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Re: 5-3-10
ASA
3* Texas Rangers (Harden) +125 over Oakland (Braden)
Oakland was a surprising hot team early in the season but the last road trip has taken a toll as the A’s dropped five of six games out east. Injuries are mounting for the A’s with Kurt Suzuki hitting the DL most recently, now making four regulars in the lineup out of action. The A’s have out-scored opponents by just two runs and are .500 for the season through a favorable early season schedule. The road team actually won six of the last eight meetings between these teams in 2009 so there is no assurance that there will be a big edge for the A’s at home tonight. Oakland also faced long travel back from Toronto, while Texas was already on the west coast.
The Rangers have now won six of the last eight games as the offense is picking up. Texas has scored nearly five runs per game in the last ten games and although the team average is marginal for the season there has been a big jump from the cold early season numbers. With Nelson Cruz on the DL a lot of production has been lost, but the Rangers are 5-1 so far without him. The Rangers have not had great success against left-handed pitching but the current lineup should be well suited to handle this match-up. Texas found ways to win in the last two match-ups against left-handers, winning games going against Cliff Lee and Mark Buehrle last week.
Dallas Braden has made headlines this season but his pitching has taken a tumble this season since his public spat with Alex Rodriguez. Braden was rocked in Tampa Bay last week, allowing eight hits and six runs in four innings. The A’s are 4-1 behind him this season which creates this favored line for the lesser A’s team but Braden has not been dominant. He has allowed four home runs and 13 runs in his last four starts while striking out just nine batters. The Oakland bullpen has also taken a step back after posting strong early season numbers. With two starters out of action and three relievers now on the DL, this could be a very tough stretch for the Oakland pitching staff.
Rich Harden will have a chance tonight against his former team as Harden pitched in Oakland for over five years. He knows how to pitch in this ballpark and so far he has been a good signing for the Rangers, delivering solid results. He walks far too many batters but has the strikeout capability to get around the extra base runners. Harden is holding opposing batters to just a .225 batting average this season and the Rangers have won three of his last four starts, with his only loss coming in New York. With underdog value on a Rangers team that looks like the best in the AL West this should be a good opportunity to back Texas and the A's should be a team to fade in the coming weeks with the injuries and the inflated valuation on Oakland.
3* play on: Over 204.5 San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns
The Spurs and Suns have had some legendary battles in the playoffs and don't expect that to change this post season. What to expect in Game 1 is a higher scoring game that flies over the total. The Spurs aren't quite the same team they've been in the past as defensively they're not as good. Last season the Spurs allowed just 93.5 ppg which was good enough for 2nd in the League. They were 6th in the league in defensive efficiency. This year they're 8th in the NBA in points allowed per game at 96 ppg and 8th in defensive efficiency. That's not the only change in San Antonio this season. Offensively the focus is not Tim Duncan anymore as Giniboli, Parker, Jefferson and the rest of the Spurs have taken on the scoring burden. San Antonio went from scoring 96.7 ppg last year to 100.8 ppg this season.
We positively know what Phoenix brings to the table tonight. They'll push the tempo and force the Spurs into the pace they want. Phoenix averages 112.3 ppg which is #1 in the league at home, 109.8 ppg overall. The Suns are the most efficient team in the league as they average 1.121 points per possession. San Antonio isn't far behind in the 9th position averaging 1.067 points per possession.
These two teams met three times this year and the total points scored were 213, 223 and 220 total points. The pace of play numbers were also pretty high as they attempted 162, 168 and 152 shots respectively in the three games. Both teams shot extremely well in the regular season series as they combined to average over 50% shooting from the field. We may change our opinion on this series as we progress but we feel very confident Game 1 goes over the total tonight!
ASA
3* Texas Rangers (Harden) +125 over Oakland (Braden)
Oakland was a surprising hot team early in the season but the last road trip has taken a toll as the A’s dropped five of six games out east. Injuries are mounting for the A’s with Kurt Suzuki hitting the DL most recently, now making four regulars in the lineup out of action. The A’s have out-scored opponents by just two runs and are .500 for the season through a favorable early season schedule. The road team actually won six of the last eight meetings between these teams in 2009 so there is no assurance that there will be a big edge for the A’s at home tonight. Oakland also faced long travel back from Toronto, while Texas was already on the west coast.
The Rangers have now won six of the last eight games as the offense is picking up. Texas has scored nearly five runs per game in the last ten games and although the team average is marginal for the season there has been a big jump from the cold early season numbers. With Nelson Cruz on the DL a lot of production has been lost, but the Rangers are 5-1 so far without him. The Rangers have not had great success against left-handed pitching but the current lineup should be well suited to handle this match-up. Texas found ways to win in the last two match-ups against left-handers, winning games going against Cliff Lee and Mark Buehrle last week.
Dallas Braden has made headlines this season but his pitching has taken a tumble this season since his public spat with Alex Rodriguez. Braden was rocked in Tampa Bay last week, allowing eight hits and six runs in four innings. The A’s are 4-1 behind him this season which creates this favored line for the lesser A’s team but Braden has not been dominant. He has allowed four home runs and 13 runs in his last four starts while striking out just nine batters. The Oakland bullpen has also taken a step back after posting strong early season numbers. With two starters out of action and three relievers now on the DL, this could be a very tough stretch for the Oakland pitching staff.
Rich Harden will have a chance tonight against his former team as Harden pitched in Oakland for over five years. He knows how to pitch in this ballpark and so far he has been a good signing for the Rangers, delivering solid results. He walks far too many batters but has the strikeout capability to get around the extra base runners. Harden is holding opposing batters to just a .225 batting average this season and the Rangers have won three of his last four starts, with his only loss coming in New York. With underdog value on a Rangers team that looks like the best in the AL West this should be a good opportunity to back Texas and the A's should be a team to fade in the coming weeks with the injuries and the inflated valuation on Oakland.
3* play on: Over 204.5 San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns
The Spurs and Suns have had some legendary battles in the playoffs and don't expect that to change this post season. What to expect in Game 1 is a higher scoring game that flies over the total. The Spurs aren't quite the same team they've been in the past as defensively they're not as good. Last season the Spurs allowed just 93.5 ppg which was good enough for 2nd in the League. They were 6th in the league in defensive efficiency. This year they're 8th in the NBA in points allowed per game at 96 ppg and 8th in defensive efficiency. That's not the only change in San Antonio this season. Offensively the focus is not Tim Duncan anymore as Giniboli, Parker, Jefferson and the rest of the Spurs have taken on the scoring burden. San Antonio went from scoring 96.7 ppg last year to 100.8 ppg this season.
We positively know what Phoenix brings to the table tonight. They'll push the tempo and force the Spurs into the pace they want. Phoenix averages 112.3 ppg which is #1 in the league at home, 109.8 ppg overall. The Suns are the most efficient team in the league as they average 1.121 points per possession. San Antonio isn't far behind in the 9th position averaging 1.067 points per possession.
These two teams met three times this year and the total points scored were 213, 223 and 220 total points. The pace of play numbers were also pretty high as they attempted 162, 168 and 152 shots respectively in the three games. Both teams shot extremely well in the regular season series as they combined to average over 50% shooting from the field. We may change our opinion on this series as we progress but we feel very confident Game 1 goes over the total tonight!
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