5-18-13

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NHL

Saturday, May 18

Chicago won its last eight games with Detroit, winning five meetings this year by a total score of 18-6; under is 13-3-2 in last 18 series meetings. Blackhawks are 5-1 in playoffs this spring, while Red Wings are 4-4, with three OT wins, four cross-country plane trips. Chicago is 10-1 in its last ten home games; Red Wings lost last four visits here, with three by a single goal. Detroit is 5-8 in its last thirteen road games overall. Home teams are 6-0 in this round of playoffs, with four wins by 2+ goals.

Kings allowed total of nine goals during current six-game win streak that started after they fell behind 2-0 in St Louis series. Home teams won 11 of last 12 San Jose-LA games, six in row this year; Kings lost last five visits to Shark Tank, but scored twice in last 2:00 to tear Sharks' hearts out in 4-3 Game 2 thriller. Over is 5-2-2 in last nine series games, 2-7-2 in last eleven Los Angeles games; defending champs are 4-2 vs San Jose this year. Kings were 3-6 on power play in Game 2, which had total of only 20 penalty minutes in it.

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Marco D'Angelo
over/under game of the week is
under in Astros/Pirates.

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Bryan Leonard | MLB ML - Saturday, May 18 2013 4:05PM
ML 970 BAL -110 vs 969 TAM double-dime bet

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Dr. Ed Meyer | MLB ML - Saturday, May 18 2013 7:10PM

ML 973 BOS -123 vs 974 MIN double-dime bet

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Mike Hook | MLB ML - Saturday, May 18 2013 8:05PM
ML 975 DET -121 vs 976 TEX double-dime bet

Analysis: The DETROIT TIGERS -121 are a DOUBLE STAR MLB PLAY for Saturday, May 18th!

SPECIAL BONUS PLAY:

The CHICAGO WHITE SOX +123 are a DOUBLE STAR MLB PLAY for Saturday, May 18th!

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Marco D'Angelo
double dime
Texas Rangers

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$team Play$

Saturday 05/18/2013 06:05 PM	Rot#: 977 Team: Kansas City/Oakland	Over/Under: U Line: 7½ Grade:
Saturday 05/18/2013 04:10 PM	Rot#: 973 Team: Boston/Minnesota	Over/Under: O Line: 8½ Grade:
Saturday 05/18/2013 04:10 PM	Rot#: 957 Team: LA Dodgers	Home/Away: A Line: +164 Grade:
Saturday 05/18/2013 04:05 PM	Rot#: 979 Team: Pittsburgh	Home/Away: H Line: -245 Grade:
Saturday 05/18/2013 01:05 PM	Rot#: 971 Team: Chicago White Sox/LA Angels	Over/Under: U Line: 9 Grade:
Saturday 05/18/2013 01:05 PM	Rot#: 969 Team: Tampa Bay/Baltimore	Over/Under: O Line: 9 Grade:

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Joe Wiz Late Phones

Knicks Pacers Under

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Bob Balfe

NBA
Pacers - 5.5 over Knicks

MLB
Reds -110 over Phillies

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Kevin
MLBPredictions

2 UNIT = Kansas City Royals @ Oakland Athletics - ROYALS TO WIN (+126)
Listed Pitchers: Santana vs Milone
(Note: I'm risking 2.00 units to win 2.52 units)

Just a small write up here as I want to get the 5 Star pick out. The reason I like this play is similar to why I took Kansas City last night. Oakland isn't hitting well lately, although they did win last night it was 2-1 with 6 hits. KC's starter Santana is 3-2 with a 2.79 ERA, .250 OBA and 1.10 WHIP. He will be up against Tommy Milone who has been up and down this season. He has given up 4+ earned runs in 4 of his 8 starts and then 2 or fewer in the other 4 (his ERA is 3.71). The A's are 0-5 in Milone's last 5 starts. I had this closer to a pick'em and I think the Royals rebound with a victory tonight.

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The Philly Godfather

My Moves

MLB [967] TOR BLUE JAYS +113 100: +113
Preakness: My Lute, Departing, Will take charge: Rooster

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5Lines

Total Line for 05/18/2013
(Lost last 5 games)
Today's Winning Team is:
NBA - New York Knicks : o178.5
Cost: -110

Run Line for 05/18/2013
(Won last 5 games)
Today's Winning Team is:
MLB - Houston Astros : +1.5
Cost: +105

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Dave Cokin

La dodgers

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1unit wagers / Steven Kane

MLB
Nationals(-129)

Zimmermann has surrendered one run and eight hits while striking out 16 over 13 innings in two career starts at Petco - both Washington victories.

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SPORTS WAGERS

CLEVELAND -1½ +143 over Seattle

Joe Saunders seemed to establish himself as a solid mid-rotation pitcher last season with a 4.07 ERA and helping the Orioles get into the playoffs. This year, he's regressed into something awful with a 5.51 ERA, 18BB and 20 K’s in 47.1 IP. On the road, Saunders is 0-4 with an ERA of 12.54 and that’s after facing Oakland, Texas, Houston and Toronto. He gets a difficult assignment against the Indians' robust offense in Cleveland and it’s not likely to end well. Something good is happening for the Indians. The team is contending and that means big crowds. For a team that has not experienced success for years, those big crowds inject energy. The players will come to the park today extremely jacked up after a three-run walk off homer last night to take the opener, 6-3. The Indians have now won two in a row, four of six and 15 of their past 19 ball games.

We targeted Zach McAllister as a breakout candidate before the season started and he’s paid off handsomely already. McAllister has developed one of the nastiest sliders in the game and he can locate it just about anywhere he wants. McAllister has also been equally as effective against lefties as he has against righties, which is another step to becoming an elite starter. The Indians have won the past three games that McAllister has started and he should get plenty of support here against one of the biggest stiffs in the game in Joe Saunders.

Kansas City +121 over OAKLAND
When Dayton Moore was named general manager in 2006, he quickly put a seven-year plan in place to rebuild the Royals. The farm system (outside of Billy Butler and Alex Gordon, who were in Double-A) was basically starting from scratch. The Royals hadn't been active in the international market. He changed that and became an aggressive big spender in international signings and the draft. Along the way, Moore’s moves offered the Royals gradual progress. Maybe not in wins, but these draft picks eventually developed into major leaguers such as Moustakas and Hosmer. Money spent on international free agents also bore fruit. And trading a Cy Young Award winner in Zack Greinke netted farmhands and young, major league-ready talent: shortstop Alcides Escobar and center fielder Lorenzo Cain, who now anchor the Royals’ defense. However, despite all these efforts, the lack of pitching remained their undoing. All the methods they had used to develop position players simply didn’t yield the elite pitching prospects that often turn struggling teams into contenders. So Moore made some moves. The ball started rolling with last season’s trade deadline and didn’t stop until well into the offseason. In the following order, Moore acquired these pitchers: Jeremy Guthrie, Ervin Santana, James Shields and Wade Davis. As for Earvin Santana, though his 2012 numbers (9-13, 5.16 ERA) shouldn't have merited any interest from the Royals, two of Moore’s top evaluators, Jim Fregosi Jr. and Gene Watson, had watched Santana throw during the last two months of the season. Both believed that not only was Santana’s slider back, but he could bounce back all the way to his 2010 and 2011 form when he won a combined 28 games for the Angels. Boy, were they right. Santana is posting the best skills he has shown since 2008. His strikeout rate surge is supported by a 10.6% swinging strike rate. His dominance over right-handed bats is a thing of beauty. Santana has 39 K’s in 48 innings while issuing just six walks. He also has an outstanding 2.79 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP with an xERA of 3.31. There is nothing fluky about Santana’s hot start and he has a great opportunity to thrive again at this park.

Tommy Milone has made eight starts and has an even 4/4 split in quality starts versus disaster starts. With some glaring weaknesses in his Milone’s profile, most notably a 35%/20%/45% GB/LD/FB split, it’s no mystery as to why Milone is at the mercy of the park conditions when he takes the hill. He does have some upside and some outstanding control but he’s the second best pitcher on the hill today. The A’s offense isn’t as good as either and now we get the benefit of a tag with the better offense and better starter.

Chicago +118 over L.A. ANGELS

1st 5 innings. There is no such thing as due to win, which many will apply to Joe Blanton and the Halos today. Truth is, it gets more difficult to win after each passing loss and that’s what Blanton faces today. He also faces a White Sox team that has won five in a row. Blanton is 0-7 with an ERA of 6.46. He’s been tagged for eight jacks in 46 innings to go along with a BAA of .359 and a 1.87 WHIP. Blanton remains as hittable as any pitcher in the business and even Adam Dunn and his feeble bat has five hits in 23 AB’s versus Blanton and two of those hits left the yard. Blanton, pitching for the Angels is a combination to avoid right now while the opposite is true for the South Side and Hector Santiago.

Last year, Santiago opened the season as Chicago’s surprise closer but too many BBs and HRs ended experiment quickly. He began a new experiment in Sept/Oct, where in four starts (19 IP) he had 26/11 K/BB, 4 ER, and 24/19 GB/FB. Any pitcher with a strikeout rate must be taken serious but Santiago remained a high risk because of those walks. 2013 comes along and Santiago has walked just eight batters the entire season in 32 innings. He has maintained a high strikeout rate with 31. Santiago also has an elite 1.08 WHIP and he hads a much better chance for success here than Blanton. Because this choice is based on the starters, we’ll play it in five innings.