6-19-14

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World Cup Game of the Day: England vs. Uruguay

England vs. Uruguay (+120, +260, Draw +240)

Luis Suarez will be back in the lineup - and back in the spotlight - as Uruguay looks to keep its World Cup hopes alive Thursday with a pivotal Group D matchup with England. Suarez missed Uruguay's tournament opener as he continues to recover from a knee injury, and was forced to watch his side put together a dismal effort in a stunning 3-1 loss to Costa Rica. The English were considerably stronger in defeat, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Italians.

With a loss by either team effectively knocking them out of the competition, Suarez will need to show he is fit following a month-long injury absence. Thursday's opponent knows him well; six of his Liverpool teammates will dress for England, and will be tasked with slowing down a talent that scored 31 goals for the Premier League runner-up. Neither team defended well in its opening match, and both spent plenty of time in the video room afterward.

TV: 3 p.m. ET, ESPN

WORLD RANKINGS: England: No. 10; Uruguay: No. 7.

INJURY REPORT: England: MF Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, recovering from a knee injury, practiced this week and is expected to return to the lineup; Uruguay: D Diego Lugano will miss the game with a knee injury; F Luis Suarez missed the opener with a knee injury but has been declared fit to face England; D Maxi Periera earned a red card against Costa Rica and will not play in the final two group stage games.

WHAT THE BOOKS SAY: "Both of these teams are coming off opening match losses, with the loser of this match surely eliminated from the tournament. England is the favorite in this match is (+600) to win Group D and (-110) to qualify for the next round. At (+110) England is seeing 86 percent of the action in this match against Uruguay while with the trend of overs hitting so far, the over 2.5 goal total is seeing 99 percent of the action." Michael Stewart, CarbonSports.ag.

ABOUT ENGLAND: After much fussing and hand-wringing, it appears Roy Hodgson is prepared to put Wayne Rooney back where he is most comfortable. Rooney played the opener on the flank but, while he did set up Sturridge's goal against Italy, he didn't generate much on his own and is still looking for his first career World Cup tally. Hodgson had his players practice penalty kicks with no goalkeeper present, using a special net with target holes the players had to hit.

ABOUT URUGUAY: While Suarez's return should buoy Uruguayan spirits - the star striker appeared comfortable during passing and dribbling drills with Forlan - but the loss of a pair of key defenders could cause problems for the South American side. Suarez believes his familiarity with several of the England players could prove valuable. "England have really good players who I played against all year," Suarez told reporters. "I know their defenders, the strikers and the coach as well."

TRENDS:

* Uruguay has four wins, three losses and three draws in their 10 previous meetings.
* England hasn't failed to reach the second stage at the World Cup since 1958.
* Just four of England's 22 shots against Italy came from inside the box.
* Forlan and Edinson Cavani had seven of Uruguay's nine shots in the opener.

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Guarin available for Colombia Thursday
Andrew Avery

They may be without star striker Radamel Falcao, but the Colombians were still very impressive in a 3-0 rout over Greece in their first match. Now, they get another star player back after serving a suspension in that game.

Inter Milan star midfielder Fredy Guarin will return and is available to start the game versus Ivory Coast. Guarin, who scored four goals and had six assists in the Serie A season with Inter, could feature as a deep-lying playmaker behind fist game superstar James Rodríguez.

At Pinnacle Sports, Colombia is currently a +116 fave, with the Draw +244 and Ivory Coast +275.

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Mighty Quinn

Mighty hit with the Cubs on Wednesday and likes the Brewers on Thursday.

The deficit is 223 sirignanos.

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Thursday's WCup Tips
By Toby Maxtone-Smith

Uruguay vs. England (ESPN, 3:00 p.m. ET)

Uruguay face England in Thursday’s most important World Cup match at the Arena São Paulo. Both teams lost their opening group matches, but in very different circumstances. While England came out of an unlucky 2-1 defeat to Italy with some credit, there was some serious soul-searching to be done in the Uruguayan camp as the two-time champions went down 3-1 to Costa Rica.

Italy look very likely to qualify, and unless Costa Rica prove that their victory over Uruguay was no flash in the pan, this game could go a long way to deciding who follows Italy to the knockout stages. A defeat would be almost fatal. A draw would be a better result for Roy Hodgsons’s England side - they would back themselves to get a better result against Costa Rica than Uruguay do against Italy (assuming Italy beat Costa Rica on Friday).

The big team news is that Luis Suarez returns for Uruguay. He terrorised the English Premier League last year and will be the key if the South Americans are to unlock the English defence. For England, the main question comes over the role of Wayne Rooney. Will he play through the middle, or on the left. Will he play at all?

England’s good performance against Uruguay has seen them backed into 91/100 favourites with Sportsbook.ag, but this seems too short against a side that, whatever its faults, has good tournament experience. Uruguay are 14/5 with a draw chalked up at 27/10.

Traditionally, both these teams have had their strength in defence, but I’d question whether that is the case this year. England creative lots of chances against Italy, and they have a less formidable defence than at most past tournaments, with full-backs Glen Johnson and Leighton Baines particularly suspect defensively.

Likewise Uruguay aren’t great at the back. Diego Godin had a fine season with Atletico Madrid, but his partner is 33 year-old Diego Lugano. Never the quickest, Lugano’s lack of pace has now become a severe problem. It forces Uruguay to sit very deep and play too uncreative destroyers in central-midfield, both of whom have disciplinary problems. Daniel Sturridge, who leads the England attack, is very quick and can certainly exploit this lack of pace. I’m very keen on over 2.5 goals at 19/20.

The joint leaders of the First Goalscorer market are Liverpool duo Sturridge and Suarez, both at 4/1. With superior service and without a strike partner to take half his chances, Sturridge looks a better shout at the prices. Raheem Sterling, who almost broke the deadlock for England against Italy and was their outstanding player, is now as short as 7/1 to score first. Rickie Lambert will be England’s Plan B - it is easy to foresee him scoring late on.

Top Bet: Over 2.5 goals - 27/10


Colombia vs. Ivory Coast (ESPN, 12:00 p.m. ET)

In the first game of the day, Colombia meet Ivory Coast. Having been backed from 150/1 three years ago into around 25/1 now, Colombia are tipped by many to do well in Brazil. They were very convincing in a 3-0 win against a limited Greece side, and they are 11/10 favourites to all but seal qualification with a win in Brasília. Ivory Coast came from behind to beat Japan 2-1 in their first game, putting them in a great position to qualify.

Ivory Coast are available at 23/10 here, and a draw is 5/2, but I’d be inclined to get on Colombia. They have the attacking weapons to open up the ageing Ivorian defence. Juan Cuadrado was excellent on the wing against Greece, while James Rodriguez in behind Teofilo Gutierrez both have lots of goals in them.

In Kolo Touré and Sol Bamba, Ivory Coast have a defence that is vulnerable to pace, and Colombia certainly have that.

Top Bet: Colombia to win at 11/10


Greece vs. Japan (ESPN, 6:00 p.m. ET)

In a real ‘do or die’ game in Natal, both Japan and Greece know that a defeat is likely to end their participation at the World Cup, while a draw would not be of much more help. This is a must-win. Japan played some good stuff in their 2-1 defeat to Ivory Coast, but as so often, they were let down in both penalty areas. Their finishing wasn’t good enough, and their defending was naive. Everywhere else, they were excellent.

Greece were totally outplayed in a 3-0 defeat to Colombia in a match they did not for one moment look like getting anything out of. There is a chronic lack of creative players in their team, although their defence is not the worst.

Japan should win this one. They are the 11/10 favourites and rightfully so. Greece are at 11/4 with a draw at 5/2. While Greece’s centre-backs are good, their two full-backs (particularly left-back Jose Holebas) often get caught far too high up the field. Japan have the pace and the quick passing to exploit that. Shinji Okazaki, who can play both wide right and up front, looks a good pick for first goalscorer at 6/1. He has scored 38 in 76 goals, and has recently become the regular goalscorer Japan have craved.

Top Bets: Japan to win at 11/10, Shinji Okazaki to score first at 6/1

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MLB

National League

Reds-Pirates
Bailey is 4-0, 3.51 in his last five starts.
Locke is 0-1, 1.80 in his last couple starts.

Reds won six of their last seven games.
Pirates are 4-6 in their last ten home games.

Four of last five Pittsburgh games went over total.

Brewers-Arizona
Gallardo is 1-0, 0.64 in his last two starts.
Anderson is 3-1, 3.52 in his last four starts.

Milwaukee won six of its last eight road games.
Diamondbacks lost six of their last eight games.

Six of last seven Arizona games went over the total.

Braves-Nationals
Floyd is 1-1, 4.70 in his last four starts.
Zimmerman is 2-1, 0.36 in his last three starts.

Braves lost six of their last eight games.
Washington won its last five home games.


Over is 5-1-1 in last seven Atlanta games.

Mets-Marlins
Wheeler is 0-2, 4.70 in his last three starts.
Heaney is making first MLB start; he was 3-0, 2.74 in four AAA starts.

Mets lost eight of their last nine road games.
Marlins lost eight of their last twelve home games.

Over is 5-2-1 in Mets' last eight road games.

Phillies-Cardinals
Buchanan is 1-3, 6.85 in his last four starts.
Miller is 1-0, 0.57 in his last two starts.

Philly won four of its last five games.
Cardinals won eight of their last ten games.

Nine of last thirteen Miller starts stayed under.

American League

Angels-Indians
Wilson is 1-3, 4.94 in his last four starts.
Masterson is 2-1, 4.30 in his last three starts.

Angels lost eight of their last eleven road games.
Indians won ten of their last eleven home games.

Five of last seven Cleveland games stayed under.

Royals-Tigers
Duffy is 2-0, 1.45 in his last three starts.
Sanchez is 3-0, 2.50 in his last six starts.

Kansas City won its last ten games, is in first place.
Tigers lost 11 of their last 17 home games.

Over is 11-4-1 in last sixteen Detroit home games.

Blue Jays-Bronx
Hutchison is 1-1, 2.65 in his last three starts.
Phelps is 1-4, 5.75 in his last five starts.

Blue Jays won eight of last ten road games.
Bronx won six of its last eight games.

Six of last nine Bronx games stayed under total.

Astros-Rays
McHugh is 0-1, 6.75 in his last couple starts.
Archer has a 2.86 RA but no wins in his last five starts.

Astros lost four of their last five games.
Tampa Bay lost eight of its last eleven home games.


Three of last four Houston games went over total.

White Sox-Twins
Quintana is 0-3, 8.27 in his last three starts.
Pino is making MLB debut; he is a 30-year old rookie who was 9-1, 1.92 in 14 AAA games this year, making only seven starts.

White Sox lost five of their last seven road games.
Minnesota lost its last five games, scoring two runs in last three.

Eight of last twelve Quintana starts stayed under.

Red Sox-A's
Peavy is 0-3, 5.98 in his last seven starts.
Kazmir is 3-0, 1.27 in his last four starts.

Red Sox won five of their last seven home games.
Oakland won seven of its last nine home games.

Six of last nine Oakland home games went over.

Interleague games

Mariners-Padres
Ramirez is 0-1, 3.38 in his last four starts.
Hahn is 1-1, 3.72 in his first two MLB starts.

Seattle won six of its last eight road games.
Padres lost eight of their last ten games.

Eight of last ten San Diego games stayed under.


Pitchers allowing runs in first inning:
-- Bailey 4-14; Locke 1-3
-- Gallardo 3-14; Anderson 0-7
-- Floyd 0-8; Zimmerman 1-15
-- Wheeler 5-14; Heaney 0-0
-- Buchanan 0-5; Miller 1-14

-- Wilson 4-14; Masterson 2-15
-- Duffy 1-8; Sanchez 3-11
-- Hutchison 2-14; Phelps 0-8
-- McHugh 1-10; Archer 3-14
-- Peavy 3-14; Kazmir 3-14


-- Ramirez 4-9; Hahn 0-2

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Colombia, Ivory Coast collide Thursday
By: Zach Cohen - StatFox


2014 WORLD CUP SOCCER

COLOMBIA vs. IVORY COAST

Kickoff: Thursday, 12:00 p.m. EDT
Estadio Nacional – Brasilia, Brazil

Line:
Colombia -142, Ivory Coast +325, Tie +240
Over/Under: 2.5 Goals

Colombia meets Ivory Coast Thursday afternoon in what will be a Group C match with major implications in terms of which teams will be advancing to the knockout round.

Colombia may not have played a flawless game against Greece in their opening match of Group C play, but they were able to finish when they needed to. They now turn their attention to an Ivory Coast team that also won their first game.

Colombia lost the time of possession battle to Greece as they held the ball for just 46% of the game, but it didn’t matter. Colombia pounced on Greece early with a goal by Pablo Armero just five minutes into the game. From there, Greece was playing catch-up and they were never able to put one in the net. Colombia outshot Greece 8-7 on goal and despite their lack of possession, they were getting themselves plenty of quality looks. Teofilo Gutierrez put the game out of reach for Greece with a goal at the 58-minute mark and then James Rodriguez added one in extra time for good measure. This team showed plenty of offensive potency and is looking like the darkhorse candidate that many said they were prior to the tournament.

Ivory Coast didn’t shut out their opponent in their opening Group C match, but they did get the job done with a 2-1 victory over Japan. The team showed plenty of heart as the first half of the game did not go their way.

Sixteen minutes into their first game of the World Cup, Ivory Coast found themselves down 1-0 after a left-footed shot from Keisuke Honda found the back of the net for Japan. Ivory Coast was all over Japan despite trailing for most of the game. They had possession for 57% of the match and outshot their opponents 10-4 on goal. Whether it was just a coincidence or not, Ivory Coast subbed in Didier Drogba at the 63-minute mark. With their leader on the field, the team was able to turn the game around. Sixty-four minutes into the game, Wilfried Bony tied the game up with a header and then two minutes later, Gervinho headed home another to give Ivory Coast a 2-1 lead. They would hold on for a win and can now really improve their chances of making it to the knockout round with a win over what is a heavily favored Colombia team.

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Japan, Greece desperate for win Thursday
By: Zach Cohen - StatFox


2014 WORLD CUP SOCCER

JAPAN vs. GREECE

Kickoff: Thursday, 6:00 p.m. EDT
Estadio Das Dunas – Natal, Brazil

Line:
Japan -105, Greece +270, Tie +270
Over/Under: 2.5 Goals (Over +105, Under -135)

Japan and Greece meet Thursday evening with both teams needing a victory in order to give themselves a chance of advancing to the knockout round.

Japan was right there in their opening game of group play, but they were unable to hold onto a lead and now find themselves in a must-win situation against Greece on Thursday.

Despite being outplayed for most of the game, Japan had a chance to beat Ivory Coast in their tournament-opening match. Ivory Coast won the battle in time of possession by 14% and shots on goal by six shots. Japan, however, was the team to strike first in the game. At the 16-minute mark, Keisuke Honda found the back of the net to give Japan the 1-0 lead. For another 48 minutes of play, Japan was able to keep Ivory Coast from scoring but then Ivory Coast scored at both the 64-minute mark and then the 66-minute mark. Japan was unable to get themselves any other quality chances to tie it up and will now need at least a point to stay in contention, but a victory over Greece would certainly mean a lot more heading into their third match.

Greece was actually involved in a much different game than the one Japan played. Unlike their next opponents, Greece did a good job of keeping possession and generating chances, but their inability to finish had them being blown out in the end.

Greece was in control of the tempo for a majority of the game, but they did not find the back of the net and that was what doomed them. Greece won the battle in time of possession with 54% compared to Colombia’s 46% in the opening game. They also had seven shots on goal which was just one less than Colombia’s eight. The problem was that Colombia was able to connect on three of their eight shots and Greece couldn’t convert at all. Pablo Armero scored the game’s first goal at the five-minute mark, and that would prove to be the game-winner despite Greece’s solid effort. If they can put away some of their chances, they should have an excellent opportunity to come away with an upset win over Japan.

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Nationals gear up for important series vs. Atlanta
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Nationals proved on their road trip last week that they can beat a good team away from home, as they took three out of four against the San Francisco Giants in the middle leg of a three-city trip.

Starting at home Thursday night, the Nationals will try and find out if they can finally win a series against the Atlanta Braves.

Washington lost five of six games to Atlanta this season, with the only win coming April 6 during a three-game series at Nationals Park.

The Braves and St. Louis Cardinals, who swept a three-game series this past weekend against visiting Washington, have been thorns in the side of the Nationals the past few years.

"We know what is at stake ... even in the middle of June," Washington right fielder Jayson Werth said.

The Nationals have now won their last five games at home and seven of the last eight.

The starting pitcher for Atlanta in the first game of the series on Thursday will be a familiar name to Washington-area baseball fans: right-hander Gavin Floyd, who grew up in nearby Annapolis, Maryland and went to high school in Baltimore

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No Limit Sports

Colombia -.5 (+116)

Uruguay +.5 (+108)

Japan/Greece Over 2.5 (+116)

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Scott Spreitzer
3* Total Japan/Greece under 2,5

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Hondo

Thursday: Mr. Aitch sees a Locke in the Pitching Form so he will put 10 units on the Pirates. Also, 10 on the Nats to be Zim dandy against Los Bravos.

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Zobrist key to Rays breaking out of slump
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- If the Tampa Bay Rays have any chance of turning things around this season, they will need second baseman Ben Zobrist to break out of his slump. The former All-Star has been struggling at the plate and in the field this year as he committed his sixth error Wednesday after having just five in the 2013 season.

"We've never seen Zobrist kind of struggle," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "He's been really solid for us the last several years and I anticipate he's going to be again. He's going through a rough stretch right now."

Zobrist was 0-for-4 Wednesday and 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position. He is 6-for-57 with runners in scoring position this season. With the Rays struggling to score runs on most nights and power-hitting outfielder Wil Myers out until at least August, it's going to be up to Zobrist, first baseman James Loney and third baseman Evan Longoria to provide the offense on a nightly basis.

"We're all working very hard to turn this around and it's going to happen soon," Zobrist said. "We just have to keep picking each other up."

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Today's MLB Picks

Houston at Tampa Bay

The Astros head to Tampa tonight to face a Rays team that is 1-5 in Chris Archer's last 6 starts as a favorite. Houston is the pick (+140) according to Dunkel, which has the Astros favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Houston (+140). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, JUNE 19 Time Posted: 6:00 a.m. EST

Game 901-902: Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (12:35 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Bailey) 15.789; Pittsburgh (Locke) 14.177 Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1 1/2; 9 Vegas Line: Pittsburgh (-120); 7 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+100); Over

Game 903-904: Milwaukee at Arizona (3:40 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Gallardo) 15.881; Arizona (Anderson) 16.732 Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 7 Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-130); 8 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+110); Under

Game 905-906: Atlanta at Washington (7:05 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Floyd) 15.826; Washington (Zimmermann) 14.742 Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1; 9 Vegas Line: Washington (-150); 7 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+130); Over

Game 907-908: NY Mets at Miami (7:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Wheeler) 15.360; Miami (Heaney) 14.470 Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1; 6 Vegas Line: Miami (-120); 7 Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (+100); Under

Game 909-910: Philadelphia at St. Louis (8:15 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Buchanan) 15.920; St. Louis (Miller) 14.417 Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1 1/2; 9 Vegas Line: St. Louis (-200); 8 Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+170); Over

Game 911-912: LA Angels at Cleveland (12:05 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Wilson) 14.798; Cleveland (Masterson) 15.811 Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1; 8 Vegas Line: LA Angels (-130); 8 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+110); Under

Game 913-914: Kansas City at Detroit (1:08 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Duffy) 15.648; Detroit (Sanchez) 17.116 Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1 1/2; 7 Vegas Line: Detroit (-150); 8 Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-150); Under

Game 915-916: Toronto at NY Yankees (7:05 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Hutchison) 17.034; NY Yankees (Phelps) 15.716 Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1 1/2; 10 Vegas Line: Toronto (-115); 9 Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-115); Over

Game 917-918: Houston at Tampa Bay (7:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Houston (McHugh) 15.631; Tampa Bay (Archer) 14.828 Dunkel Line: Houston by 1; 7 Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-160); 7 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Houston (+140); Under

Game 919-920: Chicago White Sox at Minnesota (8:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Quintana) 18.179; Minnesota (Pino) 14.777 Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 3 1/2; 10 Vegas Line: Minnesota (-110); 8 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (-110); Over

Game 921-922: Boston at Oakland (10:05 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Peavy) 15.666; Oakland (Kazmir) 17.184 Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1 1/2; 6 Vegas Line: Oakland (-170); 7 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-170); Under

Game 923-924: Seattle at San Diego (6:40 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Ramirez) 12.803; San Diego (Hahn) 14.499 Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1 1/2; 8 Vegas Line: San Diego (-130); 7 Dunkel Pick: San Diego (-130); Over

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WNBA Basketball Picks

San Antonio at Seattle

The Stars head to Seattle tonight to face the Storm (5-8) and come into the contest with a 10-4 ATS record in their last 14 games against a team with a losing SU record. San Antonio is the pick (+3) according to Dunkel, which has the Stars favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: San Antonio (+3). Here are all of today's WNBA picks.

THURSDAY, JUNE 19 Time Posted: 6:00 a.m. EST

Game 651-652: San Antonio at Seattle (10:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: San Antonio 111.348; Seattle 110.405 Dunkel Line & Total: San Antonio by 1; 138 Vegas Line & Total: Seattle by 3; 146 1/2 Dunkel Pick: San Antonio (+3); Under

Game 653-654: Tulsa at Los Angeles (10:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Tulsa 110.577; Los Angeles 114.288 Dunkel Line & Total: Los Angeles by 3 1/2; 163 Vegas Line & Total: Los Angeles by 7; 157 Dunkel Pick: Tulsa (+7); Over