The Bum's Best Bets For Monday May 4th - MLB - NBA -NHL !

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Diamondbacks (10-13) at Rockies (11-12)
Game: 1
Venue: Coors Field
Date: May 04, 2015 8:40 PM EDT

Tyler Matzek got the Colorado Rockies off to a good start on their road trip by beating the Arizona Diamondbacks, but nothing went right during the remainder of it.

Matzek will try to help the Rockies end a five-game slide by beating the Diamondbacks again in the opener of a three-game series in Denver on Monday night.

Colorado (11-13) won 5-4 at Arizona last Monday as Matzek (2-0, 2.70 ERA) yielded two runs over five-plus innings, continuing a strong start to a season in which he has given up one or two runs in every outing.

That was the only victory for the Rockies on the six-game trip, capped by a weekend sweep by San Diego in which Colorado was outscored 26-11.

"We need to get better," said third baseman Nolan Arenado, who homered three times over the weekend. "We need to do everything - pitch better, hit better with men on base. All around, we are not very good right now. We need to start changing it up because losing gets contagious and people start to get out of it. We need to start winning.'

Matzek will try to start this six-game homestand on a winning note after getting some extra rest last Monday, when he left his outing with cramping in his left hamstring. He blamed the desert conditions for his exit after 80 pitches and has had no setbacks in two ensuing bullpen sessions.

The left-hander is 2-1 with a 2.65 ERA in three starts against the Diamondbacks, holding Ender Inciarte hitless in nine at_bats.

"He's kept the opposing team from scoring this year," manager Walt Weiss told the Rockies' official website. "He's had some baserunners, but he's made pitches. He keeps us in position to win games."

Arizona (10-14) has won the last four starts by Josh Collmenter (2-3, 2.76) against Colorado, with the right-hander going 1-0 with a 3.08 ERA in that span. The victory was Wednesday's 9-1 rout in which Collmenter yielded an unearned run in eight innings and retired 12 straight at one point.

He's 0-1 with a 5.49 ERA in four starts at Coors Field, however.

Numerous Rockies have enjoyed success against him, including Troy Tulowitzki (6 for 20), Carlos Gonzalez (5 for 15), Charlie Blackmon (5 for 14) and Nick Hundley (6 for 14). DJ LeMahieu is 0 for 10 in the matchup.

Hundley was rested in Sunday's 8-6 loss. He can extend his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games after going 13 for 32 in his last nine.

Blackmon has gone 5 for 9 with three solo homers in his past two games and 14 for 33 in his last seven.

The Diamondbacks opened a six-game trip by getting swept over the weekend by the Los Angeles Dodgers, falling 1-0 in 13 innings Sunday. A.J. Pollock was 1 for 13 in the series and rookie Yasmany Tomas 2 for 12.

Slugger Paul Goldschmidt has gone 15 for 27 over his last six games, including 9 for 14 against Colorado. He's reached base in his last 20 contests against the Rockies, batting .475 with five homers, 14 walks and 27 RBIs.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mariners (10-14) at Angels (11-13)
Game: 1
Venue: Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Date: May 04, 2015 10:05 PM EDT

The losses have piled up for the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels entering Monday night's meeting.

The pitching matchup favors the Mariners, who will look to Felix Hernandez to extend his recent dominance in the series.

Hernandez (4-0, 1.82 ERA) has led Seattle to wins in each of his five starts this year, and his team has gone 24-8 in his last 36 outings.

The Mariners need the right-hander to play the stopper role again following a four-game sweep by Houston. Seattle (10-15) nearly overcame a five-run deficit Sunday but fell 7-6.

'It was a tough game where they could have laid down, but they fought back and really grinded it out,' manager Lloyd McClendon said. 'They showed a lot of fortitude, which leads me to believe this team is going to be just fine.'

Hernandez's recent history against the Angels (11-14) is another reason for McClendon to be confident. The ace has been overpowering in his last nine meetings, going 5-1 with a 1.07 ERA and striking out 81 in 59 innings. He's given up four or fewer hits in the past eight matchups.

The most recent came on opening day April 6, when he struck out 10 in seven innings of a 4-1 victory in which he yielded a first-inning home run to Mike Trout and retired 17 of the next 20. Hernandez allowed two hits.

Trout is the one Angel that Hernandez hasn't been able to figure out, with the reigning AL MVP batting .365 with three home runs and eight extra-base hits in the matchup.

Erick Aybar owns Los Angeles' second-best average against Hernandez at .215 while Albert Pujols has struck out 11 times - his most against any pitcher since joining the Angels in 2012.

Hernandez needs two strikeouts to reach 1,989 and pass Johan Santana for the most by a Venezuelan pitcher in major league history.

The Angels' Matt Shoemaker (2-1, 6.00) threw 5 2-3 innings of three-run ball in his last start, a 6-3 loss at Oakland on Wednesday. He didn't get the decision.

The right-hander, though, allowed three runs in six innings of a 5-3 victory April 8 to win his third consecutive start against Seattle. He's 3-0 with a 2.39 ERA in five games - four starts - in his career versus the Mariners.

The Angels need that trend to continue after being swept in three games by San Francisco.

"We had a bad weekend," manager Mike Scioscia told MLB's official website. "We didn't do a lot of the things we need to do at the plate and on the field, and some things got away from us on the mound."

Los Angeles managed three singles in a 5-0 defeat Sunday.

"Of course we're surprised," Aybar said. "Our offense is good. It's been almost a month, and we still haven't done much. But there's still a lot of baseball left. We have to do the little things to win games."

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Padres (13-12) at Giants (11-13)
Game: 1
Venue: AT&T Park
Date: May 04, 2015 10:15 PM EDT

Madison Bumgarner showcased an improved form in back-to-back starts against one of the NL's leading teams, and his latest outing was his finest of the season.

The San Francisco left-hander will try to build on that performance against the visiting San Diego Padres, who like the Giants will seek a season-high fourth consecutive victory Monday night.

Bumgarner was 1-1 with a 5.29 ERA in his first three starts, then posted a 1.88 mark in his two against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He got his first win in four outings Tuesday with a 2-1 road victory, allowing one run in eight innings and striking out nine while outdueling Clayton Kershaw.

"He was as good as I've seen him this year," catcher Buster Posey said. "Everything was really crisp."

Bumgarner (2-1, 3.73 ERA) was at his worst April 11 in San Diego, failing to make it past the third inning while giving up five runs and 10 hits in a 10-2 drubbing. He's 0-2 with a 10.13 ERA in his past two starts against the Padres (14-12), who took three of four in that series.

He'll face a team that outscored Colorado 26-11 in a three-game home sweep this weekend, capped with an 8-6 victory Sunday. San Diego hit .284 in that series after batting .199 with 25 runs while losing seven of their previous eight.

The Giants (12-13) will attempt to keep the Padres at bay while extending a six-game home win streak. San Francisco dropped six of its first seven at AT&T Park, its worst start there since 2000.

"Anytime you're in a funk early on, everybody kind of hits the panic button," second baseman Joe Panik said. "This is the type of ball that we know how to play."

The Giants, also winners in eight of 11 overall, have a 1.80 ERA during their home win streak after a 5-0 win over the Angels on Sunday, and their starters have combined for a 1.99 mark. They had a 3.95 ERA in their first seven, with the rotation posting a 4.46 ERA.

Tyson Ross is looking to win a fourth consecutive start against San Francisco. The right-hander has benefited from a combined 10 runs in his 11 1-3 innings in the past two meetings, including a 6-4 victory April 12.

Ross (1-2, 4.55), who gave up three runs in six innings, hasn't earned a win since then, going 0-2 with a 5.17 ERA. He gave up four runs in five innings Tuesday in a 14-3 loss to Houston.

"It's early, but I've got to get better and start to do what I was doing last year," Ross said.

The Bay Area native earned his first win in three starts in San Francisco in his only visit last year, a 6-4 victory April 28.

Angel Pagan, batting .395 in his last nine games, is 5 for 12 in his career against Ross.

Justin Upton, who went 7 for 12 with seven RBIs versus the Rockies, is batting .407 (11 for 27) lifetime against Bumgarner. He singled in each of his two at_bats against the left-hander last month.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Yankees (16-9) at Blue Jays (12-14)
Game: 1
Venue: Rogers Centre
Date: May 04, 2015 7:07 PM EDT

The New York Yankees completed a weekend sweep of a team with poor starting pitching and now face the only club that is even worse in that category.

The Yankees seek a seventh straight road win Monday night in the opener of a three-game series against winless R.A. Dickey and the Toronto Blue Jays.

New York (16-9) is enjoying its longest road streak since a seven-game run June 3-17, 2012, after sweeping three games in Boston, which has a 5.66 starters' ERA that is second-worst in baseball. The Yankees scored five runs off Joe Kelly in Sunday's 8-5 win.

Toronto (12-14) has struggled more - its rotation has produced a 5.70 ERA - and Dickey (0-3, 5.23 ERA) is a big part of those woes. His five-start winless stretch to begin the year is his worst.

The right-hander allowed one run over 6 1-3 innings and did not get a decision in his season debut April 8, a 4-3 loss at New York. The knuckleballer has pitched worse in every outing since and yielded four runs over seven innings in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Red Sox.

Dickey has a run support average of 2.61 for a team on which Mark Buehrle (11.89) and Drew Hutchison (11.49) lead the majors in that department.

Alex Rodriguez is 8 for 24 against Dickey, including 0 for 2 this year as he tries to hit homer No. 661 and pass Willie Mays for sole possession of fourth place on the all-time list. Jacoby Ellsbury is 6 for 16 off Dickey.

Ellsbury is 14 for 26 over a six-game hitting streak, and Brett Gardner went 5 for 14 with six RBIs in Boston.

The Yankees have 33 homers, good for second in the AL, and Toronto is third at 32.

The Blue Jays have posted winning home marks against the Yankee over each of the five previous years. They capped a 3-7 trip by blowing a five-run lead in Sunday's 10-7 loss to Cleveland.

"You'd like to chalk this up as one of those wacky baseball days, but it's been happening way too often," manager John Gibbons said. "It's very deflating having a 6-1 lead and losing - that's pretty obvious - but it's a big man's sport. We've got to iron some stuff out and get better."

Toronto starters posted a 7.36 ERA on the trip. The Blue Jays have baseball's worst ERA (5.13) and have issued the second-most walks (100).

A bright spot Sunday was Devon Travis' first grand slam. Travis leads all rookies with a .316 average and seven homers, including one in his big-league debut at Yankee Stadium on opening day.

"The kid is good and he's been pretty good all season," Gibbons said. "There is no silver lining today, but he's a pretty special find for us."

Jose Bautista went 0 for 12 with eight strikeouts in the opening series against New York but was 6 for 16 with five doubles in the four-game split in Cleveland. Bautista went 2 for 4 with a homer last year against Chase Whitley (1-0, 1.80), who will make his second start for New York after allowing one run in five innings in Tuesday's 4-2 win over Tampa Bay.

The right-hander went 4-3 with a 5.23 ERA last year as a rookie before posting a 1.17 ERA this spring.

"I feel like I've pitched good in spring training, I've felt like I've continued to do that," Whitley said. "For me, it's just about being consistent."

[StarDust Bum]

-Rays (13-12) at Red Sox (12-13)
Game: 1
Venue: Fenway Park
Date: May 04, 2015 7:10 PM EDT

The Tampa Bay Rays have labored at the plate in their last six games but get to face a team that's consistently struggled to keep opponents off the scoreboard for much of this season, especially the past two weeks.

Clay Buchholz will try to begin changing that for the Boston Red Sox with another strong outing against the Rays, and he'll start opposite Jake Odorizzi in a rematch of last month's pitching duel.

Tampa Bay (13-12) is batting .178 with 10 runs and one homer in a 2-4 stretch. James Loney had that lone longball in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Orioles, wrapping up a three-game series that was played in Florida because of the unrest in Baltimore.

"If we keep the mindset of having good at_bats like we have been the whole year and kind of keeping the line moving, we'll get back to where we were," said infielder Logan Forsythe, 8 for 20 in his last five games and 2 for 4 with an RBI single Sunday.

The Rays, who averaged 4.3 runs while hitting .247 in their first 19 contests, will try to get back on track in their three-game visit to Fenway Park. Boston (12-13) has a 6.14 ERA in losing eight of its last 11 and endured a three-game sweep to the New York Yankees that was capped with an 8-5 loss Sunday.

That performance raised their team ERA to 5.04 and their rotation's to 5.66.

'For us to right our course, we still need the pitching from that rotation,' Boston manager John Farrell said.

Buchholz (1-3, 5.76 ERA) had one of the Red Sox's best efforts in the past 11 games on April 23 in Tampa Bay. The right-hander yielded one run and two hits in six innings while fanning 10, but he did not get a decision in a 2-1 loss, the finale of a three-game series in which Boston lost twice.

Odorizzi (2-2, 2.41) also did not factor in the decision after giving up one run and three hits in 6 2-3 innings.

The two pitchers couldn't carry their momentum to their most recent starts. Buchholz failed to make it out of the third inning in an 11-8 loss to Toronto on Tuesday and was charged with five runs.

Odorizzi gave up four in 6 1-3 innings in a 4-2 loss to the Yankees on the same day. He had a 1.65 ERA in his first four outings.

Odorizzi went 0-2 with a 14.21 ERA in his two visits to Fenway Park in 2014, failing to make it past the fourth inning in either game. Buchholz, meanwhile, has lost four consecutive starts in Boston dating back to a 6-2 defeat to Tampa Bay on Sept. 23, the Red Sox's only loss in the final six matchups at Fenway in 2014.

He has a 6.04 ERA in those games and received a combined six runs of support.

Evan Longoria doesn't appear poised to assist Odorizzi in this matchup, having gone 2 for 18 with six strikeouts in his last five games. He's also 9 for 43 (.209) with 15 strikeouts lifetime against Buchholz.

Boston's David Ortiz, batting .344 with seven RBIs in his last eight games, is 1 for 13 versus Odorizzi in his career. Pablo Sandoval, hitting .480 (12 for 25) with seven RBIs in his past seven contests, is 3 for 24 in six career games against Tampa Bay.

[StarDust Bum]

Monday's Top Action

May 4, 2015


CHICAGO BULLS (54-34) at CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (57-29)

NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference - Semifinals
Tip-off: Monday, 7:05 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line: Cleveland -4.5, Total: 194

The Cavaliers and Bulls will meet at Quicken Loans Arena on Monday for Game 1 of what is a highly anticipated series. The Bulls head into this series after being pushed by a young Bucks team in the first round. Milwaukee took Chicago to Game 6, but the Bulls dominated them 120-66 as 4-point favorites in Milwaukee that game.

The Cavs, meanwhile, swept the Celtics in the first round and covered in three of those contests. Cleveland has not lost since Apr. 12 and will now have home court advantage against a Chicago group that it beat SU in three of the four meetings between the teams.

The key to this series for Chicago will be PF Pau Gasol. Gasol averaged 16.3 PPG, 11.8 RPG and 2.3 BPG in the opening round and now faces a Cavaliers team that is without PF Kevin Love (Shoulder) for the rest of the playoffs. He’ll need to use his size and craftiness to take advantage of a much smaller PF Tristan Thompson. If he can give the Bulls an edge at the power forward position then Chicago has a great chance of advancing.

For the Cavaliers, C Timofey Mozgov is a player to watch. He must avoid foul trouble against C Joakim Noah or the Bulls will get far too many second chances on offense and the Cavs won’t have enough size to bang with the Bulls inside. One trend that stands out for Game 1 is that the Bulls are 48-31 ATS when revenging a loss versus an opponent over the past two seasons. They’re also facing a Cavaliers team that is not only without Love, but also SG J.R. Smith due to a 2-game suspension.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (60-29) at HOUSTON ROCKETS (60-27)

NBA Playoffs
Western Conference - Semifinals
Tip-off: Monday, 9:35 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line: Houston -6.0, Total: 212

The Clippers travel to Houston on Monday for Game 1 of their series with the Rockets. Los Angeles enters this series after an emotional Game 7 victory over San Antonio on Saturday. The Clippers won that game 111-109 as 2.5-point favorites and showed some serious toughness, beating the defending champs despite being down 3-2.

The Rockets, meanwhile, beat the Mavericks 103-94 as 8-point favorites in Game 5 on Apr. 28. They will be well-rested heading into this series after dominating Dallas.

The Rockets and Clippers met four times this season and the teams split wins both straight up and against the spread. Los Angeles is, however, 8-3 straight up and 7-4 against the spread versus Houston over the past three seasons. PG Chris Paul is going to the most important player for the Clips in this series. He hurt his hamstring against the Spurs in Game 7 and Los Angeles will not win this series if he is not performing at a high level.

SG James Harden will need to play as well as he did during the regular season if the Rockets are going to win this series. The Clippers are weakest defensively at the shooting guard position and he should be able to find a way to dominate. One thing going in the Rockets’ favor is that they are 29-15 against the spread in home games this season. They are, however, beaten up with PF Donatas Motiejunas (Back) and PG Patrick Beverley (Wrist) out for the season.

[StarDust Bum]

Monday's Tip Sheet

May 4, 2015

Bulls at Cavaliers (-5, 194) – 7:05 PM EST – TNT
Game 1 – Eastern Conference Semifinals

Following a week of rest, the Central Division champion Cavaliers are back on the court minus several key pieces in their second round opener against the Bulls. Kevin Love is out for the remainder of the playoffs after suffering a dislocated left shoulder early in the first round series clincher against Boston, while guard J.R. Smith will miss the first two games of the Chicago series as he is suspended for a flagrant foul against Boston’s Jae Crowder.

The Cavs cruised past the Celtics in the opening round with a four-game sweep, while limiting Boston to less than 95 points in the final three victories. Cleveland covered in three of four wins, as LeBron James averaged 27 points and nine rebounds per game to lift the Cavs to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2010. Kyrie Irving turned in an impressive series in his postseason debut for Cleveland, topping the 24-point mark three times, while Love averaged 18.3 points per game prior to his setback in Game 4.

The Bulls built a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Bucks in the opening round before Milwaukee forced a Game 6 with a pair of underdog victories. Chicago didn’t mess around as a four-point road favorite, blasting Milwaukee 120-66 to grab the series, 4-2, as the Bulls built a 65-33 halftime lead and never looked back. The Bulls knocked down 39 three-pointers in the three games at BMO Harris Center, including 15 in the series clincher, as Jimmy Butler averaged nearly 25 points per game in the series.

VegasInsider.com NBA analyst Chris David isn’t overly concerned that one of Cleveland’s Big Three is out for the series, “I think the Cavaliers will miss Love in the playoffs but his absence is a tad inflated. Cleveland went 3-1 against Chicago in the regular season and Love did miss the loss but in the wins, he shot a combined 12-of-37 (32%) against the Bulls. The bigger loss is Smith for the first two games because I would assume he would check Butler on the defensive side.”

The Cavaliers won both home meetings with the Bulls this season, as Cleveland held off Chicago in the previous matchup on April 5 in a 99-94 triumph. The Bulls cashed as eight-point underdogs, as Smith lit up Chicago by knocking down 8-of-17 shots from three-point range, while Irving scored a game-high 27 points. Derrick Rose sat out that loss for the Bulls, as Mike Dunleavy stepped up with a 24-point effort and Aaron Brooks dropped in 17 points in place of Rose.

Tom Thibodeau’s team owned a 10-10 ATS record as a road underdog this season, as the Bulls are receiving points in the postseason for the first time. Chicago is facing Cleveland in the postseason for the first time since 2010, when the top-seeded Cavaliers knocked out the Bulls in five games. In all three games played in Cleveland, the Bulls were listed as double-digit underdogs each time and lost, but covered twice.

David hands out his prediction for tonight’s Game 1, “Even without Love and Smith, I’d lean to Cleveland in the opener and the long layoff doesn’t bother me as much with the Cavaliers. They went 4-2 on rest of three days or more and their longest period was eight days, which occurred at the All-Star break and the Cavs posted a 37-point win in that spot.”

Clippers at Rockets (-6, 212) – 9:30 PM EST – TNT
Game 1 – Western Conference Semifinals

Houston waited and waited for its opponent in the second round after taking care of Dallas in five games. The Clippers and Spurs kept the Rockets on pins and needles until Saturday night, when Los Angeles eliminated the defending champions in an epic Game 7 at Staples Center to return the conference semifinals for the second straight postseason. However, the task to slow down this uptempo Rockets’ team will be a challenge if the Clippers are without their All-Star guard in Game 1.

Chris Paul hobbled his way to the second round by banking in a shot over Tim Duncan in the final seconds of Saturday’s 111-109 victory over San Antonio. Paul suffered a left hamstring injury in the first half of Game 7, but managed to score 27 points, while knocking down 5-of-6 three-pointers in the win. Although the Clippers didn’t cover as three-point favorites, Los Angeles shot 52% from the field and helped out Houston, as the Rockets lost three of four regular season matchups with the Spurs.

The Rockets covered all three games at the Toyota Center against the Mavericks, while taking advantage of a Dallas team that played the final three games without Rajon Rondo and Chandler Parsons. Although James Harden fell short of the league MVP to Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Harden proved his value against Dallas by averaging 28.4 ppg, while Dwight Howard put up 16.6 ppg and 13.8 rebounds per game for Houston.

The Rockets and Clippers split four games this season, as each team won once at home and once on the road. Los Angeles blew out Houston, 102-85 in late November at the Toyota Center, as the Rockets were without Howard and forward Terrence Jones. In their next meeting in mid-February at Staples Center, the Rockets shot a dreadful 9-of-45 from three-point range, while Harden was limited to nine points in a 110-95 defeat as three-point ‘dogs.

Houston claimed the next two matchups, starting with a 110-105 home triumph two weeks following the 15-point setback in Los Angeles. Harden struggled again from the floor (4-of-13), but managed to score 21 points, while Blake Griffin missed both February matchups with Houston due to an elbow injury. The final matchup took place in mid-March at Staples Center as the Rockets held off the Clippers, 100-98 as five-point underdogs. Harden didn’t shoot well with a 7-of-16 performance from the floor, but managed to knock down 17 free throws to score 34 points, while Howard sat out all four matchups against Los Angeles.

Paul played in all 82 games in the regular season, as there are no numbers to provide on the Clippers playing without their top player this season. Last season, Los Angeles put together a 1-4 ATS record as a road underdog when Paul was sidelined, while the Clippers have won six of the past eight matchups with the Rockets.

The Clippers have listed Paul as questionable for the opener, even though head coach Doc Rivers may err on the side of caution and rest the point guard. David predicted the Clippers would knock out the Spurs in the last round and is high on Los Angeles again, but just not tonight, “I believe the Clippers will win this series but I’m taking the Rockets in Game 1 just based on the Paul injury and the letdown factor. It’s hard to see L.A. getting up for this matchup after Saturday’s Game 7 win over San Antonio. Houston is rested and should be ready to go for the Clippers and probably happy they’re not facing the Spurs.”

From a totals perspective, this number is inflated due to Houston scoring at least 109 points in each of the five games against Dallas. “If Paul doesn’t go, I’d lean ‘under’ for the first game knowing that the Rockets had trouble scoring against the Clippers in the regular season. The ‘under’ cashed in all four of those encounters and this line seems too high for playoff basketball,” David says.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

-- Astros have won 10 games in a row, have a 7-game lead in AL West.

-- Brewers fired manager Ron Roenicke, replaced him with Craig Counsell.

-- Chris Paul (hamstring) probably won't play in Game 1 tonite in Houston.

-- A's are 10-5 in games decided by 3+ runs, 1-10 in games decided by 1-2 runs.

-- Golden State hasn't lost at home since January 27 (Bulls).

-- Wizards won their last four Game 1's that were on road; they're first NBA team ever to do that, win four straight Game 1 road games.

**********

Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a busy weekend..........

13) NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has apparently gotten a lot of notes from youth basketball coaches asking him not to outlaw "Hack-a-Shaq" (fouling bad foul shooters intentionally) because they want to show kids that not making your foul shots can negatively affect your playing time.

12) Astros have won ten games in a row, lead AL West by seven games; how long before they get a game on ESPN?

11) Speaking of Houston, they opened at -$205 against Texas Monday, the first time they've been that big a favorite in any game since 2008.

10) Florida State had 29 football players drafted the last three years, coming up two short of the record (Texas had 31 drafted from 1982-84).

9) Mets lost 1-0 the last two days, first time since 1990 they lost to the same team 1-0 on consecutive days- last time it happened at home was 1973. Mets are 3-7 since their 11-game winning streak ended- they're also playing without their third baseman and catcher, who are on the DL.

8) Heard this a while ago, then again this weekend; it is bad form for catchers to yap at umpires about called strikes when they're batting, since they want those pitches called strikes when they're behind the plate.

7) Gonzaga lands Nigel-Williams Goss, a Pac-12 level PG who transferred out of Washington and will have two years left to play. Great get.

6) Ole Miss football coach Hugh Freeze, who uses NASCAR terms to describe the paces of his offense, drove the pace car at Talledega Sunday.

5) Texas Rangers have to be concerned with P Yovani Gallardo, who induced zero misses on 38 swings Sunday against Oakland; it is very rare for a pitcher to pitch 6.2 innings and not get a single swing/miss. The 30 starting pitchers Sunday averaged 7.8 swing/misses.

4) Lot of people grade the NFL Draft the day after it happens, which creates a lot of page visits I guess, but draft grades don't mean squat for 3-4 years, when you evaluate everything that actually happened.

3) Great clutch shot by Chris Paul Saturday nite to win Game 7, but my lasting impression of Paul will always be this: he was very close to his granddad, who was murdered at age 61 the day after Paul declared to go to college at Wake Forest partially because his granddad loved the Deacons- the cap he put on at his news conference was his granddad's Wake Forest cap.

A few days later, Chris Paul scored 61 points to honor his granddad, then he collapsed on the sideline in inconsolable grief when he was taken out of the game. It is one of the saddest and heart-wrenching things I've ever seen.

2) Classy of San Antonio fans to greet the Spurs at the airport when they came home after losing a great Game 7 Saturday night.

1) Many thanks to the fine people at VA Hospital in Albany; my dad just spent four weeks there-- the kindness and professionalism of the workers will never be forgotten. My dad is in a rehabilitation place now, trying to get back on his feet-- any prayers you could offer him would be appreciated.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

Monday, May 4

Arizona Diamondbacks @ Colorado Rockies

Game 909-910
May 4, 2015 @ 8:40 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Arizona Diamondba
(Collmenter) 13.052
Colorado Rockies
(Matzek) 14.519
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Colorado Rockies
by 1 1/2
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Colorado Rockies
-145
10
Dunkel Pick:
Colorado Rockies
(-145); Under

San Diego Padres @ San Francisco Giants

Game 911-912
May 4, 2015 @ 10:15 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Diego Padres
(Ross) 14.108
San Francisco Gia
(Bumgarner) 16.584
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Francisco Gia
by 2 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Francisco Gia
-150
6 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Francisco Gia
(-150); Under

New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays

Game 913-914
May 4, 2015 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New York Yankees
(Whitley) 15.311
Toronto Blue Jays
(Dickey) 14.442
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New York Yankees
by 1
10
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto Blue Jays
-135
9
Dunkel Pick:
New York Yankees
(+115); Over

Tampa Bay Rays @ Boston Red Sox

Game 915-916
May 4, 2015 @ 7:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tampa Bay Rays
(Odorizzi) 17.879
Boston Red Sox
(Buchholz) 16.733
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay Rays
by 1
10
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston Red Sox
-140
8 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay Rays
(+120); Over

Oakland Athletics @ Minnesota Twins

Game 917-918
May 4, 2015 @ 8:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Oakland Athletics
(Hahn) 14.287
Minnesota Twins
(Hughes) 15.706
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota Twins
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota Twins
-120
8
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota Twins
(-120); Under

Texas Rangers @ Houston Astros

Game 919-920
May 4, 2015 @ 8:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Texas Rangers
(Detwiler) 13.308
Houston Astros
(Keuchel) 16.617
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Houston Astros
by 3 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Houston Astros
-185
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Houston Astros
(-185); Under

Seattle Mariners @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Game 921-922
May 4, 2015 @ 10:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Seattle Mariners
(Hernandez) 15.503
Los Angeles Angel
(Shoemaker) 16.521
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles Angel
by 1
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Seattle Mariners
-150
7
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles Angel
(+130); Over

Miami Marlins @ Washington Nationals

Game 901-902
May 4, 2015 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Miami Marlins
(Phelps) 14.992
Washington Nation
(Zimmermann) 17.537
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington Nation
by 2 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington Nation
-165
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington Nation
(-165); Under

Philadelphia Phillies @ Atlanta Braves

Game 903-904
May 4, 2015 @ 7:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Philadelphia Phil
(Harang) 13.994
Atlanta Braves
(Wood) 15.482
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Atlanta Braves
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Atlanta Braves
-165
7
Dunkel Pick:
Atlanta Braves
(-165); Under

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Milwaukee Brewers

Game 905-906
May 4, 2015 @ 7:20 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles Dodge
(Kershaw) 15.409
Milwaukee Brewers
(Lohse) 16.512
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Milwaukee Brewers
by 1
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles Dodge
-170
7
Dunkel Pick:
Milwaukee Brewers
(+150); Over

Chicago Cubs @ St. Louis Cardinals

Game 907-908
May 4, 2015 @ 8:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago Cubs
(Wood) 16.887
St. Louis Cardina
(Martinez) 15.980
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago Cubs
by 1
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis Cardina
-170
7
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago Cubs
(+150); Over

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, May 4

National League
Marlins @ Nationals
Phelps is 1-0, 1.52 in his three starts this year (under 2-1).

Zimmerman is 1-2, 7.48 in his last four starts, three of which went over.

Miami swept Nationals three straight in Miami last month, allowing four runs total; they've lost three of last four games here. Under is 7-3 in last ten series games. Marlins won eight of their last ten games. Washington won five of its last six games, with last three staying under (won 1-0 last two days).

Phillies @ Braves
Harang is 2-2, 2.51 in his five starts; under is 6-1-1 in his last eight.

Wood is 1-1, 4.03 in his five starts, four of which went over.

Atlanta-Philly split their last ten games, with four of last five staying under total; Phillies lost five of their last six games. Braves lost four of their last six games; over is 5-2-1 in their last eight games.

Dodgers @ Brewers
Kershaw is 1-2, 4.60 in his five starts; three of his last four stayed under.

Lohse is 1-4, 7.28 in his five starts; under is 5-3 in his last eight.

Milwaukee fired its manager yesterday, after winning two games in row to get to 7-18; they're 3-10 at home. Dodgers won seven of last nine games but lost six of their nine road games. LA lost five of last six games with Milwaukee. Four of last five Brewer games stayed under the total.

Cubs @ Cardinals
Wood is 2-1, 3.04 in his four starts (under 2-1-1).

Martinez is 3-0, 1.80 in his four starts (under 2-1-1).

Cubs won three of last four games with St Louis, all of which stayed under the total; Chicago lost three of last four games overall, scoring six runs- under is 3-1-1 in their last five games. Cardinals won their last six games, allowing 14 runs, with last three staying under the total.

Diamondbacks @ Rockies
Collmenter is 2-1, 1.57 in his last three starts; four of his last five went over.

Matzek is 2-0, 2.70 in his four starts; seven of his last ten stayed under.

Home side won eight of last ten Arizona-Colorado games; Snakes lost their last four visits to Coors Field. Seven of last eight series games went over the total. Arizona lost seven of last nine games; over is 4-1-1 in its last six games. Colorado lost last five games, outscored 47-17; five of its last six went over.

Padres @ Giants
Ross is 1-2, 4.55 in his five starts; four of the five went over total.

Bumgarner is 1-0, 1.88 in his last two starts; Giants won eight of his last ten starts (3-2 this season).

Home side won eight of last ten Padre-Giant games; Padres lost three of last four visits here. San Diego won last three games, scoring 26 runs; five of its last six games went over total. Giants won their last five home games; six of their last eight home tilts stayed under the total.

American League
Bronx @ Blue Jays
Whitley allowed one run in five IP (93 PT) in his first '15 start; he was 4-3, 5.23 in 75.2 IP LY (24 games, 12 starts).

Dickey is 0-3, 5.52 in his five starts this season.

Bronx-Toronto split last ten games; four of last six went over total. Blue Jays lost seven of last ten games, with five of last seven going over. Bronx won 13 of last 16 games, nine of last ten on road; five of last seven on road stayed under the total.

Rays @ Red Sox
Odorizzi is 2-2, 2.41 in his five starts, four of which stayed under.

Buchholz is 0-3, 9.00 in his last four starts; eight of his last nine went over.

Tampa Bay-Boston split last ten games; four of last six went over. Rays lost four of last six games, scoring total of 10 runs- their last eight games stayed under the total. Red Sox lost six of last eight games; three of last four stayed under the total.

A's @ Twins
Hahn is 1-1, 4.09 in his four starts; over is 5-3 in his last eight.

Hughes is 0-4, 4.55 in his five starts; four of his last six stayed under.

Minnesota lost nine of last ten games with Oakland; seven of last ten went over total. Twins won seven of last nine games, scoring 31 runs in their last four. A's lost seven of last ten games; over is 8-0-1 in their last nine.

Rangers @ Astros
Detwiler is 0-3, 10.19 in his four starts (over 2-1-1).

Astros won all five Keuchel starts (3-0, 0.73); three of his last four starts went over the total.

Houston won its last 10 games, has 7-game lead in AL West; they lost four of last six games with Texas- seven of last eight series games stayed under total. Rangers lost 10 of their last 13 games.

Mariners @ Angels
Mariners are 5-0 in Hernandez starts (4-0, 1.82); eight of his last ten starts stayed under the total.

Shoemaker is 2-1, 6.00 in his four starts (over 3-0-1). Angels won eight of his last ten starts.

Seattle won five of last seven games against the Angels; six of last eight in series stayed under total. Mariners lost their last four games, allowing total of 25 runs- six of their last eight went under. Angels lost five of their last seven games, scoring six runs in last three-- five of their last seven went over.

Win-loss records this year for team with this starting pitcher:
Mia-Wsh-- Phelps 2-1; Zimmerman 2-3
Phil-Atl-- Harang 3-2; Wood 1-4
LA-Mil-- Kershaw 2-3; Lohse 1-4
Chi-StL-- Wood 3-1; Martinez 4-0
Az-Colo-- Collmenter 2-3; Matzek 3-1
SD-SF-- Ross 2-3; Bumgarner 3-2

NY-Tor-- Whitley 1-0; Dickey 1-4
TB-Bos-- Odorizzi 3-2; Buchholz 1-4
A's-Minn-- Hahn 1-3; Hughes 0-5
Tex-Hst-- Detwiler 0-4; Keuchel 5-0
Sea-LAA-- Hernandez 5-0; Shoemaker 3-1

Times this starting pitcher allowed a run in first inning:
Mia-Wsh-- Phelps 0-3; Zimmerman 2-5
Phil-Atl-- Harang 1-5; Wood 1-5
LA-Mil-- Kershaw 3-5; Lohse 3-5
Chi-StL-- Wood 1-4; Martinez 0-4
Az-Colo-- Collmenter 2-5; Matzek 1-4
SD-SF-- Ross 2-5; Bumgarner 1-4

NY-Tor-- Whitley 0-1; Dickey 1-5
TB-Bos-- Odorizzi 1-5; Buchholz 1-5
A's-Minn-- Hahn 1-4; Hughes 1-5
Tex-Hst-- Detwiler 1-4; Keuchel 1-5
Sea-LAA-- Hernandez 1-5; Shoemaker 2-4

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Monday, May 4

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

7:05 PM
MIAMI vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Miami's last 10 games when playing Washington
Miami is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing Washington
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Washington's last 10 games when playing Miami

7:07 PM
NY YANKEES vs. TORONTO
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Yankees's last 6 games when playing Toronto
NY Yankees are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games at home

7:10 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. BOSTON
Tampa Bay is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 18 of Boston's last 25 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay

7:10 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. ATLANTA
Philadelphia is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Atlanta is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing Philadelphia

7:20 PM
LA DODGERS vs. MILWAUKEE
LA Dodgers are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing Milwaukee
LA Dodgers are 3-8 SU in their last 11 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Milwaukee's last 14 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers
Milwaukee is 3-11 SU in its last 14 games at home

8:10 PM
TEXAS vs. HOUSTON
Texas is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Texas is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Houston's last 8 games when playing Texas
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Houston's last 13 games at home

8:10 PM
OAKLAND vs. MINNESOTA
Oakland is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games when playing Minnesota
Oakland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Minnesota's last 13 games when playing Oakland
Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

8:15 PM
CHI CUBS vs. ST. LOUIS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 5 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
St. Louis is 10-4 SU in their last 14 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs

8:40 PM
ARIZONA vs. COLORADO
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Arizona's last 6 games when playing on the road against Colorado
Arizona is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Colorado's last 8 games when playing Arizona
Colorado is 17-7 SU in its last 24 games at home

10:05 PM
SEATTLE vs. LA ANGELS
Seattle is 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing LA Angels
Seattle is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
LA Angels are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Angels's last 7 games

10:15 PM
SAN DIEGO vs. SAN FRANCISCO
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Diego's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of San Diego's last 9 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
San Francisco is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of San Francisco's last 9 games when playing at home against San Diego

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Monday, May 4


Surging Yankees continue AL East swing

BOSTON -- It's early, but things are going very well for the New York Yankees.

After starting the season 3-6, the Yankees have reeled off 13 wins in their last 16 games, 10 in their last 12. Sunday, they completed a sweep of a three-game series against the rival Red Sox at Fenway Park.

First baseman Mark Teixeira hit a two-run homer in the first inning and left fielder Brett Gardner drilled a three-run shot to make it 8-0 in the sixth.

The Yankees, who won three out of four against the Tampa Bay Rays at home before coming to Boston, are 5-1 so far in a run of 17 straight games against the American League East. They now lead the division by three games as they head into Toronto.


Slumping Mets trying to hang onto division lead

NEW YORK -- The good news for the New York Mets is they've lost only one game on their division lead over the last 10 days. The bad news is that's the good news.

The Mets continued eroding the margin for error they built for themselves in April by dropping another 1-0 game to the Washington Nationals at Citi Field on Sunday, It was the second straight 1-0 loss for the Mets against the Nationals and New York's seventh loss in its last 10 games since a team record-tying 11-game winning streak from April 12-23.

Despite the skid, the Mets still lead the NL East by 3 1/2 games over the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves. Their lead was 4 1/2 games on April 23.


Pirates' offense continues to sputter

ST. LOUIS -- When you boast the second-best ERA in the majors after 25 games, you should have a better record than 12-13.

But the Pittsburgh Pirates left St. Louis a game under .500, thanks to an offense which continues to struggle to hit and score runs. Sunday's 3-2, 14-inning loss was simply the most gut-wrenching of a weekend where the Pirates were the Cardinals' equal, until it came time to win the game in extra innings.

The Pirates are outscoring their opponents by 15 runs despite batting only .231 and drawing a paltry 51 walks in 25 games. Mainstays like 2013 National League Most Valuable Player Andrew McCutchen (.193), 2014 NL All-Star Josh Harrison (.188) and Starling Marte (.258) are hitting well below par.

The team is also doing a poor job of hitting to situations. It stranded 31 runners in the series' last two games, going 1-for-20 with runners in scoring position.


Braves' Minor may not return this season

ATLANTA -- It is a legitimate possibility that Mike Minor won't pitch another game for the Atlanta Braves this season.

The club moved the veteran left-hander from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL on Saturday because of the lack of improvement in his left shoulder. The procedural move gives the team more flexibility with roster moves.

"We don't see him coming back any time soon," Atlanta general manager John Hart said. "We felt this was the right move for the organization and the right thing for Mike, because he's not close to being out there ready to go."

Minor's troubles began in spring training when he was shut down for a couple of weeks because of inflammation in his throwing shoulder. He did not make an appearance during spring training.

Minor had his rehabilitation stifled three weeks ago when he was throwing off a mound and felt some pain.

Minor has undergone several MRIs, which reveal no structural problems.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Long Sheet

Monday, May 4

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

MIAMI (12 - 13) at WASHINGTON (12 - 14) - 7:05 PM
DAVID PHELPS (R) vs. JORDAN ZIMMERMANN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ZIMMERMANN is 27-9 (+15.6 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
ZIMMERMANN is 35-13 (+18.4 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 3-0 (+3.5 Units) against WASHINGTON this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.1 Units)

DAVID PHELPS vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
No recent starts.

JORDAN ZIMMERMANN vs. MIAMI since 1997
ZIMMERMANN is 7-3 when starting against MIAMI with an ERA of 3.34 and a WHIP of 1.033.
His team's record is 10-8 (+0.9 units) in these starts. The OVER is 10-6. (+3.4 units)

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

PHILADELPHIA (9 - 17) at ATLANTA (12 - 13) - 7:10 PM
AARON HARANG (R) vs. ALEX WOOD (L)
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 68-89 (-31.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
HARANG is 17-35 (-20.7 Units) against the money line when playing on Monday since 1997. (Team's Record)
HARANG is 40-30 (+22.3 Units) against the money line in road games after a win since 1997. (Team's Record)
ATLANTA is 91-96 (-16.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 89-95 (-18.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 70-79 (-19.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 45-58 (-26.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
WOOD is 11-18 (-12.7 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
WOOD is 5-12 (-10.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 2-1 (+1.1 Units) against ATLANTA this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)

AARON HARANG vs. ATLANTA since 1997
HARANG is 2-3 when starting against ATLANTA with an ERA of 3.75 and a WHIP of 1.372.
His team's record is 6-6 (+1.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 6-6. (-0.5 units)

ALEX WOOD vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
WOOD is 2-1 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 2.08 and a WHIP of 1.154.
His team's record is 2-3 (-2.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 3-2. (+0.6 units)

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

LA DODGERS (16 - 8) at MILWAUKEE (7 - 18) - 7:20 PM
CLAYTON KERSHAW (L) vs. KYLE LOHSE (R)
Top Trends for this game.
LA DODGERS are 0-8 (-8.8 Units) against the money line in road games after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 35-28 (+15.1 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 39-37 (+24.3 Units) against the money line as a home underdog of +150 to +175 since 1997.
LOHSE is 12-4 (+10.1 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
MILWAUKEE is 7-18 (-11.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 45-49 (-19.1 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 21-38 (-19.7 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 7-18 (-11.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
MILWAUKEE is 1-13 (-13.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

CLAYTON KERSHAW vs. MILWAUKEE since 1997
KERSHAW is 5-4 when starting against MILWAUKEE with an ERA of 3.05 and a WHIP of 1.092.
His team's record is 6-4 (-1.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-5. (-1.0 units)

KYLE LOHSE vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
LOHSE is 2-4 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 4.42 and a WHIP of 1.339.
His team's record is 4-6 (-2.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 5-5. (-0.8 units)

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

CHICAGO CUBS (13 - 10) at ST LOUIS (18 - 6) - 8:10 PM
TRAVIS WOOD (L) vs. CARLOS MARTINEZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO CUBS are 1400-1563 (-279.5 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 1343-1476 (-254.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 1027-1161 (-212.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters since 1997.
ST LOUIS is 18-6 (+10.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
ST LOUIS is 65-33 (+19.5 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 34-13 (+14.4 Units) against the money line in home games against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 18-6 (+10.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
ST LOUIS is 41-19 (+15.8 Units) against the money line in home games after a win over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 49-35 (+12.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 88-76 (+22.8 Units) against the money line in road games when playing on Monday since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 1-1 (+0.0 Units) against CHICAGO CUBS this season
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+2.0 Units)

TRAVIS WOOD vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
WOOD is 5-6 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 5.38 and a WHIP of 1.489.
His team's record is 7-9 (+0.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 10-4. (+5.8 units)

CARLOS MARTINEZ vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
No recent starts.

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

ARIZONA (10 - 14) at COLORADO (11 - 13) - 8:40 PM
JOSH COLLMENTER (R) vs. TYLER MATZEK (L)
Top Trends for this game.
ARIZONA is 74-112 (-34.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 74-112 (-34.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
COLLMENTER is 12-4 (+8.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
COLORADO is 222-289 (-76.1 Units) against the money line in May games since 1997.
COLORADO is 49-77 (-28.1 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 53-85 (-31.2 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 40-68 (-26.2 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 66-85 (-29.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ARIZONA is 2-1 (+0.7 Units) against COLORADO this season
3 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.1 Units)

JOSH COLLMENTER vs. COLORADO since 1997
COLLMENTER is 3-1 when starting against COLORADO with an ERA of 3.67 and a WHIP of 1.074.
His team's record is 6-3 (+3.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 7-2. (+4.9 units)

TYLER MATZEK vs. ARIZONA since 1997
MATZEK is 2-1 when starting against ARIZONA with an ERA of 2.65 and a WHIP of 1.353.
His team's record is 2-1 (+1.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.1 units)

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

SAN DIEGO (14 - 12) at SAN FRANCISCO (12 - 13) - 10:15 PM
TYSON ROSS (R) vs. MADISON BUMGARNER (L)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN DIEGO is 11-27 (-14.9 Units) against the money line in road games after a win over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 112-92 (+15.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 22-9 (+14.7 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 112-92 (+15.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 1030-863 (+115.7 Units) against the money line in night games since 1997.
SAN FRANCISCO is 75-40 (+27.1 Units) against the money line in home games after shutting out their opponent since 1997.
SAN FRANCISCO is 504-338 (+72.8 Units) against the money line in home games after a win since 1997.
SAN FRANCISCO is 723-711 (+46.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
BUMGARNER is 20-6 (+13.6 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAN FRANCISCO is 1-8 (-10.7 Units) against the money line in home games when playing on Monday over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN DIEGO is 3-1 (+1.7 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.2 Units)

TYSON ROSS vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
ROSS is 3-2 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 3.68 and a WHIP of 1.391.
His team's record is 3-3 (+0.6 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-2. (+2.2 units)

MADISON BUMGARNER vs. SAN DIEGO since 1997
BUMGARNER is 6-5 when starting against SAN DIEGO with an ERA of 3.87 and a WHIP of 1.252.
His team's record is 11-7 (+2.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 10-8. (+0.7 units)

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

NY YANKEES (16 - 9) at TORONTO (12 - 14) - 7:05 PM
CHASE WHITLEY (R) vs. R.A. DICKEY (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 22-11 (+12.2 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 2 seasons.
NY YANKEES are 10-3 (+8.3 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
NY YANKEES are 13-5 (+9.0 Units) against the money line in night games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 2-1 (+1.2 Units) against NY YANKEES this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

CHASE WHITLEY vs. TORONTO since 1997
WHITLEY is 1-1 when starting against TORONTO with an ERA of 10.80 and a WHIP of 2.401.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-0. (+2.0 units)

R.A. DICKEY vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
DICKEY is 4-3 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 2.86 and a WHIP of 1.082.
His team's record is 5-6 (+0.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-8. (-6.3 units)

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TAMPA BAY (13 - 12) at BOSTON (12 - 13) - 7:10 PM
JAKE ODORIZZI (R) vs. CLAY BUCHHOLZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 90-97 (-25.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 58-65 (-18.8 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 567-649 (+14.9 Units) against the money line against division opponents since 1997.
BOSTON is 83-105 (-31.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 36-47 (-16.2 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 7-20 (-16.3 Units) against the money line at home with a money line of -100 to -125 over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 40-55 (-29.1 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 39-57 (-21.6 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 74-91 (-27.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 59-74 (-21.5 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 59-74 (-20.1 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 21-31 (-18.2 Units) against the money line in home games after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 4-12 (-10.7 Units) against the money line in home games after 3 or more consecutive losses over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 41-59 (-19.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
BUCHHOLZ is 12-21 (-13.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
BUCHHOLZ is 2-10 (-10.6 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
BUCHHOLZ is 3-13 (-14.9 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
BUCHHOLZ is 1-7 (-8.4 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
BUCHHOLZ is 4-12 (-9.5 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
BUCHHOLZ is 9-19 (-14.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
BUCHHOLZ is 7-17 (-13.8 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 2-1 (+1.0 Units) against BOSTON this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)

JAKE ODORIZZI vs. BOSTON since 1997
ODORIZZI is 1-2 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 3.69 and a WHIP of 1.168.
His team's record is 3-3 (-0.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-2. (+1.5 units)

CLAY BUCHHOLZ vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
BUCHHOLZ is 8-6 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 2.50 and a WHIP of 1.049.
His team's record is 9-11 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 7-12. (-5.3 units)

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OAKLAND (11 - 15) at MINNESOTA (13 - 12) - 8:10 PM
JESSE HAHN (R) vs. PHIL HUGHES (R)
Top Trends for this game.
OAKLAND is 99-90 (-24.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 97-86 (-21.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 1-9 (-10.1 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
OAKLAND is 16-27 (-12.6 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 71-61 (+20.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
OAKLAND is 80-46 (+25.6 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 3 seasons.
HAHN is 8-1 (+7.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

JESSE HAHN vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
HAHN is 0-1 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 4.76 and a WHIP of 1.411.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

PHIL HUGHES vs. OAKLAND since 1997
HUGHES is 4-2 when starting against OAKLAND with an ERA of 4.56 and a WHIP of 1.286.
His team's record is 6-3 (+3.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-5. (-1.1 units)

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TEXAS (8 - 16) at HOUSTON (18 - 7) - 8:10 PM
ROSS DETWILER (L) vs. DALLAS KEUCHEL (L)
Top Trends for this game.
TEXAS is 75-111 (-25.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 73-107 (-23.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 48-87 (-35.8 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 18-7 (+13.3 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
HOUSTON is 14-5 (+10.8 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
HOUSTON is 18-7 (+13.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
HOUSTON is 12-5 (+9.2 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
HOUSTON is 8-1 (+7.8 Units) against the money line after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
HOUSTON is 10-4 (+7.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
KEUCHEL is 22-12 (+16.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
KEUCHEL is 15-4 (+15.6 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
KEUCHEL is 21-11 (+15.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
KEUCHEL is 14-7 (+11.5 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TEXAS is 50-35 (+24.6 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 2-1 (+1.1 Units) against TEXAS this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.9 Units)

ROSS DETWILER vs. HOUSTON since 1997
DETWILER is 1-0 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 2.77 and a WHIP of 1.077.
His team's record is 2-0 (+2.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.1 units)

DALLAS KEUCHEL vs. TEXAS since 1997
KEUCHEL is 2-3 when starting against TEXAS with an ERA of 3.95 and a WHIP of 1.227.
His team's record is 5-5 (+2.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-5. (-1.9 units)

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SEATTLE (10 - 15) at LA ANGELS (11 - 14) - 10:05 PM
FELIX HERNANDEZ (R) vs. MATT SHOEMAKER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 6-13 (-10.2 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
SEATTLE is 84-149 (-49.0 Units) against the money line in road games after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1997.
SEATTLE is 76-82 (-25.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 60-31 (+18.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
SHOEMAKER is 19-6 (+12.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SHOEMAKER is 10-1 (+8.6 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SHOEMAKER is 18-6 (+11.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SHOEMAKER is 17-5 (+10.9 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SHOEMAKER is 12-2 (+10.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
LA ANGELS are 9-24 (-16.0 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 3 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 15-25 (-16.4 Units) against the money line when playing on Monday over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA ANGELS is 2-1 (+1.2 Units) against SEATTLE this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.8 Units)

FELIX HERNANDEZ vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
HERNANDEZ is 12-13 when starting against LA ANGELS with an ERA of 3.47 and a WHIP of 1.174.
His team's record is 20-21 (-3.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 15-22. (-8.8 units)

MATT SHOEMAKER vs. SEATTLE since 1997
SHOEMAKER is 3-0 when starting against SEATTLE with an ERA of 2.63 and a WHIP of 0.792.
His team's record is 4-0 (+4.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-1. (+2.1 units)

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Monday, May 4

Chicago Bulls @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Game 703-704
May 4, 2015 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago Bulls
124.063
Cleveland Cavalie
126.644
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland Cavalie
by 2 1/2
199
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland Cavalie
by 5
194
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago Bulls
(+5); Over

Los Angeles Clippers @ Houston Rockets

Game 707-708
May 4, 2015 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles Clipp
128.169
Houston Rockets
127.098
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles Clipp
by 1
215
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Houston Rockets
by 6
212
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles Clipp
(+6); Over




NBA
Short Sheet

Monday, May 4


Eastern Conference - Semifinals - Best of 7 - Game 1

Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7:05 ET
Chicago: 7-17 ATS after playing a game as a road favorite
Cleveland: 38-18 ATS in home games after 2 consecutive covers as a favorite


Western Conference - Semifinals - Best of 7 - Game 1

Los Angeles Clippers at Houston Rockets, 9:35 ET
Los Angeles: 18-31 ATS after 3 straight games committing 14 or less turnovers
Houston: 26-16 ATS after playing a home game




NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, May 4

Cavaliers won/covered three of four games with Chicago this year, with Cleveland winning by 14-5 points in games played here. Four of last six series games stayed under the total. Bulls won eight of last ten games with four of last five staying under total; they lost twice to Milwaukee so series didn't end until Thursday, while Cleveland hasn't played in eight days since sweeping Boston. Cavaliers covered four of last six games as a favorite- they won last six ganes SU.

Chris Paul (hamstring) isn't expected to play here after his dramatic shot won Game 7 at hone late Saturday night. Houston won its last two games vs LA after losing previous six to the Clippers, who won three of last four visits here. Clippers won three of last four road games, winning its last two games in San Antonio; three of their last four games overall went over total. Rockets haven't played in six days since beating Dallas in five games- they won/covered their last five home games.

2015 playoffs
Chicago vs Cleveland

Washington vs Atlanta
Wash 104-98, +5.5, O197

Memphis vs Golden State
GSt 101-86, -10.5, U196

LA Clippers vs Houston




NBA

Monday, May 4

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. CLEVELAND
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing Cleveland
Chicago is 14-5 SU in its last 19 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games when playing at home against Chicago
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

9:30 PM
LA CLIPPERS vs. HOUSTON
LA Clippers are 11-3 SU in their last 14 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the LA Clippers last 5 games when playing on the road against Houston
Houston is 3-11 SU in their last 14 games when playing LA Clippers
Houston is 2-5 SU in their last 7 games when playing at home against LA Clippers

[StarDust Bum]

NBA

Monday, May 4

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Game of the Day: NBA Monday playoff matchups
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Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers (-5, 194)

Power forward Pau Gasol had five double-doubles in the six-game, first-round series win over the Milwaukee Bucks while averaging 16.3 points and 11.8 rebounds. He’ll look to control play in the interior while Chicago hopes Rose – four games of 15 or fewer points versus the Bucks – can match the caliber of play delivered by backcourt mate Jimmy Butler (24.8 average, five games of 20 or more points). “You to have to remember: This is his first time in the postseason in a long time for him,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters of Rose. “He feels real good, feels strong. He has to get ready for the next challenge.”

Kevin Love’s injury thrusts afterthought reserve Tristan Thompson into a key role in the series as the Cavaliers attempt to slow down Gasol. “Everyone still has to do more and has to get adjusted to whether they’re starting of coming off the bench,” Thompson told reporters. “We got to be able to still do our roles.” Thompson averaged 7.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in the first-round sweep of the Celtics after averaging 8.5 points and eight boards during the regular season.

LINE HISTORY: Books opened the Cavs a 5.5-point home faves and the total at 194.5.

TRENDS:

* Under is 4-1 in the last five meetings in Cleveland.
* Bulls are 12-4 ATS in the last 16 meetings.
* Bulls are 6-2 ATS in their last eight vs. Eastern Conference.
* Cavaliers are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 vs. NBA Central.

CONSENSUS: According to Consensus, 51 percent of bettors are backing the Bulls.



Los Angeles Clippers at Houston Rockets (-6, 212)

Chris Paul scored 27 points in the finale against the Spurs and averaged 22.7 points and 7.9 assists in the series. Power forward Blake Griffin was terrific in Game 7 with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists and had a dominant series with seven straight double-doubles while averaging 24.1 points, 13.1 rebounds and 7.4 assists in the series. Center DeAndre Jordan averaged 14.5 points and 18 rebounds in four regular-season games against Houston but Rockets center Dwight Howard missed all four of those games.

Having Howard back healthy from knee woes and playing at a high level has Houston feeling like it can reach the Western Conference finals. Howard averaged 16.6 points and 13.8 rebounds against the Mavericks and scored 28 points in Game 2 and collected 26 rebounds in Game 3. Harden was on the mark with at least 24 points in each game and averaged 28.4 points and 7.8 assists in the opening round.

LINE HISTORY: Books opened the Rockets as 5-point faves, but that has moved to -6.

TRENDS:

* Under is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
* Clippers are 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings.
* Clippers are 13-3-1 ATS in their last 17 road games.
* Rockets are 21-7 ATS in their last 28 home games.

CONSENSUS: According to Consensus, 52 percent of bettors are backing the Clippers.