The Bum's Best Bets For Saturday May 17th - MLB - NBA -NHL !

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Preview: Blue Jays (17-20) at Astros (23-13)
Game: 4
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Date: May 17, 2015 2:10 PM EDT

Collin McHugh's winning streak may be over, but the Houston Astros have put together one of their own.

McHugh looks to bounce back from his first loss in 10 months Sunday by helping the Astros complete a four-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays.

McHugh (4-1, 3.50 ERA) went 11-0 with a 2.31 ERA in 16 starts before surrendering seven runs - three earned - and seven hits over 4 2-3 innings in Tuesday's 8-1 loss to San Francisco.

"Not good," McHugh told MLB's official website. "Stuff was pretty bad, pretty below average. You could pretty much tell from the get-go. Command wasn't there and stuff wasn't there. Pretty bad combination."

The right-hander is in a familiar position, however, as his previous unbeaten run started at home against Toronto (17-21) on Aug. 1. He allowed one run in 6 1-3 innings before leaving without a decision in a 3-1 victory in his only career meeting with the Blue Jays.

The Astros (24-13) are in position for their best 38-game start to a season since 1998 after running their winning streak to four with Saturday's 6-5 victory.

Houston has nine homers and 24 runs during the streak. Chris Carter hit a three-run shot, Evan Gattis added a two-run blast and Marwin Gonzalez had a solo homer on Saturday.

Carter is 7 for 21 with two homers, two doubles and eight RBIs during the Astros' six-game winning streak - all at home - over Toronto, but he's hitting .158 on the season.

"I feel I've been swinging a lot better now." Carter said. "I think things are about to turn around for me."

The Blue Jays have dropped 12 of 16 on the road, including four straight while being outscored 26-14 and batting .197.

'We haven't been playing great baseball,' manager John Gibbons said. 'And this has been a tough place for us, for whatever reason."

Edwin Encarnacion should be back in the lineup after getting a day off Saturday and hitting a two-run, pinch-hit homer in the ninth. The first baseman has homered on all four of his hits in 16 at_bats over the past five games, plating six runs.

He's done exactly the same (4 for 16 with four homers) in his last six at Minute Maid Park.

Mark Buehrle (5-2, 5.54) will try to prevent Toronto from a fifth straight loss. Since allowing eight runs in a loss at Cleveland on May 1, the left-hander is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in his past two starts. He limited Baltimore to two runs and four hits over six innings in a 10-2 win Tuesday in Toronto's latest road victory.

He hasn't gone beyond that point in any of his seven starts after reaching at least the seventh 20 times last year.

"I wish I went deeper, but I might be getting to that point of my career where getting five, six, seven innings, see where my pitch count is at, and see if I'm getting into trouble late in the game, and if I'm cruising, I can go back out there for another one," Buehrle told MLB's official website.

He has a 0.89 ERA while winning all four of his regular-season starts against the Astros, going eight innings in his only start at Houston on Aug. 25, 2013.

The Jays may be without rookie second baseman Devon Travis, who exited Saturday with left shoulder irritation after striking out in the seventh.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Blue Jays at Astros
Thu, May 14 Final 4 to 6
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Blue Jays at Astros
Fri, May 15 Final 4 to 8
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Blue Jays at Astros
Sat, May 16 Final 5 to 6
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 4
Blue Jays at Astros
Sun, May 17 - 2:10PM EDT

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Preview: Pirates (17-19) at Cubs (20-15)
Game: 3
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: May 17, 2015 2:20 PM EDT

Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo are making things difficult on opposing pitchers, helping the surprising Chicago Cubs stand on the verge of completing an outstanding stretch at Wrigley Field.

Pittsburgh's A.J. Burnett is frustrating hitters, but the Pirates aren't taking advantage.

The young sluggers try to stay hot as the Cubs go for a sweep of their homestand Sunday, while Burnett looks to extend one of the best starts in team history.

Bryant and Rizzo went a combined 4 for 5 while reaching base six times in Saturday's 4-1 victory as Chicago extended its winning streak to six - its longest since a seven-game run from July 31-Aug. 6, 2011.

Bryant has gone 9 for 20 with three home runs and eight RBIs over the first six games of this homestand, while Rizzo is batting .412 with three homers and eight RBIs during a nine-game hitting streak.

The Cubs (21-15) haven't swept a homestand of at least seven games since going 7-0 from May 26-June 1, 2008. They also haven't been seven games over .500 since they were 82-75 on Sept. 30, 2009.

"We're pitching pretty well. Obviously, our offense has done some pretty good things and we're playing good defense," Bryant said. "We're having a lot of fun with this and hopefully, we can keep it going."

Chicago looks to get past another tough test facing Burnett (2-1, 1.60 ERA), who will try to set a franchise record by opening a season with an eighth straight start with two runs or fewer allowed.

The right-hander joined Bob Walk (1988) as the only Pittsburgh starters to do it over seven outings Tuesday when he gave up one earned run over seven innings in a 7-2 win at Philadelphia. Despite his dominance, the Pirates have only won three of Burnett's starts.

Burnett did not get a decision in his only outing against the Cubs on April 20, yielding one run over six innings in a 5-2 home loss. He's 1-4 with a 3.50 ERA in his last seven starts versus Chicago.

Starlin Castro has fared well versus Burnett, batting .469 (15 for 32) - his best average for any of the 30 pitchers he's faced at least 20 times. Miguel Montero is 4 for 7 off Burnett, while Rizzo has gone 6 for 23 with two home runs. Rizzo is also batting .429 and Bryant is at .375 in nine games versus Pittsburgh this season.

"When teams like that get hot, they can be pretty tough to beat," Pittsburgh second baseman Neil Walker said.

Jake Arrieta (4-3, 3.00) appears to stand a good chance at sending the Pirates (17-20) to a season high-tying fifth straight defeat since he's 4-0 with a 2.70 ERA in five career meetings. The right-hander also opposed Burnett last month, allowing one run over seven innings to earn the win.

After giving up nine runs and 16 hits over 10 1-3 innings in losing his previous two starts, he allowed one run and three hits with a season-high 10 strikeouts in Tuesday's 6-1 win over the New York Mets.

Walker, Pedro Alvarez and Josh Harrison are a combined 3 for 32 when facing Arrieta, though Andrew McCutchen is 6 for 14 with two doubles. Harrison has been a bright spot of late, going 9 for 15 in his last three games.

The Pirates matched a season high run total in Friday's 11-10, 12-inning loss, but struggled while going 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position and leaving 10 men on base Saturday.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Pirates at Cubs
Fri, May 15 Final 10 to 11
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Pirates at Cubs
Sat, May 16 Final 1 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Pirates at Cubs
Sun, May 17 - 2:20PM EDT

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Preview: Indians (13-21) at Rangers (15-21)
Game: 3
Venue: Globe Life Park in Arlington
Date: May 17, 2015 3:05 PM EDT

The majors' top hitter in May, Jason Kipnis continues to help the Cleveland Indians have their way with the Texas Rangers.

While the second baseman looks to stay hot, the visiting Indians try to complete a series sweep with their ninth consecutive victory over the Rangers on Sunday.

One night after recording four hits in an 8-3 series-opening victory, Kipnis added three more, highlighted by a tiebreaking two-run homer in the ninth inning of Saturday's 10-8 win. It's the first time since taking their season-opening set at Houston that the Indians (14-21) have won two in a row or won a series.

"We'll take wins anywhere we can get them," manager Terry Francona told MLB's official website.

A winner in 13 of the last 14 versus Texas (15-22), Cleveland is averaging 8.0 runs and batting .324 during an eight-game winning streak that's its longest against the Rangers franchise.

Kipnis, meanwhile, is batting .517 (31 for 60) with an on-base percentage of .586 and has three homers with nine RBIs in 14 games this month. He's 20 for 35 while hitting safely in eight straight contests, and is batting .435 during a 10-game hitting streak at Texas.

'Everything's just going right for me,' said Kipnis, who is batting .425 since moving to the leadoff spot April 26. 'I know it's not going to last. I'm not going to keep this up the whole season. Right now I've got my approach where I want it. I'm balanced, and I'm seeing the ball well. So, I'm trying to ride it out as long as I can.'

He went 1 for 2 last season against Nick Martinez (2-0, 1.88 ERA), who yielded eight runs in two innings of a 17-7 home loss to the Indians on June 9.

The right-hander allowed one earned run while recording both wins over four April starts but has a 4.23 ERA in his three this month. He gave up four runs, including his first homer of 2015, over 6 1-3 innings of a 7-6, 10-inning loss to Kansas City on Tuesday - the Rangers' only defeat with him on the mound.

"You gotta find a way to keep fighting and do your best, try to go deep in the game and hopefully have the best chances," he told MLB's official website.

Martinez will be opposed by Carlos Carrasco (4-3, 4.84), who has split his last four starts despite a 6.00 ERA. His attempt to win three straight ended after he struck out seven without a walk but gave up four runs and 10 hits in 6 2-3 innings of an 8-3 loss to St. Louis on Tuesday.

"I think (Carrasco) pitched better than the line showed," Francona said.

The right-hander allowed one run in one inning each of two relief outings against the Rangers last season but has not faced them as a starter since 2011.

Ex-Indian Shin-soo Choo had three hits, including one of three home runs Saturday for Texas, which has dropped three in a row.

After going 5 for 52 with one home run, five RBIs and 15 strikeouts in 16 games last month, Choo is hitting .362 with five homers and 12 RBIs in as many May contests. However, he's fanned 21 times this month.

He had been 1 for 30 in his previous seven games against Cleveland before Saturday.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Indians at Rangers
Fri, May 15 Final 8 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Indians at Rangers
Sat, May 16 Final 10 to 8
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Indians at Rangers
Sun, May 17 - 3:05PM EDT

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Preview: White Sox (15-17) at Athletics (13-24)
Game: 3
Venue: O.co Coliseum
Date: May 17, 2015 4:05 PM EDT

The Chicago White Sox immediately appeared to have upgraded their starting rotation by acquiring Jeff Samardzija from the Oakland Athletics in December.

It didn't look that way early, but there have been signs of improvement. Samardzija, though, still hasn't solved his road woes.

The right-hander will face his former team for the first time Sunday, and ex-teammate Scott Kazmir will try to spoil that return by continuing his success at home.

Oakland got Samardzija in July from the Chicago Cubs for its playoff push and he was expected to start the division series opener. The A's, though, lost the wild card game in Kansas City then dealt him to the White Sox with a minor leaguer for four players, most notably Marcus Semien, who is batting .309 with six homers and 15 RBIs.

"It's good to be back here. (Oakland has) great fans," Samardzija said. "You always know the A's are going to play hard so it's a good series."

Despite the addition of Samardzija, the White Sox's rotation has a 4.93 ERA after being at 4.26 in 2014. Chicago's starters, though, have posted a 3.60 ERA during a 6-1 stretch. John Danks gave up two runs in seven innings in a 4-3 victory Saturday, the team's season-high fourth in a row.

Samardzija (2-2, 4.80 ERA) will try to lead the White Sox to their first five-game win streak since a six-game run in August 2013. Chicago (16-17) is also trying to reach .500 for the first time since it was 33-33 on June 11.

Samardzija, however, is 0-2 with a 6.48 ERA in four starts away from home.

In his return from a five-game suspension Monday, Samardzija gave up seven runs in six innings in a 10-7 loss in Milwaukee, and has allowed 15 runs in 11 innings in his past two road games. He's 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA in three home starts.

The White Sox haven't swept a three-game series in Oakland since 1997.

Kazmir (2-1, 2.78) has a 0.90 ERA in three starts in Oakland this year. The left-hander gave up two runs in six innings in Monday's 5-4, 11-inning home loss to Boston.

Kazmir is 0-5 with a 7.04 ERA in seven starts against the White Sox since beating them in Game 2 of the 2008 division series while with Tampa Bay. He yielded one run in eight innings in a 1-0 loss Sept. 11 in his lone matchup last season.

The A's (13-25) will also attempt to avoid a 14th consecutive game with at least one error, which would be their longest streak since a 17-game run in May 1982. Fernando Rodriguez's miscue with two outs in the seventh inning Saturday allowed the White Sox to score two key runs on a Melky Cabrera single and a Jose Abreu double.

"It's typically a play or two late in the game," manager Bob Melvin said. 'Tonight it's two outs, no one on, a bunt to the pitcher and all we have to do is throw to first. We throw it away and the inning gets away from us."

Cabrera went 3 for 5 on Saturday after going 2 for 20 in his prior five games. He's 10 for 28 against Kazmir but has one hit in his last six at_bats. Jose Abreu, batting .349 in an 11-game hit streak, is 1 for 3.

Ike Davis is 4 for 9 with two homers against Samardzija.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
White Sox at Athletics
Fri, May 15 Final 7 to 6
Boxscores

GAME 2
White Sox at Athletics
Sat, May 16 Final 4 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
White Sox at Athletics
Sun, May 17 - 4:05PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Red Sox (17-19) at Mariners (16-19)
Game: 4
Venue: Safeco Field
Date: May 17, 2015 4:10 PM EDT

The Boston Red Sox have managed to turn things around after beginning a 10-game trip mired in their roughest stretch of the season.

They can complete a winning trek by taking three of four from the offensively challenged Seattle Mariners on Sunday.

David Ortiz and Pablo Sandoval each homered off Felix Hernandez on Saturday, as Boston (18-19) scored all its runs in six innings off the Seattle ace for a 4-2 victory. The Red Sox have won five of seven since opening this trip with two straight losses to conclude a 1-7 stretch.

Though Saturday marked the first time in five games Boston scored more than two runs, it's allowed five while winning three of the last four.

'Giving the way things have been going, four runs is a little bit of an outburst for us,' Red Sox manager John Farrell said.

Farrell should be pleased with a starting rotation that has posted a 1.30 ERA in those four contests.

'We're throwing the ball the way we should be,' said Rick Porcello, who earned Saturday's win after yielding two runs in 6 2-3 innings. 'That's the bottom line, and we've got to continue to do that.'

The Mariners (16-20), meanwhile, have scored seven runs, batted .198, struck out 36 times and gone 2 for 22 with runners in scoring position while losing three of four since averaging 6.5 runs during a four-game winning streak.

Now, Seattle must deal with knuckleballer Steven Wright (1-0, 4.22 ERA), who makes his third career start while replacing the injured Justin Masterson.

In two relief appearances this season, the right-hander has allowed five runs, 12 hits and six walks over 10 2-3 innings. In two spot starts for Boston over the past two seasons, Wright is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA.

"My job is to throw quality pitches," he said. "I'm just going to do whatever I can to help this team win on Sunday, and after that, it's whatever they want me to do."

Wright yielded five hits over 8 2-3 scoreless innings in two relief outings against the Mariners in 2013.

He'll be opposed by James Paxton (1-2, 4.31), who has not allowed a run in 12 straight innings.

Since giving up 12 runs and 16 hits over nine innings while not factoring in the decision of his second and third starts of 2015, the left-hander is 1-1 with a 1.82 ERA in the last four. Despite five walks, he allowed three hits over six scoreless innings in Tuesday's 11-4 rout of San Diego.

"It's not how you'd draw it up, but zeroes and we got the win," Paxton told MLB's official website. "Obviously, I don't want to walk five guys. I was a little bit all over the place. I want to clean that up. ... I just need to bring that into the zone."

This will be his first appearance against Boston and Ortiz, who is batting .444 with four home runs and nine RBIs in his last 10 games at Safeco Field.

Brad Miller, who homered twice Saturday, has been one of Seattle's few recent offensive bright spots while going 8 for 17 with three homers in the last five games.

'Obviously it's pretty cut and dry for me: I'm just hitting,' said Miller, who batted .225 with one home run in his first 29 contests


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Red Sox at Mariners
Thu, May 14 Final 2 to 1
Boxscores

GAME 2
Red Sox at Mariners
Fri, May 15 Final 1 to 2
Boxscores

GAME 3
Red Sox at Mariners
Sat, May 16 Final 4 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 4
Red Sox at Mariners
Sun, May 17 - 4:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Rockies (12-20) at Dodgers (23-12)
Game: 4
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: May 17, 2015 4:10 PM EDT

The Los Angeles Dodgers still own the most home wins in baseball, but they haven't come as frequently lately.

They'll try to avoid losing three of four there to the last-place Colorado Rockies on Sunday.

Los Angeles (23-13) is atop the NL West, thanks in part to hitting .280 with 31 homers and averaging 5.5 runs while going 16-5 at home.

That offense, however, hasn't been as potent in the last four games there, with a .233 average and 15 total runs resulting in three losses.

They were limited to three hits by Jorge De La Rose and two relievers in Saturday's 7-1 defeat, falling to a Colorado (13-20) team that had won once in the previous 13 games.

Adrian Gonzalez should be back in the lineup after getting a day off Saturday. The first baseman is second in the majors with a .356 average and he's 13 for 30 (.433) with 16 RBIs, two homers and eight doubles in his last nine meetings with the Rockies.

Gonzalez has treated scheduled starter Kyle Kendrick rudely, going 7 for 15 with four doubles.

Kendrick (1-4, 7.65 ERA) owns the highest qualifying ERA in the majors by over one run, and he's 1-4 with an 8.40 ERA in six starts at Dodger Stadium.

He was pounded for six runs and seven hits over 4 2-3 innings in a 7-3 loss there April 17, giving up a pair of run-scoring doubles to Gonzalez, while Howie Kendrick had a two-run homer and an RBI double.

The right-hander, though, is coming off one of his best outings of the season, yielding two runs in seven innings before leaving without a decision in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.

"I wanted to establish my sinker and changeup early and work off of that," Kendrick said. "I really wanted to just focus on pitching down, because when I've gotten hit, everything was up."

It's unclear if the Rockies will have shortstop Troy Tulowitzki back after he sat out Saturday with tightness in his left quadriceps. He's 6 for 38 (.158) in his last 10 games in Los Angeles.

His replacement, Daniel Descalso, is 4 for 7 with five RBIs in two games after connecting for a two-run homer Saturday - his first since Aug. 2, 2013, with St. Louis.

"He's a professional player. He's always been on the bench, pulling for everybody and waiting for his opportunity," Carlos Gonzalez said. "It's really nice to see a guy like him take advantage of his opportunity, now that Tulo is a little sore."

The Dodgers are turning to Mike Bolsinger (1-0, 1.59), who earned another turn in the rotation after allowing one run and five hits in 5 2-3 innings of an 11-1 win over Miami on Tuesday, hours after being recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City for what was supposed to be a spot start.

"I just tried to put myself in a good position to stay up here," Bolsinger said. "I didn't have my fastball command that I wanted so I just threw a lot of curveballs and sliders and was able to get some groundouts."

The right-hander gave up four runs and nine hits - including a two-run homer to Tulowitzki - in five innings while not figuring in the decision for Arizona in a 5-4 loss to Colorado on April 29, 2014.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Rockies at Dodgers
Thu, May 14 Final 5 to 4
Boxscores

GAME 2
Rockies at Dodgers
Fri, May 15 Final 4 to 6
Boxscores

GAME 3
Rockies at Dodgers
Sat, May 16 Final 7 to 1
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 4
Rockies at Dodgers
Sun, May 17 - 4:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Nationals (20-17) at Padres (19-18)
Game: 4
Venue: PETCO Park
Date: May 17, 2015 4:10 PM EDT

Perhaps a return to his native San Diego will provide some incentive for Stephen Strasburg to get back on track for the Washington Nationals.

The right-hander can avoid losing a third straight start by winning his fourth in a row against the Padres on Sunday.

Following a May 5 start that Strasburg (2-4, 6.06 ERA) left after three innings because of an issue near his shoulder blade, he was tagged for eight runs and eight hits in 3 1-3 innings of Tuesday's 14-6 loss at Arizona.

Fortunately for Washington (21-17), Strasburg is certain the problems that surfaced in his last outing are related to his mechanics and not his health.

"There are some things I'm working through," he told MLB's official website. "I think in the long run, I'm going to look back on this. I'll think of it as a blessing. I go through times like this. You do your best to stay positive, to be at peace in all situations."

Strasburg has looked quite peaceful while posting a 2.14 ERA during his three-game winning streak against the Padres (19-19). That run began with his only previous start at Petco Park on May 16, 2013, when he gave up one earned run and three hits over eight innings of a 6-2 victory.

"I know the ability and the stuff that I have," he said. "As long as I go out there and execute pitches the way I know I can, I'll be OK."

Naturally, Strasburg is downplaying his return home.

"I try not to worry about that too much," he said. "It doesn't really manner where I'm pitching. ... (Friends and family) are always watching."

Strasburg might have a hard time following up teammate Max Scherzer, who allowed four hits and struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings of a 4-1 victory Saturday. Bryce Harper had two more hits for the Nationals, who have won 14 of 18.

Harper is batting .543 (19 for 35) with an on-base percentage of .636 in 10 games since going 1 for 17 in the first five this month. He's hitting .405 in 12 career games versus San Diego.

The Padres pounded out 13 hits during Thursday's 8-3 series-opening victory but have totaled 12 while scoring once to drop the next two.

Will Venable had one of San Diego's five hits Saturday. He's batting .391 (9 for 23) in his last seven games after going 4 for 30 in his first 19.

Teammate Ian Kennedy (2-2, 5.92) allowed three runs and 10 hits over 13 innings to win his first two starts of May, then gave up four of his five runs on two homers and six other hits over 4 2-3 innings of Tuesday's 11-4 loss at Seattle. The right-hander has yielded seven of the 52 home runs opponents have hit against the Padres.

"It will even out," he said. "It's still early."

Kennedy hasn't allowed a homer in his last four starts against the Nationals, and is 3-1 with a 1.54 ERA while completing seven innings in each of his last five versus Washington.

Wilson Ramos is 1 for 8 with three strikeouts against Kennedy, but is batting .371 with 11 RBIs during an 18-game hitting streak - the longest in the majors this season.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Nationals at Padres
Thu, May 14 Final 3 to 8
Boxscores

GAME 2
Nationals at Padres
Fri, May 15 Final 10 to 0
Boxscores

GAME 3
Nationals at Padres
Sat, May 16 Final 4 to 1
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 4
Nationals at Padres
Sun, May 17 - 4:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Tigers (22-14) at Cardinals (24-11)
Game: 3
Venue: Busch Stadium
Date: May 17, 2015 8:05 PM EDT

With Miguel Cabrera in the midst of a power surge after a milestone home run, the Detroit Tigers can keep enjoying the ride by completing a rare feat at Busch Stadium.

The two-time AL MVP will try to deliver a longball in a fourth straight game Sunday night when the surging Tigers look to become the first road team to sweep a three-game set from the St. Louis Cardinals in 23 months.

Cabrera hit the 400th home run of his career long before Jose Iglesias came through with a 10th-inning, go-ahead single in Saturday's 4-3 victory. Cabrera, whose first-inning solo shot came just before a rain delay of 1 hour, 20 minutes, broke a tie with Andres Galarraga for the most homers by a Venezuelan-born player.

"That means a lot to me," Cabrera said. "But I just want to win and play games."

The NL Central-leading Cardinals (24-12) had been 14-3 at Busch before dropping the first two in this series. They haven't been swept at home in a series of more than two games since June 21-23, 2013, against Texas.

Cabrera will try to help Detroit (23-14) win its fourth in a row after homering four times in the last three. His next homer will move him past Willie Horton into sole possession of fourth on the Tigers' all-time list with 263.

The slugger is 7 for 15 with eight RBIs in the last three games and is batting .400 with seven homers in 18 away from home.

"He's definitely the best hitter in baseball and he's hands down the smartest player," manager Brad Ausmus said.

Cabrera, however, could have a tough time going deep in four straight contests for the first time since Aug. 9-12, 2013. St. Louis starter Lance Lynn (2-3, 3.27 ERA) has surrendered two home runs over 41 1-3 innings through his first seven starts and five in his last 145 innings at Busch.

Lynn has alternated between good and bad over his last five starts. He was on the positive side Tuesday, allowing four hits and striking out nine over six scoreless innings in an 8-3 win at Cleveland.

The right-hander lost his only career start versus Detroit in 2012, yielding five runs over five innings. Cabrera doubled, walked and struck out against him.

Yoenis Cespedes has gone 2 for 3 with a triple off Lynn, but his status is uncertain after he bent his left thumb back on a sliding catch attempt in Saturday's 10th inning.

Alfredo Simon (4-1, 3.05) starts for Detroit after a good bounce-back effort Tuesday, giving up one run with one walk over 7 2-3 innings in a 2-1, 10-inning win over Minnesota. He allowed nine runs and six walks in 9 1-3 innings over his previous two outings.

The right-hander pitched well against the Cardinals last September, allowing four runs over 13 innings in a pair of victories while with Cincinnati.

Kolten Wong (0 for 9), Matt Holliday (3 for 16) and Jhonny Peralta (2 for 11) haven't figured out Simon, but Matt Adams has a home run and two doubles in seven at_bats. Peralta, a former Tiger, has homered in the first two games of this series.

The Cardinals, hurt by some shoddy baserunning Saturday, have lost five of seven and totaled nine runs in the last four while batting .203.

"We've got to turn the page and come for a big Sunday night game," reliever Matt Belisle said.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Tigers at Cardinals
Fri, May 15 Final 10 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Tigers at Cardinals
Sat, May 16 Final 4 to 3
Boxscores

GAME 3
Tigers at Cardinals
Sun, May 17 - 8:05PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Game 7 - Clippers at Rockets

May 16, 2015

Through two rounds of the NBA playoffs, only two series have been pushed to the limit. The Clippers held off the Spurs in Game 7 of the opening round in probably the most exciting game so far in the postseason, as Los Angeles has been pushed to the brink once again in the conference semifinals against Houston for Sunday’s Game 7 at the Toyota Center.

Los Angeles looked to be in cruise control after grabbing a 3-1 series lead with a pair of blowouts at Staples Center. The Rockets rebounded in Game 5 as a short home underdog, 124-103, but the biggest stunner came in the next potential elimination spot in Game 6.

The Clippers led by just two points at the half in Thursday’s Game 6, but opened up an 89-70 cushion with 2:30 minutes remaining in the third quarter. From there, the wheels fell off the wagon for Doc Rivers’ club, as the Rockets outscored the Clippers, 49-18 the rest of the way, including a 40-15 advantage in the fourth quarter. The most stunning part about his comeback for Houston was James Harden sitting out nearly the entire final quarter, as the Rockets turned to their bench to save their season.

Corey Brewer scored 17 points in the final 12 points, while Josh Smith contributed 14 during this rally, including a trio of three-pointers for Houston. The duo of Clippers’ All-Stars, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin did their job by combining for 59 points, but the role players couldn’t duplicate Houston’s production. J.J. Redick (4-of-13), Jamal Crawford (4-of-13) and Matt Barnes (4-of-12) struggled from the floor, while Rockets’ head coach Kevin McHale went away from Hack-A-Jordan, as DeAndre Jordan attempted just six free throws in Game 6.

The Clippers are favored at Houston for the second time in the series, while laying points on the road for only the second time in the postseason. Since the 2012 playoffs, the Clippers have won all three Game 7’s, including at Memphis as 7 ½-point underdogs back in 2012. Los Angeles failed to cover in each of its last two Game 7’s as a favorite against Golden State in the opening round last season and San Antonio in this season’s quarterfinals.

The Rockets own a 5-1 SU and 3-3 ATS mark at the Toyota Center in the playoffs, while Houston has lost three straight Game 7’s since 2005. The last Game 7 for the Rockets also came in the second round, an 89-79 setback to the Lakers at Staples Center in 2009. Harden and Howard are each playing in the second Game 7 of their careers, as Harden helped Oklahoma City beat Memphis in the second round of 2011 playoffs, while Howard led the Magic to a road victory over the Celtics in the 2009 semifinals.

From a totals perspective, the ‘over’ has been automatic between these two teams, as VI NBA analyst Chris David says not to stray from this streak.

“Even though Game 6 was a little sweaty for ‘over’ bettors, the ticket still cashed and is now 6-0 in this series. Including results from the first round, the Rockets have seen the ‘over’ 9-2 (81%) in the playoffs. If you crunch the numbers again, you just can’t make a case for the ‘under’ in this game. Playing the contrarian angle doesn’t work with a team like Houston, who is the best ‘over’ style team in the NBA. I heard a few pundits mention that Game 7’s are usually tight, which is a load of a crap. If you take a look at the last five Game 7’s in the NBA, you’ll see an average combined score of 223.6 PPG,” David says.

Each of the last three postseasons has seen at least one road team capture a Game 7 victory, including Brooklyn topping Toronto in the opening round at the Air Canada Center in 2014. Only 24 road teams have won a Game 7 in NBA playoff history, while the last away club to grab a Game 7 win in this round was Howard’s Magic in 2009 at Boston.

Who wins Game 7 in Houston? David provides his view on the matchup, “Unlike the first Game 7 we saw in the first round between the Clippers and Spurs, I don’t believe we’ll have a tight contest in this matchup. I don’t like to label either of these teams as heartless but it sort of fits here based on what we’ve seen from this pair. Five of the six games have been decided by double digits and that “quit-factor” was evident in all of these games. I picked Los Angeles to win this series in seven games and I’m not going to waver off that decision. However, I’m not going to press that wager on Sunday because it’s hard to trust at team that hasn’t produced a winning road playoff record with this core.”

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

-- Rangers 2, Lightning 1-- All 13 Ranger playoff games were decided by a goal.

-- Louisiana Tech hired Miami assistant Eric Konkol as basketball coach; he was the top assistant for Jim Larranaga for the last 11 years.

-- Miguel Cabrera and Adrian Beltre both hit their 400th home runs this week.

-- American Pharoah is first horse to win the Preakness from the pole since 1994.

-- White Sox 4, A's 3-- Oakland is a depressing 1-12 in one-run games; if this was 1980 and Billy Martin was in charge, he'd never, ever utilize this bullpen.

-- Rory McIlroy shot a 61 Saturday, leads at Quail Hollow by four strokes.

**********

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

13) A 9th grader named Shareef O'Neal averaged 3.7 ppg in high school LY, but has a scholarship offer from USC in his pocket. Why? Because young O'Neal has a very famous daddy-- Shaquille O'Neal.

12) They're going to build a bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario; the bridge is going to be named after hockey great Gordie Howe. The bridge is expected to be finished in 2020.

11) Stanford's marching band has been banned from travelling for a year, after a series of hazing/harassment incidents. Stanford might be the only school whose band is more of a behavioral problem than its players.

10) John Calipari brings a guy into Kentucky to prep his players on how the NBA teams interview players at the NBA Combine- that helps them get picked higher in the draft, which in turn helps his recrutiing down the road.

9) Milwaukee Brewers 2B Scooter Gennett recently got married in an odd place, in the caves under the actual Miller Brewery in Milwaukee.

8) SEC/Big X have a basketball challenge next January 30; best game of the day, by far, is Kansas-Kentucky. West Virginia-Florida, Oklahoma-LSU ain't bad matchups either.

7) When was last time a team's home run leader batted ninth? Wilmer Flores batted 9th for the Mets Saturday and hit a grand slam as they pounded on the Brewers 14-1. Flores is a sub-standard fielder, but he can hit a little.

6) Purdue's football attendance dropped 13,684 fans per home game last year; numbers like that can get a coach fired.

5) Hard to believe it has been 39 years since the original Rocky was in movie theaters; the theater I saw it in has been gone for years, but Sylvester Stallone still looks fairly young. How is that possible?

4) Dodgers gave Cuban infielder Hector Olivera $62.5M for six years; why and what are they going to do with all these big contracts? Olivera is 30 years old and is said to have a bad elbow- its almost like they're paying guys not to play for other teams that they could help more than the Dodgers.

3) Ever hear of Pete Thomas? He has the rare distinction of starting a game at QB for three Division I colleges; Colorado State, NC State and UL-Monroe. Thomas is trying out for the Chargers as a free agent; if nothing else, he will be able to write a hell of a book someday

2) While I was typing this, I watched the movie about the high school football team that won 150 games in a row; much better than I thought it would be.

1) When the Rockets won Game 6 at Staples Center Thursday night, it was the first time the Rockets had ever won a Game 6 on the road, as in....ever.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

Sunday, May 17


Toronto @ Houston

Game 971-972
May 17, 2015 @ 2:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
(Buehrle) 16.737
Houston
(McHugh) 15.772
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 1
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Houston
-150
8 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(+130); Over

Atlanta @ Miami

Game 951-952
May 17, 2015 @ 1:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta
(Miller) 13.289
Miami
(Alvarez) 15.630
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Miami
by 2 1/2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Miami
-120
7
Dunkel Pick:
Miami
(-120); Over

Cleveland @ Texas

Game 973-974
May 17, 2015 @ 3:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Cleveland
(Carrasco) 13.731
Texas
(Martinez) 17.042
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Texas
by 3 1/2
10
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland
-140
8 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Texas
(+120); Over

San Francisco @ Cincinnati

Game 953-954
May 17, 2015 @ 1:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Francisco
(Heston) 12.530
Cincinnati
(DeSclafani) 17.261
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cincinnati
by 4 1/2
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cincinnati
-115
8
Dunkel Pick:
Cincinnati
(-115); Over

Chicago White Sox @ Oakland

Game 975-976
May 17, 2015 @ 4:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago White Sox
(Samardzija) 17.143
Oakland
(Kazmir) 16.079
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago White Sox
by 1
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Oakland
-150
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago White Sox
(+130); Over

Milwaukee @ NY Mets

Game 955-956
May 17, 2015 @ 1:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Milwaukee
(Peralta) 16.723
NY Mets
(Syndrgrd) 15.662
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Milwaukee
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NY Mets
-125
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Milwaukee
(+105); Under

Boston @ Seattle

Game 977-978
May 17, 2015 @ 4:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
(Wright) 16.955
Seattle
(Paxton) 15.758
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 1
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Seattle
-160
8
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(+140); Over

Arizona @ Philadelphia

Game 957-958
May 17, 2015 @ 1:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Arizona
(Collmenter) 13.986
Philadelphia
(O'Sullivan) 14.887
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Philadelphia
by 1
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Arizona
-125
9
Dunkel Pick:
Philadelphia
(+105); Under

Detroit @ St. Louis

Game 979-980
May 17, 2015 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Detroit
(Simon) 14,334
St. Louis
(Lynn) 17.351
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 3
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-150
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(-150); Under

Pittsburgh @ Chicago Cubs

Game 959-960
May 17, 2015 @ 2:20 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
(Burnett) 16.688
Chicago Cubs
(Arrieta) 15.552
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Pittsburgh
by 1
9 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago Cubs
-135
No Run Total
Dunkel Pick:
Pittsburgh
(+115); N/A

Washington @ San Diego

Game 961-962
May 17, 2015 @ 4:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
(Strasburg) 15.234
San Diego
(Kennedy) 16.326
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Diego
by 1
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-135
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Diego
(+115); Over

Colorado @ LA Dodgers

Game 963-964
May 17, 2015 @ 4:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Colorado
(Kendrick) 14.818
LA Dodgers
(Bolsinger) 16.422
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Dodgers
by 1 1/2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Dodgers
-225
8 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
LA Dodgers
(-225); Under

LA Angels @ Baltimore

Game 965-966
May 17, 2015 @ 1:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Angels
(Richards) 16.630
Baltimore
(Wright) 15.112
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Angels
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Angels
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
LA Angels
N/A

NY Yankees @ Kansas City

Game 967-968
May 17, 2015 @ 2:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Yankees
(Capuano) 14.084
Kansas City
(Volquez) 17.158
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Kansas City
by 3
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Kansas City
-140
8 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Kansas City
(-140); Under

Tampa Bay @ Minnesota

Game 969-970
May 17, 2015 @ 2:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tampa Bay
(Archer) 17.153
Minnesota
(Gibson) 14.667
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
by 2 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Tampa Bay
-125
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(-125); Under

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, May 17


National League
Pirates @ Cubs
Burnett is 2-1, 1.80 in his seven starts (under 4-2-1).

Arrieta is 1-2, 4.91 in his last three starts; under is 4-0-3 in his '15 starts.

Pirates lost four of last five games with Cubs; over is 8-3-1 in in last twelve series games. Pittburgh lost last four games; five of their last seven games stayed under total. Cubs won their last six games, scoring 33 runs.

Diamondbacks @ Phillies
Collmenter is 1-1, 15.13 in his last two starts; six of his seven in '15 went over.

O'Sullivan is 0-2, 5.06 in his three starts; over is 3-0-1 in his last four.

Arizona lost six of last seven games with the Phillies; over is 6-3-1 in last ten series games. D'backs lost six of last eight games- seven of their last nine went over. Philly won its last four games; six of their last nine stayed under.

Brewers @ Mets
Peralta is 1-1, 2.70 in his last three starts; three of his last four went over.

Syndergaard lost his first MLB start, allowing three runs in sixth inning after blanking Cubs for first five.

Milwaukee won five of last eight games with the Mets; nine of last 12 series games stayed under. Brewers won four of their last seven games; four of their last six stayed under. Mets lost five of their last six games; under is 9-3-1 in last thirteen games.

Giants @ Reds
Heston is 1-1, 3.10 in his last three starts; under is 4-2-1 in his last seven.

DeSclafani is 0-3, 6.43 in his last four starts (under is 4-1-2 in last seven).

Giants lost five of last seven games with Cincinnati; road team won 11 of last 13 in series. SF lost eight of last 13 road games, but scored 21 runs the last two nights. Reds won three of their last five games; under is 4-2-1 in their last seven games.

Braves @ Marlins
Miller is 4-1, 1.80 in his seven starts; six of the seven stayed under.

Alvarez comes off DL to start for first time since April 12; he is 0-2, 4.50 in his first two '15 starts- three of his last four starts stayed under.

Marlins lost six of last eight games with Atlanta;they lost five of last six games overall-- eight of their last ten went over the total. Braves lost five of last eight games with three of last five staying under total.

Nationals @ Padres
Strasburg pitched for San Diego State; he is 1-3, 8.15 in his last four starts; five of his last seven went over.

Kennedy is 2-2, 6.55 in his last four starts, all of which went over.

Nationals won nine of last 13 games with San Diego; three of last five went over. Washington won eight of its last ten games; nine of ten went over total. Padres won four of last six home games but lost four of last six games overall; over is 7-3 in their last ten games.

Rockies @ Dodgers
Kendrick is 0-4, 9.27 in his last six starts; six of his last seven went over.

Bolsinger is 1-0, 1.59 in his last two starts; four of his last six stayed under.

Dodgers won nine of last 11 games with Colorado; 11 of last 13 in series went over. LA won 15 of last 19 home games; ten of their last 11 overall went over total. Colorado lost 12 of last 14 games; they scored 16 runs last three games.

American League
Angels @ Orioles
Richards is 3-0, 1.69 in his last four starts; four of his last six road starts went under the total.

MWright is making first '15 start; he is 3-0, 2.64 in six AAA starts this year.

Angels won eight of last ten games; eight of their last nine stayed under total. Halos won last three games with Baltimore, allowing two runs-- nine of last 11 series games stayed under. Orioles lost eight of their last 11 games.

Indians @ Rangers
Carrasco is 2-2, 6.00 in his last four starts, all of which went over.

Martinez is 0-0, 6.35 in his last three starts; six of his last seven went over.

Indians won last eight games with Texas, scoring 64 runs; over is 6-2-1 in last nine series games. Cleveland won three of last four games; 11 of their last 13 went over total. Rangers are 3-6 in last nine games; eight of their last 11 went over the total.

Blue Jays @ Astros
Buehrle is 2-0, 2.45 in his last two starts; seven of his last ten went over.

McHugh is 1-1, 6.16 in his last three starts; four of his last five went over.

Astros won seven of last eight games with Toronto; seven of last nine in series went over total. Blue Jays lost six of last seven games; four of their last five went over. Houston won its last four games, scoring 24 runs; four of their last five went over.

Bronx @ Royals
Capuano is making first '15 start; he is 1-1, 2.53 in two AAA starts this year. He is 76-87, 4.28 in 221 big league starts.

Volquez is 0-2, 6.41 in his last four starts.

Kansas City won five of last eight games with Bronx; Royals won five of last eight games overall with four of last six going over. Bronx lost four of its last five games- they scored 11 runs in the five games, four of which stayed under the total.

Rays @ Twins
Archer is 0-2, 6.06 in his last three starts; six of his last seven went under.

Gibson is 2-0, 0.96 in his last four starts; under is 6-1-1 in his last eight.

Tampa Bay-Minnesota split last ten games; three of last four stayed under the total. Rays are 3-4 in last seven games; five of their last seven stayed under. Twins won three of last four games; seven of their last ten went over.

White Sox @ A's
Samardzija pitched half a year for Oakland LY; he is 1-1, 8.50 in his last three starts- seven of his last ten went over.

Kazmir is 0-1, 5.50 in his last three starts; over is 8-1-1 in his last ten.

Chicago won six of last eight games with Oakland; White Sox won six of last seven games overall, with four of last five staying under total. A's lost nine of last ten games; over is 6-3-1 in those ten games.

Red Sox @ Mariners
SWright is making first '15 start; he is 0-1, 7.43 in two big league starts- he was 2-1, 3.24 in four AAA starts this year, 1-0, 4.22 in 10.2 IP in relief in big leagues this season.

Paxton is 1-0, 1.80 in his last three starts; five of his last six went over.

Boston won five of last seven games, with under 13-3-1 in last 17. Red Sox are 3-6 in their last nine games with Seattle- over is 9-3-1 in last 13 series games. Seattle won five of its last eight games.

Interleague
Tigers @ Cardinals
Simon is 0-1, 5.29 in his last three starts; four of his last six stayed under.

Lynn is 1-2, 4.50 in his last four starts; three of those went over total.

St Louis lost three of last four games; they lost five of last six games against Detroit. Three of last four Cardinal games stayed under. Tigers won four of last five games; they scored 27 runs in their last three games.

Win-loss records this year for team with this starting pitcher:
Pitt-Chi-- Burnett 3-4; Arietta 4-3
Az-Phil-- Collmenter 3-4; O'Sullivan 0-3
Mil-NY-- Peralta 2-5; Syndergaard 0-1
SF-Cin-- Heston 4-3; DeSclafani 4-3
Atl-Mia-- Miller 6-1; Alvarez 0-2
Wsh-SD-- Strasburg 2-5; Kennedy 2-3
Col-LA-- Kendrick 2-5; Bolsinger 1-1

LAA-Balt-- Richards 4-1; MWright 0-0
Clev-Tex-- Carrasco 4-3; Martinez 6-1
NY-KC-- Capuano 0-0; Volquez 4-3
TB-Min-- Archer 4-4; Gibson 4-3
Tor-Hst-- Buehrle 5-2; McHugh 6-1
CWS-A's-- Samardzija 3-4; Kazmir 3-4
Bos-Sea-- SWright 0-0; Paxton 2-5

Det-StL-- Simon 5-2; Lynn 3-4

Times this starting pitcher allowed a run in first inning:
Pitt-Chi-- Burnett 0-7; Arietta 2-7
Az-Phil-- Collmenter 3-7; O'Sullivan 2-3
Mil-NY-- Peralta 1-7; Syndergaard 0-1
SF-Cin-- Heston 1-7; DeSclafani 1-7
Atl-Mia-- Miller 0-7; Alvarez 2-2
Wsh-SD-- Strasburg 1-7; Kennedy 2-5
Col-LA-- Kendrick 5-7; Bolsinger 1-2

LAA-Balt-- Richards 0-5; MWright 0-0
Clev-Tex-- Carrasco 4-7; Martinez 1-7
NY-KC-- Capuano 0-0; Volquez 2-7
TB-Min-- Archer 2-8; Gibson 1-7
Tor-Hst-- Buehrle 4-7; McHugh 2-7
CWS-A's-- Samardzija 3-7; Kazmir 0-7
Bos-Sea-- SWright 0-0; Paxton 3-7

Det-StL-- Simon 0-7; Lynn 1-7

Umpires
Atl-Mia-- Underdogs won four of six Basner games.
Pitt-Chi-- Five of seven Fairchild games went over.
Az-Phil-- Over is 4-1-1 in last six Everitt games.
Mil-NY-- Over is 4-2-1 in Diaz games this season.
SF-Cin-- Underdogs won four of last five Hallion games.
Wsh-SD-- Under is 3-1-1 in last five Cuzzi games.
Col-LA-- Last three Foster games stayed under.

TB-Min-- Four of last five Emmel games went over.
LAA-Blt-- Five of last six Iassogna games stayed under.
Tor-Hst-- Last five Ripperger games stayed under total.
NY-KC-- Five of seven Guccione games stayed under.
Cle-Tex-- Three of last four Morales games went over.
Chi-A's-- Underdogs won seven of eight TBarrett games.
Bos-Sea-- Under is 2-1 in Blakney's three games this year.

Det-StL-- Home side won five of six Vanover games.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Sunday, May 17

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

1:10 PM
ATLANTA vs. MIAMI
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Atlanta's last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing Miami
Miami is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami's last 6 games at home

1:10 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. NY METS
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Milwaukee's last 9 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
Milwaukee is 13-4 SU in its last 17 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
NY Mets are 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Mets's last 7 games at home

1:10 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. CINCINNATI
San Francisco is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco's last 6 games when playing Cincinnati
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cincinnati's last 6 games when playing San Francisco
Cincinnati is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing San Francisco

1:35 PM
LA ANGELS vs. BALTIMORE
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Angels's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Angels's last 5 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Baltimore's last 8 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Baltimore's last 5 games when playing at home against LA Angels

1:35 PM
ARIZONA vs. PHILADELPHIA
Arizona is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Arizona's last 7 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 7 games when playing at home against Arizona

2:10 PM
TORONTO vs. HOUSTON
Toronto is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston
Toronto is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Houston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games at home

2:10 PM
NY YANKEES vs. KANSAS CITY
NY Yankees are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
NY Yankees are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kansas City's last 6 games at home
Kansas City is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games at home

2:10 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. MINNESOTA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games
Tampa Bay is 15-5 SU in its last 20 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota is 5-15 SU in its last 20 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 7 games at home

2:20 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. CHI CUBS
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Pittsburgh's last 9 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chi Cubs's last 9 games at home
Chi Cubs are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh

3:05 PM
CLEVELAND vs. TEXAS
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Texas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cleveland's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Texas's last 6 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Texas is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cleveland

4:05 PM
CHI WHITE SOX vs. OAKLAND
Chi White Sox are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 6 games
Oakland is 1-6 SU in their last 7 games when playing Chi White Sox
Oakland is 7-3 SU in their last 10 games when playing at home against Chi White Sox

4:10 PM
WASHINGTON vs. SAN DIEGO
Washington is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing San Diego
Washington is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games when playing on the road against San Diego
San Diego is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of San Diego's last 9 games at home

4:10 PM
COLORADO vs. LA DODGERS
Colorado is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Colorado's last 11 games on the road
LA Dodgers are 11-5 SU in their last 16 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Dodgers's last 5 games

4:10 PM
BOSTON vs. SEATTLE
Boston is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Boston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Seattle's last 10 games when playing at home against Boston
Seattle is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Boston

8:05 PM
DETROIT vs. ST. LOUIS
Detroit is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
Detroit is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games
St. Louis is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Sunday, May 17


Samardzija's road woes have White Sox losing

The Chicago White Sox have yet to win when they send Jeff Samardzija to the mound away from U.S. Cellular Field. Four of the pitcher's seven starts this season have come on the road.

On the road this season Samardzija has a 0-2 record with a 6.48 ERA while allowing opponents to bat .308. That's compared to his home numbers where the rightie has posted a 2.70 ERA while holding batters to .259 batting.

The White Sox visit the Oakland Athletics Sunday and are currently +136 road dogs.


Strained forearm lands Fister on DL

Washington right-hander Doug Fister has a strained flexor muscle in his right forearm and has been placed on the disabled list.

There is no timetable for his return, Nationals manager Matt Williams said Saturday.

Fister has been prohibited from throwing and has been prescribed rest and rehab.

"It depends on how long it takes to calm down," Williams told reporters when asked how long the veteran would be out. "Of course, any time you've got a strained muscle you're going to have to shut down for a while. Everybody is different in that regard. We'll make sure that it's calm when he starts to throw again."

Fister has compiled a 2-2 mark with a 4.31 ERA this season.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Long Sheet

Sunday, May 17

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ATLANTA (17 - 19) at MIAMI (16 - 21) - 1:10 PM
SHELBY MILLER (R) vs. HENDERSON ALVAREZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 96-102 (-17.5 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 94-101 (-19.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 75-84 (-19.2 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 50-62 (-25.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
ALVAREZ is 20-12 (+9.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
ALVAREZ is 20-12 (+9.0 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
ATLANTA is 6-2 (+5.2 Units) against MIAMI this season
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+2.0 Units)

SHELBY MILLER vs. MIAMI since 1997
MILLER is 1-1 when starting against MIAMI with an ERA of 3.98 and a WHIP of 1.525.
His team's record is 2-2 (-0.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-2. (-0.1 units)

HENDERSON ALVAREZ vs. ATLANTA since 1997
ALVAREZ is 1-3 when starting against ATLANTA with an ERA of 5.14 and a WHIP of 1.333.
His team's record is 3-4 (+0.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 3-3. (-0.7 units)

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SAN FRANCISCO (19 - 18) at CINCINNATI (18 - 19) - 1:10 PM
CHRIS HESTON (R) vs. ANTHONY DESCLAFANI (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN FRANCISCO is 119-97 (+17.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 57-50 (+14.1 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 29-14 (+16.3 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 119-97 (+17.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 39-31 (+12.8 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 66-51 (+14.9 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN FRANCISCO is 2-1 (+1.3 Units) against CINCINNATI this season
2 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+2.0 Units)

CHRIS HESTON vs. CINCINNATI since 1997
No recent starts.

ANTHONY DESCLAFANI vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
No recent starts.

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MILWAUKEE (13 - 24) at NY METS (21 - 16) - 1:10 PM
WILY PERALTA (R) vs. NOAH SYNDERGAARD (R)
Top Trends for this game.
MILWAUKEE is 95-104 (-17.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 27-44 (-19.3 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 86-153 (-50.5 Units) against the money line in road games when playing on Sunday since 1997.
NY METS are 100-99 (+8.5 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 14-4 (+9.8 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
NY METS are 39-24 (+18.8 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 14-4 (+9.8 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field this season.
NY METS are 13-3 (+9.8 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters this season.
NY METS are 11-1 (+10.0 Units) against the money line in home games after a win this season.
NY METS are 55-34 (+19.8 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 1-1 (+0.2 Units) against NY METS this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

WILY PERALTA vs. NY METS since 1997
PERALTA is 3-0 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 1.35 and a WHIP of 0.850.
His team's record is 3-0 (+3.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-3. (-3.4 units)

NOAH SYNDERGAARD vs. MILWAUKEE since 1997
No recent starts.

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ARIZONA (15 - 20) at PHILADELPHIA (15 - 23) - 1:35 PM
JOSH COLLMENTER (R) vs. SEAN O'SULLIVAN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ARIZONA is 79-118 (-35.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 79-118 (-35.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 60-88 (-26.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
COLLMENTER is 13-4 (+10.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
PHILADELPHIA is 71-92 (-30.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 2-0 (+2.2 Units) against ARIZONA this season
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.2 Units)

JOSH COLLMENTER vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
COLLMENTER is 1-1 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 5.90 and a WHIP of 1.546.
His team's record is 3-1 (+3.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-1. (+1.2 units)

SEAN O'SULLIVAN vs. ARIZONA since 1997
No recent starts.

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PITTSBURGH (17 - 20) at CHICAGO CUBS (21 - 15) - 2:20 PM
A.J. BURNETT (R) vs. JAKE ARRIETA (R)
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 47-56 (-15.8 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 29-38 (-12.9 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 33-48 (-15.8 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 16-34 (-16.6 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
BURNETT is 208-210 (-40.1 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997. (Team's Record)
BURNETT is 8-34 (-23.4 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +125 to +150 since 1997. (Team's Record)
BURNETT is 88-129 (-46.7 Units) against the money line in road games since 1997. (Team's Record)
BURNETT is 37-60 (-25.4 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents since 1997. (Team's Record)
BURNETT is 168-177 (-38.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997. (Team's Record)
BURNETT is 2-14 (-13.1 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
CHICAGO CUBS are 1408-1568 (-276.6 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 757-733 (-161.8 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 359-344 (-87.4 Units) against the money line in home games against division opponents since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 751-795 (-150.5 Units) against the money line in day games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 1351-1481 (-251.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 1033-1165 (-210.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 654-755 (-196.6 Units) against the money line after a win since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 148-163 (-44.2 Units) against the money line after 3 or more consecutive wins since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 689-689 (-154.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO CUBS is 6-3 (+3.2 Units) against PITTSBURGH this season
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.9 Units)

A.J. BURNETT vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
BURNETT is 7-4 when starting against CHICAGO CUBS with an ERA of 3.13 and a WHIP of 1.202.
His team's record is 7-7 (-2.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 7-6. (+0.4 units)

JAKE ARRIETA vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
ARRIETA is 4-0 when starting against PITTSBURGH with an ERA of 2.70 and a WHIP of 1.000.
His team's record is 5-0 (+6.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-2. (+0.0 units)

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WASHINGTON (21 - 17) at SAN DIEGO (19 - 19) - 4:10 PM
STEPHEN STRASBURG (R) vs. IAN KENNEDY (R)
Top Trends for this game.
STRASBURG is 35-37 (-19.5 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
STRASBURG is 35-37 (-19.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
STRASBURG is 21-23 (-14.8 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAN DIEGO is 103-78 (+19.7 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 3 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 103-78 (+19.7 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 33-21 (+11.3 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
KENNEDY is 10-2 (+8.7 Units) against the money line as a home underdog of +100 to +125 since 1997. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 2-1 (+1.0 Units) against SAN DIEGO this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.1 Units)

STEPHEN STRASBURG vs. SAN DIEGO since 1997
STRASBURG is 3-1 when starting against SAN DIEGO with an ERA of 3.24 and a WHIP of 1.320.
His team's record is 3-1 (+1.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-0. (+4.2 units)

IAN KENNEDY vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
KENNEDY is 3-2 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 2.31 and a WHIP of 0.974.
His team's record is 3-3 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-3. (-1.2 units)

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COLORADO (13 - 20) at LA DODGERS (23 - 13) - 4:10 PM
KYLE KENDRICK (R) vs. MIKE BOLSINGER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
COLORADO is 79-116 (-33.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 30-71 (-32.8 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 224-296 (-79.8 Units) against the money line in May games since 1997.
COLORADO is 79-116 (-33.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 54-86 (-30.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 55-27 (+19.6 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA DODGERS is 6-2 (+2.0 Units) against COLORADO this season
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.8 Units)

KYLE KENDRICK vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
KENDRICK is 3-7 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 6.91 and a WHIP of 1.744.
His team's record is 4-7 (-2.5 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-7. (-3.6 units)

MIKE BOLSINGER vs. COLORADO since 1997
BOLSINGER is 0-0 when starting against COLORADO with an ERA of 7.20 and a WHIP of 1.800.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

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LA ANGELS (19 - 17) at BALTIMORE (15 - 19) - 1:35 PM
GARRETT RICHARDS (R) vs. MIKE WRIGHT (R)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA ANGELS is 2-0 (+2.2 Units) against BALTIMORE this season
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+2.0 Units)

GARRETT RICHARDS vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
RICHARDS is 0-1 when starting against BALTIMORE with an ERA of 8.74 and a WHIP of 1.589.
His team's record is 1-1 (-0.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.1 units)

MIKE WRIGHT vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
No recent starts.

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NY YANKEES (22 - 16) at KANSAS CITY (23 - 14) - 2:10 PM
CHRIS CAPUANO (L) vs. EDINSON VOLQUEZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
KANSAS CITY is 23-14 (+8.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 69-49 (+17.9 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 3 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 23-14 (+8.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
KANSAS CITY is 10-2 (+9.1 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
KANSAS CITY is 60-43 (+16.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
VOLQUEZ is 50-33 (+21.7 Units) against the money line after a loss since 1997. (Team's Record)
NY YANKEES are 31-19 (+16.8 Units) against the money line in road games in day games over the last 3 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 28-44 (-23.3 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY YANKEES is 1-1 (+0.0 Units) against KANSAS CITY this season
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.0 Units)

CHRIS CAPUANO vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
No recent starts.

EDINSON VOLQUEZ vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
VOLQUEZ is 1-1 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 4.73 and a WHIP of 1.050.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-2. (-2.1 units)

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TAMPA BAY (20 - 18) at MINNESOTA (21 - 16) - 2:10 PM
CHRIS ARCHER (R) vs. KYLE GIBSON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 97-103 (-25.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 21-16 (+8.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
MINNESOTA is 14-5 (+10.8 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
MINNESOTA is 11-4 (+8.4 Units) against the money line in May games this season.
MINNESOTA is 21-16 (+8.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 2-0 (+2.0 Units) against TAMPA BAY this season
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.1 Units)

CHRIS ARCHER vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
ARCHER is 3-0 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 0.49 and a WHIP of 0.764.
His team's record is 3-0 (+3.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-3. (-3.1 units)

KYLE GIBSON vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
GIBSON is 0-3 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 9.98 and a WHIP of 1.957.
His team's record is 0-3 (-3.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-2. (-1.2 units)

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TORONTO (17 - 21) at HOUSTON (24 - 13) - 2:10 PM
MARK BUEHRLE (L) vs. COLLIN MCHUGH (R)
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 24-13 (+11.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
HOUSTON is 24-13 (+11.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
HOUSTON is 15-8 (+8.3 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
HOUSTON is 9-2 (+6.9 Units) against the money line after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
TORONTO is 283-244 (+43.0 Units) against the money line in May games since 1997.
BUEHRLE is 26-13 (+13.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
BUEHRLE is 108-75 (+28.3 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 since 1997. (Team's Record)
BUEHRLE is 8-1 (+7.6 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
BUEHRLE is 97-64 (+25.0 Units) against the money line in day games since 1997. (Team's Record)
BUEHRLE is 48-22 (+26.6 Units) against the money line after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1997. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 3-0 (+3.0 Units) against TORONTO this season
3 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.1 Units)

MARK BUEHRLE vs. HOUSTON since 1997
BUEHRLE is 4-0 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 1.69 and a WHIP of 0.964.
His team's record is 5-0 (+5.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-3. (-2.4 units)

COLLIN MCHUGH vs. TORONTO since 1997
MCHUGH is 0-0 when starting against TORONTO with an ERA of 1.42 and a WHIP of 0.948.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-1. (-1.0 units)

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CLEVELAND (14 - 21) at TEXAS (15 - 22) - 3:05 PM
CARLOS CARRASCO (R) vs. NICK MARTINEZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CLEVELAND is 14-21 (-11.3 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CLEVELAND is 14-21 (-11.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
CLEVELAND is 2-11 (-11.6 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
MARTINEZ is 8-3 (+9.0 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
CLEVELAND is 106-58 (+36.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
TEXAS is 82-117 (-22.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 38-61 (-25.4 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 78-111 (-20.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 52-80 (-21.5 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 23-37 (-15.5 Units) against the money line in home games after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 3-15 (-11.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 2-0 (+2.2 Units) against TEXAS this season
2 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+2.0 Units)

CARLOS CARRASCO vs. TEXAS since 1997
CARRASCO is 0-1 when starting against TEXAS with an ERA of 8.18 and a WHIP of 1.909.
His team's record is 0-2 (-2.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-2. (-2.3 units)

NICK MARTINEZ vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
MARTINEZ is 0-1 when starting against CLEVELAND with an ERA of 36.00 and a WHIP of 4.500.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-1. (-1.2 units)

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CHI WHITE SOX (16 - 17) at OAKLAND (13 - 25) - 4:05 PM
JEFF SAMARDZIJA (R) vs. SCOTT KAZMIR (L)
Top Trends for this game.
SAMARDZIJA is 14-27 (-19.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAMARDZIJA is 4-15 (-13.0 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAMARDZIJA is 11-24 (-14.7 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAMARDZIJA is 14-27 (-19.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAMARDZIJA is 6-12 (-9.6 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAMARDZIJA is 7-13 (-11.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
KAZMIR is 22-4 (+15.4 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -150 to -175 since 1997. (Team's Record)
CHI WHITE SOX are 366-366 (+34.3 Units) against the money line in road games after a win since 1997.
CHI WHITE SOX are 107-89 (+28.7 Units) against the money line in road games after 3 or more consecutive wins since 1997.
OAKLAND is 13-25 (-16.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
OAKLAND is 5-13 (-12.4 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
OAKLAND is 4-11 (-9.3 Units) against the money line in May games this season.
OAKLAND is 1-11 (-12.4 Units) against the money line in day games this season.
OAKLAND is 13-25 (-16.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
OAKLAND is 73-67 (-16.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 8-16 (-10.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHI WHITE SOX is 2-0 (+2.7 Units) against OAKLAND this season
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.0 Units)

JEFF SAMARDZIJA vs. OAKLAND since 1997
No recent starts.

SCOTT KAZMIR vs. CHI WHITE SOX since 1997
KAZMIR is 4-6 when starting against CHI WHITE SOX with an ERA of 5.21 and a WHIP of 1.434.
His team's record is 7-6 (+0.6 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-7. (-2.3 units)

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BOSTON (18 - 19) at SEATTLE (16 - 20) - 4:10 PM
STEVEN WRIGHT (R) vs. JAMES PAXTON (L)
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 89-111 (-31.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 37-50 (-18.9 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 79-95 (-26.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 36-54 (-24.6 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 87-95 (-31.8 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 87-95 (-31.8 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 32-39 (-21.3 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 81-86 (-25.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 2-1 (+1.6 Units) against SEATTLE this season
3 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+3.0 Units)

STEVEN WRIGHT vs. SEATTLE since 1997
No recent starts.

JAMES PAXTON vs. BOSTON since 1997
No recent starts.

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DETROIT (23 - 14) at ST LOUIS (24 - 12) - 8:05 PM
ALFREDO SIMON (R) vs. LANCE LYNN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 68-36 (+18.8 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 68-36 (+18.8 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 20-7 (+11.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
ST LOUIS is 104-57 (+36.0 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 420-284 (+65.8 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
DETROIT is 41-27 (+12.9 Units) against the money line in road games in night games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 42-28 (+11.9 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 37-24 (+12.1 Units) against the money line in road games after a win over the last 2 seasons.
SIMON is 25-15 (+12.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SIMON is 25-15 (+12.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SIMON is 16-4 (+13.8 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
ST LOUIS is 9-16 (-13.5 Units) against the money line in home games in an inter-league game over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 2-0 (+2.4 Units) against ST LOUIS this season
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.0 Units)

ALFREDO SIMON vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
SIMON is 2-0 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 3.44 and a WHIP of 1.418.
His team's record is 2-1 (+2.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-1. (+1.0 units)

LANCE LYNN vs. DETROIT since 1997
LYNN is 0-1 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 9.00 and a WHIP of 2.200.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-1. (-1.2 units)