The Bum's Sports Page For Thursday August 27th Best Bets-Trends-News !

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Thursday, August 27

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Trend Report
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12:35 PM
LA DODGERS vs. CINCINNATI
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Dodgers's last 6 games when playing Cincinnati
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Dodgers's last 5 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
Cincinnati is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers
Cincinnati is 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing LA Dodgers

1:08 PM
LA ANGELS vs. DETROIT
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Angels's last 6 games
LA Angels are 2-13 SU in their last 15 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 7 games
Detroit is 1-8 SU in their last 9 games when playing LA Angels

2:05 PM
TORONTO vs. TEXAS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games when playing Texas
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Toronto's last 15 games when playing Texas
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Texas's last 9 games when playing at home against Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Texas's last 15 games when playing Toronto

2:10 PM
BALTIMORE vs. KANSAS CITY
Baltimore is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Baltimore is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
Kansas City is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Baltimore
Kansas City is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

3:45 PM
CHI CUBS vs. SAN FRANCISCO
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Chi Cubs's last 11 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games when playing San Francisco
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of San Francisco's last 13 games at home
San Francisco is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

7:05 PM
SAN DIEGO vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Diego's last 6 games when playing Washington
San Diego is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Diego

7:05 PM
NY METS vs. PHILADELPHIA
NY Mets are 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 11 of NY Mets's last 12 games on the road
Philadelphia is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against NY Mets
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 5 games at home

7:10 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. MIAMI
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Miami is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 17 of Miami's last 25 games

7:10 PM
MINNESOTA vs. TAMPA BAY
Minnesota is 7-16 SU in its last 23 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota

8:10 PM
SEATTLE vs. CHI WHITE SOX
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Seattle's last 9 games on the road
Seattle is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chi White Sox's last 7 games
Chi White Sox are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games at home

9:40 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. ARIZONA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games
St. Louis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Arizona
Arizona is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis
Arizona is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Long Sheet

Thursday, August 27

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LA DODGERS (69 - 56) at CINCINNATI (52 - 73) - 12:35 PM
ZACK GREINKE (R) vs. ANTHONY DESCLAFANI (R)
Top Trends for this game.
LA DODGERS are 69-56 (-13.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
LA DODGERS are 32-32 (-18.2 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less this season.
LA DODGERS are 27-36 (-22.8 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
LA DODGERS are 10-18 (-16.2 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 7 or less this season.
LA DODGERS are 4-9 (-9.3 Units) against the money line in road games in August games this season.
LA DODGERS are 69-56 (-13.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
LA DODGERS are 54-42 (-6.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
LA DODGERS are 37-33 (-14.6 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
GREINKE is 66-92 (-32.6 Units) against the money line in road games since 1997. (Team's Record)
CINCINNATI is 52-73 (-20.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CINCINNATI is 6-18 (-11.2 Units) against the money line in August games this season.
CINCINNATI is 12-26 (-16.5 Units) against the money line in day games this season.
CINCINNATI is 52-73 (-20.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
CINCINNATI is 39-53 (-14.1 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
CINCINNATI is 30-43 (-12.6 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA DODGERS is 5-1 (+3.5 Units) against CINCINNATI this season
4 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.9 Units)

ZACK GREINKE vs. CINCINNATI since 1997
GREINKE is 6-2 when starting against CINCINNATI with an ERA of 2.85 and a WHIP of 0.951.
His team's record is 7-4 (+2.6 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-4. (-0.3 units)

ANTHONY DESCLAFANI vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
DESCLAFANI is 1-1 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.333.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.1 units)

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CHICAGO CUBS (73 - 52) at SAN FRANCISCO (67 - 59) - 3:45 PM
DAN HAREN (R) vs. MADISON BUMGARNER (L)
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO CUBS are 771-810 (-152.3 Units) against the money line in day games since 1997.
HAREN is 188-187 (-41.1 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997. (Team's Record)
HAREN is 175-180 (-47.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997. (Team's Record)
SAN FRANCISCO is 67-59 (+2.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 67-59 (+2.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 39-28 (+9.5 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 742-733 (+45.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
BUMGARNER is 29-9 (+18.6 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
CHICAGO CUBS are 73-52 (+10.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 34-26 (+7.8 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 16-5 (+12.1 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 7 or less this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 18-5 (+11.5 Units) against the money line in August games this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 73-52 (+10.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 29-24 (+16.6 Units) against the money line in road games against left-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 72-66 (+8.6 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 33-22 (+10.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO CUBS is 5-1 (+3.9 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
4 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.7 Units)

DAN HAREN vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
HAREN is 7-6 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 3.11 and a WHIP of 1.151.
His team's record is 8-11 (-5.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 9-9. (-1.5 units)

MADISON BUMGARNER vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
BUMGARNER is 5-2 when starting against CHICAGO CUBS with an ERA of 2.54 and a WHIP of 1.127.
His team's record is 6-3 (+0.9 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 5-2. (+2.7 units)

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NY METS (70 - 56) at PHILADELPHIA (50 - 77) - 7:05 PM
JON NIESE (L) vs. AARON HARANG (R)
Top Trends for this game.
NY METS are 17-29 (-11.6 Units) against the money line in road games in night games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 36-36 (+13.3 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 403-384 (+51.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1997.
NY METS are 70-56 (+12.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
NY METS are 108-117 (+16.7 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 3 seasons.
NY METS are 100-80 (+35.3 Units) against the money line in road games when playing on Thursday since 1997.
NY METS are 33-17 (+14.2 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
NY METS are 69-52 (+15.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
NY METS are 54-44 (+8.2 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
NY METS are 43-26 (+15.7 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
NY METS are 42-26 (+13.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
NY METS are 17-4 (+12.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season this season.
NIESE is 14-3 (+11.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
HARANG is 5-15 (-10.5 Units) against the money line in home games in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
NY METS is 11-1 (+9.8 Units) against PHILADELPHIA this season
7 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+2.9 Units)

JON NIESE vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
NIESE is 10-6 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 2.77 and a WHIP of 1.196.
His team's record is 13-8 (+6.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 9-8. (+0.6 units)

AARON HARANG vs. NY METS since 1997
HARANG is 6-7 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 3.93 and a WHIP of 1.518.
His team's record is 7-8 (-0.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 8-7. (+0.8 units)

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SAN DIEGO (62 - 64) at WASHINGTON (63 - 62) - 7:05 PM
ANDREW CASHNER (R) vs. JOE ROSS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN DIEGO is 21-41 (-18.1 Units) against the money line in road games after a win over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 47-41 (+5.3 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
WASHINGTON is 63-62 (-13.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 9-15 (-11.4 Units) against the money line in August games this season.
WASHINGTON is 62-61 (-13.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
WASHINGTON is 38-44 (-15.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
WASHINGTON is 47-48 (-9.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
WASHINGTON is 29-28 (-11.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 4-2 (+1.7 Units) against SAN DIEGO this season
5 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+4.1 Units)

ANDREW CASHNER vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
CASHNER is 1-3 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 4.72 and a WHIP of 1.462.
His team's record is 2-3 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-3. (-1.5 units)

JOE ROSS vs. SAN DIEGO since 1997
No recent starts.

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PITTSBURGH (76 - 49) at MIAMI (51 - 76) - 7:10 PM
GERRIT COLE (R) vs. JUSTIN NICOLINO (L)
Top Trends for this game.
MIAMI is 51-41 (+16.7 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 7 or less over the last 3 seasons.
MIAMI is 366-422 (+40.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1997.
PITTSBURGH is 76-49 (+18.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 76-49 (+18.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
PITTSBURGH is 117-81 (+22.3 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 48-27 (+16.0 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
PITTSBURGH is 87-52 (+21.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 51-76 (-23.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
MIAMI is 51-73 (-20.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
MIAMI is 33-52 (-19.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
MIAMI is 40-59 (-17.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
MIAMI is 26-49 (-20.7 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 5-1 (+3.6 Units) against MIAMI this season
5 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+3.9 Units)

GERRIT COLE vs. MIAMI since 1997
COLE is 1-1 when starting against MIAMI with an ERA of 4.26 and a WHIP of 1.053.
His team's record is 2-1 (+0.9 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-1. (+0.7 units)

JUSTIN NICOLINO vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
No recent starts.

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ST LOUIS (81 - 45) at ARIZONA (62 - 64) - 9:40 PM
CARLOS MARTINEZ (R) vs. RUBBY DE LA ROSA (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 9-20 (-13.8 Units) against the money line in road games after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 3 seasons.
ARIZONA is 62-64 (+1.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
ARIZONA is 62-64 (+1.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
ARIZONA is 47-46 (+5.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
ARIZONA is 48-46 (+4.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
ARIZONA is 34-30 (+6.6 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
DE LA ROSA is 12-3 (+9.1 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 this season. (Team's Record)
DE LA ROSA is 13-6 (+8.5 Units) against the money line in night games this season. (Team's Record)
ST LOUIS is 81-45 (+26.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
ST LOUIS is 81-45 (+26.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
ST LOUIS is 58-32 (+20.3 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
ST LOUIS is 62-30 (+25.2 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
ST LOUIS is 51-30 (+13.0 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
MARTINEZ is 18-5 (+10.7 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
MARTINEZ is 18-5 (+10.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
ARIZONA is 15-32 (-15.8 Units) against the money line as a home underdog of +100 to +125 over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 63-78 (-20.7 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 216-206 (-47.8 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 8 to 8.5 since 1997.
ARIZONA is 46-89 (-35.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 4-15 (-10.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 6-0 (+6.1 Units) against ARIZONA this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.7 Units)

CARLOS MARTINEZ vs. ARIZONA since 1997
MARTINEZ is 0-0 when starting against ARIZONA with an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 1.000.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

RUBBY DE LA ROSA vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
DE LA ROSA is 0-0 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 1.50 and a WHIP of 1.500.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-1. (-1.1 units)

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LA ANGELS (64 - 62) at DETROIT (60 - 66) - 1:05 PM
MATT SHOEMAKER (R) vs. RANDY WOLF (L)
Top Trends for this game.
WOLF is 91-77 (+28.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997. (Team's Record)
LA ANGELS are 775-763 (+60.0 Units) against the money line in road games since 1997.
LA ANGELS are 274-235 (+68.6 Units) against the money line in road games in day games since 1997.
LA ANGELS are 650-644 (+52.6 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field since 1997.
LA ANGELS are 92-55 (+23.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 46-21 (+17.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
SHOEMAKER is 15-5 (+11.5 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SHOEMAKER is 13-4 (+10.6 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SHOEMAKER is 11-2 (+10.2 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
DETROIT is 150-141 (-13.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 30-34 (-9.6 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
DETROIT is 30-34 (-9.6 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field this season.
DETROIT is 41-52 (-11.1 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
DETROIT is 67-60 (-27.3 Units) against the money line in home games after a win over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA ANGELS is 5-1 (+4.2 Units) against DETROIT this season
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.6 Units)

MATT SHOEMAKER vs. DETROIT since 1997
SHOEMAKER is 1-0 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 0.73 and a WHIP of 0.892.
His team's record is 2-0 (+2.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-2. (-2.3 units)

RANDY WOLF vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
WOLF is 1-1 when starting against LA ANGELS with an ERA of 4.91 and a WHIP of 1.418.
His team's record is 2-1 (+1.3 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-3. (-3.3 units)

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TORONTO (71 - 55) at TEXAS (64 - 61) - 2:05 PM
MARCO ESTRADA (R) vs. YOVANI GALLARDO (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TEXAS is 64-61 (+19.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
TEXAS is 42-37 (+15.1 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 61-57 (+19.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
TEXAS is 40-36 (+12.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
TEXAS is 31-29 (+9.2 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
TEXAS is 36-21 (+26.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
GALLARDO is 8-2 (+7.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season. (Team's Record)
TORONTO is 71-55 (+7.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
TORONTO is 18-4 (+11.3 Units) against the money line in August games this season.
TORONTO is 34-16 (+16.4 Units) against the money line after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 43-28 (+11.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
TORONTO is 19-5 (+12.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
ESTRADA is 20-10 (+13.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TEXAS is 46-69 (-21.1 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 61-80 (-19.9 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 32-56 (-24.9 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 4-1 (+2.4 Units) against TEXAS this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.7 Units)

MARCO ESTRADA vs. TEXAS since 1997
ESTRADA is 1-0 when starting against TEXAS with an ERA of 1.50 and a WHIP of 0.667.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.8 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-1. (-1.0 units)

YOVANI GALLARDO vs. TORONTO since 1997
GALLARDO is 2-0 when starting against TORONTO with an ERA of 1.80 and a WHIP of 0.933.
His team's record is 2-0 (+2.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.3 units)

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BALTIMORE (63 - 63) at KANSAS CITY (77 - 49) - 2:10 PM
CHRIS TILLMAN (R) vs. YORDANO VENTURA (R)
Top Trends for this game.
BALTIMORE is 24-37 (-11.9 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
BALTIMORE is 18-31 (-12.2 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field this season.
BALTIMORE is 45-49 (-6.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
BALTIMORE is 22-35 (-13.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
BALTIMORE is 5-14 (-9.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
KANSAS CITY is 77-49 (+24.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 44-21 (+18.2 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 35-17 (+15.2 Units) against the money line in August games over the last 2 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 24-14 (+11.2 Units) against the money line in day games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 76-46 (+26.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
KANSAS CITY is 53-27 (+24.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
KANSAS CITY is 28-18 (+9.8 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
BALTIMORE is 163-133 (+30.2 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 178-203 (+40.4 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +125 to +150 since 1997.
TILLMAN is 38-22 (+17.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TILLMAN is 9-2 (+9.9 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +125 to +150 over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TILLMAN is 17-10 (+11.1 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TILLMAN is 7-1 (+8.3 Units) against the money line in road games in day games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TILLMAN is 34-18 (+16.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TILLMAN is 16-8 (+11.3 Units) against the money line in road games after a win over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
TILLMAN is 29-17 (+16.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TILLMAN is 28-17 (+20.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1997. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
KANSAS CITY is 2-1 (+0.7 Units) against BALTIMORE this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.2 Units)

CHRIS TILLMAN vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
TILLMAN is 2-2 when starting against KANSAS CITY with an ERA of 6.75 and a WHIP of 1.500.
His team's record is 3-3 (-0.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-2. (+2.0 units)

YORDANO VENTURA vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
VENTURA is 1-1 when starting against BALTIMORE with an ERA of 2.70 and a WHIP of 1.250.
His team's record is 2-1 (+0.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-2. (-0.9 units)

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MINNESOTA (65 - 61) at TAMPA BAY (62 - 64) - 7:10 PM
TOM MILONE (L) vs. DREW SMYLY (L)
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 65-61 (+17.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
MINNESOTA is 38-33 (+14.5 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
MINNESOTA is 33-31 (+8.7 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
MINNESOTA is 38-25 (+20.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
MILONE is 61-39 (+23.6 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997. (Team's Record)
MILONE is 42-22 (+22.1 Units) against the money line in night games since 1997. (Team's Record)
MILONE is 38-23 (+17.2 Units) against the money line after a win since 1997. (Team's Record)
MILONE is 17-5 (+11.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season since 1997. (Team's Record)
TAMPA BAY is 139-149 (-32.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 66-76 (-33.1 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 67-77 (-33.4 Units) against the money line in games played in a dome over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 75-85 (-32.4 Units) against the money line in games played on artificial turf over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 68-78 (-19.5 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 4-1 (+4.0 Units) against TAMPA BAY this season
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.3 Units)

TOM MILONE vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
MILONE is 2-2 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 6.17 and a WHIP of 1.371.
His team's record is 2-2 (+0.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-3. (-2.4 units)

DREW SMYLY vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
SMYLY is 1-1 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 1.74 and a WHIP of 1.113.
His team's record is 1-3 (-4.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 3-1. (+1.9 units)

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SEATTLE (59 - 68) at CHI WHITE SOX (59 - 66) - 8:10 PM
ROENIS ELIAS (L) vs. CARLOS RODON (L)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHI WHITE SOX is 2-1 (+1.0 Units) against SEATTLE this season
3 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.4 Units)

ROENIS ELIAS vs. CHI WHITE SOX since 1997
ELIAS is 1-1 when starting against CHI WHITE SOX with an ERA of 5.90 and a WHIP of 1.125.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-0. (+2.1 units)

CARLOS RODON vs. SEATTLE since 1997
RODON is 0-0 when starting against SEATTLE with an ERA of 1.29 and a WHIP of 1.429.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-0. (+1.2 units)

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Standings

Regular Season Standings

AMERICAN - EAST
Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Last 10 Streak
Toronto Blue Jays 71 55 .563 0 40-23 31-32 7-3 W-5
New York Yankees 69 57 .548 2 37-26 32-31 5-5 L-2
Baltimore Orioles 63 63 .500 8 37-25 26-38 3-7 W-1
Tampa Bay Rays 62 64 .492 9 31-33 31-31 4-6 L-3
Boston Red Sox 58 69 .457 13 33-32 25-37 6-4 W-1

AMERICAN - CENTRAL
Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Last 10 Streak
Kansas City Royals 77 49 .611 0 44-21 33-28 7-3 L-1
Minnesota Twins 65 61 .516 12 38-24 27-37 7-3 W-6
Cleveland Indians 60 66 .476 17 26-34 34-32 6-4 W-2
Detroit Tigers 60 66 .476 17 30-34 30-32 4-6 W-1
Chicago White Sox 59 66 .472 17 31-30 28-36 4-6 L-1

AMERICAN - WEST
Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Last 10 Streak
Houston Astros 71 57 .555 0 45-21 26-36 7-3 W-2
Texas Rangers 64 61 .512 5 28-32 36-29 6-4 L-2
Los Angeles Angels 64 62 .508 6 39-27 25-35 4-6 L-1
Seattle Mariners 59 68 .465 11 29-36 30-32 5-5 W-2
Oakland Athletics 55 73 .430 16 30-36 25-37 4-6 L-2

NATIONAL - EAST
Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Last 10 Streak
New York Mets 70 56 .556 0 42-21 28-35 7-3 W-6
Washington Nationals 63 62 .504 6 34-25 29-37 5-5 L-1
Atlanta Braves 54 73 .425 16 33-26 21-47 1-9 L-2
Miami Marlins 51 76 .402 19 30-35 21-41 4-6 L-1
Philadelphia Phillies 50 77 .394 20 28-33 22-44 4-6 L-3

NATIONAL - CENTRAL
Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Last 10 Streak
St. Louis Cardinals 81 45 .643 0 46-19 35-26 6-4 W-4
Pittsburgh Pirates 76 49 .608 4 44-20 32-29 7-3 W-1
Chicago Cubs 73 52 .584 7 39-26 34-26 6-4 L-1
Milwaukee Brewers 53 74 .417 28 28-38 25-36 4-6 L-4
Cincinnati Reds 52 73 .416 28 29-34 23-39 1-9 L-2

NATIONAL - WEST
Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Last 10 Streak
Los Angeles Dodgers 69 56 .552 0 42-20 27-36 5-5 W-2
San Francisco Giants 67 59 .532 2 36-25 31-34 4-6 W-1
Arizona Diamondbacks 62 64 .492 7 30-32 32-32 5-5 L-3
San Diego Padres 62 64 .492 7 31-30 31-34 7-3 W-1
Colorado Rockies 51 74 .408 18 27-36 24-38 4-6 W-2

Updated Thu Aug 27 10:04 AM EDT

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Standings

Wild Card Standings

AMERICAN

Team Win Loss Percent GB

New York Yankees 69 57 0.548 +4

Minnesota Twins 65 61 0.516 0.0

Texas Rangers 64 61 0.512 0.5

Los Angeles Angels 64 62 0.508 1.0

Baltimore Orioles 63 63 0.500 2.0

Tampa Bay Rays 62 64 0.492 3.0

Cleveland Indians 60 66 0.476 5.0

Detroit Tigers 60 66 0.476 5.0

Chicago White Sox 59 66 0.472 5.5

Seattle Mariners 59 68 0.465 6.5

Boston Red Sox 58 69 0.457 7.5

Oakland Athletics 55 73 0.430 11.0



NATIONAL

Team Win Loss Percent GB

Pittsburgh Pirates 76 49 0.608 +3

Chicago Cubs 73 52 0.584 0.0

San Francisco Giants 67 59 0.532 6.5

Washington Nationals 63 62 0.504 10.0

Arizona Diamondbacks 62 64 0.492 11.5

San Diego Padres 62 64 0.492 11.5

Atlanta Braves 54 73 0.425 20.0

Milwaukee Brewers 53 74 0.417 21.0

Cincinnati Reds 52 73 0.416 21.0

Colorado Rockies 51 74 0.408 22.0

Miami Marlins 51 76 0.402 23.0

Philadelphia Phillies 50 77 0.394 24.0

Updated Thu Aug 27 10:04 AM EDT

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Diamond Trends - Thursday

August 27, 2015


SU TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Pirates are 10-0 since Jul 02, 2015 as a favorite it is the last game of the series.

PITCHER TREND OF THE DAY:

-- When Zack Greinke starts the Dodgers are 11-0 SU on since Apr 23, 2014 coming off a start where he faced less than 25 batters.

OU TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Marlins are 0-10 OU since Jun 07, 2015 as a dog after a 5+ run loss.

CHOICE TREND:

-- The Blue Jays are 0-10 since Sep 21, 2014 on the road after a win in which they drew 5+ walks.

ACTIVE TRENDS:

-- The Tigers are 10-0 OU since Jun 07, 2015 it is the last game of a three-game series when they split the first two games.

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WNBA

Long Sheet

Thursday, August 27

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PHOENIX (16 - 11) at CONNECTICUT (12 - 15) - 8/27/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 9-17 ATS (-9.7 Units) in all games this season.
PHOENIX is 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) as a favorite this season.
PHOENIX is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) against Eastern conference opponents this season.
PHOENIX is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) after a division game this season.
PHOENIX is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in non-conference games this season.
PHOENIX is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
CONNECTICUT is 16-5 ATS (+10.5 Units) in home games after a division game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 3-2 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 3-2 straight up against CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Thursday, August 27

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

7:00 PM
PHOENIX vs. CONNECTICUT
Phoenix is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Phoenix's last 9 games when playing Connecticut
Connecticut is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games at home

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

WNBA

Dunkel

Thursday, August 27


Phoenix @ Connecticut

Game 601-602
August 27, 2015 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Phoenix
114.853
Connecticut
105.840
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Phoenix
by 9
144
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Phoenix
by 6
148 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Phoenix
(-6); Under

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Preview: Mercury (16-11) at Sun (12-15)

Date: August 27, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The Phoenix Mercury enjoyed one of the spoils of winning a league title Wednesday, receiving a champion's welcome at the nation's capital.

Their chances at a repeat could be linked to their ability to finish in first place in the Western Conference.

Phoenix opens a three-game trip Thursday night against the struggling and depleted Connecticut Sun.

The Mercury (16-11) snapped a three-game losing streak with Sunday's 79-67 win against first-place Minnesota, pulling within 2 1/2 games of the West leaders. All three of Phoenix's WNBA titles have come after first-place finishes, including last year's, for which they were honored by President Obama at the White House on Wednesday.

Phoenix, which is 5-7 on the road, wraps up this trip Sunday with its final meeting with Minnesota.

"Minnesota brings out a spark in us and we needed that," Brittney Griner, who had 10 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks, told the team's official website. "Now we just want to be consistent. We don't want to get one win and go right back to what we were doing - we want to remember what we did today and how we played, just breaking down every quarter and just try to win a quarter and then if we keep winning quarters, we're going to win the game."

DeWanna Bonner scored a team-high 21 points to help the Mercury clinch a seventh playoff berth in nine years.

Griner was in the midst of her seven-game suspension for being arrested in a domestic violence incident when Phoenix lost 90-78 in double overtime to Connecticut on June 19. She leads the league with 4.4 blocks per game and is averaging a team-high 8.5 rebounds.

Connecticut's Kelsey Bone scored a career-high 27 points with 14 rebounds to help the Sun end the Mercury's franchise-record 22-game home winning streak.

The Sun (12-15), who are 3 1/2 games behind Washington for the East's final playoff spot, matched a season low for points in Tuesday's 71-57 defeat at Atlanta, their fifth straight defeat and third in 10 days against the Dream. Another loss would tie Connecticut's longest losing streak of the season June 30-July 19, and the remaining schedule isn't pretty. Six of the Sun's final seven opponents are no worse than third in their respective conference.

Alex Bentley, who leads the team with 14.7 points per game and scored 19 in the first meeting, has missed the last two contests with an ankle injury. Third-leading scorer Alyssa Thomas has missed five in a row, and it's uncertain if either will play.

These clubs have split the last four meetings in Connecticut, with the Sun winning 96-95 on June 12, 2014.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jun 19, 2015 Score ATS Results
CONN « 90 Cover: 17.5
PHO 78 Over: 168
Tools: Recaps

Jul 17, 2014 Score ATS Results
CONN 85 Over: 186
PHO « 101 Cover: 4.5
Tools: Recaps

Jun 12, 2014 Score ATS Results
PHO 95 Over: 191
CONN « 96 Cover: 7.5
Tools: Recaps

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Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE

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

New York Liberty 18 8 0.692 0 9-3 9-5 10-6 7-3 L-1

Indiana Fever 17 10 0.630 1 9-5 8-5 10-7 8-2 L-1

Chicago Sky 17 11 0.607 2 11-3 6-8 12-6 6-4 W-2

Washington Mystics 15 11 0.577 3 9-5 6-6 8-10 5-5 L-2

Connecticut Sun 12 15 0.444 6 7-7 5-8 4-13 3-7 L-5

Atlanta Dream 11 16 0.407 7 7-6 4-10 7-9 4-6 W-2



WESTERN CONFERENCE

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

Minnesota Lynx 19 9 0.679 0 10-3 9-6 14-5 5-5 L-1

Phoenix Mercury 16 11 0.593 2 11-4 5-7 13-5 6-4 W-1

Tulsa Shock 13 14 0.481 5 8-5 5-9 7-10 3-7 W-3

Los Angeles Sparks 11 17 0.393 8 6-8 5-9 8-10 7-3 W-3

Seattle Storm 7 20 0.259 11 5-7 2-13 6-11 2-8 L-1

San Antonio Stars 7 21 0.250 12 7-8 0-13 5-12 1-9 L-5

Updated Thu Aug 27 10:07 AM EDT

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RECAPPING MONDAY'S ACTION:

MLB: 8 - 6 - 0

WNBA: 1 - 1 - 0

CFL: 0 - 0

NFL: 0 - 0 - 0


WNBA JUNE/ JULY RECORD/ AUGUST :

*****...............................21 - 23 - 2
DOUBLE PLAY....................50 - 40 - 1
TRIPLE PLAY......................25 - 18
SLAM DUNK.......................31 - 23

MLB RECORD FOR JUNE/JULY/AUGUST:

*****.............................115 - 136 - 1 .....................,........- 11.92
double play......................179 - 188 - 2 ..............................- 23.52
triple play........................98 - 89 - 2 .................................. - 9.61
grand slam......................100 - 93 - 4.....................,.,............- 26.43
double grand slam.............16 - 15....................................... - 6.24
underdog of the year.........0 - 1...........................................- 8.00


CFL JUNE/JULY/ AUGUST RECORD:

SINGLE PLAY.................................2 - 3
DOUBLE PLAY................................8 - 14
TRIPLE PLAY..................................11 - 4
BLOW OUT.....................................4 - 3

NFL PRESEASON RECORD:

SINGLE PLAY..................................... 12 - 8
DOUBLE PLAY.................................... 10 - 14
TRIPLE PLAY ..................................... 4 - 6 - 1
BLOW OUT......................................... 1 - 1

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

Some handicapping notes for next weekend's college football games.......

-- Since 2008, Michigan is 7-14 vs spread as a road underdog.

-- Since 2011, TCU is 3-8 vs spread as a road favorite.

-- UCLA is starting a freshman QB but has 131 starts back on its O-line, most of any team in America.

-- Since 2011, Penn State is 2-6 vs spread as a road favorite.

-- Northwestern covered only three of its last 14 home games.

-- Since 2012, Florida Atlantic is 14-4 vs spread as a road underdog.

**********

Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud.......

13) Tremendous tragedy in Virginia yesterday, where two news reporters were shot to death on live TV by a disgruntled former employee. Our thoughts and prayers go out to he families of the victims. You just never know in this world.

12) For some reason, the New York Daily News put out a front page cover of the shooter murdering one of his victims with the headline "EXECUTED ON LIVE TV". There was outrage on social media about the callousness of the headline/picture; not sure if it was pulled for the later editions or not.

11) Related but unimportant note: USA Network has a program called Mr Robot, which has a somewhat bizarre story line, part of which included a shooting incident much like the one in Virginia yesterday. As a result, the network didn't air that episode last night and will air it next Wednesday instead.

10) Nationals' OF Reed Johnson was on an injury rehab assignment, until he pulled an oblique muscle while sneezing last night and no, I'm not making that up.

9) Yoenis Cespedes for the Mets: .311 with 21 RBI in 23 games. Next question will be: Who will give him a longterm contract this winter? He's been on four teams in the last 13 months. No one seems too anxious to sign him long-term.

8) Texas walked Jose Bautista the first four times he was up last night; he scored twice and Toronto won easily 12-4. Blue Jays look like a slow pitch softball team on their good days and they've had a few of those in the last week.

7) Then there are my A's, having a dismal season; I looked it up and they have Billy Butler signed for two more years at $11.67M per year. I seriously want to puke. He is a fat guy with no power who can't run and doesn't play in the field. Awesome.

6) Speaking of puking, HBO's Hard Knocks showed Houston LB Brian Cushing barfing four times in about 45 seconds during a practice last week. One of the ballboys came over, sprayed some water on it and things went on as normal.

5) Colorado's DJ LaMahieu became the first Rockie ever to bat in all nine spots in the batting order in one season last night. He is hitting .311 with a .369 OB% and is an underrated player, even though he plays half his games in hitter-happy Denver.

4) If you play fantasy football, keep in mind the San Diego Chargers dropped back to pass on 68% of plays inside their opponents' 10-yard line LY, most in the NFL.

3) Justin Verlander came within three outs of his 3rd career no-hitter; only five pitchers have thrown more than two no-hitters. Chris Iannetta hit a double in the 9th inning, but Verlander still blanked the Angels 5-0.

2) Lebron James sold his house in Miami recently for $13.4M, so he has some extra change to throw around this week. What could be in a house to make it worth $13.4M?

1) Bobby Hurley got out of Buffalo just in time; school tossed the Bulls' best player (Justin Moss) after this second brush with a robbery charge. Kid was MAC Player of the Year last year; doubtful an NBA team would sign him right away, not even sure if he is eligible to sign with an NBA team. Incredibly dumb career move.

[StarDust Bum]

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

Lookahead spot

When you’re a member of the SEC, the first thing you do when the schedule is released is find out if and when you play Alabama. Well, unless, of course, you are the Crimson Tide, then you can’t care less about who’s lining up across from you – you’re just going to beat their ass. But for the rest of the Southeastern Conference, a game against Alabama is circled on the calendar months in advance, which means Arkansas is ripe for a possible letdown spot in Week 5 of the upcoming college football season.

The Razorbacks are in Knoxville that weekend for a showdown with the Volunteers, who enter that game fueled by an embarrassing 49-7 smashing at the hands of the Hogs back in 2011. Sure, the Vols players don’t recall that thumping but the Big Orange faithful do. And with Arkansas looking past Tennessee and to Week 6’s trip to Tuscaloosa, this game could move off its current stand of pick’em before kickoff on October 3.

Letdown spot

The Green Bay Packers are currently battling a letdown of different proportions following a season-ending knee injury to star WR Jordy Nelson during preseason action last week, but could be ripe for our select version of the letdown spot in Week 4 of the NFL season. The Cheeseheads have an interesting home stand against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football in Week 3, set as 6.5-point favorites at Lambeau Field, then face a tough hike to the West Coast on short rest the following week.

Green Bay travels to San Francisco for a game against the 49ers on October 4, with books dealing the Packers as early 6-point road chalk. San Francisco will be eager for a strong showing with this game being the lone stop at Levi’s Stadium between Weeks 2 and 5. The Niners may have been the punchline of the NFL offseason but six points is a lot to give a home team facing an opponent traveling a long distance on short rest. And we have no clue if the Packers will have figured out how to play without Nelson by then.

Schedule spot

The WNBA season is a mix of extended hiatuses from the hardwood and frantic travel schedules, like the one the Phoenix Mercury face this week. The Mercury, currently second in the Western Conference, open play in Connecticut Thursday night taking on the Sun. From there, Phoenix hikes to the nation’s capital for a matchup with the Mystics Friday.

The Mercury get a day off Saturday to travel west to Minnesota for a huge showdown between the top two teams in the conference Sunday, forcing Phoenix to play three games in four days with the most important – and arguably toughest – coming at the end. The Mercury have won three of their four meetings with the Lynx this season, most recently a 79-67 victory at home as 1-point underdogs last Sunday. Not only is the schedule working against them but Minny willl be out for revenge this weekend.

[StarDust Bum]

At the Gate - Thursday

August 27, 2015

The excitement is building for Saturday’s $1.6 million Travers (G1) which is led by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, who arrived at Saratoga on Wednesday afternoon.

The colt galloped over the main track this morning, and by all accounts looks fit and ready to win his ninth consecutive race on Saturday. The colt is the 1-5 morning line favorite for the Travers.

The 13-race card incudes six Grade 1 races which will be keeping me up late tonight to get a head start. Four of the races are Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” races. Friday’s card is pretty good as well with six stakes for New York breds.

Advertisement

The feature on today’s card is the $100,000 Riskaverse for three-year-old fillies that drew a field of nine along with two main track only entrants.

The Chad Brown trained Partisan Politics is the 5-2 morning line favorite and looks like the one to beat. The filly exits a good effort in a fourth place finish in the Lake George (G3) in her last outing on July 24.

Brown has opened up a lead in the trainer standings with 25 winners, three ahead of Todd Pletcher. Could his might finally be the summer that Brown ends Pletcher’s streak of training titles?

The filly is Brown’s only starter today while Pletcher has runners in two races. Brown has runners in two-races on Friday while Pletcher will send out starters in six races. On Saturday, Brown has runners in six races while Pletcher will saddle starters in eight races.

To purchase my Saratoga Report for Thursday click here.

Here is today’s second race (the opener is a jump race) from Saratoga to get the day off to a good start:

SAR Race 2 Clm $16,000N2L (1:33 ET)
2 Enduring Touch 7-2
1 Samus 5-2
6 Dunn Listening 3-1
4 Tia Lana 6-1

Analysis: Enduring Touch stalked the early pace, came with a six wide rally and finished up with a good late kick for the runner up spot last out at this level in her first trip over the Spa main track. She was beaten double-digit lengths in four of her previous starts, but she catches a really weak group of non-winners of two here for the Terranova barn.

Samus exits the same race as our top pick where she did not have enough punch left late and finished third. She looks as if she is heading in the right direction but the usually reliable Nevin barn has been ice cold at the meeting (0 for 27).

Wagering
WIN: #2 to win at 5-2 or better.
EX: 1,2 / 1,2,6
TRI: no play

Today’s Featured Race of the Day from Saratoga:

SAR Race 8 The Riskaverse (4:52 ET)
3 Partisan Politics 5-2
7 Alijalela 5-1
8 Stormy Regatta 6-1
1 All in Fun 7-2

Analysis: Partisan Politics stalked the early pace and came with a mild late run to finish fourth last out in the Lake George (G2), beaten just 3/4 of a length for the top spot and a nose and a neck out of the place spot. Two back off a 7 1/2 month layoff the filly was beaten just a nose in the Wild Applause. She looks ready for a sharp effort here in her third start off the layoff for the Chad Brown barn that has been hot. She was good enough to win the P.G. Johnson here last summer in her second career outing.

Alijalela is a $450,000 Keeneland purchase who is perfect in two starts for the Pletcher barn. She shipped to Delaware Park to break her maiden and then beat Alw-1 foes at Belmont Park last out of a 10 1/2 month layoff. She has come back with a couple of good works since her last outing and no telling how good this gal could be. She has more upside than most of these.

Wagering
WIN: #3 to win at 2-1 or better.
EX: 3,7 / 1,3,7,8
TRI: 3,7 / 1,3,7,8 / 1,3,4,7,8

Live Longshots:
These are price plays for exotic players looking to find a couple of extra contenders to use in their trifecta and superfecta wagers. Or for those with smaller bankrolls, you might want to get in a small win-place wager.

Saratoga
R1: #2 Divine Fortune 10-1
R1: #4 Syros 12-1
R5: #1 Polar Axis 10-1
R10: #9 The Fixer 8-1

Good luck today!

[StarDust Bum]

The Barclays Preview

August 25, 2015


Tournament: The Barclays
Date: Aug. 27 - Aug. 30
Venue: Plainfield Country Club
Location: Edison, New Jersey

The first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs kicks off this week at Plainfield Country Club as 119 of the top-125 players from the regular season meet up and attempt to move up the ladder and eventually compete in the TOUR Championship in the end. After last week, five players (Jason Gore, Davis Love III, Jonas Blixt, Camillo Villegas and Ryo Ishikawa) used the Wyndam Championship to jump into the top-125 as Love III made the largest move, going from 186th to 76th after posting a 17-under score and defeating another bubble-buster in Jason Gore by a single stroke.

The field will also feature plenty of first-year players as nine rookies are making the trip to their debut in these playoffs and are led by Justin Thomas (36th), Tony Finau (39th) and Daniel Berger (46th) in the top-50. The top players in the FedEx Cup standings are quite impressive heading into these events, which count for four times the amount of points as a typical PGA event, as world No. 1 Jordan Spieth sits 1,710 points ahead of world No. 3 Jason Day for the current lead. The rest of the top-five features world No. 4 Bubba Watson, No. 14 Jimmy Walker and No. 5 Justin Rose.

A win in a playoff event will earn the victor 2,000 points, so with the top-25 all within 3,000 of Spieth, there will be a lot of movement if someone can get hot in the next month. Last year, it was Hunter Mahan who was able to grab the trophy at this event, defeating three golfers by two strokes and jumping from 62nd to 1st in the standings. He was not the eventual winner of the whole thing, though, as Billy Horschel won both the BMW and TOUR Championships to be crowned the FedEx Cup Champion.

A different player has won here in each of the past six seasons, with five being from the United States and the exception being Adam Scott in 2013. There will be one multiple-time winner here with Vijay Singh (1993, 1995, 2006, 2008) returning to an event where he is obviously comfortable.

The par-70, 7,012-yard course has hosted this tourney just once in the past (2011), and there was plenty of scoring to go around as Dustin Johnson posted a tournament record tying score of 19-under-par despite the event being shortened to 54 holes due to inclement weather. There were another four players who were at 15-under or better, a score that would have won this event in the past six seasons not including 2011.

So with the competition heating up, let’s look at a few players who could do well in New Jersey come Sunday afternoon.

Golfers to Watch:

Justin Rose (11/1): Rose has been able to maintain his high standing in the OWGR thanks to yet another impressive season in which he has been in the top-three four times; including getting his seventh career victory at the Zurich Classic. He has been lighting up the TOUR recently, getting a sixth or better in five of his last six times out and was 25-under between the Open and PGA Championship as he is coming off a fourth at Whistling Straits. Rose has had no problem performing each and every year since 2010, making it to the TOUR Championship every season and if he can continue to perform he should improve on his career-best fifth-place standing. The Englishman should have no issues doing well once again as he ranks in the top-10 in GIR (70.62%, 8th on TOUR), strokes gained from tee-to-green (1.457, 5th on TOUR), sand save percentage (63.1%, 5th on TOUR) and scoring average (69.830, 7th on TOUR).

Jim Furyk (30/1): Furyk is one of the steadiest players on TOUR and has been for years, so it was no surprise that despite being 45-years-old and in the middle of a youth movement, he has been able to finish the regular season in 18th in the standings while holding the sixth spot in the OWGR. The 17-time PGA TOUR winner already has a victory on the year, and in his 14 made cuts has been able to finish in the top-25 eight times. Furyk didn’t exactly tear it up in the two most recent majors, tying for 30th each time, but put up a third at the RBC Canadian Open and a fourth at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He plays a precision game, hitting 68.61% of fairways (21st on TOUR), 69.25% of GIR (28th on TOUR) and has gained 1.585 strokes on the field from tee-to-green (4th on TOUR). With the top players in the game being young enough to be his sons, it is no surprise that Furyk often gets overlooked, but he will almost always be in contention and is a safe bet every week.

Bill Haas (65/1): Haas has managed to put together a solid 2015 campaign with made cuts in 16-of-21 events (76%) and is turning it on of late with three top-25s in his past four events. He tallied two top-sixes in that recent stretch and is coming off a great performance in the Wyndam Championship, racking up a score of 14-under-par and finishing in a tie for sixth behind 77.78% of greens hit in regulation. He’s always been a strong contender in the FedEx Cup, coming away as the champion in 2011 and has done no worse than 31st each year since 2010. Haas will look to build on his tie for 24th that he earned here in 2011 as he is currently one of the best ballstrikers in the game (0.841 strokes gained from tee-to-green, 26th on TOUR) and hits tons of GIR (68.81%, 36th on TOUR).

Russell Henley (80/1): Henley is a former Web.com standout, winning three times on the lesser tour before bringing his winning ways to the PGA. Since joining the TOUR, the 26-year-old has finished the weekend on top of the leaderboard twice and was very impressive in 2014 with a final standing of 19th in the FedEx Cup. He has been more consistent this year with 18 cuts made in 21 events (86%) and has been playing great of late with a top-20 standing in each of his last four outings. The last three were major events, The Open Championship, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship, and in those tough tourneys was able to post a combined score of 18-under-par. His biggest strength is with the flat stick as he ranks seventh in strokes gained putting (0.621) and that should aid him in having another big week amongst a strong field.

Greg Owen (500/1): Owen has been all over the place in 2015, making just 9-of-18 cuts, but has improved leaps and bounds since missing the weekend in six of his first nine tournaments. Since the Zurich Classic, the English-born 43-year-old has a runner-up performance at the FedEx St. Jude Classic and another three top-20s in the last four events. One of those was on his European soil as he tied for 20th at the Open Championship with a score of seven-under. He is able to get on greens in regulation plenty (69.25% GIR, 28th on TOUR), but will need to improve his putting (-.721 strokes gained putting, 188th on TOUR) in order to compete this weekend. Owen has yet to lock down a victory on the PGA TOUR in 219 career attempts, but is playing at a high level and is worth taking a chance on with the large odds.

Odds to win The Barclays - per Sportsbook.ag

Jordan Spieth 5/1
Jason Day 8/1
Dustin Johnson 11/1
Justin Rose 11/1
Brooks Koepka 22/1
Henrik Stenson 24/1
Bubba Watson 26/1
Rickie Fowler 26/1
Jim Furyk 30/1
Matt Kuchar 30/1
Brandt Snedeker 35/1
Paul Casey 35/1
Hideki Matsuyama 40/1
Charl Schwartzel 45/1
Zach Johnson 45/1
Adam Scott 50/1
Patrick Reed 55/1
Webb Simpson 55/1
Bill Haas 65/1
Robert Streb 65/1
Danny Lee 70/1
Justin Thomas 70/1
Phil Mickelson 75/1
David Lingmerth 80/1
Jimmy Walker 80/1
Russell Henley 80/1
Ryan Moore 90/1
Billy Horschel 100/1
Jonas Blixt 100/1
Keegan Bradley 100/1
Tony Finau 100/1
J.B. Holmes 120/1
Ben Martin 140/1
Gary Woodland 150/1
Jason Bohn 150/1
Kevin Kisner 150/1
Nick Watney 150/1
Will Wilcox 150/1
Charley Hoffman 160/1
Lee Westwood 160/1
Luke Donald 160/1
Brendan Steele 170/1
Camilo Villegas 170/1
Ian Poulter 180/1
Marc Leishman 180/1
Matt Jones 180/1
Ryan Palmer 180/1
Harris English 190/1
Charles Howell III 200/1
Hunter Mahan 200/1
Scott Piercy 200/1
Kevin Na 210/1
Jason Dufner 220/1
Steven Bowditch 230/1
Brendon Todd 250/1
Carl Pettersson 250/1
Chad Campbell 250/1
Chris Kirk 250/1
Graham Delaet 250/1
Kevin Chappell 250/1
Morgan Hoffmann 250/1
William McGirt 250/1
Brendon de Jonge 300/1
Cameron Tringale 300/1
David Hearn 300/1
Jason Gore 300/1
John Senden 300/1
Ryo Ishikawa 300/1
Scott Brown 300/1
Boo Weekley 350/1
Brian Harman 350/1
Jerry Kelly 350/1
Martin Laird 350/1
Padraig Harrington 350/1
Rory Sabbatini 350/1
Russell Knox 350/1
Chris Stroud 400/1
Daniel Summerhays 400/1
George McNeill 400/1
Shawn Stefani 400/1
Davis Love III 450/1
James Hahn 450/1
Jim Herman 450/1
Sean OHair 450/1
Adam Hadwin 500/1
Alex Cejka 500/1
Andres Gonzales 500/1
Bryce Molder 500/1
Carlos Ortiz 500/1
Chad Collins 500/1
Chesson Hadley 500/1
Colt Knost 500/1
Daniel Berger 500/1
Erik Compton 500/1
Fabian Gomez 500/1
Greg Owen 500/1
Hudson Swafford 500/1
J.J. Henry 500/1
Jason Kokrak 500/1
Jeff Overton 500/1
John Huh 500/1
John Peterson 500/1
Johnson Wagner 500/1
Jon Curran 500/1
Ken Duke 500/1
Kevin Streelman 500/1
Kyle Reifers 500/1
Mark Wilson 500/1
Matt Every 500/1
Nick Taylor 500/1
Pat Perez 500/1
Sangmoon Bae 500/1
Scott Pinckney 500/1
Spencer Levin 500/1
Steve Wheatcroft 500/1
Stewart Cink 500/1
Tim Clark 500/1
Troy Merritt 500/1
Vijay Singh 500/1
Zac Blair 500/1

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NFL Preseason Week 2 Recap

They're going to have games that are picked apart and spark debate over whether they'll ultimately be busts, but Week 2 of the NFL preseason was a good one for Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. The top two picks of the 2015 draft are firmly entrenched as starting quarterbacks entering dress-rehearsal week, coming off impressive performances where they utilized their great physical gifts to get their teams off to winning starts.

While the Titans had to settle for a field goal and are still looking for Mariota to engineer his first touchdown drive, Winston thrived in the Monday night football spotlight, splashing in from 1-yard out on the game's first drive. He got his ankle rolled up on in his final play of the contest after being sacked in the second quarter, ending his night early, but showed enough that the Bucs can afford to be cautious with him the next few weeks and still be confident he can hang at this level when the lights come on.


Gunslinger Analysis
Rookies in key positions are fade material for most, but the Bucs are excitedly building around youth in numerous critical roles this season, from middle linebacker to multiple spots along the offensive line. Winston's ability to drive his team by avoiding mistakes while aggressively pushing the ball downfield looks like it will dictate how successful Tampa Bay ends up being. Confidence will play a major role, which is why delivering on Monday night against the Bengals meant so much to a franchise that hadn't won a home game in the brief Lovie Smith era, ending the losing streak at 10 games.

"Obviously, people are going to look at this as a preseason game, but in that locker room, our team morale, we’re going to look at that as us getting a win," Winston said. "That’s important. You know, winning does matter. It doesn’t matter if it’s a football game in a Walmart parking lot, we want to win. So that’s important to us.''

Mariota turned the ball over on his first two possessions against the Falcons, getting picked off and later fumbling despite playing error-free ball through all of training camp. There appeared to be jitters. Against St. Louis, he opened with a strike to Kendall Wright on his first snap from center and settled in well. A terrific pass off a bootleg on his second drive went for 35 yards and offered a tease of the greatness he's capable of.

After the shaky debuts, all Tennessee and Tampa Bay wanted to see were reasons to build up their young quarterbacks. They got a lot more than that. Dirk Koetter, a noted QB guru who has worked with Matt Ryan and David Garrard over the past eight years as an NFL offensive coordinator is providing Winston's guidance. Ken Whisenhunt and Jason Michael are mentoring Mariota, so he's in good hands too. Considering busts like Geno Smith, E.J. Manuel and Johnny Manziel have struggled in preseason over the years, just seeing this year's first-rounders displaying poise and making throws that have what it takes to consistently beat NFL defenses was reassuring.

There's no question that Winston and Mariota have significantly higher ceilings than any of those aforementioned former first-rounders, but they're facing the same obstacles in adjusting to new looks and better athletes. Last year's class also included Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater in addition to Manziel, but none of those guys started the regular-season opener with the the first-string the way Winston and Mariota are expected to.

The Bucs and Titans will square off in Tampa Bay in Week 1, which means that one of them is going to claim their first NFL win right out of the gate. Neither seems much farther along than the other, which means we'll get to see who rises to the occasion. Mariota's Oregon Ducks crushed Winston's Florida State Seminoles 59-20 on Jan. 1 to claim a spot in the National Championship. It's going to be a blast to see how both respond over nine months later.

NFL Preseason Week 2 Recap Snapshot
Best games: 1. Chargers 22 Cardinals 19, 2. Panthers 31 Dolphins 30, 3. Steelers 24 Packers 19

Worst games: 1. 49ers 23 Cowboys 6, 2. Giants 22 Jaguars 12, 3. Bears 23 Colts 11

Steam plays: There weren't as many leans in Week 2 as there were during the preseason's opening card and certainly no 80 percent clip to be found for sharps. The highlight was backing the OVER in the week's highest scoring game, a 61-point explosion in Charlotte. Taking shots on Seattle, Miami and Atlanta as ML winners didn't go well, resulting in a 1-3 week.

Close calls and bad beats: The week began with Robert Griffin IIIgetting twisted into a pretzel and the Bills overcoming the Browns 11-10 when Manuel connected on a 4th-and-goal from 14 yards out followed by a 2-point conversion. The 2-spot didn't come through for the Dolphins in a 31-30 loss to the Panthers to blow a game they never trailed in until the 2:49 mark of the fourth. The Saints were up 21-0 in the final minute of the first half and ended up losing 26-24 as Jimmy Garoppolo keyed a comeback. Peyton Manning had a rough start, but the Broncos held Houston scoreless into the second half and won 14-10 on Trevor Siemian's 26-yard pass to Corbin Louks with 1:44 to go.

Arizona head coach Bruce Arians single-handedly help blow the under in his team's 22-19 home loss to San Diego and actually apologized to counterpart Mike McCoy in the post-game handshake for nearly making the teams play OT. Down 19-9, Arizona scored with 6:06 left and needed to go for two at that stage of the game to take a regulation tie out of the equation. Instead, he kicked the extra point, then got a field goal with 2:51 remaining to tie the game at 19. The total was 40, so his lack of preseason decorum guaranteed the over. Josh Lambo's 47-yard field goal saved the day. In a related note, the competition committee really needs to force preseason games to end in a tie as a public service.

Key injuries: Green Bay WR Jordy Nelson (Torn ACL, OFY), Carolina WR Kelvin Benjamin (Torn ACL, OFY), Pittsburgh C Maurkice Pouncey (Broken fibula, Out til Nov.), Carolina DE Frank Alexander (Torn Achilles, OFY), Green Bay G TJ Lang (Concussion, Day-to-day), Carolina C Ryan Kalil (Knee, Out rest of preseason), Tampa Bay WR Mike Evans (Hamstring, Out rest of preseason), Dallas CB Orlando Scandrick (Torn ACL, MCL - OFY), Washington QB Robert Griffin III (Concussion, Day-to-day), Cincinnati S George Iloka (Knee, Day-to-day), Philadelphia WR Riley Cooper (Thumb, Day-to-day), Indianapolis WR Phillip Dorsett (Strained knee, Day-to-day), Cincinnati LB Emmanuel Lamur (Hamstring, Week-to-week), Buffalo WR Chris Hogan (Knee sprain, Out next few weeks), Baltimore T James Hurst (Concussion, Week-to-week)

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AP Poll vs. Oddsmakers

August 26, 2015


With the implementation of the College Football Playoff in 2014, the Associated Press's Top 25 college football rankings have become more meaningless.

The only relevant rankings are now the ones released by the Selection Committee. However, the Committee won't chime in until October, so let's take a look at how the AP's poll compares to that of the current NCAA futures on the board.

The AP and the futures board agree on Ohio State (#1, +225 at Sportsbook.ag), TCU (#2, +600) and Alabama (#3, +650), but sixth-ranked Auburn has the fourth-shortest odds (14/1) to win the CFP. No. 4 Baylor has the fifth-shortest odds (15/1), while No. 5 Michigan State has the eighth-shortest odds at 20/1.

Southern California and Notre Dame share the sixth-shortest odds (18/1 apiece), but they are No. 8 and No. 11, respectively, in the AP rankings. This isn't unusual for the Irish because of its unique schedule in being one of only three Independents remaining in college football.

Below Michigan State on the futures board, we have Oregon and Clemson sharing 22/1 odds. The Ducks and Tigers are ranked No. 7 and No. 12, respectively. Both teams recently suffered personnel losses. Oregon will be without RB Thomas Tyner for the season, while Clemson starting DT D.J. Reader has indefinitely left the team for personal reasons. Also, starting DB Korrin Wiggins is out for the season after recording 34 tackles and a pair of interceptions last year. Tyner rushed for 573 yards and five touchdowns in 2014.

Florida State won a national title and twice went through the regular season unbeaten in two seasons with Jameis Winston under center. Without Winston in 2015, the Seminoles have 28/1 odds and are ranked 10th in the AP. They have to play Clemson, Georgia Tech and Florida on the road. The likely starting QB is going to be Notre Dame transfer Everett Golson.

Georgia is ninth in the AP and I believe the Bulldogs do have Top-10 talent overall on their roster. However, UGA has major questions at the QB position and in the head-coaching department (at least in terms of game management, particularly as it pertains to the clock in end-game situations), and that's why it has 35/1 odds. With that said, Mark Richt's team is in a weak SEC East so its path to Atlanta is much easier than that of any SEC West school.

UCLA (No. 13) and Oklahoma (No. 19) share 35/1 odds with Georgia. The Bruins return nearly all of their starters with the major exception of QB Brett Hundley, who might be replaced by a true freshman in Josh Rosen. Jim Mora Jr. was able to sign Rosen, the No. 1 ranked pro-style QB in the 2015 class, but is he ready to lead a veteran squad as a true freshman? He did leave high school early for spring practice to help prepare himself for 2015.

This is a huge year for the Sooners, who appear to be the third-best Big 12 team behind TCU and Baylor. As I've said throughout the summer, I loved the hire of new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley by Bob Stoops. Riley is a great young offensive mind who landed the OC job at East Carolina in his late 20s. He held that post the last five years, helping QB Shane Carden and WR Justin Hardy destroy the ECU record books. Stoops named Texas Tech transfer Baker Mayfield as the starting QB earlier this week.

LSU (No. 14), Ole Miss (No. 17), Arkansas (No. 18), Missouri (No. 24) and Tennessee (No. 25) round out the eight SEC teams in the AP Top 25. Les Miles's squad shares 28/1 odds with FSU, while the Rebels and Razorbacks both have a 45/1 number. The Volunteers have 60/1 odds, while Gary Pinkel's team is the biggest longshot of the ranked schools at 225/1.

Like Missouri, No. 15 Arizona State's odds (175/1) don't match its ranking. No. 21 Stanford has much shorter odds (45/1), but it does play on the opposite side of the Pac-12. No. 22 Arizona has 185/1 odds.

Behind Clemson and FSU, No. 16 Georgia Tech is the third ranked ACC school. The Yellow Jackets have 95/1 odds. Wisconsin, No. 20, is the only ranked Big Ten team besides Ohio State and Michigan State.

On that note, we'll mention that the Badgers (100/1) might not play another ranked foe after their opener against Alabama unless Nebraska is ranked on Oct. 10. UW doesn't have to face the Buckeyes or the Spartans in the regular season.

**B.E.'s Bonus Nuggets**

-- A few unranked schools who had shorter odds than some of the ranked teams include Texas A&M (80/1), Michigan (90/1) and Florida (100/1).

-- These five unranked schools share 110/1 odds: Texas, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Mississippi State and Nebraska.

-- No. 23 Boise State has 185/1 odds.

-- East Carolina starting QB Kurt Benkert has been lost for the entire 2015 season to a torn ACL. Benkert was set to replace Carden, the school's all-time leading passer.

-- Duke starting CB Byron Fields has been lost for the season to a torn ACL. Fields had 70 tackles and one interceptions in 2014.

-- South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier has named third-year sophomore QB Connor Mitch as the starter for next Thursday's game vs. North Carolina in Charlotte. Mitch was a four-star recruit in the 2013 class, but he's only appeared in two college games to date.