The Bum's Sports Page For Friday July 17th Best Bets-Trends-News !

[StarDust Bum]

Dodgers acquire P Dayton from Marlins

July 15, 2015

LOS ANGELES (AP) The Dodgers have acquired left-hander Grant Dayton from the Miami Marlins in exchange for left-hander Chris Reed.

Dayton was 2-1 with a 2.83 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 25 games for Triple-A New Orleans this season. The 27-year-old pitcher was selected by the Marlins in the 11th round of the 2010 first-year player draft.

He will report to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

The trade was announced Wednesday.

[StarDust Bum]

Miggy-less Tigers hope for big second half

July 15, 2015

DETROIT (AP) Over the past few years, baseball's trade deadline has been a source of excitement and anticipation in Detroit.

Whether he was pulling off a blockbuster deal last year for David Price or adding players like Anibal Sanchez and Jose Iglesias in previous seasons, general manager Dave Dombrowski has always been ready to act.

Now, with the deadline approaching again, Dombrowski is facing questions about his team's short-term goals.

''We're trying to win this year right now,'' he said recently.

The fact that Dombrowski had to reaffirm that philosophy was telling. The Tigers entered the All-Star break at 44-44, in third place in the AL Central. After four straight division titles, they now trail first-place Kansas City by nine games, and there is speculation around Detroit that the team might be better off trading some of its top players and reshaping the roster for next year.

That talk may be premature. Although they have a significant deficit in the division, the Tigers are certainly still in contention for a wild card. At the very least, they can wait a little longer before evaluating what their next moves might be. But so far this year, Detroit has looked average.

''We have to get on a roll and the only way to do that is with good starting pitching,'' Dombrowski said.

It was just one season ago when the Tigers traded for Price at the deadline. In Price, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, Detroit had the American League's previous three Cy Young Award winners in the same rotation.

Scherzer is gone. Price is still excellent, but Sanchez is having an up-and-down season and Verlander has made only five starts because of injuries.

Shane Greene and Alfredo Simon, who were acquired last offseason to fill out the back of the rotation, have not pitched well lately. Greene was even sent to the minors for a bit.

''Probably I am a little surprised our pitching hasn't been better overall,'' said Dombrowski, whose contract expires this year. ''Some guys have pitched very well, but overall as a group, I am surprised we haven't pitched a little better.''

Detroit's rotation took a hit when Scherzer left via free agency, and the Tigers now face the prospect of losing Price, who can become a free agent after this season. Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes can also test the market.

Both of those players would certainly be of interest to other teams if Detroit made them available, but the Tigers are by no means giving up on 2015 yet. Their offense - bolstered by the offseason addition of Cespedes and another big year from J.D. Martinez - has scored the third-most runs in the American League and leads the AL in on-base percentage.

''I've said it many times: Over 162 games, I think good teams end up having good records,'' manager Brad Ausmus said. ''I firmly believe this is a good team.''

Last year, the Tigers were certainly a good team, albeit a flawed one, with a shaky bullpen that cost them dearly in the playoffs. Now the bullpen is still a weak spot - as evidenced by Minnesota's seven-run ninth inning in an 8-6 win over Detroit on Friday.

The difference between 2014 and 2015 is that the starting rotation has not been strong enough to mask some of the team's other problems.

Detroit comes out of the All-Star break with a seven-game homestand against Baltimore and Seattle. Win enough of those games, and the postseason race will look more promising - especially with injured slugger Miguel Cabrera due back next month.

But the clock is ticking, and these days, each defeat adds another bit of doubt to this team's immediate future.

''We have to get on a roll at some point,'' Dombrowski said. ''We're not going to be able to play a couple of games, get three games above, then one game above and then back to .500. We are not going to be able to do that and make the postseason.'

[StarDust Bum]

After jam with Vedder, Theo ponders moves

July 15, 2015

CHICAGO (AP) Don't bother asking whether this is the year.

Theo Epstein's answer to the question that's haunted Cubs fans for a century-and-counting hasn't changed. It's the same one he gave four years ago, when Epstein was introduced as the franchise's latest savior to great fanfare and pleaded for patience: He has no idea. Neither does anyone else.

When the club broke training camp back in spring, 2016 seemed like a reasonable guess, or maybe `17. But if Epstein's suddenly fast-filling schedule is any indication, this just might be the one.

For the first time since he took over as the club's baseball operations boss, Wrigley Field is on full alert. Chockfull of young talent and now managed by wily Joe Maddon, the Cubs finally made it to midseason without being mathematically - or just realistically - eliminated from the postseason.

Small as that accomplishment seems, especially measured against their high-flying division rivals in St. Louis and Pittsburgh, there is the whiff of real possibility in the air on Chicago's North Side and the anticipation that reinforcements are on the way. With the trade deadline looming at the end of the month, Epstein is thinking about buying players instead of simply swapping or selling them.

All of a sudden, just like it used to be back in Boston at this time of year, he is crazy busy. And not just with baseball: Epstein found time in the days before the All-Star break to step onstage at a nearby club alongside good friend Eddie Vedder and contribute backup guitar licks and vocals to a pretty good rendition of ''Rockin' in the Free World.'' Good enough, anyway, to raise $425,0000 for a youth charity he began in Boston and expanded to Chicago.

When he sat down for an interview, Epstein looked at ease, but he was still hoarse.

''If somebody came up to me in spring training and said here's where you'll be (47-40) at the end of the first half,'' he began, clearing his throat one more time, ''I'd have taken it in a heartbeat.''

No doubt. Back then, youngsters Kris Bryant and Addison Russell had yet to make their major league debuts and there were plenty of questions about how a handful of added veterans like reliever Jason Motte, catcher Miguel Montero and returning starter Jason Hammel would fit in. Epstein turned that job over to Maddon and he did not disappoint.

''Because we play just about every day, you get into a rhythm right away and then the season becomes a kind of blur,'' Maddon said. ''So if your veterans don't buy in early, it only gets harder and harder to flip the culture.

''I was mostly lucky with this group, because to a man, they bought in really fast,'' he added. ''Made my life a lot easier.''

Of course, it wasn't that simple. Maddon also proved masterful at managing a bullpen-by-committee and made sure understudies like Chris Denorfia and David Ross got enough at-bats to be pressed into starting roles when needed. After Bryant struck out three times in his first big-league game, Maddon made sure he didn't worry about it.

''That's how Joe is,'' Russell said. ''He always says, `If you're going to make a mistake, make it on the aggressive side.' ... When you're young, you just want to go, go, go and I was down on myself because I wasn't stealing as many bases as I thought I should.

''I talked to Joe and he said instead of worrying about that, start picking spots where you can take the extra base,'' Russell added. ''It changed how I looked at running. I think it made me smarter and better on the base paths all the way around.''

Successful as the mix has been so far, Epstein is considering mixing it up even more. Back in 2004, when he helped deliver Boston's first World Series title in 86 years, he was portrayed as the leader of a pack of young general managers determined to build baseball teams that resembled the statistical models they assembled with computers. The truth, at least in Epstein's case, was never that simple.

His greatest strength was striking a balance between the old and new ways of cobbling together teams and being unafraid to rattle the believers in either camp. During his tenure in Chicago, which has aligned with a shift in the game from hitting to pitching, Epstein has taken the long view and loaded up on dynamic young position players.

Just don't bet he won't change course.

Epstein can't know whether this is the year, but he may be willing to roll the dice at the halfway point to find out.

''We'd like to add starting pitching. We're already running the risk of being thin heading into the dog days,'' Epstein said, breaking into a wide smile after sneaking a glance at his phone. ''We'll see.''

[StarDust Bum]

Seattle looks for quick start out of gate

July 15, 2015

SEATTLE (AP) The Seattle Mariners were expected to be playoff contenders at the start of the season. They open the second half seven games under .500.

Short of a huge turnaround after the All-Star break, the Mariners will join the ranks of past Seattle teams that flopped when expected to be in the postseason picture.

''We haven't really gotten on a streak, haven't gotten on a roll,'' third baseman Kyle Seager said. ''We'll win a game, lose a game, win a game, lose a game. It's hard to make up ground that way.''

Seattle is among the most disappointing teams in the American League during the first half of the season. Instead of being on pace to end the second-longest playoff drought in baseball, the Mariners are 41-48 and don't have a win streak longer than four games.

Despite the addition of Nelson Cruz, Seattle is the worst hitting team in the AL. Robinson Cano is having an off-year. He's been bothered by stomach issues dating back to last summer, he says, and is hitting .251 with just six homers and 30 RBIs. He's struck out 64 times this season - last year he fanned 68 times.

''It's not what we were expecting. You kind of forget how the year has gone and just try and turn it around in the second half,'' Cano said. ''You just have to keep fighting. We have great talent. We've got guys that know how to play the game. We've just got to keep fighting.''

For manager Lloyd McClendon, his biggest issue is not with the offense or erratic starting rotation, but with the bullpen. Last year, the relievers were the best in baseball, and locked down games after the sixth or seventh innings. Closer Fernando Rodney is having a rough time, and he's no longer in the same role as a year ago.

''You can talk about your offense, but the offense last year was bad,'' McClendon began. ''But our bullpen was outstanding and we won games because of our bullpen. That's been our biggest, in my opinion, the biggest disappointment to date, is right-handers we've had to shift in and out of our bullpen to try to bridge the gap to win games.''

Any optimism for the second half is centered on the starting rotation. Felix Hernandez is again one of the top pitchers in the AL with 11 wins. Young righty Taijuan Walker overcame problems in the first month to become more dominant in May and June. Lefty Mike Montgomery has been a pleasant surprise coming up from the minors. And Hisashi Iwakuma is coming off eight shutout innings in his second start since returning from the disabled list.

Seattle opens the second half with a 13-game stretch - seven on the road against the Yankees and Detroit, before returning home for six against Toronto and Arizona.

McClendon understands urgency of strong start to the second half. He ripped his team after a sloppy and uninspired effort to close out the first half in a 10-3 loss to the AL West division-leading Angels.

''We've got to start stringing together wins and that's the message I'm going to give my club starting the second half,'' McClendon said. ''Listen, I've given my club a lot of string and allowed them to do a lot of things but it is not working. We're going to change things.''

[StarDust Bum]

White Sox perking up, but is it too late?

July 15, 2015

CHICAGO (AP) The Chicago White Sox rolled into the All-Star break playing their best ball of the season, finally performing like the team they thought they were after a miserable start.

The question is can they somehow jump into contention?

They are last in the AL Central, 11 games behind division leader Kansas City and 5 1/2 out of the wild card.

The White Sox (41-45) won nine of 11 games before getting shut down by Jake Arrieta in a 3-1 loss to the Cubs on Sunday. Even so, they are 13-7 after dropping eight in a row last month.

[StarDust Bum]

All-Star week over, Reds will look to deal

July 15, 2015

CINCINNATI (AP) Todd Frazier won the Home Run Derby with final-swing drama. Aroldis Chapman blew 'em away in the ninth inning. Even the rain stayed away, moving through town without interrupting the biggest moments of the All-Star Game.

Now, even as Cincinnati Reds fans enjoy the successful festivities, it's time to trade the afterglow for the glum.

The Reds enter the second half of the season looking to trade two of their best pitchers - yeah, including Chapman and his 100 mph heat. They're headed for another grim few months, well out of contention and stuck with several big contracts that leave them little wiggle room for starting over.

The challenges are much different from the All-Star logistics that went extremely well in the city where pro baseball began.

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[StarDust Bum]

LEADING OFF: Draft deadline Friday looms for 3 1st-rounders

July 16, 2015

A look at what's happening all around the major leagues today:

DEADLINE DAY

Just three of the 36 first-round draft picks are unsigned as Friday's deadline approaches: Vanderbilt shortstop Dansby Swanson, taken by Arizona with the No. 1 selection, and a pair of Dodgers choices: Vanderbilt right-hander Walker Buehler (24th) and Louisville right-hander Kyle Funkhouser (35th).

SHIFTY TEAMS

While waiting for play to resume Friday, some numbers to think about: The 30 teams shifted on 13,298 balls in play last year, according to Baseball Info Solutions. They already have shifted on 10,262 this year, which projects to 18,749 over a full season. The highest percentage increases this year are Colorado (745 percent), Detroit (185 percent) and San Diego (172 percent).

SPEED

Cincinnati closer Aroldis Chapman has thrown 91 of the fastest 100 pitches this season, according to MLB's Statcast, topping with a 103.92 mph offering to Minnesota's Brian Dozer on June 29, a 103.78 mph offering to Atlanta's Freddie Freeman on May 11 and a 103.77 mph pitch to Dozier on June 29. Other pitchers whose tosses made the top 100 are Pittsburgh's Arquimedes Caminero (four times), Detroit's Bruce Rondon (twice) and the New York Yankees' Nathan Eovaldi, Cleveland's Trevor Bauer and Cincinnati's Jumbo Diaz (once each).

SPIN DOCTORS

The Angels' Garrett Richards had the highest average spin rate for a two-seam fastball in the first half at 2,521 revolutions per minute, according to Statcast, and also led curveballs at 3,032. Colorado's Rafael Betancourt topped four-seam fastballs at 2,570 and Seattle's Carson Smith sliders at 2,695.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Fever (8-6) at Mystics (6-6)

Date: July 17, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

A five-game winning streak has turned around the Indiana Fever's season and extending it in the nation's capital would make it their longest in four years.

The Fever look to continue their road success over the Washington Mystics on Friday night in the first matchup at the Verizon Center since last year's decisive playoff meeting.

Indiana (8-6) dropped six of its first nine games before reeling off five wins in a row, including a 73-50 home victory over Washington (6-6) on July 2.

The Fever won seven straight from June 21-July 13, 2011, and they moved closer to matching that run with Wednesday's 83-80 victory over Tulsa.

Tamika Catchings, who turns 36 later this month, had 11 points and 11 rebounds, giving her 3,022 career boards to move into third all-time behind Tina Thompson (3,070) and Lisa Leslie (3,307). She's also 24 points shy of tying Diana Taurasi for second in WNBA history.

Catchings had 26 points and 11 rebounds in an 81-76 overtime win at Washington on Aug. 23 that completed a sweep of the best-of-five Eastern Conference semifinals.

Indiana has won four of the last five regular season games there, winning both last year by three-point margins while Catchings was out with a back injury.

She scored 15 points against the Mystics earlier this month after being limited to five in an 87-75 loss June 20.

Shavonte Zellous scored a season-high 16 points Wednesday in her return after missing eight games with a back injury. She had eight points while missing nine of 12 from the floor at Washington in Game 2.

The Mystics have been outscored by an average of 18.0 points during a three-game slide, which started with the loss at Indiana on July 2. They shot 32.9 percent from the floor in Wednesday's 85-57 loss at Chicago.

Stefanie Dolson had 15 points and 10 rebounds Wednesday after scoring a season-high 22 with 13 boards and six assists in a 79-76 overtime loss to New York on July 9.

The center has hit her averages against Indiana this year, scoring 12 points in each meeting while grabbing 15 rebounds.

Kara Lawson has totaled 13 points on 4-of-17 shooting in two games against the Fever this season after scoring 20 in the finale of their playoff series in 2014. The veteran guard is coming off her worst performance of the year, scoring two points on 1-of-6 shooting against the Sky.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jul 2, 2015 Score ATS Results
WAS 50 Under: 123
IND « 73 Cover: 26.5
Tools: Recaps

Jun 20, 2015 Score ATS Results
WAS « 87 Cover: 11
IND 75 Over: 162
Tools: Recaps

Aug 25, 2014 Score ATS Results
WAS 0 Over: 0
IND « 0 Cover: 0
Tools:

Aug 23, 2014 Score ATS Results
IND « 81 Cover: 8
WAS 76 Over: 157
Tools: Recaps

Aug 21, 2014 Score ATS Results
WAS 73 Cover: 0
IND « 78 Over: 151
Tools: Recaps

Aug 8, 2014 Score ATS Results
WAS « 74 Cover: 18
IND 61 Under: 135
Tools: Recaps

Jul 2, 2014 Score ATS Results
IND « 80 Cover: 7
WAS 77 Over: 157
Tools: Recaps

Jun 6, 2014 Score ATS Results
IND « 64 Cover: 7
WAS 61 Under: 125
Tools: Recaps

May 23, 2014 Score ATS Results
WAS « 79 Cover: 19.5
IND 63 Under: 142
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sky (9-5) at Lynx (10-3)

Date: July 17, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

Perhaps the most impressive victory during Chicago's season-high four game winning streak came a week ago at home against the Minnesota Lynx.

However, coach Pokey Chatman expects things to be more difficult when the surging Sky try to avoid a fifth consecutive defeat at Minnesota on Friday night.

Chicago (9-5) shot 50.8 percent from the field, went 21 of 23 from the free-throw line and became the first team this season to drop 90 points on Minnesota in last Friday's 90-83 victory. League scoring leader Elena Delle Donne (24.7) and Cappie Pondexter each recorded 24 points as the Sky handed the Western Conference-leading Lynx (10-3) what's been their lone defeat over the last six contests.

"We're living the dream," Chatman told the Sky's official website over that contest. "Playing basketball and getting paid for it."

Chatman's usual carefree approach to the game continues to rub off on a Sky team that's having fun while going 4-0 since ending June with two straight defeats. Chicago has averaged 90.3 points while shooting 50.7 percent in three games beginning with that win over Minnesota.

Delle Donne finished with 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting during Wednesday's 85-57 rout of Washington, failing to score more than 12 for the third time in four games. Allie Quigley helped pick up Chicago's star with a team-high 15 off the bench while Pondexter added 14 against the Mystics.

"(Delle Donne) doesn't need to score for us to be successful," Chatman said. "I think there will be more attention paid to others. I think you try to cut the head of our snake off but there's more to it."

Though Chatman is confident in Delle Donne's teammates that together make up the top offensive team in the league, she understands it likely will take a complete effort to win at Minnesota. The Lynx are the WNBA's top defensive team and have yielded an average of 54.0 points while winning three straight at home since falling 86-78 to Tulsa on June 21 for its lone setback in six contests there.

The Sky haven't scored more than 69 points while dropping four straight at Minnesota by an average margin of 11 points.

"They are a great team," Chatman said. "They aren't going to worry about us, but more about themselves."

Working her way back from a lingering bout with Lyme disease, Delle Donne had two points in 16 minutes off the bench in last season's 74-64 loss at Minnesota on Aug. 7. Quigley finished with 20 points for the Sky.

Minnesota All-Star Maya Moore had a quiet 17 points in that meeting but scored a season-high 29 in last week's visit to Chicago. Moore (18.8) has averaged 23.8 points in the last five contests after scoring 26 in Tuesday's 85-79 win over Connecticut.

Fellow All-Star starter Seimone Augustus scored 21 in that contest.

Lynx guard Monica Wright will be out indefinitely after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on her right knee Thursday. Wright, who has been Minnesota's top reserve for the majority of her six-year career with the team, missed the first five games because of a strained right calf muscle and averaged 2.1 points and 11.5 minutes over seven contests.

WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jul 10, 2015 Score ATS Results
MIN 83 Over: 175
CHI « 92 Cover: 13
Tools: Recaps

Aug 7, 2014 Score ATS Results
CHI 64 Under: 138
MIN « 74 Cover: 1.5
Tools: Recaps

May 26, 2014 Score ATS Results
MIN « 75 Cover: 4
CHI 72 Under: 147
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Shock-Stars Preview

The Tulsa Shock and San Antonio Stars have already dealt with their fair share of significant injuries this season.

With a slightly healthier group, Tulsa will try for a fourth straight victory in the series Friday night at San Antonio.

The Shock (10-5) failed to win a third consecutive game Wednesday, falling 83-80 at Indiana despite Riquna Williams' season-high 31 points and seven rebounds.

Williams is averaging 15.2 points but has scored at least 22 in four of six, and her recent aggressiveness becomes especially crucial with Skylar Diggins sidelined for the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

Odyssey Sims scored eight points in her second game back from a knee injury.

San Antonio (3-11) has dropped five of six and three straight, with the last two defeats by a combined 33 points. Averaging 70.0 points, the Stars are the league's second-lowest scoring team.

They fell 84-68 at New York on Wednesday. Danielle Robinson scored a team-high 18 as San Antonio had just nine players available. Kayla McBride (foot), the club's leading scorer with 14.0 points per game, and Jia Perkins (calf), who averages 12.1, missed their fourth straight games.

Forward Alex Montgomery has been limited to three games, not playing since June 20 due to an injured right knee.

"We knew we were going to be young, but we did not know we were going to be injured," coach Dan Hughes said. "You take your two leading scorers (McBride and Perkins), and never have had Alex Montgomery this season.

"We thought that we would have a chance about 10-15 games in to kind of take a young core and move it to a certain spot, but the problem has obviously been injuries has gotten in the way of developing that core."

While the Stars remain winless on the road, they're 3-3 at home.

Tulsa won the season's first two meetings June 14 and 16, including a 27-point home victory. San Antonio shot a combined 34.1 percent and was outrebounded 100-51. Diggins totaled 34 points.

The Stars are shooting a league-worst 25.1 percent from 3-point range, while Tulsa ranks third at 35.5 percent.

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Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Conf. Last 10 Streak

Connecticut Sun 7 2 .778 0 3-2 4-0 3-2 7-2 L-1

Washington Mystics 6 3 .667 1 3-2 3-1 5-2 6-3 W-1

New York Liberty 6 4 .600 1.5 4-2 2-2 4-3 6-4 W-2

Chicago Sky 5 5 .500 2.5 2-1 3-4 4-4 5-5 L-2

Atlanta Dream 4 6 .400 3.5 3-3 1-3 3-6 4-6 W-1

Indiana Fever 4 6 .400 3.5 1-4 3-2 3-5 4-6 W-1



WESTERN CONFERENCE

Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Conf. Last 10 Streak

Tulsa Shock 8 2 .800 0 5-0 3-2 5-2 8-2 L-1

Minnesota Lynx 7 2 .778 .5 3-1 4-1 6-2 7-2 W-2

Phoenix Mercury 4 5 .444 3.5 3-1 1-4 4-2 4-5 W-1

Seattle Storm 3 7 .300 5 2-3 1-4 3-6 3-7 W-1

San Antonio Stars 2 7 .222 5.5 2-3 0-4 2-5 2-7 L-1

Los Angeles Sparks 0 7 .000 6.5 0-3 0-4 0-3 0-7 L-7

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CFL Betting Notes - Week 4

July 14, 2015

Week 3 Betting Recap

The underdogs dominated the first two weeks of the 2015 CFL regular season with a number of stunning upsets, but it was a mixed bag of results in Week 3.

Edmonton got things started last Thursday night with a 47-17 rout of Ottawa as a seven-point home favorite. In the first of two Friday games, Winnipeg got past Montreal 25-23 but it could not cover as a three-point home favorite. Later that night, British Columbia also closed as a three-point favorite at home and it snuck past Saskatchewan 35-32 in overtime for the PUSH. Week 3 closed things out on Monday with Calgary holding off Toronto 25-20, but failing to cover as an eight-point home favorite.

Opening odds provided by 5Dimes.

Friday, July 17

Edmonton Eskimos (1-1 SU, 1-1 ATS) vs. Ottawa RedBlacks (2-1 SU, 2-1 ATS)
Point-spread: Edmonton -3 ½
Total: 49

Game Overview

Edmonton returned to form in the opener of this home-and-home series after losing to Toronto 26-11 on the road in Week 1 as a 7 ½-point road favorite. Matt Nichols took over the reins at quarterback for an injured Mike Reilly and threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns in the win against the RedBlacks last Thursday.

The RedBlacks equaled last season’s two-game win total in the first two weeks of this season with victories against Montreal on the road and British Columbia at home both straight-up and ATS. The total stayed UNDER in those two wins before going OVER the 45 ½-point closing line in Thursday’s loss.

Betting Trends

The Eskimos have now won all three meetings against the expansion RedBlacks SU dating back to last season. They also have a 2-1 edge ATS and the total had stayed UNDER in both games in 2014.

British Columbia Lions (1-1 SU, 1-0-1 ATS) vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders (0-3 SU, 0-2-1 ATS)
Point-spread: Saskatchewan -3 ½
Total: 50 ½

Game Overview

The Lions evened their SU record on the year with last week’s win in this home-and-home series after getting stunned by Ottawa in their season opener. Travis Lulay looked sharp at quarterback in last Friday’s win by throwing for 404 yards and three scores while completing 34-of-44 attempts. Austin Collie and Andrew Harris combined for 12 receptions for 158 yards and one score in that game.

Saskatchewan has dug itself into an early 0-3 hole following the loss of quarterback Darian Durant in Week 1 with a season-ending ankle injury. In his place, Kevin Glenn has thrown for a CFL-high 868 yards while completing an impressive 79.3 percent of his 87 attempts, but this has yet to translate to victories on the field. The Roughriders have allowed an average of 35.7 points in those three losses.

Betting Trends

BC has now won the last three meetings SU, but it is just 1-3-2 ATS in the last six games between the two. The total has stayed UNDER in six of the last seven games in Saskatchewan.

Saturday, July 18

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-1 SU, 1-1-1 ATS) vs. Calgary Stampeders (2-1 SU, 0-3 ATS)
Point-spread: Calgary -10
Total: 53

Game Overview

The Blue Bombers are off to a solid 2-1 SU start behind an offense that has averaged 27 points through their first three games. This is a huge turnaround from a unit that failed to score more than 23 points in any of its final seven games last year. Quarterback Drew Willy was back in the lineup on Friday night and he completed 20-of-29 attempts for 251 yards.

Calgary closed out Week 3 with a tight victory over the Argonauts to bounce back from a stunning 29-11 loss to Montreal the week before as a 9 ½-point road favorite. The Stampeders got a big effort from wide receiver Eric Rogers on Monday night with six receptions for 114 yards and a score. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell ended the night with 303 passing yards and two touchdown throws.

Betting Trends

Winnipeg has failed to cover in four of the last seven meetings overall and it is 3-8-1 ATS in its last 12 road games against Calgary. The total has stayed UNDER in four of their five road games against the Stampeders.

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CFL

Dunkel

Week 4

Edmonton @ Ottawa

Game 323-324
July 17, 2015 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Edmonton
126.444
Ottawa
107.531
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Edmonton
by 19
44
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Edmonton
by 3 1/2
49
Dunkel Pick:
Edmonton
(-3 1/2); Under


BC Lions @ Saskatchewan

Game 325-326
July 17, 2015 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
BC Lions
109.100
Saskatchewan
114.531
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Saskatchewan
by 5 1/2
46
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Saskatchewan
by 3 1/2
51 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
BC Lions
(-3 1/2); Under


Winnipeg @ Calgary

Game 327-328
July 18, 2015 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Winnipeg
110.381
Calgary
122.944
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Calgary
by 12 1/2
50
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Calgary
by 9
53
Dunkel Pick:
Calgary
(-9); Under

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CFL

Long Sheet

FrIday, July 17

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EDMONTON (1 - 1) at OTTAWA (2 - 1) - 7/17/2015, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 2-1 against the spread versus OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 3-0 straight up against OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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BRITISH COLUMBIA (1 - 1) at SASKATCHEWAN (0 - 3) - 7/17/2015, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SASKATCHEWAN is 50-28 ATS (+19.2 Units) in July games since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 105-71 ATS (+26.9 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 50-26 ATS (+21.4 Units) as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points since 1996.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 33-18 ATS (+13.2 Units) as a road underdog of 3.5 to 7 points since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
SASKATCHEWAN is 3-3 against the spread versus BRITISH COLUMBIA over the last 3 seasons
SASKATCHEWAN is 4-3 straight up against BRITISH COLUMBIA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Saturday, July 18

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WINNIPEG (2 - 1) at CALGARY (2 - 1) - 7/18/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CALGARY is 112-82 ATS (+21.8 Units) when playing with 6 or less days rest since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
CALGARY is 2-1 against the spread versus WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 3-1 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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CFL

Armadillo's Write-Up

Week 4

Edmonton (1-1) @ Ottawa (2-1)-- Ottawa won first two games as underdogs, allowing 16 ppg, but Eskimos were coming off a bye, smoked RedBlacks 46-17 last week, it was 36-11 at half; Edmonton outgained them 376-221 after they beat Ottawa 27-11/10-8 in two meetings LY. Eskimos were outgained 484-259 in opening 26-11 loss at Toronto; they've turned ball over eight times in two games (-3). Ottawa threw six INTs in its first three games.

British Columbia (1-1) @ Saskatchewan (0-3)-- Roughriders are 0-3 despite leading all three games in 4th quarter; they lost last two games in OT- they were outgained 480-442 last week in Vancouver. Riders led 17-10/7-6 at half last two weeks, allowed 32-29 points after the half. Saskatchewan won four of last six series games; under is now 14-3 in last 17 series games. Lions scored 7-6 points in first half of first two games- they lost road opener at Ottawa.

Winnipeg (2-1) @ Calgary (2-1)-- Stampeders won 10 of last 11 series games, winning last 11 here (2-2-2 vs spread in last six). Calgary is 0-3 vs spread this year with three games staying under total- their two wins were 24-23/25-20, both at home. Bombers allowed 33.7 ppg in 2-1 start, winning only road game 30-26 (+8) in Regina- two of their three games this year went over total. Over is 6-3 in first series meeting of season the last nine years.