The Bum's Sports Page For Sunday September 27th Best Bets-Trends-News !

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Phillies (58-97) at Nationals (79-75)
Game: 3
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: September 27, 2015 1:35 PM EDT

The Washington Nationals have probably known since a five-game losing streak earlier this month that playoff baseball wasn't in their immediate future. Now that it's a certainty, they'll get on with the rest of the season with eyes on 2016.

The first of eight consolation games comes Sunday at Nationals Park in the conclusion of a three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies, though Bryce Harper still has some individual business to attend to.

Washington (79-75) ended a four-game losing streak with Saturday's 2-1 win over the Phillies (58-97) in 12 innings, but the New York Mets won earlier to clinch the NL East.

"I'm more surprised than anything else, I think," Jayson Werth said. "I never thought we'd end up here. Obviously, we've underachieved."

The 22-year-old Harper has not. Possibly headed for his first MVP award, he was 3 for 5 with a walk-off double, boosted his MLB-best average to .339 and got within four RBIs of 100 for the first time. However, there might be more notoriety in failing to get there.

If he doesn't reach 100, he'll join Barry Bonds (2003), Ken Griffey Jr. (1994), Hank Aaron ('69) and Mickey Mantle ('58) as the only players to hit at least .300 with 40 or more home runs and fewer than 100 RBIs. Seattle's Nelson Cruz could also join them.

Of that group, only Bonds went on to win the MVP, but he hit .341 - the only average higher than Harper's - and no one on that list won a batting title.

Philadelphia (57-96) has lost nine of 11 and fallen within a game of going 40 under .500 for the first time since 1997. The Phillies have matched their losses from 2000 and 1972 - their most since dropping 99 in 1969 - but still see some value in the season.

"Some of us haven't even played this long," rookie Aaron Nola said. "It's a good experience for us."

They'll face Gio Gonzalez (11-8, 3.94 ERA), who began September impressively but regressed into his preceding struggles in Tuesday's 4-1 home loss to Baltimore. The left-hander gave up four runs and six hits in 4 2-3 innings after going 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA in his previous three starts.

Gonzalez is 2-4 with a 5.23 ERA in his last eight starts while giving up four earned runs or more in half of them. He figures to end the year with his highest ERA since posting a 5.75 mark with Oakland in 2009.

In the latest outing, the 30-year-old blamed himself for straying from catcher Jose Lobaton's plan.

"Lobby had a great plan. I tried to reinvent the wheel. I tried to change it up on these guys," Gonzalez told MLB's official website. "... My mistake making bad choices of pitches."

Gonzalez is 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA in his last four starts against the Phillies, though Darin Ruf is 8 for 21 with three home runs, two doubles and seven walks against him.

Aaron Harang is headed for free agency, so the right-hander would like his final two starts to be as impressive as possible. Harang (6-15, 4.93) pitched seven innings in Tuesday's 6-2 win in Miami, surrendering two runs and seven hits to earn his second win in 19 starts since May 14. In that time, he's 2-12 with a 6.37 ERA.

The 37-year-old has been better against Washington in his two full seasons in the NL East, going 3-3 with a 2.60 ERA in seven starts. Werth has gone just 3 for 26 against him with 11 strikeouts, but Harper is 10 for 22 with a home run, triple and double.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Phillies at Nationals
Fri, Sep 25 Final 8 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Phillies at Nationals
Sat, Sep 26 Final 1 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Phillies at Nationals
Sun, Sep 27 - 1:35PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Indians (77-76) at Royals (89-65)
Game: 3
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: September 27, 2015 2:10 PM EDT

Three wins in four games allowed Kansas City to celebrate an AL Central title on Thursday. A few days later, the Royals have pushed what was inevitable aside and are back to worrying about the bigger picture.

Following a pair of ugly home losses to the wild card-hopeful Cleveland Indians, Kansas City will try to regain its edge for home field advantage throughout the playoffs in the series finale on Sunday.

Kansas City (89-65) secured a division title with a 10-4 victory over Seattle on Thursday, but that is one of just seven wins in the last 21 games. The two latest defeats dropped the Royals into a tie with Toronto for the AL's top record, good for home field as long as they're in the postseason.

Toronto holds the tiebreaker with a 4-3 advantage in the season series and eight games remaining.

'We'll see," Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. "We've got to go out and win baseball games. That'll take care of everything.'

The Royals can feel good about last year, when they entered the AL wild-card game with a 10-10 record before rattling off a record eight straight playoff wins. They won't feel as good about their last two.

Kansas City mustered just one hit while striking out 15 times in a 6-0 loss against Carlos Carrasco in the series opener, and allowed 12 hits in a 9-5 defeat on Saturday.

The Royals' ERA was 3.53 before Sept. 3, but it is 5.58 since. Kansas City starters hold a 6.30 ERA in the last 22 games, something the Royals hope a familiar, yet fresh face can help with in the series finale.

Veteran Chris Young beat out rookie Miguel Almonte for the job to replace the struggling Jeremy Guthrie in Kansas City's rotation, and he will make his first start since July 28.

Young (10-6, 3.29 ERA) went 7-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 16 starts from early May to late July but has spent the last month and a half in the bullpen. His most recent start came in Cleveland, where he surrendered one run in 4 2-3 innings of a 2-1 win.

The Indians handed Young his second loss of the year when they tagged him for six runs in five innings of a 6-2 win on June 4. Young has a 6.60 ERA in his last three starts against Cleveland.

The Indians (77-76) moved above .500 for the first time since April 9 with their fifth win in the last seven games against Kansas City. Cleveland has won three straight overall and is three games behind Houston for the second wild card.

'It's been a lot of hard work those guys have gone into to get us back to kind of being respectable and being in this race," Indians manager Terry Francona said.

Cleveland hands the ball to Danny Salazar for the finale. Salazar (13-9, 3.51) finally quieted Eric Hosmer en route to a 5-1 win over the Royals on Sept. 16, holding them to one run in seven innings. Hosmer went 0 for 3 with a walk after homering off the right-hander in the first two matchups earlier this year - a win and a loss for Salazar after he allowed eight runs in 13 innings.

Hosmer's seven-game hitting streak was snapped on Saturday, but he is hitting .355 since Sept. 18. The first baseman is 7 for 17 against Salazar with two homers and three doubles.

Salazar has a 5.11 ERA in his last four starts against the Royals despite striking out 30 in 24 2-3 innings.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Indians at Royals
Fri, Sep 25 Final 6 to 0
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Indians at Royals
Sat, Sep 26 Final 9 to 5
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Indians at Royals
Sun, Sep 27 - 2:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Rangers (84-70) at Astros (81-74)
Game: 3
Venue: Minute Maid Park
Date: September 27, 2015 2:10 PM EDT

After picking up a crucial game on the Texas Rangers behind a power barrage, the Houston Astros next lean on their ace to move them closer in the AL West race.

Dallas Keuchel puts a 20-start home unbeaten streak on the line in Sunday's matchup with a Rangers team that dealt the All-Star his worst outing of the season earlier this month.

Houston (81-74) used a season-high six home runs - two each from Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve - to move within 3 1-2 games of the Rangers and keep hold of the AL's second wild card with Saturday's wild 9-7 win. The Astros overcame an early 3-0 deficit and withstood a three-run rally in the ninth to end an eight-game series losing streak.

Correa's second homer forged a 4-all tie in the third and gave the 21-year-old 21 this season, breaking Dickie Thon's franchise record for a shortstop and tying Lance Berkman's club rookie mark.

"His ability to stay calm in the moment continues to shine through," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said.

Altuve recorded his first multi-homer game one day after exiting Houston's 6-2 loss in the series opener when he collided with Correa while chasing a popup.

'I need to hit him every single day so he hits homers the next day,' Correa joked.

The Astros have to like their chances of gaining further ground, as Keuchel (18-8, 2.51 ERA) enters Sunday's finale 14-0 with a 1.47 ERA in 17 home starts this season. He's won 15 straight decisions at Minute Maid Park since permitting five runs in six innings in a 6-2 loss to Texas on Aug. 10, 2014.

Keuchel extended the stretch by holding the Los Angeles Angels to a run over 7 2-3 innings in Monday's 6-3 victory, bouncing back from a Sept. 16 shellacking at Texas in which he was tagged for a career-high nine runs and 11 hits, including three homers, in 4 2-3 innings.

The Cy Young candidate has had better success against the Rangers in his home park. Keuchel has allowed one run over 15 innings in two season meetings at home, the last a 10-0 victory July 19 where he struck out a career-high 13 and threw seven innings of two-hit ball.

Josh Hamilton is 7 for 18 with a homer against Keuchel and made his first start since Aug. 15 Saturday. The former AL MVP had been limited to two pinch-hitting appearances in his return from Sept. 11 left knee surgery.

'It's still day to day based off how he feels,' Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. 'We're at a point now where we need to find out how it's going to go.'

Martin Perez (3-5, 5.21) hopes to duplicate his performance when matched up against Keuchel on Sept. 16, when the left-hander yielded a run in seven innings of a 14-3 victory. He improved to 4-1 with a 2.00 ERA in five career starts against Houston, completing at least seven innings in four of them.

Perez wasn't as sharp in his follow-up, surrendering five runs and walking three in four-plus innings of Tuesday's 8-6 win at Oakland.

Prince Fielder homered off Keuchel in the most recent matchup and was 3 for 5 with two RBIs Saturday, raising his season totals to .377 with 18 RBIs in 18 games against Houston. Shin-soo Choo homered for a second straight game and is 12 for 18 with seven RBIs in the teams' last four meetings.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Rangers at Astros
Fri, Sep 25 Final 6 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Rangers at Astros
Sat, Sep 26 Final 7 to 9

GAME 3
Rangers at Astros
Sun, Sep 27 - 2:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Brewers (65-90) at Cardinals (98-57)
Game: 4
Venue: Busch Stadium
Date: September 27, 2015 2:15 PM EDT

The St. Louis Cardinals have their highest win total at home in 72 years. John Lackey has been a major contributor to that success.

Lackey takes the mound for the Cardinals' home finale looking to beat the Milwaukee Brewers again Sunday ahead of a critical series that could determine the NL Central race.

St. Louis (98-57) is 55-25 at home after winning Saturday's series opener 5-1, securing the franchise's most home wins since accumulating 58 in 1943.

Lackey (13-9, 2.74 ERA) is 11-4 with a 2.06 ERA in 21 home starts since being acquired from Boston before last year's trade deadline. All of those outings have been quality starts, giving Lackey baseball's longest streak to start a tenure with any club since 1914.

The right-hander improved to 9-4 with a 1.97 ERA in 16 starts at Busch Stadium this year after a 3-1 victory over Cincinnati on Tuesday. He yielded one run and scattered nine hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings, going at least that far for the 17th time in St. Louis.

"Arm strength, knowledge and execution have come together this year pretty well for me," Lackey said. "Been a good deal."

Lackey is 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA in four starts against the Brewers (65-90) this year. He's won all three matchups - two this year - at Busch behind a 2.14 ERA.

"When he's throwing the ball well, we want him on the mound," manager Mike Matheny told MLB's official website.

While Matheny will want to give Lackey the ball in the postseason, the playoff-bound Cardinals prefer him to just move them closer to a division title. Their magic number to clinch the Central is five as they sit three games ahead of Pittsburgh with seven to play.

The Cardinals and Pirates open a three-game series Monday.

Matt Holliday will try to enter that series with some momentum after hitting a pair of RBI doubles Saturday. He was 1 for 8 over his first five games since returning from a strained right quadriceps that landed him on the disabled list for six weeks.

"Just a real nice stroke and the ball jumping off his bat," Matheny said. "That's the guy we want him to be."

The Cardinals have won nine of 11 against the Brewers, who have dropped 12 of their last 15 games with the rotation compiling a whopping 7.17 ERA.

Tyler Cravy (0-8, 6.21) takes the mound in St. Louis for the first time since losing his major league debut 1-0 on June 2. The right-hander allowed one run in seven innings of a spot start.

He wasn't close to being that effective at home against the Cardinals on Aug. 7, surrendering six runs in five innings of a 6-0 loss.

Cravy faces them now in his second start since returning from a right elbow injury that landed him on the disabled list for nearly three weeks. He gave up two runs and three hits while throwing 60 pitches in four innings of Tuesday's 4-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

Adam Lind is 2 for 18 in his last seven games against the Cardinals, but the first baseman is batting .450 with six doubles in 40 at-bats versus Lackey.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Brewers at Cardinals
Thu, Sep 24 Final 3 to 7
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Brewers at Cardinals
Fri, Sep 25 Final 4 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Brewers at Cardinals
Sat, Sep 26 Final 1 to 5
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 4
Brewers at Cardinals
Sun, Sep 27 - 2:15PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Dodgers (87-67) at Rockies (65-90)
Game: 3
Venue: Coors Field
Date: September 27, 2015 4:10 PM EDT

It's about to become a bit more tense for the Los Angeles Dodgers if they can't shake out of their recent funk.

With a series against their closest pursuer looming, the Dodgers try to at least put themselves on the brink of clinching the NL West on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies.

By dropping six of its last eight, Los Angeles (87-67) has struggled to wrap up a team-record third straight division title. Instead of already booking a spot in the postseason, the Dodgers' magic number remains at two and they hold a seven-game lead over second-place San Francisco with eight to play.

Even though they open a four-game road series with the Giants on Monday, they could have the division clinched with a win Sunday and if San Francisco falls at Oakland.

"We want to win our way in. Hopefully we can come out and win and Oakland can take a game from them and we can celebrate tomorrow," catcher A.J. Ellis said. "If not, we can do it on their field, which would be sweet as well."

The Dodgers are trying to avoid a sweep by the last-place Rockies (65-90) after Yimi Garcia served up Carlos Gonzalez's walk-off, two-run homer in Saturday's 8-6 loss.

"At this point it's tough to win games down the stretch, it's tough to close things out," manager Don Mattingly said.

Los Angeles will again try to do it without star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez after he was scratched from Saturday's lineup with a pinched nerve in his lower back.

"It's not something honestly that we will worry about," Mattingly said. "Every time he rests it, the back feels good."

Gonzalez's expected absence may not bode well for Alex Wood (11-11, 3.60 ERA), who takes the mound looking for some help. The left-hander has a 2.86 ERA over his last six starts, but he's gone 3-3 because he's been backed by an average of 2.34 runs.

That stretch includes allowing one hit in eight innings of a 2-0 home win over the Rockies on Sept. 16. However, he followed that six days later by yielding two runs and three hits in 6 1-3 innings while the Dodgers were three-hit in an 8-0 defeat to Arizona.

"I feel good," Wood told MLB's official website, which noted that he hasn't thrown bullpen sessions between starts for a month. "I've made a conscious effort during this month to really work on taking care of my body and make adjustments to feel good when I go out there every five days."

Wood was tagged for seven runs and 10 hits over 5 2-3 innings of an 11-3 loss in his most recent visit to Colorado on July 12.

The Rockies are turning to Chris Rusin (5-9, 5.39), who is 0-2 with a 10.38 ERA over his last three starts. The left-hander was hammered for six runs and eight hits while matching his career high with four walks in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to Pittsburgh.

"(Tuesday) was just one of those days that I fell behind hitters and didn't make pitches when I needed to," Rusin said. "When I got behind in the count and had to force myself to throw a strike, I either gave up hits or the balls bleeded through."

Rusin is 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA in two career starts against the Dodgers. He gave up three runs in six innings of a 5-4 win in 16 at Los Angeles on Sept. 15.

Gonzalez is 5 for 8 with two homers, three RBIs and five runs in this series. He's a .383 hitter with 37 RBIs in 43 career home meetings with the Dodgers.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Dodgers at Rockies
Fri, Sep 25 Final 4 to 7
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Dodgers at Rockies
Sat, Sep 26 Final 6 to 8
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Dodgers at Rockies
Sun, Sep 27 - 4:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Diamondbacks (74-81) at Padres (73-82)
Game: 3
Venue: PETCO Park
Date: September 27, 2015 4:10 PM EDT

James Shields has a way of waking up a typically modest San Diego offense. The Padres right-hander has benefited from the late-season run support, while the Arizona Diamondbacks have already fallen on the opposite end of the spectrum.

San Diego will look to continue backing Shields on Sunday to finish off its third consecutive series victory over the visiting Diamondbacks.

The Padres (73-82) have scored in double-digits three times since Sept. 4, all in support of Shields. The 10-year veteran rode 31 runs from his offense to win all three starts despite a 4.12 ERA.

Shields (13-6, 3.86 ERA) has a MLB-high 10.18 run-support average in seven starts since Aug. 18 - more than double his 5.05 mark through his first 25 outings.

A 10-3 win over Arizona (74-81) on Sept. 14 was the middle start of Shields' three consecutive wins. He held the Diamondbacks to one run in seven innings.

Although Shields' ERA is above his season mark in his last three outings, opponents have hit just .194 against him, aided by six hits allowed in his last 13 2-3 innings.

The Padres won only twice from Sept. 9-14 - both victories coming in starts made by Shields - but Saturday's 3-0 victory gave them three wins in four games overall to somewhat brighten the final stretch of an otherwise dim season.

"That is what it is all about," Shields told MLB's official website. "Being able to finish strong and going into next season feeling good."

Saturday's win gave the Padres a 10-8 record against the Diamondbacks this year and guaranteed their third series victory in four years against the NL West foe.

Arizona is looking to ignite an offense that has scored 10 runs in its last four games and managed just four hits Saturday against little-used Robbie Erlin and relievers Joaquin Benoit and Craig Kimbrel.

Aaron Hill has a pair of doubles and four home runs against Shields while hitting .289 against him over 38 career at-bats. A.J. Pollock (4 for 9), Paul Goldschmidt (4 for 8), David Peralta (3 for 6) and Chris Owings (1 for 6) have all homered this season against Shields, who is 2-2 with a 6.00 ERA in his last four career starts against Arizona.

The Diamondbacks have lost three of four and counter with Zack Godley, even though they initially said the rookie right-hander was making his final start Sept. 9.

The club was hoping to get Godley (5-1, 3.48) some bullpen work but had little opportunity the last two weeks. Instead, Godley will make an abbreviated start before the Diamondbacks turn to ball over to Jhoulys Chacin, according to MLB's official website.

Godley is 4-1 with a 3.38 ERA in five starts this season. His only appearance against San Diego came in relief Sept. 15, when he allowed one run in 1 1-3 innings of a 6-4 win.

Arizona closes at home with three apiece against Colorado and Houston, which currently holds the AL's second wild-card spot. Rubby De La Rosa and Jeremy Hellickson are set to start that final series, while manager Chip Hale said Robbie Ray may start the finale.

"We may want him to get the start and get those innings in and build him up to where we want for next year," Hale told MLB's website.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Diamondbacks at Padres
Fri, Sep 25 Final 6 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 2
Diamondbacks at Padres
Sat, Sep 26 Final 0 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps

GAME 3
Diamondbacks at Padres
Sun, Sep 27 - 4:10PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

AMERICAN LEAGUE

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

TEAM W L PCT. GB RS RA DIFF HOME ROAD EAST CENT WEST L10 STRK

z-Toronto 89 65 .578 - 848 627 221 52-28 37-37 38-30 20-14 19-13 7-3 W 3

N.Y. Yankees (5) 85 69 .552 4 735 650 85 43-33 42-36 37-32 20-12 17-16 6-4 W 1

Baltimore (E) 76 78 .494 13 672 658 14 44-30 32-48 34-34 15-18 15-18 5-5 L 2

Tampa Bay (E) 75 80 .484 14½ 606 616 -10 36-39 39-41 34-38 13-19 17-17 5-5 L 2

Boston (E) 74 80 .481 15 718 726 -8 42-38 32-42 31-40 15-15 15-18 6-4 W 2


AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

TEAM W L PCT. GB RS RA DIFF HOME ROAD EAST CENT WEST L10 STRK

x-Kansas City 89 65 .578 - 694 626 68 50-30 39-35 18-16 38-31 20-12 4-6 L 2

Minnesota (E) 79 75 .513 10 669 670 -1 46-32 33-43 19-14 36-32 16-17 4-6 W 1

Cleveland (E) 77 76 .503 11½ 641 617 24 35-38 42-38 15-15 31-39 19-14 6-4 W 3

Chi. White Sox (E) 73 82 .471 16½ 604 672 -68 37-38 36-44 14-18 29-41 21-12 4-6 L 1

Detroit (E) 72 82 .468 17 663 773 -110 38-42 34-40 12-20 40-31 11-20 6-4 L 1


AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

TEAM W L PCT. GB RS RA DIFF HOME ROAD EAST CENT WEST L10 STRK

Texas 84 70 .545 - 707 696 11 39-35 45-35 23-11 16-13 34-37 7-3 L 1

Houston (5) 81 74 .523 3½ 681 590 91 52-28 29-46 18-16 14-18 35-37 4-6 W 1

L.A. Angels (5) 80 74 .519 4 620 635 -15 46-31 34-43 16-16 17-17 39-29 7-3 W 4

Seattle (E) 74 81 .477 10½ 630 696 -66 34-41 40-40 15-17 14-20 37-32 4-6 L 4

Oakland (E) 65 90 .419 19½ 664 694 -30 34-46 31-44 10-23 14-19 30-40 3-7 L 1



NATIONAL LEAGUE

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

TEAM W L PCT. GB RS RA DIFF HOME ROAD EAST CENT WEST L10 STRK

x-N.Y. Mets 88 67 .568 - 665 593 72 48-30 40-37 46-24 12-20 21-12 5-5 W 3

Washington (E) 79 75 .513 8½ 684 616 68 45-34 34-41 41-28 13-19 17-16 5-5 W 1

Miami (E) 68 87 .439 20 583 644 -61 40-40 28-47 32-40 13-19 16-18 6-4 W 4

Atlanta (E) 62 93 .400 26 552 747 -195 37-38 25-55 32-40 12-18 12-21 5-5 L 2

Philadelphia (E) 58 97 .374 30 585 782 -197 33-42 25-55 25-44 11-23 14-18 2-8 L 1


NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

TEAM W L PCT. GB RS RA DIFF HOME ROAD EAST CENT WEST L10 STRK

z-St. Louis 98 57 .632 - 627 496 131 55-25 43-32 20-9 44-28 23-11 7-3 W 1

z-Pittsburgh (5) 95 60 .613 3 677 569 108 50-25 45-35 24-9 31-38 27-6 8-2 W 8

z-Chi. Cubs (E) 89 65 .578 8½ 655 599 56 47-32 42-33 22-12 39-30 19-13 6-4 L 3

Milwaukee (E) 65 90 .419 33 635 717 -82 34-44 31-46 17-16 30-42 10-20 3-7 L 1

Cincinnati (E) 63 91 .409 34½ 624 711 -87 34-43 29-48 16-15 32-38 8-25 2-8 L 7


NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

TEAM W L PCT. GB RS RA DIFF HOME ROAD EAST CENT WEST L10 STRK

L.A. Dodgers 87 67 .565 - 635 567 68 52-26 35-41 19-13 17-17 41-27 4-6 L 2

San Francisco (2) 80 74 .519 7 672 592 80 44-30 36-44 18-15 15-18 35-34 4-6 W 1

Arizona (E) 74 81 .477 13½ 689 671 18 35-40 39-41 15-18 14-19 35-37 5-5 L 1

San Diego (E) 73 82 .471 14½ 636 703 -67 38-39 35-43 17-16 14-16 35-37 5-5 W 1

Colorado (E) 65 90 .419 22½ 697 815 -118 35-45 30-45 16-18 15-17 29-40 4-6 W 2

() - A team's Elimination Number is determined by adding the leading team's number of wins to the trailing team's number of losses. Subtract that total from 163. The first-place team's Magic Number is the same as the second-place team's Elimination Number.
(E) - A team has been eliminated from the division race. Note that a team eliminated from the division race may still be a contender in the Wild-card race.
x - Clinched division title
y - Clinched wild-card
z - Clinched playoff berth

-Tiebreaker games will be played to determine Division Championships, even if the two tied Clubs are assured of participating in the Postseason. If a Division Championship tiebreaker game is necessary, the head-to-head record between the tied Clubs will determine home-field advantage. If the head-to-head record is tied, then division record will be the next tiebreaker.

-In the event of a tie for the division championship or a Wild Card spot, a one-game playoff will break the tie. If three or four clubs are tied for first place in a division at the end of the regular season, and the two non-division winners would NOT be Wild Card clubs, a playoff will be played among the teams in question.

-If two Clubs are tied for both Wild Card berths, home-field advantage will be determined by the head-to-head record between the tied Clubs. If the head-to-head record is tied, then division record will be the next tiebreaker.

[StarDust Bum]

WILD-CARD RACE

AMERICAN LEAGUE

TEAM W L PCT GB

N.Y. Yankees 85 69 .552 -

Houston 81 74 .523 -

L.A. Angels (8) 80 74 .519 ½

Minnesota (7) 79 75 .513 1½

Cleveland (6) 77 76 .503 3

Baltimore (4) 76 78 .494 4½

Tampa Bay (2) 75 80 .484 6

Boston (2) 74 80 .481 6½

Seattle (1) 74 81 .477 7

Chi. White Sox (E) 73 82 .471 8

Detroit (E) 72 82 .468 8½

Oakland (E) 65 90 .419 16


NATIONAL LEAGUE

TEAM W L PCT GB

z-Pittsburgh 95 60 .613 -

z-Chi. Cubs 89 65 .578 -

San Francisco (E) 80 74 .519 9

Washington (E) 79 75 .513 10

Arizona (E) 74 81 .477 15½

San Diego (E) 73 82 .471 16½

Miami (E) 68 87 .439 21½

Colorado (E) 65 90 .419 24½

Milwaukee (E) 65 90 .419 24½

Cincinnati (E) 63 91 .409 26

Atlanta (E) 62 93 .400 27½

Philadelphia (E) 58 97 .374 31½

(E) - A team has been eliminated from the wild-card race. Complete division standings can be found here.
y - Clinched wild-card title
z - Clinched playoff berth
() - A team's Elimination Number; first-place team's Magic Number is same as second-place team's Elimination Number

-For the 2012 playoff, clubs from the same division will now be allowed to play one another in either the Wild Card Game or the Division Series.

-Tiebreaker games will be played to determine Division Championships, even if the two tied Clubs are assured of participating in the Postseason. If a Division Championship tiebreaker game is necessary, the head-to-head record between the tied Clubs will determine home-field advantage. If the head-to-head record is tied, then division record will be the next tiebreaker.

-In the event of a tie for the division championship or a Wild Card spot, a one-game playoff will break the tie. If three or four clubs are tied for first place in a division at the end of the regular season, and the two non-division winners would NOT be Wild Card clubs, a playoff will be played among the teams in question.

-If two Clubs are tied for both Wild Card berths, home-field advantage will be determined by the head-to-head record between the tied Clubs. If the head-to-head record is tied, then division record will be the next tiebreaker.

[StarDust Bum]

Liberty-Fever Preview
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) There aren't many WNBA playoff games left in Tamika Catchings' career. The 36-year-old forward for the Indiana Fever plans to retire after the 2016 season and a fourth Olympic Games.

Before that, she wants to add another league championship to the Fever's 2012 title. To do that, Indiana needs to win Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals Sunday against the New York Liberty. The top-seeded Liberty won Wednesday to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

Being down is nothing new to the third-seeded Fever. They trailed 1-0 in each of the first two rounds in 2012 and again in the first round this year before beating Chicago 2-1.

''Because we have the mental asset of having players that have been there, done that, going into the second game against Chicago, we were all on the same page,'' Catchings said.

This is the Fever's 11th straight playoff appearance, a league record. That run is largely because of the presence of the 14-year veteran, who is the daughter of former 11-year NBA veteran Harvey Catchings.

In the regular season, Catchings had career lows in scoring average (13.1) and shooting percentage (.382). Part of that can be attributed to fewer minutes (26.6) because of a nagging back injury and balance by the Fever, who had seven players average eight or more points.

While Catchings has been slowed by knee and ankle injuries during her career, she's peaked during these playoffs. She's averaging 19.8 points and shooting 49 percent in the current postseason and became the first in WNBA history to score 1,000 playoff points.

''There's no measurement, there's no statistic, for the competitive nature that she has, for the way that she wills herself to make a shot or get the rebound or get the defensive stop,'' said first-year Fever coach Stephanie White, a former teammate who is two years older than Catchings. ''She wears her heart on her sleeve when she plays, and she's a courageous player, she's an aggressive player, and she's a smart player.

''You can't measure all the intangibles that allow her to compete night in and night out.''

The Fever are in the East finals for a fifth consecutive year but ''laid an egg'' in Game 1, Catchings said. She was limited to nine points by the swarming Liberty defense.

The Fever are trying to reach the WNBA Finals for a third time in seven years. The Liberty, who missed the playoffs the past two year, haven't been to the finals since 2002.

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Lynx-Mercury Preview

Attempting to repeat as WNBA champions, the Phoenix Mercury will likely endure a recurrence of their 2013 postseason fate if they don't improve their shooting and rebounding from Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

The best-of-three series shifts to Phoenix on Sunday afternoon with the Minnesota Lynx owning the upper hand by virtue of Thursday's 67-60 win, a result fueled by strong defense and dominating the glass. The Lynx held the Mercury to 25 percent shooting in the second half and 32.8 percent overall while finishing with a 44-30 rebounding advantage.

Rebekkah Brunson grabbed a franchise playoff-record 19 rebounds and Sylvia Fowles added 14 to help put Minnesota one win away from a fourth WNBA Finals appearance in five seasons. Phoenix ended the Lynx's run as conference champions by winning the 2014 West finals in three games, avenging a Minnesota sweep the previous year.

Fowles and Brunson each had six points during a 20-2 second-quarter run that erased a nine-point deficit, while Maya Moore scored 10 of her 19 points in the fourth to protect a lead that was cut to 47-46 late in the third.

Brunson finished with 13 points and became the WNBA's career leader in postseason offensive rebounds by recording seven.

''Rebekkah was unbelievable,'' Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. ''Our sponsorship people need to get on it right now. She needs to be the face of (an ad campaign), because there's not a bigger Band-Aid than what we just experienced with Rebekkah. She was so engaged, at a high level.''

DeWanna Bonner had 21 points and was the lone Mercury player in double figures. Brittney Griner was held to nine points and six rebounds after totaling 41 points in Phoenix's semifinals sweep of Tulsa.

''They took us out of everything,'' Bonner said. ''As a team we couldn't find an offensive flow. We had it going a little bit in the first half, but in the second half they turned it up a notch.''

Regaining their scoring touch will be vital to the Mercury's chances of extending the series. Phoenix was 0-9 during the regular season when held under 70 points and 5-9 when outrebounded by the opposition.

"We're a much better offensive team than we showed (Thursday)," coach Sandy Brondello told the Mercury's official website. "We need to do a better job of keeping the ball moving. Credit to Minnesota for their defense, but there's certainly things we could have done better."

Phoenix should benefit from a return to Talking Stick Resort Arena, where it's 14-4 including the playoffs and won all three regular-season meetings with the Lynx. The Mercury averaged 77.7 points in those games and 58.5 in two prior losses in Minnesota.

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WNBA FINALS


Wednesday, September 23

FINAL
PLAYOFFS
Indiana Fever 67
New York Liberty 84
ESPN 2
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
GAME INFO

Thursday, September 24
FINAL
PLAYOFFS
Phoenix Mercury 60
Minnesota Lynx 67
ESPN 2
Target Center
Minneapolis, MN
GAME INFO

Sunday, September 27
1:00 PM ET
PLAYOFFS
New York Liberty
Indiana Fever
ESPN
Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN

GAME INFO
3:00 PM ET
PLAYOFFS
Minnesota Lynx
Phoenix Mercury
ESPN
US Airways Center
Phoenix, AZ
GAME INFO

Tuesday, September 29
TBD
PLAYOFFS
Indiana Fever
New York Liberty
ESPN 2
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
GAME INFO
TBD
PLAYOFFS
Phoenix Mercury
Minnesota Lynx
ESPN 2
Target Center
Minneapolis, MN
GAME INFO

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WNBA
Dunkel

Sunday, September 27


New York @ Indiana

Game 655-656
September 27, 2015 @ 1:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New York
108.872
Indiana
119.365
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Indiana
by 10 1/2
153
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Indiana
by 3 1/2
148 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Indiana
(-3 1/2); Over

Minnesota @ Phoenix

Game 657-658
September 27, 2015 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
112.150
Phoenix
118.545
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Phoenix
by 6 1/2
133
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Phoenix
by 2 1/2
143 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Phoenix
(-2 1/2); Under




WNBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, September 27

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NEW YORK (26 - 12) at INDIANA (22 - 16) - 9/27/2015, 1:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 30-19 ATS (+9.1 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 25-12 ATS (+11.8 Units) in all games this season.
NEW YORK is 12-0 ATS (+12.0 Units) as an underdog this season.
NEW YORK is 14-3 ATS (+10.7 Units) in road games this season.
NEW YORK is 8-0 ATS (+8.0 Units) in road games in August or September games this season.
NEW YORK is 83-59 ATS (+18.1 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1997.
NEW YORK is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in road games vs. division opponents this season.
NEW YORK is 16-8 ATS (+7.2 Units) after a division game this season.
NEW YORK is 16-8 ATS (+7.2 Units) after scoring 75 points or more this season.
NEW YORK is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NEW YORK is 59-36 ATS (+19.4 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record after 15+ games since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 8-7 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA is 10-5 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
8 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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MINNESOTA (25 - 13) at PHOENIX (22 - 15) - 9/27/2015, 3:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 2-8 ATS (-6.8 Units) in road games in August or September games this season.
MINNESOTA is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) in road games after a division game this season.
PHOENIX is 13-22 ATS (-11.2 Units) in all games this season.
PHOENIX is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) after a division game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 11-9 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 12-8 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
16 of 20 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Sunday, September 27

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Trend Report
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1:00 PM
NEW YORK vs. INDIANA
New York is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Indiana
New York is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Indiana is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Indiana is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing New York

3:00 PM
MINNESOTA vs. PHOENIX
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing Phoenix
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
Phoenix is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Phoenix's last 9 games

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Sunday, September 27

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MONTREAL (5 - 6) at SASKATCHEWAN (1 - 11) - 9/27/2015, 4:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SASKATCHEWAN is 117-83 ATS (+25.7 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 17-4 ATS (+12.6 Units) as a home underdog of 3 points or less since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 31-16 ATS (+13.4 Units) in home games in September games since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 10-20 ATS (-12.0 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SASKATCHEWAN is 10-20 ATS (-12.0 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
SASKATCHEWAN is 10-20 ATS (-12.0 Units) in games played on turf over the last 2 seasons.
SASKATCHEWAN is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record after 9 or more games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 4-0 against the spread versus SASKATCHEWAN over the last 3 seasons
SASKATCHEWAN is 2-2 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Sunday, September 27

4:00 PM
MONTREAL vs. SASKATCHEWAN
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Montreal's last 11 games when playing on the road against Saskatchewan
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games on the road
Saskatchewan is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
Saskatchewan is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games when playing Montreal

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Montreal (5-6) @ Saskatchewan (1-11)-- One-win Roughriders led last four games at half; only once all year has Saskatchewan trailed at half by more than six points- in last two tilts, they were outscored 35-7 in seocnd half. Montreal won three of last four games; they're 2-3 on road, wirth underdogs covering all five of those games. Home side won last four series games; seven of last ten series games stayed under the total. Under is 9-2 in Alouette games this year; four of last six Roughrider games went over.

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Montreal @ Saskatchewan

Game 497-498
September 27, 2015 @ 4:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Montreal
114.680
Saskatchewan
106.285
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Montreal
by 8 1/2
46
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Montreal
by 1 1/2
50
Dunkel Pick:
Montreal
(-1 1/2); Under

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2015 Regular Season Standings


West Division

GP W L T PTS F A HOME AWAY DIV STREAK

Calgary 13 10 3 0 20 347 270 7 - 0 - 0 3 - 3 - 0 6 - 1 - 0 W2

Edmonton 13 9 4 0 18 326 238 6 - 1 - 0 3 - 3 - 0 4 - 2 - 0 W3

BC 12 4 8 0 8 268 345 2 - 3 - 0 2 - 5 - 0 3 - 3 - 0 L3

Winnipeg 13 4 9 0 8 246 377 3 - 4 - 0 1 - 5 - 0 3 - 5 - 0 L2

Saskatchewan 12 1 11 0 2 289 365 1 - 6 - 0 0 - 5 - 0 1 - 6 - 0 L2

East Division

GP W L T PTS F A HOME AWAY DIV STREAK

Hamilton 12 8 4 0 16 410 246 4 - 2 - 0 4 - 2 - 0 3 - 2 - 0 L1

Toronto 12 7 5 0 14 312 348 3 - 1 - 0 4 - 4 - 0 2 - 3 - 0 W1

Ottawa 12 7 5 0 14 280 321 4 - 2 - 0 3 - 3 - 0 2 - 2 - 0 L1

Montreal 11 5 6 0 10 242 210 3 - 3 - 0 2 - 3 - 0 2 - 2 - 0 W1

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Sunday, Sept. 27

Montreal Alouettes (5-6 SU, 6-4-1 ATS) vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders (1-11 SU, 3-9 ATS)
Point-spread: Montreal -1
Total: 50

Game Overview

Montreal got a boost this past Sunday from the return of quarterback Jonathan Crompton after an extended stay on the injury list dating back to Week 1 of the regular season. His numbers were nothing to brag about with 181 yards passing while completing just 14 of his 27 attempts. Despite getting picked-off two times he also found the end zone with two other throws.

The Roughriders dismal season continues with just one SU win and a 1-3 record ATS in their last four games. The total has gone OVER in four of their last six outings behind a defense that is allowing a CFL-high 30.4 points a game. Offensively, Saskatchewan has not been all that bad with an average of 24.1 points a game.

Betting Trends

Montreal has won 11 of the last 15 meetings SU and it has covered in five of its last six road games against the Roughriders. The total has gone OVER in nine of its last 12 games on the road against Saskatchewan. This will be the first of two meetings this year.