The Bum's Best Bets For Wednesday May 13th - MLB - NBA -NHL !

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mets (20-13) at Cubs (17-15)
Game: 3
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: May 13, 2015 8:05 PM EDT

Kris Bryant is getting cozy at the Friendly Confines, and Matt Harvey is looking to change that.

In a matchup of two franchise cornerstones, Bryant and Harvey will face each other for the first time as the Chicago Cubs go for their longest winning streak over the New York Mets in 11 years on Wednesday night.

The Cubs (17-15) have won the first two of this four-game set thanks in large part to Bryant, who is 4 for 6 with three RBIs while increasing his batting average at Wrigley Field 76 points to .270.

The 23-year-old third baseman is also showing some power, hitting all three of his homers over the past four games. He's homered in both games of this series, and he finished a double shy of his first cycle in Tuesday's 6-1 victory over the Mets (20-13).

"He's extremely polished for his age," said winning pitcher Jake Arrieta. "He's just a special talent and it's fun to watch him play every day. I look forward to watching him grow."

Now, Bryant will face Harvey (5-1, 2.72 ERA), who already is the face of the franchise.

The Dark Knight has won two of three starts on the road behind a 2.18 ERA. However, that loss came Friday, when the right-hander allowed three runs in six innings of a 3-1 defeat at Philadelphia while going a week between starts.

"It's different," Harvey told MLB's official website of the extra rest. "Dealing with it is something you have to do, and I don't think I did a very good job of it, and I think we're all excited to go back to a five-day rotation."

Harvey has won both times when going five days between starts, allowing two runs in 15 2-3 innings. He also allowed two runs in 7 1-3 innings of a 3-2 win at Wrigley in his only start against the Cubs on May 17, 2013.

New York, though, has four runs and 11 hits in this series, going 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position.

"We're better than we're swinging," manager Terry Collins said. "We certainly gotta swing the bats better."

The Mets could be without center fielder Juan Lagares, who has a slight strain on his upper right side that forced him to miss a game after he played through the injury for about a week.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts in place of Lagares on Tuesday, and he's 3 for 30 on the season.

Lucas Duda is 5 for 13 (.385) over the past three games, collecting three hits in this series, including a solo homer in the series opener.

The Cubs are sending Jason Hammel (3-1, 3.52) to the mound, and he's 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA over his last three starts. The right-hander struck out a season-high eight and allowed two runs in seven innings of a 7-6 win at Milwaukee on Friday.

Hammel is 0-3 with a 6.33 ERA in four career starts versus New York, but he hasn't faced them since a loss with Colorado on May 10, 2011.

Anthony Rizzo is 7 for 20 with two homers, two doubles and four RBIs in five games. He's got a solo homer and a double in six at_bats in this series, going 1 for 2 with three walks Tuesday.

Chicago is trying to win five straight versus the Mets for the first time since taking eight in a row from 2003-04.




B]SERIES AT A GLANCE[/B]

GAME 1
Mets at Cubs
Mon, May 11 Final 3 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Mets at Cubs
Tue, May 12 Final 1 to 6
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Mets at Cubs
Wed, May 13 - 8:05PM EDT

GAME 4
Mets at Cubs
Thu, May 14 - 2:20PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Red Sox (15-18) at Athletics (13-22)
Game: 3
Venue: O.co Coliseum
Date: May 13, 2015 3:35 PM EDT

The Oakland Athletics avoided their woes in close games with a blowout to even this three-game series.

They may like their chances of improving upon baseball's worst record in day games with Sonny Gray taking the mound in the finale.

Gray can improve to 5-0 in Wednesday's home matchup with the Boston Red Sox, who will counter by starting the struggling Wade Miley.

Oakland (13-22) ended its longest losing streak in three years at six games with Tuesday's 9-2 rout. The Athletics lost four times in their slide by one run, falling to 1-11 in such games.

'Now the trick is to get a couple in a row and now you start feeling good about yourself, and the confidence comes out and the talent level that we have,' manager Bob Melvin said. 'But we have to put it together. We haven't been very good about that this year.'

Now the club looks to capture a home series for the first time by improving to 2-10 in day games behind Gray (4-0, 1.65 ERA), who only gets stronger as the game goes longer. His ERA in the first three innings is 3.43 before it dips to 0.32 from the fourth inning on.

The right-hander's latest effort was wasted as he allowed one run in six innings Friday in a 4-3 loss at Seattle. He has 19 strikeouts in his last two outings.

Gray's lone start against Boston (15-18) was in a 3-2, 10-inning victory May 14, 2014. He allowed two runs in six-plus innings, and no Red Sox hitter has more than three at_bats against him.

Oakland is 1-5 against lefty starters, though it should like its chances of doubling that win total in its first look at Miley (1-4, 6.91).

The left-hander has posted a 7.63 ERA while losing three straight outings, yielding four runs over six innings in Friday's 7-0 defeat at Toronto. He struck out a season-high eight.

"It's always difficult when you go through a stretch like this," Miley said.

Though he hasn't faced Oakland, Miley has experience against some of its hitters. Ike Davis is 0 for 6 against him and Billy Butler is 2 for 5 with a homer.

Davis could return to the lineup after sitting out Tuesday with a strained left quadriceps muscle.

The A's built an 8-0 lead after four innings. Josh Reddick had four hits with a homer and three RBIs and Stephen Vogt also went deep and raised the AL's second-best OPS to 1.093.

Oakland has 25 hits in this series, but none from Coco Crisp. The outfielder is 0 for 25 this season and has no hits in his past 38 regular-season at_bats - tied for the second-longest hitless stretch in Oakland history to Jose Canseco's 40 at-bat drought in 1986.

The Red Sox may want to hit the ball to A's shortstop Marcus Semien, who has five of his major league-high 11 errors in his last four games. Oakland has at least one error in 10 straight and has the most in baseball with 35.

Semien is clearly in the lineup for his bat, going 9 for 18 with three solo homers in his last four games.

Boston's Dustin Pedroia has reached base in his last 17 games with a .317 average in that span. He's batting .375 over his past 12 games in Oakland.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Red Sox at Athletics
Mon, May 11 Final 5 to 4
Boxscores

GAME 2
Red Sox at Athletics
Tue, May 12 Final 2 to 9
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Red Sox at Athletics
Wed, May 13 - 3:35PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Royals (21-12) at Rangers (14-19)
Game: 3
Venue: Globe Life Park in Arlington
Date: May 13, 2015 8:05 PM EDT

Yovani Gallardo is on the verge of losing five straight starts for the first time, though the Texas Rangers haven't given him much support.

The nine-year veteran tries to avoid that fate and will be facing many unfamiliar Kansas City Royals hitters when this four-game set continues Wednesday night in Arlington.

Gallardo (2-5, 4.19 ERA) has posted a 4.70 ERA during this slide that matches a four-start skid from May 10-26, 2013, with Milwaukee as the worst of his career. The Rangers (14-19) have totaled two runs of support for him on this losing streak, and his average of 2.09 is one of baseball's worst.

"It's one of those things that the only thing I can do is go out there and make a pitch," Gallardo said. "Anything after that, I can't control."

The right-hander's lone start against Kansas City (21-12) came as a rookie in 2007, and Alex Gordon is the only hitter he faced that day that he'll see this time. The only other Royals regular he has faced is journeyman infielder Omar Infante, who is 1 for 9 against him.

Gallardo allowed four runs in 5 1-3 innings in Friday's 8-2 loss at Tampa Bay.

This contest marks the first time in major-league history that both starting pitchers have first names that begin with the letter 'Y' since Kansas City will start Yordano Ventura (2-2, 5.13), who beat Texas twice in an 11-day span last year, allowing four runs with 13 strikeouts in 12 1-3 innings.

The right-hander may not be a formidable opponent this time since he is 0-2 with a 6.65 ERA in his last four outings after he was charged with four runs in six innings and didn't receive a decision in Friday's 6-5 loss at Detroit.

Adrian Beltre is 3 for 6 against Ventura. Beltre is 6 for 13 with two homers and five RBIs in the last three games and is one homer shy of 400.

Beltre is batting .419 during a 22-game hitting streak against the Royals to trail Ivan Rodriguez's 23-game run from 1994-96 as the longest in franchise history versus Kansas City.

The Rangers plan to activate Mitch Moreland, who has been out since April 27 after left elbow surgery. Moreland batted .304 in his first 16 games.

Center fielder Leonys Martin was out of Tuesday's lineup with a sore left hand, though he appeared as a pinch runner in a 7-6, 10-inning loss.

Gordon came through with a leadoff homer in the 10th after closer Greg Holland suffered his first blown save by failing to hold a one-run lead in the ninth.

Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas also went deep as the Royals finished with a season high in homers.

'Now that it's finally shown itself, the power that we have, it's huge,' manager Ned Yost said.

After Beltre tied the game with an RBI single off Holland in the ninth, he committed a gaffe when he was picked off to send the game to extra innings.

'Obviously, to beat a team that was in the World Series last year, and is playing well right now, you've got to make all the plays you need to make,' manager Jeff Banister said. 'You can't give them extra chances.'

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Royals at Rangers
Mon, May 11 Final 2 to 8
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Royals at Rangers
Tue, May 12 Final 7 to 6
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Royals at Rangers
Wed, May 13 - 8:05PM EDT

GAME 4
Royals at Rangers
Thu, May 14 - 2:05PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Giants (17-16) at Astros (20-13)
Game: 2
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Date: May 13, 2015 8:10 PM EDT

Tim Hudson has struggled against AL opponents since coming to the National League. Perhaps a matchup with the junior circuit's newest member - a club he's dominated more than any other - can help him avoid interleague infamy.

He'll try to lead the San Francisco Giants to a sweep of this two-game series with the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday night.

Hudson (1-3, 4.50 ERA) is 9-20 with a 5.64 ERA in 32 interleague starts since joining Atlanta in 2005, a stark contrast from the success he enjoyed against the NL over six seasons with Oakland. He was 10-2 with a 2.50 ERA in 21 interleague games for the A's.

Another interleague loss would tie him with Derek Lowe and Barry Zito for the most all-time.

Hudson won his lone start against an AL club this year, though, giving up three runs on two homers over a season-best eight-plus innings in a 5-4 victory against the Los Angeles Angels on May 2.

He's 5-0 with a 1.24 ERA in seven career starts against the Astros for his lowest mark versus any opponent. The right-hander hasn't faced them since they've joined the AL though, last matching up Aug. 3, 2012.

Hudson needs to recover from a 7-2 loss to Miami on Thursday in which he gave up six runs and 15 hits over 6 2-3 innings, the most hits allowed by a Giant since Gaylord Perry yielded 16 on Sept. 28, 1968.

The 39-year-old put together four quality starts in his first five outings.

"He made a few more mistakes than he normally does," manager Bruce Bochy said.

San Francisco (17-16) had scored three runs or fewer in four of five before winning 8-1 Tuesday. The Giants outhit the Astros 11-2 and were 4 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

Angel Pagan was 3 for 5 while Matt Duffy was 3 for 4 with five RBIs, the most by a San Francisco rookie since Buster Posey's six July 7, 2010, at Milwaukee. Duffy is 10 for 20 over his last six games with eight runs driven in.

"I'm just seeing the ball well and not thinking too much," he said.

The Astros (20-13) are in danger of losing five straight at home for the first time and have dropped six of eight overall, scoring seven runs in the losses and striking out 34 times in their last three games.

They're hoping to get George Springer back Wednesday following a minor league rehab assignment. Springer, who went on the seven-day concussion list after hitting the wall last week versus Texas, has hit .192 with four home runs and 10 steals in 27 games.

Brett Oberholtzer will make his delayed season debut after being slowed by a blister on his left index finger. He was 5-13 with a 4.39 ERA in 24 starts last year, a disappointment after he was 4-5 with a 2.76 ERA as a rookie in 2013.

The left-hander threw 5 1-3 shutout innings for Triple-A Fresno in a 7-3 victory over El Paso last Wednesday.

"Obviously, the adrenaline will kick in and major league pitches can be a little different than minor league pitches," manager A.J. Hinch told MLB's official website. "All in all, I would expect him to go in the 85 to 90 (pitch) range, if not better. It depends on how efficient he is."

Colby Rasmus is 6 for 14 with two homers and a double off Hudson.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Giants at Astros
Tue, May 12 Final 8 to 1
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Giants at Astros
Wed, May 13 - 8:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Rockies (11-18) at Angels (16-17)
Game: 2
Venue: Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Date: May 13, 2015 10:05 PM EDT

Poor pitching has the Colorado Rockies on the verge of their longest losing streak in 15 years, and giving the ball to Jordan Lyles again doesn't seem to be a solution.

Lyles looks to avoid losing a third straight start Wednesday night when the Rockies try to split this two-game set with the Los Angeles Angels.

Colorado's 5.48 ERA is the worst in the majors, and the staff has an 8.63 mark while losing 10 games in a row for the first time since 2005. The Rockies (11-18) last dropped 11 straight from July 4-17, 2000, and that's two shy of the franchise record set as an expansion team in 1993.

Rafael Betancourt provided no relief on the mound Tuesday, giving up three runs while getting just two outs in the eighth of a 5-2 defeat at Los Angeles.

Lyles (2-3, 4.42 ERA) has lost both of his starts during Colorado's current losing streak, giving up 11 runs and 17 hits with six walks in 12 innings. The right-hander was victimized by a big inning last Wednesday, surrendering three of the four runs he allowed in the fifth before completing seven in a 5-1 loss to Arizona.

"When in doubt, throw the fastball," Lyles said of his approach. "I had a couple of quick innings to start the game, then we had some trouble in the fifth."

Lyles is 2-1 with a 5.82 ERA in four games - three starts - against the Angels, and that all came two years ago with Houston. He won both of his interleague starts last year, yielding three runs in 14 2-3 innings.

Nick Hundley is batting .409 during a career-high 13-game hitting streak after getting an infield single Tuesday. The catcher has a .342 season average, 99 points higher than last year when he played 83 games between San Diego and Baltimore.

The Rockies have lost six straight meetings with the Angels (16-17), who have pounded their pitchers to the tune of a .308 batting average and 7.8 runs per game.

Los Angeles collected 10 hits with four doubles Tuesday, and Kole Calhoun had two of them among his three hits. The right fielder is 10 for 28 (.357) with four doubles in seven games.

Albert Pujols is looking to build on his clutch performance from Tuesday. He snapped out of an 0-for-13 skid with a leadoff single in the eighth before unexpectedly stealing second and scoring the go-ahead run on Johnny Giavotella's single.

"I've got the green light all the time, so I go whenever I feel like it," said Pujols, who hadn't stole a base since Aug. 15. "If I know that I'm going to make it, I go. That's it. ... In that opportunity, (the way) we've been struggling, you try to do whatever it takes to get that extra base. I felt that I could score easier from second base than first base."

The Angels are turning to Hector Santiago (2-2, 2.57), who is 1-0 with a 1.02 ERA over his last three home starts.

The only hit the left-hander gave up Thursday was a leadoff single, and he overcame four walks and two balks to toss 6 1-3 scoreless innings. However, closer Huston Street wasted the effort by giving up three runs in the ninth of a 3-2 home loss to Houston.

Santiago is facing the Rockies for the first time, and he's 1-2 with a 3.29 ERA in seven interleague starts.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Rockies at Angels
Tue, May 12 Final 2 to 5
Boxscores

GAME 2
Rockies at Angels
Wed, May 13 - 10:05PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Padres (17-17) at Mariners (15-17)
Game: 2
Venue: Safeco Field
Date: May 13, 2015 10:10 PM EDT

Despite struggling with the home run in his last two starts, James Shields is in position to become the first San Diego pitcher in eight seasons to win his first five decisions.

To get there for the third time in his career, however, he likely must contain a Seattle Mariners team that matched the franchise's single-game homer mark at Safeco Field to open this two-game series.

Looking to win a third straight start, Shields tries to help the Padres keep the Mariners from a fifth consecutive victory Wednesday night.

Shields (4-0, 4.25 ERA) went 2-0 with a 2.90 ERA in five April starts, but despite posting the same record has allowed nine of his 10 runs on seven homers over 11 1-3 innings in two May outings. The right-hander, however, still has a chance to become the first Padre since Justin Germano in 2007 to open 5-0.

After yielding at least 20 home runs in each of the last eight seasons, Shields has given up a major league-high 11 of the 50 that San Diego has allowed, also the most in baseball. However, the 7.87 average runs of support Shields has received also ranks among the most in the majors.

'We've given up quite a bit of homers. ... You don't expect that especially with (Andrew Cashner) and Tyson (Ross) and our pitching staff,' San Diego starter Ian Kennedy said. 'The ship will right itself and even out, I guess. It's too early.'

All five runs Shields gave up came via four homers over six innings of Friday's 6-5 victory at Arizona.

'His style is to pitch aggressive and to go out and attack," said San Diego manager Bud Black, who doesn't seem too concerned about Shields' issues with keeping the ball in the park.

Prior to Friday and in his most recent outing at Safeco, Shields last allowed four homers during an 8-2 defeat with Tampa Bay on June 2, 2011.

Shields wasn't much better June 20 when he yielded five runs - three on homers by Logan Morrison and Mike Zunino - over seven innings while not factoring in the decision of a 7-5 loss to the Mariners with Kansas City.

Zunino homered twice, Morrison went deep and Nelson Cruz hit his major league-leading 15th as the Mariners (15-17) hit six home runs during Tuesday's 11-4 win over the Padres.

'We have talent on this club," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "We have guys with track records and I believe what the numbers say in the book are going to come to fruition and I think you're starting to see that.'

By recording his fourth two-hit game in five contests, Cruz raised his average to an AL-best .349. However, he's 4 for 21 with one home run and six strikeouts during the regular season against Shields.

Morrison is batting .356 in his last 12 games, and has hit all but one of his six home runs in the last 10. He is 4 for his last 10 with two doubles and a homer versus Shields.

Teammate Taijuan Walker (1-3, 8.13) has a modest 3.54 ERA in four career home starts but is 0-1 in those contests. The right-hander allowed three runs, including his first homer at Safeco, over five innings of a 4-3, 11-inning victory over Oakland on Friday.

Batting .303, Derek Norris had one of San Diego's six hits Tuesday and is the only Padre that Walker has faced by going hitless in one at-bat.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Padres at Mariners
Tue, May 12 Final 4 to 11
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Padres at Mariners
Wed, May 13 - 10:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Mets, Cubs hook up

May 13, 2015


NEW YORK METS (20-13) at CHICAGO CUBS (17-15)

First pitch: Wednesday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line and Total: New York -115, Chicago +105, Total: 8

Two of the fastest rising teams in the National League, the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs, meet for the third of four games at Wrigley Field.

The Mets started the year at a torrid pace, winning 13 of their first 16 games, but have gone a very mediocre 7-10 since that point. They had won four of their past five games coming into this series, though, but once again have hit a road block after failing to grab a victory in either of the first two contests against Chicago. New York scored a mere four runs over those games and failed to do anything offensively in the 6-1 loss on Tuesday night. They had a meager five hits and struck out 12 times while going 0-for-3 with RISP. Two of those hits came off the bat of 2B Daniel Murphy (.233), who after a horrible start to the year now has hits in seven of his past 10 outings in which he is 12-for-39 (.308) with four RBI.

On the other side of the diamond, the Mets are dealing with a Cubs group which has the brightest young core of players in the majors as each of their stud infielders is 25 or younger and has led them to a rare winning record in the early going. May hasn’t been that great, though, with a record of 5-7 as they look to continue winning against this New York team. They’ve muscled out victories in the first two games of this series, scoring a total of 10 runs while hitting two balls out of the park in each win. One of those homers came from 3B Kris Bryant (.276) in each game, with the four-bagger on Monday being the first of his promising career, and he now has nine RBI and six runs in the past eight contests.

Getting the call to start in this game will be RHP Matt Harvey (5-1, 2.72 ERA) of the Mets as he goes up against RHP Jason Hammel (3-1, 3.52 ERA) for the host Cubs. The road has not brought any success to New York as the loss on Monday dropped their record away from home to 7-10 and it could get worse as Chicago is now 9-7 in its historic stadium. It’s no surprise that the Cubbies have gotten the best of the Mets in this series so far as they are 10-5 against them since the start of 2013 and have won 6-of-8 games when at home in that time.

Trends show that New York is an impressive 14-3 (.824) as a favorite of -110 or more this year while Hammel’s teams are 5-2 when he pitches against NL East teams in the past three seasons. Still missing for the Metropolitans is 3B David Wright (Hamstring) as Chicago is just missing two role players; 3B Mike Olt (Wrist) and 2B Tommy La Stella (Ribs).

Harvey has returned from elbow surgery nearly as dominant as when he first came to the big leagues and has had a quality start in five of his six starts on the year. In those outings he has struck out 38 batters (8.6 K/9) and has shown amazing control (1.1 BB/9) as the young righty has left 81.4% of runners on base. He can consistently get batters to swing at balls out of the strike zone with 35.1% of his out of the zone pitches being swung at as hitters make contact in a mere 58.2% of those attempts. Harvey has just one start under his belt against this Cubs team and it came back in 2013 when he went 7.1 strong innings, allowing two runs on five hits as he struck out six (0 walks).

Even though it is a limited sample, some of the offensive players for Chicago have done well in the matchup with OF Chris Coughlan (3-for-5, 1 double, 2 RBI) and SS Starlin Castro (2-for-3) each having multiple hits. On the other hand, OF Dexter Fowler (1-for-6) has struggled against the New York ace. The Mets ‘pen has been great thus far, going 3-2 with a 2.41 ERA (0.96 WHIP) and have successfully saved 15-of-16 games (94%). Getting those saves has been Jeurys Familia (1.59 ERA, 13 saves), who’s compiled a 20:3 K/BB ratio with eight hits allowed in 17 innings on the mound.

Although Hammel is one of the older players in Chicago’s clubhouse at 32-years-old, he has looked like a younger version of himself while striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings and is on pace to sport a sub-3.75 ERA for the third time in four seasons. His big improvement this year has been control as he has walked a miniscule 1.2 batters per nine innings, close to a walk less per nine than his previous career-high. He should be running hot as he comes off a great performance in Milwaukee last week where he earned a win after throwing seven innings of five-hit, two run ball in which he struck out eight (3 walks).

In his career against the Mets, Hammel has struggled, going 0-3 (1-3 team record) with a 6.33 ERA (1.50 WHIP) and despite pitching at least six innings in each of his past three meetings with them, he’s allowed at least six hits with four runs each time. OF Curtis Granderson has gotten to him in the past, going 6-for-17 (.353) with two doubles, two HRs and three RBI as he’s joined by 2B Daniel Murphy (4-for-8, 1 double) who’s also been great in the matchup. No other player on the New York squad, who is active, has more than three at-bats against the veteran. The bullpen for the Cubs has let them down, going 5-6 with a 4.42 ERA (1.32 WHIP) and is a poor 7-for-13 (54%) in save opportunities. Hector Rondon (3.21 ERA, 7 saves) has not blown a save in his past five attempts but does have a poor 1.36 WHIP on the year.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

-- Cavaliers 106, Bulls 101-- Cleveland is now up 3-2 in series.

-- Rockets 124, Clippers 103-- 4 of 5 series games were decided by 16+ points.

-- Lightning 4, Canadiens 1-- Tampa Bay advances to Eastern finals.

-- Cubs 5, Mets 1-- 25th game this year that was 0-0 after fifth inning. Good debut for Noah Syndergaard, who wound up with the loss.

-- Joc Pederson has struck out 43 times this season; his manager (Don Mattingly) never struck more than 43 times in any season.

-- Aaron Rodgers won $50,000 for charity on Celebrity Jeopardy this week.

**********

Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Random mid-week thoughts.......

13) First of all, our thoughts/prayers go out to anyone affected by the train derailment in Philadelphia last night; life is short, we have to enjoy it as much as we can for as long as we can.

12) Giancarlo Stanton hit a baseball out of Dodger Stadium last night, over the roof behind the left field pavilion- it was the slumping Marlins' only run in an ugly 11-1 loss, but it came in the first inning and it was a titanic blast.

11) I have Stanton and Marcell Ozuna on my fantasy team, so I watch most every Marlin game, but also because Rich Waltz/Tommy Hutton are so much fun to listen to, even in bad games, maybe moreso in bad games. Waltz does a lot of Mountain West basketball in the winter; he is very good. Hutton seems like a terrific guy- they're a good team.

10) Mitch Kupchak's son Maxwell will play college basketball at UCSB starting in the fall; he will redshirt the first year, then have four years left to play for Bob Williams and the Gauchos.

When the Lakers' GM sends his son to play for your team, that is quite the endorsement that should help Santa Barbara on the recruiting trail.

9) American Idol is getting cancelled after 14 years; thought they should have had one year where they only had singers who were 40+ years old, just to mix it up a little. Think it would've been a big hit.

8) A's have used four CFs this year; two of them, Craig Gentry and Coco Crisp, are a combined 3-60 this season. Gentry is back in AAA; Crisp is 0-25 since he came off the DL. Outfielders have to hit to be useful players.

7) Boston pitcher Stephen Wright threw 110 pitches in 5.2 IP last nite, saving the Red Sox bullpen a lot of wear and tear in a game they trailed 7-0 early. It is not often a relief pitcher throws 100+ pitches in a game.

6) Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn threw six shutout innings, beat the Indians on his birthday, but he needed 118 pitches to finish the six innings. He threw six shutout innings but had eight baserunners and nine strikeouts- threw 51 balls and 67 strikes-- lot of deep counts.

5) Serious question: Would you vote for a DH for the Hall of Fame?

4) Umpire Kerwin Danley got drilled point blank in the mask with a foul ball and left the Washington-Arizona game early last night. Danley played college ball with Tony Gwynn at San Diego State.

3) Speaking of the Nationals, something is amiss with Stephen Strasburg; he gave up eight runs in 3.1 IP last night and has an ERA of 6.06 this year.

2) Still think Tom Brady's suspension has as much to do with SpyGate as the deflated footballs; the cumulative effect of constantly skirting league rules.

1) Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam sang Take Me Out to the Ballgame at Wrigley Field last night; I wonder if professional singers get nervous when they sing, or if they're so good at it that it is just second nature to them.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Long Sheet

Wednesday, May 13

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WASHINGTON (18 - 15) at ARIZONA (14 - 17) - 3:40 PM
GIO GONZALEZ (L) vs. JEREMY HELLICKSON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 20-8 (+12.9 Units) against the money line in road games when playing on Wednesday over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 19-5 (+12.0 Units) against the money line when playing with a day off over the last 2 seasons.
GONZALEZ is 110-75 (+30.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997. (Team's Record)
ARIZONA is 78-115 (-32.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 41-57 (-20.2 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 202-192 (-45.9 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 8 to 8.5 since 1997.
ARIZONA is 78-115 (-32.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 30-62 (-27.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
HELLICKSON is 4-15 (-11.2 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
HELLICKSON is 0-8 (-8.4 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

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

GIO GONZALEZ vs. ARIZONA since 1997
GONZALEZ is 2-0 when starting against ARIZONA with an ERA of 1.33 and a WHIP of 1.230.
His team's record is 3-0 (+3.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-1. (+1.1 units)

JEREMY HELLICKSON vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
No recent starts.

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PITTSBURGH (16 - 16) at PHILADELPHIA (11 - 22) - 7:05 PM
FRANCISCO LIRIANO (L) vs. COLE HAMELS (L)
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 139-97 (+30.6 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 113-66 (+32.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 18-37 (-20.3 Units) against the money line when playing on Wednesday over the last 3 seasons.
HAMELS is 2-11 (-11.9 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)

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

FRANCISCO LIRIANO vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
LIRIANO is 1-0 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 0.750.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-1. (-1.0 units)

COLE HAMELS vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
HAMELS is 2-2 when starting against PITTSBURGH with an ERA of 2.76 and a WHIP of 0.980.
His team's record is 4-3 (-0.8 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-3. (+0.4 units)

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ATLANTA (15 - 17) at CINCINNATI (15 - 17) - 7:10 PM
ERIC STULTS (L) vs. RAISEL IGLESIAS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 94-100 (-17.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 92-99 (-19.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 73-82 (-19.5 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 48-60 (-25.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
STULTS is 40-30 (+16.6 Units) against the money line in night games since 1997. (Team's Record)
CINCINNATI is 361-329 (-84.0 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 3-2 (+1.7 Units) against CINCINNATI this season
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.9 Units)

ERIC STULTS vs. CINCINNATI since 1997
STULTS is 1-2 when starting against CINCINNATI with an ERA of 3.66 and a WHIP of 1.474.
His team's record is 1-2 (-0.3 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-2. (-1.4 units)

RAISEL IGLESIAS vs. ATLANTA since 1997
No recent starts.

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MIAMI (15 - 18) at LA DODGERS (21 - 10) - 7:50 PM
JARRED COSART (R) vs. CARLOS FRIAS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
LA DODGERS are 14-2 (+10.8 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
LA DODGERS are 14-2 (+10.8 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field this season.
LA DODGERS are 13-1 (+11.6 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters this season.

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

JARRED COSART vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
No recent starts.

CARLOS FRIAS vs. MIAMI since 1997
No recent starts.

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NY METS (20 - 12) at CHICAGO CUBS (16 - 15) - 8:05 PM
MATT HARVEY (R) vs. JASON HAMMEL (R)
Top Trends for this game.
NY METS are 99-95 (+11.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 87-91 (+20.4 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 3 seasons.
NY METS are 99-95 (+11.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 17-8 (+9.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 1403-1568 (-281.6 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 752-733 (-166.8 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 151-189 (-55.1 Units) against the money line when playing with a day off since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 1346-1481 (-256.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 222-230 (-67.2 Units) against the money line in home games in night games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 1030-1165 (-213.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters since 1997.

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

MATT HARVEY vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
HARVEY is 1-0 when starting against CHICAGO CUBS with an ERA of 2.46 and a WHIP of 0.682.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

JASON HAMMEL vs. NY METS since 1997
HAMMEL is 0-3 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 6.33 and a WHIP of 1.500.
His team's record is 1-3 (-2.6 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-1. (+1.0 units)

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

BOSTON (15 - 17) at OAKLAND (12 - 22) - 3:35 PM
WADE MILEY (L) vs. SONNY GRAY (R)
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 86-109 (-33.5 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 76-93 (-28.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 60-78 (-23.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
MILEY is 2-11 (-9.8 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
OAKLAND is 12-22 (-13.7 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
OAKLAND is 4-10 (-9.1 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
OAKLAND is 25-32 (-18.3 Units) against the money line when playing on Wednesday over the last 3 seasons.
OAKLAND is 1-10 (-11.0 Units) against the money line in day games this season.
OAKLAND is 12-22 (-13.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 1-0 (+1.1 Units) against OAKLAND this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.1 Units)

WADE MILEY vs. OAKLAND since 1997
No recent starts.

SONNY GRAY vs. BOSTON since 1997
GRAY is 0-0 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.333.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

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

TORONTO (16 - 17) at BALTIMORE (14 - 16) - 7:05 PM
AARON SANCHEZ (R) vs. MIGUEL GONZALEZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
BALTIMORE is 114-86 (+33.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 61-38 (+17.8 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 61-43 (+20.3 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 100-74 (+29.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 80-51 (+34.1 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 89-64 (+29.5 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 49-32 (+16.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 26-14 (+13.2 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 5-2 (+3.2 Units) against BALTIMORE this season
4 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.9 Units)

AARON SANCHEZ vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
SANCHEZ is 1-1 when starting against BALTIMORE with an ERA of 5.20 and a WHIP of 2.079.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-1. (-1.1 units)

MIGUEL GONZALEZ vs. TORONTO since 1997
GONZALEZ is 6-2 when starting against TORONTO with an ERA of 2.64 and a WHIP of 0.978.
His team's record is 6-4 (+2.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-6. (-2.1 units)

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

MINNESOTA (18 - 14) at DETROIT (19 - 13) - 7:05 PM
RICKY NOLASCO (R) vs. KYLE LOBSTEIN (L)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 5-1 (+3.7 Units) against MINNESOTA this season
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.2 Units, Under=-0.4 Units)

RICKY NOLASCO vs. DETROIT since 1997
NOLASCO is 1-1 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 4.43 and a WHIP of 1.523.
His team's record is 2-2 (+0.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-2. (-0.1 units)

KYLE LOBSTEIN vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
LOBSTEIN is 0-1 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 11.56 and a WHIP of 1.927.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-1. (-1.3 units)

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NY YANKEES (21 - 12) at TAMPA BAY (17 - 16) - 7:10 PM
ADAM WARREN (R) vs. NATE KARNS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 569-651 (+15.4 Units) against the money line against division opponents since 1997.
NY YANKEES are 21-12 (+9.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
NY YANKEES are 12-5 (+8.3 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
NY YANKEES are 17-7 (+11.0 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
NY YANKEES are 13-5 (+8.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
WARREN is 7-0 (+8.1 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TAMPA BAY is 94-101 (-26.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 44-54 (-28.8 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 4-11 (-11.7 Units) against the money line in home games when playing on Wednesday over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 45-55 (-29.0 Units) against the money line in games played in a dome over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 62-68 (-17.9 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 52-61 (-27.2 Units) against the money line in games played on artificial turf over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 32-38 (-18.9 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 25-32 (-17.1 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY YANKEES is 6-1 (+4.6 Units) against TAMPA BAY this season
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.9 Units)

ADAM WARREN vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
WARREN is 0-0 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 4.65 and a WHIP of 1.344.
His team's record is 2-0 (+2.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.1 units)

NATE KARNS vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
KARNS is 0-0 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 2.79 and a WHIP of 1.138.
His team's record is 0-2 (-2.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.1 units)

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

KANSAS CITY (20 - 12) at TEXAS (14 - 18) - 8:05 PM
YORDANO VENTURA (R) vs. YOVANI GALLARDO (R)
Top Trends for this game.
KANSAS CITY is 25-42 (-23.8 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 3 seasons.
VENTURA is 0-6 (-8.6 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TEXAS is 8-2 (+9.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
KANSAS CITY is 120-89 (+19.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 61-43 (+21.0 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 19-6 (+12.6 Units) against the money line when playing with a day off over the last 2 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 116-86 (+17.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 86-61 (+16.3 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 85-61 (+13.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 37-57 (-22.2 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 3-11 (-12.7 Units) against the money line in home games when playing with a day off over the last 3 seasons.
TEXAS is 37-57 (-22.2 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 53-89 (-30.6 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 51-77 (-19.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
GALLARDO is 14-25 (-14.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GALLARDO is 6-13 (-12.0 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GALLARDO is 13-24 (-14.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GALLARDO is 8-20 (-15.0 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
TEXAS is 1-0 (+1.3 Units) against KANSAS CITY this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

YORDANO VENTURA vs. TEXAS since 1997
VENTURA is 2-0 when starting against TEXAS with an ERA of 2.19 and a WHIP of 1.298.
His team's record is 2-0 (+2.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-1. (-1.1 units)

YOVANI GALLARDO vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
GALLARDO is 0-0 when starting against KANSAS CITY with an ERA of 1.29 and a WHIP of 1.000.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

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

ST LOUIS (22 - 9) at CLEVELAND (11 - 19) - 6:05 PM
JOHN LACKEY (R) vs. COREY KLUBER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
LACKEY is 2-11 (-11.5 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
ST LOUIS is 22-9 (+11.4 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
ST LOUIS is 22-9 (+11.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
ST LOUIS is 18-5 (+12.1 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
CLEVELAND is 11-19 (-12.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CLEVELAND is 11-19 (-12.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
CLEVELAND is 4-11 (-8.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
KLUBER is 0-7 (-9.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
KLUBER is 0-7 (-9.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)

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

JOHN LACKEY vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
LACKEY is 8-8 when starting against CLEVELAND with an ERA of 3.94 and a WHIP of 1.378.
His team's record is 10-9 (-2.8 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 8-9. (-2.7 units)

COREY KLUBER vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
No recent starts.

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

SAN FRANCISCO (16 - 16) at HOUSTON (20 - 12) - 8:10 PM
TIM HUDSON (R) vs. BRETT OBERHOLTZER (L)
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 20-12 (+8.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
HOUSTON is 20-12 (+8.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 116-95 (+15.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 54-48 (+12.3 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 26-12 (+14.6 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 23-11 (+12.3 Units) against the money line when playing on Wednesday over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 116-95 (+15.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 1033-865 (+115.9 Units) against the money line in night games since 1997.
SAN FRANCISCO is 725-711 (+48.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
HUDSON is 293-183 (+52.5 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997. (Team's Record)
HUDSON is 281-171 (+56.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997. (Team's Record)

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

TIM HUDSON vs. HOUSTON since 1997
HUDSON is 5-1 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 2.09 and a WHIP of 1.005.
His team's record is 7-2 (+4.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-4. (+0.6 units)

BRETT OBERHOLTZER vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
No recent starts.

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

CHI WHITE SOX (12 - 17) at MILWAUKEE (12 - 21) - 8:10 PM
JOSE QUINTANA (L) vs. JIMMY NELSON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CHI WHITE SOX are 2-12 (-10.5 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
CHI WHITE SOX are 2-12 (-10.5 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field this season.
CHI WHITE SOX are 2-10 (-8.5 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters this season.
CHI WHITE SOX are 61-84 (-25.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
QUINTANA is 12-24 (-12.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
CHI WHITE SOX are 188-143 (+40.9 Units) against the money line in an inter-league game since 1997.
MILWAUKEE is 87-96 (-26.7 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 87-96 (-26.7 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 5-15 (-10.6 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 46-51 (-17.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MILWAUKEE is 1-0 (+1.0 Units) against CHI WHITE SOX this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

JOSE QUINTANA vs. MILWAUKEE since 1997
QUINTANA is 0-0 when starting against MILWAUKEE with an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 0.750.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

JIMMY NELSON vs. CHI WHITE SOX since 1997
No recent starts.

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COLORADO (11 - 17) at LA ANGELS (15 - 17) - 10:05 PM
JORDAN LYLES (R) vs. HECTOR SANTIAGO (L)
Top Trends for this game.
COLORADO is 77-113 (-34.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 148-269 (-66.5 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +125 to +150 since 1997.
COLORADO is 28-68 (-33.6 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 222-293 (-80.6 Units) against the money line in May games since 1997.
COLORADO is 12-28 (-19.6 Units) against the money line in an inter-league game over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 77-113 (-34.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 49-79 (-30.3 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 66-87 (-31.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 54-28 (+15.6 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 41-17 (+15.8 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 62-32 (+19.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 152-136 (-66.8 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -150 to -175 since 1997.
SANTIAGO is 11-19 (-11.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SANTIAGO is 5-11 (-10.2 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SANTIAGO is 11-19 (-11.6 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
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

JORDAN LYLES vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
LYLES is 2-1 when starting against LA ANGELS with an ERA of 5.52 and a WHIP of 1.363.
His team's record is 2-1 (+2.8 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-0. (+2.0 units)

HECTOR SANTIAGO vs. COLORADO since 1997
No recent starts.

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SAN DIEGO (17 - 16) at SEATTLE (14 - 17) - 10:10 PM
JAMES SHIELDS (R) vs. TAIJUAN WALKER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN DIEGO is 7-17 (-12.3 Units) against the money line on the road with a money line of -100 to -125 over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 25-44 (-17.3 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
SHIELDS is 18-7 (+11.4 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SHIELDS is 16-7 (+9.1 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SHIELDS is 18-6 (+11.3 Units) against the money line in road games in night games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
SEATTLE is 85-92 (-29.6 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 8-18 (-15.9 Units) against the money line in home games when playing on Wednesday over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 85-92 (-29.6 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 9-15 (-9.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
SEATTLE is 30-36 (-19.1 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.

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

JAMES SHIELDS vs. SEATTLE since 1997
SHIELDS is 4-4 when starting against SEATTLE with an ERA of 4.02 and a WHIP of 1.183.
His team's record is 8-6 (+0.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 9-5. (+3.4 units)

TAIJUAN WALKER vs. SAN DIEGO since 1997
No recent starts.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, May 13

National League
Pirates @ Phillies
Liriano is 1-2, 3.13 in his last five starts; under is 3-1-2 in his last six on road.

Hamels is 1-0, 1.35 in his last three home starts; under is 5-2-2 in his last nine starts overall.

Pirates won eight of last nine games with Philly; over is 7-3-1 in last 11 series games. Bucs won five of last six games (over 4-1-1) overall. Phillies lost 11 of last 14 games; over is 5-2-2 in their last nine.

Braves @ Reds
Stults is 1-3, 4.75 in his last five starts; five of last six went over.

Iglesias allowed three runs in five IP in his only MLB start April 12; he is 1-2, 3.80 in four AAA starts this year.

Atlanta lost nine of last 11 road games; under is 4-1-1 in their last six games overall. Braves lost five of their last eight games with the Reds- under is 8-2-2 in last 12 series games. Cincinnati lost four of last six games.

Mets @ Cubs
Mets are 5-1 when Harvey starts (2-1, 2.08 in last three); four of his six starts went over the total.

Hammel is 2-0, 2.14 in his last three starts; three of his last four went under.

Chicago lost seven of last 11 games but won last two; over is 5-3-1 in their last nine. Mets lost seven of last nine games with the Cubs; under is 4-1-1 in last six series games. New York are just 7-10 on road; under is 8-1-1 in their last ten games overall.

Nationals @ Diamondbacks
Gonzalez is 2-0, 1.29 in his last two starts; five of his last eight went under.

Hellickson is 0-1, 7.36 in his last three starts (over 2-0-1).

Washington won nine of last 12 games with Arizona; four of last six series games went over. Nationals won eight of last ten games, scoring 46 runs in last six; seven of their last eight games went over. Arizona won five of its last eight games; over is 10-3-1 in their last fourteen.

Marlins @ Dodgers
Cosart is 0-2, 3.71 in his last three starts; under is 5-2-1 in his last eight. .

Frias is 2-0, 2.61 in his two starts; over is 2-0-1 in his last three.

Dodgers won eight of last 11 games with Miami; over is 10-1-1 in last twelve series games. LA won 14 of last 15 home games; six of their last seven overall went over total. Miami is 3-7 in its last ten games; seven of the ten went over.

American League
Twins @ Tigers
Nolasco is 2-1, 9.00 in his three starts; three of his last four went over.

Lobstein is 2-2, 2.89 in his last four starts, three of which stayed under.

Tigers won seven of last eight games with Minnesota, but lost four of last seven games overall- seven of their last ten games stayed under. Twins won eight of last 11 games- eight of their last 11 went over.

Blue Jays @ Orioles
Sanchez is 3-0, 3.04 in his last four starts; under is 3-2-1 in his last six.

Gonzalez is 3-1, 3.94 in his last five starts; three of last four went over.

Orioles lost six of last eight games- under is 7-2-2 in their last 11 games. Blue Jays won six of last eight games with Baltimore; over is 5-2-1 in those eight. Toronto won four of last six games overall, under is 5-2-1 in their last eight.

Bronx @ Rays
Warren is 2-0, 7.05 in his three road starts; Bronx scored 26 runs in the three games; five of his last six starts went over.

Karns is 1-0, 1.62 in his last three starts; six of his last eight went over.

Bronx is 11-5 in its last 16 games; under is 9-4-2 in last fifteen- they're 7-2 in last nine games vs Tampa Bay, with four of last five staying under. Rays are 9-5 in last fourteen home games; four of their last six went over.

Royals @ Rangers
Ventura is 0-2, 6.65 in his last four starts; seven of his last nine went over.

Gallardo is 0-4, 6.26 in his last four starts; under is 3-0-1 in his last four home outings.

Royals won seven of last nine games with Texas; under is 8-2-2 in last dozen series games. KC won four of last six overall; seven of their last nine games went over. Rangers won six of last nine games; six of last seven went over.

Red Sox @ A's
Miley is 0-3, 8.22 in his last three starts; three of his last four stayed under.

Gray is 3-0, 1.30 in his last four starts; over is 5-1-1 in his last seven.

Boston lost eight of last 11 games, with under 8-3-1 in their last 12. Red Sox lost five of last seven games with Oakland- nine of last 12 series tilts stayed under total. A's lost ten of last 14 games; 13 of their last 16 went over.

Interleague
Cardinals @ Indians
Lackey is 1-1, 2.18 in his last three starts; four of his last five went under.

Indians are 0-7 in Kluber starts (0-4, 8.61 in last four); his last three starts all went over the total.

St Louis is 11-3 overall in last 14 games, but lost three of last five on road; five of last six away games went over. Indians lost four of their last five games- their last ten games went over the total. Cardinals lost three of last five games with Cleveland, with five of last six staying under total, but teams haven't met since '12.

Giants @ Astros
Hudson is 1-3, 5.35 in his last five starts; six of his last eight stayed under.

Oberholtzer is making first '15 start; he was 1-5, 6.15 in his last six '14 starts; he allowed seven runs in eight IP in AAA this season (blister problems)

Houston is 3-6 in its last nine games; five of their last eight stayed under. Astros lost nine of last ten games with Giants; over is 7-4 in last 11- teams haven't met since '12. SF won three of last four games; four of their last six games went over the total.

White Sox @ Brewers
Quintana has a 2.37 RA but no wins in his last three starts; Chicago scored five runs in his last four starts (under is 4-1 in his last five).

Nelson is 0-2, 7.88 in his last three starts; over is 4-3 in his last seven.

White Sox won five of last eight games overall. Brewers won seven of last 11 games with six of last eight going over the total. White Sox won five of last seven games with Milwaukee, but teams hadn't met since '12.

Rockies @ Angels
Lyles is 1-3, 5.84 in his last four starts; over is 5-3 in his last eight.

Santiago is 2-1, 2.43 in his last five starts; four of the five went over.

Colorado lost its last ten games; three of its last four stayed under the total. Rockies lost eight of last nine games with Angels- three of last five went over the total. Angels won five of last seven games; seven of their last nine stayed under the total.

Padres @ Mariners
Shields has a 6.14 RA but no losses in his last five starts; six of his seven starts went over the total.

Walker is 1-3, 8.78 in his six starts this season.

Seattle won its last four games, scoring 26 runs; over is 2-0-1 in their last three games. San Diego lost seven of last ten road games; five of their last six went over. Mariners won four of last six games with San Diego; under is 5-2-1 in last eight series games.

Win-loss records this year for team with this starting pitcher:
Pitt-Phil-- Liriano 1-5; Hamels 3-4
Atl-Cin-- Stults 2-4; Iglesias 0-1
NY-Chi-- Harvey 5-1; Hammel 3-3
Wash-Az-- GGonzalez 4-2; Hellickson 1-5
Mia-LA-- Cosart 1-5; Frias 2-0

Minn-Det-- Nolasco 2-1; Lobstein 3-2
Tor-Balt-- Sanchez 3-3; MGonzalez 3-3
NY-TB-- Warren 5-1; Karns 3-4
KC-Tex-- Ventura 3-3; Gallardo 2-5
Bos-A's-- Miley 2-4; Gray 4-3

StL-Clev-- Lackey 4-2; Kluber 0-7
SF-Hst-- Hudson 3-3; Oberholtzer 0-0
CWS-Mil-- Quintana 2-4; Nelson 2-4
Col-LAA-- Lyles 2-4; Santiago 2-4
SD-Sea-- Shields 4-3; Walker 2-4

Times this starting pitcher allowed a run in first inning:
Pitt-Phil-- Liriano 1-6; Hamels 2-7
Atl-Cin-- Stults 0-6; Iglesias 0-1
NY-Chi-- Harvey 2-6; Hammel 1-6
Wash-Az-- GGonzalez 1-6; Hellickson 4-6
Mia-LA-- Cosart 0-6; Frias 1-2

Minn-Det-- Nolasco 0-3; Lobstein 3-5
Tor-Balt-- Sanchez 3-6; MGonzalez 2-6
NY-TB-- Warren 1-6; Karns 1-7
KC-Tex-- Ventura 1-6; Gallardo 3-7
Bos-A's-- Miley 2-4; Gray 1-7

StL-Clev-- Lackey 1-6; Kluber 4-7
SF-Hst-- Hudson 1-6; Oberholtzer 0-0
CWS-Mil-- Quintana 3-6; Nelson 2-6
Col-LAA-- Lyles 1-6; Santiago 1-6
SD-Sea-- Shields 2-5; Walker 2-6

Umpires
Wsh-Atl-- Four of five Drake games stayed under.
Pitt-Phil-- Over is 9-3-2 in last fourteen Basner games.
Atl-Cin-- Underdogs, under are 4-2 in Blaser games.
NY-Chi-- Last four Emmel games went over the total.
Mia-LA-- Three of four Rackley games stayed under.

Min-Det-- Four of six Guccione games stayed under.
Tor-Balt-- Underdogs won last four Hallion games.
NY-TB-- Four of last five Iassogna games stayed under.
KC-Tex-- Over is 3-1-1 in last five TBarrett games.
Bos-A's-- Over is 3-0-1 in last four Kulpa games.

StL-Cle-- Over is 4-0-1 in last five Everitt games.
SF-Hst-- Three of last four Joyce games went over.
Chi-Mil-- 14 of last 18 Ripperger games stayed under.
Col-LAA-- Over is 4-2-2 in last eight Cuzzi games.
SD-Sea-- Four of six Foster games went over total.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Wednesday, May 13

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Trend Report
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3:35 PM
BOSTON vs. OAKLAND
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Boston's last 12 games when playing Oakland
Boston is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Oakland
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Oakland's last 9 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Oakland's last 12 games when playing Boston

3:40 PM
WASHINGTON vs. ARIZONA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games when playing Arizona
Washington is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Arizona
Arizona is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Washington
Arizona is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Washington

6:10 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. CLEVELAND
The total has gone OVER in 5 of St. Louis's last 6 games on the road
St. Louis is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Cleveland is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cleveland's last 5 games

7:05 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. PHILADELPHIA
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Pittsburgh is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing Pittsburgh
Philadelphia is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh

7:05 PM
TORONTO vs. BALTIMORE
Toronto is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games on the road
Toronto is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baltimore's last 6 games when playing Toronto
Baltimore is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Toronto

7:08 PM
MINNESOTA vs. DETROIT
Minnesota is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
Minnesota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Detroit is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games at home

7:10 PM
NY YANKEES vs. TAMPA BAY
NY Yankees are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
NY Yankees are 11-4 SU in their last 15 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing NY Yankees
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing at home against NY Yankees

7:10 PM
ATLANTA vs. CINCINNATI
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing Cincinnati
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cincinnati's last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Cincinnati is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games

7:50 PM
MIAMI vs. LA DODGERS
Miami is 1-6 SU in their last 7 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Miami's last 18 games on the road
LA Dodgers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Dodgers's last 5 games when playing at home against Miami

8:05 PM
NY METS vs. CHI CUBS
NY Mets are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of NY Mets's last 10 games
Chi Cubs are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing NY Mets
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games when playing NY Mets

8:05 PM
KANSAS CITY vs. TEXAS
Kansas City is 7-14 SU in its last 21 games when playing on the road against Texas
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Kansas City's last 14 games when playing Texas
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Texas's last 14 games when playing Kansas City
Texas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Kansas City

8:10 PM
CHI WHITE SOX vs. MILWAUKEE
Chi White Sox are 1-7 SU in their last 8 games on the road
Chi White Sox are 11-3 SU in their last 14 games when playing Milwaukee
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Milwaukee's last 8 games
Milwaukee is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games at home

8:10 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. HOUSTON
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco's last 6 games
San Francisco is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
Houston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Francisco
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games when playing at home against San Francisco

10:05 PM
COLORADO vs. LA ANGELS
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Colorado's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 6 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Angels's last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Angels's last 6 games

10:10 PM
SAN DIEGO vs. SEATTLE
San Diego is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
San Diego is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Seattle is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Diego
Seattle is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Diego

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Wednesday, May 13


MLB roundup: Cubs spoil debut of Mets' Syndergaard

CHICAGO -- Highly touted right-hander Noah Syndergaard made his major league debut but the New York Mets were handed a 6-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.

Syndergaard (0-1) allowed three runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He worked out of jams in the third and fifth but allowed an RBI double to Starlin Castro and a two-run home run to Chris Coghlan in the sixth.

Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta pitched a season-high eight innings and allowed one run and three hits. He struck out 10 and walked two.

Chicago rookie third baseman Kris Bryant went 3-for-4, including his second home run in as many nights.

Tigers 2, Twins 1 (10 innings)

DETROIT -- Ian Kinsler slapped an opposite field single to bring home Anthony Gose in the 10th inning and Detroit edged Minnesota.

Detroit scored two runs or less for the third straight game but Kinsler collected his fifth career walk-off hit and second of the season.

A sacrifice fly by Torii Hunter accounted for the only Minnesota run as the Twins lost for only the third time in the last 12 games.

Blue Jays 10, Orioles 2

BALTIMORE -- Mark Buehrle beat Baltimore for the fifth straight time and Edwin Encarnacion homered twice in a comfortable win for Toronto.

Buehrle allowed two runs and four hits in six innings while Josh Donaldson also got his team-leading eighth home run for the Blue Jays, who have scored 10 or more runs in four of eight games against Baltimore this season.

Baltimore's Chris Tillman lost his third straight start against Toronto, allowing five runs and nine hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Rays 4, Yankees 2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Tampa Bay scored two runs in the seventh inning and two runs in the eighth and rallied for their second win in eight meetings with the New York Yankees this season.

Tampa Bay tied it on a two-run single by David DeJesus. The Rays took the lead on a sacrifice fly by Evan Longoria and a wild pitch by Dellin Betances.

Chris Archer did not get a decision for Tampa Bay as he allowed two runs and seven hits in seven innings. Nathan Eovaldi was charged with four runs and allowed six hits in 7 1/3 innings in his first loss with the Yankees.

Pirates 7, Phillies 2

PHILADELPHIA -- A.J. Burnett celebrated the 12th anniversary of his no-hitter by pitching seven strong innings for Pittsburgh in a win over Philadelphia.

Now 38 and in his 17th season, Burnett scattered six hits and allowed two runs (one earned). He struck out five and walked one -- eight fewer than his no-hitter for the Florida Marlins in San Diego.

Josh Harrison hit a three-run homer and Andrew McCutchen added a two-run shot for the Pirates, who won their fourth straight and their fifth in six games

Cardinals 8, Indians 3

CLEVELAND -- Matt Holliday hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning and St. Louis scored all its runs in a win over Cleveland with two outs.

Mark Reynolds collected three hits for St. Louis, which improved the best record in the major leagues to 23-9. The Cardinals are off to their best 32-game start since the 1941 team had the same mark.

Lance Lynn allowed four hits in six scoreless innings. He struck out nine and walked four.

Reds 4, Braves 3

CINCINNATI -- Devin Mesoraco came through with a pinch-hit double in the bottom of the ninth inning and Cincinnati edged Atlanta.

Todd Frazier hit his sixth home run in his last 13 games for the Reds, moving into a tie with Washington's Bryce Harper for the league lead.

Mesoraco's hit came off Braves closer Jason Grilli, who had missed three games with back spasms.

White Sox 4, Brewers 2

MILWAUKEE -- Chris Sale struck out 11 in eight innings and the Chicago White Sox rallied late to get past Milwaukee.

In his return from a five-game suspension, Sale (3-1) allowed two runs and three hits.

Jose Abreu reached three times and had an RBI single. Alexei Ramirez, Tyler Flowers and Micah Johnson drove in the other runs for Chicago.

Giants 8, Astros 1

HOUSTON -- Chris Heston tossed a two-hitter for his first complete game and San Francisco rolled past Houston.

Heston struck out and retired the final 22 hitters after allowing a home run to Houston's Jason Castro with two outs in the second inning. Matt Duffy had three hits and five RBIs for the Giants, who scored more than six runs for the first time this season.

Houston lost for the sixth time in eight games after winning 10 in a row. Collin McHugh allowed seven runs (four earned) and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings for his first loss in 15 starts, a streak that dated back to Aug. 12.

A's 9, Red Sox 2

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Stephen Vogt, Josh Reddick and Marcus Semien each homered, powering Oakland past Boston.

Drew Pomeranz allowed two runs on four hits over seven innings for the A's, who snapped their season-high, six-game losing streak. Pomeranz ended his three-game skid and won for the first time since his first start of the season on April 10. He struck out three and walked none.

Vogt hit his team-high ninth home run of the season, a two-run shot in the first inning. He scored twice and drove in two runs, giving him an American League leading 30 RBIs for the season. Vogt matched his career high for homers in a season. Reddick went 4-for-5.

Royals 7, Rangers 6

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Alex Gordon drove the first pitch of the 10th inning into the seats just inside the right-field foul pole, giving Kansas City a wild victory over Texas at Globe Life Park.

The American League Central-leading Royals led on three other occasions, only to watch the Rangers come back to tie before the final blow. Kansas City previously went in front in the top of the ninth.

Gordon finished 3-for-5 as the Royals racked up 12 hits off six Texas pitchers. The winning blast came off reliever Stolmy Pimentel (0-1).

Diamondbacks 14, Nationals 6

PHOENIX -- Mark Trumbo hit two home runs and drove in four runs, and Aaron Hill had three hits and two RBIs in Arizona's victory over Washington.

Trumbo hit a three-run homer to cap a five-run fourth inning off right-hander Stephen Strasburg and added a bases-empty homer in the sixth. Hill had a two-run double in the first inning as the Diamondbacks had a season high in runs while winning for the second time in three games.

Strasburg gave up a career-high eight runs in 3 1/3 innings.

Angels 5, Rockies 2

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Johnny Giavotella's one-out RBI single in the eighth inning scored Albert Pujols from second base, snapping a 2-2 tie and leading Los Angeles past Colorado.

Matt Joyce, in a season-long slump, followed Giavotella's hit with a two-run double to provide closer Huston Street (11th save) a cushion for the ninth inning.

The Rockies lost their 10th game in a row, their longest skid since they dropped 10 straight during the 2005 season. The franchise record is 13, set in the club's inaugural season of 1993.

Dodgers 11, Marlins 1

LOS ANGELES -- Howie Kendrick and Andre Ethier homered, and Los Angeles pounded Miami before 49,628 at Dodger Stadium.

Adrian Gonzalez stroked an RBI double in the sixth to extend his hitting streak to 11 games as the Dodgers (22-10) won their fifth in a row and improved to 15-2 at home. Ethier had a career-tying five-hit performance, going 5-for-5 with three RBIs. Kendrick went 4-for-5 as Los Angeles hammered out a season-high 21 hits.

Right-hander Mike Bolsinger (1-0), recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City earlier Tuesday, allowed a run on five hits in 5 2/3 innings with three strikeouts and two walks. One of the five hits, though, was a mammoth home run served up to Giancarlo Stanton in the first inning.

Mariners 11, Padres 4

SEATTLE -- Thanks to a big first inning and a season-high six home runs, Seattle rode to its fourth consecutive win, beating San Diego.

Seattle returned from an off day to extend its longest winning streak of the season in convincing fashion. The seven-run victory was the Mariners' largest of the season, while the six home runs matched the most Seattle ever hit in a game played at Safeco Field.

Mike Zunino homered twice, while Kyle Seager, Logan Morrison, Justin Ruggiano and Nelson Cruz also homered during the Mariners' most productive offensive night of the season. The last time Seattle hit six home runs in a home game was in August 2004.

[StarDust Bum]

See spot. See spot bet: This week's best spot bet opportunities

Letdown spot

Hopes are high in Big D this season. The Cowboys scored a bumper crop of talented – yet controversial – players in the draft (and after it) and are coming off a 2014 campaign in which they were one tough call away from the NFC Championship Game. Dallas gets put to the test in Weeks 8 and 9, hosting the Seattle Seahawks in a massive revenge game for Seattle and the Philadelphia Eagles and former RB DeMarco Murray in consecutive weeks.

Following that grueling stretch of sked, the Cowboys go to the Gulf Coast for a meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and new QB Jameis Winston. The Bucs appear set for leaps and bounds in Year 2 under Lovie Smith and are getting just 4.5-point from oddsmakers for this Week 10 matchup – a line that stinks of letdown for Dallas.

Schedule spot

The Toronto Blue Jays have a hectic schedule on the go, playing three games in Baltimore this week before flying from the East Coast to Houston for four games starting Thursday. Toronto wraps in Baltimore Wednesday following a 7:05 p.m. ET first pitch and must fly overnight and be on the field at Minute Maid Park for an 8:10 p.m. ET start time Thursday.

The Jays are bad enough away from home without having to jump a red-eye across most of the continent. Toronto is 3-8 in its last 11 road games heading into Tuesday’s Game 2 with the Orioles, and hitting .243 BA with a MLB-high 152 strikeouts away from the Rogers Centre. The Jays went 1-3 in their last four-game trip to Houston, getting outscored 17-4 in those losses.

Lookahead spot

The Los Angeles Angels make their first real road trip this week when they head out on a 10-game trek that has them in Baltimore Friday, then Toronto and eventually Boston – a trip that finishes on May 24. The Halos have been on the road plenty this season, going 7-8 as visitors, but haven’t ventured too far from home.

The Angels have stayed within their division - at Seattle, Texas, Houston and Oakland - and played an interleague set against the San Francisco Giants. With this cross-country hike on deck, we are wary of a possible lookahead to this trip as Los Angeles’ players ready their off-field affairs ahead of Wednesday’s series finale at home against the Colorado Rockies. The Halos haven’t been great on getaway days this season, losing both home stands before hitting the highway the following game.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Wednesday, May 13


Good chance of thunderstorms in Texas Wednesday

According to weather forecasts, there is a 100 percent chance of thunderstorms in Arlington leading up to game time as the Texas Rangers host the Kansas City Royals Wednesday.

The probability of thunderstorms will decrease to 92 just prior to first pitch and the 82 percent in the early stages of the game.


MLB faves, over, cash for bettors Tuesday night

Favorites and the over both cashed for bettors in Major League Baseball action Tuesday night.

Favorites went 11-4 straight up, cashing 73.33 percent of the time. They are cashing 55.90 percent of the time on the season.

Meanwhile, the over went 9-5. The over has been the better bet so far this season, going 253-210, good for a 54.64 success rate.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

Wednesday, May 13


NY Mets @ Chicago Cubs

Game 959-960
May 13, 2015 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Mets
(Harvey) 17.157
Chicago Cubs
(Hammel) 15.687
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Mets
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NY Mets
-120
No Run Total
Dunkel Pick:
NY Mets
(-120); N/A

Boston @ Oakland

Game 961-962
May 13, 2015 @ 3:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
(Miley) 13.036
Oakland
(Gray) 15.244
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Oakland
by 2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Oakland
-155
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Oakland
(-155); Under

Toronto @ Baltimore

Game 963-964
May 13, 2015 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
(Sanchez) 16.309
Baltimore
(Gonzalez) 15.159
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 1
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Baltimore
-125
8 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(+105); Over

Minnesota @ Detroit

Game 965-966
May 13, 2015 @ 7:08 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
(Nolasco) 16.476
Detroit
(Lobstein) 15.337
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 1
10
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Detroit
-150
9
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
(+130); Over

NY Yankees @ Tampa Bay

Game 967-968
May 13, 2015 @ 7:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Yankees
(Warren) 17.676
Tampa Bay
(Karns) 16.480
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Yankees
by 1
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Tampa Bay
-115
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
NY Yankees
(-105); Over

Kansas City @ Texas

Game 969-970
May 13, 2015 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Kansas City
(Ventura) 15.218
Texas
(Gallardo) 16.309
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Texas
by 1
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Kansas City
-125
8 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Texas
(+105); Over

St. Louis @ Cleveland

Game 971-972
May 13, 2015 @ 6:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
(Lackey) 13.660
Cleveland
(Kluber) 18.965
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland
by 5 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland
-125
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland
(-125); Under

Washington @ Arizona

Game 951-952
May 13, 2015 @ 3:40 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
(Gonzalez) 17.263
Arizona
(Hellickson) 15.325
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-145
9
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-145); Under

San Francisco @ Houston

Game 973-974
May 13, 2015 @ 8:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Francisco
(Hudson) 12.903
Houston
(Obrhltzer) 16.473
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Houston
by 3 1/2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Houston
-120
8 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Houston
(-120); Under

Pittsburgh @ Philadelphia

Game 953-954
May 13, 2015 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
(Liriano) 15.347
Philadelphia
(Hamels) 13.760
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Pittsburgh
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-125
7
Dunkel Pick:
Pittsburgh
(-125); Under

Chicago White Sox @ Milwaukee

Game 975-976
May 13, 2015 @ 8:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago White Sox
(Quintana) 13.859
Milwaukee
(Nelson) 16.135
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Milwaukee
by 2 1/2
9 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Milwaukee
-120
8
Dunkel Pick:
Milwaukee
(-120); Over

Atlanta @ Cincinnati

Game 955-956
May 13, 2015 @ 7:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta
(Stults) 15.626
Cincinnati
(Iglesias) 14.709
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Atlanta
by 1
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cincinnati
-145
8
Dunkel Pick:
Atlanta
(+125); Over

Colorado @ LA Angels

Game 977-978
May 13, 2015 @ 10:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Colorado
(Lyles) 13.318
LA Angels
(Santiago) 14.887
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Angels
by 1 1/2
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Angels
-165
8
Dunkel Pick:
LA Angels
(-165); Over

Miami @ LA Dodgers

Game 957-958
May 13, 2015 @ 7:50 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Miami
(Cosart) 16.749
LA Dodgers
(Frias) 15.669
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Miami
by 1
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Dodgers
-160
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Miami
(+140); Over

San Diego @ Seattle

Game 979-980
May 13, 2015 @ 10:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Diego
(Shields) 17.263
Seattle
(Walker) 16.036
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Diego
by 1
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Seattle
-115
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Diego
(-105); Under