Sunday Trends and Indexes 06/17

[Udog]

Baseball Today - June 17



SCOREBOARD

Monday, June 18

Houston at L.A. Angels (10:05 p.m. EDT).

John Lackey goes for his major league-leading 11th win of the season for the Angels.

STARS

Saturday

-Edgar Renteria, Braves, went 5-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs in Atlanta's 6-2 win over Cleveland.

-Daisuke Matsuzaka, Red Sox, struck out eight in seven scoreless innings to help Boston edge San Francisco 1-0.

-Derek Jeter, Yankees, had four hits, including a go-ahead homer, to help the Yankees defeat the Mets 11-8.

-Shaun Marcum, Blue Jays, gave up two runs and struck out a career-high 11 in seven innings to lead Toronto past Washington 7-3.

-So Taguchi, Cardinals, went 4-for-6 and knocked in three runs in St. Louis' 15-6 rout of Oakland.

RUMBLE AT WRIGLEY

San Diego's 1-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday wasn't the average pitcher's duel. A bench-clearing skirmish and four ejections were the result of Padres starter Chris Young hitting the Cubs' Derrek Lee with a pitch, knocking him to the ground. Lee got up and threw a punch that didn't land. Young responded with another missed blow. Lee and Young were ejected, as were Padres pitcher Jake Peavy and Cubs hitting coach Gerald Perry.

STRONG IN DEFEAT

Carlos Zambrano pitched a complete game Saturday, giving up one run on two hits and walking five. He held San Diego hitless for 7 1-3 innings and surrendered a solo homer to Russell Branyan with one out in the ninth. The Padres edged the Cubs 1-0. ... Matt Cain gave up a run and three hits but took the loss in San Francisco's 1-0 loss to Boston.

BATTLE FOR THE BASEMENT

Cincinnati topped Texas 8-4 on Saturday in a matchup of the worst teams in the AL and the NL. Ken Griffey Jr. made sure it wouldn't be the Reds ending the day with the worst record in baseball, hitting his 580th and 581st career homers home runs to pull within two of tying Mark McGwire for seventh on the all-time homer list. Sammy Sosa went 0-for-5 on the day to remain at 599 career homers.

GRIEF FOR GLAVINE

Making his fifth attempt at win No. 296, Tom Glavine failed to hold three early leads in the Mets' 11-8 loss to the crosstown-rival Yankees on Saturday. Glavine was tagged for seven runs and eight hits in four-plus innings. The 41-year-old left-hander has allowed 16 runs and 19 hits over 8 1-3 innings in his past two starts. He is 0-4 in five starts since he beat the Yankees on May 19.

STREAKS

Casey Blake extended his hitting streak to 25 games in Cleveland's 6-2 loss to Atlanta on Saturday. ... David Wright extended his hitting streak to 17 games in the Mets' 11-8 loss to the Yankees. ... Juan Encarnacion stretched his hitting streak to 16 games in St. Louis' 15-6 pounding of Oakland. ... Arizona defeated Baltimore 8-4 to hand the Orioles their seventh straight loss. ... Houston topped Seattle 9-4 to deal the Mariners their fourth straight loss following a season-high five-game winning streak.

SPEAKING

''I felt lost on the field today. I felt lost afterwards.'' - Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, on the celebratory handshakes following his team's 6-1 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday. The White Sox had lost four straight and nine of 10 entering the game.

SEASONS June 17

1947 - Cincinnati's Ewell Blackwell tossed a 6-0 no-hitter against the Boston Braves.

1950 - In the nightcap of a doubleheader, the Cleveland Indians scored 14 runs in the first inning for an American League record as they trounced the Philadelphia A's 21-2.

1953 - At Fenway Park, Dick Gernert's home run highlighted the 17-run, 14-hit seventh inning as the Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 23-3. Gene Stephens collected three hits and Sammy White scored three runs in the big inning. Tom Umphlett also reached base three times in the inning.

1960 - The San Francisco Giants fired manager Bill Rigney and replaced him with Tom Sheehan. At 66 years, 2 months and 18 days, Sheehan was the oldest man to debut as a major league manager.

1967 - The Houston Astros' Don Wilson tossed the first of his two career no-hitters by blanking the Atlanta Braves 2-0, facing 30 batters and striking out 15.

1975 - Fred Lynn batted in 10 runs with three homers, a triple and a single in a 15-1 Boston Red Sox victory over the Detroit Tigers. Lynn's 16 total bases tied an AL record.

1986 - California's Don Sutton pitched a three-hitter for his 300th career victory as the Angels beat the Texas Rangers 5-1. The 41-year-old right-hander became the 19th pitcher in baseball history to win 300 games.

2002 - Luis Castillo tied Rogers Hornsby's 80-year-old record for the longest hitting streak by a second baseman, beating out a dribbler to the pitcher in the sixth inning to make it 33 games in a row, in a 2-1 Florida win over Cleveland.

2005 - Atlanta's Julio Franco, 46, hit two homers in a game for the first time since Sept. 12, 1996, becoming the second-oldest player to homer in major league history. Jack Quinn was a week shy of his 47th birthday when he homered in 1930.

[pm530]

WNBA
Trends


Sunday, June 17

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ATS Trends

Chicago
Sky are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog of 5.0-10.5.
Sky are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. Eastern Conference.
Sky are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
Sky are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games playing on 1 days rest.


Connecticut
Sun are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games following a S.U. loss.
Sun are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite.
Sun are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games as a home favorite of 5.0-10.5.
Sun are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 home games.
Sun are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games as a favorite of 5.0-10.5.
Sun are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS win.
Sun are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Sunday games.


OU Trends

Chicago
Under is 4-0 in Sky last 4 games as an underdog.
Over is 7-1 in Sky last 8 Sunday games.
Under is 6-1 in Sky last 7 games playing on 1 days rest.
Under is 4-1-1 in Sky last 6 overall.
Under is 5-2 in Sky last 7 games following a ATS win.

Connecticut
Under is 13-5 in Sun last 18 games as a home favorite.
Under is 13-6 in Sun last 19 home games.


Head to Head
No trends available.

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[pm530]

MLB
Sunday Night Baseball


Sunday, June 17

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Sunday Night Baseball: New York Mets at New York Yankees

Game: New York Mets at New York Yankees

Line: -185, 9 ½

Players like the under

One day after the Mets and Yankees slugged it out for 19 total runs, the rubber match of this weekend’s Subway Series is leaning towards the under - according to players on both New York franchises.

"Runs are going to be at a minimum," Mets third baseman David Wright told MLB.com of Sunday’s Game 3. "It's going to be like the first game of the series, where you really have to take advantage of every opportunity."

The Yankees send Chien-Ming Wang to the hill for the series finale, hoping the right-hander will continue his recent form. Wang has won his last three starts and is 5-1 in his last six trips to the bump, posting an ERA of 2.30 and 21 strikeouts during this stretch.

Opposing the Yankees’ red-hot hurler is former Bronx Bomber, Orlando Hernandez, who has been stung by the Mets’ poor play. El Duque has compiled a 2-1 record in his last six appearances despite allowing only seven total runs over those games. He is 0-3 against the Yankees throughout his career.

Both Wang and Hernandez have a combined 5-12 over/under record this season.

Beltran the face of mediocre Mets

Being the man in the Big Apple is a double-edged sword. When the team is winning, you’re the toast of the town. But when the team is losing, like the Mets, you feel the brunt of all the criticism.

Center fielder Carlos Beltran’s struggles at the plate go hand in hand with the Mets 3-11 record in the month of June. New York is hitting .250 and averaging just over three runs per game over these 14 contests while Beltran, who was heating up in late May, is batting a measly .143 in June and is hitless in his last 15 attempts with runners in scoring position.

“Just a few knocks, that’s all he needs,” Mets manager Willie Randolph told the New York Times. “When I talk about hitters and ups and downs, this is all part of the season. He’ll get going. He’ll get right.”

Beltran went 0-for-6 during Saturday’s 11-8 loss to the Yankees, failing to get a hit in four opportunities with RISP and leaving nine men stranded.

He isn’t alone in his struggles. First baseman Carlos Delgado is hitting slightly better than Beltran, batting .203 in June and managing two singles on Saturday night. Delgado, who is averaging .224 on the season, struck out in all four at-bats during Friday’s series opener.

Bronx bombs away!

Saturday’s Game 2 win over the Mets didn’t budge the Yankees in the American League East standings since the Boston Red Sox also won against the San Francisco Giants. But the 11-8 victory did push the Yankees two games above .500 and improved their June record to 12-3.

This month New York is batting .315 at the plate and has driven in almost seven runs per game. Hot hitters Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez, who hit his league leading 26 home run on Saturday, are leading the Yankees charge back up the standings.

"We've been getting it from everybody for a long time," Jeter told MLB.com. "We've got a lot of guys who are feeling comfortable and pretty confident when they're up there at the plate. It makes it tough to pitch to us."

Reyes burning up the bases

New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes is a thorn in the side of the rival Yankees. On Friday, Reyes went 3-for-3 with a walk and three stolen bases. He followed up that effort with a ninth-inning RBI single, two stolen bases and forced Yankees pitcher Tyler Clippard to balk, bringing the crafty base runner home.

"I enjoy it," Reyes told reporters about forcing the balk. "It's a big part of my game."

Clippard is the second major league pitcher to fall for Reyes antics this season. On May 29, the Giants Armando Benitez balked with Reyes on third, tying the game late in extra innings. Reyes leads the Mets in batting, hitting .319 this season and is the major league leader in steals with 37.

Dinged up Damon is DH

Yankees center fielder Johnny Damon’s list of ailments this season is beginning to resemble a HMO’s day planner.

Damon returned to the lineup Saturday night after sitting out Friday’s series opener with an abdominal strain. Manager Joe Torre decided to use Damon as the DH rather than risk further injury in the field. However, according to Damon, this injury could plague him for the rest of the year.

“I don't think a day or hours is going to do anything,” Damon told the New York Daily News. “I just have to go and swing. I think I can do it. Granted, it could get worse, but I know my presence in the lineup can change things whether I do well or not.”

Damon is batting .254 this season with three home runs and 21 RBI. Despite his recent injury troubles, the 33-year-old has never been placed on the disabled list in his 13 years in the big leagues.

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