Service Plays Thursday 8/22/13

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GL!

[h=1]Today's CFL Picks[/h] [h=2]BC at Montreal[/h] The Alouettes look to take advantage of a BC team that is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 road games. Montreal is the pick (-2 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Alouettes favored by 4 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Montreal (-2 1/2). Here are all of this week's CFL picks.

Lions at Alouettes: What bettors need to know

BC Lions at Montreal Alouettes

The bad news keeps piling up for the Montreal Alouettes as they try to turn their season around. The Alouettes, who are already missing all-stars such as offensive lineman Scott Flory and slotback Jamel Richardson, will likely be without quarterback Anthony Calvillo when they host the BC Lions on Thursday. Calvillo underwent further concussion testing Monday after leaving last week’s 24-21 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the second quarter and if he is unable to play, Josh Neiswander may start his first CFL game under center.

The Lions travel east after a strong two-game homestand that saw them fend off the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Calgary Stampeders. BC won both games despite quarterback Travis Lulay throwing three interceptions against the Stampeders. Lulay has yet to throw for more than 300 yards in a game this year, leaving the Lions to lean on running back Andrew Harris - third in the league with 765 yards from scrimmage - and their defense to give them a chance to win.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TSN

ABOUT THE LIONS (5-2): BC’s defense is led by linebackers Solomon Elimimian (37 tackles, one interception) and Adam Bighill (31 tackles, two sacks). Wide receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux is Lulay’s favorite target for big plays, recording 440 yards on 22 catches - 20 yards per catch - to go with three touchdowns. Arceneaux had 1,972 yards in his first two CFL seasons before leaving in a failed bid to make the NFL.

ABOUT THE ALOUETTES (2-5): Neiswander did not impress when he replaced Calvillo against the Roughriders, completing 12-of-30 passes and throwing two interceptions, meaning Montreal could turn to Troy Smith on Thursday. Smith, who signed a two-year deal with the Alouettes last week, won the Heisman Trophy in 2006 and was named an NFL offensive player of the week while playing for the San Francisco 49ers during the 2010 season. Linebacker Chip Cox leads the league with 56 tackles and also has an interception and two sacks, while fellow linebacker Kyries Hebert has 42 tackles and a team-leading seven sacks.

TRENDS:

* Lions are 4-1 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.
* Under is 7-1-1 in Alouettes last 9 home games.
* Under is 12-3-1 in Lions last 16 games in August.
* Alouettes are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 home games.

EXTRA POINTS:

1. BC has allowed 23.4 points per game - second-best in the league to Saskatchewan (21.4).

2. The Lions released K Hugh O’Neill last week, electing to stick with 43-year-old Paul McCallum, who has kicked for BC for the last four games.

3. Montreal is 1-3 at home; BC is 1-2 on the road.

Steve Golf Picks:

Dustin Johnson 30 to 1
Webb Simpson 30 to 1
Patrick Reed 90 to 1
Keegan Bradley 40 to 1
Rory Mcilroy 19 to 1
Harris English 130 to 1

Guaranteed Sports Picks

NE Patriots+2.5

NFL betting: Tracking 2-point conversion attempts

Preseason football is all about working on a variety of different areas to prepare for the trials and tribulations of the regular season.

One area which teams work on more often than you'll see in the regular season is the 2-point conversion. Offenses use the opportunity to fine tune their red zone offenses.

Those extra points gained - or lost - can be the difference with such small spreads in the preseason. Through the first two weeks of preseason football, seven teams have attempted the 2-point conversion.

You can probably expect the majority, if not all, of the 25 teams that haven't run a 2-point conversion play to do so in the final two weeks of exhibition football. That one point could be the difference from your pick covering - or failing to cover - the spread.

Here is a list of those seven that have already worked on 2-point conversions:

Week 1

St. Louis Rams @ Cleveland Browns - The Rams failed on their 2-point conversion.
Washington Redskins @ Tennessee Titans - The Skins successfully converted a 2-point conversion.
New England Patriots @ Philadelphia Eagles - The Eagles successfully converted a 2-point conversion.

Week 2

Atlanta Falcons @ Baltimore Ravens - The Ravens failed on their 2-point conversion.
Buffalo Bills @ Minnesota Vikings - The Vikings failed on their 2-point conversion.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New England Patriots - The Pats successfully converted a 2-point conversion.
Tennessee Titans @ Cincinnati Bengals - The Titans failed on their 2-point conversion.

NFL preseason primer: Thursday game betting breakdown
By SEAN MURPHY

Here's a quick look at what to expect in Thursday's two NFL preseason tilts.

New England at Detroit (-2.5, 46)

The Patriots are off to a flawless 2-0 start to the preseason, winning in Philadelphia and at home against Tampa Bay. Like most teams, they're treating this game as a 'dress rehearsal' for the regular season. Tom Brady hinted that the team will play with a sense or purpose on Thursday night at Ford Field. “We’re going on the road, tough environment; we went there a few years ago and didn’t do very well, which we’ve already heard about for three days now,” Brady said. “So we’re going to have to do better than we did the last time.” Guard Logan Mankins said that the team did watch Lions game film on Monday and also had crowd noise pumped in at practice in anticipation of a loud environment in Detroit. Brady has been wearing a knee brace at practice, but is still expected to play through the first half - along with the rest of the starting units. Wide receiver Danny Amendola isn't likely to be on the field, as he has yet to practice this week due to an undisclosed injury.

Detroit won its preseason opener against the Jets but followed it up with a stinker in Cleveland last week. Head coach Jim Schwarz hasn't tipped his hand as to exactly how long starters will play, but has indicated that quarterback Matt Stafford will see at least a half of action. Safety Glover Quin welcomes the challenge of facing Tom Brady and company. "Let me go into the preseason and measure up against the top guys. Tom Brady is considered the top quarterback? That's fine - bring him on, so we can get a live look at, 'Hey, this is where we are as a defense right now. This is where we are as a secondary right now." Wide receiver Calvin Johnson missed practice on Monday and Tuesday due to a bruised knee and remains questionable to play on Thursday. He did say the knee has improved and hopes to suit up. Backup quarterback Shaun Hill is 'nicked up' according to coach Schwarz and could miss Thursday's game as well. That would mean more playing time for third-stringer Kellen Moore.


Carolina at Baltimore (-3, 42)

The Panthers have kept things rather vanilla in their first two preseason tilts but are planning on ramping things up a bit in Baltimore this week. Quarterback Cam Newton expects to see progress against the Ravens. “There are just some things we just need to iron out. But all in all, I think we've moved the ball and executed really well. We can do better and we will do better as this preseason progresses.” In their first year under the guidance of Mike Shula as offensive coordinator, it's not a surprise that the Panthers haven't been willing to tip their hand in exhibition play. Carolina will once again be without running back Jonathan Stewart while fullback Mike Tolbert is still recovering from a hamstring strain. With that in mind, the Panthers can ill afford to over-work DeAngelo Williams. Ted Ginn Jr. is expected to return kicks for the Panthers on Thursday night, getting another shot at the Ravens after facing them as a member of the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. Head coach Ron Rivera is taking this game seriously, stating “This is a big week because this is really your trial run."

Like the Panthers, the Ravens are also looking for more production from their starting offense this week. Quarterback Joe Flacco has struggled to get in rhythm with his targets while the ground game has yet to gain much traction at all. With the starters expected to play the entire first half, and possibly even into the third quarter, they'll have ample opportunity to do so on Thursday night. Offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell wants to work new additions, Dallas Clark and Brandon Stokley, into the offense this week. “Hopefully, we’ll get them a few more snaps." Caldwell said on Monday. He also told the Baltimore media that he wants to see improvement from his offense as a whole. “I think it’s very important just for us to play well, more so than anything else. Any unit that takes the field, we want them to go out there and be in sync, move the ball and put some points on the board. We’re looking forward to that.” Baltimore is off to a perfect 2-0 start to the preseason thanks to last week's fourth quarter comeback win against the Falcons.

The Barclays: Golf betting preview and picks
By MATT FARGO

The Barclays will be contested from Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey beginning Thursday.

The PGA regular season is in the books and now we concentrate on the FedEx Cup playoffs. The first stop is The Barclays which is being hosted by Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, NJ. 123 of the top 125 players in the FedEx Cup standings are in play this week with the top 100 advancing to the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston over Labor Day weekend. That will then be decreased to the top 70 and then eventually to the top 30 for the Tour Championship.

The last time we saw Liberty National Golf Club in this rotation was in 2009 and it is safe to say we will see a different course this time around. It will not be set up at tough as it was back then as it was considered unplayable by many. The rough was long and dense which made hitting greens off the fairway next to impossible. On top of that, the greens had some severe sloping which made hitting the greens anywhere a challenge. After a scoring average of 72.3, it finished as the toughest par 71 in 2009.

To make Liberty National more playable, a majority of the greens were actually redone in order to take away some of the severe slopes and undulations. The rough will not be nearly as thick and fairways have been widened to give players a much better opportunity of scoring. This week, the forecast looks exceptional but even with that, wind is always a factor here. While it does not look to be too severe, gusting could cause some alterations of shot selections.

There is not much history to go off since only one event have been played here and many of the players this week have not ever seen Liberty National. Therefore we need to look at the top ball strikers and All-Around scorers as well as players who come in playing well. With only the top 100 players advancing into next week, players currently outside that spot in the standings could be seen fighting harder but pressing is not the way to win here.

I have used Jason Day (+1,800) quite a bit this year and while he has not cashed with a win, he has been right up there in many of the big events. He has a runner-up and two third place finishes, all of which have been marquee events. His last start resulted in a T8 at the PGA Championship and while he was young, he played here in 2009 and finished a very solid T12.

Webb Simpson (+2,000) continues to play consistent golf despite not having a win. He is coming off a T11 at the Wyndham Championship last week which was his third straight top 25 and he has not missed a cut in seven straight starts. He played here in 2009 and finished solo eighth after being the 36-hole leader. Simpson is ranked 34th in greens hit and 18th in the All-Around.

Keegan Bradley (+2,500) has been very consistent as well. After a missed cut at the U.S. Open, he has made the cut in his last five events, four of which have resulted in a top 20's. This included a T2 at the Bridgestone which was his seventh top ten of the season and second runner-up so he has been very close to winning. He is ranked third in the All-Around and sixth in total driving.

Hunter Mahan (+3.000) finished T9 at the Open Championship and was the leader after 36 holes at the Canadian Open before he had to withdraw because of the birth of his first child. He started well at the PGA Championship before a Saturday 78 took him out of contention. He has five top 20 finishes in 16 playoff starts over the last four years which includes a T20 at the Barclays in 2009.

Our longshot this week will be Harris English (+8,000). He has already won once this year at the FedEx St. Jude Classic which was his first of seven straight made cuts heading into the playoffs. He has three additional top 15's during this run so he is peaking at the right time. He is 17th in the All-Around and currently 19th in the FedEx Standings, he can play without pressing.

Recommended Tournament Win Five Pack at the Barclays (all for One Unit)

Jason Day (+1,800)
Webb Simpson (+2,000)
Keegan Bradley (+2,500)
Hunter Mahan (+3.000)
Harris English (+8,000)

2012 Record to date after 36 events: +51.6 Units
2013 Record to date after 31 events: -40.4 Units

Thursday's American League betting cheat sheet

Check out our quick-hitting betting notes on Thursday's American League games:

Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees (-159, 9)

Cold pitching stat: Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ is 2-0 but has an unsightly 5.16 ERA and has surrendered four home runs in 22 2/3 career innings against New York.

Cold batting stat: Recent Yankees acquisition Mark Reynolds is 0-for-9 with six strikeouts in his career against Happ.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-80s with a 30 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Wind will blow out to left field at 9 mph.

Key betting stat: The Blue Jays have won eight of their last 10 games with umpire Mike DiMuro behind home plate.


Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers (-240, 8)

Hot pitching stat: Twins rookie right-hander Andrew Albers has a 0.66 WHIP while limiting opposing hitters to a .169 average over his first three major-league starts.

Cold batting stat: Minnesota C Ryan Doumit is hitless with three strikeouts in 11 career at-bats against Detroit starter Justin Verlander.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-80s with a 70 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Wind will blow from right to left field at 11 mph.

Key betting note: The under is 12-2-2 in Verlander's last 16 starts during the third game of a series.


Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals (-168, 7.5)

Hot pitching stat: Royals right-hander James Shields had one of his strongest outings of the season in his last encounter with the White Sox, tossing seven shutout innings in a 5-1 win on July 26.

Hot batting stat: Kansas City 3B Mike Moustakas has dominated Chicago starter Jose Quintana in his career, going 7-for-16 with a pair of homers.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-60s under sunny skies. Wind will blow from left to right field at 6 mph.

Key betting note: Chicago is 1-7 in Quintana's last eight road starts against teams with winning records.


** Odds, probable starters and weather forecast as of 7:33 p.m. ET Wednesday.

Thursday's National League betting cheat sheet

Check out our quick-hitting betting notes on Thursday's National League games:

Arizona Diamondbacks at Cincinnati Reds (-173, 8)

Cold pitching stat: The road hasn't been kind to Diamondbacks right-hander Trevor Cahill, who is 3-6 with a 5.60 ERA in nine starts away from Arizona.

Hot batting stat: Arizona OF Jason Kubel has just two hits in eight at-bats against Cincinnati starter Mat Latos, but both are home runs.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-80s with a 55 percent chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Wind will blow out to left field at 7 mph.

Key betting note: The under is 6-1-3 in Latos' last 10 starts against a National League West opponent.


Los Angeles Dodgers at Miami Marlins (+215, 6)

Hot pitching stat: Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw has surrendered just one earned run on six hits over his previous two starts, striking out 16 while walking just three in that span.

Cold batting stat: Marlins rookie OF Jake Marisnick is just 4-for-25 with eight strikeouts against left-handed pitching.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-80s, but with a 40 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms, the roof at Marlins Park may be closed. Wind will blow from right to left field at 11 mph.

Key betting note: The Dodgers have won 17 of Kershaw's last 22 starts against the NL East.


Washington Nationals at Chicago Cubs (+150, OFF)

Hot pitching stat: Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg has surrendered one earned run in 12 career innings against the Cubs.

Cold batting stat: The three Washington hitters who have faced Chicago starter Travis Wood (Scott Hairston, Jayson Werth, Adam LaRoche) are a combined 1-for-15 against him.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow in from left field at 13 mph.

Key betting note: Road teams are 6-0 in umpire Tim Timmons' last six games behind home plate.


Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies (-130, 9)

Cold pitching stat: Philadelphia right-hander Kyle Kendrick was shelled in his last appearance against the Rockies, charged with seven runs on 10 hits over 4 1/3 innings in a game the Phillies won 8-7.

Hot batting stat: Colorado SS Troy Tulowitzki is hitting .320 with 18 home runs in 244 at-bats against right-handers.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s with a 45 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Wind will blow out toward right field at 4 mph.

Key betting note: Colorado has won just three of its last 17 Thursday games.


Atlanta Braves at St. Louis Cardinals (-136, 8)

Cold pitching stat: Braves right-hander Paul Maholm struggled prior to going on the DL with a wrist injury, losing three straight starts while allowing 16 runs over 13 1/3 innings in that span.

Hot hitting stat: Cardinals OF Carlos Beltran is 9-for-24 with two home runs and six RBIs in his career against Maholm.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-80s with a 20 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Wind will blow from left to right field at 2 mph.

Key betting note: The over is 12-2-2 in Maholm's last 16 starts.


Pittsburgh Pirates at San Francisco Giants (-124, 7)

Cold pitching stat: Giants right-hander Matt Cain has allowed 19 home runs over his first 25 starts; he surrendered 21 all of last season, and just nine in 2011.

Cold batting stat: Members of the Pittsburgh roster are hitting a collective .162 with one home run in 130 at-bats against Cain.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-50s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow out to left field at 9 mph.

Key betting note: The under is 14-3-1 in Pirates left-hander Jeff Locke's last 18 starts against a team with a losing record.


** Odds, probable starters and weather forecast as of 7:42 p.m. ET Wednesday.

Mighty Quinn

Mighty hit with the Braves on Wednesday and likes the Nationals on Thursday.

The deficit is 1414 sirignanos.

[h=1]Today's NFL Picks[/h] [h=2]Carolina at Baltimore[/h] The Panthers look to bounce back from last week's 13-9 loss to Philadelphia as they travel to Baltimore on Thursday. Carolina is the pick (+3) according to Dunkel, which has the Ravens favored by only 1. Dunkel Pick: Carolina (+3). Here are all of this week's picks.

MLB

Hot pitchers
-- Latos is 4-1, 1.98 in his last six starts.
-- Kershaw is 4-1, 1.40 in his last six starts.
-- Strasburg is 1-0, 2.12 in his last three starts.
-- Kelly is 4-0, 1.78 in his last six starts.
-- Cain is 3-2, 2.41 in his last six starts.

-- Happ is 1-0, 2.19 in his last couple starts.
-- Verlander is 2-1, 2.48 in his last four starts. Albers is 2-1, 1.85 in his first three MLB starts.
-- Shields is 4-1, 3.27 in his last five starts. Quintana is 3-2, 3.50 in his last six.

Cold pitchers
-- Cahill is 1-2, 8.79 in his last three starts.
-- Alvarez is 0-1, 4.95 in his last three starts.
-- Wood is 0-3, 5.09 in his last four starts.
-- Kendrick is 1-4, 8.51 in his last five starts. Bettis is 0-2, 8.20 in his first four MLB starts.
-- Maholm is 0-2, 10.80 in his last three starts, last of which was July 20.
-- Locke is 0-2, 6.93 in his last five starts.

-- Pettitte is 1-3, 5.18 in his last six starts.

Starting Pitchers/First Inning
You can wager on whether teams will score in the first inning. Below is how often a starting pitcher has allowed 1+ runs in first inning in one of his starts........
-- Cahill 4-18 (1 of last 8); Latos 8-25 (0 of last 6)
-- Kershaw 3-26 (0 of last 6); Alvarez 1-8
-- Strasburg 6-24 (1 of last 6); Wood 3-25
-- Bettis 3-4; Kendrick 10-25 (3 of last 4)
-- Maholm 6-20 (3 of last 4); Kelly 0-8
-- Locke 5-24; Cain 7-25 (0 of last 6)

-- Happ 2-10; Pettitte 10-22 (8 of last 9)
-- Albers 1-3; Verlander 7-25
-- Quintana 9-25; Shields 11-25

Totals
-- Over is 4-1-2 in last seven Arizona games.
-- Five of last six Miami games went over the total.
-- Six of last nine Cub games stayed under the total.
-- Nine of last ten Philly games stayed under total.
-- Last three St Louis games went over the total.
-- Over is 5-2-1 in last eight San Francisco games.

-- Eight of last ten Toronto games stayed under total.
-- Under is 11-3-2 in last sixteen Minnesota games.
-- Under is 8-2-2 in last twelve Kansas City games.

Hot teams
-- Reds won eight of their last eleven games. Arizona won six of its last nine.
-- Dodgers are 44-10 in their last 54 games.
-- Nationals won eight of their last twelve games.
-- Phillies won three of their last four games.
-- Braves won five of their last seven games. St Louis won seven of last ten.

-- Bronx Bombers won nine of their last eleven games.
-- Detroit won three of its last four games.
-- White Sox won their last five games, scoring 25 runs.

Cold teams
-- Miami lost six of its last seven home games.
-- Cubs lost eight of their last nine games.
-- Colorado lost four of its last five games.
-- Pirates lost eight of last eleven games. Giants are 4-6 in their last ten.

-- Blue Jays lost ten of their last fourteen games.
-- Minnesota lost seven of its last ten games.
-- Kansas City lost seven of its last nine games..

DHayes2

Under 8 Reds/Diamondbacks (-125)

LA Syndicate Top MLB Plays

Reds
Giants

Chicago Syndicate Top MLB Plays

Reds
Over 9 Yankees/Blue Jays
Royals