951ARIZONA -952 WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON is 97-68 SU (20.9 Units) vs. poor baserunning teams - averaging 0.5 or less SB's/game in the last 3 seasons.
953ATLANTA -954 CHICAGO CUBS
CHICAGO CUBS are 21-33 SU (-16.6 Units) vs. an overused bullpen that pitches more than 3.2 innings per game over the last 2 seasons.
953ATLANTA -954 CHICAGO CUBS
DAVID ROSS is 21-33 SU (-15.3 Units) vs. an overused bullpen that pitches more than 3.2 innings per game (Coach of CHICAGO CUBS)
955ST LOUIS -956 PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA is 5-19 SU (-17.3 Units) vs. poor fielding teams - averaging 0.75+ errors/game in the last 3 seasons.
957SAN FRANCISCO -958 MIAMI
SAN FRANCISCO is 21-11 SU (12.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
957SAN FRANCISCO -958 MIAMI
GABE KAPLER is 21-11 SU (8.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record (Coach of SAN FRANCISCO)
959PITTSBURGH -960 MILWAUKEE
PITTSBURGH is 19-5 SU (13.2 Units) with a team slugging percentage .390 or worse on the season (NL) over the last 2 seasons.
959PITTSBURGH -960 MILWAUKEE
DEREK SHELTON is 19-5 SU (13.5 Units) with a team slugging percentage .390 or worse on the season (NL) (Coach of PITTSBURGH)
961NY METS -962 COLORADO
COLORADO is 23-41 SU (-22.1 Units) after having lost 6 or 7 of their last 8 games in the last 3 seasons.
963LA DODGERS -964 SAN DIEGO
LA DODGERS are 20-11 SU (11.6 Units) vs. a team with a good bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 or better over the last 2 seasons.
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Saturday’s 6-pack
Six no-hitters, where the only baserunner came on a HBP:
July 4, 1908— Hooks Wiltse
June 18, 1960— Lew Burdette
June 10, 1997— Kevin Brown
June 20, 2015— Max Scherzer
April 9, 2021— Joe Musgrove
April 14, 2021— Carlos Rodon
Americans who have died from COVID-19: 565,318
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.
Quote of the Day
“Judge and Stanton, the only problem with those two guys, they’re really good players, but they’re always hurt. Players today won’t play if they’ve got a strained calf.”
Pete Rose
Saturday’s quiz
Who was the Dodgers’ manager, before Dave Roberts?
Friday’s quiz
In the movie Rocky, before Rocky Balboa fought Apollo Creed the first time, his record as a pro boxer was 44-20.
Thursday’s quiz
Sean Green holds the record for most total bases in one game; on May 23, 2002, he hit four homers, a single and a double (19 TB)
************************************************** *****
Saturday’s Den: Clearing out a cluttered mind……..
13) At the beginning of Bull Durham, Susan Sarandon is talking:
“…….Sometimes it seems like a bad trade. But bad trades are part of baseball – now who can forget Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas, for God’s sake?”
Someone mentioned Milt Pappas on TV the other day, so I looked up his career— this guy is getting a bad rap.
— 17 years in the major leagues, won 209 games.
— pitched in three All-Star games
— was 45-25 the three years before the trade, 110-74 for his career at that time.
Now there’s no question it was an uneven trade, but not because Pappas was bad— guy had a damn good career. He threw a no-hitter for the Cubs in 1972.
12) The other side of the coin is this; how on God’s green earth did the Reds trade Frank Robinson, for anyone? The year before they traded him, Robinson scored 109 runs, knocked in 113 more, and he was only 29 at the time. Why would they trade him?
Orioles won the World Series in 1966, the year after the trade, then played in the Series three years in a row, fro, 1969-71; their pitching rotation was stacked, with Palmer-McNally-Cuellar, Pat Dobson. Adding a great hitter made them a great team.
So call it a bad trade, but don’t blame Milt Pappas.
11) Giancarlo Stanton makes $29M a year, which works out to $179,012 per game; when he donated one of his game checks to the Players’ Alliance, that was a hefty donation.
10) I’m genuinely curious about this; how many major league managers actually decide who plays every day, and how many front offices decide that for them? Are off days for “rest” scripted in advance by the front office?
I mean, Stanton makes $29M a year to DH; there is no way he should he ever get a day off, unless they want to let Aaron Judge DH. Stanton could actually play the outfield, too. The way teams coddle these guys borders on the ridiculous.
9) Let’s take a look at another pitcher’s career, the White Sox’ Wilbur Wood:
— Wood was a lefty knuckleball pitcher.
— He was in the majors for nine years before he became a starter.
— From 1971-75, Wood started an incredible 224 games, that 44.8 starts/year.
— He once started both ends of a doubleheader.
— In 1972-73, he threw an incredible 736 innings.
— In 1973, he went 24-20 in 48 starts.
— He threw 114 complete games in his career.
8) Twins’ OF Max Kepler was born in Germany; his parents were both big-time ballet dancers. His mom is from Texas, his dad from Poland.
7) Dodgers’ OF Cody Bellinger has a hairline fracture of his fibula, is out for an undetermined amount of time.
6) Mets got rained out Thursday, snowed out Friday, will now play a doubleheader in Denver on Saturday; Mets have played only eight games, Braves have played 14, Phillies 13.
5) One of the great quotes I ever heard, from a coach to his team, after the second game of the season, in the coach’s first year in that job:
“Well, it didn’t take long for the rats to start jumping off the ship”
4) Was thinking the other day about the first time I heard that ESPN was going on the air; I was in college, someone told me an all-sports TV station was starting. I was intrigued.
In the early days, ESPN showed lot of Australian Rules Football, a ton of college basketball; they should go back to showing Aussie football. Their poker telecasts later on were also really good, way better than they babbling talking heads they have on now during weekday afternoons.
They should also have a nightly baseball show; why do they not have one?
3) Dwayne Wade is joining the ownership group of the Utah Jazz, which is the youngest ownership group in the NBA. Utah’s new owner is technology entrepreneur Ryan Smith- he bought the team late last year.
Wade played 16 years in the NBA, retiring two years ago.
2) Alabama’s football team has a pretty big recruiting edge; they’ve got three former NFL head coaches on their coaching staff. Not just Nick Saban, but Doug Marrone, Bill O’Brien, too.
1) RIP to the actor Felix Silla 84, who passed away this week; you’ve probably never heard of him, but he played Cousin Itt in the 60’s comedy The Addams Family, as well as other shows.
In 1980, I had my wisdom teeth removed, and they made me stay overnight in the hospital; the guy in the next bed was watching Buck Rogers in the 25th Century with his mother. When they ran the credits to the show and I saw that Felix Silla was the robot in the show, I got all excited— “Hey, that was Cousin Itt!!!”
The guy’s mom gave me a very strange look. Go figure.Leave a comment:
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MLB
Friday, April 16
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Trend Report
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Atlanta @ Chi Cubs
Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Atlanta's last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Atlanta's last 8 games on the road
Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Chi Cubs's last 11 games
Arizona @ Washington
Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Arizona's last 7 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Arizona's last 6 games
Washington
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 7 games when playing Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 7 games at home
Tampa Bay @ NY Yankees
Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games when playing NY Yankees
NY Yankees
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of NY Yankees's last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of NY Yankees's last 14 games
St. Louis @ Philadelphia
St. Louis
St. Louis is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 7 games when playing Philadelphia
Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Philadelphia is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Chi White Sox @ Boston
Chi White Sox
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi White Sox's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games when playing Boston
Boston
Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Boston is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
Cleveland @ Cincinnati
Cleveland
Cleveland is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Cincinnati
Cleveland is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Cincinnati
Cincinnati is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Cincinnati is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
San Francisco @ Miami
San Francisco
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Francisco's last 5 games when playing Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of San Francisco's last 10 games
Miami
Miami is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 5 games when playing San Francisco
Baltimore @ Texas
Baltimore
Baltimore is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Texas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Baltimore's last 7 games
Texas
Texas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Baltimore
Texas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Toronto @ Kansas City
Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 7 games when playing Kansas City
Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Kansas City
Kansas City
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Kansas City's last 7 games when playing Toronto
Kansas City is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Pittsburgh @ Milwaukee
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Milwaukee
Pittsburgh is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
Milwaukee
Milwaukee is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Milwaukee is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
NY Mets @ Colorado
NY Mets
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Mets's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of NY Mets's last 7 games when playing Colorado
Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Colorado's last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Colorado's last 7 games when playing NY Mets
Minnesota @ LA Angels
Minnesota
Minnesota is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing LA Angels
Minnesota is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
LA Angels
LA Angels is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games at home
LA Angels is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Detroit @ Oakland
Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games
Oakland
Oakland is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Oakland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
LA Dodgers @ San Diego
LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
LA Dodgers is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
San Diego
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Diego's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Diego's last 5 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers
Houston @ Seattle
Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 5 games when playing Seattle
Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing at home against Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing Houston
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Leave a comment:
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MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up
Friday, April 16
NL games
Atlanta (5-8) @ Cubs (5-7)
— Smyly is 0-0, 7.36 in his first two starts
— Braves lost his first two starts.
— over 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 0-0-2
— He gave up five runs in five IP in his one start vs Chicago.
— Braves lost four of their last five games.
— Atlanta is 2-4 on the road.
— Over is 8-2 in their last ten games.
— scored run in first inning: 6-13
— record in first 5 innings: 3-6-4
— Davies is 1-1, 11.05 in two starts (7.1 IP).
— Cubs split his two starts.
— under 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1
— He is 1-0, 1.93 in two starts vs Atlanta.
— Cubs lost six of their last eight games.
— Chicago are 3-3 at home.
— Nine of last 11 games stayed under the total.
— scored run in first inning: 4-12
— record in first 5 innings: 4-7-1
Arizona (5-8) @ Washington (3-7)
— Widener is 1-0, 3.27 in two starts.
— Arizona split his two starts
— under 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1
— He hasn’t pitched against Washington.
— Arizona lost eight of first 13 games.
— Arizona is 3-5 on the road.
— over 5-1 last six games
— scored run in first inning: 3-13
— record in first 5 innings: 6-7
— Scherzer is 0-1, 3.75 in two starts.
— Nationals split his two starts.
— over 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 0-1-1
— He is 7-0, 2.85 in nine starts vs Arizona, his old team.
— Washington lost seven of its first ten games.
— Nationals are 1-3 at home.
— under 5-3 last eight games
— scored run in first inning: 4-10
— record in first 5 innings: 1-5-4
St Louis (6-6) @ Philadelphia (6-6)
— Martinez is 0-2, 6.30 in two starts.
— Cardinals lost his first two starts.
— over 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 0-2
— He is 3-1, 2.70 in 8 games (4 starts) vs Philly.
— Cardinals lost four of their last five games.
— St Louis is 4-2 on the road.
— Under 5-3-1 last nine games.
— scored run in first inning: 3-12
— record in first 5 innings: 3-7-2
— Eflin is 0-0, 3.46 in two starts this year.
— Phillies split his two starts.
— over 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-0-1
— He allowed four runs (2 earned) in 4.2 IP, in his one start vs St Louis.
— Phillies lost five of their last six games.
— Phillies won five of their first six home games.
— Six of last nine games went over.
— scored run in first inning: 4-11
— record in first 5 innings: 4-6-2
San Francisco (8-4) @ Miami (5-7)
— DeSclafani is 1-0, 0.82 in two starts.
— Giants won both his starts.
— under 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 2-0
— He is 2-2, 3.04 in four starts against Miami.
— Giants are 8-4 in their first 12 games.
— Giants are 3-3 on the road.
— Nine of last ten games stayed under
— scored run in first inning: 2-12
— record in first 5 innings: 5-5-2
— Castano is making his first ’21 start.
— He was 1-2, 3.03 in seven games (6 starts) as a rookie last year.
— Marlins won four of their last five games.
— Miami is 1-5 at home.
— under 5-3-1 last nine games
— scored run in first inning: 3-12
— record in first 5 innings: 5-3-4
Pittsburgh (5-8) @ Milwaukee (7-5)
— Brubaker is 1-0, 1.93 in two starts (9.1 IP).
— Pirates split his starts.
— under 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-0-1
— He is 0-0, 4.00 in two starts against Milwaukee.
— Pirates won four of their last six games.
— Pittsburgh is 1-5 on the road.
— over 6-3 last nine games
— scored run in first inning: 2-13
— record in first 5 innings: 6-5-2
— Houser is 1-1, 2.70 in two starts.
— Milwaukee split his starts.
— over 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1
— He is 1-2, 6.00 in six games (3 starts) vs Pittsburgh.
— Brewers won six of their last eight games.
— Milwaukee is 3-3 at home.
— under 6-3 last nine games
— scored run in first inning: 4-12
— record in first 5 innings: 6-4-2
Mets (5-3) @ Colorado (3-10)
— deGrom allowed one run in 14 IP in his two starts.
— Mets lost both of those games, scoring 3 runs.
— over/under 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1
— He is 4-1, 1.25 in seven starts vs Colorado.
— Mets won four of their last five games.
— Mets are 1-2 on the road.
— Under 5-0 last five games.
— scored run in first inning: 2-8
— record in first 5 innings: 6-2
— Gonzalez allowed one run in five IP (80 PT) in his first ’21 start.
— Colorado lost his first start, 4-3.
— under 1-0
— allowed run in first inning: 0-1
— record in first 5 innings: 1-0
— He hasn’t pitched against New York.
— Colorado lost its last six games.
— Rockies are 3-4 at home.
— Under 8-2 last nine games.
— scored run in first inning: 3-13
— record in first 5 innings: 6-6-1
Dodgers (11-2) @ San Diego (9-5)
— Buehler is 1-0, 1.50 in two starts.
— Dodgers won both his starts.
— over 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 0-1-1
— He is 4-0, 1.36 in five starts vs San Diego.
— Dodgers won 11 of their last 12 games.
— Dodgers are 5-2 on the road.
— Under is 7-3 in their last ten games.
— scored run in first inning: 5-13
— record in first 5 innings: 8-3-2
— Weathers is making his first career start.
— He’s allowed one run in six IP in three relief stints.
— Padres won six of their last nine games.
— San Diego is 4-3 at home.
— Nine of last 13 games stayed under
— scored run in first inning: 4-14
— record in first 5 innings: 5-7-2
AL games
Tampa Bay (5-8) @ Bronx (5-7)
— Wacha is 0-1, 8.00 in his first two games (9 IP, one wasn’t a start).
— Rays could use an opener, before Wacha pitches.
— Rays lost his only start, 11-2
— over 1-0
— allowed run in first inning: 0-1
— record in first 5 innings: 0-1
— He is 0-1, 5.85 in four games (3 starts) against New York.
— Tampa Bay lost four of their last five games.
— Rays are 3-4 in their first seven home games.
— Nine of last 12 games went over
— scored run in first inning: 3-13
— record in first 5 innings: 4-5-4
— Montgomery is 1-0, 3.09 in two starts.
— Bronx won his first two starts.
— under 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 0-2
— He is 1-2, 5.54 in seven starts vs Tampa Bay.
— New York lost five of its last seven games.
— New York is 3-3 in its first six home games.
— under 5-1 at home
— scored run in first inning: 1-12
— record in first 5 innings: 6-6
White Sox (6-7) @ Boston (9-4)
— Cease is 0-0, 3.86 in two starts.
— White Sox lost his first two starts.
— under 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 0-1-1
— He hasn’t pitched against Boston.
— Chicago lost three of its last five games.
— White Sox are 3-4 on the road.
— under 5-1 last six games
— scored run in first inning: 3-13
— record in first 5 innings: 9-1-3
— Pivetta is 2-0, 3.27 in his first two starts.
— Red Sox won his two starts, scoring 25 runs.
— over 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 2-0
— He gave up one unearned run in two relief stints (3 IP) vs Chicago.
— Boston won nine of its last ten games.
— Red Sox are 3-3 at home.
— Eight of last 11 games went over
— scored run in first inning: 3-13
— record in first 5 innings: 4-6-3
Baltimore (5-8) @ Texas (6-7)
— Lopez is 0-2, 11.42 in two starts.
— Orioles lost both his starts, outscored 21-9.
— under 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 0-2
— He allowed five runs in 5.2 IP in his one start vs Texas.
— Orioles lost eight of their last ten games.
— Baltimore is 4-2 on the road.
— under 4-2 in their road games.
— scored run in first inning: 4-13
— record in first 5 innings: 5-5-3
— Foltynewicz is 0-1, 4.09 in his two starts.
— Texas lost his two starts.
— under 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 0-2
— He allowed two runs in six IP in one start vs Baltimore.
— Texas won its last three games.
— Texas is 2-4 at home.
— under 6-4 last ten games
— scored run in first inning: 4-13
— record in first 5 innings: 8-4-1
Toronto (6-7) @ Kansas City (7-4)
— Matz is 2-0, 1.46 in his first two starts.
— Jays won his two starts by combined 21-3.
— under 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 2-0
— He hasn’t pitched against Kansas City.
— Toronto won three of its last five games.
— Toronto is 3-4 on the road.
— under 8-5
— scored run in first inning: 4-13
— record in first 5 innings: 4-9
— Minor is 1-0, 4.50 in his first two starts.
— Royals won his first two starts.
— under 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 0-1-1
— He is 4-0, 2.00 in seven games (5 starts) vs Toronto.
— Royals are 7-4 in their first 11 games.
— Royals are 5-2 at home.
— six of last eight games under
— scores run in first inning: 3-11
— record in first 5 innings: 6-4-1
Minnesota (6-7) @ Angels (7-5)
— Thorpe is making his first ’21 start.
— He was 3-3, 6.14 in 19 MLB games (3 starts) in 2019-20.
— Twins lost five of their last six games.
— Minnesota is 4-2 on the road.
— under 7-6
— scores run in first inning: 6-13
— record in first 5 innings: 6-4-3
— Heaney is 1-1, 7.00 in his first two starts.
— Angels split his first two starts.
— over 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1
— He allowed two runs in six IP in his one start vs Minnesota.
— Angels won seven of their first 12 games.
— Halos lost three of their last four games.
— over 6-6
— scored run in first inning: 3-12
— record in first 5 innings: 4-6-2
Detroit (5-7) @ Oakland (6-7)
— Urena is 0-2, 9.39 in two starts (7.2 IP).
— Detroit was outscored 20-8 in those two games.
— over 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 0-2
— He is 2-0, 5.73 in two starts against Oakland
— Detroit won three of its last four games.
— Detroit is 3-4 on the road.
— under 8-5
— scored run in first inning: 4-13
— record in first 5 innings: 8-5
— Montas is 1-1, 8.31 in two starts.
— A’s split those two games.
— over 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1
— He is 2-2, 6.86 in five games (4 starts) vs Detroit
— A’s won six of last seven games, after an 0-6 start.
— All seven of their losses are by 4+ runs.
— Oakland lost five of its seven home games.
— last five games went over.
— scored run in first inning: 4-13
— record in first 5 innings: 3-8-2
Houston (6-6) @ Seattle (8-5)
— Urquidy is 0-1, 5.23 in two starts.
— Astros split his first two starts.
— over 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1
— He gave up one run in four IP in a relief stint vs Seattle.
— Astros lost their last five games.
— Astros are 5-1 on the road.
— over 8-4
— scored run in first inning: 3-12
— record in first 5 innings: 5-5-2
— Kikuchi is 0-0, 3.75 in two starts.
— Seattle split his two starts.
— over 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-0-1
— He is 0-2, 6.46 in five starts vs Houston.
— Seattle won six of its last eight games.
— Seattle is 3-3 at home.
— over 7-5-1
— scored run in first inning: 1-13
— record in first 5 innings: 4-7-2
Interleague games
Cleveland (7-5) @ Cincinnati (7-5)
— Allen is 1-1, 2.70 in two starts.
— Indians split his two starts.
— under 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1
— He hasn’t pitched against Cincinnati.
— Cleveland won six of their last eight games.
— Indians are 3-4 on the road.
— under 10-2
— scores run in first inning: 2-12
— record in first 5 innings: 3-8-1
— Hoffman is 1-1, 3.86 in two starts.
— Reds split his two starts.
— over 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1
— He hasn’t pitched against Cleveland.
— Cincinnati lost four of its last five games.
— Reds are 5-1 at home.
— Over 5-0-1 at home
— scored run in first inning: 4-12
— record in first 5 innings: 7-4-1
— Over is 5-2 in their last seven games.
— Minnesota won last four series games.
— Heat is 3-1-1 ATS in last five visits to Minnesota.
— Over is 7-1 in last eight series games.
Portland @ San Antonio
Trailblazers (31-23)
— Portland lost four of its last five games.
— You’re reading ***************.com
— Blazers are 3-6 ATS in last nine road games.
— Under is 5-2 in Portland’s last seven games.
Spurs (26-26)
— San Antonio lost 11 of its last 15 games.
— Spurs are 2-7 ATS in last nine home games.
— Over is 12-4 in Spurs’ last sixteen games.
— Teams split last ten series games.
— Blazers are 2-3 ATS in last five trips to the Alamo.
— Over is 9-1 in last ten series games.
New York @ Dallas
Knicks (29-27)
— New York won its last four games SU.
— Knicks are 7-2 ATS in their last nine road games.
— Over is 5-2 in New York’s last seven games.
Mavericks (30-24)
— Mavericks won seven of their last ten games.
— Mavericks are 3-4 ATS in last seven home games.
— Under is 19-7 in last 26 Dallas games.
— Teams split last ten series games.
— Knicks covered four of last five trips to Dallas.
— Under is 9-1 in last ten series games.Leave a comment:
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901ATLANTA -902 CHICAGO CUBS
CHICAGO CUBS are 21-33 SU (-16.6 Units) vs. an overused bullpen that pitches more than 3.2 innings per game over the last 2 seasons.
903ARIZONA -904 WASHINGTON
ARIZONA is 50-28 SU (19.2 Units) after having lost 2 of their last 3 games in the last 3 seasons.
905ST LOUIS -906 PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA is 5-19 SU (-17.3 Units) vs. poor fielding teams - averaging 0.75+ errors/game in the last 3 seasons.
907SAN FRANCISCO -908 MIAMI
SAN FRANCISCO is 21-11 SU (12.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
907SAN FRANCISCO -908 MIAMI
GABE KAPLER is 21-11 SU (8.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record (Coach of SAN FRANCISCO)
909PITTSBURGH -910 MILWAUKEE
DEREK SHELTON is 19-5 SU (13.5 Units) with a team slugging percentage .390 or worse on the season (NL) (Coach of PITTSBURGH)
909PITTSBURGH -910 MILWAUKEE
PITTSBURGH is 19-5 SU (13.2 Units) with a team slugging percentage .390 or worse on the season (NL) over the last 2 seasons.
911NY METS -912 COLORADO
COLORADO is 23-41 SU (-22.1 Units) after having lost 6 or 7 of their last 8 games in the last 3 seasons.
913LA DODGERS -914 SAN DIEGO
LA DODGERS are 20-11 SU (11.6 Units) vs. a team with a good bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 or better over the last 2 seasons.
915TAMPA BAY -916 NY YANKEES
NY YANKEES are 12-1 SU (12.4 Units) in home games vs. AL teams allowing 4.9 or more runs/game on the season over the last 2 seasons.Leave a comment:
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Friday’s 6-pack
Major league leaders, on-base %age (minimum 20 AB’s):
.583— Brandon Nimmo, NYM
.547— Yuli Gurriel, Hst
.526— Vladimir Guerrero, Tor
.522— Yermin Mercedes, CWS
.519— Max Muncy, LAD
.492— Ronald Acuna, Atl
Americans who have died from COVID-19: 565,067
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.
Quote of the Day
“If you are building for the future, you’re going to lose your job.”
Oakland basketball coach Greg Kampe, talking about the new college basketball transfer rules
Friday’s quiz
In the movie Rocky, before Rocky Balboa fought Apollo Creed the first time, how many professional fights had he lost? (He had 44 wins)
Thursday’s quiz
Sean Green holds the record for most total bases in one game; on May 23, 2002, he hit four homers, a single and a double (19 TB)
Wednesday’s quiz
Since the 1983-84 season, Charles Oakley holds the NBA record for most rebounds in one game, with 35.
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Friday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here……..
13) Later this month, the NCAA is expected to approve a new rule, where players can transfer once, without sitting out a year— they’re not eligible if they’ve already transferred.
This is expected to cause chaos for a while, in both football/basketball; it’ll be just like baseball, rich teams poaching from the not-so-rich. It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out.
12) Baylor just won the national championship in basketball; 54% of their points this season came from players who transferred into Baylor.
11) My fantasy baseball team is desperate for a catcher who can hit; Jorge Alfaro looks terrible, so I added Tucker Barnhart, but he platoons. One of three things needs to happen:
— I added Yermin Mercedes, the White Sox’ hitting prodigy who is supposedly a catcher but hasn’t caught in a big league game yet, so he isn’t eligible to use behind the plate until the White Sox put him there.
— Texas Rangers have a kid in the minors (Sam Huff) who can hit— he was 11-31 in a brief cameo in the majors last year, but right now he is getting more experience in the minors.
— Mariners’ utility guy Todd France is supposedly their emergency catcher; would be nice of Seattle had an emergency and let France catch for an inning or two.
10) 30 or so years ago, I spent 11 months of my life working as a court assistant in a county courthouse. Interesting experience; the best part were the actual trials. I would swear the witnesses in, keep an inventory of the evidence, all that stuff.
One thing I learned, and I heard this from more than one lawyer; in a criminal trial, if the defendant is innocent, he/she will testify. If they’re guilty, not so much.
9) Actually, the best part of that job was the first Friday of each month, the matrimonial conferences; only people present were the husband/wife, their lawyers, the judge, the court stenographer and me.
Some funny stuff happened, but you’re sitting there out in the open- you’d better not laugh.
8) One rule I’d be in favor of; when the playoffs start, the highest-seeded team can choose which team they play in the first round of the playoffs. They used to do this in the G-League, we do it in our fantasy baseball league. Makes things a little more interesting, plus it would make for good television, when the teams announced their choices.
7) A’s 8, Detroit 4:
— Detroit pitchers walked 12 guys; they threw 51 pitches, just in the 6th inning.
— Thru six innings, Tiger pitchers threw 161 pitches, Oakland pitchers 82.
6) Few years ago in July, I’m sitting in a Las Vegas casino playing video poker, watching the Diamondbacks— their game goes 12 innings. At the same time, and this is a Friday night, the third round of the British Open is starting on the TV next to the baseball game.
So at the same time, I’m watching a Friday night baseball game and Saturday morning golf. As if I wasn’t confused enough, then I hit a jackpot at video poker. Pretty good night.
5) Utah State hired Ryan Odom to be its new basketball coach, making the long move from UMBC; it is unusual in that Odom brings all three of his assistants with him to Logan. Usually, one of the three assistants would inherit the job Odom left behind, but UMBC hired the guy that was Penn State’s interim coach last year.
Odom went 29-17 in conference games in the three years since he upset Virginia in the NCAA Tournament, the only #1-#16 upset ever.
Utah State won 74 games the last three years; he is inheriting a good program in a league that hasn’t been getting better. Will be interesting to see how Richard Pitino/Kevin Kruger do in the Mountain West, having been hired at New Mexico/UNLV.
4) I read this on the Interweb, so it has to be true; French people sleep an average of 8.83 hours/day, more than any other country.
3) Washington Nationals are batting their pitcher 8th; this isn’t a good idea. Tony LaRussa started this near the end of his tenure in St Louis, so it gained credibility, and at one point, several teams tried it, but don’t think anyone ever did it in a playoff game, which would’ve been the ultimate endorsement.
Hopefully next year everyone will use the DH and this argument will be put to rest.
2) I was amusing myself the other night by looking thru hotels.com, pricing hotels in Las Vegas during football season for this fall; I could really go for a chicken salad sandwich at the Carnegie Deli at The Mirage, especially with a Dr Brown’s soda.
Makes me hungry just thinking about it.
1) I’m getting my first vaccine shot April 25; it was supposed to be in a tent in a parking at the college I went to, but they’re moving the vaccine site to a **** a half-mile away. I’m thinking this is a good thing, don’t have to worry about the weather interrupting things.
But the vaccine site is right across the hall from the Apple store; this could get expensive.Leave a comment:
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MLB
Thursday, April 15
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Trend Report
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Philadelphia @ NY Mets
Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Philadelphia's last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Philadelphia's last 8 games when playing NY Mets
NY Mets
NY Mets is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
NY Mets is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
Miami @ Atlanta
Miami
Miami is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Miami is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Atlanta's last 9 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 6 games
Seattle @ Baltimore
Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Seattle's last 7 games
Seattle is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Baltimore's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Baltimore's last 5 games at home
San Diego @ Pittsburgh
San Diego
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of San Diego's last 12 games
San Diego is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing San Diego
Pittsburgh is 11-2 ATS in its last 13 games when playing San Diego
Boston @ Minnesota
Boston
Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing at home against Boston
Cleveland @ Chi White Sox
Cleveland
Cleveland is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Cleveland is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Chi White Sox
Chi White Sox
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games
Seattle @ Baltimore
Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Seattle's last 7 games
Seattle is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Baltimore's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Baltimore's last 5 games at home
Arizona @ Washington
Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Arizona's last 6 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arizona's last 6 games on the road
Washington
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games when playing Arizona
Texas @ Tampa Bay
Texas
Texas is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
Texas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Tampa Bay's last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games when playing at home against Texas
Toronto @ Kansas City
Toronto
Toronto is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Kansas City
Toronto is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Kansas City
Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kansas City's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kansas City's last 6 games when playing Toronto
Detroit @ Oakland
Detroit
Detroit is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Detroit's last 9 games on the road
Oakland
Oakland is 18-1 SU in its last 19 games when playing Detroit
Oakland is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Detroit
Colorado @ LA Dodgers
Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Colorado's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Colorado's last 5 games on the road
LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
LA Dodgers is 5-0 SU in its last 5 game
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MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up
Thursday, April 15
NL games
Philadelphia (6-6) @ Mets (5-3)
— Eflin is 0-0, 3.46 in two starts this year.
— Phillies split his two starts.
— over 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-0-1
— He is 3-4, 5.21 in 11 starts vs New York.
— Phillies lost five of their last six games.
— Phillies lost five of their first six road games.
— Six of last nine games went over.
— scored run in first inning: 4-11
— record in first 5 innings: 4-6-2
— deGrom allowed one run in 14 IP in his two starts.
— Mets lost both of those games, scoring 3 runs.
— over/under 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1
— He is 8-1, 2.25 in 18 starts vs Philly.
— Mets won four of their last five games.
— Mets won four of their first five home games.
— Under 5-0 last five games.
— scored run in first inning: 2-8
— record in first 5 innings: 6-2
Miami (5-6) @ Atlanta (4-8)
— Rogers is 1-1, 2.70 in his first two starts.
— Marlins split his two starts.
— under 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1
— He gave up five runs in four IP in one start vs Atlanta.
— Marlins won their last four games.
— Miami won four of its first five road games.
— under 5-2-1 last eight games
— scored run in first inning: 3-11
— record in first 5 innings: 4-3-4
— Anderson is 0-0, 4.35 in his first two starts
— Braves split his two starts.
— under 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 0-1-1
— He is 0-1, 1.04 in two starts vs Miami.
— Braves lost its last four games.
— Atlanta is 2-4 in its first six home games.
— Over is 7-2 in their last nine games.
— scored run in first inning: 6-12
— record in first 5 innings: 3-5-4
San Diego (8-5) @ Pittsburgh (5-7)
— Paddack is 0-1, 6.75 in two starts this year.
— Padres split his first two starts.
— under 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 0-2
— He allowed two runs in five IP, in one start vs Pittsburgh.
— Padres won five of their last eight games.
— San Diego won four of its six five road games.
— Nine of last 12 games stayed under
— scored run in first inning: 3-13
— record in first 5 innings: 4-7-2
— Keller is 1-1, 4.50 in two starts.
— Pirates split his starts.
— under 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 2-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1
— He hasn’t pitched against San Diego.
— Pirates won four of their first five games.
— Pittsburgh is 4-2 in its first six home games.
— over 5-3 last eight games
— scored run in first inning: 2-12
— record in first 5 innings: 6-4-2
Arizona (4-8) @ Washington (3-6)
— Kelly is 0-2, 9.00 in two starts, both on road.
— Nationals lost both his starts
— under 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 0-2
— He hasn’t pitched against Washington.
— Arizona lost eight of first 12 games.
— Arizona is 2-5 on the road.
— over 4-1 last five games
— scored run in first inning: 2-12
— record in first 5 innings: 5-7
— Former D’back Corbin allowed six runs in 4.2 IP (80 PT) in his first ’21 start.
— Nationals lost his only start. 9-5.
— over 1-0
— allowed run in first inning: 0-1
— record in first 5 innings: 0-1
— He gave up five runs in 5.1 IP, in his one start vs Arizona.
— Washington lost six of its first nine games.
— Nationals are 1-2 at home.
— under 5-2 last seven games
— scored run in first inning: 3-9
— record in first 5 innings: 1-4-4
Colorado (3-9) @ Dodgers (10-2)
— Gomber is 0-2, 4.82 in his first two starts.
— Colorado lost both his two starts.
— under 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 0-1-1
— He is 0-2, 8.18 in three starts vs LA.
— Colorado lost its last five games.
— Rockies lost their first five road games.
— Under 8-1 last nine games.
— scored run in first inning: 2-12
— record in first 5 innings: 6-5-1
— Urias is 2-0, 2.84 in two starts.
— Dodgers won both his starts.
— over 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 2-0
— He is 1-1, 5.01 in 11 games (8 starts) vs Colorado.
— Dodgers won ten of their last 11 games.
— Dodgers won their first five home games.
— Under is 7-2 in their last five games.
— scored run in first inning: 4-11
— record in first 5 innings: 7-2-2
AL games
Seattle (6-5) @ Baltimore (5-6)
— Dunn allowed three runs in 4.2 IP (92 PT) in his first ’21 start.
— Seattle won his only start.
— over 1-0
— allowed run in first inning: 0-1
— record in first 5 innings: 0-1
— He hasn’t pitched against Baltimore.
— Gonzales is 0-1, 10.45 in two starts.
— Seattle split his two starts.
— over 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 0-2
— He is 0-1, 6.75 in three starts against Baltimore.
— Seattle won four of its last six games.
— Seattle won three of its first five road games.
— over 7-3-1
— scored run in first inning: 1-11
— record in first 5 innings: 3-7-1
— Harvey is 0-1, 5.59 in two starts.
— Orioles split his starts, both vs Boston.
— under 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 2-0
— He allowed one run in 5.2 IP, in his one start vs Seattle.
— Zimmerman is 1-0, 4.50 in two starts.
— Baltimore split his two starts.
— over 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-0-1
— He hasn’t pitched against Seattle.
— Orioles lost six of their last eight games.
— Baltimore lost four of its first five home games.
— Over is 4-0-1 in last five games.
— scored run in first inning: 3-11
— record in first 5 innings: 5-4-2
Boston (9-3) @ Minnesota (5-7)
— Richards is 0-1, 10.29 in his first two ’21 starts.
— Red Sox split his two starts.
— over 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 2-2
— record in first 5 innings: 0-1-1
— He is 2-1, 3.02 in seven games (6 starts) vs Minnesota.
— Boston won its last nine games, after an 0-3 start.
— Red Sox won their first six road games.
— Eight of last ten games went over
— scored run in first inning: 3-12
— record in first 5 innings: 4-5-3
— Pineda is 1-0, 2.45 in his first two starts.
— Twins split his two starts this year.
— under 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-0-1
— He is 5-5, 4.00 in 13 starts vs Boston.
— Twins lost six of their last eight games.
— Minnesota lost five of its six home games.
— over 6-6
— scores run in first inning: 6-12
— record in first 5 innings: 5-4-3
Cleveland (6-5) @ White Sox (6-6)
— Civale is 2-0, 2.45 in two starts, both vs Detroit.
— Indians won both his starts.
— over 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1
— He is 3-2, 3.95 in five starts vs Chicago.
— Cleveland won five of their last eight games.
— Indians are 2-4 on the road.
— Cleveland didn’t get a hit last night.
— under 9-2
— scores run in first inning: 2-11
— record in first 5 innings: 3-7-1
— Lynn is 1-0, 1.32 in his first two starts.
— White Sox split his first two starts.
— under 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-0-1
— He is 3-1, 1.04 in four starts vs Cleveland.
— Chicago won five of its last eight games.
— White Sox are 3-2 in their first five home games.
— under 8-4
— scored run in first inning: 2-12
— record in first 5 innings: 8-1-3
Texas (5-7) @ Tampa Bay (5-7)
— Lyles is 1-0, 4.50 in his two starts.
— Texas split his two starts.
— over 1-0-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 2-0
— He is 0-0, 1.69 in two games (1 start) against Tampa Bay.
— Texas lost four of their last six games.
— Texas is 3-3 on the road.
— under 6-3 last nine games
— scored run in first inning: 4-12
— record in first 5 innings: 7-4-1
— Hill is 1-0, 7.20 in his first two starts.
— Texas split his two starts, scoring 17 runs.
— over 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-0-1
— He is 1-0, 1.35 in three games (1 start) against Texas.
— Tampa Bay lost three of their last four games.
— Rays split their first six home games.
— Eight of last 11 games went over
— scored run in first inning: 3-12
— record in first 5 innings: 4-4-4
Toronto (6-6) @ Kansas City (6-4)
— Blue Jays haven’t named a starter yet.
— Toronto won three of its last four games.
— Toronto split their first six road games.
— under 8-4
— scored run in first inning: 4-12
— record in first 5 innings: 4-8
— Junis blanked Indians for five IP (58 PT) in his first ‘21 start.
— Royals lost his first start, 4-2.
— under 1-0
— allowed run in first inning: 0-1
— record in first 5 innings: 1-0
— He is 1-1, 3.66 in three starts against Toronto.
— Royals are 6-4 in their first ten games.
— Royals are 4-2 at home.
— six of last seven games under
— scores run in first inning: 2-10
— record in first 5 innings: 5-4-1
Detroit (5-6) @ Oakland (5-7)
— Skubal is 0-1, 7.71 in two starts.
— Detroit was outscored 20-6 in those two games.
— over 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1
— He hasn’t pitched against Oakland
— Detroit won its last three games.
— Detroit split its first six road games.
— under 8-4
— scored run in first inning: 4-12
— record in first 5 innings: 8-4
— Manaea is 0-1, 5.06 in two starts.
— A’s split those two games.
— over/under 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 0-1-1
— He is 2-1, 2.84 in three starts vs Detroit
— A’s won five of last six games, after an 0-6 start.
— All seven of their losses are by 4+ runs.
— Oakland lost five of its six home games.
— last four games went over.
— scored run in first inning: 4-12
— record in first 5 innings: 2-8-2Leave a comment:
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951PHILADELPHIA -952 NY METS
NY METS are 16-34 SU (-21.4 Units) in home games as a favorite of -150 or more in the last 3 seasons.
953MIAMI -954 ATLANTA
MIAMI is 16-2 SU (13.6 Units) in road games vs. good defensive catchers - allowing 0.5 or less SB's/game over the last 2 seasons.
955SAN DIEGO -956 PITTSBURGH
SAN DIEGO is 7-18 SU (-12.8 Units) in road games after having won 5 or 6 of their last 7 games in the last 3 seasons.
957ARIZONA -958 WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON is 96-67 SU (20.9 Units) vs. poor baserunning teams - averaging 0.5 or less SB's/game in the last 3 seasons.
959COLORADO -960 LA DODGERS
LA DODGERS are 26-14 SU (14 Units) vs. good defensive catchers - allowing 0.5 or less SB's/game over the last 2 seasons.
961SEATTLE -962 BALTIMORE
BALTIMORE is 26-11 SU (14.1 Units) vs. poor baserunning teams - averaging 0.5 or less SB's/game over the last 2 seasons.
963BOSTON -964 MINNESOTA
BOSTON is 7-0 SU (8 Units) vs. an AL team with a team batting average of .265 or worse in the current season.
965CLEVELAND -966 CHI WHITE SOX
CHI WHITE SOX is 28-20 SU (6 Units) as a favorite of -125 to -175 in the last 3 seasons.
967TEXAS -968 TAMPA BAY
TEXAS are 8-17 SU (-17.2 Units) in road games vs teams who strand 6.9 or less runners on base per game over the last 2 seasons.
969TORONTO -970 KANSAS CITY
TORONTO is 73-88 SU (-37.1 Units) in road games vs. excellent defensive catchers - allowing <=0.35 SB's/game since 1996.Leave a comment:
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Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack
Odds for this week’s RBC Heritage golf tournament:
19-2— Dustin Johnson
13-1— Webb Simpson
17-1— Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay
19-1— Daniel Berger
23-1— Tyrell Hatton
28-1— Cam Smith, Paul Casey, Will Zalatoris
Americans who have died from COVID-19: 562,428
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.
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Armadillo: Thursday's Den: Doing some thinking out loud……..
13) White Sox 8, Indians 0:
— Carlos Rodon throws a no-hitter, allowing a hit batter in 9th inning.
— Last two years, Rodon started only 11 games; lot of injury issues.
— Already 2nd no-hitter this year, both with no walks, but one hit batter. Before this year, that had happened only four times in the previous 100 years.
12) Nationals 6, Cardinals 0— Yadier Molina is first player ever to catch 2,000+ games with the same team.
11) Coming into Wednesday’s games, major league batting average was only .235; last year it was .245, which was the lowest since 1972.
I’m thinking shifts will be outlawed next season; they want more offense in the game.
10) Near the end of last season, Angels’ SS Andrelton Simmons opted out of the season; he didn’t want to go into quarantine for the playoffs.
This year, now with Minnesota, Simmons opted not to get the vaccine.
This week, Simmons tested positive for COVID, so now he is in quarantine. Go figure.
9) Was weird seeing Blake Snell pitch for the Padres Tuesday night, throw 38 pitches and not finish the first inning. Teams are going to be very vigilant about monitoring pitch counts and inning counts this year, with last year having been a shortened season.
8) Minnesota rookie OF Alex Kirilloff is the first player ever whose first career hit came in a playoff game. He made his 2021 debut for the Twins yesterday.
7) Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes is the first pitcher in the last 100 years to strike out 30+ batters in his first three starts of a season, without walking anyone.
6) Cleveland’s Shane Bieber has allowed five runs in 21.1 IP, striking out 35 guys, but he doesn’t have any wins; Indians didn’t score a run in the first five innings of any of those three games.
5) Toronto 5, Bronx 4:
— New York is 2-1 when Cole pitches, 3-6 with any other starter.
— DH Stanton got another day off; why? Is being a DH that strenuous?
— Bo Bichette hit a walk-off homer in the 9th inning.
4) Red Sox swept a twinbill in Minnesota; they’re first team ever to start a season 0-3, then win 9+ games in a row. Twins scored total of three runs in the two games.
3) Mets 5, Phillies 1:
— David Peterson pitched a strong game for the Mets.
— Peterson’s father was a horse trainer; he trained Seattle Slew the year after that great horse won the Triple Crown— owners had fired Billy Turner, the previous trainer.
2) College basketball stuff:
— Arizona named Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd as their new coach.
— NC-Greensboro coach Wes Miller is now the Cincinnati coach.
— Joe Golding bolts from Abilene Christian to Texas-El Paso.
1) Gonzaga is a unique situation; they’re pretty much what UNLV was 30 years ago; I’m not sure a Pac-12 team hiring Mark Few’s right-hand man will translate well.
— Can he recruit top flight players to the desert?
— Can he recruit top flight players who will stay more than one year?
— Arizona has won A LOT over the last 35 years; can he satisfy a spoiled fanbase?
College basketball is changing drastically; every kid who makes two layups in a row either wants to jump to to the NBA or to a better conference. Very difficult to develop continuity.Leave a comment:
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