The Bum's Best Bets For Sunday April 26th - MLB - NBA -NHL !

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Blue Jays (9-8) at Rays (9-8)
Game: 3
Venue: Tropicana Field
Date: April 26, 2015 1:10 PM EDT

The Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays' series has been free of confrontations to this point, but that could change when Chris Archer and Mark Buehrle take the mound 10 days after a heated exchange.

Archer looks to lead Tampa Bay to a fifth straight victory Sunday at Tropicana Field while Buehrle tries to move to 4-0 for the second straight year.

Archer (2-2, 1.07 ERA) shut down Toronto in a 4-2 road victory on April 16, striking out 11 while giving up two hits in seven scoreless innings. He got the Blue Jays' attention by hitting Russell Martin and Edwin Encarnacion, though he said both were accidents.

Toronto seemed to retaliate by hitting Evan Longoria in the eighth inning, and Buehrle and Archer shouted at each other from their dugouts afterward. Tampa Bay reliever Steve Geltz also hit Josh Donaldson.

Only one player has been hit by a pitch through two games in this series. A knuckleball got away from R.A. Dickey and struck Brandon Guyer in the Rays' 12-3 win Friday.

Archer said he doesn't anticipate any fireworks Sunday.

"I hope not," he told MLB's official website. "Because it seemed more like a misunderstanding than anything else."

The right-hander hasn't given up an earned run in his last three starts spanning 19 2-3 innings, though an unearned run cost him in Tuesday's 1-0 loss to Boston. He is 3-1 with a 2.98 ERA in 10 career starts versus Toronto, but was crushed in his last two home matchups in 2014, allowing 11 runs over 11 innings.

Buehrle (3-0, 4.00) can become the first Blue Jay to win his first four starts in two straight seasons and the first player since Jack McDowell of the Chicago White Sox from 1992-93. Buehrle also won each of his first four outings in 2002.

Despite that potential achievement, the left-hander hasn't been dominant, giving up eight runs and 23 hits through 18 innings. He allowed three runs - all on homers by Steven Souza Jr. and Mikie Mahtook - over six innings in Toronto's 12-7 home win a day before exchanging words with Archer, improving to 3-0 with a 2.89 ERA in seven matchups since the start of last season.

Buehrle has received 11 runs of support in each outing thus far, becoming the first pitcher to be backed by at least 33 runs in his first three starts since the Chicago Cubs' Jeff Pico had 34 runs of support in 1990.

Toronto (9-9), in danger of dropping three in a row for the first time after Saturday's 4-2 loss, might not be capable of another explosive offensive effort, however. Three of the Blue Jays' five runs in the series have come on solo homers, and Jose Bautista missed his fourth straight game due to a sore shoulder, though he could return Sunday. He's just 2 for 24 against Archer for an .083 average, his second-lowest versus any of the 28 pitchers against whom he has at least 20 at_bats.

Jose Reyes is 9 for 21 against Archer, but 2 for his last 21 overall.

Devon Travis was 2 for 4 Saturday to improve to 18 for 44 (.409) during a 12-game hitting streak.

Longoria was 4 for 4, doubling for the third straight game and moving to 8 for 16 in his last four after hitting .186 previously. Tampa Bay (10-8) is 10 for 32 (.313) with runners in scoring position during its winning streak.

"There are guys top to bottom in the lineup coming through with big hits," Longoria said. "Really just never giving up."

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1

Blue Jays at Rays
Fri, Apr 24 Final 3 to 12
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2

Blue Jays at Rays
Sat, Apr 25 Final 2 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3

Blue Jays at Rays
Sun, Apr 26 - 1:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Braves (8-8) at Phillies (6-11)
Game: 3
Venue: Citizens Bank Park
Date: April 26, 2015 1:35 PM EDT

The Atlanta Braves opened the season with five straight wins, but they have yet to match that total in two weeks since.

After ending a four-game slide, the Braves will try to conclude this three-game series with back-to-back wins Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Atlanta (9-8) has gone 4-8 after its unexpected fast start to 2015. The Braves have followed each of their victories since with a loss, a trend they'll try to break after rallying for a 5-2 win at Philadelphia on Saturday.

Andrelton Simmons got the comeback started with a leadoff homer to spark a three-run seventh after Atlanta was blanked for 20 straight innings over three games, including a 1-0 loss in Friday's series opener.

"No runs (Friday), none through six (Saturday), you might see some hanging heads there," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "But they stayed in there and battled."

Gonzalez will be looking for the same from Trevor Cahill (0-2, 9.95 ERA), who hasn't completed six innings in eight straight starts dating to last season.

He appeared to be on his way Tuesday, tossing four scoreless before giving up four runs and leaving without getting an out in the fifth of a 7-1 loss to the New York Mets.

That can be considered an improvement after he lasted 2 1-3 innings and gave up four runs and three walks in an 8-2 loss to Miami a week earlier.

"Your goal every time out there is to put up a quality start," Cahill told MLB's official website. "I was a little bit better than last time, but at the same time, you'd like to at least get through six. Through the first four, I had the pitch count and I was going well enough that I was thinking I could go past that, but then I kind of let things unravel there."

Cahill is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two career starts at Philadelphia, but his most recent came in 2012.

Saturday's loss was the 10th in 13 games for the Phillies (6-12), who have totaled five runs and batted .214 over the past four.

Ryan Howard has been one of the biggest culprits, going 1 for 10 over his last three games to drop his average to .189. His last two hits, however, have been two-run homers.

Howard is 0 for 9 with six strikeouts against Cahill.

Jerome Williams (1-1, 3.71) gets the ball seeking to win consecutive starts. He allowed three runs with six strikeouts over six innings of Tuesday's 7-3 victory over Miami. That came six days after he was tagged for five runs and two homers in five innings of a 6-1 loss to the Mets.

"It was good going out there, throwing and locating pitches where they needed to be," Williams said.

The right-hander is 0-3 with a 7.50 ERA in his last four starts against the Braves.

Nick Markakis, who is batting .471 (16 for 34) during a 10-game stretch, is 6 for 13 against Williams.

Kelly Johnson also has fared well in this matchup, going 8 for 21 (.381).

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1

Braves at Phillies
Fri, Apr 24 Final 0 to 1
Boxscores

GAME 2

Braves at Phillies
Sat, Apr 25 Final 5 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3

Braves at Phillies
Sun, Apr 26 - 1:35PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Royals (12-4) at White Sox (6-9)
Game: 4
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: April 26, 2015 3:10 PM EDT

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

After the teams had an extra day to cool off, the visiting Royals don't expect any further confrontation with the White Sox as they resume Friday's suspended contest before playing their scheduled meeting Sunday.

Rain forced the postponement of Saturday's game, which has yet to be rescheduled, after the clubs played without incident Friday before the 2-2 game was suspended after eight innings due to rain.

In the series opener Thursday, a brawl erupted that resulted in the ejection of five players. Six players were suspended Saturday as a result of the incident, including Kansas City's Edinson Volquez, who will start this matchup as he appeals a five-game ban.

Fellow Royals starter Yordano Ventura was suspended seven games after his heated exchange with Chicago outfielder Adam Eaton sparked the melee.

Kansas City outfielder Lorenzo Cain and reliever Kelvin Herrera were each given two-game bans, while White Sox pitchers Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzija got five games apiece. Herrera is already awaiting an appeal on a five-game suspension handed down after he threw a pitch behind Oakland third baseman Brett Lawrie last weekend.

All the players who were suspended are appealing.

"We understand that Major League Baseball has to do what they think is fair in situations like this," Royals manager Ned Yost said in a team statement. "Now, we just have to wait for the appeals process to play out."

Kansas City coaches and players feel they are not totally to blame for dust-ups with Oakland, the Los Angeles Angels and the brawl with Chicago (6-9).

White Sox manager Robin Ventura, though, feels differently.

"This game's emotional and it seems to follow them around. It's happened often enough," he said. "Everybody gets emotional and reacts to things and that's what happened."

The Royals (12-4), paced by the same hard-nosed, gritty style that helped them win the AL pennant in 2014, 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 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."

One-time White Sox prospect Paulo Orlando had three hits for the Royals, who led 2-1 when the rain started in the sixth before Chicago tied it on Melky Cabrera's sacrifice fly in the seventh. David Robertson was warming up and had been announced to pitch for the White Sox in the suspended game, and Chris Young was pitching for the Royals.

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, 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.

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1

Royals at White Sox
Thu, Apr 23 Final 3 to 2
Boxscores

GAME 2

Royals at White Sox
Fri, Apr 24 - 8:10PM EDT
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3

Royals at White Sox
Sat, Apr 25 - 3:10PM EDT

GAME 4

Royals at White Sox
Sun, Apr 26 - 3:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Cardinals (11-4) at Brewers (3-14)
Game: 3
Venue: Miller Park
Date: April 26, 2015 2:10 PM EDT

Losing one's staff ace to injury obviously isn't ideal, but with the way St. Louis' starting rotation has looked, the Cardinals seem to be equipped to handle this setback.

Lance Lynn looks to continue his dominance over the Milwaukee Brewers as the Cardinals go for a three-game sweep Sunday.

St. Louis (12-4) leads the majors with a 1.97 ERA from its starters, with the rotation yielding a run or less in the team's nine wins in the last 10 games. The Cardinals have not had a smaller ERA from their starters in their first 16 games since it was at 1.78 in 1943.

Adam Wainwright shut the Brewers down for the first four innings Saturday to lower his ERA to 1.44 but suffered an ankle injury while stumbling out of the batter's box leading off the fifth and had to be helped off the field. He was wearing a walking boot after the 5-3 win and will be re-evaluated when the Cardinals return to St. Louis.

'It's something in the back of my ankle so we'll see what it is on Monday,' said Wainwright, baseball's leader with 41 wins since 2013. 'Everything right now is just all speculation.'

The next man up for St. Louis is Lynn (1-1, 1.56 ERA), who leads the majors in April wins since 2012, going 13-2 with a 2.58 ERA in 18 starts.

He has allowed one earned run in each of his first three starts but was a little shaky Tuesday, issuing four walks in 6 1-3 innings of a 2-1, 10-inning loss in Washington.

He was better against the Brewers six days earlier, yielding six hits in five innings of a 4-2 win to improve to 4-0 with a 1.49 ERA in his last seven starts in the series. He has allowed one earned run or less in five of his six starts at Miller Park, posting a 0.93 ERA in winning his last three there.

The Cardinals are 17-5 in Milwaukee since 2013, but winning at Miller Park these days isn't particularly notable - unless it's the Brewers (3-15).

Milwaukee, 2-10 at home, is last in the NL with eight homers and a .317 slugging percentage and is 2 for 18 with runners in scoring position in the first two games of this series.

A couple of Brewers have given Lynn trouble, though, with Jean Segura 9 for 20 with a double and triple and Gerardo Parra 9 for 19 with two homers, three doubles and two triples.

Segura had three hits Saturday and is 9 for 21 with two doubles against the Cardinals this season.

St. Louis' Matt Holliday, batting .358, hit his first homer Saturday while Matt Carpenter doubled again and extended his hitting streak to 12 games. Carpenter is batting .423 with 10 doubles and 10 RBIs during his run and is 10 for 23 with six doubles against the Brewers this year.

Neither has enjoyed much success against Mike Fiers (0-3, 6.75), however, with Holliday 1 for 11 and Carpenter 2 for 14.

Fiers gave up two runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings in a 4-0 loss to the Cardinals on April 16, but has a 9.00 ERA in losing his other two outings - both at home. Against Cincinnati on Tuesday, the right-hander permitted eight runs - four earned - on a pair of grand slams in four innings of a 16-10 loss.

'Things definitely haven't been going my way," he said. "I need to be better. I don't know what else to say.'

Another matchup with the Cardinals could help. In five career starts versus St. Louis, Fiers has a 1.72 ERA.

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1

Cardinals at Brewers
Fri, Apr 24 Final 3 to 0
Boxscores

GAME 2

Cardinals at Brewers
Sat, Apr 25 Final 5 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3

Cardinals at Brewers
Sun, Apr 26 - 2:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Astros (9-7) at Athletics (8-10)
Game: 3
Venue: O.co Coliseum
Date: April 26, 2015 4:05 PM EDT

While Jose Altuve isn't showing signs of slowing down during his remarkable hitting streak, the Oakland Athletics aren't getting much from their short-handed offense during their losing streak.

Altuve looks to hit safely in a 29th consecutive game in this series as the Houston Astros go for the sweep Sunday against the A's, who are three games under .500 for the first time since July 2012.

Altuve, who hit a major league-best .341 in 2014, went 2 for 5 with his second home run and three RBIs in Saturday's 9-3 win that moved Houston (10-7) to a 6-1 since dropping six of its first 10.

The All-Star second baseman continues to feast on Oakland pitching with a .375 average over his impressive hitting streak, which is the longest by a Houston player against one team. He's 10 for 22 with two homers in five meetings this season.

'It's nothing extra special against the A's because he hits against everybody, but certainly that's a long time to play against one opponent and continue to have success,' Houston manager A.J. Hinch said.

The Astros have won a franchise-best three in a row in Oakland after dropping 16 of the previous 21. They're also off to their best start since winning 12 of 17 games in 2006.

The slumping A's (8-11) are batting .208 with seven runs during a three-game losing streak.

Brett Lawrie is among those struggling with a .158 average and 15 strikeouts in his last 10 games. Ben Zobrist was batting .240 and had started at three different positions before landing on the disabled list Saturday.

"At this point, we're not doing anything too terribly right," manager Bob Melvin said.

Trying to avoid a five-game home losing streak, Oakland turns to Drew Pomeranz (1-2, 4.24 ERA).

Since allowing two hits over seven shutout innings in his season debut, the left-hander has given up nine runs and 14 hits over 10 innings in consecutive road defeats.

One of those outings came in Houston on April 15, when Pomeranz surrendered four runs and six hits over five-plus innings in a 6-1 loss. He is 0-2 with a 7.30 ERA in three career starts against the Astros.

Altuve went 2 for 3 with a double when facing Pomeranz in the first meeting, while former A's infielder Jed Lowrie had a home run, double and three RBIs. Lowrie is also 8 for 15 with four RBIs in his last four starts.

George Springer, who hit his second home run Saturday, is 4 for 11 with three extra-base hits in this series after hitting .167 with three extra-base hits over his first 15 games.

Batting .350 with a .400 on-base percentage, Houston's Jake Marisnick has not been ruled out after missing two games due to leg soreness.

Asher Wojciechowski (0-1, 6.00) will make his third start after allowing eight hits and four runs over four innings in each of his first two. He struck out six in Monday's 7-5 win at Seattle.

The rookie right-hander made a relief appearance against the A's on April 13, giving up two hits over four scoreless innings in an 8-1 home defeat.

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1

Astros at Athletics
Fri, Apr 24 Final 5 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2

Astros at Athletics
Sat, Apr 25 Final 9 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3

Astros at Athletics
Sun, Apr 26 - 4:05PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mets (13-4) at Yankees (10-7)
Game: 3
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: April 26, 2015 8:05 PM EDT

The hype and expectations surrounding Matt Harvey have led to his starts being treated as some sort of holiday by the New York Mets, but he may not even be the best pitcher on his own team.

After getting back in the win column on the latest "Harvey Day," the Mets will look for Jonathon Niese to continue the best stretch of his career Sunday night against the New York Yankees in the finale of this Subway Series.

Harvey's return from Tommy John surgery has been celebrated by the Mets (14-4), and his 4-0 record and 3.04 ERA has justified the growing hype.

He was superb again Saturday, coming one out shy of a complete game in an 8-2 win over the Yankees (10-8) after the Mets' 11-game winning streak ended with a 6-1 defeat a day earlier.

Now, Niese (2-0, 1.50 ERA) looks to hold an opponent to two earned runs or fewer for the eighth consecutive start. The left-hander is 3-1 with a 1.62 ERA over his last seven games, dating to last season. He's yielded one run in each of his last two starts and is in position to win three straight for the first time since September 2012.

Niese tossed six scoreless innings Tuesday before giving up a homer and leaving with two outs in the seventh of a 7-1 win over Atlanta.

He's 1-1 with a 2.05 ERA in four career starts against the Yankees.

He is likely to have rookie Kevin Plawecki behind the plate again. Plawecki went 2 for 4 with two runs in his major league debut Wednesday and hit his first career homer - a two-run shot - and added an RBI single on Saturday.

"It was a special day in many ways," Plawecki said.

Juan Lagares would certainly agree, matching his career high with four hits with an RBI triple on Saturday. He was 1 for 13 over his seven previous meetings with the Yankees.

The Yankees will try to bounce back from their first loss in five games behind Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 3.12).

The right-hander is coming off his best start since being acquired in an offseason trade with Miami, yielding one run and scattering eight hits in seven innings of a 5-2 win at Detroit on Tuesday.

After giving up five runs in 10 1-3 innings over his first two starts, he credited the improvement with a slight adjustment.

"I moved my arm a little closer to my body in my last bullpen (session), and I was able to keep it there for most of the game," Eovaldi said. "It really helped my command."

He went 0-1 with a 7.15 ERA in two starts against the Mets last season.

Alex Rodriguez is 1 for 7 with two strikeouts in this series, but he's 3 for 8 with a homer versus Niese.

Mark Teixeira, who is also 3 for 8 in this matchup, has five hits - including three homers - over the last two games and five RBIs.

The Mets have won five of six in the Bronx after a five-game skid there.

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Mets at Yankees
Fri, Apr 24 Final 1 to 6
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Mets at Yankees
Sat, Apr 25 Final 8 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Mets at Yankees
Sun, Apr 26 - 8:05PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Red Sox (10-7) at Orioles (7-10)
Game: 3
Venue: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Date: April 26, 2015 1:35 PM EDT

Baltimore's rotation finally stepped up, though the Orioles had to overcome bullpen issues to end their losing streak, while Boston's relievers also struggled again.

Both teams may have to rely heavily on their relief units in Sunday's series finale at Camden Yards with two starting pitchers who have had some struggles.

The Orioles (8-10) had given up 38 runs while dropping five in a row prior to Saturday's 5-4, 10-inning victory on David Lough's homer off Koji Uehara. Baltimore starters had posted a 6.80 ERA while pitching fewer than seven innings in nine straight before Wei-Yin Chen's excellent outing. He allowed two runs on Mike Napoli's first homer and three other hits over eight innings. Zach Britton blew his first save in the ninth, though, and Xander Bogaerts took Brad Brach deep in the top of the 10th.

The two runs allowed by Uehara were his first of the season but it marked Boston's third blown save in four games. The Red Sox bullpen has surrendered six runs over 10 2-3 innings in that span after previously recording a 2.45 ERA.

Both relief corps might be in for a lot of work with Baltimore's Bud Norris (0-2, 17.42 ERA) going against Boston's Wade Miley (1-1, 6.08). Norris has surrendered 20 earned runs in 10 1-3 innings. Toronto was responsible for 17 of those runs, though, so perhaps facing another opponent will help him get on track. He was better April 15 against the New York Yankees, giving up three runs in five innings.

"It's a combination of things," Norris said of his difficulties. "The mistakes I'm making, they're not missing. I've got to get back on the horse, keep competing and pitching the corners and because that's all I can do."

He had been 0-2 with a 4.56 ERA in four career meetings with Boston before giving up three hits over eight shutout in a 4-0 victory in the last matchup June 9.

Miley gave up seven runs over 2 1-3 innings in a 10-5 loss to Washington on April 15, but yielded three hits over 5 2-3 innings of a 1-0 win at Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Walks remained a problem, though, as he issued four free passes increasing his total to nine in 13 1-3 innings.

He didn't record a decision in his only start against Baltimore, allowing four runs in seven innings of a 7-6 victory by Arizona on Aug. 12, 2013.

Jimmy Paredes continues to spark Baltimore's offense, going 4 for 5 with his third home run in four games Saturday. He is 12 for 30 in seven games.

The Red Sox (10-8) are hoping Napoli's 3-for-4 day can help jump-start what has been an anemic campaign thus far for the first baseman. He had been hitting .143 prior to Saturday, though he's 2 for 12 against Norris with seven strikeouts. Hanley Ramirez is 6 for 12 off Norris.

Homers have accounted for 10 of Boston's 11 runs in the series.

Much of the focus Saturday was off the field as thousands gathered outside the park to protest the death of Freddie Gray. Fans were told in the middle of the ninth to remain in the ballpark for safety, though the restricted was lifted before the bottom of the 10th inning.

"These guys are aware of what's going on," Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said. "I'm sure we'll have people talk about spending the night here. There are so many things that can take your attention away from a baseball game, rightfully so. As important as we think this is, there are some things that are more important."

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Red Sox at Orioles
Fri, Apr 24 Final 7 to 5
Boxscores

GAME 2
Red Sox at Orioles
Sat, Apr 25 Final 4 to 5
Boxscores

GAME 3
Red Sox at Orioles
Sun, Apr 26 - 1:35PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

APRIL RATED PLAYS:


MLB


*****...........................25 - 23..................+ 1.32
DOUBLE PLAY.................28 - 35..................- 18.14
TRIPLE PLAY...................20 - 22..................- 15.46
GRAND SLAM..................15 - 16..................- 8.19




NBA PLAYOFFS


*****..................................4 - 6
double play...........................8 - 8
triple play.............................5 - 4
slam dunk.............................3 - 3


NHL PLAYOFFS


*****.............................. 7 - 8 ........,..... - 0.70
double play........................9 - 7 - 2 ..........+ 2.84
triple play..........................4 - 7............... - 18.36
hat trick.............................6 - 3.............. + 10.68

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Pirates (9-8) at Diamondbacks (8-8)
Game: 3
Venue: Chase Field
Date: April 26, 2015 4:10 PM EDT

The Pittsburgh Pirates had one of the majors' most effective rotations heading to Arizona.

That hasn't changed in two games against a Diamondbacks lineup that's laboring.

Francisco Liriano will try to help the Pirates to a fifth consecutive win and first three-game sweep in Arizona on Sunday.

Pittsburgh's starters had a 3.03 ERA before this series and has lowered it to 2.79 by allowing one run in a pair of wins. The Pirates (10-8) claimed a 2-1 victory Saturday with Starling Marte's RBI single in the ninth.

They've won four in a row in April for the first time in 2008. Their last five-game win streak in that month was in 2007.

"It's another thing we had on our to-do list coming in," manager Clint Hurdle said. "We're working hard to get better every single day collectively as a club."

The next item on Liriano's to-do list is procure his first win. The left-hander has received a combined four runs of support in three starts.

The left-hander (0-1, 3.00 ERA) left Tuesday's start against the Chicago Cubs with the Pirates trailing by a run. He gave up three runs and three hits in five innings in a 9-8 loss while striking out nine.

Liriano will next face an Arizona lineup that's batting .218 in its last six games and has scored one run in four of those contests. The Diamondbacks (8-9) hit .261 and plated 54 runs in their first 11 games.

Paul Goldschmidt is 2 for 13 with seven men left on base in his last four games, but three of his four hits against lefties on the season have been homers.

The Pirates will try to keep Arizona at bay again while recording their first sweep in the series since September 2010. Their only sweep at Chase Field was in two games in August 1998, the Diamondbacks' first season.

Jeremy Hellickson will try to prevent that by extending a streak of solid efforts by Arizona's starters. The Diamondbacks rotation has given up three earned runs or fewer while pitching at least six innings in nine consecutive games, its longest streak since an 11-game run in September 2008.

"It's contagious," Hellickson said. "If a guy throw six, seven innings and does well, you don't want to be that guy who goes out and throw four or five."

Hellickson (1-2, 4.58) snapped an 11-start winless streak and earned his first win with Arizona last Sunday, yielding one run in 6 2-3 innings in a 5-1 victory in San Francisco. The righty, who will be facing the Pirates for the first time, had a 6.55 ERA in losing his first two outings for the Diamondbacks.

Liriano has a 3.00 ERA without a decision in two career starts against Arizona, both at Chase Field. He gave up two runs in six innings in his only meeting in 2014, a 3-2 loss in 10 innings Aug. 3.

Marte, batting .357 with 11 RBIs in his last nine contests, has hit safely in all 15 career games against Arizona, going 22 for 63 (.349) with 10 extra-base hits and 12 RBIs.

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Pirates at Diamondbacks
Fri, Apr 24 Final 4 to 1
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Pirates at Diamondbacks
Sat, Apr 25 Final 2 to 1
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Pirates at Diamondbacks
Sun, Apr 26 - 4:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

-- Warriors 109, Pelicans 98-- Golden State first NBA team to advance.

-- Bucks 92, Bulls 90-- Good side out of bounds play got Bucks winning hoop.

-- Grizzlies 115, Blazers 109-- Is Memphis the most obscure good team in all of professional sports?

-- Calgary 7, Vancouver 4-- Flames' first playoff series win since 2004.

-- Orioles 5, Red Sox 4 (10)-- Weird night in Baltimore; fans were told to stay inside the ballpark, even if the game ended, due to protests outside the stadium. Then the Orioles tied the game; extra inning gave cops enough time to quell the protests.

-- Cardinals 5, Brewers 3-- St Louis may have lost Wainwright for season.

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Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday........

13) There are rumors about that the Bulls will fire coach Tom Thibodeau when the season ends, despite his 255-139 regular season record; Scott Brooks got canned despite a terrific record, Lionel Hollins, Vinny Del Negro and George Karl all got sacked two years ago-- they all had won 56+ regular season games.

To paraphrase Vince Lombardi on that NFL Films clip, "What the hell's going on out there?!?!" Seems like there is too much politics in NBA coaching.

12) New York media has already declared Matt Harvey to be the next Koufax, but Al Leiter had a good tidbit during Saturday's game; when CC Sabathia was Harbey's age, he had already started 178 big league games and won a Cy Young. award-- he got a much earlier start and may be finished earlier, too.

11) The dimensions in Yankee Stadium are a joke; its a softball park in right field and its going to prevent them from having good pitchers, because who in their right mind wants to pitch half their games there? It is every bit as bad as pitching in Coors Field.

10) Minnesota Twins scored a total of four runs in losing Phil Hughes' first four starts; Toronto scored 13-12-12 runs in Mark Buehrle's first three starts.

9) I'm not a big fan of strict platooning in baseball; one team pinch-hit for a lefty hitter in the 4th inning of a game last summer, because the other side put a lefty pitcher in. If a guy isn't good enough to play the first five innings of a game, then he shouldn't be starting in the first place.

8) Through Friday's games, the major league batting average was .245; if the first pitch of an at-bat was put into play, that went up to .318.

7) Ben Zobrist is out 4-6 weeks after getting his knee scoped; A's got taken by Tampa Bay on this trade; Zobrist is damaged goods, a 33-year old who played several years on artficial turf. Go figure.

Oakland's season is already headed for the ashcan; their bullpen sucks, they can't hit lefties-- they're 30-45 since trading Yoenis Cespedes last July 31.

6) Speaking of the Rays, they're 0-10 on replay challenges this season.

5) Mets' rookie catcher Kevin Plawecki hit his first career homer in the Bronx yesterday; my question is this-- if you caught that ball in the bleachers, how much you charging him for it? You have him over a barrel, its his first career home run ball-- HE HAS TO HAVE IT!!!

Let me know what your ideas are....I have my own idea.

4) Steve Stricker missed the cut in New Orleans this week, meaning longest current streak of consecutive cuts made on Tour is Matt Kuchar, at 22.

3) Wow I was watching the Houston-Dallas game on TV Friday night; I'd get tired of the Dallas PA guy pretty darn quick if I went to games there. Tone it down a little, big fella. No need to make everyone deaf.

2) There are betting lines out on some NFL games already; draft is next week, so how you betting games so long before the season starts, before you even know who all the starting quarterbacks are?

1) Peyton Manning donated $3M to Tennessee's football program; thats three million, with an M. How much money does this guy have?

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, April 26

National League
Braves @ Phillies
Cahill is 0-2, 11.37 in his two starts; five of his last six went over total.

Williams is 1-1, 4.76 in his three starts this year.

Phillies lost ten of last 13 games; over is 6-3-2 in their last 11- they lost three of last four with Atlanta, with all four staying under total. Braves lost four of last five games; three of their last four stayed under.

Nationals @ Marlins
Gonzalez is 1-1, 3.93 in his three starts; four of his last five stayed under.

Haren is 1-1, 3.32 in his three starts; over is 5-0-1 in his last six.

Miami won its last four games; over is 7-2-1 in their last ten. Nationals lost last four games, outscored 22-8; four of their last six stayed under. Nationals won eight of last eleven games with Miami, but lost last two; nine of last 12 series games stayed under total.

Cubs @ Reds
Arrieta is 2-1, 1.75 in his three starts; under is 3-0-1 in his last four.

DeSclafani is 2-0, 0.86 in three starts, all of which stayed under.

Cubs won six of last seven games with Cincinnati; over is 5-1-2 in last eight games. Reds won three of its last five games; five of last seven games went under. Chicago is 5-4 in its last nine games.

Cardinals @ Brewers
Lynn is 1-1, 2.08 in his three starts; seven of his last nine stayed under.

Fiers is 0-3, 9.20 in his three starts; sevne of his last ten stayed under.

Milwaukee lost ten of last 11 games, outscored 58-26; they lost eight of last ten games with St Louis-- six of last nine series games stayed under total. Cardinals won eight of last nine games (under 6-3).

Giants @ Rockies
Lincecum is 1-1, 2.50 in his three starts (under 2-1).

Matzek is 1-1, 2.40 in his three starts; seven of his last nine stayed under.

Colorado won six of last eight games with Giants; under is 8-2-2 in last 12 in series. Rockies lost six of their last eight games, outscored 54-29. Under is 7-3-1 in last eleven San Francisco games. Giants won four of their last five.

Pirates @ Diamondbacks
Liriano is 0-1, 3.00 in his three starts; under is 6-3-1 in his last ten.

Hellickson is 1-2, 4.58 in his three starts, all of which stayed under.

Pittsburgh won four of last five games with Arizona, six of last eight games overall. Arizona lost four of last five at home; five of its last six overall stayed under the total.

Dodgers @ Padres
Baker is 66-52, 4.25 in 170 MLB starts over nine years; he started eight games for Texas LY (3-4, 5.47). His last three starts went over- this is his first start this season, first start for the Dodgers.

Morrow is 0-0, 3.15 in his three starts (under 2-1).

Dodgers won seven of last nine games with San Diego; seven of nine went over the total. LA won nine of its last eleven games. Padres lost last four games, outscored 21-13; three of their last four stayed under.

American League
Red Sox @ Orioles
Miley is 1-1, 6.08 in his three starts; four of his last six went over.

Norris is 0-2, 17.42 in his three starts; his last four all went over.

Baltimore lost five of last six games, outscored 42-25; they're 7-5 in last 12 games with Boston- three of last four went over. Red Sox lost three of last four games, with three of those four going over total.

Indians @ Tigers
Carrasco is 2-1, 2.38 in his three starts; his last six stayed under.

Lobstein is 1-1, 327 in his two startsl four of his last six at home went under. .

Detroit lost four of its last five games after an 11-2 start; they've won eight of last nine vs Cleveland, scoring 59 runs (over 8-1). Indians lost eight of last 12 games, with eight of last ten staying under the total.

Blue Jays @ Rays
Buehrle is 3-0, 4.00 in his three starts; Blue Jays scored 13-12-12 runs in the three games. Six of his last seven starts went over.

Archer is 2-1, 0.46 in his three starts, all of which stayed under.

Rays won last four games, outscoring foes 25-11. Five of last seven Tampa Bay games went over total; they've won six of their last seven games with Toronto. Four of last six Toronto road tilts went over.

Royals @ White Sox
Friday night's game was suspended at 2-2 in 8th inning; teams got rained out yesterday.

Volquez is 2-1, 1.99 in three starts this year; under was 2-0-1 in those games.

Danks is 0-2, 6.06 in his three starts, all of which stayed under.

Kansas City won eight of last nine games with Chicago; seven of last ten series games went over. Royals won four of last five games overall; under is 4-1-1 in their last six. White Sox won four of last six home games.

Rangers @ Angels
Martinez is 2-0, 0.90 in his first three starts.

Santiago is 2-1, 2.45 in his three starts; six of his last eight went over.

Rangers lost eight of last 11 games; five of last seven stayed under. Angels won eight of last 11 games with Texas; over is 5-3-1 in last nine. Halos won four of their last five games.

Astros @ A's
Wojchiechowski is 0-1, 9.00 in two major league starts.

Pomeranz is 1-2, 4.76 in his three starts; four of his last six went over.

Houston is 7-5 in last 12 games with Oakland; they've won six of last seven games overall- four of their last five went over. A's lost four of their last five games- five of their last six went over.

Twins @ Mariners
Gibson is 1-2, 6.46 in his three starts; under is 3-0-1 in his last four.

Elias is making first '15 start; he was 3-4, 2.66 in his last 10 starts LY (under was 7-3 in those games). .

Seattle lost eight of last 12 games with Minnesota; four of last six series games stayed under. Twins lost eight of their last eleven road games. Seattle is 4-6 in its last ten games- four of its last six went over.

Interleague
Mets @ Bronx
Niese is 2-0, 2.50 in his three starts (over 2-0-1)-- he was thrown out of Friday's game for bitching on balls/strikes from dugout.

Eovaldi is 1-1, 3.12 in his three starts this year.

Mets won 12 of their last 13 games; over is 6-2-2 in last ten- they've won seven of last ten games with Bronx- over is 4-1-1 in last six played here. Bronx won six of its last eight games; over is 8-3-1 in its last twelve.

Win-loss records this year for team with this starting pitcher:
Atl-Phil-- Cahill 0-2; Williams 2-1
Wsh-Mia-- Gonzalez 2-1; Haren 2-1
Chi-Cin-- Arrieta 2-1; DeSclafani 3-0
StL-Mil-- Lynn 1-2; Fiers 0-3
SF-Col-- Lincecum 1-2; Matzek 2-1
Pitt-Az-- Liriano 0-3; Hellickson 1-2
LA-SD-- Baker 0-0; Morrow 3-0

Bos-Balt-- Miley 2-1; Norris 1-2
Clev-Det-- Carrasco 2-1; Lobstein 1-1
Tor-TB-- Buehrle 3-0; Archer 2-2
KC-Chi-- Volquez 2-1; Danks 1-2
Tex-LA-- Martinez 3-0; Santiago 2-1
Hst-A's-- Wojchiechowski 1-1; Pomeranz 1-2
Minn-Sea-- Gibson 1-2; Elias 0-0

NYM-NYY-- Niese 2-1; Eovaldi 1-2

Times this starting pitcher allowed a run in first inning:
Atl-Phil-- Cahill 1-2; Williams 1-3
Wsh-Mia-- Gonzalez 0-3; Haren 0-3
Chi-Cin-- Arrieta 2-1; DeSclafani 3-0
StL-Mil-- Lynn 0-3; Fiers 0-3
SF-Col-- Lincecum 1-3; Matzek 1-3
Pitt-Az-- Liriano 1-3; Hellickson 2-3
LA-SD-- Baker 0-0; Morrow 1-3

Bos-Balt-- Miley 1-3; Norris 1-3
Clev-Det-- Carrasco 2-3; Lobstein 2-2
Tor-TB-- Buehrle 1-3; Archer 1-4
KC-Chi-- Volquez 2-1; Danks 1-2
Tex-LA-- Martinez 0-3; Santiago 1-3
Hst-A's-- Wojchiechowski 1-2; Pomeranz 1-3
Minn-Sea-- Gibson 1-3; Elias 0-0

NYM-NYY-- Niese 2-3; Eovaldi 2-3

Umpires
Chi-Cin-- Over is 4-1-1 in last six Diaz games.
Wsh-Mia-- Over is 9-0-1 in last ten Morales games.
Atl-Phil-- Favorites won nine of last eleven Dimuro games.
StL-Mil-- All four Bucknor games this year went over.
Pitt-Az-- Home side won Woodring's last six games LY; this is his first game behind plate this season.
SF-Colo-- Last three BWelke games went over the total.
LA-SD-- I've got no info on rookie umpire Blakney.

Clev-Det-- Over is 5-2-1 in last eight Joyce games.
KC-Chi-- Last six TWelke games stayed under total.
Hst-A's-- Home side won last ten Wolcott games.
Tor-TB-- Eight of last ten Segal games went over.
Bos-Balt-- Underdogs are 5-4 in last nine Basner games.
Tex-LA-- Under is 7-3-1 in last eleven Gonzalez games.
Min-Sea-- Four of last five Barber games went over.

NYM-NYY-- Underdogs won last three Wolf games.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Sunday, April 26

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1:08 PM
CLEVELAND vs. DETROIT
Cleveland is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Cleveland's last 9 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games at home
Detroit is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home

1:10 PM
CHI CUBS vs. CINCINNATI
Chi Cubs6-1-1 SU in their last 8 games when playing Cincinnati
Chi Cubs are 3-6-1 SU in their last 10 games ,when playing on the road against Cincinnati
Cincinnati is 1-3-1 SU in its last 5 games ,at home
Cincinnati is 1-6-1 SU in their last 8 games ,when playing Chi Cubs

1:10 PM
WASHINGTON vs. MIAMI
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Washington's last 9 games when playing Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games
Miami is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing Washington
Miami is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

1:10 PM
TORONTO vs. TAMPA BAY
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto's last 7 games on the road
Toronto is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Tampa Bay's last 12 games at home

1:35 PM
ATLANTA vs. PHILADELPHIA
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Atlanta's last 7 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Atlanta is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
Philadelphia is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Atlanta

1:35 PM
BOSTON vs. BALTIMORE
Boston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Boston's last 9 games on the road
Baltimore is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Baltimore's last 6 games at home

2:10 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. MILWAUKEE
St. Louis is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
St. Louis is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Milwaukee
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Milwaukee is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games

2:10 PM
KANSAS CITY vs. CHI WHITE SOX
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Kansas City's last 6 games on the road
Kansas City is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games
Chi White Sox are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing Kansas City

3:35 PM
TEXAS vs. LA ANGELS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Texas's last 7 games on the road
Texas is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
LA Angels are 4-8 SU in their last 12 games at home
LA Angels are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games when playing at home against Texas

4:05 PM
HOUSTON vs. OAKLAND
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games
Houston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Oakland is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Houston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oakland's last 6 games

4:10 PM
LA DODGERS vs. SAN DIEGO
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of LA Dodgers's last 16 games when playing on the road against San Diego
LA Dodgers are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing on the road against San Diego
San Diego is 2-5 SU in their last 7 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers
San Diego is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games at home

4:10 PM
MINNESOTA vs. SEATTLE
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing Minnesota

4:10 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. COLORADO
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Francisco's last 7 games
San Francisco is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Colorado is 17-7 SU in its last 24 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 5 games when playing San Francisco

4:10 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. ARIZONA
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Arizona
Arizona is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Arizona's last 8 games at home

8:05 PM
NY METS vs. NY YANKEES
NY Mets are 12-1 SU in its last 13 games
NY Mets are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games when playing NY Yankees
NY Yankees are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games at home
NY Yankees are 3-7 SU in their last 10 games when playing NY Mets

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

Sunday, April 26


Texas Rangers @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Game 923-924
April 26, 2015 @ 3:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Texas Rangers
(Martinez) 14.278
Los Angeles Angel
(Santiago) 16.261
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles Angel
by 2
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles Angel
-150
8
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles Angel
(-150); Over

Houston Astros @ Oakland Athletics

Game 925-926
April 26, 2015 @ 4:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston Astros
(Wojciechowski) 17.152
Oakland Athletics
(Pomeranz) 16.099
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Houston Astros
by 1
7 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Oakland Athletics
-165
8
Dunkel Pick:
Houston Astros
(+145); Under

Washington Nationals @ Miami Marlins

Game 901-902
April 26, 2015 @ 1:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington Nation
(Gonzalez) 16.201
Miami Marlins
(Haren) 17.141
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Miami Marlins
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington Nation
-115
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Miami Marlins
(-105); Under

Minnesota Twins @ Seattle Mariners

Game 927-928
April 26, 2015 @ 4:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota Twins
(Gibson) 16.395
Seattle Mariners
(Elias) 15.401
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota Twins
by 1
7 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Seattle Mariners
-150
8
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota Twins
(+130); Under

Atlanta Braves @ Philadelphia Phillies

Game 905-906
April 26, 2015 @ 1:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta Braves
(Cahill) 13.069
Philadelphia Phil
(Williams) 14.677
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Philadelphia Phil
by 1 1/2
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Philadelphia Phil
-115
8
Dunkel Pick:
Philadelphia Phil
(-115); Over

New York Mets @ New York Yankees

Game 929-930
April 26, 2015 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New York Mets
(Niese) 15.789
New York Yankees
(Eovaldi) 18.483
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New York Yankees
by 2 1/2
8 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New York Yankees
-140
8
Dunkel Pick:
New York Yankees
(-140); Over

St. Louis Cardinals @ Milwaukee Brewers

Game 907-908
April 26, 2015 @ 2:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis Cardina
(Lynn) 15.610
Milwaukee Brewers
(Fiers) 13.964
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis Cardina
by 1 1/2
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis Cardina
-155
8
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis Cardina
(-155); Over

Pittsburgh Pirates @ Arizona Diamondbacks

Game 909-910
April 26, 2015 @ 4:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh Pirate
(Liriano) 15.144
Arizona Diamondba
(Hellickson) 16.295
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Arizona Diamondba
by 1
9 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh Pirate
-150
8
Dunkel Pick:
Arizona Diamondba
(+130); Over

Kansas City Royals @ Chicago White Sox

Game 921-922
April 26, 2015 @ 2:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Kansas City Royal
(Volquez) 17.252
Chicago White Sox
(Danks) 15.604
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Kansas City Royal
by 1 1/2
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Kansas City Royal
-120
8
Dunkel Pick:
Kansas City Royal
(-120); Over

San Francisco Giants @ Colorado Rockies

Game 911-912
April 26, 2015 @ 4:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Francisco Gia
(Lincecum) 15.885
Colorado Rockies
(Matzek) 13.425
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Francisco Gia
by 2 1/2
11 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Colorado Rockies
-135
10
Dunkel Pick:
San Francisco Gia
(+115); Over

Los Angeles Dodgers @ San Diego Padres

Game 913-914
April 26, 2015 @ 4:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles Dodge
(Baker) 15.435
San Diego Padres
(Morrow) 17.087
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Diego Padres
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Diego Padres
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
San Diego Padres
N/A

Cleveland Indians @ Detroit Tigers

Game 915-916
April 26, 2015 @ 1:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Cleveland Indians
(Carrasco) 16.371
Detroit Tigers
(Lobstein) 14.831
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland Indians
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland Indians
-115
8 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland Indians
(-115); Under

Chicago Cubs @ Cincinnati Reds

Game 903-904
April 26, 2015 @ 1:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago Cubs
(Arrieta) 16.957
Cincinnati Reds
(DeSclafani) 17.887
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cincinnati Reds
by 1
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago Cubs
-120
7
Dunkel Pick:
Cincinnati Reds
(+100); Under

Toronto Blue Jays @ Tampa Bay Rays

Game 917-918
April 26, 2015 @ 1:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto Blue Jays
(Buehrle) 16.699
Tampa Bay Rays
(Archer) 15.577
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto Blue Jays
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Tampa Bay Rays
-150
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto Blue Jays
(+130); Under

Boston Red Sox @ Baltimore Orioles

Game 919-920
April 26, 2015 @ 1:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston Red Sox
(Miley) 12.589
Baltimore Orioles
(Norris) 16.173
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Baltimore Orioles
by 3 1/2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston Red Sox
-130
9
Dunkel Pick:
Baltimore Orioles
(+110); Under

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Long Sheet

Sunday, April 26

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

WASHINGTON (7 - 11) at MIAMI (7 - 11) - 1:10 PM
GIO GONZALEZ (L) vs. DAN HAREN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 5-10 (-7.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
MIAMI is 397-389 (+39.2 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters since 1997.
GONZALEZ is 108-74 (+29.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997. (Team's Record)
HAREN is 178-175 (-40.2 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997. (Team's Record)
HAREN is 62-81 (-42.5 Units) against the money line against division opponents since 1997. (Team's Record)
HAREN is 165-169 (-47.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997. (Team's Record)
HAREN is 16-25 (-16.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 2-0 (+2.4 Units) against WASHINGTON this season
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.1 Units)

GIO GONZALEZ vs. MIAMI since 1997
GONZALEZ is 6-2 when starting against MIAMI with an ERA of 1.67 and a WHIP of 0.889.
His team's record is 6-2 (+3.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-5. (-3.8 units)

DAN HAREN vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
HAREN is 3-2 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 1.96 and a WHIP of 0.871.
His team's record is 4-2 (+1.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-4. (-2.5 units)

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

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 149-189 (-57.1 Units) against the money line when playing with a day off 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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ATLANTA (9 - 8) at PHILADELPHIA (6 - 12) - 1:35 PM
TREVOR CAHILL (R) vs. JEROME WILLIAMS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 88-91 (-15.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 86-90 (-17.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 67-74 (-17.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 44-53 (-22.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
WILLIAMS is 9-3 (+10.5 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
ATLANTA is 26-16 (+12.0 Units) against the money line in April games over the last 2 seasons.
CAHILL is 33-20 (+16.8 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 since 1997. (Team's Record)
PHILADELPHIA is 149-171 (-48.1 Units) against the money line at home with a money line of -100 to -125 since 1997.
PHILADELPHIA is 107-112 (-35.5 Units) against the money line in home games in April games since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 1-1 (+0.1 Units) against ATLANTA this season
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+2.0 Units)

TREVOR CAHILL vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
CAHILL is 1-2 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 3.24 and a WHIP of 1.160.
His team's record is 1-3 (-1.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-2. (-0.2 units)

JEROME WILLIAMS vs. ATLANTA since 1997
WILLIAMS is 1-3 when starting against ATLANTA with an ERA of 5.40 and a WHIP of 1.487.
His team's record is 3-4 (-0.9 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-7. (-8.1 units)

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ST LOUIS (12 - 4) at MILWAUKEE (3 - 15) - 2:10 PM
LANCE LYNN (R) vs. MICHAEL FIERS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 18-31 (-15.8 Units) against the money line in road games after a win over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 77-105 (-42.3 Units) against the money line in road games after 3 or more consecutive wins since 1997.
LYNN is 4-14 (-12.4 Units) against the money line in road games after a win over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
ST LOUIS is 165-106 (+33.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 3-15 (-13.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 2-10 (-9.7 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 3-15 (-13.2 Units) against the money line in April games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 39-52 (-17.6 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 22-36 (-22.1 Units) against the money line in home games in day games over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 3-15 (-13.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
MILWAUKEE is 3-13 (-10.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
MILWAUKEE is 40-53 (-19.4 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 4-1 (+2.4 Units) against MILWAUKEE this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.6 Units)

LANCE LYNN vs. MILWAUKEE since 1997
LYNN is 5-1 when starting against MILWAUKEE with an ERA of 2.28 and a WHIP of 1.209.
His team's record is 7-4 (+1.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 6-5. (+1.0 units)

MICHAEL FIERS vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
FIERS is 2-2 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 1.72 and a WHIP of 1.181.
His team's record is 2-3 (-1.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-3. (-1.2 units)

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PITTSBURGH (10 - 8) at ARIZONA (8 - 9) - 4:10 PM
FRANCISCO LIRIANO (L) vs. JEREMY HELLICKSON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 11-23 (-13.8 Units) against the money line in road games in day games over the last 2 seasons.
LIRIANO is 27-37 (-20.9 Units) against the money line in day games since 1997. (Team's Record)
LIRIANO is 13-22 (-14.9 Units) against the money line after 3 or more consecutive wins since 1997. (Team's Record)
PITTSBURGH is 195-154 (+29.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 193-153 (+27.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 111-65 (+32.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
ARIZONA is 72-107 (-30.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 37-52 (-18.7 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 7-18 (-13.0 Units) against the money line in home games in April games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 72-107 (-30.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 26-55 (-24.4 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 2-0 (+2.0 Units) against ARIZONA this season
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+2.0 Units)

FRANCISCO LIRIANO vs. ARIZONA since 1997
LIRIANO is 0-0 when starting against ARIZONA with an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.250.
His team's record is 0-2 (-2.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-2. (-2.2 units)

JEREMY HELLICKSON vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
No recent starts.

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SAN FRANCISCO (8 - 11) at COLORADO (10 - 8) - 4:10 PM
TIM LINCECUM (R) vs. TYLER MATZEK (L)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN FRANCISCO is 53-46 (+12.6 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 53-46 (+12.6 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 722-709 (+46.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
LINCECUM is 21-10 (+11.5 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
COLORADO is 52-80 (-27.4 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 65-82 (-27.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO is 4-1 (+3.2 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
4 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+4.2 Units)

TIM LINCECUM vs. COLORADO since 1997
LINCECUM is 11-10 when starting against COLORADO with an ERA of 3.96 and a WHIP of 1.371.
His team's record is 13-16 (-7.6 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 12-16. (-6.0 units)

TYLER MATZEK vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
MATZEK is 2-0 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 2.08 and a WHIP of 1.231.
His team's record is 2-0 (+2.8 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-2. (-2.4 units)

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LA DODGERS (11 - 6) at SAN DIEGO (10 - 9) - 4:10 PM
SCOTT BAKER (R) vs. BRANDON MORROW (R)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA DODGERS is 4-1 (+2.6 Units) against SAN DIEGO this season
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.2 Units)

SCOTT BAKER vs. SAN DIEGO since 1997
BAKER is 2-0 when starting against SAN DIEGO with an ERA of 1.93 and a WHIP of 0.929.
His team's record is 2-0 (+2.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-2. (-2.0 units)

BRANDON MORROW vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
No recent starts.

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CLEVELAND (6 - 10) at DETROIT (12 - 6) - 1:05 PM
CARLOS CARRASCO (R) vs. KYLE LOBSTEIN (L)
Top Trends for this game.
CLEVELAND is 16-27 (-14.9 Units) against the money line in April games over the last 2 seasons.
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 45-44 (-15.1 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 4-1 (+3.0 Units) against CLEVELAND this season
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.0 Units)

CARLOS CARRASCO vs. DETROIT since 1997
CARRASCO is 1-5 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 8.18 and a WHIP of 2.334.
His team's record is 1-6 (-5.5 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-6. (-5.9 units)

KYLE LOBSTEIN vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
LOBSTEIN is 1-0 when starting against CLEVELAND with an ERA of 5.28 and a WHIP of 1.631.
His team's record is 3-0 (+3.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-1. (+0.9 units)

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TORONTO (9 - 9) at TAMPA BAY (10 - 8) - 1:10 PM
MARK BUEHRLE (L) vs. CHRIS ARCHER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 564-645 (+15.9 Units) against the money line against division opponents since 1997.
BUEHRLE is 24-11 (+13.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
BUEHRLE is 97-63 (+26.0 Units) against the money line in day games since 1997. (Team's Record)
BUEHRLE is 28-12 (+16.5 Units) against the money line in games played on artificial turf over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TAMPA BAY is 87-93 (-24.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 41-51 (-27.6 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 3-11 (-10.5 Units) against the money line in home games when playing on Sunday over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 12-20 (-15.8 Units) against the money line in home games in day games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 41-51 (-27.6 Units) against the money line in games played in a dome over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 48-57 (-25.8 Units) against the money line in games played on artificial turf over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 5-1 (+4.6 Units) against TORONTO this season
4 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.8 Units)

MARK BUEHRLE vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
BUEHRLE is 9-6 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 4.15 and a WHIP of 1.305.
His team's record is 17-8 (+9.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 14-11. (+2.7 units)

CHRIS ARCHER vs. TORONTO since 1997
ARCHER is 3-1 when starting against TORONTO with an ERA of 2.98 and a WHIP of 1.160.
His team's record is 6-4 (+1.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-5. (-0.5 units)

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BOSTON (10 - 8) at BALTIMORE (8 - 10) - 1:35 PM
WADE MILEY (L) vs. BUD NORRIS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 81-100 (-27.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 596-535 (-77.0 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 since 1997.
BOSTON is 37-52 (-17.5 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 72-86 (-23.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 108-80 (+33.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 56-37 (+13.7 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 56-39 (+19.1 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 95-69 (+29.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 59-47 (+14.9 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 52-37 (+21.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
NORRIS is 21-12 (+10.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
NORRIS is 14-3 (+11.4 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
BOSTON is 50-37 (+19.2 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss over the last 3 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 93-141 (-72.2 Units) against the money line in home games when playing on Sunday since 1997.
BALTIMORE is 17-31 (-21.8 Units) against the money line in home games in day games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BALTIMORE is 3-3 (+0.5 Units) against BOSTON this season
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.2 Units, Under=-0.3 Units)

WADE MILEY vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
MILEY is 0-0 when starting against BALTIMORE with an ERA of 5.14 and a WHIP of 1.143.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-1. (-1.4 units)

BUD NORRIS vs. BOSTON since 1997
NORRIS is 1-2 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 3.41 and a WHIP of 1.263.
His team's record is 1-4 (-3.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-1. (+3.0 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 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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TEXAS (6 - 11) at LA ANGELS (9 - 9) - 3:35 PM
NICK MARTINEZ (R) vs. HECTOR SANTIAGO (L)
Top Trends for this game.
TEXAS is 73-106 (-22.9 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 71-102 (-20.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 441-365 (+54.6 Units) against the money line in day games since 1997.
LA ANGELS are 58-26 (+22.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 49-35 (+23.2 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA ANGELS is 4-1 (+2.9 Units) against TEXAS this season
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.0 Units, Under=-0.3 Units)

NICK MARTINEZ vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
MARTINEZ is 1-2 when starting against LA ANGELS with an ERA of 2.77 and a WHIP of 0.923.
His team's record is 1-3 (-2.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-2. (-0.1 units)

HECTOR SANTIAGO vs. TEXAS since 1997
SANTIAGO is 4-2 when starting against TEXAS with an ERA of 4.22 and a WHIP of 1.195.
His team's record is 5-3 (+1.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-4. (-0.1 units)

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HOUSTON (10 - 7) at OAKLAND (8 - 11) - 4:05 PM
ASHER WOJCIECHOWSKI (R) vs. DREW POMERANZ (L)
Top Trends for this game.
OAKLAND is 78-44 (+26.5 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 44-46 (+13.1 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 96-86 (-22.2 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 45-47 (-20.9 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 31-33 (-14.5 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 94-82 (-19.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 3-2 (+1.1 Units) against OAKLAND this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.9 Units)

ASHER WOJCIECHOWSKI vs. OAKLAND since 1997
No recent starts.

DREW POMERANZ vs. HOUSTON since 1997
POMERANZ is 0-2 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 7.30 and a WHIP of 1.541.
His team's record is 1-2 (-1.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-2. (-1.2 units)

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MINNESOTA (7 - 10) at SEATTLE (7 - 10) - 4:10 PM
KYLE GIBSON (R) vs. ROENIS ELIAS (L)
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 34-21 (+14.1 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 14-23 (-17.8 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -125 to -150 over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 82-91 (-31.2 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 82-91 (-31.2 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 27-35 (-20.7 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 73-81 (-27.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 1-1 (+0.4 Units) against SEATTLE this season
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.3 Units)

KYLE GIBSON vs. SEATTLE since 1997
GIBSON is 2-1 when starting against SEATTLE with an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.333.
His team's record is 2-1 (+1.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-3. (-3.5 units)

ROENIS ELIAS vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
ELIAS is 0-2 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 8.71 and a WHIP of 1.646.
His team's record is 0-2 (-2.6 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-1. (-0.2 units)

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NY METS (14 - 4) at NY YANKEES (10 - 8) - 8:05 PM
JON NIESE (L) vs. NATHAN EOVALDI (R)
Top Trends for this game.
NY METS are 14-4 (+10.7 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
NY METS are 36-26 (+14.9 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +100 to +125 over the last 3 seasons.
NY METS are 84-86 (+22.4 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 3 seasons.
NY METS are 14-4 (+10.7 Units) against the money line in April games this season.
NY METS are 14-8 (+11.8 Units) against the money line in road games in an inter-league game over the last 3 seasons.
NY METS are 14-4 (+10.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
NY YANKEES are 32-43 (-19.5 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
NY YANKEES are 17-22 (-12.2 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
EOVALDI is 11-25 (-14.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
EOVALDI is 11-25 (-14.8 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 METS is 1-1 (+0.2 Units) against NY YANKEES this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

JON NIESE vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
NIESE is 1-1 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 2.05 and a WHIP of 1.405.
His team's record is 2-2 (+0.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-3. (-2.4 units)

NATHAN EOVALDI vs. NY METS since 1997
EOVALDI is 1-3 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 4.62 and a WHIP of 1.385.
His team's record is 3-4 (-0.6 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 3-3. (-0.4 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Giants (8-11) at Rockies (10-8)
Game: 3
Venue: Coors Field
Date: April 26, 2015 4:10 PM EDT

Although hitting in clutch situations proved troublesome in their latest game, the San Francisco Giants continued to make strides at the plate following a slow start to this season.

The Giants might need an even better effort given Tim Lincecum's recent woes against the Colorado Rockies, including a loss earlier this month.

The right-hander will seek a better showing Sunday while trying to lead visiting San Francisco to its fifth win in six games.

San Francisco (8-11) was 1 for 16 with runners in scoring position but produced 12 hits in a 5-4 victory in 11 innings Saturday. The Giants are batting .294 with 21 runs in their last five games after hitting .233 with 37 runs in their first 14 contests.

Angel Pagan matched a career high with four hits as San Francisco reached double digits in a third straight game and his single in the 11th put Nori Aoki in position to score on Joe Panik's bunt along the first base line. That play helped the Giants end a four-game road skid and snap Colorado's three-game overall win streak.

"It's coming along. When we I don't feel right, I try to fight through it, find some way to get some hits and help the team win," said Pagan, 10 for 23 in his last five games.

Lincecum (1-1, 2.00 ERA) will try to build on his first win of the season and beat the Rockies for the first time in nearly three years. He yielded one run over six innings in a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.

"It's just about pitchability and making good pitches when you have to and putting the bad ones behind you when you can and moving on," Lincecum said. "I've felt like that's kind of been what plagued me in the past, I let them kind of drag me down.

"I'm not saying this is a whole different evolution of a pitcher, I'm just trying to make my way with what I've got."

Lincecum is 0-3 with a 5.59 ERA in his last six starts against Colorado (10-8) and gave up four runs in five innings in a 4-2 loss April 15, including Nolan Arenado's three-run homer in the first. He hasn't earned a win over the Rockies since Sept. 18, 2012.

Tyler Matzek (1-0, 2.40) attempts to best Lincecum for the second time this month.

The left-hander was in line for a win Tuesday against San Diego after giving up two runs in five innings but the Padres rallied for a 7-6 victory.

Matzek, who limited the damage despite a career-high six walks, is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in his last four starts at Coors Field.

"In the past when stuff was not going well, I'd crumble," Matzek told MLB's official website. "I've moved past that. I've been able to hang in and keep things together."

Matzek is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in two career starts against the Giants, both in San Francisco. He gave up one run in six innings and walked one in the April 15 victory.

Pagan is hitting .475 in a nine-game hit streak against Colorado and is 3 for 7 lifetime versus Matzek.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Giants at Rockies
Fri, Apr 24 Final 4 to 6
Boxscores

GAME 2
Giants at Rockies
Sat, Apr 25 Final 5 to 4
Boxscores

GAME 3
Giants at Rockies
Sun, Apr 26 - 4:10PM EDT