St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Francisco Giants
Free MLB Pick: San Francisco Giants -160 odds
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While it seems ‘expensive,’ at first glance, given the fact that Lincecum is on the mound, I believe that the current price on the Giants is quite fair.

The Giants’ ace has been ‘doing his thing,’ again this season. He’s already 3-0 with a spectacular 0.90 ERA and 0.80 WHIP. Through 20 innings, he’s allowed just two runs. Over that stretch, he’s recorded an impressive 24 K’s while walking only three.

The Cardinals’ Jaime Garcia is also off to a very impressive start. In fact, through two starts, he’s gone 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA. However, while the Giants are 3-0 in Lincecum’s starts, the Cards are just 1-1 in Garcia’s. Also, his 10 K’s and five walks, through 13 innings, isn’t nearly as dominant as Lincecum’s 24 to 3 K/W ratio. Of course, Lincecum’s been dominating like this, since he came into the league. Garcia’s “sample size” is much smaller. (Garcia is a rookie, Lincecum’s 2.55 ERA since the beginning of 2008 is the lowest in the major leagues.)

Regarding the “steep price,” note the Giants have actually fared very well as favorites in this range – due in no small part to Lincecum. They’re 15-7 (+3.4) the past couple of seasons, as home favorites in the -150 to -175 range. Looking back further and we find them at a profitable 141-71 (+26.8) their last 200+ in that situation.

On the other hand, during the same stretch, the Cards are a money-burning 32-63 (-12.4) as road underdogs in the +150 to +175 range. That includes a 5-10 (-2) mark in that role the past couple of seasons.

With Lincecum boasting a 4-0 record (1.61 ERA, 0.964 WHIP!) in four starts vs. St. Louis, (last time he faced them he threw a complete-game 2-hit shutout!) consider laying the wood.

Florida Marlins vs. Colorado Rockies
Free MLB Pick: Colorado +101 odds
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Free Play from Doc’s Sports. Take Colorado vs. Florida (Friday 9 pm ET) – Both teams are coming off of nice wins last night. The difference is that Colorado won their series with the win, while Florida needed the win to avoid getting swept by the Astros. The pitching matchup is reasonably even here, with a slight edge to Colorado. The Rockies send out Greg Smith. He’s been very good in his last two outings, and has the advantage of playing a team that hasn’t seen him before here. He’s up against Ricky Nolasco. Nolasco is very good when he s at his best – like he was last time out against Philadelphia. He hasn’t yet shown that he can be consistent, though, so we can’t reasonably expect him to come back with another strong outing – or at least we don’t have to fear it. Colorado is a solid 4-2 at home, so this is a good spot for them to be in. The Rockies have an edge in this game, so this price is reasonable and there is value. Don’t miss Doc’s Sports 10* MLB Game of the Month on Saturday. This selection will be posted on this site and is a must have for any big game hunter.

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Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz vs. Iowa Barnstormers (Week 4 Preview from Mike Rose)
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Arena Football betting action continues on Saturday night from “The Well” in Des Moines, where the Iowa Barnstormers (0-2, 0-2 ATS) will welcome the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (1-1, 1-1 ATS) to town. This is an intra-conference clash, as the Yard Dawgz enter this game one behind the Tulsa Talons for the top spot in the American Conference, while Iowa is 2.5 games in the rear of the Chicago Rush, who lead the National Conference at 3-0.

The Yard Dawgz were getting no respect from the oddsmakers in Week 3, as they were sizeable home underdogs against the winless Cleveland Gladiators. They faced a 31-28 deficit at halftime, but stormed to a 63-50 win courtesy of a huge second half. QB Tommy Grady, playing in his second ever AFL game, went 20/33 for 276 yards and four touchdowns. By Arena League standards, those numbers are pedestrian, but he only turned the ball over one time (on a fumble), which is the most important stat in the game. FB Al Hunt rushed for three touchdowns in spite of the fact that his longest carry of the day was just one yard and he totaled -1 yard for the game. HC Sparky McEwen won his first AFL contest since being dismissed as the head coach of the now defunct Grand Rapids Rampage three years ago.

There aren’t many teams that can say that they’ve made more mistakes through two games than the Barnstormers can. They have yet to lead in a game this season, and they have turned the pigskin over a whopping nine times in two games. If Iowa cuts down on its turnovers, it may stand a chance of competing in this league, as the defense, in spite of the fact that it has allowed 60+ points in both of its games, is actually not failing miserably. The unit has forced four turnovers itself, and averaging two turnovers per game in this league should win you quite a few games. QB Ryan Vena handed the ball to the Milwaukee Iron three times in Week 3, and the end result was a very disappointing 65-48 loss at the Bradley Center.

Oklahoma City opened up this week as XX point favorites, and have moved to -XX at the publication of this article.

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Cleveland Indians vs. Oakland Athletics
Free MLB Pick: Oakland -146 odds
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On Friday the free play is on the Oakland Athletics. Game 928 at 10:05 eastern. Oakland fits a nice system here tonight that plays on home favorites off a home dog win at +140 or higher, if they scored 4 or less runs and the opponent tonight is off a road game. This system has cahed over 80% over the past few seasons. Oakland is also 4-0 as a home favorite in this range this season and has taken 6 of the last here vs the Tribe. Cleveland is 2-6 vs winning teams this year. Oakland also has a nice pitching adavantage with Duchscherer over Westbrook. Duchscherer has gone 12 innings and allowed just 2 runs vs Cleveland. Westbrook has not been effective on the road allowing 8 earned runs in 9 innings. Look for Oakland to get game 1 tonight. On Friday I have a big 11-1 NBA Power system. The NBA suffered a setback last night as we finally dropped one taking the NBA Record to 8-1 and the overall NBA Run to 13-1. In bases I have a Rare Diamond Cutter total that averages 11.6 runs per game. Jump on and start your wekedn off right. For the free play take Oakland. RV

San Diego Padres vs. Cincinnati Reds
Free MLB Pick: Cincinnati Reds -117 odds
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Cincinnati’s bats awakened in their series win over Los Angeles. The Reds scored a whopping 25 runs in taking two of three from the Dodgers. Johnny Cueto (0-0, 5.06 ERA) gets the start tonight; he was solid in his only home start against the Cardinals and he should continue to pitch strong tonight. Cueto has had success against San Diego in the past, striking out 10 in a no decision Reds victory back in 2008. Scott Hairston (0-3), Everth Cabrera (0-3) and David Eckstein (0-2) have yet to get a hit off the righty. San Diego is 2-4 on the road hitting just .218 while averaging only 3.2 runs per game. They are hitting slightly over .230 the past seven games, despite winning six of those seven games.

San Diego’s Kevin Correia is 2-1 with a 3.11 ERA, but lost his only road outing of the season. Correia gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings of work in Arizona. He owns a 4.21 ERA against the Reds in seven starts, and last year, Correia won a pair of close games against Cincinnati. But the Reds offense wasn’t as good then as they are now. Cincinnati hits .362 as a team against Correia with Joey Votto (4-12), Scott Rolen (4-5), Ramon Hernandez (2-4), Laynce Nix (2-4), Jonny Gomes (1-2), Ryan Hanigan (1-2) and Chris Dickerson (1-2) all doing the best. The Reds are averaging 5 runs per game at home, and with a resurgent Cueto on the mound for Cincinnati, we see the Reds putting an end to San Diego’s 6-game winning streak.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls Game 3
Central Division rivals tee it up for a third time when the 1st round series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls switches venues to the United Center. Game 3 of this scheduled best of seven NBA Playoff betting series finds LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers up 2-0 after they earned a 112-102 home victory on Monday night. Though King James went off for 40 points and had a huge 4th quarter by scoring 15 points, the Bulls snuck in front of the closing 10.5-point NBA odds. These teams have now split their six meetings this season both SU & ATS. Cleveland won, but failed to cover its first trip to the Windy City back in March winning 92-85 as 10-point chalk. The Bulls defended its home turf a couple weeks ago winning 109-108 as 6.5-point favorites. However, the Cavs only lost by appoint without LeBron in the line-up who was resting for the playoffs. The underdog and under is 5-2 ATS the L/7 overall meetings. Though the Lakers hold a 5-1 SU advantage in these teams six meetings this season, the Thunder holds a 4-2 ATS advantage.

NBA Playoff Betting Line: Game 3 finds the visiting Cavaliers installed as 4.5-point favorites with the game ‘total’ set at 193.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Game 3
Head coach Phil Jackson’s squad holds a 2-0 advantage in its 1st round series with the upstart Thunder, but they head to the Ford Center dissatisfied after struggling to put the 8th seed away until late. After barely churning out a home win and cover against Oklahoma City in the first game of this NBA Playoff betting series, many believed the defending champs would cruise in Game 2. That hypotheses was quickly rejected by the pesky Thunder who hung with the Lakers throughout the majority of the game. If a couple shots fell for them in the closing minutes of Game 2, this series in all likelihood could be squared up at a game apiece. Kobe Bryant has averaged 30 PPG in this series so far, but Kevin Durant has held up his end of the bargain with 28 PPG of his own. The Lakers went 23-18 SU but a poor 17-23-1 ATS in their 41 games as a visitor, while the Thunder ranked out the 7th best home team in the West with 27-14 SU & 22-19 ATS records.

NBA Playoff Betting Line: Oddsmakers have installed the host Thunder as shocking 3.5-point favorites in tonight’s contest and lined the game ‘total’ at 191.

Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trail Blazers Game 3
The only series going tonight where both teams have snagged victories concludes the evening’s NBA Playoff betting festivities when the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers hook up in the Rose Garden. The Blazers shocked Steve Nash and company in Game 1 by playing some rock solid defense while converting nearly 47 percent of their shots. Andre Miller went off for 31 points and the Blazers won outright 105-100 as lofty 8.5-point underdogs. Game 2 was a completely different story however as the Suns buried 52.3 percent of its shots from the field and only turned the ball over six times. Portland didn’t stand a chance, and it almost looked as if they took the night off after stealing Game 1. What happens tonight remains to be seen, but the Blazers should enter Game 3 very confident knowing they’ve won and covered each of the L/3 times they welcomed the Suns into their house. The Blazers went 26-15 SU at home throughout the regular season, but the Suns were one of only seven Western Conference teams that boasted a winning mark on the road (22-19 SU & 23-18 ATS)

NBA Playoff Betting Line: Portland currently sits as one-point home favorites with the game ‘total’ set at 204 for tonight’s clash.

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Chicago Cubs vs. New York Mets
Free Pick: New York Mets -159
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3* graded play on the Mets as they host the Cubs set to start at 7:10 EST. Our proprietary sports handicapping model and simulator shows a high probability that the Mets will win this game. Mets starter Santana is 71-12 (+47.0 Units) against the money line versus teams outscored by opponents by 0.5 or more runs/game on the season since 1997. Cubs are just 11-31 (-16.8 Units) against the money line as an underdog of +100 or higher over the last 2 seasons. Santana is off a great road start at St. Louis where he allowed ZERO earned runs, 4 hits, 1 BB, and 9 K’s spanning 7 innings. This confidence and groove will certainly carry over to this game. What makes LH Santana so darn good is when he can throw his change for a strike and on any count. He throws FB just 60% of the time and only 68% when behind in the count. Batters are guessing what pitch he will throw and have to expect FB and react to change or vise versa. They cannot react to whatever pitch comes down the pipe and have success against Santana. How here is a stat for you. Of the the 4650 change ups that Santana has thrown his career batters are hitting just 146. Take the Mets.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Cincinnati Reds
Free MLB Pick: Over 10 Runs -110 odds
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Reds and Dodgers have been scoring runs all series long and it continues today. A total of 51 hits 7 HR and 42 runs already only results in a high line on Thursday. With Padilla and Leake against a more challenging offense than he’s faced thus far I think we will have a high scoring game again. Leake has a WHIP north of 1.6 desptie having an ERA under 3. What does that mean? It means he has not faced a good line up that can convert runners into runs. Cubs and Pirates are not the Dodgers and the Dodgers are hot right now scoring 25 runs in the last 2 games. The lead the league with a .315 average and should get to Leake in his 3rd career start. Padilla on the other hand has struggled this year and both bullpens have been subpar with ERA’s 5.66 and 6.27.

Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Free Playoff Pick: Cleveland -4 -110 odds
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The Cavaliers go in for the kill in Game 3 tonight. Chicago lost the first two games of this series by double-digits and deep down inside they know they have no shot at beating Cleveland in this series. The Cavs have won 4 of their last 5 meetings with the Bulls, and their only loss came on April 8th by 1 point in a meaningless game for Cleveland as they already had home-court advantage locked up throughout the playoffs.

Cleveland is 14-4 ATS off a home win by 10 points or more this season, winning in these spots by a whopping 11.4 PPG. The Cavs are 33-15 ATS after 2 straight wins by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons, winning by 12.1 PPG in these spots. This Cleveland team is desperate for a championship, and they aren’t going to take any games off in the playoffs. Look for them to make easy work of the overmatched Bulls again tonight. Bet Cleveland.

Ottawa Senators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Free Pick: Ottawa
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With their backs against the wall, I look for the Senators to play a tight game tonight, and while they may not win this contest, I expect it to be close, and recommend laying the juice for the 1 1/2 here.

I think the Sens still have some fight left in them; they’ve played especially well in Pittsburgh; “We played some good games in Pittsburgh, two really good games, I thought,” Daniel Alfredsson said. “We played OK in Game 3, not great, and in Game 4 we weren’t good at all.”

I have to point out that this has historically been a spot that Pittsburgh has struggled in; its lost four of six times since ’08 in its first opportunity to end a series in a game it doesn’t actually face elimination itself.

While history may not repeat itself tonight, as I said off the top, this should be the most competitive game of the series and could well see overtime.

Keep in mind though, that in this exact situation in the first round against the Flyers a year ago, the Pens played their worst game of their postseason and lost 3-0 in front of the home town crowd.

Ottawa hasn’t tipped its hat yet as to who will be in net, but whether its Leclaire or Elliot, I expect a solid performance; I recommend taking a second look at the Sens on the “puck line”.