It's Duke vs. Butler basketball for the NCAA Men's National Championship, but it's also a day for beating the MLB handicappers' picks.
OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Handicapper Matt Rivers has a free pick on the Seattle Mariners in Oakland. They are laying 124.
Laying road chalk is never the key to the mint but the oft injured Ben Sheets is not the superstar Olympian from seasons' past and I don't expect anything more than about four innings from him here. Even if Sheets has a successful outing and blanks Ichiro and the Mariners that may not be enough as Oakland is up against a Cy Young potential stud in Felix Hernandez.
King Felix is filthy a lot of the time and should be just that here against the young Athletics. Oakland is expected to get around 78 wins according to Vegas and being here at home certainly makes them capable enough today but it's asking a ton from the former Milwaukee ace to really do anything here after returning from the injury and a year plus off.
Seattle's offense could be lacking this season as there is not much pop there as guys like Edgar Martinez and Adrian Beltre and Russell Branyan are gone but the A's certainly are not the A's with Canseco and McGwire and certainly are not going to bash around Hernandez. Oakland has no real major bat at all in that lineup. Coco Crisp? Mark Ellis? Kevin Kouzmanoff? Cliff Pennington? Travis Buck? Rajai Davis? Are you kidding me? Plus their stud rookie closer from last year in Andrew Bailey is injured and that is something that can't be belittled.
Ichiro and the M's are the superior team with the far superior hurler. This price is just too cheap to pass up, period.
The pick: Seattle Mariners
For more information: Only the Yankees blowing the 5-1 lead prevented another 3-0 Sunday sweep. Still all told, three straight winning days and 4-1 over the past two days, including a perfect 4-0 on the hardwoods. More of the same today with a 400,000* Opening Day Burial between Detroit and Kansas City along with a 200,000* Lock in the championship between Duke and Butler plus a 100,000* winner on Florida and New York. Click now to purchase Matt Rivers card
