Service Plays Thursday 5/2/13

Please remember, this forum is not here for regular posters who cap their own games to post ther daily plays. Please use our individual sport forums to post your plays. Professional cappers (those that sell plays) must remain in the Site Promotion Forum.
Do not post any copy written info from the following services.

Apple Handicappers
Allan Eastman (do not post)
PlusLineSports-
PowerPlay Wins
Pregame
The Real Animal
THELOCKOFTHEDAY
Any services represented by Stevo Design Inc.
ATSadv ice.com
Right Angle Sports (RAS)
Tony Karpinski and 3G-Sports
Discreat Cat (do not post at all)
Doc Sports Services (do not post at all)
Big Al Mcmordie (do not post at all)
Dr. Bob Sports
Dr. guru sports
madduxsports
Red Zone Sports
Dennis Hill
Peter Gold at VI
Strike Point Sports (do not post)
Vegas Sports Informer (do not post)
Winning Points/Sports Reporter
ASA, ASA Inc’s or American Sports Analysts
Sal Bansa/sportspicks1019
Mikelineback
Larry Ness
zen_gambler
Tom Stryker
Lenny Delgenio
Scott Spreitzer
Matt Fargo
@ntonwins
Robert Ferringo (do not post)
Pacific (Pac Star) Sports
The Prez
Mike Rose
Gametimereport
LT Profits
Alex Smart
JB Sports
ATS Consultants
Ken Jenkins
AJ Apollo
Jim Avery
Jim Kruger
Paul Stone
Ross Benjamin
Dave Cokin
Tony George
Fred Wallin
Rocky Atkinson
Jorge Gonzalez
Greg DiPalma
Vernon Croy
Ron Raymond
Dennis Macklin
Ben Lewis
Lucky Lester
Bruce Marshall
Ted Sevransky (Teddy Covers)
Ben Burns
Fairway Jay
EZ Winners
Pointwise Sports
Pro Sports Info
Steve Merril SportsAlatex Sports
Tennessee Valley Sports
Trushel Sports Consulting
Sports Memo Crew which include:
Rob Veno,Brent Crow,Erin Rynning,Donnie Black,Marty Otto,Jared Klein,David Jones,Ed Cash
Sixth Sense Sports
Marc Lawrence, and/or
Playbook, and/or
Preferred Picks
Vegasadvisor s.com.
PayneInsider
Killersportslive
jumperjack (keith)
Hittingpaydirt
Vegas Winning Crew: (do not post)
Sports Money Profit System (do not post top plays)
-------
GL!

Thursday's NBA playoff action: What bettors need to know

Brooklyn Nets at Chicago Bulls (-1.5, 183.5)

Chicago leads series 3-2.

The Brooklyn Nets attempt to even up the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series while the Chicago Bulls seek to conclude it when the two teams square off in Chicago on Thursday. Brooklyn bounced back from a triple-overtime loss in Game 4 to notch an impressive 110-91 on Monday to cut its deficit to 3-2. But the Nets are 0-4 in Chicago this season – counting two regular-season defeats – and the Bulls hope to avoid traveling to Brooklyn for Game 7.

Chicago badly missed injured point guard Kirk Hinrich (calf) on Monday and could be without him again on Thursday. Hinrich has frustrated Nets point guard Deron Williams during the series and Williams had 23 points and 10 assists with Hinrich out for Game 5. The Bulls were dismayed with their performance and have promised to be a different club in Game 6. “Were the kind of team – we get hit, we hit back again,” forward Carlos Boozer said. “We’re one of those teams that always bounces back.” Nets coach P.J. Carlesimo noted how different the five games have been in a conference call on Wednesday and expects another battle in Game 6. “I really believe that both teams legitimately feel that they’re better than the other team,” Carlesimo said. “Both think they’re capable of winning.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, YES (Brooklyn), Comcast SportsNet Chicago

ABOUT THE NETS: Center Brook Lopez has put together back-to-back double-doubles, marking the first time he has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in consecutive games since late December. Lopez has grabbed exactly half of his 40 rebounds on the offensive glass. He is averaging 23.6 points and eight rebounds and has scored 20 or more points in all five games. Williams also has back-to-back doubles-doubles by averaging 27.5 points and 10 assists in the two games. He is contributing 20.6 points and 8.2 assists overall. Shooting guard Joe Johnson is hindered by a foot injury and has just one 20-point game in the series while averaging 16.2 points.

ABOUT THE BULLS: The play of forward Luol Deng has been highly underwhelming through five games. He is averaging 13.8 points and shooting 38.1 percent, including a dreadful 1-for-18 from 3-point range. Deng had a double-double in Game 3 when he reached his series high of 21 points. Guard Nate Robinson has averaged 27 points over the past two games but typically doesn’t put together three strong games. Robinson only had back-to-back 20-point games twice in the regular season and never reached that figure in three consecutive contests. He is averaging 17.8 points in the series and has shot better than 60 percent from the field three times.

TRENDS:

* Nets are 0-4 ATS in their last four games following a ATS win.
* Bulls are 2-5 ATS in their last seven home games.
* Over is 18-6 in Nets last 24 overall.
* Over is 4-1 in Bulls last 5 home games.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. Brooklyn’s two wins in the series are by an average of 18 points.

2. Bulls G Jimmy Butler has averaged 17 points over the last two games while going 11-of-17 from the field.

3. Nets F Andray Blatche has averaged 13 points over the last two games but is dealing with a right calf ailment.

Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors (+1.5, 211)

Golden State leads series 3-2.

The Golden State Warriors did not carry much of the enthusiasm that paced them at home into Denver on Tuesday. Perhaps when the series comes back to Golden State the Warriors will be up for the challenge. Denver established a physicality in Game 5 that did not make Golden State happy, and the Warriors will need to adjust and respond when they take another crack at closing out the best-of-seven Western Conference series on Thursday.

Stephen Curry torched the Nuggets in all three of Golden State’s wins in the series, and Denver made a point of knocking him around a bit at the beginning of Game 5. Already working with a bloodshot right eye from a poke he had taken in the fourth quarter of Game 4, Curry was driven through hard screens in the first four minutes of the game as the Nuggets established the tone. Denver also made a lineup change in Game 5, abandoning the small unit it had used in the previous two games and inserting JaVale McGee at center to pair with Kenneth Faried along the front line.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT, Altitude (Denver), Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (Golden State)

ABOUT THE NUGGETS: Much of the talk after Game 5 centered around the physical play of Denver, especially in regards to Curry. Lost in that chatter was the fact the Nuggets had put together a strong overall performance complete with some efficient first-half offense and contributions from someone other than Ty Lawson. Andre Iguodala stepped up in a big way with 25 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists and Wilson Chandler, freed from the post with McGee and Kosta Koufos playing more minutes, went out to the perimeter and knocked down five 3-pointers, including a crushing dagger when the Warriors were beginning to get back into the game in the fourth quarter. “I think they brought the physicality to the series,” Iguodala said, “and we stopped being the receivers and we’re starting to hit back a little bit.”

ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Curry knocked down 18 3-pointers in the first four games of the series but did not hit one in Game 5 until just over five minutes remained in the game. The Nuggets clearly made the sharpshooter a target, and Faried set one screen at the foul line early in the game that appeared to be a direct blow to Curry’s tender left ankle. “Some dirty plays,” coach Mark Jackson said. “It’s playoff basketball. That’s all right. We own it. But make no mistake about it, we went up 3-1 playing hard, physical, clean basketball - not trying to hurt anybody.” Jackson specifically referenced Faried going after Curry’s ankle, and Curry pointed out more instances where he felt he was targeted. “There were a couple, man,” he said. “Going through the paint minding my own business and they come out of nowhere trying to throw elbows.” While Curry had a rough go of it in Game 5, Golden State also missed the inside production from Carl Landry and Andrew Bogut that had given it a big lift in Game 4. Rookie Harrison Barnes did some of the heavy lifting offensively with 23 points and nine rebounds.

TRENDS:

* Over is 18-5 in the last 23 meetings in Golden State.
* Over is 5-2 in the last seven meetings.
* Nuggets are 1-4 ATS in the last five meetings in Golden State.
* Nuggets are 0-5 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Underdog is 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. Curry averaged 30 points and nine assists in Games 3 and 4 in Golden State.

2. Iguodala is shooting 53.4 percent in the series, including 9-of-21 from 3-point range.

3. Denver outscored the Warriors 50-24 in the paint in Game 5.

Thursday MLB weather report: Chance of rain in K.C.

A chance of showers in a few stadiums including Kansas City and wind blowing out to center in Texas. Here's the MLB weather report for Thursday:

(all odds courtesy of betonline.com)

Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves (-155, 7.5)
Site: Turner Field

The wind will blow from right field to left field at 13 mph. A 20 percent chance of rain is in the forecast in Atlanta.

San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs (-140, n/a)
Site: Wrigley Field

The wind will blow in from center field at 10 mph. There will be a 10 percent chance of rain in the forecast.

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Kansas City Royals (-145, 8)
Site: Kauffman Stadium

The wind will blow in from left field at 20 mph, with a 70 percent possibility of rain showers.

Chicago White Sox vs. Texas Rangers (-125, 8.5)
Site: Rangers Ballpark

Wind will blow out to center field at 22 mph. There is a 20 percent chance of rain in the forecast.

MLB Capping The Calendar
by Marc Lawrence

May's BEST & WORST PITCHERS

The running of the Kentucky Derby each year signals the fact that MLB enters its second month of play, and with it, a handful of surprise teams take center stage. The key to sustaining will be the success, or lack of it, from the pitching staffs. With that thought in mind, let’s zero in on pitchers that will look to keep their team in the race and those that may pull up before they hit the wire.

Listed below are hurlers (and their team start record) that have enjoyed a two-to-one or better success ratio in team starts the last three seasons during the month of May. On the flip side, we’ve also listed pitchers that struggle in May team starts, winning 33% percent or less of their efforts. To qualify, pitchers must have made a minimum of 10 starts, with at least one start each May over the last three years.

I’ll be back next month with June’s Good Month Pitchers. Until then, it’s batter up!

GOOD MONTH PITCHERS

Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox

May record: 12-5

The Boston right-hander has gotten off to the best start of his career, averaging better than a strikeout per inning and opponents are hitting under .200 against him. He has a sharpened focus, has added sink to his fastball and made his changeup downright filthy, which can be partly attributed to being reunited with former Sox pitching coach and current skipper John Farrell.

Mark Buehrle, Toronto Blue Jays

May record: 11-4

The veteran left-hander is on a new club with big expectations who has not gotten out of the gate very well for the second year in a row. Buehrle has been a part of the problem in Toronto, since he has to spot his pitches to make up for the lack of velocity and right-handed hitters are batting well over .300 against him. If the Blue Jays are going to turn their season around, Buehrle has to pitch like he has in the past this month.

Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds

May record: 11-5

Cueto suffered a strained right lat muscle on April 13 and went on the DL. He began tossing from distances up to 75 feet at the end of April. No official word has been given when he will return. The Reds ace had gotten off to a very strong start with an ERA of 2.60 in three starts.

Gio Gonzalez, Washington Nationals

May record: 13-3

The Washington lefty started this season slowly after winning 21 games in 2012, but appears to be rounding into form. Gonzalez is a sturdy strikeout pitcher with a mid-to-low 90’s fastball that tails away from right-handed hitters. He also likes to go up in the zone with this pitch when ahead in the count. He will freeze left-handed batters with a tightly spun curve, which drops from above the belt to below the knees.

Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies

May record: 15-2

The Phillies' best pitcher recorded his first win of the season on Apr. 28 and brighter days are ahead. His low-90’s heater is almost always down in the zone and his changeup is a true swing-and-miss pitch which baffles opposing hitters. His walks are up so far in 2013 and if he improves his overall command, this May should be like many others of the past.

Josh Johnson, Toronto Blue Jays

May record: 12-3

JJ was a scratch from his last April start because of tightness in his right triceps muscle. An MRI did not reveal any structural damage. Johnson has annually been a fast starter and Toronto need the 6’7 Minneapolis native to be the dominant pitcher he was from 2008-10, not the one everyone has seen since.

Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox

May record: 12-6

Here is another BoSox hurler who has battled back from a mediocre campaign to help Boston’s surprisingly effective start. Opposing hitters are scuffling to hit .214 against Lester’s tosses and the familiar two and four-seam fastballs have the plus and minus effect in the range of five miles per hour, leaving batters uncomfortable. The biggest change is that his curveball has the snap back and he could have another sparkling May.

Jake Peavy, Chicago White Sox

May record: 11-4

No question the 31-year old Peavy is all the way back. The former San Diego Padres chucker has lost velocity from his blazing fastball of a few years ago; however, he’s made the complete transition to the second part of his career. His K-rate is phenomenal and his ability to spot pitches is a thing of beauty. Some might complain he is taken deep too often, but are there two more different parks than Petco and U.S. Cellular for fly-ball pitchers?

BAD MONTH PITCHERS

Doug Fister, Detroit Tigers

May record: 4-12

Fister played on a number of bad Seattle Mariner clubs before joining Detroit in 2011. Since taking residence in Mo-Town, the 6’8 hurler with a clean delivery has quit nibbling and gained confidence in his curve, which has become his main swing-and-miss pitch. It is worth watching to see if he breaks his past tendencies in baseball’s second month.

Matt Garza, Chicago Cubs

May record: 3-10

Garza was supposed to be one of the fixtures in the Cubs starting rotation, but was hurt in Spring Training and is only now throwing on flat ground. The earliest he is expected to return is at the end of this month and some in the Chicago organization think this is optimistic.

Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

May record: 5-12

In the years we have been doing this article, it has always been a head-scratcher why King Felix struggles in May. But every year, like most pitchers, Hernandez has a rough patch and more often than not, it is this month. With Seattle only having nine home games in May, we could see another repeat from Felix.

Edwin Jackson, Chicago Cubs

May record: 5-13

The much-traveled hurler, who was born in Germany, has never found a home and settled in. Jackson’s “stuff” has always been good enough to make somebody’s big league roster, yet even when he threw a no-hitter in 2010 for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Tampa Bay Rays (who else?), he walked eight batters. Victories will once again be a challenge to find on a subpar Cubs crew.

Justin Masterson, Cleveland Indians

May record: 5-13

Masterson has gotten off to a solid start this campaign despite getting lit up in his final April start. The question for the side-arm thrower is can he keep it going? Typically, walks are Masterson’s undoing and opponents start patiently laying off pitches, force him to throw strikes and belt him around. This was the year Cleveland was to start showing promise and the Tribe needs their ace to have a chance.

Clayton Richard, San Diego Padres

May record: 5-10

Richard has always been a tease who never delivered. The port-sider will put together two or three starts and his coaches will think “he’s finally figured it out”. He will then get rocked in his next trio of starts and it will be back to square one. With a 7.94 ERA this season and more walks than punch-outs (13 vs. 10), possibly the most damning aspect of his season to date is left-handed hitters are batting a ridiculous .364 against him.

Thursday's starters: Santana headlines hot money pitchers

Thursday features a few starting pitchers that have been strong for bettors during their most recent starts.

Here's a look at three pitchers taking the hill Thursday that have been cashing in for moneyline bettors recently.

Ervin Santana, Kansas City Royals (3-1, 2.00 ERA)

The Royals have won Santana's last four starts earning the $100 bettor $360.85 if betting on the righty in those four games. All four of those were quality starts as he has given up just four earned runs in 30 innings pitched.

Kansas City is at home to conclude its series against the Tampa Bay Rays Thursday. The Rays will counter with Roberto Hernandez.

Justin Grimm, Texas Rangers (2-0, 1.59 ERA)

Grimm will make his fourth start of the season Thursday and he is coming off seven innings of shutout work against the Minnesota Twins on April 26. Texas has won all three games that Grimm has started this season and bettors would be up $280.45 when wagering on Grimm's starts this season.

The Rangers host the Chicago White Sox Thursday evening in the final game of the series. Jake Peavy is on the mound for the White Sox.

Wily Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers (2-1, 5.02 ERA)

Milwaukee has won Peralta's last three starts and the righty has personally notched wins in his last two outings. Peralta's put together two excellent starts in a row, giving up five earned runs in 12 2-3 innings pitched in those two games. The $100 bettor would be up $278.30 if wagering on Milwaukee in Peralta's last three starts.

The Brewers open a four game home stand versus the St. Louis Cardinals Thursday. Jake Westbrook gets the start for the Cards.

Moneyline or runline? Best way to bet these four MLB teams
By JASON LOGAN

Some guys hit for power while others hit for contact. You can make a pretty good living doing either, if you know when to swing. The same goes for MLB moneylines and runlines.

Some baseball teams are making the most out of the moneyline, stacking the units on MLB’s straight up odds. Others have benefited the best from the runline, baseball’s version of the pointspread, with 1.5 runs set as the norm.

We take a look at four teams and explain why they’ve been better to the bettors on either the moneyline or the runline.

Tampa Bay Rays (12-14)

Moneyline: -4.65 units
Runline: +4.91

The Rays were supposed to be contending for the American League East lead at this point in the season, but inconsistent efforts at the plate and a struggling ace have dealt moneyline bettors some big loss. Tampa Bay is 1-5 SU in David Price’s six starts, burning -6.67 units alone.

However, when the Rays do win, they win big and cover the runline with ease, posting an average margin of victory of four runs in its 12 wins. Tampa Bay is current in the midst of a 10-game road trip and is presenting solid value on the runline as the visitor.

Pittsburgh Pirates (15-12)

Moneyline: +6.18 units
Runline: -0.25 units

The Pirates finished April with a bang, going 6-4 SU in their final 10 games. Pittsburgh didn’t build that record against cupcakes either, taking wins over the Braves, Phillies, Cardinals and Reds last month. Those upset wins meant big moneyline payouts, with the Bucs set as high as +185. Pittsburgh has also been a great bet at home, posting an 8-4 record at PNC Park.

Sizing up its runline potential at home, the Pirates have outscored visitors by just 1.25 runs per game. On the road, they been outscored 72-57 but that’s an average of just one run per away game. With a five-game home stand starting Friday (vs. Washington and Seattle), the Bucs look to be a solid moneyline play but a shaky runline risk.

Detroit Tigers (15-10)

Moneyline: +1.29 units
Runline: +5.36 units

Expectations were high for the Tigers entering 2013, as were their moneyline odds. A slow start to the year quickly buried bettors in red ink and has left Detroit digging itself out of that hole ever since, despite a winning record. The team has lost three of Justin Verlander’s first six starts, boasting -2.26 units when its ace has taken the mound.

There is more value giving the 1.5 runs on Detroit’s games. The Tigers have won five straight heading into Wednesday but that’s equaled only $314.42 for $100 moneyline bettors. Runline fans betting $100 have earned $370.25 on those games, even with Detroit failing to cover the 1.5-run spread in a 4-3 win over Minnesota Monday.

Milwaukee Brewers (14-11)

Moneyline: +2.35 units
Runline: -2.05 units

The Brewers have sprung to life as the calendar flips to May, winning 12 of their last 15 games heading into Wednesday. Milwaukee was able to gain some momentum against a softer schedule, which featured San Diego, Chicago and Pittsburgh. The Brew Crew were moneyline favorites in 11 of those 15 contests, including each outing of a three-game home set versus San Francisco.

Miller Park has been kind to Milwaukee so far. The Brewers are 9-5 as hosts, including back-to-back wins over the Pirates to open a nine-game home stand which also welcomes the Cardinals and Rangers. But while the SU wager has been safe at the beer gardens, Milwaukee is outscoring opponents 79-71 in its 14 home games – an average of just 0.57 runs per contest.

Senators at Canadiens: What bettors need to know

Ottawa Senators at Montreal Canadiens (-149, 5)

The Montreal Canadiens went from worst to second-to-first in the Eastern Conference, receiving a huge assist from the Ottawa Senators en route to winning the Northeast Division title. Ottawa's victory over Boston in the regular-season finale elevated the Canadiens to the No. 2 seed and set up a first-round matchup with the seventh-seeded Senators beginning Thursday night in Montreal. It marks the first playoff matchup for the Canadian squads, who split four regular-season meetings - with each prevailing in both regulation and in a shootout on its own ice.

Balanced scoring and an infusion of youth have been keys to Montreal's turnaround, but questions abound about the defense and the play of goaltender Carey Price after the Canadiens wobbled down the stretch. Montreal lost three straight from April 13-17 - allowing 18 goals in the process - and five of six before ending the season with road wins against Winnipeg and Toronto. The Senators are the lowest-scoring team in the postseason, averaging a mere 2.33 goals, and managed a single tally in regulation in fourth consecutive games before a four-goal outburst against the Bruins. Much will hinge on the play of netminder Craig Anderson, but the return of star defenseman Erik Karlsson from a torn Achilles is a huge boost for Ottawa.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, CNBC, CBC

ABOUT THE SENATORS (25-17-6): Anderson missed six weeks due to a sprained ankle but led the league in goals-against average (1.69) and save percentage (.941) despite dropping three of his last four starts. "The way we've been playing, and the goaltending we've been getting all year, it gives you confidence," Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson said. Ottawa owned the league's best penalty-killing unit even though Anderson and Karlsson were sidelined for lengthy stretches. Karlsson was not expected back following his injury in mid-February, but he had four points in three games since returning and amassed 78 points last season on his way to winning the Norris Trophy. Milan Michalek, a 35-goal scorer last season, also missed more than a month and had only four goals.

ABOUT THE CANADIENS (29-14-5): Price is 14-5-3 lifetime against Ottawa but he had a string of ugly performances in the final month, giving up 28 goals over seven appearances. He won his final start at Winnipeg and coach Michel Therrien expressed little concern over his play. “I have no doubts about Carey Price," Therrien said. "He’s our best player and I’m confident he will be again on Thursday night.” Montreal had five players with at least 30 points and 10 with as many as 20, led by Max Pacioretty with 15 goals and 24 assists. P.K. Subban was second on the team with 38 points and provided a lethal pairing with fellow defenseman Andrei Markov, combining for 15 goals on the power play. The Canadiens need to plug some leaks in their penalty kill after permitting 11 goals in 36 short-handed situations to end the season.

TRENDS:

* Home team is 7-0 in the last seven meetings.
* Senators are 0-4 in the last four meetings in Montreal.
* Senators are 5-12 in their last 17 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Canadiens are 1-4 in their last five Conference Quarterfinals games.

OVERTIME:

1. Ottawa was among the league's best home teams all season before dropping its final three, while the Canadiens posted a stellar 15-7-2 road mark.

2. Montreal has won 60 of 74 postseason series when opening the set at home.

3. The Senators surrendered only 104 goals, second-fewest among playoff teams behind the Chicago Blackhawks.

McIlroy Headlines Wells Fargo Champ. field
by Steve Bennett

Wells Fargo Championship

Tees Off: Thursday, May 2
Quail Hollow Club – Charlotte, NC
Odds to Win Tournament

(For the latest Odds, connect to americasbookie.com)

Golfer Odds
Rory McIlroy 8-to-1
Webb Simpson 15-to-1
Phil Mickelson 15-to-1
Lee Westwood 15-to-1
Rickie Fowler 20-to-1
Bubba Watson 22-to-1
Sergio Garcia 22-to-1
Bill Haas 25-to-1
Nick Watney 25-to-1
Jimmy Walker 30-to-1
Hunter Mahan 40-to-1
D.A. Points 40-to-1
Henrik Stenson 40-to-1
Nicolas Colsaerts 50-to-1
Brendan de Jonge 50-to-1
Angel Cabrera 50-to-1
Boo Weekley 50-to-1
Lucas Glover 50-to-1
Padraig Harrington 50-to-1
Robert Garrigus 50-to-1
Bo Van Pelt 50-to-1
Ryan Moore 60-to-1
Chris Kirk 60-to-1
Zach Johnson 60-to-1
Kevin Streelman 60-to-1
Martin Kaymer 60-to-1
Charles Howell III 60-to-1
Pat Perez 60-to-1
Luke Guthrie 60-to-1
Russell Henley 60-to-1
10 golfers 80-to-1
4 golfers 100-to-1
Retief Goosen 125-to-1
Ryo Ishikawa 150-to-1
FIELD (Any other golfer) 5-to-2

Tiger Woods isn't playing, but Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and other big-name golfers will be in Quail Hollow as the Wells Fargo Championships hosts the strongest tournament field since Augusta. Quail Hollow is traditionally one of the toughest par 72’s on the Tour, and the short game usually spells the difference.

Here’s a look at the Best Bets …

Rory McIlroy (8/1): McIlroy is the headliner this week, not only because of his Q-rating (and the fact that Tiger Woods won’t be in Charlotte) but because he is the course record holder at Quail Hollow (62 in 2010). McIlroy nearly became Wells Fargo’s first repeat winner last year, when he lost a three-way playoff to Rickie Fowler. He has a great chance to break through for his first win of 2013 this weekend.

Bill Haas (25/1): The Wake Forest grad comes back to Carolina. He had a disappointing missed cut here last year, but he had a solo fourth at Quail Hollow in 2011 and a T4 in 2006. More importantly, Haas has competed while he’s still looking for his first win of 2013. He is one of only four players on the Tour with five top-10 finishes this year.

Phil Mickelson (15/1): Mickelson has been inconsistent this year, most recently posting a disappointing T54 finish at Augusta, but Quail Hollow is one of the courses Lefty has thrived on. In nine career starts here, he has six top-10 finishes.

Rickie Fowler (20/1): Fowler’s victory here last year wasn’t entirely surprising. He had two straight solid years at Quail Hollow – sixth in 2010 and T16 in 2011 – before progressing to win in a three-way playoff last year. He’s coming off a couple of middling performances, falling to T38 after a fast start at Augusta, and finishing T32 in New Orleans last week, but he’s in a good position to contend this week.

Ben Curtis (80/1): There’s plenty to like about Curtis’ track record at Quail Hollow, as he finished T2 in 2008 and posted a T5 last year. The problem is that he hasn’t been very good this season. Before last year’s T5, he was coming off a win in Texas followed by a T13 in New Orleans. This season, he’s missed three cuts in his past five starts, and hasn’t had a top-20 finish since the season opener. Though he did precede his 2008 runner-up by failing to finish in the top-40 for three straight starts, including a missed cut at Augusta.

Mighty Quinn

Mighty missed with the Knicks (-8) Wednesday.

Thursday it’s the Nets. The deficit is 467 sirignanos.

JOE WIZ Bonus Play

Under 9 runs White Sox at Texas

MLB

Hot pitchers
-- Wood is 2-1, 2.53 in five starts this season.
-- Kendrick is 2-0, 1.29 in his last four starts.
-- Westbrook is 1-1, 1.52 in five starts this season.

-- Santana is 3-0, 1.50in his last four starts.
-- Dempster is 1-1, 3.15 in his last three starts. Happ is 1-0, 3.27 in his last couple starts.
-- Peavy is 2-0, 2.08 in his last three starts. Grimm is 2-0, 1.38 in his last couple starts.
-- Tillman is 1-0, 2.13 in his last couple starts.

Cold pitchers
-- Stults is 1-2, 6.95 in four starts this season.
-- Sanabia is 1-3, 6.08 in his last four starts.
-- Medlen is 0-2, 4.91 in his last three starts. Haren is 1-2, 7.05 in his last three starts.
-- Peralta has a 5.65 RA in five starts this season.

-- Hernandez is 1-4, 6.16 in five starts this season.
-- Porcello is 1-2, 9.87 in four starts this season. This is Lyles' first '13 start; he was 2-1, 2.74 in his last four '12 starts.
-- Blanton is 0-4, 7.42 in five starts this season.

Totals
-- Under is 11-6-1 in last eighteen Cub games.
-- Over is 8-3-1 in Philly's last twelve home games.
-- Eight of last eleven Washington games stayed under the total.
-- 11 of 15 games at Miller Park went over the total.

-- Over is 7-1-1 in last nine Kansas City games.
-- Over is 5-1-1 in last seven Toronto games.
-- Four of last five White Sox games went over the total.
-- Over is 5-1-2 in last eight Houston games.
-- Seven of last eight Baltimore games went over the total.

Hot teams
-- San Diego, Cubs both won five of their last seven games.
-- Braves won nine of their last ten games with Washington.
-- Miami won three of its last four games.
-- Brewers won 12 of their last 16 games. St Louis won six of last nine.

-- Kansas City won seven of its last ten games.
-- Boston won six of its last seven games.
-- Detroit won six of its last eight games.
-- Rangers won eight of their last twelve games.

Cold teams
-- Washington lost seven of its last eleven games.
-- Phillies lost ten of their last sixteen games.

-- Tampa Bay lost 11 of its first 15 road games.
-- Houston lost 13 of its last 17 games.
-- Blue Jays lost nine of their last twelve games.
-- White Sox lost seven of their last eleven games.
-- Angels lost six of their last eight games. Baltimore lost three of last four.

NBA

Brooklyn PG Williams is 15-29 in two series wins, 17-48 in three losses. Nets shot 55.8/50% from floor in two series wins, by 17-19 points, both at home; they lost two series games here by 3-8, blowing Game 4 when they led by 14 with 3:00 left and lost in triple OT, only one of the three Chicago series wins that went over total. Brooklyn shot 35.4/34.6% in first two series losses, then 49.5% in triple OT loss. Nets took 21 more FTs than Chicago last two games, after taking nine less in the first three series games. Brooklyn is 3-5 in its last eight road games overall.

Denver's two wins stayed under total; Warriors' three wins went over, as they've made difficult shots, shooting 64.6/52.5/55.7% from the floor in wins, 41.3/43.2% in losses, while taking 51 less FTs than Nuggets for entire series. Curry was just 7-19 last game, prompting coach Jackson to call out Denver for being "dirty", putting onus on refs here. Golden State is 8-3 in last eleven home games overall. Denver is 40-4 at home, so lot of pressure on Warriors to finish series here in Oakland. Nuggets are 2-5 in last seven road games, winning at Milwaukee/Utah.

NHL

Its been 20 years since proud Canadiens last hoisted Stanley Cup; in only five of those years did they even win a playoff series. Home side won last seven Ottawa-Montreal games, as Senators lost last four visits here, scoring seven goals with three one-goal losses. Its been seven years since Ottawa won playoff series (0-3 in last three first round series); they're 6-3 in last nine games overall, with their last game only one in their last eleven that went over total. Under is 5-2 in Senators' last seven visits here. This is first home game in 12 days for Canadiens, who lost three of last four home games.

Capitals won 11 of last 13 games to position themselves as one of favorites in the Eastern Conference; they've won six of last seven home games. Rangers beat Washington in seven games in LY's playoffs, with last six games all decided by a goal, Rangers winning both games that went OT; New York won two of three vs Capitals this year, with Washington winning last meeting in March. Under is 8-0-5 in last 13 series games, as all five pushes ended 3-2. Rangers are 3-3 in first round series over last 7 years; Washington is 3-2 in first round series last five years.

Defending champ Kings lost last seven road games; their last road win is March 31. LA swept Blues 4-0 in LY's playoffs, but lost Game 1 in OT, getting outshot 42-29 for game, though LA outshot Blues 10-6 in OT. Kings are still 9-4 in last 13 series games, winning four of last six here; under is 4-1-1 in their last six series games. St Louis won four in row, 13 of its last 16 games; they allowed one goal in each of last four games. Blues were 1-5 on power play in Game 1, Kings just 0-2. St Louis won its last seven home games. Under is 7-1-1 in Blues' last nine games overall.

Under is 5-0-1 in Stanley Cup playoffs so far, with San Jose only visitor to win; Detroit lost Game 1 here 3-1, giving up two power play goals while getting only 11 shots on goal in first two periods (outshot 27-22 for game). Anaheim won four of last five games, with under 8-1-1 in their last 10- Game 1 was its first home win in last four tries, and first loss for Red Wings in their last five games. Detroit split its last six visits here- they're 8-4 in last 12 games overall with Ducks. Seven of last eight Detroit games stayed under the total.

[h=1]Today's MLB Picks[/h] [h=2]San Diego at Chicago Cubs[/h] The Padres look to bounce back from yesterday's 6-2 loss to Chicago and take advantage of a Cubs' team that is 0-7 in Travis Woods' last 7 starts after scoring 5 runs or more in the previous game. San Diego is the pick (+130) according to Dunkel, which has the Padres favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+130). Here are all of today's picks.

DCI Pro Basketball
The Daniel Curry Index

05/02/13 Predictions

Season
Straight Up: 829-390 (.680)
ATS: 655-594 (.524)
ATS Vary Units: 1651-1527 (.520)
Over/Under: 643-607 (.514)
Over/Under Vary Units: 878-801 (.523)

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
Game #6
CHICAGO 96, Brooklyn 93

Western Conference Quarterfinals
Game #6
GOLDEN STATE 110, Denver 109

DCI Pro Hockey
The Daniel Curry Index

05/02/13 Predictions

Season: 285-179 (.614)

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
Game #1
MONTREAL 3, Ottawa 2
WASHINGTON 3, N.Y. Rangers 2

Western Conference Quarterfinals
Game #2
ANAHEIM 3, Detroit 2
ST. LOUIS 3, Los Angeles 2

Gamblers Data

Bonus Play Thursday

Rangers -140

Hondo

st louis cardinals

[h=1]Today's NBA Picks[/h] [h=2]Brooklyn at Chicago[/h] The Bulls look to bounce back from their 110-91 loss in Game 5 and take advantage of a Brooklyn team that is 0-4 ATS in its last 4 games following an ATS win. Chicago is the pick (-1 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Bulls favored by 6. Dunkel Pick: Chicago (-1 1/2). Here are all of today's picks.