<table width="500" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr> <td class="rs_value" valign="top" width="50%" align="left">Yesterday</td> <td class="rs_value" valign="top" width="10%" align="right">1</td> <td class="rs_value" valign="top" width="10%" align="right">0</td> <td class="rs_value" valign="top" width="10%" align="right">0</td> <td class="rs_value" valign="top" width="20%" align="right">+2.44 Units</td></tr> <tr> <td class="rs_value" valign="top" width="50%" align="left">Last 30 Days</td> <td class="rs_value" valign="top" width="10%" align="right">3</td> <td class="rs_value" valign="top" width="10%" align="right">3</td> <td class="rs_value" valign="top" width="10%" align="right">0</td> <td class="rs_value" valign="top" width="20%" align="right">+1.38 Units</td></tr> <tr> <td class="rs_value" valign="top" width="50%" align="left">Season To Date (Since March 2010)</td> <td class="rs_value" valign="top" width="10%" align="right">3</td> <td class="rs_value" valign="top" width="10%" align="right">3</td> <td class="rs_value" valign="top" width="10%" align="right">0</td> <td class="rs_value" valign="top" width="20%" align="right">+1.38 Units</td></tr></tbody></table>
All games are listed pitchers unless stated otherwise.
ATLANTA –1½ +1.38 over Chicago http://www.pinnaclesports.com/?refer=xspwagers<o
></o>Jair Jurrjens is going to soon be recognized as one of the best in the game. Jurrjens will begin his third year after a terrific rookie season with the Tigers and subsequently an even better sophomore year with the Braves. He went 14-10 last year but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The league hit just .237 off him and he finished with an ERA of 2.60. At Turner Field the opposition hit a puny .218 off him. He had a strong spring going 2-1 with a 3.12 ERA and only walking three guys in 12 innings. In his two years in the majors, his April numbers are even better. In five April starts, Jurrjens posted and ERA of 1.72 and didn’t allow a single jack in 31 frames of work. The Braves made quite a few offseason moves, both adding and subtracting bodies with the most significant being Troy Glaus and Melky Cabrera. Keep your eye on Jason Heyward, the 14th overall pick in ’07. Heyward was rated the top prospect in the game by both MLB.com and Baseball America and for good reason. Heyward owns a .318 average, 29 homers and 125 RBI in 238 games in the minors. He played in three minor-league levels last season, hitting .323 with 17 homers, 63 RBI and just 51 strikeouts to 51 walks in 362 at-bats. He was the Braves opening day right-fielder and promptly went 2-5 with 4 RBI’s. The South Side could be in for a long year because of a bullpen that is going to cause the starters some real misery. Ryan Dempster is solid as hell but he’s never had success in this park or against this team. He has a career 4.66 ERA at Turner Field to go along with a BAA of .314. He’s also 2-11 vs the Braves over his career and even if he does well, the bullpen will blow it up. Play: Atlanta –1½ +1.38 (Risking 2 units). <o
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></o>NY Yankees +1.37 over BOSTON http://www.pinnaclesports.com/?refer=xspwagers<o
></o>Does this one really need much explanation? The Yanks are just so loaded offensively that they have to be considered a serious threat every time they step between the white lines. They smacked around Josh Beckett in the opener and beat the Red Sox yesterday with Lester going. Each guy in the line-up is as dangerous as the next and John Lackey sure as hell isn’t going to scare them. Lackey’s numbers have been declining slowly but surely over the past couple of years and now he’s 32 and hasn’t started more than 27 games in either of the last two years. Andy Pettitte is traditionally a slow starter but so what. The Yanks are capable of beating anyone with their offense and with a tag like this on them they’re simply a must play. Play: NY Yankees +1.37 (Risking 2 units). <o
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></o>San Francisco –1½ +1.11 over HOUSTON http://www.pinnaclesports.com/?refer=xspwagers<o
></o>How good is the Giants rotation when Matt Cain starts the third game of the year? Cain would be a #1 guy on 70% of the teams in this league and he has the numbers to back it. Cain went 14-8 last year with a 2.89 ERA. With a little support he could have easily been a 20-game winner. In his career the league has hit just .231 off him and he’ll face a team that is 0-2 and that was shutout yesterday. The Giants are playing with house money here and aside from being the superior team in every way they have a big psychological edge as well. The Astros will send out Brett Myers to try to help them get their first win of the year. Good luck with that. Myers had been a Phillie his whole career and had the offense to allow him to pitch with leads but all that changes now. He’ll no longer have the luxury to pitch with a six-run lead and he’s not even that good to begin with. He appeared in just 18 games last season, 10 as a starter and went 4-3 with a 4.84 ERA. He also allowed 18 bombs in just 70 innings of work and that was one of the worst ratios in the league. This is a pitching mismatch and to top it off the Giants are feeling absolutely fantastic and can’t wait for this game to start. Play: San Francisco –1½ +1.11 (Risking 2 units). <o
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></o>Toronto +1.87 over TEXAS http://www.pinnaclesports.com/?refer=xspwagers<o
></o>As mentioned on opening the day the Blue Jays are going to offer up a lot of value early in the year and that’s evident once again in this one. The name Rich Harden inflates the line but Harden is a guy you should sell high if you own him in your fantasy league. Aside from switching from the NL to the AL, he’s also leaving the confines of pitcher-friendly Wrigley Field in favor of that land mine in Arlington. He ended the year with a very average ERA of 4.09 and his numbers got progressively worse as the year wore on. Harden appeared in six spring games and was also smacked around pretty good. He allowed 24 hits and 23 runs in 22 frames for an ERA of 8.87. This park has no soul and does not give a damn who’s pitching. If you’re not sharp, you’re going to pay the price and Harden might be a long way off. Brian Tallet had his second straight effective start last Thursday, holding the Yankees to a pair of earned runs. Tallet is in for now but might not last once the Jays get some healthy bodies back in the rotation. He’s unpredictable but this isn’t about him. This is all about value and in no way should Harden and the Rangers be close to a 2-1 favorite over the Jays. Play: Toronto +1.87 (Risking 2 units).
