Baseball Picks: Yankees/Red Sox Friday Aug. 7th

Baseball picks are often difficult to produce due to the inconsistency of starting pitchers. However, you occasionally get a match-up that clearly favor one side more than the other. On Friday Night in the Bronx, you will see what I mean.

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox square off in Game 2 of 4 in the Bronx. This is a match-up of ex-Florida Marlin teammates Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett. While Beckett is arguably considered the best pitcher in baseball, he has had moments of weakness during the course of the 2009 season. His 13-4 record and 3.27 ERA are rather impressive, but if you look deeper you will see that he has struggled at times. Three of his 4 losses have come on the road this year. He has not been the power pitcher he was a couple of years ago as he has only recorded 2 games with double-digit strikeouts this season.

A.J. Burnett has looked great at times, but occasional falls asleep behind the wheel as he did in his last outing against the White Sox on August 1st. He allowed 7 earned runs on 10 hits over 4.2 innings. This was by far his worst performance of the season as he had only allowed 7 earned runs in the entire month of July and 9 in June. Burnett is as reliable a starter as you can find. He has pitched into the 7th inning in all but 4 games this year.

Sometimes things just line-up perfectly for a particular game. This is one of those times. The line will be low because Beckett has already beaten the Yanks twice this season, and up until Thursday Boston had won all 8 of their meeting against the Yanks. The tide has turned as of the All-Star game. The Yankees have won 14 out of 19 while regaining the lead in the American League East. The Yankee bats have been red-hot, and Boston has slowed down over the last month.

Take the Yankees Friday night as A.J. Burnett takes it to the Boston line-up. These MLB baseball picks are the opinion of a professional sports handicapper.

Baseball Picks: Yankees vs. A’s July 25th

It has been fairly easy to make baseball picks on the New York Yankees since the All-Star break. They are a perfect 7-0 going into Friday’s match-up with the Oakland Athletics and look to extend their lead in the AL East from Boston. The New and not necessarily improved Yankee Stadium has yielded a staggering amount of home runs thus far. This does not bode well for the Oakland A’s pitching staff.

The Yankees and Athletics face off in Game 3 of a 4 game set. New York will start Andy Pettitte against Oakland second year starter Gio Gonzalez. Gonzalez has been a project to say the least. He currently has a 9.33 ERA in 27 innings over 4 starts, and will have a tough task containing the Bronx Bombers in the “House that George Built”. Gio has given up 7 home runs out of the 45 hits he has issued. This is not a good thing when facing the Yankees.

Andy Pettitte has been a staple in the Yankees rotation for years. He is coming off of a solid performance against Baltimore in which he allowed just 1 run while striking out 8 and walking 2. Pettitte’s numbers have not been up to par this season, but he is still on pace for around 15-16 wins. You can always expect a bulldog approach when he’s on the mound. He’s sure to get plenty of run support Saturday against the A’s, which should allow him to get into his comfort zone much sooner.

Take the Yankees at home as they pound Gio Gonzalez and the Oakland A’s. I anticipate a high scoring affair, so the “over” is a good bet as well. These baseball picks are my opinion as an expert MLB handicapper.

Baseball Picks: Angels @ Athletics July 16th

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have been a hard team to make baseball picks on since the start of the season. Their slow start to the year made it seem as though they were far removed from their World Championship days. However, the Angels have flipped the switch since their 6-11 start, and are now leading the Major Leagues in batting average.

Starting pitching is still somewhat of a concern. John Lackey and Ervin Santana are a combined 5-9 this year, and will need to step it up in the second half in order to make a serious playoff run. Santana tries to get it going tonight against Dallas Braden and the Oakland A’s. Braden has had a good year thus far with a 7-7 record and a solid 3.12 ERA.

The Angels ended the second half on a 20-8 run that concluded with a 3-game sweep of the New York Yankees. They’re hitting well and Vlad seems to be coming around. Take the Angels tonight as Santana gets back to his old form and shuts down the Oakland bats. Expect a low scoring game as I don’t see either starting pitcher giving up too much.

This line is what I like to call a “false favorite”. Oakland had to be favored at home with Braden throwing against Santana, but the oddsmakers kept the line as low as they could without making it look too obvious. In order to make quality baseball picks, you must know how to read MLB lines and game situations. These picks are my opinion as a sports handicapper, and are written to give you insight on each match-up. Good luck!

MLB Picks: Texas @ Seattle July 10th

Producing winning MLB picks is the result of hard work, knowledge of professional handicapping and taking advantage of good situations. The Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers will play the second of a 4 game series tonight. The Rangers held on to a 1-0 lead until the 8th inning when Franklin Gutierrez hit a 3 run bomb to seal the deal for Seattle.

Friday night’s match-up features Scott Feldman (7-2, 3.91 era) against Brandon Morrow (0-3, 5.05 era). Both teams are in playoff contention as Texas leads the West by a half game over Anaheim and 3.5 over the Mariners. Although the pitching match-up seems one-sided, I am picking the Seattle Mariners in a minor upset tonight. The Rangers have been mediocre at best on the road this season compiling a 19-20 record thus far. They have been very streaky with their bats and occasionally find themselves on the wrong side of blowouts.

Seattle is starting to feel as if they have a shot at the division and will be playing their best to get Morrow his first win of the season tonight. Anticipate another low scoring affair tonight. Ichiro Suzuki is now batting .356 after another 3 hit game yesterday, but it’s the Mariners pitching staff that has them in the hunt. Baseball is an extremely difficult sports to handicap. That being said, these MLB predictions are my opinion and are written to give you insight into how a sports handicapper breaks down a game.

Baseball Picks: Yankees/Twins July 8th

The Yankees are on a tear! Making baseball picks on the Bombers over the last 2 weeks would have made you a ton of cash. They have won 11 out of their last 13 games while scoring almost 7 runs per game.

A.J. Burnett faces off against Glen Perkins Wednesday night in Minnesota. While New York has been tearing up opposing pitching all season long, I am taking this game to go under the posted total of 9.5. Both pitchers are coming off of consecutive wins in which they allowed 2 runs or less. I expect much of the same here.

Perkins was activated from the DL on June 16. Since that day, he has gone 3-1 and lowered his ERA by almost a full point from 5.36 to 4.38. He’s not an overpowering pitcher that rings up tons of strikeouts, but Perkins does what it takes to get the job done.  Burnett is also on a hot streak as he has won 5 of his last 7 giving up a total of 9 runs in the process. A.J. is known as a strikeout pitcher (99 this season), but he can sometimes be erratic and put runners on base. Although he occasionally gets himself in trouble, he is good enough to get out of tight jams.

As a MLB handicapper, I see this game being a pitchers duel as both starters are really peaking at this point in the season. Lay your money on the under as this hot pitching duo shuts down the opposing batters. All of my baseball picks are written to give you insight into each particular match-up. Good luck.

Baseball Picks-Angels vs. Dodgers June 21st

One of the keys to making solid and profitable baseball picks is to know when to get on a team that’s surging. The Los Angeles Dodgers may have the best record in all of baseball, but the Angels are playing better ball right now.

John Lackey takes the mound tonight for the Angels against the Dodgers Clayton Kershaw. With the Angels having won 7 out of their last 10 and Lackey coming off of a win against San Francisco in which he went 7 innings and gave up only 3 earned runs, I give them the edge at home against the over-achieving Dodgers.

Without Manny, the Dodgers have still played good ball, but it’s hard to forget that they play in the weak NL West. The Giants are currently in second place in the west and are amongst the worst in all of Major League Baseball in runs scored. While I realize that a team can only play and try to win the games that are on their schedule, it’s easy to be critical when inter-league action comes around.

The match-ups between the different leagues is what exposes many teams as frauds. The Dodgers are by no means a fraud, however, they aren’t as good as their 45-24 record may indicate. Lackey has been on of the Angels most dominate pitchers for years. With the help of a solid offensive line-up he will have plenty of run support to beat the Dodgers tonight.

Take the Angels at home as they bounce back from the loss last night and take 2 out of 3 in this series. Baseball picks are often over thought. Many bettors take dogs that they feel have good value because they are getting big money back on their investment. Stick with good teams at home and teams that are playing well and you’ll be successful at sports betting.

Basketball Picks- NBA Finals Game 5

Basketball picks are sometimes made easier when you factor in the situation. With the NBA Championships on the line, the Orlando Magic are in desperate need of a win in Game.

Now that the Los Angeles Lakers own a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals they should be more relaxed for Game 5. This could spell trouble! If the Lakers play loose and allow Orlando to do the same, this will play into the hands of Orlando’s up-tempo offense.

The Magic have had a tough time getting off shots all series, because the Lakers are forcing them into a half court game. Orlando likes to fast break and catch teams off guard with their high octane, 3-point shooting offense. If they get off to a fast start, this could be a high scoring game.

Take the over as both teams play a fast paced style. The point spread on this game is Orlando -3.5. This line is higher than the last game which was Orlando -2. We all know that the Magic have their backs to the wall, but I feel this increased spread is due to what each teams state of mind will be in Game 5.

As I said before, the Lakers will be relaxed. I don’t think the Magic are the type of team that is worried about being down 3-1 in the series. They will play the same way they have been (they are a missed lay-up and a Derrick Fisher 3 away from being up 3-1). With a faster pace inevitable, I think Orlando will get the win in Game 5. As a basketball handicapper, I feel the change of pace for the Lakers will benefit Orlando’s style of play. Take Orlando and give up the 3.5 points.

The basketball picks I have for Game 5 of the NBA Championships are my opinion. Hopefully they will help you in you betting. Good Luck!

NBA Finals- Basketball Predictions Game 4

It’s easy to see that the Lakers are on a mission, but making basketball predictions in the playoffs are about situational advantages and not who’s hot.

The Orlando Magic are a lay up away from leading this series two games to one. While the Lakers look to be a team of destiny after a blowout loss ended their NBA Championship dreams last year, the Orlando Magic have had somewhat of a dream run of their own.

After a horrible shooting performance in Game 1, the Orlando Magic have turned things around in Games 2 and 3 including a NBA Finals record 62 percent shooting from the field Tuesday night. The Lakers have match-up problems with the shooting tandem of Turkoglu and Lewis. Both of these sharp shooters have big bodies and the ability to go to the rim. This puts pressure on who ever is guarding them to keep them away from the rim without giving them enough space to shoot open jumpers.

The youth of Orlando is also giving the Lakers problems. You can see that in the 3rd and 4th quarters, the Lakers (Kobe included) are struggling to keep up with the Magic’s pace of play. Now that Jameer Nelson is available off of the bench, this will keep guys like Rafer Alson fresh throughout the game.

Expect a more concerted effort on defense for the Magic as the spent more time admiring their own shots in Game 3 than they did playing defense. Orlando is the best shooting team in the league and are at home. They will make their shots and they will win Game 4. Take Orlando in Game 4 and give up the 2 points. Don’t forget that even though the Magic dodged a bullet in last game, they are still in a must win situation. Going down in the NBA Finals 3-1 with 2 games to play in Los Angeles would be devastating to Orlando.

If you are not as confident about laying the points in this game then take Orlando moneyline. You will have to pay a bigger price, but it’s worth it. The total is only 201. To me, this screams under. They just scored 112 points in the previous game and now they have lowered the O/U? This only makes sense if you are an oddsmaker. While I feel that Orlando will play well, I don’t see them shooting 62 percent again. Take the under.

My basketball predictions of the Magic and the Under are my opinion and are here to give you insight as to how an expert handicapper sees a match up. Good Luck!

Betting on Basketball- NBA Picks for Finals Game 3

As a professional handicapper I understand the importance of having winning NBA picks, but for many gamblers, betting on basketball is nothing more than fun.

For a basketball handicapper, picking games day in and day out is work. Sports gaming is a business that is taken seriously. An NBA Finals game is treated no differently from a handicapping point of view than a game in the first week of the season. However, if you are not a professional gambler that makes money betting for a living, then you’re probably just betting to have a vested interest in a game to make it more enjoyable.

There is nothing wrong with taking your own “gut feeling” and laying a few bucks on a game. If you are like the 95 percent of amateur gamblers out there, then you are using this approach. This is why bookies and off-shore sportsbooks are so successful. However, if you are using this method you shouldn’t be betting a lot of money. It absolutely will NOT make you profits.

If you are serious about betting and would like to have an edge over the oddsmakers, then you consider using the services of an expert handicapper. There is absolutely no question that a expert handicapper has a long term edge on the books. There are many different variables that come into play when handicapping a sports event. The average gambler doesn’t even know what those variables are.

Game 3 of the NBA Finals is tonight. The Magic showed signs of life in Game 2 as they should have made an easy layup at the end of regulation to come out of LA with a split. Their shooting was better, but not as good as it has been. I expect a much better shooting effort from Orlando in Game 3 as they win this one by close to 10. Dwight Howard is not the key offensively for the Magic. They need to make more outside shots, and they will. As long as Howard keeps the Lakers honest in the paint and contests some shots, they will dominate this game and take the Lakers down.

The under is still the play. These teams are playing much harder and with more of a physical presence then they have in their first 3 rounds. These NBA picks are my opinion and are posted more to give you information than to tell you what to do. Good luck!

NHL Picks- Finals Game 5

It has been fairly easy to make profitable NHL picks thus far in the finals. The Detroit Red Wings have dictated the style of play on their home ice and Pittsburgh has done the same.

The first 2 games were physical battles that were won by the more dominant defense. After going down 0-2, the Penguins made adjustments on the offensive side of the puck. Crosby and Malkin both receive more ice time at home, which gave them a better opportunity to score. In the first two meetings of the NHL Finals the Pittsburgh decided that keeping guys fresh was the best approach against a more physical Detroit squad.

They always say that a series doesn’t start until a team wins on the road. This seems like a huge task for the Penguins, but is it really? The current line for the game is at Detroit -155. This is a smaller number than in the first 2 home games. Also, with the improbability of Detroit losing 3 consecutive games, this line seems too low. Do the oddsmakers know something? They always do!

Having the knowledge that it takes to be an expert NHL handicapper, I say take the Pittsburgh Penguins goal line on the road Saturday night. Now that they have their offense clicking, I expect them to be much more aggressive in Detroit. A win here could send them home with a chance to closeout the series.

I do anticipate a more defensive oriented game. With that being said, I would lean towards taking the under. These NHL picks are only my opinion, but I hope that you use this information to turn a profit.