Announcement

**Udog** · 04-15-2011, 09:09 AM

Daily Sports Roundup: April 15

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Capitals host the Rangers in NHL playoff action, while the Angels meet the White Sox, and the Diamondbacks battle against the Giants.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The American League schedule for Friday has Baltimore at Cleveland, Texas at the Yankees, Toronto at Boston, Minnesota at Tampa Bay, Seattle at Kansas City, Detroit at Oakland, and the Angels at the White Sox. Jered Weaver (3-0, 0.87 ERA) gets the ball for Los Angeles in that last matchup; righthander Weaver has been dominant so far this season, allowing just two runs over 20 2-3 innings in starts against the Blue Jays, Rays, and Royals. The White Sox will counter with Phil Humber (1-0, 3.37 ERA); righthander Humber is coming off a win over the Rays in his last trip to the mound, surrendering just one run on four hits over six innings of work in that contest. Humber fanned four that day.

On the National League schedule for Friday it's then Florida at Philadelphia, Milwaukee at Washington, Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, the Mets at Atlanta, San Diego at Houston, the Cubs at Colorado, St. Louis at the Dodgers, and San Francisco at Arizona. The Giants will go with Matt Cain (1-0, 1.38 ERA) for Friday's matchup; righthander Cain had to settle for a no-decision in his last trip to the mound against the Cardinals despite allowing just two runs on five hits over his seven innings of work. Daniel Hudson (0-2, 3.46 ERA) will counter for the Diamondbacks; righthander Hudson is winless through two outings but has only given up five runs on nine hits over 13 innings pitched this year.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, there are four games on the NHL playoff schedule for Friday, with Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh, Chicago at Vancouver, Nashville at Anaheim, and the Rangers at Washington. The Penguins, Canucks, Predators, and Capitals all have 1-0 leads in those best-of-seven series, with Washington winning their Game 1 against New York by a score of 2-1 in overtime on Wednesday night. Alexander Semin had the marker in the extra frame for the Capitals in that victory, while Alexander Ovechkin had the team's goal in regulation time. Matt Gilroy provided the lone New York goal in the loss. Michal Neuvirth made 24 saves for the Caps, and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 31 shots that night.

**Udog** · 04-15-2011, 09:13 AM

Friday's betting tips: Rockies lead MLB money list

Weather to watch

Los Angeles Angels at Chicago White Sox – 25 mph winds blowing out to right field.

Who’s hot

MLB: The Colorado Rockies put up 23 hits and 15 runs in sweeping a doubleheader Thursday against the Mets.

NHL: The Predators have won five of their last six games against the Anaheim Ducks.

NHL: The Pittsburgh Penguins have won five straight games heading into Friday’s Game 2 against Tampa Bay.

Who’s not

MLB: The Red Sox are a league-worst 2-9.

MLB: Houston had won just three of its last 10 heading into Thursday’s action.

NHL: The over is just 13-48-1 in Washington’s last 62 contests.

NHL: The over is 0-10-1 in Vancouver’s last 11 games.

Key stat

6.89 – The Colorado Rockies lead the league in money standings, raking in 6.89 units already for their supports while posting a 10-2 record to start the season. The Rockies have earned only one of those units through four games at Coors Field, where they’ll host the Cubs on Friday.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds: The Reds will be without their flame-throwing reliever for the next couple of days after experiencing arm inflammation. The club realized something was wrong on Wednesday when his fastball was clocked at just 92 mph – down from about 100 mph that he usually throws. The Reds host the Pittsburgh Pirates this weekend.

Game of the day

Chicago Blackhawks at Vancouver Canucks (-175, 5)

Notable quotable

"Oh, he'll play. He'll play. That's how we are approaching this." – Tampa Bay Lightning coach Guy Boucher when asked about the status of Penguins captain Sidney Crosby for the remainder of the series. Crosby has been practicing with the team for the last couple of weeks but only started taking contact recently. Pittsburgh heads into Friday’s game with a 1-0 series lead after downing the Lightning 3-0 in Game 1.

Notes and tips

The Anaheim Ducks could start Ray Emery in goal Friday in Game 2 against the Nashville Predators. Emery sat out the last week of the regular season with a lower body injury, but he came on in relief of Dan Ellis in Game 1’s 4-1 loss, stopping all six shots that he faced. The Ducks are set as a -150 favorite for Friday’s game.

For those of you working on NBA handicapping leading up to the start of the playoffs this weekend, it looks as though Manu Ginobili could be out for San Antonio’s Game 1 matchup with Memphis on Sunday. Ginobili, who is officially listed as doubtful after spraining his right elbow, is averaged 17.4 points per game for the Spurs in the regular season and San Antonio is set as an early 6.5-point favorite.

Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer was held out of the lineup on Thursday and there were rumors circulating on Twitter that he was headed for the 15-day DL. Mauer, who is suffering from "bilateral soreness," is coming off offseason knee surgery and was hitting just .227 early this season.

**Udog** · 04-15-2011, 09:16 AM

Friday's six-pack

-- So far, only one of eight Stanley Cup playoff games has had more than five goals scored in it.

-- Dustin Moseley has made three starts for San Diego; the Padres got shut out in all three games.

-- According to espn.com, of the top 13 NFL players in jersey sales last season, three of them had zero scholarship offers out of high school.

-- Brewers tossed three shutouts in their last four games.

-- Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki has 22 homers in his last 38 games.

-- Do major league baseball teams practice sliding in spring training?

*********************

Friday's List of 13: Random stuff with the weekend here.......

13) Quite a weekend coming up in Boston, with Bruins-Canadiens NHL series, Knicks-Celtics NBA series, the Red Sox at home and the Boston Marathon Monday morning. Lot of stuff to do there.

12) How happy were the Sox to get a rainout Wednesday? The way they’re playing, they could use a week off to get their heads straight, but that game got called awful early in the day. Makes you wonder if it was more weather-related or performance-related.

11) Busy weekend for my godson’s college baseball team, too; they played an extra-inning game on Long Island Thursday, then play couple of doubleheaders at home Friday and Saturday, then another twinbill near Foxboro on Sunday. Seven games in four days, and I don’t think any of them are makeups.

Quick godson update: three more scoreless IP Thursday, so he's allowed one earned run in 14 IP, with only four hits given up. Not bad.

10) Lot of debate on the Internet about head-first slides, after the Josh Hamilton injury; the Braves fine any minor leaguer who slides head-first $50. Not sure if they still do, but the Astros used to take minor leaguers out of the game if they slid head-first. Players seem to like it better. Not sure why.

9) TLC is showing a 12-part series called “Extreme Couponing”. We’re running out of new ideas for TV shows, apparently.

8) If someone asks you who played in the most NHL playoff games, you’ll look smart if you say Chris Chelios (266).

7) Cal Bears are getting their home field refurbished this year, so they’ll be playing home football games at AT&T Field this season…..Pauley Pavilion is also getting a facelift (did they have to wait until John Wooden passed away to do this?), so UCLA will play hoop games at the LA Sports Arena next fall. That’s the building the Clippers and USC used to call home.

6) Ben Howland is having a really hard time keeping his players in school; agents are in kids’ heads, getting them to turn pro early, so its going to be tough for Howland to win enough to keep his job, but he will be a great get for some other program when UCLA cuts him loose. Where? I don’t know, maybe Minnesota when Tubby Smith leaves.

5) There is actually a debate in New York State's legislature over whether the official state vegetable should be the onion or sweet corn. And we thought politicians didn’t do anything valuable.

4) Tampa Bay Rays have 10 of the top 60 picks in June’s amateur draft, so their NY-Penn League team should be loaded this summer.

3) Arizona State has dumped longtime mascot Sparky in favor of a new logo, a menacing-looking pitchfork. Nike hooked them up with sharper uniforms, but what they really need are better players.

2) It took feisty Terry Collins only 11 games to rip into the Mets for lackluster play, but fact is a) their pitching is substandard without Johan Santana and b) they lack confidence because everyone in NYC thinks they stink and says so publicly. They’ll be an interesting study as we move from spring into summer. Getting swept a pair by Colorado the day after getting their butts chewed out ain't going to help things any.

1) Exactly how much cash did the Feds burn convicting Barry Bonds on obstruction of justice charges? Was it worth it? Does anyone watchdog these prosecutors to make sure they’re using their resources wisely?

**Udog** · 04-15-2011, 09:34 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh
The Penguins look to build on their 8-1 record in their last 9 playoff games as a favorite of -110 to -150. Pittsburgh is the pick (-135) according to Dunkel, which has the Penguins favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-135). Here are all of today's picks.

FRIDAY, APRIL 15

Game 17-18: Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay 11.089; Pittsburgh 11.982
Dunkel Line & Total: Pittsburgh by 1; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Pittsburgh (-135); 5
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-135); Over

Game 19-20: NY Rangers at Washington (7:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Rangers 12.445; Washington 10.763
Dunkel Line & Total: NY Rangers by 1 1/2; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Washington (-165); 5
Dunkel Pick: NY Rangers (+145); Under

Game 21-22: Chicago at Vancouver (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago 12.402; Vancouver 11.091
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 1 1/2; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Vancouver (-185); 5
Dunkel Pick: Chicago (+165); Under

Game 23-24: Nashville at Anaheim (10:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Nashville 11.045; Anaheim 11.943
Dunkel Line & Total: Anaheim by 1; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Anaheim (-150); 5
Dunkel Pick: Anaheim (-150); Over

**Udog** · 04-15-2011, 09:39 AM

NHL
Short Sheet

Friday, April 15

Eastern Conference Playoffs - Best of 7 - Game 2 - Pitt leads 1-0
TAMPA BAY at PITTSBURGH, 7:05 PM ET
TAMPA BAY: 5-20 SU in road games when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days
PITTSBURGH: 18-7 SU off a home win

Eastern Conference Playoffs - Best of 7 - Game 2 - Wash leads 1-0
NY RANGERS at WASHINGTON, 7:35 PM ET VERSUS
NY RANGERS: 8-15 SU after playing a game where 3 or fewer total goals
WASHINGTON: 40-16 SU off a home win

Western Conference Playoffs - Best of 7 - Game 2 - Van leads 1-0
CHICAGO at VANCOUVER, 10:05 PM ET VERSUS
CHICAGO: 18-23 SU after playing a road game
VANCOUVER: 20-5 SU after having won 3 of their last 4 games

Western Conference Playoffs - Best of 7 - Game 2 - Nash leads 1-0
NASHVILLE at ANAHEIM, 10:35 PM ET
NASHVILLE: 14-6 SU off a road win
ANAHEIM: 10-5 SU revenging a home loss versus opponent

**Udog** · 04-15-2011, 09:43 AM

NHL
Write-Up

Friday, April 15

Home team won all five Tampa Bay-Pittsburgh games this year; Tampa Bay lost five of last six visits here. Penguins won last five games, with four of five going over. Lightning won seven of last nine games, allowing 17 goals. Game 1 was scoreless after two periods, before Pens scored three goals on 12 shots in third period. Pittsburgh was scoreless in 9:32 with man advantage but still won. Tampa had only one PP (0-1).

Washington won five of last six games, nine of last ten at home; under is 15-6 in their last 21 games. Seven of last ten Ranger games stayed under total. Over is 6-3 in last nine series games. Caps won Game in OT, but have scored only three goals in last four games vs Rangers, who had just one shot on goal in 4:00 with power play in Game 1. Four of the eight games in playoffs so far ended in shutouts.

Coyotes were 0-6 (9:39) on power play in 4-2 Game 1 loss; they're 4-3 in last seven games in this arena. Detroit is 5-7 in last 12 games, losing three of last five at home. Red Wings outshot Phoenix 17-8 in decisive second period in Game 1, scoring three goals. Six of last seven Detroit games went over total; eight of last eleven Phoenix games stayed under. Coyotes lost five of their last seven games.

Vancouver is 15-3 in last 18 games; under is 10-0-1 in Canucks' last 11 games; they outshot Chicago 13-7 in first period of Game 1, grabbing 2-0 lead, then got outshot 25-20 over final two periods. Chicago is 7-10 in last 17 games and needed help to even make playoffs, but they are 4-3 in last seven road games. Chicago was 0-3 on PP (4:31) in Game 1.

Anaheim lost five of last six games vs Nashville; Predators are 4-2 in last seven games in this building- under is 7-2-1 in last ten series tilts. Ducks won 10 of last 14 games- they're 5-2 in last seven home games. Nashville won 10 of its last 12 games- only goal they gave up in Game 1 was when Ducks had 5-on-3 advantage. Only one of eight games in playoffs so far saw more than five goals scored. Home teams won both OT games.

**Udog** · 04-15-2011, 09:46 AM

NHL

Friday, April 15

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7:00 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. PITTSBURGH
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Tampa Bay's last 15 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay

7:30 PM
NY RANGERS vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of the NY Rangers last 10 games
Washington is 8-4 SU in their last 12 games when playing NY Rangers
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington's last 8 games when playing at home against NY Rangers

10:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. VANCOUVER
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago's last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Chicago's last 12 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Vancouver's last 5 games at home
Vancouver is 15-3 SU in its last 18 games

10:30 PM
NASHVILLE vs. ANAHEIM
Nashville is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Nashville's last 15 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Anaheim's last 6 games at home
Anaheim is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Nashville

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Udog** · 04-15-2011, 09:49 AM

NHL

Friday, April 15

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice picks: Friday's best NHL bets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chicago Blackhawks at Vancouver Canucks (-175, 5)

The Blackhawks have to start wondering if Roberto Luongo simply has their number.

The Vancouver goaltender has stopped 109 of the past 106 Chicago shots he has faced, racking up three straight wins against the defending Stanley Cup champions. In Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinals matchup, Luongo just took the game over, notching 32 saves.

"He made some unreal saves and when you see those from the bench obviously it gets the guys going and we know it's one of those nights when he is going to stop them all," said Canucks winger Alex Burrows. "I'm not surprised to see him play the way he did tonight."

Luongo instituted a media blackout with reporters following team skates on game days and he already has reaped the benefits. Chicago seemed to have his number each of the past two postseason, but things are different now.

After one save in the first period, Chicago forward Patrick Sharp was left shaking his head.

"I thought we were better as the game went on, but we have to find ways to put it past him," Chicago defenseman Brian Campbell said. "He's a great goaltender, give him credit."

Expect him to keep being great.

Pick: Canucks

Nashville Predators at Anaheim Ducks (-150, 5)

Looks like all the Predators needed was a little Mike Fisher.

Maybe we should have seen the boost that the playoff veteran would give the emerging Nashville lineup. Fisher entered the postseason with 14 goals and 14 assists in his playoff career and has been a force just about every way imaginable. Of those 14 goals, four are on the power play, three are shorthanded and another three are game winners.

So it should have been no surprise that the acquisition of the winger from Ottawa resulted in a tougher Nashville team. It also helps when he paces the team with two goals and an assist in Game 1 in Anaheim against the Ducks.

The return of injured forwards Martin Erat and Steve Sullivan didn’t hurt either.

"They're a good offensive team, so we had to make sure we played solid on both ends of the ice," Fisher said. "We want to push forward, and not sit on our heels. When we do that, we can make it tough for even a good offensive team like that."

But the Ducks need to worry about keeping the puck out of their own net first.

Anaheim starter Jonas Hiller has been out for months with vertigo and is listed as questionable for Game 2, but is highly unlikely to play. Meantime, the tandem of Dan Ellis and Ray Emery hardly strike fear in anyone as they combined for just 26 saves on 30 shots.

Pick: Predators

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Udog** · 04-15-2011, 09:51 AM

MLB
Dunkel

San Francisco at Arizona
The Giants look to build on their 8-1 record in Matt Cain's last 9 starts against the NL West. San Francisco is the pick (-120) according to Dunkel, which has the Giants favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-120). Here are all of today's picks.

FRIDAY, APRIL 15

Game 951-952: Florida at Philadelphia (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Vazquez) 15.467; Philadelphia (Oswalt) 15.399
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-200); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida (+170); Over

Game 953-954: Milwaukee at Washington (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee 15.795; Washington 14.912
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 1; 7
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-125); 8
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (-125); Under

Game 955-956: Pittsburgh at Cincinnati (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Morton) 13.989; Cincinnati (Arroyo) 15.242
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-170); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (-170); Under

Game 957-958: NY Mets at Atlanta (7:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Carrasco) 15.407; Atlanta (Lowe) 14.233
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-180); 8
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (+160); Over

Game 959-960: San Diego at Houston (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Harang) 14.767; Houston (Happ) 14.369
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Houston (-115); 8
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (-105); Over

Game 961-962: Chicago Cubs at Colorado (8:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Garza) 14.629; Colorado (Chacin) 16.296
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Colorado (-150); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-150); Under

Game 963-964: San Francisco at Arizona (9:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Cain) 14.889; Arizona (Hudson) 14.491
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-120); 9
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-120); Over

Game 965-966: St. Louis at LA Dodgers (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Lohse) 16.087; LA Dodgers (Garland) 14.795
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-120); 8
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (+100); Under

Game 967-968: Texas at NY Yankees (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Harrison) 15.586; NY Yankees (Nova) 16.394
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1; 11
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-140); 10
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-140); Over

Game 969-970: Baltimore at Cleveland (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Britton) 16.058; Cleveland (Masterson) 14.772
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-115); 8
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (-105); Under

Game 971-972: Toronto at Boston (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Cecil) 15.410; Boston (Buchholz) 13.861
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1 1/2; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston (-180); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+160); Over

Game 973-974: Minnesota at Tampa Bay (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Blackburn) 14.605; Tampa Bay (Davis) 15.815
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-120); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-120); Under

Game 975-976: Seattle at Kansas City (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Bedard) 14.025; Kansas City (Hochevar) 16.342
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 2 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-125); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (-125); Over

Game 977-978: LA Angels at Chicago White Sox (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Weaver) 14.765; White Sox (Humber) 16.457
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-130); 8
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (+110); Under

Game 979-980: Detroit at Oakland (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Porcello); 15.207; Oakland (McCarthy) 16.239
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Oakland (-140); 8
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-140); Over

**Udog** · 04-15-2011, 09:56 AM

MLB
Write-Up

Friday, April 15

Hot pitchers
-- Oswalt is 2-0,3.00 in two starts this season.
-- Narveson is 1-0, 0.00 (13 IP) in two starts.
-- Arroyo ia 2-0, 2.77 in his first two starts; Morton is 1-0, 2.77 in his two starts.
-- Lowe has a 1.45 RA in his first three starts this year.
-- Harang is 2-0, 2.25 in two starts this season.
-- Giants won both Cain starts this season (1-0, 1.38).
-- Lohse is 1-1, 3.00 in two starts this season.

-- Harrison is 2-0, 1.29 in two starts this season.
-- Britton is 2-0, 0.66 in two starts this season. Masterson is 2-0, 1.35.
-- Blackburn has a 2.31 RA in two starts this season.
-- Weaver is 3-0, 0.89 in three starts this season. Humber won his first '11 start 4-2, allowing one run in six IP.
-- McCarthy is 1-0, 4.11 in his first two starts for Oakland.

Cold pitchers
-- Vazquez is 1-1, 11.88 in two starts this year.
-- Gorzelanny allowed six runs in 5.1 IP in his first '11 start.
-- Carrasco started 20 games for the '05 Royals, but has started only one game in the majors since then; he's has 6.2 IP in six games this year. .
-- Happ is 1-1, 6.17 in two starts this season.
-- Garza is 0-1, 5.68 in his first two NL starts.
-- Arizona lost Hudson's first two starts, scoring one run in each game.

-- Nova has a 5.91 RA in his first two '11 starts.
-- Buchholz is 0-2, 8.10 in two starts this season. Cecil is 0-1, 7.20 in his two starts for the Blue Jays.
-- Davis is 0-2, 4.38 in two starts this season.
-- Hochevar is 1-1, 6.75 in three starts this season. Bedard is 0-1, 11.00 in his two starts.
-- Porcello is 0-2, 9.00 in two starts this season.

Totals
-- Three of last four Florida road games stayed under total.
-- Three of last four Milwaukee games stayed under the total.
-- Three of Reds' last four home games went over the total.
-- Three of last four Atlanta games stayed under the total.
-- Three of last four Houston games went over the total.
-- Seven of last eight Cub games went over the total.
-- Seven of last eight Arizona games went over the total.
-- Over is 4-0-1 in Dodgers' last five games.

-- Under is 3-0-1 in last four Texas road games.
-- Five of last seven Oriole games went over the total.
-- Under is 7-4 in Toronto's last eleven games.
-- Under is 9-1-1 in last eleven Minnesota games.
-- Royals' last four home games went over the total.
-- Six of last seven Angel games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 5-1-1 in last seven Detroit games.

Hot teams
-- Phillies won four of their first five games. Marlins won six of their last nine games.
-- Milwaukee won its last four games, with three shutouts.
-- Reds won five of their first six home games.
-- Colorado won its last six games, scoring 39 runs. Cubs won their last three series openers.
-- Giants won five of their last seven games.
-- Cardinals won four of last five games, scoring 46 runs.

-- Bronx won six of its eight home games. Texas is off to 9-3 start, but they did lose last two games.
-- Indians won last four home games, but scored total of seven runs in their last three games overall.
-- Blue Jays lost four of their last five games.
-- Tampa Bay won its last three games, scoring 23 goals.
-- Royals won four of their last five games.
-- Angels won four of their last five games.
-- Detroit won its last three games, allowing six runs.

Cold teams
-- Washington is 4-6 in its last ten games.
-- Pirates lost last four games, getting shut out in last two.
-- Mets lost last five games, allowing 34 runs. Braves lost four of their last five games.
-- San Diego lost six of its last eight games. Astros are 0-3 this season in game following a win.
-- Arizona is 4-6 in its last ten games.
-- Dodgers lost their last three games, allowing 18 runs.

-- Orioles lost four of their last five games.
-- Red Sox lost nine of their first eleven games.
-- Twins lost four of their last five games.
-- Mariners lost their last five road games.
-- Oakland lost three of its first four home games.

**Udog** · 04-15-2011, 09:59 AM

MLB

Friday, April 15

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7:05 PM
FLORIDA vs. PHILADELPHIA
Florida is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Florida's last 6 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing at home against Florida
Philadelphia is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Florida

7:05 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Milwaukee's last 14 games when playing Washington
Milwaukee is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 8 games
Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Milwaukee

7:05 PM
BALTIMORE vs. CLEVELAND
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Baltimore's last 19 games
Baltimore is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland's last 6 games when playing at home against Baltimore
Cleveland is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games when playing at home against Baltimore

7:05 PM
TEXAS vs. NY YANKEES
Texas is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Yankees
Texas is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Yankees's last 5 games when playing at home against Texas
The total has gone OVER in 7 of NY Yankees's last 10 games when playing Texas

7:10 PM
TORONTO vs. BOSTON
Toronto is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games
Toronto is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games when playing Boston
Boston is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing Toronto
Boston is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games

7:10 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. CINCINNATI
Pittsburgh is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
Cincinnati is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Cincinnati is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games

7:10 PM
MINNESOTA vs. TAMPA BAY
Minnesota is 3-11 SU in its last 14 games on the road
Minnesota is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games at home
Tampa Bay is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

7:30 PM
NY METS vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of NY Mets's last 9 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
NY Mets are 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Atlanta is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Atlanta's last 17 games at home

8:05 PM
SAN DIEGO vs. HOUSTON
San Diego is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of San Diego's last 8 games when playing Houston
Houston is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against San Diego
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Houston's last 7 games when playing at home against San Diego

8:10 PM
LA ANGELS vs. CHI WHITE SOX
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Angels's last 6 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
LA Angels are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
Chi White Sox are 16-7 SU in their last 23 games
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Chi White Sox's last 22 games at home

8:10 PM
SEATTLE vs. KANSAS CITY
Seattle is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Seattle's last 18 games
Kansas City is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Seattle
Kansas City is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Seattle

8:40 PM
CHI CUBS vs. COLORADO
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games on the road
Chi Cubs are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Colorado's last 8 games when playing Chi Cubs
Colorado is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

9:40 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. ARIZONA
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Francisco's last 6 games when playing Arizona
San Francisco is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Arizona is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against San Francisco
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Arizona's last 8 games

10:05 PM
DETROIT vs. OAKLAND
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 7 games on the road
Oakland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Oakland is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Detroit

10:10 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. LA DODGERS
The total has gone OVER in 13 of St. Louis's last 19 games on the road
St. Louis is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games at home
LA Dodgers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Udog** · 04-15-2011, 10:02 AM

MLB

Friday, April 15

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hot lines: Friday’s best MLB bets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chicago Cubs at Colorado Rockies (-150, 8.5)

The early MLB season can be major headache – just ask the Colorado Rockies.

Colorado was just in New York for a set with the Mets, but a rain-out on Tuesday really puts them in a bad spot against Chicago. The Rockies had to play an afternoon doubleheader in Queens on Thursday before flying home to kick off this three-game series against the Cubs.

Meanwhile, Chicago was off on Thursday after taking the rubber match against Houston on Wednesday with a 9-5 victory. Carlos Zambrano was up-and-down on the hill, but the Cubs offense came to life as Starlin Castro and Aramis Ramirez led the way with three hits apiece. That’s a big deal as they get ready to face Colorado’s attack.

"The most important thing is we won the game,'' Zambrano told reporters. "We're happy going to Colorado. We won the series here. That's what it's all about.''

We think the Rockies’ tough schedule will get the best of them here.

Pick: Cubs

Texas Rangers at New York Yankees (-140, 10)

Although it’s still early, this could be a pivotal series to the Texas Rangers’ season.

They’ve lost two straight games since Josh Hamilton went down with his injury and they need to right the ship before their fantastic start goes for naught. The big thing is the team needs to stay aggressive even though it was an aggressive call from third base coach Dave Anderson that has Texas without Hamilton for at least the next six weeks.

"You think Dave is the first one it ever happened to? Hell, no," manager Ron Washington said. "You send guys to the plate, they don't make it, and they get hurt. Hey, that's a part of the game.

"I don't know how we're going to change it. Do we make them little wimps? That's the way we play. We play aggressive. It happened. There's nothing we can do about it."

A few days to think about the big loss will do Texas good heading into a major matchup with the Yanks.

Pick: Rangers

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Udog** · 04-15-2011, 10:09 AM

NBA Playoffs betting cheat sheet

The 2011 NBA playoffs get rolling this weekend, so it’s time to take a look at the report card heading into what will certainly be plenty of wild hoops action. Who’s hot? Who’s not? Who’s in danger of becoming a first-round upset victim? Let’s try to sort it out.

Hot: Chicago Bulls

The Bulls aren’t just the hottest team in the NBA right now. They’ve been the hottest team almost non-stop since December. Chicago has won nine in a row going into the playoffs (4-5 ATS) and 21 of its last 23 games (14-9 ATS).

And it’s not like the Bulls are beating up on puffcakes. In that 23-game stretch they won at Orlando (twice), at Miami, at New York, massacred Atlanta twice, and destroyed Boston. Derrick Rose and company not only ran away with the Eastern Conference’s top seed, but they also blew past San Antonio in improbable fashion for the NBA’s best record.

Cold: Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks were awful in last season’s playoffs, needing seven games to fight off an underdog and undermanned Milwaukee team in Round 1 before getting swept by Orlando in the most lopsided four-game postseason series in the history of the NBA.

This time around, the Hawks have been awful heading into the playoffs and haven’t provided any reason to think a series with the Magic will be much different in 2011. Atlanta rode a six-game losing streak to wrap up its regular season (1-5 ATS), a stretch that included a 115-83 loss at Washington last Saturday and a 96-85 setback at Charlotte Wednesday.

Surprise: Denver Nuggets

It would not be wise to discount the Nuggets, because discounted is exactly what they were when they dealt Carmelo Anthony just before February’s trade deadline. Instead, Denver laughed in the face of its doubters and actually got better without ‘Melo.

The Nuggets went 18-7 post-trade (20-4-1 ATS) after being a modest 32-25 when they pulled the trigger and shipped Melo to New York. Furthermore, by playing its way up to the No. 5 seed, George Karl’s crew has avoided both L.A. and San Antonio and has a manageable first-round series with Oklahoma City.

A word of caution on the Nuggets: Arron Afflalo (hamstring), Danilo Gallinari (ankle), Nene (groin), and Ty Lawson (ankle) are all dealing with injuries. The first three were held out of Wednesday’s loss to the Jazz as a precautionary measure and they are expected to play in Game 1 on Sunday. Lawson’s left ankle is more serious; he sprained it against Utah and is questionable for Game 1.

Home cooking: San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs were damn good pretty much wherever they played this season (although not quite good enough to beat out Chicago for the league’s best record). But they were especially dominant at the AT&T Center. San Antonio finished 36-5 at home (tied with the Bulls and at least three games clear of everyone else).

With home-court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs, it could be curtains for all other contenders if the Spurs get off-the-charts hot at home like they did during the regular season. They won 22 straight at the AT&T Center during one stretch, refusing to lose a game between December 3 and March 6.

On a side note, the Spurs might rely on home court even more with shooting guard Manu Ginobili nursing an injured elbow. Ginobili hyper-extended his elbow early into Wednesday’s game with the Phoenix Suns, leaving many to question why coach Gregg Popovich would play his starters. X-rays at the stadium were negative and his status is pending an MRI exam Thursday.

Road warriors: Miami Heat

LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, and the Heat promptly took their talents away from South Beach.

Despite having a bullseye on its back every single time it went into an opponent’s stadium, Miami delivered an impressive 28-13 road record, tied for best in the NBA with Dallas. Erik Spoelstra’s squad won seven of its last eight games away from AmericanAirlines Arena, including its final two of the regular season against Atlanta and Toronto.

Banged up: Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers got a major scare when oft-injured center Andrew Bynum went down with a hyper-extended knee in Tuesday’s win over San Antonio. But it must have been a major relief when a Wednesday MRI showed nothing more than a bone bruise. Bynum sat out L.A.’s season finale and he is expected return for Game 1 against New Orleans Sunday.

Meanwhile, Steve Blake has missed two straight games due to a case of chicken pox and he is out indefinitely. Matt Barnes sat out Wednesday’s overtime win over Sacramento with a knee injury but is listed as probable for the postseason opener.

Kobe Bryant is in good shape physically at the moment, but he has been dealing with controversy surrounding the racial slur fired at referee Bennie Adams after being hit with a technical while playing the Spurs. Kobe was then hit with a $100,000 fine by David Stern but the All-Star guard made the necessary apologies and it should blow over well before the weekend.

Upset alert: Boston Celtics

The Celtics floundered down the stretch, losing three of their last five (3-5 ATS) and 11 of their last 21 (9-12 ATS). That could prove costly, because they threw away the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and would not have home-court advantage against Miami if the two powerhouses meet in Round 2.

It also means Boston has to go up against sixth-seeded New York right away. The Knicks took almost too much time to gel following their deal for Carmelo, even losing nine of 10 games in mid-March, but they suddenly went on a seven-game winning streak (6-1 ATS) during the final two weeks of the regular season.

Don’t put any stock in the season finale between the Celtics and Knicks. Boston prevailed 112-102 at home Wednesday, but both clubs gave their stars some rest and it meant nothing for standings purposes.

**Udog** · 04-15-2011, 10:12 AM

How to bet the NBA Playoffs: Handicapper's hoops tips

Be aware of the zig-zag theory

The zig-zag theory is very simple and it's a must-understand component of NBA playoff handicapping. The theory is simple enough: Bet on the team that lost their last game.

The thought process behind the theory is that the team that just lost is likely to dig deep and produce a strong effort, before they fall into a deeper hole. Meanwhile, the team that just won is likely to make fewer adjustments and be a tad bit complacent heading into the next game.

The betting marketplace respects this theory tremendously. That's why you'll normally see a shorter pointspread in the first game following a blowout. In addition, you'll often see the weaker of the two teams favored if they return home facing a 0-2 series deficit after losing the first two games on their opponent's home court.

Sharp bettors know that the zig-zag theory is going to influence pointspreads throughout the postseason. They'll understand why and how the books are making adjustments to the spread from game to game as a series progresses.

Be aware of flaws in the zig-zag theory

The zig-zag theory does very well in competitive series. For a prime example, look at the NBA Finals between the Lakers and Celtics last year, when the straight-up loser of the previous game covered the spread five times in six tries - the lone exception being Boston’s win in Game 5.

But the zig-zag theory tends to fail in less competitive series, where one team has a clear advantage over their opponent. The Atlanta Hawks were a good example of this failure last playoff season. The Hawks went 4-3 ATS in Round 1, covering the spread in all four wins over Milwaukee.

But once Atlanta stepped up in class against Orlando in Round 2, it was downright ugly. The Hawks went 0-4 SU and ATS, with all four defeats coming by double digits against the spread. When there is a confidence differential and/or a talent differential, the zig-zag theory tends to crash and burn.

The theory also fails when a team is simply priced incorrectly by the betting marketplace. Bettors got hammered trying to zig-zag against the Boston Celtics last spring, as Doc Rivers’ squad went 11-3 ATS in their first 14 playoff games en route to series wins over Miami, Cleveland and Orlando.

At the time, bettors just didn't respect the Celtics following their mediocre 27-27 SU run to close out the regular season. Boston finished the regular season ranked 29th out of 30 NBA teams against the spread, ahead of only lowly New Jersey.

When the Celtics flipped the switch in the postseason, their residual ATS value carried them to profits in all four rounds of the playoffs.

Blindly betting the zig-zag theory is a 50/50 proposition at best. The key for bettors is to determine which are the competitive series where the zig-zag will work and which matchups are the mismatch series, where the zig-zag is likely to fail.

Don't overvalue home courts

Every talking head on TV talks about the importance of the home court in the postseason. You'll repeatedly hear nonsense like, "Look for Team A to protect their home court in Game 5." But the home-court edge is already fully factored in to every pointspread in every game.

Playoff teams are here because they can win on the road. The very best teams, that are most likely to win a playoff series or two, tend to have winning records on the road, consistently beating teams in hostile environments.

As we enter the 2011 playoffs, Boston, Chicago, Orlando, Atlanta, Oklahoma City, Los Angeles, San Antonio and Dallas - eight of the 16 playoff teams - finished the regular season above .500 on the highway.

And it’s surely worth noting that sub .500 road playoff teams like New York, Philadelphia, Memphis, Portland and Denver have been pointspread moneymakers on the highway, despite their relative lack of SU success.

The teams that you're most likely to make money with during the postseason are the type of teams that tend to win games and cover spreads in hostile environments. And a home-court edge lessens later in a series when teams have played several previous games on each floor, as matchups and health become bigger issues than the where the game is taking place.

Announcement

Friday's Trends and Indexes - 4/15 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Friday's Trends and Indexes - 4/15 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment