Michael Cannon
Tuesday's Plays..
40 Dime –
SPURS
Take the Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA finals over the Cavaliers.
Cleveland has done nothing in this series so far that leads me to believe they can pull off the win here tonight, even at Quicken Loans Arena. Sure, the crowd will be rabid and the Cavs will be in their backyard, but in the end it all comes down to which team is better and it’s the Spurs by a wide margin.
Give Cleveland coach Mike Brown credit for trying to devise a scheme to stop Tony Parker at the outset of Game 2. He tried putting LeBron James on him but it backfired in his face when the Cavs superstar picked up two fouls in the first three minutes of the game.
You knew it was over right there, but it still points to a major problem heading into Game 3.
The Cavs just don’t have anyone that can stay with Parker and it’s going to be their undoing here in Game 3. Parker is quicker than anyone Cleveland employs, and his drives to the basket are leaving the Cavs with an impossible choice…collapse the lane and give up the easy dish off to Duncan, or watch him just lay it in for an easy deuce.
It’s my opinion that the Pistons would have been a better opponent for the Spurs, but LeBron single-handily took down Detroit and now he faces a mountain that he just can’t climb yet.
I expect this game to be more closely contested than the first two in San Antonio, just because it’s in Cleveland. But there’s no way I’m going against the Spurs based on what I’ve seen so far.
The fact they relaxed in the fourth quarter of Game 2 just might have been the best thing for the Spurs, as they now realize they have to keep the pedal to the floor for the whole game and that’s perfect for them playing on the road.
Lay the tiny number and take the Spurs as they win and cover easily.
10 Dime –
INDIANS (With Carmona and Olsen as listed pitchers)
Cleveland fans can take solace in the fact that they’ll at least grab a win with the Indians tonight over the Marlins.
Fausto Carmona will get the nod for the Tribe and he’s had a complete 180-degree turnaround from last season when he failed miserably as a closer and appeared to lose confidence in his stuff.
This year he has been almost as good as their ace, C.C. Sabathia. Carmona checks in to tonight’s game with a 7-1 record and 3.11 ERA in 11 games this year. He’s 2-0 with a 4.05 ERA over his last three starts spanning 20 innings.
Florida just hasn’t put together any consistency this year and tonight’s slated starter, Scott Olsen, appears to be suffering from the sophomore slump.
Olsen is 4-5 with a 5.27 ERA in 13 games this year. He has been battered for a 7.20 ERA over his last three starts, going 0-2. What’s more, he’s walked 10 batters in just 15 innings over those last three starts.
Cleveland is the better team with the better pitcher so lay the juice and collect as the Tribe grabs the road win.
5 Dime –
DIAMONDBACKS (With Webb as listed pitcher)
Take Arizona as a nice underdog tonight over the Yankees in New York.
Don’t buy into this Yankees run just yet. They just got finished dispatching of a pitiful Pirates team, but now they go against one of the best pitchers in all of baseball in Brandon Webb.
Webb is a sinkerball specialist who excels at keeping the ball on the ground, thus negating the Yankees power. The right-hander is looking to win his fourth consecutive start. He has allowed three runs, two earned, with 23 strikeouts in 22 innings over his last three starts, including a seven-inning, seven-strikeout performance in a 1-0 win over the Giants on Wednesday.
Chien-Ming Wang will start for the Yankees and he’s struggled a bit at home this year, with a 2-3 record and 4.41 ERA in five starts.
You’re not going to get a pitcher like Webb at this price very often, so take advantage of it tonight and side with the Diamondbacks as they stop the Yankees run with the road win.
ANGELS (With Escobar and Arroyo as listed pitchers)
Take the Angels as the road chalk for the win tonight over the Reds.
Kelvim Escobar has what it takes to tame the Reds lineup. The right-hander is 7-3 with a 2.76 ERA in 11 games this year. He’s 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA over his last three starts. Escobar has held opponents to two earned runs or fewer in eight of his 11 starts this season.
On the flip side, Cincinnati starter Bronson Arroyo has been awful this year, with a 2-7 record and 5.01 ERA. He’s been pounded over his last three starts, going 0-3 with an 11.49 ERA in 15 2-3 innings. The right-hander has lost five straight decisions and allowed at least six earned runs in each of his last four starts. He also has just one win in 10 career interleague starts.
Take the Angels as they grab the road win behind Escobar tonight.
Bonus Play: CUBS
This is Jim Feist. My free pick of the day is the game between (915) WAS Nationals and (916) BAL Orioles. Take "(915) WAS Nationals". Getting out of spacious Washington helps the Nationals offense, as they score more on the road than at home. That was evident this weekend as they took 2 of 3 at Minnesota, including wins as +175 and +330 dogs! They are 4-2 the last 6 games. Starter Micah Bowie (3.79 ERA) has been decent. That 6-game win streak that the Orioles had was a fluke -- this is not a good team and they are on a 2-7 run. Baltimore just lost 2 out of 3 at home to the pitiful Rockies. Orioles starter Erik Bedard walks way too many batters (41 in 84 IP). Play the Nationals!
This is Dave Cokin. My free pick of the day is the game between (929) TOR Blue Jays and (930) SF Giants. Take "(929) TOR Blue Jays". Dave is enjoying a banner baseball season, and his Upset Specials have been connecting on a regular basis. He's got one going tonight, and this Upset Special is on the house. Just call
1-888-389-7223
and get this personal service release FREE!..."Toronto righthander AJ Burnett is on a strikeout rampage right now. He's got some of the nastiest stuff in the game when he's right. Burnett remains liable to the long ball and the hope here is that if he falls prey to that tendency tonight, it's with no one on base. The flip side is Noah Lowry, a guy I'm generally reluctant to fade in this park. But the lefty has not been fooling anyone lately and his poor K/IP ratio certainly indicates opposing hitters are getting lots of good swings against him. I make Burnett and the Blue Jays the side tonight."
Scott Spreitzer's MLB 25* Tuesday Night Beatdown! Perfect 4-0 in 2007!
The Angels are my 25* on Tuesday. LAA cashed big for us on Friday when they rocked the Cardinals, 10-6. Tuesday's meeting features a major mismatch both on the mound and in the batter's box. Kelvim Escobar is smoking with a 2.76 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 11 starts this season. His road ERA is not quite as good on paper, but it's due to ONE bad start on May 15 against a Seattle team that offers much more at the plate than the Reds. Toss aside one outing in 11 tries, and you'll see Escobar has allowed just 3 ER & 12 BR in his other two road starts, spanning 14 2/3 IP. He should continue his strong season against the Reds' 22nd ranked lineup. Meanwhile, the Angels send the league's third best team BA up against the struggling Bronson Arroyo. The righty has lost his last five decisions and the Reds are just 3-10 in his 13 starts, overall. In his last four starts, Arroyo has allowed: 6, 8, 6, and 6 earned runs in just 17 2/3 IP! That's a 13.22 ERA to go along with a 2.32 WHIP! He's averaging just over 4 IP per start in those four outings which means the Angels ought to get to the league's 6th worst bullpen early on. Look for the red-hot Angels to make quick work of the Reds on Tuesday.
Brandon Lang
15 DIME
Spurs
5 DIME
Phillies -1 1/2 runs - Specify Pitchers - Contreas vs Hamels
Astros -1 1/2 runs - Specify Pitchers - Kennedy vs Oswalt
Giants - Specify Pitchers - Burnett vs Lowry
Tuesday's Plays..
40 Dime –
SPURS
Take the Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA finals over the Cavaliers.
Cleveland has done nothing in this series so far that leads me to believe they can pull off the win here tonight, even at Quicken Loans Arena. Sure, the crowd will be rabid and the Cavs will be in their backyard, but in the end it all comes down to which team is better and it’s the Spurs by a wide margin.
Give Cleveland coach Mike Brown credit for trying to devise a scheme to stop Tony Parker at the outset of Game 2. He tried putting LeBron James on him but it backfired in his face when the Cavs superstar picked up two fouls in the first three minutes of the game.
You knew it was over right there, but it still points to a major problem heading into Game 3.
The Cavs just don’t have anyone that can stay with Parker and it’s going to be their undoing here in Game 3. Parker is quicker than anyone Cleveland employs, and his drives to the basket are leaving the Cavs with an impossible choice…collapse the lane and give up the easy dish off to Duncan, or watch him just lay it in for an easy deuce.
It’s my opinion that the Pistons would have been a better opponent for the Spurs, but LeBron single-handily took down Detroit and now he faces a mountain that he just can’t climb yet.
I expect this game to be more closely contested than the first two in San Antonio, just because it’s in Cleveland. But there’s no way I’m going against the Spurs based on what I’ve seen so far.
The fact they relaxed in the fourth quarter of Game 2 just might have been the best thing for the Spurs, as they now realize they have to keep the pedal to the floor for the whole game and that’s perfect for them playing on the road.
Lay the tiny number and take the Spurs as they win and cover easily.
10 Dime –
INDIANS (With Carmona and Olsen as listed pitchers)
Cleveland fans can take solace in the fact that they’ll at least grab a win with the Indians tonight over the Marlins.
Fausto Carmona will get the nod for the Tribe and he’s had a complete 180-degree turnaround from last season when he failed miserably as a closer and appeared to lose confidence in his stuff.
This year he has been almost as good as their ace, C.C. Sabathia. Carmona checks in to tonight’s game with a 7-1 record and 3.11 ERA in 11 games this year. He’s 2-0 with a 4.05 ERA over his last three starts spanning 20 innings.
Florida just hasn’t put together any consistency this year and tonight’s slated starter, Scott Olsen, appears to be suffering from the sophomore slump.
Olsen is 4-5 with a 5.27 ERA in 13 games this year. He has been battered for a 7.20 ERA over his last three starts, going 0-2. What’s more, he’s walked 10 batters in just 15 innings over those last three starts.
Cleveland is the better team with the better pitcher so lay the juice and collect as the Tribe grabs the road win.
5 Dime –
DIAMONDBACKS (With Webb as listed pitcher)
Take Arizona as a nice underdog tonight over the Yankees in New York.
Don’t buy into this Yankees run just yet. They just got finished dispatching of a pitiful Pirates team, but now they go against one of the best pitchers in all of baseball in Brandon Webb.
Webb is a sinkerball specialist who excels at keeping the ball on the ground, thus negating the Yankees power. The right-hander is looking to win his fourth consecutive start. He has allowed three runs, two earned, with 23 strikeouts in 22 innings over his last three starts, including a seven-inning, seven-strikeout performance in a 1-0 win over the Giants on Wednesday.
Chien-Ming Wang will start for the Yankees and he’s struggled a bit at home this year, with a 2-3 record and 4.41 ERA in five starts.
You’re not going to get a pitcher like Webb at this price very often, so take advantage of it tonight and side with the Diamondbacks as they stop the Yankees run with the road win.
ANGELS (With Escobar and Arroyo as listed pitchers)
Take the Angels as the road chalk for the win tonight over the Reds.
Kelvim Escobar has what it takes to tame the Reds lineup. The right-hander is 7-3 with a 2.76 ERA in 11 games this year. He’s 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA over his last three starts. Escobar has held opponents to two earned runs or fewer in eight of his 11 starts this season.
On the flip side, Cincinnati starter Bronson Arroyo has been awful this year, with a 2-7 record and 5.01 ERA. He’s been pounded over his last three starts, going 0-3 with an 11.49 ERA in 15 2-3 innings. The right-hander has lost five straight decisions and allowed at least six earned runs in each of his last four starts. He also has just one win in 10 career interleague starts.
Take the Angels as they grab the road win behind Escobar tonight.
Bonus Play: CUBS
This is Jim Feist. My free pick of the day is the game between (915) WAS Nationals and (916) BAL Orioles. Take "(915) WAS Nationals". Getting out of spacious Washington helps the Nationals offense, as they score more on the road than at home. That was evident this weekend as they took 2 of 3 at Minnesota, including wins as +175 and +330 dogs! They are 4-2 the last 6 games. Starter Micah Bowie (3.79 ERA) has been decent. That 6-game win streak that the Orioles had was a fluke -- this is not a good team and they are on a 2-7 run. Baltimore just lost 2 out of 3 at home to the pitiful Rockies. Orioles starter Erik Bedard walks way too many batters (41 in 84 IP). Play the Nationals!
This is Dave Cokin. My free pick of the day is the game between (929) TOR Blue Jays and (930) SF Giants. Take "(929) TOR Blue Jays". Dave is enjoying a banner baseball season, and his Upset Specials have been connecting on a regular basis. He's got one going tonight, and this Upset Special is on the house. Just call
Scott Spreitzer's MLB 25* Tuesday Night Beatdown! Perfect 4-0 in 2007!
The Angels are my 25* on Tuesday. LAA cashed big for us on Friday when they rocked the Cardinals, 10-6. Tuesday's meeting features a major mismatch both on the mound and in the batter's box. Kelvim Escobar is smoking with a 2.76 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 11 starts this season. His road ERA is not quite as good on paper, but it's due to ONE bad start on May 15 against a Seattle team that offers much more at the plate than the Reds. Toss aside one outing in 11 tries, and you'll see Escobar has allowed just 3 ER & 12 BR in his other two road starts, spanning 14 2/3 IP. He should continue his strong season against the Reds' 22nd ranked lineup. Meanwhile, the Angels send the league's third best team BA up against the struggling Bronson Arroyo. The righty has lost his last five decisions and the Reds are just 3-10 in his 13 starts, overall. In his last four starts, Arroyo has allowed: 6, 8, 6, and 6 earned runs in just 17 2/3 IP! That's a 13.22 ERA to go along with a 2.32 WHIP! He's averaging just over 4 IP per start in those four outings which means the Angels ought to get to the league's 6th worst bullpen early on. Look for the red-hot Angels to make quick work of the Reds on Tuesday.
Brandon Lang
15 DIME
Spurs
5 DIME
Phillies -1 1/2 runs - Specify Pitchers - Contreas vs Hamels
Astros -1 1/2 runs - Specify Pitchers - Kennedy vs Oswalt
Giants - Specify Pitchers - Burnett vs Lowry
<table id="post89248" class="tborder" style="border: 1px solid rgb(203, 203, 203);" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td class="alt1" id="td_post_89248" style="border: 0px none ;">Stu Finer
Today's Action
NOTE: Baseball releases are for games where the starting pitchers are specified.
2000 DIME NBA Finals Absolute Rout...SAN ANTONIO SPURS
There is no need to over-think this one folks as San Antonio, which has better starters, a better bench and a better coach, will again stand tall and score yet another NBA Finals win and cover tonight. They have dominated the Cavs for seven of eight quarters and the Spurs clearly have their eyes on the prize. Yes, the Cavs have a home court edge and certainly motivation, but don't fool yourself into thinking San Antonio won't be motivated tonight. The Spurs remember two years ago in the finals against the Pistons when they scored home wins in Games 1 & 2, only to lose the next two at Detroit. That was a very hard-fought series that the Spurs eventually won in seven games. They don't want to be extended in such a way this June and they want to close this thing out at The Q. And please, if the Spurs (5-2 SU on the road in the playoffs) can win at Denver, Phoenix and Utah in the playoffs, then they certainly can win in Cleveland.
San Antonio has won and covered four straight overall and is on runs the last nine games of 8-1 SU and 7-1-1 ATS. The Spurs are 12-2-1 ATS as a postseason chalk and are on SU runs of 39-10 and 14-3. In the last 22 San Antonio games, the SU winner is 21-0-1 ATS. LeBron is finding out that Bowen is a real pain in the rear. Even when LeBron was on the court and not on the bench in foul trouble Sunday, the Cavs were outscored by 18 points in the first half in Game 2. Hughes has been a non-factor and Cleveland simply just doesn't have enough scoring options to withstand the Spurs for a full 48 minutes. Duncan and Parker will continue to dominate while Ginobili will also do his thing. And you never know which San Antonio reserve (Finley? Horry? Barry?) is going to breakout with a clutch scoring effort. LeBron will have to be even more dominant than he was in his epic Game 5 performance in the Eastern Conference finals for Cleveland to have a chance tonight. He won't, though, and the Spurs will again make the winning plays as they pull away for this solid Game 3 win and cover.
500 DIME MLB No Brainer Pup....SAN DIEGO PADRES
The Padres were rolling along until a tough weekend at home when they were swept by the hot-hitting Mariners. Tonight at Tropicana Field, San Diego will bounce back behind Greg Maddux, who has won four of his last five starts. He has a 2.89 ERA in his last three starts and has had great success in his career versus Tampa. He's also backed by a pen that sports a 2.20 ERA. The Friars have a winning road record and are 12-6 against southpaw starters. Tampa's Scott Kazmir hasn't won at home since early last July and has a 4.26 ERA in his last three starts. He's backed by a bad pen (5.59 ERA) and the Rays have losing marks both at home and versus righty starters. San Diego needs to get back on the winning track and the Pads will just so tonight as a very live dog.
500 DIME MLB No Brainer Pup...SEATTLE MARINERS
Gotta ride with the hot M's, who have won four straight and eight of nine after last night's win at Cleveland. The Cubs are just 12-17 at Wrigley this year and they don't fare too well versus lefty starters (5-10 record, .233 team batting average). I'm looking for the M's Jarrod Washburn (5-5, 3.94 ERA) to bounce back after a pair of sub-par starts. He's 3-1 with a 2.28 ERA in four road starts this year and the M's seem to really like interleague play as they're 14-4 overall and 8-0 on the road since last year. After taking three straight at San Diego over the weekend, they'll keep swinging hot bats (.315 last seven games) tonight. The Cubs' Rich Hill has been tough, but the Mariners are 12-3 versus lefty starters and batting .311 against such. They'll do their share early, and then Ichiro & Co., will pounce on the Cubbie pen late as Seattle is a ripe dog tonight.
Proffit Plays
Triple plays = 112-104
Boston -1.5 (RL)
LAA
NY Mets
----------------------------------------
Professional Plays
YTD = 36-19
Plays rated 1-5 units
2.5 units on Houston under 7.5
----------------------------------------
Panhandle Sports Insider
YTD = 57-25
MLB
Seattle +130
San Francisco +110
<!-- / message --> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="alt2" style="border: 0px none ;">
</td> <td class="alt1" style="border: 0px none ;" align="right"> <!-- controls -->
</td></tr></tbody></table>
Today's Action
NOTE: Baseball releases are for games where the starting pitchers are specified.
2000 DIME NBA Finals Absolute Rout...SAN ANTONIO SPURS
There is no need to over-think this one folks as San Antonio, which has better starters, a better bench and a better coach, will again stand tall and score yet another NBA Finals win and cover tonight. They have dominated the Cavs for seven of eight quarters and the Spurs clearly have their eyes on the prize. Yes, the Cavs have a home court edge and certainly motivation, but don't fool yourself into thinking San Antonio won't be motivated tonight. The Spurs remember two years ago in the finals against the Pistons when they scored home wins in Games 1 & 2, only to lose the next two at Detroit. That was a very hard-fought series that the Spurs eventually won in seven games. They don't want to be extended in such a way this June and they want to close this thing out at The Q. And please, if the Spurs (5-2 SU on the road in the playoffs) can win at Denver, Phoenix and Utah in the playoffs, then they certainly can win in Cleveland.
San Antonio has won and covered four straight overall and is on runs the last nine games of 8-1 SU and 7-1-1 ATS. The Spurs are 12-2-1 ATS as a postseason chalk and are on SU runs of 39-10 and 14-3. In the last 22 San Antonio games, the SU winner is 21-0-1 ATS. LeBron is finding out that Bowen is a real pain in the rear. Even when LeBron was on the court and not on the bench in foul trouble Sunday, the Cavs were outscored by 18 points in the first half in Game 2. Hughes has been a non-factor and Cleveland simply just doesn't have enough scoring options to withstand the Spurs for a full 48 minutes. Duncan and Parker will continue to dominate while Ginobili will also do his thing. And you never know which San Antonio reserve (Finley? Horry? Barry?) is going to breakout with a clutch scoring effort. LeBron will have to be even more dominant than he was in his epic Game 5 performance in the Eastern Conference finals for Cleveland to have a chance tonight. He won't, though, and the Spurs will again make the winning plays as they pull away for this solid Game 3 win and cover.
500 DIME MLB No Brainer Pup....SAN DIEGO PADRES
The Padres were rolling along until a tough weekend at home when they were swept by the hot-hitting Mariners. Tonight at Tropicana Field, San Diego will bounce back behind Greg Maddux, who has won four of his last five starts. He has a 2.89 ERA in his last three starts and has had great success in his career versus Tampa. He's also backed by a pen that sports a 2.20 ERA. The Friars have a winning road record and are 12-6 against southpaw starters. Tampa's Scott Kazmir hasn't won at home since early last July and has a 4.26 ERA in his last three starts. He's backed by a bad pen (5.59 ERA) and the Rays have losing marks both at home and versus righty starters. San Diego needs to get back on the winning track and the Pads will just so tonight as a very live dog.
500 DIME MLB No Brainer Pup...SEATTLE MARINERS
Gotta ride with the hot M's, who have won four straight and eight of nine after last night's win at Cleveland. The Cubs are just 12-17 at Wrigley this year and they don't fare too well versus lefty starters (5-10 record, .233 team batting average). I'm looking for the M's Jarrod Washburn (5-5, 3.94 ERA) to bounce back after a pair of sub-par starts. He's 3-1 with a 2.28 ERA in four road starts this year and the M's seem to really like interleague play as they're 14-4 overall and 8-0 on the road since last year. After taking three straight at San Diego over the weekend, they'll keep swinging hot bats (.315 last seven games) tonight. The Cubs' Rich Hill has been tough, but the Mariners are 12-3 versus lefty starters and batting .311 against such. They'll do their share early, and then Ichiro & Co., will pounce on the Cubbie pen late as Seattle is a ripe dog tonight.
Proffit Plays
Triple plays = 112-104
Boston -1.5 (RL)
LAA
NY Mets
----------------------------------------
Professional Plays
YTD = 36-19
Plays rated 1-5 units
2.5 units on Houston under 7.5
----------------------------------------
Panhandle Sports Insider
YTD = 57-25
MLB
Seattle +130
San Francisco +110
<!-- / message --> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="alt2" style="border: 0px none ;">
</td> <td class="alt1" style="border: 0px none ;" align="right"> <!-- controls -->
</td></tr></tbody></table>
