This weekend it is only fitting that two former Cy Young winners will kick off a series of three top-notch pitching duels. The marquee matchup will be followed by Randy Wolf-Madison Bumgarner and Shaun Marcum-Matt Cain, and the Brewers will send Zack Greinke to the mound to face Tim Lincecum. The Brewers kept their other starters on a regular, every-fifth-day schedule and an off-day to skip Marco Estrada’s turn in the rotation.

With the reigning NL MVP in the lineup, the Brewers have had trouble scoring and now they may have to try to produce without him. The Giants have a hole in their lineup to fill as well. In the opener of a three-game set Friday night in San Francisco, Milwaukee looks to avoid a third straight shutout when former Cy Young winners Tim Lincecum and Zack Greinke, with Ryan Braun’s status uncertain.

Falling 2-0 on Tuesday and 5-0 on Wednesday, Milwaukee (11-14) dropped the last two games of its three-game series with San Diego. While sliding into second base, Braun left the finale with a right Achilles injury.

May 3-6, 1972 was the only time in franchise history, the Brewers have been shut out in three straight games and as they look to prevent that from happening again, it is unclear if Braun will be in the lineup Friday.

Lincecum went 0-2 with a 10.54 ERA over his first three starts and he will look to help get the Giants (12-13) back on track. Of late, his pitching has got better. In his last three starts versus the Brewers, Lincecum is 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA, but he is 0-2 with a 5.85 ERA in four home starts against them. Greinke (3-1, 3.94) will oppose him. He will be making his first start against the Giants. Greinke 4 and struck out only two, but he allowed one run in six innings of a 3-2 victory over St. Louis.

The best betting odds have the Brewers (10/11), while the Giants (9/2).

MLB – Brewers vs. Giants – Game 1 (10:15 PM ET, May 4, 2012) by Sports Betting Journal

It may finally at least have everyone on the same page, even if Orlando is not completely at full strength. The Magic will have Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson and perhaps Ryan Anderson, coming off their first win in nearly two weeks, as they try to avoid a fourth straight loss to the visiting Pistons.

On Tuesday’s 102-95 loss at Detroit, Orlando (33-23) did not have Howard, Nelson or Anderson, its fourth straight – but rock bottom came two days later. The Magic looked disjointed and disinterested that night in a 96-80 loss to New York, following Stan Van Gundy’s Thursday morning revelation that he knew Howard had asked management to fire him.

Saturday’s 88-82 win at Philadelphia was hardly a thing of beauty, while the team spent the next two days doing damage control. It seemed to at least quell the organizational chaos as Orlando shot 36.3 percent. Van Gundy certainly felt Saturday’s performance was a step in the right direction. He said following Friday’s practice, he was ready to move on.

Howard missed 10 of 14 shots Saturday but still finished with 20 points and 22 rebounds. He was held to eight points and had five turnovers in the loss to the Knicks. Howard’s shots have not been falling consistently. Even Nelson’s performance was not consistent. The point guard is 5 for 26 over the past two games – 1 for 14 from inside the 3-point line. He missed Tuesday’s visit to Detroit with a sore left calf.

Orlando would certainly love to have him to spread the floor, although it is unclear if Anderson will be ready Monday after missing the past three games with a sprained ankle. in the four games he has missed this season, the Magic have averaged 82.5 points and shot 40.7 percent.

Detroit has had Orlando’s number lately with or without Anderson. Ben Gordon has averaged 20.0 points on 51.2 percent shooting, since the Pistons have won three straight in the series, two this season. Gordon has since been held to 15 points total in road losses to Atlanta and Miami, although had 18 in last week’s win against the Magic and 13 two days later in a 99-94 win over Washington. In Sunday’s 98-75 loss at Miami, Detroit had shot 52.1 percent in its previous four games before being held to 37.3 percent.

The Pistons fell to 11-32 when they do not hit at least half their shots. They have shot at least 50 percent in both wins this season against the Magic. The betting odds have Pistons (2) and Orlando Magic (2/5).

NBA: Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic (7:00 PM ET, April 9, 2012) by Sports Betting Journal

76ers have not been playing particularly well lately. On Tuesday night, Iguodala may return from injury when the host 76ers goes for a fourth consecutive victory over the slumping Cleveland Cavaliers. Philadelphia (27-22) has lost 15 of 24 and finds itself in a tight battle with Boston for the top spot, since an 18-7 start pushed it out to a four-game lead in the Atlantic Division.

In the league, the 76ers have one of the deepest teams with eight players averaging at least 8.2 points. However, the 76ers lost for the fifth time in seven games Sunday, 93-76 at San Antonio and Iguodala’s all-around game was sorely missed. Philadelphia managed 27 second-half points and committed a season-worst 21 turnovers, with the All-Star forward missing his first game of the season due to left patella tendinitis. The 76ers give the ball away a league-low 11.0 times per game.

Following a season-best three-game win streak March 7-11, Cavs have hit a rough patch and it could have gotten much worse on Sunday with Antawn Jamison leaving with a bruised left leg and ankle. During the second quarter, the veteran returned and it seems he will be available for Tuesday’s match.

Jamison led Cleveland with 20 points in its lone meeting with the 76ers this season. He averaged 18.0 points and 6.6 rebounds. They suffered a 99-84 home loss Feb. 11. In that contest, Sixers point guard Jrue Holiday scored a team-best 20 points and handed out five assists, although he did not face Cavs star Kyrie Irving due to a concussion.

Averaging 18.8 points with 5.6 assists, the rookie point guard has enjoyed an outstanding first season, but against the pick and roll Sunday, he and rookie big man Tristan Thompson struggled defensively. Point guard Steve Nash finished with 13 assists, while the Suns center Marcin Gortat scored the first 10 points. Thompson has averaged 14.0 points and 8.2 rebounds.

After missing 28 of the previous 31 games, Sixers center Spencer Hawes should make a sixth straight start, including the Feb. 11 contest, with a strained left Achilles. Philadelphia won 117-97 in the Cavaliers’ last visit Dec. 7, 2010; Hawes had 10 points and 12 rebounds while Thaddeus Young added 26 points and 11 boards.

In this series, Cleveland had won five straight and eight in a row in Philadelphia. In six of those games, LeBron James was in the Cavs lineup.

NBA – Philadelphia 76ers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – Game 2 by Sports Betting Journal

The Boston Bruins aims for a commanding 3-2 lead when they play host to the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of their National Hockey League Eastern Conference Finals match-up.Despite losing Game 4 to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Boston Bruins remains the favorite to prevail in Game 5 and take the lead in their match-up on Monday evening.

The Boston Bruins are picked to win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 since they will be playing in-front of their fans and have a better record in the NHL regular season.To defeat the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning, the Boston Bruins need to play superb offence and tight defense at the same time.

Bruins forward Milan Lucic who had been under performing in the NHL postseason need to score big in this game for them to win over the Lightning.Bruins linemen David Krejci and Nathan Horton also need to step up their game to carry the Bruins over the Lightning in Game 5 and take the lead in their series.

The odds of winning is on the side of the Bruins in this game all they need to play smart and consistent in this game to win and avoid an upset against the visiting Lightning team.The visiting Lightning for its part will have their hands full against the home-team Bruins in this game.

Despite being the underdog in this game, the Lightning still has a good chance of beating the Bruins in Game 5 since they have won Game 4 against the latter.To topple the Bruins, the Lightning need to play consistently in this game and execute their game-plan well come game-time.

Lightning right wing Teddy Purcell also need to play well in this game to tow his team to victory against the home-team Bruins.The odds of winning might not be on their side but the Lightning can still prevail over the Bruins if they play as a team and give their A-game come game-time.

Boston Bruins seeks 3-2 lead vs. Tampa Bay Lightning by Sports Betting Journal

The young Oklahoma City Thunder hopes to avoid a 3-1 hole when they play host to the visiting veteran laden Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of their National Basketball Association Western Conference Finals match-up.The home-team Oklahoma City Thunder is picked as favorite to win the crucial Game 4 and tie their playoff series 2-2 against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday evening.Despite losing Game 3 at home, the Oklahoma City Thunder remains the favorite to win Game 4 since the team had not lost two straight playoff games in Oklahoma City.The Oklahoma City Thunder is also playing for the second time in-front of its fans which gave them the edge to prevail over the Dallas Mavericks in the all-important Game 4.

Having lost the home-court in this series after losing Game 3, the Thunder are very determined to win Game 4 to give some joy to their fans and the NBA franchise in general.To bring down the Mavericks, the Thunder need to start and end strong in this game against their equally determined visitor.

Thunder superstars NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant and high-flying point-guard Russell Westbrook need to elevate their game further and take charge in scoring for their team to win Game 4.Durant and Westbrook must explode in terms of scoring in this game after the two of them were silent in Game 3 against the Thunder.

The two young Thunder leaders must keep energy high in the entire game and not allow the Mavericks to control the pace of the ball game to win this game.The Thunder also need to tighten its defense in this game and not allow Mavericks superstar power-forward Dirk Nowitzki to have a good scoring night in this game.

The Thunder must also do their best not to allow the Mavericks to score big in this game by limiting their fast-break plays and inside penetration for them to win.The home-team must play good team basketball in this game by allowing everybody to score for them to win over the Mavericks and avoid a 3-1 hole in this series.

The odds of winning is on the side of the Thunder in this game all they need to do is play smart and not allow the visiting Mavericks to dominate this game.The visiting Mavericks on the other-side of the fence face a tough challenge against the home-team Thunder in Game 4.

To beat the Thunder and take a commanding 3-1 lead in their series, the Mavericks need to play solid defense in 48 minutes and not allow the home-team to dictate the pace of this game.The Mavericks need to once again not allow both Durant and Westbrook to have a scoring parade in this game for them to win.

Nowitzki and his veteran crew made up of Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Shawn Marion must continue with their good scoring in Game 3 to defeat the Thunder in this game.The front-line of the Mavericks lead by Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood must also do their best to score and rebound big for their team to defeat the home-team Thunder.

The odds of winning might not be on their side but the Mavericks can still win this game if they can come up with a good game-plan and execute it well on game day.

Oklahoma City Thunder seeks tie in Game 4 vs. Dallas Mavericks by Sports Betting Journal

The St. Louis Cardinals seeks for another victory when they visit the struggling San Diego Padres on Monday evening in the current Major League Baseball season. The visiting St. Louis Cardinals (28-20) is picked as favorite to roll past the San Diego Padres (19-28) in their game due to their better record in the ongoing MLB season. Having won six of its past seven games, the St. Louis Cardinals are fired up to beat the San Diego Padres and improve their winning streak on Monday evening. To defeat the Padres, the Cardinals need to execute their game-plan well and give it their all on game day. Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Lohse also need to play big in this game to carry his team to victory against the home-team Padres.

Lohse (5-2, 2.17 ERA) is also having an All-Star calibre season, having yielded two runs or fewer in seven of his last eight starts. Against Houston on Wednesday, the right-hander allowed one run, six hits and a walk in eight innings of a 5-1 win.

The 11-year veteran, however, is 2-3 with a 6.14 ERA in seven career starts against the Padres. Coming off Sunday’s 9-8, 10-inning victory over Kansas City, and has opened up a 2 1/2-game lead atop the NL Central, the Cardinals are very determined to keep their lofty standing and beat the Padres. Aside from Lohse, Cardinals star first baseman Albert Pujols also need to play big for his team in this game to defeat the home-team Padres.

The odds of winning is on the side of the Cardinals in this game all they need to do to avoid an upset is play smart and avoid complacency come game-time. The home-team Padres on the other-side of the coin face a tough challenge against the visiting Cardinals.

Having lost six of their past seven games, the Padres are on a downhill and the huge underdog against the Cardinals. To pull an upset against the favored Cardinals, the Padres need to play big collectively as a team.

The Padres, an NL-worst 8-18 at home need to play huge in this game to win against the favored Cardinals. Padres starting pitcher Dustin Moseley also need to play huge for his team in this game to defeat the favored Cardinals.

The odds of winning might not be on their side but the Padres can still prevail over the Cardinals if they play huge as a team come game-time.

St. Louis Cardinals visit San Diego Padres on Monday night by Sports Betting Journal

The Boston Red Sox hopes to get back to the winning track when they play host the dangerous Chicago Cubs on Sunday evening in the ongoing Major League Baseball season.The home-team Boston Red Sox (24-21) is picked as favorite to roll past the Chicago Cubs (20-24) in this game due to their superior MLB record.Despite losing their last game after a seven-game winning streak, the Boston Red Sox remains the favorite to win over the Chicago Cubs in this game.To defeat the visiting Cubs, the Red Sox need to play their 110 percent effort and their A-game come game-time.

The Red Sox also need to take advantage of the absence of Cubs starting pitcher Matt Garza who is down with an elbow injury.Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz also need to sparkle in this game to tow his team to victory against the Cubs.

Red Sox relief pitcher Tim Wakefield (0-1, 5.40 ERA) also need to play solid for his team to defeat the Cubs.The odds of winning is on the side of the Red Sox all they need to do is play solid and execute their game-plan well to defeat the Cubs.

The visiting Cubs for its part will be in for a tough challenge against the home-team Red Sox.To pull an upset against the favored Red Sox, the Cubs need to find a suitable replacement for the injured Garza in this game.

Having won their last game, the Cubs have the winning momentum to make it two in row if they play solid in this game.Cubs relief pitcher James Russell also need to play his A-game in this match to help his team surprise and upset the Red Sox.

The odds of winning might not be on their side but the Cubs can still prevail over the Red Sox if they play with their A-game come game-time.

Boston Red Sox host Chicago Cubs on Sunday night by Sports Betting Journal

The second seeded Miami Heat aims for a 2-1 lead when they play host to the visiting Chicago Bulls in Game 3 of their National Basketball Association Eastern Conference Finals match-up.The home-team Miami Heat is favored to roll past the Chicago Bulls in Game 3 on Sunday evening due to their stronger roster and the fact that they will playing in-front of its own fans in Miami, Florida.Having beaten the Chicago Bulls in the crucial Game 2 in Chicago to tie their series 1-1, the Miami Heat are very determined to win Game 3 again and take the driver’s seat in their match-up.Playing in-front of its fans, the Miami Heat need to play with 110 percent energy to bring down the Chicago Bulls in this game.

To defeat the Bulls, the Heat need to continue playing tough defense against their opponent in the entire game especially on Bulls superstar point-guard and NBA most valuable player (MVP) Derrick Rose.The big-three of the Heat superstars Lebron “King” James, Dwayne “Flash” Wade, and Chris Bosh, who all had been magnificent in this series need to once again takes charge in scoring for their team to defeat the Bulls.

If the Heat big-three will have a good scoring game it would be an early night for the visiting Bulls.The Heat frontline lead by Bosh, Udonis Haslem, Joel Anthony also need to play tough on defense and rebound big at the same time to defeat the Bulls.

The Heat also need to play tough defense on the reserves of the Bulls and not allow them to shine in this game for them to win.The odds of winning Game 3 is on the side of the Heat all they need to do is execute their game-plan well and play with more energy and focus in this game.

The visiting Bulls for its part will have to sweat it out in this game to win against the home-team Heat.In order to defeat the Heat Rose do not only need to score big for his team but also dished out good assist to his teammates as well.

Bulls reliable forward Luol Deng also need to play tough defense on James and score big at the same time to defeat the Heat.The Bulls also need to play solid defense in 48 minutes and not allow the big-three of the Heat to take-off in this game.

The Bulls front-line lead by veteran Carlos Boozer and young center Joachim Noah also need to score and rebound big for their team to topple the Heat.The odds of winning this game and the series might not be on their side but the Bulls can still prove the odd-makers wrong by playing big in this game and giving it their all come game-time.

Miami Heat seeks 2-1 lead vs. Chicago Bulls in Game 3 by Sports Betting Journal

The red-hot Arizona Diamondbacks aims for their fifth straight wins when they play host to the visiting Minnesota Twins on Saturday evening in the current Major League Baseball season.The home-team Arizona Diamondbacks (21-23) is picked as favorite to win over the Minnesota Twins (15-28) due to their superior MLB record.Having won six of their past seven games, the Arizona Diamondbacks are very determined to continue their winning streak against the hapless Minnesota Twins.The last time the Diamondbacks was able to win five straight games was on Aug. 27-31, 2009.

To continue its winning streak, the Diamondbacks need to come up with a good game-plan and execute it well come game-time.Rookie relief pitcher Joe Paterson also need to play huge in this game to bring his team to victory against the Twins.

Aside from Paterson Diamondbacks shortstop Stephen Drew also need to play superb in this game to carry his team to victory against the visiting Twins.The odds of winning is on the side of the Diamondbacks in this game all they need is play smart and execute their game-plan well on game day.

The visiting Twins for its part will have its hands full against the home-team Diamondbacks.To beat the Diamondbacks, the Twins need to play with 110 percent energy and execute their game-plan well on game day.

Twins stars Michael Cuddyer and Trevor Plouffe also need to play huge in this in order for the Twins to win over the Diamondbacks.The odds of winning might not be on their side but the Twins can still claim victory if they play with their hearts out and their A-game come game-time.

Arizona Diamondbacks targets 5th straights wins vs. Minnesota Twins by Sports Betting Journal

The Dallas Mavericks hopes for a morale boosting 2-1 lead when they visit the young and athletic Oklahoma City Thunder team in Game 3 of their best of seven National Basketball Association Western Conference Finals match-up.Despite losing Game 2 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Dallas, the Dallas Mavericks remains the favorite to roll past the former in their game due to their stronger roster and better record in the NBA regular season.The Dallas Mavericks are also picked to win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 since they are veteran laden team compared to the youthful Oklahoma City Thunder team.To defeat the Thunder and take a 2-1 lead in their series, the Mavericks need to play solid defense in 48 minutes against the home-team.

Mavericks superstar power-forward Dirk Nowitzki who has a limited point production in Game 2 need to play big in this game and score a ton of points to defeat the Thunder.The visiting Mavericks team also need to get good scoring numbers from both its bench and starters to topple the Thunder.

Mavericks guards Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Jose Barea need to once again sparkle in Game 3 like in Game 1 for them to beat the determined Thunder team.Moreover, the Mavericks must also do their best to stop Thunder superstars, NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant and high flying guard Russell Westbrook from scoring big in this game.

The Mavericks must not also allow the Thunder reserves to play big in this game for them to win.The odds of winning is on the side of the Mavericks in this game all they need to do is play with 110 percent energy and execute their game-plan well come game-time.

The home-team Thunder for its part although the underdog in this game still has a big chance of beating the Mavericks.To bring down the Mavericks in succession, the Thunder need to once again solid scoring numbers from both Durant and Westbrook in this game.

The Thunder reserves lead by James Harden who had been huge in their Game 2 victory need to once again play big for their team for them to defeat the favored Mavericks.The Thunder also need to continue its good defense against Nowitzki to stop him from scoring big in this game.

The odds of winning might not be on the side of the Thunder but they can still prevail over the Mavericks if they play as a team and with focus and determination on game day.

Dallas Mavericks targets 2-1 lead vs. Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 by Sports Betting Journal