NBA Playoff Pick-a-thon Day 26: Hot Tub Time Machine Meets Freaky Friday

POST-SEASON RECORD TO DATE: 42-19 ATS 

CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS: 12-5 ATS 

CONFIDENCE EFFICIENCY RATING (CER): 83/120 or .69

TOP CONFIDENCE PICKS THROUGH DAY 25: 17-7 ATS 

The game just ended in San Antonio, and all that's left to do as Warriors fans now is hope they can win there again before our kids graduate from college. Anyone have a kid graduating on Monday?

                   

Golden State looked out-manned, out-coached, out-skilled, and out of back up plans. The Warriors notorious back court of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson who took turns wreaking havoc on the Alamo in Games 1 and 2 were silenced by the "Life Guards" (copy write TSZ) of Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard whose stifling defense was like a big, red warning sign by the side of the pool that reads NO SPLASHING ALLOWED. 

                             

Just wait - it'll catch on,.

In the early game, we were reminded once again why the New York Knicks will not be competing for an NBA championship any time soon. Amar'e Stoudemire looked rusty. Carmelo Anthony looked tired. And Jason Kidd should have re-tired. Talk about "not with a bang but a whimper." He hasn't scored in eight games. Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers looked like and played like a team rather than a one-dimensional team with a broken dimension. This series might not end in New York, but it won't end well for the Knicks when it does. 

                    

Here are a few more observations from the past two days of Conference Semi-Final basketball. 

3. Aging Veteran Alert - there was a Richard Hamilton sighting Monday in Chicago. What? I know. Apparently, he is still in the league. I loved that guy back in the '90's. Had I known he was playing for the Bulls, I would have started a Twirus (Twitter Virus) petitioning Coach T. for more playing time. Eleven points in 22 minutes. Where the heck was he when the Bulls were getting lit up in Game 2? Come on' man, don't rip on Rip - the boy can still outrun and out-shoot most of the league. Thibodeau either considers Hamilton is a defensive liability or he thinks plastic masks are "for wusses."

                    
"Man, I could really go for some fava beans and a nice chianti"

2. Speaking of long-forgotten super stars...Tracy McGrady finally got some playing time in the Warriors-Spurs game last night. I think it was his first playing time in the second round of the playoffs since his days in Aburndale High in Florida. Unless of course you count his recent run with  the Qingdao Eagles of the CBA (Chinese Basketball Association). Real image not available due to censorship laws.

                        

1. Back to the Indiana-New York game. I'm very confused as to the NBA rules that are allowing Chris Bosh to play for the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers. I know he changes his name and shaves his goatee in an attempt to keep his secret, but let's face it - he just looks like Clark Kent and Clark Kent with a goatee. 

                        

Okay "Lance Stephenson" - feel free to collect two paychecks, but let me be the first to warn you that it's going to get tricky-like-a-Wayans-Brothers-movie in the Eastern Conference Finals when Miami plays Indiana. I mean, c'mon dude, how many times are you going to be able to come up with excuses to run to the locker room "for a minute" and "be right back." I say stick with Indy, because you look a little less serpentine without the facial hair.

                       

Let's get to today's action. And remember, if you hate basketball - scroll down to the bottom of the post for NHL and MLB handicapping.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (-4.5) over Memphis Grizzlies: Back against the wall, OKC will play their hearts out at home. Durant will not let them lose and Kevin Martin and Reggie Jackson will provide him with some complementary scoring to send this series back to Memphis. What happened to the Durantula nickname, anyway?

                               

MIAMI HEAT (-14) over Chicago Bulls: With no Hinrich or Deng in sight, we don't see the Bulls covering this spread in Miami. This game will resemble last night's in San Antonio - close for a while, but one run by Miami will be enough to let the air slowly leak from the Bulls until the game is out of hand. See you next year, Joakim Fro-ah, the playoffs will miss you.

                              

I know - where's the analysis? To which I say, it's Day 26 of the NBA Playoff Pick-a-thon.

Good luck out there,

Vinny and Marco

BONUS COVERAGE FROM KYLE'S CORNER

Okay so a recap of Tuesday looks like this

MLB: 8-6-1

Overall total: 61-46-3

NHL: 1-1, It was a blowout so Pittsburgh stopped trying with an easy 4-1 lead and in the last 15 minutes of the game took 1 shot on net....

Overall total: 28-18

Now on to the Wednesday, just one game in the NHL today and it's a obvious mismatch.

NHL: Detroit @ Chicago: Detroit was lucky to advance it ends here. Chicago to win, (-1.5), over 2.5 goals.

MLB:

Hot Pitcher ride:


    "Collarbone's all better now." 

DET:   Scherzer (5-0, 3.61 ERA)
TEX:   Ogando (3-2, 3.09 ERA)
BOS:   Lester (5-0, 2.73 ERA)
STL:   Miller (5-2, 1.58 ERA)
SEA:   Iwakuma (4-1, 1.74 ERA)
LAD:   Greinke (1-0, 1.59 ERA)*

Overs!

KC:   Davis (2-3, 5.86 ERA) @ LAA:   Enright (0-1, 11.37 ERA) O9

SF:   Vogelsong (1-3, 7.78 ERA) @ TOR:   Ortiz (0-1, 3.24 ERA) *
STL:   Miller (5-2, 1.58 ERA) Team over 4.5 *

TEX:   Ogando (3-2, 3.09 ERA) @ OAK:   Straily (1-1, 7.06 ERA) O8

CHW:   Axelrod (0-3, 4.17 ERA) @ MIN:   Pelfrey (3-3, 6.03 ERA) O8.5

SD:   Marquis (4-2, 3.48 ERA) @ BAL:   Garcia (0-1, 4.26 ERA) O9

I found this gem on Bodog/Bovada NFL prop bets and died laughing:

Tim Tebow - What will happen first for Tim Tebow? 

8:00p	Throws another TD Pass in the NFL	-500
	Admits to having intercourse	+300

Anyways good luck!

Kyle

NBA Playoff Pick-a-thon Day 24: Expecting the Warriors Poor Shooting to Continue is Like...

going to a whorehouse for a kiss. Hang out long enough and you're gonna to get screwed.

                         

Game 4 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors began similarly to the arc of Game 3, with Spurs defenders clamping down on the Warrior back court of Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry. The Warriors were held to a post-season low of 38% shooting, but when they needed to in the fourth quarter and overtime, they shot almost 50% from the floor - earning them the a thrilling, come from behind 97-87 victory and sending the series back to Texas for Game 5 on Tuesday.

                    
                   Klay remembers the Alamo 

Early in the first quarter, Curry nailed two three pointers helping Golden State built an early 11-6 lead while prompting me to think, "Holy shit, we're going to blow them out." But my maniacal thoughts didn't stop there, "And if Memphis knocks of Oklahoma, then it's a six seed against a five seed - anything can happen. And one injury to the Big Three, especially LeBron, oh that would be AWESOME. Yes, LeBron goes down, Miami loses to Indiana, and then Roy Hibbert goes down, too, and Lee's hip flexor re-attaches to his bone, and they change the home court advantage rules. Actually, never mind, the Warriors steal Game 1 and then sweep back at Oracle and the crowd goes nuts celebrating its first championship since 1975. And with all those rookies. This could be a dynasty. Man, I picked a great time to become a Warriors fan."

              

Before I was finished, San Antonio tightened up their defense and went on a 14-0 run. "They're going to lose in five. Dammit, Marco was right." Eight minutes into the game and I was already in full roller coaster mode. "This can't be healthy," I thought, empathizing with lifelong Warrior fans. I tried to call Marco to see if he was okay. No answer. I'm sure he was too busy pacing or asking his wife to check his pulse and get 911 on speed dial.

                            

Golden State finished the quarter strong thanks to eight straight points by my favorite Warrior of the day, Harrison Barnes, but then failed to close out a last-second triple by Manu Ginobli as time expired. The bumpy ride of exhilaration and nausea continued until the Warriors were trailing by nine about half way through the second quarter. They couldn't buy a bucket and I didn't foresee any bucket sales in their near future. It was then I decided it had been a good year for the Warriors, but the magic carpet ride looks like it's coming to an abrupt end. I stood up, turned off the TV, and went outside for a little sunshine and family.

                   

When I checked back in an hour later, Tony Parker was making his classic jump shot to give the Spurs a 62-60 lead heading into the fourth quarter. 62-60? "Holy shit," I thought, "They could pull this out," and I was right back where I was in the first quarter, sitting in my glider ten feet from the TV, rocking to and fro as though my rhythm just might help the Warriors shooting woes. When the Spurs began the fourth quarter on an 8-3 run, I was cursing Golden State's shot selection and their defensive lapses, convinced that San Antonio was just toying with them like a cat with it's half-dead prey.

               

Then Jarrett Jack happened - a bunch. And so did Klay Thompson. And the Warriors somehow managed to send the game to overtime where they could do no wrong, outscoring the Spurs 10-3 and sending the series back to San Antonio knotted at two games apiece. They did it. They played smart, they used time outs, they made shots, and they closed out a game. This, in my world of parenting and toddlers, is what we call a growth spurt.

And we thought we were going to have to give up an ATS pick by choosing with our hearts. Karma and Curry, that's all we need to keep on winning.

POST-SEASON RECORD TO DATE: 41-16 ATS 

CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS: 11-2 ATS 

CONFIDENCE EFFICIENCY RATING (CER): 81/114 or .71

TOP CONFIDENCE PICKS THROUGH DAY 23: 16-6 ATS  

Today, just to prove we don't just go with the favorites when they're not called the Golden State Warriors, we're taking a couple of dogs - one at home and one on the road. Today's a rush job all around, but trust me when I say we put a lot of time into the picks. And when I say "a lot of time," I mean, "What's Marco, I kind of like the Bulls tomorrow." 
"Me, too." 
"Sweet."

Oklahoma City Thunder (+4.5) over MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: Until the first quarter on Saturday, this series hadn't seen a lead larger than five points. The only reason we got the cover that day was the back door free throws you sometimes see in basketball. That being said, we believe this game comes down to the wire. We're not sure if OKC has enough to send it back home tied at two, but they have enough to lose by four or less. Confidence Rating: 2

                         

CHICAGO BULLS (+7.5) over Miami Heat: If anyone can give me a reason why an extra day of rest doesn't favor Chicago here, then I'll consider changing my unpublished pick. As it is, this is the most down time the Bulls starters have had in weeks. Coach T probably just had them on bed rest, drinking large amounts of HGH and cortisone smoothies. Add a surprise appearance from Hinrich, Deng, or Rose, and you have a recipe for a three game series that starts in Miami on Wednesday. Take the Bulls and the points. Confidence Rating: 1

                                

Happy Betting, everyone. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and celebrated the powerful women that brought you or your children into the world.

Vinny and Marco

BONUS COVERAGE FROM KYLE'S CORNER IN CANADA

Greetings all,

I'll update my totals tomorrow because I'm quickly rushing this write-up. We have two very exciting basketball games tonight so I'm going to be very selective here and only make a few picks. Sorry about yesterday - biggest statistical anomaly I've seen in years. 

NHL:
Toronto @ Boston: Game 7 in Boston: Boston should take this game and it should be a close 2-1 type of finish. So Under 5.5.



New York @ Washington: This is going to be an insane game I can't WAIT TO WATCH, I'm leaning Washington but golly it's close. Most certainly under 5.5.

MLB:

Hot Pitcher ride:


I'm so freakin' hot.

STL:   Lynn (5-1, 2.72 ERA)
PIT:   Burnett (3-3, 2.57 ERA)
DET:   Sanchez (3-3, 1.97 ERA)
CHW:   Santiago (1-1, 1.69 ERA)
WSH:   Zimmermann (6-1, 1.59 ERA)

Overs: going conservative today to gauge.

TEX:   Grimm (2-2, 3.45 ERA) @ OAK:   Griffin (3-3, 3.83 ERA)

KC:   Mendoza (0-2, 6.38 ERA) @ LAA:   Blanton (0-6, 5.66 ERA)
STL: Team over
DET: Team over
CHW: Team over

Good luck,

Kyle

NBA Playoff Pick-a-thon Day 22: Jimmy Butler for MVP

POST-SEASON RECORD TO DATE: 38-16 ATS 

CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS: 8-2 ATS 

CONFIDENCE EFFICIENCY RATING (CER): 77/110 or .70

TOP CONFIDENCE PICKS THROUGH DAY 21: 14-6 ATS  

Well, sadly our run of picking conference semi-final games ended at seven in Oak Town last night. Nonetheless, 8-2 ATS has got to be up there with the best of them. 

Five Observations from Friday Night's Sports Line-Up

5. Joakim Noah has to be the most loved and hated player in the NBA next to LeBron James. The seminal moment in my developing that opinion came when Chris Bosh was laying into Mario Chalmers about a defensive lapse and Noah walked up to them, started clapping and yelling "Yeahhhhh" as loud as he could. He's probably a real sweetheart off the court.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxFaW_59RdE

4. The stock of every single Chicago Bulls starter who has battled through a round and a half of long-minutes, physical play, and injuries has gone through the roof. Noah - priceless. Nate Robinson - Little Big Man. Marco Bellinelli - lost the belly somewhere in Brooklyn. Carlos Boozer - don't let the last name fool you. Beast. And, of course, Jimmy "The Cloak" Butler. Not even his mom believed in Jimmy - throwing him out on the street at the age of 13 because she "didn't like the look of him." Here are the rest of the 21 things you may or may not want to know about Jimmy B.

                            
http://www.thewindyapple.com/2012/03/06/21-things-you-didnt-know-about-jimmy-butler/

3. As much as I hate to admit it, LeBron James is phenomenal. There are better shooters in the league, better ball handlers, better passers with better court vision. There are bigger players, stronger players, and definitely better looking more charismatic players. There are no players, however, as complete as he is. I still don't think that makes him an MVP every year.

                        
Suppose you take two rocket scientists and stick them on separate teams - one full of rocket scientists and other full of average Joe's - and tell them their goal is to reach the moon (NBA title). Both teams put together impressive presentations (regular season) on how they're going to get to the moon, and in fact the sole rocket scientist with the average team indicates that he could reach the moon, too (playoff run, things fall into place, possible championship). Which scientist is more valuable?

2. The Spurs made better adjustments in the Game 3 and the Marco and Vinny conference semi-final picks ATS streak ended at 7. I still don't think Curry and Thompson will have shooting stats like that on the same night again, so I'm going to predict this series goes 7 games. I don't want to talk about this game anymore.

                   
        "Je ne te veux pas pass the ball to anyone else, Tony."

That was Coach Pop's first quarter strategy - and it worked. Just trying to impress my Canadian readers with some basic French verb conjugation.

1. Speaking of impressive Canadians, my number one observation from last night's line up was that people should really start following the advice in our Bonus Coverage from Kyle's Corner. He lit up the majors going 11-2 last night with a perfect 5-0 on selected pitchers to ride. Just imagine what he could have done if the Expos were still around. Seriously, though, boy's on a roll. Pay attention.

                           

And now on to today's continued coverage of the NBA's conference semi-final showdowns. For those you who can't remember which teams are playing in the other series', don't worry - you don't have Alzheimer's and you might still be a valuable rocket scientist to somebody. Actually, outside of the four cities represented, you're probably quite normal.

               
For some unknown reason, TNT and the NBA decided to give Indiana, New York, Oklahoma City, and Memphis four days off between games. Intuitively, I think this type of lay-off helps the higher seeded road teams, because both series head to new cities with the series' tied at 1-1. Nonetheless, with the small lines, Marco and I have learned to go with the teams we believe win the game.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (-5) over Oklahoma City Thunder: How many different ways can I write the fact that the Thunder are out-sized on the interior and - outside of Kevin Durant and Kevin Martin - lack the perimeter shooting to compete with Memphis. Meanwhile, with Russell Westbrook sidelined for the playoffs, Mike Coneley Jr. will continue to have his way with the slower  OKC point guards. Confidence Rating: 2

                  

INDIANA PACERS (-4) over New York Knicks: Although New York fared well as an underdog (14-8-1 ATS) during the regular season, they are 2-5 SU in their last 7 visits to Indiana. Meanwhile, the Pacers are 7-3 SU in their last ten at home. New York might get the split in Indiana because they can play defense when they want to - seventh ranked during the season (94.7/game) - but their jump shooting will be rusty early and hot too late to cover. Indiana goes up 2-1. Confidence Rating: 1



Enjoy the basketball, folks, and don't forget to read on if you want to make some real money.

BONUS COVERAGE FROM KYLE'S CORNER IN CANADA

There's no other way to start this post but: MLB 11-2! A perfect 5-0 on the pitcher ride, oh what a majestic day! A pedestrian 2-2 in NHL but both loses were 1 goal games so, "whatcha gonna do about it." 

              

Anyways full recap:

NHL: 

Yesterday: 2-2

Overall: 20-9

Every game was super close, coin flippers. Today only has 1 game but it's a beauty. 

Pittsburgh @ New York Isles. This should be where Pittsburgh ends this, but, listen carefully to these bets I'm about to post are ONLY VALID if Thomas Vokoun is starting in net for Pittsburgh, otherwise if it's Fleury they are deciding to throw the game the like 1919 Chicago White sox. Poor Shoeless Joe...

                            

The Bets: 

Pittsburgh to win, and in regulation, and by (-1.5)

Pittsburgh to score more than 3 goals, and 

Vokoun to save more than 30 shots. That's 5 bets on 1 game.

MLB: 

Yesterday: 11-2 Boom.
Overall: 37-21-2

Today's Bets

Hot Pitcher ride:

                     

TEX:   Darvish (5-1, 2.56 ERA)
CIN:   Latos (3-0, 2.23 ERA)
BAL:   Johnson (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
WSH:   Strasburg (1-4, 3.45 ERA)  This is not a hot one, this is a gut feeling play on my part.
DET:   Verlander (4-2, 1.55 ERA)
STL:   Wainwright (4-2, 2.72 ERA)
BOS:   Buchholz (6-0, 1.60 ERA)

Overs!

TOR:   Buehrle (1-2, 7.02 ERA) @ BOS:   Buchholz (6-0, 1.60 ERA) Boston team over 5, not game.

CLE:   Jimenez (2-2, 6.37 ERA) @ DET:   Verlander (4-2, 1.55 ERA) Detroit team over 5, not game.

CHC:   Jackson (0-5, 6.39 ERA) @ WSH:   Strasburg (1-4, 3.45 ERA) Over 7

ATL:   Maholm (4-3, 3.09 ERA) @ SF:   Bumgarner (3-1, 2.31 ERA) Over 7

BAL:   Johnson (0-0, 0.00 ERA) @ MIN:   Worley (0-4, 6.95 ERA) Over 8.5

OAK:   Parker (1-5, 7.34 ERA) @ SEA:   Maurer (2-4, 6.07 ERA) Over 7.5

TEX:   Darvish (5-1, 2.56 ERA) @ HOU:   Bedard (0-2, 7.36 ERA) Texas Team over 5, not game.

NYY:   Pettitte (3-2, 4.06 ERA) @ KC:   Shields (2-2, 2.52 ERA) Over 7.5

                  

Best of luck everyone!

Kyle

NBA Playoff Pick-a-thon Day 16: Let the Wild Rumpus Start

POST-SEASON RECORD TO DATE: 30-14 ATS (1-0 in Game 7's)

CONFIDENCE EFFICIENCY RATING (CER): 65/95 or .68

TOP CONFIDENCE PICKS THROUGH DAY 15: 10-5 ATS   

            

For those of you who aren't reading the same book thirty-five hundred times a day to your three year-old daughter, the post title is a direct quote from the Maurice Sendak classic Where the Wild Things Are. It's the tale of a boy whose feral behavior lands him in his room without supper and his imagination then takes him to a land where he gets to experience first hand what the world would be like if everyone everywhere were wild all the time. I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure it was a metaphor for the Chicago Bulls defense. 

                               

With Joakim Noah, of course, as Max.

                                 

                     "Get your hand off my rumpus, Mr. Noah." 

And in real life, Max doesn't go back to his room - he goes to Miami.

What a game. What a gutsy all-around effort by a severely depleted team on the brink of letting a 3-1 series lead slip through their fingers. This, in the wake of them being a rare one seed to lose to an eight seed last year when Derrick Rose's knee injury knocked him out of the series. Now the Chicago Bulls can breathe a sigh of relief, retire their barf bags, check Luol Deng out of the hospital, get Kirk Heinrich a pair of crutches, and limp their way down to South Beach to cover the Game 1 line as we expect them to. 

The conference semi-finals kick off today in Oklahoma City and New York. As Marco and I have done up to this point, we like to look at the arc of a series, imagine an outcome, and then discuss how the teams will wind up at point B from point A. With both OKC-Memphis and New York-Indiana, we see the series going at least six games. What that means is the home team will probably win one if not both of the first two games. We see a split in both cases here, which is why we're taking:

Memphis Grizzlies (+3) over OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: The Houston Rockets, a collection of rookies and other youngsters with little to no history together, pushed the Thunder to a Game 6 and could have easily won the series had a shot or two gone their way in Games 2 or 3. Memphis has better athletes, comparable shooters, and much, much better interior defense. Of course KD will get his points and Reggie Jackson will continue to build confidence in his new role as starter, but Perkins and Ibaka will be challenged inside by Zack Randolph and Marc Gasol, which means Mike Conley Jr. will have his way on the perimeter. Remember, the Grizzlies road ATS record (24-16-1) is comparable to OKC's home record (26-14-1) and that was during the regular season when they had Russell Westbrook. Memphis also took two out of three from OKC during the regular season. Look for them to make it three of four as they steal Game 1 and put the mettle of the Oklahoma City Thunder to the test. Confidence Rating: 2 (more confident)

                      
                              "Move over Z-Bo. I got this one."

NEW YORK KNICKS (-5.5) over Indiana Pacers: This series, this game is a Monkey Off Their Backs battle. For the New York Knicks, they just won a playoff series for the first time in thirteen years. For Indiana, they just won in Atlanta for the first time in thirteen tries. Sorry Pacers, your monkey is just a little bit smaller. And by a little bit smaller, I'm talking rhesus versus gorilla.

     

Advantage Knicks. New York will also be back in the warm, friendly, Spike Lee orange confines of Madison Square Garden where they were 31-10 SU and 25-16 ATS. Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers as an underdog this season were an unimpressive 12-16. Game 1 at the next level brings with it all the adrenaline and excitement of the opening round multiplied by infinity. If the Pacers come out shaky at all, this game will be out of reach by halftime.

So there you have it, folks. Another mystery solved in Busytown. This is Gold Bug signing off.

Sorry, I watch cartoons almost as much as I read books.

Vinny and Marco

BONUS COVERAGE FROM KYLE'S CANADIAN CORNER

After going 2-1 with his hockey picks yesterday, Kyle has gone above and beyond the call of duty, bringing you everything from NHL picks to prop bets and even some major league baseball. Enjoy a glimpse into the future of The Spread Zone.

Hey guys,

As you saw my Saturday picks went 2-1, and although I dislike not having perfection, I will deal with it for now. For Sunday I have a mixture of NHL/MLB and I'll try to make this concise and easy to read.

NHL:  The real value tomorrow is in some props, the only straight game I like is Pittsburgh over New York, New york got a lucky win on Friday with multiple fluke garbage goals. Pittsburgh won't even allow them to breathe from now and will go on a 3 win tear. I'm taking them the rest of the series, as they are a favorite to win the cup for good reason. PS: Pit v NY over 5.5 or Pit over 3, or both.

                              

In addition, Chicago over Minnesota is worth looking at because they are outclassed on every level. Minnesota should lose the series 4-1 and the first home game tomorrow might be where they make a stand. This is a low confidence pick. 

Now... The secrets of success total saves, I'm 100% on these so far. 

Montreal v Ottawa: Ottawa's goalie is saving 39.5 saves per game, and the o/u line will be between 28-31, the over is the play.

                        

Chicago v Minnesota: This series is a mismatch on the level of Tom Brady v Ryan Leaf in QBR. The only reason every game hasn't been a 5-6 goal blowout is Minnesota's backup goaltender (who has                   multiple sclerosis and is a true hero for what he's accomplished with the disease) is playing like a brick wall carrying a team of bricks - and not the ones who love lamp. Anyways he's averaging 39 saves per game here and the line hasn't been released but if it's around 30-34, over is the play.

                                   

MLB: 

MLB is all about the pitchers, and I'm not talking about alternative lifestyle roles in the boudoir for residents of San Fransisco (Shazam easy joke). I'm on a schedule tonight so I'm going to have to rush this. PPS: In baseball while looking at the starting Pitcher's ERA don't forget they normally only pitch 5-7 innings of the game and the relievers can easily blow it.

That being said, however, these are these 5 pitchers have a huge edge tomorrow and should earn wins for their teams.

COL:   Chacin (3-0, 1.46 ERA)
DET:   Verlander (3-2, 1.83 ERA)
CIN:   Latos (2-0, 1.83 ERA)
STL:   Garcia (3-1, 2.50 ERA)
CLE:   Kluber (2-0, 2.25 ERA)

Other baseball bets to consider include but are not limited to:

Min v Cle: Cleveland to win, and possibly the over 9.

MIN:   Pelfrey (2-3, 7.66 ERA)

CLE:   Kluber (2-0, 2.25 ERA)

NYM v ATL: Two mediocre pitchers usually means smack dat over (line not released yet)

NYM:   Niese (2-2, 3.31 ERA)

ATL:   Hudson (3-1, 3.86 ERA)

NYY v OAK:  Not only do the numbers not lie they are both hot with their bats right now, over 8.5.

OAK:   Straily (1-0, 6.35 ERA)

NYY:   Pettitte (3-2, 3.86 ERA)

Wash v Pit: Mediocre Mexican stand-off = over 7. (Didn't even notice the Pitcher's last names till now and caught the racism, whatever I'm in an inter-racial relationship, my non-white girlfriend gives me carte blanche).

WSH:   Gonzalez (2-2, 5.34 ERA)

PIT:   Rodriguez (2-1, 3.91 ERA)

Sea v Tor: Overachieving Seattle v Underachieving what was considered dream team coming into the season, expect lots of runs here, over 8.5.

SEA:   Saunders (2-3, 5.25 ERA)

TOR:   Morrow (0-2, 5.29 ERA)

Lad v SF: Two high octane teams that love to hit dingers, yesterday's game was 10-9, Sunday's has San Fran's worst pitcher, Over 7!

LAD:   Ryu (3-1, 3.35 ERA)

SF:   Cain (0-2, 6.49 ERA)

That's all for now from your friendly neighbor to the north. Good luck out there fellow gamblers. Tune in for another episode of Kyle's Corner soon.

And remember, when it comes to major league baseball - the steroid era was a complete myth.