The Yankees have won 3 straight and they remain 1/2 game back of the Rays in the tough AL East. The Braves have been up and down all season and even though they are coming off a loss they are 8-2 in their last 10 games and they only trail the Nationals by 2 games in the NL East.
After a solid stretch after a terrible start the Red Sox are reeling again having lost 7 of their last 10 games and they are coming off a 3-game sweep at the hands of the Nationals.
The Mariners used 6 pitchers to no hit the Dodgers on Friday night. Whats in store for Saturday?
Prior to their falter at the 2010 World Cup and the ensuing matches, this could quite possibly have been the match of the tournament. Instead, you have an Italy side going up against all odds when they face off with Spain on Sunday.
When: Sunday, June 10, 12:00 PM EST
Where: PGE Arena Gdansk
TV: ESPN
Line: Spain (-140), Italy +0.5 (+350), Draw (+255)
Spain comes into this match looking to be the first nation to win three major tournaments in succession, as they are defending European champions winning Euro 2008 as well as World Champions winning World Cup 2010. This is a side that ended 2011 with a bit of a flutter, but they have gotten everything going since the calendar turned.
The Spaniards are 4-0-0 in 2012. They have only conceded one time during that span, and that was during a 4-1 drubbing against South Korea. Their 2012 aggregate is 12-1. Pretty impressive and pretty discouraging for their upcoming competition as it seems they have things figured out.
It surly doesn’t leave much wiggle room for the Italians who much like Spain, finished the 2011 year on a bit of a downswing. The difference is that they have not found their way out of it yet.
They have however, come into this tournament with a balanced group after having transitioned into a youth movement after the train wreck that was their World Cup 2010.
Still, Italy has lost three matches in a row, on home soil and without netting a single goal. [ad-3678122]
I will be interesting to see how the always-controversial forward partnership of Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano will work together. If they can attract as much on field attention to their play as they do for off field distractions, they could very well led this hungry bunch of Italians out of the group stage.
Players to Watch:
Spain – Fernando Torres
Sure, this is not the same Torres from two-plus years ago that was destined for greatness at the top of this game. He is still an outstanding attacking threat though. He has recently started to pick things up for his club, and I am anxious to see whether he can carry his momentum through to his international play.
Italy – Gianluigi Buffon
There are a few players we could point out here, but against Spain, everything is going to start along the backline. Why not highlight the guy that has been in goal for Italy for what seems like an eternity. With over 100 caps under his belt, dating back all the way to 1998, if Italy are to right the ship, it will begin with Buffon.
Matt’s Free Pick– Italy–This is one match that is difficult to call. However, just from a betting perspective, I have to go with Italy against the spread. This will be tighter encounter than most are expecting as all opening round matches seem to be a little cagey.
Bert Van Marwijk has possibly the most talented squad in the tournament, but his team has been seeded in Group B, the group of death , and will open the tournament on Saturday against Denmark.
The Netherlands after reaching the World Cup final in 2010 are second favorites, but can they live up to expectations?
When: Saturday, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Oblasny SportKomplex Metalist
TV: ESPN / FOX
Line: Netherlands (-165), Denmark (+500), Draw (+265)
On one hand, you have a side that is expected to make it all the way to the final.
Then in Denmark’s case, you have a solid side that is expected to finish last in the group because it has to not only face and take down Germany and the Danes–two of the best squads in world football–but will also have to fair well enough against Portugal and their superstar Cristiano Ronaldo who is arguably the best player in the world.
The Netherlands have enjoyed a pretty successful 2012 campaign thus far. The lone hiccup being in their EURO 2012 tune up matches. Bulgaria used a 93rd minute goal to propel them by the Dutch side when they were playing in front of their home faithful.
Aside from that match, Holland are a perfect 3-0 in the others. Including wins against England, Slovakia, and Northern Ireland.
On the other side of the ball you have a solid side that has just not played well this year. [ad-3678122]
Denmark lost to Russia 2-0 back in February, then they had one good tune up match, and one bad. The bad came against Brazil in which they fell by a margin of 3-1. Then they softened up the schedule a little bit with an aging Australian side. A match that they took by a 2-0 score.
Although the Netherlands is a far superior squad, Coach Morten Olsen does have a good mix of youth and experience and some key players that could make a massive difference.
Players to Watch:
Denmark – Nicklas Bendtner
Another attacking threat to be on the lookout for. He has scored six goals in his last eight international appearances. If Denmark are to break through in this one, it will likely be due to this young attacker. Who is just 24 years old right now.
Netherlands – Robin Van Persie
This guy is just a goal scoring machine. He had one of the better goal scoring seasons in EPL history earlier, and that has not slowed down on the international level. Van Persie has scored seven time in his last nine games.
Although that is a little skewed with his four goal outburst against San Marino, no one would be surprised if he opened the scoring in this one.
Matt’s Free Pick– Netherlands–The Dutch attack will be far too much for the Danes, who just can’t sit back and defend for 90 minutes.
They’ve got to push, which will probably result in outnumbered counter attacks and eventually their demise.
The Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles meet in an interesting Interleague matchup this weekend. Philadelphia was expected to be the team near the top of their division, but the Orioles come in with an impressive record in 2012.
Co-hosts Poland is a side that have played very well as of late, and given that they are one of the host nations, this could be a very special tournament for them, as they open the 2012 UEFA 2012 European Championships on Friday against Greece in Warsaw.
Germany comes into the Euro playing great and they are the favorites to win Group B, which has to be the Group of Death, and they also have the 2nd best odds to win the whole tournament.
Kings look to sweep their way to 1st ever Stanley Cup
The Los Angeles Kings are one win away from their first Stanley Cup triumph in their 45 year history – on Wednesday night they will have an opportunity to clinch and finish the postseason 16-2! How good have they been so far in the playoffs?
Sorry folks – Tiger Woods is taking the week off! And for once, he deserves it. The PGA TOUR moves to Memphis Tennessee this week for the final tune-up for next week’s US Open.
The Spurs won 20 straight games, but now they have lost three in a row and they are on the brink of elimination. Oklahoma City is a young team who appears to be coming of age right before our eyes in the playoffs.
The Yankees shut out the Rays in yesterday’s game and now they only trail Tampa Bay by 1/2 game in the AL East. The Yankees are 7-3 in their last 10 games while the Rays are only 4-6 in their last 10 games.
While the Los Angeles Dodgers are struggling, the San Francisco Giants have been playing some terrific baseball of late.
A couple weeks ago the Dodgers were running away with the best record in baseball and the National League West, but they’ve hit the skids a bit lately.
With their solid play lately the Angels, who are 8-2 in their last 10 games, have moved into 3rd place in the AL West and they only trail the Rangers by 4.5 games.
The Western Conference Finals are living up to the hype. Both teams took care of business on their home court and we are all level at two games apiece. Now, it’s time for a pivotal Game Five. Which team can stick their nose out in front?
