After months of wild college basketball action, it all comes down to the national final tonight between two of the higher-numbered seeds in the field, No. 7 Connecticut and No. 8 Kentucky.
Meanwhile in baseball action, the Baltimore Orioles are looking to get back on the winning track by taking on the New York Yankees on Monday. Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox play host to the Texas Rangers.
Read on for everything you need to bet on these exceptional games, as April’s stacked sports calendar rolls on.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]Best Games to Bet On Today
Line: No. 7 Connecticut (+2.5) at No. 8 Kentucky (-2.5); total 134.5 – view these lines
No. 7 Connecticut vs. No. 8 Kentucky (9:10 PM ET)
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]If you picked Connecticut and Kentucky as the teams to make it to the championship finals, a hat tip to you. The Huskies pulled off a massive upset against No. 1 Florida in the Final Four (to go with a collection of other shocking wins) without getting much from Shabazz Napier – a reality no one was anticipating.
On the other side of the bracket, John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats team has proven exactly why they were the top-ranked unit coming into the season, running the table in the most difficult region in the nation to make the final.
Both teams have proven themselves, but Kentucky’s path was particularly impressive, with wins over No. 1 Wichita State, No. 4 Illinois, No. 2 Michigan and No. 2 Wisconsin – all top tier contenders in this year’s tournament.
There are many facets of this game to consider, and we’ve broken them all down in our comprehensive betting preview of the March Madness final.
Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees (1:05 PM ET)
Line: Baltimore Orioles (+135) at New York Yankees (-150); total 8.5 – view lines here
Betting on the Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles (2-4) started their season on a high note, outlasting the Boston Red Sox thanks to the heroics of newcomer Nelson Cruz, who scored two runs, including the game-winning homer. However, Baltimore proceeded to lose its next four games before edging Detroit, 3-1, on Sunday.
Ubaldo Jimenez will be on the mound against their next opponents, the New York Yankees. Jimenez had a rough first start for the Orioles, as he gave up four runs on two homers with three walks in a loss to the Red Sox.
Dating back to last year, the Orioles are just 3-7 in their last 10 road games. However, the O’s are 3-0 in their last three games against today’s starter, Hiroki Kuroda.
Betting on the New York Yankees
CC Sabathia (six innings, four runs) wasn’t at his sharpest, but New York still defeated Toronto, 6-4, in their most recent game, with help from a Brett Gardner two-run homer.
Kuroda gave up two runs in six innings in his first start of the year against the Astros, which counted as a loss. New York has now lost in Kuroda’s last four starts. The under is 6-1 in the Yankees’ last seven home games.
Third baseman Yangervis Solarte has been a pleasant surprise for the Yankees from the get-go with a .471 batting average and five RBIs in his first five games.
Prediction
With both line-ups yet to hit full gear in the early going (Baltimore and New York are tied 20th in the nation in runs), take the under.
Texas Rangers vs. Boston Red Sox (7:10 PM ET)
Line: Texas Rangers (+150) at Boston Red Sox (-170); total 9.0 – view lines here
Betting on the Texas Rangers
Although the Rangers are only 3-3 SU, they rank sixth in the MLB in terms of batting average (.279) and eighth in on-base percentage (.342). Moreover, Alex Rios (.348 batting average, 5 RBIs) and his team are heading to Fenway Park with momentum after trouncing Tampa Bay, 3-0, thanks to six strikeouts in seven innings from Yu Darvish on Sunday.
Texas, who will start Tanner Scheppers (15.75 ERA) vs. Boston, is 7-3 in its last 10 against the Red Sox.
Betting on the Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox’s title defense hasn’t started well, as they’ve lost four of their last six games, including getting swept in their three games against Milwaukee. Boston does have 19 runs for the season, but their inconsistency has many pundits claiming they need to regroup.
John Lackey will start as pitcher for the Red Sox. On April 2nd, the 11-year veteran played fantastic by throwing six sharp innings en route Boston’s 6-2 win over Baltimore. Lackey is also 7-3 SU in his last 10 starts at Fenway Park.
However, history shows Lackey (3.00 ERA) may be in tough against Texas. The 35-year-old mainstay is only 3-7 in his recent matches against the Rangers, with four of those defeats coming in the last five matches.
Prediction
Look for the Red Sox and Lackey to make a statement about their championship defense with a confident win at home.
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