Hey there guys,
Well I have been informed my opening text, which consists of a recap of the scores of the day before, followed by a preview of the upcoming games can be a bit "daunting" so what I am going to try and do is to split it up into different paragraphs. There will be less writing out here but more inside. Out here I will really just talk about how I did with my picks the day before. In MLB I went 8-7 but 9-6 ats, meaning I at least had the right idea with where I was going on my picks, in the NBA I went 10-3 (5-8 ats) as I have been having either really good days or really awful days recently when it comes to picking the NBA. I am hoping to get on a consistent basis when the Playoffs role around, and finally in the NHL I went 4-1 (3-2 ats) as that is definitely the best day I have had in a really long time in the NHL and I am hoping I can keep that up during the Stanly Cup playoffs. We'll see. Hope you guys enjoy.
*for all picks, games in COLOR are recommended games to watch; BOLD is my pick;
MLB
4/7 Recap and 4/8 Preview and Picks
Yesterday was a pretty good day for me as far as my picks were concerned though I did my worst in MLB where I went 8-7 (9-6 ats) as the Yankees took the rubber match from the Red Sox 3-1 in extra innings; the Braves dropped a 2 run bomb in the bottom of the 8th for the come from behind win over the Cubs 3-2; Matt Garza went 8 innings and struck out 9 for the Rays as they took game 2 from the Orioles 4-3; the Brewers, down 4-1 after 3, would score 4 of the next 3 innings then hold on to take out the Rockies 5-4; the Blue Jays upset the Rangers 7-4 as Vernon Wells had a fantastic day at the plate going 2-3 with 2hr and 3rbi; Edgar Renteria (5/5 2rbi) and Aaron Rowand (4/6 2rbi) each had wonderful games at the plate as the Giants destroyed the Astro's 10-4; the Indians came from behind after being down 3-0 to the White Sox to eventually win 5-3; the Phillies continued their offensive assault on the Nationals as they would win 8-4; the Tigers made a costly error in the 11th that would cost them the game as the Royals won 3-2; the Cardinals used a a 4 run 7th to break away from the Reds in a 6-3 win; the A's won in the bottom of the 9th after a walk off double to win 6-5 over the Mariners; the Marlins took out the Mets by about a half inch in a 7-6 10th inning win; and Kelly Johnson's 2hr 3rbi day helped power the Diamondbacks over the Padres 5-3.
Today there are some great looking games as we look to close out the first series of the season for all of the teams, the one's that I will be paying close attention too are when the Cardinals and the Reds face off as St. Louis looks to complete the sweep, but this game looks to have a very intriguing pitching match up with Brad Penny and Bronson Arroyo taking the mound today, both guys used to be #1 Pitchers so it this should be interesting to see how they do today; the Pirates are going for the sweep of the Dodgers this afternoon in what would be a fantastic start for a team that has been the butt of most baseball jokes over the past few seasons; Dontrelle Willis tries to make a comeback with the Tigers as they close out their series with the rubber match against the Royals; and of course I am hoping that (my) Atlanta Braves can pull out the sweep as Tommy Hanson takes the mound today against the Cubs. I am also interested to see Orioles lefty Brian Matusz make his first start of the season today as he is my projected AL Rookie of the Year.
*Game(s) of the Day*
dodgers @ PIRATES <----- UPSET
C. Billingsley vs. P. Maholm
TIGERS @ royals <----- UPSET
D. Willis vs. B. Bannister
The Rest
CARDINALS @ reds
B. Penny vs. B. Arroyo
blue jays @ RANGERS
R. Romero vs. C. Wilson
mariners @ ATHLETICS
D. Fister vs. B. Anderson
PHILLIES @ nationals
K. Kendrick vs. C. Stammen
cubs @ BRAVES
R. Wells vs. T. Hanson
marlins @ METS
N. Robertson vs. J. Niese
orioles @ RAYS
B. Matusz vs. J. Niemman
indians @ WHITE SOX
J. Masterson vs. G. Floyd
twins @ ANGELS
K. Slowey vs. J. Pineiro
NBA
4/7 Recap and 4/8 Preview and Picks
Yesterday was filled was some great basketball as the (my) Magic drilled the Wizards 121-94; after only being up 2 heading into the 4th quarter the Pacers played some great defense and pulled away from the Knicks for a 113-105 win; the Celtics swept the Raptors after a 115-104 win and this was huge for Toronto as they are now only a 1/2 game ahead of Chicago for that final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race; the Pistons, aka the walking wounded, somehow managed to upset the Hawks in Detroit 90-88 and the road woes continue for Atlanta who need to find some way or another to fix that problem or it will be a very short postseason for them; the Heat have now made it 9 wins in a row as they took down the 76ers 99-95; the Bobcats secured their first ever playoff birth with a 1 point win over the Hornets (new charlotte vs. old charlotte) despite the play of New Orleans F Marcus Thornton (36pts); the Rockets took advantage of the Jazz' lack of rest as Houston won 113-96; the Bucks continue to win without star C Andrew Bogut as they are now 2-0 (3-0 if you count the game where Bogut got hurt) since his injury after a 108-89 win over the Nets; Stephen Curry (27pts 14asst) and Anthony Tolliver (34pts) were the big reasons that the Warriors "upset" the Timberwolves 116-107, making Golden State head coach Don Nelson the all time winningest coach in NBA History; Kevin Durant's 33 points and 11 rebounds weren't enough as the Nuggets came from 13 down to take out the Thunder in Oklahoma City 98-94; the Mavericks dominated the 1st and 4th quarters to crush the Grizzlies 110-84; the Trail Blazers keep climbing up the Western Conference playoff standings after defeating the Clippers 93-85 behind LaMarcus Aldridge's outstanding performance (27pts 12reb), which is all the more outstanding when you consider that he missed a game due to illness just two days ago; and finally the Suns took out the Spurs 112-101 in a battle of the two hottest teams in the West.
Today there are only 3 games but I am going to be paying attention to see if the Bulls can take advantage of Toronto's loss last night as they host the NBA's best Cavaliers tonight and I am also going to be paying attention to see how Kobe Bryant and the Lakers do on the road at the Denver Nuggets. This could very well be a playoff match up, and while I don't expect the Lakers to treat it as such, considering they have pretty much locked up the #1 seed in the Western Conference, it will still be interesting to see how Denver plays.
*Game(s) of the Day*
CAVALIERS by 6 @ bulls (-2.5) <----- UPSET
The Rest
clippers @ KINGS (-6.5) by 3
lakers @ NUGGETS (-2) by 3
NHL
4/7 Recap and 4/8 Preview and Picks
Yesterday was a short day for Hockey with only 5 games but it saw a lot of close action, although not in the first game as the Rangers got a huge 5-1 win over the Maple Leafs as Olli Jokinen (1 goal 1 assist) and Erik Christensen (2 goals 2 assist) dominated on the offensive end and goalie Henrik Ludqvist got the job done in the net as he stopped 26 shots; the Red Wings scored 3 in the 3rd to take out the Blue Jackets 4-3; Kris Versteeg (1 goal 3 assist) was a big reason the Blackhawks were able to take out the Blues 6-5; Cody McLeod had 2 points and some solid defensive play but it wasn't enough as the Avalanche lost in a shootout to the Oilers; and finally the Coyotes secured the #4 seed by taking out the Predators 5-2. Going back to that Rangers win that was huge as they are now 1 point out of the playoffs in the East and 2 point behind the Flyers, with whom they have a home and away with to close the season. They need to win both to get in. Or win one and hope the Bruins don't win another. This should be really interesting to see how this plays out.
Today there are some good games as the Canadiens will try to lock up a playoff spot tonight as they head South to take on the Hurricanes; and then there are some good match ups between Western Conference playoff teams as the Coyotes head West to take on the Kings; and the Canucks come to the States to play the Sharks in San Jose; but the game that I am most interested in watching is tonight when the Sabres head to Boston to take on the Bruins. Remember what I talked about just a second ago? The Bruins really need a win here to help secure a spot in the playoffs, but they are beat up and hurt and now have to get past the best goalie in the NHL in Buffalo's Ryan Miller. This should be a fantastic game to watch.
*Game(s) of the Day*
SABRES @ bruins <----- UPSET
The Rest
canadiens @ HURRICANES <----- UPSET
islanders @ PENGUINS
SENATORS @ lightning
DEVILS @ panthers
ducks @ STARS
wild @ FLAMES
coyotes @ KINGS
canucks @ SHARKS
Alright guys I hope you like the new format. I would like to hear what you think because if you like it than I will continue to use that as I go forward into football season. If you have any other questions, comments, concerns, or ideas just let me know by either commenting below, texting me at (256) 653-2393, or emailing us at wherethelandsharksare@gmail.com
Thank you for Reading
Batteman
No comments:
Post a Comment