The Bum's MLB Best Bets - Trends - News Thru the World Series !

[StarDust Bum]

LEADING OFF: Murphy rakes at Wrigley Field
August 4, 2017

A look at what's happening all around the majors Saturday:

GOING DEEP

The Chicago Cubs will try to cool off Washington's Daniel Murphy on Saturday, a day after he homered twice in a 4-2 win. Murphy is 20 for 38 with four home runs in his last 10 games at Wrigley Field, including the playoffs. With the Mets in the 2015 NL Championship Series, he hit two homers in Chicago and four overall to help New York sweep. The Cubs have dropped three in a row after winning 14 of 17.

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THE MISSING ONE

Wade Miley has pitched in 190 big league games and has a decision against every team except for one: Detroit. The Baltimore left-hander will be looking to change that with a victory on Saturday in the third game of a four-game set. This will be Miley's third start against the Tigers - he has a 7.36 ERA against them, second-worst against any team, behind Boston. Detroit had scheduled reigning AL Rookie of the Year Michael Fulmer to start, but he was placed on the disabled list Thursday with an elbow injury and replaced by Drew VerHagen.

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VOTTO HEATS UP

Cincinnati's Joey Votto puts brings a nine-game hitting streak into a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The All-Star first baseman had started the second half of the season in a 5-for-39 slump that dropped his average from .315 to .295.

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday’s six-pack

— Ohio State transfer Jaquan Lyle signs up with New Mexico.

— Doc Rivers lost his front office role with the Clippers Friday; he has $20M, two years left on his contract, and will just coach from now on.

— Nationals 4, Cubs 2— Daniel Murphy homered twice for Washington.

— Jaime Garcia started on the mound for his third big league team in 15 days last night.

— San Jose State finally got around to hiring a new hoop coach; Colorado assistant Jean Prioleau will get the job on Monday

— Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin had his contract extended thru 2020; Pittsburgh has had three head coaches……..since 1969!!!!

****************************

Saturday’s List of 13: Random thoughts on a summer night…..

13) So I’m having dinner at a Ruby Tuesday’s last night; there are 5-6 people sitting to my left. Next thing I know, the two guys in the group are in the parking lot, trading punches. Cops were called, I think both of them got arrested and that was that. Just another Friday night in Canton.

12) Spent several hours at the Football Hall of Fame Friday; if you like the NFL, this is an excellent place to visit. So much history to re-visit, the room with the Hall of Fame busts is very impressive, but bring your walking shoes to get there.

11) Parking at the Hall of Fame isn’t great; the area is probably too small to host a venue that is so popular, and with all the construction going on, its a pretty good hike from where you park to the actual Hall of Fame.

When all the construction is done in 2020, there will be a Hall of Fame Village, with shops and places to eat. Look forward to seeing that.

10) Pretty cool to see the Lombardi Trophy, which has its own display area upstairs in the Hall of Fame. They also have all the Super Bowl rings displayed in a case; they’re pretty big now.

10) I was in here once before, in 2001, when Jackie Slater/Jack Youngblood were inducted; it is so much different now, so many more sponsors’ exhibits- the memorabilia tent is like a small building now. Back then, it was just a regular-sized tent.

It is normally $25 to get into the Hall of Fame; it is $30 this weekend. Cheapest ticket for the induction ceremony Saturday night is $40. Worth it, but listening to people this week talking about how much autographs/memorabilia cost now— this is definitely big business.

9) Rams played Miami in the Hall of Fame Game in 2001; the induction ceremony wasn’t in the stadium, it was outside the Hall of Fame, with portable bleachers. Now the ceremony is in the actual stadium. Hope it doesn’t rain…..or my butt is going to get very wet. LOL

8) It is ironic that the head of the Hall of Fame now is a guy named David Baker; when Kurt Warner played for the Iowa Barnstormers in the Arena League, Baker was commissioner of the AFL— he ruined the league by moving teams in Iowa/Albany (where I live) to NFL cities, with hopes of making the AFL a AAA-league for the NFL.

The Arena League was awesome; we regularly drew crowds of 11-12,000 people in downtown Albany, where Touchdown Eddie Brown (Antonio Brown’s father) was the best player.

Baker’s son Sam was a tackle at USC and later for the Atlanta Falcons.

7) In either 1996 or 1997, the Firebirds lost a home game 77-76 to Iowa; highly entertaining game. Little did I know that night that in 1999, the Barnstormers’ QB that night would lead the Rams to their first Super Bowl title. If it was a movie, it wouldn’t be very believable.

6) What an honor to be selected as a presenter for the Hall of Fame; imagine it can be a touchy thing, especially for someone who may have changed teams, like Warner— he chose his wife, as did Jerry Jones. I wonder if Mike Martz will be here tomorrow; he and Dick Vermeil deserve so much credit for Warner’s initial success in the NFL.

5) Jerry Jones’ Hall of Fame party here in Canton tonite is at a country club that he rented……for $5M. For one night.

4) Dolphins are talking to Jay Cutler; looks like Ryan Tannehill is out a minimum of six weeks, with a strong possibility that he misses the whole season.

3) Fantasy football is also a big business; ton of sites sites are advertising for leagues to sign up. Our baseball league is run by CBSSports.com, which does a great job.

2) Former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent was talking Friday about how legalized gambling is going to help pro sports; this is the same guy who put Pete Rose in baseball prison for his involvement in gambling. Life can be very ironic sometimes.

1) Can you imagine what is like, at the Gold Jacket Dinner for Hall of Famers, walking thru that gauntlet of Hall of Famers? The icons of the sport, all there to see you get inducted into the Hall of Fame. What a feeling that must be.

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday’s games
National League

Nationals @ Cubs
Jackson is 2-1, 4.74 in three starts for Washington (under 3-0). Nationals won his only road start— their first 5-inning record with him: 1-1-1

Lackey is 3-0, 2.81 in his last three starts; under is 5-2-1 in his last eight. Cubs are 5-4 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 11-9

Nationals are 3-4 in last seven games; under is 8-2 in their last ten road games. Cubs are 6-4 in last ten games; under is 6-2 in their last eight games.

Cardinals @ Reds
Lynn is 3-0, 1.15 in his last five starts; his last six starts stayed under. St Louis is 6-7 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 11-11

Castillo is 1-3, 3.86 in his last four starts (over 3-1); Reds are 1-2 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 3-5

Cardinals lost four of last six road games; under is 5-1 in their last six road games. Cincinnati won four of last five games; under is 5-1 in their last six home games.

Padres @ Pirates
Lamet is 2-0, 2.84 in his last two starts; over is 6-3 in his last nine. Padres are 3-3 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 7-4

Cole is 3-0, 2.25 in his last five starts (under 4-1). Pirates are 6-3 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 15-8

Padres won five of last eight games; over is 6-2 in their last eight road games. Pittsburgh lost six of last nine games; under is 18-4 in their last 22 home games.

Dodgers @ Mets
Hill is 4-0, 1.45 in his last five starts; under is 4-1-1 in his last six. Dodgers are 4-2 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 10-5

Lugo is 1-1, 5.09 in his last three starts; over is 6-1-1 in his last eight. Mets are 2-1 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 6-3

Dodgers won 11 of last 12 games; under is 5-1 in their last six. Mets lost seven of last nine games; under is 3-1 in their last four games.

Marlins @ Braves
Straily is 0-3, 7.65 in his last four starts (over 4-0). Miami is 5-5 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 11-11

Foltynewicz is 5-1, 3.73 in his last seven starts; over is 4-0 in his last four. Atlanta is 6-2 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 12-8

Marlins won six of last nine games; over is 7-4 in their last 11. Atlanta lost seven of last nine games; under is 6-2 in their last eight home games.

Phillies @ Rockies
Pivetta is 2-2, 7.25 in his last four starts (over 3-1). Phillies are 3-6 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 5-10

Gray 1-2, 7.65 in his last four starts; under is 5-2-1 in his last eight. Colorado is 0-3 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 6-3

Phillies lost their last four games; under is 7-3 in their last ten road games. Colorado won 9 of last 11 home games; over is 6-4 in their last ten.

Diamondbacks @ Giants
Walker is 0-3, 4.76 in his last four starts; under is 4-1 in his last five. Arizona is 5-5 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 10-7

Stratton allowed five runs in 6.2 IP in his only ’17 start, a 6-2 loss at Detroit July 6. Giants’ first 5-inning record with him: 0-1

Arizona is 6-3 in its last nine games; under is 5-2-1 in their last eight. Giants lost six of last eight games; over is 4-2 in their last six.

——————————–

American League
Tigers @ Orioles
VerHagen is making his first ’17 start; he started one game for Detroit in 2014. He is 7-7, 4.90 in 19 AAA starts this year, and allowed three runs in four IP in two big league relief stints this year.

Miley is 1-2, 7.79 in his last four starts (over 3-0-1). Orioles are 9-2 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 9-12-1

Tigers are 6-1 in last seven games; over is 10-6-1 in their last 17 road games. Baltimore is 11-7 in last 18 games; under is 5-2 in their last seven games.

New York @ Cleveland
Montgomery is 1-2, 5.90 in his last six starts; his last three starts stayed under. New York is 3-7 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 10-9-1

Salazar is 2-1, 3.38 in his last four starts; over is 4-2 in his last six. Cleveland is 2-3 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 6-5-1

New York lost its last four games- seven of their last eight games stayed under. Cleveland won 11 of its last 14 games; under is 4-1 in their last five.

White Sox @ Red Sox
Shields is 0-2, 9.30 in his last four starts; four of his last five starts went over. Chicago is 1-4 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 3-6-2

Pomeranz is 4-0, 2.83 in his last seven starts; over is 7-3-1 in his last 11. Boston is 9-4 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 12-9

White Sox are 3-17 since All-Star break; over is 5-3 in their last eight games. Boston won four of last six games; under is 15-5-1 in last 21 games at Fenway Park.

Mariners @ Royals
Hernandez is 0-1, 4.50 in his last three starts; under is 4-1 in his last five. Seattle is 2-3 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 6-6-1

Duffy is 2-0, 2.95 in his last three starts; under is 4-1 in his last five. Royals are 4-3 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 6-7-4

Mariners won nine of last 12 road games; under is 9-4 in their last 13 road games. Royals lost five of last seven games; five of their last six games stayed under.

Blue Jays @ Astros
Estrada is 0-5, 7.71 in his last 11 starts; over is 5-1 in his last six. Toronto is 5-9 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 7-12-3

Morton is 2-0, 1.38 in his last two starts; over is 8-3-1 in his last 12. Astros are 7-3 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 9-4-2

Toronto won three of last five games; over is 5-1 in their last six. Houston lost six of last nine games; over is 10-4 in their last 14 games.

Rangers @ Twins
Hamels is 1-1, 7.79 in his last three starts (over 8-3-1). Rangers are 2-4 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 10-0-2

Gibson is 1-2, 7.27 in his last three starts; under is 5-2 in his last seven. Minnesota is 4-6 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 7-10-1

Rangers lost five of last seven games; under is 5-3 in their last eight games. Minnesota lost eight of last 11 games; under is 5-3 in their last eight home games.

A’s @ Angels
Blackburn is 2-1, 3.35 in six starts this season (over 3-2-1). A’s are 1-2 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 3-1-2

Skaggs is making his first start since April 28; he is 1-1, 3.99 in five starts this year (under 3-1-1). Angels are 2-0 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 1-2-2

A’s lost three of last four games; over is 5-1 in their last six games. Angels won their last five home games; four of their last six games overall went over.

__________________________

Interleague

Brewers @ Rays
Davies is 5-1, 3.13 in his last seven starts; under is 3-0 in his last three. Milwaukee is 8-4 in his road starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 14-8

Cobb is 3-1, 3.51 in his last five starts; under is 5-2 in his last seven. Rays are 5-4 in his home starts— their first 5-inning record with him: 12-7-3

Brewers are 6-12 in last 18 games, 4-3 in last seven; under is 6-1 in their last seven games. Rays won four of last six games; under is 14-6-1 in their last 21 games.

______________________________

Record with this pitcher starting:
National League
Wsh-Chi: Jackson 2-1; Lackey 11-9
StL-Cin: Lynn 11-11; Castillo 3-5
SD-Pitt: Lamet 7-4; Cole 15-8
LA-NY: Hill 10-5; Lugo 6-3
Mia-Atl: Straily 11-11; Foltynewicz 12-8
Phil-Colo: Pivetta 5-10; Gray 6-3
Az-SF: Walker 10-7; Stratton 0-1

American League
Det-Balt: VerHagen 0-0; Miley 11-11
Chi-Bos: Shields 4-7; Pomeranz 13-8
NY-Clev: Montgomery 8-12; Salazar 6-6
Tor-Hst: Estrada 9-13; Morton 10-5
Tex-Minn: Hamels 6-6; Gibson 9-9
Sea-KC: Hernandez 7-6; Duffy 8-9
A’s-LA: Blackburn 3-3; Skaggs 3-2

Interleague
Mil-TB: Davies 14-8; Cobb 11-11

Pitchers allowing a run in first inning:
National League
Wsh-Chi: Jackson 1-3; Lackey 10-20
StL-Cin: Lynn 6-22; Castillo 2-8
SD-Pitt: Lamet 5-11; Cole 8-23
LA-NY: Hill 3-15; Lugo 3-9
Mia-Atl: Straily 6-22; Foltynewicz 3-20
Phil-Colo: Pivetta 5-15; Gray 2-9
Az-SF: Walker 6-17; Stratton 0-1

American League
Det-Balt: VerHagen 0-0; Miley 7-22
Chi-Bos: Shields 4-11; Pomeranz 5-21
NY-Clev: Montgomery 5-20; Salazar 5-12
Tor-Hst: Estrada 8-22; Morton 2-15
Tex-Minn: Hamels 5-12; Gibson 4-18
Sea-KC: Hernandez 7-13; Duffy 3-17
A’s-LA: Blackburn 1-6; Skaggs 3-5

Interleague
Mil-TB: Davies 8-22; Cobb 4-22

_________________________

Umpires
National League
Wsh-Chi: Over is 6-3 in last nine Whitson games.
StL-Cin: Under is 7-2 in last nine LBarrett games.
SD-Pitt: Road team won six of last eight Scheurwater games.
LA-NY: Over is 5-2 in last seven Kellogg games.
Mia-Atl: Under is 7-4 in last eleven Hamari games.
Phil-Colo: Four of last five Guccione games stayed under.
Az-SF: Under is 4-1-1 in last six Wolcott games.

American League
Det-Balt: Over is 11-5-1 in last 17 Nelson games.
Chi-Bos: Five of last six Estabrook games stayed under.
NY-Clev: Last five Hernandez games stayed under.
Tor-Hst: Five of last six Davis games stayed under.
Tex-Minn: Over is 8-2 in last ten Wegner games.
Sea-KC: Over is 8-2 in last ten Rackley games.
A’s-LA: Last five Meals games went over the total.

Interleague
Mil-TB: Four of last five Morales games stayed under.

Interleague play
NL @ AL– 57-43 AL, favorites -$618
AL @ NL– 58-51 NL, favorites -$401
Total: 108-101 AL, favorites -$1,019

Totals in interleague games
NL @ AL: Over 52-48-2
AL @ NL: Over 61-45-4
Total: Over 113-93-6

Teams’ records in first five innings:
Team (road-home-total)- thru 8/4/17
Ariz 20-21-15……30-15–9……….50-36
Atl 21-26-8……19-27-6………..40-53
Cubs 25-26-4……23-21-9………..48-47
Reds 18-32-5……..20-29–5……….38-61
Colo 29-21-6…….30-21-2……….59-42
LA 25-18-6…….38-16-6……….63-34
Miami 22-25-5…….27-21-7……..49-46
Milw 27-18-8…….29-21-8………55-39
Mets 24-26-3……..23-28-3………47-54
Philly 13-32-11……20-24-7……….33-56
Pitt 26-25-4…….20-25-9………46-50
St. Louis 19-25-8……31-17-9…………50-42
SD 15-31-6……..27-23–6……….42-54
SF 12-37-8……..20-26-8……….35-63
Wash 35-16-5……23-21-7………….58-37

Orioles 19-29-4……..25-27-4………44-56
Boston 21-27-7………25-27-2…….46-54
White Sox 19-30-8……..18-29–3……..37-58
Cleveland 27-20-6……..26-20-6……..52-40
Detroit 22-26-8…….25-22-5……..47-48
Astros 27-18-8……..34-19-4……..61-37
KC 18-26-8………22-21-12…….40-47
Angels 20-27-8………24-20-11………44-47
Twins 29-16-8………23-27-6……..52-42
NYY 22-30-4……….29-20-3…..…51-50
A’s 20-27-7……..23-24-10……..43-51
Seattle 18-27-8……..30-19-9……..48-46
TB 28-20-10……..32-13-7……..60-33
Texas 26-19-10……..24-22-8………50-41
Toronto 23-30-3……..18-26-8……..41-56

%age of times teams score in first inning (road/home/total- 8/4/17)
Ariz 15-54……..21-54………..35
Atl 12-55……..15-52………..27
Cubs 14-55……..19-53……….33
Reds 21-55……..20-53……….41
Colo 14-56……..18-54..……..32
LA 15-49……..22-59..……..37
Miami 23-52……..18-55………41
Milw 20-53……23-58…..…..43
Mets 23-53……..17-54……….40
Philly 16-56……..14-52……….30
Pitt 16-55……..18-54……….34
StL 12-52……..18-56………..30
SD 20-52……..17-56…………37
SF 14-57……..16-54…………30
Wash 23-56……..22-51……….45

Orioles 7-53……..18-57……….25
Boston 17-56……..11-54………28
White Sox 15-57……12-50……….27
Clev 10-53……..18-54………28
Detroit 13-56…….20-53………33
Astros 17-53……..23-56……….40
KC 11-53……..10-55………..21
Angels 21-56…….13-54………..34
Twins 12-51……..13-55……….25
NYY 12-56……..15-52………28
A’s 12-53……..19-57………31
Seattle 18-52…….20-59………38
TB 18-58……..20-53……..38
Texas 19-55……..25-53………44
Toronto 18-56……..12-54………30

[StarDust Bum]

August Best Bets Based on 5 Units Per Play

Best Bets

Date.........................Ats.................. ..........Totals................ Units Record

08/04/2017................4 - 3........+ 1.70.................5 - 5 - 0....................- 0.50
08/03/2017................4 - 4........+ 1.10.................4 - 2 - 1....................+1.80
08/02/2017................2 - 0........+ 2.90.................5 - 6 - 1......................-1.60
08/01/2017................0 - 1.........- 1.00.................1 - 7 - 1......................-6.60

Totals:.......................10 - 8........+ 4.70..............15 - 20 - 3...................-5.90

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

Saturday, August 5


Milwaukee @ Tampa Bay

Game 979-980
August 5, 2017 @ 6:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Milwaukee
(Davies) 13.402
Tampa Bay
(Cobb) 16.738
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
by 3 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Tampa Bay
-135
8 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(-135); Under

Oakland @ LA Angels

Game 977-978
August 5, 2017 @ 9:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Oakland
(Blackburn) 13.297
LA Angels
(Skaggs) 16.596
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Angels
by 3 1/2
11
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Angels
-150
9
Dunkel Pick:
LA Angels
(-150); Over

Seattle @ Kansas City

Game 975-976
August 5, 2017 @ 7:15 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Seattle
(Hernandez) 12.937
Kansas City
(Duffy) 16.554
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Kansas City
by 3 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Kansas City
-120
9
Dunkel Pick:
Kansas City
(-120); Under

Texas @ Minnesota

Game 973-974
August 5, 2017 @ 7:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Texas
(Hamels) 13.677
Minnesota
(Gibson) 15.291
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 1 1/2
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Texas
-140
9 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
(+120); Under

NY Yankees @ Cleveland

Game 971-972
August 5, 2017 @ 7:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Yankees
(Mntgmry) 16.625
Cleveland
(Salazar) 14.371
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Yankees
by 2 1/2
10
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland
-150
9
Dunkel Pick:
NY Yankees
(+130); Over

Toronto @ Houston

Game 969-970
August 5, 2017 @ 7:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
(Estrada) 13.729
Houston
(Morton) 15.217
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Houston
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Houston
-175
9
Dunkel Pick:
Houston
(-175); Under

Chicago White Sox @ Boston

Game 967-968
August 5, 2017 @ 7:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago White Sox
(Shields) 13.615
Boston
(Pmeranz) 16.324
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 2 1/2
12
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
-300
10
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-300); Over

Detroit @ Baltimore

Game 965-966
August 5, 2017 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Detroit
(VerHagen) 16.778
Baltimore
(Miley) 15.895
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Detroit
by 1
8 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Detroit
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Detroit
N/A

Arizona @ San Francisco

Game 963-964
August 5, 2017 @ 9:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Arizona
(Walker) 14.733
San Francisco
(Stratton) 17.176
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Francisco
by 2 1/2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Arizona
-140
8 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Francisco
(+120); Under

Philadelphia @ Colorado

Game 961-962
August 5, 2017 @ 8:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Philadelphia
(Pivetta) 14.973
Colorado
(Gray) 16.439
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Colorado
by 1 1/2
13
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Colorado
-200
11 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Colorado
(-200); Over

St. Louis @ Cincinnati

Game 959-960
August 5, 2017 @ 7:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
(Lynn) 15.222
Cincinnati
(Castillo) 14.388
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cincinnati
-125
9
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(+105); Under

Miami @ Atlanta

Game 957-958
August 5, 2017 @ 7:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Miami
(Straily) 15.822
Atlanta
(Fltynwcz) 14.470
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Miami
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Atlanta
-120
9 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Miami
(+100); Under

San Diego @ Pittsburgh

Game 955-956
August 5, 2017 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Diego
(Lamet) 13.273
Pittsburgh
(Cole) 14.642
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Pittsburgh
by 1 1/2
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-175
8
Dunkel Pick:
Pittsburgh
(-175); Over

LA Dodgers @ NY Mets

Game 953-954
August 5, 2017 @ 4:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Dodgers
(Hill) 14.512
NY Mets
(Lugo) 16.331
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Mets
by 2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Dodgers
-185
9
Dunkel Pick:
NY Mets
(+165); Under

Washington @ Chicago Cubs

Game 951-952
August 5, 2017 @ 2:20 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
(Jackson) 17.441
Chicago Cubs
(Lackey) 13.783
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 3 1/2
9 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago Cubs
-155
No Total
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(+135); N/A

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Saturday, August 5

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Trend Report
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2:20 PM
WASHINGTON vs. CHI CUBS
Washington is 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing Chi Cubs
Chi Cubs are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing Washington
Chi Cubs are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games at home

4:05 PM
LA DODGERS vs. NY METS
LA Dodgers are 11-1 SU in their last 12 games
LA Dodgers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
NY Mets are 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
NY Mets are 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home

6:10 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. TAMPA BAY
Milwaukee is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Milwaukee's last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee

7:05 PM
DETROIT vs. BALTIMORE
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Baltimore's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baltimore's last 6 games when playing at home against Detroit

7:05 PM
SAN DIEGO vs. PITTSBURGH
The total has gone OVER in 6 of San Diego's last 8 games on the road
San Diego is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing San Diego
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 8 games

7:10 PM
CHI WHITE SOX vs. BOSTON
Chi White Sox are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Chi White Sox's last 10 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Boston's last 10 games when playing at home against Chi White Sox

7:10 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. CINCINNATI
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
St. Louis is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Cincinnati is 6-15 SU in its last 21 games
Cincinnati is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing St. Louis

7:10 PM
MIAMI vs. ATLANTA
Miami is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 6 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games
Atlanta is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games

7:10 PM
TORONTO vs. HOUSTON
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games on the road
Toronto is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games when playing Houston
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Houston's last 14 games
Houston is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games

7:10 PM
TEXAS vs. MINNESOTA
Texas is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Texas's last 7 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Minnesota is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing Texas
Minnesota is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games

7:10 PM
NY YANKEES vs. CLEVELAND
NY Yankees are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of NY Yankees's last 12 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Cleveland's last 12 games when playing at home against NY Yankees

7:15 PM
SEATTLE vs. KANSAS CITY
Seattle is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
Kansas City is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
Kansas City is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games

8:10 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. COLORADO
Philadelphia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Philadelphia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Colorado's last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 6 games at home

9:05 PM
ARIZONA vs. SAN FRANCISCO
Arizona is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
Arizona is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
San Francisco is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
San Francisco is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Arizona

9:07 PM
OAKLAND vs. LA ANGELS
Oakland is 2-5 SU in their last 7 games when playing LA Angels
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Oakland's last 9 games when playing LA Angels
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of LA Angels's last 9 games when playing Oakland
LA Angels are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Long Sheet

Saturday, August 5

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

WASHINGTON (64 - 43) at CHICAGO CUBS (57 - 51) - 2:20 PM
EDWIN JACKSON (R) vs. JOHN LACKEY (R)
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 20-22 (-14.1 Units) against the money line in day games this season.
WASHINGTON is 35-21 (+9.8 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
WASHINGTON is 25-10 (+14.1 Units) against the money line in road games after a win this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 57-51 (-17.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 357-299 (-81.8 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -125 to -175 since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 28-25 (-13.5 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 261-314 (-67.2 Units) against the money line in August games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 22-23 (-13.7 Units) against the money line when playing on Saturday over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 24-26 (-16.1 Units) against the money line in day games this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 39-44 (-26.7 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 19-25 (-13.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 3-2 (+1.0 Units) against CHICAGO CUBS this season
4 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+2.9 Units)

EDWIN JACKSON vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
JACKSON is 3-4 when starting against CHICAGO CUBS with an ERA of 5.70 and a WHIP of 1.453.
His team's record is 5-4 (+0.9 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-5. (-1.7 units)

JOHN LACKEY vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
LACKEY is 2-1 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 4.70 and a WHIP of 1.295.
His team's record is 5-2 (+3.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-5. (-3.7 units)

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

LA DODGERS (77 - 32) at NY METS (49 - 58) - 4:05 PM
RICH HILL (L) vs. SETH LUGO (R)
Top Trends for this game.
LA DODGERS are 109-110 (-35.6 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 3 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 82-80 (-24.8 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
LUGO is 13-4 (+10.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
LA DODGERS are 77-32 (+28.7 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
LA DODGERS are 54-22 (+20.8 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
LA DODGERS are 39-12 (+18.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
NY METS are 49-58 (-16.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
NY METS are 25-29 (-13.2 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
NY METS are 10-21 (-13.8 Units) against the money line in day games this season.
NY METS are 25-33 (-11.4 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
NY METS are 10-26 (-17.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NY METS are 197-240 (-61.0 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA DODGERS is 5-0 (+5.0 Units) against NY METS this season
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.0 Units)

RICH HILL vs. NY METS since 1997
HILL is 1-2 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 8.76 and a WHIP of 2.190.
His team's record is 1-2 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-3. (-3.5 units)

SETH LUGO vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
No recent starts.

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SAN DIEGO (48 - 60) at PITTSBURGH (53 - 56) - 7:05 PM
DINELSON LAMET (R) vs. GERRIT COLE (R)
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 159-106 (+49.7 Units) against the money line in home games when playing on Saturday since 1997.
SAN DIEGO is 116-154 (+1.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 87-97 (+18.1 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 69-84 (+8.5 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 29-24 (+9.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
PITTSBURGH is 33-41 (-10.9 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 98-115 (-28.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN DIEGO is 2-2 (+0.4 Units) against PITTSBURGH this season
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+2.0 Units)

DINELSON LAMET vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
LAMET is 1-0 when starting against PITTSBURGH with an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 0.667.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-1. (-1.0 units)

GERRIT COLE vs. SAN DIEGO since 1997
COLE is 4-1 when starting against SAN DIEGO with an ERA of 1.47 and a WHIP of 1.109.
His team's record is 4-1 (+2.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-3. (-1.2 units)

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

MIAMI (51 - 56) at ATLANTA (50 - 58) - 7:10 PM
DANIEL STRAILY (R) vs. MIKE FOLTYNEWICZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 118-151 (+7.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 27-20 (+11.6 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season.
ATLANTA is 93-110 (+12.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 56-61 (+11.6 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.
FOLTYNEWICZ is 23-19 (+12.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
FOLTYNEWICZ is 8-1 (+9.0 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season. (Team's Record)
FOLTYNEWICZ is 11-4 (+10.8 Units) against the money line in night games this season. (Team's Record)
MIAMI is 49-42 (+15.5 Units) against the money line in road games in night games over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 35-31 (+11.2 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
STRAILY is 31-22 (+14.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
STRAILY is 9-2 (+9.5 Units) against the money line when playing on Saturday over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
STRAILY is 16-6 (+11.9 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
STRAILY is 19-11 (+11.5 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 6-3 (+3.3 Units) against MIAMI this season
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.5 Units)

DANIEL STRAILY vs. ATLANTA since 1997
STRAILY is 2-1 when starting against ATLANTA with an ERA of 4.60 and a WHIP of 1.213.
His team's record is 2-1 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-1. (+0.9 units)

MIKE FOLTYNEWICZ vs. MIAMI since 1997
FOLTYNEWICZ is 2-0 when starting against MIAMI with an ERA of 4.44 and a WHIP of 1.602.
His team's record is 5-0 (+5.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-1. (+2.9 units)

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ST LOUIS (53 - 56) at CINCINNATI (45 - 64) - 7:10 PM
LANCE LYNN (R) vs. LUIS CASTILLO (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 53-56 (-10.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
ST LOUIS is 18-28 (-16.0 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
ST LOUIS is 34-39 (-10.9 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
ST LOUIS is 39-45 (-13.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
CINCINNATI is 22-18 (+8.9 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
ST LOUIS is 439-397 (+51.0 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss since 1997.
CINCINNATI is 397-427 (-99.6 Units) against the money line in home games after a win since 1997.
CINCINNATI is 397-363 (-83.3 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
CINCINNATI is 8-3 (+7.5 Units) against ST LOUIS this season
6 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.7 Units)

LANCE LYNN vs. CINCINNATI since 1997
LYNN is 9-4 when starting against CINCINNATI with an ERA of 3.19 and a WHIP of 1.135.
His team's record is 11-5 (+5.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 10-5. (+5.1 units)

LUIS CASTILLO vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
No recent starts.

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PHILADELPHIA (39 - 68) at COLORADO (63 - 47) - 8:10 PM
NICK PIVETTA (R) vs. JON GRAY (R)
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 39-68 (-20.7 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 16-40 (-16.2 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 19-47 (-24.2 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 27-52 (-20.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 20-48 (-22.4 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
COLORADO is 63-47 (+16.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
COLORADO is 34-20 (+11.0 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
COLORADO is 35-27 (+8.4 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 387-434 (+50.1 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
PHILADELPHIA is 429-429 (+44.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1997.
COLORADO is 70-56 (-40.3 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -175 to -250 since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO is 4-1 (+3.0 Units) against PHILADELPHIA this season
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.2 Units, Under=-0.2 Units)

NICK PIVETTA vs. COLORADO since 1997
No recent starts.

JON GRAY vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
GRAY is 0-1 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 6.75 and a WHIP of 1.407.
His team's record is 0-2 (-3.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-1. (-0.2 units)

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ARIZONA (63 - 46) at SAN FRANCISCO (42 - 69) - 9:05 PM
TAIJUAN WALKER (R) vs. CHRIS STRATTON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ARIZONA is 63-46 (+15.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
ARIZONA is 45-30 (+12.9 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
ARIZONA is 51-33 (+15.7 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
ARIZONA is 38-24 (+12.7 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
ARIZONA is 21-11 (+15.1 Units) against the money line in road games after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 3 seasons.
ARIZONA is 126-86 (+31.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 42-69 (-31.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 43-53 (-20.9 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 23-31 (-13.1 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 17-31 (-17.4 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 28-43 (-17.0 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 28-47 (-24.4 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 28-40 (-13.5 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ARIZONA is 5-3 (+2.9 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.3 Units, Under=-0.4 Units)

TAIJUAN WALKER vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
WALKER is 2-1 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 3.50 and a WHIP of 1.333.
His team's record is 2-1 (+1.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-2. (-1.2 units)

CHRIS STRATTON vs. ARIZONA since 1997
No recent starts.

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DETROIT (51 - 57) at BALTIMORE (53 - 56) - 7:05 PM
DREW VERHAGEN (R) vs. WADE MILEY (L)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 4-1 (+3.6 Units) against BALTIMORE this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.8 Units)

DREW VERHAGEN vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
No recent starts.

WADE MILEY vs. DETROIT since 1997
MILEY is 0-0 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 7.36 and a WHIP of 2.000.
His team's record is 1-1 (-0.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-0. (+2.1 units)

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CHI WHITE SOX (41 - 66) at BOSTON (61 - 49) - 7:10 PM
JAMES SHIELDS (R) vs. DREW POMERANZ (L)
Top Trends for this game.
SHIELDS is 14-32 (-25.0 Units) against the money line when playing on Saturday since 1997. (Team's Record)
BOSTON is 28-31 (-12.4 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
POMERANZ is 15-31 (-23.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 4-1 (+2.4 Units) against CHI WHITE SOX this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.7 Units)

JAMES SHIELDS vs. BOSTON since 1997
SHIELDS is 9-15 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 4.33 and a WHIP of 1.328.
His team's record is 9-20 (-12.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 17-11. (+4.1 units)

DREW POMERANZ vs. CHI WHITE SOX since 1997
POMERANZ is 2-0 when starting against CHI WHITE SOX with an ERA of 0.75 and a WHIP of 1.000.
His team's record is 2-0 (+2.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (+0.0 units)

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

TORONTO (51 - 58) at HOUSTON (70 - 39) - 7:10 PM
MARCO ESTRADA (R) vs. CHARLIE MORTON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 51-58 (-17.7 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
TORONTO is 19-25 (-11.5 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season.
TORONTO is 18-26 (-14.5 Units) against the money line when playing on Saturday over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 28-40 (-20.2 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
TORONTO is 3-10 (-10.4 Units) against the money line after allowing 10 runs or more this season.
HOUSTON is 70-39 (+17.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
HOUSTON is 38-10 (+18.8 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -175 to -250 over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 51-29 (+10.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
HOUSTON is 55-24 (+24.0 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
MORTON is 24-8 (+14.7 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
HOUSTON is 248-297 (-73.5 Units) against the money line when playing on Saturday since 1997.
HOUSTON is 37-36 (-14.7 Units) against the money line in home games after a win over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 3-2 (+0.5 Units) against TORONTO this season
4 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+4.0 Units)

MARCO ESTRADA vs. HOUSTON since 1997
ESTRADA is 2-0 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 2.61 and a WHIP of 0.968.
His team's record is 3-2 (+0.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-1. (+3.0 units)

CHARLIE MORTON vs. TORONTO since 1997
MORTON is 1-0 when starting against TORONTO with an ERA of 1.50 and a WHIP of 1.000.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

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

NY YANKEES (57 - 51) at CLEVELAND (59 - 48) - 7:10 PM
JORDAN MONTGOMERY (L) vs. DANNY SALAZAR (R)
Top Trends for this game.
NY YANKEES are 57-51 (-8.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
NY YANKEES are 76-66 (+12.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 59-48 (-18.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CLEVELAND is 45-49 (-21.5 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 3 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 37-34 (-16.4 Units) against the money line in night games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 2-0 (+2.0 Units) against NY YANKEES this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)

JORDAN MONTGOMERY vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
No recent starts.

DANNY SALAZAR vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
SALAZAR is 1-1 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 5.60 and a WHIP of 1.528.
His team's record is 1-2 (-1.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-2. (-1.3 units)

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

TEXAS (52 - 57) at MINNESOTA (52 - 55) - 7:10 PM
COLE HAMELS (L) vs. KYLE GIBSON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TEXAS is 6-18 (-12.2 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
TEXAS is 5-11 (-9.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season this season.
MINNESOTA is 34-28 (+7.7 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
GIBSON is 18-9 (+10.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
TEXAS is 147-127 (+23.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 67-45 (+25.8 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 113-108 (+37.2 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 3 seasons.
TEXAS is 25-19 (+14.4 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 38-22 (+15.8 Units) against the money line in August games over the last 3 seasons.
TEXAS is 28-15 (+15.0 Units) against the money line when playing on Saturday over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 107-90 (+19.0 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 112-95 (+18.4 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
HAMELS is 30-15 (+13.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
HAMELS is 24-10 (+13.0 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
HAMELS is 18-5 (+12.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
MINNESOTA is 111-158 (-30.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 35-54 (-20.7 Units) against the money line at home when the money line is +125 to -125 over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 24-32 (-11.5 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
MINNESOTA is 123-144 (-41.6 Units) against the money line in home games in August games since 1997.
MINNESOTA is 9-17 (-11.0 Units) against the money line in home games after a win this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 3-2 (+1.0 Units) against TEXAS this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.7 Units)

COLE HAMELS vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
HAMELS is 2-1 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 6.35 and a WHIP of 1.706.
His team's record is 3-3 (-1.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-5. (-4.9 units)

KYLE GIBSON vs. TEXAS since 1997
GIBSON is 2-0 when starting against TEXAS with an ERA of 2.84 and a WHIP of 1.263.
His team's record is 3-2 (+1.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-3. (-1.4 units)

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

SEATTLE (56 - 55) at KANSAS CITY (56 - 52) - 7:15 PM
FELIX HERNANDEZ (R) vs. DANNY DUFFY (L)
Top Trends for this game.
KANSAS CITY is 56-52 (+10.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 78-52 (+25.3 Units) against the money line at home when the money line is +125 to -125 over the last 3 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 31-24 (+8.1 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 21-12 (+11.1 Units) against the money line in August games over the last 2 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 38-35 (+7.3 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 42-34 (+12.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
KANSAS CITY is 29-21 (+13.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
KANSAS CITY is 275-392 (-108.5 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 9 to 9.5 since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
KANSAS CITY is 4-1 (+3.7 Units) against SEATTLE this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

FELIX HERNANDEZ vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
HERNANDEZ is 5-6 when starting against KANSAS CITY with an ERA of 3.05 and a WHIP of 1.134.
His team's record is 6-8 (-5.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 8-6. (+1.1 units)

DANNY DUFFY vs. SEATTLE since 1997
DUFFY is 1-1 when starting against SEATTLE with an ERA of 2.39 and a WHIP of 1.405.
His team's record is 4-1 (+3.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-3. (-1.4 units)

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OAKLAND (48 - 62) at LA ANGELS (55 - 55) - 9:05 PM
PAUL BLACKBURN (R) vs. TYLER SKAGGS (L)
Top Trends for this game.
OAKLAND is 185-249 (-55.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons.
OAKLAND is 14-27 (-11.5 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season.
OAKLAND is 17-37 (-16.5 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
OAKLAND is 15-28 (-11.5 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
OAKLAND is 27-41 (-10.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
OAKLAND is 43-73 (-30.7 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
OAKLAND is 24-38 (-14.0 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
LA ANGELS are 55-55 (+7.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
LA ANGELS are 19-13 (+10.6 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season.
LA ANGELS are 55-23 (+23.1 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -125 to -175 over the last 3 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 43-39 (+8.4 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
LA ANGELS are 22-9 (+15.5 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.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA ANGELS is 7-4 (+3.0 Units) against OAKLAND this season
7 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+2.6 Units)

PAUL BLACKBURN vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
No recent starts.

TYLER SKAGGS vs. OAKLAND since 1997
SKAGGS is 0-2 when starting against OAKLAND with an ERA of 6.75 and a WHIP of 1.616.
His team's record is 1-2 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-2. (-1.5 units)

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MILWAUKEE (58 - 53) at TAMPA BAY (57 - 54) - 6:10 PM
ZACH DAVIES (R) vs. ALEX COBB (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 57-53 (+3.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 23-17 (+9.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
MILWAUKEE is 58-53 (+13.7 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 27-26 (+9.7 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 10-4 (+9.6 Units) against the money line in an inter-league game this season.
MILWAUKEE is 38-31 (+14.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 45-43 (+7.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
MILWAUKEE is 17-17 (+12.3 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
DAVIES is 14-8 (+7.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
DAVIES is 13-8 (+9.2 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
DAVIES is 9-3 (+10.2 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
DAVIES is 8-1 (+8.3 Units) against the money line after a win this season. (Team's Record)
TAMPA BAY is 20-26 (-16.6 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -125 to -175 over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 78-95 (-20.8 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MILWAUKEE is 1-0 (+1.4 Units) against TAMPA BAY this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.1 Units)

ZACH DAVIES vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
No recent starts.

ALEX COBB vs. MILWAUKEE since 1997
COBB is 1-0 when starting against MILWAUKEE with an ERA of 1.13 and a WHIP of 0.625.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-1. (-1.0 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday's Diamond Notes
August 5, 2017

Hottest team: Dodgers (11-1 last 12, 42-7 last 49)
Yu Darvish threw seven shutout innings against the Mets in his team debut last night because of course he did. He was wearing a Dodgers uniform, which just about guarantees you walk off the field a winner these days. L.A. won 6-0 in Queens and hasn't lost to anyone but Atlanta since before July 4, currently 22-3 in that stretch. Lefty Rich Hill, who was named NL pitcher of the month for July after going 4-0 with a 1.45 ERA, will make his first August appearance. He beat the Mets on June 21, part of a 5-0 run the Dodgers are on against New York this season. L.A. has outscored the Mets 42-11, but will be facing young righty Seth Lugo for the first time. The Dodgers are looking to score a 14th series victory in 16 chances with a win, having split four-game sets against the Angels and Braves as the lone outliers. Washington was the last team to beat L.A. in a series -- two months ago (June 5-7).

Coldest team: White Sox (0-4 last four, 4-21 last 25)
Chicago dealt staff ace Jose Quintana, closer David Robertson, top set-up men Tommy Kahnle and Dan Jennings in addition to OF Melky Cabrera, so this latest swoon isn't exactly a surprise. Only the Giants and Phillies have worse records than the Sox, who lead the AL in losses and aren't likely to escape the basement. They're the only team in the American with a losing home record and have been better than only the A's on the road, which is why the surging Red Sox (-300) are Saturday's heaviest favorite despite needing 11 innings to survive 3-2 on Friday on the strength of Mitch Moreland's two-out game-winning blast. The White Sox are 4-12 on the road dating back to June 18 and run up against Boston lefty Drew Pomeranz, who has won four straight decisions. James Shields will take the mound for Chicago but has pitched in just two wins over eight starts since returning from the DL on June 18. His July ERA was 9.00.

Hottest pitcher: Zach Davies, Brewers (12-5, 4.42 ERA)
Although he lost his last start against the Cubs despite working seven innings, this category still applies most applies to the Brewers ace over even L.A.'s Hill. Davies has won 12 of his last 14 decisions and had a run of over 20 scoreless innings snapped by Chicago last time out. Davies comes off a July where where he had a season-best 3.23 ERA and remains perfect on the road in 2017, coming in 6-0 with a 2.80 ERA to improve to 13-3 in opposing stadiums in his career. This will be the first time he's pitching against Tampa Bay.

Coldest pitcher: Wade Miley, Orioles (5-9, 5.60 ERA)
The lefty from Louisiana snapped a personal 1-5 run thanks to a 10-6 win at Texas on Sunday, but he's still given up four or more earned runs in eight of 11 starts and had an 8.68 ERA, allowing hitters to bat .342 against him. His ERA since joining the Birds last season tops 6.00, and he was 1-3 with a 7.32 ERA last August. Miley pitched in a 13-11 win over the Tigers on May 16, surrendering eight hits, two of them homers. He'll be opposed by righty reliever Drew VerHagen, who will be making his second career start.

Biggest UNDER run: Brewers (6-0-1 last seven, 15-3-1 last 19)
After blanking Tampa Bay last night behind rookie Brandon Woodruff and a superb bullpen effort, Milwaukee has now held the opposition to two or fewer runs in five of its last seven games. The Brew Crew's own lack of offense has largely been the culprit throughout this lengthy run of low-scoring affairs, so last night's 2-0 win fell right in line as they've managed more than three runs only four times in 19 games. The number for this one opened at 8.5 with the sizzling Davies on the mound opposed by Rays righty Alex Cobb, who has allowed more than three runs in a game only four times in his last 18 outings. He's coming off his worst outing of 2017, lasting a season-low three innings after surrendering eight runs at Houston in a 14-7 loss on July 31.

Biggest OVER run: Blue Jays (5-1 last six)
Toronto was involved in Friday's highest-scoring game, getting lit up for a 9-run inning in a 16-7 loss at Houston. There have been at least nine runs scored in seven of the last eight involving the Jays, a run that began in style when Steve Pearce belted his first of two walk-off grand slams last week. The OVER is 5-1 in Marco Estrada's last six starts and has prevailed in 10 of 14 games involving the Astros, MLB's highest-scoring team. It's 4-0-1 in matchups involving these clubs this season. Houston is 3-2 against the Blue Jays, owning a 47-10 advantage in the victories.

Matchup to watch: Yankees at Indians
New York has seen its two new starters, Sonny Gray and Jaime Garcia, greeted rudely in Cleveland. Neither even tasted a lead as the Yankees have been outscored 12-3, bumbling ineptly. They committed as many errors (3) as they had hits in Thursday's series opener and left 10 men on base in being blown out last night.

Since putting together a six-game winning streak to take over the AL East lead, the Yanks have dropped five of six since July 30, scoring three or fewer runs in each of the losses. As a result, they've fallen a full three games back of Boston and own just a one-game edge over Kansas City for the top wild card.

Their task gets no easier with Danny Salazar on the mound for the Indians. The Dominican righty has been dominant since returning from the DL on July 22, showing off a live fastball and filthy complementary pitches in giving up two runs over 13 innings, striking out 16 while walking two. His arm should be fresh since he's pitching on eight days rest due to his start being pushed back.

The Tribe has survived the Royals' big push and lead the AL Central by 3.5 games as they look for their 60th win. Salazar is 1-1 with a 5.60 ERA in three career starts against the Yankees, who counter with rookie lefty Jordan Montgomery. New York is 1-5 in his last six outings.

Betcha didn’t know: San Francisco's Chris Stratton will get to start a game with more than a few hours notice for the first time when he takes the mound against Arizona, so it will be interesting to see how the former first-round pick fares. He threw 106 pitches on July 6 in a 6-2 loss at Detroit after being pressed into duty when Johnny Cueto was scratched, walking five and allowing five earned runs over 6.2 innings. He's taking struggling Matt Cain's turn in the rotation and is expected to be in the mix going forward to give the Giants a better idea of how they want to use him going forward. He'll be opposed by another former first-round pick, Taijuan Walker, who hasn't produced a D'Backs win in any of his last four starts.

Biggest public favorite: Cubs (-155) vs. Nationals

Biggest public underdog: Cardinals (+112) at Reds

Biggest line move: Astros (-150 to -175) vs. Blue Jays

[StarDust Bum]

Rockies' Gray puts home unbeaten mark on line vs. Phillies
August 5, 2017

DENVER -- After losses in two straight starts on the road, Jon Gray will pitch at home Saturday for the Colorado Rockies against the Philadelphia Phillies.

In Gray's last home start on July 19, the Rockies flattened the San Diego Padres 18-4. Support has been scant lately for Gray (3-2, 5.52 ERA), who will be opposed by Nick Pivetta (4-6, 5.42). Gray lost 3-2 at St. Louis on July 26 and 3-1 at Washington on Sunday. In those outings, Gray had one walk and 14 strikeouts in 12 innings and gave up five earned runs for a 3.57 ERA.

"I think those are the most fun ones, good pitchers' duels," Gray said. "I don't know what it is, but it just seems like there's more going on."

Gray, 25, has walked a season-high three batters in just two of his nine starts and has 15 walks and 46 strikeouts in 44 innings. The Rockies are 6-3 in games started by Gray, who is 2-0 with a 3.71 ERA in three home starts. This will be Gray's seventh start since he returned June 30 after missing 2 1/2 months with a stress fracture in his left foot.

Asked about his low walk total of late, Gray said it had more to do with shaking off the rust after his long layoff.

"I think just being more comfortable every time I go out, just build starts up," Gray said. "I think it's a little easier to find your rhythm faster. You're not kind of spraying pitches left and right. Just that comfortable feeling I have now. I know where the ball's going to go."

Pivetta won his last start Monday against Atlanta, allowing three hits and one run in six innings with one walk and five strikeouts. The Phillies are 5-10 in starts by Pivetta, who is 1-2 with a 3.89 ERA in six starts at home and 3-4 with a 6.79 ERA in nine road starts.

The 24-year-old right-hander has fared much better against left-handed hitters, limiting them to a .214 average and .627 OPS and two home runs in 165 plate appearances. By contrast, right-handed hitters are batting .290 with a .991 OPS against Pivetta with 14 home runs in 181 plate appearances.

Phillies pitching coach Bob McClure attributed those skewed figures to left- and right-handed hitters to "a young guy working on command" without getting more specific.

"He's going to be really good," McClure said, "(because of) the way the ball comes out of his hand, his aptitude, his work ethic. He's got above-average velocity and it plays higher than what it says -- 94-96 mph but it plays higher, at least that's what the hitters tell me. There's some carry to it, great extension."

McClure cited a start July 25 against the powerful Houston Astros, a 5-0 loss for Pivetta, when he gave up one hit and one run through five innings and retired the first batter in the sixth before allowing five hits and four runs in the inning.

After that outing, Pivetta faced Atlanta in his last start Monday and was the winning pitcher in Philadelphia's 7-6 victory.

"He's really close to breaking one of the barriers, and there's usually three barriers," McClure said. "He's already got the hardest one, the confidence part. And he's aggressive. Now we just have fine-tune some things."

And the other barriers?

"Being able to control your emotions," which McClure said is coming with Pivetta, "and once you're able to do that be able to stop the bleeding, which he did his last game."

[StarDust Bum]

A's Matt Joyce calls fan gay slur during heated exchange
August 5, 2017

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Oakland Athletics outfielder Matt Joyce got into a heated exchange with a fan and called him a gay slur during Friday night's game against the Los Angeles Angels.

The exchange occurred in the eighth inning of Los Angeles' 8-6 win after Angels first baseman C.J. Cron made a diving stop of Joyce's hard-hit grounder.

As Joyce returned to the dugout, he uttered several profanities at the fan, called him a gay slur and challenged him to fight, according to Associated Press photographer Mark J. Terrill, who overheard the exchange. Terrill said he did not hear the first part of the exchange.

''It's just one of those things that fans kind of get into the game. Obviously, we're pretty frustrated on our side and I had just hit a ball hard and had Cron make a good play,'' Joyce said. ''I was walking back to the dugout and just had a fan yell some vulgar and obscene words. For me it just wasn't the right time to say some stuff like that. I fired back and obviously as soon as you fire back you regret saying anything, because it's just not worth it.'

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, AUGUST 5

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at CHC 02:20 PM

WAS +145

O 9.5

LAD at NYM 04:05 PM

NYM +190

U 9.0

MIL at TB 06:10 PM

MIL +120

U 8.5

SD at PIT 07:05 PM

U 7.5

DET at BAL 07:05 PM

DET +135

U 11.0

CHW at BOS 07:10 PM

U 10.0

TEX at MIN 07:10 PM

MIN +110

U 9.5

NYY at CLE 07:10 PM

NYY +125

STL at CIN 07:10 PM

STL +125

U 8.5

TOR at HOU 07:10 PM

TOR +155

U 9.0

MIA at ATL 07:10 PM

MIA +110

U 9.0

SEA at KC 07:15 PM

SEA +115

U 8.5

PHI at COL 08:10 PM

U 11.0

ARI at SF 09:05 PM

SF +115

O 8.5

OAK at LAA 09:07 PM

U 9.0

[StarDust Bum]

Baseball Capsules
August 5, 2017

NEW YORK (AP) Yasiel Puig hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning and the thundering Los Angeles Dodgers went deep five times, rallying past the New York Mets 7-4 on Saturday to extend their incredible surge.

Chris Taylor, Justin Turner, Corey Seager and rookie Cody Bellinger also connected for the Dodgers, who are 43-7 since June 7. That's the best 50-game run by a big league team since the 1912 New York Giants compiled the same mark from May 14 to July 3.

Los Angeles has won all but one of its last 13 games, upping the top record in the majors to an astounding 78-32. That puts the Dodgers at 46 games above .500 for the first time since they were 98-51 on Sept. 15, 1962.

CUBS 7, NATIONALS 4

CHICAGO (AP) - Willson Contreras homered and drove in three runs, Alex Avila homered for his first hit with the Cubs and Chicago beat Washington to even the series between division leaders.

Kris Bryant and Jon Jay each added a run-scoring hit as the Cubs snapped a three-game losing streak.

Bryce Harper hit his 28th homer and threw out a runner at third base for the Nationals.

Saturday was supposed to be a day off for Contreras - with Avila making his first start after being acquired on Monday - but manager Joe Maddon started Contreras in left field to keep his hot bat in the lineup. He entered batting .429 with two homers and eight RBIs in the first four games of the home stand.

John Lackey (9-9) allowed three runs (two earned) and six hits in five innings to win his fourth straight start. Wade Davis got the final three outs - striking out Harper, the potential tying run, to end it - for his 23rd save.

YANKEES 2, INDIANS 1

CLEVELAND (AP) - Brett Gardner and Ronald Torreyes made sensational defensive plays in the ninth inning to save Aroldis Chapman from another late-inning meltdown in Progressive Field, and New York hung on to stop a four-game losing streak.

Chapman (4-2), making his first appearance in Cleveland since Game 7 of last year's World Series for the Chicago Cubs, allowed a leadoff single in the ninth before Jose Ramirez hit a fly to deep left that Gardner grabbed with a jump on the warning track. Edwin Encarnacion then hit a blooper toward right that Torreyes ran down with a dive.

Chapman went to a full count on Carlos Santana before striking him out with his 21st pitch of the inning for his 14th save.

The defensive gems were a nice change for the Yankees, who made three errors in the series opener and had another error, passed ball and two wild pitches on Friday.

Chase Headley homered with one out in the eighth inning off Zach McAllister (1-1) for the Yankees, who have been anything but Bronx Bombers lately.

RED SOX 4, WHITE SOX 1

BOSTON (AP) - Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr. hit two-run homers, and Drew Pomeranz won a career-best fifth straight decision to help Boston beat Chicago.

Pomeranz (11-4) gave up Tim Anderson's homer on the second pitch of the game, but didn't allow another run before leaving with a 4-1 lead with one out in the seventh. Since starting the season 3-3, Pomeranz has lost just once in 15 starts.

Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth for his 26th save as the AL East-leading Red Sox won for the seventh time in nine games.

James Shields (2-4) took the loss for the White Sox, who have dropped five straight games and 22 of their last 26.

ORIOLES 5, TIGERS 2

BALTIMORE (AP) - Welington Castillo hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning, Adam Jones and Tim Beckham also hit solo shots, and Baltimore ended Detroit's four-game winning streak.

Jonathan Schoop doubled in a run for Baltimore to increase his RBI total to 80, tied for the AL lead.

Justin Upton homered in a third consecutive game for the Tigers, who were unbeaten in August after trading away three stars before the non-waiver trade deadline.

After losing the first two games of the series, Baltimore fell behind 2-0 in the first inning before coming back for its sixth win in eight games.

BREWERS 3, RAYS 0

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Zach Davies gave up one hit in seven innings and Milwaukee remained a half-game behind NL Central-leading Chicago after a victory over Tampa Bay.

It was the second straight shutout for the Brewers, who have given up only one run while winning three straight.

Davies (13-5) walked two and struck out two. Two relievers helped the Brewers stretch their streak of shutout innings to 22.

Lucas Duda's single to center with one out in the sixth was the only hit off Davies, who is 6-1 with a 2.38 ERA over his last eight starts.

Keon Broxton scored the game's first run after a leadoff single off Rays starter Alex Cobb in the third. Broxton stole a base and scored on Orlando Arcia's double.

BLUE JAYS 4, ASTROS 3, 10 INNINGS

HOUSTON (AP) - Ryan Goins hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the 10th inning, and Toronto rallied to beat Houston.

Goins hit the two-out single to left field off Francisco Liriano (6-7), and Rob Refsnyder touched home plate with his left hand just before Brian McCann tagged him. The Astros challenged the call, which stood after a nearly two-minute review.

Ryan Tepera (6-1) threw two innings for the win, and Roberto Osuna got the last three outs for his 28th save.

RANGERS 4, TWINS 1

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Cole Hamels threw the 16th complete game of his career - his first in nearly two years - and turned in his most efficient start of the season to lead Texas past Minnesota.

With Hamels dominating on the mound, Nomar Mazara's first-inning, two-run homer off Kyle Gibson (6-9) was all the offense Texas needed to beat the Twins.

In his first complete game since Oct. 4, 2015, Hamels (6-1) scattered four hits and allowed only four batters to reach base. The Twins' only run against him was unearned.

Hamels entered the game with a 6.35 career ERA against Minnesota, the highest of any opponent with at least six starts, but breezed through the lineup using 96 pitches to pick up his third career win against the Twins.

PADRES 5, PIRATES 2

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Rookie Dinelson Lamet allowed just one hit in 5 2/3 innings, Wil Myers broke out of a slump with a home run and three RBIs and San Diego quieted Pittsburgh.

Lamet (6-4) struck out five and walked three, giving up just a single to Josh Bell in the fourth to win his third consecutive start. He also picked up his first major league hit, a flare to right field off Gerrit Cole (9-8) in the sixth. Brad Hand worked a perfect ninth for his eighth save.

Myers ended an 0-for-16 slide by doubling home Cory Spangenberg in the third to give San Diego the lead. He then hit a two-run shot to center in the fifth off Cole for his 21st home run of the season. Dusty Coleman went 3 for 4 for the Padres, including his third homer.

Josh Harrison hit a solo home run in the seventh and Adam Frazier added an RBI single but couldn't stop the Pirates from falling 5 1/2 games behind first-place Chicago in the NL Central.

BRAVES 7, MARLINS 2

ATLANTA (AP) - Mike Foltzynewicz had a career-high 11 strikeouts, Freddie Freeman hit a three-run homer and Atlanta beat Miami.

Miami led 1-0 in the sixth when Giancarlo Stanton slugged his 36th homer, most in the majors. One night after homering twice, Stanton crushed Foltynewicz's fastball deep into the seats in the left field, but the Braves took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning on Freeman's RBI single and Nick Markakis' RBI double.

Freeman hit his 20th homer and Brandon Phillips had a two-run single in a five-run seventh.

Foltynewicz (10-6) struck out eight of the first 12 batters he faced. He allowed four hits and one run in 6 1/3 innings and did not issue a walk for the first time in 15 starts.

CARDINALS 4, REDS 1

CINCINNATI (AP) - Paul DeJong hit a two-run homer and Lance Lynn got past Joey Votto's first-inning home run to win his fourth straight start as St. Louis eased past Cincinnati.

Lynn (10-6) retired 12 of the last 14 batters he faced, walking Votto twice. The right-hander limited the Reds to three hits and a run with three walks and four strikeouts.

Seung Hwan Oh allowed a harmless two-out single in the seventh, Tyler Lyons struck out all three batters he faced in the eighth - including Votto looking to end the inning - and Trevor Rosenthal worked around a walk and a single in the ninth for his eighth save in 10 chances.

The win was the Cardinals' first in six games at Cincinnati this season and the first in their last six overall decided by more than one run.

ATHLETICS 5, ANGELS 0

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Rookie Paul Blackburn allowed five hits in 6 2/3 innings and Oakland cooled off Los Angeles.

The Angels had their four-game winning streak snapped after they had scored at least five runs in each of their previous seven games.

Blackburn (3-1) was in control all night and didn't walk a batter. The 2012 No. 1 draft pick of the Cubs struck out one.

Just called up last month, Blackburn, 23, has a 2.60 ERA in seven starts.

Catcher Dustin Garneau, claimed off waivers from Colorado on Friday, singled in two runs in his first game for the A's.

Tyler Skaggs (1-2) went four innings, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks, in his first start since going on the disabled list April 29 with an oblique strain.

ROCKIES 8, PHILLIES 5

DENVER (AP) - Jon Gray pitched seven innings of one-run ball, Pat Valaika homered and Colorado rode a big early lead to a victory over Philadelphia.

Gerardo Parra added three hits and two RBIs for the Rockies who won for the fourth time in five games.

Daniel Nava homered, tripled and singled to finish a double shy of the cycle for the Phillies, who fell to 0-5 on their eight-game road trip.

Gray (4-2) allowed six hits and struck out four, giving the Rockies a quality start the night after they had to lean on their bullpen when starter Kyle Freeland was forced to leave in the first inning because of a left groin strain.

GIANTS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 4, 10 INNINGS

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Denard Span scored on Jarrett Parker's two-out infield single in the 10th inning, lifting San Francisco over Arizona.

Hunter Pence homered, Nick Hundley had three hits and Pablo Sandoval doubled in three at-bats to celebrate his return to the Giants.

Span led off the 10th with a double off T.J. McFarland (4-4) past Arizona right fielder J.D. Martinez. After Kelby Tomlinson was intentionally walked and Brandon Crawford hit into a double play, Buster Posey was intentionally walked before Parker beat out a grounder to second baseman Adam Rosales as Span crossed the plate.

[StarDust Bum]

Sunday’s six-pack

Odds to win the Super Bowl this year:

4-1— New England Patriots

10-1— Green Bay Packers/Seattle Seahawks

12-1— Dallas Cowboys/Pittsburgh Steelers

14-1— Atlanta Falcons

17-1— Oakland Raiders

25-1— New Jersey Giants

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Sunday’s List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud…….

13) You don’t think Jerry Jones is a financial genius? Cowboys have this practice facility in Frisco, TX; it is so nice, they’re playing a college bowl game in it this December. Also, all eight high school teams in Frisco play their home games in that building, which cost $1B to build.

12) Jones tried to buy the San Diego Chargers when he was 23 years old; imagine an NFL team owned by a 23-year old?

11) Yu Darvish had a huge debut for the Dodgers: seven IP, no runs, four baserunners.

Darvish was terrible with the Rangers the last few weeks; now after one start in LA, people are getting on the Dodger bandwagon.

For the record, Darvish is 0-2, 5.40 in two postseason starts.

10) Steph Curry shot 74-74 on the WEB.com tour this week, missing the cut but impressing all pro golfers, some of whom didn’t expect him to break 80. Good for him. He beat three pros.

9) Matt Moore is more than a competent backup QB for the Dolphins, but now that he is the starter, Miami’s backup QB’s are kids who played at San Jose/Western Kentucky who’ve thrown a combined five NFL passes. Jay Cutler will be a Dolphin fairly soon. If Cutler turns Miami down, Colin Kaepernick is by far the next most-qualified choice for the Dolphins.

8) If Cutler signs with Miami, who replaces him in the FOX broadcast booth? He is slated to work games with Charles Davis on FOX this fall.

7) Run differential is a stupid/overused stat in baseball: in the AL, New York has a +107 run differential, the Royals are -13, but they’re only separated by one game in the standings. Teams that beat up on bad pitchers will have a better run differential. Wins are all that matter.

6) Thumbs up to Bob Evans restaurant here in Canton; excellent breakfast place that is within short walking distance of my motel here. Much nicer version of Denny’s, more like a Friendly’s restaurant.

5) Edmonton held off Hamilton 33-28 Friday night in the CFL; it was only the 3rd time in CFL history a 5-0 team played an 0-5 team. Hamilton lost 60-1 in Calgary last week; they showed some pride last night, but now they’re 0-6.

4) Dustin Johnson hit a drive 439 yards this week, the longest recorded drive on the PGA Tour since 2013.

3) Hall of Fame irony: Al Luginbill was Kurt Warner’s coach with the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe; he was also Marshall Faulk’s college coach at San Diego State. He bugged the Rams to sponsor Warner in NFL Europe, otherwise I wouldn’t be in Ohio right now.

2) Terrell Davis was a 6th-round pick; so was Tom Brady. Kurt Warner wasn’t drafted, and the one year he played at I-AA Northern Iowa they ran the ball most of the time, but these guys are Hall of Famers or future Hall of Famers. The NFL is cool because it is very democratic; once you get in, how you got in matters less and less.

1) It is great to hear Hall of Famers be so humble being in Canton this week; they’re at the top of their profession, but there is no gloating, just gratitude. Good to hear.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB notebook: A's OF Joyce suspended two games
August 5, 2017

Major League Baseball suspended Matt Joyce for two games without pay on Saturday, one day after the Oakland Athletics outfielder yelled a gay slur at a fan.

Joyce's lost salary will be donated to PFLAG National, a LGBTQ advocacy organization, the league announced.

Joyce, who issued a public apology earlier on Saturday over Twitter, also will participate in a public outreach initiative with PFLAG National.

The Athletics released a statement Saturday in which they termed Joyce's language as "unacceptable" and said it will "not be tolerated."

The exchange occurred in the eighth inning of the Angels' 8-6 win after Los Angeles first baseman C.J. Cron made a diving stop of Joyce's grounder.

--Baltimore Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman lost his spot in the starting rotation, manager Buck Showalter announced before their game against the Detroit Tigers.

Tillman is 1-7 with an 8.10 ERA in 15 starts this season. He was just hammered by the Tigers in his most recent start on Aug. 3 for seven runs (five earned) and six hits in two innings. Tillman has not won since his first start of the season on May 7.

"We are trying to figure out some way to get him back (pitching well)," Showalter said. "Ubaldo (Jimenez) seemed to find a way to make a (demotion to the bullpen) productive. I know Chris will, too."

Tillman will be available for the Orioles out of the bullpen starting with Sunday afternoon's series finale against the Tigers.

--The San Francisco Giants called up third baseman Pablo Sandoval after placing first baseman Brandon Belt on the seven-day concussion list.

Belt was hit in the head by a 78-mph curveball from Arizona rookie left-hander Anthony Banda leading off the sixth inning in Friday night's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Belt turned away from the high pitch and was struck in the helmet. He went to the ground and appeared to be dazed.

Belt experienced two previous concussions since arriving in the majors and one in college at the University of Texas. He leads the Giants in home runs (18), extra-base hits (48) and runs (63).

The 30-year-old Sandoval rejoined the organization last month after the Boston Red Sox released him. He signed a minor league contract with the Giants on July 22 and apologized about the way he left San Francisco three years ago.

--The Seattle Mariners placed right-hander Felix Hernandez on the 10-day disabled list with right biceps tendinitis.

Hernandez was scheduled to start in Kansas City against the Royals. The move is retroactive to Aug. 2.

Seattle will now start left-hander Marco Gonzales, who was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to make his Mariners debut.

Hernandez, 31, is 5-4 with a 4.28 ERA over 73 2/3 innings with 69 strikeouts and 21 walks in 13 starts with the Mariners this season.

--Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Travis Shaw left their game against the Tampa Bay Rays in the second inning after being hit in the side of the neck by a throw on a stolen-base attempt.

Shaw stole second base, but Rays catcher Jesus Sucre's throw knocked his helmet off as he slid into the base. Shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria's glove also hit the side of his face, and Shaw remained on his back for several minutes as trainers attended to him.

Shaw walked off the field under his own power and was replaced by Hernan Perez, who pinch-ran for him and took over at third base.

Shaw has 24 home runs and a team-leading 74 RBIs in his first season with the Brewers, who acquired him in a trade from the Boston Red Sox in December for reliever Tyler Thornburg.

--The Boston Red Sox activated right-hander Joe Kelly from the 10-day disabled list prior to their game against the Chicago White Sox.

To make room on the 25-man roster, the team optioned right-hander Austin Maddox to Triple-A Pawtucket following Friday night's game.

Kelly, 29, returned from his injury rehab assignment with Pawtucket. He was placed on the DL on July 15 with a left hamstring strain. He made one rehab appearance at Triple-A, tossing a perfect seventh inning on Wednesday against Syracuse.

Maddox, 26, has not allowed a run or walked a batter in three appearances over three major league stints this season, the first of his career. He has surrendered three hits with one strikeout in 3 2/3 innings, most recently throwing 1 2/3 scoreless frames in the first game of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees on July 16.

--The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired infielder/outfielder Sean Rodriguez from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for minor league infielder Connor Joe.

The Pirates also claimed right-handed relief pitcher George Kontos off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.

This will be Rodriguez's second stint with the Pirates. He hit a combined .260 with 28 doubles, 22 home runs and 73 RBIs in 279 games between 2015-16 with Pittsburgh after being acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in a December 2014 trade.

Last year with the Pirates, Rodriguez set career highs in gamed played (140), home runs (18), RBIs (56), batting average (.270), on-base percentage (.349), slugging percentage (.510) and OPS (.859).

[StarDust Bum]

Sunday's Diamond Notes
August 5, 2017

Hottest team: Red Sox (7-2 last nine) vs. White Sox

This section can be reserved for the Dodgers, who have won 43 of their last 50 games. However, Boston is trying to pull away from New York in the AL East by winning five straight games. The Red Sox finished off their west coast swing with a victory at Seattle following four consecutive losses. Boston goes for the four-game sweep of Chicago on Sunday prior to a crucial five-game road trip against the Rays and Yankees starting Tuesday.

Doug Fister picked up his first victory as a member of the Red Sox last Monday in a 6-2 triumph over the Indians as a short home underdog. Fister turned in his best start with Boston by allowing five hits and two earned runs in 7.2 innings of work. The right-hander split a pair of starts against the White Sox last season as a member of the Astros, while giving up eight earned runs in 11 innings of work.

Coldest team: Mets (2-8 last 10) vs. Dodgers

New York began its 10-game road trip in late July by picking up victories at San Diego. Things went downhill after that as the Mets lost the final two games to the Padres, while posting a 2-6 record in the last eight contests of that trip. The Mets couldn’t turn things around against the scorching-hot Dodgers by dropping the first two games, including blowing an early 3-0 lead in Saturday’s 7-4 setback.

Only once this season have the Mets been swept at home in a series of at least three games, coming against the Nationals in late April. New York has posted an 0-6 record against Los Angeles this season, while last beating the Dodgers on May 27, 2016 in a 6-5 walk-off victory.

Hottest pitcher: Luis Severino, Yankees (8-4, 2.98 ERA)

Severino survived his June swoon in which he went through a four-start stretch without a victory. The right-hander has rebounded in a big way by going unbeaten in his last five trips to the mound, including recent home wins over the Tigers and Reds. Severino couldn’t extend his streak to five straight starts by tossing seven innings against Detroit on July 31, but he has allowed one earned run or less in four consecutive outings. The Yankees have won three of Severino’s four starts as a road underdog this season as he is listed as a ‘dog at Cleveland.

Coldest pitcher: Mike Pelfrey, White Sox (3-9, 5.04 ERA)

Pelfrey is winless in his past five starts since the beginning of July as Chicago has turned into a fade basically every night at this point. The veteran has given up 13 hits and 11 earned runs in his previous two outings against the Cubs and Blue Jays at home, while the White Sox last won on the road with Pelfrey on the mound at Toronto on June 17. Interestingly enough, Pelfrey scattered two hits in five scoreless innings the last time he faced the Red Sox on May 31, but Chicago fell short in a 4-1 defeat.

Biggest OVER run: Blue Jays (5-2 last seven)

Although Toronto and Houston finished UNDER the total on Saturday, the Blue Jays’ offense has been productive recently. The Jays scratched out a 4-3 victory in extra innings last night, extending their streak to seven consecutive games posting at least four runs. After getting torched for 16 runs in Friday’s loss, Toronto’s pitching rebounded by allowing only three runs to one of the best offenses in baseball. Marcus Stroman has hit consecutive OVERS for Toronto as the Blue Jays have provided the right-hander 16 runs of support in his past two outings.

Biggest UNDER run: Reds (6-1 last seven at home)

Cincinnati lost for the first time in six home meetings with St. Louis on Saturday, 4-1 as the Reds’ lone run came on a Joey Votto homer in the first inning. The Reds have been limited to four runs in the last three games overall, while scoring one run or fewer in four home games since the All-Star break. Saturday’s total closed at 8 ½, as the previous seven home contests for Cincinnati had a closing number of 9 ½ or higher. Homer Bailey has cashed the OVER in five of eight starts for the Reds this season, including three of the past four outings.

Matchup to watch: Dodgers vs. Mets

Winning in baseball betting lately is easy – as long as you back the Dodgers. Los Angeles improved to 9-1 on the road since the All-Star break in Saturday’s 7-4 victory at New York, as the Dodgers overcame a 3-0 first inning deficit to score seven unanswered runs. The Dodgers have lost just 11 times since the start of June, while winning 45 times during this stretch and turning a slim half-game deficit in the NL West to a 14-game cushion over second-place Arizona.

Left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu has been extremely consistent for the Dodgers of late as Los Angeles has won five of his past six outings. Ryu has yielded two earned runs or less in five straight starts, but the Dodgers own a 1-6 record in his seven road assignments this season. Ryu beat the Mets at Chavez Ravine on June 22 in a 6-3 triumph as a -175 home favorite by scattering five hits and two earned runs in five innings.

The Mets have turned into a mess recently by dropping six of their last eight games, while compiling a dreadful 1-8 record in their past nine series finales. New York is 1-5 in Steven Matz’s last six starts, while the southpaw hasn’t tossed six innings in any of his previous five outings. Matz struck out eight batters in six innings of work at Los Angeles in that 6-3 defeat to Ryu in late June as the Mets are 1-2 in his three career starts against the Dodgers.

Betcha didn’t know: Ubaldo Jimenez has not been listed as a favorite of -130 or higher this season, but the Orioles’ right-hander opened as a -130 favorite against Detroit. Last season, the Orioles won all five of Jimenez’s starts as chalk of -130 or above, while Baltimore posted a 2-0 record in his two outings against Detroit.

Biggest public favorite: Red Sox (-215) vs. White Sox

Biggest public underdog: Marlins (+110) at Braves