25 points and 20 rebounds the last time these two teams met—an 86-73 Memphis home win on December 13. Randolph also has four double-doubles in his last seven games, including 27 and 15 in last Friday’s victory over Sacramento.

Randolph was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for late-March and early-April.

Pick: Grizzlies

San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers (-6.5, 194)

When will the Lakers win another game? Before the end of the playoffs? Before the end of the regular season? Maybe Tuesday?

The latter seems unlikely, as Los Angeles has dropped five in a row heading into a showdown with Western Conference No. 1 seed San Antonio. It is the first time in four years that the Lakers have endured such a losing streak.

They committed an amazing 73 turnovers in the first four games of the streak but turned it over just once in three quarters against Oklahoma City on Sunday. However, L.A. coughed it up nine times during the final 12 minutes and fell 120-106.

“Turnovers are the signs,” head coach Phil Jackson told the Los Angeles Times of his team’s recent malaise. “They're not the reason. The reason is lack of urgency. Because it's a lack of urgency; there's not a whole lot of crispness and execution in what we're doing.”

The Spurs, meanwhile, have won four straight and are 2-1 (2-1 ATS) against the Lakers this season.

Pick: Spurs

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**Udog** · 04-12-2011, 08:17 AM

MLB
Dunkel

Cincinnati at San Diego
The Reds look to take advantage of a San Diego team that is 1-6 in Clayton Richard's last 7 starts as a home favorite from -110 to -150. Cincinnati is the pick (+100) according to Dunkel, which has the Reds favored by 1/2 a run. Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+100). Here are all of today's picks.

TUESDAY, APRIL 12

Game 901-902: Philadelphia at Washington (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Blanton) 16.679; Washington (Hernandez) 14.632
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-135); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-135); Over

Game 903-904: Milwaukee at Pittsburgh (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Marcum) 14.120; Pittsburgh (Correia) 15.664
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-125); 8
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+105); Under

Game 905-906: Colorado at NY Mets (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Rogers) 15.852; NY Mets (Niese) 14.851
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Colorado (-120); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-120); Under

Game 907-908: Florida at Atlanta (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Volstad) 14.927; Atlanta (Hanson) 13.774
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-175); 8
Dunkel Pick: Florida (+155); Over

Game 909-910: Chicago Cubs at Houston (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Russell) 14.460; Houston (Myers) 15.285
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Houston (-125); 8
Dunkel Pick: Houston (-125); Over

Game 911-912: St. Louis at Arizona (9:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Carpenter) 14.836; Arizona (Galarraga) 15.356
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-145); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+125); Under

Game 913-914: Cincinnati at San Diego (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Lecure) 15.416; San Diego (Richard) 14.848
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: San Diego (-120); 7
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+100); Over

Game 915-916: LA Dodgers at San Francisco (10:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Billingsley) 14.738; San Francisco (Lincecum) 15.333
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-175); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-175); Under

Game 917-918: Texas at Detroit (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Wilson) 17.397; Detroit (Penny) 14.887
Dunkel Line: Texas by 2 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Texas (-145); 9
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-145); Over

Game 919-920: Tampa Bay at Boston (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Price) 14.695; Boston (Lester) 13.881
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston (-175); 8
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+155); Under

Game 921-922: Baltimore at NY Yankees (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Tillman) 15.656; NY Yankees (Burnett) 14.796
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1; 9
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-185); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (+165); Under

Game 923-924: Kansas City at Minnesota (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Francis) 14.877; Minnesota (Duensing) 15.958
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Minnesota (-150); 8
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (-150); Over

Game 925-926: Oakland at Chicago White Sox (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Cahill) 14.739; White Sox (Jackson) 16.465
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1 1/2;
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-125); 8
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (-125);

Game 927-928: Cleveland at LA Angels (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Carmona) 16.387; LA Angels (Haren) 15.151
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-180); 7
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+160); Under

Game 929-930: Toronto at Seattle (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Romero) 15.059; Seattle (Pineda) 14.586
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Toronto (-125); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-125); Over

**Udog** · 04-12-2011, 08:18 AM

MLB
Write-Up

Tuesday, April 12

Hot pitchers
-- Phillies won Blanton's last eight starts, scoring 61 runs.
-- Correia is 2-0, 2.08 in two starts this season.
-- Volstad is 3-0, 2.02 in his last four starts.
-- Myers has a 2.70 RA in his first two '11 starts.
-- Carpenter has a 2.77 RA in his first two '11 starts.
-- Richard is 3-1, 4.10 in his last five starts.
-- Lincecum has a 1.29 RA in his first two '11 starts.

-- Tillman is 1-0, 3.38 in his two starts this season. Burnett is 2-0, 4.09 in two starts this season.
-- Lester is 2-0, 1.38 in his last two Fenway starts.
-- Francis has a 1.98 RA in his first two starts for the Royals.
-- Cahill is 1-0, 1.42 in two starts this season. EJackson is 2-0, 2.57 in two starts this season.
-- Haren is 1-0, 1.23 in two starts this season.
-- Pineda allowed three runs in six IP at Texas in his impressive major league debut last week. Romero has a 2.63 RA in his first two '11 starts.

Cold pitchers
-- LHernandez has a 4.77 RA in his first two '11 starts.
-- Hanson is 0-2, 7.00 so far this season.
-- Marcum is 1-1, 5.06 in two starts this season.
-- Rogers is 1-2, 6.63 in his last four starts. Niese is 0-1, 6.55 in his two starts this season.
-- Cubs' Russell has pitched 51 innings in 59 career games; this is his first big league start.
-- Galarraga is 1-4, 7.54 in his last five starts.
-- Lecure is 0-4, 5.01 in his last six starts.
-- Billingsley is 1-1, 8.00 in two starts this season.

-- Penny has an 11.17 RA in his first two starts for Detroit. Wilson has a 4.97 RA in two starts this season.
-- Price is 0-2, 4.85 in two starts this season.
-- Duensing is 0-2, 7.48 in his last four starts.
-- Carmona is 0-1, 9.00 in two starts this season.

Totals
-- Four of last five Philly games went over the total.
-- Five of last seven Pittsburgh games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 7-1-1 in Mets' last nine games.
-- Six of nine Florida games went over the total.
-- Five of last six Cub games went over the total.
-- Six of last eight St Louis games stayed under the total.
-- Four of six San Diego home games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 11-2-3 in last sixteen Billingsley starts.

-- Last three Texas games stayed under the total.
-- Seven of ten Tampa Bay games stayed under the total. Three of last four Boston games went over.
-- Baltimore's three road games all stayed under the total.
-- Five of last seven Kansas City games went over the total.
-- Four of White Sox' five home games stayed under total.
-- Four of last five Angel games stayed under the total.
-- Six of last nine Toronto games stayed under the total.

Hot teams
-- Colorado won seven of its last eight games.
-- Phillies won seven of their first nine games. Washington won three of its last four games.
-- Brewers won five of their last six games.
-- Reds won seven of their first ten games.
-- Cardinals won their last two games, 6-1/8-2.
-- Dodgers won three of their last four games.

-- Rangers won nine of their first ten games.
-- Orioles won six of their first nine games. Bronx is 4-2 at home.
-- Royals won six of their last eight games.
-- White Sox won four of their last six games. A's won four of five.
-- Indians won their last eight games, allowing 14 runs. Angels won four of their last six games.

Cold teams
-- Mets lost five of their last six games.
-- Pirates lost three of their last four games.
-- Braves lost five of their last six games.
-- Astros lost eight of their first ten games.
-- Padres lost four of their last five games.
-- Giants lost their last two games, both by 6-1 scores.

-- Detroit lost its last three games, scoring six runs.
-- Red Sox, Rays both lost eight of their first ten games.
-- Twins lost three of their last four games.
-- Mariners lost seven of their last eight games. Toronto lost four of its last five games, and blew a 7-0 7th inning lead last night.

**Udog** · 04-12-2011, 08:22 AM

MLB

Tuesday, April 12

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Trend Report
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1:05 PM
TEXAS vs. DETROIT
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Texas's last 9 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Texas's last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Detroit's last 7 games when playing at home against Texas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games at home

7:05 PM
BALTIMORE vs. NY YANKEES
Baltimore is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Baltimore's last 5 games on the road
NY Yankees are 18-4 SU in their last 22 games when playing at home against Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 7 of NY Yankees's last 9 games at home

7:05 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. WASHINGTON
Philadelphia is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games on the road
Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Washington's last 18 games when playing Philadelphia
Washington is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Philadelphia

7:05 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. PITTSBURGH
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
Milwaukee is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Pittsburgh's last 13 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing Milwaukee

7:10 PM
COLORADO vs. NY METS
Colorado is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Colorado is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games on the road
NY Mets are 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Mets's last 5 games

7:10 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. BOSTON
Tampa Bay is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Tampa Bay's last 11 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Boston's last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Boston's last 14 games

7:10 PM
FLORIDA vs. ATLANTA
Florida is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Florida is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Atlanta is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Florida

8:05 PM
CHI CUBS vs. HOUSTON
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games on the road
Chi Cubs are 13-4 SU in their last 17 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Houston's last 10 games
Houston is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games

8:10 PM
KANSAS CITY vs. MINNESOTA
The total has gone OVER in 17 of Kansas City's last 21 games when playing Minnesota
Kansas City is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Minnesota's last 12 games when playing at home against Kansas City
Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Kansas City

8:10 PM
OAKLAND vs. CHI WHITE SOX
Oakland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oakland's last 5 games on the road
Chi White Sox are 8-3 SU in their last 11 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games

9:40 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. ARIZONA
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of St. Louis's last 8 games
St. Louis is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games on the road
Arizona is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games at home
Arizona is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games when playing St. Louis

10:05 PM
CINCINNATI vs. SAN DIEGO
Cincinnati is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against San Diego
Cincinnati is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing San Diego
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Diego's last 7 games
San Diego is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home

10:05 PM
CLEVELAND vs. LA ANGELS
Cleveland is 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing LA Angels
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Cleveland's last 13 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Angels's last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland
LA Angels are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against Cleveland

10:10 PM
TORONTO vs. SEATTLE
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Seattle is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Seattle's last 8 games at home

10:15 PM
LA DODGERS vs. SAN FRANCISCO
LA Dodgers are 6-3 SU in their last 9 games on the road
LA Dodgers are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Francisco's last 6 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers
San Francisco is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home

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**Udog** · 04-12-2011, 08:27 AM

MLB

Tuesday, April 12

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Hot lines: Tuesday's best MLB bets
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Cleveland Indians at Los Angeles Angels (-175, 7)

Which Fausto Carmona is going to show up on Tuesday?

Carmona’s season debut came on April 1 and he gave up a whopping 10 runs on 11 hits while lasting just three innings in a 15-10 Cleveland loss to the White Sox. The right-hander, however, bounced back last Thursday and allowed a mere two hits and no runs in seven innings of a 1-0 shutout victory over Boston.

The Indians will need it to be the Carmona who appeared last week because they are facing a well-oiled machine in Los Angeles’ starter Dan Haren. In two starts this year, Haren has pitched 14.2 innings and has surrendered only 10 hits and two runs while striking out 12 batters.

Haren also came in for relief on Saturday against Toronto because the game went 14 innings. The righty pitched a scoreless 14th and got the win, improving his early record to 2-0. Haren threw just 13 pitches (11 strikes), so fatigue should not be a factor heading into this one.

Pick: Angels

Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants (-175, 6.5)

Already the fifth 2011 installment of one of baseball’s best rivalries will take place on Tuesday when National League West foes Los Angeles and San Francisco lock horns again. They kicked off the season with a four-game set in L.A., where the Dodgers took three of four.

This one, though, pits Chad Billingsley against Tim Lincecum for the first time. Lincecum (1-0, 0.64 ERA, 18 Ks) pitched the season opener and gave up zero earned runs in seven innings but the Dodgers prevailed 2-1. Billingsley (1-1, 8.00 ERA, 7 Ks) took the mound the following day on April 1 and allowed three runs on five hits in six innings of work.

Advantage: Lincecum.

Furthermore, it looked like “The Freak” instilled some energy in the Giants during his second start, in which he yielded just three hits and one run in seven innings as San Fran took care of San Diego 8-4 last Wednesday.

“It seems like we've been dead in the dugout a little bit,” Aubrey Huff told the San Francisco Chronicle after that victory. “Today everybody was into it. It started with Timmy. He came in today with a look in his eye of confidence. Everybody stepped up a little bit.”

Pick: Giants

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**Udog** · 04-12-2011, 08:32 AM

NHL Eastern Conference: Series prices and picks

WASHINGTON CAPITALS (1) vs. NEW YORK RANGERS (8)

Series odds: Caps -315, Rangers +245

Season series: 3-1 for the Rangers.

Call it luck vs. loot. The team that needed everything to break right for them on the season’s final weekend, the Rangers, taking on the money team, the Capitals, who surged in the second half and took what was probably rightfully theirs, all along: the No. 1 seed.

This is a classic rematch from the 2008-2009 season in which Alexander Ovechkin and Co. overcame a 3-1 series deficit to bury the Broadway Blueshirts, once and for all, in the first round.

But Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist nearly stole that series by himself. And now, he has a better cast around him. Sure, the Rangers are probably a lucky No. 8 seed, but they are here, take it or leave it, and they know how to beat this team. That’s all that matters.

Not saying they will complete the deal. But they will make things interesting.

Pick: Capitals in six games.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (2) vs. BUFFALO SABRES (7)

Series odds: Flyers -150, Sabres +125

Season series: Tied, 2-2.

Sabres netminder Ryan Miller is back, and Buffalo orchestrated a second half that half the league would be jealous of. They acquired some scoring punch -- in the form of forward Brad Boyes from St. Louis -- and really took off when new owner Terry Pegula took over officially.

But while many are tabbing Buffalo as the chic pick to post a first-round upset, we’re taking the road less traveled here.

We respect the Sabres and their surge. But the Flyers can still roll four lines. They can still score in bunches. And they can still intimidate an opponent with that second-to-none home-ice advantage in the playoffs.

Listen, this team is primarily the same as last year’s. And last year’s advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals by defeating teams that were better than this Sabres team.

Don’t buy the upset talk. No offense, of course, but Philadelphia is just better. And here’s thinking it wakes up in time to realize that.

Pick: Flyers in five games.

BOSTON BRUINS (3) vs. MONTREAL CANADIENS (6)

Series odds: Bruins -210, Habs +170.

Season series: 4-2 for the Canadiens.

Subplots abound here, right? The Max Pacioretty-Zdeno Chara incident. The 7-0 win by the Bruins to close out the season series. The four wins in the season series by the Canadiens before that washout. The list goes on.

But what we keep coming back to with the Bruins, is goalie Tim Thomas, and his remarkable season. Boston also has depth. It’s young, like in the form of rookie Tyler Seguin, and old, like in the form of Mark Recchi.

But most of all, the Bruins have incentive. After all, everyone remembers their epic collapse vs. the Flyers last season, blowing a 3-0, second-round lead. They’ve been waiting all year to erase that memory.

And that starts with a convincing win over perhaps their most bitter rivals. Montreal has some firepower -- mighty-mite forwards Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez among them -- but the Canadiens will not be able to match Boston’s balance in a series format.

Pick: Bruins in five games.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (4) vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (5)

Series odds: Pens -185, TB +155.

Season series: Tied, 2-2.

Hats off to the Penguins for battling without their top two stars, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. Jordan Staal and Co. had the Flyers on edge all the way until the final Saturday as to who was going to win the Atlantic Division. The Penguins finally surrendered, and took the No. 4 seed.

Moving forward, the Lightning, the Penguins’ early opponent, have serious issues in net, with Mike Smith and Dwayne Roloson sharing the load. So, it looks good for Pittsburgh, right?

Well, Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis are still chugging for Tampa Bay. And that Dynamic Duo helped lead the Lightning to the 2004 Stanley Cup. Not saying they’ll do so again, but they do have enough firepower to get by a team that is missing perhaps the best two players in the game. Tough to overcome that in the postseason.

Pick: Lightning in seven games.

**Udog** · 04-12-2011, 08:37 AM

NHL Western Conference series odds and picks

Vancouver Canucks (1) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (8)

Series odds: Vancouver -265

The last time a Stanley Cup champion was the No. 8 seed was in 1995 when the New York Rangers responded by bumping off the No. 1 seed in the opening round. So can the defending Stanley Cup champions knock off the team that had the league's best regular-season record?

Well for starters, former Chicago disturber Dustin Byfuglien is no longer there to get in the face of Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo. Chicago struggled just to make the playoffs, but they have had the Canucks’ number the past couple of seasons.

What can turn things around this time? Well, the Canucks owned the NHL’s best power play and third-best penalty-killing unit and nobody in the league has found a way to completely and consistently shut down the Sedin twins.

“We know Vancouver well and they know us well,” Chicago forward Patrick Sharp said. “There’s a lot of bad blood between the two teams.”

Season series: Season series: Chicago 2-2. Vancouver 2-1-1.

Pick: Canucks in six games.

San Jose Sharks (2) vs. Los Angeles Kings (7)
Series odds: -335

For the fifth consecutive season, the Sharks topped 100 points in the regular season, but the script is getting tiresome for northern California hockey fans who have yet to enjoy a sustained playoff run in that time.

Might this be the year it changes? The Sharks do get a break given that the Kings are without top scorer Anze Kopitar and lacked consistency throughout the regular season. The loss of Justin Williams also compromises Team Hollywood.

One key stat to suggest this may be a one-sided series if San Jose can find its stride early: The Sharks were sixth in the league in goals scored while the Kings were way down at No. 25.

Season series: Los Angeles 3-3-0. Jose Sharks 3-1-2.

Pick: Sharks in five games

Detroit Red Wings (3) vs. Phoenix Coyotes (6)
Series odds: Detroit -250

If the veteran-heavy Red Wings are to make another Stanley Cup push before the retirement home calls, a couple of things need to happen. For starters, Jimmy Howard has to be strong in net and Henrik Zetterberg has to return to the lineup.

The Wings had to fight long and hard to dismiss the pesky Coyotes last spring, winning a Game 7 in the desert. Now that playoffs have arrived, fans are returning to the Jobing.com Arena with enthusiasm and captain Shane Doan is healthy.

That said, if Phoenix is to pull the minor upset they will need to rely on coach Dave Tippett’s system, the play of Ilya Bryzgalov in net and the leadership of defenceman Keith Yandle, who has been outstanding all season.

The Wings scored 26 times in last year’s seven-gamer, including a 6-1 blowout in the deciding game.

Season series: Detroit, 2-1-1. Phoenix 2-0-2.

Pick: Coyotes in seven.

Anaheim Ducks (4) vs. Nashville Predators (5)
Series odds: Anaheim -190

Certainly an intriguing matchup for the No. 4 vs. No. 5 teams in the West with a fairly simplistic analysis: Can Nashville's shutdown defense handle the powerful Ducks line of Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan?

The Predators have a chance of doing so given that they were third in the league in goals against, thanks in a large part to the play of Shea Webber and Ryan Suter on the Nashville blueline.

Failing that, Nashville was one of the best in the net with Pekka Rinne, whose .930 save percentage and 2.12 goals-against average is tough to beat. Helped by the marquee trio, the Ducks have the third most effective power play in the league.

Season series: Anaheim 2-2-0. Nashville 2-2-0.

Pick: Ducks in six.

**Udog** · 04-12-2011, 08:39 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Tuesday, April 12

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CHICAGO (60 - 20) at NEW YORK (42 - 38) - 4/12/2011, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 6-3 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 5-4 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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MEMPHIS (46 - 34) at PORTLAND (47 - 33) - 4/12/2011, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PORTLAND is 88-73 ATS (+7.7 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PORTLAND is 90-67 ATS (+16.3 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
MEMPHIS is 51-28 ATS (+20.2 Units) in all games this season.
MEMPHIS is 25-10 ATS (+14.0 Units) as an underdog this season.
MEMPHIS is 25-14 ATS (+9.6 Units) in road games this season.
MEMPHIS is 14-2 ATS (+11.8 Units) against Northwest division opponents this season.
MEMPHIS is 28-13 ATS (+13.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
PORTLAND is 47-77 ATS (-37.7 Units) as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
MEMPHIS is 5-4 against the spread versus PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
PORTLAND is 7-3 straight up against MEMPHIS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SAN ANTONIO (61 - 19) at LA LAKERS (55 - 25) - 4/12/2011, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 44-34 ATS (+6.6 Units) in all games this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 25-13 ATS (+10.7 Units) in road games this season.
LA LAKERS are 83-100 ATS (-27.0 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 71-85 ATS (-22.5 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 15-25 ATS (-12.5 Units) in home games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA LAKERS is 6-4 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 5-5 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
8 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Announcement

Tuesday's Trends and Indexes - 4/12 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Tuesday's Trends and Indexes - 4/12 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

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