Friday Trends and Indexes 08/03

[pm530]

Trends and Indexes
Friday, August 3

Good Luck on day #215 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]

Weekend Sports Preview

It’s another extremely busy weekend for sports fans and bettors as preseason NFL football is added to a schedule that already included MLB, WNBA, CFL, NASCAR and Formula 1 racing.

There are a ton of meaningful games in both the AL and NL this weekend as teams fight for playoff position. In the AL, the Central division commands the spotlight as the White Sox visit Detroit and Cleveland heads to Minnesota. Other playoff contenders in action include the Angels at Oakland, Boston at Seattle and Kansas City at the Yankees. The rest of the AL schedule includes Texas at Toronto, and Baltimore at Tampa Bay.

A battle between division leaders is the top matchup in the NL this weekend, as the Cubs head to Shea Stadium to face the Mets. Two of the teams trailing the Cubs and Mets also square off this weekend when Philadelphia visits Milwaukee, while Atlanta hosts Colorado. Other weekend series with playoff implications include San Francisco at San Diego, and Arizona at the Dodgers. Also on tap in the NL is Houston at Florida, Cincinnati at Pittsburgh and St. Louis at Washington.

The NFL preseason begins this weekend with the Hall of Fame Game on Sunday at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio. The Pittsburgh Steelers face the New Orleans Saints in the game, with the Steelers listed as a 3-point favorite and a total set at 34.

On the Canadian gridiron this weekend the CFL kicks off Week 6. Friday night’s contest has Winnipeg visiting Hamilton, while Calgary heads to Edmonton in Saturday’s lone game.

The end of the WNBA regular season is in sight, but there’s still plenty to be decided before the playoffs tip off. Friday night’s hardwood action includes New York at Washington, Los Angeles at Houston, Detroit at Chicago, and Seattle at Sacramento. On Saturday, Indiana visits Connecticut, Los Angeles battles San Antonio, Houston faces Minnesota and Phoenix takes on Seattle. Sunday’s two games include Chicago at Washington and Sacramento at Indiana.

The Race for the Chase resumes on the Nextel Cup circuit this weekend as NASCAR’s best return to Pocono Raceway for the Pennsylvania 500. Points leader Jeff Gordon won at Pocono earlier this season, but Tony Stewart is the favorite this weekend after wining the last two races.

In Formula 1, the season resumes on Sunday at Hungaroring for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Jenson Button won his first-ever F1 Grand Prix in Hungary last year, but McLaren-Mercedes teammates Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton are the favorites this year with only two points separating them in the driver standings.

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[pm530]

Baseball - Dunkel Index

MLB
Dunkel Index

Friday, August 3

No Picks Today
The Index is taking a short summer break, please check back on Sunday, August 5 for the latest updates.

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[pm530]

Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB

Friday, August 3

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Tips and Trends
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New York Mets at Chicago Cubs (2:20 PM ET)

New York’s Orlando Hernandez is 4-3 with a 3.64 ERA in 10 road starts this season. The Mets have picked up back-to-back road victories over Los Angeles and San Diego with him on the mound, allowing four earned runs and nine hits over 13 innings. SLIGHT EDGE: METS
Hernandez has made five daytime starts in 2007, posting a 2-1 record and 4.20 ERA. The right-hander has allowed nine home runs in 30 innings under the sun this season. SLIGHT EDGE: METS
Chicago right-hander Carlos Zambrano is an even 5-5 with a 4.26 ERA in 11 home starts this season. The Cubs have won his last three starts at Wrigley Field, as the right-hander has allowed just two earned runs over that span. EDGE: CUBS
Zambrano has posted a 3-2 record and 2.79 ERA in six career starts against the Phillies, allowing just one home run in 42 innings. EDGE: CUBS
The Cubs are 0-5 in Zambrano’s last five home starts versus a team with a winning record.



Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers (7:05 PM ET)

Chicago left-hander Mark Buehrle is 11-8 with a 3.22 ERA in 22 career outings versus Detroit. He allowed a season-high 14 hits in a 9-6 loss to the Tigers two starts back. SLIGHT EDGE: WHITE SOX
The White Sox have fallen into a pattern of alternating wins and losses in Buehrle’s last nine starts, picking up a 2-0 victory in his last outing versus Toronto. SLIGHT EDGE: TIGERS
Detroit’s Andrew Miller was knocked around for five runs and 10 hits in just 4 2/3 innings of work against Chicago on June 23. SLIGHT EDGE: WHITE SOX
Miller has posted a solid 3-1 record and 3.86 ERA in four home starts this season. He picked up a 9-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox in his last start at Comerica Park, surrendering just one run and three hits in seven innings. EDGE: TIGERS
The Tigers are 1-6 in their last seven games as a favorite.



Houston Astros at Florida Marlins (7:05 PM ET)

Houston’s Roy Oswalt has posted a disappointing 3-5 record with a 5.95 ERA on the road this season, but he’s coming off a 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh at PNC Park in his last road start. SLIGHT EDGE: MARLINS
Oswalt is 4-2 with a sparkling 1.92 ERA in eight career starts versus Florida. The Astros ace grabbed a 6-1 win over the Marlins in his fourth start this season, allowing one run and six hits in 6 1/3 innings. EDGE: ASTROS
Florida left-hander Dontrelle Willis is just 2-7 with a 5.64 ERA in 12 starts at Dolphin Stadium this season. He’s lasted just 6 2/3 innings in his last two home starts, picking up back-to-back losses to St. Louis and Washington. EDGE: ASTROS
Willis is 3-1 with a 2.36 ERA in six career starts against Houston. He’s allowed just two home runs in 42 innings of work against them. EDGE: MARLINS
The Marlins are 9-1 in Willis’ last 10 Friday starts.



Texas Rangers at Toronto Blue Jays (7:07 PM ET)

Texas starter Kevin Milwood is 1-3 with a 6.42 ERA in six outings against Toronto. He surrendered five runs and eight hits in just five innings of work against the Blue Jays on April 28 at the Rogers Centre. EDGE: BLUE JAYS
Milwood is just 2-6 with a 5.83 ERA in 11 road starts this season. The Rangers have lost four straight road games with him on the mound. EDGE: BLUE JAYS
Toronto’s Roy Halladay is an even 5-5 with a 5.85 ERA in 16 career outings versus Texas. He’s allowed 112 hits in just 92 1/3 innings against them. EDGE: RANGERS
Halladay has posted a rock solid 7-1 record and 3.27 ERA in 10 home starts this season, but he’s allowed 71 hits in 71 2/3 innings of work. SLIGHT EDGE: BLUE JAYS
The Rangers are 38-14 in the last 52 meetings.



Colorado Rockies at Atlanta Braves (7:35 PM ET)

Colorado left-hander Jeff Francis has posted an even 2-2 record and 7.97 ERA in four career starts versus Atlanta. He’s been knocked around for 18 earned runs and 33 hits in just 20 1/3 innings of work. EDGE: BRAVES
Francis has been brilliant on the road, going 6-2 with a 3.66 ERA in 10 starts. The Rockies have picked up three straight road victories with Francis on the mound, outscoring opponents 20-9 in the process. EDGE: ROCKIES
Atlanta’s John Smoltz has posted a 17-11 record and 3.43 ERA in 31 career appearances versus Colorado. The veteran right-hander tallied his third victory of the season against the Rockies on April 28, surrendering two runs and nine hits over seven innings. EDGE: BRAVES
Smoltz has been dominant in three starts since the All-Star break, allowing just four earned runs and striking out 21 over his last 21 innings of work. EDGE: BRAVES
The Rockies are 10-2 in Francis’ last 12 starts versus the NL East.



Cleveland Indians at Minnesota Twins (8:10 PM ET)

Cleveland’s C.C. Sabathia finished off the month of July with two fantastic starts, but picked up losses in both of them. He allowed just two earned runs and 11 hits in 14 2/3 innings of work combined against Boston and Minnesota. SLIGHT EDGE: INDIANS
Sabathia is an even 8-8 with a 3.47 ERA in 23 career starts versus Minnesota. He allowed just one earned run in his last starts, which happened to be against the Twins, but two unearned runs ended up giving him the loss. SLIGHT EDGE: INDIANS
Minnesota ace Johan Santana pushed his career record to 7-4 against Cleveland, after picking up a 3-2 road victory in his last start. He fanned a season-high 12 batters in seven innings while allowing just two runs and four hits in that outing. EDGE: TWINS
Santana actually has a losing record at home this season, going 4-5 with a 3.44 ERA. That’s much different from his 12-0 record and 2.19 ERA at the Metrodome last season. SLIGHT EDGE: TWINS
The UNDER is 4-1 in the last five meetings.



San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres (10:05 PM ET)

Giants starter Matt Cain is 3-2 with a 2.01 ERA in eight career starts versus the Padres. He’s allowed just 28 hits in 53 2/3 innings against them. EDGE: GIANTS
Cain has posted a disappointing 0-3 record and 6.64 ERA in four starts since the All-Star break. EDGE: PADRES
San Diego’s Greg Maddux is a dominating 28-14 with a 2.87 ERA in 48 career starts versus San Francisco. He’s a perfect 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA in two starts against them in 2007. BIG EDGE: PADRES
Maddux suffered through a horrendous July, going 0-4 with a 5.57 ERA in six starts. The right-hander gave up 20 earned runs last month compared to just 12 in the same amount of innings in June. BIG EDGE: GIANTS
The Giants are 7-2 in the last nine meetings in San Diego.



Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers (10:40 PM ET)

Arizona’s Doug Davis has thrown 22 career innings versus Los Angeles without giving up an earned run. He’s allowed just 13 hits while striking out 18 in 22 innings against them. BIG EDGE: D-BACKS
Davis has a dismal 2-8 record on the road this season despite having a 3.66 ERA, which is nearly a full run lower than his 4.57 ERA at Chase Field. SLIGHT EDGE: DODGERS
Los Angeles right-hander Chad Billingsley is a perfect 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in five career outings versus Arizona. He failed to get out of the fifth inning in his last starts against the Diamondbacks, giving up five runs and four hits in that outing. EDGE: DODGERS
Billingsley has allowed 10 earned runs over his last 18 1/3 innings, after allowing just three earned runs in his previous 18 innings of work. SLIGHT EDGE: D-BACKS
The Diamondbacks are 2-8 in the last 10 meetings at Dodger Stadium.

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[pm530]

Baseball – Betting Notes

MLB


Friday, August 3

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MLB Betting Notes
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Guillen knee injury not serious

The Detroit Tigers must have been worried about Carlos Guillen when the shortstop left Tuesday night’s game with a knee problem. But after sitting out Wednesday’s game, Guillen reported feeling better and now looks set to return to the lineup on Friday.

The loss of Guillen would have been particularly hard on the Tigers considering that they have only one other natural shortstop on their roster, Omar Infante.

Guillen is not the only injury concern. Detroit has a host of players struggling with bumps and bruises at the moment, including Placido Polanco, Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield and Ivan Rodriguez. Manager Jim Leyland was quick to pay tribute to their durability.

"You have to be careful," Leyland told MLB.com, "because when you get tough guys like we've got, I can't say enough for them. Sometimes you have to be careful. But at the same time, when you're dealing with four extra players [on the bench], you can't rest all of them."

The Tigers send Andrew Miller (5-3, 3.76) to the mound to face Chicago’s Mark Buehrle (8-6, 3.06) for the first of a three-game series on Friday. The White Sox are +125 underdogs with the total set at 9 runs.


Sanders done for good?

Kansas City outfielder Reggie Sanders was placed on the DL on Wednesday with what could be a season-ending – even career-ending – injury. The 39-year-old told MLB.com that he's unsure of his future after suffering his second hamstring problem of the year.

"I don't," he told the website when asked if he saw this as the end of his career, "because as an athlete, you have to mentally be ready for it to be it. So I'm not there yet." But he also said, "The way it looks, it could be."

Sanders returned from a two-month spell on the DL on July 16 but played in just eight games before getting hurt again in Sunday’s victory over the Texas Rangers. He averaged .315 with 11 RBIs and two homers in just 73 at-bats this season.

Without their veteran rightfielder, the Royals open a three-game series against the Yankees on Friday. Odalis Perez (6-9, 5.73) and Chien-Ming Wang (12-5, 3.61) are the starters with New York the –256 favorite. The total is set at 10.


Twins management warns clubhouse

When the Minnesota Twins failed to make any major moves before the trade deadline on Tuesday, there were widespread reports that the clubhouse was unsatisfied with the lack of action. According to MLB.com, the managerial staff was quick to respond.

The website reports that they typed a message to the players on the same piece of paper as the day’s lineup, which read: "If you feel cheated, take your ball and go home, or get it on, period."

Manager Ron Gardenhire added that he hopes off-the-field issues don’t affect the team’s play. "It's just reinforcing what we think," he told reporters. "They're things you can't control, why are you worried about it?"

Since the trade deadline the Twins have split their two games with the Royals, winning 5-3 on Tuesday and losing 5-3 on Wednesday. Thursday’s game was canceled due to the collapsed bridge in Minneapolis, so the Twins next outing is against the Indians on Friday.

The game features the exciting pitching matchup of C.C. Sabathia (13-6, 3.58) and Johan Santana (11-8, 2.92). Cleveland is a +132 underdog.


Thomas gets a break

Toronto’s veteran designated hitter Frank Thomas was out of the lineup for consecutive games at an American League park for the first time all season this week. Thomas asked for Tuesday off, but was also given Wednesday – and he wasn’t complaining.

"Yesterday, I wanted to take off, because my timing's been off," Thomas told MLB.com. "That's basically it. It's all right to take a couple off sometimes."

Thomas is batting .249 with 54 RBIs and 16 homers for the season. In his absence Matt Stairs was appointed DH, and he went 2-for-8 with two RBIs over the course of both games.

Thomas returns to the lineup for Friday’s series opener against the Texas Rangers. The Blue Jays send Roy Halladay (11-5, 4.04) to the mound to face the Ranger’s Kevin Millwood (7-9, 5.95). Toronto is a –000 favorite.


A month to forget for Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Pirates started July by winning five of their first eight games, but then fell apart in dramatic fashion. After the All-Star break, the Pirates went 2-14, falling 13 ½ games behind division-leading Milwaukee in the NL Central.

Part of the problem was poor starting pitching, especially from the normally reliable Ian Snell and Tom Gorzelanny. Those two had a combined 2-6 record with a 6.84 ERA last month.

But the Pirates' biggest issue was a lack of offense. Their hitters produced a major league-worst 90 runs in 24 games and posted a combined .249 batting average in July.

On Friday, Pittsburgh opens a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds – the team one place ahead of them in the NL Central. Ian Snell (7-9, 3.66) and Matt Belisle (5-8, 5.30) are the starters and the Pirates are –139 favorites with the total set at 9.

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[pm530]

Baseball Today - August 3

SCOREBOARD
Friday, August 3
Arizona at L.A. Dodgers (10:40 p.m. EDT). The NL West-leading Diamondbacks open a key series against the second-place Dodgers.

STARS
Thursday

-- Jermaine Dye, White Sox, homered twice and doubled twice, including a go-ahead drive that led the Chicago White Sox to a 13-9 victory over the New York Yankees.

-- Jake Peavy and Morgan Ensberg, Padres. Peavy struck out 10 over seven scoreless innings to pass 1,000 for his career and Ensberg hit two two-run homers in an 11-0 rout of Arizona.

-- Jayson Werth, Phillies, had three hits and four RBIs to help beat the Chicago Cubs 10-6.

-- Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals, had three hits and drove in three runs, powering Washington past Cincinnati 7-3.

-- David Wright, Mets, had four hits -- including a home run -- and New York beat Milwaukee 12-4.

-- Jason Jennings, Astros, came through with a pinch-hit, two-out RBI single in the 14th inning to give Houston a 12-11 win over Atlanta.

GAME ON

This weekend's four-game series between Cleveland and Minnesota will be played as scheduled at the Metrodome, despite the fatal freeway bridge collapse near downtown on Wednesday night. The Twins postponed Thursday afternoon's game against Kansas City because of the disaster that occurred about a half-mile from the stadium.

CRAZY EIGHTS

The Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees each scored eight runs in the second inning of the White Sox's 13-9 win on Thursday. It was only the second time in major league history both teams scored eight or more in an inning. The first was on May 8, 2004, when visiting Detroit got eight and Texas had 10 in the fifth inning of the Rangers' 16-15, 10-inning win. The 16 runs combined were a record for a second inning, two more than the previous mark.

SNAPPED

Jake Westbrook ended the longest winless stretch of his career just in time for slumping Cleveland, who stopped a four-game losing skid with a 5-0 victory over Texas on Thursday. Westbrook (2-6) picked up his first win since April 27 -- a span of nine starts -- by allowing five hits in six innings. ... After going 30 games without a homer, Vladimir Guerrero hit two in consecutive at-bats in the Los Angeles Angels' 6-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics. Guerrero ended the longest power dry spell of his career, which lasted 125 at-bats, with two tremendous shots into the bleachers in left-center field off Chad Gaudin. His last home run was on June 23, against Pittsburgh, but he won the Home Run Derby on July 9 as part of the All-Star game festivities.

PEAVY'S PUNCHOUTS

Jake Peavy struck out 10 in San Diego's 11-0 win over Arizona on Thursday to become the second Padre to reach the 1,000-strikeout plateau. Peavy (1,004) joined Andy Benes (1,036) after reaching double digits in strikeouts for the fifth time this season and the 20th time in his career. The right-hander (11-5) leads the NL with 154 strikeouts.

STRONG IN DEFEAT

Corey Hart homered twice and drove in three runs, but Milwaukee lost 12-4 to the Mets.

SPEAKING

"You put up an 8-spot and they come right back and put up an 8-spot. It's weird." -- Chicago slugger Jermaine Dye after the White Sox and Yankees scored eight runs each in the highest-scoring second inning in major league history. Dye homered twice and doubled twice, including a go-ahead drive that led Chicago to a 13-9 victory Thursday.

SEASONS
Aug. 3

1933 -- Lefty Grove of the Philadelphia A's became the first pitcher since Aug. 2, 1931 -- a span of 308 games -- to shut out the New York Yankees, winning 7-0.

1948 -- Cleveland's Satchel Paige made his first major league start and went seven innings to lead the Indians to a 5-3 victory over the Washington Senators.

1959 -- The second game of All-Star play this year was won by the AL 5-3 at Los Angeles' Memorial Stadium. Nellie Fox of the Chicago White Sox singled in the deciding run in the seventh inning.

1961 -- The Pittsburgh Pirates scored a 19-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals for the largest shutout score in an NL night game.

1969 -- Pinch-hitter Rich Reese hit a grand slam to power the Minnesota Twins to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Baltimore Orioles and end Dave McNally's 15-game winning streak. His two victories at the end of 1968 had given him 17 straight wins.

1977 -- Eddie Murray, rookie first baseman for Baltimore, hit a home run from each side of the plate. The Orioles beat the Oakland Athletics, 8-6, in 10 innings.

1989 -- The Cincinnati Reds scored 14 runs in the first inning on a major league record 16 hits and went on to beat the Houston Astros 18-2. Seven Reds had two hits off starter Jim Clancy and reliever Bob Forsch in the first, breaking a century-old record.

1998 -- Mike Oquist allowed 14 earned runs -- the most by a major leaguer since 1977 -- in five innings of Oakland's 14-1 loss to the New York Yankees.

2001 -- Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox pitched a one-hitter and faced only 28 batters in a 4-0 win over Tampa Bay.

2004 -- Tony Batista hit a grand slam in the 12th inning after tying the game with a two-run homer in the ninth, leading Montreal over St. Louis 10-6.

2006 -- Chase Utley singled in the first inning of Philadelphia's 8-1 win at St. Louis to extend his hitting streak to 35 games.

2006 -- Matt Murton tied a major league record with four doubles and drove in five runs to help the Chicago Cubs salvage a split of a doubleheader with Arizona 7-3.

Today's birthday: Troy Glaus 31.

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[pm530]

Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Friday, August 3

Hot Pitchers
-- Zambrano is 9-2, 1.53 in his last eleven starts. Hernandez has 2.42 RA in his last four starts (3-0, 2.42).
-- Oswalt is 2-0, 1.38 in his last couple starts.
-- Smoltz has a 2.43 RA in his last seven starts. Colorado won last five Francis starts, scoring 35 runs.
-- Redding is 2-2, 2.10 in his last four starts.
-- Gallardo is 2-0, 2.35 in his last five starts. Phillies won seven of last nine Kendrick starts.
-- Dodgers won six of eight Billingsley starts. Diamondbacks won Davis' last four starts, scoring 21 runs.

-- Halladay has a 1.13 RA in his last three starts.
-- Wang is 5-0, 2.87 in his last five starts.
-- Buehrle has 1.77 RA in his last six road starts.
-- Twins won seven of last nine Santana starts.
-- Red Sox are 2-0 in Lester starts, scoring 18 runs.
-- Moseley has 3.31 RA in three starts for the Angels.
-- Mariners won five of last seven Ramirez starts.

Cold Pitchers
-- Cincinnati lost nine of last ten Belisle starts. Snell is 0-4, 9.00 in his last four starts.
-- Willis is 0-2, 8.54 in his last five starts.
-- Cardinals are 3-14 in last seventeen Wells starts.
-- San Diego lost five of last six Maddux starts. Giants are 3-14 in Cain's last seventeen starts.

-- Millwood is 1-2, 9.00 in his last three starts.
-- Miller is 1-1, 5.03 in his last four starts.
-- Orioles lost seven of last ten Cabrera starts. Devil Rays lost seven of last nine Shields starts.
-- Cleveland lost four of last five Sabathia starts.
-- Oakland is 3-5 in last eight Dinardo starts.


Totals
-- Under is 9-2 in Zambrano's last eleven starts.
-- Over is 9-0-1 in Reds' last ten road games.
-- Over is 8-3-1 in last dozen Oswalt starts.
-- Under is 4-0-1 in Redding's starts this season.
-- Under is 14-5-1 in last twenty Francis starts.
-- Over is 6-2 in Kendrick starts this season.
-- Over is 5-1 in last six Maddux starts.
-- Five of last six Davis starts stayed under the total, but seven of eight Billingsley starts went over.

-- Last three Halladay starts stayed under the total.
-- Over is 6-1-1 in Wang's last eight starts.
-- Under is 7-2 in Buehrle's last nine starts.
-- Over is 12-5-1 in last eighteen Cabrera starts.
-- Four of last five Santana starts stayed under the total.
-- Three of last four Dinardo starts stayed under the total.
-- Under is 12-6 in last eighteen Ramirez starts.


Hot Teams
-- Cubs are 9-2 in game after their last eleven losses. Mets won three of their last four games.
-- Nationals won seven of their last eight home games. St Louis won four of its last five games.
-- Pirates won their last two games, scoring twenty runs.
-- Rockies won five of their last seven games. Braves won three of last four games, scoring 49 runs.
-- Phillies won ten of their last thirteen games.
-- Giants won six of their last eight games.
-- Arizona won ten of its last twelve games.

-- Blue Jays are 7-4 in their last eleven games.
-- Bronx is 10-4 in its last fourteen games. Royals won five of their last seven games.
-- Orioles won seven of their last eleven games. Devil Rays won three of their last four games.
-- Twins won four of their last five games.
-- Red Sox won ten of their last thirteen games.
-- Angels won six of their last eight games.

Cold Teams
-- Reds lost last five games by combined score of 34-9.
-- Marlins lost eight of their last ten games. Astros lost four of last six games, allowing fifty-three runs in their last four games.
-- Brewers lost eight of their last 11 games.
-- Padres lost nine of their last thirteen games.
-- Dodgers lost four of their last five games.

-- Rangers lost five of their last six games, allowing 34 runs.
-- Tigers lost six of their last seven games. White Sox lost three of last four games, outscored 37-18.
-- Indians lost seven of their last ten games.
-- Mariners lost eight of their last twelve games.
-- Oakland lost five of its last seven games.

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[pm530]

Six-pack for Friday

-- Thursday night was "Steroids Awareness Night" out at Dodger Stadium. Coincidence? I think not.

-- Not only did Edgar Renteria's ankle injury open door for a 4-run Astro rally that tied game 9-9 in 8th inning Thursday, it forced Atlanta to put Chipper at short, Willie Harris at 3B.

-- Renteria leads NL in hitting since All-Stsr break, so if he is lost for any length of time, bad news for Atlanta.

-- Astros led 11-9 in 12th inning, but Diaz tied game with a dramatic two-run tater in bottom half of frame.

-- Houston finally won game 12-11 in 14 innings, as Atlanta loses game to both Mets and Phillies in NL East race, even though they had 22 hits in the game.

-- Nice touch by Braves Thursday, who honored Biggio in his final game in Atlanta, both before the game and during, with a 2.5-minute video tribute. Classy move.

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[pm530]

Friday's List of 13: Reluctantly rejoining the real world....
Idle thoughts and opinions as post-vacation life starts......

13) Talk about a tough job; what about the AD over at Wake Forest, who not only has to choose Skip Prosser's successor, he has to do it slowly enough as to show respect for Prosser and his family? Guess here is that they stay within program for this season, probably former Army coach Dino Gaudio.

12) I look at U New Orleans' basketball roster, and I see two juniors, six seniors. This puts them in desperate straits, as far as this recruiting season goes, but it will also help them get players, since immediate playing time is the best bait there is to lure recruits. Of course, they could still use another guy or two for this season, so they can practice 5-on-5.

11) If the Big 11 were to expand to get to a dozen teams, isn't Nebraska a natural choice? Huge in football, a sleeping giant in basketball, and a national following to help the Big 11's new TV network, which is struggling with cable operators.

10) Say what you want about Tropicana Field, but without a dome Tuesday night, there is no baseball; it rained an awful lot. Now, it would be 1,000 times better if it was a retractable roof, but it rains so much in Florida, they definitely need roof of some kind. As bad as the Rays draw, how about over in Marlins, where they've won two titles and still don't draw?

9) Bronx Bombers scored eight runs in the second inning, still lost 13-9. Their games now resemble slow-pitch softball.

8) College football spreads for Labor Day weekend are out; USC is 44-point favorite vs Idaho, whose former head coach, Nick Holt, is a USC assistant. Vandals are on fourth coach in last five years, third in last three. Hard to win that way.

7) Most interesting spread to me is Tennessee Volunteers as a 5-point underdog at Cal Bears.

6) Diamondbacks are 6-0 vs lefty starting pitchers since the All-Star break.

5) Astros allowed 10+ runs four games in row, the first time in franchise history they've had that bad a stretch of pitching.

4) You think about Twins and Minnesota Gophers getting a new stadium in next few years, and you wonder if maybe few more resources should have gone into bridge repair, instead of funding new ballparks in Twin Cities area.

3) For a team in ***** of NL West and Wild Card race, isn't it weird how many roster changes the Padres made this week?

2) Morgan Ensberg homered twice in his Padre debut, as San Diego crushed Arizona 11-0. Ensberg never quite found his niche in tiny Minute Maid Park; maybe the USC product will be more comfortable back in southern California.

1) If I were Bud Selig, baseball commissioner, I'd be doing lot of background checks on all my umpires, hoping to avoid the kind of mess the NBA has now, with a crooked ref. It would be fairly simple for home plate umpire to influence outcome of a game, if he so chose, and if that ever became public, whole steroids issue would seem like a day at the beach.

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[pm530]

Canadian Football League – Long Sheet

CFL
Long Sheet

Friday, August 3

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WINNIPEG (3 - 1 - 1) at HAMILTON (0 - 5) - 8/3/2007, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
HAMILTON is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
HAMILTON is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) in home lined games over the last 2 seasons.
HAMILTON is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) in home games versus division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
HAMILTON is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) in home games in games played on turf over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 4-2 against the spread versus HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 4-2 straight up against HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 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, August 3

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Winnipeg (3-1-1) @ Hamilton (0-5) -- Bombers beat Hamilton in last week's game, 36-18 (-9), averaging 10.7 yards/pass attempt even though Maas was 29-44/341 for TiCats. Hamilton's losses are by 28-25-9-18 points (1-4 vs spread). Winnipeg's wins are by 9-2-18 points- they're 3-0 against eastern teams. Last week, Bombers led just 14-12 at half, before big second half sealed a win for them. TiCats been outscored 80-34 in second half.

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[pm530]

Canadian Football League – Betting Trends

CFL

Friday, August 3

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CFL Betting Trends
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WINNIPEG

Winnipeg is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 6 games
Winnipeg is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Winnipeg is 7-16-1 SU in its last 24 games on the road
Winnipeg is 11-5 ATS in its last 16 games when playing Hamilton
Winnipeg is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games when playing Hamilton
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 6 games when playing Hamilton
Winnipeg is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Hamilton
Winnipeg is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Hamilton

HAMILTON

Hamilton is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Hamilton is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Hamilton's last 25 games
Hamilton is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Hamilton is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Hamilton's last 7 games at home
Hamilton is 5-11 ATS in its last 16 games when playing Winnipeg
Hamilton is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Hamilton's last 6 games when playing Winnipeg
Hamilton is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Winnipeg
Hamilton is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Winnipeg

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[pm530]

WNBA – Recent Trends

WNBA


Friday, August 3

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Recent Trends
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New York (11-15) at Washington (10-15)

New York:
NY are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 Fri. games.
NY are 13-6 ATS in their last 19 road games.

Head to Head:
Over is 7-1 in the last 8 meetings.



Los Angeles (9-16) at Houston (8-18)

Los Angeles:
Under is 7-1 in LA last 8 games as an underdog.

Houston:
Over is 7-1 in HOU last 8 games as a home favorite.
Under is 7-1 in HOU last 8 vs. Western Conference.
Over is 14-3 in HOU last 17 games as a favorite.

Head to Head:
Under is 10-1 in the last 11 meetings in Houston.
Under is 19-3-1 in the last 23 meetings.



Detroit (21-6) at Chicago (12-15)

Detroit:
Over is 8-2 in DET last 10 road games.
Over is 6-2 in DET last 8 games as a road favorite.
Over is 6-2 in DET last 8 vs. Eastern Conference.

Chicago:
CHI are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
Over is 8-2 in CHI last 10 games as an underdog.



Seattle (13-14) at Sacramento (15-10)

Seattle:
SEA are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games overall.

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[Udog]

WNBA
Long Sheet


Friday, August 3


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NEW YORK (11 - 15) at WASHINGTON (10 - 15) - 8/3/2007, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 142-183 ATS (-59.3 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 89-119 ATS (-41.9 Units) vs. division opponents since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 6-4 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 7-3 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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LOS ANGELES (9 - 16) at HOUSTON (8 - 18) - 8/3/2007, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 1-10 ATS (-10.0 Units) in road games in August or September games over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 2-8 ATS (-6.8 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
LOS ANGELES is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) in road games after a win by 10 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 2-8 ATS (-6.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
LOS ANGELES is 2-8 ATS (-6.8 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game this season.
HOUSTON is 206-159 ATS (+31.1 Units) in all games since 1997.
HOUSTON is 145-93 ATS (+42.7 Units) as a favorite since 1997.
HOUSTON is 108-75 ATS (+25.5 Units) in home games since 1997.
HOUSTON is 57-33 ATS (+20.7 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1997.
HOUSTON is 82-54 ATS (+22.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 6-3 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 7-2 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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DETROIT (21 - 6) at CHICAGO (12 - 15) - 8/3/2007, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 13-25 ATS (-14.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 10-3 ATS (+6.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DETROIT is 20-6 ATS (+13.4 Units) as a road favorite of 3 points or less since 1997.
DETROIT is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 5-2 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 6-1 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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[Udog]

MLB
Streaking Pitchers


Friday, August 3


Hot

Carlos Zambrano (Chicago Cubs) - The fiery right-hander is the hottest pitcher in baseball right now and that has propelled the Cubs to first place in the NL Central. Zambrano is 3-0 in his last three starts with a 0.96 ERA, without allowing a home run. In his last 10 starts, Zambrano has surrendered more than two runs only once while going 8-2. Oddsmakers have Zambrano and the Cubs at -139 today against the New York Mets.

John Smoltz (Atlanta Braves) - While the recent acquisitions of Mark Teixeira and Octavio Dotel are getting all the press clippings in Atlanta, Braves backers know that Smoltz is the team's bread and butter. Smoltz has certainly lived up to that billing lately, going undefeated with a 1.71 ERA over the last month. With the Braves taking on the Colorado Rockies at Turner Field tonight (-154) bettors should note Smoltz's 1.98 ERA at home this season.

Cold

Matt Cain (San Francisco Giants) - Cain has turned what was a pretty solid start to the season into an increasingly disappointing campaign. The 22 year-old righty has only one win in his last 10 starts, while posting an ugly 7.63 ERA over his last three trips to the hill. Cain's biggest difficulty has been his control, as he has given up 11 walks in his last 15 innings of work. Books have the Giants as +113 underdogs tonight against the San Diego Padres.

Ian Snell (Pittsburgh Pirates) - It's been a month since Snell cashed a payday for the Pirates and judging by the way he's been pitching, it might be while before it happens again. Snell is 1-4 in his last six starts, with a 7.88 ERA since July 14. In spite of this, the Bucs are -135 home favorites tonight against the Cincinnati Reds. The righty has given up too many hits lately – 21 over his last 16 innings of work.