Miguel Cabrera is putting on a show once again this year. Cabrera hit three home runs on Sunday Night Baseball, and he leads the league in batting average and RBI’s. It’s hard to put any other hitter in the same category as him right now.

BangtheBook wants to give baseball bettors some extra information to try to stay ahead of the books this year. This MLB betting article will be done twice a week during the baseball season to give you trends to consider before wagering your money on baseball. Let’s look at trends to consider for series’ this week.

-If you like to back home underdogs, the New York Mets probably aren’t a team you should be considering. New York is 4-22 in their last 26 games as a home underdog. Looking for value on home underdogs can be a profitable strategy overall, but the Mets aren’t the team to do it with. The Mets host the Reds this week. Cincinnati is 5-1 in their last 6 meetings with the Mets.

-The Atlanta Braves really like putting up runs for Julio Tehran. Nobody in baseball gets better run support than Tehran. The Braves are 6-1 in his 7 starts this year despite Tehran having a relatively poor 4.57 ERA. They probably won’t keep scoring runs at the pace they are for him, but Tehran might keep winning because he has the stuff to dominate if it ever clicks.

-The Arizona Diamondbacks are 8-0 in Patrick Corbin’s 8 starts this year. That will be tested on Monday night when Corbin faces off against a red hot Rockies offense at Coors Field. Corbin has allowed 11 earned runs in just 9 innings in his career at Coors Field.

-The Texas Rangers have been taking care of business at home. Texas is 94-46 in their last 140 games as a home favorite. They are 70-30 in their last 100 home games against a right-handed pitcher. They should be favored in each game of their series against Oakland this week.

-Pittsburgh has been a good bet in Wandy Rodriguez’s starts against teams with a losing record. The Pirates are 7-0 in Wandy’s last 7 starts against a team with a losing record. He’ll start Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs. Matt Garza will make his season debut for the Cubs in that game.

-Totals bettors should keep an eye on the Tampa Bay Rays. The over is 19-5-2 in the Rays last 26 games overall. The oddsmakers keep bumping up the numbers on the Rays games and Tampa Bay keeps finding a way to push the game over the posted total.

-The Angels have been bad this year, but they have a nice recent history in games following a day off. The Angels are 10-3 in their last 13 games following an off day. They’ll play on Tuesday against Seattle after having a day off Monday.

Date/Time: Tuesday, May 21, 9 p.m. (ET)

Television: ESPN

NBA Betting Odds: VietBet

Pointspread: San Antonio -5

Total Line: 182.5

Game Overview:

Memphis has made a bad habit of slow starts in these playoffs with a 112-91 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of that series as a 5.5-point road underdog followed by a 93-91 loss in the series opener against Oklahoma City as a 3.5-point underdog on the road. The Grizzlies kept the streak alive with a dismal showing against the Spurs in Sunday night’s Game 1 with 105-83 beatdown as 4.5-point road underdogs. It was the first time they failed to cover against the spread in their last 11 games and the total went OVER the 181.5-point line after staying UNDER in six of their previous eight playoff games.

To right the ship on Tuesday night, Memphis will have to find a way to slow the Spurs down after allowing 31 points in the first quarter and 32 points in the fourth. The Memphis Grizzlies finished the regular season ranked first in the NBA in points allowed (89.3) and they had given-up more than 93 points in just three times in their previous 11 games.

The San Antonio Spurs struggles down the stretch of the regular season are a thing of the past after ousting the Lakers in four games in the opening round and disposing of Golden State in six games after outscoring the Warriors by a combined 30 points in the final two games of that series. They are 9-2 SU in the postseason and 8-3 ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in five of their last eight games.

Tony Parker led the way in Game 1 with a team-high 20 points and nine assists, but San Antonio has a whole played at a very high level after shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 48.3 percent from three-point range. The Spurs averaged 103 points a game during the regular season and they have been able to match that total in the playoffs. They have consistently shot the ball well; hitting on 46.6 percent of their attempts from the floor and 37.2 percent from three-point range. San Antonio is averaging 42.8 rebounds led by Tim Duncan’s 9.3 a game. If it continues to match its current form, this team will be very difficult to beat from here on in.

Free NBA Pick

Memphis is a much better team than the one that showed up at the AT&T Center on Sunday night and that will be reflected in the final score of this game. While I do not see the Grizzlies getting out of San Antonio with a SU win, the free NBA pick is that they will cover with the five points. San Antonio 95    Memphis 91  

Monday, May 20, 7:30 p.m. (ET)

Television: NBC Sports Network

NHL Betting Odds: VietBet

Money line: Chicago (-134)    Detroit (+122)

Total Line: 5

Game Overview:

Chicago came into this season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs as a heavy favorite to win the Western Conference. After eliminating Minnesota in five games in the opening round followed by a dominating 4-1 victory in Game 1 of this series as a 191 home favorite, it appeared that it was well on its way fulfilling that prediction. That may have all changed after Saturday night’s 4-1 loss in Game 2 as a 196 favorite at home.

After peppering Detroit with 42 shots in the series opener that resulted in a three-goal barrage in the third period to seal the win, the Blackhawks could only manage 20 shots in Saturday’s loss. Corey Crawford has gone the distance in goal for Chicago in the postseason and while his overall numbers still look great there has to be some level of concern with the fact that he gave-up four goals on 18 shots in the final two periods of that game. The Blackhawks other goalie Ray Emery is no longer listed on the team’s injury report so he should be ready to go if needed.

Detroit came into these playoffs as the seventh seed in the West but quickly established itself as a legitimate contender to win the conference after taking-out No. 2 Anaheim in seven games. It was not always pretty with five one-goal games either way, but in the end a 3-2 victory as a 126 road underdog in Game 7 proved to be the difference. The Red Wings followed-up a lackluster effort in Game 1 with perhaps their best showing in the postseason this past Saturday night. The big question for Game 3 is can they turn this momentum into a 2-1 series lead?

If Detroit is going to grab that edge it will be up to players such as Henrik Zetterberg, Damien Brunner and Johan Franzen on offense and Jimmy Howard in goal. These three have already combined for 11 goals in the playoffs, but the real key will be Howard’s play between the pipes. He has allowed three or more goals in five of the Red Wings first nine playoffs games, but he looked sharp this past Saturday night. If he brings that form into Monday night’s contest than the Red Wings has a good chance to win.

Free NHL Pick

While there is no doubt that these two Central Division foes know one another inside and out, the Blackhawks clearly remain the better team in every phase of the game. Look for them to reassert that fact on Monday night with a hard fought victory on the road.

Chicago 3     Detroit 2

Date/Time: May 20th, 7:05 PM ET

Television: ESPN

MLB Betting Odds from BetOnline Sportsbook

Probable Starters: Sabathia (New York) vs. Garcia (Baltimore)

Moneyline: Check Back Later

Total: Check Back Later

The American League East is going to be on full display in MLB betting action on Monday Night Baseball, where the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees will go to battle.

The Yanks had a nice day off thanks to Mother Nature on Sunday, as they were rained out of their afternoon game against the Toronto Blue Jays. That gives the bullpen another day to rest up, and today might be another one of these days to get in some shut eye. LHP CC Sabathia is going to be on the bump in this one, and that’s generally a sign that the pen gets some rest as well. Sabathia is a horse, as he just continues to eat up innings for the men in Pinstripes, and this year is no exception. Sabathia is just two outs away from getting to 60 innings on the year already, and that’s after only pitching four frames against the Colorado Rockies two starts ago. In his last outing, Sabathia had an odd happening, as he allowed 10 hits and struck out 10 batters, which isn’t something that you see every day by any stretch of the imagination. For the season, CC is just 4-3, but he has a 3.19 ERA and has 54 strikeouts in those 59.1 innings of work.

Baltimore had a bad weekend that it would like to forget. The team was rocked for three games by the Tampa Bay Rays, and now, it is just barely stuck in a tie for third place in the division. These series against teams like the Yankees are crucial, as it provides an opportunity to make amends for the defeats against another divisional rival. However, if this series is lost, bad things are going to be happening in Camden Yards. The Orioles are still up in the air a bit this evening, but we believe that they are going to be using RHP Freddy Garcia for the fourth time this year on Monday. Garcia has allowed 10 runs in his three starts this year, and he has a woeful 5.51 ERA. The righty can barely get the ball up to the plate at 90 MPH at this point, which is why he only has six strikeouts in 16.1 innings of work. Garcia has also allowed four home runs in his last three games, and he has allowed five homers in his last four starts dating back to last year when he played for the Bronx Bombers.

This is just a horrid pitching mismatch that we are going to take advantage of. The Orioles are playing with no confidence right now, especially at the back end of their bullpen after the implosion on Saturday against Tampa Bay, and this is the worst time to be throwing a very suspect Garcia against Sabathia, who has beaten the O’s three straight times that he has taken the hill against them.

New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles Pick: New York Yankees

Date/Time: May 20th, 7:30 PM ET

Television: NBC Sports Network

NHL Betting Odds from BetAnySports Sportsbook

Moneyline: Blackhawks -120

Total: 5

The Detroit Red Wings did the job over the course of their first two games of the Western Conference Semifinals, earning a split at the United Center against the Chicago Blackhawks. Now, these two teams are going to meet on Monday night in Game 3 in NHL betting action, as these two teams try to break a 1-1 series deadlock.

The Blackhawks have officially run up against some adversity for the first time in this postseason, and really for the first time all season long. They were always the best team in the Western Conference this year, and they never had a shot of being knocked out of the first round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Wild as well. But now, they don’t have home ice advantage any longer, and they are going to need to win at least one of the three games played here at Joe Louis Arena if they want to end up making it to the Western Conference Finals. G Corey Crawford didn’t have a great game on Saturday, as he allowed four goals in that game. However, that was the first time that he had a miserable game in the postseason, and it was the worst game that he had all season long at the United Center.

The Red Wings are clearly a good enough team to win this series, but they are going to need to play a lot more like the team that was on the ice in Game 2 than the one that was out there for Game 1. LW Henrik Zetterberg was a superstar in Game 2, making all of the plays that had to be made to win this game, and he set up two of the team’s four goals. G Jimmy Howard didn’t face nearly as much pressure as he did in Game 1, and the end result was a flipping of the score line from a 4-1 loss to a 4-1 win. C Pavel Datsyuk has yet to pick up a point in this series, but he and his line mates did a heck of a lot better in Game 2 than they did in Game 1. Now, the dastardly eight-game losing streak at the hands of the Blackhawks is said and done with, and the end result has to be that there is a lot more confidence that they can get the job done.

We have seen this script play out once before. We saw the Red Wings go down 1-0 to the Anaheim Ducks and then ultimately end up winning Game 2 before getting shellacked in Game 3. That could be the way that this one plays out as well. We don’t have quite enough confidence in the Red Wings yet to be backing them as favorites (or near favorites) in a game in this series, so we want the Blackhawks on our side in Game 3.

Chicago Blackhawks @ Detroit Red Wings Pick: Chicago Blackhawks -120

1: Cleveland Indians (25-17, +$1,149) (LW: 4): The Tribe beat Justin Verlander on the road back on May 11th, and they have been flying since then. They really stormed through a series with the comparable Mariners this weekend, and they can close things out this afternoon with a four-game sweep on Monday afternoon if they can get the job done. The team has allowed 3.38 runs per game in its last eight.

2: Pittsburgh Pirates (26-18, +$1,053) (LW: 2): It’s only natural for the Pirates to have things work out this way. They swept the Mets and took three out of four from the Brewers, and then they followed that up by nearly losing all three games to the Astros. Of course, they’re still the Astros, and they still managed to lose two of those three games. However, previous editions of the Pirates would have still blown those close calls to bad teams. This one however, really does have a chance to get to 82 wins this season, and games like these are why.

3: Texas Rangers (29-15, +$1,045) (LW: 6): The Rangers have won nine of their last 11 games, and they have stormed to a 6.5 game lead in the AL West. We know that it was only a series in May, and the gun should not be jumped, but taking three out of four against the Tigers at home this weekend was proof that this is a team that has come a long, long way this year in spite of the fact that it was ridiculed for making all of the wrong moves in the offseason.

4: New York Yankees (27-16, +$1,002) (LW: 1): After a brutally bad series at home against the Mariners, Mother Nature kept New York from finishing a three-game sweep against Toronto. Alas, Sunday’s game was halted before it ever started, but the two wins in a row against division rivals was still good news for the Bronx Bombers. The bad news? These next two series are crucially huge in Baltimore and in Tampa Bay.

5: St. Louis Cardinals (28-15, +$909) (LW: 5): The stellar pitching staff for the Redbirds had a not-so-stellar week. The team allowed at least four runs in six out of eight games, and though that isn’t nearly a damning stat, it is horrid for a team that has a 3.18 ERA as a club with a team WHIP of 1.21. Matters will improve, but this West Coast trip that is ahead is going to be awfully tough.

6: Colorado Rockies (24-20, +$563) (LW: 9): There is a seismic gap between the Top 5 money teams in the game and the rest of the field. The Rockies are the best of the rest at the moment, but we have a feeling that they are starting to trend in the wrong direction after being one of the best teams in the majors over the course of the first 25 or so games of the campaign.

7: Boston Red Sox (27-17, +$511) (LW: 14): Scoring three in the ninth inning against Tampa Bay on Thursday really propelled the Red Sox this week, as they are back on strong footing after going to Target Field and sweeping the Twins. With four teams at least three-games above .500 in the AL East, every win you can get is an important one, especially when a maximum of three teams are going to get into the postseason from your own division.

8: Arizona Diamondbacks (25-19, +$509) (LW: 10): Shame on the Diamondbacks for scoring one run in total in the last two games in their series against the lowly Marlins. That snapped a four-game winning streak though, so it’s tough to get on Arizona’s case for what amounts to be a blip in the radar in an otherwise fantastic start to the season.

9: Atlanta Braves (25-18, +$439) (LW: 11): The Braves had a good week this past week, but it was really only made by going to the West Coast and sweeping the Dodgers. OF Jason Heyward is back in the lineup, but he only went 2-of-10 in his first series back in the fold this past week after his appendectomy four weeks ago.

10: Cincinnati Reds (26-18, +$373) (LW: 12): Bronson Arroyo complained late last week that he never felt well while he was pitching during day games. Maybe he needs to feel poorly more often. In two day starts this week, Arroyo threw 14.1 scoreless innings and allowed just five hits and three walks against 11 strikeouts.

11: Baltimore Orioles (23-20, +$243) (LW: 3): The Orioles had one of the best bullpens in baseball until Saturday when they let the Rays bat around and get six runs off of Jim Johnson in the ninth inning. A sweep at the hands of Tampa Bay knocked the O’s back into a tie for third place in the AL East, four games behind the division leading Yankees.

12: Minnesota Twins (18-22, +$143) (LW: 7): It almost seems like the Twins and the Orioles are following each other right now. Minnesota ended up losing five straight games as well, just like Baltimore did this past week, and as a result, both are plummeting through the MLB money rankings quickly. Now, the Twinkies seemingly are back where they belong in the gutter in the AL Central.

13: San Diego Padres (20-23, +$120) (LW: 16): The Padres have seemingly been inching closer to the .500 mark all season long after a really bad start to the campaign, and they took another step in the right direction this past week when they two four out of six from AL East foes. Exploding for 13 runs on Washington on Sunday was a reminder that this team really does have some talent in the lineup.

14: San Francisco Giants (24-20, +$101) (LW: 8): It was a bad week for the G-Men and their bettors, as they were beaten to the tune of over four units of losses. Not only did the team lose the last three games against the Rockies, but it lost those three games by allowing 25 total runs. That’s now a whopping 8.67 runs per game allowed for the Giants in their last six games, and their team ERA is now ballooning up to 4.21.

15: Oakland Athletics (23-22, +$12) (LW: 17): Oakland is back above the .500 mark again, and it is ahead of the breakeven line for bettors as well. Sweeping the Royals was nice, but the A’s now have a wild road trip ahead of them that starts with three games in Arlington this week. Lose all three of those, and all of a sudden, the AL West race might legitimately be over before Memorial Day.

16: Kansas City Royals (20-20, +$6) (LW: 15): The Royals have been falling through the cracks in a hurry, and now, they are just a .500 team. Do they have the gumption over the course of the last 122 games of the season to get back in the thick of the fight, or were they just a nice story out of the blocks that is destined to end up getting worse?

17: Tampa Bay Rays (23-23, -$142) (LW: 20): Now THESE are the Rays that we remember. Tampa Bay is one of the best teams in terms of grit in baseball, and it showed it on Saturday when it plated six runs in the ninth off of closer Jim Johnson to steal what should have been a lost game. That might be the ‘W’ that really gets this team going in the right direction again this year.

18: Washington Nationals (23-21, -$221) (LW: 15): We still really don’t understand what in the heck is going on with the Nats right now. They have Bryce Harper on their team, yet they are averaging just 3.52 runs per game, are batting .230 as a club, and rank 28th or worse in virtually every major offensive category. And yet they’re still 23-21 and just 2 ½ games back in the NL East race through a quarter of the season. Everyone else should be very afraid of this team as we head into the summer.

19: Seattle Mariners (20-24, -$304) (LW: 18): The M’s have proven to be a suitable home team this season, and in spite of the fact that they really don’t have the talent to stick around with the best and the brightest from the AL West, they are 11-9 and +$202 this season at Safeco Field. The issues have come on the road, where an ugly 9-15 record is holding Seattle down.

20: Chicago White Sox (19-23, -$389) (LW: 22): Well, at least it’s a step in the right direction… The White Sox are now officially at least ahead of the Twins in the AL Central race. Unfortunately for them, that doesn’t mean that they are playing anything more than average baseball, because that’s all that it has ultimately been when push comes to shove.

21: Chicago Cubs (18-25, -$516) (LW: 21): At least they scored two runs off of Matt Harvey… That’s about the only good thing that the Cubs can say about what happened last week. The team alternated wins and losses over the course of its six games against the Rockies and the Mets, and there were some games where they looked really good and some games where they looked like the Cubs.

22: Detroit Tigers (23-19, -$589) (LW: 19): And that’s why playing against the Astros isn’t always a good idea… Detroit was a -350 favorite earlier this week, the biggest of its kind this season against Houston, and it lost the game 7-5 to drop a whopping $350 worth of profits. Losing three out of four in Arlington didn’t help matters any either.

23: Philadelphia Phillies (21-23, -$617) (LW: 24): 1B Ryan Howard is undergoing an MRI on his knee, and that’s really bad news for a man that has had all sorts of injury problems over the course of the last few years. For a team that is already playing without C Carlos Ruiz and RHP Roy Halladay, the last thing that it needs is a few more injuries to key players. This fragile of a team could be shook to the core by that.

24: New York Mets (17-24, -$786) (LW: 25): In Matt Harvey we trust. The New York ace has five wins and a 1.55 ERA on the season, and his 0.72 WHIP is better than most can put up in your average video game. He got another win to start this series off against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, and that was a part of a stretch of three out of four wins for the team dating back to Thursday.

25: Milwaukee Brewers (17-25, -$886) (LW: 23): Milwaukee just continues to slide. The team hasn’t won back to back games all month long, and it is now just 3-14 over the course of its 17 games played in the month of May. There’s a point that we are going to have to see some changes in Beer Country, and they are probably going to have to be pretty drastic.

26: Toronto Blue Jays (17-26, -$1,004) (LW: 26): The Blue Jays had a chance to cut into their deficit in the AL East, but instead of accomplishing that, they only made their situation worse when they were beaten in back to back games by the Yankees this weekend. The season isn’t over yet, but considering the fact that everyone in the division is so far ahead of Toronto, it’s going to be a long and arduous road back in the right direction.

27: Houston Astros (12-32, -$1,224) (LW: 29): Now here’s some funny stuff. The Astros only won two games this week, and they were one of the more profitable American League teams on the week as a result. Of course, going on the road and winning as a +320 underdog helps out a lot, though that’s not something that we expect to see all summer long in the Lone Star State.

28: Miami Marlins (12-32, -$1,431) (LW: 27): Is it a coincidence that if you look at what the Marlins and the Astros have done this year, the marks are incredibly similar? Miami is 6-16 at home. Houston is 6-16 at home. Miami is 6-16 on the road. Houston is 6-16 on the road. Both teams have at least $1,200 of losses for the season. Now, the question… if you take the total number of wins this year for both of these teams, are you going to have more or less than the total number of wins that the best team in baseball puts up?

29: Los Angeles Dodgers (17-25, -$1,447) (LW: 28): Oh, to be a private bookie in Los Angeles right now! Save for the Kings, the rest of the teams in Tinseltown have stunk it up of late, and the Dodgers are living proof of that (though the Angels are even worse!). The one bright spot of the week is that RHP Zack Greinke is back in the fold after his broken collarbone that he suffered in that brawl against the Padres at the start of the year, and he looked really good on the mound.

30: Los Angeles Angels (17-27, -$1,584) (LW: 30): Meanwhile, there are no bright spots for the Angels. Yes, they’re five games ahead of the Astros in the AL West, so at least they’re not the worst team in the game, but they’re pushing it, and they aren’t taking many steps in the right direction to make us think that matters are going to get better at any point in the near future.

Here are the basics of the matchup:

Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs
West Finals – Game 1
Sunday, May 19 – 3:30 PM ET
AT&T Arena – San Antonio

Memphis was impressive in beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games to get here, while the Spurs had problems with the young Golden State Warriors before closing things out in six.

In the NBA playoff odds that have been posted at BetAnySports, the Spurs are laying some points

San Antonio Spurs  -4.5
Memphis Grizzlies  +4.5

Over 182.5 Points  -110
under 182.5 Points  -110

Spurs win game  -190
Grizzlies win game  +165

Perhaps it is a bit of good fortune for the Spurs that Russell Westbrook went down with a season-ending injury which helped prevent the Thunder from being more combative against the Grizzlies in the previous post-season round. But that’s not to say they wouldn’t have been a rough team to deal with regardless. Again, coach Gregg Popovich’s approach has been to rest starters, particularly the “Big Three” of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, at strategic times, to give them a little more “juice” when it came to the playoffs.

After a four-game sweep over the Lakers, there was no panicking when Golden State got a split at the AT&T Arena , and amazingly, the Spurs (who are -145 series favorites in the NBA playoff odds at BetAnySports) held the Warriors below 40% shooting in each of the three games that were played in Oakland. Even though they are the second seed in the West, the elimination of Oklahoma City gives San Antonio its home court advantage.

There is very little mystery when it comes to what the Grizzlies want to do. They emphasize defense, and in fact have three members of the NBA’s All-Defensive team: Marc Gasol, who was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year; Tony Allen, who was the leading vote-getter on the team, and Mike Conley, a second team designee. Those three, at times, will be guarding each of the members of the Big Three, and that is what can make the underdog Grizzlies a difficult proposition from the matchup standpoint.

Memphis has been a very strong playoff squad thus far, covering its last ten games after a disappointing effort in Game 1 of the series against the Los Angeles Clippers.  But you know, BetAnySports customers are well aware that this team has been outperforming the spread all season; the Grizzlies are now 57-33 ATS. On the road they haven’t suffered much, with a 29-17 ATS record. so the message is pretty clear; this is a mentally tough club that defends and believes in pounding the ball inside to get high-percentage shots.

In the last nine games, only once did Memphis allow a team to shoot better than 44% from the field. And amazingly, only once in the last dozen games has this team committed more than a dozen turnovers. In the last 16 games they have averaged slightly less than ten TO’s, and that constitutes phenomenal ball control.

When you throw some of these factors into the mix, there is a lot of reason to believe Memphis can compete on even terms, which is why we will look for them to extend their ATS winning streak and make a play on them in the $1 Million Charles Jay / BetAnySports Spring-Summer Showdown. And it wouldn’t shock us to see San Antonio get off to a slow start.

Get the best NBA playoff odds available at BetAnySports!

Date/Time: May 19th, 3:30 pm ET

Television: ABC

Basketball Odds from BetDSI

Point Spread: Spurs -4.5

Total: 182.5

The Memphis Grizzlies and the San Antonio Spurs are set to start the Western Conference Finals on Sunday afternoon, and they are going to get it on for the first time in NBA betting action on Sunday at the AT&T Center.

The Grizzlies are the surprise team at this juncture of the postseason, as they are one of the highest seeds that we have seen in the Western Conference Finals in quite some time. They were the No. 5 seed in the West, and they found a way to take down both the Los Angeles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder after falling behind in both series. Here in the playoffs, Memphis has been doing a lot on the defensive side of the court, and it is going to continue in this series. The combination of F Zach Randolph, C Marc Gasol, and G Mike Conley Jr. have been leading this team all postseason long, and that is going to have to continue if this team is going to have any chance in this series. Randolph has been the grinder of the bunch, scoring all of the dirty points, and he managed 19.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game so far in the second season. Gasol has averaged 18.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game.

The Spurs had their hands full for a couple games against the Golden State Warriors, but they ultimately figured out how to get the job done, winning two games in Oakland to ultimately win this series without too many hassles. It was a complete team effort once again, as night in and night out, there were at least nine players, and sometimes as many as 11 that played at least half a quarter’s worth of action. You wouldn’t think of him as an “MVP” type of player, but G Tony Parker has played the role thus far in these playoffs. He has averaged 22.4 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game, and he has perhaps been the most important player going in the second season to date. F Tim Duncan is averaging 18.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, while the man that is really coming on strong is F Kawhi Leonard, who has averaged 13.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in what is amounting to be his coming out party here in the playoffs.

Prediction:

The Grizzlies are going to have a shot in this series, but we don’t think they are going to have a chance in Game 1. The Spurs have had a few days to put in the work to figure out this Memphis defense, and when Head Coach Gregg Popovich has the time to game plan, good things generally happen. San Antonio 93 – Memphis 86

Date/Time: May 19, 8:05 p.m. EST

Television: ESPN

Starting Pitchers: Detroit (Fister) Texas (Holland)

MLB Gambling Odds from JustBet

Moneyline: Tigers (-110) Rangers (-110)

Total: 9

The highly anticipated four-game series between the Tigers and the Rangers will end with a battle on Sunday Night Baseball this weekend. These are arguably the top two teams in the American League right now, and this could certainly be a postseason preview. Two underrated pitchers who have been great this year will square off in what should be a great game. Let’s take a closer look at this one.

Game Overview:

Detroit’s offense was one of the best in baseball last year, and it is quite a bit better now that they have a healthy Victor Martinez as well as Torii Hunter in the lineup. Hunter is hitting .309 so far this year, and him getting on base has really helped this team produce since Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder hit right behind him. Jhonny Peralta was a bit disappointing last year, but he is hitting .319 so far this year. Austin Jackson’s injury slows this offense down a bit, but they are very good. Detroit leads the majors in runs scored this year.

The Tigers have become a much more complete team now that they have a strong pitching rotation. Justin Verlander has been a great Ace for several years, but guys like Doug Fister and Anibal Sanchez make this team really dangerous because they provide very good depth in the rotation. You could make a good argument that the Tigers may well have the deepest rotation in the American League right now. Fister is 5-1 with a 3.06 ERA so far this year.

The Texas Rangers are always thought of as a team that will outscore you, because that is the style of baseball they played for many years. That isn’t the way this year’s team is winning baseball games. Texas is fourth in the majors in team ERA despite playing in a hitter-friendly ballpark. The Rangers are loaded with good starting pitching, and they have a very good bullpen as well. Derek Holland was an inconsistent pitcher a couple years ago. He seemed to have great games and then terrible ones. That has changed over the last year or so. Holland is 3-2 with a stellar 2.93 ERA this year. He has an amazing 1.57 ERA at home this season.

Don’t think just because they are winning a lot of games because of their pitching that the Texas Rangers can’t hit anymore. Despite losing Josh Hamilton in the offseason, the Rangers are fourth in the majors in team batting average at .266. Ian Kinsler leads the team with a .302 average, and he really sets the table for this lineup. Lance Berkman has done a great job stepping in and producing in the middle of the order. Mitch Moreland, Adrian Beltre, and Nelson Cruz all have at least nine homers on the year.

Free MLB Pick: Under 9

Both of these pitchers are really pitching well right now. These are two good lineups, but at this total I’ll take the under with two very good pitchers.

Date/Time: May 19th, 3:00 PM ET

Television: NBC

NHL Betting Odds from BetOnline Sportsbook

Moneyline: Bruins -125

Total: 5

The Boston Bruins hold a 1-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinals over the New York Rangers, but it wasn’t easy. The win in overtime was a big one for the Bruins, and now, they are trying to get a 2-0 series lead in NHL playoff betting action on Sunday afternoon in the game of the day on NBC.

The Rangers have to be heartbroken about losing Game 1, but they had to see this coming with the amount of pressure that they had on them for the mass majority of this game. Not only did they allow the Bruins to rip off 48 shots on goal, but G Henrik Lundqvist was saved by the post three times on the night, including twice in overtime before conceding the game-winner. Don’t get us wrong. The Swede played a great game, as he stopped 45-of-48 shots. His defense though, has to do a better job of clearing the defensive zone, and it would really help if the team could get into the offensive zone with some confidence. Over the course of the entire overtime period on Thursday night, we could count on one hand how many times a Ranger carried the puck into the zone. Generally, it was just dump and chase, something that the Bruins rarely did. That’s why they ended up winning the first game of this series, and why New York is already in chase mode.

It was just another day at the office for Boston. The team poured all sorts of pressure on in the attacking zone, and the argument could be made that if not for the post, four or five goals should have been scored, and if not for the remarkable play of Lundqvist, perhaps another two or three would have gotten through. LW Brad Marchand was the hero on the stat sheet, as he assisted on the game-tying goal and scored the game-winner in overtime. He was the flashy man with the stats, but there were others that played remarkable hockey in spite of their suspect numbers. D Dougie Hamilton had an assist and put a ton of pressure on with his slappers from the point, and he finished with five shots on goal for the game. It wasn’t the goal and the assist that made the night for D Zdeno Chara. It was his nine shots and the fact that he poked the puck away to start what turned out to be the game winning goal. It was C Patrice Bergeron, who didn’t log a shot on net the entire night, who had the beautiful pass to Marchand that ultimately won the game. Oh by the way, we haven’t even mentioned any of the front line players that played so well for the Bruins in the opening round against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

We don’t think it is a shock that the Rangers were able to hang around in Game 1, but they weren’t the better team on the ice. Boston has the better side, and it is a bit insulting to think that it is only barely a -125 favorite, insinuating that the oddsmakers believe that the Rangers are actually the better of the two teams.

New York Rangers @ Boston Bruins Pick: Boston Bruins -125