Handicapper Profile

05/17 10:05 PM EST  MLB   (925) KANSAS CITY ROYALS VS (926) OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Take: (925) MLB Mound Mismatch of the Month: Royals.
Oakland just came back from a 12-game road trip then had to battle first place Texas. Now a KC team comes to town with a good offense, 7th in baseball in batting average. KC also has ace James Shields on the hill with a 2.48 ERA striking out 53 in 58 innings with only 14 walks and 42 hits allowed. Shields will make his next scheduled start Friday at Oakland, a team he fired a complete game against with 11 strikeouts in his only outing last year as a member of the Rays. He is 5-3 against Oakland, as well. The Royals are 6-2 in their last 8 vs. a team with a losing record. Oakland goes with Jarrod Parker (2-5, 6.86 ERA) who has been terrible, walking 22 in 40+ innings while allowing 75 base runners. He has a career 7.71 ERA against Kansas City, as well. Oakland has been in a major funk and the Athletics are 3-7 in Parker's last 10 starts. Play the KC Royals.     

5/17 7:10 PM EST   MLB   (905) ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS VS (906) MIAMI MARLINS
Take: High Roller MLB Diamond Total Dominator: D-Backs/Marlins under the total.
Miami doesn't have much going for it but they do have starter Kevin Slowey (2.55 ERA), who has struck out 39 batters in 49 innings with only 11 walks. It helps to pitch in a big park like this, tough to score runs in. And this Miami offense is awful, 30th in baseball in runs scored, on-base percentage and slugging. The Under is 17-7-2 in the Marlins last 26 home games. Arizona is in town with an average offense, 15th in runs scored and slugging, plus 17th in OBP. The under is 7-1 in the Diamondbacks last 8 games following an off day. But starter Trevor Cahill (2.70 ERA) is having a great season allowing 39 hits in 50 innings and they are on a 7-1 run under the total when Cahill starts. Play the Diamondbacks/Marlins under the total.     

05/17 7:35 PM EST  NHL   (11) OTTAWA SENATORS VS (12) PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Take: UNDER THE TOTAL.  
Reason: Pittsburgh rolled in Game 1, 4-1, and it's clear Ottawa doesn't have the offensive firepower to get into a shootout with the Penguins. Ottawa is 27th in the NHL in goals scored and 20th on the power play. Their game is to slow it down to a crawl, 2nd in the NHL in goals allowed and tops in penalty killing. The Senators went 0 for 5 on the power play in Game 1 and are just 1 for 17 with the man advantage against Pittsburgh this season. Pittsburgh is also terrific on defense, 12th in the league in goals allowed. Play Ottawa/Pittsburgh Game 2 Under the Total.

05/16 8:00 PM EST  NBA   (739) INDIANA PACERS VS (740) NEW YORK KNICKS
Take: (740) NEW YORK KNICKS.
Reason: The Knicks have their backs to the wall and need a big effort to stay alive after 2 losses in Indiana. Don't look for the same weak offense as NY Coach Mike Woodson said he is contemplating lineup changes. They take on a Pacers team that had a losing road record this season as their offense is poor away from home. NY won Game 2 on this court allowing 79 points. The Pacers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games and 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The Knicks are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 home games and when these teams meet the home team is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings. Play the NY Knicks in Game 5.  

05/16 7:35 PM EST  NHL   (5) NEW YORK RANGERS VS (6) BOSTON BRUINS
Take: (6) BOSTON BRUINS
Reason: Game 1 between these longtime rivals opens in Boston, both teams off thrilling Game 7 victories. New York has a losing record on the road this season with a mediocre offense, 15th in goals scored, 23rd on the power play. They have to play a Game 7 on the road and now head out on the road again. By contrast, Boston is playing at home for the second straight game, off a Game 7 miracle comeback. It was a game they should have lost, down 4-1 late, but they are playing with the house's money now, with little pressure after such a shocking comeback. The Bruins have been great at home all season and has terrific balance and depth, 13th in goals scored, 3rd in goals allowed. Play the Bruins in Game 1.

05/16 7:05 PM ESt  MLB   (953) MILWAUKEE BREWERS VS (954) PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Take: (954) NL Central Game of the Year: Pirates.
Milwaukee is a bad road team and has a REAL bad starter going in Hiram Burgos (6.86 ERA). Burgos allowed a career-worst 12 runs (10 earned) on 11 hits over three innings in a 13-7 defeat his last start. The Brewers are 2-10 against a team with a winning record and 0-4 against a left-handed starter. They face southpaw Francisco Liriano, who has been rehabbing but comes off a brilliant first start. He mowed through the Mets. Liriano allowed just one run on an infield single in the sixth inning that ended his day. He did not allow a batter to reach third base through his first five innings of work. He struck out nine batters while allowing six hits and two walks to earn the win in an 11-2 game. His velocity was good throughout the start, averaging 93.6 miles per hour with his two-seam fastball. The Pirates are 7-3 in their last 10 vs. a team with a losing record and will roll behind their under-the-radar starter. Play the Pirates.     

05/16 7:10 PM EST  MLB   (955) CINCINNATI REDS VS (956) MIAMI MARLINS
Take: High Roller Total Crusher Total: Reds/Marlins under the total.
Miami doesn't have much going for it but they do have starter Jose Fernandez (3.65 ERA), who has struck out 39 batters in 37 innings with only 14 walks. It helps to pitch in a big park like this, tough to score runs in. And this Miami offense is awful, 30th in baseball in runs scored, on-base percentage and slugging. The Under is 16-6-2 in the Marlins last 24 home games. Cincinnati is in town and they hit at home but struggle on offense on the road with a losing road record. Starter Mat Latos (4-0, 3.04 ERA) is having a great season walking 14 in 50 innings with 47 Ks and has already shut down this Miami team with 10 Ks and one walk in 7 innings (1.29 ERA). The under is 5-2-1 in Latos' last 8 starts with 4 days of rest. Don't look for any runs; Play the Reds/Marlins under the total.     

05/16 7:10 PM ESt  MLB   (963) BOSTON RED SOX VS (964) TAMPA BAY RAYS
Take: (964) Home Field Crusher: Rays.
Struggling Boston needs a stopper but doesn't have one here in lefty Felix Doubront (6.40 ERA). He has a 6.35 ERA his last three starts walking 10 in 17 innings. The Red Sox are 14-39 against a team with a winning record and 5-22 in their last 27 road games against a team with a winning record! Tampa Bay has home field and this talented team is beginning to hit, playing great baseball and is on a 21-7 run at home. Starter Alex Cobb has great stuff and control, with a 46-10 strikeout to walk ratio in 46+ innings. The Rays are 22-7 in their last 29 games vs. a left-handed starter and 20-7 on astroturf. Play the Rays.     

05/16 8:05 PM EST  MLB   (965) DETROIT TIGERS VS (966) TEXAS RANGERS
Take: (965) DETROIT TIGERS
Reason: A tough spot for Texas, coming home from a 10-game road trip and playing yesterday at Oakland on the West Coast. Yu Darvish has a 4.50 ERA his last three starts. His last start was against a terrible Houston team and he allowed three runs on three hits over seven innings in an 8-7 win. Those tired Texas bats have to face Justin Verlander (1.93 ERA), who has struck out 57 in 51 innings. He is 3-1 with a 1.08 ERA over four starts on the road this season and 7-2 with a 2.02 ERA against Texas. First place Detroit has a powerhouse offense, tops in baseball in runs scored, batting average and on-base percentage. The Tigers are 35-17 in their last 52 games vs. a right-handed starter and the Tigers are 8-3 in Verlander's last 11 starts vs. the Rangers. Play the Detroit Tigers.     

05/16 10:10 PM EST  MLB   (959) WASHINGTON NATIONALS VS (960) SAN DIEGO PADRES
Take: (959) WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Reason: Can't trust the "resurgence" of wild man Edinson Volquez. Okay, so he has a 3.44 ERA his last three starts, but he's walked 10 in thos starts (18 innings) with only 9 strikeouts. On the season he has a 5.15 ERA, and in his career he has a 5.87 ERA against Washington. It's a tough situational spot for the Padres, playing at Baltimore on the East Coast yesterday before flying home for this one. The Nationals are 15-6 in their last 21 vs. a team with a losing record. Washington has ace Stephen Strasburg going with 23 Ks in his last three starts covering 18 innings. He has a 3.10 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP through his first eight starts of the season. And the Nationals are 5-1 in the last 6 meetings in San Diego. Play the Nationals.     

05/15 9:35 PM EST  NBA   (737) MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (738) OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Take: Under the total.  
Reason: Memphis is a slow down, powerhouse defensive team and has had a field day on an Oklahoma City offense without Russell Westbrook. OKC has been turning the ball over a lot and with no other reliable offensive option Memphis can harass and double team Kevin Durant. The under is 21-8 in the Grizzlies last 29 vs. the NBA Northwest division behind Center Marc Gasol, who was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year last month. Oklahoma City is an underrated defensive team, second in the NBA field goal shooting percentage allowed (.425%) during the regular season (behind Indiana) and 9th in points allowed. The under is 21-7-2 in Thunder last 30 overall and 18-6-2 under the total against the Western Conference. With so much at stake, look for an all-out defensive war. Play the Grizzlies/Thunder Game 5 under the total.

05/15 8:05 PM EST  NHL   (7) DETROIT RED WINGS VS (8) CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
Take: over the total.
Reason: Detroit is off a grueling Game 7 win out West and now travels to mighty Chicago. They will be tired and look for the Blackhawks to attack all game long. Detroit has not gone under the total the last 4 games, allowing 4, 2, 3, 3 and 2 goals, while scoring 12 goals the last 4 games. Chicago can play any style and is second in the NHL in goals scored, off a 5-1 win over Minnesota. Chicago has scored 15 goals the last 4 games. The over is 6-2-3 in the Blackhawks last 11 home games and 3-1-1 over the total playing on 3 or more days rest. Play the Red Wings/Black Hawks Game 1 over the total.