Thursday Trends and Indexes 05/10

[pm530]

Trends and Indexes
Thursday, May 10

Good Luck on day #130 of 2007!

NOTE:
As information becomes available, we will attempt to post the trends and indexes as soon as possible.
Information is posted from what we believe are reliable sources.

[pm530]

Six-pack for Thursday

-- Golden State-Utah series continues to entertain, as Jazz won in OT, sparked by Derek Fisher, who was in New York during day, as his daughter had surgery for a rare illness.

-- Utah is an uplifting team because they are a TEAM; ask three different people who their best player is-- you might get three different answers.

-- The last time Cubs beat Pirates 1-0 at Wrigley was in '86, and winning pitcher was Jamie Moyer, who won today for the Phillies in Arizona, 21 years later.

-- The AL West is not good; lot of mediocrity there. Could be that 87-88 wins could win that division this season.

-- You figured Maddux-Smoltz would go 2:13, with 224 total pitches thrown in game. Braves are keeping pace with Mets.

-- But how about Pirates-Cubs going 2:06, the night after a 15-inning marathon between clubs? Gorzelanny, Marquis are two of the most pleasant pitching surprises this season.

[pm530]

Thursday's list of 13: Nobody asked me, but...........

13) Two 1-0 games Wednesday; one ending on walkoff tater by former Devil Ray Aubrey Huff, the other starting with HR by Alfonso Soriano leading off bottom of first.

12) Tampa Bay wasted another brilliant effort by Shields, who allowed four baserunners in nine innings. Horrible strategy in ninth inning by manager Maddon; Rays had runner on 2nd, one out and Cantu (2-2 with a walk) up. Cantu knocked in 117 runs two years ago, he can hit, but Maddon sends up Pena to pinch-hit, a lefty/righty move.

11) Pena is a slick fielder but a sub-standard hitter, so much so that he went 4-4 last night but didn't start in Wednesday's game. He made a feeble out, Rays lost and confidence of both their first basemen was undermined. Great.

10) Meanwhile, who can explain Jason Marquis? Cubs were openly scoffed at for giving him big $$$ in offseason, but he is lighting National League up this season. Who knew?

9) Steve Nash is the first guard to win an NBA MVP in a year when he scored less than 20 ppg. Russell-Unseld-Walton are the only other three to win an MVP scoring less than 20 ppg.

8) Part of the reason the Reds lose is that their pitching staff is ill-conceived; playing in a small park, with lot of home runs, you'd think they'd go for ground ball pitchers, but the ground ball/fly ball ratio of their starters is: 0.91/0.78/0.58/0.91/0.58-- not a ground ball pitcher in the bunch. Brilliant!!!!

7) One of their starters, Eric Milton, has allowed 14 runs in his last 20.2 IP; 10 of the 14 runs scored in the first inning.

6) Pittsburgh needed 15 innings to beat the Cubs on Tuesday it was first time in Snell's seven starts that Bucs scored four or more runs, and it took them extra six innings to do it. Snell has been very good in 2007.

5) Difference in hitting philosophies: in that 15-inning game, Lou Piniella's Cubs saw 59 less pitches than the Pirate hitters. Piniella believes in an aggressive approach; Cantu is one guy who has suffered since he hasn't been around Sweet Lou.

4) A 28-year study conducted by SABR, containing a sample of 4.5M plate appearances, tells us that when a leadoff batter in an inning reaches first base, he scores roughly 40% of the time.......second base, 64%........third base, 87.5%.

3) Barry Bonds went 10 years, 15 days in between homers off of Tom Glavine; his last one before Tuesday was 4-23-97.

2) City of Pittsburgh estimates that the economic impact of having All-Star Game in Steel City was $52.3M.

1) Quote of the Day:
"I haven't failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that don't work"
Thomas A. Edison

[pm530]

Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Thursday, May 10

Hot Pitchers
-- Albers has 2.33 RA in three road starts, but Reds scored six runs in 2.1 innings against him at Minute Maid May 1.
-- T.Hudson has a 1.70 RA in seven starts this season.
-- Giants won last four Lowry starts, scoring 30 runs (4-0, 4.26)

-- Tigers won four of Verlander's last five starts.
-- Wang has 3.21 RA in his two home starts; he had no-hitter in 8th inning in his last start.
-- Silva is 2-1, 2.90 in his last five starts.
-- Kennedy has 1.93 RA in his five starts, but A's are 0-5 in those games, scoring total of nine runs.
-- Angels won four of Escobar's five starts this season.
-- Orioles won four of Cabrera's five home starts.
-- Toronto won five of Halladay's seven starts.

Cold Pitchers
-- Florida is 0-4 in Mitre starts (0-2, 6.61). Lowe is 2-2, 5.28 in his five road starts this season.
-- Harang has a 4.56 RA in four home starts this season.
-- D.Wells has 9.24 RA in his three road starts.
-- Cubs are 0-3 with Zambrano if they score less than six runs. Pirates are 0-3 in Maholm road starts (0-2, 7.36) scoring 4 runs.
-- Cook allowed five runs in six IP, in all three home starts.

-- Weaver is 0-5, 15.35 in five starts this season.
-- McCarthy is 1-3, 13.50 in his last four starts.
-- Contreras has 5.59 RA in his last three starts.
-- L.Hudson is making first '07 start; he was 7-6, 5.12 in 15 starts for Royals last year-- this is his 41st big league start overall.
-- Sowers is 0-2, 9.17 in his last four starts.
-- Fossum has 9.56 RA in his last three starts.
-- Wakefield is 1-1, 3.46 in two starts vs Toronto this season.

Totals
-- Over is 10-4 in last fourteen Florida home games.
-- Over is 10-3-2 in last fifteen Cincinnati home games.
-- Under is 7-3 in last ten Atlanta home games.
-- Under is 12-5-1 in last eighteen games at Wrigley Field.
-- Over is 9-3-1 in last thirteen Colorado games.

-- Last four Detroit games all went over the total.
-- Under is 8-1-2 in last eleven Bronx games.
-- Six of last nine White Sox games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 11-3-1 in last fifteen A's road games.
-- Under is 4-1 in Angels' last five home games.
-- Four of last five Baltimore games went over the total.
-- Under is 14-4-1 in Boston road games this season.

Hot Teams
-- Dodgers are 12-5 in their last seventeen road games.
-- Braves won five of their last seven home games.
-- Astros won six of their last eight games, are 3-0 since Clemens announced he won't be coming back to Houston.
-- Cubs won nine of last eleven games.

-- Orioles won four of their last six games.
-- Tigers won eight of last nine games, scoring 62 runs. Seattle is 6-4 in its last ten road games.
-- Bronx won seven of its last nine games.
-- Red Sox won ten of their last twelve road games.
-- Oakland won five of its last seven road games.
-- Indians won thirteen of their last seventeen games.

Cold Teams
-- Marlins lost five of their last seven games.
-- Padres lost last two games, scoring two runs in each game.
-- Cincinnati lost eight of its last nine games.
-- Pirates lost eight of their last eleven road games.
-- Colorado lost five of its last seven home games. Giants are 1-3 in their last four games.

-- Tampa Bay lost four of its last five games.
-- Rangers are 4-13 on the road this season.
-- Toronto lost its last eight games, allowing 64 runs.
-- Royals lost eight of their last eleven home games.
-- Minnesota lost five of its last seven games. White Sox lost six of their last nine games.
-- Angels lost five of their last seven games.

[pm530]

Pro Basketball – Write up

NBA
Write-up


Thursday, May 10

Detroit hammered Bulls in two games at Palace, 95-69/108-87, as Bulls shot 32.9/34.3% from floor in two bad losses. Bulls were 37-52 from foul line in Game 2, a ridiculous number, and forced 22 turnovers, still lost by 21 points. Pistons led by 13,15 at half, so not like they pulled away late-- these weren't close games at all. Detroit is 18-37 from arc in series. This is statement game for Bulls; either win, or its a short series.

[pm530]

Hockey – Write up

NHL
Write-up


Thursday, May 10

Buffalo was 3-5 vs Ottawa this season, splitting four games on home ice vs Senators (2-4/1-3/3-2/6-5SO), losing three of other four meetings. Senators are 4-1 on road in playoffs; they gave up four goals in last three games of New Jersey series. Sabres had tougher series vs Rangers, as last five games of series all were decided by single goal- they're 5-1 at home in playoffs.

[pm530]

Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB
Tips and Trends


Thursday, May 10

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Los Angeles Dodgers at Florida Marlins (12:05 PM ET)
Los Angeles starter Derek Lowe is 5-2 with a 4.29 ERA in 11 career appearances (six starts) against Florida. The Dodgers have won two straight games with Lowe on the road. EDGE: DODGERS
Marlins right-hander Sergio Mitre has gotten little defensive help in his three home starts this season, posting an 0-2 record with a 3.18 ERA. He's allowed 12 runs at Dolphin Stadium, but only half of those are earned. SLIGHT EDGE: DODGERS
Mitre has worked two shutout innings in two relief appearances against the Dodgers in his career. SLIGHT EDGE: MARLINS
The Marlins are 1-10 in Mitre's last 11 starts.
The Dodgers are 8-2 in their last 10 games as a road favorite.



Seattle Mariners at Detroit Tigers (1:05 PM ET)
Mariners starter Jeff Weaver is a miserable 0-3 with a 13.50 ERA in three road starts this season. EDGE: TIGERS & OVER
Weaver has pitched well against the Tigers in his career, going 1-2 with a 2.53 ERA. He's allowed 17 hits and issued just three walks over 21 1/3 innings of work. EDGE: MARINERS
Detroit's Justin Verlander has faced Seattle just once in his career and it was a fantastic appearance. He allowed just four hits and one run in a 6-4 victory last year. EDGE: TIGERS
Verlander has been knocked around for 11 runs (nine earned) at home this year in just 16 innings. EDGE: OVER
The OVER is 5-0 in Verlander's last five home starts.



San Diego Padres at Atlanta Braves (1:05 PM ET)
Padres left-hander David Wells is a perfect 3-0 with a 1.61 ERA in four career starts against the Braves. BIG EDGE: PADRES
Wells has allowed an incredible 24 hits and 13 runs in just 12 2/3 innings on the road this season. He's 1-1 with a 9.24 ERA in three starts. EDGE: BRAVES
Atlanta starter Tim Hudson is 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA in four starts at Turner Field this season. His only blemish came in his last start after allowing three runs over eight innings of work in a 6-3 loss to Los Angeles. EDGE: BRAVES
The UNDER is 6-0-1 in the last seven meetings.



Chicago White Sox at Minnesota Twins (1:10 PM ET)
Chicago starter Jose Contreras has pitched well on the road this season, despite having a 1-2 record. The Cuban right-hander has a 2.63 ERA in four starts - allowing just seven earned runs and 16 hits over 24 innings. EDGE: WHITE SOX
Minnesota's Carlos Silva has failed to grab a home victory this season, even though he's posted a 1.93 ERA in three starts. EDGE: UNDER
Silva is a disappointing 4-7 in 15 career appearances (13 starts) with a 5.49 ERA against Chicago. EDGE: WHITE SOX
The UNDER is 5-1-1 in the last seven meetings.



Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs (2:20 PM ET)
Pittsburgh starter Paul Maholm has found life on the road especially hard in 2007, going 0-3 with a 7.36 ERA in three starts. He's coming off his shortest appearance of the season, a 10-0 loss to Milwaukee. BIG EDGE: CUBS
Despite having an inflated 4.86 ERA against the Cubs in his career, Maholm is a perfect 2-0 in three career starts. EDGE: PIRATES & OVER
Chicago right-hander Carlos Zambrano goes after his third consecutive victory after picking up back-to-back wins over St. Louis and Washington. He's 1-1 with a 7.04 ERA in three starts at Wrigley Field this season. SLIGHT EDGE: CUBS & OVER
The OVER is 5-1 in Zambrano's last six starts versus the Pirates.



Cleveland Indians at Los Angeles Angels (3:35 PM ET)
The Indians picked up a 4-2 victory over the Angels earlier this season in starter Jeremy Sower's second start. Sowers has allowed just four runs and hasn't issued a walk in 14 career innings against Los Angeles. EDGE: INDIANS
Sowers is coming into this matchup off his shortest start of 2007, picking up a 7-2 loss against Baltimore. He allowed six runs and five hits over just two innings. EDGE: ANGELS
Los Angeles starter Kelvim Escobar is 5-3 with a 3.78 ERA in 16 career appearances against Cleveland. He's 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in four starts at Anaheim Stadium this season. EDGE: ANGELS
The UNDER is 10-1-1 in Escobar's last 12 starts as a favorite.

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[pm530]

Pro Basketball – Tips and Trends

NBA
Tips and trends


Thursday, May 10

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#1 Detroit Pistons at #5 Chicago Bulls
Game 3 - Thursday, May 10th, 9 p.m. Eastern (ESPN)

The Bulls entered this series with the top-scoring duo in the playoffs, but Ben Gordon was again taken out of Game 2 early with two quick fouls. Gordon finished with 13 points on 3-of-7 shooting and has just 20 points in the first two games combined. Insiders believe the United Center will provide a much different atmosphere for Gordon, as the whistles should stay quiet there and allow him to play his game. Keep in mind he averaged 25.5 points per game in the first round against the Heat and has been handcuffed in this series. SLIGHT EDGE: BULLS
The Pistons made 18-of-37 shots (49 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc in the first two games of the series and are shooting 46 percent on 3-pointers in the playoffs. Tayshaun Prince has led the charge by cashing in on 11-of-20 3-point attempts (55 percent). The scary part is that Prince has played just well on the road, averaging 18 points and hitting 4-of-7 3-pointers in the two games at Orlando. EDGE: PISTONS
Chicago has lost three straight games or more just three times all season. The six times the Bulls dropped two in a row and followed that up with a victory, they won by an average of 18 points, and one of the three-game skids was ended with a 45-point win. In other words, this team has a way of responding with a bang when the players get back on track. They have also won their last five home games by an average of more than 20 points. BIG EDGE: BULLS
Detroit is 19-7-3 ATS in its last 29 games overall.
Detroit is also 19-7 in its last 26 road games.
Favorite is 21-9 ATS in the last 30 meetings.

Head-to-Head Recaps

SECOND-ROUND RESULTS (HOME team in CAPS)

Detroit leads 2-0 SU & ATS
OVER/UNDER 1-1

5/7/07 - Game 2: DETROIT 108, Chicago 87 (ATS winner: Detroit -5 | OVER 182)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: This was pretty much a carbon copy of Game 1 with a slighly higher pace, as the Pistons got off to a 34-18 lead after the first quarter and coasted the rest of the way. The Bulls pulled within 93-80 in the fourth, but Detroit came right back with a dunk and 3-pointer to stay far enough ahead - a failed cover was never in doubt.

5/5/07 - Game 1: DETROIT 95, Chicago 69 (ATS winner: Detroit -5 | UNDER 182.5)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: The Pistons made an early statement in the series opener, holding the Bulls to their lowest point total in playoff history. Detroit led by 13 at halftime and then blew the game open early in the fourth quarter when three different players hit 3-pointers in the first two minutes for a 19-point lead. Chicago made just 33 percent of its shots and was severely outplayed from start to finish, turning the ball over 22 times.

REMAINING SCHEDULE

5/10/07 - Game 3: Detroit at CHICAGO (ESPN | 9 PM ET)
5/13/07 - Game 4: Detroit at CHICAGO (ABC | 3:30 PM ET)
5/15/07 - Game 5: Chicago at DETROIT (TNT | TBD)
5/17/07 - Game 6: Detroit at CHICAGO (ESPN | TBD)
5/21/07 - Game 7: Chicago at DETROIT (TNT | TBD)

REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

Chicago wins 3-1 SU & ATS
OVER 3-1

4/4/07 - Chicago 106, DETROIT 88 (ATS winner: Chicago +6 | OVER 186)
3/29/07 - CHICAGO 83, Detroit 81 (ATS winner: Det +4.5 | UNDER 181)
2/25/07 - DETROIT 95, Chicago 93 (ATS winner: Chicago +6 | OVER 182.5)
1/6/07 - CHICAGO 106, Detroit 89 (ATS winner: Chicago -4.5 | OVER 189.5)

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES RECAP: The Pistons won just one of the regular-season meetings between the teams, and that was a struggle as they had to rally back from down 16 points at home to win by two. The Bulls actually had a chance to win that meeting too, but Ben Gordon's 3-pointer fell short at the buzzer. Chicago then left a very bad taste in Detroit's mouth with a 106-88 beating at The Palace on April 4th. Of course there is the massive sub-plot of this series involving Bulls center Ben Wallace, who left the Pistons for more money and got the best of his former team during the regular season. Only one of these teams will look like a genius after their playoff matchup though, emerging as the favorite to get to the 2007 NBA Finals.

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[pm530]

MLB
Hot/Cold Teams


Thursday, May 10

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HOT TEAMS

Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers are off to an amazing start. They own the league's best record (23-10) and they’ve won nine of their last 10 games. Since opening the year 3-4 the Brew Crew have won 20 of their last 26 games.

Milwaukee’s starting pitching staff has been consistent and the emergence of shortstop J.J. Hardy has sparked the offense. In the last 22 games the Brewers have won eight of 10 games when listed as an underdog.

The value in backing Milwaukee appears to be declining. The Brewers hadn’t been huge favorites, but were -205 or higher faves in three straight games this week.


Detroit Tigers

The defending American League champs have won eight consecutive games. The streak started with a win against the Minnesota Twins and their ace Johan Santana.

Oddsmakers have favored the Tigers in each of their last seven games entering Wednesday’s game. But bettors should pay attention to the Tigers middle relief situation now that Joel Zumaya is out for three months. Manager Jim Leyland will have to do some juggling with his bullpen to fill the void left by Zumaya.

Gary Sheffield is becoming a force in the middle of the lineup. After sleeping through most of April, the Tigers’ designated hitter has hit four home runs and collected eight RBIs in his last six games.


Chicago Cubs

The Cubbies are finally starting to show some value after a shaky start to the season. Manager Lou Piniella has his team playing with enthusiasm, something the club lacked under former manager Dusty Baker.

Chicago's won eight of 10 heading into Wednesday night's game, but bettors should be cautious before investing their bankroll on this team. Only two of the Cubs wins came as an underdog. The Cubs’ hot play has come at the expense of three bad teams.

Still, with Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, the Cubs lineup has plenty of pop and Jason Marquis and Ted Lilly have pitched exceptionally well at the back end of the rotation. The NL Central possesses some of the most disappointing teams in the league so the Cubs could continue to cash in during divisional play.


COLD TEAMS

Toronto Blue Jays

Injuries have severely hurt the Jays. Toronto is missing starting catcher Gregg Zaun, leadoff hitter Reed Johnson, closer B.J. Ryan and No. 3 starter Gustavo Chacin.

They only have two left-handed batters in their lineup, which helps explain why the team is hitting just .251 off right-handed pitching.

The Jays haven’t been huge dogs in any games yet so betting against them could still be profitable.


St. Louis Cardinals

It’s been a rough season for the defending World Series champions. The team’s ace hasn’t pitched since opening day, the leadoff spot has been a disaster and the death of relief pitcher Josh Hancock have all hurt the team's play.

The Cards have lost seven of their last 10 games and they’ve played under the total in five of their last six. If the St. Louis bats get hot, the team should start improving. They have one of the best bullpens in the league and, even without Chris Carpenter, the rotation has pitched well.

Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen must start hitting to give slugger Albert Pujols proper protection in the batting order. The Cardinals are the third-worst hitting team in the big leagues.


Chicago White Sox

Scoring runs has proven to be a difficult task so far this season for the White Sox. Chicago has scored only 114 runs in 29 games. Sluggers Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko and Joe Crede are all hitting below .225.

Manager Ozzie Guillen must be anxiously awaiting the return of DH Jim Thome. Thome was the only productive bat in April, but he’s been on the disabled list with a strained rib cage this month. Add to that the fact that leadoff hitter Scott Podsednik is on the DL with a groin injury and things look even worse for Chicago’s lethargic offense.

The White Sox have lost and played under in six of their last eight games heading into Wednesday's game.

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[pm530]

Pro Basketball – Long Sheet

NBA
Long Sheet


Thursday, May 10

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DETROIT (59 - 29) at CHICAGO (53 - 35) - 5/10/2007, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 47-39 ATS (+4.1 Units) in all games this season.
DETROIT is 14-6 ATS (+7.4 Units) as an underdog this season.
DETROIT is 29-13 ATS (+14.7 Units) in road games this season.
DETROIT is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 7-7 against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 9-5 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
7 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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[pm530]

Hockey – Long Sheet

NHL
Long Sheet


Thursday, May 10

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OTTAWA (56-26-0-10, 122 pts.) at BUFFALO (61-24-0-8, 130 pts.) - 5/10/2007, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OTTAWA is 113-71 ATS (-35.2 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
OTTAWA is 113-71 ATS (-35.2 Units) as an underdog or pick on the puck line over the last 2 seasons.
OTTAWA is 113-71 ATS (-35.2 Units) as a favorite or even on the puck line over the last 2 seasons.
OTTAWA is 65-43 ATS (-30.9 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
OTTAWA is 20-19 ATS (-18.2 Units) after a 3 game unbeaten streak over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 124-69 ATS (-1.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 124-69 ATS (+21.2 Units) as an underdog or pick on the puck line over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 124-69 ATS (+124.0 Units) as a favorite or even on the puck line over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 164-101 ATS (+27.6 Units) vs. division opponents since 1996.
BUFFALO is 26-7 ATS (+16.2 Units) in home games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 45-21 ATS (+15.2 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 33-12 ATS (+11.7 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
BUFFALO is 55-38 ATS (-3.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 35-25 ATS (+7.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BUFFALO is 10-11 (+1.2 Units) against the spread versus OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
OTTAWA is 11-10-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
12 of 21 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.2 Units)

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[pm530]

Baseball - Short Sheet

MLB
Short Sheet


Thursday, May 10th

National League

LA Dodgers at Florida, 12:05 EST
Derek Lowe (R) vs. Sergio Mitre (R)
Lowe: 36-18 Over as a road favorite of -110 or higher
Mitre: 0-10 TSR when the total is 8.5 to 10

Houston at Cincinnati, 12:35 EST
Matt Albers (R) vs. Aaron Harang (R)
Albers: Hou 33-12 Under as a road underdog of +125 to +150
Harang: Cin 1-7 vs. Houston

San Diego at Atlanta, 1:05 EST TBS
David Wells (L) vs. Tim Hudson (R)
Wells: SD 8-1 Under at Atlanta
Hudson: 32-7 TSR after a game where he did not walk a batter

Pittsburgh at Chicago Cubs, 2:20 EST WGN
Paul Maholm (L) vs. Carlos Zambrano (R)
Maholm: 3-0 TSR vs. Cubs
Zambrano: 4-10 TSR as a favorite of -150 or more

San Francisco at Colorado, 8:35 EST
Noah Lowry (L) vs. Aaron Cook (R)
Lowry: N/A
Cook: 2-18 TSR vs. division opponents


American League

Seattle at Detroit, 1:05 EST
Jeff Weaver (R) vs. Justin Verlander (R)
Weaver: 11-1 Under after giving up 6+ runs BB outings
Verlander: Det 16-6 when the total is 8.5 to 10

Texas at NY Yankees, 1:05 EST
Brandon McCarthy (R) vs. Chien Ming Wang (R)
McCarthy: 10-0 Under as an underdog
Wang: NYY 20-5 vs. Texas

Chicago White Sox at Minnesota, 1:10 EST
Jose Contreras (R) vs. Carlos Silva (R)
Contreras: 14-4 Under as an underdog
Silva: 6-0 Under on Thursday

Oakland at Kansas City, 2:10 EST
Joe Kennedy (L) vs. Brian Bannister (R)
Kennedy: 3-15 TSR in road games
Bannister: KC 0-7 vs. lefties

Cleveland at LA Angels, 3:35 EST
Jeremy Sowers (L) vs. Kelvim Escobar (R)
Sowers: Cle 11-2 in day games
Escobar: 5-10 TSR as a home favorite of -110 or higher

Tampa Bay at Baltimore, 7:05 EST
Casey Fossum (L) vs. Daniel Cabrera (R)
Fossum: TB 11-38 as a road underdog of +125 to +175
Cabrera: Bal 40-18 as a favorite of -110 or higher

Boston at Toronto, 7:05 EST
Tim Wakefield (R) vs. Roy Halladay (R)
Wakefield: 12-3 Under in road games
Halladay: 20-3 TSR when the total is 8 to 8.5

[pm530]

Pro Basketball – Short Sheet

NBA
Short Sheet


Thursday, May 10th

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Eastern Conference Playoffs
Semifinals, Game Three
Detroit Leads, 2-0
TV: TNT
Chicago at Detroit, 9:05 EST

Detroit:
14-5 ATS as a road underdog
16-5 ATS away off an Over

Chicago:
0-7 ATS after playing BB games as a road underdog
7-16 ATS with a line of +3 to -3

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[pm530]

Hockey – Short Sheet

NHL
Short Sheet


Thursday, May 10

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Eastern Conference Playoffs
Finals, Game One
Series Tied, 0-0
TV: VER
Ottawa at Buffalo, 7:05 EST

Ottawa:
40-19 Under off a road win by 1 goal
12-4 Under away playing with 3+ days rest

Buffalo:
15-2 SU playing with 2+ days rest
26-7 SU at home playing with revenge

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[Udog]

MLB
Dunkel


San Francisco at Colorado
Aaron Cook finally picked up his first win of the season in his last appearance, but it was another rough outing as he allowed five runs and a season-high 10 hits over 5 1/3 innings against the Reds. He will not be happy to see Barry Bonds, who is hitting .478 lifetime against Cook and has 25 HRs and 61 RBI in his career at Coors Field. Even without facing Bonds, Cook has struggled at Coors this season, going 0-1 with a 6.50 ERA in three starts. Meanwhile SF starter Noah Lowry will be looking for his fifth straight win and is coming off a season-high eight Ks in 6 2/3 innings in a win over the Phils last Saturday. The Giants look like a good pick (+112) in this one according to Dunkel, which has San Francisco favored straight up by 4. Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+112). Here are all of today's games.

THURSDAY, MAY 10

Game 951-952: LA Dodgers at Florida
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Lowe) 17.478; Florida (Mitre) 13.345
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 4; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-130); Under

Game 953-954: Houston at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Albers) 16.555; Cincinnati (Harang) 15.711
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-155); 9
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+155); Under

Game 955-956: San Diego at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Wells) 15.821; Atlanta (Hudson) 17.282
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-205); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-205); Under

Game 957-958: Pittsburgh at Chicago Cubs
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Maholm) 13.863; Chicago Cubs (Zambrano) 16.372
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 2 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-210); No Run Line
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-210); Under

Game 959-960: San Francisco at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Lowry) 18.055; Colorado (Cook) 13.891
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 4; 9
Vegas Line: Colorado (-112); 10
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+112); Under

Game 961-962: Seattle at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Weaver) 13.151; Detroit (Verlander) 18.754
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 5 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Detroit (-255); 9
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-255); Over

Game 963-964: Texas at NY Yankees
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (McCarthy) 14.435; NY Yankees (Wang) 16.885
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 2 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-300); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-300); Under

Game 965-966: Chicago White Sox at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Contreras) 16.859; Minnesota (Silva) 16.494
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Minnesota (-125); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (+125); Under

Game 967-968: Oakland at Kansas City
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Kennedy) 13.345; Kansas City (Hudson) 14.815
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Oakland (-130); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+130); Under

Game 969-970: Cleveland at LA Angels
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Sowers) 16.002; LA Angels (Escobar) 17.565
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-130); Under

Game 971-972: Tampa Bay at Baltimore
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Fossum) 13.992; Baltimore (Cabrera) 16.527
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 2 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Baltimore (-165); 9
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (-165); Over

Game 973-974: Boston at Toronto
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Wakefield) 17.779; Toronto (Halladay) 16.237
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Toronto (-150); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston (+150); Over