Thursday Trends and Indexes 05/24

[pm530]

Trends and Indexes
Thursday, May 24

Good Luck on day #144 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

Can the Devil Rays' pitching woes be fixed? They have two solid starters and three horrible ones. A big prospect waits in AAA, but will the nitwits bring him up? Or at the nitwits not really nitwits, and plotting to move the team to Vegas?

-- James Shields is the Rays' best starter; he uses only 4.64 pitches per out- they have yet to trail when he was removed from a game. A definite building block.

-- Scott Kazmir is a talent, but his 6.02 pitches per out is not acceptable, given the sorry state of the Rays' bullpen. On this team, he is the #2 starter. On a good team, he could be a closer. Should they think about dealing him?

-- Casey Fossum is 3-4, 7.15 in nine starts; he has gotten a bit of run support; they scored 6-10-11 in his three wins. If your third best pitcher has a 7.15 ERA, it isn't a good thing.

-- Jae Seo is 2-4, 7.80 in nine starts, allowing 66 hits in 45 IP. There are batting practice pitchers with better stuff.

-- Edwin Jackson is 0-6, 7.78 in eight starts, walking 23 guys in 37 IP. Having thim in the big leagues raises a question of whether they are trying 100% to win games.

-- Andrew Sonnenstine is 6-2, 2.30 in nine AAA starts, with 42 hits allowed in 58.2 IP (12 walks, 60 strikeouts). If he isn't ready yet, he never will be. It is time to find out.

Devil Rays are not without talent, but they have zero hope unless they get away from the Bronx/Red Sox, who dwarf them in terms of resources. A move to Las Vegas would get them in a more tenable situation, and makes some sense.

[pm530]

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

13) The most important coach the Trailblazers have is one of all-time great Blazer players, Maurice Lucas; he'll probably be in charge of Greg Oden's development, which will be crucial to Portland's returning to elite status.

12) You can understand why Mark Cuban's Mavericks have a lot of assistant coaches; hiring a personal developmental guy just to tutor Oden isn't such bad idea. Nothing against Lucas, but he has other responsibilities as an assistant coach.

11) Who will the Hawks draft at #3? Thats the big question. As for the Celtics, it couldn't happen to more obnoxious fans, a group that has won 16 championships, but still whines as if they root for the Washington Generals. Too bad.

10) It turns out that Mobile, AL and Pensacola, FL are rainiest cities in America. Who knew? It rains 70% of the days out in Seattle, but apparently it drizzles a lot. Go figure.

9) In front row at Astros-Giants game Wednesday; very long conversation between Willie Mays and Condoleeza Rice.

8) In his first two starts this season, Felix Hernandez got 29 ground ball outs, only four in the air; in three starts since, he has gotten six on ground, six in air, which may be result of his arm problems. Mariners need an effective King Felix.

7) Keyshawn Johnson announced his retirement Wednesday, which really means no NFL team wanted to sign him. Johnson replaces the more-likeable Michael Irvin in the ESPN studio in the fall. Why is it that ESPN always goes after controversial figures? Why not hire a terrific player who is a good guy?

6) Quote of the Day:
"When we lose the right to be different, we lose the right to be free." Charles Evans Hughes, 1925.

5) In their first season of existence, Portland Trailblazers sold 1,095 season tickets (1970-71); that jumped from 2,971 to 6,218 when they drafted Bill Walton after the '73-'74 season.........

4) ....... the big jump was after their first winning season, when Portland came from nowhere to win their only NBA title in the spring of '76. Blazers capped season ticket sales at 11,500 (up from 8,103). Could be that sellouts will be back in vogue up in Portland fairly soon.

3) Will the presence of Kevin Durant (more likely than Greg Oden) save the Sonics in Seattle, or will Oklahoma City or Las Vegas be the new home for the SuperSonics, whose owner is trying to hold up Seattle for yet another new arena?

2) The Sonics' owner owns Starbucks; he has more cash than any of us can imagine. Let him build his own arena. But then again, rich people don't get rich by spending money, they get rich by getting other people to spend their money.

1) What does it say about the NBA that the Draft Lottery is more interesting than some of their playoff games?

[pm530]

Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Thursday, May 24

Hot Pitchers
-- Gorzelanny is 2-1, 1.67 in his last four starts. Cardinals are 3-1 in Looper home starts (2-1, 2.52).
-- Marlins are 7-3 in Willis starts; he has 2.77 RA in his last two outings, but has been better on road than at home. Lieber has a 2.89 RA in three road starts, but Phillies lost all three ballgames, scoring total of seven runs.
-- Bacsik threw six shutout innings in first '07 start, a game Nats later lost to Baltimore, 3-2.
-- Mets won Glavine's last four starts, scoring 34 runs. Smoltz is 4-1, 1.56 in his last five starts, 1-0, 6.17 in two starts against the Mets this season.
-- Rodriguez is 2-0, 1.63 in his last couple of starts.
-- Marquis is 5-0, 2.64 in his last seven starts, 0-0, 7.36 in his last two outings. Young is 3-1, 2.77 in his last four starts.

-- Ramirez is 2-0, 2.92 in his last couple of starts.
-- Guthrie is 1-0, 1.27 in his last three starts. Marcum is 1-0, 1.50 in two starts for Toronto.
-- de la Rosa is 3-1, 3.08 in four home starts this season.

Cold Pitchers
-- Belisle is 1-2, 7.23 in his last four starts.
-- Owings has 6.89 RA in his last three starts.

-- Bonderman comes off DL to pitch here; he has 8.47 RA in his last three starts. Angels are 0-5 in Santana road starts (0-4, 8.89)
-- Seo has a 6.00 RA in his three home starts.
-- Sowers is 0-4, 9.73 in his last six starts.

Totals
-- Over is 10-4 in last fourteen Pittsburgh road games.
-- Under is 6-2 in Phillies' last eight games.
-- Over is 9-1 in last ten Cincinnati home games.
-- Under is 7-3 in Smoltz starts this season.
-- Under is 7-2 in last nine Arizona home games.
-- Under is 3-1 in Young's last four starts.

-- Last three Bonderman starts all went over the total.
-- Six of last seven Ramirez starts went over the total.
-- Over is 6-2 in last eight games at Camden Yards.
-- Five of last six Sowers starts went over the total.

Hot Teams
-- Florida won six of its last eight games. Phillies are 9-4 in last thirteen games, but may have lost closer Myers last night.
-- Nationals are 9-4 in their last 13 games, 2-9 in last 11 on road.
-- Mets are 15-6 on the road this season.
-- Cardinals won their last four home games.
-- Padres won eight of their last ten home games.

-- Detroit won four of its last five home games. Angels won five of their last seven games.
-- Orioles won six of their last nine home games.
-- Royals won eight of their last ten games.

Cold Teams
-- Reds lost sixteen of their last twenty-one games.
-- Braves lost five of their last seven games.
-- Pirates lost ten of their last fourteen road games.
-- Colorado are 7-11 in their last eighteen road games.
-- Cubs lost seven of their last nine road games.
-- Astros lost six of their last seven games. Arizona lost three of its last four home games.

-- Toronto lost nine of its last eleven away games.
-- Devil Rays lost last five games, all at home. Seattle is 2-7 in the game after its last nine wins.
-- Indians lost six of their last seven road games.

[pm530]

Pro Basketball – Write up

NBA
Write-up


Thursday, May 24

Detroit has won four of five games vs Cleveland this year, with Pistons winning two of three in Auburn Hills (Cavs 101-97, and Detroit 87-82/79-76). Cavs are 7-0 in playoffs when they score 86+ points; they're 4-2 on road. Pavlovic/Hughes combined to miss 19 of 27 shots in Game 1, while Marshall missed wide open trey to win game when Lebron penetrated, created a nice look. Cleveland 41-35 at half in Game 1, then let it slip away.

[pm530]

Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB
Tips and Trends


Thursday, May 24

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Los Angeles Angels at Detroit Tigers (1:05 PM ET)
Los Angeles starter Ervin Santana is a miserable 0-4 with a 7.86 ERA in five road starts this season. He's allowed at least three earned runs in all five starts. BIG EDGE: TIGERS & OVER
Santana has pitched well against the Tigers in his career, going 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts. EDGE: ANGELS
Detroit rookie left-hander Andrew Miller threw six shutout innings in his first career start last week, grabbing a 14-4 victory over St. Louis. EDGE: TIGERS
The OVER is 14-6-2 in Santana's last 22 road starts.



Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals (1:10 PM ET)
Pirates left-hander Tom Gorzelanny has owned the Cardinals in his career, posting a 1-0 record with a remarkable 0.59 ERA in two starts. In 15 1/3 career innings versus St. Louis, he's allowed just one run and eight hits. BIG EDGE: PIRATES & UNDER
St. Louis starter Braden Looper is 1-1 with a 1.60 ERA in 24 career appearances against Pittsburgh. EDGE: CARDINALS & UNDER
Looper picked up his first victory of the season against the Pirates on April 9, throwing seven shutout innings and allowing just two hits. EDGE: CARDINALS
The OVER is 4-0 in the Cardinals last four games versus a left-handed starter.



Philadelphia Phillies at Florida Marlins (7:05 PM ET)
Phillies starter Jon Lieber is 10-8 with a 4.76 ERA in 30 career appearances (22 starts) against the Marlins. EDGE: OVER
Lieber has pitched well on the road this season despite his 0-1 record, allowing seven earned runs and 17 hits over 19 1/3 innings. SLIGHT EDGE: PHILLIES & UNDER
Florida left-hander Dontrelle Willis is 8-5 with a 3.78 ERA in 18 career starts against Philadelphia. EDGE: MARLINS
The OVER is 43-16-3 in the last 62 meetings in Florida.
The Marlins are 4-0 in Willis' last four starts versus the Phillies.



Toronto Blue Jays at Baltimore Orioles (7:05 PM ET)
Blue Jays right-hander Shaun Marcum has allowed 13 runs and 13 hits in just 12 1/3 career innings against the Orioles. In a relief appearance against Baltimore at Camden Yards on April 20, he surrendered two runs and two hits over just a third of an inning. BIG EDGE: ORIOLES
Marcum is making just his second start of the season and picked up a 13-2 road victory over Philadelphia last time out. EDGE: BLUE JAYS
Baltimore's Jeremy Guthrie is 2-1 with a 2.95 ERA this season and has an even lower 1.93 ERA at home. EDGE: ORIOLES & UNDER
After collecting just 16 strikeouts in his first 29 2/3 innings this year, Guthrie struck out a season-high ten batter against Washington last time out, in a 3-2 victory. EDGE: ORIOLES
The Orioles are 1-6 in their last seven games versus a right-handed starter.



New York Mets at Atlanta Braves (7:35 PM ET)
Mets starter Tom Glavine is 5-1 with a 3.43 ERA this season, but has struggled against the Braves in his career. The veteran left-hander is 3-10 with a 5.49 ERA in 17 career starts versus his former team. BIG EDGE: BRAVES
Glavine is an impressive 3-1 with a 2.48 ERA on the road in 2007 and the Mets have won five consecutive games with him on the hill. BIG EDGE: METS
Atlanta's John Smoltz has already picked up one victory against the Mets this season and is coming off his most dominant start of the season. He tossed seven shutout innings, as the Braves crushed the Red Sox 14-0. EDGE: BRAVES
The Braves are 8-2 in Smoltz's 10 starts this season, outscoring their opponents 53-24. BIG EDGE: BRAVES
The OVER is 4-1 in Smoltz's last five starts versus the Mets.



Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals (8:10 PM ET)
Cleveland left-hander jeremy Sowers has yet to pick up a victory this season through eight starts, going 0-4 with a 7.13 ERA. Things haven't gone well on the road for the former first-round pick, posting an 0-3 record with a 9.13 ERA. BIG EDGE: ROYALS & OVER
Sowers is 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA in two career starts against Kansas City. SLIGHT EDGE: INDIANS
Royals starter Jorge De La Rosa is 3-1 with a 2.39 ERA in four home starts this season. He picked up a loss in his last start at Kaufmann Stadium, allowing a season-high six runs and 10 hits against Oakland. EDGE: ROYALS
De La Rosa has been hammered for 12 runs and 13 hits in 14 1/3 innings against the Indians. EDGE: INDIANS & OVER
The UNDER is 6-0 in De La Rosa's last six home starts.



Houston Astros at Arizona Diamondbacks (9:40 PM ET)
Astros left-hander Wandy Rodriguez is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in three road starts this season. He's allowed at least three earned runs in each appearance away from Minute Maid Park this season. EDGE: D-BACKS & OVER
Rodriguez has tallied two straight wins and the Astros have won four straight with him on the mound. EDGE: ASTROS
Arizona starter Micah Owings is an even 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in four home starts this season. He grabbed a 3-2 victory against Philadelphia in his last home start, allowing just two runs and five hits in seven innings. EDGE: D-BACKS
The OVER is 7-3 in Rodriguez's last 10 road starts.



Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres (10:05 PM ET)
Cubs starter Jason Marquis looks to pick up his second victory of the season over the Padres. On April 16, he allowed just one run and three hits over six innings, in a 12-4 home win. EDGE: CUBS
Marquis is a perfect 2-0 with a 3.16 ERA in four road starts this season. EDGE: CUBS
San Diego's Chris Young is 1-0 with a 3.29 ERA in two career starts against Chicago. EDGE: PADRES
Young has been outstanding at Petco Park in 2007, going 2-1 with an unbelievable 0.44 ERA. BIG EDGE: PADRES & UNDER
The UNDER is 20-8-2 in the Padres last 30 home games.

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[pm530]

Pro Basketball – Tips and Trends

NBA
Tips and trends


Thursday, May 24

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#2 Cleveland Cavaliers at #1 Detroit Pistons
Game 2 - Thursday, May 24th, 8 p.m. Eastern (TNT)

Cleveland star LeBron James has taken a lot of criticism for passing on the last shot of Game 1, but nobody would be complaining if Donyell Marshall would have hit the wide-open 3-pointer to win it. Had that shot gone down, James would have ended the game with a triple double and been lauded for his unselfishness. Look for a more aggressive James in Game 2 after he makes adjustments to correct his biggest mistake - failing to go to the free-throw line. EDGE: CAVS
Detroit point guard Chauncey Billups turned the ball over an uncharacteristic seven times in Game 1, more than he had in the previous four games combined. In fact, you would have to go back to April 1st to find the last time Billups had more turnovers than assists. It was also just the third time in 13 playoff games that he failed to register a steal and maked his lowest point total of the postseason (13). Insiders believe Billups will be much more focused in Game 2, as the Pistons rely heavily on their floor general to run an efficient offense. EDGE: PISTONS
The Pistons and Cavs combined to make just 23 free throws in Game 1, which is a far cry from what they're used to. Cleveland made just six in Game 1 vs. New Jersey in the second round before making 20 in Game 2, and Detroit averaged 18 points per game from the charity stripe in its series with the Bulls. Both teams should look to take the ball inside more and not depend on scoring so much from the outside, especially after both each shot so poorly in Game 1. EDGE: OVER
Cleveland is 19-6-1 ATS in its last 27 road games.
Cleveland is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 against Central Division opponents.
Detroit is 21-10-3 ATS in its last 34 games overall.
UNDER is 22-5 in the last 26 meetings, including 11-3 at Detroit.

Head-to-Head Recaps

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS (HOME team in CAPS)

RESULTS

Pistons lead 1-0 SU (0-1 ATS)
UNDER 1-0

5/20/07 - Game 1 - DETROIT 79, Cleveland 76 (ATS winner: Cleve +6.5 | UNDER 177)
Recap | Boxscore
Summary: Ugly is just one of many negative words one could use to describe this game - unless you appreciate defense. The Cavs shot just 37 percent from the field but outrebounded the Pistons 49-41 and forced 16 turnovers, including seven by Detroit point guard Chauncey Billups. That allowed Cleveland to stay in this game throughout, as the team managed to take 14 more shots than the home team. LeBron James had a chance to tie the game for the Cavs in the final seconds but instead chose to pass the ball to a wide-open Donyell Marshall, who missed what could have been the game-winning 3-pointer. Could have been is what everybody talked about afterwards and what Detroit backers felt should have been an easy cover.

SCHEDULE

5/24/07 - Game 2 - Cleveland Cavaliers at DETROIT PISTONS (TNT | 8 PM ET)
5/27/07 - Game 3 - Detroit Pistons at CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (TNT | 8:30 PM ET)
5/29/07 - Game 4 - Detroit Pistons at CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (TNT | 8 PM ET)
5/31/07 - Game 5 - Cleveland Cavaliers at DETROIT PISTONS (TNT | 8 PM ET)
6/2/07 - Game 6 - Detroit Pistons at CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (TNT | 8:30 PM ET)
6/4/07 - Game 7 - Cleveland Cavaliers at DETROIT PISTONS (TNT | 8 PM ET)

REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

Detroit wins 3-1 SU (2-2 ATS)
UNDER 3-1

4/8/07 - DETROIT 87, Cleveland 82 (ATS winner: Cleve +5.5 | UNDER 181)
3/7/07 - Cleveland 101, DETROIT 97 (ATS winner: Cleve +5 | OVER 179)
2/4/07 - Detroit 90, CLEVELAND 78 (ATS winner: Detroit +2.5 | UNDER 184)
12/27/06 - Detroit 87, CLEVELAND 71 (ATS winner: Detroit +3 | UNDER 184)

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES RECAP: LeBron James scored a season-high 41 points in the third meeting at Detroit to lead Cleveland to its first win against the Pistons since Game 5 of their second-round series last May. That was the only win in the regular-season series for the Cavs, as Detroit won both meetings in Cleveland by an average of 14 points. That lack of a home-court edge along with the Pistons' dominance on the road - where they were an Eastern Conference-best 27-14 - could be the difference.

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[pm530]

Baseball – Injury Report

MLB
Injury Report


Thursday, May 24

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MLB Infirmary Report

There weren’t a lot of new injuries to report this week, but there are still plenty of reasons to keep a close eye on the DL and the daily injury updates over the next couple of days. A number of superstars are nearing a return to the field and having them in the batter's box or on the mound could mean the difference between a winning and a losing bet.

Josh Beckett – The cut on Beckett’s right middle finger is healing normally and he was scheduled to pitch five innings in the bullpen on Wednesday. As long as everything continues to go as planned for Beckett’s finger he should come off the DL on May 29 to face Cleveland.

Jose Hamilton – A bout of gastroenteritis landed Hamilton on the 15-day DL last week. The super rookie had been going through a slump during the week before the illness was detected, so hopefully for the sake of Reds’ fans the illness was part of his troubles at the plate. Hamilton saw a specialist on Wednesday, so more information regarding a possible return date for him should be available later in the week.

Derrek Lee – Lee returned to the Cubs starting lineup on Tuesday night and went 0-4. This was the first time Lee has started at first base since May 13 due to neck spasms that limited him to pinch-hit duty. Be on the lookout for possible flareups in the next week or so, but it looks like Lee is finally in the clear.

Joe Mauer – Mauer was eligible to come off the 15-day DL earlier this week, but he’s still experiencing tightness in his injured quad, which will keep him on the shelf for at least a few more days.

Phil Hughes – The Yankees’ prized prospect threw 25 pitches from a half-mound on Monday, but is still a long ways away from returning from a hamstring injury. Hughes also did some light jogging in the outfield and participated in some agility drills down in Florida, but no timetable has been set yet for his return.

Ryan Howard – Howard is eligible to come off the DL on Friday and should make his return to the field that night versus Atlanta. Howard took some grounders at first last week and experienced no problems from his quad strain. As long as that continues during his rehab assignment this week, he’ll be back on Friday.

Raul Ibanez – Ibanez hasn’t played since May 18 due to back stiffness that was apparently caused by sleeping the wrong way on Seattle’s last flight. Ibanez played through the back pain late last week, but says now that was a mistake and is the cause of his recent absence. Look for Ibanez to return by this weekend as long as he doesn’t end up on any more long flights.

Akinori Iwamura – Iwamura played three innings in an extended spring training game on Tuesday at Tampa Bay’s minor league complex. Iwamura is progressing from his oblique injury and could be back with the Devil Rays by next week as long as he doesn’t suffer any setbacks. The Rays could definitely use Iwamura, who was hitting .339 before the injury.

Hank Blalock – In what has to be the weirdest injury of the week, Blalock had a rib removed on Monday and will sidelined for at least 10-12 weeks. The surgery was necessary to repair a nerve that passes from Blalock’s arm to his neck that had been giving Blalock forearm pain. The medical term for Blalock’s condition (for all you aspiring doctors) is thoracic outlet syndrome.

Roy Halladay – Halladay has made a much quicker than expected return to health after having his appendix removed earlier this month. The Jays’ ace threw 40 pitches in a bullpen session on Sunday and if all goes well he could return to the rotation as early as May 31. Halladay was expected to miss 4-6 weeks after the surgery, but a May 31 return date would only amount to a three-week layoff.

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[pm530]

Pro Basketball – Long Sheet

NBA
Long Sheet


Thursday, May 24

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CLEVELAND (58 - 35) at DETROIT (62 - 31) - 5/24/2007, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CLEVELAND is 90-127 ATS (-49.7 Units) after scoring 85 points or less since 1996.
CLEVELAND is 100-83 ATS (+8.7 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 33-19 ATS (+12.1 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 24-10 ATS (+13.0 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 10-1 ATS (+8.9 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
DETROIT is 18-28 ATS (-12.8 Units) in home games this season.
DETROIT is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 12-8 against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 13-7 straight up against CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
17 of 20 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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[pm530]

Pro Basketball – Short Sheet

NBA
Short Sheet


Thursday, May 24

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Thursday, May 24nd

Eastern Conference Playoffs
Conference Finals, Game Two
Pistons Lead, 1-0
TV: TNT
Cleveland at Detroit, 8:05 ET

Cleveland:
18-8 ATS as a road underdog
13-2 Under away off a division loss

Detroit:
17-3 Under vs. Cleveland
18-6 Under in the Conference Finals

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[GrandPa]

Awesome! Thanks a million..again!

[Udog]

MLB
Streaking Pitchers


Thursday, May 24


Hot pitchers

Tom Gorzelanny (Pittsburgh Pirates) - He may not have the best bullpen support, but Gorzelanny (5-2, 2.43 ERA) has enjoyed some success against St. Louis. He allowed only one run and eight hits in two starts against the Cards this season and has managed to stifle the hot bat of slugger Albert Pujols who is hitless in six at bats against the left-hander. Gorzelanny takes the mound today when Pittsburgh visits St. Louis as +117 road dogs. Books have set today's total at eight runs.

John Smoltz (Atlanta Braves) - John Smoltz is a win away from becoming the National League's first seven-game winner. He's already 6-2 with an impressive 2.85 ERA in one of his best season starts and boasts a 3-1 record with a 1.93 ERA from the mound at Turner Field. Most recently, he shut down the hard-hitting Red Sox in seven innings Saturday, allowing just three hits in seven innings. The Braves are -135 favorites tonight when they host Tom Glavine and the Mets.

Chris Young (San Diego Padres) - Young has rebounded from a mediocre April to to win three of four starts in May, bringing his season to 5-3 with a 2.89 ERA. At Petco Park, the right-hander has allowed one earned run over 20 1/3 innings in three games. Books favor the Padres at -133 tonight when they host the Cubs. The total is set at 7 1/2.

Cold Pitchers

Jae Seo (Tampa Bay Devil Rays) - Seo is off to a bad start. In fact, the right-hander hasn't contributed much to the Devil Rays lineup since his move there last June, recording just three wins in 25 starts. Saturday, he gave up seven runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings in a 7-2 loss to Florida. He's 2-4 with a whopping 7.80 ERA this season. Books list the D-Rays as +106 underdogs at home today against Seattle. The total is set at 10 1/2.

[Udog]

MLB
Dunkel


LA Angels at Detroit
Ervin Santana has been awful on the road this year (0-4, 7.86 ERA in five road starts), but is coming off one of his best outings of the season when he limited the Dodgers to one run over six innings at home last Friday. He'll face Jeremy Bonderman, who is coming back from a blister on his right middle finger that landed him on the DL. Bonderman will be making his first start since May 8 and was roughed up for seven runs and 11 hits -- both season highs -- when he faced the Angels back on April 24. With L.A. playing solid ball right now (winners of 11 of last 14), the Angels look like a good underdog pick (+160) in this one according to Dunkel, which has Los Angeles favored straight up by 1. Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (+160). Here are all of today's games.

THURSDAY, MAY 24

Game 951-952: Pittsburgh at St. Louis
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Gorzelanny) 15.621; St. Louis (Looper) 15.026
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-125); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+125); Over

Game 953-954: Philadelphia at Florida
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Lieber) 15.591; Florida (Willis) 15.990
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Florida (-120); 9
Dunkel Pick: Florida (-120); Under

Game 955-956: Washington at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Bacsik) 15.075; Cincinnati (Belisle) 15.514
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-155); 10
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (-155); Over

Game 957-958: NY Mets at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Glavine) 16.731; Atlanta (Smoltz) 17.157
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-145); 8
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-145); Under

Game 959-960: Houston at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Rodriguez) 14.251; Arizona (Owings) 15.636
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Houston (-110); 9
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+110); Under

Game 961-962: Chicago Cubs at San Diego
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago Cubs (Marquis) 16.831; San Diego (Young) 16.470
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: San Diego (-135); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (+135); Under

Game 963-964: LA Angels at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Santana) 18.361; Detroit (Bonderman) 17.581
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit (-160); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (+160); Over

Game 965-966: Seattle at Tampa Bay
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Ramirez) 15.633; Tampa Bay (Seo) 14.877
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Seattle (-115); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (-115); Under

Game 967-968: Toronto at Baltimore
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Marcum) 16.250; Baltimore (Guthrie) 15.797
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Baltimore (-130); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+130); Over

Game 969-970: Cleveland at Kansas City
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Sowers) 16.313; Kansas City (De La Rosa) 15.831
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1/2; 11 1/2
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-125); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-125); Over

[Dennis14072]

Thanks Guys, good luck this afternoon and evening!!

[Udog]

You, too, Dennis! Good morning!
Here comes the MLB long.