Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Phillies turn to their ace for a victory, the Indians continue their New York set, and the NHL continues its first-round series.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
In what will be Stephan A. Smith’s ESPN finale, NBA action resumes on Saturday (NBA playoff series odds), with Game 1 of four of the league’s first-round series: Detroit at Cleveland, Chicago at Boston, Dallas at San Antonio, and Houston at Portland. The other four series get underway on Sunday, with Philadelphia at Orlando, Miami at Atlanta, Utah at the Lakers, and New Orleans at Denver. Los Angeles is pegged as the 3/5 Vegas fave to win the title, with the Cavaliers at 8/5, the Celtics at 2/1, the Magic at 9/2, and the Trail Blazers at 8/1 according to BetUs Sportsbook.
Also the 2009 NBA playoff odds and betting lines for the individual games are up.
Meeting up on the diamond . . .
Phillies ace Cole Hamels will try to get back on track on Friday night when his team plays host to the Padres. The lefthander was pounded in his first start of the season on April 10, surrendering seven earned runs on 11 hits in just 3 2-3 innings of work versus the Rockies. San Diego will send Chris Young out to the mound on Friday; the righthander is 2-0 with a tiny 1.38 ERA through two outings.
The Cards and Cubs play a matinee in Chicago Friday, while the Mets get a visit from the Brewers. Rounding out the National League slate: Atlanta at Pittsburgh, Florida at Washington, Cincinnati at Houston, Colorado at the Dodgers, and Arizona at San Francisco; Dan Haren (0-2, 2.08 ERA) will pitch for the D-Backs.
Cleveland and New York will continue their series in the new Yankee Stadium on Friday, with the Tribe’s Anthony Reyes (1-0, 6.00 ERA) taking on the Bombers’ Joba Chamberlain (0-0, 1.50 ERA). Elsewhere around the American League: Oakland at Toronto, Baltimore at Boston, the White Sox at Tampa Bay, Kansas City at Texas, the Angels at Minnesota, and Detroit at Seattle. Tigers starter Justin Verlander has given up nine earned runs over 8 2-3 innings this season.
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The next Susan Boyle…
The inspirational story of Susan Boyle on ‘Britain‘s Got Talent’ has bettors with renewed interest in Hollywood and entertainment betting odds. Paddy Power, an Irish sportsbook has Boyle as only an 8-11 favorite to win the talent contest. Dance group Flawless is 5-1 to topple the poster child for rags to riches.
Boyle is a bit more inspirational than former American Idol contestant Tozier Robbins who was arrested for stalking Britney Spears.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
The National Hockey League offers up Game 2 of three first-round playoff series on Friday night, including Carolina at New Jersey. The Devils rolled to a 4-1 win over the Hurricanes in Game 1 on Wednesday, with Zach Parise providing a goal and an assist and Martin Brodeur stopping 18 of 19 Carolina shots. Ray Whitney had the lone Carolina marker in the third period, and Cam Ward made 35 saves.
The other Eastern matchup on Friday has Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, with the Penguins looking to a grab a 2-0 lead in the series. Pittsburgh picked up a 4-1 win in the opener on Wednesday, on goals by Sidney Crosby, Tyler Kennedy, Mark Eaton, and Evgeni Malkin. Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves for the Penguins in that matchup, while Martin Biron stopped 29 of 33 Pittsburgh shots.
Finally, it’ll be St. Louis at Vancouver in the second game of their first-round Western series on Friday. The Canucks pulled out a 2-1 win at home in Game 1 on Wednesday night, with Roberto Luongo making 25 saves on the night. Daniel Sedin and Sami Salo had the Vancouver goals, while Brad Boyes made it close for the Blues in the second period. Chris Mason picked up 29 saves in the defeat.