10-10-10 |
Philadelphia Eagles v. San Francisco 49ers -2.5 |
|
27-24 |
Loss |
-110 |
15 h 30 m |
Show
|
Philadelphia suffered a huge blow last week when Michael Vick left with a rib injury. His loss is much bigger than most people realize, and his absence alone is enough to trigger a play against the Eagles tonight in San Francisco. What Vick was doing on the field this season was tremendous and he had Philadelphia
|
10-10-10 |
Jacksonville Jaguars v. Buffalo Bills -1.5 |
|
36-26 |
Loss |
-110 |
7 h 2 m |
Show
|
The Buffalo Bills come into this game at 0-4 SU, but they
|
10-10-10 |
Denver Broncos v. Baltimore Ravens -7.5 |
|
17-31 |
Win
|
100 |
7 h 1 m |
Show
|
This is an extremely tough scheduling spot for Denver as the Broncos will be playing their second consecutive game on the road. Last week they played at Tennessee, and now they have to travel further East to take on the Baltimore Ravens. That
|
10-09-10 |
USC Trojans +10 v. Stanford Cardinal |
|
35-37 |
Win
|
100 |
16 h 45 m |
Show
|
Both teams come into this game off disappointing losses last week. USC suffered a one point home loss (32-31) to Washington while Stanford blew a 21-3 lead at Oregon and lost by 21 points (52-31). Since that was the first loss by each team this season, we do expect some hangover here from the Trojans and the Cardinal. But we think it
|
10-09-10 |
San Diego State -4.5 v. BYU |
|
21-24 |
Loss |
-110 |
14 h 46 m |
Show
|
Coaching is a major factor when handicapping college football and you would be hard-pressed to find a better overall coaching staff in the country than what head coach Brady Hoke has assembled at San Diego State. The Aztecs may have the best pair of coordinators in college football with Al Borges calling the offense and Rocky Long running the defense. Hoke, Borges, and Long are no strangers as they were all part of the UCLA staff back in 1997. Borges was fantastic while at Auburn where his team led the SEC in scoring in back-to-back years. Long was the head coach at New Mexico for 11 seasons and his defenses were always rock solid.
The Aztecs come into this game at 3-1 straight-up and a perfect 3-0 against the spread against their FBS opponent. They should be undefeated as their only loss came at Missouri after they blew a 24-20 lead with just over 1:40 left to play. There
|
10-09-10 |
Alabama v. South Carolina +7.5 |
|
21-35 |
Win
|
100 |
11 h 16 m |
Show
|
This is a very difficult scheduling spot for Alabama as they are playing their third tough conference opponent in a row without rest. Alabama is coming off a huge win versus Florida last week which followed a very fortunate win at Arkansas two weeks ago in which Alabama trailed 20-14 going into the fourth quarter in that game before a non-covering 24-20 win as a 7-point road favorite.
Last week
|
10-09-10 |
Baylor Bears +1 v. Texas Tech Red Raiders |
|
38-45 |
Loss |
-110 |
8 h 47 m |
Show
|
This game is being played in Dallas, so Texas Tech does not have their normal strong home field advantage. The pointspread on this game is saying both teams are even, but this is not the case as Baylor has the stronger offensive and defensive units.
Texas Tech suffered a major blow with the sudden dismal of head coach Mike Leach last season as he had built the Red Raiders into a national power and had them ranked as high as #2 in the nation in 2008. Texas Tech fell to just 8-4 in the regular season last year and they were ranked for just one week in the entire season.
New head coach Tommy Tuberville prefers a more balanced attack on offense, but the Red Raiders are still equipped with the passing personal from Mike Leach
|
10-08-10 |
Connecticut Huskies -5 v. Rutgers Scarlet Knights |
|
24-27 |
Loss |
-110 |
9 h 28 m |
Show
|
After stumbling out of the gate, Connecticut has finally hit their best stride over the last couple of games. The Huskies began the season at just 1-2 after losing both of their road games (at Michigan and at Temple) and getting a win over Texas Southern. But they
|
10-05-10 |
Troy v. Middle Tenn State -3.5 |
|
42-13 |
Loss |
-110 |
12 h 9 m |
Show
|
These are the two best teams in the Sun Belt, and the winner of tonight
|
10-03-10 |
Chicago Bears v. New York Giants -3 |
|
3-17 |
Win
|
100 |
13 h 46 m |
Show
|
Chicago is off to one of their best starts in recent years; the Bears are 3-0 coming into tonight
|
10-03-10 |
Arizona Cardinals v. San Diego Chargers -9 |
|
10-41 |
Win
|
100 |
9 h 31 m |
Show
|
Arizona was extremely fortunate to beat the Raiders last week. The Cardinals won 24-23, but they were thoroughly out-played in that game as they were out-yarded by 137 yards (364-227). Oakland just couldn
|
10-03-10 |
Houston Texans -3 v. Oakland Raiders |
|
31-24 |
Win
|
100 |
8 h 22 m |
Show
|
The Houston Texans are a play-on team this season as their offense is explosive with quarterback Matt Schaub and wide receiver Andre Johnson. And now that they
|
10-03-10 |
Cincinnati Bengals v. Cleveland Browns +3 |
|
20-23 |
Win
|
100 |
5 h 17 m |
Show
|
Cincinnati is 2-1 coming into today
|
10-02-10 |
Louisiana Tech v. Hawaii -8.5 |
|
21-41 |
Win
|
100 |
19 h 26 m |
Show
|
Louisiana Tech is really struggling under first year head coach Sonny Dykes. The Bulldogs are now running Dykes
|
10-02-10 |
Stanford Cardinal +7 v. Oregon Ducks |
|
31-52 |
Loss |
-120 |
16 h 11 m |
Show
|
This game may be the biggest game in the Pac-10 all season as 4-0 Stanford travels to Autzen to take on 4-0 Oregon. Both teams have been ultra impressive this year as all eight wins have come by double digits so neither has yet to be in a close game. However, since we feel these two teams are just about equal across the board, we expect a close game throughout. There is not a touchdown difference between these teams so the fact that this pointspread is this high means we see some tremendous value on the Cardinal in this game.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh has done a phenomenal job at Stanford. He took over the Cardinal back in 2007 after they went a dreadful 1-11 in 2006. Over the last 3 years, Harbaugh has led Stanford to 21 wins including last year
|
10-02-10 |
Wisconsin v. Michigan State +2 |
|
24-34 |
Win
|
100 |
11 h 27 m |
Show
|
Both teams come into today
|
10-02-10 |
Virginia Tech v. North Carolina State +3.5 |
|
41-30 |
Loss |
-110 |
11 h 27 m |
Show
|
NC State is off to their best start (4-0) in eight years. And their fast start has not been a surprise to us because we pegged the Wolfpack as a play-on team this season. Here
|
10-02-10 |
Louisiana Monroe +35 v. Auburn |
|
3-52 |
Loss |
-110 |
8 h 58 m |
Show
|
Auburn is obviously the better team, however this is a major flat spot for the Tigers and it will be difficult for them to win by five touchdowns today. Auburn comes into this game off not one, not two, but three ESPN spotlight games with two of those games coming against conference opponents. Three weeks ago, the Tigers played a Thursday night game at Mississippi St and won 17-14. Their next game came two weeks ago at home to Clemson. Auburn trailed for the majority of that game, and they needed a second half rally and overtime to beat Clemson 27-24. And then last week, the Tigers hosted South Carolina and again were trailing 27-21 heading into the fourth quarter. After another big rally and out-scoring Carolina 14-0 in the final quarter, Auburn won 35-27.
After those three high-profile wins, how on earth is Auburn going to be focused on a Sun Belt team like Louisiana Monroe? They simply aren
|
09-27-10 |
Green Bay Packers v. Chicago Bears +3 |
|
17-20 |
Win
|
100 |
12 h 41 m |
Show
|
Green Bay has played two impressive games so far; they won at Philadelphia 27-20 and then crushed Buffalo last week 34-7. But they
|
09-26-10 |
Oakland Raiders +4.5 v. Arizona Cardinals |
|
23-24 |
Win
|
100 |
13 h 33 m |
Show
|
Oakland played a fantastic game last week against the Rams. The scoreboard only showed a 16-14 win, but the Raiders were much more dominant than that final score would indicate. Oakland won yardage 404-210 with 173 of those yards coming on the ground. The Raiders also converted on 41% of their third downs which also indicates that their offense played well. Oakland deserved to win that game by more than a meager 2 points, and because of their narrow win, this pointspread isn
|
09-26-10 |
San Francisco 49ers -3 v. Kansas City Chiefs |
|
10-31 |
Loss |
-100 |
34 h 38 m |
Show
|
San Francisco comes into today
|
09-25-10 |
California Golden Bears +7 v. Arizona Wildcats |
|
9-10 |
Win
|
100 |
19 h 22 m |
Show
|
These two teams come into tonight
|
09-25-10 |
West Virginia Mountaineers +10 v. LSU Tigers |
|
14-20 |
Win
|
100 |
19 h 37 m |
Show
|
LSU is 3-0, but the Tigers have not been impressive at all. In their season opener, they caught a decimated North Carolina team and just hung on to win that game 30-24. Two weeks ago, LSU beat Vanderbilt 27-3. But that was a misleading final score as LSU
|
09-25-10 |
Oregon State v. Boise State -17 |
|
24-37 |
Loss |
-110 |
17 h 23 m |
Show
|
On the surface, this pointspread looks way too high. However, when you dig through the box scores of Oregon St, it
|
09-25-10 |
Alabama v. Arkansas +7.5 |
|
24-20 |
Win
|
100 |
13 h 53 m |
Show
|
Alabama appears as if they picked-up right where they left off last season. The Crimson Tide is a perfect 3-0 SU/ATS winning by a combined score of 134-19. And despite being a favorite of more than two touchdowns in all three games, they
|
09-25-10 |
N Carolina St +8.5 v. Georgia Tech |
|
45-28 |
Win
|
100 |
9 h 24 m |
Show
|
NC State is off to their best start (3-0) in eight years. And their fast start has not been a surprise to us because we pegged the Wolfpack as a play-on team this season. Here
|
09-24-10 |
TCU Horned Frogs -17 v. SMU Mustangs |
|
41-24 |
Push |
0 |
11 h 56 m |
Show
|
TCU is a team on a major mission in 2010. The Horned Frogs were so disappointed after their bowl game loss to Boise St last season (it cost them an undefeated 13-0 season) that this team is hell-bent on winning every game they can by as many points as they can. Head coach Gary Patterson has made no secrets as to his team
|
09-20-10 |
New Orleans Saints v. San Francisco 49ers +6 |
|
25-22 |
Win
|
100 |
12 h 55 m |
Show
|
New Orleans opened their season with a win over the Minnesota Vikings last Thursday night. That was a big game for the Saints as they wanted to prove that winning the Super Bowl last season was no fluke. But their 14-9 win over the Vikings doesn
|
09-19-10 |
New York Giants +5 v. Indianapolis Colts |
|
14-38 |
Loss |
-105 |
14 h 41 m |
Show
|
The Giants cruised to an easy win last week over the Panthers; they won that game 31-18 despite turning the ball over four times. New York won the first down battle 21-14 and they also out-yarded Carolina 376-237. So if it wasn
|
09-19-10 |
Arizona Cardinals v. Atlanta Falcons -6.5 |
|
7-41 |
Win
|
100 |
18 h 15 m |
Show
|
This is a difficult scheduling situation for the Cardinals as they have to play on the road for a second straight week. This is also an early kickoff which will be at 10 a.m. local time for the Cardinals on their body clocks.
Despite beating the lowly Rams last week, Arizona
|
09-19-10 |
Chicago Bears +7.5 v. Dallas Cowboys |
|
27-20 |
Win
|
100 |
6 h 12 m |
Show
|
We played against Dallas last week, and we
|
09-18-10 |
Iowa Hawkeyes v. Arizona Wildcats -1 |
|
27-34 |
Win
|
100 |
21 h 50 m |
Show
|
This is the return game of a home and away series between Iowa and Arizona. Last year, Arizona had to make the long cross-country flight and play Iowa in an early kickoff game in just the third week of the season. Now it
|
09-18-10 |
Clemson Tigers +7.5 v. Auburn Tigers |
|
24-27 |
Win
|
100 |
17 h 21 m |
Show
|
Both teams come into tonight
|
09-18-10 |
Mississippi State Bulldogs +7.5 v. LSU Tigers |
|
7-29 |
Loss |
-110 |
17 h 21 m |
Show
|
This is the one game Mississippi St has had circled all summer. And the fact that this game comes early in the season makes it more of a powerful motivator for the Bulldogs. Last year, Mississippi St went toe-to-toe with LSU and they got stopped on 4th down at the goal line on the final play of the game and lost 30-26. Mississippi St thoroughly out-played LSU in that game; they won first downs 21-12 and they had 374 yards of total offense including a 151 rushing yards to LSU
|
09-18-10 |
East Carolina v. Virginia Tech -19.5 |
|
27-49 |
Win
|
100 |
32 h 44 m |
Show
|
Recent results have now created line value with Virginia Tech as the Hokies are an underrated team at 0-2 SU, while East Carolina is an overrated team at 2-0 SU. The Hokies need a solid performance this week after a last minute loss versus Boise State and then an embarrassing outright loss versus I-AA James Madison last week.
The Hokies played a terrific game against Boise State, but they came up a bit short at the end of the game. There was no shame in losing that game on a neutral field despite it being a pro-Hokies crowd in Maryland. Their loss to James Madison was bad, but in reality, Virginia Tech was in a terrible scheduling situation for that game. Off the last minute loss to the Broncos, they had to wheel back in five days to play an opponent to which they gave zero respect. The writing was on the wall for the Hokies to slumber through that game, and obviously they did that and lost.
Virginia Tech actually played better than the 21-16 final indicated as they won yardage 362-235 but a 3-0 turnover deficit did them in. At the half, Tech had a 15-1 first down edge, but only led 13-7 after a turnover, a stop on fourth and short, and settling for two short field goals turned domination into a close football game after a James Madison screen pass went 77 yards for a touchdown on third and 17. Virginia Tech was a few plays away from winning that game by more than 3 touchdowns, but instead they took the loss in a misleading final score.
Things should get on track this week as we expect Virginia Tech to come out and absolutely crush East Carolina from start to finish. The Pirates come in at 2-0, but both of their wins were phony and also came at home. They beat Tulsa on a Hail Mary in their season opener, and then last week allowed a horrendous Memphis team to gain over 400 yards of offense on them. ECU cashed in three Memphis turnovers as they returned an interception for a TD and also had two TD
|
09-15-10 |
Chicago Cubs +1.5 v. St. Louis Cardinals |
|
7-3 |
Win
|
100 |
12 h 34 m |
Show
|
The Cubs have won two straight games and four of their last five games overall as they continue their series with the Cardinals on Wednesday night. St. Louis played without Albert Pujols on Tuesday and the lineup was pretty woeful in the loss. He is questionable for Wednesday's game as he continues to deal with various ailments. Carlos Zambrano makes the start for the Cubs. He's 5-0 with a 1.60 ERA and 39 K's in 45 innings pitched since returning to the rotation. Zambrano's only start against St. Louis this season was a 3-2 victory where he out-dueled Chris Carpenter. Zambrano gave up two runs and seven hits in 5.7 innings of work. Overall, he is 11-6 with a 3.53 ERA in 25 career starts against the Cardinals. Yadier Molina (7-34), Aaron Miles (8-31), Pedro Feliz (3-19), Matt Holliday (4-16), Brendan Ryan (1-10), Colby Rasmus (1-10), and Nick Stavinoha (0-1) struggle with the Cubs starter. The Cubs have won four of their five games in St. Louis this season. The Cardinals have lost six of their last eight games and they are just 34-34 in the division.
Chris Carpenter is coming off one of his worst starts of the season. The Cardinals' starter gave up eight runs and eight hits in five innings pitched to Atlanta. He's facing the Cubs for the 4th time this season. Carpenter is 1-1 with a 3.20 ERA against Chicago with their hitters hitting .293 against him. Aramis Ramirez (17-54), Alfonso Soriano (13-39), Marlon Byrd (7-19), Bobby Scales (2-5), and Micah Hoffpauir (2-3) all have good numbers against Carpenter. The Cubs are hitting right around .260 as a team this season. They have won two straight series and three of their last four series overall and they are in much better current form then the Cardinals right now. There
|
09-13-10 |
San Diego Chargers -4.5 v. Kansas City Chiefs |
|
14-21 |
Loss |
-110 |
14 h 7 m |
Show
|
San Diego is once again loaded this season, and they certainly qualify as a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The Chargers have a terrific offensive attack led by quarterback Philip Rivers; they
|
09-12-10 |
Dallas Cowboys v. Washington Redskins +3.5 |
|
7-13 |
Win
|
100 |
12 h 56 m |
Show
|
The Washington Redskins are on the verge of a breakout season. They went just 4-12 in 2009 as they repeatedly found different ways to lose close games. Washington lost half of their games by 5 points or less, with five of those losses coming by 3 points or less.
The team has made some major changes in the off-season with the hiring of new head coach Mike Shanahan and the acquisition of QB Donavan McNabb. The coaching and quarterback spots have been weaknesses over the last couple of seasons, but they are much improved with two veterans in place that know how to win. McNabb had a solid 2009 season with a 92.9 QB rating and a 22/10 TD/INT ratio, his best since the 2006 season. The Redskins also drafted OT Trent Williams with the 3rd overall pick to protect McNabb
|
09-12-10 |
Arizona Cardinals v. St Louis Rams +4 |
|
17-13 |
Push |
0 |
8 h 51 m |
Show
|
|
09-12-10 |
Miami Dolphins -3 v. Buffalo Bills |
|
15-10 |
Win
|
100 |
5 h 37 m |
Show
|
The Miami Dolphins regressed a bit last season. The Dolphins went just 7-9 after losing their last 3 games of the year. However, four of their nine losses came by 7 points or less so Miami didn
|
09-12-10 |
Indianapolis Colts v. Houston Texans +2.5 |
|
24-34 |
Win
|
100 |
5 h 37 m |
Show
|
The Houston Texans come into the 2010 season extremely high on our list. The Texans had a winning season in 2009 at 9-7, but they failed to make the Playoffs. However, since we expect improvement, we
|
09-11-10 |
Virginia Cavaliers v. USC Trojans -19.5 |
|
14-17 |
Loss |
-110 |
19 h 5 m |
Show
|
USC beat Hawaii 49-36 last week, but despite their 49 points scored and their 13-point win, the Trojans defense looked horrendous. But there was actually a good reason for their poor showing. Head coach Lane Kiffin revealed that his team was too banged-up to run a full practice leading up to that game against Hawaii. The Trojans did not hit during the week, and that obviously played a role in their defense looking slow and lethargic against Hawaii.
This week things will be a lot different. USC will not face a spread passing team like they did in Hawaii. Virginia is more of a run-based offense this season under new head coach Mike London, and that will get USC
|
09-11-10 |
NC State Wolfpack +3 v. Central Florida Golden Knights |
|
28-21 |
Win
|
100 |
16 h 6 m |
Show
|
Both teams opened with blowout wins over Division II schools last week; NC State beat Western Carolina 48-7 while Central Florida beat South Dakota 38-7. Neither game tells us much about either team, but we like the prospects of NC State coming into 2010 and feel that they are going to be an underrated team this season. And that certainly looks to be the case here as they are an underdog against a CUSA team.
This will be Tom O
|
09-11-10 |
Minnesota Twins v. Cleveland Indians +1.5 |
|
1-0 |
Win
|
100 |
16 h 43 m |
Show
|
Cleveland welcomed Minnesota to town by shutting them out 2-0 on Friday evening. Now the Twins will get their first crack at Carlos Carrasco. In two starts this season, he has given up five runs and 12 hits in 13.3 innings pitched. Carrasco has struck out 10 batters while walking only three this season. Minnesota has managed to score just two runs in their last three road games against teams that they are much better than. Cleveland's bullpen is pretty good at home as their ERA is right around 3.80.
Minnesota
|
09-11-10 |
Florida State v. Oklahoma -7 |
|
17-47 |
Win
|
100 |
12 h 7 m |
Show
|
Oddsmakers normally make their biggest adjustments in the pointspreads and their power ratings betweens Games 1 & 2. This often creates an overreaction and that is definitely the case in this game as Oklahoma would probably have been a double-digit favorite in this game last week.
Florida State dominated a weak I-AA opponents, while Oklahoma struggled against a below average I-A opponent. However, the final score and game stats do not always tell the truth, and that certainly is the case when we dissect last week
|
09-11-10 |
Hawaii v. Army -2.5 |
|
31-28 |
Loss |
-110 |
67 h 3 m |
Show
|
Hawaii played a respectful game against USC last week in their 49-36 loss to the Trojans. They actually out-yarded USC 588-524 and also had more first downs (31-25) than the Trojans. But don
|
09-10-10 |
Texas-El Paso v. Houston -19.5 |
|
24-54 |
Win
|
100 |
13 h 11 m |
Show
|
Both teams opened their seasons with easy wins over Division II schools last week; UTEP beat Arkansas Pine Bluff 31-10 while Houston throttled Texas St 68-28. Now we really can
|
09-09-10 |
Los Angeles Dodgers v. Houston Astros +1.5 |
|
2-3 |
Win
|
100 |
18 h 24 m |
Show
|
The Astros and Dodgers are heading in opposite directions. Los Angeles is currently on a 5-game losing streak as their offense continues to struggle to produce runs consistently. Tonight they'll face Houston
|
09-06-10 |
Boise State Broncos v. Virginia Tech Hokies +1 |
|
33-30 |
Loss |
-105 |
11 h 23 m |
Show
|
This game will be played at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland so it is not a home game for Virginia Tech. This is the best match-up of Week 1 as these two teams are legitimate national title contenders. Boise St comes into this year off an unbeaten (14-0) season in 2009, and with 20 of their 22 starters returning from that team, expectations are extremely high for the Broncos. Virginia Tech had their typical 10-win season in 2009, but with just 12 starters returning, the Hokies have their skeptics. But for a program that just reloads talent year in and year out, there
|
09-06-10 |
Maryland +6.5 v. Navy |
|
17-14 |
Win
|
100 |
7 h 23 m |
Show
|
This game will be played at MT&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore so it is not a home game for Navy. Despite being from the same state, you cannot call this a rivalry game because the last time these two teams played was back in 2005. Coming into 2010, expectations are low for Maryland and high for Navy, and because of that, this pointspread has been inflated a couple of points too high. When Navy plays big-name schools from BCS conferences, they are more often than not installed as underdogs. In fact, Navy has been an underdog in 13 consecutive games in this situation dating back to the 2007 season. So to see them laying this big of a price is very unusual, even though they are facing a Maryland team coming off a 2-10 campaign.
While not much is expected from the Terrapins this year, they may actually be a little better than most people realize. They are a young team, but they were much younger last year as they only had 9 starters back compared to 12 this year. And they actually played in some competitive games in 2009 as five of their ten losses came by 7 points or less. And for such a young team to be in that many close games is definitely a positive sign, and something they can build off of for this year. If Maryland just takes natural progression steps forward, there
|
09-05-10 |
Tulsa -7 v. East Carolina |
|
49-51 |
Loss |
-110 |
6 h 52 m |
Show
|
These two teams appear to be heading in opposite directions for the 2010 season. Neither team should resemble what they looked liked a season ago as Tulsa should be much improved after going 5-7 in 2009 while East Carolina should regress off their 9-5 campaign last year. While the pointspread may look a tad high based on what these teams have accomplished in the past, the reality is that the oddsmakers set this game just right with the projection of each team this season rather than setting a number based on the team
|
09-04-10 |
Utah St. v. Oklahoma -33.5 |
|
24-31 |
Loss |
-110 |
11 h 29 m |
Show
|
Oklahoma is a mission team in 2010. The Sooners did not live up to their expectations last season after going just 8-5. But to be fair, the team was dealt a bad hand when Sam Bradford was knocked out for the season in their first game against BYU. Oklahoma was forced to play freshman quarterback Landry Jones the rest of the season, and while playing him instead of Bradford was correlated to Oklahoma
|
09-04-10 |
Washington Huskies +2 v. BYU Cougars |
|
17-23 |
Loss |
-110 |
11 h 28 m |
Show
|
Washington made huge strides last season going 5-7 after an embarrassing 0-12 season in 2008. Steve Sarkisian and his coaching staff did a phenomenal job as the Huskies improved their offense by 13 points per game and defense by 12 points per game. With 18 starters back, Washington should improve even more, especially now that they
|
09-02-10 |
USC -21 v. Hawaii |
|
49-36 |
Loss |
-110 |
12 h 46 m |
Show
|
A lot of change happened at USC over the last nine months. Pete Carroll saw the writing on the wall and he took off to the NFL to coach the Seattle Seahawks. Lane Kiffin jumped at the chance to return to Los Angeles; Kiffin coached under Carroll for six years before he left for the NFL and then back to the colleges in Tennessee. So Kiffin is familiar with his surroundings and familiar with how USC has done things in the past. Despite the overhauled coaching staff, not much has changed in the way USC football runs. Kiffin learned under Carroll so he
|
09-02-10 |
Pittsburgh Panthers v. Utah Utes -3 |
|
24-27 |
Push |
0 |
9 h 16 m |
Show
|
Pittsburgh had their best season under head coach Dave Wannstedt in 2009 as the Panthers went 10-3 after capping off their season with a win in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Last year
|
09-02-10 |
New Orleans v. Tennessee -7.5 |
|
24-27 |
Loss |
-105 |
9 h 47 m |
Show
|
The final week of preseason football is similar to the final week of the NFL regular season. Teams go into these games with different agendas, and it
|
08-31-10 |
St. Louis Cardinals v. Houston Astros +1.5 |
|
0-3 |
Win
|
100 |
18 h 41 m |
Show
|
St. Louis continued their poor play by getting shutout in Houston last night. That now makes them 1-6 in their last seven games, all of which were on the road. Chris Carpenter is 4-1 with a 3.20 ERA in 12 starts on the road this season. His last time out, he gave up six runs and 10 hits in six innings pitched to the Nationals. Carpenter split two starts against Houston this season giving up six runs and 10 hits in 15.1 innings of work. Humberto Quintero (3-6) and Chris Johnson (1-2) hit Carpenter well. The Astros are now 34-24 against the rest of the N.L. Central. With their win last night, Houston is now 8-5 against St. Louis this season. They have won seven of their last nine games and are enjoying the spoiler role. St. Louis' bullpen is 5-11 with an ERA over 4.00 on the road.
Houston
|
08-29-10 |
Pittsburgh v. Denver +2.5 |
|
17-34 |
Win
|
100 |
16 h 52 m |
Show
|
With this being each team
|
08-27-10 |
Minnesota Twins v. Seattle Mariners +1.5 |
|
6-3 |
Loss |
-145 |
12 h 39 m |
Show
|
The Mariners welcome Minnesota to town for a series beginning on Friday night. The Mariners have defeated the Twins in 9 of their last 13 meetings in Seattle including three of four games this season. Jason Vargas has a victory against Minnesota already this season. In that game, he gave up one run and six hits in seven innings of work. Vargas is 7-2 with a 2.23 ERA in 13 home starts this season. Denard Span (0-5), Joe Mauer (1-4), Orlando Hudson (0-3), Jason Repko (0-3), and Matt Tolbert (0-1) all struggle with Vargas. Minnesota is 33-33 on the road this season. Over their last eight games, they've hit just over .205 as a team. They'll face a Seattle team that has a bullpen with an ERA below 4.00 at home.
Minnesota
|
08-23-10 |
Arizona Cardinals v. Tennessee Titans -4 |
|
10-24 |
Win
|
100 |
9 h 15 m |
Show
|
|
08-20-10 |
Philadelphia Eagles +3 v. Cincinnati Bengals |
|
9-22 |
Loss |
-115 |
12 h 50 m |
Show
|
Cincinnati was in a terrific scheduling spot for their game on Sunday against the Broncos. It was the Bengals second game of the preseason while it was Denver
|
08-20-10 |
Texas Rangers v. Baltimore Orioles +1.5 |
|
2-0 |
Loss |
-100 |
11 h 25 m |
Show
|
Baltimore has the Rangers number so far this season; they
|
08-15-10 |
Denver Broncos v. Cincinnati Bengals -3 |
|
24-33 |
Win
|
100 |
8 h 36 m |
Show
|
Cincinnati will be playing their second preseason game of the season tonight. And since this will be Denver
|
08-14-10 |
Cleveland Browns +2.5 v. Green Bay Packers |
|
27-24 |
Win
|
100 |
15 h 36 m |
Show
|
This game has a ton of meaning for Cleveland, even though it is just their first preseason game of the year. The Browns were humiliated by the Packers twice last year, once in the preseason and also in the regular season. In last year's preseason opener, the Packers had 392 yards and held the Browns to 191 yards in a 17-0 win at Lambeau Field. Then in Week 7 of the regular season, the Packers out-gained the Browns 460-139 and embarrassed the home team in a 31-3 waxing. And the Cleveland players remember those two games well, and they are hell bent on playing a much better game tonight.
|
08-13-10 |
Buffalo v. Washington -3.5 |
|
17-42 |
Win
|
100 |
17 h 8 m |
Show
|
|
08-10-10 |
Atlanta Braves v. Houston Astros +1.5 |
|
4-2 |
Loss |
-125 |
12 h 36 m |
Show
|
Houston has had one of the best offenses in baseball since the All-Star break. They broke out the bats last night defeating the Braves rookie Mike Minor. Houston has scored at least four runs in two straight games and in 11 of their last 12 games overall. They'll face Atlanta
|
08-08-10 |
Cincinnati -2.5 v. Dallas |
|
7-16 |
Loss |
-115 |
18 h 34 m |
Show
|
The 2010 NFL preseason gets underway tonight with the annual Hall of Fame game in Canton, OH. The Bengals and Cowboys are taking a different approach to this game. Dallas used their trip to the Hall of Fame as an educational experience; they learned the history of the game after going on a couple of trips to the Hall of Fame. And they also spent time with former Cowboys star Emmitt Smith as he was inducted on Saturday night.
Dallas has not been focused on this game, even when they were still in training camp back in San Antonio. Head coach Wade Phillips and his staff mentioned Cincinnati for the first time at the end of their final practice. Phillips does not believe in setting game plans for exhibitions. He is more interested in watching how the club performs the fundamentals.
|
08-08-10 |
San Diego Padres v. Arizona Diamondbacks +1.5 |
|
10-1 |
Loss |
-135 |
14 h 42 m |
Show
|
Arizona has won three straight games and four of their last five games overall. They can sweep the Padres with a win on Sunday afternoon. Arizona will send trade acquisition Joe Saunders to the mound. In two starts since joining the Diamondbacks, he is 1-0 giving up three runs and 14 hits over 16 innings pitched. Saunders defeated the Padres 9-1 in 2009 after giving up just one run and eight hits in 8.3 innings of work. Chris Denorfia (1-5), Adrian Gonzalez (0-4), Tony Gwynn Jr. (1-4), Scott Hairston (0-2), and Jerry Hairston Jr. (0-1) have poor numbers against the southpaw. San Diego has now lost four of five games on their current road trip. They've scored only 12 runs in their last five games against some suspect pitching, and they are hitting just over .200 in their past eight games.
Mat Latos is 11-5 with a 2.47 ERA for the Padres. His issue is going deep in games as Latos averages only 6.2 innings per start. He has yet to face Arizona who is seeing the ball well right now. They've picked up nine hits or more in seven of their last nine games. At home, they are averaging five runs per game and they are hitting .270 as a team. Arizona is 4-1 against San Diego at home this season and 16-7 against them over the last three seasons. Play DIAMONDBACKS (+1.5 runline).
|
08-07-10 |
Tampa Bay Rays v. Toronto Blue Jays +1.5 |
|
11-17 |
Win
|
100 |
2 h 10 m |
Show
|
Tampa Bay's losing streak has hit three as they continue their series in Toronto with the Blue Jays. It'll be Brad Mills making his second career start for Toronto. In his debut, Mills shutout the Orioles while giving up just two hits over seven innings of work. Mills struck out four and walked three to get that win. Tampa Bay's offense is struggling big time right now as they are hitting close to .215 as a team over their last eight games. Toronto's bullpen threw two scoreless innings last night and they have an ERA around 3.95 at home this season.
James Shields is coming off a tremendous effort at home where he struck out 11 Yankees in 7.3 innings pitched. The righty is 6-4 with a 4.42 ERA in 11 road starts this season. However, he has struggled with the Blue Jays in his career. In his last three starts against Toronto, which all came last year, Shields has given up 12 runs and 25 hits in 20.7 innings pitched. Lyle Overbay (11-36), Vernon Wells (9-31), Adam Lind (9-27), John McDonald (3-10), Jose Bautista (4-9), and Jose Molina (2-5) all put up nice numbers against Shields. Toronto is 29-24 at home and 23-17 against the rest of the A.L. East. With Tampa Bay
|
07-23-10 |
Tampa Bay Rays v. Cleveland Indians +1.5 |
|
1-3 |
Win
|
100 |
10 h 59 m |
Show
|
Cleveland has won six of their last seven games and will host Tampa Bay on Friday night. Fausto Carmona will make his third start against the Rays. He's 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in those games giving up four runs and 10 hits in 13.1 innings of work. Jason Bartlett (0-15), Matt Joyce (2-12), Carlos Pena (2-11), Ben Zobrist (1-10), Evan Longoria (2-9), John Jaso (1-5), Willy Aybar (1-4), and Sean Rodriguez (0-4) all have poor numbers against Carmona. Cleveland's bullpen is 5-6 with a 3.13 ERA at home this season. More importantly, the Indians have won their last eight meetings with the Rays in Cleveland.
Tampa Bay
|
07-18-10 |
Toronto Blue Jays v. Baltimore Orioles +1.5 |
|
10-1 |
Loss |
-130 |
4 h 15 m |
Show
|
Toronto
|
06-28-10 |
Chicago White Sox v. Kansas City Royals +1.5 |
|
1-3 |
Win
|
100 |
19 h 51 m |
Show
|
Mark Buerhle gets the start for Chicago. He's 6-6 with a 4.60 ERA in 15 starts this season. The lefty is 2-4 on the road, and he's already lost to the Royals once this season giving up six runs and eight hits in six innings of work. In his last three starts against the Royals, Buerhle has given up 15 runs and 24 hits in 18 innings pitched. Billy Butler (12-36), Willie Bloomquist (13-30), Jose Guillen (8-29), Jason Kendall (7-20), Mitch Maier (8-19), Mike Aviles (5-19), Yuniesky Betancourt (4-15), Scott Podsednik (1-3), and Brayan Pena (1-3) all have had success against Buerhle. Kansas City has won three of their last four games and they are hitting .300 against their division opponents.
Anthony LeRew has made two starts for the Royals this season. He gave up two runs and three hits in six innings to the Astros in his first start at home. His last time out, he took the loss against the Nationals in a 4-3 game. Only Juan Pierre (0-1) has faced the right handed pitcher which gives him a nice advantage here. The White Sox are hitting only .248 on the road and .250 as a team this season. The Royals and White Sox have faced each other six times this season with the Royals winning three and losing another game by a single run. Chicago will be without Bobby Jenks until Wednesday as he was placed on bereavement leave which leaves their bullpen short for tonight
|
06-27-10 |
Philadelphia Phillies v. Toronto Blue Jays +1.5 |
|
11-2 |
Loss |
-144 |
5 h 17 m |
Show
|
Philadelphia will send Jamie Moyer to the mound on Sunday afternoon. The lefty is 8-6 with a 4.43 ERA on the season. In his last three starts, he has picked up two wins despite giving up 12 runs and 14 hits in 17 innings of work. The Blue Jays have smacked Moyer around in his career. Last year, they had 10 runs and 15 hits in 11 innings against the left hander. Vernon Wells (14-43), Aaron Hill (10-23), Lyle Overbay (6-17), John McDonald (6-16), Jose Molina (6-15), and Alex Gonzalez (4-9) all have great numbers against Moyer. Toronto has also scored 21 runs in their last five games against left-handed starters. Toronto is 20-17 on the road this season even though this is a
|
06-18-10 |
Texas Rangers v. Houston Astros +1.5 |
|
9-3 |
Loss |
-140 |
11 h 52 m |
Show
|
Houston returns home to begin a series with the Texas Rangers. The Astros come off a 4-6 road trip thru Colorado, New York, and Kansas City. Houston sends Wandy Rodriguez to the mound who is 2-3 with a 4.18 ERA at home in five starts. In four career starts against the Rangers, Rodriguez is 3-1 with a 5.02 ERA with his best two starts coming at home. Michael Young (3-12), Vlad Guerrero (0-3), Max Ramirez (0-3), Matt Treanor (0-2), and Elvis Andrus (0-2) all have poor numbers against Rodriguez. The Rangers are 11-10 against lefties and just 15-17 on the road. Even with their sweep in Florida, Texas is hitting just .251 away from Arlington this season.
Texas
|
06-17-10 |
Boston Celtics +7 v. Los Angeles Lakers |
|
79-83 |
Win
|
100 |
18 h 37 m |
Show
|
Boston was completely embarrassed in Game 6 on Tuesday night. The Celtics lost that game by 22 points (89-67), and they actually trailed by as many as 27 points. Boston was in a terrible situational spot after winning the previous two games; they knew the Lakers would fire their
|
06-13-10 |
Los Angeles Lakers +2.5 v. Boston Celtics |
|
86-92 |
Loss |
-110 |
12 h 52 m |
Show
|
Los Angeles played good enough to win Game 4, but they came up a bit short in the fourth quarter after taking a 62-60 lead over the first 36 minutes of play. The Lakers out-shot the Celtics 45.1% (32-71) to 44.6% (37-83) from the field and they also made 4 more three
|
06-12-10 |
Kansas City Royals +1.5 v. Cincinnati Reds |
|
5-11 |
Loss |
-135 |
11 h 47 m |
Show
|
The Royals struck first in their series with the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night. Kansas City got the win in extra innings against the Reds bullpen. Johnny Cueto gets the start for the Reds tonight and he's been smacked around as of late. He's 1-0 with a 6.35 ERA in his last three starts. Cueto has given up 12 runs and 20 hits in his last 11 innings of work against the Giants and Cardinals. Cueto gave up five runs and seven hits in six innings pitched against the Royals last season. Jason Kendall (6-12), Scott Podsednik (2-5), Willie Bloomquist (1-3), David DeJesus (1-3), Alberto Callaspo (1-3), and Chris Getz (1-2) all hit Cueto well. The Royals are 14-18 on the road, but they are hitting well over .300 in four interleague games so far, and they are averaging over five runs per game over their last eight.
Cincinnati will face Brian Bannister. He's 6-3 with a 4.50 ERA in 12 starts. Bannister has won his last three starts beating the Tigers, Angels, and Red Sox. Bannister was on the winning end of that game last year against Cueto and the Reds. He gave up one run and four hits in eight innings of work. Cincinnati hitters are 9 for 40 against Bannister in their careers. The Royals actually have the bullpen edge in this one as Cincinnati's team ERA is 4.79 with eight blown saves and a 13-13 record. Kansas City presents some good value here so we
|
06-08-10 |
Houston Astros v. Colorado Rockies -1.5 |
|
4-3 |
Loss |
-100 |
12 h 36 m |
Show
|
Brian Moehler makes another start for the Astros as they continue their series in Colorado with the Rockies. Moehler is 0-1 with an 11.25 ERA in two starts this season. He's given up 10 runs and 15 hits in eight innings while starting for Houston. The righty is 0-2 with a 9.58 ERA in two starts at Coors Field. The Rockies hit .400 against Moehler with Clint Barmes (5-11), Melvin Mora (6-9), Brad Hawpe (4-7), Todd Helton (2-5), Troy Tulowitzki (3-5), Ian Stewart (2-4), Seth Smith (1-3), and Ryan Spilborghs (1-2) all having the most success. Colorado is 16-9 at home averaging 5.7 runs per game there.
Colorado
|
06-07-10 |
Seattle Mariners v. Texas Rangers +1.5 |
|
4-2 |
Loss |
-145 |
12 h 46 m |
Show
|
Texas welcomes Seattle to town for the first of four games in Arlington. The Rangers have won four of their last six games and send Scott Feldman to the mound tonight. He's 3-5 with a 5.85 ERA this season. The righty is 2-1 with a 4.54 ERA at home with one of those wins coming over the Mariners in April. Feldman gave up two runs and seven hits in seven innings of work. Chone Figgins (6-31), Jose Lopez (6-24), Ryan Langerhans (0-6), Casey Kotchman (1-5), and Rob Johnson (1-4) all struggle to hit Feldman. The Mariners are coming off three blowout losses at home against the Angels. They are 7-17 on the road and just 6-18 against their division.
Cliff Lee makes the start for Seattle. He's 3-2 with a 2.91 ERA on the year. He's given up 12 runs in his last 22.3 innings pitched. Now he has to go into Arlington where he took a 9-1 loss last year. The lefty's last two starts in Texas were terrible as he gave up 13 runs and 19 hits in 10 innings pitched. Michael Young (10-27), Ian Kinsler (8-16), Josh Hamilton (4-13), Elvis Andrus (2-5), Matt Treanor (1-3), and David Murphy (1-3) all hit Lee well. Texas is 20-10 at home where they hit almost .300 in their ballpark. During this current stretch that the Rangers are on, they are averaging almost six runs per game while hitting .320 as a team. Since Lee struggles against Texas and backed by a bullpen with a 4-10 record and a 5.57 ERA on the road this season, the Rangers are live in this spot tonight. Play RANGERS (+1.5 runline).
|
06-07-10 |
Chicago Cubs v. Pittsburgh Pirates +1.5 |
|
6-1 |
Loss |
-122 |
4 h 16 m |
Show
|
Chicago comes to Pittsburgh for a one-game weather makeup. The Cubs have lost five of their last six games including two games in Pittsburgh. Since May 25th, the Cubs have scored just 31 runs. They'll face Pittsburgh
|
06-06-10 |
Boston Celtics +6 v. Los Angeles Lakers |
|
103-94 |
Win
|
100 |
45 h 50 m |
Show
|
Boston had little chance in Game 1 on Thursday night because of the way the game was officiated. The Celtics rely a ton on their defense to win games, but they were unable to play their style of defense because the refs were not allowing much physical play. In the first quarter alone, there were 18 personal fouls called, and the majority of those were on the Celtics away from the ball. Boston was unable to establish any type of defensive rhythm which really prevented them from playing their game. Because of the way the game was called, the Celtics allowed Los Angeles to score 102 points on 48.7% (37-76) shooting from the field and 40% (4-10) from three-point land.
Prior to allowing those 102 points to the Lakers, the Celtics had allowed more than 100 points in just 4 of their 17 previous playoff games, and in fact, the Celtics held their opponents to less than 90 points in 10 of those 17 playoff games. The Lakers were also rewarded by the multitude of foul calls as they got to the free-throw line 31 times. They made 24 of those attempts which certainly aided their point total a bit. In the two regular season games, Boston held the Lakers offense to just 90 and 86 points so they are more than capable of shutting down Kobe Bryant and company.
Off their disappointing loss in Game 1, Boston will bounce back in a big way tonight. They were one of the best road teams in the NBA all season long going 26-15 on opponent
|
06-06-10 |
Milwaukee Brewers v. St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 |
|
4-3 |
Loss |
-100 |
12 h 51 m |
Show
|
Jaime Garcia has been a real pleasant surprise for the Cardinals as they take on the Brewers on Sunday Night baseball. Garcia is 5-2 with a 1.32 ERA in 10 starts this season. The lefty is 2-0 with a 0.72 ERA in four home starts. He's given up just three earned runs over his last 17 innings of work. Garcia already defeated the Brewers 7-1 in Milwaukee earlier this season. He gave up just four hits and one run in six innings pitched. Milwaukee is 14-18 on the road and 6-11 against lefties. They are hitting just .250 against southpaws this season. Garcia is also backed by a bullpen that is 4-3 with a 2.82 ERA at home.
Milwaukee
|
06-06-10 |
Detroit Tigers v. Kansas City Royals +1.5 |
|
2-7 |
Win
|
100 |
6 h 57 m |
Show
|
Kansas City
|
06-04-10 |
San Francisco Giants v. Pittsburgh Pirates +1.5 |
|
6-4 |
Loss |
-140 |
17 h 26 m |
Show
|
Pittsburgh enters this game on a two-game winning streak as they host the San Francisco Giants tonight. Zach Duke gets the start for the Pirates. He's 3-5 with a 5.09 ERA in 11 starts, but he has improved a bit from his slow start giving up nine runs over his last three starts. Seven of those runs came against Atlanta on the road. The lefty lost a pair of one-run games against San Francisco last season. In those two outings, he gave up four runs and 13 hits in 14 innings of work. Aaron Rowand (2-13), Pablo Sandoval (2-10), and Andres Torres (0-3) have poor numbers against the lefty. San Francisco is 9-13 on the road and 7-9 against left-handed starters. They hit .252 on the road and they
|
05-28-10 |
Orlando Magic v. Boston Celtics -3 |
|
84-96 |
Win
|
100 |
12 h 35 m |
Show
|
Orlando got themselves back into this series after winning the last two games. The Magic were able to escape with an overtime win in Boston in Game 4, and they carried that momentum over to Game 5 which allowed them to win by 21 points (113-92). That was Orlando
|
05-27-10 |
Phoenix Suns v. Los Angeles Lakers -7 |
|
101-103 |
Loss |
-110 |
12 h 21 m |
Show
|
Phoenix showed a lot of fight as they got back into this series after winning the last two games on their home court. The Suns used big fourth quarters to get both wins as they out-scored Los Angeles 62-47 in those two games. Both of those games were tight heading into the final 12 minutes of play, but the Lakers shot the ball dreadfully which allowed Phoenix to pull away to comfortable wins. Before those two wins, the Suns had all kinds of trouble playing against the Lakers, especially in games played in the Staples Center.
Los Angeles dominated the Suns in all four home meetings this season. The Lakers won the four homes games by 19 (121-102), 20 (108-88), 21 (128-107), and 12 (124-112) points. They controlled all of those games as they led by 27, 23, 28, and 16 points and they only trailed three times in those games combined. They also held 21-point and 14-point leads heading into the fourth quarter in those games. That
|
05-25-10 |
Los Angeles Lakers -1 v. Phoenix Suns |
|
106-115 |
Loss |
-105 |
14 h 5 m |
Show
|
Los Angeles played good enough to win Game 3, but they came up a bit short because they were on the short end of the ref
|
05-24-10 |
Orlando Magic +7 v. Boston Celtics |
|
96-92 |
Win
|
100 |
17 h 24 m |
Show
|
After losing the first two games of this series on their home court, Orlando was in a terrific situation to get back into the series in Game 3 on Saturday night. However, that never happened as the Magic were embarrassed in Game 3 by Boston in a 23-point loss (94-71). The Celtics won the first quarter 27-12 and they never trailed in the entire game while holding a 32-point at one point in the game. Orlando
|
05-22-10 |
Orlando Magic +3.5 v. Boston Celtics |
|
71-94 |
Loss |
-110 |
17 h 2 m |
Show
|
Orlando was completely embarrassed on their home court in the first two games of this series. Boston had their way with the Magic on both ends of the floor as the Celtics offense couldn
|
05-21-10 |
Toronto Blue Jays +1.5 v. Arizona Diamondbacks |
|
6-8 |
Loss |
-143 |
13 h 48 m |
Show
|
Toronto brings a 14-7 record on the road into their first game on Friday night with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Jays are 6-2 over their last eight games and will be facing Danny Haren who has just not found much traction this season. The righty is 4-3 with a 4.83 ERA giving up 67 hits in 59.7 innings pitched. Haren has lost two straight decisions to the Braves and Dodgers. Over his last 10.6 innings of work, Haren has given up 11 runs and 18 hits. Haren hasn't faced the Jays since 2007 but he has a 5.77 ERA in six career starts against Toronto. Fred Lewis (8-19), Vernon Wells (6-17), Aaron Hill (5-11), Lyle Overbay (3-9), and Edwin Encarnacion (2-5) all have great numbers against Haren. The Jays are averaging more then six runs per game over their last eight and are hitting the ball extremely well right now.
Brandon Morrow is coming off a spectacular effort against Texas where he gave up two runs and eight hits in six innings of work. Morrow struck out eight in those six innings as he showed that if he can keep the walks down, he can be a successful pitcher. Not a single Diamondback has faced the right hander which also gives the edge to Morrow. Arizona has a losing record at home this season, and since they are also hitting sub .240 as a team over their last eight games, taking Toronto on the run line presents some tremendous value in this game. Play BLUE JAYS (+1.5 runline).
|
05-21-10 |
Cincinnati Reds v. Cleveland Indians +1.5 |
|
7-4 |
Loss |
-150 |
10 h 13 m |
Show
|
The Battle of Ohio begins on Friday night as the Indians host the Reds. Cleveland has lost four straight games, but they will be facing a Reds team that had their heart ripped out in Atlanta yesterday after the Braves scored seven runs in the ninth inning to win 10-9. The Reds will run into Jake Westbrook who is turning his season around going 2-0 with a 2.41 ERA in his last three starts. The righty has good numbers against Orlando Cabrera (5-25), Jonny Gomes (3-13), Miguel Cairo (1-4), and Laynce Nix (1-4). The Reds are also just 9-9 on the road where they hit only .246 as a team.
Cincinnati
|
05-19-10 |
Phoenix Suns +7.5 v. Los Angeles Lakers |
|
112-124 |
Loss |
-110 |
12 h 17 m |
Show
|
Phoenix was blasted in Game 1 by the Lakers 128-107. The Suns actually did not play as bad as the 21-point loss would indicate; they scored 107 points after shooting 49.4% (39-79) from the field. And they got to the free-throw line often, connecting on 75% (24-32) of their attempts. Their shooting troubles came from three-point land where they shot just 22.7% (5-22) which is well below their seasonal average of 41.1% from beyond the arc. With a return to normal long-range shooting by the Suns tonight, there
|
05-18-10 |
Seattle Mariners v. Oakland Athletics +1.5 |
|
5-6 |
Win
|
100 |
14 h 20 m |
Show
|
Oakland
|
05-17-10 |
Phoenix Suns v. Los Angeles Lakers -6 |
|
107-128 |
Win
|
100 |
15 h 32 m |
Show
|
Phoenix was highly impressive in their last series against San Antonio. The Suns swept the Spurs winning every game by at least 6 points after scoring 107 points or more in every one of those games as well. But the Suns are taking a big step-up in class here as the Lakers are a much better team than San Antonio and also a better all around team than Phoenix. The Suns have always had trouble playing against Los Angeles, and we expect more of the same here, especially in the opening game of this series.
Los Angeles dominated the Suns in three of the four meetings this season. The Lakers won the two homes games by 19 (121-102) and 20 (108-88) points. They controlled both of those games as they led by 27 and 23 points and they only trailed once in both games combined. They also held 21-point leads heading into the fourth quarter in both games. That
|
05-14-10 |
Chicago White Sox v. Kansas City Royals +1.5 |
|
1-6 |
Win
|
100 |
13 h 50 m |
Show
|
Kansas City got a victory and then fired their manager on Thursday. Beginning Friday, the Royals will be led by Ned Yost on the bench as they begin a home series with the White Sox. Chicago is 5-10 on the road and is hitting a paltry .230 as a team. They will face Gil Meche who may not have strong numbers, but he's coming off a solid outing against the Rangers. He managed to give up three runs and six hits in eight innings of work. Meche is 8-4 against the White Sox in 18 career starts. Mark Kotsay (5-34), Carlos Quentin (1-9), Mark Teahen (0-6) and Gordon Beckham (0-1) all have poor numbers against Meche.
Mark Buerhle is 2-4 with a 4.96 ERA. He is looking for his first win on the road as the left hander is 0-3 with a 6.11 ERA away from Chicago. Buerhle has been hit or miss against the Royals throughout his career. The lefty has given up nine runs and 16 hits in his last two starts against them. Billy Butler (11-33), Willie Bloomquist (13-30), Jason Kendall (7-18), Mitch Maier (7-16), Mike Aviles (5-16) and Brayan Pena (1-3) all have good numbers against the lefty. The Royals are hitting lefties well, scoring 4.7 runs per game. Since the White Sox are not in good current form losing four of their last six games, we
|
05-13-10 |
Cleveland Cavaliers +1 v. Boston Celtics |
|
85-94 |
Loss |
-110 |
21 h 29 m |
Show
|
These two teams had alternated wins and losses in this series before Boston won Games 4 and 5. The Celtics were on the winning end of Tuesday night
|
05-13-10 |
New York Yankees v. Detroit Tigers +1.5 |
|
0-6 |
Win
|
100 |
4 h 25 m |
Show
|
Detroit and the Yankees wrap up their series Thursday afternoon with a pair of aces on the mound. Justin Verlander has bounced back big-time after a bad start. The righty is 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA in his last three starts giving up just four earned runs in 20 innings of work. Verlander faced the Yankees twice last season going 1-1 against them. In 14 innings against the Bronx Bombers last year, he gave up two runs and 14 hits. Nick Swisher (7-38), Mark Teixeira (1-12), Jorge Posada (1-10) and Randy Winn (0-2) all have poor numbers against Verlander.
C.C. Sabathia is 4-1 with a 3.04 ERA. He opposed Verlander in both those games last season going 1-1 as well. In his 15 innings of work, he gave up four runs and 11 hits. Sabathia is 14-10 with a 4.50 ERA in 28 career starts against the Tigers. Magglio Ordonez (16-61), Ramon Santiago (7-21), Gerald Laird (5-12) and Miguel Cabrera (5-8) all have good numbers against the lefty. Overall the Tigers are 11-4 at home and 12-5 in day games, and in what projects to be a low-scoring game, we
|
05-13-10 |
Seattle Mariners v. Baltimore Orioles +1.5 |
|
5-6 |
Win
|
100 |
4 h 55 m |
Show
|
Baltimore got back on the winning track on Wednesday as they beat the Mariners. They
|
05-10-10 |
Orlando Magic v. Atlanta Hawks +6 |
|
98-84 |
Loss |
-110 |
10 h 20 m |
Show
|
Atlanta was embarrassed in Game 3 by Orlando for the second time in this series. The Hawks lost Game 1 by a whopping 43 points (114-71) in a performance that may go down as the worst loss in NBA Playoffs history. Atlanta lost Game 3 by 30 points (105-75) in a similarly dismal performance. However, Atlanta
|
05-09-10 |
Cleveland Cavaliers v. Boston Celtics +1 |
|
87-97 |
Win
|
100 |
11 h 46 m |
Show
|
|