Thursday Trends And Indexes

[djmauiboy]

OREGON ST VS BOISE ST

Boise State, Oregon State both had glorified scrimmages in wins over I-AA foes last week. Both sides have nine starters back on offense. Home side won last three Boise-Beaver games, as Boise lost 30-27 at Corvallis last year (+3) but hammered Beavers 53-34 on blue carpet in '04 (-7.5). OSU is 3-8 vs spread in last 11 road openers, and 4-7 as recent road dog. Broncos have covered 61% after a win; they're 24-9 vs spread as home favorite, but 2-6-1 vs spread when facing a Pac-10 foe. Two senior QBs start, nine of possible ten starters return on OL. Would expect lot of points, but in Pacific Northwest, always good idea to check the weather

[djmauiboy]

Dolphins @ Steelers- Charlie Batch gets nod at QB, with Big Ben out. Absence of WR Ward doesn't help matters any. Since he became starter, Pitt is 4-3 in games without Big Ben. Steelers covered just three of last 13 home openers, but did win last three SU, by 19,3,27 points. Miami covered first road game in 14 of last 17 years; they covered the last five times they opened season on foreign soil. Four of last five series totals were 33 or less; this is Dolphins' first visit to Pittsburgh (Jason Taylor's hometown) since '94. Miami won last six games in '05, but have new QB, new OC (Mularkey, who spent many years with Steelers).

[djmauiboy]

Game 951-952: Pittsburgh at Chicago Cubs
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Chacon) 14.983; Chicago Cubs (Marshall) 14.750
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 953-954: Philadelphia at Florida
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Lieber) 16.444; Florida (Johnson) 16.709
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Florida by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+1 1/2); Under

Game 955-956: LA Dodgers at NY Mets
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Penny) 16.029; NY Mets (Glavine) 17.999
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 2; 9
Vegas Line: NY Mets by 1 1/2; 9
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-1 1/2); Neutral

Game 957-958: Washington at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Bergmann) 14.465; Colorado (Cook) 15.976
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: Colorado by 1 1/2; 10
Dunkel Pick: Neutral; Over

Game 959-960: St. Louis at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Weaver) 16.237; Arizona (Batista) 14.874
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Arizona by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (+1 1/2); Under

Game 961-962: Cleveland at Chicago White Sox
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Lee) 17.375; White Sox (Buehrle) 16.923
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox by 1 1/2; 10
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+1 1/2); Under

Game 963-964: Detroit at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Verlander) 17.098; Minnesota (Baker) 16.498
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Detroit by 1 1/2; 9
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+1 1/2); Neutral

[djmauiboy]

Game 103-104: Oregon State at Boise State
Dunkel Ratings: Boise State 95.278; Oregon State 90.000
Dunkel Line: Boise State by 5 1/2; 60
Vegas Line: Boise State by 8; 59
Dunkel Pick: Oregon State (+8); Over

[djmauiboy]

Game 101-102: Miami at Pittsburgh
Dunkel Ratings: Miami 127.71; Pittsburgh 133.87
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 6; 39 1/2
Vegas Line: Pick; 34 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh; Over

[djmauiboy]

Detroit Vs Minny

Detroit
Tigers are 4-0 in Verlander`s last 4 starts after allowing 5 runs or more in their previous game.
Tigers are 6-0 in Verlander`s last 6 starts as a favorite of -110 to -150.
Tigers are 10-2 in Verlander`s last 12 starts following a Quality Start in his last appearance.
Tigers are 5-1 in Verlander`s last 6 starts during game 1 of a series.
Tigers are 8-2 in Verlander`s last 10 starts with 4 days of rest.

Minnesota
Twins are 3-0 in their last 3 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Twins are 3-0 in their last 3 games following a loss.
Twins are 3-0 in their last 3 after scoring 2 runs or less in their previous game.
Twins are 4-1 in their last 5 games as a home underdog.
Twins are 4-1 in Baker`s last 5 starts vs. a team with a winning record.

Over/Under
Under is 5-0-1 in Tigers last 6 during game 1 of a series.
Under is 6-1-1 in Tigers last 8 games vs. a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30.
Under is 8-1-0 in Verlander`s last 9 starts vs. American League Central.
Over is 3-0-1 in Verlander`s last 4 starts as a road favorite.
Under is 7-0-1 in Twins last 8 during game 1 of a series.
Under is 11-1-1 in Twins last 13 home games.
Over is 3-0-0 in Baker`s last 3 starts vs. American League Central.
Under is 5-1-0 in Baker`s last 6 starts during game 1 of a series.
Under is 4-1-0 in Baker`s last 5 starts with the total set at 9.0-10.5.

Head to Head
Twins are 3-0 in Baker`s last 3 starts vs. Tigers.
Over is 5-2-0 in the last 7 meetings in Minnesota.
Tigers are 13-41 in the last 54 meetings in Minnesota.

[Udog]

Thursday, Sep. 7

Miami at Pittsburgh, 8:35 EST NBC
Miami: 5-10 ATS first half of the season
Pittsburgh: 7-0 Over in home games

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

[Udog]

Thursday, September 7th

Oregon State at Boise State, 7:30 EST ESPN2
Oregon State: 5-16 ATS away first month of the season
Boise State: 15-4 ATS at home off a win by 17+ points

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

[Udog]

Pro Baseball Trend Report

PITTSBURGH (56 - 84) at CHICAGO CUBS (56 - 83) - 2:20 PM
SHAWN CHACON (R) vs. SEAN MARSHALL (L)
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 56-84 (-16.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 5-15 (-9.2 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +100 to +125 this season.
PITTSBURGH is 20-51 (-22.0 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 28-67 (-30.2 Units) against the money line in road games when playing on Thursday since 1997.
PITTSBURGH is 56-84 (-16.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
PITTSBURGH is 13-32 (-13.5 Units) against the money line in road games in night games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 10-34 (-23.2 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters this season.
PITTSBURGH is 13-38 (-19.8 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss this season.
CHACON is 22-34 (-19.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997. (Team's Record)
CHACON is 9-19 (-13.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season since 1997. (Team's Record)
MARSHALL is 9-3 (+9.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season. (Team's Record)
CHICAGO CUBS are 57-83 (-22.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 29-40 (-15.7 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 14-18 (-18.1 Units) against the money line in home games in September games over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 10-21 (-15.8 Units) against the money line when playing on Thursday over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 57-80 (-19.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 38-57 (-13.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 27-39 (-21.6 Units) against the money line in home games after a win over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 25-37 (-13.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 31-39 (-13.7 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
PITTSBURGH is 8-6 (+4.2 Units) against CHICAGO CUBS this season
9 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+4.7 Units)



SHAWN CHACON vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
CHACON is 1-3 when starting against CHICAGO CUBS with an ERA of 8.55 and a WHIP of 1.850.
His team's record is 1-3 (-2.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-3. (-2.5 units)



SEAN MARSHALL vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
MARSHALL is 1-0 when starting against PITTSBURGH with an ERA of 3.65 and a WHIP of 0.892.
His team's record is 2-0 (+2.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.2 units)




PHILADELPHIA (70 - 69) at FLORIDA (70 - 69) - 7:05 PM
JON LIEBER (R) vs. JOSH JOHNSON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 70-69 (-11.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 69-67 (-11.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 45-48 (-11.8 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 30-37 (-14.0 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
FLORIDA is 70-70 (+9.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
FLORIDA is 70-67 (+12.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
FLORIDA is 46-43 (+10.2 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
FLORIDA is 54-51 (+10.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
FLORIDA is 37-34 (+7.0 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
FLORIDA is 370-409 (+31.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
FLORIDA is 201-206 (+42.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1997.
JOHNSON is 8-2 (+8.6 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
PHILADELPHIA is 21-9 (+13.2 Units) against the money line in road games in September games over the last 3 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 40-33 (+12.4 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 35-23 (+19.2 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 3 seasons.
LIEBER is 71-43 (+24.0 Units) against the money line against division opponents since 1997. (Team's Record)


Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 6-3 (+1.7 Units) against FLORIDA this season
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.6 Units)



JON LIEBER vs. FLORIDA since 1997
LIEBER is 6-8 when starting against FLORIDA with an ERA of 5.53 and a WHIP of 1.439.
His team's record is 8-10 (-5.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 6-12. (-7.6 units)



JOSH JOHNSON vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
JOHNSON is 1-0 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 1.29 and a WHIP of 0.714.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)




LA DODGERS (74 - 65) at NY METS (86 - 52) - 7:10 PM
BRAD PENNY (R) vs. TOM GLAVINE (L)
Top Trends for this game.
LA DODGERS are 144-156 (-24.5 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 12-21 (-12.4 Units) against the money line in September games over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 17-27 (-12.1 Units) against the money line in road games in night games this season.
PENNY is 8-19 (-13.7 Units) against the money line in road games in night games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
NY METS are 86-52 (+22.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
NY METS are 40-22 (+12.9 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season.
NY METS are 42-24 (+17.9 Units) against the money line when playing on Thursday over the last 3 seasons.
NY METS are 84-51 (+21.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
NY METS are 61-32 (+16.4 Units) against the money line in home games in night games over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 65-36 (+21.2 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
NY METS are 50-34 (+9.1 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
NY METS are 37-21 (+13.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
GLAVINE is 20-7 (+11.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
GLAVINE is 19-7 (+10.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
LA DODGERS are 74-62 (+4.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
PENNY is 28-18 (+15.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1997. (Team's Record)


Head-to-Head Series History
NY METS is 2-1 (+0.8 Units) against LA DODGERS this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.8 Units)



BRAD PENNY vs. NY METS since 1997
PENNY is 3-9 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 5.84 and a WHIP of 1.506.
His team's record is 4-11 (-7.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 6-6. (-0.7 units)



TOM GLAVINE vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
GLAVINE is 8-5 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 3.41 and a WHIP of 1.261.
His team's record is 10-6 (+3.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 5-8. (-3.8 units)




WASHINGTON (61 - 78) at COLORADO (63 - 76) - 8:35 PM
JASON BERGMANN (R) vs. AARON COOK (R)
Top Trends for this game.
COLORADO is 51-31 (+20.8 Units) against the money line in home games after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 142-158 (+2.2 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 141-153 (+5.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 72-69 (+8.2 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.
COOK is 9-19 (-10.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
COOK is 9-19 (-10.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)


Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO is 4-0 (+5.0 Units) against WASHINGTON this season
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.8 Units)



JASON BERGMANN vs. COLORADO since 1997
No recent starts.



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




ST LOUIS (74 - 64) at ARIZONA (65 - 74) - 9:40 PM
JEFF WEAVER (R) vs. MIGUEL BATISTA (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 74-64 (-10.7 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
ST LOUIS is 32-38 (-11.5 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
ST LOUIS is 15-20 (-13.6 Units) against the money line when playing on Thursday over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 74-64 (-10.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
ST LOUIS is 38-48 (-24.8 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
ST LOUIS is 32-32 (-9.5 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
WEAVER is 9-17 (-10.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
WEAVER is 9-15 (-8.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
WEAVER is 5-14 (-11.7 Units) against the money line in night games this season. (Team's Record)
WEAVER is 52-60 (-24.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997. (Team's Record)
BATISTA is 18-10 (+11.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
BATISTA is 51-31 (+22.7 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 since 1997. (Team's Record)
BATISTA is 55-35 (+20.6 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997. (Team's Record)
BATISTA is 35-12 (+22.6 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 9 to 9.5 since 1997. (Team's Record)
BATISTA is 18-9 (+12.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
BATISTA is 44-25 (+19.3 Units) against the money line in home games in night games since 1997. (Team's Record)
BATISTA is 11-5 (+8.3 Units) against the money line after a loss this season. (Team's Record)
ARIZONA is 193-271 (-73.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons.
ARIZONA is 69-80 (-22.3 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 69-80 (-22.3 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 141-194 (-53.6 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 3 seasons.
ARIZONA is 46-60 (-11.7 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
ARIZONA is 106-165 (-55.8 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 3 seasons.
ARIZONA is 14-21 (-9.8 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.


Head-to-Head Series History
ARIZONA is 1-2 (+0.2 Units) against ST LOUIS this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.9 Units)



JEFF WEAVER vs. ARIZONA since 1997
WEAVER is 1-2 when starting against ARIZONA with an ERA of 3.72 and a WHIP of 1.196.
His team's record is 3-4 (-1.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-3. (+0.7 units)



MIGUEL BATISTA vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
BATISTA is 1-4 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 6.30 and a WHIP of 1.850.
His team's record is 3-7 (-2.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 6-2. (+4.0 units)




CLEVELAND (66 - 72) at CHI WHITE SOX (80 - 59) - 8:05 PM
CLIFF LEE (L) vs. MARK BUEHRLE (L)
Top Trends for this game.
CLEVELAND is 66-72 (-15.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CLEVELAND is 29-41 (-13.2 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
CLEVELAND is 12-22 (-12.2 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents this season.
CLEVELAND is 60-63 (-12.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
CLEVELAND is 42-52 (-16.8 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
CLEVELAND is 22-31 (-12.3 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters this season.
LEE is 4-11 (-6.9 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season. (Team's Record)
CHI WHITE SOX are 191-122 (+36.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CHI WHITE SOX are 87-51 (+18.5 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CHI WHITE SOX are 174-108 (+35.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
CHI WHITE SOX are 124-67 (+38.7 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.
BUEHRLE is 18-3 (+13.6 Units) against the money line in home games after a win over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
CLEVELAND is 58-56 (+23.6 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +125 to +150 since 1997.
CLEVELAND is 42-33 (+13.2 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
LEE is 22-10 (+14.3 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
LEE is 19-7 (+14.9 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
LEE is 20-7 (+14.2 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
LEE is 11-4 (+9.3 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
CHI WHITE SOX are 76-82 (-24.7 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 7-5 (+3.0 Units) against CHI WHITE SOX this season
6 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-1.0 Units, Under=-0.6 Units)



CLIFF LEE vs. CHI WHITE SOX since 1997
LEE is 2-4 when starting against CHI WHITE SOX with an ERA of 7.04 and a WHIP of 1.564.
His team's record is 5-7 (-1.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 7-5. (+1.6 units)



MARK BUEHRLE vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
BUEHRLE is 6-9 when starting against CLEVELAND with an ERA of 4.51 and a WHIP of 1.303.
His team's record is 11-12 (-5.5 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 10-12. (-2.9 units)




DETROIT (85 - 55) at MINNESOTA (80 - 58) - 8:10 PM
JUSTIN VERLANDER (R) vs. SCOTT BAKER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 10-26 (-18.2 Units) against the money line in September games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 80-58 (+18.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
MINNESOTA is 45-22 (+18.4 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
MINNESOTA is 47-23 (+19.1 Units) against the money line in games played in a dome this season.
MINNESOTA is 58-39 (+14.9 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
MINNESOTA is 48-25 (+18.2 Units) against the money line in games played on artificial turf this season.
MINNESOTA is 54-33 (+19.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
DETROIT is 86-55 (+22.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
DETROIT is 12-1 (+10.8 Units) against the money line as a road favorite of -125 to -150 this season.
DETROIT is 44-27 (+17.3 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
DETROIT is 40-23 (+15.0 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
DETROIT is 58-30 (+23.7 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
DETROIT is 55-38 (+12.0 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.


Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 10-5 (+5.6 Units) against MINNESOTA this season
7 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.4 Units, Under=-0.6 Units)



JUSTIN VERLANDER vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
VERLANDER is 2-1 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 2.57 and a WHIP of 1.143.
His team's record is 2-1 (+1.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-2. (-1.1 units)



SCOTT BAKER vs. DETROIT since 1997
BAKER is 2-0 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 2.84 and a WHIP of 1.053.
His team's record is 3-0 (+3.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-2. (-1.2 units)

[Udog]

Hot streaks

Josh Johnson (Florida Marlins) - Another hot Marlins rookie gets the start and Josh Johnson will try to ride Anibal Sanchez` no-hitter momentum to his own success. Johnson has been outstanding in his rookie season for the Marlins. His 2.99 ERA places him third behind Minnesota`s Johan Santana (2.84) and St. Louis` Chris Carpenter (2.97). Johnson has won three straight decisions and Florida has won the last five times he`s started. The Marlins are -121 favorites today.

Mark Buehrle (Chicago White Sox) - Mark Buehrle, who seems to be recovering from his midseason slump, will go for his third straight victory when he starts for -137 Chicago. In his last two outings, Buehrle has given up four runs in 13 1/3 innings.

Cold streaks

Tom Glavine (New York Mets) - Left-hander Tom Glavine makes his second start for the Mets, favored at -119 today against the Dodgers, since missing more than two weeks after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his pitching shoulder. In his return, Glavine allowed six runs and seven hits. He hasn`t won since Aug. 4.

Aaron Cook (Colorado Rockies) - Cook looks to snap out of a bad stretch when he starts for Colorado today as a -133 favorite. The right-hander has allowed 21 runs - 17 earned - over his last four outings, going 1-3 in that span. He gave up seven runs and six hits in five innings of a 14-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. The Rockies are just 9-19 when he starts this season.

Other notables

Brad Penny (Los Angeles Dodgers) - Penny leads the NL in wins, but hasn`t been overpowering in his last four outings. He`s gone 2-2 with a 7.52 ERA over that stretch, and has walked 12 in 20 1-3 innings.

Justin Verlander (Detroit Tigers) - Verlander is 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA in two starts versus the Twins, allowing just one run through 15 innings.

[Udog]

MLB Line Watch - Thur. Sep. 7

Dodgers at Mets – Dodgers +111

Tom Glavine didn’t look good in his first start since coming back from blood clots that caused numbness in his left middle finger.

The left-hander allowed six runs on seven hits in five innings in his return, and ended up with a no decision as New York came back to beat Houston 8-7 on Sept. 1.

Glavine’s second start is against a team that’s been killing left-handers all season. The Dodgers .293 batting average against lefties is the best in the majors, and their .365 on base percentage against left-handers is the second best in baseball.

Glavine is already among the Dodgers’ victims this year. He was lit up for six runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings in the Mets’ 9-7 win on June 7.

Detroit at Minnesota – Twins +113

The road hasn’t been kind to Justin Verlander.

The NL rookie of the year candidate has struggled in his last four starts away from home, going 1-3 with an 8.71 ERA.

It doesn’t help that the Tigers almost solely rely on their pitching to get them through road games. Detroit had a .310 on base percentage on the road in August, the third worst in the majors. Things have only gotten worse this month, where the Tigers have a .295 on base percentage on the road.

St. Louis at Arizona – Diamondbacks –106

It’s an opportunity that presents itself just once every five days – the opportunity to fade Jeff Weaver.

The 30-year-old right-hander was actually very impressive in his last start, allowing one earned run in seven innings. But Weaver is absolutely brutal on the road this season, going 0-3 with a 6.43 ERA since joining the Cardinals.

He’s also up against Miguel Batista, who by all accounts has been Arizona’s top starter over the last month. The 35-year-old has allowed just eight runs in his last five starts and has a 2.12 ERA during that time.

[vinnyvegas]

Thx guys!! You are the best!!

[Udog]

Good morning, vinny! Good luck today!

[Udog]

Six-Pack for Thursday

-- Baseball is fascinating because 1,000 little things go into winning every game, things that can be quantified with numbers; I watch DirecTV every night; in most of these games, especially at this time of year, the teams that come up with a clutch play with two outs are the ones that win.
If the sport had a salary floor and salary cap, it would be totally amazing.

-- San Diego Padres have ten players on their active roster who, at one time, played for thr Red Sox.

-- Tennessee football coach Phil Fulmer is 19-6 in games decided by three or less points. He is an excellent coach; Vols looked strong Saturday night.

-- The next three Saturdays, Penn State has road trips to Notre Dame and Ohio State, with a home game vs I-AA Youngstown State in between. Interesting schedule.

-- Roy Halladay has left six different games this year with the lead, and had Toronto's bullpen blow the save chance. He shares the major league lead in that unfortunate stat with John Smoltz of the Braves.

-- I was in Houston in April, the week before the NFL Draft; fans there wanted Texans to take Vince Young, not Reggie Bush, figuring that Dominick Davis was good enough RB for Texans to win with. Now, Davis is out for the year; Bush is in New Orleans, Young is in Nashville and Texan fans are praying Wali Lundy is an NFL running back and that Mario Williams helps their porous defense. Good luck.

[Udog]

Thursday's List of 13: Random thoughts as the NFL starts

13) NBC got short end of this TV deal; even if they get better games late in season, Monday night is still Monday night, when all the other players/coaches will be watching. ESPN is the winner here, NBA the loser.

12) Hey, I've been divorced nine years, but I remember those dirty looks when you're out watching football all day Sunday, then come home and flip the Sunday night game on. Monday night was acceptable; Sunday night caused friction.

11) Huge loss for Twins Wednesday, as Silva had to leave in 7th inning with 2-0 lead, due to an upset stomach. DRays hit pair of taters to take lead in 7th, and won game 4-2, reducing Twins' Wild Card to half a game.

10) Anibal Sanchez tossed first no-hitter in big leagues since Randy Johnson in 2004; he is one of the players Marlins got in Josh Beckett trade. Boston screwed up with its offseason moves last winter.

9) When Sanchez' no-hitter was complete, ironic that Johnson also had no-hitter going, but gave up hit in 8th inning to the Royals, in his 8-3 win. Bronx is 8-2 in his last ten road starts.

8) Pirates were in last place all season until they beat Chicago Tuesday; then they slipped back in cellar, blowing 2-1 lead in 8th inning to Cubs, losing 7-2.

7) Derek Lowe needed only 79 pitches to finish eight innings, as he stopped Dodgers' three-game skid with 2-1 win.

6) Wonder if Tigers are staring at calendar; they waited out a three-hour rain delay Wednesday, then lost to Seattle in ten innings; they play Twins this weekend with a shrinking lead.

5) Odd thing: Vinny Castilla is pinch-hitting for Colorado in 8th inning vs Padres, but he has financial stake in Padres' success, having played part of season there- he is going to be voted half a playoff share, good chunk of change for guy who is retiring. Interesting circumstances. He grounded out.

4) I think Giants have acquired too many me-guys (Burress, Arrington, Shockey); Eli isn't Peyton, and if they don't win a division title this year, buzzards will start circling Coughlin, whose act wears thin after a few years. I don't see Giants in a playoff game this season.

3) I don't like the Raiders acquiring Aaron Brooks, or Titans signing Kerry Collins. I think Lions will be as exciting as they have been since Barry Sanders. I can't wait to see how good Philip Rivers is or isn't. I am rooting like hell for Drew Brees.

2) You ask me who I would want running my team, if I was the franchise owner...... ...................
1) Belichick 2) Fisher 3) Reid 4) Cowher 5) Fox

1) Super Bowl pick: Cincinnati 24, Carolina 16.