The Bum's Best Bets For Thursday June 4th - MLB - NBA -NHL !

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MLB RECORD FOR JUNE:

*****..........................6 - 0 .............................+6.13
DOUBLE PLAY...............3 - 10 ............................- 15.16
TRIPLE PLAY.................2 - 3 .............................- 3.09
GRAND SLAM................4 - 2 ............................+ 9.12


THURSDAY, JUNE 4

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Oakland - 1:08 PM ET Oakland +103 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Detroit - Under 8.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY

Baltimore - 2:10 PM ET Houston -157 500 GRAND SLAM
Houston - Under 7 500

Minnesota - 4:05 PM ET Minnesota +132 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Boston - Over 8.5 500

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MLB EVENING GAMES:

THURSDAY, JUNE 4

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Minnesota 4 Bot 7 Minnesota +132 500
Boston 4 Over 8.5 500

Chi. Cubs - 7:05 PM ET Chi. Cubs +102 500
Washington - Over 6.5 500 *****

Cincinnati - 7:05 PM ET Philadelphia +112 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Philadelphia - Over 7 500

Chi. White Sox - 8:05 PM ET Chi. White Sox -108 500
Texas - Over 8.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY

Cleveland - 8:10 PM ET Kansas City -112 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Kansas City - Under 8 500

NY Mets - 9:40 PM ET Arizona +123 500 GRAND SLAM
Arizona - Over 8.5 500

Tampa Bay - 10:10 PM ET Tampa Bay +109 500
Seattle - Over 7.5 500

St. Louis - 10:10 PM ET St. Louis +102 500 GRAND SLAM
LA Dodgers - Under 7 500 DOUBLE PLAY

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MLB Consensus Picks ( UPDATED CONSENSUS PICKS 3:30 PST )


SIDES (ATS)

Time Away Line Picks Pct Home Line Picks Pct Detail Odds

2:10 PM Baltimore +152 358 27.80% Houston -165 930 72.20% View View

8:05 PM Chi. White Sox -108 397 30.87% Texas +100 889 69.13% View View

8:10 PM Cleveland +104 461 34.61% Kansas City -112 871 65.39% View View

1:08 PM Oakland -113 444 37.41% Detroit +104 743 62.59% View View

10:10 PM Tampa Bay +109 456 37.75% Seattle -118 752 62.25% View View

7:05 PM Chi. Cubs +102 546 41.02% Washington -110 785 58.98% View View

7:05 PM Cincinnati -121 570 47.11% Philadelphia +112 640 52.89% View View

4:05 PM Minnesota +144 626 50.61% Boston -156 611 49.39% View View

10:10 PM St. Louis +102 795 60.69% LA Dodgers -110 515 39.31% View View

9:40 PM NY Mets -133 836 65.16% Arizona +123 447 34.84% View View



TOTALS (OVER/UNDER)

Time Away Total Over Pct Home Total Under Pct Detail Odds

10:10 PM St. Louis 7 317 43.60% LA Dodgers 7 410 56.40% View View

8:10 PM Cleveland 8 349 44.92% Kansas City 8 428 55.08% View View

1:08 PM Oakland 8.5 282 44.98% Detroit 8.5 345 55.02% View View

10:10 PM Tampa Bay 7.5 339 47.88% Seattle 7.5 369 52.12% View View

2:10 PM Baltimore 7 328 47.95% Houston 7 356 52.05% View View

9:40 PM NY Mets 8.5 358 48.64% Arizona 8.5 378 51.36% View View

7:05 PM Cincinnati 7 383 53.05% Philadelphia 7 339 46.95% View View

4:05 PM Minnesota 8.5 395 56.03% Boston 8.5 310 43.97% View View

7:05 PM Chi. Cubs 6.5 450 58.29% Washington 6.5 322 41.71% View View

8:05 PM Chi. White Sox 8.5 435 58.78% Texas 8.5 305 41.22% View View

Games are highlighted when more than 59% of all cash contests players choose outcome.

[StarDust Bum]

History looks good for slumping Mariners Thursday

The Seattle Mariners have dropped their past five games but they are set to take on the Tampa Bay Rays Thursday, a team that they've collected six consecutive wins against.

The M's have outscored the Rays 29-11 in those six contests dating back to June 7, 2014, but what is even more embarrassing for the Rays is that they had the homefield advantage in every one of those games.

Seattle, who will host the Rays Thursday, is currently -118.

[StarDust Bum]

Resurgent Harang has under bettors counting money

Jun 4, 2015

Nobody tell Philadelphia Philles' Aaron Harang that he's 37 because he has been playing some of his most inspired baseball of his career this season. Bettors have been profiting from the excellent pitching with the Phillies going 1-2-5 over/under in the vets past eight starts.

Harang has posted a stellar 2.02 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP this season, which would both rank as career bests for the now journeyman pitcher.

Citizen Bank Park will be home to Game 2 in the series between the Reds and Phillies Thursday, where Philly is a very slight -102 home dog.

[StarDust Bum]

Top Over ump behind the plate Thursday

Jun 4, 2015

There has not been a more profitable umpire in the MLB for Over bettors this season than Dana DeMuth who has called balls and strikes for ten games this season with nine topping the total.

An average of 9.9 runs have plated in contests with DeMuth umping, but none of the totals for any of those contests have gone any higher that 8.5. With totals of 8 or lower, the under is a perfect 9-0 this season for DeMuth.

DeMuth will be watching the strikezone when the Whie Sox and Rangers clash Thursday, with the current total set at 8.5.

[StarDust Bum]

Trumbo trade helps clear D-backs' logjam

PHOENIX -- The Arizona Diamondbacks moved to alleviate their impending logjam at third base and the corner outfield by trading outfielder Mark Trumbo to the Seattle Mariners in a six-player deal Wednesday.

The D-backs sent Trumbo and left-hander Vidal Nuno to the Mariners in exchange for catcher Welington Castillo, right-hander reliever Dominic Leone and minor leaguers Jack Reinheimer and Gabby Guerrero, who is the nephew of Vladimir Guerrero.

With third baseman Jake Lamb scheduled to come off the disabled list soon, the D-backs will have five players for four spots -- Lamb and Yasmany Tomas at third base and A.J. Pollock, Ender Inciarte, David Peralta and Tomas in the outfield. Pollock and Inciarte figure to play every day, with the remaining time divided among the other three. Lamb adds another left-handed bat to a team that was righty-heavy, and he was hitting .414 in 10 games before going down with a stress reaction in his right foot the second week of the season.

"With Yasmany swinging the bat as well as he is, it created a situation where we really needed to open up some space for him," Arizona general manager Dave Stewart said. "Mark Trumbo, in my short period of time, is a player I had no interest in moving. He is one of my favorite players. It was a tough decision, but Seattle expressed interest in him and they repeatedly expressed interest in him. Sometimes you get to a point where the timing is just right."

Trumbo, 29, slashed .259/.299/.506 with 10 doubles, nine homers and 23 RBIs in 46 games with the D-backs. He ranked second in homers to Paul Goldschmidt and was tied with Pollock for third in RBIs behind Goldschmidt and Peralta.

"I knew it was a possibility, so it is not something that catches me completely off guard," Trumbo said. "It's a bit of a shock. You get comfortable somewhere and you develop a rapport. You have great teammates. If you are removed from that situation, it's tough."

The D-backs will save money in the deal, inasmuch as Trumbo was making $6.9 million this season. His contract is considered team-friendly for a power hitter, however, and he also has one more year of arbitration eligibility. Castillo is to make $2.1 million this year and has two years of arbitration remaining.

Tomas, who took over the regular third base job a week or so after Lamb was injured, is hitting .331 with eight doubles, one homer and 20 RBIs.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB betting cheat sheet: Winless in Seattle over the last five games

Jun 04, 2015

Here's a comprehensive look at betting notes for this weekend’s major-league schedule:

Seattle slew of losses

The Seattle Mariners have lost five games in a row after getting swept in three straight by the New York Yankees earlier this week. Seattle has gone eight consecutive contests without scoring more than three runs. Second baseman Robinson Cano is 2-for-19 dating back to last Saturday.

He’s a Joc

Los Angeles Dodgers’ center fielder Joc Pederson is on a six-game hitting streak and has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games. Five of those nine have been of the multi-hit variety for the 23-year-old. Pederson (.267, 17 HR, 32 RBI) has also gone deep in five consecutive games.

Over automatic with Bradley

Since getting hit in the head by a comebacker on April 28, Archie Bradley of the Arizona Diamondbacks has watched his ERA balloon from 1.80 to 5.80 in the span of four starts. He returned on May 16 and has given up at least four earned runs in each of his last four appearances while never lasting more than five innings. The over is 7-0 in Bradley’s last seven starts heading into Saturday’s home date with the New York Mets.

Pitching Notes

* Oakland Athletics’ veteran Jesse Chavez is just 2-5 in 12 appearances (eight starts), but he is sporting a 2.11 ERA. He has not surrendered a single run in his last two outings (16 innings). The under is 6-1-1 in Chavez’s eight starts. The 31-year-old will get the nod on Saturday at the Boston Red Sox.

* Jason Hammel of the Chicago Cubs is averaging more than a strikeout per inning through 10 starts this season. He has mowed down 69 batters in 67 innings of work after recording a career-high 11 strikeouts in Monday’s 5-1 win over the Miami Marlins. The under is 6-2 in Hammel’s last eight outings. He will take the mound again on Saturday at the Washington Nationals.

Hitting Notes

* Pittsburgh Pirates’ center fielder Andrew McCutchen (.293, 7 HR, 34 RBI) is on a five-game hitting streak and has nine base knocks in those five. He batted .330 in May and is off to a .714 start in June. The Pirates have won three games in a row and 11 of 13 and the over is 4-0-3 in their last seven.

* The Kansas City Royals are 0-3 O/U in their last three overall and 1-5 O/U in their last six. They have crossed the plate exactly one time in a whopping five of their last eight games. Second baseman Omar Infante is 1-for-22 in his last six contests.

Totals Streak

Atlanta Braves (32-18-3 O/U): The over is 4-0-1 in the Braves’ last five overall. They have scored at least six runs in each of their last five games, including a total of 37 during this potent stretch. At the same time, Atlanta allowed 16 runs in its last two games of this week’s series against Arizona.

Weather Notes

* Forecasts are calling for a 46 percent chance of rain at Nationals Park when the Washington Nationals host the Chicago Cubs Thursday evening.

Umpire Trends

* The Under has posted a record of 7-0 in Marty Foster's previous seven games behind home plate. He'll be calling balls and strikes at Fenway Park when the Boston Red Sox host the Minnesota Twins Thursday.

Injury Notes

* The Colorado Rockies are dealing with more than their fair share of injuries. Starter Jordan Lyles will undergo toe surgery and miss the rest of the season. Left fielder Corey Dickerson (.306, 5 HR, 16 RBI) said on Wednesday he hopes to return from a foot problem in a few days.

* New York Yankees’ outfielder Carlos Beltran (foot) missed Wednesday’s game and Brian McCann left in the middle of it because of a sore right foot. Beltran (.241, 4 HR, 21 RBI) fouled a ball off himself during Tuesday’s win over Seattle. McCann (.248, 8 HR, 33 RBI) will have an MRI on Thursday.

[StarDust Bum]

Rangers to be without Hamilton for month

Jun 04, 2015

Seven games into his return to the Texas Rangers, outfielder Josh Hamilton is already gone.

The slugger will be sidelined four weeks with a left hamstring injury.

"I feel bad for Josh," Rangers manager Jeff Bannister said.

Hamilton sat out Tuesday and Wednesday with what was originally reported as hamstring tightness. However, after the Rangers lost 9-2 to the Chicago White Sox, the team announced that Hamilton was diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain.

"It stinks. It's frustrating," Hamilton said. "You work your tail off to get here, the guys are doing well when I got here, you're able to have fun with them, it's frustrating. There is nothing I can do except work hard to get better. I have had success before getting back early. Hopefully I can do the same."

Since coming back to the Rangers in an April trade with the Los Angeles Angels and then coming off the disabled list May 25, Hamilton is 6-for-22 (.273) with two doubles, two homers and five RBIs.

Hamilton missed the start of the season while rehabbing from right shoulder surgery in April.

The Angels, upset that Hamilton, a recovering drug and alcohol addict, self-reported a relapse in the offseason, dealt him to Texas on April 27 in exchange for a player to be named or cash. The Rangers reportedly will pay no more than $15 million of the $83 million that remained on Hamilton's contract, with the Angels paying the rest.

[StarDust Bum]

Tigers wait for lineup tweak to pay dividends

Jun 03, 2015

DETROIT -- Ian Kinsler has no problem with his current role as the Detroit Tigers' No. 5 hitter.

Manager Brad Ausmus made the move to shake his team from its offensive doldrums and energize the slumping Kinsler, who normally bats second.

Shortstop Jose Iglesias was inserted Kinsler's usual spot. It had no effect Tuesday, as both went 0-for-4 in the Tigers' 5-3 loss to the Oakland A's. The change didn't help much on Wednesday, either, as Iglesias went 1-for-4 and Kinsler went hitless again in four at-bats. Detroit lost its sixth straight, 6-1.

"I think that's a good spot for me, in between two power hitters, (Yoenis) Cespedes and J.D. (Martinez)," said Kinsler, who is buried in a 3-for-42 (.071) slide. "Hopefully, I can make some things happen for those guys -- get into scoring position, move runners, set them up, whatever it takes.

"We just came from L.A. and saw Kole Calhoun was hitting fourth (for the Angels), and he's not a cleanup hitter. But he's hitting fourth in that lineup and it's working, so it's not necessarily that you have to put a prototypical hitter in every single spot in the lineup. You just want to make sure that it's running smoothly and producing runs. It comes down to producing runs."

Runs have been difficult to come by since Detroit went on a West Coast trip last week. The Tigers scored 14 runs during the seven-game swing while going 2-5, and nearly half those runs came in an 8-6 loss to the Angels on Saturday night.

Ausmus decided after Sunday's night 4-2 defeat at Anaheim that he needed to shake things up.

"Things weren't working, so we looked at it and tried to find some way to mix it up and somehow create more runs," he said. "The idea of Kinsler in the middle of those guys, he makes a little bit more contact, and that might help. We're going through this patch where we're not scoring runs, but by all indicators we should score runs over the long haul. It means in my mind if we haven't scored runs recently, somebody's going to have to pay down the line."

There's a big hole in the middle of the order, where designated hitter Victor Martinez normally protects No. 3 hitter Miguel Cabrera. Martinez is on the disabled list with left knee inflammation. Cespedes and Martinez are taking turns trying to fill that void.

Putting Kinsler between them wasn't a consideration until the offense kept shooting blanks. Detroit was shut out twice on the West Coast, including a complete-game performance by Oakland's Jesse Hahn, who faces the Tigers again Thursday afternoon.

"We've got to see how it goes," Ausmus said of the lineup switch. "Even a whole series is an insufficient sample. The length of time for this lineup depends on how it performs and the return of an injured player."

[StarDust Bum]

Holy $hit Betting Stat of the Day: Unders are money at Oracle Arena

The under has been perfect for the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena during the playoffs, posting a mark of 7-0-1.

The Warriors have also gone under in seven consecutive games at home, with the lone push coming in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The under is an impressive 11-3-1 overall during the Dubs postseason run.

The total for Thursday night's Game 1 of the NBA Finals is currently at 202.5.

[StarDust Bum]

Flood of early Cavs money causes line move

The Golden State Warriors opened as 6-point favorites for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but Cleveland Cavaliers backers jumped all over that number, according to Miachael Stewart of CarbonSports.ag.

"We took nothing but Cavaliers action at that number, so we went to Warriors -5.5, where we currently sit and 59 percent of the action is on the Cavs to cover the 5.5 points," Stewart told Covers.

The total market is seeing solid two way action, with 62 percent of the action on the over 203 points, added Stewart.

[StarDust Bum]

Where the action is: NBA bettors love Cavs moneyline in Game 1

Most sportsbooks online or in Las Vegas have seen similar betting patterns on Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors.

With a week off between the conference finals and the championship opener, early money took the Cavaliers at +6 for Game 1 in Oracle Arena, trimming a half point from the spread to +5.5. But as tipoff got closer, action on the Warriors balanced that handle and even has some spots returning to their original home side number of -6.

And then there are the sportsbooks in Reno, Nevada. Those markets in northern Nevada draw plenty of action from Bay Area bettors, who flood the window with nothing but Warriors bets and pack the book with blue and gold for the NBA Playoffs.

“It’s unbelievable. The way someone described it to me in one of those games against Houston, on a Saturday or Sunday, was like a Super Bowl crowd out there,” Steve Mikkelson, director of race and sports at the Atlantis Resort Casino in Reno, tells Covers. “Every time the Warriors would score, the crowd erupted.”

Mikkelson says he’s dealing the highest odds on Golden State to win the NBA championship in the entire state, opening the Warriors at -255 and currently dealing -245 while most books in Las Vegas and online has Golden State around -200. His spread for Game 1 opened at Warriors -6 and has stayed -6 while others have dropped to -5.5 with money on Cleveland. That’s not the case in Reno.

“We absolutely draw a ton of Warriors money,” says Mikkelson. “We try to keep it within reason and try not to give up an easy scalp but that Warriors money just keeps coming in.”

The one trend that is common across the board – in Reno, Las Vegas and online – is the amount of attention the Cavaliers’ moneyline has seen to win the Game 1 outright. Mikkelson says it’s about the only Cleveland bet coming through the window at his book, and some online markets currently hold 70 percent of all moneyline wagers on the Cavs.

“The real exposure on this game is on the Cavs moneyline,” Peter Childs of Sportsbook.ag tells Covers. “Most of our customers aren’t interested in laying a big price on the Warriors to win this game, they’d rather bet the Cavs +190 or +185 and put their faith in LeBron (James) to get it done in Game 1 of the Finals.”

Cleveland has also been the bet of choice to win the NBA Finals for most books. William Hill sportsbooks in Nevada are seeing more money on the Cavaliers at a 3/1 rate and is dealing the series price at Golden State -210/Cleveland +180. Nick Bogdanovich, director of U.S. trading for William Hill, says both wiseguys and the betting public are on the underdog.

“Action is really big. Really big on the Best-of-Seven series. The most I’ve seen (on the NBA Finals) in a long time,” he tells Covers. “For the game itself (Game 1), the action is mostly two-way. But for the series, it’s all Cleveland. The public has been all over Cleveland since we opened and while it’s tough to tell where the sharps stand for Game 1, I imagine there are some pro bettors on Cleveland to win this series.”

As for Game 1’s spread, books are jumping between Golden State -5.5 and -6, which Bogdanovich is confident will be the closing line – not going down to Warriors -5 or -6.5. Online books are reporting even two-way action on Game 1's pointspread with some leaning toward Cleveland in terms of tickets written and handle. The Game 1 total is also bouncing back and forth between 203.5 and 202.5. However, there are some books moving up to 204 points for Thursday’s opener.

“For the total, the majority of our wagers taken have been on the Over, around a 75/25 split, but the sharper ones have grabbed the Under,” John Lester, lines manager for Bookmaker.eu, tells Covers. “Not surprisingly, the public loves the Over in Game 1. We moved all the way down to 202 last week but now we’re back to the opener of 204.”

The Cavaliers and Warriors split their two meetings this season, 1-1 SU and ATS but stayed Under the total in both matchups. Game 1 of the NBA Finals has gone 2-6-1 O/U over the past nine seasons while NBA title games have a 19-29-3 Over/Under count (60.4 percent Under) since 2006.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA Finals could be decided by stars' supporting cast

Jun 02, 2015

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The NBA Finals are being billed as a royal showdown between the king of the postseason and the prince of the 2014-15 regular season.

In fact, the best-of-seven series featuring Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James and Golden State Warriors standout Stephen Curry very well could come down to which player gets the most from the people who have supported him well all season.

Call it The Ragtags vs. The Windbags. Game 1 is slated for Thursday night in Oakland.

If Cleveland, champion of the Eastern Conference, goes on to win its first NBA title, no doubt James will have to give an assist to general manager David Griffin.

Golden State's Bob Myers might have been voted NBA Executive of the Year for 2014-15, but Griffin orchestrated one of the greatest transformations in the league's history.

Forget for a minute the historic signing of James, which in and of itself makes Griffin a candidate for Executive of the Century. Even with the one of the greatest players of all time, the Cavaliers were just 19-16 before Griffin raided two lottery-bound clubs for three misfits that James helped turn into perfectly shaped pieces in a championship run.

Credit James, the most undeniable ball distributor in the Finals, for being the glue in a 34-10 regular-season finish that nearly equaled Golden State's 38-10 record the same period and a 12-2 postseason run that's even better than the Warriors' 12-3.

The newcomers surely have played their part. The previously erratic J.R. Smith set the stage for a sweep of the East's top seed, the Atlanta Hawks, with eight 3-pointers in Game 1 of the conference finals. Guard Iman Shumpert and center Timofey Mozgov, both considered defensive stalwarts, combined for 12 double-figure scoring outputs in Cleveland's last 11 games.

If the James gang is to continue shooting straight for one more series, a majority of it will have to occur in front of Curry's friends and family.

Yes, the Warriors offer more than just 3-point shooters, suffocating defenders and a kid-genius coach. Their record-setting success has been shared -- and often ignited -- by what is now widely considered the greatest home-court advantage in the league.

The Warriors earned the right to host Games 1 and 7, and two others in between, in their earplugs-recommended den by virtue of their 67-win regular season that was a byproduct of a 39-2 home-court run the likes of which was rarely seen in NBA history.

Record-setting 3-point shooting, led by Curry and backcourt sidekick Klay Thompson, regularly energized the building, and that energy was redirected into statistically the NBA's best defense.

James will have to overcome a lot more than just the potential heir to his throne to win a third championship. He'll also have to deal with the league's most fortified palace.

It could turn into a battle for the ages.

NBA FINALS KEY MATCHUPS

Warriors power forward Draymond Green vs. Cavaliers small forward LeBron James.

No doubt the Warriors will take a strength-in-numbers approach to hounding James, similar to the tack that had Houston Rockets star James Harden turning the ball over at a record-setting pace by the end of the Western Conference finals. Green comes the closest among Warriors to matching James' height, strength and desire, so he'll captain the Golden State posse.

Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving vs. Warriors point guard Stephen Curry.

One of the biggest questions entering the series is: Does the wounded Irving have the stamina to run around the Warriors on one end and stay in front of Curry at the other? A healthier Irving could have Warriors coach Steve Kerr asking the same question of his Most Valuable Player by series end.

Cavaliers supersub J.R. Smith vs. Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson.

Two elite stoppers. Two electrifying 3-point shooters. Such matchups tend to favor the defenders, who consider it a vacation to get assigned to spot-up shooters. If this coupling results in a stalemate ... advantage Cavaliers.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA Consensus Picks

SIDES (ATS)

Time Away Line Picks Pct Home Line Picks Pct Detail Odds

9:00 PM Cleveland +5.5 720 54.09% Golden State -5.5 611 45.91% View View


TOTALS (OVER/UNDER)

Time Away Total Over Pct Home Total Under Pct Detail Odds

9:00 PM Cleveland 204 764 66.32% Golden State 204 388 33.68% View View