[InTheHole]

Brandon Lang Tuesday ... 15-Dime Boston Celtics - Last year they won three Game 5s at home, by an average margin of 12 points.

Back in their comfort zone, I like the Celtics in this one tonight, as they should be able to seize control for a win and cover over the pesky Bulls. After all the defending champs were able to dominate in Game 3 in Chicago, there's no reason a scenery change back home can make a difference for the defending champs in their favor.

And while the series is tied 2-2, understand the Bulls’ two victories required extra effort, as they won the opener 105-103 in one overtime and Game 4 in two overtimes just two days ago, 121-118. For Boston, which won by 3 in Game 2 and 21 in Game 3, the key thing to remember is the experience factor - in this situation and in this role ...

Boston was tied 2-2 in its series with Atlanta, Cleveland and Detroit in last year's NBA Playoffs, and went on to beat the Hawks and Cavaliers in seven games and the Pistons in six. This is crunch time, as there's no way in hell coach Doc Rivers is going to let his team go down 3 games to 2, with the series headed to Chicago for Game 6.

And the C's won't want to let the Bulls hang close either.

5-Dime San Antonio Spurs (FIRST HALF bet) It's do-or-die for the Spurs, and with everything on the line, the Spurs need a big first half just to stay in this game, let alone the postseason. Not much else to say on that note, as there is no reason I see the Spurs bowing out with as much experience as this team has. Take Tim Duncan and company in the first half tonight.

Free pick - Orlando Magic (See daily video for your analysis on this game)




Tony Weston
TUESDAY'S PLAY 25 Dime Mavericks
10 Dime Sixers


Mavericks at Spurs
MAVERICKS - So, at this point you can go ahead and start throwing dirt on the empty carcass that is the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs are on life support right now, facing elimination against their in-state rival Dallas Mavericks and come into tonight’s game installed as about a 5 or 5 1/2 point favorite.

That is way too generous and way wrong. While San Antonio may win this game SU, the Spurs won’t cover against the visiting Mavericks.

In 5 of their last games the Mavs have walked away with cash in their pockets 4 times, including covers in each of their last two games and covers in 3 of 4 of these first-round games.

In Game 1 of this series Dallas not only covered in San Antonio, but the Mavs got the outright win, beating the Spurs 105-97 as a 4-point underdog.

But, that’s almost been par for the course when it comes to these two teams as the Mavericks have covered in 10 of their last 13 games in San Antonio. Overall, the Spurs have had their struggles at home, going only 3-9 ATS their last 12 in front of the home fans - they’ve also failed to cover in 9 of their last 12 when installed as a home favorite.

The Mavs, on the other hand, have been quite the opposite of San Antonio, covering in 16 of their last 21 games when installed as a playoff underdog and covering in 5 of their last 6 games when installed as a playoff ’dog of between 5 and 10 1/2 points.

Will Dallas get the outright win again in San Antonio like it did in Game 1? I’m not going to advise playing the Money Line on the Mavs. But do take the points and take Dallas on the side in this one.



Sixers at Magic
SIXERS - Through the first four games of this series between the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic each time out you just want to believe the Magic will come out and destroy the Sixers.

But, Philly has hung in there and has exploited some weaknesses in Orlando’s game, splitting the series so far 2-2 SU and cashing in each of those four.

Tonight, the Sixers will again flirt with another outright win and definitely cover as about an 8 or 8 1/2 point underdog.

Not only have the Magic struggled against the 76ers, but they were struggling to cash in down the stretch on their way to the playoffs. Over their last 10 games overall, the Magic have covered only once. Once. At home, Orlando has gone only 1-4 ATS and is only 1-11 ATS its last 12 against the Atlantic Division.

The Sixers, on the other hand, have gone 13-3-1 ATS their last 17 against the Southeast Division and have covered 8 of their last 10 when installed as a road underdog of between 5 and 10 1/2 points.

Philly will do it again and flirt with the outright win. I’m not going to suggest playing the Money Line, but do take the points and take the Sixers on the side




2-Minute Warning
Tuesday's Pick 10 Dime Consensus Club

White Sox and Danks over Seattle and Hernandez

(Specify Pitchers)


15 Dime Rockets



Bobby Maxwell Tuesday's 2-0 ticket 200-Unit NBA Playoff E-Z Call - HOUSTON ROCKETS

This series comes down to Houston just being a slightly better team than the Blazers. Houston has just a bit more talent, a lot more experience and they've got a center in Yao Ming that can control the game.

Portland is a very good, young team that is only going to get better. Brandon Roy is a superstar in the league and LaMarcus Aldridge is a budding star. But they've got to get some help from center Greg Oden to make the jump to the next level, and that might take a few more years.

Tonight we're going to grab the points with the Rockets and we expect they might even pull off the outright upset in Portland. Houston has won eight of the last 10 in this rivalry and they've won three of their last four visits to the Rose Garden in Portland and they've gotten the cash in four of their last five in Oregon.

The road team has cashed in three of the first four in this series, including Houston's road win in Game 1 when they came out and blew out the Blazers. Houston failed to cover in their two home games, but like we said, these teams are very even but the Rockets are just a hair better and have the experience it takes to win in the playoffs.

Houston is hungry to get out of the first round as they haven't advanced in the playoffs since 1997. Even with Tracy McGrady on the bench, this team might be playing better as they get more production from a number of players instead of looking to him to deliver.

Grab the points and play the Rockets tonight and don't be surprised if they pull off the outright upset and eliminate the Blazers.



100-Unit A.L. Smart Play - BOSTON RED SOX

The Red Sox have won 11 in a row and Monday night they went to Cleveland and got a three-run homer from Jason Bay in the ninth inning to beat the Tribe 3-1.

Bay has been red hot lately, going 9-for-14 with eight RBIs in his last four games, including homers off the Yankees Mariano Rivera and now Kerry Wood. Tonight, Boston has Brad Penny (2-0, 7.80 ERA) on the hill tonight and the Red Sox have won all three of his outings this season. He threw six strong innings against the Twins on Wednesday, allowing three runs (two earned) as the Red Sox won 7-3.

Cleveland starter Anthony Reyes is 1-0 with a 4.76 ERA but his problem has been walks as he's issued 10 walks in 17 innings, includin four against the Royals on Thursday when he gave up two runs in six innings of work.

If Reyes puts some Red Sox on the bases for free, they will definitely make him pay. The Indians have scored just 12 runs in their alst six games and they had just one hit in seven innings of Boston starter Tim Wakefield on Monday.

Play the Red Sox to continue their winning streak and keep the Indians in the A.L. Central cellar.







Chris Jordan 2-0 Sweep for Tuesday ...


200♦ CINCINNATI REDS (LIST Harang and Rodriguez) - These two met once already, the pitchers I mean, and in revenge I like Cincinnati-ace Aaron Harang. I know the Astros have won 10 straight in Cincinnati, but there’s no time like the present to right the ship and halt this losing streak against Houston. Harang might be 2-2 on the year, but he’s got an outstanding 2.00 ERA.

Fact is, he’s making good pitches and the Reds simply gotten the outs the right-hander’s needed. Harang comes in after giving up an unearned run and scattering seven hits in last Thursday’s 7-1 victory at Wrigley Field. Cheap price, revenge for the team and revenge for Harang. Easy winner with the Reds.

100♦ HOUSTON ROCKETS - I’ve been telling you all along in this series that youth an inexperience would play a pivotal role against the Trail Blazers. With a chance to wrap things up tonight and move on to the second round, I’m taking the points with Houston, the same way I took the points with Denver last night on the road and watched it win by nearly 60 points.

Yao Ming has been too much for the Blazers, as they tend to focus too much on him and lapse in other areas on the court. Yao is averaging 15.8 points and 10.5 rebounds through the first four games of the series, and I’ll bank on him to lead the underdog tonight.



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Jeff Benton Tuesday's action ... 20 Dime: CELTICS (minus the points vs. Bulls in the FIRST-HALF ONLY!) ... NOTE: This is a first-half play ONLY -- you're playing Boston on the first-half line!

5 Dime: SPURS (minus the points vs. Mavericks)

5 Dime: ANGELS (over Orioles) ... NOTE: List both Joe Saunders and Adam Eaton as starting pitchers. If either does NOT start, this plays is VOID!

5 DIme: BLUE JAYS (over Royals) ... NOTE: List only Scott Richmond as Toronto's starting pitcher. If Richmond does NOT start, this play is VOID!


Celtics (FIRST-HALF ONLY)

I’m not certain that Boston is going to win this Game 5 tonight against the Bulls – or at least cover this big number – mainly because I don’t know if the old legs of Paul Pierce and Ray Allen will hold up for 48 minutes after both played big minutes in a grueling double-overtime loss in Chicago on Sunday. But I am quite certain that fatigue won’t be an issue for Pierce, Allen or the rest of the defending champs at the start of this game. The Celtics’ energy level will be on “full,” and with a fired-up crowd behind them, they’ll get up on Chicago early and build a halftime cushion.

After getting outscored 53-44 at halftime in Game 1 at home, the Celtics have come back in the past three games and taken leads into the locker room, covering the first-half number in all three contests. They’ve done it mostly because of the incredible play of point guard Rajon Rondo, who has had a breakout series in averaging a triple-double with 23.3 points, 10 rebounds and 10.8 assists. Rondo has done much of the damage in the first two quarters, and since Game 1, he’s done a solid job containing his counterpart, Bulls rookie Derrick Rose, who has scored a total of 42 points in the last three contests after tallying 36 in Chicago’s series-opening win.

Another reason to like Boston in the first half tonight is the fact that Ben Gordon, who has easily been the Bulls’ best player since Rose’s Game 1 heroics, tweaked his hamstring in Game 4. Reports are that Gordon took a cortisone shot at halftime and came back on the floor and delivered big-time second half, including hitting the critical three-pointer that forced the second overtime. However, tonight, I’d bet that Gordon’s hamstring is tight to start the game and the injury limits his effectiveness, at least until he gets warmed up, which could take most of the first half.

Bottom line: I still have a feeling this series goes seven games, but being back at home and rested after a day off, this is the perfect spot for the veteran Celtics to use their postseason experience to their advantage and jump on Chicago out of the gate. If the Celtics’ shots fall early – and Boston is shooting better than 46 percent in the last three games – I expect the young Bulls to panic. If that happens, Boston should have no trouble at all taking a double-digit lead into halftime. Whether they can sustain that lead for the final 24 minutes, I don’t know – nor do I care. As long as they’re up by more than four points at halftime, we’ll be happy. Play the Celtics minus the points in the FIRST HALF ONLY.


Spurs

You know how the Hornets laid down like dogs in that historically embarrassing 58-point home loss to the Nuggets last night? No way, no how does something like that happen to the Spurs tonight. This franchise has way too much playoff experience, who too much pride and way too much respect for itself – from a future Hall of Fame coach all the way down to the 12th man on the bench – to allow something like that to happen.

No, the San Antonio Spurs – down 3-1 in this series to Dallas – are coming to win tonight on their home floor. And while they’re probably not going to pull off the miracle comeback in this series, I’m 100 percent confident they have one more dominating performance left in them this season – and we’ll see it in Game 5.

Look, I’ve watched enough NBA basketball the last decade to know that Tim Duncan and Tony Parker never go down without a fight. And in fact, we saw signs of that in Game 4 in Dallas, when Parker and Duncan led the Spurs to a four-point halftime lead and despite a poor third quarter when it got outscored 29-16, San Antonio was in the game until about two minutes were left to play. Parker finished with 43 points and Duncan had 25 (plus 10 rebounds and seven assists) on Saturday, and the Spurs actually outshot the Mavericks 44.3 percent to 38.4 percent. The difference in the contest? Three-point and foul shooting – San Antonio drained only 6 of 23 from beyond the arc and went an atrocious 22-for-34 on free throws (64.7%), while Dallas made 10 of 25 three-point tries and 33 of 39 free throws.

With this series switching to San Antonio, it’s reasonable to expect that the Spurs will have the edge in both the three-point and free-throw shooting categories – as was the case in the last meeting at the AT&T Center in Game 2, when the Spurs shot 53.2 percent from the field, went 7-for-18 from three-point range and 14-for-17 from the line … all of which led to a 105-84 rout as a six-point favorite. Down 0-1 after a Game 1 loss, San Antonio’s backs were against the wall in that contest and the Spurs delivered with an emphatic win. Same thing happens tonight. Lay the chalk.


Angels

Not buying it. I’m not buying Adam Eaton’s last start. That’s what this play essentially comes down to. Yes, Eaton cost me money in his last outing Thursday when he shut down the White Sox and led Baltimore to a 6-2 home victory – I had that game going over the 10½-run total – but I’m sorry, one strong start does not make up for how poorly this journeyman right-hander has pitched since last season.

Prior to Thursday’s two-run, six-hit, nine-strikeout effort against Chicago, Eaton had given up 10 runs (all earned) on 17 hits in just eight innings in his first two starts with the Orioles. And before his 2008 season with the Phillies was cut short in mid-July, Eaton ended with two horrific outings in which he gave up 16 runs (14 earned) in 6 1/3 innings. In fact, before Thursday, Eaton had tossed five straight non-quality starts and his teams (Philadelphia and Baltimore) had lost seven of his eight starts.

And guess what? That includes the Phillies’ 7-1 home loss to these Angels in an interleague contest on June 20 last year. In that game, Eaton allowed six runs on 12 hits and three walks in five innings, giving him a 6.16 ERA in six career starts against the Angels. Compare that to what L.A. starter Joe Saunders has done in five career starts against Baltimore: a less-than-ideal 4.40 ERA, but a 4-0 record, with Los Angeles also winning his lone no-decision.

Then again, that the Angels are 5-0 all-time with Saunders on the mound against Baltimore is not a surprise. All the Angels do when the lefty pitches is win. They’re 40-17 in his last 57 starts overall, 20-7 in his last 27 starts on the road, 6-2 in his last eight as a favorite (4-1 as a road favorite) and 6-1 in his last seven against A.L. East teams. The Halos also own the Orioles, having won six of the last eight meetings overall and five of the last seven at Camden Yards.

No, Los Angeles hasn’t gotten off to its usually fast start, but it has legitimate injury issues to blame (not to mention the fact the team is still dealing with the tragic death of young pitcher Nick Adenhart). But even with slugger Vlad Guerrero on the shelf, the Angels are starting to hit the ball (39 runs in their last five games; .327 batting average against right-handed pitchers in their last 10 contests), and hot bats are a perfect match for an erratic pitcher like Adam Eaton. This price is dirt-cheap, folks. Play Saunders and the visitors over Eaton and the slumping Orioles, who have lost nine of their last 12 games.


Blue Jays

Toronto’s hot bats have cooled off a bit in the last three games, mustering just a .204 average and seven runs (none on home runs) in losing two of the three contests. And to be honest, I’m not so sure they’re going to hit Royals starter Gil Meche very much tonight, as Meche has been solid to start the season. Still, the Blue Jays are 14-7 on the season and they remain the only team in baseball that has yet to lose consecutive games (they dropped a 7-1 decision to Kansas City last night). On top of that, they’re 3-0 with rookie right-hander Scott Richmond on the mound.

Richmond has been about as consistent as any manager could ask a rookie to be. He’s made eight big-league starts since being called up in late July last year, and while he’s pitched six innings or more just three times, he hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any start. And in three career starts on the road (two this year), he’s 3-0 with a 2.20 ERA.

Back to Meche: While he’s off to a strong 2009, posting a 2.63 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP in four starts, the Royals have only cashed in two of those. Why? Because the team’s wildly inconsistent offense exploded for 18 runs in Meche’s two wins, but managed just two runs in each of the two games they lost. With Richmond on the hill tonight – and the Royals batting a paltry .239 against right-hander’s overall this year and .201 against righties at home – I don’t think K.C. is going to be lighting up the scoreboard in this one.

One final key point to make: The Royals are still without closer Joakim Soria, one of the most underrated finishers in baseball who is out with an injury. With no Soria, that shortens an otherwise shaky bullpen that includes the likes of gas can Kyle Farnsworth, who is 0-3 with an 11.81 ERA in 5 1/3 innings. Throw in the fact that before last night’s loss, Toronto had won five straight against Kansas City, and I’ll jump on the live ‘dog here.



Karl Garrett 30 DIMER - CHICAGO BULLS....10 DIMERS - PHILADELPHIA 76ERS, & FLORIDA (Nolasco over Hernandez) 30 DIMER - CHICAGO BULLS

Simply put: This is too many points to give to the Bulls tonight!

Chicago has gone toe-to-toe with Boston through the first four games, and they are back to their preferred underdog role, a role that saw them cover both games already contested in Boston, winning one of them outright.

The Celtics have been asked to cover some big numbers on their hom parquet, and the results have been less than spectacular, as Boston is just 5-13 against the spread their last 18 at home.

Ben Gordan's status may be a bit iffy, but I think he will have enough gas in his tank to help keep the Bulls close once again in Beantown.

Boston has struggled to put this team away, and there is no reason to think they are going to put them away tonight based on what we have seen thus far.

Take the points.

10 DIMER - PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

Here is another case of the oddsmakers having the price too high. Yes, Orlando is the higher seeded team, but have you been watching the games in this series?

Philadelphia has been there all the way, and tonight's spread is way too high on an Orlando team that has failed all 4 in this series as the favorite, and have now failed the point spread in 9 of their last 10 games dating back to the regular season.

The 76ers also boast a 7-3 spread mark the last 10 times they have faced the Magic in Orlando, and the underdog has cashed in 27 of the last 38 meetings between the teams.

Philly has my money tonight!

10 DIMER - FLORIDA MARLINS (Nolasco over Hernandez)

After such a great start, the Marlins have pretty much given it all back, as they enter play tonight on a 7 game slide.

Look for the slide to come to a halt tonight, as the Mets will give the struggling Livan Hernandez the ball once more. Hernandez did defeat the Marlins, and Ricky Nolasco back on April 11th, and while I will admit Nolasco has had his own struggles this spring, I would tend to believe that Nolasco gets his act together before the aging Hernandez does.

Hernandez does sport an over 7 ERA for the season, and I just think it is time for Florida to break their skid at 7.

Take Florida to come through.




CHARLOTTE SERVICE For Tuesday in the NBA playoffs, Top-Rated 3♦ on Dallas plus the points. Bonus 2♦ on Houston plus the points.


Michael Cannon
Tuesday's Plays...
25 Dime –

76ERS

Take the points with the 76ers tonight on the road over the Magic.

Philadelphia has withstood some of the best punches thrown by the Magic and they are still standing toe-to-toe with them. In fact, the 76ers could have been playing to close the series out tonight had Hedo Turkoglu not hit a three-pointer in the last second of Game 4 Sunday night.

Orlando has been overpriced this entire series and tonight is no exception.

I know the Magic looked better in stretches of Game 4, but that’s been their problem. They’ve only been good in stretches. They have yet to put a 48-minute effort together and they’re not going to be able to pull away from a scrappy team like Philadelphia.

The Magic are on ATS slides of 2-8 overall, 1-4 at home, 0-10 against the Atlantic Division, 1-7 against the Eastern Conference, 1-7 as a chalk and 0-4 after a SU win.

Philadelphia has been solid against the spread, going 13-3-1 ATS in its last 17 against Southeast Division opponents, including 6-0 ATS in the last six. The 76ers are also on an 8-2 ATS run as a road dog of five to 10 ½ points.

Take the points with Philly as they stay within the number.

10 Dime –

BULLS

Take the points with the Bulls tonight on the road over the Celtics.

I really think that Game 4 double-overtime win will do more for the Bulls than people realize.

The Bulls had so many chances to tank it, but kept grinding away until they finally imposed their will over the Celtics and got the win. You could argue that home court made a difference there as they had the crowd behind them, but this Bulls team did steal a win in Boston so it’s not like they aren’t capable of competing with the Celtics.

I still maintain that Boston minus Kevin Garnett is just another good team in the East, and I would not be surprised if Chicago got the outright win here.

The only thing holding me back is the health of Ben Gordon, who is suffering from a strained groin.

The Bulls are 3-1-1 ATS in the last five meetings with the Celtics since March 17. The underdog is also 4-0-1 ATS during that stretch.

Take the points with Chicago as they stay within the number on the road.

5 Dime –

CARDINALS (With Lohse and Reyes as listed pitchers)

Take the Cardinals for the road win over the Braves.

I can’t ignore Kyle Lohse at this price, especially not with how well the Cards have played this year.

St. Louis has won six of seven, and Lohse checks in with a 3-0 record and a 2.42 ERA.

Atlanta has lost nine of 13 overall, including four straight at home. They are averaging just 3.2 runs per game while batting .237 during that slide.

The Cards have won eight of their last 10 versus the Braves, going 5-1 in the last six at Atlanta.

Jo-Jo Reyes will start for the Braves and he’s lost nine straight decisions dating back to last season.

Take the Cardinals as they grab the road win.

ANGELS (With Saunders and Eaton as listed pitchers)

Take the Angels for the road win over the Orioles.

Joe Saunders will get the start for Los Angeles and he has enjoyed nothing but success against Baltimore.

The left-hander is 4-0 in five career starts against the O’s, and the Angels have won all five of those games. That’s due in large part to an offense that’s scored 35 runs in those contests.

Baltimore will counter with Adam Eaton, who is 1-2 with a 7.04 ERA in three starts this year. The right-hander is 2-2 with a 6.16 ERA in six lifetime games versus the Angels.

Take the Angels as they grab the road win.



Sports Gambling Hotline EVANSVILLE SERVICE For Tuesday in MLB, Top-Rated 5♦ on Florida. Bonus 3♦ on the NY Yankees.




Anthony Redd
TuesdayDrew Gordon Today's Games... 1. 200,000♦ Celtics
2. 50,000♦ LA Angels

1. Celtics- Let me make this clear guys: I believe the Celtics are going to throttle the young Bulls in this contest. Several reasons lead me to side with the Celtics, but let's start with the most obvious: perception.

You see, after the Bulls won outright at the TD Banknorth Garden in Game 1 and then easily covered in Game 2 as an 8'-point dog, it would "seem" almost stupid to install the Celtics as considerable favorites once again here tonight. However, we know two things about the guys in Vegas: A. They are NOT stupid. And B. They set the line where it is for a reason... That reason being they believe the Celtics will bring their "A" game in this critical Game 5 showdown & that makes all the difference.

So what's the difference in Game 5? Defense, plain and simple. We've seen this Boston team, which has been a elite defensive team all season, look nothing like that for most of this series, but tonight will be different. Why? The Bulls may have masked their road woes in Games 1 & 2, but people who've seen this Chicago team play all season know better. The Bulls are an extremely road weary team, going just 14-29 SU & 22-20-1 ATS on the highway this season. They were lucky to catch Boston off guard (adjusting to life without Kevin Garnett) in Games 1 & 2, but we saw in Game 3 what this Boston defense is capable of - crushing the Bulls 107-86 in that contest. Look for an even more intense defensive effort tonight, as the Celtics return to friendly confines of home Tuesday.

A couple match up I want to discuss, but let's start with the injury to Ben Gordon, who will play, but will be limited. We saw what a bum hamstring did to Memhet Okur in the Jazz/Lakers series (he had NO lift), and while Gordon is far more athletic, I believe this injury will effect his game. On the flip side, I love what I've seen from Rondo, who has stepped up BIG in the absence of KG, making himself the legitimate 2nd or 3rd scorer behind Pierce. And finally, I'm expcting big games from both Perkins and Glen Davis in this contest, as the big men return home and will benefit from getting more calls in their favor in Boston. Also note, Salmons groin injury has clearly effected his shooting (5 of 14 in Game 4), which is another cause for concern for Bulls-backers.

Bottom line, I firmly believe this is the game where we see the Bulls youth begin to backfire on them. They've hung with Boston tough, but as the pressure begins to ratchet up, I say we see the baby Bulls wilt under the pressure. And the fact their best scorer is dealing with a bum hamstring is a big-time cause for concern. In the end, Celtics are the superior team, playing at home, and have plenty of experience in these high-pressure situations. Pierce and company circle the wagons in Game 5, getting themselves the "W" and us the cash!

Take the Celtics over the Bulls as your top-rated play of the day.

2. LA Angels- Despite their 1-5 road record, this is a solid spot to back the Halos, who not only enjoy a strong pitching edge, but also have had success against this Orioles team in the past. Read on...

Got to like what we've seen Joe Saunders thus far this season, going 2-1 with a 3.51 ERA. True, he got roughed up in his last start, allowing 5 runs to the Tigers, but let's not get too carried away with just one loss. He was fantastic against the Mariners in the start prior, and more importantly has been great against the O's throughout his career, going 4-0 with a 4.40 ERA! The last time he pitched against them, he allowed just 1 run over 6 innings back in August. Also of note, he's has his way with two of the Orioles best hitters, Roberts and Markakis, who've both struggled against the Angels lefty.

The Orioles counter with Adam Eaton, who's 1-2 with a 7.04 ERA thus far this season. Eaton is coming off his best start of the season, limiting the White Sox to just 2 runs over 7 1/3 innings Thursday, but again, let's not get carried away with one start. History tells us that Eaton will NOT fare well against the Angels, having gone 2-2 with an ugly 6.16 ERA in 6 career games against them! Last time he pitched against them was a disaster, allowing 6 runs on 12 hits over 5 innings as a member of the Phillies last June.

Finally, besides the fact the Angels are 6-2 against the Orioles in their last 8 meetings, I also give the nod at the plate to the Halos. Angels are batting .327 against righties over their last 10 games, as compared to just .222 for the O's vs lefties over the same span. In the end, Saunders takes care of business and improves his career record against the O's to 5-0 after a solid bounce back effort tonight on the road. One final note, the Angels are 20-7 in Saunders last 27 road starts... Make it 21-7 after tonight!

Take the LA Angels behind Saunders over the Orioles and Eaton in this MLB match up's Card


15 Dime 76ers

15 Dime Mavericks