Yesterday:

NBA: 1 - 0; MLB: 1 - 0 - 1

MLB (36.6 - 19.9)

Reds (Harang) +140 at Cubs (Zambrano): Carlos Zambrano has begun the year by walking seven batters in 12 IP. That continues a disturbing trend, as Zambrano walked 115 batters in 214 IP last year, which was 29 more walks than he gave up in 2005, when he pitched nine more innings. Perhaps because Zambrano's defense has often failed him, he seems to be trying to strikeout every batter, as opposed to pitching to contact. That's a recipe for disaster in the longterm. Also, Zambrano hasn't had much success against the current crew of Reds' batters: .270 BA, .374 OBP, and .558 SLG in 262 plate appearances. Meanwhile, Aaron Harang's coming off of two straight solid seasons, and he's won both of his starts this year. In 107 plate appearances against Harang, Cubs' hitters have posted a .231 BA and .257 OBP.

Giants (Ortiz) at Pirates (Duke) -150: Russ Ortiz only gave up three runs in five innings against the Dodgers last Saturday, but he surrendered seven hits and three walks. That's a 2.00 WHIP, and he'll get bombed this year if that doesn't come down. But there's no reason to think it will, as Ortiz went 0-8 with an 8.14 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP last season. His numbers weren't all that much better in 2005, when he was 5-11, 6.89 ERA, and 1.84 WHIP. Meanwhile, Zack Duke appears poised to have a breakout year, as he's only allowed 14 hits and one walk in 13 IP. If Duke can hold the Giants' weak offense to three runs or less, the Pirates should be able to score enough runs off Ortiz for the win.

Astros (Oswalt) -110 at Phillies (Myers): Today's Astros-Phillies game features two struggling teams searching for a way to get some momentum going. The Astros send their number-one starter, Roy Oswalt, to the mound as he attempts to reach a big personal milestone, his 100th win. Brett Myers, the Phillies' ace, is simply looking for his first win of the season. Both of these pitchers have performed well against the opposing teams' hitters. Oswalt's main objective this evening will be cooling off the scorching-hot Jimmy Rollins, who has already knocked 5 HR. Myers' biggest nemesis on the Astros is Lance Berkman, who has managed 2 HR and 6 RBI in 16 career AB's. The Astros will be going for their third win in a row tonight, while the Phillies are searching for their first home win. Behind the unshakable Oswalt, Houston has an excellent chance of taking the first of a three-game set.

White Sox (Vazquez) -110 at Indians (Carmona): Javier Vazquez allowed one hit and four walks in 6.2 IP in a win over the Twins last Saturday, and he's posted good numbers against the Indians' hitters in his career: .226 BA, .314 OBP, .372 SLG in 152 plate appearances. On the other hand, Indians' starter Fausto Carmona has yet to learn how to consistently get big-league hitters out. Carmona had a 5.46 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in 74.2 IP in 2006, and he was awful against the White Sox batters: .364 BA, .436 OBP, .667 SLG in 38 plate appearances.

Marlins (Willis) -110 at Braves (Redman): Last year, lefty Mark Redman had his worst year in the majors, as he posted a 5.71 ERA and 1.59 WHIP. And he didn't look too good in his first start this year, as he gave up nine hits and a walk in 5.2 IP in a loss to the Mets. Meanwhile, Dontrelle Willis has been pitching well as he attempts to regain his form from 2005, when he won 22 games. Walks were a bit of an issue for him last year, but in two starts this year (both wins), he's only walked three, while striking out 12 batters. If Willis can keep up a 4/1 K/BB ratio, he'll have a big year.

Brewers (Sheets) -120 at Cardinals (Reyes): The Brewers and Cardinals, both 5-4, will open a three-game series tonight if "Mother Nature" cooperates. However, there is a good chance that they'll be playing a double-header tomorrow, as the forecast in St. Louis is calling for a 100% chance of heavy rain and thunderstorms throughout the evening. Ben Sheets will get the ball for Milwaukee and although he's struggled against the Cardinals in the past, he should be able to turn things around tonight. The Cardinals will be without starting third-baseman Scott Rolen, who is sidelined with back spasms. The Brewers' offense will face an unproven pitcher in Anthony Reyes, who is searching for his first win of the year. Look for Milwaukee to put an end to St. Louis' four-game winning streak tonight behind the bat of Geoff Jenkins, who is hitting .364 with 3 HR through nine games. It's worth nothing that Jenkins has dominated Reyes in their previous meetings, hitting .444 with 3 HR against the flat-brimmed-hat pitcher.

Rockies (Fogg) at Diamondbacks (Webb) -1.5 runs (+115): It's the start of an NL West showdown tonight, as the Colorado Rockies open a three-game series at Chase Field versus the division leading Diamondbacks.  30-year-old righty Josh Fogg gets the start for the Rockies.  Fogg has had major problems facing D-Backs third-baseman Chad Tracy, who owns an impressive .588 batting average, a ridiculous 1.353 slugging percentage and 4 HR in his career against the inconsistent pitcher.  Reigning NL Cy Young winner Brandon Webb will take the ball for Arizona.  Only two Rockies, Todd Helton and Brad Hawpe, have had success against Webb in the past.   Fortunately for Webb, they are both off to slow starts this season, combining for a paltry .269 average with only five extra-base hits (all doubles) and zero HR.  Look for Arizona's ace to lead his team to their eighth win tonight, as Colorado simply doesn't have the firepower to compete with the D-backs' balanced lineup.

NBA (114-92)

Pacers at Heat (-6.5): The Heat have lost four straight games ATS (2-2 SU), but they haven't been at full strength due to the absence of Shaquille O'Neal in the last two. With Shaq back and Dwayne Wade getting back into his rhythm, the Heat should be working on all cylinders as the playoffs approach. Meanwhile, the Pacers are fighting for the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but they're only 3-7 ATS in their last ten games. They're also just 4-9 ATS against above-.500 opponents on the road.

Nuggets (+1.5) at Hornets: The Nuggets have won seven straight games (5-2 ATS), and they're 23-14-1 ATS on the road, which includes a subset of 12-6 ATS on the road against sub-.500 opoonents. In the last five games, the Nuggets have shot a 46.4 FG%, while allowing opponents to shoot 43.7%. That's better than the Hornets, who have shot a 44.1 FG%, while allowing a 46.1 FG% over the same span. But the Hornets have managed seven straight ATS wins (5-2 SU), and they've played their last three games without Tyson Chandler and Desmond Mason, both of whom are likely done for the season. However, these injuries are going to catch up to the Hornets, as they'll struggle against the Nuggets without Chandler's rebounding and Mason's scoring. In the last meeting between these clubs on March 6 in Denver, the Nuggets won, 106-91.