NFL division odds are out. At first glance it appears that a season of repeats is in order with seven of eight defending division winners favored to turn the trick again this year, but a closer look shows that there is quite a bit of value to be found in these plays.
The Chicago Blackhawks already passed a huge test in their second round series with the Detroit Red Wings – they survived their first elimination game Saturday night. Another huge test looms Monday night – another elimination game – this time in what is sure to be an amped up Joe Louis Arena.
The Angels (23-27) are the hottest team in baseball, as they have won 8 straight games. They have a lot of work still to do, as they trail the Texas Rangers by 9 games in the AL West.
The 2 seasons for the New York teams could not be going any differently, as the Yankees have been great, despite their many injuries, while the Mets have the 2nd fewest wins in the National League.
The Spurs are up 3-0 in this series and after the Game 1 blowout the last 2 games have gone to overtime. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series, but in an interesting fact the Grizzlies are the only team in NBA history to be down 0-2 in a series and win the next 4 games by double-digits.
As Arte Johnson used to say on the 1960s television show “Laugh In” – Verrrrry interesting. The Pacers’ surprising Game 2 win in Miami may not exactly have the Heat back on their heels, but the victory has caught the attention of fans nationally.
The Pacers shocked the Heat in Miami in Game 2 with a win and now heading back to Indiana the Pacers now have home court advantage in this series. LeBron James had 2 late turnovers that killed the Heat in Game 2 and Miami did not play good D in the game allowing the Pacers to shoot 50% from the floor.
The 2012-2013 NFL season was filled with lots of great action, and you can expect more of the same in the 2013-2014 season. There are plenty of teams who are capable of finishing the season as Super Bowl champions.
If the Memphis Grizzlies proved anything in their Game 2 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, it’s that despite what many of us may have thought, they Grizz indeed are capable of coming from behind despite their deliberate pound-the-ball-in-low offense.
The St. Louis Cardinals came into Friday night with the best record in baseball. As this is being written they were beating L.A 3-0 and looking to extend their lead in the National League Central. You have to hand it to St. Louis for always being so competitive.
As this is being written the Mets and Braves were tied at 5 and in a delay in the 8th of this series opener. The Atlanta Braves are firmly in first in the National League East and are 7-3 in their last 10 heading into Friday night.
Sportsbooks see a ton of action over the course of the NFL season. The flood gates won’t open until Week 1, but win totals give us some insight into how oddsmakers feel about our favorite teams. They also give us a preview of which teams should offer some value in the early weeks of the season.
With the playoffs in full swing it’s a good time to take a look at the candidates for the upcoming NHL awards before the regular season becomes but a blip in our rear-view mirror. The finalists for each award have been announced, and lines are trickling in at various sportsbooks.
Game 2 of the Eastern Conference playoff finals can’t tip off soon enough for Indiana coach Frank Vogel, who has spent the last 36 hours being second-guessed – and second-guessing himself – for leaving his best big man on the bench in the final seconds of Game 1 and watching LeBron James and the Heat take the Pacers’ lunch money.
The Philadelphia Phillies have a chance to leapfrog the Washington Nationals into second place over the weekend – not bad considering there is maybe one or two players in the lineup and a couple of pitchers that are living up to or exceeding expectations so far.
The Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks are all tied atop the National League West heading into this series.
Friday May 24
AT&T Park – San Francisco, CA
10:15PM
Probable Pitchers:
COL: Tyler Chatwood (R)
SF: Tim Lincecum (R)
Moneyline: San Francisco -148, Colorado +138
O/U: 7.5
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The Rockies have to be the biggest surprise up there as preseason predictions generally placed them as the worst team in the division.
The Rockies took 3 of 4 against the Giants at home to bridge the gap and one of the reasons for their strong record in their 16-10 mark against division competition…but things are different for this team away from Coors.
Starter Tyler Chatwood has been a pleasant surprise this season. Cast off by the Angels (who could probably use him right now) Chatwood is 2-0 this season with a shiny E.R.A. of 2.55 but that is probably not sustainable when you look at his peripherals which are in line with those from his days in L.A.
The Rockies seems to feel good when Chatwood takes the mound scoring an average of more than 9 runs a game. With that kind of support anybody can be a winner.
As mentioned above the Giants are tied with the Rockies and Diamondbacks atop the division. The Giants have won the world series twice in the last three seasons but they are still one of the most confounding teams in the league.[dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Amongst teams with a winning record they have the second lowest run differential at just +4 even though they are 5 games over the .500 mark.
They are a much better team at home where their 17 wins is tied for best in the Majors.
After a miserable 2012 season that was leaving his career in doubt Tim Lincecum has improved slightly this season – it has been amazing to watch his slide. He was hammered by the Rockies last weekend, in fact his numbers against Colorado this year are the following: 11IP, 12ER. The “Freak” has just become too inconsistent to get behind any more.
Though it should be noted the Giants are 6-3 in his starts this season. I just prefer pitchers who influence the game in a positive way rather than getting lucky.
I am totalty comfortable fading the Freak and the Giants Friday night. Its not because I am a true believer in Chatwood but I think his team will back him up against the Giants the way they have all season long.
I think either way you can go over, the Giants are scoring more runs than their reputation of their championship years.
O/U: Over
Score Prediction: Colorado 7 – San Francisco 5
