Strikeforce MMA Betting: Jake Shields vs. Dan Henderson

Strikeforce is back this weekend with three of their championship belts on the line. Online sportsbook has put up MMA odds on four great fights.

Jake Shields vs. Dan Henderson

The last great fight on "Strikeforce: Nashville" will feature the middleweight championship bout between Jake Shields and Dan Henderson. Defending champion Shields is listed at +300 to Dan Henderson's -400. While Sheilds is certainly the deserving champion, Henderson is the deserving legend. In this match-up, Henderson may prove to be too much for Sheilds.

Hendo is the bigger, stronger man. His greco-roman wrestling prowess will serve him well as Sheilds will try to force the fight to the mat. I think Henderson outclasses Sheilds in the standup and Henderson's wrestling will prove to be the crux that Sheilds will not be able to overcome. Stylistically the fight goes to Henderson.

Strikeforce Picks: I expect Sheilds to be frustrated. Henderson by KO in the early rounds.

Good luck with your picks.

You can check the MMA Odds at Boxing Betting

Strikeforce MMA Betting: Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal vs. Mousasi

Strikeforce is back this weekend with three of their championship belts on the line. Online sportsbook has put up MMA odds on four great fights.

Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal vs. Mousasi

The LH championship bout should be highly entertaining with both fighters having great knock out power. Ever the showman, Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal looks to me to be the best underdog pick on the card. At +180, I think King Mo is a good dog bet. He's a very powerful guy. His level of wrestling will be a new challenge for Mousasi (-220).

Mousasi will certainly be the most talented fighter King Mo has faced yet. I expect Mousasi to press for the takedown, overpower Mousasi and finish with some good King Mo ground-n-pound. I just hope King Mo's relative lack of experience will not force a mistake and end up getting the better of him.

Strikeforce Picks: I like his chance for the upset, but given Mousasi's skill and experience, I'm keeping my wager realistic.

Good luck with your picks.

You can check the MMA Odds at Boxing Betting

Strikeforce MMA Betting: Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aokis

Strikeforce is back this weekend with three of their championship belts on the line. Online sportsbook has put up MMA odds on four great fights.

Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki's

Some attractive lines showed up on the first fight on the main card. Lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez is at -160, with challenger Shinya Aoki's at +130. If I'm looking for a bit of a long-shot that could pay-out, Aoki may just do it. He has a chance at submitting Melendez if he doesn't get his face re-arranged while he's on his feet. Aoki is tenacious and clever, but Melendez also has great jiujitsu skills. Aoki knows this and will look to get the fight on the ground any way he can. If you favor Melendez and his style over Aoki's, than Melendez' line is certainly decent. 

Strikeforce Picks: At these odds though, I'm putting a small wager on Aoki to pull off something spectacular, like he has so many times before.

Good luck with your picks.

You can check the MMA Odds at Boxing Betting

Strikeforce MMA Betting: Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Tim Stout

Strikeforce is back this weekend with three of their championship belts on the line. Online sportsbook has put up MMA odds on four great fights.

Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Tim Stout

The undercard fight between Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Tim Stout is showing Miller as a big favourite at -1250, while Tim Stout is getting +750. 

Miller needs a victory here after losing to Jake Shields in his last bout. After that fight, Miller said he wanted to do more, and do it more effectively, obviously disappointed with the outcome. Facing Stout, he should be able to showcase his muay thai and submission skills. 

This fight was put together to get Miller back on track and in the running again, which I think will happen. I'm not even thinking about a wager either way in this one.

Good luck with your picks.

You can check the MMA Odds at Boxing Betting

Arizona Vs Los Angeles Preview

MLB Baseball Arizona Vs Los Angeles Preview: Both teams will need strong outings from their starters in the finale after each club used eight pitchers and 433 pitches were thrown in Arizona’s 9-7, 11-inning win Wednesday.

MLB baseball Odds

Pitching deep into the game shouldn’t be a problem for Kuroda (1-0, 0.00 ERA) after his stellar first start for the Dodgers (3-5).

After recording a 1.96 ERA over 18 1-3 innings in five spring training appearances, Kuroda allowed an unearned run and five hits in eight innings of a 7-3 win over Florida on Friday. He struck out seven and the only walk he issued was intentional.

“He looked terrific,” manager Joe Torre said. “It’s just what we saw in the spring - very confident, in control, economical. His command was outstanding.”

It was an encouraging performance for the right-hander after a taxing 2009.

Kuroda won as Los Angeles’ opening-day starter a year ago, but things quickly took a turn for the worst. He strained his left oblique in a bullpen session after that first start and spent nearly two months on the disabled list. He made another trip to the DL in August with a concussion when a comebacker hit him on the front right side of his head.

While Kuroda, who went 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA in two starts against the Diamondbacks (5-3) in 2009, appeared to be in complete control in his season debut, Haren (1-1, 3.95) couldn’t get in rhythm against Pittsburgh on Saturday.

After allowing one run and three hits in seven innings of a 6-3 win over San Diego on opening day, Haren was knocked around for six runs and nine hits - including two homers - in 6 2-3 innings of a 6-3 loss to the Pirates.

“I left a lot of balls over the middle of the plate, too many pitches up in the zone. That’s not a recipe for success,” said Haren, who has allowed at least five runs in four of five starts dating back to last season.

The right-hander hopes to bounce back against a Los Angeles team he went 1-1 with a 2.22 ERA in four starts against last season.

Despite this moderate success against the Dodgers, Haren has had no luck getting Manny Ramirez(notes) out.

The 11-time All-Star is batting .577 (15 for 26) with three homers and four doubles lifetime against Haren - Ramirez’s highest average against any pitcher he has had at least 14 at-bats against. The slugger was 6 for 8 with a home run and a double versus Haren last season.

Ramirez went 3 for 3 with two runs driven in Wednesday, while Matt Kemp(notes) went 2 for 4 with three RBIs and hit his third homer in four games.

Arizona’s Chris Young drove in the game-winning run Wednesday with an RBI single with the bases loaded in the 11th inning. Young, who already has 14 RBIs, is 4 for 8 with three RBIs in the first two games of this series after batting .129 with three RBIs in his previous 28 career games at Dodger Stadium.

MLB Odds

Team Comparison
Team            Record       Standings         Away/Home     Streak        L10
Arizona            5-3           2nd West             Away 1-1          Won 1         5-3
Los Angeles     3-5           4th West            Home 1-1           Lost 1         3-5