Friday Trends and Indexes 07/27

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Trends and Indexes
Friday, July 27

Good Luck on day #208 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.

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Six-pack for Friday

-- Remember when Willie Harris was 6-6 with six RBI in one game last week? Before that game, Harris had gone 73 AB without knocking in even one run.

-- Eric Byrnes jacked a walk-off tater in 9th to give Arizona a 7-4 win over the skidding Marlins.

-- Red Sox-Indians followed pair of 1-0 tilts with Thursday's 14-9 slugfest in Cleveland. Baseball is a weird game.

-- Since World War II, Bob Gibson and Greg Maddux share lead in stolen bases by pitchers, with thirteen each.

-- When Aaron Harang went ten innings earlier this week, he joined Roy Halladay and Mark Mulder as only pitchers to do that in major leagues this decade.

-- Chase Utley and Brad Penny both got hurt Thursday, as two contenders suffer blows to their playoff hopes.

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Friday's List of 13: At end of the day, real life intrudes.......

13) I met Skip Prosser once, in August 2001 in Canton, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions for Jack Youngblood, Jackie Slater, Marv Levy and Lynn Swann. You would never know that he was a bigtime coach/celebrity, just seemed like a regular, good guy. Lot of shocked and sad people down here, over the news of his passing at age 56.

12) Western Michigan coach Steve Hawkins had a seizure in the spring; after research, it was determined his lifestyle had probably been a factor in that happening. These coaches are on a treadmill, between recruiting and camps and coaching their teams. The one person they often neglect is themselves.

11) Andy Katz wrote an excellent story on espn.com about Prosser's death; he was taping interviews today with coaches upstairs in The Milk House. Prosser's son Mark is a Bucknell assistant and left as soon as he get the tragic phone call.

10) If I was a college president or an AD, I would mandate it that all my coaches would have regular physical exams, and designated down time, so they're not running themselves into the ground. Working harder is not always working smarter.

9) Sitting under the basket at some of today's games, you can see just how physical some of these games are, and how a lot of times, referees have to let a lot of contact go, or else each game would take three hours to play. It also shows that kids need to learn how to play through contact, or else............

8) Most dramatic ending I saw today was National Christian's tip-in at buzzer to post come-from-behind 77-76 win over the Pittsburgh Storm, who had led virtually the entire game.

7) Best name of any player I've seen here: Cardarius Smoot of the Birmingham Bearcats.

6) Lot of kids miss foul shots because they lean back while at the stripe; proper posture at foul line makes you shoot better, leaning into the shot.

5) Team Final's are second team we've seen this week whose three assistant coaches are from three different states.

4) The next two days are the busiest of the 12 days, with the national championship starting Friday morning. You can't be everywhere or see everything; if you try to, it'll be a disaster and you'll drive yourself crazy. Just focus in one area, then enjoy-- it really is a tremendous feast of basketball.

3) That said, I witnessed two coaches this week who thought they were on TV, their sideline histrionics were so over-the- top. One guy held his head and screamed as a ref's call went against him, while another loudly berated one of his players for turning ball over multiple times. Chill fellas, life is short.

2) We are constantly reminded that life is both precious and too short; Skip Prosser was here earlier this week; I had seen him watching a game down on Court 1 at Milk House. When you start seeing the ACC/Big 11/Big East coaches showing up, you know things are heating up here, and thats what I thought when I saw Prosser.

1) Then, just like that, he is gone. Real life is fast and cruel., there are no guarantees. Make the most of whatever time we have here; its the least we can do.

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[pm530]

Weekend Sports Preview

The AFL season comes to a close this weekend with ArenaBowl XXI in New Orleans, while bettors will also have a full slate of baseball, Canadian football, WNBA, and NASCAR.

The San Jose SaberCats and Columbus Destroyers clash in Arena Bowl XXI at New Orleans Arena on Sunday. The SaberCats are a 6.5-point favorite in the game, but the Destroyers have plenty of experience with big upsets after winning all three of their playoff games so far as underdogs.

On the Canadian gridiron this weekend Week 5 of the CFL season continues. Friday night’s lone game sees Hamilton visit Winnipeg, while on Saturday Edmonton faces Saskatchewan and B.C. battles Calgary.

With August just around the corner playoff races are heating up throughout Major League Baseball. The top matchups to keep an eye on in the American League include a clash of division leaders in Detroit and Los Angeles, and division battles Minnesota at Cleveland and Oakland at Seattle. Also on tap in the AL this weekend are the Yankees at Baltimore, Boston at Tampa Bay, Texas at Kansas City, and Toronto at the White Sox.

Over in the National League there are also a number of divisional faceoffs, including the Cubs at Cincinnati, Milwaukee at St. Louis, and the Dodgers at Colorado. The rest of the NL schedule includes Florida at San Francisco, Atlanta at Arizona, San Diego at Houston, Washington at the Mets, and Pittsburgh at Philadelphia.

With the playoffs less than three weeks away they’re getting into crunch time in the WNBA. The weekend schedule tips off on Friday night with four games as Houston visits San Antonio, Phoenix travels to Chicago, Indiana invades Seattle, and Minnesota tries to snap their 10-game losing streak when they host Los Angeles.

Saturday’s schedule is much lighter with only one game as first-place Detroit takes on Washington. The lull ends on Sunday as there are six games on the schedule, with both conference leaders in action as Los Angeles visits Detroit and San Antonio takes on Seattle. Also on Sunday there is Connecticut at New York, Houston at Chicago, Indiana at Phoenix, and Minnesota at Sacramento.

On the race track this weekend NASCAR returns to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Jimmie Johnson won at Indy last year, but points leader Jeff Gordon is the favorite at 6/1, followed by Tony Stewart, who’s coming off his first win of the season, at 7/1.

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Canadian Football League – Long Sheet

CFL
Long Sheet

Friday, July 27

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HAMILTON (0 - 4) at WINNIPEG (2 - 1 - 1) - 7/27/2007, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
HAMILTON is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in road games after 2 or more consecutive straight up losses over the last 2 seasons.
HAMILTON is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 3-2 against the spread versus HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 3-2 straight up against HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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[pm530]

Canadian Football League – Write up

CFL
Write-up


Friday, July 27

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Hamilton (0-4) @ Winnipeg (2-1-1) -- TigerCats are 0-4, but seem to be improving; they lost 22-18 in Vancouver last week, their first cover of season, with three previous losses by 28,25,9 pts. TiCats ran ball 18 times for 191 yards, after having 253 rushing yards total in first three games. Bombers won in Montreal last week, their second win in last three games. Winnipeg is giving up an average of 459.5 ypg on road, 293 ypg at home.

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[pm530]

Canadian Football League – Betting Trends

CFL

Friday, July 27

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CFL Betting Trends
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HAMILTON TIGER-CATS @ WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
0-4 July 27, 8:00 PM | Turf of Canad Inns Stadium 2-1-1


BETTING TRENDS

HAMILTON
Hamilton is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
Hamilton is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Hamilton's last 5 games
Hamilton is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Hamilton is 2-19 SU in its last 21 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Hamilton's last 5 games on the road
Hamilton is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Winnipeg
Hamilton is 4-11 SU in its last 15 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Hamilton's last 19 games when playing Winnipeg
Hamilton is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
Hamilton is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Hamilton's last 7 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg

WINNIPEG
Winnipeg is 2-3-1 SU in its last 6 games
Winnipeg is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Winnipeg is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Winnipeg's last 8 games at home
Winnipeg is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Hamilton
Winnipeg is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games when playing Hamilton
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Winnipeg's last 19 games when playing Hamilton
Winnipeg is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against Hamilton
Winnipeg is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Hamilton
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Winnipeg's last 7 games when playing at home against Hamilton

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WNBA – Betting Trends

WNBA


Friday, July 27

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Betting Trends
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Trends - Houston at San Antonio

ATS Trends

Houston
Comets are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog of 5.0-10.5.
Comets are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games as an underdog of 5.0-10.5.
Comets are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a S.U. loss.
Comets are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
Comets are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games as an underdog.
Comets are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games.
Comets are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog.
Comets are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games following a ATS win.
Comets are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 vs. Western Conference.
Comets are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games playing on 3 or more days rest.
Comets are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.

San Antonio
Silver Stars are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Friday games.
Silver Stars are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.
Silver Stars are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite.
Silver Stars are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
Silver Stars are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a S.U. win.
Silver Stars are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games as a favorite of 5.0-10.5.
Silver Stars are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 2 days rest.

OU Trends

Houston
Under is 5-0 in Comets last 5 games playing on 3 or more days rest.
Under is 5-1 in Comets last 6 vs. Western Conference.
Over is 8-2 in Comets last 10 Friday games.
Over is 4-1 in Comets last 5 vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
Over is 4-1 in Comets last 5 overall.
Over is 4-1 in Comets last 5 games as an underdog of 5.0-10.5.
Under is 7-2 in Comets last 9 games following a S.U. loss.
Under is 9-4 in Comets last 13 games as an underdog.

San Antonio
Over is 4-1 in Silver Stars last 5 home games.
Over is 4-1 in Silver Stars last 5 games as a home favorite.
Over is 6-2-1 in Silver Stars last 9 Friday games.
Under is 6-2 in Silver Stars last 8 games as a favorite of 5.0-10.5.
Over is 11-5 in Silver Stars last 16 games as a home favorite of 5.0-10.5.

Head to Head
Over is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings in San Antonio.
Under is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings.
Comets are 1-4-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings.

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Trends - Los Angeles at Minnesota

ATS Trends

Los Angeles
Sparks are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games as an underdog of 0.5-4.5.
Sparks are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games.

Minnesota
Lynx are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games as a home favorite of 0.5-4.5.
Lynx are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 Friday games.
Lynx are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games as a favorite.
Lynx are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games following a ATS loss.
Lynx are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games following a S.U. loss.
Lynx are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
Lynx are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 1 days rest.
Lynx are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 home games.
Lynx are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 vs. Western Conference.

OU Trends

Los Angeles
Under is 5-0 in Sparks last 5 games as an underdog.
Over is 5-0 in Sparks last 5 games as a road underdog of 0.5-4.5.
Under is 4-0 in Sparks last 4 overall.
Under is 7-0 in Sparks last 7 games playing on 2 days rest.
Under is 4-0 in Sparks last 4 vs. Western Conference.
Over is 5-1 in Sparks last 6 Friday games.
Under is 5-1 in Sparks last 6 games following a ATS loss.
Under is 4-1 in Sparks last 5 games following a S.U. loss.
Under is 4-1 in Sparks last 5 road games.
Over is 6-2 in Sparks last 8 games as an underdog of 0.5-4.5.
Over is 5-2 in Sparks last 7 vs. a team with a losing S.U. record.
Over is 5-2 in Sparks last 7 games as a road underdog.

Minnesota
Under is 4-0 in Lynx last 4 games as a home favorite of 0.5-4.5.
Over is 6-0 in Lynx last 6 games following a S.U. loss.
Under is 6-0 in Lynx last 6 games as a favorite of 0.5-4.5.
Over is 6-0 in Lynx last 6 overall.
Over is 5-0 in Lynx last 5 games following a ATS loss.
Under is 7-1 in Lynx last 8 games as a favorite.
Under is 5-1 in Lynx last 6 games as a home favorite.
Over is 5-1 in Lynx last 6 vs. Western Conference.
Over is 4-1 in Lynx last 5 home games.
Over is 4-1 in Lynx last 5 games playing on 1 days rest.

Head to Head
Over is 7-2 in the last 9 meetings in Minnesota.
Over is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings.
Sparks are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Minnesota.

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Trends - Phoenix at Chicago

ATS Trends

Phoenix
Mercury are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games.
Mercury are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games playing on 1 days rest.
Mercury are 12-5 ATS in their last 17 Friday games.
Mercury are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games following a ATS win.

Chicago
Sky are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Friday games.
Sky are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog.
Sky are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
Sky are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a S.U. win.
Sky are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS win.
Sky are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a home underdog.
Sky are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. Western Conference.
Sky are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 games playing on 0 days rest.

OU Trends

Phoenix
Over is 5-0 in Mercury last 5 games playing on 1 days rest.
Over is 5-0 in Mercury last 5 vs. Eastern Conference.
Over is 5-1 in Mercury last 6 games following a ATS win.
Over is 4-1 in Mercury last 5 games following a S.U. win.
Over is 4-1 in Mercury last 5 games as a road favorite of 0.5-4.5.
Over is 4-1 in Mercury last 5 games as a road favorite.
Over is 4-1 in Mercury last 5 road games.
Over is 19-7 in Mercury last 26 Friday games.
Over is 9-4 in Mercury last 13 overall.

Chicago
Over is 7-1 in Sky last 8 games as an underdog.
Under is 5-1 in Sky last 6 games as a home underdog of 0.5-4.5.
Over is 5-1 in Sky last 6 overall.
Under is 9-2 in Sky last 11 games as a home underdog.
Over is 4-1 in Sky last 5 games playing on 0 days rest.
Under is 10-4-1 in Sky last 15 home games.
Under is 5-2 in Sky last 7 games as an underdog of 0.5-4.5.

Head to Head
No trends available.

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Trends - Indiana at Seattle

ATS Trends

Indiana
Fever are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games as a road underdog.
Fever are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games playing on 0 days rest.
Fever are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Friday games.
Fever are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games.
Fever are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a ATS loss.
Fever are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
Fever are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 vs. Western Conference.

Seattle
Storm are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 2 days rest.
Storm are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a home favorite.
Storm are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite of 5.0-10.5.
Storm are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite of 5.0-10.5.
Storm are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 home games.
Storm are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
Storm are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a ATS loss.
Storm are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
Storm are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 vs. Eastern Conference.

OU Trends

Indiana
Under is 6-2-1 in Fever last 9 games as a road underdog of 5.0-10.5.
Under is 6-2-1 in Fever last 9 games as an underdog of 5.0-10.5.
Under is 26-9 in Fever last 35 games following a S.U. loss.
Under is 20-7-1 in Fever last 28 games playing on 0 days rest.
Under is 20-7-1 in Fever last 28 games as a road underdog.
Under is 30-11-1 in Fever last 42 road games.
Under is 8-3 in Fever last 11 games following a ATS loss.
Under is 21-8-1 in Fever last 30 games as an underdog.

Seattle
Under is 4-0 in Storm last 4 Friday games.
Under is 5-0 in Storm last 5 games playing on 2 days rest.
Under is 6-1-1 in Storm last 8 games following a S.U. loss.
Under is 6-2-1 in Storm last 9 games following a ATS loss.
Over is 7-3 in Storm last 10 games as a favorite of 5.0-10.5.
Over is 7-3 in Storm last 10 games as a home favorite of 5.0-10.5.
Over is 9-4 in Storm last 13 home games.

Head to Head
Fever are 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Seattle.

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[pm530]

Baseball - Dunkel Index

MLB
Dunkel Index

Friday, July 27

No Picks Today

The Index is taking a short summer break and will not publish picks from July 27 through August 4. Please check back on August 5 for our latest updates.

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[pm530]

Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Friday, July 27

Hot Pitchers
-- Hill is 1-0, 2.57 in his last couple starts; he blanked the Reds for seven innings back on April 14, 7-0.
-- Bacsik is 1-0, 1.46 in his last couple of starts.
-- Williams has 2.91 RA in his last three starts.
-- Brewers won seven of last eight Vargas starts.
-- Rockies won last three Fogg home starts, scoring 27 runs.
-- Petit is 2-1, 2.95 in his last four starts.
-- Florida won last three Vander Hurk starts, scoring 22 runs.

-- Guthrie is 2-0, 1.38 in his last couple starts. Bronx won the last four Pettitte starts, scoring 45 runs.
-- Indians won five of last six Byrd starts.
-- Towers has a 2.66 RA in his last three starts.
-- Rangers won last three Wright starts, scoring 16 runs.
-- Weaver has a 2.31 RA in his last five starts.

Cold Pitchers
-- Moyer is 1-3, 8.26 in his last five starts. Van Ben Schoten is a 0-4, 8.53 pitcher in six starts this season.
-- Cincinnati is 6-15 in Arroyo starts this season.
-- Sosa is 0-2, 7.20 since coming off the DL.
-- Peavy is 0-4, 4.06 in his last five starts; Padres were blanked in his last two outings.
-- Maroth is 0-2, 11.77 in his last three starts.
-- Tomko has a 7.81 RA in his last eight starts.
-- Reyes is 0-1, 6.14 in three starts, all Atlanta losses.
-- Giants lost seven of last eight Zito starts.

-- Hammel allowed two runs in four IP in his first '07 start, in the Bronx Saturday; he threw 68 pitches, left with game tied. He is on a 90-pitch limit in this game.
-- Twins lost last four Bonser road starts (0-3, 6.46).
-- Garland is 1-2, 9.86 in his last four starts.
-- Bannister is 0-2, 8.18 in his last couple road starts.
-- Tigers lost six of last eight Robertson starts.
-- A's lost last five Braden starts, scoring total of eleven runs.


Totals
-- Four of last five Moyer starts went over the total.
-- Under is 8-2 in last ten Hill starts.
-- Last five Bacsik starts stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five Williams starts stayed under the total.
-- Over is 7-3 in last ten Vargas starts.
-- Over is 9-6 in last fifteen Fogg starts.
-- Last four Petit starts stayed under the total.
-- Five of last seven Vander Hurk starts went over the total.

-- Under is 8-3 in last eleven Guthrie starts.
-- Under is 5-2 in Byrd's last seven starts.
-- Last four Wakefield starts went over the total.
-- Last four Garland starts all went over the total.
-- Under is 8-0-1 in last nine Bannister starts.
-- Under is 5-0-1 in Robertson road games this season.
-- Under is 7-2 in last nine Hernandez starts.


Hot Teams
-- Mets won ten of their last thirteen home games.
-- Phillies won five of their last six games.
-- Astros won four of their last five games.
-- Cubs won nine of their last thirteen games. Reds won three of their last four games.
-- Rockies are 16-5 in their last twenty-one home games. Dodgers won eight of last eleven on the road.
-- Arizona won six of its last seven home games.
-- Braves won six of their last nine road games.

-- Red Sox won six of their last seven games.
-- Orioles won nine of their last twelve home games. Bronx won six of their last seven games, scoring 69 runs.
-- White Sox won five of last seven home games. Toronto won its last five games by combined score of 33-5.
-- Tigers are 7-4 in their last eleven road contests.
-- Rangers won their last four games, all by one run.
-- A's won three of their last four games.

Cold Teams
-- Pirates lost ten of twelve since the All-Star break.
-- Brewers are 4-11 in their last fifteen road games.
-- Nationals lost eleven of their last fifteen road games.
-- Cardinals are 3-11 in game after their last fourteen wins.
-- Padres lost six of their last seven games.
-- Marlins lost seven of their last eight road games. Giants lost eight of their last twelve home games.

-- Indians lost five of their last seven home games. Twins lost last four games by combined score of 33-7.
-- Devil Rays lost last six games, allowing 64 runs.
-- Royals lost three of their last four games.
-- Angels lost seven of their last ten games.
-- Seattle lost last seven games, scoring nineteen runs.

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[pm530]

Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB

Friday, July 27

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Tips and Trends
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New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles (7:05 PM ET)

New York’s Andy Pettitte is an incredible 20-5 in 31 career outings against Baltimore with a 3.72 ERA. Pettitte has made two appearances versus the Orioles in 2007, allowing two runs and eight hits over eight innings of work. BIG EDGE: YANKEES
Pettitte may have a 2-1 record in the month of July through five starts, but he’s struggled mightily. The left-hander has surrendered 22 earned runs and 40 hits over 25 1/3 innings. SLIGHT EDGE: ORIOLES
Baltimore right-hander Jeremy Guthrie has allowed two runs and seven hits in 8 1/3 innings in his career against New York. The Orioles picked up a 3-2 victory over the Yankees in his last start versus the Yankees on June 26. SLIGHT EDGE: ORIOLES
Guthrie wasn’t sharp in his last start at Camden Yards, as the Chicago White Sox knocked him around for five earned runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings. SLIGHT EDGE: YANKEES
The Yankees are 8-1 in Pettitte’s last nine starts versus the Orioles.



Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Indians (7:05 PM ET)

Minnesota starter Boof Bonser comes in off two strong performances against the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics. The right-hander has allowed five runs and 10 hits over his last 14 innings, as the Twins have picked up two straight victories with him on the hill. EDGE: TWINS
The Twins have lost four straight road games with Bonser on the mound, with the offense scoring just nine runs over that span. EDGE: INDIANS
Cleveland’s Paul Byrd is 7-3 with a 3.95 ERA in 13 career starts against Minnesota. He picked up a 15-7 victory over the Twins on May 15, allowing five runs and seven hits over seven innings. EDGE: INDIANS
Byrd has picked up a 5-2 record at Jacobs Field despite the fact he’s allowed 76 hits over 54 innings of work. He’s also allowed 10 home runs at home versus just five on the road. EDGE: TWINS
The Twins are 5-0 in their last five Friday games.



Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds (7:10 PM ET)

Chicago’s Rich Hill is an even 2-2 with a 4.44 ERA in five career outings against Cincinnati. He threw seven shutout innings versus the Reds in a 7-0 victory on April 14, allowing just three hits in that contest. SLIGHT EDGE: CUBS
Hill has produced two quality starts since the All-Star break, going 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA. He’s allowed three earned runs and 10 hits over 14 innings of work. SLIGHT EDGE: CUBS
Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo has a losing 4-5 record against the Chicago Cubs in 12 outings despite having a great 3.07 ERA. He’s 0-2 with a 3.95 ERA in two starts versus the Cubs in 2007. SLIGHT EDGE: REDS
Arroyo has improved his season performance in July, with an even 2-2 record and 3.38 ERA. He’s allowed just 10 earned runs in 26 2/3 innings this month after allowing 19 runs in 32 2/3 innings in June. SLIGHT EDGE: REDS
The Cubs are 2-6 in Hill’s last eight road starts.



San Diego Padres at Houston Astros (8:05 PM ET)

San Diego right-hander Jake Peavy is 5-4 with a 2.44 ERA in 10 career starts against Houston. He posted a 1-1 record and 1.93 ERA in two starts versus the Astros last season. SLIGHT EDGE: PADRES
The Padres have lost four of Peavy’s last five starts, with the offense supplying just four runs of support over that span. EDGE: ASTROS & UNDER
Houston’s Woody Williams is a perfect 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA in four career starts against San Diego. The right-hander has allowed just eight runs and 16 hits in 32 innings versus his former team. EDGE: ASTROS
The Astros offense has supplied Williams with three runs of support or less in six of his last eight starts. SLIGHT EDGE: PADRES
The OVER is 12-3 in the Astros last 15 games versus the NL West.



Milwaukee Brewers at St. Louis Cardinals (8:10 PM ET)

Milwaukee’s Claudio Vargas is a miserable 1-4 with a 7.89 ERA in seven career outings against St. Louis. He lasted just three innings in his lone start versus the Cardinals in 2006, giving up eight runs and eight hits. EDGE: CARDINALS
The Brewers have won eight of Vargas’ last nine starts. The right-hander has picked up victories over Arizona and San Francisco in his two starts since the All-Star break. BIG EDGE: BREWERS
St. Louis starter Brad Thompson will make his first start at home since July 4, after posting back-to-back quality starts on the road. He’s 2-1 with a 4.32 ERA in 15 outings at Busch Stadium in 2007. SLIGHT EDGE: CARDINALS
Thompson will make his first career start against Milwaukee tonight after making 13 career relief appearances. He’s allowed five runs and 10 hits over 17 1/3 innings. SLIGHT EDGE: CARDINALS
The Brewers are 5-1 in the last six meetings.

Toronto Blue Jays at Chicago White Sox (8:11 PM ET)

Toronto starter Josh Towers is an even 3-3 with a 5.52 ERA in seven career outings against Chicago. He’s given up seven home runs in just 29 1/3 innings versus the White Sox. SLIGHT EDGE: WHITE SOX
Towers has been very impressive in two of his last three starts, tossing 14 2/3 shutout innings against the Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners – both 1-0 victories. EDGE: BLUE JAYS
Chicago’s Jon Garland has compiled an 8-2 record and 4.19 ERA in 14 career appearances against Toronto. He picked up two victories in his starts versus the Blue Jays last season, but had an inflated 6.00 ERA. SLIGHT EDGE: WHITE SOX
Garland has been blasted for 22 earned runs and 39 hits in just 28 innings of work in five starts this month. EDGE: BLUE JAYS
The Blue Jays are 4-1 in the last five meetings.



Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels (10:05 PM ET)

Detroit’s Nate Robertson is a dismal 0-3 with an 8.13 ERA in six career starts against the Los Angeles Angels. He allowed just one run and four hits over 7 1/3 innings versus the Angels in his lone start against them in 2006. EDGE: ANGELS
Robertson is 2-1 with a 4.07 ERA in four July starts, after posting a miserable 11.81 ERA in June. EDGE: TIGERS
Los Angeles starter Jered Weaver was blasted in his only career start against Detroit for five earned runs and seven hits in just 1 2/3 innings. SLIGHT EDGE: TIGERS
The Angels have lost four straight games with Weaver on the hill, as the offense has scored just eight runs over that span. EDGE: TIGERS
The Tigers are 15-37 in the last 52 meetings.



Oakland Athletics at Seattle Mariners (10:05 PM ET)

Oakland left-hander Dallas Braden has appeared in just four road games this season, posting a 1-0 record and 2.70 ERA. He’s walked just one batter and fanned nine in 10 innings away from the Bay Area. SLIGHT EDGE: A’S
Braden is coming off a fantastic start in a losing effort to Baltimore, allowing just a single run and four hits over seven innings. SLIGHT EDGE: A’S
Seattle’s Felix Hernandez is 3-2 with a 2.08 ERA in six career starts against Oakland. He threw eight shutout innings and fanned 12 in a 4-0 victory against them back on July 7th. EDGE: MARINERS
The Mariners have lost Hernandez’s last two starts, as the right-hander has given up nine runs and 15 hits over 12 innings. SLIGHT EDGE: A’S
The Athletics are 9-3 in the last 12 meetings at Safeco Field.

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[pm530]

Baseball – Betting Notes

MLB


Friday, July 27

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MLB Betting Notes
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Friday’s MLB betting notes

Opening with an ending

When the Yankees and the Orioles first trot onto the field on Friday night it will not be to open a four-game series, but instead to finish a game that started at the end of June.

That game was suspended in the eighth inning due to rain, just as the Yankees were pulling out a strong lead. It will pick up in the same inning on Friday with New York leading 8-6. At least the Orioles will be able to prepare their comeback in advance.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to get the boxscore and the lineups," manager Dave Trembley told MLB.com on Wednesday. "I'm going to look at the roster and see who's available. We might be able to add a couple guys because they weren't here when that was going on."

Both teams are expected to resume the game with the same pitchers on the mound. That means that Mike Myers (1-0, 2.41) will battle it out with Chris Ray (5-6, 4.43) over the two innings.

Playing through the pain

The Detroit Tigers are 11 games into a 17-game stretch without a day off and some of the regulars are starting to feel the strain. This week alone Ivan Rodriguez, Placido Polanco, Gary Sheffield and Carlos Guillen have all missed games with naggling injuries.

"Trust me, they are hurting," manager Jim Leyland told MLB.com. I'm very proud of them because all they do is play. They go out and play. They want to play and they're playing hurt and I can't tell you how proud I am. But, sooner or later, you have to give someone a blow. I'm doing that."

For Friday’s series opener against the Los Angeles Angels, Leyland says he will have Rodriguez, Polanco and Guillen back in the lineup. Sheffield is a doubt as he continues to struggle with a sore right shoulder.

The Tigers send Nate Robertson (6-7, 4.63 ERA) to the mound for that game to face the Angel’s Jered Weaver (6-5, 3.30). Detroit is a +135 underdog with the total set at 9.

DeRosa given a well-earned rest

The Chicago Cubs gave Mark DeRosa two days off this week to ensure that he has recovered from a hamstring problem in time for Friday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds.

DeRosa has proved to be the ultimate utility man for the Cubs and has played at first base, second base, third base, right field and even at shortstop already this season.

"I'm all right," DeRosa told reporters after being pulled from Tuesday’s game. "I just felt something in batting practice and brushed it off as no big deal and that it would go away. That first at-bat, I could feel it, and when I hit the ground ball, I had to get after it getting to first base. They took me out as a precaution."

De Rosa is batting .284 with 50 RBIs and seven homers. On his return on Friday, the Cubs send Rich Hill (6-6, 3.58) to the mound to face the Reds Bronson Arroyo (4-11, 4.58). Chicago is a –116 favorite with the total set at 9 ½.

Crosby injured again

The Oakland Athletics have placed shortstop Bobby Crosby on the 15-day disabled list after he suffered multiple fractures in his left hand. The injury occurred when he was hit by a pitch from Angels reliever Justin Speier on Tuesday night.

Crosby was the AL rookie of the year in 2004, but has since been plagued by injuries. Last year he missed much of the season after he was diagnosed with a fracture in one of his vertebrae.

"Yesterday was the first day in a month and a half where I felt great at the plate," Crosby told MLB.com after his latest setback. "I felt like was getting some things figured out. Now I have to sit and watch. Again. It's almost indescribable how depressing it is."

Without their shortstop, the A’s continue a four-game series at Seattle on Friday. Dallas Braden (1-5, 5.15) faces Felix Hernandez (6-6, 4.02) on the mound and the Mariners are -165 favorites with the total set at 8 ½.

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[pm530]

Baseball Today - July 27

SCOREBOARD
Friday, July 27

N.Y. Yankees at Baltimore (7:05 p.m. EDT). Andy Pettite squares off against Jeremy Guthrie following the completion of a suspended game from June 28.

STARS
Thursday

-Eric Byrnes, Diamondbacks, hit a game-ending, three-run homer to lift Arizona over Florida 7-4.

-Albert Pujols, Cardinals, drove in five runs in an 11-1 win over the Cubs.

-Ken Griffey Jr., Reds, had three hits, including his 588th homer, in a 6-5, 10-inning victory over Milwaukee.

-Jesus Flores, Nationals, hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the eighth inning to lift Washington over Philadelphia 7-6.

-Nick Swisher, Athletics, hit a pair of homers in Oakland's 6-2 win over Seattle.

-Josh Phelps, Pirates, capped a five-run sixth inning with a two-run homer and added an RBI double in the seventh in an 8-4 win over the Mets.

UNDONE

Chase Utley broke his right hand when he was hit by a pitch by Nationals starter John Lannan in the fifth inning of Philadelphia's 7-6 loss to Washington on Thursday. The All-Star second baseman, who finished the game 2-for-4, leads the majors with 17 hit by pitches this season. He was hit 14 times last season.

SLAMMED

Albert Pujols snapped an 0-for-11 slump with a three-run homer, Chris Duncan added a grand slam and the St. Louis Cardinals routed the Chicago Cubs 11-1 on Thursday. Pujols drove in five runs, tying his season high.

MAGIC WANDY

Wandy Rodriguez allowed one run and five hits in seven innings to earn the win in Houston's 7-1 victory over San Diego on Thursday. Rodriguez (7-9) improved to 6-2 with a 1.76 ERA at home. The left-hander is 1-7 with a 7.43 ERA on the road.

LIFT OFF

Manny Ramirez hit the third-longest home run at Jacobs Field, a tree-clearing solo shot into a monument area, and added a two-run homer as the Boston Red Sox outslugged the Cleveland Indians 14-9 on Thursday night. Ramirez's tape-measure rocket in the second inning off Cliff Lee (5-8) was conservatively estimated at 481 feet.

SNAPPED

Kansas City beat the New York Yankees 7-0 on Thursday to snap the Yankees' six-game winning streak. ... Tony Pena Jr.'s eighth-inning walk for the Royals was his first since May 5, ending a string of 244 plate appearances without one. ... James Loney went 0-for-4 in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 5-4 win over Colorado to end his 30-game streak of reaching base safely. It was the second longest streak in the majors this year.

SPEAKING

"That was one of the hardest balls I've seen go out. I thought it might go through (the wall).'' - Red Sox manager Terry Francona on Wily Mo Pena's three-run homer in a 14-9 victory over the Indians on Thursday night.

SEASONS
July 27

1918 - Brooklyn rookie Henry Heitman completed one of the shortest careers in major league history. Heitman appeared on the mound against the St. Louis Cardinals, gave up four consecutive hits and then left the game, never to play a major league game again.

1930 - Ken Ash of Cincinnati got his last major league victory by throwing one pitch. Ash came into relieve in the fifth inning and got Chicago's Charlie Grimm to hit into a triple play. Ash was removed for a pinch hitter and the Reds beat the Cubs 6-5.

1946 - Rudy York of Boston hit two grand slams and drove in 10 runs as the Red Sox beat the St. Louis Browns 13-6.

1950 - Del Ennis of the Philadelphia Phillies drove in seven runs in the seventh and eighth innings of a 13-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Ennis doubled with the bases loaded in the seventh and hit a grand slam in the eighth.

1959 - New York lawyer William Shea announced the formation of the Continental League. New York, Houston, Toronto, Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul were the five cities named and Branch Rickey was named league president.

1978 - Duane Kuiper of Cleveland tied a major league record by becoming the third player in the 20th century to hit two triples in a game, Both came with the bases loaded as the Indians beat the New York Yankees 17-5.

1984 - Montreal's Pete Rose passed Ty Cobb for the most singles in a career with No. 3,053, against the Philadelphia Phillies.

1986 - Two 300-game winners faced each other as Don Sutton hurled six strong innings to outpitch Tom Seaver and give the California Angels a 3-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

1996 - The San Diego Padres pounded the Florida Marlins, 20-12. Wally Joyner led the way with five RBIs, while John Flaherty hit a grand slam. The Padres were the sixth club to score 20 runs in a game this season. The last time that happened was 1929.

Today's birthdays: Alex Rodriguez 32; Shea Hillenbrand 32.

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[Kaptain]

Points of interest

Points of Interest

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07/27/07
03:35 AM Injuries
MLB
Friday: Mets CF Carlos Beltran (.263; abdominal) is doubtful.

07/27/07
03:34 AM Injuries
MLB
Friday: Marlins SS Hanley Ramirez (.336; shoulder) is questionable; Brewers C Johnny Estrada (.277; hamstring) is questionable.
07/27/07

03:33 AM Injuries
MLB
Friday: Cubs 2B Mark DeRosa (.284; hamstring) is questionable; Reds C David Ross (.196; hand) is doubtful.

07/27/07
03:33 AM Injuries
MLB
Friday: Red Sox RF JD Drew (.247; rest) is questionable; Braves 3B Chipper Jones (.344; groin) is probable.

07/27/07
03:31 AM Injuries
MLB
Friday: Tigers DH Gary Sheffield (.298; shoulder) and SS Carlos Guillen (.309; calf) are questionable.


07/27/07
03:13 AM Injuries
MLB
Dodgers SP Derek Lowe (groin) said he could make his next start.

7/27/07
03:11 AM News Alert
MLB
Braves are reportedly offering Jarrod Saltalmacchia, Matt Harrison and Elvis Andrus to the Rangers for Mark Teixeira

07/27/07
03:12 AM Info Alert
MLB
The Rockies have targeted Dan Wheeler in trade talks according to reports.
__________________


MLB First 1/2...................380-313.........+68.93 units
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[Udog]

Good morning, Kapt.! Thanks again!