A rough beat early in the day with the Royals blowing a 1-0 lead with 2 outs in the Top of the 9th inning, before ultimately losing in extra-innings, 2-1, killed us in the AM action. The evening action was great in both the MLB, as we went 3-1 for +3.25 UNITS there, and we added a 2-1 night in the NBA for another +1.90 UNITS of PROFITS. Unfortunately we were completely dead in the water on the Under in the Kings/Blues game and then took another bad beat loss with the Ducks blowing late leads of 1-0 and 2-1 before dropping it 3-2 with about 5 minutes left in OT. All in all, a small losing day in the end, but disappointing nonetheless. Time to have a big day today........
TODAY'S ACTION --
(NBA)
*2 UNITS* INDIANA PACERS (+6) AND
*2 UNITS* OVER 183 IND PACERS @ NY KNICKS
Just see the Pacers possibly coming through with another surprising win here today, as they should have just enough on their roster to keep the Knicks completely on their toes and the way this series has started so far, may knock the Knicks out of the playoffs. Expecting a big game from Melo tonight to help the Knicks stay relevant in this series, but the Pacers should get the edge here with the half dozen points. Roll with the INDIANA PACERS and take the OVER as well........
(MLB)
*2 UNITS* DETROIT TIGERS (-110) AND
*2 UNITS* UNDER 7 DET TIGERS @ WAS NATIONALS (-110)
The Tigers are currently rolling and we'll give them a slight edge in what should ultimately end up being a pitcher's duel between two budding stars officially coming into their own this season. Zimmerman has been money for the Nationals all season long, jumping out to a dominating 5-1 start to his 2013 season, with an even more impressive 1.64 ERA and 0.75 WHIP he has baffled hitters with this season. Even more mind-boggling is through the righty's first 44 IP this season, he has held all opposing hitters to a puny .168 average. .168!! He has been unbeatable at home so far this season, posting a perfect 3-0 record there in his 3 starts, with an equally impressive stats line of 1.23 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and .200 BAA. He has never faced the Tigers however, and surprisingly he actually has never faced Fielder or Cabrera either. He has been impressive against the 3 Tigers hitters he will be facing today however, holding Hunter (0-3 K); Infante (3/14 3B, HR, 2 RBI) and Sanchez (0-2 2 K) to a lowly .158 average overall against him. However, the Nationals have never beaten the Tigers actually since moving to Washington, with the Tigers taking 6 straight meetings between the two teams. In fact, you have to go all the way back to 2002 for the last win by the franchise in this series, when they were still playing in Montreal as the Expos. However, Detroit has also posted a 9-1 ML record against the Nationals in their L10 meetings overall. The Tigers have an apparent ace on the hill for this game as well, as not only in Sanchez dominating hitters so far this season with an imposing 1.82 ERA and 1.06 WHIP himself, but he has also dominated the Nationals franchise throughout his career. The former Marlins hurler holds a perfect 8-0 lifetime mark against Washington through 19 starts against them. He has been purely mesmerizing against the Nats, tallying 118.2 IP against the team with a deadly 1.97 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and .206 BAA in his career against them. He has been just as perfect in his 6 starts in Washington, posting a 3-0 lifetime record with an even more impressive 1.13 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and .188 BAA against Washington, allowing a mere 5 ER and 27 H while striking out 37 in 39.2 innings of work there. Detroit is currently steamrolling through all competition as well, going 9-1 ML in their L10 and 14-6 ML in their L20 overall. Once again, they come in having won 4 in a row (all in a sweep at Houston) and they are 8-4 ML in their L12 on the road. It doesn't hurt that through the first 5 games in the month of May for the Tigers, Cabrera is hitting .500 and Fielder .316 for the month. Or the fact they have 3 HR and 13 RBI already between them doesn't hurt either. Roll with the DETROIT TIGERS and the UNDER to come through big in tonight's series opener........
*2 UNITS* BOSTON RED SOX (-180) AND
*2 UNITS* 1ST 5 INNINGS: BOSTON RED SOX (-180)
We hate to lay juice this high as we all know by now, but sometimes you just can't pass up what should be a pretty sure thing. The Twins are struggling once again, having posted a dismal 3-8 record over their L11 games, they blew early 3-0, 4-1 leads, before blowing a 5-4 lead late and ultimately losing 5-4 with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th on a walk-off 2B by Drew. They aren't facing any impossible odds against them like the Nationals appear to be, but Dempster has compiled a 2-1 record in 4 G (3 GS) against them in his career. Dempster is also pitching his best so far this season when in his new home confines of Fenway, as he has allowed hitters a stingy .170 average, while holding a 2.88 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in an even 25 innings of work there. Dempster has completely shut down a few of the stars of the Twins in his brief meetings against them, holding Mauer (0/7 5 K); Willingham (1/12 2B, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K); Plouffe (1/6 2 K); Doumit (5/26 BB, 7 K) and Dozier (0/3) to a lifetime .130 average against him in 57 AB. They have whiffed 9 more times than they have gotten hits and have produced 1 XBH and 1 RBI. Morneau and Carroll have had some moderate success though, combining to go 9-for-20 (.450), with a 2B, HR, RBI, BB and 2 K. He faced the Twins 2 times last year while a member of the Texas Rangers and he was clearly pretty dominant. He went 2-0 in those 2 starts, allowing a mere 2 R and 12 H in 14 IP. he had a 4.33 K-to-BB ratio against them, while the Rangers dusted the Twins by a combined score of 17-5 in those 2 games. Boston has also destroyed teams when playing immediately after a game decided by 1-R prior, compiling a 6-1 ML record in those 7 games this season (3-1 after a 1-R win, 3-0 after a 1-R loss). The Twins managed to steal 3-of-4 in Beantown from the reeling Red Sox in August of last season, but besides that 3 game stretch, the Red Sox have owned them at Fenway, going 12-1 ML in the L13 other games played there overall. In fact, since 2008, the Twins have visited Fenway Park for one series every season. The results of those series are: BOS 3-0 ('08); BOS 2-0 ('09); BOS 2-0 ('10); BOS 3-1 ('11) and MIN 3-1 ('12). Combine all that together and it sounds like a few cashers in there. Take the BOSTON RED SOX in the 1st 5 INNINGS and the GAME here today.........
*2 UNITS* ST. LOUS CARDINALS (-130) AND
*2 UNITS* 1ST 5 INNINGS: ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (-130)
The Cardinals are red hot once again and their pitching staff has been the key component to that run once again. And today's starter, Lynn, has been the surprising catalyst to this rotation. St. Louis' pitching staff has been controlling hitters in a major way all season long, with a starting rotation that has racked up 19 wins and compiled a 2.21 ERA so far in 2013. What's even better has been Lynn, who has turned into the Bob Gibson of the staff, jumping out to a perfect 5-0 record in 2013 and holding a perfect 10-0 record in his L11 regular season starts dating back to last season. He has been nothing short of amazing in his L3 starts, going 7 innings in each and allowing 1 ER or less in all 3 games. He has been nearly unhittable in that span even, allowing 2 H or less in two of those contests, while the Cardinals have destroyed the likes of CIN, PIT and PHI in that span by a combined scored of 18-3. Lynn has been just as impressive in each of his L5 starts, as he has allowed 1 R or less in 4 of those contests, while St. Louis has whipped their opponents by a combined 31-10 score in those games. The budding youngster has also owned the Cubbies in his 5 lifetime outings (4 GS) against them, holding an equally perfect 4-0 career record with an imposing 2.73 ERA in 26.1 IP, to go along with a 1.18 WHIP and .232 BAA. His success has remained the same in Wrigley as well, as he is a perfect 2-0 in his 2 career starts there. Barney, DeJesus, Ransom, Valbuena, Schierholtz and Wood have been held in check by Lynn, going 4-for-33 (.121) overall, so if he can pitch around the likes of Castro, Soriano and Rizzo (.387 combined with 2 2B, 3B, HR, 5 RBI, BB, K) we should be in line for another nice payday here. The Cardinals are red hot right now, having won 6 in a row, and the redbirds have also owned their division rivals in recent meetings winning 7 of the L10 match-ups and holding a 15-9 ML edge in their L24 contests overall. Wood has had some horrendous luck in his L12 home starts, and in fact hasn't won a decision for the Cubs at Wrigley since last July 1!! He has posted a dismal 0-7 record in that span with a bloated 4.58 ERA in that span. The Cubs are 2-10 ML themselves in those games in which he has started. Wood was awful against St. Louis last year as well, posting an 0-2 record with a hefty 9.00 ERA in 3 outings against them in 2012, with both of the losses coming against Lynn. Go with the ST. LOUIS CARDINALS in today's meeting.......
OVER 8.5 OAK A'S @ CLE INDIANS (+105)
By now we all should know that the A's (and whoever their opponent may be on a given night) are Over machines so far this season, as the A's have played to the Over at a 10-3 clip in their L13 games and a staggering 26-6 clip over their L32!! These two teams eeked out another Over last night late, as a 4-2 score in the bottom of the 7th inning for the home team, turned into a 7-3 win. The A's have had 6 games so far this season with the total set at 8.5 and they have played to the Over in 5 of those games, with the two teams combining for 11 R or more in 4 of them. Cleveland is on a bit of a heater themselves, having played to the Over at a 6-2 clip in their L8 overall. They have plated 7 R or more in 6 of their L8 games themselves, and 6 R or more in 7 of the L8. Also, the Indians are 4-2 for the Over in the L6 games when the total was set at 8.5. The guy who can set the table right away for this Over is going to be Cleveland's starting pitcher, McCallister, who has been toasted by the A's throughout his career, going 0-1 with a 7.84 in his 10.1 IP and 2 brief starts against them. He has produced a wretched 2.03 WHIP, allowing 17 H, 9 ER, 2 HR and 4 BB. Go with the OVER in today's battle.....
OVER 8 TOR BLUE JAYS @ TB RAYS (-115) AND
1ST 5 INNINGS: OVER 4 TOR BLUE JAYS @ TB RAYS (-120)
Happ has only faced the Rays 2 times in his career, and they have gotten the best of him for the most part. The young hurler carries an 0-1 career record against the Rays with a bulging 8.68 ERA in only 9.1 IP, as he has been torched for 16 H and 9 ER in that span. Two of his 3 starts on the road this season have also ended with total runs scored of 9 and 12. Zobrist, Longoria, Jennings and Loney have ripped the pitcher in their careers, with the 4 big bats of the Rays lineup a combined 10-for-17 (.588) with 5 2B, 4 RBI and 3 BB. In his two home starts this season, Hernandez has also helped both totals go over today's number of 8.5 as well. The Rays pitcher does hold a 3-1 lifetime record against the Blue Jays in his career, however, his 4.54 ERA should allow us to feel good about another Over here. Take the OVER in the 1ST 5 INNINGS and in the GAME here tonight.......
(NHL)
OVER 6 PIT PENGUINS @ NY ISLANDERS (+115)
There seems to be a pattern developing here in this series and that pattern suggests these two teams should go over today's total once again. We'll take the chance with the inflated total here and roll with the series that has provided for 19 goals through the series first 3 games. Take the OVER here once again.......
There you have it!! That will kick off this HUGE TUESDAY of action in the NBA, MLB and NHL!! We will be back with another email before the 9:30 PM EST / 6:30 PM PST games, so make sure to check back before then. But for now.......
Best of luck to all tonight!! Let's get that money!!
PORT PORT SPORTS