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Masters odds: Tiger big fave heading into weekend play
Tiger Woods shot a 1-under 71 in the second round at Augusta National on Friday and remains the betting favorite heading into weekend play at the Masters despite trailing leader Jason Day by three strokes.
Tiger opened as a +350 favorite at the LVH SuperBook and is now +225 to win outright.
Day (opened 50-1) stole the show Friday, posting the low-round of the day with a 4-under 68 to take the overall lead at 6-under. He is now 6-1 to don the green jacket Sunday.
Fellow Aussie Marc Leishman (opened 300-1) and American Fred Couples (opened 150-1) sit one stroke off the pace heading into third-round play.
An Australian has never won the Masters.
The weather outlook looks good for Saturday. The field can expect mostly sunny conditions and temperatures in the mid-70s. Winds will be light out of the west at seven mph.
Here are the complete Masters outright odds courtesy of the LVH:
ODDS TO WIN (updated after 2nd round)
TIGER WOODS 9/4
JASON DAY 6/1
BRANDT SNEDEKER 10/1
RORY McILROY 12/1
JUSTIN ROSE 12/1
LEE WESTWOOD 12/1
ADAM SCOTT 15/1
JIM FURYK 20/1
FRED COUPLES 25/1
ANGEL CABRERA 25/1
JASON DUFNER 25/1
CHARL SCHWARTZEL 30/1
K.J. CHOI 30/1
MARC LEISHMAN 40/1
SERGIO GARCIA 40/1
DUSTIN JOHNSON 40/1
LUKE DONALD 40/1
MATT KUCHAR 50/1
STEVE STRICKER 80/1
BILL HAAS 80/1
DAVID LYNN 100/1
GONZALO FERNANDEZ-CASTANO 100/1
JOHN SENDEN 100/1
RICKIE FOWLER 100/1
PHIL MICKELSON 100/1
TREVOR IMMELMAN 150/1
RYAN MOORE 150/1
BERNHARD LANGER 200/1
FIELD (all others) 25/1 -
English breakfast: FA Cup semis and EPL betting notes
The FA Cup is at the semifinal stage with three clubs from the Premier League in the final four. But there are still seven matches in the league for action this weekend.
All odds provided by Bet365.com.
FA Cup
April 13
Millwall v Wigan +350 +260 -110
Millwall has outscored the opposition 7-1 in the Cup. Wigan has won six of its past seven matches in all competitions.
April 14
Chelsea v Manchester City +210 +240 +125
Chelsea will be playing just three days after flying back from a Europa League quarterfinal match against Rubin Kazan in Russia. It is over 2,300 miles from Kazan to London, according to Google Maps. Manchester City has kept a clean sheet in all four FA Cup matches this campaign.
Premier League
April 13
Arsenal (5th in table, 56 points) v Norwich (14th in table, 35 points) -450 +550 +1100
Previous meeting: Norwich 1 Arsenal 0 October 20
Arsenal is unbeaten at home in its last five (4-1-0), outscoring the opposition 14-5. Norwich has collected 10 out of a possible 48 points on the road.
Aston Villa (16th, 33) v Fulham (10th, 39) +125 +230 +230
Previous meeting: Fulham 1 Aston Villa 0 October 20
Aston Villa has scored nine goals in its last four matches, and 26 in its other 28 games. Fulham has allowed seven goals in the past eight matches after allowing 40 in its previous 23 league fixtures.
Everton (6th, 52) v QPR (19th, 24) -225 +350 +650
Previous meeting: QPR 1 Everton 1 October 21
Everton is unbeaten at home in its last six league matches and hasn't lost at Goodison Park in the league since December 30. QPR has scored 10 goals in its past five matches and scored 19 in its previous 27 league games.
Reading (20th, 23) v Liverpool (7th, 49) +650 +350 -225
Previous meeting: Liverpool 1 Reading 0 October 20
Opponents have scored 17 goals on Reading over its last seven matches. Liverpool has scored 15 goals in its past six matches. The Reds have scored 44 goals in their other 26 games.
Southampton (11th, 37) v West Ham (12th, 37) -120 +260 +333
Previous meeting: West Ham 4 Southampton 1 October 20
Southampton has collected 10 of a possible 12 points in its last four matches. West Ham has scored four goals in its past ten away matches.
April 14
Newcastle (13th, 36) v Sunderland (17th, 31) -105 +250 +350
Previous meeting: Sunderland 1 Newcastle 1 October 21
Newcastle has won its past four home matches in the league. Sunderland is 1-0-5 in its last six on the road.
Stoke (15th, 34) v Manchester United (1st, 77) +550 +280 -175
Previous meeting: Manchester United 4 Stoke 2 October 20
Stoke has collected only one point from its last six home matches. Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has not scored for his club in his last ten appearances in all competitions.Comment
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Boxing bettors siding with underdog Rigondeaux vs. Donaire
By JASON LOGAN
Boxing bettors are giving Guillermo Rigondeaux more than a puncher’s chance of shocking Nonito Donaire when the two super bantamweights clash at Radio City Music Hall in New York Saturday.
Rigondeaux, the undefeated WBA super bantamweight champ (11-0, 8 KOs), has been bet down from +255 to +200 against Donaire, the WBO super bantamweight belt holder, in a 12-round title unification bout. Books are dealing Donaire (31-1, 20 KOs) as a -222 favorite.
“Early money and clever money, which normally speaks volumes, has been for Rigondeaux,” Russ Candler of UWin.com, told Covers.
Rigondeaux’s unblemished record and knockout power is the biggest draw for boxing bettors siding with the underdog. The Cuban defector has won multiple gold medals at the Olympics, Pan Am Games and World Amateur Championships and is coming off a thrilling decision victory over Roberto Marroquin in September.
While Rigondeaux appears ready for the next step, the 32-year-old southpaw is not without controversy. On top of a questionable chin that has been exposed in recent fights, Rigondeaux recently swapped out trainers for this title match. He dropped Jorge Rubio for former trainer Juan Diaz, who guided Rigondeaux to amateur success.
“He’s starting to go through trainers too quickly and this doesn’t look like a clever move going into the biggest pro fight of his career,” says Candler. “Some say it’s a money thing as he’s got Diaz on the cheap. I don’t quite buy that.”
Donaire is not the type of fighter you want to skimp on the preparation for. "The Filipino Flash” has dominated four different weight classes and has been especially dangerous since winning the vacant WBO strap in February 2012. In his three title defenses since, Donaire has finished two opponents and earned a unanimous decision, breaking his opponents jaw in the process.
Perhaps the biggest tick against Ring Magazine’s No. 5 pound-for-pound boxer is his ability to make weight. Donaire is likely to move up to featherweight following this bout, in search of more titles, and was five pounds over the set 122-pound limit when he arrived in New York earlier this week.
Boxers who struggle to cut weight can expend a ton of energy trying to stay under the scales for the days - and even night - before a fight. Donaire insists the cut shouldn’t be an issue, telling reporters “We’re just gonna try to make the weight that’s pretty much what we have to worry about”.
“In this instance it could be an issue,” Candler says of Donaire’s weight loss. “Rigo always gives the impression that he looks like a big junior featherweight. It could be an advantage the Cuban hammers home.”
Saturday’s round total is set at 9.5. Donaire winning on points is a +170 favorite among prop bets with Rigondeaux on points priced at +350. Donaire by KO, TKO or DQ is set at +200 while Rigondeaux via KO, TKO or DQ is at +600.Comment
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Chicago Syndicate
MLB Game of the Month - White Sox
Top - Pirates over 7, Tigers
Reg - Cubs, Braves over 6.5, Yankees over 9Comment
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UFC TUF 17 Finale
Faber's size the difference vs. Jorgensen
UFC TUF 17 Finale: Urijah Faber (-450) vs. Scott Jorgensen (+360)
The main event of the TUF 17 Finale is a five-round bantamweight bout between top contenders Urijah Faber and Scott Jorgensen that should prove to be very entertaining.
Faber (27-6) is one of the best bantamweight fighters in the world today. The former WEC featherweight champion dropped down to bantamweight after his loss to Jose Aldo back at WEC 48 and has since gone 4-2 overall.
The 33-year-old California native is an extremely dangerous fighter in all facets of the game. He’s a strong wrestler, has cardio for days, has incredible submission skills, and he even has a little bit of power. Hungry and motivated to make another run at the title, expect Faber to come into this fight in peak condition and aiming for an impressive finish that shows UFC president Dana White how bad he wants to be a UFC champion.
Jorgensen (14-6) is coming off of a duel award-winning performance, winning “Submission of the Night” and “Fight of the Night” honors for his bout against John Albert at UFC on FOX 5, a fight which he won via submission at 4:59 of the first round.
The 30 year old is a very solid fighter but his wrestling is his best attribute. Jorgensen, who has a notable win over Brad Pickett, believes he’s one of the top bantamweight contenders in the world and that he can still be a world champion one day. However, every time Jorgensen has stepped up in competition in his career (expect for Pickett) he’s lost, so he definitely needs to defeat Faber this weekend if he’s ever going to make another run at the title.
This really is Faber’s fight to lose. He’s just a little bit better than Jorgensen in most facets of the sport. Although Jorgensen is definitely a very capable bantamweight, he’s a smaller 135-pounder and Faber is on the bigger end of that scale. And when the skills are so close, the size difference often plays a factor. Look for Faber to bully Jorgensen around a bit, get him to the ground and eventually sink in a fight-ending submission.Comment
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DAVE ESSLER
Cliff Notes - Saturday Baseball
Giants at Cubs: First instinct here is to take Samardzija at plus money, no matter who is pitching. Rockies hit Bumgerner pretty hard after he was unhittable against the Dodgers, but two straight 100+ pitch games could be a fade. The Cubs fared surprisingly well in two games against him last season, so without over thinking this one it's the Cubs or nothing.
Atlanta at Washington: Hudson is what he is, and is probably not going to pitch super-deep here unless he's spot-on. The difference here for me would be if Ramos is catching, whose hit him well. Most likely he is, since Tracy clearly knows that and Suzuki is catching Friday night. That should mean Washington will score some. Strasburg threw 114 pitches against the Reds, which for me is not always a fade, but it's something to not under estimate. The Braves ARE one of the teams that have given him trouble, and since I can't trust Hudson to shut down Washington, I would lean over in this one, but admittedly have not yet looked at the weather.
Milwaukee at St. Louis: Again, I cannot take the Brewers on the road with that bullpen, especially when you combine that with the fact that Gallardo has been hit hard, twice, and none of the Cardinals have had any trouble with him whatsoever. Wainright's first start at home, which could be key, because he hasn't been that sharp in his two road starts. On the other hand, he's yet to walk anyone. Without Hart or Ramirez, who had hit him well, this could be the Cardinals game to lose. With that in mind I won't lay -170 nor will I play the RL with the "potential" of the Brewers, so most likely taking a look at the over, sitting at 7.5, with a favorable weather pattern.
Reds at Pirates: That's a big number for anyone (-160) on the road, or at least it is for me. Locke was hit pretty hard b the Dodgers in LA and did give up an inordinate number of flyball outs, so the only advantage he may have is that they haven't seen much of the kid. He was at least decent at home in limited innings last year, or far better than on the road should we say. Cueto's first road start and only McCutcheon has given him much trouble. I thought I'd try to make a cade for the under, but not with what's supposed to be a big breeze blowing out to left, and a left handed pitcher going for the Reds, who have owned lefties. That total sitting at 7 seems like a gift, but we'll wait and see what happens. I suppose Locke COULD hold the Reds to 6 or less, but that may assume the Pirates will score. I suspect they will, since these are the games where Cueto loses (or can) his focus.
Philadelphia at Miami: Let's not discount the Marlins quite yet, as that kid Fernandez is the real deal. He was, after all, the 14th overall pick in the 2012 draft. If he looks half as good against the Phillies as he did against the Mets, there may be little chance this goes over the number, especially in such a pitchers park. And Hamels has been quite hittable in his first two starts so I cannot rule out taking the Fish, at the very least the RL.
Dodgers at D-Backs: My first inclination is that because the D-Backs haven't seen Ryu that there might be a first five inning bet here. But, Ryu was crushed against the lighter hitting Giants and looked great against the even lighter hitting Pirates. With that in mind, the D-backs might not have faced him yet, but the scouts now see what he's all about. Kennedy's was hit pretty hard by the Brewers, but at home shut down, for the most part, a hot Cardinals team. He's fared well against most of the Dodgers over his career, and hasn't sucked any worst in Chase, and many Arizona pitchers do over time. Not sure I want to bet into Ryu just yet, but all things being equal nine is a lot of runs in an NL game, so under is, right now, the best play IMO.
Colorado at San Diego: Chacin completely owned the Padres in Colorado last week, and induced 16 ground ball outs. That's almost an automatic reason to take the Padres here, given that they should be the ones making the adjustments. Volquez has done nothing, and was hammered in Colorado last week, which again is a reason to take the Padres, who are either free money or the Rockies really are that east at -120. I don't trust either bullpen, so with the fences in a bit at Petco, I could actually make a case for the over, which at 7 the are simply begging people to do. However, these two starters are not Tommy John and Cy Young, yet, either.
Tampa Bay at Boston: Well, Lester had been stellar while Price has looked quote pedestrian. Having watch both of his games, his fastball seems "aimed" and flat. No line on this one yet, but I suspect that Price won't be AS bad and that Lester could regress SOME. The very fact that the Rays typically play Boston very tough, no matter the venue, gives me some pause. I do think that the game stays under, but without a line that's a tough claim to make. A little chilly after tonight's rain with no helping breeze, so that's the play for me, or nothing, in this game.
Chicago at Cleveland: Well, I would love to find a way to back the Indians here, since with the acquisition of Stubbs and Reynolds that aren't the auto-fade against lefties they were last year. Two problems, though, and that's that this is not ordinary lefty, and McAllister typically gives up a lot of flyball outs, which is usually the only way Chicago scores. Bullpen advantage to the White Sox, but a home dog is tough to pass up, at least one with the potential to put up a ton of runs if they get on a roll.
Detroit at Oakland: They're giving a lot of respect to both Anderson and the A's, only making Verlander -125 here. Anderson has looked good since coming back from Tommy John surgery, but one of those games was against Seattle (who is admittedly better but on an elite offense) and the other was against Houston. Looking at the stats, I have to think Verlander is the right side here, but certainly not sure I want to get in front of the A's train right now. I may take a hard look at over 7 (+100) simply because there are more players on the field who can hit it out as opposed to those that can keep it in. Haven't looked at the weather for many of these games yet, but surely shall.Comment
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DCI Pro Basketball
The Daniel Curry Index
04/13/13 Predictions
Season
Straight Up: 775-369 (.677)
ATS: 620-552 (.529)
ATS Vary Units: 1557-1379 (.530)
Over/Under: 604-570 (.514)
Over/Under Vary Units: 802-719 (.527)
Milwaukee 102, CHARLOTTE 99
Boston 98, ORLANDO 96
MEMPHIS 95, L.A. Clippers 91
MINNESOTA 103, Phoenix 97Comment
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DCI Pro Hockey
The Daniel Curry Index
04/13/13 Predictions
Season: 237-147 (.617)
Philadelphia vs. BUFFALO: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Vancouver 3, COLORADO 2
Montreal vs. TORONTO: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
N.Y. ISLANDERS 3, N.Y. Rangers 2
WASHINGTON 4, Tampa Bay 2
Boston 3, CAROLINA 2
Pittsburgh 4, FLORIDA 2
MINNESOTA 3, Columbus 2
DALLAS 3, San Jose 2
Calgary vs. EDMONTON: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
LOS ANGELES 3, Anaheim 2Comment
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Mighty Quinn
Mighty missed with the Cavaliers (+5) Friday.
Saturday it’s the Mets. The deficit is 381 sirignanos.Comment
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Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports
Our Free Plays are 1016-753 (57 + %) over the last 4 1/2 years !
Free winner 5-2 run Sat Dodgers + 115Comment
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Gamblers Data
Free Play Saturday
Rockies -120Comment
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Cappers Access
Giants -135
Cardinals(RL) -1.5(+141)
Suns +5Comment
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Kevin
MLBPredictions
2 UNIT = Colorado Rockies @ San Diego Padres - ROCKIES TO WIN (-113)
Listed Pitchers: Chacin vs Volquez
(Note: I'm risking 2.00 units to win 1.77 units)Comment
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Today's MLB Picks
Toronto at Kansas City
The Royals look to bounce back from last night's 8-4 loss to the Blue Jays and build on their 7-1 record in their last 8 games as a home favorite of -110 to -150. Kansas City is the pick (-130) according to Dunkel, which has the Royals favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (-130). Here are all of today's picks.
SATURDAY, APRIL 13
Time Posted: 7:30 a.m. ESTGame 901-902: San Francisco at Chicago Cubs (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Bumgarner) 16.402; Cubs (Samardzija) 14.966
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-135); No Total
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-135); N/AGame 903-904: Atlanta at Washington (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Hudson) 15.658; Washington (Strasburg) 16.256
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: Washington (-150); 7
Dunkel Pick: Washington (-150); UnderGame 905-906: Milwaukee at St. Louis (4:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Gallardo) 13.605; St. Louis (Wainwright) 17.703
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 4; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-170); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-170); OverGame 907-908: Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Cueto) 15.220; Pittsburgh (Locke) 15.471
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-160); 7
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+140); UnderGame 909-910: Philadelphia at Miami (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Hamels) 15.185; Miami (Fernandez) 13.852
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-140); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-140); OverGame 911-912: LA Dodgers at Arizona (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Ryu) 16.325; Arizona (Kennedy) 15.153
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Arizona (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (+110); UnderGame 913-914: Colorado at San Diego (8:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Chacin) 15.480; San Diego (Volquez) 14.810
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Colorado (-115); 7
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-115); OverGame 915-916: Tampa Bay at Boston (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Price) 15.709; Boston (Lester) 15.592
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/AGame 917-918: Chicago White Sox at Cleveland (4:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Sale) 14.399; Cleveland (McAllister) 14.435
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-140); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+120); OverGame 919-920: Detroit at Oakland (4:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Verlander) 17.702; Oakland (Anderson) 17.263
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: Detroit (-125); 7
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-125); UnderGame 921-922: Baltimore at NY Yankees (4:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Hammel) 16.088; NY Yankees (Hughes) 15.309
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1; 8
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/AGame 923-924: Toronto at Kansas City (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Dickey) 14.860; Kansas City (Shields) 15.904
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-130); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (-130); OverGame 925-926: Houston at LA Angels (9:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Harrell) 13.121; LA Angels (Richards) 15.009
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-185); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-185); UnderGame 927-928: Texas at Seattle (9:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Ogando) 16.028; Seattle (Saunders) 14.068
Dunkel Line: Texas by 2; 8
Vegas Line: Texas (-155); 7
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-155); OverGame 929-930: NY Mets at Minnesota (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Harvey) 15.479; Minnesota (Diamond) 14.767
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-125); 7
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-125); UnderComment
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