The Bum's Best Bets For Saturday April 25th - MLB - NBA -NHL !

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Saturday, April 25

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Trend Report
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1:08 PM
CLEVELAND vs. DETROIT
Cleveland is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Detroit is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland

1:10 PM
CHI CUBS vs. CINCINNATI
Chi Cubs are 3-6 SU in their last 9 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
Chi Cubs are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing Cincinnati
Cincinnati is 1-6 SU in their last 7 games when playing Chi Cubs
Cincinnati is 6-3 SU in their last 9 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs

2:10 PM
KANSAS CITY vs. CHI WHITE SOX
Kansas City16-3-1 SU in their last 20 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
Kansas City5-0-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing Chi White Sox
Chi White Sox are 7-14-1 SU in their last 22 games ,
Chi White Sox are 1-6-1 SU in their last 8 games ,when playing at home against Kansas City

4:05 PM
NY METS vs. NY YANKEES
NY Mets are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Yankees
NY Mets are 11-1 SU in its last 12 games
NY Yankees are 3-6 SU in their last 9 games when playing NY Mets
The total has gone OVER in 16 of NY Yankees's last 23 games

4:05 PM
HOUSTON vs. OAKLAND
Houston is 2-3-1 SU in its last 6 games ,when playing Oakland
Houston4-1-1 SU in its last 6 games
Oakland16-6-1 SU in its last 23 games when playing at home against Houston
Oakland is 1-3-1 SU in its last 5 games ,at home

4:10 PM
WASHINGTON vs. MIAMI
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington's last 7 games when playing on the road against Miami
Washington is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Miami
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Miami's last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Miami's last 13 games at home

6:10 PM
TORONTO vs. TAMPA BAY
Toronto is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 8 games when playing at home against Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Tampa Bay's last 11 games at home

7:05 PM
BOSTON vs. BALTIMORE
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston's last 10 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 16 of Boston's last 23 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Baltimore's last 10 games when playing at home against Boston
Baltimore is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games at home

7:05 PM
ATLANTA vs. PHILADELPHIA
Atlanta is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta

7:10 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. MILWAUKEE
St. Louis is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games on the road
Milwaukee is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Milwaukee is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis

8:10 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. COLORADO
San Francisco is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
San Francisco is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Colorado
Colorado is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games when playing at home against San Francisco
Colorado is 17-6 SU in its last 23 games at home

8:10 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. ARIZONA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing Arizona
Pittsburgh is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arizona's last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona's last 5 games

8:40 PM
LA DODGERS vs. SAN DIEGO
LA Dodgers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing San Diego
LA Dodgers are 2-7 SU in their last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of San Diego's last 8 games when playing LA Dodgers
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of San Diego's last 15 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers

9:05 PM
TEXAS vs. LA ANGELS
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Texas's last 6 games on the road
Texas is 2-5 SU in their last 7 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
LA Angels are 8-15 SU in their last 23 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Angels's last 7 games at home

9:10 PM
MINNESOTA vs. SEATTLE
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Minnesota is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Seattle is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Long Sheet

Saturday, April 25

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CHICAGO CUBS (9 - 7) at CINCINNATI (8 - 9) - 1:10 PM
JAKE ARRIETA (R) vs. ANTHONY DESCLAFANI (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO CUBS are 1396-1560 (-279.3 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 746-791 (-150.2 Units) against the money line in day games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 1339-1473 (-254.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 1024-1158 (-211.1 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 646-751 (-199.7 Units) against the money line after a win since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 684-685 (-154.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.
ARRIETA is 25-16 (+10.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO CUBS is 3-1 (+1.6 Units) against CINCINNATI this season
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.3 Units)

JAKE ARRIETA vs. CINCINNATI since 1997
ARRIETA is 2-2 when starting against CINCINNATI with an ERA of 3.71 and a WHIP of 0.862.
His team's record is 2-2 (-0.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-1. (+2.2 units)

ANTHONY DESCLAFANI vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
DESCLAFANI is 1-0 when starting against CHICAGO CUBS with an ERA of 2.70 and a WHIP of 0.825.
His team's record is 2-0 (+2.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (+0.2 units)

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WASHINGTON (7 - 10) at MIAMI (6 - 11) - 4:10 PM
STEPHEN STRASBURG (R) vs. TOM KOEHLER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
STRASBURG is 34-34 (-16.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
STRASBURG is 34-34 (-16.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
WASHINGTON is 13-3 (+11.5 Units) against the money line in road games after 3 or more consecutive losses over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 1-0 (+1.1 Units) against WASHINGTON this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)

STEPHEN STRASBURG vs. MIAMI since 1997
STRASBURG is 9-5 when starting against MIAMI with an ERA of 3.44 and a WHIP of 1.108.
His team's record is 12-7 (-0.8 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 10-8. (+0.4 units)

TOM KOEHLER vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
KOEHLER is 2-3 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 4.03 and a WHIP of 1.310.
His team's record is 2-3 (+0.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-2. (+1.2 units)

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ATLANTA (8 - 8) at PHILADELPHIA (6 - 11) - 7:05 PM
SHELBY MILLER (R) vs. DAVID BUCHANAN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 87-91 (-16.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 23-34 (-16.5 Units) against the money line on the road with a money line of -100 to -125 over the last 3 seasons.
ATLANTA is 85-90 (-18.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 66-74 (-18.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 41-49 (-16.0 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 43-53 (-23.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 42-25 (+18.1 Units) against the money line in April games over the last 3 seasons.
ATLANTA is 75-44 (+29.8 Units) against the money line in road games after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1997.
PHILADELPHIA is 107-111 (-34.5 Units) against the money line in home games in April games since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 1-0 (+1.1 Units) against ATLANTA this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)

SHELBY MILLER vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
MILLER is 1-1 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 3.37 and a WHIP of 1.125.
His team's record is 2-1 (+0.3 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-1. (+0.9 units)

DAVID BUCHANAN vs. ATLANTA since 1997
BUCHANAN is 0-1 when starting against ATLANTA with an ERA of 4.00 and a WHIP of 1.889.
His team's record is 0-2 (-2.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (+0.1 units)

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ST LOUIS (11 - 4) at MILWAUKEE (3 - 14) - 7:10 PM
ADAM WAINWRIGHT (R) vs. WILY PERALTA (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 17-31 (-16.8 Units) against the money line in road games after a win over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 5-14 (-11.4 Units) against the money line in road games after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 34-27 (+14.9 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 164-106 (+32.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
WAINWRIGHT is 39-16 (+19.8 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents since 1997. (Team's Record)
MILWAUKEE is 3-14 (-12.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 2-9 (-8.7 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 3-14 (-12.2 Units) against the money line in April games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 39-51 (-16.6 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 3-14 (-12.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
MILWAUKEE is 1-10 (-10.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 3-12 (-9.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
MILWAUKEE is 40-52 (-18.4 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 3-1 (+1.4 Units) against MILWAUKEE this season
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.7 Units)

ADAM WAINWRIGHT vs. MILWAUKEE since 1997
WAINWRIGHT is 12-8 when starting against MILWAUKEE with an ERA of 2.44 and a WHIP of 0.969.
His team's record is 15-9 (+1.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 12-10. (+2.0 units)

WILY PERALTA vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
PERALTA is 4-5 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 4.58 and a WHIP of 1.458.
His team's record is 5-5 (+1.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-5. (+0.1 units)

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PITTSBURGH (9 - 8) at ARIZONA (8 - 8) - 8:10 PM
A.J. BURNETT (R) vs. RUBBY DE LA ROSA (R)
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 8-17 (-12.4 Units) against the money line after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
BURNETT is 205-209 (-42.1 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997. (Team's Record)
BURNETT is 10-26 (-15.0 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
BURNETT is 165-176 (-40.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997. (Team's Record)
BURNETT is 135-148 (-35.1 Units) against the money line in night games since 1997. (Team's Record)
BURNETT is 103-108 (-27.0 Units) against the money line after a win since 1997. (Team's Record)
PITTSBURGH is 194-154 (+28.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 192-153 (+26.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 134-91 (+32.9 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 3 seasons.
ARIZONA is 72-106 (-29.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 37-51 (-17.7 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 7-17 (-12.0 Units) against the money line in home games in April games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 72-106 (-29.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 54-80 (-24.5 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 26-54 (-23.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 1-0 (+1.0 Units) against ARIZONA this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)

A.J. BURNETT vs. ARIZONA since 1997
BURNETT is 4-3 when starting against ARIZONA with an ERA of 4.08 and a WHIP of 1.446.
His team's record is 4-3 (+1.9 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-3. (+0.9 units)

RUBBY DE LA ROSA vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
No recent starts.

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SAN FRANCISCO (7 - 11) at COLORADO (10 - 7) - 8:10 PM
TIM HUDSON (R) vs. JORGE DE LA ROSA (L)
Top Trends for this game.
COLORADO is 42-30 (+13.7 Units) against the money line in April games over the last 3 seasons.
DE LA ROSA is 39-24 (+16.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
DE LA ROSA is 24-6 (+16.3 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
DE LA ROSA is 39-23 (+17.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
DE LA ROSA is 17-4 (+11.1 Units) against the money line in home games in night games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAN FRANCISCO is 740-764 (+41.7 Units) against the money line in road games since 1997.
SAN FRANCISCO is 1027-861 (+113.7 Units) against the money line in night games since 1997.
SAN FRANCISCO is 369-370 (+40.0 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss since 1997.
SAN FRANCISCO is 721-709 (+45.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
HUDSON is 291-182 (+51.6 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997. (Team's Record)
HUDSON is 122-67 (+32.3 Units) against the money line against division opponents since 1997. (Team's Record)
HUDSON is 279-170 (+55.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997. (Team's Record)
COLORADO is 52-79 (-26.0 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO is 4-0 (+4.6 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
3 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+3.2 Units)

TIM HUDSON vs. COLORADO since 1997
HUDSON is 5-3 when starting against COLORADO with an ERA of 4.29 and a WHIP of 1.222.
His team's record is 9-7 (+0.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 6-9. (-4.7 units)

JORGE DE LA ROSA vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
DE LA ROSA is 9-6 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 3.81 and a WHIP of 1.245.
His team's record is 14-7 (+6.9 units) in these starts. The OVER is 9-12. (-3.4 units)

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LA DODGERS (10 - 6) at SAN DIEGO (10 - 8) - 8:40 PM
BRANDON MCCARTHY (R) vs. IAN KENNEDY (R)
Top Trends for this game.
MCCARTHY is 23-34 (-15.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
MCCARTHY is 1-12 (-12.3 Units) against the money line on the road with a money line of -100 to -125 since 1997. (Team's Record)
MCCARTHY is 22-32 (-14.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
MCCARTHY is 8-19 (-13.9 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
MCCARTHY is 7-18 (-12.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAN DIEGO is 53-36 (+12.0 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 52-35 (+12.0 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 53-36 (+12.0 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 52-48 (+8.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
KENNEDY is 10-1 (+9.7 Units) against the money line as a home underdog of +100 to +125 since 1997. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
LA DODGERS is 3-1 (+1.6 Units) against SAN DIEGO this season
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+2.1 Units)

BRANDON MCCARTHY vs. SAN DIEGO since 1997
MCCARTHY is 5-1 when starting against SAN DIEGO with an ERA of 2.96 and a WHIP of 1.073.
His team's record is 6-1 (+5.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-4. (-1.1 units)

IAN KENNEDY vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
KENNEDY is 5-7 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 4.08 and a WHIP of 1.293.
His team's record is 8-9 (-0.3 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 10-6. (+3.0 units)

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CLEVELAND (6 - 9) at DETROIT (11 - 6) - 1:05 PM
TREVOR BAUER (R) vs. ALFREDO SIMON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CLEVELAND is 16-26 (-13.9 Units) against the money line in April games over the last 2 seasons.
SIMON is 23-13 (+12.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SIMON is 8-1 (+7.6 Units) against the money line in April games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SIMON is 13-3 (+12.0 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SIMON is 11-4 (+8.4 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SIMON is 23-13 (+12.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
DETROIT is 31-32 (-15.6 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 39-40 (-13.9 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 44-44 (-16.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 3-1 (+2.0 Units) against CLEVELAND this season
4 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+4.0 Units)

TREVOR BAUER vs. DETROIT since 1997
BAUER is 2-0 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 4.34 and a WHIP of 1.517.
His team's record is 2-3 (-0.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-0. (+4.1 units)

ALFREDO SIMON vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
SIMON is 2-1 when starting against CLEVELAND with an ERA of 5.19 and a WHIP of 1.269.
His team's record is 2-1 (+1.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-0. (+3.1 units)

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KANSAS CITY (12 - 4) at CHI WHITE SOX (6 - 9) - 2:10 PM
EDINSON VOLQUEZ (R) vs. JOHN DANKS (L)
Top Trends for this game.
KANSAS CITY is 112-81 (+19.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 57-38 (+21.6 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 18-6 (+11.6 Units) against the money line when playing with a day off over the last 2 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 66-47 (+16.6 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 3 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 108-78 (+17.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 66-46 (+14.9 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.
CHI WHITE SOX are 33-51 (-21.8 Units) against the money line in home games against division opponents over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
KANSAS CITY is 4-0 (+4.4 Units) against CHI WHITE SOX this season
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.5 Units)

EDINSON VOLQUEZ vs. CHI WHITE SOX since 1997
VOLQUEZ is 1-1 when starting against CHI WHITE SOX with an ERA of 4.26 and a WHIP of 1.026.
His team's record is 1-1 (-0.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-2. (-2.3 units)

JOHN DANKS vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
DANKS is 7-1 when starting against KANSAS CITY with an ERA of 2.63 and a WHIP of 1.171.
His team's record is 10-7 (+4.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 6-9. (-3.5 units)

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HOUSTON (9 - 7) at OAKLAND (8 - 10) - 4:05 PM
SCOTT FELDMAN (R) vs. KENDALL GRAVEMAN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 87-153 (-60.8 Units) against the money line in road games when playing on Saturday since 1997.
FELDMAN is 21-41 (-22.9 Units) against the money line against division opponents since 1997. (Team's Record)
OAKLAND is 78-43 (+27.6 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 11-4 (+8.6 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +100 to +125 over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 43-46 (+12.1 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 96-85 (-21.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 45-46 (-19.8 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 94-81 (-18.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 2-2 (+0.1 Units) against OAKLAND this season
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.2 Units, Under=-0.3 Units)

SCOTT FELDMAN vs. OAKLAND since 1997
FELDMAN is 5-9 when starting against OAKLAND with an ERA of 6.30 and a WHIP of 1.540.
His team's record is 5-13 (-9.8 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 7-10. (-4.3 units)

KENDALL GRAVEMAN vs. HOUSTON since 1997
GRAVEMAN is 1-0 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 1.501.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-1. (-1.1 units)

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TORONTO (9 - 8) at TAMPA BAY (9 - 8) - 6:10 PM
DANIEL NORRIS (L) vs. ERASMO RAMIREZ (L)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 4-1 (+3.6 Units) against TORONTO this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.8 Units)

DANIEL NORRIS vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
NORRIS is 0-0 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 3.60 and a WHIP of 1.000.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.5 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

ERASMO RAMIREZ vs. TORONTO since 1997
RAMIREZ is 1-1 when starting against TORONTO with an ERA of 7.84 and a WHIP of 1.742.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.1 units)

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BOSTON (10 - 7) at BALTIMORE (7 - 10) - 7:05 PM
JUSTIN MASTERSON (R) vs. WEI-YIN CHEN (L)
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 81-99 (-26.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 37-51 (-16.5 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 72-85 (-22.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 34-48 (-20.0 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 107-80 (+32.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 55-39 (+18.1 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 94-69 (+28.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 77-46 (+36.0 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 83-58 (+29.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 46-33 (+15.4 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 51-37 (+20.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
CHEN is 32-14 (+17.7 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 since 1997. (Team's Record)
CHEN is 51-31 (+19.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997. (Team's Record)
CHEN is 32-19 (+16.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997. (Team's Record)
BALTIMORE is 187-311 (-102.5 Units) against the money line after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 3-2 (+0.3 Units) against BALTIMORE this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.9 Units)

JUSTIN MASTERSON vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
MASTERSON is 6-6 when starting against BALTIMORE with an ERA of 5.24 and a WHIP of 1.500.
His team's record is 7-6 (+0.6 units) in these starts. The OVER is 8-5. (+2.8 units)

WEI-YIN CHEN vs. BOSTON since 1997
CHEN is 5-4 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 3.97 and a WHIP of 1.441.
His team's record is 8-4 (+5.9 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-7. (-2.3 units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TEXAS (6 - 10) at LA ANGELS (8 - 9) - 9:05 PM
COLBY LEWIS (R) vs. C.J. WILSON (L)
Top Trends for this game.
TEXAS is 73-105 (-21.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 7-23 (-13.1 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 71-101 (-19.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 47-82 (-31.8 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 22-38 (-18.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 57-26 (+21.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 49-34 (+24.2 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
LEWIS is 8-2 (+8.5 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
LA ANGELS are 151-135 (-66.3 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -150 to -175 since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA ANGELS is 3-1 (+1.9 Units) against TEXAS this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

COLBY LEWIS vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
LEWIS is 5-8 when starting against LA ANGELS with an ERA of 5.53 and a WHIP of 1.375.
His team's record is 7-10 (-3.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 10-6. (+3.4 units)

C.J. WILSON vs. TEXAS since 1997
WILSON is 1-2 when starting against TEXAS with an ERA of 7.36 and a WHIP of 1.963.
His team's record is 3-5 (-2.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-4. (-2.3 units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MINNESOTA (6 - 10) at SEATTLE (7 - 9) - 9:10 PM
TREVOR MAY (R) vs. JAMES PAXTON (L)
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 14-22 (-16.3 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -125 to -150 over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 82-90 (-29.7 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 111-126 (-47.2 Units) against the money line in home games when playing on Saturday since 1997.
SEATTLE is 82-90 (-29.7 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 3-9 (-8.5 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
SEATTLE is 27-34 (-19.2 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 42-55 (-28.8 Units) against the money line in home games after shutting out their opponent since 1997.
SEATTLE is 34-45 (-21.5 Units) against the money line in home games after a win over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 73-80 (-25.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SEATTLE is 1-0 (+1.0 Units) against MINNESOTA this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)

TREVOR MAY vs. SEATTLE since 1997
No recent starts.

JAMES PAXTON vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
No recent starts.

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NY METS (13 - 4) at NY YANKEES (10 - 7) - 4:05 PM
MATT HARVEY (R) vs. C.C. SABATHIA (L)
Top Trends for this game.
NY YANKEES are 22-10 (+12.7 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 92-87 (+12.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 35-26 (+13.8 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +100 to +125 over the last 3 seasons.
NY METS are 83-86 (+21.3 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 3 seasons.
NY METS are 28-14 (+17.0 Units) against the money line in April games over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 37-22 (+18.6 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 92-87 (+12.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 46-40 (+11.1 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
SABATHIA is 1-8 (-8.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
NY YANKEES is 1-0 (+1.0 Units) against NY METS this season
0 of 0 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.0 Units)

MATT HARVEY vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
HARVEY is 0-0 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 1.13 and a WHIP of 0.750.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

C.C. SABATHIA vs. NY METS since 1997
SABATHIA is 3-1 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 2.14 and a WHIP of 1.158.
His team's record is 4-1 (+2.6 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-1. (+3.0 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Cubs (9-7) at Reds (8-9)
Game: 2
Venue: Great American Ball Park
Date: April 25, 2015 1:10 PM EDT

Cincinnati Reds rookie Anthony DeSclafani hasn't allowed a run since his season debut, beginning a scoreless inning streak at Wrigley Field last week.

The Chicago Cubs' Jake Arrieta is also off to a solid start to the season, though his worst outing came opposite DeSclafani.

DeSclafani looks to continue his dominance in a rematch with Arrieta and the Cubs on Saturday at Great American Ball Park.

Eight starts into his professional career, DeSclafani (2-0, 0.86 ERA) is one of the majors' leaders with a 0.62 WHIP and has allowed only two extra-base hits in 76 batters faced.

The right-hander threw eight shutout innings in Monday's 6-1 victory over Milwaukee, holding the Brewers to two hits and a walk to extend his scoreless innings streak to 15. He also yielded two hits while shutting down the Cubs for seven innings in a 3-2 win on April 14.

"In my mind, I haven't thrown any shutout innings," he told MLB's official website Monday. "It's just going to be the same approach. Just take it inning by inning and just try to put up zeros. That stat doesn't really cross my mind. I don't care about that. I just want to put up zeros. As long as the team wins, then I'm happy."

The Reds (8-9), who have won all three of his starts, fell to the Cubs 7-4 in 11 innings in Friday's opener.

Anthony Rizzo homered, doubled, singled and scored the go-ahead run on Jonathan Herrera's single as the Cubs (9-7) bounced back after losing back-to-back games for the first time this season.

'I've always thought really highly of a team that can win in extra innings on the road,' manager Joe Maddon said. 'That's always been my measuring stick of a good team.

'I'll take the attitude of these guys any day of the week.'

Rizzo is 10 for 19 during a five-game hitting streak and batting .379 with six home runs and nine walks in his last eight contests in Cincinnati. However, he is hitless in six career at_bats against DeSclafani.

The teams combined for 30 strikeouts Friday, and the Reds stranded eight runners and went 0 for 14 with runners in scoring position.

'We had opportunities to pull it out,' said Jay Bruce, who went 0 for 5 and left six men on. 'We just couldn't come through. The writing was on the wall.'

Bruce is 0 for 11 with seven strikeouts in the last three games and has struck out six times while going 2 for 11 against Arrieta (2-1, 1.74).

Arrieta has a 0.64 ERA in his two wins but gave up three runs in 6 2-3 innings to take the loss against the Reds last week. Joey Votto, who is 0 for 7 in his last two contests after four straight two-hit games, was 2 for 3 against the righty.

Arrieta bounced back by allowing one run and four hits while striking out seven and walking none over seven innings in Monday's 5-2 victory at Pittsburgh, improving to 5-1 with a 1.29 ERA over his last seven starts. This stretch began immediately after he permitted six runs in four innings in his only start at Cincinnati on Aug. 28.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Indians (6-9) at Tigers (11-6)
Game: 2
Venue: Comerica Park
Date: April 25, 2015 1:08 PM EDT

One difficult inning kept Alfredo Simon from a better showing in his Detroit Tigers debut against the Cleveland Indians earlier this month.

He's made up for it in two subsequent outings.

Simon's attempt to win a fourth consecutive start to open the season Saturday will come against a pitcher that's also had a splendid beginning, the Indians' Trevor Bauer.

Simon (3-0, 1.75 ERA) didn't allow a run in his first five innings in Cleveland on April 10 but recorded only one out in the sixth, giving up three runs in an 8-4 win.

The right-hander has yielded one run in 15 1-3 innings over his past two games. That came on a homer in a 2-1 win over the New York Yankees on Monday, during which he struck out seven in 7 1-3 innings.

Simon also didn't issue a walk for a second straight start.

"I just try to do my best every time," Simon told MLB's official website. "I'm happy the way I keep pitching right now."

The Tigers (11-6) have lost four in a row since Simon's latest start and could use another strong outing from him after a 13-1 defeat Friday. Brandon Moss homered twice and drove in a career-high seven runs as Cleveland (6-9) snapped a seven-game skid in the series.

The Indians had a season-best 15 hits after batting .220 in their first 14 games.

Moss batted .162 with two RBIs in his first 12 contests for Cleveland. He had at least 21 homers in each his three seasons in Oakland and topped 80 RBIs in his final two.

"We knew Brandon was going to break out, and that was going to mean some big production," manager Terry Francona said. "When he gets going, he can carry a team."

Bauer (2-0, 0.95) had his second scoreless outing in three starts Monday, pitching seven innings and striking out seven against the Chicago White Sox, but closer Cody Allen blew a three-run lead in a 4-3 defeat.

Bauer walked two after issuing nine bases on balls over the first two games.

"I can be a lot better than I have been," said Bauer, who has 26 strikeouts in 19 innings. "I need to get ahead more. My first-strike percentage is really low. I need to get that up. Hopefully, that'll keep the pitch count low and I can go deeper into games."

Bauer has gone 2-0 with a 4.34 ERA in his five starts against the Tigers - all last season - and was 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in two in Detroit.

The Tigers have managed 10 runs in their last five games after scoring 68 in the first 12. They scored 25 runs in a three-game sweep in Cleveland from April 10-12.

J.D. Martinez has been a rare offensive bright spot for his team of late with a .389 average in those five contests. He's 5 for 11 against Bauer.

Alex Avila is 5 for 8 against the right-hander but 3 for 26 in his last 11 games.

Cleveland's Michael Brantley, who went 3 for 4 on Friday, is 7 for 12 with three doubles against Simon. Michael Bourn is 4 for 6 in the matchup.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Royals (12-4) at White Sox (6-9)
Game: 3
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: April 25, 2015 2:10 PM EDT

Insisting they're not a dirty team, the Kansas City Royals are eager to move on from their latest bench-clearing incident but won't change the way they play the game.

The visiting Royals don't expect any further confrontation Saturday while resuming Friday's suspended contest to be followed by the scheduled meeting against the Chicago White Sox - assuming rain won't play a factor again.

Kansas City coaches and players feel they are not totally to blame for dust ups with Oakland, the Los Angeles Angels and Thursday's brawl with Chicago (6-9) that resulted in the ejection of five players combined.

Paced by the same hard-nosed, gritty style that helped them win the AL pennant in 2014, the Royals (12-4) believe they've become a target for opponents but won't back down from anyone.

'We're a team that plays hard, plays with emotion,' said outfielder Lorenzo Cain, one of the players ejected from Thursday's 3-2, 13-inning victory. 'Maybe we do need to tone that down a little bit. But at the same time, we're gonna play hard for each other because that's just how we play. That's how we do things.'

Both clubs played without incident Friday before the 2-2 game was suspended after eight innings due to rain. They'll pick up in the ninth before beginning Saturday's scheduled 1:10 p.m. CT contest.

However, more rain is forecasted for Saturday. A contingency plan is to play the rest of Friday's game Sunday if Saturday is washed out.

"They were going to do everything they could to get it in (Friday)," Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. "It just got to the point where the diamond dry wasn't working."

One-time White Sox prospect Paulo Orlando had three hits and Cain added two for the Royals, who led 2-1 when the rain started in the sixth inning before Chicago (6-9) tied it on Melky Cabrera's sacrifice fly in the seventh.

Kansas City has won five straight and 15 of 18 against the White Sox. It's also held Chicago to an average of 2.1 runs while taking 16 of the last 19 at U.S. Cellular Field.

After going 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA last year for Pittsburgh, Edinson Volquez (2-1, 1.99 ERA) is off to a strong start with Kansas City. That tenure began April 9 when he gave up a run and four hits in eight innings of a 4-1 victory over Chicago.

'It feels good because the way I'm pitching, I'm carrying over everything,' said the right-hander, who allowed a run in seven innings of a 7-1 victory over Minnesota on Monday.

'Just trying to do what I did last year.'

John Danks (0-2, 6.06) opposed Volquez earlier this month and yielded four runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings. He went 7-0 with a 2.43 ERA in his first 16 starts against the Royals.

The left-hander, who last dropped his first three decisions in 2011, is coming off perhaps the best of his three outings Monday when he allowed three runs in six innings of a 4-3 victory over Cleveland.

Eric Hosmer is batting .364 against Danks.

Despite being shaken up after falling during a rundown Friday, Chicago's Jose Abreu was 2 for 4 when play was halted. He entered that contest 11 for 25 with 11 RBIs in the previous six games.

Abreu went 1 for 3 with a double against Volquez earlier this month.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mets (13-4) at Yankees (10-7)
Game: 2
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: April 25, 2015 4:05 PM EDT

The Subway Series appears to have new life.

After the Yankees - who entered the three-game set in the rare position of underdogs - denied the Mets' attempt to establish a team-record winning streak in the opener, Matt Harvey will try to get them back on track when he opposes CC Sabathia on Saturday in the Bronx.

The Yankees (10-7) had won three in a row and six of seven before Friday, but came in somewhat under the radar due to the Mets' stunning 11-game run. However, the Yankees stole the spotlight with a 6-1 victory behind a pair of two-run homers from Mark Teixeira and Michael Pineda's 7 2-3 innings of one-run ball.

The Yankees scored all their runs in the first three innings off Jacob deGrom en route to their third straight win over their crosstown rivals. For the first time since the start of interleague play in 1997, the teams entered a Subway Series game with each holding at least a share of first place in their divisions, and that will be the case Saturday as well.

The Mets (13-4) had been tied with the 1986 team for the longest win streak in franchise history, but fell victim to the latest strong effort by the Yankees' rotation, which has posted a 2.28 ERA in the past seven games.

"If you have starting pitching that can keep you in every single game like they have been, it just makes the job of the fielders and the batters so much easier," Teixeira said.

Teixeira has four home runs in his last five contests for the Yankees, who are tied for the major league lead with 24.

'It's disappointing because we were on a nice roll,' Mets manager Terry Collins said, 'and I know the Yankees have been playing very well, but we're surprised when Jake doesn't have his good stuff and tonight he didn't have it.'

Harvey (3-0, 3.50 ERA) will try for a repeat of his first career start against the Yankees, as he threw eight innings of one-run ball with 10 strikeouts and no walks in a 2-1 home win May 28, 2013.

The right-hander has lasted six innings in each of his three starts. He hasn't been nearly as dominant in the last two as he was in his season debut, when he didn't give up any runs against Washington. Harvey has allowed seven over the past two outings, giving up four with eight hits in a 7-6 victory over Miami on Sunday while weakened by illness.

Harvey, who's walked one and struck out 24, is now dealing with a sprained left ankle that he plans to wrap heavily.

Sabathia (0-3, 4.35) pitched his best game of the season his last time out, but he'll be trying to avoid losing his first four decisions for the first time in his career. He also dropped the first three in 2008.

If the left-hander performs as well as he did Monday, he'll have a good chance to keep that from happening as he seeks his first win since last April 24. He went eight innings for a complete game and gave up two runs in a 2-1 defeat at Detroit.

Sabathia is 3-1 with a 2.14 ERA in five career starts against the Mets, allowing one or no earned runs in four of them. He hasn't pitched in the Subway Series since 2012.

Teixeira is batting .353 with three homers and six RBIs in a five-game hitting streak against the Mets. Jacoby Ellsbury also homered Friday and has gone 5 for 11 in the past three games.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Astros (9-7) at Athletics (8-10)
Game: 2
Venue: O.co Coliseum
Date: April 25, 2015 4:05 PM EDT

The Houston Astros continue to show their maturity while finding ways to win.

They'll look for a sixth victory in seven games Saturday on the road against the Oakland Athletics.

Houston (9-7) improved to 5-2 in games decided by one or two runs with Friday's 5-4, 11-inning victory over Oakland, which fell to 0-7 in such contests. Marwin Gonzalez had a two-run double in 10th but the A's (8-10) tied it up on Josh Reddick's two-run double in the bottom of the inning.

Robbie Grossman's two-run single highlighted the Astros' three-run 11th, but a two run-homer by Marcus Semien cut the lead to one before Oakland stranded two runners to end the game.

'One of the things I've learned is that we compete, we play, until the end," manager A.J. Hinch said.

Houston, which last won at least 10 of its first 17 games in 2006, totaled seven runs and 21 hits to lose two of three at home to the A's last week. It matched a season high with 11 hits Friday, however.

'The way we started the last couple of years was horrible, so anything better than that is going to give us confidence,' starter Dallas Keuchel said. 'This win is extra rewarding, but at the same time every win is crucial. You take it when you can get it.'

With two of those hits, two-time All-Star Jose Altuve is batting .374 during a 27-game hitting streak against Oakland - the longest by a Houston player against one team.

Scott Feldman (1-2, 5.09 ERA) looks to fare better than he did April 13, when he gave up five of his eight runs on three homers and allowed 10 total hits in five innings of an 8-1 loss to the A's.

"That was one of those days that maybe come along once a year or something like that," Feldman told the Astros' official website after he fell to 0-3 and was left with a 5.23 ERA in his last five starts against Oakland.

"No matter what happens, when I let the ball go I have to worry about making pitches, and I didn't do a good job of that."

However, the right-hander bounced back by allowing only a two-run homer in six innings of a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. With one walk issued this season, Feldman is the first Houston pitcher since 2008 to go at least five innings and yield one or fewer bases on balls in his first three starts.

Oakland's Ben Zobrist doubled for one of his two hits April 13, Billy Butler delivered a three-run home run and Semien went 2 for 2 with a solo shot.

In his first season as a starter, the A's Kendall Graveman (1-1, 6.94) lasted a career-high 5 1-3 innings while allowing four hits and four walks in his first major league victory April 14, a 4-0 win over Houston.

The right-hander, however, didn't make it out of the fourth Monday as he gave up three runs, four hits and three walks while throwing 78 pitches in a 6-3 win over the Angels.

The A's allowed 13 runs and recorded three shutouts to start 3-2 at home, but have since yielded 18 runs in dropping three in a row there.

'We got down and then we came back. You have to look at the positives in it," manager Bob Melvin said. "We continued to fight.'

Batting .350 with a .400 on-base percentage, Houston center fielder Jake Marisnick is expected to miss a second straight game because of leg soreness.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Nationals (7-10) at Marlins (6-11)
Game: 2
Venue: Marlins Park
Date: April 25, 2015 4:10 PM EDT

Stephen Strasburg struggled through his first two starts before seeing plenty of improvement the last time out, albeit against a weak lineup.

The one he'll face Saturday in Miami has been considerably better lately, though the Washington Nationals' starter has strung together some impressive outings against the Marlins.

Strasburg (1-1, 4.50 ERA) allowed eight earned runs in 10 2-3 innings in his first two starts before limiting light-hitting Philadelphia to a run and five hits in 7 1-3 innings of Sunday's 4-1 win. He was perfect through 4 2-3, and manager Matt Williams said it might have been the best he's seen him pitch.

"The command of my changeup and the feel for my changeup was much better," Strasburg told MLB's official website. "You work on things and you try to remember what the keys are - what are you trying to do with the pitch, where you want to execute it. You try to paint that picture in your head. You go out there and let it go."

If the right-hander can replicate recent outings against the Marlins, he might be able keep it going.

Strasburg has recorded 14 straight scoreless innings against the Marlins over his last three starts, going 2-1 with a 0.45 ERA and nine hits surrendered over 20 innings.

However, the two scoreless starts came with Giancarlo Stanton out of the lineup. The slugger is just 1 for 12 over his last three games but is 10 for 28 with three home runs and five doubles against Strasburg. The only other Miami player with any sustained success against him is Marcell Ozuna (6 for 13).

Much of the lineup, though, has been consistent over the last six games with a .294 average and 5.2 runs per game. Miami (6-11) opened the series with a 3-2 victory Friday to extend its winning streak to three.

Dee Gordon was 3 for 4 and is batting .429 in his last six. Adeiny Hechavarria added two hits, has a seven-game hitting streak and is batting .476 over his last 11.

"We're playing better baseball," said Martin Prado, who's gone 6 for 14 with six RBIs on the winning streak. 'That's what everybody was expecting with this team."

The Marlins could need that kind of production if Tom Koehler doesn't turn things around.

The right-hander's first three starts have gone the opposite direction of Strasburg's after Sunday's 7-6 loss to the New York Mets. Koehler (1-2, 6.75), who yielded two runs in each of his first two outings, allowed seven runs and five hits with two walks in 3 1-3 innings.

His last four starts against Washington have yielded a 2-2 record and 2.63 ERA, but Ryan Zimmerman (4 for 8 with a home run), Denard Span (3 for 8) and Jayson Werth (3 for 10 with two homers) have all hit him well.

Washington (7-10) has dropped three straight for the second time this year and fell to 2-5 on the road in the first contest of a 10-game trip. Werth was 0 for 3 and is batting .152 in nine games back from shoulder surgery, but Zimmerman, who is playing through plantar fasciitis, doubled and has hit safely in his last five after an equally slow start. Ian Desmond also doubled, is hitting .405 on a 10-game streak and has a nine-game streak against the Marlins.

The Nationals have won 27 of 39 over the Marlins since the start of 2013, including 12 of 20 in Miami. Over the last seven games there, Washington starters have posted a 1.74 ERA.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Blue Jays (9-8) at Rays (9-8)
Game: 2
Venue: Tropicana Field
Date: April 25, 2015 6:10 PM EDT

The Toronto Blue Jays don't top the list of preferred teams against which many pitchers would elect to make a spot start.

Given his start against them 10 days ago, Erasmo Ramirez would probably agree.

Nevertheless, he'll be called upon Saturday night as the Tampa Bay Rays try to continue what's outside of that one game been early season dominance against the typically high-scoring Blue Jays.

The Rays (9-8) have 10 players on the disabled list, including four starting pitchers. Ramirez is one of seven starters they've used, and after Matt Andriese earned a three-inning save in Friday's 12-3 win in the opener of a three-game home set, Ramirez (0-1, 21.32 ERA) will get the ball with hopes of improving on considerable early struggles.

In his only start, the right-hander allowed eight earned runs and nine hits with three walks in 3 1-3 innings of a 12-7 loss in Toronto (9-8) on April 15. He made it through a clean relief inning four days later, but he's walked six in 6 1-3 innings and is serving up a .455 opponent batting average.

In four career games against the Blue Jays, Ramirez is 1-1 with an 8.31 ERA.

The Rays took three of four in that series from April 13-16 and have won six of eight between the AL East clubs since being swept at home from Sept. 2-4. In those eight games, the Blue Jays are batting .195, despite a 14-hit showing in Ramirez's start.

Friday's win welcomed back James Loney after missing 15 games with a strained right oblique, and the first baseman was 2 for 5 with a two-run homer.

"It's fun being back out there again," Loney said. "I'm just glad it's over."

Rene Rivera and Tim Beckham also connected on two-run shots, and Rivera has driven in runs in consecutive games but is still hitting .143.

"We were hoping that (Thursday) was something to get started a little bit and Rene proved that it was," manager Kevin Cash told MLB's official website. "He's feeling better. He had very aggressive swings the entire night so that was very good to see."

The Rays have won three straight and will have right fielder Steven Souza Jr. back in the lineup Saturday after being rested Friday.

Toronto, which leads the majors with 97 runs, saw a three-game winning streak come to an end in its third straight game without Jose Bautista because of a sore shoulder.

Manager John Gibbons said Bautista, who is 2 for 3 with a home run against Ramirez, won't go on the disabled list and is likely to DH this weekend before returning to the outfield. Additionally, outfielder Michael Saunders is scheduled to make his season debut after missing the start of the season because of knee surgery.

Starter Daniel Norris is also seeking improvement. Norris (1-1, 6.08) is still trying to make it through six innings in a big league start, and he wasn't even close his last time out. The left-hander allowed five runs and six hits in 2 2-3 innings of Sunday's 5-2 loss to Atlanta.

"I'm going through a little bit of a dead-arm phase, so it's really tough for me to feel that late life on everything that I was used to in spring training," Norris said. "… I can definitely get through it, dead arm is just something where you feel 100 percent fine, it just doesn't come out like it usually does. Even if I throw one that says 93 or 94 mph, it just doesn't have the same life on it. I can't really command it the way I'm used to."

Probably his best start came April 14 at home against the Rays as Norris surrendered two runs and two hits with three walks in five innings.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Red Sox (10-7) at Orioles (7-10)
Game: 2
Venue: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Date: April 25, 2015 7:05 PM EDT

The Boston Red Sox have battered Baltimore's pitching while winning the last two games between the teams.

The Orioles' offense, meanwhile, is battered by injuries heading into Saturday night's game at Camden Yards.

Boston salvaged a split of its four-game series at Fenway Park on Monday with a 7-1 victory and opened this three-game set with a 7-5 win Friday. Brandon Holt's three-run homer in the eighth snapped a tie and David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez also went deep for the Red Sox (10-7), who have hit 12 of their 18 home runs on the road.

'It was just the same approach that I normally have - trying to get a good pitch to hit and hitting it hard somewhere,' said Holt, batting .424. 'He just left the fastball up and over the plate, and fortunately I was able to hit it out.'

Ortiz has batted .392 with seven homers and 16 RBIs in his last 12 games at Baltimore and has enjoyed success against Wei-Yin Chen (0-1, 3.07 ERA), going 8 for 23 with a homer and a double. Dustin Pedroia has been even better against the left-hander, going 15 for 29 with five doubles.

Chen is out to avenge his defeat from Monday in which most of the damage came via bases on balls and poor defense. He walked five and committed one of Baltimore's three errors, which contributed to all five of the runs he allowed in 4 1-3 innings being unearned.

That loss snapped a three-start winning streak for Chen versus the Red Sox, against whom he's 5-4 with a 3.97 ERA in 12 starts.

The Orioles (7-10) are trying to avoid their first six-game losing streak since Sept. 19-24, 2013, and struggling to piece together their lineup due to a lengthy list of walking wounded. Ryan Flaherty was the latest to be put on the disabled list, joining fellow infielders J.J. Hardy and Jonathan Schoop as well as catcher Matt Wieters.

"It's disappointing any time you go on the DL," Flaherty told MLB's official website. "A couple of those guys are down, and I take a lot of pride in trying to fill in. And all of a sudden, you're with them, hurt."

The Orioles will miss Flaherty on Saturday as he's 6 for 10 with a homer and two doubles against Justin Masterson (2-0, 5.74).

The right-hander has done a solid job working out of trouble thus far and limited Baltimore to one run and three hits with three walks in five innings Monday.

Masterson has been able to battle in part by keeping the ball in the park, not yielding a homer in his 15 2-3 innings while giving up 14 hits and eight walks. He's looking to find a groove at Camden Yards, where he's 2-4 with a 7.71 ERA in seven lifetime starts.

Jimmy Paredes is doing what he can to fill Baltimore's offensive void. He hit a two-run homer Friday and has gone 8 for 25 with two home runs in six games since being activated from the DL last week.

'We have to grind through it,' manager Buck Showalter said. 'Nobody's going to feel sorry for us. This is not the type of club that's going to wallow around in self-pity.'

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Braves (8-8) at Phillies (6-11)
Game: 2
Venue: Citizens Bank Park
Date: April 25, 2015 7:05 PM EDT

Shelby Miller has been effective in his first three starts with the Atlanta Braves, but that success has come despite the shortcomings that made much of his 2014 season forgettable following him to the NL East.

Miller will face a Phillies lineup Saturday night in Philadelphia that could again allow him to get away with control issues, though the 24-year-old knows it's something he'll have to straighten out if a consistent season is to follow.

Miller (2-0, 1.69 ERA) has won consecutive starts after Sunday's 5-2 victory in Toronto, limiting a potent Blue Jays lineup to two runs and five hits while striking out six in six innings as he continues to refine a cutter.

"It's more of a feel, pitch, a confidence pitch," Miller said. "You've just got to have confidence in it and throw it and let it do what it does. That's a pitch that'll help but it's still got a lot of room to grow."

It was his longest outing of the season, in which he's issued seven walks and hit a batter in 16 innings.

The 3.94 walks per nine innings is up from a career mark of 3.26 entering the season, and his 1.57 strikeout-to-walk ratio is down from 2.33. It's only three starts, but it has to be a concern after his 2014 season was nearly sabotaged by posting marks of 4.46 and 1.35, respectively, through 19 starts. He went 7-8 with a 4.29 ERA in that span, then recovered to go 5-1 with a 2.73 ERA in his last 15. That stretch included 2.53 walks per nine and a 2.60 ratio.

Against the Phillies, Miller has only had to worry about Ryan Howard (3 for 5 with two home runs) and Chase Utley (4 for 9), though neither former All-Star has been imposing early this season.

Philadelphia (6-11) opened the series with a 1-0 win Friday, but it has scored three runs in three games and has a big league-low 42 for the season. Freddy Galvis was 3 for 4 and Cody Asche has a six-game hitting streak, but the key names of Utley (.135), Howard (.180), Ben Revere (.172) and Carlos Ruiz (.190) continue to struggle.

That lineup, combined with David Buchanan's awful start, has made for predictable results with the right-hander on the mound. Buchanan (0-3, 9.22) allowed three runs and six hits in five innings of Sunday's 4-1 loss in Washington for his best start of the season.

His control issues make Miller's look petty. The 25-year-old has issued 5.93 walks per nine, though he saw improvement in comparison to walking four in three innings of his debut against Boston on April 9.

"I think you just have to really look at yourself and be honest with what happened," Buchanan told MLB's official website. "Against the Red Sox, I wasn't really throwing strikes. I was falling behind. Eventually that's going to catch up to you. But today I thought I was throwing the ball in the zone, had some tough breaks."

He faced Atlanta twice as a rookie and wasn't much better, going 0-1 with a 4.00 ERA and nine walks in nine innings.

Atlanta (8-8) has lost four straight, scoring six runs and batting .189 after being two-hit Friday.

After Nick Markakis' hitting streak came to an end, A.J. Pierzynski (.400) is about the only one producing. The catcher has played three straight games over Christian Bethancourt and has hit safely in all eight he's appeared in this season.

The Braves have won eight of 11 in Philadelphia, with their starting pitchers posting a 1.78 ERA.

Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon missed Friday due to illness.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Cardinals (11-4) at Brewers (3-14)
Game: 2
Venue: Miller Park
Date: April 25, 2015 7:10 PM EDT

Adam Wainwright is coming off his best and longest performance of the season, but feels he can be even better.

That's certainly his sentiment regarding his last meeting with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Wainwright looks to keep the St. Louis Cardinals rolling by avenging his first loss Saturday night against the struggling Brewers.

Wainwright (2-1, 1.71 ERA) was superb Sunday, allowing one run in eight innings of a 2-1 win over Cincinnati. It was the longest start of the season for St. Louis (11-4), coming from the ace who was limited to three starts in spring training due to an abdomen injury.

"I'll continue to grow in my velocity, and the sharpness of my off-speed breaking ball is getting better at times," Wainwright told MLB's official website. "My breaking ball and cutter are still not where I want them to be. Neither is my fastball location or velocity. We'll just keep building and building and building until we get to where we want to be."

The right-hander was still struggling with his effectiveness when he faced the Brewers on April 13, giving up five runs in seven innings of a 5-4 loss, though only three runs were earned.

Wainwright didn't have many problems while winning his two starts at Miller Park last year, yielding three runs in 16 innings and going the distance in a 9-1 victory Sept. 7.

He could be in for a similar result as Milwaukee (3-14) owns the worst record in baseball after losing nine of 10.

The Cardinals won for the eighth time in nine tries Friday, 3-0 to open the three-game series. However, they suffered a potential blow when Yadier Molina exited after taking a foul tip off the knee guard in the fourth inning.

It's uncertain if the catcher will be in the lineup Saturday, but he was hit by a foul ball on the same knee last week and didn't miss any time.

"I was feeling better and boom, I get hit again in the same spot," Molina said. "He got me on the muscle. It's just a big bruise."

Jhonny Peralta has recorded at least one hit in each of St. Louis' nine road games. He can become the first Cardinal to go 10 straight since Albert Pujols' 18-game run to start 2008.

Peralta is batting .342 with two homers during his streak after connecting for a solo shot for one of his three hits Friday. He has a .482 average with seven homers and 14 RBIs in 14 games at Milwaukee, getting at least one hit in 13.

The Brewers' Wily Peralta (0-2, 5.68) gets a fourth chance to earn his first win. The right-hander gave up six runs and two homers over his final two innings before leaving after the seventh in Monday's 6-1 loss to the Reds. That came five days after he allowed four runs and 10 hits in five innings of a 4-2 defeat at St. Louis.

Peralta compiled a 1.86 ERA while winning two of three at home against the Cardinals last year. He's held Peralta to a 3-for-17 effort, but Matt Carpenter is 11 for 24 against him.

Carpenter is batting .426 in an 11-game hitting streak, one shy of teammate Matt Holliday and Oakland's Billy Butler for the longest in the majors this year.

The third baseman has recorded two hits in each of the four meetings with the Brewers this season, going 8 for 18 with five doubles.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Giants (7-11) at Rockies (10-7)
Game: 2
Venue: Coors Field
Date: April 25, 2015 8:10 PM EDT

Jorge De La Rosa was dreadful in his return from the disabled list. He's hoping to change his fortunes in a home matchup with the San Francisco Giants.

The Colorado Rockies left-hander has usually been on his game when facing the Giants at Coors Field, and he'll try for another sharp outing Saturday night.

De La Rosa gave up nine runs and nine hits while pitching just two innings in his first start back from a strained groin, a 14-3 loss to San Diego on Monday.

"I think I was overthrowing a lot, got too excited," he said. "I was trying to throw as hard as I can, but you can't make outs if you don't have command. It was my first start. I'll go back, be more calm next time and get better."

De La Rosa (0-1, 31.50 ERA) is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in his last three home starts against the Giants (7-11) and went 1-1 with a 2.81 ERA in his final four overall matchups in 2014.

His counterpart for Saturday, Tim Hudson (0-2, 3.93), is 0-2 with a 7.29 ERA in eight career starts in Denver - a far cry from his 5-1 record and 2.15 home mark against Colorado. Coors is one of two ballparks in which the veteran right-hander hasn't won, along with Minnesota's Target Field, where he's made one start.

Hudson gave up three runs in seven innings of a 4-1 home loss to the Rockies (10-7) on April 14. He followed with a rough outing, allowing five runs in five innings of a 5-1 defeat to Arizona on Sunday despite feeling like he was in top form.

"Honestly, this is probably the best I've felt all year so far," Hudson said. "Physically, I felt like things were pretty good for me out there. If we could have had a little bit of luck go our way a time or two, I don't know that they really score."

Hudson will try to snap his team's five-game skid to the Rockies. San Francisco had won three in a row before a 6-4 loss Friday.

The Giants blew a trio of leads and Colorado went ahead for good with three runs in the sixth. Rafael Ynoa had a tiebreaking pinch-hit double and D.J. LeMahieu doubled in another run.

"We try to remind ourselves every day that this is a really good team and we can get the job done," outfielder Carlos Gonzalez said. "If we stay positive the way we've been doing, a lot of great things are going to happen."

LeMahieu, batting .414, will try to lead the Rockies to a fourth consecutive win. His team has experienced three win streaks of at least three games, the current one following a five-game skid.

LeMahieu is 13 for 24 with seven RBIs in a seven-game hit streak against the Giants and has gone 9 for 14 in the four matchups this season. He's 4 for 11 against Hudson and went 1 for 2 on April 14.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Pirates (9-8) at Diamondbacks (8-8)
Game: 2
Venue: Chase Field
Date: April 25, 2015 8:10 PM EDT

The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of baseball's best starting rotations and now their offense is starting to come around.

The goal now is to get the lineup going in one of A.J. Burnett's starts.

Hindered by a lack of run support, Burnett again goes for his first win while trying to spur the Pirates to a fourth consecutive victory Saturday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Pittsburgh (9-8) has a 2.89 ERA from its starting pitchers, the third-lowest in the majors. The Pirates' rotation has been even better during a 6-2 stretch, compiling a 2.37 ERA.

Gerrit Cole turned in the latest impressive performance, allowing one run in 7 2-3 innings of a 4-1 win at Arizona in Friday's series opener. Josh Harrison and Neil Walker each drove in two runs for the Pirates, who rank third in the NL with 5.0 runs per game in eight contests since April 17 after averaging 3.2 during a 3-6 start.

Burnett (0-1, 2.00 ERA), however, has still not seen much improvement from the lineup. He has been backed by three total runs through three starts - one in the last two. The right-hander allowed one run and eight hits before leaving with the score tied after six innings in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

Burnett didn't need much offense, however, in his last start at Arizona on April 27, collecting eight strikeouts in eight scoreless innings of a win with Philadelphia.

Pittsburgh's offense is starting to click although Andrew McCutchen is batting. 189 with two homers. The star center fielder is 0 for 11 over the past four games after coming up empty in three at_bats in the series opener.

Still, he's a .338 career hitter in 39 meetings with the Diamondbacks, and has a .390 average in his last 12 games at Chase Field.

Gregory Polanco is looking to bounce back from his 0-for-4 effort from Friday. The right fielder, who was 5 for 9 in his previous two contests, had at least one hit in each of his seven games versus Arizona as a rookie last year, going 11 for 27 (.407).

The Diamondbacks (8-8) are trying to climb back above .500 for the sixth time this season, and they've alternated wins and losses for the last six games.

Rubby De La Rosa (2-1, 6.00) will try to help keep that trend intact, and continue to show improvement. The right-hander allowed four runs with seven strikeouts before leaving with two outs in the seventh inning of a 4-1 loss at San Francisco last Saturday.

He had won his two previous starts, despite surrendering nine runs in 11 1-3 innings.

"He just left too many pitches up," manager Chip Hale told MLB's official website Saturday. "When he was pitching down he had some success. He's getting better every time out."

This will be his first meeting with Pittsburgh and first home start since being hammered for six runs and two homers in 5 1-3 innings in a 7-6 win over the Giants on April 7.

Paul Goldschmidt is 13 for 29 (.448) in his last eight games against the Pirates, but he's 0 for 3 with two strikeouts against Burnett.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Dodgers (10-6) at Padres (10-8)
Game: 2
Venue: PETCO Park
Date: April 25, 2015 8:40 PM EDT

The San Diego Padres' offense has cooled off considerably, but that's fairly common at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

With Ian Kennedy back on the mound for the first time in over two weeks, the Padres will try to get the offense going in an attempt to end their longest losing streak of the season Saturday night against the Dodgers.

San Diego (10-8) is batting .208 with five runs during a three-game skid, a tremendous drop from its .304 average while scoring 6.0 runs per game while winning nine of the previous 11.

The Padres collected six hits - five singles - in Friday's 3-0 loss to the Dodgers (10-6). Those offensive woes may not be resolved in the remainder of this three-game set since San Diego has hit .204 while averaging 2.7 runs over the past 29 home meetings with Los Angeles.

Brandon McCarthy (2-0, 4.50 ERA) has won his last two starts at Petco Park while yielding one run in 14 innings and is 5-1 with a 2.96 ERA over seven career starts against San Diego. However, he served up a pair of homers and four runs in five-plus innings of a 7-4 home win over the Padres on April 8.

The right-hander is coming off his best start of the season, allowing three hits with six strikeouts in six innings of Sunday's 7-0 win over Colorado. He credited catcher A.J. Ellis with the performance, which came after he gave up nine runs and six homers in 12 innings over his first two starts.

"I made better pitches and stayed away from the middle of the plate, for the most part," McCarthy said. "A.J. just took me along with him, and we just kept attacking the hitters. But we did it without being stupid and didn't leave it in a spot where they could drive it."

McCarthy, though, has allowed Matt Kemp to go 4 for 9 off him.

Kemp is 7 for 17 (.412) with two doubles and three RBIs in four games against his former team.

Carl Crawford is looking to continue hitting Padres pitchers hard after connecting for a solo homer and a double Friday to help Los Angeles snap a three-game skid. He is 15 for 26 (.577) with two homers, seven doubles and seven RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak against San Diego, and he's 10 for 20 versus Kennedy since 2013.

Kennedy is returning to the rotation after injuring his hamstring in his season debut and landing on the disabled list. The right-hander threw 2 1-3 scoreless innings before coming out against San Francisco on April 9.

Odrisamer Despaigne moves to the bullpen as the Padres' leader in innings pitched (201) and strikeouts (207) from last year returns to the rotation. Kennedy also tied Tyson Ross with a team-high 13 wins.

"We're counting on Ian to be one of the anchors in our rotation," manager Bud Black told MLB's official website. "This was a little bit of a hiccup with the strained hammy that put him on the DL and missed a couple spots, but he'll resume his spot in the rotation."

Kennedy, though, is 0-5 with a 4.86 ERA over his last nine starts against the Dodgers.